The UNESCO 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreement oversees such issues as the guarantee of equal and comprehensive education, environmental issues, gender equality  including equal social opportunities for men and women  human rights, ending minority segregation, and encouraging peace and non-violence.

Khamenei emphasized, It has been years since we have proposed the Iranian Islamic advances example. This proposal must be perfected by our college professors and prevent Westerners from suggesting examples for our country.

Accusations by Rouhani during his presidential campaign included allegations that his rivals provided false reports to Khamenei regarding the 2030 Agenda.

In response, Khamenei said he had received correct reports.

After Rouhani posted on his Instagram page that last September the 2030 Agenda was provided to Khameneis office, the parliament, judiciary, the General Inspectors Office, and other state entities, the controversy escalated.

The document was posted without any description, but with under signature of Isaac Jahangiri on September 15, 2016. Therefore, the the fact that the first vice-president signed the document at that time is indisputable.

Government affiliated ISNA news agency wrote, This document indicates that in addition to executive branch, judiciary and parliament were aware about the details of this document, but no one had any objection to its implementation.

The publication of this document has again fueled division between the regimes factions. Khameneis state media has attacked Rouhani and the 2030 document.

In a confusing statement, Cleric Ahmad Salek acknowledges, this document has been signed and communicated in September of last year, but then adds that implementation of some of its articles are attacks on the clerics government, and are, the movements of the enemy. He added, One of the enemies ways in arranging contracts is to influence our fundamental believes. So, we could have gotten engaged in some trades, economics, energy, ballistic missiles, international businesses and etc. contracts, however, the 2030 document contract is such, that with its implementation is going to be no more values left in the country. This the same as infiltration of enemy.

Cleric Ali Salimi, member of the House Education Committee, said that various aspects of the 2030 document should be scrupulously examined. The raised question is that, whether the IRGC affiliated militia military training in the schools is evidence of violence and the culture of violence is a true testimony? These are questions that need to be answered.

Government affiliated Keyhan newspaper, which didnt mention that the date of this document was last year, blamed Rouhani and wrote, The executive branch has lined up all its resources in a psychological war against society that the implementation of document 2030 is not mandatory.

In the meantime, Fazel Lankarani, a cleric who is affiliated with Ali Khamenei, called for a ban of the 2030 UNESCO document, signed in by the government of President Hassan Rouhani. He stated, The pen that has written this document is blasphemous.

In the latest news, at a meeting with Hassan Rouhani on the evening of Tuesday June 13, 2017, Irans Supreme Cultural Revolution Council members revoked the 2030 UNESCO document.

The majority of the members of Irans Supreme Cultural Revolution Council ratified that all the aspects of the fundamental evolutionary plans of education and training should be taken into consideration, and countrys educational issues should be designed according to Iranian superior documents. Therefore, the 2030 document would not be taken into consideration.

In a letter to Rouhani just hours before this announcement, 151 members of parliament stated, Because this 2030 UNESCO document was not approved in the Parliament it is not valid.

Khamenei has previously stated that he considers the implementation of this document illegal, and said, The Islamic Republic will not give in to documents such as UNESCOs 2030 Agenda.
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By William Maclean, Rania El Gamal and Tom Finn DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - Four Arab states that imposed a boycott on Qatar have issued an ultimatum to Doha to close Al Jazeera television, curb ties with Iran, shut a Turkish base and pay reparations, demands so far reaching it would appear to be hard for Doha to comply. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have sent a 13-point list of demands apparently aimed at dismantling their tiny but wealthy neighbour's two-decade-old interventionist foreign policy which has incensed them. Kuwait is helping mediate the dispute. A Qatari government spokesman said Doha was reviewing the list of demands and that a formal response would be made by the foreign ministry and delivered to Kuwait, but added that the demands were not reasonable or actionable. "This list of demands confirms what Qatar has said from the beginning  the illegal blockade has nothing to do with combatting terrorism, it is about limiting Qatars sovereignty, and outsourcing our foreign policy," Sheikh Saif al-Thani director of Qatar's government communications office, said in a statement. A Qatar semi-government human rights body said the demands were a violation of human rights conventions and should not be accepted by Qatar. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani had said on Monday that Qatar would not negotiate with the four states until economic, diplomatic and travel ties cut this month were restored. The countries that imposed the sanctions accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional unrest and drawing too close to their enemy Iran. Qatar rejects those accusations and says it is being punished for straying from its neighbours' backing for authoritarian hereditary and military rulers. The uncomprimising demands leave little prospect for a quick end to the biggest diplomatic crisis for years between Sunni Arab Gulf states, regional analysts said. "The demands are so aggressive that it makes it close to impossible to currently see a resolution of that conflict," said Olivier Jakob, a strategist at Switzerland-based oil consultancy Petromatrix. Ibrahim Fraihat, Conflict Resolution Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, forecast a prolonged stand-off. Qatar will reject the demands as a "non-starter", he said, and its neighbours had already escalated as far as they were likely to go. "Military action remains unlikely at the moment so the outcome after the deadline would be a political stalemate ..." Washington, which is a close military ally of countries on both sides of the dispute, has called for a resolution. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Qatar's neighbours should make their demands "reasonable and actionable". TEN DAYS TO COMPLY An official from one of the four nations, who gave details of the demands on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the offer would be "void" unless Qatar complied within 10 days. The UAE has said sanctions could last for years. Qatar, the world's richest country per capita, says the sanctions amount to a "blockade", but it has ample reserves to weather the storm. The dispute is a big test for the United States, which has a large base in Qatar housing the headquarters of its Middle East air power and 11,000 troops. President Donald Trump has backed the sanctions, even as his Defense and State departments have tried to remain neutral, resulting in mixed signals. Trump called Qatar a "funder of terrorism at a very high level", only for his Pentagon to approve selling it $12 billion of warplanes five days later. The most powerful country in the region to back the Qatari side in the dispute has been Turkey, whose President Tayyip Erdogan has his roots in an Islamist political party similar to movements that Qatar has backed in the region. Days after the sanctions were imposed, Turkey rushed through legislation to send more troops to its base in Qatar as a sign of support. Defence Minister Fikri Isik rejected the demand to close the base, saying it would represent interference in Ankara's relations with Doha. Instead, Turkey might bolster its presence. "Strengthening the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf's security," he said. "Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda." Qatar has used its vast wealth over the past decade to exert influence abroad, backing factions in civil wars and revolts across the Middle East. It infuriated Egypt's present rulers and Saudi Arabia by backing a Muslim Brotherhood government in Cairo that ruled for a year until it was deposed by the army in 2013. Qatar's state-funded satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera became hugely popular across the Middle East, but has long infuriated Arab governments used to exercising firm control over the media in their countries. Jazeera hit back at the closure order, calling it "nothing but an attempt to silence the freedom of expression in the region". STOP INTERFERING The demands, handed to Qatar by mediator Kuwait, tell Qatar to stop interfering in the four nations' domestic and foreign affairs and refrain from giving Qatari nationality to their citizens, the official from one of the sanctioning states said. They also include severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly al Qaeda's branch in Syria, and the surrender of all designated terrorists on Qatari territory. Qatar denies it has relationships with terrorist groups or shelters terrorists. It was ordered to scale down diplomatic relations with Iran, limit its commercial ties and expel members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Qatar denies they are there. The sanctioning countries demanded Qatar pay them reparations for any damage or costs incurred due to Qatari policies. Compliance with the demands would be monitored, with monthly reports in the first year, then every three months the next year, then annually for 10 years, the official said. Although Reuters was told about the contents of the ultimatum by an official from one of the sanctioning countries, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash accused Qatar of leaking the demands. "There is a price for the years of plotting and there is a price to return to the neighbourhood," Gargash said on Twitter. "The leak (of demands) seeks to derail mediation." Qataris who spoke to Reuters described the demands as unreasonable, particularly the closure of Jazeera, which millions of Arabs see as an important outlet for voices willing to challenge the region's authoritarian rulers, but which neighbouring governments call a conduit for Islamist propaganda. "Imagine another country demanding that CNN be closed," 40-year-old Haseeb Mansour, who works for telecom operator Ooredoo, said. "A LOT ON THE LIST" Abdullah al-Muhanadi, a retired public sector worker shopping for groceries in Doha on Friday morning, said the boycott must be lifted before negotiations to resolve the dispute could start. "There's a lot on the list that is simply not true or unreasonable, so how can we comply?" he said. "There are no IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) elements in Qatar and the agreement with Turkey is a long-standing diplomatic agreement so we cannot ask them to leave." Qatar has only 300,000 citizens enjoying the riches produced by the world's largest exports of liquefied natural gas. The rest of its 2.7 million people are foreign migrant workers, mostly manual labourers employed on vast construction projects that have crowned the tiny desert peninsula with skyscrapers as well as stadiums for the 2022 soccer world cup. The sanctions have disrupted its main routes to import goods by land from Saudi Arabia and by sea from big container ships docked in the United Arab Emirates. But it so far has avoided economic collapse by quickly finding alternative routes, and it says its huge financial reserves will meet any challenges. Qatar says the sanctions have also brought personal hardship for its citizens who live in neighbouring countries or have relatives there. The countries that imposed the sanctions gave Qataris two weeks to leave, which expired on Monday. (Additional reporting by Tom Finn and Tom Arnold in Doha, and Daren Butler in Istanbul; Writing by Rania El Gamal and Peter Millership; editing by Peter Graff and Jonathan Oatis)
Raniero Mancinelli cannot afford to drop a stitch. Pope Francis is creating five new cardinals next week and the race is on to have their scarlet robes ready in time. The Italian tailor's family shop, located just outside the walls of Vatican City, hums to the sounds of customers from every corner of the Catholic world. As a Filipino nun sizes up the least expensive chalice on offer from one display, a young Brazilian priest is buying reams of gold embroidery. Nearby an Irish colleague is squeezing into a shiny liturgical robe that comes in just one size. Mancinelli, who turns 80 next month, is on first name terms with many of his visitors. "You'll be the first black pope!", he jokes with one African bishop, who shoots back, "I hope not!" But there is little time for tomfoolery. In the workroom at the back of the shop the veteran craftsman's trusty "Necchi" sewing machine from the 1950s is waiting, and half-finished cassocks and mozzettas (short capes) hang from a rail. The machine runs like a "Ferrari", the outfitter says. But it still takes him at least a week to make each new bespoke robe. Five new so-called "Princes of the Church" -- from El Salvador, Laos, Mali, Spain and Sweden -- will be created on Wednesday. Four of them have ordered their ceremonial garb from Mancinelli. - Scarlet silk - While some nipped over to the Italian capital after their nominations to submit to the tape measure, one future cardinal dispatched his personal secretary to the Eternal City with his measurements. Sometimes Mancinelli's job is made easier when he has to dress longstanding customers for their big day, though he admits, "I still have to check the measurements a bit, to see if they've put on weight around the stomach!" One key part of every outfit sits ready in a range of sizes on a shelf: the scarlet "biretta", a four-peaked hat which each new cardinal will receive from the pope, who places it on their heads as they kneel before him. Cassock, silk belt and mozzetta must be delivered to the Vatican a few days before the big event. The light, soft fabrics used must come from official suppliers and the colour must be exact: there is no picking any old scarlet. Little luxuries which proud servants of God may have purchased to mark the occasion in the past are not as popular since the election in 2013 of a pope who called for "a poor Church for the poor". "They only buy the bare necessities now," Mancinelli said. "Under Pope Francis, the cardinals want things a little simpler. Before we only used silk, whereas now we mix silk and wool, fabrics that are a bit cheaper, a bit more modest". - Sock fashion - When he became a bishop, the then Jorge Bergoglio sought out a simple metal cross from Mancinelli. And since the Argentine's elevation to pope, the minimalist trend has caught on. The heavy gold crosses set with precious stones on display in one of the shop's glass cases are on their way to becoming museum pieces. Some prelates even plump for modestly-priced wooden crosses. Outfits generally have become less extravagant down the ages, particularly since the late 1960s. Out have gone long capes, mantles and flat hats. Gone too are buckled shoes. Long trains, still worn by the more audacious cardinals, are a rarity. Most now plump for modern, plain shoes -- and even the once-obligatory matching scarlet socks are optional. As for the black non-ceremonial cassocks, they no longer have to sport 33 buttons, especially if the cardinal is short. Mancinelli's proudest achievement is having once decked out 12 new cardinals at once, and he is not about to hang up his scissors. "I dress them from the North Pole to the South Pole! Why should I put my sewing machine away?" he quips.
Chile's President Michelle Bachelet apologized on behalf of the nation Friday to the Mapuche indigenous tribe for the "horrors" of post-colonial abuse they suffered. Considered the earliest inhabitants of parts of Chile, the Mapuche fought against the Spanish conquerors and later the Chilean army after the country's independence in the 19th century. Their numbers were reduced to only 700,000, a fraction of Chile's current population of 17 million. "We have failed as a country," the socialist president, who is due to leave office in seven months, said in a speech. "I therefore wish to apologize to the Mapuche people for the mistakes and horrors that have been committed or tolerated in our relations with them and their communities." Her speech marked the launch of a development scheme for impoverished Mapuche communities in the southern Araucania region. Mapuche in Araucania are campaigning to recover territory they say was confiscated from them. Bachelet said a ministerial committee would review indigenous land rights in the region. "It is clear that from the time when our republic was formed, the Mapuche people's identity, culture, territory and livelihood were not protected as they should have been," Bachelet said. "Over more than a century and a half of national history, these people were treated as though they were invisible and their communities were disrespected and discriminated against." Mapuche land rights campaigners have also been jailed under a terrorism law dating to Chile's 1973-1990 dictatorship.
Colombia's ELN rebel force said Friday it had released two Dutch journalists it kidnapped in the north of the country four days ago. The kidnapping was the latest in a series of incidents which officials feared could disrupt peace talks the ELN is holding with the Colombian government. "The two foreigners captured by the ELN in Catatumbo have been released in perfect condition," the National Liberation Army (ELN) said on Twitter. It did not say where they were set free. In the Netherlands, a Dutch foreign ministry spokeswoman told AFP she was not able to confirm the release. Derk Johannes Bolt, 62, and his cameraman Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender, 58, were kidnapped Monday near the Venezuelan border. The governor of the surrounding Norte de Santander district, William Villamizar, said Thursday a humanitarian commission was mediating their release. "The release does not affect the dialogue being carried out with the ELN," he said. On Tuesday, the government's chief negotiator with the guerrillas, Juan Camilo Restrepo, warned the kidnapping complicated negotiations with the ELN that began in February. Villamizar said the military and the ELN had been asked to reduce their operations in the area "so as not to endanger the lives of the Dutch journalists" in order for them to be released safely. The journalists work for Spoorloos, a program on Kro-Ncrv TV that helps Dutch people trace their biological relatives around the world. In May 2016, ELN rebels kidnapped in the same region a Colombian-Spanish journalist and two Colombian TV reporters. They were handed over to intermediaries a few days later. - FARC disarmament - In the main thrust of Colombia's peace drive, the country's biggest rebel group, the FARC, is scheduled to complete its disarmament by June 27 under a peace deal it signed last year. Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said the FARC would complete their historic disarmament on Friday. He spoke during an official visit to France. But UN observers had yet to confirm the formal end to the disarmament process on Friday afternoon. The Colombian conflict erupted in 1964 when the FARC and the smaller ELN took up arms for rural land rights. The violence drew in various rebel and paramilitary forces and drug gangs as well as state forces. The conflict has left at least 260,000 people dead and displaced more than seven million, according to the authorities.
Mongolians pick a new president Monday after a campaign marred by corruption scandals plaguing all three candidates, from jobs for cash to offshore accounts and donations from an alleged cult. The allegations have sapped enthusiasm among voters in a country that remains mired in poverty despite having billions of dollars worth of natural resources buried beneath its sprawling steppes. "We are forced to choose the lesser of three evils," Dugersurengiin Sukhjargalmaa, a former member of the Mongolia People's Party (MPP) and advisor for national gender justice organisation MONFEMNET, told AFP. The candidates are Mieygombo Enkhbold for the Mongolian People's Party -- which controls the parliament -- Khaltmaa Battulga for the opposition Democratic Party (DP) and Sainkhuu Ganbaatar for the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party. The outgoing president, DP's Tsakhia Elbegdorj, is not running because he has served the maximum two four-year terms. While Enkhbold is favoured by Mongolia's older stock as the most stable, credentialed choice, his campaign has been plagued by a video recording that allegedly shows the candidate and two MPP officials discussing a $60 billion tugrik ($25 million) plan for selling government positions. Enkhbold has maintained that the recording was altered to misrepresent the conversation. Battulga has been haunted by reports of offshore accounts attached to his name, as well as the arrests of several of his associates by Mongolia's anti-corruption body last spring. The third-party candidate is also not exempt from controversy: a video allegedly shows Ganbaatar receiving a $44,000 donation from a member of the "Moonies," or Unification Church, a South Korean-based Christian group that critics consider a cult. Mongolian authorities confirmed Thursday that the man in the footage is Ganbaatar, but the candidate has called the clip a ploy by his competitors to force him out of the race. Battulga has also stirred up controversy by saying that Enkhbold has Chinese ancestry, suggesting he is not pure Mongolian. - 'Knee-deep in scandals' - Analysts say none of the candidates may win Monday's vote outright, which would trigger the country's first ever run-off election. "All three of them are knee-deep in scandal," Mogi Badral Bontoi, the head of a Mongolian market analyst firm, told AFP. "This is probably the most negative elections we've had in 27 years of democratic history." The scandals have been a distraction as Mongolia grapples with economic problems, with nine percent unemployment a top concern among voters. The next president will inherit a $5.5 billion bailout package spearheaded by the International Monetary Fund in the hopes of stabilising Mongolia's debt-wracked economy. The landlocked north Asian nation has been hit hard by a more than 50 percent fall over the past five years in the price of copper, its main export, while slowing growth in its biggest customer China has hobbled the economy. Mongolia's economy grew a measly one percent in 2016 -- a stark contrast to record-high 17 percent growth in 2011. - Blank ballots - Frustrations around the negative campaigns have fuelled speculation that voters will cast an unprecedented number of blank ballots as a protest vote. At least 50 percent of the voting population must participate for the election to be valid. Regarded as a democratic oasis sandwiched between Russia and China, the former Soviet satellite once reported around 90 percent voter participation. But turnout dropped to 64 percent in the last presidential election in 2013. "I will not cast a vote in this election," said a 37-year-old housewife who gave only her surname, Tuul. "All three of them are crooks, liars and oligarchs." Julian Dierkes, a Mongolia scholar at the University of British Columbia, said "nothing really sets the candidates apart". Instead, Dierkes said, voters may weigh whether to deepen the MPP's dominance or maintaining a balance of powers with the presidency and parliament led by different parties. At an Ulan Bator supermarket, Amariin Urangoo, a 35-year-old travel advisor, grimaced when asked about the election. "I won't vote," she said, "because there's nobody to choose from."
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered weekend missile strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, Revolutionary Guards said, contradicting a previous report that they were authorised by the country's security council. The Guards fired six mid-range surface to surface missiles from western Iran into Syria's Deir al Zour province on Sunday night, the first attack of its kind carried out by the Islamic Republic in years. The Guards statement, published on Wednesday by Sepah News, ran counter to a statement by President Hassan Rouhani who said earlier that the strikes were authorised by the Supreme National Security Council, which includes the heads of the three branches of government as well as the head of the Guards and other ministers. Senior Guard commanders said on Monday that the missile strikes were intended to send a message to "terrorists" who carried out attacks in Tehran two weeks ago as well as their regional and international supporters, a reference to Saudi Arabia and the United States. Khamenei's personal directive for the missile strikes, as reported by the Guards, highlighted their symbolic importance. The complex attacks in Tehran included shootings and at least one suicide bombing at the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, south of the capital. Eighteen people were killed. Islamic State claimed responsibility for these attacks but senior Iranian officials pointed a finger at Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic's biggest regional rival. Tensions between mostly Shi'ite Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is predominantly Sunni, have ramped up in recent months as both countries compete for power and influence across the region. The two countries support opposite sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Field operatives from the Quds Force, the branch of the Guards responsible for operations outside Iran's borders, gathered intelligence on the targets inside Syria before the strike, the Guards' statement said. More than 170 "terrorists" including some commanders were killed in the missile strike, their statement said. Reuters could not independently verify the claim. (Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Recalibrating France's long-held policy of insisting that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad must step down, President Emmanuel Macron has opted for realpolitik by making the fight against terror the top priority. In an interview with eight European newspapers Thursday, he unveiled a revamped policy to address a conflict that has claimed more than 320,000 lives and created millions of refugees. Warning of the potential for a "failed state" if Assad were forcibly removed, 39-year-old Macron said the cooperation of the Syrian leader's key ally Russia was needed to "eradicate" the Islamic extremists fighting Damascus. "The real change I've made on this question is that I haven't said the deposing of Bashar al-Assad is a prerequisite for everything," said Macron, who took office last month. "Because no one has introduced me to his legitimate successor." He added: "My line is clear: one, a total fight against terrorist groups. They are our enemies... We need the cooperation of everyone to eradicate them, particularly Russia. Two: stability in Syria, because I don't want a failed state." Macron's statements formalised a shift that had already begun in the wake of the November 2015 jihadist attacks in Paris, which were planned in Syria and executed from Belgium. - 'Shame on France' - But Syrian opposition figures who have long looked to France as their leading supporter were outraged. "Shame on France, whose leader Emmanuel Macron does not see Bashar as its enemy or an enemy to humanity," tweeted Ahmed Ramadan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition, the main umbrella organisation of opposition groups. Under Macron's predecessor, Francois Hollande, France was one of the most outspoken advocates of Assad's departure. Successive Hollande foreign ministers asserted that Assad and the Islamic State group (IS) were "two sides of the same coin". The policy began to shift after the Paris attacks, which were followed by several others for which IS claimed direct or indirect responsibility. Hollande began to place more emphasis on fighting the jihadists in Syria, while still saying that Assad could not "represent the future" of the war-torn country. - Diplomatic impasse - In another shift, Macron implicitly criticised UN-backed peace talks that are at an impasse in Geneva. In the interview, he said "we need a political and diplomatic roadmap" -- he notably did not mention the United Nations. Macron has previously said he was in favour of "building an inclusive political solution in a much more collective way" -- while regretting that none of the G7 states is party to parallel Syria peace talks under way in the Kazakh capital Astana initiated by Russia, Iran and Turkey. A diplomat who requested anonymity told AFP: "We've been saying Assad must go for years and that has produced no result... Geneva is of little use... We can't go on like this." Now, only a few months after accusing Moscow of complicity in "war crimes" during the recapture of eastern Aleppo by Assad's forces, Paris is seeking rapprochement with Moscow. While the tone was strained when Macron met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin late last month in Versailles outside Paris, the French leader was clear about wanting to step up cooperation in the fight against terror. His foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was in Moscow on Tuesday to consolidate the rapprochement in what was described as a "spirit of trust". But Macron reiterated what he sees as non-negotiable "red lines" -- the use of chemical weapons and access for humanitarian aid. He warned that France, which is part of the US-led coalition fighting jihadists with air strikes in Syria, would respond to the use of chemical weapons. But he did not say how Paris would respond if any of the red lines was crossed, or whether any concrete demands were made to the Russians on that front. "Macron is pragmatic, not given to soul-searching and manages his priorities," international relations expert Karim Bitar told AFP. "He is not complacent about Putin or Assad. Let's say he's halfway between realism and cynicism."
Zibakalam stated, Iranian regime has killed thousands of MEK members just like killers of Imam Hossain (a 7th century revolutionary Shiite leader who made the ultimate sacrifice for social justice in the face of corruption and tyranny). He added, thousands of members of the Peoples Mujahedeen opposition organization were killed without any trial and any proof of the crime on them, during the first years after the revolution. He was referring to the massacre of 30000 political prisoners in the summer of 1988.

Proof of the massacre was further revealed by an audio tape released on August 9, 2016, by the son of Hossein-Ali Montazeri, Khomeinis former heir. He published the shocking audio tape on his website, and in it Montazeri can be heard telling a meeting of members of the Death Committee 28 years ago that they were carrying out a crime against humanity. The Death Committee was formed following a fatwa issued by Khomeini.

Members of this committee included Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, representative of the Intelligence Ministry; Hossein-Ali Nayyeri, the religious judge; Morteza Eshraqi, Tehran Prosecutor; and Ebrahim Raissi, Deputy Tehran Prosecutor. Pour-Mohammadi is currently Irans Justice Minister, Nayyeri is the head of the Supreme Disciplinary Court for Judges, and Raissi is a member of the Assembly of Experts and the head of the Astan Qods-e Razavi foundation, one of the most important state-affiliated political and economic powerhouses in Iran. He is also a candidate to succeed Khamenei. All were present at the meeting recorded on the audio tapes.

The following statements by Montazer at this meeting were reported in an article published by the Nation Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) last March:

Montazeri:

In other cities, they committed all sorts of things (crimes)  and in Ahwaz it was really horrendous. This judge, that judge, in this city, in that city, they condemned someone to 5 years, 6 years, 10 years, and 15 years. Now executing these people while there have been no new activities (by the prisoner) means that the entire judicial system has been at fault.

Addressing Pour-Mohammadi, the representative of the Intelligence Ministry, Montazeri said:

Intelligence had control on the (killings) and had invested in it. Ahmad Khomeini (Khomeinis son) has personally been saying for 3-4 years that the PMOI affiliates should all be executed, even if they only read their newspaper, publications or statements.

Montazeri:

15-year-old girls and pregnant women were among those killed. In Shiite jurisprudence even if a woman is Mohareb (waging war on God) she shouldnt be executed, I told Khomeini this but he said no, execute the women too.

The Montazeri tape revealed the scope and breadth of the massacre, sending shockwaves in Iran, especially among the regimes officials.

Hossein-Ali Montazeri was subsequently dismissed as the heir by Khomeini for these remarks, and spent the rest of his live under house arrest.

Ahmad Montazeri, who published the audio tapes, was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment and to be stripped of any clerical authority on November 27, 2016, by a Special Clerical Court in the Iranian city of Qom for releasing a tape that captures his father denouncing the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Zibkalams statements come at a time of the rising popularity of MEK in Iran, particularly among the Iranian youth. This trend is so alarming to the regime, that the chairman of a state funded foundation called Habilian recently announced that 300 exhibitions against MEK has been held all over Iran.

The Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (also known as MEK, or Mujahedin-e-Khalq / Mujahedeen-e-Khalq), was founded on September 6, 1965, by Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen, and Ali-Asghar Badizadgan. All were engineers, and had previously been members of the Freedom Movement (also known as the Liberation Movement), created by Medhi Bazargan in May 1961.

The MEKs sought a true interpretation of Islam, an inherently tolerant and democratic religion, which is completely compatible with the values of modern-day civilization. Using this view of Islam, it took six years to develop a strategy to replace Irans dictatorial monarchy with a democratic government.

The MEK is the oldest and largest opposition group in the Middle East. It has been active for more than a half century, battling two dictatorships and a wide range of issues. The MEK supports:

 Universal suffrage as the sole criterion for legitimacy

 Pluralistic system of governance

 Respect for individual freedoms

 Ban on the death penalty

 Separation of religion and state

 Full gender equality

 Equal participation of women in political leadership. MEK is actually led by its central committee consist of 1000 women.

 Modern judicial system that emphasizes the principle of innocence, a right to a defense, and due process

 Free markets

 Relations with all countries in the world

 Commitment to a non-nuclear Iran

The MEK has remained a strong and cohesive organization, with membership both worldwide and deep within Iran. The MEK is the leading voice for democracy in Iran. Supported by its interpretation of Islam that discredits the fundamentalist mullahs regime.

Six human rights organizations with consultative status to the United Nations human rights body have submitted a joint written statement to the current session of the Human Rights Council about the 1988 massacre of tens of thousands of political prisoners in Iran, the majority of whom were members the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) or (MEK) highlighting the need for the international community to hold the perpetrators to account.

The General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/71/204 on December 19, 2016 , calling on Iran to launch a comprehensive accountability process in response to all cases of serious human rights violations, including those involving the Iranian judiciary and security agencies, and  to end impunity for such violations. Iran, however, has failed to comply with this call.

The NCRI recommends that:

1. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Council place the massacre on their agenda and as a first step appoint an international commission to investigate this atrocious crime;

2. The Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Asma Jahangir, carry out an inquiry into the 1988 massacre as part of her mandate;

3. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, Pablo de Greiff, carry out an inquiry into the 1988 massacre as part of his mandate.

Additionally, The Washington Times reports the official record of the U.S. Resolution 188 entitled The condemnation of the Iranian government for the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and the invitation to call for justice for the victims.

Representatives of both parties, Republicans and Democrats, including the chairs and ranking members of committees on foreign affairs, National Security and Legislation, and 46 legislators supported the resolution.

A press release was issued to inform about the release of the Resolution 188 by the Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee from the Republican Party, Michael McCaul, and the ranking member from the Democratic Party in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel. 46 U.S. legislators from both parties intend to send an invitation to the U.S. government and its allies in order to publicly condemn the massacre of 1988.

They plan to call on the UN in order to set an investigation committee to bring the perpetrators of this crime to trial.

Resolution 188 stipulates that the current Head of the Judiciary and Mostafa Pourmohammadi are among the perpetrators of the massacre.

The Resolution reads, Michael McCaul, Ed Royce (the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee), Eliot Engel, Pete Sessions (the Chair of House Rules Committee), and the Congressmen such as Barbara Comstock, Tom MacClintock, Bill Keating, Brad Sherman, Donald Young, and Judy Chu proposed the resolution to the Foreign Affairs Committee.
LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Thursday that it was time to evaluate pardoning the country's imprisoned former leader Alberto Fujimori, an apparent bid to placate the powerful opposition party led by Fujimori's daughter. The remarks came a day after Fujimori's supporters in Congress delivered their biggest blow yet to Kuczynski in his year in office by ousting his finance minister and targeting his interior minister for a potential censure. "I think it's time to look at it," Kuczynski told reporters about pardoning Fujimori, confirming comments attributed to him in an interview published on Thursday by the Economist magazine. Keiko Fujimori welcomed Kuczynski's remarks in the first hint of a truce with the opposition since last year. She has led her father's right-wing populist movement since he was jailed in 2009 for human rights violations. "It's time to act. Use your power as president. Pardon him," Keiko Fujimori said on Twitter. Fujimori is a divisive figure in Peru, considered a corrupt dictator by some but admired by others who credit him with fixing the economy and ending a bloody insurgency in the 1990s. Kuczynski, who narrowly beat Keiko Fujimori in last year's presidential election, said at the start of his term that he would not pardon Fujimori but would be willing to sign legislation to let aging prisoners carry out their sentences under house arrest. However, Kuczynski's government has been dogged by clashes with Keiko Fujimori's party, which secured a solid majority of congressional seats in elections last year. Tensions between the executive and Congress heightened this week following a weeks-long battle over the finance minister, who was accused of interfering in an autonomous institution after he asked the comptroller to approve a controversial contract modification. A presidential pardon would anger Fujimori's opponents, who rallied behind Kuczynski to help him scrape together a victory against Keiko Fujimori in a tight run-off. "(Kucynski's) being cornered and instead of fighting it out like a statesman, he's ceding to their pressure," Peru's biggest labor group, the CGTP, said. Fujimori, who governed Peru from 1990-2000, is serving a 25-year sentence for convictions that include graft and leading death squads that killed civilians. Former president Ollanta Humala rejected a request for a humanitarian pardon for Fujimori in 2013 after a medical committee concluded he did not suffer from a terminal illness. Fujimori, now 78, often leaves his prison cell to receive medical treatment for various ailments at clinics in Lima. (Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Paul Tait)
The DC UK team will be heading over to Jersey this weekend, with a skatepark jam, shop signing and game of S.K.A.T.E. pencilled in for Sunday 25th. Nicky Howells , Dave Snaddon , Cian Eades , Sam Pulley and Dylan Hughes will be in attendance to sample the islands skateable delicacies, go join them and have a session!

Wes Kremer and Alexis Ramirez join forces to hype the upcoming DC Shoes X Sk8mafia collab to a full Heiroglyphics crew soundtrack in this shared...

DC Europe heads making the most of smooth ground, wide open space and ride on ledge options to get as tech as you like!

James Harris's Little Paradise has just been uploaded to the web in full, giving those who missed out on the Bristol-based scene video a chance...

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Exxon, Stephen Hawking, greens, and Reagans advisors agree on a carbon tax

Posted on 23 June 2017 by dana1981

What do ExxonMobil, Stephen Hawking, the Nature Conservancy, and Ronald Reagans Secretary of Treasury and Chief of Staff have in common? All have signed on as founding members to the Climate Leadership Council, which has met with the White House to propose a revenue-neutral carbon tax policy.

The group started with impeccable conservative credentials, bringing on cabinet members from the last three Republican presidential administrations (Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, and George W Bush): two former Secretaries of State, two former Secretaries of Treasury, and two former chairmen of the Presidents Council of Economic Advisors. It was founded by Ted Halstead, who explained the groups proposed policy in a TED talk:

Some of the worlds brightest scientific and economic minds have since become founding members, including Stephen Hawking, Steven Chu, Martin Feldstein, and Lawrence Summers. So have ExxonMobil, BP, and Shell. But its not just the oil industry joining the call for a carbon tax; GM, Proctor & Gamble, Pepsico, and Johnson & Johnson are among the major companies signing on. As have environmental groups like the Nature Conservancy.

Citizens Climate Lobby, republicEn, the Niskanen Center, and the Weather Channel are among the Climate Leadership Councils strategic partners. Its an impressively diverse and influential group. The proposed policy is similar to that of Citizens Climate Lobby, calling for a rising price on carbon pollution with 100% of the revenue being returned to taxpayers via regular rebate checks. Research has shown that this policy would create jobs and stimulate the economywhile quickly and affordably reducing carbon pollution.

It should be a no-brainer for Republican policymakers. Over the past five months, theyve exclusively pursued unpopular policies; particularly a health care bill with just 31% support that the GOP crafted in secret because party leaders thought it would be stupid to let Americans see their unpopular plan. As conservative columnist Ross Douthat put it:

Follow Ross Douthat ? @DouthatNYT What if, just work with me here, instead of passing a hugely unpopular HC bill in the dead of night, the GOP tried to do something popular?

And climate policy is popular. Just 29% of Americans support Trumps withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty while 46% oppose it, and 79% say the US government should address the climate problem. 75% of Americans support regulating or taxing carbon pollution, including 62% of Trump voters. About half of Republicans support a revenue-neutral carbon tax.

Survey results showing partisan support for a revenue-neutral carbon tax. Illustration: Yale and George Mason Universities

Moreover the American government is legally required to establish regulations or policies to cut carbon pollution. The Trump administration has acted to unwind all of President Obamas climate policies, but Republicans will eventually lose that battle in court. Inaction is simply not an option  its against the law  and so the GOP should be looking for the most palatable policy solution. Thats a small government, free market, revenue-neutral carbon tax.

However, the most conservative voters (i.e. the Republican base) have the lowest support for this (or any) proposed climate policy. And the Koch brothers and their vast network of allies  who have essentially bought many Republican policymakers through political donations  squarely oppose all climate policies. Those two factors likely explain why 22 oil-funded Republican senators encouraged Trump to withdraw from the Paris climate treaty, while very few of the partys politicians objected to that stupid, historically irresponsible move. Instead of looking for solutions to the existential climate threat we face, theyre stuck in denial.

There are glimmers of hope within the Republican Party. In addition to the conservative elder statesmen, thought leaders, and oil companies joining the Climate Leadership Council, 21 House Republicans have joined 21 Democrats on the rapidly growing bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. But while they represent the preferences of the majority of Republican voters, among GOP members of congress, theyre still in the vast minority.

The current party leaders are also a lost cause. Trump stupidly withdrew from Paris at the urging of Mitch McConnell, and cabinet members like Ryan Zinke and Rick Perry have recently made headlines for their blatant denial of long-established climate science. The GOPs forward-thinking climate realist policymakers wont outnumber its science-denying, coal-loving, faux-masculine political leaders anytime soon. The only way the party will join us in the 21st century is if American voters make the 2018 and 2020 elections a climate referendum.

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Kim Leach and her ex-husband were high-school sweethearts. But after 21 years together  16 of them wedded  a series of rough patches led to their divorce. With two kids, a house that theyd almost paid off and years of accumulated belongings, the split was bound to be painful and time-consuming.

And there was another wrinkle: The couple jointly owned a small business.

Theres no recent research on the exact number of couple-owned businesses, but in 2000, some 3 million of the 22 million U.S. small businesses were managed by couples.

For these couples, divorce throws a wrench into business management. When dealing with your ex-spouse, it adds an extreme layer of complication to every decision, says Shawn Leamon, a certified divorce financial analyst.

Ways to Handle Divorce with a Business Involved

Leamon helped Nerdwallet identify three common ways joint owners might deal with a business during the divorce process, and when to consider each.

1. The Buyout

A buyout, the most common way couples divvy up business assets during a divorce, allows one person to become the sole owner by buying the others portion of the business. This can be done either as a bulk buyout, using cash reserves or a business loan, or by setting up a payment plan over a certain time period.

Leach took this route, and her husband bought her out of their Oklahoma fitness center. But she was focused on getting custody of her kids and ignored her lawyers advice: to have the business appraised and charge interest during the agreed-upon seven-year buyout period.

Instead, she estimated the businesss value at $100,000 and agreed to a $50,000 buyout over seven years with no interest. The business turned out to be worth closer to $200,000 or $250,000.

Fear overwhelmed me too much, says Leach, who acknowledges that her conservative approach stemmed from a fear of rocking the boat. Im a very confident woman  but when youre in that situation, everything is an unknown, so you do gamble a little bit.

Tips

If you can, pay for a neutral appraisal: Business appraisals can be expensive, ranging from a couple thousand dollars to more than $30,000, but Leamon says theyre worth it. Its easy to under- or overvalue a business, and hiring a neutral party helps ensure a fair deal for everyone.

Consider the future: The longer the payment period, the more likely it is that the spouse who keeps the business will default on payments or shut it down. In her book, The Little Divorce Survivors Handbook, Leach says that if she could do it over again, shed negotiate an upfront buyout instead of an installment plan. You cant foretell the future, she says. You need to plan like this is all youve got coming your way.

2. The Compromise

A riskier option involves running the business as usual, with both parties maintaining control of the company. If you and your ex try this tactic, its crucial to develop defined business roles and clear expectations.

It might also be a good idea to review your business structure and legal documents to make sure they reflect your position in the company.

In Leamons opinion, staying in business together is the least ideal scenario. A financial advisor since 2010, he says hes never seen this strategy work in the long term.

Youre getting divorced for a reason, he says. When trying to maintain and run a business together, it adds an extraordinary amount of stress.

Tips

Leave the personal at home: Your relationship with your ex is now strictly business. Work isnt the time or place to bring around the new boyfriend or girlfriend, or even discuss those new relationships, Leamon says.

Review your legal documents: This is especially important come tax time, when your divorce might impact federal business taxes.

3. The Walk Away

Divorce is a good time to start fresh in your personal and business lives. If you decide to move on to a new venture, you and your ex can either sell the company to a third party or close up shop.

Selling a business is messier than you might think. It can take time to find a buyer, and the longer the divorce process takes, the more likely it is that something  your relationship, the business, the economy  will take a turn for the worse.

If your company is a franchise, it likely has specific requirements for future owners, which can narrow your candidate field and lengthen the selling process further.

Having a personal connection to the business can also make it hard to sell. So in certain circumstances, shutting down may be the best option. Small businesses often carry a heavy debt load, Leamon says. Sometimes its cleaner to close it than try to dig yourself out of a giant hole.

Tips

Think beyond cash: You can split profits from a sale 50/50, but your share can also be factored into the overall settlement. Cant decide who gets the lake house? Consider trading your profit for the vacation home.

Keep it clean: If you decide to close your business, tie up loose ends first. Business issues, when not properly closed, can haunt you for years, Leamon says. Its not as simple as just signing a few documents; you should also review potential issues such as back taxes and lawsuits.

Regardless of the outcome, Leamon stresses the importance of finding a workable agreement. If you cant resolve it between your attorneys and you, a judge will decide what ultimately has to happen, he says. If you cant come up with a solution, a solution will be forced on you.

To navigate the process, try mediation or enlist the help of a divorce advisor to make sure youre not saddled with an outcome that neither of you desires.

Republished by permission. Original here.
So youre interested in selling in China? Great! There are plenty of opportunities for companies looking to expand into the Chinese market, according to speakers at Alibabas Gateway 17 event this week.

But its not as easy as just listing some products and arranging shipments to China. You actually have to learn how to market to Chinese consumers.

Small Business Trends attended the inaugural Gateway17 event June 20 and 21 at Cobo Center in Detroit. Heres a report from the conference with tips for marketing products in China according to Gateway 17s speakers and experts.

Tips for Marketing in China

Tell Your Brand Story

Chinese consumers want to hear your brand story, said Amee Chande, managing director of global strategy and operations for Alibaba Group in a presentation Wednesday.

That means they want to buy from brands they feel connected to. Especially if youre importing products, you have to build some kind of trust by sharing information about your brand, both in your store and through other methods.

So dont simply put your products out there and expect them to sell themselves. You need to provide great products and a great brand in order for Chinese consumers to trust you enough to buy.

Decorate Your Store

If youre selling products on Tmall, which is a good strategy since its the most popular marketplace among Chinese consumers, then you have a lot of options for sharing more information about your products and your brand.

Within Tmall and other marketplaces, you can customize your store completely. Add your own branding elements, product updates and other content. This can help your storefront stand out and also keep customers coming back for more.

Update Your Feed

One of the most popular features on Tmall is the news feed, which you can use to decorate your store. This is similar to what you might be used to on social media sites like Facebook. You can share new products and company updates regularly.

According to Chande, young people on Tmall log in and look at news feeds from their favorite stores up to seven times a day. So making those updates interesting and appealing to Chinese shoppers could potentially spur a lot of sales.

Utilize Live Streaming

Live streaming is another marketing tool available on Tmall. And it can be a powerful way to build up some brand trust by showing the actual people behind your brand or the product in action. You can share a company event, new product release or even tutorials related to your offering.

Take Advantage of Shopping Holidays

In China, there are shopping holidays just like there are in the U.S. But the actual holidays are different. So dont just discount your products on Cyber Monday and expect tons of sales. Do some research on the popular holidays in China and the promotions available on platforms like Tmall.

For example, November 11 is known as Singles Day in China (because of all the 1s in 11/11). An answer to Valentines Day, Singles Day is all about buying yourself gifts or buying small items for friends. Its a major opportunity for any business that sells in China.

Try Bundling or Unique Discounts

Like customers anywhere, Chinese customers love a great deal. So discounts and promotions can be a great way to get some attention for your products.

Sam Wolf, founder of LuckyVitamin, a brand that has found success selling on Tmall said of the companys customers in China, They love getting a good bargain. That doesnt necessarily mean theyre just looking for rock bottom prices. But they want to feel like theyre getting a good deal when they buy something.

So its not just about cutting prices. But if you can offer a unique promotion or create some bulk discounts so customers can see more value in their purchases, it could be worthwhile.

Do Your Research

Its also important, no matter what actual marketing methods you use, to do research about your customers and market beforehand. There are plenty of cultural and logistical differences that come with selling in China. So you need to do research and work with partners who can help you understand the landscape.

Overall, you need to have patience and make sure to do your due diligence instead of jumping right in. Marketing and selling in China isnt something that just anyone can do. You need to be really dedicated to it in order to succeed.

Michael Zakkour, Vice President of China/APAC and global eCommerce practices for Tompkins International said in a discussion at the Gateway17 event, In China, everything is possible. But nothing is easy.

Offer Personalized Service

Your customer service is also part of your marketing in China. Chinese consumers expect fast shipping and answers to all of their questions, according to Wolf. So you need to consider your shipping time and customer service availability to be part of your marketing efforts and make it a priority.

Create Virtual Shopping Experiences

Tmall also offers opportunities for sellers to take advantage of new technology like virtual reality and augmented reality in order to create unique experiences for customers.

For example, if you have a unique retail location and also sell online, you could offer a virtual shopping experience that lets customers feel like theyre actually walking around your store when theyre shopping online. Or you could use augmented reality to help customers make buying decisions, like trying on virtual makeup or arranging virtual furniture in a photo of your living room.

Keep Up With New Technology

And thats just the beginning of the possibilities that technology offers to businesses selling in China. Tmall and other marketplaces are constantly working to update their offerings. So you need to keep up with those trends and adapt with them if youre going to stay relevant with customers in China.
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Stiavnicke Bane was the centre of the technical, cultural and religious education of the Austria-Hungary monarchy beginning in the 15th century.

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Stiavnicke Bane is an old mining village, historically consisting of the Siglisberg and Vindsachta settlements. Vindsachta included a complex of administrative and operational mining buildings with a large economic impact, so it was necessary to fortify and protect them during the time of the Ottoman raids. From the Renaissance fortification system of 21 gates, bastions and towers, only one has been preserved.

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Watch a video about Anti-Ottoman Bastion, which was prepared as a part of project Cultural Heritage to promote renewal and preservation of cultural and historical heritage in Slovakia, through the EEA and Norwegian Funds.
People should be interested in whether the food or products from developing countries were grown or made in fair conditions, and not in companies that employ children.

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Though the interest of Slovaks in fair trade products is increasing, it still belongs among the less discussed topics compared to in some western countries, non-governmental organisations say.

It is necessary to realise that our consumer behaviour has a significant impact on the lives of people in developing countries, said Klara Tothova of the Slovak Centre for Communication and Development (SCKR), as quoted by the TASR newswire.

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People should be interested in whether the food or products from developing countries were grown or made in fair conditions, and not in companies that employ children, she added.

Part of our activities is that we show there are also companies that do social and solidary business also in Slovakia, Tothova said.

Following the invitation of non-governmental organisations, the SCKR and CEEV Zivica, the promoters of Fair Trade production from Ecuador arrived in Slovakia in late May. Fabiola Ramon and Lianne Zoeteweij represent El Guabo, the association of small producers of bananas who follow fair trade principles. It currently has 125 member companies that export bananas to Europe, the US, New Zealand and Canada.

We enabled our members to improve the quality of growing, to increase their yields and also make a return on their fruit, Ramon and Zoeteweij said, as quoted by TASR.

Thanks to this, the lives of the producers have improved and their future is not as insecure as it was, they added.

Both women came to Slovakia to discuss the possibilities of fair trade in the country. They met with representatives of NGOs, but also academia and managers of big retail chains.

The number of Slovaks interested in local production and organic products has increased in recent years, said Petra Jezekova of Zivica organisation, as quoted by TASR. It is a good trend. People are interested in the origin of the product and think about conditions in which it was grown or made, and they are willing to pay more for it.
Man started to insult victim and called him monkey.

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Oskar B., found guilty of property damage and disorderly behaviour, has received a 20-month prison sentence because of his vulgar and aggressive behaviour towards a Portuguese national.

He still has the right of appeal but this must be delivered within eight days of the courts decision, explained spokesperson of the court Katarina Kudjakova.

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Oskar B. vulgarly and physically attacked the foreigner for no reason in Pezinok, in April. He assaulted him with offensive language, and alluded to the mans black skin by imitating a monkey.

When the aggrieved man asked why is he was being assaulted the aggressor tried to hit him in the face and the man started to defend himself. Oskar B. tried to reach a childs bicycle which was standing nearby to use it as a weapon but when that was not successful he ran to the nearest pub, took a broom and chased the foreigner, trying to hit him with the wooden stick. In self-defence, the Portuguese man picked up a cobble-stone from the curb and threw it at his attacker.

Oskar B. also intentionally damaged the victims mobile phone, after the man had put his personal belongings onto the pavement to defend himself. He continued the assault even when the police arrived on the scene.

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The accused man was found to have been behaving intentionally because of his hatred towards the skin colour and assumed race of the victim. He was also found to have attacked using a weapon which legislation defines as anything that can be used to emphasise an attack on a body.

Oskar B. admitted to his actions, showed remorse and attempted to make restitution for the damage. This will not be his first stay in prison; he has been punished several times for various offences.
After five years of construction, SkCUBE is ready to fly

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The first Slovak satellite, skCUBE, will be taken into orbit on Friday, June 23 at 5:59 a.m. It will be carried by an Indian space rocket, the PSLV-C38 which starts from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

The Slovak organization for space activities (SOSA) with several Slovak universities and technological companies are running this project together. It has involved scientific experimentation and international cooperation with various organisations.

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Thanks to the skCUBE project we have developed some innovative technologies, and interest in them is coming from abroad, said Michaela Musilova, the head of SOSA, as quoted in a press release.

"SkCUBE has become a base on which to build even bigger projects in Slovakia and internationally. Moreover, thanks to this project Slovakia has started cooperation with the European Space Agency," continues Musilova.

"The fact that someone has succeeded in developing, constructing, testing and qualifying the satellite for space flight provides a huge source of information, knowledge and innovation, said Miroslav Smelko from the Faculty of Aeronautics in Kosice, as quoted in the press release.

The satellite skCUBE is part of a mission to bring 31 satellites into orbit, including the Indian Cartosat-2E and the Czech VZLUSAT-1. The satellite should divide from the rocket between the 17th and 23rd minute after take-off.

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During Friday, SOSAs priority will be to try to catch the first signals and data which should feed from the satellites antennae to the control centre.

The organization was also behind the space incubators developed at the Slovak Technical University and the Faculty of Aeronautics in Kosice that should educate and provide the experience of developing space technologies to Slovak students.
Eating cock meat or noodles with human milk used to be a part of a Slovak wedding, but to most couples today, having a candy bar or professional photographer is more important than observing traditions.

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Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat. Millennial brides have a whole lot of possibilities to find inspiration for their weddings and for sharing their own wedding experiences on social networks. A good wedding is a very instagrammable event, after all.

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Kornelia Jakubikova, an ethnologist who spent fifty years researching weddings in Slovakia, asked countless soon-to-be married couples which part of the wedding was most important to them. Plenty of food and drinks, and a good time for everyone, they would usually answer, even just a few years ago.

Today the answer is that everything should look beautiful and be made into a good video, Jakubikova said in explaining the shift in peoples attitudes, in an interview with The Slovak Spectator.

This applies to virtually everything, from bridal dresses, hair and makeup to decorations, flowers, cars and even food. Many parts of the wedding ceremony are chosen to make a nice movie. If there is a mistake in the ceremony or if it does not look good on camera, some couples do not hesitate to retake the video. Its more like shooting a movie: when a scene fails, you film it again, the ethnologist said.

In the past, everyone wanted to keep traditions, and almost no one was brave enough to come up with something new and extraordinary, Jakubikova said. Today it is the exact opposite.

(Source: TASR)

Wedding trends can quickly go out of fashion

Following all the latest trends can be hard work, and couples increasingly use the services of wedding agencies to help them organize the details. Some of the most curious requests these agencies have heard include fireworks, sightseeing tours from a city-train, a helicopter arrival for the groom, fish in vases, golden or black color themes, and vegetarian ceremonies.

Its individual, and every bride asks for something else, said Tatiana Stempelova who owns the Wedday agency, voicing an opinion common among all the agencies who spoke with The Slovak Spectator.

However, the current prevailing trend is a natural wedding, with wooden motifs, a loose bouquet of spring flowers and wavy hair, Stempelova added.

While trends abroad change from season to season, the trends reach Slovakia more slowly, and not all of them become popular, said Zuzana Malinikova from the Svadby podla Ely (Weddings according to Ela) wedding agency.

The bride is the one who cares about the details, though the groom participates too, at least at the start, the agencies agreed.

Brides mainly care about their dress, the family cares about the food and guests like a good programme and music. But the most practical detail is the cameraman and photographer, who ensure memories for everyone, Zuzana Malinikova said.

Decorations are a big deal, too. Stempelova recalled that when she began working with couples 12 years ago, decorations were usually in the hands of the hotel or the restaurant where the wedding was held.

Today some couples are even ready to buy new chairs or plates. They want to have a candy bar, and the decorations have to match the place tags and the invitations, Stempelova told The Slovak Spectator.

Food is important, too, as is a good photographer or even a professional host, said Tatiana Klopcekova from Impuls wedding agency, which specialises in organising weddings for foreign couples in Slovakia.

The Bojnice Castle is among the favourite venues, Klopcekova said.

Bojnice castle (Source: Jan Kroslak)

Do not leave the groom out in the cold

So what would the typical Slovak wedding look like? There is no such thing, Jakubikova admits. Very often a mixed couple - a Slovak and a foreigner - are the ones who insist most strongly on the traditions.

They want to show the foreigners our wedding, the Slovak specifics, she said.

This is also how traditions change. The weirdest traditions were the ones to disappear first.

In some regions, the brides family closed the door in front of groom when he came to take her to the wedding, the ethnologist said and explained that the tradition was meant to put an obstacle in front of him, so that he would have to show some effort to get his bride. It was also a remnant of the ancient Slavic times, when there were no weddings and a man would kidnap the woman he wanted.

Jakubikova said that the tradition was abandoned due to the misunderstandings that took place with grooms from other regions.

Imagine a groom unaware of the tradition coming to take his bride. The house is closed and the parents are telling him that they are not going to give him their daughter. The young man leaves offended and the wedding is cancelled, Jakubikova said.

Slovak weddings used to consist of several steps, starting with pytacky, when the groom went to the parents to ask for the hand of their daughter. If they agreed, the engagement followed, and the whole village awaited the wedding day. The bride and groom would give gifts to each other the night before their wedding day  she would give him a new shirt and he would give her new shoes.

These gifts assured the families that the marriage was still going to happen and that they were not going to change their minds, explains Jakubikova.

Old, new, borrowed, blue

However, over the years, lots and lots of new tradition were added. The latest trends come from abroad - like throwing the bouquet, for example.

Traditional brides did not have a bouquet. The only flowers to she had were in the wreath, said Jakubikova. Brides used to wear wide decorated ribbons wrapped around their shoulders.

The Jewish tradition of breaking a plate and sweeping the shard from the floor was incorporated into the Slovak wedding. The noise was meant to scare away evil spirits, while the act of the bride and groom sweeping the floor together ensures that the married couple will cooperate well.

The gifts that guests would typically bring to a Slovak wedding were food and alcohol to be offered at the feast. The whole village would try to help the young couple, and the bride had the right to collect food around the village.

Today, money is the gift of preference. The most recent trend is that guests contribute money for some adventure gift or for a honeymoon, Jakubikova said.

Today people love to return to tradition  as with cepcenie. Married women got the bride a scarf instead of a wreath at the wedding night, and she could not leave the house without wearing it. Later, when women stopped wearing folk costumes, most people abandoned this tradition.

Now it is being revived, but because young people do not know the tradition anymore, the weddings provide the opportunity for folklore ensembles to attend to present their work and show the correct way to perform the traditions, explains Jakubikova.

Illustrative stock photo (Source: Jan Kroslak, SME)

The happiest day in a life?

Todays saying would surely not apply to the brides wedding day of past times. She was not allowed to enjoy her wedding but instead had to mind her manners and the customs. Prior to the ceremony she was expected to look very sad and cry when leaving her parents house.

She could not sing or dance a lot at her wedding, Jakubikova said.

The groom and the bride would come to the wedding ceremony not together but with bridesman and groomsman. Todays tradition  the father leading his daughter to the altar  comes from abroad.

Moreover, there is a huge change of parental status during the wedding. Parents were usually not even present at the ceremony. They stayed at home to prepare the feast and did not sit next to the newly married couple during the meal, though they did need to express their agreement to the wedding. Now, Slovak weddings observe the new tradition of the bride and groom dancing with parents, Jakubikova said.

Today, the bride and groom feed each other and eat from the same plate with one spoon, but looking back to the past, the married couple did not eat with others  quite the opposite. They usually ate in a closet because common belief held that people could absorb black magic through their mouths, and with a lot of people at the wedding, the bride and groom were protected by being isolated. They usually ate food that would ensure fertility  parts of a cock and even noodles with human milk, Jakubikova explained.
The National Criminal Agency has also accused a chief tax inspector of bribery.

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Police have accused an instructor at the Institute of Health and Social Work in Nove Zamky, Peter S., for taking bribes from students.

The investigators did not require the cooperation of students or teachers but instead, installed a device in a room at the school which gave recorded evidence of the bribes taking place.

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This case was difficult [to solve] due to the fact that neither party wishes to co-operate with you, police chief Tibor Gaspar told the press on June 22.

The accused employee at the institute, which is part of the St Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work in Bratislava, asked for a few tens of euros for good grades on their papers which students enclosed in the index. His takings just on one day during the final exams amounted to 150.

Gaspar did not want to disclose the source of information which led them to investigate the case.

Such information comes from operational police findings, he said, adding that the police are able to get such information from informants at schools or from private talks between police officers and their acquaintances.

The teacher faces from three to eight years imprisonment and the students from six months to three years

Read also:

Read also: Why big fish are not in jail Read more

Bribes at the tax office

The National Criminal Agency has also accused a chief tax inspector in Trebisov along with an official in Michalovce.

They conspired to demand 30,000 from an unspecified businessman to make sure that tax control would be in favour of his company.

The police learned about the bribe offer after the businessman approached different workers in the tax office.

Both officials face imprisonment from five to twelve years for bribery and from four to ten years for abuse of power.

Read also:

Read also: Police president refuses the proposals of students Read more

Fighting corruption

Gaspar is currently facing pressure from the recent student protests demanding his resignation. The protest organisers claim that he is directly responsible for the fact that suspicious businessmen with close ties to politicians have not been imprisoned.

The students called on Gaspar to discuss the corruption issue with them at the grammar school in Bratislava but he refused. Instead, he suggested a personal meeting at his office.

Gaspar mentioned the students during a press conference.

These students should come here to see how demanding this type of work is, Gaspar told the press.
The strike continues, the representatives of the trade unions say it would be a mistake to give up.

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The strike at Bratislava-based carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia will continue despite further talks on June 23, as the representatives of the trade unions have still declined to accept a deal on the salary increase and further bonuses with the companys management.

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I have a feeling that our employer isnt missing you, Zoroslav Smolinsky, head of the Modern Trade Unions Volkswagen (MOV) organisation, said after the June 22 talks, as quoted by the Sme daily.

The carmaker increased its previous offer only slightly, by 0.3 percent. This means that it proposes to hike the salaries by 4.5 percent this year and another 4.5 percent next year. It also suggests giving the employees a one-off bonus of 350 this year.

Read also:

Read also: Strike in VW SK continues, talks to resume Read more

Although the trade unions also decreased their original offer, they are still asking for more than Volskwagen Slovakias management are willing to offer. The union wants salaries to increase by 13.9 percent, in two phases. Smolinsky stressed that this proposal was final, as reported by Sme.

We dont know whether well meet or not, he said about the possibility of future talks.

Smolinsky added that the strike will now toughen up.

We will check our legal position to see how to continue the strike and what other options are available, he said, as quoted by Sme. They will not decide on everything; you, the employees, will. Were not inciting a revolution.

The strike will continue during the weekend, Smolinsky added, stressing it would be a mistake to give up now.

Volkswagen Slovakia meanwhile issued a statement, claiming it has made several responsive steps, but the trade unions have refused their offers. They have not agreed on more talks yet.

The next negotiations will take place only after the trade unions ask for it, said the carmakers spokesperson, Lucia Kovarovic Makayova, as quoted by Sme. We hope the continuing strike will not lead to a further lessening of the companys trust in us, which may have negative consequences for our company and the stability of jobs in the future.

Meanwhile, production at the Devinska Nova Ves plant is paralysed, with neither luxury nor SUV cars being produced. Only a few vehicle types - the VW Up! and the Skoda Citigo are being made.

The employees who are striking have lost about 225 on average, Sme wrote.

Some of them have even started asking for holiday.

I can confirm such cases have occurred, said the carmakers spokesperson, Lucia Kovarovic Makayova, as quoted by Sme.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches a satellite at Cape Canaveral in April 2017.

The mission for SpaceX employees is fairly simple: Reduce the cost of access to space so that humans can become a multi-planetary species.

What does that mean right now? Reduce the cost of access to space so that a small company in a small country can tap into the power of space communications.

SpaceX will use a previously-flown rocket stage to put Bulgarias first communications satellite into orbit today from Floridas Kennedy Space Center. That satellite will provide broadcast and communications service throughout eastern Europe. It is only the second time SpaceX has re-used a Falcon 9 rocket stage to deliver a customers cargo. Lift-off is expected at 3:10 pm US eastern time (7:10pm GMT) today, and you can watch along with SpaceXs live webcast:

Anybody can code: The new skills your resume should have to land a tech job in India

Falcon 9s first stage for the BulgariaSat-1 mission previously supported the Iridium-1 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in January of this year. Following stage separation, Falcon 9s first stage will attempt a landing on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean." />

After the rocket has delivered its second stage to space and BulgariaSat is on its way to orbit, the first stage will fly back down to earth and land on an autonomous drone ship in the Atlantic ocean. SpaceX has invested millions of dollars in equipping its rockets to be reusable and teaching them how to safely pilot themselves to a soft landing.

SpaceX hopes to reuse its first stages as many as 10 times each, making launches a lot cheaper. While landing the rockets has become a fairly routine procedure, refurbishing and deploying them is still a new skill. The first time SpaceXand indeed, any companyreused an orbital rocket was only a few months ago. Musk told his followers on twitter that there is even a decent chance this stage will not survive its trip back through the atmosphere.

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Falcon 9 will experience its highest ever reentry force and heat in today's launch. Good chance rocket booster doesn't make it back.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 23, 2017

Maxim Zayakov, BulgariaSats CEO, told Quartz that deploying this satellite was only possible because of the low cost of a SpaceX launch; previously, his telecommunications firm had leased space on another satellite. Musk has said that previously-flown rockets are sold at about a 30% discount, but even a brand-new Falcon 9 costs tens of millions of dollars less than those of other launch providers.

This launch is expected to mark the beginning of a busy weekend for Musk and company. SpaceX is also planning to launch a rocket in California on Sunday, a rare 48-hour rocket double-header that will help establish the firms capacity to rapidly deliver cargo into space.

Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news.

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SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria is to start talks to buy new Swedish Gripen warplanes to replace its Soviet-designed MiG-29s but will expect Sweden's commitment on investments in the Balkan country before signing a deal, the prime minister said on Friday. The question of which warplanes Bulgaria should buy has been bounced around successive governments for more than a decade. Talks about the Sweden planes had looked to have been ditched last month when Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said an interim government should not have announced in April it would enter into negotiations. The interim government pledged to enter talks to buy eight new Gripens, made by SAAB, after approving a Defence Ministry-produced ranking which picked the Swedish jet over an offer from Portugal for secondhand U.S. F-16s and an Italian offer of secondhand Eurofighter Typhoons. But when Borissov took power, he said the previous government should not have made the call on a deal worth an estimated 1.5 billion levs ($858 million) as "the plane is not the most important thing in an army". Magnus Lewis-Olsson, Saab's head of Europe, told reporters in Sofia last week it expected to enter into talks with Bulgarian within months, suggesting the deal was still alive, as confirmed by Borissov on Friday. Either next Wednesday or on Wednesday thereafter we will decide when to start negotiations (with Sweden), Borissov told reporters after meeting Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in Brussels. I told my Swedish colleague: we are making a decision, we are negotiating with you first, then with Eurofighter, he said, adding Bulgaria would sign the deal only after commitment about Swedish investments in the poorest European Union member. Lewis-Olsson said last week Saab was ready to discuss different financing options, including payments over a long period. Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov said on Friday Bulgaria would not buy the used F-16s from Portugal because the payment instalments in the first years were higher than expected. NATO member Bulgaria has said it wants to seal a deal by the year-end to acquire eight new or secondhand fighter jets between 2018 and 2022 in order to modernise its fleet and improve its compliance with the military alliance's standards. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union three years later. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Alison Williams)
A large cobra had taken refuge in a Malaysian home for three days without the residents noticing.

This footage from June 21 shows the moment when the animal got caught in the Batu Pahat District of Johor, Malaysia.

Derrick Koh, who on June 18 found the cobra and filmed it entering his house, said he only realised the cobra might still be around after he found fresh feces next to his desk and a crush mark on his suitcase. Members of the Fire and Rescue Department eventually pulled the animal from under a bed on June 21.

Koh told Storyful: During the past three days and two nights, my family ate, watched movie, surfed the internet and slept as usual. We would never have thought this snake would stay in my room. It had many opportunities to kill us, but it didnt. Now to think of it, I feel like I escaped hell.

When the cobra was first seen, Koh told Malaysian newspaper The Star that he suspected it had left through the back windows  apparently not! Credit: Derrick Koh via Storyful
Timothy Strobel

Scientists have found a way to make carbon both very hard and very stretchy by heating it under high pressure. This compressed glassy carbon, developed by researchers in China and the US, is also lightweight and could potentially be made in very large quantities. This means it might be a good fit for several sorts of applications, from bulletproof vests to new kinds of electronic devices.

Carbon is a special element because of the way its atoms can form different types of bonds with each other and so form different structures. For example, carbon atoms joined entirely by sp bonds produce diamond, and those joined entirely by sp bonds produce graphite, which can also be separated into single layers of atoms known as graphene. Another form of carbon, known as glassy carbon, is also made from sp and has properties of both graphite and ceramics.

But the new compressed glassy carbon has a mix of sp and sp bonds, which is what gives it its unusual properties. To make atomic bonds you need some additional energy. When the researchers squeezed several sheets of graphene together at high temperatures, they found certain carbon atoms were exactly in the right position to form sp bonds between the layers.

Timothy Strobel

By studying the new material in detail, they found that just over one in five of all its bonds were sp. This means that most of the atoms are still arranged in a graphene-like structure, but the new bonds make it look more like a large, interconnected network and give it greater strength. Over the small scale of individual graphene sheets, the atoms are arranged in an orderly, hexagonal pattern. But on a larger scale, the sheets are arranged in a disorderly fashion. This is probably what gives it the combined properties of hardness and flexibility.

The researchers made the compressed glassy carbon using a relatively simple method that could be reproduced on a large scale easily and cheaply. In simple terms, they used a sort of machine press that applies high-pressure loads to the carbon. But this must have involved several tricks to control the pressure and temperature in exactly the right way. This would have been a time-consuming process but should still be achievable for other people replicate the results.

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New surprises

Carbon materials are continually surprising us  and the emphasis of research has been to find or cook things in between its natural forms of diamond and graphite. This new form is the latest of what seem like limitless ways you can bond carbon atoms, following on from the discovery of graphene, cylindrical carbon nanotubes and spherical buckminsterfullerene molecules.

A material like this  that is strong, hard, lightweight and flexible  will be in high demand and could be used for all sorts of applications. For example, military uses could involve shields for jets and helicopters. In electronics, lightweight, cheaply manufactured materials with similar properties to silicon that could also have new abilities could provide a way to overcome the limitations of existing microchips.

The dream is to find a carbon material that could replace silicon altogether. What is needed is something that allows electrons to move through it quickly and whose electrons can easily be placed into an excited state to represent the on and off functions of a transistor. The researchers behind glassy carbon havent studied these properties in the new material so we dont yet know how suitable it might be. But it might not be that long until another of carbon is found. So far, decades of hunting hasnt turned up what we need, but maybe we just have to look deep down to find it.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Elton Santos acknowledges the use of computational resources from the UK national high performance computing service, ARCHER, for which access was obtained via the UKCP consortium and funded by EPSRC grant ref EP/K013564/1; and the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), supported by NSF grants number TG-DMR120049 and TG-DMR150017. The Queens Fellow Award through the startup grant number M8407MPH and the Energy Sustainable PRP (QUB) are also acknowledged.
By Nate Raymond (Reuters) - The leader of a 2004 coup that toppled Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sentenced to nine years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a U.S. money laundering charge related to an international drug trafficking scheme. Guy Philippe, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga in Miami after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering in connection with his receipt of cash payments tied to narcotics sales in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Prosecutors said Philippe, a former high-ranking official in the Haitian National Police, received more than $1.5 million in bribes to ensure the safe transit of drug shipments. His sentence was confirmed by court records. Philippe has been in custody since his arrest early this year. A lawyer for Philippe did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Philippe pleaded guilty in April as part of a deal in which two counts were dismissed against him, including one for drug trafficking that could have resulted in a life sentence, and in which the parties agreed to recommend a nine-year prison term. He was arrested in Haiti on Jan. 5 in Haiti after giving a radio interview and then extradited to the United States. He had avoided capture for more than a decade in connection with a November 2005 indictment. The arrest came four days before Philippe was scheduled to join Haiti's parliament as a senator, following his November election from the country's southwestern Grand Anse region. U.S. prosecutors accused Philippe of conspiring from 1997 to March 2001 to import more than 5 kg (11 pounds) of cocaine into the United States, and to launder money to conceal illegal activity from June 1999 to April 2003. He was also accused of having transferred a $112,000 check that included sums from drug trafficking in late 2000. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Paul Tait)
By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Iranians chanted "Death to Israel" in nationwide rallies on Friday at which they also burned flag of the Islamic State militant group which claimed responsibility for attacks in Tehran this month, state TV reported. Iranian state media said millions of people turned out for the rallies to mark Al-Quds Day that was declared by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and which is held on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Opposition to Israel is a touchstone of belief for Shi'ite-led Iran, which backs Palestinian and Lebanese Islamic militant groups opposed to peace with the Jewish state, which Tehran refuses to recognise. Israel, the United States and its chief Sunni Arab ally Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of fomenting tension in the Middle East and of sponsoring terrorism. This is denied by Tehran. Tensions have risen sharply in the Gulf between Qatar and four Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, in part over Doha's links with Iran. "This year's rally ... shows people want our region to be cleaned up from terrorists, backed by the Zionist regime (Israel)," President Hassan Rouhani told state TV. State TV covering the rallies showed crowds chanting anti-Israel slogans in solidarity with Palestinians whom they urged to continue their fight against the "occupying regime". Demonstrators chanted "Death to Israel, Death to America,", carrying banners reading "Israel should be wiped off the map" while people were shown burning the Israeli flag. People meted out the same treatment for the banner of Islamic State (IS) which has said it carried out deadly twin attacks in Tehran on June 7. Iran blames regional rival Saudi Arabia for being behind the attacks. Riyadh denies this. "Daesh (IS), America and Israel are all the same. They are all terrorists," a young woman marcher in Tehran told TV. Marchers included soldiers, students and clerics. Black-clad women with small children were among those flocking the streets of central Tehran, many carrying portraits of Khomeini and his successor Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In Tehran's Vali-ye Asr street, three mid-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles were displayed, including the Zolfaghar missile that Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards used on Sunday to target bases of the IS in eastern Syria. Top Guards' commanders have repeatedly said that Israel is within range of Iran's missiles. Sunni Muslim states in the Gulf and Israel say Tehran's ballistic missile programme is a threat to regional security and has led to the United States imposing new sanctions. "With this rally our nation is telling America that we are determined to continue our path," Rouhani said, referring to the U.S. Senate's decision to impose new sanctions. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Sky News

The actions of Just Stop Oil protesters are "criminal, reckless and dangerous" and must not be tolerated any longer, a police chief has warned as demonstrations on the M25 entered their fourth day. Speaking to Sky News, Essex Police Chief Constable BJ Harrington warned that their actions are "unlawful" and "dangerous". "No protest activity should or can be in a position where it puts lives at risk - their lives, the lives of the public on the roads, and my officers," he said.
With no previous diplomatic experience, Jared Kushner has been talking peace in the Middle East. US President Donald Trumps special adviser, who also happens to be his son-in-law, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a friend of his father, in Jerusalem. Ok, Im confused now. Is Jared Kushner the Secretary of State? If not, why is he traveling to Mid East to do what? Simon Hood (@simonhood1) June 22, 2017 This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace, the Israeli Prime Minister said. Jared, I welcome you here in that spirit. I know of your efforts, the presidents efforts, and I look forward to working with you to achieve these common goals. Meeting both sides In a visit lasting just 20 hours, the 36-year-old real-estate developer also met with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah on the West Bank. This meeting took place after the days breaking of the Ramadan fast. Sources from the Palestinian Authority say they had been asked for a list of 12 bullet point demands ahead of the meeting. Amidst criticism that the Trump administration was oversimplifying a very complex set of issues, the Palestinian Authority is said to have found the bullet points helpful in focusing negotiations on key issues. Peace a priority for the Trump administration President Trump has said that peace between Israelies and Palestinians would be the ultimate deal, but hes seeking something that has proved intractable for 70 years. Any solution would require the resolution of thorny issues such as Israeli settlement-building, Palestinian rhetoric. refugees, borders, security, and water resources. White House: Dont expect major breakthrough on peace during Kushner trip to Middle East https://t.co/qu3GMWQ7F2 pic.twitter.com/5NrQ43Tr1m The Hill (@thehill) June 19, 2017
A military vehicle of SDF in west of Raqqa province,Syria June 18, 2017.REUTERS/ Rodi Said

Thomson Reuters

Western-backed Syrian rebels holding a strategic swathe of the desert southeast stretching to the Iraqi border said they came under major attack on Tuesday from government forces and allied Iranian-backed militias backed by Russian air power.

They said hundreds of troops with dozens of armored vehicles including tanks had surged into the Bir Qassab area some 75 km (45 miles) southeast of Damascus towards the Badia region that skirts the borders with Jordan and Iraq.

Bir Qassab straddles the route to the eastern suburbs of Damascus, near the Dumeir air base, that is also a key rebel supply line towards areas they control further southeast.

Bir Qassab fell to Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels after it was abandoned a few months ago by Islamic State (IS) militants beating an eastward retreat to reinforce their urban bastion, Raqqa, against a U.S.-backed coalition offensive, and Deir al Zor province against a thrust by Syrian government forces.

Bir Qassab had given Islamic State a springboard for attacks on territory just to the east of Damascus and a base for maintaining their grip on large swathes of the Badia region.

"The (Syrian) regime and militia ground attack started this dawn and our forces are holding on to their positions," said Saad al Haj, spokesman for Osoud al Sharqiya, one of the largest rebel groups operating in the area.

"With (the help of) intensive Russian bombing they are trying to advance but we are repelling them," al-Haj added.

President Bashar al-Assad's forces, aided by Iranian-backed militias, have engaged in a race with FSA rebels in recent weeks to seize areas in the southeastern desert vacated by retreating Islamic State insurgents.

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter rests near destroyed airplane parts inside Tabqa military airport after taking control of it from Islamic State fighters, west of Raqqa city, Syria April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said

Thomson Reuters

The government offensive is part of a major campaign to recover control of territory south of the ancient central town of Palmyra, putting Assad's forces within reach of the Iraqi frontier for the first time in years.

This move has also effectively encircled FSA-controlled desert territory stretching to the Jordanian and Iraqi borders and close to the Tanf garrison where U.S. forces are based.

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Iranian-backed forces have also been trying to advance towards the base even after repeatedly being bombed by the U.S. led coalition.

U.S. forces said on Tuesday they had shot down an armed "pro-Syrian regime" drone near the garrison. A Western intelligence source identified the drone as Iranian.

See Also:
A funeral procession snaked through northern New Mexico Thursday afternoon from Ojo Calente to a cemetery carrying the bodies of three of five people killed last week in a shooting rampage.

The three were family members Max Trujillo Sr., 55, Brenda Gallegos, 49, and Brendon Herrera, 20, who were killed last week in La Madera.

Police apprehended 21-year-old Damian Herrera after he crashed a stolen truck during a police chase north of Espanola on Thursday night.

But before he was captured, police said, Herrera killed two other people he encountered at random  an archaeologist who gave him a ride near Tres Piedras and a man who just happened to stop for gas at an Abiquiu store the same time Herrera did.

Brenda Gallegos was the mother of Damian and Brendon Herrera. Trujillo was their step-father. Brendon was a student at UNM-Taos who worked at the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort.

Damian also had been a UNM-Taos student, but had recently lost his job at the resort. His sisters have told television reporters that he was struggling with mental health issues.
DALLAS  Americans are expected to put down the TV remote and hit the road in record numbers for the July 4th weekend.

Auto club AAA said Thursday that it expects 44.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home, a 2.9 percent increase over last years record for the holiday.

The vast majority of those revelers will go by car. But airline travel over the holiday is also expected to rise for the eighth straight year.

Travel industry officials expect domestic demand to remain strong, even while they worry that proposed travel bans and the prohibition on laptops in the cabins of some U.S.-bound planes could hurt travel to the U.S. from abroad.

With July 4 falling on a Tuesday, some workers will get a four-day weekend, making a quick road trip even more inviting.

Cheaper gasoline helps. Even though pump prices usually rise as summer begins, the national average for a gallon of regular was $2.28 on Wednesday  4 cents lower than last years holiday weekend, and down more than 7 cents from a month ago.

AAA forecasts that average airfares on the most popular domestic routes will be 10 percent lower and car rentals will be down 14 percent from last years holiday period, while hotel rooms will cost about the same.

Bill Sutherland, a AAA senior vice president, said low unemployment, rising incomes and higher consumer confidence will boost travel, including for the Independence Day weekend.

Last month, aviation trade group Airlines for America cited many of the same factors in predicting that a record 234 million Americans will fly between June 1 and Aug. 31.

AAA predicted that 37.5 million Americans will drive to their July 4 getaway, a 2.9 percent increase, and more than 3.4 million will fly, a 4.6 percent jump. Still others will take trains or buses.

The auto club defined the four-day July 4th travel period as Friday through the Tuesday holiday, compared with a Thursday-through-Monday stretch last year.

___

David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
Another Nob Hill area eatery is closing, but not for the usual reasons.

Kaseys, which opened its doors in late 2014 in east Nob Hill, will serve its last steak on June 30.

Owner and chef Casey Armstrong-Lange, who is pregnant, and her husband, Gary, recently learned their child will be born with a rare congenital heart defect, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

We were lucky, said Armstrong-Lange. We had a really great ultrasound tech who caught it right away.

After her husband did extensive research online, the couple decided to move to Denver so they could be near the Denver Childrens Hospital. Armstrong-Lange said the hospital has an 86 percent success rate in dealing with the syndrome.

The treatment will begin just three days after the child, Katherine June, is born, when she will undergo her first surgery. The second surgery will happen at four months, and the third will be at 3 years old. The post-surgery prognosis is very positive, said Armstrong-Lange, but Katherine June will live the rest of her life with half a heart.

The couple is worried about the future, but they are keeping an optimistic attitude. Armstrong-Lange said they plan to return to Albuquerque after the surgeries to reopen Kaseys.

We love Albuquerque, said Armstrong-Lange.

Her father and uncle currently own the roughly 1,800-square foot building that Kaseys occupies and, according to Armstrong-Lange, they intend to lease the property while theyre gone rather than sell. She hopes they can reopen in the same location.

But if not, we will definitely be close by, she said.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Some members of a local criminal justice group pushed back against the Bernalillo Countys district attorney for politicizing ongoing criminal justice reform with a recent report that blamed courtroom rules for an increase in crime, while other members praised the district attorney for taking steps to get bad hombres off the streets.

District Attorney Raul Torrez on Thursday presented his report to the Bernalillo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council about problems that have arisen after a case management order, or CMO, went into effect in February 2015 that creates deadlines for criminal cases. The report suggested changes and included some harsh statements such as accusing defense lawyers of using gamesmanship and calling some judges decisions absurd.

The coordinating council  which is comprised of judges, criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors, city and county officials and others  didnt vote on any of Torrezs suggestions. The group plans to address specific modifications to the CMO next month.

Any recommendations would go to the state Supreme Court, which would make the final decision on whether to change the order. Torrezs report said thousands of cases have been dismissed since the order went into effect, calling it the most likely reason for an increase in crime the city has seen in recent years. He said many of the cases have been dismissed, either by prosecutors or judges, because CMO deadlines couldnt be met.

Torrez is suggesting several changes, including giving judges discretion in deciding what the remedy should be if prosecutors miss a deadline, and that cases cant be dismissed over administrative processes that are outside of prosecutors hands, such as if an inmate isnt transported to a hearing.

It is fundamentally not my intention in presenting this report to go back to the bad old days where we stuffed people in jail and failed to provide justice, he said.

Torrez said hes going to make reforms within his office and make suggestions to Albuquerque police about how they can better coordinate cases.

But several council members were critical of certain aspects of Torrezs report, especially labeling defense attorney tactics as gamesmanship and calling some of the judges decisions to dismiss cases absurd.

Groups such as this succeed when they take their political hats off and stop pointing fingers at one another and start trying to figure out how to solve problems, said Matthew Coyte, president of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. What was demonstrated today  was that thats not happening. The report described some of the judges decisions as absurd. Thats finger-pointing and its not helpful and its not accurate. But it gets votes.

To suggest that criminal defense attorneys are gaming the system  I have 600 members of our organization and they are in an uproar, he said.

Torrez was asked if he would retract that phrase about defense attorneys.

He responded that aspects of the CMO incentivize defense attorneys to litigate discovery issues to try to get cases dismissed on technicalities, instead of trying to plea bargain or get suspects into preprosecution programs.

I dont fault you for that, Torrez said. But, no, Im not going to back down from the assertion that games are being played on procedural grounds in district court.

Judge objects

The CMO, which was approved by the state Supreme Court, aimed to address several problems with the local criminal justice system  criminal cases were being significantly delayed and the county jail was overcrowded with long-term pretrial detainees  with deadlines for prosecutors and court cases.

Chief Judge Nan Nash said the court will collect transcripts of the many cases that were dismissed that Torrez referred to in his report to see if the cases were, in fact, dismissed for technical reasons.

There are specifically very large allegations about what our judges are doing, dismissing loads of cases on technicalities, without drilling down and looking at the cases, she said. As the chief judge of this district, I feel backed against the wall about how this district court has to respond to the report.

Rob Perry, the citys chief administrative officer, said Torrezs report showed that something must be done to address rising crime rates in the city, which he said is causing businesses to relocate. He said the group shouldnt debate what is causing the rising crime rates but instead try to reverse the trend.

From 2009 to 2015, Albuquerques violent crime rate jumped 21.5 percent, according to a previous report from the district attorney, and the city is now the fifth-most violent in the country on a per capita basis. He said that during the same time, the nations violent crime rate dropped 13.7 percent.

A recent report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau found the Albuquerque metro area to have the highest per capita auto-theft rate in the country.

Almost every night  theres a tragedy in this city and it has absolutely eaten away at the quality of life, the economic vitality and what it means to live for the future in Albuquerque, Perry said. I dont think we have the luxury of getting into technical debates about this. Weve got some bad hombres out there.
SANTA FE  The Santa Fe Police Department arrested a 26-year-old man on an open count of murder and several other charges following a womans death at a Zepol Road apartment early Thursday.

Santa Fe Police announced Thursday evening that Chris Garcia was taken to the Santa Fe County jail. He also faces counts of tampering with evidence, aggravated battery and aggravated burglary.

The victim was identified as 21-year-old Selena Valencia, who police say was romantically involved with Garcia. However, a statement provided by SFPD said it is unknown if their relationship had any connection to the alleged homicide.

Police spokesman Greg Gurule said police originally responded to a burglary at Valencias home at the Vista Alegre Apartments at 1469 Zepol around 1 a.m. and the case evolved into a homicide investigation.

Gurule said he is unsure if Garcia lived at the apartment complex with Valencia on a permanent basis.

(Their relationship) put them together there  (at least) from time to time, he said.

Gurule said he could not say what caused her death, but that it involved some kind of weapon.

[Their relationship] put them together there[at least] from time to time, he said.

All of Zepol Road was shut down for the investigation Thursday morning. Residents of area apartments were asked to park at the Chamisa Shopping Center on Airport Road and walk to their homes.

Valencias death marks Santa Fes second homicide in the past several days, and Gurule said its the fourth homicide this year, compared to the four total in 2016. Its not adding up very well, he said.

On June 17, Tim Baca, 30, was found dead in the street on Viento del Norte and Calle Mejia early Saturday. Chris Owens, also 30, who ended up with Baca, Bacas wife and others at two nightspots in the early morning hours, is charged with an open count of murder for Bacas death.

A criminal complaint said Owens and Baca were arguing over a song during a ride back to Santa Fe from the Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort in Pojoaque. When the driver pulled over and everyone got out of the car, Owens allegedly shot Baca twice.

Its still possible another recent case could become a homicide. The June 14 death of 31-year-old Sheryl Flores remains under investigation by the county sheriffs office. She was found dead and covered in blood, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Santa Fe District Court. Flores had a PIC line  a catheter that allows for intravenous access for a prolonged period of time  in her right arm, and her mother told a detective that she was being treated for a blood infection.
In the new film Challah Rising in the Desert, the five waves of Jewish populations moving to New Mexico are explained using a five-stranded loaf of challah. One of the scenes, from Albuquerques Congregation Albert, shows the volunteer bakers prepping for Shabbat dinner, but not without putting some New Mexico flair on the traditional Jewish bread by mixing the dough with green chile.

When the challah analogy came to producer Paula Amar Schwartz, it was a way of showing how different Jewish populations intertwine and interact seamlessly. With that framework in mind, Schwartz, a board member and former president of the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society, teamed up with San Diego-based director Isaac Artenstein to create the documentary depicting the states Jewish population from the 1500s until today.

This week, the film will screen first at Albuquerques New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science on Saturday and then Sunday at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe . The Santa Fe screening will be followed by a Q&A with Schwartz and Artenstein.

Were bringing [people of New Mexico] information many people are not aware of, and people in other states arent aware of. When I talk with people from other parts of the country, they say, Oh, there are Jews in New Mexico? Its bringing a lot of people information they dont know, said Schwartz.

The challa strands among New Mexicos Jewish populations include the Conversos, who escaped from the Spanish Inquisition in the late 1500s, later to be followed in the 1800s by German-Jewish settlers who came along the Santa Fe Trail. The third strand is the merchants who settled in large cities like Albuquerque and became part of Native American communities, including Solomon Bibo, the only non-Native governor of a Pueblo tribe. The fourth wave was those who came in the mid-20th century as university employees, doctors and scientists, and the fifth and final strand represents those here today, descendants of those who remained.

Though hes never lived in the state, Artenstein, who has done films on other areas Jewish backgrounds, said he has always been fascinated with New Mexico history, specifically how its Judaism goes as far back as colonial times. Over the past two and a half years, he and Schwartz traveled the state interviewing scholars and citizens who recall the history of their families or their own lives.

What interested him most was how cross-cultural peoples stories were, how their Jewish identity intertwined with the states other major populations and created unique perspectives.

That cultural fluidity is an interesting thing to examine from the prism of Jewish New Mexico history, he said.

Schwartz, who found most of her sources through word of mouth and mutual friends, said people were eager for ways to tell their stories, which translated into their passionate storytelling. It does create an emotional journey, said Artenstein. I hope I can translate that for the audience when they see it on the big screen.
One hundred fifty thousand Instagram followers cant be wrong.

Internet darlings and brothers Shelby and Sandy are taking their pop art-meets-Chuck Jones spin to Santa Fe in their gallery debut today.

The pair grew up on cartoons and decided to combine that love with vibrant colors, pirates and desertscapes on canvas. Chuck Jones Gallery owner Craig Kausen (Jones grandson) approached the duo about combining forces in his Costa Mesa, Calif., gallery.

It was serendipitous, 33-year-old Shelby Murphy said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.

The two brothers became professional artists about three years ago, painting canvases featuring Disney, Looney Tunes and Nickelodeon characters. They marketed their work on Instagram, the source of nearly 100 percent of their sales. Theyre in the collection of stars such as Mariah Carey, Drake, Zac Efron and Hollywood stylist and designer Rachel Zoe.

The two curated their Instagram account to resemble an online gallery, and word spread. Think Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob; the Coyote and the Roadrunner.

We were doing the Looney Tunes characters, said Sandy, 25. When Craig saw it, he was excited and said, Lets do this officially. 

They protected themselves legally by producing single images  no T-shirts or prints or mass reproductions, he added.

The two finish each others sentences, crediting their mother with taking them to museum and gallery shows in and around Orange County. They work in a converted warehouse space in downtown Los Angeles.

They eventually want to produce their own original characters.

Craig put his arm around us and said, You guys are the future,  Sandy said.

It was a poignant moment, Shelby said.

Deals with both Nike and Louis Vuitton are in the works.

Shelby and Sandy Are Nice

WHEN: Gallery opening 5-8 p.m. today. Runs through July.

WHERE: Chuck Jones Gallery, 126 W. Water St., Santa Fe

HOW MUCH: Free. Call 505-983-5999
TAOS  The day the Taos Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously in May to approve a large scale hotel development permit for a proposed four-story, 85-room Holiday Inn Express on the south side of town, one of the commissioners found 16 tires, valued at $10,000, slashed on vehicles at his propane business.

Was the incident, in which two shadowy figures were seen on surveillance video entering at night, connected to Commissioner Billy Romeros vote?

In my opinion, it was, said Romero, owner of Rio Grande Propane. If it was connected to that, it sends a very negative message to people who volunteer for these kinds of positions and to elected officials.

The Holiday Inn apparently would be the first building in Taos with four full stories (not counting the historic multi-story adobe buildings on adjacent Taos Pueblo).

Even though the hotel site is a few miles south of the towns historic center, many residents are angry about the prospect of pushing the town skyline upward.

Opponents also allege a back-room deal has brought the hotel near final approval  it still must come before the Town Council next week  and say its out of scale for this resort town and will block views.

While they allege coziness between local officials and Columbus, Ohio-based developer Jay Batra, town manager Rick Bellis says the town is doing what towns do: pursuing economic development.

Batra is a very professional and successful investor interested in investing in and creating jobs in Taos and has already demonstrated his commitment by turning around the once bankrupt Hampton Inn to 90 percent-plus capacity, Bellis said in an email.

Should we be chasing him away? Bellis said, adding that 40 percent of the Taos economy is purely tourism, which means we have to get people here, and get them to stay, eat, sleep, drink, shop and spend money.

Local activists, including resident Lawrence Baker, said they have gathered over 3,000 petition signatures against the project. Baker points to emails between Bellis and Batra as evidence that an October Town Council approval of a hotel-specific overlay zone allowing heights up to 48 feet was all done behind closed doors.

In one message, Bellis asked Batra to prepare a preliminary site plan with the footprint of the building and an artists rendering of possible three- and four-story buildings, according to a March 2015 email from Bellis to Batra.

I believe that we could have a quick and inexpensive preliminary answer for you, the town manager told the developer. This should allow you to then either apply for, and likely obtain, a variance within a month or for us to adjust the codes accordingly within a similar time frame.

Later in the same month, Batra emailed Bellis that he wanted to close quickly on the land for the Holiday Inn, which is next door to the Hampton Inn he purchased about four years ago, and to move on ground-breaking.

I know the town wont absolutely allow anything more than 3 stories but thought (I) would ask, the email states. We are also very interested in developing something downtown.

Batra called the allegations of coziness with the town government bogus in a telephone interview. The government out there is always going to take a look at who is pro-development. They are going to want to attract developers to take the town in a forward direction and thats all they are trying to do, he said.

Against towns character?

Danielle Vigil, who was born and raised in Taos and returned four years ago, opposes the four-story hotel. She obtained the emails through Inspection of Public Records Act requests.

I think it goes against the character of Taos and goes against the reasons people come here  for the beauty and the expansive (view), Vigil said in a phone interview. If Taos is no longer unique, why come here?

Santa Fe attorney Chris Graeser, who represents opponents, said he intends to file a lawsuit by next month alleging approval of the overlay zones new height allowance violates the towns land use plan, which would not have allowed a four-story hotel.

There is information from emails that my clients received indicating it was done to facilitate this particular hotel, he said.

Bellis said the overlay zone was meant to keep in step with lodging industry changes. The planning commission, like the Town Council, was also convinced of the argument that the Town had been unable to get any individual developer or hotel chain to agree to build a two-story or three-story facility, said Bellis via email.

It was less an accommodation of this individual project than a realization that the code was ambiguous, (and of) the cost of land in Taos and limited undeveloped locations available or zoned for hotels, Bellis wrote. He added that city officials didnt want to change the height requirements within the downtown and felt that the code, at least as it applied to hotels, was out of date with the changes in the industry.

Batra sees no problem with his communications with the local government. Its the towns obligation to form a good relationship with developers to attract growth within the region, said Batra. The status quo is something that doesnt work for anybody in todays market. So how would you fault the government officials?

Taos loves a fight

Most rural communities around the country likely would welcome a new hotel, but Taos is a town that loves a good controversy before breakfast.

Activists beat back a proposal for a Walmart Super Store a couple of decades ago, turned back a town-supported move of the downtown post office, once picketed the then-mayors radio station and were part of a major kerfuffle over dumping the name of Kit Carson Park in favor of one that honored Native Americans instead. Taos is home to the infamous sign man, whose day-glow protest signs that he holds up along the towns major thoroughfare were once collected for display at an art show.

The Holiday Inn issue has drawn local traditions and a historic community into the fray. The hotel would be about one mile north up the road from the much photographed and painted, at least 200-year-old San Francisco de Asis Church in the Ranchos de Taos Plaza, which is outside Taos town limits.

They are building this hotel in our neighborhood, said David Maes, president of the 25-member Ranchos Neighborhood Association, which voted unanimously in September to oppose the project and its 48-foot height. The church is 27 feet tall and the historic Martinez Hall, across the road, is 30 feet, said Maes.

A three-story hotel would probably not have been opposed, he said. Its just the height, its too tall, too big, said Maes.

In October 2016, according to his written presentation to the Town Council, Maes stated that whether the planned four-story hotel is AT or ON our doorstep, it is too close, and generally not wanted. Ranchos residents would like to preserve our community in the lifestyle we have lived for centuries  as a small farming, ranching and residential community. We want to preserve this lifestyle we cherish  living our lives practicing our centuries-old traditions.

Taos tallest building?

The new hotel could conceivably be twice as tall as the Hampton Inn next door, said opponent Baker.

This valley has no building that high, Baker added.

The Holiday Inn opponents dispute accounts comparing the height of the hotel to that of the existing Taos County Administration/Judicial Complex, further north along the same road. There have been reports that the two-story county building is also at least 48 feet high, at least if rooftop appendages or a stairwell or elevator tower are included.

The longtime Sagebrush Hotel is across Paseo del Pueblo Sur, which is N.M. 68, from the Holiday Inn site.

Developer Batra said the height of a chain hotel wont change the essence of Taos. What defines the town of Taos is a lot more than just adding a couple of stories here, he said.

The new hotel is needed in town because of aging, existing lodging stock, said Bellis. The town has lost about half of its hotel and motel rooms, and recently (issued) a condemnation order for the Indian Hills Hotel and is about to extend orders to at least two other dilapidated hotels, he wrote. After two years of negotiating and pleading with the owners of many of the hotels to correct dozens of fire, building, health and life safety violations, we have few alternatives.

He also said four stories was the only way for the economics to work, for the town to get substantial concessions in the design that added costs and eliminated rooms, and to get national approval and financing.

Opponent Maes, though, said of the planned hotels Pueblo Style design, Its like putting lipstick on a pig. Its still a pig, its still too high.

Batra also hopes to rehab and reopen Taos old Don Fernando de Taos hotel, which he acquired about a year ago, in part with $500,000 in federal funds. He said his three properties will provide a total of 110 full- and part-time jobs. Critics say pay will be low, perpetuating struggles for Taosenos trying to earn a living wage.

The Town Council will consider the project Tuesday.
A jurys decision in May to award a former Northern New Mexico College employee nearly $420,000 in a lawsuit filed under the Whistleblower Protection Act could exceed more than $1 million when all is said and done.

Last week, Santa Fe District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew doubled the $239,451 portion of the award that the jury allocated to cover Melissa Velasquezs loss of wages after she was fired in 2014.

With interest, the total judgment against Northern in the Velasquez case  only the latest in a series of costly lawsuits brought by former employees of the Espanola-based college  is now $676,402, says Mathews written order.

The award total also includes $180,000 that the jury provided for emotional distress suffered by Velasquez, former director of Northerns El Rito campus, who says she was dismissed after reporting waste, fraud and abuse of federal grant money.

But the cost for the four-year school will go still higher in the case. Mathew said Velasquez also can recover litigation costs and reasonable attorneys fees in an amount to be determined by the judge.

Two days after the judge increased the award, Velasquezs attorney Christopher Moody filed a series of motions that could add another $434,000 owed by the college, including $200,245 in attorneys fees.

Velasquez had worked at the college for two years before she was appointed El Rito campus director in November 2011 under former NNMC president Nancy Rusty Barcelo. Velasquezs lawsuit claimed she was demoted to the position of coordinator of continuing education at the schools main campus in Espanola after she reported financial abuses.

She also said she reported to at least three top-ranking administrators her suspicious that two college employees not under her supervision were getting drunk on the job, but nothing was done about it. The college later blamed her for a failure to address this problem as a pretext to eliminate her from a supervisory role, her lawsuit alleged.

The college can still appeal the jurys original ruling in Velasquezs favor.

Mark Komer, the attorney representing the college, said Thursday a decision on whether to appeal wont be made until after Judge Mathew rules on the latest set of motions. He declined to comment on the decision by the jury or the judge.

In one new motion, Velasquez is asking to be reinstated at the college and also asks the court to make NNMC pay more if it doesnt take her back.

Should the Court deny reinstatement as infeasible, Plaintiff (Velasquez) seeks an award of front pay for a reasonable period of time to afford her the opportunity to secure alternative substantially equivalent employment, the motion states.

Based on her fruitless job search over two years and ten months from the termination date to the time of trial, it is logical to infer that it will likely take her an additional two years to secure suitable employment, it continues. Plaintiff should therefore be awarded her lost compensation for an additional two years. Based on the pay rate she was receiving, two years worth of salary and benefits totals $169,000, according to the motion.

In addition, Moody filed motions to include more than $11,000 in gross receipts taxes and interest on the back pay at a rate of 15 percent, another $36,000.

Moody did not return a phone call from the Journal on Thursday.

According to the court filings, NNMC is opposing all the motions, except the one seeking attorneys fees.

Velasquez claimed she was fired after she took various complaints  about malfeasance by college regents, mistreatment of females at the college, and the waste, fraud and abuse in grant programs  to Gov. Susana Martinez, the Higher Education Department and the state Auditors Office.

The college claimed she was let go as part of a reduction in force due to a financial crunch. Most, if not all, administrators she levied the allegations against are no longer employed by the college.

Velasquezs suit is one of four whistleblower cases filed against NNMC claiming retaliation in recent years, but the only one that went to trial.

Last year, the college settled two complaints totaling $540,000. A third was settled earlier this year, but the amount of the settlement wont become public record for at least another month.

The states Risk Management Division paid a total of $222,500 in the settlements reached with former assistant professor James Biggs and ex-Information Technology director Angelo Jacquez, leaving the college on the hook for $317,500. Its unclear how much Risk Management will pay in the case of Patricia Perea, who coordinated the colleges summer bridge program and settled with the college in January, or in Velasquezs case.

A call from the Journal to the division was not returned Thursday.

Current NNMC President Rick Bailey Jr. declined to talk about the lawsuit but said in an interview Friday that the college did draft its budget for Fiscal Year 2018 considering a worst-case scenario in which mroe than the $420,000 would be awarded in the Velasquez lawsuit. He also said much has changed in the last few years and the college was moving forward.

Im confident, and proud, that we have built and engendered a culture where the propensity for these typpes of lawsuits is diminished. Thats what the community expects of me, thats what her regents expect of me, he said. There are so many good things that are happening with are staff, faculity and students, thats what motivate us. Im confident that our best days are ahead of us.

Bailey has been on the job for less than a year and inherited a financial mess at the college.

The college started falling behind on audits in 2010 and was later placed on a watch list by the U.S. Department of Education. Its use of federal grant money also came under scrutiny by the Department of Education and the states Higher Education Department. Budgetary problems led to a tuition hike in 2013, the layoff of about 20 employees and cuts in trade programs at the El Rito campus.

Earlier this year, the state Auditors Office released reports finding financial irregularities, including the theft of $200,000, which led to the resignation of the head of the colleges business office and the potential misuse of 744 hours of unapproved leave by former college president Barcelo, amounting to about $87,000, not including taxes and benefits.

Editors Note: This story was updated to include comments from NNMC President Rick Bailey Jr. who could not be reached prior to the story running in the print edition.
CIMARRON  Fifteen-year-old James Trey Mitchell figures he might want to follow in this fathers boot prints and be a ranch manager.

Jameson Ray Jr. says when he graduates high school in two years, hed like to go to college and then become a large animal veterinarian. Amber Montano is mostly a city girl, but considers the agricultural industry an option for using the business degree she plans to pursue as she heads off to college this fall.

And Michael Purdy already has a year of college under his belt at the University of New Mexico, where hell be back for a second year earning prerequisites for the agricultural or environmental science degree he plans to get from New Mexico State University. He says hell probably pursue a career somewhere in agriculture.

Ranging in age from 15-19, and already with ties to farming and ranching, these four young people represent precisely the kind of kids organizers were hoping to attract to the New Mexico Youth Ranch Management Camp held last week in Cimarron, in the states northeast corner between Taos and Raton.

About 25 trainees learned how the next generation of farmers and ranchers can apply the latest science-based concepts and new technologies to meet the challenges the agricultural industry faces in the 21st century.

This whole initiative came about with the industry having a major concern about what we can do to prepare the next generation of farmers and ranchers, said Patrick Torres, department head for New Mexico State Universitys Cooperative Extension Services Northern District and member of the camps planning committee.

Were finding that fewer kids are following in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents.

Changing times

The idea for the youth ranch management camp came about after New Mexico agricultural industry leaders met for a strategic planning session in 2010 and discussed the need to cultivate the seeds for the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

In addition, a survey of participants at 13 regional meetings identified The Next Generation of Producers as the No. 2 priority for New Mexicos agriculture industry behind only Water.

While there has been an increase in the number of young people getting jobs in agriculture in recent years, there are fewer traditional family-run operations passed down from one generation to the next  a big part of New Mexico tradition and culture for centuries.

But even with the influx of new producers, the average age of those working in the industry has increased. Torres cites a recent report that says the average age of a farm operator in New Mexico is 58, and 61 for the principal operator. Only 3 percent of those fitting the profile are under 35.

Times have changed, he says. There are more opportunities for kids these days to pursue careers in fields that didnt exist before the new millennium. And farming and ranching isnt easy.

There are a lot of well-paying jobs these kids are finding off the ranch and, as these kids learned yesterday, the average return on investment is not that high, only 2 percent. By the time you pay all your costs, the ranch doesnt generate a lot of money. Its a tough business with a lot of ups and downs, he says.

A report titled Resilience in New Mexico Agriculture produced by New Mexico First, an Albuquerque-based public policy group, and NMSU  which received funding from the Thornburg Foundation, the McCune Charitable Foundation and the Santa Fe Community Foundation, among others  cites a USDA study that warns of all the knowledge, skill and experience that will be lost if the trends dont change.

National data suggest the rate of farmer and rancher retirement could very well outpace the rate of new entrants into the industry, the report says. The USDA estimates the nation will need 100,000 new producers over the next decade. If that goal is not reached, the industry will become even more consolidated and our food supply more reliant on imports.

Weve seen results almost immediately, Tom Dean, the Cooperative Extension Services southwest district department head, said of the NMSU-run youth camp.

The camp was held its first few years on a ranch at Valles Caldera National Preserve, but was moved to the CS Ranch in Cimmaron when management of the preserve was transferred from a private trust to the National Park Service in 2015.

Dean went on to tell a couple of stories about second- or third-generation farmers and ranchers who have attended the camp and have decided to keep the family business going or pursued careers in other related fields.

We may not be putting all the kids back on the ranch, but were preparing them for jobs in the food industry and what comes out on the plate is a big part of it, he said.

Hard to take it all in

The CS Ranch is a 130,000-acre, privately-owned working cattle ranch thats been in operation since 1873. There, campers, who pay a $300 fee to attend, receive intensive instruction in ranch management. The campers are divided into groups and are tasked with generating a management plan for CS Ranch by the end of the week.

A lot of the information the youth receive is college-level education, Torres says, starting with All things Beef on Monday. They begin with butchering a cow to food industry standards, which provides them with the meat theyll eat throughout the week. They also learn about nutrition, genetics and reproduction, proper handling techniques and resource management.

Each day of the week, the focus is on a different aspect of farming and ranching.

Yesterday, the focus was on marketing and economics, Torres said. Today, its wildlife and natural resources, and tomorrow there will be a heavy emphasis on range management and grazing.

Its a lot to take in, like drinking water from a firehose, says trainee Purdy, who came back for a second year.

Theres so much information to absorb, its hard to take it all in in one week, said Purdy, whose family has a small ranch in Chamita, north of Espanola.

Halfway through the week, Ray, a 15-year-old from Acoma Pueblo, said he already knows hed like to attend the camp again next year because the students are provided with so much information its hard to process it all at once.

All of it is pretty interesting, though, he said, adding that he liked learning about the role genetics plays in raising cattle. Ray said he plans to take what he learned back to the pueblo, where his family is a member of a farming association.

Mitchell said he found exploring the innards of a fistulated cow most interesting.

Probably not something for city slickers, fistulated, or cannulated, cows have holes cut into their sides, allowing campers to reach inside the animals digestive system.

The coolest part was when I got to stick my arm down a cows rumen to see what was in there, said Mitchell, adding that he found mushed hay, sand and minerals.

Montano, who lives in Albuquerque, but whose two sets of grandparents own ranches  one in northern New Mexico and the other in the south  said she liked the seminar on the economics of farming and ranching.

People dont realize there are so many numbers and so much math that goes into running a ranch. What weve learned is super-intense, said the future business major.

Courting customers

On this day, the emphasis was on natural resources, though the campers also learned more about marketing and economics from Randy Davis, whose family runs the CS Ranch.

Davis heads up what he calls a nice, small, family-run outfitting business on the ranch. He charges up to $9,000 for a five-day elk hunt, $5,000 for a deer hunt and $4,000 for an antelope hunt.

Competing with three other outfitters on adjacent properties, he said prices are set so not to be the most expensive, but on the upper end.

Youre in the customer service business when youre in the outfitting business, he told the group. My deal is to get them on the property, show them a really good time on CS Ranch, and hopefully theyll come back.

Most do. He said 95 percent of his clients are repeat customers.

He went over in some detail the costs of the outfitting business, which includes liability insurance, room and board for the hunters, meals, paying a cook and hunting guides, and gasoline. Later that night, the campers broke up into groups and conducted a spotlight survey of wildlife on the ranch to get an estimate of how many antelope, elk, deer, foxes and coyotes were on the property.

Earlier in the day, the students visited the nearby Chase Ranch, which is even older than the CS Ranch. The Chase family ran the ranch from 1867 until 2012, when the founders great-granddaughter, Gretchen Sammis, died. Its now operated as a working ranch by the Chase Ranch Foundation and the Boy Scouts of Americas Philmont Scout Ranch. The ranch house and other buildings on the property have been turned into a museum.

With the youth management camp, organizers and sponsors are hoping to keep more ranching operations as family enterprises.

The camps sponsors include the New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau, the Beef Council, the Cattle Growers Association, the Soil and Water Conservation District and Singleton Ranches, Inc., among others.
WASHINGTON  A day after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he might not alter the size of two of New Mexicos newest monuments, Rep. Steve Pearce implored him to dramatically shrink the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in his southern district.

At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Zinke, who is reviewing more than two dozen national monuments for possible reductions in size, said he was open to keeping New Mexicos newest monuments unchanged.

If its settled and people are happy with it, I find no reason to recommend any changes, Zinke said.

But at a House hearing to consider the Interior Departments budget Thursday, Pearce said thats not the case. He lifted up a stack of papers that he said contained the signatures of 800 businesses and individuals who want to reduce the nearly 500,000-acre federally protected area by 88 percent, to 60,000 acres.

The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is a very highly volatile issue in the district, Pearce told the interior secretary. Even when the Democrats owned the House and had a filibuster-proof Senate and Mr. Obama was in the White House, they still could not get this passed through law because it was so contentious.

Obama used his executive power to designate both New Mexico monuments during his presidency. Pearce said the Organ Mountains monument is too large and will stifle economic opportunities in southern New Mexico. Supporters contend the protected lands draw visitors and investment in surrounding communities, supporting the economy in a sustainable way.

Pearce said he and those who signed the petition he gave to Zinke would like to see the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument be not revoked, but taken back down to the smallest footprint. New Mexicos Democratic representatives in Congress support the monuments in their current configurations.

Zinke, who is planning to visit New Mexico in two weeks and will make his recommendations on the monuments in August, did not comment on Pearces remarks at the hearing.

Sacred Items

Sen. Martin Heinrich this week reintroduced a bill that would increase criminal penalties for those convicted of trafficking in sacred Native American items.

The issue gained national attention last year when a stolen Acoma shield used in sacred ceremonies wound up on a Paris auction block. The item was eventually pulled from the auction. Heinrichs bill, which would prohibit the exporting of sacred items and increase penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking tribal cultural items, has bipartisan support.

The measure died in the last Congress, but probably more due to bad timing, with the elections cutting into congressional working days, than a lack of support for the bill. Heinrich hosted a group of young Native American leaders in his office Wednesday to celebrate the legislations reintroduction.

Our sacred items are a gift that have been passed down, said Carly Jo Chavarria of Santa Clara Pueblo, who graduated this year from Santa Fe Indian School and was a youth delegate to the United Nations in the spring. If we fail to protect our sacred items, we are robbing future generations.
Flamenco has deep roots in New Mexico.

And it continues to find new generations of fans.

New Mexicans will have an opportunity to see an iconic dancer from Spain who has a deep family history in flamenco.

Carmela Greco is the featured dancer in EmiArte Flamencos summer season, beginning Wednesday, June 28. The sessions runs through July 1 at Skylight.

Carmela is my maestra, says Emi Grimm, director of EmiArte Flamenco. When I go to Spain to study, I live with her and learn. Its a dream come true to have her perform with my company. I still cant believe we are going to have her here.

Traveling with Greco will be her guitarist, Antonio Gabarri Jimenez.

Also on the slate for the shows are Vicente Griego on cante, Grimm and Nevarez Encinias on baile and Flamenco Youth de Santa Fe.

Having my youth group perform on the same stage as Carmela lets them gain more experience, Grimm says. The entire community has supported flamenco and my company since it began. None of this would be possible of the community didnt come out to support our shows.

Greco will also be pulling double duty as she will teach master classes at the Museum of International Folk Art.

Since the mid-20th century, the name Greco has been synonymous with Spanish dance. The Museum of International Folk Art is honored to bring Carmela Greco from Spain as part of the exhibition Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico, says Nicolasa Chavez, Curator of Latino, Hispano and Spanish Colonial Collections.

The daughter of Flamenco legend Jose Greco will conduct a series of public programs, classes and performances in Santa Fe during a limited engagement from Tuesday, June 27 through July 1.

The roster of events includes beginning adult Flamenco classes, taught by Greco.

Continuing the tradition of her father, Carmela Greco has performed, choreographed and taught flamenco in Spain and around the world, Chavez says. She joins us for a special week of flamenco dance and lessons in castanet technique for the novice and seasoned aficionado alike.

Jimenez launches MOIFAs summer series Flamenco en Vivo with live guitar in the Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico gallery, included with museum admission 1-3 p.m., Wednesday, June 28.

At 1 p.m. July 1, Greco will conduct a tour and talk in the gallery, Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico. The price is included with museum admission.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera ended her tumultuous six-year tenure on Tuesday and passed the reins to a deputy  Christopher Ruszkowski  who vowed to continue her reforms.

Ruszkowski arrived in New Mexico in April 2016 to oversee the Public Education Departments research agenda, policies and academic priorities, including PARCC testing, school grades and pre-kindergarten.

Gov. Susana Martinez named him acting secretary of education earlier this month when Skandera made the surprise announcement that she would step down.

Acting Secretary Ruszkowski will continue pushing forward with Gov. Martinezs reforms that are lifting up struggling students and schools, said Joseph Cueto, the governors spokesman. Based on Ruszkowskis skills and experience, theres no question hell continue to put students first and move our reforms forward  to keep improving student achievement.

Born in Chicago, Ruszkowski spent three years teaching in Miami and Boston schools through Teach for America, then received a masters degree in education policy from Stanford University. He most recently worked for the Delaware Department of Education, earning accolades from the states Democratic governor.

Ruszkowski told the Journal on Wednesday that he is excited to lead New Mexicos PED and maintain its strong foundation.

(Teachers) are saying, Lets have some stability for once. Lets have some continuity for once. Lets not have another pendulum swing,  Ruszkowski said. Its very rare for a state to have the opportunity to have some degree of stability and continuity in its core systems over the course of a decade. New Mexico is getting there.

Martinez appointed Skandera in 2010 as a reformer and has often stressed that every child can learn. The governor has a year and a half left in office.

Asked whether he would like to make any changes, Ruszkowski said he does see areas for refinement and improvement.

Ruszkowski plans to modify a parent and student survey that is part of the school grading process and expand teacher professional development programs.

The PED will also try to learn from successful districts and charter schools  a paradigm shift that will mix innovation coming up and innovation coming down, Ruszkowski said.

In the fall, he will visit high-performing schools across the state to collect ideas that could be replicated.

Feedback

Recently, the PED has sought more input from teachers, parents and administrators. Ruszkowski helped organize 25 public events to collect feedback on the states plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

During stops in six communities, he heard a sense of optimism about New Mexicos schools, which are typically near the bottom of the nation on every measure of educational success.

It is not a deficit mindset, he said.

Ruszkowski also recently worked with the Teach Plus New Mexico Policy Fellows, a group of 15 educators from around the state that suggested changes to the PEDs teacher evaluation system, as well as other policies. The PED adopted eight of the groups 11 recommendations.

Hope Morales, an incoming vice principal at Roswells Mesa Middle School and a Teach Plus Fellow, said Ruszkowski made a good impression.

I am excited to continue working with him, she said. He seems really positive. He seems student-focused. He seems open to working with teachers, so I am hoping we can continue what weve started.

But the National Education Association-New Mexico  a longtime opponent of Skanderas policies  said the PED has historically not listened to different points of view.

PED keeps too much focus on standardized testing, which takes up valuable time better spent on learning, said NEA-NM spokesman Charles Goodmacher. Good education inspires students natural curiosity, imagination and desire to learn. Too much continued focus on teacher evaluations and on standardized tests warps school priorities.

NEA and another teachers union, the American Federation of Teachers, have sued to stop the PEDs teacher evaluation system, which weighs students progress on test scores as a significant factor.

To Ruszkowski, the unions are long on problems and short on solutions.

There is a unique opportunity, I think, for unions, not just here but around the country, to embrace reform and sort of bring themselves back into relevance in the conversation around whats best for children, and not stay so married and wedded to the 20th century way of doing business, he said.

He suggested they be active in promoting teacher development and offer specific solutions rather than repeating the same broad criticism.

Comments on APS

Ruszkowski said he has yet to meet with Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Raquel Reedy, who oversees the states largest district, with more than 80,000 students, and who often disagreed with Skanderas reform efforts.

Ruszkowski said districts in cities including San Antonio, Denver and Phoenix are making strides, while APS continues to struggle. Districts must adopt innovative approaches to education if they want to improve outcomes, Ruszkowski said.

I think APS has a long way to go as a learning organization, and I think there are a lot of best practices out there they could be drawing on, he said. There does seem to be an opportunity to learn and to share whats happening in these other places nearby that I have not yet seen them embrace.

Ruszkowski said he has seen more APS employees applying for state education programs like Principals Pursuing Excellence, which provides mentorship. He is hopeful the trend will continue.

Well reach out, well continue to make all those opportunities available, but they have to come to the table wanting to do things differently, he said.

APS Reedy said she looks forward to working with the acting secretary of education.

We would like to share with him our plans for reshaping teaching, learning and classroom experiences in Albuquerque Public Schools, she said in an emailed statement. Our emphasis will be on personalized education, innovation and family and community engagement.
New Mexicos two U.S. senators, both Democrats, strongly denounced the GOPs attempt to replace Obamacare. Sen. Martin Heinrich said the Senate bill is everything we feared it would be.

It is a disgrace that Senate Republicans are trying to force an extremely unpopular bill on the country, in one week, Sen. Tom Udall said. They are doing this even though this bill affects one-sixth of our economy. And even though it would cause hundreds of thousands of people in New Mexico  and millions of Americans  to lose access to health care, prescription drugs, drug addiction counseling and other lifesaving services.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico  one of 32 states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare, with the federal government picking up most of the cost  said Thursday that she hasnt had time yet to read the Senate proposal. But she described Obamacare as a failure.

Nevertheless, she told reporters in Albuquerque, a replacement plan must protect the most vulnerable in our state without raising costs on families and small businesses.
PETALUMA, Calif. (AP)  Homely hounds and their humans walked down a one-of-a-kind runway Friday night at the annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest, where dog lovers celebrate the imperfections of man's best friend.

Many of the contestants are adopted. Monkey, a 6-year-old Brussels Griffon, and Icky, an 8-year-old unknown breed, were both rescued from the homes of hoarders.

These dogs  some with acne, others with tongues permanently sticking out  are used to getting called ugly. But for their owners, it was love at first sight.

He's my sexy boy, Vicky Adler, of Davis, California, said of her 8-year-old Chinese Crested named Zoomer.

At 16 years old, Moe, a Brussels Griffon and pug, is this year's most senior contestant. He has lost his hearing and sight but his sense of smell is strong and he was enjoying all the smells the fairground offered  including funnel cakes and other fried goodies.

The pooches faced off in a red carpet walk and Faux Paw Fashion Show. The contestants are judged on first impressions, unusual attributes, personality and audience reaction.

A blind Chihuahua-Chinese Crested mix named Sweepee Rambo bested 16 other ugly entries in last year's competition and waddled away with $1,500, a trophy and a flight to New York with her owner for media appearances.

Besides the main crown, the Spirit Award is presented to a dog and owner who have overcome obstacles or provide service to their community, organizers said.

This is the 29th year the contest is being held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
For the record: An initial post of this story had the sentence incorrect

Michael Dameon Blackburn, 31, of Albuquerque was sentenced to 120 years in prison Thursday for his conviction for producing, distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography depicting two 2-year-olds.

U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson also sentenced him to a lifetime of supervised release should he ever get out, and ordered him to register as a sex offender. Blackburn has to pay $430,800 in restitution to the two children who were victims of his conduct, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tierney said, While there are never any winners in these cases, we hope that the knowledge that Blackburn will spend the rest of his life in prison where he can never harm them or any other child will bring a measure of solace to the two young children he so terribly exploited.

Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Blackburn in December of 2013 on a criminal complaint charging him with producing and distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in Bernalillo County. A federal grand jury indicted him the next month.

HSI in Albuquerque received information from the HSI Cyber Crimes Center about a pornographic image of a child victim who might be in the Albuquerque area, according to the criminal complaint. HSIs investigative efforts identified a residence in northeast Albuquerque as a possible location for the person who may have distributed the pornographic image.

Law enforcement officers made contact with Blackburn and two children  a girl and a boy, both two years of age  who were left in Blackburns care while their parents were out of town, according to court records and the complaint.

The officers learned that Blackburn had been sexually molesting the toddlers and taking photographs and making videos while he molested them. They also learned that Blackburn emailed images and videos of the toddlers to others.

Blackburn pleaded guilty in March of last year to all five counts of the indictment.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of HSI, Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office and the Albuquerque Police Department, all members of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
MARAWI, Philippines  The Islamic State group helped fund the monthlong siege of a southern Philippine city through a Malaysian militant who was reportedly killed by troops, the Philippine military chief said Friday.

Gen. Eduardo Ano told The Associated Press that Malaysian Mahmud bin Ahmad reportedly channeled more than $600,000 from the IS group to acquire firearms, food and other supplies for the attack in Marawi. Money believed to be from illegal drugs also funded the uprising, he said.

Mahmud was wounded in the fighting last month and reportedly died on June 7, he said. A local militant leader, Omarkhayam Maute, also is believed to have been killed in the early days of intense fighting and troops were looking for their remains to validate the intelligence the military had received.

Troops are seeking the help of villagers to pinpoint the spot where Mahmud was reportedly buried, Ano said.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar acknowledged that Mahmud was in Marawi fighting with insurgents but said he believed the militant is still alive. Malaysian authorities are trying to determine the number of Malaysians who joined the siege but said at least four may have been killed in clashes.

Two other rebel leaders, top Filipino militant suspect Isnilon Hapilon and Mautes brother, Abdullah, were still fighting in Marawi, Ano said.

A former Malaysian university professor who became radicalized and received training in Afghanistan, Mahmud appeared in a video showing militant leaders planning the Marawi siege in a hideout, a sign of his key role in the uprising. The AP obtained a copy of the video, which was seized by troops May 23.

A month ago, about 500 local militants, along with some foreign fighters, stormed into Marawi, a bastion of the Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. Troops since then have killed about 280 gunmen, recovered nearly 300 assault firearms and regained control of 85 buildings. Many of the taller buildings were used as sniper posts to slow down the advance of government forces, the military said.

At least 69 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have died in the fighting. Only four villages in Marawi remain in the hands of the militants, out of the 19 of 96 villages across the lakeside city of 200,000 people that the black flag-waving militants had occupied.

They are constricted in a very small area. Theyre pinned down, Ano said. He said three boatloads of gunmen who tried to join the militants were blasted by navy gunboats three days ago in Lake Lanao, which borders Marawi.

Ano said the battle was taking longer because the militants were using civilians as human shields.

We can just bomb them away or use napalm bombs to burn everything, but then, we will not be any different from them if we do that, he said.

The audacious attack by the heavily armed militants and their ability to hold on to large sections of a city for weeks surprised the government and sparked fears among Southeast Asian countries that the Islamic State group was moving to gain a foothold in the region.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said the Philippines accepted an offer of two AP-3C Orion aircraft to provide surveillance to local troops. The U.S. military earlier deployed a spy plane and drones over Marawi.

Facing his worst crisis, President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in the south to deal with the Marawi siege.

Powerful clans and warlords, along with insurgencies, have effectively weakened law enforcement in large areas of the countrys south, making it easier for militants to take over an area and hold it, said Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta, Indonesia.

I do think that martial law doesnt solve the problem and I think military strikes, especially airstrikes, dont solve the problem, Jones said. Its a much broader problem that needs a strategic solution.

Philippine Foreign Minister Alan Peter Cayetano and his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts met with top security officials in Manila on Thursday to discuss the crisis. They agreed on a plan of action to combat terrorism and rising extremism and deal with the prospects of Asian fighters returning to their region from Syria and Iraq, where the IS group has been losing territory.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Gomez and Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Andi Jatmiko in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
PHOENIX  The political career of Joe Arpaio ended last year when the six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix known for cracking down on illegal immigration and housing inmates in tents outside in the desert heat was trounced in an election that focused on his own legal troubles.

Now, the 85-year-old who called himself Americas toughest sheriff will face his day of reckoning in court for defying a judges order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Arpaios trial starts Monday on a criminal contempt-of-court charge for prolonging the patrols for nearly a year and a half. The judge later found that Arpaios officers had racially profiled Latinos.

The former sheriff could face up to six months in jail, though lawyers who have followed his case doubt he would get locked up if convicted.

His critics hope the case will bring a long-awaited comeuppance for the former lawman who led crackdowns that divided immigrant families and escaped accountability when he regularly flouted the rules.

Attorney Mike Manning, who isnt involved in the case but has sued Arpaio several times over deaths in the jails, said the famously defiant Arpaio deserves his fate because he saluted the court with his middle finger when he violated the court order.

Jack Wilenchik, an Arpaio attorney, said the former sheriff is charged with a crime for cooperating with federal immigration authorities, which the Trump administration now is encouraging more police agencies to do.

This is really just a fight about immigration law and what it means, Wilenchik said. And Arpaio is trying to do what a good cop does, which is to enforce the law.

Arpaio, reached by phone last week, declined to comment.

He rode to national prominence by launching highly publicized immigration crackdowns, landing him in court when Hispanic immigrants sued. He was ousted from office last year in the same election that sent Donald Trump to the White House after using some of the same immigration rhetoric that made Arpaio a national name a decade earlier.

The key issue in the trial will be whether Arpaio intentionally violated a judges 2011 order to stop the patrols. Arpaio acknowledges that he kept up the immigration enforcement but says it was not on purpose. For a conviction, prosecutors must prove he intended to disobey the judge.

The judge found Arpaio ignored the order because he believed his immigration enforcement efforts would help his 2012 re-election campaign. His legal troubles likely contributed to his crushing defeat in November to retired Phoenix police Sgt. Paul Penzone.

The things that Arpaio used over the years to boost his popularity  TV interviews, news releases and tough talk about Americas border woes  are now being used against him in court.

Arpaio said in a news release a week after the judge told him to stop the patrols that he would continue to enforce immigration laws. A few weeks later, he told a TV interviewer that deputies were still detaining immigrants in the country illegally.

Its not clear if Arpaio will testify, but two people who were illegally detained plan to take the witness stand to describe their traffic stops.

Arpaio has brought several longshot legal efforts. He tried unsuccessfully to bar prosecutors from mentioning his comments about immigration during his last three campaigns. And he subpoenaed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a witness.

Attorney Andy Jacob, who isnt involved in the case but has watched much of it as a court spectator, said the criminal charge will ensure that the sheriffs office will comply the next time a judge hands down an order.

This is to vindicate the power of the court, he said.

Tom Morrissey, a retired chief U.S. marshal who has been a friend of Arpaios for more than two decades, said the former sheriffs supporters are furious about how hes being treated in the courts and in news coverage.

That fury is growing. Joe is just one of the victims of a corrupt process and a corrupt system, said Morrissey, a former state GOP chairman.

Lydia Guzman, a Latino civil rights advocate and longtime Arpaio critic, said a criminal conviction would help hold the former sheriff accountable for breaking the rules and tarnish his reputation.

This will be his legacy, that he abused his power, Guzman said. It will end in a mugshot. I dont think he is afraid of jail. I think he is afraid of what this will do to his image and the legacy he leaves behind.

___

Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/jacques%20billeaud.
Two men were attacked prior to and following the 21-year-old womans death at a Zepol Road apartment Thursday, according to the Santa Fe Police criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court.

Chris Garcia, 26, was arrested on an open count of murder Thursday afternoon following the death of a woman he was in a relationship with, 21-year-old Selena Valencia.

The complaint says she was found outside of her apartment in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds from a knife. She was already dead when police arrived shortly after 1 a.m. Valencia was heard by multiple people pleading for help and asking for someone to stop, the complaint states.

There were apparent blood stains in her apartments entryway, bathroom and bedroom, according to the police account, and neighbors saw a man leaving the scene with a knife in hand.

Garcia was also booked on multiple aggravated battery counts, a count of aggravated burglary, several counts of tampering with evidence, and one count of concealing his identity after police found him in a nearby parking lot.

The first aggravated battery charge, police say, is because of an attack on Martin Marrufo, another Vista Alegre Apartment resident and Valencias neighbor, with a crutch. The report says Garcia walked into the apartment through an unlocked door and Marrufo confronted him. The complaint does not give Marrufos age.

The other assault charge was for the random stabbing of Alan Lozano, who approached Garcia shortly after Valencias death. The complaint says Lozano was riding his bike in the 1200 block of Zepol Road when he asked if Garcia needed help after he saw Garcia hit the pavement.

The complaint states that police received a call from Christus St. Vincent Regioanl Medical Center, where Lozano went treated for a collapsed lung. The complaint did not mention Lozanos age.

When questioned about the break-in at Marrufos apartment, Garcia told police the place must have been someone elses, possibly indicating he was looking for Valencias apartment just doors down.

In relation to a possible fight between him and Valencia Thursday morning, the complaint says Mr. Garcia agreed that he may have been there and that may have happened.
In a week where nuclear safety issues at Los Alamos National Laboratory were already under scrutiny, federal officials announced today that the lab had shipped nuclear material across the country using commercial air cargo services, in violation of regulations.

The National Nuclear Safety Administration announced that LANL had disclosed that proper procedures were not followed in shipping small quantities of special nuclear material to both Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in California, and the Savannah River National Laboratory, in South Carolina.

The material was shipped out last week. The head of the NNSA said sending the material by air instead of using a ground cargo service was unacceptable.

A major difference between air and ground transportation is that there can be rapid pressure changes during a flight.

Its like a ball point pen in your pocket  in an airplane there could be a loss of containment, said Greg Mello of the Albuquerque-based Los Alamos Study Group advocacy and research organization.

Mello said in an interview that special nuclear material refers to material unique to the nuclear weapons world, such as radioactive plutonium and highly enriched uranium. The term has been used as far back as the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Basically isotopes used in nuclear explosives, Mello said.

NNSA said in a news release that the shipments should have been made using commercial ground cargo services, and were packaged and containerized for this mode of transportation.

However, the actual shipment documents were instead prepared for transport via commercial air cargo services, a mode of transportation not authorized by Federal regulations.

An NNSA spokesman, in a phone interview, would not say more about what the material was. He did say the aircraft that the material was shipped on did not include passenger planes.

This failure to follow established procedures is absolutely unacceptable, said NNSA Administrator Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz.

LANL is run by Los Alamos National Security LLC (LANS), a private consortium that includes Bechtel and the University of California. After a series of unsatisfactory performance reviews, the federal government has decided against extending LANS $2 billion-plus annual operating contract and will rebid the contract over the next year or so.

I require the contractors who manage and operate our national laboratories and production plants to rigorously adhere to the highest safety and security standards in performing the vitally important work they do for our national security, Klotz said Friday.

NNSA said an investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the shipping mistakes, as well as procedures to avoid future incidents of this type, and that the agency will use the full terms and conditions of the contract to ensure that any responsible parties are held accountable.

Recent criticism

Just on Monday, Klotz had defended how his agency has held LANL accountable on safety and operations issues, noting that NNSA had withheld $82 million in performance fees between 2013 and 2016. Klotzs Monday statement also said LANLs safety culture had been attacked without offering all of the facts and the full context.

He was responding to a series of news articles published this week by the Center for Public Integrity that cited internal reports and other documents outlining federal regulators concerns about safety lapses at LANL over the years, including spilled plutonium and workers positioning plutonium rods in a way that could have led to an uncontrolled nuclear reaction.

The criticism emerged as work ramps up at Los Alamos to produce plutonium pits, a key component for the nations nuclear weapons cache and part of hugely expensive effort to refurbish and modernize the arsenal over the next decade and longer.

In an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press, LANL officials reassured employees of the safety of the labs facility for making pits. As employees, you should be proud of your laboratorys accomplishments over the past decade to strengthen our ability to operate safely and securely, according to the memo, dated Monday. While there will often be external organizations and individuals which advance a misleading narrative, it is not an accurate reflection of our work.

Lab contractor LANS was most notably penalized after a drum of radioactive waste improperly packed with a combustible mix at Los Alamos in 2014 leaked and shut down the nations nuclear waste storage facility, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant at Carlsbad.

The new incident is reminiscent of a mistake from November 1994, when a California Army depot sent less than a pound of plutonium to Los Alamos by air using FedEx. And in 2005, contamination from radioactive americium from a LANL researcher was spread through a FedEx package sent to a U.S. Naval nuclear power research lab in Pennsylvania.

Its important to say that shipping small quantities of radioactive material with safe packaging is not necessarily dangerous, the Los Alamos Study Groups Mello told the Journal Friday. It happens all the time. And the question is that it has to be properly packed and managed and the appropriate safeguards followed.
Residents of the West Side will soon have two new watering holes: Tractor Brewing and Lava Rock Brewing.

Tractor will be opening its fourth location, a taproom in a 2,100-square foot building on the southeast corner of Unser and McMahon NW. The taproom will be next to a new Starbucks, which is planning to open in a 2,200-square-foot building within the new shopping development called McMahon Marketplace.

Tractor Brewing, which has a taproom in Nob Hill and a brewery at 1800 4th NW, has been in the midst of an expansion over the last year. It opened its third location recently at Central and Tramway NE and has a deal in place to begin distributing packaged Tractor beer in West Texas.

McMahon Marketplace does have existing shops but construction for the Tractor Brewing and Starbucks has not yet begun. Developer Doug Peterson said he intends to revise some of the original plans to allow for more parking and smaller building sizes.

Tractor co-owner Skye Devore said the new taproom is tentatively scheduled to open next April.

Devore said she and co-owner David Hargis are excited to move into the West Side, which she feels is an under-served area.

We had an idea with the Nob Hill location that it would be a neighborhood bar, said Devore. But the pre-planned neighborhoods on the West Side are really different, and foot traffic is different, so nobody is out there, except the big chains. But we have people in our taprooms all the time asking why we havent moved out to the West Side, so we decided that demand is greater than we thought.

Lava Rock Brewing is new to the market and also sees the West Side as under-served, according to Peterson, who is developing the shopping center where Lava Rock will open.

The new brewery will be setting up shop in 5,831 square feet on the northeast corner of Unser and Vista Oriente NW. It is planning a full kitchen, brewing facility, dining room and outdoor patio.

Peterson said the new brewery likely will open within a couple of months.

Also in the development will be a drive-through and other shops and restaurants, but so far, no other tenants have signed on. Walgreens anchors the development.
The University of New Mexicos Innovation Academy has ignited a groundswell of student entrepreneurship in Albuquerque, much more so than UNM officials ever imagined when they launched the program in fall 2015.

As of June 1, nearly 600 students had signed up to directly participate in the academy, which provides direct experience and real-world skills in entrepreneurship, critical thinking and problem-solving. Thats about 20 times more participation than the modest 15 students per semester, or 30 active participants by the second year, that the university had set as initial goals, academy director Rob DelCampo said.

Dozens of academy participants are now pursuing startup ideas, individually and collectively, with 14 student-run businesses already up and operating, according to the programs new impact report for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Weve come so far so fast, DelCampo said. Its like every day something new is emerging. You give students a little support and a place to hang their hat, and things just kind of explode.

The academy grew out of UNMs joint efforts with public and private partners to build the Innovate ABQ research-and-development zone at Central and Broadway Downtown. The academy aims to draw students into the innovation district as up-and-coming entrepreneurs and professionals who can work with scientists, researchers and investors to turn the heart of Albuquerque into a bustling center of high-tech startup activity.

The academy will move to Innovate ABQ in August, when the six-story Rainforest Building opens there. The academy will operate on the ground floor, alongside tech-transfer programs run by UNM and other research institutions.

Colocation at the site is a centerpiece of Innovate ABQ, DelCampo said. It will provide a venue for students to work in a dedicated space with scientists, businesspeople and professionals as they innovate, invent and create.

The program already offers nearly a dozen classes, such as a core course where students learn business basics and build their own startup during the semester, and another that offers students semester-long internships at established startups.

More are coming in the fall, including a creative economy course taught by the Creative Startups accelerator, and an eight-week Tech Navigator Challenge, in which student teams will design business plans to take real technologies from UNM and some national laboratories to market.

To date, 58 students have earned college credit through the courses. Others have attended workshops, received mentoring and pitched in UNM-sponsored startup competitions.

One new student-run course gathered 20 students into collective brain-storming sessions this past spring to share startup ideas and build a business together. It culminated in Crafted, a company that now gathers waste grain from local breweries and turns it into fresh-baked bread for retail at the breweries.

This isnt theory of marketing or sales, said Trace Rucarean, who led the class and helped launch Crafted. You get out in the real world for 16 weeks with students from different backgrounds and see what happens. Creative ideas start bouncing around.
[June 22, 2017]

DSi Mobile Now Supports Google Maps

UPLAND, Calif., June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dispatching Solutions, Inc. has announced that the upcoming release of the DSi Mobile platform will utilize the Google Maps Engine as its core mapping technology. Switching to the engine will provide DSi Mobile users an enhanced user interface as well as access to standard mapping and routing features within Google Maps.

DSi Mobile users will be able to use the map functions as they would use Google Maps on their smart phones, like location routing and point of interest searches. The switch to Google Maps improves the DSi Mobile platform's ability to provide current and future features around route optimization, calculating real time ETA's, asset tracking, analyzing behaviors, trend review, and much more!

Dispatching Solutions, Inc. has scheduled this update to be released on July 1st, 2017.







About Google Maps

Google Maps is a web mapping service developed by Google. It has multiple tools such as, street maps, 360 panoramic view of streets, real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bicycle, or public transportation.

About Dispatching Solutions

Dispatching Solutions, Inc. (DSi) focuses on providing solutions that streamline complex workflows in the specialized transport, logistics and services industries. Leveraging technology in GPS, mobile and integration expertise, DSi provides a suite of solutions that enable lower operating costs, increased productivity, improved service quality, safety, compliance, and optimized scheduling.

DSi's solutions include scheduling and dispatching, GPS and fleet management, Electronic Logs and compliance. DSi's solutions are proven and have been deployed throughout North America to independent owner-operators and major equipment dealers.

For more information about DSi Mobile and DSi's Product Suite, contact them at:

Dispatching Solutions, Inc.

440 North Mountain Avenue, Suite 208

Upland, CA 91786

Tel. 909.460.6404

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.dsimobile.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dsi-mobile-now-supports-google-maps-300478617.html

SOURCE Dispatching Solutions, Inc.
The Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education will begin a review of the entire district policy manual at its next meeting, and the public is invited to submit suggestions.

On July 11, the board will examine the manuals first section, Basic Commitments and Foundation, and move on to the second section, Board of Education Governance and Operations, later in the summer.

During the upcoming school year, board members will work their way through the manuals 580 pages, which cover everything from curriculum to student services and finances.

The public can offer input on the policies as the board reviews them. Major policy changes require a minimum of two hearings by the board before they become final.

Board President Ramon Montano said he suggested the review to reorganize and potentially streamline the manual.

I appreciate the board getting involved and requesting the input of our community and our teachers and staff, he said. Its a team effort, and were all on the same page to ensure that we are following everything to the T.

Montano said the new manual will also use a different format from the New Mexico School Boards Association.

Last year, Rio Rancho Public Schools signed up for the NMSBAs policy service, which provides consultation to ensure compliance with state and federal statutes, agency regulations and attorney general opinions.

The service costs $385 per month, plus an initial $1,500 for the assessors travel costs and materials. It is run by a New Mexico attorney with more than 25 years of policy-writing experience.

Board member Ryan Parra said the policy review will make the district better in the long run.

We want people to know we hold ourselves to high standards, he said.

Parra has his own policy idea in mind  an annual Board of Education open forum to allow the public to meet with board members and make suggestions. He will introduce the idea during the discussion of board operation policy.

Gary Tripp, RRPS chief of staff and engagement, applauded the board for taking on the policy manual review.

The process will take time, but it is worthwhile, Tripp said.

I really think the board is trying to make sure they meet all their responsibilities, he added.

To review the policy manual or submit a suggestion, go to www.rrps.net.
TV news cameras were barred from state District Court on Friday morning following a spat with officials the day before over camera access to a special multi-agency meeting that media had been invited to at the courthouse in Albuquerque.

The exclusion lasted just a few hours until the local TV stations met with officials to revisit the expectations and possible legal requirement for granting media access in the courthouse, whether for a court proceeding or other event.

District Attorney Raul Torrez invited media to the courthouse for a Thursday meeting of the Bernalillo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which involves members of agencies including police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, politicians and more, triggering the spat.

The council has treated its meetings as public and open, though the legal status as subject to the states open meeting laws is unclear. By law, open meetings must be accessible to the public, including media, who must be given reasonable access for their cameras and presence.

While open meeting law is clear that cameras are allowed without question, court rules require photographers and camera crews request permission 24 hours in advance of entering  which not all did Thursday because they believed the meeting to operate like an open meeting and theyd been invited.

The clash that followed had court officials calling the scene chaotic as cameras tried to fit inside a full capacity meeting room with officials saying they had to leave or alter coverage plans.

The clash also led court Executive Officer Jim Noel to ban journalists from bringing cameras and phones inside Friday.

They are usually allowed to bring in phones and cameras, with notice. The ban prevented some media from covering hearings Friday morning, despite the outlets having permission via the established process.

Noel lifted the ban after a Friday morning meeting at which television stations and their attorneys discussed access expectations. The meeting resolved with a desire to move future council meetings to a location free of such restrictions on cameras.
comScore has released data from the comScore MMX Multi-Platform service, reporting key online activity in the News/ Information category in India for April 2017. The service combines data from desktop and mobile consumer panels with data from the comScore census network, providing an unduplicated, persons-based measurement of total digital reach across desktops, smartphones and tablets. This release follows the recent launch of MMX Multi-Platform, along with major enhancements to Mobile Metrix in India, with the introduction of mobile consumer panel data.

Top 15 News/Information Entities

According to MMX Multi-Platform, 84 per cent of Indias Total Digital Population accessed News/ Information digital content in April 2017. 13 per cent of News/ Information visitors/ viewers accessed the content from both desktop and mobile platforms, while 79 per cent accessed exclusively via mobile devices.

The Times of India sites ranked #1 overall with 69 million unique visitors/ viewers, followed by India Today Group with 54 million and India.com sites with 41 million. In the top 15 ranking, more than half of the time spent on News/ Information digital content is via mobile devices, with The Times of India sites having the highest engagement at 44 per cent of total minutes for the category.

Demographic Profile

In April 2017, 92 per cent of the 25-34 age group in India visited/ viewed News/ Information digital content, the highest reach among other age groups, compared to 76 per cent for persons aged 45 and above.

Males spent more time on News/ Information digital content, contributing to79 per cent of total minutes for the category, with 85 per cent of that time accessed via mobile devices. The 15-24 demographic spent the most time on News/ Information content, representing 40 per cent of total minutes for the category, with males consuming 80 per cent of the total minutes and females at 20 per cent.
TOKYO, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) is preparing a new plan which can be termed the "Financial System Reform in Tokyo -- Tokyo's Big Bang" in order to regain the status of Asia's No.1 international financial city, and this new plan will be announced this autumn. Prior to the announcement of the new plan, TMG made public its summary titled "Interim Report on Policy for 'Global Financial City Tokyo'" (hereinafter referred to as "the Report") on June 9. In this Report, TMG announced the launch of a new initiative to develop FinTech business, and the initiatives to support the establishment or development of innovative businesses.

Reference: http://www.seisakukikaku.metro.tokyo.jp/GFCT/english/index.html



In order to transfer cutting-edge technology and know-how from overseas to Japanese companies, TMG has taken initiatives to attract foreign companies. In this context, as mentioned in the Report, TMG now launches a new initiative named the "Accelerator Program -- FinTech Business Camp Tokyo" (hereinafter referred to as "the Program").



TMG aims to generate ground-breaking innovation to improve convenience for Tokyo's residents, and re-energize Tokyo's economy by intensively running the substantial three-month Program.



1. Program outline



- Target companies

Foreign companies with advanced FinTech technologies and business models (payments, financing, fund management, asset management, insurance, security, etc.) which have not yet been established in Japan.

(For more information, kindly refer to the "Application Guidelines" on TMG's website)



- Application

Kindly check the "Application Guidelines" and download the required documents in the following website:

http://www.seisakukikaku.metro.tokyo.jp/invest_tokyo/english/fintechaccelerator/index.html

- Submission deadline

11:59 p.m., Friday, July 14, 2017 (Japan Standard Time)



2. Tentative schedule



June: Acceptance of applications

August: Selection and announcement of around five foreign companies

September: Introductory seminar

October to November: Implementation of mentoring / Compilation of a business plan / Networking events / Business matchings

Early December: Pitch events (open-door / closed-door)





To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tokyo-metropolitan-government-to-invite-foreign-companies-to-participate-in-fintech-business-camp-tokyo-300478781.html

SOURCE Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Satish Jeyachandran, former Director of Hardware Engineering at Tesla Motors, joined Alphabets Waymo as Head of Hardware last month, following a short break from work. Jeyachandran shared the news on LinkedIn earlier this week, praising Waymos unique identity that saw it blend hardware and software divisions into a single entity dedicated to commercializing this emerging technology. The 38-year-old was with Tesla for almost seven years before leaving the Palo Alto, California-based company in March and now looking to resume his pursuit of self-driving solutions with another Silicon Valley tech giant.

Jeyachandrans responsibilities will include overseeing all of Waymos hardware-related endeavors while simultaneously facilitating the process of integrating the companys software into its vehicles, presumably through close collaboration with the firms software unit. The Western Michigan University graduate said that autonomous driving technology can save millions of lives, indicating hes eager to continue working in the field. This high-profile appointment likely isnt the last such hire that Alphabets self-driving vehicle unit is planning to make by the end of the year, with the firm recently being extremely active in the job market and attracting new experts as its ambitions to commercialize autonomous cars keep growing. Waymos technology has been advancing in a relatively rapid manner since the turn of the year and the company is quickly moving forward in an effort to gain a foothold in the emerging self-driving segment that most industry watchers expect to be worth trillions of dollars in the coming decades.

Waymo Chief Executive Officer John Krafcik announced Jeyachandrans arrival in a separate post on LinkedIn published on Thursday, stating that the new hire is bound to help the firms development efforts and consequently its plans to commercialize self-driving solutions in the near future. Waymo is far from being the only U.S. tech giant looking to bring autonomous vehicles to the market but may end up being the first one to succeed in that endeavor, some industry watchers speculate. The company recently sued one of its largest rivals  Uber  over alleged theft of trade secrets pertaining to LiDAR designs, and could have a realistic chance of dealing a major blow to Ubers self-driving endeavors.
The LG X power2 is launching in Canada through the countrys main carriers including Virgin Mobile, Bell, Bell MTS, Videotron, Fido, and Freedom Mobile. The smartphone is now available for purchase in the country without a contract or alongside a carrier agreement, and the lowest price for the model is set at $249 CAD (approximately $188 USD) by Bell, Bell MTS, and Virgin Mobile.

Meanwhile, the LG X power2 carries a price tag of $269 CAD ($203 USD) at Videotron, and Freedom Mobile offers the device off-contract for the price of $280 CAD ($211 USD). Lastly, the smartphone is available at Fido for $299 CAD, which translates to around $225 USD at todays conversion rate. Alternatively, keep in mind that each carrier offers the LG X power2 alongside a two-year agreement, with monthly rates depending on the type of contract and varying from one carrier to another. The LG X power2 will also be available for purchase in Canada through Koodo Mobile and Telus, both of which are expected to start offering the device by the end of the month.

The LG X power2 was officially introduced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) back in February, promising great battery life thanks to a non-removable Li-Ion unit boasting a capacity of 4,500mAh. The variant launched in Canada is fueled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 system-on-chip (SoC) housing four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.4GHz, as well as the Adreno 308 graphics chip. The processor works alongside 1.5GB of RAM, and users will have access to 16 GB of onboard memory expandable via a microSD card slot by up to 2TB. Other details include a 13-megapixel main camera with autofocus, 5-megapixel front-facing sensor coupled with an LED flash unit, as well as a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display panel with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels and, amounting to a density of roughly 267 pixels per inch. The LG X power2 is wrapped in a polycarbonate case, bringing its total weight up to 164 grams (5.78 ounces) and runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, modified by LGs proprietary user interface. The device was originally announced in a variety of colors but it appears that only the black variant is currently available for purchase in Canada.

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Xiaomis official MIUI Weibo (Chinese social network) page released a teaser a couple of days ago, which seemingly talked about MIUI 9, and Xiaomis CEO, Lei Jun, just confirmed that MIUI 9 is in development, and on its way. According to MIUI official, Lei Jun actually said that MIUI 9 will be extremely smooth, really powerful and quite stable. Now, MIUI 9 rumors and leaks are slowly coming in, which could indicate that MIUI 9 is on its way.

One of Xiaomis executives actually hinted that MIUI 9 is coming soon, and a screenshot of the OS surfaced quite recently, showing of MIUI 9s overview (multitasking) screen. Now, this screenshot actually showed off a very specific feature, using WeChat app as an example. It suggests that youll be able to switch between the chat interface and the wallet the same way youre switching between apps, now, this is basically multitasking which separates specific functions of an app, and it was available in MIUI 8 to some extent, but this screenshot might indicate that Xiaomi is looking to expand this functionality. Now, latest rumors actually indicate that MIUI 9 could be in a beta stage already, which means that its announcement could follow in the coming weeks, and its about time. MIUI 8 was announced back in February last year, it was not released immediately, but it was at least announced, and MIUI 9 was not officially unveiled just yet, obviously.

Xiaomi hinted that some new features are coming to MIUI a while back, the company did not specify if those features will be included in MIUI 8 or MIUI 9, but you can expect to see the split screen and picture-in-picture features to make an appearance in MIUI in the near future. Chances are that Xiaomi will introduce MIUI 9, and even release it, before the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 lands later this year, which means that the OS will roll out to the Xiaomi Mi 6 and the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 first, but this is only an educated guess. That is more or less it, MIUI 9 is expected to be even more refined than MIUI 8, and MIUI 8 was a huge improvement over MIUI 7, so consumers have high expectations for it, thats for sure.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be the most expensive member of the Galaxy Note lineup to date, one industry source with supposed knowledge of the matter told VentureBeat on Friday, adding that the upcoming phablet will retail for 999 in Europe. The South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer reportedly already started notifying its retail partners of the devices pricing thats expected to translate to around $925 in the United States. The smartphone will launch in blue, black, and gold color variants, the same insider said, adding that the device will sport a 6.3-inch display panel that will likely be similar to the Infinity Display of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, meaning consumers should expect a Super AMOLED QHD+ display with curved edges and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio.

The newly leaked image of whats said to be the official logo of the Galaxy Note 8 that can be seen above indicates that the Seoul-based phone maker will market the flagship as the Galaxy Note8, with the aforementioned insider claiming that the handset will become Samsungs first device with a dual camera setup, in addition to featuring 6GB of RAM. The main imaging system of the Galaxy Note 8 supposedly entail two 12-megapixel lenses arranged in a horizontal manner to the left of the phones heart rate sensor and flash unit, the source said, thus directly contradicting virtually every other report on the Galaxy Note 8 that has surfaced so far. The fingerprint scanner will once again be featured on the rear panel of the handset, immediately next to its heart rate sensor, with the phablet itself shipping with a 3,300mAh non-removable battery, the insider claimed. The distance between the fingerprint reader and main camera module of the Galaxy Note 8 is said to be greater to that of the Galaxy S8 lineup, though no other details on the matter have been provided by the source.

According to the same report, the upcoming flagship will be compatible with Samsungs recently introduced DeX Station that launched alongside the Galaxy S8 series, with its S Pen stylus being said to feature expanded functionalities. Among other things, the S Pen will apparently facilitate the process of converting currencies and translating sentences, in addition to being compatible with the phones always-on display that will now accept written input and present it in the form of digital sticky notes. Apart from the specifics of the Galaxy Note 8s camera setup, the most dubious statement made by the insider earlier today pertains to the phones release schedule, with the source suggesting that Samsung isnt planning to unveil the device until the second half of September, significantly later than all previous reports suggested.
It is likely that Verizon will see steeper decreases in quarterly wireless service revenues in the second quarter of 2017, according to the banking firm Barclays. The decrease in the quarterly service revenues is related to the carriers launching of its unlimited data plans, which Verizon deemed necessary after it lost postpaid subscribers in the first quarter of 2017. As a result, Barclays estimates that the revenues of the company will decrease by as much as 7.2 percent this quarter, a steeper decrease compared to the 6.1 percent revenue reduction in the first quarter of 2017. Verizon itself expects that the company will see reduced wireless revenues until next year, as the company has to compromise with reduced average revenue per user (ARPU) in order to retain its postpaid subscribers. In the previous quarter, Verizon lost more than 280,000 postpaid subscribers, most of which went to smaller national carriers T-Mobile and Sprint.

While the launching of unlimited plans may have caused reduced revenues in the short term, it at least stemmed the exodus of Verizons postpaid subscribers. As it continues to attract subscribers back to its network through its unlimited plans, the carrier also aims to win back consumers by emphasizing the reliability and speed of its network. Verizon has long banked on its wireless network as one of the major reasons why subscribers should stay with the carrier. However, it has been recently challenged by T-Mobile, which claims that the launching of unlimited plans have negatively affected the quality of service that Verizon offers to its consumers. In addition, recent tests have shown that both T-Mobile and AT&T are not far behind Verizon in terms of the data speeds and reliability provided by its networks.

However, it is clear that Verizon is not resting on its laurels, with the carrier continuously improving its infrastructure. Recently, Verizon stated that it will utilize additional spectrum in certain locations in order to maintain the data speeds offered by its LTE networks despite the increased data traffic. In addition, the carrier is also improving its network backhaul in preparation for the increased data traffic due to the deployment of LTE-Advanced and 5G technologies. Last month, Verizon announced that it will purchase at least $1.0 billion worth of fiber-optic cables and related hardware for industrial components manufacturer Corning.
[June 22, 2017] FiscalNote Deepens Ties to Washington DC

FiscalNote, the Washington DC-based company that dramatically improves the way organizations engage with government, today announced a multilateral agreement with the District of Columbia Mayor's office that will keep the innovative enterprise software company in the district for another 10 years. FiscalNote created the government relationship management (GRM) category a year ago with the first comprehensive engagement platform, services, and mobile application. The company this month celebrates its fourth anniversary. "Given FiscalNote's unique position at the intersection of technology and policy, we hoped to be able to stay in the District for our next wave of expansion," said Hwang. "The Mayor's office partnered with us to develop the right incentives that enable us to remain here. We'll use those resources to invest in training, apprenticeship and internship programs for D.C. residents over the life of the agreement." The deal is unique in that the benefits will exclusively serve District residents, rather than just creating jobs that could go to non-residents. "We're committed to helping D.C. residents level up with more technical and marketable skills," added Hwang. "We look forward to bolstering residents' ability to achieve greater technical literacy." Fifty-three FiscalNote employees currently live in the District of Columbia. The company's more than 120 team members work in offices in the District, New York City, and Seoul, South Korea. FiscalNote's new headquarters will occupy a full floor of premier Washington address 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue. Hwang Named to Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40 Separately, FiscalNote co-founder and CEO Tim Hwang, 25, was named to Washington Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. The publication last year named the company a Startup to Watch, and Hwang appeared on the cover of the publication's annual Book of Lists in December.



The publication's 40 Under 40 program honors greater Washington's top business leaders and owners under 40 years of age. Each honoree exhibits outstanding performance in their field. Honorees were chosen from more than 450 nominations by a panel of outside judges and the Washington Business Journal staff. The honorees will be profiled in the publication's July 21 issue. About FiscalNote GRM

The FiscalNote GRM platform is the most effective solution for managing government impact and public issues. It aggregates global public data and internal data to deliver contextual insights via elegant workflow and collaboration tools. The platform creates an enterprise-based approach to modern government affairs - and the entire system learns over time. The platform marries deep data mining and breakthrough machine-learning techniques. More than 200 companies rely on FiscalNote GRM and its services. The platform automatically tracks and analyzes data on more than 1.5 million active pieces of legislation, 800,000 federal and state regulations, more than 19,000 legislators and their staffers, more than 10 million regulatory comments, more than 6,000 watch lists, and more than 125,000 individual entities. Data is automatically collected from more than 150 sources at least four times every day. About FiscalNote FiscalNote has reinvented influence - dramatically improving the way organizations build and manage their relationships with all levels of government, and empowering them to have maximum impact on legislation and regulation. The company has raised more than $30 million from prominent early-stage investors including Renren, First Round Capital, Green Visor Capital, MediaToday, NEA, Visionnaire Ventures, Perle Ventures, Steve Case, Mark Cuban and Jerry Yang (News - Alert)/AME Cloud Ventures. More than 200 organizations use the company's proprietary tools and services. The growing number of enterprise companies depending on FiscalNote - from startups through global multinationals - include Akin Gump, Amazon, AstraZeneca, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dish Network, Expedia (News - Alert), Fidelity, Freddie Mac, HealthSouth, Illinois Tool Works, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, The Kraft Heinz Co, Microsoft, Pew Research, Sallie Mae, Salesforce, Schlumberger, Southwest Airlines, Staples, Tenet, Thomson (News - Alert) Reuters, Walgreens and Whataburger. Non-profits and advocacy groups relying on FiscalNote include the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Code.org, Consumer Technology Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Education Association, and the University of Virginia's Law School. FiscalNote is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and CEO Tim Hwang is a WEF New Champion. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170622006131/en/

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A top Australian firm has helped get antitrust approval for the massive Dow Chemical and DuPont merger. Allens , acting for DuPont, has secured Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) clearance for the companys proposed all-stock merger with Dow. To gain ACCC clearance, DuPont has agreed to divestments required by the European Commission.The complex US$150bn cross-border merger of equals was announced in December 2015 and recently gained clearance from US antitrust regulators . The merger has also been cleared in Brazil, China, Europe, and India. It is still awaiting regulatory approval in Canada.Dow and DuPont are two of the worlds largest firms, with a combined US$73bn in sales in 2016. The merger of equals was first announced in 2015, as both firms said the combined company will be named DowDuPont. The parties intend to pursue a spin-off of three of its businesses  agriculture, material sciences and specialty products  following the merger.The Allens legal team was led by partner Jacqueline Downes, who was assisted by senior associate Felicity McMahon and lawyer Lovelle DSouza. Downes said that Allens is looking forward to continuing its work with DuPont as the merger progresses.Both companies expect the deal to close in August. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom acts as global coordinating counsel for DuPont while Weil, Gotshal & Manges acts as lead global legal counsel for Dow.
[June 23, 2017] Acronis Backup 12.5 Advances Data Protection and Renders Traditional Solutions Obsolete

MUMBAI, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The new release of Acronis Backup 12.5 delivers unmatched reliability, scalability, and speed; unified touch-friendly management console radically reduces the effort to back up, manage, and restore data; and delivers the industry's first automated data protection from ransomware Acronis, a global leader in hybrid data protection and storage, has changed the future of data backup protection with the latest release of Acronis Backup 12.5, the world's most innovative backup solution offering unprecedented levels of protection for all sizes of infrastructure. The new Acronis Backup 12.5 comes in two editions: Standard and Advanced, with an easy in-place upgrade. Acronis Backup 12.5 is the world's fastest, most reliable, complete, and cost-effective backup offering available on the market today. It allows businesses to start small with Acronis Backup 12.5 Standard edition and scale to Acronis Backup 12.5 Advanced as required by their growing infrastructure, simply by changing license keys. This gives partners the flexibility to meet the needs of small and large businesses with the same product. Acronis Backup 12.5 delivers the best value for businesses, bringing the cost down by as much as 30 percent compared to its competitors. The reliability of this technology has been validated by more than 50,000 users who adopted Acronis Backup 12 Standard released in July 2016. New Features in Acronis Backup 12.5 Advanced edition Building upon the existing ease-of-use, reliability, and new hybrid cloud architecture of Acronis Backup 12, the new advanced functionality creates a powerful, feature-rich solution that supports more than 20 platforms. These include Windows, Office 365, Azure, Linux, Mac OS X, Oracle, VMWare, Hyper-V, Red Hat Virtualization, Linux KVM, Citrix XenServer, iOS and Android: Unified web interface for the entire infrastructure

for the entire infrastructure Admin roles and delegations for distributed infrastructures

for distributed infrastructures Support for six hypervisors to provide migration platform options

to provide migration platform options Bare-metal recovery automation and remote boot media control to reduce RTO of remote site recovery

and remote boot media control to reduce RTO of remote site recovery SAN storage snapshots to reduce hypervisor resource utilization

to reduce hypervisor resource utilization Oracle backup and granular recovery

backup and granular recovery Advanced tape support for increased granularity and simplified management

for increased granularity and simplified management Advanced reporting for detailed insights and corporate compliance

for detailed insights and corporate compliance Disaster recovery capability for emergency data recovery locally and in the cloud

for emergency data recovery locally and in the cloud Backup validation process ensures recoverability

process ensures recoverability Acronis Notary to ensure the authenticity of data "The new release is transformative for IT," said Jason Buffington, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, an IT research service. "Acronis Backup 12.5 Advanced is the world's first enterprise-grade data protection solution with a consumer-grade user interface. It makes the complex job of data protection easy for any IT administrator or business owner. One computer or a thousand, physical or virtual, on-premises or cloud - this robust solution s the newest achievement of Acronis' proven engineering excellence and it works equally well with organizations of all sizes."



New in both Standard and Advanced editions Businesses of all sizes will benefit from more than 170 advancements common to both editions, addressing today's hybrid cloud environment and setting Acronis apart from the competition. Highlights include:

Customizable dashboards for quick insights into the backup infrastructure

for quick insights into the backup infrastructure Acronis Active Protection to stop ransomware attacks

to stop ransomware attacks Acronis Instant Restore for 15-second RTOs

for 15-second RTOs Acronis vmFlashback for quick incremental recovery of virtual machines "The Acronis Backup 12.5 interface is useful to newcomers - very user friendly - while offering a good range of configuration options. The web-based feature would be a great way to keep multiple managers in the loop as they can make their own reports. This looks like a great implementation for small businesses that have been burned by ransomware in the past, and don't want to be hassled with keeping track of workstation backups - just set it and forget it," said Patrick Savary, system engineer of Abacus Computers, Inc. Innovating for a New Generation of Data Protection More than 500 Acronis engineers globally are engaged in the innovation and development of Acronis Backup 12.5 Standard and Advanced editions. As a result, Acronis added private and public cloud support for backing up and migrating workloads as well as reliable cloud storage. The release delivers the industry's first and only data protection against ransomware with automated restoration of damaged data. Acronis Backup 12.5 also introduces new technology that enables users to verify the backup integrity before its restoration, improving regulatory compliance and data integrity with blockchain. Backup of Amazon EC2 instances, Microsoft Azure VMs and Office 365 mailboxes

of Amazon EC2 instances, Microsoft Azure VMs and Office 365 mailboxes Acronis Active Protection to intelligently detect and block ransomware attacks, such as WannaCry, with instant restoration of any compromised data

to intelligently detect and block ransomware attacks, such as WannaCry, with instant restoration of any compromised data Acronis Notary to prove a file is authentic and unchanged since it was backed up Partner benefits Acronis Backup 12.5 is the most reliable and complete solution offering for anyone who supports small, medium, and large business' data protection needs. It allows partners to improve customer service and increase customer retention rate by allowing customers to easily upgrade to the advanced backup functionality without needing to reinstall the system. There is high demand for the innovative functionality in Acronis Backup 12.5 Standard and Advanced editions, as evidenced by the most popular beta program in Acronis history - three times bigger than the last major launch. Innovative technology, simplified licensing, easy-to-use interface, simple upgrade path from the previous version, and unbeatable pricing make Acronis Backup 12.5 the best backup solution on the market today. Commenting on the new release, Serguei Beloussov, Co-founder and CEO of Acronis, said: "Today's reality is more end-point devices, hybrid infrastructure, and an ever-growing cornucopia of threats. Businesses and enterprises globally are adapting to the cloud and trying to make sense of this ever-changing digital landscape. Acronis brings peace of mind by providing innovative data protection technology that is reliable, safe, fast, easy, and complete. Acronis Backup 12.5 is the only answer to all modern-day data protection needs." To learn more about Acronis Backup, please visit: Acronis Backup product page http://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/backup/

http://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/backup/ Release notes https://go.acronis.com/Acronis-Backup-release-notes

https://go.acronis.com/Acronis-Backup-release-notes Licensing information http://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/backup/purchasing/ About Acronis India Acronis sets the standard for hybrid cloud IT data protection through its backup, ransomware Active Protection, disaster recovery, and secure file sync and share solutions. Powered by the Acronis AnyData Engine and set apart by its image technology, Acronis delivers easy, fast, complete and affordable data protection of all files, applications and operating systems across any environment-virtual, physical, cloud, mobile and applications. Founded in 2003, Acronis protects the data of over 5 million consumers and 500,000 businesses in over 150 countries and 20 languages. With more than 100 patents, Acronis products are consistently named best product of the year and cover a range of features, including migration, cloning, and replication. Today, Acronis solutions are available worldwide through a global network of service providers, distributors, and cloud resellers. Learn more: http://www.acronis.com For additional information, please visit http://www.acronisindia.co.in

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A prototype of the 2019 Avalon was caught doing its thing in the desert southwest region, with the vehicle testing alongside the current Avalon and the Kia Cadenza.The large sedan has already received a styling makeover for the current generation, doing away with the bland design of its predecessors. And, given the fact that Toyota is moving towards a more emotional design, as proven by the 2018 Camry, for instance, we're expecting the camouflage seen here to conceal eye-catching changes.Modular platforms are now the norm across the world, with Toyota obviously being no exception. As such, looking underneath the skin of the all-new Avalon, we'll find the carmaker's TNGA architecture. We're talking about a front-wheel-drive development that has already proven itself while serving the Prius and Camry.Traditionally, Toyota interiors have favored function over form and we'll once again used the new Camry XSE's cabin as an example to back up our high expectations for the all-new Avalon.The engine lineup will feature four-cylinder mills, but those looking for a premium experience will be offered the automaker's 3.5-liter V6 motor. Underneath the hood of the 2018 Camry (you'll find it on the XLE and XSE trims), the six-cylinder engine delivers 301 hp at 6,600 rpm and 267 lb-ft at 4,700 rpm.Hopefully, Toyota will also make efforts to gift the Avalon with engaging handling - since the predictable driving experience is a must for such a model, the engineers have quite a task on their hands.With the current Avalon, which is a facelift, having shown up at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, as a 2016 model, we still have some waiting to do until the introduction of the 2019 Avalon.
And, just to make it clear from the start, we don't think that's a feminist conspiracy or anything. It's just the natural way for our minds to function considering that is indeed the context it is used 99 percent of the time.We're here to talk about that one percent, and if you've ever been an employee somewhere, it's probably something you have come across too. It's all about workplace dress code and how the rules differ from one gender to another.As someone who has always worn shorts to work whenever the temperatures demanded it, it has become something so important to me, that I would discuss it during the initial hiring interview. If there was even the slightest hesitation, I would go through with the interview, but my decision would have been made at that precise moment.For some reason, male shorts are considered something unsightly. Well, not the shorts in particular, I'm sure, but rather the legs that come from under them. Females, on the other hand, don't have that problem. They might be told to be careful about the length of their skirts or dresses, but nobody ever will forbid them from wearing these clothing articles to work.Since western Europe is now dealing with a heatwave that has brought record high temperatures, this issue has been brought to attention once again. This time, it was the bus drivers from the French city of Nantes.Upset that, unlike their female coworkers, the men are not allowed to show up in shorts, a few of them decided to go shopping for skirts and wear them the second day. Despite its crackdown on shorts, Semitam, the bus company these men work for, had no legal way to prevent them from performing their duties.A modern approach would allow us to wear long shorts from time to time. Women drivers can wear skirts, but not the men. It's a form of discrimination," said one of the drivers, quoted by The Telegraph , and it's hard to dispute his statement.The drivers argue that sitting behind a large glass on a hot day like the ones Nantes has seen lately can mean temperatures reach as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit). With no air conditioning, that makes it more than just uncomfortable for the driver - it's downright dangerous.They also say the decision to take such a strong stand on shorts is ridiculous especially since nobody really sees them from the waist down. And, after wearing the skirt for a day, they say the benefits are immediately apparent. "I can tell you that with today's temperatures, it was rather agreeable," Gabriel Magner, one of the protesting drivers, said.
EV

The move itself comes as no surprise to anyone - China is still the biggestmarket in the world, and even though a large number of the cars sold belong to local brands and are very cheap - both literally and figuratively - there is definitely money to be had for Tesla over there.In fact, Tesla's sales there have tripled in 2016 compared to the previous year, bringing over one billion dollars to the company's coffers. And that's without the added benefit of producing locally, which would spare Tesla of the 25 percent import tax that its products are currently carrying.Amid the reports, Tesla has issued an official statement in which it confirms talks with the Shanghai representatives, but it didn't say anything about having signed any accord already. Whether that means the negotiations are still in an incipient form or the company just wants to wait until everything is sorted out completely remains to be seen.Tesla is working with the Shanghai Municipal Government to explore the possibility of establishing a manufacturing facility in the region to serve the Chinese market," the statement, sent to Electrek , read. "As we have said before, we expect to more clearly define our plans for production in China by the end of the year. Tesla is deeply committed to the Chinese market, and we continue to evaluate potential manufacturing sites around the globe to serve the local markets. While we expect most of our production to remain in the US, we do need to establish local factories to ensure affordability for the markets they serve.The end of the year deadline coincides with the one set by Elon Musk for the announcement of the locations for the new Gigafactories , meaning one of them might be the one in the Shanghai region.It also suggests that the plant would only build the cars needed for the Chinese market, easing worries that Tesla might turn into another high-value American brand that is just "designed in California," if you know what we mean.
Carrier, the heating and air-conditioning manufacturer, is laying off more than 600 employees from its Indianapolis plant next month, the same plant Trump vowed to keep on American soil, per CNBC. Those manufacturing jobs will go to Mexico, where labor is significantly cheaper.

Why it matters: Trump heralded the November deal as proof he'd live up to his pledge to protect U.S. jobs. And this comes just a day after Ford announced that it will move production of its Focus model to China, just months after pressure from the Trump administration resulted in its cancelling plans to move to Mexico.

Refresher on the deal: Carrier, a unit of United Technologies, would receive up to $7 million in exchange for agreeing to employ at least 1,069 people at the facility for 10 years, rather than moving it abroad in search of cheaper labor, as originally planned. Carrier also vowed to invest $16 million into the plant. But just a month after the deal was made, CEO Greg Hayes said the $16 million would be invested in automation.

Update from WH Press Secretary: Spicer told reporters Friday that the lay offs at Carrier were announced last year, and the company will maintain the 1,069 job quota it agreed to in its deal with Trump.

This post was updated on June 23 at 2:54pm to reflect Sean Spicer's briefing comments.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the White House has been "quietly lobbying House Republicans to weaken a bill overwhelmingly passed by the Senate last week that would slap tough new sanctions on Russia for its meddling in the 2016 election and allow Congress to block any future move by President Trump to lift any penalties against Moscow."

Meanwhile, Democrats and some sources in the corporate sector are speculating that a procedural delay is merely cover by House leaders to slow-walk and ultimately water down the bill.

How the White House sees it: An administration source tells me the White House doesn't want to weaken the current sanctions regime against Russia. What the administration objects to is Congress tying its hands and preventing it from getting rid of sanctions if the White House deems that Russia is cooperating on certain issues. Administration officials say they need that flexibility to conduct diplomacy and if they have to go to Congress to get approval to waive sanctions it will get bogged down and they won't have carrots to encourage good behavior.

Also, not so fast: three House Republican sources involved in the process tell me the House bill is shaping up to look very similar to the Iran-Russia sanctions bill that passed the Senate. And leadership thinks it's likely to move pretty fast. House Speaker Paul Ryan wants tough sanctions on Russia, as does Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce, who is driving the process.

A GOP aide close to issue told me there could be minor technical fixes to the bill that even some Senate staffers who worked on the original privately acknowledge need to be made. The bill would then be sent back to the House and if Chairman Royce gets his way it will proceed quickly to the floor and to the President's desk.

The big question: will President Trump risk using his veto pen on this legislation if it passes as originally written? Most GOP sources I've spoken to doubt it. While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the administration needs more flexibility to over the Russia-Ukraine conflict  and believes the new sanctions package is unhelpful to that end  Trump can't risk getting his veto overridden by Congress. It looks like there'd be more than enough votes to do so, given the Senate voted 98-2 in favor of the original sanctions package.
President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey is rightly seen as a terrific legal blunder: He undercut an investigation that might have shown he never colluded with the Russians, and spawned one that could result in obstruction of justice charges.

Why it matters: Regardless of the legal outcome, it'll go down as one of the dumbest political mistakes in the modern era. One of the president's outside advisers calls it the gravest political mistake since Richard Nixon decided not to apologize to the American people for Watergate, and instead proceeded with the cover-up.

"The Russia investigation is now the central narrative of the Trump administration, no matter what he does," the adviser said. "He wanted to be a disruptive force for change, and now he's stuck in the quicksand of the swamp."

Trump himself has suggested to friends that he understands the bind he created: By taunting Comey about tapes that the president admitted yesterday don't exist, he hastened the chain of events that led to the appointment of special counsel Bob Mueller, who's expected to delve into the business affairs of the president and his family.

In retrospect, if Trump had kept Comey and stopped obsessing about his investigation, his legal troubles might have blown over: No evidence of collusion has emerged. As David Brooks pointed out in one of the better columns of the month, it's striking how little has surfaced on the collusion front, given the gush of anti-Trump leaks.

Trump would be standing here today with a perfect record on contested special elections, a strong stock market, low unemployment and momentum heading into the tax reform debate. Instead, Trump's impulsive decision  made against the advice of several trusted advisers  has:

Consumed Trump: In phone calls, staff meetings and tweets, the president rages about Mueller. This often pushes aside conversation about his legislative agenda, executive actions and planned messages. Trapped Trump: The Russia probe has now mushroomed into one that includes obstruction of justice, adding a self-created investigation that will eat up precious time for months or years to come. Tainted Trump: Polls show the vast majority voters disapprove of his handling of Comey and Russia. More importantly, Republicans inclined to believe he didn't collude with the Russians seem quite willing to believe he might have obstructed justice after canning Comey. Stalled Trump: He was hardly cooking with grease on the legislative front pre-Comey. Now, White House officials think they will be lucky to end 2017 with any substantial bills signed into law. Tagged Trump for 2020: If he runs again, Democrats can be expected to turn the firing, probes, and attacks on the special prosecutor into centerpieces of the case against Trump.

Be smart: Trump changed the arc of his presidency on Day 110 by bouncing Comey. Now, Trump's great fight is to have his presidency remembered for something else.
Thomas Mallory, a former CIA officer, has been arrested and charged in federal court with selling top secret documents to Chinese intelligence officials, per The Washington Post.

What allegedly went down: Originally contacted by a supposed recruiter for a Chinese think tank, Mallory realized he was in contact with Chinese intelligence officials before traveling to Shanghai in March and April. He then provided a Chinese intelligence operative with three documents  one labeled top secret  in May. Around the same time, he wrote his Chinese contact: "Your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid for it."

The potential consequences: Mallory will have a preliminary hearing this week, but he faces up to life in prison.
In August last year, then-President Barack Obama received a highly classified CIA report with evidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's direct involvement in the cyber attacks that were meant to interfere with the U.S. presidential election  to hurt Hilary Clinton and help Donald Trump, the Washington Post reported.

Why it matters: The Obama administration's debate over what to do highlighted the challenge in dealing with such a politically charged issue, which was central to the election and has remained central to the Trump presidency.

Response:

Obama instructed aides to evaluate how the election system could be most vulnerable and to get agencies to back up the CIA's discovery. CIA Director John Brennan called the head of Russia's security agency and warned him about interfering in the election. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attempted to secure the voting system, although some state officials refused.

When the intelligence agency leaders approached Congress with their conclusions, Democrats wanted the information to go public, while Republicans felt that revealing the information would help the Russians' attempt to destroy confidence in the electoral process. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell even questioned the White House's conclusions based on the intelligence, the Post reports.

The official statement about Russia's interference was released on October 7th. President Obama did not add his signature, and FBI Director James Comey also decided at the last minute to remove his name from the statement as he felt it was too close to the election for the FBI to get involved.

Retaliation: For 5 months, Obama deliberated various plans of action against Russia. It wasn't until December, a month after the unexpected election results, that he approved sanctions against Russia. He also approved a secret plan to plant cyber weapons in Russia's infrastructure, the Post reported for the first time, but it was up to President Trump to oversee that the plan was carried out.

Too little, too late: The Post points out that despite the clear evidence of Russia's crime, "because of the divergent ways Obama and Trump have handled the matter, Moscow appears unlikely to face proportionate consequences." Although those close to both Obama and Trump defend their leader's actions.

"It is the hardest thing about my entire time in government to defend. I feel like we sort of choked."  a former senior Obama administration official involved in the deliberations on Russia told the Post.

Irony: The Post published the story only a few hours after Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday, "By the way, if Russia was working so hard on the 2016 Election, it all took place during the Obama Admin. Why didn't they stop them?"

Go deeper with a full timeline and more details with the Washington Post story.
President Trump is growing increasingly irritated with his team for their handling of the Russia investigation, and he's taken many of his frustrations out on his White House counsel, Don McGahn, a loyal Trump defender and early campaign supporter.

Politco reports that Trump laid into McGahn during an Oval Office meeting Monday for failing to do more to dispel the investigation. Meanwhile, the Russia case has been passed onto Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, leaving McGahn to work on more routine WH duties.

Between the lines: Trump's willingness to turn McGahn reveals how eager he is to scapegoat someone for his legal dilemma, and underscores an issue that has plagued the WH for months: "No top aide is immune from the president's anger or being called out in front of colleagues, even long-time loyalists like McGahn" writes Politico.
23 June 2017 16:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

EU-funded twinning project Support to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population (MLSPP) in implementing reform of the pension provision system in Azerbaijan within the European Neighborhood Policy (EU) was presented in Baku on June 23.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to further reforms of the pension and social protection provision system in Azerbaijan in compliance with best European practices.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Labor and Social Protection Salim Muslimov said that the average monthly pension in Azerbaijan has increased by 6.4 times for the past 11 years.

During the same period the government increased pension expenses by 5.9 times, and the basic part of labor pensions by 4.4 times. Today, the number of recipients of labor pensions in the republic with almost 10-million population reached 1.3 million people.

The Minister touched upon the importance of cooperation with the EU in the sphere of pension provision.

The new twinning project will be implemented within two years. It is aimed at using the European experience in future reforms of the pension and social systems. Within the framework of the project, we will cooperate with the relevant departments of France. By the way, for us this is the third joint twinning project with the French partners, he said.

The project consists of four components  creation of electronic audit to enhance supervision over the receipt of social payments, the use of European techniques in forming the budget of the State Social Protection Fund [of Azerbaijan], strategic planning and strengthening of workforce capacity.

Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Malena Mard, in turn, noted that the EU will provide 1.2 million euros to Azerbaijan for the implementation of the twinning project.

The basis for the implementation of this project was due to the success of previous joint projects, she said, voicing confidence that the new twinning project will provide important assistance for studying advanced European experience and its application in support of the reforms carried out in the field of modernization of the Azerbaijani pension system.

This 24-month project, with the budget of 1,200,000, will be implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan together with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Vocational Training and Social Dialogue and the Delegation for European and International Affairs of the Republic of France.

The project purpose is to improve the capacity, tools and efficiency of the MLSPP to develop and implement an automated fiscal control (e-audit) system, to strengthen the institutional and technical aspects of the budgeting as well as the strategic planning mechanisms of the social protection systems- especially in social insurance area.

This twinning project is the third twinning awarded by France as the main partner in the field of social protection in Azerbaijan and in cooperation with the Ministry.

The two previous twinning projects contributed to a serious strengthening of bilateral cooperation between the profile agencies, said Aurelia Bushez, the French Ambassador to Baku.

"The new twinning project will allow developing this cooperation and modernizing the pension provision in Azerbaijan," Bushez said.

Muslumov, talking to reporters, said that the EU will further support the reforms regarding the pension provision in Azerbaijan.

The minister said that in September, Azerbaijan and the EU will start the implementation of another twinning project, which will strengthen the capacity of Azerbaijani employment agencies.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
[June 23, 2017] Ontario Centres of Excellence and Fintech Sandbox Announce New Partnership

Boston-based fintech ecosystem support non-profit comes to Canada with signing of MOU TORONTO, June 23, 2017 /CNW/ - Today Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and Boston-based FinTech Sandbox, signed an historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate and expand the FinTech Sandbox model into Canada, starting in Ontario. "This new partnership between FinTech Sandbox and OCE is a unique opportunity that will give the growing fintech ecosystem in Ontario access to data, networks, platforms and events that will help accelerate growth and support the creation of high-quality jobs in the province," says Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of OCE. "Signing this MOU with FinTech Sandbox will allow OCE to continue building on our programs and offerings in fintech innovation in Ontario." FinTech Sandbox is a non-profit that promotes financial technology innovation globally by providing free access to critical data and resources to fintech start-ups. For entrepreneurs in financial services, accessing data and infrastructure can be prohibitively expensive and complicated. FinTech Sandbox accelerates product development by making these resources available to qualified start-ups for free at the point when access is most impactful. Sandbox participants, in return, are expected to collaborate, sharing learnings and advancements that benefit the fintech ecosystem. Participants in the Sandbox program pay no fees and no equity is taken. FinTech Sandbox will open its program in Ontario, which will provide quality data products from 32 industry-leading partners, to qualified start-ups in Ontario. "We are thrilled to be able to work with great start-ups in Ontario who are enabling incredible technologies for the financial services sector," says Jean Donnelly, Executive Director of FinTech Sandbox. "OCE is a critial player in the ecosystem and we are pleased to be able to partner with an organization that is helping startups, and that creates growth within the community."



"This partnership is an exciting step that will help grow our economy, create jobs and give Ontario a competitive edge in an increasingly competitive financial services industry," says Charles Sousa, Ontario's Minister of Finance. "Ontario Centres of Excellence will provide an important contribution to the fintech sector, which is poised to grow and thrive in Ontario."? "Innovative organizations like FinTech Sandbox recognize that Ontario is both a start-up hub and a leading global financial services centre," says Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "This collaboration highlights the important role that a well-developed fintech ecosystem can play in driving prosperity and competitiveness. Our government is proud to support OCE in its work, and we look forward to the increased jobs and investment that will arise from this partnership."

As a part of this agreement, OCE will provide initial access to the FinTech Sandbox offering in Ontario for qualifying fintech SMEs and start-ups at no cost, including those located at incubators and accelerators throughout Ontario. This partnership between OCE and FinTech Sandbox will: Establish a shared resource that will promote FinTech Sandbox to the Ontario fintech and broader innovation community and curate fintech companies for FinTech Sandbox services and the network;

fintech and broader innovation community and curate fintech companies for FinTech Sandbox services and the network; Provide and drive the opportunity for Ontario -based fintech start-ups and SMEs that meet eligibility criteria to participate in the FinTech Sandbox offering that includes free access to data feeds for development, cloud hosting, and an opportunity to engage with a diverse fintech network of entrepreneurs and finance professionals. About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc.

OCE drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, OCE invests in sectors such as advanced health, digital media and information communications, advanced manufacturing and materials, and cleantech including energy, environment and water. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is made up of regional and sector-focused organizations and helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their company and create jobs. Media Contact:

Andrew Robertson

Manager, Media Relations

t: 416.861.1092 x 1092

[email protected]

About FinTech Sandbox

FinTech Sandbox is a Boston-based nonprofit that promotes financial technology innovation globally by providing free access to critical data and resources to FinTech entrepreneurs and startups. Sponsors include Fidelity Investments, F-Prime Capital, Thomson Reuters, Silicon Valley Bank, Amazon Web Services, Intel, Goodwin Procter, and State Street. For more information, please visit FinTechSandbox.org and twitter.com/FinTechSandbox.

Media Contact:

Jean Donnelly

Executive Director

[email protected] SOURCE Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.

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23 June 2017 17:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijani banks will work in enhanced mode from June 23 to June 25.

This decision was made to ensure that the residents of Baku and thousands of tourists, who will visit Azerbaijan during the Formula 1, are provided with unhindered access to banking services, in particular the currency exchange.

As many as 60 branches and offices of 24 banks located in Baku will work in enhanced mode, according to recommendations of the Financial Market Supervisory Body.

The 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicked off in Baku on June 23. The event is the second successive Formula 1 race staged on the streets of Azerbaijans capital city.

Overall 18,000 spectators are expected to watch from the grandstands, and a minimum of 10,000 spectators will enjoy the race from the standing areas.

The third edition of Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held on April 27-29, 2018, according to a provisional calendar by the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The next years Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the fourth race on the calendar.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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23 June 2017 11:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Karabakh outfits have been demonstrated in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The fashion show was organized as part the Days of Azerbaijani Culture, Report.az reported.

The Days aim to promote Azerbaijan's rich culture, as well as to develop friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Director of the Center for Azerbaijani Culture named after Heydar Aliyev in Uzbekistan, Samir Abbasov spoke about the unique and rich culture of Azerbaijan, rich cultural heritage created by Azerbaijanis in the culture cradle of the country, Karabakh.

During the fashion show, extensive information was given about the Karabakh clothes and their peculiarities.

Mostly the show displayed the outfits of wealthy Azerbaijani women of the period of Karabakh khans, solemn outfits, ceremonial outfits of young Karabakh beks and wedding attire.

Notably, clothes belonging to the Center for Azerbaijani Culture were demonstrated by young models of the Samarkand State University.

National costumes of Azerbaijanis are unique for their pretty look. Some twelve stages can be identified in the formation of national costume. Each stage saw further development and improvement, corresponding to changing tastes and living conditions.

The women dresses have elegant silhouettes and are cut to emphasizing flexible waist of Azerbaijani beauties. They are decorated with intricate embroidery and beautiful golden band.

Azerbaijani men's clothing is also very distinct. They emphasize the masculinity without restricting a mans rapid movements.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
23 June 2017 12:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The international community has voiced concerns over developments around the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as skirmishes have become more frequent over the past months.

The Armenian side increased the provocations against Azerbaijan on the line of contact on the eve of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs visit to Baku. Today, the Armenian side keeps attacking the Azerbaijani troops on the frontline every day.

The United Nations called on the parties to avoid further escalation and to consider measures that would reduce tensions.

The UN shares the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs concern over the recent ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh, Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted in a statement on June 22.

We take note of the June 19 statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group following their recent travel to the region. We share the Co-Chairs concern over the recent ceasefire violations, which have resulted in regrettable casualties in the line of contact, the statement reads.

We also join the Co-Chairs in urging the parties to re-engage in negotiations on substance, in good faith and with political will, the statement reads, further elaborating that the United Nations stands ready to support such efforts, if needed.

European Union Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic, in turn, stressed that the recent violations of ceasefire on the front line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region are a stark reminder that the status quo is unsustainable.

The EU expects de-escalation and restraint in deeds as well as in words, added Kocijancic.

The European Union called on the parties to reduce tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh and at the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and re-engage in negotiations on substance.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
23 June 2017 13:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry has dismissed as fictitious Armenian reports alleging that on the night of June 21 to 22, the Azerbaijani special forces made an infiltration attempt on the contact line and had to retreat after suffering four losses.

"Armenias military leadership once again resorted to fictitious and false information aimed at justifying its recent losses and failures at the front and giving a little confidence to the panic-stricken Armenian population," the Defense Ministry reported on June 23.

Lately, Armenian armed forces have intensified their attacks on the Azerbaijani positions, thus killing the Azerbaijani soldier on June 15. The Azerbaijani side retaliated the provocations and eliminated six soldiers of the Armenian armed forces on the line of contact.

The Armenian armed units daily breach the ceasefire regime by firing Azerbaijani positions, even settlements near the frontline. Moreover, Armenian units regularly try to carry out acts of sabotage on the contact line between the troops and by this aggravate the situation. The Armenian militaries use large-caliber machine guns, mortars and grenade launchers while breaching the ceasefire.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no results so far.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
22 June 2017 20:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The loan debt of Khalig Azizzade, who was killed in the 2016 April battles, to the Para non-banking credit organization (NBCO) has been closed and the relevant documents have already been given to the martyrs family.

This issue was under direct control of Azerbaijan's First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, MP Ganira Pashayeva told Trend June 22.

Pashayeva said First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyevas assistant Anar Alakbarov talked to the martyrs mother and informed her that Mrs. Aliyeva keeps the families of all the martyrs, including martyr Azizzades family, under attention.

Anar Alakbarov noted that Mehriban Aliyeva has always been attentive to martyrs families, Pashayeva added.

Pashayeva also said she visited the Para NBCOs office with the martyrs family.

At the Para NBCOs office, the martyrs family was given a document testifying that the loan is closed, the MP added.

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23 June 2017 10:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has released footage showing live-fire stage of the large-scale exercises of Azerbaijans Armed Forces, which started on June 19.

At this stage, artillery, air defence assets, aviation, as well as other formations fulfilled combat-training tasks using weapons and military equipment, said the Defense Ministry.

Effective use of troops and control systems was realized with observance of the principles of modern combined arms operations in complex terrain and taking into account the supposed action of the imaginary enemy.

Live firing and fire maneuvers were carried out in various firing ranges and training areas using modern equipment.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
23 June 2017 10:57 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and Moldovan President Igor Dodon had a joint working dinner on June 22.

They exchanged views on prospects for the bilateral relations, as well as economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Moldova, Azertac reported.

On the same day, President Dodon also met with Speaker of the Parliament Ogtay Asadov to discuss prospects for developing relations between the two countries.

Prior to the meeting, Dodon viewed the main conference hall in Milli Majlis and familiarized himself with the working conditions created for MPs, Azertac reported.

The President then viewed the Heydar Aliyev Museum here and signed a guest book. Speaker Asadov hailed the excellent Azerbaijan-Moldova relations.

He underlined that this visit will play a key role in the strengthening of the bilateral relations.

Moldovan President Igor Dodon praised the huge potential for the development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

"This kind of high-level meetings give impetus to the development of relations between our countries."

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23 June 2017 12:08 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Lets Protect Gazelles! summer environmental camp was organized in Salyan, Azerbaijan.

The camp was organized by IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) Public Association, the Baku office of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Azerbaijans Ministry of Education in the framework of the Reintroduction of gazelles to their historical habitat in the Caucasus program.

The "Let's protect gazelles!" camp focused on bringing awareness about gazelle species that were reintroduced in areas where inhabitants reside.

Over 60 schoolchildren from Selyan`s Yenikend, Shakarli, Kursangi, Kurqaraqajli villages and Neftchala`s Tatarmehelle village came together in Salyan in order to be informed about the way of life, habitat of gazelles and their role in nature.

The children also took part in various environmental studies, quizzes and contests and visited the Shirvan National Park. The documentary Azerbaijan. Rescue of Gazelles" by Igor Bishnev was also shown as part of the event.

All participants were awarded with certificates and memorable gifts.

The Reintroduction of gazelles to their historical habitat in the Caucasus project was initiated by the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Founder of IDEA Leyla Aliyeva. Its purpose is to increase population of gazelles and relocate them in the areas where they lived earlier but disappeared for various reasons.

The first group of gazelles was relocated in the territory of the Absheron district (the traditional habitat of gazelles) as part of the first stage in 2010. Special sensors monitoring their vital functions were put on their necks.

In October 2013, a group of gazelles was reintroduced from Azerbaijan to Georgia as part of the project. To date, more than 150 gazelles were allocated from Shirvan National Park to their historic habitat both in Azerbaijan and Georgia.

The reintroduction process is implemented by the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry of Azerbaijan with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, IDEA campaign and the Azerbaijani office of WWF.

Devoted to the protection of environment and biological diversity, IDEA Campaign conducts various types of camps annually, in partnership with WWF Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

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23 June 2017 15:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, an energy-rich South Caucasian country, is keen on developing good political and economic relations with Latin American states, including Costa Rica.

Costa Rica, whose Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez Sans is on an official visit to Baku, announced that it will open an embassy in Azerbaijan.

Gonzalez Sans presented the head of the diplomatic mission to Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku on June 23, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported.

Mammadyarov welcomed the decision of the Government of Costa Rica to establish an embassy in Baku.

The foreign ministers of the two countries noted satisfaction with the development of relations between the two countries, in particular the level of political dialogue and mutual understanding.

Mammadyarov said his visit to Costa Rica in early June this year and political consultations held there would contribute to the development of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

A number of documents on strengthening cooperation were signed during the Azerbaijani FMs visit to San Jose.

Mammadyarovs visit to Latin America was also remembered with the signing of an agreement on issuing visas to those having diplomatic, official passports. They also agreed to continue to make efforts to further strengthen the legal framework between the two countries, especially in the economic and humanitarian spheres.

The ministers also emphasized the wide range of opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic-trade, tourism, energy, logistics, ports and maritime, investment and humanitarian spheres and noted the importance of promotion of direct contacts among business communities.

They reiterated their mutual respect and support to each others territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of internationally recognized borders. They also emphasized inadmissibility of attempts to change the internationally recognized borders of states by use of force.

Over 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Costa Rica and Azerbaijan, the two countries have systematically developed relations and a political dialogue, which facilitated the intensification of mutual visits, playing a huge role in strengthening the friendly relations and cooperation between Costa Rica and Azerbaijan.

The most important point for strengthening the relations between the two countries is Costa Ricas decision of establishing an embassy in Baku, which must give an additional impetus to the strengthening of mutual cooperation and contribute to an increase in the tourist flow from Azerbaijan to the Latin America.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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23 June 2017 11:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

A list of demands of the Arab countries was officially sent to Qatar, the country which has recently found itself in the epicenter of the Gulf crisis.

Saudi Arabia and its allies, having imposed an economic blockade on the Gulf nation, require Qatar to cut diplomatic relations with Iran, close the Turkish military base and eliminate Al-Jazeera TV channel, RIA Novosti reported citing the Associated Press.

The compilers of the list also demand the extradition of all persons wanted in four countries on charges of terrorism.

In addition, Qatar must pay compensation, the amount of which is not specified.

Doha has 10 day for the fulfillment of all requirements, according to the document.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, along with Egypt, cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in early June, accusing the country of supporting "extremism" and their regional ally, Iran - charges that Qatar has repeatedly denied.

The three Arab Gulf countries also ordered Qatari nationals to leave within 14 days, while Saudi, UAE and Bahraini citizens were also given the same timeframe to leave Qatar.

They later issued a list of 59 people and 12 groups with links to Qatar, alleging that they have ties to "terrorism".

The blockade has disrupted imports of food and other materials into Qatar and caused many foreign banks to scale back their business with the country.

Doha denied allegations over its support to terrorism and extremism saying that the diplomatic rift was based on "baseless fabricated claims." Qatar expressed its readiness for a dialogue to solve the crisis and denied to take counter-action measures against its neighbors.

Kuwait is working to mediate the dispute between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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[June 23, 2017] iBIO Institute EDUCATE Center Keeps Local Youth Exploring This Summer Through STEMGirls Summer Camp

125 girls have registered for the second annual STEMGirls Summer Camp hosted by the iBIO Institute's EDUCATE Center in partnership with Waukegan to College and Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School. The Summer Camp, held in Waukegan, will enhance summer STEM exploration for the 3rd-8th grade participants. Camp programming consists of fun hands-on activities, sessions with STEM professionals and field trips. The Summer Camp is made possible through generous support by Abbott (North Chicago, IL) the Astellas USA Foundation (Northbrook, IL), Horizon Pharma (Lake Forest, IL) and the VWR Foundation. Camp activities will focus on how STEM techniques are used in Chemical, Mechanical and Medical Engineering including: Exploding Baggies, Bubbling Balloons, Iodine Clocks, Film Canister Rockets: Exploring how concentration, temperature, agitation and surface area affect the way a reaction happens.

Juice Box (News - Alert) Motor Boats: Design and competition

3-D Printing: From Design to Product

Heart Health: Making Stethoscopes

Demonstrations of cardiac catheters, stents, and heart valve models

Fire Flies or Bust: Bioluminescence and making our own chemical glow and decoding female firefly flash responses

Coding: Create a Binary Bracelet, Mouse Maze, Algorithm Origami "Our mission is to provide high-quality programming that helps spark interest in STEM," says iBIO Institute Executive Vice President, John Conrad. "Third to eighth grade is a critical tim where many girls decide whether STEM is for them. The STEMGirls Summer Camp promotes STEM and STEM careers in a way that inspires girls to begin planning a future in the STEM industries."



"Abbott employee volunteers are looking forward to sharing their expertise and passion for science and engineering at the iBIO STEMGirls summer camp," said John Frels, vice president of research and development for Abbott's diagnostics business. "This year, the girls will have a chance to explore cutting edge technologies such as 3-D printing, and learn about the science of bioluminescence. Through hands-on experiences that are interactive and fun, we can help bring science and engineering to life - and we hope that these experiences will inspire the girls to consider pursuing careers in science and engineering in the future." "The STEMGirls program offers girls a unique opportunity to be challenged and inspired by STEM activities working closely with Astellas volunteers," said Moyra Knight, president of Astellas USA Foundation. "Astellas USA Foundation is proud to help support the STEMGirls Summer Camp as part of our Science WoRx program to encourage more girls to pursue STEM careers."

Anyone is welcome to register and attend Family Day on the last day of camp, June 23, 2017, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. At Family Day, parents and siblings join the girls for a fun and informative day. Campers will host a STEM fair to show what they have learned during their week. Lunch will be served. Camp Details:

STEMGirls Summer Camp

June 19-23, 2017 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

522 Belvidere Street

Waukegan, IL 60085 Family Day Details:

June 23, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

To register please email [email protected]. or register here: www.goo.gl/fX8Atp About iBIO Institute EDUCATE Center The iBIO Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that focuses on orchestrating business leadership in delivery of world-class, educational programs and job-creating new technology ventures. The Institute's EDUCATE Center delivers industry-led science and math programs for teachers and students, thereby inspiring the next generation of innovators and helping restore America's leadership in technology education. EDUCATE's hands-on, inquiry-based STEM programs have impacted over 1000 teachers and 90,000 Illinois students since 2003. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005028/en/

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23 June 2017 13:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Iran plans to complete the construction of two rail sections within the framework of the North-South project by September, head of the Iranian Railways Said Mohammadzadeh told Trend.

These two sections include the 162 kilometers long Gazvin-Resht and 10 kilometers long Astara (Iran) - Astara (Azerbaijan) railways.

The International North-South Transport Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.

The corridor is planned to transport 6 million tons of cargo per year at the initial stage and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future.

"Another section of the transport corridor - Resht-Astara (175 km) - is planned to be completed within three years with the help of a loan from Azerbaijan. Negotiations on financing the construction of this site are already at the final stage," Mohammadzadeh said.

The construction of Resht-Astara section will cost Iran $1.1 billion, part of this funds, $500 million, is planned to be attracted as a loan from the Azerbaijani government.

Head of the Iranian Railways noted that over the past four years, Iran has invested $1 billion annually in railway projects, and in the next five years plans to invest about $1.5-2 billion annually.

Today Iran focuses on rail freight transportation, according to Mohammadzadeh.

He touched on another railway project, which is designed to connect Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf.

Mohammadzadeh noted that last year the cargo transportation by this route reached 3 million tons, and after a certain modernization 10 million tons will be achieved.

Along with making a great contribution to the diversification of Azerbaijan's economy the project is expected to turn the country into a major transport hub.

The project, which is considered to be a strategically important and advantageous in terms of time of transit cargo transportation, is also expected to bring great economic benefits. The route, part of which will pass along the western coast of the Caspian Sea, from Russia to Iran through Azerbaijan enjoys several advantages compared to other transport such as Suez Canal-the Mediterranean Sea-Northern Europe and the Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan-Russia-Northern Europe routes.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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23 June 2017 15:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

President of the Marmara Group Foundation, Dr. Akkan Suver was awarded with the "Special Merit Medal" by Albanian President Bujar Nishani for his works on peace and stability in the Balkans.

The awarding ceremenoy took place in early June in Alabania.

President Nishani, addressing the ceremony, hailed Suver and the non-government organization, which he is leading with modest means, for their effort aimed at peace, stability and coexistence in the Balkans.

"I accept this medal as a medal given to non-governmental organizations of the great Turkish nation, not only to my own, Suver said in his speech.

"We love Albanian people. We know them as brothers. We want their state and nation to be strengthened and progressed seriously and precisely. We desire them to win the position that they deserve in the Balkans in an independent and secure matter. This is the basis of political relations between Turkey and Albania, he added.

Charge d'affaires of Turkey to Tirana, Sinan Cem Bas, members of the Marmara Group Foundation Mujgan Suver, Samil Ayrm, Gulhan Ayrim, Dr. Fatih Saracogu, Asl Gezmis, Cafer Okray, Sen Okray, Yalcin Sonmez, Nurdan Sonmez, Ibrahim Aksoy and Emel Aksoy were present at the event.

Montenegrin Ambassador to Tirana Dusan Mrdovic was also present in dinner hosted by President Nishani in honor of Suver, as the professor is also the Honorary Consul General of Montenegro to Istanbul.

Dr. Akkan Suver is also founder of Eurasian Economic Summit, which has been continuously organized since 1998. He is serving as the member of Academic Council of the "[Ataturk Center]" in Azerbaijan. His books "Yellow Leaves Season" and "Living Ataturk" were published by this center in 2005 and 2006.

He was awarded with the "Progress" medal and the "Friendship" order by the Azerbaijani Government, as well as other high awards of many countries.

The Marmara Group Foundation, established in Istanbul in 1985, is a Turkish public benefit group. The group not only studies global issues such as the economy, administration, security and defense, but also examines these from regional perspectives, focusing on the EU, the Middle East, Asia, Cyprus, the Balkans and the Caucasus.

The Marmara Group seeks to develop public awareness with the aim of improving national and international relations and supporting the sustainable development of Turkey.

For about three decades, the group has had the privilege of working with statesmen, government officials, parliamentarians, academics, chairmen and directors of chambers of commerce and industry, along with various nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives throughout the world interested in its works.

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23 June 2017 15:42 (UTC+04:00)

EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti visited Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on 22-23 June to co-chair the meeting of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC), the Bank reported.

President Chakrabarti began his visit with a meeting with Kazakh leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, with whom the EBRD President traditionally co-chairs the FIC.

President Chakrabarti also met Kazakhstans Prime Minister Bakhytzhan Sagintayev, Minister of Finance Bakhyt Sultanov, who is also the EBRD Governor for his country, other senior officials and representatives of the business community.

He also signed a new investment project, a US$ 140 million loan to Polymetal Group, to develop the world-class Kyzyl gold deposit in eastern Kazakhstan and support technical education and employment of local youth and women.

The signing was followed by the 30th FIC Plenary Session to discuss the topic New Energy. In his opening remarks President Chakrabarti pointed out the importance of green and renewable energy investments, for which the Bank is a recognised leader in its countries of operations, and listed the numerous areas of cooperation between the EBRD and Kazakhstan.

Following the plenary session, President Chakrabarti held meetings with the Chairman of the holding company Baiterek, Erbolat Dossaev, and the Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, Daniyar Akishev.

The following day, the EBRD President signed more investment projects, including for street lighting in two eastern cities, Semey and Ust-Kamenogorsk, which will not only be energy efficient but also make the streets safer. New financing will also be provided to small and medium-sized enterprises (with a focus on women-led companies) through new credit lines to Kassa Nova Bank and KazMicroFinanc.

In addition, a new, large-scale advisory and training programme, in partnership with Kazkahstans DAMU entrepreneurship fund, was announced.

It will be funded initially by the European Union and support private businesses in cooperation with the EBRD.

President Chakrabarti also met with the Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre, Kairat Kelimbetov. They signed a letter of intent about technical cooperation to develop the legal and regulatory framework necessary to establish the planned Astana International Exchange (AIX).

Following the signings, President Chakrabarti delivered a speech at Astanas Nazarbayev University about Kazakhstan and Central Asia: the transition to effective market economies. The keynote address discussed the direction of development for Central Asia and the role of young people.

The Presidents visit concluded two weeks of EBRD participation in events held in parallel with the Astana Expo 2017. The Bank attended the Ministerial Conference on Energy, the Eighth Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development, and the Astana Economic Forum, with delegations led by EBRD Managing Directors Nandita Parshad and Mattia Romani.

During the first three days of Expo 2017 the EBRD signed projects to double the size of the first large-scale solar plant in Kazakhstan, Burnoye Solar-2, and invest in the first project under the new inclusion programme for energy and natural resources, ShalkiyaZinc. The EBRD is the largest financier and a staunch supporter of reform in the area of renewable energy.

To date, the EBRD has invested over 7.3 billion in various sectors of Kazakhstans economy, with a focus on non-oil and gas sectors, where it is the largest institutional investor.

Close to 1.65 billion has been invested in sustainable energy and resource projects.

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23 June 2017 17:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russia has launched laying of deep-water part of the Turkish Stream pipeline in the Black Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a symbolic start to the process of joining the shallow and deep-water parts of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline from Pioneering Spirit pipe-laying vessel, Kremlins press-service reported on June 23.

The Turkish Stream is an alternative route for Russian gas supplies to Turkey and further to Europe. Russia and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on the implementation of the Turkish Stream project in October 2016.

President Putin held phone talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan aboard the installation vessel, informing him that pipe-laying work has started at the Turkish Stream pipeline's deep-water section.

Our projects with Turkey are developing the way they are not developing with many other partners," Putin said. "Where we spend years with different countries on various administrative approvals, with Turkey this is done in several months and undoubtedly happens as a result of your direct personal support."

Putin also expressed confidence that it would be possible to meet the construction deadlines for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant.

He thanked Erdogan for the Turkish regulator granting a license for the Russian operator.

"If we continue moving in this pace with the work on other issues, we shall definitely fulfill the plans, in particular, will introduce the first NPP unit by the deadline," the Russian president said.

Chief Executive Officer of Gazprom Alexei Miller, who also took part in the event, said that the negotiations between Gazprom and European partners on extending the Turkish Stream gas pipeline in Europe stipulate no exclusive terms while the Russian energy giant is receiving proposals on the routes of laying the pipe.

At present, there are proposals on the route of laying the pipe but there is no exclusiveness. The preliminary agreements with the interested companies have been signed and therefore, the work will be continued, Miller said in a live broadcast of the Rossiya-24 TV Channel, TASS reported.

The requirements for gas in Europe are increasing today and "the Turkish Stream will undoubtedly ensure the reliability of gas supplies to these countries," he said.

Turkish Stream gas pipeline was announced in December 2014. Russia and Turkey signed an inter-governmental agreement on October 10, 2016 on the Turkish Stream, which envisages the construction of a gas pipeline along the seabed of the Black Sea to Turkeys European part and further on to the border with Greece.

The first stretch will be intended for the Turkish market and the second will supply natural gas to countries of South and Southeast Europe. Each stretch will have a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. The pipeline is expected to annually pump 31.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

Gazprom launched the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipelines offshore section near the Russian coast of the Black Sea on May 7.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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23 June 2017 17:58 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Belarus and Russia have launched consultations on the issue of mutual recognition of visas.

This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with Belarusian journalists, BelTA news agency reported on June 23.

He noted that the parties plan to sign an agreement on a single visa space.

"This will require some professional and technical consultations by experts, that we are beginning now. When we come to terms we will make fundamental progress towards forming a common migration space and a common visa space," Lavrov said.

He recalled that the Council of Ministers of the Russia-Belarus Union State on June 16 approved a joint action program for creating a common migration space by 2020.

"This is an important step towards achieving common approaches to this no simple matter, especially if one bears in mind that we still dont have entirely identical lists of countries with which we have certain visa rules - ordinary, simple or visa-free, Lavrov noted.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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23 June 2017 17:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) disbanded a terrorist group in Kordestan province in the west of the country, the military force announced.

During the operation, three terrorists were killed, one was arrested, and a large amount of weapons and ammunition was seized from them, Fars news agency reported June 23.

The IRGCs Kordestan province division announced that the terrorist team had intended to conduct terrorist attacks in the country.

Iran has started a forceful round of anti-terror moves in recent weeks after on June 7 terrorists attacked Irans Parliament and Imam Khomeini mausoleum in southern Tehran. The ISIL terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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23 June 2017 14:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Baku and Georgias Batumi will become closer from June 26 as a new bus service will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Leaving Baku at 6 pm, the bus will get Batumi at 9 am of the next day.

The bus fare is 40 manat ($23) The fare is free for children under 5 years and for children aged 5-10 years is on sale for half price.

The buses are air-conditioned and offer access to the Wi-Fi Internet.

Georgia is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Azerbaijanis in view of its cheapness and closeness.

This will increase the number of Azerbaijani tourists to Tbilisi and vice versa.

The number of Azerbaijani tourists visiting Georgia in January to May increased by 5.6 per cent, according to Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration Giorgi Chogovadze.

2,300,000 foreigners visited Georgia in the first five months of the year. Of them 981,600 people were tourists, he added.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Airlines AZAL operates a flight on the Baku-Tbilisi-Baku route operates ten times per week.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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23 June 2017 15:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

India's low cost carrier, GoAir, plans to launch direct flights to nine countries, including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Vietnam, Maldives, Qatar and Saudi Arabia until the yearend.

The company has received permissions from the Indian government to fly to these destinations, Indian media outlets reported June 24.

The airline had, however, sought approval to fly to 14 countries and was not been granted permission to fly to Kuwait, Oman, Turkey, Thailand and the UAE.

The airline is keen to begin flying international towards by the end of the current fiscal year, according to Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, managing director & CEO of GoAir.

We will have 30 percent of the aircraft to be flying overseas for us soon, he said.

GoAir currently operates over 140 daily flights and approximately 975 weekly flights across 23 destinations. The airline uses state-of-the-art Airbus A320 and A320neo aircraft fleet.

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Leo Varadkar has told his first EU summit as Taoiseach that it is not too late for the UK to stay within the organisation.

It comes amid heightened security after a foiled terrorist attack in one of Brussels' busiest train stations on Wednesday.
It was announced today that one of the worlds leading healthcare companies, GSK, has opened an 8 million investment project at its manufacturing site in Dungarvan.

The facility was officially this morning by Site Director, Brian Fox. The investment has been utilised to develop a new purpose-built biomass energy facility which is expected to reduce the sites carbon emissions by up to 33%. The facility uses locally sourced woodchips to create a carbon neutral fuel source for the site.

GSK, who this year celebrate 35 years in Dungarvan, employs over 700 employees at two sites in the area.

Todays announcement follows two recent investments made by GSK in the Dungarvan facility. The organisation recently invested 8m in the implementation of a new environmentally friendly packaging line that utilises a 100% recyclable material called Polypropylene. This offers a sustainable solution for the production of blister packaged products as it allows the entire blister pack to be manufactured from one recyclable material.



Furthermore, GSK also invested in a 7.2m extension to the denture care facility in 2017 to expand tablet compression and packaging capacity.

Speaking today, Site Director at GSK Dungarvan, Brian Fox commented, "This investment from GSK is a significant vote of confidence in the Dungarvan facility, as well as in the capabilities of the town and people of Dungarvan to support such strategic developments. GSK is in Dungarvan 35 years this year and this investment will underpin our existing investments here and our sizeable workforce. It will also significantly enhance Dungarvans role in GSKs global business and todays investment is a strong recognition of the strong technical and scientific capability we have here."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Published On Jun 23, 2017 02:14 PM By Rachit Shad for Ford Endeavour 2015-2020

However, both engine options are still up for grabs

Ford India has made quite a lot of changes to the Endeavours recipe since its launch in January 2016. The company revised its prices on a couple of occasions and also axed the base variant later in 2016. Now, though, in less than 18 months of its existence, Ford has discontinued all the manual variants of the Endeavour. With this revision, only three variants remain on sale. However, both the engine options are still in the mix.

Lets uncomplicate it for you all. The three variants that remain on sale are the 2.2l 4x2 AT Trend, 2.2l 4x2 AT Titanium and 3.2l 4x4 AT Titanium. While the 2.2-litre diesel engine is tuned to produce 160PS of power and 385Nm of torque, the bigger 3.2-litre diesel motor pumps out 200PS of power and 470Nm of torque. Both the engines are now available with only the six-speed automatic transmission. If you want 4x4, only the range-topping variant will fulfil your needs.

Ford has priced the Endeavour, which also came on top in our comparison test against the Toyota Fortuner, quiet competitively. While the Trend and Titanium variants that house the smaller engine are priced at Rs 25.49 lakh and Rs 28.62 lakh respectively, the 3.2l Titanium has an asking price of Rs 31.5 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi).

The Ford Endeavour has a wide variety of rivals. Everything from the Hyundai Santa Fe and Volkswagen Tiguan, both of which are regarded as soft off-roaders, to hardcore SUVs like the Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Toyota Fortuner all eat into its market share. Soon, two more models will join the same list of SUVs - the Mitsubishi Outlander (expected in 2018) and the Skoda Kodiaq (launch in September 2017).

Read More on : Ford Endeavour diesel
United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. The company's Carrier segment provides heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products, solutions, and services for commercial, government, infrastructure, residential, and refrigeration and transportation applications. This segment also offers building services, including audit, design, installation, system integration, repair, maintenance, and monitoring. Its Pratt & Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; and provides aftermarket maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as fleet management services. The company's Collins Aerospace Systems segment provides electric power generation, power management, and distribution systems; air data and aircraft sensing systems; engine control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; engine components; environmental control systems; fire and ice detection, and protection systems; propeller systems; engine nacelle systems; aircraft lighting, seating, and cargo systems; actuation and landing systems; space products and subsystems; avionics systems; flight controls, communications, navigation, oxygen, and training systems; food and beverage preparation, and storage and galley systems; and lavatory and wastewater management systems. The company offers its services through manufacturers' representatives, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, retail outlets, and sales representatives, as well as directly to customers. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut.
Archbishops call emergency debate on state of the nation

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York will use special powers to call an emergency debate on 'unanswered' questions about the state of the nation at the Church of England's ruling general synod next month.

The rare move to introduce a last minute change in schedule highlights concerns among church leaders after a 'storm of events' including two terrorist attacks and the Grenfell tower fire struck the UK 'with an almost unrelenting ferocity'.

Justin Welby told peers in the House of Lords on Thursday the state's response to the Grenfall fire victims had been 'inadequate' and 'such failure is ultimately a failure of values'.

Calling for an urgent debate the CofE's two most senior leaders said on Friday the general election leaves 'many questions unanswered about the shape and priorities of our government at a critical time in the nation's history'.

Citing the 'uncertainty and weakness' of the Conservative's minority government, Justin Welby and John Sentamu said politicians are facing 'constraints and opportunities' as well as 'unprecedented questions about the future'.

The Archbishops recognise 'this is a period of worry and uncertainty for many people in this country', journalists were told on Friday morning.

'This [debate] is an opportunity for synod members to reflect on that and how the Church can support people and indeed how it has been supporting people,' the CofE's top civil servant, William Nye, said.

'This is an opportunity to express concerns people have and to talk about what the Church is doing.'

The motion calls on Christian to 'pray for courage' for politicians and also 'to maintain pressure on politicians of all parties to put the cohesion of the nation and its communities at the heart of the programmes'.

They add the 'continuing work of the churches serving the poor and vulnerable, at home and worldwide' is an example of 'the priorities which we hope to see in the programme of government'.

Synod members will also be asked to endorse a statement condemning 'gay cure' therapies as 'unethical and harmful and not supported by evidence'.

Jayne Ozanne, who tabled the motion, said in a briefing note: 'Conversion therapy is condemned by professionals as being harmful to LGBT people as it is based on a misguided belief that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is wrong.

'This leads to increased mental health problems for LGBT community due to stigmatisation.

'Given that many practitioners are non-medically trained religious leaders, it is imperative that the Church of England is unequivocal in its condemnation of such harmful practices.'

The move is likely to be opposed by some conservatives and a paper circulated to synod members said: 'It might be argued that individuals who wish to explore the possibility of changing their sexual orientation or attraction ought to be free to do so.'

The general synod meets from July 7-10 in York.
Attacks On Nigerian Christians Spark National Day Of Mourning

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is calling for this Sunday to be marked as a national day of mourning for Christians killed by Muslim Fulani terrorists in southern Kaduna State.

Repeated attacks by groups of armed Fulani herdsmen on Christian villages and leaders in the country's Middle Belt have seen hundreds killed or displaced.

Nigeria's Federal Government has pledged to establish cattle ranches to resolve the frequent clashes between Muslim herdsmen and Christian farmers, which President Buhari has attributed to "poverty, injustice and the lack of job opportunities". Other analysts cite climate change and desertification as factors.

CAN has described the killings as ethnic and religious cleansing by "Islamic fundamentalists disguising as Fulani herdsmen".

According to Variguard, CAN commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his successes against the Boko Haram terrorists but expressed sadness over what it said was his silence regarding Fulani attacks.

CAN's general secretary Dr Musa Asake said Buhari's silence "speaks volumes over perceived official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts".

He said Sunday, January 8, had been designated by CAN's president as a national day of mourning by Nigerian Christians, including those from the world-wide diaspora.

Asake said: "We are to pray fervently for our southern Kaduna brothers and sisters who are victims of these wanton killings and also for the peace of our dear country Nigeria. Therefore, all Christians are to dress in mourning attire of black clothes or dresses in all our church services on January 8, 2017. We are to pray that God who delivered the Jews from Haman should deliver Christians from Hamans in Nigeria. An injustice to one is an injustice to all."

He said the Church in Nigeria had been subjected to a "systematic genocide and persecution" in recent years through attacks by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen in which thousands of Christians had been killed and hundreds of churches destroyed.

President Buhari has ordered Nigeria's inspector-general of police to visit Kaduna to assess the situation there and take "strong actions" to end the violence, according to a government statement yesterday. His spokesman said a mobile police detachment had been set up and that the army was setting up an additional two battalions there.

While religion is a factor in the conflict, observers say it is not the primary motivation for the violence, which is driven by competition for land, poverty and injustice.
MATTOON -- Lincolnland Home Care nurse Debra Felter, RN, was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Sarah Bush Lincoln on June 6.

Felter was nominated by Lincolnland Home Care manager Kelley Hennigh for going above and beyond to provide exceptional care to all her patients.

Hennigh wrote in her nomination letter: Last week, Debra was on-call and she worked numerous hours with a couple of patients not stopping until she got the answers she needed to ease their pain and make them comfortable. Thank you for being a great patient advocate! You ROCK!

Hennigh shared an incident in which Felter spent more than five hours with someone who was newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, calling numerous doctors, the hospital, and pharmacy to get his pain under control. She spent several more hours at the home of another patient who was having issues with her IV medication on Saturday and again on Sunday. She was able to resolve the issue so the patient received her life-sustaining medication.

Sarah Bush Lincoln has joined more than 2,400 health care facilities by becoming a DAISY Award hospital partner. During the award presentation, Felter received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, titled, A Healers Touch.

The DAISY Award was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and families.

Patients, visitors, nurses, physicians and other employees may nominate a deserving nurse for The Daisy Award and a nurse will be selected by SBLs DAISY committee every month to received this special honor. Nomination forms are located at www.sarahbush.org and at all SBL clinics and on patient floors. The forms can be submitted to any Sarah Bush Lincoln staff member, or sent via email to daisy@sblhs.org or mail to Sarah Bush Lincoln, DAISY Nursing Award, 1000 Health Center Drive, Mattoon, IL 61938.

For more information, contact SBL DAISY coordinator, Cynthia Edwards, RN, at 217-238 -3422 or cedwards@sblhs.org.
Church of England considering transgender re-naming services

The Church of England is examining ways to mark gender transition with the prospect of special services being considered.

The CofE's ruling General Synod will, for the first time, debate how to welcome transgender people at its meeting in July.

Signalling an openness to the idea of new liturgy to mark gender transition, a note sent to synod members from the Church's top civil servant, William Nye, said there was, 'no legal or doctrinal difficulty about a baptised transgendered person re-affirming their baptismal vows' using a different name.

It added no one could be baptised twice, meaning the option of re-baptismal services for people who had transitioned gender was not possible.

Nye said the Church already had services for people who had been through a 'significant personal transition of one kind or another' which could be used to mark gender change. Yet a motion will be voted on in July to introduce new church services, specifically for transgender people.

Chris Newlands, a vicar in the Blackburn Diocese who is introducing the debate told Christian Today services for gender transitions would 'make a huge difference' to welcoming trans people.

'That would be such a huge statement of support for members of the trans community.

'It would have untold beneficial consequences for those who are at the moment worried about coming out as someone preparing for transition,' he told Christian Today.

'People who are very fragile would find support rather than condemnation.'

He added, 'specifics are important' rather than just a general welcome to all.

'To have a specific statement of support coming the Church of England would provide a really clear lead about what we are supporting and affirming.'

The Church of England does not have a strict stance on trans people, with the most recent statement in 2003 recognising 'a range of views' were held.

A statement from bishops then recognised that 'some Christians concluded on the basis of Scripture and Christian anthropology, that concepts such as "gender realignment" or "sex change" were really a fiction. Hormone treatment or surgery might change physical appearance, but they could not change the fundamental God-given reality of "male and female He created them".'

The Church is still divided on the issue and the motion is likely to be opposed by conservatives on Synod citing the Bible's teaching that God made humans to be 'male and female'.

But Newlands said it was important to be 'fully to up to speed on what current medical and psychiatric wisdom is telling us'.

He told Christian Today: 'The law recognises gender transition. It is a reality in the world today and we need to accept that times have moved on since the book of Genesis.

'We have got to frame our theology in the context of science and where we are.

'We are not living on a flat earth any more.'
Egypt's Coptic Christians lament jihadist persecution, forgive killers, but ask: 'Where is our government'?

Egypt's Coptic Christians are lamenting following the latest jihadist attack on their community, and are questioning the lack of government action to protect them.

The Ascension Day (May 26) attack on a bus of Coptic Christians in Minya killed 29, and it's now known that the US embassy had four days prior already warned of a terrorist threat, according to World Watch Monitor.

'How can it be that our security forces, after the warning from the US embassy, did nothing to intervene?' said Father Bernaba Fawzy, priest of St George's Church in the village of Nazlet Hanna. Seven of Fawzy's church members were killed in the attack, and eight were injured.

He added: 'This is very shameful. There must be protection for every human being in the land of Egypt, not just the Copts.'

The past six months have seen four major terror attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt: a December bombing of a church in Cairo, two Palm Sunday bombings of Coptic churches in Tanta and Alexandria, and then the Minya shooting last month. Around 100 have been killed in the attacks.

Another local resident, Girgis Nady, criticised the inaction following the national state of emergency that was declared following the Palm Sunday bombings.

'There is just one reason for what happened,' he said. 'The failure of government officials.'

The Minya attack saw the bus of pilgrims en route to visit a monastery stopped by masked, armed jihadist militants.

One victim of the attack, Samia Adly, 56, from Nazlat Hanna, lost her husband, her two sons and two grandchildren in the shooting. She described her experience: 'It was a family trip and we were very happy, laughing and joking in the bus.

'While driving in the desert we heard an explosion and the bus stopped. Because we had engine problems earlier, I thought that it was something similar, until I looked out of the window and saw a number of masked men, armed and dressed in military uniform, coming out of four beige Jeeps. They fired guns to stop the bus.

'My son Sameh got out to find out what was happening, but when the terrorists saw him they shot him in the head, instantly killing him. One of our relatives immediately closed the door of the bus and stood behind it to prevent anyone entering. When the attackers could not get in, they opened fire on the windows and came in that way instead.

'Once they were in the bus, they asked us to recite the Islamic shahada [statement of faith] but we refused to do that and said to them that we are Christians and will die as Christians. Then they shot the men in the head and the neck.'

Adly said: 'I hoped they would kill me too, so I could be with the others in heaven. We don't fear death. We don't have a place in this world; our place is heaven. We know our way very well. Our God is a strong God and he is the God of love who has taught us to love and not to hate anyone. I forgive those who killed my family and pray for them, asking God to open their eyes and guide them in his way.'

Criticism has been levelled not just at the failure to prevent the attack, but at the police response following. Fr Fawzy said: 'The police and ambulances arrived at the scene very late. After the terrorists fled, the victims, including the injured, stayed in the bus for more than 45 minutes.

'One of the survivors, the wife of one of the men who died in the attack, called the police asking for help. The officer told her on the phone that it was a false report and asked her to give him her ID card number. Then he hung up.'

Coptic Christians represent about ten per cent of the majority Muslim country. Many have seen that targeting of Copts as politically motivated, an implicit attack on the state. Coptic Christians backed the 2013 revolution that led to a coup against President Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood government, and made military field marshall Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Egypt's president.

'Copts in Egypt are targeted by terrorists because of their support for the revolution,' said Fr Bernaba Eshaq, priest at Saint Mary's Church in Maghagha, Egypt. 'Terrorists aim to strike the Egyptian state and political leadership to change Egypt's identity from a moderate face to a radical and violent face.'

Hopes that Sisi's leadership would bring an end to the prevalence of Islamic extremism have been dashed.

Hany Farag, a Christian from Maghagha, Egypt, said: 'What I want to know is where the government is when it comes to protecting the Copts? And where is the president when it comes to protecting his people?

'I feel that Egypt is no longer a secure and safe country. Before this attack happened, Egypt was warned by the US Embassy that an act of terrorism might take place, but the government took no protection measures because the blood of the Egyptian is cheap.'
First-time preacher wins 'Sermon of the Year' award

Last night saw the final of the 'Sermon of the Year' preaching contest in London, with its winner a retired woman preaching for the first time in her life.

This is the second year London School of Theology (LST) and Preach magazine have run their national competition to 'celebrate and reward excellence in preaching'. This year contestants had to write a sermon on the topic of 'God in the Dark'. The four finalists had to preach live in front of a panel of judges.

The winner of the contest was Carole Hodgkins, a retired sixth form teacher from Essex. Giving the first sermon she has ever written, Hodgkins spoke about the death of her eldest daughter, who died at age 36 in 2000. She spoke about wrestling with an immensely dark reality and a God who is light, present in that darkness.

Hodgkins, who is divorced and now lives alone, said in her sermon, which can be read in full here: 'I am beginning to stumble on the simple truth; that by surrendering and losing my life to God I am gaining a fuller life. The darkness of loss has helped me to realise that God in the dark is also God in the light.'

The judges praised Hodgkins for her vulnerability, depth and simplicity of expression. Ahead of her sermon, she said: 'I felt I would like to give it a try! I believe God guided me to write this sermon. When I talk or write about God, his presence is very powerful.'

As her prize, Hodgkins has one a year's free study at LST. The runner-up prize (granting 50 per cent off a year's LST tuition) went to Chris Took, a lay minister in the Church of England whose talk wove theology with a creative array of Star Trek references.

The other two finalists were Andrew Baldwin, a cross-cultural missionary whose sermon addressed the pain of the persecuted Church, and Siku, the artist and author behind the bestselling Manga Bible.

Siku offered a particularly visual address, integrating his words with his own manga-style artistry.

Jo Swinney, editor of Preach magazine, told Christian Today she was encouraged and moved by this year's contest.

'Each of the four preachers was captivating in their own way and brought very different perspectives to the theme of "God in the Dark". The sermons were challenging, moving, funny in places, and not for a moment boring. There was a real sense of God at work. As many people commented, although the sermons were written for a competition, they all had clear relevance to those of us listening.'

Swinney, who has written for Christian Today about the priority of preaching for the Church, added: 'We were encouraged to see such a great turnout, not just those coming to support the finalist but a number who came from a desire to "celebrate the art of preaching"  as the competition strapline puts it. Plans are already afoot for next year's competition.'

The sermons were judged by a three-person panel  resembling the X-Factor, but gentler in spirit  featuring Calvin Samuel, the president of LST, Natalie Collins, a gender justice specialist and winner of last year's contest, and Anne Calver, an author and Baptist minister.

The top 10 finalists of the contest have had their sermons published in a compilation book, which can be purchased here.

Details of next year's competition can be found here.
Nigerian Christian leader pleads for help to stop death and destruction by Islamist Fulani militia

A Christian church leader from Nigeria has described the horrors of the growing persecution of Christians by Fulani herdsmen, describing it as 'ethno-religious cleansing'. And so far, he said, the authorities have done little or nothing to help.

Rev Yunusa Nmadu, head of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in Nigeria and visting the UK this week, told Christian Today that Christian communities in central Nigeria have been suffering attacks from the Fulani militia for some time.

And he said there can be little doubt that Christians are being deliberately targeted and massacred by the Islamist gunmen, some of which have links reaching through to Islamic State.

'These attacks started in 2010, when some Fulani gunman invaded a village in Plateau State and sacked the whole community and killed about 500 people  children, women and men  in one night.

'Usually what they do is come into a commmunity in the night while people are sleeping. A few of the gunmen go into the centre of the village and begin to shoot sporadically. When people wake up they are rounded up, and people who try and run away are killed because they have gunmen stationed on the outskirts of the village.'

The persecution has increased. Three years ago the Fulani moved on to the southern part of Kaduna State, a largely Christian area, where they were attacking commmunities on an almost daily basis.

As no one has been prosecuted yet, it is impossible to establish what their reasons are, said Nmadu. 'But all the attacks so far, whether in Kaduna, Benue, Nassarawa, Plateau or any other states, have been on Christian communities.'

'The only explanation we can give is that it is a kind of ethno-religious cleansing. I am not sure of the total, but in southern Kaduna more than 800 people were killed in 2016 alone. The total number would run to 2,000 or more. The Fulani kill the people, loot their homes then set the whole place ablaze.

'More than 60,000 people have been displaced in southern Kaduna which is a Christian area. People can't go to their farms because they get attacked and killed, they will sack an entire community then take it over.'

He said some security measures were eventually taken but even when there are arrests the perpetrators are never prosecuted.

Nmadu, who is also General Secretary of one of northern Nigeria's largest churches, the Evangelical Church Winning All, said: 'We have learned they have some connection with Boko Haram, and there are links between Boko Haram and Islamic State.'

He urged the church worldwide to pray 'that God will embolden us to face the challenges that we have on a daily basis.'

Most help that has come to the thousands of displaced people in southern Kaduna is currently coming from churches, some NGOs or individuals. The government has not done much in terms of humanitarian assistance as no single IDP camp is set up by the government. We urge the church worldwide to help the displaced people rebuild and get back to their homes, to continue with their economic activities. 'We call on the international community to put pressure on the Nigerian government to end the culture of impunity surrounding violence that has religious undertones and to abide by constitutional provisions and international agreements Nigeria is a signatory to.'

While in Europe, Nmadu has taken part in an event in the European Parliament highlighting challenges to freedom of religion or belief in northern Nigeria.

CSW is asking concerned people to send an email to the Governor of Kaduna State asking him to protect and provide for people being attacked by Fulani militia.

'Hundreds of Christians and other religious minorities in central Nigeria have been killed by Fulani militia. Men, women and children are being murdered, their land taken away and their homes destroyed.

'These attacks, which are decimating families, are also contributing to an emerging famine, as people are too scared to work in the fields, where the Fulani militia members wait to attack them at their most vulnerable. The region that used to be the nation's breadbasket is now littered with destroyed homes and withered crops,' said CSW.

Anyone can help by sending an email to the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, asking him to protect Christians and other religious minorities from being killed by Fulani militia.

In 2014 the Fulani militia, also known as Fulani herders, a nomadic, predominantly Muslim tribe, was named the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world by the Global Terrorism Index.

Even though the crisis is getting worse, it is often misattributed to 'clashes' between farmers and herders for scarce resources.

CSW said the destruction caused by the Fulani militia is just as serious as that caused by the better-known Boko Haram.

'Central Nigeria is known as the breadbasket of the nation; however, because farmers are being killed in their fields, they're afraid to go out to work. With nobody to tend the crops, they die, contributing to the current food shortage. It will only get worse unless we see action right now.'
Otto Warmbier death a 'mystery': North Korea denies responsibility

North Korea has denied mistreating Otto Warmbier after the American student was returned to the US in a coma.

The 22-year-old died on Monday having being brought back to Ohio last week.

His family blame the pariah state and parents Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement: 'The awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced.'

But the North Korean government say the death is a 'mystery' and denies responsibility.

They blame his coma on botulism  a form of bacterial poisoning  a possibilty which the family and US government deny. But in an apparently contradictory statement, after telling his family that Warmbier had been in a coma since his trial more than a year ago, a Pyongyang spokesman later said he was returned to America in a 'normal state of health'.

He said: 'The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the US in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well.'

Warmbier was initially arrested at Pyongyang airport in January 2016 and accused of stealing a propaganda sign from a hotel.

His family heard no news of him until June 13, 2017 when North Korean officials announced he had been in a coma since his trial.

More than 2,500 family, friends and supporters gathered for Warmbier's funeral on Thursday.

Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary who was held in North Korea himself, said: 'I cannot understand what the Warmbier family is feeling right now. But I mourn with them, and I pray for them. No words can ease this pain, but we can pray for them. It's my hope and prayer that they also know others in America are mourning with them and will not forget their son and brother.'

The family's statement thanked people for their support and prayers.

'We thank everyone around the world who has kept him and our family in their thoughts and prayers. We are at peace and at home too,' they said.
Ten Killed In Fulani Herdsman Attack On Christian Village

Ten people were killed in a Christian village in northern Nigeria after an attack by Islamic Fulani militants at the weekend.

Six police officers and four civilians died in the attack on Kwayine, Adamawa State, despite assurances from authorities the village was protected, according to International Christian Concern.

Another attempted attack hit the village on New Year's Eve but the Fulanis were driven away by police and community members. Despite fears another raid was looming, police told the village leaders they were protected.

But the attack on 7 January struck in broad daylight at 2pm, according to one villager.

"They came upon us suddenly, chased us off, scattered us and burnt our houses. We fled. I barely escaped with my life. Only God knows where some of our people are now. We don't know what we did to them," he said according to ICC.

The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Adamawa State said the attack "is an indictment on the failure of the Law Enforcement Agencies and Intelligence Units who are saddled with the responsibility of maintaining peace, protecting lives and properties and gathering secret information about hostile attacks by enemies.

"They have failed to protect the Demsa Communitis," said chairman Ajine Delo.

The latest attack is part of repeated ongoing assaults on Christians in northern Nigeria.

A national day of mourning was held on Sunday for Christians killed by Muslim Fulani herdsman.

CAN, who called for the day of mourning, described the killings as ethnic and religious cleansing by "Islamic fundamentalists disguising as Fulani herdsmen".

Daniel Harris, regional manager for ICC, said: "ICC strongly condemns this attack on Christian communities in Nigeria.

"This is yet another example of the government's failure to provide adequate protection for Christian communities in this region and refusal to stamp out the radical movements that cause these deadly attacks.

"The government's refusal to recognize the Fulani militants as what they are, Islamic terrorists, threatens religious freedom and the lives of Christians in this region. We encourage the government of Nigeria to bring these perpetrators of violence to justice and to work harder to protect the lives of Christians in Adamawa State."
Immigration continues to be a key ingredient to our economic future  Immigration Minister Hugo O'Doherty Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canadas Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen, recently reaffirmed the countrys commitment to economic immigration during a wide-ranging address in Toronto, Ontario, where he also touched on how the government plans to continue welcoming immigrants from around the world.

The 2017 300,000 landings plan increased the share of economic admissions from the previous year. This is a reflection of our commitment to the idea that immigration continues to be a key ingredient to our economic future as a country, stated Hussen at the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) law conference, held earlier this month.

In that spirit were testing new ideas, were introducing new programs, and were instituting faster processing that will help Canada to continue to attract the best and the brightest from all over the world to continue to maintain our economic prosperity.

The immigration plan referred to by Mr Hussen is the most recent such plan presented by the government. In this plan, the share of economic immigration within the overall mix increased over the previous year. This was primarily due to the governments effort to resettle tens of thousands of refugees throughout 2016, and to follow this effort with an increased allocation for economic immigrants in 2017.

Towards this end, the minister announced that the target of 300,000 new arrivals annually  historically high by Canadian standards  will actually be the governments baseline for future landings plans. The target could end up being higher than that.

Last October, a government advisory group delivered a batch of recommendations to Justin Trudeaus cabinet, including a recommendation to increase overall immigration levels to 450,000 per year. Although the 2017 landings plan did not implement this recommendation, it should be noted that some changes have taken place since last fall.

The current immigration minister was appointed in January, and Mr Hussen is generally perceived as having taken a more proactive approach to the department than his predecessor, John McCallum. Certainly, his recent appearances and remarks reveal that he is eager to continue to make improvements to his department, primarily for the benefit of clients, who are, of course, the future immigrants that Canada needs.

Express Entry

In addition, over recent months the number of people in a position to submit an application to immigrate to Canada as an economic migrant has increased decisively.

The first 15 Express Entry draws of 2017 have seen 47,876 Invitation to Apply (ITAs) issued to candidates in the pool. This number far exceeds the 16,033 ITAs issued over the first fifteen draws of 2016, and also surpasses the total number of candidates invited in all of 2016. Seven of the 15 Express Entry draws conducted so far this year have also seen the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required to obtain an ITA decrease to a record low.

The Express Entry system itself has also undergone a recent set of improvements, announced earlier this year and implemented on June 6. Coming up to those changes, the month of May saw the highest number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence issued in any month since the system was launched in January, 2015.

These improvements, which see additional points being awarded to candidates with a sibling in Canada and to candidates with French ability, followed earlier changes brought in last November.

Taken together, all these changes to the Express Entry program will continue to help us target highly-skilled immigrants who can help strengthen our economy, and create jobs for all Canadians and create prosperity for all of us, said Mr Hussen.

A provincial focus

Over recent years, federal governments have gradually increased the allocations given to the provinces and territories for their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), through which the provinces and territories may set their own criteria and select newcomers accordingly. A portion of these allocations may be used by the provinces and territories to issue provincial nomination certificates to candidates in the federal Express Entry pool.

This year, the federal-provincial relationship on immigration has synergized to the extent that a new program, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP), is now in operation. The AIPP exists outside the ordinary PNP allocation given to the provinces, and up to 2,000 newcomers plus their family members may arrive in Atlantic Canada through the employer-driven AIPP this year.

Notably, the minister alludes to this program being used as a testing ground for possible future programs in other regions of the country.

The lessons we learn from Atlantic Canada will allow us to transfer those lessons to the rest of the country, and theres no reason why we cant use those lessons in other parts of the country that face demographic and labour market challenges.

Other new initiatives

The AIPP is not the only new initiative led by the minister and his team. Earlier this month, on June 12, the Global Talent Stream (GTS) was launched, providing employers and foreign workers alike the means and the flexibility to hire (and be hired) quickly for certain positions. The GTS has a heavy focus on tech and IT roles, but this may change as Canadas market economy faces new challenges in the future.

These improvements to temporary work programs and Canadas longer-term economic immigration focus were linked by the minister, who stated, as we innovate the temporary immigration programs, were also trying to help skilled workers strengthen our economy and society by permanently building new lives in Canada.

And permanent immigration is not the end for these clients of IRCC, who Mr Hussen wants to put at the heart of everything we do. According to him, the final step for these newcomers should be Canadian citizenship itself.

We want all permanent residents, if possible, to become Canadians, said Mr Hussen, who added that the governments recently-passed legislation to change the Canadian Citizenship Act will give permanent residents greater flexibility to meet the residency requirements so that they can become Canadian citizens. Among other measures, the new law will reduce the number of residency days required before an immigrant may be eligible for citizenship.

A busy month

Between the improvements made to Express Entry, the launch of the Global Talent Stream, and the passage of the amended Citizenship Act into law, June has so far been a busy month for the government on the immigration front.

That being said, it may be noted that there has been no Express Entry draw since May 31. This slightly longer gap between draws was expected, as the government IRCC is updating the CRS points score for all profiles in the pool following the recent changes.

To find out if you are eligible for immigration to Canada, please fill out a free online assessment.

 2017 CICnews All Rights Reserved
Once upon a time, liberals pushed free speech at every opportunity. They lauded Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Brandeis for protecting unpopular views via the First Amendment early in the last century, for instance. During the 1960s, Berkeleys Free Speech Movement demanded the right to demonstrate politically on campusand liberals championed the cause. Similar progressive cheers rang out when the Supreme Court extended the First Amendment to protect inarticulate expression, like nude dancing and flag burning.

But now liberals want to empower the government to put people behind bars for advancing political ideas, come election time. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has declared one litmus test for a Supreme Court justice: a commitment to overrule Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, the 2010 Supreme Court opinion upholding Americans First Amendment right to use a corporate form to criticize or praise politicians running for office. (The politician criticized in that case was none other than Hillary Clinton.) Worse still, Democratic senators have introduced a constitutional amendment that goes beyond reversing Citizens United and gives Congress substantial discretion to regulate how electoral debates are conducted.

This dramatic shift suggests that liberals have lost faith in their argumentsabove all, at the ballot box. If you hold sway over the media and the academy and yet still fail to convince a majority of voters with your views, suppressing speech that counters those views can start to seem like a constitutional imperative.

And make no mistake: beyond the rough-and-tumble of political campaigns, left-liberals continue to dominate the institutions that set the nations political agenda. As incontrovertible and well-known data show, academics and journalists have, on average, quite liberal opinions; lawyers, too, lean left. The left-wing professors articulate the long-term intellectual goals, which are generally premised on the need for expansive government programs to achieve them. As John Maynard Keynes famously observed, politicians distill their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back. Newspapers and television news broadcasters then shape the shorter-term political and policy agenda, andFox News, the Wall Street Journal, and a few other major outlets exceptedthey follow the academics lead. Liberal attorneys litigate on behalf of their favorite public causes, also helping to tilt policy to the left. Such agenda control, needless to say, is enormously valuable politically. Most citizens arent sufficiently interested or coordinated to get items onto the agenda themselves.

Elections, though, can disrupt this control, providing opportunities and motivation for citizens who arent academics, media representatives, or legal advocates to speak about public mattersand get others, perhaps, to listen. Among the citizens who tend to enter the fray at election time are those with the financial means to send out messages. These wealthy people dont all lean rightthe Koch brothers on the conservative side are countered by George Soros and Tom Steyer on the left, for examplebut as a group, theyre far more ideologically balanced than journalists, academics, and lawyers, and they often have opinions that arent well represented in those elite precincts. Is it a coincidence that campaign-finance restrictions fall most heavily on these individuals?

Curbing citizens opportunities to press their political ideas doesnt just skew politics to the left ideologically; it also makes politics more insular. Incumbent politicians and Americas two major parties already have powerful brands. Insurgents thus need to spend lots of money to get an opposing message out, particularly when incumbents have a common interest that may not coincide with the public interest. Restrictions on self-financing candidates would have prevented a political neophyte like Ross Perot, running for president as an independent in 1992, from making the issue of a balanced federal budget central to the electiona goal that would be realized during the administration of the winner of that race, Bill Clinton, but that politicians long resisted, since it constrained their ability to spend money on pet projects. More recently, Governor Bruce Rauner has challenged Illinois ingrained habit of borrowing to pay off public-sector unions, a practice sustained by Democrats and Republicans alike in that state. He could do so only because he could spend heavily to get elected as a businessman-outsider on a platform that bucked the Chicago way.

While some cite the candidacy of Donald Trump as evidence of the malignant influence of money in politics, his rise is better understood as a demonstration of the power of celebrity. Trump has spent little compared with other major candidates. Instead, he has exploited his commercial brand, built up from a career outside politics. Restricting money in political campaigns will make such celebrity more, rather than less, powerful.

Fortunately, even as liberals have abandoned their traditional support for free political speech, its protection has become central to Supreme Court jurisprudence under Chief Justice John Roberts. At almost every turn, the Roberts Court has made sure that campaign regulation is subject to ordinary First Amendment principles and doesnt become, as liberals desire, a law unto itself, justifying restrictions that would be quickly ruled unconstitutional when other forms of expression are involved.

The Roberts Courts key insight in the campaign-finance debate is that any laws restricting electoral speech must obey neutral principles. Neutral principles are a vital concept in modern constitutional law because it is the Courts neutralityits impartialitythat ultimately justifies judicial review of the decisions of the more partisan political branches. A Court decision should be generalizable beyond whatever dispute is at stake and whatever the characteristics of the parties involved.

Citizens United has paved the way for people to join forces and enjoy the same expressive rights as the media.

Consider how the Roberts Court has treated the mantra beloved of reformers who want paid political communications curbed at election time: Money is not speech. Outside campaign regulation, the Supreme Courts First Amendment jurisprudence has banned any restrictions of expenditures that pay for expression. A government-imposed limit, say, on the amount of money a newspaper could spend for investigative reporters would be obviously unconstitutional, as would regulation restricting how much a publishing house could pay for a manuscript. Why, if neutral principles are adhered to, should money spent on political campaigns be any different? As Jud Campbell notes in a forthcoming issue of Stanford Law Review, when the government regulates by reference to particular expressive activity (political ads, for instance), it is restricting speech that it doesnt likeand targeting certain kinds of speech for special regulatory burdens is what the First Amendment was intended to prevent.

In 2008s Davis v. FEC, the Roberts Court extended this neutrality reasoning to strike down a law that would have relaxed the campaign-contribution limits for any candidate running against a self-financing rival who was spending substantial sums on his campaign. Congress, the Court held, was unconstitutionally skewing the campaign-finance law to disadvantage a candidate because of spending related to a clear expressive activity: campaigning. The analysis would be no different outside the campaign context: the government could not change its usual tax or employment laws to disadvantage a newspaper because of its First Amendment activity.

Or take a central issue in Citizens United of whether the right to express views about candidates in a political campaign extends to corporations; the Court found, embracing neutrality once more, that it did. Here again, the Courts reasoning relies on earlier First Amendment cases, in which landmark decisions have upheld the rights of corporations to talk about politics. In New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), the Court ruled in favor of the Times (a corporation), strengthening First Amendment protections against libel suits by public officialsquite the irony, given that newspapers incessant complaints about Citizens United.

The First Amendments text, in fact, supports corporate speech: Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech. As set down by the Framers, the right isnt limited to particular kinds of speakers but bans the government regulation of speech, period. And if the First Amendment protects an individuals right to speak, why shouldnt a group of individuals, banded together in a partnership or other association, also enjoy that right? And if an association has that right, why would it lose it when it takes corporate form?

Citizens United has also paved the way for people to join forces and enjoy the same expressive rights as the media through so-called Super PACs. These independent political committees can indirectly back candidatesthat is, they cant give direct money contributions to candidates but can run, say, a supportive ad, and do so with unrestricted money. Super PACs can distribute the twenty-first-century equivalent of the partisan pamphlets of the early republic. Targeting their expression while leaving media expression alone would betray the principle of neutrality.

In a more recent campaign-finance case, McCutcheon v. FEC (2014), the Court ruled unconstitutional a congressionally imposed limit on the amount of money that any individual could contribute to federal candidates during an election cycle. The government had justified the restriction in part as a prophylactic measure to preserve limitations on contributions to individual candidates. Without a ceiling on total campaign contributions, the government argued, a crafty donor could skirt individual limits by giving to many different candidates or political committees, with the expectation that the money would then get passed on by the initial recipients to his preferred candidate. The Roberts Court found that the government could have protected the integrity of individual contribution limits without restricting political speech in such a broad, non-neutral fashion. For instance, Congress could have simply limited the transfer of campaign funds among candidates or political committees, which would prevent circumvention of individual contribution limits without interfering with a donors ability to express support for multiple candidates.

The McCutcheon decision also reflects neutral principles because it imposes the same kind of test used in other areas: it requires legislators to burden speech no more than necessary to meet objectives. Without this kind of constraint, Congress could meddle with speech far more expansively, under the guise of pursuing the public interest.

If the Roberts Court majority has been relentless in trying to make campaign-finance jurisprudence consistent with general First Amendment principles, the dissenters in these casesJustices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayorhave been no less persistent in trying to carve out exceptions to permit the comprehensive regulation of political campaigns.

Breyer, writing for all four dissenters in McCutcheon, argued that the Court should not apply the scrutiny typical of First Amendment cases but instead rely on legislators judgment about what best serves the public. His premise is that members of Congress are uniquely knowledgeable about how to design the rules for their campaigns. But he ignores the substantial interest that politicians have in protecting their incumbency.

Breyer is even willing to rethink the meaning of the First Amendment, arguing that its best understood as in part a collective right, with a goal of connecting the nations legislators to the true sentiments of the people. In this revised understanding, the First Amendments purposes are advanced when the government cracks down on speech (such as political donations from the wealthy) that may mislead lawmakers about where popular opinion stands on a given issue. Breyers argument actually turns the First Amendment on its head. The First Amendment wasnt designed to empower the majority, acting through the federal government, but, like the rest of the Bill of Rights, to limit the majoritys federal power. Through the long-settled doctrine of incorporation under the Fourteenth Amendment, moreover, this limitation on government power has been extended to state governments.

Yet Breyer has found ample support in the legal academy for a First Amendment that allows the subordination of the individual voice to the collective will. Lawrence Lessig of Harvard Law School, to take one prominent example, has devoted the last half-decade to the reform of political campaign regulationsespecially the rules on election spending, which he wants to tighten dramatically. According to the Framers, government should be dependent on the people alone, Lessig argues, so Congress must prevent the political distortion that occurs when legislators become overly dependent on the wealthy. Strong limits on campaign expenditures and contributions can thus be constitutionally justified. By its logic, though, Lessigs argument would permit Congress to regulate the press, too. Its power to distort opinion is surely as great as, or greater than, that of the wealthy. An editorial endorsement from an important newspaper like the New York Times can have a significant influence on how people vote. Needless to say, a congressional muzzle placed on journalists would be metrightlywith howls of indignation from Lessig and other progressives.

Beyond its startling implications, Lessigs theory fundamentally misapprehends the way the Framers viewed republican government. For the Constitutions architects, representatives dependence on the people comes not from being perfectly in sync with their constituents views on every issue at every moment but on getting enough votes in periodic elections. The Constitution, its worth noting in this context, includes no mechanism of direct democracy, like a referendum, to connect policy more closely to citizens opinions on particular issues. The Framers recognized that people often take positions on one issue that are in tension with, if not outright contradiction to, their positions on others and that their thinking might be subject to momentary passions that they would later regret. The Constitution empowers legislators to sift public opinions for help in determining the right course of action but doesnt tie them indissolubly to those opinions, or require that they be treated equally.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom, not equality. Rights are exercised to radically unequal degrees, and the right to speech is no exception. A few people are articulate, but most arent. Some people are wealthy and can push their views with their money. Others own or work for the media or academia and can advance their opinions disproportionately in those settings. Still others command extra attention through celebrity. Most citizens have none of these advantages, but sometimes they join together to amplify their influence. Further, the interest in getting ones speech heard varies tremendously. Some citizens are intensely focused on specific policies or particular political ideals. But many, if not most, people remain relatively uninterested in the projects of government.

Protecting citizens freedom to use their unequal endowments to pursue their disparate interests required the Framers to keep government out of the job of actively shaping public discourse. And in a free society, what law could succeed in purging elections of the unequal influences of the press, the articulate, the celebrated, the well-connected, or the wealthy? Restricting one group would just magnify the influence of others. The First Amendment, correctly interpreted, tells us not to make such a delusive effort. The danger that politicians will wield their power to preserve their prerogatives is greater than that posed by any of these forms of inequality.

Many complaints about campaigns seized on by progressives to justify restrictions on speech could be addressed without suppressing First Amendment rights. The most widespread complaint is that only the rich get to influence campaigns, whether by giving large sums to Super PACs or by bundling the contributions of wealthy friends and sending them to their favorite candidates; the poor and the middle class, the charge goes, wind up frozen out of politics.

Why not, then, provide an income-adjusted tax credit for political contributions? A tax credit of $25 or $50, phased out as income rose, would encourage millions of citizens of modest means to donate (collectively) large sums to their favorite candidates or political-action committees. Establishing a general campaign-contribution credit wouldnt target any groups or individuals speech in particular, and so would be constitutional under the reasoning of Davis v. FEC.

A further advantage of such a tax credit would be to provide extra money for political campaigns, which, in turn, will help produce a more informed electorate. Yes, contrary to the campaign-finance reformers, we should spend more on politics. Increased campaign spending, research evidence suggests, has made citizens better able to place candidates on an ideological scale and to know what their positions and votes are on issues. In the nineteenth century, Lincoln and Douglas could draw thousands to listen to them at little cost. But in our age of hundreds of cable television channels, the Internet, and other distractions, politicians need greater resources to get their views noticed.

Another concern about money in politics is that big political contributors can win economic favors for themselves. Here, too, rules could prevent such favoritism without harming speech. A good example: ensure competitive bidding for all public contracts, which would restrict the actions of government officials, not the rights of citizens. Congress recently took a step toward constraining the corrupting power of special interests by eliminating earmarksthe tool through which members of Congress would give the green light to projects for their own districts, often regardless of their merit or efficiency.

The better way to make politics more honest and ensure citizens equality before the law is to restrict the actions of government officials, not the speech of citizens.

A regime of heavy regulation of political campaigns means that government increasingly shapes social discourse, which inexorably leads to the centralization of power. By contrast, applying ordinary free-speech protections to electoral expression ensures that government will still depend on the back-and-forth of open debate, generated by free citizens in all their variety. Thus, whats ultimately at stake in the battle over campaign regulation is the First Amendments empowerment of civil society over the prerogatives of the state, a virtuecentral to our constitutional republicthat liberals once defended heroically.

Top Photo: FL-photography/iStock
Haunting this years presidential contest is the sense that the U.S. government no longer belongs to the people and no longer represents them. And this uneasy feeling is not misplaced. It reflects the real state of affairs.

We have lost the government we learned about in civics class, with its democratic election of representatives to do the voters will in framing laws, which the president vows to execute faithfully, unless the Supreme Court rules them unconstitutional. That small government of limited powers that the Founders designed, hedged with checks and balances, hasnt operated for a century. All its parts still have their old names and appear to be carrying out their old functions. But in fact, a new kind of government has grown up inside the old structure, like those parasites hatched in another organism that grow by eating up their host from within, until the adult creature bursts out of the hosts carcass. This transformation is not an evolution but a usurpation.

What has now largely displaced the Founders government is whats called the Administrative Statea transformation premeditated by its main architect, Woodrow Wilson. The thin-skinned, self-righteous college-professor president, who thought himself enlightened far beyond the citizenry, dismissed the Declaration of Independences inalienable rights as so much outmoded nonsense, and he rejected the Founders clunky constitutional machinery as obsolete. (See Its Not Your Founding Fathers Republic Any More, Summer 2014.) What a modern country needed, he said, was a living constitution that would keep pace with the fast-changing times by continual, Darwinian adaptation, as he called it, effected by federal courts acting as a permanent constitutional convention.

Modernity, Wilson thought, demanded efficient government by independent, nonpartisan, benevolent, hyper-educated experts, applying the latest scientific, economic, and sociological knowledge to industrial capitalisms unprecedented problems, too complex for self-governing free citizens to solve. Accordingly, he got Congress to create executive-branch administrative agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission, to do the job. During the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt proliferated such agencies, from the National Labor Relations Board and the Federal Housing Administration to the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, to put the New Deal into effect. Before they could do so, though, FDR had to scare the Supreme Court into stretching the Constitutions Commerce Clause beyond recognition, putting the federal government in charge of all economic activity, not just interstate transactions. He also had to pressure the justices to allow Congress to delegate legislative powerwhich is, in effect, what the lawmakers did by setting up agencies with the power to make binding rules. The Constitution, of course, vests all legislative power in Congress, empowering it to make laws, not to make legislators.

But the Administrative States constitutional transgressions cut deeper still. If Congress cant delegate its legislative powers, it certainly cant delegate judicial powers, which the Constitution gives exclusively to the judiciary. Nevertheless, after these administrative agencies make rules like a legislature, they then exercise judicial authority like a court by prosecuting violations of their edicts and inflicting real criminal penalties, such as fines and cease-and-desist orders. As they perform all these functions, they also violate the principle of the separation of powers, which lies at the heart of our constitutional theory (senselessly curbing efficiency, Wilson thought), as well as the due process of law, for they trample the citizens Fifth Amendment right not to lose his property unless indicted by a grand jury and tried by a jury of his peers, and they search a citizen or a companys private papers or premises, without bothering to get judge-issued subpoenas or search warrants based on probable cause, flouting the Fourth Amendment. They can issue waivers to their rules, so that the law is not the same for all citizens and companies but is instead an instrument of arbitrary power. FDR himself ruefully remarked that he had expanded a fourth branch of government that lacked constitutional legitimacy. Not only does it reincarnate the arbitrary power of the Stuarts tyrannical Star Chamber, but also it doesnt even meet the minimal conditions of liberty that Magna Carta set forth 801 years ago.

Adding insult to injury, Wilson, his allies, and their current followers call themselves progressives, a fatuous boast implying that they are the embodiments and chosen instruments of the spirit of an ever-improving, irresistible future. In tune with the German idealist philosophy that Wilson and his circle studied, they claim to be marching toward an as-yet-unrealized goal of human perfection. But that perfection, the German philosophers believed, would look something like Prussias enlightened despotism. For Americans to think that it is progress to move from the Founders revolutionary achievementa nation of free citizens, endowed with natural rights, living under laws that they themselves have made, pursuing their own vision of happiness in their own way and free to develop as fully as they can whatever talent or genius lies within themto a regime in which individuals derive such rights as they have from a government superior to them is contemptible. How is a return to subjection an advance on freedom? No lover of liberty should ever call such left-wing statism progressive. In historical terms, this elevation of state power over individual freedom is not even liberal but quite the reverse.

As these agencies have metastasized, they have borne out not a single premise that justified their creation, and their increasingly glaring failure has drawn citizens angry attention to them. Expert? As a New Deal congressman immediately recognized with shock, many of those who staffed the Administrative State were kids just out of law school, with zero real-world experience or technical knowledge. Efficient? Can-do America, which built the Empire State Building in 11 months and ramped up airplane production during World War II from 2,000 in 1939 to nearly 100,000 in 1944, now takes years of bureaucratic EPA busywork to repair a bridge or lay a pipeline, and who knows how many businesses never expand or even start because the maze of government regulation is too daunting and costly to navigate? Only last year, EPA experts fecklessly stood by as workers under their supervision accidentally dumped 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater into the Colorado River, and the agency vouchsafed not a word of warning to downstream Colorado and New Mexico officials for an entire day before the poisonous, fluorescent-orange flood hit them. Over at Veterans Affairs, those whove fought for their country die in droves while waiting for medical care. But whats the problem? asks agency head Robert MacDonald blithely. After all, at ever-popular Disneyland, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?

Non-political? Ask Lois Lerner at the Internal Revenue Service. Oh wait: she pleaded the Fifth Amendmentand her boss, John Koskinen, simply ignores Congresss orders, even as more than 2,000 of his enforcement agents have acquired military-grade weaponry, among 200,000 of such administrative-agency officers now similarly equipped with lethal arms, presumably for coercion of the citizens they supposedly serve. Or theres the Federal Elections Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, lackeys of President Obama and his ultra-partisan agenda.

Protecting citizens from industrial capitalisms giant corporations? Where were the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight as the mortgage bubble blew up in 2008, nearly taking the whole financial system with it and producing the worst economic bust since the Great Depression, which even today has sunk the labor-force participation rate and hiked the suicide rate among working-class men and women to record levels? Moreover, from the establishment of the first administrative agencythe Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887, essentially designed to create shared railroad cartelsthese agencies have been key instruments of crony capitalism, which today often takes the form of senators and congressmen pressuring agencies for rule changes or waivers to benefit their contributors, usually at the expense of their competitors as well as the public, as the author of the recent Confessions of Congressman X complains of his fellow legislative puppets. Little wonder that todays Americans think that such people dont represent them. Pollsters report that trust in government is at its lowest level ever, with only 19 percent expecting government to do the right thing, according to last years Gallup and Pew polls.

Ensuring the citizens health and safety? Where is the Food and Drug Administration as counterfeit medicines and medical supplies from China infiltrate our hospitals? As for the infamously dysfunctional Transportation Security Administration, its Keystone Kops regularly reported inability to spot journalists carrying banned weapons onto airplanes, while they are too busy fondling travelers private parts or undressing grannies, is a standing national jokeon us. We lost our constitutional safeguards for this?

FDR spewed out his agencies in a try anything spirit to cure a Depression that his predecessors misguided palliatives had worsened, and debate still surges over whether the New Deal agencies did harm or good, putting aside their doubtful legitimacy. But the majority of Americans at the time gave the president credit for good intentions. By contrast, many voters give Barack Obama no such credit for his analogous response to the Great Recession. They see it as a cynically calculated ploy to extend governments power over the people, especially given the White House chief of staffs crack that a president should never let a good crisis go to waste. So on the pretext of addressing the financial crisis, the administration partially socialized American medicine with legislation that only Democrats voted for, without bothering to read it, and that citizens who opposed the measurestill a solid majority of those polledsaw as a kind of coup detat, framed with utter irresponsibility and ignoring the scary financial mess. As happened during the New Deal, a timid Supreme Court found the act constitutional only by the politically driven legerdemain frequent in that institutions checkered history. It struck many as flimflam, not government by consent.

The result was a spectacular expansion of the Administrative State, with some 150 new agencies and commissions created; no one knows the exact number. And these agencies purposely removed the Administrative State even further from government by the people. One agency, the Independent Payment Advisory Boardthe so-called death panelis so democratically unaccountable that Congress can only abolish it by a three-fifths vote in both houses within a seven-month period next year. After that, the law bars Congress from altering any of the boards edicts, a provision as far from democratic self-government as you can get.

When the administration finally confronted the financial crisis, lengthened by Obamacares disincentives to hiring, its reflex response was to expand the Administrative State still further with the Dodd-Frank Act, named for its two legislative sponsors, both of whom had been in bed with the mortgage racket, one figuratively and one literally. Whether it solved the problem is dubious. What is certain is that it is as undemocratic as Obamacare, with its Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, whose budget Congress cant control, its Financial Stability Oversight Council, whose rulings no court may review, and its army of regulators occupying the big banks and squeezing multimillion-dollar penalties out of CEOs clinging to their supersize compensation, regardless of what happens to the stockholders. Meanwhile, the opaque Federal Housing Finance Agency, formed during the crisis to salvage the misbegotten mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, seems bent on nationalizing permanently this sizable chunk of the economy, putting the government in charge of citizens housing as well as their health care.

As for the stimulus that was supposed to give a Keynesian boost to the economy: since you cant prove a negative, no one can show that if all that money had stayed in the private economy, it would have created more jobs and economic growth than the economically anemic Obama era has done. What unemployed or underemployed workers saw, though, is that a good portion of stimulus money went to protect the jobs of public employees, whose welfare evidently trumps that of the citizens whom they supposedly serve. Coal miners saw that, even as the administration aimed to kill their jobs, its stimulus shoveled out hundreds of millions of dollars to now-defunct Solyndra and other nonviable, crony-capitalist green energy companies, supposed solutions to a global-warming crisis that many think a hoax, though some two dozen public officials seem keen to suppress, Inquisition-style, the very utterance of that thought. And voters noticed that Americas three highest-income counties are in the Washington suburbs that house the federal governments recession-proof functionaries. (See Hail Columbia!, Winter 2013.)

Unease over illegal immigration also has stoked todays fear that the government no longer belongs to the people, and its important to understand the separate but mutually reinforcing ways that it has done so. Once again, President Obama has made a bad situation worsethis time, by his contemptuous refusal to execute the laws faithfully. His catch-and-release policy for illegal border-crossers, as well as his ban on deporting young aliens brought here by their illegal-immigrant parents, are imperial, antidemocratic edicts that might have sparked impeachment proceedings, had not Congresss silly move to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about his sex games with an intern tainted that weapon for years to come. The result of Obamas diktat, as contrary to the spirit of the Founders Constitution as is the Administrative State, is that law-abiding taxpayers must pay for the kids welfare support, health care, and schoolingas they already do for anchor babies born to mothers who have sneaked over the U.S. border for the purpose of having a child eligible for child-only welfare benefits, scarcely less than ordinary welfare payments and vastly more than the income of Central American peasant families. No American voted to incur these costs, which, if current trends continue, are likely to persist for several generations of such families, so they amount to taxation without representation as naked as George IIIs.

As for the illegals who work, often for long hours at low pay, off the books: because immigrants, 13 percent of the population, hold 17 percent of the jobsand no one knows the percentage of workers who are here illegallyjobless working-class citizens have understandably concluded that a lawless government, by countenancing such cheap labor, is taking the bread out of their mouths. Should they eat cake instead?

Americas highest-income counties are in the suburbs that house Washingtons recession-proof functionaries.

What citizens want to know is that, of all the worlds people who seek to live in America, our government will admit those who come legally, whose families will not harm us, and who will add to the wealth of the nation, not reap where they have not sown. After all, public safetynot clean energy or national health careis governments purpose. Nevertheless, Mexican criminals really have infiltrated the country and really have killed Americans, inevitably, under the administrations anything-goes immigration stance. Further, its no comfort to any American who has suffered loss from an Islamist terror attack within our bordersfrom Ground Zero and Fort Hood to San Bernardino and Orlandothat such incidents pose no threat to our existence as a nation, as the president has said by way of reassurance, while refusing to call such outrages by their right name. How many citizens would have to die in a dirty-bomb attack in Grand Central Terminal for such events to strike him as a threat to the nations existence?

The question of providing a path to citizenship for the 12 million illegal aliens already here is also germane to the debate about whom the U.S. government serves and to whom it belongs. Talk radios Rush Limbaugh jokes that illegal aliens is a politically incorrect term; we must say undocumented Democrats instead. But its a joke with a barb, for no one can doubt that these 12 million, if they could vote, would vote for the Democratic program of an ever-larger, richly paid government extracting ever-larger transfer payments from productive workers to the dependent poorJames Madisons definition of the tyranny of the majority in Federalist 10. With black poverty and exclusion steadily ameliorating, thanks to decades of striving by well-intentioned Americans of all raceseven though Obamas exattorney general Eric Holder devoted his tenure to denying this plain truththe Democratic Party needs a new class of victims to justify its helping agenda and its immense cadre of well-paid government helpers. Central American peasants fill the bill.

Formerly, our open economy drew the enterprising and energetic to these shores, and our lack of a public safety net, with only private ethnic and religious charities to help the unfortunate, meant that those who couldnt contribute to the U.S. economy went home. But today, when we have a vast welfare state that didnt exist during earlier waves of immigration, the mothers of anchor babies come for handouts, and even the children of hardworking legal Hispanic immigrants end up on the welfare rolls at troublesomely high rates. In addition, our showering of self-proclaimed refugees with welfare benefits, which attracts the shiftless rather than the enterprising, only compounds the government-sustained dependency problemdependency upon taxpayers who didnt choose this particular philanthropy.

The phalanx of privately supported settlement houses and other institutions that met the great immigration wave around the turn of the twentieth century, along with the public school system, aimed to Americanize the new arrivalsteaching them our language, manners, and customs, and especially our republican civic ethic. Culture, after all, is as important an element of national identity as political institutions. To become an American in those days meant little more than learning English and subscribing to a broadly shared creed of self-reliance, self-government, self-improvement, and allegiance to a tolerant nation that most people agreed was unique in the freedom and opportunity it affordedas well as in its readiness to confer citizenship on newcomers who almost universally desired it. But todays legal Hispanic immigrants often dont apply for American citizenship, or retain dual nationalities: Americanization often is not high on their agendas.

Moreover, our new doctrine of multiculturalism gives todays immigrants nothing to assimilate to, since current intellectual fashionset by the universities, Hollywood, and the mainstream mediacelebrates everything that makes us different rather than the creed that once made one nation out of many individuals. And multiculturalisms accompanying creed of victimology encourages dependency rather than self-reliance. Who are the victimizers of illegal Hispanic aliens? According to todays politically correct progressivism, it is the neocolonial United States that has exploited the Third Worlds natural resources, shored up its ruling oligarchies, and subverted its incipient democratic governments. And then it further victimizes them with racism when they try to escape to this country.

Deference to the greater wisdom of government, which Wilsonian progressivism deems a better judge of what the era needs and what the people really want than the people themselves, has been silently eroding our unique culture of enterprise, self-reliance, enlightenment, and love of liberty for decades. But if we cease to enshrine American exceptionalism at the heart of our cultureif we set equal value on such Third World cultural tendencies as passive resignation, fatalism, superstition, devaluation of learning, resentment of imaginary plots by the powerful, and a belief that gratification deferred is gratification forgonethe exceptionalism of our institutions becomes all the more precarious.

Supercharging American anger over illegal immigration and its consequences is the politically correct ban on openly discussing it, with even the most reasoned reservation dismissed as racism and yahooism. And political correctness generates its own quantum of anger among citizens, who think of freedom of speech and debate as central to American exceptionalism. But elite culture stigmatizes plain speaking, so that now a rapist or a murderer is a person who committed a crime or an individual who was incarcerated, says the Obama Department of Justice, or, according to the latest humbug from the Department of Education, a justice-involved individual. Implicit in these euphemisms is the theory that society, not the criminal, is to blame for crime, a long-exploded idea aimed at blurring the distinction between right and wrong.

Thats what makes it so disheartening to learn that the University of California has just deemed it a politically incorrect offense to declare America a land of opportunity, so as not to stigmatize those whove failed to seize it. Its disheartening not only because such a retreat from our traditional culture will hold back immigrants, but also because our long cultural unraveling already has damagingly demoralized the native-born working class in the face of economic change. They dimly know that, and part of what makes them so angry is what they have allowed themselves to become.

When Theodore Roosevelt, who unsuccessfully ran against Woodrow Wilson in 1912 on the Progressive Party ticket, first declared his intention to go into politics, his fellow clubmen jeered at him for wanting to associate with the saloon-keepers, horse-car conductors, and other rough and brutal characters running the nations political parties. I answered, recalled TR, that if this were so it merely meant that the people I knew did not belong to the governing class, and that the other people didand that I intended to be one of the governing class. Thats the true voice of progressivism speaking. As the Founders often cautioned, a self-governing republic doesnt have a governing class. Part of Americas current predicament is that it now has such a class, and the American people are very angry about it.

Top Photo: There are good reasons that this is the most rage-fueled American presidential contest in at least half a century. (SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES)
CJR recently invited contributions from journalists whose work focuses on the healthcare challenges specific to their communities. We asked each reporter the same question: As the nation anticipates passage of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, what are the health stories that are most urgent for journalists to tell in your region? As the Senate moves towards a vote, well publish more dispatches here, to encourage journalists to cover the changing health care landscape from the ground up.

ITS NOT NEWS THAT KENTUCKY, West Virginia and Ohio are staggering under an epidemic of drug abuse. But the looming health threat of a related explosion of HIV infections is a story that needs to be told often, and loudly.

Nearly 100 counties in the three-state region are designated at high risk for HIV infection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 10 counties that face the greatest risk are all in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. On a map, those counties resemble a dark splotch in the heart of the country.

The consequences of rural HIV outbreaks briefly reached the national media in 2015, when Austin, Indiana (population 4,200) started seeing dozens of HIV infections. News outlets including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Al Jazeera, and National Public Radio covered the situation in Austin, where 215 residents were ultimately diagnosed with HIV.

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But, with few exceptions, the Austin story came and went. The risk of HIV from needle drug use continued to rise in rural places, such coverage declined, and federal funding for prevention focused on urban areas. (Laura Ungar of the Louisville Courier-Journal and USA Today recently published a three-part series on the ongoing issue.) In addition to providing thoughtful and thorough reporting, Ungers stories demonstrate the importance of dedicated health reporters working outside of the nations media bubbles.

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCHER Jennifer Havens has studied a group of drug addicts in Hazard, Kentucky, since 2008. Havens work suggests HIV is likely to spread quickly within an interconnected community of rural addicts. Stigma about HIV could keep many from being tested, which increases the likelihood of further infections, and a lack of access to medical care would make HIV treatment difficult, predicted Havens. Intravenous drug use has already led to a spike in endocarditis, an infection of the heart valve that is often deadly and requires expensive and extended treatment.

There is hope. Public health officials consider needle exchange programs an effective and essential tool in preventing infections. Following the Indiana outbreak, state officials in Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio made it possible for local health departments to create exchanges.

The struggle to combat HIV rates in my part of the country also represents a broader national evolution in how communities think of drug use.

As it has been put forward, the Better Care Reconciliation Act could significantly impact the Ohio Valley region, ravaged as it is by the opioid epidemic. That makes preventative measures such as needle exchange programs more critical. But needle exchanges require approval by local elected officials in culturally conservative communities, whose residents may view such programs as enabling users or encouraging more drug use.

IN MY REPORTING, IVE SEEN civic-minded folks challenge their own biases for the good of their community.

Powell County, Kentucky, ranks 15th among American counties at high risk for HIV. Local officials recently voted to create a needle exchange program in Powell. For one story, I spoke with a nurse, a physicians assistant and a pastor who first had to challenge their own religious convictions about drug use before supporting an exchange. In another county, residents were more likely to take condoms if they were discreetly tucked into small paper bags, rather than offered in a bowl. Such community-specific public health efforts make for important stories.

The struggle to combat HIV rates in my part of the country also represents a broader national evolution in how communities think of drug use. For a long time, drug use has been a law enforcement issue, not a public health issue. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy made news when he described substance abuse as a chronic illness that must be treated with skill, urgency and compassion.

The way we address this crisis, said Murthy, is a test for America. That testing ground is Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio.

RELATED: Reporter posts front pages of LA Times, WashPo & NYTimes. Something was missing.

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Mary Meehan brings 30 years of experience to the health beat at the Ohio Valley ReSource, a network of NPR-affiliated stations covering Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio. She is based at WEKU.FM at Eastern Kentucky University. As a 2016 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Mary studied digital journalism and the challenge of using public health policy to create sustainable social change. Follow her on Instagram @TheMaryMeehan and on Twitter @TheMaryMeehan and @OVReSRC.
Sam Sanders is on a mission: to go beyond the headlines. His new NPR talk show, Its Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, covers whats happening and also tries to understand how it makes people feel. As one of the original co-hosts of the NPR Politics Podcast, Sanders broke down the 2016 election cycle for listeners near and far. Hell be bringing the same charm and sense of humor to the new show, which will cover the intersection of politics and pop culture. According to Sanders, you cant talk about Black Lives Matter without talking about Beyonce or Chance the Rapper.

The two-episode-per-week podcast is a bit more upbeat than what youre used to hearing these days in Washington. The Tuesday morning episode will feature interviews with celebrities or other public figures, like the hilarious Lena Waithe from the Netflix show Master of None, or a conversation about a specific newsworthy subject. On Friday evenings, Sanders will recap the weeks news with guest panelists, often journalists or experts. Since February, Sanders and his producer, Brent Baughman, have been piloting the show on the NPR One app.

Sanders recently spoke with CJR about the idea behind Its Been a Minute, the importance of listener feedback, and the need for more laughter in public radio. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Hear more from Sanders on this weeks The Kicker podcast.

RELATED: Reporter posts front pages of LA Times, WashPo & NYTimes. Something was missing.

Its been a minute since we last heard you on the NPR airwaves. Throughout the 2016 election, you were keeping me and thousands of others in the loop on all things politics. Now youve got your own talk show. Can you tell us about the new project? What can listeners expect?

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We have been tinkering with the format and the formula in NPR One since February, and we have locked into a pretty straightforward, twice-a-week talk show. The Friday episodes try to help our listeners make sense of the week in news. Its a discussion of headlines big and small with two colleagues or friends from inside or outside the building, with a lot of listener input. And the Tuesday episodes are what were calling deep divelong conversations between me and one other person or on one topic. Weve kind of been doing the Friday round-ups in NPR One consistently for the last two or three months, and those are pretty fully-formed. We talk about the week in a few different ways. We ask people to describe how the week felt to them in three words. We ask the panelists to come on and talk with me to talk about a story that they loved, or were obsessed with, or hated, or [a story they] did themselves during the week.

We ask listeners to call us and tell us whats going on in their neck of the woods, and we always end that show on Fridays with having listeners tell us the best thing about their week, and thats been really touching and poignant. People are sharing things like the first job or childbirth or graduationjust really, really fun, uplifting stuff. And I think thats really important to have because its good to remind people in this season that has been so full of crazy news cycles that the world is still good, and people still have good things happen to them and its OK to celebrate our lives.

Thank you for validating that its okay to celebrate.

Yeah. Our goal in every episode, without fail, is to laugh. We laugh at ourselves, we laugh at like the craziness that is right now, we laugh at all of it, and thats OK to do. I think that especially in the height of the rancor in the campaign season last year, people didnt know whether they can feel a certain kind of way because things felt so serious. Can I laugh? Can this be funny? Must I take everything so seriously? Am I allowed to be a little flip? And to have a tone that does not line up with X, Y, Z? And like the goal of our show is to say you get to feel how you feel, and I actually want to talk about it with you.

How are you hoping the show changes the way people consume their news?

Were not just trying to have news conversations; were trying to have conversations about how the news feels, you know, and understand that by the time a lot of people get to Friday evening and theyre pulling up Apple podcast and turning me on, hopefully, theyve seen the headlines all week. They know whats going on. They read the text of that bill. They saw Donald Trumps tweet. Theyve seen the first photos of Beyonces twins. They dont need a news ticker. They need some sense of how to put all of it into perspective. And so what I hope those Friday conversations do is help myself and our listeners get some of that right.

So, unlike All Things Considered and Morning Edition on NPR, which are breaking the news, this seems like its trying to better contextualize it. Is that what makes this different from other programming already on the airwaves?

I think so. I mean, I think in some of those Tuesday conversations, there will be some news broken. As we book more newsmakers who are willing to sit down and talk with me for an hour or more at a time, theyll break news in those conversations. But no, its not going to be nearly at the speed at which youd hear news break on Morning Edition or All Things Considered. And were fine with that. I also think a lot of what were trying to do in the show, and a lot of what you heard happened in the NPR politics podcast, was just to pull away the script, just take it away, and let people who were informed on these topics just talk about it. And when you do that, you just get a different level of analysis because we end up not just saying heres what I know, we end up saying heres how this feels weird, heres what else I dont know, heres what I still want to figure out, heres why I still have questions. And I think hearing people have those conversations out loud, they kind of mimic the conversations you and your friends might have.

I remember hearing about this project months ago before the idea was fully formed. And one of the things I loved about it then was the emphasis on audience engagement. You piloted the show on the NPR One app starting in February, and listeners submitted feedback throughout the so-called beta phase. Why was it so important to have them involved? And what were your key takeaways?

One, its for them, so they should be involved, right? That was a no brainer. Two, when youre making something that is just like your voice, and your baby, youre really too close to it to know if its good or bad. Like all the stuff that we made, I dont know if it was great, only that I liked it. I knew that I was talking to people that I wanted to talk to. I knew that it fit into the editorial standards that I had for myself as a journalist. But besides that, I didnt know if it was good. And our listeners really did a great job of giving us a gut check of what was good and what was bad. Not just through seeing all of the data that NPR One can give us, which shows when they listen, how long they listen, when they cut out, whether or not they keep us on afterwards. Besides that, we had a survey for all of our listeners in NPR One to fill out, and we had thousands of responses. We had so many emails.

There was one last week where a listener was making suggestions on when to post music for a new segment introlike really, really detailed specific instructions, and its just like you need that, you need that. I feel really confident after that months-long process that were going to be giving listeners something that is their own. Its their show as much as it is my show and not just because I want to have their voices in pretty much every episode, but because like they literally help us make the show.

ICYMI: Do you live in a Local News Desert? Check out this really cool interactive to find out

Each episode of Its Been a Minute will end with listeners sharing the best thing that happened to them that week. Why do you think their voices should be heard more on public radio?

So I do that on my Facebook feed all the time. I think like in the churn of this crazy space and in social media, most of everything is just snark and mean. Its nice to have a space once a week that is just nice, right? And so when we began to plan for the new show, we had a bunch of planning meetings with people from in and outside the office, and one of my colleagues, who was also a Facebook friend, said it might be really interesting to hear that Friday thing you do on Facebook, to hear that in your show just because it feels good. So she suggested it, and we were just like, OK lets try it, and it works. There was no grand strategy to it.

I think what is really working about it is that were putting these very, very personal stories unique to these individuals right next to these conversations about the news of the world and the news of the week. And you dont really hear too many shows that do that. But thats the way that we live most of our lives. I live every day of my life not just following what politicians and celebrities are doing, but I also like follow what my friends are doing. And so why not have a show that tries in some way to mirror the way that we actually consume life? Like the way that we consume news in life is the high, and the low, and the big, and the small, and the serious, and the non-serious. Its not just hard news, its not just soft news, its kind of like whatever feels right that week.

Theres a longstanding tradition of great talk shows on NPR. Pop Culture Happy Hour, Car Talk, Its All Politics come to mind. Whats different about Its Been a Minute, at least from my perspective, is its more casual, conversational, youthful style. Do you think this show is a way for NPR to reach an audience that its had difficulty targeting?

I think that a lot of the metrics that we saw in the audience for the NPR Politics Podcast were really inspiring. A vast majority of the listeners to that show were 35 or under. And I think a lot of those folks are going to follow me to this new project, and what the NPR Politics Podcast did and is still doing is creating the future of NPRs audience, because once we get that high school student or that college student or that young working person listening to usto the NPR Politics Podcast or this new showonce we let them know that its OK to believe in NPR, weve got them. Before you know it, theyll listen to the radio, and theyll check out our web site. And so like my goal is to make sure that this new show that Im doing doesnt just speak to that core of listeners that have loved us and supported us forever, but to make sure that I can be that gateway for those new listeners, and let them know like hey, you are welcome here, and I want to be what gets your foot in the door.

You can listen to the show starting on June 23.

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Meg Dalton is a freelance journalist and audio producer based in Connecticut. She's reported and edited for CJR, PBS NewsHour, Energy News Network, Architectural Digest, MediaShift, Hearst Connecticut newspapers, and more. Follow her on Twitter: @megdalts. Find her on Twitter @megdalts.
On the morning of July 20, 2016, Ukrainian journalist Pavel Sheremet left his apartment in central Kiev, stepped into his car, and began his morning commute. Security footage from that day shows Sheremet, in a red Subaru, inching toward an intersection. Suddenly, the car jerks back as a fiery explosion rips through the front seats.

Sheremet was one of 48 journalists killed last year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. His death made news around the world, and Ukraines president, Petro Poroshenko, promised that authorities would find those responsible.

Nearly a year later, following a police investigation riddled with errors, no one has been held accountable. Meanwhile, Sheremets fellow journalists have stepped into the void.

RELATED: The death of a journalist ignored by major outlets

Minutes after Sheremets car burst into flames, his Ukrainian colleagues sprang into action, interviewing witnesses and gathering security video from businesses and residences in the area. Together with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an international consortium of investigative journalists, and Slidstvo.info, an online television network, they produced Killing Pavel, a documentary that exposes flaws in the official account of the murder. The film brings the local knowledge of Sheremets Ukrainian colleagues together with the resources and technological expertise of journalists across Europe to illuminate the hours leading up to the bombing, and raises questions about the possible complicity of the Security Service of Ukraine, the countrys domestic intelligence agency.

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In addition to his work in print and radio, Sheremet served as a mentor to Ukrainian journalists. He organized conferences and workshops that brought reporters, editors, and experts from around the world to Ukraine to speak with local journalists. Born in the former Soviet Union, in what is now Belarus, Sheremet worked as a journalist in his native country before moving to Moscow, where he became a fierce critic of the Kremlin. He later left Russia for Ukraine, where he hosted a morning radio show and wrote for Ukrainska Pravda, an online news outlet. The Committee to Protect Journalists recognized Sheremet with an International Press Freedom award in 1998.

Given his history as a critic of the Lukashenko and Putin governments, as well as the complex politics of a region thrown into chaos by Russias annexation of Crimea, many wondered who was responsible for Sheremets murder. He had supported the 2014 uprising that forced Viktor Yanukovych from the Ukrainian presidency, but had also been critical of some policies enacted by the new government.

We still dont know why he was killed, says Anna Babinets, OCCRP Ukrainian editor and one of the lead reporters on the documentary. Its a mystery for us. We knew Pavel was a Russian and Belarusian journalist before he was a Ukrainian journalist. It was a complicated situation. For us, it was very important to understand for what he was killed.

Over the course of 10 months, Babinets and her colleagues collected and reviewed closed-circuit video footage, created a detailed map of the path the suspected bombers traveled, tracked down previously unknown witnesses, and interviewed Igor Ustimenko, who was employed by the Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, until at least 2014, and was seen on camera near the scene when the bomb was planted. In an appropriate tribute to a journalist with roots in three countries, the effort marked the first time a major transnational consortium has come together for the express purpose of investigating a journalists murder. Versions of the documentary have been produced with Ukrainian, Russian, and English narrations, and the journalists behind it hope that it will both serve as a record of their investigations and keep pressure on authorities to pursue the case with vigor.

The only way to protect ourselves as journalists is to investigate it by ourselves. If we do not do anything with cases like this, it can make bigger dangers for us.

Babinets, who worked on the Panama Papers project and the YanukovychLeaks investigation, tells CJR there was a personal aspect to the investigation. I feel that I wanted, and I still want, to work with it because he was a journalist, because its about us, she says. The only way to protect ourselves as journalists is to investigate it by ourselves. If we do not do anything with cases like this, it can make bigger dangers for us. When we investigate, its protection for us, too.

Theres a scattered but proud tradition of journalists investigating attacks on our own, says Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. For those steeped in investigative journalisms history, Sheremets murder, and the way journalists rallied to respond, calls to mind the car bombing of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles. On June 2, 1976, Bolles returned to his blue Datsun after a meeting with a source fell through, and started the car. Moments later, six sticks of dynamite exploded beneath him, mortally wounding the veteran crime reporter.

As Bolles lay clinging to life in a hospital bed, his colleagues at the Republic joined forces with the newly formed Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) to pursue those responsible. Bolles died 11 days after the bombing, but reporting by IRE members resulted in the arrests and ultimate convictions of several men with organized crime connections who were implicated in the killing.

ICYMI: What a hyperlocal investigative powerhouse looks like

More recently, journalists from across the western United States came together in 2007 to form the Chauncey Bailey Project after Bailey, the editor in chief of The Oakland Post in California, was assassinated while reporting on corruption at a local bakery. Their reporting likely played a role in the arrest of those responsible for planning Baileys murder.

In most of the world, however, the killers of journalists rarely face justice. When a journalist is killed, every institution of society except for journalists themselves would rather look the other way, Shapiro says. The journalist as the enemy is now so much a part of the language of demagogues, and is so much a part of the authoritarian impulse. Its so pervasive that even in democratic societies there seems to be encouragement for attacks on journalists, and in authoritarian societies impunity has never had it better.

Ukraine has seen some improvement in its press freedom environment in the years since Poroshenko took office, but the influence of oligarchs and an information war with Russia, as well as the failure of authorities to successfully investigate Sheremets murder, have contributed to the countrys ranking of 102 out of 180 nations in the Reporters Without Borders 2017 Press Freedom Index.

Journalists face huge obstacles in this region, says Matt Sarnecki, an American journalist based in Romania who is the OCCRPs video editor and served as writer, producer, and narrator on Killing Pavel. Whenever a journalist is killed theres always outrage. Its what you do for a living. You see all the things that are wrong with it, and you want to right that wrong. If it were a politician who were murdered, I probably wouldnt have had the same zeal as I had because it was Pavel.

The work of Babinets, Sarnecki, and their colleagues has led to progress. Ukrainian police have questioned Ustimenko, the former security service employee identified in the documentary. Babinets says the reporters have also reached an agreement with police to share information, allowing journalists access to video footage they were previously unable to obtain. The journalists investigation is a sterling example of a collective response to the murder of one of their own.

But Killing Pavel leaves many questions unanswered. What is Igor Ustimenkos connection to the Security Service of Ukraine? Why did the police miss so many leads that reporters later uncovered? Why, ultimately, was Sheremet killed?

Sarneckis narration concludes with a simple statement, Whether its incompetence, or something far worse, the result is the same: Pavels killers are still free.

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Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
06/23/2017

Certain health conditions and risk factors could affect a woman or her unborn baby if she becomes pregnant. For this reason, physicians often advise women to practice good preconception health.

Taking folic acid, achieving a healthy weight, and making sure medical conditions are under control can help boost the odds of having a healthy pregnancy and baby. Now, prospective parents can take their efforts to have a healthy child a step further with the help of genetic testing and counseling.

An at-home saliva test called JScreen (affiliated with Emory University) is letting couples find out if they are carriers diseases that could be passed on to their children, such as Tay-Sachs, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy.

Screening and counseling

JScreen says its test -- which uses genetic sequencing technology to determine carrier status for diseases common in many ethnic groups, as well as in the general population -- is significantly more comprehensive than other tests that can be ordered online.

The test screens for more than 200 genetic diseases that could affect a couples future children. In addition to the saliva test, couples receive genetic counseling via phone or video conference.

"Genetic testing alone is not enough. Counseling is a necessary part of the process, said Karen Grinzaid, JScreen's Executive Director. Labs that report results directly to consumers put people at risk for misinterpreting the information they need to make family planning decisions.

Understanding the risks

To provide couples with a more complete understanding of their risk of passing on diseases, JScreen recently doubled its screening panel. The saliva test previously only screened for 100 disease genes.

The move comes in the wake of new recommendations by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that encourage doctors to discuss expanded carrier screenings with their patients.

If families have information, they have choices, Grinzaid told the Atlanta Jewish Times. You can have a conversation with your spouse about what you would or would not do if you were to have an affected child."

"Our goal is to get to people preconception, as much as possible, so they can make decisions on different reproductive options, such as in vitro fertilization or adoption, and maximize their chances of having a healthy family," she concluded.
Viking Cruises christened its third ocean-going ship, the Viking Sky during a public celebration in Troms, Norway on Thursdya.

This is a special time of year in Norway  these are the days of the midnight sun and the perfect backdrop for a celebration. All of our ships proudly carry the Norwegian flag, and it is an especially proud day to officially welcome our new ship in Troms, the arctic capital of the world, said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises. Vikings were explorers, and our ships are built with their spirit of exploration in mind. We design every aspect of our ships and cruises so that our guests can spend more time immersed in their destination. Scandinavia is Viking territory, but as we continue to expand our fleet, we also look forward to introducing new travelers to the Viking way of travel around the world.

The Viking Sky was positioned in the harbor adjacent to a concert stage constructed specifically for the celebration, according to a statement.

Viking guests and residents of Troms were treated to a public concert, with performances from a variety of Norwegian musicians  including Arctic Philharmonic, Lisa Stokke, Violet Road, Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska and Jrn Hoel. During Viking Skys christening ceremony, Marit Barstad, sister of Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen, served as ceremonial godmother and offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for Viking Sky  a naval tradition that dates back thousands of years.

Several elements of the christening ceremony paid homage to the Norwegian heritage of both the company and godmother. Instead of champagne for the traditional bottle-breaking, Viking Sky was christened with a bottle of Gammel Opland aquavit, which hails from the same county in Norway where Torstein and Marits mother, Ragnhild  also lovingly known as Mamsen  was born.Mamsens, the Norwegian deli onboard Viking Sky, was also named after Ragnhild, and Gammel Opland was her favorite brand of aquavit.

Additionally, in honor of the original Viking explorers, a gilded Viking axe was used to cut the cord for the aquavit christening.
Genting Cruise Lines, which oversees Star and Dream Cruises, and China Southern Airlines, which has the largest air fleet by capacity in Asia, have signed a fly-cruise deal.

Under the agreement, the two industry companies have pledged to take the fly-cruise travel concept into a new era and contribute to the development of Guangzhou as a world-class cruise homeport and travel hub, according to a statement.

Kent Zhu, President of Genting Cruise Lines and Laijun Luo, Director General of the Commercial Steering Committee at China Southern Airlines, led the signing ceremony attended by over 100 guests including Aiying Tan, Deputy Director, Tourism Administration of the Guangzhou Municipality and Genting Cruise Lines senior executives, Yvette Yuan, Head of Sales and Senior Vice President as well as Dongliang Li, Senior Vice President of the Sales Division.

Genting and China Southern will pull together their resources in product development, sales, marketing and promotions to create innovative, unique and competitive travel products, such as the new Air + Cruise + Travel program targeting MICE, group and individual travellers, the two companies said, in a joint statement.

The agreement will be rolled out in two phases: the first involves cross-promotion to corporate staff and affiliates of both parties, followed by a full-fledged promotion campaign in the market to drive domestic and international travel across all sales channels.

As the first cruise line dedicated to the development of the industry in Southern China, Genting Cruise Lines is pioneering this cross-industry strategic collaboration with China Southern Airlines to initiate the full-fledged launch of the fly-cruise concept in China, said Zhu. It is our goal to expand the source market of Guangzhou, propelling the advancement and development of the cruising industry in the country.

This partnership on the promotion of fly-cruise will leverage on our extensive route network of Chinese and Asian destinations, as well as the strategic fleet deployments of Genting Cruise Lines to set an unprecedented quality of fly-cruise travel that allows seamless connections between the air and the sea, as well as driving the economic development of various port cities with massive market potential, said Luo.

This strategic partnership is supported by the Tourism Administration of the Guangzhou Municipality.

The exclusive fly-cruise package presented by Genting Cruise Lines and China Southern Airlines will be officially launched on June 28, which will coincide with the monthly China Southern Member Day. Over a million China Southern Airlines members will enjoy exclusive onboard dining credits upon the purchase of fly-cruise packages comprising of direct flights from over 40 cities in China to Guangzhou, paired with the five-night cruises to Okinawa on Genting Dream.
I recently attended The Financial Brand Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Forum hosted over 1500 professionals in the financial sector for a 3-day conference, of which, I attended several breakout sessions on various topicsone session in particular is top of mind for this blog.

On day 2 of the Forum, I attended a breakout session about one of the nations largest Banks ($125 Billion in assets) that grew their revenue using social media. I was curious to hear their Director of Social Media speak on the subject to see what her findings were, and their overall strategy for success. One thing that was shocking to me about her presentation, was when she said her Bank wasnt on Instagram. When an audience member asked why, the Director of Social Media responded with our Bank likes to take their time when deciding which social media platforms we should be on, and Im not so sure where Instagram is going to go. I can understand her response, but I respectfully disagree with herand heres why:

Dont wait. Run!

As we know, most credit union member populations are aging. With over 700 million monthly active Instagrammers, the platforms primary age group is 18-29 years old (aka millennials), which is the perfect market for credit unions to target to grow their membership.
EFFINGHAM -- Earlier this month, Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship focused on growth and advancements as they hosted their third annual national conference in Effingham.

The two-day conference drew over 100 business owners, community leaders and educators -- from all across the country -- who are working to improve the economic and educational climates in their communities. These individuals come from all walks of life, but share a common thread: the CEO program, which is an innovative, educational, entrepreneurial program.

This years attendees consistently give their time, skills and experience to nearly 800 CEO students, in the roles of a board member, mentor, facilitator, investor and more.

From June 12 to June 13, these individuals took part in important conversations surrounding entrepreneurship and education, some of which were held in breakout sessions surrounding leadership and mentoring, in the hallway, following the keynote speakers address on success and over dinner, as they celebrated the progress Midland Institute and the CEO program have made in the last several years.

This years National Conference was -- hands down -- the best one yet, says Evelyn Bailey, CEO facilitator. Midland Institute did a wonderful job creating a creative, collaborative environment for us to grow and learn in.

Highlights from the two-day event included a social gathering, a welcome address by Craig Lindvahl -- one of the founding fathers of "CEO" -- and a keynote from Rick Owens, author of "Alphabetability."

We were very impressed with the turnout and the engagement of the individuals who were present last week, says Midland Institute President Donnie Wilson. I am confident that we will continue to see incredible things from our CEO communities with each passing year.

The CEO Program is an educational program that helps students learn problem solving and business skills through interactions with local business and community leaders. The program was established almost nine years ago in Effingham and, originally, was led by the nationally recognized educator, Craig Lindvahl. Since then, the program has spread to four different states: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Colorado.

The Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship is an investment in the future and funded by many investors and donors. The Institute provides training, materials, content, mentoring and support for CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) programs.
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates regulated exchanges, clearing houses, and listings venues for commodity, financial, fixed income, and equity markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Singapore, Israel, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology. The company operates marketplaces for listing, trading, and clearing an array of derivatives contracts and financial securities, such as commodities, interest rates, foreign exchange, and equities, as well as corporate and exchange-traded funds; trading venues, including 13 regulated exchanges and 6 clearing houses; and offers futures and options products for energy, agricultural and metals, financial, cash equities and equity, over-the-counter, and other markets, as well as listings and data and connectivity services. It also provides fixed income data and analytic, fixed income execution, CDS clearing, and other multi-asset class data and network services. In addition, the company offers proprietary and comprehensive mortgage origination platform, which serves residential mortgage loans; closing solutions that provides customers connectivity to the mortgage supply chain and facilitates the secure exchange of information; data and analytics services; and Data as a Service for lenders to access data and origination information. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ashford Hospitality Trust is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the hospitality industry. The companys portfolio is concentrated in upper upscale, full-service hotels across the US. The portfolio strategy seeks to optimize total returns by maximizing the value of new acquisitions while paying dividends over time. The company boasts a geographically diversified portfolio of dominant branded full-service hotels. Ashford Inc externally advises Ashford Hospitality Trust.

Ashford Hospitality Trust is the culmination of decades of real estate experience dating back to the 1960s. Now based in Dallas, TX, the company was founded and went public in 2003. The company is geared to withstand the ups and downs of the hospitality and hotel cycles. The company is committed to disciplined capital market activities, has a successful transaction track record, and brings value-added asset management to the table.

Ashford Hospitality Trust is guided by five principles that best describe the company. These are Ethical, Innovative, Profitable, Engaging, and Tenacious and all key components of its reputation for integrity.

The companys portfolio is well-diversified across brands and includes but is not limited to Courtyard, Crown Plaza, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton, Marriot, Ritz-Carlton, and Sheraton. Properties are located in 25 of the 50 US states and Washington, D.C. targeting the top 25 markets in the nation. The company also owns a number of private and boutique names as well.

Ashford Hospitality Trust was founded by Monty J. Bennet who is the Chairman of the Board as well as Chairman, CEO, and President of Ashford, Inc which also trades on the NYSE. Mr. Bennet has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry including owning and operating major hotels.
CHAMPAIGN -- A model program to provide technical assistance services to underserved rural areas of Illinois has generated $24 million in savings of energy, water, and waste over its first eight years.

In smaller, rural communities, technical assistance professionals usually have a more difficult time identifying companies that would benefit from their services. ICORE takes a grassroots approach to identify partners and stakeholders with contacts at municipalities, organizations, associations and agencies. Networking at the local level spreads the word of the potential benefits of third-party business assessments.

In big urban areas it is easy enough to find companies that will benefit from sustainability improvements that will save them money, said Mike Springman, who, with fellow ISTC environmental engineer Dan Marsch, has delivered ICORE services from the beginning. We wanted to find a way to share what we offer to the whole state, in particular businesses located in rural communities.

ICORE offers customized assessments resulting in recommendations to conserve energy, reduce water consumption, reduce hazardous materials/wastes, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and save money. At two recent assessments at Illinois food companies, a range of recommendations were identified , such as improved efficiencies in compressed air, process heat, motors, lighting, water/wastewater and minimization of food waste.

Caseyvilles AdvancePierre Foods implemented more than half of the recommendations, some right after the site visit. Very good information and details emerged from the audit, which we are still working on, said Michael Doeden, plant manager of the companys St. Clair County facility. It is a great way to start a foundation for continuous improvement and cost savings.

Upgrading old electrical equipment is saving the company $6,000 a month, Doeden said. Other ideas like metering for waste water sewage credits will be adopted down the line, he added.

Kings Food Products in Belleville welcomed the assessment for third-party expertise on how to be more efficient. The assessment  generated a list of task items we hadn't considered, said Stephanie Fahrner, vice president for operations. Overall the project/participation will improve us as a company -- through savings, efficiency, and employee and environmental safety.

This is a great way for your team to see ideas generated, resources available, and training provided to help continuous improvement in a manufacturing plant, Doeden agreed. Additionally, E3 assessments focus on economy, energy and environment  which will benefit sustainability programs, people and is a good foundation for business practices, he added.

In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with five other federal agencies formed the E3 technical assistance framework (Economy, Energy, and Environment). One year later EPA started funding the ICORE (Illinois Conservation of Resources and Energy) approach which has taken hold and today has expanded to deliver EPAs E3 assessments as well.

One way of viewing the impact of the program is as accumulated savings which continue to accrue each year. By this measure, between 2008 and 2016, ICORE assistance has made a difference in Illinois totaling approximately $24 million, 160 million gallons of water, 1.9 million therms of natural gas, 209 million kilowatt hours of electricity, 20 million pounds of waste, 433,000 pounds of hazardous waste, and 200,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions avoided.

For more information about ICORE/E3 assessments for your business, visit the technical assistance pages at http://istc.illinois.edu/
Haake named to Elmhurst College's dean's list

ELMHURST -- Dustin Haake of Tuscola has been named to the Elmhurst College deans list for the spring term of the 2017 academic year.

The Deans List is comprised of students who, during the semester concerned, attained a grade-point average of 3.75 or higher (out of a possible 4.00).

Haake graduates Elmhurst College

ELMHURST -- Dustin Haake of Tuscola has graduated from Elmhurst College with a BS in Marketing.

At its 146th Commencement on Saturday, May 27, 2017, 737 students were awarded Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Liberal Studies degrees.

Crawford graduates from Culver-Stockton College

CANTON, Mo. -- Witten Crawford of Sullivan graduated with a BS degree in Business Administration.

Culver-Stockton College presented diplomas to nearly 225 graduates, including undergraduates and graduates, on Saturday, May 13, 2017, during the 161st Annual Commencement Ceremony, which was held on the Culver-Stockton College campus.

Culver-Stockton College, located in Canton, Mo., is a four-year residential institution in affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). C-SC specializes in experiential education and is one of only two colleges in the nation to offer the 12/3 semester calendar, where the typical 15 week semester is divided into two terms, a 12-week term and a 3-week term.
Kansas Outreach Extravaganza scheduled

KANSAS -- Kansas United Methodist Church, 200 Buena Vista St. in Kansas, will host the Kansas OutReach Extravaganza from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the church and in the community park.

There will be a Garage Sale Giveaway with all items free. There will be free food for the community from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., bounce houses, live music and more. Food banks will give to those in need. For more details, call or email.

For more information, call 217-948-5164 or visit www.facebook.com/KansasUnitedMethodistChurch/.

Mark209 to perform at Charleston church

CHARLESTON -- Mark209 will perform Saturday at Charleston First Baptist Church. Admission is free but a goodwill offering will be taken. The concert starts at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m.

First Baptist Church is located at 2800 University Ave. For more information, visit www.charlestonfbc.org/ or call 217-345-5081.

Dysart Family in concert in Shelbyville

SHELBYVILLE -- The Dysart Family will perform from 6-8 p.m. Sunday at the Shelby Christian Church, 200 N. Hickory St.

This concert is open to public. A freewill offering will be taken. Seating is first come, first served.

For more information, contact the church at 217-774-2716 or visit www.shelbycc.org.

Faith Fellowship to hold Vacation Bible Club

MATTOON -- Faith Fellowship Church will hold Vacation Bible Club on three Wednesday mornings: June 28, July 5, and July 12, from 10 a.m. to noon.

This year's curriculum is Gospel Light's SON SPARK LABS. The church is located at 1205 Moultrie Ave in Mattoon. For more information, or for transportation, call Juli Stelle at 217-235-4555 or 217-254-4382.

Smyser Christian Church to offer Vacation Bible School

SMYSER -- Smyser Christian Church will offer Vacation Bible School from Monday, July 24, through Friday, July 28, from 6-8:30 p.m., at the church, 1521 Whitley Point Road, Gays.

There is no fee. Children ages kindergarten through fifth grade can enjoy music, games, snacks and stories centered on the theme Never Lego of God. (Sixth-eighth grades meet at the same time but do out-of-house activities.) Fill out the registration form online at www.smysercc.org/childrens-ministry or call 217-752-6896.

Friday night there will be a cookout at 6 p.m., short VBS program, and Caleb Johnson, storyteller and illusionist, will put on a show with Houdini-style escapes, levitation, and lots of fun surprises beginning at 7:15 p.m. Its an event that has been designed with the whole family in mind. The general public is invited to attend Friday night. There is no admission charge.

For more information, contact Sherrie Grohler, communication director, Smyser Christian Church, at 217-752-6896 or visit www.smysercc.org or www.facebook.com/smysercc.

Evening of gospel music scheduled

MATTOON -- East Side of the Church of the Nazarene will be hosting Roy Tremble in concert at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 2. Tremble sang for a time with the Cathedral Quartet, and has appeared in the Gaither Homecoming series. A freewill offering will be received.
Are you ready to USE your TALENTS to make the world a better place for Children?





If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the worlds leading childrens rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote childrens survival, protection and development. The worlds largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals,
It takes a village to raise a project.



Corey Filiaggi is describing the busy and collegial environment at the Berman Zebrafish Laboratory, where shes spent the past three years working towards a masters degree in Pathology. And its true that, only hours after a midnight return from the North Atlantic Zebrafish Research Symposium in Maine, the motley mix of undergraduate and graduate students and lab technicians milling about give off the vibe of a very science-focused village.



As Corey explains, just about every member of the laboratory is working on his or her own project. Corey herself is exploring the genetics of cancer, specifically childhood leukemia, by inserting human genes into zebrafish embryos.



My masters project is that I made a transgenic fish  which means I put a human gene into the fish, says Corey. The gene that we chose is a cancer gene thats known to cause high-risk childhood leukemia.





Because leukemia is a blood cancer, we wanted to put this gene into the fish to see how it affects blood development in the fish. The zebrafish is no different than a human in how their blood development is regulated and we can tag the human cancer gene with a fluorescent protein, so I can look at the fish and see that wherever it has green fluorescence, thats where the cancer gene is being expressed. That allows us to do a lot of analysis on what happens to cells expressing the cancer gene and why.



Coreys project represents the early stages of research that she hopes will lead to improved treatments for young people with leukemia.



Down the line, we want to use transgenic zebrafish for drug discovery, because unfortunately patients with this gene dont respond well to chemotherapy and have a very low survival rate. If we can figure out how this gene causes leukemia in these patients, that helps us figure out what drugs we can use.



Thats the dream.



Collaborating at all levels



The collaborative village at the Berman lab, which is located at the Life Sciences Research Institute and headed by Dalhousie professor and pediatric oncologist Jason Berman, helps to support Coreys project. And Corey supports the work of others in turn.



Indeed, one of the defining traits of the laboratory is that it brings together students and faculty at all levels to learn and teach each other.



Our lab is successful because its collaborative and its a teaching lab, Corey says. I will teach undergraduate students about my research and help them with theirs, and Im helped out by PhD students and post-doctoral fellows who have more expertise.



Left-to-right: Students Ben King, Karolyn Long and Corey Filiaggi.

Through that pipeline, it makes research more fun and more rich.Karolyn Long, a third-year Marine Biology student doing a summer co-op placement in the lab, agrees. Acting as a technician and breeding zebrafish embryos, among other tasks, has given Karolyn a window into the real world of research.At all levels, people are willing to help and teach you and explain things, says Karolyn. Its nice to learn from other undergrads and people who graduated more recently, because you kind of have an understanding of each others level of knowledge.The Berman lab is the third co-op placement Karolyn has done as part of her undergraduate degree. She says the hands-on work reinforces what she learns in the classroom and the academic lab setting.

The lab components at Dal are very hands-on and intensive, but I find in co-op you can actually see where it would apply in the real world. I dont fully learn something until I see it first-hand and Im actually doing it and understanding why Im doing it.



Connections across colleagues



Karolyn adds that shes picked up important soft skills required for career success, simply by being in the work environment and socializing with coworkers, getting along with different people and learning in a different way.



Heading into her fourth year, Karolyn is on a similar path as Ben King, who graduated with a bachelors degree in Marine Biology, with first class honours, in June. Ben is continuing on at the lab through July, conducting experiments that expand on his honours thesis.



Bens research experience at the Berman lab also began with a four-month co-op placement. He echoes Karolyns perspective about the value of real-world work experience.



Learning theory in class is great, and you do have a lab component in those classes to practice those skills, but youre not really working for an employer, so theres not any real pressure to perform, Ben says.



Working in the Berman lab has given Ben a chance to be professional and accountable, while getting support from a wide range of students, faculty and research colleagues.





For Corey, the culture of friendship and support that permeates the Berman lab is at least partly inspired by the fact that everyone here is pulling towards similar goals. All of the varied projects on the go are in some way related to helping children with cancer and other rare genetic disorders.



Being a clinician scientist, Dr. Berman has really helped to make the connection between my work and patients living with these diagnoses.
Fast food giant McDonalds will now be able to bring your Big Mac directly to your sofa - as it trials a new UK delivery service in partnership with Uber .

Along with the tech firms UberEats, McDonalds will begin deliveries from 22 outlets in London, Nottingham and Leeds in order to assess the profitability of the new service.

Users of the app will be able to avail themselves of the service if they live within 1.5 miles of one of the participating outlets.

McDonalds has for years put off attempts to offer its own delivery service, but with increased competition from other food providers it has now decided to change course.

"Delivery is something that my customers often ask about so its exciting that were now up and running with McDelivery in a selection of my London restaurants," said Claude Abi-Gerges, who runs five McDonalds franchise outlets in London which will be taking part in the trial.
Closure of broadcaster part of 13 demands made by Gulf state coalition

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states on Friday demanded the closure of broadcaster al-Jazeera, among other conditions, in return for the lifting of its trade and diplomatic sanctions.

The list of 13 demands, seen by Associated Press, also wants Qatar to close a Turkish-operated military base, hand over terror suspects and shut down diplomatic posts in Iran.

The embargo has been co-ordinated by the Saudis along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. Qatar has been given 10 days to comply with the demands.

Turkeys defence minister rejected suggestions that it should review its military base.

The base in Qatar is both a Turkish base and one that will preserve the security of Qatar and the region, Defence Minister Fikri Isk told broadcaster NTV.

Pressure mounted on the Saudis and UAE earlier this week when the US State Department questioned the justification for the blockade.

Now that it has been more than two weeks since the embargo started, we are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the Qataris, nor to the public, the details about the claims they are making toward Qatar, Heather Nauert, the state department spokeswoman said.

The more that time goes by, the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, she added.

At this point, we are left with one simple question: were the actions really about their concerns regarding Qatars alleged support for terrorism? Or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries?
Migrants with 5 years residency would receive 'settled status'

EU's Juncker says move is 'not sufficient'

UK Prime Minister Theresa May used the three million EU citizens living in Britain as her opening gambit in Brexit negotiations, offering them a settled status if they had been in the country for five years.

May threw her chips on the table overnight at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels, describing it as "a fair and serious offer.

However, European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker was quick to slap down the politically-weakened May, saying the proposal was a first step, but not sufficient.

Under the May plan, EU citizens in the UK who had lived in the UK for five years would gain access to health, education and other benefits. The deal was dependent on the same rights being extended to Britons living across the EU, May said.

Those who arrive lawfully during an unspecified grace period would be given the chance to build five years of residency.

This grace period could start at any point up to the date of Britain's departure, according to the proposal which was unveiled exactly a year after Britons voted to end their 40-year relationship with the EU largely over concerns about migration. It also comes a fortnight after May humiliatingly lost her parliamentary majority in a snap election that has shattered her electoral credibility and left her premiership in tatters and hanging by a thread.

A potential flash point had already emerged over which legal jurisdiction the offer would fall under. The EU wants the European Court of Justice to guarantee citizens' rights, but the UK government has rejected this demand.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said May's offer was a good start".

"But of course there are many, many other questions about Brexit - about finances, about the relationship with Ireland - which means we still have a lot to do until October."
The rapid growth in renewable energy continues to put a dent in the demand for coal.

Coal India, the worlds biggest coal mining company and producer of 82 percent of the countrys coal, announced the closure of 37 mines that are financially unviable.

The sites make up roughly nine percent of the total mines operated by Coal India. The company is expected save Rs 800 crore ($124 million) from the closures.

Indias energy market is undergoing a rapid transformation as it moves away from fossil fuels. Last month, the country cancelled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations.

Notably, solar has been cheaper than coal-based electricity in India for the past several months. According to Quartz:

At an auction for 500 megawatt (MW) of capacity at the park on May 12, the state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) managed to discover a record-low tariff of Rs 2.44 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The previous low was two days before that when tariffs hit Rs 2.62 per kWh during auctions for another phase of Bhadla solar park.

The countrys largest power company, NTPC, sells electricity from its coal-based generation units at a princely Rs 3.20 per kWh.

The National Thermal Power Corporation of India said that the country currently hosts a solar power capacity of 845 megawatts, after the recent addition of a 225 megawatt solar farm, the Mandsaur Solar Power Project.

Indias solar sector has received heavy international investment, and the plummeting price of solar electricity has increased pressure on fossil fuel companies in the country, as The Independent reported. The government has announced it will not build any more coal plants after 2022 and predicts renewables will generate 57 percent of its power by 2027a pledge far outstripping its commitment in the Paris climate change agreement.
By Andy Rowell

Any day now we will truly witness climate change in action. Within days at worst, maybe weeks at best, scientists predict that a huge section of the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica will break off into the ocean, in what is called a major calving event.

The size of the U.S. state of Delaware or the paradise island of Bali, the iceberg will be one of the biggest ever seen.

For months, scientists have been watching the growing crack spread some 175 kilometers (approx. 108 miles) along the ice sheet with growing alarm. Now just 13 kilometers (8 miles) remain, keeping this chunk of ice attached to the main ice shelf.

In glacial terms, it is literally hanging by a thread.

Its keeping us all on tenterhooks, Andrew Fleming of the British Antarctic Survey told Reuters earlier this week. It feels like a niggling tooth of a child as it comes loose.

According to scientists from Project MIDAS, a UK-based Antarctic research project investigating the effects of a warming climate on the Larsen C ice shelf: When it calves, the Larsen C Ice Shelf will lose more than 10 percent of its area to leave the ice front at its most retreated position ever recorded; this event will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula.

As the scientists pointed out, as the ice-shelf is already floating, an iceberg breaking off does not directly impact sea level rise, although the ice shelf is holding back land-based glaciers, which have a large sea level potential.

So what should we name this vast new iceberg when it carves? The folks at 350.org have come up with a novel idea: Lets name it #ExxonKnew, because 50 years after learning the truth about climate change, Exxons climate denial is having increasingly devastating consequences.

350.org outlines that the imminent calving of the vast iceberg is one of the most dramatic displays of the destruction Exxon and their peers in the fossil fuel industry have unleashed upon the planet. Exxons climate denial created this iceberg. It should be named after it too.

Ironically, way back in the early sixties, a division of the company that would become Exxon ran a full page ad in Life Magazine bragging about their ability to melt glaciers.

Later that decade, by 1968, a report for the American Petroleum Institute, on which Exxon is a prominent member, warned of the dangers of climate change and the risks to sea level rise if Antarctic glaciers melted.

Nine years later in 1977, Exxons leaders were told directly by a senior company scientist, James F. Black, about the looming climate crisis. In the first place, there is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels, he told Exxons Management Committee.

A year later in 1978, one of the most seminal works on Antarctica was published by John Mercer from the Institute of Polar Studies, who concluded: One of the warning signs that a dangerous warming trend is under way in Antarctica will be the breakup of ice shelves on both coasts of the Antarctic Peninsula, starting with the northernmost and extending gradually southward.

But Exxon ignored the warning signs and tried to discredit the science. Instead of taking responsible action, the company employed a decades-long deceitful and disingenuous climate denial campaign that has been well documented by scholars and activists alike.

The scientists and executives from Exxon deliberately followed the tobacco industrys tactics of sowing doubt about evidence. Exxon set out to exaggerate the uncertainty in the science and twist the facts.

In October 1997, decades after the company was first warned about climate change, the head of Exxon at the time, Lee Iron Ass Raymond, delivered a speech to the Fifteenth World Petroleum Congress in China.

As Steve Coll recalled in his book Private Empire, Raymond devoted thirty-three paragraphs of his seventy-eight-paragraph speech to the argument that evidence about manmade climate change was an illusion.

Months later, Exxon helped create a task-force working with the American Petroleum Institute: Victory will be achieved when average citizens understand (recognize) uncertainties in climate science and when public recognition of uncertainty becomes part of unconventional wisdom. Where Big Tobacco led, Exxon followed in promoting uncertainty.

Between 1998 and 2005, Exxon donated $16 million to numerous right-wing and libertarian think tanks to manufacture uncertainty about climate change.

In 2006, nearly three decades after Exxon was first warned about climate change, the British Royal Society wrote to Exxon asking the company to stop funding organizations which feature information on their websites that misrepresented the science of climate change, by outright denial of the evidence that greenhouse gases are driving climate change, or by overstating the amount and significance of uncertainty in knowledge or by conveying a misleading impression of the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change.

But Exxon has continued funding climate denial and Antarctica continues to warm.
By Stacy Malkan

Neil deGrasse Tyson has inspired millions of people to care about science and imagine themselves as participants in the scientific process. What a hopeful sign it is to see young girls wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words, Forget princess, I want to be an astrophysicist.

His devoted fan base, as Ive discovered in the past few days, includes my mom, my best friend and closest colleagues. All of them, and especially the young people who trust Tyson to lead with integrity in matters of science, deserve better than the twisted tale dished out by Food Evolution, the new documentary film about genetically modified foods (GMOs) that is driving its promotion on the coattails of Tysons narration and kicking up controversy for its biased approach.

Already, two of the best-known experts interviewed for the film, Marion Nestle and Michael Pollan, have complained that their views were misrepresented and their comments taken out of context.

My review of Food Evolution describes the film as a textbook case of corporate propaganda, and offers clear-cut examples of how the film selectively and unfairly presents science. The review explains how a trade group, whose leadership hails from the agrichemical industry, funded Food Evolution as part of a multi-year messaging project and hand-picked its director, Scott Hamilton Kennedy.

This is an unusual scenario for a science documentary, but it wouldnt matter if the film reported fairly and honestly about the topic it purports to objectively explore. The film does not deliver on that promise, and making matters worse, the filmmakers are facing a series of embarrassing revelations about their unfair treatment of interview subjects.

Two days before the films official release, which opens today in New York City, NYU Professor Marion Nestle, Ph.D., wrote a harsh review about the films many biases, and said she has repeatedly asked the filmmakers to remove her short interview clip. The director refuses. He believes his film is fair and balanced. I do not, Nestle wrote.

I am often interviewed (see media) and hardly ever quoted incorrectly or out of context. This film is one of those rare exceptions.

Her take on Food Evolution concluded, I view it as a slick piece of GMO industry propaganda. If you want a thoughtful discussion of the real issues raised by food biotechnology, you will need to look elsewhere.

UC Berkeley Professor Michael Pollanwho also appears in Food Evolution and whose name the filmmakers have been dropping in their promotional effortssaid his experience and take on the film were much the same as Nestles, and that the filmmakers have misrepresented his views.

Interviews with several other GMO critics who appeared in the film, or were asked to be in it, corroborate the picture of a strange process involving sneaky filming, selective editing, misrepresentation and lack of disclosure about the films funding.

Eric Holt-Gimenez, Ph.D., executive director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First), an agroecologist with 30 years of experience in the developing world, said he spent four hours in an interview with the filmmakers discussing research from the institutes books and trying to raise issues related to the structural aspects of hunger and how GMOs have exacerbated rural poverty and decreased environmental resilience. His interview was left out of the film entirely.

Holt-Gimenez said that no matter what information he provided, the director Scott Kennedy focused on the health and safety discussion and replied that he just didnt see what was wrong with GMOs. Holt-Gimenez also said the filmmakers refused to answer his questions about who was funding them.

Tufts researcher Timothy Wise, an agricultural development expert, withdrew his consent to be included in the film after asking repeatedly for more information about the funding.

Why the evasions and deceptions?

One possible explanation is that the film was not an objective investigation into the science of GMOs but rather a messaging project to advance the agenda of the agrichemical industry.

The positive publicity from a pro-GMO/pesticide moviesuch as the puff review written by Daniel M. Gold in the New York Timescould prove useful at a crucial political moment as the seed/chemical corporations face lawsuits and regulatory threats and pursue mega mergers to consolidate control over our food supply.

As Dr. Tyson has famously said, The good thing about science is that its true, whether or not you believe in it. But Dr. Tyson seems to forget that history is also true, whether or not you believe in it.

It is true, whether or not we like it, that corporations such as Monsanto have a history of manipulating science, academia and the media to manufacture doubt and confusion about science in order to keep regulations and public scrutiny to a minimum as they do whatever they need to do to maximize profits.

Now that he is in the middle of the contentious GMO debate, Tyson owes it to his fans to broker a more honest conversationone that involves not just the views of genetic engineers who have a financial stake in public acceptance of the technology that provides their livelihood, but also considers the broader cultural, political and scientific realities relevant to genetic engineering and the future of our food system.

A more honest conversation about GMOs would include information about the complex and contradictory nature of the science; the proprietary controls over research; the legitimate concerns about the health risks of glyphosate and the worsening pesticide treadmill problem.

It would consider the environmental, social justice and economic issues at stake, and the political context in which decisions about scienceand big-budget movies that purport to document scienceare made.

As Tyson has so eloquently explained, the cross pollination of disciplines is fundamental to truly revolutionary advances in our culture.

Stacy Malkan is co-director of U.S. Right to Know.
Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) opposes the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA). Released today, the Senate proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mirrors many provisions of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), a bill which narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4 despite serious concerns voiced by the AGS and many other stakeholders. Like the AHCA, the new Senate proposal would drastically cut Medicaid funding -- an important source of support for most vulnerable citizens, particularly older Americans who rely on this program for long-term care services and supports.

As an advocate for older Americans and the health professionals who serve them, the AGS is deeply concerned that the Senate will be voting on a legislative proposal that has had no Committee hearings and has not been open to the public or stakeholder organizations for review and comment.

"We believe the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 will have a negative impact on us all as we age," notes Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA, Chief Executive Officer of the AGS. "Medicaid is the largest public payer for long-term care services and supports for older Americans, including nursing home care. Even if the Senate bill falls short of the $800 billion cut in Medicaid funding under the House bill, there is no doubt it will negatively impact older Americans and those who care for them. We are opposed to both the House and Senate health reform proposals, and we call on Congress to work with the American public and stakeholders to design health system reforms that improve access and care quality for all Americans."

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About the American Geriatrics Society

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has -- for 75 years -- worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.
Washington, DC - June 23, 2017 - Toxins produced by three different species of fungus growing indoors on wallpaper may become aerosolized, and easily inhaled. The findings, which likely have implications for "sick building syndrome," were published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

"We demonstrated that mycotoxins could be transferred from a moldy material to air, under conditions that may be encountered in buildings," said corresponding author Jean-Denis Bailly, DVM, PhD, Professor of Food Hygiene, National Veterinary School of Toulouse, France. "Thus, mycotoxins can be inhaled and should be investigated as parameters of indoor air quality, especially in homes with visible fungal contamination."

The impetus for the study was the dearth of data on the health risk from mycotoxins produced by fungi growing indoors. (image: microscopic view of a sporulating Aspergillus, showing numerous light spores that can be easily aerosolized and inhaled together with mycotoxins. credit: Sylviane Bailly.)

In the study, the investigators built an experimental bench that can simulate an airflow over a piece of contaminated wall paper, controlling speed and direction of the air. Then they analyzed the resulting bioaerosol.

"Most of the airborne toxins are likely to be located on fungal spores, but we also demonstrated that part of the toxic load was found on very small particles -- dust or tiny fragments of wallpaper, that could be easily inhaled," said Bailly..

The researchers used three fungal species in their study: Penicillium brevicompactum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Stachybotrys chartarum. These species, long studied as sources of food contaminants, also "are frequent indoor contaminants," said Bailly. He noted that they produce different mycotoxins, and their mycelia are different from one another, likely leading to differences in the quantity of mycotoxins they loft into the air. (Mycelia are the thread-like projections of fungi that seek nutrition and water from the environment.)

The findings raised two new scientific questions, said Bailly. First, "There is almost no data on toxicity of mycotoxins following inhalation," he said, noting that most research has focused on such toxins as food contaminants.

Second, the different fungal species put different quantities of mycotoxins in the air, "probably related to mycelium organization," but also possibly related to the mechanisms by which mycotoxins from different fungi become airborne -- for example via droplets of exudate versus accumulation in spores. Such knowledge could help in prioritizing those species that may be of real importance in wafting mycotoxins, he said.

Bailly noted that the push for increasingly energy efficient homes may aggravate the problem of mycotoxins indoors. Such homes "are strongly isolated from the outside to save energy," but various water-using appliances such as coffee makers "could lead to favorable conditions for fungal growth," he said.

"The presence of mycotoxins in indoors should be taken into consideration as an important parameter of air quality," Bailly concluded.

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The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 50,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications and educational opportunities. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.
BOSTON - In the last decade, mounting evidence has linked seizure-like activity in the brain to some of the cognitive decline seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Patients with Alzheimer's disease have an increased risk of epilepsy and nearly half may experience subclinical epileptic activity -- disrupted electrical activity in the brain that doesn't result in a seizure but which can be measured by electroencephalogram (EEG) or other brain scan technology.

In a recent feasibility study, clinician-scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) tested an anti-epileptic drug for its potential impact on the brain activity of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The team, led by Daniel Z. Press, MD, of the Berenson-Allen Center for Non-invasive Brain Stimulation at BIDMC, documented changes in patients' EEGs that suggest the drug could have a beneficial effect. The research was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

"In the field of Alzheimer's disease research, there has been a major search for drugs to slow its progression," said Press, an Instructor of Neurology in the Cognitive Neurology Unit at BIDMC and an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. "If this abnormal electrical activity is leading to more damage, then suppressing it could potentially slow the progression of the disease."

In this double-blind within-subject study, a small group of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease visited BIDMC three times. At each visit, patients were given a baseline (EEG) to measure the electrical activity in the brain. Next, patients were given injections containing either inactive placebo or the anti-seizure drug levetiracetam, at either a low dose (2.5 mg/kg) or a higher dose (7.5 mg/kg). Neither patients nor medical professionals knew which injections patients were receiving, but each patient eventually got one of each type, in a random order.

After receiving the injection, patients underwent another EEG, then magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -- which measures blood flow in the brain, another way to quantify brain activity and determine where in the brain it is taking place. Finally, patients took a standardized cognitive test, designed to measure memory, executive functioning, naming, visuospatial ability and semantic function - capabilities all affected by Alzheimer's disease.

In the seven patients able to complete the study protocol successfully, Press and colleagues analyzed changes in their EEGs. (Blood flow analysis from the MRI data is still underway.) Overall, higher doses of the anti-seizure drug appeared to normalize abnormalities seen in the patients' EEG profiles. That is, researchers saw overall increases in brain wave frequencies that had been abnormally low in Alzheimer's disease patients prior to receiving the higher dose of levetiracetam, and, likewise, saw decreases in those that had been abnormally high.

"It's worth noting, we did not demonstrate any improvement in cognitive function after a single dose of medication in this study," said Press. "It's too early to use the drug widely, but we're preparing for a larger, longer study."

The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases sharply with age. Today, it affects more than 5 million Americans, a figure that is projected to reach 16 million by 2050 as the population ages. In recent years, researchers have focused on developing techniques to clear the brain of amyloid and tau protein plaques that build up and wreak havoc in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

"These strategies have not led to new therapies to date," said Press. "There have been a lot of disappointments. So our findings represent an interesting new avenue."

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Press' co-investigators included co-lead author Christian S. Musaeus and Emiliano Santarnecchi of the Berenson-Allen Center for Non-invasive Brain Stimulation at BIDMC; Mouhsin M. Shafi and Susan T. Herman of the Department of Neurology at BIDMC.

This research was supported by a grant from the Fidelity Biosciences Research Initiative and private donations.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.

BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit http://www.bidmc.org.
Humans are diurnal animals, meaning that we usually sleep at night and are awake during the day, due at least in part to light or the lack thereof. Light is known to affect sleep indirectly by entraining--modifying the length of--our circadian rhythms and also rapidly and directly due to a phenomenon known as masking. But while a great deal is known about how light affects circadian rhythms, little is known about the direct effects of light on sleep: Why do we tend to wake up if the lights are flipped on in the middle of the night? Why does darkness make us sleepy? Caltech researchers in the laboratory of Professor of Biology David Prober say they have discovered at least part of the answer: a specific protein in the brain that responds to light and darkness to set the correct balance between sleep and wakefulness.

Their work is described in a paper appearing online in the journal Neuron on June 22.

"Researchers had previously identified the photoreceptors in the eye that are required for the direct effect of light on wakefulness and sleep," says Prober. "But we wanted to know how the brain uses this visual information to affect sleep."

The Prober laboratory uses zebrafish as a model organism for studying sleep. The animals are optically transparent, allowing for noninvasive imaging of their neurons; they also have a diurnal sleep/wake pattern like that of humans. To investigate how their sleep responds to light, Wendy Chen, a former graduate student in Prober's lab, led studies examining a particular protein in the zebrafish brain called prokineticin 2 (Prok2).

Chen genetically engineered zebrafish to overexpress Prok2, resulting in an abundance of the protein. She found that in contrast to normal zebrafish, these animals were more likely to fall asleep during the day and to wake up at night. Surprisingly, the effects did not depend on the engineered fish's normal circadian sleep/wake cycle but rather depended only on whether the lights were on or off in their environment. These observations suggest that an excess of Prok2 suppresses both the usual awakening effect of light and the sedating effect of darkness.

Chen then generated zebrafish with mutated forms of Prok2 and its receptor, and observed light-dependent sleep defects in these animals. For example, Chen found that zebrafish with a mutated Prok2 receptor were more active when the lights were on and less active when the lights were off, the opposite of what she had observed in animals that overexpressed Prok2 and had functional Prok2 receptors.

"Though diurnal animals such as zebrafish spend most of their time asleep at night and awake during the day, they also take naps during the day and occasionally wake up at night, similar to many humans," Prober says. "Our study's results suggest that levels of Prok2 play a critical role in setting the correct balance between sleep and wakefulness during both the day and the night."

Next, the researchers wanted to know how Prok2 was modulating light's effects on sleep. To answer this question, they decided to examine whether other proteins in the brain that are known to affect sleep were required for the effects of Prok2 on sleep behavior. They found that the sedating effect of Prok2 overexpression in the presence of light requires galanin, a known sleep-promoting protein. They also found that Prok2 overexpression increased the level of galanin expression in the anterior hypothalamus, a key sleep-promoting center in the brain. But in animals that were engineered to lack galanin, overexpression of Prok2 did not increase sleep.

These findings provide the first insights into how light may interact with the brain to affect sleep and provide a basis for scientists to begin exploring the genes and neurons that underlie the phenomenon. However, further work is needed to fully explain how light and dark directly affect sleeping and waking, and to determine whether Prok2 has a similar function in humans. If it does, this work might eventually lead to new sleep- and wake-promoting drugs.

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The paper is titled "Light-dependent regulation of sleep/wake states by prokineticin 2 in zebrafish." Other Caltech co-authors are postdoctoral scholars Chanpreet Singh and Grigorios Oikonomou. Sabine Reichert and Jason Rihel of University College London also contributed to the study. The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health; the Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation; the Rita Allen Foundation; and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.
As farmers survey their fields this summer, several questions come to mind: How many plants germinated per acre? How does altering row spacing affect my yields? Does it make a difference if I plant my rows north to south or east to west? Now a computer model can answer these questions by comparing billions of virtual fields with different planting densities, row spacings, and orientations.

The University of Illinois and the Partner Institute for Computational Biology in Shanghai developed this computer model to predict the yield of different crop cultivars in a multitude of planting conditions. Published in BioEnergy-Research, the model depicts the growth of 3D plants, incorporating models of the biochemical and biophysical processes that underlie productivity.

Teaming up with the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, they used the model to address a question for sugarcane producers: How much yield might be sacrificed to take advantage of a possible conservation planting technique?

"Current sugarcane harvesters cut a single row at a time, which is time-consuming and leads to damage of the crop stands," said author Steve Long, Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. "This could be solved if the crop was planted in double rows with gaps between the double rows. But plants in double rows will shade each other more, causing a potential loss of profitability."

The model found that double-row spacing costs about 10% of productivity compared to traditional row spacing; however, this loss can be reduced to just 2% by choosing cultivars with more horizontal leaves planted in a north-south orientation.

"This model could be applied to other crops to predict optimal planting designs for specific environments," said Yu Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at Illinois who led the study. "It could also be used in reverse to predict the potential outcome for a field."

The authors predict this model will be especially useful when robotic planting becomes more commonplace, which will allow for many more planting permutations.

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This research was supported by the IGB, Energy Biosciences Institute, Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The paper "Development of a Three-Dimensional Ray-Tracing Model of Sugarcane Canopy Photosynthesis and Its Application in Assessing Impacts of Varied Row Spacing" is published by BioEnergy-Research (DOI: 10.1007/s12155-017-9823-x). Co-authors include: Yu Wang, Qingfeng Song, Deepak Jaiswal, Amanda P. de Souza, and Xin-Guang Zhu.

The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) advances life sciences research through interdisciplinary collaborations within a state-of-the-art genomic research facility at the University of Illinois.

The Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) is a public-private collaboration to help solve the global energy challenge.

Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) is an international research project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to engineer plants to more efficiently turn the sun's energy into food to sustainably increase worldwide food productivity.
One year from its conception, the European Commission's Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography (KCMD) has made significant progress and has provided EU policymakers with valuable instruments to access information and data about migration.

On the 1-year anniversary of the KCMD, let's have a look at the main achievements and future plans of the Knowledge Centre, as well as at a new migration profile of Mali.

Globalisation, climate change, inequality, conflicts and war will continue to push people to move in search of safety, a better life or to be reunited with their families. Estimates show that the number of international migrants worldwide could almost double by 2050.

By that time, a total of 405 million people worldwide are expected to live in a country other than their country of origin, compared to 244 million in 2015. The EU will remain an attractive destination and as a result, international migration will continue and will also have an impact on the EU.

Understanding these migratory flows and the root causes of migration is essential for the EU's capacity to anticipate future population trends and the impact of migration - in terms of challenges but also opportunities - on our economy, health, welfare, education systems, and our society as a whole.

Bridging knowledge and data gaps

One of the major challenges for policy-making linked to migration is the lack of comprehensive data and information on migration and refugees. Many data sources exist already, but the information is often fragmented or not easily accessible.

To tackle the issue of fragmented and incomplete data, the European Commission set up a new Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography (KCMD) in June 2016. Its daily activities are run by the Joint Research Centre but its work is jointly steered by the main Commission's services responsible for migration policies.

The Knowledge Centre aims to exploit the developments in data science that allow for new ways to collect data from many different sources.

"Our objective is to provide the necessary data and information to support EU-policy-making on migration. Our work supports the implementation of the European Agenda on Migration, a comprehensive approach to address current and future migratory challenges jointly on a European level. We also look at migration-related issues at global scale, analysing their impact on the EU in the medium to long term", explains Alessandra Zampieri, Head of Demography, Migration and Governance Unit at the JRC in charge of managing the KCMD.

The Knowledge Centre has been tasked with building a comprehensive evidence base on migration and refugee flows and with conducting analyses and studies on their impact on the EU economy, welfare, education system, and society as a whole.

One-stop data shop

In the first months of operation, researchers working for the Knowledge Centre created an inventory of the international and EU-wide data that already existed on migration, and launched the first two data tools which bring together this wealth of data in one place.

The Migration Data Catalogue is an inventory of more than 100 existing datasets linked to demography and migration, made available by international organisations, the European Commission, EU agencies and administrations of some Member States.

The second tool, the Dynamic Data Hub, is a web-based application which builds on the data catalogue and gives direct access to the datasets through an interactive platform.

"These tools combine data on migration and the drivers for migration from different statistical and other type of data sources, and therefore provide a more complete image of the situation. In practice, they provide all migration-related data in a single glance", explains Alessandra Zampieri.

These tools also allow carrying out analyses that provide new and important insights for managing migratory flows.

Migration Profiles

The KCMD is now working to create new generation migration profiles to support the development and monitoring of the new Partnership Framework with third countries. The migration profiles describe potential causes for migration, indicate where migrants and refugees go, and illustrate the evolution of migration and development topics.

They provide harmonised and comprehensive analyses, covering the current knowledge gaps in terms of sub-national coverage and regularly updated information. The use of a combination of research approaches and data, including open source intelligence and structural and operational data, provides unique information in a user-friendly format.

Apart from supporting the EU to anticipate future developments, the migration profiles also aim at facilitating the identification of relevant development priorities for countries of origin.

For its 1-year anniversary, the KCMD is launching the migration profile of Mali. Work is ongoing to finalise the migration profiles for the four remaining priority compact countries: Nigeria, Senegal, Niger and Ethiopia. Others will follow, in line with the EU priorities which are being defined.

Looking ahead

KCMD is currently working on the Atlas on Migration, which will contain the migration profiles and include a section devoted to regional analysis e.g. to illustrate the evidence on migration and mobility within Africa, how different indicators vary across the different African regions, and how they could potentially impact migratory flows towards the EU.

The Centre is also working on mapping migrant communities within European cities, which will for the first time provide an indication of how population groups are distributed within cities.

The maps will support the Action Plan on the Integration of Third-Country Nationals and authorities to better target policy response at the local level related to social cohesion, housing, public services, labour market or education.

To better anticipate future migratory trends, the KCMD will create Migration Inclination Indexes, which will be issued by the end of 2018.

They will provide reliable information on the root causes, incentives and determinants of migration. The aim is to help quantify the relevance of the different drivers of migration towards Europe and the effects of migration-related policies.

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When President Trump was elected in November, it was widely believed that the hallmark healthcare legislation passed by Barack Obama, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is perhaps best known as Obamacare, would soon be no more. A core component of Trump's election hinged on his promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, which he saw as responsible for lining insurers' pockets and increasing healthcare costs for the average American.
FRANKFURT. The European Union is funding three new projects - Innovative Training Networks (ITN) within the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Programme - for structured doctoral training at Goethe University Frankfurt. Such projects are very attractive for universities because they are open to all scientific topics and focus on basic research.

For the CLOUD-MOTION project coordinated by atmospheric researcher Professor Joachim Curtius, Goethe University Frankfurt has been awarded funding of  500,000. This is a follow-up project from two previous doctoral researcher networks successfully coordinated by Professor Curtius since 2008.

In CLOUD-MOTION, doctoral researchers at 10 European institutions will investigate cloud formation from aerosols and ice particles in the atmosphere and their influence on the climate. A key focus is the comparison of intact areas of the atmosphere with those polluted as a result of human activities. Research work is based on experiments in a "cloud chamber" at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in which different situations in the atmosphere can be simulated under laboratory conditions.

The ViBrANT Network, of which Goethe University Frankfurt is a member, is an interdisciplinary team of European infection researchers leading in their field worldwide. The network is working together for a better understanding of how viruses and bacteria attach to host cells. This will form the basis for developing highly specific diagnostic procedures, whereby one of the main priorities is the development of new diagnostic detection methods for multi-resistant pathogens. The 15 doctoral researchers will become acquainted with universities and industrial partners in seven European countries during their training and this will teach them how to convert findings from basic research as rapidly as possible into usable technologies that benefit patients with infectious diseases.  500,000 have been made available for doctoral researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt.

Goethe University Frankfurt is also involved in the UbiCODE doctoral network, which is searching for new diagnostic markers and drug targets in the ubiquitin system. This small protein found throughout the body forms unexpectedly diverse and complex chains. The contribution of these chains to the regulation of protein functions and cellular quality control is, however, far from being fully understood. Malfunctions in this system can lead to diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, inflammatory conditions and multiple infections. Goethe University Frankfurt's share of the funding is  250,000.

With the approval of the three new ITNs, the University is continuing it success of the past years in this funding line. In 2016, five new projects started work. 18 ITNs are currently underway at Goethe University Frankfurt.

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Further information: CLOUD-MOTION: Prof. Dr. Joachim Curtius, Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Geography, Riedberg Campus, Tel.: +49 (0) 69 798 40258, curtius@iau.uni-frankfurt.de

ViBrANT: Prof. Dr. Volkhard Kempf, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, Niederrad Campus, Tel.: +49 (0) 69 6301-5019, volkhard.kempf@kgu.de

UbiCODE: Prof. Dr. Ivan Dikic, Dr. Kerstin Koch, Institute of Biochemistry II, Faculty of Medicine, Niederrad Campus, Tel.: +49 (0)69 6301-84250, K.Koch@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Discovered more than two decades ago, the hormone leptin has been widely hailed as the key regulator of leanness. Yet, the pivotal experiments that probe the function of this protein and unravel the precise mechanism of its action as a guardian against obesity are largely missing.

These are the conclusions in a commentary published June 22 in Cell Metabolism by Harvard Medical School metabolism experts Jeffrey Flier and Eleftheria Maratos-Flier.

Flier, the HMS George Higginson Professor of Physiology and Medicine, and Maratos-Flier, HMS professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, have made significant contributions to the understanding of the metabolism of obesity and starvation in general, and of leptin in particular.

The commentary highlights what the authors say is a startling lack of experimental evidence detailing the biologic roles of leptin in metabolism, and calls for a renewed effort to characterize the action of the hormone.

"It's been assumed--but never shown--that leptin helps keep lean people lean, staving off weight gain," Flier said. Science demands nothing less than a rigorous study and demonstration of this hormone's mechanism of action, he added.

"Without doing the experiments, we can't determine whether the emperor of energy balance is wearing any clothes."

Twenty-two years ago, researchers discovered the identity of a mouse obesity gene and found that it encodes a previously unknown hormone made by fat cells, which they named leptin, a term derived from the Greek word for leptos for "slim." In a rare genetic deficiency, people born with two defective copies of the gene are extremely obese, and their obesity can be reversed by restoring their leptin levels with daily injections.

In mice and in people without the mutation, studies have shown that leptin plays an important role in regulating metabolism--just not the one it's most famous for--obesity prevention. Studies from the Flier lab first showed that falling leptin levels signal the body that it may be in danger of starvation. The role for leptin as a starvation signal is now well established.

Early on, researchers speculated that this protein might also play a key role in helping healthy lean people remain thin, perhaps by serving as a signal that orchestrates resistance to obesity. Paradoxically, obese mice and people who don't have the defective obesity gene almost always have high levels of leptin. Flier first hypothesized that this may be due to some kind of leptin resistance, analogous to the insulin resistance seen in type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body produces more than normal amounts of the sugar-regulating hormone insulin, but cannot use it to normally metabolize sugar.

While some leptin is clearly necessary to prevent obesity, the authors write, the physiologic role of leptin in most individuals may be limited to signaling the response to hunger or starvation, and then reversing that signal as energy stores are restored, as they first hypothesized more than 20 years ago, they say. If that is true, according to the authors, the biology of leptin has little to do with leanness or obesity, apart from a few rare cases of primary deficiency with severe obesity.

Nevertheless, Flier and Maratos-Flier say, an anti-obesity role for leptin persists as a dogma in the field of metabolism and obesity and remains the most common description of what leptin does in textbooks and literature reviews. Yet, Flier and Maratos-Flier caution, this role for leptin has never been demonstrated experimentally in humans.

"Before we write the next chapter on leptin physiology and obesity," Flier said, "we should commit to seeing that these important questions are finally answered."

Obesity is becoming a catastrophic health problem, both nationally and globally--one that fuels a range of chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, kidney damage, arthritis and cardiovascular disease, among others. More than $140 billion is spent each year in the United States to treat obesity-related diseases, according to the CDC. Worldwide obesity rates have doubled since 1980, and most people now live in countries where more deaths are caused by overweight and obesity than by malnourishment, according to the World Health Organization.

"What we find most surprising is the extent to which scientists in the field of metabolism and energy balance seem minimally concerned that key experiments to define the actions of leptin have yet to be reported," Maratos-Flier said. "The widely accepted 'anti-obesity limb' of leptin physiology has never been clearly demonstrated to be present in human biology."

The authors note that it's possible, even likely, that as-yet undiscovered molecules, not leptin, mediate the regulation of body weight and its dysregulation in obesity.

Treatment with leptin was approved in the United States in 2014 for use in congenital leptin deficiency as well as in an unusual syndrome of lipodystrophy, but the protein has not been readily available for clinical experiments. There has also been limited interest in funding the types of experiments necessary to rigorously test the still-hypothetical benefits of leptin for preventing or reversing obesity, apart from obesity due to rare genetic mutations in the leptin gene, the authors write.

As one example, the authors propose a clinical study measuring how lean people respond to increased leptin levels. If leptin is an anti-obesity hormone, it might suppress hunger or increase energy expenditure in trial participants compared to those who get a placebo.

"We continue to believe that healthy and lean individuals exist who resist obesity at least in part through their leptin levels, and that some individuals develop obesity because they have insufficiently elevated leptin levels or cellular resistance to leptin," Flier said. "But in science, belief and knowledge are two different things, and as much as we may lean toward this belief, we ought to develop evidence for this hypothesis or abandon it in favor of new potential mechanisms for the regulation of body weight."

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Thanks to software developed at IST Austria, even novice users will be able to easily adjust a 3D-printable mechanism to fit a new shape, algorithm will be presented at the prestigious 'SIGGRAPH' conference this summer

Common toys such as steerable cars or waving wind-up figures are available as 3D-printable models, which also contain their mechanical components. However, these mechanical structures are optimized to fit exactly one particular shape of the toy. If designers want to reuse such a mechanism with different shapes, the necessary manual adjustments to the individual components are often unmanageable for non-experts, in addition to being extremely tedious. Scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) in collaboration with colleagues from Adobe Research have now solved this problem by developing an interactive design tool that allows users to easily adjust a mechanical template to the shape of their choice. The software tool, which will be made available in the future, will be presented at this year's prestigious "SIGGRAPH" conference by first author and PhD student Ran Zhang from the research group of Bernd Bickel.

"Given a car model, there is usually one kind of mechanism that provides the functionality and, at the same time, thousands of different shapes that the car can have," explains co-author Thomas Auzinger. "Our code bridges this gap and makes it possible to reuse the mechanism across all shapes. It allows for flexibility," he adds.

People and computers have very different abilities and competences. While humans have an eye for the aesthetics, it is the computer that is best suited at enforcing mathematical constraints and at optimizing the functionality of the generally large number of connected mechanical components, such as axles, gears, wheels, etc. This is why the user and the code interactively work together in an approach that the researchers took for the first time. "Our tool always guarantees functionality, while artists can adjust the mechanical template to fit the design of their choice," explains lead author Ran Zhang.

Three Austrian artists have tested the program already. The professional 3D-modellers came to visit IST Austria in Klosterneuburg, imported the mechanical template of their choice and adjusted it to fit self-designed 3D-shapes without having to worry about mechanical constraints. Normally, extensive manual adjustments to each of the individual components of the mechanical structure would have been necessary -- a task that is tedious if not downright impossible for non-experts. With the newly developed tool, in contrast, adjustment is easy and happens in real time. "Even novice users will be able to create a functional model from the shape of their choice," says Ran Zhang.

The viability of the novel tool was shown for different mechanical templates: for waving wind-up toys, periodic motions of hand models, steerable and motorized RC cars, and for vehicles with moveable rotors such as helicopters and planes. Each of them can be adjusted to produce a wide variety of differently-shaped figurines and vehicles. "While our result is already quite applicable, I want to point out that it is still an explorative research project," says Thomas Auzinger. "We took an entirely new modeling approach based on mathematical optimization and showed its viability. It was a proof of concept."

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Professor Bernd Bickel, who previously worked at Disney Research in Zurich and at the Technical University of Berlin, joined IST Austria in 2015. He leads a research group on computer graphics and digital fabrication. Ran Zhang, first author of the study, graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China and is a PhD student in his group. Co-author Thomas Auzinger, who obtained his PhD from the TU Wien, is a postdoc at IST Austria. Co-author Duygu Ceylan who obtained her PhD from EPFL, Switzerland is now a research scientist at Adobe Research. Co-author Wilmot Li, who obtained his PhD from the University of Washington is a principal scientist at Adobe Research.

Find out more about the project here: http://visualcomputing.ist.ac.at/publications/2017/MechRet/

Watch it explained with a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwLNbFNI1uk
James Cook University marine scientists are calling for an extension of go-slow zones in turtle habitats to reduce boat strikes on the threatened creatures.

JCU's Dr Takahiro Shimada was part of a joint team from JCU and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection that created and implemented the study. They tracked 18 green and 20 loggerhead turtles, in some cases for more than two-and-a-half years.

He said the team concentrated on the Moreton Bay area of Brisbane, as this is where most turtle strikes happen in Queensland. Dr Shimada said that many shallow and all deeper areas in the bay are not go- slow zones.

"At the time the regulations were brought into effect, it wasn't possible to track turtle habitats as accurately as we can now. So we set out to document where the turtles actually are," he said.

The scientists found the turtles they tracked were present throughout the bay, and stayed mostly in water less than five metres deep.

"On the east side of the bay, most of their habitat is covered by go-slow zones, but almost none of their habitats in the rest of the bay are covered," said Dr Shimada.

He said turtles are at risk when they surface to breathe, rest or when basking at or near the surface. They can also be struck when there is not enough depth for a hull or motor to pass over them safely. Dr Shimada said the animals were not agile enough to get out of the way of a fast-approaching vessel.

"We know that reducing the speed of boats significantly decreases the risk of collisions with turtles and dugongs and other air breathing animals," he said.

Dr Shimada said that if all shallow zones in Moreton Bay were designated as go-slow zones, nearly half or more of the turtle habitats could be protected.

"If we did that and added a small buffer zone from shallow water extending into deeper water, up to 95 percent of the habitat would be covered."

Dr Shimada said the team were very mindful that human recreational and commercial use of Moreton Bay was valuable and that it was inevitable that compromises would have to be made.

"Effective management for recovery of a population doesn't necessarily require the elimination of a particular source of mortality but rather that the mortality is low enough to allow the population to recover. Management agencies will need to balance the needs for reducing boat strikes with the use of the resource by the community," he said.

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MAYWOOD, IL - A Loyola University Chicago study published this month has found an increase in the percentage of breast cancer patients who were diagnosed in early Stage 1, after the Affordable Care Act took effect.

The increases in Stage 1 diagnoses were higher among African American and Latina breast cancer patients, compared to white patients.

The study by Abigail Silva, PhD, MPH, and colleagues is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology. Silva is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

The Affordable Care Act eliminated copayments and other out-of-pocket costs for 45 preventive care services, including mammograms. This made mammograms more affordable, potentially leading to earlier diagnoses.

The earlier cancer is detected, the more effectively it can be treated. Diagnosing breast cancer when it is still in Stage 1 could improve the prognosis for thousands of women and reduce the need for invasive treatments such as chemotherapy for a substantial number of women, Silva and colleagues wrote.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 253,000 women will be diagnosed this year.

Compared to white women, Latinas are less likely to receive mammograms overall and African Americans are less likely to receive mammograms at recommended intervals. Out-of-pocket payments have been identified as a potential barrier to getting screening mammograms.

The retrospective study included 470,465 breast cancer patients between the ages of 50 and 74 who were covered by private insurance or Medicare and were newly diagnosed with Stage 1-4 cancer. Researchers examined two time periods: 2007-2009 (before the Affordable Care Act took effect) and 2011-2013 (after the act took effect). Researchers obtained data from the National Cancer Database, which includes approximately 70 percent of all newly diagnosed cancers in the United States from about 1,500 hospitals.

Overall, the percentage of breast cancers that were diagnosed at Stage 1 increased 3.6 percentage points, from 54.4 percent to 58.0 percent. There was a corresponding decrease in Stage 2 and Stage 3 diagnoses, while the proportion of Stage 4 cancers did not change. The shift toward Stage 1 breast cancer diagnoses increased by 3.2 percentage points among whites, 4.0 percentage points among African Americans and 4.1 percentage points among Latinas.

Compared to African Americans and Latinas, a higher percentage of white breast cancer patients are diagnosed at Stage 1. This disparity decreased following the Affordable Care Act, as minorities saw modestly higher improvements in Stage 1 diagnoses.

Researchers concluded that further studies to evaluate the impact of the Affordable Care Act on cancer outcomes and disparities "should be supported as they will help inform future policy recommendations."

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The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Avon Foundation.

The study is titled "Potential impact of the Affordable Care Act's preventive services provision on breast cancer stage: A preliminary assessment."

In addition to Silva, other co-authors are Talar Markossian, PhD, MPH, of Loyola's Department of Public Health Sciences; Yamile Molina, PhD, of the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Nazia Saiyed, MPH, of the Sinai Urban Health Institute.
In a 1999 paper, Erik Demaine -- now an MIT professor of electrical engineering and computer science, but then an 18-year-old PhD student at the University of Waterloo, in Canada -- described an algorithm that could determine how to fold a piece of paper into any conceivable 3-D shape.

It was a milestone paper in the field of computational origami, but the algorithm didn't yield very practical folding patterns. Essentially, it took a very long strip of paper and wound it into the desired shape. The resulting structures tended to have lots of seams where the strip doubled back on itself, so they weren't very sturdy.

At the Symposium on Computational Geometry in July, Demaine and Tomohiro Tachi of the University of Tokyo will announce the completion of a quest that began with that 1999 paper: a universal algorithm for folding origami shapes that guarantees a minimum number of seams.

"In 1999, we proved that you could fold any polyhedron, but the way that we showed how to do it was very inefficient," Demaine says. "It's efficient if your initial piece of paper is super-long and skinny. But if you were going to start with a square piece of paper, then that old method would basically fold the square paper down to a thin strip, wasting almost all the material. The new result promises to be much more efficient. It's a totally different strategy for thinking about how to make a polyhedron."

Demaine and Tachi are also working to implement the algorithm in a new version of Origamizer, the free software for generating origami crease patterns whose first version Tachi released in 2008.

Maintaining boundaries

The researchers' algorithm designs crease patterns for producing any polyhedron -- that is, a 3-D surface made up of many flat facets. Computer graphics software, for instance, models 3-D objects as polyhedra consisting of many tiny triangles. "Any curved shape you could approximate with lots of little flat sides," Demaine explains.

Technically speaking, the guarantee that the folding will involve the minimum number of seams means that it preserves the "boundaries" of the original piece of paper. Suppose, for instance, that you have a circular piece of paper and want to fold it into a cup. Leaving a smaller circle at the center of the piece of paper flat, you could bunch the sides together in a pleated pattern; in fact, some water-cooler cups are manufactured on this exact design.

In this case, the boundary of the cup -- its rim -- is the same as that of the unfolded circle -- its outer edge. The same would not be true with the folding produced by Demaine and his colleagues' earlier algorithm. There, the cup would consist of a thin strip of paper wrapped round and round in a coil -- and it probably wouldn't hold water.

"The new algorithm is supposed to give you much better, more practical foldings," Demaine says. "We don't know how to quantify that mathematically, exactly, other than it seems to work much better in practice. But we do have one mathematical property that nicely distinguishes the two methods. The new method keeps the boundary of the original piece of paper on the boundary of the surface you're trying to make. We call this watertightness."

A closed surface -- such as a sphere -- doesn't have a boundary, so an origami approximation of it will require a seam where boundaries meet. But "the user gets to choose where to put that boundary," Demaine says. "You can't get an entire closed surface to be watertight, because the boundary has to be somewhere, but you get to choose where that is."

Lighting fires

The algorithm begins by mapping the facets of the target polyhedron onto a flat surface. But whereas the facets will be touching when the folding is complete, they can be quite far apart from each other on the flat surface. "You fold away all the extra material and bring together the faces of the polyhedron," Demaine says.

Folding away the extra material can be a very complex process. Folds that draw together multiple faces could involve dozens or even hundreds of separate creases.

Developing a method for automatically calculating those crease patterns involved a number of different insights, but a central one was that they could be approximated by something called a Voronoi diagram. To understand this concept, imagine a grassy plain. A number of fires are set on it simultaneously, and they all spread in all directions at the same rate. The Voronoi diagram -- named after the 19th-century Ukrainian mathematician Gyorgy Voronoi -- describes both the location at which the fires are set and the boundaries at which adjacent fires meet. In Demaine and Tachi's algorithm, the boundaries of a Voronoi diagram define the creases in the paper.

"We have to tweak it a little bit in our setting," Demaine says. "We also imagine simultaneously lighting a fire on the entire polygon of the polyhedron and growing out from there. But that concept was really useful. The challenge is to set up where to light the fires, essentially, so that the Voronoi diagram has all the properties we need."

###

Additional background

Paper: "Origamizer: A Practical Algorithm for Folding Any Polyhedron http://erikdemaine.org/papers/Origamizer_SoCG2017/paper.pdf

ARCHIVE: "Super Mario Brothers" is hard http://news.mit.edu/2016/mario-brothers-hard-complexity-class-pspace-0601

ARCHIVE: Origami robot folds itself up, crawls away http://news.mit.edu/2014/mobile-folding-robots-0807

ARCHIVE: Bake your own robot http://news.mit.edu/2014/bake-your-own-robot-0530

ARCHIVE: The math of the Rubik's cube http://news.mit.edu/2011/rubiks-cube-0629
For democratic elections to be fair, voting districts must have similar sizes. When populations shift, districts need to be redistributed - a complex and, in many countries, controversial task when political parties attempt to influence redistricting. Mathematicians at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a method that allows the efficient calculation of optimally sized voting districts.

When constituents cast their vote for a candidate, they assume it carries the same weight as that of the others. Voting districts should thus be sized equally according to population. When populations change, boundaries need to be redrawn.

For example, 34 political districts were redrawn for the upcoming parliamentary election in Germany -- a complex task. In other countries, this process often results in major controversy. Political parties often engage in gerrymandering, to create districts with a disproportionately large number of own constituents. In the United States, for example, state governments frequently exert questionable influence when redrawing the boundaries of congressional districts.

"An effective and neutral method for political district zoning, which sounds like an administrative problem, is actually of great significance from the perspective of democratic theory," emphasizes Stefan Wurster, Professor of Policy Analysis at the Bavarian School of Public Policy at TUM. "The acceptance of democratic elections is in danger whenever parties or individuals gain an advantage out of the gate. The problem becomes particularly relevant when the allocation of parliamentary seats is determined by the number of direct mandates won. This is the case in majority election systems like in USA, Great Britain and France."

Test case: German parliamentary election

Prof. Peter Gritzmann, head of the Chair of Applied Geometry and Discrete Mathematics at TUM, in collaboration with his staff member Fabian Klemm and his colleague Andreas Brieden, professor of statistics at the University of the German Federal Armed Forces, has developed a methodology that allows the optimal distribution of electoral district boundaries to be calculated in an efficient and, of course, politically neutral manner.

The mathematicians tested their methodology using electoral districts of the German parliament. According to the German Federal Electoral Act, the number of constituents in a district should not deviate more than 15 percent from the average. In cases where the deviation exceeds 25 percent, electoral district borders must be redrawn. In this case, the relevant election commission must adhere to various provisions: For example, districts must be contiguous and not cross state, county or municipal boundaries. The electoral districts are subdivided into precincts with one polling station each.

Better than required by law

"There are more ways to consolidate communities to electoral districts than there are atoms in the known universe," says Peter Gritzmann. "But, using our model, we can still find efficient solutions in which all districts have roughly equal numbers of constituents - and that in a 'minimally invasive' manner that requires no voter to switch precincts."

Deviations of 0.3 to 8.7 percent from the average size of electoral districts cannot be avoided based solely on the different number of voters in individual states. But the new methodology achieves this optimum. "Our process comes close to the theoretical limit in every state, and we end up far below the 15 percent deviation allowed by law," says Gritzmann.

Deployment possible in many countries

The researchers used a mathematical model developed in the working group to calculate the electoral districts: "Geometric clustering" groups the communities to clusters, the optimized electoral districts. The target definition for calculations can be arbitrarily modified, making the methodology applicable to many countries with different election laws.

The methodology is also applicable to other types of problems: for example, in voluntary lease and utilization exchanges in agriculture, to determine adequate tariff groups for insurers or to model hybrid materials. "However, drawing electoral district boundaries is a very special application, because here mathematics can help strengthen democracies," sums up Gritzmann.

###

Publication:

A. Brieden, P. Gritzmann, F. Klemm, Constrained clustering via diagrams: A unified theory and its application to electoral district design, European Journal of Operational Research 263 (2017) 18-34
An international team led by the University of Chicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering has discovered how to manipulate a weird quantum interface between light and matter in silicon carbide along wavelengths used in telecommunications.

The work advances the possibility of applying quantum mechanical principles to existing optical fiber networks for secure communications and geographically distributed quantum computation. Prof. David Awschalom and his 13 co-authors announced their discovery in the June 23 issue of Physical Review X.

"Silicon carbide is currently used to build a wide variety of classical electronic devices today," said Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering at UChicago and a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. "All of the processing protocols are in place to fabricate small quantum devices out of this material. These results offer a pathway for bringing quantum physics into the technological world."

The findings are partly based on theoretical models of the materials performed by Awschalom's co-authors at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest. Another research group in Sweden's Linkoping University grew much of the silicon carbide material that Awschalom's team tested in experiments at UChicago. And another team at the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology in Japan helped the UChicago researchers make quantum defects in the materials by irradiating them with electron beams.

Quantum mechanics govern the behavior of matter at the atomic and subatomic levels in exotic and counterintuitive ways as compared to the everyday world of classical physics. The new discovery hinges on a quantum interface within atomic-scale defects in silicon carbide that generates the fragile property of entanglement, one of the strangest phenomena predicted by quantum mechanics.

Entanglement means that two particles can be so inextricably connected that the state of one particle can instantly influence the state of the other, no matter how far apart they are.

"This non-intuitive nature of quantum mechanics might be exploited to ensure that communications between two parties are not intercepted or altered," Awschalom said.

The findings enhance the once-unexpected opportunity to create and control quantum states in materials that already have technological applications, Awschalom noted. Pursuing the scientific and technological potential of such advances will become the focus of the newly announced Chicago Quantum Exchange, which Awschalom will direct.

An especially intriguing aspect of the new paper was that silicon carbide semiconductor defects have a natural affinity for moving information between light and spin (a magnetic property of electrons). "A key unknown has always been whether we could find a way to convert their quantum states to light," said David Christle, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago and lead author of the work. "We knew a light-matter interface should exist, but we might have been unlucky and found it to be intrinsically unsuitable for generating entanglement. We were very fortuitous in that the optical transitions and the process that converts the spin to light is of very high quality."

The defect is a missing atom that causes nearby atoms in the material to rearrange their electrons. The missing atom, or the defect itself, creates an electronic state that researchers control with a tunable infrared laser.

"What quality basically means is: How many photons can you get before you've destroyed the quantum state of the spin?" said Abram Falk, a researcher at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Resarch Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., who is familiar with the work but not a co-author on the paper.

The UChicago researchers found that they could potentially generate up to 10,000 photons, or packets of light, before they destroyed the spin state. "That would be a world record in terms of what you could do with one of these types of defect states," Falk added.

Awschalom's team was able to turn the quantum state of information from single electron spins in commercial wafers of silicon carbide into light and read it out with an efficiency of approximately 95 percent.

The duration of the spin state--called coherence--that Awschalom's team achieved was a millisecond. Not much by clock standards, but quite a lot in the realm of quantum states, in which multiple calculations can be carried out in a nanosecond, or a billionth of a second.

The feat opens up new possibilities in silicon carbide because its nanoscale defects are a leading platform for new technologies that seek to use quantum mechanical properties for quantum information processing, sensing magnetic and electric fields and temperature with nanoscale resolution, and secure communications using light.

"There's about a billion-dollar industry of power electronics built on silicon carbide," Falk said. "Following this work, there's an opportunity to build a platform for quantum communication that leverages these very advanced classical devices in the semiconductor industry," he said.

Most researchers studying defects for quantum applications have focused on an atomic defect in diamond, which has become a popular visible-light testbed for these technologies.

"Diamond has been this huge industry of quantum control work," Falk noted. Dozens of research groups across the country have spent more than a decade perfecting the material to achieve standards that Awschalom's group has mastered in silicon carbide after only a few years of investigation.

"There are many different forms of silicon carbide, and some of them are commonly used today in electronics and optoelectronics," Awschalom said. "Quantum states are present in all forms of silicon carbide that we've explored. This bodes well for introducing quantum mechanical effects into both electronic and optical technologies."

Researchers now are beginning to wonder if this type of physics also may work in other materials, Falk noted.

"Moreover, can we rationally design a defect that has the properties we want, not just stumble into one?" he asked.

Defects are the key.

"For decades the electronics industry has come up with a myriad of tricks to remove all the defects from their devices because defects often cause problems in conventional electronics," Awschalom explained. "Ironically, we're putting the defects back in for quantum systems."

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Scientists have solved a decades-old puzzle about a widely used metal, thanks to extreme pressure experiments and powerful supercomputing.

Their discovery reveals important fundamental aspects of the element lithium, the lightest and simplest metal in the periodic table. The material is commonly used in batteries for phones and computers.

A mystery of how the metal's atoms are arranged -- which influences properties such as its strength, malleability and conductivity -- has been solved by their research.

An international team sought to better understand lithium's structure by studying it at cold temperatures. In this low-energy state, the fundamental properties of materials can be accurately observed.

Until now, it was difficult for scientists to explain previous experimental results indicating that lithium had a complex structure. To understand the theory properly required exceptionally accurate calculations using advanced quantum mechanics.

Their latest calculations, using the ARCHER supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh, found that lithium's structure is not complex or disordered, as previous results had suggested. Instead, its atoms are arranged simply, like oranges in a box.

Scientists suggest that in previous experiments, rapid cooling led to misleading results. To avoid those problems, they reached low-temperature conditions by placing samples of lithium under extreme pressure - up to 4,500 times that of Earth's atmosphere -- by squeezing it between a pair of diamonds. They then cooled and depressurised the sample before examining it using a synchotron device, which uses X-ray beams to see atoms.

The study, from the Universities of Edinburgh and Utah, was published in Science.

Dr Miguel Martinez-Canales, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Physics and Astronomy, said "Our calculations needed an accuracy of one in 10 million, and would have taken over 40 years on a normal computer."

Professor Graeme Ackland, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Physics and Astronomy, said: "We were able to form a true picture of cold lithium by making it using high pressures. Rather than forming a complex structure, it has the simplest arrangement that there can be in nature."

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A national collaboration investigating a cross-agency 'joined up' approach to the needs of prisoners with mental health needs on and immediately after release, has received additional funding of almost 290,000 to continue its work for another 10 months. Follow up will now be extended from six to 12 months and a more comprehensive economic analysis will be carried out.

The collaboration, called Engager 2, is between Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (PUPSMD), the University of Manchester, University College London and the University of Exeter. It has already received funding in the region of 2.2 million from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR), which has also supported this latest funding.

The project is also supported by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care in the South West Peninsula (NIHR PenCLAHRC).

The project aims to develop and evaluate a way of organising care and support for about to be and newly-released prisoners based on an integrated approach involving therapy, medication, housing, training and employment, and ensuring that care continues after release.

Phase one included the project team working with eight men who had served prison sentences. As 'peer researchers' these men contributed their life experiences to the research project. They were able to use their experiences of being in prison, and of the challenging times they experienced when they were released, to support, inform and even challenge the research team. They worked alongside the academic researchers to develop the proposed system of care, agree measures to evaluate it and advised on how best to phrase the written materials that participants were given.

The second, ongoing phase, is a randomised control trial in which half the 280 prisoners receive the new integrated approach while the others receive the care that is usually available. The additional funding will enable the team to follow-up the prisoners involved in the study for an additional period of time, allowing them to investigate the longer term impact of the initiative.

By collecting information related to people's health, the healthcare they have received, improvements in their social situation (including housing and employment) and their involvement or otherwise with the criminal justice system, the research team can evaluate the effectiveness of the new integrated approach by comparing it with the results achieved by the usually system of care.

As well as investigating the benefits to released prisoners with mental health problems, the research team will also assess the economic impact of the new integrated approach to see if it results in savings to the public purse.

Engager is led by Professor Richard Byng, GP and Professor in Primary Care Research at PUPSMD. He commented: "Offenders, and especially prisoners, have a high prevalence of mental health problems. Rates for various mental health conditions range from 50 to 90 per cent. Prisoners released from prison with mental health problems face difficulty with family relationships, employment, long-term illness, self-harm, depression and re-offending."

Dr Tim Kirkpatrick, Research Fellow at PUPSMD and Project Lead for Engager 2, added: "Our work with Engager 2 will, we believe, result in a safer more comprehensive support network for them on release, which may result in reduced rates of re-offending and improved quality of life and opportunity. Not only would this be of benefit to the released offender, but also to the community as a whole and to hard-pressed health and social care budgets. Our thanks go to the NIHR PGfAR for this additional funding which will allow us to follow up individuals for an additional six months and carry out a more detailed cross societal economic evaluation."

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Notes to Editors

The University of Plymouth is renowned for high quality, internationally-leading education, research and innovation. With a mission to Advance Knowledge and Transform Lives, Plymouth is a
When film students in the future search for terrible movies in 2017, they'll have a hard time locating "The Book of Henry." Not because it's good  trust us, it isn't  but because it will be hard to find.

The Naomi Watts-led film is a domestic drama, a thriller, an exploration of modern parenting, a revenge flick, a call to social action, a meditation on grief, a caper and a movie about a budding genius. Since it doesn't spend enough time doing any of those things, watching it is as frustrating as trying to categorize it.

It opens as the story of Henry, an exceptional 11-year-old who is trying to navigate a brutal and unexceptional world. Along for the ride are his normal brother and his overwhelmed but slightly infantile single mom (Watts, very good at the wrenching drama, confused elsewhere).

Henry (the terrific Jaeden Lieberher) is the de facto adult in the family, paying bills, buying stocks, giving computer tutorials, overseeing the shopping and protecting his younger brother. "Find me another male of the species who's more grown up than him," his mom says of her first son. As for her, she's a waitress at a diner, drinks too much wine and plays first-person shooter video games.

Henry is a genius, but a non-threatening, quirky one. He uses payphones instead of cellphones, microcassettes instead of digital recorders, builds his own walkie-talkies, uses a Polaroid camera and wears World War I-era googles in a way that's supposed to communicate cuteness. He constructs complicated Rube Goldberg contraptions in his tree house, which is designed in Tim Burton Lite. The film seems to want to stretch toward fantasy or whimsy but it fights an established sober tone grounded in the early winter leaves and fading light of New York City suburbs.

As soon as we settle down to what seems to be a domestic coming-of-age drama, things take a turn first toward horror when Henry suspects his next-door crush is in danger, and then another zag when a medical problem suddenly arrives. It ultimately becomes a thriller before adding some farcical elements, collapsing on its own preposterousness. Written by Gregg Hurwitz, author of the "Orphan X" thriller novels, you might feel as if you're on your own Rube Goldberg contraption.

Raising  and then quickly abandoning  interesting dramatic avenues, "The Book of Henry" becomes completely unhinged, with Henry's mom running around the forest cradling a high-tech sniper rifle. Soon the cliches start piling up  a good-looking doctor becomes a love interest, the chilly police chief with something to hide is protected by small-town politics, a girl tries to communicate her pain through dance and we are subject to various bad montages of people carefully planning elaborate missions.

The film is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who directed and co-wrote "Jurassic World" and has been tapped to do the same with "Star Wars: Episode IX." He apparently has made a pit stop between blockbuster franchises to make a complete mess of a small film. The only thing not thrown at this film was a dinosaur or a cute robot.

The script leaves many good actors completely marooned. Maddie Ziegler, making her film debut (she danced in Sia's "Chandelier" video), shows promise with her brooding brokenness, and Dean Norris ("Breaking Bad," ''Under the Dome") is a deliciously charming heavy. Jacob Tremblay, playing Henry's brother, turns in a wonderfully complicated take on what's it's like to be in the shadow of a prodigy. And Sarah Silverman gives us a prickly, honest turn as a co-worker of Henry's mom until a truly terrible final scene that ruins all her work.

It's hard to tell whether Watts is simply miscast or anyone would be doomed in her role. There are times when she simply drifts and others when she threatens to take the film by the scruff of its neck. When she's on, she gives her all  parental love, crushed by sorrow, silliness and lethally focused, including a touching scene in which she strums a ukulele and sings the new Stevie Nicks song "Your Hand I Will Never Let It Go." But this is a film that she can't save and one that you can do nothing else but let go quickly.
A study of historic whaling records has revealed there were warning signs that populations of commercially harvested whales were heading for global collapse up to 40 years before the event.

The research by scientists from IMAS and Switzerland's University of Zurich has the potential for application to other species to pinpoint early warning signs that a population is at risk of collapse due to pressures such as overfishing or climate change.

IMAS co-author Associate Professor Julia Blanchard said the study, published in the international journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, used International Whaling Committee (IWC) records of the abundance and body size of four whale species before the 1985 commercial whaling moratorium.

"In the face of global environmental change it's important that we can predict which species are at risk so appropriate conservation measures can be taken," Associate Professor Blanchard said.

"When abundance becomes more variable over time for a given species it can be a warning signal of an impending population collapse, but abundance estimates are low in reliability,"

Lead author Dr Chris Clements from the University of Zurich said previous work on experimental systems had suggested that combining extreme shifts in the body size of a population with abundance data can be indicative of an approaching collapse, but this had never before been demonstrated in a wild population.

"Our study of IWC catch records showed there was a dramatic decline in the average body size of whales last century, detectable up to 40 years before the global population collapse," Dr Clements said.

"We looked at data for blue, fin, sei and sperm whales and found significant declines in body size, with sperm whales taken in the 1980s four metres shorter on average than those taken in 1905.

"These results suggest that tracking changes in their mean body size might help to predict when populations are at risk of collapsing."

IMAS co-author Professor Mark Hindell said the technique could be used to help protect other species currently of conservation concern.

"Overfishing, which is likely to get worse with an increasing human population, is a threat faced by many marine species and can lead to changes in body size as well as the collapse of fish stocks that can take many decades to recover," Professor Hindell said.

"If we can use an approach such as this that takes into account traits of species and enables early detection it should be possible to determine which populations are at greater risk of collapse and to help put management in place to stop it happening."

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The joint University of Zurich and IMAS research project was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SND) and the European Research Council (ERC).
HOUSTON - (June 23, 2017) - Just as he has changed the lives of people suffering from a devastating genetic disease, molecular endocrinologist John J. Kopchick, Ph.D., and his wife, Charlene, of Athens, Ohio, are paving the way for future scientists to do the same with a transformative $10.5 million gift to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

To spur future breakthroughs, the Kopchicks' gift will fund up to 15 student fellowships at the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School, where John Kopchick received his Ph.D. in 1980 and launched an illustrious career. The fellowships will accelerate the school's continued success in educating medical trailblazers.

"My success is dependent on something special, and that something special was my education at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. It is nice to give something back," said John Kopchick, who received the Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship during his time at the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School.

Charlene Kopchick, assistant dean of students for campus involvement at Ohio University, is equally passionate about student education. She and her husband are the first in their respective families to go to college.

"There is a statement about giving forward and for me that is important. Had John not gotten scholarships to come here, we wouldn't be where we are," said Charlene, adding that the fellowships will help students who are in need of financial assistance to achieve their dream of a graduate medical school education.

The MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School is a partnership between The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the No. 1 cancer center in the U.S., and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

"This gift represents the important role that collaborations between two UT institutions will play in advancing discoveries and cures by making sure that they develop scientific and medical leaders to do just that," said The University of Texas System Chancellor William H. McRaven. "When you combine the expertise that exists in the nation's leading cancer center and the state's most comprehensive academic health institution, graduate students in the biomedical sciences will have unprecedented opportunity for learning and discovery. We are profoundly grateful to the Kopchicks for understanding and generously supporting the power of collaborative science."

In addition to the fellowships, the gift will fund the Dr. John J. Kopchick Research Symposium, which will draw leading scientists from around the world and recognize Graduate School students who hold Dr. John J. Kopchick and Charlene Kopchick Endowed Fellowships. The gift also will fund competitive research awards to students and their faculty mentors.

"The fellowships and research symposium will nurture graduate students and faculty of the highest caliber in their pursuit of innovation and excellence in the biomedical sciences," said Ethan Dmitrovsky, M.D., executive vice president and provost of MD Anderson. "We are grateful to Charlene and John Kopchick for their incredible generosity, vision and support. Their legacy gift advances our collective goal to help the next generation of biomedical scientists realize their potential in making a global impact on eradicating diseases around the world."

The Graduate School was established in 1963 and has trained more than 2,600 biomedical scientists. Its more than 600 faculty members come from both MD Anderson and UTHealth.

"We are grateful for this opportunity to build a program that celebrates the accomplishments of John and Charlene Kopchick," said Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, M.D., president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair at UTHealth. "Our Graduate School is raising the bar for health care innovation, with students and faculty members at the forefront of translational biomedical research. This generous gift from the Kopchicks will transform the lives of our trainees and, ultimately, the lives of millions through groundbreaking scientific discoveries."

The deans of the Graduate School are Michelle Barton, Ph.D., professor of Epigenetics and Colin Powell Chair for Cancer Research at MD Anderson; and Michael Blackburn, Ph.D., William S. Kilroy, Sr. Chair in Pulmonary Disease at McGovern Medical School and John P. McGovern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Endowed Distinguished Professor at UTHealth.

"This transformational gift will forever change the future of scholarship and science at the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School," Barton said. "The funds from this gift will allow the school to attract the finest students, many of whom may not be able to nurture their talents without the benefit of financial assistance, providing a critical opportunity for them to pursue their education without financial burden."

Blackburn said, "John and Charlene's generous philanthropic support will help the school inspire a legacy of innovation and synergy in science. Thanks to their gift, our school will be able to offer more stipends that support our most elite graduate students' life-changing research endeavors in areas like Parkinson's disease, leukemia, attention deficit disorder and ovarian cancer. These awards will represent the pinnacle of achievement in education and research at our school, distinguishing the students and faculty who receive them and rewarding the top talent at our school for their accomplishments."

Alex Perakis, the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School student president for 2016-2017, said alumni donations represent the school's commitment to securing the future of the next generation of well trained and educated scientists. "These heartwarming efforts to create fellowships and scholarships that support the school means the world to our students and further deepen the connection of our entire Graduate School family," Perakis said.

Kopchick earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania before he was recruited to the Graduate School by his mentor and academic adviser Ralph Arlinghaus, Ph.D., professor and Hubert L. Stringer Chair in Cancer Research in the Department of Translational Molecular Pathology at MD Anderson.

"I spent a wonderful four and a half years there," Kopchick said. "Ralph and his research group were great. In fact, I base my current research group on things I learned in Ralph's laboratory - work hard and play hard. And Char and I embraced the Texas lifestyle 100 percent and have many long-term `Texas' friends that we still visit."

Kopchick's pioneering research, which occurred at Ohio University in the 1990s and continues to this day, centers on the molecular structure of a growth hormone, a protein produced in the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. Tumors and genetic mutations in the gland can alter the production of this hormone.

Too much growth hormone can lead to acromegaly or gigantism, a condition reportedly affecting the late wrestler Andre the Giant and the world's tallest man, Sultan Kosen. Conversely, too little growth hormone can lead to growth hormone deficiency that may lead to dwarfism.

Kopchick's research led to a drug that inhibits growth hormone functions and in 2003, the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug called SOMAVERT (pegvisomant) for use in patients with acromegaly. Kopchick believes SOMAVERT may have other applications including the treatment of cancer. Related to this, he has established a collaborative research project with Ahmed Kaseb, M.D., and Hesham Amin, M.D., at MD Anderson to determine whether inhibition of GH action will affect tumor growth.

At Ohio University, Kopchick is a Distinguished Professor and The Goll-Ohio Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and directs the Growth, Diabetes and Obesity Section of the Edison Biotechnology Institute in the Konneker Research Laboratories. He also is a member of the Biomedical Sciences Department in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

He received an MD Anderson Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2002 and was named the Graduate School's Alumnus of the Year for 2006.

The inaugural Dr. John J. Kopchick and Charlene Kopchick Fellows are anticipated to be awarded in 2018.

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A subgroup of patients with osteosarcoma - a form of bone cancer - could be helped by an existing drug, suggest scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators at University College London Cancer Institute and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. In the largest genetic sequencing study of osteosarcoma to date, scientists discovered that 10 per cent of patients with a genetic mutation in particular growth factor signalling genes may benefit from existing drugs, known as IGF1R inhibitors.

The results, published today (23 June) in Nature Communications suggest a re-trial of IGF1R inhibitors for the subset of patients with osteosarcoma who are likely to respond based on their genetic profile.

Osteosarcoma is the most common form of primary bone cancer in children and young adults, usually affecting people aged 10 to 24 years*. 160 new patients are diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the UK each year, of which around one third cannot be cured.

The current treatment for osteosarcoma is chemotherapy followed by surgery, where the bone tumours are removed. There has not been a new treatment for osteosarcoma in almost 40 years, in spite of extensive research.

In the study, scientists analysed the genome of 112 childhood and adult tumours - double the number of tumours studied previously. In 10 per cent of cases, the team discovered cancer-driving mutations in insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling genes.

IGF signalling plays a major role in bone growth and development during puberty. Researchers believe that IGF signalling is also implicated in the uncontrollable growth of bone that is characteristic of osteosarcoma.

IGF signalling genes are the target of existing drugs, known as IGF1R inhibitors. Past clinical trials of IGF1R inhibitors as a treatment for osteosarcoma yielded mixed results although occasional patients responded to the treatment. In spite of this, IGF1R inhibitors have not been further tested in osteosarcoma, as it had been unclear who would benefit from the treatment.

Dr Sam Behjati, first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge, said: "Osteosarcoma is difficult to treat. Despite extensive research over the past 40 years, no new treatment options have been found. In this study we reveal a clear biological target for osteosarcoma that can be reached with existing drugs."

In the study, scientists looked for mutations in the tumours to understand the mechanism of osteosarcoma development. The genetic information revealed a specific process for rearranging the chromosomes that results in several cancer-driving mutations at once.

Professor Adrienne Flanagan, senior author from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust and University College London Cancer Institute, said: "By sequencing the whole genome of the tumours, we have unpicked the mechanism behind osteosarcoma for the first time. We discovered a new process -- chromothripsis amplification - in which the chromosome is shattered, multiplied and rejigged to generate multiple cancer-driving mutations at the same time. We believe this is why we see very similar osteosarcoma tumours in children and adults, which are not the result of ageing."

Dr Peter Campbell, lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, said: "Currently, there are no new osteosarcoma treatments on the horizon. Genomic sequencing has provided the evidence needed to revisit clinical trials of IGF1R inhibitors for the subset of patients that responded in the past. The mutations of patients' tumours may enable clinicians to predict who will, and will not respond to these drugs, resulting in more efficient clinical trials. The drugs could be effective for 10 per cent of osteosarcoma patients."

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Notes to Editors

About Osteosarcoma

Almost all -- 94 per cent -- of osteosarcomas start in the long bones of the arms and legs, including the lower thigh bone (distal femur), upper shin bone (proximal tibia) and upper arm bone (proximal humerus). It is an aggressive cancer that can spread in the bloodstream to the lungs, where it forms bony nodules that must be detected and cut out by hand.

Osteosarcoma statistics

*Bone Cancer Research Trust: http://www.bcrt.org.uk/information/information-by-type/osteosarcoma/

Patient Enquiries

For more information about osteosarcoma, please visit the Bone Cancer Research Trust website (http://www.bcrt.org.uk/)

If you'd like to speak to someone about osteosarcoma, please contact the Sarcoma UK Support Line Nurses on 0808 801 0401 or email supportline@sarcoma.org.uk. For more information visit the Sarcoma UK website (http://www.sarcoma.org.uk/)

Publication:

Sam Behjati et al. (2017) Recurrent mutation of IGF signalling genes and distinct patterns of genomic rearrangement in osteosarcoma. Nature Communications. DOI: ncomms15936

Selected websites:

The University of Cambridge

The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 96 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize. Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America. The University sits at the heart of one of the world's largest technology clusters. The 'Cambridge Phenomenon' has created 1,500 hi-tech companies, 14 of them valued at over US$1 billion and two at over US$10 billion. Cambridge promotes the interface between academia and business, and has a global reputation for innovation. http://www.cam.ac.uk/

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

The RNOH is the largest specialist orthopaedic hospital in the UK, and a recognised world leader in the field of orthopaedics and neuro-musculoskeletal medicine. It treats more than 125,000 patients a year for conditions ranging from acute spinal injuries and bone cancer to prosthetic rehabilitation and chronic back pain. http://www.rnoh.nhs.uk/

About UCL (University College London)

Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. We are among the world's top universities, as reflected by performance in a range of international rankings and tables. UCL currently has over 35,000 students from 150 countries and more than 11,000 staff. Our annual income is more than 1 billion. http://www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow us on Twitter @uclnews | Watch our YouTube channel YouTube.com/UCLTV

UCL Cancer Institute, London, is the hub for cancer research at University College London (UCL), one of the world's leading universities. The UCL Cancer Institute draws together over 300 researchers/clinicians working to translate research discoveries into new strategies to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Visit http://www.ucl.ac.uk/cancer | Follow us on Twitter @uclcancer

About the Bone Cancer Research Trust

The Bone Cancer Research Trust is the leading charity dedicated to fighting primary bone cancer. The charity's mission is to save lives and improve outcomes for people affected by primary bone cancer through research, information, awareness and support. http://www.bcrt.org.uk

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world's leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease. http://www.sanger.ac.uk

Wellcome

Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We're a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations and spark debate. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
From: Ad Council For Immediate Release: Dateline: New York , NY Friday, June 23, 2017







According to

Both of these leaders shared their insights on connecting with Gen Z at the

Here are the 3 key insights brands should know about to engage the next generation in a humanistic and compelling way.

1. Theyre concerned citizens. Bobby Jones shared that Gen Z are not only the folks who want first dibs on the newest and coolest things, but they are also the next wave of concerned citizens. They are aware of injustice around the world, and they want to do something about it.

Aria Finger shared that DoSomethings consulting group, TMI Strategy, discovered something similar. One key issue that resonates with Gen Z is that they care about fairness, they want everyone to have an equal level playing field regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or background. This is why they are even more eager to act and get involved with the national and global politics.

2. They want honesty. Finger says be honest- young people far more attuned to deception than older generations. They can spot an inauthentic purpose-driven marketing push within moments, and you can lose their loyalty and attention just as fast. They also respect honesty over perfection, so if you do mess up, just apologize. What they want to see is your brands goals, what youve already accomplished and what youre committing to so they can better assess whether theyre joining your cause.

They are not only paying attention to brands activities, they are also paying close attention to what the leaders of pop culture are saying and doing  the influencers, cool kids and celebs. Have you noticed that many Instagram influencers now openly indicate their social issue alignment, political perspective and are transparent about being sponsored? They know that this generation does not like being fooled and want to know where you stand.

3. Their needs should matter. Jones shared that in order for marketers to truly succeed in connecting with Gen Z, they must position their brand to relate to this generations values and concerns as citizens, not just consumers. This point was further emphasized by Finger in her second pro-tip: brands should fight for their users. Instead of spending time thinking about what you need your consumers to do, think about what they need and want from you. Some questions to explore are how will this benefit the user? what will benefit the user? and what does my user care about?

So there you have it folks. Go forth and humanize the digital experience by being honest, treating Gen Z as concerned citizens and aligning your brand with their needs and values.



The post

According to Aria Finger, CEO of DoSomething.org and Bobby Jones , author of Good is the New Cool , the way to connect with the younger generation is on a human level. If youre like me, you must be thinking, sounds great, but how do I do that?Both of these leaders shared their insights on connecting with Gen Z at the 2016 PSFK conference , which has been listed as one of AdWeeks 7 Emerging Conferences Every Advertising Professional Should Know About.Here are the 3 key insights brands should know about to engage the next generation in a humanistic and compelling way.Bobby Jones shared that Gen Z are not only the folks who want first dibs on the newest and coolest things, but they are also the next wave of concerned citizens. They are aware of injustice around the world, and they want to do something about it.Aria Finger shared that DoSomethings consulting group, TMI Strategy, discovered something similar. One key issue that resonates with Gen Z is that they care about fairness, they want everyone to have an equal level playing field regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or background. This is why they are even more eager to act and get involved with the national and global politics.Finger says be honest- young people far more attuned to deception than older generations. They can spot an inauthentic purpose-driven marketing push within moments, and you can lose their loyalty and attention just as fast. They also respect honesty over perfection, so if you do mess up, just apologize. What they want to see is your brands goals, what youve already accomplished and what youre committing to so they can better assess whether theyre joining your cause.They are not only paying attention to brands activities, they are also paying close attention to what the leaders of pop culture are saying and doing  the influencers, cool kids and celebs. Have you noticed that many Instagram influencers now openly indicate their social issue alignment, political perspective and are transparent about being sponsored? They know that this generation does not like being fooled and want to know where you stand.Jones shared that in order for marketers to truly succeed in connecting with Gen Z, they must position their brand to relate to this generations values and concerns as citizens, not just consumers. This point was further emphasized by Finger in her second pro-tip: brands should fight for their users. Instead of spending time thinking about what you need your consumers to do, think about what they need and want from you. Some questions to explore are how will this benefit the user? what will benefit the user? and what does my user care about?So there you have it folks. Go forth and humanize the digital experience by being honest, treating Gen Z as concerned citizens and aligning your brand with their needs and values.The post 3 Insights for Reaching Gen Z appeared first on AdLibbing.org


Friday, June 23, 2017

Lisa Anderson MBA, CSCP, CLTD, known as the Manufacturing Business Transformer(SM) and president of LMA Consulting Group, released her book, I've Been Thinking...Turning Everyday Interactions Into Profitable Opportunities , as a roadmap for businesses, manufacturers and distributors to infuse innovation into their daily work practices. The book is packed with over 100 of Anderson's insights and strategies on how to create bold customer promises and profits by transforming business performance while keeping an eye on the global perspective and seeing what others cannot in order to create dramatic customer experiences and profitable opportunities. Anderson relies on her global consulting practice where she draws on her experience and observations to share with readers practical and action-inducing ideas to help business make the leap ahead of their competition.

"Lisa Anderson not only engages us, she enables us to engage others. She's given herself the ultimate gift: the time to think unmolested and undisturbed, emptying her mind of the daily grind and allowing herself to travel outside of the box, to destinations of creativity, insight, and perspective. To stand on great walls," states Alan Weiss, PhD Is the author of Million Dollar Consulting

Anderson has been publishing a weekly newsletter by the same name, I've Been Thinking, since 2014, which her clients find to be an invaluable resource. Wallace P. Brithinee, Ph.D. and President of Brithinee Electric states "I like Lisa's column, 'I've Been Thinking', because it delivers the right mix of suggestions, prodding, and human interest that I find useful."

The author says that writing her newsletter has expanded her thinking dramatically, "Now, there are a seemingly endless supply of everyday interactions that can be turned into profitable opportunities." Anderson further states that she now sees everyday occurrences in an entirely new light - there is always some sort of idea or lesson to glean from the most mundane of topics.

"As president of LMA Consulting Group, as well as her leadership positions in APICS and other organizations, Lisa gets to meet a lot of people and gets to visit a lot of companies," says Professor Kash Gokli of Harvey Mudd College. "That is where she gets her inspiration for 'I've Been Thinking.' Her writing on a diverse compilation of best practices is both informative and insightful."

I've Been Thinking is available as a paperback on Amazon and as an eBook on Kindle. To subscribe to Lisa Anderson's newsletter, click here or copy and paste this link into your browser https://www.lma-consultinggroup.com/ibt-index/
Timetables relating to antibiotic use in farming have been announced by RUMA, a group which promotes responsible use of medicines in farm animals.

The 'Task Force' was started in December last year to identify objectives to reduce or replace antibiotic use in all UK livestock sectors.

Having held a series of workshops over winter and spring, Task Force members are currently consulting with different farming sectors to finalise draft proposals by the end of June.

Once these responses have been received, each livestock sector has until the end of September to finalise their objectives.

'Encouraging signs'

RUMA chair Gwyn Jones said that while the British government challenged UK agriculture to reduce average antibiotic use by around 20% by 2018, it wanted the agricultural industry to introduce its own sector-specific targets.

"The challenge is every sector is very different according to structure, number of producers and the way it engages with the market," said Mr Jones.

"Some have already made significant strides in reducing and refining use, others have further to go.

"But the government is clear that every sector is expected to act and have a set of measurable objectives in place by the end of the year.

"There are encouraging signs of engagement and progress."

Reduction

Mr Jones said antibiotic sales data for food producing animals showed a 10% reduction between 2014 and 2015.

"The pig sector has recently announced a halving of in-feed antibiotics for young pigs and a 70% reduction in colistin use," he said.

"We hope further reductions and refinements in other sectors will be evident when the 2016 sales data are released by the VMD later in the year.

"Despite this, we all understand the message that we must further reduce antibiotic use where its possible to do so without impacting animal welfare."

Mr Jones said the benefit of the Targets Task Force became apparent at the very first meeting in the sharing of information, ideas and motivation.

"We are confident that by learning and getting inspiration from each other across different sectors, we can bring about the step change needed."

Recently, a breakthrough study looked to alleviate the antibiotics 'time bomb' in the farming industry by looking into using 'bacteriophages', which are a range of viruses, as an alternative to antibiotics.
Harper Adams University has been confirmed as one of the UKs leading universities for agri-food higher education thanks to a Gold rating from the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

The TEF, which has been overseen by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, aims to recognise excellent learning and teaching in universities.

It helps prospective students make informed choices about their higher education.

Harper Adams is one of only 59 higher education providers to have achieved Gold, the highest TEF outcome.

Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel judged that Harper Adams University delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.

In a statement issued alongside the gold rating, the TEF assessment panel highlighted the excellent achievements of Harper Adams students from all backgrounds, and their outstanding levels of satisfaction with their university experience.

Assessors said the award of gold also reflected the universitys strategic and inclusive approach in support of student learning; outstanding personalised provision; excellent teaching and assessment practice; sustained and strategic investment in resources and an embedded university-wide culture that facilitates, recognises and rewards excellent teaching.

'Remarkable year'

Welcoming the outcome, Harper Adams University Vice-Chancellor, Dr David Llewellyn said it has been a 'remarkable year' for the University.

We were placed first in a national ranking of student experience, were awarded the WhatUni University of the Year title and were named the Modern University of the Year by the Sunday Times. We are thrilled to have achieved this TEF outcome, he said.

It reflects well not only on our staff and students, but also on employers and other supporters of the University who have contributed to a very positive result.

We will continue to work hard to provide the best possible education for our students and to produce graduates who will make a real difference to the success of the important industry sectors with which we work.

Madeleine Atkins, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, said: The TEF judges excellence above and beyond this, clearly showing the highest levels across the sector.
A rural crime-fighting operation will see police deployed across Scarborough and Ryedale to stop 'cross-border criminals', North Yorkshire police have said.

Dubbed 'Operation Countryside' it will bring together local officers and specialist units.

The police will be using intelligence reports and live-time automatic number plate recognition to track suspicious vehicles.

The farming industry has previously rallied around the Government to take action on the 'blight' of rural crime hitting the UK recently.

Farmers across the UK are increasingly concerned about incidences of criminal activity including vehicle thefts, livestock theft, fly-tipping, sheep worrying, trespass, poaching, arson, vandalism and fraud.

'High profile patrols'

Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire's Police Taskforce, said offenders from urban areas travel to rural areas to steal machinery.

"We know that offenders from urban areas outside North Yorkshire travel into our communities intent on stealing quad bikes, farm machinery and other valuable property," said Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire's Police Taskforce.

"Operation Countryside will see specialist police resources deployed proactively across Scarborough and Ryedales road networks, dealing with road traffic offences, targeting suspicious vehicles and creating a hostile environment for cross-border criminals.

"High-profile patrols will create a visible deterrent, intelligence will be gathered and used to inform live-time deployments, and officers will use a range of police powers to disrupt would-be offenders wherever possible.

"Patrols will focus not just on the main arterial routes, such as the A171, A174 and A165, but also minor roads frequented by criminals trying to avoid detection.

"Criminals who travel to the Scarborough and Ryedale area will find it very difficult to get in and out again without being spotted, stopped and challenged. North Yorkshire is one of the safest places in the country and residents can be reassured that were determined to keep it that way."

Rural crime task forces

Police forces across the UK have started to develop specialist rural crime task forces and teams.

In 2015, the National Rural Crime Survey discovered that rural communities were not only living in fear of crime being committed against them, but that they were under-reporting crime by up to a third.

In response to this, and following a meeting involving more than 100 stakeholders, North Yorkshire Polices Rural Taskforce was established in April 2016.

The North Yorkshire police operation begins this month, and will run throughout the summer.
The Scottish government has announced a multi-million pound boost to food processors and farmers.

Butchers, pie manufacturers, food processors and farmers are among 16 projects that have secured funding from the latest round of the Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) grant scheme.

The successful projects will share a slice of 5.8 million enabling food processing companies to build new facilities.

The fund is helping create 92 new jobs, while safeguarding over 1,200 others and boosting the agri-food industry.

Full list of companies receiving the funding

Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing said the Scottish food and drink industry is well-renowned.

Whether its salmon, dairy or whisky our food and drink industry is world-renowned and these latest grants will enable sixteen more food and drink companies to expand their operations in response to growing demand for our wonderful larder.

The announcement comes as news of positive figures show a growth for the Scottish agri-food industry.

Mr Ewing continued: With the latest figures showing that our food and drink exports increased by over 11% in the first quarter of this year, todays funding award of 5.8 million clearly demonstrates our continuing commitment.

Robert Corrigan, Managing Director of Mr. Cs Hand Crafted Pies Ltd which is a listed company taking part in the funding, said: Without adding this range of equipment, we were unable to substantially grow the business as the additional smaller range of pies cannot be made manually, and only this type of equipment would enable us to target new markets and expand within our existing markets.

The grant funding allowed us to buy the equipment and will also enable us to create new jobs.
The need to tackle soil erosion and cope with climate change will make trees an important ingredient for productive cropping and livestock farming, a conference heard.

250 farmers, foresters, landowners and researchers came together to learn more about some of the UKs leading agroforestry systems.

The conference explored the benefits and practicalities of bringing more trees onto farmland, and taking farming into forests.

Agroforestry 2017  an event hosted by the Soil Association, the Woodland Trust and the Royal Forestry Society  was inspired by evidence that agroforestry can boost productivity and sustainability at once.

By mixing farming and forestry, the conference heard that a well-managed agroforestry system can produce 40% more than if they are separate.

Speakers from France, Australia and around the world described how these practices are increasingly popular, and British farmers explained their experiences with agro-forestry.

Improvements to welfare

David Brass from The Lakes Free Range Egg Co. Ltd in Cumbria is one of those implementing agroforestry on his farm.

Speaking at the conference he said: At first, we were planting trees simply to encourage our hens to range, having recognised their inclination towards sheltered areas.

But the benefits went far beyond that original motive and, as well as the undeniable improvements to the hens welfare, weve seen better soil water retention, more biodiversity and crucially a higher quality product.

While the benefits of agroforestry seem to be mounting up, it is still unusual in the UK.

One reason is because it is seen as a niche practice, but it could be boosted by more recognition and support for tree planting on farms in government policy.

'Mainstream component'

Closing the conference Beccy Speight, CEO of the Woodland Trust, said: Agroforestry needs to be a mainstream component of a new fully integrated land management policy.

The practical examples and robust evidence we have heard today of trees supporting farm businesses and new commercial opportunities are powerful tools with which to influence a new, post-Brexit policy.

Collectively, we must secure polices that prevent trees on farms from continuing to fall through the cracks.

We are calling on the Government to take a new and ambitious approach which tackles administrative blockages, harnesses innovative sources of funding and properly reflects the valuable interplay between trees, woods, forestry, farming and the environment.
Police arrested a 48-year-old man Thursday morning in connection with a shooting at a Lincoln home and a threat incident inside an apartment Wednesday afternoon, Chief Jeff Bliemeister said.

The arrest of Ricardo C. Jackson just before 8 a.m. at a Lincoln hotel came after negotiators from the Lincoln Police Department and the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office worked seven hours to get him into custody, Bliemeister said.

Police records confirm Jackson was arrested with 29-year-old Ashleigh Kudron. The pair was staying at the Quality Inn, 3200 N.W. 12th St.

Inside their room, investigators found a 9 mm handgun suspected to have been used Wednesday to threaten a 57-year-old man inside a home in the 1300 block of Hudson Street, Bliemeister said.

Just before 3 p.m., someone reported hearing gunshots inside the home near 13th and South streets, police said. Several people were reportedly seen fleeing the area after the gunshots rang out.

Jackson is also suspected in an incident inside a apartment in the 600 block of South 27th Street where a woman reported someone pointed a gun at her just before 4 p.m.

Officers found one shell casing there, but it's not clear if a shot was fired, the chief said.

Investigators called Jackson Wednesday night and tracked him to the hotel, police said.

The department's SWAT team went to the hotel near the Lincoln Airport around midnight, according to police.

Some hotel guests were evacuated from their rooms while officers worked to get Jackson into custody. Bliemeister said in some cases guests slept in the hotel lobby or in their vehicles.

"The hotel staff was instrumental in assisting law enforcement by clearing the entire floor," Bliemeister said.

"We'd like to thank the hotel staff (and guests), Lincoln Fire (and) Rescue and the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in peacefully resolving this matter with no injuries."

Kudron was arrested and booked in jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance after police said they found a scale with meth residue on it in her purse. Police seized the purse during a search of the room after she and Jackson were taken into custody.

Jackson was booked on suspicion of terroristic threats, using a weapon to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in the Hudson Street case.

He was also arrested on suspicion of terroristic threats and using a weapon to commit a felony in the South 27th Street incident.

Additionally, Jackson, who was taken to the Lancaster County jail, is suspected of violating his parole. He was released from Community Corrections Center-Lincoln in January after serving time for robbery and forgery, among other convictions.

He was not arrested for failing to comply with his sex offender registry requirements, Bliemeister said, pending the filing of the other charges. Jackson is a registered sex offender dating to a 1999 conviction in Douglas County for first-degree sexual assault of an adult, according to the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry.

Late Thursday, police were still investigating whether he was connected to two other shootings Wednesday, the chief said.

They do not yet know who shot a 19-year-old woman and where in the city it occurred Wednesday after she showed up at Bryan West Campus at 6:30 that night, the chief said. Her injury was non-life-threatening.

And officers were still investigating who fired a shot into a home in the 1000 block of G Street just before 12:40 p.m., Bliemeister said.

Investigators determined a round was fired at a home there, but no one was injured. A 28-year-old woman and other residents were inside at the time, he said.

Bliemeister said officers do not believe there is any threat to the public.
Leaving the European Union will present a chance for British agriculture to 'put things right', Michael Gove has said.

The newly appointed Defra secretary, who is now the man in charge of farming policy, was speaking at the Royal Highland Show.

Mr Gove said Brexit would allow the UK to drop 'cumbersome bureaucracy' and create a better form of financial support for farmers.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned that the 'wrong' kind of Brexit deal could result in seasonal labour shortages and the government having to pay billions in direct financial assistance to help farmers cope with market and price volatility.

As Brexit negotiations begin, the NFU has underlined the importance of a sector worth 109bn to the economy, which employs 3.8 million people and looks after 70% of the nations land.

'Huge opportunities'

Speaking alongside Scottish Secretary David Mundell at the show in Edinburgh, Mr Gove said he is aware of the concerns and said British farmers will not lose out on subsidies through leaving the EU.

There are huge opportunities, he said.

Opportunities for us to get rid of some bureaucracy that stands in the way of effective food production.

He pledged to listen to and learn from the industry as the Brexit process unfolded and be their 'energetic champion' in government.

He said the government's newly formed Agriculture Bill, announced at the Queen's Speech on Wednesday (21 June), would enable the UK to "take back control" of agriculture.

'Contempt'

However, Mr Gove has been criticised over his appearance at the show after apparently snubbing other farm business events to do with Scottish agriculture.

The Scottish government has said the Defra secretary should be taking the concerns of Scotland's agriculture sector seriously.

Scotland's Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: We have been very clear throughout this process that the devolved administrations must be considered equal partners in the negotiations and we expect genuine engagement in the process.

It is simply unacceptable to have UK Ministers unilaterally cancelling meetings, which involve four partners at short notice and without consultation.

Brexit affects us all, with Scottish agriculture and rural communities particularly reliant on the EU for investment, labour and financial support. I also want to be clear that the UK Government must not give away permanent access to Scottish waters as part of any trade deals.

Engaging with farmers

But NFU President Meurig Raymond said it was 'pleasing' to see the Defra secretary engaging with farmers at agricultural events.

Mr Raymond said: We discussed the critical issues which farming businesses face and also opportunities for the sector post-Brexit.

I was pleased to be able to do this so soon after his appointment, and at the Royal Three Counties Show  a brilliant shop window for the industry.

Outside of Brexit, there are still key issues for the industry, such as access to plant protection products, the implementation of the Governments 25 year TB eradication strategy, the rehabilitating impact of rural crime, all of which need Defras attention.
Rio Tinto Limitedhas successfully reduced its gross debt by $2.5 billion.It comes as the metal and mining giant completed its bond tender and redemption exercises as previously as announced.Rio Tinto Finance (USA) plc and Rio Tinto Finance (USA) Limited purchased $1.72 billion redemption notices and $781 million in tender offers.The company says the early redemption costs are tipped to reduce underlying earnings by $180 million and cash flow from operating activities by about $260 million in the first half of 2017.Rio Tinto says such reductions will however be offset by savings in future periods.Shares in Rio Tinto Limitedare trading up 1.23 per cent higher $59.09.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals (BHC 12.35%) shares soared this week after hedge-fund manager John Paulson joined its board, and reports emerged out of Washington, D.C. suggesting that President Donald Trump may embrace industry-friendly drug price reforms.

A helping hand

Paulson is no stranger to Valeant Pharmaceuticals. In fact, he became the company's biggest shareholder after fellow hedge fund manager Bill Ackman threw in the towel on Valeant Pharmaceuticals earlier this year.

As of March 31, Paulson's fund -- Paulson & Company -- owned a whopping 19.4 million Valeant Pharmaceuticals shares worth about $265 million. He began buying those shares when they were trading around $130, so Paulson has lost a lot of money on this bet so far.

Apparently, he thinks his joining the board can help change that. However, he may not end up having much better luck than Ackman, who was also on the board when he was a shareholder.

That's because Valeant Pharmaceuticals' still faces a lot of obstacles to achieve consistent profitability again, not the least of it being sliding sales for its drugs since the shuttering of its once lucrative relationship with specialty distributor Philidor in 2015.

As a refresher, Valeant Pharmaceuticals took heat for acquiring two heart disease drugs in 2015 only to drastically increase their price. The scrutiny that followed resulted in the ending of its all too cozy relationship with Philidor, Congressional hearings, and eventually, the departure of Valeant Pharmaceuticals' long-term CEO Michael Pearson.

In short, Valeant Pharmaceuticals' acquire-reprice-relaunch strategy drew the ire of insurers and Washington, D.C. policymakers eager to rein in runaway drug prices. The strategy also caused worry that tough talk on prices could eventually result in profit-busting price controls. All of that caused Valeant Pharmaceuticals shares to crash 90%.

Fortunately for investors, the rhetoric coming out of Washington, D.C. may be softening, and if so, draconian price controls could be officially off the table. According to reports, an executive order that President Trump may sign includes drug pricing policies that are more favorable to the industry than expected.

With a high-profile hedge fund manager joining its board, and a friendlier tone in the White House, it's not shocking that Valeant Pharmaceuticals' share price soared this week.

A mountain still to climb

Trump's softened stance and Paulson's savvy will only go so far. For Valeant Pharmaceuticals' to recapture its glory, it's going to need to get its business growing again, and remove the risk of default on its debt once and for all.

Revenue at Bausch & Lomb -- arguably, its most important business -- is stable, but it's only growing by low single digits. Sales at its branded Rx segment fell 9% year over year last quarter, and revenue at the company's generic drug business tumbled 37% from a year ago because of stiffer competition.

At the same time, Valeant Pharmaceuticals is still being weighed down by a mountain of debt. Yes, total debt has fallen from over $30 billion to around $28 billion, but debt restructuring to push back maturities and lower credit default covenants has the company paying more in interest expense now than it was a year ago.

What's next?

Valeant Pharmaceuticals needs to keep its interest coverage ratio -- a ratio of EBITDA to interest expense -- above 1.5:1 to avoid the risk of creditors crying default. Currently, this ratio is only 1.83.

To improve this metric, the company's selling assets to cut its debt. However, asset sales reduce EBITDA, and so far, interest expense has increased, not decreased. As a result, it's made no progress toward improving this ratio.

Recently, however, shares have been rallying on hopes this could change. The company expects to close on its sale of the prostate cancer drug Provenge for $820 million soon, and recently, it announced it's getting $930 million from the sale of some of its other products. If using this money to pay off more debt finally moves the interest expense needle lower, its interest coverage ratio may finally stabilize.

That would good news for shareholders, including Paulson, but Valeant Pharmaceuticals' spotty track record in the past suggests caution is still warranted. Sure, Paulson's a smart guy, but he's far from a fresh face to Valeant. And, while President Trump seems friendlier now than during the election, there's no telling what his stance on drug prices will be in the future. Overall, Valeant Pharmaceuticals' will remain a high-risk bet until the interest coverage ratio and sales are growing again.
Renault Renault had a mixed day, as both of their drivers struggled badly for grip. Hulkenberg was one of only six not to have an incident in FP2, but Palmer caught too much kerb going into Turn 9 and took off is right front wheel, bringing out the red flag for nine minutes. Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:47.217, P14; FP2: 1:46.003, P15 "A pretty standard Friday for me except for not getting a fast run on the softest tyres during FP2. It was pretty slippery in FP1, but the track had improved for the evening session. We made some decent progress through the day and I would have been quicker if I'd had a shot at a fast lap on the Supersoft tyres. As always, there are improvements we can make for tomorrow, so that's where our focus lies." Jolyon Palmer - FP1: 1:48.525, P18; FP2: 1:46.061, P16 "It was pretty slippery out there and we struggled to get grip from the tyres. The car was feeling better in FP2 but I was caught out at turn eight which ended my day early. We had made progress between FP1 and FP2 and there's more we can make for tomorrow. Thankfully there's not too much damage to the car, so we'll look to get it where we want it to be for qualifying." Bob Bell, Chief Technical Officer "The first session went reasonably smoothly, but the evening session was dominated by a number of yellow flag incidents which affected our run programme. Jolyon had an early bath, however we did get a long run with Nico in the car so there's sufficient data for race strategy decisions and Jolyon's car won't require too much work, so no big dramas."

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Renault Sport F1 Team RS17 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Jolyon Palmer (GBR) Renault Sport F1 Team RS17 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Ferrari No real problems here, apart from Vettel going off-track no fewer than eight times in FP2. Like everyone else, both Ferrari drivers had they problems finding grip, but the pace is there and they traded fast long-run times with Red Bull and Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel - FP1: 1:44.967, P3; FP2: 1:43.615, P5 "We tried something in the afternoon, but I think it is difficult to find the rhythm here as the track is not easy. I believe I was not the only one to go down the escape roads. However, tomorrow is another day. I think we are close. Red Bull is very fast and today it was not just for one lap but throughout both sessions. However, I was pretty happy with our overall job. The straight here is very long, so you have to make sure you are quick enough there. Maybe we may still want to try a couple of things even tomorrow." Kimi Raikkonen - FP1: 1:46.000, P9; FP2: 1:43.489, P4 "The most challenging part of the day was to make the tires work to get them hot enough. And obviously, when they are not performing 100 percent, it's a bit tricky out there on the track. The car feels ok, but we still have to work on that. If you manage to do that, then everything is a lot easier."

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Ferrari at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari SF70-H at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

McLaren Another race, another setback. Alonsos face was like thunder after yet another mechanical failure in FP2, said this time to be the gearbox. With both cars facing 15 grid place drops because of the usual MGU-H and turbochargers changes, morale isn't exactly buoyant. Fernando Alonso - FP1: 1:47.551, P17; FP2: 1:45.515, P12 "We tested a few things in FP1 and FP2, running with different levels of downforce, trying to get some useful information for tomorrow. Stoffel worked on tyres, running on high fuel, both of which will help us make some useful decisions about strategy. "The track was tricky today  the Prime and Back-Up tyres lose some heat on the long straights, so when you get onto the brakes they suddenly lock up and you go straight on. We saw many cars going off today, mainly because everyone tries to find their limit on Friday. I think we'll see fewer offs tomorrow, and even fewer on Sunday. "I lost the last half hour of the second session, so I suppose tomorrow we'll need to do some running on high fuel, to catch up with the programme. "We'll have to start at the back of the grid anyway, so we'll take things smoothly in qualifying." Stoffel Vandoorne - FP1: 1:47.446, P15; FP2: 1:46.174, P17 "Today, we chose to concentrate on our long-run pace because we knew we'd be taking grid penalties for the race. "Still, I quickly got to grips with the track in FP1, and I think there's a bit more to come tomorrow. The car feels pretty positive around here, which is good because you need confidence on a street circuit. I also think the preparatory work I did in the sim has paid off pretty well  I felt immediately comfortable with where I had to brake, so it seems like the work was really worth it. "The tyres are quite tricky again here; it looks like everyone is struggling to warm them up, with lots of people having lock-ups. It's tricky  especially in the braking zones, because the tyres cool down on the long straights and then you have to brake very hard into the corners. The car's really on a knife-edge in terms of extracting a good lap-time." Eric Boullier, McLaren-Honda Racing Director "We knew coming into this race that it would be a tough weekend for the whole team. Fernando had a nice little engine upgrade to try this weekend  but, unfortunately, we broke the gearbox in FP2. It was a Friday unit, with high mileage, but we still managed to see some progress, which was good. "Still, with both drivers facing grid penalties that would relegate them to either the back row of the grid or possibly a start from the pit-lane, we knew we'd need to do something a little different from the norm to get the most out of our weekend. "So we decided to treat today as a little bit of an intensive test session, running a different Friday programme to normal. Of course, that doesn't mean we'll overlook the grand prix  after all, we still have to deliver a race for our fans, our partners, and for everybody working hard in Woking, Sakura and Milton Keynes. "But we've adopted a different approach, trying some different ways of working to see if we can do things better or if we can learn something useful for the future." Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co. Ltd Head of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer "We came to Baku armed with an update for Fernando's PU, which we ran during both practice sessions today. Working through our programme in accordance with today's schedule, I can confirm that we were able to see the effectiveness of the update in the data. "It was disappointing that Fernando had to stop the car during FP2, and unfortunately for us it was before doing his timed lap, but we still saw certain progress with the power of the PU. Overall, I regard today as positive  we didn't have any major issues with the new spec PU, and I feel that we've taken an encouraging step forward. "Although it was Stoffel's first time at this circuit, he had a good first outing, and we were able to work through his programme in accordance with our schedule. As this is a power-hungry circuit with long straights, tomorrow's qualifying will no doubt be tough for us, but, as always, we'll keep pushing to do our best."

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Fernando Alonso (ESP) McLaren stops on track in FP2 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL) McLaren MCL32 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Sauber Sauber generated plenty of headlines ahead of the weekend in Baku - but in contrast their Friday was relatively quiet. Both Ericsson and Wehrlein went through their normal routines without drama. That said, they found themselves further off the pace than expected, leaving them with work to do. Marcus Ericsson - FP1: 1:49.937, P20; FP2: 1:47.347, P19 "It has not been a good day for us here in Baku  it was difficult to begin FP1 on medium tyres, so I did not get off to the best start. I found it interesting to try out different mechanical updates throughout the practice sessions. Analysing the data will allow us to decide how to move forward for the rest of the weekend. I am looking forward to FP3 and qualifying tomorrow." Pascal Wehrlein - FP1: 1:49.048, P19; FP2: 1:47.150, P18 "It was a rather challenging Friday for us. It was positive that we were able to try out various car setups, and that we could work through our programme for the day. We knew that the track layout would be a challenge to our pace, however did not anticipate the full extent to which it would impact our performance. We are now working towards making improvements for the rest of the weekend."

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Marcus Ericsson (SWE) Sauber C36 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Pascal Wehrlein (GER) Sauber C36 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Force India Ocon had a good day and was always in the top 10, but Perez blotted his copybook here for the second year in a row after smacking his VJM10 into the wall in Turn 8 when he used to much of the left-hand kerb. The team did an excellent job to repair significant damage in time for FP2, when he was again very quick, so tails remain up for tomorrow. Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:45.398, P4; FP2: 1:44.306, P7 "First and foremost, I want to thank my mechanics and the whole team for fixing the car so quickly. They are some of the best guys in the pit lane and they showed exactly why. This morning was all about trying to find the limits, and I think we did  it was good it happened today rather than tomorrow. It was a bit of a messy day, not just with what happened in FP1 but also because of all the yellow and red flags breaking the flow of the sessions. I still think we are in a good position. Tonight we will need to work out the best set-up: I feel we have a good potential for the weekend, we just have to put it all together when it matters." Esteban Ocon - FP1: 1:45.752, P7; FP2: 1:44.484, P9 "I'm pretty happy about today. We had good pace in the car and I felt quite comfortable right from the start. I feel we couldn't really show our speed because of all the yellow flags and the traffic I found on my quick laps, but it doesn't matter. The important days for this weekend are yet to come. It was my first time around this circuit, so the priority was to keep out of trouble: this is not an easy track to learn but I enjoy the challenge. It's a narrow circuit and it's very easy to brake a bit too late, which is why there were so many yellow flags." Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal "It was not the most straightforward of Fridays, with Sergio's unfortunate crash during the first practice session. The crew did a truly fantastic job to replace all the broken components and get the car out for the start of FP2, which allowed us to complete a full programme this afternoon. Aside from the incident, it was a productive day. We witnessed a lot of track evolution, which is normal for a temporary street circuit: together with the conservative range of tyre compounds, it meant a lot of our work was about understanding the tyres and getting them to work. The sessions had a lot of interruptions, with many yellow and red flags, which disrupted everyone's performance runs, so we chose to focus on high fuel running. We were also able to split some test items between the two cars. We have plenty to analyse tonight  the initial feeling is positive but there is always room for improvement. Our performance today was reasonable, but it is still too early to tell where we stand."

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Sergio Perez (MEX) Force India VJM10 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Esteban Ocon (FRA) Force India F1 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Red Bull A great day for Red Bull, with both drivers setting the pace in FP1, and running 1-3 in FP2. Both drivers were as happy as they could be with the track in the condition it was in, but Verstappen described the accident with which he needed F2 as 'weird'. The team have also played their gear ratios joker while undertaking a regular gearbox change, thus enabling themselves to optimise the ratios for this track and for the revisions to the Renault engine which include remapping. Max Verstappen - FP1: 1:44.410, P1; FP2: 1:43.362, P1 The whole day has been really positive, except the last lap, everything has been working well. From lap one I felt comfortable in the car, it was handling really well and I was confident with the setup. I think the preparation we did at the factory and in the simulator has allowed us to come here with a strong setup and competitive car from the go. This has definitely been the most positive Friday of the year so far. In the second session I felt I couldnt get the maximum out of the short run pace due to yellow flags and traffic so we can be very happy to still finish P1. It feels like the cars are quicker through the corners this year, this means if you have a lock up in can be more critical. We are confident heading into qualifying but also wary that Mercedes will turn their engines up a bit. We are on top at the end of Friday which means they have to catch up so it will be exciting in the session tomorrow. At the end I locked up at turn 1, I could see I wasnt going to make the corner so decided to take the run off, as I turned right I lost the rear and ended up sliding into the wall. Daniel Ricciardo - FP1: 1:44.880, P2; FP2: 1:43.473, P3 Its been a good day for myself and Max and great that we were in the top three in both sessions. Even though I was second fastest this morning I wasnt fully content with my session and I knew there was still room to improve in myself and the car. I believe we made those improvements this afternoon and Im generally a lot happier with where we ended the day. This afternoon was a lot more entertaining, the grip was coming and you could really start to push the car. Theres not much room for error and its a pretty high risk circuit in terms of mistakes but that makes it really challenging and rewarding. When you are able to put in a good lap you cross the finish line and smile. Like always, we should not celebrate on a Friday but we are in the ball park, so hopefully tomorrow we can stay at the front.

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Max Verstappen (NED) Red Bull Racing RB13 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull Racing RB13 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Mercedes Both drivers struggled to find a decent balance and suffered with the front tyres failing to come up to temperature in FP1, but Bottas was happier with things in the afternoon. Hamilton said there is still a lot of work to be done to hone the car and find its sweet spot for FP3 and qualifying, and was not happy with the tyres. Valtteri Bottas - FP1: 1:45.737, P6; FP2: 1:43.462, P2 Practice one was quite tricky: we were struggling with the setup of the car and it wasn't so well balanced. Today, we needed multiple laps in a row to generate the temperatures we want for a good balance. FP1 wasn't a happy session, but we made some changes ahead of FP2 and the car definitely felt more comfortable. We are moving in the right direction and hopefully we'll make another step this evening. We'll work hard and if we can find those gains we'll be right up there fighting for pole position. Lewis Hamilton - FP1: 1:45.497, P5; FP2: 1:44.525, P10 It was a difficult day out there. This circuit is a tough one and we had a few challenges that we tried to work through today. We've clearly still got lots of work to do ahead of qualifying, but Valtteri's time in FP2 looked promising, so there is obviously pace in the car, which is encouraging. Now it's just a case of getting our heads together tonight to work out exactly how to extract that pace across the entire weekend. James Allison, Technical Director It was a scrappy day punctuated every few seconds by dozens and dozens of off-track frolics. The associated yellow flags interrupted the rhythm at a circuit where it is quite challenging to get temperature into the tyres, especially the fronts, and that as much as anything dictated your position on the leader board today. However, we have work to do overnight to make the car's handling sweeter, as both drivers were struggling to get temperature into the front tyres and, as a consequence, suffering with front locking. There is going to be a lot more lap time to come from all of the front runners as the track rubbers in and the drivers gain in confidence. It's already close at the front, so I expect that those who work well overnight, and keep a cool head tomorrow, will be rewarded in qualifying and the race.

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes-Benz F1 W08 Hybrid runs wide at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Williams Williams had a very good day in the circumstances, with Stroll building his confidence significantly after scoring his first points in Canada, and he never put a wheel wrong all day on his way to sixth. Massa was badly affected by traffic in FP2, but is adamant that they are well in the mix in the upper midfield. Lance Stroll - FP1: 1:46.649, P11; FP2: 1:44.113, P6 That was good fun, as I am enjoying the track. The car was working well and we didn't have any issues, which was great. I felt the balance was good and now we just need to think overnight, improve on little bits, come back tomorrow and continue pushing. I think what was really positive was we didnt have any issues, and nothing that got in the way of us running our programmes. What was really important for me on this kind of track was to get confidence on every lap and every run. Today we did exactly that and didn't lose any laps with problems or stuff going wrong. Things could be better, as this is still the first day of my first time here and we could improve for the qualifying run, but all in all I have to say it was a very positive day in many ways. Felipe Massa - FP1: 1:45.968, P8; FP2: 1:44.609, P11 It was a good day. I was happy with the car. Unfortunately, I couldnt really put together a lap on fresh tyres, because of the traffic and the yellow flags. But, I was happy with the balance and I was happy with the long runs. The little mistakes that we made today werent a big problem, because we didnt damage anything, which is always a positive thing here. Were definitely in the fight, so I hope that we can put everything together for qualifying tomorrow. Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer It was a pretty good day and we completed the intended programme. On Lances side that involved learning the circuit, as hes not been here before and its quite a tricky track. Im pleased to say that he drove very well. He progressively built up his pace and managed to put himself sixth in FP2, and he never went off the circuit, which makes him one of a few drivers who had a clean day. So it was a great job by Lance. Felipe did a number of tests for us, but was probably the worst off in terms of traffic throughout the day. Its been a very scrappy day with a lot of yellow flags and a lot of traffic, so he wasnt able to put a good lap together in FP2. But we got some good data from his long runs. Its extremely competitive out there, with some other teams looking fast. So, well work hard on understanding the performance of the car tonight to make sure that were in a strong position for qualifying tomorrow.

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Lance Stroll (CDN) Williams FW40 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Felipe Massa (BRA) Williams FW40 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Toro Rosso Toro Rosso spent the first 40 minutes of F1 doing some basic work, then baselined both cars to start the set-up process. Despite losing valuable time they felt they had a reasonable handle by the end of FP2, though only Kvyat got a clear lap. Like Red Bull, Toro Rosso played their gear ratio joker as they changed transmissions. Daniil Kvyat - FP1: 1:46.617, P10; FP2: 1:44.321, P8 The run programme today was a bit compressed but, nevertheless, we were able to complete most of it, even though I wasnt able to do as many laps as I wouldve liked to. At least the ones we did were good, even though not everything is clear as conditions were very tricky  it was very easy to make a mistake out there today and we will just try and put it all together tomorrow and see where we are. I dont think were in a bad situation but we need to keep going forward Tomorrow is a new day! Carlos Sainz - FP1: 1:47.501, P16; FP2: 1:45.733, P13 Not the easiest of days. In this mornings FP1 we had a few issues with the balance of the car and we werent able to get it right straight away. This meant that we had to do some changes before FP2 and in this afternoons session I felt a lot more comfortable with the car. Unfortunately, I didnt really get to exploit this improvement because of all the traffic or yellow flags I think I did about 15 laps on the supersoft but didnt manage to push during any of them! At least everyone else has been in this same situation, so its very difficult to judge where we are. I expect us to improve as soon as we put a lap together on the supersoft tyres tomorrow. Jody Egginton, Head of Vehicle Performance Both cars had a big test program for FP1and, as such, we dedicated the first 40 minutes to covering a number of specific items. With this completed, the cars were then configured for baseline runs on the supersoft compound. However, with a red flag disrupting the session, we were not able to get a complete read on the baseline set-ups of both cars. Nevertheless, the laps we completed did allow for some quantified set-up changes to be made over the break. Car performance in FP2 was a step in the right direction for both drivers and baseline runs on both the soft and supersoft compounds provided good information regarding set-up direction, especially regarding tyres. With a massive number of yellow flags in the session, Carlos was not able to complete a clean lap on his new supersoft tyre, whilst Daniil did manage a clean lap, so we did gather the necessary data. Both cars moved to long runs but, again with yellow flags causing further disruption, it was not easy to get into a rhythm for both drivers. Overall car balance is okey and, although there is some work to do overnight in order to take the next step for FP3, we are looking forward to the rest of the weekends challenges.

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Daniil Kvyat (RUS) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Carlos Sainz jr (ESP) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12 pit stop at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close

Haas Magnussen had a reasonable day, but Grosjean was not a happy boy as he had escape road visit after escape road visit. The Frenchmans problem centred around trying to find the right brake balance - a lingering problem for the team. Romain Grosjean - FP1: 1:46.837, P13; FP2: 1:47.722, P20 A frustrating afternoon  the feeling just wasnt there. Theres not really much I can say, to be honest. I just had no feeling in the car. Thats obviously something that we need to look at a lot more depth as weve effectively lost a session heading into Saturday. Lots of work to do but, hopefully, we can focus and identify the issues and put it right. Kevin Magnussen - FP1: 1:46.721, P12; FP2: 1:45.831, P14 It wasnt too bad today. I think we had a decent day. Theres a lot to look at. This track is pretty special and unique, so well see if we can improve the car for tomorrow. Its a very fun track to drive. Theres a lot to take in and youre finding a lot of speed every lap. Its good to be able to do laps without too many problems on the car. Im happy with the day. Guenther Steiner, Team Principal We had a good morning session, but in the afternoon we struggled with everything a little bit. Between traffic, going straight, no feeling in the car  its just like we have to start from the beginning. We need to see what changed between FP1 and FP2. A night of hard work is in front of the guys, but lets see what we can do tomorrow.

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 2 Romain Grosjean (FRA) Haas VF-17 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-17 at Formula One World Championship, Rd8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Practice, Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday 23 June 2017.  Sutton Images Info Close
Prosecutors shed new light on a Lincoln man's 2016 killing at a plea hearing Friday for the teenager who shot him and his dog and paralyzed a second man, who escaped death by playing dead.

Markel Steele, who was 17 when the incident happened, faces 20 years to life in prison when he's sentenced in August for the second-degree murder of Christopher Coleman and the first-degree assault of Jerry Griffis.

Attorney Kelly Breen of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy said it would be an Alford plea, meaning that Steele was entering the plea because it is in his best interest, not because he committed the crime.

But at the end of the hearing, the judge clarified.

"Are you pleading guilty because in fact you are guilty?" Lancaster County District Judge John Colborn asked Steele.

"Yes," he answered.

Steele, now 18, had been set to go to trial next month for first-degree murder and seven other counts.

Instead, in a nearly empty courtroom Friday, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Dan Packard outlined the plea agreement.

In exchange for Steele's pleas, Packard amended the charge from first-degree to second-degree murder, meaning he killed Coleman intentionally but without premeditation.

Packard dismissed two other cases where Steele was facing nine felonies in connection to a break-in at a pawn shop in February 2016, and an armed robbery at a Lincoln home in December 2015.

Asked to provide details of Coleman's murder on April 18, 2016, the prosecutor read from a four-page letter a detailed description distilled from police reports.

Just before 3:30 that afternoon, police went to 1966 Euclid Ave. on a call about gunshots and found Coleman, 32, dead just inside the doorway in the living room and Griffis, 21, in the kitchen suffering from gunshot wounds that left him paralyzed from the belly button down, Packard said.

Six days after the shooting, Griffis told police he had gone to Coleman's house to sell him some marijuana. When he was in the kitchen, he heard the door open and immediately two gunshots rang out.

Griffis said he saw Coleman turn and fall to the floor.

When Coleman's dog neared the kitchen doorway, the man shot it. The dog yelped and ran to his kennel in the kitchen.

It would later die.

Packard said the shooter then turned the gun on Griffis, shooting him at least twice before he fell to the floor and looked up at the shooter, who was pointing the gun at his head.

Griffis told police he raised his hand out in front of the gun barrel to try to shield his head, but heard another shot and felt pain. He'd been shot again. This time in his hand and face.

"Griffis said that he then played dead, as he felt that this was the only way he would not be shot again," Packard said.

As he lay on the kitchen floor, he heard one of the men say "Where's it at? Find the s--t," then the men rifling through cabinets quickly before leaving.

Packard said Griffis waited a minute or two before moving to make sure they were gone. He later was able to ID Steele as the shooter from photos on Facebook.

Police said they found marijuana at the house, along with seven bullet casings from a .45 caliber firearm.

Packard said investigators also took photos and castings of shoe prints from the kitchen floor and the backyard that matched the Nike Air Force shoes Steele was wearing the day police arrested him, May 5, 2016.

Packard said Facebook records also showed that in the days before the shooting Steele had messaged a co-defendant about possibly doing a drug-related robbery on Euclid.

"This conversation continued over 11 days while the two attempted to find a gun and a driver for the robbery," he said.

The day of the shooting, Packard said, the two wrote back and forth about who the driver should be.

He said while Steele was in jail following his arrest he also admitted to more than one confidential informant that he had shot Coleman and Griffis.

On Monday, the driver, Terique Jackson, got six years in prison.

Xheronte Lewis, 21, who is charged in connection to the case, is set to enter a plea July 7.
The number of seasonal workers coming to work on British farms has dropped 17%, leaving some farms critically short of people to harvest fruit and vegetables.

This is the headline figure in the NFUs latest survey on the Supply of Seasonal Labour to British Horticulture Farms, published on Friday (23 June). The NFU warned that some farms would be critically short of migrant labour this harvest.

Meanwhile, a BBC survey of growers between 16 May and 5 June found 78% of respondents said recruitment had been more difficult than last year, with 20% saying it had been the hardest for years.

See also: Horticulture under pressure as migrant workers shun UK farms

The NFU said Defra secretary Michael Gove must provide reassurances to growers that farms will be able to access a reliable and competent workforce, both today and after Brexit.

Here are nine key findings of the NFU report:

1. May 2017 saw a significant decline in the availability of labour, with responding providers unable to meet their recruitment targets by 1,515 people (16.7%).

2. Farmers recruit 75% of seasonal workers from Romania and Bulgaria, with the remainder largely from other eastern European countries, including Poland and Lithuania.

3. Labour providers recruited 6.7% fewer workers than needed between January and May 2017, compared with over-recruiting by 6.6% for the same period last year.

4. The fall in numbers of seasonal workers began in April; prior to this month all labour providers indicated they were able to meet the needs of the sectors they were supplying.

5. By May, four providers were unable to fully meet the labour requirements of the farms they supplied, reporting shortfalls of between 10 and 25%

6. The proportion of returnees has dropped progressively throughout the first five months of the year from 65.3% in January to 33.2% in May.

7. A higher proportion of workers either failed to arrive on farm, or left their seasonal job between January and May 2017 (16.8%) than the same period in 2016 (14%).

8. Growers report more workers using seasonal horticultural work as a stepping stone into the UK since Romanian and Bulgarian nationals gained access to the wider job market.

9. UK citizens account for less than 1% of the sectors seasonal workforce.

(The NFU survey represents 30% of the total seasonal labour supply  80,000 seasonal workers  to the horticulture sector).




Haiti - FLASH : 9 years in prison for Guy Philippe





Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida, delivered a sentence of 9 years in prison against Senator Elect Guy Philippe with an order for a money judgement in the amount of $1.5 million to follow, for money laundering charge in connection with an international narcotics scheme. Under a judicial agreement, Guy Philippe avoided life imprisonment for drug trafficking. Guy Philippe did not say a word when reading his sentence. His lawyers described the sentence as a good compromise, with the most serious charges being dropped. Defense lawyer Zeljka Bozanic said the agreement did not provide the cooperation of his client targeting Haitian officials, unlike a rumor circulating in Haiti.



Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Departments Criminal Division; Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division; Matthew G. Donahue, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Caribbean Division; and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.



Philippe, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida, after having previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering stemming from his receipt of cash payments derived from the proceeds of narcotics sales that occurred in Miami, Florida and elsewhere in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to admissions made in connection with the plea, beginning in the late 1990s, Philippe knowingly using his position as a high-ranking Haitian National Police Officer to provide protection for the shipments of drugs and drug proceeds arriving into Haiti in exchange for cash payments. Philippe admitted that from approximately June 1999 to April 2003, he received between $1.5 and $3.5 million in bribes from drug traffickers, knowing that the payments he received constituted proceeds of cocaine sales that occurred in Miami, Florida, and elsewhere in the United States. Philippe also admitted that he shared a portion of these payments with Haitian National Police officials and other security personnel to ensure their continued support for future drug shipments arriving into Haiti. Philippe used these payments to purchase a residence in Broward County, Florida; and to support himself and to support his family in the United States.



In addition, Philippe wired proceeds derived from the sale of cocaine, in the amount of $376,000, from banks in Haiti and Ecuador to a joint bank account in Miami. To avoid detection, Philippe used the names of others to wire the funds to his account. Philippe further admitted that he arranged for over $70,000 in drug proceeds to be deposited into his account that were conducted in a series of deposits each less than $10,000 to avoid the U.S. federal reporting requirements.



The DEA and IRS-CI investigated the case. The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, DEA Port-au-Prince Country Office, Caribbean Field Division, U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protections Miami Office of Field Operations provided assistance in this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lynn M. Kirkpatrick and Andy R. Camacho of the Southern District of Florida and Senior Trial Counsel Mark A. Irish of the Criminal Divisions Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section prosecuted this case.



The U.S. Attorneys Office and our federal partners commend the Government of Haiti, including the Ministry of Justice, Haitian National Police, and La Brigade de Lutte contre le Trafic de Stupefiants (BLTS) for upholding the rule of law and assisting U.S. counterparts.



This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20754-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-confesses-and-risks-20-years-imprisonment.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20736-haiti-flash-rebound-in-the-case-of-guy-philippe.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20457-haiti-flash-trial-of-guy-philippe-postponed.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20400-haiti-flash-minister-edouard-speaks-on-the-case-guy-philippe.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20155-haiti-flash-extradition-of-guy-philippe-is-illegal-according-to-mirlande-manigat.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20036-haiti-flash-trial-of-guy-philippe-in-the-united-states.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19799-haiti-politics-demonstration-of-support-to-guy-philippe-front-us-embassy.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19796-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-pleads-not-guilty.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19790-haiti-security-all-closed-schools-in-the-department-of-grande-anse.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19774-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-was-extradited-on-what-legal-basis.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19767-haiti-flash-americans-attacked-houses-burned-down.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19757-haiti-flash-violent-reprisals-of-guy-philippe-s-supporters.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19731-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-the-charges-are-known-appearing-on-january-13-2017.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19730-haiti-justice-guy-philippe-appeared-the-minister-of-justice-convened.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19721-haiti-flash-senator-guy-philippe-extradited-to-the-usa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19720-haiti-flash-arrest-of-senator-guy-philippe.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





115 arrests in Petion-ville

Gospel Monelus, Petion-ville Police Commissioner said that a major pacification operation in the Jalousie neighborhood by Petion-ville police and officers of several specialized units of the Haitian National Police (PNH) made it possible to arrest about 115 people this week and the seizure of two firearms.



0.5% growth in Haiti for 2017...

In its latest report on the World Economic Outlook for 2017, the World Bank is revising its forecast of growth of the Haitian economy for 2017 to 0.5% instead of -0.6% initially. For 2018, World Bank experts estimate that Haiti is expected to reach 1.7% and 2.3% by 2019, well below the poverty reduction threshold.



Road safety, the Secretary of State raises the tone

Leon Ronsard Saint-Cyr, the Secretary of State for Public Security, reminds users and especially drivers of vehicles that under Articles 41, 48, 50 and 71 relating to violations of the provisions governing road traffic, no vehicles overloaded or in poor condition will be tolerated on public roads. All concerned are required to comply scrupulously with the above articles, otherwise, they will be subject to the penalties provided by law. Port-au-Prince, on 20 June 2017.



Electrical demonstration in Peligre

This week, residents of Peligre, a communal section of Boucan-Carre demonstrated, demanding from the central government economic spin-offs from the revenues generated by the hydroelectric power station.



Housing cooperation with Mexico

On the sidelines of the 47th Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Cancun, Mexico, Haitian Chancellor Antonio Rodrigue met with his Mexican counterpart Luis Videgarray. The two diplomats reviewed the Mexican housing cooperation. Also participating in the meeting on the Mexican side: Mexican Undersecretary Soccoro Flores and members of his cabinet and on the Haitian side Guy G. Lamothe Ambassador of Haiti in Mexico, Harvel Jean Baptiste Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Haiti near the OAS and Ronald Placius of the Haitian Chancery.



National Conference on Human Trafficking

Wednesday at the Oasis Hotel, Max Rudolph Saint-Albin, Minister of the Interior and Local Government participated in the launch of the National Conference on Human Trafficking in Haiti "The Ministry is willing to set up sub-Departmental committees, to fight Human Trafficking in all its forms," said Minister Saint-Albin. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-21281-icihaiti-politics-first-national-conference-on-human-trafficking-in-haiti.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Nebraska State Patrol investigators have completed their investigation of Lancaster County Treasurer Andy Stebbing, but state prosecutors have made no decision on their findings, officials said this week.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson's office is now reviewing the case, which a spokeswoman called "ongoing" Thursday. The subject of the inquiry remains unknown.

News of the investigation broke in April, with officials saying only that the inquiry is focused on Stebbing "in a personal capacity" and not his role as an elected official or the county department he leads.

Stebbing's office was searched by State Patrol investigators April 21.

On Thursday, neither State Patrol nor Attorney General officials would say what alleged conduct was being investigated, what investigators have found or when they turned the case over for prosecutors to review.

The Journal Star asked Lancaster County District Judge Darla Ideus to unseal search warrants related to the case, but Ideus has not responded to that request.

The Journal Star has learned that authorities sought documents from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles related to the investigation. Noelie Ackermann Sherdon, legal counsel for the DMV, said five internal documents dealing with Stebbing were identified in response to a public records request from the Journal Star. However, she declined to release those documents because they are part of an ongoing investigation.

Stebbing has not returned messages left at his office and on his cellphone seeking comment since the investigation began this spring.

Stebbing, a retired Lancaster County deputy sheriff, has been Lancaster County Treasurer since 2011 and won re-election in 2014. The Republican lost to Chris Beutler in the 2015 Lincoln mayoral race.

The county treasurer is responsible for collecting property taxes to be distributed to schools, fire districts, cities, villages and other political subdivisions. Stebbing's office also manages more than 300,000 motor vehicle registrations and titles.

Stebbing's department works out of offices at three locations  the County-City Building, North 46th Street and West O Street.
Field of flags to raise awareness of veteran suicide

TUXEDO  Chris Kruse is no stranger to the devastating realities of war on the men and women who endure them.

View the Slideshow Related Stories

A retired Army master sergeant who served for 25 years, Kruse served in the Vietnam and Gulf wars. A resident of the Green River area since 2009, he is active in the Green River Community Association, which has supported his work in the Flags for Forgotten Soldiers initiative.

Kruse plans to plant almost 700 flags on a gently sloping field at Tuxedo Park on Saturday as part of the movement that raises awareness about the growing number of veterans who are dying of suicide. The founder of the initiative is Howard Berry, who lost his son Joshua to suicide.

Hes a Cincinnati native, and Im a Cincinnati native, Kruse said. We became friends through working together in a volunteer group in the area. I know the loss of his son really took a lot out of him.

Chris Kruse is leading effort to plant 660 flags at Tuxedo Park.Joshua Berry, an Army staff sergeant, was sent to Fort Hood in Texas to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan, Kruse said. In November 2009, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at the base, killing 13 people and wounding 30. Berry was injured while barricading a door with his body to protect unarmed civilians. He also was unarmed.

It was every soldiers nightmare  getting shot at and not having any way to defend yourself, Kruse said. Without regard for his safety, he did what people like that do.

A few months later, while still seeking treatment for PTSD, Berry committed suicide.

That really struck a chord with me because shortly after I returned from Vietnam, about seven months later, my oldest brother, who was a Marine, committed suicide, Kruse said. I know what it does to a family. Veterans have learned the hard way that they cant expect a lot of help from people who have never been there and done that. What we hope to accomplish here is to raise awareness. There are 22 veterans a day and 660 a month that are dying by their own hand. Thats why were doing this.



660 flags at Tuxedo Park

Howard Berry has provided the funds for the 660 flags for the display at Tuxedo Park on June 24 as well as other display sites.

Many of the displays around the country, he has financed out of his own pocket, Kruse said. Hes getting requests from veterans all over the country that want to do something and want to find out how to get flags. He started to recycle some things. Hes made deals with the local cemeteries. They let him pull flags off the graves after they are used because they wont let them stay up for very long and then they throw them away. Hes cleaning them and paying to send them to other displays. As other displays are taking flags down, he grabs the flags and sends them to other displays. For something like this to be effective, you have to reach a critical mass in the eyes of the population.

The initiative has only begun about six months ago, Kruse said. While it is still in its early stages, it has created significantly more awareness about veteran suicides in America than when it started.

In total there have been 15 sites, even if theyre not active currently, Kruse said. This will be the second display in North Carolina.

The display on June 24 will be the first that Kruse has organized.

Its going to be 80 feet wide and 60 feet deep, Kruse said. It will consist of 30 flags in a row and 22 rows signifying 22 suicides every day for the average of 30 days in a month. We chose this spot because it tilts downward towards the road. Putting the flags in this coming Saturday will be a workday. Im planning on starting at 9:30 a.m.

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners granted permission for the display last month and the county Department Parks and Recreation has been supportive. The Green River Community Association plans to serve food to volunteers. Anyone who wants to get involved is welcome to come out to plant flags on June 24.

Kruse urges friends and loved ones of veterans to be sensitive to their mood and to watch for warning signs.

If you know anybody whos a returning veteran, and theyre having trouble fitting in, thats really dangerous, and the best thing you can do is let them know that youve got their back, he said. Families who have lost someone should come on out and plant a flag. We cant wait another day; another day 22 more go.
Miami, Florida: HotelQuando, an online booking site and App that allows consumers to instantly book hotel rooms by blocks of three, six, nine and twelve hours, announces its first hotel partnership in the Miami area. The platform joined forces with Pullman Miami Airport Hotel to service business travelers looking for accommodations near the Miami International Airport; a segment that has been increasing in the Latin American hub. HotelQuando announced its U.S. expansion in March and since has 45+ hotel partnerships across the country.

"This is a great accomplishment for us and an early indicator that we will be ahead of our forecast due to the incredible demand in the US market, says Founder Max Campos. "The partnerships we are forming will not only accelerate our growth, but are also an endorsement of the viability of our platform."

With its sights set on gaining 500 partners by the end of the year, HotelQuando is targeting busy U.S. travel hubs, including Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, as well as properties near or within major airports. As part of their launch plans, the company is offering a "preferred partner" program to new members. The first 100 hotels to sign up for the platform will receive search rank priority during the first partnership year, a custom website equipped for sales by the hour and inclusion in special sales and press initiatives.

HotelQuando's platform is free of charge for partners and based on projections of a $200 daily rate. Partner hotels can generate over $100,000 in booking revenues and up to $30,000 in food and beverage revenues.

For more information and to become a Preferred Hotel partner, visit: http://www.hotelquando.com/en/be-our-partner

About HotelQuando

Founded in 2014 by Brazilian entrepreneurs Max Campos and Pedro Xavier, HotelQuando.com is an innovative online booking platform that overrides the concept of "daily rate" by allowing users to book a hotel for three, six, nine or twelve hour packages for an affordable price. With more than 600 hotels partners available throughout Brazil, the platform also allows users to choose check-in and check-out times. The company, which currently operates in Brazil and Colombia, launched in the US in March 2017.

Amy Sedeno

Senior Account Executive

Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications
10-18% of Injured Workers across 15 States Never Reached Substantial Return to Work, Finds New WCRI Research

Posted by Press Releases on Friday, 06-23-2017 8:00 am

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These studies update interstate comparisons of the key outcomes achieved by injured workers in Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin and nine other states. The studies reflect a multiyear effort by WCRI to collect and examine data on the outcomes of medical care achieved by injured workers in a growing number of states. Six new state studies published today by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) compare outcomes of injured workers in Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin and nine other states. The outcomes examined include recovery of physical health and functioning, return to work, earnings recovery, access to medical care, and satisfaction with medical care. By examining outcomes of injured workers, policymakers and other stakeholders can better understand how different state workers compensation systems compare in order to identify and prioritize opportunities to improve system performance, sa...

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Donation Recruiting Launches in L.A. to Fund Fun 1 on 1 New York Style Mentoring Job Service

Posted by Press Releases on Friday, 06-23-2017 1:39 pm

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Recruiting for Good, a social staffing company with 19 years of experience will deliver a cost effective solution for companies in Los Angeles that are looking to hire non technical personnel. Monies generated from placements will fund a personal career mentoring service in Santa Monica, that helps professionals find great jobs.Recruiting for Good, a social staffing company with 19 years of experience will deliver a cost effective solution for companies in Los Angeles that are looking to hire non-technical personnel. Monies generated from placements will fund a personal career mentoring service in Santa Monica, that helps professionals find great jobs.According to Recruiting for Good, Founder, Carlos, "Imagine what life would be like if everyone found a kickass job....we love to work with like-minded companies that want to support our fun personal mentoring service that will change lives for good."About Donation RecruitingDonation Recruiting is a cost effective solution for L...

Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web.

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Marketing Maneuvers to Ditch in 2017 (and What to Replace Them With)

Posted by Faizan Raza on Friday, 06-23-2017 8:47 am

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Humans are creatures of habit for better or worse, and its often worse when that extends to clinging to marketing strategies that are no longer good for the companyor never were. Its challenging, especially in larger marketing departments where various generations are at the helm, from marketing employees straight out of MBA programs to seasoned veterans a la the Mad Men era. However, knowing when to let something go is part of being a great marketer. Are you holding onto approaches that arent viable?Let 2017 be the year you clean house and give your marketing department an audit. The wrong approaches waste time, money and talents. Just because something, like direct mail campaigns, always worked in the past doesnt mean they still do. What do the analytics say? Here are the most common marketing strategies you might be able to ditch and what to do instead:1. Direct mail campaigns. Sticking with this example, its a very labor- and money-intensive approach that often garners few ...

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New study reveals that managers and employees agree that one-on-ones important, but disagree on how well theyre being done

Posted by Press Releases on Friday, 06-23-2017 12:41 am

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SoapBox, a leader in employee feedback software, today announced the results of its study around the habits and sentiments of one-on-one meetings. The study, which surveyed 1,000 managers and employees across North America, gauged both groups on their experiences with one-on-ones, including how they are being approached, the value they receive from them, overall feelings around them, and how they can improve. The survey revealed interesting disparities between managers and employees in both the value they receive from the meetings and how they feel about the success of them overall. One of the most surprising findings is that managers believed that one-on-ones with their employees were going better than employees said they are. Employees were four times more likely to indicate that they left a one-on-one demotivated explains Brennan McEachran, CEO & Co-founder at SoapBox. Furthermore, when asked if there was room to improve one-on-ones at their organization, employees were als...

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About Webcast

Navigating the Affordable Care Act: Takeaways from Year One of Annual Reporting, Best Practices for Year Two and Beyond



Featuring Seyfarth Shaw Partner, Benjamin Conley



June 2, 2016

12:00 p.m. Central | 1 p.m. Eastern | 10:00 a.m. Pacific



For many employers, the first half of 2016 proved to be stressful and expensive due to ACA tracking and reporting requirements taking effect. With year one of annual reporting now complete, HR professionals are scrambling to prepare for year two filings while trying to figure out how to ease the reporting process, avoid penalties and stay on top of ever-changing rules and regulations.



Join EPAY Systems and leading wage and hour law firm, Seyfarth Shaw, for a discussion on the lessons learned in year one of the Affordable Care Act and what employers should be doing right now to prepare for year two. In this webinar, youll get relevant information directly from a legal expert including:



 Best practices for preparing for 2017 filings

 Insights into the IRSs penalties and appeals process

 Answers to questions like what happens next year when the good faith compliance standard goes away and what the future holds for the Cadillac Tax



About the Speaker

Benjamin Conley is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. He focuses his practice on employee benefit plans. Mr. Conley has experience counseling clients on qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and executive compensation.



Mr. Conley regularly advises clients on defined benefit and defined contribution plan compliance, including corrections for plan operational errors. He assists clients in drafting plan documents, plan amendments and participant communications. He also advises clients on health & welfare plan compliance, including medical and dental plans, cafeteria plans, flexible spending accounts and dependent care spending accounts. Mr. Conley counsels clients on plan design decisions relating to COBRA, HIPAA privacy regulations and health care reform legislation.

By registering for this webcast you will receive email communications and notifications from the sponsor(s).
Gov. Pete Ricketts said Friday he has asked for an agency-wide review of the Nebraska State Patrol after a number of concerns were raised.

Because of that, he said, he believes the state has an opportunity to improve patrol operations.

Those concerns include how a Sheridan County fatal crash in October involving the patrol was handled internally. Another is about a grievance filed by the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council this week over the safety of some patrol members' protective vests and body armor.

Other anecdotal concerns have been raised throughout all levels of the organization that led Ricketts to believe the patrol can do better in how it runs its operations, he said.

State Human Resources Director Jason Jackson will lead the review of policies, procedures, practices, training and leadership conduct, all of which influence overall organizational performance, he said. Jackson, as a former Naval officer, has led several of these reviews of command in the Navy, he said.

Jackson said there are no presumptions of impropriety, but he promised the review would be exhaustive, to ensure the agency is practicing the "utmost standards of professionalism and conduct, with recommendations for improvements. Ricketts said it would take several weeks and will be made public.

"In all of our organizations we're striving for continuous improvement," Ricketts said.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers called earlier this week for the firing of the patrol's superintendent, Col. Brad Rice. He told the Omaha World-Herald that it appears some patrol officers lied about the cause of a fatal crash in Sheridan County in October and that Rice supported them.

Chambers said this week he also will raise concerns about whether charges of giving false information to a police officer should be filed against those troopers involved in the incident. Chambers said they may have given false information about how fast the trooper was driving and how the patrol vehicle and the suspect's vehicle collided.

In October, a trooper saw a 2001 Mercury Sable, with no license plate, run a stop sign on a county road north of Gordon in Sheridan County, the patrol reported. The trooper attempted to stop the car, and it slowed, but then turned and accelerated rapidly down another county road.

Two miles north of Gordon, the patrol car intercepted the vehicle, which crashed into a ditch and rolled.

The driver, Antoine L. Ladeaux, 32, of Pine Ridge, S.D., was ejected and died at the scene of the crash. Three passengers in the vehicle were taken to the Gordon hospital where they were treated and released.

The pursuit lasted approximately five minutes and reached speeds near 80 mph, according to the patrol.

The Sheridan County case went before a Sheridan County grand jury in December, and the trooper involved was cleared of any wrongdoing, said Cody Thomas, patrol spokesman.

Ricketts said Friday he has faith in Rice, who will continue to lead the department throughout the review.

Rice issued a statement saying the patrol has a proud 80-year tradition of serving the state, and throughout those 80 years has always been looking for ways to better serve.

The governors initiative is another important step to uphold that tradition, and to ensure that we achieve our goal of protecting public safety, he said.

On the grievance filed by the troopers' union, a number of members said they were issued body armor that was out of date and the manufacturers warranty for ballistic protection expired. The council asked the patrol to replace the vests and body armor, or minimize troopers' exposure to danger until safe vests are provided.

Spokesman Thomas said the patrol "cares deeply about officer safety," and has moved quickly to resolve the issue.

In February, the patrol initiated the purchase of 78 new protective vests. Those new vests will arrive next week, Thomas said, and will be distributed quickly.

According to the National Institute of Justice, he said, the body armor does not have an expiration date, but the warranty has an expiration date. And the warranty date listed on the vest may not be accurate.

The patrol has created a new system designed to better track the issuance date of body armor to make sure it doesnt happen again and to assist the troopers in knowing when the warranty actually expires, he said.

The cost of those 78 vests was roughly $53,200, at $650 per vest.
A 38-year-old sex offender was sentenced to prison Thursday after being convicted of possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge John Gerrard sentenced Richard F. Sandoval, 38, of Lincoln, to 10 years.

Sandoval was arrested in May 2016 after Lincoln police investigating child pornography being shared online discovered four videos on his laptop depicting girls between the ages of 3 and 8 being forced to perform sex acts, according to court documents.

"A later forensic investigation revealed 92 videos in a download folder of the user profile and approximately 66 videos of child pornography in the recycle bin and 38 deleted videos," Acting U.S. Attorney for Nebraska Robert Stuart said in a news release.

Sandoval was sentenced to prison previously for sexual assault of a child in Lincoln County in 2002.

After his new prison sentence ends, Sandoval must also serve an additional 15 years on supervised release.
Image: twitter.com/jetairways

Mumbai, June 22 (IBNS): Jet Airways, Indiaas full-service premier international airline, announced codeshare enhancements with Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.

Under the expanded scope, the carriers will expand choice and connectivity options for guests flying between India and Europe.

In the first instance, Air France and Delta are code-sharing on Jet Airways current service between Mumbai and Paris. Additionally, Air France, together with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines, also codeshare on Jet Airways newly announced flight between Chennai and Paris, scheduled to begin October 29, 2017.



KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines will also codeshare on Jet Airways daily flight between Bengaluru and Amsterdam commencing October 29, 2017.



Additionally, Delta Air Lines will also codeshare on Jet Airways third frequency between Mumbai and London.



Athens, Barcelona, Bilbao, Budapest, Dublin, Krakow, Leeds, Lisbon, London Heathrow, Lyon, Nice and Warsaw will now be seamlessly connected on code-shared flights.



Jet Airways also codeshares on Air France services connecting Mumbai and Paris as well as KLMs newly-announced thrice-a-week service between Mumbai and Amsterdam, beginning October 29, 2017. All these new flights are already open for sale.



The new codeshare additions enable the airlines guests to enjoy convenient access to as many as 43 European destinations via Amsterdam and 27 via Paris as well as 34 in North America, together with the unmatched flexibility and choice of flying via multiple gateways and routes. Guests travelling from Europe or North America will gain easy access to 45 Indian cities on Jet Airways extensive domestic network via Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.



Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, "The expanded cooperation reaffirms our commitment to offer our guests choice and seamless connectivity. In fact, our guests travelling to Europe and North America can benefit immensely from our multi-gateway connectivity to all destinations on Air France, KLM and Deltas networks. The partnership significantly expands our reach in key markets and adds even more destinations to our already extensive international network, thereby reinforcing our position as Indias premier international airline.



Frequent flyer members of Jet Airways, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Delta Air Lines will continue to enjoy network-wide accrual and redemption of points on each other.


Guwahati, June 23 (IBNS): Apex industry association of the North East, the Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) has moved both the Centre and the State government in its persistent efforts to push for a better and focused industrial policy as well as highlighting issues regarding GST and its impact on industrialisation in the Region.

Addressing a press conference held in Guwahati on Friday Bajrang Lohia, Vice President, Finer said that any dilution in benefits to industrial units under the old industrial policy will be detrimental to the cause of industries in the North East and that the benefits must be retained for industrialisation and investment in the Region.

"Over the past few weeks, FINER has submitted representations before Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, DoNER minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi and discussed issues related to NEIIPP and GST. The team requested for a focussed industrial policy for North East and sought greater clarity on how the Central excise duty refund, currently eligible for Industries set up pursuant to NEIIPP, would continue under the GST regime," Lohia said.

Under the NEIIPP 2007, the units that have come in the North East were promised 100 per cent refund of excise duty paid (i.e. net of Cenvat Credit).

With the announcement of GST, apparently the refunds would be restricted to 58% by the Central government. The fate of the balance 42 % of the refunds accruing is unknown.

Speaking on the occasion, Amit Kumar Jain, Past Vice Chairman, FINER, said that the draft of the new industrial policy was ready but with the GST being rolled out next month, the policy might get a little delayed.

It transpired during the meetings FINER had with Central ministers and bureaucrats that the new industrial policy being prepared will be for three years while the benefits to industrial units in the Region will be for five years.

"The earlier policy had benefitted many industries in the remote areas of the Region and investments by big companies have taken place," Jain said.

While the Goods and Service Tax (GST) is slated for a July 1, 2017 implementation, some crucial issues regarding industries, and with especial reference to Assam and North East, are still unclear.

The issue of how the central excise duty refund, currently eligible for Industries set up pursuant to the NEIPP policy would continue under the GST regime is still not clear as there was no mechanism for it.

In regard to GST, FINER had requested the Centre that there should not be any dilution in refunds and that the promised incentives are not altered under the new regime.

FINER delegation comprising President Pabitra Buragohain and Vice President Bajrang Lohia had on June 20 held discussions with Assam Finance Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and Industry Minister Shri Chandra Mohan Patowary on and handed over separate representations on Excise refund, other high impact issues under the GST regime.

Both ministers were positive and advised that they would request Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to immediately write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi impressing upon these issues.

It may be mentioned that FINER had submitted a detailed memorandum incorporating the suggestions for a New Industrial Policy for the North East to NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on March 15, 2017.

Ever since, FINER has been taking up crucial issues relating to the NEIIPP in a bid to push for restoration of the NEIIPP Policy have a new policy framework in place.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Image: www.freestockphotos.name

New Delhi, June 23 (IBNS): It is widely acknowledged that the Internet has the potential to change human psyche, and act as a proactive catalyst for economic growth.

However, with barely 13% rural population on the internet (http://trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/quarterly_press_release_Eng_07042017.pdf), India has one of the worlds largest unconnected rural population. In the 2017 Annual Budget,Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister of India, propagated the extension of high-speed internet connectivity to 1,50,000 villages across the nation.

Manoj Sinha, the MoS Communication, has been working tirelessly to expand connectivity across rural India and bridge the Digital divide.

The industry has been an equal partner in supporting the Prime Ministers vision of a fully connected India, said Rajan S. Mathews, DG, COAI sharing with the media this recent development at the WP (Working Party)-5D Meeting at ITU.

But with a huge gap in connectivity and internet penetration, it has turned out to be a difficult task for the policy makers.

With the Indian policy makers aiming to build a telecom based digital infrastructure to cover every corner of the country by 2020, the Dept. of Telecommunication (DoT) is already working on ensuring that the next generation of standards is already designed to suit that need. At the recently concluded meeting of the ITU-R terrestrial radio systems (WP5D) in Canada, the Indian delegation consisting of members from the Telecom Engineering Center (TEC), the research wing of DoT, COAI, TSDSI, industry and academia championed the mandatory evaluation of a configuration called Low Mobility Large Cell (LMLC). This configuration is specifically designed with rural India in mind, and is likely become a game changer.

Rajan Mathews, DG, COAI, said Considering the view that this approval has come at a time when we are working hard to improve the quality of service for our customers, and in supporting the Govt. of India on the policy initiatives they are taking for rural connectivity. He added that The COAI with its members will be working with the Indian administration and other stakeholders to pursue this further in 3GPP, a telecom standard setting body, and ensure that the support for LMLC in the 5G specification is created. Support from a global standards body brings in scales of manufacturing, which is the key to keeping cost low. In a price-sensitive market like India, this sort of consensus building and global cooperation is a definitive need.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had initiated the task of addressing rural Indian requirement using IMT-2020 systems in August 2016, with the active support of its members. It was becoming clear during this time that by 2020, the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN), recently rechristened as BharatNet, would have reached all the 250,000 gram panchayats in the country. With BharatNet offering the backbone connectivity, it was essential to design a last mile cellular system that would deliver services to users about 3.5
Dallas, June 16 (IBNS): Horseback riding and rhythm-and-music therapies may improve stroke survivorsa perception of recovery, gait, balance, grip strength and cognition years after their stroke, according to new research in the American Heart Associationas journal Stroke.

A variety of interventions that engage patients in physical, sensory, cognitive and social activities simultaneously target a range of functions.

Researchers said this combination of different activities and stimuli, rather than the individual components, appear to produce additional beneficial effects for stroke recovery.

Significant improvements are still possible, even years after a stroke, using motivating, comprehensive therapies provided in stimulating physical and social surroundings to increase brain activity and recovery, said Michael Nilsson, M.D., Ph.D. senior author and Director of the Hunter Medical Research Institute and Professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia and University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Researchers studied 123 Swedish men and women (age 50-75) who had suffered strokes between 10 months and 5 years earlier. Survivors were randomly assigned to rhythm-and-music therapy, horse-riding therapy or ordinary care (the control group). The therapies were given twice a week for 12 weeks.

Researchers found that among the survivors who felt they experienced an increased perception of recovery:

56 percent were in the horse-riding group;

38 percent in the rhythm and music group; and

17 percent in the control or usual care group.

The perception of recovery was sustained at three-month and six-month follow-ups.

Horse-riding therapy produces a multisensory environment and the three-dimensional movements of the horses back create a sensory experience that closely resembles normal human gait and is beneficial for stroke survivors.

In rhythm-and-music therapy patients listen to music while performing rhythmic and cognitively demanding hand and feet movements to visual and audio cues. Researchers found that the rhythm-and-music activity helped survivors with balance, grip-strength and working memory.

Limitations of the study include the relatively small number of participants and survivors with severe disabilities could not be considered for the therapy. In addition, researchers doubt these therapies would be cost-effective if patients with mild deficiencies had been included.

Further analyses of the study results and follow-up studies involving more participants are planned to help determine efficiency, timing and costs.

Co-authors are Lina Bunketorp-Kall, Ph.D.; Asa Lundgren-Nilsson, Ph.D.; Hans Samuelsson, Ph.D.; Tulen Pekny, M.D.; Karin Blomve, M.D.; Marcela Pekna, M.D., Ph.D.; Milos Pekny, M.D., Ph.D.; and Christian Blomstrand, M.D., Ph.D. Author disclosures and funding are on the manuscript.

Photo: WHO
New Delhi, June 20 (IBNS): The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute has been selected as the first recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for outstanding contribution to promotion and development of Yoga.

The instiution of the award was announced by the Prime Minister on the occasion of the Second International Day of Yoga at Chandigarh on June 21, 2016.

The Award was recommended by an Evaluation Committee (Jury) constituted under the Chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary and included Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, Secretary (AYUSH) and Dr. Veerendra Heggade as its members.

It examined the recommendations of the Screening Committee and also made its own analysis of the contributions made by the institutions and individuals and recommended Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune for the prestigious Award.

The Government of India has accepted the recommendation of the Committee to honour the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune with the Prime Ministers Award for Outstanding Contribution for the Promotion and Development of Yoga for 2017.

The nominations for the Awards were invited through open advertisement by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India which had developed the guidelines for the awards.

Two committees were constituted, viz., Screening Committee (for preliminary evaluation) and Evaluation Committee (Jury), so that a transparent process is followed in finalizing the awards.

The selection was done from among 85 nominations received and 15 more recommended by the Screening Committee.

The Screening Committee shortlisted 16 names from among the applications received, after detailed discussions and analysis of the contributions of the individuals and institutes, whose nominations were received.

In addition, the Committee also recommended for consideration 15 names of eminent yoga individuals/ organizations who have long standing credibility in the field of promotion and development of Yoga, but whose names did not figure in the applications received. After considering all relevant facts and other inputs, the Jury recommended that the Award for the current year be given to Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune.

The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute has worked to spread Yoga, internationally, over a period of 4 decades. The Institute has published books on Yoga and these have been translated into multiple languages. There are thousands of Iyengar Yoga teachers popularising and propagating yoga across the world.


New York, June 21 (IBNS): A late bedtime is associated with lower perceived control of obsessive thoughts, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Binghamton University Professor of Psychology Meredith E. Coles and former graduate student Jessica Schubert (now at University of Michigan Medical School) monitored twenty individuals diagnosed with OCD and ten individuals endorsing subthreshold OCD symptoms during one week of sleep. Participants completed sleep diaries and daily ratings of perceived degree of control over obsessive thoughts and ritualized behaviors. The researchers found that previous nights bedtime significantly predicted participants perceived ability to control their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior on the subsequent day.

"Were really interested in how this kind of unusual timing of sleep might affect cognitive functioning," said Schubert. "One possibility is impulse control. It might be that something about shifting the timing of your sleep might reduce your ability to control your thoughts and your behaviors, so it might make it more likely that youre going to have a hard time dismissing intrusive thoughts characteristic of obsessions, and it might make it more difficult for you to refrain from compulsive behaviors that are designed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts."

On average participants in the study went to bed around 12:30 at night. Patients who met criteria for delayed sleep phase disorder, about 40% of the sample, went to bed around 3 a.m.

"I always knew you were supposed to get eight hours of sleep, but I was never told it matters when you do it," said Coles. "Its been striking to me that this difference seems to be very specific to the circadian component of when you sleep. That we find that there are specific negative consequences of sleeping at the wrong times, thats something to educate the public about."

The researchers are interested in exploring this phenomenon further. Coles plans on collecting pilot data using lightboxes to shift peoples bedtimes. "Its one of our first efforts to actually shift their bedtimes and see if it reduces their OCD symptoms, and if this improves their ability to resist those intrusive thoughts and not develop compulsions in response to them."

The paper, "Later bedtime is associated with decrements in perceived control of obsessions and compulsions," was presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Image: Wikimedia Commons
London, June 21 (IBNS): A leading astrophysicist from Queenas University Belfast has warned that an asteroid strike is just a matter of time.

Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from the Universitys Astrophysics Research Centre has said it is a case of when an asteroid collision will happen, rather than if it will happen.

Joined by scientist Brian Cox and astronauts such as Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart and International Space Station astronaut Nicole Stott, Professor Fitzsimmons is highlighting the threat for Asteroid Day, a global event next Friday (30 June).

On that day in 1908, a small asteroid exploded over Tunguska in Siberia and devastated 800 square miles. Professor Fitzsimmons is warning that a similar unexpected strike in todays world could easily destroy a major city and a larger asteroid could be more dangerous.

Professor Fitzsimmons commented: It is important to know that scientists and engineers have made great strides in detecting Near-Earth Asteroids and understanding the threat posed by them. Over 1,800 potentially hazardous objects have been discovered so far, but there are many more waiting to be found.

Astronomers find Near-Earth Asteroids every day and most are harmless. But it is still possible the next Tunguska would take us by surprise, and although we are much better at finding larger asteroids, that does us no good if we are not prepared to do something about them.

The discussions and presentations will be streamed live from Luxembourg on 30 June at https://asteroidday.org/live/ and experts will be answering any questions from followers via social media. Hundreds of supporting events will be held in over 70 countries.

Professor Fitzsimmons is a member of the NEOshield-2 project, funded by the European Research Council to study how to deflect dangerous asteroids.

Queens University is also a partner in the Pan-STARRS project in Hawaii - the most successful asteroid hunter currently in operation, as well as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope project, which will provide a quantum leap in asteroid discoveries.

Image:NASA webiste
The Internet has become a part of life for a huge section of Indian population. However, its use is largely confined to urban or semi-urban areas. The aInternet Saathia programme is different. It teaches rural women to use and benefit from the Internet, writes New York based Michael Gallant

The phrase Internet Saathi translates into Internet friend. The programme has been designed keeping the specific needs of rural women in mind initiated by Google in India which aims at transcending its image as an easy- to- search Internet tool.



We strongly believe that easy and quick access to information can transform lives, says Sapna Chadha, head of marketing for Google India. The groundbreaking initiative Internet Saathi in partnership with Tata Trusts, is working to make that belief a reality, specifically for the countrys rural, less technologically educated women.



We modelled the entire initiative around Indias traditional information and communication distribution system, says Chadha, where the Internet Saathis are akin to the village postman, who is the single-point contact between the village and the outside world, in terms of information as well as communication.



Trained by Google, these saathis are roving educators and activists who travel to villages, armed with smartphones and tablets, and spend a minimum of two days per week, over a period of six months, teaching local residents about the Internet. They work hard to make sure their students become adept at using the Internet independently to gain knowledge that can benefit them in various aspects of their lives.



Once an Internet Saathi has completed the training in a cluster of three villages, she moves to an adjoining cluster of villages where she trains women to get online, says Chadha. Google India works with local groups and organisations to continue the educational momentum in rural areas, even after the saathis have moved on.



The Internet Saathis are seen as change agents, tenacious teachers who take great pride in their work. The efforts seem to have paid off. Chadha shares the story of Chetna, who lives in the Alwar district of Rajasthan and joined the programme in 2015. Chetna not only learned about mustard farming techniques to run her farm, but her own experience also inspired her to train over 500 girls and women in a span of four months, says Chadha. Several women still reach out to her for a range of issues, including quick remedies for day-to-day health conditions and information on MGNREGA and other government schemes. MGNREGA( Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) guarantees 100 days of wage-employment in a year to a rural household.



Bujiis is another success story. She is an Internet Saathi in Somavaram, Andhra Pradesh, who trained her neighbour to advance her business of stitching and tailoring in various creative ways. She is now able to use the extra money she makes to send her daughter to the best school in the area, says Chadha, adding there are thousands of such success stories.



The Internet Saathi programme was launched in July, 2015 to address a troubling trend observed by Google India team members. As Internet penetration started gaining momentum in India, we realised that the usage of the Internet amongst women in India was lower than that in most countries in the world, says Chadha. Only one-third of Indias online users are women. The situation is much worse in rural India, she continues, where only one in 10 Internet users is a woman.



In response, Google India first launched an initiative called Helping Women Get Online in November, 2013, which sought to encourage daily Internet usage among women. But, it soon became clear to Google staff that specially crafted strategies were needed to reach those living in rural areas. We took all the learnings [from Helping Women Get Online] and launched the Internet Saathi programme, says Chadha. Spread across approximately 40,000 villages now, the programme aspires to reach over 300,000 villages, or half of the countrys villages, in the next few years.



While trained Google educators have already worked with more than one million Indian women, there is still much to be done. There are still a lot of women in rural and urban areas who do not know how to operate smartphones or are not aware about the benefits of the Internet, says Chadha. So, the best and easiest way to contribute is to help those women who are around you. These can be your domestic help or an elderly woman of the house who doesnt know about the benefits of the Internet.

(Courtesy SPAN)
Many women in America or other western countries are choosing out-of-hospital childbirth, much to the dismay of insurance companies. In less developed countries such as India, out-of-hospital births are usually not a choice but a necessity. But even in that country, some upper-class women are joining the natural birth trend.

Johanna Givens has a soothing way of helping women give birth at home. She counts with them -- barely speaking above a whisper -- as they work through the agonizing pain of each contraction.

"When you get into really active, heavy labor, during the contraction, its like time stops often, and you are wrapped in this moment of discomfort and unsurety. So we have a counting mechanism to help them through, said Givens, who works as a doula, providing physical and emotional support to birthing women.

In her seven years on the job in Columbia, Mo., shes attended the deliveries of more than 50 women who want an alternative to traditional hospital births.

A growing number of American women are taking control of their childbirth by looking for out-of-hospital birthing options, much to the dismay of insurance companies and some medical professionals. In less developed countries such as India, meanwhile, out-of-hospital births are usually not a choice but a necessity -- happening mostly among poor women in remote places who lack access to care. But even in that country, some upper-class women are joining the natural birth trend.

Jessica Henman CPMIn America, out-of-hospital births are clearly on the rise but far from the norm. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the proportion of births happening outside hospitals started to climb in 2004, rising from 1 percent then to 1.5 percent in 2015 -- or 61,000 births.

In India, out-of-hospital births are far more common. UNICEF statistics show 53 percent of women gave birth outside of an institution in 2012.

For women lucky enough to have a choice, experts say many are driven by a desire to make life processes like childbirth more natural instead of treating them like medical conditions.

"A lot of women are talking about it, Givens said. Theyre talking about the breastfeeding movements. Theyre talking about the choice movements, the movements of letting our bodies naturally process.

Johanna Givens Birth and choice in America

In Givens home state of Missouri, out-of-hospital births have roughly doubled in 10 years.

While this includes the occasional surprise delivery in an ambulance, it mostly reflects births at home or in birthing centers.

Option is important and choice is important, Givens said. This is their body in which theyre going to be doing majority of the work and the consequences of what happens during that birth can last her lifetime and the childs lifetime.

Birthing centers, which are generally associated with hospitals, offer a sort of middle ground. One, at the Missouri Womens and Childrens Hospital in Columbia, started as part of the hospitals low-intervention program in 2015. Women decide whether they want care from a certified nurse midwife or an obstetrician, and must meet guidelines showing their pregnancies are low-risk and not expected to need emergency interventions.

Jessica Henman is a certified nurse midwife at a similar but free-standing facility in OFallon, Mo., called the Birth and Wellness Center.

Natalie and Naomie CNMs have collaborative agreements with physicians, and Henmans agreement is with Dr. Jeffrey Mormol at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center, a 25 minute drive away.

Not all women can give birth without medical intervention, so were glad we have the partnership with the hospital, so we can do that when we need to, Henman said. We like that about 90 percent of our moms dont need the hospital, and if you look at research for the right kind of woman, for a low-risk mother with a single baby, head down, no medical history, she might actually be safer outside the hospital than in it.

But some doctors are skeptical about out-of-hospital births, particularly those in homes. Dr. Ravi Johar, an ob/gyn in St. Louis, said when something goes wrong with a pregnancy at home, he knows of instances when midwivessimply dropped birthing moms at the emergency room and left.

Natalie and Naomie ...Or theyre told to drive themselves in and theres usually a we dont want them to know were involved, which is a problem because now you have no history to go with them, he said. Every obstetrician has anecdotal stories of all kinds of things.

Births at home are usually attended by certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives or doulas. CPMs dont have to have any formal education, although they must be certified by the North American Registry of Midwives. Doulas dont need formal education either, but can get voluntary training and certification.CNMs, on the other hand, must have nursing degrees.

Theres a lot of disagreement on which type of birth is safer. One study in Oregon, which has the nations highest rate of home births, showed that the perinatal mortality for out-of-hospital births was about twice as high as the hospital average.

But American women giving birth in hospitals are more likely to undergo cesarean sections, which come with risks such as infection and blood loss. According to study published in JAMA in 2015, cesarean delivery rates of up to about 19 percent are associated with lower maternal and infant deaths. The U.S. rate that year was 32 percent.

Natalie Mothers-to-be weigh safety considerations while also considering the quality of the birth experience. Jessica Bevans, who has three daughters, has been through it all. Her first child was born at a birthing clinic, the second at Boone Hospital Center and the third at home.

I decided to be home because I wanted to be able to focus on the pain and be able to relax through the pain, Bevans said.

O'Fallon Birthing CenterI guess I just learned things from midwives more than I did in the hospital. They were definitely more educationallike caring about you and yourwell being and making sure you know that everything is OK and safe. Whereas, compared to the hospital, it was just kind of like procedurelike a medical procedurewhere I feel like (giving) birth is not a medical procedure. But I wasnt high-risk, and if I was high-risk, I probably would have chose a hospital.

Insurance companies generally side with hospitals when it comes to safety. Aetnas policy says planned deliveries at home and associated services are not medically appropriate. It references the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which says midwifery presents hazards to both mom and child.

The majority of my clients come to me and they need that happy medium, Givens said. I do home births and hospital births, and the ones that choose the hospital birth but still want to go the more natural route are doing so because of insurance purposes and finances.

Indian Midwife explains birthing to a would be motherBirth and economics in India

In India, home births can be especially dangerous. Thats because so many happen among poor women in rural areas who lack access to care and rely on untrained midwives during delivery. A 2010 study by the Harvard School of Public Health showed 150,000 deaths in India could have been prevented by 2015 if women had better access to care during their pregnancies and deliveries.

Vidhi Beri, a lactation specialist and child nutrition counselor in India, said traditional midwives get informal training handed down through generations, but arent updated about advancements in birthing techniques.

In a small village in central India in the Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh, midwifery is a tradition for Sima Kumari,70, whose mother and grandmother were also midwives.

She took government classes training her in natural treatment, hygiene and health, and accompanied her mother as she worked.

She said the process can sometimes be risky if the pregnancy is complicated and she has to take the mom to a hospital.

In majority times the patient dies while travelling, before even reaching the hospital because the hospitals are very far from the villages, she said.

Samir Chakraborty, a gynecologist from Kolkata, India, said midwives lack of specialization makes home births unsafe. Any medical complications can be deadly.

The risks are much different for Indian women higher on the income scale.

Women among Indias growing middle class are getting more C-sections these days -- and facing the complications that come along with them. Indian health officials claim this is partly because of pressure from doctors at private hospitals, which are paid more for surgical procedures. Women who may not know much about the risks of C-sections tend to take their doctors advice.

But wealthier, more educated women in India are starting to push for more natural deliveries -- both in the hospital and, increasingly, at home.

And those home births benefit from well-trained and paid helpers unavailable to the poor.

Ultimately, theres no clear answer as to the best place to give birth. But mothers and health workers in both India and the United States agree that women should ideally be able to choose-- and get all the support they need to deliver healthy babies.

When everything goes right, Givens said, the experience of pregnancy and childbirth can be amazing for mothers. Its unbelievable to see the body change and grow and blossom, and then all this power be put forth into having this new life.

(Additional contribution and Multimedia by Rachel Thomas)



India Blooms New Service-Trans World Features (IBNS-TWF)

(A University of Missouri and IBNS-TWF Collaboration Series Article)
Traditional Indian music fills a two-room yoga studio. Dozens of colored mats rest on the floor, facing a shrine. On the wall is a framed picture of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the father of modern yoga, near a statue of the Hindu god Ganesh.

In USAs Midwestern town of Columbia, Missouri, the teacher at AlleyCat Yoga calls out positions  tree pose, child pose, warrior pose  as students bend their bodies in rhythmic motions to quiet their frazzled minds.Class ends with a final unison, Namaste.



More than 8,000 miles away, a handful of men and women roll out mats inside the Mystic Yoga Cafe in Kolkata, India. Here, the room resembles a dance studio, with simple decor and full-length mirrors covering the front wall. There is no music, no special chanting. Stifling temperatures above 100 degrees dont deter participants, who attend mostly for fitness or weight loss.



Melinda Oliver, of St. Louis, USA, practices yoga at Lake Stephens Park in Columbia, MO. Oliver in a senior at the University of Missouri and has been practicing yoga for two years. Oliver teaches community classes in Columbia, Missouri. She also began a program teaching yoga to 9th-grade girls to promote self-awareness, self-esteem and mental health.These disparate scenes may be the opposite of what many expect. While yogis in the United States are increasingly reconnecting with yogas spiritual roots, many in India are influenced by Americas commercialized approach to the practice and are becoming more consumer-focused themselves. Yoga reflects a reality of globalization  the exchange of ideas that shapes cultures across our connected world, now more than ever.



Such exchanges help drive a booming yoga industry. More than 36 million U.S. practitioners spent $2.5 billion on yoga classes in 2016, according to the Yoga in America Study conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance. In the St. Louis metro area alone, there are nearly 50 yoga studios offering classes of all kinds.



In India, the number of yoga practitioners soared 30 percent last year, prompting a 35 percent increase in demand for yoga trainers catering to Westernized natives and international tourists, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India.



A group of Indian men and women strike yoga poses while being led during a class at Mystic Yoga Cafe in Kolkata.East meets West



The historical origins of yoga are steeped in ancient Indian philosophy designed to cultivate greater self-awareness, higher levels of consciousness and inner peace.



Yoga gained popularity in America in the 1960s, when the Beatles used traditional Indian instruments on their album Help! stoking interest in Eastern culture among Westerners.



Over the next several decades, yoga spread across the United States, gaining an American flavor along the way. By the 1980s and 90s, the practice was more consumer-focused than traditional Indian yoga. Americans increasingly used it as an exercise to stay healthy and active, according to the Yoga in America Study.



In 2016, the study reported that Americans spent $16 billion on yoga classes, clothing and accessories. Businesses profited from consumers interest in yoga  perhaps none more so than yoga retail giant Lululemon, which charges up to $128 for a pair of yoga pants.



A group of Indian men and women strike yoga poses while being led during a class at Mystic Yoga Cafe in Kolkata.Some yoga instructors say this consumerism can be a good thing.



Do I like looking cute in my yoga pants? You bet. Do we capitalize on that? Yes, we live in America, said Kathy Kessler, a yoga teacher at Halcyon Spa & Salon in Augusta. But because its become commercialized, so many people were exposed to it that werent before.



If someone comes to the mat, theyre going to evolve and and understand the therapeutic benefits of it.



Yearning for meaning



Yet many U.S. yoga practitioners are looking to the past to recapture that centuries-old spirituality at the core of the practice.



One huge aspect of yoga is breathing and meditating, and I do that as much as possible throughout my week, said University of Missouri senior Lucille Sherman, who has been practicing yoga since childhood. Yoga helps me center myself. I'm a better person when I practice.



It reminds me to sit still and take in life as it is, just for a moment.



A group of Indian men and women strike yoga poses while being led during a class at Mystic Yoga Cafe in Kolkata.Types of yoga that reconnect Americans with the deeper side of practice are gaining momentum. These include Kundalini, which blends physical and spiritual practices like dynamic breathing and mantra chantingto awaken the conscious. Kessler offers Kundalini, as well as gong healing and other more spiritual classes.



(Kundalini) is much more spiritual than what has happened to yoga as its been mainstreamed, said SiriAtmaKaur, a Kundalini teacher at Urban Breath Yoga in St. Louis. Its 16 times as powerful as other forms of yoga in getting into upper states of consciousness and achieving balance. The formulas are so powerful, you radiate. You look different.



Instead of trendy yoga pants embellished with bright colors and bold patterns, Kaur said Kundalini practitioners opt for plain white clothing made of cotton, wool or silk to brighten their aura and prevent static electricity from altering their personal electric charges. The attire is topped with a headscarf to keep the Kundalini energy, awakened during yoga, from escaping through the top of the head.



Thanks to pop star practitioners like Katy Perrys ex-husband, Russell Brand, Kundalini communities are active on the U.S. coasts. Recruiting members in St. Louis is tougher, but any American looking to reconnect with yogas traditional roots can find several tools in Kundalini practice, Kaur said.



One such tool is the ringing of the disharmonious gong, which helps students reset and balance their minds. Another is the Japji, or the Song of the Soul recited by the ancient sikhs that allows yogis to explore the depths of their souls.



The poses themselves are tools to explore the inner self.



You can just do the yoga, but most of the time, people catch Kundalini, and they want to go all the way because it makes such a difference, Kaur said. Its not a religion, but a lifestyle, a technology, a sacred science.



West meets East



Sudeshna Sen, a 24-year-old student at St. Xavieras College in Maidan, Kolkata, practices yoga in front of the Victoria Memorial. Sen has been practicing yoga for three years and attends weekend classes at Power Yoga in Kolkata.While spirituality takes hold in the United States, Indias yoga scene is shifting to accommodate American consumer needs.



More stressed-out Americans are traveling to India on yoga retreats, helping the Asian giant become one of the fastest-growing wellness tourism destinations in the booming $439 billion worldwideindustry, according to the Global Wellness Institute.



Missouri resident Dustin Thomas, who suffers from a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, made the pilgrimage to Pune, India, for rest, relaxation and a chance to learn how to become a yoga trainer at his business,Yoga Studio 72, in Springfield.



I live basically pain free now, Thomas said. Yoga is the only thing Ive found that can manage the pain or get rid of it.



The Indian government is capitalizing on yogas popularity by supporting global events like the United Nations International Day of Yoga that make the practice even more susceptible to global and commercial forces. Such events boost Indias international profile and help the country export other parts of its culture, such as films, food and fashion.



I am in touch with a friend in France, and I must say, she does yoga way better than any Indian trainer, said 40-year-old GauravPandey, who attends classes at Mystic Yoga Cafe. I practice yoga as it is a great way to keep myself healthy and fit without using any equipment. It is more of an exercise for me.



But not everyone is happy with yogas changing profile in India. Pandering to commercial interests has caused tension among traditional yoga teachers, who believe globalization has inadvertently corrupted yogas original purpose.



Sudeshna Sen, a 24-year-old student at St. Xavieras College in Maidan, Kolkata, practices yoga in front of the Victoria Memorial. Sen has been practicing yoga for three years and attends weekend classes at Power Yoga in Kolkata.Indians have more knowledge about yoga as it originated in India, so it is our duty to see that yoga is practiced in its purest form, said Sudhir Maheshwari, a yoga trainer at Mystic Yoga Cafe in the eastern city of Kolkata. In India, the practice of yoga must be kept traditional. Once the Western influences creep in, the original form of yoga is not practiced in its sacred form.



Though globalization has produced profound changes in yoga, some practitioners say its spiritual essence is its greatest gift to the world  and the reason its spreading, as Maheshwari said, like wildfire.



I feel if anything is mystical, it will be practiced and adopted by people, the trainer said. When people feel and see the change, they will automatically adopt it.

(Images by Avishek Mitra in India and Emma Beyer in USA)
Jagriti Yatra is on a different trip, quite literally. It sparks creative enterprise and encourages development through a journey across India moving on railway tracks. New York based writer for SPAN, Carrie Loewenthal Massey, reports

Jagriti Yatra is not your average train trip. This 15-day ride through 12 Indian cities, covering about 8,000 kilometers, embodies its name, which means a journey of awakening.

We are trying to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth of the country, so they become job creators rather than job seekers, says Ashutosh Kumar, executive director at JagritiYatra. These youth can go on to build solutions to the development challenges our nation is facing today, he adds.



Kumar participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, the U.S. State Departments exchange program for professionals, on Innovations for Social Entrepreneurs and Innovators in 2013.



Headquartered in Mumbai, JagritiYatra is set up under a nonprofit organization Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, which is based in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh. The yatra has run annually since 2008, carrying about 450 youngsters, or yatris as Kumar calls them, on one train from December 24 to January 8.



The train starts from Mumbai, heading south to Hubballi and Bengaluru, on to Madurai and Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Berhampur in Odisha, Rajgir in Bihar and Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, up to New Delhi, and then back through village Tilonia in Rajasthan and then to Ahmedabad .



In each location, the participants meet successful entrepreneurs, or role models, who share their stories of starting out and building their businesses, both in the private and NGO sectors, along with tips and advice for pursuing entrepreneurial goals. These entrepreneurs have expertise across seven sectors tied to development: agriculture; education; energy; health care; manufacturing; water and sanitation; and art, culture and sports.

While the participants gain great exposure and knowledge from their off-train experiences, much of the learning and connection-building happens on the train itself. Days are filled with scheduled debates, presentations and conversations, along with events centered on art, music and poetry.

T

he journey gives participants a once-in-a-lifetime experience to meet about 450 other entrepreneurs and collaborate with them; learn the art of entrepreneurship from the role models of the country; understand the development challenges of the country; and build long-lasting solutions through enterprise methods, says Kumar.



For Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, the meaning of the word enterprise extends beyond business ventures to teaching, medical professions, social work and artanything that can fulfill the organisations mission of encouraging development across Middle India. According to Jagriti Yatras website, this segment encompasses 600 million Indian youth who are literate, have roofs over their heads and eat three meals a day, but are without a sense of purpose.



Each year, thousands of applications are received for the Jagriti Yatra. A majority of the participants are selected from the 20- to 27-year-old age group. Some spots on the train are reserved for facilitators, who are experienced professionals over 25 years of age able to mentor the younger participants. Applicants answer around seven essay questions and submit them to a committee of 30 selectors, consisting of entrepreneurs, academics, industry experts, youth leaders and Jagriti Yatra alumni. Three selectors review each application and send their top choices to a chief selector for a final decision. Along with the essay questions, facilitators have to complete a telephonic interview.

While screening, we look for the passion inside the applicant to become an entrepreneur, the zeal to build innovative and scalable enterprise solutions to the various development challenges our country is facing, says Kumar. There are no other academic or professional barriers.



Jagriti Sewa Sansthan tries to reduce financial barriers for the candidates by permitting different levels of contribution depending on their financial status. Almost 40 percent of them pay only the compulsory registration fee of Rs. 6,000, says Kumar.



In addition to the yatra, Jagriti Sewa Sansthan also runs the Jagriti Enterprise Network and the Jagriti Enterprise Center. The network is meant to serve as an ecosystem to support young entrepreneurs from Middle India. The center is a regional incubation programme to support small and medium-sized entrepreneurs through services like mentorship, market access and connection to funding, explains Kumar.



Jagriti Yatra aims to support 100,000 entrepreneurs by 2022, creating a million jobs in the process. The participants are helping it reach its goal through their successful ventures, which include a network of hostels operating in Bengaluru and looking to expand across India; a technology company striving to bring mobile products to underserved markets; a company working to make organic food more readily available while recognising the farmers that produce it; and a health care start-up that helps connect people with doctors and provide access to medicines.



Jagriti Yatra also inspired Patrick Dowd, a 2010-11 Fulbright scholar, to create the Millennial Trains Project in the United States. The project, which had its inaugural voyage in 2013, encourages entrepreneurship in the millennial generation. It carries about 25 young people from Portland, Oregon, to New York to help them learn about the opportunities and challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the United States.



Kumar sees Jagriti Yatra as a starting point for a network of entrepreneurs who can come together to connect, collaborate and create the programmes India needs to develop further. Its impact can be as far reaching as participants dare to dream and pursue their visions.

Such a network of like-minded people has the potential to transform the landscape of the country and the entire world, he says.
On June 3, 2017, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) 'commander' Gadda Nageswara Rao aka Chinnabbai (38), carrying INR 400,000 reward on his head, was killed in an exchange of fire between the Security Forces (SFs) and Maoists in the Kapatuti Forest under Chitrakonda Police limits in Malkangiri District. A huge cache of explosives, some ammunition, a 9 mm pistol, Maoist literature and a kit bag were seized from the encounter site after the gun battle.

On May 1, 2017, a tribal labourer, identified as Deba Madkami, a resident of Tamaguda in Malkangiri District, was killed by the Maoists who suspected that he was a 'Police informer'. According to Police, a group of armed Maoists stormed Tamaguda and forcibly took Madkami away from his home at gunpoint. His body was subsequently found with his throat slit, on the outskirts of the village.

On April 28, 2017, about 20 to 30 CPI-Maoist cadres barged into Sudhakanda village under the Kalimela Block in Malkangiri, and killed two villagers, suspecting them to be 'Police informers'. The deceased were identified as Bisu Kirsani and Rama Padiami.

On March 31, 2017, CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a villager in Malkangiri District, suspecting him to be a 'Police informer'. The deceased was identified as Raghu Hantal from Cheliamunda village under Malkangiri Village (MV) 79 Police Station limits in the District.

On the same day, Maoists also killed one Jaga Rao, a Gram Rojgar Sevak (GRS) of Jantapali village under Chitrakonda Police limits in Malkangiri District by slitting his throat. The Maoists had earlier threatened Jaga, demanding that he leave his job.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least six civilians have so far been killed in Malkangiri in Maoist-linked violence since the beginning of 2017 (data till June 18). The total number of civilian killings in such violence across Odisha in the current year stands at nine. Overall Maoist-linked fatalities in the State stand at 22, including nine civilians, nine SF personnel and four Maoists (data till June 18, 2017).

During the corresponding period in 2016, only two civilians had been killed in Maoist-linked violence in the District. Through 2016 a total of seven civilians were killed in Malkangiri. The District has experienced varied trends in annual fatalities: four in 2005; three in 2006 and 2007; eight in 2008; seven in 2009; eight in 2010; seven in 2011 and 2012; 18 in 2013; 19 in 2014; 16 in 2015; seven in 2016 and six in 2017 (data till June 18). The most common reason given by the Maoists for killing civilians is that they were 'Police informers'.

Significantly, the District has not recorded an SF killing thus far in 2017. Of the four Maoists killed in 2017 in Odisha, only one (the June 3, 2017, incident) was killed in Malkangiri District. Of a total of 22 Maoist-linked fatalities in the State in 2017, Malkangiri alone accounts for seven, i.e. 31.81 per cent.

Since September 21, 2004, the day CPI-Maoist was formed through the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War (People's War Group), and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI), a total of 7,548 fatalities (including 3,013 civilians, 1,944 SF personnel, 2,591 Maoists) have been reported from 138 Districts across 14 States in India (data till June 18, 2017). Of these, Malkangiri alone has accounted for a total of 283 fatalities (113 civilians, 86 SF personnel, 84 Maoists), i.e. 3.75 per cent of the total, the 5th highest for any single District crossing triple digit fatalities in the country, preceded by Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), 1,132; West Midnapore (West Bengal), 593; Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), 569; and Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), 452. These were the worst among the 22 Districts where fatalities went into triple figures over this period.

Malkangiri alone accounted for 4.42 per cent of total SF fatalities during this period (86 out of a total of 1,944). SFs secured a positive SF: Maoist kill ratio of 1:1.33 across India, but in Malkangiri the ratio favoured the Maoists, at 1.02:1. Interestingly, out of the 68 Districts in the country from where fatalities in both these categories were reported, the kill ratio was in favour of SFs in 36; was at par in five; and favoured the Maoists in the remaining 27. There were another 34 Districts from where only Maoist fatalities were reported. 13 Districts recorded only SF fatalities. There were another 23 Districts in which fatalities were reported, but both these categories were absent.

Malkangiri, located on the troubled tri-junction of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, occupies an area of 5,791 square kilometres, with a population of 613,192 (Census 2011). The District shares its borders with Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to the East; Sukma in Chhattisgarh to the West; Koraput in Odisha to the North and East; and Godavari in Andhra Pradesh to the South. Some 2,321 square kilometres of Malkangiri, about 40.08 per cent of its total geographical area, are under forest cover. Blocks like Podia, Maithili, Kalimela, and the Govindpalli areas of Khairput Block, and the 'cut-off areas' of Kudumulu Gumma Block, have dense forest coverage. Open forests areas also cover major portions of the Korukonda and Kalimela Block, and also, partly, of the Malkangiri Block. The geographical proximity to troubled areas of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have made Malkangiri a major transit route for the Maoists to cross over from one State to the other.

A majority tribal and scheduled caste population, as well as widespread under development, poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy, make Malkangiri one of the most backward Districts of India. According to a joint survey conducted by the US-India Policy Institute and the New Delhi-based Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy, found that among 599 Districts across India under the purview of the survey, Malkangiri ranked near the bottom, at 588. The report took composite development - measured in terms of economic development and the indices of health, education and material well-being - into consideration, and was released on January 29, 2015.

Surprisingly, in a letter released to media persons in Malkangiri on June 16, 2017, CPI-Maoist Korukonda Area Committee leader Ramana claimed that the Government had falsely accused Maoists of opposing development works such as electrification, drinking water and education projects in Malkangiri, and demanded power supply to all the villages under the newly-formed Chitrakonda Block. He alleged that health services were in disarray, that there were no health workers or anganwadi centres and schools in the villages. He alleged that some 'miscreants' had disconnected electricity supply at Hatguda and once the culprits were identified, their case would be decided by a praja adalat (people's court, a Maoist kangaroo court). The Maoist leader insisted that his cadres would never obstruct any development works.

Malkangiri is among the 35 worst Naxal-[Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)] - affected Districts identified by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) across the country.

The Maoists' writ runs across the District. In a recent incident, on April 18, 2017, seven tribal families of Elkanur village under Kalimela Police limits in Malkangiri District left their native village under Maoist threat. According to reports, members of the seven families, who were CPI-Maoist sympathisers, had recently surrendered before the Police expressing their unwillingness to continue their support to the rebels.

Further, the three-tier panchayat (village level local self Government institution) elections, on January 10, 2017, had to be rescheduled as the CPI-Maoist had warned the tribals of Malkangiri District to abstain from the polls. Later, on the rescheduled poll date, on February 19, 2017, even under tight security, there was no voting in 13 booths out of 19 booths in Malkangiri, for fear of the Maoists. Poll officials disclosed that a very small number of people exercised their franchise in the remaining six booths as well. According to a villager, who did not cast his vote, "We preferred not to vote fearing the Maoists. They would punish people who cast votes."

However, claiming that the CPI-Maoist activities had been curtailed to a great extent, Chief Minister (CM), Naveen Patnaik, stated, on March 28, 2017, "The Left-wing extremism remains largely contained to few pockets in the State, such as in parts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Rayagada Districts. The security forces have been successful in handling the rebels on all fronts."

Unsurprisingly, according to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) Annual Report 2016-17, Odisha stood fourth among 10 worst Maoist-affected States in India. Chhattisgarh topped the list, with 395 incidents and 107 fatalities, followed by Jharkhand (323 incidents and 85 fatalities), Bihar (129 incidents and 28 fatalities), Odisha (86 incidents and 27 fatalities) and Maharashtra (73 incidents and 23 fatalities).

The Maoists are struggling to maintain their sway in Malkangiri, as it lies at a critical tri-junction, which gives easy passage for the cadres to move across State borders between Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There is little in either the State's or the Centre's plans to suggest that things in Malkangiri are going to change dramatically, any time soon. At the present juncture, especially, after the twosuccessive encounters in the Bejingi Forest area between Ramgarh and Panasput in the Malkangiri District on October 24 and 27, 2016, in which SFs killed at least 30 rebels, CPI-Maoist has certainly suffered a major reverse. However, the ground situation in the District remains fragile, the Maoist sway significant, and SF vulnerabilities pronounced.
The Islamic State (IS, also Daesh) on June 8, 2017, claimed the killing of two Chinese nationals who had been abducted from the Jinnah Town area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, in the afternoon of May 24, 2017. Amaq, the IS propaganda agency, declared, "Islamic State fighters killed two Chinese people they had been holding in Baluchistan province, south-west Pakistan." The Chinese couple, Lee Zing Yang (24) and Meng Li Si (26), were studying Urdu in Quetta, where they reportedly also ran a Mandarin language course.According to Deputy Inspector General Police Aitzaz Goraya, unknown abductors, wearing Police uniforms, had forced the two foreigners into a vehicle at gunpoint and driven away. They also tried to overpower another Chinese woman but she ran away. A man present at the site attempted to resist the kidnapping, but was shot at by one of the abductors. So far no local group has claimed responsibility for the incident (abduction and subsequent killing). Reports speculate that the actual perpetrators were linked to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Alami (LeJ-A), the international wing of the LeJ, which believed to be affiliated to Daesh.

The claim came hours after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released details of a three-day operation (June 1-3) by the Pakistan Army against Daesh-affiliated terrorists in the Mastung area of Balochistan, in which Security Forces (SFs) had killed 12 suspected terrorists, including two suicide bombers. ISPR claimed, There were reports of 10-15 terrorists of a banned outfit Lashrake-Jhangivi Al-Almi (LeJA) hiding in caves near Isplingi ( Koh-i-Siah/Koh-i- Maran) 36 Kilometer South East of Mastung." And further, "The suicide bomber used against Deputy Chairman of Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haydri on May 12 was also sent by [the targeted group]." The ISPR statement asserted that SFs destroyed an explosives facility inside the cave where the terrorists were hiding, and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, including 50 kilogrammes of explosives, three suicide jackets, 18 grenades, six rocket launchers, four light machine guns,18 small machine guns, four sniper rifles, 38 communication sets and ammunition of various types.

Pakistan initially denied the Chinese couple's death, perhaps due to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's presence, alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana on June 9, 2017. The first reaction from Pakistani authorities came four days after the Daesh claim. On June 12, 2017, Federal Minister of the Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan confirmed that two Chinese nationals who had been abducted from Quetta had been killed.

The killing of the Chinese couple has underscored questions about the security of Chinese workers in Pakistan, and the country's centrality to China's ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) Initiative. The centrepiece of the 'new Silk Route' plan, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), passes through insurgency-hit Balochistan. Earlier, on May 31, 2017, amid Beijing's growing concerns about the safety of two of its abducted nationals, the National Security Committee, presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, reviewed the security of CPEC and Chinese nationals based in Pakistan. The NSC meeting released a press statement which gave no details, but noted that "security for CPEC projects also came under discussion".

On June 3, 2017, 11 Chinese nationals- three men and eight women - living in the Jinnah Town of the Quetta were shifted to Karachi, and then flown back to China. Abdul Razzaq Cheema, Quetta's Regional Police Officer, stated that these Chinese nationals had been living in Quetta for almost a year, and that two South Korean families had also been living in Quetta's Jinnah Town for four years. After the abduction of the two Chinese nationals, Police had increased security of Chinese and other foreign nationals working on different component projects of CPEC, as well as with NGOs and United Nations' organisations in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

The complex, multilayered, seemingly never-ending security crisis in Balochistan appears more dangerous with the entry of Daesh onto the scene. Balochistan has been under attack by separatists, insurgents, and Islamist terrorists for over a decade, and the situation can only worsen with Daesh's entry. The Government, however, continues to deny Daesh's existence in the Province and, most recently, on June 13, 2017, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti insisted that the group had no presence in the Province.

While the abduction and killing of the Chinese nationals was clearly a security failure, Pakistan has given the crime a religious angle, diverting attention from issues relating to ongoing CPEC projects in insurgency-hit Balochistan. Thus, on June 12, 2017, Federal Minister of the Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan claimed that the slain Chinese couple belonged to a group of Chinese people who had obtained a business visa for Pakistan but were engaged in 'preaching.' In a meeting held at the Interior Ministry to review issuance of visas to Chinese nationals and registration of international nongovernmental organisations (INGOs), Nisar was told the couple was part of a group of Chinese citizens who obtained business visas from the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing. However, instead of carrying out any business activity, they were engaged in evangelical activities in Quetta, under the garb of learning Urdu language at the ARK Info Tech Institute owned by a South Korean national, Juan Won Seo.

On June 14, 2017, however, South Korea rejected Pakistan's contention that the slain Chinese nationals were preaching Christianity under the guise of studying Urdu at a school run by a South Korean. An unnamed South Korean official asserted that there was no evidence to show the couple was involved in proselytizing under Seo's guidance.

Meanwhile, China's official media Global Times has criticized South Korean Christian groups for converting young Chinese and sending them to proselytise in Muslim countries. The kidnapping was a rare crime against Chinese nationals in Pakistan, but has alarmed the growing Chinese community in the country. A Global Times editorial argued, "while the atrocity" by the Islamic State in killing the two Chinese is appalling, it cannot drive a wedge between China and Pakistan, nor will CPEC construction be disrupted.

Behind the whole episode of Daesh's abduction and killing of Chinese nationals, there is a clear intention of hurting Chinese interests. This is just the latest instance of Daesh targeting China, which is home to more than 20 million Muslims, including Uyghurs, in the Xinjiang province. In 2014, Daesh leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi explicitly equated China with the US, Israel and India as an 'oppressor of Muslims'. That this was not mere rhetoric was demonstrated by the group's subsequent execution of a Chinese citizen, Fan Jinghui, in Iraq on November 20, 2015. In February this year, ISIS released a slickly produced propaganda video detailing for the first time "scenes from the life of immigrants from East Turkistan [Xinjiang] in the land of the Caliphate" in which an Uyghur terrorist promised to "shed blood like rivers" to avenge Beijing's alleged oppression in Xinjiang.

Arif Rafiq, fellow at the Centre for Global Policy, a Washington think tank, observed, on January 9, 2017, that "Balochistan provides IS with an opportunity to not only strike at Pakistani interests, but also those of China and Iran. Anti-state jihadis in Pakistan have previously sought to target Chinese citizens in Pakistan, knowing that this would strain relations between Beijing and Islamabad. Jihadis in Balochistan who've made the switch from al-Qaeda to IS are on a similar mission."

Apart from Daesh's abduction and killing of the Chinese couple, there has always been a lingering threat to Chinese engineers and workers associated with CPEC projects, as these have been rejected by Baloch nationalists who considers CPEC a 'strategic design' by Pakistan and China to loot Balochistan's resources and eliminate the indigenous culture and identity. Dubbing China as a 'great threat' to the Baloch people, UNHRC Balochistan representative Mehran Marri argued, on August 13, 2016, that "China really-really is spreading its tentacles in Balochistan very rapidly, and therefore, we are appealing to the international community. The Gwadar project is for the Chinese military. This would be detrimental to international powers, to the people's interest, where 60 percent of world's oil flows. So, the world has to really take rapid action in curbing China's influence in Balochistan in particular and in Pakistan in general."

Pakistan currently hosts a sizable Chinese population and the numbers are slated to grow as the project progresses. Concern about the demographic transformation of Balochistan was reiterated in a report by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on December 28, 2016, which noted that, at the current rate of influx of Chinese nationals into Balochistan and after completion of the CPEC, the native population of the area would be outnumbered by 2048.

Pakistan earlier beefed up security around Chinese citizens streaming into the country on the back of Beijing's OBOR infrastructure build-up across the nation. On February 20, 2017, the Government announced the creation of a special contingent of 15,000 personnel from the Maritime Security Force (MSF) and Special Security Division (SSD) to protect 34 CPEC related projects, including Gwadar and other coastal projects, and to ensure the safety of locals and foreigners working on CPEC projects. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayeed, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on CPEC, after a committee meeting in Parliament House on February 20, 2017, disclosed, "The SSD is a force that will provide security to 34 CPEC related projects, while the MSF will safeguard the Gwadar port and other coastal areas of the country".

Despite these security arrangements, militants succeeded in killing 10 labourers on May 13, 2017 and three labourers on May 18, 2017, at CPEC related projects in the Gwadar District of Balochistan. Since the start of CPEC projects in Balochistan in 2014, at least 57 workers (all Pakistani nationals) connected with these projects, have been killed. With global terrorist formations such as Daesh and al Qaeda entering the fray, and a range of domestic Islamist terrorist formations, prominently including LeJ-A and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, as well as Baloch nationalist formations, all opposing the Pakistani state in general, and Chinese projects in the country in particular, this pattern of violence can only increase.
Darjeeling/Kolkata, Jun 23 (IBNS): Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Friday officially announced that it is parting ways with Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA).

GJM chief Bimal Gurung said that he and 43 other GJM members are quitting GTA.

"GTA chapter is closed. Our resignation letters will be sent to GTA secretary and West Bengal governor shortly," Bimal Gurung said.

Meanwhile, local police on Thursday lodged an FIR on suo motto basis against 24 leader-activists of GJM, including Bimal Gurung and his wife Asha Gurung, officials said.

"On Jun 17, Morcha activists attacked police at Patlebas and Singmari areas soon after police raided a GJM office at Patlebas and recovered several weapons," a local police official told IBNS.

"GJM supporters shot several rounds of bullets from .303 rifles and 9mm pistols aiming at security forces that day and few of their supporters were shot dead. We have charged as many as 24 leader-activists of GJM with murder for the death of their activists," he added.

Meanwhile, Bimal Gurung said that it is just a conspiracy of the Mamata Banerjee-government.

"We didn't fire a single bullet and our four activists were killed after police opened fire on them. We have enough evidences and footage, which will prove that police fired bullets on protesters on Jun 17," Gurung said.

"Our one and only demand is Gorkhaland and our movement will be strengthened. Shut down in Darjeeling will be continued. I'm challenging Mamata Banerjee- arrest me if you can," he added.

Meanwhile, a 12-hour relaxation in GJM's indefinite strike is currently underway in Darjeeling hills.

Chief Minister of Darjeeling's neighbouring state Sikkim, Pawan Chamling, reportedly has sent a letter to the Centre supporting the demand for separate state of Gorkhaland.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Kolkata, Jun 23 (IBNS): As its debut action against medical negligence, newly formed West Bengal Health Regulatory Commission on Friday found Kolkata's Apollo Gleneagles hospital guilty in connection with a child's death due to alleged wrong treatment and slapped a fine of Rs. 30 lakh on the privately run hospital, reports said.

The commission has directed Apollo authority to pay the money to the child's parents in maximum three installments.

"If the hospital make delay in paying the money, they have to pay an additional interest of 9% per month," an official of the health commission told IBNS.

"We have suggested the Medical Council of India (MCI) to take strict action against three doctors of the hospital, who treated the child," he added.

Months ago, a four-month-old girl from southern Kolkata, Kuheli Chakraborty, passed away after days long treatment at Apollo Gleneagles and alleging that she died due to wrong treatment, her parents submitted complaint against the hospital and its three doctors before the state health commission.

Reacting on the health commission's decision, Apollo Gleneagles' CEO Rana Dasgupta told IBNS, "We are not satisfied with the order and are not agreeing with it as doctors would get wrong message from the order and they would not take medical challenges in future."

"We will appeal against the order to the higher authority," Dasgupta added.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Image: www.wallpapersafari.com

Kolkata, Jun 23 (IBNS): At least three alleged cattle thieves were beaten to death by locals at Durgapur village under Chopra Police Station limits in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district on the wee hours of Friday, reports said.

According to reports, at least 15 men were allegedly trying to steal cows from a local resident's home at midnight and when a large number of locals challenged them, they tried to escape.

After the chase, 12 of them fled from the area while remaining three were caught.

Locals said that the trio was beaten for hours until they died

Later in early morning, police force arrived in the scene and recovered three bodies.

"We recovered three youths' bodies, who were allegedly beaten to death by locals, and two motorcycles from Durgapur village in Sonarpur panchayat area," a local police official told IBNS.

"Three killed persons have been identified Nasirul Hoque, Samiruddin and Nasir. Their bodies have been sent for post mortem," the officer added.

However, police have started probe into the matter while none has been detained till the last update came in.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Patna, June 23 (IBNS): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday made it clear that he will not back out from supporting Ram Nath Kovind's Presidential candidature and said Bihar's Beti (Meira Kumar) has been nominated to the post to lose.

Speaking to reporters, the Bihar CM said: "Presidential election should not be made a political fight."

"I have a lot of respect for Meira Kumarji, but 'Bihar ki beti (daughter)' has been nominated only to lose," he told reporters.

Earlier in the day, RJD chief Lalu Prasad asked his ally, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, to change his decision to back Ram Nath Kovind's Presidential candidature soon, saying he still has time to correct himself.

Nitish Kumar has committed a historic blunder by announcing his support to the NDAs Ppresidential candidatehe still has time to correct it, Prasad told the media.

He said it was Kumar who had initiated the unity move in the opposition but he suddenly lent his support to the NDA candidate.

Pata nahi kaun si khichadi paki ki Nitish ne NDA ka samarthan kiya (Dont know what cooked up between them that he supported the NDA in the Presidential polls), the RJD chief said.

The opposition parties, led by the Congress, has propped up former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their candidate against the NDA nominee.

The JD-U, however, has refused to change its decision but said it was an isolated case.

Supporting the NDA is just an isolated case. We have no commitment for the BJP in future, JD-U spokesperson KC Tyagi told a newsmen channel on Friday .
Doha (Qatar), Jun15 (IBNS): Qatar Airwaysa, through a press release, announced that its operations to and from its Doha hub are running smoothly, with the vast majority of flights operating as per the schedule.

The announcement was in the wake of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and a few other countries, severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, alleging that the country is supporting terrorism. The countries also imposed air travel ban and some even barred using of their airspace, media reports said.

The airlines said that in the past week, the airline has flown approximately 1,200 flights between Doha and its network of more than 150 destinations around the globe, with 90 per cent of those flights departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure time.

The airline recently launched direct service to Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

Qatar Airways' service to Nice, France, will commence on July 4, and flights to Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, on July 17.

Other new destinations planned for the remainder of this year and 2018 include Las Vegas (US), Canberra (Australia), Douala (Cameroon), Libreville (Gabon), Medan (Indonesia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Santiago (Chile) and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and others.

Earlier this week the airline released its annual report for the fiscal year 2017, revealing a net profit of $541 million, a 21.7 per cent year-on-year increase. The results also show an annual revenue increase of 10.4 per cent.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: Qatar Airways global operations continue to run smoothly, with the vast majority of our network unaffected by the current circumstances. Our focus is on supporting any passengers impacted by the current situation and ensuring that we continue to deliver our award-winning service. Our network expansion continues with two new destinations launching in the next month. As far as we are concerned, it is business as usual.

In light of the blockade, the airline said that it has significantly increased the operations of its global call centre and social media to ensure that customers are not inconvenienced. The airline has extended its commercial policy to ensure greater flexibility for refunds and rebooking for any passengers whose flight is impacted by the recent travel bans.

The airline has also introduced new functionality on Facebook to provide customers with flexible call-back options.
Iowa's Republican state chairman described Sen. Ben Sasse as an "arrogant academic" in a surprising outburst of personal criticism directed at Nebraska's Republican senator during President Donald Trump's rally in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday night.

Politico described the remarks by Jeff Kaufmann as "an extraordinary and seemingly unprovoked attack," reporting that Kaufmann suggested that Sasse "isn't welcome in Iowa" two weeks before the Nebraska senator is scheduled to keynote a local party dinner in the state.

Kaufmann spoke before Trump's appearance on the stage.

Sasse traveled to Iowa in advance of that state's 2016 Republican presidential caucus to oppose Trump.

"We had Sen. Ben Sasse from Nebraska, he crosses the Missouri River, and in that sanctimonious tone talks about what he doesn't like about Donald Trump," Kaufmann said.

"You know what, Sen. Sasse? I really don't care what you like. We love Donald Trump. And if you don't love him, I suggest you stay on your side of the Missouri River."

Later, Kaufmann told Politico that Sasse is "sanctimonious" and treats Trump voters with "condescension."

"I think this is all about him getting a name for himself," Kaufmann said.

"Ben Sasse is gonna say that because Ben Sasse is running for president in 2024," Kaufmann said.

Responding to the Iowa party chairman's remarks, a Sasse spokesman said: "The senator doesn't comment on ad hominem attacks unless someone smears the Huskers."
Mumbai,June 20 (IBNS): Itas time to celebrate as Bollywood superstar Salman Khanas new film Tubelight is set to release on June 23.



Joining the celebrations is Cox & Kings which has partnered with Tubelight to launch `Pose Karo, Tubelight se Milo contest.

The lucky winners stand a chance to live their fan moment of meeting Salman Khan.



Sparking curiosity among the fans about what's new in Salman Khan's next, they have already started making note of the locations where he has been dancing carefree with his real and reel brother Sohail Khan.

Moreover, its music to the ears when the songs 'Nach Meri Jaan' and 'Radio' shot at iconic destinations of Ladakh and Manali are already making waves.

The contestants have to click a selfie at their favourite location seen in the movie and post it on Facebook with the hashtag #BharatDekoTubelight. Cox & Kings has curated special itineraries covering the specific locations where the movie was shot. Alternatively, one can simply visit the nearest Cox & Kings' store to book a package and click a selfie with Salman Khan's cut-out and post it with the hashtag. The lucky few will be picked from the hashtag feed and will win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Salman Khan.

Speaking about the partnership, Yusuf Poonawala, Head  Bharat Deko, Cox & Kings said, "The film Tubelight will transport you to picturesque and scenic locations where the movie was shot and by booking our package you get an opportunity to meet your favourite Superstar Salman Khan.



He added, "As part of our celebrations we have launched exclusive Bharat Deko packages called `Tubelight tours to destinations such as Manali, Ladakh, Shimla, and Amritsar, where the movie was filmed."
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday welcomed the deployment by the so-called Group of Five (G5) a Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger a of a joint force to tackle the threat of terrorism, as well as the serious challenges posed by transnational organized crime in Africa's restive Sahel region.

Unanimously adopting a new resolution, the Council welcomed the joint force's strategic concept of operations, saying it intended to review the deployment in four months' time. It requested that the Secretary-General, in close coordination with the Group of Five (G5) Sahel States, as well as the African Union  to provide an oral update within two months.

Also by that text, the Council urged the joint force of up to 5,000 military and police personnel, as well as the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and French forces in that country to ensure adequate coordination and exchange of information regarding their operations, within their respective mandates. In that regard, it reiterated its request that the Secretary-General enhance cooperation between MINUSMA and the G5 Sahel States through the relevant intelligence and liaison officers.

The resolution also urged the G5 Sahel States to continue efforts to make the joint force operational in a sustainable, viable and effective manner. It also welcomed the European Union's commitment to provide 50 million in financial support, and encouraged further support from bilateral and multilateral partners.

Emphasizing the important role of women in preventing conflict and peacebuilding, the Council underlined the need to take a gender perspective into account in implementing all aspects of the strategic concept of operations.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in the Sahel, abject poverty, fast population growth, climate change, recurrent food and nutrition crises, armed conflicts and violence converge dangerously and undermine the lives and assets and future prospects of millions of families across the region. More than 30 million people face food insecurity, one in five children under the age of five suffers from acute malnutrition and at least 4.9 million are displaced by the effects of conflicts.

Photo: UNDP/Nicolas Meulders

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, June 23 (JEN): While a new United Nations study shows that the global poverty rate could be more than halved if all adults completed secondary school, data show high out-of-school rates in many countries, making it likely that education completion levels will remain well below that target for generations.

The new analysis on education's far-reaching benefits released on Thursday should be good news for all those working on the Sustainable Development Goal to eradicate poverty by 2030, said Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

It shows that we have a concrete plan to ensure people no longer have to live on barely a few dollars a day, and that plan has education at its heart, she added.

Based on the effects that education had on growth and poverty reduction in developing countries from 1965 to 2010, the new analysis by UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report team, shows that nearly 60 million people could escape poverty if all adults had just two more years of schooling.

If all adults completed secondary education, 420 million could be lifted out of poverty, reducing the total number of poor people by more than half globally and by almost two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, according to UNESCO.

The paper, from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) on reducing global poverty through universal primary and secondary education, is being released ahead of the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) which will be held in New York from 10 to 19 July and focuses on poverty eradication in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It demonstrates the importance of recognizing education as a core lever for ending poverty in all its forms, everywhere.

Studies have shown that education has direct and indirect impacts on both economic growth and poverty. It provides skills that boost employment opportunities and incomes while helping to protect from socio-economic vulnerabilities. An equitable expansion of education is likely to reduce inequality, lifting the poorest from the bottom of the ladder.

However, if current trends continue, of the 61 million primary school age children currently out of school, 17 million will never to set foot in a classroom  one in three of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, Western Asia and Northern Africa, and more than one in four of those in Central Asia and Southern Asia.

Moreover, girls in poor countries continue to face particularly steep barriers to education.

While UNESCO underscores that education must reach the poorest in order to maximize its benefits and reduce income inequality, according to the GEM Report, children from the poorest 20 per cent of families are eight times as likely to be out of school as children from the richest 20 per cent in lower-middle-income countries.

The paper stresses the need to reduce the direct and indirect costs of education for families.

Photo: Deshan Tennekoon/World Bank
New York, June 23(Just Earth News): Noting progress made by the European Union (EU) to ensure that its sanctions allow for legal remedy and offer a measure of due process, a United Nations expert has called for further strengthening such measures to ensure that the human rights of those impacted are protected to the greatest extent.

If sanctions are ever to be used, they should only address direct security threats or internationally recognized human rights violations, Idriss Jazairy, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures, said in a news release on Friday, at the end of his first official visit to Brussels  the official seat of the EU.

Highlighting that EU sanctions offered a measure of due process for those being targeted, and while such efforts were still insufficient, they compared favourably to the legal remedies available in other blocs and States that impose sanctions.

These steps, though they need to be further reinforced, are important commitments by the EU and its members to ensure that the States or individuals targeted by sanctions have the possibility of effective remedies.

In the release, issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Special Rapporteur also positively noted the position of the EU not to claim extraterritorial enforcement of domestic legislation concerning unilateral sanctions.

He also urged the regional bloc to clarify practical implications of its legal requirements and to make clear that humanitarian exemptions from sanctions should be mandatory and that these exemptions should become effective and be communicated to financial institutions and other stakeholders at the time of the enforcement of sanctions, so as to avoid a protection gap between the start of sanctions and decisions on humanitarian exceptions.

Jazairy also called on EU institutions to reiterate their endorsement of the principle identified by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights  an independent body of experts that monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by its States parties  that when an external party takes upon itself even partial responsibility for the situation within a country [] it also unavoidably assumes a responsibility to do all within its powers to protect the economic, social and cultural rights of the affected population.

This would be in line with the EU's commitment to uphold human rights and international law, stressed the Special Rapporteur.

'Common ground' to address sanctions 'stalemate' in international community

Jazairy noted that a sanctions stalemate in the international community, with most countries agreeing that sanctions had to be adopted by the UN Security Council in order to be compatible with international law, while States that frequently use sanctions believe there are exceptions to this principle.

A common ground could be found, he said, suggesting a declaration on minimum standards of behavior aimed at further mitigating the impact on human rights until the international community could agree on giving up on the very blunt policy tool of unilateral sanctions.

It was hoped that beyond that point, sanctions would only be enacted through the Security Council as provided for under the UN Charter, noted Jazairy.

The findings from the expert's visit will be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council  the highest intergovernmental body on human rights issues within the UN system  in September 2018.

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

Photo: Carmen Cuesta Roca

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, June 23(Just Earth News): The United Nations on Friday opened an international investigation into alleged killings, mutilations and destruction of entire villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) restive Kasai provinces.

The UN Human Rights Council, comprised of 47 countries, adopted the resolution by consensus during a meeting earlier on Friday in Geneva.

The victims  those who have been killed, maimed, subjected to terrible violence and forced from their homes  deserve justice, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who has been called on to appoint a team of international experts to carry out the investigation.

In a statement, Zeid, who has repeatedly called for a probe, said the creation of the investigation is a step forward in identifying the perpetrators of gross violations and bringing them to justice.

His office said it expects and counts on the full cooperation of the authorities including unfettered access to all sites, files, people and places.

He added that the team will conduct investigations in a fully independent manner, in accordance with international standards.

Addressing the Council on Tuesday, Zeid recounted chilling details of apparent ethnic violence that included mutilated babies and fetuses.

Violence flared up in the DRC's Kasai regions in August 2016, when a customary chief was killed by Forces armees de la Republique democratique du Congo (FARDC), as DRC's armed forces are known. The Kamuina Nsapu militia (named after the chief) then set about avenging the killing, committing widespread atrocities as well as recruiting children into its ranks.

The gravity of the situation was further underscored by the discovery in April of forty-two mass graves by Zeid's office (OHCHR) and the UN mission in the country, known by its French acronym, MONUSCO.

Since the start of the violence, more than 1.3 million people have since been displaced within the country as well as thousands forced to flee across its borders.

Photo: Joseph Mankamba/OCHA-DRC

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, June 23(Just Earth News): With three million Iraqis remaining internally displaced across the country, the United Nations migration agency on Friday published findings of a study showing that the decision to return or remain displaced depends largely on how close their home is to the frontline of conflict.

The study, titled Obstacles to Return in Retaken Areas of Iraq, commissioned by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has surveyed more than 1.7 million Iraqis who opted to return, posing questions as to the factors that motivate, or inhibit, Iraqis from returning to their areas of origin.



The qualitative and quantitative data collection was carried out in eight sub-districts the Government has recently retaken from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh).



Security in the areas of origin topped all other factors in influencing the decision to return home or remain displaced, with proximity to the frontline  and perceived instability in the place of origin  remaining the most relevant obstacle for return, according to the study.



Speaking to reporters at the regular bi-weekly news briefing in Geneva, IOM spokesperson Joel Millman said security is the number one concern. If they feel fighting is still going on or that the people who had destroyed their homes are still at large in the community  that is a major deterrent.



Feelings of trust towards the security actors in control of the areas of origin promotes a higher number of returns, while fear of security actors in the place origin is a strong drawback and reinforces the perceived advantage of staying in displacement, the study finds.



Fear of reprisal back home is a concern for more than 30 per cent of all internally displaced persons (IDPs) interviewed. However, that perception is much lower among interviewed returnees, at 10 per cent.



The data suggest that damage to housing does not constitute an obstacle to return, although the presence of actors whom IDPs hold responsible for the damage inflicted in a given location is, noted IOM.



Livelihood options and previous or current employment status also play an important role in influencing the decision to return. IDPs who have jobs in the location of displacement are less inclined to return home. By contrast, those who are unemployed appear to be more likely to return to seek new opportunities.



The study shows that almost a quarter of interviewed IDPs who decided to return were prevented from doing so, mostly by delays in processing their documentation, or by being stopped at checkpoints on the way back to their place of origin.



Credit: UNHCR/S. Baldwin (file)











Source: www.justearthnews.com








New York, June 23(Just Earth News): A 'Solidarity Summit' for refugees hosted by Uganda has raised some $358 million in pledges, the United Nations announced on Friday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, that it was a good starting point although the international conference was looking to raise $2 billion.

In just the past year, the overall refugee population in Uganda has more than doubled, largely due to an influx of desperate people fleeing violence and instability in South Sudan  from 500,000 to more than 1.25 million  making the East African country host to the world's fastest growing refugee emergency.

Convened by President Yoweri Museveni and the UN Secretary-General, the Summit sought to rally international support for refugees and host communities in the form of donations, investments and relevant programmes, over the next four years.

Guterres noted that the World Bank and the African Development Bank had promised innovative funding for projects involving both refugees and the local communities.

We cannot stop, he underscored, recalling that several of the countries agreed to put forward their pledges in the weeks to come.

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Source: www.justearthnews.com
A Lincoln judge has given the OK for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services to use reasonable force to collect DNA from an inmate refusing to give it voluntarily.

It was the fifth time the state prison system had sought permission to use force to get DNA samples from the 78 inmates who still hadn't provided it to prison staff as of February.

The other motions were in Omaha cases. One since has led to new charges against Brandon Weathers in connection to serial rapes of four women in 2002 and 2004.

DNA can be an important tool used to solve crimes or lead to suspects.

The Nebraska Attorney General's office recently asked a Lincoln judge for an order to allow a Phoenix police officer to get an additional DNA sample from an inmate at the Nebraska State Penitentiary.

After the inmate went to prison in September for a sex assault in Douglas County, his DNA sample was collected.

In December, the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory matched his DNA, which was uploaded into the Combined DNA Index System, to DNA on a toothbrush taken from a Phoenix home in 2010 by investigators looking into the homicide of a man who had been shot dead in a car outside, according to court records.

State law says a person who had been convicted of a felony or other specified offense as of July 15, 2010, who did not have a sample in the state DNA Sample Bank, was required to have one collected at his or her own expense. The law also applied to people already serving a sentence.

Still, some inmates refused to comply.

In the Lincoln case, Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Kale Burdick said prison employees notified Reuben J. Reyes of his obligation to provide his DNA in April 2013, about two months after he went to prison, and again this May.

Reyes refused, Burdick said in the motion filed June 14.

The same day, Lancaster County District Judge Lori Maret authorized the use of force to get it from the man serving a 20- to 25-year sentence for attempted first-degree assault and use of a firearm to commit a felony for pointing a .380 handgun at his cousin and firing  once into the air, then twice more in his cousin's direction, in 2012.

Lincoln police said one of the rounds hit an apartment building. Another hit a car.

Reyes later pleaded no contest.

By Monday, state prisons spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith said the number of inmates who hadn't provided DNA was down to six.

She said she couldn't provide a list of the inmates' names because the information is related to their conduct in prison and protected by state statute.

Earlier this month, Corrections Director Scott Frakes said he is committed to collecting DNA samples from every incarcerated person to be in full compliance with state statute.

By policy, inmates who have not provided a DNA sample are ordered to submit it monthly and get written up for each refusal. Misconduct reports that result are referred to the institutional disciplinary committee.

Repeated refusals can lead to up to 90 days of lost good time.
Quetta, Pakistan, June 23 (IBNS) : At least five people were killed and 12 injured in a car bomb explosion near Shohada Square in north-west Pakistan's Quetta city on Friday morning, Radio Pakistan said.

Reports quoted rescuers as saying that the injured were shifted to hospital and the law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has strongly condemned the Quetta blast.

Expressing grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident, he prayed for the early recovery of the injured.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri have also condemned it.

Image: File picture.
Washington, Jun 20 (IBNS): Otto Warmbier, the US student who spent 15 months in a North Korean prison and was released earlier this month, has died, reports said.

The 22-year-old was sentenced to 15-months of prison after N Korean prosecutors found him guilty of trying to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.

Warmbier, who was medically evacuated from the reclusive nation to a hospital in Cincinnati, had suffered severe brain damage.

Confirming the news of his death, his family said in a statement, "It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home. Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20pm."

The North Korean officials have said that Warmbier had contracted botulism, rubbishing which his family said that the student died of mistreatment while serving his term in prison.

Meanwhile, condoling the death, US President Donald Trump has slammed the North Korean government.

In his official statement, he said, "The United States once again condemns the brutality of the North Korean regime as we mourn its latest victim."

Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier. Full statement: https://t.co/8kmcA6YtFD pic.twitter.com/EhrP4BiJeB  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2017

Tensions are already soaring between the US and the Kim Jong-un led nation, with the latter threatening to blow up the US using explosives.

US too have bolstered its defence following a series of missile tests by North Korea.

Earlier it was reported that the father of the deceased, Fred Warmbier thanked the Trump administration while slamming the former President, who he accused of asking the Warmbiers to keep a low profile.

"When Otto was first taken, we were advised by the past administration to take a low profile while they worked to obtain his release. We did so without result. Earlier this year, Cindy and I decided the time for strategic patience was over," Warmbier said in a press conference.

Not surprising at all!

Father Of Otto Warmbier: Obama Admin Told Us To Keep Quiet, Trump Admin Brought Him Home https://t.co/55NS12EU9K  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 18, 2017

"We made a few media appearances and traveled to Washington to meet with [Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan] Ambassador Joe Yun at the State Department," he said.

Thanking the Ambassador and the Trump administration, Warmbier said, "It is my understanding that Ambassador Yun and his team, at the direction of the president aggressively pursued resolution of the situation," while adding, "They have our thanks for bringing him home."

Image: Facebook
Toronto, June 21 (IBNS): The City of Toronto (comprising Toronto and its adjoining cities) has launched a public awareness campaign about transgender and non-binary coloured people, recently, in collaboration with the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP), according to media reports.

The Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) consists of racialized transgender youth to promote transgender and non-binary issues.

The main highlights of this campaign are to differentiate between gender and sex among the trans and non-binary Torontonians, specifically trans youth of colour. and develop gender inclusive perceptions among Torontonians. media reported.

Although trans youth of colour, are part of Torontos LGBTQ community but they are underserved and often neglected and subject to bias and violence due to transphobia and racism.

Trans women of colour comprise the most vulnerable groups in Toronto.

"Toronto continually strives to be a place that provides opportunities and supports the well-being of all its residents," said Toronto Mayor John Tory.

Said Tatiana Ferguson, Project Lead for Black CAP, "In order to understand the needs of trans youth of colour and understand how race, gender, sex and class create barriers for trans youth of colour is a fundamental component required to identify and address the needs of trans youth in Toronto."

Shannon Ryan, Executive Director of Black CAP said he was confident that this campaign will lead to reduction of barriers that the city's trans youth of colour experience in their homes, schools, workplaces and beyond.

The campaign, created by the social impact agency PUBLIC Inc. also aims to educate and encourage transgender and non-binary individuals to engage in dialogues and to get involved in educating others about trans-specific issues.

Four racialized trans youth who live in the city are expected to interact at transit stations and on social media for the next month to increase the visibility of transgender youth.

Ferguson said that the campaigns aim was to put an actual face up for the community to help people engage with gender identity and how to express it.

The campaign website http://www.torontoforall.ca/ also provides extensive information and resources to educate Torontonians about non-binary issues and foster more understanding and advocacy among the cisgender community.

This is the fourth phase of the City's Toronto for All campaign with a goal for Torontonians to say "no" to all forms of discrimination and racism.

Phase 1 was held in the summer of 2016 and focused on Islamophobia. Phase 2 was launched in the fall of 2016 and addressed anti-Black racism. Phase 3 ran in the spring and addressed the discrimination of homeless men.

All campaign phases have successfully encouraged conversations among Toronto residents and media regarding the relevant issues.

As part of a series organized by the City of Torontos Specialized Program for Interdivisional Enhanced Responsiveness (SPIDER), the city is hosting, a free of cost, Open Dialogue on Transphobia in North York Civic Centre on Thursday, July 27, 2017 between 9am and 12:30pm

Through panel discussions and community organizations working on multiple issues faced by trans youth colour, SPIDER aims to increase public awareness on issues of vulnerable Torontonians and educate general public.



(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Ottawa, June 21 (IBNS) Canadaas Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau on World Refugee Day on Wednesday appealed to all Canadians to stand with people seeking shelter from enormous hardship and violence across the world.

"On World Refugee Day, we honour the strength and resilience of the millions of people around the world fleeing conflict, insecurity, and persecution...Today, over 65 million people are displaced around the world, and more than 22 million of them are refugeesCanadians are fortunate to live in a country shaped, over the centuries, by the dreams and hard work of millions of immigrants and refugees," he said.

"Today, we recognize their dignity and potential. Despite the hardships they face, these individuals make many contributions to shape the diverse, strong, and prosperous country Canada is todayToday, I call on Canadians and people around the world to stand with people seeking shelter from enormous hardship and violence," he said.

"Refugees are forced to leave home, but they carry with them dreams for their children and the hope of creating a better world. Let us show compassion for their plight, recognize their dignity, and continue to see ourselves in each other, he added.

Ahmed Hussen, Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Chrystia Freeland, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs; Marie-Claude Bibeau, Federal Minister of International Development and la Francophonie; and The Honourable Melanie Joly, Federal Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism also issued a statement on World Refugee Day:

Canada is deeply concerned by the unprecedented numbers of children, women and men fleeing conflict and persecution around the worldAs we mark World Refugee Day, we are reminded that we must all do what we can to help the most vulnerable... Over the years, our country has received thousands of refugeesWe are committed to maintaining this humanitarian tradition.." it said.

"As we celebrate Canada 150, we must take the opportunity to reflect on our past. There is no doubt that Canadas strong humanitarian tradition has helped shape this country. Canada is a country that values compassion, openness and diversity. These are the principles that we honour on this World Refugee Day.

Laura Albanese, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, was at Paramount Fine Foods Restaurant in Mississauga on Wednesday to mark World Refugee Day and announced new provincial support to help refugees and other newcomers succeed.

She said Ontario has taken a leadership role in Canada's humanitarian efforts to help refugees and save lives, with Communities across the province welcoming more than 28,000 refugees from across the world resettling in Ontario last year.

These newcomers are already giving back and contributing to their communities.

Ontario has a long tradition of welcoming those fleeing war and oppression and our government is continuing to play a leading role in supporting the settlement and integration of the growing number of refugees and newcomers settling in the province.I encourage both service providers and employers to leverage the talents, skills and experiences of these newcomers and provide them with the opportunity to grow and thrive in our province, said Laura Albanese

The province is investing, as part of the 2017 budget, $17.5 million in new funding over two years to enhance services for refugees and vulnerable newcomers.

In 2016, Ontario received over 110,000 immigrants and welcomed over 28,000 refugees as permanent residents.

In 2017-18, Ontario is investing over $110 million in newcomer and refugee support programs including language training, settlement and employment programs.

These investments by the Provincial Government will contribute to the successful integration of refugees and vulnerable newcomers. The additional resources will support targeted interventions that help newcomers achieve their full potential, said Mario Calla, Executive Director, COSTI

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Washington, Jun 23 (IBNS): While US President Donald Trump has been busy criticising his predecessor's healthcare policies since taking over, former president Barak Obama broke his silence finally with a Facebook post of an open letter on Thursday.

Trump has particularly targetted Obama's healthcare policy and with the use of the word 'failing' over and over again across scores of tweets, the US President has left no stones unturned to make his intentions lucid.

Obama, who has been largely absent from the American political scene post his tenure as a President, made a comeback on Thursday.

In a letter posted on his Facebook wall, the former US President directed it towards the incumbent, albeit without naming anyone, about the benefits of the Obamacare.

"Our politics are divided. They have been for a long time. And while I know that division makes it difficult to listen to Americans with whom we disagree, thats what we need to do today," he said.

Obama added that healthcare is bigger than politics, it's about the country's character.

"After all, this debate has always been about something bigger than politics. Its about the character of our country  who we are, and who we aspire to be. And thats always worth fighting for," he said.

In between the former president attacked the Republicans as a team who's core tenet is to undo the past government's work.

"I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party. Still, I hope that our Senators, many of whom I know well, step back and measure whats really at stake, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did," he said.

Full Text of Obama's letter:

Our politics are divided. They have been for a long time. And while I know that division makes it difficult to listen to Americans with whom we disagree, thats what we need to do today.

I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party. Still, I hope that our Senators, many of whom I know well, step back and measure whats really at stake, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did.

We didnt fight for the Affordable Care Act for more than a year in the public square for any personal or political gain  we fought for it because we knew it would save lives, prevent financial misery, and ultimately set this country we love on a better, healthier course.

Nor did we fight for it alone. Thousands upon thousands of Americans, including Republicans, threw themselves into that collective effort, not for political reasons, but for intensely personal ones  a sick child, a parent lost to cancer, the memory of medical bills that threatened to derail their dreams.

And you made a difference. For the first time, more than ninety percent of Americans know the security of health insurance. Health care costs, while still rising, have been rising at the slowest pace in fifty years. Women cant be charged more for their insurance, young adults can stay on their parents plan until they turn 26, contraceptive care and preventive care are now free. Paying more, or being denied insurance altogether due to a preexisting condition  we made that a thing of the past.

We did these things together. So many of you made that change possible.

At the same time, I was careful to say again and again that while the Affordable Care Act represented a significant step forward for America, it was not perfect, nor could it be the end of our efforts  and that if Republicans could put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we made to our health care system, that covers as many people at less cost, I would gladly and publicly support it.

That remains true. So I still hope that there are enough Republicans in Congress who remember that public service is not about sport or notching a political win, that theres a reason we all chose to serve in the first place, and that hopefully, its to make peoples lives better, not worse.

But right now, after eight years, the legislation rushed through the House and the Senate without public hearings or debate would do the opposite. It would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections, and ruin Medicaid as we know it. Thats not my opinion, but rather the conclusion of all objective analyses, from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which found that 23 million Americans would lose insurance, to Americas doctors, nurses, and hospitals on the front lines of our health care system.

The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill. Its a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else. Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums and higher deductibles, with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again. Millions of families will lose coverage entirely.

Simply put, if theres a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family  this bill will do you harm. And small tweaks over the course of the next couple weeks, under the guise of making these bills easier to stomach, cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation.

I hope our Senators ask themselves  what will happen to the Americans grappling with opioid addiction who suddenly lose their coverage? What will happen to pregnant mothers, children with disabilities, poor adults and seniors who need long-term care once they can no longer count on Medicaid? What will happen if you have a medical emergency when insurance companies are once again allowed to exclude the benefits you need, send you unlimited bills, or set unaffordable deductibles? What impossible choices will working parents be forced to make if their childs cancer treatment costs them more than their life savings?

To put the American people through that pain  while giving billionaires and corporations a massive tax cut in return  thats tough to fathom. But its whats at stake right now. So it remains my fervent hope that we step back and try to deliver on what the American people need.

That might take some time and compromise between Democrats and Republicans. But I believe thats what people want to see. I believe it would demonstrate the kind of leadership that appeals to Americans across party lines. And I believe that its possible  if you are willing to make a difference again. If youre willing to call your members of Congress. If you are willing to visit their offices. If you are willing to speak out, let them and the country know, in very real terms, what this means for you and your family.

After all, this debate has always been about something bigger than politics. Its about the character of our country  who we are, and who we aspire to be. And thats always worth fighting for.



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In its latest quarterly economic commentary, the think-tank said tax receipt trends this year suggest a slightly higher budget deficit in 2017 than originally forecast. It added that the unknown effects of Brexit also call for a more careful budgetary approach for next year.

The reduction in taxation receipts from revised forecasts now suggests that the general government balance will be larger than had been expected at the start of the year. We now believe there will be a deficit in 2017 of -0.5% of GDP, compared with -0.1% in [our] previous commentary. This suggests that the budgetary strategy for 2018 needs to be more cautious than had been originally intended, the Institute said.

Regarding Brexit, the ESRI said the issue of Britain leaving the EU continues to pose a substantial risk to the Irish economy. It added that a hard outcome  where the UK gives up access to the European Single Market and Customs Union  would, over the first three years of such a policy, reduce potential output growth in the Irish economy by around 2.5%.

Over the same period, this would reduce the amount of fiscal space in the Irish economy by approximately 600m, according to the Institute, which said that would consequently reduce the extent to which Irish Government expenditure can be increased over the medium-term.

The reports co-authors Kieran McQuinn and Conor OToole said 2017, to date, has seen certain countervailing trends emerge relating to the overall positive performance of the Irish economy.

On the positive side, labour market data illustrates that the pace of employment creation, and subsequent reduction in unemployment, increased in 2017. Less encouragingly, the state of the public finances and the performance of different taxation headings, in particular, have been significantly less robust in the present year.

Apart from Vat receipts, most other tax headings either display weak growth or declines with respect to the same time last year, they said.

As well as its calls on GDP growth, the ESRI said GNP  which excludes financial contribution from multinational companies  should grow by 3.5% this year, followed by similar growth of 3.3% in 2018.

The countrys unemployment rate, meanwhile, should finish 2017 at around 6.1% - down from 7.9% at the end of 2016  and close out 2018 at an even healthier rate of 5.4%.

In its latest commentary, the ESRI also questions official house building figures and suggests they are overstating the actual present rate of construction activity.

It said many of the units being reported as new build projects could be completions of partial builds begun before the onset of the financial crash in 2007/2008.

While it doesnt foresee another housing credit bubble forming, the Institute expects rents and prices to remain elevated.

While there is no imminent credit risk, the ESRI said prudent and ongoing monitoring of credit levels is required.
Culture Maung Moe Thu Dances With Colors

Maung Moe Thu / The Irrawaddy

In his advanced years, Moe Thu, better known by his penname of Maung Moe Thu, has already become inseparable from his walking stick, but is still dancingon canvas.

The 80-year-olds solo exhibition Dancing with Colors is being held at the Myanmar Art Center Gallery in Chin Chaung NandawChin Chaung Palacein Yangons Bahan Township from June 24-26.

I used to draw pagodas, stupas and landscapes, but I dont want to draw these now. I only want to draw colors. And I feel free and happy to draw colors, he explained of his recent work.

Since the 1960s, Maung Moe Thu has been a close friend of other pioneers in Myanmars modern art movement: Win Pe, Paw Oo Thet, Kin Maung Yin, and Ko Shwe Aung Thein. But it was only in 2007 that he started drawing.

I wanted to make paintings since that time. But they didnt like me drawing, he said, referring to his old friends. Because I used their paints, he added with a smile. You couldnt buy paints as you wished at that time. Also, my career was writing and shooting films, said the author of more than 30 translated books, who still writes articles in weeklies.

While working as a writer, publisher, director and scriptwriter, he joined the National League for Democracy when it was established after the 1988 pro-democracy movement. He was later jailed for seven years for his political activities, and his wife passed away while he was behind bars.

His first two pictures after his release in 2000 were a portrait of his wife Ma Amar and a work depicting the small prison cell where he spent so many years.

His third solo exhibition will feature 34 pictures, two feet by three feet in size, each priced at US$400. He held his first and second solo shows entitled Emotion in Yangon and Mandalay.

Maung Moe Thu, who is affectionately referred to by many as Bagyi Moe or Uncle Moe, told The Irrawaddy: Artist Bagyi Thet, master of Paw Oo Thet and Win Pe, said that drawing is a happy thing. I still remember his words. I made these paintings because Im happy. I believe that the viewers will feel something.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
Burma Dead Irrawaddy Dolphin Found in Mandalay Region

A 30-year-old Irrawaddy dolphin found in Madaya Township. / WCS / Facebook

MANDALAY  Local fishermen found the dead body of an Irrawaddy dolphin near Madaya Townships Thone Sae Pay village in Mandalay Region on Wednesday, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

After studying the body, we found it was a 30-year-old male with no injuries, so we took the cause of death to be old age, said deputy project manager of WCS U Kyaw Hla Thein, adding that the dolphin probably died a few days before it was discovered.

Local environmental activists, however, blamed the death on electric-shock fishing, a major threat to the endangered species.

Although there is prohibition of electric-shock fishing, some fishermen are still using the method as the supply of fish is declining in the Irrawaddy River, said U Maung Maung Oo, a member of the Natural Green Society, which is researching Irrawaddy dolphins.

Electric-shock fishing, especially in the Irrawaddy Rivers protection zone, is prohibited by the Freshwater Fisheries Law, enacted by the Department of Fisheries, and violators face three years in prison or a 300,000 kyats fine.

To effectively protect this endangered species, the local government should restrict fishing in the Irrawaddy River and stop gold miners polluting the river upstream, said U Maung Maung Oo.

According to WCS, in 2012 there were 86 dolphins. By 2014, however, the population was just 63. In 2015, 58 were counted in the protection zone, which spans from Mandalay to Bhamo.

The population of dolphins was counted as 65 in 2016, despite three dolphins, including a pregnant female, being found dead that year.

A WCS survey in February this year found 69 dolphins in the protection zone. At the end of April, a male dolphin was found dead with injuries on his fins believe to be caused by a boats propeller.
Burma Muse Locals Protest Chinese Bank Account Closures

Protesters in Muse, Shan State demand access to their bank accounts, closed by Chinese authorities. / Hlaing Moe / Facebook

YANGON  More than 100 people in the Shan State-China border town of Muse protested against Chinese banks on Friday for locking them out of their accounts for nearly 10 days, according to local sources.

Chinese authorities confirmed that banks had locked a total 5,000 accounts on June 15 in what they called a crackdown on money laundering, gambling, and crime, in an attempt to increase border trade stability.

Of these accounts, 320 were locked by the China Agriculture Bank, and the rest were locked by the China Construction Bank, said U San Hlaing, the deputy district administrative officer of Muse Township.

The protesters held posters and slogans calling on Chinese banks to reopen their accounts as soon as possible.

Protester Daw Htwe Kyi told The Irrawaddy that she believed nearly 1,000 people in Myanmar were affected by the move, and that authorities from the banks told them that they were preparing to unlock the accounts but that they were not given an exact date when their funds would be accessible.

Chinese bank officers and the deputy governor of Yunnan province told the Myanmar border authorities at a meeting last the weekend that they would reopen the accounts, but they also did not mention when this would occur, according to U San Hlaing.

From the side of our government, we are working on it. From the side of China, they were also checking when the accounts could be reopened, he said.

Chinese ambassador to Myanmar Yang Shouzheng met with Burmese Interior Ministry police in Naypyidaw on June 22 to discuss the issue.

A statement from the Chinese embassy said that Yang Shouzheng informed Myanmar authorities at the meeting that the crackdown, meant to halt online gambling, was a reasonable response from the Chinese government, and that it would not damage trade relations, or anti-crime initiatives with its southern neighbor.

The statement also said that China aimed to promote border trade stability with Myanmar in order to protect border traders in the region.
Burma Outgoing ICRC Head Weighs in On Progress, Challenges in Myanmar

Outgoing ICRC head Jurg Montani at Thursdays press briefing in the ICRC office in Yangon. / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Outgoing head of the Myanmar delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Jurg Montani has emphasized progress made in recent months regarding improved humanitarian access to conflict affected areas.

At a press briefing on Thursday at the ICRC office in Yangon, Montani, who is set to finish his four-year duty at the end of June, cited the organizations growing operations in northeastern Myanmar as a success, adding that the organization was now able to work in civilian hospitals in Laiza and Mai Ja Yang in the Kachin Independence Army-controlled areas of Kachin State.

I think that is the result of the dialogues we have with the Tatmadaw when our president was here. We have good access as well in the northern part of Rakhine, where we were among the first to be operating in the areas most affected by the military operations, he said.

ICRC President Peter Maurer visited Myanmar in May and met with the militarys commander-in-chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. The two agreed to strengthen the dialogue between the Tatmadaw and ICRC.

In 2016, access to conflict areas in northern Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states was limited by Myanmar Army checkpoints and government policy, leaving displaced people without aid for several months.

The ICRC is engaging with the Tatmadaws engineering unit, which is leading mine clearance operations from the armed forces side, as well as non-state armed groups.

Montani said mine clearance operations remain difficult to discuss, as landmines are still being used in northeastern Myanmar. The ICRC is encouraging the government to sign the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, as it would open the door for further international support and funding for mine clearance.

I think over the years, we really gained the trust of all stakeholdersbe it the civilian government, military, police, non-state armed groups, civil society organizationswhich really allows us today to access [more] areas in Myanmar and to do humanitarian operations in Myanmar.

He said it is important that the access continues not only for the ICRC, adding that humanitarian aid plays a role in stabilizing the community and reconciling communities, using Rakhine State as an example.

This is where we can see that it is possible to achieve longer term stability and peace. For that, we need to be able to work with those communities, Montani said.

The outgoing head said he believes his organization will be beneficial to the National League for Democracy governments peace process, by contributing to the resilience and stability of local populations and by strengthening infrastructure, as well as by addressing the immediate needs created by displacement.

Montani emphasized revisions to Myanmars outdated prison law concerning the countrys detention centerswhere health care and medical services are widely reported as inadequate, and prisoners live in overcrowded conditions, alleging various rights violations and corruption. Changes to this law are underway, and Montani described them as a central point on which to build upon the improvement of the prison system as a whole.

I think the country really needs a modern prison law which will allow the prison department to implement the changes that need to be implemented, he said.

He urged the Myanmar government to look into the judiciary system, including laws and sentencing statutes, as a way to address overcrowding in prisons.

The Ministry of Home Affairs appears to want to reform the prison system, he said, and to implement the ICRCs recommendations based on their findings during visits to detention centers. He added that the organization has seen some improvements because of these visits.

In Rakhine State, the outgoing head said that at community level it is possible to find solutions, and to develop reconciliation and trust between the divided communities there, as the ICRC has several project areas where different groups are interacting, using the same markets and health facilities.

Its slow progress but this is possible Some of the very nationalist talk, of course doesnt help the reconciliation, he said. The two communities lived side by side for a long time I want to believe it can work again.
Burma Sacked Factory Workers Plan Yangon City Hall Protest

Workers of Honeys Garment Industry Ltd (1) protest outside the factory in Mingaladon Industrial Zone. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

YANGON Workers from a garment factory in Mingaladon Industrial Zone opposing the firing of more than 400 employees this month will protest outside Yangon City Hall on Saturday.

About 1,500 workers of the factory run by Honeys Garment Industry Ltd (1) will join the rally, according to its organizers. The factory workers have been protesting outside the factory since Monday.

The employees said they were sacked after they failed to meet the demands of the Japanese factorys management, which reportedly ordered each employee to make 75 pieces of clothing per hour.

Workers said they toiled for 10 hours each day without breaks in order to meet the demands.

We had to tailor 750 pieces of garment each per day, said Ma Zin Poe Ei, one of the dismissed workers. We had to work against time to meet this demand.

The management refused the workers request to set the rate at 500 and also reduced meal allowances and bonuses, she added. Employees failed to meet the demand because of changes to the design of the garments, she explained, and the dismissals soon followed.

The workers filed a complaint with the Mingaladon Township Industrial Dispute Arbitration Committee, which then intervened, but the management stated it would only return the jobs if the workers could meet the demand.

Some other employees joined the sacked factory workers in their protest outside the workplace this week, but the factory is still in operation.

We are demanding all the workers get their jobs back. We resort to a protest because it is the only way to make our voices heard, said factory worker Ma Yin Myo Thu.

In fact, we wanted to stage a protest in front of the Japanese embassy, but the police said that it would impact the friendship between the two countries, so we had to plan the protest in front of the city hall, added Ma Zin Poe Ei.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Trump Appoints Policy Specialist on Myanmar to UN Job

Kelley Eckels Currie with late Myanmar veteran journalist and democracy activist U Win Tin at his home in 2012. / Kelley Eckels Currie / Facebook

YANGON  US President Donald Trump has appointed longtime Myanmar and Asia policy specialist Kelley Currie to be the US representative on the Economic and Social Council of the UN, with the rank of ambassador.

Currie is a senior fellow with the Project 2049 Institute, a think-tank focusing on Asia policy. She was a founder of the institutes Burma Transition Initiative which includes a project to promote the reintegration of former Myanmar political prisoners into society. Chin civil society activist Cheery Zahau is listed on the Project 2049 website as the organizations country program director in Myanmar.

Currie previously held senior policy positions with the US Department of State and worked for the International Republican Institute and other international and non-government organizations, often on rights and policy issues related to Myanmar and Tibet.

She also served as foreign policy adviser for Republican congressman John Porter of Illinois.

In the new appointment with the Trump administration, she will become, in addition, the alternate representative of the US to sessions of the UN General Assembly.

Curries background as a Republican party-linked advocate for human rights in Myanmar contrasts with an earlier Trump appointment with links to the country.

Last year Trump named former lobbyist Jim Murphy as his political director. Murphy worked with the lobbying firm the DCI Group from 2002 to 2012, first as managing partner and then as president.

The firm was hired in 2002 to work for the then Myanmar military government, with part of its remit to counter allegations that the military was responsible for more than 100 rapes of ethnic minority women. The allegations were made in a report jointly released by the Shan Womens Action Network and the Shan Human Rights Foundation titled License to Rape and were vehemently denied by the then government.

Last year, the Daily Beast website reported that Kelley Currie said the report had enormous significance.

It was the first, most authoritative report on that, she told the website. It was so comprehensiveit was so well-researched, to an international standard in terms of human rights researchthat it led the State Department to conduct their own investigation of the charges. That probe corroborated the Shan groups findings.

In 2017, Myanmar is back on the UNs radar in relation to similar allegations of grave human rights abuses. In May the UN named the members of a fact-finding missing to investigate alleged serious abuses, including killings and rape, by security forces in Rakhine State and northern Myanmar. The National League for Democracy-led government has rejected the mission.

It will not help solve the problems Myanmar is facing in Rakhine State  We are ready to work with the international community on any advice or arrangements should they constitute part of the solution, not part of the problem, ambassador to the UN in Geneva U Htin Lynn said earlier this month.

The UNs Economic and Social Council is focused on international economic and social policies, including international development cooperation. One of its key missions is the promotion of sustainable development.
Burma UN Rejects Reports of Myanmar Coordinators Removal

UN Resident Coordinator in Myanmar Renata Lok-Dessallien (left) with British Ambassador to Myanmar Andrew Patrick at a news conference in Sittwe airport. / Wa Lone / Reuters

YANGON  The UN labeled media reports on UN Resident Coordinator Renata Lok-Dessalliens removal from her post as false and inaccurate, in a statement released Wednesday, as UN officials confirmed the search for her replacement.

The BBC reported last Tuesday that internal documents prepared for the new UN Secretary General described the Myanmar office as glaringly dysfunctional with strong tensions between different parts of the UN system and suggested Lok-Dessallien was being moved on for failing to prioritize human rights.

Wednesdays statement, however, said Lok-Dessalliens performance has been constantly appreciated and that she will continue in the position until further notice.

UN information officer U Aye Win told The Irrawaddy on Friday that Lok-Dessallien remains in the post at the moment.

A successor has not yet been named, said U Aye Win, adding she would not be leaving immediately.

U Aye Win told The Irrawaddy last week the position had been advertised, though he refused to comment on the reason behind Lok-Dessalliens departure.

Lok-Dessallien had been criticized for not doing enough regarding human rights abuses in Myanmar. She is three and a half years into the usual five-year tenure as a coordinator.

In November last year she blocked journalists from recording a press conference held after the UN and foreign ambassadors visited Rakhine State amid accusations of human rights abuses by government security forces.

The Canadian citizen began the job in January 2014 and was the first woman to take up the role. She previously worked as resident and humanitarian coordinator in Bhutan, Bangladesh, and China.
Commentary Yangon: My City at Breaking Point

A road in downtown Yangon in 2013. / The Irrawaddy

These days, I see Yangon floundering before my very eyes.

As a Yangon native, I have seen the transformation of my city alongside Myanmars metamorphosis from the Socialist era to the military regime to the quasi-civilian government in 2011 to the present democratically elected administration.

While people heartily welcome the latest changes in the countrys political landscape, Yangons people feel uneasy about the unruly urban growth they are now facing. For myself and others, the Yangon we see today is not the city we were once familiar with.

Gone are the wide pavements downtownthe previous government widened the roads, prioritizing cars over people. Gridlocked traffic has become an everyday ritual, causing a dramatic increase in commuting time. Monsoon rains regularly leave parts of our city inundated. Public spaces are being converted into shopping malls, all in the name of urban development.

Yangon, home to 5.2 million residents, has become a truly dysfunctional city after decades of poor management.

Experts point out that all the aforementioned chaos is the result of a lack of any real planning of urban development by previous governments. The absence of any plan became palpable when the country opened to the outside world in 2012 and the city began its rapid changes.

In the changing urban tide, new buildings mushroomed across the city. With the lack of proper construction guidelines and zoning ordinances at the time, the safety of the buildings was questionableputting residents lives at risk in the event of fire or earthquake.

A Yangon City Development Council (YCDC) official told me last year that the municipal body allowed for shoddy building practices in order to speed up development. When it came to building nine stories and above, he said, a lack of any zoning laws or guidelines meant developers were given permission to construct anything as long as they could find 10 neighbors living around the site that had no objections to the plans.

If we waited for a zoning law, it would be too late for Yangons development, he said. I was speechless.

As a result, nearly 4,000 residential condominium units were launched in 2015 alone and YCDC approved 138 new high rises of nine floors or above that same year when the previous government was in power, according to global real estate firm Colliers International.

As more people arrived in Yangon in search of opportunities, population density soared. In some parts of the city, more than 1,000 people lived in one hectare, double the 500 per hectare of one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Bangladeshs Dhaka.

The 2014 Census shows Yangon is home to more than 5.2 million people, about 35 percent of Myanmars urban population. Given to the development chaos, architects and town planners fear that Yangon is bursting at its seams. There is no surprise that the citys already dilapidated infrastructure is under stress while residents are suffering from negative social, commercial and health impacts of rampant development.

The most palpable daily urban suffering was bestowed upon Yangon in 2013 after the previous government relaxed car import regulations instead of upgrading the citys rundown public transport system. Since then, chronic traffic congestion has become one of the citys trademarks with the majority of Yangons workforce commuting to offices and businesses in the downtown.

As the roads became more cramped with cars and brawls over parking spaces became increasingly common, the then city authorities slashed the citys spacious pavements to widen the roads and create parking spaces. Now, pedestrians jostle with one another and the myriad hawkers on the citys shrunken sidewalks. Bus stops on the pavement were rendered redundant by the new parking spaces, and commuters now wait for buses in the road. And, drivers still complain of extended journey times caused by the traffic.

Not everyone in the city is turning a blind eye to the issues, however.

Three years ago, urban experts pushed the then government, requesting urgent action to rein in unruly urbanization projects that have had negative consequences because of a lack of systematic urban planning controls in the city. Their requests fell on deaf ears with the authorities, but raised public awareness of how the city and its residents were suffering.

They were the ones who successfully pushed the then government to cancel a controversial international development project near the Shwedagon Pagoda, fearing that the construction project would threaten the strength of the religious structure and would create an eyesore adjacent to a piece of important national heritage.

Yangon is lucky enough to have heritage conservation groups like the Yangon Heritage Trust fighting for our centuries-old colonial buildings, the largest collection in Southeast Asia. The Trust convinced the previous government of the importance of these buildings and persuaded it to keep them safe.

Experts predict a population of 10 million people in Yangon by 2040. The London School of Economics (LSE)s International Growth Center says it will grow faster than many other urban centers in the region, including Bangkok.

With that projection, Yangon is at a critical juncturefacing rapid social, economic, and environmental changes that cry out for a well-rounded strategic policy response. Bangkoks lack of a development plan and zoning regulation has led to haphazard urban growth. It is not too late for Yangon to learn from Bangkoks mistakes.

To make it happen, now is the time for the Yangon Regional Government to put things right. Despite criticism of its poor management of the public bus system reform earlier this year, the government seems committed to making it successful, and is improving the system bit by bit. That kind of willingness is needed to make Yangon livable again. I was informed that the government is now reviewing, upgrading, and drafting policies to harness unruly urban development in the city.

Regional Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein seriously needs to take experts suggestions into account when it comes to urban planning to make the right judgment for Yangon. His decisions will have an impact on future generations to come. Making decisions is hard, especially when there are many different interested parties and you dont want to hurt anyone. The peoples government, however, must act for the good of the majority of the people.

Yangon used to be considered one of the most beautiful cities in Southeast Asia. With proper regulation, planning, and a little effort, experts believe the city could regain its former glory. Of course, it is not just the governments responsibilitywe, as residents, should also do our bit to make the most of the city by respecting its streets and keeping them clean. I long to see my Yangon be great again.
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By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | ( Niqash.org) |  

One of Iraqs most powerful political groupings, the Sadrist movement, is trying to form a new alliance that may unite secular, Sunni and Kurdish parties. It would be a first for Iraq. But it could also be a trap.

The Sadrist movement has had a busy few months. The Iraqi political movement, which is led by the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, has defected from the larger Shiite Muslim political alliance to which it belongs, withdrawn ministers from government, joined in popular anti-corruption demonstrations calling for political reform and now, it seems, the Sadrists are trying to form a new alliance in preparation for federal elections next year. The most interesting thing about the latter is that the Sadrists appear to want to form an alliance that does not rely on sectarian affiliations  that is, whether one is a Shiite or Sunni Muslim. It may also end up not mattering whether one is religious or not, too.

For several weeks now, the Sadrists have been holding a series of talks with secular political groups. If successful, the alliance would be the first between a religious, Shiite Muslim political group and a secular, civil-minded one.

There are obvious ideological differences between the two groups but they also have some very important things in common.

The Sadrist movement will be the first to break away from these sectarian alliances, Ali Shawaileh, an MP for the Sadrist movements political party, known as the Ahrar bloc, told NIQASH; the model built on sectarian alliances and quotas for each of them in Iraqi politics has failed, he argued.

And we have made many concessions in order to be able to do so, Shwaileh continued. We withdrew our ministers from the government so that the prime minister [Haider al-Abadi] was able to choose technocrats for ministers. However all the other political parties rejected this and continued to insist on the posts being filled, according to sectarian quotas.

The meetings between the Sadrists and secular groups involve two major subjects. Firstly, their ability to form a future-proof political movement and how to compete in the next federal elections, slated to be held in 2018, with it. And secondly, how to keep up the pressure with weekly protests that take place every Friday in Baghdad and in other provinces.

There are obvious ideological differences between the two groups but they also have some very important things in common. One of the most vital is their shared enmity for Iraqs former prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. Not a week goes by without some senior member of the Sadrist movement criticising al-Maliki. Muqtada al-Sadr himself said in a television interview in mid-May that he would never vote for al-Maliki again because he had sold off the country.

Al-Maliki countered that by criticizing the Sadrist movement for stepping outside the Shiite Muslim alliance and going against what he called the consensus.

The secular groups also dislike al-Maliki. The latters hostility towards the organisers of the Friday demonstrations is well known; he used Iraqs military to disperse the unarmed protestors and arrested many of them.

Shiite Muslim parties have held power in Iraq since 2003, winning a majority of seats in parliamentary elections in 2005, 2009 and 2014. In the past, al-Maliki had said he wanted to lead the country because of his ability to liaise with all sectors of Iraqi politics, including Sunni Muslim parties and the Kurdish ones.

But in 2018, al-Maliki has said he wants to return to power because he is supported by the Shiite Muslim alliance. Some of the Shiite Muslim militias, who started as volunteer fighters against the extremist Islamic State group but who are now a quasi-official force, say they will support al-Maliki. In particular, the militias allied with Iran say they support the former prime minister.

However, if the Sadrist movement do not take part in the existing Shiite Muslim alliance, this would mean the loss of around 30 seats and effectively, a loss of their majority.

Since April 2017, Ahmad al-Sadr, the 31-year-old nephew of Muqtada al-Sadr, has been involved in trying to build new political alliances for the Sadrist movement. During April, the younger al-Sadr has held meetings with most of the other political blocs in Iraq, including Sunni Muslim and Kurdish parties. He did not hold a meeting with the coalition led by al-Maliki.

There is no doubt that the Sadrist movement remains powerful. Muqtada al-Sadr is the only Shiite Muslim political leader who is capable of mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis within hours. Other Shiite Muslim parties, especially those with close links to Iran, are unable to do this  they may have power but it is considered to come from outside Iraq. Additionally only the Sadrist movement has leaders who remained inside the country while Shiite Muslims were being terrorized by former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim.

Today the Sadrist movements strength comes from three different things. Al-Sadrs ongoing popularity with the poor Shiite Muslims of Baghdad and in the southern provinces, who are inspired by him; the armed forces the Sadrist movement can raise because of this  formerly it was the Mahdi army, now it is the Salam, or Peace, brigades; and the fact that the movements political wing, Ahrar, is very active at both federal and provincial level. Despite changes in the political scenery, the Sadrists have remained united.

All of these factors mean that if the Sadrist movement does manage to ally itself with civil, Sunni Muslim or Kurdish parties, it will become even more important in the next Iraqi elections  because of its new alliances and also because of its crippling withdrawal from the Shiite Muslim alliance. Any new alliance between the Sadrists and non-Shiite actors will effectively prevent al-Maliki from leading the country again. Theres only one question local analysts are still asking: Could the Sadrist movement be setting up a Trojan horse? Given more historic Sadrist ties to Iran, that possibility is also real  but only time will bring the answer.

Via Niqash.org

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

FRBI:  Sadr: We are all responsible, but Maliki occupied the apex of the pyramid
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

In a bid completely to return the Middle East to the old system of strict government media censorship, four countries have demanded that Qatar close down the Aljazeera television channel.

Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates made the demands formally via Kuwait, which is attempting to mediate the dispute between the four countries and Qatar. The list also included a demand that Qatar close its diplomatic mission in Iran and largely cut that country off, as well as a demand that it cut off the Muslim Brotherhood.

Aljazeera, from the late 1990s, emerged as a fresh voice on the Arab media scene. Its philosophy was to report all sides of an issue. They routinely interviewed Israeli officials. They brought on US State Department spokesmen.

In 2011 when the youth revolts broke out in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Bahrain, the existence of an independent satellite television station that reported events relatively dispassionately was important. The Ben Ali regime in Tunisia had secret police fire on people and put them in the morgue or the hospital, and then it lied, denying that there were any casualties. Ben Alis son-in-law controlled much of the media that wasnt directly in government hands.

Even Hillary Clinton, who on the whole did not approve of the youth movement, said she thought that Al Jazeera did a good job of reporting these dramatic events.

Al Jazeera has less independence now than it did in 2011, but it is still a wideranging voice that would be sorely missed if it ceased broadcast. It is accused of abetting the Muslim Brotherhood, but I dont find that it gives the group much air time. As for Iran, you almost never see Iran news on Al Jazeera.

The revolutions of 2011-2012 in the Middle East unseated Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Moammar Gadaffi of Libya, and (for a while) Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen.

The four hawkish countries that made the demand that Aljazeera be closed are autocracies that enjoyed their previous media monopoly, and who are determined that nothing like 2011 ever happen again.

The joke used to be that Dubai-based al-Arabiya reported on everything but Saudi Arabia, and al Jazeera reported on everything but Qatar, but if you put them together, you could find out almost everything.

That joke would go onto the trash heap of history if Saudi Arabia and Egypt get their way.



Related video:

Bloomberg, Qatar Crisis
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 22, 2017) - INV Metals Inc. ("INV Metals" or "Company") (TSX:INV), is pleased to announce that the nominees listed in the Company's management information circular dated May 5, 2017 (the "Circular") for the 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") were elected as directors of INV Metals. Detailed results of the vote for the election of directors held at the Meeting earlier today are set out below:

Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld James Clucas 64,274,512 100% 750 0% Parviz Farsangi 64,274,512 100% 750 0% Eric Klein 64,274,512 100% 750 0% Terrance MacGibbon 62,274,412 96.89% 2,000,850 3.11% Candace MacGibbon 64,274,412 100% 850 0% Robert Pollock 64,274,412 100% 850 0%

In addition, the resolution with respect to the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's auditors was passed at the Meeting. For additional details on the voting results with respect to these matters please refer to the Report of Voting Results of the Company which is filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About INV Metals

INV Metals is an international mineral resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of precious metal projects in Ecuador. Currently, INV Metals' primary assets are: (1) its 100% interest in the Loma Larga gold property in Ecuador, (2) its 100% interest in various exploration projects within Ecuador, and (3) its 35% interest in the Kaoko property, located in Namibia.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 23, 2017 /CNW/ -- Tahoe Resources Inc. (TSX: THO, NYSE: TAHO) ("Tahoe" or the "Company") reported today that the Guatemalan government has taken legal action to disburse protestors and open the primary road that connects Guatemala City to San Rafael las Flores near the Escobal Mine. The Company has learned that police used tear gas to clear the public road.

This action comes after many days of illegal blockage and extensive dialogue between protestors, the Government and the Company to resolve the blockade of the road near the town of Casillas. The Company is not aware of any serious injuries as a result of the action. The Company has worked diligently to engage numerous stakeholders, including the Vice President of Guatemala, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of the Environment, Human Rights Ombudsman, representatives of the Catholic Church and diplomatic missions involved in human rights monitoring to attempt to resolve the matter peacefully.

The Company is committed to the human and civil rights of all Guatemalan people and supports communities' rights to freedom of expression and assembly in a lawful manner. It equally supports others negatively affected by the illegal road blockage, such as employees, suppliers and non-protesting citizens' rights to free passage and work. The Company embraces the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights, which guide law enforcement in appropriate use of force and respect for human rights.

The Company will continue to work with the government, community leaders and others to resolve any on-going concerns by the protestors. The Guatemalan agency responsible for studying seismic activity (INSIVUMEH) has confirmed that operations at Escobal are not causing the naturally occurring seismic activity in the Casillas area located 16 kilometers from the Mine. The Company has conducted tours for thousands of citizens living near the mine over the last seven years and invites interested citizens to visit the Mine to learn more about its safe and environmentally sound operations.

Ron Clayton, President and CEO of Tahoe Resources Inc., commented: "As annunciated in Tahoe's Human Rights Policy, we support freedom of association in the Guatemalan communities and are always open to dialogue about any concerns over the Escobal Mine. It is important to note that a majority of the citizens in the immediate communities where the Mine is located continue to support the Mine. We will continue to work diligently to engage government and community leaders to provide transparent information regarding our safe operations."

At this time, the Company has no reason to believe that its guidance will be affected by this situation.

About Tahoe Resources Inc.

Tahoe's strategy is to responsibly operate mines to world standards, to pay significant shareholder dividends and to develop high quality precious metals assets in the Americas. Tahoe is a member of the S&P/TSX Composite and TSX Global Mining indices and the Russell 3000 on the NYSE. The Company is listed on the TSX as THO and on the NYSE as TAHO.
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - June 22, 2017) - Gran Colombia Gold Corp.'s (TSX: GCM) Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders was held on Thursday, June 22, 2017. The detailed results of the votes for each matter to be acted upon are set out below:

Item Description of matter Outcome Voted Voted (%) 1. Fixing the number of directors at nine. Approved 4,014,220 For 117,936 Against 97.15%

2.85% 2. The election of the following individuals as directors of the Corporation to hold office until the next annual meeting of the Corporation or until their successors are appointed or elected: Miguel de la Campa Approved 4,083,572 For 48,584 Withheld 98.82%

1.18% Serafino Iacono Approved 4,076,908 For 55,248 Withheld 98.66%

1.34% Mark Ashcroft Approved 3,917,231 For 214,925 Withheld 94.80%

5.20% Edward Couch Approved 4,008,892 For 123,264 Withheld 97.02%

2.98% Ian Mann Approved 4,008,903 For 123,253 Withheld 97.02%

2.98% Hernan Juan Jose Martinez Torres Approved 3,924,877 For 207,279 Withheld 94.98%

5.02% Robert Metcalfe Approved 3,924,877 For 207,279 Withheld 94.98%

5.02% Jaime Perez Branger Approved 4,009,076 For 123,080 Withheld 97.02%

2.98% Mark Wellings Approved 3,931,548 For 200,608 Withheld 95.15%

4.85% 3. Appointing KPMG LLP as auditors of the Corporation at a remuneration to be fixed by the directors. Approved 5,032,930 For 19,173 Withheld 99.62%

0.38% 4. Reapproval of the Stock Option Plan of the Corporation which fixes the maximum aggregate number of shares reserved for issuance under the plan at 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Corporation Approved 3,818,536 For 313,656 Against 92.41%

7.59 %

2020 Debentures Redemption Record Date

As announced on June 13, 2017, the Company will complete a partial redemption at par on July 31, 2017 of an aggregate principal amount of US$3,000,000 of the 2020 Debentures outstanding, applied on a pro-rata basis. The Company confirms the record date for the partial redemption has been set as July 27, 2017 and the 2020 Debentures will commence trading on the TSX on a post-redemption basis as of the opening of business on July 25, 2017.

About Gran Colombia Gold Corp.

Gran Colombia is a Canadian-based gold and silver exploration, development and production company with its primary focus in Colombia. Gran Colombia is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer in Colombia with several underground mines in operation at its Segovia and Marmato Operations. Gran Colombia is continuing its expansion and modernization activities at its high-grade Segovia Operations.

Additional information on Gran Colombia can be found on its website at www.grancolombiagold.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
By Park Si-soo



Newly appointed Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has ordered all overseas South Korean envoys to offer their resignation. There are 160 affected ambassadors and consul generals, according to the ministry.

"This is a sort of practice implemented when a new administration comes in," a foreign ministry official said. "The minister will decide who will stay and who will be shown the door."

The scale of the shakeup is uncertain, but it is likely that South Korean ambassadors to the nation's four major diplomatic counterparts -- the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- will be changed.

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in has expressed the need to bolster ties with countries in Europe, Asia and Africa to have a bigger voice in the international community.
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday urged China to do more to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons, noting the communist state may acquire nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in "the not too distant future."



"I believe China is making efforts to stop North Korea from making additional provocations, yet there are no tangible results as of yet," the new South Korean president was quoted as saying in an interview with Reuters.



"China is North Korea's only ally and China is the country that provides the most economic assistance to North Korea. Without the assistance of China, sanctions won't be effective at all," he added, according to the report.



The South Korean leader earlier stressed a need to add dialogue to options for dealing with the provocative North, noting currently only sanctions and pressure are available.



Speaking to the British news service, Moon said additional and strong sanctions should be imposed on the North if the country conducts a sixth nuclear test or tests an ICBM.



"It must be sufficiently strong enough that it would prevent North Korea from making any additional provocations, and also strong enough that it will make North Korea realize that they are going down the wrong path," he said.



He also noted there was "more room" for China to play a bigger role in resolving the North Korea crisis, the report said.



Moon expressed hope to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 8-9.



In addition to asking China to do more to rein in North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, the South Korean president said he also planned to ask Xi to remove China's apparent retaliatory measures against South Korean firms and products. Such measures have been in place since Seoul agreed to host the THAAD U.S. missile defense system.



"If I have the chance to meet President Xi, I will ask him to lift all of these measures. This is the agenda that we cannot evade," Moon said.



Moon expressed his hope to meet with as many world leaders as possible at the G20 summit, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin.



Both Japan and Russia are part of six-nation talks aimed at denuclearizing the North. The talks, also involving the two Koreas, China and the United States, have been stalled since 2008. The South Korean president has vowed efforts to restart them.



Moon noted the North's nuclear program will top the agenda of his bilateral meetings in Hamburg.



Talks with the Japanese leader will likely cover many other issues, he said, while expressing concerns over Japan's growing military spending.



Other issues may include Japan's persistent territorial claim to a set of South Korean islets in the East Sea, Dokdo, as well as Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II.



"If Japan were to show its strong resolve in looking back on its past history and sending a message that such actions will never happen again... then I believe that this will go a long way in further developing its relations with not only Korea but also with many other Asian nations," Moon was quoted as saying.



In late 2015, Seoul and Tokyo signed what was then praised as a historical deal to put their shared past of sexual slavery behind them once and for all.



Moon said many South Koreans did not accept it, apparently repeating his call on Japan to agree to a renegotiation of the deal, under which Tokyo agreed to provide 10 billion yen (US$10.3 million), not in compensation, but only as support funds for the thousands and thousands of Korean women forced into sexual slavery.



Thursday's interview, held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, came ahead of Moon's bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington next week.



Moon said he has "high expectations" for the meeting with Trump.



"I am very glad that President Trump has made the resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue the top of his priority list on his foreign affairs agenda," he said, according to the report.



The Moon-Trump meetings are scheduled for next Thursday and Friday. (Yonhap)




Youll recognize the classic Chinese flavor pairing of sesame, soy and white pepper on these sweet and sour pork chops.

White pepper is more mild and earthy than black pepper, but either will work here.
The sun's visible-light corona, the inner part of which is only visible during a total solar eclipse, is seen here as a pearly crown of light surrounding the darkened, Earth-facing side of the moon, as seen on Aug. 21, 2017.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, moon and sun are aligned in the same plane, and the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, partially or completely covering our closest star.

As one of the most dramatic celestial performances, solar eclipses  particularly total eclipses  entice droves of skywatchers; however, regardless of how much of the sun gets covered by the moon's shadow, you should never look directly at the sun.

"During this period when any of the disk is visible, one must use protective equipment to view the sun," William Teets, director of the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee, told Live Science in an email. That could include sunglasses, specially filtered telescopes or binoculars, or by using a projection method, Teets said.

Solar eclipses come in four varieties: total, annular, partial and hybrid.

When is the next solar eclipse?

Swipe to scroll horizontally Solar eclipses Date Type of solar eclipse Visibility April 30, 2022 Partial Southeast Pacific, South America Oct. 25, 2022 Partial Europe, parts of Africa, Middle East, parts of Asia April 20, 2023 Total South/East Asia, Australia, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Antarctica Oct. 14, 2023 Annular Parts of Africa, N. America, S. America, Pacific & Atlantic, and Arctic April 18, 2024 Total Totality: Parts of Mexico, U.S. and Canada Oct. 2, 2024 Annular Parts of South America, Pacific & Atlantic, and Antarctica

What is a total solar eclipse?

All four varieties of solar eclipse are a happy accident of nature. The sun stretches some 864,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) across, according to NASA, making our host star 400 times bigger thanEarth's moon, which measures just about 2,160 miles (nearly 3,500 km) in diameter. But the moon also happens to be about 400 times closer to Earth than the sun is (the ratio varies as the orbits of both the sun and moon are elliptical); and as a result, when the orbital planes intersect and the distances align favorably, the moon (called a "new moon" in this alignment) can appear to completely blot out the disk of the sun. As for how rare this phenomenon is: On average, a total solar eclipse is visible somewhere on Earth about every 18 months.

During a total solar eclipse, the moon casts two types of shadows. The umbra is the darkest part of the shadow where all sunlight gets blocked out. The umbra takes the shape of a dark, slender cone. It is surrounded by the penumbra, a lighter, funnel-shaped shadow from which sunlight is partially obscured.

In order to view a total solar eclipse, you must be located in the direct path of the umbra, which can sweep a third of the way around the planet in just a few hours. When in that direct path, you would see the sun's disk diminish into a crescent as the moon's dark shadow rushes toward you across the landscape.

Don't look directly at the sun REMEMBER: Looking directly at the sun, even when it is partially covered by the moon, can cause serious eye damage or blindness. NEVER look at a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection.

During the brief period of totality, when the sun is completely covered, the beautiful corona  the tenuous outer atmosphere of the sun  is revealed. A total solar eclipse typically lasts for only a few minutes, NASA solar astronomer Mitzi Adams of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a NASA webchat . The longest solar eclipse, on June 15, 743 B.C., lasted about 7 minutes and 28 seconds, according to NASA (opens in new tab).

Total eclipses are rarely seen because totality  when the sun appears totally hidden by the moon  only exists along a narrow path on Earth's surface, as opposed to partial eclipses, which can be viewed across a much wider region.

The next solar eclipse  on April 30, 2022  will be a partial eclipse and will be visible in South/West South America, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and parts of Antarctica, according to timeanddate.com (opens in new tab).

The next total solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023, and it will be visible in South/East Asia, Australia, the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and Antarctica, where viewers can behold at least a partial sun covering. The now-named Great North American Eclipse will cross the mainland U.S. on April 8, 2024. The path of totality will trek through Mexico (from Sinaloa to Coahuila), the U.S. (from Texas to Maine) and Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland), timeanddate.com reported (opens in new tab).

What is a partial solar eclipse?

A partial eclipse is seen as the sun rises behind the United States Capitol Building, Thursday, June 10, 2021, as seen from Arlington, Virginia. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

During a partial solar eclipse, the moon's penumbra (the partial shadow) passes between the Earth and the sun. In these cases, a part of the sun always remains in view during the eclipse. How much of the sun remains in view depends on the specific circumstances.

Usually the penumbra gives just a glancing blow to the planet over the polar regions; in such cases, places far away from the poles but still within the zone of the penumbra might not see much more than a small scallop of the sun hidden by the moon. In a different scenario, those who are positioned within a couple of thousand miles of the path of a total eclipse will see a partial solar eclipse.

The closer you are to the path of totality, the greater the solar obscuration. If, for instance, you are positioned just outside of the path of the total eclipse, you will see the sun wane to a narrow crescent, then thicken up again as the shadow passes by.

Annular solar eclipse

A composite image of the annular solar eclipse on Jan. 15, 2010 (Image credit: Siegfried Layda via Getty Images)

An annular eclipse is far different from a total one. The sky will darken ... somewhat, causing a sort of weird "counterfeit twilight" since so much of the sun still shows. The annular eclipse is a subspecies of a partial not total, eclipse. The maximum duration for an annular eclipse is 12 minutes 30 seconds.

The next annular solar eclipse will occur on Oct. 14, 2023, according to NASA (opens in new tab). The eclipse will be visible to millions of people in parts of the U.S., Mexico and many countries in South America and Central America.

An annular solar eclipse is similar to a total eclipse in that the moon appears to pass centrally across the sun. The difference is, due to the moons position, during an annular eclipse the moon appears too small to cover the disk of the sun completely. Because the moon circles Earth in an elliptical orbit, its distance from Earth can vary from 221,457 miles to 252,712 miles (356,400 to 406,700 km). But the dark shadow cone of the moon's umbra can extend out for no longer than 235,700 miles (379,322 km); that's less than the moon's average distance from Earth.

So if the moon is at some greater distance than the umbra's limit, the tip of the umbra does not reach Earth. During such an eclipse, the antumbra, a theoretical continuation of the umbra, reaches the ground, and anyone situated within it can look up past either side of the umbra and see an annulus, or "ring of fire" around the moon. A good analogy is putting a penny atop a nickel, the penny being the moon, the nickel being the sun.

What is a hybrid solar eclipse?

Three partial solar eclipses are seen in this movie from ESAs Proba-2 Sun-watching satellite as it dipped in and out of the Moons shadow during a hybrid solar eclipse in 2013. (Image credit: ESA)

These are also called annular-total ("A-T") eclipses. This special type of eclipse occurs when the moon's distance is near its limit for the umbra to reach Earth. In most cases, an A-T eclipse starts as an annular eclipse because the tip of the umbra falls just short of making contact with Earth; then it becomes total, because the roundness of the planet reaches up and intercepts the shadow tip near the middle of the path, then finally it returns to annular toward the end of the path.

Because the moon appears to pass directly in front of the sun, total, annular and hybrid eclipses are also called "central" eclipses to distinguish them from eclipses that are merely partial.

Of all solar eclipses, about 28% are total; 35%are partial; 32% annular; and just 5% are hybrids. The next hybrid solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023, which will be a total eclipse in some areas.

How to view a solar eclipse

An astronomer in India projects the solar eclipse onto a white screen for safe viewing on Dec. 26, 2019. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

(opens in new tab)

Do not look directly at any part of the sun without protective equipment, even near totality.

"This equipment could be approved solar eclipse glasses (not sunglasses) or a properly filtered telescope or properly filtered pair of binoculars."

Teets added that a skywatcher should "never put on solar eclipse glasses and then use them to try to look through an unfiltered telescope or pair of binoculars  the unfiltered light will burn right through the glasses and start burning/blinding you as well."

Projection method: In addition to viewing an eclipse through specialty glasses, properly filtered telescopes/binoculars, you can also use a projection method to view a solar eclipse. To do so, you take out the eyepiece from a telescope and instead project the image onto a sheet of paper behind the telescope. By moving the sheet of paper back and forth, you can find the spot with the most focused image, according to Sky & Telescope (opens in new tab).

Pinhole camera: A pinhole or small opening is used to form an image of the sun on a screen placed about 3 feet (1 meter) behind the opening, according to Sky & Telescope (opens in new tab). Binoculars or a small telescope mounted on a tripod can also be used to project a magnified image of the sun onto a white card. The farther away the card, the larger you can focus the image. Look for sunspots. Notice that the sun appears somewhat darker around its limb or edge. This method of solar viewing is safe so long as you remember not to look through the binoculars or telescope when they are pointed toward the sun; put another way, never look directly at the sun when any part of its blindingly bright surface is visible.

Pinhole mirror: A variation on the pinhole theme is the "pinhole mirror." Cover a pocket-mirror with a piece of paper that has a quarter-inch hole punched in it. Open a sun-facing window and place the covered mirror on the sunlit sill so it reflects a disk of light onto the far wall inside. The disk of light is an image of the sun's face. The farther away from the wall the better; the image will be only 1 inch across for every 9 feet (or 3 centimeters for every 3 m) from the mirror, according to Sky & Telescope (opens in new tab). Modeling clay works well to hold the mirror in place. Experiment with different-size holes in the paper. Again, a large hole makes the image bright, but fuzzy, and a small one makes it dim but sharp. Darken the room as much as possible. Be sure to try this out beforehand to make sure the mirror's optical quality is good enough to project a clean, round image. Of course, don't let anyone look at the sun in the mirror.

If you're around leafy trees, look at the shadow cast by them during the partial phases. What do you see? Is it worth a photograph? You will see scores of partially eclipsed suns projected through pinhole gaps between the leaves. This is caused by diffraction, a property of light. According to Vince Huegele (opens in new tab), an optical physicist at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the light rays do not shoot straight by the rim of the gaps, or a pinhole, but bend around the edge. This wave effect creates a pattern of rings that resembles a bull's eye.

Acceptable filters for unaided visual solar observations include aluminized Mylar. Some astronomy dealers carry Mylar filter material specially designed for solar observing. Also acceptable is shade 14 arc-welder's glass, available for just a few dollars at welding supply shops. Of course, it is always a good idea to test your filters and/or observing techniques before eclipse day.

Unacceptable filters include sunglasses, old color film negatives, black-and-white film that contains no silver, photographic neutral-density filters and polarizing filters. These materials have very low visible-light transmittance levels, but they transmit an unacceptably high level of near-infrared radiation that can burn your retinas. The fact that the sun appears dim, or that you feel no discomfort when looking at the sun through these types of filters, is no guarantee that your eyes are safe.

Sun features to look for during an eclipse

NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare  as seen in the bright flash in the upper left portion of the image on April 20, 2022. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares, and which is colorized in yellow. (Image credit: SDO/NASA)

Sunspots: These relatively cool patches on the sun's surface appear dark. They will look like black spots on the disk of the sun, Teets said. These spots can be alone or in clusters of several. To see these spots, you will likely need a properly filtered telescope, as they are too small typically to view through your solar eclipse glasses.

Prominences: If you are eclipse-viewing with a hydrogen-alpha solar telescope, you might catch a glimpse of more than sunspots. With this gear, you should be able to see prominences and the chromosphere, which is the second of the three layers of the sun's atmosphere.

"Prominences are clouds of material lofted up from the sun, and they sometimes look like flames on the edge of the sun," Teets said. "If they happen to be present across the disk of the sun, they will appear like slightly darkened streaks."

Chromosphere: With that same specialized telescope, you could also witness what might appear as undulating ruby gems dancing around the outer disk of the sun. That would be the chromosphere, the lower atmosphere of the sun that is about a million times less dense than Earth's atmosphere, according to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (opens in new tab). On typical days, the light from this atmospheric layer is drowned out by the much brighter photosphere underneath it, UCAR said.

Corona: There is one time when you can safely look directly at the sun: during totality in a total eclipse, when the sun's disk is entirely covered. During those few precious seconds or minutes, the magnificent corona  the outer atmosphere that lies just above the chromosphere  shines forth in all its glory like a halo around the darkened sun  a marvelous fringe of pearly white light. "It appears as a beautiful white wisp that completely encircles the sun," Teets told Live Science.

It differs in size, in tints and patterns from eclipse to eclipse. It is always faint and delicate, with a sheen like a pale aurora. Sometimes the corona appears as a soft continuous structure; at other times, long rays of it shoot out in three or four directions. The corona can also pop out from the disk in filmy petals and streamers. But when the sun begins to emerge into view again, the corona quickly disappears and you'll need to protect your eyes once again.

Additional resources

UCAR (opens in new tab) has a great compilation of sun and solar eclipse resources, along with some instructions for teaching activities.

If you're interested in photographing an eclipse, this Nikon guide (opens in new tab) provides instructions for how to do that for different types of solar eclipses.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in the skin's pigment-producing cells, called melanocytes. These cells make melanin, which is responsible for the color in skin, eyes and hair.

The National Cancer Institute said that only 2 percent of all skin cancers are melanoma, so it is very rare. It is also very dangerous. Of all types of skin cancer, melanoma is the deadliest. In 2017, the National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that there will be 87,110 new cases of melanoma and 9,730 deaths.

While men are usually diagnosed in their 60s, women can get the disease at any age, with risk increasing based on family history and amount of sun exposure. Melanoma is one of the highest cancer killers of women in their mid-20s to mid-30s, said Doris Day, a dermatologist in New York City and an attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, also in New York.

"Melanoma is the least common, but most serious of all the skin cancers," Day told Live Science. Basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers occur more often than melanoma, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Causes & risk factors

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight is a leading cause behind melanoma. When sunlight hits melanocytes, they make more of the pigment melanin, darkening the skin. This can result in a tan, freckles or moles  the vast majority of which are benign.

Researchers think that enough UV radiation exposure can damage the DNA in melanocytes, causing them to grow out of control into a tumor. Blistering sunburns in childhood, use of tanning beds and any excessive exposure to UV radiation increases the risk for melanoma, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A melanoma tumor often originates in an existing mole or starts as its own lesion that looks like a mole. People with more than 50 ordinary moles are more likely to develop melanoma, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Melanoma also strikes fair-skinned people more often. Having less pigment in your skin means you have less protection from UV radiation. Caucasians are 30 times more likely to develop invasive melanoma than people of African descent, according to the National Cancer Society.

Melanoma tumors most often occur in areas of the body that are exposed to direct sunlight such as the arms, legs, head and face, according to the Mayo Clinic. Yet, melanoma can form anywhere on the body where there is melanin, including the eyes and the small intestines, according to the National Cancer Institute.

"I had somebody who had it in the bellybutton, and that's not somewhere that gets a lot of sun exposure," Day said. "It can occur anywhere in your body."

One type of melanoma, called acral lentiginous melanoma, may appear as a black or brown discoloration on the soles of the feet, under the nails or on the palms of the hand.

Since melanoma can occur in areas of the body with little to no sun exposure, doctors believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors  including UV exposure  may lead to melanoma, according to the Mayo Clinic.

People with a family history of melanoma are more likely to develop the cancer. One in 10 people diagnosed with melanoma have a family member who was also diagnosed with the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Symptoms & diagnosis

The first signs of melanoma appear as an unusual mole or as changes to an existing mole.

A mole that is asymmetric in shape, has a ragged border, has uneven coloration, is larger than the diameter of a pencil eraser and has changed in appearance may be a sign of melanoma.

An easy way to remember what changes to look for in moles is to refer to your ABCs: A is for asymmetry, B is for border, C is for color, D is for diameter and E is for evolving, Day said.

A mole that bleeds or itches is also a warning sign for melanoma.

Trained dermatologists can perform head-to-toe screenings to find any irregular moles. However, the only way to diagnose melanoma is with a biopsy, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A MelaFind scanner, a technology developed in conjunction with NASA, can also help doctors examine suspect moles. The researchers who developed MelaFind scanned and biopsied more than 10,000 brown marks, and developed an algorithm that gives information about the lesion, Day said.

The scan, which costs about $175 out of pocket for an examination of several spots, can look 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) down into the skin, and doesn't require cutting, Day said.

If the scan finds the spot may be cancerous, doctors will biopsy the area and send it to a lab, where researchers "look at the pattern of cells and how quickly they're dividing, and then they give us a report," Day said.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Learn more about melanoma at MyHealthNewsDaily.com.

Treatment

Melanoma often has good prognosis when the cancer is caught early. If the lesion has not spread beyond the surface of the skin, simple surgery may be enough to cure cancer.

"If it's less than 1 millimeter [0.04 inches], then we just cut it out with a good margin," Day said.

The National Cancer Institute estimates people diagnosed with localized melanoma have a five-year survival rate of 91.7 percent. Luckily, 84 percent of melanoma cases are diagnosed at this stage.

However, if melanoma spreads to other parts of the body, it can be difficult to treat, according to the NIH.

If the spot is more than 1 millimeter in depth, doctors may do a sentinel node biopsy, which uses a dye to see if the tumor has spread to the lymph node system. Then, doctors will remove the spot, as well as the dyed lymph nodes, which are then checked for cancer. If the sentinel nodes are cancer-free, then the cancer probably hasn't spread, and doctors won't have to remove more lymph nodes, Day said.

If a person has melanoma, doctors will also check the person's head and chest.

"Every cancer has its place it likes to go," Day said. "Melanoma likes to go to the brain and the lungs, so we get chest X-ray and a brain scan."

If melanoma has spread under the skin to nearby lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate is 62 percent. If it has spread to distant parts of the body, the five-year survival rate is 16 percent.

People whose melanoma has spread beyond their skin may require chemotherapy, radiation or biological therapy to treat the cancer. Traditional chemotherapy doesn't work well for melanoma, but many patients use interferon, a protein that helps the immune system.

"[But] interferon unfortunately was not an ideal treatment because it extends life for 11 months or so in advanced cases, but it was a miserable 11 months," Day said.

Now, doctors can map each person's melanoma to see whether it has a genetic pattern that can be treated with chemotherapy. "And if it does, there are some specific chemo agents that work better, and have a much greater chance of remission and long-term survival with [fewer] side effects," Day said.

Metastatic, or spreading, melanoma used to be a death sentence, but now it's "basically a chronic illness," she said.

The National Cancer Institute has a list of current medications and treatments for melanoma. There are currently many medical trials being performed with possible new treatments for melanoma.

Prevention

Preventing melanoma can be a lifelong task, but it only takes a few simple precautions to reduce the risk.

Avoiding tanning beds is an easy step, as is wearing sunscreen year-round. Choose a sunscreen that has a high SPF rating for the best protection. "Use a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF, even on overcast days," said Dr. Dheeraj Taranath, a regional medical director with MedExpress in Reading, Pennsylvania. Here is some important information on sunscreen. Wearing hats, visors and tightly woven clothing is also a great way to block UV rays.

Finally, staying out of the midday sun  between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  will protect skin from the sun's radiation when it is strongest.

"Stay out of the sun and get regular skin cancer screenings so that if you find it, you find it early," Day said.

Additional reporting by Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor.

Additional resources
Can you name the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S.? Nearly half of women can't, a new study finds  and that's a problem, researchers say.

The answer is heart disease. But 45 percent of women in the new study were unaware that this condition is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S.

About 400,000 women in the U.S. died from heart disease in 2016  a number that's higher than deaths in women from all types of cancer combined, according to the study, published today (June 22) in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. [Heart of the Matter: 7 Things to Know About Your Ticker]

Uncertainty surrounding heart disease in women also extends to doctors, the researchers said. Only 22 percent of primary-care physicians in the study said they felt well-prepared to assess heart disease risk in their female patients.

"Increasing awareness of cardiovascular disease in women has stalled with no major progress in almost 10 years, and little progress has been made in the last decade in increasing physician awareness or use of evidence-based guidelines to care for female patients," the lead study author, Dr. C Noel Bairey Merz, a cardiologist and the director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at The Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, said in a statement.

In the study, the researchers interviewed more than 1,000 women, ages 25 to 60, as well as 200 primary- care physicians and 100 cardiologists, about their attitudes, knowledge and beliefs surrounding heart disease.

The researchers found that awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women was lower in women with lower education levels and incomes, as well as in ethnic minorities.

Nearly three-quarters of the women in the study (71 percent) said that they "almost never" raised the issue of heart health with their doctor, the study found, and 49 percent said that they assumed their doctor would mention heart health if there was an issue.

But only 39 percent of the primary physicians surveyed said that they considered heart disease a top health concern for women. Rather, doctors were more likely to rate weight and breast cancer as more- pressing health problems. Just 7 percent of doctors reported that they discussed heart disease with their patients during every visit.

Even among cardiologists, less than half reported that they felt well-prepared to assess a women's risk of heart disease, the researchers found. Importantly, there are some differences between men's and women's hearts, meaning that different approaches are needed to treat the disease in men and women.

And though the majority of women in the study reported having a routine physical or wellness exam in the past year, only 40 percent said their exam had included a heart health assessment. About three-quarters of the women had at least one risk factor for heart disease, but only 16 percent said that they were told they were at risk by their doctors. [Where is Heart Disease Risk the Highest and Lowest? (Maps)]

On a positive note, among the women who did have heart health assessments, 76 percent said their doctors discussed the results with them, and 96 percent said they understood the results from these discussions.

The study also uncovered stigmas surrounding heart disease for women.

For example, the researchers found that 26 percent of women said they find heart disease embarrassing, because they assumed their risk was solely linked to their weight. They felt that their heart disease was a signal to others that they are not eating right or exercising. In fact, 45 percent of women surveyed said they had canceled or postponed a doctor's appointment until they could lose a few pounds. But there are many other risk factors, including family history, high blood pressure, irregular menstrual periods and certain pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia.

"These findings suggest a need to destigmatize cardiovascular disease for women," Bairey Merz said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Congress took formal steps on Thursday toward requiring the US military to establish a dedicated "Space Corps," as concern mounts over the vulnerability of American space assets and their central role in modern war-fighting.

The move came with a stinging rebuke to the US Department of Defense from key members of the House Armed Services Committee, who asserted that Pentagon leadership doesn't appear to grasp how delays and cost-overruns stemming from a "crippling" organizational structure are threatening America's military readiness in space.

"We are convinced that the Department of Defense is unable to take the measures necessary to address these challenges effectively and decisively, or even recognize the nature and scale of its problems," said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), who chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee for Strategic Forces, and Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), the subcommittee's ranking member, in a joint statement. "Thus, Congress has to step in."

On Thursday, the subcommittee formally introduced a proposal to add language to the National Defense Authorization Act that would require the creation of a separate military service by January 1, 2019 to be directly responsible for space programs  a role that is currently occupied primarily by the Air Force.

The new Space Corps would be led by its own chief of staff, joining the existing joint chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

RELATED: 'Space Aggressors' Are Training US Forces for Extraterrestrial Conflict

Yet the Space Corps chief would answer to the civilian secretary of the Air Force and technically remain within the Air Force as a distinct service branch  similar to the way the Marine Corps technically functions within the Navy. Some senior Air Force officials have spoken out against the arrangement.

Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said on Wednesday that she opposes the creation of a Space Corps.

"The Pentagon is complicated enough. We're trying to simplify. This will make it more complex, add more boxes to the organization chart and cost more money," she said during a visit to Capitol Hill. "If I had more money, I would put it into lethality, not bureaucracy."

Yet backers say the creation of a Space Corps would elevate the priority of space as a war-fighting environment, as countries like China and Russia develop weapons that could neutralize the advantage America now enjoys from its vast network of communications, targeting and navigation satellites.

That network includes the Global Positioning System, or GPS, which is currently operated by the Air Force.

Rogers said on Thursday that he was "outraged" by the pushback on the proposal from Air Force leadership.

"I've been shocked by the response from the Air Force leadership. Did they miss where the Chinese and the Russians have already reorganized space operations? The Chinese literally have a space force today," he remarked. "If she can't implement this proposal without creating six new deputy chiefs of staff, that's on her. Maybe we need a Space Corps secretary instead of an Air Force secretary leading space."

RELATED: Ted Cruz: US Satellites Are Vulnerable to 'Truly Chilling' Enemy Attack

Rogers and Cooper called the creation of a Space Corps "a first, but critical step towards fixing the National Security Space enterprise."

"There is bipartisan acknowledgement that the strategic advantages we derive from our national security space systems are eroding," Rogers and Cooper said in their statement. "The adversary will continue to build capabilities to hold our space assets at risk. For that reason, we must act now to fix national security space and put in place a foundation for defending space as a critical element of national security."

In May, Gen. David Goldfein, the chief of staff of the Air Force, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that creating a separate and distinct Space Corps within the Air Force would mostly cause confusion.

"I don't support it at this time," the general said, in comments reported by SpaceNews. "Right now, to get focused on a large organizational change would actually slow us down. Whether there's a time in our future where we want to take a look at this again, I would say that we keep that dialog open, but right now I think it would actually move us backwards."

The measure still has to be approved by the full committee, then passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President Donald Trump before it is implemented.

Original article on Seeker.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from the Endangered Species List yesterday (June 22).

The decision to return the Yellowstone bears to state and tribal management reflected rebounding grizzly numbers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), a region that encompasses Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said in a statement.

However, scientists and Tribal Nations representatives have argued against the delisting, citing that the bears aren't out of the woods just yet, according to a statement published online by the Sierra Club, a nonprofit environmental organization. [Species Success Stories: 10 Animals Back from the Brink]

About 700 bears currently inhabit the GYE  up from 136 individuals in 1975  and their range covers 2,500 square miles (6,475 square kilometers). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) found the population to be stable and sustainable, determining that the bears had reached a recovery point that no longer required federal protections, representing "one of America's great conservation success stories," Zinke said.

Grizzly bears "have long warranted delisting," as they have met or exceeded recovery objectives since 2003, Wyoming governor Matt Mead said in a statement published online by the governor's office.

Grizzly bears were listed as endangered in 1975. They were delisted in 2007, but protections were reinstated by a federal judge in 2009, stating that the USFWS had overlooked the decline of an important food source for the bears, and Mead requested removing grizzly bears' endangered status again in 2013.

But many remain skeptical about the bears' prospects, despite USFWS assurances. Some experts say that the grizzlies' recovery is still a work in progress, and without federal oversight, the progress that the bears have enjoyed in recent years could quickly be reversed, according to Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club.

"Without necessary endangered species protections, the survival of grizzly bears in Greater Yellowstone is put in jeopardy," Brune said in the Sierra statement.

The Yellowstone bears' delisting follows another recent legislative decision that abolished other types of protections for bears in Alaska.

On March 21, the U.S. Senate voted to overturn hunting regulations in Alaska refuges that banned aerial hunting, trapping and baiting of grizzlies and other wildlife. Supporters of that resolution claimed that relaxing hunting restrictions against large predators would benefit other types of declining wildlife, but there is no evidence to support such a claim, Sierra Club representatives said in the statement.

"People and bears can coexist  and as grizzly recovery so far has demonstrated, can do so in a way that is highly beneficial to all," Brune said. "However, coexistence cannot work if misplaced political hostility continues to impede the ability of sound science to keep bears from sliding back towards extinction."

Original article on Live Science.
RACINE  For years, Julianne Estrada, 79, needed help going outside to enjoy the weather and be with her Chihuahuas.

When youre younger you never think youre going to be in this position, Estrada said.

Soon, Estrada will be getting a scooter and the timing couldnt be better. Over the last week, a group of teenagers has been working on building Estrada a wheelchair ramp from the front door of her home on Howe Street to the sidewalk.

Estradas home is one of 46 homes in the Racine Uptown neighborhood that have been chosen by the Racine Neighborhood Watch organization for the Home Repair Workcamp.

About 340 young adults from all over the country came to Racine to work on these homes.

Juan Chavez, Estradas son-in-law, said this ramp will completely change her life.

For her, its like winning the lottery, Chavez said. With this ramp, its going to give her time to take the dogs out and see them play.

Whole neighborhoods transform

Church youth groups from around the United States spent a week sleeping on classroom floors at Case High School. During the day, they work at homes around Racine.

For the 19th year, the Racine Neighborhood Watch has helped sponsor a neighborhood with residents in need of help with their homes. SC Johnson is one of the major sponsors of the weeklong camp.

Charlie French, Neighborhood Watch executive director, said the camp is something the City of Racine can be proud of.

We see whole neighborhoods transform, French said. Its a community effort.

French said about 1,000 homes have been improved since the program began.

The crews at each location are comprised of youths from the different groups. None of them know each other when they start, but bonds form as the week goes on.

Matt Floyd, 18, arrived on Sunday with a group of 10 people from Messiah Lutheran Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, in one van.

Its just amazing how close you can get to the crew and to the residents who you meet, and how much you actually affect their lives, Floyd said, adding he feels the camp brings faith groups together to be like Jesus. I like to follow his example and do something and help other people in other communities.

On the second day of work, Estrada ordered pizza for the youths.

Im thrilled to death because Im blessed that theyre here, Estrada said of the youths. I get up early so I can sit and watch the kids. And theyre always smiling.

A Godsend

Maria and Eduardo Gonzalez like to be as active as possible, but achy joints and backs have made tiding the house difficult.

We were migrant workers and we started working at a young age, Maria Gonzalez said. We wanted our kids to do better in life so we started working in factories.

The outside windows and porch of the Gonzalez home were in need of a new coat of paint.

Maria Gonzalez was shocked when she heard the news that their house was chosen.

It was a Godsend, these kids are awesome, Gonzalez said. Were so touched. We never qualify for anything.

Adult leader John Lindell came with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville, Ill., and said its great to spend time around these youths.

Its great to see the kids put their faith in action helping others, Lindell said. If youve lost faith in the youth of America, all you have to do is come to an outing like this, a work camp, and it really changes the way you see kids.

For Jenna Tolan, 15, of Eau Claire, this was her third mission trip.

Its really inspiring, Tolan said. I really like to stay active in the church during the summer and I always think this is a good way to get out there.
A huge crack, that's now some 109 miles (175 km) long, can be seen in the Antarctic Peninsula's Larsen C ice shelf in this aerial image captured on Nov. 10, 2016, as part of NASA's IceBridge mission.

The Larsen C ice shelf is about to calve one of the biggest icebergs on record. The iceberg-to-be is hanging on by a thread, with just eight miles of solid ice standing in the way of a rift that's spent years carving through the ice. Scientists can track the growth of the crack with precision during the summer season by flying over it, but even during the dead of Antarctic night, they're still able to see it clearly thanks to eyes in the sky.

Two European satellites, known as Sentinel-1, criss-cross over the region every six days like clockwork. Their sensors are able to see through clouds and darkness to provide a real-time image of the most-watched patch of ice on the planet.

"The close monitoring of this rift really is a success story for Sentinel-1," Adrian Luckman, a glaciologist at Swansea University, said.

RELATED:

The Larsen C Iceberg Is on the Brink of Breaking Off NOAA's New Satellite Sent Back Its First Amazing Images Scientists Saw a Nearly Unheard of Antarctic Meltdown

Luckman is part of Project MIDAS, a team of researchers intently monitoring the crack. He said without the satellite, researchers would only have access to low-resolution images or have to pay for data from private companies.

The evolution of the crack across the Larsen C ice shelf (seen in the lower right-hand corner) as it spreads 38 miles from January 2016-January 2017. (Image credit: European Space Agency)

To monitor Larsen C, scientists are using what's known as synthetic aperture radar. It's particularly useful in polar regions because it can see through clouds and darkness, both of which are plentiful at certain times of the year at high latitudes. The same technology has also been used on space probes to image the surface of cloud-covered Venus.

With Larsen C likely to calve one of the largest icebergs on record, having instruments that can track it no matter the condition is crucial to improving researchers' understanding of the polar regions. While the rift on Larsen C is likely due to natural causes, the instability that climate change is fueling in the Antarctic make these types of observations essential to know what comes next.

Because it's polar orbiting, the Sentinel-1 mission also provides information on what's happening on the other end of the planet. Climate change is taking a toll on the Arctic that's in some ways even more dramatic. Sea ice is disappearing at an alarming clip and Greenland's massive ice sheet and other land ice is also melting.

Monitoring changes now can help improve future predictions, but the satellites also provide important observations that can be used now in an otherwise data-sparse region.

"Their high resolution measurements are of significant value for numerous stakeholders beyond just scientists, e.g., shipping industry during the Arctic summer (and) navigation through sea ice," Zack Labe, a PhD student studying the Arctic at the University of California, Irvine, said in an email. "I think this is a key point that we often forget. These remote sensing observations (like from the Sentinels) provide services to many industries on both land and water."

Labe pointed to monitoring oil spills and creating forecasts for the Arctic as just two of the uses for the Sentinel-1 satellite data.

The two satellites are managed by the European Space Agency as part of its Copernicus program, which is designed to create a comprehensive monitoring program for changes around the world. There are three other missions currently in orbit and three more will be launched in the coming years.

Together, they'll be used to monitor a wide array of planetary vital signs at a time when the world is rapidly changing due to carbon pollution.

You May Also Like: Atlantic Oil Surveys Could Kill Food Used By Fisheries It's So Hot in Phoenix, Planes Can't Take Off Desert Basins Could Hold Missing' Carbon Sinks Half of World Could See Deadly Heat Waves By 2100

Original article on Climate Central.
As many countries move toward legalizing pot, officials in Canada are releasing guidelines for how people can lower the health risks that may be associated with the drug if they choose to use it.

The guidelines, which were released today (June 23) by the Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse, are meant to educate marijuana users so that they can make choices that could modify the risks from the drug. The researchers likened the new pot guidelines to recommendations that already exist to help people lower the risks associated with drinking alcohol. [Mixing the Pot? 7 Ways Marijuana Interacts with Medicines]

"Factual, science-based information can provide guidance to cannabis users to make choices that reduce both immediate and long-term risks to their health," Dr. Benedikt Fischer, a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Ontario, who led the development of the guidelines, said in a statement.

In Canada, more than 10 percent of adults, and 25 percent of teens, say they've used marijuana in the past year, the researchers wrote in the guidelines. In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the country. For comparison, around 13 percent of people ages 12 and older in the United States report having used marijuana in the past year, according to a 2016 study.

Marijuana use is linked with health risks that occur soon after smoking the drug, such as problems with thinking, memory and coordination; hallucinations; and risk of injury (such as injuries that result from car crashes that occur when people drive impaired). The drug is also linked with long-term risks, such as mental health problems, marijuana dependence and chronic respiratory or lung problems, according to the guidelines.

As with any drug or risky behavior, the best way for people to reduce the risks from marijuana is to avoid using it altogether, the guidelines say. But people who choose to use marijuana are advised to follow these guidelines:

Avoid using marijuana at a young age. Using marijuana before age 16 increases the likelihood of developing health, educational and social problems, according to the guidelines. Therefore, people should avoid using pot in their teen years. In general, the later in life a person starts using cannabis, the lower their risks of problems will be.

Using marijuana before age 16 increases the likelihood of developing health, educational and social problems, according to the guidelines. Therefore, people should avoid using pot in their teen years. In general, the later in life a person starts using cannabis, the lower their risks of problems will be. Choose "lower risk" cannabis products. Products with high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are more likely to be harmful to health, the guidelines say. However, cannabidiol (CBD), another compound in marijuana, may counteract some of the harms of THC. As such, products with high levels of CBD relative to THC may reduce some of the drug's risks, according to the guidelines.

Products with high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are more likely to be harmful to health, the guidelines say. However, cannabidiol (CBD), another compound in marijuana, may counteract some of the harms of THC. As such, products with high levels of CBD relative to THC may reduce some of the drug's risks, according to the guidelines. Don't use synthetic cannabinoids . These products, sometimes called "K2" or "Spice," are linked with serious side effects, including death.

These products, sometimes called "K2" or "Spice," are linked with serious side effects, including death. Avoid smoking cannabis. The traditional way of smoking cannabis  by lighting it and letting it burn  can harm the lungs and respiratory system, especially when the cannabis being smoked is combined with tobacco. Alternative inhalation methods, such as vaporizers and e-cigarette devices, are less risky, but not risk-free, the guidelines say. Perhaps the safest way to use the drug is to choose marijuana edibles, because they bypass lung-related risks, the guidelines say, noting that edibles are not risk-free, either.

The traditional way of smoking cannabis  by lighting it and letting it burn  can harm the lungs and respiratory system, especially when the cannabis being smoked is combined with tobacco. Alternative inhalation methods, such as vaporizers and e-cigarette devices, are less risky, but not risk-free, the guidelines say. Perhaps the safest way to use the drug is to choose marijuana edibles, because they bypass lung-related risks, the guidelines say, noting that edibles are not risk-free, either. Avoid "deep inhalation" and "breath holding." These practices increase the amount of toxic material absorbed by the lungs, the guidelines say.

These practices increase the amount of toxic material absorbed by the lungs, the guidelines say. Limit cannabis use. Using cannabis frequently  for example, every day or almost every day  is linked with higher risks of health and social problems. To lower their risks, marijuana users are advised to aim for "occasional use," such as on weekends, or one day a week at most, the guidelines say.

Using cannabis frequently  for example, every day or almost every day  is linked with higher risks of health and social problems. To lower their risks, marijuana users are advised to aim for "occasional use," such as on weekends, or one day a week at most, the guidelines say. Don't drive or operate other machinery while under the influence of cannabis. Driving or operating machinery under the influence increases your risk of being involved in an accident. Users are advised to wait at least 6 hours after using the drug before driving or operating other machinery.

Driving or operating machinery under the influence increases your risk of being involved in an accident. Users are advised to wait at least 6 hours after using the drug before driving or operating other machinery. Avoid marijuana use if you are pregnant or at increased risk for problems that could result from use of the drug. People who have a history of psychosis or substance use disorder (or have a family member who does) should avoid using marijuana because they are at higher risk of mental health problems from the drug. Pregnant women should not use the drug because it could harm their fetus or infant, the guidelines say.

People who have a history of psychosis or substance use disorder (or have a family member who does) should avoid using marijuana because they are at higher risk of mental health problems from the drug. Pregnant women should not use the drug because it could harm their fetus or infant, the guidelines say. Avoid combining risks. The greater the number of risky pot behaviors a person engages in, the higher their risks of harm will be, the guidelines say. For example, users should avoid combining multiple risks, such as starting in their teens and using it every day, according to the guidelines.

"These guidelines are an important tool supporting a public health approach to cannabis use," said Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, which endorsed the guidelines. [Marijuana Could Treat These 5 Conditions]

"Through their widespread adoption, the guidelines will provide people who use cannabis with the information they need to manage their use and protect their health and well-being."

The guidelines are available as a public brochure and evidence summary for health professionals. The full scientific paper is published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

Original article on Live Science.
by Sara Guaglione , June 22, 2017

GateHouse Media has acquired five of Calkins Medias daily newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

This decision was made after extensive deliberation by the Calkins family and the knowledge that our businesses could best thrive in a company with broader resources and reach, said Mark Contreras, CEO of Calkins Media, according to a report by the Ellwood City Ledger.

The nearly 80-year-old family-owned company has sold off its newspaper assets. Five of its papers  including The Bucks County Courier Times, The Doylestown Intelligencer, The Beaver County Times,TheEllwood City Ledger and The Burlington County Times in New Jersey  will be bought by GateHouse Media.

GateHouse Media also acquired Calkins Digital, its online marketing service.

The Uniontown Herald-Standard, weekly Greene County Messenger and SWC Properties will be purchased by Ogden Newspapers.

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The deals are expected to close June 30.

"We serve both readers and advertisers, GateHouse CEO Kirk Davis said, according to a report by The Ellwood City Ledger. The readers have our pledge to uphold the strong journalistic tradition the Calkins family has brought for 80 years. And the local business community has our pledge to bring innovative new products, particularly in the digital space, to complement the strong products already in place to reach their target audience as effectively as possible."

GateHouse Media publishes over 600 community publications, including 130 daily newspapers and 555 local market sites in 36 states.

Ogden Newspapers owns more than 40 daily newspapers, along with a number of weeklies and a magazine division.

Calkins board member Stan Ellis expressed to The Ellwood City Ledger the companys concern for the past several years was whether we would have the resources" to adjust "to the changing patterns of news consumers.

When it became clear that would not be the case, we came to the painful decision that we would have to find media companies that shared our vision and had the resources to complete what we started, he said.

Charles C. Smith, a board member and a third-generation member of the Calkins family, added: The sole driving factor was the economics in running a paper in todays world."

The sale is part of a national trend of local, family-owned media operations bought by larger conglomerates, such as Gannett's acquisition last year of North Jersey Media Group, which was owned by the Borg family for four generations.

GateHouse Media has acquired several publications since last year, including the Erie Times-News, The Fayetteville Observer and The Columbia Daily Tribune.

In April, Calkins Media sold off its TV assets.
by Josh Engroff , Op-Ed Contributor, June 22, 2017

One particularly arresting moment in William Gibsons cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer, occurs toward the end when Case, the protagonist, meets the eponymous and anthropomorphized AI face-to-face:

Youre the other AI. Youre Rio. Youre the one who wants to stop Wintermute. Whats your name?

The boy did a handstand in the surf, laughing. He walked on his hands, then flipped out of the waterTo call up a demon you must learn its name. Men dreamed that, once, but now it is real in another way. You know that Case.

A Turing codes not your name

Neuromancer, the boy said, slitting long gray eyes against the rising sunNeuro from the nerves, the silver paths. Romancer. Necromancer. I call up the dead.

Few things in science are as weirdly uncanny as the AI with a knack for poetry. Consider the otherwise homicidal character of Roy Batty from Bladerunner. Roys murderous drive, it turns out, isnt just another dystopian archetype (see Skynet) but a sincere commitment to Dylan Thomas exhortation to burn and rave at the dying of the light.

Which is why Roys death soliloquy  deftly evoking a mixture of pride, wonder, and heartbreak in just three lines  comes as such a shock: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die. Roy, we hardly knew ya.

Of all the amazing capabilities that AI has now unlocked for marketers  video analysis, image recognition, natural language understanding, conversational commerce, programmatic bid optimization, predictive analytics  artistic creation is not high on the list. The job of emotional storytelling, whether through text, video, audio (or some combination), still seems a uniquely human endeavor and thus, one assumes, immune to the disruptions of AI.

This may prove to be an old-fashioned assumption.

Last year in Japan, a short story co-written by an AI was shortlisted for the The Nikkei Hoshi Shinichi Literary Award; judges for the prize were not told which pieces were written by humans, and which by human / AI teams.

In the realm of music, the company Jukedeck has advanced its technology to the point that most listeners assume that the short musical pieces created by its AI are, in fact, created the old-fashioned way. As Ed Rex, the CEO of Jukedeck, put it: Were already at the stage where you can ask your phone to write you a novel soundtrack. Its not some futuristic idea  you can actually do it right now."

Three months ago, Googles AI research division announced a deep-learning tool to create music and art alongside humans. Among other things, this could be particularly useful for the short-form types of creative usually produced by agencies, like ad copy and jingles.

Any discussion of computational creativity or creative AI has to, at some point, define what it means by creativity. And defining creativity in objective terms turns out to be quite difficult. As an expedient oversimplification, we can speak of two types: generative creativity, and combinatorial creativity. Both types include the concept of originality, the idea that the new thing created is a novel thing in the world, not a replication of some already existing thing.

Generative creativity takes it a step further, in that the artwork thus created is, to the mind of its creator, wholly without precedent. It is original in the pure sense of originating from the artists mind, psyche, and sensory interactions with the world. This is often what people think of when they think of creativity.

It turns out, however, that the vast majority of creative output falls under the other category. Combinatorial Creativity is the novel combination of pre-existing ideas or objects. Picasso put a fine point on this artistic reality when he said good artists borrow; great artists steal.

If theres nothing new under the sun, then theres all the more reason to think that neural networks  accessing large data sets and trained through reinforcement learning  will not only significantly disrupt the creative economy, but completely redefine our understanding of artistic creativity.
RACINE  The men and women behind the success of Racines veterans village  the collection of tiny house built to house homeless vets  are looking to expand their program to other cities.

Doubling as a worker training program, the expansion plan centers around having Racines homeless vets build tiny houses and then shipping them to cities interested in having a veterans village of their own.

Leaders of the nonprofit Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin plan to present their plan to mayors from across country Monday at a U.S. Conference of Mayors gathering in Miami, a press release from Mayor John Dickerts office states.

"We're simply introducing that idea to the nation," Dickert said when reached Friday. "We want to see if they have interest in utilizing our folks in Racine to start building these."

Speaking to the conferences Ending Veterans Homelessness Task Force, VOW Director Jeff Gustin, VOW staff member Shannon Goodman, project facilitator Fiona Murphy and Dickert will share the story of a how a small group of people made a big thing happen for veterans in Racine, according to the release.

"These are the folks that helped create funding," Dickert said. "Jeff is the catalyst of this whole thing. All we did as a city was give them help to get this going."

Joining them will be Zack Giffin, host of the popular show "Tiny House Nation" on FYI TV. Giffin joined VOW for a house building/training session last summer. The event included veterans and community volunteers working to build two of the 15 houses expected to complete the veterans village.

The three-day training session was captured in a video that will be shared at the Monday's U.S. Conference of Mayors task force meeting.

Dickert believes the conference is a great venue for the presentation because mayors from around the country traditionally present on best practices being utilized in their cities. He added that President Barack Obama challenged mayors during his term to eliminate veteran homelessness.

"We had to figure out on our own what are ways to solve this," Dickert said. "We took it to the next level."

As of earlier this month, there were nine houses at the Racine veterans village.
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, June 22, 2017

The Association of National Advertisers is seeking to rally opposition to a proposed California privacy law that would require broadband providers to obtain consumers' opt-in consent before drawing on their online browsing history for ad purposes.

The bill, introduced this week by Assemblyman Ed Chau, "will set a dangerous precedent and potentially lead other states to adopt their own ISP privacy laws as well, creating a hazardous web of conflicting state-by-state laws for any company operating in the online space," ANA executive vice president Dan Jaffe writes in a blog post opposing the measure.

Eighteen other states are considering passing new online privacy bills, but the ANA finds California's proposal particularly concerning. "Due to Californias enormous impact on the U.S. economy in general, if this legislation were to pass, it would create broad adverse precedents and have immediate substantially harmful marketplace impacts," Jaffe writes.

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Jaffe adds that the ANA opposes state legislation in this area. "These kinds of broad national issues should be regulated at the federal level," he tells MediaPost.

Chau's measure comes three months after President Donald Trump signed a repeal of nationwide privacy rules passed last year by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC's nixed rules also required broadband providers to obtain subscribers' explicit consent before using their online browsing history for behavioral advertising.

A large majority of the public appeared to support the FCC's regulations. An April survey by Huffington Post and YouGov reportedly showed that more than 70% of Republicans and Democrats wanted Trump to veto the repeal.

Privacy advocates have long said broadband providers should obtain people's explicit permission before tracking them for ad purposes. Among other reasons, advocates argue that Internet service providers are uniquely positioned to capture comprehensive data about subscribers, because only ISPs have access to all unencrypted sites visited by customers.

The ANA -- along with broadband providers and Google -- opposed the FCC's scrapped privacy regulations. Opponents generally argued that all companies, including broadband providers, should be able to collect and use most Web browsing data on an opt-out basis. (Currently, many online ad companies allow allow consumers to opt out of receiving targeted ads, but require opt-in consent before serving ads based on a narrow category of "sensitive" data -- like financial account numbers, or health information.)

Not all online trade groups agree with the ANA. Jason Kint, CEO of the online publishers' group Digital Content Next, says the organization is still analyzing Chau's bill, but generally supports "a higher bar for any company tracking consumers across the entire web."

He adds: "Consumers don't expect it and there clearly needs to be more transparency and effective choice for consumers."
by Tanya Gazdik , June 23, 2017

Tesla is traveling across North America with its first-ever mobile gallery to expose consumers to features of its Model S and Model X.

Pulled by the Model X SUV, which can tow up to 5,000 pounds, this custom Airstream trailer is retrofitted to showcase all interior and exterior vehicle options. Tesla product experts will be on hand to answer questions and show consumers how electric vehicles can fit seamlessly into their lifestyle, according to the automakers website.

Consumers are invited to make suggestions on the website where they would like the automaker to visit.

The program, called Tesla Explores, kicked off at The Oaks on June 16 - 18 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. It is currently at the Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah, through June 29 before heading east for stops in northern Michigan, New York and Connecticut.

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The brand will hit two different resorts in Michigan, the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme from June 29 to July 9 and Chrystal Mountain in Thompsonville July 11 - 17.

In 2014, Crystal Mountain became one of Teslas first Destination Driving Partners in Michigan, adding two Tesla stations among its five complimentary electric vehicle charging stations at its location 28 miles southwest of Traverse City. Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, which is northeast of Traverse City, recently joined the Tesla network with the installation of three Tesla Destination Charging Stations at the beginning of June.

After the stops in northern Michigan, Tesla will travel to Ann Arbor during the Art Fair July 20 - 23 and it will be in Grand Rapids July 27 - 31, according to The Detroit News. The automaker already was in downtown Detroit outside of Shinolas flagship store for a week in early June.

As the law currently stands, Michigan consumers cannot buy a Tesla without going to another state or going online. Tesla was barred from opening a store in Michigan three years ago when Gov. Rick Snyder signed a law banning automakers from selling vehicles directly to consumers.

The New York and Connecticut stops include Woodbury Common in Central Valley, N.Y. , June 14 - 17, June 28 - July 3, Aug. 3 - 7 and Aug. 10 - 14; the Greenwich Polo Club on June 18 and June 25; Saybrook Inn and Spa in Old Saybrook, Conn., July 24 - 28; Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, N.Y., July 7 - 17; James Vineyard in Jamesport, N.Y. on June 24, July 22, Aug. 5 and Aug. 26; and the Bridgehampton Museum in Bridgehampton, N.Y., July 6 - 9.
by Larissa Faw , Staff Writer, June 23, 2017

CANNES, FRANCE  "It is difficult for women to be taken seriously," said Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director. "I think one of the reasons I was elected chairman of the IMF had to do with the fact that the firm was doing very poorly  and I don't think any man wanted the job.

"It takes sometimes a rotten situation for a women to rise to the top. I take more pride that at the end of my term, I was reelected unanimously. People either have trust or they don't. In this case, they did," she says.

"When you look at the situation of young girls, you have to get to the root and invent solutions that deal with real issues," she says.

Now, when the IMF helps a country with stability and economic support, they must allocate a part of the budget to improve basic services. If transportation systems aren't sufficient, for instance, they must take into account the protection of passengers, particularly women.

The IMF has also "creatively" expanded its purview beyond emerging markets. The IMF is actively engaged in Europe as a provider of policy advice, financing and technical assistance, which was "much resented at the time," she adds.

The quest for gender equality will continue to be a struggle at the geopolitical level and requires input and cooperation from both men and women. One mind-boggling fact: The IMF studied 140 members to find 90% had guidelines in their legal systems or constitutions that discriminated against women.

Although many supporters wanted Lagarde to run for president of France, she has no regrets.

"I don't look back too much. I am doing a much better job than I would have ever done in the election. It may not be as glamorous or attract as much spotlight," but her role in the IMF helps to reduce corruption and make the world a better place. "I am using my time much better. I am not dismissive, but that is what I can do."
by Sara Guaglione , June 23, 2017

Wenner Media has sold Mens Journal to American Media Inc., just three months after it sold Us Weekly to the same publisher.

Now, Wenner Media is down to two publications: Rolling Stone and gaming site Glixel, which it launched last November.

In September, Wenner Media sold a 49% stake in Rolling Stone to BandLab Technologies, a digital music and media company based in Singapore.

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Gus Wenner, Wenner Medias head of digital and son of company founder Jann Wenner, toldThe New York Times the Men's Journal sale was not planned.

We werent proactively on the market with Mens Journal, but the opportunity came up, and it kind of fits in with our plans and our desire to really continue to grow Rolling Stone, he said. It just made sense.

David J. Pecker, CEO of AMI, told the NYT he was attracted to Mens Journal because it opens up the opportunity to attract more premium advertisers online and in print.

With the acquisition of Mens Journal, AMI further establishes itself as a premium content producer by adding another respected media brand with a highly engaged, affluent audience, Pecker stated.

AMI owns three other men-focused magazines: Mens Fitness, Flex and Muscle & Fitness.

Earlier this week, another magazine publisher, Rodale Inc., announced it was exploring strategic alternatives for the company that could include a sale of its brands, including male-focused Mens Health. Pecker told the NYT he intends to pursue that magazine very aggressively.

Launched in 1992 by Wenner Media, Mens Journal has a total audience of nearly 5 million. The company claims it had a 130% growth in unique visitors to the site from December 2014 to December 2016.

Mens Journal has captivated their passionate audience with distinctive content for the past 25 years, and it has been immensely gratifying to watch the brands growth and success, stated the younger Wenner.

A week after AMI bought Us Weekly, around half of its 120 employees were let go.

However, Pecker told the NYT he plans to keep all 25 staffers currently employed at Mens Journal.
by Larissa Faw , June 23, 2017

CANNES, FRANCE  Adam&EveDDB has received more than 124 creative awards over the past five years, including the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix at the 2016 Cannes Lions for client John Lewis. At the heart of their winning approach is creative that evokes strong emotions.

Paul Bainsfair, director general, IPA joined James Murphy, global CEO, adam&eveDDB, Richard Brim, chief creative officer, adam&eveDDB and Craig Inglis, customer director, John Lewis at a Cannes Lions session Friday to discuss the partnership.

The retailer was a "sleeping giant" with a special place in the retail landscape, says Inglis. The "clear problem" was that John Lewis maintained massive trust among shoppers, but not enough desire. "Even loyal customers were visiting once a year and buying one product," says Murphy.

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Research showed customers were heaping brand love upon the retailer. The problem: "They weren't acting with their feet to get into the stores."

The agency's proposition was to ask how do we capture the relationships John Lewis has with its customers?

The creative introduced a series of heart-warming Christmas spots, such as a boy with a stuffed penguin he believes is real and following a girl as she ages through her life. There is no product and no branding until the end.

The first phase launched with a single TV spot. Social-media support was soon added. Following years have extended into books, games and apps. We don't want to over-commercialize or over-leverage, but it takes us into more channels where customers want to engage with us, says Inglis. "It takes more effort to keep it fresh."

Now, John Lewis and adam&eveDDB have drawn competition from several rival British retailers that have upped their ad game. They try to out-do Lewis with campaigns during the holiday season. "Whoever they are, they have to be authentic to their brand," says Inglis. "One of the things I am proudest of is that [our campaign] rings true. It reflects the business of John Lewis."
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 23, 2017

Fast growing German grocery chain Aldi has been told by a self-regulatory group to revise ads on YouTube as well as in print ads.

The company, which is planning a $3.4 billion U.S. expansion, boasted in print ads that ran in Texas that shoppers could save up to 50% on their grocery bills by shopping at Aldi instead of Kroger, Wal-Mart and HEB Grocery.

The company also ran nationwide print ads and YouTube ads, with the latter featuring bloggers and consumers posting videos of themselves shopping at Aldi. The YouTube ads allegedly included an on-screen statement that people "really do save up to 50%* by switching to Aldi," but the asterisk didn't link back to any disclosures.

HEB, which is based in San Antonio, Texas, challenged the ads to the National Advertising Division, a self-regulatory unit administered by the Better Business Bureau. HEB argued that Aldi's ads were problematic for several reasons, including that the claims regarding discounts were based on comparisons between Aldi's own private label brands and national brands.

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HEB alleged that it has three competing private-label brands for most of the products advertised by Aldi, and that HEB's prices are either similar to or cheaper than Aldi's private-label brands.

Siding against Aldi, the NAD recommended that the company stop running the challenged ads, and also "ensure that future price comparisons clearly define the basis of comparison, are limited based on the scope of the comparison."

The NAD added that if Aldi is comparing its prices to those of competitors that sell their own private-label products, Aldi should "avoid the implication ... that the competitor does not make a private-label product."

The watchdog also recommended that any disclosures by Aldi should be clear and conspicuous, and in close proximity to the claim.

Aldi unsuccessfully argued that the NAD lacked jurisdiction on the ground that the NAD only deals with national advertising. The store said that HEB's initial challenge involved print ads that only appeared in Texas, and that HEB didn't raise questions about the national print ads or YouTube ads until later it filed a reply letter to the NAD.

The NAD concluded it has jurisdiction, noting that the ads -- including the YouTube campaign -- were "disseminated to a sufficiently substantial portion of the United States."

Aldi plans to follow the recommendation, but will also appeal the decision to the National Advertising Review Board, according to the NAD.
by Erik Sass @eriksass1, June 23, 2017

Facebook says it wants to help publishers achieve more regular, predictable monetization via its Audience Network, which allows advertising clients to extend the reach of their messages by delivering ads on sites outside of Facebook itself.

To do that, starting in November, publishers will have to conform with some new rules, which the social media giant previewed in a recent blog post.

The new rules require publishers that wish to continue participating in the Audience Network to cache ads for 60 minutes or less, meaning they must request the ad less than an hour before showing it to the viewer; any ads that appear after the 60-minute mark will no longer be considered viable by Facebook for revenue-generating purposes. Facebook explained that this will help it optimize ad performance.

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Facebook also wants publishers to begin organizing their ad placements in its new ad spaces feature, which should enable better reporting and analytics. That benefits publishers with more detailed understanding of how their ads are faring with their audiences; the ad spaces feature became available on the Audience Network dashboard on June 22.

More prosaically, publishers need to upgrade to one of Facebooks more recent software development kits, namely version 4.23 for iOS and Android, or 4.22 for Unity. Facebook is also asking publishers to limit themselves to one iOS and one Android bundle package, which allow data to be passed across different activities, for each of their apps on the Audience Network.

Facebook acknowledged that, as part of the changes, publishers will have to migrate users to their new version of the app, which can be a time-consuming process  thus the long lead time.

The social network also suggested that they get going now. After November 1, the Audience Network will no longer deliver ads to old versions of apps that dont conform with the new minimum standards.

Its not all gritty work. Facebook has offered some concessions to publishers as well  at least for those publishing directly on Facebook itself. On that note, last month it announced its Instant Articles publishing platform will henceforth be compatible with other major platforms, including Google AMP, a rival system for creating and distributing fast-loading multimedia content.

There are also plans to add compatibility with Apple News.
Were excited to announce that metalbulletin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com.

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Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials.

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VILLAGE OF WATERFORD  An ordinance change is being considered after discussion at the Planning Commission Wednesday night regarding the villages backyard chicken ordinance.

Village code forbids the ownership of livestock or poultry. But 5-year-old Abby Hittman and her family want to change the ordinance in order to keep their three Rhode Island Reds.

I take great pride in raising and caring for my three hens named Susie, Rosie and Betty (nicknamed Chickalatta), Hittmans family wrote in a letter to the village.

A complaint from a resident brought the matter to the commission last month.

Village Clerk Rachel Ladewig said there was a lot of discussion on the matter and it is moving forward to the July 19 Plan Commission meeting.

The village attorney is expected to revise a draft ordinance and come up with an updated draft for the body to consider at the next meeting.

While the resident who complained could not be reached for comment, Beverly Vogel said she likes seeing Abby care for the birds.

Its terrible that someone would complain. The chickens arent hurting anybody. They have a nice fence back there. Theyre not going anywhere, Vogel said.

Last month, the more rural Town of Waterford declined to take up a similar request by town resident Tammie Begotka, the organizer of the Facebook group Waterford Backyard Chickens.

Town Chairman Tom Hincz told The Journal Times he is still against any ordinance.
While the Blue Jays got off to a terrible start in 2017, their strong play from late April through early June has them back in the mix for a Wild Card spot, writes MLB.coms Mark Feinsand as part of a look at numerous trade-related topics. As such, the Jays dont seem like obvious sellers at the moment  a sentiment that GM Ross Atkins himself suggested to Feinsand. Obviously were not pleased with our record, but were pleased with the fact that our team was able to dig out of a significant hole, the GM said. Now were very much in it. We cant climb back into one of those holes, because theres not as much time left. The Jays fell to 35-37 with tonights loss, though theyre still just five back in the AL East and 2.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot. Feinsand notes that the injury to Devon Travis makes second base the biggest need Toronto faces between now and the trade deadline and lists a few speculative targets for Toronto, including Ian Kinsler and Jed Lowrie.

A bit more from Feinsand and some other trade chatter to close out the night
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Sallah Fest, an annual feast and musical festival was launched on Wednesday, 13th June, 2017 on the Chapter O Street at Nima. The annual event which is largely credited for bringing together thousands of Muslims across the Muslim communities in Accra on one platform will be held on the 26th of June, 2017.

The festival which is in its six year, is a flagship event organized by EXP Ghana, an Experiential Marketing Agency with over 34 years of experiential marketing and PR experience and renowned Ghanaian Hiplife group VVIP, a three-man musical group who traces their roots from the Nima community and has over the years won a lot of laurels both in Ghana and abroad.

Addressing invited guests and the media at the launch NiiFutah, chief of Nima highlighted the importance of the Ramadan saying it is a month where Muslims all over the world are expected to be generous to others. ''The month of Ramadan is a remarkable month throughout the history of Islam, a month where rewards and alms are doubled. Generosity and giving are attributes that Allah likes for Muslims since Allah's and Prophet's generosity to their people also multiplies in the Ramadan period.

We should be most active in spending our wealth to help those who are less fortunate in our society. Let us all in this period of Ramadan keep in mind, the saying of 'Ubaid Ibn 'Umair, rahimahu Allah, on the day of judgment people will be gathered as hungry as they have ever been and as thirsty as they have ever been and as naked as they have ever been.

Then, he who has fed others for the sake of Allah, 'azzawajalla, Allah will feed him till he is full''. He again praised the efforts of sponsors and the organizers for their continual usage of the Nima community as the venue for this very important event and that he and his community is most grateful.

On their part, VVIP believes that the people of Nima contributed immensely towards their success and that there is the need for them to also come out with events such as Sallah Fest as a means of giving back to the community.

''This is our personal contribution to the community, which has made us who we are today and we as a group see this as an opportunity to invite to our community the Creme de la creme on the Ghanaian music scene to help us say thank you to the very people who made us and have supported us all this while in our career'' says VVIP.

Mr. Abdul Aziz Amankwa, the country Director of EXP Ghana, organizers of the event also commended the Chief and people of Nima and its environs as well as the all committed sponsors who have kept faith with the event for the past six years and praised their unflinching support for the annual event while welcoming new the sponsors on board. ''These sponsors have over the years been proving that, they care about their core targets and will do anything possible to promote events that will go a long way in touching the lives of their targets''.

He further indicated that this year's event will be the best patrons of the event have ever witnessed since the commencement of the event six years ago. ''This year, we are working hard to put together a lot of resources to increase our reach, in terms of numbers for the people we feed and give Ghanaians the best of concerts''... Mr. Abdul-Aziz Amankwa added.

Sponsors for this years Sallah Fest areFrytol cooking oil and Fortune rice all from Wilmar Africa Limited, Onga, Kingdom fruits, 4syte TV, MTN Ghana, Indomie, Zeex, as well as the EIB Group.

About EXP Ghana

EXP Ghana specializes in Experiential Marketing with a strong focus on brand activation, sponsorship management and social marketing. EXP has an African footprint with 16 offices in 11 different African countries. We have numerous experience in activating events and a proven track record in delivery. www.expagency.biz
23.06.2017 LISTEN

The HighGradeFamily Boss, Samini, and Ghana's Grammy Nominee, Rocky Dawuni, have safely arrived in Seattle, Washington DC in USA on Thursday, June 22 for the 4th Madaraka Concert which plays this Saturday, June 24th.

On arrival in Seattle, Samini featured on King 5 TV's "New Day" programme with a brief live set performance.

Samini and Rocky Dawuni will be playing along with other African Artistes Dynamq, Otieno Terry, Meklit Hadero, Chimurenga Renaissance, and other surprising guests and a runway fashion show all on one big stage.

For the fourth year, the Madaraka Festival returns for an incredible evening of music and purpose. This year's theme, 'African Music and Fashion,' hopes to defy stereotypes and showcase these topics in a different light through feature performances and a runway fashion show.

One Vibe Africa , the lead organizer of the Madaraka Festival, strives to create cultural and innovative programs and events to promote social welfare and economic empowerment for youth in the Manyatta slum of Kisumu, Kenya.

Samini's new song "My Own" done on the Reggae Fest Riddim produced by DJ Frass is doing very well on Ghanaian and African airwaves and social media.
20.06.2017 LISTEN

Founding member of the New Patriotic Party and former spokesperson for the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama (former vice president), Mr. David Kamkam Boadu have made known his intention to contest the national Chairmanship position of the party.

He disclosed this in an interview at his residence in Amasaman when he responded to questions pertaining to the future of his political career.

Mr. Boadu who is deeply rooted in the partys traditions and has attained a high profile party status noted that he, intend to contest for the Chairmanship position of the party in the not distance future.

According to him, maintaining the victory won by the party in the just ended 2016 polls demands a leader who demonstrates a high sense of humility and is in touch with the partys grassroots.

He further noted that, his boundless experience accumulated over the years through his massive engagement in party politics was needed to foster the partys fortunes in 2020. The distinct leadership qualities needed to run such a noble office obviously does not escape my sight. Im action driven and very dynamic in my approach towards achieving organizational goals he emphasized.

Mr. Boadu is a founding member of the Ghana Democratic Movement in the United Kingdom and was very much involve in the NPP UK. He is also the founder of NPP Milton Keynes until 2006 when he returned back to Ghana.

Mr. Boadu opined that, he is for the down trodden and neglected, and therefore poised to take the leadership mantle as chairman of the party. "I am selfless and my track record speaks volumes of my capabilities", he concluded.
23.06.2017 LISTEN

When I had the chance to make a presentation to the top management of a renowned company in Ghana (with a branch in the UK), I reiterated my controversial statement that, owning a business is not a catalyst for owning a brand. I saw the CEO pause to take note on his device (to ask for more explanations, maybe), he raised his eyebrows, probably putting two and three together but not finding five, and wondering. what is this guy talking about?

Indeed, any successful organisation is the result of a strong brand. However, the reverse cannot be true; big organisations do not produce strong brands. To put it in simple terms, various researches have proven that, continues patronage of a product or service is triggered by the emotional and psychological attachment the buyer has towards the organisation or its product. But, this attachment does not come as a result of the company having a beautiful office space, fleet of cars and even the best workers youd find on the market. Organisations have to strategically and creatively find their way into the hearts and minds of their target group  and to influence how they think and feel about your organisation, brand affiliation is NOT automatic! A brand is not what you say you are, it is what they say you are, and what they feel about you. It is for no other reason that Coca Cola spent billions of dollars to make a special bottle and have your name (Yaa, Kojo, Akosua etc) on it, they wanted to win your heart.

Often, unfortunately, start-ups, especially in this part of the world do not give the needed attention to the conscious effort of building a brand, they need the money to survive, and rightly so. But, if they should continue like this way, and nothing is done about it, the businesses will live only for as long as the founder is alive and has strength. For me, a successful business is one that can travel generations. I see start-ups spring up every day, and I see them die every day, too. It must be known that, the initial patronage of most products is mostly not based on well-thought-out decisions. Naturally, we are attracted to new thing, and for this reason, it is the beginning of doomsday if a business owner assumes otherwise, especially in the initial stages of the company or products. Continues patronage, rather, is based on a more rational thinking.

It is not a hidden fact that the brand growing process can be very herculean and capital intensive, but, you do not need money to grow a strong brand, at least as a start-up. Can you imagine how Apple, Coca Cola, Google etc. got here? Steve jobs started Apple from his garage, he knew little about building a brand, I guess. But his company today is valued at 170,276 $m (as at 2016), and Steve is gone. He had the idea, he built his company, and hes dead, but his company still lives on, that is the power of a brand; it gives you money even when you are in bed. The Apple brand is known basically for quality and class; the brand has been so much empowered that whoever is employed at any level of the organisation has to fit in or back out. It is only by this means that it continues to stay relevant even though the originator is gone.

This brings me to one of my branding theories; the quality element in the branding matrix. In this theory, I emphasise on the need for quality in the process of building brands. It is a fact that you cannot tell your clients what to think of you and how to feel about you, but you can influence them, to a very significant extent without having to advertise or employ PR strategies. As is said, experience is the best teacher, the quality of your product or service is the most powerful tool to tilting the perceptions and affections of your target group in your favour. You may get away with selling an inferior product with a beautiful advertising campaign, but it is only a matter of time and your product doesnt get a second look on the shelf. If you do not have the kind of budget to embark on a conscious brand building process, focus on producing quality.

You are not your brand. I know I have just gotten myself into trouble with you by now, but hold on, dont fret just yet. Of course, I know about personal branding and all its principles. But that isnt what am talking about, even if be the case, my statement still holds. Am talking about you subjecting yourself to the brand and its promise. How does a brand that says among its core values is creativity, have its owner or staff argue with a client because the client doesnt seem to know what she wants, yet, doesnt like any of the options made to her? As a trained graphic designer, I am not ignorant about how some clients will make you want to yell your lungs out and just die. But, that is YOU, the brand doesnt know your emotions, the brand only knows that it is creative, so, tuck your emotions in and serve the brand. Your personal character or feelings have no place in your brand, you are the interface to the brand, you are not the brand. You must subject yourself to the brand no matter what it takes. This guides you in building a consistent brand experience for your clients; they can be sure what kind of experience they get from you any day, anywhere. Live your brand, dont make your brand live you.

Emotions and perceptions are contiguous, if you want to build a strong brand as a start-up, you may want to ride on this. Do you remember the many times you have wanted to buy something because someone spoke so well about it that you couldnt wait to lay hands on them? How about an affectionate testimony given about a product by someone close to you that you fell in love with it and couldnt wait to experience the affection? The thing is, everyone you give a good report of yourself to naturally becomes your brand advocate; your product or service might not be top notch, but the experience makes them go on giving you some good recommendations. I have come to believe that, among other compelling factors that contribute to brand affiliation, referrals have such a phenomenal potency. Thus, ensure you leave the right memory customer after customer; sell your most significant brand attributes to each of them. At a point, youd segment your market space from the lot because you have a group of interrelated people who form your market base. When they are managed well, you win their loyalty and any time they consider a purchase, they are deaf and blind to any other brand but yours.

Finally, your appearance speaks a lot about you. Anytime you will have to meet ANYONE on behalf of your brand is an opportunity to add some bricks to your brand wall. The brand building process has everything to do with consistency, thus, your language, tone, accent, body posture, haircut, dressing etc. must have a significant percentage of consistency. If you need to meet a client, and you spilled some ketchup from your burger into your shirt, call off the meeting (just dont keep spilling ketchups in your shirt). If you have a cold, send someone else or reschedule the meeting more than anything else, you are your brand ambassador, how you are perceived affects your brand. You need to have your brands attribute in your DNA to be able to live it.

In growing your brand, you need to move at the speed of LIFE; treat the brand building process as though your life depended on it, and you lose it at the slightest peep of a disruption. Focus, diligence and consistency are key. Among other things, when the points made in this article are religiously considered, you will build a billion-dollar company with a $0 budget.

Kojo Botsio

(Branding and Advertising: Edio.)

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Geneva (AFP) - Red Cross volunteers prevented a significant number of Ebola cases during the 2013-2016 epidemic in West Africa by using safe burial techniques, according to a study released Thursday.

The outbreak that killed more than 11,300 people and sickened nearly 29,000 -- mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- could have been much worse, according to the study published in the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases medical journal.

Using statistical modelling, the study indicated that the efforts of Red Cross volunteers to properly bury the highly contagious bodies potentially averted as many as 10,452 Ebola cases, decreasing the scale of the outbreak by more than a third.

Due to the very high death toll at the beginning of the outbreak, there were meanwhile gaps in the statistics the researchers managed to gather, and they acknowledged that the number of averted cases could be as low as 1,411.

Early in the outbreak, "funeral practices and unsafe burials were causing large amounts of cases," said Amanda McClelland, an emergency health advisor with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

With traditional burial rites in the hard-hit west African countries requiring the kissing, washing and touching of the dead body, funerals quickly became "super-spreading events" with up to 70 people infected during a single ceremony, she told reporters.

Ensuring safe burials quickly became a priority in the fight against the deadly virus, along with isolating and treating the sick.

'Dangerous task'

Because of suspicion in the communities of outsiders and their intentions, the task of negotiating access and carrying out the burials fell especially to local volunteers.

Red Cross volunteers, wearing protective clothing, carry the body of a person who died from Ebola during a burial in Monrovia, Liberia, on January 5, 2015

In their bid to rein in the raging epidemic, the volunteers used the safe burial procedures for everyone who died in affected areas, regardless of their suspected cause of death.

In all, the Red Cross volunteer teams managed more than 47,000 safe burials, or more than half of all burials conducted during the outbreak, the IFRC said.

Organisation chief Elhadj As Sy said that efforts to understand and respect local culture and customs, as well as the families' feelings when faced with tragedy, had paid off.

"We stopped talking about dead body management and instead started talking about safe and dignified burials," he said in a statement.

"We talked to communities and did our best to understand their beliefs and priorities. Ultimately we earned their trust, and this was critical to success."

The IFRC had begun sending in a local to explain the situation before the volunteers in the yellow hazmat suits showed up, while also involving religious leaders in the efforts and allowing family members to touch the bodies while wearing protective gear, McClelland said.

About 1,500 trained local volunteers were involved in this work, sometimes at a high price.

Many of the volunteers remain stigmatised amid fears they might be carrying the disease, and some are struggling to find work.

"We do recognise that what we were asking of the volunteers was an arduous and dangerous task that would have long-term impacts," McClelland said.

The IFRC, she said, had been providing those in need with psychological and social support as well as food and services, along with small grants to help former volunteers start their own businesses.
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Lawrence Akosen, MTN Senior Manager for Customer Planning and Enablement, has urged businesses to invest in digital innovations for exceptional customer service delivery, in order to thrive in Ghanas competitive business space.

Sharing insights on Effective Customer Service Delivery during an interview at the Citi Breakfast Show organized as part of the Citi Business Festival, Mr. Akosen said that in an era where both customers and competitors are going digital, businesses that do not use digital channels of engagement set themselves up for failure.

Mr. Akosen advised businesses to recognise that given the extent of internet penetration and social media use, exceptional customer experience hinges mainly on digital innovations.

Reminding businesses that almost half of the world's population owned a mobile phone in 2015 and smart phone users are expected to reach 5.9 billion by 2021, he stated that, Digitalisation has transformed the way our customers discover, buy and engage with products and services.

We need to understand that customers want to reach us through avenues and platforms they are familiar and comfortable with; this means they want to interact through virtual assistance, social media and mobile apps, he said.

According to Mr. Akosen, it is important for businesses to understand that the nature of their customer service delivery contributes to the perception of them held by the public, and to a large extent, the definition of their brand.

We need to make one point clear: products can be copied and your competitor can easily get a copy of your strategy, he said. What distinguishes you from others  the only thing your competitor cannot copy - is the experience you give to your customers, he added.

Mr. Akosen stressed that investing in customer service experience drives loyalty and advocacy, which translate into long term gains. He share statistics indicating that customers are four times more likely to buy a product when they are referred by friends and 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels and how they were treated. On the other hand, it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one negative one and 89% of consumers take their businesses elsewhere after experiencing bad customer service.

He revealed that in line with its resolve to champion the delivery of exceptional customer experience, MTN Ghana intends to transform all of its customer service centres into state-of-the-art flagship stores by the end of 2017. The telecommunication giant has also introduced at least one mobile customer care agent in every region for customers who are unable to visit customer care centres.

Mr. Akosen, who is the second thoughtleader from MTN Ghana to have appeared on the Citi Breakfast Show as part of the Citi Business Festival, also highlighted a number of key areas during his session, including Culture and Customer Service, Effective Customer Engagement and the Importance of Customer Service.
Ghana and La Cote dIvoire have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) detailing a Plan of Action to address the pollution of water bodies through illegal mining.

The MoU contained recommendations, terms of reference and timelines that are aimed at resolving the pollution of Bia and Tano rivers in the Western Region which flow into lagoons in Cote dIvoire and, thus, polluting that countrys water bodies.

The activities of illegal miners in Ghana, otherwise known as galamsey, have polluted water bodies with rippling effects on water bodies in neighbouring La Cote dIvoire.

At a high-level Ministerial Meeting of delegations from Ghana and La Cote dIvoire in Accra on Thursday, the members agreed to implement recommendations outlined in the MoU.

The meeting was under the auspices of Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.

Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, speaking on behalf of Ghanas delegation, said the government was very much concerned and interested in resolving the impact of illegal mining in neighbouring La Cote dIvoire.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said the Akufo-Addo led Government cherished the good relations between the two countries and would, therefore, work diligently to maintain and sustain it for their mutual benefits.

He noted that other African countries that were experiencing similar challenges were looking up to Ghana and Cote dIvoire on how they would resolve the pollution of their water bodies by the activities of illegal miners.

Mr Jean-Claude Bron, the Ivorian Minister of Industry and Mines, who led the delegation, said President Alassane Ouattara and the Ivoirians shared the same objectives with their Ghanaian counterparts, intended to resolve the menace of illegal mining.

He expressed optimism that the successful implementation of the Technical Experts Sub-committees recommendations would further strengthen the good relations that existed between the two countries.

Mr Bron said the ministerial meetings held between the two countries on April 7, this year, and those held on Tuesday, June 20 and Wednesday, June 21, would go a long way to solve the problem.

Putting our efforts together will help eradicate the illegal mining that had polluted our water bodies and solve the burden of our peoples, he said.

Giving the highlights of the Technical Experts Sub-Committees Report, Madam Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, said the recommendations of the Committee contained a broad framework of activities to be undertaken to resolve the pollution, starting from July 15 to December 8, this year.

The plan of actions suggested by the Committee to resolve the problem include; identifying the various ministries that would work together to resolve the pollution, identifying the sources of pollution, each country contributing material and financial resources to implement the recommendations, sampling of water for laboratory test and joint field inspection of the sources of pollution.

Madam Oteng-Gyasi noted that after those activities had been implemented to the mutual satisfaction of the two countries, they would review it to determine the way forward adding that a two-year time frame had been given to resolve the problem.

The ministries that had been identified to work together towards the resolution of the challenge included; the Lands and Natural Resources, the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Sanitation and Water Resources and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development from the Ghana side.

From the Ivorian side, the Mines and Industry, the Waste Management and Sustainable Development and the Infrastructure, Forest and Water ministries had been identified to collaborate with their Ghanaian counterparts to resolve the matter.

Ghana has been grappling with the menace of illegal mining over the past decades which had polluted the major rivers in the country coupled with massive environmental degradation.

Successive governments, over the years, had instituted various measures and interventions to halt the practice but to no avail.

However, the Government, led by President Nana Akufo-Addo, upon the assumption of office in January this year, launched a forceful attack on illegal miners intended to clamp down on the menace once and for all.
A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tema West, Dennis Amfo-Sefa, has downplayed reconstruction and unity talks in the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as fanciful and a leap to nowhere.

According to Mr Amofo-Sefa, popularly known as Chairman Nana Boakye, the whole process of putting together the Kwesi Botchwey committee and a report, which was used as a platform to suggest a reconciliation process, would rather deepen the woes of the NDC.

They are still dazed from the massive defeat in 2016 and this reconciliation process that is supposed to lead to a recapturing of power in 2020 is nothing but a self-psyche, he said.

He pointed out that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) was continuously endearing itself to voters while the NDC was increasingly assuming the position of a villain in the Ghanaian political drama.

He asks why the NDC was, for instance, chasing investors away from the country with all the incessant noise about the $2.25 billion bond.

They think Ghanaians are minors. The people are quietly watching them and getting to know who really has the countrys development at heart.

Mr Amfo-Sefa said if the NDC was really sincere about getting its supporters united behind the party, the first thing they would do, would be to constitute themselves into a responsible opposition.

After all, is it not the very government that you are fighting left, right and centre, the government that the very Ghanaians you are trying to woo voted massively for in the 2016 election?

He said, If you really respect the people of this country, would you be going around creating the impression that the choice they made was a not a wise choice?

Mr Amfo-Sefa said the claim that the party will return to power in 2020 was a false hope that the NDC was giving its supporters.

He claimed that the call for unity in the party will not work because the leadership of the party was insincere about the whole call.

The Kwesi Botchwey Committee on Monday submitted its report on the poor performance of the NDC in the 2016 elections.

Mr Amfo-Sefa pointed out that the NDC does not even know if the reconciliation process would be successful and yet it was already touting victory in 2020.

According to him, the NDCs boasts that it is coming at a time that the NPPs government led by President Akufo-Addo is delivering on its campaign promise.

President Akufo-Addo is showing what governance is about and instead of the NDC keeping quiet and learning, they are rather tickling themselves and laughing, he said.
The government says it will soon act on a ruling by the Supreme Court on Thursday that former President John Mahama breached the constitution when he admitted two ex-Guantanamo detainees into the country.

Government wants to assure the nation that the ex-detainees, who have been comporting themselves well since their arrival in Ghana, continue to be the supervision of the security agencies, said a statement issued Thursday evening by Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid.

The apex court in a 6-1 majority decision ruled that action by John Mahama was in breach of Article 75 of the constitution which required that all international agreements be brought before Parliament for ratification.

The court subsequently ordered the Executive to, within the next three months, either bring the agreement to Parliament for ratification or send the two suspects back to where they came from.

The ruling by the Supreme Court follows a huge controversy in January 2016 when President Mahama admitted the two terror suspects  Muhammed Al-Dhuby and Muhammed Bin-Atef  into the country.

The two had been held in Guantanamo Bay by the US for over 14 years on suspicion of being part of the September 11 terrorist attack in the US that claimed dozens of lives in the US.

The two were picked up in Yemen in 2002, sent to Guantanamo Bay where they were held for more than a decade until ex-president John Mahama decided to accept the two into Ghanas jurisdiction as part of President Barack Obama's efforts to close down the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

The reason for accepting the suspects was not explained but the decision triggered widespread criticisms from the then opposition NPP, civil society organisations, and religious groups.

Consequently, 86-year-old retired conference officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Margaret Bamfo and a student at the Ghana School of Law, Henry Nana Boakye, went to court to seek to challenge the action by the former President.

Thursdays statement from President Nana Akufo-Addos administration said Government is going to take prompt steps to address the consequential orders. In the meantime, Government is calling among the populace on this matter.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Not too long ago I decided that I would no longer allow myself to be upset by the revisionists of our nation's history who use half truths, twisted facts and pure lies to denigrate President Nkrumah.

I came to that decision, because it struck me one day - whiles listening to a diatribe against Nkrumah being broadcast during a morning current affairs discussion programme - that despite the best efforts of his political opponents, in the main, the vast majority of the ordinary people of Ghana now accept that Nkrumah was indeed a truly great and selfless leader, who devoted himself to ordinary people and transforming Ghanaian society.

They have also accepted that Nkrumah was neither corrupt nor self-seeking - and that he did not amass wealth whiles serving as Ghana's leader. Consequently, it no longer bothers me when I hear Nkrumah's detractors spewing their many untruths about him.

However, one can understand those Nkrumahist politicians who still feel compelled to respond to such unfair criticism of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, whenever it is made by anti-Nkrumah politicians.

When members of the International Democratic Union (IDU) called on former President Kufuor whiles in Ghana for the first meeting in sub-Saharan African of the IDU's Executive and Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, the former president surprisingly launched a verbal attack on Nkrumah.

The irony for me, is that reading through some of the declassified National Security Security documents about President Nkrumah, from the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson eras, one notices that whiles American officials were contemptous of the childlike fawning of Nkrumah's political opponents, clearly, all the Western leaders understood that Nkrumah was the one African leader who posed a real threat to their nations' continued hold on Africa's resources and their perpetual preying on the colonised minds of many Africans.

Thus, getting rid of Nkrumah was a top priority security matter for them in Africa.

Sadly, in telling his visitors that Nkrumah destroyed Ghana's economy, what escaped former President Kufuor was that it was the political forebears of the selfsame Western members of the IDU, who deliberately brought Ghana's economy to its knees - simply to create public disaffection against Nkrumah's government: and make his overthrow more likely and possible.

It also seems to have escaped former president Kufuor that his own party is today adopting Nkrumah's import substitution industrialisation policy to boost growth in the economy and create jobs for young people - something that his political forebears criticised as white elephant projects. Incredible.

And it is also instructive that former President Kufuor developed a severe case of amnesia about his own anti-democratic political antecedents - regarding the fact that in 1958, despite the fact that Ghana was a functioning multiparty democracy, his party's political forebears plotted to overthrow Nkrumah's Convention People's Party (CPP), and that it was only the death in a plane crash of the leader of the coup plotters, Brigadier Michel, that aborted that planned coup.

And worst of all - in an age when terrorism has spawned draconian laws in the Western democracies, which severely curtail individual freedoms, and which are far more anti-democratic (and all of which one supports, one must hasten to add, being someone who always strongly condemns the cowardly extremists who engage in acts of terrorism around the globe), than all the anti-terrorism laws enacted by Nkrumah's government - former President Kufuor alluded to those anti-terrorism national security initiatives of the CPP government as if they were abominations. Such is life.

Poor man. Wake up, Ghanaman. Haaba. The question is: Why, in the 21st century, is a black African politician still fawning over Western politicians presiding over racist systems - and many of whom are more likely than not secretly contemptuous of the black race? Ebeeii.
The Center for Transport Security Dialogue (CETSED) has waded into the brouhaha that attended the botched implementation of the road tow levy which was passed by parliament in 2012.

In a statement signed by the groups secretary, Kojo S.A Dankwah, he noted that it's quite clear that, the implementation of the legislation is in a limbo considering the fact that many organizations and individuals have fiercely criticized and kicked against the move and urged the executive arm of government to consider making wider consultations with various stakeholders before implementing the law.

He said, CETSED believes that the decision to have a towing system in itself is not a bad idea taking into consideration the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) statistics that stipulates that a little over 25% of road accident is caused by abandoned cars on our roads but the problem is the mandatory nature and mode of implementation which would largely monopolize the system.

Mr. Dankwa noted saying; surprisingly, out of many individuals and organizations that have put in a word or two about this clandestine move , it is only the Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) company that has been awarded with the contract that sees nothing wrong with the move as espoused by its marketing communication officer, Mr. Roland Walker.

Mr. Walker is on record to have stated that Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) conceived and went through a competitive bidding process contrary to the claim by one Mr. Evans Dzide, a manager of Ruttchen trucks Ghana Ltd that the concept was presented to NRSC as far back as 2007 at a time when Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) had not been established which suggests that Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) stole the concept.

The secretary of CEDSET further quoted Mr. Dzide as saying that Ruttchen Trucks Ghana Limited has a memorandum of understanding with National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and cabinet memo dated March 2010 indicating an agreement to implement a mandatory levy for towing service for which the company rolled out a trial version of the project after the chief of staff had accepted their proposal on behalf of the government in 2007. He alleged that the NRSC being pleased with their work proceeded to get parliament's approval to back the mandatory payment of the levy which was finally passed in 2012.

Notable among individuals who have largely criticized the move are the chief policy analysts of Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options, Dr Wereko Brobbey and Magnus Lincoln Quarshie (former president of the Ghana institution of engineers) and have called on the president to halt the mandatory towing fees. Also a road consultant and executive director of Toptech Transport and Logistics, Mr. Cecil Garbrah described the decision as rubbish.

Mr. Kofi Bentil, the vice president of IMANI Ghana said that "is a ploy by some annoyingly corrupt people to create loot and share in favour of some well established corrupt companies already embroiled in massive frauds".

Mr. Dankwa stated emphatically that this is nothing but an attempt by the NRSC and its allies to milk dry the pocket and worsen the plight of the already burdened ordinary Ghanaian. Meanwhile the Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) and its allied companies will be allocated 85% of the funds, Ghana Police Service 5%, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) 5%, NRSC 2.5% while the remaining 2.5% will go to the Ministry of Finance. The question here is on what basis was these percentages arrived at?

The National Vice Chairman of GPRTU Robert Sabarh is also widely reported to have said that they will pass the cost to commuters and further ask for a review of the legislation (peacefmonline.com)

He said, the account by Mr. Dzide leaves many questions on the minds of many Ghanaians such as;

Did the contract really go through a competitive bidding process as claimed by the marketing communications officer of the Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL)? Is there indeed an element of create, loot and share as perceived by some Ghanaians?

On the basis of all these criticisms, fierce resistance, public outpour and a suspected stealing of concept, it would not just be absurd but also preposterous for the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and its allies to continue to implement this unpopular decision.

CETSED aims to bring finality to this controversial and yet topical issue and has therefore approached the various stakeholders holders such as the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Driver and Vehicle Licence Authority ( DVLA),Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) and the Ghana Police MTTD and awaits response from their quarters.
Chase Logistics Company Limited has cut a sod for the construction of a magistrate court facility and a modern library for the people of Kpone District in the Kpone Traditional Area.

The project is estimated to cost an amount of seven hundred thousand Ghana cedis and is scheduled to last for six months from the date of commencement.

Addressing the chief and people of the Kpone traditional area, the Executive Director of Chase Logistics, Daniel Amoah noted that construction of the facility is a gesture by the company as parts of its corporate social responsibility in the area.

"The company places premium on education as one of the surest and sustainable means to achieve holistic development of a community and a nation"

Mr Amoah noted that "a condusive atmosphere for reading and research that a library provides is crucial to the learning process of every people or student, and even adults. It is precisely for this view that Chase Logistics gladly agreed with the Kpone Traditional Council to put up a library attached to the court for the community" he added.

The Paramount Chief for the Kpone Traditional Area, Nii Tetteh Otu on his part was happy that such a project which has been longed for white a long period by the people of Kpone has finally become a reality courtesy Chase Logistics.

He admonished his subjects to ensure they protect the facility and ensure good maintenance culture in other to safeguard the project.

The District Chief Executive of the Kpone Katamanso District Assembly, Solomon Tetteh also thanked Chase Logistics for the gesture and called on other corporate bodies in the area to emulate from Chase Logistics and extend a hand of support to the Assembly.

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Agona Swedru, June 22, GNA - The Swedru Teachers' Co-operative Credit Union has put in place loan delinquency and control measures, to retrieve all outstanding debts owed by recalcitrant members improve its financial position.

The measures include placing incessant phone calls on members whose loans were delinquent, and calls to remind them of the due dates of their payment schedules.

The rest were issuance of warning letters to members to serve demand notice, while defaulters have been arraigned as a compelling and last resort to retrieve the amount owed the Union.

Mr John Nana Boadu, Chairman of the Board of the Directors of the Swedru Teachers' Co-operative Credit Union announced this at the 15th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Union at Agona Swedru, in the Central Region.

The Chairman hinted that the board had decided to use local FM stations and widely circulated newspapers to name and shame loan defaulters apart from the court action.

He stated that these were part of the strategic plans adopted by the Board, Loans Committee and Management of the Union to retrieve the debts.

Mr Boadu said assets of the Union increased 13.8 per cent from GHE8,720,435.38 to GHE9,931,458.57 in the 2016 fiscal year.

According to the Chairman members savings increased by 18.7 per cent from GHE7,320,532.45 to GHE,690,031.77 as at June 2016, whilst shareholders funds showed significant increased by 36 per cent from GHE674,899.78 to GHE7, 969.07.

He said the net loans granted increased from GHE5,626,313.00 to GHE5,894,966.27 June 30, 2016.

Mr Boadu stated that with regard to share holdings, the Board said a minimum of GHE200.00 to re-qualify members of the union had not achieved the desired result.

He said only 1,075 members had a share balance of GHE200.00 and above totalling GHE 353,599.44, adding that a total of 7,309 members were having shares below GHE200.00.

The Chairman said as part of the efforts to render its corporate responsibility, the Union donated GHE3,140.00 to various institutions in the catchment areas.

Mr Victor Kwesi Andam, Chairman of the Loans Committee said in order to increase the share capital of the Union, the committee in collaboration with the Board of Directors instituted share top-up raffle to urge and motivate both public and members to improve its capital.

He said the winners of the raffle were given 32 flat screen TV, home theatre, four burner gas stove, electric irons and spraying machines.

Mr Andam said recommended the intensification of education on the youth to cultivate habit of savings as well as traders, business men and women in the jurisdiction of the Union to increase savings mobilisation. GNA
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Accra, June 22, GNA - The government is committed to creating an enabling policy environment for the advancement of science, technology and innovation in the country, Madam Salimata Abdul-Salam, Chief Director, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation has said.

She said when researchers dialogue with industry actors; they got a clear understanding of their constraints and were able to generate scientific solutions, technologies and/or innovations to address them efficiently.

Madam Abdul-Salam was speaking on Thursday in Accra at the 2017 Open Day of the Council for Industrial and Scientific Research-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI).

The event, on the theme: 'Strengthening Research, Policy and Industry Linkages: An Agenda for Enhanced National Development,' was held to showcase STEPRI's achievements to its stakeholders and the public.

Madam Abdul-Salam noted that studies had underscored the importance of direct interaction of industries with researchers than from reading research outputs from technical articles; adding that such direct engagements between researchers, industry actors and policy makers were usually weak or non-existent in Ghana.

'This may be due to insufficient experience by researchers of the dynamics of the research and development terrains of the industrial sector. It may also stem from the cultural differences between research and industry,' she said.

'While research is knowledge-directed, industry is more action-directed. Sometimes, it is because industrialists do not know which research Institute to turn to for the relevant technology,' she added.

Madam Abdul-Salam said growth in the industrial sector would promote overall national development; declaring that research institutes were crucial in this growth agenda, as they contributed to technological innovation relevant to industry.

She said what was needed to improve the capacity of research institutions was the provision of human resource, regulatory frameworks, infrastructure and funding.

Madam Abdul-Salam said this would go a long way to help research produce outputs that were cost-effective and easy for industrial uptake.

She said it was necessary for researchers to embrace interdisciplinary applied science because most industrial constraints were complex, which could not be efficiently addressed with a linear model.

She called on industrial actors to put in place mechanisms to efficiently capture research outputs and direct researchers to problems of industrial relevance.

She lauded STEPRI for its contributions towards the advancement of science, technology and innovation in the country.

Dr George Owusu Essegbey, the Director, STEPRI, gave an overview of CSIR-STEPRI's achievements since its establishment.

He said CSIR-STEPRI, which was one of the 13 research institutes of the CSIR, was committed to conducting studies, formulating and implementing programmes to promote science, technology and innovation in the society in Ghana and Africa.

Dr Essegbey said CSIR-STEPRI had done well despite pressing challenges, adding that "We are in time of extreme difficulties especially for the CSIR, the family we belong. Funding from government over the years has been a challenge'.

'We look forward to a new dispensation when government funding will be better than it has been. We have done our best in CSIR-STEPRI and the evidence is on display at this Open Day."

He said what had worked for them in CSIR-STEPRI was the spirit of commitment to work at their vision and organisational goals through thick and thin.

Dr Victor Kwame Agyeman, the Director-General CSIR, who chaired the function, said CSIR-STEPRI was among the best performing institutes under the umbrella of CSIR.

He charged CSIR-STEPRI to improve upon its organisational relationship with the private sector and to make its presence visible to the public.

Nana Dr Michael Agyekum-Addo, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Mikaddo Holdings, urged higher educational institutions to churn out graduates with the requisite skills to make them employable by industry.

GNA

By Iddi Yire/Twum Badu-Nti, GNA
Accra, June 22, GNA - Stakeholders at the Citi FM Akwaaba Forum, have called for the establishment of a high-level co-ordination committee to drive tourism activities and investments in the country.

According to Professor Kwaku Boakye, Head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), a high level committee under Cabinet with ministerial representatives of relevant stakeholders in tourism, would help to synthesise tourism-related policy and actions.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the Akwaaba Forum, one of the fora under the Citi Business Festival, Prof Boakye said previous attempts at co-ordination between the various agencies with responsibilities to the tourism sector had not worked because the agencies sent representatives without decision- making power.

'I think it's time we thought of synthesising the policy framework at a level higher than just individual ministries.

'Some of us have started to push for the creation of what we call a Tourism Coordinating Committee, which will be a sub-committee of Cabinet,' he stated.

He said such a committee, which exists in other countries where tourism thrived, would ensure that issues affecting tourism, such as development of road infrastructure in tourism destinations, were prioritised.

He said most of the challenges that the tourism sector faced were from the political economy thus the need for a high level group with political clearance that could push the sector.

He said decisions taken at that level would be hard to repudiate by any individual ministry.

He also expressed the need for academia, industry and policy makers to engage each other in order to address the challenges in the industry.

Mr Akwasi Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) said the call for the committee was feasible and would help to boost the sector, especially when tackled at the ministerial level.

'We are sending an aid memoir to our ministry, that these are the issues that came out of this meeting and we believe that this should be at the cabinet level,' he said.

He said the call would augment the Authority's efforts to set up an inter-agency inspection regime to address the problem of operators having to go through several inspections by different agencies at different times.

He said setting up the committee should not be a problem as government sets up interagency committees all the time.

Mr Agyeman, who was also part of the panel, in his opening remarks, noted that tourism in Ghana was not doing very well compared to other countries in Africa although there had been some improvements in the sector.

He said among the challenges the sector faced was the high taxes and fees imposed on operators in the industry, especially in the hospitality sector, which he said was too burdensome, as well as a multiplicity of regulations and inspections.

He noted that inter-agency inspections calendar, which the GTA was negotiating for, would solve the problem of a multiple inspections.

He outlined other initiatives that the Authority was undertaking to address some of the issues in the industry.

These include automation of some its operations, enhancing capacity of agents through training, and the development of a service charter to ensure efficiency in the work of agents and operators in the sector.

The GTA will also create a tourism hot-line to allow for feedback from tourists, which should be ready by end of August.

Some participants at the forum also supported the call for a high level Committee on tourism, saying it will help spur development in the sector.

GNA

By Belinda Ayamgha/Godfred Ansah, GNA
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Dahwenya (G/A), June 22, GNA - Mr Mustapha Ussif, the Acting Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), on Thursday said the Scheme is expecting a bumper harvest this year at its Dahwenya Farm in the Greater Accra Region.

He said: "As a strategic institution, the NSS will support the President's campaign project of Planting for Food and Jobs' programme.

Mr Ussif said this when he visited the Dahwenya Farm with officials and staff of the NSS as well as the National Service Personnel Association.

The officials included Ms Gifty Oware-Aboagye, the Acting Deputy Executive Director in-charge of Finance and Administration, Mrs Adwoa Van-Bicker, the Head of Human Resource, and Madam Anas Zaano, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinator.

The visit was to support the workers on the farm to apply insecticides and fertilizers to the crops.

Mr Ussif said the only way to support the project was to mobilise NSS staff and machinery into cultivating cereals and livestock as part of efforts to generate revenue and contribute to national food security.

It is also to empower the youth to go venture into modern agriculture under the NSS mandate.

Mr Ussif said an out of budget expenditure of GhE100,000.00 had been made as part of measures to control army worm invasion on the farm.

He, however, appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and agro-based research institutions to help the Scheme to solve the army worm canker.

GNA

By Amadu Kamil Sanah, GNA
In the last quarter-final clash for Thursday, the auditorium is packed with supporters of the defending champions, Adisadel College.

The 2016 victory still ringing in their ears, Adisadel College are looking to win for the second time ever.

Photo Credit: Primetime Company Ltd

Final round is over, Adisco

Adisadel College: 50pts

New Juaben SHS: 40pts

Takoradi SHS: 38pts

The Riddle is struck out after consultants find out, the answer was shouted to Adisco from the crowd.

Photo credit: Primetime Ltd

Controversy as Adisco is accused of receiving help after an answer appears to have been shouted at the contestants.

Adisco open 7-point lead over New Juaben SHS as we enter final round of riddles.

End of Round 4:

Adisadel College: 44

New Juaben SHS: 37

Takoradi SHS: 34

We move to the Third Round which is the Problem of the Day. It is a Chemistry question with 10 points at stake in this neck-and-neck race. Any point at this stage is priceless.

Quiz mistress is 'giving it' to New Juaben SHS for confusing calculations. They got the the correct answer through a wrong route. Interesting.

Takoradi SHS, "your calculation I don't know where you went wrong. They collect 6pts. Adisco get a good 8 points to restore their lead.

Scores so far: Adisadel College: 28

New Juaben SHS: 27

Takoradi SHS: 27

Results after second round, New Juaben leads by a point.

Takoradi SHS: 21 pts

New Juaben SHS: 22 pts

Adisco: 20 pts

In a ruthless second round, Takoradi SHS, the least supported among the three, are decimating Adisco's 4pt lead.

Adisco in shaky first round win. New Juaben, Takoradi are close.

End of First Round

Takoradi SHS: 19pts

New Juaben SHS: 17pts

Adisco: 23 pts

No push-overs in this round. New Juaben is a real threat plus their intimidating supporters. Takoradi doing well. Adisco won't be too happy because it is not as easy ass the names appeared.

Quiz mistress explains an answer to New Juaben supporters and they respond 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'. It is getting really funny here.

They finally do after more than three opportunities go waste. New Juaben is in a strong start. Remember Adisco didn't start their first round in the 1/8 stage well so may be a weak start is a prelude to a strong finish.

Adisco yet to pick a point as New Juaben grab 3 and Takoradi score 5 in first few questions.

One side of the auditorium is full of New Juaben support. They don't want to be push-overs this evening. The quarter-final stage is dizzy heights for the school which has never reached this stage. They would want a semi-final spot.

New Juaben SHS: 'Expect excellence'

Takoradi SHS: 'May the perfect will of God prevail'

Adisco: 'What many people don't know is that Adisco is the only school that was actually built by the students themselves in 1910'

New Juaben SHS has an intimidating crowd here. There are no points for loud cheering schools. Only points for actual correct answers. Takoradi SHS needed a tie-breaker in the one-eighth stage to progress.

Adisco, a seeded school, kicked out Suhum SHTS and Nkroful Agric SHS in the one-eighth stage contest. That win by 38pts margin is one of the biggest so far in this year's competition.

They would want to replicate that form in this contest over less fancied New Juaben and Takoradi SHS. But you can be sure, the two schools will be getting enormous support from Adisco's rivals.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|Edwin Appiah|[email protected]
23.06.2017 LISTEN

The year was 1930  a sunny Friday afternoon on January 31 in Ocilla, Georgia. A middle aged man zoomed past his wife into the bedroom, panting, and headed for his double-barrelled gun. He was lost for breath to speak with his wife. He managed to load the gun with some gun powder, opened his front window slightly where he positioned his gun. Within seconds he saw several men running towards his house with guns, knives, and clubs. He had a good view of the first two but could not gather the courage to pull the trigger. The men pushed his wife aside, entered the room and dragged him out to a nearby farmland where the body of Mary Lee Whitley was lying in a pool of blood. The mob accused him of murder. James Irvin, an illiterate but hardworking farmer, was traumatised at the turn of events he could not say much in defence. The mob chained him to a tree, cut off his fingers and toes, joint by joint, and distributed them as souvenirs.

The mob then extracted his teeth with pliers and tried to make him swallow a red-hot metal rod by repeatedly pushing it into his throat. After castration and other mutilations that lasted more than an hour, Irwin was soaked with gasoline and burned alive. Burned past recognition, Irwins body was hanged from a gum tree by a public road for several hours. Thousands of men, women, and children rode out to see the spectacle.

It later turned out that while Irvin was returning from a trip, an unknown man who had just raped and killed Ms. Whitley and saw Irvin coming down the road at that particular time jumped onto Irvins wagon with his bloody hands and grabbed the horse reins. He quickly ran back into the bush. Irvin, having made sense of the situation, and fearing for his life, abandoned his wagon and ran home knowing he would be framed. A couple who witnessed the event from their farmhouse were afraid to come to the aid of Irvin, considering how sadistic the mob was.

Irvins tragedy, while very heart-breaking, is not the worst. A wealth of literature demonstrates that mob action occurs across all cultures and contexts. Several authors have chronicled, in detail, the art and nature of mob action. The Tragedy of Lynching and 100 Years of Lynching, for instance, both recount several horrific mob actions that were instigated by community folks in the early 1930s and beyond.

Globally, at an increasing trend, vigilantes bomb cities, open fire in crowded places, drive into pedestrians, and incite disastrous riots every day. In the Ghanaian context, people join in to lynch others on suspicion of theft and witchcraft. What makes ordinary people succumb to mob mentality  especially when it turns violent?

Social psychologists continue to examine the rationale and motivations that inspires our inclination to riot violently and cause damage to properties and human lives. This write up is an attempt to explain what could motivate ordinary people to participate in violent group or mob actions and to suggest some solutions.

What Could Ever Make You Join in a Mob Action?

Deindividuation: While we do not act rationally at all times, we strive to maintain our sense of individual identity and dignity by becoming more self-restraint when we are alone. This gives us a clearer mind to think through and consider the consequences and benefits of our actions and inactions. However, when in a group, we lose our sense of individual identity, become overwhelmed with excitement (or anger) and socially disinhibited. When people deindividuate, they become swayed by the groups dynamics, cognitively. Given that our thoughts influence our feelings which in turn influence our behaviour, deindividuation could lead to the provocation of behaviours that a person would not typically engage in if alone.

Physical anonymity: There is evidence to suggest that people are more likely to participate in mob action when they feel that their behaviour cannot be traced back to them. This sense of anonymity blunts their social inhibition and wakens their animalistic nature to participate in ruthless behaviours, with a sense that they cannot be traced (or identified) to account for their behaviour. This phenomenon underscores the millennial old debate: whether humans are inherently good or evil.

Diffusion of responsibility: When people are part of a large group, they develop a belief that their actions are part of the groups and that they cannot be held responsible, as an individual, for the groups behaviour. This compelling idea could drive people to become willing to engage in dangerous behaviour.

Frustration: People are more likely to join in mob actions out of frustration about dysfunctional systems  security, law court, local authorities, and personal failures. As Professor Ken Attafuah rightly articulated, people are more likely to engage in mob actions if there is a lack of public confidence in the criminal justice system and in the administration of justice which are affected by debilitating slowness and significant corruption Other circumstances, such as limited resources, aroused emotions, or being surrounded by like-minded people can also promote mob mentality and actions.

Suggested solutions

Mob injustice: Firstly, mob justice is a misnomer. The art and nature of mob action is absolute brutality, barbarous, primitive, and defies the principles of justice. Fundamental to eliminating mob violence is to first identify it as it is  criminal, rather than a social phenomenon. Many thanks to Samson Ayenini (Lawyer and host of Joy FMs Newsfile) and the few others who elegantly labelled the phenomenon as mob injustice, as it really is, on the grandest scale! Everyone - elected leaders, community leaders, teachers, parents, mass media, police, and every citizen should utilize every opportunity to educate the public about the criminality of mob action and to amass empathy for the unfortunate victims, whilst mobilizing public outrage toward those who participate and/or observe mob actions without making efforts to prevent or report to the security agencies.

Rectify errors of impunity: The criminal justice system in most developing countries is next to dysfunctional. Many a citizenry reports and bemoans the several instances wherein alleged criminals were discharged (for lack of evidence), given unimaginably diminutive sentences, or released soon after their incarceration. When people consistently feel that justice is not well served, they are likely to join others to serve their own justice. A brutal police force is also not the solution. Nor is mere arrest. Both law enforcement officers and complainants should be well informed about what is required in the court of law for a successful prosecution. When we make efforts to inform the police about a crime (or assist in arresting criminals), we also need to show up to provide evidence and testify to assist with prosecution.

Security-community engagements: In Ghana, and Africa more generally, law enforcement officers, particularly the police force, rarely engage with the public. This limited interactivity, coupled with occasional police brutality, over time, could influence the public to develop a schema, erroneous perhaps, and perceive the police as working against their interest. In furtherance, given the long list of crimes that went unpunished (committed by public officials and ordinary folks), people become dissatisfied and compelled to mete out their form of instant injustice. Presently, the police force, for the most part, appears ill-equipped, but are making efforts to fight the increasing rate of crime in the country. Additionally, they should take advantage of current technology and social media platforms to educate and provide very important security information to the general public.

Deal with the ruts: There is a plethora of ruts and Dunning-Kruger effects that require some consideration. Law enforcement agencies continue to receive cash and gifts from private and foreign organizations whose activities they are supposed to check; too frequently, police officers are cited in criminal acts and corruption; communities put up facilities but struggle to have police officers posted; government allocates insufficient budget to the security sector; older adults who live in destitution (and often in psychological distress) are branded as witches and camped or lynched; individuals who steal from the state are only asked to resign (or at most given time to repay); and the list continues.

The fight against mob injustice, and crime, more generally, will require a multifactorial approach  law makers must institute more effective punitive measures, government must support law enforcers with the requisite logistics, law enforcement agencies must include more psychosocial and human relationships themes in their training curricula and engagement with the general public and clean-up the rots in their system, community leaders and members should live exemplary lives (free from corruption and impunity) and assist law enforcers to identify and prosecute criminals, religious groups should continue to teach and preach peace and love for one another and support with social interventions, teachers should instil discipline and inspire children to become responsible adults, parents should be more responsible, show love to their children and adopt more effective parenting styles.

Conclusion: Mob action is a monstrous crime. We do not have the right to brutalize another person (or destroy properties), either on mere suspicion or in the face of concrete evidence. Very often, as were the cases of our beloved Major Adam Mahama, Irvin and other victims, it later turns out that the victims were either innocent (mistaken identity) or the entire accusations were fabricated. In spite of thorough investigations, there are innumerable records, even in developed countries, where people incriminated and incarcerated were later found to be innocent of the said crimes.

Why join in to beat to death a person alleged to have stolen GHC 1.50, or suspected to be an arm robber or a witch, or committed one crime or the other? What happened to our cultural and religious values? Are we only hospitable to strangers? Were we not adjudged by Gallup International as one of the most religious countries in the world?

Richard Appiah

Clinical Psychologist and PhD Candidate, North-West University (Potchefstroom)

([email protected])
The Minority has welcomed the declaration by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional the admission of the two GITMO detainees into Ghana during the John Mahama administration.

A seven-member Supreme Court panel presided over by Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo by six to one (6 -1) majority decision Thursday June 22, 2017 said the two are illegally in the country since the then government allowed them into the country without prior approval by Parliament.

The consequential order of the court is that government should within three months subject the agreement to parliamentary consideration and approval and in default return the two Gitmo detainees.

Commenting on the ruling Thursday on Accra-based Citi FM a ranking Member of Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa lauded the decision, but said government needs to be circumspect in implementing the ruling of the Supreme Court.

We respect the decision, he stated, and we will only want to say at this point that moving forward we need to be cautious.

The NPP party during the campaign into the 2016 elections made the GITMO 2 case quite an issue, suggesting that they will return the two when given the nod.

Now we have this judgment; the Supreme Court has given them two decision either you come to parliament or you return them. If they come for parliamentary approval that will appear to be at variance with their campaign promise, said Mr. Ablakwa who is also the Member of Parliament for North Tongu in the Volta region.

Last year Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye sued the Attorney General and Minister of Justice as well as the Minister of Interior, accusing government of illegally bringing in the two former Gitmo detainees, without recourse to the laws of the land.

The two plaintiffs were therefore seeking a true and proper interpretation of Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. The applicants claim that the President of the Republic of Ghana acted unconstitutionally by agreeing to the transfer of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby to Ghana.

Article 75 says: (1) The President may execute or cause to be executed treaties, agreements or conventions in the name of Ghana.

(2) A treaty, agreement or convention executed by or under the authority of the President shall be subject to ratification by-

(a) Act of Parliament; or

(b) A resolution of Parliament supported by the votes of more than on-half of all the members of Parliament.

Two Guantanamo bay detainees, Atef and Al-Dhuby had been in detention for 14 years by the United States after being linked with the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

The Supreme court said the agreement reached by the the government of Ghana and the United States was one that falls directly under the purview of the provisions of Article 75 of the 1992 constitution and the then government ought to have sought parliamentary approval before the two detainees were admitted into the country.
Accra (AFP) - Former presidents, lawmakers and senior government officials in Ghana will no longer have special privileges for private travel to the United States, Washington's envoy has said.

Until now, such individuals were able to take advantage of "protocol services" where they did not have to physically appear at the US embassy to obtain a visa.

But on Thursday, US Ambassador Robert Jackson told members of parliament that the process had changed, sources in the legislature said.

"If you are travelling for tourism or business that is not related to government business, you will be required to make a personal appearance, even with former presidents," he said.

"There are no exceptions."

The withdrawal of protocol privileges comes two months after Britain's top diplomat in Accra accused three MPs and a former lawmaker of visa fraud in a letter to Ghana's parliament, raising the prospect of a travel ban.

The allegations included visa overstays for family members, in some cases for several years, after they used diplomatic channels for travel on non-official business.

Britain's outgoing high commissioner Jon Benjamin said MPs wanting to make private visits now had to apply "like any other applicant".

It was not clear what prompted the US ban but it is understood all foreign missions were aware of the British investigation into visa irregularities involving MPs.

Contacted by AFP, the US embassy in Accra gave no immediate response.

The US decision is not thought to be connected to a Ghanaian Supreme Court ruling on Thursday on two former Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The court ruled that the 2016 transfer of the pair from the US detention facility to live in Ghana was unconstitutional.
GALAMSEY is currently the name used to describe illegal small scale mining operations. The name is derived from a local parlance gather them and sell because traditionally gold prospective miners used to gather gravels from the stream and river beds, grind them and wash them to retrieve the gold to sell. This method of prospecting for gold and diamonds was used in the Gold Coast before the Portuguese and European adventurers traded for gold along the west coast of Africa around 1471. At that time simple tools such as, pick axes, shovels, pans, chisels and hammers were used, making the conduct of operations relatively localised and harmless. Today however, this monster (galamsey) created by procrastination of past Governments, represents the proliferation, notoriety and complexity or the good and evil of small scale mining.

The good thing about galamsey is that it offered employment opportunities to over one million Ghanaians; majority being the youth and poor in the rural communities and contributed significantly to the improvement of their livelihood. The bad thing is that it has degraded the soil and Prof Yaw Ahenkorah, FGA and Prof E. Owusu-Bennoah, FGA on the topic GALAMSEY  The effects on soil productivity'', delivered at Annual lecture of Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences at STEPRI HALL, CSIR, Accra on 14th May,2015, highlighted that Ghana is an agricultural country and close to about 50-75% of the population live in the rural areas and depend on the land/soil for their livelihood.Soil is a critically important component on the earth's biosphere, functioning not only in the production of food, fibre, fuel and medicinal products but also in the maintenance of local, regional and global environmental qualityThe thin layer of soil covering the surface of the earth represents the difference between survival and extinction for most land based life. Degradation and neglect can ruin the fragile resources and become a threat to human survival. They concluded the lecture by saying Galamsey has completely degraded the soil and recommended a resolute independent approach with sustained monitoring and involvement of some local chiefs to nip Galamsey in the bud This is a collective task for both the Government and the Community.

The worst part is that not only is the soil being degraded but streams and rivers, the source of drinking water for Ghanaians have been polluted. The colour of the streams and rivers in affected areas has turned brown and aquatic organisms have been destroyed by poisonous chemicals especially mercury. Many Ghanaians have woken up from their deep slumber and now acknowledge the dangers of galamsey and demand that the Government takes drastic steps to reverse the trends. Reversing the trends however, faces many challenges but I would concentrate on community involvement, resettlement of displaced persons and the enforcement of existing laws and regulations.

Galamsey did not start in 2016 but past Governments have looked on and have allowed the situation to degenerate into the present unacceptable crisis.

Actions initiated in the past have been messed up in politics, corruption and the inability to enforce the laws and regulations. President Mahama flew over the sites of Galamsey sometime in 2013 and expressed shock at what he saw. A Task Force initiated in 2013 by the NDC (though not the first in the series), saw the task force dismantling hundreds of illegal gold mining equipment from sites, the eviction of thousands of illegal miners including foreigners but like its predecessors, galamsey did not stop but flourished with impunity. The NPP after its ultimatum has equally seized several heavy earth-moving equipment and other implements, evicted many thousands of illegal miners with all seriousness to end the menace.The decision by the Government is bold but it must remain resolute to manage emerging challenges (such as the lynching of Captain Mahama)with determination, maturity and without emotions.

The eminent Professors concluded that the solution IS A COLLECTIVE TASK FOR BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY and I share the view too.The Community is the key to the success of all actions initiated to end galamsey simply because it is part of the problem and must of necessity be part of the solution. The land belongs to the people and they must understand that the desecration of the land will affect their livelihood and that of many Ghanaians. Let's be reminded that when the AXE first appeared in the forest, one of the trees remarked, oh the handle is one of us. Yes, without the handle the axe poses no threat to the forest and similarly, without Ghanaians, galamsey cannot flourish. Serious education and interaction are therefore needed to convince the community to join hands with the Government to end galamsey. When the hospitality accorded the illegal miners by the Community is denied, Galamsey will end since it cannot survive in a hostile environment. The war on galamsey cannot be won on Rambo type of operations but collaboration with the Chiefs and Communities interwoven with incentives such as allocation of lands for farming, provision of farming implements, seeds, fertilisers and other resettlement schemes.When this is done, information on illegal mining in inaccessible areas will be forthcoming and the protection of illegal miners by communities will stop. The huge cost that would be needed to maintain security services to GUARD the land could be used for resettlement.

The state of the economy has impoverished many Ghanaians and mostly it's the youth in rural communities that are hard hit. Farming has become difficult because of problems of land acquisition and the capital required for such a venture. Some youth in their desperation have become armed robbers, prostitutes and those especially in the rural communities found galamsey a safe haven for survival and easy access to employment.It is therefore important to replace galamsey with alternative employment opportunities and what readily comes to mind is the land reclamation and afforestation. A step in the right direction is to compile a comprehensive list of all those who were engaged in galamsey for placement in resettlement schemes to prevent frustrations and dissatisfaction which could lead to insurrection. The free SHS could also offer some of the youth the opportunity to pursue further education.

Whilst it has been very difficult to acquire land for farming in our rural communities, acquiring land for galamsey has been relatively easy.The only logical reason is that the custodians of the lands (chiefs) are partakers of the gold and diamonds acquired from the allocated lands. Some chiefs have already denied their involvement in galamsey operations but many Ghanaians are not convinced.The only effective punishment to stop the practice is to confiscate to the Government, all lands that have been used for galamsey since the custodians have woefully failed to protect the lands entrusted to them for safe keeping by the people.

As a nation, one major weakness is enforcement of laws and regulations of the land and this has enabled miscreants including foreigners to take advantage of them. The arrest of the Chinese king pin En Huang alias Aisha Huang and other foreigners come with many questions. The fact of the matter is that these foreigners did not mysteriously appear in Ghana. They arrived by air, cleared by the Immigration Authorities and gave an indication of what they are in Ghana for, succeeded, obtained some documents to start prospecting for gold and acquired lands to commence operations. Whether they commenced business legally or illegally they were assisted in diverse ways by Ghanaians. All these activities are governed by laws and regulations and if they had been enforced, these foreigners could not have gone far in their activities.Why have they been charged alone without their Ghanaian collaborators? Galamsey flourished not because of foreigners but Ghanaians themselves and the success of their prosecution will not end galamsey.

Galamsey can only stop with the full cooperation of the Chiefs and their communities through serious education and interaction. It is very essential. The Security Services could be useful in some phases of the operations but they cannot end galamsey for lack of human resources.Secondly, all actions must be clothed in resettlement schemes with the objective of creating other employment opportunities. Thirdly, the measures being put in place must not be seen to be punitive but corrective to earn the support of the community. Conduct of operations must bedone with a human face to discourage some individuals taking undue advantage of the dissatisfaction to foment trouble. Fourthly, some form of compensation must be incorporated in the scheme to reduce the huge financial loses that have been incurred by some of the operatives especially those with heavy plant machinery. As part of reconciliation, contracts could be awarded them to reclaim the lands. The last but not the least, laws governing small scale mining must be reviewed to meet the challenges of our time.

The world suffers a lot not because of the VIOLENCE of bad people but because of the SILENCE of good people (Napoleon).

By Brig-Gen J. Odei
Vice President Bawumia in a warm handshake with President of the China Exim Bank, Mr Liu Liange

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has appealed to the government and people of China to significantly invest in the country.

The six-month-old Akufo-Addo government is committed to transforming Ghana's economy, ensuring macro-economic stability and managing our resources efficiently. We need significant investments to do big things, and any investor will find in us a partner committed to ensuring a win-win situation, Dr Bawumia told the President of the China Exim Bank, Liu Liange in Beijing, China.

Dr Bawumia, who is on a four-day official visit to the People's Republic of China, challenged the investor community to take advantage of Ghana's competitive advantages, especially within the West Africa sub-region, to make significant investments that would bring them appreciable returns.

The Akufo-Addo government is looking for significant investments to do big things.

The Vice President has proposed a strategic partnership between the Chinese and Ghanaian EXIM banks to facilitate the acquisition of machinery for the 'One District One Factory' programme, as well as the various infrastructure projects outlined in the vision of the NPP government.

In light of this, he indicated that government was putting the necessary legislative and policy framework in place to ensure that the private sector thrives in a business-friendly environment.

A government delegation made up ministers and businessmen accompanied the Vice President to the Asian country in a quest to deepen diplomatic and economic ties, as well as create opportunities for Ghanaian businesses to form partnerships with their Chinese counterparts.

The visit is at the invitation of the Chinese government, and it is the first high-level official state visit to China since the New Patriotic Party took office in January this year.

On his part, Mr Liu Liange indicated that the Chinese Exim Bank's confidence in Ghana is reflected in the fact that the country has received the largest amount of money from the bank in Africa for projects in areas such as telecom and agriculture.

The bank also stands ready to help Ghana in the area of high speed railway, aviation, industry, manufacturing and the other priority areas for the government of Ghana, he declared.

While in Beijing, Dr Bawumia is expected to hold bilateral talks with the Chinese Vice President, Li Yuanchao, at the Great Hall of the People.

Ghana's Vice President will also meet Chinese leaders, including Mr Yu Zhengsheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference.

Dr Bawumia is also scheduled to attend the China-Africa Industrial Capacity Cooperation-Ghana Promotion Conference.

He was accompanied on the trip by Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo; Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen; Joseph Ghartey, Minister for Railways; Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Minister for Transport; Joseph Kofi Adda, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources; Charles Adu Boahen, Deputy Minister for Finance; Mohammed Amin Adam, Deputy Minister for Energy; Mohammed Habib Tijani, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mrs Gifty Ohene Konadu, Coordinator of the 'One District One Factory' initiative and Reginald Yoofi Grant, Chief Executive of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

He will also meet the Ghanaian community in China and brief them on happenings back home.

A number of Ministers are also expected to sign cooperation and project agreements with Chinese companies.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is expected back home in Accra on Sunday, June 25, 2017.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
23.06.2017 LISTEN

The Central Region Organiser of the 31st December Womens Movement is cautioning members of the public not to engage in any business with Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings as she has overstayed her tenure as President.

Aba Edusah also cautioned the public against doing business with Caridem Development Company, a subsidiary of the Movement. We therefore caution any person or entity who has transacted any business on behalf of Caridem Development Company and 31st DWM with Dr Mrs Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, that they have done so at their own risk, she said in an address in the Central Region on Wednesday.

According to her, the Movement has not gone to congress since 1992 and due processes are not followed by leader Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings in her engagements. She cited no-knowledge of a recent publication in the Daily Graphic that the name of the Movement has changed.

Ms Edusah said a National Executive Committee has not been in place since 1992 with Mrs Rawlings virtually running affairs alone. We are therefore demanding, based on the above, for the Audited Accounts of the 31st December Womens Movement and Caridem Development Company Ltd from 1999 to date, including all bank accounts statements and the Asset Register to date from Dr Mrs Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, holding herself out as president of the 31st December Womens Movement, she said in her address.

Find her address below:

PRESS STATEMENT DELIVERED, BY THE CENTRAL REGIONAL ORGANISER OF THE 31ST DECEMBER WOMEN MOVEMENT, ABA EDUSAH, ON BEHALF OF THE MOVEMENT

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, Good Day. By introduction and as a matter of record, We the members of the 31st December Womens Movement bring to your notice that the 31st December Womens Movement is a non-governmental organization. Established almost 34 years ago and registered under the laws of Ghana as a company limited by Guarantee under the Companys code 1963 (Act 179). By this, the movement works within its regulation and constitution since it was established. The membership of the movement at one time stood at about one million Ghanaian women of age 18 and above irrespective of creed, religion, tribe, profession, marital status, and social standing. it embraced women living in and outside Ghana. The functions of the movement are based on democratic governance, which involves the participation of every member in the decision-making process. The Movement works through the following:  Congress Regional Delegates Conference District Delegates Conference Workplace Delegates Conference The congress is the highest body of the Movement responsible for all policy guidelines and it shall elect the National officers as the National Executive Committee / Council and Congress Patrons. The Congress is composed of National Executive Committee and proportional representation from each region to be selected at Regional conferences where Observers are to be invited by the National Secretariat of the Movement. The Regulations require that Congress shall be convened once every five (5) years to:  Review the operations of the Movement,  Approve any decisions from the national executive committee and  Elects new national executive officers. The National Executive Committee is responsible for running the affairs of the Movement and is required to meet every four months in the year. The National Executive committee is made up of all the National Officers, all heads of Departments of the Movement at the National Secretariat, all Regional organizers and chairpersons if the regional central committee, two ex officio members of the movement nominated by congress and representation for workplace. There is a National Secretariat in Accra to support the work of the National Executive Committee. The National Officers report to the National Executive Committee. National Officers: President General Secretary Deputy General Secretary National Organizer Deputy Organizer Publicity Officers Finance Project Co-ordinator. All National Officers shall hold office for a period of five (5) years and may be eligible for re-election for at least two more consecutive terms for the same position. But not for more than three (3) consecutive terms. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,

We wish to state the following:  That the last congress of the Movement was held sometime in May 1992. To date, Dr. Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, former First lady, has held herself out as President of the Movement (in total contravention of the stipulated five year- term) and has not called for a congress as per the regulations of the Movement. The 31st December Womens Movement is the sole beneficiary of ALL the Assets of Caridem Development Company Limited, established as an investment (commercial) company to generate funds to support the programs and activities of the Movement and creates employment and jobs for the Women. It has come to our attention that the audited accounts are neither up to date nor filed at the Registrar of Companies. That We have cause to believe that huge sums of monies have been dissipated and assets sold from the accounts of 31st DWM by Dr. Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings without following proper internal processes. That by our Regulations, Audited accounts showing expenditures etc. must be submitted to the National Executive Committee and Congress for study and approvals.

We the members of the 31st December Womens Movement make the following statement: That since for the past twenty years there has not been Congress or National Executive committee meeting, so making all decisions of the Movement not valid.
Kampala (AFP) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for international solidarity with Uganda at a fundraising summit to help the country deal with nearly a million South Sudanese fleeing war.

Held in Entebbe, Uganda, the summit hopes to raise at least $2 billion (1.8 billion euros) to help tackle the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis triggered by continuing civil war in South Sudan.

Guterres said Uganda's "exemplary refugee policy" stood out in a world where many countries are turning their backs on foreigners in need.

On Thursday, he visited refugee camps in northern Uganda, close to the South Sudan border, which have popped up over the last year, quickly becoming the largest in the world.

Speaking to delegates, Guterres said the refugees were not living in camps but in settlements which were more like proper villages.

"They are allowed to farm the land, allowed to build the same schools, the same hospitals, the same health centres, to get jobs, to have a noble life, to live in dignity," the UN chief said.

"It is necessary for the international community to recognise that Uganda has had an exemplary refugee policy in the past.

"And even today, faced with the largest refugee inflow, Uganda remains a symbol of the integrity of the refugee protection regime that unfortunately is not being respected everywhere in the world," he said.

947,000 S.Sudanese in Uganda

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, seen here with Ugandan premier Ruhakana Rugunda, has praised Kampala's refugee policy as "exemplary"

On Friday, European nations pledged 125 million euros on top of 85 million euros pledged by the EU on Thursday, but summit organisers say $8 billion -- or 7.2 billion euros -- is needed to deal with the crisis for the coming four years.

Appealing for funds, Guterres said international solidarity with Uganda was "not a matter of generosity, it is a matter of justice."

According to the UN refugee agency more than 947,000 South Sudanese refugees are sheltering in Uganda, bringing the total number of refugees in the east African nation to more than 1.2 million.

South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, achieved independence in 2011.

Civil war broke out in 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his rival and former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup against him.

In August 2015, a peace deal was signed but it collapsed in July last year when fighting broke out in Juba, spreading violence across the country.

It was this fighting that led to the biggest exodus, with some 743,000 South Sudanese arriving in Uganda since July 2016 -- or about 2,000 a day.

There were already some 200,000 living in Uganda due to the initial outbreak of fighting in 2013, with the latest influx pushing the overall number close to a million.

Appealing for funds, the UN chief said solidarity with Uganda in the face of the refugee crisis was not a matter of generosity but "of justice"

More than 270,000 of them are housed in Bidibidi settlement, which overtook Kenya's Dadaab earlier this year as the biggest refugee camp in the world.

The UN estimates that another 500,000 South Sudanese will arrive in Uganda this year.

The summit will not include discussions on how to end the ongoing fighting, but Guterres insisted that the violence stop.

"Everything must be done to end the war in South Sudan," he said.
RACINE  In 1841, Anna M. Salem became Racines first Norwegian-American resident. Throughout the next several decades, Norwegian-Americans would come together to find a sense of community in their new country.

The Wergeland Society, a Norwegian group, formed in Racine in 1892 but split after its members could not agree on their stance on prohibition. In June 1917, the Nordlyset Racine Lodge, a local chapter of Sons of Norway, a Norwegian community organization, came into existence.

Saturday marks the Racine chapters 100th anniversary celebration.

Our group is really a group of friends, said lodge president Mike Palacek. Nordlyset is the Norwegian word for the Northern Lights.

The group currently has 128 members in Racine.

Nordlyset still does things the way it did 100 years ago, Palacek said. The group still hosts picnics, Christmas parties, cultural events and musical programs.

On Saturday, members of the social club will celebrate the 100th anniversary in these same ways at the Racine Country Club, 2801 Northwestern Ave. Palacek said the event is sold out.

You think about people in the United States 100 years ago, Palacek said. There was no TV, no radio. None of that stuff. People hung out more together.

Improv group ComedySportz is set to make an appearance at the anniversary event, and Palacek said he expects them to lampoon Norwegian culture as a whole, as well as individual members of Nordlyset.

And no Norwegian celebration would be complete without akvavit, a spiced potato spirit similar to vodka, and krumkake, a rolled waffle-like Norwegian cookie. Palacek said he had to drive to Milwaukee just to find akvavit in a liquor store.

The krumkake will also have a more Americanized twist in the form of Ole and Lena jokes printed on fortune cookie-like paper on the inside of the cookie, Palacek said. Ole and Lena jokes are popular within the Scandinavian-American culture, but are not found in any Scandinavian countries. They poke fun at a cast of immigrant characters who channel the bumbling innocence of newly immigrated people.

Palacek first got involved with Nordlyset seven or eight years ago, he said. He joked that his wife forced him to join, but he is the kind of person where if I get involved, I really get involved.

Palacek has served as lodge president since 2014, just a few years after he joined. For the 100th anniversary celebration, he put together a short book on the history of the lodge and Norwegians in Racine.
The former Second Lady, Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur on Thursday advised Ghanaians and patients to nurture the spirit of giving, for the socio-economic development in the country's health care sector.

Mrs. Matilda-Amissah Arthur gave the advice when she presented essential hospital items to the Asesewa Government Hospital in the Upper Manya Krobo constituency of the Eastern Region. The donation is in line with her commitment to improving health service delivery in the country.

The items donated at the Asesewa hospital included hospital beds, mattresses, hoists, rollators, wheel chairs, walking racks, auxiliary crutches and seat pillows. Other items donated were blankets and hospital uniforms, swivel chairs, glove Zimmer frames, waste bins, syringes and crane examination lights.

The Former Second Lady who personally donated the items said, it was intended to complement government's effort at providing quality health care to the people.

Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur, urged management of the facility to take care of the equipment so that it would last long and also help in the improvement of efficient service delivery in the hospitals

She urged the management of the hospital to endeavor to provide patients with good quality care, adding, "I believe that the items presented would benefit patients."

As part of her visit to the area, the former Mrs. Matilda Amissah- Arthur paid a courtesy call on the Kornor of Manya Krobo His Royal Majesty Nene Sakitey II at his palace.

The medical superintendent of the Hospital, Dr. Eric Boateng commended Mrs Amissah-Arthur for her kind gesture and therefore appealed for more support.

The Ideal Woman

Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur some few months ago, was installed the 2016 Yokama of Manya Krobo. Yokama means the Ideal Woman.

Matilda Amissah-Arthur as the Yokama, has been encouraging the women to put the education of their children first in all that they do.

The Yokama was instituted by the Konor of Manya Krobo, to celebrate women as part of the celebrations of the Annual Ngmayem or millet festival. The day brings together women of distinction to celebrate their achievements and contribution to the development of their various communities.

The President of Yokama, Madam Ernestina Anafu, thanked Mrs. Matilda Amissah Arthur for the kind gesture and prayed that God continues to bless her in all her endeavors, especially contributing meaningfully to national development.

On his Part the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Upper Manya Krobo, Felix Nartey Odjao, thanked Mrs Matilda Amissah -Arthur for her good works across the country. He was grateful to for the donation to the District.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has taken a swipe at the Nigerian police investigative team that arrested billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudubem Onwuamadike, also known as Evans.

The beautiful actress is not happy with how some police officers were happily taking pictures with the kidnapper.

She seemed to suggest that their action was giving the kidnapper some celebrity status over his crime and it is not a good look for Nigeria. Hence, she went public to lash out at the policemen.

It would be recalled that a special team assembled by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), in conjunction with operatives of the Lagos State Police Command, a few weeks ago arrested Evans in Magodo area of the state.

Following his arrest, the once-dreaded kidnap kingpin has been revealing to investigators some of his activities in the crime world.

Against this backdrop, photographs emerged online showing officers involved in the operation that led to Evans' arrest happily posing with the kingpin.

Kate was disappointed as she took to her Twitter to vent her spleen saying, If these are police men shame on you!! What is the meaning of this?

She tagged Nigerian Police handle on Twitter in her post.
All is set for the maiden edition of Women in PR Ghana Seminar scheduled to take place on July 1, 2017 at the World Trade Centre in Accra.

The event, targeted at Public Relations professionals and students, as well as people in the communications and the media industry, would feature renowned Women PR and communications specialists who would share their thoughts.

Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, Dean of the School of Information and Communications Studies, University of Ghana, Dr. Koryoe Anim-Wright, President, African University College of Communications, Gifty Bingley, Head of Corporate Affairs, Tigo Ghana, Cynthia E. Ofori-Dwumfuo, PR Business Leader, Ogilvy & Mather Ghana, would discuss topics such as Choosing and Starting a career in PR, Pitching and Building Media Relationship, Social Media for Today's PR woman, Rising up the Corporate Ladder, among others.

There will also be a panel discussion on the theme, Women and PR which will bring to bear some of the issues and perceptions affecting the PR profession and how we can empower each other to build and advance in our career choices.

Founder of the event, Faith Senam Ocloo, stated that Women in PR Ghana Seminar is dedicated towards mentoring the next generation of young PR and communication professionals, who are confident of the skills they have acquired and well equipped to deliver wherever they find themselves.

She added that the Public Relations profession is evidently dominated by women at every level except for the very top, which is typically reserved for men.

Women in PR Ghana Seminar will work towards bridging the gap and mentoring the younger generation to be ready and able to take up leadership roles in their various organizations, Ms Ocloo stated.

The discussions, which will be moderated by Akosua Ogyiri Kwafo, Communications Professional, Stratcomm Africa, will have panelists such as Joyce Ahiadorme, Sustainability and Community Affairs Manager of Voltic Ghana, Paulina Kuranchie, Head of PR Department of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Afia Drah, Head of Public Relations, Trust Hospital and Fati Shaibu, News Editor, e.TV Ghana.

There will be speed mentoring and breakout sessions for attendees to network and interact with fellow PR professionals.

Women in PR Ghana Seminar event is organized by E'April Public Relations in partnership with the Institute of Public Relations Ghana and sponsored by Voltic Ghana, L'Oreal Ghana that are partnered by African University College of Communications (AUCC), Webster University Ghana Campus, Business and Financial Times, Daily PR Africa, Shotbyese and George Britton.

Tickets are available for purchase at the reception of GIJ, AUCC, Webster University Ghana Campus and IPR Ghana Secretariat.

Information and enquiries can be obtained at email [email protected]
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has sealed off the offices of three companies during a distress action to compel them to fulfil their tax obligations to the state.

The companies are ACI Construction, a subsidiary of the Agams Group of Companies, which owes the state over GH14.3 million in taxes; Eagle Star Enterprise Limited, an engineering and construction firm, which is indebted to the tune of GH604,175.00 and Logistics Supplies Services Limited, which owes GH460,779.00.

A fourth company, the National Communications Backbone Company (NCBC), a firm set up by Vodafone Ghana Limited to provide the bandwidth needs of Internet Service Providers (ISP) and offer other technology services, said to owe over GH30 million in taxes, made arrangement with the tax authorities to pay.

Briefing the media, Henry Sam, the Coordinator of the Special Revenue Mobilisation Taskforce, said the exercises were geared towards ensuring full compliance with the provisions of the tax laws and to shore up tax revenue to meet the 2017 target of GH34 billion.

He said the Special Revenue Mobilisation Task Force, in collaboration with the Tax Office, recovered tax revenue amounting to over GH66.3 million between January 2017 and June 2017.

He said the taskforce had earmarked a list of 14 delinquent taxpayers, who owed the state over GH63 million for distress action.

He said the affected tax defaulters are located in Accra and Kumasi, adding that the action would be sustained across the country throughout the year and beyond.

Mr Sam explained that the action was the last tool of mobilisation that the GRA could use to collect monies owed to it, adding that the companies would be given an ultimatum to pay and if they fail, the Authority would take custody of their assets and sell them to defray the taxes owed.

Mr Sam urged taxpayers to voluntarily comply with the tax laws by filling all tax returns, issue VAT invoices for taxable supplies and effect payment of all relevant taxes on or before the due date to avoid embarrassment.

GNA
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu, has tasked regional and district police commanders and other senior officers to ruthlessly deal with lawbreakers, including political party faithful, who take delight in taking the law into their own hands.

The IGP, who believes that crime has no political colour, wants his men to be firm, impartial and professional in dealing with all manner of people who engage in acts of impunity across the country.

Delivering his address at the National Police Command Conference in Kumasi yesterday, Mr. Asante-Apeatu said Ghanaians were tired of the recklessness, indiscipline, lawlessness, and above all the gross impunity among young people, who are supposed to make our country great and strong.

According to him, President Akufo-Addo has told the police on numerous occasions to fight impunity through the enforcement of the law without fear or favour.

He therefore charged all the commanders to adopt the mantra zero tolerance for impunity. Let us stop it. Let us do it for the people of Ghana.

The conference, which was held under theme: Transforming Ghana Police Service into a World Class Police  the Role of Regional Commander,' brought together all the regional police commanders and their crime officers across the 11 regions of the police service.

The IGP wondered why Ghanaian society had allowed impunity to fester and degenerate into the cultural fabric and traditions in an era of democracy where rule of law and respect for human dignity are supposed to be enhanced.

He intimated that the pockets of violence over the years evidenced by the deaths of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama and Constable Michael Kporyi at Denkyira-Obuasi and Tema respectively can no longer be tolerated.

Such cowardly behaviour of a few social deviants cannot hold us back. In fact, the death of any single Ghanaian on the platform of lawlessness, violence and/ or impunity is one too many, he indicated.

People's rights

The IGP however reminded officers to be mindful of the constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms of Ghanaians as they seek to fight violent crimes and lawlessness, urging them to continue to respect the rule of law.

Policing has changed so much over the last three decades requiring relevant innovations to remain functional, he disclosed. That is why the service is seeking to undertake transformation in line with its vision to becoming a world-class police service capable of delivering planned, democratic, protective and peaceful services.

According to him, the transformation agenda has 13 government strategic objectives as reference point, which the police administration has condensed into five key themes.

They touched on revamping the Criminal Investigations Department, professional development of frontline officers, strengthening of the international affairs cum the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards (PIPS) Bureau.

The IGP expressed the hope that the Ghana Police Service will be rated among the top 10 police organisations in the world in the next four years under his leadership.

Mr. Asante-Apeatu cited inadequate and poor accommodation for police officers, inadequate vehicles required for effective policing, budgetary constraints and poor police-population ratio as some of the challenges.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi


Geneva (AFP) - The UN Human Rights Council on Friday decided to send a group of experts to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help investigate an explosion of deadly violence in the Kasai region.

A council resolution called on the UN rights office to dispatch a team of international experts to help Kinshasa investigate gross rights violations in the region, including extrajudicial killings, torture, rape and the use of child soldiers.

More than 3,300 people have been killed in eight months of spiralling unrest in the central Kasai region, the papal envoy to the country said earlier this week.

About 1.3 million people have fled their homes, according to UN figures.

The resolution adopted by the 47-member council fell short of a call from the UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein for a fully-fledged "independent, international investigation" following "horrific attacks" in the region.

The European Union, supported by the United States and others, had initially presented a draft resolution urging such an international probe.

But faced with harsh opposition from Kinshasa the western countries opted for a compromise, withdrawing their resolution and joining one presented by Tunisia on behalf of a group of African countries.

That text calls for the team of international experts, including ones from the region, "to collect and preserve information to determine the facts and circumstances... in cooperation with the (DRC) government".

Crucial compromise

The violence in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo erupted in September

The experts must forward their conclusions to the DRC authorities, the resolution says, stressing that "the perpetrators of deplorable crimes are all accountable to the judicial authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo".

It calls on Zeid to present a comprehensive report on the team's findings in the council's main annual session in March next year.

Tunisian representative Walid Doudech told the council the final text had been subject to "intense negotiations" and thanked the EU for enabling the "crucial compromise".

A Western diplomat close to the negotiations said the EU had preferred finding a compromise to pushing through an investigation sure to be boycotted by Kinshasa.

The negotiations "were not easy. But it was better to find a balanced solution with the participation of the country," the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A camp has been set up in the Democratic Republic of Congo for people fleeing conflict in the central Kasai region

DRC ambassador Zenon Mukongo Ngay told the council his government would "accommodate the investigative team on its soil," but stressed the experts would only provide "technical and logistic support" and that "the Congolese judiciary will maintain the leadership in the investigation".

The violence in the Kasai provinces erupted in September when security forces moved in against followers of a tribal chieftain Kamwina Nsapu -- who had been killed a month earlier -- rebelling against the increasing authority of the central government.

Earlier this week, Zeid accused Congolese authorities of creating and arming a militia that has carried out "horrific attacks" on civilians, including mutilating babies and toddlers and slicing open pregnant women.

He also accused the Kamwina Nsapu rebels of committing serious abuses, including targeted killings and using child soldiers as young as seven.
The US governments stripping of protocol visa allocation to top Ghanaian government officials including former presidents and MPs on non-official visits is degrading, the lawmaker for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer has stated.

The directive of the US government means that all former presidents including John Dramani Mahama, and John Agyekum Kufuor will have to book an appointment or join a queue like other Ghanaians seeking a visa to visit the United States.

This was made known by the US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson when he met the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament.

But speaking Friday June 23, 2017 on Morning Starr, the Sekondi legislature described the move by the US government as extremely worrying and an insult to the sovereignty of Ghana.

It is a sign of disrespect to our entire nation, he passionately told Morning Starr host Francis Abban.

Immediately you begin touching our former presidents the next time [they] will even touch our sitting presidents to say that the sitting president will have to appear in person if he requires a visaIt is unfair, he added.
There shall be a President of the Republic of Ghana who shall be the Head of State and Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.The President shall take precedence over all other persons in Ghana, and in descending order, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice, shall take precedence over all other persons in Ghana.The President shall not, while in office as President, be personally liable to any civil or criminal proceedings in court.  1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana



Ghana was the first place in sub-Saharan Africa where Europeans arrived to trade  first in gold, later in slaves. It was also the first black African nation in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power, in this instance Britain. Despite being rich in mineral resources, and endowed with good education system and efficient civil service, Ghana fell victim to corruption and mismanagement soon after independence in 1957 __BBC Report

After sixty years of independence, there appears not to be a single state institution which is functioning as it should be. The sad truth is that all the institutions left behind by our colonial masters which were working well at the time they left have all fallen into disuse. Worst still, the ones we created for ourselves by ourselves since independence have also gone down the drain. The state institutions which have the semblance of life in them are doing so because they are driven by the force and mechanism of the global village, the axiom being that either we keep up with the world outside or we sink. Let us take a cursory look at the situation confronting us now.

The railway network which was functioning pretty well at the time of independence has completely disappeared despite more than three attempts to resuscitate it by past post-independence governments. The railway lines have become a victim of criminal activities of either scrap dealers or galamsey operators while railway lands have been taken over by the selfish and unpatriotic powerful and rich in society with the active connivance of the corrupt people at the Lands Commission or greedy traditional rulers. We have to create a special ministry for railways to kid ourselves that we can revive the network once again. I chuckled when I read Sydney Casely-Hayford's article in the DAILY GUIDE on Tuesday, June 20, 2017, page 20 titled: Zooming In. He appeared to look like a village champion eyeing a village queen with all the appetite of romantic dalliance he could muster.

The ports and harbours, the betrothed cousins of the railway networks at birth, are working today, far below the effectiveness and efficiency levels known in Singapore or Rotterdam. They function like a sleep walker luckily not by our own making but because they are driven by the force and mechanism of the global village. Since as a modern state, we cannot do without the ports and harbours, we must find some means to keep them going even though they provide a massive avenue for corruption for all the people who are lucky to be connected with them.

The management of the postal system failed to anticipate the onset of information technology and today must hope to seek salvation under the almighty consolidated fund to survive. Today, DHL a postal agency has been transformed into a mighty successful multinational with supply chain as its core business. The efficient public service left behind by our colonial masters have today become the avenue for personal aggrandisement and the looting of the national resources by the educated elite, people who were educated at great cost to the state and expense of the poor cocoa farmer and mines worker.

Today state cars are stolen shamelessly, the registration numbers fraudulently changed with the connivance of DVLA workers. State lands purchased on a silver platter or stolen have registered papers falsified by the people at the Lands Registry once the criminals involved get to know that the law is after them. In societies which have made it like Singapore, state lands are auctioned publicly after public advertisement and not sold under the table to the powerful and well-connected in society as it is done here.

The Ghana Airways and the Black Star Line we created for ourselves after independence were all destroyed by our own diabolical, evil and satanic ingenuity, driven by greed which characterises everything in our national lives.

The democracy which was handed down to us by our colonial masters was dismantled at the first whistle after independence when the new black masters forcefully decided to introduce one party state and socialist ideology. Today our democracy is wobbling on one leg like Long John Silver of Treasure Island fame. Criminals who waited for the sun to set and pick arms to destroy the democratic system we tried to nurture, vagabonds who introduced violence into our society and created avenues for themselves, their families and cronies to loot and share the nation's resources among themselves have the impunity and audacity to mount political platforms and preach probity, accountability and integrity to us while we give then space and hearing.

Today, we have given ourselves a constitution which not only grants immunity from prosecution to criminals but also allow more avowed potential criminals to assume the position of the Head of State and Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, takes precedence over all other persons in Ghana, and worst still make it impossible to hold them personally liable to any civil or criminal proceedings in court while in office.

Our course has been that of failed leadership, corruption and mismanagement driven by greed perpetrated by the educated elite who find themselves in entrusted positions and power. Our situation is simply summed up by Lee Kwan Yew, the late venerable leader of Singapore when he visited Africa.

I was not optimistic about Africa. They (Ghana and Nigeria) were the brightest hopes of Africa, the first two to get their independence, Ghana in 1957, followed shortly by Nigeria. Three days after we arrived in Accra, we were told by our hosts that there had been a bloody coup in Lagos. Prime Minster Abubakar had been assassinated and so had Chief Festus.

Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's President did not rejoice at the news. He himself had had a narrow escape about two years before, just before I visited him in January 1964. By 1966, Osagyefo (Redeemer), as Nkrumah was called, had recovered enough of his bounce to give me dinner with some of his senior ministers and a bright young vice-chancellor of his university. This man, Abraham, was only about 30 years old, had taken a First in Classics at Oxford and was a fellow of All Souls' College. Nkrumah was very proud of him. I was impressed but wondered why a country so dependent on agriculture should have its brightest and best do Classics  Latin and Greek.

One month later (after the coup in Nigeria), on 24 February, as Nkrumah was being welcomed with a 21-gun salute in Beijing, China, an army coup took place in Accra. People danced in the streets as the army leaders arrested leading members of Nkrumah's government.

My fears for the people of Ghana were not misplaced. Notwithstanding their rich cocoa plantations, gold mines, and High Volta dam, which could generate enormous amounts of power, Ghana's economy sank into disrepair and has not recovered the early promise it held out at independence in 1957.

The news I read saddened me. I never visited Ghana again.

E-mail: [email protected]

BY Kwame Gyasi
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Ghana presided over by Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo ruled in a (6-1) majority decision that, it was unconstitutional for two Guantanamo detainees to be accepted in Ghana before parliamentary approval. Also, the court directed the two detainees case be brought to the parliament for the next three months ahead.

These two former prisoners of Guantanamo Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef, 36 and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, 34, were prisoned for 14 years for the suspicion that they were associated to Al-Qaeda. They came to Ghana specifically to be reintegrated to their country later. They are not staying in Ghana permanently. Ghana can reintegrate them before they go back to their country.

First, I do not oppose the outcome of the verdict since it is consistent with the law of Ghana. Apparently, one of the first famous ruling under Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo. My concern is that why did it take so long to take this case to court? Or why did it take so long for this ruling to come out? Did someone sue the government since last year or the court delayed the verdict till yesterday? These detainees came to Ghana in 2016 before the election. What slowed the process? The ruling or the people who sued?

For the next three month, the detainees are going to live in Ghana till the Parliament make their decision. What if someone sued earlier and the court came with a ruling before they came to the country? We watched the NDC government to do an illegal thing, and we are now blaming them. If the prisoners had the intention to harm Ghana, they could have done it long ago because we are slow in making decisions most of the time, all things being equal.

Second, are these prisoners a threat to Ghana? How? Are they doing something to hurt Ghana? So far, these men have lived in Ghana peaceful since last year, and we have not heard anything bad relating to them. I am sure the BNI, US Embassy, CIA, and other national intelligence are watching these individuals activities in the country. Personally, I do not think they have something evil to hurt Ghana. What has Ghana done to them that will cause them to bomb us?

I think some people are living in fear since these men came to Ghana and they are finding all means to drive them out of the country. It is your country and if you do not want them, be honest and tell them straight to leave. The government can boldly say to the US government to take these prisoners out of the country, and they will do so. Why can't the government do this if it is unconstitutional? I hate to hear baseless accusations against these prisoners while they are in the country.

Again, the politics behind these prisoners do not make sense. NDC government brought them to Ghana so what is NPP government case? You got to deal with your politics and leave these men alone. The problem is not the presence of these prisoners in the country rather the government inability to take decisive decisions prior anything. These prisoners deserve a break on some groundless accusations against them. I am sure they are beginning even to regret coming to the country. Sometimes your actions could make people bad against you. As I said, it is your country, if you do not want them, stop the unnecessary politics and ask them to leave.
Government says it will do all it can to reverse a decision by the United States Embassy, to withdraw some privileges extended to former Presidents in the country.

Deputy Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the Foreign Affairs Ministry is yet to engage the Embassy for further details since the Ambassador did not make the pronouncement during a meeting with the Ministry but rather, at a meeting with Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee.

Even in getting the further details, the Ministry is minded that courtesies extended to former presidents are restored," he told Kojo Yankson, host of the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, Friday, June 23, 2017.

Deputy Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, told Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday that henceforth, former Presidents and Members of Parliament (MP) are expected to join the queue like any other ordinary Ghanaian, when applying for US visas for their private visits.

The Committee had summoned Mr Jackson to respond to some queries surrounding the recent deportation of some Ghanaians under inhumane circumstances as well as the poor reception given to visa applicants at the Embassy in Accra.

He was emphatic that apart from the official travels for ex-Presidents and MPs, which go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in all other applications the applicants must personally present them.

The Ambassador said the official applications are processed within 48 hours but travelling on business or tourism which is not related to government business, you need to make a personal appearance; even former Presidents have to come themselves.

This announcement has met a lot of public backlash with most Ghanaians saying it smacks of disrespect since former U.S. Presidents and Congressmen will expect courtesies extended to them when travelling to Ghana.

But Mr Oppong Nkrumah has called for calm assuring that, government will get to the bottom of the issue.

He said depending on how the Embassy responds when it is engaged, there are options that the country will be forced to look at.

Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu

Contributing to the discussion, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu said is intriguing that the US government is taking such a decision as a check on the abuse of protocol privileges which has continued over the years up till now.

I believe government through its Foreign Ministry will be addressing this with the US government at the level of a discussion. Whatever the outcome, I believe that government needs to appeal against the decision," he said.

"Again, it depends on the strength of Ghana in terms of reciprocal gestures. What happens to former American heads of states and congressmen visiting Ghana? Do they want to be treated with respect and privileges? Then the same respect, courtesies and privileges should be extended to Ghanaians, he added.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim |[email protected]
As most of you know, Sept. 30, 2017, is the deadline for Congress to pass the defense budget. The U.S. Constitutions Preamble declares that Congress Provide of the Common Defense. Unfortunately, this statement seems to have many interpretations.

This budget should be approved in its entirety. This has not happened because of sequestrations and continuing resolutions. The Air Force has been funded through Continuing Resolutions for 14 of the last 17 years. Over time, Air Force readiness has become less than 50 percent ready for its missions.

Continuing resolutions cause serious problems. We lose pilots. We lose training exercises. We purchase less munitions. Depot hiring will stop. Aircraft maintenance would be curtailed. Modernization programs would be delayed. Pilots, maintainers and air traffic controllers will leave and go to the civilian sector. Costs have no choice but to rise and taxpayers would hate that.

Through sequestrations, aircraft depot maintenance has suffered. For example, Kelly AFB, McClellan AFB and the 440th here in Wisconsin, all outstanding depot maintenance facilities, were closed. It took years to recover and the Air Force may not be there yet. The Air Force needs all kinds of maintainers to support the mission.

New aircraft are needed. Aging aircraft can be more expensive to maintain. The first B-52 left the factory on Oct. 26, 1951. The youngest B-52 is 52 years old. The B-1B Lancer is 27 years old. The B-2A Spirit is 20 years old. Aging tankers effect every part of the Air Force. Tankers refuel in the air and allow extended operations over remote locations. The last KC-135 was purchased in 1965. KC-135s on average are 50 years old. F-15 and F-16 fighters have begun to show structural issues. The F-22A averages 20 years of age. Even C-17As and C-130Js still fly. This is all a testament to our remarkable maintenance people.

The Senate passed the 2017 defense appropriations bill by April 28 and forwarded it to the president. But it appears little, if any, funding has been doled out since. Even though it was another continuing resolution, we appreciate Congress for doing that, as anything helps. We especially appreciate what Wisconsin representatives and senators do for funding and supporting the military and for their work with the Veterans Administration.

Full funding is the best plan. To support the mission, we need to fill pilot and support positions. Pilots are not born, they take years of training. Everything must be done to retain pilots. There are other things that help. We can have Air National Guard and Reserve units have six month or one year temporary deployments to the Air Force. We can temporarily furlough Air Force pilots so they can fly civilian airliners. Pilots have to keep flying!
The Brong-Ahafo Regional Rent Control Office received a total of 135 complaints from landlords and 72 complaints from tenants between January to June 2017.

91 tenants also reported that their land lords issued forced eviction notices on them.

Mr. Frank Adu Opare, the Regional Head, Rent Control, said these in an exclusive interaction with Space FMs Mavis Agyire in Sunyani on Friday.

The rent officer said the office settled over 170 of the cases amicably adding that land lords and tenants must always have tenancy agreement.

He added that per the rent law, landlords are not to take rent advance exceeding six months but unfortunately, tenants pay more than the stipulated six months and only report to the rent office when matters get out of control.

Again, he pointed that landlords are obliged to issue tenancy agreement for them to monitor the number of people renting at a particular time. Landlords are also required by law to issue rent cards and receipts to tenants, he added.

In the payment of rent, the landlords have to issue receipt to the tenant as well as rent card and landlords must keep copy of the card. Tenants must read the rules and regulations well before they sign any agreement, he said.

Mr. Adu Opare noted that the law also requires that landlords pay tax on monies they receive from tenants to the Ghana Revenue Authority
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwame Dafiamekpor, Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi Constituency in the Volta Region, has called on public universities,Nursing and Teacher Training colleges in the country to put an end to the exorbitant sale of admission forms to prospective students.

According to the MP, the sale of admission forms at unreasonable cost to prospective students is illegal and has over the years deterred brilliant but needy students from being able to access higher education.

Hon. Dafeamekpor who is also the Deputy Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, expressed these concerns to THE REPUBLIC after he made a statement on the floor of Parliament last Thursday.

The South Dayi Legislator contended that, most of the public universities are State subvention hence the need for Parliament to ensure that admission forms sales are scrapped.

Mr Dafeamekpor added that the charges for admission forms by these universities is a breach of Article (25)1a and (38)1 of the 1992 constitution because the development denies potential students the right to enjoy education.

"Mr. Speaker, presently, the situation has assumed alarming proportions. Why? This is because, one is required to fill out and/or complete admission forms as part of the application processes to get admitted to these public universities and colleges. The decision to admit or not to admit, rests with the particular university."

"However, these admission forms are now sold at costly prices. Mr. Speaker, on the average, they are sold for about Ghc250.00 each with an additional amount of say, Ghc20 being charged as Service fees, if you purchased these forms through the banks.

"In these forms, the various courses are outlined. Whereas almost all of the courses have requirements of up to aggregate 24/30 or better as the case may be, the cut-off points for admissions for some of the programmes are pegged at between aggregates 6 and 9," he stated.

The MP said, at the end of every admission cycle, the amount of monies and/or financial resources that get into the accounts of these universities and colleges come as almost free monies unlawfully obtained from innocent, vulnerable but desperate members of our society much in contravention of Articles 25(1)(c) and 38(1) of the Constitution, 1992.

He noted that, in some cases, the prospective students who could not afford the admission forms money have to contact their MPs or other public officials for assistant, saying, " what is most worrying is that the fee is non refundable and this is illegal."

"Mr. Speaker, the statistics makes very shocking revelations. It is estimated that this year alone, about 400,000 individually qualified Ghanaians would purchase and successfully apply for admissions for various programmes of study in these public universities and colleges. It is further estimated that, in the process, a total of about 1,800,000 application forms would be submitted to these 166 publicly-funded institutions of higher learning by these people as it would include cross and multiple-applications."

"This means that, these publicly funded universities would realise in excess of about Ghc450million amongst themselves. Mr. Speaker, an amount they all describe as non-refundable," Mr Dafeamekpor argued.

He said, during the 2015/2016 admission cycle, the University of Cape Coast, for instance, admitted in excess of about 17,500 students for its sandwich programmes out of over 50,000 applicants, excluding the number of students that applied for admissions unto its regular programmes.

This, he contended, means that the monies paid by the over 65% of the prospective applicants have been lost to those who applied and yet were not admitted.

The practices by these universities, the South Day MP said, amount to extortion of monies from potential students as a result of the sale of the forms since more forms are sold that the universities can admit.

He said, the situation not stop, would continued to deny most students the opportunity of attending university education.

Mr Dafeamekpor therefore called for full disclosure of qualification and disqualification details of universities ahead of sale of admission forms to better inform prospective students.

For in his considered opinion, the sale of admission forms seems to be a deliberate strategy to extort from the unsuspecting public and want the Universities to rather provide cumulative cost including the admission forms when granted the admission.
A groundbreaking guide aimed at helping people to set up community-based HIV prevention services was launched in Cape Town on Friday.

The extensive 227-page guide will be translated into five languages and sets out how to take HIV prevention services to the people in a bid to reduce the transmission of HIV in South Africa and other countries.

The guide was produced using knowledge gained from three independent community-based HIV prevention projects implemented by the Desmond Tutu TB Centre (DTTC) at Stellenbosch University between 2008 and 2017.

The main goal is to produce a practical document in which we share with others the many lessons we have learnt and best practices we have developed in implementing community-based HIV prevention services, said Sue-Ann Meehan, lead author of the Guide, who led the Community HIV Prevention Programme (COMAPP) for the DTTC.

Through the projects, integrated HIV testing services were provided by going door-to-door in communities in and around Cape Town, as well as from mobile caravans and tents and standalone centres close to busy public areas. The projects reached more than 60,000 homes and another 168,000 people in mobile and standalone testing sites.

Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of implementation, from engaging with stakeholders and communities to how to set up teams and conduct HIV testing services that integrate important other services including screening for TB, sexually transmitted infections and non-communicable diseases.

The guide, which includes case studies, tips, photographs, training materials and an accompanying video, was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC hopes that the guide will be widely disseminated as a trusted resource among community-based organisations, both within and beyond South Africas borders. Beyond that, that it also be distributed and shared with all those who are interested in using the guide as an empowering tool to educate, and therefore ultimately work towards eradicating HIV/AIDS. It is in rolling out projects like these  in collaboration with a full spectrum approach from all partners involved  that we are able to reach out and hopefully touch the prospect of an AIDS-free generation, said Hilda Maringa, CDC Senior Public Health Specialist.

Through the release, CDC said it hoped to capacitate new partners and specifically community-based organisations, to deliver focused and evidence-based interventions, which had been well proven to have a measured and positive impact if implemented according to requirements.

The guide explains how Stellenbosch University has worked hand-in-hand with the health services, not-for-profit organisations and directly with communities in providing HIV testing services.

Weve made great strides in the fight against HIV/AIDs, but we cannot rest on our laurels and we have to challenge ourselves all the time to do even better. This guide and the manner in which it came about is an example of how we can achieve that, said JP Smith, the City of Cape Town Mayco member for Social Services.

I laud the different organisations involved in this process and the collaborative spirit displayed by all. There was a respect for stakeholders, such as the City Health Department; there was a willingness to listen and learn from stakeholders and there were shared learnings between the DTTC, which implemented the projects, the Health Services and other stakeholders, added Smith.

It was evident in the projects that many people prefer to be tested for HIV in mobile sites and at their homes, as it is convenient, private and saves travel time to clinics, as well as waiting in queues. Through the projects, thousands of people learnt their HIV status, with HIV-positive clients linked to care at clinics.

In this era of trying to achieve ambitious UNAIDS 90 90 90 targets and HIV epidemic control, it is important to move beyond HIV testing in health care facilities, which is vital but not sufficient. This practical guide provides the detail of "how to do it", said Karen Jennings, Head HIV/STI/TB for Cape Town City Health.

The guide was developed in English and is being translated into isiXhosa, isiZulu, Afrikaans, Portuguese and French. It dovetails with one of the main goals of Stellenbosch University, to make a tangible difference in peoples lives and be relevant within South African society. The guide is also consistent with the values of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, where the DTTC is based, in that family-and community-centered strategies are needed for improved HIV control in South Africa.

"Prevention is better than cure! As we now move into the era of successful mother-to-child HIV prevention programmes, we need to ensure that everybody is protected and therefore this guide is a wonderful step in the right direction, said Professor Mariana Kruger, head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health.

It is key to learn from the South African experience. According to UNAIDS, South Africa is home to nearly 20% of the 36.7 million people living with HIV around the world. It has also the largest national antiretroviral programme globally, with 3.3 million people on treatment.

The guide is available in hard copy and electronically on the following link:
Some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Central Region have begun amending their bye-laws aimed at ending child marriages in the region.

The measures include a ban on camping of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates and a total ban on what is called 'leavers jams' that are organized for BECE graduates.

According to the Assemblies, apart from the many factors that cause teenage pregnancies and early marriages, the camping of BECE students and the leavers jams cannot be ruled out.

The Districts report that teenage pregnancy and its attendant child marriages involving basic school leavers are on the ascendancy.

UNICEF in partnership with INTERNATIONAL NEEDS GHANA is thus collaborating with 16 communities in the Central Region to fight the canker of child marriages.

At the celebration of the day of the African Child at Abeadze Charkor, some of the District Assemblies in the affected areas told Joy News Richard Kwadwo Nyarko how they intend dealing with the issues of Child marriage.

Speaking on the day of the celebration of the African Child, Municipal Chief Executive for Mfantsiman, Kenneth Kelly Essuman, said the Assembly has abolished the camping of BECE candidates and leavers jams that are organized for BECE graduates.

According to him, several girls get pregnant as a result of these programs.

As soon as I assumed office, I ordered for the ban on these programs. In one of the senior high schools in the municipality, 11 girls who were admitted into the school, were found to be pregnant. This was really heart-breaking and it all started from such practices, he alleged.

The Mfantsiman MCE stressed that the Assembly is fine tuning its bye-laws to review activities that promote such practices.

We will punish all people including parents whose work promote early marriages and teenage pregnancies. We are happy all stakeholders including the traditional authorities are in agreement with us. We will end child marriages in our communities, he stressed.

According to International Needs, child marriage limits opportunities of the career and vocational advancement of girls, as well as places girls at the risk of being victims to domestic violence.

Program officer at International Needs, Lily Clottey says, the organization will continue to partner with UNICEF and the various communities in the Central Region through increased education to end Child marriages.

We are implementing so many programs that have begun bearing fruits. The traditional authorities and the parents are supporting us. Our aim is to reduce child marriages and teenage pregnancies, she added.
23.06.2017 LISTEN

A Kumasi-based businessman is fighting back accusations he owes Ghana Revenue Authority over 7 million Ghana cedis in outstanding taxes.

Rice importer, Rockson Kofi Nsiah, is one of eight persons who are said to have defaulted payment of taxes to a tune of over 11 million Ghana cedis.

The Ghana Revenue Authority embarked on an operation in Kumasi on Thursday to compel the indebted companies to pay up.

It comes eight months after GRA officials say the companies had failed to respond to demand notices.

However, Mr. Nsiahs supervisor, Michael Nartey, who was present at the time the Special Task Force visited the company premises disagrees.

He tells journalists the company will contest the Ghana Revenue Authority in court because the company does not owe the amount quoted by the revenue agency.

Meanwhile, the task force locked up defaulting businesses who have 14 days grace period to redeem their tax obligations or face sanctions.

Coordinator of a Special Task Force, Henry Sam, says defaulters will have their property sold to defray their debt or be dragged to court.

The special revenue mobilization task force in collaboration with the tax offices, recovered tax revenue amounting 66, 337, 842.20 spanning the period January 1, to June 16, 2017.

The collection performance mainly arose from Tax compliance checks conducted by the Task Force including suppliers and service providers to the MDAs, MMDAs and Mining companies.

Pursuant to Section 53 of the Revenue Administration Act 2015, Act 915, the Commissioner General of Ghana Revenue Authority is empowered to take possession of charged assets by serving the defaulting taxpayers with a notice.

The affected tax defaulters are mainly located in Accra and Kumasi.

The distress action, which would be sustained throughout the year, would help rake in tax revenue to meet the 2017 target.

The tax agency is therefore advising all taxpayers to voluntarily comply with the tax laws by filling all the tax returns , issue VAT invoices for taxable supplies and effect payment of all relevant taxes on or before the due date to avoid any embarrassment.


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will seek clarity from the US government on its latest directive on the allocation of US visas to top Ghanaian officials on non-official visits, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the sector minister has said.

According to her, the government will take a decision on the matter after it gets the full facts from the US Embassy.

The US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, at a meeting with Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, said former presidents and parliamentarians would be required to make a personal appearance at the Embassy to request visas if they are going on personal travels.

Now if you are traveling for tourism or business that is not related to government business, you will need to make a personal appearance.

I want to reiterate, for official travel, protocol officers pass the passports for visa applications through the foreign ministry and the foreign ministry's protocol officers bring it to us.

But for personal travel, every person is required to make a personal appearance, even former presidents of Ghana have to come in for personal appearance, he said.

But the Foreign Affairs Minister said she will be seeking clarification on the announcement.

Somebody of a level of the president or a former president has reached the point where everybody knows him or her and therefore, some of these things are done away with.

I don't think that it goes all the way to that level, but I still have to find out.

But when it comes to Members of Parliament yes they may be required to [do so].

She however said Ghana may be forced to equally introduce such a measure against ex-US officials after she has been fully briefed on the matter. If it is done to you, also, you do the same.

We need to engage them to find out what exactly has necessitated this.

-Citifmonline
Mankessim (C/R), June 23, GNA - Dr Prosper Ayisah, Takoradi Area Manager of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has said social security insurance is a basic necessity that all Ghanaians should possess.

Dr Ayisah, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview on the sidelines of a 'Customer Clinic' programme by SSNIT, said many Ghanaians do not see social security as a necessity and are reluctant to contribute to the scheme.

He said workers who fail to contribute to a social security scheme were likely to face severe hardships in their old age.

'In other jurisdictions, you cannot do away with social security. Everybody, even at birth receives social security number, they grow and start using that number when they are working. But over here, people do not see social security as a necessity'.

'That is why at old age, you will see a lot of people on the street begging for alms or depending on their relatives to feed them, he said.

The SSNIT 'Customer Clinic' is aimed at improving service delivery to the Trust's clientelle to enable them assess their status on the Scheme and seek prompt redress to challenges.

Every year, five days are set aside for the working teams of SSNIT to visit selected establishments in their operational area.

The office pitch tents within densely populated areas with high pedestrian traffic to bring the Trust's service to the doorsteps of customers.

Dr Ayisah said the 'Customer Clinic' provided a superior customer service adding that it was necessary to achieve organisational transformation and operational excellence in the era of technology.

He said it was mandatory for employers to demand social security numbers from employees before issuing employment letters.

He advised workers especially those in the informal sector to register with SSNIT and contribute because it provided members with benefits that were based on exclusive contributions.

Mr Alex Appiah, the Cape Coast Branch Manager, urged employees to ensure that their employers pay their SSNIT contributions and endeavour to report defaulters for the necessary action to be taken.

He also advised them to regularly check their SSNIT statements to confirm whether their employers were actually paying the contributions.

Mr Appiah said it is mandatory for the employer to pay social security on behalf of the employee whenever there was an employee - employer relationship, but noted that some business owners intentionally failed to do so.

He said a chunk of Government workers were without social security numbers in spite of the education programmes by SSNIT and the directive from the auditor general to delete names of workers without social security numbers from the payroll.

GNA

By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA
Johannesburg (AFP) - Zimbabwe's Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday pledged that next year's elections will be peaceful, "free and fair" despite opposition concerns about electoral interference.

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference aimed at courting South African investors, Mnangagwa noted that the last election in 2013 "was free of any violent incidents."

"We believe that we shall have a free and a fair election during 2018," he told reporters, pledging that the upcoming presidential and parliamentary ballot would, like the last, be "free of violence."

Previous elections have been marred by violence against opponents of President Robert Mugabe as well as voter intimidation and alleged fraud.

The ruling ZANU-PF party, in power since independence in 1980, has a stranglehold on government and is often accused by the opposition of electoral fraud, voter intimidation and violence.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai believes Mugabe's party has never fairly won any election in recent times.

"ZANU-PF has not won recent elections, it has rigged them," he told AFP last month, saying he didn't expect Mugabe to come out and commit to "create conditions for free and fair elections."

Mnangagwa said political parties had agreed to electoral reforms to "level the playing field" including the creation of voter registers based on polling stations rather than constituency-based rolls.

Ahead of the vote, the government will roll out biometric voter registration to create fresh voter lists.

Previous ballots have been marred by allegations of the exi'tence of ghost voters, with names listed of people who were long dead, were under age or who never even existed.

Opposition parties are trying to forge an electoral alliance in a bid to oust the 93-year-old Mugabe whom the ruling party is fielding.

But Mugabe has scoffed at the planned alliance as combination of zeros saying it would make victory easier for his ruling party as it focusses on one common rival rather than separate opponents.

ZANU-PF is widely seen as divided over Mugabe's successor, with Mnangagwa seen as one of the favoured replacements along with Mugabe's wife Grace.
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Players in the tourism and hospitality industry are vehemently calling on government to reduce the financial obligation charged them in form of levies, fees and taxes.

The industry counts of 21 different charges by separate government agencies.

This, they say is affecting their operations and also impeding implore of professionalism since they are mostly financially constraint to employ more qualified staffs to man their facilities.

The Hospitality industries in Ghana have financial obligations with about 12 agencies, including Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Tourism Authority, Food and Drugs Authority, Environmental Protection Agency, Immigration Service, Registrar General Department, Ghana National Fire Service, and the District Assemblies.

These exclude Electricity tariffs from the Ghana Electricity Company and Water tariff from the Ghana Water Company Limited.

According to some Hoteliers, the significant increment in utility bills over the last two years is one of the main reasons accounting for the rise in the cost of doing business in the industry, adding that Utility bills alone are reported to take up to 45 % of their cost of operation.

Hotel owners alarmed that the industry may soon collapse if the government does not intervene to mitigate the more than 20 financial obligation Hotel owners have to pay to government organization and agencies.

As hotels, we use water and electricity commercially the current situation where over a two-year period we have suffered more than 200% in increment has not helped because most hotels are in crises because utilities form already over 45% of their cost of operation, one hotel manager says.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director for Jumia Travel West Africa, a leading online travel agent also observed that the taxes are too high for a sector like the tourism industry.

It should be lowered for the businesses because we are forced to charge high prices when providing services whether in a hotel or others in the tourism industry. So I think it is something that should be looked at, Mr. Kushal Dutta said at the maiden Citi FMs Business Festival Akwaaba Forum in Accra.

Jumia Travel West Africa recently released a report dubbed Hospitality Report, which focused on the domestic tourism industry in Ghana.

According to the report, domestic travel spending generated 56.7% of direct Travel & Tourism Gross Domestic Product in 2016 compared with 43.3% for visitor exports (ie, foreign visitor spending or international tourism receipts).

However, this is expected to grow by 5.4% in 2017 to GHC 5.1 M (USD 1.2 M), and rise by 5.3% pa to GHC 8.7 million (US$2 million) in 2027. This means although there is a challenge in developing domestic tourism, there is still unlimited potential and Ghana as a country must increase efforts to tap into this sector of the industry.
26 June 2017, Geneva  You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind. These were the words of Mr. Mahatma Gandhi who was jailed 13 times for his non-violent and peaceful resistance against British colonial rule in India.

Torture was also a common practice at the Robben Island prison camp where the former President of South Africa Mr. Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life. One would assume that this shameful practice would belong to the past. Nonetheless, it is still being practiced in more than 100 countries and is being re-legitimized in others.

The 2017 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is an important occasion to commemorate the numerous victims of torture around the world. It also marks the entry into force of the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment that has been ratified by 162 Member States of the United Nations (UN). This Convention prohibits the use of torture by calling upon States to implement effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.

Torture does not take place in the public. It occurs primarily in detention and in prison centres were detainees and prisoners experience cruelty and degrading treatment. Torture and prison abuse are well documented. The scandal that emerged following the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse in March 2003 reminded the world that torture is still a common practice. At the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba, it was revealed that detainees were being tortured for lengthy periods of time. Instances of physical and mental forms of torture were also denounced by the UN.

Another form of torture that has been condemned by civil rights groups and the UN is the treatment of migrants and refugees at asylum centres. Certain countries have been accused of implementing detention policies that violate the stipulations set forth in the Convention against Torture. The UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendes issued a report in 2015 in which he cautioned against the inhuman and degrading practices inflicted on migrants and refugees at detention centres. This clearly contradicts Article 5 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulating: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It remains a paradox that refugees and migrants are subjugated to various forms of torture in certain host countries as they flee from similar types of inhuman practices in their countries of origin.

I am also dismayed by the use of torture in the Middle East and in Northern Africa by violent extremist groups. The disturbing images of civilians being tortured and mutilated by terrorists constitute the worst forms of human cruelty. Reports of women, children and men being subjugated to different forms of inhuman and degrading treatment including rape, summary executions and beheadings of captives are reminiscent of the Dark Ages.

In order to eliminate torture, it is important to ensure the universal ratification of the Convention of Torture. Member States of the UN should also ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture allowing for regular visits to places of detention to unveil the use of torture at prisons and detention centres.

It is important that unannounced inspections are made by monitoring bodies on a regular basis to unveil the use of torture at different locations and to serve as a deterrent. Effective laws and policies are key to ensuring the creation of preventative mechanisms enabling governments to comply with international norms and procedures.

It is likewise important that politicians and world leaders refrain from issuing statements justifying the use of torture under special circumstances. Statements justifying the use of torture for interrogation purposes does not serve the cause of human rights, justice and rule of law.

It does not belong in our modern societies and cannot be justified in any form whatsoever. The use of torture poisons our mind-sets and degrades our societies and pollutes democracy. Governments should not turn a blind eye to torture.

It needs to be condemned at the highest level by world leaders. By justifying the use of torture, a culture of impunity will emerge. Victims of torture deserve justice and reparations for crimes inflicted upon them. Torture knows no borders. It is an evil that needs to be eliminated in all of its forms as it constitutes the worst form of human cruelty.
Assembly Republicans introduced and passed a bill early Thursday that provides some protections for those with pre-existing conditions should Congress roll back protections under the Affordable Care Act.

The bill caught Democrats by surprise  it was introduced as an amendment to their own bill prohibiting lifetime caps on health insurance coverage, something the ACA, also known as Obamacare, also prohibits. The Democrats used a procedural maneuver to bring the bill to the floor, where it would most likely fail, to force Republicans to debate and vote on a contentious topic.

In a surprise move, Republicans stripped out the Democrats language and inserted their own, passing the bill 62-35 along party lines. It still must pass the Senate and be signed by Gov. Scott Walker before becoming law.

A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Senate Republicans were still reviewing the bill Thursday.

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, said the GOP move served notice that Republicans are willing to engage Democrats on the issues they bring forward.

If you want to have this debate here and now were willing to have it, Steineke said. Unfortunately their whole goal last night was political gamesmanship instead of actual policy-making. If they learn a lesson from that, maybe that will make them a better caucus.

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, noted Democrats forced a vote on a separate bill Wednesday night that would have ensured health insurers cover everyone with pre-existing conditions, similar to Obamacare, but Republicans voted against it. Instead, what they passed gives the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance the ability to alter protections in the bill for those with pre-existing conditions.

They pulled the wool over everybodys eyes, Barca said. It certainly is not their intention to maintain the kind of simple protections for people that you cannot be discriminated against for any circumstances. Period.

A spokesman for the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans declined to comment on the bill.

The language that Republicans used came from a bill Reps. Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin, and Kevin Petersen, R-Waupaca, had been working on since early May after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act.

An alternate U.S. Senate version of the AHCA was unveiled Thursday, but its future remains uncertain.

Democrats have assailed the House bill for opening up the possibility that Americans with pre-existing conditions who dont currently have coverage might be denied health insurance or charged exorbitant rates. Those who dont have coverage currently or lose their coverage and dont find new coverage within 63 days could be forced to pay a penalty if they want to participate in state health care exchanges set up under Obamacare.

Sanfelippo said the bill that passed the Assembly ensures Wisconsin residents who dont maintain their health insurance coverage would have an option through a state-run high-risk pool similar to one that existed before Obamacare passed. The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance would be responsible for working out the specifics.

The last thing we want to do is see anyone without insurance, Sanfelippo said. Were going to find a plan that will stop that loss of coverage or come up with options for people.

Sanfelippo said he wouldnt have a problem with the Senate passing the bill as is, or putting it through a committee public hearing and review process.

I think its out there now, Sanfelippo said. It will have a lot of time for people to be able to look at it and give us some feedback on the thing. If there are changes that need to be made, were always willing to look at that.
Myjoyonline.com's Edwin Appiah brings you a live update from the science competition which throws up serious, severe social bragging rights for a population generally not in tune with science and maths.

Experiencing some technical difficulty. Live update will be back

Quiz mistress wieghs in on the 'horse and chariots' comments; says she has heard that several times but.... the horses appear to have won nonetheless, she suggests.

The Anlo fans is defeaning..... Some one screams ' Please this is not a Bible school in apparent reference to Anlo SHS.

Anlo SHS: 'It feels really great to be in the quarter-finals..horse and chariots are prepared for battle but victory comes from the Lord

Mfantsipim: 'The zeal of the Lord will accomplish it

Aggrey Memorial: 'With Christ in the vessel, we will smile at the storm.

Anlo SHS have a loud support base. But so did GSTS before their mulling and New Juaben before they were pushed out by Adisco. Whatever it is, Anlo will be ready to fight for respect.

Aggrey Memorial and Anlo SHS face 2014 winners Mfantsipim School in the last contest of the day.

With a promise of a semi-final spot, Mfantsipim School will hope to prevent an upset which has seen big names like Opoku Ware SHS, Pope Johns fall to less fancied sides.

Aggrey will agree Mfantsipim School are favourites but they won't agree they will be push-overs. Anlo SHS, another Volta regional school will find inspiration from Mawuli SHS which just qualified with an easy win over West Africa SHS and Holy Child.

How they got here

Mfantsipim School eliminated their longtime rival St. Peters School and Kwahu Ridge SHTS

Aggrey Memorial snatched a late one-point victory from Notre Dame Girls in the contest that also featured Nandom SHS at the 1/8 stage.

Anlo made it to the quarter-finals for the first time after beating St James Seminary School and Sekondi College.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
23.06.2017 LISTEN

I just watched a video clip on the above topic. I am excited that Africa that was once ridiculed as the Dark Continent is today the most religious continent of the world. The feeling of shame and ignorance of the word and work of God has been replaced with pride and exhilaration in the African context. Church buildings are exploding in every corner of the continent. People are flooding the churches in droves. This is something to be celebrated and rejoiced. While I receive this news with joy and enthusiasm, I have some concerns about the way the Christian life is taught and practiced in Africa. My concern is based on the endemic nature of corruption, greed, and avarice that are deeply rooted in Africa. Most of African politicians claim to be Christians. A few claim to be Muslims. The mixed feelings I have concerning this information about Africa is that there is a difference between "religion and relationship." The Book of Acts records that the Apostle Paul was amazed to see and find out how religious the people of Athens were (Acts 17:19-34). Paul was grieved and distressed by the plethora of idols he saw in Athens. Upon this discovery, he proclaimed Christ to the citizens of Athens.

While the African context is different, we have to drill it into the mind and conscience of our people that Christianity majors on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In other words, Christianity is not about religion but relationship. It is a relationship with a person. The person is Jesus Christ. Since Jesus Christ is a person to whom Christians repose their confidence, faith, and allegiance, they are not performing to be accepted by God. Religion is based on performance, but Christianity is based on grace through faith in Jesus Christ. When this concept is embraced and understood in the Christian community then, we come to realize that how we live our lives matter to God and our fellow humans.

When this understanding of Christianity is caught and applied then it can penetrate the lives of Christians and the culture would feel its impact. The impact would affect how we carry out our responsibilities as Christians and citizens of Africa. That will affect the way we do our private work and the work of the government. I am going somewhere with this thought. If the Christian worldview is translated into the way we live our lives then, the corruption, the greed, and avarice of our ministers and politicians would be curtailed. If you know that one day you would stand before the judgment seat of Christ to render account of your life to Him, then you would agree with me that you don't want to be found culpable for corruption, greed, and avarice. Therefore, to my fellow Africans, let us practice what we preach, for if we practice what we preach, then the Holy Spirit would have unhindered access in our lives and our impact would be felt and expanded because He would draw more people unto Himself.
Lagos (AFP) - Nigeria's acting president Yemi Osinbajo has ordered troops in to keep the peace in the restive state of Taraba after deadly clashes between herders and farmers.

The vice-president, standing in for President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on indefinite medical leave, said Thursday the extra military battalions and police reinforcements had been sent.

Police say 18 people were killed in unrest between the Mambilla and Fulani groups in the central state earlier this week but others put the death toll at more than 100.

A local senator put the death toll at about 50 but it was not possible to independently verify that figure.

"With great sorrow, I offer my condolences to the victims of the violent attacks in communities in Taraba State," Osinbajo said in a statement posted on Twitter Thursday evening.

"The perpetrators of these attacks and acts of violence will be brought to book," he said.

When asked about the the death toll and how many troops have been deployed to the area, Nigerian armed forces spokesman John Enenche said "no confirmation yet".

The clashes comes as Osinbajo is trying to keep a lid on simmering ethnic tensions and has been calling for national unity in the face of an upsurge in separatist sentiment across Nigeria.

'Cycle of violence'

The Mambilla and Fulani clashed in Ngoroje village and the violence spread to other communities in the state, which borders Cameroon.

"We have lost 105 herdsmen in the Mambilla crisis in the last five days," said Mohammed Keruwa, head of the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders' Association of Nigeria, an umbrella Fulani organisation.

A Fulani herding boy interacts with a cow in a field outside Kaduna, northwest Nigeria, on February 22, 2017, where long-standing tensions between herdsmen and farmers have flared up again

"So far 40 settlements have been affected with over 100 homes razed. The Mambilla tribes are envious of the Fulani herders, whom they see as taking over their land," he told AFP.

"The Fulanis are Muslims and the Mambilla tribes are Christian. This adds to the volatility of the situation."

Taraba state police spokesman David Misal added: "The situation is calm now. It was a misunderstanding between two ethnic groups the Mamabilla and the Fulani.

Taraba lies in Nigeria's restive "Middle Belt", where the mostly Christian south meets the largely Muslim north, and has long been a flashpoint for ethnic conflict.

The wider region is notorious for bloody election campaigns and battles over fertile farmland and resources, with opposing groups often staging brutal tit-for-tat reprisals.

Extra troops began arriving in Taraba from Monday, according to Jameel Muhammad, the media aide to Taraba Central Senator Abubakar Yusuf.

Political analyst Chris Ngwodo said the state has "very weak security institutions (and) is not able to forcefully confront the incident and punish the perpetrators".

"More and more ethnic communities are resorting to self-help and we're seeing a lot of militarisation on the ground, especially in the hinterlands of the country," he added.

"This is not the last that we'll see of this particular cycle of violence."
23.06.2017 LISTEN

The Director of Operations at the Presidency, Lord Commey, has denied claims that he has been relieved of his post. Reports of his dismissal went viral on social media Friday morning.

The rumours follow newspaper and online publications that Mr Commey was engaged in some corrupt activities which could tarnish the image of the six-month old Akufo-Addo administration.

However, speaking to Atinka News, Mr Commey laughed off the claims, saying he is till at post and that the presidency has not given him any dismissal letter .

According to him, the rumours are being fueled by some faceless people who are bent on tarnishing his image and urged Ghanaians to ignore them.

Meanwhile checks by Atinkaonline at the seat of government revealed that the President has not issued any official directive relieving Lord Commey of his duties and that it is some faceless individuals, part of the smear band-wagon who are circulating the falsehood.

The President, an astute lawyer for that matter hires and fires, and he follows due process in whatever he does. The President has not said anything so why are people so much in a hurry to see Lords back?, presidential sources told this online portal.

Whoever is doing this must be ashamed of himself. If this is an attempt to get at the President it has failed, because President Akufo Addo has confidence in Lord. Lord Commey has been with the man through thick and thin so what makes them think he will desert him now, another source said.

It would be recalled that, Mr commey was compelled to issue a rejoinder earlier this week following series of attacks on his integrity by some detractors.

Below is the rejoinder Mr Commey issued recently:

RE: Mr. President Wake Up, Lord Commey Is Collapsing Your Government

My attention has been drawn to a defamatory publication on your website about me under the above headline and I want to put on record that I am highly offended by the publication and I demand an apology and retraction.

The article supposedly written by a certain Mawuko Quarshie, without any evidence or justification blatantly described me as a criminal and raised several fictitious allegations on my person.

I am shocked and cannot understand the motive or agenda for which your media house agreed to be used as a platform to publish such a defamatory article against me without any form of cross checking or verification of the issues raised by an unknown writer who cannot be traced.

Your publication stated on authority that I, Lord Commey, is taking from an NDC big man at the Lotteries GHc250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis) every week under the pretext of keeping him in his position, and that this is happening on the blindside of the new CEO.

This accusation is not true. I have not taken, I am not taking and I shall not take anything either in cash or in kind from anyone at Lotteries or anywhere else under the pretext of protecting that persons job.

The allegation is only meant to tarnish my reputation and nothing else. Name of the supposed giver is not mentioned so the security agencies can even start an investigation into the allegation. The amount mentioned, GHc250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis) every week, is simply outrageous and does not make sense. The writer or person making the allegation would also not own up to provide some leads to the allegation can be investigated. All the publication does is to throw such lies into the public and leave it hanging.

It is illogical to an extent that it is almost impossible to respond to such a senseless allegation without questioning the brains of the writer.

Your publication also alleged that at the Ports, I am acting as the NPA Boss, overseeing the smuggling of finished fuel products with the help of crude Customs officers like one Oduro, and so on and again says I am collecting bribes in tens of thousands of dollars to enable some people divert fuel products meant for exports.

There is not a single element of truth in this fabricated allegation. I do not know of any Oduro in the Customs service and I am not aiding anyone to divert fuel.

The entire accusation is pure fiction and cannot be possible even if I or someone else wanted to engage in such criminality. If the accuser has any such information, why not make that information available to the security agencies or the National Petroleum Authority or even provide that evidence to the media so some investigation can commence.

Rather the writer, someone who cannot be traced or identified, opted to spew out such fabricated lies without any evidence or clue on how the allegations can be proven yet your media house thought it prudent to publish them and tarnish my reputation without any bases. It is unfortunate that the Ghanaian media in this day and age would allow itself to be used in executing such an evil agenda against innocent persons.

Again, your publication says I am inviting, to my office, Police Commanders, Chief Executives of companies, businessmen, high profile employees of Ministries and asking them to bend the laws to favour me.

This is never true. I do not need to ask any anyone to bend the laws of Ghana to favour me because I operate within the laws and I have not done anything unlawful that I would need and law to be compromised.

It is an insult to the professional integrity of the caliber of persons your publication is alleging that I summon to my office and ask them to bend the laws to favour me. Under a thriving democratic system of governance with an open-eyed and active media, laws cannot be bent to favour an individual or a group of persons without being exposed or the evidence being splashed on the newsstands.

In the same publication, the writer alleges that in 2012 I sold some motor cycles meant for the New Patriotic Party and before the 2016 elections, I sold other items meant for the party and that currently I am selling confiscated vehicles meant for the state.

This is not true.

My difficulty is that these allegations are very senseless and without any bases and therefore responding to them properly becomes a challenge because apart from saying they are not true, there is no other way I can properly shred them into pieces.

The accuser does not raise any bases or evidence for us to interrogate but simply spews out lies and nonsense and leaves them hanging. Yet the media finds it worthy enough to publish and assist the accuser create a spiteful impression in the minds of the public against me simply because someone is saying so albeit without evidence.

Journalist or any group or persons should not be used as pawns by mercenaries in destroying the reputation of others. This is highly unacceptable and extremely unfair.

For the avoidance of doubt, I wish to state in plain language that I am a law abiding citizen doing my best for God and country not the criminal your publication painted me to be.

I am not engaged in criminality, touchwood, and I shall continue to comport myself within the laws of this country and as expected of my maker.

Once again I demand an unequivocal apology and retraction of the defamatory publication.

Signed

Lord Commey.
23.06.2017 LISTEN

The Brong Ahafo regional minister, Lawyer Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh, on Tuesday has charged regional departmental heads to be proactive and drive the development agenda of the region forward.

The minister said this when he met with all departmental heads of the government institutions in the region at the residency.

According to the regional minister the vision behind the call of the meeting was to ensure monitoring, harmonizing, Co-coordinating and Evaluation of all activities of the District Assemblies, Departments, and agencies within the region.

He said the governments has proposed programs intended to fill the Nation with employment that includes; planting for food and Jobs, One Village One Dam, One district One Factory, Free SHS, One constituency One Million dollars would never come to pass without a hard work to mobilize available resources at their disposal

During the meeting the Minister gave a room to all the heads of the departments to give reports on their performances, expectations as well as challenges after which he commended them for their immense contributions and asked them to leave a good legacy to their various place of works

I hope to count on your honest loyalty, openness and professionalism so that together we will create a synergy and collaborate to provide the needed leadership to achieve development for this region and when the history of this region is written we should be proud to be part of it for good reason he stated

I wish to entreat all Regional Heads of Departments and Agencies to submit quarterly reports of your sectors so that the Regional Coordinating Council will abreast with the progress of the implementation of government policies and programmes within your sectors as a performance measuring tool he said.

The Minister urged heads to demonstrate their commitment to their core and fundamental responsibilities. This therefore requires of us to lead and give practical direction to our subordinates and other service providers who are doing the actual implementation of government policies, programs and projects he stated.

We must all realize that the work that that we do in our various sectors is not just for ourselves, but intended to serve the common good of our people he added.

He encouraged the heads to promote the President's Projects and programmes which include, Planting for Food and Job,One Village, One Dam,One District,One Factory, 1million Constituency Infrastructural Fund and Free SHS,among others

to develop the region and the country as whole.

Lawyer Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh, pleaded them to work hard by mobilizing all available resources at their disposal, including their personnel and funds to assist them in the implementation of the governments flagship programmes and projects lead by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo- Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana.

He assured heads that his office will work with them seriously to surmount their challenges facing in the discharge of their duties which include, Inadequate and late reassess of funds, lack of logistics, inadequate office and residential accommodation and inadequate human resources among other.
Today, he sits in Parliament pretending to be representing the people of Builsa-South, in the Upper-East Region, where he was born, on the ticket of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). But for the past 4-plus years, Dr. Clement Apaak was a bona fide and stentorian spokesman for former President John Dramani Mahama, whose Presidential Staffer he had been named. In the period that he sat in the Flagstaff House with the self-proclaimed Northern Star, playing Divine Providences with inscrutable wisdom pots  a la Kwaku Ananse  a lot of things were going wrong, including the rampant and indiscriminate lynching of people arbitrarily branded as witches, mostly elderly and middle-aged women. At absolutely no time did Dr. Apaak launch any campaign, either local or nationwide, to call attention to this veritable existential menace that had been ravaging the country for as long as anybody can remember.

Back then, as Presidential Staffer, and easily the most prominent and recognizable member of these largely presidential hangers-on and boondogglers, Dr. Apaak had enough influence and power to have crafted a comprehensive policy initiative and caused the same to be implemented to give more teeth and bite to the Mental-Health Act of 2012, which was passed under the watch of his then-boss, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Democratic Republic of Ghana. But he didnt. Instead, the now-Builsa-South NDC-MP preferred to staunchly back the inordinate political nuisances of Ms. Akua Donkor, the self-proclaimed farmer and boon travel companion of President Mahama and the rest of the hoodlum pack of parasites at the Flagstaff House, in the cynical name of democratic cross-sectional representation of Ghanaian citizens at all status levels and endeavors.

The real objective here, of course, was to use Ms. Akua Donkor in a tactically ethnocentric manner to harass the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Partys electioneering campaign. One of these days, an executive-mandated investigation may have to be ordered into the assets acquisition and bank accounts of the leader-founder of the so-called Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), vis-a-vis her very public and flamboyant relationship with former President John Mahama. Recently, Ms. Donkor publicly accused the main political opponent of her former political patron and benefactor of having designs to have her physically liquidated or assassinated. Akuadonkor is definitely a prime candidate for the sort of state-of-the-art mental health facilities, all across the country, that Dr. Apaak, the latter-day pontiff of mental patients is advocating.

The advocate himself does not have much credibility, which pretty much explains why he has been trucking with Ms. Akua Donkor who, by the way, has also bitterly complained that then-President-Elect Addo DankwaAkufo-Addo deliberately refused to offer her an official invitation to attend his presidential inauguration at the Independence Square. If 50-something-year-old Ms. Akua Donkor is not a prime candidate for the sort of cutting-edge mental-health facilities that Dr. Apaakis advocating for, then I dont who else is. Dont get me wrong, dear reader, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Dr. Apaaks advocacy for evenly distributed modern healthcare facilities across the country. But, like Akua Donkor, the man lacks credibility and so one begins to wonder if his advocacy is not backed by any ulterior motives.

He has no credibility because Dr. Apaak recently claimed, very publicly, that he could provide hardcopy evidence backing the patently mendacious claim that then-President-Elect Akufo-Addo had specifically instructed the key operatives of the then-outgoing Mahama regime to order some 43 armored cars for the express and especial use of the members of the incoming Presidency at the humongous cost of $ 9 million, GH 40 million-plus. Well, more than a month later since his claim was made, Ghanaians have yet to be provided with the promised evidence that is intended to put the members of the Akufo-Addo Transition Team to shame.

But that the Builsa-South NDC-MP would opportunistically use two tragic occasions involving the suicides of two young female undergraduate students, separately, at the University of Ghana (UG) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), to luridly and cynically drive home the need to increase and upgrade the countrys mental healthcare facilities, is all the more to be pitied. Why, for instance, couldnt Dr. Apaak have used the more realistic and closer-to-home example of the savage mob-lynching of a perfectly healthy and normal Madam Yenboka Kenna, at Penlugu, in the same Upper-East Region where Dr. Apaak was born and raised, as the most relevant and fetching case in point?

I mean, here we have a whole village and its chief callously stoning to death evidently the most sane and diligent of their citizens. I bet Dr. Apaak could even be a prime candidate for examination and treatment in the sort of psychiatric facilities that the former Mahama policy wonk is advocating.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
Kampala (AFP) - The international community pledged $358 million at a fundraising summit Friday to help Uganda tackle the world's fastest growing refugee crisis, falling well short of expectations.

Organisers had hoped the meeting in the central city of Entebbe would raise at least $2 billion (1.8 billion euros) to help nearly a million South Sudanese fleeing civil war.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the pledges were a good beginning, but that more was needed.

"I think it is a very good start but we cannot stop," he said.

However, Yuna Cho of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Uganda said, "The outcome is disappointing, worrying".

"Although the number of people currently crossing the border is decreasing that didn't mean that the problem is close to being solved," Cho added.

On Thursday, Guterres visited refugee camps in northern Uganda, close to the South Sudan border, which have popped up over the last year, quickly becoming the largest in the world.

Guterres said Uganda's "exemplary refugee policy" stands out in a world where many countries are turning their backs on foreigners in need.

Refugees were not living in camps but in settlements which were more like proper villages, according to the UN chief.

"They are allowed to farm the land, allowed to build the same schools, the same hospitals, the same health centres, to get jobs, to have a noble life, to live in dignity," he said.

"It is necessary for the international community to recognise that Uganda has had an exemplary refugee policy in the past.

"And even today, faced with the largest refugee inflow, Uganda remains a symbol of the integrity of the refugee protection regime that unfortunately is not being respected everywhere in the world," he said.

947,000 S.Sudanese in Uganda

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, seen here with Ugandan premier Ruhakana Rugunda, has praised Kampala's refugee policy as "exemplary"

On Friday, European nations pledged 125 million euros on top of 85 million euros pledged by the EU on Thursday, but summit organisers say $8 billion -- or 7.2 billion euros -- is needed to deal with the crisis for the coming four years.

Appealing for funds, Guterres said international solidarity with Uganda was "not a matter of generosity, it is a matter of justice."

According to the UN refugee agency more than 947,000 South Sudanese refugees are sheltering in Uganda, bringing the total number of refugees in the east African nation to more than 1.2 million.

South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, achieved independence in 2011.

Civil war broke out in 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his rival and former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup against him.

In August 2015, a peace deal was signed but it collapsed in July last year when fighting broke out in Juba, spreading violence across the country.

It was this fighting that led to the biggest exodus, with some 743,000 South Sudanese arriving in Uganda since July 2016 -- or about 2,000 a day.

There were already some 200,000 living in Uganda due to the initial outbreak of fighting in 2013, with the latest influx pushing the overall number close to a million.

Appealing for funds, the UN chief said solidarity with Uganda in the face of the refugee crisis was not a matter of generosity but "of justice"

More than 270,000 of them are housed in Bidibidi settlement, which overtook Kenya's Dadaab earlier this year as the biggest refugee camp in the world.

The UN estimates that another 500,000 South Sudanese will arrive in Uganda this year.

The summit will not include discussions on how to end the ongoing fighting, but Guterres insisted that the violence stop.

"Everything must be done to end the war in South Sudan," he said.
The Vice-President of the Peoples Republic of China has announced his countrys preparedness to partner Ghana to undertake a massive transformation of her economy.

Speaking at a State Reception for his Ghanaian counterpart, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Li Yuanchao said China stands ready to pass on knowledge, expertise and assistance to Ghana to facilitate the transformation agenda of the President Akufo-Addo government.

In particular, China is committed to deeper trade and investment cooperation, as well as value addition to Ghanas natural resources.

In addition, Chinese companies would provide assistance in the railway, agriculture (Planting for Food and Jobs), industrialisation, energy, and transportation sectors, he indicated.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is on a four-day official visit to China, at the invitation of the Chinese government. It is the first by a high-level government official since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took office in January this year.

Dr Bawumia is leading a delegation of Ministers and government officials to the Asian country in a quest to deepen diplomatic and economic ties as well as create opportunities for Ghanaian businesses to form partnerships with their Chinese counterparts.

Ghana was among the first group of Sub-Saharan African countries that established diplomatic relations with China, and the two countries have enjoyed decades of strong ties.

The Akufo-Addo-led NPP government is seeking to leverage Ghanas abundant natural resources to undertake a massive overhaul of her infrastructural, industrial and agricultural base.

In this regard, it is seeking partnerships to extract and process the massive deposits of bauxite at Nyinahin and Kibi, with a potential value of $460 billion, to fund the construction of thousands of kilometres of railway lines, roads, provide irrigation facilities and dams, and construct bridges, among others.

The government is also seeking greater diplomatic ties with her development partners, a step in the right direction, according to the Chinese Vice President.

Since you were elected Vice President of Ghana, you and President Akufo-Addo have been committed to developing relations in a win-win cooperation with China. We highly appreciate this and thank you for that.

Your Excellency, you are the first Ghanaian leader to visit China since your new government took office. This visit has a great significance for embarking on a new chapter in China-Ghana friendship and cooperation. I look forward to a deeper and open relationship between our two countries, Mr Yuanchao stated.

Tracing the historic relations between Ghana and China, Vice President Bawumia said it was time for even closer ties.

Both President Akufo-Addo and I have been following with keen interest and have been very much impressed with the successes of the Chinese Government under the leadership of President Xi Jinping since becoming the President in November, 2012.

"We note with interest the Governments unrelenting efforts to comprehensively deepen reforms to further spur the socio-economic transformation of this country. Equally important is your effort to deepen domestic reforms in socio-economic structures of this great nation. These initiatives will no doubt offer useful lessons and guidance in Ghanas own socio-economic development," he said.

The office of the Vice President, my office, will henceforth be in charge of managing Ghana-China economic relations. This will allow for quick decisions at very high political levels to facilitate economic and investment relations between our two countries. This is a practical demonstration of the seriousness that we attach to our cooperation.

On behalf of President Akufo-Addo, I would like to assure the government of China that Ghana will continue to adhere to the One China Policy and is further resolved to consolidate, strengthen and expand the strategic partnership and cooperation between our two countries based on trust, transparency, and professionalism.

To facilitate trade and deepen financial relations between our two countries, we are also proposing that the government of China supports the opening of a Chinese commercial bank in Ghana, Dr Bawumia proposed.

The two leaders later held bilateral talks behind closed doors.

While in Beijing, Dr Bawumia will meet Chinese leaders including Yu Zhengsheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference.

Dr Bawumia is further billed to attend the China-Africa Industrial Capacity Cooperation-Ghana Promotion Conference.

A number of Ministers and government officials are also expected to sign cooperation and project agreements with Chinese companies.

The Dr Bawumia returns to Accra on Sunday, June 25.

He was accompanied by a government delegation including the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo; Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen; Joseph Ghartey, Minister for Railways; Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Minister for Transport; Kwasi Amoako Atta, Minister for Roads and Highways; Charles Adu Boahen, Deputy Minister for Finance; Mohammed Amin Adam, Deputy Minister for Energy; Mohammed Habib Tijani, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; Gifty Ohene Konadu, Coordinator of the One District One Factory initiative and Reginald Yofi Grant, Chief Executive of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Joy Business
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Under U.S. law, travelers seeking a nonimmigrant visa for travel to the United States must generally appear in person for an interview with a consular officer. U.S. law also designates limited exceptions under which the visa interview may be waived, such as for diplomats and officials traveling on official government business.

However, under U.S. law, when a diplomat or official applies for a new visa for personal travel, that applicant must appear in person for an interview. This is not a new policy.

In such limited and special circumstances as having a former president come in, we have procedures established to ensure the appropriate courtesies are extended.

When a diplomat or official applies for a visa for personal travel, it is neither necessary nor appropriate for the applicant to be accompanied to the interview by protocol assistants.

As a general policy, only visa applicants are allowed in the waiting room. Our communication to the Government of Ghana was meant to clarify this policy.

We will continue to work with the government to facilitate legitimate personal and official travel.
23.06.2017 LISTEN

The Secretariat of the All Africa Students Union (AASU) is deeply saddened by the news of the demise of Sir Ketumle Masire, the former president of Botswana.

Sir Masire proved beyond doubt his statesmanship capability; love for Africa and for a peaceful and just world.

He took over the reign of his country after the death of President Sesetse Khama in 1980 until he voluntarily stepped down in 1998.

Under his stewardship, Botswana was largely credited to be a beacon of stability and good governance- a reference in Africa. He was deeply involved in the efforts to end violence between the Government of Mozambique and the Renamo Party in his role as co-chair of an International Group of Mediators. He, also, helped to resolve political crises in Kenya and Lesotho after leaving office.

The leadership qualities of Sir Masire, his selflessness and commitment to promote peace and the overall advancement of Africa are worthy for emulation by all.

The AASU-Secretariat extends its deepest sympathies to his family, the people and government of Botswana. May his soul rest in peace!

Signed:

Peter Kwasi KODJIE

Secretary General

All-Africa Students Union (AASU)

www.aasuonline.org/ Email: [email protected]/Mobile: +233(0)242879028

PO BOX M274, Accra- Ghana
Accra, June 23, GNA - Ghana's afro-pop and hip-hop artist, DaGaow, known in private life as Felix Lambert Dangmaa, has advised colleague Showbiz artists to eschew the 'pull him down syndrome' and love one another to promote the music industry.

The artist, in an interview with Ghana News Agency, explained that the Ghanaian music industry was full of pretense, especially between popular and less well known artists.

"The popular artists do not practice the love they preach on stage and on camera. Back stage they do not want to socialise or even allow the less known artists to come closer to them.

'My heart really aches for our music industry because there is no genuine love and it is gradually tainting the image of the industry,' he said.

DaGaow said he spent part of his life in the United Kingdom adding that the situation is very different in the UK as most 'A' list artists avail themselves to the upcoming artists.

'I was astonished about the cordial relationship which prevailed between the various artists in the UK. I personally had a lot of commendations for a good performance irrespective of where I came from or my genre of music,' he said.

Using the nomination of Stonebwoy for a BET award as an example, DaGaow, who is also a practicing journalist with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), expressed dismay about the unenthusiastic attitude towards the reggae dancehall artist's nomination.

'Had it been in the UK many of his colleagues would have come out publicly and via the media to commend him for this, but in Ghana many are hiding behind the scenes claiming he does not merit the BET nomination,' he said.

DaGaow said Stonebwoy's nomination put Ghana on a higher pedestal.

'His nomination has the potential to attract investors in all sectors into the country, I believe we should all be proud and pray he wins the award.'

Citing Guru's example as worthy of emulation, DaGaow maintained that the Lapaz Toyota hit-maker was constantly featuring less well known artists in his songs, which was helping to move the industry forward.

DaGaow, whose new single 'Check Point' is currently enjoying massive airplay across the length and breadth of Ghana, said Ghana's music industry had a lot to offer to the world but without love and respect for each other, the industry will not realise such potential.

The afro-pop song produced by Ronnie Turn Me Up and features Zeal of legendary group VVIP is characterised with a melodious tune and striking hooks cumulating into a very beautiful dance song.

GNA

By Patience Gbeze, GNA
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Accra, June 23, GNA - Ghana on Friday, joined the rest of the world to mark the sixth commemoration of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers.

The event on the theme: 'Mobilising National Support for Promotion of Rights of Domestic Workers in Ghana,' was observed with presentations on the national situation, responses from stakeholders on how to forge ahead with the ratification of the ILO Convention 189, and passage of the draft Domestic Workers Regulations of 2016.

Ms Adwoa Sakyi, the Africa Regional Women's Co-ordinator of the International Union of Food (IUF), said although Ghana played an active role leading to the adoption of the ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, it was yet to ratify it.

She said the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MoELR) had since 2011 been working on a memorandum for Parliament for the ratification of the Convention, and even went ahead to establish a taskforce to develop a policy framework on Decent Work for Domestic Workers.

However, in spite of these commitments, six years down the line, the country was still yet to ratify the Convention, but was hopeful that the story would change by the close of next year, owing to the renewed assurances made by the present government in both its political manifesto and fiscal statements to Parliament early this year.

She said the Day therefore presented an opportune period to encourage the Unionisation of domestic workers, to form a unified voice, to push government to speed up the processes towards the ratification of the Convention that would actively and effectively promote and protect their fundamental human rights.

Ms Sakyi explained that the Convention was a new instrument that promoted the strong recognition of the economic and social value of domestic work, and a call for action to address the existing exclusion of these service providers from labour and social protection.

'Given that most domestic workers are women, the new standards are an important step towards gender equality in the world of work for ensuring women's equal rights and protection under the law,' she said.

She however gave the assurance that the county was committed to implementing all the provisions of the Convention, while other necessary legal processes continued, saying the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection had also initiated the validation of the draft Labour Regulation for Domestic Workers and hoped to get it passed by the soon

Ms Sakyi said using the ILO Convention 189, domestic workers had mobilised themselves into a union known as the Domestic Workers Services Union of the Trades Union Congress, which was officially out-doored with a founding conference in 2015, and had branches in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Cape Coast.

She said members met regularly to share their experiences, acquire knowledge about the various legislations as well as their rights and issues that affected their work, and to further build a unified force to voice their concerns for action.

She called on all stakeholders to join in the crusade for advocating the recognition and respect of domestic workers, and expressed the hope that Ghana would become the 25th country to ratify the ILO Convention 189.

Mr Francis Ofori Quansah, a Deputy Chief Labour Officer in Charge of Administration at the MoELR, said unionising the informal sector was not that easy, and commended the leadership of the Domestic Workers Service Union for the great work.

He affirmed government's commitment towards the recognition and respect of domestic workers as a critical force in the service sector, and ensure they received fair wages and worked in decent environments for their wellbeing.

Mr Emmanuel K. Mensah, a Representative from the ILO Country Office, urged government to speed up the processes towards the effective ratification of the Convention, to provide a legal backing for protection for domestic workers.

He also called for firmness, truthfulness, loyalty and mutual respect from both employers and employees of domestic services, to avoid cheating, disrespect and mistreatments that often dominated stories in the sector. GNA

By Christabel Addo/ Elizabeth Tetteh, GNA
23.06.2017 LISTEN

Accra, June 23, GNA - The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) will launch the Third Edition of the Resource Governance Index (RGI) on Wednesday, June 28, across the globe.

The objective of the RGI was to raise global awareness on the governance of natural resources by natural resource host countries for easy comparison and analysis.

Briefing the media in Accra on Friday in relation to the report, Mr Emmanuel Kuyole, the African Consultant for NRGI, said the RGI was a unique index since it was the only international report dedicated to the measurement of governance of natural resources globally, and the use of the decision chain charter.

He said the report would enable natural resource host countries to identify the gaps in the governance structure and learn from other countries so that they would improve upon the governance system in the future.

Mr Kayole noted that the 2017 index was exceptional since 89 assessments were done out of the 81 countries that produced oil, gas and mining unlike the 2013 index which covered only 59 countries.

'The 2017 index is extensive because we engaged 150 renowned mineral consultants around the world to compile the data, analysis and validation and the index also covers 133 questions,' he said.

He said countries that were captured in the assessment comprised three-quarters of the leading countries that produced oil, gas and minerals in the world.

He said in this year's edition, the researchers looked at the mining sector separately and scored the countries accordingly, and also captured the oil and gas sectors separately.

Mr Kayole said the report looked at the laws and policies of the countries and assessed whether they were transparent and accessible and also the practice as to whether those countries were complying with the laws and policies governing resource management.

'We looked at the practice since the difference between the laws and the practices are key to help us identify where the gaps are in the way the natural resource sectors are governed in those countries,' he said.

He said the governance of the natural resources was key because it contributed to addressing poverty in those countries, therefore, the governance was crucial in determining whether those managing them were using revenues accruing from natural resources judiciously to benefit their citizens.

The 2017 index covered the scope of index, how it is calculated, and the indicators of the index.

It also captured what the index can measure and cannot measure and put forward proposals to improve upon natural resource governance.

The Natural Resource Governance Institute is an international non-governmental organisation that worked mainly on the governance of natural resources in the extractive sectors (mining, oil and gas).

It undertakes research, training programmes for civil society organisations, media practitioners, members of Parliament, as well as national and international advocacy on proper natural resource governance.

It produced the first edition of the RGI in 2010 followed with the second one in 2013.

GNA

By Godwill Arthur-Mensah/ Mercy Manukure, GNA
Happy Brexit Day! Its officially one year to the day since the UK said, bye to the EU. Well actually the people voted to say bye. The reality is its still probably another two years until it happens.

Or according to our publisher Kris Sayce, Brexit will never happen. By the way Kris has been saying this for a year. George Soros is very late to the party

With Brexit a year on whats it like in the UK? How is the political landscape looking?

In short, utter mayhem.

While trying to build a strong and stable government the Tory party tore their own house down.

They lost their majority. They thought they would be stronger, but theyre not. And the Labor party is having a field day with it all. Youd think the PM here was Corbyn, not May.

However, the Tories did still win more seats than Labor. And they quite easily won the election. But they lost seats.

And the end result is a hung parliament.

That was just over two weeks ago, now. And Theresa May is still Prime Minister. But shes a dead woman walking.

Theres no coalition to form a majority yet. Theres no solidarity in her party. Theres no confidence in the government from the public. Instead, theres mayhem and confusion.

Theresa May is unlikely to survive the year as PM. That would likely lead to another election in the UK. Imagine that, two elections within a year. And within two years of the Brexit vote!

To many people here in the UK, this is one crazy situation.

But then we tell them, You think this is bad? This is normal for Australia.

Australia: from epic stability to a laughing stock

In 2007 Kevin Rudd won the Australian election. He beat out the longstanding Prime Minister John Howard.

Im sure you remember that time. The Kevin 07 slogans everywhere. How he ran an election on change. How time to give someone else a go was actually his mandate.

Well, it worked. Howard was in power for just short of 12 years. The only person who served longer was Sir Robert Menzies, who did a stint just over 16 years from 1949 to 1966. But Howard would never get close, as the Labor Party took out the election.

And it was that change that sparked a decade of instability.

In just under 10 years since Howard left office, Australia has seen five new Prime Ministers. Well technically four, because old mate Kev came back for a second stint after knifing Gillard in 2013.

And even now it seems that former PM, Tony Abbott might pull the same trick and knife standing PM, Malcolm Turnbull.

Its astonishing that a country that had political stability for over a decade has had nothing but instability in the decade since.

Were not saying Howard was gods gift to political tenure. There was plenty wrong with his stint. But you cant deny that he at least had the country united.

Not so much today. And it shows. The instability and turmoil in the halls of Canberra reflect on Australias image around the world. The constant infighting, the lack of direction and policy, unpredictable moves to garner public support  its all one giant mess.

Take the bank levy for instance. Dislike the Aussie banks as you may, but theres one thing theyre all good at being; strong and stable banks. And the good news is there are four really big ones, which means at least a modicum of competition in the market.

But thanks to instable, unpredictable government, the banks are seen as risky in overseas markets. As reported in the Australian Financial Review yesterday,

The Business Council of Australia has warned that Australia is rapidly becoming a laughing stock in global investment circles because of new taxes on banks as erratic decisions by both federal and state governments carelessly undermine the rules of doing business.

They are of course referring to the bank tax. This is a nice little 0.06% levy on bank liabilities, on the big banks. Its to try and net the government an extra $6.2 bln over four years. The money is needed to pay for the mistakes of government  the debts of government.

And just when you thought the crazy would stop there, South Australia decides to lump the banks again with an additional 0.015% levy too. Well, that came out of left field, didnt it?

If you manage your own money or simply want to learn the most effective strategies to both grow and protect your wealth, this free report is for you. Click here for details.

What happens when, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, and all the other states and territories decide to do the same? Who does it really hurt or help? It might help fund government balance sheets, but it does far more harm than good.

According to The New York Times,

However, [banking] analysts said there was still a risk that S&P would downgrade the major banks due to a sovereign ratings downgrade or a reduction in government support, which could lift long-term funding costs by around 10 basis points.

Lets be clear, government interference is going to make things more expensive to the banks. And the banks will pass those costs on to the consumer  you.

The perfect alternative system

In short when the government taxes the banks like this to save their own backsides, theyre really taxing you. And they wonder why people have such little faith in centralise authority anymore.

When you have unstable government, unpredictable and inequitable policy, taxes on industry, and an economy battling to keep its head above water, what hope does the average person have?

People have had enough of the inadequacy of central authorities like governments and central banks. They have had enough of the powerbrokers and financial elites gaming the system in their own favour. Theyre sick of paying more tax, watching their wealth erode, and having little hope of a brighter future.

And, until recently, there was little way for people to effect change on their own situation or combat these problems.

But now there is a way for people to step outside the traditional, centralised financial system.

Its through cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. This gives people a real world option to transfer wealth and use as a store of value. And it still allows them to operate within the economy. Best of all, its decentralised from the influence and incompetency of governments and central banks. And its free from the conflict of banks that have to put shareholders first and actual customers second.

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are the perfect alternative financial instrument for the modern world. And if the world of cryptocurrency plays out the way we think it will over the next decade, you may never have to worry about government, central banks or even the Big 4 banks ever again.

Regards,

Sam Volkering

For Money Morning
Butte Fire Recovery Debris Removal View Photos

Sacramento, CA  Sacramento Superior Court handed down its final legal determination today against PG&E regarding their liability for the Butte Fire. The ruling finds PG&E liable under inverse condemnation for damages caused by the Butte Fire to private property. The motion was filed by both PG&E, and Steven M. Camporas office by Dario de Getaldhi, Amanda Riddle, Frank Pitre, and Robert Jackson.

Gerold Singelton, a lawyer following the case representing Butte fire victims, says; Any plaintiff that does go to trial [now] will be entitled to recover all damages they can prove for both real property and personal property. That is any property affixed to the land, like a house, or any thing that is on the land, trees, and erosion damages and for personal property, cars, anything like that, those are recoverable in the inverse condemnation claim. The court has now decided at the trial court level that PG&E is liable, and so if there is a trial all he or she will need to do is prove the amount of their damages.

While PG&E is a private company, it serves as a public utility managed by the government due to its monopoly in California. Since transporting electricity is inherently dangerous, the damages PG&E was found to be liable for are covered under inverse condemnation. Inverse condemnation involves the taking of property by a government agency, in this case the publicly managed utility PG&E, which greatly damaged or destroyed the value of the property. An owner may claims he or she is entitled to payment for the loss of the property (in whole or in part) under the constitutional right to compensation under the governments eminent domain right.

PG&E can appeal the courts decision to a higher court.

The California Public Utilities Commissions investigation found that PG&E did not have the minimum clearance required around its equipment and failed to maintain its overhead conductors safely and properly. A gray pine tree contacted a PG&E 12-kilovolt overhead electric conductor and ignited the fire on September 9, 2015. The Butte Fire burned 70,868 acres in Amador and Calaveras counties. It destroyed 549 homes, 368 outbuildings and four commercial buildings. It also resulted in two civilian fatalities and one injury.
Calaveras County trees marked for removal View Photos

Mountain Ranch, CA  100 percent of the Butte Fire hazardous trees are on the ground in the burn scar.

Calaveras County officials report that ground crews have completed Phase I of the Burnt Hazard Tree Removal project from both public right of ways and private property. The final tally of trees chopped down is 8,451. However, Calaveras County spokesperson Sharon Torrence explains why more trees still need to come down, stating, There have been a number of trees that the arborists thought would make it that have died. So, there are a number of trees we are asking FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and Cal OES (California Office of Emergency Services) to include in this program. The letter has gone out to them and we are just waiting for a reply. At that point, hopefully phase II will kick in and we will be able to take out those remaining trees. Torrence indicates the additional tree count is about 1,500 scattered along the burn scar, which could take a couple of months to remove.

To date, crews have hauled away 76 percent of the debris and logs left behind by the cutting crews, with the material being chipped and then taken to the Chinese Camp Biomass Plant (Waste-to -Energy Plant).

Due to the extreme heat, the hours of the six crews doing physical work have been shortened by two and a half hours to 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., but truck transports will continue until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
At its most basic, a constitution is an instrument that embodies the rules of a social, legal or political organization. It can be viewed as a contract between the people and the government. Typically, constitutions contain the basic laws and principles of nations, social groups, or states. These instruments also determine the duties and powers of those in office and safeguard the rights of the people. As with other different aspects that define nations, there are various types of constitutions in different parts of the world.

A judge's gavel and books. Photo: pixabay.com, @succo

Source: UGC

What types of constitutions exist and what defines them?

The different types of constitutions

How many types of constitutions are there? Here is a look at the different types of constitutions that exist in various nations worldwide.

Written and unwritten constitutions

An unwritten constitution is not contained in a single document and can exist partly in word and partly in writing. Such a constitution grows from years of experience and the political behaviour of people. The best example of this is the British constitution. It does not exist in one document but can be found in judicial decisions, conventions, and statutes.

On the other hand, a written constitution is among the three main types of constitutions and is contained in a single document and can be easily consulted on pretty much every issue contained therein. Typically, this type of law is rigid but can still be amended when necessary.

Merits of a written constitution

Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of a written constitution.

It is very definite, removing any drawbacks that uncertainties can bring about.

Since it is drawn after long and elaborate deliberations, this type of constitution is based on knowledge and experience and not emotions and hastily-made decisions.

It protects the rights of individuals since those in power cannot easily change them.

It is among the most stable law structure and is best suited for an emergency period in a country.

For federal governments, a written constitution provides for the separation of central and federal power.

Demerits of a written constitution

It is quite difficult to amend, making it too rigid.

Some clauses in such documents depend on the judicial interpretation that, at times, might not be ideal.

It encompasses a nations entire rules and ideals, a factor that might be less than ideal for some ages.

It can be too exhaustive.

Merits of an unwritten constitution

Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of an unwritten constitution.

It is easily adaptable to a countrys changing circumstances. Laws can be added or removed as necessary.

It easily safeguards the traditions of a country.

Demerits of an unwritten constitution

It has been criticized as being vague and indefinite. The ordinary person cannot refer to any particular document to understand governance.

At times, unwritten laws can result in considerable instability.

The judiciary tends to overplay its role in a country governed by an unwritten law.

It is said that such a constitution is not ideal for a democracy.

Presidential and parliamentary constitution

'legal' and 'illegal' stickers. Photo: pixabay.com, @Ramdlon

Source: UGC

A presidential constitution is one in which all the executive powers are vested in the countrys president, who serves as the head of government and the head of state. The president then has the liberty to exercise his powers directly or through his deputy president, cabinet secretaries, or other officers.

A parliamentary constitution is one in which the executive powers are vested in a prime minister who is the head of government and the head of the majority party. However, he is not the head of state.

Merits of a presidential constitution

Here are the main pros and cons of a presidential constitution.

There is a clear separation of powers among the executive, legislature, and judiciary.

It provides for the formation of an expert government since those appointed to office do not necessarily have to be part of the legislature.

There is less influence from the party system.

Since the presidents tenure is fixed, the country has more stability since it is highly unlikely to have an unplanned shift in power.

Demerits of a presidential constitution

It can result in an irresponsible executive arm of government. This happens because the executive is not answerable to the legislature.

There can often be deadlocks between the legislature and the executive.

The president has sweeping powers, a factor that may give rise to patronage when they appoint their close friends to powerful positions.

The presidents fixed tenure can result in a rigid government.

Merits of a parliamentary constitution

Here are the main pros and cons of a parliamentary constitution.

There is better coordination between the legislature and the executive.

A parliamentary government is, in most cases, more responsible than a presidential government.

It results in flexibility since the prime minister can be easily ousted from power.

Demerits parliamentary constitution

There lacks a true separation of power in this system. As a result, the legislature cannot blame the executive for the non-implementation of the nations policies.

At times, the country might find itself with a highly unqualified legislature.

The system is not very stable since the prime minister does not have a fixed term.

Republican and monarchical constitution

A castle, such as that of a queen or king in a monarchy. Photo: pixabay.com, @shilmar

Source: UGC

A republican constitution provides for the position of a head of state, typically elected by the people for a fixed term in office. In most cases, the head of state is known as the president. On the other hand, a monarchical one provides for a government led by an emperor, king, or queen.

The head of government in a monarchy is usually succeeded by his or her child, and this goes on from generation to generation. There are different types of constitutions under the monarchical setup.

Absolute monarch: This is one in which the monarch has absolute powers of governance. Historical examples include Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and the former Shah of Iran, Reza Palavi.

This is one in which the monarch has absolute powers of governance. Historical examples include Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and the former Shah of Iran, Reza Palavi. Constitutional monarch: The monarch is a somewhat ceremonial head of state and a symbol of the nation.

Merits of a monarchical constitution

Here are the main upsides and downsides of a monarchical constitution.

Since the head of state remains in power for a long time, countries under such laws tend to remain quite stable.

The future head of state is usually well prepared since they are prepared from birth.

Since the monarch is not a politician, they can remain neutral on matters that otherwise cause divisions.

There are no elections costs in monarchs.

Advocates of this type of law argue that it results in less corruption since the person in power does not need to loot as much as possible before their term ends.

Disadvantages of a constitutional monarchy

There is no democracy in a monarch since the head of state is not elected. Therefore, the people have little to no say on matters of whoever governs the country.

Not all monarchs are competent leaders. While they can be equipped with the necessary skills for many years, it does not necessarily mean that the person has the inborn will to lead people.

Monarchs can easily impose their personal beliefs and preferences on the people.

Royal families in monarchs lead very expensive lifestyles that could burden the citizens.

Critics of this system argue that it results in more corruption since the justice system often overlooks the atrocities committed by royal families.

Merits of a republican constitution

Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of a republican constitution.

A republican constitution is representative since leaders are elected through the will of the people.

Having representatives makes government more efficient, resulting in faster and better implementation of the peoples will.

A republican system is democratic since people elect their rulers and can question them or vote them out.

It protects the peoples rights through law and order.

Disadvantages of a republican constitution

The constitution can be quite expensive to implement, especially when it comes to electing people into office.

Such systems seem to work best in small nations and communities.

Bills passed by the countrys legislative arm need to undergo numerous processes before becoming law. This process results in unnecessary delays that do not exist in other forms of constitutions, such as monarchs.

The law provides for the existence of numerous political parties. This provision often results in highly contested elections, a potential trigger for violence and rebellion.

In countries with low literacy levels and poor education systems, politicians can easily deceive the masses to get into power.

Democratic constitution

A depiction of a ballot box. Photo: pixabay.com, @mohamed_hassan

Source: UGC

The word democracy is derived from two Greek words, demos and kratia. The former means people while the latter means government or rule. Democracy, therefore, loosely translates to the peoples rule. The democratic constitution provides for the peoples participation in government either directly or through elected representatives.

Conventionally, a democratic government should reflect the peoples generality and must be created and installed by the people.

Advantages of a democratic constitution

Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of a democratic constitution.

Democracies tend to be more accountable to the people. This is especially true when people elect suitable leaders who represent their interests.

The law improves the overall quality of decision making.

There are laid down procedures for dealing with conflicts and differences.

Disadvantages of a democratic constitution

Most times, democracies turn into competitions for power play, completely disregarding morality.

The bureaucracy in democracies leads to unnecessary delays in decision making.

Democracies often have high levels of corruption since they are primarily based on electoral competition.

Unitary and federal constitutions

An excerpt of the original American constitution. Photo: pixabay.com, @qimono

Source: UGC

A unitary constitution provides for government power to be vested in a single central government. This central body does not share its power but can delegate it to subordinate bodies such as local and regional governments.

On the other hand, a federal one provides for an association of states in which power is shared. Unlike the unitary system, the countrys power is shared among local, state, and federal bodies. Each body exercises its assigned functions and powers.

Advantages of a unitary constitution

Here are the main pros and cons of a unitary constitution.

In a unitary system, the people only owe their allegiance to one central body of power. This can result in improved national unity.

The system is excellent for countries that occupy significantly small areas.

The system is considerably cheaper to run since there are not many bodies that require funding from the central government.

It allows for extremely quick decision making.

Development tends to be even across the entire nation since the central government is responsible for developing every part of the country.

Disadvantages of a unitary constitution

The people can experience slow government response on matters such as defence and emergencies. This happens because all resources have to be mobilized by the national government.

The burden of work can become quite heavy for those in government.

Unitary systems can easily evolve into dictatorships.

Areas neglected for political reasons can be left out of development agendas.

Under a unitary system, most people look up to the government to initiate and implement development initiatives, a fact that could stifle local initiatives.

Advantages of a federal constitution

Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of a federal constitution.

In a federal system, a person can compare political, social, and economic systems in different states and relocate to one they find more suitable. In addition, this system recognizes a citizens right to exit a state.

The system allows economic, social, and political experimentation since power is shared across different states.

This system works great for extremely large countries such as the USA and Australia.

The laws are accommodative to cultural and economic differences across different states.

Federations tend to be more democratic since leaders are answerable at multiple levels, not only the top government.

The division of powers in this system hampers the potential rise of despotic rulers, protecting the peoples liberty.

The law makes it easier to make decisions since the people can supervise government at different levels.

Disadvantages a federal constitution

The system can result in significant economic disparities across states. This results from a phenomenon known as race-to-the-bottom in which states compete to attract investments by lowering taxes. Eventually, state-centred decisions overtake national interests.

This type of constitution is unsuitable for tiny countries.

Flexible and rigid constitution

A document with a 'we the people' heading. Photo: pixabay.com, @Wikilmages

Source: UGC

A flexible constitution is one that can be easily changed or amended without the need for a cumbersome process. The laws contained in it can be amended as simply as one would amend a statute, with a simple majority vote in parliament.

On the other hand, a rigid constitution has elaborate, and at times cumbersome, procedures that govern any amendments. Such procedures often involve a two-thirds vote in parliament, popular vote by the people or ratification through a referendum.

Advantages of a flexible constitution

Here are the main ups and downs of a flexible constitution.

It can be amended with the same ease in which statutes and ordinary laws are. This makes it easier to adapt the laws to the peoples or countrys changing needs.

The laws, in this case, are quite elastic, drastically reducing the chances of a revolution by the people. On the other hand, in rigid constitutions, people can easily feel that the current laws do not address their needs and turn to revolutions to get their way.

This type of constitution is excellent for a countrys development since it can easily factor in the countrys evolution in terms of technology, education, politics, and social factors. Moreover, the document is premised on the idea that there can never be a perfect set of laws applicable at all times. It, therefore, leaves room for possible changes.

The laws reflect a nations historical continuity.

Disadvantages of a flexible constitution

Due to its overly flexible nature, the rules in this constitution keep on changing. This could end up being done to satisfy the needs of those in power, completely disregarding the minorities.

It can easily result in administrative instability.

When the amendment procedure is too simple, the laws can be overly influenced by popular passion. The downside is that popular passion is influenced by emotion, not reason. Therefore, relying on the popular passion for amending the countrys laws can result in disharmony and imbalance.

It is unsuitable for a country premised on a federal system.

Advantages of a rigid constitution

Here are the main ups and downs of a rigid constitution.

It is premised on stability and performance. Such constitutions are written with the combined knowledge and experience of learned people, resulting in improved efficiency.

It safeguards peoples rights against legislative encroachment.

It protects the rights of the minority through judicial systems.

It is free from the perils of temporary popular passion. Moreover, due to the cumbersome amendment procedures, the laws are less prone to changes resulting from peoples emotions.

Disadvantages of a rigid constitution

At times, amendments are extremely necessary. Unfortunately, in such a scenario, a rigid set of laws make it very difficult to institute the necessary changes.

Rigid laws are unsuitable for progressive nations in which amendments happen frequently.

Under such a law, the judiciarys main role is only to see whether the law conforms to the provisions of the constitutions. This might result in the abandonment of more pressing issues, especially in highly progressive countries.

The different types of constitutions have their merits and demerits and instances in which they are best suited. To date, none seems overly superior to the other, as proven by the existence of the different types in various countries worldwide.

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

READ ALSO: 18 local governments in Cross River state and their headquarters

Legit.ng recently explore the 18 local governments in Nigerias Cross River State. The state is located in Southern Nigeria and borders Cameroon to the east. The states name is derived from the Cross River that runs through it.

The states capital, Calabar, sits on a hill near the Calabar River and is renowned for its colonial-era British architecture. It also serves as an important port city to both the Cross River State and Nigeria at large.

Source: Legit.ng
- Delta state government has been accused of neglecting some riverine communities in the federal government home grown school feeding programme

- The communities are pleading for inclusion in the programme so that their children could benefit from the federal government good gesture to them

- But Delta state government says no part of the state, as far as a human being is there, is neglected

Worried that the federal government school feeding programme is allegedly not reaching primary school pupils in some coastal communities of Delta state, flow station host communities of Nigeria on Thursday made a passionate appeal to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to extend the programme to children in the state riverine communities.

Comrade Sheriff Mulade, speaking on behalf of the communities in the flow station, though commended the programme initiated by the federal government, he said children in some riverine communities are yet to benefit from the laudable project.

Legit.ng reports that the home grown school feeding programme was launched by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo as part of a 500 billion naira social investment programme of the federal government of Nigeria early this year.

Acting President Yemi Osibanjo launched the school feeding programme and intends it to cover all school children in Nigeria

During the launching, Osinbajo told Nigerians: Today we lay an important building block in securing our future by mapping out the implementation plan to ensure that even the most disadvantaged children are free from malnutrition.

It is also important to note that the home grown school feeding programme is a component of the Universal Basic Education Programme that aims at boosting school enrolment and over 93.1 billion naira has been set aside from the budget to fund the feeding project.

READ ALSO: Young Nigerian threatens to kill lots of people if billionaire kidnapper Evans is killed (photo)

During the launching, it was identified that the programme would increase school enrolment, improve child nutrition and health, strengthen local agricultural economies and create employment opportunities for caterers in food processing.

Comrade Mulade said beside the improvement of nutrition and wellbeing of the child, the value chain benefits of the programme will redirect the energy of the children to more positive values and reduce restiveness and criminality in the oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta.

Mulade, who said though the programme would encourage more children to go to school, children in the flow station communities are yet to benefit from the federal government gesture, hence he called on the Delta state government to extend the programme to the area to make the children have a sense of belonging.

He said in a recent survey conducted in some communities in Delta, it was revealed that more kids are now enrolled in schools as a result of the school feeding programme and lauded the federal government for its introduction.

He said: First of all, we want to commend the federal government for the introduction of the home grown school feeding programme, it is a laudable one.

Recently, we carried out a survey in Delta communities where the feeding programme has been introduced and it was discovered that more children in the rural Communities are now going to school as a result of the free feeding.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state

It is therefore our humble appeal that the governor should do the needful by extending the federal government home grown school feeding programme to riverine host communities.

We want to passionately call on Governor Okowa to give sense of belonging to riverine host communities under this programme. We want to see more of our children going back to school in the riverine host communities.

READ ALSO: Women throw their wrappers for Nnamdi Kanu to walk on (photos)

Comrade Mulade who is also the Chairman of oil rich Kokodiagbene Community, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri south west local government area, said: Most of the children in riverine host communities do not go to school, they are into fishing and farming with their peasant parents and this is not good enough, let us entice them to school by extending the federal government home grown school feeding programme to them.

Delta state government responds, says allegation is baseless, untrue

But in a reaction to the allegation of Mulade, executive secretary of the Delta state micro, small and medium enterprises development agency, Mrs. Shimite Bello, who heads the programme in the state, denied the claims of Comrade Sheriff Mulade, saying the allegations that the programme had not reached the flow stations was untrue.

In her step by step analysis of the workings of the programme, Shimite told Legit.ng: We have 1860 caterers to feed 250,000 children in the state from primary 1 to 3. That is the class range we are feeding. Among the 1860 caterers, only 876 caterers have been paid.

They have not paid all not because they are riverine but they pay them based on BVN clearance. Now, all of them have done their BVN. They are paid from Abuja. They all open account with Fidelity Bank.

It is Fidelity headquarters that is doing it. Another 500 have been due for payment. So, they keep doing it until all of them are paid. Every caterer will be paid. The caterers we employ live within the communities. The caterer should be about to trek to the school.

Mrs. Shimite Bello under whose office the federal government school feeding programme is operated in Delta state

If it is a riverine area, as far as the riverine area has children, food must be provided. The food is simple, rice and beans, yam porridge. If you can cook that one you are qualified. We taught them hygiene and the rest. You must have either a child or grandchild in that school before we choose you so that you dont poison anybody.

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So we have already taken every measure, unless there is no woman in that community. And if there is no woman, then there is no child. So, the whole story is baseless. Whatever they are saying is not true. We are picking cooks from the communities. They are people that should be able to trek to the school.

Based on this, nobody can be left behind. All the villages in the state with schools are covered, unless there is no woman there. You must not just live within the local government, you must live in a place that can enable you trek to the school.

When they are feeling their forms, you know most of their houses do not have addresses, so, when we hear near Okolotu primary school, yes, that woman is fit. You are able to describe the house. So far the house of the woman is near the school, you are okay.

Before we choose the caterers, we set up a committee headed by the traditional ruler of each local government. Then, NGO that is active in the local government is part of the committee. And a stake holder in the community.

They work with the local structure. In each committee, they have 10 subcommittees among them, depending on how many wards are there. Im from Oshimili North, my village is Ebu, there are 8 villages that make up Ebu. Each community gives us youth leader, women leader and the president general.

They will identify the school within the community. And find the woman that lives near the school. I cannot seat in Asaba and know everything. It is the president general that says this is the woman that can do the work. They picked everybody by themselves. And it was beautiful in their sight.

They choose the caterer they want by themselves. Our job is to provide health test for them so that they dont have HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and other diseases, but they do the selection themselves. Whatever they did, we accept, we didnt adjust.

Watch this Legit.ng video

Source: Legit.ng
- Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris has ordered immediate investigation of Evans bank accounts

- Evans wife Uchenna had revealed where her husband kept the proceeds of kidnap

- The police said it had already obtained court order to freeze the accounts and get the account balances

Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, has instructed detectives investigating the billionaire kidnapper, Chukwumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans, to begin x-raying his various bank accounts.

The New Telegraph reports that Evans, who keeps changing his narratives since his arrest, had earlier confessed that he had just one account, which is with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).

Legit.ng gathered that Evanss wife, Uchenna, buttressing her husbands claim, insisted that GTB personnel used to visit their homes.

More trouble as police begins investigation of billionaire kidnapper Evans bank accounts

She said: The N20 million he sent to me through transfer was given to one Hausa man to pay into an account in Ghana to be used in paying our rent and furnish the house in Ghana. I know he banks with GTB only. Their staff used to visit us in the house.

READ ALSO: Billionaire kidnapper Evans wife drops another bombshell, reveals where husband kept proceeds of kidnap

A day after his arrest, Evans told said that although he collects ransom in dollars, he didnt have a domiciliary account.

But some of his victims, on Evans orders, routed payment of ransom to South Africa. But he also denied this.

Asked where he used to keep his dollars, he said: I cant figure out how much I have collected so far or how many people I have kidnapped, but I have kidnapped up to 10 since 2015. The highest amount I have collected was $1 million from Festac. I dont know my net worth. I dont have any money in the bank. I operate only one account.

I collect dollars because its my choice. Its not true that victims pay money to an account in South Africa. Once the victims pay the ransom, the money goes to the people who own it. I dont have a boss but some people own the money.

I was able to evade police arrest because I was too wise. I am the only surviving member of our initial gang. I learnt kidnapping from China who was also killed. I formed my gang and my members formed their own gang which is an ad hoc gang.

Police are working on the theory that Evans wife disappeared to Ghana with the bulk of his money after the couple realised police were closing in on the suspect.

On Sunday, Evans elaborated the banks he uses to keep his money as First bank, Diamond and one other new generation bank.

According to a source at the Force Headquarters, the police had already started working on Evans accounts in Nigeria.

The police also believe that the suspect has offshore accounts, even though he had vehemently denied it, insisting that he had only travelled to Ghana.

The Force spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, on June 11, had disclosed that the police were working with international police (INTERPOL) in investigation of Evans.

The source said: I understand that the IG has instructed the policemen investigating Evans to begin X-raying his bank accounts in Nigeria. They had already obtained court to freeze the accounts and get the account balances.

The source said that although Evans had mentioned some banks, they were going to investigate further to find out if he had other accounts he might be shielding from the investigators.

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Already, preliminary investigations have revealed that the bank accounts dont bear Evans names. Moreover, nobody seemed to be sure of the suspects real name.

The source said: The bank accounts were opened using company names. Police are still investigating.

Legit.ng had previously reported that the wife of Nigerias billionaire kidnapper, Chukwuduben Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, Uchenna Precious Onwuamadike further revealed that the proceeds of her husbands criminal escapades were stored in one of Nigerias top banks.

Watch this Legit.ng TV Video of Nigerians' views on whether government should offer him a job to help catch other kidnappers:

Source: Legit.ng
- A former DIG of police, Udom Ekpoudom, urged security agencies to arrest those who issued the quit notice to Igbos

- He chided IPOB for issuing sit-at-home orders, stating that the group had no constitutional right to do so

- Ekpoudum repeated calls for restructuring of the country, based on the principles of true federalism

Pro-Biafra agitators and northern youths issuing threats to Igbos have been warned to desist from such provocative actions by a retired deputy inspector general of police, Udom Ekpoudom.

In an interview with Vanguard, Ekpoudom stated that while it was easy to speak of violence, if they witnessed bloodletting on a large scale, such persons will run.

According to Ekpoudom, instead of issuing threats to split Nigeria, Biafra agitators should continue to draw the attention of the federal government to issues of neglect and marginalization.

The former DIG faulted the sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), saying the order also contravened the law.

READ ALSO: Nigerians condemn Kwankwaso for rejecting alleged planned arrest of northern youths over quit notice

In his opinion, IPOB had no constitutional authority to order a section of the country to sit at home without the consent of the federal government, and he said the action amounts to running a parallel government.

Speaking further on the issue of the ultimatum given to Igbos by the Northern Youths Coalition, Ekpoudom urged the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure they arrest those who issued the notice.

He also urged the security agencies to exercise their constitutional mandate of protecting the lives and properties of Nigerians.

According to the former DIG, the order was not directed at Igbos alone but the entire south east, south south and south west residents in the north.

He stated: "It is an indirect call for division of the country which our founding fathers and nationalists suffered and died to protect.

Those beating the drums of war have never experienced the pains of war. Most of those making inciting and hate speeches were too young or were not born when we had the Nigerian/Biafra war.

Its unfortunate that those people clamoring for war are being sponsored by people who dont have value for this country or are having dual citizenship.

Ekpoudom however insisted that Nigeria needed to be restructured based on the principles of federalism to allow ethnic nationalities manage their own resources.

He said: This constitution came into effect on the first of January 1914. Subsequent inputs are only amendments here and there.

We are still under colonial administration when we consider the ingredients of the existing constitution. There is need to restructure the country.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that the British High Commission in Abuja urged the acting president Yemi Osinbajo to take proactive measure in solving the issue of northern youths' quit notice to Igbos.

Joe Abuku, the missions press officer, made this known through a statement in which he said that United Kingdom, without doubt, always support the rights of Nigerians to live in any parts of the country without harassment.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of Yemi Osinbajo speaking about the Biafra War.

Source: Legit.ng
- Supreme Court orders Abubakar Danladi to refund all salaries and allowances earned in the Senate within 90 days

- Danladi was the first deputy governor who ran on the same ticket with former Governor Dantata Suntai

- He became acting governor of Taraba state after Suntai took ill following a plane crash

Abubakar Danladi representing Taraba north constituency in the Nigerian Senate has been sacked by the Supreme Court.

The apex court in its ruling on Friday, June 23, also ordered Danladi to refund all salaries and allowances earned in the Senate within 90 days, Premium Times reports.

READ ALSO: The real person behind the quit notice to Igbos is a Lagos man - Falana

Legit.ng recalls that Danladi was the first deputy governor who ran on the same ticket with former governor, Dantata Suntai.

In 2014, he was reinstated as deputy governor of Taraba state by the Supreme Court after he was impeached in controversial circumstances.

He was impeached on October 4, 2012 shortly before Mr. Suntai took ill after an air crash. He was accused of fraud and abuse of office.

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Another politician, Garba Umar, was then appointed deputy governor after his removal.

Umar then became acting governor after Suntai took ill following a plane crash.

But after the Supreme Court nullified Danladis impeachment on November 21, 2014, he was cleared to replace Mr. Umar as acting governor.

The court ruled that Danladi was denied fair hearing before he was impeached.

Meanwhile, Danladis removal from the Senate comes shortly after the Supreme Court sacked Herman Hembe representing Vandeikya/Konshisha federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

The apex court ruled that Herman Hembe of the All Progressives Congress (APC) be replaced by Mrs Dorathy Mato which it declared as the rightful winner of the APC party ticket for Vandikwa/ Konshisha federal constituency of Benue state.

In the video below Legit.ng TV visited the house of billionaire kidnap kingpin, Evans and asked Nigerians what they think should be done to him. Check out their responses!

Source: Legit.ng
Welcome to KARMABrooklyn! We hope that the news and other information we post on this b log will be useful to residents and merchants in Kensington and Windsor Terrace. If you'd like to contact us, write to us at karmabrooklyn [at] gmail [dot] com.
- Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state may go unopposed for the 2019 general elections in Delta state

- Large number of members of other political parties are defecting to the People's Democratic Party in droves

- Bigwigs in the party and almost all members have endorsed him for the 2019 elections

There are indications that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state may go unopposed for the 2019 governorship elections in the state.

This is following the massive endorsement from the major opposing ethnic group in the state, the Urhobo people of Delta central senatorial district.

Legit.ng reports that not long after former governor of the state, James Onanefe Ibori, who recently completed serving jail term in London prison endorsed the governor, thereby banning all Urhobo people from contesting the election against Governor Okowa.

On Friday June 23, 2017, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta Central has also endorsed the governor as the partys sole candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial elections.

At a rally in Sapele, crowd of supporters endorse Governor Okowa for 2019 election

In a political rally tagged, "Delta central mega rally" held at the Sapele township stadium, prominent politicians in the PDP came out to endorse Governor Okowa, saying his activities within two years in office have qualified him to be the governor of oil-rich Delta state till 2023.

READ ALSO: I don't know my fate now with the Lagos state government - Evans

Those who spoke at the rally where thousands of people defied the rain to sing the praises of Governor Okowa include a chieftain of the PDP and former minister for information, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, who stated: "You (Governor Okowa) will do full term, here in Delta Central, decampees have also agreed that Senator Okowa will be governor till 2023."

Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori at the rally which also witnessed harvest of decampees from other political parties asserted: "Your Excellency, since 10 am, the people of Delta Central have been dancing, celebrating your two years in office, we are here to show that we love what you are doing and to tell the world that there is no other political party in Delta Central other than the PDP."

PDP chieftain, Senator Ighoyota Amori in his speech, also said: "Our governor, from what you can see here today, be assured that in 2019, you will be returned unopposed, the PDP is the only political party in Delta Central, we are proud of your performance in Delta Central and in Delta state in general.

Minority leader of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Leo Ogor, at the rally moved a motion for Governor Okowa to be returned unopposed in 2019 as the sole gubernatorial candidate of the PDP and the chairman of Sapele local government area, Hon. Ejaife Odebala seconded and a thunderous acceptance was given to the motion.

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Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in South South zone, Emma Ogidi, and the Chairman of the party in the state, Barr. Kingsley Esiso received the decampees which included members of the Delta state house of assembly who won their elections on the platform of other political parties and an All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain, Chief Paulinus Akpeki back to the PDP.

According to Barr. Esiso: "In 2019, it is Governor Okowa again, the Urhobo nation appreciates you because of what you have done, we are here today to celebrate progress, to celebrate prosperity, members of our party who left for other political parties are back to the family they belong to, the PDP, we are one family."

Governor Okowa at the occasion, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be stronger if they are united and work for common purpose.

At the well-attended rally, Governor Okowa disclosed that ahead of the local government elections, candidates of the party for the local government council elections would emerge through a free, fair and acceptable process.

"I join the party chairman to receive our people who have come back and for those who have not been with us in the past, who have come to join us today, you have come to test what it is to belong to this family, the PDP family.

"I want to thank all our leaders, we are here as a family, this is the very first rally we have had since I came into office and it is very successful.

"The future is better and greater for us as a family, we should remain united as members of the PDP, we will continue to work hard, so that every Deltan will continue to sing the same song, our government will continue to engage our youths for them to be gainfully employed, we have started it and many persons will benefit to become employers of labour."

Meanwhile, Nigerians have reacted to the new formed political asking if it is the solution to the crisis bedeviling the nation's political system. Watch it on Legit.ng TV channel

Source: Legit.ng
I recently had a chance to tour castles and manor houses throughout Ireland. I found a wonderfully affordable flight from San Francisco to Dublin, Ireland. As this was my first time to travel to Ireland, it made perfect sense to start my luxury vacation in Dublins fair city. There are so many things to see and do in Dublin. The people of Dublin, and all of Ireland, are so very friendly. One of my best tips for a luxury value vacation is booking a reservation at The Alex Hotel, formerly known as Alexander Hotel. Located on the corner of Merrion Square, near Trinity College, Alexander Hotel has recently undergone a property refresh, renovation and name change to The Alex Hotel. The rooms are bright, clean, smartly decorated and the prices I found were a smashing value.

My husband and I were traveling off season in early March. Our rate for a classic king room for two nights, including breakfast was $221. Your rates may vary. As always, check the hotel website for current pricing and special packages. The Alexander Hotel, now called The Alex Hotel, is privately owned by OCallaghan Hotels. Youll have plenty of lodging options from this company in Dublin, the UK, or even Annapolis in the United States, if this hotel location doesnt appeal to you, or you are traveling to other destinations. I loved the central Dublin location as it was super easy to go from Dublin International Airport direct to The Alex Hotel (Merrion Circle stop) using Airlink Dublin Express Bus. During my visit, the bus was  6 Euro one way. I recommend you purchase a round trip ticket at the airport if you plan to fly out of Dublin during your Ireland holiday; its cheaper and you dont have to bother with the ticket machine again.

The hotel rooms have a lovely gray/green color scheme and featured soft wool blankets at the foot of the bed from Foxford Woolen Mills. I had a chance to visit Foxford Woolen Mills during my time in Ireland and it is worth a stop if you are in the area.

The hotel features 98 guest rooms and 4 suites. There is a restaurant on property and a small workout center. The hotel offers meeting space if that interests you. This was my first time staying at a property of OCallaghan Hotels and I plan to return to their other properties when I go back to Dublin  and I will go back to Ireland, for sure! The hotel guarantees best rates through their website.

Breakfast is served from 7:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m., lunch is available in lobby bar from 12:00 p.m. and the dinner menu is available after 5:00 p.m.

Need to know:

Rates range from 149-349. We took the bus direct from the Dublin Airport. If you arrive via car, the car park for the Davenport, The Alex and Mont Clare Hotels is located on Fenian Street and is called Alexander Court. The cost is 12.00 per 24 hours and 2.00 per hour thereafter. You will need a code to access this car park which can be obtained by telephone or by checking with the receptionist on check in. Free wifi is included with your hotel stay.

Check in: 2:00 p.m.

Check out: 12:00 p.m.

Insider tip:

OCallaghan Hotels owns The Alex Hotel and several other properties. The nearby Davenport Hotel offers afternoon tea service and it was excellent, in fact, one of my best afternoon tea experiences throughout Ireland. If you are arriving from the United States, in our case we flew from San Francisco, youll probably arrive to Dublin in the early morning. In order to keep ahead of jet lag, I recommend that you do not take a nap. Instead, drop your bags at the hotel and wander around the city. When you feel yourself getting tired, stop for tea at The Davenport Hotel; they have mastered the art of afternoon tea and travel.

For additional insider tips follow luxury travel writer @Nancydbrown on Twitter or Instagram @Nancydbrown and OCallaghan Hotels on Twitter and Instagram.

If You Go:

The Alex +353 1 607 3700 O Callaghan Hotels

41-47 Fenian Street

Dublin 2, Ireland

info@ocallaghanhotels.com

The Alex hotel review, YouTube video and all photography by travel writer Nancy D. Brown. I paid my own way at Alexander Hotel while visiting Dublin. All opinions are my own.
4 held in connection to Mahottari gang-rape

Police have arrested four individuals in connection to a gang-rape incident that took place at Aurahi in Mahottari district on June 11.
Bomb set off at Maoist Centre candidate's residence in Kailali

An explosive went off behind the house of CPN (Maoist Centre) mayor candidate for Godawari Municipality, Kailali on Thursday night.
Chepang leaders want job orientation trainings

The representatives elected from Chepang communities in various municipalities and village councils have demanded the concerned authorities to provide them job orientation training.
Dahal says will help turn Nepalgunj into metropolis

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that he will take the initiative to elevate the status of Nepalgunj into a metropolis.
Full scale emergency drill conducted at TIA [photo feature]

A full scale emergency drill was conducted at the Tribhuvan International Airport in the Capital on Friday.
Gas bullets grounded for lack of licences

Gas bottlers and lawmakers have urged the government to lobby India to issue explosive licences to domestic tankers to allow them to transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Nepal.
Govt to revise Supply Policy 12

The government is preparing to revise the existing Supply Policy 2012 in order to make markets work for consumers and ensure that they have adequate and affordable choices.
Helpless giant

Venerable Tribhuvan University (TU) is neck-deep in problemsa resource crunch, management lapses, decaying buildings, agitating teachers and falling student enrolment.
July 1 is the 150th anniversary of Canadas founding as a nation. It will be a day celebrated by newcomers seeking economic opportunity or refuge from war, immigrants of several generations and descendants of arrivals from more than a hundred years ago. For aboriginal peoples, who remain subjected to discriminatory policies, the anniversary is not one to celebrate.

We asked readers in Canada to share stories of their familys earliest histories in the land now called Canada. We received about 150 submissions. Many expressed a deep sense of pride in the tolerance and diversity of modern Canada. Others wrote about the intergenerational trauma they endure as indigenous people whose lands and family members were taken away.

Here are some of those stories, which have been edited and condensed.

A peasant from China

Ruth Lor Malloy, 84, in Ontario

Slavery in Cuba was abolished in 1886. But who was going to cut the sugar cane, Cubas main crop? Plantation owners looked to the willingness of peasants from South China, including my paternal grandfather, Lor Jock Wing, to sign up to work cheaply. But conditions on the ships to Cuba were so bad many of the Chinese died on the trip. Many others perished after arriving in Cuba from poor living and working conditions. Fortunately, my grandfather had a Chinese friend who had chosen to emigrate to Canada. He urged grandfather to join him.

In Brockville, Ontario, a small town on the St. Lawrence River south of Ottawa, my grandfather started a laundry business, and before Canadian exclusion laws forbade further immigration from China, my father and other male relatives joined him.

My father, Lor Leip, arrived in Brockville in 1909 when he was 12 years old. He worked in the family laundry. Volunteers from the local Presbyterian Church taught him and other immigrants English. On the street, other children taunted him with chants of Chinky, Chinky, Chinaman. He once told us about the times he delivered clean laundry in a wagon. Boys would tip the wagon over, and the shirts had to be washed again.

Lured by jazz clubs and beautiful women

Laura Francis, 48, in Port Perry, Ontario

My father, Caliste Oliver, came to Canada from his native Guyana to attend McGill University in the late 1940s. His father, Oliver, had graduated from the same university and was one of the first black graduates of its medical school. My father was supposed to do the same, but got a little  distracted. Jazz clubs, beautiful women, great food.

After switching majors and delaying his graduation, my father ended up with a degree in engineering and chose to stay in his newly adopted country. His family was devastated and he never saw his mother or father again.

When he retired from his job at a mining company (after 40 years of service), I asked him if he regretted his choice to stay. No, he replied. He said he had made a home for himself in the best place he knew.

I am pleased that he did.

A descendant of 2 tragic pasts

Leah Gazan, 45, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Until the Canadian government stops violating fundamental indigenous human rights, I have nothing to celebrate.

My mother, Marjorie, was from the Wood Mountain Lakota Nation. She was a street kid and a survivor of the child welfare system. She moved 15 times between the ages of 5 and 18 between group homes, orphanages and convents with abusive nuns. It wasnt that my grandmother did not love her. Like my mother, she was also a street kid who became a serious alcoholic as a way to deal with the violent genocide she experienced as a result of the Indian Act and institutional disruptions caused by residential schools and child welfare.

Although we often talk about people having choices, in the 1930s in Canada, indigenous women were not even considered human under Canadian law. How sad is that, especially because we are descendants of Sitting Bull, who is one of the most revered leaders in North America.

My mother was one of the first indigenous psychiatric nurses in the province of Saskatchewan. She was an award-winning researcher, a scholar and a social justice warrior who assisted with changing child welfare legislation to support former children in the states care and expanding rights for persons experiencing mental health issues.

My father was a Dutch Jew and Holocaust survivor. He was the only surviving child on both sides of my family at the conclusion of World War II. It is for this reason that my life is truly a miracle as a descendant of genocides from different parts of our globe.

Like my parents, I have learned to speak up and to never stay silent in the face of injustice. Indigenous peoples have been on Turtle Island, an indigenous name for North America, since time immemorial, more than the 150 years of colonial genocide that Canada wishes to celebrate. Until the Canadian government stops violating fundamental indigenous human rights, I have nothing to celebrate.

Escaping slavery in Ohio

Joy Cornelius, Peterborough, Ontario

My great-great-grandfather George M. Lucas was a black slave in Ohio and arrived in Canada in 1836 through the Underground Railroad, via Detroit. He married an Irish lady and they endured much prejudice due to their interracial marriage. He became a farmer, and their farm was burned down several times with Christian crosses imprinted on their grass.

Together they had 15 children who survived.

A line of courageous women

Carmelita Boivin-Cole, 77, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

She so terrified the Iroquois that they fled.

The first of my ancestors, the apothecary Louis Hebert, arrived in Port Royal (now in Nova Scotia) with Samuel de Champlain in 1606. Legend has it that he learned much about native herbal medicines from the Great Chief Membertous Mikmaq people. In 1617, he and his wife, Marie Rollet, settled in Quebec. Their daughter Guillemette reappears again and again in my family tree, as her descendants intermarried with the children of other early settlers in Quebec.

I heard tales from this family history when I was a young girl. What fascinated me the most was the courage of the women, who mainly lived in the shadows of the men except when they did something absolutely astounding. One example is that of Barbe Poisson. Around 1651, in Ville-Marie (now Montreal), she looked out of a window in her house and saw a band of Iroquois marauders descend with their tomahawks on her husband and his workers in a field. She remarried after his death.

All went well until 1661 when she once again looked out the window and saw another band of Iroquois attack her second husband. She gathered every weapon in the house into her arms, rushed out screaming at the top of her lungs, throwing weapons to the French workers: You killed my first husband. You are not getting this one, too.

She so terrified the Iroquois that they fled, earning a place for herself in the annals of history.

Fleeing a firing squad during the Russian Revolution

Katie Neustaeter, 35, Kamloops, British Columbia

My grandma, Anne Krueger, and her family fled from the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution, when she was 2 years old. The day they fled, her father had escaped a firing squad; they told him that if he could run far enough into the woods before they shot him he could keep running. They ran all the way to Canada.

When they boarded the boat to sail, they were asked for the full names of the family, but at that time in Russia middle names werent given. My great-grandpa was so afraid of being denied sail that he spontaneously assigned his own name to all of the kids: Peter Peter, John Peter, Anne Peter, Kay Peter. I can only imagine how proud Peter Neufeld would have been to know that his grandson, my father, would one day be elected and serve four terms as a sitting member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia.

Rejected by America, a new life with a Cadillac

Jane Park, 40, Edmonton, Alberta

When I ask if they would want to move back to South Korea, they say, in perfect English, No way. 

My parents immigrated to Canada from South Korea in March 1976 after being rejected from the U.S. twice. A man from Kinistino, Saskatchewan, sponsored my father to be a car mechanic. Two weeks after their arrival, my mother gave birth to my brother. Afterward, my father went to meet his sponsor  the tallest man he had ever met  who drove a Lincoln, the fanciest car he had ever seen. Everyone in Kinistino was white and my fathers heart failed him: He didnt want to live there. He parted ways with his employer, who responded graciously. This is how their Canadian adventure started, complete with rudimentary English and $1,000 in their pockets. (They had bought a camera and rice cooker en route in Japan, and because of an unfavorable exchange rate, their American money converted to less in Canadian dollars.)

A year later, my grandparents and two uncles immigrated and joined our household so that suddenly my parents had to take care of eight people. There were many struggles and hardships along the way, but in the end, they did succeed, at least in monetary terms. My father is now a hotel developer and bought himself a Cadillac, which he never drove (perhaps he felt it was too ostentatious and in the end, he gave it to me).

When I ask if they would want to move back to South Korea, they say, in perfect English, No way. When I ask if they regret not getting into America, they say, No way.

Working the fishery in Newfoundland

Marilyn Hayward, Toronto

My ancestor Benjamin Hayward arrived in Bonavista, Newfoundland, in the early 1600s from Ringwood, Hampshire, England. Benjamin was a planter, a person working the fishery from May to September who then would return to England for the winter. Ben opened an inn and store on the Avon River to cater to the many planters living in Hampshire and Dorset Counties. The Avon River was also used as a means to get to the larger port where ships were going not only to Newfoundland, but also to the New World, whether Canada or the United States. Bens son Thomas was first to settle in Newfoundland in about 1685.

An indentured employee, as a teenager

Shawn Rosvold, 65, Colorado Springs

My paternal grandfather came to Calgary, Alberta, from a small hamlet north of the Arctic Circle in Norway in the late 1800s as a teenage indentured employee to a tailor. He eventually became a tailor in his own right, and owned his own shop. He met his future wife at a Lutheran youth group. She came to Calgary as a teenager from Norway.

On the losing side of the Revolutionary War

Margaret Olive, 69, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Having sided with the British during the American War of Independence, ancestors on both sides of my family were obliged to leave their homes to become residents of New Brunswick and Ontario. In Saint John, my fathers ancestors built wooden sailing ships until their vessels were surpassed by railways, steam engines and steel hulls.

Losing children to ship fever

Susan Gurd Bexton, 70, Portland, Ore.

In July 1847, my great-great-grandparents Joseph and Marianne Gurd set off from Cork, Ireland, in a small sailing ship called the Highland Mary. It carried coal and 100 passengers including them and their four children. In September 1847, they were put ashore at the Emigrant Hospital on Pointe-Saint-Charles at Montreal. There were 21 large fever sheds that housed victims of ship fever in an effort to control the typhus among famine refugees from Ireland. Within three months, three of their four children died.

The flip of a coin

Joan M. Baril, 82, Thunder Bay, Ontario

My dad, William Allen, newly released from the British army in 1918, returned to Birmingham, England, to look for a job. Both his parents were dead. His dad had been killed by a sniper at the First Battle of the Marne in 1914. His mother died of tuberculosis soon after, leaving five children to fend for themselves. My dad left school at 10 years old to work. When he turned 17, he lied about his age to get into the army.

After the war, work was hard to find. On the street, he spied an immigration office covered with posters. He could sign up for Australia where he would be sent to work in the outback to repay his passage or he could go to Canada to work in the northern bush. He flipped his last coin.

Canada won.

Eventually, he became a police officer in the northern Ontario city of Thunder Bay. He always considered himself a lucky man, but he hated one thing about Canada: the vicious cold days as a rookie police constable walking the beat in weather that sometimes sank to minus 40. Even though he wore an enormous buffalo robe coat, he still felt the cold.

On those days, when he came home, he told his story to his children, always ending, Today was another day when I wished the coin had sent me to Australia.
Jaljala locals in protest demanding new centre

People from Banau, Shalija, Nanglibang, Dhairing and Lekhphant of Jaljala Village Council in Parbat padlocked their ward offices on Thursday, demanding that the administrative centre of the village council be changed to a more convenient location.
Cool Playings: Jamaica Finally Looks Set to Regulate

Published June 23, 2017 by Lee R

Many revenue streams are on the table for a regulated market in Jamaica.

The Caribbean Gaming Show and Summit brought the sunny news that Jamaica is looking to regulate online gambling.

Shaw States Intention

Jamaican Minister of Finance and Public Service Hon. Audley Shaw put online regulation on the fast track fast-track to capitalize on technological advancement and iGaming sector growth by prioritising the island nations goal as a well-monitored iGaming environment.

New Regulatory Body

Online gambling legislation is hoped by officials to be approved in time for the scheduled merger of the countrys three gambling regulators: the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), the Jamaica Racing Commission, and the Casino Gaming Commission.

Enhanced Monitoring

With integration of the three independent bodies expected to complete by the end of the year, the move is designed to drastically increase the monitoring abilities of Jamaican regulators in a currently rampant illicit marketplace.

Summit Encounter

Attendees to the 7th Caribbean Gaming Show & Summit held last week at the Montego Bay Convention Center got to hear first-hand from Minister Shaw attendees how the BGLC will establish the new framework opening application for gaming and betting operator licenses in Jamaica.

Harnessing the Benefits

The Finance Minister emphasised the fact that the provision of licenses will add much-needed revenues to the island nation, stating that the regulation movement would position his country to take advantage of the emerging product offerings that now characterize the global landscape, such as internet and mobile gaming, which includes virtual and fantasy betting.

Implementing Preventative Protections

Minister Shaw added that the government has already started working with banks to address the issue online gambling being used as a medium for money laundering and other illicit activity.

Current Climate

This level of progress is a real breakthrough for iGaming in Jamaica, and the Caribbean region, with previous discussion habitually stalled. The most recent significant talks took place in 2014, when the Ministry of Finance acknowledged discussing regulation before talks dissolved.

IR in the Wings

Long known as a beach paradise, Jamaica began expanding its casino industry in 2014 with the introduction of the integrated resort experience, with work on the first two approved at the time. However, at this juncture, the original dates of construction scheduled for mid-2016 have been delayed for a year. Shaws announcement should surely contribute to completion of the first IR projects as well.

Sunny Outlook

The move to shift illicit gambling activity to a regulated environment should benefit the government and Jamaican society equally, as long as the system is effective, comprehensive, and rigorous with sufficient transparency and accountability to all.
KMC to set up urinals in 41 different locations

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) will be setting up urinals at 41 different locations.
From Our Future

The special election for the open congressional seat in Georgia was the most expensive in history, with an obscene $60 million in total spending. Jon Ossoff, the Democratic candidate, narrowly lost in the upscale, suburban sixth district, which is heavily Republican.

The chattering classes will speculate endlessly on what this special election means for the 2018 midterms. The election was seen as a referendum on Trump. Ossoff lost by about 4 percent in a district that has gone Republican for decades. He outspent his Republican opponent, Karen Handel, yet he garnered a smaller share of the vote than Hillary Clinton received against Trump in 2016.

For all the sound and fury, this signifies very little for 2018. For many voters, and surely for Trump's supporters, the administration has just settled into office and still deserves a chance. Trump's policies haven't taken hold yet. Thus far he's coasting on the Obama economy. Trump's health-care, tax, and budget plans haven't been passed. His stealth escalation across the Middle East hasn't yet stumbled into open war. The 2018 elections, 17 months away, will take place in a very different atmosphere.

Special elections get special attention. When $60 million floods a congressional district, it's enough to rouse even the dead. The evident Democratic enthusiasm advantage got muted as even disengaged Republicans responded in the hothouse atmosphere.

Incompetence and corruption are becoming the brand of the Trump White House. The outrage and mobilization of the activist base of the Democratic Party will continue to build. In Trump, Democrats have one of the greatest fund-raising and voter-mobilization engines ever. There are more than 70 Republican districts that vote more Democratic than Georgia's sixth. Republicans may have dodged a bullet this time, but in 2018 they'll likely be facing a fusillade.

But Democrats will first need better candidates. For party pros, Jon Ossoff was close to an ideal candidate. Young, well educated, attractive, and articulate, the 30-year-old tailored his views to fit the suburban district. He presented himself as a centrist, speaking boldly against government waste and federal deficits, and talking, as his opponent put it, "like a Republican." He championed civility and decried partisan division. He explicitly opposed Medicare for All and tax hikes on the rich. He wouldn't even commit to voting for Nancy Pelosi as the leader of his party. He chose not to make the election a referendum on Trump.

Democratic activists provided money and energy anyway, but too few Republicans were swayed. Even in defeat, Ossoff could not rise above pabulum: His race, he said, was the "beginning of something bigger," because "In the first opportunity in this country to make a statement about how values can still unite people at a time when politics has been dominated by fear, hatred and scapegoating and division, this community stood up."

The problem with empty suits is that the other side gets to color them in. Handel, a nondescript, run-of-the-mill Republican, tried to avoid mentioning Trump, much less defending him. Yet she -- and the tens of millions in outside money provided by conservatives -- nationalized the election. They painted Ossoff as a closet liberal. He wasn't "one of us" (he didn't even live in the district). He was simply a vessel for House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and her "San Francisco values."

This likely foreshadows the Republican strategy in 2018: Nationalize the election and raise the specter of Pelosi taking the House or New York's Chuck Schumer leading the Senate. Pelosi's opponents in the Democratic party are using Republican attacks to question her leadership. But the answer isn't to allow the right to define Democrats leaders -- it is to force Republicans to defend or abandon Trump's follies and to put forth a clear, bold alternative agenda for the country. In choosing to do neither of these, Ossoff allowed Republicans to set the terms of the debate.

In the short term, Handel gave, in Frank Bruni's words, "fresh hope for [Trump's] stalled legislative agenda." Defeat would have spread fears among Republicans worried about Trump's mad-hatter antics, corruption, and incompetence. Instead, Republicans sought to use the victory to forge new unity around their substantive agenda: Trumpcare, tax cuts, deregulation, and budget cuts.

But the GOP might quickly become the victim of its own success. Polls show voters hate a House health-are bill that even Donald Trump terms "mean," and the Senate bill isn't any better. Americans are more concerned that the rich and corporations don't pay their fair share of taxes than they are excited about more top-end tax cuts. The deep cuts in Trump's proposed budget -- in education, Pell grants, home heating, and more -- won't gain popular approval. As David Frum argues, a defeat in Georgia might have sobered Republicans a bit. But, instead, they are likely to double down on defending Trump and pushing their agenda.

For the activist base of the party--the Sanders-Warren wing that is on the march--the lessons of the special election are clear. The efforts to build an independent capacity to recruit, train, and support populist candidates up and down the ticket should be redoubled. The push to crystallize a bold agenda for change and debate it across the country is vital. Mobilization to resist Trump but also to challenge Democrats is needed.

We know what the party pros will do. To take back the House, they want Democrats to focus on suburban districts, like the 23 Republican-held districts that Hillary Clinton carried, largely in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington. Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Reed wrote that these districts are "mainstream in tone and interest." They want to recruit "credible candidates" that will "match their districts, not align with the party's activist base." As New Mexico Representative Ben Ray Lujan, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put it, "Let's take the time to find people who fit their districts, have compelling stories, and work hard to earn support from voters." They can count on Trump to rouse Democratic voters and money.

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From Paul Craig Roberts Website

In 1992 Fran and Dan Keller were convicted despite the absence of any evidence of raping a three-year old, a crime that never occurred. Among the absurd charges was the transport of children to Mexico to be raped by military officials. The Kellers spent 21 years in prison before finally being exonerated by a conviction integrity unit that found no credible evidence for the conviction.

This kind of ridiculous conviction plagued child care providers during the 1980s and into the 1990s. The Amirault family who operated the Fells Acres Day Care Center in Massachusetts were ruined. The Massachusetts supreme court judge who kept the Amiraults in prison despite the completely obvious fabricated case is today a Harvard University law professor. In Wenatchee, Washington, scores of people were ruined by insane allegations of a church practicing Satanic Sex Rituals on children. There was the Little Rascals Day Care case in North Carolina, the McMartin child care case in California, and many others. Few remember that President Bill Clinton's attorney general, Janet Reno, rose to name recognition based on false convictions from child abuse witch hunts.

The insanity spread wider. Young women with emotional problems were told by "therapists" that they had been raped by their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and brothers. Families everywhere were blown apart by wild charges.

"Child advocates" insisted that all male heterosexuals were suspect as child rapists. There was no such thing as a real trial, just a condemnation. Allegations alone destroyed people.

It spread into "wife rape." States passed "wife rape" laws, and any wife could get rid of a husband by accusing him of rape. I investigated and wrote about the case of Wm. Strong. He was about to divorce his wife for her infidelity, but she struck first with a rape charge. Strong was the victim of wife rape law. His parole appeal is routinely turned down because of "the serious nature of your offense." I myself have written to the Virginia Parole Board on several occasions pointing out that I covered the story and Strong was framed on false charges by his wife who outsmarted him. But the Virginia Parole Board has no interest in any evidence. The Parole Board exists for the purpose of protecting the system, not for admitting mistakes.

I wrote about many of the child care cases. Only in the Wenatchee case did facts that I helped to marshal result in the cases being overturned. During the entire process I was attacked by the local newspaper and radio station. Neither were interested in any facts. They knew the church was guilty. Period.

Evidence simply was not important. Juries were ramrodded by hysteria conjured up by "child advocates," newspapers and TV reports.

Consider the case of Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. He was framed by Republican US attorneys and Republican federal judges. A normal everyday political contribution was turned into an influence-selling case. In Siegelman's case, even the intervention of 113 former state attorneys general led by New York attorney general Robert Abrams, who called Siegelman's frame-up an "enormous scandal," could not prevent Gov. Siegelman from being sent to prison by corrupt Republicans.

The Republican federal judge who presided over the atrocity was subsequently arrested for beating his wife bloody in an Atlanta hotel and got off. Of course.

In America only the innocent go to prison.

Americans do not understand this. They have been deceived by "law and order conservatives" that liberal judges always let the criminals off and that any criminals that somehow are sent to prison despite the liberal judges are rescued from jail by liberal parole boards.

The fact of the matter is that only 3% of felony cases go to trial, and in these cases prosecutors are able to bribe and to pay witnesses for false testimony against the accused and to withhold exculpatory evidence that would clear the defendant of the charges. In other words, conviction regardless of the evidence is almost always obtained.

In the other 97% of the cases, the defendant's attorney negotiates with the prosecutor a fictitious charge to which the accused will plead guilty in exchange for dropping the more serious charge for which the accused was arrested. The attorney knows that to defend against even a false charge is unlikely to be successful and that the accused will draw a longer sentence from going to trial than from agreeing to a lesser charge in a plea bargain. Both prosecutor and judge are grateful, because it saves both from days, even weeks, of court time, thus keeping the judge's case load lighter and permitting the prosecutor many more convictions with which to embellish his record. A week of plea bargains can produce many times the convictions of a week in court dealing with one case. The fewer cases the judge has to study and to apply his understanding of the law, the better for the judge.

As only 3% of cases go to trial, the police evidence is seldom tested. The police know this. One result is that it is much easier for the police to pick up someone who had committed a similar crime in the past and charge him, than to go to the trouble of solving the crime by investigating it. Indeed, the police are so out of touch with neighborhoods, compared to bygone days when police walked their beats and knew the population, and crimes appear so random, that many crimes simply can't be investigated. Much easier to pick up someone with a record and charge them. This practice explains the high recidivism rates. Once convicted, they will convict you again. It is how crimes are "solved."

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From Wallwritings



Candle light

(Image by sutrebor) Details DMCA



Have you seen the Hollywood film that flashes back to February, 2006, when Palestinians elected a Hamas party parliamentary majority?

I didn't think so, because there is no such film available.

An honest film on Palestine's current situation would begin in present-day Gaza. A Palestinian baby lies in a tiny crib, dying because the hospital lacks sufficient electricity to keep her alive.

The poorly-maintained portable generator outside in the yard, would have run out of fuel...

Then, in a flashback, the film would show long lines of voters in occupied 2006 Palestine, waiting their turn in an election monitored by outsiders including President Jimmy Carter.

Hamas won that 2006 general election, defeating the Fatah party which had been in power since Yasir Arafat was allowed by Israel to return to Gaza in the summer of 1994.

Mahmoud Abbas succeeded Arafat as head of the PLO and the Palestinian National Authority in November, 2004.

Israel and the US agreed to the holding of that 2006 parliamentary election, a year after Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the state of Palestine May 8, 2005.

The Israel/US combine and the Fatah leaders had assumed a Fatah victory. The voters thought otherwise, handing a national parliamentary majority to the Hamas party. And it was a "political party." Once Hamas emerged as a formidable adversary, thanks to Israel's control of its own narrative, the "terrorist" label was hung around its neck.

Indeed, the first time I ever heard of Hamas, was from a member of the Israeli foreign ministry who told me to "keep an eye on this Hamas. They are doing good work for the poor." The purpose of that praise, I later realized, was to build up an enemy against Arafat, a long-time Israeli foe.

As the ancient proverb reminds us, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

And it was a "political party." It became, thanks to Israel's control of its own narrative, a "terrorist" organization, a designation it has lived with since.

To correct its 2006 political venture into democracy, Israel and the US instituted a war to defeat Hamas in 2007. The Fatah army was trained and guided by the George Bush-run CIA.

Fatah lost the war to Hamas just as it had lost the parliamentary election one year earlier.

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This Saturday, June 24th, artists Ray Ford and Louise Marler are set to be featured in a new exhibition.



Ray Ford at work

(Image by Photo by Wayne Ford) Details DMCA



The act of turning a slab of wood into a delicate sculpture is no easy task. He said the process takes years"first preparing the wood on the lathe, then storing it for over a year to dry out. He continued, "Then I put it back on the lathe, I finish turning it, then burning, carving and decorating comes later, depending on the design. I spray 6-8 coats of clear lacquer, sanding it after many of the coats. I usually sand it wet to keep the sand paper from clogging up, then I buff it with 3 different buffing wheels for outside and 3 different buffing wheels for inside. http://hrayford.com/

Artist Louise Marler aka LA Marler has been creating art all of her life. The artist chooses to work on several series at a time. She explains,



Baldixette

(Image by image courtesy of artist, Louise Marler) Details DMCA



She will be exhibiting works from two of her latest series"camERAs, featuring pop images of vintage cameras and her KeyWords, which celebrates her love of the typewriters and its nostalgic keys. KeyWords is LA Marler's version of typewriter poetry. Needless to say photography plays a big role in her life as well"something that comes through in her mixed media series camERAS. http://www.LAMarler.com

Stop in, Saturday, June 24th from 1-5pm to see Ray Ford's wood sculptures along with Louise Marler's mixed media art. LA Marler Gallery is located at the Santa Monica Airport, 3000 Airport Avenue, Studio B Santa Monica, CA 90405.


Trump waving goodbye.

(Image by IoSonoUnaFotoCamera) Details DMCA



Five months into the Trump regime, we've reached the tipping point. It may take more than a year to play out, but the presidency of Donald Trump is coming to an end. Meantime, congressional Republicans -- acknowledging the Administration is running out of runway -- have decided to ram through as much toxic legislation as they can while Trump is in the White House.

Four factors brought us to this tipping point. The first is Donald Trump's unpopularity. The battle lines have been drawn and there is no neutral ground. The majority of American adults (56 percent according to the 538 website) disapprove of Trump's job performance.

Second, in the face of his historic unpopularity Trump has given up on any notion of broadening his base, of being the President of all the people. There's been no indication that Trump plans any effort at reconciliation between the warring factions in American politics. Instead, Trump has doubled-down on hateful and divisive rhetoric. As a result, an already polarized electorate has become even more deeply divided. Trump doesn't care; he's content talking exclusively to his base while executing an agenda that will, in the longterm, hurt his most dedicated followers.

Third, Trump is in serious legal trouble. There are two separate legal actions wending their way through the legal process. The first regards emoluments and the second collusion with Russia.

An under-reported story is Trump's violation of the Constitution's conflict-of-interest clause ("emoluments"). Writing in the New York Review (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/02/23/donald-trump-is-violating-the-constitution/), ACLU legal director David Cole describes the lawsuit brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW): "never before in American history has a president-elect presented more conflict of interest questions and foreign entanglements than Donald Trump... Our forty-fifth president has deliberately chosen to undermine the interests of the people he represents in order to further the interests of the one person he cares about most."

Three emoluments lawsuits have been filed. The first by an ethics watchdog (CREW), the second by the attorney generals of D.C. and Maryland, and the latest by 200 Democratic members of Congress. These lawsuits sail into uncharted legal waters and, therefore, it's unclear what their ultimate outcome will be. (Except to harass Trump for many months.)

The collusion with Russia track has gotten more attention and seems more promising. There are three independent investigations: one in the House of Representatives, another in the Senate, and a third conducted by Department of Justice independent prosecutor Robert Mueller. Most observers believe the Mueller investigation represents the biggest threat to Trump -- the caveat being that Donald could end the investigation at any time by firing Mueller.

The collusion with Russia track has four distinct components: the first suggests that Trump has had unsavory financial relationships with Vladimir Putin and his cronies. The background material suggests that Trump has deep ties that he does not want to reveal -- hence his reticence to release his tax returns. Depending upon your perspective, what we know implies that at the worst Trump has been involved in a gigantic money-laundering syndicate and at the best he has displayed incredibly bad judgment.

The second component of the collusion with Russia track suggests that Trump presidential campaign collaborated with Russians to disrupt the 2016 presidential election. Depending upon whom you read, Trump associates either directly coordinated with Russian actors, to take actions such as hacking the DNC emails and distributing them to Wikileaks, or they knew about the Russian activities and did nothing to stop them. (For his part, among the Washington mega-players, Trump has been distinguished by his apparent lack of curiosity about Russia's involvement in the 2016 election.)

Recently, a third component of the collusion with Russia track has emerged: Trump's efforts to coverup the entire matter. This was what made former FBI-director James Comey's testimony so riveting. Comey is convinced that Trump removed him from his post because Donald wanted to shut down the FBI inquiry into collusion with Russia. (Trump, in effect, admitted this in his May 11 interview with NBC's Lester Holt [http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-reveals-he-asked-comey-whether-he-was-under-investigation-n757821 ]).

The fourth component of the collusion with Russia track has been the revelations of what appears to be perjury by Trump associates. Trump confidantes such as Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn apparently lied to authorities when they were initially questioned about their contacts with Russians. While this does not directly bear on Trump it does suggest a broader conspiracy to suppress the truth.

The fourth factor that brought us to this tipping point is the total abandonment of comity in Congress. It wasn't that long ago that Democrats and Republicans worked together on some matters. Those days are gone.

The Senate Republican handling of their effort to repeal and replace Obamacare is illustrative of how the situation has deteriorated. Republicans have made no effort to work with Democrats and have fashioned their Obamacare replacement in secret. They plan to ram it through the Senate with a minimum of discussion.

The good news is that the Trump presidency is headed towards an early termination. The bad news is that the Republican leadership knows this and is determined to ram through as much toxic legislation as they can while Trump is in the White House.
This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.





RT @davidsirota: One reason the Dem establishment doesn't change after a loss like #GA6: Consultants who are part of that establishment jus at  Penny Peters (@8Penny8) June 23, 2017

"Change cannot occur if the displaced ruling class is left intact after a revolution against them. We have proof of this throughout South America. Every revolution by the indigenous people has left unmolested the Spanish ruling class, and every revolution has been overthrown[.]"

--Paul Craig Roberts, quoted here

Read the quote in the graphic above again. Insider Party consultants made millions off of Jon Ossoff's loss. Would those insiders take an Ossoff win if it meant no money for them? These people, Democratic Party elites, are not your friends and they're not the nation's friends. They are their own friends, period.

This is the other problem the nation faces. This is why the nation can't have nice things, like Medicare for All:

Hillary Clinton: Single-payer health care will 'never, ever' happen Clinton stressed how difficult it is to stand up to the existing health insurance industry " "I think it's important to point out that there are a lot of reasons we have the health care system we have today," she said. "I know how much money influences the political decision-making""

an economy free of predatory monopolies:

Amazon is the shining representative of a new golden age of monopoly that also includes Google and Walmart". In its pursuit of bigness, Amazon has left a trail of destruction--competitors undercut, suppliers squeezed--some of it necessary, and some of it highly worrisome. And in its confrontation with the publisher Hachette, it has entered a phase of heightened aggression unseen even when it tried to crush Zappos by offering a $5 rebate on all its shoes or when it gave employees phony business cards to avoid paying sales taxes in various states.)

and bankers who got to jail when they steal money ("The Untouchables: How the Obama administration protected Wall Street from prosecutions").

This is a large part of why the worst political party in 100 years -- the Republican Party, if you're wondering -- holds so much power. The other resistance is against Democratic Party policies like these. Democrats will have a very hard time winning until they change.

Which means, I think, that we'll have to make them change. It should be clear by now that the next revolution must be inside the Democratic Party, unless one wishes to scale the mountain of deliberate, structural impediments to forming a viable, 50-state third party.

No Time Left At All

Moreover, we don't have time for a 30-year project of reform. We have two years, maybe four, at most -- a pres ca, le de'luge. Here's why:

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Dashcam video of police officer Jeronimo Yanez shooting motorist Philando Castile

(Image by St. Anthony, Minnesota Police Department) Details DMCA



On June 16, a jury acquitted St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer Jeronimo Yanez of all charges in the 2016 killing of motorist Philando Castile. That acquittal was, in a sense, also a death sentence -- not for Yanez, but for future motorists unfortunate enough to encounter cops like him.

No, this is not a "bad cop" story. It's a sad tale and I actually feel sorry for Yanez. But the facts are what they are.

Yanez killed Castile. The killing was caught on video and neither Yanez nor his attorneys denied it.

His defense (that he feared for his life) was based on ridiculous grounds relating to the smell of cannabis and the presence of a child ("I thought, I was gonna die, and I thought if he's, if he has the, the guts and the audacity to smoke marijuana in front of the five year old girl and risk her lungs and risk her life by giving her secondhand smoke and the front seat passenger doing the same thing, then what, what care does he give about me?").

Reasonable fear of death or grievous bodily harm justifies a self-defense claim. Yanez's fears were far from reasonable, especially in a trained law enforcement officer whose partner was mere feet away and whose subject of interrogation was peaceful and compliant right up to the moment Yanez shot him.

Castile had informed Yanez that he possessed a concealed weapon and a permit for it, and was following Yanez's orders to produce the permit when Yanez panicked and fired.

Key word: Panicked. His fear wasn't justified. It wasn't reasonable. It was unthinking and irrational. That made him culpably negligent in the killing.

Jeronimo Yanez should have never been issued a badge, a gun, a patrol car, and authority to pull over and interrogate motorists. But he was. That's a failure of pre-employment psychological screening.

Once Yanez DID receive those items and that authority, the responsibility for what he did with them became his as well. Yes, it was a heavy responsibility, but one he voluntarily assumed and failed to fulfill.

The jury, in relieving him of the consequences of that failure, continued a sad tradition of holding law enforcement officers to a lesser standard of conduct than ordinary Americans. In doing so, they made the world a safer place for cops who shouldn't be cops -- and a more dangerous place for the rest of us.
By Dave Lindorff

The failure of Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff to capture the vacant House seat left in a suburban Atlanta district by the Trump nomination of Republican Rep. Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services shows the disastrous state of the Democratic Party.

So beholden is that party to corporate interests that it cannot put up or support any candidate who is willing to challenge its neoliberal paradigm. The 30-year-old Ossoff tried to win by appealing to the so called "moderate middle" of voters, offering vague promises of economic growth and challenges to President Trump's policies -- for example his attack on the Obama administration's so-called Affordable Care Act. It was a stupid campaign approach, especially for a special election, when voter turnouts are typically very low and voter enthusiasm is the key. No matter: despite polls showing overwhelming American support for a Canadian-style single-payer "Medicare for All" health care system, Ossoff did not call for such a change. Nor did he mention at all the need to slash US military spending -- the single biggest reason, because it lays claim to some 54% of all federal tax dollars each year, why the US is approaching Third World status by most measures such as life-expectancy, infant mortality, infrastructure, education, etc.

The question now for progressives is: What is to be done?

Clearly to be a viable and genuine opposition party to the ruling Republicans, the Democratic Party would have to be thoroughly deconstructed and rebuilt. The millionaire-packed Democratic National Committee leadership -- the lobbyists, the elected officials and the well-heeled donors -- would have to be tossed out entirely, and replaced by genuine progressives, labor activists, environmentalists, representatives of various minority groups and (gasp!) socialists. It would need a platform that was unequivocal and unflinching in its call for expanded and more generous Social Security benefits, for a well funded Medicare for All program, for a new National Labor Relations Act that routinizes the forming of labor unions and that safeguards, through severe penalties on recalcitrant employers, the right to bargain for contracts. It would have to stand foursquare for an emergency mobilization against climate change, and it would have to renounce the debunked neoliberal approach of coddling the rich and tossing crumbs to the poor, by standing for much higher taxes on the former and well-funded programs to help the latter. And finally, it would have to call for dramatic cuts in the military (not defense!) budget, and an end to US imperialism and militarism abroad.

This is essentially what Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters in the British Labour Party have done, but I have hard time, particularly after watching the overt and underhanded subversion of the Bernie Sanders primary campaign last year, and the inability of progressive Democrats to challenge and replace an the ossified and thoroughly discredited party leadership, imagining that this can happen here in the US with the Democratic Party, which internally is clearly anything but democratic.

An alternative would be to construct a new opposition party that could quickly move beyond just serving as convenient haven for protest votes to becoming a genuine opposition force. But as the Green Party and various socialist parties over the years have painfully learned, restrictive ballot and media access laws at the federal, state and local level, and a total lack of rules limiting corporate funding of campaigns, put in place by the two big parties, effectively give those two parties a lock on national elections, consigning third parties to the sidelines.

The only alternative then, it seems to me, is the one that the Civil Rights and the subsequent anti-Vietnam War movements used when confronted similarly with a Democratic Party that had no interest in supporting their interests and demands. That alternative is to build a movement on the streets and in local communities that presents the political establishment with the untenable prospect of ongoing mass militant opposition to which it has to respond. I would argue that the demands of such a movement this time could and must be broad and inclusive -- not single-issue based as in the past. It needs to be built around demands that virtually all Americans, or at least a solid majority, can agree with. As a first pass, I would suggest the following:

* A Medicare for All health care system modeled on what they have in Canada

* An end to US militarism abroad and at home, the closing of most if not all foreign bases, an end to all US wars and arms sales to conflict zones, and a reduction in the US military budget by 50%. As well, a call for the US to return to negotiations with all nuclear nations to eliminate these weapons of mass destruction.

* A fair, non-racist immigration policy that is generous in accepting political refugees, that doesn't threaten with deportation those young people brought illegally into the US not by their own choice, that, while securing borders to prevent illegal crossings, is humane and follows constitutional norms in dealing with those who sneak into the country seeking work, and that, finally, recognizes and works to end the role that US economic and foreign policy plays in creating economic problems in neighboring countries that compel people to try and enter the US seeking work.

* A crash program to reduce US carbon emissions, and to help other countries do so, particularly those developing countries that have limited resources and that are being most impacted already by global warming.

* A program to shift funding for education away from its current reliance on local property taxes to federal funding on a per-student basis in order to equalize access to good public schools -- an approach taken by most European countries -- and a program of free college education to all who qualify for admission at public institutions of higher education.

* A jobs program modeled on the New Deal's Works Progress Administration, to create jobs for the jobless in needed areas like infrastructure repair, parks maintenance, environmental clean-up, school safety monitoring and the like.

* A living federal minimum wage.

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KMCs move draws public ire

The Kathmandu Metropolitan Citys decision to provide a mobile phone to each of the elected ward representatives, including mayor and deputy mayor, has raised a huge public outcry.
Anybody with any sense can see what this president is doing to the American people. He promised to drain the swamp in Washington and he hasn't done anything that would drain the swamp. People who voted for Donald Trump and thought they were going to get a change will be shocked to find out the 23 million Americans will lose their healthcare coverage and people with pre-existing conditions will find it hard to get insurance anywhere. The healthcare bill that is now in the Senate is a shameless and evil way to give the richest Americans a tax break by taking away health insurance coverage for people who have had strokes or cancer or high blood pressure or any other pre-existing condition.

Why the Republicans are doing this is because they claim that healthcare costs are too high and that the country cannot afford to continue giving the American people "entitlements". The entitlements, and then go to the richest people in the country by giving them an $800 billion tax break.

In some respects, what to what the Republicans are doing, are making the Democrats stand up and fight for their constituents. This is something new. For the last two decades, the Democrats have done nothing of any consequence for the American people. The fight against this Republican healthcare bill is refreshing because of seen the Democrats roll over every time there is a fight in Congress. I want to make it clear to people that live in this country and really don't know where all taxpayer money is being spent.

The Republicans will tell you that we are broke and running a deficit because of so-called "entitlements". The truth is that we spend all our money on the military and this money goes to armament manufacturers that is commonly called the military industrial complex. I want to put a graph in this article that shows Americans where their tax dollars are going, and believe me it's not going to healthcare for Americans.

You can see that the budget has almost 50% of our revenue going to the military. I have been writing about this for over a decade. We spend more now on the military than we did at the height of World War II. I find it hard to comprehend why we spent so much on military when this country has no real enemies. The amount of money going into the military-industrial complex makes it necessary for the United States to create enemies in order to keep this inflated budget a lot. People wonder why we aren't war endlessly, all you have to do is look at how much money we spend on military.



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The government, Republicans and Democrats all have a stake in how much money we spend on defense. Even Bernie Sanders of Vermont has a stake in how much money we spend on defense because the F 35 is made in Vermont. The military-industrial complex has put down roots in every state in this nation. Every Congressman or Sen. has a constituency that relies on defense spending. This is not by chance, this has been designed in order to keep the military-industrial complex going with 50% of our tax dollars.

The city of Detroit has actually gone bankrupt. The federal government didn't do a thing to stop Detroit's bankruptcy. Yet we give Israel and Saudi Arabia billions of dollars in military aid while neglecting our infrastructure.

This is a travesty. How the American public can let our government pull the wool over our eyes and speak about cutting healthcare to save money is a lie. Look at how much money we spend on military and how much money we spend on healthcare. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the hell is going on. I can write articles and I can use twitter or I can post on Facebook but nobody really cares that we are spending all our tax dollars on weapons and the military and military ordinance and building aircraft carriers and stockpiling and modernizing our nuclear arsenal while people go hungry and don't have the money to see a doctor when they're sick.

Americans meet must understand that this is their money that they are using to keep the military-industrial complex in business. 50% of our discretionary budget goes to the military. Does anyone understand how much money we are talking about?

I spent 20 years in the United States Army and I have my healthcare. I have Medicare and tri-care and I have no co-pays except for prescription drugs. My health insurance is not on the line but I understand that other people's health insurance is going to be taken away from them in order to save what they say and will give tax breaks going go to military-industrial complex and tax breaks the richest 1% of

This is the America under Donald Trump. To his credit he called the house bill "mean". Now I wonder what he will call the Senate bill which is even more devastating than the house bill, will he pull the plug on the Senate health care bill and veto it? More likely, Donald Trump will go with the flow and not go against the Republican party because he feels that they (The Republicans) would probably override his veto. That is a lie because even some Republicans like Rand Paul will vote against this bill and law requires that to override a presidential veto you need 60% of the Senate. I don't believe the Republicans can muster 60% of the Senate.

I'm not writing this just because of the health bill, I'm writing this because all our wealth is going to military-industrial complex which means Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, and all the defense contractors that rely on the United States spending half of its money on the military.

The said part of this is that they have to justify the spending by provoking endless war. Young men and women who join the military now are not fighting for that country there fighting for all the military contractors that sell weapons to the military. When they go to war they have no idea what they're fighting for. This too is a travesty. This president is probably the most ignorant man who ever sat in the White House. The situation with Qatar is a perfect example. He praises Qatar and meanwhile, one of our best allies Saudi Arabia, has put an economic blockade on that country. The truth is that the United States has its Middle Eastern command and Qatar. Trump must intervene and get Saudi Arabia to restore relations Qatar.

The truth is that United States is supporting Wahhabi Sunni fundamentalist state. When you think of ISIS you can think of Saudi Arabia. I don't believe that the United States government understands the risk between the Sunnis and the Shia. Iran is a good example of the difference between the two brands of Islam. There are more than two sects of Islam. An example of this is Bashar al-Assad in Syria is an Alawite. Bashar al-Assad took in approximately 20,000 refugees caused by the United States invasion of Iraq. It didn't matter whether they were Sunni or Shia everyone was accepted into Syria. He even gave them jobs medical care and food. He worked at the United Nations to help the refugees.

Now we are supporting the Sunni side of the Muslim community. All one has to do is look at the difference Tehran and Riyal. We all know that women have no right to drive or to vote in Saudi Arabia and most of the Sunni fundamentalist groups in the Middle East. In Iran's, women can vote and drive automobiles and walk around without a burqa. Yet, the military-industrial complex, has been wanting to invade Iran for almost a decade. This is about the hostages that were taken in fact, it's all about money.

Everything is all about money. Most of the wars that were started were all about money including the two world wars that United States engaged in. Wars create opportunities for banks banks tears and investment houses to reap billions of dollars in defense spending. I don't understand why people in this country just don't get. I don't understand how anyone can take this president seriously when he's a buffoon and a charlatan. I don't see Donald Trump resting more than two years in the White House.

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Scales of Justice

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There is a small courthouse from the 'British era', standing right in the center of Hong Kong. It is neat, well-built, remarkably organized and some would even say -- elegant.

Earlier this year I visited there with an Afghan-British lawyer, who had been touring East Asia for several months. Hong Kong was her last destination; afterwards she was planning to return home to London. The Orient clearly confused and overwhelmed her, and no matter how 'anti-imperialist' she tried to look, most of her references were clearly going back to the adoptive homeland -- the United Kingdom.

"It looks like England," she exclaimed when standing in the middle of Hong Kong. There was clearly excitement and nostalgia in her voice.

To cheer her up even more, I took her to the courthouse. My good intentions backfired: as we were leaving, she uttered words that I expected but also feared for quite some time:

"You know, there are actually many good things that can be said about the British legal system."

*

I thought about that short episode in Hong Kong now, as I drove all around her devastated country of childhood, Afghanistan. As always, I worked without protection, with no bulletproof vests, armored vehicles or military escorts, just with my Afghan driver who doubled as my interpreter and also as my friend. It was Ramadan and to let him rest, I periodically got behind the wheel. We were facing countless detentions, arrests and interrogations by police, military and who knows what security forces, but we were moving forward, always forward, despite all obstacles.

From that great distance, from the heights of the mountains of Afghanistan, the courthouse in Hong Kong kept falling into proportion and meaningful perspective.

It was surrounded by an enormous city, once usurped and sodomized by the British Crown. A city where 'unruly locals' were being killed, tortured, flogged and regularly imprisoned.

And it was not only Hong Kong that has suffered: the entire enormous country of China with one of the oldest and greatest cultures on Earth had been brutally ransacked, including its splendid capital -- Beijing -- that was invaded and almost totally destroyed by the French and British troops. For a long period, China was divided, humiliated, impoverished and tormented.

But the courthouse, a little neat temple of colonialist justice, now stood in the middle of the once occupied city, whispering about the days when it offered certainty and pride to all those who came to Hong Kong as colonizers, as well as to all those who served and licked the boots of their British masters.

The courthouse was providing confidence to people who were longing for one, just as they did during the grotesque and perverse days, as well as now.

Behind its walls ruled clearly defined and meticulously obeyed spirit of fairness: if one's chicken got slaughtered, or if one's tricycle god smashed by a hammer of a mad shopkeeper, the legendary British justice was administered promptly and properly.

Some people would argue, of course, that the entire colonialism was unjust, that the killing of tens of millions of people in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere was much more noteworthy than settling fairly and justly some domestic or real estate dispute. Such voices, however, have been always quickly silenced, or bought (with money, diplomas, or other means).

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From Alternet

We are between climate catastrophe and wars of extinction.



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In the center of Barcelona, sits the majestic church, still unfinished, designed by Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). It is a 20th-century masterpiece, coddled with belief and an edge of mischief. One of the first sculptures that Gaudi produced for La Sagrada Familia sits at one of its entryways. It is of the last supper. Jesus sits next to Judas. He turns toward him, but pivots a few degrees too far and looks into the eyes of those believers (and tourists) who are walking into the church. "You too have betrayed me," he says to Judas. But he is looking at the weary churchgoers and tourists when he says so. Betrayal is one thing. Complicity is another. You might not have done a bad thing, but if you didn't do anything about it, wouldn't that be as bad?

One hundred years ago, the German communist Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) offered a stark choice to the world: socialism or barbarism. There was no third road, she suggested. If human beings did not try and organize our societies around the principles of socialism -- namely the social good -- we would descend rapidly into the fires of barbarism. She was thinking about war and the destruction of nature. Luxemburg was murdered a few years after she made that premonition. It was a brutal killing, with her body tossed unceremoniously into Berlin's Landwehr Canal.

Perhaps Luxemburg's formula was not sufficient. Barbarism is not the only option. Our choice is much starker: socialism or annihilation. It is the end of everything that has emerged once more as a possibility.

This was the sentiment after the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and during the worst time of the Cold War when Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) was a real threat. In 1979, a U.S. government study found that a nuclear weapons exchange between the USA and the USSR would result in casualty rates in the hundreds of millions. A few years later, scientists coined the phrase "nuclear winter" to capture what would happen to the earth after a massive nuclear war. The climate would be altered dramatically with "nuclear famine" producing enormous deaths since agriculture would be disrupted permanently. Near extinction of the human species was thought to be possible.

As I write this, I am sitting not far from the small fishing village of Palomares, Spain, where a B-52 struck a KC-135 oil tanker at 31,000 feet. The B-52 broke apart and three of its four hydrogen bombs fell near the little village. The fourth fell into the Mediterranean Sea. The bombs that hit the land exploded on impact, but did not generate a nuclear explosion. Nonetheless, the area suffered great contamination. This was in 1966. Even now, snails are fished out of the waters with strange deformations. It is not the safest place to go for an afternoon swim.

As if by serendipity, the last time I was in this area, 20 years ago, I carried with me Jonathan Schell's The Fate of the Earth (1982), one of the most powerful books on the prospects and outcomes of nuclear warfare. The descriptions by survivors -- the hibakusha -- which illustrate Schell's book are deeply meaningful. There is one memory of a terrible noise as a survivor sees a horse, pink because its skin has fallen away, galloping down the street, shrieking. Schell quotes Torako Hironaka's list of things she remembered, which included, 1. Some burned work-clothes. 5. A naked woman. 6. Naked girls crying "Stupid America." 10. A field of watermelons. 12. What with dead cats, pigs and people, it was a just a hell on earth. The writings of the Hibakusha are sentinels of the feeling of near annihilation.

Watching U.S. President Donald Trump toss binders of environmental regulations onto the ground underscored the grave dangers of this administration: the final administration. The disregard for the negative social and natural implications of human-induced climate change and warfare is striking. It is not as if Trump has broken fundamentally with a past where the world leadership was somehow truly worried about climate catastrophe and extinction by weapons of mass destruction. There are more continuities here than sharp breaks. Trump has nonetheless moved the needle faster, with a much more vicious temperament, unwilling to bend to liberal hypocrisies, eager to hasten the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock. It would not be too much to expect the Trump administration to propose to use "small" nuclear weapons to blast coal seams and uncover more carbon to power the world to Armageddon.

It is not as if the Paris or Kyoto agreements would have been sufficient to stem the tide of adverse climate change. Even those were too mild, too friendly to corporations that make their money destroying the planet. But at least these agreements forced governments to accept that human activity -- namely industrial capitalism -- had hastened the destruction of nature. Now, Trump's Energy Secretary Rick Perry says openly that carbon dioxide emissions are not the main drivers of climate change. Perry pointed the finger of blame at "ocean waters," allowing industrial capitalism an exit from responsibility. Why bother with alternatives to carbon when there is no "evidence" that such energy sources bring the planet closer to annihilation?

Meanwhile, at the two ends of Eurasia, Trump has moved closer to war at a planetary scale. Trump has authorized the U.S. military to go after Syrian and Iranian military assets in western Syria that are currently engaged against ISIS. Russia has now warned the United States that any U.S. aircraft in that airspace will be seen as "air targets." Iran has fired ballistic missiles from Iran into eastern Syria. This sends a message to Israel and Saudi Arabia that they are within range of Iranian missiles. What might be seen as deterrence at any other time could very well be a provocation in these times of the final administration. Trump's messy entry into the Gulf crisis, backing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against Qatar and Turkey, suggests no finesse in contemporary U.S. diplomacy. More firepower and more belligerent talk is the currency of our times. That this might provoke a much greater altercation in West Asia is of little concern to the final administration. That the war might spread from there into other locations, such as Eastern Europe and North Africa, seems to be of no concern.

Even more chilling was a tweet Trump sent this week that pertains to the other flank of Eurasia. "While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea," wrote Trump, "it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!"

So now what? Is the United States preparing for war against North Korea? South Korea and the U.S. have increased their military activity near North Korea -- all provocations against a government terrified of being attacked. When a North Korean drone drifted into South Korean airspace this week, even the less military-minded new government in the south led by Moon Jae-in suggested that war was on the horizon. Will a "small" nuclear exchange be contemplated for the Korean Peninsula and for Eastern Asia in general?

We are between climate catastrophe and wars of extinction, with the final administration provoking both at hyper-speed. Trump plays the role of Judas in Gaudi's sculpture. Jesus speaks to him about betrayal. But he is looking over Judas' shoulder. He is asking the rest of us if we are participants in the betrayal. What are you doing today to prevent Trump's agenda from driving our planet closer to extinction?
It was curious to observe how much of Jeremy Corbyn's successful campaign to rebuild the Labour Party was about foreign policy. Wars, he said, make us less safe, not more. Agreeing with him were: the obvious facts of the matter, voters in opinion polls, and apparently voters in their votes.

Also largely agreeing, dragged along by Corbyn's leadership, was the Labour Party, whose new platform -- despite many serious flaws -- says:

"We will put conflict resolution and human rights at the heart of foreign policy, commit to working through the UN, end support for unilateral aggressive wars of intervention and back effective action to alleviate the refugee crisis. Unlike the Conservatives, Labour believes Britain's foreign policy should be guided by the values of peace, universal rights and international law. . . . The lessons of the past, including those from the Chilcot Inquiry, show why our response to these challenges must be different. . . . From the Middle East to Africa, in recent years millions of people have been killed, injured or displaced through wars, terrorism and military intervention. . . . We will review all training and equipment contracts with repressive regimes, to ensure that Britain never colludes in the mistreatment of civilians. . . . supporting the right of the Chagos islanders to return to their homelands."

I can't find those statements in the platform of the Democratic Party, though it does admit the existence of foreign policy.

That last one may seem an odd point to make note of. Currently 54% of the money Congress deals out goes to war and war preparations. Under Trump's budget, militarism would rise to 59% of discretionary spending. How could someone run for Congress and not take a position on war or peace or foreign policy of any sort? Well, I'm not sure how, but it happens all the time . . . with Democrats.

Rob Quist, losing Democratic candidate for Congress in Montana in March, included a section called "National Security" on his website. Of the four sentences there, one was about using militarism to produce jobs, two were about veterans, and one was about privacy rights. Another section titled "Veterans" had two more sentences. Which wars would Quist have tried to end, continue, escalate, or start? Who knows!

James Thompson, losing Democratic candidate for Congress in Kansas in April, made "fighting for" and praising and thanking "our veterans" a prominent issue on his website. But did he want to produce more veterans or fewer or none? Did he want to buy more missiles and jets and foreign bases? Did he respect international law? Did he want to convert to peaceful industries? Did he want to bomb villages? Who knows!

Jon Ossoff, losing Democratic candidate for Congress in Georgia in June, included only two policy topics on his entire website: cutting government spending, and running the government more like a corporation. Historically, approximately 98% of politicians who have spoken loudly about cutting government spending have favored increasing government spending on militarism. Did Ossoff? Who knows!

Randy Bryce, Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin next year, is a darling of progressive election aficionados. His website thus far includes no positions on anything at all. His video, which has generated the support for him, does not acknowledge the existence of 96% of humanity, foreign policy, war, peace, militarism, or 54% of the budget that Bryce wants to be in charge of. He does, however, claim to have won a medal "serving" in the U.S. Army in Honduras, a country that -- largely thanks to U.S. efforts -- has become one of the worst places on earth, not coincidentally sending many refugees north.

Are you spotting any sort of pattern?

Fans of Bryce's video, judging by my twitter feed, are not finding themselves in great agreement with what he would try to do for the world or for the United States or for Wisconsin. In fact, they don't seem to much know or care. Rather, they find themselves convinced that his is a campaign that will win over other people, people easily manipulated by a television ad. And, I guess, he's got the good party label on him instead of the bad one.

Of course, there is a bit of content in Bryce's video. But the closest it comes to a policy position is Bryce's discovery that healthcare in the United States really sucks. What would he do about it? Who knows! But at least he knows it's a topic. Does he want even more of our wealth drained off into wars and weapons? Probably, but who can say? Does he want to bomb every country on earth or just those favored by Democratic Party leaders? How can we tell?

The pretense that the main thing the government does is of no import when campaigning to be elected to the government is not working out very well. Like wars, it loses again and again and again, but just keeps trying.

And, even as the Democrats ape their Republican opponents on many issues, their silence on foreign policy is their own creation for which they deserve the credit. The three Republicans who defeated Quist, Thompson, and Ossoff, all had fear-mongering, pro-war, pro-military, anti-immigrant, and (in two cases) pro-Israel propaganda on their websites. Bryce is running against (or parallel to) an incumbent, so of course his opponent (should he choose to actually oppose him) has an established record of warmongering.

In a country with two pro-war parties, the party that admits what it is out-loud is always going to have an advantage. If you can't imagine a way out of that, ask Jeremy Corbyn for advice.
Yeah, I don't personally feel like I have the ability to shut these things out.

It is often said that the greatest music can only be conceived with a certain type of emotional truth. This is one truth that Chris Baio, bassist of beloved indie darlings Vampire Weekend, tapped into during the making of his sophomore solo record, Man of the World. As an American living abroad in London, Baio's perspective of the recent tumultuous events in the US was shaped by being on the other side of the glass, with music becoming the coping mechanism he used to process everything happening an ocean away. These emotions, revolving around the ever-present fear still felt around the world, shaped into a record of heartbreak, loss, and most of all: hope.

In the album's statement written by Baio himself, he is quick to open up with quite a sincere level of honesty: "I was a nomad, an American living in London, touring two continents, never fully of either place. It's partially about being trapped in my own head, obsessing about things it was too late to change, feeling afraid and guilty and alone.It's also my attempt to document a certain sense of loss that felt both intensely personal and like part of a larger collective experience many were going through at once." The eleven-track LP that follows is one full of glimmering beats, immediately danceable, yet still with a sense of awareness as it alludes to the disintegration of the world around us.

On the heels of his highly-anticipated follow up to The Names, Baio took time to chat with us about the feelings behind Man of the World, what Vampire Weekend's been up to on their four year break, and whether or not he's watched Twin Peaks yet.

Tell me a little about the writing and recording process for "Man of the World" - in the album's artist statement, you touch on it having been a way to process everything that's been going on lately.

I've been living in London now for the past four years. I moved here from New York and I realized that where I was coming from on the last record is where I'm coming from on this one now - my experience and my identity as an American living in London and what that means and how I become aware of my Americanness while abroad. The thing that made this record so different is how those feelings changed from 2014 because the world was changing in a very dramatic way.

The real beginning of the record I would say would be the morning the Brexit vote came in - I was on my way to the airport to go Berlin for the weekend to see some friends. As I was on the plane, it became official that England would be leaving the United Kingdom. Fast forward to Berlin, I step off the plane to find out that the prime minister would be stepping down. There I was, going through passport control to see the EU logo everywhere, and in that moment I really felt like I was living in history. I don't know if that's a sort of feeling you always feel in daily life, perhaps not in a sense of it happening around you, but in that moment I very much felt an anxiety about the direction the world was heading in. No one I knew in London was hoping that vote would happen, no one thought it would. That anxiety never really went away and it kicked into the last election. While I was feeling this fear of the world, I just kept reading the news and obsessively refreshing my twitter feed and it started to consume my every waking hour. Something crazy would happen every three hours... by September, I realized that the only thing I could maybe focus on to at least potentially take my mind off what was happening would be to write music. I wrote the first eight tracks on this record very quickly, and in the middle of September I started to record them.

On my last tour for my last record, I drove from California to New York to Texas - it was just me, a guitarist and a friend. With that experience, driving across the country a few months before the election, you do observe things and feel things - I got home on Election day, stayed up late, watched the results come in and lost my mind. I wrote tracks nine and ten immediately after and the last one a few months later which felt more like a release. The whole experience was me just trying to understand everything that was happening while I was an ocean away.

It's interesting to me that, as an American living abroad, you have this perspective shaped from the other side of the glass, but still very much a part of you. Do you feel a sense of responsibility as a musician, despite not calling the US home anymore?

Yeah, I don't personally feel like I have the ability to shut these things out. I was thinking about it today - I realized that 45 is not going to be the president forever. I've been thinking about it a lot. He is going to be implementing a lot of retrograde policy that will hurt a lot of people. The best thing to do in this case, as a human being as well as an American who cares about the country, is to find whatever way I can to oppose them, whether that means volunteering or protesting or giving money to organizations who are doing important work. Personally, I would have had a very hard time writing this record when I did had I been completely devoid of what was going on. Some people can, and there's merit to escapist music, especially at this moment in time - it serves an important purpose. With this record, expressing that fear, I'm hoping other people will feel a little less alone with that fear. I know when I travel with this music, when I get to play it for other people, I'll hopefully feel a little less alone in my fears.

Courtesy of Glassnote

Your other band, Vampire Weekend, has never shied away from this topic - you all took part in performing at a Bernie Sanders rally last year.

It was really interesting. It really does feel like a lifetime away and an example of something that was happening in another world, but.. there is something about crowds that can be comforting and can sometimes scare me. When I watched footage of Trump rallies, I felt myself being very scared of what was happening, and then at the beginning of this year I was in Los Angeles and I found a bit of my own solace in joining crowds. I participated in the Women's March and then I protested at LAX the day after the first ban came through. So playing for a bunch of people who believed in a candidate that I believed in put that in that latter sort of crowd. It almost feels weirdly irrelevant - I know it's not, it just feels like a different time.

I definitely think it wasn't irrelevant. It was an important thing you guys did. But aside from that, what are some of the biggest influences you had in mind while making this record?

A lot of things I was listening to while recording - the Skepta record (Konnichiwa) from last year is probably one of the albums of the year, I just love the production and how awesomely rhythmic his music is. Even the title track off Man of the World, I use this phrase "I'll always use location" which is a turn of a phrase all over that Skepta record. That was definitely what I listened to the most - as well as early Wu-Tang production. The sort of repetitive and eery and seemingly simple-but-not sort of production is something I was going for. A lot of the songs are very simple and minimal, not overfucked with. I think I got that from listening to Wu-Tang production so much. There's also this Afghan-Whigs record that I liked a lot as a teenager but I rediscovered it last year, called 1965. One thing I liked a lot is that it incorporates that rock band format and I realized listening back to my record a lot of the background vocals are very inspired by that one. There's a Riot Goin' On is definitely one I was listening to and thinking about a lot - that record is so revolutionary, in many different ways, but I believe it's the first major label album that ever used a drum machine. I tend to get obsessed with records periodically. Obviously the stand-bys, which would be David Bowie, whose passing was a huge influence and something that translated a lot lyrically as well.

How does your role with Vampire Weekend dictate or inform your role as a solo artist?

I think I've learned so much from playing in the band and being with the other guys, it's something that I take into what I do on my own. I wouldn't make the music that I make if I didn't play with those three guys. The less interesting response is... scheduling. I had not been planning on making another record - I'm a little bit surprised that I'm coming out with a second one before the next Vampire Weekend. What happened was I was feeling these things and spontaneously made this record, I felt like I had to. I worked maniac hours to make sure I could put it out and let the record live a life. That's always the goal when you make music, you want the album to have a life. I felt like I had things I needed to address and I worked hard to end up with something I really care about and share with other people.

In the album's artist statement, you said "It's my attempt to document a certain sense of loss that felt both intensely personal and like part of a larger collective experience many were going through at once." What are you hoping this album conveys to fans feeling the same way?

"You're not alone."

What's your timeline like - release the record, tour it, and, if I may ask, work on some new Vampire Weekend tunes?

That sounds about right! The record comes out June 30th and I'll be doing some shows in the summer and hopefully a full tour in the fall. Next year we'll see.

Last question, but probably the most important - have you watched the new Twin Peaks yet?

No, I haven't! I'm not even sure it's on TV yet in England. The Handmaid's Tale was just on yesterday so I'm a little behind, but are you a big David Lynch fan? Have you ever read the David Foster Wallace profile on him?

I can't say I have.

He wrote it while Lynch was filming "Lost Highway", but there's something in the profile I always found fascinating. It was one day when Wallace was on set, Lynch just started to pee on a tree in front of everybody. The reason why is that David Lynch drinks so much fucking coffee that it would cost too much money for him to go back to his trailer and go to the bathroom so he would just pee in front of everyone. As someone who drinks a lot of coffee, I love that fact.

For more of Baio, find him via Twitter, Instagram and official website.

Man of the World is out June 30th via Glassnote.
"That's how my entire life has been... being grateful for the tiny things that I do have...."

Webster's Dictionary defines the word "Truth" as "the body of real things, events, and facts". TruthCity's music encompasses all 3 of these traits. The man born Ronald Evans has a God given talent despite him going through hellacious conditions to harness it. His dark past has helped him craft music that has led him to be one of the premiere upcoming acts in Hip Hop. One would think a person who has had a tumultuous journey would create music that would heavily reflect that. But honestly, Truth's music is the antithesis. His music paints a picture of struggle, but not from a perspective of bitterness and malice. The majority of his catalog emanates from a place of hope and optimism. Anthems that can provide listeners with the same motivation that helped him get to where he is and where he seems to be heading. But in order for us to fully understand where he's going, we need to take a look at where he's been...

INTERVIEW:

Newport News, Virginia. Population: 180,000 Plus. The state of Virginia has contributed some of the most noted talents in the music industry. From Missy Elliot & Timbaland to Chris Brown & Pharrell, VA has a deep lineage of musical greatness. Truth describes growing up here as a merry-go-round of sorts. "It's almost like somebody is pressing the restart button on a day that's always the same." Truth recalls. "I just started to kinda feel like (you know) this is desolate for me. I need to go somewhere where there is action." This propelled Truth to make the move to New York City. A series of unfortunate events, however, left Truth without a place to stay upon his arrival. A friend that he was set to room with encountered some legal trouble and ultimately wound up going to jail. Truth received a crash course in knowing what it takes to survive in The Big Apple. For nearly a year Truth was nomadic drifting from couch to couch with survival being his number one priority. Even though making sure seeing tomorrow became his primary mission, it didn't take away from his primary love which was music. Truth used these turbulent situations as inspiration for his project "The Prologue". Birthed from the mentality of being appreciative of a new day, "The Prologue" is a testament to Truth's unwavering resilience. With his back against the wall, it seems he's able to find the silver lining in anything unpleasant that has been dealt his way.

WATCH: "Summertime"

Great music aside, Truth is also noted for being an amazing live performer. His shows consist of high energy, raw emotion, and a sense of community within the audience. The key to Truth's ability to deliver such a powerful performance is that he specifically places songs that strike a nerve personally in the set lineup. "I put that music in there purposely to make sure that when I'm on stage I can't even say these words without feeling it". This attention to details when it comes to the stage is one of the many things that intrigued Truth's manager Matt Ogilvie. Matt is the owner of the Hip Hop website for UpcomingHipHop.net, a platform that is dedicated to giving hip-hop upstarts exposure to the masses. At the behest of one of the site's writers, Matt listened to Truth's music and instantly became a fan. "I was on the train" Matt states "(As) soon I hit play...I was like "Yo I REALLY like this guy...". They would later meet for an interview and Matt would go on to help Truth in a managerial capacity before he was officially given the title. "One day we were all out at a show" Matt begins. "Someone was like "Yo Truth, Who's your manager?" We just kinda looked at each other and he said: "I guess Matt".

Truth City & his manager Matt Ogilvie on the set of Truth's video "The Family" James Jiammetta

The pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place as Truth set out to release his latest body of work entitled "While You Were Sleeping". Much like it's predecessor "The Prologue", "While You Were Sleeping" came at a time when misfortune seemed to once again get ahold of Truth. Between the death of his girlfriend and losing his home, Truth found himself in familiar territory putting this project together. Truth also felt singing would be the appropriate way to express his true emotions. "Anybody who sings out loud isn't scared," Truth says. It was that fearlessness that allowed him to be at his most vulnerable. Two of the standouts on the "Sleeping.." are "The Family" in which the video features a host of artists/friends and Truth's manager Matt, and "Consistency". "Consistency" is a song that encourages it's listeners to no longer make excuses for them not being great. "I was tired...I was tired of excuses" Truth proclaims passionately. "We've been taught to hate ourselves...to hate our potential....no more". "Consistency" is the last song on the project, but its message will have a long lasting impression.



LISTEN: "While You Were Sleeping"

TruthCity is a more than a rapper and an entertainer, he's a survivor. He acts as a beacon of hope for anyone who has been in a situation similar to his. Instead of falling into despair, he rose to the occasion. He's demonstrated how hard work, dedication, and faith can go a long way even in the bleakest of situations. He's channeled his pain and disappointment into emotional pieces of art that will resonate with listeners who have an open mind and most importantly an open heart. Even though it seems he's lived a full life, Truth is only in the beginning stages of his career. His overall mission transcends hip-hop and music in general. "I would hope the future holds the opportunity to touch more kids," says Truth. "With inspirational messages and motivation". His manager feels that the groundwork they are laying will be the template to help future artists achieve the same success as Truth. "I think we will use all the success we'll have in the next decade to help artists like (Truth) get more shine and understand the industry" Matt declares. With an undeniable talent, a strong message, and a manager who is more like family, TruthCity will be a name we'll be hearing for years to come.....and that's no lie.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-06-23 17:08:01

A.M. Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Tune Protect Re Ltd.

A.M. Best

Faith Tan, +65 6589 8400, ext. 212

Financial Analyst

faith.tan@ambest.com

or

Chi Yeung Lok, +65 6589 8400, ext. 211

Associate Director, Analytics

chi-yeung.lok@ambest.com

or

Christopher Sharkey, +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

Manager, Public Relations

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

or

Jim Peavy, +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

Director, Public Relations

james.peavy@ambest.com

A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of bbb+ of Tune Protect Re Ltd. (TPR) (Malaysia). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect TPRs adequate risk-adjusted capitalization, as well as its strong and consistent operating performance since inception. TPR is an affiliate of AirAsia Berhad and its associates (the AirAsia Group). This relationship provides TPR with exclusive access to profitable travel insurance business through partnership agreements with cedents and distribution partners. TPRs risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), strengthened in 2016 from capital growth that exceeded premium growth.

Offsetting rating factors include low earnings retention and geographic concentration risk. Despite continued improvement in its risk-adjusted capitalization, TPRs high dividend payout ratio has led to fluctuations in its BCAR. Additionally, because of TPRs close ties to the AirAsia Group, the majority of its premium is sourced from Malaysia. This concentration exposes TPRs results to credit risk from the AirAsia Group, as well as to regulatory changes in the market. In 2016, gross premium written fell below expectations, dampened by the Malaysian Aviation Commissions consumer protection code that prohibits adding on extra services, such as travel insurance, to airfares.

Positive rating actions could result from TPR establishing a stable and strong BCAR trend that is supported by an effective capital management policy and profitable premium growth. Negative rating pressure could arise from a lower-than-expected BCAR or deterioration in operating performance. Deterioration in AirAsia Groups business profile or financial strength also could result in negative pressure on TPRs ratings.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Bests Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper [..].

A.M. Best is the worlds oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2017 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201706230053
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PR-Inside.com: 2017-06-23 12:08:08

Press Information

Market Data Forecast

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# 480 Words

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The Asia-Pacific Hospital Supplies Market was worth $7.93 billion in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 12.40%, to reach $14.23 billion by 2021. The Hospital supplies market has been growing at a substantial rate over the past few years.Technically advanced products are being launched by companies to assist medical professionals in managing their patients. With an extensive category of development and investment prospects for budding players seeking to be a part of the medical device market, continual growth of the hospital supplies market is expected.Full report at: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-hospital-supplies-market-717/ The growth of the Asia-Pacific Hospital Supplies market is mainly due to factors such as rising number of hospitals, aging population, and methods such as frequent glove swapping and double gloving during procedures. Increasing geriatric population and improved economic situation in the developing countries in this region are the other major factors boosting the growth of the market. However, factors such as advent of home care services and increasing preference towards personalized medicine are the major limitations hindering the growth of the market.The Asia-Pacific Hospital Supplies Market is segmented on the basis of product type into Operating Room Equipment, Sterilization & Disinfectant Equipment, Syringes & Needles, Patient Examination Devices, Mobility Aids & Transportation Equipment, and Disposable Hospital Supplies. Disposable hospital supplies lead the market with a market share of 46% followed by syringes and needle segment with a market share of 23%.The Asia-Pacific region is geographically segmented into China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the unprecedented rate of population growth in this region. There is swift growth in the China hospital industry due to the stable advancement of health care reform and due to the constant increase in demand stimulus. Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, are some of the other promising players in this market.Request sample: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-hospital-supplies-market-717/request-sample The major companies dominating the market in this region are Advanced Sterilization Products Services Inc., Dickinson and Company, Cardinal Health, Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Becton, 3M Health Care, and B. Braun Melsungen AG.About Market Data Forecast:The publisher of this report is Market Data Forecast whose forte lies in Market research and Business Intelligence. Handling both individual and corporate clients across multiple business domains they offer syndicated/customized research to suit the clients research objective. Their research reports section offers a wide variety of market studies ranging from all-encompassing comprehensive market studies to product specific niche markets covering North America among other regions of the global market as well. For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
KTM-Nijgadh expressway guideline approved

The Cabinet on Thursday approved the guideline prepared by Nepal Army for the construction of 76-km Kathmandu-Nijgadh expressway.
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Quality and Compliance Management Solution Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026"report to their offering

Quality and Compliance Management Solution Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-06-23 10:43:58

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616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

According to a recent market report published by Future Market Insights titled, Quality and Compliance Management Solution Market - Global Industry Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026, the global Quality and Compliance Management Solution Market was valued at US$ 10.8 Bn in 2015, and is expected to register a CAGR of 11.0% from 2016 to 2026.Seamless integration with existing enterprise systems/platforms which boosts expansion, and increasing regulatory complexity in life sciences industry are the key factors driving the growth of quality and compliance management solution market globally. Additionally, rising need for efficiency and cost saving solutions across various industries is accelerating the growth of quality and compliance management solution market globally. High cost of quality and compliance management solution is the main factor affecting the adoption rate among SMEs across the globe. Most small and medium level manufacturing organisations face affordability issues to deploy quality and compliance management solutions, and hence are forced to opt for manual processes over automated ones.Segmentation highlightsQuality and compliance management system ensures users that their products/services comply with industrys standards/regulations. Quality and compliance management solution are available in a set of interrelated modules (e.g. document and product data management, quality management, change management, audit management, governance & compliance management, supplier management etc.). In this report the quality and compliance management solution market is segmented on the basis of module, industry, implementation model, company size and region. The modules of quality and compliance management solution, include document & product data management, quality management, change management, audit management, governance & compliance management, and supplier management. In the module segment, governance and compliance management module is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.Request For Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2052 On the basis of industry, the quality and compliance management solution market is segmented into aerospace & defence, automotive, consumer goods and retail, healthcare & life science, ITES & telecom, and other industries.The healthcare & life science segment was the dominant segment in 2015 and is anticipated to register the highest CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period. The continuous rising CAGR is attributed to increasing regulatory complexity in life sciences industry across the globe.On the basis of implementation model, the quality and compliance management solution market is segmented into on-premise and cloud based.The on-premise segment was the dominant segment valued at US$ 6.0 Bn in 2015. The cloud based segment is expected to register a highest CAGR of 13.7% during the forecast period.Send An Enquiry@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-2052 Regional projectionsThis report also covers trends driving each segment and offers analysis and insights regarding the potential of the quality and compliance management solution market in regions including North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan and MEA. Among these regions, North America accounted for the largest market share in 2015 and expected to remain dominant with CAGR value of 11.2% during the forecast period.Vendor insightsKey competitors in the global quality and compliance management solution market include Pilgrim Quality Solutions, MasterControl, Inc., Aras, Arena Solutions, Inc., EtQ, IQS, Inc., Oracle, SAP, Sparta Systems, Inc., and othersBrowse Full Report@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/quality-and-compliance-management-solution-market
PR-Inside.com: 2017-06-23 22:16:01

DALLAS, TEXAS . . . June 23, 2017 . . . As previously announced, on June 21, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware issued an order enjoining the sale of Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Valhi, Inc. (Valhi) (NYSE: VHI), to EnergySolutions, Inc. (EnergySolutions). While Valhi disagrees with the Court's decision, the parties have determined that they will not appeal the decision to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. On June 22, 2017, Andrews County Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Valhi, provided written notice to Rockwell Holdco, Inc. ("Rockwell"), the parent company of EnergySolutions, terminating the purchase agreement for the sale of WCS to Rockwell effective June 22, 2017.

Valhi, Inc. is engaged in the titanium dioxide products, component products (security products and recreational marine components), waste management and real estate management and development industries.

Source: Valhi, Inc.

Contact: Janet G. Keckeisen, Vice President--Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, 972-233-1700





This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Valhi, Inc. via Globenewswire


Legume imports reach Rs5b in first 11 months

Nepal imported legumes worth nearly Rs5 billion in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, the statistics of the Birgunj Customs Office show. Legumes like peas, beans, lentils and soybeans are mostly imported from Australia, Ukraine and New Zealand.
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.




Lonely at the top: Banks facing CEO shortage

Janata Bank Nepal had to persuade retired banker Parshuram Kunwar Chhetri to become its CEO after the post was vacated by Kumar Lamsal as candidates were scarce.
By: Ancient & Honoarble Artillery Company of MA

Crest with date

Media Contact

LT Barton Hyte

Public Affairs Officer

bhyte@ahac.us.com

(617) 500-5586 LT Barton HytePublic Affairs Officer(617) 500-5586

End

--Every July 4since 1776 the(http://www.ahac.us.com/captain.htm)of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts reads the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House in Boston, as part of Independence Day ceremonies.The event is preceded by activities at City Hall Plaza usually starting at 9:00 a.m. at which time the Mayor of Boston (Marty Walsh) speaks to those assembled. A parade from City Hall Plaza to the Old State House follows.The parade stops at the Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street to allow officers and officials to lay wreaths at the graves of the patriots. Interred on the site are three (3) signers of the Declaration of Independence - John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Robert Treat Paine. Paul Revere, Peter Faneuil, Benjamin Franklin's parents and Boston Massacre victim's graves are also here.The reading of the Declaration of Independence dates back to July 18, 1776, when Colonel Thomas Crafts, a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, performed this duty for the first time.The tradition has continued almost uninterruptedly by the Company's commander since that time. This year the annual reading will be performed bywith a huge crowd gathered in the street below the Old State House east side balcony.www.ahac.us.com
Mayoral candidates vow to rejuvenate Biratnagar

Biratnagar, once the countrys industrial capital and second largest city, has been slowing down.
Media Contact

POLYCAB WIRES PVT. LTD.

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-- Vadodara City, a 'Cultural Capital' of Gujarat, is known for its rich heritage and traditions. The city is also famous as a trendsetter in the state. Recently, Yoga Niketan, a renowned non-profit organization devoted to "Kriya Yoga", has organized 108 'Suryanamaskar' (Sun Salutation) Event in the city to celebrate the International Yoga Day with the generous support of ONGC, IIT ASHRAM, and Polycab. Prof. Parimal Vyas, Vice-chancellor of The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) was a chief guest in this magnificent event held in the early morning at 4.30 am on Tuesday.This fabulous event had 276 participants from India and some European nations like Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Norway. The most noteworthy thing about this event was: it was held to make a record in the Limca Book of World Record through doing 108 sun salutations in total by 276 people at once. Each 'Surya Namaskar' round comprises 12 steps and 276 participants have performed total 29808 'Surya Namaskar' with over 3.5k moving steps in 117 minutes. The excellent performance of 'Yog Sadhaks' between 12 to 76 years of age in the early morning between 4.30 am to 6.30 am was praised by media and the government sources alike.Yoga Niketan has also successfully organized 'Yoga Shibirs' between June 1 to June 19 at 42 other locations in Vadodara to mark the celebration of International Yoga Day. All the participants have praised this activity and considered it as an inspiration for all the generations. One of the participants said, "'Yoga' can rejuvenate us from within. I am here to learn 'Surya Namaskar' and will make it a part of my routine." Another participant congratulated 'Yoga Niketan' for its achievement with these words: "In the time when people don't think of others, 'Yoga Niketan' is offering selfless services to the society. I admire the organization and I wish I could be a part of it!" The European people also enthusiastically participated in the event and got acquainted with the Indian culture.On this occasion, Mr. Rajesh Thakor, Senior GM of Polycab remained present with his team to cheer and motivate the participants. Mr. Thakor also congratulated the "Yoga Niketan" organization for successfully organizing a huge event combining people of various age groups. As one of the sponsors of this grand 'Yoga' event, Polycab has extended his support to the non-profit organization's social work and showed the company's commitment toward CSR (Corporate Social Responsibilities)For More Information Visit http://polycab.com/
Local Rotary Club Selects Eco-Focused Nonprofit as a Recipient of its "Avenues of Service" Grant

By: Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful

GCB's Schelly Marlatt Accepts Grant from Rotary Club of Gwinnett County

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Kasie Bolling - Content Specialist

Out of Her Mind, LLC

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-- On June 20 at its monthly meeting at the 1818 Club, the Rotary Club of Gwinnett announced the recipients of its 2017 "Avenues of Service" Grants. Environmentally-focused Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful was proud to be listed among them. Each year, the Gwinnett Rotary awards a number of grants to local non-profits  the funds of which stem from annual fundraising efforts and a charitable endowment from the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia. The Club's Charitable Giving Committee conducts a formalized granting process. They encourage grant applications across the community and give each request careful consideration. "Avenues of Service" Grants align with the Rotary's six areas of focus: Peace & Conflict Prevention/Resolution;Disease Prevention & Treatment; Water & Sanitation; Maternal & Child Health; Basic Education & Literacy; and Economic & Community Development. Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful was selected for the Water & Sanitation Grant.Karen Fine Saltiel, President of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County had this to say about the grants and the Club's role within the community, "Rotary's motto is Service Above Self. Our 100+ members are actively engaged on so many fronts. We are honored to give of our time, our vocational expertise and our financial resources where we can to help make the world a better place. It is our privilege to serve in this community and it's our hope that our grants will touch and positively impact the lives of thousands."With the Gwinnett Rotary grant in the amount of $1500, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful will be able to further expand its Great Gwinnett Wetlands initiative. Created in partnership between Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and Gwinnett County's Department of Water Resources, Great Gwinnett Wetlands is designed to protect a key wetland area within the county while spreading awareness about the importance of wetlands. Through special soils and plants that allow wetlands to filter and store large amounts of water, these vital water systems provide both natural pollution filtration and flood prevention. During its annual Great Gwinnett Wetlands event, an average of more than 200 volunteers gather at a designated wetland to minimize pollution in the area, remove invasive plants that crowd out the natural wetland plants, receive hands-on learning through water quality monitoring demonstrations, and take part in small-scale wetlandimprovement projects."In order to make an even greater impact, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful would like to expand our current annual initiative to an ongoing program with the help of Radloff Middle School," explained Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director for GCB. "Radloff students would receive hands-on learning by becoming involved in regular water quality testing and key wetland improvement projects. This grant from Rotary Club of Gwinnett will help pay for supplies such as water quality monitoring kits and invasive plant removal tools so the group from Radloff can assist for one school year as stewards of the Bromolow Wetland area in Duluth  located opposite the school. It ties in beautifully with Radloff Middle School's focus on Problem Based Learning, while protecting a valuable water source at the same time. Engaged in hands-on, read-world science using streams as living classrooms, the students will collect scientifically valid data to demonstrate the results of concentrated efforts to improve the local waterways, while becoming further educated about water quality, watershed ecology, and water pollution. It is our hope that the result of these efforts is water quality data demonstrating a healthier wetland system and greater awareness of how to prevent water and sanitation concerns. We are incredibly grateful to Rotary Club of Gwinnett County for selecting our organization as a recipient of this year's 'Avenues of Service' grant, and we hope to make them proud."To learn more about Great Gwinnett Wetlands and ways to get local schools involved with Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, interested parties are encouraged to visit www.gwinnettcb.org Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GCB) is a Keep America Beautiful affiliate and award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long-term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to clean and restore public places, recycle more, protect watersheds and develop the next generation of environmental stewards. To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service and encourages high ethical standards in all vocations. Rotary Club membership is by invitation only. Rotary Club of Gwinnett County was founded in 1973 and has been serving and giving back to the local community for more than 40 years. To learn more about Rotary Club of Gwinnett County, visit www.GwinnettRotary.com
Scandic Hotels Group has signed an agreement to acquire Restels hotel operations in Finland. Through the acquisition, the hotel group will strengthen its position as the leading hotel company in the Nordic countries and become the largest hotel operator in Finland. The transaction subject to regulatory approval.

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AllWithBooks, a social enterprise that creates childrens books for and about communities in need, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to build a library in Katab, Mexico. The campaign, which began on May 31, will run through June 30. To date, the organization has raised more than $21,000, exceeding its $20,000 fundraising goal.

Mexico City-based co-founder and CEO Enrique Uribe first formed the idea for the project in 2016, when he began writing short stories for his baby daughter. When my wife and I found out we were going to become parents of a little girl, I decided it would be a fun idea to write about the places Ive beenand my daughter could be the hero, he said. Uribe wrote three stories starring his daughter, imagining her as a photographer in Ngorongoro, Tanzania; a backpacker en route to Machu Picchu in Peru; and as a coffee entrepreneur in Chiapas, Mexico.

But Uribe was wary of appropriating others stories without giving back. It didnt feel fair or right to take their stories for my hobby or my benefit, he said. Reading Toms Shoes and One for One founder Blake Mycoskies memoir, Start Something That Matters, inspired Uribe to think bigger. I thought I could write a kids book about these communities, and give them books in return for every sale, he said.

Uribe founded AllWithBooks with the goal of making books available to every child, specifically by creating books in partnership with an underserved community to raise funds for a new library. If the plan comes to fruition, he believes the impact will be felt in all areas of local life. Libraries are not only for reading; they will benefit the entire community in other aspects, including health and other issues, he said.

Closeup on Katab

For his first venture, Uribe chose to focus on Katab, a Mayan community in southern Mexico, after he was introduced to the region by a friend who works for an NGO in Mexico. When I got to Katab, I was overwhelmed by their reception. I could see the richness of the culture. And I said, I have to do something. I cant leave without giving them something,  Uribe explained. When he asked how he could give back, the community expressed the need for a library.

During his first visit, Uribe gathered the children of Katab to test his model for a book exchange program. Together, the kids brainstormed the characters and plot for a story. Uribe began by selling their book to friends and family. The book went on to sell in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, and Germany. For every purchase, Uribe bought a book; within a month, he returned to Katab with hundreds of books and the confidence to expand the program.

With help from Sean Ansett, co-founder and impact director of AllWithBooks, and Phox Santillan, co-founder and art director, Uribe developed the concept for All You Need to Make Mayan Honey, a collection of 10 childrens books co-created by the people of Katab. Each of the books features stories inspired by their lives, traditions, and culture. For every book sold, 50% of the proceeds will go toward building a local library, and one bookselected by the customerwill be donated to the library.

Having previously worked with Uribe at a digital design agency, Santillan was excited to join the project. I wanted to practice art and illustration by doing something that can have some impact on society. [Enriques] idea for me was incredible, he said. Through his work on the design of the books, Santillan said, Were trying to make these characters have some personality that kids can enjoy and understand. Every decision we make is for the people in Katab; we also consider the kids and parents who are going to read the books.

Santillan gained a new perspective on his work when he visited Katab roughly three months ago. The kids were so happy to know they can have access to books, he said. He also spoke of the importance of a library for the community. They really know how important education and a library are. They need a place where they can study, away from the sun and heat. Santillan added that, currently, if the people want access to a book, they have to travel two hours to the closest city.

Ansett first met Uribe while teaching a sustainability leadership course at the University of Cambridge, where he is an adjunct professor. When Uribe contacted Ansett about starting AllWithBooks last fall, Ansett said, I became very excited about the model and potential for impact. He explained that the reason we set it up as a social enterprise was to not have to continually seek funding, and to really focus on impact over time. Ansett also spoke of the secondary benefit of cultural exchange that the program fosters.

Ansett recently had the opportunity to visit Katab with the rest of the team. By his count, 29 communities in the area have heard about and are interested [in the program]. Wed like to be able to do more work in the region. Uribe echoed the desire to expand AllWithBooks reach: We want to create more books about more communities around the world, not only Mexicoand build libraries in those communities. Meanwhile, with one week left in the Kickstarter campaign, the team plans to build a second library in the region.
This week, Caldecott winners celebrate a new David Wiesner exhibition; Jin Xiaojing, an Emerging Artist Award winner, spends the day at Little, Brown; and author Lauren Myracle gets to know Denver readers.

More Than Words

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass., welcomed guests to the opening of the museums exhibition, David Wiesner & the Art of Wordless Storytelling, on June 17. The exhibition features 70 of Wiesners watercolor illustrations, including those appearing in three of his Caldecott Medal winning titles: Tuesday (1992), The Three Pigs (2002), and Flotsam (2007). Speaking of the Caldecott, three fellow Medalists attended the event to honor Wiesner and his work: (from l.) David Wiesner, Chris Van Allsburg, Jerry Pinkney, and David Macaulay, with Alix Kennedy (center), executive director at the Eric Carle Museum.

An Emerging Talent

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers recently announced Jin Xiaojing as the recipient of its first Emerging Artist Award, which will be given each year to an illustrator who creates quality original art that offers a diverse perspective. Xiaojing won the award for her picture book project I Miss My Grandpa, a story about a child learning about her ancestry. Included with Xiaojings award was a day of mentorship with Jerry Pinkney and other childrens book professionals. Here, Xiaojing is flanked by creative director Dave Caplan, and Andrea Spooner, v-p and editorial director.

It Must Be Magic

Author Lauren Myracle, who co-authors the Upside-Down Magic series with Sarah Mlynowski and Emily Jenkins, met with 150 Denver-area kids on June 13 for the launch of the Youth One Book, One Denver summer reading program. Upside-Down Magic was selected to be the citys reading pick this summer. In July, Mlynowski will join Miracle in Denver for three days of events related to the first book in the series.
The American Library Association began its 2017 annual conference with a reception at Googles Chicago office on Thursday to celebrate a new $500,000 competitive grant program, sponsored by Google, to encourage computer skills in Americas libraries.

The grants are the latest phase in the ALAs Libraries Ready to Code program, and will support as many as 50 participating libraries, which will receive funding from the ALA along with consulting expertise and operational support from Google to create on a library-based CS (computer science) educational toolkit. The toolkit will feature resources to help libraries offer CS programming and education for youth, and is scheduled to be released in conjunction with National Library Week, in April 2018.

Launched in 2016, the "Libraries Ready to Code" program is an ongoing collaboration between ALA and Google. Now in its third phase, it seeks to ensure expert library professionals are prepared to develop and deliver programming that promotes computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) among the nations youth.

Announcing the grants, Jessie "Chuy" Chavez said Google was excited to partner with ALA on the program, which is aimed at preparing public libraries to teach "not just computer science, but computational thinking." He said libraries were the perfect partners.

"We don't need everyone to be an expert programmer to teach and motivate kids to seek coding as a career, or even to see it as as an option," Chavez said. "But we see too often when kids reach middle school age and they've already self-selected out of coding, even though they've never really been exposed to it, much less encouraged."

All kids benefit from coding activities, not only those planning to work in technology-specific fields, said Marijke Visser, associate director of the ALA's Office of Information and Technology Policy, and Libraries Ready to Code project manager. The [computational thinking] skills youth develop through coding activities prepare kids for success no matter where they head when they leave high school. Ready to Code librarians help kids connect their interests to learning opportunities in college or to careers they may not have even considered, especially for youth from diverse backgrounds.

The announcement came on the eve of the ALA's conference, which will feature multiple sessions on coding, and the "Libraries Ready to Code" program.

The official conference kicks off Friday afternoon with a keynote by Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of the national nonprofit Girls Who Code and author of the forthcoming Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World (Viking), which aims to show girls age 10 and older how coding skills are relevant to their lives, and inspire them to create their own apps, games, and robots.

Since 2012, the Girls Who Code movement has taught computing skills to more than 10,000 girls across America, with a goal of reaching one million young women by 2020.
The U.S. edition of journalist Naomi Kleins latest book, No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trumps Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need (June), bears Haymarket Bookss logo instead of one from the bigger houses that typically publish her books. How Klein, a Canadian journalist and activist, went with the small left-leaning press has to do with the speedy nature of the book's publication...and the luck that sometimes determines who publishes what.

Although Klein has a solid relationship with current U.S. publisher, Simon & Schuster (which released her 2014 book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate), she wanted to go a different route with No Is Not Enough. The book, which outlines how progressives can resist the Trump administration's agenda, was something she explicitly wanted to publish with an independent press. Enter Haymarket, a Chicago-based house that specializes in leftist titles.

No Is Not Enough is a movement book. I wanted to publish it with a movement publisher, said Klein, who, with this book, had her first experience publishing with an independent press in the U.S. Klein's long-time publisher, Knopf Canada, published it in Canada, and Allen Lane published it in the U.K.

Haymarket, which celebrated its 15th anniversary last fall, is the publishing and distribution arm of the Center for Economic Research and Social Change, a Chicago nonprofit with a socialist bent that is dedicated to education on social justice issues. Haymarket publishes 20-25 titles annually, and counts among its top sellers books like Rebecca Solnits Men Explain Things to Me, Noam Chomskys Hopes and Prospects, and Angela Davis Freedom Is a Constant Struggle.

Klein, who said she is a longtime admirer of Haymarkets list, has known the publisher's editorial board member Anthony Arnove for years. She praised Arnove for his ability to bring important critical ideas to a broader readership, citing Haymarkets success in the marketplace with Men Explain Things to Me, which has sold 120,000 copies since its publication in 2014. Its not about making money for him, its about getting the ideas out there," Klein said.

After deciding early in the year to write No Is Not Enough, and to publish it with a mission-driven house, Klein bypassed her agent and contacted Arnove directly. Aside from finding a publisher that supported her message through its list, Klein also wanted a house that could get her book to market quickly.

I wanted the book out before the summer, when I thought people might finally have the head space to step back and read long form, Klein said. Theres a nimbleness to being small. This was important because we crashed this book out extremely fast. We did [it] in three months. Its harder for a larger company to turn it around as fast.

Speaking to the choice to drop her agent in the deal, Klein said that she wanted to avoid seeing the title tied up in a potential auction which, while they are exciting, she noted, can also be very time-consuming. Auctions, Klein added, also tend to favor large houses that can bid high. And, ultimately, these time-saving choices mattered. Klein said that, in the end, "every day did count." She went on: "If we had lost a week to a book auction I wouldnt have made the June pub [date]. (Without an agent, Klein wound up negotiating the deal on her own, which marked another first for her.)

To keep the book on track, the three publishers involved--in the U.S, Canada and the U.K.--had to collaborate closely. Knopf Canada editor Louise Dennys took the lead in editing, chapter-by-chapter, as Klein adhered to a rigorous writing schedule. Working round-the-clock, Random House Canada handled production on No Is Not Enough, with Haymarket and Allen Lane tweaking Knopf Canadas initial cover design and tailoring title pages to their own specifications. The book went to press in May and, according to Consortium Book Sales & Distribution v-p of sales Jim Nichols, was one of its hottest titles at Book Expo. Haymarket printed 60,000 copies in trade paper in its initial print run, and is about to go into a second, 25,000-copy printing. It is debuting next week at #2 on the New York Times print nonfiction paperback bestsellers list.

It was in every way a very collegial and exciting experience, Dennys told PW. It was totally worth the effort."

Arnove, who also spoke highly of the experience, said he was thrilled to be working on a project like this, with an international focus, explaining that what Klein is speaking to "are not just urgent matters in the U.S., but across the world.
No Latin American country has yet achieved the minimum recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for optimal mobile broadband performance.





A report published by 5G Americas has said that only Brazil has allocated over 30% of the radio spectrum suggested by the ITU for the year 2020.According to ITU suggestions, by 2020, 1960MHz of radio spectrum should be allocated for an optimal performance of 3G and 4G, and at least 35% of that amount should be available for mobile broadband to achieve basic levels of service quality.The Analysis of ITU Spectrum Recommendations in Latin America report predicts that the spectrum shortage throughout the region will have negative consequences for consumers, the economy and industry growth.After Brazil, which has currently allocated 31.1% of the 1960MHz, come Chile (24%), Mexico (23.7%), Argentina (23.6%), Costa Rica (23.5%) and Nicaragua (21%).One of the benefits of increasing spectrum allocation is the efficient performance of mobile networks, especially in densely populated urban areas, where spectrum limitations worsen with other restrictions such as delays in authorisation for installation of new infrastructure, antenna towers and other technologies, explained Jose Otero, director of Latin America and the Caribbean for 5G Americas.The white paper concludes that regulators and government authorities must remain diligent in understanding the importance of spectrum availability for mobile services for citizenship to boost economic growth and connectivity across Latin America.
RJP-N to withdraw support to govt: Hridayesh Tripathi

Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) on Friday announced to withdraw its support to the government.
The order that had been blocking the sale of Roku online streaming devices in Mexico has now been temporarily suspended.





One of the countrys Federal courts has decided to provisionally suspend the order issued by Mexico Citys court that had banned Rokus streaming devices from stores for a week. Now, Rokus regular retail distribution has been restored.Roku is pleased with todays court decision, which paves the way for sales of Roku devices to resume in Mexico, said Steve Kay, general counsel at Roku.The initial decision followed a complaint issued by Cablevision, which pointed out illegal streaming providers were using Rokus devices to deliver content that had not been officially authorised for distribution.Cablevision started a legal procedure that was aimed at specific people and businesses that delivered pirate content. Then, the judge confirmed Roku was being used as a tool to break the copyright rules, said Maria Eugenia Zurita, director of corporate communication of Televisas izzi Telecom, speaking to the Mexican daily El Economista So far, Mexico is the only Latin American country in which Roku is being distributed, though the company has stated it plans to ***expand across the region *** soon.
Toomaj Salehi's lyrical support for protesters in Iran has landed him behind bars before, but this time the popular rapper's fortune-telling has fans and family members fearing for his life.

Just days before his September 30 arrest, the 32-year-old Salehi released his latest music video, in which he makes foreboding predictions about the future of Iran's clerical regime if it continues its violent crackdown against ongoing anti-government demonstrations.

"I am the predictor, the fortune teller," he raps in the video for Omen, which shows him reading the patterns left in his coffee cup and warning that brute force will not prevail.

"I saw a cage in the coffee grounds -- a lion was hunting a jackal," he explains, alluding to a fairy tale about wisdom defeating physical strength. "We will rise from the bottom and target the top of the pyramid."

Salehi goes on to warn that the regime's protectors -- including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Basij paramilitary forces, the Intelligence Ministry, and the state media -- will all get their day in court.

Salehi followed up on the new video by posting on social media images of him standing alongside protesters and chanting against security forces in his native city in Isfahan Province. The rapper, an ethnic Lur who was arrested last year after releasing other songs critical of the government, offered to turn himself in if protesters detained in his hometown of Shahinshahr were released.

In subsequent posts, he called the provincial authorities "cowardly vermin" and "scum who suppress and arrest [innocent] people."

Shortly afterward, Salehi went missing and has not been heard from since.

State media reported on September 30 that Salehi had been arrested, and a news agency close to the IRGC published a photo of the blindfolded rapper inside a car.

A short video later released by a press club associated with Iran's state broadcaster purports to show the rapper admitting he made a mistake.

But the reports' claims he had been caught while "illegally exiting the western borders of the country" have been fiercely disputed, and the video confession has been labeled a fake by some and a coerced confession by others.

Family members as well as Salehi's official Twitter account have said the rapper was, in fact, arrested in the southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, hundreds of kilometers from Iran's western border.

In a statement, Salehi's uncle Eghbal Eghbali said his nephew was in the province's city of Borujen on the morning of September 30 when he wrote saying "suspicious things" were happening outside his home. Soon after, Salehi stopped communicating. Eghbali said he learned from Salehi's neighbors and friends that security personnel had arrived to take the rapper away.

Later on September 30, a prosecutor in nearby Isfahan Province was quoted by the Meezan news agency, which is close to Iran's judiciary, as saying Salehi was arrested "in one of the provinces of the country." The prosecutor alleged the rapper had played a key role in "creating disturbances and inviting and encouraging the recent disturbances in Isfahan Province and in Shahinshahr."

The official IRNA news agency, meanwhile, quoted a judiciary official from Isfahan Province as saying Salehi stood accused of "propagandistic activity against the government, cooperation with hostile governments, and the formation of illegal groups with the intention of creating insecurity in the country."

Thousands of Iranians, many of them from the younger generation, have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died shortly after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran's hijab law requiring that women cover their hair.

As the protests have continued, the authorities have intensified their crackdown, resulting in the deaths of at least 305 people, including 41 children, according to the latest figures released by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) on November 6.

Salehi is among the hundreds of prominent young voices, including activists, artists, and athletes, who have been arrested for speaking out against the states bloody crackdown on the protests. Overall, activists estimate thousands of people have been arrested by the authorities since the rallies erupted.

Faced with a potential existential threat to Iran's clerical rule, 227 of 290 Iranian lawmakers this week called for even greater force by urging the judiciary to "deal decisively" with those behind the protests.

In recent years, Salehi has gained notoriety for his open opposition to the country's leadership, using his music and social media presence to take on issues that resonate with Iranian youths.

In the song Normal, he highlights the effects of poverty, saying "Our children sleep hungry at night" and asking Iran's leaders how their conscience can let them sleep.

The song Rathole, released in 2021, accuses members of the media and art community both inside and outside Iran of being an "ally of the tyrant," a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In another song, he blasts Tehran's close relationships with Moscow and Beijing, asking: "Haven't you robbed us enough? Now, you want to give away half [of our resources] to China and the rest to Russia."

Salehi was detained in September 2021 after security agents raided his home in Isfahan, with Human Rights Watch decrying the detention of the artist for "exercising his right to freedom of expression."

Salehi was charged with "spreading propaganda against the state," but after more than a week was released on bail. In January, he was sentenced to six months in prison but was released on a suspended sentence in February.

While out, he continued his work and released Omen amid the states increasingly violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.

"Someone's crime was dancing with her hair in the wind," he raps. "Someone's crime was that she was brave and criticized."

Listing a litany of violent acts carried out by the authorities against protesters, Salehi asks, "How many young people did you kill building a tower for yourself?" and predicts that next year, the 44th year of the clerical regime's rule, will be its "year of failure."

Salehi's arrest has led to widespread condemnation inside and outside Iran, and his advocates have spread the #FreeToomaj hashtag on Twitter to shed light on his situation.

His family has said they do not know Salehi's whereabouts or health, leaving them wondering if he is even alive.

But the authorities have shed some light on the fate of another Iranian rapper arrested shortly before Salehi. The judiciary announced on November 7 that Saman Yasin, a rapper from Kermanshah Province -- a northwestern region with a significant Kurdish population and that has been a focus of the government crackdown -- has been accused of waging "warfare" against Iran and acting against the country's security.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, with contributions by RFE/RL senior correspondent Michael Scollon
So it's come to this.

Vladimir Putin's regime is no longer content to simply prosecute opponents for things that are patently absurd.

It's no longer content to just fabricate criminal cases, plant evidence, and manufacture crime scenarios.

It's no longer content to simply make stuff up.

Now the Kremlin is in the business of denying reality altogether.

The bizarre case against two former artistic directors and an accountant at Moscow's Gogol Center Theater truly crosses a frightening and disturbing line.

The three have been charged with embezzling 200 million rubles in state funds the theater received to produce an adaption of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Remarkably, the prosecutors are claiming that the play was never staged.

They are claiming this despite the fact that the play was clearly staged 15 times in Moscow, as well as in Paris.

They are claiming this despite the fact that playbills, posters, and media reviews of the play have been presented as evidence.

And they are claiming this despite the fact that witnesses are coming forward to say they attended the performances and are posting photographs of it online.

Nope. The regime says it never happened so it never happened.

You can insert your favorite reference to Franz Kafka, George Orwell, or North Korea right here.

The ultimate target in this weird case appears to be the prominent stage and theater director Kirill Serebrennikov, a vocal Kremlin critic who is the theater's current artistic director.

The Putin regime is sending a message that it can come after someone that prominent by outright denying reality, it can come after anybody.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
Russia says it has completed the withdrawal of its troops from the strategic southern city of Kherson two days after Moscow announced the surprise pullout, while an overnight Russian rocket attack killed six civilians in Mykolayiv, local officials said.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had finished the pullout from the city on the western bank of the Dnieper River at 5 a.m. on November 11 and not a single unit of military equipment was left behind.

The announcement would appear to contradict Ukrainian reports that thousands of Russian troops were still on the western bank of the Dnieper.

Ukrainian officials said Moscows forces had no choice but to flee Kherson, yet they remained cautious, fearing an ambush.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on November 10 that it would take Russia at least a week to withdraw, telling Reuters in an interview that Russia had 40,000 troops in the Kherson region and that it still had forces in the city.



Ukrainian Army chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy said that Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed pulling out from the southern Kherson region but said that Ukrainian forces were continuing their advance.

Kherson controls both the only land route to Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and the mouth of the Dnieper, which bisects Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's public broadcaster quoted local residents as saying on November 11 that the Antonivskiy bBdge, the only nearby road crossing from Kherson city to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnieper, has collapsed.

The Suspilne broadcaster published a photograph showing whole sections of the bridge missing. The next road crossing across the Dnieper is more than 70 km from Kherson city.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the bridge's collapse.

Recapturing the city could provide Ukraine a launching pad for supplies and troops to try to win back other lost territory in the south, including Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014.

The General Staff said retreating Russian forces have been looting homes and destroying critical infrastructure, while forcibly evicting residents from the settlements still under their control.

"The Russian invaders continue to loot the settlements from which they are retreating. The enemy is also attempting to damage power lines and other elements of the transport and critical infrastructure of the Kherson region as much as possible," the military said, adding that Russian mines continue to wound civilians.

"In the village of Zelenivka, the enemy forbade residents to move around and is reinforcing the system of defensive lines. In Tyahinka and Kozatskiy, the occupiers mined roads and infrastructure elements, there are instances of detonations [harming] the civilian population," the military reported.

Six civilians were killed in a Russian rocket attack on Mykolayiv overnight, the mayor of the southern Ukrainian city said on November 11, as Ukrainian troops continued their advance in the direction of Kherson.

The mayor of Mykolayiv, Oleksandr Sienkovych, said on November 11 that the people were killed when Russian rockets hit a residential area of the city, destroying a five-story building.

"As of 10 a.m., six people were killed by the impact of the attack on the residential building," Sienkovych said.

Fierce fighting continues in Bakhmut and Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region as well as in the adjacent Luhansk region, the military said, adding that heavy Russian shelling pounded about 20 settlements in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Mykolaiyv regions.

In his nightly address late on November 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: "Today we have good news from the south. The number of Ukrainian flags returning to their rightful place within the framework of the ongoing defense operation is already dozens. He added that 41 settlements have been liberated.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa
An Indian man sentenced to death for spying in Pakistan has filed a mercy petition with Islamabad's chief of army staff, the Pakistani military says.

Former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav "has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist, and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of any precious lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions," Pakistan's military said on June 22.

It added that Jadhav had asked for mercy on "compassionate grounds."

In New Delhi, the Foreign Ministry said Jadhav was sentenced on "concocted charges" and voiced doubts about the existence of the petition for mercy.

Pakistan says Jadhav was arrested in March 2016 in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, which has been hit by a separatist insurgency that Islamabad accuses India of backing.

New Delhi denies Jadhav was a spy and claims he was kidnapped from Iran.

After Jadhav was sentenced to death in April, India asked the International Court of Justice to stop the execution, arguing that he was denied diplomatic assistance during his trial.

The court ordered Pakistan in May to delay Jadhav's execution. It argued that Islamabad violated a treaty guaranteeing diplomatic assistance to foreigners accused of crimes.

Pakistani authorities say Jadhav confessed to being assigned by India's intelligence service to organize espionage and sabotage activities in Balochistan, which Islamabad says resulted in terrorist acts that caused 1,345 deaths.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Temporary teachers' protest ends with 4-pt deal

The agitating temporary schoolteachers ended the hunger strike on Friday following a four-point deal with the Ministry of Education.
Kazakhstan has refuted reports of talks with Russia on the possibility of its troops taking part in a mechanism to monitor the so-called "de-escalation" agreement in Syria.

"Kazakhstan is not holding any talks with anyone on sending its troops to Syria," the Foreign Ministry said in a June 23 statement.

The statement comes a day after Vladimir Shamanov, head of the Russian State Duma's Defense Committee, was quoted as saying that Russia had asked Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to send troops to help monitor the de-escalation zones as part of attempts to end six years of civil war in Syria.

Turkish media quoted a spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as also saying that Russia had asked the two Central Asian countries about sending troops to Syria.

A spokesman of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said on June 22 that it had no information on the possibility of its troops to take part in military operations in Syria, Interfax reported.
Hindus and Sikhs in Peshawar, northwest Pakistan, make a 130 kilometer round trip in order to cremate their dead. Peshawar once had thriving Hindu and Sikh communities, but most fled after the bloody partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 -- and the city's crematoria closed. (RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal)
Pakistani officials say three blasts in two major cities killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 100 on June 23 -- the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

Authorities say a suicide car bomber killed at least 13 people -- including at least five police officers -- and wounded 20 people in an attack near the provincial police chief's office in the southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of the Balochistan Province.

There were competing claims of responsibility for the Quetta attack from a Pakistani Taliban breakaway faction calling itself Jamat-ul-Ahrar and the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

IS militants claimed that one of its followers with a suicide belt targeted the police post. IS also released a photograph of the alleged attacker, identifying him as Abu Othman al-Khorasani.

Hours after the Quetta attack, twin bombings that were minutes apart killed at least 27 people and wounded more than 80 at a crowded market in the northwestern Shi'a-dominated city of Parachinar.

Government administrator Zahid Hussain said most of the victims were from Pakistan's Shi'ite minority.

Parachinar is the main city in Pakistan's Kummar tribal region, located along Afghanistan's border.

Officials said the first explosion at Parachinar's Tori market occurred as people were buying food for iftar, the evening meal when Muslims break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

The second blast occurred minutes later as rescuers were trying to aid those wounded by the first explosion.

Mohammad Amir, an official at a government-run hospital in Parachinar, said more than 20 of the wounded victims were listed in critical condition.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the Parachinar attacks, but Sunni militant groups have claimed responsibility for numerous similar attacks against Pakistan's Shi'ite minority in the past.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and Dawn
Russian President Vladimir Putin has inaugurated the deep-water phase of the TurkStream pipeline project that will deliver Russian gas to Turkey and eventually to the European Union.

Putin on June 23 called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from a ship off the Black Sea coast near Anapa in southern Russia to launch the project.

TurkStream is one of several major undersea pipeline projects the Kremlin has pushed in recent years in an effort to bypass older pipeline networks that transit through bitter rival Ukraine.

NordStream sends gas directly from Russia, under the Baltic Sea, to Germany, while the proposed South Stream was supposed to send Russian gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria. That project was shelved in 2014 after EU opposition and the crisis over Russias as annexation of the Ukraines Crimea Peninsula.

The 910-kilometer TurkStream natural gas pipeline was initially proposed in 2014 but was delayed as Russian-Turkish relations soured over the conflict in Syria before being revitalized by Putin and Erdogan.

Putin on June 23 gave the "Go!" command as he hit a button to launch the latest phase aboard the Pioneering Spirit, a ship that is laying pipe for the project.

Putin credited the Turkish president with helping to get the project moving.

"The work has already started. I want to thank you once more and congratulate you on this," Putin told Erdogan in comments covered live by Russian state-controlled Rossiya 24 television channel.

"Undoubtedly this happens directly with your personal support," Putin said.

The project features construction of two lines, each with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas a year. The first is scheduled to be completed in 2018, with the second due to come on line the following year.

Based on reporting by AFP, dw.com, and TASS
Tajikistan is marking the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Tajik peace accord on June 27.

Today Tajikistan has become practically a family-run business.

President Emomali Rahmon has been leader of the country since the early days of the 1992-97 civil war.

In the years since the war ended, Rahmon has gradually rid the government and the country of political opponents and his now-adult children are increasingly taking prominent state posts.

Independent media has been battered and is now barely surviving.

Corruption is rampant, the country remains poor, and hundreds of thousands of Tajikistan's citizens work as migrant laborers in Russia due to the lack of employment at home.

Some believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and many observers ask how Tajikistan's people can tolerate the excesses of the elite and remain relatively silent.

The answer is the civil war.

A generation has grown up since the war ended. They know only stories, but the people who lived through it remember it so well that most would endure anything their government does if it would mean Tajikistan would not fall again into civil war.

So let's remember, for a moment, how bad Tajikistan's civil war was.

Knowledgeable authors have written about how the war started as a result of rival demonstrations in Dushanbe in spring 1992; of how an unlikely coalition of democratic, Islamic, and local ethnic groups formed the United Tajik Opposition (UTO), the government's battlefield enemy; and of the chaotic first months of the war that saw the boss of a state-run farm, Rahmon, propelled into a position of leadership with the support of pro-government, paramilitary chiefs.

Battles were fought in places few had ever heard of before -- villages and towns such as Komsomolabad, Garm, and Tavil-Dara in the mountains east of Dushanbe were the scenes of almost constant fighting.

Casualties were appalling for a country that at the time had a population of less than 6 million people. It wasn't uncommon for hundreds of fighters, mainly government troops, to be killed within just a week or two of outbreaks of fighting.

Cease-fires were continually reached by representatives far from the battlefield but rarely were observed for even 24 hours by the combatants. Only agreements to exchange the bodies of the dead stopped the fighting for any significant amount of time, and even then only in one or two places.

And this went on, over and over, for five years.

Somewhere between 10 to 20 percent of the population was displaced at any given time during the war.

Western neighbor Uzbekistan closed its border to Tajikistan's refugees, and northern neighbor Kyrgyzstan agreed only to allow refugees to transit its territory. Tens of thousands of Tajikistan's citizens, and many armed UTO fighters, chose to flee across the border into Afghanistan, where there was also a civil war.

Pro-government forces were bolstered by the presence of Russian border guards and the Russian 201st Division that remained in Tajikistan after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in late 1991.

Russian border guards were often involved in firefights with UTO forces trying to reenter Tajikistan from Afghanistan. Moscow continually denied that the troops from the 201st were involved in fighting in Tajikistan -- but air strikes on UTO positions, in particular, could not have been carried out by anyone else but Russian forces.

Uzbekistan sent troops and later Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan sent units also. Along with elements of Russian forces already there, they became the CIS Peacekeeping Force.

The UTO made no distinction between them and Tajik government forces. Not only did UTO forces attack these peacekeeping units (17 Kazakh troops were killed in one battle near the Afghan border) but the UTO also launched a campaign of terrorism against them, shooting them at bazaars away from the battlefield or blowing up their vehicles in towns and cities, including Dushanbe.

Pro-government forces were no better, especially the paramilitary forces known as the Popular Front. Their leaders behaved like warlords.

The city of Tursunzade, west of Dushanbe, where the largest aluminum plant in Central Asia is located, was the scene of numerous turf wars until eventually the young commander of the Tajik Army's 1st Brigade, Colonel Mahmud Khudaiberdiev, took control there.

Khudaiberdiev's unit was the best-armed and trained in Tajikistan's military and, far from bringing Tursunzade under government control, Khudaiberdiev used the city twice as a staging area to advance on Dushanbe while making demands for changes in the government.

The government's position was so weak that Rahmon had little choice but to concede to these demands, and eventually make Khudaiberdiev commander of the Presidential Guard.

Other units of the Tajik Army were equally undisciplined at times. In December 1996, two teams of UN military observers traveling to Garm were stopped at a government checkpoint. Troops there physically and verbally abused them, marched them into a field, formed them in a line, and staged a mock execution in which they fired above the UN observers' heads.

There were other groups such as the Sadirov brothers' gang. To secure safe passage for his brother and other members of the bandit group from Afghanistan to Tajikistan in February 1997, Bahrom Sadirov took UN and Red Cross workers, Russian journalists, and later Security Minister Saidimir Zuhurov hostage.

Again, the government could little but comply, though in the end the hostages were freed and, amazingly, government and UTO forces combined to attack the Sadirov band.

Noncombatants were targeted regularly. Chief Mufti Fatkhullo Sharifzoda and his family were shot dead in January 1996; the rector of Dushanbe's medical school, 65-year-old Yusuf Ishaki, was gunned down in May 1996; more than 40 journalists were killed during the civil war, many by assassins' bullets.

The people also suffered from the problems that accompany conflicts.

There were food shortages. In the northern Sughd region, Tajikistan's section of the Ferghana Valley, there was relative calm compared to the rest of the country, but lack of sufficient food led to demonstrations in Ura-Tyube and Khujand in May 1996. During rioting that erupted in Ura-Tyube, government troops opened fire on a crowd killing several people.

At the end of July that year, another riot broke out hundreds of kilometers away in Khorog, where refugees from fighting in central Tajikistan had taxed the supplies of basic goods. Three people were killed in a riot there.

There were typhoid outbreaks, made all the worse due to the near collapse of the country's medical system.

Even after the signing of the peace accord there were incidents of violence, but gradually things settled down and they became the exception rather than the norm.

The majority of Tajikistan's people remember this and much more. The conflict drained the nation and its scars are still visible 20 years later in many forms.

And if anyone has forgotten, the government makes sure to remind them by frequently referring to the horrors of the civil war, especially prior to elections, and asking if the people want the government they have now or want to risk returning to civil war.

Author's note: This is the first report on Tajikistan's civil war in Qishloq Ovozi. Another article on the peace negotiations during the civil war is coming soon and this week's Majlis Podcast will also look at Tajikistan since the civil war.

Salimjon Aioub (@Aioubzod) of RFE/RL's Centralasian.org contributed to this report. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL
Russia's Defense Ministry says it has targeted Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria with cruise missiles fired from the Mediterranean Sea.

The ministry said in a June 23 statement that two frigates, the Admiral Essen and the Admiral Grigorovich, and the Krasnodar submarine launched six Kalibr cruise missiles on IS command centers and ammunition depots in the area of Aqirbat in Hama Province.

It added that Russian warplanes then carried out strikes that "destroyed the remainder of the IS fighters and their facilities."

The ministry did not say when the strikes took place.

Moscow had fired missiles in the past from the Mediterranean at militants' positions in Syria.

Russia, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been carrying out air strikes in the country since September 2015.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
A senior Russian diplomat has said that the head of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group was most likely killed in a Russian air strike.

Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency on June 22 that "according to the Defense Ministry's information, there is a high probability that [Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi has been killed when the Russian Air Force hit the militants' headquarters on the southern outskirts of Raqqa in late May."

Syromolotov didn't offer details. The Defense Ministry first made the claim on June 16, saying that Baghdadi's death in the May 28 strike was still "being verified through various channels." Syromolotov similarly said that verification efforts continue.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier on June 22 that Russia did not have proof of Baghdadi's death.

Syromolotov said that the demise of the seldom-seen IS leader would mark a "major success in the fight against international terrorism," and would spread "fear and panic" among rank-and-file militants.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, RIA Novosti, and Interfax
Russian election officials have barred opposition leader Aleksei Navalny from participating in the March 2018 presidential election, citing a criminal conviction that Navalny has said was politically motivated to block him from running.

In a statement issued on June 23, the Central Election Commission said that "Navalny does not have passive suffrage," making him ineligible to run for public office.

In 2013, Navalny was given a five-year suspended sentence on a large-scale embezzlement charge in a case he says was engineered by the Kremlin to prevent him from challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin for the presidency.

The Supreme Court threw out the initial conviction last year, but Navalny was convicted again in a retrial and lost an appeal against that verdict last month.

On June 14, Russia's top election commission chief Ella Pamfilova said Navalny was almost certain to be barred from the presidential election, citing the criminal conviction.

In an interview on Russian channel Dozhd TV, Pamfilova said Navalny "has no chance of being registered for the election due to his conviction."

She said it was possible "a miracle might happen and [Navalny] might file an appeal," but she said he has "practically no chance of being registered."

The Central Election Commission's ruling appears unlikely to stop Navalny from campaigning ahead of the vote, in which Putin is widely expected to seek and secure a fourth term in office.

Navalny is an anticorruption crusader and political opponent of Putin who has organized nationwide street protests twice since March. He has been campaigning for the presidency despite statements by officials who have said his conviction on the financial-crimes charge means he cannot seek office.
Serbia's new president, Aleksandar Vucic, has been formally inaugurated in a ceremony attended by many foreign leaders and dignitaries -- and amid protests against what his critics describe as his increasingly tight grip on power in the Balkan country.

The 46-year-old Vucic was sworn in on May 31, succeeding Tomislav Nikolic, at a ceremony in parliament that was marred by protests in Belgrade supported by the majority of opposition parties and leaders.

The more colorful formal ceremony on June 23 at Belgrades Palace of Serbia, the seat of government of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, was attended by some 5,000 guests -- including high-level envoys from the United States and Russia, and leaders from across the Balkans.

Once an ultranationalist who served as information minister in the administration of strongman Slobodan Milosevic, Vucic has solidified his grip on power by reinventing himself as a reformer committed to Serbia's drive toward European Union membership.

Vucic's first-round presidential election victory on April 2 came nearly a year after his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won parliamentary elections, giving the party control over the entire legislative and governing process.

Some critics have warned that such a concentration of power could push the Balkan country back into the autocracy Milosevic symbolized during his decade in power.

WATCH: Protests In Belgrade On Vucic's Inauguration Day

The U.S. delegation is headed by Hoyt Brian Yee, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, while Russia will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. Both met with Vucic on June 23.

The presidents of five neighboring countries -- Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina -- also attended and met with Vucic during the ceremony. They included all three members of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite presidency.

Germany was represented by former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Beijing sent the vice president of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Ji Bingxuan, as its representative.

They also were joined by senior officials from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Austria.

However, many Serbian opposition politicians boycotted the ceremony and held a protest in the Belgrade city center instead.

While Vucic pledges to prepare the nation of 7.3 million people for EU accession by 2019, he also opposes joining NATO and is pushing for deeper economic and diplomatic ties with longtime ally Moscow.

Meeting with Rogozin ahead of the inauguration, Vucic pledged that Serbia will not join Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine, despite EU suggestions that Belgrade must align its foreign policies if it wants to join the bloc.

Earlier in June, Vucic won praise for naming the minister of public administration and local government, Ana Brnabic, as the next prime minister.

The move made Brnabic the first openly gay prime minister in the Balkan region and the first Serbian woman in the government's top job.

Her appointment to the government last year was hailed by rights groups as historic for the Balkan country, whose gay community often faces discrimination, harassment, and violence.

Vucic has promised to boost gay rights as part of efforts to move closer to EU membership.

With reporting by AP
ON MY MIND



It's hard to say goodbye to an empire.



It's traumatic to part with former colonial possessions.



It's difficult to view former vassals as sovereign and co-equal neighbors.



A quarter of a century after the Soviet Union collapsed, large and stable majorities of Russians believe that Moscow still has a legitimate claim on the territory of its neighbors.



Is this just a case of prolonged postimperial stress disorder that will pass with time?



Or is it a more chronic condition that will leave Russia's neighbors in a constant state of peril?



On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we'll look at the implications of a new Pew Research Center poll in which 60 percent of Russians say Moscow has a legitimate claim to the territory of Russia's neighbors.



Joining me will be co-host Mark Galeotti, a senior research fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, head of its Center for European Security, and a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; and journalist Anna Arutunyan, author of the book The Putin Mystique: Inside Russia's Power Cult.



Also on the podcast, Mark, Anna, and I will discuss what the new Pew poll shows about Vladimir Putin's support.



Be sure to tune in later today!



IN THE NEWS



The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, has said he wants to move quickly on a Senate bill imposing new sanctions on Russia and Iran even as congressional committees worked to resolve a procedural issue blocking the bill.



European Union leaders have agreed to extend the bloc's economic sanctions against Russia by six months until January 31.



Russia's Foreign Ministry slammed new U.S. sanctions that target mainly Russian people and companies linked to the Ukraine conflict, saying the move puts at "serious risk" the entire bilateral relationship.



The United States has accused Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine of a campaign of "violence and harassment" against international monitors aimed at preventing them from reporting truce violations.



A court in Russian-occupied Crimea has prolonged the pre-verdict detention of Crimean Tatar activist Ahtem Chiygoz, who is on trial in connection with resistance to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.



A court in Moscow has sentenced the chief of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's election campaign, Leonid Volkov, to five days in jail.



U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at congressional and FBI investigations into Russian interference in last years election campaign, calling the allegations a hoax.



Russian lawmakers have approved a law classifying the personal data of top state and corporate officials, their families, and other individuals who are under the protection of the Federal Protection Service, less than two weeks after tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in anticorruption protests.



Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he and European Council President Donald Tusk have discussed relations with the EU, as well as U.S. sanctions related to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and to Russia's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.



An Azerbaijani court has started preliminary hearings in the high-profile trial of Russian-Israeli citizen Aleksandr Lapshin, a blogger charged with calling for the country's territorial integrity to be violated.



WHAT I'M READING



Russia's Soft Power



In OpenDemocracy, Katarzyna Kaczmarska and Vincent Keating look at Russia's attempts to use traditional values as a form of soft power.



Russia's Radioactive Ambassador



In Newsweek, Owen Matthews and Matthew Cooper profile Sergei Kislyak, Russia's controversial outgoing ambassador to the United States.



The Forgotten War



Adrian Bonenberger of the Truman National Security Projects Defense Council has an op-ed in The New York Times on the war in Ukraine that nobody notices.



Selective Memory



In Intersection magazine, historian Nikita Sokolov, deputy executive director of the Yeltsin Center, writes about the "forgotten truth" about the origins of the Soviet entry into World War II.



Generation-Z



In Republic.ru, Polina Potapova looks at Russia's so-called Generation Z, those born in the 1990s and early 2000s, and how they differ from their American counterparts.



The War Of Symbols



Also in Intersection magazine, political analyst Ivan Preobrazensky argues that Putin has lost his monopoly on "symbolic Russia."



Sincerity Is Political



In OpenDemocracy, Moscow-based journalist and playwright Natalia Antonova looks at the films of Andrei Zvyagintsev. "In an age of disinformation, sincerity is political. The films of Andrei Zvyagintsev are powerful precisely because of this," she argues.



SRB Podcast



The latest SRB Podcast, hosted by Sean Guillory of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies, takes a closer look at Crimea. Sean's guest is Constantine Pleshakov, author of the book The Crimean Nexus: Putins War And The Clash Of Civilizations.



Photo Essay: Siberia's Indigenous Peoples



My Modern Met has a photo essay on Siberia's indigenous peoples. The photos were shot over the past six months by Alexander Khimushin.
The baffled voters

Effective voter education programmes are necessary to reduce the number of invalid ballots
The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan has said he wants to move quickly on a Senate bill imposing new sanctions on Russia and Iran even as congressional committees worked to resolve a procedural issue blocking the bill.

"We just want to get moving on it," the Wisconsin Republican told reporters on June 22. "I support sanctions."

Representative Ed Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, "has indicated he wants to get moving on this quickly, and we want to honor that," Ryan added.

The bill passed the Senate 98-2 last week, but encountered a roadblock in the House this week when the parliamentarian found it violated a requirement in the U.S. Constitution that any bill raising government revenues must originate in the House.

Congressional aides said sanctions or fines against other countries like those in the bill could be interpreted as affecting U.S. government revenues.

Ryan said that procedural issue must be resolved before the House can take action on the bill.

Kevin Brady, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told reporters he sent the Senate a suggested change in the legislation that would resolve the procedural problem.

He said the proposed change would allow the Senate to start a "very simple process to take the bill back, make the change, and then move it forward."

The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the change did not appear to substantively alter the legislation and their staff was reviewing it to determine how to move ahead.

Some lawmakers said the White House was concerned about a provision of the Senate bill that would require Trump to obtain congressional approval before easing any sanctions on Russia.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Congress last week to ensure that the sanctions package gave Trump flexibility to adjust sanctions if Russia's behavior in Ukraine, Syria, or other areas targeted by sanctions improved.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the White House was seeking to work with Congress on some parts of the bill.

But Democrats warned against weakening the bill, which was intended to punish Moscow for allegedly meddling in the U.S. election campaign last year as well as for its aggression in Ukraine and arming of Syria.

"House Republicans' effort to obstruct and weaken the Senate's bipartisan Russian sanctions bill is not only irresponsible; it endangers our national security and threatens our democracy," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said.

Ryan said he did not yet know if the House would send the bill through committee markup and amendment, a process that could take months but which is the House's prerogative if legislators wish to fashion their own bill.

Besides imposing new sanctions on Russia over its alleged meddling in the presidential election, Ukraine, and Syria, the Senate bill would cement existing sanctions on Russia into law.

The bill would also impose mandatory sanctions on people involved in Iran's ballistic-missile program and apply terrorism sanctions to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

With reporting by AP and Reuters


The United States has accused Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine of a campaign of "violence and harassment" against international monitors aimed at preventing them from reporting truce violations.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on June 22 that Washington was "deeply concerned" about the situation, describing the separatists as "Russian-led, Russian-funded, and Russian-trained."

Nauert said that on June 20 separatist forces fired at retreating Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) vehicles carrying monitors, and in April an American paramedic accompanying the monitors was killed when his truck hit an explosive.

"The incidents are part of a broader effort to keep the international community from seeing what is happening in eastern Ukraine," she said.

"We call on Russia to use its influence to end this campaign of intimidation and honor its commitment to allow free, full, and safe access to the OSCE monitors."

A new cease-fire between Ukrainian troops and the separatists is due to come into effect on June 23.

Previous truces in the conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014 have broken down.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
The fifth generation Honda CRV SUV has been launched in India today. Unlike previously, when the SUV was only offered with a petrol engine, this time India gets petrol as well as diesel engine option. New Honda CRV petrol is priced from Rs 28.15 lakhs, while the CRV diesel is priced from Rs 30.65 lakhs. Top end diesel is priced at Rs 32.75 lakhs. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi.

First showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo, the new Honda CRV is a premium luxury SUV which is offered as a five seater with petrol variant and as a 7 seater with diesel variant. It receives new comfort and convenience features, many of which are first time being offered in the segment.

New Honda CRV dimensions will stand at 4,571 mm length 1,885 mm width and 1,667mm height. Wheelbase is increased by 41mm at 2,662 mm while interior leg room is increased by 53mm. Boot space is also larger. Overall, the car looks much bigger than before. It also looks a lot more attractive and imposing. Though not as imposing as similarly priced other SUVs in the segment.

Interior features include a new 7 touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and voice controls. Seats get wrapped in leather while there is a premium touch all across the interiors (wood, leather and metal accents throughout). Features include two zone climate control, USB charging ports at the rear. Second row seating will get reclining seatbacks with dedicated AC vents while driver seat will be way power adjustable.

To be offered for the first time with a diesel engine, the 2018 Honda CR-V will be powered by a new 1.6 liter diesel engine offering 120 PS power at 4,000 rpm and 300 Nm torque at 2,000 rpm mated to a new ZF 9 speed automatic gearbox. It will also get a 2.0 liter i-VTEC petrol engine mated to a CVT automatic transmission. There is no manual transmission on offer. Diesel engine claims 14.4 kmpl.

The new CR-V will be offered in two wheel and four wheel drive options (only diesel). The new Honda CR-V will compete against the likes of Toyota Fortuner and the upcoming Mahindra XUV700.
How can researchers determine the number of snakes in an area when the snakes don't want to be found? That's the central question behind a University of Arkansas biologist's three-year, $465,098 study to test a new method for estimating population densities of two species of rare snakes.

J.D. Willson, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, will validate his new method, Innovative Density Estimation Approach for Secretive Snakes (IDEASS), by estimating the number of southern hognose snakes and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes at Fort Stewart, Georgia, one of the Army's most active training installations. The Department of Defense (DoD) funded the study through their SERDP-ESTCP program, which funds environmental research on military bases.

The research is a collaboration with researchers at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Construction and Engineering Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "The DoD is one of the biggest landholders in the country and owns much of the best remaining habitat for these rare species in the Southeast," Willson said. "In fact, they have the highest number of rare and endangered species per acre of any landholder in the country and they are responsible for managing their populations. They know they have these snake species, but they don't know if they are really rare or just hard to find."

IDEASS is a model that combines radio telemetry data from tagged snakes with observations on road-crossing behavior and road surveys to determine snake population densities. Willson and his team of researchers will capture and radio tag snakes to determine their movement patterns, then drive along roads within Fort Stewart to see how many snakes they find crossing the road and how long it takes them to cross. By combining vehicle speed, snake-crossing speed, and models of snake movement, they can determine the probability of detecting a snake during a road survey and relate that to density of snakes in the surrounding landscape.

Traditionally, the way to determine a species' population density is a method called capture-mark-recapture. But that approach is ineffective with many snakes, Willson said. "You almost never recapture them. They are so secretive that approach doesn't work."

IDEASS, by contrast, allows researchers to estimate densities without recapturing individuals, and can take advantage of the fact that road surveys are the most reliable method for finding these rare and elusive snakes. That information is vital to DoD resource managers who need to quantify densities of threatened or endangered snake species.

Willson developed IDEASS while researching invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park. Despite their massive size (sometimes over 17 feet long), Burmese pythons are notoriously hard to find and cannot be studied effectively by capture-mark-recapture. They are well camouflaged and adept at hiding. The best way to find the pythons, Willson discovered, was to drive on park roads and spot them when they crossed. He also used IDEASS to generate the first population density estimate of rare southern hognose snakes in the Sandhills region of North Carolina.
There is a good chance there are fresh vegetables in your refrigerator that will end up in the garbage instead of on your dinner plate.

Not that anyone goes to the grocery store with the intention of later throwing the food in the trash, but we all do it more often than we probably realize. Ruth Litchfield, a professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University, says we waste about 20 pounds of food each month. And that is per person.

"It's a huge problem," Litchfield said. "When you think that 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. goes to waste, that is just irresponsible."

There are several reasons why so much of our food ends up in the trash and eventually a landfill, which all relate to our mentality about food. Litchfield says we need to move past the idea that more is better. Whether it's purchasing more than what we need at the grocery store or consuming large portions at a restaurant, our habits feed our tendency to waste.

According to a 2012 Business for Social Responsibility study on food waste, 44 percent of food going into the landfill comes from the home, followed by 33 percent from the food service industry. To do its part, the food service industry is employing a variety of initiatives, said Susan Arendt, a professor of hospitality management at Iowa State. Donating food to shelters or soup kitchens, incorporating leftover foods into other menu items -- for example, using unserved green beans for vegetable soup the next day -- and collaborating with farmers to feed unused food to farm animals are just a few examples.

"Some restaurants are also training servers to ask customers what they don't want with their meal. For example, instead of bringing both butter and oil with bread, they're asking the customer which one they prefer, rather than letting one go unused and have to be thrown out," Arendt said.

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How to limit your waste

Consumers can take similar steps at home to limit waste and ultimately save money, Litchfield said. She recommends:

Meal planning for the week . There are several benefits to making a weekly menu, not just cutting waste. If you know you're going to be at a ball game or other activities during the week, cut back on what you're buying at the store, Litchfield said. Make meals using frozen or canned vegetables and other non-perishable items that you can use the following week, if plans change.

. There are several benefits to making a weekly menu, not just cutting waste. If you know you're going to be at a ball game or other activities during the week, cut back on what you're buying at the store, Litchfield said. Make meals using frozen or canned vegetables and other non-perishable items that you can use the following week, if plans change. Find an alternate use for produce . Consider freezing or donating fresh produce that you're not going to eat before it starts to wilt or rot. Cut and package the fruits and veggies so that they're easy to pull out of the freezer and add to a smoothie or casserole.

. Consider freezing or donating fresh produce that you're not going to eat before it starts to wilt or rot. Cut and package the fruits and veggies so that they're easy to pull out of the freezer and add to a smoothie or casserole. Composting . Some communities offer composting programs, but Litchfield says it's relatively easy to do your own composting at home. Food converted to compost is waste diverted from the landfill, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

. Some communities offer composting programs, but Litchfield says it's relatively easy to do your own composting at home. Food converted to compost is waste diverted from the landfill, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Understand sell by dates. Litchfield says we throw away 160 billion pounds of food that is fine to eat because of confusion over "sell by" or "best by" labels. The date that follows has nothing to do with the safety of the food, it's related to quality, she said. Infant formula is the only product in the U.S. required to have an expiration date. A provision in the proposed Food Recovery Act of 2015 would standardize the language to reduce confusion.

Finding ways to make an impact

When discussing food waste in class, Arendt breaks it into two categories for students. There is product waste, such as eggshells or coffee grounds, and service waste or food that is served and not eaten. She says product waste is often unavoidable, although some items are good for compost, while with service waste there are several opportunities to make an impact.

For example, Arendt and a colleague conducted a milk waste study in elementary schools. By implementing simple changes, schools reduced the amount of milk waste. One school noticed students were throwing away unopened cartons of milk, and created a "share table" for students to leave unopened milk for other students to drink. She said another school limited technology in the lunchroom so students focused on eating, and not working or playing on their computers.

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Portion control is another step the foodservice industry is taking, but health-conscious consumers are more often the motivating factor. Still, this can help with waste.

"Many restaurants are offering a half-portion size and a regular-portion size. Yes, customers want to receive 'value,' but it also depends on the type of customer," Arendt said. "Customers who are more health conscious are open to smaller portion sizes."

Policy that packs a punch

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture set a national goal to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030. Litchfield is doubtful that many consumers are aware of this goal or are making an effort to do their part. She says it is going to take policy, similar to seatbelt laws or tobacco taxes, to motivate people to make change.

"If you look at when people really started using seatbelts, it was when there was potential for a fine," Litchfield said. "In some communities you are charged for garbage service based on pounds or number of cans. If you were charged based on the amount of food waste leaving the home, it might change habits."

Another contributing factor is the cost of food. Litchfield is not advocating for higher prices at the grocery store, but she says food in the U.S. is cheap compared to other countries. If it were more expensive people would be less likely to overconsume, and be smarter about their purchases so food is not going to waste.

Find more information online at: http://www.foodwastealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/FWRA_BSR_Tier1_FINAL.pdf
Slight changes in the machinery of a cell determine whether it lives or begins a natural process known as programmed cell death. In many forms of life -- from bacteria to humans -- a single chemical bond in a protein called cytochrome c can make this call. As long as the bond is intact, the protein transfers electrons needed to produce energy through respiration. When the bond breaks, the protein switches gear and triggers the breakdown of mitochondria, the structures that power the cell's activities.

For the first time, scientists have measured exactly how much energy cytochrome c puts into maintaining that bond in a state where it's strong enough to endure, but easy enough to break when the cell's life span is ending.

They used intense X-rays from two facilities, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The collaboration, led by Edward Solomon, professor of chemistry at Stanford University and of photon science at SLAC, published their results today in Science.

"This is a very general yet extremely important process in biochemistry, and with an X-ray laser we now have insight into how this regulation works," says Roberto Alonso-Mori, LCLS staff scientist and a co-author of the study. "These are processes that are going on a million-fold in our bodies and everywhere there is life."

The study marks the first time that anyone has been able to experimentally quantify how the rigid structure of the cytochrome c molecule supports this crucial bond between iron and sulfur atoms in what's known as an entatic state, where the protein maintains a bond that is just strong enough to perform both of its jobs, says Michael Mara, lead author of the study and a former postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, now at University of California, Berkeley.

"This was important because we had shown the bond is weak and shouldn't be present at room temperature in the absence of the protein constraints," says Solomon. "But the protein is able to contribute energy to keep this bond intact for electron transfer. In this LCLS experiment, we determined exactly how much energy the rest of the protein contributes to maintaining the bond: about 4 kcal/mol that is derived from an adjacent hydrogen bond network."

"We were able to show how nature tunes this system to change the properties on a fundamental level and perform two very different functions," Mara says. "The energy contribution by cytochrome c is really at a sweet spot. It makes me wonder what sort of similar effects you might see in other protein systems, and it makes us realize that there is exciting new science on the horizon."

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Ultrafast Changes

Cytochrome c is present in a wide range of life forms and contributes to both cellular respiration and programmed cell death, the pathway to the natural end of a cell's life cycle. How exactly the state of the bond relates to these two functions had not yet been demonstrated or quantified.

Scientists knew from earlier studies that a particular iron-sulfur bond is key. When iron in the protein binds to sulfur contained in one of the protein's amino-acid building blocks, cytochrome c participates in electron transfer. By transferring electrons, the protein helps generate energy needed for biological processes that maintain life.

But when cytochrome c encounters cardiolipin, a lipid present in the membrane of the cell's mitochondria, the iron-sulfur bond breaks, and the protein becomes an enzyme that creates holes in the mitochondria's outer membrane - the first step in programmed cell death.

These changes occur incredibly fast, in less than 20 picoseconds, so the experiment required ultrafast pulses of X-rays generated by LCLS to take snapshots of the process.

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"We photoexcited the iron atoms in the protein's active site -- which contains an iron-rich compound known as heme -- with an ultrafast laser before probing it with the LCLS X-ray pulses at different time delays," says Alonso-Mori.

Each 50-femtosecond laser pulse heated the heme by a couple of hundred degrees. X-ray pulses from LCLS took images of what happened as the heat traveled from the iron to other parts of the protein. After 100 femtoseconds, the iron-sulfur bond would break, only to form again once the sample cooled. Watching this process allowed the scientists to measure energy fluctuations in real time and better understand how this critical bond forms and breaks.

"The entatic state concept is really interesting, but you have to come up with creative ways to demonstrate and quantify it," says Ryan Hadt, a former Stanford University doctoral student on an Enrico Fermi Fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory who together with his advisor, Professor Solomon, came up with the idea for the experiment and co-wrote the initial proposal around the time LCLS first came online in 2009.

"Our research group was excited about this new instrument and wanted to use it to do a definitive experiment," Hadt adds.

A Question Raised by Earlier Work

This experiment builds on an earlier study conducted at SSRL that found that the iron-sulfur bond was quite weak, says Thomas Kroll, staff scientist at SSRL and lead author of this prior study.

In the latest study, spectroscopy at SSRL also built the framework for the LCLS pump-probe experiment. It allowed the scientists to compare what the molecule originally looked like to how it changed when the temperature rose.

"It's important to understand how these proteins actually work," Kroll says. "Because if you don't understand how they work, how can we create better medicines in an informed and controlled way?"

Knowledge of cytochrome c's function is also valuable to the fields of bioenergy and environmental science, since it is a critically important protein in bacteria and plants.
A self-help approach to a graded exercise program, supervised by a specialist physiotherapist, is safe and may reduce fatigue for some people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), according to a new trial of 200 people published in The Lancet. The intervention, undertaken over 12 weeks, had a smaller effect on reducing physical disability.

The self-help intervention (guided graded exercise self-help, or GES) involves slowly and safely building up physical activity levels (eg. a few minutes walking) after establishing a daily routine, with the support of a specialist physiotherapist over the phone or Skype(tm).

The self-help approach means that patients do not need to travel to a clinic, and the authors say the intervention might be useful as an initial treatment for patients to help manage the symptoms of CFS.

CFS affects about seven in 1000 people, and is characterized by chronic, disabling fatigue in the absence of an alternative diagnosis. Based on previous trials, UK guidelines recommend graded exercise therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy for patients with CFS. However, graded exercise therapy is usually delivered in a clinic by specialist therapists with up to 15 sessions over 3-6 months, so it can be expensive to deliver and access to clinics providing these treatments is limited.

In this study, patients with CFS were randomly assigned to receive GES (107 patients) in addition to specialist medical care, or receive specialist medical care alone (104 patients). Specialist medical care could involve prescriptions or advice regarding medication to treat accompanying symptoms such as insomnia, pain or depressive illness.

Participants in the GES group were given a self-help booklet describing a 12-week, 6-step program (developed with patient input) to gradually and safely increase physical activity levels. During the first 8-weeks, participants in the GES group were also given up to four guidance sessions with a specialist physiotherapist over the phone or Skype(tm) to discuss progress and so that the physiotherapist could provide feedback and answer any questions.

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In GES, patients first stabilise a routine to spread usual daily activities throughout the week. Once a routine is established, patients choose a physical activity they would be able to do on 5 days per week in addition to usual daily activities. Most people chose walking, and it could be for a little as one minute per day. Once this is consistently achieved, participants then start to make a small increase (no more than 20% per week) in the time they spend being physically active. For instance, someone walking for 5 mins a day would increase that to 6 mins a day. The time spent being active is slowly increased, and later on the intensity (eg. walking a bit faster). Importantly, if participants feel their symptoms increase after an incremental change in physical activity, they are advised by their specialist physiotherapist to maintain that activity level for longer than a week, until the symptoms have settled, before considering another increase.

All participants completed questionnaires to assess their levels of fatigue and physical function at the start of the trial and at 12 weeks, roughly 4 weeks after the GES guidance with the physiotherapist had ended. Nearly half (42%) of the participants in the GES group adhered to the program well or very well.

Overall, at 12 weeks, the mean fatigue score in the GES group was 4 points lower than in the control group, consistent with a moderate size effect. The mean physical function score was 6 points higher in the GES group than in the control group, consistent with a statistically significant but relatively small effect.

When rating their overall health, about 1 in 5 people in the GES group (18% [17/97]) reported feeling "much better" or "very much better," compared to 1 in 20 (5% [4/101]) in the control group. This suggests that the self-help approach helped more people than specialist medical care alone, but still only helped a minority of patients to feel much better.

There were no reports of any serious adverse reactions to GES, after scrutiny by independent clinicians. When rating their overall health, only one person out of 97 participants reported feeling "much worse" or "very much worse" in the GES group, compared to eight people (8/101) in the specialist medical care group.

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More participants in the GES group dropped out of the study compared to the specialist medical care group (10 vs. 2). Assuming that all participants who dropped out got worse, there was no significant difference in worsening symptoms between the two groups. Of the people who completed the GES program, 85% were moderately or very satisfied.

Dr Lucy Clark, lead author, Queen Mary University of London, UK, said: "We found that a self-help approach to a graded exercise program, guided by a therapist, was safe and also helped to reduce fatigue for some people with chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting that GES might be useful as an initial treatment for patients to help manage symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. We are now looking at whether the effects were maintained beyond 12 weeks."

"Graded exercise focusses on improving routines and changing physical activity patterns, and it may even require an initial reduction in activity. The aim is to progress carefully to improve, under the supervision of a CFS-experienced therapist, rather than pushing people too hard and towards a setback. Offering the therapy as a self-help approach, supervised by a physiotherapist, could increase access and avoid the fatiguing effects of travel for the intervention."

Participants involved in the trial were diagnosed according to NICE criteria, most commonly used by UK clinicians. Subsequent analyses found that the findings were similar when other diagnostic criteria were applied. The findings apply only to patients with CFS who are diagnosed in UK secondary care and referred for therapy. Research in other health care settings will be needed to test whether the same is found elsewhere.

The authors note that the participants and the therapists necessarily knew which treatment they were receiving, but the statistician analysing the results did not. The outcomes including fatigue, physical function, overall health and symptoms of chronic fatigue were all self-reported using validated questionnaires commonly used in clinical trials.

The authors note that the trial was not designed to test the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome, and the relative efficacy of a behavioural intervention does not imply that chronic fatigue syndrome is caused by psychological factors.

Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Daniel J Clauw, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Centre, the University of Michigan, USA, says: "The finding that graded exercise therapy is effective even when exercise is not being witnessed and directly guided by a physiotherapist is a substantial advance, since many patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and other functional impairment have difficulty getting to physiotherapy or do not have access to appropriately trained physiotherapists... In summary, findings from this pragmatic randomised controlled trial add to the evidence that straightforward, non-pharmacological therapies can be helpful in the management of symptoms such as fatigue in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome. Many of these cognitive and behavioural therapies (of which guided graded exercise self-help is an example) can be very helpful to patients and will be used more frequently in routine clinical practice only when we abandon the notion that these therapies need to be administered through face-to-face contact with highly trained therapists."
The mosquito-borne viral disease Chikungunya is usually found in tropical areas. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm have now discovered how climate change is facilitating the spread of the Chikungunya virus. Even if climate change only progresses moderately -- as scientists are currently observing -- the risk of infection will continue to increase in many regions of the world through the end of the 21st century. If climate change continues unchecked, the virus could even spread to southern Europe and the United States. The researchers have published their findings in Scientific Reports.

It is the Asian tiger mosquito and yellow fever mosquito that infect humans with the Chikungunya virus. The climate affects the spread of a mosquito-borne virus in two main ways. First, it plays a crucial role in the geographical distribution of the mosquitos, which can only thrive in the long term if temperature and precipitation levels are high enough. Second, the virus replicates especially quickly in the body of the mosquito if the ambient temperature is high and remains relatively constant over the course of the day. For this reason, the risk of being infected with the Chikungunya virus has -- until now -- been mainly limited to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and South America.

A world map displaying the current risk areas

A team of researchers at the University of Bayreuth led by Prof. Carl Beierkuhnlein and their colleagues at ECDC in Stockholm, Dr Jan Semenza and Dr Jonathan Suk, have investigated the climate conditions that facilitate the spread of the Chikungunya virus. They looked at the factors responsible for the climate conditions in regions that have traditionally had a high rate of infection. The data they collected enabled them to generate a world map displaying those areas where the risk of infection is particularly high. To this end, the researchers selected an approach based on machine learning that is often used in nature and wildlife conservation to develop models for the distribution of various species of plants and animals. The approach makes use of a computer programme based on the so-called "maximum entropy method," which takes care of all the necessary statistical calculations. "In close cooperation with the researchers at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) we were able to derive a sophisticated global overview of the risk of Chikungunya infection," said Nils Tjaden, a doctoral researcher in Bayreuth's biogeography team.

Increased risk of infection due to climate change

How will the current risk areas be affected by climate change? This depends on the underlying assumptions regarding the future course of global climate change on which one's calculations are based. The researchers in Bayreuth and Stockholm used two different climate change scenarios. One of the two scenarios assumes that climate change will progress moderately and that the IPCC target of 2 degrees Celsius per year will only be slightly missed. The average global temperature would increase by 2.6 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 compared to pre-industrial times. On this assumption, the calculations point to a general trend that will make the climate conditions around the world more favourable for Chikungunya infections.

By contrast, the second scenario assumes that climate change will be left unchecked to a large extent. Here the average global temperature would increase by around 4.6 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 compared to pre-industrial times. In this case, the regions at high risk of Chikungunya would grow noticeably. The virus would likely spread to countries in southern Europe as well as to the United States. "Since we have yet to develop a global strategy that would effectively slow down climate change, this scenario appears to be more likely than the other. At temperate latitudes, the risk of Chikungunya infection may reach levels even higher than the projection given in the second scenario," Prof. Beierkuhnlein said. "People have already been infected with Chikungunya in Italy, France, and Florida; however, such cases are still too rare to play any significant role in our model. The climatic potential for new diseases in southern Europe and the US is probably being underestimated," explained Dr. Stephanie Thomas, biogeography researcher in Bayreuth. According to the team's predictions, the risk of Chikungunya is only likely to decrease slightly in two places: India and on the southern edge of the Sahara. The reason? Conditions in those places could become even too extreme for the mosquitos.

The question of how tropical infectious diseases could spread as a result of climate change in Europe and other regions of the world has been a research priority of Bayreuth's biogeography team for more than a decade. Prof. Beierkuhnlein's research group specializes in the analysis of factors that facilitate the spread of insects such as the Asian tiger mosquito, which not only carries the Chikungunya virus, but also the dreaded dengue fever.
War on words

Branding feminists as terrorists may be libellous because terrorist is a highly politicised term
The total solar eclipse that will cross the continental U.S. from coast to coast is only two months away. On Aug. 21, millions of people are expected to commute into the path of totality to see this amazing celestial sight  including some of the staff of Space.com.

Four of our staff members  including myself  will be traveling to see the total eclipse. The eclipse will be visible along a path that stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, so there are plenty of places for people to see the total eclipse. There are many good reasons to select one location over another, including the availability of lodging, the likelihood of good weather, and local events.

"When you have such a wide path to choose from, picking an observation site can be a huge challenge!" said Space.com's Managing Editor Tariq Malik, who will be in Carbondale, Illinois, for the eclipse, where Southern Illinois University (SIU) will host a massive festival celebrating the eclipse. About 45,000 people are expected to attend. [The Best ISO-Certified Gear to See the 2017 Solar Eclipse]

Carbondale is one of NASA's broadcast locations along the eclipse path, so the day's festivities will include a live presentation featuring eclipse experts. The American Astronomical Society will use Carbondale as its home base for the eclipse, and will also be part of the live program. The NASA Edge video podcast team will be hosting their live coast-to-coast coverage of the solar eclipse from SIUs Saluki Stadium. The event organizers will be launching balloons from the stadium to study the eclipse.

There are at least two dozen eclipse festivals and organized public events happening at different locations in the eclipse path. Many of these festivals will begin three or four days before Aug. 21, so visitors can arrive early. Some of these festivals will have more of a science focus than others, so check out the individual festival websites to see what activities interest you the most.

"Ive never seen a total solar eclipse before in all my 40 years, so this definitely is one celestial event Im looking forward to seeing in person," Malik said. "I only hope the weather is clear!"

Clear skies

Weather was a major factor in my own decision to head to western Idaho for the eclipse. The above map was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and shows the likelihood of cloud cover along the eclipse path. (This is based on historical data and is not a forecast for the day of the eclipse.)

In the middle of August, some of the more humid parts of the country may get cloudy weather. If the sky is cloudy during the eclipse, people on the ground will still notice the loss of light when the moon covers the face of the sun. But they won't be able to see the layers of the sun's atmosphere that become visible during totality.

Because I'm a person who likes to plan for every possible scenario, I thought it best to select a viewing site with an extremely low chance of cloud cover. The next total eclipse that will be visible from the continental U.S. is in 2024, and I don't want to have to wait that long to see another one.

I also knew I'd be spending between two and four days in the eclipse path, so I wanted to select a location that I would enjoy visiting anyway. I love the scenery out west, and am planning to visit the nearby Craters of the Moon National Park.

There are 20 national parks and many national trails in the path of the eclipse. Some of the national parks will host eclipse-related events; others are in extremely remote locations. I'll be close to Grand Teton National Park, but I'm choosing not to drive there because of the huge crowds that are expected to be there. Getting to Grand Teton requires driving through the mountains on some small highways, whereas my chosen location in Idaho is close to a major highway, which will, I hope, cut down on the time I spend in traffic.

In this map of the U.S., the darker the dot, the greater the chance for cloudiness at the hour of peak viewing during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. The information is based on the 10-year cloudiness average for Aug. 21, 20012010. (Image credit: Deborah Riddle/CICS-NC/NOAA/NCEI)

A place to lay your head

Space.com staff writer Sarah Lewin and staff writer/producer Hanneke Weitering will both be in the southeast quadrant of the country for the big event.

"I'll be at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville," Weitering said. "They're throwing a three-day eclipse festival and viewing party, and they're featuring a new solar eclipse planetarium program written by Mark Littmann, co-author of the book, 'Totality: The Great American Eclipses of 2017 and 2024,' [Oxford University Press, 2008] with Fred Espenak, and my old science writing professor/mentor at UT Knoxville."

But perhaps the biggest reason Weitering chose her particular location: a free room.

"My in-laws conveniently live in Nashville, so I don't have to worry about finding a hotel with a vacancy," she said.

Lewin will be watching the eclipse from a friend's cabin in Bryson City, North Carolina, close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Finding a place to stay inside the path of totality will be extremely difficult at this late date. Most travel websites show no hotel rooms available inside the path of totality. Travelers may want to consider other possibilities, such as Airbnb.com, campsites, or simply commuting to the path of totality on the day of the eclipse.

While I'm camping outside in the August heat, Lewin and Weitering will both be enjoying indoor accommodations that, hopefully, will include air conditioning.

A partial eclipse

Some Space.com staffers will be staying home for the total solar eclipse, and enjoying the partial eclipse that will be visible throughout the U.S. (including Hawaii and Alaska), as well as central America, parts of South America, Greenland and Iceland.

For many people, traveling into the path may simply not be possible. But skywatchers should be aware that the total solar eclipse is a very different phenomenon from a partial solar eclipse  even for observers in a location where 99 percent of the sun is covered, most of the effects of a total solar eclipse will still not be visible.

However, if you are unable to travel to see the total solar eclipse, you can watch the action on NASA TV. The agency will have broadcast stations capturing views of the eclipse all the way along the path.

Tell us where you'll be watching the eclipse, and your reasons for choosing that location.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
I n response to the Queens Speech, it appears that some Remain-backing Labour and Liberal Democrat peers are threatening to block legislation that will enact Brexit in the House of Lords.

This would go against the decades-long convention that says peers will not block the passing in the House of Lords of legislation enacting manifesto commitments made by the governing party. If this were to happen, it would result in a constitutional crisis.

Such behaviour would negate the will of the people, as expressed in the EU referendum vote and confirmed in the recent general election, where over 80 per cent of the vote went to the Conservative and Labour parties, both of which campaigned to leave the EU single market and customs union.

We urgently need a House of Lords that reflects the thinking of the British people and that is not in hock to the EU establishment. It is time for Theresa Mays Government to show some mettle and throw down the gauntlet on Brexit.

Keith Turner



As we mark the lamentable anniversary of the EU referendum result today, we have little to celebrate  we are now a poorer nation in every way.

A snapshot of one day based on lies, innuendo, false promises and misunderstandings will mar the lives of the younger generation, many of whom could not vote because they were under-age or were prevented by a complicated new registration procedure. Half a million young people are now of age, finally registered to vote and would probably vote Remain  with enough votes to perhaps reverse the result.

The referendum was based on a question that should never have been asked. There is no doubt that the EU needs reform, but the only way forward is co-operation and dialogue with our friends, neighbours and partners in Europe and an appeal to their generosity in finding a way through this muddle of our own creation.

S Groom



Theresa May has already performed dramatic and embarrassing U-turns on policy this year but the Queens Speech underlined how she and the Tories have now lost their legitimacy as the UKs governing party.

It must be infuriating for Conservative voters to see their party abandon its manifesto by abolishing several policies included in it, not least trying to secure a deal with the DUP to form a weak government.

If Mrs May decides to negotiate a soft Brexit, it will simply undo everything she has said and stood for in the past six months. How can the electorate trust her if she always goes back on her word?

Edward Moore



Prison reform left on the backburner

Londons poorest communities lost out yesterday with the omission of the Prison and Courts Reform Bill from the Queens Speech.

The growing lawlessness on our capitals streets is mirrored in our prisons. Last week, Peter Clarke, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, described Brixton as not a safe prison and awash with drugs, undermining everything.

The Bill promised to make our prisons safer and more effective at rehabilitation. This omission will hit Londons most vulnerable the hardest.

Rory Geoghegan, Centre for Social Justice



The Queens Speech on Wednesday was notable for what was missing as much as for what was included. Gone was the promise of urgent action on social care, dashing the hopes of millions of people who want to see the current crisis resolved now, not months or years down the road.

While the dementia tax was abolished, nothing except lengthy consultation was promised instead. The country deserves better.

Mike Padgham, managing director, St Cecilias Care Services



Safety first for firms - not profit

Stan Labovitch questions why Southern rail drivers turned down a deal on pay [Letters, June 21]. Media coverage of Southerns dispute with its staff may well have given Mr Labovitch a misleading impression.

The truth is that the dispute in question is not about pay but about the safety of passengers. The train-operating company wants to get rid of safety-trained guards on trains and use driver-only operated trains, while passengers and rail staff wish to keep them.

At a time when the issue of public safety is unfortunately most starkly before our eyes in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, this choice should be a no-brainer.

Southern should accept without further delay that its pursuit of private profit is less important than a duty to keep us all safe.

Francis Prideaux

Join the conversation: #esnewsviews



Too many deaths from heatwaves

Your guide to coping with the hot weather [Ride out the heat rave, June 21] risks underplaying how serious the threat is. Hundreds of people across the UK have died during the heatwave, many of whom were in London, where temperatures are amplified by the preponderance of man-made surfaces.

The Statutory Committee on Climate Change has pointed out that deaths and illnesses could be prevented or reduced if people made their homes cooler by shading their windows during the day. However, too few people take such precautions because of the misperception that heatwaves are declining  rather than rising  due to climate change.

Londoners need to be made more aware of how climate change is already harming their lives.

Bob Ward, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE

Join the conversation: #escleancityviews


M usical fans can stop crying for Argentina thanks to the news that Evita is returning to the West End.

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webbers much-loved musical about Eva Peron, wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron, will have a 12 week run at the Phoenix Theatre this summer after Gary Barlows The Girls closes.

Emma Hatton will star as Peron, who died of cancer at the age of 33. Her death was met with intense grief by the public, three million of whom attended her funeral in Buenos Aires.

Hatton played Peron when the musical was on tour earlier this year, and has also performed as Elphaba in Wicked and starred in We Will Rock You and Dreamboats and Petticoats.

Evita first opened in the West End in 1978, and was made into a film starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas in 1996.

Evita will run at the Phoenix Theatre from July 28 to October 14
I t could almost be a scene from The Lion King. Four lionesses lie on the plain enjoying the last of the suns rays. Cheeky jackals, hoping for scraps, goad the lazy lions to hunt. Three curious hyenas slouch onto stage, all hunched shoulders and sly smiles, with flashing teeth that look too big for them.

Can anyone tell me an interesting fact about the female spotted hyena? Clint asks. They have a false penis, comes the reply. The Lion King moment is over.

But thats what happens when you go on safari with guides. Because this is no ordinary bush walk; were actually on a refresher course for guides. The annual Pyramids of Life course is, technically, a training camp for the award-winning guiding teams of Alex Walkers Serian Camps, located in Kenyas Maasai Mara and Serengeti in Tanzania. The course has now opened to guests too.

The point of Pyramids is to take the passivity out of what safaris have become  just sitting in a jeep being driven from sighting to sighting, Walker tells me. We want guests to see through the eyes of a top guide, to open their minds to a lifetime of curiosity. Its an invitation to dive deeper.

Trainer Clint Schipper, sweeping his arms out to present the Mara North conservancy and our home for the next five days, says: This is our classroom. Its an immersive course. We spend all our time in the bush, let situations evolve and learn from them. Pyramids is primarily a guiding experience but its good to have guests along too. You dont have to be a safari expert, hes at pains to say; but youll need to be interested in wildlife as a whole rather than simply ticking off the Big Five.

The guides at Serian have mixed skillsets. The older ones may not speak perfect English but the bush is in their blood. Younger ones  mostly guiding school graduates  speak excellent English but might have less bush experience. Unusually, some are women. All have a passion for wildlife that is palpable.

Impala grazing on the plains of Mara Norh

As I said, this isnt your average safari. Instead of rushing to the elephants we see roaming in the distance, we home in on their poo for a lecture about the difference between elephant and hippo droppings (elephants have sticks in theirs). We watch a female leopard calmly spraying the trees to attract nearby males.

Then we stumble on a gripping scene. Introduce the sighting to guests, Clint softly suggests to the guides. Then try to be quiet while they take it all in.

Hidden in a bush are three tiny lion cubs and their mum, lying silent. Four huge buffalos caked in mud walk towards them. If they see the cubs they will kill them, Clint explains, driven by a protective instinct for their own future. Maybe nothing will happen, he whispers. Or it could be a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. Lets wait it out.

We wait in our Land Cruisers, all 13 of us silent. One by one, the buffalos amble past the bush, until the last bull pauses and peers straight in the lions direction. Eventually, it moves on. Those cubs came within three metres of losing their lives, says Clint.

My interest in birds is not deep, yet Clints enthusiasm is contagious. Flicking through field guides, his students are hooked too, identifying species and answering their trainers regular refrain: Tell me a power-fact about

Ololo Lodge

The facts pour out. The greater honeybird will lead people to beehives by singing, hoping for beeswax as its reward. Only five of Africas 15 kingfishers actually eat fish. The tiny 10cm pied wheatear will fly non-stop across the entire Sahara on its 9,000km journey from Norway to Kenya. My disinterest turns to fascination. Our walks, too, elicit encyclopaedic information. We dont get far as were constantly stopping to study insects, rocks, flowers and trees, frogs and damselflies, butterflies, poo and paw prints. We spot hippos, a newborn giraffe and a lone hartebeest but were mesmerised by an army of Matabele ants. This is a nature walk like no other.

On night drives, we learn about astronomy and meet weird creatures such as the bubbling kassina, a frog with a distinctive bubble-popping call, and the zorilla that looks like a mongoose crossed with a skunk. Lions prowl silently past our vehicle searching for supper as a tiny bushbaby, all eyes and ears, scurries away.

The following morning we leave camp before sunrise to experience the dawn chorus. The idea is just to sit here in the dark with your guests, Clint whispers to his students. Lets listen to the waking of the day. We experience this every day and we know how wonderful it is. Imagine if youd never heard it before

On cue, the birds start performing. Songsters such as the nightjar, rufous-naped lark, ring-necked dove, striped kingfisher, guinea fowl and African cuckoo take turns to chime in until the birdsong builds to a beautiful crescendo. The cow-like smell of buffalos wafts our way. Impalas dainty hooves trot past our vehicle. In the dark, a hyena laughs, a lion roars, a jackal yelps. This is what Pyramids of Life is all about. As dawn breaks, the Lion King moment is back.

Details: Kenya Aardvark Safaris (01980 849160; aardvarksafaris.co.uk) offers a seven-night trip from 4,765pp including flights with Kenya Airways and all travel, conservancy fees, six nights on the Pyramids of Life itinerary (serian.com), and one night in Nairobi.

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Wildlife road traffic accidents on rise

Frequent road accidents involving wildlife along the East-West Highway that traverses the protected areas in various places have threatened conservation efforts, in which the country in recent years has made significant strides.
In the east the HoR (House of Representatives) government openly criticized Qatar for working with Iran and Sudan to back Islamic terrorists in Libya. Qatar along with Turkey and Sudan always backed more Islamic rebel groups and continues to support the rival Tripoli government. Qatar, Turkey and Sudan have long believed that you can coexist with Islamic conservatives. That concept has become less viable as it becomes apparent that the ancient tradition of Islamic conservatives eventually evolving into Islamic terrorists was still functioning. This process produced al Qaeda and its evil spawn ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). Many Arabs deal with this by insisting that al Qaeda and ISIL are both creations of the United States and Israel. There is no evidence for this but to many Moslems, especially Arabs, it feels good. Most Islamic terrorist groups in Libya will not accept anything less than an Islamic dictatorship. ISIL was seen as a common threat because ISIL would not cooperate with any other Islamic terrorist factions and insisted that all Islamic terror groups obey ISIL or be declared an enemy of Islam. With ISIL now much diminished on the defensive in Libya there are still reports of Sudanese fighting with Islamic terror groups in eastern Libya. The new anti-Qatar criticism is the aftermath of a June 5 th diplomatic showdown between most of the Arabian states and Qatar over the Islamic terrorism issue. But the issue of Qatari and Iranian support of Islamic terrorism in Libya goes way back.

Various Libyan governments have been complaining about Qatar since 2014. Initially this came as a surprise because in late 2011, after the fall of the Kaddafi government neighboring Sudan, long the target of Kaddafi meddling, welcomed the change in Libya. But there were side effects. Huge amounts of weapons were stolen from Kaddafi era warehouses and some of the Libyan arms were showing up in Sudan, where Darfur (western Sudan) rebels were working with Libyan smugglers to get the weapons into Sudan.

By June 2014 Libyans in Benghazi exposed a Sudanese operation to supply some Islamic terrorist groups in the city with weapons and ammo. Sudanese transports secretly flew the stuff into Benghazi airport. The staff at the airport were bribed or intimidated into keeping quiet about the operation. Some Sudanese officials also flew in to meet with Islamic terrorist militia leaders. Sudan denied this but In 2014 Libyans claimed that a Sudanese transport plane entered Libyan air space on September 7 and landed at Tripoli, loaded with weapons that were taken aboard at an airfield in Sudan. The day before police in southeast Libya (Kufra) seized a Sudanese transport when the cargo was found to be weapons and ammo. The aircraft had landed to refuel before it continued on to Tripoli. The Libyan government accused Sudan of backing the Islamic terrorists in Tripoli. Sudan was already known to support many Islamic terrorist groups in the region, but always denied it when caught.

By late 2014 a pro-Islamic faction had established a dissident government in Tripoli that had support from Turkey, Sudan and Qatar while the elected government (forced to move east to Tobruk) had most of the world recognizing it, along with most of the Islamic majority nations. Turkey was under growing international pressure to support the Tobruk government and responded by accusing its foreign critics of conspiring against Turkey. At the same time Tobruk government, and its military commander Khalifa Belgacem Hiftar had active support from Egypt and the UAE (United Arab Emirates)

The Tobruk (now HoR) government pointed out that the Islamic terrorists have plenty of weapons (stolen from Kaddafi era stockpiles or smuggled in from Sudan) and some military supplies for Islamic terrorists were still blatantly flown in from Sudan as recently as mid-2015.

In late 2015 The Tobruk government banned Yemenis, Iranians and Pakistanis from entering the country. Too many people from those countries have been encountered fighting for Islamic terror groups in Libya. The Tobruk government had earlier banned Sudanese, Bangladeshis, Palestinians and Syrians for the same reasons. This ban did not keep these people out but made it more difficult for them to get into Libya and move around there freely.

In late 2016 it was revealed that most of the dead ISIL men in Sirte came from Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan and Nigeria (in that order) and many surviving ISIL men seem to be trying to return home. It was later discovered that Sudanese aircraft were flying the families of Sudanese Islamic terrorists back to Sudan. This was especially the case for families of Sudanese killed in Libya while fighting for Islamic terror groups. In 2017 the HoR government accused the Palestinian Hamas government in Gaza to assisting smugglers to get cash and weapons to Islamic terror groups in eastern Libya. Hamas also had the support of Iran.

The UN has banned anyone from exporting weapons to anyone in Libya. UN investigators have admitted that various nations (like Egypt, UAE, Qatar and Sudan) do send weapons but the UN cant (or wont) do much about it.

Oil Progress Fracked

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) revealed that production has continued to rise this year to record (since 2011) levels. It was 800,000 BPD (barrels per day) in April and that reached 880,000 BPD in May. NOC expects to keep that up until, by the end of 2017, 1.3 million BPD is reached. On the down side the world price for oil keeps falling, despite OPEC (the Arab dominated oil cartel) efforts to reduce overall production and drive up the price. The problem is that the United States and Canada are producing a lot more due to new technologies (like fracking) that open up huge new sources that were long known but not reachable.

OPEC has exempted Libya from production limits but this will only last until pre-2011 levels (1.6 million BPD) are reached. Meanwhile the production increases are largely the result of much less fighting near the main eastern oil ports. Between February and March this violence had reduced production to about 600,000 BPD but now the NOC sees production hitting a million BPD (a quarter of that natural gas equivalents) by the end of August and continuing to increase into 2018. But it all depends on an end of fighting over oil facilities. Meanwhile there are technical problems, mostly the result of years without proper maintenance that cause production to occasionally dip. For example, that happened recently when production fell to 788,000 BPD. In theory the oil is exported and the cash received buys essential items like food, medicine and other consumer items. In practice there is still a problem with corruption and a lot of the oil money disappearing before the needed imports can reach most Libyans.

Gangsters And NGOs Work Together

The EU (European Union) is trying to get the two Libyan governments (GNA and HoR) that control the Libyan coast to cooperate with EU efforts to assist and expand a Libyan coast guard that will halt, or at least reduce, the flow of illegal migrants from Libya to Italy. This effort is hobbled by the small size of the current coast guard and the rampant corruption in Libya, which makes it difficult to find Libyans that will serve in this coast guard and refuse bribes from the criminal gangs that control the illegal migration.

The gangs have an easier time of it now that more European NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are sending rescue boats to meet smuggler boats off the Libyan coast and escort them to Italy. This is done to prevent some of these smuggler boats from sinking in bad weather or simply because they are not fit for the journey. It has gotten to the point where the NGO rescue ships will take up position just outside (or even inside) Libyan territorial waters (that extend 22 kilometers from the coast). The smuggler boats head right for the NGO ships and then any smugglers on board return to Libya while the NGOs sees that the illegal migrants reach Italy. Some of the NGOs are demanding that the EU stop supporting the Libyan coast guard, which increasingly stops smuggler boats full of illegal migrants before they reach the NGO rescue ships outside (or even inside) territorial waters.

Italy and the rest of Europe want peace and a unified government in Libya mainly because Libya is the source of most of the illegal migrants crossing the Mediterranean and landing in Italy where, because of EU treaties and European sensibilities, Italy must absorb these illegal migrants or allow them to move on to other EU countries that offer better economic opportunities. In 2016 181,000 of these illegals reached Italy but nearly three percent of those who tried died along the way. So far in 2017 the death rate of illegal migrants coming by sea is down a bit but the migration will continue as long as Libya is in chaos. Until 2016 about half the illegal migrants entering Europe were coming in via Italy. With the land route via the Balkans largely blocked this year, most of the illegal migrants now get to Italy via Libya. The criminal gangs (and some Islamic terror groups) that control the Libya based people smuggling are getting rich (over a billion dollars a year) off this business and can afford to bribe local militias to leave them alone. If that fails, the gangs try intimidation. The gangs consider the NGOs allies and the EU military ships patrolling the Libyan coast harmless if you dont fire on them.

June 20, 2017: In the east (620 kilometers east of Tripoli) an ISIL suicide car bomber was identified as Sudanese. The car bomb went off at a security checkpoint outside the oil export port of Es Sider. Security personnel collected the body parts and other material from the car and identified the nationality of the bomber and the group he was from.

June 16, 2017: In the east (Benghazi) HoR soldiers continued clearing the few remaining neighborhoods controlled Islamic terrorist or criminal gangs (sometimes it is hard to tell the difference) and lost three soldiers to landmines and two from sniper fire. At least two Islamic terrorists were killed and many more fled. Increasingly Islamic terrorists in coastal cities are heading south to more defensible (but more isolated) towns in central and southern Libya.

June 10, 2017: Fighting continues in Derna (200 kilometers southwest of Benghazi). In the last two days at least three Islamic terrorists have been killed and HoR forces continue seeking to drive all Islamic terror groups out of the city.

Derna was once an ISIL stronghold. By the end of 2016 most of the remaining ISIL members and their families (a thousand or so people, most of them armed) fled south from their former bases in Sirte and Benghazi. HoR forces followed the ISIL remnants to Derna, which had been largely free of ISIL control since early 2016. ISIL had spent several months trying to take Derna and failed. Derna is about the same size (100,000 population) as the former ISIL capital Sirte. The ISIL reverses at Derna were the result of stubborn local militias and the recent arrival of Hiftar forces, which were unsuccessful in establishing control. Hiftar was not popular with some of the Derna militias, especially those composed of Islamic conservatives and these groups eventually fought back. Now they are under attack again by Hiftar forces and being pushed out of the area. The GNA accuses Hiftar of illegally attempting to take control of Derna while Hiftar says he wants to remove any Islamic conservative or terrorist militias still in Derna.

June 5, 2017: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain cut diplomatic, economic and military relations with Qatar. Ambassadors were expelled, borders were closed and Qatar was made to feel very unwelcome. Yemen and several other Moslem nations followed the suit. This included the HoR government in Libya. The expulsion comes after years of criticisms over Qatari support for Islamic terrorism and the perception among Arab states that Qatar could not be trusted.

June 3, 2017: The UN estimated that in May 18 people were killed and 68 wounded because of continued fighting and Islamic terrorist activity. The actual losses are believed to be much higher because of heavy fighting during late May in Tripoli and central Libya. Most of the fighting now can best be described as police work with both the GNA and HoR forces shutting down Islamic terrorist, militia and criminal gangs that have been a threat to peace since 2011. The GNA still has problems with rival militias fighting each other in Tripoli and a few other areas. In Benghazi the army is shutting down some of the self-defense militias that were ineffective and sometimes the cause of problems. The GNA and HoR are still trying to work out their political differences but both recognize that first there must be peace and a revived economy.

June 2, 2017: In south central Libya (770 kilometers south of Tripoli) HoR (Hiftar) and local militias together battled GNA forces and some Islamic terror groups. Much of the current fighting took place in and around the town of Hun.

June 1, 2017: In Tripoli the GNA shut down Dar al Ifta, an Islamic extremist operation run by a radical cleric (Mufti Sadiq al Ghariani) who locals call the Mufti of Qatar because Ghariani openly backed Qatar and Qatari support for Islamic terror groups in Libya. Ghariani also criticized the GNA and HoR for not being Islamic enough and frequently issued fatwas (religious rulings) critical of those two governments. Qatar officially backs the GNA but in Libya is noted mainly for its material support for Islamic terrorist groups.

May 28, 2017: In the southwest five Libyan farmers visiting their land on the Algerian border (Illizi Province) were shot at by armed men from Algeria. One Libyan was killed and four wounded. The victims were not sure if the attackers were Algerian soldiers patrolling the Libyan border or Algerian Islamic terrorists who often cross the border to buy supplies in Libya, sometimes at the nearby border town of Ghat. There is not much government on the Libyan side of the border with local Tuareg tribal leaders doing the best they can. These Tuareg have cooperated with Algeria before and have asked for Algerian help in identifying the shooters.

May 26, 2017: Egypt has become more openly active in the Libyan civil war. The pro-Egypt HoR government that rules eastern Libya and much of the oil apparently recently asked Egypt to bomb certain Islamic terror ground in the inland city of Derna. HoR military forces (ground troops and warplanes) have also been fighting in Derna and wanted to coordinate their operations with the Egyptian airstrikes that began on May 26th in retaliation for an ISIL attack on Egyptian Christians in Egypt. The air raids used the latest Egyptian warplanes (French made Rafales and American made F-16Cs). The only possible opposition was some older Mirage F1 warplanes the UN backed GNA (Government of National Accord) has been refurbishing near the coastal city of Misrata. None of these have shown up to oppose the Egyptian air strikes. Egypt also sent a few dozen additional special operations troops to reinforce the small (under a hundred) force of Egyptian troops in eastern Libya working with the Hiftar forces. Several hundred foreign special operations troops and technical personnel have been in Libya, mostly eastern Libya, since 2011. Egypt has been trying to persuade the U.S., France and Russia to send in more special operations troops. Libya has been one area where Egypt and Qatar have been on the same side as both have supported the HoR and their military commander Khalifa Hiftar. Qatar was one of the new Arab states that sent warplanes in 2011 to join the NATO air campaign against Libyan dictator Kaddafi.
The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates in four segments: Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management, and Global Banking and Markets. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small, medium, and large businesses, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides online, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 954 branches and approximately 3,766 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,300 branches and a network of contact and support center internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada.
First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Specialty Insurance segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services. This segment also provides closing and/or escrow services; products, services, and solutions to mitigate risk or otherwise facilitate real estate transactions; and appraisals and other valuation-related products and services, lien release and document custodial services, warehouse lending services, default-related products and services, mortgage subservicing, and related products and services, as well as banking, trust, and wealth management services. In addition, it accommodates tax-deferred exchanges of real estate; and maintains, manages, and provides access to title plant data and records. This segment offers its products through a network of direct operations and agents in 49 states and in the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, and internationally. The Specialty Insurance segment provides property and casualty insurance comprising coverage to residential homeowners and renters for liability losses and typical hazards, such as fire, theft, vandalism, and other types of property damage. It also offers residential service contracts that cover residential systems, such as heating and air conditioning systems, and appliances against failures that occur as the result of normal usage during the coverage period. First American Financial Corporation was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of SAP: Abakus, Abakus Europe Limited, Abakus Ukraine Limited Liability Company, Adatfeldolgozasban Informatikai Kft., Altiscale, Ambin Properties Proprietary Limited, AppGyver, Ariba, Ariba Czech s.r.o., Ariba Inc. Palo Alto, Ariba India Private Limited, Ariba International, Ariba International Holdings, Ariba International Singapore Pte Ltd, Ariba Slovak Republic s.r.o., Ariba Software Technology Services (Shanghai) Co., Ariba Technologies India Private Limited, Ariba Technologies Netherlands B.V., Beijing Zhang Zhong Hu Dong Information Technology, Business Objects, Business Objects Holding B.V., Business Objects Option LLC, Business Objects Software Limited, CNQR Operations Mexico S. de. R.L. de. C.V., Callidus Software, CallidusCloud, Christie Partners Holding C.V., Clear Standards, ClearTrip Inc., ClearTrip Inc. (Mauritius), Cleartrip MEA FZ LLC, Cleartrip Private Limited, Coghead, ConTgo Consulting Limited, ConTgo Pty. Ltd., Concur (Austria) GmbH, Concur (Canada), Concur (France) SAS, Concur (Germany) GmbH, Concur (Japan) Ltd., Concur (New Zealand) Limited, Concur (Philippines) Inc., Concur (Switzerland) GmbH, Concur Czech (s.r.o.), Concur Holdings (France) SAS, Concur Holdings (Netherlands) B.V., Concur Technologies (Australia) Pty. Limited, Concur Technologies (Hong Kong) Limited, Concur Technologies (India) Private Limited, Concur Technologies (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Concur Technologies (UK) Limited, Concur Technologies Inc. Bellevue, Contextor, Coresystems, Crystal Decisions (Ireland) Limited, Crystal Decisions Holdings Limited, Crystal Decisions UK Limited, Emarsys, EssCubed Procurement Pty. Ltd., Extended Systems, Factory Logic, Fedem Technology AS, Fieldglass Europe Limited, Financial Fusion, FreeMarkets Ltda., Frictionless Commerce, Gigya, Gigya Australia Pty Ltd, Gigya Ltd., Gigya UK Ltd, GlobalExpense Limited, Highdeal, Hipmunk, Hybris (US) Corp., Hybris GmbH, Inxight Federal Systems Group, KXEN, Khimetrics, LLC "SAP Labs", LLC "SAP Ukraine", LLC SAP CIS, MaXware, Merlin Systems Oy, Multiposting Sp.z o.o., Nihon Ariba K.K., OpTier, OutlookSoft, OutlookSoft Deutschland GmbH, PLAT.ONE, PT SAP Indonesia, PT Sybase 365 Indonesia, Pilot Software Inc., Plat.One Inc., Plat.One Lab Srl, Plateau Systems LLC, Quadrem Africa Pty. Ltd., Quadrem Brazil Ltda., Quadrem Chile Ltda., Quadrem Colombia SAS, Quadrem International Ltd., Quadrem Netherlands B.V., Quadrem Overseas Cooperatief U.A., Quadrem Peru S.A.C., Qualtrics, Recast.AI, Right Hemisphere, Roambi, Ruan Lian Technologies (Beijing) Co., SAF, SAP (Beijing) Software System Co., SAP (Schweiz) AG, SAP (Schweiz) AG Biel, SAP (UK) Limited, SAP (UK) Limited Feltham, SAP AZ LLC, SAP America, SAP America Inc. Newtown Square, SAP Andina y del Caribe, SAP Argentina S.A., SAP Asia (Vietnam) Co., SAP Asia Pte Ltd, SAP Australia Pty Ltd, SAP Australia Pty Ltd. Sydney, SAP Belgium NV/SA, SAP Beteiligungs GmbH, SAP Brasil Ltda, SAP Brasil Ltda Sao Paulo, SAP Bulgaria EOOD, SAP Business Compliance Services GmbH, SAP Business Services Center Nederland B.V., SAP CR, SAP Canada, SAP Chile Limitada, SAP China Co., SAP China Co. Ltd. Shanghai, SAP China Holding Co., SAP Colombia S.A.S., SAP Commercial Services Ltd., SAP Concur, SAP Costa Rica, SAP Customer Experience, SAP Cyprus Limited, SAP Danmark A/S, SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG, SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG Walldorf, SAP Dritte Beteiligungs- und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, SAP EMEA Inside Sales S.L., SAP East Africa Limited, SAP Egypt LLC, SAP Erste Beteiligungs- und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, SAP Espana - Sistemas Informatica, SAP Estonia OU, SAP Fieldglass, SAP Financial, SAP Finland Oy, SAP Foreign Holdings GmbH, SAP France, SAP France Holding, SAP France Levallois Perret, SAP Global Marketing, SAP Hellas S.A., SAP Holdings (UK) Limited, SAP Hong Kong Co., SAP Hosting Beteiligungs GmbH, SAP Hungary Rendszerek, SAP India (Holding) Pte Ltd, SAP India Private Limited, SAP India Private Limited Bangalore, SAP Industries, SAP Industries Inc. Newtown Square, SAP International, SAP International Panama, SAP Investments, SAP Ireland Limited, SAP Ireland US - Financial Services Designated Activity Company, SAP Israel Ltd., SAP Italia Sistemi Applicazioni Prodotti in Data Processing S.p.A., SAP Italia Sistemi Applicazioni Prodotti in Data Processing S.p.A. Vimercate, SAP Japan Co., SAP Japan Co. Ltd. Tokyo, SAP Kazakhstan LLP, SAP Korea Ltd., SAP Labs, SAP Labs Bulgaria EOOD, SAP Labs Finland Oy, SAP Labs France SAS, SAP Labs India Private Limited, SAP Labs Israel Ltd., SAP Labs Korea, SAP Latvia SIA, SAP MENA FZ L.L.C., SAP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., SAP Malta Investments Ltd., SAP Mxico S.A. de C.V., SAP National Security Services PA, SAP Nederland B.V., SAP Nederland B.V. s-Hertogenbosch, SAP Service and Support Centre (Ireland) Limited, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP d.o.o., SeeWhy, Signavio, SuccessFactors, SuccessFactors Inc. South San Francisco, SwoopTalent, Sybase, Syclo, TopTier Software, Triversity, Vimercate, Virsa Systems, Visiprise, Wicom Communications, and conTgo limited.

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World Bank lends Rs19 billion for education sector reforms

The World Bank has agreed to loan the government of Nepal Rs19 billion for increasing the quality of education.
AutoZone, Inc. retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company offers various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Its products include A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs. In addition, the company offers maintenance products, such as antifreeze and windshield washer fluids; brake drums, rotors, shoes, and pads; brake and power steering fluids, and oil and fuel additives; oil and transmission fluids; oil, cabin, air, fuel, and transmission filters; oxygen sensors; paints and accessories; refrigerants and accessories; shock absorbers and struts; spark plugs and wires; and windshield wipers. Further, it provides air fresheners, cell phone accessories, drinks and snacks, floor mats and seat covers, interior and exterior accessories, mirrors, performance products, protectants and cleaners, sealants and adhesives, steering wheel covers, stereos and radios, tools, and wash and wax products, as well as towing services. Additionally, the company provides a sales program that offers commercial credit and delivery of parts and other products; sells automotive diagnostic and repair software under the ALLDATA brand through alldata.com; and automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through autozone.com. As of August 27, 2022, it operated 6,168 stores in the United States; 703 stores in Mexico; and 72 stores in Brazil. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee.
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.
Camping World Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, retails recreational vehicles (RVs), and related products and services. It operates in two segments, Good Sam Services and Plans; and RV and Outdoor Retail. The company provides a portfolio of services, protection plans, products, and resources in the RV industry. It also offers extended vehicle service contracts; roadside assistance plans; property and casualty insurance programs; travel assist travel protection plans; and RV and outdoor related consumer shows, as well as produces various monthly and annual RV focused consumer magazines; and operates the Coast to Coast Club. In addition, the company provides new and used RVs; vehicle financing; RV repair and maintenance services; various RV parts, equipment, supplies, and accessories, which include towing and hitching products, satellite and GPS systems, electrical and lighting products, appliances and furniture, and other products; and collision repair services comprising fiberglass front and rear cap replacement, windshield replacement, interior remodel solutions, and paint and body work. Further, it offers equipment, gears, and supplies for camping, hunting, fishing, skiing, snowboarding, bicycling, skateboarding, and marine and watersports equipment and supplies, as well as operates Good Sam Club, a membership organization that offers savings on a range of products and services and provides co-branded credit cards. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated through a network of approximately 187 retail locations in 40 states of the United States. It serves customers through dealerships, and online and e-commerce platforms. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management. The Consumer Banking and Lending segment offers diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses. Its financial products and services include checking and savings accounts, and credit and debit cards, as well as home, auto, personal, and small business lending services. The Commercial Banking segment provides financial solutions to private, family owned, and certain public companies. Its products and services include banking and credit products across various industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease products, and treasury management services. The Corporate and Investment Banking segment offers a suite of capital markets, banking, and financial products and services to corporate, commercial real estate, government, and institutional clients. Its products and services comprise corporate banking, investment banking, treasury management, commercial real estate lending and servicing, equity, and fixed income solutions, as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities services. The Wealth and Investment Management segment provides personalized wealth management, brokerage, financial planning, lending, private banking, and trust and fiduciary products and services to affluent, high-net worth, and ultra-high-net worth clients. It also operates through financial advisors. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Blackstone Inc. is an alternative asset management firm specializing in real estate, private equity, hedge fund solutions, credit, secondary funds of funds, public debt and equity and multi-asset class strategies. The firm typically invests in early-stage companies. It also provide capital markets services. The real estate segment specializes in opportunistic, core+ investments as well as debt investment opportunities collateralized by commercial real estate, and stabilized income-oriented commercial real estate across North America, Europe and Asia. The firm's corporate private equity business pursues transactions throughout the world across a variety of transaction types, including large buyouts,special situations, distressed mortgage loans, mid-cap buyouts, buy and build platforms, which involves multiple acquisitions behind a single management team and platform, and growth equity/development projects involving significant majority stakes in portfolio companies and minority investments in operating companies, shipping, real estate, corporate or consumer loans, and alternative energy greenfield development projects in energy and power, property, dislocated markets, shipping opportunities, financial institution breakups, re-insurance, and improving freight mobility, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, enterprise tech and consumer, as well as consumer technologies. The firm considers investment in Asia and Latin America. It has a three year investment period. Its hedge fund business manages a broad range of commingled and customized fund solutions and its credit business focuses on loans, and securities of non-investment grade companies spread across the capital structure including senior debt, subordinated debt, preferred stock and common equity. Blackstone Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York with additional offices across Asia, Europe and North America.
Joe I Love Bad Girls Scarborough. Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

Republicans make lousy music. Its bad enough that right-makes-might old hoofers like Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar, Wayne Newton, Lee Greenwood, Mike Love, and Charlie Daniels still thrive at red-state summer fairs, despite not having one decent song to show for the new century. Even worse, ever since Republican Party chairman, Southern Strategy devotee, and mediocre guitarist Lee Atwater enlisted legit R&B stars for a blues album in 1990, GOP operatives and funders have regularly been forming rock combos in the garages of their McMansions.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee plays bass when hes not tweeting from the Ayn Rand Book of Dad Jokes. Lately, weve learned about Trump lawyer Jay Sekulows Fogelberg-goes-creationist brand of folk rock, and current White House counsel Don McGahn has a band.

Republican senators John Ashcroft, Larry Craig, James Jeffords, and Trent Lott sang as a corpse-stiff a cappella quartet  a reverse boy band I wish theyd called One Erection. Devin Nunes looks like he had a ska band in college.

Now, Joe Scarborough  former Republican congressman (albeit from Florida) and co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC  has a new EP, Mystified, and hes threatening to release an EP every month for the next four years.

Joe Scarborough debuts his EP, Mystified, at The Cutting Room.

Already, even before releasing his maiden EP at the age of 54, Scarborough had a musical legacy, which includes his bands plodding Eagles covers, interviews where he courts cred by mentioning REM and the New Pornographers, and Reason to Believe, a clunky Americana antiwar ballad, sung from the perspective of a 9/11 widow. So its absolutely no surprise at all that Scarboroughs EP is 

Huh. Its not awful! Its decent. All five songs are pretty okay. Which means its basically the Sgt. Peppers of politico vanity-rock albums.

One of the things we learn about Scarborough is that he likes bad girls  thats the clear message of Girl Like That, where he describes his love for the depressed, alcoholic Jenny (gave me what I needed in a pickup truck  DAAAAAD! STOP IT!), and for Sandy, a frankly pretty basic-seeming student from Sagaponack doin bumps down at NYU. When the female choruss vocals warn him, You dont wanna live with a girl like that, Scarborough defies common sense, and asks, What the hell is it to you? (In an earlier draft of the song, he sang fuck instead of hell, but Joe might be scared of the current FCC chairman, a Republican lawyer who opposes net neutrality and, wattayaknow, was in-house counsel at Verizon.) No one tells Joe Scarborough who he can have sex with.

Surprisingly, the theme of the EP is decadence. Superbad introduces us to Joanie, a drugged-up fashion model who lives in a world of disco boys, cocaine, and sex-shop toys, and her stoner pal Jerry who is also on the drugs, and, while lying in bed, hums a tune from 75/When three of his brain cells were still alive. Its as though Walk on the Wild Side were being sung by a light-blue gingham shirt.

On Time Rolls On, over some sturdy, two-chord Tom Petty rock, Scarborough wryly and unflatteringly portrays his fellow baby boomers as an aimless and self-regarding generation who will not shut up already about their glory days, when peace and lust was just a hit away. One of the songs wayward dudes is a banker who loses the plot so badly, he followed Fugazi for a year. Points for originality.

Scarborough acknowledges that Mystified is about the aftermath of his divorce  his second rather than his first, presumably  and he pairs his self-loathing with some kicky, Cars-style new-wave pop. (By double-tracking the lead vocal, he sings both the flat-affect Ric Ocasek lower part and the more pleasant Benjamin Orr harmony.) Even in a song about himself, he sees libertines: speed freaks and east side bankers. (The EPs other theme, evidently, is bankers.) It sounds like he disapproves of both cohorts, but the song is kinda what a banker would sound like while freaking out on speed, and thats a compliment.

Except for one conventional love song, Lets Fall In Love, which, context tells us, is about Morning Joe co-host and future third wife Mika Brzezinski, these are weird songs full of unexpected imagery  visions of America sunk into decay. Hooks dont exactly roll off Scarborough or his band, whose evident skills never coalesce into a sound, and the best part of his pleasant voice is a scratchy lower register. When he brings in horns or soul background vocals, he brings back memories of Hue and Cry or Swing Out Sister, which is not a compliment. I said his music was surprising. I didnt say it was great.

Democrats make better music because rock is an intersection of different cultures, a kind of loose and unregulated village where, as in West Hollywood or Brooklyn, Republicans will always feel uneasy. Lee Atwater, for instance, loved black culture, but hated and exploited black people in service of getting Republicans elected, and his music suffered for it.

Being a greedy and ungenerous person will hurt not just your soul, but your music, too. Assholes can make great music, as can liars, hypocrites, mooncalves, illiterates, teenagers, and borderline personalities, but right-wingers cannot.

Yeah, sure, liberals can stink up the joint, too. CNBC reporter Steve Liesman has a Grateful Dead cover band, former Maryland governor Martin OMalley croaked a Taylor Swift cover for the cameras, and, as a tenor sax player, Bill Clinton made Kenny G sound like Cannonball Adderley. Your left-leaning correspondent has also toiled in some dodgy groups, but Im sure not gonna link to them. So dont start in with your #bothsides nonsense  if the fight is the Dixie Chicks and Martin OMalley against Mike Huckabee and the Oak Ridge Boys, its not close. Even Scarborough knows the score.

Its one of the great tragedies of my political life that Democrats get all the great musicians, Joe recently told Billboard. His EP doesnt change that imbalance. And even if its mostly a triumph over low expectations, theres an additional pleasure in knowing Mitch McConnell would find it unbearable.
Alas, shell have to be more devious. Photo: Sigbe llgaard / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Earlier this month, the New Hampshire state legislature passed Senate Bill 66, a bill that made medical professionals who aborted a fetus that was at least 20 weeks old guilty of an act comparable to first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, and causing or aiding suicide.

But, in trying to provide immunity to those charges for the woman who would have had the abortion, the bill mistakenly allowed pregnant women to legally kill anyone. Originally, the bill said murder charges couldnt apply to any act committed by the pregnant woman.

Yesterday, the state House passed an amended version of SB66, making it clear that a pregnant woman could not be charged for the death of a fetus, but was not exempt from murder charges in general. Action by the state Senate came later the same day.

Even if the bill had been signed into law with its original language, the certainty of its legally allowing pregnant women to commit murder would have conflicted with New Hampshire laws, not to mention superseding federal ones. Yet in a comment to the Concord Monitor, Devon Chaffee, the director of the New Hampshire chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the amendment made the bill even more confusing.

It changes the structure of the bills exemptions in a manner that is very difficult to understand. And these exemptions are critical: They protect pregnant women and their physicians from unjust murder and other homicide convictions.

New Hampshires governor, Chris Sununu, a Republican, is expected to sign SB66 into law. A round-up by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that at least 38 states have fetal homicide laws.
Kenya Pereira, a shy but smiley 12-year-old, is struggling to name her favourite thing about Romero House camp. She scrunches up her face in playful anguish. Ooohh, thats a hard question. Do I have to pick just one?

Yes, yes, only one, her father teases.

Seconds earlier Kenya and her 8-year-old sister, Vezua, had listed in rapid fire all the fun things they did last August at their very first summer camp.

Lake swimming, campfire sing-a-longs, crafts, jumping off the dock, playing hide-and-seek, flying kites, roasting marshmallows . . .

I caught my first fish! Kenya says, raising her arms.

We rode in a canoe! added Vezua, eager to chime in. At first I couldnt really swim, but then I got better.

There was also lasagna. I think it was the best lasagna I ever had, says Kenya. It was Colombian, she explains. With bananas. (Fried plantains, as it turns out.)

Stuck having to choose a single highlight, Kenya satisfies herself with a kind of omnibus answer: I guess just being there with my family was the best thing.

The Pereiras  Kenya, Vezua, their 4-year-old brother Kelmer and parents, Carla and Helmer  arrived in Toronto last year as refugees from Angola.

Among their first stops in the city was Romero House, which has been providing housing and settlement services to refugee claimants in Toronto for more than 25 years.

It was like a piece of heaven, Helmer Pereira says of the Bloor Street charity, where the family lived while their refugee claim was being heard.

For me theyre not an organization, Carla adds. Theyre family.

In addition to providing refugee families with shelter and support with their asylum claims, Romero House also organizes a weeklong summer camp for its residents every August. Fees for the camp, which is held at the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre in Espanola, Ont., are mostly covered by the Toronto Stars Fresh Air Fund.

Started in 1901 by longtime Star publisher Joseph Atkinson, the Fresh Air Fund provides grants to more than 100 organizations to subsidize summer camp fees for underprivileged children in the Toronto area. Every summer more than 25,000 kids are able to go to camp thanks to reader donations.

Romero House camp is really the highlight of our entire year, says Jenn McIntyre, director of Romero House. It shares a much bigger picture of Canada with newcomer families who rarely leave the urban centre of Toronto.

In addition to the regular summer camp stuff, families are also introduced to the history and culture of Indigenous people in Canada, McIntyre said, particularly the First Nations communities in the Manitoulin Island area.

It opened up a whole new window of Canada for our family, Carla said.

The Pereiras were once happy in Angola. Carla and Helmer both worked as engineers in the capital city of Luanda and the family lived comfortably. But Helmer grew increasingly frustrated with government corruption and mismanagement, and he didnt hide his opinions.

I was writing a lot of articles on my Facebook page against the government, Helmer Pereira said. They came after me.

Angola, a former Portuguese colony, is ruled by an authoritarian government that has been in place since the country gained independence in 1975. Corruption is rampant, while political dissent is forcibly repressed.

Helmer says he started organizing meetings to discuss ways to promote democracy and oppose the government with non-violence. He says he was arrested and jailed for four days, during which time he was beaten and tortured by police, who accused him of trying to overthrow the government.

He was released without charge, but he and his wife decided they could no longer live safely in Angola.

We just wanted to find a place with some level of security for our family.

The Pereiras had been in Canada for just three months when they joined six other refugee families at the Romero House camp. Carla says she enjoyed spending time with the other families and hearing their stories. Including the Romero House staff, there were people from more than a dozen different countries, Helmer said. It was amazing.

And it wasnt only the kids who had fun.

The parents partied after the kids went to sleep and Helmer won the karaoke competition. I still have the trophy.

The Pereiras were officially granted refugee status in December. They live in their own apartment now. Kenya and Vezua, who didnt speak any English when they arrived in Toronto 14 months ago, speak fluently now and they are excelling at school, their father says. Kelmer starts junior kindergarten in September.

Helmer credits Romero House with easing his familys transition and integration into Canadian life. The summer camp played a small, but memorable part.

You never know if youll be accepted or not, he said. They opened the door for us.

How to donate

With your gift, the Fresh Air Fund can help send 25,000 disadvantaged and special needs children to camp. The experience gives these children much more than relief from summer heat; it gives these children a break in life and memories to last a lifetime. Our target is $650,000.

By cheque: Mail to the Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund, One Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6

By credit card: Visa, MasterCard, AMEX or Discover, call 416-869-4847

Online: For instant donations, use our secure form at: thestar.com/freshairfund

The Star does not authorize anyone to solicit on its behalf. Tax receipts will be issued in September.

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The myth: That poutine, the cheesy, greasy, saucy, crunchy, soggy, melted meal, is Canadas national dish.

WARWICK, QUE.One month ago in Liverpool, Elizabeth Hurst and Michael Palfreeman realized a dream that began on the ski slopes of Mont-Tremblant.

The opening of their very own restaurant, Caribou Poutine, was an homage to the dish they had been handed as 18-year-old ski tourists the night of their arrival in the Laurentians in 2013. But it was also the fruit of years of hard work making five-hour batches of cheese curds round-the-clock in their kitchen, travelling the country with their street-food stall and cajoling finicky Brits to give the gooey, salty mix of fries, fresh cheese and hot sauce a try.

Ive had quite a few people who were skeptical, but weve never had anyone thats had it and not loved it, said Palfreeman.

Its just one of those things where its comfort food at its best, isnt it? Hurst added.

The English couple is among the legions of aficionados and restaurateurs preaching about poutine to the world. The hot, salty, squeaky dish has been served in the Obama White House; it was the winning dish when Montreal chef Chuck Hughes beat out Bobby Flay to become the Iron Chef; and it now acts as an international calling card of Canadian cuisine.

But that doesnt sit so well with those who know that it began as the dirty little secret of rural Quebec and insist that its provenance be properly acknowledged.

We now celebrate poutine, create food festivals around it and dress it up in lobster, pulled pork, foie gras, curry sauce, merguez, kimchi, shawarma and seaweed. But for most of its six-decade history, it was wolfed down in shame, looked down upon as a low-grade, working-class junk food.

It was embraced neither by Quebecs elite, who looked to France for their culinary references, nor English Canada, which laughed off the meal as proof as solid as your hardened arteries that, yes, perhaps Quebec was a distinct society after all.

When its country roots spread to the cities, healthy eating advocates demonized it. That was the 1980s. Before that it wasnt much known at all except for those in the Drummondville and Victoriaville areas, for whom it was simply snack food.

Cheese producers in the area had long sold cheese curds in snack packs, much as they are sold in convenience stores, gas stations and supermarkets to this day. The popularity of the cheese led to the creation of the dish.

There are two competing tales about its genesis. The one that credits Drummondville as poutines birthplace says Jean-Paul Roy, who made his living selling fries and gravy at a stand in town, had a surge in customers requesting cheese curds be added. His waitresses demanded he come up with a name for the concoction.

At the same time there was a cook nicknamed Ti-Pout. It sounded similar to pudding which was the name they used at the time for all the bizarre mixes of food. So they said Ti-Pout makes the pudding and that was how they came up with the name poutine,  said Renee Brousseau, the general manager of the Drummondville restaurant that Roy created, Le Roy Jucep.

The other creation story says Fernand Lachance, a restaurant owner in Warwick, created the dish at the behest of a customer and remarked that it would make a maudit poutine or a hell of a mess.

But in a 1990 interview Lachance gave to La Tribune, a Sherbrooke newspaper, he said his 1957 poutine creation was simply hot fries and melted cheese curds. The dish as we know it today, with hot gravy poured over top, came five years later, in 1962.

Drummondville has registered the trademark the inventor of poutine; Gilles Lachance, one of Fernands sons, has a copy of the 1957 menu listing the dish for sale.

The reason it has remained hidden so long is much the same reason that a poutine outside of Quebec will rarely compare to one in its home province  the fast-closing window of the fresh cheddar-cheese curd.

Its a product that doesnt last long, said Yvan Lemaire, of Fromagerie Lemaire, a cheese producer from Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover, near Drummondville. Two days maximum. Today, maybe a bit longer, but here we dont sell it if its more than a day old.

Before taking over the family business in the 1970s, Lemaire, who lived and worked in Montreal at the time, said there were no traces of poutine in Quebecs largest city. It entered the metropolis in the 1980s with mixed results.

The owner of a four Burger King franchises in Quebec obtained permission from the burger chain in 1983 to offer it in his restaurants in Sherbrooke and Montreal, using Fromagerie Lemaires cheese curds. But others offering poutine let the exacting cheese standards fall. The dishs reputation followed.

Once they started using good cheese, the market picked up again, Lemaire said.

Toronto chef Christopher Zanti was a fan growing up on the West Island of Montreal, but he was skeptical when he started seeing it on Ontario menus in the 1990s.

You do have that thought of, Oh, is it going to be as good as it is back home?  Zanti said. I do associate it with Quebec. Its a Canadian dish now, but its place is in Quebec and you always worry that if you take something out of its home, it may not do as well elsewhere.

Poutines popularity has only grown as it has travelled, first across Canada, then down to the United States, now internationally. Somewhere along that path, it has transformed from a rural Quebec dish to a Canadian classic, which is not to everyones taste.

In a 2016 academic paper entitled Poutine Dynamics, Nicolas Fabien-Ouellet argued that classifying the Quebec creation as Canadian actually risks the provinces culture and customs being absorbed and assimilated by the English-Canadian majority.

Over a curry poutine in an Irish pub in Montreal, Fabien-Ouellet, who is completing a masters program in food systems at the University of Vermont, likened the predicament to the Arab origins of falafel, which is now seen as Israels national dish.

What is a Quebecker to do, other than feel powerless by the global forces at play?

Thats a bit like saying that its up to the victim to solve the problem. Its for people from all over to eat poutine and adapt poutine. Just dont say that its Canadian, he said. If you say its Canadian and you are aware of the context of the dish and you continue to say that it is Canadian then you are participating in the assimilation of Quebec within Canada.

We wont mention that to Pierre Lalumiere and his wife, Marie-Claude Dubois, proud new owners of Crave Restaurant on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand. It may be one of the most exotic, far-flung places where poutine is served along with other western comfort foods sought by travellers.

We advertise it in our menu as Canadian poutine . . . but whenever someone from Quebec shows up, or even when a Canadian shows up, they ask us where were from and when we say Montreal, they know its a Quebec poutine, he said.

But for us  people in Thailand dont know where Quebec is, and were Canadian at the end of the day  proud to be Canadian.

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OTTAWASenators passed the Liberal governments budget Thursday, ending a political stand-off that could have cut short the MPs summer break.

The back-and-forth budget battle  fought in recent days over whether the Senate had the political authority to amend the governments budget  ended when Senators reluctantly backed down and approved it.

Thursdays vote defused the deadlock for now though Senators used the opportunity to insist they have the constitutional right to amend any legislation whatever its nature or source.

Crisis averted, politicians are returning to their ridings. The Parliament they will return to this fall promises to be different with new political leaders and a new dynamic as the 2019 election begins to loom large over federal politics and policies.

By mid-September, the Liberals will be nearing the mid-point of their four-year mandate. Trudeau and his Liberal MPs will face off against opposition parties reenergized by leadership contests. The Conservatives now have Andrew Scheer at the helm. This fall, the New Democrats will select the leader to replace Thomas Mulcair.

On Wednesday, Scheer previewed a few of the themes hell be taking to Canadians this summer  accusations of reckless spending by the Liberals and the promise of positive Conservative policies.

After just two years of Justin Trudeau, Canadians are already looking for a fresh alternative, he told reporters on Parliament Hill.

Were almost at the halfway mark for this Liberal mandate and its pretty obvious the sunny skies here have clouded over, he said, a jab at Trudeaus sunny ways slogan.

Its not as bad as that for the Liberals, according to David Coletto, the CEO of Abacus Data, who says that Trudeau and the government continue to enjoy good approval ratings among Canadians.

But Coletto notes that the Liberals have had the luxury of governing while facing a temporary leader on the Conservative side (Rona Ambrose) and a leader on his way on the New Democrats (Thomas Mulcair).

So things start to get real now. That for them is probably going to be the real challenge, he said in an interview.

On Thursday, Government House Leader Bardish Chagger touted the governments track record this session, including the March budget, investments to combat gender-based violence, legislation to implement the Canada-European Union trade deal and just this week, legislation to overhaul national security services and oversight.

But other promises have slipped by the wayside. The promised reform of Canadas electoral system has been abandoned. The government made improvements to access to information laws but ditched their campaign vow to make it apply to the offices of cabinet ministers and the prime minister.

The pledge to balance the books by 2019-20 has gone out the window with sizeable deficits now predicted for the foreseeable future.

The Liberals boast about being back on the world stage but a key promise of that foreign policy  a military peace mission  remains in limbo. That announcement is now expected this fall  more than a year after the government first sketched out its ambitions for the deployment.

Mr. Trudeau has consistently failed to deliver on his promises, Mulcair told reporters at a session-ending news conference this week.

You could be forgiven for thinking that because they only got 40 per cent of the vote, the Liberals figure its okay if they only respect 40 per cent of their promises, he said.

I think Canadians are beginning to realize that theyve been had, he said.

The Liberals have their challenges on other fronts too. The post of official languages commissioner sits empty after a bungled attempt to fill the job with a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister. The stumble highlighted the governments slow progress in filling other vacancies in federal posts, a list that has grown to include the RCMP commissioner, chief justice of the Supreme Court and information commissioner.

The legalization of marijuana for recreational use remains a work in progress with some provinces questioning whether they will be ready for the July, 2018 deadline.

The Liberals came into office pledging an ambitious agenda and in 2019, voters will be taking a hard look at what got done, Coletto said. Come election time, thats going to be the discussion. Have Mr. Trudeau and the Liberals lived up to the expectations? he said.

For Conservatives, their goal this summer should be to introduce Scheer to Canadians and boost his profile as the new party leader while broadening the appeal of the party, Coletto said.

Coletto has emphasized the need for Conservatives to boost support among millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000 who will make up a key segment of the electorate in 2019.

How do you make conservatism millennial-friendly becomes a really important question. You dont have to win this demographic but they have to do better, Coletto said.

For the NDP, battered in the 2015 election, the leadership contest is a chance to rejuvenate the party and redefine for voters who they are as a party, what do they stand for, Coletto said

Abacus polling shows that Canadians remain open to voting for the NDP but to win those votes, the third-place party needs to tell a compelling story, helped in part by the selection of a new leader, he said.

Whether the New Democrats succeed in their political rebuilding will have a big impact on the next election. If the NDP can win over Liberal votes and the Conservatives can rebuild their own support, that would spell trouble for Trudeau, Coletto said.

Its all about what happens on the left side of the spectrum, I think, as to whether the Tories can actually win, first of all, and two, whether Mr. Trudeau can get re-elected, Coletto said.

With files from the Canadian Press

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Wapekeka First Nation has declared a state of emergency after the suicide of 12-year-old Jenera Roundsky last week sent 35 kids into a mental health crisis and ignited fears that a suicide pact that gripped the community in January still exists.

Wapekeka band manager Joshua Frogg said this is a very high number for a small community like ours, Frogg said of the community of 400 Oji-Cree about 400 kilometres northeast of Sioux Lookout, Ont.

Our people are getting tired. So now little kids, 10-, 11-, 12-year-olds are helping our people as first responders and this is not acceptable. They are the ones at risk. We need help, boots on the ground, people properly trained to assess and determine and help as needed  we dont need 11 and 12-year-olds on the front lines trying to save their friends, that adds trauma, Frogg said.

The remote, fly-in First Nation has been in a state of crisis after the deaths of two 12-year-old girls in January. Jolynn Winter took her life on Jan. 8 and her friend, Chantell Fox, followed her two days later.

Wapekeka has appealed to the Canadian Red Cross, which is trying to figure out how they can best help, said media relations adviser Jennifer Ouellette.

As the community identifies what assistance is required, the Red Cross will continue to be actively engaged in these discussions to determine how we might be able to support the Wapekeka First Nation during this very difficult time, based on our capacity, resources and areas of expertise, she said.

The community does not have the money to pay for more fly-in help, said Frogg. Earlier this year, Health Canada promised Wapekeka $380,000 in emergency funding but only $95,000 has arrived and that was spent by the end of March on new mental health workers, Frogg said.

We still dont have that money the feds promised. Im the band manager, I look after the finances and that money is not there yet. Im moving financial resources from other programs in order to help our people. We are stressed and maxed to the limit, he said.

Wapekeka requested $380,000 last summer when the community discovered a suicide pact among its teenagers. Health Canada originally refused. However, the federal health authority changed its mind after an anonymous donor came forward and offered to pay the $380,000. But that donor has since rescinded his offer.

Dr. Michael Kirlew, a physician in the Sioux Lookout Region who is heading to Wapekeka, credited the First Nation for coming up with a plan last year and trying to get it funded.

Communities have put forward solutions. It is not as if Wapekeka wasnt doing anything and just waiting around. It has been almost a year, Kirlew said, adding the health system is not equitable for Indigenous people and that the kids have no access to the mental health services needed.

How many youth are going to have to die before we get system transformation. Is it four? Is it five? We need to transform the system or else we wont improve the outcomes, he said.

Gary Holub, a spokesperson for Health Canada said the $95,000 payment was the balance owing from the fiscal year 2016-2017 and that the department is committed to providing Wapekeka with $380,000 in enhanced funding until 2019.

Since last winter Health Canada has continued to fund additional crisis supports, including three staff rotating every 10 days, up to four mental health counsellors, administration and ground transportation, noted the department in a statement to the Star.

Since the beginning of the current fiscal year (April 1), Health Canada has provided Wapekeka with close to $1 million for the delivery of their community health programs. On May 9, Health Canada also provided a letter of commitment to Chief (Brennan) Sainnawap confirming $380,000 annually (until March 2019), which will fund four youth mental health workers who were requested by the community, the statement said, adding the workers are already in place.

Health Canada is now providing more than $900,000 on an annual basis for mental wellness programs, the statement said.

This latest crisis was touched off by the death of Jenera Roundsky, a 12-year-old girl whose body was discovered at the outdoor ice rink on June 13 by another 12-year-old, said Frogg. Now there is concern for that childs well-being.

That stays with you for a long, long time. I have had to cut down one person (who had hanged themselves), many years ago. It stays with you forever. It never goes away. Can you imagine a child? he asked.

Trauma teams from Sioux Lookout that stay for a period of 10 days then rotate out will hopefully be soon in place for the next year, Frogg said.

The anonymous donor pulled his funding support after the community questioned his very detailed agreement on how the money would be used. Im used to looking after reporting to the federal government and the province, but this one was something else. I couldnt do it, the way he wanted it done. We said wed use the money  since the federal government was coming through with the $380,000  towards their annual anti-suicide conference. People look forward to it every year. They come from all over. But then he pulled the money, he said. It was disheartening.

Wapekeka, for years, was proactive in ensuring healing and suicide prevention through community plans and their annual Survivors of Suicide Conference, but lack of funds led to its cancellation.

But the funding for these programs was cut two years ago. The conferences provided healing for the survivors of convicted pedophile Ralph Rowe, as well as their families. Rowes child sexual assault charges affected many northern communities. The Anglican priest and Boy Scout leader used to fly into communities and spend time with adolescent boys.

Health Canada now says it will fund the conference once again.

In 1994, Rowe was convicted of 39 counts of indecent assault on 15 boys ages 8 to 14. He was sentenced to six years in prison and served 41/2 years. As part of his 1994 plea deal, he was protected from facing more charges of a similar nature.

In 2006, Rowe faced 75 charges involving 31 victims, the Star reported in 2011. But after preliminary hearings, the complainants fell to 25 from 31 and the charges to 57 from 75. Only two cases resulted in convictions.

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Nobody tells you when you get a dog how intimate you will become with every sad patch of grass and gravel outside your door. If youre an urban dog owner, your animal is not your best friend: a lush median strip is your best friend, a mound of dirt adjacent to a construction site is your best friend, a fire hydrant is your best friend. In other words, pretty much anything (besides your floor) on which your dog can comfortably relieve itself is your best friend.

I got a puppy a few weeks ago, a miniature poodle named Homer, and Toronto has come to feel like a whole new city. For one thing, strangers talk to me  especially strangers who have dogs. And though we talk, a lot, I never learn their names  only the names of their dogs.

Whos this? they ask, looking down at Homer, not making eye contact with me even though its obviously my response theyre waiting for because Homer, though quite intelligent, is not going to introduce himself. This is Homer, I say, and whos this? Rocket, Teddy, Dash, Beyonce: these are a few of the canine acquaintances Homer and I have made these past few weeks.

The nice thing about dog-inspired small talk is that unlike traditional small talk involving two humans at a cocktail party you dont need to think about or speak about yourself. Its odd, but Ive learned that Id much rather tell a perfect stranger about the size and consistency of Homers stool than remind an acquaintance what it is I do for a living, and (shudder) how I feel about current events.

But friendly, nameless owners aside, there is a dark side to dog life in the city.

Enter the overconfident owner of the insecure, fearful dog. The guy who thinks he knows his animal companion so well and is so absolutely certain his dog will never misbehave, let alone maul a person or another dog to death, he lets him walk off the leash outside the park  sometimes on a busy city sidewalk. He does this even though his dog may not be the perfect angel his owner believes him to be, but is a menace to society and anyone on rollerblades.

I encountered one of these menaces last week when I was walking Homer in a park near my house. Luckily, the lone wanderer  a mastiff of some kind  took a greater interest in me than he did in Homer, whom he could have swallowed whole. The dog lunged at me and proceeded to mount me, until his dishevelled owner appeared, reined him in and apologized. Sorry, she said. He gets excited.

The city of Toronto is well aware of these excitable and potentially dangerous nuisances. This week, a city spokesperson announced it will crack down this summer on people who let their dogs roam off-leash outside designated dog parks. The fine for violating the citys off-leash bylaw? Up to $365.

Not everyone loves (dogs), Rod Jones, Torontos director of bylaw enforcement, told media. Weve got dog lovers and non-dog lovers and everyone has to coexist.

But the question remains: how can coexistence occur if overconfident owners dont take the off-leash bylaw seriously? If they think coexistence means other people who are afraid of dogs (or who simply dont like dogs) must learn to live with free-range pets walking alongside them? It cant.

My wife assumes off-leash dogs must be well behaved, like model prisoners who are granted leave from jail for special events, because otherwise their owners wouldnt let them roam free. But Im not convinced.

Last month, a chihuahua in Edmonton was mauled to death by a pit bull walking off-leash. The owner of the pit bull was reportedly shocked by the dogs behaviour, remarking that he had never done anything like this before. Owner obliviousness seems to be the one consistent ingredient in almost every case of aggression by an off-leash dog. Its for this reason that I tend to view these free-range pets the same way the city of Toronto does: with extreme trepidation.

No matter how cuddly or friendly, dogs are unpredictable. They are animals. It doesnt matter if you dote on them everyday, nor does it matter that they like to have their bellies rubbed. Sometimes they kill other animals and small children.

Loving your dog unconditionally is harmless when all you want to do is talk to strangers about what his favourite chew toy is this week, and how many times a day he goes to the bathroom. But when that love blinds you to the fact that your dog is an animal and thus, unknowable, then youre not just misguided  youre dangerous.

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OTTAWATo hear Ralph Goodale tell it, his plan to overhaul scrutiny of Canadas national security services will not only provide Canadians comfort, but is welcomed by the agencies soon to come under the microscope.

Richard Fadden, a former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and former national security adviser, isnt so sure.

Fadden says the bill overall is a pretty good package, but the oversight plan  which includes a committee of parliamentarians, a sprawling national review agency to reach across all government departments, and a quasi-judicial intelligence commissioner, along with the Federal Court  is getting to be a little heavy.

The federal court, said Fadden, is very demanding of CSIS, requiring lots of paperwork and long affidavits to support requests in the one-sided secret hearings where warrant applications are decided. If the new intelligence commissioner  whose job will be to validate ministerial approvals of CSIS or the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) actions  is anywhere near as demanding as the court, he warns, then were in trouble.

Goodale, asked if he got any pushback from the security services when the government finalized its long-promised proposal that will saddle them with more requirements to get approvals for and report on their actions, was succinct: No, I did not. I did not.

I think the agencies themselves realize and recognize that unless they have the credibility and the authority that comes with effective review and scrutiny, that they are impaired in being able to do the job they need to do, Goodale said in answer to the Stars questions.

On the flip side, the Liberal government has not drastically curbed the powers of CSIS, the CSE or the RCMP to pursue terrorists or combat foreign threats to Canadas security. If anything, CSE  Canadas equivalent to the American National Security Agency  gets new cyberwarfare tools to combat foreign threats. And powers to disrupt suspected terror threats at home are better defined, but largely left intact by Bill C59, Goodales reform package. The bill adds certain limits, saying torture, detention and serious property damage are no-go zones for CSIS.

Goodale promises additional refinements to come. We are redrafting existing ministerial directives to deal with foreign information-sharing and sensitive sectors like journalism, he said this week.

Goodale says public trust and confidence that Canadas security agencies are accountable to civilian authorities will be bolstered by the measures.

Without that real confidence, then the agencies are not in a position to do an effective job. You need both, and thats what weve said from the very beginning. This whole exercise is to keep Canadians safe and to safeguard rights and freedoms, and the two of those things are absolutely inseparable.

A bill tabled Tuesday creates two new bodies on top of a third  a national security committee of parliamentarians proposed last year which received royal assent Thursday and will soon see MPs and senators appointed by the prime minister.

The latest measures would create a super-watchdog agency of experts to review the national security and intelligence activities of some 17 to 20 federal departments and agencies. (Even the experts do not agree on exactly how many departments and agencies play a role in Canadas security and intelligence services.)

It will be called the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency and will subsume and broaden the reach of the watchdog Security and Intelligence Review Committee that now conducts after-the-fact review of the activities of CSIS.

In addition, Goodales bill doubles down on the kind of real-time oversight of covert or active anti-terrorism operations that ministerial and judicial authorizations currently provide.

Bill C59 would create a second level of quasi-judicial pre-authorization of certain spying and data collection activities through the office of Intelligence Commissioner. The commissioner would be a retired judge who would validate ministerial approvals of certain foreign intelligence gathering, cybersecurity and data collection activities, to ensure the ministers authorizations are reasonable.

Fadden said that adds not just a layer of scrutiny, but a new reasonableness threshold to meet, and a lot will depend on how the commissioner or his staff define reasonable.

In other words, the intelligence commissioner is going to be asked to bless what a minister has already decided about the legality of and necessity for an agencys proposed action  before it goes to seek a court warrant.

So is it simply more political cover? How much oversight is too much oversight?

Cyberspies, covert operatives, police officers, lawyers and undercover agents who work within CSIS, CSE, the RCMP, the border services, national defence, foreign affairs or any of the other agencies and departments are not free to offer their personal opinion publicly about the proposed reforms.

Goodale insisted the agencies gave constructive input, and the whole package is intended to fill gaps in Canadas national security architecture. He said Canada was an outlier because it did not have a committee of parliamentarians with access to classified material until now. He said the review committee of experts will augment what the parliamentarians will do.

Yet Faddens not alone in his concerns. Ward Elcock, another former head of CSIS, told Global News, that overall, the sum of the legislation is ultimately, I think, going to add hugely to the workload of organizations such as CSIS.

Its all onerous, and it required people to do the work. And when you have people doing that work, theyre not out on the street or working to stop a terror threat, said Elcock.

Asked how much oversight is too much oversight, Goodale said the biggest burden on the system is when something goes wrong because of a lack of review or scrutiny and the burden of a formal public inquiry in a judicial system comes down on the agencies.

Goodale said, however, that he is open to comment and advice and criticism as the legislation makes its way through Parliament, and added we obviously consulted very thoroughly with the agencies themselves to make sure that what were proposing is workable.

The government has estimated its entire package of reforms will cost about $70 million in new money and take up another $30 million of re-purposed funds.

Andrew Gowling, a spokesman for Goodales department, told the Star that the National Security Independent Review Agency (or NSIRA) would inherit approximately 20 personnel from the current CSIS watchdog agency, known as SIRC.

And the new Intelligence Commissioner would inherit the CSE watchdogs people. The Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner has approximately 10 employees now.

Gowling said the government will then provide each new watchdog with the resources necessary to do their respective jobs. While its exact budget and number of personnel have yet to be finalized, the NSIRA will receive significant new resources and staff to effectively review the full range of the governments national security and intelligence activities.

Fadden estimates the NSIRA will need at least 50 people, and says if the new intelligence commissioner is as demanding paper-wise and process-wise as the Federal Court, were in trouble.

Law professors Craig Forcese and Kent Roach, who wrote the textbook analysis of the Conservatives anti-terror changes of 2015, have begun to delve into the proposed Liberal changes.

Writing in Policy Options magazine, they said the new review body is welcome, and will be state-of-the-art in terms of the law. But much will depend on the resourcing of the agency and those who are appointed to it. 

There are provisions for the prime minister to consult with party leaders about appointments to the agency, but commanding public confidence will require more than simple consultations among political leaders. It will require credible appointments and robust resourcing and staffing. Tackling whole-of-government review will be a big challenge, with inevitable teething pains: suddenly a number of government departments never reviewed before will be subject to scrutiny.

They also welcomed the front-end oversight or authorization system proposed in the form of an intelligence commissioner, a retired judge.

Again, resourcing and staffing will be key.

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DAWSON CITY, YUKONA mummified human toe that is the key ingredient in a strange drinking ritual in Dawson City is back where it belongs.

RCMP in the Yukon city say the shrivelled, brown toe that was stolen last weekend has been returned to its rightful owner.

The toe, which is used in the Downtown Hotels popular sourtoe cocktail, had vanished on Saturday after being added to a drink at the hotel bar.

RCMP say they received a call on Tuesday afternoon from the alleged thief, who said he had mailed the toe to the hotel.

He also said he had called the hotel to say the toe was on its way and offered a verbal apology.

The package, containing both the toe and a letter of apology, arrived Thursday and was opened by an RCMP officer, who said the toe was believed to be in good condition. The RCMP say charges are not expected to be laid.

Hotel manager Geri Colbourne said a couple had arrived late Saturday and requested the unique drink but the waitress was called away after pouring two shots. The toe was gone when she returned.

According to tradition, drinkers must allow the toe to touch their lips in order to join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club.

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OTTAWAThe Toronto-born son of Russian spies has won a court battle to regain his Canadian citizenship after it was revoked by Ottawa.

The long-awaited Federal Court of Appeal decision in Alexander Vavilovs favour is the latest twist in an intriguing espionage saga that spans continents and cultures.

Vavilov was born in 1994 as Alexander Philip Anthony Foley to Donald Heathfield and Tracey Ann Foley. The following year the family  including an older boy, Timothy  left Canada for France, where they spent four years before moving to the United States.

Alexanders life unravelled one day in June 2010 when the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation turned up at the familys Boston-area home.

I remember vividly the FBI agents entering our house with weapons as I walked down the stairs, he said in an affidavit filed with the court. My parents were handcuffed in front of my eyes and I was led to a dark car outside without being told why my parents were being arrested.

In all, 11 people  four of whom claimed to be Canadian  were indicted on charges of conspiring to act as secret agents in the United States on behalf of the SVR, the Russian Federations successor to the notorious KGB.

Heathfield and Foley admitted to being Andrey Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova.

The FBI said Moscow had instructed Bezrukov and Vavilova to gather information about U.S. foreign policy. They apparently communicated with Russian spymasters through special computer software that embeds secret messages in images.

Bezrukov had cribbed the birth record of a baby with the surname Heathfield who died in Montreal at six weeks in early 1963, assuming his identity, the FBI said.

Bezrukov and Vavilova were among those sent back to Moscow  part of a swap for prisoners in Russia.

Alexander finished high school in Russia, studying in English.

He changed his surname to Vavilov on the advice of Canadian officials in a bid to obtain a Canadian passport. But he ran into difficulties at the passport office and in August 2014 the citizenship registrar informed Vavilov the government no longer recognized him as a citizen of Canada.

The registrar said his parents were employees of a foreign government at the time of his birth, making him ineligible for citizenship.

The Federal Court upheld the decision two years ago.

Vavilov, 23, has been studying in Europe. But he says a plan to attend the University of Toronto, where he was accepted in 2012, was scuttled by the documentation problems. He has returned to Canada several times over the years and insists he has a profound connection to his birthplace.

When I meet new people I say I am from Canada, Vavilov said in his affidavit. This is because I have always and will always consider myself to be Canadian. It is the only culture I can associate with, and has been a cornerstone of my identity, even after these events.

In its decision this week, the Federal Court of Appeal set aside the lower-court ruling and quashed the registrars decision to cancel Vavilovs citizenship.

It said the provisions of the Citizenship Act the registrar cited shouldnt apply because Vavilovs parents did not have diplomatic privileges or immunities while in Canada.

Timothy Vavilov, 26, also went to court after being stripped of Canadian citizenship. Lawyer Hadayt Nazami, who represents both brothers, said he will ask the Federal Court, where Timothys case sits, to recognize the Court of Appeal judgment.

The federal government still has time to challenge the latest decision at the Supreme Court of Canada.

But Nazami said the brothers are delighted, because for them it has been a very long struggle.

And so finally they feel that theyve been vindicated. They always saw themselves as Canadians.

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York Regional Police is investigating the deaths of two Indigenous teens whose bodies were found in Thunder Bay waterways in May.

Ontario Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer said he contacted the York police service to provide a new perspective into the investigation of the death of North Caribou Lake First Nations Tammy Keeash, 17, and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwugs Josiah Begg, 14.

Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, the largest First Nations police service in Canada, will be assisting York Regional Police. It has close to 130 officers serving northern Ontario Indigenous communities.

They started Wednesday, Huyer said, adding that he, the York Regional Police and Thunder Bay Police met to try to figure out an operational approach to the investigation.

York Region is an external agency, theyll bring a different perspective into these death investigations . . . . They are a moderately, big-sized organization so they have the capacity to be able to provide the investigators to assist us but also they have experience and skill in complex death investigations, Huyer said.

Thunder Bay has been on edge after the deaths of Keeash, who disappeared from her foster home on May 6 and whose body was found in the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway on May 7, and Begg, who disappeared the same night. His body was found by a police underwater team on May 18. Begg had been in town with his father for medical appointments.

Thunder Bay police have said Keeashs death was consistent with drowning, even though she was trained in water safety. Beggs community was concerned that the police said there was no evidence that he had gone near the river and the search for the teen was called off early, First Nations leaders said.

The teens deaths follow that of Stacy DeBungee, a 41-year-old Rainy River First Nation man whose body was found in a river in October 2015. Hours after his body was found, police said his death was not suspicious. DeBungees family and community hired an outside private investigator who discovered his bank card was used shortly after his death.

All 77 northern Ontario Indigenous leaders last month called on provincial and federal authorities to bring in the RCMP to investigate the river deaths.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said Thursday that they had wanted the RCMP to investigate all three deaths.

This is not the request that we made a few weeks ago when we were in Queens Park asking for the RCMP to come in, Fiddler said. He conceded it was important a fresh set of eyes come in and help the coroners office to fully investigate the circumstances that led to the tragic deaths of Josiah Begg and Tammy Keeash.

Keeash and Begg were the sixth and seventh Indigenous teens to die in Thunder Bay waters since 2000. Indigenous leaders have long complained about the quality of the police investigations surrounding the deaths, noting many are quick to say that no foul play is suspected. An eight-month long inquest into the deaths of the seven teens  five of whom were found in waterways  wrapped up one year ago. The inquest had 145 recommendations and heard evidence of the racism Indigenous people in Thunder Bay face daily.

The Office of the Independent Police Review Director  an arms-length civilian police watchdog  has been investigating Thunder Bay Police since November for systemic racism relating to all cases of Indigenous deaths and disappearances. The Thunder Bay Police Services Board is also under investigation by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission for their failure to police the police. The OIPRD is now investigating the deaths of Begg and Keeash.

York investigators will travel to North Caribou and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, both in northwestern Ontario, to meet the families and discuss what is happening.

They need to understand and know that we are involved. We think it is important the York Regional police take my message and decision to the families and learn from them their concerns and their perspectives, Huyer said.

Thunder Bays acting chief of police, Sylvie Hauth, said in a statement that their force will do whatever it can to assist.

The Thunder Bay Police Service supports this joint effort and will continue to work on behalf of Tammy and Josiahs families and their communities, said Hauth.

Concerning the DeBungee death, Fiddler said that he, Rainy River Chief Jim Leonard and Grand Council Treaty #3 Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh were told the OPP did conduct an investigation into the DeBungee case at the request of Thunder Bay Police.

But after completing the investigation, the OPP turned over their report to Thunder Bay Police but for reasons we dont understand the Thunder Bay Police is refusing to share the report with the family or the community.

We are very concerned about this. We need to make sure the family has access to that report, Fiddler said.

He added all the northern chiefs want the federal government to step in and address what is happening in Thunder Bay.

That is still our position. They have a role and responsibility  especially when it comes to ensuring the safety of our students that come to Thunder Bay to go to high school. They are also responsible. The recommendations of the inquest, many are directed to the federal government and they are obligated to help, Fiddler said.

And that includes ensuring all Indigenous kids have access to safe schooling in safe communities in equitably funded schools.

The chiefs will hold an emergency meeting on July 5 and 6 in Thunder Bay to address concerns for the families that refuse to send their students back to the city in September. But choices are limited. If students dont leave their home communities and head to Thunder Bay, many wont have access to a high school education.

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The French company tapped to provide vehicles for new Toronto-area light rail lines will face major financial penalties if the cars are late, the Star has learned, which the province hopes will prevent the kind of messy legal dispute its found itself in with its original supplier, Bombardier.

Last month, Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca announced the provincial government had reached a $528-million deal with Alstom for 61 light rail vehicles (LRVs), 44 of which could end up in service on the Eglinton Crosstown.

Bombardier signed a deal in 2010 to supply the fleet for the Crosstown and other Toronto-area lines, but it has missed delivery deadlines, and, as the provinces dispute with the Quebec-based company dragged on, the government opted to place the order with Alstom as backup.

More than a month after Del Ducas announcement, the province has yet to release details of the Alstom contract, which it issued on a sole-source basis.

However, sources with knowledge of the deal confirmed that Alstom will pay a penalty of $55,000 a day for each vehicle thats late. Thats more than 35 times greater than the late penalties in the Bombardier contract.

The contract with Alstom also caps the total late penalties the manufacturer can incur at 13 per cent of the value of the contract, compared to the 5-per-cent cap in the Bombardier deal. While the Bombardier contract contained subcaps on damages that could make it difficult to recoup the full 5 per cent, the Alstom deal has no such subcaps.

In response to the Stars questions, a spokesperson for Del Duca said confidentiality provisions in the Alstom contract prevent the ministry from disclosing information that could be proprietary or commercially sensitive.

But he said the contract contained strengthened provisions that protect the public interest. We expect all of our suppliers to honour their contractual obligations, perform professionally and to recognize that there are consequences for failing to do so, said Celso Pereira.

The weaker penalties in the Bombardier contract were a major factor cited by Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, in its decision to move to cancel the deal last year. Thats because the late fees Bombardier would incur were dwarfed by the financial consequences Metrolinx said it would face if the Crosstowns 2021 opening date was delayed.

In court documents filed earlier this year as part of the contract dispute, Metrolinx estimated that it would owe the consortium building the Crosstown up to $500,000 a day if the lines opening was pushed back because the vehicles hadnt arrived on time.

Bombardier, meanwhile, would only be on the hook for $1,500 a day for each late vehicle.

Metrolinx said the disparity between the penalties left it exposed to major financial risk.

Last fall, Metrolinx served Bombardier with a notice of intention to terminate the $770-million contract, which was for 182 cars, 76 of which were slated for the Crosstown. Metrolinx claimed the company had defaulted on the deal because, among other reasons, it hadnt delivered the first two prototype vehicles on time.

In April, an Ontario Superior Court judge blocked Metrolinx from terminating the contract for default, and, instead, ordered both parties to work through a dispute-resolution process. That process continues. Metrolinx is appealing the court ruling.

A spokesperson for Bombardier said, in an email, the company is confident the dispute-resolution board will confirm that the manufacturer has complied with all of its obligations under its contract.

Bombardier is ready, able and willing to deliver all 182 vehicles to the people of Toronto on time, wrote Marc-Andre Lefebvre.

Under the terms of the its deal, Alstom will supply 61 of its Citadis Spirit LRVs to Metrolinx. The company, which is also building vehicles for Ottawas LRT project, has pledged to open a manufacturing facility in the GTHA.

Seventeen of the vehicles will be used on the Finch West LRT, which is also scheduled to open in 2021. Should Bombardier make good on the order for the Crosstown fleet, Metrolinx will deploy the other 44 Alstom vehicles on the planned Hurontario line in Mississauga and Brampton.

The weaker penalties in the Bombardier contract are identical to provisions in the TTCs troubled, $1-billion deal with the company for new streetcars. The TTC is suing Bombardier for damages due to repeated delays. Under the terms of the contract, the most it can recover is $50 million.

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A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for a man who has allegedly impersonated a police officer and committed offences in Ontario and Alberta since March.

The warrant was issued on Thursday after the suspect was identified. York Regional police detective Thai Truong said there is still a continuing investigation that includes the RCMP, Edmonton police and Calgary police.

On June 8, the suspect allegedly sexually assaulted a female after pretending to be a police officer in Vaughan. York Regional police said the suspect arranged to meet with an 18-year-old escort at a hotel near Interchange Way and Hwy. 7. At around 8 p.m., the man allegedly showed her a document he claimed to be a warrant, he then sexually assaulted the female and took an unknown amount of money.

Truong said the suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous and its unknown if he is in Ontario. Police are aware that he travels frequently across Canada.

Truong said there have been similar incidents in Calgary, which he believes are related.

Calgary police said, on June 5, a woman was contacted online by a man matching the description of Choudhry and they arranged to meet. Later that evening, when the man arrived, he allegedly impersonated a police officer and said he had a search warrant. The victim did not comply and the man fled the scene. He was then seen entering a black Volkswagen Jetta.

On April 11, a man matching the suspects description impersonated a police officer, handcuffed a woman and stole her cell phone and an undisclosed amount of money.

Calgary police said, on March 25, a man matching the description of the suspect allegedly pretended to be a police officer when he met with a woman. He then allegedly stole her cell phone, debit card, laptop, and an undisclosed amount of money.

CCTV images released from each incident have led police to identify the suspect, said York Regional police spokesperson Andy Pattenden. He said there could also be more victims.

We are aware sometimes these incidents go unreported and so we are asking for anyone with information to come forward.

Police identified the suspect as Asif Choudhry, 33, of Sechelt, B.C. He is facing charges related to impersonating a police officer, sex assault with a firearm, robbery with a firearm and forcible confinement.

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The first of March last year read like a victory for transgender Ontarians.

Across the province, over 800 primary care physicians and nurse practitioners were granted the ability to assess patients for gender-confirmation surgery. The provincial change released a burden on Torontos Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, formerly the only site able to complete medical referrals. Their wait list had skyrocketed to 1,516 patients.

So why  over a year later  are there still 761 patients on the list?

Inside the halls of CAMH, Adult Gender Identity Clinic psychiatrist Dr. Chris McIntosh spoke to The Star on Tuesday, immediately following a lunch meeting about recruiting a new psychiatrist.

Though part of a $2 million sum the Ontario Ministry of Healths slotted last year to clear the referral bottleneck went to hiring two social workers and a psychologist at CAMH, the clinic needs more physicians.

Were just trying to get some more folks to come and help us out, McIntosh said. Despite all the changes over the last year  including an announcement on Thursday from Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins on genital procedures being expanded into Ontario  access to gender confirmation surgery is still a tangled process.

Our role in a new system can be about doing the assessment for folks that might be more complicated from a mental health perspective, McIntosh said.

While any healthcare professional trained in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health assessment criteria is now able to handle gender-confirmation surgery referrals, complicated  and often time-consuming  cases are still being funneled back to CAMH.

The way the process works depends on the patient. The first task is to assess for gender dysphoria, for which the diagnosis criteria changed in 2012. Previously, the diagnosis required a patient to identify with the opposite gender in a binary system. New criteria allows for identification with any gender that is different than the patients natal gender.

McIntosh then often has to consider a host of other psychiatric and social markers. Cases can be complicated by a lack of stable housing, for example, which would present a risk during recovery. Mental health conditions like depression or PTSD are factored in. The most problematic cases, McIntosh said, come when patients have intellectual disabilities and the clinic faces questions of informed consent.

It can be more difficult to assess their capacity to understand what gender is, he explained. The clinic has some psychologists with backgrounds in neuropsychology that can assess IQ, but the process is knotted with ethical dilemmas and often labours on for a while.

The time spent waiting for referrals has dropped by 33 per cent over the last year, but the CAMH website still warns that as our clients have waited for a long time, our social worker calls all new clients a month or two before were ready to schedule your first appointment.

For 761 patients, that limbo is their reality.

Once theyre in, the referral process can be anywhere from two appointments to a whole row, culminating in pre-approval paperwork sent to the Ministry. Four-to-six weeks later, patients must contact a clinic called GRS Montreal  which, until next year, remains the only clinic in Canada that does all gender-confirmation surgeries.

The first genital surgery outside Montreal is slated to take place in 2018 at Womens College Hospital in Ontario, Hoskins Thursday statement announced. Until now, the province has been spending $4 million a year sending patients outside Ontario  $2.7 million for those headed to Quebec, and $1.2 million for operations outside Canada.

Across the border, San Francisco, California and Austin, Texas are frequent choices for patients who can secure a recommendation by an Ontario physician. Though the procedure is covered by OHIP for pre-approved patients, going to the U.S. can incur significant transportation and accommodation costs. The Ministry also confirmed theyve sent patients to Belgium, Thailand, Serbia, England, Italy and Germany.

Staying north of the border, patients have had to wait anywhere from another three months to another year after Ministry approval  with particularly long holdups for a phalloplasty. Its a surgery that requires a high level of expertise, but at the same time, that should really mean that were starting to develop that expertise, McIntosh said.

Hoskins announcement makes Ontario only the second Canadian jurisdiction with surgeons trained to provide genital transition surgery. Patients from all other provinces and territories are still forced to travel substantial distances.

Moving forward, the Trans Health Expansion  which partners CAMH with Womens College Hospital, Sherbourne Health and Rainbow Health Ontario  is in the early stages of a complex, long-term reform process. The 2016 change and Hoskins Thursday announcement make a dent in the problem, but are far from a solution.

One of the keys will be building surgical capacity in the system, Trans Health Expansion wrote in an email to the Star. However, surgery is just one issue; to sustainably improve trans health, the disparities in social determinants of health for this population  like housing, poverty and unemployment  will also need to be addressed.

With files from Rob Ferguson

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Aisha Ahmads night out at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra was ruined before it even began.

The University of Toronto international security professor says shes not sure if shell ever go back to see concerts at Roy Thomson Hall after the treatment she received from staff following an altercation with another patron Wednesday, in which she says she was physically assaulted and insulted.

This is an incredibly embarrassing thing to have happened to me in a city that I love, she said.

It all began when Ahmad tried to take a non-flash picture of the orchestra before the show started, something many concert-goers do.

An older man sitting behind her struck me in the neck, she said.

When she tried to tell him off, she said he called her a child and a bitch.

What was most disappointing was the other people in the section, just having looked at both of us, decided that I must have been in the wrong, she said, noting she was the only person of colour in that section.

When she realized other patrons were siding with the man, she felt threatened and went out to report the incident to staff.

But staff told her they wouldnt do anything until the intermission, so she waited in the hallway for almost an hour.

At the intermission, Ahmad said the same man came straight up to her and lunged at me.

This happened in front of everybody, she said.

Staff did not stop him, did not detain him, but said they needed to hear his side of the story.

She later called the police, but staff escorted the offender out of the theatre before police arrived.

A spokesperson for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) told Metro in an email that the man is no longer welcome at the TSO, and that police have been notified about the matter.

The TSO has zero tolerance for violent, disrespectful behavior, wrote Francine Labelle. We regret this happened at a TSO concert, where everyone is welcome and should feel safe.

Ahmad, who is a regular at the symphony, said shes concerned about the institution allowing such behaviours to flourish.

Our city is remarkable in its diversity, and yet I was the only woman of colour in that entire section, and that made me wonder whether we have these toxic pockets of exclusion that are inconsistent with the spirit of our city, she said.

I didnt sleep well last night and I havent eaten any food today, she added.

This distracted me from my important work on international security.

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The first glimpse of Grenfell Tower was the most awful thing Ive seen in person. Shocking. Evil. Seemingly unreal, like the set of a disaster film: a burnt and blackened residential tower rising into a beautiful blue sky in a most tranquil part of London.

I was in London by coincidence last week, arriving a day after the fire that incinerated the tower and has left at least 79 dead. London is a city thats been dealing with what seems near weekly attacks, and this one was on a catastrophic scale, not due to an outside threat or domestic terrorist, but rather a home-grown political and policy disaster.

Located in the north corner of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the wealthiest of Londons 33 boroughs, Grenfell is a high-rise tower on a small public housing estate tucked in between expensive homes.

Closer to the police perimeter around Grenfell, posters of missing children and adults appeared, pasted to walls and poles. Then there were memorials: messages written on Post-it notes and banks of flowers many dozens deep. Other messages demanded Justice 4 Grenfell and listed the long-ignored complaints local residents had made to both the building management and the Kensington council government.

London stay strong & stay united. May those souls rest, read one message written on the pillars of the Westway, Londons Gardiner-like elevated highway that runs nearby. The neighbourhood is a geography of utter sadness, with hundreds of people standing around the periphery, some crying, reading memorials or just staring at the tower. People had to come see it for themselves.

Grenfell is the Triangle Shirtwaist fire of the housing crisis cities like London and Toronto are enduring, where even people who identify as middle class have difficultly finding decent housing. That 1911 New York City factory fire killed 146 garment workers and led to major fire safety and worker rights reforms. Suddenly the wider public saw there was a problem, and change came quickly. Similarly, the 1960 Hoggs Hollow tunnel fire that killed five construction workers in Toronto led to changes to Ontario labour laws.

As an architect your primary responsibility is that buildings are safe for inhabitants, and changes will come from this, Graeme Stewart, a principal at Torontos ERA Architects, said referring to the Grenfell fire. The Great Fire of London [in 1666] instituted huge changes, like fire walls.

Stewart was in London to speak at a forum on Estate Regeneration organized by Urban Design London, a non-profit agency that works closely with Transport for London, the citys massive authority responsible for both roads and public transit, and the local borough governments, which build and maintain public housing. He was there to talk about Tower Renewal, a program that aims to rehabilitate our aging stock of residential towers. Toronto has more than 1,000 of them, many built during the same era as Grenfell, and around a million people live in towers across the GTA as well. The project was adopted by the City of Toronto and is spreading to other Canadian cities.

Tower Renewal is just now moving from policy changes to demonstration sites. Part of the program includes recladding existing towers with new insulating skin, and finding ways to add infill housing between existing towers while improving the conditions of older apartments and the public spaces around them.

To be certain, Ontarios fire codes are different than those in Britain  for instance we require more than one staircase in our apartment buildings, and the cladding materials that caught fire are different here  but Grenfell is on the minds of everyone advocating for more and better housing today.

At the Urban Design forum, Stewart remarked that we are 20 years behind where London is, which means though we have much work to do in improving the existing stock of homes and adding new ones, theres time to make sure were doing it right. At home, were at the beginning, so this will reframe what our best practices are, he says. Its a good time for a sober review of our building codes and existing housing stock.

So while there is blessedly no reason to panic here about similar tower fires, Grenfell isnt just about fire safety reform, its about the conditions people are increasingly living in and simply building new homes. Bedbugs, caving in ceilings and other problems are part of a backlog of repairs Torontos public housing stock needs: $350 million is required by the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) next year alone or theyll have to close 400 homes, with $2.6 billion needed over the next 10 years.

These troubles do not have the drama of a fire and are largely hidden, but they affect the quality of life, health and economy of everyone who lives in these conditions, and in turn will affect those who dont. Yet were arguing about who has to pay for this in a city that religiously refuses to raise property taxes and continues to cut services across the board. More things will start falling apart.

The difference between Toronto and London, and a particular challenge for programs such as Tower Renewal, is much of our housing stock is privately owned, with only about 10 per cent of Torontos towers in public hands. Seventy-six per cent of Canadas rental housing buildings were built more than 36 years ago, says Yael Santopinto, co-leading the Tower Renewal project at ERA with Stewart and also in London for the forum. Ownership fragmentation is a challenge. These are homes that students, seniors and families live in.

Last month, hundreds of residents in Parkdale initiated an ongoing rent strike against MetCap Living Management Inc., a company that owns more than a dozen buildings in Parkdale alone. Its yet more evidence deteriorating living conditions are widespread and not limited to public housing. Combined with high rents and a limited supply, all but the wealthiest among us are having great difficulty finding housing in Toronto, yet it seems every new housing development, rental or condo, big or small, is opposed by existing residents.

Santopinto also notes the dichotomy that improving existing buildings can allow a landlord to raise rents, affecting affordability. The light in this dark time, if there is any, is the nascent National Housing Strategy germinating in Ottawa right now.

Were at an incredible moment, she says of its potential to create new housing and fix our existing stock. Will we get behind it, even if it costs considerable money? Will the NIMBYs keep opposing everything?

Grenfell is a warning we need to heed. If we dont, the ongoing, home-grown tragedy in Toronto and other Canadian cities will continue to corrode both our economy and society.

Shawn Micallef writes every Saturday about where and how we live in the GTA. Wander the streets with him on Twitter @shawnmicallef

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Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde will be participating in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The participation of the AFN National Chief is very significant, said Pride Toronto communications manager Ryan Connelly.

We have been in talks with the AFN National staff for a few weeks discussing Chief Bellegardes participation and were working very closely to make this happen. Were very excited to have him here to march with us.

Bellegarde said in April that respect needs to be restored for two-spirit people in Indigenous communities.

If there is discrimination, if there is intolerance, if theres racism toward our two-spirited people, that has to end, Bellegarde told The Canadian Press.

Premier Kathleen Wynne and Mayor John Tory will also be in the parade.

Connelly said the participation of the leaders of the three levels of government and the AFN National Chief is a strong embodiment of this years theme, +, a plus sign.

It shows how the LGBTQ community and the two-spirit and Indigenous members of the community bring something special, valuable and unique to Toronto and the rest of Canada.

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The annual Pride Parade gets underway at 2 p.m. on the intersection of Church St. and Bloor St. It will conclude at Yonge and Dundas Square. Road closures will be in effect.

More than 150 groups including CAMH, Canadian Armed Forces, Google Canada, Metrolinx and SickKids will be participating in the parade.

CUPE Ontario, which is among the participants, will honour their president Fred Hahn with the Solidarity and Pride Champion award on Friday evening for his contributions to LGBTQ rights in the workplace.

Montreals Pride festivities wont get underway until August, but they will have a booth during the parade on Church and Wellesley Sts.

This years Pride has had its fair share of issues.

Police officers wont be marching in their uniforms after Pride Toronto decided to honour its agreement with Black Lives Matter Toronto.

However, dozens of police officers will be able to march in their uniforms with members of the New York Police Department at the New York Pride parade on Sunday after getting an invitation from the Gay Officers Action League of New York.

In a statement released last month, Pride Toronto organizers said LGBTQ police officers are welcome to march in the parade with community groups. They requested that officers not include uniforms, weapons or vehicles.

Black Lives Matter staged a sit-in last year and demanded Pride organizers to sign an agreement which includes banning Toronto police from having a float this year.

Black Lives Matter wont be taking part in the parade on Sunday after failing to register by the May 20 deadline.

With files from Star staff

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Beer commercials have taught Canadians how to celebrate their weekends  and occasionally, their national identity. So what are we going to learn from ads for marijuana?

Pot will be legal by July 1 next year, but dont count on an accompanying flurry of patriotic, Cannabis Day advertising. Though lots of Canadians may greet this new industry as a point of national pride  a way to lure tourists from abroad, even  its looking like the marketing is destined to be modest.

Those in the know are summing up the marketing options as an alcohol-versus-tobacco choice  and prevailing opinion is leaning toward tobacco as the model for cannabis sales.

That was definitely the view of the federal governments own task force on marijuana legalization, which released its report late in 2016.

In our view, comprehensive restrictions similar to those created by tobacco regulation offer the best approach, said the report from the task force chaired by former justice minister and deputy prime minister Anne McLellan.

This could well mean plain packaging, strict controls over how and where the product is displayed for sale and, of course, no beer-like ads featuring happy Canadians consuming pot with good-looking friends.

The looming new, legal marijuana industry is a big topic of conversation in Ottawa these days. In just the past few weeks, Ive moderated a couple of public discussions on the subject  one that included McLellan and her vice-chair of the task force, Mark Ware, and another panel discussion this week, specifically dealing with pot-marketing matters.

McLellan said alcohol marketing in Canada has generally been seen to be a failure in public-health terms  that governments only realized in retrospect that they were not as restrictive as they should have been when it came to marketing a dangerous substance.

Beer ads may have told us what is to be Canadian  remember Joe, from the famous Molson rant?  but they also may have been a little more encouraging of alcohol consumption than they should have been. Or so the medical experts say.

So in McLellans view (and she is a former health minister, too) there was no question that tobacco, not alcohol, would be a better model for the future of cannabis advertising.

But Canadians apparently can see similarities to tobacco and alcohol when theyre thinking about where legal marijuana will fit in our society, according to Tony Coulson, a vice-president with Environics Research, who appeared at this weeks panel discussion, hosted by iPolitics Live.

Coulson said that some people see pot as comparable to tobacco because both are consumed through smoking. However, if youre considering the effects of that consumption, cannabis is more like alcohol. People dont have to think twice about getting behind the wheel of a car after smoking tobacco, after all.

Many marijuana advocates also argue that since pot isnt as dangerous to ones health as tobacco  at least as far as we know right now  that it isnt fair to subject this substance to the same, strict advertising controls.

They also say that branding and packaging will be a good way to educate Canadians about this whole new product rolling out on the shelves within a year.

McLellans task force acknowledged that point, too, suggesting a possible saw-off, in which marijuana producers would be allowed to brand, package and display their wares, but only in carefully controlled sales venues, off limits to youth.

The suggestion came from online consultations, as the task force said in its report: Allowing in-store advertising for cannabis brands offered a potential compromise: youth would be protected from exposure to mass marketing and advertising, while producers and retailers could still engage and communicate with consumers of cannabis of legal age and in regulated environments.

Pretty much everyone on this weeks iPolitics panel, which included experts in regulation, consumer advertising and medical marijuana, agreed that a year is not a lot of time to get this new industry in place and time is going to be tight.

Tony Chapman, a specialist in consumer and advertising research, calls this the biggest product launch weve brought to the market in a long time and says Canada should already be doing small, test-market studies of how things are going to work. We need some Petri dishes, Chapman said.

Marketing issues arent the only things up in the air as the deadline to Cannabis Day is ticking down, soon to be only a year away. But all signs are pointing to pot ads that wont bear much resemblance to beer commercials, even if Canadas, new, legal marijuana business makes people feel just as patriotic as a lager or Pilsner.

But modest and low-key are Canadian too, right?

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Bill Cosby is planning a series of town hall meetings this summer to educate people, including young athletes and married men, on how to protect themselves from false accusations of sexual assault, two of his representatives said Wednesday.

The announcement came just days after Cosbys trial on sexual assault charges ended in a hung jury and while he is still battling several suits from other women who say he assaulted them too.

This issue is bigger than Bill Cosby, his representative Andrew Wyatt said on Good Day Alabama, a show on WBRC Fox 6 in Birmingham.

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This issue can affect any young person  especially young athletes of today, he continued, and they need to know what they are facing when they are hanging out and partying when they are doing certain things they shouldnt be doing.

Wyatt said the issue also affects married men.

Ebonee M. Benson, who works with Wyatt and joined him on the program, said the need for awareness had grown because the statutes of limitations on sexual assault have extended in several states, in some cases aided by the efforts of women who have accused Cosby of molesting them.

People need to be educated on a brush against the shoulder, she said. Anything at this point can be considered sexual assault.

The Cosby announcement drew rebukes from several quarters, including the anti-sexual violence organization RAINN.

It would be more useful if Mr. Cosby would spend time talking with people about how not to commit sexual assault in the first place, said Jodi Omear, an organization spokesperson.

Kristen Houser of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center said a number of organizations exist that would be far more appropriate choices to lead an educational program on this issue than Cosby, whom she described as a person who has 60 allegations of sexual assault against him.

Gloria Allred, a lawyer who represents several women who have accused Cosby of assault, said the workshops appear to be a transparent and slick effort to attempt to influence the jury pool from which jurors will be selected for his second criminal trial.

One of the town halls will be held in Alabama in July, Wyatt said on the show. In a later email, he said Cosby had received hundreds of calls from civic organizations and churches requesting for Mr. Cosby to speak to young men and women about the judicial system. He said the program would include a critique of the decision by prosecutors in Pennsylvania to charge him last year.

Speeches will be free, Wyatt said.

Cosby later thanked the television station for having his publicists on the show. He is free on bail while he awaits a retrial of his criminal case in which he is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault in connection with a 2004 encounter with a woman at his home outside Philadelphia. The woman, Andrea Constand, says Cosby drugged and assaulted her; Cosby and his lawyers say the sex was consensual.

The jury deliberated for 52 hours before a mistrial was declared because it was hopelessly deadlocked. On Thursday, The Associated Press and a Pittsburgh television station reported that jurors they had spoken to said the panel ended its deliberations almost evenly split between those supporting conviction and those favouring acquittal.

That depiction was at odds with that of a juror who spoke to ABC News earlier in the week and said that 10 members of the panel had voted to convict Cosby but were unable to persuade two jurors who would not budge.

Some jurors were concerned about the 10-year delay in prosecuting Cosby, and that politics had been involved, The Associated Press reported.

WPXI Channel 11 in Pittsburgh played a recording of a man it said was a juror who said the voting was evenly split.

Whatever the man did, he has already paid his price, paid, suffered, the voice in the recording said. A case that was settled in 05 and we had to bring it up in 17.

On Wednesday, the ABC News report, based on its own conversation with an anonymous juror, said the panel had voted 10-2 to convict Cosby on two of the three counts.

In one of the juror accounts that surfaced Thursday, the panelist agreed that there had been a 10-2 vote at one point but said the mood in the room changed in the later hours and was roughly split between those who sought a conviction and those who wanted to acquit Cosby.

Several jurors contacted by The New York Times have said they are unwilling to speak about their deliberations. In releasing their names Wednesday, Judge Steven T. ONeill had warned the jurors not to discuss their deliberations.

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ROMEOn a sweltering Monday afternoon, a beautiful day for a swim, Mario Messina noticed some holidaymakers teetering dangerously close to the turquoise waters and sounded five short blasts of his whistle.

Come down! Messina said, with an elegant flip of the hand to a woman leaning over the ledge to test the water temperature. Come down!

Despite his Ray Bans, virtuosity with a whistle and sunny Sicilian disposition, Messina is not a seaside lifeguard but a Roman police officer in a pith helmet. He is entrusted to protect the Trevi Fountain, one of the worlds most cherished and visited monuments, from the scourge of parched, overheated and advancing tourist armies. And now he has reinforcements.

Because Summer Is Coming.

Already, the warm weather has brought a menacing whiff of tourists behaving badly. For months, stiff fines failed to stop a fountain-bathing fad in a city blessed with and born of flowing water.

On April 12, a man went skinny-dipping in the Trevi Fountain, resulting in a viral web video and a fine of 500 ($758 Canadian). (I was here for the naked guy, Messina said, adding that nudity carried a criminal complaint because it was an obscene act.)

That same month, a 30-year-old Spanish tourist waded into the fountain dressed in a long tunic, a German woman in her 60s took a morning dip, and two Danes received 900 ($1,287.72 Canadian) fines for mistaking the Fountain of Two Seas at Romes Piazza Venezia for a foot bath.

The New Barbarians, as some papers have taken to calling the tourists, are not limited to Rome. In Florence, officials have taken to hosing down the Duomo Cathedral and other sites to prevent loiterers from sitting and eating on the steps.

But it is Rome and its fountains that are in the eye of the selfie storm, prompting the citys embattled mayor, Virginia Raggi, to issue an ordinance.

Until October, there are harsher fines for eating, drinking or sitting on the fountains, for washing animals or clothes in the fountain water or for throwing anything other than coins into the water of the Trevi Fountain and 36 other fountains of artistic or historic significance around the city.

It is unacceptable that someone uses them to go swimming or clean themselves. Its a historic patrimony that we must safeguard, Raggi said Monday during what she called a surprise inspection of the situation at the Trevi Fountain.

Raggi, accompanied by two aides, went unnoticed by the tourists in beachwear and at times had trouble squeezing through the crowd. She said that to a certain degree, the bathing phenomenon had always existed, but that with videos of nude fountain bathing spreading on social media, she felt we simply must do something more. And thats what we have done.

Enemies of the mayor, a national figurehead of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, have added the assault on monuments to the list of Roman woes under her administration, including festering trash on the city sidewalks, unkempt parks that resemble wheat fields and traffic-clogged streets transformed into idling parking lots. When in degraded Rome, they argue, tourists will do as the degraded Romans.

But it is hard to pin the tourist nuisance on her. In 1999, Italy felt the need to pass a law to protect city monuments and banned wading in the fountains. In 2012, a previous mayor drafted an ordinance fining tourists as much as $833.50 for dripping ice cream, dropping crumbs and lunching on the monuments.

Many Romans remember the local folk hero known as dArtagnan, who for decades waded into the fountain before dawn to fish for the coins that wishful tourists had tossed behind.

Still, Vittorio Avanzini, the publisher of Roman historical guides including The Fountains of Rome, insisted that throughout the citys long history, its never been like this.

To combat the heated hordes, Dario Franceschini, the Italian culture minister, has floated the idea of limiting the number of tourists permitted to view blockbuster monuments at any one time.

You cant have 50,000 people at the Trevi Fountain  theres a maximum capacity. These are places to safeguard, fragile places, Franceschini said.

He welcomed the explosion of tourists from China and other countries eager to visit Italy, but said that the huge numbers created new challenges and argued that new technology allowed for the automatic counting and regulation of the masses. Its absolutely necessary.

As Raggi left the Trevi Fountain to check out the situation at a renaissance fountain in Piazza dAracoeli at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, she refused to entertain the limited numbers idea.

The monuments are for everyone, she said. And its fair that everyone who respects the rules can visit them, enjoy their beauty.

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FLINT, MICH.The Flint, Michigan, airport officer stabbed in the neck during what authorities are investigating as a terrorist act is recovering well from a 12-inch slash that caused significant bleeding but spared major arteries and a nerve by millimetres, one of his doctors said Friday.

Hurley Medical Center doctors said during a news conference that Bishop International Airport police Lt. Jeff Neville could be released from the hospital within a couple days. Dr. Donald Scholten said he is making good progress after being stabbed from by his Adams apple up to the angle of his jaw.

This was a matter of millimetres, Scholten said. The slash was probably very, very close to severing his major arteries and nerve  perhaps even his windpipe and digestive systems ... This was not a shaving nick, if you will. This was significant force.

Neville was stabbed Wednesday at the airport in Flint, about 80 kilometres northwest of Detroit. Amor Ftouhi, 49, a Canadian from Tunisia, is charged in the attack. Detroit FBI head David Gelios said Ftouhi unsuccessfully tried to buy a gun once he arrived in the U.S. but instead managed to buy a large knife.

Authorities say Ftouhi stabbed Neville with a large knife after yelling Allahu akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great. According to the FBI, Ftouhi said something similar to you have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die.

Ftouhi was immediately taken into custody and was charged in a criminal complaint with committing violence at an airport. Acting U.S. Attorney Dan Lemisch said more charges are coming in the days ahead. Ftouhi is in custody and has a bond hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

Neville fought him to the end, managing to stop the stabbing and bring Ftouhi to the ground as other officers arrived to help, according to Chris Miller, the airport police chief. Scholten also credits first responders, saying their efforts to control Nevilles bleeding were absolutely life-saving.

Investigators are working to learn more about Ftouhi, whom they describe as a lone-wolf attacker who made his way to the seemingly random destination of Flint, a struggling city once known for its sprawling General Motors factories but now better known for lead-tainted water.

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He was a part-time caretaker at the Montreal apartment building where he lived and had once studied to sell insurance, a landlord and an insurance company spokesman said. The suspect indicated to court officials that he has lived in Canada for 10 years and has three children. A pretrial services officer told a judge that he had worked on and off as a truck driver. He indicated no mental or physical health problems and no drug or alcohol use, the officer, Linsey Carson, said.

Police in Canada were searching a Montreal apartment. Montreal police spokesman Benoit Boiselle said officers were assisting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the search on behalf of an FBI request. Three people staying at the residence had been taken in for questioning, Boiselle said.

He legally entered the U.S. at Champlain, New York, on June 16 and was in Michigan by at least June 18, said Gellios, who would not say whether Ftouhi entered the U.S. under a so-called trusted traveller program.

He spent some time in public, unsecured areas of the airport before going to a restroom where he dropped two bags before attacking the officer with a 12-inch knife that had an 8-inch serrated blade, Gelios said.

Ftouhi asked an officer who subdued him why he did not kill him, according to the criminal complaint. Police described him as co-operative and said he was talking to investigators.

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WASHINGTONThe Supreme Court has almost certainly decided what to do about U.S. President Donald Trumps travel ban affecting citizens of six mostly Muslim countries.

The country is waiting for the court to make its decision public about the biggest legal controversy in the first five months of Trumps presidency. The issue has been tied up in the courts since Trumps original order in January sparked widespread protests just days after he took office.

The justices met Thursday morning for their last regularly scheduled private conference in June and probably took a vote about whether to let the Trump administration immediately enforce the ban and hear the administrations appeal of lower court rulings blocking the ban.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

The courts decision could come any time and is expected no later than late next week, after which the justices will scatter for speeches, teaching gigs and vacations.

Exactly when could depend on whether there are justices who disagree with the outcome and want to say so publicly. It might take time for such an opinion to be written  and perhaps responded to by someone in the majority.

It takes five votes to reinstate the ban, but only four to set the case for argument. Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trumps nominee who was confirmed in April, is taking part in the highest-profile issue yet in his three months on the court.

The case is at the Supreme Court because two federal appellate courts have ruled against the Trump travel policy, which would impose a 90-day pause in travel from citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

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The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said the ban was rooted in religious animus toward Muslims and pointed to Trumps campaign promise to impose a ban on Muslims entering the country as well as tweets and remarks he has made since becoming president.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the travel policy does not comply with federal immigration law, including a prohibition on nationality-based discrimination. That court also put a hold on separate aspects of the policy that would keep all refugees out of the United States for 120 days and cut by more than half, from 110,000 to 50,000, the cap on refugees in the current government spending year that ends Sept. 30.

Another U.S. appeals court stomped on U.S. President Donald Trump's revised travel ban on June 12, saying the administration violated federal immigration law and failed to provide a valid reason for keeping people from coming to the country. (The Associated Press)

Trumps first executive order on travel applied to travellers from the six countries as well as Iraq, and took effect immediately, causing chaos and panic at airports over the last weekend in January as the Homeland Security Department scrambled to figure out who the order covered and how it was to be implemented.

A federal judge blocked it eight days later, an order that was upheld by a 9th circuit panel. Rather than pursue an appeal, the administration said it would revise the policy.

In March, Trump issued a narrower order, but it too has been blocked.

The justices have a range of options. They could immediately allow the administration to stop travel from the six countries and hear arguments on the administrations broader appeal in October. Thats the path the administration has urged.

But the 90-day ban will have run its course by then, and there might be little left for the court to rule on.

The government has said the ban was needed to allow for an internal review of the screening procedures for visa applicants from the six countries.

That too should be complete before the Supreme Court reconvenes for its new term on October 2.

The administration also could issue a new ban that includes more countries or is permanent, or both. That might make the current case go away and also could give rise to new legal challenges.

The high court also might keep the ban on hold, but set the case for argument in October. This course might be palatable both to justices who object to the ban and those who dont like the breadth of the lower court rulings against the president.

But it also could mean that a new policy is in effect before the court ever hears the case.

The justices also could keep the ban from being reinstated and, at the same time, decline to review the lower court rulings. That outcome would essentially end the case.

One barrier to that option could be that the court usually likes to have the last word when a lower court strikes down a federal law or presidential action.

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What have we learned from the last 150 years of colonization? That the federal government remains incapable or unwilling to protect the interests of Indigenous children.

Despite the positive language of the prime minister that a new era has dawned, the systemic denial of the most basic services continues. We are losing children all the time to suicide, underfunded services or a broken foster care system. These are not isolated tragedies, but part of a rot that exists right in the core of how the federal government deals with Indigenous kids and communities.

In the past year, the Liberal government has ignored four rulings by the Human Rights Tribunal over the systemic discrimination against First Nation children. In the latest ruling, the government was found culpable in the deaths of 12-year-old Chantell Fox and Jolyn Winter of Wapekeka First Nation.

The Human Rights Tribunal ruled the government ignored a request for emergency funds in what was known to be a life and death situation. Since then, another 12-year-old has died as promised money for support programming for children at risk failed to materialize. Some are calling the governments actions criminal negligence.

Unfortunately, given the long and ongoing pattern of Indigenous youth deaths, this manner of negligence is simply part of the operating code of the federal government. Successive governments have shown their unwillingness to change, despite a long litany of needless tragedies and losses.

It is time to protect children and finally bring in the accountability needed to ensure their rights are proactively supported by government  like any other kid in Canada. It is time to dismantle the colonial construction of both Indigenous Affair and Health Canada.

We must also tackle the obstructive role played by the Justice Department in fighting even the most basic implementation of Indigenous rights. Because what is the government worried about: that too many Indigenous kids will get the education, health care, and service they need?

Decolonization requires that we return the decision-making power for establishing healthy communities to the Indigenous people of Canada.

So how do we dismantle these structures?

Step one: Establish the office of a Childrens Ombudsperson that is independent of government with order making powers to initiate investigations and ensure government departments are in compliance with their obligations to ensure full access of services.

Step two: Initiate a full independent and public audit of Indigenous Affairs and Health Canada with the goal of returning the decision-making control for child development to the Indigenous people. The audit is necessary because until we know how these departments operate and where the obstructions exist, it will be impossible to create a better alternative. The reports of the auditor general and parliamentary budget office have revealed a black hole of accountability.

Step three: Under taking an independent analysis of the true cost of education, health services, child welfare, etc., so as these authorities are transferred to Indigenous control, the government will be providing adequate funding.

Step four: Changing the Justice of Canada Act so the Justice Department has to include Section 35 rights as part of its duty to protect the rights of Canadians. We need to transform the Justice Department from an institution of obstruction of Indigenous rights to a defender of their rights.

Needless to say, this will not be a simple transfer of authorities and funds. A coherent plan that reflects the complex diversities of Indigenous life in Canada will need to be negotiated. It will require appropriate checks and balances with a legislated framework to ensure that everything from the delivery of health services to education to community development is undertaken with the goal of empowering healthy communities.

But the time has come to get down to this work of making Canada a nation that truly reflects a new nation-to-nation relationship. Canada will never be the nation it was meant to be until we understand that the greatest wealth in our nation is not the gold, the oil or the diamonds  it is the potential of children.

On our 150th birthday let us put the interests of the children first.

Charlie Angus is the MP for Timmins-James Bay and candidate for leadership of the federal NDP.

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With its new national security legislation, Justin Trudeaus Liberal government has pulled off quite a coup. It has kept some of the worst elements of former prime minister Stephen Harpers widely discredited Bill C-51. But so far, it has managed to do so without creating much political flak.

When Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale unveiled the draft legislation Tuesday, most attention was focused on new oversight bodies.

The proposed National Security and Intelligence Review Agency would monitor Canadas many spy agencies. As well, two key agencies  the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communications Security Establishment  would be required to obtain the OK of a new Intelligence Commissioner before undertaking some actions.

Many welcomed these new bodies. As a judicial inquiry into the imprisonment and torture of Maher Arar noted 11 years ago, oversight of Canadas spooks has been singularly inconsistent.

But what has been less remarked upon is the Liberal governments decision to give CSIS agents extraordinary new policing powers.

In this, the Liberals are continuing along a path marked out by the previous Harper government. The Conservatives Bill C-51 authorized CSIS agents to break the law and even the Charter of Rights and Freedoms if necessary to neutralize security threats.

The only requirement was that the agency obtain a secret judicial warrant. The only constraint was that the illegal acts could not include inflicting bodily harm, obstructing justice or violating sexual integrity.

In their bill (which, to make matters confusing, is labelled C-59). The Liberals would modify this power in two ways.

First, they would give CSIS agents explicit authority to engage in certain kinds of illegal acts. These acts would be spelled out by the public safety minister but could not include bodily harm, obstruction of justice, torture, detaining a person or violating someones sexual integrity.

An agent wishing to engage in permitted illegal acts would need no judicial warrant.

The government says these new powers would merely replace a more general grant of immunity from criminal prosecution already present in law. But the new formulation, which echoes one granted to police officers, could also hasten the transformation of CSIS from a pure intelligence agency to an intelligence and enforcement agency.

Second, the Liberals would give CSIS agents the authority to break the law in a more serious way in order to disrupt perceived security threats. Like the Conservatives Bill C-51, the Liberal draft law would require CSIS to obtain a secret judicial warrant. Unlike C-51, the permitted law-breaking would be limited to seven areas, ranging from interfering with financial transactions to interfering with the movement of people.

As well, the law-breaking would have to be consistent with the charter of rights.

The Liberals never promised to axe Bill C-51. Indeed, in opposition they voted for it  with a promise to make amendments if elected.

Now, with Parliamentarians ready to head off for their three-month summer break, the Trudeau government has finally released its blueprint for national security.

And it is strikingly reminiscent of Harpers.

Both would allow government agencies to pass on confidential information about individual Canadians to the security services. Both would beef up the power and authority of CSIS to undertake direct action.

That, in turn, would fundamentally undo the rationale for setting up CSIS in the first place, which was to separate intelligence collection from enforcement and curb the excesses of a too powerful security service.

The Liberal plan has more oversight  ranging from a committee of Parliamentarians to the new review bodies proposed by this bill. But as the British and Americans have found, oversight bodies can be co-opted or avoided.

When the Harper government introduced Bill C-51 in 2015, it was a cause celebre. Critics attacked it root and branch. It dominated the news. Politically, it reinforced the view among Harpers critics that he was an out-of-control authoritarian.

When the Trudeau government announced this week that, in effect, it was keeping the most contentious elements of C-51, there was little outcry. Neither the Star nor the Globe and Mail thought the story worthy of page 1. Even the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association was muted in its criticism.

Perhaps people dont care any more. Thats possible. Or perhaps its easier for centre-left governments to sell hard-right policies. Thats possible too.

Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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More than misspoke

Gov. Gen. David Johnston evoked winces  the journalistic word of choice- when he said on-air: Were a country based on immigration, going right back to our, Indigenous people, who were immigrants as well, 10, 12, 14,000 years ago. Two days later he tweeted an apology for a miscommunication. Our Indigenous peoples are not immigrants  managing to offend again with a paternalistic possessive. He didnt actually use the weasel word, misspoke; press accounts did.

I think this goes well beyond a slip; its a conceit with a useful history in disparaging Indigenous claims. Alberta political science professor and Stephen Harper adviser Tom Flanagan, in a deliberately provocative polemic against those claims, First Nations, Second Thoughts, (2000) wrote: Canadian Indians now call themselves the First Nations to embody their claim to an Aboriginal right of self-government. Yet they were also the first immigrants because their ancestors, like the ancestors of everyone else in North America, moved here from the Old World. This evoked a flood of outrage, as Flanagan surely intended.

Its the image itself thats powerful and aggressive, a calculated insult, comparing groups crossing the Bering Strait eons ago, en route to Canada, as it were, then arriving like all other waves of immigrants. It implies: You call yourselves First Nations; I see you as just another group landing at Pearson and being shuffled through customs and immigration. Gov. Gen. Johnston was an eminent academic then and participant in public discussions. He mustve known it.

Im not a Johnston fan because in my opinion he clearly got the gig for currying favour with Stephen Harper by helping him during a tricky phase on the Airbus/Mulroney file in 2008, after which Harper reportedly said that whatever they paid him wasnt enough  and two years later appointed him Governor General. Since the funding body for Canada 150 is apparently having trouble finding worthy projects to support, Id suggest a festive public firing of the GG and his replacement by a worthier figure. But it might seem churlish, so I wont.

A reprieve for plagiarism

Plagiarism has been going through a rough patch after a long, vigorous run. Copyright began with the Statute of (Queen) Anne in 1710 and looked set to last forever. Before that, authors (bards, minstrels etc.) were expected to lift the best samples from others works; its how you acknowledged and perpetuated quality in a largely oral (or oral-written) age. Authorship wasnt a preoccupation, but that all changed with the rise of print, when the originality wars  including scientists like Isaac Newton  began.

Now, in an age of mash-ups and the Internet, the era of authorial ownership seems to be tailing off. Think, at random, of the failure of the plagiarism case against Stairway to Heaven last year. I view the U of Ts intention to strip former Toronto education director Chris Spence of his PhD in this context. With a massive effort, Spence breathed life back into what seemed a dying sin.

The investigation found: 67 examples of passages  including one that was nine pages long  that were found to be the work of others  this is not a few random sentences in a 120-page thesis  paragraph after paragraph after paragraph, page after page  taken verbatim or nearly verbatim 

I view plagiarism with ambivalence. Sure, its theft and theres the matter of stealing your livelihood along with your words. But its also a sign of great respect and who doesnt want their words to live forever, with or without credit. I fondly recall, in Grade 8, being accused by my English teacher over a piece of descriptive writing: What travel brochure is this from? Dont you know youre supposed to do your own work? I protested adamantly but underneath I knew it was a deep compliment. Decades later, he and I became drinking pals.

Glass half full?

In that repellent video of a woman in a Mississauga clinic demanding a white doctor who speaks English and doesnt have brown teeth, I choose to focus on others there who intervened, saying: Your child really has more issues with you being his mother than with him needing to see a doctor. Youre extremely rude and racist.

When the mother asks, Why are you yelling at me? someone else replies: Because youre yelling at everyone. They are measured, firm and active. Picture one of them as our next Governor General.

Rick Salutins column appears every Friday.

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One out of every two Canadian women over the age of 15 has experienced some kind of physical or sexual violence  according to statistics that were collected in 1993, the last time a large-scale survey was conducted on the issue of violence against women in this country.

An epidemic such as gender-based violence cant be solved without first understanding who is affected and how. So it's encouraging that the Trudeau governments sensible new strategy on gender-based violence, which was announced this week, will focus foremost on modernizing research and collecting up-to-date data. These are crucial steps in addressing a deep-rooted problem ignored by Ottawa for far too long.

The government is committing roughly three-quarters of the $101 million it earmarked for this issue in its March budget to the creation of The Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre. The hubs primary focus will be working to streamline efforts of federal departments and to collect and share data.

Its something that policy-watchers have long called for. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, for instance, concluded following a 2013 study that the difficulty of collecting data about violence against women has been a barrier to progress in ending that violence.

Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsefs announcement included other positive steps, such as a commitment to researching the particular impacts of gender-based violence on visible minorities, LGBT and Indigenous people; and devoting $2.4 million over five years to ensure RCMP officers receive gender and culture sensitivity training. The need for such policies was exemplified this week by a horrifying report from New York-based Human Rights Watch that detailed 64 cases of police mistreatment of Indigenous women in Saskatchewan.

The government has also committed to making the growing problem of online violence and harassment a research focus, and promised $9.5 million over five years for prevention, including addressing childrens issues and teen dating violence, a disturbingly common issue that disproportionately affects girls.

These investments are an important start. But, as Monsef rightly noted, the federal government cannot tackle this problem on its own. In many important areas, progress will depend on provincial cooperation.

For instance, it will require inter-provincial collaboration to ensure women in every part of Canada have comparable access to shelter services, which currently vary widely across the country.

Moreover, a coordinated approach with the provinces, which oversee education, could help root out the social attitudes that compound inequalities and create the conditions for gender-based violence to exist. Teaching consent in schools, for example, is often cited as a key to tackling so-called rape culture.

But while there is still much work to do, the government deserves credit for making data collection a priority. Some 70 per cent of spousal violence and the vast majority of sexual assaults do not get reported to police. We know gender-based violence is a pressing problem in our country, but Ottawa is right that we can't solve it until we better understand its dimensions.

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Re: How police officers became the enemy in Toronto schools, Cohn, June 22

How police officers became the enemy in Toronto schools, Cohn, June 22

The Catholic school board and the police stacked the June 15 police board meeting by busing in kids and administrators who were in favour of School Resource Officers (SROs), without representation from the 48 per cent of Catholic school board students who arent in favour (according to a survey by the board).

The whole thing was egregious  uniformed police officers even sat in seats and gave them up only for pro-SRO deputants, while others such as myself were barred from entering the board room. So Desmond Cole and Black Lives Matter Toronto had no recourse but to protest.

The fact is that the SRO program violates the civil liberties of many students, including those whose immigration status the SROs report to the Canada Border Services Agency. This despite the school boards dont ask, dont tell policy with respect to immigration status  and the fact that every child is allowed to go to school, regardless of immigration status.

Its mission creep and likely the main reason the police pull cheap stunts like this to make the SRO program look good. And this at a time when many other jurisdictions are calling a halt to their SRO programs.

Rosemary Frei, Toronto

I cant understand the pandering to Black Lives Matter TO. In all the reports Ive read and heard, BLM is a disrespectful bully. It effectively stifled the very people the SRO program affects: parents, students, teachers and police.

While the police have their faults, they have steadily made inroads with students and the gay community. Lets continue on that road.

Doug Massey, Toronto

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A majority of Mylan NV (MYL) - Get Free Report shareholders on Thursday, June 22, voted against the EpiPen maker's executive pay proposal, a major blow to the company's C-Suite.

The stinging negative vote comes after a shareholder group launched a "just vote no" campaign urging fellow investors to vote against Mylan's executive pay packages and against six company-nominated directors in an uncontested election. Mylan said all directors were re-elected. However, until the details of the votes are disclosed it is unclear whether a large minority of shares opposed the incumbent directors, as many expect. A two-third

The activist shareholder group included New York City's Comptroller's Office, on behalf of New York City Pension Funds and in partnership with New York State Comptroller Thomas P. Napoli, the California State Teachers' Retirement System and Dutch pension manager PGGM.

"By failing to disclose the voting results during today's shareowner meeting, Mylan's board telegraphed that directors faced strong opposition," New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said in a statement on Thursday.

The total votes will be filed in the company's 8-K as is its practice, according to a Mylan representative. Companies are required to file an 8-K with the results within four business days.

Stringer added: "It's clear why shareowners rejected the company's excessive pay package and are calling to overhaul the board."

Mylan said in a statement following the annual meeting that it appreciates shareholders' "continuing support of the Mylan Board, which has overseen the development of a differentiated, clear and consistent long-term strategy that has created sustained long-term growth and value for shareholders, while also serving the interests of other stakeholders."

As for the outcome of the vote on the "say-on-pay" proposal, the drug company said that as discussed in this year's proxy statement, the board has considered feedback from shareholders over the past few years "in designing a simplified executive compensation program intended to drive continued execution, while aligning compensation with company performance and long-term shareholder value and other stakeholder interests"

"The Compensation Committee and Board of Directors will carefully consider these results, as well as future shareholder input, as we continue our investor outreach and in designing our compensation programs going forward," Mylan said.

Shares of Mylan were trading at $38.84 on Friday morning, up 1.5%. The company has a market capitalization of $20.97 billion.

Earlier this month, investor advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. recommended that Mylan shareholders vote against ten directors, including chairman Robert Coury. Another shareholder advisory firm, Glass, Lewis & Co. LLC, recommended that shareholders vote against three directors that served as members of Mylan's compensation committee during the past year.

Mylan came under public scrutiny last year when it was revealed that many uninsured patients had to pay approximately $600 per two pack of EpiPen, which is used to treat severe allergies and anaphylaxis.

The company has worked to remedy these problems, making changes to how it prices EpiPens and offering patient assistance programs. In December, the company launched a generic version of EpiPen.

Also last year, it came to light that EpiPen had been misclassified for years by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a generic, which allowed Mylan to receive bigger rebates from the government. Mylan in October agreed to the terms of a $465 million settlement with the Department of Justice and other government agencies.

-- Ronald Orol contributed to this report

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Coca-Cola (KO) - Get Free Report said today that it is laying off 421 people at its Atlanta headquarters, along with two other locations in the city on July 15.

The layoffs are in conjunction with the 1,200 job cuts then Coca-Cola President James Quincey announced just before he took over as the company's new CEO on May 1.

Coca-Cola intends to eliminate 1,200 jobs from the 5,500 corporate positions as part of Quincey's goals to restructure Coke's product line-up, bottling operations and other parts of the company to bolster revenue and profit growth.

Coca-Cola spokesman Kent Landers said the soda company has been notifying people of "ongoing" job cuts since May's announcement, and that a significant portion of the cuts will be at the company's headquarters.

The job cuts are expected to continue through late 2017 or into next year.



What's Hot On TheStreet

Tesla still doesn't deserve its valuation: Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report fanboys have just gained their daily pound of flesh. The electric car company has reportedly reached a deal with officials in China to open a production facility in the world's biggest clean-energy car market. The deal would likely allow it to form a joint-venture with a China-based partner and avoid the 25% tariff applied to imported vehicles. The move would also substantially cut shipping and production costs when compared to Tesla's facility in Nevada, TheStreet's Martin Baccardax reports.

Tesla is now valued at an insane $61 billion...and counting.

What was this Kroger exec drinking: Maybe this Kroger (KR) - Get Free Report fella has been up too late studying the aftershocks of Amazon's (AMZN) - Get Free Report big deal for Whole Foods (WFM) . "I'm glad their stores are finally open," Kroger CFO Michael Schlotman said about German rival Lidl at Oppenheimer's Consumer Conference Wednesday. Schlotman said he is excited, in fact he feels "great about it," to finally start seeing if the preparations Kroger put in place to compete with Lidl will stand the heat. TheStreet's Lindsay Rittenhousewas all over this bizarre exchange.

Having your profit margins crushed by a ruthless German grocer shouldn't be exciting, Kroger.

Don't forget about Intel: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Free Reportmay beat Intel Corp. (INTC) - Get Free Report to selling the fastest computer chip this year, but the technology giant is working on other projects that are pushing the limits.

From artificial intelligence to drones, Intel is working to connect everything to the internet to collect data that can be used to improve safety, efficiency and lifestyles. Whether it is helping athletes perform better or making cars autonomous, Intel's technology is working to transform multiple industries. Here's 11 cool projects Intel is working on that investors seem to have forgotten about.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended importing of beef from Brazil, reprising a previous ban that lasted over 13 years until last August.

Brazil is the world's largest beef exporter, though in recent years the biggest share of U.S. beef imports has come from Australia.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue made the announcement in a Thursday, June 22 statement.

On June 21 the Brazilian Association of Beef Industry Exports disclosed that it had stopped shipments from three of the nation's largest meat providers because of bad reactions to hoof and mouth vaccine, according to a report from Bloomberg BNA.

The USDA release said the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been inspecting all shipments of beef since March and that it has rejected about 11% of the beef.

"That figure is substantially higher than the rejection rate of one percent of shipments from the rest of the world," according to the statement.

"Since implementation of the increased inspection, FSIS has refused entry to 106 lots (approximately 1.9 million pounds) of Brazilian beef products due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues."

Concerns with hoof and mouth disease led to a ban of Brazilian beef in 2003, and that ban was lifted only last August.
Napoleon said he would rather have lucky generals than good generals, and while it remains to be seen if France's new President Emanuel Macron is as good as many hope he is certainly proving lucky.

France's job creation hit its highest point since the 2008 financial crisis, influential economic data tracker IHS Markit reported Friday, June 23. Simultaneously, France's own economic statistics agency Insee, upgraded French economic growth for the second time in under a month, declaring that gross domestic product increased 0.5% in the first quarter, up from an initial estimate of 0.3% and an earlier revision to 0.4%.

"A particularly upbeat talking point ... was the sharpest rise in employment for almost ten years," said IHS Markit economist Alex Gill. "This is welcome news for the newly elected government which has made reducing unemployment one of the main aims of its administration."

Macron, who assumed office in May, only finalized his government this week can take little credit for the improvements. But he will reap the benefits either way. His plan to boost employment by cutting red tape surrounding hiring and firing in France (and a promise to cut the number of civil servants) will be considerably aided by robust economic growth and stronger employment.

The latest upgrade by Insee means first quarter growth now matches that of the final quarter of 2016, suggesting that a particularly unpredictable Presidential campaign had little effect on investment confidence.

The voting may have rattled consumers though. French consumption was flat over the first quarter, after growing 0.6% in the final quarter of 2016, according to Insee.

IHS Markit also noted a dip in France's key purchasing managers index, which fell to a five-month low of 55.3 in June, from 56.9 in May. That dip was led by the service sector where growth in June slowed to a five-month low of 55.3, down from 57.3 in May.

That left the heavy lifting to manufacturing businesses, which increased gross fixed capital formation by 1.2%, according to Insee. IHS Markit said that the PMI for the manufacturing sector rose to 55 in June, from 53.8 in May.

The lack of consumer spending may yet prove a weakness, though it could just as easily mean there is room for further acceleration if French consumer's rediscover their mojo.

France's key CAC 40 index traded Friday late-morning local time at 5273.74, marginally lower than its Thursday close and up 5% over the past three months.
From the perspective of Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker, this must be a very good time to invest in American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) - Get Free Report .

Al-Baker may not be the most popular person in the airline industry, but it seems safe to say he has become more appealing as he battles the mean-spirited, ill-conceived air space blockade of his country by neighbors United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.

His new image: Blockade runner, mounting the Doha Airlift to feed the hungry of Qatar.

Perhaps he believes the improved image might enable him to move ahead on the American Airlines investment he has likely envisioned for years.

Qatar Airways is already closely involved with three of American's closest partners.

Like American, Qatar Airways is a Oneworld member. It owns 20% of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, owner of British Airways and Iberia. It also owns 10% of South America's Latam Airlines Group SA.

American has a trans-Atlantic joint venture with British Airways and Iberia -- the trio share revenue, aircraft, decisions and information regarding trans-Atlantic flights. Moreover, American is exploring a joint venture in Latin America with Latam.

Al-Baker made clear last week, in a revealing interview with Al-Jazeera, that he sees the world's view as turning in his favor.

At one point, he properly challenged his interviewer's question, "Do you not surely, as a businessman, fear now that your brand could be slightly toxic?"

Al-Baker responded, "I think your view on this is misplaced.

"There is a huge international sympathy by people on the state of Qatar," he said. "Everybody knows that Qatar is being bullied.

"I am glad that more and more people are now coming on the side of Qatar because of this illegal act imposed on my country," he said.

Perhaps al-Baker thinks American might even be willing to come to some agreement on that other matter -- you know, the one regarding the billions of dollars in subsidies that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates provide to Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates, in violation of the Open Skies agreements that have enabled the carriers to expand rapidly in the U.S.

Clearly, Qatar was put off by the early, harsh response to the revelation of its offer Thursday, June 22. American, which later elaborated, didn't seem particularly thrilled in its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Then, shortly before 9 a.m. ET, TheStreet reported that the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American pilots, said the offer "has got to be stopped.

"This is an action of aggression by the Qatar government and we take strong offense to that," said APA spokesman Dennis Tajer.

Qatar is "flush with cash because the government is subsidizing them," Tajer said. "Now they want to come into our house and start buying the furniture."

Ninety minutes later, Qatar issued a statement that clarified and softened its position.

"Qatar Airways believes in American Airlines' fundamentals and intends to build a passive position in the company with no involvement in management, operations or governance," the carrier said. "Qatar Airways has long considered American Airlines to be a good Oneworld Alliance partner and looks forward to continuing this relationship."

It is not impossible to envision that Qatar Airways would back away from the entire subsidized airline/U.S. expansion mess it has put itself in, or at the least, it would agree to a deal with American. The truth is the Middle East carriers are already pulling back U.S. flights.

American CEO Doug Parker said last September that the main thing American, Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) - Get Free Report and United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL) - Get Free Report really want is assurances that the Middle East carriers won't operate flights, known as fifth-freedom flights, from third countries.

Of the Middle East Three, only Emirates operates U.S.-bound fifth-freedom flights, one from Milan to New York and one from Athens to New York.

Might Qatar, with no fifth-freedom flights to the U.S., deal out Emirates? Where does the line form?

Then there is Etihad, the third Middle East carrier, which also likes to invest in foreign airlines. Sadly, it invests heavily in the wrong ones - Alitalia and Air Berlin PLC. It has reportedly lost $1.9 billion in the former and $382 million in the latter.

Now comes al-Baker, investing in an airline that actually makes money.

Wouldn't al-Baker have a ball if he could outmaneuver two airlines from United Arab Emirates, one of the very countries that has somehow convinced itself that blockading Qatar makes sense?

Al-Baker to American: The enemy of my enemies is my friend.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
European stocks slipped Friday in a session that saw weaker than expected eurozone economic data hit the market while politics returned to the fore given the one-year anniversary of the U.K. having gone to the polls and voted for Brexit.

Purchasing managers surveys (PMIs) economic data was mixed in Europe during the early hours with services sector activity weaker than expected in France, Germany and the eurozone as a whole during the recent month. Manufacturing surveys were firmer.

In Brussels, political leaders from across Europe met for a summit on a day that marked the first anniversary since Britain's vote to leave the EU.

The FTSE 100 ended the day 0.20% lower at 7,424 while its sibling FTSE 250 index rose 0.14%, to 19,687.

In Frankfurt, the DAX index fell 0.47% to close at 12,733 and in Paris, the CAC 40 index slipped 0.30%, to 5,268.

Over in Southern Europe, the IBEX in Madrid and the FTSE MIB in Milan were both lower by 0.50% or more.

In individual stocks, Shire (SHP) , BAE Systems (BAESY) and AstraZeneca (AZN) - Get Free Report were among the top fallers in London, with all paring recent gains during the session.

The automotive sector was broadly lower, and a primary weight on benchmarks, with Valeo (VLEEY) , Peugeot (PEUGF) and Renault (RNSDF) the top fallers in Paris and Volkswagen (VLKAY) and BMW (BMWYY) both lower in Frankfurt.

RWE (RWEOY) and E.On (EONGY) were also big fallers in Frankfurt after investors took profits off the table in the wake of recent gains.
A federal judge in Kansas awarded $218 million to a group of 7,000 Kansas farmers who alleged that Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta (SYT) introduced genetically engineered corn seeds that wrecked the farmers' business.

The farmers alleged Syngenta introduced the engineered corn seed in the U.S. before it got approval for import in China. The loss of the important Chinese export market caused corn prices to drop in 2016.

The Kansas verdict came after a three-week trial in which four farmers represented the 7,000 total who claim to have been affected. A Minnesota trial will begin next week with about 60,000 farmers from that state.

Syngenta shares were slightly up in midday trading.

What's Hot On TheStreet:

Well OK then, Jeff Immelt: General Electric's (GE) - Get Free Report outgoing CEO Jeff Immelt had some choice things to say at an event in NYC on Thursday night, TheStreet's Kinsey Grant reports. First, Immelt revealed a possibly fatal management mistake Kroger's (KR) - Get Free Report CEO might have made about Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report who as we all know, just inked a $13.7 billion deal for organic grocer Whole Foods (WFM) . Immelt then took a jab at Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for not visiting factories in their push to lift manufacturing wages. Talk about a well-paid boss going down swinging.

Why Sears Canada is dying: Sears Canada (SRSC) has one foot in the grave just like its ailing U.S. friend Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) . Unfortunately for Sears Canada, it's that friend across the boarder that has played a large role in its demise, TheStreet's Michelle Lodge reports. Sears has sucked badly needed cash away from Sears Canada through the years, leaving it unable to upgrade stores and do other things to compete effectively in the always challenging Canadian retail market.

General Electric is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GE? Learn more now.

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Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) - Get Free Report shares tumbled over 12% Friday afternoon on heavy trading volume after Q1 earnings fell short of expectations and CEO Steven Temares reportedly predicted fewer brick-and-mortar stores in the company's future.

Over 16 million shares have traded so far today vs. the 30 day average of 2.72 million.

The retailer reported earnings per share of 53 cents, missing the average FactSet analyst estimate of 66 cents. Earnings were down 33% year-over-year and net profit dropped 30% in the same time period.

Same store sales dropped 2% on mostly flat net sales of $2.742 billion. Analysts had predicted sales of $2.794 billion.

Temares is aware of the low-cost shipping battle his company faces against Amazon.com (AMZN) - Get Free Report and Walmart (WMT) - Get Free Report .

He said the company will refocus on its online presence to better compete as foot traffic in stores falls. Part of that refocusing could include closing between 80 and 100 poorly performing locations with leases ending soon.

Bed Bath & Beyond's shares were at $29.71 on Friday afternoon.

What's Hot On TheStreet:

Well OK then, Jeff Immelt: General Electric's (GE) - Get Free Report outgoing CEO Jeff Immelt had some choice things to say at an event in NYC on Thursday night, TheStreet's Kinsey Grant reports. First, Immelt revealed a possibly fatal management mistake Kroger's (KR) - Get Free Report CEO might have made about Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report who as we all know, just inked a $13.7 billion deal for organic grocer Whole Foods (WFM) . Immelt then took a jab at Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for not visiting factories in their push to lift manufacturing wages. Talk about a well-paid boss going down swinging.

Why Sears Canada is dying: Sears Canada (SRSC) has one foot in the grave just like its ailing U.S. friend Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) . Unfortunately for Sears Canada, it's that friend across the boarder that has played a large role in its demise, TheStreet's Michelle Lodge reports. Sears has sucked badly needed cash away from Sears Canada through the years, leaving it unable to upgrade stores and do other things to compete effectively in the always challenging Canadian retail market.

General Electric is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GE? Learn more now.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), seems dead set on holding a full vote in the chamber next week on the 142-page Obamacare repeal and replace plan he veiled Thursday, June 22.

To make that happen he'll have to navigate a treacherous obstacle while the clock is ticking.

A lot of factors will determine whether he succeeds or fails.

First up, the Congressional Budget Office's estimate of the plan's costs and the effects on insurance coverage is due early in the week, perhaps Monday, June 26. If it fails to reduce the deficit sufficiently or results in too many people losing insurance coverage, McConnell could fail to secure the 50 GOP votes he needs to secure passage. None of the Senate's 48 Democrats are expected to support the package, meaning the legislation survives only if no more than two Republicans vote no. That would leave a tie, which Vice President Mike Pence can be counted on to cast the deciding vote in favor of.

Already conservative GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky have said they are "not yet ready" to support the plan, although they are willing to negotiate changes that could get their backing .

"There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs," the said in a joint statement.

A series of votes is expected Thursday, June 29, on virtually a limitless number of amendments from lawmakers of both parties, dubbed a "vote-a-rama" by lawmakers, would result in passage late Thursday night or early Friday morning.

Whether passage is possible is a big question. Any changes likely to draw support of the four arch-conservatives, is likely to alienate some moderate Republicans, who don't want to face constituents who lose coverage or simply find it becomes unaffordable.

There will also be intense lobbying by healthcare trade organizations and other interest groups. Major hospital, physician and consumer groups oppose the bill. Hospitals over the long term will see Medicaid reimbursement fall and many patients with chronic or expensive conditions like diabetes, cancer or disabilities could see their out-of-pocket costs rise dramatically

"Medicaid cuts of this magnitude are unsustainable and will increase costs to individuals with private insurance," said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. "We urge the Senate to go back to the drawing board and develop legislation that continues to provide coverage to all Americans who currently have it."

Enactment of the Senate plan would cause a rise in the uninsured and end Medicaid expansion in 2024, which is softer on individuals who buy coverage from Obamacare exchanges or rely on Medicaid than the 2120 phase out by in the House version of the repeal legislation passed in May. The Senate version would provide $50 billion over four years to stabilize insurance exchanges in addition to cost-sharing subsidy payments through 2019. The plan, released Thursday, includes $15 billion a year in market-stabilizing funds in 2018 and 2019 and $10 billion a year in 2020 and 2021. The Senate measure would adjust health insurance tax credits for income and geography beginning in 2020, in an approach similar to the 2010 law, which the House bill would not do. The Senate credits would be available for people with income of up to 350 percent of the federal poverty level, compared with 400 percent of the poverty level under current law. The Senate version also would allow marketplace insurers to cover fewer medical costs for consumers than under the health care law.

The bill also would create a long-term state innovation fund, providing $62 billion over eight years. This would help state officials help people pay for health insurance.

The Senate draft would not require individuals to maintain continuous coverage, as the House bill does, but Senate GOP staff are said to be consulting with CBO and the parliamentarian about whether such a provision could be included under Senate rules. The House bill would require that individuals maintain insurance coverage or else they could be charged a higher premium. That would serve as an alternative to the health care law mandate that most individuals buy insurance, which the bill would repeal.

If the Senate bill does not ultimately include a continuous coverage provision but nevertheless repeals Obamacare's individual mandate, that could have a negative effect on overall insurance rates.

The Senate plan also would expand tax-preferred health savings accounts and would repeal many of the taxes that helped pay for the 2010 law.

Unveiling of the plan boosted insurance stocks, include Cigna Corp. (CI) - Get Free Report , UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) - Get Free Report , Aetna Inc. (AET) , Humana Inc. (HUM) - Get Free Report , Molina Healthcare Inc. (MOH) - Get Free Report , and Anthem undefined .

Hospital stocks also rose, although the positive effect of the law relative to the House version would fade as the Medicaid expansion winds down. Up on the unveiling were Quorum Health Corp. (QHC) - Get Free Report , HCA Healthcare Inc. (HCA) - Get Free Report , Community Health Systems (CYH) - Get Free Report , Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) - Get Free Report and LifePoint Health Inc. (LPNT) .

Editors' pick: Originally published June 23.
Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of AON: 6824625 Canada Ltd., 7193599 Canada Inc., A.B. Insurances Limited, ADIS A/S, AIB Services Limited, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency Inc., AIS Insurance Agency Inc., AMXH LLC, ARM International Corp., ARM International Insurance Agency Corp., ARMRISK CORP., AS Holdings Inc., ASPN Insurance Agency LLC, Access Plans USA Inc., Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Adm Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Administradora Aon C.A., Admiseg SA, Admix, Admix - Administracao Consultoria Participacoes e Corretora de Seguros de Vida Ltda., Aeropeople Limited, Affinity Group Insurance Services Limited, Affinity Insurance Services Inc., Affinity Risk Partners (Brokers) Pty Ltd, Agenion N.V./SA, Agility Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Alexander & Alexander Holding B.V., Alexander Clay, Alexander Insurance Managers (Netherlands Antilles) N.V., Alexander Reinsurance Intermediaries Inc., Allen Insurance Associates Inc., Alliance HealthCard Inc., Alliance HealthCard of Florida Inc., American Insurance Services Corp., American Special Risk Insurance Company, Anviti Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Aon (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon (CR) Insurance Agencies Company Limited, Aon (DIFC) Gulf Limited, Aon (Fiji) Ltd., Aon (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon (Thailand) Limited, Aon 180412 Limited (in liquidation), Aon ANZ Holdings Limited, Aon APAC Holdings B.V., Aon Acore Sarl, Aon Adjudication Services Limited, Aon Affinity Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Aon Affinity Argentina S.A., Aon Affinity Chile Ltda., Aon Affinity Colombia Ltda. Agencia de Seguros, Aon Affinity Mexico Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Servicos e Participacoes Ltda., Aon Affinity do Brasil Servicos e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Aon Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Americas Holdings BV, Aon Angola Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Antillen N.V., Aon Aruba N.V., Aon Assurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Australia Group Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 1 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 2 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 3 Pty Ltd, Aon Austria GmbH, Aon Bahrain W.L.L., Aon Belgium B.V.B.A., Aon Benefit Solutions Inc., Aon Benfield (Chile) Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Argentina S.A., Aon Benfield Australia Limited, Aon Benfield Brasil Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Canada ULC, Aon Benfield China Limited, Aon Benfield Colombia Limitada Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Benfield Fac Inc., Aon Benfield Global Inc., Aon Benfield Group Limited, Aon Benfield Inc., Aon Benfield Israel Limited, Aon Benfield Italia S.p.A., Aon Benfield Japan Ltd, Aon Benfield Latin America SA, Aon Benfield Limited, Aon Benfield Malaysia Limited, Aon Benfield Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro SA de CV, Aon Benfield Middle East Limited, Aon Benfield New Zealand Limited, Aon Benfield Panama S.A., Aon Benfield Peru Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Aon Benfield Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Bermuda Holding Company Limited, Aon Bermuda QI Holdings Ltd., Aon Beteiligungsmanagement Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Aon Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Aon Botswana (Pty) Ltd., Aon Brazil Holdings LLC, Aon Broking Services SA, Aon Broking Technology Limited, Aon CANZ Holdings B.V., Aon CANZ Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Inc., Aon Canada Intermediaries GP, Aon Captive Services Antilles N.V., Aon Captive Services Aruba N.V., Aon Cash Management B.V., Aon Central and Eastern Europe a.s., Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics Ltd, Aon Charitable Foundation Pty Ltd, Aon Chile Holdings LLC, Aon Commercial Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Commercial Services Ireland Limited, Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland Limited, Aon Consolidation Group Pty Ltd, Aon Consulting & Insurance Services, Aon Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Aon Consulting (Thailand) Limited, Aon Consulting Bolivia S.R.L., Aon Consulting Ecuador S.A., Aon Consulting Financial Services Limited, Aon Consulting Inc., Aon Consulting Kazakhstan LLP, Aon Consulting Limited, Aon Consulting Private Limited, Aon Consulting Romania SRL, Aon Corporate Services (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Corporate Services Limited, Aon Corporation, Aon Corporation Australia Limited, Aon Corporation EMEA B.V., Aon Credit International Insurance Broker GmbH, Aon Cyprus Insurance Broker Company Limited, Aon DC Trustee Limited, Aon Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Aon Delta Bermuda Ltd., Aon Delta UK Limited, Aon Denmark A/S, Aon Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH, Aon Direct Group Inc., Aon Edge Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Energy Caribbean Limited, Aon Enterprise Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Finance Bermuda 1 Ltd., Aon Finance Bermuda 2 Ltd., Aon Finance Canada 1 Corp., Aon Finance Canada 2 Corp., Aon Finance International N.S. ULC, Aon Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Finance N.S. 1 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 5 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 8 ULC, Aon Finance US 1 LLC, Aon Finance US 2 LLC, Aon Financial & Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Finland Oy, Aon France, Aon Global Holdings 1 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 2 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 3 Limited [In strike-off], Aon Global Holdings Limited, Aon Global Operations plc, Aon Global Risk Consulting B.V., Aon Global Risk Consulting Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Global Risk Research Limited, Aon Grana Peru Corredores de Seguros SA, Aon Greece S.A., Aon Groep Nederland B.V., Aon Group (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Group (Thailand) Limited, Aon Group Holdings International 1 B.V., Aon Group Holdings International 2 B.V., Aon Group Inc., Aon Group International N.V., Aon Group Pty Ltd, Aon Group Venezuela Corretaje de Reaseguros C.A., Aon Hewitt (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Ireland) Limited, Aon Hewitt (PNG) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Thailand) Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. Amalco, MacDonagh Boland Crotty MacRedmond Ltd, Marinaro Dundas S.A., Marinaro Dundas SA, Mark Kelly Insurance and Financial Services PTY LTD, McLagan (Aon) Limited, McLagan Partners Asia Inc., McLagan Partners Inc., Membership Leasing Trust, Minet Consultancy Services Ltd, Minet Group, Minet Holdings Inc., Minet Inc., Minet Re North America Inc., Modern Survey Inc., Muirfield Underwriters Ltd., NBS Nominees Limited, National Insurance Office Ltd., Nauman Insurance Brokers Limited, Nexus Insurance Brokers Limited, One Underwriting Agency GmbH, One Underwriting B.V., One Underwriting Health B.V., One Underwriting Pty Ltd, Optica Agency A/S, Optimum Risk Solutions Limited, Ovatio Courtage SAS, P.G. Bradley & Co Limited, PGOF Manager 1 LLC, PRORUCK Ruckversicherungs Aktiengesellschaft, PT Aon Benfield Indonesia, PT Aon Hewitt Indonesia, PT Aon Indonesia, PWZ AG, Paragon Strategic Solutions Inc., PathWise Solutions LLC, Penn Square Manager 1 LLC, Penn Square Manager II LLC, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting (Leamington) Limited, Portus Online LLP, Praesidium S.p.A. - Soluzioni Assicurative per il Management, Premier Auto Finance Inc., Private Client Trustees Ltd., Private Equity Partnership Structures I LLC, Probabilitas N.V./SA, Protective Marketing Enterprises Inc., Randolph Finance Unlimited Company, Rasini Vigano Limited, Redwoods Dental Underwriters Inc., Richard Kiddle (Insurance Brokers) Limited, Risk Laboratories LLC, Riskikonsultatsioonide OU, Ronnie Elementary Insurance Agency Ltd, SA Special Situations General Partner LLC, SG IFFOXX Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, SLE Worldwide Limited, SN Re S.A., Salud Riesgos y Recursos Humanos Consultores Ltda. (former Aon Corporte Advisors Ltda.), SchneiderGolling IFFOXX Assekuranzmakler AG, SchneiderGolling Industrie Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, Scritch Inc., Shanghai Kayi Information Technology Co. Ltd, Sheppard Netherlands B.V., Specialty Benefits Inc., Sports Insure Limited [In strike-off], Strategic Manager-III LLC, Stroz Friedberg (Asia) Limited, Stroz Friedberg Inc., Stroz Friedberg LLC, Stroz Friedberg Limited, Stroz Friedberg Risk Management Limited, Superannuation Management Nominees Limited, Suresport Limited [In strike-off], Swire Blanch MSTC II SA, Swire Blanch MSTC SA, TTG BRPTP GP LLC, TTG Cayuga Bavaria Intermediate 2 S.a.r.l, TTG Core Plus Investments LLC, TTG German Investments I LLC, TTG Investments II LLC, TTG Irish Investments I LLC, TTG Manager LLC, Tecsefin S.A. en liquidacion, The Aon Ireland Mastertrustee Limited, The Aon MasterTrustee Limited, The John Reynolds Company Limited, The Key West Saxon Group LLC, The Townsend Group Inc, The Townsend Group LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager I LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager II LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager III LLC, Townsend Group Asia Limited, Townsend Group Europe Ltd., Townsend HWL GP Ltd., Townsend Holdings LLC, Townsend Lake Constance GP Limited, Townsend REF GP LLC, Townsend Re Global GP Limited, Townsend SO Manager I LLC, Tyche, UAB One Underwriting, UADBB Aon Baltic, UK Credit Insurance Specialists Limited, UNIT Versicherungsmakler GmbH, US Underwriting Solutions S.r.l., USLP Underwriting Solutions LP, Underwriters Marine Services Inc., Unidelta AG, Unirobe Meeus Groep, UnitedPensions Deutschland AG, Univers Workplace Solutions, VERO Management AG, Ventiv Technology, WT Government Services LLC, WT Technologies LLC, Wannet Speciale Verzekeringen B.V., Wannet Sports Insurance GmbH, Ward Financial Group Inc., Welfare S.r.l, West Lake General Partner LLC, West Lake II GP LLC, Wexford Underwriting Managers Inc., White Rock Insurance (Americas) Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Europe) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Gibraltar) PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) ICC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Netherlands) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (SAC) Ltd., White Rock Insurance Company PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance PCC (Isle of Man) Limited, White Rock Services (Bermuda) Ltd., White Rock USA Ltd., Willis Towers Watson, Worldwide Integrated Services Company, Wrapid Specialty Inc., Zalba-Caldu Correduria de Seguros SA, and cut-e USA Inc..

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Tyler Technologies, Inc. provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector. The company operates in three segments: Enterprise Software; Appraisal and Tax; and NIC. It offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies or not-for-profit entities; utility billing systems for the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services; products to automate city and county functions, such as municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; and student information and transportation solutions for K-12 schools. The company also provides a suite of judicial solutions comprising court case management, court and law enforcement, prosecutor, and supervision systems to handle multi-jurisdictional county or statewide implementations, and single county systems; public safety software solutions; systems and software to automate the appraisal and assessment of real and personal property, as well as tax applications for agencies that bill and collect taxes; planning, regulatory, and maintenance software solutions for public sector agencies; software applications to enhance and automate operations involving records and document management; and data and insights solutions. In addition, it offers software as a service arrangements and electronic document filing solutions for courts and law offices; software and hardware installation, data conversion, training, product modification, and maintenance and support services; and property appraisal outsourcing services for taxing jurisdictions. The company has a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services for cloud hosting services. Tyler Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
For those who want an electric mobility option that's smaller than an e-bike, a folding electric scooter might be just the ticket.

The e-mobility scene is booming, with new electric transportation alternatives hitting the market just about every week, and there's something available now for just about everyone, whether that's an electric car, motorcycle, e-bike, or electric scooter. Because everyone's commute is different, and each of us has our own space constraints at home and at work, a single electric mobility solution doesn't work for everybody.

For those who don't have a lot of room to store their electric transport when it's not being ridden, or who have to carry it with them between buses or trains or in a car trunk or up multiple flights of stairs, a folding bike or scooter can fit the bill, such as this clever electric scooter from Stigo. The Stigo L1E is a sit-down scooter that doesn't require pedaling, can fold up to about the size of a rolling suitcase to be pulled behind or carried when it can't be ridden, and takes up just 48  40 cm (~19" x 16") of floor space to store.

 Stigo

The Stigo, which is driven by a 250W hub motor to speeds up to 15 mph (25 kph), is powered by a 36V lithium ion battery pack, available in either a single (5.8Ah) or a double (10.6 Ah) battery configuration for a range per charge of up to 25 miles (40 km). The electric scooter weighs in at about 31 pounds (14 kg), and measures 41.3" x 18.9" x 31.7" when unfolded, while quickly ("in 2 seconds") folding up to 18.9" x 15" x 46.5" tall for storage or pulling it behind while walking. Charging takes between 3 and 3.5 hours, depending on the battery configuration.

"Stigo was developed in response to the need expressed by many urban commuters for an electric bicycle or scooter.

"However, there was always the problem of where to store the vehicle. It is not that easy to take a bicycle into a city apartment or find a place on the street to charge your electric scooter.

"The Stigo solution is really simple  it folds into a wheeled suitcase-type package you can bring along anywhere and charge from a regular outlet."



 Stigo

The company is described as "a Nordic manufacturer with our roots in Tallinn, Estonia," and although it doesn't sell the scooters directly from its website, Stigo has dealers in 24 countries in Europe, North America, and Asia. Stigo also just opened a concept store in Tianjin, China. In the US, the price for the base model L1E is set at $1849 at the only distributor listed in the country, although the press materials have a stated MSRP of $1499 to $1799 for the same model. More info at Stigo.
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- Terror group al-Shabaab has attacked Equity Bank in El Wak, Mandera county

- According to sources, the heavily armed militants stormed into the bank on Friday, June 23

- Five people have been confirmed dead in the attack including two security guards

Heavily armed men suspected to belong to militant group al-Shabaab on Friday, June 23, stormed into an Equity Bank branch in El Wak, Mandera county.

TUKO.co.ke has learnt that five people have been confirmed dead in the attack. Among those killed were two security guards.

According to sources, security personnel have been deployed to the area to engage the attackers.

READ ALSO: DP Ruto gives NASA leaders solution after declaring that they hate him

Heavily armed men suspected to belong to militant group al-Shabaab on Friday, June 23, stormed into an Equity Bank branch in El Wak, Mandera county.

READ ALSO: ODM calls for prosecution of CS Joseph Nkaissery at the ICC

Mandera South OCPD Charles Chacha confirmed the attack and said among those killed were two police officers and three civilians bringing the death toll to five.

According to witnesses, militants had arrived in a Toyota Probox and started firing at the police officers manning the bank's entrance.

The injured during the attack were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.

READ ALSO: 9 dangerous places you should never walk alone in Nairobi

According to witnesses, militants had arrived in a Toyota Probox and started firing at the police officers manning the bank's entrance.

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Witnesses reported that the militants had abducted two Maasai hawkers as they fled the bank.

The latest attack in El Wak now brings the death from terror attacks in Northern Kenya to 49.

Majority of those killed in the attack have been security personnel manning the volatile region.

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- One person has been killed and two others are missing after a wall collapsed in Kibera

- The wall which was being erected to hold back drainage water collapsed following heavy rains on Wednesday night, June 21

- The wall was erected by Kenya Railways Corporation who are undertaking a house project

One person has died and two are missing after a wall collapsed in Kibera, Nairobi on Thursday, June 22.

READ ALSO: Raila Odinga's joyous response after court ruled against IEBC

The two went missing after they were swept away by water when the wall erected to hold drainage water collapsed.

According to Nation, the wall which was erected by Kenya Railways Corporation, collapsed after heavy rains.

READ ALSO: Court of Appeal rules against IEBC in case that Raila was so passionate about

A crwod at the scene Image-Nation

READ ALSO: 5 family members transporting body for burial killed in nasty accident

Governor Evans Kidero who was visited the scene said the water flooded nearby houses damaging property.

There is a wall that came down when it rained on Wednesday evening and water passed through some houses and took away three people. One lady was found dead and two are yet to be found, he said.

READ ALSO: Tanzania president shakes the region with his punishment to girls who get pregnant in schools

Kidero accused the contractor of using sub-standard materials

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Kidero appealed for help from the national government to retrieve the bodies saying fire department and disaster management unit are on the ground.

He accused the contractor of the building for using substandard materials to build the wall and accused the railway corporation of being inhuman for failing to show concern on the tragedy.

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Many people have been left without pipe-borne water in northern and eastern parts of Trinidad and some areas in Tobago.

The Water and Sewerage Authority indicates this is a result of an impact to twelve of its plants due to adverse weather, which has caused flooding in some areas.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov held a meeting with Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom Stephen Lovegrove. During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed the situation developed as a result of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, the NSDCs press service reports.

"Russia's actions show that it wants to change the architecture of the world that has developed after the Second World War," Turchynov said adding that Russia is conducting a hybrid war against Ukraine "not only on the battlefield but also in energy, information, economic and other spheres".

Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom added that his country is concerned about an increase in Russia's militarization and "how the hybrid war initiated by Russia is unfolding".

In this context, the parties agreed that sanctions against Russia should not only be prolonged, but also strengthened.

In addition, Oleksandr Turchynov said that Ukraine is ready and interested in cooperation with the UK in the format of joint projects in the security and defense sector.

Lovegrove, in turn, stressed that the UK respects the territorial sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

"Ukraine is one of our most important strategic partners, we are ready to stand next to your country helping and working with you at all levels, he stressed.

iy
Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded as a result of combat actions and one was killed in the explosion of a mine in the ATO zone in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Defense Ministry Spokesperson for ATO issues Andriy Lysenko said this at a press briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

Two Ukrainian servicepersons were wounded as a result of enemy attacks over the past day. One soldier was injured in the explosion of a mine near Luhanske, at Svitlodarska Duha, he said.

iy
The German low-cost airline Eurowings, which is a subsidiary of Lufthansa Group, is planning to launch flights on the Kyiv-Berlin route from 2018, Boryspil International Airport CEO Pavlo Riabikin has stated on his Facebook page.

Today we have had a fruitful meeting with the representatives of Lufthansa Group. Next year the low-cost airline Eurowings (part of Lufthansa Group) is planning to launch flights on the Kyiv-Berlin route, followed by the opening of flights to Dusseldorf. We are pleased with every small achievement that makes Boryspil Airport closer to and more convenient for passengers, Riabikin said.

In addition, according to Riabikin, the airport has got a positive assessment from Lufthansa Group, related to the developed public offer which creates considerable opportunities for the development of airline companies working under a low-cost model.

mk
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are committed to promoting the political process within the Normandy Four and Minsk formats.

The head of the German government said this after a meeting of the participants of the EU summit on foreign policy issues and her conversation with Macron yesterday in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We (Germany and France) have received good support in order to continue the Minsk process and do everything possible to promote the political process in a way that will be acceptable for Ukraine," Merkel said.

Merkel said that she also had the opportunity to discuss with Macron the Minsk process and the "Normandy format".

ish
06/22/2017

By Ed Brennen

Life-changing experiences can be few and far between, but senior economics major Mike Maguire discovered one last winter when he traveled to India with the Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation study abroad program.

It was incredible. I loved every second of it, says Maguire, who enjoyed the Manning School of Business program so much that he re-enrolled in the intensive two-week course once again this summer when it was held at UMass Lowell.

Maguire was one of 18 undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the three-credit summer session, which offered an opportunity to collaborate on entrepreneurial projects in small groups with 43 students visiting from India, China and Japan. A second summer session drew 55 MBA students from Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

Since launching in 2014, the Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation program has attracted more than 600 students from eight countries. And thats because we have so many faculty, staff and guests at UMass Lowell who have supported us throughout, says Manning School senior lecturer Ashwin Mehta, who runs the program along with Nitin Kulkarni from KLE Technological University in Hubli, India.

Raysa Mateo traveled to Delhi, Agra and Hubli, India with Prof. Ashwin Mehta to understand the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in today's global economy. The program alternates between winter sessions in Hubli and summer sessions in Lowell  and this summer a new session was added in China. In July, Mehta and Assoc. Prof. Yi Yang, chair of the Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Innovation department, will take three UMass Lowell students to Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunication, an international partner institution of the university. Once there, they will collaborate with 20 KLE students as well as students from Nanjing.

Sophia Laura DeAraujo participated in last winters India course before graduating from the Manning School in May with a concentration in international business. She says the experience was a major factor in landing a full-time job at Alcyone Lifesciences, a Lowell biotech company whose CEO hails from India.

Photo by Ed Brennen Photo by Ed Brennen As part of their two-week summer session, Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation program participants got a tour of MKS Instruments Inc. in Methuen. When I was able to say during my interview that I was in Hubli, at the college where the Deshpande Foundation is based, that was a big selling point, says DeAraujo, who shared her story with the summer participants  including several friends she made in India  during a reception at University Crossing. Going to India opened my eyes to so many new things, and I am so thankful for this program.

In addition to the group project work, the summer program features guest lectures from a dozen Manning School faculty members, a tour of the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub and visits to local tech companies. Students in this summers first session visited Amazon Robotics in North Reading, Wintriss Controls in Acton and MKS Instruments Inc. in Methuen, where alum Jerry Colella 78 is CEO and president.

Another alum, Wayne Cole 90, gave students an overview of the global operations at MKS and a tour of the facility that focused on process and environmental analysis solutions.

Photo by Ed Brennen Photo by Ed Brennen Manning School of Business founder Stuart Mandell poses with students visiting from KLE Technological University in Hubli, India, during a reception at University Crossing. Its fun to engage with people that are excited to learn about entrepreneurship, says Cole, vice president and general manager of business units at MKS, who has been involved with the program all four years. We have a very diverse workforce here, and this is just another example of the strong collaboration between MKS and UMass Lowell.

At the University Crossing reception, where students from India wore colorful saris and kurtas, Manning School founder Stuart Mandell recalled launching a course in international trade a half century earlier  back when business education was far more insular.

The opportunity to visit another country and to see how people live is much more important, in some respects, than book learning, Mandell told the students. And thats what this program is all about. What Prof. Mehta has done here is wonderful.

Wearing a bright red kurta he bought in India, Maguire posed for pictures at the reception with friends he made in Hubli six months earlier.

I was nervous going over there, but their culture just embraces you, said Maguire, who is considering returning to India after completing his degree in December. To have the students come here and to show them our side of the story is a really awesome experience.
UNICEF/Modola

NEW YORK/DAKAR/NAIROBI/AMMAN, 23 June 2017  The welcome announcement of an end to famine conditions in South Sudan this week should not distract from the fact that severe food insecurity continues to put the lives of millions of children at risk in north-east Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, UNICEF warned today.

There is no room for complacency, said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF Director for Emergency Programmes. While famine has been reversed in South Sudan, the lives of millions of children are still hanging by a thread. The crisis is far from over and we must continue to scale up our response and insist on unconditional humanitarian access, otherwise the progress made could be rapidly undone.

In all four countries the situation continues to be of the highest concern and the number of children at imminent risk of death remains alarming.

In north-east Nigeria, Boko Haram violence continues to contribute to large-scale population displacement, limit market activity and restrict normal livelihoods. Around 5.2 million people remain severely food insecure, with 450,000 children expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. The start of the rainy season will further complicate the humanitarian response, with deteriorating road conditions and flooding making populations harder to reach, and raising the risk of water-borne diseases.

In Somalia a fragile population, battered by decades of conflict, have been further exposed by prolonged drought conditions. It is estimated up to 275,000 children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2017, making them nine times more likely to die of killer diseases such as cholera, acute water diarrhoea and measles, which are spreading through the country.

In South Sudan, the number of people struggling to find enough food each day has grown to six million, the highest level of food insecurity ever experienced in South Sudan. This year, almost 276,000 children are estimated to be severely malnourished and in need of immediate life-saving aid. Famine has eased after a significant scale up in the humanitarian response, according to new analysis released this week, however the situation remains dire across the country.

And in Yemen, where almost 400,000 children are estimated to be severely malnourished, an unprecedented cholera outbreak, with over 175,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths to date, has complicated the ongoing humanitarian response. Some of the children who have become ill or died from cholera were already suffering from malnutrition, weakening their immune system. The health system is on the brink of collapse, with hospitals and treatment centres struggling to cope and medicines and medical supplies quickly running out. Famine is possible in a worst-case scenario as the conflict continues

Beyond these four countries, food, water and health crises are endangering hundreds of thousands of children across the Greater Horn of Africa, the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.

This year, UNICEF is working with partners to provide therapeutic and life-saving food treatment to over 314,000 severely malnourished children in Nigeria, over 200,000 severely malnourished children in South Sudan, more than 200,000 severely malnourished children in Somalia, and 320,000 children in Yemen.

UNICEF is also restoring and equipping health facilities, developing medical and nutritional supply pipelines and providing clean and safe water to vulnerable children and families. In Somalia, 1.8 million people have been reached with safe water, and in Nigeria over 2.6 million people will be reached with a basic supply of clean water this year.

In Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen UNICEF requires US$251 million to provide children with food, water, health, education and protection services until the end of the year.

###

Notes for editors:

Download photos and videos from: http://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AMZIFDD22Q
UNICEF/UN068128/Abubakar

DAKAR/GENEVA/ABUJA, 23 June 2017  More than 5.6 million children are at increased risk of contracting waterborne diseases, such as cholera and diarrheal infections, as the rainy season begins in conflict-affected areas of countries around Lake Chad, UNICEF warned today. The threat of disease outbreaks in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria coincides with growing regional insecurity and increased population movements particularly in Nigerias northeast.



The rains will further complicate what is already a dire humanitarian situation, as millions of children made vulnerable by conflict are now facing the potential spread of diseases, said Marie Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa. Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene conditions can lead to cholera outbreaks and to Hepatitis E, a deadly disease for pregnant women and their babies, while standing water pools can attract malaria-carrying mosquitos. Staving off disease is our top priority.



Flooding and muddy roads are expected to severely limit humanitarian access to remote areas for several weeks, just as the needs of children and families are sharply on the rise because of heightened insecurity across the region.



In Nigeria, security concerns have made it difficult to preposition supplies ahead of the rains and UNICEF is concerned about the availability of clean water for large numbers of people returning from Cameroon. While in the Diffa region of Niger, 150,000 people are living in makeshift shelters and will be exposed to heavy rains and unsanitary conditions. The 5.6 million children in need in the Lake Chad region are spread across the four countries in varied living conditions from host communities to camps for internally displaced and refugees. UNICEF adapts methodologies based on community needs to deliver clean water and sanitation in the multiple and complex situations where children are living.

Across the Lake Chad region, UNICEF and its partners are working in communities at higher risk of cholera outbreaks to teach families about the effects of the disease and practical steps like hand washing to help avoid infection. In Niger, Cameroon and Chad, essential drugs and bars of soap have been prepositioned in warehouses close to IDP camps in case of a cholera outbreak.



The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene response in the Lake Chad Basin has received less than 20% of the US$80 million required to meet urgent needs in 2017. Despite the lack of funding, this year UNICEF leading the WASH cluster in the crisis, aims to provide 2.7 million people with a basic supply of water needed to survive.



For a collection of images, please click here.



###








UNICEF/UN065872/Alzekri

NEW YORK/AMMAN, 23 June 2017  UNICEF welcomes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias announcement of a contribution to the cholera response in Yemen by WHO and UNICEF.



Children make up half of the suspected cholera cases and one quarter of related deaths.



We look forward to discussing this contribution with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.

Such generosity will make a great difference to thousands of children at risk of contracting this rapidly spreading disease.

###
Max Verstappen showed promising pace in the first Free Practice session for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit, setting the fastest time, with Daniel Ricciardo completing a superb early afternoon for Red Bull in second.

Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top three for Ferrari, meaning that there was no Mercedes powered car in the top three at a power hungry circuit.

Verstappen's time of a 1:44.410 saw an improvement of over two seconds on last year's fastest FP1 time.

Massa quick early on

The relatively healthy Friday afternoon crowd saw little track action in the first 30 minutes as temperatures rose towards the 30 mark. All drivers opted for installation laps before some returned to the garage for a lengthy period - meaning the first front-runners out for good were Ricciardo and Vettel with 24 minutes gone, whilst Felipe Massa headed the field, utilising the Williams' strong straight-line speed.

Vettel edged closer, managing to get within four tenths of the Brazilian, but Verstappen produced a fine lap on the medium compound tyres to take second from him.

Despite having a problem with his overtake button, Lewis Hamilton showed stellar pace during his first run as the top of the table changed in a blink of an eye. Sergio Perez assumed first with a 1:46.295 - Force India looking good at the top of the speed trap readings - with Hamilton trailing by three-tenths.

However, that all changed on the next lap, Hamilton overcoming his problems to go clear by a whopping seven-tenths, almost a second faster than his time sheet topping FP1 time last year.

More McLaren struggles

Along with Sauber's Pascal Wehrlein, McLaren became the first team to use the softest compound of the weekend - the supersofts. It provided little benefit, both Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso three seconds off the pace, weighed down with the burden otherwise known as the Honda power unit.

Yet on his first attempt on supersofts, Verstappen squeezed Hamilton off the top by eight-hundredths of a second, the Red Bull showing its prowess through the corners, helped by the Dutchman's considerable commitment. Ricciardo followed him, going second - but lying just shy of five-tenths behind. Vettel had recovered to go third on soft tyres despite having several off-track excursions.

Whilst Red Bull were top, Toro Rosso were rooted firmly to the bottom. On another fractured Friday in 2017, both Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz spent most of the afternoon in the garage, only able to venture out and set a time in the last half-hour. Sainz' best time was only good enough for 16th whereas on the other side of the garage, Kvyat managed a credible tenth late on despite the minimal running.

Perez falls foul

That came just before Perez brought out the red flags with just under 20 minutes of the session remaining, wrecking the right hand side of his Force India at the ultra-tight castle section after having several bites of turning into the car, and most likely jeopardizing his running in a few hours' time.

With the session resuming with a mere seven minutes to go, no further action was seen in regards to times at the top, meaning that for the first time since FP3 in Bahrain, Red Bull enjoyed led the way in a Free Practice session.
The National Election Committee will announce the official results of the June 4 commune elections on Sunday amid complaints from the opposition that legal challenges they filed were dismissed without reason.

Hang Puthea, NEC spokesman, said the body would not accept further legal challenges after June 20.

The NEC will collect and count the results to reveal how much of the vote each political party received.

The result will be announced at 9am and again at 7pm, he said, as well as being posted on the NECs website.

The NEC received 64 official complaints since the election, including 46 calls for recounts.

The NEC added that it had received 15 lawsuits from political parties in Cambodias provinces.

Sok Eysan, ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, said the reformed NEC was doing its duty and had acted professionally.

It can be observed that the NEC has fulfilled their duty responsibly, so we will accept the result.

Meng Sopheary, the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Partys head of elections, claimed the NEC had irrationally dismissed some of the partys complaints.

Since the NEC decided to stop accepting lawsuits, theres nothing we can do about it. But the CNRP is still dissatisfied with the decision. So the CNRP can only accept the result.

Many of the legal actions taken by the CNRP, she added, concerned ballot papers that were not properly filled out.

More than 7 million people voted in the commune elections, about 90 percent of registered voters.

Unofficial preliminary results announced by the parties suggested the CPP won more than 1,100 of the 1,646 seats up for grabs, while the CNRP extended their vote share significantly and increased the number of councils under their control by more than 350.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Heavy thunderstorms during the morning will give way to steady rain this afternoon. Morning high of 68F with temps falling sharply to near 45. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 35F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph.
RETAKING MOSULS OLD CITY As Iraqi and Coalition forces battle for Mosuls Old City, soldiers say militants have forced civilians back farther into the densely populated neighborhood, slowing the fight. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb at the Pentagon and VOA Cairo correspondent Heather Murdock in Mosul talk about the final fighting to retake Mosuls Old City from ISIS militants, who blew up a historic mosque there this week.
SOUTH SUDAN FAMINE A massive humanitarian response has eased the famine in parts of South Sudan. Despite that, more people are now facing hunger as the conflict there continues; UN agencies say the situation across the country remains dire. VOA Africa Division multimedia reporter Salem Solomon discusses the massive humanitarian effort and near-famine conditions that continue to plague South Sudan.
A series of close encounters this month over the Baltic Sea and U.S. shoot-downs of Russian allies' aircraft in Syria have triggered concerns among defense analysts that any direct incident between Russia and the United States, even if accidental, could quickly spiral out of control.

Reports say a Russian fighter jet and a U.S. spy plane on Monday came within two meters of each other, a situation deemed "unsafe" by the U.S. military.

The Russian SU-27 flew at a high rate of closure speed and the pilot exercised poor control, said a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Risk of accidents

Russia's Defense Ministry said the U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance plane made a provocative move toward the other jet.

Another close encounter came Wednesday. Moscow said a NATO fighter jet buzzed Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's plane as he headed to the Russian military enclave of Kaliningrad, nestled between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Russian state media reported a Russian SU-27 fighter jet "chased away" the Polish F-16 and published video of the incident.

There's a danger when a plane flies within meters of another, according to defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.

"But in the Baltics, that's a kind of pure case of creating tension out of nowhere ... by both sides," he said. "So, it's a bit of a dangerous game. But, in reality, no one wants to fight anyone."

New 'Cold War'

Russian probing of NATO member airspace has increased exponentially since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and ongoing military support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.

"It's no doubt, at least for me, that Russia and the West are in the situation of [a] new Cold War," said defense analyst Alexander Golts, deputy editor of Yezhednevny Zhurnal [Weekly Journal] in Moscow. "[The] Cold War is a situation when you have a problem that cannot be solved ... [not] diplomatically [or] militarily. This problem is Ukraine."

Golts said the issue is that Russia, from its point of view, cannot pull back from its "secret war" in Ukraine, yet until it does so, NATO cannot restore cooperation. Meanwhile, saber-rattling on both sides risks escalation of military conflict.

The United States this week issued new sanctions against Russian entities over their involvement in Ukraine, while the EU agreed to extend its own sanctions against Moscow.

The added sanctions came as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited President Donald Trump at the White House. Poroshenko later said the U.S. soon would sign some defense deals with Kyiv, but he gave no details. The U.S. so far has provided only training and nonlethal military equipment to Kyiv in an effort to stay out of any direct military conflict with Russia.

Military buildup?

Shoigu said Russia would build up its military forces on its western borders, citing a worsening security situation due to what he called NATO's "anti-Russia course." The Russian defense chief said its military would form 20 new units on its western front this year in response to NATO drills in the Baltic states and Poland.

The formerly occupied and Soviet states raised concerns about Russian aggression after Moscow's actions in Ukraine. NATO responded with stepped-up deployment of rotational defense forces. Meanwhile, in September, Russia and Belarus are holding large-scale military exercises that simulate a NATO invasion.

The NATO defense alliance deployment is modest compared with Russia's response, said Golts. "And, what is real now  there is no gray zone between these forces. They stand up against each other. And, again, it means any accident can be continued with [a] big war."

Thoughts have turned from potential U.S.-Russia cooperation back to reducing risks of new confrontation, Golts said.

"I think everybody has to forget, for [a] very, very long period of time, the possibility of some kind of cooperation with Russia," he said. "It's more or less clear [that] because of all this scandal with Russian interference in [the] American election, Trump will never approach Mr. Putin," Golts said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Syria bluster

Meanwhile, a proxy war in Syria intensifies as Russia and Iran support their ally in Damascus against U.S.-backed Syrian rebels. All sides claim to be fighting Islamic State terrorists.

The U.S.-led coalition in Syria shot down a Syrian warplane this month, as well as two Iranian-made drones that were nearing American-backed troops. Russia condemned the action and said it would treat any plane or drone from the U.S.-led coalition flying west of the Euphrates River as a target.

Moscow also suspended, again, a memorandum aimed at avoiding accidents in the skies over Syria. The first such announced suspension occurred after a U.S. missile strike in April on a Syrian air base that Washington said Damascus used to launch chemical weapons attacks that had killed more than 80 civilians. Russia condemned the U.S. attack and blamed the chemical weapons on Syrian militants.

While many of Russia's implied threats against the U.S.-led coalition in Syria appear to be bluster, the risk of direct conflict between the two sides is increasing, Golts said. "If you just repeat your complaints and your threats, sooner or later, nobody will pay attention. So, it's a problem how to make statements tougher and don't move at the same time closer to [a] condition of war."
Two back-to-back bombs went off Friday in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 100 others.

The blasts occurred in a crowded market of Parachinar, the main town of the semi-autonomous Kurram tribal district near the Afghan border.

Sajid Turi, a member of parliament from the area, told the local media that a low-intensity blast occurred during afternoon rush hours, before a second powerful bomb exploded.

The lawmaker said he anticipated the death toll will increase. Hospital sources said more than 30 wounded people were brought in from the scene in "critical condition.

The population in the area where the deadly blasts occurred is predominantly Shiite Muslims.

A military statement said it has dispatched two helicopters to Parachinar to evacuate injured to hospitals in Peshawar.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the deadly blasts.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the bombings and said he hopes those responsible are brought to justice, in a statement released by his spokesman.

The U.S. State Department released a statement later Friday, saying, We offer our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. We will continue to work with the government of Pakistan and our partners across the region to combat the threat of terrorism.

The attacks on Friday happened hours after a car bombing in southwestern city of Quetta killed at least 13 people and wounded 20 others.

Senior police officers apparently were the target. At least seven personnel were among the dead.

A splinter Pakistani Taliban faction, Jamaatul Ahrar, claimed responsibility for that attack.

Nike Ching at the U.S. State Department and Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Bill Cosby plans to conduct a series of free public seminars about sexual assault this summer, his spokesman said days after a Pennsylvania judge declared a mistrial in the entertainer's sex assault trial.

The 79-year-old comedian was best known for his role as the father in the hit 1980s TV comedy "The Cosby Show" before dozens of women came forward over the past few years to accuse him of sex assault, with one of the allegations leading to this month's criminal trial outside Philadelphia.

"I received hundreds of calls from civic organizations and churches requesting for Mr. Cosby to speak to young men and women about the judicial system," Andrew Wyatt, Cosby's spokesman, said in an email on Thursday.

Pennsylvania prosecutors plan to re-try Cosby on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home near Philadelphia in 2004, after the jury in the first trial failed to reach a verdict.

The case is the only criminal prosecution to emerge from dozens of similar allegations against Cosby, as the other cases are too old to be the subject of criminal prosecution.

Wyatt cited Cosby's assertion that former district attorneys had vowed not to prosecute him during negotiations related to a civil lawsuit.

"These groups would like for Mr. Cosby to share that people in the judicial system can use their powers to annul deals for personal agenda and political ambitions," Wyatt said.

In a Wednesday interview on Birmingham, Alabama's WBRC-TV news, Wyatt offered more detail about the seminars.

"This issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today," Wyatt said. "And they need to know what they are facing when they are hanging out and partying when they are doing things they shouldn't be doing. And it also affects married men."

Cosby has long denied sexually assaulting anyone, saying that any sexual contact he had with Constand or anyone else was consensual.
Ubiquitous drones and a faster Internet are coming sooner than you might think, and governments are staring into the unknown as they face the prospect of regulating the coming technological revolution in a way that fosters innovation, while at the same time protecting the often conflicting interests of consumers, entrepreneurs and the general public.

Its Technology Week at the White House, and top industry executives huddled together Thursday with President Donald Trump to show off their wares and talk about what governments role should be in regulating, and at the same time encouraging the pace of change. The discussion was all about next generation lightning-fast 5G wireless services and the exponential growth of drone-related technologies.

This meeting comes at an important time because were on the precipice of moving to 5G and bringing about the Internet of Things, said Mike Sievert, Chief Operating Officer of T-Mobile, a leading cellphone service provider. The position that the government takes is going to determine whether or not America continues to lead in technology.

Sievert was joined by a Whos Who of top executives from venture capitalists and firms such as Sprint, AT&T, General Electric, Honeywell, Verizon, and Microsoft. Also attending were entrepreneurs from drone industry leaders like AirMap, which produces a platform for drone mapping that is in use at most U.S. airports; and Precision Hawk, which analyzes data gathered by advanced drone technology and sensors for the energy and agriculture industries.

Trump told the group he is committed to keeping the government out of the way to allow the tech companies to grow and prosper.

[There have been] too many years of excessive government regulation, Trump told the drone executives. Weve had regulation thats been so bad, so out of line, that its really hurt our country. On a daily basis, were getting rid of regulation.

Enabling innovation

Trumps message did not appear to go down well with the entrepreneurs, however. Precision Hawk CEO Michael Chasen explained to the president the need for government to take a lead role in establishing rules and standards for the drone industry.

This is the one industry where we need a little bit more regulation, Chasen told Trump. Because the default [present state of affairs] is limiting what drone technology can do and we need the FAA and other regulatory bodies who have the power to regulate [to open] up those opportunities so we can stay competitive with other countries.

Trump said his government wants to provide an environment where innovators can dream big.

Were on the verge of new technological revolutions that could improve virtually every aspect of our lives, create vast new wealth for American workers and families and open bold new frontiers in science, medicine and communications, said the president.

Drone industry experts say sales growth has been phenomenal.

In the past eight months, nearly 850,000 drones were registered by the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration], said Brett Velicovich, president of a Washington area drone firm and author of the new book Drone Warrior. "That compares to only 350,000 airplanes sold over the past 100 years."

Drone concerns

Velicovich said his greatest worry is that governments such as the United States dont seem to fully appreciate the potential security threat posed by the new generation of cheap, powerful drones in the hands of terrorists.

Groups like ISIS see how cheap this technology is and how capable it is and how far they can fly away from the remote and the type of payloads you can put on it and so the security implications come from these people and organizations that would try and do us harm, he told VOA. They see how readily available the technology is, how cheap it is, and how far its come just in the last few months.

The United States has long been a leader in the use of military drones, and a multi-billion-dollar drone sale is reported to be up for discussion early next week when Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays a visit to the White House.

Reuters reports that India is pushing to buy a naval variant of the Predator drone, which manufacturer General Atomics says can be used for wide-area, long-endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It can stay in the air for up to 27 hours and can fly at a maximum altitude of 15,000 meters.
On the first anniversary of Britain's decision to leave the European Union, leaders from the bloc Friday concluded a summit in Brussels with questions about the residency rights of EU citizens in Britain once it exits the regional grouping.

Addressing the bloc this week, British Prime Minister Theresa May discussed the fate of the 3 million EU citizens who call Britain home. In an offer to guarantee their rights, May said, I want all those EU citizens who are in the U.K., who have made their lives and homes in our country, to know that no one will have to leave. We wont be seeing families split apart.

The offer gives EU nationals who have been living in Britain for at least five years the same rights they now enjoy.

EU Council President Donald Tusk, however, said, "My first impression is that the U.K. offer is below our expectations and risks worsening the situation for our citizens.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters the offer was a first step" but that it was "not sufficient."

Exit talks between Britain and the EU started Monday and must be concluded within two years. It was the first summit since Britain triggered Article 50, the official notification to leave the bloc, in March.

Despite challenges facing the EU, such as the rise of Eurosceptic movements that oppose more power for the bloc, and the recent election in Britain where conservatives failed to get a stronger mandate for a hard Brexit,

EU leaders say things appear to be looking up. That assessment came as the European Central Bank informed them that after years of stagnation, the economy is growing, investments are increasing and millions of jobs have been created.

Terrorism and migration, however, still concern both EU leaders and citizens. Days before the summit, authorities thwarted a terrorist attack on the central train station in Belgiums capital city, highlighting once again the ongoing threat of what EU Council President Tusk called home-grown radicalization.

On migration, Tusk said that a review was needed on the issue of central Mediterranean Sea crossings, saying the situation remains critical. Migrant arrivals to Europe have increased by 26 percent since last year, said Tusk and that close to 2,000 people have lost their lives since the start of this year.

At the same time, the EU had to start infringements procedures against Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary for not taking part in a migrant relocation plan.

Tusk said, The only result that matters to us is to put a definitive end to this tragic situation. Leaders agreed that everyone will work harder in the coming weeks to better coordinate our efforts and support Italy more.

With financial support from the EU, the Libyan coast guard is being trained to limit the number of people crossing by boat; but, a United Nations Security Council report released this month said the Libyan coast guard is directly involved in abuses and human rights violations against migrants.

Villads Zahle of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles says its disturbing that the EU would leave migrants at the mercy of the Libyan coast guard.

We have moved from a place of how to protect people to how to escape responsibility. We know what the solutions are; its not rocket science; but, as long as we are seeing a race to the bottom, how can we make it as hard as possible to accommodate these people  then we are not moving towards a solution," he said.

EU leaders also agreed to a permanent defense structure and investment of $1.6 billion a year. French President Emmanuel Macron called the common defense plans historic. Britain always opposed the idea, preferring the NATO alliance; but, with Britain set to leave the EU, efforts for more EU defense integration have accelerated.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during the summit that the new defense structures will not undermine NATO, but collaborate with it and that it creates an opportunity for better integration within the EU for those member states that are not members of NATO.

The leaders also decided that Britain-based EU agencies would be relocated to another country in the bloc, and to extend sanctions on Russia for six months because of the crisis in Ukraine and the deadlocked Minsk peace process aimed at ending hostilities there.
Four Arab countries are demanding Qatar take its government-supported Al Jazeera news channel off the air in the latest development in a dispute stemming from allegations Qatar is funding terrorist organizations.

The demand is on a 13-point list issued by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain  the four Arab states that cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar three weeks ago. The four countries say Qatar has 10 days to comply but do not say what will happen if the demands are refused.

In reaction to the demand, Al Jazeera issued a statement that said, in part, "We in the Network believe that any call for closing down Al Jazeera is nothing but an attempt to silence the freedom of expression in the region and to suppress people's right to information and the right to be heard. We assert our right to practice our journalism professionally without bowing to pressure from any government or authority and we demand that governments respect the freedom of media to allow journalists to continue to do their jobs free of intimidation, threats and fearmongering."

On June 8, Al Jazeera said it was experiencing "systematic and continual" hacks to its website. That claim could not be confirmed by outside media groups.

In May, Egypt blocked 21 news outlets, including Al Jazeera, for what it called sympathy toward the Muslim Brotherhood, a political organization banned in the country.

Regional allies Saudi Arabia and Jordan followed suit in June, shutting down Al Jazeera's news bureaus in Riyadh and Amman. The Saudi government also ordered hotels and other businesses catering to tourists to block Al Jazeera programming or face stiff fines.

Qatar's influence

The popular satellite broadcaster gives the tiny Gulf state a powerful influence in the region. In the past, Doha-based Al Jazeera has been critical of Saudi Arabia and Egypt's military government.

Although it avoids critical coverage of Qatar and the royal family, Al Jazeera reports on various ideological groups and was a major source of news as the Arab Spring that began in late 2010 toppled dictatorships throughout the Arab world.

Critics accuse the outlet of supporting Iran and Sunni terrorism.

The Muslim Brotherhood temporarily held power in Egypt after former President Mohamed Morsi won the nation's first open democratic election. The current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, led a military coup against Morsi's government in 2013 and barred the Muslim Brotherhood from politics when he took power.
Officials say three people have been killed and three others wounded in a suspected Islamic extremist attack in Kenya's Mandera County, which borders Somalia.

Northeastern Regional Security Coordinator Mohamud Saleh said Friday four gunmen shot dead two civilians and a policeman at a bank in Elwak. Saleh says three others were wounded before the gunmen drove off toward Somalia.

Kenya's border with long-chaotic Somalia is mostly unguarded.

In a separate incident, the Kenya Red Cross says two people escaped unhurt after their car ran over a homemade bomb in Mandera.

Saleh says al-Shabab extremists from Somalia are suspected to be behind both attacks.

Al-Shabab has said its attacks in Kenya are payback for the country deploying troops to Somalia to fight the extremist group in 2011.
Honduras promised on Thursday to turn a new page in human rights  protecting everyone from indigenous activists to gay rights campaigners  in a declaration of intent backed with the creation of the country's first dedicated rights minister.

Rights watchdogs consider Honduras one of the most hostile and dangerous countries for human rights defenders, saying violence and impunity for abuses are the norm.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez announced the new office during a speech in May for Honduran journalists.

When asked by the Thomson Reuters Foundation for follow-up, senior government official Jorge Ramon Hernandez Alcerro said: Our work in the area is entering a new phase.

Human rights minister

The new Honduran human rights minister will take a seat in the cabinet and will be responsible for new funding aimed at strengthening government protection of rights activists, said Alcerro, secretary general of government coordination.

Honduras has been the subject of international scrutiny since the murder of activist Berta Caceres, a winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, in March 2016 over her opposition to a $50 million hydroelectric dam project.

The Central American nation is the deadliest in the world for communities fighting to protect lands against development, with about 120 activists killed since 2010, according to British-based watchdog Global Witness.

Crackdown on gangs

Rights organizations this week criticized the government's support for the U.S.-led Alliance for Prosperity, an initiative to stem U.S. immigration by funding infrastructure megaprojects and crackdowns on gangs in Central America.

Civil society organizations fear the program will result in an erosion of land and workers rights to encourage investment. But Acerro countered their concerns, saying it will create new opportunities to bolster human rights.

"One of our principal priorities under the Alliance for Prosperity has in fact been the strengthening of human rights protections and of the institutional frameworks that support these," Alcerro said.

Working with EU

The government has been working with the European Union, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and rights charity Freedom House to develop policies that protect human rights and their advocates, he said.

This encompasses not only indigenous rights defenders, but also LGBT, political activists, journalists, and all Hondurans that work to promote and protect human rights," he added.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said U.S. funding across Central America for the alliance, including $750 million pledged by the previous administration, will contribute to human rights training for the army and police, and to upholding the rule of law.

US support questioned

Alcerro said that Honduras cannot directly control how U.S. agencies spend aid and investment but pledged that the regime would urge the U.S. government to align its spending with Honduran policy priorities, including rights.

U.S. and Honduran rights organizations, including the religious charities Sisters of Mercy and the Jesuit Migrant Service for Central America (JSMCA), have criticized continued U.S. support for the regime of President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Hernandez came to power after a military coup in 2009 overthrew the government of President Manuel Zelaya.

Concessions to private industry

His government plans to improve the country's infrastructure and communications, mostly through concessions to private industry, which have resulted in displacement of indigenous communities and small scale farmers, Sisters of Mercy said.

"With regards to indigenous land rights, the Hernandez administration has already made unprecedented actions to ensure many indigenous groups hold communal land titles in accordance to their own customs," said Alcerro.

"Last year, the government granted indigenous groups communal land titles covering 1.1 million hectares  8 percent of the national territory," he added.
An Indian man on death row in Pakistan after a military court sentenced him on charges of espionage, sabotage and terrorism has appealed to the country's army chief for clemency.

India had earlier appealed to the International Court of Justice, the highest legal body under the United Nations, in the case of Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav. India said Pakistan had sentenced an innocent Indian citizen without granting him diplomatic access, which is in violation of an international treaty.

The court ordered Pakistan last month to delay Jadhav's execution until the final verdict.

Pakistan says Jadhav confessed to being an Indian spy working to disrupt the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a network of railways and roads that is part of the larger One Belt One Road Initiative launched by China.

In a 10-minute video released by the military, the second of its kind, Jadhav said his activities were designed to support separatist groups in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province to "raise the level of insurgency."

A news release by the Pakistan military's public relations wing said Jadhav had "expressed remorse" over lives lost and damage caused by his actions and asked for mercy on "compassionate grounds."

According to authorities, Jadhav claimed to have had a hand in sectarian violence, targeting Shi'ite Muslims, that had plagued Pakistan for a while.

Center of conflict

Balochistan has long been the center of a conflict between separatist insurgents and Pakistan's military. It is also along the route of China's planned economic corridor, which involves an investment of upward of $50 billion. The success of the project depends upon securing the routes.

Tensions between India and neighboring Pakistan, both nuclear-armed countries, have been high since a heavily armed group attacked an Indian air force base in Pathankot early last year. India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack.

The two sides have also been exchanging intermittent fire along the Line of Control, the de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region.
Indonesias eye-catching moves to secure its fisheries under President Joko Jokowi Widodo are, on one hand, an extension of the resource nationalism that has touched nearly every industry, from mining to palm oil, in the island nation.

But the fisheries battle is not just about natural resources. Its also about human resources, namely trafficking and labor abuse of fishermen from Indonesia and neighboring countries.

Because the fishing industry in Southeast Asia is lightly regulated, exact numbers of victims are hard to come by. But there are signs that it is huge.

A single 2016 investigation by the Associated Press discovered 4,000 fishermen, from Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand, who were being trafficked in Indonesias Maluku islands. A different investigation, also from 2016, by the International Organization for Migration, spoke to more than 1,100 trafficking victims in Indonesia.

The men labor under conditions more reminiscent of the 11th century than the 21st, said Paul Dillon, an IOM project manager. They are beaten with gaffs and stingray tails, starved and deprived of sleep, and close to 80 percent of those we interviewed said they worked more than 16 hours every day.

Aggressive crackdown

The vessels themselves [where human trafficking occurs] are engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, Dillon said. Many are simply vacuuming the seas and destabilizing fish stocks, which is putting legitimate enterprises out of business and ruining coastal economies that support tens of millions of ordinary Indonesians.

Indonesias fisheries ministry estimates illegal fishing costs 30 trillion rupiah (about $3.1 billion) per year, while the Peoples Coalition for Fisheries Justice, or KIARA, pegs it higher, at 50 trillion rupiah or $5.2 billion, not including lost tax income or environmental damage.

In 2016, the fisheries ministry announced a human rights audit related to human trafficking on the seas, but the results are not yet published.

In a report, fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti estimated there are approximately 250,000 Indonesian crews on foreign vessels operating across continents that remain unprotected.

Widespread regional problem

The fisheries ministry and IOMs report details a culture of deceptive recruitment, abuse, non-payment of wages and even murder in the fishing industry.

It is not easy to delineate the problem along national lines. Most of the migrant workers in the Associated Press investigation were from Myanmar, and were reported to have been kept in cages and tortured.

In 2015, five Thais and three Indonesians were jointly tried for human trafficking in the seafood industry. One Myanmar man came forward with his story of a decade of slavery on a Thai fishing boat.

It is impossible to know how many trafficked individuals are still trapped in the industry, Dillon said. A Jokowi administration task force against illegal fishing, which includes Marine Police, Coast Guard and Navy, has likely deterred some new offenders, but the task force leader admitted to VOA last week that they still had limited resources.

So far, the task force has investigated 186 vessels on human trafficking violations, its leader, Mas Achmad Santosa, told VOA. It has also collaborated with IOM Indonesia and the Ministry of Manpower to repatriate 1,342 victims of trafficking to their home countries: Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

Prevention and rehabilitation

With regards to domestic labor, the lack of both national and international regulations to protect Indonesian workers in foreign fishing vessels makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, Santosa said. Indonesia has regulated its migrant workers activities since 2004, he said, but that regulation (Law No. 39) focused on land-based workers, leaving sea-based workers rights unclear.

He added, Officers at ports are mostly unaware of the forms of human rights violations taking place within their jurisdiction, especially trafficking.

There are government initiatives to assist returning trafficking victims, like through Indonesias 2007 Anti-Trafficking Law, which provides a right to health care, psychological support and counseling, temporary shelter and legal aid, according to a 2016 NEXUS Institute report. But returning victims dont have sufficient access to general social services, i.e. those not directly targeted at trafficking victims, according to that same report.

The very big picture behind illegal and unsustainable fishing practices is skyrocketing global demand for seafood. For that, Dillon said, only sustained consumer demand, that the sale of slave-caught seafood in local supermarkets and restaurants cease, is going to hold those parties accountable and turn the ship around.
Faced with growing criticism over recent anti-LGBT actions in Indonesia, the Jakarta government has told VOA it will safeguard the rights of all minority groups while taking into account "religious and cultural values that must be upheld."

A statement released by the Indonesian Embassy in Washington responded to a letter last week from 36 members of the U.S. Congress that condemned the Jakarta government's alleged disregard for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The European Parliament has raised similar concerns.

"For the Indonesian government, the letter expresses U.S. Congress members' compassion with Indonesia as a democratic, tolerant country with the largest Muslim population in the world and the United States' important partner in the region," said the statement, released Tuesday.

Embassy officials declined requests for further comment.

Putting Indonesia 'on notice'

U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, who commissioned the letter, said it responds to "a growing pattern of a basic disrespect for human rights" and aims to mitigate the persecution of minority groups in Indonesia.

"By raising the profile of this issue, and simply putting the government on notice, we will see some positive effect," he told VOA. The New York Democrat, who is a co-chair of the House LGBT Equality Caucus, added: "If we don't, we'll take the next step."

Last month there were several high-profile raids of saunas and "sex parties" in Indonesia, including one that resulted in the arrest of more than 140 men in Jakarta. In West Java, Indonesia's most populous province, officials have announced the creation of an anti-LGBT "task force," and a gay couple was publicly caned in conservative Aceh province, in the first application of a 2015 sharia or Islamic law.

Maloney cited the blasphemy case of former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who was sentenced to two years in prison in May, as an example of the deteriorating state of tolerance and pluralism in the country.

The letter from the lawmakers also reflected efforts in the United States to reinforce existing federal laws, such as by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Maloney said.

"If we're entering a period where the Trump administration is going to downplay the importance of human rights in American foreign policy, then I think it's even more important that members of Congress make their voices heard," he added.

His remarks on human rights in Indonesia came a day after the European Parliament adopted a resolution voicing similar sentiments.

The EP resolution also targeted Indonesia's use of capital punishment and the practice of female genital mutilation.

Ignatius Puguh Priambodo, first secretary at the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels, told VOA the resolution "does not give Indonesia a chance to respond to the issues addressed in it" and ignores Indonesia's efforts to forge constructive dialogue with the EP.

'Childish' response

Andreas Harsono, who tracks Indonesia for Human Rights Watch, said international criticism of Indonesia's human rights stance would undermine Jakarta's global standing.

Harsono told VOA that Indonesia's "childish" response toward the EP resolution avoided directly addressing human rights issues. "This is a request from Indonesia's allies that Indonesia must pay attention to," he added.

Yuli Rustinawati, one of the founders of Indonesian LGBTQ advocacy group Arus Pelangi, said anti-LGBT violence had become widespread, and that there had been no adequate response to the problem from the government.

Over the past two years, Rustinawati said: "I don't think [the government] has responded  no dialogues. That there is violence is a fact; that this must be discussed is a must."

This report originated on VOA Indonesia.
A judge on Thursday temporarily halted the deportation of more than 100 Iraqi Christians living in the Detroit area who fear torture and possible death if sent back to Iraq.

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith said in a written order that deportation is halted for 14 days while he decides if his court has jurisdiction to hear their plight.

The Justice Department had argued that the detainees, including many who were recently rounded up after decades in the U.S., must go to immigration court to try to remain in the U.S., not U.S. District Court. But the American Civil Liberties Union said they might be deported before an immigration judge can consider their requests to stay.

Goldsmith heard arguments Wednesday. He said he needs more time to consider complex legal issues.

Potential physical harm "far outweighs any conceivable interest the government might have in the immediate enforcement of the removal orders before this court can clarify whether it has jurisdiction to grant relief to petitioners on the merits of their claims," Goldsmith said.

Most of the 114 Iraqis are Chaldean Christians, but some are Shiite Muslims and converts to Christianity. They were arrested on or about June 11 and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said all have criminal convictions.

Iraq recently agreed to accept Iraqi nationals subject to removal from the U.S.

"The court took a life-saving action by blocking our clients from being immediately sent back to Iraq," Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said in a release. "They should have a chance to show that their lives are in jeopardy if forced to return."

Besides the 114 arrested in the Detroit area, 85 other Iraqi nationals were arrested elsewhere in the country, according to ICE. As of April 17, there were 1,444 Iraqi nationals with final orders of removal from the U.S. Eight already have been returned to Iraq.

The detainees include Louis Akrawi, who served more than 20 years in Michigan prisons for second-degree murder. He was accused of arranging a shooting that killed an innocent bystander in 1993.

"He's 69 years old, he has two artificial knees, and he needs surgery on both eyes. Sending him back to Iraq is unfair," his son, Victor Akrawi, told The Detroit News.
Developments in Washington, D.C., on Thursday include President Donald Trump saying he did not tape discussions with fired FBI Director James Comey, questioning why former President Barack Obama didn't stop Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Senate Republicans releasing their version of a health care bill for the country, as well as drone and technology experts at the White House.

Trump Tweets He Has No Comey Tapes -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he did not record his conversations with former Federal Bureau of Investigation chief James Comey. Comey has said the president urged him to curb the agency's investigation into Russia's meddling of the 2016 presidential election, which Trump denies. Trump wrote on Twitter: "With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings."

Trump Questions Why Obama Administration Didn't Thwart Russian Election Meddling -- Trump is questioning why his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, and his administration didn't block Russia from meddling in last year's presidential election. In a Twitter comment Thursday, Trump posed a question: "By the way, if Russia was working so hard on the 2016 Election, it all took place during the Obama Admin. Why didn't they stop them?"

Senate Republican Health Care Plan Draws Criticism -- After weeks of closed-door negotiations, Senate Republicans unveiled a draft bill to overhaul America's health care system and replace Obamacare, drawing criticism from Democrats and expressions of concern from some moderates as well as conservatives in their own party. In what is seen as an attempt to make good on a longstanding Republican pledge to voters, the legislation would end the health care law's requirement that most Americans buy health insurance, phase out federal subsidies for purchasing a plan, and scale back funding for Medicaid, which covers health care costs for the poor and disabled.

Drones, 5G Internet Dominate Talks as Tech Execs Visit White House -- Ubiquitous drones and a faster Internet are coming sooner than you might think, and governments are staring into the unknown as they face the prospect of regulating the coming technological revolution in a way that fosters innovation, while at the same time protecting the often conflicting interests of consumers, entrepreneurs and the general public. Its Technology Week at the White House, and top industry executives huddled together Thursday with Trump to show off their wares and talk about what governments role should be in regulating, and at the same time encouraging the pace of change. The discussion was all about next generation lightning-fast 5G wireless services and the exponential growth of drone-related technologies.

New Trump Executive Order May Increase US Visa Wait Times -- The wait for visitor visas to the United States could get a little longer. White House and State Department officials said Thursday that a new executive order revoking an Obama-era guideline on processing times at consulates was made in the interest of "vetting" and national security. It was not immediately clear how much much longer the process will take for the millions of tourist, student, and business visa seekers who apply to travel to the country every year.

Trump Basks in Cheers of Iowa Supporters -- Trump Wednesday basked in the cheers of his supporters in the rural heartland of America. At a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Trump told the crowd of admirers, "Its always terrific to be able to leave that Washington swamp and be able to spend time with the truly hardworking people. We call them American patriots.

Minnesota to Still Engage With Cuba Despite Trump Setback -- Minnesota's government and businesses will continue to engage with Cuba in the areas they can, like agricultural trade, despite Trump's partial rollback of the detente, Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith said on Thursday. The first U.S. state representative to make an official visit to Communist-run Cuba since Trump's announcement on Friday, Smith said authorities there were worried about the setback to bilateral relations.

US, EU Urge China to Limit Food Import Control -- Food exporters including the United States and European Union are stepping up pressure on China to scale back plans for intensive inspections of imports that they say would hamper access to its fast-growing market. The group, which also includes Japan and Australia, sent a joint letter to Chinese regulators asking them to suspend a proposed requirement, due to take effect Oct. 1, for each food shipment to have an inspection certificate from a foreign government. They say that would disrupt trade and ask Beijing to follow global practice by applying the requirement only to higher-risk foods.
A Kenyan appellate court, dismissing a complaint by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, ruled Friday that presidential election results announced at the polling station level are final.

"The lowest voting unit and the first level of the declaration of presidential election results is the polling station," said Justice William Ouko of the Kenyan Court of Appeal. "The declaration form containing those results is the primary document, and other forms subsequent to it are only tallies of the original and final result as recorded at the polling station."

In April, the Kenyan High Court made a similar ruling, but the electoral commission asked the appeals court to overrule the judgment. The electoral commission questioned the integrity of its officers in charge of polling station returns.

Ouko dismissed that argument, calling it "hypocritical" for the commission to doubt its workers.

Disputes over the outcome marred Kenya's last two presidential elections. The 2007 dispute triggered intercommunal fighting that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more from their homes.

'Cure the mischief'

Felix Odhiambo, Kenya country director of the nonprofit Electoral Law and Governance Institute in Africa, said Friday's ruling discourages tampering with election results.

"It will cure the mischief that has been identified in the past, where the electoral commission unilaterally alters and changes the election results at the national tallying center, and most fundamentally it gives credence to the finality and sanctity of the vote," Odhaimbo said.

Ouko called on the electoral commission to hold a credible election in line with the country's Constitution.

"The responsibility of the appellant to deliver a credible and acceptable election in accordance with the Constitution is so great, awesome, and it must approach and execute it with absolute fitness, probity and integrity," he said.

Kenya is scheduled to hold a general election August 8. President Uhuru Kenyatta is running for a second term against challengers who include former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
One of the two surviving leaders of Cambodia's infamous Khmer Rouge has denied he had anything to do with the group's atrocities.

Former president Khieu Samphan, who is 85, delivered his final statement Friday to the U.N.-backed tribunal in Cambodia.

He is charged with crimes against humanity and genocide.

"The term 'murder,' I categorically reject it," Khieu Samphan said.He said the "idea of Cambodian genocide" was invented by Vietnam to justify its invasion of Cambodia.

Nuon Chea, who is 90, faces the same charges as Khieu, but was not in court Friday because of his poor health. Instead, he watched the proceedings from a holding cell.

The pair are the two most senior living members of Khmer Rouge.

Both maintain Vietnam was responsible for killing nearly two million people through a variety of measures, including starvation, torture, and the sheer exhaustion of labor camps.Others were bludgeoned to death in mass executions in what has become known as "killing fields."

It was not immediately clear when a verdict willbe handed down in the case.
British Prime Minister Theresa May says the offer she has made on the rights of European Union citizens living in Britain after Britain leaves the EU is very fair and very serious.

May has offered to allow an estimated 3 million EU citizens living in the United Kingdom to remain in Britain post-Brexit.

Speaking Friday in Brussels on the second day of an EU summit, May said the government will set out more detailed proposals on Monday.

EU leaders are not convinced her proposals are adequate, saying many questions remain.

We wont be seeing families split apart, May said before the start of Fridays meeting. She said she wanted similar reassurances for British citizens living in EU countries.

Be pragmatic

On Thursday, the president of the European Parliament said Europe needs to be pragmatic in dealing with Britain following the countrys decision to leave the bloc, but urged cooperation in future dealings.

The UK will leave the European Union not Europe. This is important to pave the way also for good relations after the separation, Antonio Tajani, the EU Parliaments president said.

EU leaders opened a two-day summit Thursday in Brussels to address everything from Britains planned exit, terrorism, migration and other issues facing Europe.

European Union chief Donald Tusk said the remaining 27 EU nations are ready to choose new locations for the Europe-wide agencies currently headquartered in Britain.

Refugees

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to work with Germany to relaunch the European project as member-states argued over how to manage refugees after Britain leaves the union.

Europe is not, to my mind, just an idea. Its a project, an ambition, he said, noting that France is working hand-in-hand with Germany to implement the refugee resettlement plan.

Tajani, in his opening remarks, called it vital that Europe devise a solution to the current migration crisis affecting Europe. He said Europe needs to do more to stem the tide of migrants traveling to Europe from sub-Saharan Africa through Libya.

So weve got to strengthen the stability of Libya and help this country as the prime minister asked yesterday, but also act in Sub-Saharan Africa, he said.
Thousands of Nigerian refugees fleeing Boko Haram atrocities are trapped in difficult humanitarian and security conditions near Cameroon's northern border. They are crammed in a makeshift camp not far from another camp hosting 2,000 internally displaced Cameroonians.

Among the new arrivals at the camp on the outskirts of Kolofata is 51-year-old Nigerian cattle rancher Ibrahima Daouda. He fled his Gamboru-Ngala village in Borno state after a recent Boko Haram attack.

"We are afraid of Boko Haram," he said. "We are afraid that is why we ran and came here. They kill our people, cutting their necks, [burning] them. I used to load a trailer of cow and take it to Lagos, everywhere. But see how I am sitting without any thing to do. We are not having enough of food."

Daouda says they also lack medical care.

Some 1,200 Nigerians recently settled in the camp. In the last two weeks, 20 suicide bomb attacks have targeted the camp and surrounding villages.

Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the far north region of Cameroon, said it will be better for all of the Nigerians to relocate.

He said Cameroon has made it abundantly clear that because the site is not secured and can be easily attacked by the insurgents, the refugees should go back to safer localities before the start of operations to return refugees who wish to go back to Nigeria.

The governments of Cameroon and Nigeria signed in a tripartite agreement with UNHCR in March stipulating that refugees who choose not to return to Nigeria should not be forced to go back.

Some of the refugees are asking to be taken to the nearby Minawao refugee camp.

Rene Emmanuel Sadi, Cameroon's minister of territorial administration and decentralization, says the camp, which was created to host 25,000 refugees, is now home to 75,000. The number had diminished to 60,000 last month when some refugees decided to return.

But with the increase in raids by the Nigerian army on Boko Haram's remaining strong holds in the Sambissa forest, and the multi-national joint task force fighting the insurgents, the population at Minawao swelled.

"We cannot continue to send people there and with the agreement of the Nigerian authorities of the border, we organize their return to their country in localities where they can live safely," Sadi said.

Roseline Okoro, assistant UNHCR representative in charge of refugee protection, says forced returns constitute a serious violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention, both of which Cameroon has ratified.

She says it's possible for CameroUptickon to protect both the refugees, its citizens, and its territory, and that is what the UNHCR has been requesting the government of Cameroon to do.

Besides the refugees, Cameroon says the number of internally displaced persons has also increased from barely 9,000 to 19,000 at the Kolofata camp within a month.

Earlier this month, the United Nations cautioned people against traveling to the Far North region of Cameroon, saying that the arrest of the Boko Haram commander in charge of the town of Kousseri had triggered a surge of violence. The government has not confirmed that arrest.
Philippine officials say they are winning a monthlong fight against violent Muslim rebels in a southern city and expect a return to normalcy. But experts caution of new violence if the underlying discontent outlasts the battle.

Government forces continue to gain (a) foothold in parts of the southern city of Marawi that were previously controlled by the Maute Group, a terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and laid siege to the city May 23, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Wednesday via the presidential website.

Fighting to date has killed 369 people, including 276 suspected terrorists, the Manila Times reported Thursday.

A 'safe haven' again

We are well aware of how the Philippines is presently embroiled in some peace-and-order problems, but I firmly believe that all these shall come to pass, Angelito Banayo, the Philippine governments unofficial envoy to Taiwan, told a Taipei business conference Monday.

Many other countries have gone through or are still embroiled in similar problems and nonetheless their economies continue to flourish, he said. And let me assure you that our government is taking the bull by its horns so that in the very near timeline the Philippines will be a safe haven, a profitable opportunity and a friendly environment.

But as the government says its already preparing to rebuild Marawi, a city of about 200,000 people, experts caution it must brace for long-term economic impacts and ensure peace around the ever-restive Philippine island of Mindanao to stop more sieges or mass violence by other rebel groups.

Not easy to put down

The government lists 20 rebel operations in Mindanao, where related violence has left about 120,000 people dead since the 1960s.

The proliferation of these armed Muslim groups throughout the island would probably spur the Christians to arm themselves  thats happened in the past  and arm themselves and organize into militias, said Eduardo Araral, Mindanao native and an associate professor at the National University of Singapores public policy school.

That to me is more worrying because this might degenerate into a Christian-Muslim war, which it is not. But that is what the ISIS wants, he said.

Moro people

The Moro people, Muslims who reached impoverished Mindanao and the adjacent Sulu Sea of the Philippines centuries ago, resent the Catholic Philippine majority for what they see as unequal rights to resources. Their anger has hatched some of the armed rebel groups.

Military spokesperson Restituto Padilla said via the presidential office website that 16 buildings in the largely demolished Marawi had been cleared of militants. Troops are examining outlying areas now to prepare for rehabilitation, he said. Tens of thousands of civilians have escaped to other cities, and troops have rescued 1,645 as of Wednesday.

But in a sign that rebels still hold sway in parts of Mindanao and its 21 million residents, Wednesday the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters rebel group raided a village in the province Cotabato. The military forced the rebels to leave, Padilla said.

(The Maute) might have been set back or maybe routed up to a point, but it doesnt mean that the threat of violent extremism no longer exists, said Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, University of the Philippines political science professor and a Mindanao peace negotiator under the past president.

As we can see, there are other groups that have kept coming and other cells can just reorganize from the remnants of all of these groups that have been routed, she said.

Economic aftershocks

Rehabilitation will take time, experts warn, and impoverished Mindanao may feel economic aftershocks.

Tourism and hotel occupancy will fall as foreign governments officially warn their citizens against travel to Mindanao over fears of terrorism, Coronel-Ferrer said, while investors who had expressed interest before the Marawi battles may reconsider.

Partly because of its violent past, Mindanao lags the economic development unfolding in other parts of the Philippines.

To curb rebel groups in the future, government officials should push for an autonomy-sharing law that was to follow a 2014 peace deal with the insurgency group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Araral said. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte this year expanded membership of a commission that was established to work out details of the law.

Groups that fall outside an autonomy-sharing law would still take up arms on Mindanao but with less support or space to operate.

The vacuum where they could establish footholds would be constricted, he said.

Threats will remain even after the Marawi crisis is resolved, Padilla said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines media office did not answer calls from Voice of America.

Abu Sayyaf

On Thursday, the militarys public affairs head expressed regret that the fighting in Marawi had taken a month, but he said the operation cannot be rushed, GMA News Network reported.

Government troops are also still battling Abu Sayyaf, a rebel Sulu Sea group known for kidnapping and beheading tourists. Duterte stepped up the fight against Abu Sayyaf shortly after taking office a year ago. The group, estimated at 400 people, may have Islamic State backing, and it was suspected of working with the Maute Group last month.
As the dust from Oliver Stones politically explosive (or not, depending upon which American you ask) Putin Interviews begins to settle, Russian viewers were just finishing the concluding episode late on Thursday.

In the United States, where the controversial seriesfour hourlong episodeswas made available to Showtime subscribers June 12-15, critics largely panned it as blatantly hagiographic.

Natural Born Buddies: The Shared Ideology of Oliver Stone and Vladimir Putin, wrote the left-leaning New Republic; Oliver Stone stinks was the blunt summation of conservative Daily Caller blogger Jim Treacher, who described it as one of the only times he saw eye-to-eye with Stephen Colbert, whose nationally televised grilling of the legendary filmmaker for being overly deferential to Putin became a story unto itself.

In Russia, however, where the documentary held consecutive prime-time slots June 19-22 on state-run Channel One public access television, the response has been more muted. Putin supporters learned little new information, while detractors predictably took to the blogosphere to castigate Stonewhose son Sean works for RT, they repeated several timesas an instrument of the Kremlins PR machine.

Putin critic

Karen Dawisha is not known for putting softball questions to Russias leadership. Her 2014 book, Putins Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia, was dropped by Cambridge University Press when the London publisher announced it couldnt afford the legal risk of putting it into circulation. The book, her sixth major published work on Russian policy and leadership since 1979, traces a deeply intertwined network of Russian secret police, Mafiosos and powerful oligarchs to the twilight of Soviet empire.

Dawisha spoke with VOAs Oleg Sulkin about how to gauge the impact of Stones work.

Editors note: Whether language translation was the only editorial distinction between respective versions of the documentaries aired in the United States and Russia has yet to be confirmed. The following transcript has been edited for brevity and concision.

Q: You watched the entire series?

A: I did watch all four, although the third one, when Stone said that he wanted to have a lengthy discussion about Ukraine, and Putin said, Well, for this, I need to start from the beginning Thats it. I immediately fell asleep. You tell me, did he say anything new or interesting about Ukraine?

Q: Nothing surprising, which seems to characterize the whole project. There were no challenging questions put to the statesman, and I wonder if you think its appropriate for an American filmmaker and observer to be so toothless in the face of such an unusual opportunity.

A: Well, look, Oliver Stone has a reputation for always, no matter what the circumstances, finding the United States as the villain. So it makes for not very interesting viewing, unless youre someone like [she names a well-known U.S. scholar sometimes seen as being supportive of Putin], and then you are very excited that Oliver Stone has basically hit the United States with some big revelation. I watched it because I think people should watch these things. [Stone] got four nights on American television, and thats not so bad. But, boy, he didnt produce anything that was very earth-shattering at all.

Q: Stone has described softball questions as a strategically efficient way to deal with people like Putin. To start with soft, complimentary questions that get the subject to open up before setting in with more incisive questions. But do you think it worked?

A: Well, I mean certainly, in foresight, that day when he went again and again to the subject of the hacking of the election, it did seem that Stone had this approach. But he also didnt push him, so I came away thinking, Its just the same thing, theres no major revelations.  What did we learn about hacking that I couldnt learn from reading The Washington Post?

Q: But some people commend Stone for these Putin interviews for securing some new minor details about one of the most influential and dangerous people in the world. For example, it was the first time Russia found out that he is a grandfather, which sheds some new light on the dictators inner world.

A: But grandkids by whom? Which daughter?

Q: We dont know. We learn only that he doesnt have enough time to play with the grandkids.

A: Exactly. We learned this, and the Russian press is very happy for this small revelation. But this shows you how little we know about Putin. That he didnt give us any revelations about any other aspect of his life. I reckon that I did find it interesting [to see] his physical surroundings. The pictures of him in Sochi, the picture of him in the Kremlin.

Q: But as an expert researcher, arent even small new details useful for composite assessments? More specifically, do you think it will help create a more favorable impression of Putin among American viewers?

A: Well, I havent seen any information about how many people turned it on.  But clearly there will be more people in Russia who watch [because its on public access television] than watched in America. But it shows you that, on the whole, Putin was very happy with the propaganda aspect of this series. And look, Stone is a very good filmmaker, so these four interviews were visually very pleasant. I mean, there are good shots; no one can complain that he doesnt know how to make a film. But as were getting ready for [Russias] next presidential election, dont you think this will be very helpful to Putin? To have Oliver Stone legitimize his rule? I think that its not bad for Putin.

Q: You feel it would have been more appropriate to feature people who could argue with Putin? Like the opposition leaders who could counter Putins statements about Russian freedom, such as his claims about the freedom of Russias press, and so on?

A: Well, yeah. But would Putin have agreed to such terms? [Currently detained Russian lawyer, activist and presidential opposition candidate Alexei] Navalny is infinitely more interesting on television than Putin. But would Putin agree to interview on those terms? I dont think so.

Q: And we can only speculate about whether there was some kind of a confidential deal that would allow Putins camp to have a hand in the final edits. Only four of 25 hours of footage is seen. Otherwise, would Stone have even been granted this level of access?

A: Exactly. I mean, they made a big deal of the fact that there was no limitation on what questions Stone could ask. But that doesnt mean at all that there were no limitations of any kind. So, why did Putin agree at all to this? Certainly not because he wanted to debate Navalny and win against Navalny. I dont think that would have for a second been possible, not for a second. He would never agree.

Q: Which touches on a very important question: Why did Putin agree in the first place?

A: Yeah. I mean, Stone doesnt get this at all.

Q: But why would Putin even agree? Whats your personal assessment?

A: My own assessment is that Putin has a big problem with his image in the West. He has a huge problem with multiple rounds of sanctions, and now [very likely] a third set of sanctions. He needs to do something to get his sanctions lifted, because they are really hurting his economy. And what Stone said  [about] how well the Russian population is doing under Putin, thats completely wrong. And of course Putin was thrilled that Stone should come up with these numbers, because they dont reflect at all what Russias actual figures are.  Russia is doing much worse than [Stones] figures would suggest. And we saw that in the recently aired, annual call-in program.  the Russian population was very blunt and very forward in calling out Putin on how poorly they were doing in terms of wages and salaries, and saying things that were put up on the board behind him. Like a question: Why is it that you are on the throne for 16 years? Thats too long!  Stone talked about the overall figures for Russias wealth  $29,000 a year average income. But that doesnt account for the fact that most Russians are earning way below $29,000. Theyre earning more like $12,000. Teachers, health workers, all of these people who are at the lower end of the scheme. They earn poverty wages.

Q: Regardless of whether that misinformation is deliberate or incidental, it inevitably advances an apologetic view of the Kremlin. So, for Stone, was it all a vanity play? To show hes on friendly terms with the most powerful people in the world? Some would argue Stone used that same obsequious approach with Fidel Castro, Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez.

A: The thing that I noticed, especially in the first interview, was that Putin was constantly being polite, not saying anything very negative about the United States. After all, his No. 1 goal is to get the sanctions lifted. Hes not going to give a very robust criticism of the United States under these circumstances. But what did Stone do? He basically offered to Putin the anti-American answer, [saying], It was the intelligence services of the United States, theyve made this all up. Stone was offering up a kind of leftist argument to Putin, and Putin is no leftist. He doesnt have an interest in this kind of response, you know? He has an interest in getting Trump to open up his channel of communications between the United States and Russia.

Q: On NATO, Putin spoke about the dangerous course of politics theyre pursuing. Do you think it gives an idea of his real concerns or is it just a way to argue with the United States?

A: I think its his real concern. Look, he stated once that the Soviet Union collapsed [because of] American military spending. Basically, that was his point of view. Well, why might Russia collapse now? American military spending. He stated several times, and its true, that the United States spends more on its military than all other countries combined. So the essence [of Putins argument] is that NATOs new military systems positioned close to the Russian border and its commitment to Article Five, are dangerous steps. Having said that, the Russians have behaved in a very reckless manner. You know, their behavior in Georgia, their behavior in Ukraine was reckless. Although, I will say Russia has a situation in which in both Georgia and Ukraine are now territorial problems, making it so that neither country would be qualified to join NATO, because they have active territorial disputes. So NATO creeping toward the Russian border is a huge issue for Russia.

Q: These hearings about Russian meddling in U.S. elections: Whats the bottom line? Are Stones interviews just a propaganda trick? Is Stone just following the Kremlins discourse?

A: There is a completely different training of world events in Moscow as compared to Washington. When I watched the fourth part, I understood very clearly that Moscow has its point of view, and its pretty much in accord with Stones point of view.  There are people in the West that agree with Putin  [including] specialists on Russia, like former [U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union] Jack Matlock and [the aforementioned U.S. scholar]. They really think that America is in the wrong, and that it is imperative that the United States improve its relations with Russia, and that there is no way that the United States is right. I listened to a Jack Matlock lecture on the radio here in Cincinnati yesterday, and one of the things he said was that the intelligence community of the United States was wrong. And I really couldnt believe it. That the 17 intelligence services were all wrong and made this up. You have to have a very extreme point of view to think that 17 intelligence services are in collusion to make this up. But there are people in the United States who have this point of view.

This report originated in VOAs Russian Service.
Residents of Karonga, a lakeside city of about 60,000 in northern Malawi, face no shortage of risks.

Flooding is an annual problem thats worsening with climate change and poor maintenance of the channels that carry out the excess water. Only 17 percent of households have piped water, and half of the people use water tainted with sewage, leading to cholera and other disease deaths.

But the worst challenge facing the fast-growing city, which records everything from crocodile attack to sexual assault as regular problems, is that theres no real city government.

Risks rising faster

Instead, the community operates under the authority of an outdated rural council that is lacking in transparency and unable to cope with the complex nature of Karonga urban life, according to a report by Urban Africa Risk Knowledge, a British aid-funded program focused on helping fast-urbanizing sub-Saharan Africa reduce its growing risks.

There are no systems present in small centers like Karonga, said Mtafu Manda, a researcher with Malawis Mzuzu University and the lead author of the report. Or if they exist, it is only on paper.

Disaster risks are arguably rising faster in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else, said Arabella Fraser, a risk and resilience researcher at the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

Thats in part the result of surging urban populations, a quickening pace of climate-related problems, such as flooding and drought, and an inability to beat back those risks because of poverty, poor data, lack of training and badly run government, she said at a discussion held at ODI Thursday.

Solutions are emerging

But plenty of ideas are emerging about how growing African cities can cut their risks.

Among them: organize slum dwellers to improve the infrastructure or simply sort out which risks are the key ones and focus on those first, experts at the discussion said.

These days, one of the most difficult jobs in the world is being an African mayor, said Meggan Spires of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), which is based in Cape Town.

The challenges are vast, complex and immediate, and many are day to day, said Spires, who formerly worked on climate change issues for the South African city of Durban.

Finding time to deal with demands to be proactive and work toward greater sustainability, in line with international agreements like the Sustainable Development Goals or the Paris Agreement on climate change, is a heavy burden, she said.

Resilience based on community, not donors

One thing that can help, she said, is ensuring that efforts to build urban resilience are not just short-term, donor-funded projects but are based on community demand and then built into city plans, often with innovative funding.

Donors aiming to improve resilience in Africa need to be humble and recognize that Africans know their cities best. We should listen to them rather than imposing solutions on them.

One way to get effective change underway is to harness organizations of slum dwellers, who make up large parts of the population in many African cities, said David Satterthwaite, an urban specialist with the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development.

About 18 slum dweller federations have formed in Africa, with about 15 of them collecting data door to door on everything from health care to schools, drainage to eviction threats.

Satterthwaite called it an information base that provides a new possibility for local governments ... to form, drive and implement new risk-reduction efforts.

Get good data and use it

One thing thats clear from data collected in cities such as Tanzanias Dar es Salaam, for instance, is that health threats kill many more people each year than floods, even though residents see those as the biggest risk, he said.

That means investments in things, such as sanitation systems and clean water, may have the biggest payoff  though getting funding can be tough when donors focus on climate change adaptation or disaster risk reduction efforts, Satterthwaite said.

Manda, of Malawi, said keeping politics in mind is also key to making progress in Africas cities, and small cities have the toughest challenges of all, he said.

Political leaders dont think about the small towns, partially because they dont live there but also because they want to benefit from the chaos, he said. When there is a disaster, when they go there as some kind of savior, they are seen to be very good, he said. And because of that, the risks in these small towns will escalate.
Russia has fired cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea on positions of the Islamic State group in Syria, the Defense Ministry said Friday, Moscows latest show of strength in the conflict wracking the Mideast country.



The ministry said in a statement that two frigates and a submarine launched six cruise missiles on IS installations in Syrias Hama province, destroying command centers and ammunition depots. It did not say when the missiles were launched.



Moscow has fired missiles from the Mediterranean at militants positions in Syria before, including launches from a submarine and a frigate in May at the targets in the area of the ancient city of Palmyra.



Russia is one of the strongest backers of Syrian President Bashar Assads government and has been carrying out airstrikes in the country since September 2015.

Death of al-Baghdadi



Separately Friday, a senior Russian lawmaker said Moscow is nearly 100 percent sure that the IS top leader was killed in a Russian airstrike last month.



The Defense Ministry first made the claim last week, saying that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis death in the May 28 strike on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa was still being verified through various channels.



Viktor Ozerov, head of the defense and security committee at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, told the Interfax news agency Friday that Russias intelligence about al-Baghdadis death is nearly 100 percent certain.



Russia would not want to be on the list of the countries that have said before that he was killed and then al-Baghdadi would resurrect, Ozerov added.

Mosul mosque



The whereabouts of the shadowy al-Baghdadi, with a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, have not been known. His last public appearance was almost three years ago in the Iraqi city of Mosul, at the 12th century al-Nuri Mosque from where he declared a caliphate in the territory that IS had seized in Iraq and Syria in July 2014.



That mosque, along with its famous leaning minaret, was destroyed Wednesday night, blown up by IS militants as their control of Mosul increasingly is slipping away. The mosque would have been a symbolic prize for Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition in the fight for Iraqs second-largest city.
Serbia's first gay and female prime minister is set to take office in staunchly conservative Serbia next week after ruling populists gathered majority support for her in Parliament.

Officials said on Friday that the assembly will convene on Saturday to start the proceedings for the election of Ana Brnabic and her government. The vote is likely next week.

Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic has proposed U.S.-educated Brnabic for the post. Her election was thrown into doubt amid reports that hardliners in the ruling coalition have refused support because of her sexual orientation.

Vucic, who switched from premier to president in April, is hosting a formal inauguration ceremony on Friday. Top regional leaders and representatives of foreign governments, including the U.S. and Russia, are attending.
Escalating violence between rival armed factions in Central African Republic is cutting off humanitarian access to civilians most needing help, while emboldened fighters are now infiltrating camps for the displaced, agencies said on Thursday.

As many as 100 people may have been killed on Tuesday in the diamond-mining town of Bria, 580 km (360 miles) northeast of the capital Bangui, one day after militias signed a peace deal aimed at ending years of bloodshed.

Thousands have died and about a fifth of the former French colony's 5 million people have fled their homes in a conflict that broke out after mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in 2013, provoking a backlash from Christian anti-balaka militias.

Recent fighting in Bria and the towns of Bangassou and Alindao has uprooted more than 100,000 people, in the worst displacement since the nation plunged into chaos four years ago.

Militias emboldened

Armed with heavy weaponry and destroying bridges and roads, the militias are becoming emboldened and unpredictable, spreading fear among civilians and making it harder to support the displaced and those most in need, aid agencies say.

Access is the main humanitarian issue ... it not possible to reach many of those people who are suffering the most, Donaig Le Du, spokeswoman for the U.N. children's agency (UNICEF), told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

The U.N. agency this month had to deliver aid by plane to Bangassou  a more costly and complicated option than using trucks  as it could not find any drivers willing to travel by road due to fear of attack, Le Du added.

Tuesday's clashes in Bria broke out near a camp for people who had been forced to flee previous violence, while aid agencies' offices were looted during the fighting, said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

A dangerous country

Armed groups are targeting and even infiltrating IDP (internally displaced persons) camps ... it is becoming a very serious concern, said Joseph Inganji, OCHA's country director.

We are worried that many of the country's IDP camps (more than 90) are losing their civilian character, he added.

Central African Republic is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid agencies, with at least 33 attacks on aid workers in the first quarter of 2017, OCHA says.
The leader of Afghanistans Taliban says the United States will be "making a mistake" by increasing its troop numbers to combat the insurgents, who have vowed to fight until the end of the "illegitimate [foreign] occupation" of the country.

Maulavi Haibatullah Akhunzadah made the remarks Friday in a message ahead of the annual Muslim festival of Eid ul Fitr that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

"If you think that you may break our determination with your military presence and surge of troops, you are making a mistake! This is not the solution of the issue to continue your occupation on the request of the inept administration of Kabul," said the fugitive insurgent chief, who also warned that the U.S. troop surge would further destabilize the country.

He went on to blame foreign forces for being "the main obstacle in the way of peace in Afghanistan." The Taliban wants NATO forces to leave the country before it engages in any peace talks.

President Donald Trump recently authorized his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, to add several thousand more U.S. troops to the 8,400 currently deployed to Afghanistan, primarily tasked to train and advise Afghan forces, which are struggling to halt Taliban battlefield advances.

The U.S. military estimates that the government in Kabul controls only 60 percent of Afghanistan.

Suicide blast kills dozens

Akhunzadah's message came a day after a Taliban suicide car bomber killed at least 34 people and wounded dozens of others in the southern province of Helmand.

The expected U.S. troop surge and the Talibans determination to continue its violent campaign, analysts say, are bound to escalate Afghan hostilities in the coming weeks and months.

The chief Afghan government peace negotiator Friday called on all sides to find a solution to the war through peaceful means and urged the international community to assist those efforts.

"I have said it in the past and say it again that war is not the option for any side to resolve the conflict; neither for the Afghan government nor for the armed opposition. The only way to achieve peace is to promote the peace process," said Karim Khalili while addressing a gathering in Kabul.

Khalili is the head of Afghanistans High Peace Council, which is tasked with engaging insurgents in a political reconciliation process.

While the Taliban has long maintained it has been waging the insurgency to free Afghanistan of U.S.-led NATO forces, Fridays statement by its top leader indicates the Taliban expects to regain power to re-impose its brand of harsh Islamic rule in the country.

"Whenever your illegitimate occupation of Afghanistan comes to an end, the Islamic Emirate [the Taliban] has a comprehensive policy to maintain constructive and good relations with you and the world including the neighbors as per the principles," said the insurgent leader.

In an apparent reference to growing contacts that Russia, Iran and China lately have established with his group, Akhunzadah said, "The mainstream entities of the world admit its [Talibans] effectiveness, legitimacy and success."

Moscow, Tehran and Beijing have expressed concern that deteriorating security is creating "ungoverned areas" in Afghanistan, where loyalists of Islamic State could set up bases to threaten their regional and national security interests.
In his first televised face-to-face interview in six weeks, President Donald Trump said it is very bothersome that the man leading the probe into possible ties between his campaign and Russia is friends with former FBI Director James Comey.

Trump told Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends that special counsel Robert Mueller is very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome.

The president also suggested Mueller may have to step down at some point, saying we'll have to see three times when asked if Mueller should recuse himself from the probe. Trump said he was concerned that Mueller had retained lawyers who had previously contributed to Democrats.

The Associated Press reports that Comey and Mueller are not known to be close friends, though, just because they served together in the Justice Department during the George W. Bush administration. Former federal prosecutor David Kelley says Mueller and Comey haven't visited each other's homes and rarely shared a meal together.

Legal experts say their connection does not come close to meriting Mueller's removal as special counsel.

White House comment

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters later Friday while the president retains the authority to fire Mueller, he has no intention of doing that.

Mueller, the FBI director before Comey, was appointed special counsel by the Justice Department to lead the investigation after Trump fired Comey, who was leading the Russia investigation at the time he was ousted. Mueller and several congressional committees are investigating Russian meddling in last year's election aimed at helping Trump win, and whether he obstructed justice.

For months, the president has dismissed the probes into Russian interference in the election, calling them a witch hunt and saying they are an excuse by Democrats to explain Clinton's defeat.

One day after saying he does not have tapes of private conversations with Comey, the president told Fox he always told a straight story.

The president has disputed Comey's claim that Trump asked the FBI director for a vow of loyalty during a private meeting. When Comey's account was publicized, Trump tweeted that Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press.

House committee action

On Friday, Republican Representative Mike Conaway, who is leading the House Intelligence Committee's investigation of the Russia probe, said Trump's tweet was not a sufficient response.

Adam Schiff, the committee's top Democrat, said in a statement Thursday that Trump's Twitter comment stopped short of denying that the White House had tapes or recordings, and said the White House must respond in writing.

Representatives for the two congressmen did not respond Friday to questions about whether the White House had met a June 23 deadline to provide the materials to the committee.

Spicer said at a daily news briefing on Friday that the administration would respond.

Trump also expressed hope that House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi remains in her leadership position because it is beneficial to Republicans.

I hope she doesn't step down, he said. It would be a very sad day for Republicans if she steps down.

Special elections

Trump cited this week's Republican victory in a special congressional election in the southeastern state of Georgia. Republican-funded campaign advertisements linked Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff with Pelosi, who often is criticized by Republicans for representing what they consider extremely liberal points of view.

Pelosi has been facing questions about her leadership since Democrats lost the hard-fought race.

The interview, conducted Thursday at the White House and aired Friday morning, comes as Trump considers reducing the number of media briefings to once per week and requiring reporters to submit written questions in advance.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law Friday a bill that will make it easier to fire Department of Veterans Affairs employees, a development that has union officials concerned the measure could be misused for political purposes.

The signing is the latest step in an effort by the Trump administration to strengthen an agency that provides health care and other services to millions of military veterans.

"Our veterans have fulfilled their duty to this nation and now we must fulfill our duty to them," the president said at a White House signing ceremony.

Trump repeatedly promised on the campaign trail to improve health care services for veterans and the efficiency of the agency, which was rocked by scandal several years ago.

At the VA medical center in the southwestern city of Phoenix, Arizona, some veterans died in 2014 while awaiting treatment. Other scandals that year involved long wait times for medical treatment and attempted cover-ups by agency employees.

"What happened was a national disgrace," Trump said, "and yet some of the employees involved in these scandals remained on the payrolls."

The president signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, which enjoys broad bipartisan support and was approved in the Senate on June 6.

The measure makes it easier to fire workers for misconduct and provides additional protections for whistleblowers. It lowers the standard of evidence needed to fire employees.

Unions representing some VA workers, including the American Federation of Government Employees, are concerned the measure could be abused for political reasons.

"Although marketed as a bill to make it easier to fire bad employees, the proposals are designed to kill off and bury the apolitical Civil Service," AFGE President David Cox, Sr. said at a May 17 Senate hearing. "It makes it just as easy to fire a good employee, an innocent employee, as it will be to fire a bad employee."

The legislation aims to accelerate the process of disciplining and firing workers. The House Committee on Veterans Affairs says it currently takes up to one year to dismiss a permanent federal employee.

The act will also create a new Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection in response to concerns the new law may be used to inappropriately discipline whistleblowers, who helped expose the VA's scandals in 2014.

Supporters and opponents of the bill believe civil servants in other government agencies could use it as a model as they seek to hold employees accountable for misconduct.
Israel has paid total compensation of $20 million to the families of the victims of an Israeli raid on a Turkish aid flotilla that killed 10 people in 2010, Turkish media quoted Turkey's Finance Minister Naci Agbal as saying on Friday.

The payment, which will be divided among the 10 families, comes some nine months after Israel, which had already offered apologies for the raid  one of Ankara's conditions for rapprochement  agreed to pay the families of those killed.

"Compensation has been paid to the families of those who lost their lives during the Mavi Marmara attack," Turkish broadcasters quoted Agbal as saying.

Relations between Israel and Turkey broke down in 2010 when Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed by Israeli commandos enforcing a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The soldiers raided a ship, the Mavi Marmara, leading a flotilla towards the Islamist Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

In June 2016 however, the two countries said they would normalize relations  a rapprochement driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over security risks in the Middle East.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan named a new ambassador to Israel in November last year, reciprocating a move by the Israelis, in a move towards restoring diplomatic ties between the once-close allies.
Turkey is continuing to be drawn into the crisis between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States over Doha's alleged support of radical Islamic groups in the region. Ankara is strongly backing Qatar and has ruled out ending it's recently established military ties.

On Thursday, five Turkish armored vehicles and 23 military personnel arrived in Doha as part of an agreement to establish a military base with more than 5,000 soldiers. But the base's closure is one of the 13 demands Riyadh is making on Qatar, to end the crisis.

Friday, the Turkish defense minister, Fikri Isik, in a televised interview, shot back.

Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda, Isik stressed, adding the deployment is not aimed at any other country and should be seen as contributing to regional stability. Commenting on the reported demands for the base's closure, he said, If there is such a demand, it will mean interference in bilateral ties.

The agreement to establish the Turkish military base dates back to 2014 and is part of Ankara's wider strategic goal of extending its influence.

It [the military base] was significant because its gives Turkey a foothold in the region, notes political columnist Semih Idiz of the Al Monitor website. But after the Qatar crisis, the way Ankara rushed through legislation allowing the deployment, it's a very clear and open overt sign of support for the emir of Qatar, what ever the Turkish defense minister says.

In the forefront

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in the forefront of backing Doha, calling the Saudi-led embargo against Qatar a death penalty. Along with deploying soldiers, Ankara has been leading efforts to break the embargo, sending thousands of tons of supplies.

Since June 5 exports to Qatar have amounted to $32.5 million. Of this $12.5 million is food. This figure is three times the normal level, announced Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci Thursday. The breaking of the embargo has seen Ankara even forsake regional rivalries with Iran to coordinate their efforts.

This is an artificial crisis, when it comes to accusations of financing or supporting fanatical Islamic groups, this is not a monopoly of one country in the region. You can't let one country dictate to another how it should behave. We've seen this so many times in history, points out Mithat Rende, the retired Turkish ambassador to Qatar, robustly defending Ankara's stance.

But Rende, acknowledges such a stance marks a break with the past.

Traditionally the Turkish establishment's policy towards the Arab world and Gulf was to stay outside of inter-Arab conflicts and stay out of sectarian conflicts. But things have changed.

Ankara's siding with Qatar has seen some former Turkish ambassadors warn that it undercuts any role Turkey could play in mediating in the crisis. Despite such concerns, few expect any change in policy.

Future rewards

We know President Erdogan is impulsive in these situations and there are now no checks to his decisions, and we now have another example of this. This is the president's decision and he is famed for not listening to his diplomats, observes columnist Idiz. Taking a back step would not only amount to lose a face, it would leave Turkey looking as an unreliable partner having gone out on limb for Qatar.

While such loyalty to Qatar may reap some rewards in the future, the shifting sands of the region could ultimately see Ankara also paying a heavy price. Experts point out that Arab counties invariably do resolve their disputes and successfully move on, but tend not to be so forgiving to any outside party that chooses to involve themselves in such disputes.

If a third party, be it Turkey, United States, you name it, try to be part of the dispute, then they may end up feeling isolated. This is a risk, acknowledges retired Turkish ambassador Rende. But Turkey cannot, should not remain indifferent. It's our geography, our neighbors. You cannot deny basic rights and freedoms to these people.
Turkey is to stop teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in high schools, deeming it controversial and difficult to understand, a senior education official said, a move likely to alarm secular Turks.

Critics say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Islamist-rooted AK Party are undermining modern Turkey's secular foundations by pushing a conservative agenda, including tighter regulation of alcohol and other restrictions, since coming to power in 2002.

A chapter titled "Beginning of Life and Evolution" will be deleted from the standard biology textbooks used in schools, and the material will be available only to students who go on to university studies at age 18 or 19, Alparslan Durmus, head of the national education board, said in an online address this week.

"We are aware that if our students don't have the background to comprehend the premises and hypotheses, or if they don't have the knowledge and scientific framework, they will not be able to understand some controversial issues, so we have left out some of them," he said.

Darwin's theory of evolution is rejected by both Christian and Muslim creationists, who believe God created the world as described in the Bible and the Quran, making the universe and all living things in six days. The Bible presents that as the exact time needed for creation, but the Quran says "days" actually means long periods of time.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said earlier this year that Darwin theory, first published in the 19th century, was "old and rotten" and did not necessarily have to be taught.

The changes are part of a new curriculum that will go into effect at the start of the 2017-18 academic year and was formulated in accordance with "Turkish values," Durmus said.

Fifty-one courses from primary school to high school, including those at the "Imam Hatip" religious schools championed by Erdogan, have been changed.

A lobbying group that promotes secular education, the Egitim-Is ("Education Work") Union, has voiced concern about the changes to the curriculum, saying they reduced emphasis on the achievements of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, who banned Islam from public life.
Turkey has deployed 23 additional military personnel to Qatar and sent a cargo ship carrying food to the tiny Gulf state.



Three weeks ago, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar over concerns that the nation was supporting terrorist groups  accusations Qatar denies.

Turkey has stood behind Qatar during the dispute, providing the desert nation with food and pledging military support. After an initial run on grocery items in Qatar, Turkey stepped in to fill the shelves.

In the last three weeks, 105 Turkish cargo planes filled with food have made the trip to Qatar. The cargo ship leaving Thursday carries 4,000 tons of dry food, fruits and vegetables, and is expected to reach Doha in about 10 days.

111 Turkey forces in Qatar

Turkey has maintained a military presence in Qatar since 2014. On June 7, the Turkish parliament approved legislation to allow more troops to be stationed in Qatar.

Thursday's deployment of 23 soldiers and five armored vehicles brings the number of Turkish military personnel in Qatar to 111. Turkey eventually could place more than 1,000 troops in the country, according to the Hurriyet newspaper.

Erdogan makes the call

In backing Qatar, Turkish officials tried to avoid threatening other Arab states.

We don't want any sort of tension with any Gulf state, Erdogan spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said on Thursday. In other words, if two of your friends  two neighbors  are disagreeing with each other and if there is something you can do about this, it is perfectly natural to go into action.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Saudi Arabia's King Salmon on the phone the day before the decision was announced. A source in Erdogan's office told Reuters that an agreement was reached on increasing efforts toward ending tension in the region related to Qatar.



The two leaders agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting next month at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians chanted "Death to Israel" in nationwide rallies on Friday at which they also burned flag of the Islamic State militant group which claimed responsibility for attacks in Tehran this month, state TV reported.

Iranian state media said millions of people turned out for the rallies to mark Al-Quds Day that was declared by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and which is held on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Opposition to Israel is a touchstone of belief for Shi'ite-led Iran, which backs Palestinian and Lebanese Islamic militant groups opposed to peace with the Jewish state, which Tehran refuses to recognize.

Israel, the United States and its chief Sunni Arab ally Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of fomenting tension in the Middle East and of sponsoring terrorism. This is denied by Tehran. Tensions have risen sharply in the Gulf between Qatar and four Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, in part over Doha's links with Iran.

"This year's rally ... shows people want our region to be cleaned up from terrorists, backed by the Zionist regime [Israel]," President Hassan Rouhani told state TV.

State TV covering the rallies showed crowds chanting anti-Israel slogans in solidarity with Palestinians whom they urged to continue their fight against the "occupying regime".

Demonstrators chanted "Death to Israel, Death to America," carrying banners reading "Israel should be wiped off the map" while people were shown burning the Israeli flag.

People meted out the same treatment for the banner of Islamic State (IS) which has said it carried out deadly twin attacks in Tehran on June 7. Iran blames regional rival Saudi Arabia for being behind the attacks. Riyadh denies this.

"Daesh [IS], America and Israel are all the same. They are all terrorists," a young woman marcher in Tehran told TV.

Marchers included soldiers, students and clerics. Black-clad women with small children were among those flocking the streets of central Tehran, many carrying portraits of Khomeini and his successor Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In Tehran's Vali-ye Asr street, three mid-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles were displayed, including the Zolfaghar missile that Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards used on Sunday to target bases of the IS in eastern Syria.

Top Guards' commanders have repeatedly said that Israel is within range of Iran's missiles. Sunni Muslim states in the Gulf and Israel say Tehran's ballistic missile program is a threat to regional security and has led to the United States imposing new sanctions.

"With this rally our nation is telling America that we are determined to continue our path," Rouhani said, referring to the U.S. Senate's decision to impose new sanctions.
A U.S. airstrike has killed three al-Qaida militants in Yemen, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The strike on June 16 targeted Abu Khattab al-Awlaqi, the terror group's emir in southern Yemen's Shabwah Governorate, and two of his associates.

The Pentagon said al-Awlaqi was responsible for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks against civilians. He also led efforts to promote instability in the war-torn country.

The strike was carried out "with full support of the government of Yemen," according to a statement from U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East.

The United States has long considered al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a major terror threat.

"Senior AQAP leaders seek safe haven in places like Shabwah Governorate to plot attacks against the U.S., our interest, and our friends and allies across the world," U.S. Central Command said.

AQAP attempted to send explosives-laden packages to the United States in 2010, and the year before, a Nigerian-born recruit of the group attempted to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear on a flight bound for Detroit.
From cashless payments to smartphone apps offering everything from taxis to take-out food - Africa's digital revolution is gathering pace as average citizens take an active role in public discourse.



"You're seeing a lot of the people changing the way they live their lives," says Maria Sarungi, founder of the #ChangeTanzania platform. "And also creating for themselves wealth, jobs, opportunities. But also to engage politically on a very different level."



Sarungi's #ChangeTanzania platform began as a social media hashtag but ballooned into an online social movement with an app and website listing dozens of petitions and initiatives ranging from demands for security cameras at bus stops to a community beach clean.



"Before [it] used to be people sitting on the streets just talking a lot about politics," says Sarungi. "But today they have become influencers. With the social media platforms, your voice can be amplified."

In Uganda, the website Yogera, or 'speak out,' offers a platform for citizens to scrutinize government, complain about poor service or blow the whistle on corruption.



Kenya's Mzalendo website styles itself as the 'Eye on the Kenyan Parliament,' profiling politicians, scrutinizing expenses and highlighting citizens' rights.

Kenya, along with Rwanda and Angola, will hold major elections in August. In October, Liberian voters will go to the polls to choose a successor for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman to head an African nation.

Potential backlash

But the new platforms for political engagement also risk a backlash.



"We are seeing governments trying to control as much as they can the virtual space," says Sarungi.



The founder of whistleblowing website Jamii Forums last year fell afoul of Tanzania's Cybercrimes Act and was charged with failing to disclose users' data.



"We are not against the government, nor judges, nor the police forces," says Maxence Melo, co-founder of Jamii Forums. "What we are against is the Cyber Crimes Act, which seems to oppress the people."

Melo's trial is due to take place next month.



Meanwhile, authorities in Cameroon cut off internet access for millions of people earlier this year following anti-government protests in English-speaking regions on the country. The French campaign group Internet without Borders warns that African governments are increasingly using internet blackouts to stifle political opposition.
Zimbabwean liberation-era musician Dickson Chingaira, popularly known as Comrade Chinx, was laid to rest Friday, at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare.

The musicians death and subsequent burial have been a topic of heated discussion with many Zimbabweans arguing that the ever-loyal Zanu-PF member and supporter, should have been declared a national hero and buried at the National Heroes Acre, because of the role he played during the liberation movement with his music, which motivated and mobilized blacks to take up arms against the white minority Rhodesian government.

While the Zanu-PF Politburo recognized Chinx as aLiberation War Hero, this did not entitle him to the prestigious burial at the national shrine.

However, Permanent Secretary in the War Veterans Ministry, retired Brigadier General Walter Tapfumaneyi, said aside from not being buried at the Heroes Acre, difference between the two recognitions is small.

He will be buried with military honors, and state assistance, clarified Tapfumaneyi, adding that the recognition is similar to that of a national hero because he will be included in the National Heroes Act, which ensures his family is taken care of. But he wont be buried at the Heroes Acre. Thats the difference only.

Speaking on behalf of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Minister of State for Harare, Miriam Chikukwa, who occasionally broke out in Chinxs songs as she spoke, acknowledged the role his music played in the liberation movement. She said his music was so impactful that even if you asked a child about Chinx, they would answer by singing one of this popular songs, like Maruza Imi.

The spokesperson for Chinxs family, his son, Deeds Chingaira, said the family was heartbroken by the loss of his father, but thanked Zimbabweans for their love and the respect they showed Chinx.

Accepting that Chinx was not declared a national hero, Secretary General of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association Victor Matemadanda, however did not hold back his disappointment, revealing that he and his war colleagues had tried to challenge the politburos decision withoug success. Matemadanda however said just like the spiritual mediums and other leaders who died unrecognized during their time, Chinx will get his due recognition, one day.

If we look at Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, [Ndebele King] Lobengula and others, the day they were killed or died, their heroism was not recognized, reflected Matemadanda. They were only recognized by those who came later.

Regarding who accords anyone hero status, Matemadanda said Zimbabwes Constitution should be revisited to ensure that those who choose the countrys heroes, are people who know the right criteria for selecting heroes. Currently, the ruling partys decision making body, the politburo, makes that decision. Many have often accused the party of bias in selecting heroes, saying its reserved only for those in good favor with the party and President Mugabe.

Among those at Glen Forest Cemetery for Chinxs burial were government ministers and also musicians, including Oliver Mtukudzi.

Chinx, who died last week after battling cancer, left two wives and 11 children. He was 61.
FEDERAL RESERVE

Big banks survive first hurdle in stress test

The 34 largest U.S. banks have all cleared the first stage of an annual stress test, showing they would be able to maintain enough capital in an extreme recession to meet regulatory requirements, the Federal Reserve said Thursday.

Although the banks  which include such stalwarts as JP Morgan and Bank of America  would suffer $383 billion in loan losses in the Feds most severe scenario, their level of high-quality capital would be much higher than the threshold that regulators demand.

This years results show that, even during a severe recession, our large banks would remain well capitalized, said Fed governor Jerome Powell.

Under the Feds worst-case stress test scenario, the U.S. unemployment rate more than doubles to 10 percent.

However, even with the losses in that scenario, the banks aggregate level of high-quality capital would still cover 9.2 percent of their risk-weighted assets, according to the Fed  much better than the 4.5 percent threshold regulators demand, and an improvement on the 8.4 percent common equity tier 1 capital ratio assessed last year.

 Reuters

AIRLINE INDUSTRY

Qatar Airways seeks 10% stake in American

State-owned Qatar Airways is attempting to buy 10 percent of American Airlines, a surprising move that would trigger an antitrust review by the U.S. government and carry political and trade-policy implications.

American said in a filing that the bid was unsolicited.

We arent particularly excited about Qatars outreach, chief executive Doug Parker said in a memo to employees. He called the move puzzling, given Americans fight with Qatar and other Middle Eastern airlines over government subsidies.

Qatar Airways said it sees a strong investment opportunity in American and plans to be only a passive investor with no role in management or operations.

Qatar said it plans to buy an initial stake of up to 4.75 percent of Americans shares. American said Qatar chief executive Akbar Al Baker told Parker he wanted to buy about 10 percent of Americans stock in all.

American said Qatars stock purchase is subject to review by the Justice Departments antitrust division. American said it requires approval by its board before anyone can buy 4.75 percent or more of its shares.

 Associated Press

Also in Business

Tesla is talking to the city of Shanghai about opening a factory there to serve the Chinese market. The electric-car maker said in a statement Thursday that it expects to define its plans more clearly by the end of the year. Tesla has one vehicle assembly plant in California, but chief executive Elon Musk has said the plant is bursting at the seams. Tesla said Thursday it expects most production to remain in the United States but wants to establish local factories to ensure vehicles are affordable overseas.

The parent of Burger King says its cutting the use of antibiotics in its chicken supply, joining other major fast-food chain operators in the battle against the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Restaurant Brands International said Thursday it intends to switch its Burger King and Tim Hortons chains in the United States and Canada to chicken raised without the use of antibiotics important to human medicine by the end of 2018. The company, which bought Popeyes this year, said it intends to apply the new policy to all brands.

U.S. regulators on Thursday proposed a $120 million fine on a Florida man who they said made almost 100 million phony robo-calls to trick consumers with exclusive vacation deals from travel and hospitality companies. Adrian Abramovich allegedly made 96 million robo-calls during a three-month period by falsifying caller identification information, the Federal Communications Commission said. Consumers who answered the calls were transferred to foreign call centers that tried to sell vacation packages.

A California state judge said Thursday that San Francisco can demand Uber records containing the ride-hailing companys driver contact information, City Attorney Dennis Herrera said. Herrera sought a court order last month compelling Uber to comply with the citys demands for data on the companys drivers. The city Treasurer and Tax Collectors Office wants the names, addresses and drivers license numbers of Ubers drivers. Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer said in court that he will rule that the tax office has the authority to subpoena Uber for the data, Herrera said.

 From news reports

Coming today

10 a.m.: Commerce Department releases new-home sales for May.
TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX launches another Falcon 9

Elon Musks SpaceX successfully fired up a Falcon 9 rocket for the eighth time this year Friday, matching its flight total for all of 2016. Its next launch is scheduled two days later, putting SpaceX on track to achieve the 20 to 24 missions its targeting for the year.

The quickening launch pace shows how SpaceX has bounced back after one of its rockets and a customers satellite blew up on a Florida launchpad in September.

SpaceX is coming back gangbusters, said Luigi Peluso, an aerospace analyst with AlixPartners.

The rocket that took off Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carried BulgariaSat-1, a communications satellite destined for geostationary orbit. The launch used a flight proven Falcon 9 rocket booster, which means its flown to space previously and been refurbished.

SpaceX recovered the booster from an unmanned drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Next is a launch of 10 satellites for Iridium Communications on Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Bloomberg

LAWSUITS

Syngenta fined $218 million in seed case

A federal jury awarded nearly $218 million Friday to farmers who sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed variety.

Syngenta vowed to appeal the verdict favoring four Kansas farmers representing roughly 7,300 growers from that state in the first of tens of thousands of U.S. lawsuits assailing Syngentas decision to sell its Viptera seed in the U.S. market before China approved it for imports.

Syngenta began selling Viptera in the United States for the 2011 growing season, but China didnt approve it until December 2014. The suits allege Syngentas move to market the seed before China cleared it for imports wrecked an important export market for U.S. corn, causing price drops.

Experts speaking for the farmers said they estimate the economic damage at $5 billion. Syngenta has denied its actions caused any losses for farmers.

Associated Press

Also in Business

General Motors has agreed to settle federal lawsuits by as many as 203 plaintiffs over defective ignition switches in its vehicles, a Friday court filing shows. The settlement terms are confidential, but the deal could also resolve hundreds of state court claims, lawyers for GM said in the filing in Manhattan federal court. GM has faced hundreds of lawsuits over faulty ignition switches that could cause engines to stall and prevent air bags from deploying in crashes. The defect has been linked to 124 deaths.

Seattles Police Department has removed a social media video in which an officer playing a video game discussed the recent fatal police shooting of a pregnant woman. The video was part of an effort to engage a new audience on Twitch.tv, a platform on which people can live-stream themselves playing video games and talking. But a video posted Wednesday in which Sgt. Sean Whitcomb discussed Sundays shooting of 30-year-old Charleena Lyles struck many viewers as inappropriate. The video had been set to private Friday.

Sales of new, single-family homes rose 2.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 610,000, the Commerce Department reported Friday. That followed a 7.9 percent drop in sales in April, the biggest monthly decline in eight months. Sales gains of 6.2 percent in the South and 13.3 percent in the West overcame big declines of 25.7 percent in the Midwest and 10.8 percent in the Northeast. The median price of a home sold last month rose to a record $345,800, up 16.8 percent from a year ago.

Alphabets Google has quietly started removing a new category of online content  personal medical records  from its search results. Google lists the information it removes from search results on its policy page, and on Thursday the website added: confidential, personal medical records of private people. A Google spokeswoman said Friday the information is pulled only when individuals make specific requests. Google already removes Web pages with identifying financial data, such as credit card numbers; content that violates copyright laws; and  revenge porn, such as sexually explicit images uploaded without consent.

From news reports


Claire Bennett, 8, watches as Dr. Adam Lowry examines her at her familys home in Great Falls, Va. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Alison Mintzer and her family were on a flight from New York to Los Angeles when her daughter complained that she felt sick. By the time they landed, Mintzers normally uncomplaining 6-year-old said that her neck and ears hurt. When a fever soon followed, it was enough to convince her parents that she needed to see a doctor.

Thousands of miles from their pediatrician, and unable to find one quickly in L.A., Mintzer didnt know what to do. Then a family friend suggested an app called Heal that could use new technology to drum up a relic from the past: doctors who make house calls.

Once upon a time, a visit with the doctor meant welcoming one into your home, rather than heading out to a clinic or hospital waiting room. But around the 1960s, the house call fell out of favor as doctors offices sought to become more efficient, and the doctor-patient relationship changed from Marcus Welby to something less personal with the rise of hospitals and modern insurance plans.

Now, however, the trend for on-demand service in the age of Uber could revive the house call. Services such as Heal  which launched in the District in June after operating in California since 2014  and competitors such as Pager and Curbside Care are expanding their footprints across the country. And research suggests that house calls can provide a better standard of care for some patients than a hospital visit. A University of Southern California study of a house call program in the state found that hospitalization rates dropped for patients who were enrolled in the program for six months: Of 1,000 patients, 96 were hospitalized after being enrolled, down from 159 before the program.

Costs can also drop, since patients can avoid hospital visits. A 2013 Brookings Institution report said a Department of Veterans Affairs analysis of its home-based care program found a 25 percent reduction in hospital admissions, a 36 percent reduction in hospital days, and a 13 percent reduction in combined costs.

The chief executive of Heal, Nick Desai, co-founded the start-up with his wife, Renee Dua, a physician. Their own parental trip to the emergency room inspired the service, after the couple, unable to contact their regular pediatrician, sat in an emergency room for seven hours with their feverish 3-month-old son.

My wife turned to me and said, Theres got to be a better way,  Desai recalled. So Heal was born  a service that can work with patients insurance. For those without insurance, a visit costs up to $99.

Our number one, main goal is that, five years from now, you wont have to go to the doctors office, Desai said.

Thats certainly been the case for Tony Rogers, a 57-year-old Heal patient in Orange County, Calif., whose health problems have made it progressively more difficult for him to leave his home. Just after Christmas in 2015, he decided hed paid his last visit to the doctor hed seen for 35 years, because it was too hard to get to the office. His sister found out about Heal online and recommended it to him.

Rogers said it has been a revelation. He can now see a doctor on his front porch; he even had an ultrasound taken in his own bed. When he received a diabetes diagnosis, his physician took an immediate audit of his kitchen, pointing out which foods were fine to eat and which werent. She was also able to look at the laundry detergent he was using and recommend brands that would not irritate his skin.

She told me, This is good, this is not. It was a really nice teaching experience, Rogers said.

For others, the fact that Heal appointments can easily fit into their lives is key. Barbara Bennett, director of the D.C. market for Heal, recently used the service to schedule a last-minute physical at her Great Falls, Va., home for her daughter, Claire. An appointment with her normal pediatrician would have required waiting at least a week  past the deadline to submit forms for summer camp. With Heal, Bennett scheduled a same-day appointment.

The convenience was a big plus, she said. I didnt feel drained. I hadnt sat in traffic. I just picked up and kept going on with the day, she said. And the forms? They arrived that night, allowing her to turn everything in on time.



Barbara Bennett shows some of the information she received when booking a home visit doctor's appointment for her daughter. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Limits and potential

There are many things Heal and other on-demand doctor apps cant deliver. For one, apps are not a substitute for emergency care. (They can cut down on unnecessary trips to the emergency room  which advocates say is a benefit of the service.) If patients input symptoms into Heal that indicate an emergency, they will be directed to call 911. At a patients home, doctors can provide a range of standard care but cant cart around heavier or more complex equipment, such as an MRI machine. Nor can they do something major, such as surgery or procedures that require highly specialized equipment or expertise.

Heal also isnt a solution to providing care in places where doctors are scarce, as its current markets are heavily urban. Desai said Washington is an attractive market in part because of its density and its transient population, which means there are probably a lot of people in the area who dont have a regular primary-care doctor.

And finally, while some people, such as Rogers, have used Heal for consistent care, Heal isnt specifically designed for intense, long-term care in the home. But other house-call programs, such as Hospital at Home at Johns Hopkins Universitys medical school, have demonstrated many of the same benefits that Heal claims for its patients.

Mattan Schuchman, a Johns Hopkins physician specializing in geriatrics, makes regular monthly or bimonthly house calls to homebound patients. Programs such as his, he said, are more specialized to treat those with chronic conditions.

I do think we are set up to be more of a primary-care service, he said, particularly for homebound patients who need consistent attention. He agrees that house calls give doctors more context and can help them build better relationships with patients, if a service allows for them to see the same physician regularly. In his experience, house calls always give doctors more time with patients than appointments in a clinic.

Desai said Heal doctors see an average of 14 patients a day, which works out to slightly less than the weekly average estimated by the American Academy of Family Physicians. For Schuchman and other doctors who make house calls, thats a positive. But it can be an economic challenge for doctors who give up practices where they can charge by service and see patients in rapid succession.

Plus, house calls involve travel, which can feel like wasted time, said Eric Topol, a physician and director at the Scripps Translational Science Institute. While Topol is a strong proponent of house calls, he notes that this was one reason they fell out of fashion in the first place.

Efficiency was a big part of the equation, Topol said. And its not efficient for doctors to be roving around like an Uber or Lyft driver.



Barbara Bennett goes over her daughter's medical history with pediatrician Adam Lowry while Claire watches as medical assistant Kierra Wynn unpacks medical devices. Bennett made an appointment as a deadline was looming for Claire's application to summer camp, which required a physical. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Technology helps house calls

Advances in medical technology have made house calls easier again, Topol said, particularly the increased portability of electronic health-care records and the medical equipment that doctors use. Doctors can now also do paperwork on the go.

Still, the problem of efficiency will be difficult for any program to get around, said Glenn Melnick, a health-care economics professor at the University of Southern California. Melnick co-authored the USC study.

House call programs can reduce overall costs for the health-care system, if patients use house calls rather than heading for expensive emergency room care. But recruitment and retention can be tricky for house-call programs, he said. Melnicks study of a house-call program in Los Angeles found that, over time, costs associated with the program went down  but only because the services began relying more on other types of medical professionals, such as nurse practitioners and physical therapists. Thats not necessarily a negative, but it could be less appealing to patients who specifically want to see a doctor.

Desai said that Heal hasnt had problems recruiting doctors. Many, he said, are craving a deeper connection with patients.

Doctors are coming to us to practice a better brand of medicine, he said.

For Mintzer, the close relationships emphasized by Heal turned out to be a potential lifesaver  though in conjunction with a more traditional hospital experience. The on-demand physician not only treated her daughter but also was concerned enough to come back the next day and urge the family to seek further treatment for their 6-year-old from a specialist.

The doctor told Mintzer about a lump and said he believed an ear and throat infection had caused an abscess in her daughters throat that needed further inspection. Without the Heal doctors advice  something more personal than she might have gotten in urgent care, Mintzer said  she would not have known to take her daughter in as quickly.

We got her into the hospital and onto her IV antibiotics earlier than we would have, Mintzer said. Without that, it would have gotten worse much faster.
The parent company of Sears and Kmart on Friday said it is closing 20 more locations, amounting to more than 260 store closures this year. (Mohammad Khursheed/Reuters)

More bad news for Sears Holdings: The beleaguered chain on Friday said it will shutter an additional 20 U.S. stores, amounting to more than 260 closures so far this year.

The announcement, which deals yet another blow to the 124-year-old company, comes as retailers across the country struggle to stay relevant in an era of online shopping. Department stores such as Sears, J.C. Penney and Macys have been particularly hard hit as Americans look beyond the suburban shopping mall for clothing, furniture and appliances.

A day earlier, spin-off Sears Canada filed for bankruptcy protection and said it would close 59 stores and lay off nearly 3,000 workers.

These are businesses that have badly neglected their customers, forgotten that stores need to be invested in and are running out of ways to raise cash, Brian Sozzi, a former retail analyst, wrote Friday on TheStreet.com. This is yet another sign that Sears business model no longer works, and efforts to save costs are in no way deep enough.

Analysts, including those from credit ratings agency Moodys, have been sounding the alarm that Sears Holdings may be headed for bankruptcy, joining more than 300 U.S. retailers this year.

As part of its latest effort to stay afloat, Sears Holdings said it would close 18 Sears stores  including locations in San Diego, Houston and Hagerstown, Md.  and two Kmart stores, all of which are owned by Seritage Growth Properties, a real estate investment trust that in some cases has effectively become Searss landlord.

Hedge fund billionaire Eddie Lampert is the chairman of Seritage and Sears, an arrangement that has resulted in at least one shareholder lawsuit.

[The big missteps that brought an American retail icon to the edge of collapse]

In 2015, Sears sold 235 properties to Seritage and has been renting the store locations back from the trust, according to a Sears spokesman.

Under its agreement, Sears can cut short the lease on unprofitable stores as long as it pays Seritage an extra years worth of rent  a total of about $11.2 million in this case for 20 stores  and one year of estimated operating expenses, according to a company filing by Seritage with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores, Howard Riefs, a spokesman for Sears Holdings, said in an email. Seritage did not respond to a request for comment.

The stores will close in mid-September, and liquidation sales are expected to begin within the next week.

The relationship between Sears and Seritage has raised concerns among Sears shareholders. Earlier this year, Lampert and Searss board of directors paid $40 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that Lampert had tried to siphon off the companys best real estate by selling it to Seritage. Sears shareholders argued that the highly conflicted transaction would probably plunge the company into insolvency.

[Kmart, Sears face substantial doubt about finances as losses grow]

Sears, once the countrys largest retailer, dominated the industry for years by building a collection of well-known brands such as Kenmore, DieHard and Craftsman (which it sold to Stanley Black & Decker earlier this year for an estimated $900 million). The company, which started as a Chicago-based mail-order business, quickly grew into a one-stop shop for American families.

Sears was regarded as a national institution, almost like the Post Office, Gordon Weil, who chronicled the history of Sears in a 1977 book, told The Washington Post earlier this month. Everybody went there, everybody did business with them. Everybody believed they were a permanent part of the landscape.

But as the retail industry changed, Sears failed to keep up. The company has not turned a profit since 2010, and last year it reported losses of $2.2 billion. Analysts say many of the companys stores have fallen into disarray, and its website has yet to attract much of a following. In 2016, online orders made up less than 8 percent of Searss total sales, compared with about 18 percent at Nordstrom and Macys, according to market research firm eMarketer.

So far this year, the company has announced the closure of more than 260 Kmart and Sears stores. (It has about 1,100 locations left.) In March, Sears executives said they had substantial doubt about the companys financial viability, sending shares of Sears plunging by nearly 13 percent. (The companys stock has lost nearly 97 percent of its value in the past decade, from a peak of $195.18 a share in 2007 to less than $7 a share today.)

But there are also signs that the company is trying out new ideas. On Thursday, it opened its first Sears Appliances & Mattresses store, a 20,000-square-foot location in Pharr, Tex., about 12 miles from the Mexico border. In addition to large appliances, the location also lets customers schedule appointments with in-house experts.

Plans are underway to open additional Sears free-standing stores dedicated to two of its strongest categories, Leena Munjal, a senior vice president at Sears Holdings, wrote in a blog post.

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The promise of a tip  that familiar 10 to 20 percent optional add-on for a meal or a ride  might be enough to lure Ryan Rich Moe into the drivers seat for Uber again. He stopped driving for the popular ride-hailing service earlier this year because he was not making enough money. But Uber, which had resisted tipping for years, announced this week that it will start allowing the practice in some cities and then nationwide.

That would get me back, said Moe, who drives in Minneapolis.

Ubers surprise decision to allow tipping is the latest twist in the nations conflicted and often ambivalent attitude toward paying just a little more for good service. The restaurant industry has seen a push by some toward no-tip policies, with mixed results. New technology, the growing prominence of the gig economy and changing views about which jobs qualify for tips have further clouded the propriety of a gratuity.

Right now, its gotten very strange in the world of tipping, said Michael McCall, a hospitality-business professor at Michigan State University. Everyone is trying different things.

Lyft, Ubers chief ride-hailing competition, has for years boasted of its willingness to encourage customers to tip drivers, attempting to draw a cuddly contrast with Ubers colder, more data-driven ways. But Uber had defended its previous decision as being in the interest of both riders and drivers, who, the company said, should know for sure what they would pay or earn on each trip  without the uncertainty of tipping.

It isnt clear whether Ubers decision to allow tipping will be used as a way for the company to pay drivers less per ride, with tips making up the difference. This concern was echoed by Paul Linnee, another Uber driver in Minneapolis, who said he picked up four riders one day this week after the tipping policy was in effect and could see how much each ride earned him but not whether a tip was included.

One would have liked to see more transparency on how drivers are going to get these tips, Linnee said. If I got zero tip, tell me I got zero tip.

Uber did not respond to a request for comment.

Deciding when to tip has become harder with the rise of mobile technologies that act as a pass-through between customer and server. Grubhub, which coordinates deliveries of takeout food, put out a cheat sheet for customers explaining when to tip and reminding customers that although computers handle the transaction, a person still has to make and deliver the food. Some food-delivery apps even allow users to tip before the order arrives. Grocery delivery service Instacart slaps on an automatic 10 percent service charge  plus the option of tipping  which then can be changed or removed by customers.

Technology also has helped servers earn more tips, thanks to payment systems such as Square and ShopKeep that present customers with the option to select suggested tip amounts ranging from 15 to 25 percent with just the tap of a finger. The option of no tip is often set off to the side, as if with disdain.

The role of tipping has been most fiercely debated in the U.S. restaurant industry, where an estimated $40 billion in tips trade hands each year.

The most vocal proponent of no tipping is Danny Meyer, who in late 2015 instituted the policy at his collection of high-end restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe and the Modern. Menu prices were raised 20 to 30 percent as a result. Meyer argued that tipping reflected an antiquated system. He said that it was a move necessitated by fairness because kitchen staff, such as dishwashers and line cooks, did not always share in a customers generosity.

Although Meyer has stood by his no-tip policy, others have backed off their attempts to go gratuity-free. Joes Crab Shack became the first national chain to try it, in 2015, raising menu prices and eliminating tips. The experiment lasted six months. Executives said customers didnt like it, and restaurant traffic plummeted. Earlier this month, the company behind Joes Crab Shack filed for bankruptcy protection.

Sometimes its the servers who dont like the no-tip policy. Two San Francisco restaurants, Trou Normand and Bar Agricole, tried doing away with gratuities in 2015. Menu prices jumped 20 percent, with a line added at the bottom: Service included. The restaurants managing owner, Thad Vogler, heard only muted complaints from customers, especially men in their 40s to 70s, who seemed upset at the loss of leverage over servers. He ignored them.

But his service staff rebelled. Vogler estimated that his average waiter went from making $45 an hour on average with tips to $35 an hour. The higher menu prices went to raises for the kitchen and service staff. But Vogler said he felt that he was building a fairer compensation system and stronger restaurant team. He started losing staff to other restaurants. The no-tip policy lasted a year.

Melissa Leonard, an etiquette and protocol expert in New York City, said the new business models have made tipping more complicated. Most people learned tipping practices from watching their parents as they were growing up. But Uber didnt exist a decade ago. Uber seemed like a taxi service, but until this week, tipping in the app was nearly impossible.

Leonard sees tipping as a way to say thank you. Today, the normal tip for good service is 20 percent, she said, with 15 percent for service that was okay and 10 percent if it was lacking.

We are in a world thats very service-oriented, she said, and you hope to get a good outcome when you tip.
Russias election inference was one of the most divisive topics of the presidential campaign.





Intelligence agencies knew as early as 2015 that the Russians had penetrated the systems of the Democratic National Committee, but it wasnt until the election cycle hit full force that many of the leaks began to surface. Throughout the summer months, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continued to reject the intelligence on Russias involvement, while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was dogged by an email scandal that resurfaced time and time again.

The main findings, highlighted:














































Kumail Nanjiani stars in the romantic comedy The Big Sick, which he wrote with his wife, Emily V. Gordon. The film is based on their real-life courtship. (Doug Kapustin for The Washington Post)

Kumail Nanjiani offers his apologies  sort of.

Usually hes livelier, as the sardonic coder Dinesh on HBOs Silicon Valley, and as the geeky host of Comedy Centrals The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail. But today, weeks into hotel room junkets for his new film, The Big Sick, after screenings and Q&As plus an early-morning drive down from New York, he cant seem to stifle his yawns.

So hes nursing a coffee. Luckily, Emily V. Gordon, his wife and frequent collaborator, is the bubbly human equivalent of a shaken-up can of La Croix.

Youre getting the most tired version of us, he jokes as he and Gordon settle onto a stiff sofa at a hotel in the Districts West End. So we wont know well enough to not say controversial stuff.

Theres not much thats controversial in The Big Sick, which he and Gordon wrote together and is based on their real-life romance. But the movie, like other rom-coms that happen to have mega-producer Judd Apatow attached to them, isnt exactly a straightforward love story, either. The Big Sick is complicated  a sweet, bitter, then sweet again reminder of how vulnerable love can be to the vagaries of life.

The film follows a Muslim Pakistani American stand-up comedian whose parents expect to arrange his marriage, and the blond American paramour whom he neglects to tell about the whole marriage thing. Its an only slightly Hollywood-ized version of Nanjianis real life. (Nanjiani, 39, plays himself.)

Then there is the story line that gives the film its name: The Big Sicks heroine is in a coma.

Which actually happened to Gordon.

We always say theres a lot of movies in this movie, offers Gordon, who has blunt Betty Page bangs and eyeliner that flicks up at the corners in a delicate cats-eye. In person, the 38-year-old is sharper and wittier than the on-screen Emily, who is rendered more wide-eyed and naive by the pixieish actress Zoe Kazan.

The Big Sick, which also stars Holly Hunter (The Piano, Top of the Lake) and Ray Romano (TVs Everybody Loves Raymond), emerged from Sundance this January as one of the festivals most-buzzed-about films. Before the dust had settled, Amazon had picked it up for $12 million, reportedly outbidding several other studios. (Amazon.com chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Which brings Nanjiani and Gordon here, to shill for their love story in hopes that it will stand out when it arrives in theaters this week, in the middle of a Wonder Woman kind of summer.



Zoe Kazan stars as Emily and Kumail Nanjiani as himself in The Big Sick. (Sarah Shatz/Lionsgate)

Life as art

Nanjiani was onstage at Chicagos famed Lincoln Lodge comedy showcase when he first encountered Gordon, who was in the audience, gently heckling him. At her communal table, she recalls, was a woman who heckled him more than I did. I thought, Oh, God, hes going to think were part of this duo. 

After the set, I looked for you to apologize, Gordon says to Nanjiani.

You didnt look hard enough, he replies, shooting her a coy smile.

She didnt have to. A few days later, they ran into each other again, and soon enough they were dating.

In person, Nanjiani is a lot like his on-screen self, if slightly quicker with a punchline. He speaks with the faint accent of his native Karachi. (He moved to the United States for college, in Iowa of all places.) Hes a comedian, but he was never an Uber driver, as he is in The Big Sick. He was an IT guy. (Which is worse? he asks jokingly.)

Theyd been together for only about eight months when Gordon began feeling strangely ill, stricken with what she thought was a flu she couldnt shake. Finally, her breathing and heart rate became so abnormal that doctors sent her to the hospital.

Gordon and Nanjiani tell this whole tale in a cozy sort of unison, one nodding, or occasionally piping up with a funny detail, while the other is talking,

They didnt always share such synchronicity.

Until her hospitalization forced him to reckon with his feelings for her, Gordon says, I was in a serious relationship, and Kumail was in a very casual relationship.

Nanjiani was expected to follow through on a South Asian cultural tradition and let his parents arrange a marriage for him to a Pakistani Muslim woman. Unlike her on-screen counterpart, Gordon knew this.

I wasnt exactly thinking of an expiration date on the relationship, Nanjiani says. But they were both aware that there was one.

Then Gordon was put into a medically induced coma as doctors raced to find the root of her illness. She was eventually diagnosed with adult-onset Stills disease, a rare inflammatory disorder that racks sufferers with fever, rash and swollen joints. It can also affect the heart and lungs.

In real life, as in The Big Sick, it took a medical emergency to make Nanjiani hash out exactly what kind of relationship he was in with Gordon, as well as what kind of son he was. And what kind of Muslim.

Three months after Gordon woke from the coma, the pair married, first in a courthouse ceremony, then in a Pakistani Muslim one. They moved to New York and didnt tell anyone they were hitched.

I felt so exposed, Gordon says. My health was all anyone was talking to me about. It felt good to have some privacy.

Though Gordon began writing essays for various publications, and Nanjiani was regularly onstage, the two stayed mum about their ordeal, too.

I wanted a little emotional distance. You cant really tell a good story when youre wrapped up in it, going through it, Gordon says, speaking in the language of the therapist she was before she quit to work side-by-side with her husband.

Were still kind of going through it, Nanjiani chimes in.

Absolutely, Gordon says.

Then Nanjiani ran into Apatow at the South by Southwest conference in Austin in 2012. His stand-up comedy career was taking off, he was touring the country and Silicon Valley would soon debut to critical acclaim.

Apatow, whod had a hand in Superbad, Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall  basically, the great slapstick comedies of our time  asked Nanjiani whether he had any ideas to pitch.

Well, he told Apatow, theres this crazy thing that kind of happened. . . .

Rom-com or serious film?

Men of color dont often land leading roles in romantic films  and if youre in search of leading men who are Muslim, then all youve got, for now, is Nanjiani. And he had to write the screenplay to land the part.

Its not lost on him that hes telling the story of a Pakistani family to mainstream audiences at a moment of deep Islamophobia.

My family in this picture is definitely the underdog, he says. Theyre the people from another culture. We have different names. We look different. Its very easy to have them be the funny foreigners.

Instead, The Big Sick, directed by Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer) portrays the family with dimension, including parents who were at first deeply disapproving of Nanjianis romantic choice. Anupam Kher, a Bollywood legend, stars as Nanjiani's father, who is grappling to understand, and forgive, his son in rich scenes that illuminate how a Muslim family navigates American life.

Nanjianis acceptance into his girlfriends family is equally fraught, even if no one disowns anyone. There are scenes, with Nanjiani, Hunter and Romano silently tolerating one another in hospital waiting rooms, that feel like a metaphor for America, where we all ought to try harder to understand one another.

When Romano, interviewed by phone, gropes for a way to describe why these scenes have such power, he defers to Bono.

Yes, the U2 singer.

After catching a screening of the film, Romano recalls, Bono told the cast that The Big Sick was a serious film disguised as a rom-com.

I dont think they set out to do that, Romano says of Nanjiani and Gordon. At its core, its a rom-com. But it is showing this without preaching: Love transcends any culture.

And in the parade of beautiful, smart young Pakistani women who arrive on Nanjianis doorstep, theres something else, too: a no-judgments look at those who willingly choose culture over love.

Still, theres already criticism of the fact that Nanjiani ends up with Gordon (who is named Emily Gardiner in the film).

Ive seen a lot of Desis are upset at me, Nanjiani says with some exasperation, using a common term for people of South Asian origin. Like, Oh, another white girl. 

Keeping your identity sacred while also being able to do what you want, as an individual, I get it, Gordon adds. Its complicated.

Thats what the whole film is about, Nanjiani says.

This is our story, he says. We didnt fabricate it. And I think two different cultures coming together is beautiful.

For that, no apologies.
A small uninhabited island that has slipped beneath the water line shows only a small pile of rocks at low tide on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands on November 5, 2015. To small island nations, the United States pulling out of the Paris climate-change pact makes their future seem fragile. (Rob Griffith/AP)

To small island nations where the land juts just above the rising seas, the U.S. pulling out of the Paris climate change pact makes the future seem as fragile and built on hope as a sand castle.

Top scientists say it was already likely that Earths temperatures and the worlds seas will keep rising to a point where some island states may not survive the next 100 years. That likelihood increases, they say, if the United States doesnt follow through on promised cuts in heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions. President Trump this month said he plans to withdraw the United States from the climate deal, prompting leaders of vulnerable islands to talk about their future with a mixture of defiance, hope and resignation.

If we really push into action, we can save some [small islands], but we may not be able save all of them, said Hans-Otto Poertner, a German scientist who chairs the climate impacts study group for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The chances are even less with the U.S. pulling out of the climate agreement in Paris.

Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands (a chain of islands in the Pacific), called Trumps announcement deeply disappointing.

I cannot give up on my people and my country and my culture, she said. Its very important for us to be optimistic.

A boat lies wrecked and stuck on a sea wall after it crashed into the back of Foreign Minister Tony de Brums house in the Marshall Islands in November 2015. Scientists say that even with U.S. support for the agreement, it was likely that Earths temperatures and the worlds seas would rise to a point where some island states wont survive 100 years. (Rob Griffith/AP)

Heine and other island leaders are putting their hope in strong pollution curbs by China, other nations, individual American states and cities, as well as improved technology. While visiting Europe, she said, its all the more important that Europe takes the lead on climate change.

The State Department said it considers engagement with other counties on climate change important and it will continue, including with small island states. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said after Trump pulled out of the agreement that the United States has cut its carbon dioxide emissions dramatically even before the Paris pact was reached.

When the Paris pact was being negotiated in 2015, small island nations successfully campaigned for a stricter but secondary target for limiting global heat-trapping emissions.

In 2009, world leaders adopted a goal to prevent 2 degrees Celsius (or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since 1850 to 1900, saying 2 degrees is a dangerous level of warming. The islands tougher goal would try to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since that time period.

The world has already warmed about 1 degree Celsius since then, so the islands are really trying to prevent an additional half-degree of warming Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit).

When Trump announced he would pull the United States out of the Paris treaty, scientists said that made the 2-degree goal close to unachievable and the 1.5 degree goal even more out of reach. Promised American pollution cuts were about one-fifth of the pledged global reductions hoped for in the accord.

We are pushing the 1.5 [as a goal], but realistically I think we have passed the point that it can be achieved, said Kenrick Leslie of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.

Ahmed Sareer, the Maldives ambassador to the United Nations and chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States, said the 1.5 goal is harder to achieve without the United States but not yet impossible.

The island spirit is to never give up, Sareer said. We are always a resilient people.
Victoria Lodge, 33, of Wilmington, Del., is dressed as a shark as she works her way though the crowd at Awesome Con at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District.

June 17, 2017 Victoria Lodge, 33, of Wilmington, Del., is dressed as a shark as she works her way though the crowd at Awesome Con at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District. Linda Wang/For The Washington Post

The local version of Comic-Con comes to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, complete with a wedding of Wonder Woman and Deadpool.

The local version of Comic-Con comes to Washington, complete with a wedding between Wonder Woman and Deadpool.

The local version of Comic-Con comes to Washington, complete with a wedding between Wonder Woman and Deadpool.

Imagine a wedding between Wonder Woman and Deadpool, attended by Mary Poppins, Superman, Dr. Who, Kylo Ren and the Little Mermaid.

More than 100 costume-clad nerds, cosplayers, gamers and fantasists gathered June 17 to celebrate the real-life union of Megan Mattingly and Adam Merica, dressed as Wonder Woman and Deadpool, at Awesome Con, an annual Washington comic book and pop-culture convention that drew approximately 71,000 visitors last weekend.

The self-described geeky couple were introduced a short time ago (April 2014) in a galaxy not so far, far away (Alexandria). Megan, a Fairfax native, had decided to swing by Restaurant Eve for an after-work cocktail and immediately noticed Adam tending bar across the room. Intrigued, she decided to make the first move.

The first words out of her mouth were literally, Tell me everything you know about robots,  Adam says, laughing. Dumbfounded, he instead offered to make her a drink (it was called the Never Ending Saga). But Megan, not one to be easily discouraged, continued to engage him in lively  and nerdy  conversation.

[Whats it like getting married at Disney? Its not always a fairy tale.]

Megan Mattingly, dressed as Wonder Woman, and Adam Merica, dressed as Deadpool, retreat down the aisle after their wedding ceremony. They were married June 17 at Awesome Con at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District. (Jim Donnelly Photo )

I was helping a friend plan a robotics-focused STEM and pop-culture convention, but really I just wanted an excuse to talk to the cute bartender, admits Megan, who works as an investment banker by day and a fantasy writer by night. The conversation flowed easily, as the pair swapped stories and interests. Megan, 30, disclosed her plans to try cosplay (short for costume play) for the first time at Awesome Con, and Adam, 29, showed off his Deadpool tattoo.

We just clicked, immediately, he says. She was smart, funny and absolutely beautiful. The more that we talked, the more all of that stood out.

A friendship soon formed, and Megan became a Restaurant Eve regular. I was immediately smitten with the way his eyes light up every time he [talked] about something he was passionate about, Megan says. Hes the most interesting person Ive ever met.

Although Adam acknowledges that Megan was always the first to like his Facebook updates, he was involved with someone else and didnt realize she had romantic feelings until nearly two years later. During that time, Megan dated other people and grew more involved with the cosplay community, making appearances at comic conventions as Emma Frost, Harley Quinn, Lara Croft and a steampunk version of Jasmine from Aladdin.

It finally clicked in January 2016, when Megan began clapping excitedly after Adam disclosed that he had ended his longtime relationship.

Within a few weeks, they were dating. By their second date, they were discussing marriage.

[Forget the big wedding. More of todays couples include you through Facebook.]

Megan, dressed as Wonder Woman, and Adam, dressed as Deadpool, pose after their wedding. (Jim Donnelly Photo)

Adam told me I was crazy, Megan says, because thats not what people say on a second date, [but] I asked him if he thought we wouldnt get married. He realized we probably would but said we should probably date a normal period of time.

Megan took this as a green light to try a variety of marriage proposals, five in total, until Adam accepted. The first four were admittedly more in jest, but at the three-month mark of their relationship, she decided to surprise him with a formal proposal at the restaurant Pineapple & Pearls. Halfway through dinner, she plopped a vinyl figurine, custom-made with Adams face as the animated superhero One-Punch Man, on the table.

Adam, not used to surprises, cursed and walked out of the room. Luckily, Megan knew this was his way of expressing shock and excitement.

When he came back grinning  and thank God, since we were in such a fancy place  he said, We arent normal, so why be normal with this? Yes, lets do it. Lets get married,  Megan recalls.

They decided right away that a full cosplay wedding, right down to the dress, would suit them best. By that point, Megan had accumulated a following in the cosplay community (she has more than 45,000 followers on Instagram) and founded the local group DC CosGeeks. She also didnt want a repeat of her first wedding, which was much more conventional.

A Deadpool costume was a natural fit for Adam, who has been a fan of the character since childhood, and Megan chose Wonder Woman, whom she calls the epitome of a modern woman.

Ive told my friends that if they show up as Wonder Woman that would be weird, but showing up in white is highly encouraged, she says.

They debated getting married at Awesome Con in 2016, only five weeks after the proposal, but decided to wait until this year. In anticipation of the big day, they each got ring-finger tattoos of the Konami Code, a classic video-game cheat code from the 1980s. The sequence, popular with programmers, often unlocks a surprise Easter egg on websites and games.

Its like weve unlocked the secret together by finding each other, Megan says.

Everything was set into motion for Awesome Con 2017, but days before the wedding, Megans Wonder Woman armor was nowhere close to complete.

[A refresher on wedding etiquette, from tricky plus-one scenarios to cash bars]

Luckily, in true superhero fashion, help swooped in at the 11th hour, but not from a burly man in tights. Three female cosplay costumers came together to produce a gown from scratch, and fit for an Amazonian bride, in less than 48 hours.

Their herculean effort was rewarded with audible gasps, ahhs and applause as Megan glided down the aisle, accompanied by a live performance of The Diva Song from the sci-fi flick The Fifth Element, and joined her groom at the front of the private room, located off the main convention floor.

She passed her bouquet of flowers, fashioned out of old comic books, to her parents, appropriately dressed as Zeus and Hippolyta, and took Adams hands.

Flanked by their wedding party, who were outfitted in DC Comics, Marvel and Disney attire, the couple recited personalized vows that referenced a wide assortment of popular fandoms, including the British series Dr. Who and the cult favorite Game of Thrones.

I promise to be your partner in life, in love, in adventure and in crime, in dungeons and while riding on dragons, Megan said through happy tears, as she placed a plastic Super Mario Invincible Star ring on Adams finger. I will always be your Ready Player Two.

Before their officiant, dressed as Darth Vader, introduced Mr. and Mrs. A. Merica, Adam grew emotional and removed his Deadpool mask.

Choking back tears, he quoted Dr. Seuss to his beloved: Were all a little weird, and lifes a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

Later, the bride and groom celebrated into the night at Society Fair in Alexandria. Costumed guests enjoyed a full taco bar, a deep-fried chimichanga tower (Deadpools snack of choice) and beer brewed by the brides fathers church group.

Anything resembling traditional wedding fare, including cake and the Cha-Cha Slide, were prohibited. We wouldnt have it any other way, Megan says.

Are you getting married in the Washington region? Tell us why we should feature your nuptials here at wapo.st/weddings.


Timothy Harleth has been hired for the key role of White House chief usher, overseeing the staff that tends to the executive residence. (Michael Reynolds/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY)

Melania Trump on Friday named a senior manager at Washingtons Trump International Hotel to serve as chief usher of the White House.

Timothy Harleth, who worked for Mandarin Oriental hotels in D.C. and New York before joining one of the Trumps flagship hotels last year, will take the crucial position overseeing the staff of housekeepers, butlers and others who work in the first familys living quarters and maintain the executive mansion.

Historically, chief ushers  who act as a kind of general manager  have come to the job with deep experience within the White House and gone on to serve long tenures. Only nine people have held the job since the beginning of the 20th century.

But that tradition has been abandoned in recent years; the job has changed hands three times in the past decade alone. This spring, the Trumps pushed out Chief Usher Angella Reid, an Obama appointee who had also come from the world of luxury hotels. The White House gave no reason for her firing other than a desire for change.

The first lady didnt acknowledge any personal connection with Harleth in her hiring announcement, noting his impressive work history and management skills, but an aide said he knows the familys likes and dislikes.

The Trump White House has frequently turned to business associates to fill key positions, and Harleths hiring marks a further mingling of former employees from the presidents real estate career into administration positions.

Most recently, President Trump appointed the familys wedding planner, Lynne Patton, to head the Department of Housing and Urban Developments office for New York and New Jersey, a unit that oversees billions of dollars in housing funds annually.

Norm Eisen, a former Obama ethics chief who is part of a group suing Trump over business dealings they consider conflicts, saw the Harleth hiring as part of a troubling trend of the new administration leaning on family and personal retainers.

The problem with it, he said, is that you have people whose first loyalty is to the man instead of the institution.


A statue of Martin Luther looks over Wittenberg's main Market Square. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Luthers public plea that triggered the Protestant Reformation. (Eliot Stein/Special to the Washington Post)

Its 8 a.m. in rural east Germany and Gunter, a hulking tree trunk of a man, is swinging a hammer over his head, pounding together the steel frame of a 90-foot-tall lookout tower resembling a bible.

This is a big year for us! he exclaims over a chorus of jackhammers. The world is coming, and we want to build something special so people remember who we are.

Welcome to Wittenberg, a tiny town with a big heart and an even bigger bible. You might have heard about this place in history class, and if youre anywhere in Germany this year, you probably will hear its name again.

It was here that, on Oct. 31, 1517, an obscure monk walked down the street from his cloister, may have nailed a piece of parchment to the door of a church and sparked a religious revolution. The rebel was Martin Luther, and his 95 theses railing against church corruption not only ripped Christianity in two but propelled Europe from Middle Age darkness to Renaissance humanism, inspired the Enlightenment and arguably gave birth to the modern Western world.

This year marks the 500th anniversary of Luthers public plea that triggered the Protestant Reformation. From May to November, millions of visitors are expected to attend more than 2,000 events throughout Germany honoring Luthers legacy as part of Reformation Summer. But the center of the global jubilee is here in Wittenberg, a charming two-street town on the Elbe River that is best measured in steps  exactly 1,517 of them, if you believe the welcome sign at the train station.

By official estimates, upward of 2 million tourists will descend on Wittenberg this year  and that could pose a problem. But for the past 10 years (dubbed the Luther Decade in Germany), the 2,135 residents who live inside Wittenbergs historical heart have been busy transforming this sleepy hamlet halfway between Berlin and Leipzig into something of a spiritual and cultural Rome for the worlds 814 million Protestants and nearly 80 million Lutherans. This years jubilee is easily the biggest thing to happen here in the last 499 years, and the towns determined to nail it.



Andreas Metschke operates a historical print shop in Wittenberg, one of the last such in the area. (Eliot Stein/Special to The Washington Post)

I like to think that we are the biggest small town in the world, says Wittenbergs mayor, Jochen Kirchner. We have been preparing for this moment for so long, and now its our time to shine.

My interest in Wittenberg is more structural than spiritual: How does a place with only 2,000 hotel beds in the surrounding area prepare to host so many visitors? So, in anticipation of Reformation Summer, I boarded a train in April and traveled 80 minutes south from my home in Berlin to spend a few days and find out.

I quickly realized that Wittenberg is Luther  literally. The town officially changed its name to Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Luthers Town) in 1938, and today it exists as a sort of open-air shrine to the jowly reformer who lived and preached here for most of his life. After passing by the towering Luther bible at the train station, walking down Luther Street and dropping my bag at the Luther-Hotel, I set out to retrace Luthers famous march from his Augustinian monastery (now the Lutherhaus museum) to the Castle Church.

Religion aside, Wittenbergs picture-perfect backdrop and upbeat, Renaissance spirit is enough to enchant those without the slightest interest in the Reformer . Cheery guides in 16th-century shawls and medieval hoods lead tours through the towns pastel-colored mansions and steep-gabled towers. Bikes bounce along the cobblestones of the pedestrian-only Collegianstrasse, past four Luther-related UNESCO World Heritage sites. And flowers bursting out of boxes hang over two trickling canals that were recently uncovered to evoke the atmosphere of Luthers era. Remarkably, the whole place was largely spared from damage in World War II, allegedly because of ties to Lutheranism by many Allies.





Even at 9 a.m., the outside of the Castle Church is buzzing with tourists. As the sea of pilgrims parts, I notice that the wooden door where Luther allegedly hammered home his 95 theses has been replaced by two mammoth bronze doors with his talking points inscribed in Latin. A choir group from South Korea soon breaks into Luthers famous hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God, and is quickly drowned out by the drilling noises shaking the foundation of the church itself.

Youve come right in the heart of the tsunami, Wittenbergs head of tourism, Kristin Ruske, tells me across the street in the towns tourist information center. No one has ever hosted a 500-year jubilee before, so were learning as we go.

In the last few years, the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the German federal government, and the European Union have poured more than 70 million euros (about $78 million) into Wittenberg to help the town brace for this years flood of visitors.

As a result, most of Wittenbergs major Reformation sites have undergone renovations or are scrambling to finish them.

Officials recently parked on the Elbe river a floating hotel ship that can sleep 300 guests, and new exhibits and attractions are popping up everywhere  including an immensely popular 360-degree Luther panorama; seven open-air Gates of Freedom installations; and an exhibition that Wittenbergers enthusiastically call Luther! 95 People  95 Treasures. The town is even transforming its old prison into Luther and the Avant-garde, a contemporary art exhibition with paintings hanging in the former cells.

Our tourism office has also tripled its size and started printing pamphlets in eight languages, Ruske says. I remember when it was just German.

Since 2014, a massive globe has been cemented to the towns Market Square with a clock showing a three-year countdown until the start of this years Reformation Summer kickoff, which came on May 20.

And since last November, 15 volunteers from Wittenberg have been working aboard an 18-wheeled Luther Storymobile truck that is rolling through 67 European towns and cities in 19 countries to educate people about the causes and lasting effects of the Reformation.

Theyre far from alone. In fact, during my two-day stay here, it seemed like every Wittenberger I met was doing something endearing to make their tiny town a more welcoming place.

Theres Uwe Bechmann, a tour guide who recently strapped a camping stove to the back of his rickshaw and now sells sizzling Lutherwursts. (If you like Luther and you like bratwurst, youll like Lutherwursts!)

Theres Andreas Metschke, who runs one of the last historical printing-press shops in east Germany and has taught himself to greet guests in 17 languages. (Next up: Swahili!)



A stream trickles toward Castle Church, where Luther is said to have nailed his 95 theses to the door. (Eliot Stein/Special to The Washington Post)

And then theres Heidrun Russing, a 69-year-old historian who put an ad in the local paper in March and now leads 14 eager participants in a course called To Be a Fit Host. Each week at the towns evening school, Russing educates fellow Wittenbergers about the dates and events that set the Reformation in motion, as well as potential questions that visitors coming from different countries might have. I thought Wittenbergers should be prepared to welcome the world, not just with their hearts, but with their historical knowledge, he said.

Back at my hotel, I burrowed into an English-language guide that Russing gave me (and wrote). As it turns out, Luther was a pretty interesting guy.

Among other things, after surviving a lightning-bolt blast, he promised a saint that he would quit law school and become a monk; he was fake-kidnapped by his pals and hid out in a castle; he grew a beard and pretended to be a knight named Junker Jorg; he translated the New Testament into German in 10 months; he smuggled a nun out of a convent by hiding her in a herring barrel and later married her; he housed orphans and refugees in his home in Wittenberg; his writings spiked European literacy rates and standardized the German language; and his 95 theses can be viewed as the worlds first viral message.

Luther was also a vicious anti-Semite. He blamed evil stares from Jews for the illness that killed him; penned a 65,000-word treatise titled, On The Jews and Their Lies; and his anti-Jewish rhetoric is widely believed to have significantly contributed to the development of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany.

A basket of Martin Luther-branded liquor. From May to November, millions of visitors are expected to attend more than 2,000 events throughout Germany honoring Luthers legacy. (Eliot Stein/Special to The Washington Post)

The next morning, I noticed that you can find Russings Luther guide in many of the mom-and-pop souvenir shops lining Wittenbergs two main streets. And if youre in the market for Luther socks, liquor, mugs, noodles, beer steins, keychains, jigsaw puzzles, Playmobil figurines, candles, chocolates, or T-shirts, you can find those, too.

I think that, in the past, Wittenbergers lived with the Reformation, but now some live off of the Reformation, said Johannes Block, head pastor at the Town Church of St. Mary, where Luther delivered more than 2,000 sermons. Its a great contradiction, but today only 12 percent of Wittenbergers are Protestant.

Ironically, the area around the Protestant mecca has recently made headlines as the most godless place on the planet. According to a 2012 study by social scientists from the University of Chicago, east Germany is home to the highest percentage of atheists in the world, with just 8 percent of its population claiming to believe in God. Churches here are being sold off at such a blistering pace and so many devotees are dying off each year that Christianity is actually expected to become a minority religion in Germany in the next 20 years. Yet, like so many people here, Block remains optimistic.

I have great hope that this years jubilee will encourage people to get back in touch with the church, he says. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Wittenberg, and just like the Reformation, we hope to feel the effects for years to come.

Eliot Stein is a writer based in Berlin. His website is eliotstein.me.

More from Travel:

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Alexandria

These were among incidents reported by the Alexandria Police Department. For information, call 703-746-4444 or visit alexandriava.gov.

ASSAULTS

Callahan Dr., 100 block, 1 p.m. June 8. An assault was reported.

Fontaine St., 800 block, 4:20 p.m. June 9. An assault was reported.

Henry St. N., 100 block, 6:07 a.m. June 8. An assault was reported.

Henry St. N., 400 block, 11:54 p.m. June 12. An assault was reported.

King St., 1300 block, 1:50 a.m. June 10. An assault was reported.

King St., 200 block, 1:55 a.m. June 11. An assault was reported.

Mill Rd., 2300 block, 9:31 a.m. June 9. An assault was reported.

Monroe Ave. E., 400 block, 7:15 a.m. June 14. An assault was reported.

Mount Vernon Ave., 1900 block, 4:09 p.m. June 9. An assault was reported.

Nelson Ave. W., unit block, 12:31 a.m. June 12. An assault was reported.

Nelson Ave. W., unit block, 9:43 a.m. June 9. An assault was reported.

Oronoco St., 1200 block, 6:24 p.m. June 11. An assault was reported.

Port St., 700 block, 10:23 p.m. June 14. An assault was reported.

Seay St., 2900 block, 5:15 p.m. June 11. An assault was reported.

Washington St. N., 100 block, 9:55 p.m. June 8. An assault was reported.

ROBBERIES

Commonwealth Ave. and King St., 7:24 a.m. June 7. A robbery was reported.

Eisenhower Ave., 2000 block, 6:29 a.m. June 14. A robbery was reported.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Belle Pre Way, 1100 block, 6:21 p.m. June 8. A theft was reported.

Cameron St., unit block, 6:50 p.m. June 13. A theft was reported.

Diagonal Rd., 1800 block, 2 p.m. June 9 A theft was reported.

Duke St., 1600 block, 6:06 p.m. June 13. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Duke St., 3000 block, 11:37 p.m. June 7. A shoplifting incident was reported.

Henry St. N., 1000 block, 5:30 p.m. June 12. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

King St., 200 block, 10:30 p.m. June 13. A shoplifting incident was reported.

King St., 500 block, 2:02 p.m. June 9. A theft was reported.

Leslie Ave., 1500 block, 5:30 p.m. June 9. A theft was reported.

Luray Ave. E., 500 block, 4:44 p.m. June 8. A theft was reported.

Montgomery and N. Henry streets, 10:52 p.m. June 9. A theft was reported.

Princess St., 1400 block, 7:30 p.m. June 12. A theft was reported.

Saint Asaph St. N., 700 block, 10:22 a.m. June 11. A theft was reported.

Taylor Run Pkwy. E., unit block, 12:41 p.m. June 12. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Timber Branch Pkwy. E., 800 block, 11:35 a.m. June 12. A theft was reported.

Washington St. N., 700 block, 1:18 p.m. June 13. A theft was reported.

Second St., 600 block, 6 p.m. June 9. A theft was reported.

VANDALISM

Cameron St., unit block, 6:26 p.m. June 9. Property was damaged.

Eisenhower Ave., 2400 block, 4:25 p.m. June 13. Property was damaged.

Lee St. N., 200 block, 4:01 p.m. June 11. Property was damaged.

Monroe Ave. E., 400 block, 8:18 p.m. June 6. Property was damaged.

Nob Hill St. and Seay Ct., 6:06 p.m. June 7. Property was damaged.

Virginia Ave., 300 block, 7:38 p.m. June 12. Property was damaged.

West St. N., 700 block, 5:45 p.m. June 12. Property was damaged.

Arlington

These were among incidents reported June 6-13 by the Arlington County Police Department. For information, call 703-558-2222 or visit newsroom.arlingtonva.us.

SEXUAL ASSAULTS

Carlin Springs Rd. S., 200 block, 5:30 p.m. June 6. A sexual assault was reported.

Hartford St. N., 1400 block, 9:30 p.m. June 10. A sexual assault was reported.

ASSAULTS

Campbell Ave., 4200 block. A harassment incident was reported.

Columbia Pike, 1800 block. An assault was reported.

Columbia Pike, 2500 block, 1:32 a.m. June 11. An assault was reported.

Eads St. S., 2300 block. An assault was reported.

Fairfax Dr., 3600 block, 5 p.m. June 9. Two people fought.

Fairfax Dr., 4200 block. An assault was reported.

Four Mile Run Dr. S., 4100 block. An assault was reported.

Glebe Rd. S., 300 block, 7 p.m. June 7. An assault was reported.

Jefferson Davis Hwy. and S. 23rd St., 11:23 p.m. June 10. A man assaulted a male acquaintance after a verbal altercation. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. A 47-year-old Arlington man was charged.

Third St. N., 5100 block, 9:26 p.m. June 6. Two people fought.

Fifth St. N., 2100 block. An assault was reported.

Seventh Rd. S., 5000 block, 5 p.m. June 12. Two people fought.

Seventh Rd. S., 5100 block. An assault was reported.

Seventh St. N., 3800 block, 7:30 a.m. June 9. Two people fought.

15th St. N., 2100 block, 9 p.m. June 6. Two people fought.

ELUDING

Arlington Blvd. and S. Fillmore St., 2:33 a.m. June 8. An officer activated their emergency equipment after observing a vehicle traveling with no license plates. The driver refused to stop and fled from the officer. A vehicle pursuit was not initiated. Shortly after, the same vehicle was involved in a single-vehicle crash. A juvenile was taken into custody.

INDECENT EXPOSURE

Clarendon Blvd. and N. Rhodes St., 9:50 p.m. June 12. A man exposed himself to a woman. An investigation is ongoing.

Queen St. N., 1200 block, 10:01 p.m. June 12. A man exposed himself to a woman. An investigation is ongoing.

PEEPING TOM

Wilson Blvd., 3100 block, 8:49 p.m. June 12. A woman observed a man filming her inside a restaurant bathroom. The man fled from the scene.

ROBBERIES

Thomas St. N., 300 block, 2:07 p.m. June 12. A man brandished a firearm and robbed a person of cash. The man fled from the scene on foot. An investigation is ongoing.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Army Navy Dr., 400 block. A theft was reported.

Army Navy Dr., 800 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Columbia Pike, 2300 block, 1 p.m. June 11. Property was stolen from a restaurant.

Crystal Dr., 1500 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Dittmar Rd., 4700 block. A theft was reported.

Fairfax Dr., 4200 block, 8 a.m. June 9. Property was stolen from a business.

Glebe Rd. N., 800 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Glebe Rd. N., unit block. An employee theft was reported.

Hayes St. S., 1000 block. A shoplifting incident was reported.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. A shoplifting incident was reported.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. Three thefts were reported.

Hayes St. S., 1200 block. Two thefts were reported.

Ode St. S., 2300 block. A theft was reported.

Piedmont St. N., 500 block. Property was entered.

Pierce St. N., 1500 block. A theft was reported.

Pollard St. N., 2100 block, 11:30 a.m. June 9. Property was stolen from a store.

Rhodes St. N., 1400 block. A theft was reported.

Uhle St. S. area. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Wilson Blvd., 1500 block. A theft was reported.

Wilson Blvd., 4300 block, midnight, June 9. Property was stolen from a garage.

Fifth Rd. N., 4000 block, 1 p.m. June 10. A theft was reported.

11th St. N., 2600 block, 8 p.m. June 10. Property was stolen from a residence.

15th St. N., 2100 block, 12:26 p.m. June 11. A theft was reported.

15th St. N., 2100 block, 1 p.m. June 10. A shoplifting incident was reported.

18th St. S., 200 block. A theft was reported.

25th Rd. N. area. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Glebe Rd. N., 800 block, 11 p.m. June 7. A vehicle was stolen.

Stafford St. N., 900 block, June 13. A white 2017 Nissan Altima was stolen.

VANDALISM

Dinwiddie St. S., 900 block. Property was damaged.

Roberts Lane, 3700 block. Property was damaged.

28th St. S., 1600 block. Property was damaged.
THE DISTRICT

Argument leads to stabbing at NW supermarket

An argument between two employees in a storage room of a Giant Foods near the Van Ness Metro station on Thursday ended with one worker stabbing the other with a large knife used to cut watermelons, D.C. police said.

The victim, in his 40s, was hospitalized in serious condition with three stab wounds, according to police, including one in the abdomen that fractured his ribs and caused extensive internal injuries.

Fred Allen Irby, 28, of Southeast, was arrested at the store and charged with assault with intent to kill. The store in the 4300 block of Connecticut Avenue NW closed for several hours after the incident.

An arrest affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court on Friday says Irby and the victim began arguing about 5 p.m., with the victim alleging Irby rarely did any work. At least one worker tried to intervene by getting between the two men, but police said the suspect retrieved the knife from a cooler and attacked the victim.

 Peter Hermann

Klingle Road trail is set to open

Twenty-six years after it was closed to the public, a three-quarter-mile stretch of Klingle Road is set to reopen as Klingle Valley Trail.

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) will open the trail during a ceremony at 3 p.m. Saturday.

It has been a long-running saga for the short-spanning stretch of road.

Closed to the public in 1991 after extensive flood damage brought on by heavy rains, Klingle Road NW, which runs east-west across Connecticut Avenue, remained shut for years because the city didnt have the money to repair it.

But before repairs could begin, the section of road became the subject of a contentious debate that stretched on for years. At issue: should it be rebuilt as a road for drivers, or turned into a nature trail for hikers and bikers?

First, the D.C. Council voted in 2003 to reconstruct and reopen the road to traffic. Five years later, the Council reversed its earlier decision, instead ordering that the road be kept closed. A lawsuit challenging the 2008 decision was filed, then dismissed in 2012, finally clearing the way for the road to be converted into a hiker-biker trail.

 Mary Hui

MARYLAND

MS-13 member sentenced to 13 years in stabbing

An MS-13 gang member who admitted his role in a vicious attack that left a victim hospitalized for 10 days was sentenced Thursday to more than 13 years in prison, federal and local law enforcement officials announced.

U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte of the District of Maryland sentenced Celvin Eulice Ramos-Meij, 21, of Columbia, to 160 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring and attempting to murder on behalf of the gang.

Looking to boost his status in the gang, Ramos-Mejia took part in a June 6, 2016, attack with others MS-13 gang members, according to his plea agreement. The group repeatedly stabbed someone in Greenbelt they took to be a rival gang member, prosecutors said.

 Ellie Silverman
Jim Graham's remains are delivered to lie in repose at the Wilson Building in Washington, D.C. June 23. Past and current Council members line the steps, including some wearing bow ties in homage to Graham. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

The white casket bearing former D.C. council member Jim Graham arrived at City Hall just before noon Friday, borne by a police honor guard past a phalanx of District leaders and supporters with whom he had commiserated, cajoled and otherwise wrangled over four rollicking terms.

Atop his casket was a rainbow flag in the shape of an oversize bow tie, a testimonial to Grahams stylistic flair and his role as a leader in the gay community.

For five hours, Graham lay in state inside the buildings marbled entrance, a memorial that drew a crowd as diverse as the slice of the city over which he had presided as a lawmaker, a blend of white, black and latino Washington that included Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights and the U Street corridor.

There were mayors and council leaders, past and present, his former aides and advisers, neighborhood activists, and Washingtonians with no particular title, the types who were often the objects of Grahams breathless attention as he surveyed the city from the wheel of his cream-colored Volkswagen convertible.

Many wore bow ties, as encouraged in the D.C. Councils invitation.

Graham drives down Georgia Avenue in his Volkswagen convertible in August 2006. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

He gave me an opportunity, said Georgia Harris, 61, who met Graham at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting more than two decades ago and eventually went to work for him as a receptionist before becoming a missionary.

The last time she saw Graham was a few months ago at an AA meeting  he, too, was a recovering alcoholic  and he told me he was proud of me, said Harris, wearing a purple T-shirt bearing his visage and the words, Gone But Not Forgotten. He was always telling me how great I was.

Hattie Milo, 72, a Columbia Heights resident, recalled the community parties Graham hosted for senior citizens every Christmas, how he would show up with a truckload of free turkeys at Thanksgiving, and the delight he once showed when seeing her in her faux fur coat.

 You look so beautiful!  she recalled him saying. He made you feel so special.

Graham, 71, died June 11 at George Washington University Hospital after suffering a bacterial infection. He became the sixth Washingtonian to lie in state at the John A. Wilson Building, a roster that has included Mayors Walter Washington and Marion Barry; Barrys widow, Effi; council chair Dave Clarke and council member Nadine Winter.

[Former D.C. Council member Jim Graham has died]

Among Grahams eulogists was Ted Loza, who pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe in 2011 while serving as his chief of staff, a scandal that while not directly implicating the council member, tarnished his reputation and marked the start of a downward political spiral that resulted in his reelection defeat in 2014.

Mayor Muriel Bowser says a prayer as a casket carrying Jim Graham is carried into the John A. Wilson Building on June 23. Graham served four terms on the city council. Family, friends and the public honored him Friday afternoon while he was lying in state. (Bonnie Jo Mount/Washington Post)

Loza described introducing his father, from whom he was estranged, to Graham when they had an unexpected encounter during an event at a Georgetown hotel. Graham looked Lozas father in the eye and, referring to his chief of staff, told him, I have him now, I have him now.

And then he walked away, Loza said of Graham. He had me. He had me in good and bad. We were friends to the end.

For some, the assembly was a wistful reminder about how the current council is far more staid and wonkish than previous incarnations. People are delving into their roles as a policy job as opposed to an interactive, engaging, conversationally driven, socially driven enterprise, said Max Brown, a lobbyist. Its the millennial view of government.

Graham had no difficulty commanding attention, first as the director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic at the height of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and, then on the council, with his high-profile investigations of city agencies, his advocacy on behalf of tenants, and his trumpeting of real estate projects that transformed the U and 14th street corridors.

He could be temperamental and petty, by all accounts, but no one doubted his commitment to his job. His role as Ward 1s leader was the centerpiece of his life, which was why his defeat in a Democratic primary three years ago  amid charges of contract steering that led to a council reprimand  was something from which he never recovered. Only four years earlier, he had won reelection with more than 80 percent of the vote.

This was a stunning setback, said Riley Temple, a friend who was among the mourners. Suddenly, overnight, he was considered to be an ethical pariah. It really shocked him and knocked him for a loop.

Months after leaving office, Graham astonished friends and political allies alike when he announced that he was promoting male strip shows at a club on Georgia Avenue. Chuck Thies, Grahams political consultant, said he was delighted with his decision, if only because it signaled his freedom.

For the end of his life, he wanted to be unabashedly Jim, Thies said. He was proud of it.

Yet he never appeared to recover from his only political defeat.

In recent weeks, as he was browsing at the Georgetown flea market, Graham ran into Tom Lindenfeld, a political strategist. Graham asked if they could speak for a moment, Lindenfeld recalled, and pulled him aside.

He wanted to revisit the 2014 campaign and the dynamics that made it possible for him to lose his seat. He was fact-finding, Lindenfeld said. He was reliving what happened and trying to figure out what to make of it.
THE DISTRICT

Charges dropped in alleged blood buying

Local prosecutors dismissed charges Thursday against the 43-year-old man accused of paying people $30 to draw samples of their blood and storing it in large quantities in an abandoned apartment near Nationals Park in Southwest Washington.

Khoa Hoang Nguyen had been charged with practicing registered nursing without a license. Prosecutors from the Districts Office of Attorney General dismissed the charge a day before Nguyen was scheduled to appear at a D.C. Superior Court hearing.

Nguyen, of Rockville, was arrested in May after a D.C. patrol officer stumbled on the alleged makeshift blood-drawing operation when a patrol officer saw people  many described in court documents as habitual substance abusers  congregating in front of a brick apartment building at P and First streets.

The charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled or that additional charges could be filed at a future date. A spokesman for the prosecutors office declined to comment further on the case. Calls and emails to Nguyens attorney were not returned.

 Keith L. Alexander

MARYLAND

State seeks emergency Purple Line order

Maryland officials have asked a federal appeals court for an emergency order to suspend a lower-court ruling that has delayed construction on the Purple Line, saying the light-rail project faces a crisis point.

State officials need to make a critical decision concerning the fate of the Purple Line on or about Aug. 1, according to the court filing late Wednesday.

The lower-court judge, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon, has yet to rule on the states request that he reinstate the projects environmental approval while Maryland appeals a ruling in a 2014 lawsuit seeking to block the project.

Leon revoked that approval last August, which made the Purple Line ineligible for $900 million in federal grants. Construction, which was initially scheduled to begin last fall, also cant start until a court reinstates the approval.

 Katherine Shaver

Police: Speed, alcohol likely factors in crash

Speed and alcohol appear to be factors in a car crash on the Capital Beltway in which a Silver Spring man died, authorities said Thursday.

Maryland State Police said Eusebio Perez Velasquez, 53, was a passenger in a 2009 Acura TL being driven at high speed about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police say the driver of the car lost control on the outer loop of the Beltway near Kenilworth Avenue (Maryland 201) and hit a 2015 Nissan Rogue. The Acura then went off the highway and struck a guardrail.

Velasquez was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Acura, Allen Wilfred Chavez-Valasquez, 32, of Silver Spring, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The driver of the Nissan and two passengers in that vehicle were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The investigation is continuing. No charges had been filed as of Thursday afternoon.

 Dana Hedgpeth

Four nominees to state Board of Education

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has tapped four new members of the Maryland State Board of Education.

Hogans picks, announced Thursday, include David Steiner, executive director for the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and a professor of education at Hopkins, and Michael Phillips, senior pastor of the Kingdom Life Church in Baltimore and founder of the Better Life Community Development Corp.

The governor also appointed Justin Hartings, president of Biaera Technologies of Hagerstown and a former member of the Washington County Board of Education in western Maryland, and Kyle Smith, a student at North Point High School in Charles County.

The new members, who must be confirmed by the state Senate, join a board predominantly appointed by Hogan. Two of the 12 members  Guffrie Smith and Madhu Sidhu  were appointed by former governor Martin OMalley (D).

 Donna St. George
A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that the D.C. government is not doing enough to find and assist young children with special needs who have not yet entered the school system.

In a 3-0 ruling, the court upheld an earlier decision that found a persistent failure by city officials to provide services for some of the citys most vulnerable children and their families.

The long-running case began in 2005 when parents of six children, ages 3 to 6, sued the District of Columbia, alleging that the city failed to meet the requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. A provision of that law called Child Find holds school districts responsible for reaching out and locating young children with disabilities and developmental delays and providing services and programs for them so that they can more easily transition into kindergarten and elementary school.

In 2011, U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in DL v. District of Columbia, saying that District officials persistent failure to live up to their statutory obligations, a failure that works a severe and lasting harm on one of societys most vulnerable populations  disabled preschool children  is deeply troubling to the court.

Lamberth ordered the city to ensure that at least 8.5 percent of District residents between the age of 3 and 5 receive special-education services. Earlier court findings had shown the city was regularly failing to identify between 98 and 515 children a month with disabilities and had the lowest percentage of special education enrollment in the United States. In the 2014-15 school year, the city provided special education and related services to 6.2 percent of the citys 3- to 5-year-olds, District officials reported. The early intervention programs in the District are run by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and the preschool programs are run by the D.C. Public Schools.

Last year, after the case was returned to him, Lamberth again ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, saying The Districts lack of effective Child Find and transition policies is particularly troubling in light of the intense scrutiny and seemingly constant admonishment it has received over the last decade.

In its most recent appeal, the D.C. government argued the case was moot because the original named plaintiffs were now over 5 years old and the class action certification of the lawsuit was improper. The District also questioned the federal governments jurisdiction over how the program was run.

But the court disagreed with the District, saying its position would eviscerate the very purpose of IDEA which was intended to make school districts proactive in identifying students with disabilities.

The District, which has enthusiastically accepted millions of dollars in IDEA funding, now proposes to shift that burden back to the parents, the court said in the ruling authored by Judge David S. Tatel, who was joined by Judge Thomas B. Griffith and Judge Patricia A. Millett.

In rejecting the Districts argument, the court said: In the Districts view, it would be up to each and every parent, many of whom are poor, homeless, and perhaps disabled themselves, to somehow determine whether their children are eligible for special education services and then to retain counsel to sue the District to obtain the services to which they are entitled. Given the purpose of IDEA, we cannot imagine a more preposterous argument.

A spokesman for D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.

The ruling is a victory for children with disabilities, said Judith Sandalow, executive director of the Childrens Law Center. Fundamentally it clears away a hurdle in the legal battle to get this city to properly identify and provide services to toddlers, she said. The earlier we identify the more we can do to make sure that they are still able to learn along with their typically developing peers. The longer we wait, the harder it is to do.

Ann E. Marimow contributed to this report.
James Shea, who led the Venable law firm and chaired the University System of Maryland Board of Regents. (N/A/Shea campaign)

James L. Shea, who led one of Marylands largest law firms and had chaired the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, has joined a growing number of Democrats seeking to challenge Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in 2018.

He announced his campaign Thursday night during a private fundraiser at Baltimores Museum of Industry.

The event was not open to reporters, but Shea confirmed his plans in an interview beforehand.

A first-time candidate, the 65-year-old attorney will be a political outsider in the mold of Hogan, who never held elected office before upsetting Anthony G. Brown (D) in 2014.

Hogan is deeply popular in Maryland, but Democrats see a chance to unseat him if growing opposition to President Trump fuels a voter revolt in the mostly liberal state.

Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, former NAACP president Ben Jealous, state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (Montgomery) and Baltimore tech entrepreneur Alec Ross have said they also plan to compete in the Democratic primary, which is just over a year away.

Others weighing bids include former Maryland attorney general Douglas F. Gansler, Baltimore County Executive Kevin B. Kamenetz, who says he will make a decision after Labor Day, and U.S. Rep. John Delaney, who tweeted Thursday that he will decide in late July.

Shea is not a total political novice. He has been a behind-the-scenes player in Democratic politics, raising money for former governor Martin OMalley and serving on his transition team. OMalley appointed Shea to the University System of Marylands Board of Regents, which he chaired for four years. Shea has also served on various Baltimore civic boards and commissions.

In the interview, Shea said his top priorities if elected governor would include boosting economic growth and expanding job opportunities, both of which he claimed could be accomplished in part by creating stronger mass transit links between the Baltimore and D.C. areas.

Those cities, he said, should be the focus of strategic initiatives coming from Annapolis.

Shea strongly supported the Baltimore Red Line rail project, which Hogan killed in 2015 after concluding that it was not financially viable. The Democrat said he would also focus on expanding access to early-childhood education and after-school and summer programs.

A native of the Baltimore area, Shea has spent his legal career in Maryland after attending law school at the University of Virginia.

He clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Joseph H. Young in the 1970s, then worked in the state attorney generals office.

He joined Venable in 1983, rising through the ranks to become the firms managing partner and chairman and leading an effort to merge the firms Baltimore and D.C. offices.

Ive executed plans and solved tough problems, he said.

Sheas clients at Venable included major Maryland employers Johns Hopkins University and Marriott International. He stepped down as chair of the firm in February and became chairman emeritus.

Shortly after, Shea announced that he was weighing a gubernatorial bid, eager to counter what he called Trumps attack on the American way of life and what he sees as Hogans muted response to the 45th president.

Shea said Thursday that Hogan has not done enough to directly challenge Trump on such issues as his travel ban, his immigration and environmental policies, and his animosity toward courts and the media.

We need everyone, including the governor, to stand up and say No to those destructive policies, he said. If you dont stand up to them, youre enabling them to happen.

Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said the governors record  on government spending, education, environmental protection and attacking the opioid crisis, among other things  speaks for itself.
Local prosecutors dismissed their case Thursday against the 43-year-old man accused of paying people $30 to draw samples of their blood and storing it in large quantities in an abandoned apartment near Nationals Park in Southwest.

Khoa Hoang Nguyen had been charged with practicing registered nursing without a license. Prosecutors from the Districts Office of Attorney General dismissed the charge a day before Nguyen was scheduled to appear at a D.C. Superior Court hearing.

Nguyen, of Rockville, was arrested in May after a D.C. patrol officer stumbled on the alleged makeshift blood-drawing operation when a patrol officer saw people  many described in court documents as habitual substance abusers  congregating in front of a brick apartment building at P and First streets.

[Police arrest man they say was drawing and buying blood from people]

A D.C. police officer overheard some of them discussing being paid to give blood, according to the affidavit filed by the Office of the D.C. Attorney General, and investigated. Nguyen told police that he was doing work for a biomedical company and that he was approved and certified to withdraw blood from citizens, according to court papers. A woman at the apartment told police that she and Nguyen had drawn blood from 20 people on one day and that Nguyen had a ledger with an additional 205 names.

The charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled or that additional charges could be filed at a future date. A spokesman for the prosecutors office declined to comment further on the case. Calls and emails to Nguyens attorney were not returned Thursday.
A man killed himself after fatally shooting another man in Prince Georges County on Friday, authorities said.

About 10 a.m., officers responded to the report of gunshots in the 5500 block of 45th Avenue in Hyattsville, a spokesman for the Hyattsville Police Department said. They found a man lying on the floor suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the spokesman.

A short time later, officers responded to the report of gunshots less than a mile away in the 5700 block of 48th Avenue in Riverdale Park, the spokesman said. They found a 20-year-old man suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and he was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the incident was related to a domestic dispute; the names of the men were not released.

This was Hyattsvilles first homicide of 2017, according to police.
An argument between two employees in a storage room of a Giant grocery store near the Van Ness Metro station on Thursday ended with one worker stabbing the other with a large knife used to cut watermelons, D.C. police said.

The injured employee, in his 40s, was hospitalized in serious condition with three stab wounds, according to police, including one in the abdomen that fractured his ribs and caused extensive internal injuries.

Fred Allen Irby, 28, of Southeast Washington, was arrested at the store and charged with assault with intent to kill. A D.C. police officer working overtime as a store security guard was at the store in uniform. The store in the 4300 block of Connecticut Avenue NW  across the street from the University of the District of Columbia  closed for several hours after the stabbing, which occurred out of view of customers.

An arrest affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court on Friday says Irby and the other man began arguing about 5 p.m., with the employee alleging that Irby rarely did any work. At least one worker tried to intervene by getting between the two men, but police said the suspect retrieved the knife from a cooler and attacked the victim.

I hope he dies, witnesses told police that Irby said as he walked out of the store with the knife in his hand, according to the court affidavit. Police said they found the knife in grass outside the store.
Robin Fitzgerald went to Bible study at her church in Northeast Washington, and then took homemade lasagna to a nearby apartment to visit childhood friends.

Hours later, the 41-year-old mother of three was dead, struck, according to police, by two bullets fired through a bedroom wall during an argument in another room. Police said she was lying on a bed taking a rest when she was struck early Wednesday.

She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, said Darlene Nelson-Broadhurst, 61, Fitzgeralds mother. She said her daughter had been visiting one of two brothers she had known since grade school. Both families grew up in the apartment buildings where the shooting occurred in the 700 block of 51st St. NE, in Deanwood.

Nelson-Broadhurst said that while her daughter was visiting her friend, the friends brother came over and the two men argued about who was responsible for breaking glass on the front door, damage that had prompted the landlord to send Fitzgeralds friend an eviction notice.

A few minutes after midnight on Wednesday, D.C. police said the man identified as Fitzgeralds friend grew worried about the escalating argument, and hid in the bathroom pretending to call 911 and hoping that would scare off his brother.

Police said the other man then shot twice through a wall in the apartment, striking Fitzgerald.

On Thursday, police charged Aaron Jacobs, 29, of no fixed address, with second-degree murder while armed. Police said he surrendered to detectives after the shooting and led them to the gun  a Taurus .357 magnum revolver wedged in a hedge on Eastern Avenue, a 15-minute walk from the crime scene.

According to an arrest affidavit filed in court, Jacobs at first denied shooting the gun but then told homicide detectives he had fired it inside the apartment, but was not aware someone had been hit.

A D.C. Superior Court Judge on Thursday ordered Jacobs committed pending a hearing July 14. His attorney with the Public Defender Service did not respond to an interview request.

Fitzgerald was rushed to Prince Georges Hospital Center in Maryland, where she died less than an hour after the shooting.

Fitzgerald went to school with the brothers and lived in an apartment building next door to their familys as they all were growing up. Fitzgeralds mother once lived in the same building as the brothers and her grandmother still resides there, according to Fitzgeralds relatives.

Nelson-Broadhurst described the apartment as no bigger than an efficiency. She said her daughter, whose most recent job had been as a food services manager, had many friends and was helpful to all. She had three children: a son, 24, and two daughters, ages 19 and 16.

She said its harder to understand what happened because it involved people who were close, and because Fitzgerald wasnt involved in the dispute.

It hurts, Nelson-Broadhurst said. But I have a forgiving heart, like my daughter. But she is angry over what she called this gun thing. Said the mother: People are getting these guns in their hands and innocent people are dying.
The two west towers of the National Cathedral are seen in Washington. (Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty Images)

Vacation Bible school

Lorton: Hero Central. Preregistration begins on July 1 for classes, to be held July 10-14 from 9 a.m. to noon. Free. Through the study of Bible stories, child-focused music, snacks, recreation and crafts, the students will discover their strength in God. Parents or guardians of 3-year-olds through those in the fifth grade are admitted to the week-long program free of charge. All are welcome to attend but must preregister: Pohick Church at 703-339-6572 or pohick.org. Historic Pohick Church is at 9301 Richmond Highway in Lorton, on U.S. 1 between Telegraph Road and Pohick Road.

Alexandria: Brave Art Camp. For girls ages 9 to 12. Classes will be July 17 through July 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. Some openings for volunteers. Registration is $25 per student and includes a T-shirt, art supplies and snacks. Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Rd., Alexandria. 703-765-6555. aldersgate.net.

Events

Saturday, 2 p.m.: Gargoyle tour at Washington National Cathedral. Docents will present a visual overview of the history and function of these carved architectural features and lead a walking tour on the ground level. Binoculars are recommended, and cameras are welcome. Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-537-2228. nationalcathedral.org. $22, or $18 for ages 12 and younger, students, seniors and military. Reservations suggested.

Sunday, 9:30 a.m.: Ending World Hunger in Our Time: A Realistic Goal for This Generation. An address by Amelia Kegan, legislation director of domestic policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation. National Presbyterian Church, Stone Hall, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW. 202-537-0800.

Sunday, 10 a.m.: The Rev. Leonard L. Hamlin Sr., senior pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Arlington, is this weeks featured preacher at Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ. Hamlin is known for his concern for human welfare that reaches beyond the interpersonal to the systemic. All are welcome. Rock Spring Congregational UCC, 5010 Little Falls Rd., Arlington. 703-538-4886.

Sunlight filters through the stained glass windows inside the National Cathedral in Washington. (Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty Images)

Sunday, 10 a.m.: The St. Johns Episcopal Church choir will sing Mozarts Mass in F Major, K. 192 (Small Credo Mass) during the service of Holy Eucharist. The choir will be accompanied by violins, trombones and organ. Free; no tickets required. St. Johns Episcopal Church, 6715 Georgetown Pike, McLean. emclean@stjohnsmclean.org. 703-356-4902. stjohnsmclean.org.

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and July 21 and 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Help feed hungry D.C. kids this summer while school is out. Bring jars of peanut butter, other nut butters, jelly or jam to an outdoor table at Georgetown Lutheran Church, and we will deliver your gifts to the Capital Area Food Bank. Georgetown Lutheran Church, 1556 Wisconsin Ave. NW. markarobbins@aol.com. 202-337-9070.

Sundays, June 25 and July 2 and 23, 12 p.m.: Summer sandwich making. Help feed the homeless by spending approximately 20 minutes making about 500 sandwiches on the second and fourth Sundays of each month during the summer. The churchs mission partner, Marthas Table, will distribute them. National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW. 202-537-0800.

Sunday, 4 to 6 p.m.: An evening of jazz with the Mykle Lyons Quartet and a Brazilian vocalist. Free buffet during an intermission. Christ Church, 8710 Old Branch Ave., Clinton. Admission: $15; ages 17 and younger, free. 301-868-1330.

Mondays, 9 to 9:45 a.m.; Wednesdays, 4 to 4:45 p.m.: Senior strength and stretch. Wellness coordinator Judy Jurkowski teaches exercises  to music  that may improve strength and range of motion. Handheld weights are offered for resistance. A chair is used for seated and standing support. The class is geared to healthy seniors and those with joint, mobility or balance problems. Doctors approval is required. Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Rd., Alexandria. 703-765-6555, ext. 626, or judy@aldersgate.net.

Tuesday, 12:10 to 1 p.m.: Mezzo soprano Nicole Levesque and pianist Jeremy Filsell will perform a program of songs composed by Samuel Barber: Three Songs, Op. 10, and The Hermit Songs. $10. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. 202-347-2635, ext. 20.

Friday, 12:15 to 1 p.m.: Organist Aaron Comins, from New York, will perform a feast of organ transcriptions of well-known works by Giuseppe Verdi, Modest Mussorgsky and Richard Wagner. This is the last concert until Friday, Sept. 8. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir. NW. 202-797-0103. nationalcitycc.org. Free, donations welcome.

July 1, 1 to 3 p.m.: Special reading of the Declaration of Independence. The Rev. Thomas Costa, a historical reenactor, will portray the rector of Pohick Church in 1776. Following the 1 p.m. reading will be docent-guided tours of the church of George Washington and George Mason. Historic Pohick Church, 9301 Richmond Hwy., Lorton. 703-339-6572. pohick.org.

For more religion events, visit washingtonpost.com/religion. Send submissions with event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable telephone number at least one week before our Saturday publication day to Religion Events, The Washington Post, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071; or email gerri.marmer@washpost.com.
The Washington regions business community overcame months of internal differences Thursday and agreed on a plan to fix Metro by giving it dedicated funding and restructuring its board so it functions more like that of a private company.

Twenty-one area chambers of commerce and employers groups signed a three-page letter to the regions top political leaders outlining the proposal. It joins at least six other plans presented in recent months to revamp the agency, and increases public pressure on elected officials to move quickly to overhaul the transit systems finances and governance.

We cant afford to wait until we get into 2018 and come up with a solution then, said W. Edward Walter, chairman of the Federal City Council and former chief executive of Host Hotels & Resorts.

Three leading business groups  the council, the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the 2030 Group  spearheaded the initiative.

The letter, to be released Friday, was addressed to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. The Washington Post obtained a copy in advance.

The business initiative is expected to have influence because the signers represent companies that employ most of the regions private workers, and because business executives are frequent donors to political campaigns.

[Read the letter from the business initiative here]

The letter says Metro needs to right size its board, which in practice means reducing it from 16 members. The proposal also says board members should be required to have expertise in relevant subjects such as transit operations, management, finance or safety.

The implicit objective is a leaner board that would be less vulnerable to political influence and pressure. That would make it easier for Metro management to cut costs and increase workers productivity  goals that may require concessions from the agencys unions and that might be unpalatable to elected officials and current board members.

Youve got to have a board with the appropriate expertise to govern and oversee the Metro to be successful, said Kim Horn, who is chair-elect of the board of trade and president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States.

A major barrier to restructuring the board is that it would almost certainly require amending the Metro compact, which dictates the systems governing structure and financing.

[Metro GM proposes new business model and $500 million a year in extra funding to save D.C.-area transit agency]

Revising the compact would be a time-consuming and politically challenging process, requiring the consent of the District, Maryland, Virginia and the federal government.

Overhaul proposals from Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld and from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments have urged that the region steer clear of trying to amend the compact. They fear that a tug-of-war over governance would delay the more urgent goal of getting the hundreds of millions in additional funding the agency needs for the fiscal years that begin in July 2018.

The business groups reject that argument.

Additional funding for Metro will only be beneficial if it is accompanied by structural changes that give [Metros] board the flexibility to effectively allocate resources, the letter says.

The business groups make the now-familiar plea for a dedicated funding source to pay for new equipment and other capital investments. But they leave it to state and local officials to decide what kind of tax or other revenue source should supply the money.

Were not trying to micromanage and get into the weeds, said Bob Buchanan, founder of the 2030 Group.

[Md. lawmakers have plan to remake Metro and let each jurisdiction decide how to pay for it ]

Northern Virginia has strongly sought such flexibility. It has objected to a region-wide, penny-per-dollar sales tax  the most widely recommended revenue source  saying it would be an undue burden on Northern Virginia because it would pay more than the District and Maryland suburbs combined. Thats because Northern Virginia has a large population with a higher volume of commercial transactions than the other two jurisdictions.

The business plan also does not specify how much extra money should be raised for Metro. Wiedefeld has said that Metro needs a dedicated funding source to provide an additional $500 million a year to maintain the existing system in a state of good repair.

The business group acknowledged that many of its members, along with other organizations, have been pressing off and on for years to revamp Metro. But it said it was encouraged by recent proposals aired by Wiedefeld, the COG and members of Congress. Metro workers unions and church-based activist groups also have proposed overhaul packages.

[Virginia Gov. McAuliffe taps Ray LaHood to head panel to study Metro]

Recent developments give us confidence that the time for reform is now, the business letter says.

It also welcomed the recent appointment of former U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood, who is seeking to forge agreement within the region about where to go with Metro. LaHood, who was tapped by McAuliffe to lead a panel studying Metros finances and governance, has promised an initial report by September.

The joint initiative represents significant compromises among the regions principal business organizations, which until now have not spoken with a single voice on what to do about Metro.

[Influential business group says Metro needs an emergency control board now]

In particular, the Federal City Council dropped its call for creating an independent control board to take over Metro. Both the board of trade and 2030 Group had resisted a control board, partly out of concern that it would send a message that the region was incapable of fixing the problem on its own.

The board of trade also compromised by showing willingness to revise the Metro compact. Some of its officials had criticized that idea. And the business groups did not call for dropping mandatory binding arbitration of labor disputes, which many business leaders have advocated as a way to strengthen managements hand in dealing with unions.

Metro board Chairman Jack Evans applauded the groups for uniting and publicizing the need to fix the system.

[Slim majority of Northern Virginians favor region-wide sales tax to fund Metro ]

We have gone from a region that was completely clueless [about Metro] to one that has now made this a number one priority, said Evans, who also is a D.C. Council member (D-Ward 2).

But he regretted that the groups did not explicitly back a region-wide sales tax as the way to fund Metro.

It never made sense to me that you divide this up into three regions, and everybody decides on their own. Thats parochialism, Evans said.

Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said the agency was encouraged to see the business community coming together on Metro recommendations, especially support for multiyear and dedicated funding.

[Grass-roots activists call for $1 billion in annual Metro funding  and they have a plan]

He noted that although Wiedefeld has not recommended a change in governance, the general manager supports the business groups recommendation that Metro board members have a single, fiduciary duty to Metro. At present, their legal responsibility is split between the agency and the jurisdictions that appoint them.

The 21 organizations that signed the letter are: Federal City Council; Greater Washington Board of Trade; 2030 Group; Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington; Consortium of Universities; D.C. Building Industry Association; Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance; and the chambers of commerce of the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, Prince William County, Greater Springfield, the State of Virginia, Montgomery County, Prince Georges County, Greater Bethesda, Greater Silver Spring, the State of Maryland, the Greater Washington Hispanic community, Arlington County, Greater Reston and Greater McLean.
The idea of creating a business improvement district in a commercial neighborhood that is a citys economic engine seems like a no-brainer. After all, merchants and landowners have created about 2,500 BIDS since 1970, with 10 in Washington, D.C. and six BIDs or similar alliances in Arlington County.

But in Alexandria, a two-year-old effort to form an Old Town BID has triggered one of the small citys epic civic battles, complete with storefront posters, dueling web sites and heated accusations of secretive planning and intentional misinformation.

The proposal will get a public hearing at Saturdays Alexandria City Council meeting, with a deciding vote coming either that day or Tuesday evening.

Proponents say their aim is to organize Old Towns 2,100 businesses and 700 commercial property owners into a unified voice, improve services, such as street cleaning and lighting, and boost special events, in hopes of attracting more customers and businesses.

A BID is essential, supporters say, to help Old Town compete with other shopping and dining districts in the region, and to deal with city budget pressures and pending sewer reconstruction that will affect portions of the neighborhood.





Old Town is losing its cachet as a fun, lively place, Tom Osborne, owner of several residential and commercial properties, told a group of about 70 residents earlier this month as pro- and anti-BID panels debated the idea. Theres no other practical way of doing what needs to be done.

Opponents strongly disagree, charging that small businesses which make up the majority of tenants along King and Washington Streets would be outvoted on the BID by big property owners, since votes are parceled out based partly on property value.

They say the BID, which would operate with fees collected from all businesses and commercial property owners within its boundaries, is nothing but an attempt to find a new revenue source for maintenance and operation of the citys redeveloping Potomac River waterfront  costs that were supposed to be covered by the hotels, stores and residences being built there.

Old Towns politically active residents association is strongly against the concept, because residents who dont own or operate businesses in the district will have no voice in BID operations, and were shut out of planning meetings as well. An earlier proposal to address those concerns by creating a community improvement district went nowhere.

Stephanie Landrum, chief executive of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, which supports the BID, said the debate has become the worst game of telephone, because you have people who have formed a negative opinion, as is their right, but they are now evangelizing to others with incorrect information.

Under the proposed BID structure, each business would get a single vote on who to elect to the orrganizations board. But commercial property owners can get additional votes, based on the value of their property. The City Council would have to formally approve any proposal endorsed by the BIDs board.

Tax assessments to support the BID would be capped at 10 cents per $100 of assessed property value of the buildings where businesses are located, and would also have to be approved by the council.

Opponents say that cost, in addition to the recently increased property tax rate and sewer fees, could be the breaking point for some small businesses. They have a petition with more than 150 signatures of local businesses and property owners to support them.

Critics of the BID proposal say theres no proof that such an organization would stem vacancies, provide parking or address the continued erosion of shoppers who opt for Internet searches over brick sidewalks and historic storefronts.

Kim Putens, owner of the clothing store Bloomers, said BIDs work best in bombed-out downtowns that need a serious restart  not Old Town, where there has always been a shifting set of stores and owners.

But others say a BID could provided a much-needed jump start.

Victoria Vergason, owner of a barware store called The Hour, said foot traffic on upper King Street has dropped significantly, hurting the small storefronts that residents and visitors say they value. She said shes constantly approached by property owners who want her to move to booming areas of Washington.

Theres no doubt that without a BID, many more stores will shut down and others will move out of town, she said. A BID is just another tool that lets us compete.
FILE - Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., the new chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, says he will try not to interfere with D.C. laws and policies (Alex Brandon/AP)

District officials are saying the election of Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) as the new chairman of the congressional committee in charge of the nations capital could reset relations between the city and Capitol Hill - a connection that had grown tense under Gowdys predecessor.

[Gowdy] has been consistent in saying that he wants to respect the District, said D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who has led a campaign called Hands Off D.C. to try to dissuade members of Congress from overriding local laws and policies. Im very hopeful that were going to have a member who wants to have that kind of constructive relationship and constructive dialogue.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) had planned to call Gowdy, who was elected chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform committee last week, but he beat her to it and reached out first, the mayor said earlier this week.

She is scheduled to sit down with Gowdy in his office on Capitol Hill when members return from their July recess, according to Beverly L. Perry, the mayors chief liaison to Capitol Hill.

The mayor is very encouraged by his comments and were looking forward to meeting with him, Perry said. We think that its better for them to hear from us who we are  that we have balanced our budget for 23 years, that we pay higher per capita taxes than anyone else and that we serve our country like anyone else.

(Claritza Jimenez,Dani Player/The Washington Post)

Gowdys predecessor, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), is retiring from Congress next week. Chaffetz became a boogey man of sorts for District residents, as he tried to reverse the citys assisted suicide law, opposed its legalization of marijuana, suggested lopping off part of the District and folding it into Maryland and pushed to move federal agencies outside the District.

D.C. activists flooded his office phone lines with complaints, mocked Chaffetz on social media and started a political action committee to unseat him. On the day Chaffetzs committee voted to oppose the assisted-suicide law, upwards of a thousand D.C. residents attended a Hands off DC rally and then a town hall meeting organized by Allen.

Gowdy has said he has no plans to meddle in District affairs but on Friday, he qualified that statement by adding that he would delve into issues when he believes he must.

I [will] try really hard not to meddle in the affairs of the District of Columbia beyond that which is constitutionally required, Gowdy told reporters Friday.

Gowdy met on Thursday with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the citys nonvoting representative, in her office, and said the pair have a great relationship.

.

Allen said that unlike Chaffetz  who slept on a cot in his office for eight years and avoided getting to know the city  Gowdy sounds more open-minded.

But Gowdys pledge doesnt diminish the need for D.C. autonomy, Allen said, noting that several GOP members of Congress are currently trying do away with citys gun laws.

[GOP congressman wants his colleagues to be able to carry guns everywhere, including in D.C.]

Gowdy frequently tangled with the ranking member of his committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) during the Benghazi hearings.

Yet Norton said she looked forward to working with him.

Ive always found him to be honest in what he says, she said Wednesday before their meeting. That may come from being a prosecutor. Prosecutors, unlike members of Congress, are not supposed to exaggerate and go beyond what they can prove or show.

Gowdy said Friday he doesnt expect he and Norton will agree on all issues, but he pledged to be straight with her.

Im going to do things that she does not like, he said. There will be no surprises. She will know about them ahead of time.

As chairman of a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the District in 2011 and 2012, Gowdy said he did not foray into the affairs of the District of Columbia beyond that which I thought was unavoidable, and that wont change.

Gowdy said he has no plans to hold hearings on the citys assisted suicide law. Members of Congress, especially those on the Appropriations Committee, however, could add a provision to a spending bill to halt the citys law, known as Death with Dignity, or another policy they oppose.

Im not planning on doing it and under the heading that investigations dont have to result in hearings, it may be that we gather facts on that and then we just determine that were not going to exercise jurisdiction, he said.

I was not elected the mayor of the District of Columbia, he said, repeating a line he has used often since being tapped for the chairmanship. I dont think I would do well if I ran, and I dont think Ms. Holmes Norton would do fabulously well in Jim DeMints old congressional district.
President Barack Obama speaks to the media during a news conference in the Brady press briefing room at the White Housein Washington, D.C., late last year. (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)

Former president Barack Obama is making his first campaign foray of 2017, agreeing to stump for Democrat Ralph Northam in his bid to be Virginias next governor.

David Turner, a spokesman for Northam, said the former president agreed this week to hit the campaign trail for Northam, but would not say when or where.

An aide to Obama confirmed that the former president agreed to campaign for Northam during a congratulatory call, although no events have been planned.

The HuffPost first reported Obamas plans to campaign for Northam.

The Virginia governors race, one of just two gubernatorial contests this year, is shaping up as the next high-profile electoral contest in the era of President Trump. It follows a couple of Democratic losses in high-profile special elections to fill congressional vacancies, including a race in Georgia last week that became the most expensive in U.S. history.

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam, the state's lieutenant governor. (Cliff Owen/Associated Press)

Obama, who carried Virginia in 2008 and 2012, could help Northam improve his support among younger voters and solidify his already strong backing from African American voters. Northams strongholds in the Democratic primary were in the Urban Crescent, the heavily populated areas of Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads.

Northam faces Ed Gillespie, a longtime Republican operative and party leader, in November. Gillespie spokesman David Abrams dismissed the potential appeal of the former president.

How many Democratic surrogates is it going to take to try to drag the lieutenant governor across the finish line? he said. Virginians deserve to hear from candidates directly, in their own voices, about their own ideas and proposals.

Gillespie recently campaigned with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R).

Obama stayed out of the hard-fought Democratic primary this month between Northam and former congressman Tom Perriello. Northam, who beat Perriello, called former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. with an appeal to prevent Obama from endorsing in the race, according to a Democrat familiar with the call.

But Perriello, who lost his seat in Congress over his vote for the Affordable Care Act and then went on to work for the Obama administration, invoked the former president anyway, airing footage of him with Obama in campaign ads.

Since leaving office, Obama has stayed in the political fray, condemning President Trumps travel ban and decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords, as well as Republican attempts to gut his signature health-care law.

(Amber Ferguson,Jorge Ribas,Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)

But he did not campaign for Democrats in congressional elections this year, though he did cut a video endorsing Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election.

Obama has said redistricting will be his primary cause. He says he wants to help rebuild Democratic strength by preventing Republicans from drawing legislative maps that are favorable to them and will define the political landscape for the next decade. The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by Holder, has made Virginias gubernatorial and House of Delegate races its first campaign targets.

At a Democratic fundraiser in Richmond this month, Holder said Virginia was at the epicenter of the political universe in 2017 and promised that his group would bring Democratic all-stars to the campaign trail.

[Holder says Virginia governors race is chance to send message to Trump]

Obamas predecessor, George W. Bush, largely kept a low political profile after leaving the White House, waiting seven years before he campaigned for his brother Jeb Bushs failed presidential bid.

Bush also has connections to the Virginia contest: He tapped Gillespie to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee early in his presidential term, and later brought him into the White House as his counselor. The former president attended a March fundraiser for Gillespie in Dallas and wrote a $25,000 check for his gubernatorial campaign.
Several moderate Republican governors are expressing reservations about the health-care bill unveiled in the Senate Thursday, further complicating efforts by GOP congressional leaders to make good on their promise to end the Affordable Care Act.

John Kasich of Ohio, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and Larry Hogan of Maryland issued separate statements criticizing aspects of the legislation, including the secrecy under which it was written as well as the impact it would have on state budgets and low-income residents.

All four hail from states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA and have received billions of federal dollars to help them cover more low-income Americans. The Medicaid program, which traditionally encompassed poor children and their parents, pregnant women, people with disabilities and the elderly, is administered jointly by the state and federal governments.

Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia opted into the expansion, leading more than 11 million able-bodied adults to gain health coverage. These states have the most to lose under the Senate bill, which would end federal support for the expansion in 2024 and force states to either come up with another way to pay for the newly eligible or else dramatically shrink their program.

I have deep concerns with details in the U.S. Senates plan to fix Americas healthcare system and the resources needed to help our most vulnerable, including those who are dealing with drug addiction, mental illness and chronic health problems and have nowhere else to turn, said Kasich, who has been a vocal critic of Republican efforts to repeal and replace the ACA.

(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

The consequences of the new legislation would be dramatic in Ohio, where more than 600,000 of those on Medicaid last year gained access to care as a result of that states decision to broaden the program, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Sandoval took a sharper tone in a statement issued Thursday in which he criticized Senate leaders for crafting their bill behind closed doors.

I am disappointed that Congress did not include us in the consideration of this bill and we have not seen it until today, he said. While the current healthcare system needs improvement, it remains my priority to protect Nevadas expansion population to ensure our most vulnerable, especially individuals with mental illness, the drug addicted, chronically ill, and our children, will always have access to healthcare.

More than 200,000 Medicaid recipients in Nevada last year  more than a third of its entire Medicaid population  were eligible for coverage because of the expansion. Sandoval reiterated his objections Friday during a joint news conference with Sen. Dean Heller (R), a key swing vote on the bill, who announced that he could not support it as written.

Hogan also focused on how GOP leaders on Capitol Hill had operated in drafting their measures. Congress should go back to the drawing board in an open, transparent and bipartisan fashion to craft a bill that works for all Americans, he said through a spokeswoman.

But at least one Republican governor of an expansion state signaled that he felt the bill was a step in the right direction. Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said in a statement that more time was needed to gauge the measures potential impact but that there are significant positive changes in the Senate bill, including increased flexibility for the states.

The expansion population in Arkansas topped 300,000 last year, according to Kaiser. Hutchinson is seeking permission from the Trump administration to make conservative adjustments to the program there, including instituting a work requirement for many enrollees.

Other GOP governors of expansion states were silent or issued statements saying they needed time to study the legislations specifics.

Earlier this month, Kasich, Sandoval and Baker joined several Democratic governors to pen a letter to congressional leaders urging them to scrap the health-care bill the House passed last month in favor of something that would garner bipartisan support. No Democrats are expected to support either the House or Senate versions.

This week, that trio noted their particular concern about the Senate bills impact on their efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. Ohio is among the states hardest hit by the crisis. In 2016, the expansion accounted for 43 percent of Ohios Medicaid spending on behavioral health, a category that includes substance abuse treatment, according to the Associated Press.

Nationwide, nearly 1.3 million people receive services for mental-health and substance abuse disorders under the Medicaid expansion, according to an estimate by economists Richard G. Frank of the Harvard Medical School and Sherry Glied of New York University.

In recognition of the challenges states face on this issue, the Senate bill would create a $2 billion fund to provide grants to states for substance abuse and mental health treatment.

The House and Senate bills would make radical, longer-term changes to Medicaid. Since its inception more than 50 years ago, the program has been funded as an entitlement for anyone who qualifies. Under both congressional measures, states would instead receive a per capita amount or block grant from the federal government.
Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, represents New York in the U.S. Senate and serves as minority leader.

Since his inauguration, President Trump has backed off several core campaign positions, including making a stark reversal of his posture toward China. He has explained that rather than pursue a tough-on-China trade policy, he will capitulate on U.S. trade interests to win Beijings cooperation on North Korea. Taking a softer tack on China is misguided: It will hurt hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers and businesses, without changing Beijings behavior. The best and perhaps the only way to achieve results with China is to be strong and consistent about our priorities  on economic issues and national-security issues  rather than the reverse.

Bolstering our economy and creating good-paying jobs is one of the most important goals a president can pursue, especially given middle-class stagnation and discontent. Failing to address Chinas unfair advantage on trade will mean hundreds of thousands of American workers and businesses must continue to compete on a skewed playing field. By dumping counterfeit and artificially cheap goods into our markets, denying the most productive U.S. companies fair access to its markets and relentlessly stealing the intellectual property of U.S. companies, China has robbed the U.S. economy of trillions of dollars and caused the loss of millions of U.S. jobs. Estimates by our government pin the cost of cyberespionage alone at $400 billion a year to the U.S. economy, 90 percent of which comes from Chinas government. Retired Gen. Keith Alexander, the former director of the National Security Agency, has called the loss of industrial information and intellectual property through cybertheft the greatest transfer of wealth in history. The American worker can ill afford another soft-on-China presidency.

Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing will continue to act in its self-interest unless the United States does something to alter the status quo. And yet, despite numerous promises during the campaign to crack down on these unfair practices by China, Trump has failed to take any significant action after almost five months in office. In fact, he has made trade threats against U.S. allies such as Canada and South Korea while giving China a pass.

The reason? Trump believes that obliging China on trade will win its cooperation in handling North Korea. Hes gone so far as to promise even more favorable trade terms if China can solve the North Korea problem. This approach deeply misreads Chinas motivations, and the president seems to have just realized it. He recently tweeted: While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried! We will wait to see if this tweet actually signals a shift in U.S. policy, but no doubt it is a confession that the presidents conciliatory approach toward China has failed.

The president should have known from the very beginning.

Several decades of history have shown that accommodating China on trade will not yield greater collaboration in foreign policy. In this area, China has acted as it has on economic policy  it looks out for its own interests and does not shift course unless compelled to. So long as China can get away with engaging in the smallest amount of cooperation with the United States abroad while protecting its core economic interests, it will do so, especially if the United States gives away a major bargaining chip  trade  for free.

Trump seems to have done exactly that, accepting Chinas bare-minimum concessions in exchange for putting U.S. trade and economic interests on the back burner. It is a lose-lose for the United States.

China has its own interests in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. It wants to maintain a divided Korea, with North Korea as a buffer state. Concerned about the prospect of increased U.S. pressure, it has taken a few small steps in recent months to curb North Koreas aggression. But China would prefer to contain the problem, not solve it.

To get China to actually bear down on its ally North Korea, the United States must have some leverage in dealing with Beijing. Because Chinas government cares most about economic growth, trade and dominance in the region, our best bet is to be tough on trade and straightforward about our own national security interests in the region.

In truth, no one has a perfect solution to dealing with North Korea. But what absolutely doesnt make sense is a Trump strategy that undermines South Korea and sells out American workers in the vague hope that China will start cooperating with the United States out of its good graces.

Rather than retreating from his position on trade, Trump should start consistently enforcing trade laws. Rather than retreating from our ally South Korea, Trump should strengthen ties. He ought to focus less on flattery and charm and heed President Teddy Roosevelts admonition to speak softly and carry a big stick. Thats the best way to help American workers and businesses. Its the best way to get China to cooperate on North Korea, too.
The Democrats long losing streak continued this week in a Southern suburban district that Donald Trump barely won last fall. The partys great hope for the Georgia seat was a $24 million man whose victory would have likely had a seismic impact on Washingtons direction, rattling Republicans in Congress already nervous about the president. But Jon Ossoff lost Tuesdays special election to Karen Handel  despite running at a time when the president and his Republican allies in Congress suffer from record-low approval ratings. Neither the GOPs unpopularity nor the Democrats ability to organize marches, raise millions or attack the Trump administrations crazed approach to governing changed Tuesdays outcome.

The Democrats simply lost. Again.

The party has been on a historic run over the past eight years  all in the wrong direction. Since Barack Obamas breathtaking victory in 2008, Democrats have been wheezing their way through one political defeat after another. They have lost more than 1,000 state legislative seats and governorships and now control only one-third of the countrys legislative chambers. And it is not just in red or purple states where Democrats fortunes have collapsed. In deep-blue Connecticut, Democrats held twice as many state Senate seats as Republicans in 2008. That advantage has been erased entirely. In the states House chamber, Democrats back then controlled 114 seats to Republicans 37. Today, the GOP is only a handful of seats away from taking control. All in a state where Hillary Clinton trounced Trump.

[Cheer up, Democrats!]

Across the country, Democrats are weaker on the state level than at any time since William McKinley was president. They control fewer governorships than at any time since Woodrow Wilson was in the White House and have forfeited more seats to Republicans in the U.S. House than at any time since Herbert Hoover was elected.

(Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)

The partys latest setback has only heightened its internal tensions, with some calling for the ouster of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). But an even bigger challenge for Democratic leaders will be managing the intraparty fight between left-wing heretic hunters and more moderate forces hoping to rebuild Franklin D. Roosevelts coalition of ideologically diverse allies. Roosevelts melange of Northern progressives and Southern conservatives passed Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Civil Rights Act. It dominated Congress for most of the 20th century. Tearing down that big tent in favor of a more ideologically homogenized movement would be a recipe for political disaster.

Instead, to win nationally, Democrats must start thinking locally. Tip ONeill famously said that all politics are local, and the liberal Boston speaker of the House practiced what he preached. Because of it, ONeills party dominated national politics for decades by recruiting conservatives in the South, moderates in the Midwest and liberals in large industrial states. That embrace of ideological diversity kept Republicans in the political wilderness for 40 years, and I saw the strategys impact firsthand during my time in Congress, even during a period when Republicans were in control of the House.

In 1998, Rep. Steve Largent of Oklahoma, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina and I traveled the country helping Republicans in tough election fights. One night we found ourselves in a conservative Kentucky district where the Republican should have been ahead by 20 points. I pulled the candidate aside and began peppering him with questions.

How weak is your opponent on the Second Amendment?

Oh, hes got a 100 percent rating with the NRA, came the response.

What about abortion? Any weaknesses there? I asked.

The guy is pro-life.

[How to mount a progressive resistance]

I smiled, excused myself and walked over to Graham. Enjoy the hors doeuvres. This race is over. And so it was. The Democrat was so culturally aligned with the Southern district he wanted to represent that middle-class voters could vote for a candidate they also perceived as aligned with their economic interests. On Tuesday, by contrast, Georgia voters were less comfortable with Ossoff, as they have been with Democrats across the South for some time.

Republicans lost control of Congress in 2006 when their views were out of step with all of New England and most of the Midwest. In that election, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), then the leader of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was canny enough to put aside ideology and recruit pro-gun, antiabortion candidates to pick off conservative seats that would have otherwise been out of reach. Today, the situation is reversed, with many Democratic leaders and activists more focused on ideological purity than on regaining political power.

Continuing on that course will lead to even more Democratic defeats, and to what Democrats fear most: more support in Congress for Trump.

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PRESIDENT TRUMP met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last month to discuss trade and security issues. In their public statements about the visit, one topic got short shrift: human rights.

This was a glaring lapse. Vietnam has a long history of stifling dissent and cracking down on political activists. The State Departments Vietnam 2016 Human Rights Report called the country an authoritarian state. Freedom House gives it the lowest possible rating on political rights and classifies it as not free.

According to Human Rights Watch, the repression may have worsened in the past two years. After a brief improvement in 2014 and 2015  while Vietnam was negotiating trade agreements with the United States  the number of people prosecuted and convicted for political crimes has increased. This has coincided with an uptick in violent attacks against activists and bloggers who have spoken out against the party line. Some of these assaults have reportedly taken place inside police stations or in public spaces in broad daylight. Human Rights Watch believes that the vast majority of these cases have not been investigated.

Despite these reports, the joint statement released by the White House after the visit lauded Vietnam for its ongoing efforts to refine its legal system to better protect and promote human rights for everyone. That is laughable; Vietnam has done just the opposite. While the Vietnam National Assembly made some concessions to human rights in the 2015 criminal procedure code, its revisions to the penal code that same year further curtailed free expression. Calls from citizens and civil society to repeal or amend these provisions have fallen on deaf ears, and just this week the National Assembly passed another iteration of the penal code that is even more draconian. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the Obama administration negotiated with Vietnam and other nations, would have provided an incentive to the communist regime to ease its repression. But Mr. Trump jettisoned that accord, and in failing to publicly raise these issues in May he missed another opportunity.

Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have raised concerns about Vietnams human rights abuses, showing that the administrations heedlessness does not represent American values. The State Department should take note and speak out in support of the activists who have championed democracy at grave personal risk.
While we have been focused on the results of special elections, the ups and downs of the Russia investigation and President Trumps latest tweets, under the radar, a broad and consequential shift in U.S. foreign policy appears to be underway. Put simply, the United States is stumbling into another decade of war in the greater Middle East. And this next decade of conflict might prove to be even more destabilizing than the last one.

Trump came into office with a refreshing skepticism about U.S. policy toward the region. Everybody thats touched the Middle East, theyve gotten bogged down. . . . Were bogged down, he said during the campaign. But Trump also sees himself as a tough guy. At his rallies, he repeatedly vowed to bomb the s--- out of the Islamic State. Now that he is in the White House and has surrounded himself with an array of generals, his macho instinct seems to have triumphed. The administration has ramped up its military operations across the greater Middle East, in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia  more troops, more bombings, more missions. But what is the underlying strategy?

In the fight against the Islamic State, U.S. forces have been aggressively initiating attacks, resulting in a sharp rise in civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria. And in a dramatic escalation, this week the United States shot down a Syrian warplane, putting Washington on a collision course with Syrias ally, Russia, with the real possibility of U.S.-Russian military hostilities. Worse yet, it is unclear how this belligerence toward the Bashar al-Assad regime will achieve the sole stated mission of the United States involvement in Syria: to defeat the Islamic State. Logically, if Assad gets weaker, the main opposition forces  various militant Islamist groups, including the Islamic State  will get stronger. Compounding the incoherence, the administration said that although it had attacked Assads forces, it was not fighting the Assad regime, and that the downing was an act of collective self-defense. A few more such acts of self-defense, and U.S. combat troops could find themselves on the ground in Syria.

In Afghanistan, Trump has delegated the details of a mini-surge of 4,000 more troops to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other senior military leaders. But there are limits to the perspective even of distinguished generals. Military officers can tell you whether, for example, they can take a hill. But does taking that hill serve Americas broader strategy? Can that hill be held at reasonable cost? Does this mission distract from other, larger U.S. interests around the world? Those are questions that must be answered by the commander in chief.

The United States has been in Afghanistan for 16 years. It has had several surges in troop numbers and has spent almost a trillion dollars on that country. Last year, U.S. aid to Afghanistan was equivalent to about 40 percent of that nations gross domestic product. And yet, Mattis acknowledges that the United States is not winning. What will an additional 4,000 troops now achieve that 130,000 troops could not?

In Yemen, the United States is more actively engaged in a conflict that does little to advance the fight against radical Islamist terrorism. With the latest arms sale, Washington is further fueling Saudi Arabias proxy war against Iran  a war that has led the kingdom into a de facto alliance with al-Qaeda in Yemen. Saudi Arabias new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, seems likely to persist in this conflict, even though it has gone much worse than expected and has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe. A child in Yemen is dying of preventable causes every 10 minutes, according to UNICEF, and the poorest country in the Arab world has been turned into a wasteland in which terrorist groups will compete for decades to come.

In almost every situation that U.S. forces are involved in, the solutions are more political than military. This has become especially true in places such as Syria and Afghanistan, where many regional powers with major interests have staked out positions and spread their influence. Military force without a strategy or deeply engaged political and diplomatic process is destined to fail, perhaps even to produce unintended consequences  witness the past decade and a half.

During the campaign, Trump seemed to be genuinely reflective about Americas role in the Middle East. This is not usually me talking, okay, cause Im very proactive, he once said on the subject. But I would sit back and [say], Lets see whats going on.  Yes. After 16 years of continuous warfare, hundreds of thousands dead, trillions of dollars spent and greater regional instability, somebody in Washington needs to ask  before the next bombing or deployment: What is going on?

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Five years ago, British politicians gloried in Frances political dysfunction.

Frances then-Socialist government had, after all, repeatedly proved itself an anti-business basket case. President Francois Hollandes proposal for a 75 percent marginal income-tax rate drove wealthy celebrities to renounce their French citizenship. He called the world of finance his enemy. Other French ministers attacked industry titans.

The gleeful response from the mayor of London: Venez a Londres, mes amis (Come to London, my friends).

And in a Group of 20 speech that really galled the Gauls, then-British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he would roll out the red carpet for anyone fleeing anti-business policies in France.

Eh bien, tut the French today. How the tables have turned.

Exactly a year after the shattering Brexit vote, uncertainty and political incompetence roil the United Kingdom. Brits dont know whether their split from the European Union will be hard, soft or scrambled, or even what their leaders are asking for in the divorce.

Many British industries, from academia to automobiles, fear losing access to top talent and the European market. Arguably no sector has more at stake, though, than Hollandes former enemy  that lucrative financial industry.

Depending on how Brexit talks shake out, British and global financial institutions may no longer be able to use their London bases to sell services throughout Europe. Also at risk is Londons enormous euro-clearing business, which processes transactions worth about $1 trillion per day.

London could lose tens of thousands  perhaps more than 100,000  jobs in the finance industry alone to the continent.

And French officials are licking their lips. Or, to use their own preferred, Cameron-inspired metaphor: They are rolling out the blue-white-red carpet.

I was against Brexit and Im still very much in favor of the U.K. staying in Europe, Valerie Pecresse, the president of the Paris region, told me. But thats a sovereign decision of the British people, and I respect it. No point, she says, in wasting a precious opportunity to repatriate some of the thousands of jobs that left Paris for London in recent years.

She and other French officials have moved swiftly to try to peel off British jobs, which their counterparts in Frankfurt, Dublin and other cities are also eyeing.

Almost immediately after the Brexit vote, France launched an aggressive ad campaign (Tired of the fog? Try the frogs!). Financial regulators began allowing firms to submit their legal paperwork in  sacre bleu!  English. Hollandes government even expanded a generous suite of tax breaks for foreigners who decamp for France, as well as French expats who decide to return home.

At pitch meetings in London and New York, officials and lobbyists tout French international schools, job opportunities for spouses, proximity to big clients and, of course, the cultural allure of the City of Light.

When was the last time you booked a weekend in Frankfurt? teased Ross McInnes, chairman of French aerospace and defense firm Safran and a government-appointed economic ambassador in the British courtship effort.

But the game-changer, as Arnaud de Bresson, chief executive of financial lobbying group Paris Europlace, put it, was the recent election victories of Emmanuel Macron and his brand-new centrist party.

The charismatic new French president is in some ways the reputational opposite of the predecessor he served under as economy minister. Hes also a convenient foil for more insular, backward-looking leadership in Britain (and the United States).

Hes a former banker, for one, a fact not lost on British financiers otherwise wary of Frances reputation for hostility toward bankers.

More critically, Macron has vowed to make the country more business-friendly, entrepreneurial and economically flexible. This means fixing Frances notoriously rigid labor laws  no easy task  and further reducing French tax rates (including exempting financial assets from the national wealth tax).

Nearly every French official, lobbyist and business leader Ive interviewed has said that France desperately needs these reforms to happen if France is to win the post-Brexit beauty contest. And in the same breath they insist that Frances anti-business reputation is unfair.

The 75 percent supertax on the wealthy is gone, everyone is quick to remind me. (The policy quietly died at the end of 2014.) And Frances famed 35-hour workweek isnt always observed by finance employees and executives.

The reputation we have, it was probably fully justified a few years ago, but not to the same point today, said Christian Noyer, the former Bank of France governor who has been commissioned by the French government to woo London financiers.

So far just one major financial institution, HSBC, has publicly committed to sending jobs to Paris. But the charm offensive isnt over.

More important, neither is the competence offensive. Downing Street may want to take note.
Henry Olsen, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is the author of The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.

The internal GOP debate on how to replace Obamacare is essentially one of priorities. What is more important, saving money or saving lives? Senate and House Republicans may be surprised to learn that for their idol, Ronald Reagan, this was never a question at all. Throughout his life, Reagan always cared more about saving lives than saving money.

Conservatives might find this shocking and argue that Reagan would never have approved of federal subsidies such as those contained in Obamacare. But, to paraphrase Reagan himself, its not so much that our conservative friends are ignorant, its that so much of what they know just isnt so. In fact, throughout his career, Reagan expressed strong support for government-subsidized medical care for people who couldnt otherwise afford it.

In researching my book on Reagans political philosophy, I came across his speeches and letters from the days before he became famous in 1964 for endorsing Barry Goldwater in a nationally televised address. There was then no Medicare or Medicaid, but there were plenty of proposals to create a federally run or funded program to provide health insurance to all Americans. Reagan opposed those ideas, to no ones surprise, but the surprise is why he did and what he wanted to do instead.

Reagan did not oppose national health-care plans out of a belief they violated the Constitution, were improper roles for government to play or cost too much. Rather, he opposed them because they werent necessary to solve the legitimate humanitarian concerns that evoked Americans compassion.

Reagans principle was simple: As he told the Conservative League of Minneapolis in 1961, as one conservative let me say any person in the United States who requires medical attention and cannot provide it for himself should have it provided for him. To that end, he enthusiastically supported a recently enacted bill called the Kerr-Mills Act. That bill provided federal funds to states to set up programs to pay for medical care for poor senior citizens. This targeted intervention allowed government to meet the true need without creating what he called a compulsory, one-size-fits-all model that forc[es] all citizens, regardless of need, into a single program.

Cost was not a concern for him. He wrote a longtime friend, Loraine Wagner, in July 1961 to elaborate on his view. Very simply, he wrote, Im in favor of helping those who need help. After describing Kerr-Mills, he wrote, Now Im in favor of this bill  and if the money isnt enough I think we should put up more. Saving lives was always more important than saving money to Reagan.

And he did not retreat from this stance when he became governor or president. Despite inheriting a terrible budget crisis upon taking office, Reagan refused to push to repeal Californias recently enacted participation in Medicaid. He called it help for people who otherwise could not afford their medical bills, and raised taxes by a then-record amount rather than slash the program. He reiterated his support for the principle of government-financed health insurance for those who needed it in letter after letter, including one he wrote in mid-1979.

Applying these principles to the current debate, its clear that Reagan would ensure that no one with genuine need would lose his or her ability to get needed medical care regardless of the cost. The newly released Senate bill does a much better job of fulfilling his ideals than does the House bill. It slows the phaseout of federal support for the Medicaid expansion and retains Obamacares income-based subsidies for people on the federal exchange, while the House bills age-based subsidies would probably have led to many people dropping coverage. In each case, the Senate approach places life over cost. Senators who came out against the plan Friday on grounds that it doesnt fully repeal Obamacare may think of themselves as conservative, but on this issue they arent acting as Reagan conservatives.

Reagan would not have ignored cost concerns. As he told the nation in 1981, we can be compassionate about human needs without being complacent about budget extravagance. Its just that meeting human needs always came first for the Gipper. If he were convinced, as Senate bill critics argue, that this bills Medicaid changes will keep people from getting the care they need, Reagan would surely have worked to find a solution.

(Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

Republicans have long suffered from the self-inflicted wound of misunderstanding Ronald Reagan. By adopting the liberal caricature of him as an anti-government zealot, they have hurt their ability to win elections and hindered their ability to govern when they did. The current debacle over health-care reform is simply the latest example of this three-decade trend. The GOP should use the coming debate over an Obamacare replacement to finally rid themselves of this false idol and follow the real Reagan into the promised land.
Nelson Pressleys June 14 review of a play at the Mosaic Theater Company, An Israeli and a Palestinian talk, and listen, in The Return  [Style], incorrectly stated that Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza for 50 years. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, hoping that would lead to peace on its southern border. We all know what has happened since then: more than 15,000 rockets and mortars fired at Israel from Gaza. Even theater reviews should be edited for veracity, or such mistakes will be accepted as fact.

Marjorie Kravitz, Rockville
A dental hygienist cleans the gums of a patient at CCI Health and Wellness Services in Silver Spring in April. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

Maryland, particularly Montgomery County, has become a bright spot in the national health-care picture. From 2012 to 2015, subsidies to health insurance purchasers and the expansion of Marylands Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act caused the percentage of uninsured Marylanders to fall from 10.1 percent to 6.7 percent. The national average is 9.4 percent.

In 2014, the state pushed to increase reliance on community-based health centers, rather than emergency rooms, generating healthier outcomes at a lower cost. In Montgomery County, the Care for Kids and Montgomery Cares programs reinforce this positive trend by providing the uninsured greater access to outpatient care. Tragically, Republican threats to the ACA, also known as Obamacare, are jeopardizing these gains.

Maryland has a unique method of pricing medical services and setting compensation for health-care providers. Under its All-Payer Model, Marylands Health Services Cost Review Commission publishes compensation schedules governing hospitals. In all other states, hospitals negotiate prices with insurance companies and other payers.

Until 2014, the commission specified the rates that hospitals could charge patients for various procedures. By the mid-2000s, however, administrators noted rising hospital costs. They concluded that low prices for various procedures were generating increased use.

In response, the state capped the annual amount that hospitals could bill for treating patients. The goal was to reduce avoidable admissions, readmissions and hospital-acquired infections. One result has been an increasing number of partnerships between hospitals and community-based organizations, with the latter taking on greater responsibilities. Outcomes are improving while costs are leveling out. Health-care experts are also optimistic that obesity and smoking rates will decline noticeably, leading to even greater improvement in the health of Maryland residents.

James McGee, executive director of the Transit Employees Health & Welfare Fund, described Marylands efforts as groundbreaking. Its exciting to see the kinds of transformations that can occur when incentives are aligned toward quality instead of quantity. But it is just a beginning.

Federally qualified CCI Health & Wellness Services operates nonprofit health centers in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties. Dental care, family planning, routine checkups and inoculations are available in one location. Specialists are chosen from CCIs established network.

CCI treats anyone in need. It accepts most private health insurance, Medicaid and Medicare. Uninsured patients are charged according to a sliding-fee scale based on income and household size. Because of efficiencies, economies of scale and low administrative costs, community-based health centers serve 16 percent of the U.S. population at only 2 percent of the total cost of care, said communications director Jose Luis Diaz.

When asked how CCI can afford to treat uninsured indigent patients, Diaz noted that payments from Medicaid, insurance companies and patient fees cover expenses. Additional funding comes from block grants. CCI also benefits from a provision in Obamacare that authorizes the forgiveness of medical school debts owed by doctors who practice in the public interest for the first four years after graduation.

In Montgomery County, two safety-net programs supplement private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs. At a small gathering, County Council member George L. Leventhal (D-At Large) spoke with pride about Montgomery Cares and Care for Kids. Begun in 2005, Montgomery Cares serves approximately 40,000 of the estimated 80,000 Montgomery County adults who lack any other coverage and whose income is at or below 250 percent of the national poverty level.

Likewise, Care for Kids ensures that every Montgomery County child who needs treatment can see a doctor regardless of family income or citizenship at a community clinic. Leventhal noted that by reducing significantly the number of uninsured residents, the ACA made it easier for the county to cover those few left behind. He also pointed out that Montgomery County has the healthiest residents in Maryland, although its median family income is not as high as Howard Countys.

Maryland and Montgomery County have largely succeeded in making quality health care accessible and affordable for virtually all residents. Proposed legislation by the Republican Congress and President Trump would undo these advances. A recently passed House bill axes $880 billion in Medicaid payments to the states over the next 10 years, with nearly all of the cuts redounding to the benefit of the richest Americans in the form of lower taxes.

The presidents budget would slash even deeper, taking another $610 billion from Medicaid, leading to an astonishing 47 percent reduction in outlays. Many poor and working-class residents would lose insurance altogether or experience a great reduction in coverage. Because Maryland relies on Medicaid payments to cover otherwise uninsured residents, many will also lose access to health care.

Diaz raised another concern. The House bill would eliminate the debt-forgiveness program that attracts many young doctors to community centers. Without it, some public-spirited medical school graduates might steer clear of nonprofit clinics.

If the Republicans succeed in dismantling Obamacare, they will wreak havoc on the comprehensive medical delivery systems that state and local legislators, hospital administrators and direct-care providers have developed. The wealthy will enjoy a tax cut while poor, working and middle-class Marylanders endure higher health-care costs and bankruptcies and suffer from more illnesses, a higher obesity rate and a shorter life span.

The writer, a member of Marylands Healthcare Is a Human Right campaign, is an activist with Progressive Maryland and Our Revolution Montgomery County.
A MINNESOTA jury has acquitted police officer Jeronimo Yanez of all charges in last years fatal shooting of Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black man and longtime school cafeteria worker. The verdict, the result of a two-and-a-half-week trial and 27 hours of jury deliberations, must be accepted. But that doesnt mean it shouldnt be questioned, particularly in light of the release of a video that shows the shooting and its startling details.

It appears Mr. Castile did everything asked of him, so why did he end up losing his life? Did his race play a role in his car being pulled over or factor into the officers decision to shoot? These questions point to the need for an independent review by federal law enforcement to determine if his civil rights were violated and if there are systemic problems in the police force. Can the Trump administration acknowledge that need?

Mr. Castiles death last July, one of a number of police shootings of black men that have fueled a national debate, struck a chord when the terrible moments after Mr. Castile was shot were live-streamed on Facebook by his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds . A police dashboard-camera recording of the shooting, shown at the trial but not made public until Tuesday, is even more painful to watch.

The video starts with Mr. Castile being pulled over, ostensibly for a broken brake light. He is polite. He quickly hands over his insurance card. He volunteers that he has a firearm on him, which he has a permit to carry. The officer reaches for his holster and instructs him not to reach for the gun. Mr. Castile starts to answer but is cut off by the officer, who raises his voice. Im not pulling it out, Mr. Castile says and Ms. Reynolds also tries to reassure the officer. The officer yells and fires seven shots, striking Mr. Castile five times. I wasnt reaching are Mr. Castiles last words. Everything happens within the space of seconds, and afterward the officer is emotional and agitated as he yells an expletive over and over and over. Ms. Reynolds is comforted by her 4-year-old daughter: Mom, please stop saying cuss words and screaming . . . I dont want you to get shooted.

The video doesnt show the cars front seat, and, one juror told reporters, that created reasonable doubt about what happened. Mr. Yanez testified he feared for his life. The law gives broad latitude to police  based on their perception of danger  to use lethal force. As a result, criminal convictions are rare. An officer in Tulsa was acquitted last month in the shooting death of an unarmed black man, and a former Milwaukee officer was acquitted Wednesday in the death of black man who was fleeing.

There should be no surprise, then, at the angry assessment of Mr. Castiles mother that the system continues to fail black people. Only small comfort can be taken from the fact that Mr. Yanez is no longer employed on the City of St. Anthony police force. A Justice Department review of that force, announced last year, should be vigorously pursued despite the change in administrations to one openly disdainful of the need for police reform. How a traffic stop of a man on his way home from getting groceries with his girlfriend and her daughter ended with gunfire and death demands better answers than have so far been supplied.
Children line up to be immunized in New York in the 1940s. In the postwar years, scientists competed to meet the urgent need for new vaccines. (Library of Congress)

Susan Okie is a physician, a former Washington Post science reporter and editor, and a clinical assistant professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, I suffered through chicken pox and measles, like millions of other American kids, and I belonged to the first generation to receive the brand-new polio vaccines in national campaigns. My parents had friends permanently paralyzed by polio; the mother of a schoolmate gave birth to a baby who was deaf, nearly blind and suffering a severe intellectual disability from rubella (German measles) contracted during pregnancy.

Within a half-century, vaccines have made these and other once-common viral diseases so rare in the United States that doctors being trained today may never see cases of them, and some parents worry more about the small or hypothetical risks of vaccinating children than about the risks of leaving them unprotected. It takes events such as the 2015 measles outbreak among visitors to Disneyland in California or the recent emergence of the Zika virus  so dangerous to the brain of a developing fetus  to remind us not to take our freedom from infectious diseases for granted.

[50 Years After Vaccine, Polios Legacy Endures]

In this meticulously researched history of the high-stakes race to develop effective vaccines against polio, rubella, rabies and other viruses, science writer and physician Meredith Wadman tells the story of these near-miraculous medical achievements of the post-World War II era. The Vaccine Race also details the risks posed by some of the early products  risks that arose, in part, because to make the vaccines, researchers first had to invent techniques for growing viruses such as polio or rubella in living cells, without knowing what other viruses those host cells might harbor. Even when a courageous government scientist, Bernice Eddy, and colleagues showed that monkey cells used to produce the Salk polio vaccine and other vaccines contained a virus, SV40, that could cause malignant changes in human cells, government officials at first discounted the evidence and allowed such vaccines to remain on the market. By 1963, when the federal Division of Biologics Standards began to require that polio vaccines be free of SV40, 98 million Americans had received the Salk vaccine, indisputably preventing tens of thousands of cases of paralysis from polio. But between 10 million and 30 million of them may have received a dose contaminated by the SV40 virus. Whether such exposure increased their likelihood of developing cancer remains uncertain. The Institute of Medicine concluded in 2002 that although studies that followed vaccine recipients over the decades provide no evidence of increased cancer risk, these studies were sufficiently flawed that the question . . . couldnt be answered, Wadman writes.

The Vaccine Race, by Meredith Wadman, (Viking)

Early vaccines against viral diseases were designed to stimulate the immune system by giving the recipient either a dead or a weakened version of the virus they were meant to protect against. In live-virus vaccines, choosing the right strength and strain of the virus was a challenge. If it was too strong, the vaccine might cause full-blown cases of the illness; if too weak, it might not produce lasting immunity. Live-virus vaccines are used today to protect against certain infections, including measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox. Newer vaccines against some other diseases are genetically engineered to contain only proteins from the coat of the virus. Thus, they cannot cause the infection.

The only sure way to measure how well an experimental vaccine will work is by testing it in groups of people likely to be exposed to the disease. Vaccinology, I would say that its not rocket science. Its a lot harder than rocket science, Alan Schmaljohn, a University of Maryland virologist, remarked in 2014.

In the postwar decades, researchers and drug companies competed intensely to be the first to license vaccines against certain diseases. The need was urgent. Polio paralyzed an average of 15,000 Americans each year. Rubella epidemics occurred every few years and were devastating for women infected during pregnancy: The nationwide epidemic of 1964-65 caused about 6,250 miscarriages or stillbirths, 2,100 deaths among newborns, and 20,000 cases of congenital birth defects. An additional 5,000 pregnant women obtained abortions after contracting rubella. Rabies, considered the most deadly of all infections in humans, was on the rise in wild animals in the early 1960s, and the existing vaccines for people bitten by infected animals were dangerous or insufficient.

At the time, government standards on the ethics of human research were rudimentary to nonexistent. As Wadman describes, vaccines were tested in circumstances shocking to a reader today. Experimental vaccines were given to newborn or premature babies, to prisoners, and to mentally or physically disabled residents of institutions, often without the consent of patients or parents, and with minimal institutional oversight. The first humans to receive a live polio vaccine, in 1950, were 20 intellectually disabled children at Letchworth Village, an institution in rural New York. Its director reportedly sought parental permission because, he said, I realized we would never get official permission from the state. Babies born to women imprisoned at Clinton State Farms in New Jersey were given an experimental polio vaccine over a five-year period in the late 1950s. The prisons popular female warden and medical director were extremely helpful in obtaining permission from the mothers, the researchers later noted.

[The Fatal Strain: On the Trail of Avian Flu, by Alan Sipress]

Wadman relates this fascinating history as lived by a handful of scientists at the center of it all, especially Leonard Hayflick, an indefatigable cell biologist who refined techniques for growing, maintaining and infecting human cells with viruses to make safer, better vaccines, and Stanley Plotkin, a pediatrician and vaccinologist who studied the rubella virus and developed a safe, highly protective vaccine against it.

Hayflick reasoned that cells taken from human fetuses, which are protected from most infections (though not rubella) in the womb, would probably be free of viruses and thus far less risky than animal cells for vaccine production. Through connections in Sweden, he obtained fresh tissue from aborted fetuses, including, in 1963, lung tissue from the normal fetus of a Swedish woman referred to as Mrs. X. The cultured lung cells gave rise to a cell line called WI-38  vigorous, healthy and virus-free. It became the preferred cell line for making many new vaccines and is still used today. Eventually, as biology became big business, the ampoules of frozen WI-38 founder cells proved a valuable commodity, sparking an ugly tug-of-war over their ownership among Hayflick; his longtime boss, Hilary Koprowski of Philadelphias Wistar Institute; and officials at the National Institutes of Health. Wadman traces the twists in this colorful dispute with admirable balance, conveying the strengths and the failings of Hayflick and her other characters.

Plotkin used Hayflicks WI-38 cells to grow a weakened strain of rubella virus that he needed to make his vaccine. The strain he chose came from the infected kidney cells of another fetus, one whose mother had undergone an abortion after contracting rubella during pregnancy. Thus, the protection from disease conferred by Plotkins rubella vaccine, and by other vaccines made using WI-38 cells, is directly linked to the use of these cells from aborted fetuses. I am moved by the intimate interaction between the WI-38 cells and the hundreds of millions of people who have benefited from . . . vaccines made using them, Wadman writes. When they are vaccinated, they are literally, physically connected to Mrs. Xs fetus. Although debate continues over the use of fetal tissue in research, it is legal in the United States and is contributing to scientists understanding of numerous diseases, as well as development of new treatments.

At almost 400 pages of text plus abundant endnotes, this book is so rich in scientific anecdotes, historical detail and quirky characters that I cant do it justice in a short review. Wadman conjures the wizardry of Hayflicks cell laboratory; the brick vastness of long-gone Philadelphia General Hospital, which cared for the citys workers and poor; the medical acumen of Australian eye surgeon Norman McAlister Gregg, who first made the connection between pregnant women with rubella and babies born blind. She conveys the eras no-holds-barred approach to science, as well as the altruism of individual scientists and doctors at a time when no one had yet thought of patenting a gene or a living cell. Her dissection of the role played by abortion in vaccine development provides valuable context for understanding todays abortion politics, and her chapter on the stirrings of entrepreneurship among biologists and universities is an enlightening primer on the birth of the biotech industry.
SENATE REPUBLICAN leaders released on Thursday a draft health-care bill, supposedly designed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. It includes a range of mostly unwise and ungenerous changes to the nations health-care system, but it might, if enacted, end up as mostly a massive, unpaid-for tax cut for wealthy people and industries with pull on Capitol Hill.

The bill proposes rolling back nearly all of the taxes that supported Obamacares health-care coverage expansion, on everything from high wages and investment income to medical devices and tanning services. It would in theory retain the Cadillac tax on expensive insurance plans, which is meant to discourage taxpayer-funded overspending on health care, but would delay its implementation for nearly another decade. Though the scorekeepers at the Congressional Budget Office will count the revenue the Cadillac tax would eventually raise, it is a good bet the federal government will never see any of that money. The tax has already been delayed once, and Congress has shown little interest in restraining health-care costs when doing so poses any threat to middle-class benefits.

The tax cuts are supposed to be financed by slashing health-care spending for people of limited means. Federal assistance that helps people afford insurance premiums would be scaled back, and the quality of taxpayer-subsidized insurance plans would decline. As deductibles rise, federal help with out-of-pocket medical expenses would also disappear. Meantime, Medicaid, the state-federal program covering the poor and near-poor, would endure punishing cuts over time, likely leading states to reduce enrollment, benefits or both. The only option for those falling off the Medicaid rolls would be skimpy insurance plans they could rarely if ever use.

If future Congresses allowed this policy to phase in fully, it would do away with Obamacares individual mandate requiring all Americans to carry insurance coverage, which could throw insurance markets badly off-kilter. States would have so much more flexibility in setting insurance rules that insurers might be able to sell plans that cover few treatments sick people really need. Even if these sorts of negative consequences were mitigated, the policy would still boil down to eroding health-coverage access and quality in order to pay for tax cuts.

The cynicism of this exercise is evident in its staging. The bill would kill a variety of taxes right away, but the subsidy and Medicaid cuts would not phase in until after the 2018 midterm election. It would be left to future Congresses to allow severe cuts to the safety net or major expansion of the federal debt, or a combination of the two. Instead of forcing this choice between Americans physical health and the nations fiscal health, senators should end this repeal-and-replace disaster now.
The health-care bill that Republicans are trying to pass in the Senate, like the one approved by the GOP majority in the House, isnt really about health care at all. Its the first step in a massive redistribution of wealth from struggling wage-earners to the rich  a theft of historic proportions.

Is the Senate version less mean than the House bill, to use President Trumps description of that earlier effort? Not really. Does the new bill have the heart that Trump demanded? No, it doesnt. The devil is not in the details, its in the big picture.

Fundamentally, what Republicans in both chambers want to do is cut nearly $1 trillion over the next decade from the Medicaid program, which serves almost 70 million people. Medicaid provides health care not just for the indigent and disabled but also for the working poor  low-wage employees who cannot afford health insurance, even the plans offered through their jobs.

Additionally, about 20 percent of Medicaid spending goes to provide nursing home care, including for middle-class seniors whose savings have been exhausted  a situation almost any of us might confront. Roughly two-thirds of those in nursing homes have their care paid by Medicaid.

Why would Republicans want to slash this vital program so severely? You will hear a lot of self-righteous huffing and puffing about the need for entitlement reform, but the GOPs intention is not to use the savings to pay down the national debt. Instead, slashing Medicaid spending creates fiscal headroom for what is euphemistically being called tax reform  a soon-to-come package of huge tax cuts favoring the wealthy.

(Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

Thats the basic equation in both the House and Senate bills: Medicaid for tax cuts. Both bills start with various of the taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act, but those are mere appetizers. The main course is intended to be big cuts in individual and corporate tax rates that would benefit the rich.

There is no other point to this whole exercise. All the Obamacare is in a death spiral talk is Republican wishful thinking, aided and abetted by active sabotage.

The ACA is far from perfect, but recall that it was designed with input from the insurance industry. The main reason so many insurers are pulling out of the program is that Congress and GOP-dominated state governments refuse to live up to their end of the bargain. Congress will not commit to funding promised subsidies to cover treatment for the poor and those with expensive ailments, or to keeping in place the mandate forcing individuals to buy insurance or pay a penalty. Republican governors and state legislatures refused to set up exchanges that would make insurance more affordable and declined the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage.

Its actually a wonder that the ACA works as well as it does, given the GOPs determination to make it fail.

Neither the House nor the Senate bill fully dismantles the scaffolding of Obamacare; rather, they allow the states to do most of the dirty work. Philosophically, Republican majorities in both chambers want to erase the central concept that the ACA established: that health care is a fundamental right, not a privilege depending on ones income.

Like the House, the Senate wants to offer tax credits rather than subsidies to help the needy afford insurance. Like the House, the Senate wants to leave up to the states whether policies must cover such services as emergency, maternity and mental-health care. Like the House, the Senate wants to eliminate the requirement that large employers offer insurance plans to their workers.

There are a few distinctions, though I wouldnt call them real differences. The Senate would determine who gets tax credits to help buy insurance by income, rather than age. And the Senate bill would take more time to phase out the ACAs expansion of Medicaid coverage; despite claims that this represents heart, it may have less to do with compassion than skewing how the bill is scored by the Congressional Budget Office. This pigs lipstick is being applied with a trowel.

Ultimately, however, the impact is the same: sacrificing Medicaid for tax cuts. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had the bill drafted in strict secrecy and hopes to ram it through as early as next week. The ACA, by contrast, was drafted over the course of a year, with more than 100 public hearings.

Does McConnell have the votes? Wavering senators should know that were not fooled. We see exactly what youre doing  and you should expect to be held fully accountable.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
The U.S. shoots down a Syrian fighter-bomber. Iran launches missiles into eastern Syria. Russia threatens to attack coalition aircraft west of the Euphrates. What is going on?

It might appear a mindless mess, but the outlines are clear. The great Muslim civil war, centered in Syria, is approaching its post-Islamic State phase. Its the end of the beginning. The parties are maneuvering to shape what comes next.

Its Europe, 1945, when the war was still raging against Nazi Germany, but everyone already knew the outcome. The maneuvering was largely between the approaching victors  the Soviet Union and the Western democracies  to determine postwar boundaries and spheres of influence.

So it is today in Syria. Everyone knows that the Islamic State is finished. Not that it will disappear as an ideology, insurgency and source of continuing terrorism both in the region and the West. But it will disappear as an independent, organized, territorial entity in the heart of the Middle East.

It is being squeezed out of existence. Its hold on Mosul, its last major redoubt in Iraq, is nearly gone. Raqqa, its stronghold in Syria and de facto capital, is next. When it falls  it is already surrounded on three sides  the caliphate dies.

Much of the fighting today is about who inherits. Take the Syrian jet the United States shot down. It had been attacking a pro-Western Kurdish and Arab force (the Syrian Democratic Forces) not far from Islamic State territory.

Why? Because the Bashar al-Assad regime, backed by Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, having gained the upper hand on the non-jihadist rebels in the Syrian heartland (most notably in Aleppo), feels secure enough to set its sights on eastern Syria. If it hopes to restore its authority over the whole country, it will need to control Raqqa and surrounding Islamic State areas. But the forces near Raqqa are pro-Western and anti-regime. Hence the Syrian fighter-bomber attack.

Hence the U.S. shoot-down. We are protecting our friends. Hence the Russian threats to now target U.S. planes. The Russians are protecting their friends.

On the same day as the shoot-down, Iran launched six surface-to-surface missiles into Syrian territory controlled by the Islamic State. Why? Ostensibly to punish the jihadists for terrorist attacks two weeks ago inside Iran.

Perhaps. But one obvious objective was to demonstrate to Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni Arabs the considerable reach of both Irans arms and territorial ambitions.

For Iran, Syria is the key, the central theater of a Shiite-Sunni war for regional hegemony. Iran (which is non-Arab) leads the Shiite side, attended by its Arab auxiliaries  Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Shiite militias in Iraq and the highly penetrated government of Iraq, and Assads Alawite regime. (Alawites being a non-Sunni sect, often associated with Shiism.)

Taken together, they comprise a vast arc  the Shiite Crescent  stretching from Iran through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean. If consolidated, it gives the Persians a Mediterranean reach they have not had in 2,300 years.

This alliance operates under the patronage and protection of Russia, which supplies the Iranian-allied side with cash, weapons and, since 2015, air cover from its new bases in Syria.

Arrayed on the other side of the great Muslim civil war are the Sunnis, moderate and Western-allied, led by Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan  with their Great Power patron, the United States, now (post-Obama) back in action.

At stake is consolidation of the Shiite Crescent. Its already underway. As the Islamic State is driven out of Mosul, Iranian-controlled militias are taking over crucial roads and other strategic assets in western Iraq. Next target: eastern Syria (Raqqa and environs).

Imagine the scenario: a unified Syria under Assad, the ever more pliant client of Iran and Russia; Hezbollah, tip of the Iranian spear, dominant in Lebanon; Iran, the regional arbiter; and Russia, with its Syrian bases, the outside hegemon.

Our preferred outcome is radically different: a loosely federated Syria, partitioned and cantonized, in which Assad might be left in charge of an Alawite rump.

The Iranian-Russian strategy is a nightmare for the entire Sunni Middle East. And for us too. The Pentagon seems bent on preventing it. Hence the cruise missile attack for crossing the chemical red line. Hence the recent fighter-bomber shoot-down.

A reasonable U.S. strategy, given the alternatives. But not without risk. Which is why we need a national debate before we commit too deeply. Perhaps we might squeeze one in amid the national obsession with every James Comey memo-to-self?

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The rolling rumble of the cannons from the reenactment of the Battle of New Market floated across the valley northward to our small place just south of Edinburg. For two days, we heard the sounds of a pretend battle, staged in the glorious weather of mid-May 2017. The real battle, on May 15, 1864, forced the Union army out of the Shenandoah Valley. But not for long.

Our farmhouse was built in 1890 by Lemuel David Clindinst, who was born in September 1869, five years after the Battle of New Market. However, his parents were alive and living on this land then, and I am sure they heard the battle raging across the valley. As I listened to the hollow cannon fire, I looked at the farmhouse built by Clindinst. I looked at his corn crib, which held his hogs, wagon, tools, corn and smokehouse. When he was alive, his farm was about 100 acres, but the space has been reduced to seven acres, and it is not a working farm. Like most modern families, we are not dependent on food we grow or raise.

As I heard the roll of cannon thunder from the pretend battle, I thought of the Clindinst family and others who lived and farmed where I live now, and how they would have felt. For me the cannon thunder was just the sound of men, women and youths playing at war. However, for farmers and their families in 1864, probably including Clindinsts parents, the cannon thunder was real as Union Gen. Philip Sheridan and his army marched north up the Pike. His precise military attacks on farms and foundries in November and December 1864 would later be called the Burning.

As I listened to the play cannon fire, I wondered how I would react to hearing the noise of muskets as their bullets slaughtered hogs, seeing the flames and smoke of burning fields and buildings and hearing the cries of animals? Would I wonder where was Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early when my neighbors and I needed him most? Would I pray that somehow John Breckinridge could muster a force as he had done just a few months before at New Market, sending the Union out of my valley? Or would I, like most of my friends and neighbors, be stoic as I watched the coming destruction of my farm and the valley?

After two weeks, the Burning was over. Sheridan had left a swath of absolute destruction 70 miles long and 30 miles wide in the breadbasket of the Confederacy. He had not only destroyed fields, farms and foundries but also broken the spirit of the people. The Lost Cause became truly lost as families salvaged what they could amid the burnt landscape of their former lives.

Reenactments of many Civil War battles, such as the one I was hearing, are common. This one is a major tourist attraction and money producer for the town of New Market and the surrounding Shenandoah Valley. But it, like all the others, is a gross glorification of war and now a big business  generating billions of dollars in tourism for the state. Missing from even the most historically correct reenactment is the savagery of lost limbs, shot sons, cries of wounded animals, cold feet, empty bellies, tongues swollen by thirst, shallow graves filled by cadavers that will soon be eaten by hogs, moans of the wounded and dying, land littered with parts of animals, men, instruments of war, and the taut faces of soldiers who have seen too much as they walk away.

The reenactment has all the noise, smoke and drama, but it hides all the suffering of a battle behind a romanticized playacting of a historical event.
Planes sit on the tarmac at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. American Airlines says seven regional flights have been delayed and 43 have been canceled because of a heat wave as temperatures climb to near-record highs on Tuesday. (Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)

Rachel Cleetus is the lead economist and climate policy manager with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Much of the Southwestern United States is reeling under a heat wave so severe that it has forced airlines to ground flights. On the Gulf Coast, millions of people were put on emergency alert ahead of Tropical Storm Cindy, which caused widespread flooding and power outages. Climate change is already affecting our economy and safety, with risks to critical infrastructure  roads, bridges, dams, water and energy infrastructure and military sites.

The nations infrastructure is already in a precarious state, consistently earning a near-failing grade of D-plus from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Much of it was built assuming past climate and weather patterns, with some margin of safety. But now, climate change  in the form of more frequent and severe heat waves; floods exacerbated by sea-level rise and increased heavy rainfall; droughts; wildfires; and other impacts  is adding an extra layer of risk.

Growing development in high-risk areas increases the potential damage. The number of billion-dollar weather and climate-related disasters is on the rise. Already this year, five events across the country have each caused losses exceeding $1 billion.

The vulnerabilities in our infrastructure are evident and are likely to worsen without action. A few striking examples:

Heat waves not only force airlines to cancel flights, as were seeing in Phoenix. At higher temperatures, aircraft need higher takeoff speeds and longer runways to become airborne, especially at high altitudes. Their passenger and freight capacities also decline.

Extreme heat and drought affect the availability of hydropower and the functioning of power plants that depend on water for cooling. During recent hot summers, nuclear power plants including Vermont Yankee, Millstone in Connecticut and Browns Ferry in Alabama have been forced to reduce power production or shut down because water temperatures got too high.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy left more than 8 million people in 21 states without power, shutting down or damaging at least 165 electric substations, several large power plants, 7,000 transformers, and 15,000 electrical poles.

The approach to the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge in Oakland, across which more than 270,000 vehicles travel each day, was designed and built without consideration of sea-level rise. Parts of it would be permanently underwater with 3 feet of sea-level rise, a likely scenario by end of this century. So would most of New Yorks LaGuardia Airport, which served almost 30 million passengers last year.

The Gulf Coast has many oil and gas operations on low-lying land extremely vulnerable to flooding from sea-level rise and storm surges. In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita shut down 23 percent of U.S. refining capacity, causing a significant drop in gasoline production and resulting in a spike in the weekly average spot price of conventional gasoline.

Research from the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that many U.S. military sites are at risk from sea-level rise. Naval Air Station Key West in Florida; Joint Base Langley-Eustis and NAS Oceana Dam Neck in Virginia; and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina each could lose between 75 and 95 percent of their land area by the end of the century.

Wildfires can threaten watersheds and damage infrastructure. In the summer of 2011, the Las Conchas wildfire in New Mexico threatened two high-voltage transmission lines that deliver electricity to some 400,000 customers and also forced the cities of Santa Fe and Albuquerque to shut down water-supply intake systems polluted by ash.

These current and likely future threats are a wake-up call. New long-lived infrastructure investments must be planned and built  and existing infrastructure upgraded  given the scientific projections for climate change. Californias recently passed legislation provides a good example of how to get started. It establishes a working group of climate scientists, engineers and architects to develop recommendations for how to incorporate future climate impacts when designing and constructing infrastructure. Implementing federal flood risk management standards, which set protective design standards for federally funded infrastructure, is another opportunity.

Limiting carbon emissions by reducing fossil fuel use is, of course, essential to contain the pace and magnitude of climate impacts. Its common sense to prioritize two-fer infrastructure investments that help cut emissions and make our country more resilient, such as investing in clean-energy technologies, energy storage and a modernized electrical grid.

President Trump and Congress have expressed strong interest in a multibillion-dollar investment in new and upgraded infrastructure. Businesses and communities need to know that they can depend on the reliable functioning of our transportation, water and electricity systems. And American taxpayers deserve to know their money will be invested wisely, with future climate change in mind.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan delivered his Evil Empire speech, which immediately offended Soviet leaders and the foreign policy establishment. (Reagan must have been equally pleased by both.) I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages even now are being written, he said. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man.

In a Siberian jail, Russian dissident Natan Sharansky read the speech and secretly spread the news to his fellow prisoners. According to Sharansky, We dissidents were ecstatic. Finally, the leader of the free world had spoken the truth  a truth that burned inside the heart of each and every one of us.

That was a long time ago  Reagans speech was about as close to World War II as we are to Reagans speech  and it sounds strangely quaint to modern ears. But this was more than rhetorical fluff. The speech embodied a strategic insight  that the hope of oppressed people for lives and dignity and freedom is eventually favorable to the community of free nations. It was hard power  tanks and missiles  that kept the Cold War from being lost. It was soft power  the superiority of a spiritual ideal of freedom to a materialistic vision of historical forces  that allowed the Cold War to be won.

Is the world now fundamentally different? Is the spiritual ideal now outdated or overmatched by distorted but powerful appeals of nationalism and religious fundamentalism?

It is the theory of America first foreign policy that this ideal is outdated. The urgency of defeating terrorism, in this view, requires the active cooperation of Middle Eastern leaders, and it matters little or nothing how oppressive they are at home. We are not here to lecture, President Trump said in Saudi Arabia. We are not here to tell other people how to live. Trump has extended this approach, in various forms, to President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi of Egypt (doing a fantastic job), to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and to President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines (doing an unbelievable job).

Some of this warmth for strongmen is surely due to Trumps personal fascination with authoritarianism. But this is also proposed as a strategy  as a way to maximize U.S. interests in a dangerous world. And here it is less realistic than simplistic.

The main problem is not moral but temporal. This foreign policy approach assumes that the current order in oppressive countries can be indefinitely preserved  as long as it is not destabilized by meddling outsiders. In reality, the instability of oppressive governments emerges from within. They prevent the diffusion of choice and power, which is the source of economic and social success in the modern world. Monopolizing power encourages cronyism, corruption, resentment and discontent. Strongmen can succeed for a time by feeding hatred of enemies, real and imagined. But this is the path of arrogance, mediocrity and insurrection.

In such societies, a few eyes and mouths open  often resulting in imprisonment or house arrest. These are the dissidents whom Trump seems intent on betraying and discouraging. The message is thereby sent that the United States values the good opinion of strongmen more than the dignity and liberty of the people they rule. This is resented, and remembered.

The Middle East is no exception to this rule. In Egypt, decades of military rule resulted in a mismanaged, dysfunctional economy while weakening all forms of political authority and organization outside the radical mosque. When the revolution came, democratic institutions and attitudes were too weak to consolidate a new, more democratic order. The United States did not determine the timing of Egypts revolution and will not control the timing of the next one. The question a realist must ask: What is the United States doing now to encourage the reforms, ideals and institutions that will make Egypts transition successful rather than abortive? Our levers, of course, are limited. But it is those who think that Sissi-ism is permanent who are living in a dream world.

A more sophisticated version of foreign policy realism requires living with a tension. The United States must find common interests on a daily basis with governments that it finds oppressive and unjust. But it is also in our national interest to hold up an ideal that speaks to current dissidents and future leaders  who are often one and the same.

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Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation, previously served as the CIAs deputy division chief for Korea. Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and director for Korea, Japan and oceanic affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, is managing director for Korea at the Bower Group Asia consultancy.

Not even the fate of American student Otto Warmbier, who died this week after returning to the United States following his detainment in North Korea, will dissuade advocates of engagement with Pyongyang. They argue that, however repugnant the regime, diplomacy is the only way to stop North Koreas rapidly advancing nuclear and missile programs. But our recent experience suggests that trying to talk to supreme leader Kim Jong Un is a waste of time.

This month, we were part of a group of delegates from the United States, Japan, China and South Korea who met in Sweden with representatives of North Korea to explore possible grounds for resuming the six-party talks that collapsed in 2009. After many hours with the North Korean delegation at these 1.5 track talks, we left more pessimistic than when we arrived.

North Korean officials made unambiguously clear that Pyongyang will not be deterred from augmenting its nuclear arsenal or test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile that could eventually threaten the U.S. homeland. There were no signals of flexibility or willingness to negotiate on these programs.

Throughout, the North Korean message was that denuclearization is off the table. Pyongyangs representatives declared: The most perfect weapons system will never become the exclusive property of the United States.

We tried repeatedly to ascertain whether any combination of economic and diplomatic benefits or security reassurances could induce Pyongyang to comply with its previously negotiated commitments and with U.N. resolutions. The answer was an emphatic, unwavering no. Citing the fates of Iraqs Saddam Hussein and Libyas Moammar Gaddafi, the North Koreans repeatedly said that their nuclear program is the ultimate life preserver for the regime.

Our North Korean interlocutors presented a stark choice: First accept us as a nuclear state, then we are prepared to talk about a peace treaty or fight. We are ready for either. The North Koreans werent saying that they would initiate hostilities but that they would fight if provoked. A peace treaty ending the Korean War and legitimizing the North Korean state is a long- standing goal for Pyongyang, which sees it as a catalyst for the removal of all U.S. forces from the peninsula.

Strikingly different from similar meetings in the past was the self-confidence, even cockiness, of the North Koreans, clearly a result of the recent successes of their nuclear and missile programs. The North Koreans also made clear that their nuclear program is a response to the general U.S. hostile policy. As such, nothing Seoul could offer would alter Pyongyangs commitment to its nuclear arsenal. The North Koreans wont even deign to negotiate with the South Koreans, whom they described repeatedly as puppets of the United States. Thus, the new South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, is in for a major disappointment if he tries to resurrect the sunshine policy of unconditional engagement pursued by previous progressive presidents from 1998 to 2008.

(The Washington Post)

President Trump has placed his hopes on Chinese promises to more fully implement U.N. sanctions. But as even he now seems to acknowledge, this hasnt happened. He tweeted on Tuesday: While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi [Jinping] & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!

Although Trump has criticized President Barack Obamas strategic patience policy as weak and ineffectual, he has yet to distinguish his North Korea policy from his predecessors. Trumps policy of maximum pressure is anything but, and he continues to pull his punches against North Korean and Chinese violators of U.S. law. The Trump administration has also sent conflicting signals about whether it would negotiate with North Korea or potentially conduct a military attack to prevent the regime from mastering an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Initiating a preemptive strike would be a bad idea against a state that already has nuclear weapons, as well as 10,000 artillery tubes aimed at Seoul. In our talks, the North Korean officials emphasized that they did not struggle to acquire nuclear weapons only to perish without using them. The implied threat was clear: If the United States were to use military force against North Korea, Pyongyang would retaliate, potentially leading to hundreds of thousands or millions of casualties.

Instead of trying to preempt the North Korean nuclear weapons program, the Trump administration would be better advised to ramp up sanctions  including secondary sanctions, despite predictable Chinese protests. This would impose a penalty on North Korea, without risking a war  and could conceivably hasten the day the Kim regime finally collapses. Bolstering sanctions might not be exciting, but it would be a more pragmatic step than yet another attempt at negotiations.
In June 1995, two years before this longtime British colony and its 6 million crown subjects were due to be handed over to communist China, Fortune Magazine printed a famously controversial  and widely panned  cover story titled The Death of Hong Kong. It predicted that once business-friendly Hong Kong became infected with Chinas culture of corruption and patronage, this glittering international finance hub would become just another typical mainland city. In fact, the article declared, the naked truth about Hong Kongs future can be summed up in two words: Its over.

Those of us who thought we knew the region had a good chuckle. That Fortune essay seemed so silly because, for many locals, and for the multitude of foreign correspondents here at the time, including myself, the exact opposite seemed true. Beijing desperately wanted  needed  what Hong Kong had: wealth, stability, good relations with the world. What did Beijing have that Hong Kong wanted? Nothing. China was not about to change Hong Kong; Hong Kong was going to change China.

Much of the talk then was of convergence . Hong Kong boasted a freewheeling capitalist system underpinned by an independent judiciary, a largely unshackled press and basic individual freedoms. China, meanwhile, was still a nominally communist dictatorship just a few years removed from massacring pro-democracy demonstrators at Tiananmen Square. But China was changing rapidly in the 90s, becoming wealthier, freer, more urban and eventually, many thought, more democratic.

Surely Hong Kongs liberalism, respect for human rights and relatively open (if not democratic) political system would prove irresistible to the mainland. It would be a great test for the end-of-history theory  the idea that the arc of human government bends toward liberal democracy. One New York Times columnist, writing about the handover in 1997, suggested that China was inheriting a colossal Trojan horse that in time could undermine the entire communist regime.

Now, 20 years after Hong Kongs handover to China, it seems that the pessimistic Fortune article was right.

Of course, not all the early predictions proved incorrect. China grew much wealthier: The per capita GDP in 1997 was about $780, and today it tops $8,000. In the mid-90s, China was still largely rural, with 70 percent of the population in the countryside; now the share living in cities is nearly 60 percent. Back then, when China was still the kingdom of bicycles, private cars were a relative rarity. Today, there are more than 172 million private cars in China, and the country is one of the worlds fast-growing auto markets . China is also a freer, more open place: Unlike two decades ago, Chinese can live where they want, take jobs they want, make as much money as theyre able, marry and divorce whom and when they want, and travel virtually everywhere.

But as China has developed and gotten richer, and its people freer, what it has not become is more democratic. China under the Communist Party has historically gone through cycles of limited openness followed by repression, and the country now, under President Xi Jinping, is arguably in one of its most politically restrictive periods since the Mao Zedong era, and certainly since the crackdown that followed the Tiananmen massacre. Human rights lawyers and activists have been rounded up and jailed ; some have been sentenced to long prison terms after closed trials, while others have simply disappeared . Chinas nascent civil-society movement has been quashed. Websites and blogs deemed critical of the government have been shut down and bloggers and journalists arrested.

Alongside an ongoing propaganda attack in the official media against perceived hostile foreign forces, the security services have been given sweeping new powers to regulate and monitor the 7,000 foreign nongovernmental organizations working in China, with many groups now saying they may have to leave the country . Universities have been told to stop using imported textbooks that might spread Western ideology, and teachers were warned not to defame the Communist Party or smear socialism in their classrooms. Those fears have reached Hong Kong, too.

Two decades ago, it seemed that China needed Hong Kong as its gateway to the world. But China today sees that gateway as a threat, a potential beachhead for subversion and a problem to be contained before it infects the mainland.

Chinas wariness about its newly claimed territory in the south started early. In 2002, Hong Kongs Beijing-installed government tried to implement a sweeping new anti-subversion provision to give local police the power to conduct warrantless searches and arrests, ban any organization on national security grounds and criminalize instigative speech. But Hong Kongers took to the streets by the tens of thousands in protest, and local officials backed down. Chinas leaders today constantly remind Hong Kong officials of their failure to pass the law.

For China, the breaking point was the 2014 Occupy Central protest movement, also known here as the Umbrella Revolution, which lasted 79 days and brought thousands of demonstrators, mostly students and young people, into the streets demanding political reforms. The protests paralyzed parts of the city but failed to achieve any reforms. Still, they left Chinas communist rulers more paranoid about this territory.

As Beijings leaders came to worry about Hong Kong more, they also began to need it less.

Hong Kongs 20th-century role as the entrepot, or connector, between China and the West has long since vanished, as foreign firms are able to base offices in China and sell directly to Chinese consumers. Dozens of Chinese companies, such as the e-commerce giant Alibaba, chose to skip Hong Kong and list on the New York Stock Exchange. Ships now bypass Hong Kongs harbor to sail to mainland ports. Hong Kong in 1997 accounted for some 16 percent of Chinas GDP; that figure has now shrunk to 3 percent. China is also outpacing Hong Kong in digital innovation, including e-commerce, social-media start-ups and particularly fintech  proprietary software used in the financial industry.

Hong Kong still has some comparable advantages. Its regulatory system is efficient, its courts dispense justice impartially, the Hong Kong dollar is a freely convertible currency and English is still widely spoken. But China is catching up rapidly, loosening its notoriously cumbersome red tape and slowly shifting to a more convertible currency.

As China needs Hong Kong less, the reverse is also true: Hong Kong has become almost entirely dependent on the mainland for its survival.

Well more than half of Hong Kongs exports end up in China, and a growing share of its bank loans are to mainland Chinese customers. Tourism and retail spending from mainland visitors account for about 10 percent of Hong Kongs economy, propping up the shopping malls and luxury boutiques. Red chip stocks from mainland companies make up more than 40 percent of the Hong Kong stock markets capitalization. Students from mainland China are filling spaces in Hong Kong universities. And the Mandarin language is heard increasingly here, even supplanting English as the second language for Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong.

What we are seeing now is the mainlandization of Hong Kong. Its the gradual absorption of Hong Kong by the new sovereign. Its the slow erosion of the separate culture and norms that have set it apart. And its the incremental marginalization of Hong Kong in the Chinese economy.

Since the Occupy protests, China has shown an increasing propensity to meddle directly in Hong Kongs affairs. Chinese security agents operating in Hong Kong have abducted book publishers, as well as a reclusive Chinese billionaire secluded in a five-star hotel, and spirited them back over the border for secretive interrogations. Chinas rubber-stamp assembly has short-circuited the local judicial process by making rulings on Hong Kong laws  in one case banning two elected members of the legislature from retaking their oaths.

After the handover on July 1, 1997, there was an assumption, or hope, that the one country, two systems formula negotiated in the 1980s by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher might actually be allowed to work. Hong Kong was promised full autonomy for 50 years, which in 1997 seemed a lifetime away.

What few predicted was Hong Kongs slow-motion mainlandization. Hong Kong and China have been converging  just not in the direction many of us thought.

I recall the line from Chris Patten, the Conservative politician who was Britains last colonial governor, when he was confronted with the old adage about China not wanting to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. He replied, with percipient understatement: History is littered with the carcasses of decapitated geese.

Twitter: @keithrichburg

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President Trumps EPA director, Scott Pruitt, ordered the removal of what used to be the best site about climate change research on the Internet. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

This spring, political officials at the Environmental Protection Agency removed the agencys climate change website, one of the worlds top resources for information on the science and effects of climate change.

To me, a scientist who managed this website for more than five years, its removal signifies a declaration of war on climate science by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. There can be no other interpretation. I draw this conclusion as a meteorologist with a specialization in climate science and as an independent voter who strives to keep my political and scientific views separate. I concede that this specific issue is personal for me, given the countless hours I spent working on the site. But it should be obvious to anyone how this senseless action runs counter to principles of good governance and scientific integrity.

Some 20 years in the making, the breadth and quality of the websites content was remarkable. It lasted through Democratic and Republican administrations, partly because its information mirrored the findings of the mainstream scientific community, including the National Academy of Sciences, other federal agencies and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It presented the current understanding of the science and possible solutions in a fair and balanced way, says Kerry Emanuel, a world-renowned atmospheric scientist at MIT and a political conservative.

The sites overarching conclusion, informed by these scientific organizations and reports, was that recent warming is largely a result of human activities, specifically the burning of fossil fuels, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Yet Pruitt, a lawyer who has spent much of his career fighting climate change mitigation efforts, decided that he knows more than the thousands of scientists whose decades of work support this conclusion. These are his words about the impact of human activity: I would not agree that its a primary contributor to the global warming that we see. Pruitt has championed the administrations decision to exit the Paris climate agreement and called for a debate on the fundamentals of the issue, even though theres virtually no disagreement about it among scientists. He then effectively cleansed the EPAs Board of Scientific Counselors, a steering committee for the agencys research.

The EPAs official line is that it is updating the climate change website to reflect new priorities under Pruitt and Trump. It has archived the old site but put nothing in its place nor announced a timetable for updating it. Pruitt may not accept mainstream climate science conclusions, but if he wanted to promote his alternative views, a much more defensible and transparent action would have been to leave the site up while posting his perspective as well. Instead, one of the worlds best climate science sites has vanished.

In its heyday in the early 2000s, if you Googled climate change or global warming, the EPAs site was the first hit. The site not only presented climate science , it was also a portal to data on warmings effects and greenhouse gas emissions, along with guidance and tools to help people, municipalities and states reduce their carbon footprints. It included a vibrant kids site treasured by educators, featuring interactive teaching tools and videos, which was also taken down.

While the George W. Bush administration attempted to exert some control over the site, it was never so drastic. When Bushs political appointees filed into the EPA in 2001  coinciding with when I began managing the site  updates were put on hold for several months. For a while, we were permitted to update only one page a month, which first went through an onerous White House review process. As the site contained several hundred pages of content at that time, this was effectively a let it rot policy. But at least the site wasnt trashed.

During Bushs second term, the constraints on updating were lifted, and we resumed regularly posting new material. That carried on through the Obama administration (I left the EPA in 2010 to join The Washington Post).

To be perfectly clear, it is any administrations prerogative to revise or archive Web pages that relate to policies and programs it is no longer pursuing. For example, Pruitts move to archive material on the Obama administrations Clean Power Plan was totally justified; the Trump administration has shelved the policy.

But there is no justification for political interference with authoritative, carefully vetted scientific information. Neither the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration nor NASA has altered its online climate science content  which is not substantively different than material on the EPAs site. They are not currently run by political appointees.

It is refreshing that governments in several cities, including Chicago, Boston and San Francisco , have published replica versions of the EPAs now-defunct site to keep it alive.

Pruitts order to delete the site feels purely spiteful, as if he simply couldnt abide knowing that the agency he leads was publishing information he doesnt believe. But science is not about belief  its about evidence. Of all people, the head of the EPA should have the utmost respect for this evidence and its transparent communication. Pruitts choice to destroy carefully vetted scientific information rather than preserve it is a reckless and dangerous abdication of his responsibility.

Twitter: @CapitalWeather

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(Rob Dobi/For The Washington Post)

Every time President Trump tweets, journalists and Twitter followers attempt to analyze what he means. Intelligence agencies around the world do, too: Theyre trying to determine what vulnerabilities the president of the United States may have. And hes giving them a lot to work with.

Trumps Twitter feed is a gold mine for every foreign intelligence agency. Usually, intelligence officers efforts to collect information on world leaders are methodical, painstaking and often covert. CIA operatives have risked their lives to learn about foreign leaders so the United States could devise strategies to counter our adversaries. With Trump, though, secret operations are not necessary to understand whats on his mind: The presidents unfiltered thoughts are available night and day, broadcast to his 32.7 million Twitter followers immediately and without much obvious mediation by diplomats, strategists or handlers.

Intelligence agencies try to answer these main questions when looking at a rival head of state: Who is he as a person? What type of leader is he? How does that compare to what he strives to be or presents himself as? What can we expect from him? And how can we use this insight to our advantage?

At the CIA, I tracked and analyzed terrorists and other U.S. enemies, including North Korea. But we never had such a rich source of raw intelligence about a world leader, and we certainly never had the opportunity that our adversaries (and our allies) have now  to get a real-time glimpse of a major world leaders preoccupations, personality quirks and habits of mind. If we had, it would have given us significant advantages in our dealings with them.

[President Trump should stop tweeting. Now.]

Trumps tweets offer plenty of material for analysis. His frequent strong statements in reaction to news coverage or events make it appear as if he lacks impulse control. In building a profile of Trump, an analyst would offer suggestions on how foreign nations could instigate stress or deescalate situations, depending on what type of influence they may want to have over the president. For instance, after former FBI director James B. Comey testified about his conversations with Trump, the president was silent on social media  until sending this at 6:10 a.m. the next day:

Followed, two hours later, by this:

Virtually every other world leader  and certainly every past U.S. president  would have had his press office deal with getting his feelings about the testimony out. Indeed, the official @POTUS Twitter account, controlled by aides, mostly posts what a reader would expect from a head of state (though it does occasionally retweet Trumps personal account). Trumps own @realDonaldTrump account, however, is much more impulsive.

While Trump was new to national politics when he started his presidential campaign in 2015, he wasnt new to Twitter. A review of his old tweets would reveal how well flattery can work to get his attention and admiration.

If I were an intelligence analyst for Saudi Arabia, for instance, I might suggest that the authoritarian government there should compel newspapers to write articles friendly to Trump (and, in fact, Saudi papers published articles praising first lady Melania Trumps fashion choices during the presidents visit there last month). And I would certainly suggest that Saudi officials flatter him in person  perhaps arranging, as the Saudis did during his visit, to post billboards featuring Trumps words and his image.

As president, Trump has continued to show himself to be quick to anger if he feels personally attacked. And hes eager to take credit when he thinks hes been influential. His tweet this month appearing to welcome the rift between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is a classic example: Trump declared that the standoff arose because he had demanded that gulf states stop funding radical ideology. (It did not.)

Trumps tweets also clearly reveal how sensitive he is about the investigation into Russias involvement in last years campaign, especially any suggestion that it diminishes his victory.

An adversary could devise a plan to exploit that sensitivity: To appeal to Trump personally, they would intentionally disparage the investigators and the investigation. Russian officials and leaders have been doing this consistently  though, of course, that also lines up with their interests more broadly. Russian President Vladimir Putin (a former intelligence chief and longtime spy) has been mocking the investigation since it got started and even sarcastically offered Comey political asylum this month.

What Trump doesnt say can be very revealing, too. For instance, the lapse of time between when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a cargo ship off the coast of Japan (12:30 p.m. on June 16, in Washington) and when the president tweeted about the incident (10:08 a.m. the next day) was nearly 23 hours. The tragedy marked the U.S. Navys most significant loss of life aboard a vessel since terrorists bombed the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000.

Typically, a president would quickly make public remarks about a significant military loss. With Trump, intelligence analysts would note the inconsistency compared with previous administrations and search for similar patterns. Is Trump so hands-off that he waited for his secretary of defense to speak? Did something else capture his attention during those hours that he found to be a higher priority? Between the crash and his first public statement about it, Trump tweeted a video of his remarks on a new Cuba policy, a picture of himself signing the Cuba memorandum and a reference to his campaign promise about Cuba; he also retweeted Sean Hannity, a Fox News personality, promoting an upcoming show on the Deep States allies in the media working to undermine Trump.

[I was an FBI agent. Trumps lack of concern about Russian hacking shocks me.]

Of course, it can sometimes be useful for the safety and security of the United States when the president telegraphs his foreign policy vision. That gives allies and adversaries alike a clear sense of what to expect from an administration.

In Trumps case, though, his Twitter feed doesnt serve quite that role. The presidents frequent contradiction of his own aides also provides useful intelligence for foreign analysts. Last month, Trump tweeted that it was not possible  for administration officials to be perfectly accurate in describing what his White House is doing. Why not? Is the White House not coordinating messaging? Has Trump defined his own course of action, regardless of what his Cabinet or staff has been told? Policy and public diplomacy typically require interagency coordination, but Trump forces the U.S. government to react to his whims instead  which makes his Twitter feed that much more important to analyze and understand.

Analysts can glean information about Trumps sleep patterns from the time of day or night when he tweets, showing which topics keep him up, his stress level and his state of mind. Twitter also often reveals what Trump is watching on TV and when, as well as what websites he turns to for news and analysis. Knowing this can be useful for foreign governments when they are planning media events or deciding where to try to seek coverage of their version of world events.

Even deleted tweets would be of interest. Trump mostly appears to delete tweets because of spelling errors, later replacing them with a correction. For an intelligence analyst, this would confirm that Trumps Twitter feed really is a raw insight into his thought process, without much input from aides.

Analysts would also be likely to use technology to perform content analysis on the presidents tweets in the aggregate. Intelligence agencies can employ a more robust version than the open-source projects that news organizations have used, because they can marry Trumps tweets with information they collect through intercepts and other means. Software could look for patterns in speech or word categories representing confidence related to policy, whether Trump is considering opposing points of view and if he harbors uncertainty toward any subject. Computers can perform metadata analysis to build timelines and compare Trumps Twitter feed with his known public schedule, creating a database of when and where he tweets and what else hes doing at the time. Anything that provides a digital footprint adds context to the analysis.

Trump says its the presss fault that he uses Twitter as much as he does. His aides clearly want him to stop, but the president just as clearly wants and needs to be heard unfiltered. Fortunately for him, the platform lets him speak directly to his supporters whenever he chooses. Unfortunately for the rest of us, they arent the only ones listening.

Twitter: @nadabakos

Read more from Outlook and follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.
The Supreme Court on Friday gave a second chance to a U.S. permanent resident who pleaded guilty to a drug charge and faces deportation because his lawyer gave him bad advice.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said Jae Lees lawyer was dead wrong when he advised his client that accepting a plea deal would get him a shorter sentence in jail but not affect his immigration status. After pleading guilty and receiving a one-year sentence, Lee was transferred to a detention center he learned was for those awaiting deportation.

[Justices sympathetic to man whose lawyers bad advice led to deportation order]

The decision came as the court began winding down its 2016-17 term. Roberts said the court will dispense with six remaining cases Monday, its scheduled final day. Theres a possibility that the justices deadlocked on some of them before Justice Neil M. Gorsuch filled the ninth seat on the court, and they will be scheduled for reargument.

And the court still must decide on President Trumps request that it lift the injunctions imposed by two appeals courts and allow his executive order temporarily barring travelers from six mostly Muslim countries and freezing refugee entries.

In the deportation case, the question for the Supreme Court was whether Lee should be able to withdraw the plea and take his chances at trial, even though he had no defense to the drug charge and faced almost certain conviction. That would result in the same deportation status as the guilty plea, the government argued.

But the court ruled 6 to 2 that the almost in the equation meant Lees right to effective legal counsel was violated.

But for his attorneys incompetence, Lee would have known that accepting the plea agreement would certainly lead to deportation. Going to trial? Almost certainly, Roberts wrote.

If deportation were the determinative issue for an individual in plea discussions, as it was for Lee; if that individual had strong connections to this country and no other, as did Lee; and if the consequences of taking a chance at trial were not markedly harsher than pleading, as in this case, that almost could make all the difference, he wrote.

Roberts was joined by Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented, and the case was argued before Gorsuch joined the court.

Thomas repeated his belief that the Sixth Amendment does not require counsel to provide accurate advice concerning the potential removal consequences of a guilty plea, repeating the words of an earlier dissent on the subject.

But he, joined by Alito, also said the decision will have pernicious consequences for the criminal justice system. The decision provides no assurance that plea deals negotiated in good faith with guilty defendants will remain final.

But Roberts said there will be few cases like Lees.

He has lived his adult life in the United States, brought to Brooklyn by his parents in 1982 when he was 13, and he has maintained no ties to his native South Korea. He moved to Tennessee, and hes worked in restaurants in the Memphis area. Roberts noted that Lee is the only family member in the United States who could care for his elderly parents.

Lee began to use the drug ecstasy recreationally, and the government says he became a dealer. When police executed a search warrant in 2009, they found 88 ecstasy pills, over $32,000 in cash and a loaded rifle.

When lawyer Larry Fitzgerald began to negotiate a plea deal, Lee told him his top priority was not to be deported. Fitzgerald told him he should not worry each time Lee inquired about his status. But deportation proceedings began immediately upon his guilty plea.

His lawyer at the Supreme Court, John J. Bursch, said Lee has been in a state jail for close to 7  years as his case has advanced through the courts.

It is Lee v. United States.

Ruling for ex-federal worker

The court ruled for a federal employee who claims his forced retirement was discriminatory, in a case notable because it drew the first dissent authored by Gorsuch, who joined the court in April.

The 7-to-2 decision, written by Ginsburg, did not address the merits of Anthony Perrys claim that he was forced out at the U.S. Census Bureau. After Perry received notice in 2011 he would be terminated for what Ginsburg called spotty attendance, he agreed to a 30-day suspension and early retirement. He later filed a complaint.

The question for the court was where Perry could seek judicial review when an employees case asserts rights under both civil service law and federal anti-discrimination law. Such a claim is called a mixed case.

Ginsburg cut through a thicket of federal law, procedural rules and court precedents to declare that the answer is federal district court, not the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as a lower court had held.

In objecting, Gorsuch showed the tight allegiance he pledged during his confirmation hearings to meticulously following the words of the law. To find in Perrys favor would require a tweak in the law, he wrote.

If a statute needs repair, theres a constitutionally prescribed way to do it, Gorsuch wrote. Its called legislation.

That may be harder than going to court, he said, but requiring a legislative fix isnt some bug in the constitutional design: its the point of the design, the better to preserve liberty.

Ginsburg responded: Perry asks us not to tweak the statute but to read it sensibly.

All except Thomas agreed with Ginsburgs reading.

The case is Perry v. Merit Systems Protection Board.

Private property rights ruling

The court split 5 to 3 on a long-pending case involving private property rights and whether owners in Wisconsin should have been compensated for a local regulation they said reduced the value of their land.

The case was a fact-specific one brought by the Murr family, who claimed the way local regulators analyzed their holdings decreased its value to such an extent that they were owed compensation. The decision, the family said, stopped them from selling part of the land to raise money to pay for improvements to a cabin on another part.

Kennedy, joined by the courts liberals, said the value of the land had not really decreased much and proposed a multipart test judges should look to in future cases.

Conservative legal groups objected to the decision, especially the test. It involves, among other things, the treatment of the land under state and local law; the physical characteristics of the land; and the prospective value of the regulated land.

Roberts dissented from the opinion, along with Alito and Thomas. He said the result does not trouble me because he thought the Murrs could still make good use of the land, which had been two lots the local officials said should be classified as one.

But he said the majority made a complicated formula when a traditional approach would do: State law defines the boundaries of distinct parcels of land, and those boundaries should determine the private property at issue in regulatory takings cases.

The case is Murr v. Wisconsin.
Former president Obama, seen here in a file photo, took to Facebook on Thursday to criticize the Republican bill that aims to rollback his signature health care law. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

The text of the Senates 142-page Obamacare repeal bill had been public for just a few hours Thursday when the nations most influential private citizen weighed in  Barack Obama.

The plan is not a health care bill, Obama declared in a 939-word message to his nearly 53 million followers on Facebook. Its a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America.

The 44th president did not mention his successor, Donald Trump, but his scathing criticism and urgent tone  imploring his supporters to speak out against the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation  set up a direct public fight with the current White House occupant over the future of the nations health care system.

I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill, Trump wrote in a tweet a short while later. Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead.

The high-stakes confrontation is virtually unprecedented in modern times between a former and current president, and it runs counter to Obamas own professed interest in receding from the limelight. Just days before departing the White House, he joked that he looked forward to not hearing himself talk so darn much.

(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Beyond his self-deprecation, Obama explained that he wanted to afford respect to Trump to pursue his own agenda, citing the precedent set by George W. Bushs infrequent public statements after Obama took office in 2009. Instead, since Trumps inauguration, Obama has made clear that he does not intend to stay on the sidelines as Trump, with help from Republican lawmakers, seeks to dismantle his legacy.

Obama spoke out in January after Trump implemented a travel ban on citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations, declaring that American values are at stake and that he was heartened by protests across the country. This month, Obama criticized Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord that his administration signed in 2015, ruing an absence of American leadership.

But it is on health care that Obama has perhaps the most to lose and, with his lengthy Facebook statement, has signaled his intention to have the most political influence. Though he opened his message with an attempt to elevate the debate  emphasizing the need to listen to those with opposing points of view  he quickly framed Republican motivations as purely partisan.

I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party, Obama wrote, suggesting that the GOP is acting simply to undo something that Democrats did. His mention of meanness in the Senate bill was a swipe at Trump having called the House version of the repeal legislation mean during a private meeting with Republican senators last week.

The fight over the Affordable Care Act, the former presidents biggest legislative victory, has sharply divided the two major political parties from the start. The bill was approved by Congress without a single Republican vote, after which the GOP successfully used it as a campaign issue against Democrats in the 2010 midterms that led to Republicans taking control of the House.

Now the tables have turned as Republicans attempt to make good on their years-long pledge to overturn the law. House Republicans needed two attempts before they successfully crafted and approved their own repeal bill without bipartisan support.

In recent weeks, Trump has lambasted Democrats as standing in the way.

1 of 57 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  What the Obamas have been doing since they left the White House View Photos Take a look at the family as they begin their post-presidency lives. Caption A look at how the former president and his family are spending their time. Dec. 12, 2019 Former first lady Michelle Obama and actress Julia Roberts embrace at the end of an Obama Foundation event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ahmad Yusni/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Wait 1 second to continue.

At a campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Trump declared that Obamacare is a disaster and added that if we went and got the single greatest health care plan in the history of the world, we would not get one Democrat vote because theyre obstructionists.

Democrats defended Obamas decision to wade into the political fight by accusing Trump of leveling personal attacks against him on a regular basis. In March, Trump, with no evidence, erroneously accused Obama of ordering a wiretap on Trump Tower in New York  an Obama spokesman called the accusation simply false.

And this week, Trump indirectly criticized Obama for not doing more to secure the release of American college student Otto Warmbier, who died in Cincinnati days after returning home after being detained 17 months in North Korea.

Donald Trump has invited Barack Obama into the arena, said Simon Rosenberg, founder of NDN, a liberal think tank. No president has trashed a former president more than Trump has trashed Obama  personally and in terms of his legacy. Its been direct, persistent and out of bounds.

Obama is obligated to weigh in, Rosenberg said. I dont think he wanted to play a major role or to get intimately involved. But its become very personal. There comes a point where you cant stand aside.

Obamas public influence remains undeniable. Within three hours, his Facebook message had garnered more than 300,000 likes and 97,000 shares.

At the same time, his prominence in the debate highlights a dilemma for Democrats who are undergoing a painful search for a galvanizing agenda and new party leader in the wake of Hillary Clintons loss to Trump last November.

After Democrat Jon Ossoffs loss in the Georgia special election for a vacant House seat this week, Republicans, including Trump, gloated that they hoped House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) would remain in their jobs, citing their unpopularity with some moderate voters.

I certainly hope the Democrats do not force Nancy P out, Trump wrote in a tweet. That would be very bad for the Republican Party  and please let Cryin Chuck stay!

The bad news for Trump is that his own job approval ratings have plunged below 40 percent in some recent polls in the wake of his struggles to move forward with his agenda and an ongoing FBI investigation into his campaigns contact with Russian operatives.

By comparison, Obamas approval ratings this month stood at 63 percent, according to Gallup. For that matter, George W. Bush, who left office with just 35 percent of the public supporting him, was at 59 percent approval in the same Gallup survey.

My guess is that part of the urgency of him weighing in is that a vote is happening within a week, Rosenberg said of Obama. Trump and the Republicans are drawing him in and its to their own detriment in doing so. Hes still arguably the most popular and potent political force in either party and he can have a big impact.
Storm clouds roll in over the West Wing at the White House as staff members walk outside on June 19, 2017. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Trump has a new morning ritual. Around 6:30 a.m. on many days  before all the network news shows have come on the air  he gets on the phone with a member of his outside legal team to chew over all things Russia.

The calls  detailed by three senior White House officials  are part strategy consultation and part presidential venting session, during which Trumps lawyers and public-relations gurus take turns reviewing the latest headlines with him. They also devise their plan for battling his avowed enemies: the special counsel leading the Russia investigation; the fake news media chronicling it; and, in some instances, the presidents own Justice Department overseeing the probe.

His advisers have encouraged the calls  which the early-to-rise Trump takes from his private quarters in the White House residence  in hopes that he can compartmentalize the widening Russia investigation. By the time the president arrives for work in the Oval Office, the thinking goes, he will no longer be consumed by the Russia probe that he complains hangs over his presidency like a darkening cloud.

It rarely works, however. Asked whether the tactic was effective, one top White House adviser paused for several seconds and then just laughed.

Trumps grievances and moods often bleed into one another. Frustration with the investigation stews inside him until it bubbles up in the form of rants to aides about unfair cable television commentary or as slights aimed at Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod J. Rosenstein.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

And, of course, it emerges in fiery tweets about the WITCH HUNT  or, as he wrote Thursday morning, shortly before an event promoting leadership in technology, a big Dem HOAX!

The morning calls reflect another way that Trumps tumultuous administration is adapting to an unremitting season of investigations and to the presidents seemingly uncontrollable reactions to them. Interviews with 22 senior administration officials, outside advisers, and Trump confidants and allies reveal a White House still trying, after five months of halting progress, to establish a steady rhythm of governance while also indulging and managing Trumps combative and sometimes self-destructive impulses.

The White House is laboring to prevent the Russia matter from overtaking its broader agenda, diligently rolling out a series of theme weeks, focusing on topics including infrastructure and workforce development. West Wing aides are working to keep the president on schedule, trotting him around the country in front of the supportive crowds that energize him. And Trump is planning several big announcements on trade in the coming weeks, before jetting off to Poland and Germany in early July.

This is not astrophysics, chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon said. You solidify your base and you grow your base by getting things done. Thats what people want to see.

[Inside Trumps climate decision: After fiery debate, he stayed where hes always been]

Senior officials have also been devising an overhaul of the White House communications operation to better meet the offensive and defensive demands of the president they serve, as well as the 24-hour cycle of tweet-size news.

As his detractors suffer from this never ending Russian concussion, the president has been tending to business as usual  bilateral meetings, progress on health care, tax and infrastructure reform, and job creation, said Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president. Conjecture about the mood and momentum of the West Wing is inaccurate and overwrought. The pace is breakneck, the trajectory upward.

1 of 58 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  A look at President Trumps first year in office, so far View Photos Scenes from the Republicans first months in the White House. Caption Scenes from the Republicans beginning months in the White House. 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 Wait 1 second to continue.

Inside and outside the White House, advisers and friends are also engaging in quiet, informal conversations about when it makes sense for embattled Chief of Staff Reince Priebus to step aside  and who his replacement should be. Some of Priebuss most senior colleagues speak ill of his leadership abilities, with one tagging him the most imperiled person here, although others insist Priebus is in solid standing with the president.

Some in the White House fret over what they view as the presidents fits of rage, and Trumps longtime friends say his mood has been more sour than at any point since they have known him.

They privately worry about his health, noting that he appears to have gained weight in recent months and that the darkness around his eyes reveals his stress.

But others who interact with Trump each day have a more positive interpretation of his behavior, saying his mood is far sunnier than news reports would suggest. Hope Hicks, Trumps director of strategic communications, who sits at a desk just outside the Oval Office, said the president is optimistic and expressing the fighting spirit that appeals to voters.

Citing his 1987 book, The Art of the Deal, Hicks said, Perhaps President Trump said it best many years ago when he wrote, My general attitude all my life, has been to fight back very hard. . . . [A]s far as Im concerned, if they had any real ability they wouldnt be fighting me, theyd be doing something constructive themselves. The president promised the American people they elected a fighter, and he embodies that with his instincts, spirit and energy.

Many Republicans observing from the outside, however, voice dismay about the presidents behavior.

Whats playing out is a psychological drama, not just a political drama or a legal drama, said Peter Wehner, who was an aide in George W. Bushs White House and has frequently been critical of Trump. The presidents psychology is whats driving so much of this, and its alarming because it shows a lack of self-control, a tremendous tropism. . . . He seems to draw psychic energy from creating chaos and disorder.

[Inside Trumps anger and impatience  and his sudden decision to fire Comey]

After Trump fired James B. Comey as FBI director in May and scrutiny over Russia by investigators and journalists intensified, the president and his inner circle settled on a combative strategy to discredit critics, undermine the probe itself and galvanize his most loyal supporters.

The approach also put Bannon on firmer ground after a rocky patch just weeks earlier, resulting in part from feuds with Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser. Trump views Bannon as his wartime consigliere  the sort of political street fighter he wants as his presidency is threatened.

This is a train thats coming, said Roger Stone, a former Trump adviser and longtime confidant, referring to the investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. These guys are going to move on him despite the fact that they dont have a case. The question on the table is what is he going to do about it, and that is a legal and political question.

Trump and his top aides have tried to partition the Russia matter away from official White House business. Although the presidents personal lawyers and communications strategists have counseled him and manage inquiries from outside the White House, they nonetheless visit the West Wing for meetings and coordinate some matters with administration officials.

There is disagreement within the Trump circle about how large the outside legal team should be. It is led by Marc E. Kasowitz, a New York-based lawyer who has worked with Trump off and on for several decades. Jay Sekulow, a Washington lawyer with deep ties to the Christian conservative movement, is the public face of the team. Some White House officials said they felt Sekulow got roughed up in a series of television interviews last Sunday but noted that Trump admires Sekulows aggression and polished appearance.

Having worked for both of them, the president and Jay have a lot of similarities  media savants, quick on their feet, fighters, and I think the president would, of course, appreciate Jays many connections and past experiences in D.C., said Sam Nunberg, a former Trump adviser.

Two other lawyers  Michael J. Bowe of Kasowitzs firm and John Dowd, a veteran of D.C. legal circles  as well as communications strategist Mark Corallo are part of the outside team.

White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn  who has been trying to separate himself and his office from the Russia probe so that they can concentrate on official business  has advocated for the outside team to retain additional lawyers, according to officials inside and outside the White House. But Kasowitz maintains that at this point he has the appropriate legal strategy and sees no need to enlist additional help, the officials said.

Trump is most bothered by what he views as the one-sided portrayal and overall unfairness of the Russia investigation, senior White House officials said. He thinks media reports automatically treat Comeys version of events as superior to his own and have not focused enough on Muellers hiring of some investigators who have donated to Democratic candidates.

He is angry that Comeys reputation has not been tarnished by his admission that he asked a friend to leak a private memo of his interactions with Trump to the news media. And he is irritated that  as he tweeted  Rosenstein penned a memo outlining possible justifications to fire Comey and then appointed Mueller to investigate Trump, in part, for doing just that.

The president has also seemed at times to regret his decision to fire his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after Flynn misled Vice President Pence about his contacts with the Russians.

Shortly after dismissing Flynn, the president mused privately that maybe he could bring him back  despite understanding, said a senior White House official, that Flynn faced other challenges within the administration and realistically could not rejoin the team.

Still, the president continues to privately praise Flynn, calling him a nice guy who served the country well and accusing the news media of bringing him down.

The president just has to get it out of his mind, stop tweeting and focus on running the government, and let the investigation go on, because without that, hell always have this problem, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg told CNN this week.

[Pences balancing act as Trumps No. 2 shows signs of strain amid White House turmoil]

The presidents senior aides, including Priebus, who have tried for months to wean Trump from his Twitter habit, have resigned themselves to managing  rather than curtailing  his nearly-daily missives.

But inside and outside the White House, patience is running thin with Priebus, whom many perceive as looking out only for himself and as having failed to bring order and discipline to a White House that often appears to lack both.

Priebus allies say they think the chief of staffs tenure will last at least a year. Indeed, news reports about Priebuss imminent demise often only heighten the presidents sense of loyalty toward his chief of staff, whom he views as hardworking.

Those frustrated with Priebus stir rumors of an earlier departure, possibly as soon as the congressional recess in August. If a health-care bill passes the Senate, they say, and tax reform is up next on the docket, Priebus can plausibly save face by leaving as the White House appears on the way to notching a few legislative achievements.

For somebody who was rumored to be on his way out week one, if he lasts six or seven months, it is a success, one senior White House official said.

Several White House aides and Trump confidants say that, for his next chief of staff, they expect the president to choose someone whom he views as more of a peer or someone with more governing experience.

Two names being floated are Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.).

Lindsay Walters, a White House spokeswoman, said Priebus is committed solely to helping Trump succeed.

Reinces only priority is moving the presidents agenda forward, and he works day and night toward that goal, Walters said. He is keeping the entire administration, from the White House to the agencies, focused on the presidents top policy objectives: repealing and replacing Obamacare, significant tax reform and rebuilding our nations infrastructure.

Last month, White House communications director Mike Dubke resigned from his post, and White House press secretary Sean Spicer  who has taken on many of Dubkes responsibilities as officials try to recruit a replacement  is expected to transition into a more behind-the-scenes strategic messaging role.

The White House is also considering a communications brain trust  basically, a media team equipped to handle incoming and outgoing issues, as well as everything from surrogate response to regional and national media. Conway has been asked to play a larger role on the communications team, where she could possibly oversee surrogacy and other areas.

Trump is hungry to see his spokesmen and spokeswomen more aggressively defend him and take the fight directly to his critics, people familiar with his thinking said.

I dont care if its Mickey Mouse, Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon or Donald J. Trump, you have to have a communications strategy to defend the president, said one friend of the presidents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment candidly.

Barry Bennett, a former Trump campaign adviser, said he understands why the president seems horribly frustrated.

Hes being called a traitor and he knows none of it is true, Bennett said, and no one seems able to stop the stories.

Read more:

Obamas secret struggle to punish Russia for Putins election assault
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) asks questions as former Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson testifies about Russian meddling in the 2016 election before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

The new chairman of the Houses most powerful investigative committee said Friday that, with limited exceptions, his panel will not probe matters related to the alleged Russian interference in the presidential campaign  including President Trumps possible obstruction of the federal investigation into it.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who was named chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week, told reporters that the investigation is more squarely under the purview of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and other congressional committees.

I told Bob Mueller Tuesday that I would never do anything wittingly or unwittingly that veered over into his lane, and his lane is broad, and it is undetermined at this point, he said.

[Trey Gowdy now has the House Oversight gavel. But will he investigate Trump?]

Gowdy referred to the Justice Department order appointing Mueller that authorized him to probe any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation into Russian election interference. Thats pretty broad, he said.

The decision to defer to other entities stands to vex Democrats who watched Gowdy and his predecessor, outgoing Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), vigorously pursue what they considered to be politically motivated probes into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton even as Justice Department and other committees probed the same matters.

Gowdy said keeping clear of Mueller was a bipartisan sentiment: I dont think you are going to see many Republicans or Democrats wanting to get into that lane until the special counsel has completed his investigation.

But Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, noted in a statement that the Justice Department has acknowledged the necessity of congressional oversight and said lawmakers do not have the right to remain silent.

It is a known fact that interference in our election will happen again if we do not take serious steps to prevent it, he said. The voters did not send us here to sit on the sidelines while our government is getting attacked. Chairman Gowdy is a very talented lawyer, and I believe he and I can work together to investigate this and make reforms to prevent it from happening again.

Gowdy said there were Trump-related matters that he did see falling within the Oversight panels purview  procedures for issuance of security clearances, for instance, and the constitutional prohibition on accepting emoluments from foreign benefactors.

But Gowdy said, for instance, he was not interested in seeking memos written by former FBI director James B. Comey detailing his interactions with Trump before he was fired. Chaffetz had requested the memos, but the FBI declined to provide them, citing Muellers probe.

Judiciary, for sure, would be, I think, the proper committee to provide oversight over the Department of Justice and the FBI, he said.

A former state and federal prosecutor who also holds seats on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, Gowdy said he wished to respect jurisdictional integrity as chairman and keep his panel focused on matters squarely reserved to it under House rules  such as the coming 2020 Census and the D.C. government.

But the panel also possesses broad permissive jurisdiction to probe virtually any matter involving the executive branch of government. Gowdy said he would not hesitate to investigate the Trump administration  when warranted.

The legislative branch should do what its supposed to do, and it should not be usurped and it also should not abdicate its responsibilities, he said. The executive branch under President Obama was resistant of that, and we had to get to court to get some of that, and I expect the executive branch under President Trump to be resistant, so thats just a natural tension.

While the Oversight panel is known for its pageantry  and grandstanding  at its open hearings, Gowdy said his preference was to use hearings to present findings gathered after the panel does its investigations.

If I were to devise an inefficient way to gather facts, I dont know that I could devise anything better than five-minute increments alternating between [Republicans and Democrats], he said.

Democrats are pressing Gowdy to use his powers more aggressively, much as his predecessors used their power to investigate alleged Obama administration abuses in the Justice Department, Internal Revenue Service and elsewhere.

On Wednesday, Oversight Committee Democrats asked White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus for documents concerning the decision to allow Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser, and Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, to maintain security clearances following allegations that they failed to disclose foreign contacts during the initial application process.

No Republicans joined the letter, and Gowdy said Friday that he did not see the matter as being a matter for the committee.

We do have a role in the process, and we can certainly weigh in on whether it needs to be tightened up, he said. But the specifics of individuals who are alleged to have committed criminal acts in the application of security clearances  we dont investigate crime.

With regard to the emoluments question, Gowdy said he was primarily interested in plumbing the legal implications of the constitutional clause, which maintains that federal officials must not accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

The first challenge to me is understanding the parameters, how has it historically been applied, and then from that, you can determine whether or not you think theres been a breach, he said.

Gowdy suggested he would like to see Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a constitutional law professor, and a Republican counterpart on the committee explore the question.

Raskin said Friday that he would be glad to look at the matter but did not want that to substitute for rigorous oversight of Trumps foreign business entanglements.

We need to do both, he said. Personally, I dont think that the legal question is that complex.

Read more at PowerPost
Police said Friday that a deadly fire last week that killed at least 79 people began in a refrigerator  the first official confirmation of the cause of the blaze. Later, authorities began evacuating families from a housing project in north London that has exterior cladding similar to that used on the stricken Grenfell Tower.

The fridge implicated in the June 14 fire, a Hotpoint FF175BP, was not subject to a product recall, London police said, adding that a key concern in their investigation is how a blaze that originated in the kitchen of one apartment spread so rapidly though a 24-story high-rise. The fire was not started deliberately, they said.

The police also said they are considering manslaughter charges in connection with the blaze after materials taken from the building failed safety tests.

Preliminary tests on the insulation samples collected from Grenfell Tower showed that they combusted soon after the test started, Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack told reporters. She added that the cladding tiles also failed the tests.

[At the London inferno: Someone is jumping!]

Messages left by well-wishers pay tribute to the victims of the June 14 Grenfell Tower fire, in North Kensington, west London, on Thursday. (Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Images)

There has been widespread attention on the buildings exterior cladding. Combustible cladding has been blamed for fast-moving fires at high-rise buildings in places including Dubai and Melbourne, Australia.

The British government is also conducting tests at hundreds of high-rise apartments across England to see whether they have potentially flammable exterior tiles. So far, 27 apartment blocks have failed safety checks.

Authorities in the London borough of Camden announced Friday evening that 800 households in five high-rise buildings would be evacuated for urgent fire-safety work because of concerns about the cladding.

As the sun set, dozens of people took to the streets, many holding only pillows and a change of clothes. Some said they had been told they would be relocated to a local community center. Others werent sure where they would end up.

Its devastating, really, said Enver Breznika, 48, who was standing on the sidewalk with his wife and their two children. Im glad to be out, but where do we go?

McCormack said that manslaughter charges are among those police are considering in relation to the Grenfell fire.

We are looking at every criminal offense, from manslaughter onwards. We are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offenses, and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, she said.

(Karla Adam,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

McCormack said that every intact body has been removed from the building and that nine of the dead have been formally identified. She added that the fire was so intense that officials may never be able to identify everyone who died.

Officials have said they dont know who, exactly, was in the tower on the night of the blaze. They have stressed they will not check the immigration status of anyone who was involved in the fire or who has information about victims, in view of concerns that some people may have been staying in the building illegally.

Police have reviewed more than 600 calls made to Britains universal emergency number on the night of the fire to try to piece together events. Some of these calls are over an hour long and truly harrowing, McCormack said.

[Could the catastrophic London fire have been prevented?]

Many local residents say they doubt the official death toll. On the streets around Grenfell Tower, now a blackened hulk, missing-person photos are attached to railings, buildings and bus stops. One girl, Amaya Ahmedin, who turned 3 in February, is pictured in a gold party hat next to her smiling parents.

On one of the many walls of condolences, someone had written that community sources and info from police and ambulance indicate there are 160 dead.

Police say that 79 people are dead or presumed dead but have suggested that the number could rise.

I fear that there are more. I do not know who they are at the moment, McCormack said as she appealed for those with information to come forward.

Read more:

Could the catastrophic London high-rise fire have been prevented

What the Grenfell Tower fire tells us about Londons housing crisis

Proud to Be a Londoner: After the fire, people respond with acts of kindness

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Doha, Qatar, is seen in 2011. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar earlier this month. (Saurabh Das/AP)

New tensions erupted Friday in a feud between Qatar and a group of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia after the leak of an onerous list of demands to be met by Qatar, including the shuttering of its popular Al Jazeera news channel.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar this month, portraying the action as stemming from Qatars support for extremist groups. The increasingly poisonous rift has split much of the region, elicited confused responses from the United States  a close ally to every party in the dispute  and revealed divides within the Trump administration.

[Qatar crisis highlights Trumps foreign policy confusion]

A list of demands by the Saudi-led bloc  first revealed by the Associated Press on Friday  included requirements that Qatar scale back its diplomatic relations with Iran, close down a Turkish military base in Qatar and sever ties with terrorist organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State militant group and Lebanons Hezbollah.

Some of the 13 demands addressed long-standing concerns over Qatari support for extremist groups in Syria, Libya and elsewhere. But others, including a vague requirement that Qatar pay compensation for its policies and shut down all news outlets the country operates, appeared designed to punish Qatar for its independence from the Saudi-led bloc.

It was unclear whether the list represented a draft for discussion, a bargaining position or a formal demand. A spokesman for Qatars government, Sheikh Saif al-Thani, said that his government was reviewing the demands but added that the list as well as the blockade imposed by the Arab states on his country has nothing to do with combatting terrorism, it is about limiting Qatars sovereignty, and outsourcing our foreign policy.

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, writing on Twitter, blamed the leak on Qatar and called it either an attempt to undermine serious mediation or yet another sign of callous policy.

[The Persian Gulf crisis over Qatar, explained]

The four countries severed ties with Qatar soon after a visit by President Trump to Saudi Arabia. His visit was intended to rally Persian Gulf allies of the United States to take a common stand against extremism and Iranian influence.

Trump appeared to support the move. During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look! he wrote on Twitter.

Other American officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have favored a less confrontational approach and called for mediation with Qatar, which hosts the regional headquarters of the U.S. Central Command, the base of air operations for the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier this week, the State Department issued an unusually scalding rebuke of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying they have taken too long to publicly lay out their complaints.

Qatar appeared likely to dismiss many of the demands, including the shuttering of the landmark Al Jazeera television and its affiliates. Since its founding in 1996, the Qatari-owned channel has attracted praise and controversy for its frank discussions of delicate topics, its wide coverage of the U.S.-led military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its reporting on the Arab uprisings that started in late 2010.

In recent years especially, the Arabic-language channel has become closely associated with Qatars promotion of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Sunni Islamists around the region, including those who have advanced extremist or sectarian views on the channel.

The networks highly regarded English-language channel is seen as far more independent than its Arabic counterpart.

The list of demands heavily reflected its sponsors preoccupation with any challenges to their rule. Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, the list said, according to drafts that were circulated.

Hand over all files detailing Qatars prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups.

Heba Farouk Mahfouz in Cairo and Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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The Trump administration appears poised to close the stand-alone State Department office devoted to policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan that was the brainchild of diplomat Richard C. Holbrooke, but it has not made a final decision, the State Department said.

The acting director of the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and her deputy stepped down Friday. Current and former employees said they expected that the office would be absorbed into the larger State Department division responsible for South and Central Asia.

The closure had been expected as part of Secretary of State Rex Tillersons planned downsizing and restructuring of the department, an effort that is also expected to result in the closure of other stand-alone offices or special envoys.

But on Saturday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said some of the office functions would be retained.

The Secretary has not made a decision about the future of the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Nauert said.

[White House frustration grows with Tillerson over jobs for Trump allies]

The State Department statement thanked office director Laurel Miller, who was on loan from the RAND Corp., but said nothing about even a temporary replacement. The statement noted that Tillerson wants to review the utility of all special envoys, and eventual closure appeared by far the most likely outcome.

The confusion over the previously high-profile Afghanistan-Pakistan office is compounded by the lack of permanent, experienced diplomats in the top jobs overseeing policy for both countries. That leaves the department without top-level expertise for a region where the United States has been at war for 16 years, former employees said.

Uncertainty over the office comes as the administration is conducting a lengthy review of policy toward both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and as the Pentagon prepares to send thousands of additional U.S. forces to the war in Afghanistan.

Whether by design or mismanagement, it leaves the department with no institutional memory on Afghanistan-Pakistan at the very moment when we are on the cusp of surging militarily, said Dan Feldman, a former director of the office under President Barack Obama. Its a recipe for deeper military involvement with no political strategy.

But the SRAP office, as it is known, had shrunk to about a dozen employees  from nearly 100 at its height  before the end of the Obama administration. Its mission had narrowed, too, from the main diplomatic player overseeing strategy associated with Obamas troop surge in Afghanistan and troubleshooting the difficult U.S. relationship with Pakistan to a group of specialists managing ongoing U.S. programs.

Some Obama administration officials and State Department rank and file had considered the office redundant and advocated closing it years ago.

Vikram Singh, who was a deputy of the office under Holbrooke, said it makes sense to fold the position into the South and Central Asia Affairs bureau now. But the timing, he said, betrays a lack of strategy and is symptomatic of a vacuum in critical positions throughout the State Department.

I dont think theres only one way to run a war, he said. But you should have a game plan and staff it accordingly.

Singh and others pointed to vacancies in the top positions at the South and Central Asia Bureau, among other open diplomatic jobs. Meanwhile, an expanded military plan for Afghanistan appears to be going forward separately.

Were adding troops, but were doing nothing to advance the diplomatic or political steps necessary to find a solution, Singh said. This is not just baffling. Its the height of irresponsibility.

The office was created during the first year of the Obama administration in 2009 as a perch for Holbrooke, a blustery and talented diplomat who was one of several special envoys named by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Holbrooke had argued that the U.S. relationship with nuclear-armed Pakistan needed an overhaul and that the porous border with Afghanistan and the presence of U.S. forces there necessitated a cohesive strategy for both countries.

In her State Department memoir Hard Choices, Clinton wrote that the difficult portfolio seemed in need of his outsized talents and personality.

Holbrooke set about recruiting the best minds he could find from inside and outside of government, she wrote, including academics, development experts, diplomats and specialists from other federal agencies.

Holbrooke died suddenly in December 2010, after suffering a torn aorta during a meeting with Clinton in her State Department office.

On Friday afternoon, the small suite of offices housing the special representative looked normal. Two young men sat at desks in the anteroom, a television set was turned to news and no moving boxes were in sight.

One of the men said the acting director, Laurel Miller, was unavailable to talk to a reporter. Miller did not return a phone call to her office later in the afternoon.

James L. Dobbins, a veteran diplomat who ran the SRAP office from 2013 to 2014, said the Obama administration had begun plans to shutter the office after the 2016 presidential election, when the incoming Trump administration indicated it planned to do away with the SRAP and other adjunct special envoys. That decision was later put on hold, but Dobbins said it was no surprise that the office would eventually close.

Its absolutely normal for any new administration to do away with ad hoc special arrangements the previous administration had, and then do their own, said Dobbins, a senior analyst at Rand Corp.

He added, however, that every administration says it wants to do away with special envoys, and they end up having 30 of them by the time theyre through.
The White House is becoming increasingly frustrated with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and a close-knit circle of aides over the slow pace of hiring and a chokehold on information and access to Tillerson, according to senior Trump administration officials and others familiar with the rift.

Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil chief executive with no prior government experience, gets some of the blame from White House officials and political advisers anxious to place Republican political appointees in numerous vacant positions at the State Department.

They said Tillersons deliberate approach to reviewing candidates and his insistence on a detailed department management review and reorganization, informed by his corporate background, has slowed down an already slow process.

Tillerson told Congress last week that dozens of candidates are moving through the system and that the biggest holdup is usually the onerous background paperwork required of new government hires.

But Tillerson also sketched a lengthy timeline for his internal review that would include a period of study and planning through 2017 and changes to the departments structure and staffing next year. In some cases, senior jobs will remain vacant until then, if they are filled at all.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Aides say Tillerson is more concerned about setting the State Department on what he considers a more solid course in the long term than he is in satisfying the demands of political Washington to fill the employment roster.

[Senators sharply question State Department budget cuts]

Im listening to what my people tell me are the challenges facing them and how we can produce a more efficient, effective State Department and USAID, Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

For now, Tillerson is surrounded by a core group of about a half-dozen top aides who are responsible for a vast menu of decisions about policy, priorities, staffing and more.

At the center of that small group is State Department chief of staff Margaret Peterlin, a little-known political aide. Although Tillersons CEO leadership style dictates much of how his front office works, Peterlins growing number of critics complain that she has built a fortress around her boss that ensures information and decisions flow through her.

And only her, said one administration official.

The internal Trump administration complaints about Peterlins role boil down to a tussle over who calls the shots about access to Tillerson and the filling of political jobs.

Peterlin has even tried to limit direct access to Tillerson by White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and other top officials, one outside adviser to the White House said, leaving White House officials to sneak around or call Tillerson on his cellphone, that person and administration officials said.

It is stove-piped, one senior administration official said. Calls arent getting returned. Its that kind of crap.

Critics of the Tillerson front office, and of Peterlin in particular, spoke on the condition of anonymity to express frustration with what they said is a closed-ranks approach that could hurt the departments effectiveness.

The director of the White House personnel office, Johnny DeStefano, did not respond to a request for comment.

Others involved in the process, however, said Tillerson aides have sat on or ignored White House requests for action on personnel.

[Diplomats in limbo at a State Department where most leadership is temporary]

Tillerson is not a politician, and his step-by-step approach to evaluating job candidates may not always fit the expected tempo or political imperatives of Washington, senior aide R.C. Hammond said.

Hammond said Tillerson wants to interview two candidates for most department jobs, such as the numerous assistant secretaries who oversee State Department activities in particular regions of the world.

The measuring stick hes sort of putting people up against is, is this person qualified to help, are their skills and leadership going to help us achieve the mission? Hammond said.

A desire for political patronage does not help a candidate overcome a lack of competence, he said.

The alleged logjam includes what the outside adviser characterized as White House picks for a dozen or more ambassadorships.

Tillersons team has so far refused to act on the recommendations, the adviser said.

Not a word back from State, this person said.

Peterlin declined to comment, but Hammond dismissed the notion that she or other Tillerson aides are slow-walking staffing decisions or preventing access to White House officials.

She is the chief of staff. Her job is to implement what the secretary wants her to do. She leads the staff to be the implementers of what the secretary wants to get done, Hammond said. Margaret doesnt freelance.

A chief of staff is a gatekeeper by necessity, ensuring that the boss is not inundated with requests and decisions that could be made by others, and that time is used wisely. Previous State Department chiefs of staff, including Hillary Clinton aide Cheryl Mills, were also accused of insularity.

But Peterlins concentrated power and perceived resistance to White House priorities is puzzling to several administration officials interviewed. Peterlin had been selected by the Trump transition team to prepare Tillerson for his Senate confirmation hearing in January, and became one of the first Trump administration political appointees at the department. She and Tillerson did not know each other well before the confirmation hearing prep sessions.

Peterlins defenders suggest people might be making her a scapegoat to save face for the White House or Republican advisers when a favored candidate doesnt make the cut.

And Hammond said she is not directly responsible for deciding which White House job recommendations make it to Tillersons desk. Tillerson is spending about 45 minutes to one hour each week working down lists of candidates for ambassadorships and some other senior positions directly with President Trump or others at the White House, Hammond said.

Any senior figure who needs to talk to Tillerson can do so, Hammond added, citing the frequent back-and-forth between Tillersons office and the secretaries of defense and treasury, as well as Tillersons near-daily calls and visits with Trump.

Peterlins counterpart at the Treasury Department, chief of staff Eli Miller, said he has experienced no holdup or problem in getting information or arranging phone calls through Peterlin and her staff.

She is very accessible. Really at any time, Miller said. I work very closely with them and Ive never had a problem  early in the morning or late at night.

The allegation of roadblocks can go both ways. One former senior government official who has met with Tillerson for a job said that Tillerson had made the hiring recommendation to the White House, but what followed was radio silence.

Under somewhat skeptical questioning from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers last week, Tillerson said his goal is a modest reduction in the overall size of the State Department staff and a strategic rethinking of priorities and resources. He defended the Trump administrations proposed budget cut of about 30 percent, although lawmakers of both parties told him the cuts were unreasonable and would not stand.
The casket of Otto Warmbier is carried to a hearse followed by his family and friends after a funeral service on Thursday at Wyoming High School in Wyoming, Ohio. (John Sommers II/Reuters)

North Korea said Friday that the death of American tourist Otto Warmbier was a mystery, denying that he was tortured and casting itself as the biggest victim of the affair.

In the reclusive countrys first public reaction to Warmbiers death, a Foreign Ministry spokesman also tried to shift blame onto the administration of President Barack Obama, blaming it for refusing to have a dialogue with Pyongyang and claiming that it had never officially asked for Warmbiers release.

The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week after his return to the U.S. in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well, the spokesman was quoted as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency. To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident.

The 22-year-old University of Virginia student was arrested while visiting North Korea as a tourist, accused of stealing a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor. He was returned to the United States last week with brain damage and died Monday.

[Otto Warmbier dies days after release by North Korea]

North Korea said the sentence was appropriate and called speculation that he died as a result of beating or torture groundless.

Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S., considering that his health got worse, the spokesman said.

North Korea said Warmbier slipped into a coma after contracting botulism and taking a sleeping pill. But officials at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where Warmbier was treated after his return, said they had found no trace of the disease. Instead, they saidit appeared he had suffered severe neurological damage, possibly as a result of cardiopulmonary arrest.

Pyongyangs statement Friday appeared to support that possibility, saying that North Korean doctors had brought him back alive after his heart had nearly stopped.

[What happened to Otto Warmbier?]

The North Korean statement said the country was a victim of a smear campaign by the United States as a part of a frantic effort to impose heinous sanctions, the NK News website reported.

Why the U.S. government which claims to care about the welfare of its citizens had not even once made an official request for the release of Warmbier on humanitarian basis during the Obama administration? the statement said. The answer should be given by the U.S. itself.

Earlier this week, Obama spokesman Ned Price said the previous administration had no higher priority than securing the release of Americans detained overseas. He added that its efforts to secure Warmbiers release had never ceased, even in the waning days of the administration.

Read more:

Otto Warmbier dies days after release from North Korea detention

Lets bring it in: Otto Warmbiers family celebrates his life at memorial

What happened to Otto Warmbier? When the unthinkable is unknowable

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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It was March 2020, and the world was closing down as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. At first, the news of...
Best Buy Co., Inc. retails technology products in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Domestic and International. Its stores provide computing products, such as desktops, notebooks, and peripherals; mobile phones comprising related mobile network carrier commissions; networking products; tablets covering e-readers; smartwatches; and consumer electronics consisting of digital imaging, health and fitness, home theater, portable audio comprising headphones and portable speakers, and smart home products. The company's stores also offer appliances, such as dishwashers, laundry, ovens, refrigerators, blenders, coffee makers, and vacuums; entertainment products consisting of drones, peripherals, movies, music, and toys, as well as gaming hardware and software, and virtual reality and other software products; and other products, such as baby, food and beverage, luggage, outdoor living, and sporting goods. In addition, it provides consultation, delivery, design, health-related, installation, memberships, repair, set-up, technical support, and warranty-related services. The company offers its products through stores and websites under the Best Buy, Best Buy Ads, Best Buy Business, Best Buy Health, CST, Current Health, Geek Squad, Lively, Magnolia, Best Buy Mobile, Pacific Kitchen, Home, and Yardbird, as well as domain names bestbuy.com, currenthealth.com, lively.com, yardbird.com, and bestbuy.ca. As of January 30, 2022, it had 1,144 stores. The company was formerly known as Sound of Music, Inc. The company was incorporated in 1966 and is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota.
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MOSUL, Iraq  A loud explosion echoed in the Old City of Mosul in northern Iraq on Thursday night. Iraqi troops trying to retake the city from Islamic State forces were closing on the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and suddenly they saw thick smoke rising from where the mosque stood.

ISIS said the mosque was hit by a U.S.-led coalition airstrike. The U.S. has denied the claim and so have Iraqi forces.

Hussein, an Iraqi federal police officer who was near the old city the night the mosque exploded, told Yahoo News, I only saw white smoke. It was about 25 minutes of smoke in the air. [ISIS fighters] were running away, they had black on.

A frame of video shows the al-Nuri mosque site. (Photo: Amaq News Agency via Reuters TV)

The offensive to recapture Mosul began last October. Iraqi forces took eastern Mosul in the first 100 days and started a new push for western Mosul in February.

Western Mosul proved to be more challenging. The streets are narrow and hundreds of thousands of civilians were left inside. Urban fighting intensified and ISIS snipers slipped in and out of neighborhoods targeting Iraqi forces.

Related slideshow: Endgame in Mosul: Iraqi forces storm the Islamic State-held Old City >>>

But the al-Nuri mosque, with its leaning minaret, still stood high over the city, as it has since its creation in the 12th century. It was named after a Turkish sultan, Nur ad-Din, who opposed Crusaders from the west and united Muslim dissidents under his rule. The mosque has great cultural and symbolic importance to the Iraqi people as a monument to Islamic history.

In 2014, as ISIS rose to power, its reclusive leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, made a video on the steps of the grand mosque to announce the founding of its modern caliphate, or Islamic government.

The alleged first public appearance of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the reclusive leader of ISIS, held at the al-Nuri mosque in Mosul, Iraq, July 5, 2014, in a still image taken from video. (Photo: via Reuters TV)

Nearly three years later, the great mosque has fallen and been reduced to rubble. In the days after it was destroyed, Iraqi federal police said they saw some ISIS fighters run, including two who were shot dead. But others stayed, seeking to keep control of the central part of Mosuls Old City.

Story continues

Sgt. Hussein said he believed ISIS was trying to keep the mosque from falling into Iraqi army control for intelligence reasons. It was the main office for ISIS, he said. They didnt want the Iraqi military to take it.

Other soldiers along the frontline believe that they mosque may have been booby-trapped and would have been dangerous for Iraqi troops to enter.

Iraqi forces and ISIS fighters are continually exchanging sniper and mortar fire over the rooftops in a shrinking zone of ISIS control.

Views of the Mosul, Iraq, skyline before and after the minaret of the al-Nuri mosque was destroyed by ISIS forces, June 22, 2017. (Photo: Mohamed El-Shaded/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the Iraqi snipers at the frontline, Sgt. Muqtaba Ibrahim, told Yahoo News, Were inside the city, and its difficult for snipers to see the enemy. If it was a desert, it would be easy for me. But the enemy moves from place to place, never staying in one position.

Iraqi federal police are concentrating their efforts in the south side of old city. But more than 100,000 civilians are still left inside, according to the United Nations. Field hospitals on the outskirts of Mosul have had dozens of wounded and sick pass through, suffering from dehydration, malnutrition and bullet and shrapnel wounds.

And as Iraqi forces get closer to defeating ISIS in Mosul, they face the knowledge that they have lost a cultural treasure that had stood as a symbol of their faith for more than 800 years.

_____

Ash Gallagher is a journalist covering the Mideast for Yahoo News.

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Their relationships major ups and downs have been documented for a long while on Teen Mom OG, but the final straw for Amber Portwood only came in April of this year, forcing her to call off her October plans to finally wed Matt Baier.

In a new interview with Us Weekly, Amber, 27, confirmed earlier rumors that drugs played a role in her decision to end her nearly three-year relationship with Matt, 46. In the interview, she admitted that his handing castmate Catelynn Lowell a Xanax during an April press event for the show was the moment she decided to end things.

Read: Simon Saran Slams Amber Portwood For Domestic Violence Instagram Post

It was pretty much the straw that broke the camels back, Amber, who is sober five years, told the magazine. Were not together now.

The incident occurred when Matt offered Catelynn the anxiety medication, something that Amber says he shouldnt have had on him in the first place since he was a recovered drug addict.

However, though things are off for now, Amber admits that shed be open to giving Matt another chance in the future, provided she could build trust with him again. She said the only way their romance would be able to work would be if there was no more lying, no more verbal attacks against each other.

She also revealed that he needs to be willing to change and also fight for her.

Theres a lot that needs to be worked on for us to even think of being together. He hasnt been the best, she said. Hes just met a person that doesnt deal with his s--t. But hes also met a person that he really is in love with and doesnt want to let go.

Read:Amber Portwood Says Real Women Dont Talk About Domestic Violence

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At this point, I told him its pretty much up to him to save this relationship, she added.

Amber also discussed the situation in an episode of the show, which aired on June 12. In that episode, Matt asked Amber if she would still marry him, to which she replied no and said she would lie when asked questions about their relationship during her interviews.

Matt defended himself at the time, saying he only had the Xanax because a friend had given it to him in case Amber had needed it during the plane ride from Indiana to New York for the event. He also admitted that she had previously accused him of being back on drugs, to which he replied that if he was the pill wouldnt have been available for him to hand to Catelynn in the first place.

I even said to Amber if I wanted it, why would it have been in my pocket? It would have been in my stomach, he said.

The situation wasnt the only one that had caused issues for the pair over the years. In other seasons of the show, Amber learned that her fiance had previously lied to her about how many kids he had from previous relationships, with her ex, Gary Shirley, revealing to her that Matt had five other children in addition to the two she knew about.

There have also been rumors about cheating as well.

Amber Portwood and Matt Baier

Photo: Getty Images

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Women who carry genetic mutations in the "breast cancer genes," called BRCA1 and BRCA2, have about a 70 percent chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetimes, according to a new study.

The findings are based on an analysis of nearly 10,000 women with mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, mutations that are known to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The new study is more rigorously designed than some earlier research that looked at how much the risk for these cancers increases in women who have these genetic mutations.

But the new study also found that breast cancer risk in women with these mutations could vary  by as much as twofold  depending on whether the women had specific mutations within their genes. In addition, having close family members with the disease also indicated a greater increase in risk, the study found.

The findings suggest that health professionals who council women who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations about their risk of breast cancer should take into account both a patient's family history and the particular location on the gene of the individual's mutation, the researchers said. [6 Foods That May Affect Breast Cancer Risk]

The findings "demonstrate the potential importance of family history and mutation location in risk assessment" of breast cancer, the researchers said.

Prior to the study, scientists knew that women with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene are at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Previous studies have estimated that the lifetime risk of breast cancer ranges from 40 to 87 percent for women with BRCA1 gene mutations, and 27 to 84 percent for women with BRCA2 gene mutations, according to the researchers. In contrast, the average American woman has about a 12 percent chance of developing breast cancer by age 85, according to the Susan G. Komen foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds breast-cancer research.

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Many earlier studies on this topic were "retrospective," meaning they included information from women with these mutations who already had breast or ovarian cancer. Those studies used information about the women's family history to help estimate the genetic risk of these diseases. But these estimates could have errors if patients did not provide accurate family histories  for instance, if the women misremembered or didn't know that a certain relative had breast cancer.

Accurate estimates of women's breast and ovarian cancer risk are important because they can help inform patients' decisions about when to start getting breast or ovarian cancer screenings, and whether to undergo procedures to prevent cancer. Those procedures can include having a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer.

The new study involved 9,856 women from Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who had undergone genetic testing and were found to have genetic mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA 2 gene. Of these women, about 4,800 had been diagnosed with either breast or ovarian cancer before the study started, while about 5,000 of the women had not been diagnosed with either type of cancer. The women were followed for about five years to see if they developed cancer.

Most of the women were in their 40s or 50s at the start of the study, although they ranged in age from younger than 20 to older than 70 years old. [5 Key Nutrients Women Need as They Age]

The study found that:

Among women who had not been diagnosed with breast cancer before the study, those with BRCA 1 mutations faced a 72 percent chance of developing breast cancer by age 80, and the BRCA2 carriers had a 69 percent chance of developing breast cancer by age 80.

Among women who had not been diagnosed with ovarian cancer before the study, the BRCA1 carriers faced a 44 percent chance of developing the disease by age 80 and the BRCA2 carriers faced a 17 percent chance of developing it.

Among women who'd already had breast cancer in one breast, the risk of developing cancer in the other breast within 20 years was 40 percent for BRCA1 carriers and 26 percent for BRCA2 carriers.

The rate of new breast cancer cases increased rapidly among younger women, but leveled off around ages 30 to 40 years old for BRCA1 carriers and 40 to 50 years old for BRCA2 carriers.

The rate of new ovarian cancer cases was low for young women but rose as women reached their 40s and 50s.

The study also found that women with two close relatives who had breast cancer (a close relative could be a sister, mother or aunt) were twice as likely to develop breast cancer by the age of 70, compared to those women with no close relatives with breast cancer. And women with genetic mutations located at a certain spots within the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes were around 1.5 to 2 times more likely to develop breast cancer, compared to women with mutations located at other places in the genes.

The researchers noted that their analysis excluded women who had already undergone a mastectomy (to reduce the risk of breast cancer) or surgery to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes (to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer). But the study was not able to take into account whether the women used certain medications, such as the estrogen-blocker tamoxifen, to reduce their risk of breast cancer.

The study is published today (June 20) in the journal JAMA.

Original article on Live Science.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States hopes Arab countries involved in a diplomatic split with Qatar will soon present Doha a list of "reasonable and actionable" demands to move the crisis toward a resolution, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday. Tillerson's comments came in a short statement a day after the State Department bluntly questioned the motives of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in announcing their boycott of Qatar on June 5, saying it was "mystified" the Gulf states had not released their grievances. It was Washington's strongest language yet on a dispute that erupted after the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties and transport links to isolate Qatar. The Arab countries accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional instability or cosying up to their enemy Iran. Qatar has denied the accusations. "We understand a list of demands has been prepared and coordinated by the Saudis, Emiratis, Egyptians and Bahrainis," the Tillerson statement said. "We hope the list ... will soon be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable." Tillerson also said the United States backs a Kuwaiti mediation effort aimed at resolving the crisis. Asked about the Qatar issue at a later news conference, Tillerson said the United States wanted to achieve unity among the Gulf Cooperation Council countries so that they can focus on the fight against Islamic State militants across the region. "Our role has been to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table, clearly articulated, so that those issues can be addressed and some resolution process can get under way to bring this to a conclusion," Tillerson said. Qatar hosts a vital U.S. military base, Al Udeid, to which more than 11,000 U.S. and coalition forces are deployed or assigned and from which more than 100 aircraft operate. U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on Qatar, accusing it of being a "high level" sponsor of terrorism, but he has also offered help to the parties in the dispute to resolve their differences. (Reporting by David Alexander; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Grant McCool and James Dalgleish)
An off-duty African-American police officer was shot Wednesday night by a white colleague in St. Louis, while both officers were attempting to aid first responders after a high-speed car chase ended in a crash, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department told Yahoo News.

Authorities said the injured officer was in his home when he heard a crash. He decided to help officers who had already arrived at the scene, who had exchanged fire with the suspects. His colleagues initially ordered the unnamed officer, who was also armed, to the ground, but after recognizing him they invited him to approach them.

At this time, a responding officer (36-year old white male with over 8 years of service) just arriving in the area observed this and fearing for his safety and apparently not recognizing the off-duty officer, discharged a shot, striking the off-duty officer in the arm, the police department said by email.

Screengrab at the scene after an off-duty police officer was shot by a fellow police officer in the North Pointe neighborhood of St. Louis on June 22, 2017. (FOX 2 Now)

The unnamed wounded officer is 38 years old and an 11-year veteran of the department. According to the officers lawyer, Rufus Tate Jr., the friendly fire shooting was part of a trend of police violence toward African-American men.

In the police report, you have so far, there is no description of threat he perceived, Tate told Fox 2 Now. So we have a real problem with that. But this has been a national discussion for the past two years. There is this perception that a black man is automatically feared.

Before the crash, St. Louis police officers were pursuing a stolen white sedan. Two suspects, Deandre T. Chaney and Cortney Smith, both 17, were arrested at the scene. A third suspect escaped.

Per department policy, seven officers will be placed on administrative leave, the department said. The Force Investigative Unit responded, it added, and an investigation will take place.

Read more from Yahoo News:
London (AFP) - A year to the day after Britain voted to quit the European Union, the divorce proceedings are only just starting and European leaders are hoping that the decree absolute never comes through.

On June 23 last year, Britons voted by the narrow majority of 52-48 to end the unhappy cross-Channel marriage of four decades.

The referendum result toppled the government of David Cameron but now his successor, Theresa May, is also wobbling after a disastrous showing in an election two weeks ago.

May had called the election in the expectation of improving her party's grip on parliament and so strengthening her hand in the Brexit negotiations with the European Union.

But voters had other ideas, wiping out her Conservatives' majority and plunging the Brexit process into new doubt.

In truth, doubts were apparent as soon as the referendum result came through. Britons had voted to leave the EU, but in what way exactly?

Pollsters said the decision was motivated to a large degree by frustration at uncontrolled immigration from the rest of the EU among austerity-weary Britons and by a desire for greater national sovereignty.

May took that to mean a "hard Brexit" -- stopping free movement of people from the EU, at the cost of depriving Britain of membership of the bloc's common trading market.

In March she filed the annulment papers by invoking Article 50 of the EU treaty, which sets a two-year deadline for the break-up to take effect.

But the formal negotiations only began on Monday, so the timeframe is tight to clinch agreement on the dizzying range of issues confronting both sides.

- Dream on -

The resurgent Labour opposition and May's own finance minister, Philip Hammond, insist that Britons did not vote to become poorer, so divining the country's true intentions is fully exercising eurocrats in Brussels.

EU president Donald Tusk on Thursday channelled John Lennon when he noted that British friends were asking him if their country could end up staying part of the EU.

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"I told them that in fact, the European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve," he told reporters.

"So who knows? You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Tusk's reverie followed comments in a similar vein by the new French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Germany's finance minister.

But a year on from the referendum, the debate in Britain is less about stopping Brexit entirely and more about what form it should take -- whether a clean break, or a "soft" option that retains membership of the common market.

Hammond called this week for years-long transitional arrangements to cushion the blow for British businesses once they lose unfettered access to their biggest export market.

"We are leaving the European Union but when you buy a house you don't necessarily move all your furniture in on the first day you buy it. This is a process," he said.

- Breaking up is hard -

Opinion polls show a majority in favour of respecting the referendum result -- including among those who voted a year ago to remain in the EU.

The Labour party, confounding the pollsters, came out strengthened by the recent election but it too supports pushing on with the process, albeit in a way that emphasises jobs and livings standards.

And then there is the constitutional quagmire thrown up by Brexit.

May this week indicated that Scotland's separate parliament would have to be consulted on the shape of the final deal, and Scotland -- unlike England and Wales -- voted a year ago to remain.

So much remains unclear as the estrangement takes formal shape in the coming months, including even whether May's government can last to see the process through.

Before the election, the rest of the EU at least had some certainty that Britain's proposed terms of divorce encompassed a "hard Brexit".

But the election threw up new alliances among voters that could confound the ardent Brexiteers' plans for a clean break.

"Profound and fundamental political changes have occurred since the referendum and it remains to be seen how durable they prove to be," professor Anand Menon, director of think-tank The UK in a Changing Europe, wrote in a new study.

"It is hard, if not impossible, following the snap election to know how the Brexit negotiations will go. The attitude our fundamentally divided -- between and within parties -- parliament will take is crucial and impossible to predict," he said.
A June 27 release date for the standalone version of cult classic "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" is said to have come from an inside source at a major US retailer.

Ahead of 2016's "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare," which pushed the franchise's recent sci-fi motif further than many fans had been comfortable with, publisher Activision found a way to keep its core audience on board.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" took the first-person shooter genre and redefined it thoroughly, embracing rollercoaster cinematic storylines, multiple protagonists, contemporary global settings, and a milestone progression system that kept players glued to its multiplayer mode.

It was announced as part of a special edition version "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare," and now that 2017's "Call of Duty: WWII" is approaching, it seems that "Modern Warfare Remastered" is to be made available for purchase separately.

Franchise watcher CharlieIntel received information indicating that "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered" would be released June 27 according to a retailer database.

More visible preparations for a $39.99 retail release were seen on store shelves at US chain Target, before Twitter user drewlookinboy posted photos indicating that the June 27 date referred to the PlayStation 4 edition, with the Xbox One version arriving July 27 instead.

Sony's PlayStation brand is the "Call of Duty" franchise's current preferred partner, benefiting from timed exclusivity deals that have usually applied to extra multiplayer content distributed after each main game's release.

As its name implies, November 2017's "Call of Duty: WWII" returns to the historical European conflict of the franchise's first three games.
Najla Gilliam rocking her butterfly braids. (Photo: Instagram/gold__badu)

Professional dancer Najla Gilliam saw the gorgeous Allure magazine cover shoot featuring Zoe Kravitz and was inspired. Channeling the butterflies stylists decided to add to Kravitzs braids, Gilliam adorned her own hair with butterflies. Its now a style she wears on the regular, and were totally here for it.

The 22-year-old New Jersey native fell in love with the unconventional look. I was inspired by mother nature and the beauty of the butterflies, Gilliam tells Yahoo Beauty.

Golden butterfly princess ???????????????????? A post shared by Najla Gilliam (@gold__badu) on Jun 19, 2017 at 12:31pm PDT

Gilliam says she has always marched to the beat of her own drum when if comes to her hair and her sense of style.

I have tried to embrace my generations rebellious nature and nonconformism to what is supposed to be normal and pretty, she says. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.

Gilliam rocking another look we love. (Photo provided by Najla Guilliam)

She says that she does receive some stares when she wears her butterfly braids, but that most of them are looks of admiration.

Most people stare out of love and appreciation, says Gilliam. I appreciate the love people show me for being true to myself, there are so many nice people out there.

Her Instagram followers also show love for her butterfly braids too. One commenter wrote, Youre my inspiration. Another added, OMG you look beautiful honey.

But Gilliam admits that acceptance and self-love werent always the case for her when she was younger.

When I was growing up, in elementary school and in middle school, I wasnt sure of my style yet, she says. I didnt come into myself til I was about to start high school, I saw Rihannas half-shaved Bob and I decided to recreate it.

A few years ago Gilliam went for Rihannas half-shaved head look. (Photo provided by Najla Guilliam)

At 19, Gilliam became a professional dancer, and her career choice has allowed her to live both her professional dream and her style truth.

Gilliam in yet another look we love. (Photo provided by Najla Gilliam)

So whats next for this enviably stylish woman? I want to create a multipurpose space where young people can come in and feel free to express themselves, a safe-heaven for creativity in my community, Gilliam says.

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We 10,000 percent approve.

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Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and@YahooBeauty.




Washington (AFP) - China's top diplomat told Donald Trump that Beijing was willing to keep working with Washington to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula -- days after the US leader implied that Chinese efforts had failed.

The meeting between State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Trump at the White House on Thursday also came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged China to step up diplomatic and economic pressure on the North over its nuclear weapons.

The meeting was reported by China's foreign ministry. There was no White House statement on the get-together, which had not been mentioned in the president's daily schedule.

"China is willing to maintain communication and coordination with relevant parties including the United States to ease tensions on the peninsula," Yang said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Trump told Yang he looked forward to "enhancing cooperation" with China on the denuclearization of the North, the ministry said in a statement.

On Wednesday Yang and top General Fang Fenghui met with Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the State Department to discuss North Korea and other regional issues.

Hours before the talks began, Trump sent a tweet that appeared to suggest China's President Xi Jinping had come up short on reining in its neighbor.

"While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!" Trump tweeted.

Trump did not elaborate on what might happen next if China, by far the North's most important trading and diplomatic partner, is out of ideas.

Trump, who frequently denounced China on the campaign trail, has turned to Beijing to help pressure its ally North Korea, prompting concern among Asian partners that America might go easy on Beijing over its expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea.

Trump, who met with Xi at his luxury resort in Florida in April, also confirmed he would visit China later this year, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

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Tillerson said Wednesday that China had a "diplomatic responsibility to exert much greater economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime if they want to prevent further escalation in the region".

For their part, the Chinese envoys pressed for negotiations, proposing again a "dual-track approach" in which North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile activities while the United States and South Korea would halt large-scale military exercises.

The meetings between the two sides followed the death of Otto Warmbier on Monday, the American student returned to the US last week in a coma after being detained in North Korea for 18 months.
Designer Lilly Pulitzer has collaborated with the Ocean House in Watch Hill, R.I. (Photo: Brooke Brady )

The fashion brand Lilly Pulitzer is known for its #Resort365 culture  aka when wearing your vacation attire year-round is the norm. So its only natural that the iconic resort-wear brand would want to delve into the vacation business.

Through a special collaboration, Lilly Pulitzer has teamed up with two Rhode Island Ocean House Management properties  the Forbes triple five star-rated Ocean House resort and its sister hotel, the Watch Hill Inn, a historic landmark.

Lilly Pulitzer has transformed one luxury suite at the Watch Hill Inn, adorning it with custom-printed pillows, bedding, and curtains. Unique, hand-painted Lilly Pulitzer artwork fills the suites walls alongside shell-accented mirrors. The suite also comes with access to four limited-edition Lilly Pulitzer x Martone bicycles around the town, where the company recently debuted its newest retail store.

The Lilly Pulitzer-decorated suite at the Watch Hill Inn in Rhode Island. (Photo: Lilly Pulitzer)

The living room space in the Lilly Pulitzer suite at the Watch Hill Inn. (Photo: Lilly Pulitzer)

A view from above the Ocean House in Rhode Island. (Photo: Brooke Brady )

The beach view available to Ocean House and Watch Hill Inn guests. (Photo: Brooke Brady )

Just across the way from Watch Hill Inn is the Ocean House, a Victorian-style, 149-year-old luxury beachfront property. It reopened in 2010 after a $140 million renovation.

The Atlantic Ocean  and private beach access  are just steps away from the property. At the beach, youll find lounge chairs and cabanas accented with Lilly Pulitzers signature printed pillows and towels.

The Lilly Pulitzer-decorated cabanas at Ocean House in Rhode Island. (Photo: Brooke Brady )

A close-up detail of the Lilly Pulitzer-decorated curtains and printed pillows at the Ocean House cabanas. (Photo: Brooke Brady )

Interestingly, Ocean House is nestled right next to Taylor Swifts own Watch Hill home. While you are soaking up the sun, you might get a glimpse of Swift and her newest flame at her annual Fourth of July bash, if youre lucky.

For those unfamiliar with Lilly Pulitzer, she was a New York socialite who eloped with Peter Pulitzer Jr. (grandson of Joseph Pulitzer, the newspaper publisher and founder of the Pulitzer Prize). After eloping, the two moved to Palm Beach, Fla., where she launched her namesake beachwear line. Jackie Kennedy was one of her early adopters, quickly catapulting Pulitzer to fashion success. This company was founded in the late 1950s, and it is still considered the go-to, tropical, resort-wear brand.

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Lilly Pulitzer embodies the spirit of Watch Hill and has been a fashion mainstay for locals since the brand gained popularity years ago, said Daniel A. Hostettler, president and group managing director of Ocean House Management in a press statement. Ocean House and Watch Hill Inn are proud to partner with such an iconic brand that shares our love of luxury and seaside elegance.

Read more from Yahoo Beauty + Style:

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Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.
Counterfeit Islamic State-themed LEGO sets are being produced and exported out of China, depicting scenes of beheadings and ISIS flags. Some of the sets were discovered on sale in Malaysia after a mother noticed terrorist figures inside her sons LEGO set.

Mahnun Mat Isa said her son bought a Falcon Commandos set for less than $2 from a store north of Kuala Lumpur. She noticed the set contained terrorist figurines wielding chainsaws, bloody heads, dynamite and ISIS flags. The set depictured counter-terrorism police officers clashing against ISIS figures and was recommended for children six and over, according to Australian news outlet 9 News.

Read: 40,000 Counterfeit Condoms From China Seized By Authorities

I ask authorities to not freely allow the entry of toys that touch on religious sensitives in this country, she told Malaysian news site Berita Harian. I came to know about it when my son, who was playing with the toy, showed me the terrorist character holding a banner which displayed the worlds Allah and Muhammad.

The set had a serial number on the box that was traced back to a manufacturer in China. The mother said she reported the set to police officers.

LEGO spokesperson Camilla Pederson told news outlet RT that the company had nothing to do with the counterfeit sets.

This product is not a LEGO product  nor are the bricks in the set LEGO bricks, she said. As a company dedicated to inspiring and developing children, we would naturally never make a product like this.

LEGO has long had a problem with counterfeit products, particularly coming out of China. A January video from BBC News shows even the head of LEGOs Chinese factory being unable to discern between fake figurines and real ones.

National patent, design and trademark laws  not to mention the observance of such laws and associated regulations  differ quite substantially from country to country, the company said in a statement on its website. In a number of countries, laws against unfair competition do not even exist. Lately, the absence of regulations against counterfeiting, trademark infringements, etc., has confronted the owners of original rights with growing problems from copy producers.

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More than 400 billion LEGO pieces have been produced since the companys founding in 1932. But Asia has historically contributed very little to the companys market, providing little revenue over the years, according to Quartz. In an attempt to curb counterfeit production, LEGO opened a manufacturing facility in China and sued counterfeit brand LEPIN in court.

We are committed to do whatever necessary to protect the LEGO brand and products against undue exploitation, the company said in a statement about the lawsuit. And to minimize the risk of consumers being misled via improper use of LEGO Group intellectual property assets.

The company has also been involved in legal battles with Hong-Kong based Best-Lock Construction Toys and Chinese toymaker Coko Toy. The Beijing High Peoples Court ruled in 2003 that Coko Toy had, in fact, infringed on LEGOs copyrights.

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Brendan Dassey, the nephew of convicted killer Steven Avery who was featured in the docuseries Making a Murderer, could be one step closer to freedom after a Wisconsin appeals court upheld a ruling that his confession was coerced.

A three-judge panel in the Seventh Court of Appeals agreed late Thursday with an earlier decision that Dassey, 27, was intimidated into saying he played a role in the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, according to WBAY.

Read: 'I Saw Signs That Concerned Me': Meet the Woman Once Engaged to 'Making a Murderer's' Steven Avery

Two of the judges concurred with Judge William Duffin's ruling last year that investigators offered Dassey, then 17, the false promise that "he had nothing to worry about" while interrogating him about the Halbach slaying  without a parent or an attorney present.

"When considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey's age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey's confession involuntary" under the U.S. Constitution, Duffin wrote.

Dasseys legal team is now hopeful their client will be released from jail.

"I just want to express my hope that this is the end of the road for Brendan, that this you know, 10-plus year nightmare can finally be over for him, Dassey lawyer Bob Dvorak told WBAY. That's the hope I'm holding out."

Halbach vanished on Halloween in 2005 after an appointment at the Avery familys salvage yard in Manitowoc County. Her car and charred remains were found on property several days later.

After fingering Avery for the murder, police turned their attention to Dassey when he was mentioned as his uncle's alibi.

Dassey was sentenced to life in prison for his role in Halbachs murder. In a separate trial, Avery was also sentenced to life behind bars.

Making a Murderer, a 10-part Netflix series that premiered in 2015, chronicled a decade of the Avery case, including Dasseys interrogation, trial and conviction.

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Read: Sheriff's Office Featured in 'Making a Murderer' Receives Bomb Threat Vowing 'Justice for Steven'

Following the release of the documentary, the sheriffs office received an onslaught of criticism from the public for its handling of the Halbach murder investigation.

The sheriffs department said that within a month of Making a Murderer's premiere, it received as many as 300 phone calls and hundreds of emails, most of which were negative, about its role in the Avery case.

A second season of Making a Murderer is expected to premiere later this year.

Watch: 911 Operator Reveals in Docuseries She Never Testified in JonBenet Ramsey Trial

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Speaking at a Cedar Rapids, Iowa rally Wednesday, President Donald Trump claimed credit for the idea of a solar panel border wall with Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

During the rally, he spoke about his mission to advance technology in rural areas of the United States, saying that he would encourage drones and sensors on harvesting equipment. However, the highlight of the rally was when he suggested putting solar panels on the proposed border wall that would separate Mexico and the United States. President Trump has previously spoken about building a border wall, suggesting hypothetical benefits such as a decrease in illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Read: Who Will Pay For The Wall? New Bill For Trump's Border Would Impose More Taxes

Were thinking of something thats unique  were talking about the southern border, lots of sun, lots of heat. Were thinking about building the wall as a solar wall, so it creates energy and pays for itself, he said. Pretty good imagination, right? Good? My idea.

Except it wasnt quite his idea.

iowa

Photo: Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an invitation in March 2017 for companies to submit designs for the border wall. More than 200 companies responded to the invitation. One of those companies was Gleason Partners in Las Vegas. Tom Gleason, 70, the founder and owner of Gleason Partners, said his plans for the wall include building solar panels into the wall and installing them on top of the wall as rotating arrays, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Other materials he mentioned possible wall climbers would encounter were steel mesh and barbed wire.

Trump said the intent is to offer a realistic, no-nonsense design for the wall that pays for itself, as well as one that will make everybody happy including our president, he said in an email to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

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In early June, President Trump allegedly suggested a solar wall in a meeting with Republican congressional leaders. He told them they could talk about the idea if they said it was his idea.

solar panels

Photo: Getty Images

According to Gleason Partners, the electricity generated by the wall could be sold. They also said that the sales of that electricity would cover the cost of building the wall in 20 years or less.

Solar panel research has advanced in the past few years.

The two widely recognized classes of technologies for converting solar energy into electricity are photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP), according to a study titled The Future of Solar Energy that was conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Initiative. The study claims solar-power generation will be dominated by these technologies between now and 2050.

Read: Cheaper Solar, Wind Energy Make Trump's Promise To Bring Back Coal Jobs DOA, Forecast Predicts

The study aimed to clarify certain points of contention for countries, especially the United States, when considering replacing conventional sources of electricity with solar-power energy. It said that solar-powered energy could be more economically beneficial for developing countries in order to decrease their dependence on imported oil.

Since the United States has previously relied on imported oil for most of their day-to-day necessities, if President Trump plans to move forward with his proposed border wall, solar panels could become a serious consideration in the near future.

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AP

Donald Trump has thanked a pair of American students whose attempts to show support for him were airbrushed out of their school yearbook.

Two young Americans who aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in," the US President wrote in a Facebook post. "Our movement to #MAGA is working because of great people like you!

His comments came after a teacher at the students school was suspended following accusations that they digitally removed references to Mr Trump in photos for the yearbook.

Wall High School student Wyatt Dobrovich- Fago wore a sweater with Mr Trumps name on it for his New Jerseys school yearbook photo but the Presidents name was later cropped out of the picture.

His sister, Montana Dobrovich- Fago, submitted a quote from the US leader to go under her class president photo, but the quote was not included in the yearbook.

The school district's Superintendent Cheryl Dyer told NBC New York the alteration of Wyatts photo was unintentional because it was resized to match other pictures.

However, it was unclear if Montanas quote was intentionally left out.

But the digital media teacher, who was the yearbook adviser, was formally suspended after another student, Grant Berardo, wore a T-shirt with the word Trump Make America Great Again, only to have it removed.

The shirt was not found to violate the schools dress code.

Corrected yearbooks will be issued to students and in a letter to parents, Ms Dyer said: "I cannot allow the intentional change that was not based on dress code to be ignored.

She previously described the teacher' s action as a "possible violation of First Amendment rights."

In his Facebook post, Mr Trump attached a letter written by the executive director of the Trump campaign, Michael Glassner, addressed to the students.

Mr Glassner expressed his dismay at the fact the Trump shirt and Trump quote were censored in your High School yearbook.

He said: It is more important than ever that we, as Americans, stand up for our beliefs and hopes for a better country. And, as you know, it takes courage to do so. But, the freedom of expression should never go out of style - lets not forget that!

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Mr Glassner thanked the students on behalf of President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

The students were also given a box of Trump campaign merchandise to wear around the great state of New Jersey and wherever else life may take you Mr Glassner wrote.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. (Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that President Trump is sending signals that Russias interference in the 2016 U.S. election is acceptable.

Frankly, the current administration, the current president, through his rhetoric, is kind of sending the signals that this is something that will be tolerated, Johnson said on MSNBCs Morning Joe on Friday. And so powerful actors like the Russians, they look at what they think will happen if they do something, and weve got to make this kind of behavior cost-prohibitive.

Johnson, who served under President Barack Obama during his second term, said that he has yet to see a strong statement of condemnation about Russias behavior from Trump.

If the signal being sent from the administration in power is that this [kind of interference] will be tolerated, we dont mind, then that obviously will factor into their thinking, Johnson said.

Last October, the Obama administration publicly said that it was confident that the Russians were responsible for hacking into the emails of the Democratic National Committee.

Trump has downplayed allegations of the Russian cyberattacks, and in a recent series of tweets called the reports a big Dem scam and big Dem HOAX!

But Johnson believes the Russians or other state actors will be back, according to his Thursday testimony about the cyberattacks before the House Intelligence Committee. He said he was concerned about the security of future elections, and expressed his frustration that his attempts to halt the hacking were not taken seriously by the DNC or state election officials.

Johnson said Friday he believes that America needs to toughen cybersecurity around its election infrastructure, and that Trump must take action on the U.S. intelligence gathered about the cyberattacks to prevent future breaches.

Its up to the Trump administration  to send the signal that intervening in our democracy will not be permitted, Johnson said Friday.

Read more from Yahoo News:
(Reuters) - After weeks of discussions behind closed doors, the U.S. Senate unveiled a draft of its healthcare bill on Thursday that would overhaul the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The House of Representatives narrowly passed its healthcare bill last month. If the Senate passes its bill, the House will either have to vote on the Senate version of the legislation or the two chambers will have to reconcile their differences in a conference committee. Obamacare extended coverage to some 20 million additional Americans through both subsidized private insurance and an expansion of Medicaid. Since its passage in 2010, Republicans have campaigned on repealing the program and argued that the law is too costly and represents undue government interference in Americans' healthcare. Here is how the two bills compare on their main provisions: MEDICAID Under Obamacare, more than 30 states, including about a dozen states with Republican governors, expanded the Medicaid government health insurance program for the poor and disabled. Both bills would roll back the expansion and significantly overhaul the program, which provides insurance to nearly 70 million people. SENATE: The draft legislation would phase out Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid over three years, from 2021 to 2024. It would then overhaul the program and reduce its federal funding more than the House bill would, beginning in 2025. HOUSE: The bill would allow the Medicaid expansion to continue until Jan. 1, 2020. After that date, expansion would end, and people who enrolled in the expansion could not re-enroll once they leave. Medicaid funding would be capped on a per-person basis. TAXES SENATE: The bill would repeal most Obamacare taxes beginning after Dec. 31, 2016, including the 3.8 percent net investment income tax on wealthy Americans. The tax on branded prescription brands would be repealed in 2018, and the legislation would delay the so-called Cadillac tax on high-cost employer-provided insurance. It would also provide more generous tax credits for the purchase of private health insurance for people between zero and 350 percent of the federal poverty level based on income. Under Obamacare, those between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level were eligible for tax credits. HOUSE: The bill would repeal most Obamacare taxes retroactively after Dec. 31, 2016, and delay the Cadillac tax to 2026. It would provide flat age-based tax credits for the purchase of private health insurance ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 per year that would be capped at upper-income levels. MANDATES Both bills would repeal the penalties associated with the individual mandate that nearly everyone purchase health insurance or else pay a fine, and the mandate that employers provide insurance to employees. COVERAGE SENATE: The legislation would maintain the popular Obamacare provision that young adults be allowed to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26. It would also prevent insurers from discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions, but would give states flexibility to opt out of so-called essential health benefits, such as maternity care and prescription drug coverage, that experts said could make it harder for some sick people to find affordable plans. The bill would also allow insurers to charge older Americans up to five times more than younger Americans. HOUSE: The bill would allow young adults to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26. It would allow states to opt out of essential health benefits and Obamacare's requirement that insurers charge sick and healthy people the same rates. It would also let insurers mark up premiums by 30 percent for those who have a lapse in insurance coverage of about two months or more. Insurers could charge older Americans up to five times more than younger Americans. (Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The family of a Canadian pastor serving a life sentence in North Korea is concerned for his welfare after the death of an American student after imprisonment there, and wants Canada to work harder to secure his release, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Hyeon Soo Lim, who served at one of the largest churches in Canada, was sentenced to hard labor for life in December 2015 for what North Korea says was an attempt to overthrow the regime. Family spokeswoman Lisa Pak said Lim's family wants to see a more aggressive approach from the Canadian government following the death of American university student Otto Warmbier earlier this week, days after he was released from captivity in North Korea in a coma. "The family is very concerned at this point," said Pak. "They are hoping the Canadian government will turn (efforts) up a few notches in terms of active diplomacy and really start engaging." Pak said there have been no substantial developments in the case since December 2016 when Canadian officials visited Lim. The family spoke with Canadian officials this week, who promised something different would be done, though they did not provide details, she said. While a lower-key approach had seemed appropriate given the sensitive nature of the situation, Warmbier's death has changed that, Pak said. "The countries who have detainees in North Korea have an option now and they really need to take full advantage of it to get the other people who are still alive back home to their families." In addition to Canada's Lim, North Korea is holding three Americans. A spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada, the government's foreign affairs department, said the case is "absolutely a priority". "The government of Canada is very concerned about the health, well-being, and continued detention of Mr. Lim," spokeswoman Jocelyn Sweet said. "We have been actively engaged on this difficult case and consular officials are working actively to secure Mr. Lim's release." The Swedish ambassador visited Lim earlier this year and told the family he was in decent health at the time, Pak said. Lim's Toronto-area church has said Lim visited North Korea more than 100 times since 1997 and helped set up an orphanage and nursing home. Last year, Lim told CNN he spends eight hours a day digging holes at a labor camp where he has not seen any other prisoners. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
CR Fashion Book is being criticized for reposting this photo of a models thin legs. (Photo: Instagram.com)

In its short history, Carine Roitfelds CR Fashion Book has made a point of casting plus-size model Candice Huffine in high fashion shoots and likes to highlight models with imperfections on its cover. That is perhaps why fans were so shocked by a photo on the magazines Instagram account, celebrating the First official day of summer.

Immediately, commenters began to register their disbelief that the magazine would promote a photo of a girl whose legs are noticeably thin.

Emaciation isnt something that should be promoted, enrgyboost wrote. Naturally thin is fine. but no one legs should be that thin on the inside.

Added the_alexandra_p, My first thought was of a documentary I watched a couple weeks ago about the nazi death camps.completely unnatural and skeletal.

Certainly, the fashion industry has been taken to task for its use of excessively thin models and mannequins. After the anorexia-related death of model Isabelle Caro in 2007, some began to change their ways. In France, a ban on models with a BMI of less than 18 (passed in 2015) just went into effect this year. Italy, Israel and Spain have similar laws. Though theres no such ban in the United States, the CDFA released guidelines in January encouraging designers to be aware of models health and advising them on signs of an eating disorder. When all else fails, the online body positive community has been vigilant in its efforts to curb the use of images that may inspire eating disorders in viewers.

First official day of summer ????rg @graciehartzel A post shared by CR Fashion Book (@crfashionbook) on Jun 21, 2017 at 4:33pm PDT

But most of the complaints about this CR Fashion Book post do not take into account the fact that it is in fact a regram of a post from model Grace Hartzel, who captured her personal pic, Proud 2 b a spider legs. It looks like she was making a body-positive statement of her own that has been turned on its head.

When Hartzel gained fame as a high-fashion model in 2013, the then-teen from Indiana told the Indy Star (as quoted by Radar Online) that she was often teased for her body growing up. Ive always been the tall, skinny weird girl, she said. People are mean. . . . I remember going on spring break my freshman year (to Siesta Key, Fla.) and there were girls from somewhere in Indiana. They were calling me anorexic. Its been happening my entire life.

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In that same interview, Hartzels mother, Kimberly, told the paper that her daughter eats healthy foods and is genetically predisposed to be tall and thin like her parents.

Does that then turn the outcry over CR Fashion post into skinny shaming?

We shouldnt put down the girl in this pictures body, wrote tayhalle on CR Fashions Instagram. We dont know what her life is like or eating habits are. What the focus needs to be on is the message this magazine is sending to women by posting a picture like this to celebrate the first day of summer. This is a prime example of why girls develop eating disorders, because widely-read publications like this focus on skinny and not what a normal body should look like.

The bottom line is, its not okay to comment on status of someone elses body, but it is okay to hold a publication, retailer, or designer to account for the messages they send, whether consciously or not.

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Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.




(Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP, Getty)

Yahoo News peeks behind the curtain of secrecy surrounding the Republican health care bill to learn what we can about what it may contain. Well combine our own reporting with the best insights from around the Internet to give you the latest on the future of health care in America.

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Now that Republicans have formally introduced their version of a proposal to repeal Obamacare, their Democratic colleagues are ramping up the opposition into overdrive.

One of the most popular attacks from Democrats on the entire process has been that both the House and Senate versions of the American Health Care Act were written in secrecy, whereas their own efforts to pass Obamacare allowed for committee hearings, public comment and a robust amendment process.

Remarks like these from Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., are typical.

Let me just say, I watched carefully all of the hearings that went on [when Obamacare was passed], McCaskill said. I was not a member of this committee at the time, although I would have liked to be. Sen. [Chuck] Grassley was the ranking member. Dozens of Republican amendments were offered and accepted in that hearing process.

McCaskill then contrasted that process with the current attempts by congressional Republicans to roll back Obamacare.

Were not even going to have a hearing on a bill that impacts one-sixth of our economy. Were not going to have an opportunity to offer a single amendment, she continued. It is all being done with an eye to try to get it by with 50 votes and the vice president.

But was the process in 2009 and 2010, when Obamacare was passed, really transparent? And how will it compare to what we will see next week, when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., hopes to have a vote on the repeal proposal?

The biggest differences between the Obamacare and AHCA processes is in the committee hearing process. While Republicans held a small number of meetings in the House on the AHCA and health care reform, no such hearings have been held on the Senate side.

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President Barack Obama signs his health care bill in the East Room of the White House, March 23, 2010. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

This contrasts with how Obamacare was constructed, where Congress held more than 30 hearings on health care in the year before the bill was first introduced in the House in June 2009.

Once the bill was introduced, committees continued their work examining and modifying the bill. On the Senate side, scores of hearings were held in the finance and health, education, labor and pensions committees. In the latter alone, the markup period, when amendments can be proposed, considered and adopted, stretched for over a month and more than 500 amendments were made.

These efforts also continued in the finance committee and was, at times, a bipartisan effort. A group of three Democratic lawmakers, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., elected to work with three of their Republican colleagues, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, to form a coalition informally dubbed the gang of six.

While no formal legislation came out of the gang of sixs efforts, many of their ideas were incorporated into the committees version of the bill, which Snowe even voted for in committee. All in all, that committee considered 564 amendments.

But then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., also engaged in some legislative maneuvering that Democrats now are conveniently forgetting. After disparate bills emerged from the finance and HELP committees, Reid worked behind closed doors to merge the two proposals, unveiling his own bill on Nov. 18, 2009 before submitting it to the Congressional Budget Office for analysis.

In order to bring it to the Senate floor more easily, Reid also attached the text of the health care measure to an unrelated bill modifying a tax credit used by veterans, skirting normal procedure. The debate on the Senate floor was the second-longest consecutive session in Senate history and amendments from both parties were considered and voted on during that time.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., center, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Dec. 22, 2009. (Photo: Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP)

But John Cannan, who works as a researcher and librarian at the Drexel University School of Law and who wrote a thorough legislative history of Obamacare, notes that the extensive debate was an effort by Reid to buy himself time to finalize the bill. Cannan also said that while over 500 amendments were offered on the floor, many of them were technical and did not alter the bill meaningfully.

This number is deceptive, Cannan told the Washington Post, adding that a tiny fraction of those amendments were relevant to the bills final passage.

Republicans at the time said the process lacked transparency.

Americans are right to be stunned  because this bill is a mess, McConnell said in 2009. And so was the process that was used to get it over the finish line. Americans are outraged by the last-minute, closed-door, sweetheart deals that were made to gain the slimmest margin for passage of a bill thats about their health care.

These comments, and others like them, have been used against McConnell to decry the Republicans secretive process with their version of the AHCA. And while Reid and Senate Democrats used back-room negotiations and legislative maneuvers to pass Obamacare, they also held scores of hearings and markup sessions. And as the gang of six shows, there were also genuine bipartisan efforts  even if those eventually went by the wayside. Hundreds of Republican amendments were also considered and adopted, something which seems unlikely to happen this time around.

Overall, those committee hearings, as well as the more methodical time frame used by Democrats, are the starkest differences between 2009 and the present.

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Paul explains refusal to support GOP health care bill

Senator Rand Paul speaks to reporters after Senate Republicans unveiled their version of health care legislation, June 22, 2017. (Photo: Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

One of the four GOP senators who vowed not to support the GOPs new health care bill in its present form has shed light on what changes would be necessary for the Better Care Reconciliation Act to earn his vote.

In an appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe on Friday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., outlined the provisions that he finds unacceptable.

I want the bill to look more like a repeal bill, Paul said. I promised people I was going to repeal it, I didnt promise people I was going to replace it with a federal program of bailing out insurance companies.

Paul also criticized the bill for not eliminating Obamacares protections of people with preexisting conditions, for subsidizing insurance premiums, and not doing enough to privatize the health care market.

I can summarize the health care cost problem in one sentence, and we dont address it, Paul said. The one sentence is: The reason capitalism doesnt work in health care is that the consumer is disconnected from the product. Consumers do not make decisions based on price in health care.

Paul also proposed that the bill get rid of Obamacare regulations on insurance companies to legalize inexpensive insurance. Paul claimed that with less regulation, insurers could offer plans with fewer benefits that could cost as little as one dollar a day.

Should the bill gain Pauls support during the brief amendment process, Senate Republicans would only need two more votes to pass the bill. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have also said they cannot support the bill in its current form.  Taylor Rogers

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Moderate senators wary of impact on Medicaid and Planned Parenthood

Sen. Rob Portman arrives at the Capitol for a closed-door GOP strategy session on the Republican health care overhaul, June 20, 2017. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Meanwhile, more moderate Republicans have reservations about the bills provisions rolling back Medicaid expansion and defunding Planned Parenthood.

Sen Rob Portman, R-Ohio, is among the members who have advocated preserving the Medicaid expansion in Obamacare. To appease this group, the bill begins phasing out the expansion in four years rather than three years, as previously discussed in negotiations.

But other changes to the program may still pose problems. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said Friday that he would not support the bill barring changes that help states like his own which have embraced Medicaid expansion.

This bill is not the answer, and in its current form I will not support it, Heller said, adding that it will mean a loss of coverage for millions of Americans and many Nevadans.

A spokesperson for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the senator was reviewing the legislation and would wait to see the Congressional Budget Offices report, which is expected to be available early next week.

Another issue is the bills defunding of Planned Parenthood for a year. Collins has previously said that it is a mistake to attach funding for the health care provider to the bill, and another lawmaker, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, reportedly pledged to a constituent that she would not vote to defund Planned Parenthood. Both senators reiterated those stances Thursday.

But some conservative Republican lawmakers in both the Senate and the House may bail if the Planned Parenthood provisions are dropped. The House bill, called the American Health Care Act, also defunded Planned Parenthood, and it is unclear whether many lawmakers there would support a bill that did not cut funding for the group.

Other members may object to the funding the bill would allocate to combat opioid abuse. The Senate legislation provides $2 billion in 2018 for grants to the states. That is a fraction of the amount sought by some lawmakers, including Republicans. Portman and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., asked for more than 20 times that amount, $45 billion.

Capito said in a statement she was reviewing the bill and examining whether it would provide access to care for those struggling with drug addiction.

Read more about potential opposition to the proposal here.

-Andrew Bahl

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Police drag protesters away from McConnells office in die-in against Medicaid cuts

Protesters are removed from outside of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells office as they demonstrate against proposed cuts to Medicaid, June 22, 2017. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Fearing that Senate Republicans Better Care Reconciliation Acts cuts to Medicaid would prevent millions of low-income Americans from accessing life-saving care, activist group ADAPT dramatized what those deaths could look like  in front of Majority Leader Mitch McConnells office doors.

Capitol police were then forced to drag away dozens of protesters who were lying on the floor feigning death.

According to ADAPTs website, the group planned the die-in to protest the effect the bills cuts to Medicaid could have on Americans with disabilities.

Protesters shouted, Id rather go to jail than die without Medicaid, according to a statement on the groups website.

Senate Republicans released a discussion draft of the bill on Thursday. It is expected to be voted on early next week.  Taylor Rogers

To see a slideshow of photos from the protest, click here.

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Medical groups diagnose GOP health care bill: Its not well

Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

In addition to outrage from across the aisle, the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 was also met with criticism from medical advocacy groups across the country, including the American Medical Association, the American Association of Retired Persons, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Hospital Association.

While many of the groups support reforming Obamacare, several have stated that both the Better Care Reconciliation Act and its predecessor, the Houses American Health Care Act, would make the problems of the nations health care system worse.

Not only would the AHCA eliminate health insurance coverage for millions of Americans, the legislation would, in many cases, eliminate the ban against charging those with underlying medical conditions vastly more for their coverage, said American Medical Association President Andrew W. Gurman in a statement.

Read the full story here.  Taylor Rogers

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Read more from Yahoo News:
Senate-endorsed sanctions against Russia are on hold after the House flagged the proposed legislation for an obscure blue-slip violation. So what exactly is a blue slip and how can it stop Senate legislation?

Actually, the House and the Senate each have a policy where its members can slip a protest, on a blue piece of paper. In the Senate, blue slips are used by a Senator from a jurisdiction of a judicial nominee to show support or opposition to a nomination.

In the House, blue slips are filed when a member, usually the chair of the Ways and Means Committee, thinks a bill that originated in the Senate involves certain revenues considerations, and the bill should have started in the House instead.

The Constitutions Article 1, Section 7, Clause 1 states that all Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills. Known as the Origination Clause, the two legislative bodies dont always agree what is a revenue consideration and who actually originated passages in legislation that trigger a blue-slip complaint.

In the current debate, the Senate passed Russia sanctions in a 98-2 vote and sent its bill along to the House for consideration. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady said his committee worked closely with their Senate counterparts on the bills language to avoid a blue-slip situation, but he flagged the bill after talking with the House Parliamentarian about language added to it at the last moment that he hadnt seen.

At the end of the day, this isnt a policy issue; this isnt a partisan issue, Brady told reporters on Tuesday. This is a constitutional issue that well address in a positive way. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Corker, Bradys fellow Republican, didnt exactly agree with the House ruling. We felt like we had adequately dealt with the blue-slip issue when we did it. I look forward to seeing what the complaint might be, Corker said.

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So far, the offending passage hasnt been made public. But the House has the ability to exercise its constitutional privileges under the Origination Clause to return the bill to the Senate, with the blue piece of paper attached, listings its objections.

Normally, the House can reject a Senate bill if it includes language that included any meaningful revenue proposal. The Congressional Research Service says this definition of revenue is a question of interpretation that sits with the House. The Constitution does not provide specific guidelines as to what constitutes a bill for raising revenue, it said in a January 2017 report.

As of Tuesday, Brady said he would prefer that the Senate take the bill back and resubmit it without the provisions that triggered the blue slip. I think the Senate can move pretty quickly to correct that provision and send it back to us. That would be my preference.

The Senate also can resubmit the bill by inserting it in an already approved piece of House-proposed legislation that includes revenue measures.

Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.
By Marius Bosch MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Iraqi forces on Wednesday began a push towards the mosque in Mosul where Islamic State declared a self-styled caliphate three years ago, military officials said. The forces had encircled the jihadist group's stronghold in the Old City of Mosul, where the medieval Grand al-Nuri Mosque is located, on Tuesday, they said. The Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) were 200-300 meters (yards) away from the mosque, an Iraqi military statement said, a view supported by a senior commander of the international coalition fighting Islamic State. The U.S.-led coalition is providing air and ground support to the Mosul offensive that started on Oct. 17. The militants' leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaimed himself caliph from the pulpit of the mosque after the insurgents overran parts of Iraq and Syria. His black flag has been flying over its famous leaning minaret since June 2014. Iraqi officials have privately expressed the hope that the mosque could be captured in time for Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. The first day of the Eid falls this year on June 25 or 26 in Iraq. The battle for the Old City is becoming the deadliest in the eight-month-old offensive to capture Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital in Iraq. More than 100,000 civilians, of whom half are children, are trapped in its old fragile houses with little food, water, medicine, no electricity and limited access to clinics. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday sick and wounded civilians escaping through Islamic State lines were dying in "high numbers". "We are trying to keep families inside their houses and, after we secure their block, we will evacuate them through safe routes," Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Assadi, senior CTS commander in Mosul, told Iraqi state TV. The militants are moving stealthily in the Old City's maze of alleyways and narrow streets, through holes dug between houses, fighting back the advancing troops with sniper and mortar fire, booby traps and suicide bombers. They have also covered many streets with sheets of cloth to obstruct air surveillance, making it difficult for the advancing troops to hit them without a risk to civilians. "We are attacking simultaneously from different fronts to break them into smaller groups which are easier to fight," said an officer from the Federal Police, another force taking part in the assault on the Old City. The Iraqi army estimates the number of Islamic State fighters at no more than 300, down from nearly 6,000 in the city when the battle of Mosul started on Oct. 17. The fall of Mosul would, in effect, mark the end of the Iraqi half of the "caliphate" even though Islamic State would continue to control territory west and south of the city, the largest they came to control in both Iraq and Syria. Baghdadi has left the fighting in Mosul to local commanders and is believed to be hiding in the border area between Iraq and Syria, according to U.S. and Iraqi military sources. There was no confirmation of Russian reports that he was killed in Syria. "If you were a Daesh fighter (..) I dont sense you would feel as though you are being led by Baghdadi," Major General Rupert Jones, British deputy commander of the international coalition, said during a visit to eastern Mosul. "I suspect you feel isolated. I suspect you feel deserted and you know this is only going to end one way," he added. The Iraqi government initially hoped to take Mosul by the end of 2016, but the campaign took longer as militants reinforced positions in civilian areas to fight back. The militants are also retreating in Syria, mainly in the face of a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition. Its capital there, Raqqa, is under siege. About 850,000 people, more than a third of the pre-war population of Mosul, have fled, seeking refuge with relatives or in camps, according to aid groups. Jones said Iraqi forces had overcome the distrust that marked their relations with the population of Mosul, which facilitated Islamic State's takeover of the city in 2014. "There was a huge amount of distrust," he said. "There seems to be a genuine mutual trust between the security forces and the local population born out of mutual respect, and I have heard it multiple times today. That is fantastic." (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, writing by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Angus MacSwan and Richard Balmforth)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A court has told the Israeli airline El Al that it can no longer ask women passengers to switch seats if ultra-Orthodox Jewish men object to sitting next to them, an Israeli advocacy group said on Thursday. A case for damages from the carrier was brought by 83-year-old Renee Rabinowitz, who was asked by a flight attendant, after boarding a flight from Newark to Tel Aviv in 2015, if she would agree to move. The airline has said it tries to accommodate ultra-Orthodox men, who cite religious beliefs in seeking to avoid close proximity to women other than their wives, but never pressures female passengers to accede to a seat swap request. Rabinowitz did agree to move to another seat but later sued El Al, arguing she had felt "deep humiliation", the Israel Religious Center, which represented her, said in a statement. The group, which is the legal advocacy arm of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, said a Jerusalem court ruled on Wednesday that asking women to change seats at the request of ultra-Orthodox passengers violated anti-discrimination laws. The court ordered El Al to issue a written directive to its staff that such requests are illegal. It awarded Rabinowitz, a Holocaust survivor, 6,500 shekels ($1,800) in damages. "I feel good about the fact that (El Al) will now be required to tell ... haredim (ultra-Orthodox men) who want women to move, that they can't do it, that El Al flight attendants can't do it," Rabinowitz said on Israel Radio. Incidents in which flights on El Al and several non-Israeli airlines have been delayed on the tarmac over the refusal of some ultra-Orthodox men to sit next to women have drawn media attention in recent years. (Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
The photo dominated coverage of the meeting which followed about paid family leave: AP

Marco Rubio and Ivanka Trumps spectacularly calamitous hug is testimony of the old adage it takes two to tango.

The Florida senator, who ran against Donald Trump to become the Republican presidential candidate, was pictured attempting to embrace the President's daughter during a government meeting about paid family leave.

While he appeared awkwardly, stiffly eager as he leant in, Ms Trump looked obstinately unreceptive with her arms glued to her side. The image quickly went viral and overshadowed coverage of the actual contents of the meeting with Republican senators and representatives to discuss tax reform and parental leave.

Mr Rubio and Ms Trump have now responded to the infamously stilted hug and desperately attempted to brush off suggestions it was awkward.

Ms Trump, who is an unpaid White House advisor to her father, jumped in on the joke, saying: Anonymous sources say Marco Rubio planned the alleged failed hug. I have no comment (but I would have hugged him anyway!)

Fake news! Marco is an excellent hugger... https://t.co/Dk7XXRQlX8  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 20, 2017

The former White House, who is of Cuban descent, quipped he would be opening an investigation to unearth the truth about the alleged failed hug.

Just left Intel comm and informed meeting today with Ivanka Trump blowing up Twitter over alleged failed hug! Investigating. Will respond soon, Mr Rubio said on Twitter.

We believe we have our own unclassified photographic evidence that will shed greater details on this incident, he continued. "We are also attempting to acquire multi-angle video which we believe will provide greater insight into this important matter.

He then shared a new photo of the pair although it wasnt exactly clear what it was supposed to show.

New photo emerges providing more insight into alleged failed hug. (Faces blurred for security purposes) pic.twitter.com/GzSLe3JD3I  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017

The image immediately whipped up a frenzy on Twitter with people delighting in dissecting the moment. One person captioned the image with alternative lyrics from TLCs iconic song No Scrubs.

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I'm cringing just looking at this, chipped in another.

*Rubio after waiting for two hours behind the pillar

"Wow, Ivanka, what a surprise. It's so good to see you again." pic.twitter.com/qsxBXwpstp  Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) June 20, 2017

The photo dominated coverage of the meeting which followed about paid family leave. The US is the only industrialised country that does not guarantee some type of paid maternity time off for workers. This is partly due to Republican opposition to forking about federal funding for it.
A high school valedictorian forced to leave the stage after chastising school officials during his speech was able to finish his diatribe on national TV.

Peter Butera was ordered to leave the stage by the Wyoming Area High School principal as he deviated from his pre-approved speech and criticized the school.

Read: Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Down as He Reveals Infant Son's Heart Condition

The lack of a real student government, combined with the authoritative attitude that a few teachers, administrators and board members have, prevents students from truly developing as leaders, the student said during his speech.

The principal was seen signaling for the mic to be cut off and telling the student, Youre done.

Butera's fellow graduates were on his side, giving him a standing ovation. Others in the crowd could be heard yelling for the principal to let him finish.

On Tuesday night, Butera appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he was given the chance to finish his speech after the late night host poked fun of the principal.

Whoever cut that mic off should not be in charge of education of any kind, Kimmel said.

The host then introduced Butera, who joined him via video chat. He then resumed his speech where he left off.

Read: Jimmy Kimmel Returns to His Show, 'Apologizes' for Controversial Health Care Push

Hopefully, for the sake of future students, more people of power within our school who do not do so already will begin to prioritize education itself as well as the empowering of students and I hope that every one of my classmates here today as well as myself will go on to do great things in this world and achieve true happiness and success, he said.

Kimmel then offered Butera some parting advice: Keep being a pain in the a**."

Watch: George W. Bush Brings Laughs, Humility to 'Kimmel': 'The Best Humor Is When You Make Fun of Yourself'

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Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., at a town hall in Reno in April. (Photo: David Calvert/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  In a potentially significant blow to the Senate Republicans plan to repeal Obamacare, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., announced at a Friday press conference that hed vote against the bill in its current form.

His statement came a day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., unveiled the proposal. Within hours, four conservative senators  Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Mike Lee, R-Utah; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis.  voiced their opposition to the measure, saying it didnt go far enough in actually repealing Obamacare.

Heller is in a different position, saying the legislation is too drastic. He said Friday that he believed the bills changes to the Medicaid program would dramatically affect the residents of his state.

This bill is not the answer, and in its current form I will not support it, Heller said, adding that it will mean a loss of coverage for millions of Americans and many Nevadans.

He added that it would be very difficult to get him to support the bill.

Nevada has been one of 32 states to expand Medicaid, and both the Senate and House versions of the repeal legislation would significantly roll back that policy by ending the additional funds states received under Obamacare. The legislation would also cap the amount of money that states can receive from Medicaid.

Notably, Heller is up for reelection next year in a competitive seat. Last year, Hillary Clinton won the Silver State, which also elected Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, in a hotly contested race. The state is trending Democratic, with one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the West.

Nevadas Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, has also been a vocal critic of the House-approved American Health Care Act for its sharp cuts to Medicaid.

I chose to expand the Medicaid Program, to require managed care for most enrollees and to implement a state based health insurance exchange, Sandoval said in a January letter to House Republican leaders. These decisions made healthcare accessible to many Nevadans who had never had coverage options before.

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Sandoval noted in his letter that the expansion helped drop the uninsured rate from 23 percent, one of the highest in the nation, to 12 percent.

Sandoval appeared with Heller at the Friday press conference and reiterated his opposition to the Senates version of the health care legislation.

The current bill is something that needs to change, Sandoval said. There is still an opportunity to make this bill better, better for Nevadans.

Hellers announcement potentially puts McConnell and Republican senators in a bind. With Democrats universally opposed to the Obamacare repeal efforts, Republicans can lose only two votes from their own caucus if they are to meet the 50-vote threshold required to pass the bill. And while the four-member group of conservative senators opposed to the current bill said they were open to negotiations, any move to the right could alienate other, more moderate senators like Heller.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis of the bill will be available early next week, with McConnell pushing for a vote Thursday, before the July 4 recess.

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Photo credit: U.S. Air Force

From Popular Mechanics

(Image: The U.S. Air Force's X-37B unmanned spaceplane that orbits for hundreds of days at a time on classified missions.)

Lawmakers within the House Armed Services Committee have introduced legislation that would require the U.S. Air Force to establish a "Space Corps" as a distinct branch of the military by January 1, 2019, according to Space News. The proposed legislation would create a Space Corps to serve "as a separate military service within the Department of the Air Force and under the civilian leadership of the Secretary of the Air Force."

"There is bipartisan acknowledgement that the strategic advantages we derive from our national security space systems are eroding," said Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama and Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee in a statement. "We are convinced that the Department of Defense is unable to take the measures necessary to address these challenges effectively and decisively, or even recognize the nature and scale of its problems."

Rogers and Cooper are the top representatives of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which oversees military space operations. The House Armed Services Committee is preparing to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the subcommittee led by Rogers and Cooper introduced the new Space Corps legislation to the bill on Tuesday, June 20.

There are currently five branches of the United States Armed Forces: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. However, there are only three subordinate departments within the Department of Defense: the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force. The Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy, and in many cases Marines operate from Navy vessels, such as Marine Corps fighter squadrons that fly missions from Navy aircraft carriers. The Space Corps would be structured in much the same way, receiving its own four-star command but working closely with the Air Force to carry out its missions.

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Command of the Space Corps would fall to its own chief, equal in rank to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who would sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and answer to the Secretary of the Air Force. The legislation would also establish a U.S. Space Command under the U.S. Strategic Command.

Congress believes rapidly increasing space infrastructure from nations around the world presents a potential threat to U.S. assets in orbit. If an adversary destroyed satellite networks, it could cripple communications and surveillance systems that the military depends on. Lawmakers and military commanders envision a future where space is much more accessible and crowded, and U.S. leaders worry that an adversary such as China or Russia could gain a strategic edge over the United States by establishing military capability in space first.

While a number of Air Force generals said in May that the creation of a Space Corps would ultimately be necessary, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein maintains that the Air Force should manage military space operations for the time being. "I don't support it at this time," Goldfein said of the Space Corps proposal. "Whether there's a time in our future where we want to take a look at this again, I would say that we keep that dialog open, but right now I think it would actually move us backwards."

The introduction of legislation by the Strategic Force Subcommittee is just the beginning of a long road to actually establishing a Space Corps. The subcommittee will hold a formal legislative markup session to discuss the new portions of the bill on Thursday, June 22. After the subcommittee's session, the entire House Armed Services Committee will need to vote on the bill before it can be debated on the House floor, which is not expected to vote on the NDAA bill until after July 4. The Senate Armed Services Committee will also hold a markup session for the NDAA on June 28. If the Space Corps legislation in the bill makes it through votes from the entire House and Senate, then it will finally be sent to the White House to be signed into law.

Even if a Space Corps is not established by January 1, 2019, as currently proposed, lawmakers and military officers will continue to discuss the best way to provide for defense in orbit and beyond. In all likelihood, these debates will eventually lead to the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces.

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Caracas (AFP) - Her enemies have branded her insane, but those close to Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega say her defiance of the government over the country's deadly political crisis is pure courage.

A longtime sympathizer of the socialist movement that brought President Nicolas Maduro to power, Ortega, 59, says her relatives have received threats in recent weeks since she has emerged as the biggest challenge to his authority.

Her legal challenges have put more pressure on Maduro than months of legislative maneuvers by the opposition MUD coalition, which blames the president for Venezuela's economic collapse.

In return, Maduro's allies have set the machinery of the state judiciary in motion against her.

On Tuesday they secured a court ruling clearing the way for Ortega to be put on trial for alleged professional failings. Her opponents hope to fire her by July 30.

"I am prepared for anything," Ortega said in response, in a radio interview. "When you take on a job like this, you must be prepared."

- 'Dutiful' or 'traitor' -

Maduro has branded Ortega a traitor.

In a briefing with foreign reporters on Thursday, he accused her of resorting to "extremism," suggesting she "has aspirations to be a presidential candidate for the MUD."

Pro-government lawmaker Pedro Carreno on June 13 filed a motion in the legislature calling for experts to declare Ortega was suffering from "insanity."

But Ortega's husband of 18 years, socialist lawmaker German Ferrer, said she was "doing her duty" in defying Maduro.

"She would face up to anything to defend her values. She is the guarantor of legality in this country," he told AFP.

"She is a very level-headed person, brave and honest."

- Stalwart of 'revolution' -

Ortega was a supporter of "Chavismo," the socialist movement launched by Maduro's late predecessor Hugo Chavez in the 1990s.

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She was named state attorney for Caracas in 2002, and that year secured the convictions of police officers who attempted to topple Chavez in a failed coup.

Chavez approved her appointment as attorney general in 2007, and she was re-appointed in 2014 by a pro-Chavez legislature.

Ortega was also behind the controversial case that led to prominent opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez being handed a 14-year prison sentence in 2014.

Lopez was convicted of inciting violence during protests that led to deadly clashes. Another prosecutor in that case later fled Venezuela and declared that Lopez's conviction was ill-founded.

Lopez's lawyer Juan Carlos Gutierrez described Ortega as "an affable and respectful woman."

But he said that "in Leopoldo's case the public prosecution acted in a very irregular manner."

- Disillusioned with government -

Ortega's husband said that she became disillusioned with the government last year when the political conflict deepened and more opponents were locked up.

Ortega spoke out publicly when the Supreme Court tried to seize power from the legislative National Assembly in late March. She branded the short-lived move "a breach of constitutional order."

The rift laid bare by that declaration has since appeared to widen. If a party stalwart such as Ortega can break ranks, analysts say, others might follow.

Ortega has filed legal challenges against Maduro's plan for constitutional reform, alleging it is a threat to democracy and human rights.

She has accused the military of repressing protesters in deadly anti-government clashes that have left 74 people dead.

And she tried to sue the Supreme Court judges themselves, questioning the grounds on which they were appointed.

Pro-Chavez political scientist Nicmer Evans, a Maduro critic, said Ortega had a critical role to play in "restoring the country's institutions."

"She represents the worthy, democratic side of Chavismo," Evans said, "as opposed to the totalitarian pretensions of Maduro's camp."
Brendan Dassey, the Wisconsin inmate and subject of Netflixs Making a Murderer, has been awarded a new trial on the basis that his confession to police had been coerced. Dassey was only 16 at the time of his confession, which led to his 2007 conviction for helping his uncle, Steven Avery, commit the rape and murder of 25-year-old photographer, Teresa Halbach. Dassey later recanted the confession. He was sentenced to life in prison and is now 27.

Brendan Dassey (Photo Credit: Netflix)

A Wisconsin federal judge overturned Dasseys murder conviction last August, but that decision was later appealed. On Thursday, an appellate panel upheld the lower courts ruling.

In a statement, Dasseys lawyers said In rejecting the States assertion that Brendan confessed voluntarily, the court acknowledged what many parents already recognize: Brendans youthfulness and intellectual disability make him particularly vulnerable in the interrogation room. They called the ruling a significant step closer to achieving justice.

For now, Dassey remains in prison. The state has 90 days to decide if its going to retry Dassey, or else it will be forced to release him. If he is retried, his confession will be inadmissible. The Wisconsin attorney generals office could still appeal the ruling to the full Seventh Circuit, or to the Supreme Court.

Netflix has committed to future episodes of Making a Murderer, with the shows directors saying they will continue to document the story as it unfolds and follow it wherever it may lead.

Steven Avery, Dasseys uncle, remains in prison, where hes serving a life sentence.

Watch: Marcia Clark tells Ellen About the Very Weird Experience of Seeing O.J. Years After the Trial

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A woman smokes marijuana during the annual 4/20 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, April 20, 2017. (Reuters)

At a meeting of the provincial finance ministers this week, Ontarios Minister of Finance Charles Sousa said running out of pot is his main concern in the recreational marijuana rollout.

Ultimately the biggest problem that appears after todays discussion is one of supply, Sousa said, according to Bloomberg.

Other issues like taxes and program start date were also discussed, but the issue of meeting the demand for recreational marijuana remains a chief issue that will need to be addressed before July 2018.

A November report from Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. suggests that recreational sales of marijuana could reach $6 billion by 2021, with a combined demand for recreational and medical marijuana reaching 575,000 kilograms by that same year.

There will be a shortage initially, PI Financial analyst Jason Zandberg told Bloomberg. My concerns are that if that is used as an excuse to push the date of recreational legalization back, theres a danger that it slips into the next election cycle and doesnt actually happen.

An adjusted date for rollout was already requested by Manitoba finance minister Cameron Friesen, who said he fears that a year is not significant enough time to put all the pieces in place.

This is a very significant shift in how well operate, and we need to have that adequate time to develop the tools that we will need as a province to be able to implement this the correct way, said Friesen.

Its also time that could be used to increase supply.

Greg Engel of Organigram Holdings Inc. told Bloomberg that they have a current supply of 6,000kg they produce for the medical marijuana market, and plans to scale that to 26,000kg by the end of 2018, but he still anticipates the overwhelming demand will mean Canada is in short supply at the launch of the program.

The only way to address the looming shortage would be to grow more plants, but like recent lettuce and cauliflower shortages, the only way to increase supply is through time.

I dont know what anyone can do about it  you cant force the plants to grow faster, Cam Mingay, a senior partner at Cassels Brock , told Bloomberg.

You could approve 50 more tomorrow, and realistically they could probably be in production by the end of 2018 in any meaningful capacity.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Senate on Thursday unveiled its version of the American Health Care Act, the bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and roll back Medicaid.

The Senates version of the bill, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, is very similar to the bill passed by the House. A few changes from the House bill of note: an even lower growth rate for Medicaid funding for states, pushing the end of the Medicaid expansion back four years, and lower the income threshold for eligibility of premium subsidies to about $42,000.

The legislation is one of monumental unpopularity on both sides of the aisle, and passed the House with difficulty after the Congressional Budget Office found that 23 million people would lose healthcare coverage.

The bill cuts spending and taxesespecially for the wealthiest families by repealing the surtax on investment incomebut at a substantial cost, especially to older and low-income people. By 2024, the Medicaid expansion would be completely gone. The Senates bill also provides less funding for stabilization of high-risk pools, and by 2026 funding to stabilize would be gone.

The bill in all its forms has a massive number of detractors that extend past party lines, including four Republican senators as of Thursday afternoon, which may derail the legislation. Even President Donald Trump himself, who personally worked to whip the bill through the House, called the AHCA bill mean.

Combining the data from numerous national polls, analysis by the New York Times showed that Oklahoma is the state that supports the bill the most, and the support is at just 38%  with 45% of the population opposing it.

National polls show just 29% of Americans support the Republicans health bill, and in many Republican-heavy, Trump-friendly states, the support is still just 35%. It makes sense: supporting and signing a bill like this would violate Trumps campaign promises not to touch Medicaid and Medicare. This bill fundamentally weakens Medicaid and takes away funding from Medicare.

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Not only do these poll numbers indicate a sort of bipartisan consensus around this bill, health and medical groups have universally lashed it. Many of these groups support significant healthcare reformincluding changing Obamacarebut not in the way the AHCA, or the Better Care Reconciliation Act, do. Here are seven of the many health-focused groups and what they had to say about the AHCA and the Senates new bill.

American Medical Association

AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, M.D.: Not only would the AHCA eliminate health insurance coverage for millions of Americans, the legislation would, in many cases, eliminate the ban against charging those with underlying medical conditions vastly more for their coverage.

America should not go backward to the time when our fellow citizens with pre-existing health conditions faced high costs for limited coverage, if they were able to obtain coverage at all.

AARP

AARP descended on Capitol Hill in early June to urge senators not to back many of the specific provisions in the bill publically released on Thursday. The powerful special interest group called on the Senate to reject the bill: This new Senate bill was crafted in secrecy behind closed doors without a single hearing or open debateand it shows. The Senate bill would hit millions of Americans with higher costs and result in less coverage for them. AARP is adamantly opposed to the Age Tax, which would allow insurance companies to charge older Americans five times more for coverage than everyone else while reducing tax credits that help make insurance more affordable.

American Academy of Pediatrics

A statement from the AAP on Thursday: The physician leaders of six organizations representing more than half a million of Americas frontline physicians are strongly opposed to the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The U.S. Senates proposed health reform bill contains provisions that would do great harm to patients by repealing and undermining essential coverage and key patient protections established by the Affordable Care Act and make health care unaffordable for millions of Americans.

American Hospital Association

In a June 16 letter, President and CEO Richard J. Pollack asked the Senate to oppose the deep funding cuts in the bill. After the Senates bill was unveiled, the group released this statement:

From the onset of this debate, Americas hospitals and health systems have been guided by a set of key principles that would protect coverage for Americans.

Unfortunately, the draft bill under discussion in the Senate moves in the opposite direction, particularly for our most vulnerable patients. The Senate proposal would likely trigger deep cuts to the Medicaid program that covers millions of Americans with chronic conditions such as cancer, along with the elderly and individuals with disabilities who need long-term services and support. Medicaid cuts of this magnitude are unsustainable and will increase costs to individuals with private insurance.

We urge the Senate to go back to the drawing board and develop legislation that continues to provide coverage to all Americans who currently have it.

Federation of American Hospitals

Chip Kahn, president of Federation of American Hospitals: At this time, the [Better Care Reconciliation Act] draft does not sufficiently meet those principles which are so important to those Americans our community hospitals serve and our employees who care for those patients every day. Now is the time for the Senate to hit reset and make key improvements to this legislation.

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

The American Cancer Societys Cancer Action Network denounced the the Senates healthcare bill as it denounced the AHCA. Based on a preliminary read of the Senate health bill released today, the proposed legislation appears to significantly weaken the ability of millions of cancer patients, survivors and those at risk for the disease to find and afford adequate, meaningful health care coverage, the group wrote.

One particular aspect the ACS has criticized in the past is lifetime caps, which protect patients from having their insurance stop paying halfway through an expensive treatment, such as chemotherapy.

American Heart Association

The CEO of the American Heart Association ripped the Senates bill on Thursday. The Senate draft health care bill is literally heartless. If passed it would erode the very patient protections and coverage Americans need the most, she wrote. Our analysis of the proposed GOP health care reform plan indicates that, relative to current law, it significantly diminishes the existing Medicaid program, reduces access to quality coverage, raises premiums for older and low-income individuals and limits benefits. Despite its name, this isnt better care.

American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association expressed extreme disappointment with the AHCA and asked the Senate to preserve the ACA in late May when the bill was in the Senates court. After the House passed the bill, the Association wrote: The most alarming last-minute changes to the bill will allow states to waive the requirement for essential health benefits and health status rating. Weakening these rules will give insurers the ability to charge people with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, higher prices. It will also allow insurers to deny people with diabetes coverage for the care and services they need to treat their disease. States that waive these protections would be required to set up a risk sharing program, which could include a high-risk pool. Historically, high-risk pools have resulted in higher premiums, long waiting lists and inadequate coverage.

Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, tech, and personal finance. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Got a tip? Send it to tips@yahoo-inc.com.

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump held their first congressional picnic at the White House on Thursday evening, hosted on the South Lawn of the property. The grounds underwent a New York City transformation as they were decorated to resemble Central Park. Guests dressed accordingly for the outdoor setting, in light summer dresses and pastel polos  but nobodys look was more on point than Melanias.

The first lady and President Trump at the Congressional Picnic. (Photo: Getty Images)

Wearing a $2,225 Mary Katrantzou grid-print dress, FLOTUS was outfitted perfectly for the occasion. The classic fit-and-flare was paired with a neutral brown waist belt and pink suede heels, which brought the standout color palette to life.

Melania Trump in a Mary Katrantzou dress. (Photo: AP Images)

The classic silhouette is not unusual for the 47-year-old; however, the integration of mixed colors into her wardrobe is certainly a welcome departure from her typical monochromatic looks. The first lady has seemingly made a habit of wearing a limited color palette, whether it be the khaki dress she wore during her visit in Saudi Arabia or the gleaming gown she wore at this years Fords Theatre Annual Gala.

But as can be expected from the former model, shes proving that she looks good in just about anything.

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Video of 2016 arrest shows officer initiating traffic stop with gun leveled at Anthony Promvongsa, who is dragged from the car and punched and kneed

A Minnesota arrest in which a driver was dragged from his vehicle and repeatedly punched and kneed by a police officer was a disturbing and completely unnecessary example of an excessive use of force, the state ACLU has said.

Video recently obtained by the Minnesota chapter of the ACLU shows Buffalo Ridge drug taskforce agent Joe Joswiak initiating a traffic stop with his gun leveled at the drivers seat of the vehicle, shouting expletives at the driver, and violently removing him from the vehicle  seemingly before he had a chance to comply with the officers commands.

I had no idea what was going on when I was approached and attacked by this officer, Anthony Promvongsa, the man being arrested in the 2016 footage, told the ACLU.

Within six seconds of first ordering Promvongsa out for the vehicle, Joswiak had opened the drivers side door and began pulling the man out, repeatedly kneeing him and throwing a number of punches.

The video was captured from a different officers dashboard camera. Shortly after the violent arrest of Promvongsa begins, the audio cuts out; the ACLU says it was intentionally shut off by the second officer as Joswiak hurled abusive language at the man.

I did not even have the opportunity to take off my seatbelt before I was literally blindsided with this unnecessary attack, Promvongsa said. I immediately pulled over for the Worthington [Minnesota] squad car and before I knew what was happening I was beat and ripped from my vehicle. I know I am not the first person to have this type of traumatic experience with law enforcement in Worthington.

He added: This type of violence with community members has to stop. This encounter was demoralizing and has left me scared of future interactions with the police.

Teresa Nelson, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota, said that the branch was calling for an investigation of Joswiaks behavior and for him to be held accountable for his brutal attack on Anthony Promvongsa, up to and including termination and prosecution.

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Thus far Agent Joswiak has received no punishment for this abhorrent treatment of Anthony, Nelson said. This sends a message that the department condones the officers behavior, which it should not.

The incident began when an off-duty officer called in a report that Promvongsa was driving recklessly. Prosecutors charged Promvongsa, a Laotian American, with assault with a dangerous weapon (a motor vehicle), one count of fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle, possession of a small amount of marijuana and driving after revocation. His case is still pending, and no trial date has currently been set.

In a joint press release, local authorities called the video one piece of evidence in a pending criminal case.

The video, viewed in a vacuum, shows only a short segment of the incident that is the basis of the criminal charges, said the statement from the Buffalo Ridge drug task force, the Worthington police department and the Nobles County attorneys office.

Joswiak did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Guardian.

The accusation comes just days after another Minnesota officer, Jeronimo Yanez, was acquitted in the shooting death of Philando Castile.
LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Harry said no one in Britain's royal family wants to be king or queen and criticized a decision to force him to parade behind his mother Princess Diana's coffin after her death in 1997, according to an interview with a U.S. magazine. "We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people ... Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen?" Harry, 32, who is fifth in line to the throne, told the Newsweek magazine "I don't think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time." Queen Elizabeth, 91, has been on the throne since 1952 and is currently the world's oldest and longest reigning monarch. Harry said they wanted to carry on her work but her family would not be "trying to fill her boots". "The monarchy is a force for good," he said. "We dont want to dilute the magic ... The British public and the whole world need institutions like it." Harry, along with his elder brother William and William's wife Kate, has become a prominent mental health campaigner, citing his own anguish and emotional struggles following the death of his mother in a Paris car crash 20 years ago and disclosing how he sought counseling to help him cope. [nL8N1HT34O] In the interview, Harry said how the decision to make him walk behind her coffin as the funeral cortege slowly made its way through the packed streets of London in front of huge crowds of mourners when he was just 12 had had a lasting impact. "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television," he said. "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today." The prince, who is dating U.S. actress Meghan Markle, last year criticized the media for intruding into her private life and he told Newsweek that he tried to live an "ordinary life" despite the huge global attention he attracts. He said even if he were king, he would do his own shopping. [nL8N1D938M] "I sometimes still feel I am living in a goldfish bowl, but I now manage it better," he said. "People would be amazed by the ordinary life William and I live. I do my own shopping. Sometimes, when I come away from the meat counter in my local supermarket, I worry someone will snap me with their phone. "But I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too." (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
In its final months, the Obama administration debated dozens of options to punish Russia for its cyber campaign to disrupt U.S. democracy, according to a new report.

The Washington Post published a deeply sourced article Friday morning on former President Barack Obamas secret campaign to make Moscow pay for attempting to influence and discredit last years presidential election.

Last August, Obama received a report from the CIA that Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out specific instructions to damage or defeat then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and help elect Trump, according to the Post.

He also has a personal animus toward Hillary Clinton, whom he blames for uprisings in Russia several years ago when he returned as president of Russia. There were protests  lots of protests. And he still believes that a lot of that activity was incited not just by the United States, but by Hillary Clinton, one of the reports authors, Greg Miller, said on the Can he do that? podcast.

Though Obama approved retaliatory measures in late December  sanctions and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats  they were modest compared to the more aggressive alternatives the White House had reportedly considered: stronger sanctions that would crater Russias economy, the release of material (gathered by the CIA) that would humiliate Putin and cyberattacks on Russian infrastructure.

Former President Barack Obama wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin to pay for interfering with the U.S. democratic process last year. (Yahoo News photo Illustration; photos: AP)

In fact, according to the Washington Post report, which cites more than three dozen current and former senior U.S. government officials, Obama had authorized planting cyber weapons in Russias infrastructure  the digital equivalent of bombs that could be detonated if the United States found itself in an escalating exchange with Moscow.

The project, which Obama approved in a covert-action finding, was still in its planning stages when Obama left office. It would be up to President Trump to decide whether to use the capability, the report said.

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President Trump seems unlikely to follow through on using these cyber weapons, considering his dismissive comments about Russian interference in the election.

By the way, if Russia was working so hard on the 2016 Election, it all took place during the Obama Admin. Why didn't they stop them?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017

And during the campaign, Trump embraced the WikiLeaks email disclosures that the U.S. intelligence community later said were the result of Russian hackers weaponizing information stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Clintons campaign chairman.

The Obama administration was largely silent throughout this time, issuing an Oct. 7 statement accusing the Kremlin of being behind the attack. But that news failed to make much of an impact, as Oct. 7 was the same day the Washington Post published the 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump boasted about groping and forcibly kissing women.

After Trump won the election, Obama issued the round of sanctions against Russia and seized two diplomatic compounds. Despite intense deliberation  reportedly treated with secrecy tantamount to that surrounding the Osama bin Laden raid  those moderate sanctions are still the most significant public response to the Russian influence campaign.

Some administration officials regret that the White Houses response was not more forceful.

President Trump smiles at supporters as he arrives to speak at a rally on June 21, 2017, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)

Russia violated our sovereignty, meddling in one of our most sacred acts as a democracy  electing our president. The Kremlin should have paid a much higher price for that attack, Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia under Obama, told the Post.

On Friday morning, CNNs Alisyn Camerota asked Kellyanne Conway, a top Trump adviser, what the White House is doing to respond to the Russian attack.

This report is very new and well discuss it with him later, but hes been very clear on the record that he believes in any type of numbers of measure to make sure that democracy flourishes and that our voter integrity is intact, Conway replied.

Clearly frustrated, Camerota pushed Conway several times to provide concrete examples of Trumps actions, but her responses focused mostly on Trumps clear statements that he disapproves of foreign interference.

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Family and friends of Mr DuBose arrive at the courthouse for the trial of the man who killed him: Getty Images

A mistrial has been declared in the case of a white Ohio police officer who was accused of shooting an unarmed black man.

A jury was unable to come to a consensus on whether Cincinnati officer Ray Tensing, 27, was guilty of charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter after he shot and killed Sam DuBose, 43.

It is the fourth time that courts havent convicted police officers charged with the death of black men.

The jury, which is composed of nine white members and three black members, was reportedly about evenly split when Judge Leslie Ghiz declared the mistrial.

Body cam footage of Mr DuBoses death went viral online and sparked outrage around the country. In the video, Mr Tensing approaches Mr DuBose during a traffic stop. The motorist attempts at one point to keep his door shut when the officer tries to open the door.

Mr Dubose can be heard saying that he hadnt done anything wrong.

In the chaotic next moments, Mr DuBose appears to reach for the ignition of his car, and the officer reaches in to stop him. A gunshot can be heard during a chaotic scuffle  at this point the car is beginning to move, according to testimony  before the camera footage becomes clear again, showing Mr Tensing with his gun in his hand.

The car, in gear, continues forward until it crashes about a block away.

The traffic stop was conducted outside of the University of Cincinnati campus because the vehicle Mr DuBose was driving was missing a front license plate.

Mr Tensing later said that he had shot because he feared that he could be run over by the car as Mr DuBose tried to get away.

Other recent acquittals or mistrials in cases of officers killing black men include a ruling this week in which Wisconsin officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown  a black officer  was clear for shooting Sylville Smith. Last week, a jury acquitted Minnesota officer Geronimo Yanez on charges stemming from shooting Philando Castile, who had indicated he had a legal firearm in his car when he was stopped. Officer Betty Jo Shelby in Oklahoma was cleared last month in the shooting of Terence Crutcher, who was unarmed.
Hackers with ties to the Russian government successfully altered voter information stole thousands of voter records containing private information during attempts to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Time reported.

According to current and former officials who spoke with Time, hackers targeting local election databases were able to modify voter rolls in at least one instance and made off with information including partial Social Security numbers belonging to registered voters.

Read: Did Russia Hack U.S. Election? NSA Details Attempts To Compromise Election Systems, Report Says

Another case found hackers were able to manipulate voter data in a countys voter database but the changes were discovered and restored, undermining the potential effects of the hack. In that case, the hackers were not identified as Russian agents.

In Illinois, Russian state actors stole more than 90,000 records from the states voter rolls. Ninety percent of those records contained drivers license numbers. Another quarter of them contained the last four digits of the voters Social Security number.

While there is an ongoing investigation into ties between members of Donald Trumps presidential campaign team and members of the Russian government, there is no evidence to suggest the stolen voter records were provided to the Trump campaignthough Congressional investigators are investigating that possibility.

If any campaign, Trump or otherwise, used inappropriate data the questions are, How did they get it? From whom? And with what level of knowledge? the former top Democratic staffer on the House Intelligence Committee, Michael Bahar, told TIME. That is a crux of the investigation."

Read: Can US Elections Be Hacked? Security Experts Call For More Protections Against Election Hacking

The report provides new detail into the scope of Russias hacking efforts during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Earlier this month, former FBI director James Comey revealed that hundreds if not more than one thousand entities in the U.S. were targeted by Russian hacking efforts.

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A National Security Agency (NSA) document published by the Intercept this month provided details into how Russian military-backed hackers targeted U.S. companies that manufacture election software and hardware. The report found the attacks were successful in compromising at least one voting software maker, and that data was used to target at least 122 local election officials across the country in the days leading up to the presidential election.

Following the publication of the NSA document, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said Russian attempts to attack U.S. election software and hardware manufacturers were more serious and pervasive than the leak indicated.

This week, the Department of Homeland Securitys acting Director of Cyber Division of the department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis Samuel Liles told the Senate Intelligence Committee the intelligence community found 21 states "were potentially targeted by Russian government-linked cyber actors." At the time, he did not provide details into which states were affected.

Liles said only a small number of the attempted intrusions into the election systems were successful, and none are believed to have led to the manipulation of any results. According to Liles, the U.S. election system is likely to detect any attempt to change votes and said the intelligence community has a "very high level of confidence" in that conclusion.

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Washington (AFP) - Russia has canceled a meeting with senior US diplomats in the wake of Washington's decision to reinforce sanctions imposed over its interference in Ukraine and occupation of Crimea.

US Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon had been due in St Petersburg on Friday to mend diplomatic fences with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

But relations between Moscow and Washington are at a low even by the standards of a rivalry that goes back to the Cold War, and Washington's decision to ramp up its sanctions regime provoked the anger of President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.

Shannon had hoped to address "irritants" in the relationship, such as tension over Moscow's intimidation of US diplomats and the US seizure of two Russian diplomatic compounds near Washington and New York.

But even this minor first step towards finding enough common ground to allow the rival nuclear powers to begin to address more fundamental issues -- such as Russia's intervention in Ukraine -- has now fallen apart.

"We regret that Russia has decided to turn away from an opportunity to discuss bilateral obstacles that hinder US-Russia relations," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

On Tuesday, the United States added 38 individuals and entities to its sanctions list targeting the Russians and pro-Russian rebels it blames for the fighting in Ukraine.

This appears to have been what triggered Moscow's decision to cancel the meeting, although US President Donald Trump also met Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday.

But the State Department insisted that the sanctions were not being expanded, merely "maintained," by adding new targets as Moscow finds ways around the previous embargo.

And Washington insisted the punitive measures would stay in place until Russia honors the Minsk agreement to disengage from eastern Ukraine and returns the annexed Crimea region to Kiev.

"We have regularly updated these sanctions twice a year since they were first imposed," Nauert explained. "Let's remember that these sanctions didn't just come out of nowhere.

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"Our targeted sanctions were imposed in response to Russia's ongoing violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbor, Ukraine," she said.

- 'Not the moment' -

Russia's foreign ministry said that, given the new sanctions, it was "not the moment" to hold the Shannon-Ryabkov talks, which Washington had announced on Tuesday.

And, asked whether the meeting could be rescheduled, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "I have no confirmation that these consultations will take place."

Separately, Ryabkov himself, in a foreign ministry statement, threatened that Moscow would take retaliatory measures.

"This measure will not remain without a reaction -- there will be measures in response on our behalf," he warned.

"We regret that once again the American authorities have allowed themselves to be guided by the frenzied Russophobes in Congress, who will stop at nothing to cause us trouble, and especially to reduce to zero any chance of an improvement in Russian-American ties," he alleged.

- Putin's 'best friend'? -

Ryabkov's reference to Congress reflects a view in Moscow that Trump's arrival in the White House might have heralded a new friendship with Putin's Kremlin were it not for domestic US opposition.

Trump had warm words for Russia during his election campaign -- and earlier, such as when he promoted the Miss Universe beauty pageant in Moscow in 2013 and tweeted that he would like to become Putin's "best friend."

But since coming to office, Trump has become embroiled in intrigue surrounding the alleged attempt by Moscow's agents to swing the election in his favor by hacking the emails of his opponents and spreading online propaganda.

Trump has also appointed more orthodox national security officials, such as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who remain wary of Moscow and see Russia as a strategic opponent.

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Moscow (AFP) - Two Russian warships and a submarine in the Mediterranean have fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in Syria, the defence ministry said Friday.

It said that Turkish and Israeli military "were informed in a timely manner of the missile launches through communication channels," but it did not mention the United States.

Russia has suspended its communication channel with the US on military operations in Syria after a US jet shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday, with Moscow accusing Washington of failing to issue a warning.

The defence ministry said that Russia's Admiral Essen and Admiral Grigorovich warships and the Krasnodar submarine fired six Kalibr missiles at command centres and weapons stores in Syria's Hama region.

"As a result of the surprise mass missile strike, command points were destroyed and also large stores of weapons and ammunition of the IS terrorists in the area of Aqirbat in the Hama province," it said.

The ministry added that Russian planes then carried out aerial strikes that "destroyed the remainder of the IS fighters and their facilities."

The ministry released video footage of missiles being fired from underwater by the submarine and from the ships as well as aerial footage of the missiles striking two-storey buildings in what appeared to be semi-desert areas.

The most recent such strikes from ships and submarines were announced by the ministry on May 31, aimed at targets around Palmyra.

The defence ministry said Friday that IS fighters have been moving forces into Hama province this week under cover of night and using large buildings there as command points and weapons stores.

It said the fighters were trying to move out from Raqa towards Palmyra.
Scarlett Johansson was on Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton, where the Avengers star discussed the superhuman task of wearing her Black Widow costume. When James asked Scarlett why she had a "freak out moment" the first time she saw her Black Widow catsuit, she replied, "What do you mean, 'Why?' Look at that thing!" Scarlett then added, "I mean, who wants to get into something like that?" Scarlett shared her reaction to the costume, and a change she would like to make to it. She said, "You just think, 'Oh, God. Really? Couldn't it have, like, I don't know, some sort of a little, like, peplum skirt or something like that?'" While Scarlett would look good in just about any costume, her "freak out moment" was about more than just a skin-tight catsuit. Scarlett said, "It also was everything it represented. I mean, the character was so beloved. Obviously, she's kind of the first Marvel superheroine. You know, she's an iconic character, and I didn't know how people were gonna take -- the fact that I -- the part had been recast. You know, maybe they'd already accepted the other actor as that part, or you know, what the hell was I doing in this kind of franchise? So it was daunting." Although, the most daunting part for ScarJo was getting a gym membership. She said, "I had never been to the gym once. Ever. It was just unbelievable. And I had to transform myself in, like, a period of five weeks. So just everything changed. It hurt. The recovery was like -- I just think I was sore for about five months."
According to a prominent astrophysics professor from Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, an asteroid strike to Earth is a matter of time, reported the Belfast Telegraph Wednesday.

Professor Alan Fitzsimmons issued this warning because of Asteroid Day, which is held on June 30 to remember the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia. On June 30, 1908, an explosion hit the region surrounding the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia. It destroyed 800 square miles of the forest and ripped 80 million trees from the ground.

Read: Stephen Hawking Predictions 2017: Humans Must Build Mars Colony Or Go Extinct On Earth

For years, the cause of the explosion was unknown, but the most widely accepted conclusion was that a space rock hit Siberia. The object weighed 220 million pounds and generated the energy equivalent of 185 Hiroshima bombs.

tunguska

Photo: Getty Images

Fitzsimmons said that a similar, possibly more dangerous asteroid could hit earth today and destroy a city. He and other experts planned to hold a debate that can be livestreamed on June 30 to answer questions via various social networks.

Astronomers find Near-Earth Asteroids every day and most are harmless, Fitzsimmons said. But it is still possible the next Tunguska would take us by surprise.

Tunguska is a well-known phenomenon within the space community.

If you want to start a conversation with anyone in the asteroid business, all you have to do is say Tunguska, said Don Yeomans, manager of the Near-Earth Object Office at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is among those who study potentially harmful comets and asteroids in relation to Earth.

From a scientific point of view, I think about Tunguska all the time, he said.

However, he added, The thought of another Tunguska does not keep me up at night.

In early June 2017, a group of astronomers from the Czech Academy of Sciences addressed the increased risk that Earth will be hit by an asteroid from a newly discovered branch of the Taurids meteor stream. Members of the new branch were on the International Astronomical Unions list of potentially hazardous asteroids. According to the Czech scientists, the possibility exists of collision between the asteroids and Earth.

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asteroid impact

Photo: Getty Images

At the Starmus science festival in Trondheim, Norway, Stephen Hawking also claimed it was only a matter of time before Earth is destroyed by one of several factors, including the possibility of an asteroid strike.

Read: Will An Asteroid Hit Earth? Czech Scientists Warn of Growing Risk

I am convinced that humans need to leave earth. The earth is becoming too small for us, he said. When we have reached a similar crisis in our history, there has usually been somewhere else to colonize. We are running out of space and the only places to go are other worlds.

According to Hawking, the Moon and Mars are the best starting points in which to establish colonies.

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Montreal (AFP) - Sears Canada filed for court protection from creditors Thursday as the onetime retail giant seeks to adapt to a changed business landscape and tougher online competition.

The company also announced it was shutting 59 stores and laying off 2,900 staff at corporate headquarters in Toronto and across its retail network.

The company's roots in the American mail order business Simpsons-Sears sprouted a chain of department stores across Canada that anchored hundreds of malls.

In 1999, it bought up the assets and locations of failed rival Eaton's.

But moves into Canada by both low- and high-end American stores, and new online competition squeezed its market share.

Sears Canada started to revamp its operations 18 months ago.

Its revenues have dropped significantly in recent years as it cut 3,000 jobs -- not including the latest round of layoffs -- and closed half of its stores.

Thursday's announcement leaves it with fewer than 150 department stores, home stores and smaller retail outlets.

But the company has started to show small signs of a comeback with same store sales up in the last two quarters.

The company said in a statement that it faces "continued liquidity pressures" and "legacy components of its business are preventing it from making further progress" in its turnaround efforts.

If the court grants its request, Sears Canada said it "will work to complete its restructuring in a timely fashion and hopes to exit CCAA (Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act) protection as soon as possible in 2017, better positioned to capitalize on the opportunities that exist in the Canadian retail marketplace."

Its stock price, meanwhile, has fallen from about Can$4 to Can$0.62 in the past year.
More than one hundred security researchers and experts signed on to a letter sent to member of the United States Congress to warn of their belief that not enough has been done to protect against potential threats to state and federal elections.

The letter, published Wednesday as a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, argues many states are unprepared to respond to cybersecurity risks that may arise during upcoming election.

Read: Did Russia Hack U.S. Election? NSA Details Attempts To Compromise Election Systems, Report Says

The signatories laid out three primary suggestions for securing the electoral process and prevent against any potential tampering that may occur.

First, the experts called on election officials to establish voter-verified paper ballots as the official record of voter intent. Doing so would require phasing out paperless voting machines that offer no way to verify if a vote tallied by the system corresponds to the vote intended to be cast by the voter.

Additionally, the researchers who signed on to the letter hope to see the implementation of cyber safeguards to protect against internet-related security vulnerabilities. Included in the recommendations were the creation of firewalls between voter registration, ballot delivery and election management systems.

The group also called for the creation of layered backup systems to prevent against corruption of vital data and information so even if a system were to be breached, a previous version of the information would be secure and accessible.

Read: Did Russia Hack The US Election? Senator Warns Russian Cyberattack Worse Than Reported

Reviews to ensure compliance with the Department of Homeland Securitys recommendations for securityincluding penetration testing, network scanning and detection methodswere also advised. Interestingly, the group also suggested discouraging any sort of online voting even in states where it is legal, as those ballots are more likely to be subject to attack.

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Finally, the security experts asked for federal elections to require a robust audit upon completion before the results are certified. The proposed review would require a comparison of random voting system samples compared to hand counts of the votes and public oversight for all auditsincluding publishing the results of the audits in detail.

The letter, which included signatories like PGP creator Phil Zimmermann and computer science professors at a number of institutions across the U.S., was delivered as officials from the Department of Homeland Security spoke to Congress about Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.

Samuel Liles, the DHS acting Director of Cyber Division of the department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis told the committee the intelligence community concluded 21 states "were potentially targeted by Russian government-linked cyber actors."

Liles did not disclose which states were included in the 21 targeted. International Business Times reached out to the DHS for more details but did not receive a response.

Liles said only a small number of the attempted intrusions into the election systems were successful, and none are believed to have led to the manipulation of any results. According to Liles, the U.S. election system is likely to detect any attempt to change votes and said the intelligence community has a "very high level of confidence" in that conclusion.

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Rand Paul and other conservatives say bill resembles Obamacare too closely



Decision of quartet puts Republicans healthcare overhaul in jeopardy

Rand Paul said: The current bill does not repeal Obamacare. I will oppose it coming to the floor in its current form, but I remain open to negotiations. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Four Republican senators are preparing to announce their opposition to the new Senate healthcare bill, putting the GOPs attempt to overhaul Barack Obamas signature legislation in jeopardy.

Rand Paul of Kentucky told the Associated Press that the draft bill released on Thursday resembled Obamacare too closely and did not go far enough in repealing the former presidents Affordable Care Act.

Paul, a conservative Republican, said he and the other senators were definitely open to negotiation but that they needed to make their opposition clear in order to ensure negotiations happened. The other three senators are Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

The current bill does not repeal Obamacare, Paul said in a statement. It does not keep our promises to the American people. I will oppose it coming to the floor in its current form, but I remain open to negotiations.

Cruz echoed those concerns in his own statement. This bill draft does not do nearly enough to lower premiums, said the Texas Republican. That should be the central issue for Republicans  repealing Obamacare and making healthcare more affordable. Because of this, I cannot support it as currently drafted, and I do not believe it has the votes to pass the Senate.

The draft bill unveiled by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell met a mixed reaction on Capitol Hill from his own party and severe criticism from Democrats.

The bill, which was the Senate response to the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the House of Representatives in May, made several changes to the controversial House legislation.

Like their counterparts in the House, Republican senators want to give middle-class Americans tax credits to buy insurance, but those subsidies would still be worth less than those currently provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), popularly known as Obamacare, and people would also need to earn less money to quality for them.

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Additionally, the Senates bill, like the one passed by the House, would allow states to decide which benefits insurance must cover. This could herald a return to pre-ACA days, when Americans who bought their own insurance faced expensive riders for coverage such as mental health care, maternity care and addiction treatment.

The bill would also slash Medicaid, which provides health insurance to one in five Americans.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, deputy press secretary at the White House, declined to comment on Trumps reaction to proposed cuts to Planned Parenthood and Medicaid.

Pressed on whether Trump still believes in his campaign pledge not to cut Medicaid, Sanders replied: I havent had a specific conversation to see if there is an update to that but I do know that he wants to protect that as much as possible.



The AHCA narrowly passed the House in May despite Republican opposition from moderates, who found its cuts to Obamacare too draconian, and conservatives, who thought it still gave government too large a role in healthcare.

The Senate bill met similar concerns from both wings of the GOP caucus on Thursday.

With the expectation that all 48 Democrats will vote against the bill, the Senate leadership can afford only two defections, which would still require a tie-breaking vote from Mike Pence, the vice-president, for the bill to pass.

A spokesman for Susan Collins, a leading GOP moderate, said she had a number of concerns and was particularly interested in what the analysis by the Congressional Budget Office due next week would say about the impact on insurance coverage, the effect on insurance premiums, and the changes in the Medicaid program.

Senator Dean Heller, a Republican from the Democratic-leaning state of Nevada who is up for re-election next year, said he had serious concerns with the way the legislation would dramatically restructure and scale back Medicaid.

Throughout the healthcare debate, I have made clear that I want to make sure the rug is not pulled out from under Nevada or the more than 200,000 Nevadans who received insurance for the first time under Medicaid expansion, Heller said. At first glance, I have serious concerns about the bills impact on the Nevadans who depend on Medicaid.

On a conference call with reporters, Republican staff said the draft did not include a continuous coverage provision, which was the House bills replacement for the individual mandate, the ACAs controversial provision requiring Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine.

The provision as drafted in the House plan would allow states to apply for waivers to opt out of the laws insurance rules for those who have not maintained continuous coverage. A Republican staffer on the call said the party was exploring options to include a similar piece in the Senate bill, though it was not clear if such language was permissible under budget rules.

McConnell is hoping to put the bill on an expedited timeline in order to ensure a vote in the next week, but his colleagues were skeptical about that rapid turnaround, considering the number of amendments that are likely to be offered in the coming days.

Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said: Its truly a draft ... Im not that superficial to say I support or dont support a bill I havent read.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina added: I think were probably gonna get a lot of pushback from people from the right in the House.

However, John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate majority whip, told reporters that McConnell could file the final bill as late as Tuesday and that it would encompass additional conversations and ideas between now and then.
Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Photo: Everett)



Warning: This post contains spoilers for Transformers: The Last Knight.

If pictures speak louder than words, then Shia LaBeouf is practically screaming while re-watching his three Transformers films during his 2015 career-encompassing piece of performance art, #ALLMYMOVIES. As photos illustrated at the time, the actor grew visibly distraught while the trilogy-capping Transformers: Dark of the Moon unspooled onscreen, even getting up and leaving the theater for an hour after it concluded. In case there was any lingering doubt, that reaction pretty much guaranteed that we wouldnt be seeing his robot nerd Sam Witwicky fighting alongside the Autobots again anytime soon.

Leave it to Transformers auteur Michael Bay to find a way to give his former leading man a shout-out in what the director is vowing will be his own franchise swan song a decade after the original 2007 summer blockbuster. Sams face is briefly glimpsed in a mugshot-quality photo midway through Transformers: The Last Knight, which depicts the young hero flashing a ridiculously goofy grin, as well as a hairstyle that vaguely resembles Weird Al Yankovics Coolio look circa the Bad Hair Day album. The photo is part of a mid-movie info dump delivered by Anthony Hopkinss character, Sir Edmund Burton, who knows a lot  perhaps too much  about the history of Transformer activity on Earth.

Megan Fox and LaBeouf in the original Transformers (Photo: Everett)



Because as you may or may not remember from the franchises increasingly complicated mythology, Sam wasnt the first human to come face to face with a citizen of Cybertron. The Transformers have been stomping around on Earth since the supposedly mythical days of King Arthur, handing all-powerful staffs to drunken charlatans like that fake wizard Merlin  played in The Last Knight by Stanley Tucci in a performance that would feel right at home in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Said staff, which is the object that both the Autobots and the Decepticons are pursuing throughout the film, is then passed down through Merlins bloodline, the lineage of which is known by the Order of Witwiccans, a secret society that has reached its last living member in Burton.

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Its the job of the Witwiccans to curate the lengthy legacy and many mementos of Transformer-human relations, and their own family tree has many offshoots. And as LaBeoufs photographic cameo heavily implies, one of those branches appears to be the Los Angeles-based Witwicky family, which, besides Sam, includes his eternally bickering mother and father Ron and Judy (Kevin Dunn and Julie White). Their connection to the larger Witwiccan clan has clearly been lost to the mists of time, although Sams great-great-grandfather, Archibald Witwickywho discovered Megatron on a 19th century Arctic Circle expedition glimpsed in the original Transformersmay have been a more active member. But Burton, at least, knows about them, and furthermore probably has some idea of Sams whereabouts after the events of Dark of the Moon. Based on Sams appearance in the photo, were assuming hes either living large in Silicon Valley after inventing some kind of Autobot app or in lock up for being a public nuisance.

Fox and LaBeouf in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Photo: Everett)

Whether intended as funny Easter egg or a more pointed jab at an actor whom Bay has clashed with in the past, LaBeoufs ultra-brief appearance in The Last Knight does bring this era of the franchise to a close just before its planned expansion. And the actor has gone on record encouraging his former director to expand his horizons beyond robots in disguise. Hes got to get a little ballsier with his moves, LaBeouf told Variety in 2016. Hes trying to toe the line and be James Cameron, but James Camerons are dying. I dont know what hes chasing, but that version of director is dead. If Mike is to sustain, hes got to get fing weird. Weirder than Transformers at the Round Table?

Transformers: The Top 5 Very Bad Moments from the Franchise:

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By Andrew Chung

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday narrowed the rights of property owners in disputes with governments and laid out a formula for determining when landowners are owed compensation in a case involving a vacant lot in Wisconsin on the picturesque St. Croix River.

The court decided that government officials can combine separate parcels of private land in determining whether public officials have effectively taken private property through zoning laws and must pay compensation. The ruling could make it harder for property owners to prove compensation claims.

The justices, in the 5-3 ruling written by conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy and joined by the court's four liberals, upheld the use of zoning regulations by Wisconsin to prevent members of the Murr family from selling the vacant lot because the four siblings also owned an adjoining parcel of land.

The ruling set out a multi-factor test for courts to use to determine when a property taking requiring compensation to an owner has occurred, weighing how land is divided, its physical relationship to the surrounding environment, and the value of the land.

"This is an unfortunate decision for the Murrs, and all property owners," said John Groen, executive vice president and general counsel of the Pacific Legal Foundation, the conservative legal group that represented the family.

Watch news, TV and more Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

The state's attorney general, Republican Brad Schimel, called the ruling a "victory for the rule of law in Wisconsin."

State and local governments nationwide are grappling with ways to manage urban sprawl, provide services to residents and protect the environment, often by limiting the use of private property and leading to litigation by landowners.

Courts have recognized that in some cases, regulation can go so far as to deprive the owner of the value of their property, requiring compensation by the government. The legal issue behind the Murr family's case is how courts should make that call.

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The dispute began in 2004 when the four Murr siblings, who own two adjacent parcels of land on the St. Croix River in Troy, Wisconsin, wanted to sell an empty lot purchased by their late parents decades ago as a family investment, hoping to fund repairs to their family cabin on the adjacent parcel.

Citing zoning regulations, county officials told them it was too small to develop and they would have to sell it with the adjacent lot.

The Murrs sued, alleging that the government had effectively taken the land without compensation. Without the ability to sell or develop the lot, it had been rendered economically useless, they said.

A Wisconsin appeals court sided with the state and local county in 2014, saying officials had not deprived the family of their property because both lots were contiguous and could be sold or developed together.

The family appealed to the Supreme Court. Their position was supported by various agricultural, real estate and business groups, which argued that the Wisconsin court decision made it more difficult to prove the government unfairly deprived them of their land.

Supported by the Trump administration, Wisconsin told the justices that for conservation and other reasons under state law, adjacent lots that are separately too small will be merged if they come under common ownership.

Given the test laid out in the ruling, Kennedy said, the Murrs' property "should be evaluated as a single parcel." Objecting to the test, Chief Justice John Roberts filed a dissenting opinion.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, who joined the court after the case was argued, did not participate in Friday's decision.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)
New Taipei City (Taiwan) (AFP) - The head of Taiwan's tech giant Foxconn said Thursday its pursuit of Toshiba "is not yet over", a day after the Japanese firm announced it preferred another group of bidders to acquire its prized chip business.

Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai, is controlled by billionaire Terry Gou and reportedly had Apple as a financial backer in its multi-billion dollar bid for Toshiba's memory chip unit, seen as crucial for the cash-strapped Japanese firm to turn itself around.

Toshiba said Wednesday it would hold exclusive talks with a consortium of US, South Korean and state-backed Japanese investors, dashing Gou's ambitions.

Gou blasted the decision as a "scam" after an annual shareholders meeting in New Taipei City Thursday, accusing Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of interfering with the sale and engaging in "bureaucratic politics."

The ministry declined to comment on Gou's remarks when approached by AFP.

Foxconn chairman Gou vowed to keep pursuing the acquisition, telling reporters the Taiwanese firm still had a "more than 50 percent chance".

"The Toshiba case is not yet over. It is very similar to the Sharp deal," Gou had told shareholders earlier Thursday.

He was referring to his takeover last year of the Japanese electronics firm for $3.7 billion, a move he described as "really worth it."

Gou is known for his aggressive dealmaking prowess, shown by his dogged determination to acquire Sharp despite concerns over the Japanese firm's mounting losses.

The inclusion of Japanese investors in the selected bidding group by Toshiba will ease reported government concerns about losing a sensitive technology to foreign owners.

But a Foxconn official criticized Japanese authorities for taking a protectionist approach.

"There's no end to their corporate crisis if they are not able to open up," said Tai Jeng-wu, who took over as president of Sharp after Foxconn's buyout.

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Gou said the deal had been "directed from the very beginning".

"It's a big scam of the high-tech sector," he told reporters.

The Taiwanese firm is the world's largest contract electronics maker and is best-known for assembling products for international brands such as Apple and Sony.

Gou said earlier this year he was mulling a $7 billion investment to make flat panels in the United States in a joint project with Japan's Softbank.

Foxconn plans to spend more than $10 billion over five years investing in the US, a plan codenamed "Flying Eagle," Gou told reporters Thursday.

He is in talks with six states, including Wisconsin and Ohio to build plants, which will create tens of thousands of jobs, he said.

"The US has land, talent, resources. There is also protection in its legal and investment climate," he said.

Gou has also said Foxconn aims to increase investment in China this year to try to boost Sharp's market share in the country.
His girlfriends new phone app was the apparent trigger that set one young man into an abusive tirade recently. (Photo: Getty Images)

The mom of a teen who was brutalized by her boyfriend just days after graduating from high school is speaking out on social media, hoping to find justice for her daughter and also help other teen girls to know that they are not alone.

He left shoe-print bruises on her back, stomped her head, and when she ran for safety in the bathroom, he broke [in] and bashed her head against the tub. He has priors, and weve been told he also has hit his mother. [Its] only by the grace of God that my daughter is alive and is recovering. He called 911, threw the phone at her, then ran from the scene and hasnt been seen since, Torres Juanita, of Lubbock, Texas, wrote in a June 19 Facebook post in which she shares horrifyingly graphic photos of her daughters bloodied head along with an image of the boyfriend who allegedly caused her injuries.

The post has since been shared more than 32,400 times and has inspired more than 15,000 reactions and 7,700 comments, the majority of them expressing anger toward the young man or sympathy toward the daughter, Solidad Analyssa Marie Torres, 18, who graduated from Monterey High School in May.

She is still in pain and sore, Juanita (above, with her daughter) tells Yahoo Beauty about Solidad, adding that the boyfriend seemed to have been triggered to attack simply because her daughter had downloaded Snapchat onto her phone. Juanita has been posting on social media using the hashtag #justice4soli and plans to have T-shirts made with the same phrase.

The boyfriend is still missing in action, Juanita notes, adding that, to other young women who may find themselves in abusive relationships, she wants to say, Youre not alone. Love doesnt have to hurt. You are worthy and wonderfully made.

Solidad, unfortunately, is not alone when it comes to statistics on teen dating abuse. According to Loveisrespect, a project of the Domestic Violence Hotline that provides support for teens experiencing dating violence, nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year. Furthermore, one in three adolescents in the United States is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner, and one in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped, or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.

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After receiving a slew of stitches for her wounds, Solidad posted an update on Facebook with some photos of her own. Heres a little update on how everythings looking recovery wise, she wrote. Im still in a lot of pain; it goes and comes. Massive headaches. But due to all the visits from friends and family, yall are making this a lot easier on me. Just wish I could be healed completely. Im tired of being in pain.

Support has flooded in for the young woman on her page, with people expressing love and assuring her that this was not her fault. 

Teens in abusive situations who need help can reach out to Loveisrespect 24/7 through chat or by calling 866-331-9474.

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Two weeks after the Arab countries imposed a blockade on Qatar over alleged terror links, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday the U.S. hoped to see the list of demands prepared and coordinated by the GCC for Qatar would be reasonable and actionable.

In a brief statement, Tillerson talked about the U.S. support for the Kuwaiti mediation effort.

In regards to the continuing dispute within the GCC [the Gulf Cooperation Council], we understand a list of demands has been prepared and coordinated by the Saudis, Emiratis, Egyptians, and Bahrainis. We hope the list of demands will soon be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable. We support the Kuwaiti mediation effort and look forward to this matter moving toward a resolution, he asserted.

Accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5 affecting air traffic and shipping in Qatar. Following the sanctions, President Donald Trump took credit for the isolation of Qatar and accused the tiny Gulf nation, a U.S. military partner, of funding terror, according to multiple reports. The latest standoff is the worst to hit the GCC since its formation in 1981.

qatar

Photo: Getty Images

Read: What You Need To Know About Tensions In The Gulf

In a call to Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to congratulate him on recently being named crown prince, Trump also discussed the Qatar blockade.

The two leaders discussed the priority of cutting off all the support for terrorists and extremists, as well as how to resolve the ongoing dispute with Qatar, the White Houses official statement read. However, despite Trumps Qatar-bashing, the secretary of state has been pushing for a reconciliation to resolve the Gulf dispute.

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The state department took an about turn Tuesday from Trumps earlier remarks and questioned the motive of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their boycott of Doha. Referring to the six-nation GCC, state department spokeswoman Heather Nauer expresed doubts over the intentions of the countries, saying: Now that its been more than two weeks since the embargo started, we are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the public, nor to the Qataris, the details about the claims that they are making toward Qatar."

Doha welcomed the alternative U.S. stance Wednesday and expressed Qatars support for mediation efforts by Kuwait, the GCC nation that preferred to join other member nation Oman in staying neutral amid the crisis.

With the crisis escalating, Washington has been sending mixed signals over the Gulf standoff. While Trump launched scathing attacks on Qatar, Tillerson cancelled his Mexico visit slated for June 21 to focus on the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf region. He was scheduled to go to Cancun for a meeting of the Organization of American States, where the main focus was Venezuelas political crisis, reports said.

Drawing attention of the Arab nations to the humanitarian concerns of the sanctions, Tillerson in a June 9 statement insisted: There are humanitarian consequences to this blockade. We are seeing shortages of food, families are being forcibly separated, and children pulled out of school.

Read: Qatar Crisis Update 2017: Oil Export Conflict Expands To Libya

He also referred to the challenges for the U.S. after the sanctions were imposed. "The blockade is hindering U.S. military actions in the region and the campaign against ISIS," he said.

Soon after Tillersons statement however, Trump criticised Doha again. The time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding  and its extremist ideology, he said, CNN reported. In a sharp contrast to Trump's tough stance, Secretary of Defense James Mattis also labeled the Gulf crisis a very complicated situation. "I believe that Prince Thani inherited a difficult, very tough situation, and he's trying to turn the society in the right direction," Mattis was quoted as saying in multiple reports.

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Theres finally some movement in the standoff between Arab countries and Qatar  but probably not in the direction U.S. officials were hoping.

Late Thursday, the Associated Press reported that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt  which broke off relations with Qatar June 5  have a list of tough demands for Doha to end the impasse. They include shuttering the government-funded media outlet Al Jazeera, cutting ties with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, and open itself up to be audited, presumably for ties to terrorist organizations. The list also demands that Qatar align itself militarily, politically, socially, and economically with other Gulf States.

The United States was hoping the demands might move crisis resolution along. But the list of thirteen points, which would require a major reversal in Qatari policy, could well have the opposite effect.

The U.S. State Department has been urging a reasonable solution to the diplomatic crisis. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he was aware a list had been prepared. We hope the list of demands will soon be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable, he said. We support the Kuwaiti mediation effort and look forward to this matter moving toward a resolution.

But the conditions, as reported by AP, look anything but reasonable from Qatars point of view.

The crisis began on June 5, when a handful of Arab states broke ties with Qatar, a Gulf neighbor who has long taken a contrary tack on foreign affairs, propping up Islamist governments in North Africa, seeming to supporting the Muslim Brotherhood abroad, and enjoying cordial ties with Iran.

Qatar counters it has the right to decide what civic institutions it funds (i.e. Al Jazeera) and how to chart its own foreign policy.

We are a sovereign country. We have the right to choose the way we move forward. Their claims are nothing relating to fighting terrorism, Qatars ambassador to the United States, Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, told Foreign Policy hours before the list was reported.

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He also said that Qatar doesnt support the Muslim Brotherhood, contrary to charges made by its Gulf neighbors, but doesnt want to demonize the group, either.

We share, we understand, the challenges, but we have a different view on addressing them. But, he said, the Muslim Brotherhood is all over the Arab world. Do we take 50 million people and put them on terrorist lists?

And as for relations with Iran, which is engaged in a regional power struggle with Sunni states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar has a simple explanation.

I can tell you why we have relations with Iran. Iran and Qatar share the single largest gas field in the world, al Thani said. Qatar is a major natural gas supplier for many neighbors and for European countries.

Since the crisis began in early June, it has escalated. The United Arab Emirates made the expression of sympathy toward Qatar punishable by law. Saudi Arabia deported 15,000 Qatari camels grazing in its territory. Qatar Airways was blocked from entering Saudi, Egyptian, Emirati, and Bahraini airspace. Food exports to Qatar were stopped at the border.

The U.S. reaction has been confusing. In a series of tweets, President Donald Trump seemed to take credit for and applauded the moves against Qatar, which is home to the main U.S. airbase in the region. Meanwhile, the State Department urged Gulf states to move things along and resolve the situation.

The list of demands reportedly drawn up took almost three weeks to draft. Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE ambassador in Washington, said earlier this month that the demands were taking so long to draft because there are four countries involved. He flagged some of the steps that the countries were agreed that Qatar must take, including expelling terrorists and shutting down or reversing media.

Otaiba suggested one explanation for the divergent U.S. responses to the crisis: Different approaches in the White House and the State Department. Trump, Otaiba said, is most concerned with cutting off terror finance. But Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, he said, want to ensure operations at al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the launchpad for the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

In Doha, officials think the Saudis, Bahrainis, and Emiratis misled the neophyte White House by claiming that its all about finding a better way to battle terrorism, al Thani said.

What the others have done is misled the United States, made it seem like [the rift] is an issue about terrorism, he said.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt did not immediately respond to request for comment on this point.

Feel free to ask any officials from the [United States] about terrorist funding coming out of Qatar, Otaiba told FP by phone Friday.

And Qatari officials believe the demands will speak for themselves, in terms of the Gulf states seriousness about finding a way out of the impasse.

The international community, al Thani told FP, will be able to assess if they are ridiculous or they have reason.

This article was updated on Friday, June 23 at 6:34 p.m. to include comments from the UAE ambassador.

Photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
The fifth installment of the Michael Bay-directed Transformers series, The Last Knight, is now in theaters, and to  celebrate it?  were going to take a look back at the first four films and present to you these, the top five Very Bad Moments from the Transformers Franchise.

5. Gratuitous underwear shot (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley joined the team as Carly in Dark of the Moon and was introduced via gratuitous underwear shot. It wasnt entirely surprising for the film to linger on this kind of shot. The first film, in 2007, made a point of showcasing Megan Foxs figure, despite the troubling fact that she was supposed to be a high school student.

4. Bumblebee pees on John Turturro (Transformers)

How do the Transformers pee? is a question that truly doesnt need an answer. Yet the first film showcased it. Poor John Turturro. Hes easily one of the finest actors of his generation. It wouldnt be the last time hed be debased in this franchise.

Devastator shows off his wrecking balls in front of John Turturro in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

3. Devastators wrecking balls (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)

Devastator, an evil robot made up of decepticons, had two wrecking balls down there to mimic, well, you know down there. The credit  blame?  goes to Michael Bay, according visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar. That was Michael, Hollywood.com reported back in 2009. I thought it was outrageous and funny.

2. The Romeo & Juliet Law thing (Transformers: Age of Extinction)

Instead of simply aging down Jack Reynors 20-year-old Shane or aging up Nicole Peltzs 17-year-old Tessa, they decided to include a long, convoluted legal argument to explain that the relationship isnt statutory rape. And they tried to make it jokey. Gross. Unnecessary.

Skids and Mudflap invited comparisons to black minstrel characters. (Photo: Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

1. Skids and Mudflap (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)

And No. 1, Skids and Mudflaps. The pair of ebonic-speaking robots immediately drew comparisons to Jar Jar Binks, which is bad, and black minstrel characters, which is really bad.

Check out our interview with rising Transformers star Isabela Moner:

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Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.
Jerusalem (AFP) - US President Donald Trump's senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner held "productive" meetings with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, the White House said.

Kushner, accompanied by Trump's Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, is attempting to broker a deal to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, frozen since US-led talks collapsed in 2014.

Washington's ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, also attended the sit-down with Netanyahu.

"The three United States officials discussed Israel's priorities and potential next steps with Prime Minister Netanyahu, acknowledging the critical role Israel plays in the security of the region," the White House said in a statement.

"The meeting was productive and the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing President Trump's goal of a genuine and lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians that enhances stability in the region," the statement read.

In short video released by Netanyahu's office, the prime minister told Kushner: "This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace."

"I welcome you here in that spirit. I know of your efforts, the president's efforts, and I look forward to working with you."

Greenblatt and Kushner both accompanied Trump in May on his first visit as president to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Both men also met Abbas and his senior advisors in Ramallah, accompanied by US Consul General Donald Blome, for talks the White House also dubbed "productive."

"Kushner and Greenblatt discussed with President Abbas priorities for the Palestinians and potential next steps, acknowledging the need for economic opportunities for Palestinians and major investments in the Palestinian economy," it said.

A White House official said this week Trump "strongly believes that peace is possible," and that Greenblatt and Kushner expect to visit the region multiple times in coming months in a bid to build confidence between the two sides.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell kept the draft Obamacare replacement bill secret until one week before a planned vote: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Republican leaders in the Senate finally unveiled a draft of the healthcare legislation aimed at replacing Obamacare, but immediately hit a huge obstacle with at least four of the partys Senators saying they would not vote for the plan in its current form.

The fate of the bill is now up in the air - not for the first time - with Democrats only needing the support of three Republicans to vote down the legislation. The Republicans hold a 52 to 48 advantage in the Senate, and can afford to lose two votes, with Vice President Mike Pence being able to beak a tie.

But passage will not be easy with members on both sides of the Senate angry about the secrecy involved in the drafting on the legislation by the Republican leadership, which meant the first thing many Senators saw of the draft bill was when it was released on Thursday morning and reservations about the content were quick to surface.

One of President Donald Trumps main promises on the campaign trial was to repeal and replace his predecessor Barack Obamas signature healthcare policy. He held a congratulatory press conference when a version of the bill passed through the House last month, having already been re-drafted once - but apparently later privately based the House bill as mean.

Mr Trump welcomed the 142-page Senate draft, saying that he wanted a health plan with heart. He told reporters at the White House that healthcare legislation will require a little negotiation, but it's going to be very good. He said he doubted Democrats would help. He later tweeted he was very supportive of the bill.

However, the problems run much deeper than that, with any chance of a vote on the bill - which Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants for next week - getting smaller by the day. A draft of the bill shows that the Senate legislation is similar to the Houses American Health Care Act. The Senate bill would make major changes to the USs healthcare system, including drastically scaling back government spending on Medicaid  a healthcare programme for the poor  and terminating the ACAs taxes on the rich and health insurers. However, the plan would maintain Obamacares subsidies to help people afford individual coverage.

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The current bill does not repeal Obamacare, Rand Paul, one of the four Senators, along with Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, who have said in a joint statement that they're not ready to vote for this bill.

It does not keep our promises to the American people. I will oppose it coming to the floor in its current form, but I remain open to negotiations,  Mr Paul said.

A number of Republicans such as Susan Collins and Maine said it was too soon to judge the bill until they had had a chance to read it. Veteran Senator John McCain said the draft bill was better than Obamacare in "100 ways," but like many Senators wanted to study the bill further and consult with his state's governor.

States with a large population receiving Medicare, health insurance for seniors, or Medicaid, government-subsidised insurance for low-income or disabled people, may be negatively affected by the bill in its current draft.

With a third of the Senate coming up for re-election in 2018, many will have to weigh the state-wide implications before voting for the bill.

Democratic leaders of Congress, who want the Obamacare law fixed but not abandoned, immediately attacked Senate Republicans' version.

The president said the House bill was mean, said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. The Senate bill may be even meaner.

Mr McConnell said Democrats chose not to help frame the bill.

I regret that our Democratic friends made clear early on that they did not want to work with us in a serious, bipartisan way to address the Obamacare status quo. But Republicans believe we have a responsibility to act, and we are, Mr McConnell said.

Like the House bill, the Senate would repeal a penalty associated with the individual mandate requiring most people to have health insurance or else pay a fine. Policy experts said that would keep more young, healthy people out of the market and likely create a sicker patient pool.

The legislation would also repeal the penalty associated with the mandate that employers provide employees health insurance.

The Senate bill would provide money to stabilise the individual insurance market, allotting $15 billion per year in 2018 and 2019 and $10 billion per year in 2020 and 2021.

The Senate bill proposes defunding Planned Parenthood for a year, but abortion-related restrictions are less stringent than the House version. There is some uncertainty over whether abortion-related provisions will meet Senate rules, but those provisions could be included in another Senate bill.

Obamacare is credited with expanding health insurance to millions of Americans since its passage in 2010. Republicans say it costs too much and involves the federal government too much in healthcare. Most Republicans opposed to the draft bill say it will not reduce insurance premiums enough.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the House bill would kick 23 million people off their healthcare plans. The CBO is expected to weigh in on the Senate draft bill early next week.

Concerns have been raised by activist groups for months about the new healthcare legislation, with a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released just before the draft of the Senate bill showing just 16 per cent of adults believe that House health care bill is a good idea, versus 48 per cent who say its a bad idea.

Protests continued on Thursday, with Capitol Hill Police forcibly removing protesters in wheelchairs from Mr McConnells office. ADAPT, a disability rights organisation, staged a die-in outside Mr McConnells office to protest the Medicaid cuts within the legislation, used by many disabled individuals.

Approximately 60 protesters  many of them in wheelchairs  flooded Mr McConnells office around 11 am on Thursday. Some made their way inside the office, lifting themselves out of their chairs to lie across the Senators floor.

The purpose, according to the ADAPT, was to dramatise the deaths they say the American Health Care Act (AHCA) will cause.

Were hanging out there like a ripe cherry to be plucked, Mike Oxford, one of the protest organisers, told The Independent of the disabled community. Not only will people lose their freedom, but people will die if they do this.

One person being rolled out by a police officer called out, Don't mess with my Medicaid! Another walked out of the officer with her hands tied behind her back, followed closely by an officer. Yet another was pulled from her chair by police officers trying to remove her from the area.

Capitol Police said that the protesters were warned they would be arrested if they did not co-operate, forty-three protestors arrested and charged with crowding or obstructing, or incommoding.

The protestors came from as far away as Colorado and Kansas to rally against what they see as a threat to their freedom.

Were protesting the American Health Care act cutting hundreds of billions out of Medicaid to gives tax breaks to the wealthiest, Mr Oxford said of the die-in.

He added: Our members actually use Medicaid to be able to work in the community; to be free and independent; to live on this planet.
Some of the top intelligence officials testified in front of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team and Senate investigators, last week where they told the committee that President Donald Trump has told them to publicly refute the fact that there was any collusion between his campaign and the Russians. However, the officials decided to not heed the President's alleged order and testified honestly instead.

Two intelligence chiefs let it slip that the president had urged them to publicly deny that there existed any collusions between the Trump administration and Russian officials, a piece of information that really surprised Mueller and his team, according to a CNN report.

Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director, Mike Rogers, who were interviewed by the special counsel, earlier in June, specified that even though they did not always have comfortable interactions with the president, they do not believe that at any point Trump had asked them to interfere in the ongoing Russian investigation, carried out by FBI.

"In the three-plus years that I have been the director of the National Security Agency, to the best of my recollection, I have never been directed to do anything I believe to be illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate, and to the best of my recollection during that same period of service I do not recall ever feeling pressured to do so," Rogers said during the hearing, CNN reported.

"In my time of service, which is interacting with the President of the United States or anybody in his administration, I have never been pressured  I have never felt pressured  to intervene or interfere in any way with shaping intelligence in a political way or in relation to an ongoing investigation," Coats said.

Read: Special Counsel Robert Muellers Trump-Russia Investigation Not To Affect House Intelligence Committees Probe

Donald Trump

Photo: Getty Images/ Olivier Douliery-Pool

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Even though both Rogers and Coats participated in joint and individual hearings with Mueller, the team of investigators could not extract many details about the interactions between the president and the intelligence officials. According to the CNN report, one of the reasons for the officials being vague could be because neither Rogers nor Coats had any idea about how much information they are allowed to reveal.

The report states that these intelligence chiefs had asked the White House whether the conversation they had with Trump would fall under executive privilege. Having received no definitive answer regarding the matter from the White House, Coats and Rogers decided to play it safe and refused to divulge in specifics during their testimony, which frustrated both the Senate as well as the special counsel.

Read: Russia Investigation Update: Inquiry Just Beginning, Schiff Says

The question of executive privilege also puzzled the Senate Intelligence Committee during Attorney General Jeff Sessions testimony, June 13. Sessions kept on refusing to give a straight answer to most of the questions asked by the senate members by claiming that the interactions between him and the president is covered under executive privilege, even though the latter had not exercised the same before Sessions testimony started.

Im protecting the presidents constitutional right by not giving it away before he has a chance to view it and weigh it, he said during the hearing, the New York Times reported.

At the time Sessions said that there was a longstanding policy of the Department of Justice not to comment on conversations that the attorney general has had with the president, which, as it later turned out, was just a general practice rather than a written rule.

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By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, met Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday to try to revive long-fractured Middle East peacemaking that Washington acknowledged will take some time. Kushner, a 36-year-old real estate developer with little experience of international diplomacy or political negotiation, arrived in Israel on Wednesday morning and was due to spend barely 20 hours on the ground. Video showed him giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a friend of Kushner's father, a handshake and a hug as they prepared to sit down with the Israeli ambassador to Washington, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and other senior officials for preliminary discussions. "This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace," Netanyahu said. "Jared, I welcome you here in that spirit. I know of your efforts, the president's efforts, and I look forward to working with you to achieve these common goals." Kushner replied: "The president sends his best regards and it's an honor to be here with you." Kushner did not speak to the media or take questions, maintaining the circumspect profile he has established since Trump took office in January. U.S. officials and Israeli leaders "underscored that forging peace will take time and stressed the importance of doing everything possible to create an environment conducive to peacemaking," the White House later said in a statement. Kushner traveled to Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, for two hours of talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily Ramadan fast. Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said all major issues at the heart of the conflict were discussed. U.S. officials called the trip part of an effort to keep the conversation going rather than the launching of a new phase in the peace process, saying that Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, the president's special representative for international negotiations, are likely to return often. Trump has described peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians as "the ultimate deal" and made it a priority. As well as receiving both Netanyahu and Abbas in the White House, he visited the region last month. But it remains unclear what approach Trump, via Kushner and Greenblatt, plans to take on resolving one of the world's most intractable conflicts. For at least two decades, the goal of U.S.-led diplomacy has been a "two-state solution", meaning an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side and at peace with Israel. But when Trump met Netanyahu in Washington in February, he said he was not fixed on two states saying, "I'm looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like". 12 'BULLET POINTS' Netanyahu has in the past given conditional backing to two states. But ahead of his last election victory in 2015, he promised there would never be a Palestinian state on his watch, a remark seen as an attempt to shore up right-wing support. In discussions with Greenblatt before Kushner's visit, Palestinian sources said the phrase "two-state solution" had not been used. Palestinian sources said that ahead of Kushner's meeting with Abbas, they had been asked to draw up a list of 12 "bullet point" demands they would want met in any negotiations. They saw it as a helpful exercise in focusing on core elements rather than an oversimplification of a complex issue. Trump administration officials have said that if they are going to make progress on peace, they do not want to get bogged down in process but to move rapidly on tackling what are known as "final status" issues, the complexities around Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, water resources, security and borders. Those have long been thorny problems in the multiple rounds of peace negotiations launched by both Republican and Democratic presidents since the mid-1990s. It remains unclear what new approach Trump's administration may have to untangling disputes that blend politics, land, religion and ethnicity and have defied resolution for 70 years. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Ali Sawafta; Editing by Howard Goller)
The family used their car to ask for a kidney for their son. (Photo: Twitter/ Luke Wiese)

Twitter is often where you see the worst of human nature  bullying, trolling, hate speech, you name it. Every once in a while, though, Twitter displays the best of human nature too. Just this week, when a young man in Sioux Falls, S.D., saw writing on a car window seeking a kidney donation for a 10-year-old boy, he took to Twitter to share what was needed. And Twitter rewarded him by showing the kind of good the online community can do.

Figured I would try, seen in Sioux Falls Twitter do your thing? Luke Wiese wrote on Monday, with a photo of the car featuring the quest for a kidney written on its back windshield. That tweet has since been retweeted more than 10,000 times, and a couple of people have, indeed, reached out to the family to help.

Marisa Baumgart, an 18-year-old in Sioux Falls, is one of those people. Baumgart isnt even sure how Wieses tweet made it into in her feed, but she found herself called to help.

All of a sudden, I felt this push, and I was like, Maybe I should just go for it. Maybe I should find out,' Baumgart tells Yahoo Beauty. At first, I wasnt even sure if you can live with one kidney, but I guess you can.

Figured I would try, seen in Sioux Falls Twitter do your thing? pic.twitter.com/ko9htRgaDi  Luke Wiese (@wieseluke) June 19, 2017

The potential recipient is Gabriel Broghammer, a boy with a congenital kidney defect who received a kidney from his father at 16 months old, according to an article from the Rapid City Journal that someone shared in Wieses thread. Unfortunately, that kidney began failing almost seven years ago, and now he has been on the waiting list for a new kidney for a year. He is on dialysis, which requires Gabriel and his mother have to stay at a Ronald McDonald House in Sioux Falls, 300 miles from their home in Rapid City. The familys GoFundMe page (which asks for a kidney, not money) says that because this is a second transplant, only 4 percent of the donor population is a match.

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We have to spread the word, Broghammers mother, Christine, told the paper. We need more people to get tested.

The family doesnt use Twitter, so they didnt know about the initial tweet until their plea had gone viral. When my nephew told us that someone who knows someone tweeted the info on our car window and it got over 600 responses in nine hours, we were shocked, Don Broghammer, Gabriels father, tells Yahoo via email. The emails have not stopped since. We have gotten close to 100 emails from people all over the U.S. wanting to help.  We are humbled by the selflessness of people out there. Total strangers are willing to donate a kidney. Its amazing.

After receiving Baumgarts interest, Christine sent her a questionnaire and basic information on donating a kidney. While she waits to see whether shell be a match for Gabriel, the idea of going through major surgery for a stranger doesnt seem to faze her.

You know what, Im young; I can handle it, she tells Yahoo. Ive had a really tough year, this last year, and I felt like I lost myself for a while. Now, maybe I can give back and do something to help out, because I know what its like to be in that very scary position and feel hopeless, like no one is going to help you. Why not do something to help in the best way possible?

A few others came forward on Twitter to offer their help as well, so things may be looking up for the Broghammers. The typical wait for a kidney is three to five years, according to DonateLife.net, and most living kidney donations are from family members.

Researchers at Georgetown University recently studied why some people are altruistic enough to give their organs to a stranger. In a computer exercise they were asked to allocate theoretical money to a stranger, a family member, or a friend, or keep it for themselves. Those who had donated a kidney consistently gave as much to strangers as the control group did to family and friends.

They dont tend to view a stranger or even an acquaintance as any less deserving of resources, Kruti M. Vekaria, a doctoral candidate who worked on the study, told the Washington Post of the donors.

Baumgart hasnt told everyone of her generous offer yet, but she plans to go through with this no matter what others say. If she doesnt turn out to be a match for Gabriel, she might try to donate to someone else instead. Additionally, she doesnt understand the many replies people are sending to the original tweet saying they would sell their kidney to Gabriel.

Why cant you live with the richness of [the fact that] you did something good for someone, and he gets to have a good life once he gets his kidney? she asks. Thats the biggest reward, not money.

If you, too, feel like that reward might be enough, and you have type O blood, email Gabriels parents at kidney4gabriel@gmail.com.

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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - U.S. House Democrats rejected an assertion by Deutsche Bank that privacy laws prevent it from sharing information about President Donald Trump's finances, as they investigate possible collusion between his campaign team and Russia. In a letter to the bank's lawyers made public on Thursday, five Democrats who have been seeking financial information about Trump argued U.S. federal laws protecting banking customers' confidentiality did not apply to requests from Congress. The bank could also circumvent privacy concerns by obtaining disclosure consent from the president and his family, they said. "Given President Trump's repeated assertions that he does not have ties to Russia, such disclosure would ostensibly be in his interest," they wrote. Deutsche Bank said on Thursday that its lawyers would respond "in due course." "We reiterate that while we seek to cooperate, we must obey the law," the bank said in an emailed statement. Investigations are underway in Washington into claims of collusion between Trump's inner circle and Russia during his 2016 presidential campaign - which both the president and Moscow have denied. Public records show Deutsche Bank loaned Trump millions of dollars for real-estate ventures. As well as details about those transactions, the lawmakers are seeking information about a Russian "mirror trading" scheme that allowed $10 billion to flow out of Russia. In January, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $630 million in fines over the scheme, which could have been used to launder money out of Russia. NO POWER TO COMPEL In the letter, dated Wednesday, Maxine Waters, ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, and four peers reiterated requests for information and gave Deutsche Bank until June 29 to respond. They first asked the bank in May to share what it might know about Trump's real-estate business and whether the president had financial backing from Russia. Deutsche Bank's Washington-based external counsel responded to that request earlier this month by saying it was barred from sharing information about Trump's finances. "We hope that you will understand Deutsche Bank's need to respect the boundaries that Congress and the courts have set in an effort to protect confidential information," the bank's law firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, wrote. A disclosure document posted on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics website last week showed liabilities for Trump of at least $130 million to Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas[DBKGK.UL], suggesting the German bank is one of Trump's biggest lenders. They included one exceeding $50 million for the Old Post Office, a historic Washington property where Trump has opened a hotel. The Democrats do not have the power to compel Deutsche Bank to comply with their request. The Financial Services Committee has subpoena power but Republican committee members, who are in the majority, would have to cooperate. No Republicans signed any of the letters to Deutsche Bank. The Russian "mirror" trades involved, for example, buying Russian stocks in rubles for a client and selling the identical value of a security for dollars for a related customer. Deutsche Bank has provided the Democrats with copies of settlements regarding the trades. (Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by John Stonestreet and Susan Thomas)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is on track to announce plans to supply India with 22 Guardian drones in a deal worth more than $2 billion, a source familiar with the deal said on Thursday.

The approval of the sale of the naval variant of the Predator drone comes ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States as he tries to revitalize relations with Washington. The deal would still require approval by Congress.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defense ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under President Donald Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear program.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday.

(Reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Hands up if you don't understand climate science: AP

The American Meteorological Society has told Rick Perry he lacks a fundamental understanding of science after the US Energy Secretary claimed carbon dioxide was not a primary cause of climate change.

The former governor of Texas told CNBC TV that the most likely the primary control knob [for climate change] is the ocean waters and this environment that we live in, rather than greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity.

Becoming the latest of Donald Trumps administration to dispute established science without any attempt at reasoned argument, Mr Perry also said it was quite all right to be a sceptic about climate change, suggesting the trait was one held by any wise, intellectually engaged person.

In a letter, Keith Seitter, executive director of the American Meteorological Society, agreed that scepticism and debate were critically important to the advancement of science.

However he added: In climate science unresolved questions remain  issues that currently lack conclusive evidence.

However, there are also very solid conclusions that are based on decades of research and multiple lines of evidence.

Scepticism that fails to account for evidence is no virtue. As noted above, the role of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as the primary driver for the warming the Earth has experienced over the past several decades is extremely well established.

Scientists discovered that carbon dioxide has a warming effect on the atmosphere in the 1800s with the Nobel-prize winning Swedish scientist Svante Arrenhius predicting the worlds average temperature would rise as a result of human emissions in 1895.

As carbon dioxide has risen from about 280 parts per million at that time to more than 400 parts per million, the worlds average temperature has risen by nearly one degree Celsius. This rise in atmospheric carbon has been directly linked to the burning of fossil fuels because it has a different signature to natural carbon. No other plausible explanation exists for the increasing temperature.

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Mr Seitter told Mr Perry: It is critically important that you understand that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are the primary cause [of climate change].

This is a conclusion based on the comprehensive assessment of scientific evidence. It is based on multiple independent lines of evidence that have been affirmed by thousands of independent scientists and numerous scientific institutions around the world.

We are not familiar with any scientific institution with relevant subject matter expertise that has reached a different conclusion.

He added that these indisputable findings were reflected in the societys statement on climate change.

Without this fundamental understanding of the science, it is impossible to discuss potential policy changes in meaningful ways, Mr Seitter said.

Department of Energy programmes have a major role to play in developing and informing the solutions for our nations future energy needs, so it is especially important that the best possible science and understanding is applied to policy issues with respect to Department of Energy programmes.

Mr Perry is not the only Trump official to receive such a letter. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, was accused of "mischaracterising the science" after claiming there was "tremendous disagreement" about climate change and saying he did not believe carbon dioxide was a primary cause.

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Tokyo (AFP) - The US navy said Friday it will hold a memorial ceremony for seven sailors killed when their destroyer collided with a container ship off Japan's coast last weekend.

The service will be held on Tuesday at the naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, where the badly damaged destroyer USS Fitzgerald is based, a navy spokeswoman said.

The sailors' relatives, US military officials and some 300 crew members of the guided-missile warship will join the private event, she added, without releasing other details.

The memorial comes as investigators probe what happened in the early hours of June 17 when the ship collided with the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal in a busy channel near the destroyer's home base, a gateway to container ports in Tokyo and nearby Yokohama.

There have been around 30 ship collisions over the past decade in the area, including a 2013 incident in which six Japanese crew died, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

The US sailors, aged 19 to 37, were found by divers in flooded sleeping berths a day after the collision tore a huge gash in the side of the Fitzgerald.

Japanese investigators have interviewed the Filipino crew of the 222-metre (730-foot) cargo ship, while the US authorities are also probing the deadly crash.

Rear Admiral Brian Fort has been appointed to lead the US investigation, the navy said in a statement dated Thursday.

The much-larger cargo ship's crew -- who were not injured -- apparently took nearly an hour to report the collision.

Japan's coastguard initially said the crash happened at 2:20 am Saturday (1720 GMT Friday) based on when it was reported by the Crystal's crew.

But they later told Japanese investigators the incident actually happened almost an hour earlier at 1:30 am.

Authorities are also investigating why the cargo ship made a sudden turn at about 1.30 am, and a sharp turn after it reported the accident around 2:20 am.
Vladimir Putin personally ordered hacking into America's 2016 election to hurt Hillary Clinton: AFP/Getty Images

A new report indicates that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered election hacking to help elect Donald Trump.

Mr Putins direct involvement in the effort to undermine the US election systems was disclosed to former President Barack Obama in August, just months before the election that saw a surprise victory for Mr Trump, according to a Washington Post investigation into the Obama administrations internal deliberations on how to handle the meddling.

The Russian president had ordered the attacks in order to defeat, or at least damage, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. At the time of the attacks  and up until voting day last November  Ms Clinton was seen as a the odds on favourite to be the next president.

Mr Putin has denied allegations that his government was directly involved in the cyber attacks that led to massive leaks of emails and data from Democratic servers. Instead, he has said that patriotic Russian hackers may have been involved, but not members of his government.

The story of Russian meddling outlined in the Washington Post, however, indicate that US intelligence agencies became so confident that Mr Putin was behind the attacks that Mr Obama personally warned him against continuing to do so. When confronted, the Russian President denied the accusations, and said that there was no proof.

The hackings led the Obama administration to impose sanctions on Russia following Election Day in the US, and to the government expelling Russian diplomats stationed in American cities.

But, although US intelligence agencies became increasingly sure that Russia was actively trying to undermine the 2016 election, the Obama administration worried that acting publicly on the issue in close proximity to the election would give rise to concerns that Mr Obamas team was using the White House to try and influence the election.

Instead of acting against Putin before the election, the White House attempted to stop future meddling, and to work to ensure that US voting systems werent significantly impacted.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Thursday called for international action to address the crisis in Venezuela, after a US-backed proposal for regional mediation failed to win support at the Organization of American States.

"The tragic situation in Venezuela calls out for action," Haley said in a statement a day after the meeting of the 34-nation OAS in Mexico.

"The Venezuelan people are starving while their government tramples their democracy," she said.

"The international community must act even if the UN Human Rights Council and the Organization of American States are blocked from doing so."

During the three-day OAS meeting, the US-backed proposal for regional mediation failed to overcome opposition from President Nicolas Maduro's regional allies and Caribbean countries that benefit from discounted Venezuelan oil.

Haley did not provide details on further action, but in May the United States called for a meeting of the UN Security Council on Venezuela, the first time that the top UN body addressed the crisis.

On Thursday, there was however no US request for a council meeting on Venezuela, where running street battles at anti-government protests have left 74 people dead since April.

Maduro's opponents are demanding elections as the country, pummeled by the plunge in oil prices since mid-2014, faces a crippling shortages of food, medicine and other basic essentials.

At the OAS meeting, a draft resolution on sending regional mediators to Venezuela fell three votes shy of the 23 it needed to be adopted by the 34-nation bloc.

"The 'contact group' you're proposing is completely useless and unnecessary," said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez.

"The only way you could impose it would be to send in your Marines -- who would meet with a crushing response from Venezuela if they dared make such a misstep."
WASHINGTON  The White House on Friday complained about a lack of outrage towards violent language aimed at President Trump  even as it hosted a Trump campaign adviser who said last year that Hillary Clinton should be shot for treason.

Press secretary Sean Spicer had been asked about a production of Shakespeares Julius Caesar in which the assassinated Roman emperor is dressed and made up to look like Trump.

I think its troubling, whether its that or Johnny Depps comments, Spicer told reporters. It is, frankly, my belief, real troubling the lack of outrage that weve seen in some of these instances where people have said what they have said with respect to the president and the actions that should be taken.

Earlier, Depp apologized for controversial remarks he made Thursday at Englands Glastonbury Festival, during which he asked the audience, When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? The 21 Jump Street actor described it as a bad joke.

Spicer continued, The presidents made it clear we should denounce violence in all of its forms. And I think if were going to hold to that standard, then we should all agree that that standard should be universally called out.

The spokesman also said, Its concerning when you see a pattern that these comments get made, these actions get depicted, and the lack of attention that they get when its on our side.

Sean Spicer, Johnny Depp. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Win McNamee/Getty Images, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Spicers comments came after Trump signed a bill designed to help fix the Department of Veterans Affairs. In the East Room to witness the event was former Trump campaign adviser Al Baldasaro, who declared in July 2016 that Clinton should be shot for treason over her handling of Benghazi. Baldasaros presence was noted by pool reporter Maggie Haberman of the New York Times.

Asked about the apparent disconnect, Spicer said it was important to condemn all calls to political violence but said he was not aware of Baldasaros comments.

But again, Ill say right now that I dont think that we should be resorting to that kind of language with respect to anybody in our country, Spicer said.

Story continues

The Secret Service is aware of Depps comments, according to spokesperson Mason Brayman. But Brayman declined to say whether the remarks would rate a visit from agency officers. For operational security reasons, we do not discuss specifically or in general terms the means and methods of how we conduct our protective responsibilities, Brayman said.

Read more from Yahoo News:
The governor of New York pardoned an undocumented immigrant to help him fight deportation: Shutterstock

The governor of New York State has pardoned an undocumented immigrant who worked on to help clean up ground zero following the September 11 terrorist attacks in order to help him fight deportation proceedings.

Andrew Cuomos pardon regards a 1990 conviction for attempting to sell a controlled substance. At the time, he was 21 years old.

That conviction had been of interest to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been tasked by Donald Trumps administration to deport as many undocumented immigrants as possible. Those instructions include deporting non-criminals, however, which is an expansion of criteria from the stated principles of the Barack Obama administration.

After the 1990 conviction, Carlos Cardona helped with recovery work after two planes flew into the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan in what was the deadliest terror attack on US soil.

He developed acute respiratory issues later on, as well as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Those conditions are common amongst 9/11 responders.

Mr Cardona is originally from Santiago de Cali, Colombia, and entered the United States in 1986 when he was about 16 years old.

He was detained by American immigration services in February, and has been held there since.

Mr Trump began his 2016 campaign with the promise to deport undocumented immigrants who he labeled as rapists and criminals. While controversial, that promise to be tough on Americas borders seemed to resonate with bas Republican voters concerned about national security and American job security that is said to be threatened by foreign nationals coming into the country and willing to work for cheaper wages.

Legal challenges to Trump administration efforts to make good on its promise to focus on deporting undocumented immigrants have resulted in some lawyers indicating that they do not have the legal authority to block deportations of undocumented immigrants, even if they are non violent and without a criminal record.
Here's what Samsung had to say about the Galaxy S8 during its MWC 2017 press conference.

Amid a string of reports on the Galaxy Note 8 release date, a new claim from ETNews suggests the device may be announced Aug. 20 at an Unpacked event in New York City and released to the market the following week.

While Samsung has not yet confirmed a release date for the premium flagship, a preliminary buzz started when The Korea Herald reported that the device may be released during the third or fourth week of August. The claim seems plausible, considering Samsung released the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy Note 5 in the August timeframe and has made no real indication that it plans to change its release strategy for the Galaxy Note 8.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Rumored To Be Announced On Aug. 26 In NYC

Samsung shifted from hosting launch events during the IFA tech conference in early September to standalone Unpacked events in August. This strategy separated the Galaxy Note launch from the pack of other late-year smartphone releases, which includes new devices from Apple, Google, LG, and others. However, Samsung may still be wary about rushing the unveiling and release of its new smartphone after a similar strategy led to the ultimate demise of the Galaxy Note 7.

Another recent report from Naver suggested the Galaxy Note 8 may be announced Aug. 26. However, this date seems unlikely because it's not a weekday. Therefore, an Aug. 20 launch also seems implausible considering it's a Sunday.

Most smartphone companies, including Samsung, choose a weekday to host flagship launch events unless the event is attached to a tech conference, such a Mobile World Congress. The International Business Times noted Tuesday that to date there has been no Galaxy Note launch event hosted on a weekend.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Release Date Likely Not Aug. 26; Heres Why

Reports also suggest that Samsung has had to cancel its embedded fingerprint scanner feature for the Galaxy Note 8 in order to get the device out on time. The manufacturer may be having trouble integrating the fingerprint scanner into the display in a uniform manner. Several sources suggest the area, which hosts the fingerprint scanner appears brighter than the rest of the display.

Story continues

Samsung was originally expected to introduce the in-display fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S8, but now the feature might be delayed once more until the Galaxy S9. However, the Galaxy Note 8 is still expected to include a dual-lens camera as one of its standout features. Design wise the smartphone may be similar to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, with the addition of moderate hardware upgrades and Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

Related Articles
An IDF force identified a man crossing the border from Israel to Lebanon on Thursday.

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According to the IDF, a person was spotted crossing from Israel to Lebanon in the Upper Galilee, and the forces began searching the area.

The Israel-Lebanon border (Photo: AFP)

The cross was identified by observations and indicated by sensors in the border fence.

The cross was observed approximately 20:30 local time, near Metula.

Observations by the Galilee Division identified a civilian approaching the perimeter fence that is adjacent to the town, climbing it quickly and crossing north.

An IDF force in charge of the sector immediately directed a scouting force to patrol the area, which found marks of the crossing but did not find the person responsible.

According to a Lebanese news agency, the man who crossed the border is Shadi Bitros Mazhar, a 31-year-old member of a South Lebanese Army family who escaped to Israel in the year 2000.

The Lebanese army has reportedly arrested him, apparently after he turned himself in.

This was also confirmed by the IDF.

In recent years, a number of similar incidents have taken place, most of them due to the person's personal or mental problems.
By Ssebuliba Samuel

The unites states Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac has asked all donor communities to exerts pressure on worrying parties in south Sudan if refugee crisis is to reduce.

Speaking during the ongoing solidarity summit on refugee at Munyonyo, Malac said that even though urgent attention is needed to cater for wondering refugees in Uganda, but long-lasting solution is needed to cube this crisis.

She said that the use of gun has totally failed and thus diplomatic measures must be pursued by international communities to enable peace prevail between these two parties.
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MIDDLE RIDGE/ST JOSEPH RIDGE  Irene A. Hammes, 101, formerly of Middle Ridge and St. Joseph Ridge, completed her earthly journey and passed peacefully with family at her side Monday, June 19, 2017.

Her profound faith in God was a constant, and the promise of eternal life was a given. Irene will finally be reunited with the love of her life, her husband, Leo Hammes Sr.

Irene was born near Middle Ridge in rural La Crosse County to Bill and Dora Gronemus and attended school in Middle Ridge. As a young woman, Irenes path crossed with a young suitor, Leo Hammes, at a dance hall on Newburgs Corner, and she described it as love at first sight. Irene and Leo were soon inseparable and wedding vows followed Nov. 20, 1934. Their marriage and love for each other was their dream come true.

Not many years later, with their family growing, Irene and Leo purchased a dairy farm near Middle Ridge where they would raise their eight children. Times were challenging for a number of years, but they made the best of what they had and ultimately made a comfortable living as farmers. It was a sad day for Irene when she and Leo had to leave the farm they loved, due to Leos health issues.

Irene and Leos marriage was their sacred pact to each other. They were akin to a team of horses hitched together, and it was clear they truly loved and respected each other, worked together, with and for each other, and ended each day with their ritual of nightly prayer and telling each other I love you. Prayer and their faith in God was the foundation upon which they built their lives that helped them weather the many difficult times they would encounter in their 53 years of marriage. When Leo passed away in December 1987, Irene was certain she couldnt survive without him. Her strong faith made that possible.

After their eight children were mostly grown and gone, Irene changed from her homemaker role to work part-time in the kitchen at the Villa St. Joseph where she worked for many years. When she retired from the Villa St. Joseph she became a volunteer for many more years at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital, working in the gift shop, assisting with administrative duties, and wherever else her services were needed. She was also a devoted member of the Catholic Daughters.

Irene was a warm and loving person who never wanted to impose on anyone, and was always grateful to those who extended kindness towards her. She always managed to see the positive in life and accept its struggles. When sad or difficult times occurred, she was often known to say, Well, what can you do? You just have to accept it and move on, a belief she unwittingly taught her family.

Irene is survived by her sons, Kenneth of Wausau, and Leo Jr. (Jan) of Sterling Ill; and daughter, Renee Hammes (Steve Althoff) of West Salem; 22 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Leo Hammes Sr.; sons, Ronald, David, Robert, and Jerome; and daughter, Mary Ellen Pitz; along with all of her siblings.

We have lost an amazing mother, grandmother, friend, and lover of nature, matron of the flowers, a farmer and farmers wife who appreciated the land they tilled. Our loss is Heavens gain, her flowers will bloom there in eternal spring, her carrot cakes, graham cracker pies, and Kuchen will grace many a gathering. Her love and kindness will shine on.

Irenes final request was simple and sincere, I want to go home. Goodnight Irene. Rest in peace. You will be missed by so many.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, June 26, at St. Peters Catholic Church, Middle Ridge. Msgr. Robert Hundt will officiate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Family and friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, at the church, where a rosary will be recited at 7 p.m., and again from 9:30 a.m. until the time of Mass on Monday.

Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services of La Crosse is assisting the family.

Online condolences may be submitted at www.schumacher-kish.com.

In lieu of flowers, Irene requested that memorials be given to St. Peters Church, Middle Ridge, or to the charity of your choosing.

The family would like to give special thanks to those who cared for Irene so lovingly and brought joy to her heart these past three years, Marianne, Mai Lee, and Becky from The Willows; Jib at Bethany Riverside Nursing Home; and Jesse, Kaileen, Caitlin, and Val at Hearten House I. You were all so wonderful to her. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Even teachers have to learn new things sometimes.

On Thursday, nearly 40 teachers from a dozen western Wisconsin Schools were busy working on robots and learning about new ways to incorporate STEM  or science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts  in their classrooms. The teachers were participating in the iTEAMS workshop, part of a $440,000 Department of Education grant the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse physics department received to work with teachers.

UW-L physics professor Jennifer Docktor said the teachers began meeting for weekend workshops in March, and the summer workshop began Monday. During the program, teachers learned how to incorporate projects in their classes, such as learning about how inertia works or building rockets to study physics concepts such as acceleration.

The main goal is to show teachers how to bring this to their classrooms, Docktor said. How to get students excited for STEM.

In one of the rooms on the second floor of Cowley Hall, more than a dozen elementary, middle and high school teachers attempted to work out the kinks in the programming of LEGO Mindstorms robots in order to run an obstacle course. Kyle Hutson and Jake Dallas of Sparta High School were having success as their robot, which was programmed with the measurements and turns needed to get from the start to the finish line.

But that didnt stop them from tweaking the programming the few times the robot ended up stuck on one of the obstacles. And other teams took different approaches, such as using the robots sensors to navigate the maze and make adjustments, which came with their own pitfalls.

These robots are a great stand-in for the real world, Tomah seventh-grade physics Teacher Dan Manke said. Theyre not perfect like when you code on a computer. You have to problem solve.

The program also emphasizes partnerships, with UW-L, Western Technical College, Cooperative Educational Service Agency 4 and the school districts collaborating on curriculum and teaching ideas. Getting students interested in STEM fields starts as early as the elementary and middle school grades, Docktor said, and helps prepare students for careers as well as building problem-solving and teamwork skills.

We really feel STEM is important nationally for developing the workforce, she said. There is a great need for people with skills in these fields.

Stephaine Baker, a fifth-grade teacher in the Wonewoc-Center School District, said this was the second science education workshop she has attended at UW-L. Being able to meet with different teachers is one of the highlights of the program, she said, as she has been able to get to know other high school teachers over social media and gain access to their expertise in subjects such as physics and engineering.

As an elementary teacher, I have to teach everything, she said. This workshop helps me go deeper into STEM concepts and keep my students engaged in their learning.
My spelling is so bad, whenever my teachers selected teams for spelling bees, they would say to me, Why dont you sit this one out.

The computer spellcheck is a cruel hoax because I spell wrong words correctly.

Recently, I spelled navel in navel gazing n-a-v-a-l. Catching the error, my editor emailed, Jim, look out your window. How many n-a-v-a-l ships do you see moored in your driveway?

The honor roll of bad spellers includes Ernest Hemingway, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Einstein, Herman Melville and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Brain imaging tells us why.

The word form area sits in the back of the brain. For 20 percent of readers, this is Area 51 of the brain because its mysteriously silent.

These readers are forced to use compensatory pathways, but their reading is abnormal and their spelling remains abysmal.

Bad spellers invariably face remnants of dyslexia (a learning disability characterized by difficulties acquiring and processing language).

One dyslexic symptom: Late talking. I didnt speak until age 10. The folks never worried. After all, children should be seen but not heard.

Another symptom: Delayed reading. A private tutor assigned me the Iliad, the Marvel comic edition  but it still read like Greek.
During the Jackson County Highway Department meeting June 20, committee members approved the department to begin discussing a Road-Use Maintenance Agreement with Meteor Timber for the proposed truck route from its mine to its rail loadout facility.

Meteor Timber proposes trucking sand south on Fish Creek Road and then west on Hwy. O. Trucks would then turn left on Hwy. 12 to get to its rail loadout facility in the Monroe County town of Grant. The RUMA proposed by Meteor Timber would make Hwy. O an all-seasons road and would allow the company to truck sand the entire year without the possibility of the road having weight restrictions.

The $65 million project proposed by Meteor Timber has been under heavy scrutiny for filling in wetlands on top of mining for sand. The mine is expected to have 90 full-time employees and a lifespan of more than 25 years.

Road improvements

Meteor Timber presented a pavement analysis completed by American Engineering Testing, a third-party consultant, which concluded there are 2  miles of Hwy. O that are in poor shape and need to be completely reconstructed. The remaining 6 miles would need an overlay to stand up to the all-seasons traffic.

AET expects the improvements to Hwy. O to cost $500,000 to $600,000, which Meteor Timber would pay for if its granted the RUMA.

The residents of the town of Millston also have safety concerns, which Meteor Timber addressed during the meeting.

There would be up to 210 loaded trucks a day heading to the dry plant and then the 210 empty trucks returning. Taking into consideration ... existing traffic and looking at the ATV use along the route, the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 12 and County Trunk O will operate at a level of service A, said Phil Newman, an engineer with SEH. He said drivers would wait less than 10 seconds on average before they could turn at the intersection of highways 12 and O.

Even with these findings, town of Millston Chairman Dan Smrekar felt like the findings were under-estimated.

I dont think for one minute that 400 trucks are going to be the maximum number of trucks that are going to go through Millston, Smrekar said.

SEH used data provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Jackson County Forestry Department to come up with its traffic estimates for the area, using high-volume periods for ATV and vehicle traffic.

Newman said Meteor Timber would be willing to fund paving, striping and signs for new five-foot shoulders for ATV riders on each side of Hwy. O between Interstate 94 and the railroad tracks near Millston to make the area safer. Meteor Timber also confirmed it would be willing to work with the county to slow down traffic in the area.

Geometric upgrades were also recommended to help facilitate the truck traffic at the intersections of Fish Creek Rd. and Hwy. O; Hwy. O and McKenna Rd.; and Hwy. 12 and the Meteor Timber rail loadout facility.

Alternative routes a non-starter

Meteor Timber addressed other routes proposed by the town of Millston. The company cited several reasons the routes would not be viable, including that other routes would disrupt wetlands, would be less safe for ATV and snowmobile users and are prohibited for Meteor Timber trucks by neighboring towns.

Representatives for Meteor Timber also said that the conditional use permit voted on by the Zoning Committee already states Hwy. O is the preferred route and also requires the mine to halt truck traffic during Labor Day and Memorial Day festivities in Millston.

I understand that is was contemplated by all of them (Zoning Committee), but I doubt that at the conversation with zoning that they talked about an all-seasons road versus a non-all-seasons road, highway commissioner Randy Anderson said.

Anderson said the agreement is like no other Jackson County sand mine RUMA before it because this RUMA would not be temporary. All other RUMAs the committee has signed before for a sand mine were temporary and didnt necessarily require the road to be improved to an all-seasons standard.

The Highway Committee offered other routes for the mine to bypass Millston, including using I-94 as suggested by Danny Iverson, a member of the committee.

You are looking at the people sitting here are from the town of Millston, and they dont want your trucks in the town of Millston. Me, I am OK with it, but these people are not. That route using the Interstate system would bypass even going into Millston, Iverson said.

Meteor Timber didnt feel that option was financially viable and it would require them to get a RUMA from Monroe County.

Make or break

Ultimately, Meteor Timber admitted if it were unable to get a RUMA for Hwy. O, the rail loadout facility may not be a possibility.

It goes to whether or not we would agree to build the plant. Ultimately for us to make an investment that is going to provide jobs for a long period of time, we have to have a project that works. That is part of the factor that determines whether this works, Meteor Timber representative Chris Mathis said. There are some people here today that dont care for our project for whatever reason, but there are also a lot of people that are excited about our project and want us to build it.

Meteor Timber touted letters of support from Millis Transfer Inc., Cenex, Homestead Inn, Woodland Riders Snowmobile Club, Millston-Knapp Sportsmens Club and the 400 Club. Even with these letters of support, some community businesses such as Deli, Inc. in Millston do not support this plan.

On top of making the initial improvements to Hwy. O, Meteor Timber also offered a maintenance fund for future improvements made to Hwy. O for the county to use.

Today the county is responsible for taking care of the road. Under our proposal those funds would be able to go somewhere else to improve county roads, Mathis said.

Mathis expected that it would take a year to build the plant, and the company hoping to begin construction on Hwy. O in late 2017 or early 2018.

After the unanimous decision by the committee, Charles Jensen of Hixton, a member of the committee, tried to console the residents of Millston in attendance.

You are not alone in this. Years ago the villages of Hixton, Alma Center and Merrillan were concerned, too, and we have had two mines going through those towns, and as far as I know there hasnt been any foreseeable concerns other than I might have to wait an extra half a minute to get across the road, Jensen said.

The committee intends to make a decision about the RUMA at the next Jackson County Highway Department meeting in July.
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A 31-year-old LAPD officer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of unlawful sex with a 15-year-old member of the police force's beleaguered cadet program.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck personally arrested Officer Robert Cain, a 10-year veteran of the force, at the 77th Street Community Police Station. Today's arrest is the latest installment in a scandal that began last week, when members of the cadet program were first suspected of having stolen and crashed several police cruisers. KTLA reports that the victim worked at the 77th Street Division and was among the seven cadets who have been arrested in recent days in connection with the theft of several police cruisers.

The sexual misconduct allegations were first uncovered on Wednesday during a larger investigation into the program, according to the L.A. Times, who report that Cain, who worked as an equipment room operator at the 77th Street Division, may have had knowledge of the alleged thefts.

"I find the actions of Cain, if they are proven, to be despicable," Beck said at a press conference on Thursday. "I find them to be absolutely inconsistent with the ethics and standards of the Los Angeles Police Department and they are criminal. And I'm a police officer and I wasI felt it was my duty to make the arrest.''

The alleged sexual relationship appears to have occurred "within the past month," according to Beck, who also said that phone records and social media exchanges are still being examined by investigators. Evidence of the alleged relationship came to the investigators' attention after reviewing text messages on the teen victim's cell phone.

"There is no higher priority than protecting and guiding our young people, and when they become LAPD cadets, every parent should feel confident that they will be treated with the utmost care every step of the way," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "The charges against this officer are deeply disturbing, and I have been assured he will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. These allegations represent a total breach of the trust we place in everyone who wears the uniform and a violation of the oath of all officers take to protect and serve."

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents police officers, also condemned the officer's alleged actions. "If these disgusting allegations are true, we applaud the department for taking swift action to arrest this individual for this vile crime. There should be zero tolerance for any officer who takes advantage of those they are entrusted to protect," the union said in a statement.
Friday, June 23, 2017

From Rewire:

Minerva Cisneros Garcia, an undocumented immigrant living in Winston-Salem, has checked in regularly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the last 8 years. Though Garcia faced many roadblocks to citizenship, she was told repeatedly by ICE agents that she was not a priority for deportation.

After President Trump took office and began to wield his executive power, suddenly everything changed. Garcia is now being forced by ICE to leave her home of 17 years by on a bus bound for Mexico on June 28. Rewire Immigration Reporter Tina Vasquez writes:

Her oldest, Eduardo, is 21 years old and blind due to complications from cancer. Her second-oldest son died of cancer in 2007, seven years after they first migrated to the United States. Her two remaining children, who are 6 and 3 years old respectively, were born in North Carolina. Winston-Salem is the only home theyve ever known.

The community where Garcia and her family call home know Garcia as a mother who just wants to work and take care of her kids. In part two of her series, Vasquez explores the community response to Garcias story and on how locals are mobilizing  both in Winston-Salem and across the nation  to try to stop the deportations of their friends and neighbors.

Undocumented people and their attorneys are seeking support from their local communities as last-ditch efforts to avoid deportation under an administration that has taken a hardline stance on immigration. Garcia, who has received support from Winston-Salem organizers, activists, and members of various faith communities, is quickly running out of time. Her attorney has just seven days to get her a stay of deportation.

For more details, please read:

bh

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2017/06/north-carolina-deportation-case-symbolizes-everything-wrong-with-the-immigration-system.html
The deadline to sign up for this free community event that is open to all is Nov. 16.

Kennebunk Post

"We need to invest in our kids," said resident Brenda Robinson. "That's how we keep graffiti out of Waterhouse Center and mischief out of the downtown on Saturday night."
THREE CREEK  Cattlemen will celebrate the history of the 71 Livestock Association Saturday at Three Creek School.

The organization turns 100 this year and to kick off its celebration, the group is hosting a program and catered dinner, featuring a buffet of tri-tip and lamb, a cash bar and music by Johnny Urrutia. An interactive area for children to learn about ranching heritage and rangeland resources.

A self-guided auto tour is included, beginning from Rogerson, Castleford or Bruneau to Jarbidge, Nev., with road signs showing prominent sites such as Clover Crossing and the old town of Roseworth.

The organization was formed in 1917 to improve range conditions between the Bruneau River and Salmon Falls Creek in southern Idaho and northern Nevada, where, in the 1870s, Joe Scott of Miles City, Mont., grazed cattle with the 71 brand.

The history of the 71 Livestock Association is a story of the people that settled and worked the land of the 71 ranges, said Gus Brackett, secretary-treasurer of the association.

The groups centennial committee has put together 100 years of memories and photos in a book, The 71: A Century of Bettering Conditions on the Range. The book includes 450 pages of history and milestones on the livestock association.

This book will be a genealogical treasure for ranch families and their neighbors, committee member Kimberly Brackett said. Half price books are available with registration.

The celebration will run from 3 to 11 p.m. For information or to register, contact Gus Brackett at gusbrackett@rtci.net.

The association is a partnership between ranchers in the Three Creek area, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other agencies. The group collaborates to provide stewardship for the 71 range in Twin Falls, Elmore and Owyhee counties, and Elko County, Nevada.
BOISE  West Minco Middle School in Paul and Hailey Public Library are among 22 Idaho schools and libraries to receive a grant to buy a drone.

The Idaho STEM Action Center announced Thursday the recipients of a total of more than $147,000.

Last week, grant recipients attended a two-day workshop at a drone flight school in Boise, led by from PCS Edventures and its Thrust-UAV division.

They learned how to build, modify and race the drones, and incorporate drones into classroom instruction in science, technology, engineering and math.
TWIN FALLS  Its rare to meet a NASA astronaut and create computer coding that could be tested aboard the International Space Station.

Especially if youre only in middle school.

But thats what about 30 children from across the Magic Valley are doing this summer through a Zero Robotics program at the College of Southern Idaho.

The five-week camp  which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math  started last week. Its free to students.

The program offers a chance for students to take abstract concepts and apply them to the real world.

I think that this program is incredibly beneficial for this age group, said RD Van Noy, camp organizer and CSI assistant professor of information technology.

Organizers hope to encourage students to avoid a fear of math and science, and boost their problem-solving skills.

Its taking things traditionally thought of as hard or intimidating and making it fun, Van Noy said.

CSI is among 11 sites across Idaho offering the nationwide Zero Robotics program this summer. Its the second year CSI has participated.

Elsewhere in south-central Idaho, the Cassia County School Districts spark after-school program and University of Idaho/Blaine County 4-H are also participating.

Students use a program developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to write computer coding to control the speed, rotation and direction of small satellites called SPHERES, which stands for Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites. Three SPHERES are used at the International Space Station.

Its part of a virtual competition. In August, all of Idahos sites will travel to Boise State University for a final competition.

Theyll transmit Idahos first place code to the International Space Station and students will watch via live video conference as astronauts run the winning code from each participating state and Russia.

Its the second year 13-year-old Gooding student Ethan Strout has signed up for the CSI program.

Theres a new game every year, he said. Its a lot of fun.

It was challenging to learn programming at first, Ethan said. He has also been involved with LEGO robotics programs.

One highlight of the camp: a field day Monday, where students received a visit from NASA astronaut Steve Swanson. They also toured CSIs Centennial Observatory and saw a planetarium show.

The zero in Zero Robotics means its offered at zero cost to students and the competition is conducted in zero gravity, Van Noy said.

But with no cost to students, it means writing grant applications to fund CSIs offering. Just because its zero cost to students, doesnt mean its free to put on, he said.

Zero Robotics is sponsored by MITs Space Systems Laboratory, NASA and Northrop Grumman Aurora Flight Sciences. CSIs program received grants, as well as support from groups such as the CSI Foundation and Idaho Afterschool Network.

Theres a focus on serving female and minority students.

Students had to apply for the CSI program, but we didnt turn anybody away, Van Noy said.

Students are learning about coding by using a drag-and-drop system. It gives middle schoolers a good foundation for how programming works, Van Noy said.

CSIs Zero Robotics program is the largest site in the state. And last year, it tied for third place in the state for the virtual competition.

Students receive mentoring from Van Noy  who received MIT training to lead the Zero Robotics program  as well as CSI computer science instructor KayZin Cresswell and teacher Shannon Youngman.

Plus, several college students are helping out.

During the program, students will go field trips, including to Utah State Universitys Space Dynamics Laboratory. Students also do lots of on-site activities, such as baking food in solar ovens.

Theres a lot of cool stuff we get to do, Ethan said.

Is he interested in pursuing a career related to computers or science? Yeah, I think I might, he said. Whats cooler than working for NASA?
This appeared in Thursdays Washington Post.

The Trump administration modestly expanded sanctions on Russia on Tuesday in an encouraging sign that it will continue to raise the pressure on the regime of Vladimir Putin for its illegal activity in Ukraine. Eleven of the newly penalized individuals and entities operate in the province of Crimea, which Moscow invaded and annexed in 2014; they include the Russia-designated state prosecutor. Yet according to two leading Crimean human rights activists, no one in the occupied province has been explicitly punished for the sweeping violations of human rights that have occurred there since 2014. That should change.

When it comes to Crimea, no one is talking about human rights, said Tetiana Pechonchyk of the Kiev, Ukraine-based Human Rights Center. One reason for that is that Russia has sealed off the territory from the outside world; it is, Pechonchyk told us, a kind of ghetto where no international organizations have access and there is no independent media. More than a dozen Crimean news organizations were forced to move out of the province after a number of journalists were persecuted and prosecuted.

Now their websites, and others, are blocked by Crimean authorities. Mykola Semena, a veteran reporter who persisted in writing for the Radio Liberty website Crimea Realities, is on trial on charges of inciting separatism and faces five years in prison.

Even the slightest hint of opposition to Russias rule is crushed. A farmer named Vladimir Balukh who flew a Ukrainian flag over his house is being tried on trumped-up weapons charges and could receive four years in prison. But the worst persecution is reserved for members of Crimeas Tatar ethnic minority. Its principle organization, the Mejlis, has been banned as a terrorist groupand its leaders exiled, jailed or, in one case, forcibly confined to a psychiatric institution. Crimeans are prohibited even from mentioning the Mejlis on social media.

Pechonchyk and Olga Skrypnyk, the exiled board chairman of the Crimean Human Rights Group, arrived in Washington this week with lists of dozens of Russian and Crimean officials implicated in these abuses. One cites more than 70 judges who have ordered unlawful detentions, while another identifies those complicit in repression of the media. The activists would like to see these officials added to those subject to sanctions by the United States and the European Union, including through the use of the Magnitsky Act, which provides for action against officials involved in persecuting human rights activists.

The point of sanctions is not only to punish. Pressure needs to be raised on Moscow until it agrees to international negotiations on its Crimea occupation, like those it has with Ukraine, France and Britain on its military incursion in eastern Ukraine. Russia is not listening to resolutions, said Pechonchyk. The only language Russia understands is sanctions.
Angela Bonilla of Ecuador is in Manila to fulfill her duties and commitment as the reigning Miss Global and will grace the Miss Global Philippines 2017 coronation night. She will also sit as a member of the board of judges of the pageant tonight at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila.

The stunning Latina beauty from San Miguel de Urcuqui, Imbabura, a province north of Ecuador, recently brought cheers to the students of the Philippine School for the Deaf in Pasay City, accompanied by the Miss Global Philippines Organization, headed by Pauline Sofia Laping and Miss Global 2016 First runner-up Camille Hirro. The 25-year-old Journalism student of Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja has travelled around the globe since winning in Manila in September 2016.

I am so excited to be back in Manila and I look forward to the Miss Global Philippines finals where I will be sitting as judge, the first time I will be doing the task, the Latina actor who models for Cyrus Models, said in an interview. Bonilla, who fell in love with the beauty of the islands, particularly, Bohol and the warm and friendly Filipinos, considered the Philippines her second home. She will be travelling in other tourist spots in the country, like Palawan and Boracay, to help the Miss Global Philippines Organizations mission to promote Philippine tourism.

Ecuadorian beauty and Miss Global 2016 Angela Bonilla is currently in Manila to help choose the Philippine delegate to this year's Miss Global pageant

Bonilla joined Miss Ecuador and Miss World Ecuador pageants before winning the Miss Ecuador Earth 2015 title. She had also conducted a beauty workshop with the 22 candidates of Miss Global Philippines 2017, which included single mothers, a victim of abuse and a deaf model.

Bonilla, as Ambassador of Goodwill for the Miss Global Organizations campaign to protect people against human trafficking and abuse, visited Vietnam for a charity to raise funds for families at a ward in Hoa Quy, and in Cambodia to promote environmental tourism.

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Bonilla, the third Ecuadorian to win a beauty title in the country following Miss Earth 2011 Olga Alava and Miss Earth 2016 Katherine Espin, is very open to any opportunities the country may offer. A look-alike of actors Eula Valdez and G Toengi, Bonilla has been seen in various GMA shows like Wowowin, Sunday Pinasaya, Eat Bulaga and Unang Hirit while promoting the Miss Global Philippines 2017 pageant.

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In yet another milestone in Manilas healthcare program, the city government led by Mayor Joseph Erap Estrada last week unveiled a fully-renovated and modernized Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, one of the citys six public hospitals.

Through the P300 million fund allotted by Estrada, OMMC is now comparable to modern and fully equipped government hospitals in Singapore, according to hospital director Dr. Rachel Marinas.

Yes, were a public hospital built for indigent patients. But with the improvements introduced by Mayor Estrada, were now like a private hospital, and we can even compare our hospital to public hospitals in Singapore, which has some of the best healthcare in the world, Marinas said.

Dra. Loi Ejercito, who represented her husband during the hospitals blessing on Wednesdaypart of the week-long celebration of the 446th Araw ng Maynila on June 24  expressed amazement by the OMMCs complete transformation.

Namangha ako sa ganda ng ospital niyo, Ejercito said. Alam niyo naman si Mayor, pag nagpa-repair yun, talagang maganda. Napakaganda po.

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On behalf of Manila Mayor Joseph Erap Estrada, Dr. Loi Ejercito leads the blessing/inauguration of newly-renovated facilities and equipment at the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (OMMC) on Wednesday, June 21, as part of the week-long celebration of the 446th Araw ng Maynila on June 24. Estrada has allotted P300 million for the full renovation and modernization of the city-run hospital, which OMMC director Dr. Rachel Marinas said is now comparable to modern, fully-equipped government hospitals in Singapore, which has one of the best healthcare programs in the world. Photos by Joel Santos

She said this is Estradas gift to poor Manilenos who could not afford quality healthcare services that are normally expensive in private-run hospitals: Ang gusto niya, kung anong meron ang mga mayayaman, meron din ang mahihirap.

Built in 1969 during the time of Mayor Arsenio Lacson, the 300-bed OMMC has undergone complete facelift under Estrada  new building and lobby, new Operating Room complex, surgery, and ICU wards, and modernized Medicine, Ophthalmology, and Pediatrics departments.

The hospital also procured brand-new, state-of-the art medical and laboratory equipment such ECG machines, 2D echo machine, evoke otoacoustic emission machine, biological refrigerator, phacoemulsification machine, morgue freezer, video laryngoscope, fully automated hematology analyzer, coagulated analyzer, chemistry analyzer, digital flouroscopy and x-ray machines, among others.

Marinas said all these equipment and medical services are free of charge to every Manileno.

Walang bayad, ang ganda pa. Kahit yung mga X-ray, MRI, walang bayad, lahat. We are lucky to have a mayor like Mayor Estrada. And we have the best and competent doctors and medical staff here, she added.

When he assumed office in 2013, Estrada initiated a P500-million rehabilitation of all the six city-run hospitals and 59 community health centers, including the acquisition of a long line of state-of-the art hospital equipment and facilities.

One of the six hospitals, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital, has already been ISO-certified recently. The other city-run hospitals are Sta. Ana Hospital, Ospital ng Tondo, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, and Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC).

On November 2016, Estrada acquired a P36-million state-of-the-art CT scan machine for GABMMC, the latest addition to the long list of brand new medical equipment he has recently purchased to modernize the six public hospitals of the city.

On April of the same year, the city government acquired a P117-million MRI machine for the Ospital ng Maynila on top of more brand new CT scans and digital X-ray machines.

Estrada also put up a dialysis center and an Eye Care Center at GABMMC recently.

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The Egyptian government Thursday extended for additional three months the state of emergency decreed in April following the twin attacks against Coptic Christians.

The extension has been approved by the parliament and is scheduled to start July 10, reports say.

President al-Sisi few hours after the Islamic State group (IS) directed attacks against two Christian churches in Alexandria and in Tanta, northern Egypt, declared a three-month state of emergency and vowed to bring the perpetrators to book.

The Palm Day suicide bombings left 45 people dead.

The state of emergency gives sweeping power to security forces to limit movement, arrest and expand surveillance.

Egypt has lived several years under emergency law under ousted Mubarak. The measure was removed a month before toppled Islamist President Mohamed Morsi took office in 2012.

The law was reinstated for one month after Morsis ouster in 2013 by the current President who was then army Chief.

Since Morsis removal, Egypt has been haunted by insecurity as army and law reinforcement forces face insurgency from Islamists who vowed to avenge Morsi.
Kuwait has handed Qatar a list of demands including the closure of the Doha-based al Jazeera news network as conditions for lifting blockades imposed by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in the diplomatic row with the tiny gas-rich country.

Kuwait is playing a mediator role in the crisis, which erupted over two weeks ago after the besieging countries first suspended all Dohalinked media outlets. The suspension decision was made after the countrys state news agency QNA and its platforms circulated statements attributed to the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, criticizing Saudi Arabias anti-Iranian rhetoric and expressing Dohas refusal to call Lebanon-based Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups. Doha rejected the claims saying the QNA was hacked.

The list seen by Associated Press asks Qatar to shut down its powerful news network al Jazeera, which has been suspended in the four besieging countries. The list also names several media outlets such as The Middle East Eye and The New Arab.

The anti-Qatar bloc also gives ten days to Doha to reduce diplomatic contact with Iran to commercial ties and to expel members of Irans Revolutionary Guard from the Emirate.

The list also includes cessation of all Turkish military current deployments in Qatar and end of any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside of Qatar.

Qatar is ordained to end funding of all individuals and organizations designated as terrorists by the bloc and other countries.

Among other demands, the Saudi-led bloc imposes payment of reparations and compensation for loss of life and other financial losses caused by Qatars policies in recent years.

The countries did not specify what they will do if Qatar does not abide by the demands.

Wednesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for dialogue among the US allies but urged for reasonable and actionable demands.

We support the Kuwaiti mediation effort and look forward to this matter moving toward a resolution.

The bloc also this week indicated that they will maintain the air, sea and land blockades if Qatar insists on defying its neighbors demands to freeze terrorist funding.

Doha has vehemently rejected the blocs accusation and threatened this week not to enter in negotiations if the blockades are not lifted.
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.
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs will inject about $4 million in Tanzania to finance the construction of a center for the development of the potato industry in the East African nation.

Nine Dutch companies active in the sector will also contribute to the construction of the infrastructure, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year in the southern Tanzanian town of Mbeya.

This Center can have a great impact on research and training. With this great initiative, the potato business can finally take off, says Mathew Mtigumwe, Permanent Secretary at the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture.

We will provide support at all levels of the industrys value chain from production to conservation through processing and marketing. Increasing potato production is expected to generate significant financial resources for the benefit of the rural economy, said Frank Wijnands of Wageningen Plant Research, a Dutch research university.

The Netherlands is one of the ten largest potato producers on the planet and grows more than 500 varieties of starch.

Tanzanian farmers often harvest between 7.0 and 8.0 tons per hectare, well below the 30 tons that could be reached with high-quality seed-potatoes and improved farming techniques.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres together with President Yoweri Museveni and other world leaders are gathering in Kampala for a two-day summit aims at raising $2 billion for the second largest refugee hosting country, Uganda.

The two-day Summit, which opens Thursday, 22 June, comes as the UN estimates that in just one year, largely due to an influx of people fleeing violence and instability in South Sudan, the refugee population in Uganda has more than doubled  from 500,000 to more than 1.25 million  making the country host to the worlds fastest growing refugee emergency.

Besides South Sudan, Uganda has also opened its doors to refugees from Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. With an average of 2,000 new arrivals each day, the country needs urgent and robust support to deal with the refugee crisis.

About 500 dignitaries and heads of state are attending the summit including Guinean President and Chairman of the African Union Alpha Conde, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Gabonese President Ali Bongo, Zambian President Edgar Lungu and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

The World Food Program was forced to cut food rations to refugees last month, by 50 percent, due to food shortage, it was officially announced.

The United Nations and 57 other aid organizations working in northern Uganda, appealed for $1.4 billion to provide food and shelter this year, but only 18 percent of the funds has been received.

On World Refugee Day on June 20, UN Chief Guterres expressed concern that 80 per cent of the worlds refugees are hosted by developing countries with a dramatic impact on their economy, society and security.
The United Nations Security Council, on Wednesday, unanimously approved a resolution welcoming the deployment of a 5,000-strong force from five African countries to restore peace and security and fight extremists in the vast Sahel region.

The resolution, drafted by France, welcomes the deployment but does not grant full UN authorization to the force due to opposition by the United States.

The military force will be made up of troops from Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger, known as the Sahel G-5.

Frances U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre said the resolution is a landmark that brings strong and decisive support from the U.N.s most powerful body to the five countries contributing troops.

Despite the United States opposition to some parts of the resolution, Delattre described the unanimous vote at the council as a proof of maximum political support for the G-5 force.

At a time when terrorism is striking everywhere in the world, we cannot let the Sahel region become a new haven for terrorist organizations from the entire world, he told the council.

It is our security which is at stake in the Sahel, not just the security of the G-5 countries, Delattre said.

The resolution urges the G-5 force to coordinate and exchange information with Frances Operation Barkhane, which has about 4,000 soldiers fighting extremists in the five countries, and the more than 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali.
Morocco decided on Tuesday to open its doors to thirteen Syrian families that have been stranded at the borders with neighboring Algeria since April 17 and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has welcomed the humanitarian move.

The decision to admit the refugees was announced by the Royal cabinet on Tuesday in a press release, which said that, on the basis of humanitarian considerations, King Mohammed VI had instructed authorities to allow the refugees entry into Morocco.

This decision, made as the international community was celebrating the World Refugee Day, reflects the humane commitment of the Kingdom in the treatment of migratory issues and comes during these blessed days of the holy month of Ramadan, the month of piety and solidarity, said the Royal Office. It is an exceptional measure dictated by humanist values, the press release said.

The UN Refugee Agency, which welcomed the decision as a humanitarian gesture, said the remaining 28 refugees from an original group of 41, including women and children, were collected on June 20 by the Moroccan police from the border and transported by bus to Bouarfa, from where they were transferred to the capital Rabat.

UNHCR is working with the authorities of Morocco and other countries to find a durable solution to the plight of these vulnerable refugees, it said.

On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20, the Representative of the UNHCR in Morocco, Jean Paul Cavalieri commended Morocco for the humanism underlying its immigration and asylum policy, saying that the North African country has succeeded in developing an adequate legal framework guaranteeing the right to asylum.

Morocco updated legal texts to enable refugees to enjoy their rights to international protection, he said, adding that the UNHCR works closely with the Moroccan government and the civil society to bring help to asylum seekers in terms of registration for obtaining refugee status in addition to offering them medical and legal aid, and providing education to their children.

Morocco was one of the first countries of the South to adopt a genuine solidarity-based policy regarding sub-Saharan migrants. This integrated policy, which is rooted in humanitarian values, is designed to make sure migrants rights and dignity are safeguarded.

In this vein, Morocco has launched two regularization campaigns of undocumented migrants. Under the first phase that took place in 2014, some 25,000 migrants gain residency status. The second phase was launched in December 2016 and by last March, 18,228 migrants submitted to Moroccan authorities their requests to gain residency permits.

Moroccos integration policy of migrants, spearheaded by King Mohammed VI, is described by analysts as exemplary.
Washington hosts event on women empowerment in Azerbaijan, Georgia

The United States-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) in conjunction with over twenty women business leaders, CEOs and entrepreneurs successfully concluded a briefing on Capitol Hill, titled Transformation and Economic Empowerment of Women: Case Studies of Georgia and Azerbaijan.The initiative was launched by women-entrepreneurs, in particular CEO of C.L. Russell Group Connie Russell and CEO of Browne & Associates, Inc and President of National Medical Association Doris Browne, who traveled to Azerbaijan and Georgia in September 2016 as part of a US trade mission.The event was supported by many women representatives of the US Congress, including Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee as well as US Department of Commerce.Connie Russell opened the event by sharing her positive impressions of the two countries, her communication with local women-entrepreneurs and the great potential for bilateral commercial cooperation.Azerbaijans Ambassador to the US, Elin Suleymanov, delivered welcoming remarks, noting the rich history of the country in uplifting women. As Azerbaijan is the first Muslim country to enfranchise women with voting rights, he stressed the importance of womens role in Azerbaijani society both in the past and future.Keynote Speaker Holly Vineyard, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Commerce also noted the importance of regular trade missions to the region and new initiatives, government procurement and economic resources for empowering women in the US and the region.Deputy Chief of Mission of Georgian Embassy Giorgi Tsikolia, USACC Executive Director Susan Sadigova and CFO of Washington, DC-based Middle East Institute Tamara Kalandiya also briefed the audience about their personal experiences and the leading positions that women hold in Georgia and Azerbaijan, both in government and private sectors. DCM Tsikolia also described the initiative as a great opportunity to highlight the current friendship between Azerbaijan and Georgia and to inform the US audience about the role of women in these two societies.
Russia restricts more visa regulations

By Messenger Staff

Citizens of Georgia who have the right to live or work in Russia can leave Russia only if they have a visa, Russian media reports.A journalist posted a message on Facebook according to which the nanny of her children, who is a citizen of Georgia, was requested to show her visa at Moscow's airport.Later, the information was confirmed by human rights defenders.Moskovskij Komsomolets said that as well as applying to Georgians, the visa requirement has been imposed for citizens of all countries who have not signed a special agreement with Russia.Human rights activist Bakhrom Ismailov said in a conversation with Moskovskij Komsomolets that the visa requirement came into effect from June 7 this year. He announced the information on the new visa requirements has not been spread in the Russian media.You need the broadest consensus, and I think that the Parliament of Georgia will do its best to achieve this, said Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio after the Venice Commission's plenary session, where the Venice Commission report on the revision of the Constitution of Georgia was discussed.Russia frequently claims that it intends to simplify visa regulations for Georgia.After the Russia-Georgia war in 2008, Georgian citizens were only given a visa to travel to Russia if they had been invited by very close relatives.Georgias former government annulled visas for Russian tourists in 2011, however Russia adamantly maintained its complicated procedures.As it appears, Russia, as usual, goes back on its promises and acts in defiance of all international laws and norms.
The News in Brief

Georgia in European Parliament Debate on Azerbaijani Journalists Case



The European Parliament resolution on the case of Afgan Mukhtarli was preceded by 36-minute-long parliamentary debates, where MEPs spoke on the journalists reported abduction, including the alleged involvement of Georgian officials.



MEP from the UK Charles Tannock of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group, who was one of the resolution co-authors, spoke first during the debates, saying the alleged abduction of Azerbaijani citizen Afghan Mukhtarli on Georgian soil is an extremely concerning and serious case particularly given his background as a journalist who has fled there in search of safe haven from persecution by the Azerbaijani authorities.



Allegations that the Georgian security services may have in some way been complicit in this event is also of deep concern, MEP Tannock noted, adding that he welcomes the clause of the resolution urging the Georgian authorities to ensure a prompt, thorough, transparent and effective investigation into the matter.



The importance of prompt and transparent investigation by Georgia was also raised by another author of the resolution, Lithuanian MEP Petras Autrevicius from the group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), who stressed Baku and Tbilisi must be partners in investigation and we have to receive all and final information on this case. Otherwise, there are many doubts about future partnerships.



Polish MEP Anna Elzbieta Fotyga of the European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) spoke on the need of thorough investigation as well, saying Mukhtarlis abduction allegedly by Georgian services is a serious blow to the reputation of this country. The investigation as energetic as possible should be carried in both countries.



Irish MEP Sean Kelly of the European Peoples Party (EPP) was critical of the Georgian authorities as well. Afgan Mukhtarlis abduction and imprisonment is a clear violation of international law and it is crucial that Azerbaijani government be held accountable. The alleged involvement of Georgian officials in this case has also to be scrutinized in terms of respect of fundamental rights and integrity of government. Especially as he fled there and finished up in Baku, he said.



MEP from Finland Heidi Hautala of the group of the Greens/European Free Alliance spoke at the session as well, calling the reported abduction an unforeseen, an unprecedented case. There was a reported abduction from the territory of an independent country and I fully see why President Margvelashvili of Georgia has said that this is not only the question of upholding freedom of the media but it is also about defending Georgian statehood.



Thats why we all have the reason to believe that Georgia is conducting a totally transparent and independent investigation into what happened. We are faced with two completely different stories on what happened and we need to get this right, because this should never happen again, she added.



The MEPs debated the request of Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, who had, according to some MEPs, appealed to the European Parliament to defer the vote, citing his visit to Baku on June 16. The motion for resolution on posponing the vote was, however, dismissed by the majority of MEPs with 315 against and 272 in favor.



Initially there were six separate drafts of resolution tabled by major political groups in the European Parliament. But on June 14 a joint motion for a draft resolution was made by EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE, GUE/NGL, EFDD and Verts/ALE groups.

(Civil.ge)







Georgias parliament approves immediate halt in sale of farm land to foreigners



The Georgian parliament decided Friday to declare a temporary ban on the sale of agricultural lands to aliens until a constitutional ban comes into force.



87 MPs voted in favor of the amendment to the Law on Ownership of Agricultural Land, amid fierce pressure by conservative groups. None voted against.



The moratorium brings an immediate halt in the sale of sale of agricultural land until an announced constitutional ban comes into force, and applies to sale of such land to both foreign physical and legal entities.



The prohibition also applies to legal entities registered in Georgia by foreign citizens. However, it does not concern sales of lands to foreigners that have been concluded before the introduction of the moratorium.



Conservative politicians and activist groups put immense pressure on parliament before the vote and May 15 even managed to shut down a public debate in Tbilisi philharmonic which was part of a hearing process about the constitutional reforms.



Previously, Georgias ruling GD party decided to ban the sale of agricultural land to foreigners by adding a clause to the Constitution.



On June 8, PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced that a passage will be added to the Constitution to ban the sale of land to persons who do not have Georgian citizenship.

(DF watch)




REYNOSA, Tamaulipas  The raging cartel war for control of this city resulted in at least 74 officially-counted murders. Many more victims have been incinerated just south of the Texas border.

REYNOSA, Tamaulipas  The raging cartel war for control of this city resulted in at least 74 officially-counted murders. Many more victims have been incinerated just south of the Texas border.

In early May, Breitbart Texas began reporting on rival factions of the Gulf Cartelfor control of this border city. The continuing conflicts resulted in convoys of cartel gunmen roaming the streets looking for their rivals.

Overnight, cartel gunmen dumped a bloodied corpse with a posterboard where one cartel factions threatened their rivals. Bodies withhad not been seen previously in Reynosa. However, they are commonplace in Ciudad Victoria and in the border state of Nuevo Leon where Breitbart Texas has been reporting Los Zetas and other cartels are also carrying out massacres.

The violence spiked in early May, shortly after Mexican authorities killed former Gulf Cartel boss Juan Manuel Toro Loiza Salinas in late April. His death led to a power vacuum where his former allies are trying to fight off the another faction that appears to be favored by other cartel leaders. The ongoing fighting has led to a spike in highway robberies, armed robberies, kidnappings, and extortions as cartel commanders continue to look for ways to fund their ongoing war.

The violence spiked in early May, shortly after Mexican authorities killed former Gulf Cartel boss Juan Manuel Toro Loiza Salinas in late April. His death led to a power vacuum where his former allies are trying to fight off the another faction that appears to be favored by other cartel leaders. The ongoing fighting has led to a spike in highway robberies, armed robberies, kidnappings, and extortions as cartel commanders continue to look for ways to fund their ongoing war.

The raging violence by the Gulf Cartel immediately south of the Texas border led to the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) issuing an alert to agents that they represent regarding the cartel war just south of the border, Breitbart Texas reported . The NBPC warned federal agents about the constant gun battles and the possibility of spillover violence or stray rounds fired in Mexico landing in Texas.

Editors Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used.

Houston, TX

HOUSTON, Texas  Law enforcement officials in the Houston area are searching for a previously deported MS-13 gang member wanted in connection with the murder of his female companion. The murder victim is also the mother of the suspects child.

The suspect, 26-year-old Carlos Gonzalez, bragged about killing people and being a member of the hyper-violent MS-13 gang . Just two weeks earlier, the girlfriends sister saw the man playing with or handling an assault rifle that she said she thought was an AR-15, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Breitbart Texas. The preliminary autopsy report indicates she died from a wound to the head consistent with a rifle round.

Law enforcement officials stated that Gonzalez had been deported in the past. The victims mother said he was from El Salvador. El Salvador is the home of the MS-13 transnational criminal gang.

Maritza Blanca Lopez sustained a shot to her left front forehead near the hairline.

The amount of extensive damage it caused to the skull, and the trail of fragments and jacketing in the skull was consistent with a rifle round, reported the doctor who performed the autopsy at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houston.

Law enforcement officials discovered Lopez partially nude body after dispatchers received a 911 call from an unknown male who stated that his girlfriend was either playing with a gun or checking the gun and accidentally shot herself. The man immediately hung up the phone.

Harris County Dispatch called the phone number back, and the unknown caller said he did not know the exact address but gave them an intersection in northwest Harris County. He also said he left to take his baby to the hospital but then decided to take the child to his aunts house. He hung up the phone and did not subsequently answer the phone or call authorities back.

Patrol deputies went to the scene and found a residence with the door unlocked. A deputy found an adult Hispanic female in the closet of the bedroom. She was wearing only panties and a bra. Blood and brain matter was splattered on hanging clothes, and the walls and the fuse box in the closet. No weapon, spent-casing, or projectile was found in the closet according to court documents.

After an investigation, officials determined that Lopez and Gonzalez were the listed residents on the apartment. A neighbor told officers that she heard yelling and screaming from two voices in the apartment and then a loud boom.

The murdered womans mother, Blanca Garcia said Maritza Lopez was involved in a domestic disturbance with her daughter the previous night and has been violent towards Lopez in the past. She said Gonzalez is the father of her granddaughter and an MS-13 gang member.

Investigators found bloody footprints on the floors and a balled-up mens collared shirt on the floor with a lot of blood stains on it.

Lopez first started dating Gonzalez when she was 14-years-old said her sister, Jessica Lopez. She also told officials that the family had encouraged her sister to leave Gonzalez.

The dead womans sister said her sister told her that the couple had a fight and she had kicked out Gonzalez and was planning to leave the apartment. She decided to stay.

Anyone with information about the 510 170 lb. Gonzalez should callat 713-222-TIPS. Officials issued a warrant, but Gonzalez has not been arrested. There is a $200,000 bond.

Court records obtained from the Harris County District Clerks Officer revealed Gonzalez has a 2010 felony conviction in Harris County for burglary of a habitation. He also has two pending felony charges for endangering a child from June 3.

Sheriffs Office offials and officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Gonzalez has not been in custody since his release from prison on the burglary charge.

In March, two MS-13 gang members appeared in a Harris County courtroom laughing and waving at news cameras after being charged with the kidnapping and rape of one 14-year-old girl, and the kidnapping, rape, and murder of another young girl in Jersey Village  a city within the Houston metropolitan area. The murdered girl was allegedly killed as part of a satanic ritual.

Last Tuesday, William F. Sweeney, Jr., the assistant director in charge of the FBI in New York told the House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, MS-13 is not the largest street gang in the United States; it is increasingly the most violent and well-organized, reported Breitbart Texas.

The FBI assistant director added that MS-13 members are typically much younger than those connected to other street gangs. They take cues from the gang instead of relying on a productive family structure. Also, those emigrating from El Salvador to the United States are known to be exposed and desensitized to extreme violence at an early age. MS-13 members frequently recruit children who are illegal immigrants.

Breitbart Texas reported that the State of Texas considers the MS-13 gang to be a Tier 1 level or the most significant threat level. The rise of horrific violence from the gang based in El Salvador and Honduras has also decidedly affected crime levels in the fourth-largest city in the United States. Houston is one of the five cities that the FBI has identified to have a large MS-13 presence. Despite the threat of MS-13 in Houston and Dallas , Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings have joined other Democrat mayors in Texas in trying to get the law blocked.

Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump told the crowd gathered in Iowa that MS-13 was like al-Qaida and stressed again his commitment to building a border wall, reported

In late April reported that President Trump tweeted, The Democrats dont want money from budget going to border wall despite the fact that it will stop drugs and very bad MS 13 gang members.

serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter

............. you really want the borders wide open?

Barrio 18: Meet the terrifying gang with 50,000 foot-soldiers across the US and so unashamedly violent it rivals MS-13

Allied with the Mexican Mafia gang but sworn rivals to MS-13

Believed to have 30,000 to 50,000 members across 20 US states

Founded in Los Angeles and spread throughout Mexico and Central America

US has vowed to crack down on ultra-violent transnational gang MS-13

MS-13 isn't the only gang sowing violence and terror from Central America to the US: meet Barrio 18.

Arch-rivals to MS-13, Barrio 18 has an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 members across 20 US states and is linked to drugs, murder, kidnappings and other violent crime from Central America to Canada.

'With thousands of members across hundreds of kilometers, and interests in a number of different illicit activities, Barrio 18 is one of the more significant emerging criminal threats in the region,' write analysts for the think-tank InSight Crime.

Last week, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited his counterpart in El Salvador to discuss ways to crack down on transnational gangs - MS-13 and Barrio 18 chief among them.

But if history is any guide, eradicating Barrio 18 will be easier said than done.



+11 Barrio 18 is a terrifying gang that spreads from the US to Central America, rivals to MS-13



+11 A Barrio 18 member displays his tattoos, including 'Brown Pride' and XVIII, on the gang's turf in Los Angeles. The gang has a reported presence in 20 US states



+11 The gang is also known as the 18th Street Gang. Pictured: Members in the Quezaltepeque jail outside of San Salvador in El Salvador

Also known as 18th Street, the gang has its roots in Los Angeles of the 1960s, where it was originally composed of Mexican immigrants.

WHAT IS BARRIO 18? The gang was founded in Los Angeles decades ago, and has spread across the US and Central America. Members: Estimated 30,000 to 50,000 in the US Colors: Blue and black Allied with: Mexican Mafia Enemies of: MS-13 Activities: Drug dealing, burglary, assault, extortion, prostitution, human trafficking, homicide

Over the decades, though, Barrio 18 threw open its recruitment to members from Central America as well, often targeting the elementary and middle-school children of immigrants.

As the gang's ranks grew, it became the target of FBI and police crackdowns, sending many of its veteran members to prison.

But time behind bars just gave Barrio 18's shot-callers a fertile new recruiting ground, and it quickly swelled its ranks in federal prisons.

Stepped up deportations also had an unintended effect, spreading the gang's reach to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras as hardened members were shipped back to their native countries, where they have battled brutally with MS-13.



+11 A Barrio 18 member is seen in the 'gang cage' in El Salvador. His tattoos include BEST (for 'Barrio Eighteenth Street'), 666 (for 6+6+6=18) and X8, which stands for absolute gang loyalty



+11 The Barrio 18 gang was founded in Los Angeles and was initially ethnically Mexican, but has grown enormously in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatamala. Pictured: Members in El Salvador



+11 The gang is notorious for enforcing strict rules and absolute obedience among its ranks



+11 Barrio 18 members are seen in a transfer to the San Francisco Gotera penitentiary in 2015. The El Salvadoran government transferred 1,177 members to the US in an effort to curb the gang



+11 Loosely coordinated between cells or 'cliques' even at the local level, Barrio 18 isn't believed to have a 'godfather'-style leader

Loosely coordinated between cells or 'cliques' even at the local level, Barrio 18 isn't believed to have a 'godfather'-style leader.

That's made it difficult to target under racketeering laws, the tactic that brought down many Mafia families.

BARRIO 18 TATTOOS 18, XVIII or XV3 666 or 99 (for 6+6+6=18 or 9+9=18) BEST (for 'Barrio Eighteenth Street') 8P (for having killed a police officer) X8 (total loyalty to the gang)

The gang is nevertheless notorious for enforcing strict rules and absolute obedience among its ranks, and failure to show proper respect can bring severe punishment, including execution.

Barrio 18 cliques have been linked to the international drug trade, and the gang is closely allied with the Mexican Mafia, another Hispanic organized crime ring with its origins in US prisons.

Their colors, blue and black, even pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia: blue for the allied gang, and black for Barrio 18's original color.

Barrio 18 tattoos can include: 18, XVIII, XV3, BEST (for 'Barrio Eighteenth Street) and 8P (stands for killing a police officer).

Another tattoo, X8, stands for absolute loyalty to the gang.



+11 Members of the Barrio 18 gang are presented to the media after a police raid in San Salvador



+11 The gang has sown terror from its origin in Los Angeles throughout Central America. Pictured: A grandmother and her grandson walk past Barrio 18 graffiti in San Salvador



+11 Barrio 18 and MS-13 have waged a bloody gang war with each other spanning several countries

Barrio 18 members are the sworn enemies of MS-13, another gang with its origins in California that has since spread in Central American countries with weakened governments.

'These two gangs have turned the Central American northern triangle into the area with the highest homicide rate in the world,' the US Justice Department wrote in a 2013 report.

Like MS-13, the decentralized structure of Barrio 18 has made it incredibly resistant to decades of efforts to eradicate it.

'They're worse than a cancer,' gang expert Gabriel Kovnator told the Los Angeles Times all the way back in 1996.

'A cancer you can kill. These guys keep growing.'



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@amysherman1

Miami Republican State Rep. Michael Bileca is hosting a fundraiser for Republican House Speaker Richard Corcoran's Watchdog PAC at his home Wednesday night.

Also on the host committee: state Reps. Ray Rodrigues, Jeanette Nunez, Carlos Trujillo, Bryan Avila and Manny Diaz, Jr.

The suggested contribution is $1,000.

Corcoran's PAC pulled in $608,000 during the first month including a contribution from Miami auto magnate Norm Braman. The PAC is a sign that Corcoran may run for higher office.
Imagine: Every morning begins with an unobscured, brilliantly multicolored sunrise and overwhelming gusts of wind racing through Yosemite Valley.

As El Capitans ocean of granite begins to warm, chunks of ice loosen, hurtling down from hundreds of feet above, only to explode against the 3,000-foot-tall monolithic wall from which you are suspended. Proud trees look like green rug pile far below, and the peaks of the High Sierras undulate as far as the eye can see.

This scene describes the daily wake-up call for professional rock climber Tommy Caldwell during his seven years of working on the worlds hardest climb  the Dawn Wall  which culminated in his 2015 ascent.

For his next challenge Caldwell took on something a little less vertigo-inducing, and the result is his exceptional new memoir, The Push: A Climbers Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits. The book is full of rich stories that fluctuate between gripping, tender, moving, laugh-out-loud funny, devastating and inspiring  sometimes all within a few pages.

Caldwells memoir hits shelves at an opportune moment. Public interest in rock climbing is growing beyond Sylvester Stallones antics in Cliffhanger. The sport is receiving increased media attention, and it will make its Olympic debut in 2020.

Climbing gyms are sprouting up all over the country. The Push seems to have been written with this in mind, and it succeeds where many previous books have failed; it finds the delicate balance between being accessible to readers unfamiliar with climbing (by clearly defining the sports technical vocabulary and including a series of photos that serve as visual aids) while remaining engaging for those already familiar with the sport and Caldwells place in it.

Caldwells love for the outdoors started early, as he was a child of rock-climbing privilege. His father, a mountain guide, first roped him up at age 3 and welcomed legendary climbers into his childhood home in Colorado. As a teenager he was propelled into the world of competitive rock climbing, featured on magazine covers but often struggling with the pressure and expectations that accompanied success. He found the prospect of being the best at something the most tempting elixir in the world.

Caldwells life took a sharp turn when, in 2000, Islamist militants took him and three other American climbers hostage during an expedition in Kyrgyzstan. They were violently pursued by Kyrgyz military; the harrowing six-day ordeal ended when Caldwell pushed one of the captors off a cliff.

In the years after, he made groundbreaking ascents on El Capitan, but then he lost most of his right index finger in a home improvement accident that doctors told him was the end of his career. Despite all of these trials, Caldwell went on to receive a Piolet dOr (mountaineerings highest award) for ascents in Patagonia. After years of grueling effort and perseverance, he completed the most ambitious climb of his life.

The Push is memoir in the truest sense, full of subjectivity, reflection and humanity. He delves into his past, the formative bond with his father, his persistent nature (as first evidenced by a two-year-long childhood attempt to dig a hole to China), and the effects of growing up in a house where obsessive tendencies were admired and nurtured.

Professional failures and success are mirrored by personal ones. He suffers a failed marriage and finds new love, contrasts instances of clouded recklessness with the transcendent clarity of parenthood, and wrestles with a spiritual journey and his apparent capacity to kill.

Caldwells writing also crystallizes moments of intense natural beauty. He has seen piercing blue glaciers, falcons tackle swallows in midair and droplets of water the size of marbles pause in a cliffs updraft, as if pondering their position in space, floating and glimmering in the sunlight. One would expect nothing less from someone who has spent the majority of his life literally hanging out in the worlds most magnificent corners.

The scope of The Push is truly impressive, moving across five continents over the course of decades, from hectic Bolivian markets to the smell of junipers swirled amid the metallic odor of machine-gun fire. With equal ease, Caldwell writes about vast landscapes or the minute details of his own body and sport, zooming in on the shape and size of each hold; and how to place  fingers just so and dig them into the crystals in just the right way.

While most readers have probably heard some business leader draw a cheesy motivational parallel between rock climbing and revenue growth, The Push is a genuine source of inspiration. Thats not to say that it doesnt occasionally lapse into cliche or reach a conclusion before fully earning it. But these instances are forgivable. After all, Caldwell can write far better than most authors can climb.

The key insights of The Push arent necessarily unique, but they are uniquely embodied in Caldwells rich life, inviting prose and uncommon perspective. Toward the end of the book he reflects: I used to think that adventure and risking ones life were intrinsically linked. I now realize that adventure might be more about embracing the unknown.

In that sense, The Push is an adventure in its own right, exploring the unknown self, being open to growth, sharing hardship with others  and encouraging readers to do the same.
Markus Kaarma has asked the United States Supreme Court to review his 2014 Missoula murder conviction.

Kaarma was found guilty of deliberate homicide in December 2014 for shooting and killing 17-year-old German exchange student Diren Dede, who went into Kaarmas Grant Creek garage in April of that year, apparently looking to steal alcohol.

He first appealed his conviction in late 2015, with the Montana Supreme Court deciding in February to uphold his 70-year prison sentence, which includes a 20-year restriction before he is eligible for parole.

The U.S. Supreme Court accepts very few cases for review, typically reserving its judgments for those that involve significant, unsettled constitutional or legal questions.

Kaarmas attorneys Nate Holloway and David Maldonado wrote in their filing that the case raises a pair of critical questions of the Sixth Amendment: the right to an impartial jury and the ability of someone accused in a criminal case to control his own defense.

The request to the U.S. Supreme Court, called a petition for a writ of certiorari, includes a smaller number of issues than Kaarmas appeal to Montanas high court. It focuses on whether his requests to have the trial moved because of intense media coverage should have been granted and whether certain jury instructions given at trial should have been allowed.

In a small-town setting, the sensational nature of this charge had a massive impact on the community. A firestorm of publicity ensued, Kaarmas attorneys wrote.

They also took issue with the jury instructions given by Missoula County District Court Judge Ed McLean. The jury was told about Kaarmas claim of justifiable use of force in the defense of an occupied structure  which under the law allows deadly force if the occupant is subject to bodily harm, thinks they are in danger of bodily harm, or to stop a forcible felony.

Kaarmas attorneys wrote that over their objection at trial, the prosecution proposed adding the second set of instructions about defense of a person, where the use of force for self-defense must be proportional to the harm or threat.

Kaarma was denied the ability to proceed on the defense of his choosing. The elements were different and the instruction the State requested clearly imposed a higher burden before he could exercise deadly force, Kaarmas attorneys wrote in their petition. This violated Kaarmas autonomy and dignity to control his own defense and runs so contrary to the trial framework that it warrants reversal.

In denying Kaarmas appeal earlier this year, the Montana Supreme Court said while there had been widespread media attention, they did not believe it was enough to have prejudiced a jury pool against him to the point he could not have a fair trial in Missoula. The state justices also found that the jury instructions had reflected the testimony and evidence presented at trial.

Even if the highest court in the country declines to take up his case, Kaarma could continue to challenge his conviction with a civil suit.
PHILIPSBURG  Theyre partying in the 'Burg in the name of resiliency.

This town that not many decades ago danced with ghosts started celebrating its 150th birthday Thursday with bells, speeches, cake and  yes  even a camera-toting drone on the exact June date that Philipsburg became a town in 1867.

Its namesake, mining engineer Philip Deidesheimer, must have known Mark Twain in the Comstock silver mines of Nevada, said Jim Jenner, who served as master of ceremonies for the noon celebration program at the old Fire Hall.

It was Mark Twain who said, Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog," said Jenner. I think were so proud of being the comeback kid, being a small community, and weve really worked hard to prove that to people.

More than 150 people gathered at the corner of Sansome and Broadway for the kickoff event of a three-day celebration. It continues Friday with a history seminar at 6 p.m. in the Granite County History Museum, and all day Saturday with stamp mill demonstrations and walking tours.

This really means a lot to me, said Bob Winninghoff, whose family has called Philipsburg home since his blacksmithing grandfather Frank Winninghoff arrived over the Burnt Fork Trail from the Bitterroot in 1883.

It shows the resilience of the people that lived here and kept it going. When everything shut down, we didnt shut the town down.

This could have been named Hortonville for Hector Horton, the man who first found silver here, or Grahamtown for William Graham, the man who tipped him off, said Ted Antonioli.

The silver mining company that laid down roots in the mid-1860s called it Flint, which Antonioli said doesnt make much sense. The flint quarry in Flint Valley is a long way down the creek, between Maxville and Hall, the geologist and local historian pointed out.

Instead, when inhabitants gathered on June 22, 1867, to lay out the town site and settle on a name, they voted to honor the innovative builder and superintendent of the St. Louis and Montana Mining Companys silver amalgamation mill, the first in Montana.

It figured, said Antonioli, wholl discuss an unexpected twist on the accepted version of Montanas first gold discovery on Friday at the museum.

Deidesheimer was in hot water with company stockholders for his free-spending ways. His workers were the best-paid in Montana Territory.

What you see in town, said Antonioli, is money flowing out into the hands of the craftsmen, the ordinary people. They think Phil Deidesheimer is a wonderful guy. So I think you could imagine when it comes time to name the town, theyre going to name it for him, but Deidesheimerburg is too much of a mouthful.

So thats how we become Philipsburg.

The noon program started with a bell salute from Philipsburg churches and school. The list of speakers on the corner of Broadway and Sansome included representatives from Montanas congressional offices and former governor Brian Schweitzer, a neighbor from Georgetown Lake.

Edwin Johnson, who was born in 1952 one hundred yards from the corner he stood on, read off names of Granite County sheriffs, chiefs of police and mayors since the 1890s. The list of sheriff included Clarice Supernau McDonald, who stepped in for nine months when her husband Angus went to war in 1942.

The latest former sheriff, Steve Immenschuh, presented current mayor Brett Hamilton a giant check of $23,845.65 from the Philipsburg Rotary Club and Chris Cooney of Gem Mountain Sapphires to address the dilapidating water and sewer pipes under the streets of town.

Rotary is one of our oldest organizations, Hamilton said in his acceptance speech. It exemplifies old-time Philipsburg citizens like yourselves working with energetic newcomers, and thats what we pride ourselves in. Its one of the secrets of Philipsburgs success.

Al Beall, 86, took it all in from a folding chair and praised Hamiltons proactivity in the infrastructure arena. Beall is a former mayor himself, serving from 1982 to 1986 between three terms on the town council.

The water line was going haywire from Fred Burr Lake, so we replaced that. That was the big thing, Beall said. And we had lots of dog problems. Everybody was complaining so we started licensing peoples dogs.

That move, coupled with an annual spay and neuter clinic, has controlled the loose dog problem.

The dog waste on the sidewalk was horrible, Beall recalled.

Besides cake and a silent auction in the old fire hall, the sesquicentennial committee assembled strings of 29 Before and After posters that displayed the rebirth of Philipsburg in recent decades.

In one corner, on a loop, was the eighth episode from the first season of the TV western Bonanza that aired on Halloween in 1959. It had to do with a German engineer who developed a design to prevent cave-ins at a silver mine near the Ponderosa. The title: The Philip Deidensheimer Story.

Deidesheimers first name was sometimes spelled with one P at the end, sometimes two, Jenner said.

But, like I just told ex-governor Schweitzer, we have always been one L of a town.
Two years ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) placed controversial, sweeping regulations on the internet. The goal was worthwhile  to establish universal net neutrality rules to protect consumers and content alike. However, rather than construct a modern regulatory framework for ever-evolving services, regulators simply jammed the internet into ill-suited public utility regulations, known as Title II. This model dates back to the Great Depression, a time when the most sophisticated and advanced communications method was a rotary telephone.

The internet has famously benefited from a careful regulatory balance that allowed the internet to evolve. Avoiding heavy-handed regulations spurred on incredible growth over the past two decades. Our telecommunication abilities have skyrocketed from the days of the dial-up modem to todays broadband and the lightning fast speeds and boundless possibilities of new wireless networks on the horizon. This exciting period of constant innovation transformed our society in ways too numerous to count. The approach was working, but officials changed it anyway.

During the debate, critics warned that applying the antiquated Title II regulations to the internet would stifle investment of new broadband infrastructure. To no ones surprise those predictions are coming true as reports indicate that broadband investment is already lower than predicted.

When broadband companies are forced to slow down development of their networks, some of the first places to be impacted are rural areas where deployment of new technologies is more challenging and costly due to geographic limitations. So it goes without saying, the FCCs public utility regulation has already hampered the expansion of new broadband services to rural Montanans.

It should come as no surprise that broadband investment has diminished under utility regulations. The regime put in place by the FCC essentially requires a government permission slip for internet companies to offer new services or experiment with new products and offerings for consumers.

Thats simply crazy and its the antithesis of how such an important part of our economy should function. No one should have to get permission from a government regulator to expand their business or develop new ideas.

The debate over the utility regulations has been wrongly confused with net neutrality. Repealing the FCCs Title II regulations does not and should not equate to allowing broadband providers to slow, block or discriminate against types of specific users or content. Moreover, the ongoing regulatory back and forth on this issues has left many concerned with that net neutrality principles will never be permanently enshrined.

So lets have Congress specifically address it.

This is a critical issue for Montana. If we want equal opportunity for students in Montana, if we want to encourage the use of technology in more sectors of our local economies to spur job creation, and if we want our burgeoning tech industry to continue to grow, we need to encourage broadband deployment and investment.

Congress needs to step in and codify open internet principles into law. This would provide certainty, encourage innovation and finally put the issue to rest.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., will have a key role in this debate in Congress. Let us encourage him to work with his colleagues to establish clear and lasting legislation to secure net neutrality once and for all.
Secretary Ryan Zinke is coming back to visit his hometown next week to address the Western Governors' Association after four months as Montanas first U.S. Secretary of Interior.

There were reasons to be cautiously hopeful when then-President-elect Donald Trump floated then-Congressman Zinkes name for the post. We were hopeful because Zinke comes from a place whose economy depends on a balance between our outdoor heritage and resource development. He has also repeatedly said he opposes the sale or transfer of federal public lands.

However, his long history of close relations with the oil and gas industry that desperately lobbies Interior for unfettered access to drill on public lands was more than enough reason to be cautious about his candidacy for the job.

So, how can Montana grade the states first-ever Cabinet secretary after four months on the job? It turns out that caution was justified.

In his confirmation hearing Zinke committed to fight for much needed funds for our nations largest public land agency. Now hes defending a budget that has less for programs that help the public access our lands, and more for oil companies that want to profit from them. Whats worse is that it kills thousands of jobs in the process.

National parks have seen record visitation in the past few years, including in Glacier and Yellowstone national parks. Thanks to their popularity, these parks face a maintenance backlog worth billions of dollars. Despite this, Secretary Zinke supports a budget that cuts even more from the Park Services budget.

To rub salt into the wounds, hes called Park Service employees serpents and questioned their ability to do their jobs. Hes now floating the idea of privatizing national park campgrounds  a move that will pass the buck to visitors in the form of higher entrance and user fees.

Without explanation, Secretary Zinke canceled local stakeholder meetings and delayed important access and public land funds for states only to release them months late. There was no response to federal, state or local inquires as to why the funds were delayed.

After years of collaborative work, Interiors Sage Grouse Initiative resulted in plans that avoid listing the bird under the Endangered Species Act by allowing for both resource development and the protection of sagebrush landscapes. Despite its success, Secretary Zinke is now reviewing the initiative leaving many, including western governors, to wonder whats next. Additionally, he hasn't responded to two bipartisan letters from western governors imploring him to not change course.

Altogether, Secretary Zinkes time at the Department of Interior has been characterized by decisions that benefit the special interests that brought him to power, and harm public lands users. Thats a record hes not likely to mention at the Western Governors' Association meeting in Whitefish, but it will be widely felt beyond the walls of that meeting by Westerners that need him to take a more responsible approach to the management of our public lands.
The monstrous hypocrisy of smarmy, smirking turtle Mitch McConnell, is beyond the pale. This same senator and his craven cohorts from the GOP railed daily against President Barack Obama and the Democrats who crafted the ACA less than a decade ago, for their supposed lack of transparency. Remember, it was Montanas own Senator Max Baucus who ultimately was unable to provide a public option in Obamacare, which would have brought us to universal health care along with the rest of the civilized world, and negated this whole farcical scenario playing out in the Senate today. It would be funny if it wasnt so deadly. The Republican bill will literally kill people.
I was disappointed to read the unprofessional, sarcastic letter from Montana Secretary of State, Corey Stapleton, in the Wednesday, June 21, Missoulian that implies an extraordinary level of voter fraud in Missoula County.

As reported in the June 17, Missoulian, there was one voter who claimed her ballot signature had been forged, and with due diligence by county election officials she was allowed to vote a new ballot. Yet Secretary Stapletons letter howls that this shows a pattern of tolerance of fraud by Missoula County authorities, insinuating that the roughly 150 rejected ballots in the May 25 special election could also have been forgeries, even with no evidence to support this claim.

What is occurring is not constructive oversight by the Secretary of State but fear mongering about a problem that doesnt exist. Investigations into the extent of voter fraud in the 2016 election with over 137 million votes cast nationally identified only four cases of voter fraud. Four.

These were serious investigations because of wild claims of specific political actors who either wish to discredit voting officials integrity or limit access to voting among particular demographic groups.

A Secretary of State is supposed to support county election officials, not disparage them. Falsely blasting Missoula County election officials and prosecutors demonstrates that we have a Secretary of State more interested in political grandstanding than doing his job.

Jim Burchfield,

Missoula
Arik Hamner pleaded not guilty in Butte district court Thursday to the charge of a fourth or subsequent DUI, a felony.

Hamner was charged in February after officers received a call that he was driving erratically and performed field sobriety tests and a breath test for blood alcohol content. Court documents say his BAC was more than twice the legal limit. He has three prior DUI convictions.

In other court proceedings Thursday:

-- A 37-year-old man pleaded guilty to forgery. Travis Ammermann was arrested in August 2016 after attempting to cash multiple forged checks at Glacier Bank in Butte, amounting to $7,340. He remains in custody at the Butte-Silver Bow detention center.

-- Nicholas Jaeger, 28, rejected a plea agreement and continued his plea of not guilty after allegedly violating a restraining order multiple times. He was charged in December 2016 with stalking, a felony. Judge Kurt Krueger advised Jaeger that he would be waiving his right to a speedy trial, as the trial date originally scheduled for this case had passed in expectation of a plea agreement. A new trial date is expected to be scheduled for September. The maximum penalty if convicted is five years in prison.

-- Judge Kurt Krueger revoked Dylan Harrisons suspended sentence for drug possession, sentencing him to two years with the Department of Corrections and recommending that he enter a treatment program for young adult offenders up to 25 years old. Harrison, 23, will serve three sentences concurrently and receive credit for 133 days served. His lawyer indicated that Harrison is looking forward to the facilitys vocational training program, especially the opportunity to learn welding.
DEER LODGE  A former Deer Lodge police officer was sentenced this week in district court for obstruction of justice.

Erik E. Miller, 39, of Anaconda, who pleaded guilty, admitted that, while working as a police officer, he was engaged in a relationship with Krystina Close. Close was on probation in November 2014 when he sent her a text telling her the probation officer was doing checks and to stay out of bars.

I didnt know she was in a bar when I sent it, Miller said.

Close ultimately showed Sheriff Scott Howard the text messages on her cell phone warning her to stay out of bars to avoid being discovered and apprehended by the probation officer.

Originally, Miller was charged with felony obstruction of justice, but in a plea agreement, the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended, and fined $500 plus $75 in court fees. During his probation, he will be supervised by the Powell County Sheriffs Office.

County attorney Lewis Smith said Miller violated his obligation as a police officer to protect the community and allowed Close to commit a crime without repercussions. Miller surrendered his police officer certification, and Smith said the likelihood of him being a police officer in the future is nil and that he should never be an officer again.

Prior to sentencing, Miller said, I had an opportunity to work with the finest law enforcement officers while serving the city. If I could turn the clock back, I would make a different decision.

In other court action:

INMATE PUNISHED BY FROSTBITE

Donald Thompson, 37, who failed to return to the Butte Pre-Release Center after work on Jan. 6, pleaded guilty to escape. Thompson spent the night outside during the dead of winter when temperatures plummeted to minus 20 degrees and was arrested by police officers the next day. He suffered severe frostbite and has since lost fingers and toes as a result of his action and appeared in court in a wheelchair.

Thompson is serving 108 months for felony aggravated assault in Missoula County and was due to be released on July 2, 2017. He was sentenced to three years consecutive to his underlying sentence with credit for 35 days served, and the remainder of the sentence was suspended as Judge Ray Dayton agreed with the attorneys that Thompson will pay for the escape for the rest of his life.

Upon his release, Thompson plans to move to Washington and live with his mother where he will be supervised by probation officers.
HELENA  Another Republican has jumped into the pool of those vying to run against U.S. Sen. Jon Tester next fall.

Ronald Murray of Belgrade filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier this month. Murray previously ran for a state House seat and lost in the primary. He later settled with the Commissioner of Political Practices after an investigation over claims of coordinating with a national anti-union group.

The number of people that will be getting into this primary, it shows there is a lot of concern for what is already happening in our Senate, Murray said Friday. Montanans are going to have a real chance to meet a lot of really good people and a chance to speak their mind.

So far candidates that have announced they're seeking the seat include Kalispell state lawmaker Albert Olszewski, Scott Roy McLean of Missoula, and Troy Downing of Big Sky.

Other names that have been floating around are Yellowstone County District Court Judge Russell Fagg, who a few weeks ago announced he would retire in October. Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Matt Rosendale is also a probable candidate. Some have pointed to new Montana GOP chairwoman Debra Lamm as a possibility, and Kurt Allen Cole of Troy previously told Lee Newspapers he was considering a bid.

Montanas 2018 Senate race is expected to be hard fought and expensive. Nationally, Democrats are playing up the elections as a referendum on President Donald Trump, who has faced low approval ratings in his first six months on the job. Republicans are encouraged by victories in special elections this spring, including one by now-U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte in Montana, who beat Democrat Rob Quist even after Gianforte assaulted a reporter on the eve of the election. Tester has navigated Trump's presidency so far at times falling on the same side of issues as Trump, thought not always.

Murray said hes a supporter of Republican President Donald Trump and that the president needs another ally in Congress.

Hes doing all he can to help our nation as much as possible, but he needs to have people out there. Looking at what Trump is trying to do across the nation, he just needs to have grounded, good individuals in Congress who are looking out for the best interests in everybody.

Right now his campaign is focusing on five main issues: infrastructure, border security, tapping Montanas natural resources, the economy, and veterans affairs.

Murray said liberal immigration policies in Canada potentially leaves our northern border open to a vulnerability weve never had before.

He also said a bill Tester introduced to permanently ban mining in the Paradise Valley is the wrong approach. Montana has so much to offer. Are we doing the most we possibly can for the industries and the jobs they create?

The VA is one of Testers main focuses, as is health care. Murray said he hasnt had a chance to fully read the Senates version of the American Health Care Act released Thursday. The legislation is the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obamas landmark healthcare legislation.

I feel we are on the right track. We do need to repeal and replace Obamacare. But its hard to make a solid comment on it, because its going to change so much, Murray said.

Murray operates a kennel in Belgrade that employs nine people. In 2010 he ran for a state House seat and lost in the primary to Ted Washburn, who filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Political Practices Office against Murray.

After an investigation, Murray reached a settlement with the commissioner in which he said he inappropriately received services from the National Right to Work Committee. Several other Republican were also found to have inappropriately taken services from the nonprofit known as a social welfare organization.

Murray agreed to pay $6,000 and do $14,000 worth of community service. Right to Work is a national organization that is anti-union.

On Friday, Murray said that though he reached a settlement with then-Commissioner Jonathan Motl, he didnt intend to do anything wrong, and the print shop he had hired contracted his printing work out to Right to Work.
A slow snow-melt, moderate temperatures, and recent soaking rains have held off an active wildfire season in western and southwestern Montana so far.

That should stave off extra restrictions on fireworks in these parts going into the Fourth of July, a federal fire official said Friday, but it wouldnt take much for the outlook to change.

At some point we could turn off the faucet  it stops raining  and we turn up the thermostat, said John Thompson, fire management officer for the U.S. Bureau of Land Managements western Montana district.

That really drives how quickly fire season comes on, he said. If we move up to 80 to 90 degrees in the next week and it stays that way for a week to 10 days and we have a little bit of wind, it changes things very, very quickly.

So far, however, conditions have worked against widespread wildfires in the Rocky Mountain regions of Montana.

Snowpack was average to above average in most of the region, officials say, and snowmelt has been on the slower side.

Look at the Pintlers, Thompson said. The Pintlers still have snow probably down to 8,000 feet. There is still a significant amount of snow up there. That means we have high country that is still green.

Even if other conditions changed dramatically, the high country is still a ways away from being available to burn, he said.

Rains in May and June have helped, too, and are one of the reasons the National Interagency Fire Center predicted a below normal significant fire potential for western Montana in June and July.

The agency noted a storm system from Canada in mid-May brought heavy rains to southwestern Montana and heavy snowfall in some mountain ranges in the state as well.

Then came the two days of steady rainfall earlier this month, Thompson said, when the Butte area picked up 1.5 to 2 inches in 48 hours and areas near Drummond got 3 inches.

That alone probably set back wildfire season by two to three weeks, he said, especially because it fell steadily for so long, saturating the ground and vegetation instead of coming down quickly and running off.

It was the right kind of rain and really slowed things down, he said.

Conditions were different in 2015, when low snowpack that winter and hot, dry conditions fed fires that burned nearly 746,000 acres in the Northern Rockies region that includes all of Montana, northern Idaho, most of North Dakota, and Yellowstone National Park.

Persistent hot and dry conditions in June that year led fire officials and Butte-Silver Bow commissioners to ban the sale and use of fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend.

Thompson noted that fireworks are not allowed on state or federal lands, but he doubted restrictions would be needed locally. That prediction, of course, came with a disclaimer.

That could change, he said. That happened to us a few fire seasons ago. However, everything looks great (now).

Fireworks sales begin Saturday, June 24, in Butte, said Fire Chief Jeff Miller.
WASHINGTON -- The "health care bill" that Republicans are trying to pass in the Senate, like the one approved by the GOP majority in the House, isn't really about health care at all. It's the first step in a massive redistribution of wealth from struggling wage-earners to the rich -- a theft of historic proportions.

Is the Senate version less "mean" than the House bill, to use President Trump's description of that earlier effort? Not really. Does the new bill have the "heart" that Trump demanded? No, it doesn't. The devil is not in the details, it's in the big picture.

Fundamentally, what Republicans in both chambers want to do is cut nearly $1 trillion over the next decade from the Medicaid program, which presently serves almost 70 million people. Medicaid provides health care not just for the indigent and disabled but also for the working poor -- low-wage employees who cannot afford health insurance, even the plans offered through their jobs.

Additionally, about 20 percent of Medicaid spending goes to provide nursing home care, including for middle-class seniors whose savings have been exhausted -- a situation almost any of us might confront. Roughly two-thirds of those in nursing homes have their care paid by Medicaid.

Why would Republicans want to slash this vital program so severely? You will hear a lot of self-righteous huffing and puffing about the need for entitlement reform, but the GOP's intention is not to use the savings to pay down the national debt. Instead, slashing Medicaid spending creates fiscal headroom for what is euphemistically being called "tax reform" -- a soon-to-come package of huge tax cuts favoring the wealthy.

That's the basic equation in both the House and Senate bills: Medicaid for tax cuts. Both bills start with various of the taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act, but those are mere appetizers. The main course is intended to be big cuts in individual and corporate tax rates that would benefit the rich.

There is no other point to this whole exercise. All the "Obamacare is in a death spiral" talk is Republican wishful thinking, aided and abetted by active sabotage.

The ACA is far from perfect, but recall that it was designed with input from the insurance industry. The main reason so many insurers are pulling out of the program is that Congress and GOP-dominated state governments refuse to live up to their end of the bargain. Congress will not commit to funding promised subsidies to cover treatment for the poor and those with expensive ailments, or to keeping in place the mandate forcing individuals to buy insurance or pay a penalty. Republican governors and state legislatures refused to set up exchanges that would make insurance more affordable and declined the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage.

It's actually a wonder that the ACA works as well as it does, given the GOP's determination to make it fail.

Neither the House nor the Senate bill fully dismantles the scaffolding of Obamacare; rather, they allow the states to do most of the dirty work. Philosophically, Republican majorities in both chambers want to erase the central concept that the ACA established: that health care is a fundamental right, not a privilege depending on one's income.

Like the House, the Senate wants to offer tax credits rather than subsidies to help the needy afford insurance. Like the House, the Senate wants to leave up to the states whether policies must cover such services as emergency, maternity and mental health care. Like the House, the Senate wants to eliminate the requirement that large employers offer insurance plans to their workers.

There are a few distinctions, though I wouldn't call them real differences. The Senate would determine who gets tax credits to help buy insurance by income, rather than age. And the Senate bill would take more time to phase out the ACA's expansion of Medicaid coverage; despite claims that this represents "heart," it may have less to do with compassion than skewing how the bill is scored by the Congressional Budget Office. This pig's lipstick is being applied with a trowel.

Ultimately, however, the impact is the same: sacrificing Medicaid for tax cuts. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had the bill drafted in strict secrecy and hopes to ram it through as early as next week. The ACA, by contrast, was drafted over the course of a year, with more than 100 public hearings.

Does McConnell have the votes? Wavering senators should know that we're not fooled. We see exactly what you're doing -- and you should expect to be held fully accountable.

Eugene Robinson's email address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com.

(c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group

Eugene Robinson writes a twice-a-week column on politics and culture, contributes to the PostPartisan blog, and hosts a weekly online chat with readers. In a three-decade career at The Post, Robinson has been city hall reporter, city editor, foreign correspondent in Buenos Aires and London, foreign editor, and assistant managing editor in charge of the papers Style section.

@Eugene_Robinson
A groups request to raise money for disabled veterans by selling vodka and having a band play until 1 a.m. during Evel Knievel Days next month has raised red flags with a key county official: Sheriff Ed Lester.

Its a great cause, and we can certainly work something out, but we have to make sure everybody is playing by the same rules, and public safety has to be the priority, Lester said Thursday.

The same rules, Lester told commissioners Wednesday night, means shutting down live bands and outside bars in Uptown Butte around 11 p.m. during festivals, including the three nights of EK Days.

County officials, including the sheriff, must sign off on festivals and big-crowd events held in Butte.

Nic Wilson of Missoula wants to raise money to purchase a new van for taking disabled American veterans from Butte to medical appointments, including those offered through the Veterans Administration.

Under the plan, Titos Handmade Vodka would be sold in an alley behind the Times Bar on East Galena Street with a live band playing there from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. during EK Days on July 27, 28, and 29. All vodka sales would go toward the van purchase, he said.

Because it would be held in the footprint of the Evel Days festival and that event is free, tickets would not be sold. But organizers would be able to sell vodka drinks through a mobile liquor license to raise money for the van, he said.

We are officially under the Evel Knievel Days footprint and insurance plan, Wilson said, adding that he was a veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force. It does not fall back on the city at all.

He said other county officials encouraged him to get OKs from residents living near the bar and alley. There were only a few, he said, and the group planned to give them all gift baskets as a peace offering and tell them all about the fundraiser.

Lester said it is a good cause and it isnt hard liquor sales that bothered him.

Believe me, there is plenty to drink in the Uptown area, he said.

But he had concerns about fairness and managing crowds that late at night.

Bands are usually asked to quit playing after 11 p.m., he said, and that is when officers start requesting that outdoor sales of alcohol stop during EK Days.

Letting one band keep playing an extra two hours, Lester said, probably isnt fair to the other vendors who were good enough to shut down when we asked them.

Outside vendors already raise objections when they are the first ones asked to shut down, but Lester said his officers have to start with one or two and make the rounds.

He said residents who live across from The Times bar and on floors above Metals Bank already sacrifice a lot during the festival and now they would be asked to endure two more hours of loud music each night.

Officers try to start dispersing the outside Uptown crowd during EK Days after 11 p.m., and theyre still at it around 2 a.m., Lester said. The crowd  and officers  would be out even later if the proposed fundraiser was allowed.

A few commissioners agreed with the sheriffs concerns, but Lester said he is willing to talk with Wilson over the coming week to see what alternatives might work. Wilson said he is open to that, too.
Wayne County, WV - Zachary Jones, son of Charleston mayor, Danny Jones, is facing multiple charges after several charges were filed across multiple counties in West Virginia.

According to the criminal complaint, Zachary Jones, 27, was arrested for breaking into a pawn shop in the 5th Street Road area of Huntington, WV on November 20th, 2016.

An officer with the Wayne County Sheriff's Department was dispatched to the area where they found surveillance footage allegedly showing Jones breaking into the store. In the video, the suspect walked around the store and examined display cases before fleeing the scene.

The investigating officer noticed that the suspect was wearing clothing that matched a suspect to another breaking and entering case at a Huntington bar located on Spring Valley Drive in Huntington on November 18th, 2016.

Police say surveillance video at the site showed two people attempting to break in to the bar before fleeing after a failed attempt to enter. The owner of the establishment says that roughly $1,000.00 in damage was caused during the attempt.

On November 28th, 2016, the investigating officer traveled to the Lawrence County Jail located in Ironton, OH, to interview a suspect. The suspect admitted to their involvement in the Spring Valley Drive bar breaking and entering attempt.

On May 4th, 2017, the suspect admitted to police their involvement in the 5th street pawn shop robbery as well. The suspect confirmed the identities of the other parties involved in both cases, implicating Jones in both crimes.

Jones is now facing at least seven charges, including breaking and entering, attempted breaking and entering, destruction of property and of conspiracy.

He is being held at Southern Regional Jail without bond.
MUSCATINE  On May 18, the Board of Directors of First National Bank of Muscatine elected Amber Schulte as the director of marketing and Dena Ferreira as an officer, with the title of advertising and event coordinator.

Schulte joins First National Bank with more than 10 years experience in sales, community events and project management with degrees in journalism and communication studies.

She is a graduate of Muscatine High School, Muscatine Community College and the University of Iowa. She and her husband Isaac, reside in Muscatine. They have three children, Nora, 4, Lauren, 1, and James, 1.

Ferreira joined the banks marketing department in 2013 after six years working as a photography and graphics coordinator in the Chicagoland area.

She is a graduate of Muscatine High School and received a marketing degree at Iowa State University. She currently serves on the Leadership Committee of the Young Professionals Network and volunteers at various other community events.
MUSCATINE  Kevin Reichert wasnt on his farm when Saturdays storm hit. But he could see the damage it wrought.

Gusts of wind and fusillades of hail decimated his 40-acre corn fields and damaged some of his equipment. The wind rolled one of his round bales 200 or 300 feet to a nearby gravel road.

Its a major catastrophe as far as Im concerned, he said. I really dont want to speak for anyone else, but just standing in my yard, I can see 2-3 miles each way, and just thousands and thousands of acres out here that got damaged by the hail.

Saturdays storm hit southeast Iowa, including Muscatine and the area west of Muscatine, where Reicherts farm is located.

Meteorologist Alex Gibbs, of the Quad-Cities office of the National Weather Service, said based on the damage in the city of Muscatine, the city experienced winds of up to 60 miles an hour. A National Weather Service team surveyed the area near Reicherts farm, revealing that winds in that area reached 70-80 miles an hour.

Gibbs said that based on the reports his team has received, the area west of Muscatine was hit the hardest in Saturdays storm.

In the storms aftermath, Reichert and the other 50 or so Muscatine County farmers whose fields were damaged by the storm will have to make a tough decision: should they replant? That decision, said Rob Schmidt, vice president of commercial and agriculture at Lee Agency, is further complicated by the storms timing.

If farmers plant their corn or soybeans after July 1, they will often get half the yields they would have gotten had they planted earlier, a loss that can potentially be far greater than if they just let their damaged fields regrow. On the other hands, the fields may not regrow at all and theres no guarantee that yields from damaged fields will be better.

Schdmit said his insurance company advises farmers to wait 7-10 days before they make that decision.

Reichert is still wrestling with that question. When he saw his fields for the first time after the storm, he was sure he was going to replant. But by Thursday afternoon, he wasnt sure what to do next.

Thats whats in question at this point, he said. Its going to be such a reduced level of return financially for a person to just jump right out there and plant corn (in July).

For many farmers in Reicherts situation, said agronomist Virgil Schmitt, the wait-and-see approach may be best. Schmitt, who works at the ISU extension and outreach office, met with some of farmers whose fields were damaged. In most cases, he said, the damage may look bad, but crops will regrow, albeit with reduced yields.

It looks terrible (at first), but the damage really isnt as bad in general as it looks, he said. But there were some areas, some small pockets where (famers) are going to have to do something because theres nothing left.

Yields from a damaged field, Schmitt said, are often better than the yields from a newly replanted field this late into the growing season.

(Farmers) will survive, he said. There may be some yield loss, but they will survive and the yield loss that occurs will be much less than the yield loss than the yield loss that would occur if you tear the crop up and replant, simply because the later you plant, the lower the yield.

Reichert said his fields were so damaged he is not sure if anything will regrow, but he has to wait for the insurance evaluation, set to conclude in the middle of next week. But he is sure he will continue farming despite the setback.

Its the nature of the beast, he said. Youre going to have hot weather, youre going to have cold weather, and now you have hail and wind."
MUSCATINE  During a visit to HNI's headquarters in Muscatine Thursday, Gov. Kim Reynolds talked to company officials about the need for tax reform in Iowa.

In an interview with the Muscatine Journal, Reynolds said she is mostly focused on a "comprehensive tax reform" plan while the state legislature is not in session.

Reynolds said the main goal is to make the tax plan "simpler, fair and sustainable."

"It has to be sustainable, and it's not easy or else it would have been done," Reynolds said. "We're going to get there and it's the right thing to do. And we're going to make sure we can honor commitments that have been made, such as for education or welfare."

Reynolds has yet to announce an official plan for tax reform, but said she is "working diligently on getting there."

"We need to look at it in a comprehensive manner, and can't come at this by starting to take things off the table," she said. "We have to walk through the process, see if we can reduce some [tax credits], maintain some, change requirements. But, we're not locked into anything."

Reynolds said it is "part of doing due diligence" to look at what other state's have done related to tax reform, and she has learned lessons from the failed tax cut program in Kansas.

Kansas' tax cuts, which went into effect in 2013, reduced personal income tax rates and imposed no taxes on some business income. Last week, the Kansas Legislature overrode the governor's veto, repealing the tax cuts, and raising taxes by $1.2 billion over the next two years.

"In Kansas, they were probably a little too aggressive," Reynolds said. "It also didn't adjust some things and didn't reduce spending either. So you have to be careful."

Reynolds said agriculture is the backbone of Iowa's economy, and "when it stumbles, it impacts all other sectors."

She said the state economy is somewhat diversified with financial, insurance and bio-sciences, but diversification will be especially important to "remain stable in tough times."

Reynolds said another way to make Iowa more competitive is to amend the tax code to better accommodate online shopping.

"As our purchasing practices change, we need to look at that," Reynolds said. "In the code, [online sales] are already taxable, they just need to be looked at to make sure we're capturing that."

Reynolds is also hopeful potential tax reform at the federal level will benefit Iowa.

"We're still hopeful they're going to get something done," she said. "And with Iowa's federal deductability, that would have an impact on revenue for us and give the opportunity to make significant changes."

While visiting HNI, Reynolds touted the company's large workforce, including 4,000 employees in Muscatine. She also appreciated HNI's large number of summer interns. She said the company has 80 interns this year.

"I'm a big proponent of that and it's a wonderful opportunity to build relationships with employees down the road," she said. "The biggest barrier we have to economic growth is a skilled workforce."

After stopping in Muscatine Thursday, Reynolds made a visit to Davenport, as part of her 99 county tour.
MUSCATINE  Muscatine City Administrator Gregg Mandsager said Mayor Diana Broderson should have received approval from the city council to hold Coffee with the Mayor.

Broderson said she has held the public meetings every month since she took office in January 2016. After being reinstated as mayor by a district court judge last week, her first action was to schedule one of the events for Saturday at 9 a.m. at Happy Joe's at 203 Lake Park Blvd.

Mandsager said Broderson's method of holding Coffee with the Mayor was one of the reasons she was removed from office last month. He said Broderson did not ask for the council's approval to hold the sessions, which would be required under city code, if the events qualify as a committee or task force.

"[I] simply wish that the mayor would follow the process," Mandsager said. "It either is an official committee that needs council approval or, if it is not a committee, then it is outside the scope of her authority."

Mandsager said after about three years of planning, Muscatine adopted an updated city code in 2015  the first comprehensive update to the code since the 1970s  which went into effect July 1, 2015.

The new code says the city council has sole authority to form ad hoc committees or task forces. Mandsager said the formation of a committee would have to be listed on the council agenda and voted on by aldermen.

He said because the code was updated prior to the election, Broderson should have been clear on the rules and scope of her authority.

"My understanding is that (Coffee with the Mayor) would require council approval," Mandsager said.

In an interview Tuesday, Broderson said "previous mayors...had radio or T.V. shows," and she contends this is just another way to to that outreach. She added it is important for elected officials to have a "forum for the community to reach out and have public discussions."

Mandsager said previous mayors did not have to abide by the new city code.

"It's two different codes you're dealing with," he said. "For example former Mayor (DeWayne) Hopkins and the Chinese committee he established, he took that committee and turned it over to a private group of citizens."

Mandsager said there are two options for managing committees: Have the council formalize the committee and oversee it, or hand it over to a private group.

City officials also had issues with comments the mayor made during the events.

For example, Special Prosecutor John Nahra's wrote in a brief submitted after the mayor removal hearings that at Coffee with the Mayor on May 21, 2016, Broderson made "a number of baseless, false and/or unsubstantiated comments."

Nahra claimed Broderson said the council had not supported her since she was elected; that she is being treated poorly because of her gender; that the city administrator and attorney refuse to answer questions about the removal of her appointment powers; and the "city administrator is the 'root cause' of what is going on."

"In each of the forgoing instances, the evidence presented at the removal hearing clearly established that the mayor's allegations were false and/or baseless," Nahra wrote.

In an interview, Alderman Michael Rehwaldt said the city had to investigate each of Broderson's allegations and each was proven false, often by outside groups.

Rehwaldt also claimed Broderson repeatedly said the council and city administrator were prohibiting her from communicating with staff.

"The reason the city, council and the mayor are prohibited by code from meeting with city staff is simple, (the staff) have one boss," who is the city administrator, Rehwaldt said.

"If they all did it, (the staff would) have nine bosses," he said. "You can't have nine bosses, it's just that simple. There's nothing nefarious in that."

Rehwaldt said Broderson has also claimed Mandsager had refused to update her on the city's activity. Mandsager said the mayor receives updates at the same time as the council and the public, as they are posted to the city's website.

Rehwaldt also disputed the notion the city is to blame for the high legal fees related to the case.

"The expense is not caused by the council spending money, the expense is caused by her conduct," he said. "Her conduct has caused the spending of, on average, $12,000 a month in legal fees."

Rehwaldt said he hopes Broderson will follow city code now that she has returned to office and will preside over the next city council meeting next month.

"I hope she follows the established protocols as laid out in the city code," he said.

Mandsager said city officials have kept a "professional environmental" and the city council's process has "always been apolitical and in the best interest of the community."

Mandsager said he has "been working for a number of years to improve transparency" in Muscatine's government. Improvements this year, he said, include the city's partnership with OpenGov.com, which, when it launches next month, will allow residents to view the city's budget, expenditures, meeting minutes and other documents.

Mandsager and Rehwaldt said they do not plan to attend Coffee with the Mayor on Saturday, but cannot speak for other council members. Mandsager emphasized every elected official has their own opinion.
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Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
They would ask me what actors I saw in the roles. I would tell them, and theyd say Oh thats interesting. And that would be the end of it. --Elmore Leonard, in 2000, on the extent of his input for Hollywood's adaptation of his novels
A suspected cholera outbreak was yesterday reported at Deputy President William Rutos Weston Hotel.

According to Nation, about 50 people were tested. They were attending a conference at the hotel and were rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital and other city hospitals.

Afternoon doctors should come in early as more patients are being rushed in, read a text message one of the doctors sent his colleagues.

Those patients tested were suffering from diarrhea and vomiting, hours after having meals.

Nairobi Health CEC Bernard Muia was however cautious before labeling the outbreak cholera. They had diarrhea not typical of cholera, abdominal pains and vomiting, he said.

Its most probably food poisoning and could be gastroenteritis, a very common condition that causes diarrhea and vomiting, he told The Star.

Samples were taken to the public health laboratories for testing.

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Director of Medical Services Jackson Kioko also denied the allegations that there was a cholera outbreak. He suggested that victims might have been suffering from gastroenteritis, a common food related infection that is characterized by vomiting and diarrhoea. He however stated that the National Public Health Laboratories will conduct comprehensive tests.

The patients were attending The Kenya International Scientific Lung Health Conference, which was ironically organized by the Ministry of Health. The over 500 doctors and scientists have been discussing Kenyas vulnerability to respiratory diseases since Tuesday this week.

According to some patients, symptoms started on Wednesday.

Yesterday, there were notices in toilets directing anyone experiencing stomach aches to a presidential suite. At the entrance, there were 3 Amhref ambulances.
The Jubilee government is really pulling out all the stops in its bid to be re-elected in the August General Election. Over the last couple of months, the government has been unveiling goodies in a bid to woo voters, making you wonder how far Kenya would be if every year was an election year.

The most recent beneficiaries of the governments charm offensive are Kenyas schoolgirls who have reached puberty.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday signed the Basic Education Amendment Act into law, meaning all school-going girls will receive free sanitary pads from the government.

The Act was earlier amended by parliament to make it mandatory for the government to supply schoolgirls with the towels.

The law places the responsibility of providing free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels on the government in order to reduce the number of girls missing school during their menstrual cycle.

It also compels the government to provide a safe and environmentally sound mechanism for disposal of the sanitary towels.

The law is expected to minimize absenteeism and put schoolgirls at par with their male counterparts.

According to data from the Ministry of Education, a girl absent from school for four days in a month loses 13 learning days equivalent to two weeks of learning in every school term.

In a nine-month academic year, a girl loses six weeks of learning time.
Three nurses have been arraigned in Court and charged with abetting the escape of 81 patients from Mathari Mental Hospital.

According to the prosecution charge sheet, the nurses, Isaac Karanja Maina, Jacqueline Rebecca Aloo and Jackline Obonyo, facilitated the escape of patients admitted in ward eight and nine by unlocking the padlock of the entrance gates on June 16, 2017.

The nurses committed the offense at the height of the ongoing nurses strike. The healthcare givers downed their tools demanding for the implementation of Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Mutuku, the three nurses denied the charge filed against them of recklessness and negligence.

They were each released on a bond of Ksh 500,000 each with one surety of a similar amount or a cash bail of Ksh 200,000.

The matter will be heard on September 7, 2017.
Plastic bags retailers and manufacturers have been served with a notice to clear their stock before August 28, 2017, by Kenyas environment watchdog Nema.

This follows a legal pronouncement by Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources on February 28 banning the use, manufacture, and importation of all plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging.

Read: It Will Now Be Illegal To Use Plastic Bags in Kenya

Speaking at a consultative forum for stakeholders on Wednesday, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) director-general Geoffrey Wahungu, said any stocks left by August 28 will be treated as garbage.

All plastic bags in stock by August 28, will become waste, said Wahungu.

He added that they have partnered with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standard (KBS) and county governments to make the ban more effective.

My authority is keen to implement these strategies to the very end so as to enhance a clean and healthy environment for all, he said.

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In April, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) said companies that manufacture plastic paper bags will no longer be issued with permits.

Also Read: Kenya Bureau of Standards Kick Starts Ban on Plastic Bags

Retailers or manufacturers found using plastic bags after the ban will face a fine of between Sh2 million and Sh4 million, or a jail term of between one and two years, or both.

Environment and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary Prof. Judi Wakhungu commended retail stores that have already adapted to alternative measures that are environment-friendly.

Everyone has a role to play to make sure that the country goes into the implementation of this ban with an open mind to go the extra mile for the good of the environment and the citizens of this country, she said.

Nakumatt Holdings and Safaricom have already launched biodegradable bags to be used as alternatives to plastic paper bags.
Its fake news season in a fake news country.

Days after Raila Odinga visited the empty shelves of Uchumi Supermarket in Westlands, there were reports that two employees who served the NASA flag bearer were shown the door.

If you ask me, it is quite mind-boggling that some people actually fell for it. Such is the power of fake news that continues to plague the country.

Also Read: Raila Leads by 53%, Uhuru at 41%  ODM Releases Fake Ipsos Poll

The fake report that Beth Musau (assistant cashier) and Winnie Musimba were fired for attending to Raila and his son on Fathers Day last Sunday has now been quashed by the supermarket chain.

In a statement dated 21st June, Uchumi Supermarkets Human Resource Business Partner Elizabeth Oyombe, denied the reports and commended the employees for a job well done.

We hereby confirm that Beth Musau and Winnie Musimba who both attended to Hon. Raila Odinga are still employees of Uchumi supermarket and the Uchumi management congratulates them for a job well done, reads the statement in part.
We live in the Willowcreek Town Houses and we exit our home at the corner of Clay and Walnut streets. In the past year, the traffic on Clay between Jefferson and California Boulevard has become much heavier.

Clay Street, a narrow two-lane street, has a 25 mph speed limit, which is largely ignored by cars that are traveling 30-35 mph, which is a real problem for cars exiting Walnut at Clay.

Cars park on both Walnut and Clay from the adjacent apartment complex, Walnut Woods. Since the corner of Walnut and Clay has no indication of no parking, cars park up to the corner and block the vision of cars exiting on Walnut.

I personally know of one accident that occurred at that corner, and have nearly been the victim of several potential accidents because one cannot see cars traveling along Clay toward California until one is in the intersection.

I recently wrote a city councilman regarding this problem, suggesting that the corner be painted red and that speed bumps be placed on Walnut. I heard that those actions were not possible.

On my walks downtown, I notice that the corners adjacent to the Fire Station are painted red. If it is considered necessary by fire officials, I would assume it is legal elsewhere.

Certainly, Clay and Walnut drivers need protection. And though I've heard somewhere from someone that speed bumps are not appropriate in Napa, I know from personal experience that they are used in both Berkeley and Ann Arbor and are a splendid way to limit the speed of cars traveling along neighborhood streets.

I hope city officials and politicians address our problem soon.

Dan Wolter

Napa
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.
When Delia Viader was growing up in Argentina, her grandfather planted a seed that through her meticulous and dedicated cultivation has resulted in Viader (pronounced veeya-dare) Wines.

Delia, a single mother of four, including one child with Down syndrome, has grown grapes and produced wines from her Howell Mountain vineyard since planting her 92-acre estate in 1986. But like most stories in the wine business, hers has not been done alone or without its challenges.

My father traveled as a diplomat for the United Nations, so I spent much of my early life in Buenos Aires with my grandfather (Joan Pedro Rafael Viader), who became my Superman, Delia said. He planted the seed of freedom in me, telling me that with discipline and optimism anything is possible.

Joan Pedro had been forced to leave his home and land in Spain after Francisco Franco took control of the government in 1939 and went about confiscating property from landowners.

My grandfather was forced from the country, and he had to find a way to feed his young family, including my father, Walter, who was 3 years old at the time, Delia said. All he had was enough for a third-class ticket to the Americas, and he wasnt sure if hed go north or south, so he flipped a coin and ended up in Argentina.

Delias grandfather eventually worked with Aristotle Onassis, another recent immigrant to Argentina from war-torn Europe who was on his way to building what would become the worlds largest privately owned shipping fleet. Onassis and Joan Pedro worked together initially by growing, processing and transporting tobacco products, and both became exceptionally wealthy.

Beyond tobacco, my grandfather had many real-estate projects and other activities, Delia said. He came as an immigrant with nothing and found a way to make things work, which he then passed on to my father.

The entire land holding her father inherited in Argentina was about 15,000 hectares (roughly 37,000 acres). Beyond overseeing the businesses that had been passed down to him, her father joined the Argentine military and eventually became a U.N. diplomat.

We traveled around a lot while I was growing up, Delia said. For most of my teens I lived in Europe, with much of that time spent in France. Wine was just a way of life for us.

By her early 20s, Delia was fluent in six languages, including English and German.

My grandfather would always ask me, Who are you, and I had learned to respond with Catalan from Catalonia (a region of Spain that has been seeking independence for decades and where the family had originated), and then hed say, No, who are you? and I would say, Free. I learned to respond Free because it was very important for him that I was free in spirit and free to opening my mind. That probably steered me to study philosophy in college.

Beyond reading philosophers such as Heidegger and Hegel in the original German, shed also married and had children early while living back in Argentina. Her first child, Paul, was born with special needs, and immediately Delia started searching for a better place to bring up her young family.

I married too young, Delia said. But I wouldnt change it because I have my kids, who are everything to me. Its really one of the main reasons I even came to the United States. Having a child with Down syndrome in Argentina at the time was challenging  I wanted more options.

So, like her grandfather, she flipped a coin and then headed north to Boston with her brother. She took postgraduate business classes at MIT and then moved to the Bay Area to continue her studies at Berkeley. She found her way to the Napa Valley on weekends, and she became enamored with its beauty and rural nature.

In many ways, the valley reminded me of when I was growing up in Argentina, she said. I just loved it and thought it would be a wonderful place to raise my family and begin a new life for all of us. I didnt know much about the wine business, but I knew about business and postulated the barriers to entry were not that high at the time.

After convincing her father to accept her business proposal, they purchased the land on Howell Mountain and she worked with some of the finest wine-related minds at the time to create a planted vineyard of 28 acres, much of that cabernet franc, and build a winery.

We worked with (vintner) Rick Foreman and (viticulturist) Dave Abreu to create a mountainside vineyard, which was rare at the time, especially one planted with vertical rows (as opposed to the traditional terraces), Delia said. But I had seen it done in France successfully, and cab franc seemed to be the best option for both the soil and geology.

When the winery had been designed and the vineyard was ready to plant, Delia brought in winemakers such as Tony Soter and organic vineyard specialist Daniel Schuster from New Zealand and experts in biodynamic practices from France. Over time, she merged all of these techniques into a special blend suited for the site.

I wanted to create a vineyard that was organic from Day 1, Delia said. This is where I was going to raise my family. But not everything works here that might work other places. Now, we are basically using sustainable practices, much of which is organic but without all the paperwork.

Now, Alan Viader, her second-eldest son, oversees the winemaking and operations alongside his mother.

I grew up on this land and in this town  its my happy place, Alan said. We love the community, and I couldnt imagine being anywhere else. We have added in a few other wines so that I might leave my own mark on the winemaking. Mom created our benchmark, and now we are exploring other aspects of this place.

The Viader lineup of wines includes two cabernet blends: the original Delias Propriety Blend ($170 per bottle with 1,811 cases made) and the newer Black Label that includes syrah ($100 per bottle with 850 cases made), a 100-percent cabernet franc ($70 per bottle and 750 cases made) and a malbec ($60 per bottle and just 180 cases made).

All the wines display what Alan explains is a consistent aromatic profile of sweet dried lavender and a dark-rich color with magenta-tinged edges, but thats where the similarities end. The Propriety Blend is full of black-and-blue fruit and sweet oak, clove tobacco and licorice. The Black Label shows chewy tannins with aromatics of sun-dried blueberries, Kalamata olives and peppered beef jerky. The cab franc highlights ripe cherry, herbs de Provence, leather and cedar, whereas the malbec, although darker in color than the others, actually has a lighter touch, with elements of sweet plum, milk chocolate and a refreshing brightness in the finish.

Beyond making wine and growing grapes, the community has kept the Viader family in the Napa Valley.

Ever since I got here I have felt loved and supported by the community, Delia said. My oldest son, Paul, is very happy here and has thrived. Its why we are committed to giving back to this place.

As a part of that giving back, Delia and her family have donated resources to schools, families in need, education and the Auction Napa Valley. The Viader 2017 Auction Napa Valley offering  a trip with Delia to tour the wine regions of Argentina  went for $520,000, the fourth top lot after Colgin Cellars, Antica Napa Valley and Dalla Valle Vineyards.

I wanted to bring people from here to my first home to see not only the wine but also what it means to live in a place that has its rough spots, too, Delia said. Going back there is in some ways like going full circle. The path may not always be easy, but it can be wonderfully beautiful along the way.
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Thursday, June 22, 2017 by: Bridgette Wilcox Tags: baltimore , drugs , Heroin This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Baltimores supply of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone is running low, leaving the Maryland city to sink even deeper into a drug epidemic that has been raging for decades.

City health officials have only about 4,000 doses of the drug left  a supply meant to last until May next year, BaltimoreSun.com reported. The remaining naloxone doses are now being rationed, given out two at a time to residents, especially drug users and those who live in areas where the incidence of overdose is high. The idea is to equip bystanders to be first responders when an overdose occurs.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, naloxone restores normal breathing in those who have overdosed on opioids. It can be administered by friends, family, and bystanders to anyone in need through an injection or nasal spray.

The citys low supply of naloxone is especially troubling considering that the city received 1,945 naloxone claims in the first three months of 2017 and has about 21,000 active heroin users.

Naloxone is available in retail pharmacies, albeit at great cost for those without insurance coverage who are charged $45 for a shot and $110 for a nasal spray in CVS. These prices considered, the drug is hardly affordable to those who are most at risk of an overdose, many of whom are part of Baltimores low-income bracket.

Understandably, Baltimores emergency responders, particularly firemen and paramedics, have the biggest supply of naloxone in the city, and have been instructed to administer the drug to any patient who is not breathing, in case the problem may have been caused by an opioid overdose. The Baltimore Fire Department orders 18,750 units of naloxone annually, an amount costing about $675,000.

Baltimore city health commissioner Leana Wen has written to the Maryland state health department, requesting for a portion of the $10 million fund that the state received from the recently passed 21st Century Care Act.

We need funds now, Wen was quoted as saying in the BaltimoreSun.com article. It seems unconscionable at a time of public health emergency, when there is an antidote readily available and can save lives, that we have to ration.

Heroin Capital of the United States

The city has had a long drawn-out struggle with drugs, leading many to consider it the Heroin Capital of the country. With a population of 645,000, there are an estimated 60,000 drug addicts  majority of whom are taking heroin, abcnews.go.com reported. The citys heroin use is historical, dating all the way back to the 1950s.

The heroin available in Baltimore is stronger than those available in other parts of the country. This may be because the city was a crucial distribution point for South American heroin in the mid-90s. This particular heroin, which is smuggled from Colombia, has a higher degree of purity, making it more potent and consequently more addictive than other brands.

The drug, also called dope, smack, or skunk, is commonly heated up and injected into the system with needles. It can also be snorted or smoked, which some users misleadingly think is safer. The street price of the opioid ranges from $100 to $120 per gram  making the drug disturbingly affordable, since a heroin hit can be had on as little as 5 to 10 mg.

The drug problem has run many lives to the ground, with recovering addicts sharing their struggles with drug abuse. One woman who is undergoing treatment shared in the report that she was training to be a ballerina at the prestigious Peabody Institute, but turned to dancing at strip clubs instead to fund her addiction.

Another recovering addict said that she resorted to crimes to be able to afford the drug, which set her back $50 a day. Another former user, only 18 years old, shared that he experienced suicidal thoughts resulting from abuse of the drug.

These people are only some among the thousands of Baltimore residents who have been caught up in the drug problem that has engulfed the city for much too long.

Sources include:

BaltimoreSun.com

drugabuse.gov

abcnews.go.com
(Natural News) Making chocolate milk is easy. All you need to do is mix chocolate powder with regular milk, add some cocoa and sugar, and then you get to enjoy your drink. However, several million people say you dont need ingredients at all  you get your flavorful chocolate milk treat straight from the cow itself. Apparently, seven percent of American adults  yes, adults, not little toddlers who think that the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus are real  believe that brown cows make chocolate milk. And no, this is not a joke. There are people who believe in the existence of magical cows from whose udders gush Ovaltine.

An online survey from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy showed that around 16.4 million Americans  a population as big as the state of Pennsylvania  have no knowledge about the food ecosystem. In an interview with HuffingtonPost.com, Center for U.S. Dairys parent organization Dairy Management, Inc. spokeswoman Lisa McComb said the survey was done by market research group Edelman Intelligence, noting, Responses came from all 50 states, and the regional response breakdown was fairly even, with a slight uptick (approximately 10 percent higher) in the South.

The survey found that 48% of adults in the United States have no idea where milk comes from (although 29 percent of them have children who are presumably drinking said milk treat and 37 percent of them drink milk out of the container).

McComb said the survey was done online. Although not yet released in its full form, the survey contained these key observations:

Nine in 10 Americans say they ingest a dairy product at least once a week.

Forty-two percent of milk consumption happens during early morning as part of breakfast.

Ninety-five percent of the respondents store at least one cheese variation in their refrigerators as of the moment.

Sixty-three percent of those who were surveyed said they prefer staying at home, eating cookies and drinking milk, rather than going out, on a Friday night.

To ease confusion on this matter, the Center for U.S. Dairy formally defined chocolate milk as cows milk with added flavoring and sweeteners. (Related: Dairy Un-Forbidden: Discover the Virtues of Raw Milk)

In line with these findings, the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization is offering a basic lesson on all things dairy on its website to celebrate this months National Dairy Month.

For a deeper look at how Americans view the countrys food industry, read Michael Pollans The Omnivores Dilemma. It might shed light on where people are in their understanding of food and food ecosystems; for instance, a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the 1990s showed that almost one in five American adults were not aware that hamburgers were beef.

At the end of the day, its an exposure issue. Right now, were conditioned to think that if you need food, you go to the store. Nothing in our educational framework teaches kids where food comes from before that point, non-profit FoodCorps co-founder Cecily Upton said.

Sources include:

Health.USNews.com

VICE.com

HuffingtonPost.com

FoxNews.com

MLive.com
Norihiko Shirouzu and Paul Lienert w/Jake Spring, Marguerita Choy, Bernadette Baum, June 22, 2017 (Reuters)

[Teslas exploratory talks with the Shanghai municipal government moves it] a step closer toward establishing an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in ChinaTesla has said it wants to build electric cars in China to avoid a 25-percent tariff on imported vehicles[but has not provided] a timeline for setting up a China plantChina's central government requires foreign companies such as Tesla to have a Chinese partner in new auto manufacturing ventures, with the foreign company owning no more than 50 percent...Tesla did not say which companies it might partner with, sparking rampant online speculation[about] Shanghai Electric Group Co (601727.SS), Shanghai Lingang Holdings Co (600848.SS) and Tianjin Motor Dies Co (002510.SZ)Much of the speculation has centered on Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK), the internet giant that is China's largest company. Earlier this year, Tencent acquired a five-percent stake in Tesla for $1.8 billion click here for more

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The Shiv Sena skipped theby the National Democratic Alliance's candidate Ram Nath Kovind for presidential poll today as it didn't want the Bharatiya Janata Party to take its regional ally for granted on the issue, said a highly-placed source in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.Interestingly, the source of the Sena, which had in 2007 and 2012 backed the then United Progressive Alliance nominees during the presidential polls, suggested the party has extended support to Kovind reluctantly and it would still have preferred nomination of either Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat or veteran agriculturist M S Swaminathan, whose names it had suggested earlier.Officially, Sena has stated there was no specific reason behind not attending the event.Speaking to PTI, Sena spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut said, "I and Anand Adsul (party MP) have been in Delhi for the two days. We signed as proposers on the nomination form (of Kovind) and returned to Mumbai only yesterday. There was no specific reason why we did not attend Kovind's filing of nomination papers today. We just didn't go."For his part, Adsul, who was among proposers, blamed 'miscommunication' regarding the timing of the event as the reason for not attending it.When Kovind's candidature was announced by the BJP, Thackeray had initially said his party was against backing him if his nomination was aimed at garnering Dalit votes.However, a day later, Thackeray changed his tack and extended support to the NDA's pick for the top office.Sena, a key constituent of the NDA, shares an uneasy relationship with the BJP as it couldn't reconcile to the reality of the BJP's spectacular ascent to power at the Centre and in Maharashtra.Raut said Sena still sticks to the names of Bhagwat and Swaminathan."...The BJP chose somebody else (instead of Bhagwat or Swaminathan) which is OK. Once he (Kovind) is nominated as the presidential candidate, he is above all party politics," Raut said.In a bid to needle the BJP, Sena had proposed the name of Bhagwat on Hindutva line as the likely nominee for the presidential poll.However, as the RSS chief didn't show any inclination, the party proposed the name of Swaminathan who too didn't show any interest.According to the source, who is believed to have Thackeray's ears, another reason for the party not attending the nomination filing event was that it wanted to send a message to the BJP that the latter is dependent on Sena's support in the matters of the national importance."We have already announced our support for Kovind and even signed as proposers. However, the BJP had to be given a message that however powerful it may be, it would still need our support in the matters of the national importance," he said. --
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Johnny Depp has made his disdain for President Donald Trump more than clear. But his recent quip has left people wondering if his intentions are a little more than just nefarious. During an appearance at Glastonbury, the actor received a huge ovation at Cineramageddon and introduced his 2004 film 'The Libertine' along with director Julian Temple, but soon began to talk about the President of the United States Donald Trump, reports The Guardian. Talking about Trump, he said that he needs help and there are many wonderful dark places where he could go. Adding, "I think he needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go. It is just a question - I'm not insinuating anything. By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it." The 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' star also joked about assassinating Trump during the Q&A. "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? I want to qualify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it has been a while and maybe it is time," Depp joked. Depp, who arrived in a blue vintage Cadillac, was greeted with crowds of screaming fans holding phones. While, introducing the movie about debauched poet the second Earl of Rochester, he shared, "Thank you so much for having me here. This is beautiful, chaotic, madness . I made the film because I wanted to try to bring to England a great poet that they missed. They missed him because he was written off as a jokester, a hoaxer. This guy is one of the deepest poets." On the work front, Johnny Depp will be next seen in Brad Furman's 'Labyrinth' alongside Forest Whitaker. (ANI)
Hours after Pakistan's Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) released a statement in which it said that a mercy petition has been filed by alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa against his death sentence, India has said that it brings out the lack of transparency and farcical nature of proceedings against the Indian national on concocted charges. Issuing a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "The developments bring out once again the lack of transparency and farcical nature of proceedings against Mr. Jadhav on concocted charges, continued violation of his legal and consular rights and an attempt to introduce prejudice in the proceedings in the International Court of Justice (ICJ)." "Pakistan has never disclosed even to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Jadhav's purported appeal to a military tribunal in Pakistan and has effectively prevented his parents from pursuing the appeal and the petition filed by Jadhav's mother," it added. New Delhi also raised its doubts over the existence of the 'so-called' mercy petition filed by Jadhav. "The details and circumstances of the alleged mercy petition by Jadhav are not clear and even the fact of its existence is doubtful, shrouded as the proceedings against Jadhav have been in opacity," it read. The government had, earlier this week, once again demanded consular access to Jadhav and reiterated his family's request for visas. "Manufactured facts cannot alter the reality, and do not detract from the fact that Pakistan is in violation of its international obligation to India and Jadhav. We expect Pakistan to abide by the order of ICJ staying Jadhav's execution and desist from attempting to influence the ICJ proceedings through false propaganda," the statement said. "India is determined to pursue the matter in ICJ and is confident that justice will be done without being affected in any manner by these unwarranted and misleading steps taken by Pakistan," it added. According to a statement released by Pakistan's ISPR, the alleged Indian spy has admitted to charges of espionage, terrorism and subversive activities in the state. Meanwhile, the case is underway in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after India in May appealed against the death sentence to Jadhav, saying Pakistan had not granted India consular access, nor had accepted his family's appeals. The court has asked India to make its submission in the case by September 13 and Pakistan by December 13. Pakistan had also earlier said that Jadhav will not be executed till he "exhausts all his mercy appeals". (ANI)
Ramesh, who was vice-president of the party's district ST Morcha, was attacked with lethal weapons by the assailants.

According to police, previous enmity can be a reason for the killing of the BJP leader.

Reportedly, Ramesh had faced several criminal cases in the past as well.

On March 14, some unidentified assailants hacked a BJP member Kithaganahalli Vasu to death in Bengaluru's Surya City Police station limits.

On October 16 last year, a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) worker was hacked to death in Bengaluru, which later triggered protests by BJP and RSS workers. (ANI)
"Line of control is very active at this point of time. There is ceasefire violation everyday but our jawans are very alert and ready to face any situation. Yesterday, the army was in a position to shoot down two members of the BAT. In that process two of our soldiers attained martyrdom," Sharma told ANI while attending a programme organised by the BSF against drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Yesterday, an attempt of armed intrusion by Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) in Poonch was foiled at 2 p.m.

Two jawans were, however, killed in the exchange of fire.

An area domination patrol was targeted by armed intruders and in the exchange of fire, one was killed.

Another armed intruder was injured and covering fire by Pakistan posts facilitated his extrication.

Pakistan's BAT team was 600 m within the Line of Control (LoC) and 200 m far from their posts.

Pakistan's BAT was earlier in news after it mutilated the bodies of two Indian soldiers on Monday in Krishna Ghati sector along the Line of Control, where they had beheaded Lance Naik Hemraj in 2013, in May.

The Indian Army confirmed the involvement of the BAT in the gruesome act.

It is the same Krishna Ghati sector where the Pakistani BAT had beheaded Lance Naik Hemraj and badly severed the head of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh of 13 Rajputana Rifles, on January 8, 2013. (ANI)
He said that the drug trade was largely responsible for Mexico being ranked as the second deadliest country in the world after Syria.

"Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!" Trump said in a tweet.

Putting up a wall along the US-Mexico border was part of Trump's campaign agendas, following which he issued an executive order in January for the beginning of construction.

Earlier, Trump had assured that the cost of building the 'wall' on the southern border with Mexico will come down when he gets involved with its design and negotiations.

He had also expressed his confidence that Mexico will 'eventually' pay for the border wall.

Trump had said in January that he will seek to pay for the wall by imposing a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico and as part of a larger comprehensive tax reform plan.

However, Mexico has adamantly rejected the notion that they would fund the border wall. (ANI)
United States President Donald Trump has said that he does not have any tapes or recording of his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey. Trump also clarified that he did not make any such secret recordings of Comey. "With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea... ...whether there are "tapes" or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings," Trump said in a series of tweet. Trump had last month warned Comey not to "leak" details of their conversations to the media, hinting that he might have recorded his White House conversation with Comey and others days after he had fired him as the FBI director. "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump had said. Comey had accused Trump of firing him to try to undermine the FBI's investigation of a possible collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia in alleged efforts to influence last year's presidential election. Comey had told the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee that the Trump administration had lied and defamed him and the FBI after the President dismissed him on May 9. (ANI)
The European Council has reiterated its commitment in fight against terrorism, hatred and violent extremism. The council said that these acts have strengthened their resolve to cooperate at European Union (EU) level so as to enhance their internal security. The European Council said that it will fight the spread of radicalisation online, coordinate their work on preventing and countering violent extremism and addressing the ideology, thwart the financing of terrorism, facilitate swift and targeted exchanges of information between law enforcement authorities. In its conclusions on security and defence, the council said that industry has its own responsibility to help combat terrorism and crime online. Building on the work of the EU Internet Forum, the European Council said that it expects industry to establish an Industry Forum and to develop new technology and tools to improve the automatic detection and removal of content that incites to terrorist acts. The Council added that it calls for addressing the challenges posed by systems that allow terrorists to communicate in ways that competent authorities cannot access, including end-to-end encryption, while safeguarding the benefits these systems bring for the protection of privacy, data and communication. The Council considers that effective access to electronic evidence essential in combating serious crime and terrorism and that, subject to appropriate safeguards, the availability of data should be secured. The council noted that the agreement on the entry exit system, which is expected shortly, and the finalisation before the end of the year of a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will pave the way for their rapid implementation, thus enhancing external border control and internal security while taking into account specific situations in Member States which still do not fully apply the Schengen acquis. In that context, the European Council invites the commission to prepare a draft legislation enacting the proposals made by the high level expert group on interoperability. It stressed on accelerating collective efforts to share knowledge on foreign terrorist fighters as well as home-grown radicalised individuals and take forward policy and legal measures to manage the threat. The European Council also underlined the importance of providing support to the victims of terror acts. The Council reiterated its commitment to strengthening EU cooperation on external security and defence so as to protect the Union and its citizens and contribute to peace and stability in its neighborhood and beyond. The Council noted conclusions of 18 May and 19 June, saying that significant progress has been achieved in implementing the EU Global Strategy in the area of Security and Defence and the Joint Declaration signed in Warsaw by EU and NATO leaders. It highlighted that the transatlantic relationship and EU-NATO cooperation remain key to our overall security, allowing us to respond to evolving security threats, including cyber, hybrid and terrorism. The high-level conference on security and defence held in Prague on 9 June 2017 underlined both the complementarily between the EU and NATO and the need to step up European efforts to strengthen our defence related research, capabilities and operations. The European Council also welcomed the Commission's communication on a European Defence Fund, composed of a research window and a capability window, and is looking forward to its swift operationalisation. It called for rapid agreement on the proposal for a European Defence Industrial Development Programme with a view to its swift implementation, before more comprehensive programmes can be envisaged in the medium term. The European Council called on the member states to identify suitable capability projects for the European Defence Fund and for the European Defence Industrial Development Programme. The European Council has invited the member states to further work on options for the joint procurement of capabilities within the European Defence Fund based on sound financing mechanisms. The objective is to deliver capabilities, ensure a competitive, innovative and balanced basis for Europe's defence industry across the EU, including by cross border cooperation and participation of SMEs, and to contribute to greater European defence cooperation, by exploiting synergies and mobilising EU support in addition to Member States' financing. To strengthen Europe's security and defence in today's challenging geopolitical environment and to help reach the level of ambition of the EU expressed in the EU Global Strategy, the European Council has agreed on the need to launch an inclusive and ambitious Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). (ANI)
A federal US judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of over 100 Iraqi Christians who might face death or persecution if returned to their birth country, media reports said. Attorneys argued that the 114 Iraqis mostly Chaldean Christians, who were picked up during a series of raids in Detroit by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) would face persecution in their homeland if returned. Judge Mark Goldsmith said in an order on Thursday that those arrested would not be deported for at least two weeks. At the end of that period, he would make a new ruling, the Guardian reported. The judge's order applied to "all Iraqi nationals within the jurisdiction of the Detroit Ice field office with final orders of removal, who have been, or will be, arrested and detained by Ice, including those detained in Michigan and transferred outside of Michigan to other detention locations". Those arrested were subject to deportation orders and had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. But the attorneys challenged whether it was fair to return this population to Iraq, where Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist terror groups have targeted Chaldeans and other Christian groups. In a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the local Ice field office, attorneys said most of these people had lived in the US for decades. --IANS in/ ( 237 Words) 2017-06-23-10:22:20 (IANS)
In an interview a local daily, Minister for Integration Sebastian Kurz on Thursday said these kindergartens encourage parallel societies and non-integration, reports Xinhua news agency.

In 2015, Kurz made similar statements, arguing that the German language was not adequately being taught at these institutions, and that there was suspicion that politicised Islam was being instilled onto the students.

--IANS ksk

( 88 Words)

2017-06-23-10:28:15 (IANS)
Australia's most famous wildlife conservationist "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin will be honoured with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Irwin, who was fatally stabbed by a stingray's barb at the age of 44, was renowned for his daring antics, and unwavering commitment to environmental protection, which saw him rise to international fame and amass millions of fans worldwide, reports Xinhua news agency. However, his wife Terri Irwin told the media on Friday that although she was delighted by the news that her late husband will receive his own star, fame and celebrity status were not important to the activist, whose priority was saving the environment. "Steve always said that he didn't care if anyone remembered him, as long as they remembered his message," Terri said. "I truly believe that this recognition for Steve's achievements will ensure that his message of wildlife conservation is remembered." His 18-year-old daughter Bindi Irwin tweeted a childhood image of herself with her father, alongside the message that she was "beyond excited" about the news, and said that it marked an "extraordinary moment" for her family, who remain committed to continuing her "dad's legacy and all that he achieved for global conservation". "Dad (Irwin) changed the world by reaching out to people through their television screens to bring them on the adventure of a lifetime," she said. "To have his name on a Hollywood Star means the world, as we carry on his important work." --IANS ksk ( 254 Words) 2017-06-23-10:28:53 (IANS)
Payne said the Philippine authorities have accepted two AP-3C Orion planes offered by Australia to perform reconnaissance missions over the country's southern region, reports Efe news.

"The regional threat from terrorism, in particular from IS (Islamic State) and foreign fighters, is a direct threat to Australia and our interests," she said.

"I spoke with my counterpart Secretary of Defence Delfin Lorenzana about how Australia can assist the Philippines in its fight against extremists," she said. "Australia will continue to work with our partners in Southeast Asia to counter it."

The decision to deploy the aircraft comes after the IS-linked Maute group stormed the southern Mindanao city of Marawi, where the armed group continues to resist the Philippine Army despite being subjected to airstrikes and bombings.

According to the latest official figures, the fighting has killed 268 militants, 66 security personnel and 26 civilians, while the more than 200,000 inhabitants of Marawi have either fled or have been evacuated.

--IANS ksk/mr

( 195 Words)

2017-06-23-11:22:10 (IANS)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-22 01:30:08|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called on Muslims worldwide to hold massive Al-Quds Day rallies Friday in solidarity with Palestinians.

Al-Quds Day rallies are recollection of the "Israeli atrocities on the oppressed people of Palestine" over the past decades, the ministry said in a statement.

It urged regional Muslim countries, including Arab states, to overcome division and unite against Israel. The Jewish state is considered by Iran as its arch enemy in the region.

"The day is for remembering the inalienable historical fact that the occupying regime of Israel is the main source of crisis," it said.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday also called on Muslims to participate in Friday's rallies, saying that "the regional differences favor Israel and terrorism."

"The cause of Palestine should not be forgotten," the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan slammed Israel for "inciting insecurity in Muslim countries and elsewhere," the Tasnim news agency reported.

"A world free of violence and extremism would be a world free of the Zionist regime (of Israel), and this is what the Islamic world will be shouting on the Al-Quds Day," Dehqan was quoted as saying.

Al-Quds Day, an annual event falls on June 23 this year, is observed on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Iran along with several Arab countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 00:22:48|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian cabinet decided on Thursday to extend the state of emergency in the country for three more months, state-owned Ahram newspaper reported.

The decision to extend the emergency state was made during a cabinet meeting.

On April 11, Egypt's parliament approved a presidential decision for a three-month state of emergency, days after church bombings killed at least 44 people in the North African country.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian interior ministry announced on Thursday that its forces killed seven terrorists in connections to anti-Christian attacks.

The ministry said the terrorists, who were hiding in a mountainous area in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Assuit, exchanged fire with police forces before they were killed.

Egypt has been fighting a wave of anti-security attacks following the ouster of the Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Those attacks, which were mainly centered in Sinai while rarely happened in Cairo and other governorates, have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen as well as Coptic Christians.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State group in North Sinai province has claimed responsibility of most of the attacks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 00:32:51|Editor: MJ

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by Peter Mutai

NAIROBI, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Thursday launched a new roadmap to boost Kenya's efforts to achieve inclusive development in line with the country's Vision 2030 blueprint on socio-economic transformation.

The 2018 -2022 UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) will also help galvanize support from bilateral donors, private sector and civil society for Kenya.

"This is an innovative approach to development that will enable Kenya to solve poverty that affects a significant segment of the population," said the UN Resident Coordinator for Kenya Siddharth Chatterjee.

Chatterjee noted that the roadmap outlines priority areas that should be implemented to ensure that Kenya achieve the vision of becoming a middle-income economy.

Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Henry Rotich hailed the new development roadmap, saying it will unleash prosperity in all parts of the country.

Rotich said that the implementation of the programs through the road map will address many development programs earmarked by the government.

The roadmap outlines key components of the document as well as stages of development to be taken into account so that a new, effective framework aligned to Kenya's Vision 2030 exists by the time the current one, UNDAF 2014-2018, expires in July, 2018.

The roadmap analyses and identifies gaps from the current UNDAF for improvement including on alignment with national, regional and global processes and priorities as well as stakeholder engagement.

It is also aligned with other key UN pillars such as humanitarian assistance, human rights and peace building.

Its launch came as the Kenyan government strives to foster strategic partnerships with multilateral lenders to boost response to a host of humanitarian crisis like influx of refugees, droughts and conflicts.

"The next UNDAF will adopt a paradigm shift that proposes promotion of self reliance and socio-economic integration of both refugees and host communities," Chatterjee said.

He noted the new development model will also focus on integration of infrastructure and skills upgrade in the County Development Plans.

Likewise, it will facilitate repatriation and re-integration of refugees in their native countries by addressing root causes of conflicts that include poverty, underdevelopment and dysfunctional political systems.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 00:42:56|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian senior official on Thursday urged Israel to seize the "renewed opportunity" for peace brought by U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to reignite the talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Nabil Shaath, a senior advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, read a speech on Abbas' behalf at the annual Herzliya security conference near Tel Aviv.

"We face a renewed opportunity with the support of President Trump," he said, a day after U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt left the region after meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, without reaching any proclaimed results.

"We seek a just and lasting peace that fully ends the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," Shaath noted.

"We envision Jerusalem as an open and free city, with East Jerusalem being the sovereign capital of Palestine, and West Jerusalem the capital of Israel," he added.

The Palestinian official also urged Israeli leaders to take actions for peace and security in the region.

"You cannot make peace with tanks and plans. There cannot be peace or security for anyone while one people occupy and control the lives of another," he said.

On Wednesday, the White House sent Kushner and Greenblatt to pursue Trump's hopes for the "ultimate deal" between Israel and the Palestinians.

On the day of their meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas, however, Israel Today daily reported that Jerusalem's Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman said Netanyahu had ordered the immediate promotion of 7,000 settlement homes in East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, together with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war. Shortly afterwards, Israel annexed East Jerusalem, claiming it part of its "indivisible capital," a move never recognized internationally.

The latest round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014, mainly due to the continuing expansion of Jewish settlements.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 01:08:08|Editor: Liangyu

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BRUSSELS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Tibetan girls enjoy the same rights as their male peers in education, jobs and other aspects of the society, members of a Tibetan cultural exchange delegation from China told participants of the meeting on Thursday in the Belgian city of Huy.

"In fact, in most Tibetan families, parents usually favor daughters, and often see them as inheritors of the family," said Gama Danba, deputy secretary-general of the Tibetan Association for International Cultural Exchange, who is among the the group of senior experts on Tibetan history and culture.

"Take my family for example, my parents have four children, and it's one of my younger sisters who will take charge of the family," he explained.

Speaking of the progress on education in Tibet, Danba told participants that 95 percent of Tibetans did not have access to any sort of education before 1959, the year when the region was peacefully liberated from the theocratic feudal serfdom.

"But now all Tibetan children, both boys and girls, get equal opportunities to attend schools where they can learn in Tibetan, Mandarin and English languages," he said.

The delegation was on a visit to Belgium to promote Tibetan cultural exchange and share the development of Tibet over the past decades.

The meeting began with a lecture on Tibetan history by anthropologist and member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Hao Shiyuan, which provided an overview of the region's development from the social, economic and cultural aspects.

Citing the latest figures, Hao made comparison of Tibet before and after 1959, the year when the region was peacefully liberated from the theocratic feudal serfdom.

"Many Westerners have misconceptions about Tibet. That's why we're here to present the reality," Hao said.

He underlined that Tibet's GDP grew by 11.5 percent in 2016, and people's income grew by 10 to 13 percent.

The lecture was followed by a Q&A session in which many participants were keen to ask questions about Tibet's education, gender equality and the Buddhist religion.

Books, DVDs and traditional Tibetan incense were provided at the meeting to help locals get a glimpse of the region's unique culture.

"It was completely different from what I thought of Tibet before," local resident Claude Honore said after the meeting. "I have never visited China but now I'm really intrigued to go there and see for myself."

Two aldermen of Huy, Eric Dosogne and Andre Deleuze, welcomed the delegation, saying that the exchange was a great opportunity for the Belgians to learn about Tibet.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 01:18:12|Editor: MJ

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By Eric J. Lyman

ROME, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Italy has recently passed new rules that make childhood vaccinations for a dozen different illnesses compulsory, striking a new blow against the so-called "anti-vaccination movement" that believes the vaccination process could cause autism and other disorders.

Italy has seen a rise in infections from various illnesses that had previously been all but eradicated due to rise in visibility for critics of vaccines. The critics generally oppose the medical procedures both as a way to limit the government's say over the way families raise their children and due to a study that showed negative side effects to some vaccines.

The main study supporting anti-vaccine claims was publicized in a 1998 research paper by researcher Andrew Wakefield that found a link between the vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella and the appearance of autism and bowel disease in some subjects. But the findings of the now-debunked paper were never repeated in other studies, and Wakefield lost his medical license as a result.

"I can think of no other case in which a single research paper had been widely discredited and yet still had such big implications on public policy, not just here in Italy but in many other countries," Giuseppe Rossi, a researcher and analyst with the AMS Research Institute in Milan, told Xinhua.

The government's latest steps are seeking to dramatically curtail the impact of the Wakefield report and other anti-vaccine claims: the rules, which go into effect immediately, make vaccinations compulsory for 12 illnesses, including the aforementioned measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, as well as treatments to prevent polio, two kinds of meningitis, and chickenpox.

"The absence of the appropriate measures over the last several years and the spread of anti-scientific theories had resulted in a reduction in protection," Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said at a press briefing announcing the new steps.

During the briefing officials noted that Italy has already seen three times as many cases of measles in less than half of 2017 than it saw in all of last year. The number of Italian children vaccinated for measles by the age of two has dropped to 80 percent from 90 percent previously, well below the World Health Organization's recommendation of a 95-percent measles vaccination rate.

A too-low vaccination rate for measles can lead to school-wide outbreaks. The highly-contagious disease can lead to death if not treated correctly.

Speaking at the same briefing, Beatrice Lorenzin, Italy's minister for health, called the latest steps "a very strong message for the public."

Two leading Italian anti-vaccine groups present only on social media did not respond to Xinhua's request for a response to the remarks from Gentiloni and Lorenzin.

The new rules allow health officials to fine parents who do not have their children fully vaccinated before starting school -- usually at age five or six -- and the children will be barred from enrolling in school until vaccinated. Since some vaccinations require weeks or months to start working, the rules could result in children starting school a year late.

Vaccinations are available in Italy free of charge via public health services.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 01:43:21|Editor: MJ

Angelos Syrigos, Associate Professor of International Law and Foreign Policy at the Athens Panteion University, is interviewed with Xinhua in Athens, capital of Greece, on June 15, 2017. Two years into the refugee crisis which tested Europe's limits, paradoxes of the EU policy towards refugees still lie at the root of the crisis, a prominent Greek expert told Xinhua in a recent interview in Athens, urging for swift changes in the EU's common approach to effectively deal with the problems. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

By Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Two years into the refugee crisis which tested Europe's limits, paradoxes of the EU policy towards refugees still lie at the root of the crisis, a prominent Greek expert told Xinhua in a recent interview in Athens, urging for swift changes in the EU's common approach to effectively deal with the problems.

Angelos Syrigos, Associate Professor of International Law and Foreign Policy at the Athens Panteion University, served as Secretary General of Population and Social Cohesion of the Greek Ministry of Interior from 2012 until the start of the mass flows of refugees and migrants into Greece in 2015. He has a deep knowledge of the issues as a scholar and on the ground.

The refugee crisis caught Europe unprepared and despite measures taken to tackle the problems, shortages in the common EU policy seem to undermine efforts.

"On the root of the problem, there are many paradoxes of the EU policy towards the refugees. That means if you are a refugee and you reside in South Sudan or Darfur, you cannot arrive legally in the EU. But if you manage to enter illegally in the EU and you declare that you are a refugee then you are offered asylum.

"So indirectly the EU invites people to cross illegally the borders in order to become legally refugees. That is one of the paradoxes," Syrigos said.

The Greek expert referred to a long list of such paradoxes, including EU's failure to assist refugees once they flee to areas close to their homes, long before the flows reach Europe.

"The war in Syria started in 2011. Between 2011 and 2015 the amount of money that the EU or the EU states offered to the area was equal to one bottle of drinking water per day per person. So it was totally inadequate," Syrigos noted.

Wrong messages sent from Greece and other EU countries exacerbated the problems in the first few months, according to the professor.

The Greek government which had a very friendly approach to migrants and refugees passed the first wrong message that people are welcome to Greece as long as they continue their journey to other countries, Syrigos explained.

The second wrong message came from the German government in August 2015 when they said "we expect to have a large number of migrants and refugees coming to Germany", he added.

As a result, more and more people started approaching Turkey's Aegean coasts to reach Europe. More than one million people passed through Greece in two years, while thousands perished in the Aegean Sea.

"After August 2015, the Greek government changed its policy and since then they are trying to fight with the problem, not necessarily successfully. There are many problems to do with the housing of the people, with the facilities that are on the islands in order to accommodate these people and their needs," Syrigos said.

More than 60,000 people have been stranded in Greece since the closure of the Balkan route to central Europe in February 2016.

So far EU's main instrument for dealing with the crisis was the March 18, 2016 declaration between the EU and Turkey to jointly stop the mass influx to Europe in exchange of funds to improve living conditions in refugee camps in Turkey.

Despite shortcomings, the deal has produced results, Syrigos noted, adding that for the future much depends on the relations between Ankara and EU states.

The Greek professor also pointed to the slow pace in the implementation of the EU relocation program launched in autumn 2015.

"For the first few months we had the relocation of some 40 people per month. Now it goes faster, but needs improvement and there is a further problem. In practice it works as a beauty contest. That means I ask the most capable, the most educated people to come to my country, I don't want uneducated people with many children etc," he said.

"The general image is it improves, but we still need better performances. It was supposed to last for two years. If it continues like this, it will last for at least another 5-6 years," he stressed.

For Syrigos, the situation is manageable, as long as the number of refugees who arrive in Europe is limited. Otherwise more issues rise. The way EU states dealt until today with the refugee-migration issue has affected the political landscape. The rise of the far-right in Greece and Austria are two of the best examples of this side effect, the Greek expert noted.

In the last presidential elections in Austria, the far-right's candidate made it to the second round, while in Greece, Golden Dawn, a party which would win 0.2-0.3 of votes for three decades, now receives 6-9 percent of votes.

"We need all the EU states to work together in order to find a solution," Syrigos argued.

"I think that the EU is trying to find a balance. There are states that are totally against migrants like Hungary and States which are totally pro-migrant like Sweden. It is difficult to have a solution and an agreement if you have 27 states (I am taking out Britain) to agree, because each one will have a different view," the professor said.

"I believe that at the end of the day, after several months, some states will be taken into the direction of the common European asylum system, a real one, applying to all the EU countries, but still there are problems. It is not an easy situation," he underlined.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 02:13:32|Editor: MJ

British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives to attend a two-day EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- European leaders agreed Thursday on the need for permanent defense cooperation and increased measures in the fight against terrorism.

They made the decision on the first day of the two-day European Summit at the European Council, which was bringing together in Brussels the heads of state of the 27 European Union member states, as well as British Prime Minister Theresa May.

In the context of what a Thursday European Council statement called "today's challenging geopolitical environment," and aiming to match the level of ambition set out in the EU Global Strategy plan, European heads of state agreed on the need to launch an "inclusive and ambitious Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)" on defense.

In his remarks after the decision, European Council President Donald Tusk said PESCO was a "historic step, because such cooperation will allow the EU to move towards deeper integration in defence."

He noted that all EU member states will be invited to join, and that within three months, a "common list of criteria and commitments, together with concrete capability projects" will be drawn up to help implement the project.

Leaders also agreed to make reinforcements to external border security for the EU as well as the Schengen Zone. An Entry/Exit System was agreed upon and is expected "shortly," as well as the finalization of a "European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS)," will enhance external border control and internal security, all allowing for specific cases for EU member states who do not fully apply Schengen rules.

Emmanuel Macron celebrated the moves in a press conference at his first European Summit since being elected President of France in May. Calling Entry/Exit checks an "indispensable element to a greater securization," he noted that he had defended such a policy during his campaign, against the calls of other French presidential candidates who wanted to throw out the Schengen agreement altogether.

The fight against terrorism and especially the struggle against terrorist propaganda online was another major theme of the first session of the European Summit. In light of recent attacks in the United Kingdom and other countries around the world, European leaders called on social media companies to do whatever necessary to stop the spread of radicalizing material on the internet.

"In practice, this means developing new tools to detect and remove such materials automatically," explained European Council President Donald Tusk, before adding, "And, if need be, we are also ready to adopt relevant legislation."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking to the press after the first session, said leaders had agreed that, "if necessary and if there is ground and hard evidence for a terrorist background, then we must track those communications links." She assured listeners, however, that user privacy needed to be respected, "which is to say, very strict legal rules have to be respected."

It appears that the first session of the June European Summit went more quickly and smoothly than expected, with Chancellor Merkel remarking that good planning for the meeting and strong understanding with her French counterpart had contributed to the efficient outcomes. "I believe that Franco-German cooperation went a long way to bringing about very positive results."

Later Thursday evening, European leaders will discuss the political situation around Europe. Council President Donald Tusk said in his statement that he would be sharing his assessment of recent international meetings, including with United States President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Erdogan, in addition to the G7 and EU-China summits.

"I will also propose to the leaders that we send a clear signal on the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," Tusk said.

He also told the press that UK Prime Minister Theresa May would inform EU leaders Thursday evening on her intentions regarding the Brexit process. Donald Tusk stressed however that the European Council was "not a forum for Brexit negotiations, we have our negotiators for this, and so leaders will only take note of these intentions."

Donald Tusk went on to say that his goal for Thursday evening was to have the 27 EU leaders agree on the procedure for choosing new locations for the EU banking and medicines agencies, which are both currently based in the UK.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 03:19:08|Editor: MJ

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MOSCOW, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. move to tighten sanctions on Russia threatens the entire relationship between the two countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Thursday.

Lavrov made the warning during a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday, adding Moscow expected support for normalizing relations from the U.S. side, according to a statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"When considering the prospects for bilateral dialogue, Lavrov pointed out that attempts of sanctions pressure on Russia, which Washington once again resorted to on June 20, were illusory," the statement said.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed additional sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, blacklisting 38 individuals and entities.

"Such actions seriously endanger the whole complex of Russia-U.S. relations, which is already experiencing a difficult period," the statement said.

The Ministry said the Russian side was forced to postpone the meeting on tackling accumulated problems in bilateral relations between deputy foreign ministers scheduled for June 23.

"Lavrov stressed that Moscow is waiting for a response to the Russian proposals sent earlier to Washington on the normalization of these relations," the statement read.

Tensions between Russia and the U.S. were exacerbated this week as a result of the U.S. new move. Earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that Moscow is preparing a tit-for-tat response to Washington's new set of sanctions imposed on it.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 03:29:14|Editor: yan

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TIRANA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Albania is scheduled to hold general elections on June 25 and as the day is approaching, Albania's elections body (CEC) is accrediting the foreign and domestic observers and monitoring missions, sources from CEC reported Thursday.

These elections are deemed as crucial to Albania's progress towards the European Union integration. Therefore, the key issue remains to reach the standards and guarantee free and fair elections showing that Albania is ready to start full membership negotiations.

For this reason, Albanian authorities, namely the former speaker of Parliament of Albania who has recently elected new countrys President Ilir Meta sought a higher number of observers from the European Union bodies and foreign organization such as that for Security and Cooperation in Europes Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE).

Following such request, the OSCE representatives here told local media that OSCE has decided to join the international observers group that will monitor Albania's parliamentary election Sunday.

A press statement showed Thursday that 45 observers from 18 countries will monitor in Albania side-by-side with almost 300 observers deployed by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Meanwhile, local media reported that a 19-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Paolo Corsini, will join. observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and the OSCE/ODIHR. They travel to Albania from 23 to 26 June to observe the conduct of the parliamentary elections.

On the other hand, the Albanian coalition of local observers has made public its initiative for the complete monitoring of parliamentary elections. The coalition has engaged 60 long term observers and 1,500 short term observers for the Election Day.

Monitoring the complete process of elections, starting from the preparation of election until the election day and the counting of votes, will be on focus of the coalition of local observers.

A report will be prepared with the results of the monitoring process.

Central election body Wednesday unanimously adopted the requests forwarded by the diplomatic missions in Tirana that have expressed their interest to closely monitor the electoral process and the election day in particular.

CEC has also approved foreign news agencies reporters who will follow up the entire elections process.

Even the Association Centre for Transparency has submitted a list of 354 long-term observers who will also be part of monitoring missions.

In this framework, the head of CEC Klement Zguri had a meeting with the EU ambassador to Tirana, Romana Vlahutin to discuss the preparations for Sundays elections.

"The main topics under discussion were the preparations for June 25 elections as well as the actions taken by CEC to ensure a smooth conduct of the voting process while CEC chairman thanked ambassador Vlahutin for the assistance that European Union has provided to the commission in conduct of free, fair and all-accepted elections," a press statement of CEC said Thursday.

On the other hand, Albanian State Police Director General Haki Cako met the head of OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission in Albania, Ambassador Peter Tejler to discuss measures taken by the State Police related to the electoral process.

Police forces are trained in order to meet their assigned tasks during the electoral process, Cako told OSCEs Tejler while assuring the latter that all operational procedures have been undertaken for the safekeeping of a fair and regular election process on 25 June and afterwards.

In the meantime, important political figures here have appealed the civil society to give its contribution to the guaranteeing of free vote.

Former Albanian President Alfred Moisiu addressed citizens at a press conference inviting them to go the polls, cast their vote but also keep eyes open to see if there is any attempt to manipulate vote or any exertion of pressure to change citizens will.

June 25 elections will be Albania's ninth parliamentary elections, in which 18 political parties and coalitions are running to become part of the Albanian 140-seat parliament.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 04:04:32|Editor: yan

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LUSAKA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A conference discussing solutions to challenges faced in Zambia's extractive industries opened in Zambia Thursday with the government promising to provide a conducive environment for mining operations.

Held under the theme "Mining and Energy Development in Zambia-Increasing Economic Activities," the 7th Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference and Exhibition, opened in Lusaka with over 200 delegates.

Inonge Wina, the Zambian vice-president who officially opened the conference, said the government was providing policy guidelines to spur the growth of the mining industry.

She said government was mindful of the important role played by the mining industry as it accounts for about 12 percent of the country's GDP and over 78 percent of total exports.

The government, she said, would do everything possible to ensure a stable environment for the mining industry as it was key to the country's economic development.

Christopher Yaluma, Minister of Mines, said mining firms should take a keen interest in equipping local people with the necessary skills as it was vital to the sustainable operations of the mines.

Zambia was seeking investment in the mining sector that will make a difference to the lives of citizens, he added.

Nathan Chishimba, the president of the Zambia Chamber of Mines, an association of foreign mining firms operating in the country, emphasized the need for the government to continue providing a conducive environment for mining firms to remain productive.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 04:54:55|Editor: Zhou Xin

Delegates attend a plenary meeting of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 22, 2017. The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday adopted a resolution proposed by China entitled "The Contribution of Development to the Enjoyment of All Human Rights," marking the first time that the UN rights body adopts a resolution on development issues. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

GENEVA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday adopted a resolution proposed by China entitled "The Contribution of Development to the Enjoyment of All Human Rights," marking the first time that the UN rights body adopts a resolution on development issues.

The resolution recognizes the common aspiration of the international community of building a community of shared future for human beings and affirms that development contributes significantly to the enjoyment of all human rights.

It calls upon all countries to realize people-centred development of the people, by the people and for the people, and calls upon all States to enhance international cooperation and spare no effort in promoting sustainable development, in particular while implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as it is conducive to the overall enjoyment of human rights.

The resolution welcomes further efforts to promote development initiatives with the aim of promoting partnerships, win-win outcomes and common development.

The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 70 countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 05:45:38|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd R) meets with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi (L) in Amman June 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)

AMMAN, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that China was keen to boost ties with Jordan in various areas.

At a press conference in Amman with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, the Chinese official said there is large room for more cooperation in areas of trade, economy and culture.

Referring to a visit by King Abdullah II of Jordan to China in 2015, he said the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Jordan has since kept rising.

He added that there was increased cooperation between China and Jordan in areas of energy, infrastructure and transport.

He also said China will continue to provide aid to Jordan to help relieve the pressure the Syrian refugees impose on the kingdom.

Wang also stressed the need for a political solution to the Palestinian issue.

The Chinese foreign minister also called for intensified cooperation in combating terrorism.

Moreover, Wang said China is working seriously to find partnerships for development in the region.

For his part, Safadi said Jordan was working with all players including China to end the conflict in Syria.

China is Jordan's second largest trading partner, and the two countries are working to explore new areas for collaboration, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 07:45:22|Editor: MJ

U.S. Capitol Police remove a woman from a protest inside the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 22, 2017. Senate Republican leaders unveiled their health care bill on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 09:22:00|Editor: MJ

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CANBERRA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Defense Minister on Friday confirmed that state-of-the-art Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) spy planes will fly intelligence missions over the southern parts of the Philippines to assist local forces in the fight against Islamic State in the region.

In a statement on Friday, Defense Minister Marise Payne said that two of the RAAF's AP-3C Orion aircraft would provide aerial intelligence support to the local armed forces, as they continue to try and drive IS from Marawi City, which is located inland in the north-west part of Mindanao island.

"The regional threat from terrorism, in particular from (Islamic State) and foreign fighters, is a direct threat to Australia and our interests. Australia will continue to work with our partners in South East Asia to counter it," Payne said in an official statement.

"I recently spoke with my counterpart Secretary of Defense, Delfin Lorenzana, about how Australia can assist the Philippines in its fight against extremists. We agreed the best way to defeat terrorism in our region is for us to work together."

In the statement, the minister also condemned the recent attacks undertaken by the IS militants in the region, but did not shed light on where the AP-3C Orion jets would be based, though it's expected that they will fly from the Royal Malaysian Air Force's Butterworth base in northern Malaysia.

The minister also confirmed that the assistance would be provided as part of the "extensive" Defense Cooperation Program which Australia has with the Philippines.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 10:12:37|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SEOUL, June 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea planned to inspect the agreement with Japan on the victims of wartime sex slavery as the 2015 deal caused strong resistance from the victims as well as from most of South Koreans.

An unnamed senior South Korean government official was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying on Friday that a task force team would be set up "soon" inside the foreign ministry to comprehensively inspect the comfort women agreement.

The deal was reached on Dec. 28, 2015 between the previous Park Geun-hye government of South Korea and the Japanese cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The "final and irreversible" agreement, in return for about 9 million U.S. dollars of compensation, triggered strong backlash in South Korea as Abe had yet to sincerely apologize for and fully own up to its wartime atrocities.

The comfort women are a euphemism for women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese military brothels before and during World War II.

The Korean Peninsula was colonized by the Imperial Japan from 1910 to 1945.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office on May 10, said most of South Koreans did not accept the comfort women deal, indicating the re-negotiations or repeal of the agreement.

The task force team of South Korea was forecast to inspect the procedure of negotiations between director-level diplomats of South Korea and Japan and whether the opinions of the comfort women victims were reflected enough in the agreement.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 10:22:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BANJUL, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Gambia will soon rejoin Commonwealth of Nations, and has never been removed from the International Criminal Court (ICC) despite the attempt by ex-president Yahya Jammeh, a press official said Thursday.

Director of Press and Publication Relations of the Gambia Amie Bojang-Sissoho said the government has initiated the process by engaging in direct talks with the Commonwealth secretariat in London.

"This is usually a long process but we are hopeful that Gambia will soon re-join this important international organization which we were part of from independence through to 2013 when the former president ended our commonwealth membership," she said.

Jammeh pulled the country from the Commonwealth in 2013, claiming that the country will not be colonized twice.

Meanwhile, Bojang said the West African country had never really left the ICC.

"The former government has initiated the process of withdrawal from the ICC. However, President (Adama) Barrow-led government has stopped the process of the withdrawal," she concluded.

The Gambia informed the United Nations in 2016 it would withdraw from the ICC that presses charges against alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses and others. Actual withdrawal comes a year after notification.

On domestic affairs, the press official said the draft bill on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is now "ready for final review by the Ministry of Justice before it is presented to the National Assembly."

Bojang expressed hope that there will soon be a law in place before September so that the Commission can start its sharing by the end of the year.

Bojang also highlighted the status of the country's blue print that has been broiling frustration from concerned Gambians as The Gambia is without national agenda for six months.

"A 15 member-committee has been identified, comprising nine men and six women from diverse disciplines. The president will launch it very soon," she said.

The Gambia earlier announced that it will put in place the TRC within six months in order to probe into human rights violations of the former regime.

Former president Yahya Jammeh fled to Equatorial Guinea on Jan. 21 after being defeated in election, ending his 22-year rule.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 10:38:06|Editor: Zhou Xin

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YANGON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will host the 3rd Asia-Pacific Water forum in Nay Pyi Taw on Dec. 11-12 to seek ways of management of water resources, Myanmar News Agency reported Friday.

Vice President U Henry Van Thio, who is also Chairman of the National Water Resources Committee, called for support of the work of the committee in continuing the rain water harvesting, mitigating flooding and inundation, and controlling water pollution.

He said the hosting of the event will provide opportunities to learn from international specialists about all round management of water resources, reducing the effects of natural disaster, obtaining new technique and idea on water resources management and achieving water sufficiency in the region.

The Asia-Pacific water forum had been held once every six years starting 2007 with the aim of assisting heads of states in the region to resolve future challenges with regard to water sufficiency, increase in international cooperation in the region and cooperation with the host country to implement long-term development aim.

The first such forum was held in Japan in 2007, while the second in Thailand in 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 10:43:10|Editor: Zhou Xin

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CANBERRA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The iconic Australian river red gum tree is under threat from rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) have said on Friday.

River red gums are Australia's most widespread eucalypt tree, found on river banks throughout inland Australia, but a study undertaken by Dr Carsten Kulheim from the ANU's Research School of Biology has shown that rising levels of CO2 threatened the future of the famous "Aussie" species.

In a statement released on Friday, Kulheim said that rising levels of carbon dioxide would have an adverse effect on the trees' production of "defence chemicals", putting them at risk of being stripped by harmful insects which are currently repelled by the chemicals.

"The future of the iconic river red gum is unclear even without taking the further effects of climate change into account," Kulheim said, "River red gums grow across all of mainland Australia and they are the most widespread gum tree we have.

"Since (the CO2 level) affects how the trees are able to defend themselves against leaf-eating animals, we wanted to find out how future increases in CO2 would affect river red gums defence chemicals."

Kulheim said the study uncovered a dark future for the river red gum should CO2 levels continue to increase, hinting that the defence chemicals could change, leaving them vulnerable to being destroyed.

"Some eucalyptus oils defend the gum tree from certain insects, others from koalas feeding on them," he said.

"This is just one of many examples of how greenhouse gas emissions affect our environment, providing further evidence that action is needed now."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 11:03:18|Editor: Liangyu

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U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Washington D.C. June 22, 2017. Yang Jiechi was in Washington D.C. to attend the first round of China-U.S. diplomatic and security dialogue. (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to maintain contact and coordination with the United States on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue in an effort to diffuse tension and push for resolution of the issue, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said Thursday.

Yang made the remark during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

The United States looks forward to enhancing cooperation with China on the issue to realize a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, Trump said.

At the meeting, Yang extended Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere wishes to Trump and noted that the two countries have made new and important progress on bilateral ties following the leaders' meeting in Florida in April.

China is willing to work with the United States to stick to the overall direction of cooperation, maintain high-level interactions, broaden mutually beneficial cooperation and properly manage differences on the basis of mutual respect, in a bid to further bilateral ties, Yang said.

On Wednesday, China and the United States held the inaugural diplomatic and security dialogue at the U.S. State Department. It is one of four high-level mechanisms established during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Xi and Trump.

At the meeting with Trump, Yang said the dialogue is an important step to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries. Both sides agreed that the dialogue was "constructive" and "fruitful," Yang added.

Yang said Xi looked forward to meeting with Trump during the G20 summit in Hamburg next month and to hosting the U.S. president for a state visit to China later this year.

Conveying his sincere wishes to Xi, Trump said he and Xi held a successful meeting at Mar-a-Lago and reached a lot of important consensus, and he was pleased to see the positive progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas following the meeting.

Trump said he looked forward to meeting with Xi during the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg and paying a state visit to China at Xi's invitation later this year. He also hoped that these high-level interactions will further promote the development of U.S.-China relations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 11:28:27|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SEOUL, June 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating stayed at a higher level compared with his predecessors despite controversies over cabinet member nominees.

According to the Gallup Korea poll released Friday, Moon garnered 79 percent in support scores this week. It was down 4 percentage points from the previous week, falling below 80 percent for the first time since he took office on May 10.

The pollster said that compared with Moon's predecessors, the incumbent president maintained the very high level of approval rating around 80 percent.

The result was based on a survey of 1,004 voters conducted from Tuesday to Thursday. It has 3.1 percentage points in margin of error with a 95 percent confidence level.

Moon's supporters picked his efforts to communicate with people as the biggest reason for their support, but the non-supporters cited controversy over cabinet member nominees for their negative assessment.

Some of the cabinet member nominees were denounced by opposition parties in the parliamentary confirmation hearing for their suspected involvement in irregularities including false address registration for educational purposes.

The justice minister nominee resigned over his illegal registration of marriage without the consent of then girlfriend. The court nullified the marriage later.

Support for the ruling Democratic Party ranked first with 50 percent. The Liberty Korea Party gained 9 percent of support, followed by the centrist People's Party, the minor conservative Righteous Party and the minor progressive Justice Party, all of which won 7 percent in approval scores.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 11:58:34|Editor: Yang Yi

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JINAN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The high people's court in east China's Shandong Province on Friday overturned a life imprisonment sentence imposed by a lower court against a man, after a review held his case had a nature of defense.

The high court handed down the second-instance verdict to Yu Huan, 22, to a five-year jail term on a charge of intended injuries as he stabbed a debt collector to death in defense, and injured three others, two seriously.

Yu was sentenced to life imprisonment on Feb. 17, 2017 by the Intermediate People's Court of Liaocheng City. The sentence ignited public anger, as the four loan sharks had allegedly sexually assaulted Yu's mother, and police apparently failed to intervene upon arriving at the site.

The high court confirmed the fact that the debt collectors insulted Su Yinxia, Yu's mother, by abusive languages and flicking cigarette ash on her. One of them exposed his genitals before her.

Yu attacked them with a knife when they prevented Yu and his mother from leaving the site with the police.

The high court ruled that Yu acted in defense but exceeded necessary limit with serious results, committing intended injuries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 12:23:49|Editor: Yang Yi

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HANOI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Three Vietnamese passengers have been arrested at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi capital for transporting 5,000 pills and 1 kg of lab-made drugs hidden in dragon fruits, local media reported on Friday.

Checking 15 dragon fruits and cakes in the checked luggage, the airport's customs and security officers found 5,000 pills of ecstasy and 1 kg of powdered ketamine in the 13 fruits, Phap Luat Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper reported.

The three detainees are believed to be members of a big drug trafficking ring that transports lab-made drugs from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and other northern localities for sales.

According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 12:43:57|Editor: Yang Yi

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CAIRO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian cabinet on Thursday decided to extend the state of emergency for another three months, as the country has been in high alert against looming threat of terrorist attacks.

On April 11, the parliament approved President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision for a three-month state of emergency, days after church bombings killed at least 44 people in the country.

Also on Thursday, the Egyptian interior ministry announced that its forces had killed seven terrorists connected to anti-Christian attacks.

Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar also ordered to put the national security forces on high alert ahead of post-Ramadan celebrations, vowing to foil any attempt to sabotage public safety.

Ghaffar ordered to increase security protection in vital facilities. Mobile and fixed security convoys will be deployed alongside bomb squads in public places such as parks and shopping malls.

Egypt has suffered from several major terror attacks in recent months, including the two bombing attacks against Coptic Christian churches in Tanta and Alexandria in April, and the ambush of a bus carrying Coptic Christians in south of Cairo in late May.

About four dozens of people were killed in the two bombings in April, and 26 others died in the May attack.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) group in North Sinai province has claimed responsibility for most attacks, vowing to continue its jihad against "infidels and apostates."

In February 2015, the IS released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in neighboring turmoil-stricken Libya.

Egypt launched airstrikes against terrorist targets in Libya for retaliation.

While declaring the emergency state in April, President al-Sisi ordered the army to assist police forces in securing state institutions.

"This is only to protect our country and prevent any targeting of its capabilities," he said.

According to Egypt's constitution and the 1958 emergency decree, the state of emergency grants al-Sisi the authority to use State Security Emergency Courts for a duration of three months.

"Under the current emergency law, civilians can be transferred to State Security Emergency Courts without an appeal process for State Security Emergency Court verdicts, thereby combating terrorists and bringing perpetrators to justice," said Tariq Fahmy, professor of political science at Cairo University.

The emergency law also grants rights to monitor and intercept all forms of communication and correspondence, a curfew and the closure of commercial establishments, as well as designated evacuation spaces.

In addition, the state of emergency can specify opening and closing hours of public shops or shut them down completely.

Authorities can also withdraw and confiscate weapon permits, ammunition, flammable material and fireworks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 12:49:03|Editor: Yang Yi

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MOSCOW, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The decision by the European Union (EU) to extend economic sanctions against Russia is a defeat for European diplomacy, Russia's upper house chairman Konstantin Kosachev said Thursday.

"It is another defeat for EU diplomacy in the Ukrainian direction ... Today's decision will not bring anything new," said Kosachev.

Kosachev accused the EU of succumbing to anti-Russian policy of Kiev, which sabotages the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

The EU leaders, during a two-day summit in Brussels on June 22 decided to extend the sanctions on Russia, which were initially imposed in 2014 over Ukraine conflict, targeting Russia's financial, energy and defense industries. The latest sanction will be due on July 31, 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 12:49:05|Editor: Mengjie

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WASHINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to maintain contact and coordination with the United States on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue in an effort to diffuse tension and push for resolution of the issue, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said Thursday.

Yang made the remark during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

The United States looks forward to enhancing cooperation with China on the issue to realize a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, Trump said.

At the meeting, Yang extended Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere wishes to Trump and noted that the two countries have made new and important progress on bilateral ties following the leaders' meeting in Florida in April.

China is willing to work with the United States to stick to the overall direction of cooperation, maintain high-level interactions, broaden mutually beneficial cooperation and properly manage differences on the basis of mutual respect, in a bid to further bilateral ties, Yang said.

On Wednesday, China and the United States held the inaugural diplomatic and security dialogue at the U.S. State Department. It is one of four high-level mechanisms established during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Xi and Trump.

At the meeting with Trump, Yang said the dialogue is an important step to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries. Both sides agreed that the dialogue was "constructive" and "fruitful," Yang added.

Yang said Xi looked forward to meeting with Trump during the G20 summit in Hamburg next month and to hosting the U.S. president for a state visit to China later this year.

Conveying his sincere wishes to Xi, Trump said he and Xi held a successful meeting at Mar-a-Lago and reached a lot of important consensus, and he was pleased to see the positive progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas following the meeting.

Trump said he looked forward to meeting with Xi during the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg and paying a state visit to China at Xi's invitation later this year. He also hoped that these high-level interactions will further promote the development of U.S.-China relations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 12:54:07|Editor: Yang Yi

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NEW DELHI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- India Friday launched 31 satellites, including an earth observation satellite, in a single space mission from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota.

State-owned Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) most trusted rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), lifted off with the Cartosat-2 earth observation satellite and 30 other satellites at 09:29 a.m. local time (0359 GMT).

The 712 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite, called India's eye in the sky, will be providing regular remote sensing services using its panchromatic and multispectral cameras.

The imagery sent by the satellite will be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps and for geographical information system applications.

The other satellites comprise 29 nano satellites from 14 countries such as Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Britain, and the Unite States.

India had earlier this month successfully launched its heaviest rocket GSLV-MKIII.

In February this year, India created history by successfully launching 104 satellites at one go, overtaking the previous record of 37 satellites launched by Russia in 2014.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 13:29:23|Editor: Mengjie

China and Canada hold the Second High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue in Ottawa, Canada, June 22, 2017. China and Canada issued a joint communique Thursday to wrap up the dialogue. (Xinhua/Zhang Sen)

OTTAWA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Canada agreed to deepen bilateral practical cooperation in security and rule of law to bring tangible benefits to the two peoples, at the second meeting of the Canada-China High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue held here Thursday.

The meeting was co-chaired by Wang Yongqing, secretary-general of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Daniel Jean, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada.

The Chinese and Canadian sides reached extensive consensus on such issues as judicial and rule of law, counter-terrorism, cyber security and combating transnational organized crime.

The two sides agreed, on the basis of the Joint Communique of the first Canada-China High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue, to continue consultations on issues such as rule of law, extradition and the transfer of convicted offenders.

They also had candid discussions on an extradition treaty in the context of the rule of law.

The Chinese and Canadian sides issued the second Canada-China High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue Joint Communique, and agreed that the next round of High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue should take place in Beijing in 2018.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 13:39:25|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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OTTAWA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Canada issued a joint communique Thursday to wrap up their 2nd High-level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue.

The following is the full text of the document:

2nd Canada-China High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue Joint Communique

On June 22, 2017, Wang Yongqing, Secretary-general of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Daniel Jean, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, co-chaired the 2nd meeting of the Canada-China High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue.

During the dialogue, the two sides had detailed discussions and identified issues of mutual concern within a wide range of topics,including judicial and rule of law issues; counter-terrorism; cyber security; combating transnational organized crime; and international and regional security challenges, such as the situation in Syria and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The two sides agreed, on the basis of the Joint Communique of the 1st Canada-China High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue, to take further measures aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in the areas of law enforcement, judical and security cooperation.

The two sides agreed to continue discussions on rule of law, legal systems, the death penalty, due process, extradition and the transfer of convicted offenders. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation, on the basis of the Treaty between Canada and the People's Republic of China on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. The two sides also had candid discussions on an extradition treaty in the context of the rule of law.

The two sides agreed to continue to seek ratification of the Agreement between Canada and the People's Republic of China on Sharing and Return of Forfeited Assets, and to cooperate on the repatriation of foreign nationals who violate immigration laws. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism, including through a deepening of existing bilateral counter-terrorism consultations, and working to combat the use of the internet to incite, recruit, finance or plan and implement terrorist activities.

The two sides agreed that neither country's government would conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors.

The two sides also agreed that the next round of High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue should take place in Beijing in 2018.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 15:25:00|Editor: Mengjie

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Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (L) meets with U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan in Washington D.C. June 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to enhance exchange of legislative bodies at all levels with the United States to further cement people-to-people ties between the two countries, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said here Thursday.

Yang made the remark during a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, adding that such exchange will help further bilateral relationship between the two countries and deepen friendship between the two peoples.

At the meeting, Yang noted that China and the United States have made new and important progress on bilateral ties following the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida in April.

China is willing to work with the United States to expand cooperation in various areas and constructively manage differences and handle sensitive issues, Yang said.

Ryan said developing a good bilateral relationship is in the interest of both the United States and China as well as the international community. He added that the U.S. Congress is willing to enhance exchange with the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

On Thursday, Yang also met with Bob Corker, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and exchanged views with him on China-U.S. relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 15:35:06|Editor: ying

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YANGON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is expected to receive about 3.5 million visitors this year.

As of April, tourist arrivals had reached over 1.2 million, up 25 percent from the same period of last year when there was only 900,000 visitors, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

In accordance with the statistics of the ministry, tourist arrivals in Myanmar reached over 2.9 million in 2016 while it was over 4.6 million in 2015.

Meanwhile, the country is striving to promote eco-tourism, cultural tourism and community-based tourism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 15:45:10|Editor: ying

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SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban militant has killed four fellow militants including key Taliban commander Qari Aman in Darzab district of Afghanistan's northern Jawzjan province and joined the Islamic State (IS) group in the area, deputy to provincial police chief, Abdul Hafiz Khashi, said Friday.

"A body guard of Taliban key commander Qari Aman opened fire on his friends on Thursday, killing him and three others on the spot and joined IS group in the area," Khashi told Xinhua.

Qari Aman had served as shadow governor of Taliban for Jawzjan province in the past and currently a shadow governor of Darzab district and was notorious; his physical elimination could serve as a major setback for Taliban in Jawzjan and adjoining Faryab and Saripul provinces, the official asserted.

Qari Aman murder took place amid ongoing fighting between Taliban and IS group as both sides have been fighting over the past three days to consolidate positions in the restive Darzab area.

Jawzjan province with Shiberghan as its capital 390 km north of Kabul, has been the scene of increasing militancy by both Taliban and IS group over the past one year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 16:05:16|Editor: ying

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MANILA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines expressed on Friday its welcome to Australia's offer to send its intelligence-gathering planes to help the country crush the militants allied with the Islamic State (IS) in the southern Philippine city of Marawi.

Ernesto Abella, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman, told a news conference in Davao City that the Philippines welcomes Australia's offer, adding that the Philippine government "would gladly welcome any form of foreign assistance allowed under our constitution to help suppress the rebellion in Marawi."

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said in a statement that Australia will send two of its advanced intelligence-gathering AP-3C Orion planes to help the Philippine military crush the remaining Islamist militants allied with the IS in the besieged southern Philippine city of Marawi.

Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, the deputy commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, lauded the deployment of Australian surveillance aircraft, stressing the importance of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capability in the military operations.

So far the month-long conflict in Marawi has killed at least 375 people, including 26 civilians and 69 soldiers and policemen. Most of the city's 200,000 residents have fled after clashes between troops and militants broke out on May 23, crowding in evacuation centers in nearby Iligan City, Philippine authorities said.

Abella said the military offensive has so far been successful in preventing the establishment of an IS caliphate in Marawi.

"The main goal of preventing has already been, I believe, hugely successful, and we have now entered into agreement with the neighboring countries so that this will not recur," he said.

Abella said the militants have resorted to "increasing willful intention of arson activities in various areas of the city."

The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia closed ranks on Thursday to collectively crush the IS-linked militants and prevent the terror groups to establish a base in the southern Philippines and the rest of the Southeast Asian region.

"We are making a collective effort on the Philippines' trilateral agreement with Indonesia and Malaysia against terrorism and extremism," said Abella, stressing the cooperation is aimed at preventing the IS-linked terrorists from establishing operational bases in Southeast Asia.

He said the three Southeast Asian countries have agreed to work together "to jointly develop and implement counter-terrorism measures and strategies."

Gen. Eduardo Ano, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said at least 40 foreign terrorists have entered the Philippines to help local militants establish an IS caliphate in the southern Philippines.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 16:20:32|Editor: ying

The state-owned Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) most trusted rocket Polas Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, India, with the Cartosat-2 earth observation satellite and 30 other nano satellites on June 23, 2017. India successfully launched 31 satellites, including an earth observation satellite, in a single space mission Friday from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota. (Xinhua/ISRO pics)

NEW DELHI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- India successfully launched 31 satellites, including an earth observation satellite, in a single space mission Friday from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota.

The state-owned Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) most trusted rocket Polas Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota with the Cartosat-2 earth observation satellite and 30 other nano satellites at 9.29 a.m. local time (0359 GMT).

And within 16 minutes of the launch, the rocket placed the Cartosat-2 satellite, the sixth in the Cartosat-2 series, in orbit and subsequently ejected 30 other nano satellites, including 29 from foreign countries, and vaulted them into orbit successfully.

ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar declared the mission a success and praised the space scientists for the perfect launch of the 31 satellites in a single mission on the 40th flight of PSLV.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lauded the space agency's achievement. "Congratulations to ISRO on its 40th successful Polar satellite launch carrying 31 satellites from 15 countries. You make us proud!" Modi tweeted.

The 712-kg Cartosat-2 satellite, also called India's eye-in-the-sky, will regularly provide remote sensing services, using its panchromatic and multispectral cameras.

The imagery sent by the satellite will be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps and for geographical information system applications.

Among the other 30 nano satellites, 29 are from 14 foreign countries such as Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Britain and the United States.

The 30th one is a 15-kg satellite called NIUSAT from India. It has been made by Noorul Islam University in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which will help in agriculture, particularly crop monitoring and disaster management.

The launch of the 31 satellites in a single space mission is one feather on the cap of ISRO that had earlier this month successfully launched its heaviest rocket GSLV-Mk III.

In February this year, India created history by successfully launching 104 satellites at one go, overtaking the previous record of 37 satellites launched by Russia in 2014.

India's ambitious space program has earned a reputation of offering a reliable low-cost alternative to existing international players. Over the past two decades, India has become a key player in the lucrative commercial space market.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 16:30:39|Editor: ying

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TEHRAN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of Iranians held rallies here on Friday to mark Al-Quds Day in solidarity with Palestinians.

The ralliers chanted anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans and carried banners condemning Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian lands.

Senior Iranian government, legislative and military officials participated in the rallies.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Israel is the source of violence and insecurity in the region, adding that Iran will stay by the side of Palestinians in their struggle against the occupation of Israel.

The ralliers issued a statement at the end of demonstrations and vowed "resistance against the atrocities of Israel" until dispel of Israel from the occupied Palestinian lands.

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called on Muslims worldwide to hold massive Al-Quds Day rallies Friday to support Palestinians.

The rallies are recollection of the "Israeli atrocities on the oppressed people of Palestine" over the past decades, the ministry said in a statement.

Al-Quds Day, an annual event falls on June 23 this year, is observed on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Iran along with several Arab countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 16:30:43|Editor: ying

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COLOMBO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan Police on Friday arrested the Convenor of the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF), Lahiru Weerasekara, over violent clashes which erupted between students and police on Wednesday.

The police said a probe would be conducted over the protest staged by the IUSF students in front of the Health Ministry on Wednesday which resulted in 85 students and nine policemen being hospitalized.

The Health Ministry property had also been severely damaged as a result of the violent protest with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe calling for a report over the incident.

The police said the students had behaved in an unruly manner after they forcibly entered the Health Ministry building in violation of the court order issued by the Colombo Chief Magistrate.

The protesting students were demanding to abolish the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), which is the country's only private medical faculty.

As a result of the clashes, doctors attached to the Government Medical Officers Association held an indefinite islandwide strike since Wednesday, severely hampering the medical sector, and leaving thousands of patients stranded.
Source:Xinhua| 2017-06-23 16:45:42|Editor: Mengjie

Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, receives interviews during the two-day session with owners of U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises, in Detroit, the United States, June 21, 2017. Air Traffic was jammed and hotels were full in the U.S. city of Detroit on Monday when more than 3,000 business representatives flocked in for the Gateway 17 conference, Aibaba's biggest-ever public event, in the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 16:50:56|Editor: ying

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COLOMBO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rain is forecast in the southern part of Sri Lanka, leading to concerns that the country might be hit again by floods, an official here said on Friday.

Spokesman for the Disaster Management Centre Pradeep Kodippily told Xinhua that heavy rain ranging from 75 mm to 100 mm could occur, and therefore people should remain vigilant.

"We have issued an alert only. If the need arose, we will evacuate people due to threat of floods or landslides," he said.

Issuing a special weather bulletin on Friday noon, the Department of Meteorology said showery weather was expected during next few days in the southwest of the country and possibility of continuing in some districts of the central and southern parts of the country are high.

"Showers or thundershowers will occur in western, Sabaragamuwa, central and north-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts in the south of the country. Fairly heavy showers (about 75-100 mm) can be expected at some places," it forecast.

Sri Lanka was hit by floods last month. It killed more than 200 people and caused extensive damage to properties.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 17:21:47|Editor: Mengjie

Scientific researchers of Jiaolong attend a welcome ceremony in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, June 23, 2017. Chinese submersible Jiaolong returned to the national deep sea center at east China's Qingdao on Friday, ending a four-month expedition. The submersible made 30 dives during the country's 38th oceanic scientific expedition and descended to nearly 6,700 meters in the Yap Trench in the west Pacific, close to its record depth of 7,062 meters in 2012. (Xinhua/Zhang Xudong)

QINGDAO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese submersible Jiaolong returned to the national deep sea center at east China's Qingdao on Friday, ending a four-month expedition.

The submersible made 30 dives during the country's 38th oceanic scientific expedition and descended to nearly 6,700 meters in the Yap Trench in the west Pacific, close to its record depth of 7,062 meters in 2012.

Scientists have gained a lot of precious samples and data in this expedition, including samples of rocks, large marine life, two lion fish and two unknown species.

They also reached a better understanding of deep sea hydrothermal movement in the Indian Ocean, and conducted surveys in the South China Sea that will help multi-metal nodule mining tests.

The expedition started in February and its completion also marks the end of the submersible's four-year trial phase.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 17:32:02|Editor: ying

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BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese couriers' global networks are growing, helping overseas buyers receive products from China faster.

SF Express recently announced it was teaming up with UPS. Each firm has committed to investing 5 million U.S. dollars in the joint venture.

Lin Zheying, SF Holding vice president, said the company's international business is booming, with revenue nearing 2 billion yuan (294 million U.S. dollars) last year.

The company's own delivery network includes 51 countries and regions. The new partnership means it can now reach almost every country in the world.

The surge of businesses concerning Belt and Road countries is most prominent, Lin said. It handles about 200,000 parcels a day to Russia, about 20 times the volume in 2014.

Khisamutdinov Maxim, who works for SF Express international department, said deliveries to Russia had been reduced to seven days from 30.

YTO Express, backed by Alibaba, also recently announced a global parcel alliance featuring couriers in 25 countries and regions.

This came after the company spent over 1 billion HK dollars on a majority stake in Hong Kong-listed On Time Logistics, which does air freight forwarding business in Asia, Europe and North America.

YTO Express says it aims to become a world leading logistic service provider in a market dominated by DHL, UPS, and FedEx.

YTO Express chairman Yu Weijiao said Chinese couriers are thriving and the world needs Chinese services.

Over the past decade, courier companies have benefited from the e-commerce. But the market remains largely domestic. Cross-border operation accounts for merely 2 percent in terms of handling volume.

However, changes came fast. In the first quarter this year, Chinese mainland couriers handled 170 million pieces of parcel across the border, up 29 percent from a year earlier, State Post Bureau figures show.

The revenue of overseas delivery grew by 19.8 percent to hit 11.1 billion yuan.

All top five Chinese couriers, also including ZTO Express, Yunda Express and STO Express, plan aggressive overseas expansion.

Overseas expansion has been encouraged by the government as the five-year plan (2016-2020) calls for setting up a batch of overseas logistics centers.

Cainiao Network Technology, Alibaba's courier aggregator, has set up such centers in Southeast Asia, cutting cost by 44 percent while shortening delivery time by a quarter, said the company's spokesperson Guan Xiaodong.

Zeng Junshan, an industry observer, saw overseas operation a key structural change for Chinese couriers as the domestic market saturated.

Major Chinese online retailers have expanded overseas. In June, both Alibaba and JD.com announced plans to launch end-to-end retail shopping websites for overseas clients.

Wang Yonggang, a marketing manager for Chinese smart-phone Vivo, said online shopping is becoming a global phenomenon.

He said the company on average receives 1,000 overseas orders via online retailers.

"We are seeing a new trend in global trade," said Wang Jian, a professor with University of International Business and Economics. "It is not just corporations and big traders involved. Individual consumers, micro enterprises are playing an increasingly important role."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 17:37:08|Editor: ying

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BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Tourists from Taiwan injured in a bus crash in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have received timely treatment, the local Taiwan affairs office said Friday.

The bus was carrying 21 people, including 18 tourists and a guide from Taiwan, when the accident happened in the Fuyun County at 4:29 p.m. Wednesday.

All the injured were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Four of the passengers including one with serious injuries are scheduled to return to Taiwan on Friday night. One slightly injured is being treated in hospital. The remaining tourists have continued on their journey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 17:42:11|Editor: ying

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TEHRAN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) disbanded a terrorist group in the western province of Kurdistan Friday, Tehran Times daily reported.

The IRGC said three were killed and one was arrested after clashes erupted with the terrorist team. The force also captured arms and ammunition from the terrorists, according to a statement.

It did not give further details on the identity of the militants.

The Iranian security forces have launched operations in different parts of the country, killing a number of the people with "terrorist" plans and arresting some others.

The recent operations came following the armed attack of the militants of the Islamic State (IS) in the capital Tehran.

The IS carried out two attacks against Iran's parliament and Imam Khomeini's shrine on June 7, killing 17 and injured dozens.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 17:42:15|Editor: ying

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MOGADISHU, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's cabinet late Thursday unanimously passed the draft National Communications Act which is expected to regulate telecommunication industry in the Horn of Africa nation.

The act which was submitted by the Ministry of Posts, Telecom and Technology is one of the oldest draft laws that was not passed by the Parliament.

However, the ministry has in the last couple of months accelerated the review process of this draft law through consultations with all stakeholders, including the Parliamentary Committee on Telecom and Information, regional states, telecom operators, ISPs and the academia.

Abdi Ashur Hassan, Minister for Posts, Telecom and Technology said in a statement that the Act, once passed, will regulate the telecom sector, one of Somalia's thriving industries, and protect the rights of both consumers and investors.

Hassan said that National Communications Act was one the priorities for the new leadership at the ministry.

"The most important and urgent issue the industry needs is an effective regulatory framework. Once passed by the Parliament, the Act will open a lot of opportunities for the sector and help us protect our investors both locally and internationally," he said.

The draft National Communications Act will be among the first bills to be submitted to the Parliament when it reopens in July.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:17:28|Editor: ying

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GABORONE, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Botswana is mourning the death of its second President Sir Ketumile Masire who died in hospital late Thursday night.

The former president has been hospitalized in intensive care unit since last Friday.

A statement released by the Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation, a foundation he co-founded and his family, on Friday morning confirmed that the former statesman passed away late Thursday at the Bokamoso Private Hospital in the capital where he has been hospitalized.

Born Quett Ketumile Johny Masire in 1925, he lead Botswana since 1980 following the death of founding president Sir Seretse Khama until his retirement in 1998.

He led the country in what many described as a difficult period in the southern Africa region where most of Botswana's neighbors were going through their liberation struggles.

He however managed to maintain Botswana as one of Africa's shining example of peace and democratic rule.

Since his retirement, Masire has been involved in several missions in the region including chairing the committee that investigated the 1994 Rwandan genocide as well as coordinating the 1998 Congolese dialogue.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:22:31|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Ministry announced Friday that the 15th East Asia Forum (EAF) will be held in the city of Changsha in China's Hunan Province from June 29 to July 1.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing that the forum will be attended by officials, entrepreneurs and scholars from ASEAN plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (10+3), as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat.

The forum will be centered on the 20th anniversary of 10+3 cooperation, and the representatives will discuss the East Asia economic community. Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin will attend the forum.

Geng called the 10+3 platform the main channel for east Asia cooperation. After 20 years, the 10+3 cooperation has withstood two financial crisis and had become one of the most fruitful cooperative platform in Asian region.

Geng said China had always valued 10+3 cooperation, and had actively taken part in meetings within the 10+3 framework.

He said that China hoped to use the 20th anniversary of 10+3 cooperation, to work with all parties to deepen cooperation in areas such as finance, agriculture and poverty reduction, cultivate new growth areas in production capacity, media and tourism, to promote the construction of East Asia economic community.

The 10+3 cooperation mechanism incorporates the ASEAN+3 and ASEAN+1 frameworks.

The first ASEAN Plus Three summit was held in Malaysia in December 1997, a very important time when all countries in the region were facing an economic setback.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:42:37|Editor: Mengjie

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ATHENS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Two people lost their lives when a spray helicopter crashed in a wetland at the outskirts of the Schinias seaside resort, some 45 km northeast of Athens, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Friday.

The two persons were retrieved unconscious by the Fire Brigade's rescue squad.

The third passenger of the helicopter, a university student on an internship program who survived the crash, was rescued by local residents who rushed to the site and was taken to hospital.

His condition was not serious, Attica Vice Governor Petros Filippou told AMNA.

The two victims were the pilot and a wetland guard.

According to Filippou, when the aerial spraying against mosquitoes was completed, the pilot took on board the student and the guard to fly over the wetland. The helicopter hit a barbed wire fence and crashed.

The helicopter belonged to the fleet of a private company which was hired by the local authorities to spray the area for mosquitoes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:42:38|Editor: Mengjie

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BRUSSELS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) leaders have expressed doubts over the British Prime Minister Theresa May's fresh offer to protect EU citizens' rights on the second day of a summit on Friday.

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said "no" when asked whether he was any clearer about the kind of Brexit London wants.

"That is a first step but this step is not sufficient," he told reporters at his arrival of the summit.

May tried to reassure EU nationals in U.K. that their futures would be secure on Friday.

"No one will have to leave, we won't be seeing families split apart," she said before the summit.

May on Thursday made a "fair and serious offer" to her EU counterparts over the contentious issue of the future rights of EU citizens, saying those who arrived lawfully before Brexit would have the chance to build up the same rights to work, healthcare and benefits as British citizens.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:47:49|Editor: Mengjie

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ADDIS ABABA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) has welcomed the UN Resolution for the deployment of a joint force for the Group of Five for Sahel States (FC-G5S), said a statement released by the pan-African bloc on Friday.

The UN resolution is reportedly said to give the go-ahead for the FC-G5S, a counter-terrorism effort of up to 5,000 military and law enforcement personnel drawn from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

Welcoming the UN Security Council's authorization for the deployment of a joint force for FC-G5S, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has commended the UN support which echoes the AU's Peace and Security Council decision of April 13, 2017.

The Chairperson has reiterated the importance of the FC-G5S to address the persistent threats of violent extremism and transnational organized crimes including arms, drugs and human trafficking with the aim of protecting civilians and promoting peace, security and stability in the region.

He has also commended the resolve and sustained efforts by governments of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to guarantee the security of lives and properties of their citizens.

The Chairperson has reaffirmed AU's commitment to working with governments of the FC-G5S countries and the international community for the immediate deployment and implementation of the FC-G5S in accordance with international laws, including international humanitarian, human rights and refugee laws respectively.

He has also appealed to member states to contribute troops and resources to the mission and encourages adherence to the AU Strategy for the Sahel on the promotion of regional security cooperation through information exchange, border security and confidence-building measures between countries in the region to consolidate the gains made against the insurgency.

The Chairperson has highlighted the importance of the international community's unequivocal support in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:47:50|Editor: Mengjie

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TOKYO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Japan's southernmost Prefecture of Okinawa on Friday marked the 72nd anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest in the World War II, with the presence of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a memorial service for the war dead not entirely welcomed by locals.

Local citizens attending the ceremony held at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, on the southernmost tip of Okinawa's main island, were visibly grief-stricken, as memories resurfaced of loved ones and entire families being wiped out during what was by one of the largest amphibious assault during World War II.

The assault resulted in a long and bloody 82-day battle that lasted until mid-June 1945, the atrocities of which have been etched into the minds of Okinawans and passed down to younger generations, themselves incensed at the central government's use of the tiny island to host the vast majority of U.S. bases and the instances of noise, crime and accidents they have had to endure as part of their base-hosting burdens.

Speaking at the memorial service for the war dead on Friday, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga said that current developments on the island had been running contrary to the central government's continued promises to lift the citizens' base-hosting burdens.

With reference, among others, to a crash landing of a controversial, accident-prone Osprey aircraft near the main island in December, Onaga lamented, "We see moves running counter to a reduction of the burden."

He went on to slam the central government for pushing ahead with its plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to a coastal region on the island, which has been a source of great concern and discontent among local Okinawans, who feel the central government is adding to their burdens rather than sharing them with mainland Japan.

Along with Onaga, Okinawans want the base relocated out of the prefecture at a bare minimum and outside of Japan if possible. Onaga has attempted to block the central government's progress in the construction of a new replacement facility at every juncture and has been a persistent thorn in the side of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Abe.

"The ongoing construction work cannot be tolerated as it is going against the will of the people in Okinawa," Onaga was quoted as saying, adding that the burden of hosting U.S. forces should be shared equally by the "entire nation" and not predominantly by the tiny island of Okinawa.

Abe's remarks made at the Peace Memorial Park, which was the site of the final stage of the Battle of Okinawa, reiterated the government's vow never to wage war again, and, to a palpably skeptical audience, conceded that the island's base-hosting burden is "heavy."

"I'm determined to produce definite results to allay the burden," said Abe, without specifying how he intends to achieve this.

But his words seemingly fell on the deaf ears of the islanders who have had to, along with accidents, noise and pollution, also contend with U.S.-base linked crimes including the alleged rape and murder of a 20-year-old Okinawa woman by a U.S. civilian base worker in April 2016, which led to anti-base sentiment reaching a fever pitch.

A monument erected by a former governor of Okinawa, Masahide Ota, who fought doggedly to protect the rights of Okinawan citizens on the island that were threatened by the presence of the U.S. military, saw the names of 54 war dead were newly inscribed on it.

The number of names irrespective of nationality and military or civilian status now inscribed on the Cornerstone of Peace in the park stands at 241,468.

Ota died in Naha on June 12, aged 92. He served two terms as Okinawa's governor, and fought for the Okinawan side against the U.S. military's continued use of private land at multiple locations on the island for military purposes.

Ota, a native of Okinawa Prefecture, was also in office when the island erupted in fierce protests following the rape of a local 12-year-old elementary school girl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995.

A former professor at the University of the Ryukyus, Ota also stood opposed to the central government's plans to relocate the air base to a coastal part of the island.

As a witness to the atrocities in the Battle of Okinawa, Ota was known to have worked on monuments to memorialize those who died, including those from the U.S. side.

The memorial service Friday was held in the vicinity of thousands of past suicides involving local Okinawans throwing themselves off cliffs to their deaths in the face of a brutal Imperial Japanese Army that had been ordered to never surrender to the Allies, forcing them to do so.

Other atrocities recalled by local citizens of Japan's southernmost prefecture towards the end of those bloody days 72 years ago, involved the Imperial Japanese Army forcing locals to take two hand grenades; one to be thrown at approaching invaders, while the second was to be detonated in groups causing mass local suicides.

There was little the Imperial Japanese Army could do to stop the advancement of the Allies, who having used islands like Guam and Saipan as bases, had been gaining ground on Japan and once had the upper hand in Okinawa, planned to use the island to launch major offenses by land, sea and air against the Japanese mainland.

In the bloody battle, mainland Japan saw 77,166 soldiers killed or take their own lives, while the Allies lost more than 14,000 troops and amassed casualties of around 65,000.

But as many as 150,000 local Okinawan civilians were killed or committed suicide in the Battle of Okinawa, which at the time was around 25 percent of the island's total population.

All fighting ceased however, two months after the gruesome fighting on Okinawa, following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing Japan to surrender and leading to the end of WWII.

But 72 years after the battle ended, some locals are still haunted by the atrocities they had witnessed at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army and still feel as though the central government treats them like second-class citizens, or an underclass of Japanese society and not on an equal footing with mainland Japanese, either culturally, racially, socially or politically.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:52:53|Editor: Mengjie

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ADDIS ABABA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- With a 90 day Saudi Arabian government amnesty deadline for illegal migrants to return home approaching its expiry date on June 27, 35,000 undocumented Ethiopians so far have returned home.

The figure was given during a press briefing on Friday by Negeri Lencho, Minister of Ethiopian Government Communication Affairs Office, who added that another 85,000 undocumented Ethiopians have taken travel documents to return home from Saudi Arabia.

However, both figures are still a minority of the estimated 400,000 undocumented Ethiopians living in the Middle East's largest economy in jobs ranging from maids to construction sites.

With a growing population currently at around 30 million and a squeeze in international oil price, Saudi Arabia is on a drive to indigenize its work force currently dominated by millions of illegal and legal migrants.

The approaching deadline recalled painful memories of Ethiopians in the last deportation debacle in November 2013 when a deportation round by Saudi authorities on illegal migrants left many Ethiopians in Saudi detention camps and returned home penniless.

Ethiopian government has already dispatched a dozen diplomats in its embassy in Riyadh and consular offices in other Saudi cities to give consular advice to stranded Ethiopians.

With an eye to curb illegal migration, the Ethiopian government last month signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia government for an overseas employment agreement to help future legal Ethiopian migrants.

It has also put advertorials in Ethiopian electronic media urging relatives of Ethiopians illegally residing in Saudi Arabia to persuade them to return ahead of the expiry of the Amnesty deadline.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 18:52:54|Editor: Mengjie

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PYONGYANG, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday the death of American student Otto Warmbier days after his release was a "mystery," as his health indicators and examination results were all normal when he left DPRK.

A spokesman the country's foreign ministry said the DPRK gave Warmbier all available medical treatment and care on a humanitarian basis until his return to the United States, and that Warmbier was not mistreated or tortured during his 18-month detention in DPRK.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatment and care with all sincerity on a humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S.," the Korean Central News Agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

Warmbier, 22, was released on June 13 and died on June 19 after arriving home in a coma, according to earlier foreign media reports.

He was sentenced by DPRK court to 15 years of hard labor in March last year for anti-DPRK activities at the order of an American religious group and the Central Intelligence Agency during stay in Pyongyang. Warmbier claimed to be a tourist.

"As for groundless public opinion now circulating in the U.S. that he died of torture and beating during his reform through labor, the American doctors who came to the DPRK for repatriation of Warmbier will have something to say about it," said the DPRK spokesman.

The U.S. doctors "examined Warmbier and exchanged medical observations about him with" DPRK doctors, and "recognized that his health indicators like his pulse, temperature, respiration and the examination results of the heart and lung were all normal," said the spokesman.

"We provided him with medical treatment and brought him back to life when his heart nearly stopped" beating, the spokesman added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 19:03:00|Editor: Mengjie

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ANKARA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will not close its military base in Qatar, Turkish Defense Minister said on Friday in reply to a demand by four Arab countries to end boycott against Doha.

"Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda," Fikri Isik said speaking in a interview with NTV news broadcaster.

The minister said he has yet to see the list of demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, who reportedly asked Doha to "immediately terminate the Turkish military presence currently in Qatar and end any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside of Qatar."

"If there is such a demand, it will mean interference in bilateral ties" between Ankara and Doha, Isik said stressing that Turkey's military presence in Qatar should be seen as a benefit for the whole Gulf since it is a value for "security of Qatar and the region."

On June 7, the Turkish parliament approved two agreements for the deployment of Turkish troops in a Qatari base, as well as offering military training to the nation's gendarmerie forces.

The move came amid a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and some other Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, which cut diplomatic ties with Doha and imposed economic sanctions.

Turkish Armed Forces sent five armored vehicles and 23 military personnel to Doha on Thursday as part of Turkey's military deployment, a symbolic move aiming to show the continuation of support to Qatar.

Meanwhile, Isik said he will meet with his U.S. counterpart James Mattis next week on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels and discuss Pentagon's arming Syrian Kurdish militia.

They will discuss establishing a joint mechanism for collecting arms delivered to the People's Protection Units (YPG), the minister said.

He will also discuss figures of weapons delivered to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-Syrian Arab alliance dominated by the YPG forces, as the number the U.S. informed Turkey and those reported in media are different, Isik noted.

The Pentagon has begun to transfer small arms and vehicles to the YPG which Ankara sees as linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 19:28:09|Editor: ying

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RAMADI, Iraq, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Six civilians were killed and 11 wounded on Friday when four suicide bombers attacked the town of al-Baghdadi in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial police source told Xinhua.

The attack took place before dawn when four suicide bombers tried to enter the town, some 200 km northwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, but the security forces killed them all," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The clashes with the suicide bombers and the blasts of their explosive belts resulted in the killing of four women, a child and a man, the source said.

Authorities of the town imposed curfew and blocked the entrances of the city, as reinforcement troops arrived to deploy in the main streets, the source added.

The incident came as Iraqi security forces, backed by the anti-Islamic State (IS) international coalition, were simultaneously conducting a major offensive to dislodge IS militants from their major stronghold in western Mosul in northern Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 19:33:12|Editor: ying

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MOMBASA, Kenya, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's anti-narcotic detectives on Friday arrested two Nigerian drug barons and seized heroin worth 50,000 U.S. dollars in the coastal city of Mombasa.

The two -- Chukwu James and Gageche Gold Patience -- were arrested in dawn operation where heroin weighing 1.5 kilograms was impounded in an apartment within Nyali suburb.

Head of Anti-Narcotic Police Unit Hamis Massa said the drugs were smuggled from Tanzania.

"Acting on intelligence, we carried an operation and arrested the two with drugs stashed in suitcase. The two are wanted drug traffickers," Massa said.

Massa said the two traveled from Nairobi to Mombasa to pick the consignment they intended to smuggle to Brussels. He said the suspects were on anti narcotic watch list for smuggling drugs from the country.

Massa said sample of the drugs were sent to the government for further analysis. "The two will be charged in court and later deported to their country where they are also wanted for trafficking narcotics," Massa said.

In April, three Italian fugitives wanted by Interpol over drug and criminal related offenses were also deported.

The three, Mario Mele, Alberto Fulvio and Stefano Poli who were on Interpol's Red Notice, were handed over to Italian authorities in Malindi and deported.

They were among twelve suspects arrested in Mombasa during a joint security operation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 19:43:22|Editor: ying

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MADRID, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A man allegedly involved in an extremist network was arrested in the Spanish enclave of Melilla, on the north coast of Africa, the Spanish interior ministry reported on Friday.

The 40-year-old Dutch national was of Moroccan origin and is accused of being part of a recruitment network with links to DAESH and AQMI, the al-Qaeda of the Maghreb region.

The detainee had companies in Denmark to evade taxes and through which he is believed to have financed the recruitment network.

So far, the police have identified 24 different companies and have estimated that the tax evasion has surpassed 8 million euros (8.9 million U.S. dollars), which has helped send at least ten people of different nationalities, Danish, German and Spanish among them, to areas of conflict.

The operation, which was carried out by the authorities of Morocco, Denmark, Spain, and Europol, is still open and police are looking into social media profiles and the extent of the network's activities.

According to the ministry, since June 2015, when the country raised its terrorist alert to a level four out of five, a total of 173 suspected extremists have been arrested in Spain and abroad. A total of 218 have been arrested since the beginning of 2015.

Spain suffered the worst terrorist attack in European history in March 2004 when ten bombs exploded on four trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,800 people.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 19:53:30|Editor: ying

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TEHRAN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranians despised Israel for occupying Palestinian lands, as hundreds of thousands partook in the rallies on Friday to mark Al-Quds Day in solidarity with Palestinians.

The ralliers chanted anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans and carried banners condemning Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian lands.

Senior Iranian government, legislative and military officials, including President Hassan Rouhani and the Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, participated in the rallies.

Rouhani told reporters on Friday that Al-Quds Day is an international event and its message to the world is "detestation of the occupying regime (of Israel) and support for the great nation of Palestine," official IRNA news agency reported.

The rallies, this year, bears also the message of disapproval of the U.S. policies in the region, which seeks to undermine other nations' rights, he said.

Besides, Larijani said Israel is the source of violence and insecurity in the region, adding that Iran will stay by the side of Palestinians in their struggle against the occupation of Israel.

Organizers of the rallies in Tehran put on display the Zolfaqar ground-to-ground missiles of the Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), employed to destroy targets of the Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria's Deir ez-Zor on June 18, Tasnim news agency reported.

In addition to Zolfaqar, capable of reaching the targets at 700 km distance, the IRGC's Qadr missiles were also erected on trucks in the streets. Qadr missile can hit targets within a range of 2,000 km.

People attending the rallies also wrote anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans on the body of the missiles and took selfies with the missiles, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The ralliers issued a statement at the end of demonstrations and vowed "resistance against the atrocities of Israel" until dispel of Israel from the occupied Palestinian lands.

The Iranian nation will use all its capacity to support the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, and the Islamic resistance movements, the statement noted according to IRNA.

It also called for return of all Palestinian refugees to their homeland and holding free referendum for determining the future of Palestine.

The statement urged unity among Palestinian political groups against Israel and called on the international and regional institutions to prevent Israel from implementing racist policies in the occupied territories.

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called on Muslims worldwide to hold massive Al-Quds Day rallies Friday to support Palestinians.

The rallies were recollection of the "Israeli atrocities on the oppressed people of Palestine" over the past decades, the ministry said in a statement.

"The day is for remembering the inalienable historical fact that the occupying regime of Israel is the main source of crisis," it said.

Rouhani on Wednesday also called on Muslims to participate in Friday's rallies, saying that "the regional differences favor Israel and terrorism."

"The cause of Palestine should not be forgotten," the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan slammed Israel for "inciting insecurity in Muslim countries and elsewhere," the Tasnim reported.

"A world free of violence and extremism would be a world free of the Zionist regime (of Israel), and this is what the Islamic world will be shouting on the Al-Quds Day," Dehqan was quoted as saying.

Al-Quds Day, an annual event falls on June 23 this year, is observed on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Iran along with several Arab countries.
Britain's Prince William (R), Duke of Cambridge, his wife Catherine (C), Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry leave St. Paul's Cathedral after the National Service of Thanksgiving to mark the Queen's 90th birthday on June 10, 2016 in London, Britain. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Queen Elizabeth's bachelor grandson Prince Harry caused a stir Thursday by saying no members of the British royal family want to be the king or queen.

The remarkable comment by the prince was made in an interview with the U.S. magazine Newsweek.

"Is there any one of the Royal Family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so," Harry said in the magazine.

He said the royals were doing it "for the greater good of the people". Prince Harry added in the interview: "We will carry out our duties at the right time."

The prince also spoke about the role he and his older brother Prince William are taking in modernizing the British monarchy. Prince William is second in line to the throne.

Harry in the interview paid tribute to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, for letting the younger royals "do things their own way".

Describing the monarch as remarkable, Harry added: "The Queen has been fantastic in letting us choose. She tells us to take our time and really think things through."

On a more somber note, Harry spoke about the day, when he was aged 12, he walked in the funeral procession for his mother, the late Princess Diana, through the streets of London.

The procession was screened live around the world.

"No child should be asked to do that," said the prince.

On the day of the funeral in 1997, Harry walked alongside his brother Prince William, his father and his grandfather, the Queen's husband Prince Philip and Diana's brother Earl Spencer, in the procession behind his mother's coffin.

In a recent interview, Harry, who has become a mental health champion, revealed he had received counseling to cope with the death in a car crash of his mom.

"My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."

Talking about his role in helping to modernize the royal family, Harry said: "It's a tricky balancing act. We don't want to dilute the magic. The British public and the whole world need institutions like it."

He also revealed he did his own shopping, adding: "I worry someone will snap me with their phone. But I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too.

"Even if I was king, I would do my own shopping," he said.

The anti-monarchy campaign group, Republic, responded to the interview Thursday, saying Harry could always walk away from his job as a British royal.

Republic said if Harry is right, "we need a national debate about ending the monarchy."

Graham Smith, the group's CEO, said: "If this is true, that no royal really wants to be king, then I have some sympathy. But the honest truth is Harry can walk away whenever he likes. If they are reluctant royals then they should walk away -- Britain will be fine without them.

"It seems they're reluctant to do the work, but happy to take the perks and privileges that come with the role. Harry is wrong to think that he should stay on, out of some duty to the country. The country can easily find others to take on the role of head of state," Smith said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 20:08:46|Editor: ying

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MANILA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Casamudin Riga, a displaced Marawi resident temporarily sheltered in an evacuation center, is anxious about the situation of thousands of evacuees that fled the southern Philippine city over the ongoing fighting between government forces and militants allied with the Islamic State (IS).

"Our situation inside the evacuation center is not easy. It's humid during the day, but it's too cold at night. As evacuees, we don't have much choice. I am just grateful because at least my family is complete and safe," said the 51-year-old trader.

Riga voiced his hope that he could return home soon and start his life all over again.

However, the month-long conflict in the southern Philippine city of Marawi marked its first month with no sign of "immediate end in sight," the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement on Friday.

The aid agency said that Riga and the more than 200,000 people displaced by the raging war continue to face many humanitarian needs as fighting continue to rage.

"The situation is far from over. Fighting is ongoing, and civilians who are trapped or are displaced continue to face challenging situations," said Roberto Petronio, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Mindanao.

Petronio appealed for food, drinking water, sanitation facilities and health care, saying the displaced people need them badly in the coming weeks.

He said limited food and drinking water supply, as well as access to sanitation facilities, remain as the most urgent needs of displaced residents.

The onset of the rainy season has already worried the ICRC, which said it poses increased health risks to displaced residents, especially children and elderly in the evacuation centers.

"Protracted stay under such conditions makes them more vulnerable to water-borne and communicable diseases," the ICRC said.

"The rainy season has started, and thousands are still scattered in evacuation centers, while many families have sought shelter with relatives," the ICRC said.

The Geneva-based agency said the affected residents who are likely to face prolonged displacement due to the impact of the fighting and sources of income, need help to get back on their feet.

While evacuation efforts are underway, the ICRC said an estimated 300-500 people remain trapped inside the city.

"Circumstances are dire for those who are left behind in Marawi City," the ICRC said.

"Their lives remain in danger with the fighting zone, and it's impossible for humanitarian organizations to provide them with much needed assistance due to access and security issues," it added.

The aid agency said efforts to secure a humanitarian corridor should continue to ensure the safe evacuation of the trapped civilians.

The ICRC has expressed concern over reports of civilians who were killed or deliberately targeted, and those who are being held against their will.

"Civilians are not part of the fighting and should be protected," the ICRC said.

Clashes broke out on May 23 when some 500 militants with the help of some 40 foreign fighters stormed the city of more than 200,000 people.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said efforts continued to clear Marawi of remaining armed terrorist that continued to pose pockets of resistance to the advancing troops.

There are also continuing efforts to rescue trapped residents "to include those held as hostages (and) recovery of civilian casualties or cadavers," Abella said.

"The Duterte administration is now preparing a comprehensive multi-year Marawi reconstruction plan," Abella said, adding that an inter-agency task force will be convened to make an assessment of the situation.

"Repairs, rehabilitation and reconstruction of public infrastructure in Marawi will be funded," he said, adding the 10 billion pesos (200 million U.S. dollars) financial aid is being readied to finance reconstruction of the city ruined by bombs and bullets.

Abella added, "They are laying the groundwork, and as soon as the military says that Lanao del Sur province is cleared, they will go into action. So, until then, we will have to wait for their assessment."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 20:13:54|Editor: Mengjie

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QINGDAO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese submersible Jiaolong will begin a global scientific expedition by about 2020, scientists said Friday.

The submersible, named after a mythical dragon, returned to the national deep sea center in eastern China's Qingdao Friday following a four-month deep sea tour, the country's 38th oceanic scientific expedition.

Before the 2020 expedition, China will have the submersible upgraded and finish the building of a new mothership.

The 38th expedition started in February and its completion marks the end of the submersible's five-year trial phase.

The Jiaolong is capable of diving in virtually all global seas to a depth less than 7,000 meters, scientists said.

The submersible made 30 dives during the latest expedition and descended to nearly 6,700 meters in the Yap Trench in the west Pacific, close to its record depth of 7,062 meters in 2012.

Scientists gained precious samples and data in this expedition, including rocks, large marine life, two lion fish and two unknown species.

They also reached a better understanding of deep sea hydrothermal movement in the Indian Ocean, and conducted surveys in the South China Sea that will help multi-metal nodule mining tests.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 20:24:00|Editor: Mengjie

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Yu Zhengsheng (R), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, meets with Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng met with Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on Friday.

"China appreciates Ghana's adherence to the one-China policy," said Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"China will work with Ghana to implement the Belt and Road Initiative and the outcomes of the 2015 China-Africa Cooperation Forum summit in Johannesburg to increase political trust, win-win cooperation and people-to-people exchanges," Yu said.

Ghana attaches great importance to its relations with China and regards China as a trustworthy, sincere friend and a close partner in economic development, Bawumia said.

Thanking China for the long-term support in its social and economic development, Bawumia said Ghana would learn from China's experiences and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative to deepen cooperation with China in various areas.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 20:39:21|Editor: ying

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NAIROBI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Economic analysts on Friday urged Kenya to invest in skills training in order to lower the level of unemployment.

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) CEO Kwame Owino told a media briefing in Nairobi that between 2007 and 2016, the rate of unemployment has increased by 67 percent.

"This can be partly attributed to the growing labor force whose skills do not match the requirements necessary to fulfill the employment responsibilities of different jobs," Owino said during the launch of the policy debate for five socio-economic issues in Kenya.

According to the Ministry of Labor, current overall rate of unemployment stands at about 11 percent but the unemployment rate among the youth has hit 22 percent.

Owino noted that the informal sector employment figures has grown from 7.5 million in 2007 to 13.3 million in 2016 while the number of people working in formal sector has increased by 710,000 in the same period.

"This could be an indication that tertiary and vocational training institutes are not producing graduates that the job market demands," Owino said.

Government data indicates that approximately 16 million in employment, out of which 13.3 million are in the informal sector.

The CEO said one solution to the growing problem of unemployment is subsidizing education and vocational training courses.

"This will improve the uptake of skilled training by members of the public for use in formal employment," said the analysts.

IEA also called for the targeted subsidized education for women, youth and persons with disability in order to reduce the overall unemployment rate.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:04:36|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- China's TV and radio watchdog banned 40 television commercials Friday for violation of state rules.

According to a statement by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), most of the commercials were for healthcare products, and banned for exceeding regulated time limits.

The air time of these commercials were in the range of 10 to 30 minutes.

The commercials were also accused of exaggerating the efficacy of products, another rule violation.

SAPPRFT asked all broadcast institutions to eliminate commercials that were similar to the listed 40.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:04:38|Editor: MJ

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HANGZHOU, June 23 (Xinhua)-- Chinese police have arrested 16 employees or former employees of an Apple contractor for selling the personal information of iPhone users.

In January, police in Cangnan county of eastern China's Zhejiang Province suspected several employees or former employees of an Apple distributor and a contractor of stealing user data, the county procuratorate said in a statement Friday.

In May, police caught 22 people, 20 of whom worked for the two companies, from Guangdong, Jiangsu and Fujian provinces.

So far, sixteen have been arrested and four remain under investigation.

Fifteen of those arrested work for Guangzhou Telecom Yingke Company, a contractor which provides consulting and after-sales service for Apple.

Prosecutors said that starting from August 2013, the chief suspects Yang, Li and Gan, used their internal system to illegally check personal information of iPhone users.

They illegally obtained names, telephone numbers, email accounts and addresses of Apple customers.

In July, 2014, they were fired by the company, but continued to collude with company staff to steal information until August 2016.

Each item of information was sold at 10 to 180 yuan (26.24 U.S. dollars).

Preliminary investigation showed that they made about 50 million yuan (about 7.35 million U.S. dollars) of illegal profit.
Source:Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:14:56|Editor: Mengjie

Graduates of Fudan University attend their commencement in east China's Shanghai Municipality, June 23, 2017. Over 7,400 students graduated from Fudan University this year. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:14:44|Editor: ying

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WELLINGTON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Defense Minister Mark Mitchell on Friday visited New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel training the Iraqi Security Forces at Camp Taji near Baghdad.

Mitchell, on his first visit to Taji as minister, said in a release that he was "incredibly proud of the work our servicemen and women are doing, and the contribution they are making towards the defeat of ISIS."

New Zealand has 106 trainers, force protection elements and other Regular Force soldiers at Taji.

Since this deployment began in 2015, NZDF have trained over 23,000 Iraqi soldiers, arming them with new skills and capabilities that have assisted them to complete complex joint force tasks, he said, praising the training as "outstanding."

"It is making a difference as the military fight against ISIS progresses towards its final stages, and it is greatly appreciated not only by the Iraqi government but our other coalition partners," the minister said.
25-year-old refugee chef Hassan from Somalia, prepares dishes for customers in "Vassilenas", a restaurant with a long history in Athens, Greece, on June 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

By Alexia Vlachou

ATHENS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- For extrovert young chef Hassan to present his refugee journey from Somalia to Greece in a menu of 6 dishes was a bet to win during the Refugee Food Festival that run through this week in local restaurants in Athens.

We met 25-year-old Hassan inside the kitchen of "Vassilenas", a restaurant with a long history in the Greek capital, preparing a fresh salad with black eyed peas, beetroot, lime, coriander and a traditional dish from his country, a roasted mackerel with hot sauce of paprika and chili.

"It is the first time I present my country's cuisine, and I am proud that people come and taste it," he told Xinhua.

While being used to cooking Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine for restaurants in Athens and Crete Island since 2012, it was the first-time Hassan, who was a guest chef for two nights at the restaurant, cooked Somali cuisine for so many people. The success was so huge that the owner decided to extend from two to three days the event.

Run under the auspices of the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, the Refugee Food Festival was inaugurated in Paris in 2016, and this year was expanded to 13 European cities to mark World Refugee Day.

A citizen's initiative, the festival address to local restaurants to open their kitchens to refugee cooks with the goal to change people's perception towards refugees, to trigger job opportunities and to make participants discover delicious meals.

"Food unites people," Hassan said as he was looking people coming in the restaurant, expressing the value of the festival.

Not only people but cultures as well, as co-founder Louis Martin would say later. "We often talk about those countries through the prism of war. But these countries have much more to tell. They have culture, deep history and it is something you can find on our plates," he explained to promote the positive approach of the refugee issue.

Hassan's story reminds us the thousands of unaccompanied minors fleeing from war-torn countries in the Middle East, risking their lives to cross the sea and dealing with traffickers within the last three years.

With his life being in danger in his country Somalia, Hassan fled to Greece when he was 16 years old all alone leaving behind his family. For a whole month, he traveled by ship up until Turkey and then with a small inflatable boat reached Greece in December 2008.

"I did not know a lot about Greece, in 2009 I tried to leave illegally but I did not make it," Hassan recalled.

It was when he was excluded from the family reunification program, where he had asked to unite with his uncle in Finland, that he claimed asylum in Greece.

"I stayed in a hospitality center for unaccompanied minors at Exarcheia, in the center of Athens from 2009 until 2012."

With the support of the Network of Children's Right, he enrolled into a professional chef's course on a scholarship and had worked in hotels and restaurants since.

"I finished my school in 2012 and went on training in a big hotel in Crete for two years. Then I returned to Athens and started working as a chef," he said.

The most difficult part was his first six months in Greece where he lived in a small apartment with 20 other Somalis in Athens.

"A minor in a foreign country feels frightened, thinks about his future, where to sleep, who to meet," Hassan told Xinhua.

"But, then I managed to integrate into the society, to learn the language and meet with people who love me and want to be next to me," he noted.

Despite the difficulties, Hassan's integration into the society has been rather smooth, as he explained. After being in Greece 9 years, what does he dream? "To continue my work, to be at a restaurant as a chef," he confessed with a big smile on his face.

When we asked him if he would like to run a Somali restaurant in Athens, he hesitated to answer.

"In Greece, it is difficult to open my restaurant with Somali dishes. Maybe if I go to another country like Sweden or Britain where there are large communities of Somali," he said.

Though being something completely new to the Athenians who visited the restaurant, the Somali dishes made them a great impression.

"I did not have the opportunity to taste Somali cuisine before. Though we are only in the second dish, I must say that the menu is very impressive," Nikos Kourtzis told Xinhua.

Martin acknowledged the success of the event in Athens and other European cities. "We are impressed by the reaction of all the people participating in the festival. All the restaurants are full. The restaurants ask at the end when we can do it again," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:34:56|Editor: ying

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ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed and 70 others injured as twin blasts hit a market on Friday afternoon in Parachinar, capital city of Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram Agency, reported local Urdu TV channel Geo.

The attack took place at a downtown market in the city, where many people were busy with shopping for the coming Eid, a holiday which marks the end of the fast month Ramadan, said local media.

Political administrator of Parachinar, a city which borders Afghanistan, confirmed that 15 people were killed and at least 50 others injured.

Local media quoted hospital sources as saying that at least 20 out of all the injured are in critical condition.

Some of the seriously wounded people have been airlifted to Peshawar, the largest city in Pakistan's northwest region, according to local media reports.

Local media said that the second blast happened after rescue people rushed to the site following the report of the first blast, a practice often employed by local militant groups in terrorist attacks.

Army and security personnel have rushed to the blast site and the attack area has been cordoned off for investigation.

Emergency has been declared in all hospitals in the city, said local officials.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:39:59|Editor: ying

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NAIROBI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's corporate organizations on Friday launched an initiative to position the country as a regional hub.

Through a campaign dubbed "Why the Future is Kenya", business leaders are drawn from the financial, technology, service and hospitality sectors to celebrate Kenya's status as East and Central Africa's investment hub.

Speaking during the launch of the campaign, Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said that Kenya is ahead of her peers thanks to factors including increasing innovation, a thriving business environment, as well as a rising middle class.

Business leaders have partnered with government to develop mechanisms on how Kenya will further leapfrog to the next level.

Speaking on behalf of the participating business leaders, Ahmed Rady, General Manager, Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa Ltd., noted that, just like other businesses, the company believes that investing in people creates the right environment for businesses to thrive, thus generating jobs and other opportunities.

"My message to the world is that growth and prosperity in Kenya is happening and that we are proud to be part of this growth. We want to see this country become the Africa's commercial powerhouse. Kenya is the gateway to East Africa and the regional commercial hub. You all know that many international companies are choosing Kenya as their hub in Africa. This clearly shows that Kenya can rise higher and become the gateway to Africa", Rady said.

The corporate titans also pledged to work together to increase global appetite for inward investment in Kenya.

There was a call for action for the private sector members to take advantage of the innovations being spearheaded by various individuals who have tactically been able to provide some of the solutions aimed at improving the business environment.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:45:02|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- China's lawmakers Friday deliberated a draft law on public libraries.

The draft was submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for the first reading, at the start of its bi-monthly session, which runs until Tuesday.

Most lawmakers on the NPC Standing Committee made favorable comments and raised suggestions about the draft. They said that as gateways to knowledge and culture, public libraries were important in providing resources for learning and education.

The draft law says that public libraries should have juvenile and children's reading areas, with instructors to guide and educate.

During the group deliberation Friday, Shen Yueyue, vice chair of the Standing Committee of the NPC, suggested that public libraries should strengthen cooperation with elementary and secondary schools and share their reading resources with students.

Zhu Shanping, an NPC deputy, said that she supported the idea of local governments establishing reading rooms for urban and rural residents.

"I hope that local governments, together with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance, can allocate special funds in establishing community and township libraries," Zhu said.

According to the Ministry of Culture, a network of libraries covering both urban and rural areas had 838 million books around the country at the end of 2015.

The draft also says that public libraries should provide free services such as lending and data inquiries, and organize public lectures, training and exhibitions.

The new functions of government-run public libraries, such as digital resources and online services, are also included in the draft.

Yang Zhen, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, pointed out that buying databases was expensive for universities and they should charge an extra fee for readers, citing a bylaw encouraging schools and academies to open their libraries to the public.

Uzhitu, another member of the committee, suggested that the law should be more clear about the favorable policies, such as land use or taxation to attract more social resources for building libraries.

China has more than 3,100 government-run libraries and around 50 public libraries set up by individuals, enterprises and public institutions, social groups and other organizations, said Chinese Culture Minister Luo Shugang.

Many major developed countries have legislation to boost reading.

The United States introduced the Reading Excellence Act in 1998 and the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. The Republic of Korea introduced the Reading Culture Promoting Act in 2006.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 21:55:15|Editor: ying

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RAMADI, Iraq, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Nine people were killed and 11 others were wounded on Friday after 10 Islamic State (IS) suicide bombers attacked a town in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial police source told Xinhua.

"The latest report said that two soldiers and seven family members were killed and 11 others were wounded, including an army officer," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attack took place in a town of al-Baghdadi in Anbar, some 200 kilometers to the northwest of Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The suicide bombers, wearing explosive belts, broke into a house and killed the seven family members. Then they engaged in clashes with security forces before entering another house, the source said.

The clashes resulted in the killing of two Iraqi soldiers and all the attackers, who were either shot dead or killed after detonating their explosive belts, the source said.

Authorities of the town then imposed a curfew and blocked the entrances to the town, as reinforcement troops were deployed on the main streets.

The incident came as Iraqi security forces, backed by the anti-IS international coalition, were simultaneously conducting a major offensive to dislodge IS militants from their major stronghold in Mosul, northern Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 22:00:24|Editor: ying

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NAIROBI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Friday launched a database and web link that hosts all treaties that the government has signed since attaining independent.

Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Amina Mohamed said that the web link will enable the public to have easy government-enabled access to the information on treaties signed by Kenya and relevant information.

"Kenya has signed many treaties and agreements but unfortunately they are scattered in various ministries and departments, hence making access to them difficult to them," Mohamed said during the launch in Nairobi.

She said that the Ministry has opened a department of treaties under a Registrar to ensure that all treaties signed since 1963 are placed online for both locals and international consumers.

Mohamed noted that the launch signifies the government's commitment of the crucial role of treaties in line with the Ministry's responsibility as the country's repository of all treaties for which Kenya is party to or is in the process of becoming a party to.

The database is available in the ministry's official website and contains details of each treaty and agreement, date and place of adoption, date of signature, date of ratification, when such treaty entered into force and the relevant domestic Laws.

Users are encouraged to rely on their own enquiries in using the information and check with primary sources whenever they need to access the 26 thematic areas on the website.

"It is important that all government ministries and departments share treaties in their domain with us to enable researchers and academicians access information," Mohamed added.

She noted that the move will help promote international and regional integration between Kenya and the friendly countries.

Mohamed noted that the launch is part of the country's Science and Technology and Innovation (STI) policy that aims at turning Kenya into an industrialized country by the year 2030.

"This is an important move by Kenya that is expected to help investors into the country," Zimbabwean Ambassador and Head of the Diplomatic Corp in Kenya Kelebert Nkomani said.

He called on countries within the Common Markets for the Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to embrace the idea.

The database contains several treaties including the 1970 Charter of the UN, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties that was adopted in 1997 and the international Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979(SAR) that came into force in 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 22:05:28|Editor: MJ

Photo taken with mobile phone shows local people gather as smoke rises from a blast site in northwest Pakistan's Parachinar, on June 23, 2017. At least 18 people were killed and over 100 others injured as twin blasts ripped through a market on Friday afternoon in Parachinar, capital city of Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram Agency, reported local Urdu TV channel Geo. (Xinhua/Stringer)

ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 people were killed and over 100 others injured as twin blasts ripped through a market on Friday afternoon in Parachinar, capital city of Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram Agency, reported local Urdu TV channel Geo.

The attack took place at about 5:30 p.m. local time when a handgrenade was hurled into the crowds of the people busy with shopping at a downtown market of the city for the coming Eid, a holiday which marks the end of the fast month Ramadan, said local media.

The second blast happened a few minutes after people gathered at the first blast site for rescue, local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying.

The second blast seems to be of suicide nature, said local media. But there is no official confirmation about it yet.

Army and security personnel have rushed to the site shortly after the twin blasts were reported.

All the blast victims have been shifted to local hospitals and the hospitals in the adjacent cities, said local media.

Some of the seriously wounded have been airlifted to Peshwar, the largest city in Pakistan's northwest region, according to local media reports.

Local media quoted hospital sources as saying at least 30 out of the 100-plus injured people are in critical condition.

Pakistan's army mouth, Inter-Services Public Relations,said two army helicopters have been dispatched to Parachinar for the rescue work.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Friday's bomb attack in Parachinar is the second of its kind in Pakistan.

Earlier on Friday morning, an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a check post outside a senior police officer's office in Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta, leaving at least 11 people killed and over a dozen others injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 22:15:31|Editor: MJ

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (front L) and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev (front R) inspect a guard of honour at a welcome ceremony outside the presidential palace in Athens, Greece on June 23, 2017. Greece warmly supports the integration of neighboring countries in the European Union (EU) and NATO as long as prerequisites are met, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Friday while welcoming Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in Athens. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Greece warmly supports the integration of neighboring countries in the European Union (EU) and NATO as long as prerequisites are met, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Friday while welcoming Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in Athens.

Speaking on camera during their meeting both leaders noted that the fact that Radev chose to pay to Greece his first official visit abroad since the assumption of his presidential duties in January this year reflects the importance of good bilateral relations.

"Bulgaria and Greece are a model of good neighborly relations based on a common European perspective and common European values," the Bulgarian President said, according to an e-mailed statement released by the Greek Presidency.

Radev expressed Sofia's gratitude to the support that Greece provided for Bulgaria's accession to the European Union and NATO so far, and called for his country's accession also to the European visa free travel zone.

"Greece's support to Bulgaria's accession to Schengen is also of prime importance, as this is the only way to guarantee the effectiveness of our fight against human trafficking and terrorism. And it is time for the rest of the EU member states to understand it," stressed Radev, according to the press release.

On his part, Pavlopoulos underlined that Bulgaria has fulfilled all its obligations, and met the criteria and therefore according to Athens' point of view it would be better for the EU to conclude this accession process.

"We are in favor of the integration of our neighbors in NATO and the EU. We are in favor of the European perspective of our neighbors in the Balkans, but this prospect has certain prerequisites that nobody can ignore," the Greek president said.

Pavlopoulos stressed that those prerequisites include respect to the international law, to the European acquis and history and European culture.

On the agenda of discussions at the Athens Presidential mansion on Friday were also energy policy issues, migration flows and trade cooperation, according to Greek national news agency AMNA.

"We hope that gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Greece will be realized in the timetable set, because the gas transit pipeline will enable not only Bulgaria, but also the countries of central and eastern Europe to achieve diversification of both sources and routes," Radev stressed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 22:20:36|Editor: ying

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BRUSSELS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- European Union leaders during their two-day summit meeting that concluded on Friday have reaffirmed its commitment to the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

The reformed CEAS needs to strike the right balance between responsibility and solidarity and that it needs to ensure resilience to future migration crises, according to a statement issued by the European Council.

It also said that effective control of external borders and the full and non-discriminatory implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement are key to stem and prevent illegal migration flows.

Loss of life and continuing migratory flows of primarily economic migrants on the Central Mediterranean route poses a structural challenge to the European Union (EU), the statement said.

To avoid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the EU and its member states have to step up coordination and delivery on all the elements contained in the Malta Declaration, the Partnership Framework and the Joint Valletta Action Plan, according to the statement.

Apart from this, training and equipping the Libyan Coast Guard is a key component of the EU approach and should be speeded up, it said, adding that cooperation with countries of origin and transit shall be reinforced and the disruption of the business models of human smugglers and traffickers remains a key objective.

During the summit, leaders also discussed the situation of irregular migrants in Libya and the Central Mediterranean route. The leaders agreed to work harder in the coming weeks to better coordinate the efforts and support Italy more.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 22:25:48|Editor: ying

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LUSAKA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu said on Friday that his government was considering extending a local integration program to refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Lungu said the government will extend the local integration program to DRC refugees who have lived in Zambia for 10 years or more.

The Zambian leader said this during his intervention statement at the Uganda Solidarity Summit on Refugees in Kampala, according to a statement released by his office.

The Zambian leader however did not state when the integration program for DRC refugees will commence.

Lungu left for Uganda on Thursday to attend the summit being hosted by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Secretary-General Filippo Grandi.

In 2012, Zambia started the implementation of the local integration program for former refugees from Angola and Rwanda, in which it targeted the integration of 10,000 former Angolan refugees and 4,000 former Rwandan refugees.

According to government figures, a total of 1,214 resident permits have so far been issued to former Angolan and Rwandan refugees while 13,000 applications were currently being processed.

Lungu told the summit that the local integration program has been designed to mirror the co-existence and good neighborliness that have been the hallmarks of Zambia's asylum policy.

He further commended the UNHCR office in Zambia for the unwavering support in the local integration program through infrastructure development.

Currently, Zambia has 59,213 refugees though the figure had reached 300,000 at one time.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 22:46:02|Editor: MJ

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BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- China's government debt risk is "largely controllable" and authorities have rolled out new measures to strengthen local government debt management, Zhang Shaochun, vice minister of finance, said Friday.

Zhang made the remarks when delivering a State Council report on the final accounts for 2016 to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) during its bi-monthly session.

"Fresh steps have been taken to better manage China's local government debt, with strengthened supervision efforts on local financing platforms and the establishment of cross-department surveillance and risk prevention schemes," Zhang said.

By the end of last year, combined debt of central and local governments in China stood at 27.3 trillion yuan (about 4 trillion U.S. dollars), with a debt-to-GDP ratio at around 36.7 percent, official data showed.

The central government was improving the information disclosure of local government financing activities and continued to hold officials accountable for illegal financing activities, he added.

Public-private-partnerships will also be carried out in a more standardized manner, he stressed.

Chinese financial regulators are increasing financial risk control and deleveraging, as solid economic growth in the first quarter provided more room for such adjustments, conducive to long-term growth.

Central government departments in 2016 spent 4.83 billion yuan on the "three public consumptions": overseas trips, vehicles and receptions, down 10.2 percent from 2015, Zhang said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 23:16:18|Editor: MJ

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HANOI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam calls on the United States to lift its embargo against Cuba which has been enforced for over five decades, a Vietnamese spokesperson said on Friday.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang made the statement when answering reporters' question regarding the U.S. recent adjustment of its policy towards Cuba.

"Vietnam objects to any unilateral embargoes that a country imposes on another," she said.

Vietnam wants Cuba and the United States to resolve disagreements through negotiation and dialogue in the spirit of respecting each other's independence and sovereignty and looking towards the full normalization of bilateral ties, for the legitimate interests of the two countries' people, she noted.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 23:16:21|Editor: yan

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SKOPJE, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia's government is set to take advantage of the fact that it has already secured support from the European Union (EU) and will be engaged to deliver its promises related to reforms deemed key to EU integration process, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Friday.

To accomplish this goal, Zaev called for comprehensive support from the representatives of civil society here covering areas which are crucial for the policy -- creating process in line with the urgent reform priorities, local media reported.

Addressing a thematic consultation meeting in the government with representatives of the civil society, the head of Macedonian government said that the broad cooperation is needed to push ahead reforms' agenda.

According to him, the realization and start of reforms implementation would be an attempt to get an unconditional recommendation by the year's end and a date for start of EU negotiations in 2018.

"We, the government, are ready to learn. You know a lot more than us, because you are experts in your respective fields, which we regard as very crucial for the EU integration process meaning better living standards," Zaev said in address to civil society representatives at a conference.

On behalf of the government, he also sought assistance and support for the reform implementation process and said he would advocate for an inclusive campaign with all stakeholders, from Parliament, the opposition, institutions, the civil sector, etc.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs Bujar Osmani said that the fact that the EU presidency in the next couple of years would be chaired by Bulgaria, Austria and Romania was important for Macedonia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 23:26:32|Editor: yan

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by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Bangladeshis, braving every conceivable discomfort on creaky and congested transport, are flocking to village homes to celebrate Islam's biggest festival Eid-ul Fitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The Muslim majority Bangladesh will celebrate Eid-ul Fitr, the holiest and biggest religious festival among the world's Muslims, on or around June 26 or 27 based on the sighting of the new moon.

The hustling and bustling Dhaka is now showing signs of tranquility in the coming days as people, with or even without seat-ensuring tickets, are gathering at the city's ferry terminals, railway and bus stations to join relatives in their village homes.

On Friday morning, many were seen even trying to climb up a train's roof at Dhaka's central Kamalapur Railway Station to reach their village homes.

Also home-goers were seen to climb on the roof of ferries which have already been packed with passengers at the city's Sadarghat terminal.

Like previous years, sufferings of home-goers also worsened with long tailbacks on all highways connecting capital Dhaka and seaport city southeastern Chittagong because of a heavy rush of outbound buses and shortage of ferries.

Despite difficulties, homegoers more specially children are found in very happy mode at stations in Dhaka.

Class five student Kulsum with her family members is going to her village home in Jamalpur district in northern Bangladesh.

"I bought new clothes, shoes and many more things for Eid. Very happy to get the opportunity to visit grandfather's house in Jamapur."

"There are my grandmothers, uncles, cousins, siblings and many other relatives," she said. "Going to celebrate Eid with all of them will be lots fun and amusement."

Another little kid Shammy is also excited as she goes to village home.

"Mom bought a new shirt and a pair of new shoes for me. She also bought clothes for relatives. We hope to have a lot of fun in home," said Shammy while waiting at a station in Dhaka.

Like many others, Sharif is also going to his village home in northwestern Bogra district to celebrate Eid.

" My train was scheduled at 9 a.m. in the morning. After a long wait, finally I see the train is coming. I can go home. I will be happy to celebrate Eid with everyone in home."

State-owned transport bodies have started special Eid services to ply on different inter-district routes in addition to the regular services to meet the demand of the home-bound city dwellers.

To make the travel of the home-bound passengers easy, officials said additional forces have been deployed in Dhaka streets.

Both the government and the media are keeping close watch on the ferries during this holiday season.

Authorities said they had strictly enforced control on the overloading of ferries, which were identified as a main reason for many deadly crashes during the previous Eid occasions.

On Friday, photographs of several ferries, trains and buses were published in newspapers, showing lots of people clinging on the bodies of the ferries and trains risking their lives.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-23 23:36:41|Editor: yan

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ABUJA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's secret police said it arrested two suspected commanders of the terror group Boko Haram in an operation early Friday.

In a statement signed by its spokesman Tony Opuiyo, the secret police said the two suspects were arrested in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

Their mission, according to the secret police, was to stage a series of attacks using explosives in different cities across the West African country, especially during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

The secret police said the terror group had planned to hit soft targets such as markets, public parks, recreation centers and worship centers, especially the praying grounds and other densely populated areas during the celebration.

The police had last Tuesday arrested an explosive expert who worked for Boko Haram in the northwestern state of Kano.

Nigeria has made a considerable gain on the Boko Haram front, with its security forces operating in the restive region dislodging Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest, the group's largest training camp in the country, in January.

At least 1,400 suspected members of Boko Haram are currently held in a detention center in the country's northeast region.

Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displacing of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since their insurgency started in 2009.
Motorists drive on Kenya's Thika Superhighway, in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Jan. 15, 2013. Many real estate and executive business centres have sprung up along the Thika Superhighway, due to demand for business and residential houses. (Xinhua/Charles Onyango)

NAIROBI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's corporate organizations on Friday launched an initiative to position the country as a regional hub.

Through a campaign dubbed "Why the Future is Kenya", business leaders are drawn from the financial, technology, service and hospitality sectors to celebrate Kenya's status as East and Central Africa's investment hub.

Speaking during the launch of the campaign, Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said that Kenya is ahead of her peers thanks to factors including increasing innovation, a thriving business environment, as well as a rising middle class.

Business leaders have partnered with government to develop mechanisms on how Kenya will further leapfrog to the next level.

Speaking on behalf of the participating business leaders, Ahmed Rady, General Manager, Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa Ltd., noted that, just like other businesses, the company believes that investing in people creates the right environment for businesses to thrive, thus generating jobs and other opportunities.

Photo taken on July 6, 2016, shows a bird's eye view of CBD in Nairobi, capital of Kenya. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei)

"My message to the world is that growth and prosperity in Kenya is happening and that we are proud to be part of this growth. We want to see this country become the Africa's commercial powerhouse. Kenya is the gateway to East Africa and the regional commercial hub. You all know that many international companies are choosing Kenya as their hub in Africa. This clearly shows that Kenya can rise higher and become the gateway to Africa", Rady said.

The corporate titans also pledged to work together to increase global appetite for inward investment in Kenya.

There was a call for action for the private sector members to take advantage of the innovations being spearheaded by various individuals who have tactically been able to provide some of the solutions aimed at improving the business environment.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 00:17:08|Editor: yan

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TIANJIN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Environment ministers and senior officials of BRICS countries Friday gathered in north China's Tianjin for discussions, pledging more efforts on sustainable development and pollution prevention.

Senior environment officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa discussed major challenges and opportunities towards achieving sustainable development in three dimensions: economic, social and environmental at country, regional and global levels, according to a statement released Friday.

"We underscore the need for means of implementing Paris Agreement, including transfer of technology from developed to developing countries as one of the most critical enabler for climate actions," it said.

"We appreciate that the conservation and sustainable use of the rich biodiversity of BRICS countries is of special significance for the global environment and to achieve the internationally agreed targets and goals," it added.

They reiterated their intention to promote cooperation within BRICS in the area of pollution prevention.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 00:32:14|Editor: MJ

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MOSCOW, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The first joint Russian-Indian exercise, Indra-2017, is planned to be held in the fall in Russia's Eastern Military District, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday.

"Military cooperation is an important component and pillar of Russian-Indian strategic interaction. A particularly important aspect of this cooperation is joint military exercises," Shoigu said at a meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation with Indian Minister of Defence Arun Jaitley.

Such drills contribute to an increase of the prestige of the armed forces of the two countries and demonstrate the readiness of their defense departments to effectively counter modern challenges and threats, Shoigu said.

Both sides stressed the big potential of the cooperation in the spheres of missile and naval technologies, aircraft construction, shipbuilding and modernization of the land forces equipment, according to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.

A "Road map" of development of bilateral military cooperation between the two defense ministries and the final Protocol, aimed at the development of Russia-India relations in the military-technical sphere, were signed at the end of the Commission meeting, the statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 00:32:16|Editor: yan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with local villagers at Songjiagou New Village, a centralized resettlement site under the approach of alleviating poverty through relocation, in Kelan County of Xinzhou City, north China's Shanxi Province, June 21, 2017. Xi had a three-day inspection tour in Shanxi from Wednesday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

TAIYUAN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all Party committees to advance reform, development and stability to create a sound environment for the upcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in northern Shanxi Province, calling the congress a significant event for the Party and national political life.

During his inspection tour from Wednesday to Friday, Xi visited a revolutionary memorial museum, villages and enterprises in Shanxi Province.

At the revolutionary memorial museum in Xing County of Lyuliang city, Xi left a basket of flowers Wednesday morning to pay respect to the country's war heroes.

The president said he was deeply moved after seeing pictures and old objects that reminded people of the old days of revolutionary struggle.

"Each part of the CPC's revolutionary history is a vivid textbook of ideals and faith," Xi said, urging Party members to forge ahead while staying true to the mission taken up by the CPC when it was founded in 1921.

He said that every Party member should remember the revolutionaries who devoted their lives to national independence and the people's liberation, keep the mettle of the CPC members, be honest with the people, and create a better life for the people.

Xi met representatives of the old revolutionaries, spoke highly of their contribution and wished them good health.

On Wednesday afternoon, after over an hour's drive, Xi visited three households in Zhaojiawa village in the destitute areas of Lyuliang Mountain region. He asked villagers the reasons for their poverty and the effects of anti-poverty measures.

After hearing that villager Liu Fuyou, his 71-year-old wife and 92-year-old mother were ill, Xi urged local officials to pay close attention to poverty caused by illness.

"In the past, I could not even dream that impoverished households could receive so much help from the Party and the government," villager Cao Liuren told Xi.

"The Party and the government aim to serve the people, and it is our duty to let people live a better life," Xi said.

Villager Wang Sannyu's husband and son have passed away and her grandson and granddaughter are disabled. Xi urged local officials to arrange special education for her grandchildren.

To know drought-relief measures, Xi inspected a shallow well, the only water source for the village, as well as a cornfield. He also visited officials who were sent to help with poverty alleviation.

"It's the Party's solemn promise to let poverty-stricken people and areas enter a 'moderately prosperous society' along with the rest of the nation," said Xi. He said efforts must be made to deliver on the promise no matter how arduous the process.

He called on poverty relief staff to stay humble, improve their abilities and realize their value by solving problems for the poor.

All the villagers came to see Xi off, applauding and cheering.

Xi visited Songjiagou New Village in Kelan county, where new houses have been built for people relocated from poor areas. Xi visited the home of impoverished villager Zhang Guiming, chatting with him about subsidies for resettlement as well as his new life and current troubles.

Xi said a major issue was to solve abject poverty. He said resettlement projects must respect the people's will, taking relocation sites, investment, income, environmental protection and village management into consideration.

The president called on the villagers to "roll up sleeves and work harder together with the CPC Central Committee."

Xi stressed technological innovation while visiting a rail transit equipment producer and a carbon materials company Thursday.

He inspected innovations in equipment manufacturing, electronic information, energy conservation and environmental protection, as well new materials and the coal chemical industry.

" Enterprises should play a major role in promoting industrial upgrading which is market-oriented. Breakthroughs should be made in technological transformation and innovation," he said.

He called on the rail transit equipment company to grasp the opportunities of China's transport development and the building of the Belt and Road to promote technological innovation and brand building.

"The creativity of enterprises, research institutes and researchers should be mobilized," said Xi while inspecting the carbon materials company, adding they should get both a sense of achievement in innovation as well a sense of gains from the transformation of their achievements.

After hearing reports of Shanxi provincial officials, Xi praised their achievements in social and economic development, calling on local authorities and people to be bold in reform and innovation, and in tackling challenges.

Xi asked local authorities to enhance economic transformation by creating a good business environment and deepening supply-side structural reform.

Stating that issues of farmers, agriculture and the countryside are key priorities of the whole Party, Xi urged speeding up agricultural modernization and raising income of farmers via means ranging from better training to better basic public services.

Xi called for more efforts to improve people's livelihoods by offering them better education and healthcare services.

Xi stressed green development, saying that stronger measures should be taken in economic transformation, environmental pollution control, ecological protection and restoration, as well as resource saving.

He called for strict intra-Party life, asking all Party organizations and Party members to follow rules on intra-Party political life and observe regulations and discipline.

"Officials who are both clean and willing to work deserve more opportunities of development," Xi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 00:32:17|Editor: MJ

Security officials examine the attack site in Karachi, southern Pakistan, on June 23, 2017. At least four policemen were killed by unknown gunmen in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Friday night, reported local Urdu TV Channel Samaa. (Xinhua/Masroor)

ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- At least four policemen were killed by unknown gunmen in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Friday night, reported local Urdu TV Channel Samaa.

The attack took place at about 8:00 p.m. local time when two gunmen riding on a motorbike opened fire at a police vehicle patrolling in the city, said the report.

No further details were reported about the incident as local media are focusing on reports about two deadly bomb attacks that occurred in the country earlier in the day.

Earlier on Friday morning, an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a check post near a senior police officer's office in Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta, reportedly killing 12 people including five policemen and wounding over a dozen others.

Later in the afternoon, a twin bomb attacks hit a market in the country's northwest city of Parachinar which borders Afghanistan, leaving at least 18 people dead and over 100 others injured.

No group has taken credit for the afore-said three attacks.
Refugees from South Sudan rest at a refugee camp in Sudan's White Nile state near the border with South Sudan on May 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Mohamed Babiker)

KAMPALA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- An international refugee summit opened in Uganda on Friday with the aim of raising 8 billion U.S. dollars to cater for refugees in the east African country over the next four years.

The meeting dubbed 'Solidarity Summit' is co-hosted by Uganda and the UN.

In attendance is the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, regional leaders, UN relief agencies among others.

Uganda is now Africa's leading refugee-hosting country, having jumped from the eighth largest refugee-hosting country in the world in mid-2016 to the third largest today, after Turkey and Pakistan.

UN figures show that the country hosts more than 1.2 million refugees from neighboring countries like South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, among others. Of these, more than 900,000 are from South Sudan.

Relief agencies say such numbers are placing excessive pressure on state and host community resources, especially social services like health and education.

Experts warn that Uganda's refugee policy, which gives refugees land and allows them to work may be undermined because of the huge influx of refugees and limited funding.

The UN and Uganda are hoping to appeal to the international community to raise the required resources to avoid the refugee crisis from escalating.
Demonstrators protestagainst Brexit at Parliament Square in London, Britain on March 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

BRUSSELS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- At the conclusion of a European Council summit here Friday, Council President Donald Tusk said at a press conference that British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposal on the future of European Union (EU) citizens in Britain after Brexit was "below our expectations."

During a working dinner in Brussels on Thursday night, May made what she called a "fair and serious offer" to her European counterparts regarding the future rights of EU citizens after Brexit, an issue European leaders have repeatedly made clear is their first priority in Brexit negotiations.

May said she was willing to agree on a "cutoff point" falling somewhere between when she formally triggered Article 50 procedures on March 29 of this year, and the date of March 2019 as proposed by the European Commission. EU citizens who had already arrived in Britain before that date and during a "grace period" of up to two years, would qualify for a special "settled status," granting them the same rights as British citizens and able to be kept for life.

During Friday's press conference, however, Tusk was unimpressed by the British prime minister's offer.

"My first impression is that the UK's offer is below our expectations, and that it risks worsening the situation of citizens," Tusk said, "But it will be for our negotiating team to analyze the offer line by line, once we receive it on paper."

Asked to expand, Tusk said it was obvious that Brexit would have a negative impact on citizens' rights.

"If we compare the current level of citizens' rights to what we have had from the British prime minister, it's obvious that this is about reducing the citizens rights of EU citizens in the UK, and our role (as European leaders) in the negotiations is to reduce this risk."

Brexit occupied very little time during the European summit because the European Council had previously agreed that it would not be a forum for Brexit talks.

However, post-summit questions from the press still focused on Brexit.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whose country holds the current presidency of the European Council, was asked about his impressions of May's offer.

"My concern at this time is that we might be creating pitfalls if the details are not really ironed out," Muscat said. "I think everyone wanted or would like a situation where there is a blanket fair treatment of all our citizens. Obviously, I think we all agree with the issue of reciprocity, I don't think there is an issue there, but I think all of us would want to know more details and would expect more in the next few months," he explained.

In a highly symbolic joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the end of the summit on Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expanded on comments she had made Thursday evening, when she had called the UK's proposal "a good start."

"That was a good beginning but -- and I'm trying to word this very carefully -- it was not a breakthrough," Merkel told the press. "We have said that we want to pursue this matter in good co-operation, but what has come out of yesterday was also that we still have a long way to go yet," she said.

On Thursday night, EU leaders did, however, reach an agreement on the procedure for choosing new locations for two Britain-based agencies -- the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority. All EU member states will be invited to submit an offer within three months, with a European Council vote to decide on the new homes for the agencies predicted in November.

The European Council summit, held from June 22 to 23, also saw European leaders discuss key topics such as European security, the fight against terrorism, the European economy, and the Paris Climate Agreement. The EU heads of state agreed on the need for a permanent defense cooperation scheme, their wish to increase measures to fight terrorist propaganda online, more means to develop the single market following positive economic outlooks, and reinforced commitment to the Paris Agreement's fight to end climate change.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 00:52:25|Editor: yan

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KIGALI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan minister of agriculture on Friday urged the country's farmers to transform from traditional subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture.

Traditional subsistence agriculture among small-holder farmers is not yielding enough for home consumption and for markets, Geraldine Mukeshimana said at the 12th national agriculture exhibition show in the capital Kigali.

"The government has improved access and affordability of key farm inputs to smallholder farmers to enable them to participate in commercial agriculture. The only way to alleviate poverty is through increased investment in modern and commercial agriculture," she said.

The country focuses on promoting commercial agricultural production for consumption and export in order to improved livelihoods and incomes of farmers, she added.

The national agriculture exhibition show which runs from June 22 to 27 is under the theme:"adopt climate resilient technologies to improve farmer livelihoods."

Hundreds of farmers from Rwanda and the region are participating in the weeklong event to showcase the latest technologies used in agricultural production.

In Rwanda, where over 69 percent of the population depends on agriculture, the majority of farmers especially in the poverty-stricken areas practice traditional subsistence agriculture.

Rwanda's agriculture sector has witnessed incredible progress through the implementation of the third phase of Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture in the country where surges in food and cash crop production has led to poverty reduction to 39.1 percent in 2016 from 44.9 percent in 2011.

Agriculture in the country accounts for a third of the country's GDP and contributes 47 percent of Rwanda's domestic goods and exports.

Figures from the ministry of agriculture indicated that the sector has generated 60 percent of foreign exchange and provides 75 percent of raw materials to manufacturing industries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 01:12:30|Editor: yan

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SKOPJE, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian authorities are not planning to build new refugee accommodation centers with the existing two to deal with any potential refugee surge, said Oliver Spasovski, Macedonia's interior minister on Friday.

Macedonia has two refugee centers, one in Gevgelija in the south and another in Tabanovce in the north, which served as transit centers in the migrant crisis.

The minister said that Macedonia was well prepared to address the refugee crisis.

"These two centers are enough and they will play the same role if there would be a surge in the migrant wave," said Spasovski.

Spasovski visited Friday the Vinojug accommodation center in Gevgelija along with Slovakia's Ambassador to Skopje Martin Bezak to welcome a fresh contingent of police officers from Slovakia, the eighth rotation of police from the country.

"We are monitoring the situation and we will keep doing the same work as before, which has been praised by the countries along the Balkan migrant route and by the international community," Spasovski told reporters.

Slovakian ambassador said that in these eight rotations, Slovakia had deployed 190 police officers to Macedonia.

"Our police officers are helping their colleagues here in Macedonia to guard the border while some dozen policemen are going to be sent by the year's end," Bezak stressed.

While assuring that Slovakia would keep helping Macedonia, Bezak noted that it was in Slovakia's interest the Balkan route remained closed, local media reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 01:17:32|Editor: MJ

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KIEV, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The chiefs of 36 major Chinese and Ukrainian universities held a roundtable forum here on Friday to discuss cooperation in higher education and share their experiences.

The discussion, which was held at the Kiev Taras Shevchenko National University, brought together 62 presidents and chancellors of Chinese and Ukrainian universities.

While addressing the forum, Peng Long, president of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), spoke highly of China-Ukraine higher education cooperation, noting that there are good opportunities to further enhance it.

"The prospects for the development of our cooperation have a good background and I hope that we will manage to build bridges of our cooperation even more efficiently," Peng said.

In the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Ukrainian Centre was set up in the BFSU in June 2016, Peng said, noting that eight students are currently learning Ukrainian language at the educational facility.

Besides, the BFSU has participated in the exhibition titled "Ukrainian Traditional Culture and Painting", which was held in November last year in Beijing, he said.

At the forum in Kiev, the BFSU plans to further deepen its partnership with Ukrainian universities, signing cooperation agreements with Ukraine's National Linguistic University and several other educational establishments, Peng added.

Moreover, Rui Zhiyuan, president of Lanzhou University of Technology, said that his university is already reaping fruits from cooperation with Ukrainian partners.

"In 2015-2016, we received scholarship programs for student exchanges in five directions, including such areas as material knowledge, welding and construction," Rui said.

"We cooperate with Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, the National Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine, Kiev University of Construction and Architecture and Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil And Gas," he said.

Chinese and Ukrainian universities have witnessed frequent student exchanges. In 2016, a total of 3,552 Chinese students studied in Ukraine, while Chinese universities have trained 2,896 Ukrainian students.

Local experts believe that those exchanges will further deepen, in particular, due to the rising popularity of Chinese culture and language in Ukraine.

Currently, there are five Confucius Institutes and a Confucius Classroom in the East European country, where hundreds of Ukrainians are learning Chinese. Besides, many universities across Ukraine are offering a range of Mandarin courses for their students.

Gennady Pivnyak, Vice-President of the Union of Rectors of Ukraine, said that his university has already benefited from cooperation with Chinese partners.

"Our University has sufficient experience of cooperation with Chinese universities and we have a center for learning Chinese," said Pivnyak, who is also a president of the National Mining University in Dnipro city in central Ukraine.

He added that the roundtable meeting between the chiefs of Chinese and Ukrainian universities will help to further deepen the partnership.

"Today is a very bright day, and we will be able to sign the agreements we need in the sphere of energy cooperation. We are interested in cooperation with Beijing University of Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, and Lanzhou University," Pivnyak said.

Although cooperation between Chinese and Ukrainian universities is flourishing, the chiefs of the educational establishments of the two countries believe that the potential of such cooperation is still not fully tapped.

Vil Bakirov, president of the Kharkiv National University in eastern Ukraine, said that the roundtable forum in Kiev is an important platform to establish new links between cooperating institutions and create new higher education programs between China and Ukraine.

"First of all, I want to stress the great importance of this forum in terms of scope and tasks. We have not yet fully utilized the enormous opportunities that Ukraine and China have. I am deeply convinced that this forum will allow us to make cooperation broader and deeper," Bakirov said.

The forum, which was opened by visiting Chinese Minister of Education Chen Baosheng, his Ukrainian counterpart Liliya Grynevych, and Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Du Wei, marked the second meeting of Chinese and Ukrainian university chiefs. The first forum was held in 2012.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 03:03:12|Editor: yan

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TRIPOLI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB) armed group in Libya announced on Friday that it is ready to disband to save the country from "an international war."

"We announced our willingness to disband the Benghazi Defense Brigades, so that the crisis of the Libyans will not worsen," BDB said in a statement.

"We refer the future of the group to the competent authorities of the state, whether to disband it or to integrate the members of the group into the legitimate military establishment," it added.

BDB is a coalition of smaller militant groups formed in June 2016 to fight against the army led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The group has accused Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France of plotting against the Libyan revolution and assisting Haftar.

Last month, BDB launched an attack on a southern military air base controlled by Haftar's forces, killing 140 soldiers.

Haftar's forces have been engaged in a fierce war against militant groups in Benghazi for more than three years. Haftar calls the war "Operation Dignity."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 03:03:14|Editor: yan

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Poaching and human activities have resurfaced in northern Tanzania's Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA), putting the conservancy at risk of disappearance, local authorities said Friday.

The WMA is located in northern Tanzania's wildlife-rich northern tourist circuit and is close to both Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks.

Ramadhani Ismail, WMA's chairman, said that poaching incidents have increased in recent months following a tight surveillance the Tarangire and Lake Manyara National parks.

He said that there were also more people getting into the sanctuary for making charcoal and some are trying to establish settlements.

Apart from poaching, Ramadhani cited politics and negligence as among the factors behind the increase of such invasion in the WMA, which is widely known for its large buffalo population.

According to Ramadhani, within one month, 15 suspected poachers have been arrested. Others include those who are engaging in charcoal making, settlements and those who have established fishing camps inside the WMA.

He appealed to the government and other stakeholders to chip in and remove the invaders inside the conservancy.

Nicolas Negre, one of the tour operators in the wildlife conservancy, described the people's invasion inside the sanctuary as a thorn to the country's anti-poaching efforts.

He called upon concerted efforts to address the challenge for the benefit of the country's wildlife sector and local communities around the conservancy.

The presence of Lake Burunge in the WMA attracts the migration of water birds such as greater and lesser flamingos and a range of ducks and shore birds.
Iraq Peshmergas attack villages held by Islamic State near its capital of Mosul on August 14, 2016. (Xinhua/SIPA)

MOSCOW, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Two Russian frigates and a submarine deployed in the eastern Mediterranean have fired six Kalibr cruise missiles at Islamic State (IS) targets in west-central Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

The "sudden massive missile strike" was directed at "command posts and large ammunition depots of IS terrorists in the vicinity of Akerbat settlement in the province of Hama," it said in a statement.

The Russian navy has once again demonstrated the capability of delivering effective strikes with Kalibr high-precision missiles against remote targets in the shortest possible time after receiving the combat order, the statement said.

The remaining militants and terrorist facilities were destroyed by Russian air force bombers, it added.

Turkey and Israel were informed of the launches of cruise missiles in a timely manner, the ministry said.

According to the Russian defense ministry, IS continued to withdraw from its stronghold of Raqqa in northeastern Syria last week, making use of the night time and favorable terrain.

IS militants moved along various routes to the province of Hama, occupying large buildings and setting up command posts as well as weapons and ammunition depots there.

Russian troops in Syria conducted round-the-clock monitoring of the exit routes of IS terrorists with all available reconnaissance means, the ministry said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) meets with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil (L) in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on June 23, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

BEIRUT, June 23 (Xinhua) -- China advocates more actions to curb the deterioration of a refugee crisis in the Middle East and find a solution as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil in Beirut during an one-day visit to Lebanon.

He noted that refugees are not migrants, and the international community should strive to create appropriate conditions, through seeking a more swift solution to hot-button issues, for the refugees to return to their homes.

Bassil said Lebanon is under huge pressure in hosting refugees, mostly from Syria, adding that the world should understand and support Lebanon's legal requests on the refugee problem.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Lebanon is currently hosting 1.03 million Syrian refugees who fled their war-torn country since the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad started in March 2011.

Earlier in the day, the Chinese top diplomat held a meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, during which both expressed willingness to expand the bilateral cooperation.

Aoun praised the Belt and Road Initiative by China, adding that Lebanon expects to see the revival of the ancient Silk Road. He said Lebanon is ready to actively participate in the initiative in a bid to boost economic and cultural exchanges.

The president also hailed what China has done for the stability of Lebanon and the Middle East, and welcomed China, Lebanon's largest trade partner, to invest more in the region.

Wang said he believed all parties and religions in Lebanon would continue dialogue and negotiations to keep national unity and maintain security and stability, thus providing useful experiences in how different civilizations could coexist peacefully.

Wang said, in light of the good momentum in Sino-Lebanese economic and trade relations, China is willing to enhance the bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

In a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Wang mentioned that Lebanon is an important hub of the Chinese initiative, as it owns unique advantages which China appreciates. He said China is willing to establish more programs with Lebanon to realize mutual benefits.

Hariri thanked China for supporting Lebanon in hosting Syrian refugees and conducting peacekeeping operations in southern Lebanon, while calling for increased cooperation with China on financing infrastructure projects such as highways and railways.

Wang also met with Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who praised China's support to Lebanon and the Arab world, which he said has contributed to achieving regional peace.

Berri also expressed gratitude to China for its deployment of a peacekeeping operation force in southern Lebanon.

Since 2006, China has maintained a peacekeeping operation force in southern Lebanon, tasked with missions such as mine-sweeping, project construction and humanitarian assistance.
A screenshot taken on March 15, 2016 from Russian Defense Ministry video shows the first group of Russian Aerospace Force aircraft heading back to Russia from Hmeimim, Syria, on March 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Sputnik)

MOSCOW, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Russian jets have intercepted 14 foreign planes near its borders in the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a report published on Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on Friday.

According to the report, a total of 23 reconnaissance flights were carried out near the Russian borders last week by aircraft of seven countries.

Among them, 10 flights were performed by the United States' PC-135 jets and RQ-4B Global Hawk drones. Four were conducted by Norwegian P-3 Orions, and three by Swedish Air Force's Gulfstream intelligence planes.

Planes of British and French air forces were each spotted twice by Russian air defense agencies in the past week. Portuguese and Japanese aircraft also made appearances close to Russia's external frontiers.

It is reported that the number of incidents involving Russia and NATO military aircraft has increased since 2014, when relations between Moscow and Washington worsened amid the Ukraine conflict

On June 21, Russia accused a NATO F-16 fighter aircraft of making an attempt to approach a Russian plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over neutral Baltic waters.

The Baltic region has become a hotspot for Russia-NATO confrontation as the U.S.-led alliance is increasing its military presence in the area near the Russian border.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-24 06:10:11|Editor: MJ

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BOGOTA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group in Colombia announced Friday it had freed two Dutch journalists it had detained since last week in the department of Norte de Santander.

"We announced that the two foreigners captured by the ELN in Catatumbo (region of Norte de Santander) were already freed in perfect condition," the group wrote on its Twitter account.

Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender, 58, and Derk Johannes Bolt, 62, were held last Saturday in a rural area of the municipality of Tibu in the north of the country where they had been recording a program by interviewing families of missing people in various countries.

The ELN is the last active rebel group in Colombia after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country's oldest and once largest rebel group, signed a peace deal with the government last year.
Ex-Las Alturas commissioners sue AG

In a lawsuit filed in the Port of Spain High Court yesterday, civil engineers Dr Myron Wing-Sang Chin and Anthony Farrell claimed the AGs office was in breach of Deed of Indemnity, in accordance with an agreement between them and the State when they were appointed by President Anthony Carmona in January 2015.

Hart and Garcia are challenging the adverse findings made against them in the commissions final report. They were granted permission to advance their lawsuits against the commissioners, including its former chairman retired Justice Mustapha Ibrahim. Ibrahim passed away in London on June 9.

Under the agreement, the State accepted that it would be responsible for any legal action taken against them over the execution of their duties.

Chin and Farrell claim that the AGs office repeatedly failed to respond to their requests for legal representation.

They say they cannot afford to pay for the legal representation to effectively defend the claims against them.

They are also alleging that the State may be biased against them in the lawsuits because of statements made by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi after their report was submitted in September last year.

They pointed out that Al-Rawi described the Commission as a political witch hunt after receiving legal advice from Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein, who suggested that the commission may have overstepped its parameters in making its findings.

They said Hosein has since been retained to represent the Attorney General in the lawsuits brought by Garcia and Hart. Given the Governments public position and public criticism of the work and report of the commission, it is likely that the defendant (AG) may support the claims for judicial review, as the grounds in some of the cases mirror the criticisms levied by the defendant and its lead counsel (Hosein), the commissioners lawsuit said.

They intend to ask the court to stay the lawsuits against them by Hart and Garcia pending the determination of their claim and an order compelling the State to honour their indemnity.

They are being represented by attorney Alvin Pariagsingh.
Enterprise man held with firearm

According to a release sent to the media yesterday by the police, 30-year-old Andy Gormandy was arrested and charged by officers of the Central Division on Wednesday afternoon along Tee Lane, Enterprise. Newsday understands Gormandy was sitting in a Nissan Tiana car, when he was stopped by police. The police searched the car and found a revolver of an unknown make.

Gormandy was charged by PC Jason Chaitlal of the Central Division Operational Base
Two men shot in separate incidents

In Marks case, police were alerted to gunshots which were heard on Gaparillo Road, Santa Cruz.

When they checked they found 32-year-old Mark lying in a pool of blood and suffering from gunshot wounds to his foot and his stomach. He was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital and underwent emergency surgery. He was stabilised and is resting at the hospital. About four hours later, at about 1 am yesterday, police responded to another shooting, this time in San Juan. Newsday understands that Darryl Circar, a Santa Cruz businessman was shot in his foot.

Police took him to hospital, where he was stabilised and treated. Police processing the scene where Circar was shot found 5.56 mm bullet casings, which are used in rifles. Police are now investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
Canadian charged

Police say the cards are used for  skimming which is the fraudulent withdrawal of money from peoples accounts.

The Canadian was arrested shortly after he arrived at the Piarco International Airport from Sri Lanka. Upon searching him, police found the fraudulent cards. He was subsequently charged by PC Legendre of the Fraud Squad for trafficking counterfeit cards, which is contrary to the Electronic Transfer of Funds Act.

PC Legendre was assisted by Insp Dipchand who is also of the Fraud Squad. At least nine foreigners have been held as part of the global syndicate in card skimming so far for the year.
COOKS BOILING MAD

The noisy protestors said they decided to take this action to call attention to poor working conditions they have been enduring while at the same time, complaint after complaint has fallen on deaf ears. They are demanding to be provided with basic cooking utensils, saying that often times they have to bring potspoon and other utensils from home, or buy new ones, to be used in the kitchen.

According to the protesting workers, some of them began bringing to work their own utensils and appliances from home over the past two weeks in order to prepare meals for patients.

Asked why they had to do this, the protestors said that the hospitals equipment was so rundown as to be rendered unusable.

An official from the Public Service Association (PSA) who is affiliated with the hospital staff said that in addition to being poorly equipped, kitchen staff are unable to prepare hot meals for patients due to a damaged boiler. Its really sad what we are seeing here in the year 2017, because this isnt the first time weve made calls for better equipment.

For weeks now the workers have been bringing their own tools and utensils to work to prepare meals. Something as simple as kitchen knives and ladles they have to source for themselves. Protesting workers added that because of their dedication and desire not to see patients stave, they have worked for so long in these conditions while hoping their complaints would be attended to.

The PSA representative said the entire hospital has been beset by a lack of equipment. The kitchen workers yesterday vowed to continue their protest until something is done. Hospital sources later told Newsday that following the early-morning protest, officials from the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) including Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sheldon Cyrus met with the kitchen staff and branch representatives of the PSA.

The aim of the discussion, Newsday was told, was to decide on temporary provisions for staff and options for improving working conditions. Attempts to contact CEO Cyrus via his cellular phone for a comment yesterday were unsuccessful.
TTEC: 25 areas without power

The Commission, in a press release, thanked its customers for their continued patience and understanding as they make every effort to have all customers back on a regular supply. TTEC said that in North Trinidad areas in Paramin, Mackay Hill, Belmont, Upper Belmont Valley Road as well as about 25 individual customers, have been attended to yesterday.

In South, seven areas are still without an electricity supply, two pockets in Moruga and five in the Penal area, in addition to some individual customers. The Eastern area continues to encounter a number of challenges due to floodwaters having not yet receded to a level where the utilitys crews can go in and effect repairs to fallen or damaged poles and electrical wires. In addition to the floodwater, fallen trees are also posing a danger.

T&TEC work crews yesterday continued repair work in Central Trinidad. The Commission said that areas still without power are in Sangre Grande, Tamana, Talparo, Mundo Nuevo, Coalmine, Blanchisseuse, Cumuto, Foster Road, Sou Sou Lands and Salybia.

Tobagos electrical supplies were not affected by the storm, the Commission said.
No new storm brewing

This as she responded to a post on social media made by Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat.

We realised there is something going around on social media that people are re-posting and we are going to put up something on our social media to correct some of these rumours. She continued, At this current point in time, TT is not under any tropical storm threat, not under any watch or warning. There is no system to the east of TT, no tropical cyclone brewing...nothing. Shakeer said she was still trying to ascertain where the information was coming from and noted that it did not come from the Met Office.

I will like to encourage the public to go to the met office platform to verify any information they may need.

Any bulletin or advisory goes straight to all media houses for immediate release and it will also be posted on the met offices social media platform and its website. She said TT is in the rainy season therefore there are rainy season features which would be affecting TT. These features include the Inter-Tropical Conversion Zone (ITCZ) and Tropical Waves which is something that will pass us and we dont really get any weather out of it. Sometimes the waves pass us with the ITCZ and we might get a couple days of rain.

Sometimes we might just have a wave passing over us overnight and we get some showers and thats it. You wake up in the morning and there is nice weather. Shakeer said the public on the whole tends to be a little panicky based on the passage of Bret, and anything they see on social media triggers panic.

She said people should not repost anything that does not come from the met office as this could spread unnecessary fear. In a media post yesterday, Minister Rambharat stated, As we move into clean up and recovery, we need to pay attention to these two weather systems, south east of Trinidad.

The closer system can bring rain by weekend. The second system is still being examined.
Public told to keep damaged items as proof

Operations and Relief Officer Captain (Retd) Neville Wint said these items, whether destroyed or damaged, would assist officers in assessing the kind of help the household needed.

Those who have lost items, please do not discard these items. These items are critical for evidence of loss so that the ministries that are doing the relief, and giving of grants, can verify that you have suffered a loss.

Once it has been identified and confirmed, the necessary steps will be taken by the relevant agencies to assist those impacted... Wint said during a news conference, yesterday, held by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), at the National Security Ministry, Temple Court, Abercromby Street, Port-of- Spain.

And while the riverine alert has been lifted, the ODPM is still asking the persons living in these areas to be alert and monitor the level of the water. Wint said the regional corporations were leading the damage assessment and relief operations at this time led by Local Government and Social Development and Family Services.

He reported that utility services were mostly up and running with the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) having just two per cent of service still down, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) was at five per cent and the TT Electricity Commission (TTEC) was at ten per cent.

He said corporations have been having problems with distribution due to the high water levels in some areas. As the water was now receding, it was now allowing the first responder agencies to reach persons who were marooned.

He said the TT Defence Force Battalion has been mobilised with Zodiac weather boats issued by the ODPM to take first responders where necessary and take relief items in areas affected. They have issued sandbags and tarpaulins to the municipal corporations to supplement their stocks and food cards have also been issued by Ministry of Social Development Captain Dave Williams, deputy chief executive officer of the ODPM, noted that TT was not under any threat of any tropical weather system. There is a social media that is purporting that we are to be impacted by two tropical systems. At this point in time we are not under any tropical storm, watch or warning. The systems that are out there are typical to this time of the year
Sinanan: Dont play politics

He was responding to claims by a councillor in the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, that equipment from Sinanans ministry was not deployed effectively to address flooding, particularly in eastern district and environs, after Tropical Storm Bret.

I heard the call from a certain councillor which was very unfortunate because apart from it not being true, it sort of demoralises the spirit of the people in the Ministry who came out as early as 5.30 am on Monday in that area, he told reporters during the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Anns.

Sinanan said the view of the councillor contradicts that of that corporations chairman Martin Terry Rondon, who praised the work of the ministry.

The chairman was singing high praises for staff at the Ministry who deployed equipment from Sunday morning on the north coast, Sinanan said.

Unfortunately, the area that the councillor belongs to had a flooding issue and in flooding areas, you have to wait for the waters to recede. The minister who toured flood-ravaged communities on Tuesday and Wednesday said there were other areas in the constituency with a lot of fallen trees and landslips.

If that councillor was in an area with flooding, obviously heavy equipment cant help you with floods. The water has to run off, then you go in, assess the situation and deal with it. That is what we are dealing with right now. Sinanan said within the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, his ministrys workers cleared away 90 fallen trees.

And all this was done after the storm. So, it is unfortunate that some people will want to use politics in a time of disaster.

All it does is demoralise people who are out there doing what they are trained to do. Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young dismissed the views of the naysayers regarding the effectiveness of the relief agencies, such as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management.

He told reporters Government was pleased with the level of co-ordination among the various responding agencies to Bret. There is always going such views in the aftermath of these things, Young said, alluding to the views of the particular councillor.

Young said despite limited resources, many volunteers rose to the occasion. I thank all those who volunteered free of charge, their own equipment.

Those are the types of things we want the people to come up and do because all of us are in this thing togethe
Carolyn: I will awaken COP from slumber

Seepersad-Bachan in a release yesterday that her decision was made after many conversations with the wider COP membership and encouragement from COP veterans. I made this decision with the understanding that a new political leader will be required to awaken the party from its current slumber, and lead us to a place well beyond the former glory days of 2006, when we were seen as the political vehicle of change. The Congress of the People was formed out of a demand for transparency and fairness in governance, but many who were once attracted to the COPs ideas now feel that the party has veered off its original charted course. It will be my mandate to steer the Congress of the People back on track.

She said that she has always been a faithful supporter of the COP even when I viewed the actions of some as contrary to the partys founding values. Seepersad-Bachan said that she still continues to believe in the ideals and vision on which the COP was built on. If elected, my focus as your new Political Leader will be to regain the trust of our membership and supporters, and to once again instill confidence in the people of this nation that we can get the politics right. In July 2016, Dr Anirudh Mahabir was elected as political leader following the resignation of Prakash Ramadhar.
The US Missile Defense Agency says its new interceptor missile failed to hit its target in its 2nd test, off the coast of Hawaii. The missile is being developed in cooperation with Japan's Defense Ministry.

The SM-3 Block IIA is a modified version of the SM-3 missile and has been in development since 2006. It is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in wider areas to counter North Korea and other threats.

The US agency said the target, a medium-range ballistic missile, was launched from the island of Kauai around 7:20 PM on June 21st, local time.

The Navy destroyer USS John Paul Jones detected and tracked the target, but failed to shoot it down.

Jun 23 () - aaaaacacYaaaaaaaaaeZaaaaaaaaaacaaSaaaaaa
Left-wing media and Democrats colluded to create Russia hacking HOAX as an act of TREASON to overthrow the elected president

Since Nov. 9, the day after the presidential election, Americans have been treated to the lie that Donald J. Trump and his campaign (and later, inner political circle) colluded with Russia to steal the White House from Hillary Clinton.

There have been a number of variations on this phony narrative  Russia mass-planted fake news in hundreds of websites, Facebook and Google; Russia hacked the election to change ballots; Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are BFFs who set all this up before Trump announced he would seek the GOP nomination; yada, yada, yada.

Mind you, none of this has been proven. After nearly eight months of allegations and innuendo, mostly in the form of Deep State leaks to willing Left-wing accomplices in the Democrat-controlled establishment media, not one shred of evidence has surfaced to indicate any part of these hyped narratives are true.

In fact, the FBI and other intelligence agencies have been looking into Team Trump-Russia ties for nearly a year. And still there is nothing.

So whats the deal? Why are these investigations continuing? Why hasnt the Republican-controlled Congress put a stop to this nonsense? Why is the Justice Department wasting taxpayer funds with a special counsel and staff?

The simple answer is also the most obvious one: Official Washington does not like Trump, never will like Trump, and wants Trump out of official Washington.

On recent episode of his Fox News program, Tucker Carlson Tonight, the namesake opened his show emphasizing that after all the hoopla, leaks and charges, the Trump-Russia narrative is a massive nothing burger aimed at bringing down a duly-elected president.

[H]ere is what is true  as of 8 p.m. Eastern time tonight [June 9], Donald Trump is still the president of the U.S., and that means on the most basic level, [fired FBI Director James] Comeys testimony [before the Senate Intelligence Committee] failed to achieve its goal. Make no mistake, removing Trump from office was the goal. There was collusion, Russia hacked our election, assault to our democracy, imperils our way of life! You hear those all the time. You hear them every night on this show but nobody in D.C. actually believes any of that, and thats why nobody ever explains how exactly it happened or what specifically the effects of it were. Because they have no idea. And in fact, they dont really care. They just want Trump gone along with anyone who is in the way. Russia is just a means.

There have been various other targets within the Trump White House as well  advisor Steve Bannon, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, son-in-law Jared Kushner, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, spokesman Sean Spicer, chief of staff Reince Priebus, advisor Kellyanne Conway  but getting to them, too, is a way to eventually get to Trump. (RELATED: Dershowitz warns that left-wing media frenzy endangers civil liberties by promoting LIES about Trump and the presidency)

All in an effort to do nothing more than topple a democratically elected government that official Washington despises (that includes establishment Democrats and Republicans, by the way).

[A]gain, this is not about truth or fairness, much less protecting this country from foreign threats, he added. Its about toppling  lets not lie about it  a democratically elected government that the permanent class in Washington does not like.

Now again, collusion with a foreign government against the interest of the United States is tantamount to treason, Carlson continued. It is definitely a moral crime, and we would never defend it. We would attack it, of course. There is just no evidence it actually happened. This whole story is a hoax. Its a lie that those who tell it they tell it are beginning to believe. That is the definition of mass hysteria. It is deeply hurting our country, and yet otherwise smart people press forward as if it is all entirely real despite mounting evidence it is not real at all.

And now that a special counsel, Robert Mueller, has been appointed, many long-time Beltway politicos believe that he wont get out of town without indicting, charging or implicating somebody in wrong-doing.

Most of those same people believe, once more, that the ultimate goal is Trump removal.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

Breitbart.com

Wired.com

TheNationalSentinel.com

Submit a correction >>
Algerias social media networks woke up to a shameful and outrageous campaign targeting sub-Saharan migrants after the launch of a racist hashtag in Arabic saying No to Africans in Algeria.

The Algerian twitter was awash with racist calls for cleaning Africans off Algerian cities, and forcing them out of Algerian borders.

These heinous calls echo the scandalous statements uttered by an Advisor to President Bouteflika and head of Algerias human rights commission Farouk Ksentini who bluntly accused sub-Saharans of spreading HIV in Algeria.

We Algerians are exposed to the risk of HIV contamination and other sexually transmitted diseases because of these migrants, he shamefully said last December.

The presence of African migrants and refugees in Algeria will cause Algerians several problems, Ksentini, a henchman of the military regime had told Algerian media, adding that these migrants bring diseases to Algeria.

It is no wonder then that a large segment of Algerian society is following suit, uttering statements on social media bearing the hallmarks of racism in its abhorrent forms.

Last December, Algerian authorities rounded up more than 1400 sub-Saharan migrants in Algiers and deported them 1900 km southwards to the desert city of Tamanrasset, from which they were deported to Niger.

Algerias ill treatment of refugees and asylum seeker continued with the expulsion of 41 Syrian refugees to the Moroccan borders near the town of Figuig last April 17.

Several international watchdogs have lashed out at Algeria calling it to decriminalize immigration. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UNHCR have all called repeatedly on Algeria to guarantee protection to migrants on its soil and halt its discriminatory policies towards them.
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), an offshoot of Moroccos domestic intelligence agency, arrested four members of a terrorist cell loyal to the Islamic State before they moved to action.

The cell was dismantled in the Atlantic city of Essaouira, the interior ministry said in a statement, noting that the suspected terrorists are accused of plotting terrorist attacks on tourist sites in Essaouira.

The arrested individuals also schemed to broaden the scope of their terrorist operations to other cities of the kingdom, it said.

Weapons were seized during the operation as well as electrical gadgets and a manuscript in which the arrested individuals pledge allegiance to IS and declare jihad on Morocco, which they call the province of the Maghreb Al Aqsa.

Morocco has been leading a proactive security approach aiming at averting terrorist attacks and busting terrorist cells before they move to action. The Kingdom has been spared deadly jihadist attacks since a 2011 bombing in Marrakeshs famed Jamaa El Fna Square, which killed 17 people, mainly European tourists.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) welcomed Moroccos decision to let in a group of Syrian refugees who were abandoned in the desert border by Algerian authorities since 17 April.

UNHCR welcomes the decision by the Kingdom of Morocco to admit a group of Syrian refugees stranded in difficult circumstances at the countrys border with Algeria, the UN Refugee Agency said in a statement released Thursday.

The UN Agency described Moroccos admittance of Syrian refugees as a humanitarian gesture in keeping with its traditions of hospitality.

The Agency also expressed satisfaction at its cooperation with Morocco to find a durable solution to the plight of these vulnerable refugees.

Morocco decided last Tuesday, as the world was celebrating the World Refugee Day, to admit 41 Syrian refugees stranded in harsh conditions by the Algerian authorities on the borders with Morocco.

The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds upon directives from King Mohammed VI in keeping with Moroccos traditions of magnanimity, generosity and solidarity with afflicted people.

EuroMed Rights NGO also welcomed Moroccos initiative, expressing its relief as the solving of this situation had lasted too long.

We salute this move by the Moroccan authorities, the NGO pointed out in a statement, adding that it strongly encourages the Moroccan authorities to pursue the legislative reforms undertaken in the framework of the migration policy initiated in September 2013.

Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) issued a press release calling for urgent action to help the Syrian refugees who had been trapped in the borders between Morocco and Algeria.

Moroccos foreign ministry had summoned Algerias Ambassador on April 22 to denounce the expulsion of Syrian migrants by Algerian authorities to the Moroccan border town of Figuig as an inhumane behavior.

The UNCHR confirmed in its statement that the stranded refugees, including women and children, were collected on 20 June by the Moroccan police from the border and transported by bus to Bouarfa, from where they were transferred to the capital Rabat.

On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20, representative of the UN refugee Agency in Morocco Jean Paul Cavalieri commended the North African country for the humanism underlying its immigration and asylum policy.

The UNHCR official hailed Morocco for having succeeded in developing an adequate legal framework guaranteeing the right to asylum.

Some 5,000 Syrians have gone through a migration regulatory process in Morocco, with several hundred receiving refugee status, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday told media in an interview that the removal of Bashar al-Assad was no longer a priority for France, adding that the embattled Syrian President represents an important pillar in the fight against terrorists.

The real change Ive made on this question is that I havent said deposing Bashar al-Assad is a prerequisite for everything, Macron said in the interview with several European newspapers, including Britains Guardian, Spains El Pais and Germanys Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Because no one has introduced me to his legitimate successor, he added.

The comments of the French President mark a shift in Frances policy in the Syrian crisis. His predecessor Francois Holland robustly insisted on the removal of Assad considered as the major roadblock to peace recovery in Syria.

The new French President insisted that the fight against terrorist groups; the Islamic State, al Qaeda and the like; is the key objective in Syria for the international coalition, which encompasses France, the US and several western countries.

His comments sparked anger among the Syrian opposition, which felt betrayed by Paris that has so far been one of the world powers backing it in the conflict, which erupted in 2011 and led to the death of thousands of people and the displacement of millions of others.

Shame on France, whose leader Emmanuel Macron does not see Bashar as its enemy or an enemy to humanity, tweeted Ahmed Ramadan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition, the main umbrella organization of opposition groups.

A tragic fall for morality and humanity, Ramadan added.

Macrons statements are surprising, considering that France was among four countries in the core Friends of Syria group  in addition to Britain, Turkey, and Qatar  that had supported the departure of Chemical Bashar, said Khaled Khoja, another opposition figure.
President Donald Trump speaks at Kirkwood Community College on June 21, 2017, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

I was mulling, as one does, over this presidency, and something crystallized in my head that I had not quite grasped before. Its policies are best described as simply perverse. The new Senate health-care bill is just the latest shining example. As Peter Suderman explains, it certainly isnt based on any serious conservative ideas about reforming health care; it has no vision of how it wants health care to be organized; the loss of health care for the working poor will be most intense in Republican districts; and, just as important, a huge amount of it is simply kicked into the future  and could easily be forestalled or nullified by future Congresses and presidents. For good measure, by ending many of the taxes in the bill that make it work, and by removing the individual mandate, it risks sending the insurance markets into a deeper crisis.

So what on earth is the point? For Trump, it seems to me, the whole point is to have a win. He doesnt give a shit about what the bill actually contains. Hell just lie about it afterward and assume his cult followers will believe him. For Ryan, its just a way to make a future tax cut for the superrich more budget-friendly, while pushing the political costs of shredding Medicaid onto some future sucker.

And then you think about those tax cuts Ryan wants so badly. We are told that these cuts will spark so much growth they will pay for themselves  and more. And yet if there is one thing we really do know by now, it is that this strategy has spectacularly failed and failed again to work. Reagans tax cuts left the U.S. with an unprecedented peacetime deficit; George W. Bush inherited a small surplus and, after his tax cuts didnt spur higher growth, handed Obama a Treasury close to bankrupt. In Kansas, the exact same strategy has incurred so much debt that a supermajority of the legislature, led by Republicans, have junked it. To pursue it a third time on a national scale is the definition of madness.

The only theme I can infer is this: Whatever Obama did, Trump will try to undo.

We are also living in an era of extreme inequality. Any responsible politician would be trying to find a way to ameliorate this, if for no other reason than it is deeply dangerous for the stability of our society and the health of our democracy. And yet the policy of the Republicans is to further increase such inequality to levels beyond even the robber-baron era. Again, the only word for this is  perverse.

Ditto, for that matter, the idea that coal is the future of energy, and that climate change is a hoax. There was absolutely no point in withdrawing from the nonbinding Paris Accord  which is why Trump is now lying by claiming, as he did last Wednesday night, that it was binding. It was an utterly pointless way to isolate the U.S. from the rest of the world, and cede leadership to China. There was really no point at all in trashing the modest opening to Cuba under Obama, poisoning relations, and then just fiddling with the details.

Elsewhere in foreign policy, we have just begun a deepening of the war in Afghanistan, the longest in American history, with no strategy in place. Weve also junked the very careful limits that Obama put on the war against ISIS, leading to increasingly dangerous conflict with the Russians. And we now have a broader Middle East policy that has needlessly junked the core gain of the Obama years. The opening to Iran gave the U.S. far more leverage in the region, balancing out our previous Sunni commitments with a Shiite counterweight. Now Trump has fully committed the United States to one side of an intra-Muslim divide, while trashing Qatar, which houses the most important military base in the entire region. Again: perverse.

And what on earth was the purpose of equivocating about the critical commitment to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, undermining the core underpinning of the Atlantic alliance  and then affirming it anyway? We havent even gotten commitments to more defense spending from the Europeans, apart from what Obama had managed to get them to agree to already. But what we have achieved is an unprecedented rupture in relations with most of the key European allies.

It is also, frankly, perverse to ignore Russias blatant attempt to disrupt our elections and to keep reaching out to Putin  when the Congress will rightly deepen sanctions anyway, and Putin will pursue his own ambitions regardless. None of this is coherent strategy, and almost all of it counterproductive.

The only theme I can infer is this: Whatever Obama did, Trump will try to undo. The perversity is the flip side of spite.

Nathaniel Franks new book on the long fight for marriage equality, Awakening: How Gays And Lesbians Brought Marriage Equality to America, has one thing going for it: Its a professional work of history. The only book on the movement we have so far wasnt. Jo Beckers hagiography of Chad Griffin, Forcing the Spring  my review is here  was an outright attack on everyone who had worked for the cause decades before Griffin tried to pass himself off as the gay Rosa Parks (yes, the book actually called him that). Awakening is therefore by default the best account we have, but its also a truly impressive, nuanced, fair account in its own right. Its astonishing to me that the New York Times and the Washington Post have yet to review it. It relays the lung-filling highs and stomach-churning lows of the long trek toward gay dignity. Better still, it brings into focus the small band of disparate individuals who somehow brought what was unimaginable into reality. Many people think marriage was won overnight. This book proves it wasnt.

But its chief merit is that it explains for straight people and the younger gay and lesbian generations just how deeply divisive this issue was in the gay world for so long  all the way back to the 1950s, when the story really starts. The core gay divide in the gay world has always been between those who wanted equality and dignity in mainstream society and those who wanted to revolutionize and subvert the mainstream itself. Civil marriage was an issue where this divide was perhaps deepest. You can go back to the old gay magazine, One, published by the Mattachine Society, and see exactly the arguments that erupted later. In 1953, Frank notes, it ran an essay called Homosexual Marriage? The question mark was more like a gasp. In a screed against the normalization of gays, it worried that equal rights means equal responsibilities. Equal freedoms means equal limitations. A decade later, in 1963, a counterpoint appeared: Lets Push Homophile Marriage. The term homophile itself was an attempt to redefine gay men as more than just sexual. The argument: It seems to me that when society finally accepts homophiles as a valid minority with minority rights, it is going first of all to accept married homophiles. We are, after all, closest to their ideals. In some ways, the gay-rights movement has spent the last few decades having that same fight over and over again.

People celebrate outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2015 after its historic decision on gay marriage. Photo: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

But it is, of course, more complicated and interesting than that. Marriage equality was both subversive and integrationist. It subverted nascent gay culture and traditional heterosexual assumptions. And yet it was also a uniquely powerful symbol of integration, equality, and a common humanity. It was based on a submerged reality, which was that many gay men and especially lesbians had always been in committed relationships  and that that experience was a vital bridge with heterosexuals, who usually comprised the rest of our families. The proof of that is in the number of gays and lesbians now in civil marriages: around a million.

Nonetheless, for the longest time, the fight for marriage had almost no constituency in the post-1969 gay world  too conservative for some, way too utopian for others  and was kept aloft by a tiny group of activists, lawyers, and writers, who never gave up, despite setbacks at almost every turn. The biggest gay-rights group, the Human Rights Campaign, for example, remained hostile to pushing for marriage all the way through to the mid-aughts. The central figure from the get-go, Evan Wolfson, had to fight the rest of the movement continuously to keep the dream alive. Its easy, in the wake of victory, to forget that story  but Frank covers its nuances better than anything else Ive read. And he gives everyone their due. Toward the end of the book, he focuses a little too much on the litigation and not enough on the culture, but this is a small flaw in an otherwise indispensable account.

What resolved the gay divide, in the end, was the religious right. When George W. Bush endorsed the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, as Frank explains, almost everyone in the gay movement realized that something fundamental to our human dignity and civil rights was at stake. Old ideological divisions briefly evaporated in the heat of the struggle, and the fast-rising support for the idea among gays and lesbians themselves turned into a grassroots revolution. The long game eventually, cumulatively brought the breakthrough. What began as as light covering of snow, easily brushed away, became, snowflake by snowflake, a drift, which eventually precipitated an avalanche. We live in the wake of it.

The other day, I managed to see the new documentary by David France, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, at the Provincetown Film Festival. It shines a piercing light on another cleavage in the gay world. And thats the long tension between gays and lesbians and transgender people. Theres an astonishing clip in the movie of a gay-rights rally for New York Pride in 1973, when a transgender instigator of Stonewall, Sylvia Rivera, forced herself onstage and grabbed the microphone. And as she began her impromptu speech, you can see and hear the crowd booing, shouting, and heckling at the interloper. Its a riveting and horrifying moment. For all the high-flown talk about the LGBT community, the truth is, these three groups have often had little in common  apart from marginalization. Many gay men have sadly long been uncomfortable around transgender people; and many lesbians have bristled at times at the notion that transgender women are truly the same as women who have been physiologically such from birth.

And then there was Marsha P. Johnson, an icon of Stonewall and the lost gay world of the West Village in the 1980s and early 1990s. I actually dont know quite how to identify her. She dressed as a woman but also as a man. Her family refer to her in the film interchangeably as he and she. She floated through all these divisions and seemed to belong in every camp. Was she a drag queen? Or transgender? Or a cross-dresser? In the end, I think, her charisma transcended all these identities. She was an individual, and in some ways, a saint. Gentle, African-American, always beaming, bringing outcasts into her home, shimmering through Pride like a vision of divine love, she seemed to have no enemies in an often contentious community. And she died like a martyr, her body suddenly washing up at the Christopher Street piers in 1992, quickly designated a suicide, with only the most cursory of investigations.

Marsha P. Johnson Photo: Netflix

No one who knew her believed she killed herself. And the movie tries, all these years later, to solve the mystery of her death. Sadly, it doesnt quite deliver the payoff you want, but you learn so much along the way it doesnt really matter. As an evocation of a different era, the movie is quite wonderful. I have just two quibbles. Theres an implication that the Stonewall riots were instigated by trans people of color, who were then erased by the white cis middle class. This is far too pat. Its critical that the key trans figures at Stonewall be recognized. Ditto gay men of color. Putting them front and center on that fateful night is vital for the historical record, and Im glad this movie exists for that reason alone. But you only have to look at the actual photographs of the riots to see masses of young gay white men as well, lining up on the streets, jumping into the melee. And in some ways, it was the rebellion of those with much more to lose that marked a shift in consciousness.

Theres also a statement in the movie that there was no gay-rights movement before Stonewall. This is just untrue, and it erases the legacy of the early gay rights pioneers in the 1950s, like Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings, and Harry Hay, who founded the movement in the terrifying era of the lavender scare. People who risked their lives and careers marching in front of the White House in the 1950s, who started the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, who laid the foundations for marriage equality, gays in the military, nondiscrimination in employment, and coined the term Gay is Good, deserve not to be forgotten. This movie wipes them from history.

But there I go again, I suppose. It wouldnt be a gay movie without an internal gay controversy. And the internecine fights will never fully end because the accident of homosexual orientation  more than any other knows no single demographic, or gender, or race, or class. To form a coherent movement out of that massive, random diversity was never going to be easy. Pride Marches this year have been disrupted and halted by groups connected with Black Lives Matter who oppose the mainstream corporate support and openly gay police organizations that so many of us regard as huge achievements of integration, rather than blights. But purist factions have always tried to impose a singular vision on a very non-singular group of people. It has always been that way, from the very beginning. Love breaks through every human identity, and so must a movement rooted in the search for love. And of that divisiveness and contentiousness, spats and feuds, marches and countermarches, and rare, fleeting moments of unity, I am, in some, yes, perverse way, proud.

See you next Friday.
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

In a press conference with Nevada governor Brian Sandoval today, Senator Dean Heller joined his colleague Susan Collins in taking a very negative, and possibly irreconcilable, position on the Senate version of the American Health Care Act. After Sandoval  a Republican who supported a Medicaid expansion for his state  made the case for keeping the expansion intact (which both House and Senate versions of the AHCA end), Heller said he could not support the bill as written at this time. But more important, like Collins, Heller set out conditions for getting his support that its unlikely Mitch McConnell could meet without blowing up his entire coalition.

The Nevada senator, generally considered the most vulnerable Republican up for reelection next year, objected to a number of features in the Senate version of the AHCA, but his bottom line seemed to be that any cancellation of the Medicaid expansion would be unacceptable to him unless another key feature of the bill, the per capita cap on Medicaid spending, is significantly relaxed. Other Senate moderates seem to be angling for a slower phase-out of the expansion and a slightly more liberal cap. Heller appears to be large steps away from that position, and explicitly said, Its going to be very difficult to get me to a yes. Furthermore, Heller kept citing Sandovals assessment of the bill as critical to his thinking, which means he already has cover for what would be a step that may anger Nevada Republicans.

In almost the exact words used yesterday by Collins, Heller said he could not support any bill that took away health insurance from tens of millions of people. This appears to be an allusion to the Congressional Budget Offices determination that the House bill would eliminate insurance for 23 million people  14 million of them through the very Medicaid provisions Heller was criticizing most. It is possible if not likely that the CBO score of the Senate draft  due early next week  will significantly improve that number. Improving it by tens of millions would really be a stretch.

For the moment, then, youd probably need to count Heller and Collins as reasonably firm no votes on AHCA. That means McConnell cannot lose any more senators and still pass the bill. Aside from the elimination of his margin of error, that means every single Republican senator has enormous leverage over the bills managers. If there is anything they want, on health care or perhaps anything else, they will soon have their hands out, much like the House members who cut special deals for themselves and their constituents. If there is going to be a 50th vote for AHCA, it will be very expensive. And that could lead to additional problems when the House has its final say.
May  or may not. Photo: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

If some enterprising British historian ever writes a book on the most devastating own goals in the history of U.K. politics, the tale of Brexit and the Conservative Party will be a fitting topic for Chapter One. What began with former Prime Minister David Cameron calling a referendum he fully expected to fail and having to resign in disgrace when it passed has continued with his successor Theresa May calling an election she fully expected to win but lost. Now her government (to the extent that she even has one) proceeds to Brexit negotiations neither strong nor stable, holding almost no bargaining chips and little goodwill from either the U.K. public or the European Union.

The negotiations kicked off in Brussels on Monday with the European Commissions chief negotiator Michel Barnier making it clear that the U.K. is in no position to dictate terms, and that the framework of the divorce (including, most pressingly, the rights of expatriates) would have to be addressed before opening the subject of Britains future trade relationship with the union. The U.K. had hoped to discuss both at once, from the start. In his statement after the first day of talks had concluded, Barnier took a firm yet congenial tone, but struck a passive-aggressive note when he pointed out that they were all there to implement the decision taken by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, and unravel 43 years of patiently-built relations. Zing.

U.K. Brexit Secretary David Daviss job is far from enviable. Both parties to these negotiations have something to lose if the talks go south, but Britain is decidedly the weaker party  and the party leading Britain is weaker still. Shortly after the unexpected results of this months snap general election were announced, May said the Tories, which had lost their majority in Parliament, would form a government in coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party, a Northern Irish party of religious conservatives that has devoted its energies to keeping same-sex marriage and abortion illegal in their province.

Now, however, the DUP is warning that its support for Mays leadership cant be taken for granted. In other words, we will sign a deal to keep Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (whom they despise for his past ties to the IRA) out of power, but dont expect us to back all of your policies  at least not without getting something in return. As the New Statesman columnist Stephen Bush puts it: Unlike the Conservative government, they know how to negotiate. So far, that has primarily meant demanding 2 billion in health care and infrastructure investments in Northern Ireland.

The DUP is pro-Brexit, but has certain demands in that regard, and may play hardball with the Tories there as well. If Davis returns to Brussels and informs Barnier that he needs an Irish border thats soft in one direction and hard in the other  or soft to labor but hard to goods, or soft to some people but not others  or else his government will fall, he will be laughed straight out of the room.

Indeed, the competing desires of the Tories exceedingly fragile coalition are the fundamental reason why Davis is in an impossible position. There is simply no deal imaginable that would be acceptable to Brussels, the U.K.s business community, and the working-class Britons who voted Leave in a desperate effort to get their jobs back from the foreigners who stole them (or so they were told by the Daily Mail). The E.U. is unlikely to let the U.K. have full access to its market without London committing to the free movement of people, and those working-class voters are even less likely to be satisfied with a Brexit that doesnt fulfill Mays promises to drastically reduce immigration.

Many of those voters thought the effect of their Leave vote would be to kick out the roughly 3 million E.U. citizens already living and working in Britain. That was never likely to happen, as doing so would be catastrophic for the U.K.s labor market, including the service sector, construction, agriculture, and the NHS  not to mention the logistical and diplomatic nightmares of deporting several million people. On Thursday, May told European leaders that the vast majority of these Europeans would be grandfathered into permanent residency status, but signaled some flexibility as to when the cut-off date for eligibility would be for recent arrivals  her only real bargaining chip thus far.

Her policy agenda, outlined in the Queens speech on Wednesday, also left out a sizable chunk of the Tories election manifesto, illustrating the number of promises May has made to voters that at this point she knows she cant keep. The prime minister faces the no-win choice of giving her base what it wants at the cost of impoverishing the country, or taking the only deal the E.U. will realistically offer and alienating the Conservatives Eurosceptic constituents, possibly for good.

Ironically, her only hope at this point lives in Brussels. The European Council is not eager to give an inch in these talks, and may be tempted to ensure that Brexit is so painful for the U.K. that no other member state dares to try it. Yet the mood at the European Council summit this week was optimistic about the state of the union and the start of the Brexit talks, with Council President Donald Tusk even tossing around the idea that the U.K. might decide to stay in the E.U. after all.

Perhaps Barnier will throw Britains hapless, flailing Conservatives enough rope to pull themselves out of their mess, but at this point, they seem more likely than not to hang themselves with it.
Former FBI director James Comey walked into the New York Times building on Eighth Avenue on Thursday. About three hours later, he walked out.

That was enough for the Daily Mail to run an EXCLUSIVE suggesting that he may have been there to meet with Times reporters and, the suggestion is clear, spill more information about his interactions with President Trump.

On Friday morning, Fox & Friends ran the same pictures of Comey and added some the shows trademark crack analysis:

Wonder what James Comey was doing at the New York Times? Its so odd, Ed Henry said.

I know, hes not even trying to hide, Ainsley Earhardt added.

Steve Doocey asked, Why would he go right in the front door?

Turns out, its not as odd as the crew on the couch thought. Comey was at the building, which houses many businesses that arent the New York Times, to take part in an event for Court-Appointed Special Advocates, a nonprofit that promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy so every abused or neglected child in the United States can be safe, have a permanent home and the opportunity to thrive.

As the Washington Post explains, this is a cause near to the hearts of Comey and his wife, Patrice Failor:

Comey and Failor, who have five children of their own, were foster parents during Comeys first stint in Washington, at the Justice Department under George W. Bush, and when they lived in Connecticut, during Comeys time at a hedge fund.

Failor volunteered as a court-appointed special advocate in Bridgewater, Conn. She testified about her experience before the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut state legislature last March. Comey was there.

As it happens, Fox producers didnt even need to do any reporting to know that their entire premise was off. A reporter for the Times did it for them Thursday night.

Comey didn't visit NYT newsroom. A person close to him said he and wife went to ceremony for CASA at Covington & Burling in NYT building.  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 23, 2017
Bill Cassidy, R-Cave. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The Republican Partys moderate wing has been in a continuous state of slow-motion collapse for four decades. If there is a single line that encapsulates the process, it is this quote by a senior Republican aide in Congress to Caitlin Owens: Moderates always cave. I dont know if conservatives will cave.

The principle that Republican moderates always cave explains the fate of the health-care bill in the House. When the bill initially failed, it faced opposition from both wings of the party: vulnerable swing-district Republicans who worried that it snatched insurance away from too many of their constituents, and the hard-liners in the House Freedom Caucus who thought it didnt snatch away enough. Republican leaders solved this seemingly intractable dilemma by moving the bill to the right, bringing the hard-liners onboard, and counting on moderates to cave and support something that was even harsher. It worked.

This also explains the design of the Senate bill. The main barrier to passage in the upper chamber has seemed to be the partys centrists. Blue- and purple-state Republicans said they wanted to preserve coverage for their citizens who had obtained it through the Medicaid expansion. Bill Cassidy seemed to be leading the moderate wing in a direction that could not be reconciled with the leaderships agenda. In March, he said, Theres a widespread recognition that the federal government, Congress, has created the right for every American to have health care. In May, he attacked the GOP plan for cutting taxes, making drastic coverage reductions inevitable. I am a critic of the American Health Care Act, he told the American Hospital Association. I think its to set up tax reform and all the money used for coverage is instead going to be used to pay down the bill for tax reform.

The Senate bill does not remotely address any of these criticisms. It preserves every cent of the tax cuts in the House bill. It makes health care unaffordable to millions of people with low incomes or expensive medical needs. Astonishingly, it cuts Medicaid more deeply than the House bill. The legislative strategy reflects the assumption that the moderates will cave no matter what.

And so far that strategy appears correct. The only stated opponents all sit on the partys right wing, setting themselves up to gain leverage to demand pulling the bill even farther right  or, at the very least, prevent it from moving left. How can they possibly pull this off when the bill already sits far to the right of the moderates stated parameters? Because the moderates always cave.
Bring it on. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

One of the weird takeaways from the Democratic freak-out following Jon Ossoffs loss in Tuesdays Georgia special congressional election was that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi must go. The reasoning was that even if Pelosi is good at the legislative and fundraising aspects of her job, Democrats cant afford to have a liberal woman from San Francisco popping up in Republican campaign ads if they want to retake the House.

It's just extremely difficult for Ds to argue benefits of Nancy Pelosi's fundraising skills still outweigh cost of her presence in GOP ads.  Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) June 21, 2017

Representative Kathleen Rice, one of a handful of Democratic representatives publicly calling for new leadership, told the New York Times that Democrats should drop Pelosi because the right has vilified her - though their depiction is unjust.

The Republican playbook for the past four election cycles has been very focused, very clear: Its been an attack on our leader, Ms. Rice said. Is it fair? No. Are the attacks accurate? No. But guess what? They work. Theyre winning, and were losing.

On Thursday afternoon Rice hosted a meeting to discuss the possibility of ousting Pelosi with about a dozen like-minded Democrats, including Representatives Filemon Vela, Seth Moulton, Tim Ryan, and Cedric Richmond. Ryan said they did not emerge with any action items. At this point a coup seems unlikely, though Vela said, I think there was consensus within the room that there are other members within the caucus who feel just like we do. Moulton added, The takeaway from the meeting is that we want to win again in 2018.

During her weekly news conference around the same time, a defiant Pelosi challenged the idea that she should go simply because the GOP base doesnt like her, noting that the right tends to denigrate whatever Democrat happens to be in power.

Senator Reid was a target, Senator Daschle was a target, Tip ONeill was a target, Pelosi said. I am a target. And they always want to choose our leaders. And usually they go after the most effective leaders, because they want to take us, diminish the opportunity that we have.

However, Pelosi said she welcomes the questioning of her leadership  while also suggesting that her critics are just seeking media attention. When it comes to personal ambition and having fun on TV, have your fun, she said.

Pelosi then offered up a few new soundbites for the next batch of negative GOP ads. You want me to sing my praises? she asked. Well, Im a master legislator. I am a strategic, politically astute leader. My leadership is recognized by many around the country, and that is why Im able to attract the support that I do.

I think Im worth the trouble, quite frankly, she added. I love the fray.

After attending the meeting on Pelosis future, Representative Richmond, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, suggested the solution might be changing the narrative surrounding the minority leader, not ousting her. He said defending Pelosi to voters would be an expensive endeavor, but it may be worth it.

Weve let people say that Nancy Pelosi is some horrible person for so long without defending her that people started to believe it. And at some point, the right thing to do  is to defend her and her legacy, he said. I dont think anybodys fighting back. I think were just sitting back and taking it. And at some point I dont think we should sit back and take it.
Trump at Carrier last December. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Less than a month after his election and aching to show America what he could do, thenPresident-elect Trump struck a deal with a Carrier plant in Indiana that would see 1,100 jobs remain in the U.S. The company, Trump said at a rally after the deal was announced, had seen the light and would not send the jobs building heater and air conditioners to Mexico.

He spoke too soon. The jobs are still leaving, Robert James, president of United Steelworkers Local 1999, told CNBC. Nothing has stopped.

By the end of the year, Carrier will have laid off 600 workers from the plant and moved the work to Mexico. That will leave the Indianapolis plant with 730 manufacturing workers  significantly fewer than the 1,100 jobs Trump said were staying in the U.S. The plant will also continue to employ several hundred technical workers who were never slated to lose their jobs. In exchange for keeping the factory open, Carrier is getting $7 million in tax incentives.

The 600 soon-to-be ex-employees are supposed to be offered positions at other Carrier facilities in the country, but union officials tell CNBC that those offers havent been made. All they know is that 338 jobs will be cut next month, followed by another 290 three days before Christmas.

A secondary part of the deal Trump struck with the company called on Carrier to invest $16 million in the Indiana factory. This, Trump said, would lead to more jobs. The 1,100 is going to be a minimum number.

That was wrong too. The $16 million has been earmarked for increased factory automation.
Keep America Less Bad Than It Was. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Barack Obama is imploring congressional Republicans not to throw millions of people off of their health insurance for the sake of diminishing his legacy.

The former president has largely held his peace through the first five months of the Trump presidency, opting to lead the resistance from behind  abjuring the spotlight, while working behind-the-scenes to cultivate the next generation of Democratic leadership.

But with his signature health-care law on life support, Obama condemned the GOPs plan to finance a capital-gains tax cut by throwing millions off of Medicaid in no uncertain terms.

The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health-care bill, Obama wrote on Facebook. Its a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America.

The president continued:

It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else. Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums and higher deductibles, with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again. Millions of families will lose coverage entirely.

Simply put, if theres a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family  this bill will do you harm. And small tweaks over the course of the next couple weeks, under the guise of making these bills easier to stomach, cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation.

Elsewhere in his post, Obama expresses the hope that Republican senators will remember that public service is not about sport or notching a political win, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did.

Of course, the GOPs rationale for repealing Obamacare isnt merely about undoing what the first black president did  its also about redistributing hundreds of billions of dollars from the poor to the rich.

But Obamas missives true audience is less Mitch McConnells band of reactionaries, than his own supporters. The ex-president suggests that bipartisan legislation that genuinely improves the Affordable Care Act is possible, under certain conditions:

If youre willing to call your members of Congress. If you are willing to visit their offices. If you are willing to speak out, let them and the country know, in very real terms, what this means for you and your family.

Obamas confidence in the good intentions of his political adversaries, and the strength of the American republic, may, once again, prove misplaced. A good portion of the Republican caucus is more invested in transferring wealth from poor to rich than they are in retaining elected office. And theres a chance that mass protests may actually make some of the partys moderates (and/or amoral pragmatists) more eager to do their leaderships bidding. As the Washington Post reported after the House passed Trumpcare:

As GOP leaders scrambled to bring the last holdouts aboard in recent days, they made the argument that the liberal base is already on fire, anxious to take back control of the House in next years midterm elections. That means Republicans could ill afford to fall short on their health-care promise and risk depressing their own turnout.

Which isnt to say that progressives shouldnt heed Obamas call. Mass activism against the bill  aimed squarely at the Senates most vulnerable and/or moderate GOP members  is still the last, best hope of Trumpcares opponents. On Thursday afternoon, Maines Susan Collins suggested that she will not be able to support anything resembling the current bill. All is not yet lost.

But its hard to fight the feeling that it will be soon.
Emir Of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attends the U.S.Gulf Summit at Saudi Arabias King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 21, 2017. Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Kingdom Council Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

As the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar stretched into its third week, the Arab states leading the boycott have presented a list of 13 ultimatums to their tiny neighbor. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the other boycotting nations have insisted Qatar meet the demands within ten days if it wants to end its economic and diplomatic isolation  or the deal is off. The wish list includes shutting down Al Jazeera and cutting ties with Iran, which are pretty much a nonstarters for the Qatari leadership  meaning this regional crisis is still far from a resolution.

The Arab states delivered their demands care of Kuwait, which is the go-between for Qatar and the Saudi-led coalition that has accused Qatar of funding terrorist groups, and is generally not pleased with its ties to Iran. Doha has said it wont even begin negotiations until its neighbors lift the blockade, but, Art of the Dealstyle, the Saudis evidently feel that they are negotiating from a position of strength. Also, the United States had reportedly put pressure on Riyadh and others to draw up their wish list to try to end the standoff. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. hoped the demands would be reasonable and actionable.

Qatar probably wouldnt describe the this list as reasonable or actionable. The big request  that Qatar shut down the ruling-family-owned Al Jazeera and its affiliates  likely wont get any traction. The Saudis and their partners loathe Al Jazeera because they see it as a populist threat to the their rule, and also bristle over the global profile it gives to the tiny little state. Cutting off diplomatic ties with Iran will also be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, because Qatar shares a natural gas field with Iran. Tehran has also come to Qatars rescue during this standoff, sending food and other supplies, though its as much a show of goodwill as an attempt to stir up its rivalry with the Saudis.

The Saudis and company are also ordering Qatar to cut off all ties and end funding with terror groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, ISIS, and Al Qaeda; stop harboring anyone with ties to those terror groups, and turn over any individuals wanted for terror ties; pay some sort of reparations to the Saudi-led coalition for loss of life and other financial damages; kick Turkeys military out of Qatar; and agree to monthly audits to make sure these and other conditions are being met. More broadly, the Saudis and their allies want Qatar, the outlier in the region, squarely within their orbit of influence.
U.S. Capitol Police arrest a woman protesting the health bill outside the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on June 22, 2017. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

When the Senate began work on its health-care bill, there was hope that they might produce something more popular than the House bill, which was disliked even by people who voted for it. As New Yorks Ed Kilgore noted, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didnt need to come up with better legislation, he just needed to make it look like hed made some improvements:

Senators very much need their bill to be perceived as much less damaging to the American health-care system than the House bill. But at the same time, it needs to be close enough in reality to the House bill that the ultimate House-Senate conference product can still get through the lower chamber.

So, does the Better Care Reconciliation Act accomplish this? Currently, the answer is no. Many were quick to point out that just like the House bill, the Senate version isnt about health; its about shifting money to the wealthiest Americans by forcing poor people to pay more for less health care.

But its early, and McConnell seems to be betting that opinions will change rapidly. As Jonathan Chait explained, the idea is that if McConnell starts with a cruel, massively unpopular piece of legislation, small concessions will get disproportionate attention. Suddenly, the story will be that the Senate improved its health bill, not that the underlying legislation is horrific.

For the time being, however, were still at the stage where people from across the political spectrum pan the bill. Heres a guide to everyone whos unhappy with the legislation  and the handful who are excited to be closer to rolling back Obamacare.

Those Who Dislike the Senate Health Bill

Americans Who Require Health Care, and Their Loved Ones

If youre a member of one of the 400 wealthiest families in America, the GOP health plan is going to save you about $7 million annually in taxes. If youre a poor, disabled, or older person on Medicaid; a poor person who doesnt qualify for Medicaid; an opioid addict; a pregnant woman; a child in a special-education program; or a Planned Parenthood patient, you should be prepared to lose access to care, or at least pay much more for it, as Vox reports.

People Who Passed Historic Health Legislation That Bears Their Name

President Obama restrained himself from publicly commenting on every troubling development during the early days of the Trump administration, but on Thursday he posted a lengthy Facebook message criticizing the Senate health bill. He said, If theres a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family  this bill will do you harm. He said even tweaks to the bill cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation. He continued:

I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party. Still, I hope that our Senators, many of whom I know well, step back and measure whats really at stake, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did.

An admonishment from President Obama seems unlikely to dissuade Republicans from their secondary goal of undoing his legacy, but it was worth a try.

Republican Senators

Four of the most conservative members of the Senate  Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, and Mike Lee  were quick to put out a statement on Thursday saying they could not vote for the bill in its current form. Their basic complaint is that it doesnt go far enough in reducing benefits and subsidies for the poor.

Its going to be hard for conservatives to support a bill that has greater subsidies than Obamacare, Kentucky senator Rand Paul told reporters. I didnt run on Obamacare Lite.

Confusingly, these senators may not be the Republican lawmakers most passionately opposed to BRCA. Paul has been complaining that the GOP plan is insufficiently conservative for months, and it seems likely that hes a hard no (its worth noting that the Medicaid expansion is quite popular in his home state of Kentucky). It seems the others are complaining as a negotiating tactic. Its hard to image Cruz wants to go down as the senator who saved Obamacare.

Still, their stand against the bill does endanger its passage, as pushing it too far to the right could alienate GOP moderates who take issue with depriving millions of their health coverage. Three Republicans  Susan Collins, Dean Heller, and Rob Portman  said they have concerns about cuts to Medicaid, but theyre still reviewing the bill. Collins said in a statement that she will be particularly interested in examining the forthcoming CBO analysis on the impact on insurance coverage, the effect on insurance premiums, and the changes in the Medicaid program.

McConnell can only afford two GOP defections, and by the New York Times count another 28 Republicans were noncommittal on Thursday.

Governors of States That Took the Medicaid Expansion

There were 31 states that accepted Obamacares Medicaid expansion, which added 11 million people to the ranks of the insured. Both Democratic and Republican governors from these states spoke out against the Senate bill.

It appears that the proposed bill will dramatically reduce coverage and will negatively impact our future state budgets, said Nevada governor Brian Sandoval, a Republican.

I have deep concerns with details in the U.S. Senates plan to fix Americas health care system and the resources needed to help our most vulnerable, including those who are dealing with drug addiction, mental illness and chronic health problems and have nowhere else to turn, said Republican Ohio governor John Kasich.

Conservative Pundits

Right-leaning opinion leaders were not universally opposed to the bill (Avik Roy said, If it passes, itll be the greatest policy achievement by a GOP Congress in my lifetime), but some on the right were unenthusiastic:

This is a bill that does more to rescue Obamacare than it does to repeal it. Lots of up front bailout $, promised cuts come later.  Philip Klein (@philipaklein) June 22, 2017

The new Senate health care bill represents a total failure of Republican policy imagination: https://t.co/kE187XQeAJ  Peter Suderman (@petersuderman) June 23, 2017

Health Care Providers

Several medical groups slammed the legislation, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Hospital Association.

The bill that the Senate unveiled today was crafted without the benefit of groups like pediatricians weighing in with what children need, said Dr. Fernando Stein, president of the AAP. The result is that the bill would tear down the progress weve made by achieving health insurance coverage for 95 percent of Americas children.

The bill is a mixed bag for health insurance companies. As Vox notes, there are some big upsides for insurers:

It repeals Obamacares tax on health plans, a $144 billion tax cut over 10 years, per an analysis of the House bill. It provides $50 billion in federal funding in the short term to shore up the private insurance market and $62 billion over the longer term for state programs that help stabilize their insurance markets.

However, theres no insurance mandate, which could lead to young, healthy people going without coverage, and the huge cuts to Medicaid could be devastating to certain insurers. These numbers are staggering, Pamela Morris, chief executive of CareSource, a Medicaid-focused insurer, told The Wall Street Journal.

Those Who Like the Senate Health Bill

There are a few people who are excited about BCRA, even without any tweaks. Seventeen Republican senators have already said they intend to vote for it. Its much better than Obamacare, said Senator David Perdue.

In the Trump administration, HHS Secretary Tom Price seemed the most excited. The Senates proposal is built on patient-centered reforms that put the American people in charge of their healthcare decisions, not government, protecting patients, bringing down the cost of coverage, and expanding choices, he said. The Trump administration is committed to the health of all Americans.

The president himself was in a less celebratory mood. He recently called the House bill mean, and on Thursday afternoon White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that he was pleased to see the process moving forward swiftly in Congress, and he looks forward to seeing a finalized bill on his desk.

Later Trump took to Twitter to assure everyone that he really is in favor of the bill, and looks forward to making the process of depriving millions of health insurance really special.
shut up

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is this out already?

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I think it's had a few advance screenings, but it officially opens this Friday (only in 4 theatres though).

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How are the reviews? Thinking about seeing it.

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wait, what do you mean in only 4 theaters?

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4 screens kind of sound like really few for a movie with a rather estabilished director/cast? At least it's going wide next week, I guess.

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'mbitter



Edited at 2017-06-23 01:05 am (UTC) So filming by candlelight to be accurate and stay true to the 1800's is doable but having any black folks in the confederate south just "didn't work" for this film... #yesi 'mbitter #yesi 'llstaybitter

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lol mfte



This stupid becky's movie is so blindingly white I'm surprised she even needed to bother trying to light these Caspers



Edited at 2017-06-23 01:12 am (UTC)

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She probably tried it without the candles but it looked like those old Victorian spirit photos.

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"Becky"? What kind of racist crap is this? No different than calling a black person "Sambo"!

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she cut the black character that was in the original.

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It's some rare bullshit, because Hailee's character worked perfectly well in the original. I would actually say that Mae Mercer's understated performance made her the stand out character of the movie. All of the female relationships were very clumsily done, but there was interesting tension between her and Clint Eastwood's character and exploring her position in relation to the other women in the house could have yielded interesting results.



The "it's about gender, not race" excuse is no excuse at all. The main characters get treated the way they're treated by the wayward soldier who stumbled into their midst not because they're women, but because they are white women - and the presence of a black woman who he holds himself different with drives that point home. My guess is Coppola just didn't want to lose the white main characters audience sympathy by showing them interacting with a black woman who is enslaved by them. She didn't care for the complexity of it, which would be required of an updated version. Oh, and of course there were her precious aesthetics.



tl;dr R A C I S M



Edited at 2017-06-23 03:02 am (UTC)

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Only used candles as a light source to stay true to 1800s lighting



So historical accuracy matters for ambiance, but not for racial diversity.

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ambience and aesthetic is more important, obvi

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mmmhmmmmmt and if she really cared about "authenticity" she wouldn't have cast nosferatu kidman cause we all know botox and fillers weren't around in the 19th century

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Nosferatu Kidman



Close. My. Casket.

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'The first thing I did was sure everyone was appropriately white. We had Sally Hershberger on stand by with peroxide'

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lmao comment of the year!

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Even her face irritates me after her dumbass comments.

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hipster/art film people are obsessed with her.

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mte but i don't get it (she was flawless in ginger & rosa but has been so unimpressive in literally everything else since)

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Her parents are pushing her to be the new money maker now Dakota's basically retired.

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she's a waif thin blonde w big eyes aka every racist aryan auteur's dream

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Ikr? She's not necessarily a bad actress she just brings nothing to her roles.

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Literally. I made a comment about this in that post when she appeared on the vogue cover, and people were falling over themselves trying to defend her ("she actually worked really hard! she's not that skinny!!!11")

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She has a sizable male fanbase. Guys who used to stan Alexis Bledel, etc.

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she is so bland, and always looks limp and void of any dynamism or enrgy or emotion. Not sure how this calls for "attractive" and "talent"..... models can do be better

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Only used candles as a light source to stay true to 1800s lighting



kubricks impact!!!!



anyway she sucks and her not knowing about the bechdel test is so embarrassing.

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Tbf, she not knowing about the bechdel test and her movies still passing it is more of a feat than an embarrassment, in a way lol

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Fuck off.

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Kubrick did it first



...and better



Someone called her the 'Ivanka Trump of indie/art cinema.' I agree.



Edited at 2017-06-23 01:15 am (UTC)

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Barry Lyndon is my second favorite Kubrick movie.

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People seem to forget or ignore the racist mess that was Lost in Translation, because there are quite a few folks who are surprised that she didn't have black people in the film.

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Even better was when she depicted '70s Michigan without a single person of color to be found.

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man so many basic jokes on japanese people. like she even tried the "look at bill murray being so tall and japanese ppl being so small next to him lolz!!", how tragic. just tell your story about two western white folks feeling lonely and call it a day.

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i've hated this stick of butter for so long i'm delighted that there's finally more considerable backlash against her, not that it'll stop the "but her aesthetic!!!! magnifique!!!" crowd

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finally saw a commercial for this and realised I've been pronouncing beguiled wrong my whole life

it's like when I finally heard the word macabre irl

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How were you pronouncing it?

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like bejeweled but with a soft g lol be-gyu-eled

and I pronounced macabre like mack-uh-bruh

I would read a lot and see these words but it's seldom I'd hear them in real life

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film making is fascinating, but god damn, is it exhausting.



and really bad film making is glaring. it isn't easy for sure.

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it's rly scary how easy it is to make a bad movie imo because there are so many things that you have to pay attention to and supervise for the whole thing to work. it's like, a few bad decisions and you're done.

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ngl that made me giggle. also fuck this greasy looking asswipe.

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Oh shit!! Ive had to stay away from political posts since Ossoff lost lmao. My brain needed a breather.

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omg, the tinted moisturizer. LOL. Dan Levy is one of my all time fav people. EVER.

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comey has paps LMAO

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Fuck and I was just about to take a break from the news

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yaaaaaaaaaassss

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lmao

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...okay, that's actually funny. I'm sure the MAGA freaks will flip shit over it -- you know, just like they did when Tr*mp talked about "the Second Amendment people" handling Hillary, right? -- but whatever, made me chuckle. This is the first decent thing he's said/done in a while, lbr.

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Agreed. At first I was like, "ohhhhh." But then...I burst out laughing. Whatever. I can't find it in me to give a shit about anything pertaining to Trump.

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Accurate gif A+

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lmao

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omg lol

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lol

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OMG If this was Reddit this would go on r/retiredgifs

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OMG LOL

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omfg

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Where is this from? Because I need it in my life.

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Fresh off the Boat

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lmao

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LMAO

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support The Resistance! watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales!

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lol

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Take one for the team, Depp

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Right? Use all that drunken rage for good instead of evil!

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Lol I agree Rey

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lol I came here to say this.

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please. it'll be a two birds with one stone typa thing

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Right? It's the only thing that could save his image at this point anyway lmao

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lol mte

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I suspect there will an sudden uptick in concern for Amber Heard's well being from certain twitter accounts.



Edited at 2017-06-23 01:38 am (UTC)

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"didnt you beat your wife?" says the man who raped his wife and bragged about sexual assault



Edited at 2017-06-23 01:45 am (UTC)

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@FBI



Johnny Depp, while on foreign soil, threatened to assassinate President Trump! #dangerous https://t.co/XGlR5SnVdj  Mr. I.M. Wright (@PubliusScion) June 23, 2017



Didn't the president agree to hijack democracy on foreign soil? At least Johnny Depp can come here.

Didn't the president agree to hijack democracy on foreign soil? At least Johnny Depp can come here.

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tbh i love to watch the trash take itself out

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I think he just found the one way to redeem himself. take one for the team johnny.





cant wait for the 3am tweet about depp being overrated and POTC being a flop.

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lmao omg



(he should take one for the team)

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...wait are people actually saying that

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Lol no. But Trumpsters are so dumb they don't know how to boycott things (Starbucks, Hamilton). I'm just giving them ideas.

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...but...by buying tickets, he is still making money.

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They should murder each other

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Bitch. Which one though since they both look like it...

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Tr*mp looks like a jack-o-lantern my redneck neighbors leave on their porch until the end of November



Edited at 2017-06-23 02:18 am (UTC)

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The Libertine? it truly is Throwback Thursday

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I didn't think anyone else ever remembered that film anymore.



I loved that cast though.

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I remember it because my college history teacher gave us extra credit for going to see it. It was traumatic.

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the score to that movie is one of my favs. have only actually watched the movie once but since he was scum in it i guess i can revisit.

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That would be a great way to redeem himself. Do it. Do it.

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lmao, I'm hearing this in my head like

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i heard it like this:

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Oil prices have been falling throughout the week, hitting a 10-month low on Wednesday, but Friday trading has seen a slight recovery.

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Oil prices hit ten-month lows this week, pushing crude oil well into bear market territory. Hopes of the OPEC deal balancing the market are fading fast. The plunging price took a breather on Thursday and Friday, hovering at the lowest levels since the third quarter of 2016.

Deeper OPEC cuts? There is a growing consensus that the OPEC cuts wont be enough to drain inventories, so there are murmurings about the possibility of deeper cuts. Irans oil minister suggested the idea on state radio earlier this week. But that seems like a remote possibility at this point. Russia has previously dismissed the idea, and very few other producers have shown any interest. The prospect of deeper cuts would help prices but also cede even more OPEC market share to rival drillers. As a result, OPEC is likely to let the market sort itself out for the time being. Meanwhile, the head of Macquarie predicts that the agreement will expire and fall apart at the end of the compliance period in March 2018. "We actually see this OPEC agreement breaking up towards the middle of next year. In that case, we're going to see a huge amount of extra oil on the market next year," Macquaries head of European oil and gas research, Ian Reid warned.

Sub-$40 oil is problematic. Oil prices falling to the low-$40s has raised a number of questions about the viability of U.S. shale below the $40 threshold. Mathew Kaleel of Janus Henderson told CNBC that shale production below $40 per barrel is problematic, and that a lot of it would be loss-making. Other analysts agreed with that sentiment, while also predicting that there is a good chance prices dip below the $40 threshold soon. At the same time, Kaleel noted that prices would have to move higher in the medium-term to encourage more production.

Saudi royal succession shakeup. Saudi Arabias deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was promoted to crown prince this week, a move that puts the 31-year-old on track to become the youngest king in the countrys history. The succession reshuffling will have implications for the oil markets. The new crown prince is hawkish towards regional rivals such as Iran and Qatar, so conflict could escalate. But he is also spearheading an economic modernization campaign, the centerpiece of which is the partial IPO of Saudi Aramco. That necessitates higher oil prices, so it is unlikely that Saudi Arabia wants to see oil prices stay low for too long. Related: Macquarie: OPEC Deal To Collapse In 2018

Qatar crisis continues. Saudi Arabia and several of its allies sent a list of demands to Qatar, calling for the closure of the Qatari Al Jazeera TV network, along with the closure of a Turkish military base in Qatar. The demands, analysts say, are impossible for Qatar to agree to. As such, the boycott and blockade of the country is likely to continue.

Nigerian exemption to OPEC cuts in jeopardy. Along with Libya, Nigeria has been exempted from the OPEC production cuts due to the large volume of oil that was disrupted from militant attacks on pipelines and other infrastructure. Now, Nigeria is restoring output quickly, having ramped up to 1.73 million barrels per day (mb/d) in May, up from a low of 1.2 mb/d last year. After Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) lifted the force majeure on its Forcados export terminal just a few weeks ago, more gains from Nigeria are expected. Platts estimates Nigerian production will rise to 2 mb/d by August. If that occurs, and output appears to be sustainable, Nigerias exemption could be scrapped at a future OPEC meeting, analysts say.

Natural gas prices could rise. With record levels of U.S. natural gas exports, along with stagnant production, the two-year glut of natural gas supply could dissipate later this year. Heading into the winter heating season, natural gas inventories might actually dip below the five-year average, according to Bloomberg. "If we have low inventory and a normal winter, that basically sets up the stage for a bullish market in 2018," said Tai Liu, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

U.S Northeast oversupplied with gasoline. The Colonial Pipeline, a major artery that transports gasoline from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, is running below capacity, according to Reuters. Its operator says that supplies in the northeast are flush, leading to the lowest level of demand for the pipeline in six years. The pipeline ran below capacity for five days, the longest stretch since 2011. Typically, demand exceeds supply, forcing East Coast and Northeast refiners to import extra supplies to satiate demand. The unusually high levels of gasoline inventories is a bearish sign that the market is oversupplied. Related: The Biggest Obstacles For Chinas $900 Billion Silk Road

Floating storage signals glut persists, but also some optimism. The recent uptick in floating storage is a sign that the oil market remains oversupplied. Costly storage on tankers tends to occur only in a depressed oil market. But RBC Capital Markets looks at the bright side of things, arguing that floating storage is occurring because traders think that oil prices will rise. The cost of storing oil at sea becomes negligible if spot prices rally, RBC wrote in a note.

Tropical storm knocks Gulf of Mexico production offline. About 39 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated as Tropical Storm Cindy made its way through the region. The storm shut in about one-sixth of the Gulf of Mexicos total production, and a natural gas gathering system offshore had to declare force majeure. JBS Energy says that about 300,000 bpd of oil production have been affected.

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The price of OPECs oil basket, which is made out of 14 different blends, fell to US$42.58 a barrel yesterday, below the closing price of West Texas Intermediate for the same day, which was US$42.78 a barrel. The Thursday closing price for the OPEC basket was a decline from the US$43.14 at which it settled on Wednesday.

Today, however, WTI and Brent, the international benchmark, inched up on the second consecutive weekly U.S. inventory draw, as reported by the Energy Information Administration and on signals from OPEC that its members are sticking to their production cut quotas, recently extended.

According to the monitoring committee set up by the cartel to track compliance, its rate reached 106 percent last month, which lacks any real significance in light of the fact that overall, OPEC production in that month increasedfor the first time this yearon the back of ramp-ups in Libya and Nigeria. The May output was 336,000 bpd higher than the figure for April, with the total at 32.14 million bpd.

None of the latest production figures for OPEC or the U.S. bode well for those with expectations of higher prices. In fact, as one analyst from Oanda told MarketWatch, Brent and WTI may be higher for a second day but as it is, theres little reason to believe this is anything more than a dead cat bounce and that next week may be another painful one. Related: What Does Bin Salmans Rise Mean For Oil?

Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at the online trading provider, added that Traders are clearly unconvinced by the cuts that are intended to bring inventories down to their five year average, particularly against the backdrop of rising output from the U.S., Libya and Nigeria. A clear break below $44.50 in Brent and $42 in WTI could trigger further downside for oil, with $40 being the next big test.

Earlier this week, Irans Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh suggested that OPEC may be considering deeper cuts, which is what traders and investors had expected along with the deal extension. No other members of the cartel have confirmed the discussion yet.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Russias state oil giant Gazprom is in talks with major operators to supply additional volumes of natural gas to the UK, Gazproms deputy chief executive Alexander Medvedev told Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday.

The UK aims to shut coal-fired plants by 2025, while its biggest supplier of energy to residents, Centrica, has just decided to close the countrys largest gas storage facility.

We see an appetite from major players in the U.K. for additional volume of contracted gas, Medvedev told Bloomberg, but did not go into details on the talks.

Our supplies to the U.K. increased substantially in the course of the last two years, the Russian manager said.

Gazprom has a unit operating in the UK, Gazprom UK Trading, as well as a Manchester-based industrial and commercial supply unit, Gazprom Energy. The Russian gas group is also providing gas to the UK via some of the pipelines and interconnectors between Europe and the UK.

Gazprom could stir a lot of interest from UK buyers because pipeline volumes are usually cheaper than LNG cargoes. In addition, Britain has vowed to shut all coal-fired power plants by 2025, and Centrica has just said that it intends to make all relevant applications to permanently end Roughs status as a storage facility.



Related: Macquarie: OPEC Deal To Collapse In 2018

In addition, UKs gas production from the North Sea is expected to decline, and dependence on gas imports should rise. According to the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), UKs gas import dependency would rise to 78 percent in 2035, compared to 48 percent dependency estimated for 2017.

Commenting on Gazproms pitch to sell more natural gas to the UK, Nick Campbell, an energy risk manager at Inspired Energy Plc in Preston, England, told Bloomberg:

Russian pipeline gas would offer greater flexibility than LNG delivery with gas field production being able to flex to meet demand quicker than sending a tanker from the U.S. East Coast and/or Qatar.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Afghan Taliban have safe havens inside Afghanistan: Maleeha Lodhi

NEW YORK: Pakistan has told the UN Security Council that the Afghan Talibans safe havens are inside, not outside Afghanistan, given the large areas they control in the war-torn country.



Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said during a debate on Afghanistan that the resilience of the insurgency led by the Taliban cannot be explained away by convenient references to external safe havens or support centers.



Pakistan, she asserted, was committed not to allow its territory to be used for terrorism against other countries. Pakistans Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the subsequent Radd-ul-Fassad had succeeded in eliminating all terrorist and militant groups from its tribal territory bordering Afghanistan.



She told the 15 member Council that Pakistan is implementing border controls, including the fencing and monitoring of vulnerable sections of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.



In response to some provocative remarks made by her Afghan counterpart during the debate, she said, As a country that continues to host over two million Afghan refugees, Pakistan expects gratitude and not hostility from the Afghan government.



Her remarks centered around the need for a negotiated end to the Afghan war. She said that it had been Pakistans consistent position that peace could be restored only through a negotiated settlement between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban.



Thishas also long been the consensus of the international community, noting that a negotiated peace was also backed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who recently visited Kabul.



She said, The promotion of a political settlement and the pursuit of a military solution in Afghanistan are mutually incompatible.



Continued reliance on a military option, or enhancing troop numbers without an accompanying political strategy, would only lead to more violence and bloodshed, Ambassador Lodhi told the Security Council. It would not yield a political settlement.



Stressing the need to find a negotiated solution, she said, Over the years, Pakistan has done what it can, when asked, to help facilitate such a negotiated settlement.



She referred in this regard to the 2015 Murree talks and efforts under the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) framework; as also her countrys engagement with the Heart of Asia conference, International Contact Group, Moscow Format, and, most recently, the Kabul process, among others.



But she made it clear that while others could help by promoting a negotiated settlement, peace could only be negotiated when the Afghan parties desired it and eschewed a military solution.



She said, Today there is every reason for the Afghan parties, and their friends, to pursue the path of a negotiated peace. All of them face a common threat from ISIS and the terrorist groups affiliated with it.



Among them, the TTP and the Jamatul Ahrar target Pakistan from their bases in Afghanistan.



There is no other country, which will gain more from peace in Afghanistan, Ambassador Lodhi said. We are confident that whatever our differences in the past, in the end, the deep bonds of religion, culture, history and geography between Pakistan and Afghanistan will assert themselves and produce an era of peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation between our nations.



Earlier, in a scathing report Tadamichi Yamamoto, the special representative of the secretary-general, warned that the recent surge of violent attacks in Afghanistan could signal a much worse and more fragile period ahead, as he called for urgent action to strengthen stability, including through improving the governments credibility and urged all parties to exercise restraint and avoid violence.



The months since my last briefing have been unusually tense in Afghanistan,he said. Without enhanced efforts by the National Unity Government to increase political inclusiveness, strengthen accountability, and improve the Governments credibility, particularly in the security sector, we are likely to face more crises in an increasingly fragile environment.
Kulbhushan Jadhav appealed to COAS 23 June, 2017



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Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry

Ways that Players Used to Take Advantage of Slot Sites Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav appealed to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Bajwa for mercy. "Commander Kulbushan Sudhir Jadhav, the serving Indian Naval Officer who has been sentenced to death on charges of espionage, sabotage and terrorism, has made a mercy petition to the Chief of Army Staff," the army's media wing said in a press release issued Thursday.



"In his plea, Commander Jadhav has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions.



"Seeking forgiveness for his actions, he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," the Army said.



Commander Jadhav has reportedly exhausted an appeal to the Military Appellate Court, it emerged from the press release. If his appeal for clemency is rejected by Gen Bajwa, he will have recourse to appeal to President Mamnoon Hussain.



A new confessional video, released by Inter-Services Public Relations along with the news of Jadhav's petition, purports to detail the crimes Jadhav has sought absolution from.



In the video, Jadhav can be heard saying that Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) sponsored various terrorist activities in Pakistan in order to disrupt economic activities linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and foment socio-political disturbance and strife in Balochistan and Karachi.



Jadhav, in his "confession", has said that one Anil Kumar "on behalf of RAW" sponsored terrorist activities in Pakistan. These included encouraging sectarian violence targeting Hazara and Shia citizens, particularly those travelling between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan on pilgrimage.



The purpose of sponsoring various attacks in the region was so that "instability or some kind of fear is set into the mindsets of the people of Pakistan", Jadhav said, saying that the high-profile assassination of Superintendent Police Chaudhry Aslam was an example of the kind of disturbance India wanted to create.



According to Jadhav, RAW also 'directly sponsored' the targeting of Frontier Works Organisation workers in Balochistan and sponsored Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks carried out by "Baloch sub-nationals" within Quetta, Turbat and various other cities of Balochistan.



The spy said that "various financing which subsequently happened for the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and various other Afghan anti-Pakistani terrorist groups led to the attack by TTP on one of the Mehran Naval Bases in which a lot of damage was cost to the Pakistani Navy."



Other attacks that Jadhav said were "funded and directly supported by Anil Kumar" included a "sort of radar installation attack, the Sui pipeline gas attack, then attacks on civilian bus stations where some, I suppose, Pakistani nationals were being targeted by sub-nationals and murdered and massacred" in order to cause disruptions in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).



"He wanted it [the attacks] to be raised to the next level so that complete disruption and complete stoppage of the CPEC between Gwadar and China is achieved," Jadhav added.



A 'military-style' attack on the Pakistani consulate in Zahidan was also planned by RAW officials along with Baloch insurgents, Jadhav confessed.



"The aim was to either attack it with a grenade or some kind of Rocket-Propelled Grenade or IED attack or then try to harm the consul-general or some kind of vicious attack on the Pakistani consulate in Zahidan," he said.



Additionally, he said, RAW had sponsored the creation of a new website for the Baloch movement in addition to handling an existing website "which was luring people from within Pakistan for various activities to be carried out in the future."



Funding for these activities took place through hawala and hundi operations, Jadhav said, with finances moved from Delhi and Mumbai via Dubai into Pakistan.

Jadhav's trial



Jadhav had previously been tried by a Field General Court Martial under Section 59 of the PAA and Section 3 of the official Secret Act of 1923 and sentenced to death.



Jadhav had confessed before a magistrate and court that he was tasked by RAW to plan, coordinate and organise espionage and sabotage activities seeking to destabilise and wage war against Pakistan through impeding the efforts of law enforcement agencies for the restoration of peace in Balochistan and Karachi, the ISPR had said earlier.



Jadhav's first confessional statement was aired by former ISPR head Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, in which the spy admitted to involvement in terror activities in Balochistan and Karachi.



Terming the Indian spy's arrest a 'big achievement', Bajwa said at the time that Jadhav was directly handled by the RAW chief, the Indian National Security Adviser and the RAW joint secretary.



"His goal was to disrupt development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with Gwadar port as a special target," Bajwa had said, adding, "This is nothing short of state-sponsored terrorism... There can be no clearer evidence of Indian interference in Pakistan."



"If an intelligence or an armed forces officer of this rank is arrested in another country, it is a big achievement," Bajwa had said, before going on to play a video of Jadhav confessing to Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) involvement in Balochistan separatist activities in Pakistan.



A 10-member bench of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' top court, is hearing an urgent bid by India to stop Pakistan from executing Jadhav.



The ICJ in a hearing of the case on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav and rejected India's request to delay proceedings in Jadhav's case until December.



India was also ordered to submit a response by September 13 regarding the case.



Rejecting Pakistan's argument that the court did not have jurisdiction in the matter, the court reasoned it could hear the case because it involved, on the face of it, an alleged violation of one of the clauses of the Vienna Convention, which both Pakistan and India ascribe to and whose interpretation falls under its purview.



"[Meanwhile] Pakistan should take all measures to ensure that Mr Jadhav is not executed till the final decision of this court," the court said at the time.
Pak to continue cooperation with USA for peace and security in the region: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday underscored the need for continued cooperation between the United States and Pakistan for peace and security in the region.



Pakistan attaches importance to its relationship with the US. We firmly believe that continued close cooperation between our two countries is critical for promoting peace and security in the region and beyond, FO spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at his weekly media briefing.



Replying to a question about a Reuters report that the Trump administration was mulling a tougher line towards Pakistan, the spokesman refused to directly comment on the contents of the report, but observed that the bilateral relationship was important and there was a need for remaining engaged.



It is said that the Trump administration wants to force Pakistan into addressing its concerns about terrorism. Among the actions being considered by the US against Pakistan are expansion in drone attacks, withholding aid and downgrading Pakistans status as a major non-Nato ally. But no definitive measures have been decided yet, according to the report.



US concerns about Pakistans fight against terrorism precede Trump presidency. The concerns were reiterated during the visit of US National Security Adviser Lt Gen McMaster to Pakistan in April, which was the first high level visit by a senior Trump administration official. Gen McMaster had, during his meetings in Pakistan, stressed the need to confront terrorism in all its forms. In media interviews during his trip, the general had said it was in Pakistans interest to go after terrorist groups less selectively than in the past.



Mr Zakaria rejected US concerns and said: On terrorism, I would like to point out that our counter-terrorism operations are driven by our own national interest and are directed against all terrorists without discrimination and distinction. It remains our firm resolve not to let our soil be used against any country. We are determined to that end.



The US State Departments budget proposals for fiscal 2018 indicate a major cut in funds for Pakistan from its Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme as they recommend a reduction from $255 million in the current fiscal to just $100m in 2018. The Trump administration has further proposed to the State Department to convert the FMF for Pakistan into a loan guarantee.



The spokesman refused to comment on the proposed cut saying it was premature. The budget request, he noted, would undergo vigorous debate and scrutiny by the US Congress.



Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Pakistan on Saturday in an effort to defuse tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.



The Chinese foreign minister will be visiting over the weekend. Both sides will discuss all issues of mutual interest, including the regional situation, the spokesman said.



He said China was an important partner in efforts to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. He recalled that China and Pakistan were working closely under the initiatives like the Quadrilateral Coordination Group and the Heart of Asia Istanbul process, which were aimed at bringing lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.



The Chinese foreign minister will later travel to Afghanistan.



There is a possibility of a trilateral meeting being arranged between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The prospects of the Ukrainian alternative energy

The National Plan of actions for renewable energy provides for an increase in the number of the Ukrainian renewable energy sources (RES) by five times within five years, while the capacity of energy generating stations from biomass should increase 40-fold.

According to preliminary estimates, this plan will require 17 billion euros without taking into account the need to modernize the heat supply sector. To attract this amount of investment, it will naturally be necessary to create favorable economic and legislative conditions.

Note that according to the Secretary General of the European Association of Biomass Jean-Marc Jossar, the share of RES in the European Union today is about 15%, and 60% of this amount is produced by using biomass. Unfortunately, the European economy so far is dependent on the import of fossil fuels, the reduction of which will lead to a decline in economic growth. Thus, the European community needs to develop a reasonable strategy for transferring industry to renewable energy sources.

As for Ukraine, the development of alternative energy sources in the contrary will lead to the development of the economy because, due to the climatic features of the country, biomass is an accessible local resource, and its use will give rise to jobs and increased budget filling due to paid taxes.

Today in Ukraine there are about 300 enterprises producing solid biofuel (fuel pellets and briquettes). At the same time, about 30 million tons of raw materials remain unused, which can be used for the development of this industry. Thus, the Ukrainian economy can replace about 13 billion cubic meters of gas annually.

This scenario corresponds to plans of the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine for 30% reduction of gas consumption in the heating season 2015-2016. It should be noted that in the past heating season, heat generating companies reduced this figure by 23%, consuming 5.6 billion cubic meters of gas instead of 7.3 billion cubic meters. Also, about a quarter of a billion cubic meters was saved by the country's budget organizations.

The lding analyst of the Ukrainian biofuel portal pellet-wood.com Sergei Kozlov believes that a prerequisite for further reducing gas consumption along with market prices is the creation of a favorable investment climate. In the transition period of tariff increases, the government should take advantage of existing experience and make it as easy as possible for companies that are ready to invest in the Ukrainian alternative energy.

The beginning of this was laid last year by transferring budgetary organizations to solid biofuels. In total, the number of such facilities reached 400. In total, more than 140 boiler houses were reequipped in 16 regions of the country, which saved 42 million hryvnia. But this situation concerns only the budgetary sphere. Analysts of the industry consider it necessary to attract investments in other areas to compensate for the difference in tariffs for heat generated by renewable sources of energy.

Following this way, the state simultaneously solves several issues, such as stimulating its own production, reducing the import of hydrocarbons and creating new jobs by increasing the production of alternative fuels.

In addition, it is necessary to develop the mechanisms for implementing alternative energy sources used in the EU countries. Such as, state compensation for the purchase of solid fuel boilers, tax exemptions for the use of local resources and the possibility of selling electricity to national power grids.

Summarizing the all above, it can be stated that the implementation of the action plan for alternative energy primarily depends on the Ukrainian government and its ability to act consistently in the energy sector.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, continued her theme that legislation to repeal and replace President Obama's health care plan is an evolutionary process in which there is potential to improve details of the draft bill the Senate released this week.

"I would anticipate that the bill will have some significant changes before it gets off the Senate floor," she said, in a telephone interview on Friday.

Stefanik said she is pleased the Senate bill includes language to address preexisting conditions, and that it includes a provision New York House Republicans pushed to essentially force New York to phase out county contributions to Medicaid, a health insurance program for the poor, disabled and elderly.

Stefanik said she is concerned about differences in the House and Senate versions in funding earmarked for opioid addiction treatment.

Stefanik said senators will have a chance to propose amendments to the draft bill before a final vote, and she will be networking with members of the Senate about her concerns.

"I think the bill needs to be strengthened," she said.

Stefanik has said on various occasions that she feels legislation should go through the committee process before coming to the floor for a vote.

Asked about the Senate bill being released without going through the committee process, Stefanik said:

"That was in the Senate. The Senate has a different set of rules. The House bill went through the regular set of order."

Stefanik voted in support of the House version, a vote that Democrats in the 21st Congressional District have widely criticized.

Democratic congressional candidate Patrick Nelson, in a press release on Thursday, called the Senate version "Stefanicare 2.0"

"We are deeply concerned and troubled bu this new version," said Nelson, of Stillwater, a political activist and Bernie Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention who is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Stefanik in 2018.
GLENS FALLS  The Warren County SPCA has billed the city of Glens Falls $1,200 for its response to a pit bull attack after the agency with which the city contracts did not respond to calls.

City leaders are questioning the size of the bill.

Glens Falls has long contracted with Kingsbury-based SPCA of Upstate New York for dog control services. But the reorganization in recent years of Warren County SPCA has resulted in that agency getting animal control contracts with numerous towns in the county and seeking the Glens Falls contract.

That has led to some strife between the agencies. Warren County SPCA was turned down by Glens Falls leaders for a contract the last two years but has had to respond to at least two controversial dog calls in Glens Falls over the past year.

The response issues came to a head on June 8, when Glens Falls Police were called to a report of a pit bull attacking people at a home on New Pruyn Street. Officers arrived to find that two people were trapped in a room and that one had been bitten by the dog.

The dog had been chained to a table after it became aggressive, then started dragging the table around the apartment as it tried to get at the residents who took shelter in a room. They had to climb out a window to escape, police said.

Glens Falls Police Capt. Michelle Arnold said police called the numbers the department has for the SPCA of Upstate New York, including the cellphone for Director Cathy Cloutier, but got no response. Arnold said she didnt leave a message because help was needed urgently, and dispatchers had tried unsuccessfully to reach the agency as well.

We needed immediate response, Arnold said. As I was calling, the officer on the scene was asking for additional response because the situation was escalating.

She said she then tried the cellphone for Warren County SPCA Director Jim Fitzgerald, who answered and had staff on the scene in minutes.

SPCA of Upstate New York Executive Director Cathy Cloutier, though, said no messages were left for her, and she did not know until the next day what had occurred. The SPCA of Upstate New York contract calls for daytime response, but the agency does respond at night as well, she said.

The key to anything is leaving a message, she said. I have been out on many calls after hours.

Fitzgerald said he and two animal control officers from his agency were able to get the dog under control and remove it from the home with no additional injuries.

The dog, which the family had purchased days earlier through an online ad, was later euthanized.

Arnold said she did not know the Warren County SPCA would bill the city for its response when she called Fitzgerald.

He has helped us in the past and not charged us, she said.

Glens Falls Mayor Jack Diamond acknowledged the city received the bill, and has asked the Warren County SPCA for more specifics about it before determining whether to pay it.

He said the amount seemed extravagant for the response that occurred.

He also said he was not concerned about the SPCA of Upstate New Yorks performance under its contract. The agencys responsiveness also became an issue last year, when people who were complaining about the treatment of a dog on Maple Street expressed concerns that the SPCA of Upstate New York didnt respond to complaints. Warren County SPCA stepped in to that case as well.

Fitzgerald said his organizations board of directors decided the bill should be sent, simply to be compensated for the work it did, which included capturing and transporting the dog to an animal hospital and administering first aid to a person who jumped out a window to get away from it.

Weve been giving them (Glens Falls) free service for years, he said. We pulled three officers from other towns for this call. This was an emergency and police said, Get here.

Arnold said the Police Department has since worked with the SPCA of Upstate New York to get additional contact information for after-hours response. Cloutier said several additional phone numbers were provided to police.

Glens Falls was paying SPCA of Upstate New York $1,680 a month for its services as of 2016.
















Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Thursday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is trying to trigger war between his arch rival Hamas and Israel by cutting off supplies to the Gaza Strip.





Liberman also reiterated his long-held stance that any future peace agreement will need to be based on a population swap, and noted that such a deal would only come as a result of broader regional cooperation between Israel and relatively moderate Arab states.





Speaking at an annual regional security conference at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center,

Liberman predicted that Abbas would apply increasing pressure on Hamas by limiting supplies to the Gaza Strip, in order to draw it into a war with Israel.





Abbas has recently increased his efforts to wrest control of Gaza from Hamas, a terror group that has ruled the territory ever since driving out Abbass PA forces in a violent coup 10 years ago. The two sides have been at loggerheads ever since.





Abbas is going to soon increase the cutbacks, stop paying wages to Gaza [civil servants] and also [cut] the transfer of fuel and medicines as a double strategy: to harm Hamas and pull Hamas into a war with Israel.





Abbas, he said, was acting unilaterally and without coordination with Israel or Egypt. Liberman assessed that the reason the Oslo Accords signed 25 years ago failed to bring an end to the conflict with the Palestinians was that they were based on a mistaken principle of land for peace. After 25 years we can reach that conclusion, he said. It is an erroneous principle that will create asymmetry because it establishes a Palestinian state that is 100 percent Palestinian and a binational State of Israel that has 22% Palestinians.





Israel is alleged to have carried out several airstrikes in Syria in recent years aimed at preventing game-changing advanced weapons from falling into the hands of the Iran-allied Hezbollah terror group, whose forces have fought in Syria on behalf of the regime in its battle to end a six-year insurgency. Hezbollah is exploiting the situation in Syria in order to set up a front against us on the Golan and to smuggle in advanced weapons and set up a base across from us, Liberman said. Im warning the Syrian regime that it will bear responsibility for that. The Damascus international airport cannot be used to smuggle for Hezbollah. When it reaches a certain point we wont hesitate to act. I hope the US and Russia will reach a good agreement on the Syrian matter, but it wont impinge on our freedom to act in the north.

































Hezbollah has been disguising its terror activities in southern Lebanon and pretending to operate as an environmentalist NGO group they called "Green Without Borders," the IDF said on Thursday.



The Israeli military has learned that the Shi'ite terror organization has been establishing observation posts near the Blue Line bordering Lebanon and Israel, presumably in order to gather intelligence. Hezbollah has been carrying out these activities at least since April, the army added.





In footage released by the army Hezbollah operatives can be seen erecting observation pots. Head of the IDF's Intelligence Branch, Maj.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, spoke about Hezbollah's misleading and dangerous actions in the region, saying that the disguised operations were part of yet another attempt by the terrorist group to "further entrench its terrorist infrastructures [in the area]."



Halevi also said that by acting in such a way, the organization was "once again blatantly breaching UN Resolution 1701," which called for the disarmament of armed groups in Lebanon.



Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, condemned Hezbollah's disguised activity in a letter to the President of the UN Security Council, tweeted by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.





































Israel told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that Hezbollah is establishing observation posts along the Israeli-Lebanese border under cover of a purported environmental NGO.





Israels military intelligence chief on Thursday released film and photographs of the Hezbollah positions at the border fence.





Hezbollahs purported use of such facilities under cover of the NGO is a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, passed at the end of the Second Lebanon War in August 2006. In the letter, Danon called on the council to demand the Lebanese government dismantle the Hezbollah outposts, as required by the resolution.

The letter came on the same day that IDF intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Hertzl Halevi released video and photographs the IDF said showed the installations in question. Hezbollah is using an environmental organization as a cover for activities along the border with Israel, Halevi said.

Speaking at the Herzliya Conference, Halevi warned that Hezbollah blatantly violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701. We call on UNIFIL to undertake its responsibilities  not only in keeping the peace, but in removing the possibility of war.





Israel has long criticized what it considers UNIFILs failure to disarm or meaningfully challenge Hezbollah, as required by the forces mandate.





























Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar issued a steep list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Persian Gulf neighbor shutter Al-Jazeera, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and close down a Turkish military base in Qatar.





In a 13-point list  presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis  the countries also demand that Qatar sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups including Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the list in Arabic from one of the countries involved in the dispute.





Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut ties to Qatar this month over allegations the Persian Gulf country funds terrorism  an accusation that President Donald Trump has echoed. Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands, which include paying an unspecified sum in compensation.





According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalize citizens from the four countries and expel those currently in Qatar, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs.








































































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External factors posing challenge to inflation; both RBI and government are watchful of situation: Sitharaman.

India to become third largest economy in the world in the next 10-15 years, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Economic ties between India and US is stronger than ever before, says Yellen at India-USA Business and Economic Opportunities forum.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
Hoping to do for local union labor what the popular "Shop Local" campaign has done for small business, a Rock Island-based union is rolling out its own campaign: "Quad-City Built. Quad-City Strong."

Leaders of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 25 say the social media campaign is aimed at educating the public and potential customers about the benefits of hiring local labor.

"When out-of-town workers are routinely used to complete building projects, it hurts our community," said Bill Allison, a business agent for Local 25, Rock Island. He said out-of-town contractors and trades might "pay for a hotel room, or eat out a few times. But when they leave, their wages leave with them."

According to Allison, Local 25 wants to raise awareness among those hiring for Quad-City projects and those who patronize the resulting businesses and buildings about the impact of hiring local labor.

The campaign was produced by Nehlsen Communications, Moline.

With the success of nationwide and local campaigns to urge consumers to Buy Local or Shop Small, he said "More people are now making a conscious effort to support local businesses."

Featured on Local 25's website, the "Quad-City Built. Quad-City Strong." campaign spotlights recent projects that have used local labor. It also notes those that have not.

"All we want is the opportunity to bid the project," Allison said. "More often they will find our contractors are competitive if not the low bidder."

To learn more, visit www.lu25.org.

Illinois ag college honors Wyffels

Robert "Bob" Wyffels, co-owner and vice president of production of Wyffels Hybrids, Geneseo, Illinois, has received the highest alumni honor presented by the University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, or ACES.

The Award of Merit recognizes Wyffels for his outstanding lifetime professional achievement, exemplary leadership and service in professional and community organizations.

"Under Bob's leadership, the company earned an outstanding reputation for seed quality, plantability and germination standards," said Mitch Heisler, Wyffels marketing manager. "Bob has been the driving force behind this reputation and he and his team take great pride in finding new ways to improve processes ...."

Along with his brother, William "Bill" Wyffels Jr., and members of the family's third generation, Bob Wyffels has helped make Wyffels Hybrids one of the Corn Belt's fastest growing seed companies.

The business was founded by his parents, William Sr. and Alma Wyffels. When their father died unexpectedly in 1974, Bob and Bill took over the leadership of the company, which at the time sold seeds in a handful of Illinois counties. From one full-time employee, they have grown it to 135 full-time employees and more than 250 seasonal employees and continue to expand. They now serve corn growers in Illinois, Iowa, southern Wisconsin, southwest Minnesota, eastern South Dakota and the Ohio River Valley.

Wyffels has served the seed industry through his membership with the American Seed Trade Association and Illinois Seed Trade Association. In the community, he has served on Geneseo Park Board, Henry County Extension Board and Henry County 4-H Board.

He and his wife, Vicky, have two children, Rachel and Jacob, who also are graduates of the College of ACES.

ADM lands on Forbes' Best Employer list

Archer Daniels Midland Co., with operations in Clinton and Camanche, Iowa, has been selected to Forbes 2017 list of America's Best Employers.

The Forbes list, compiled with online statistics provider Statista, surveyed 30,000 American employees at large and mid-sized employers in 25 different industries. The willingness to recommend one's own employer was considered to be the most important dimension of the assessment.

"ADM is proud to be recognized as one of America's top employers and a great place to build a career," said ADM chairman and CEO Juan Luciano. "We are committed to developing talent, encouraging diversity and inclusion throughout our organization, and offering employees the resources and opportunities they need to grow and flourish in their chosen career."

ADM employs nearly 32,000 worldwide, including about 850 in Clinton and Camanche area where its operations include a corn wet mill, a cogeneration power plant, a bio-processing facility, a grain elevator, barge loading operations and a large trucking operation.
A compelling documentary by Shimon Dotan, The Settlers is a historical and current look at a population of thousands that includes mainly Israeli Jews (along with a few Christians) who live on Israel-occupied Arab territories.

From the first few frames, youll know you are going to see a script that examines a complex issue. The settlers themselves have different versions of what defines a settler and why they live where they do  one man prefers the word inhabitant to the more controversial settler. One even says that settler is a term used by leftists and the media.

All the way through, the settlers themselves, along with rabbis and academics, discuss the controversies and contentions in which they are involved.

One expert says that the settlers are faith-driven people who embrace the notion that land, instead of faith, as the core of identity. The settlers regard Samaria and Judea as their Biblical birthright.

The film traces the settler movement from about 1948 until current times.

One of the interesting figures (and there are many) youll learn about is Hanan Porat, born in Kfar Pines in 1943  he is considered to be the first settler. Porat was among the founders of the Israeli Orthodox Gush Emunim, a group committed to building Jewish towns in the West Bank.

We also learn about settler leader Benny Katzover, another leader of the movement to build settlements over four decades on the West Bank. In the 1970s, he led the first group of settlers in the northern part of the West Bank and later helped establish the Elon Moreh settlement.

I like the way that the film uses archival footage and real interviews with various leaders and settlers to create an expansive portrait of what motivates settlers and how some of the settlements began. We see Menachem Begin, who was the sixth Prime Minister of Israel, celebrating with settlers in 1977. In the future, there will be many settlements, he says.

Toward the end of the movie, the Hilltop Youth are depicted as a group of religious nationalist settlers who believe that Palestinians must be expelled from the Holy Land. Some of those depicted here speak openly of being motivated by hatred  a couple of scenes are quite chilling - and we see violence in some footage.

Certainly, audiences interested in world history should see this film, particularly if they are not very familiar with the settlement movement. Older students and history enthusiasts should find this a must-see. Its a well-constructed documentary that provides another perspective on the complex issues of the Middle East.
The pews were filled, the choir sang, organ music filled the air and more than 100 bishops, priests and deacons filed into the circular confines of St. John Vianney Catholic Church for the ordination of Bishop Thomas Zinkula.

Zinkula, 60, a native of Mount Vernon, Iowa, was ordained Thursday as the ninth bishop in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport.

The official service was held on a sunny afternoon in Bettendorf because the bishop's cathedral, Sacred Heart, is being renovated.

"I don't know whose buttons are bursting more with pride, the Zinkula family or the people from the Dubuque diocese," Archbishop Michael Jackels said. He leads the Archdiocese of Dubuque and presided over most of the two-hour event.

Zinkula, one of nine children of the late Robert and Mary Zinkula, grew up on a farm outside of Mount Vernon. He became a priest in 1990, in his late 20s, after careers as an actuarial and a lawyer.

The bishop's family sat front-and-center at St. John Vianney, and some of the youths took part in the elaborate service. Readings, from Isaiah and from 2nd Timothy, were given in Spanish and in Vietnamese. Readers were Mauri Hernandez and Trien Ngo.

The Gospel was from the Book of John and delivered by Jackels. "I am the good shepherd," he read. "I will lay down my life for the sheep."

The representative of Pope Francis in the United States is Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio. It was Pierre who officially invited Zinkula, a monsignor in the Dubuque Diocese, to take over for retiring Bishop Martin Amos.

For his part, Pierre talked about the visit of Pope John Paul II to Des Moines 38 years ago, and then looked for Amos in the crowd. "Where is he?"

Amos has led the diocese since 2006 and is credited with heading up a financial turn-around in the 22-county area of southeast Iowa.

The former bishop was saluted by an enthusiastic standing ovation from the faithful gathered at St. John Vianney.

Pierre officially named Zinkula as the new bishop and asked the people of the diocese to give him a warm welcome.

"May you grow each day in faith, hope and love," he said, reading from a document from the pope.

Zinkula took the document and walked around the church, showing it to the worshipers.

Jackels gave the homily, talking about the role of bishops in the church and of the work of St. Paulinus, in the fifth century. June 22 is the feast day of the saint, who gave of himself to help a young boy in slavery. Jackels said the story shows the heart of a bishop is with his people.

"Jesus, gift of self is at the heart of Christian holiness," he said. At that, Jackels asked Zinkula several questions to discern his worthiness for the new position. An example: "Do you resolve to be welcoming and merciful to the poor and to strangers?"

"I do," Zinkula replied.

"Receive the mitre (the head-dress for bishops) and may the splendor of holiness shine within you," the archbishop said.

With the mitre on his head, Zinkula walked in front of each group gathered in St. John Vianney, including priests, deacons, members of religious orders and lay people, and all bowed to the new bishop.

Zinklula addressed the crowd to end the service, using a self-deprecating sense of humor.

He saluted Pierre and said that if anyone is unhappy with Zinkula, "Blame him. He talked me into this."

Zinkula led another salute to Amos and thanked his friends and his family. Family members keep him humble, he said.

When he told his family he had been invited to become a bishop, "They said, 'What was the Pope thinking?'" When he asked the siblings to pray for him, they said, "Pray for you? We should pray for the people of Davenport!"

The new bishop said he will make some mistakes, but he is excited about the post and promises to try his very best.

"Pray for me as I will for thee, that we merrily may meet in heaven," he said, to quote Thomas More, a counselor to King Henry VIII in England. At that, the ordination and installation service ended.

The event wrapped up with a private reception at the Radisson Hotel, Davenport.
Two Dubuque men have been charged in a bank robbery earlier this year in Maquoketa, Iowa.

Dante Rhodes, 41, and Gregory Stapleton, 31, both of Dubuque, were charged this week in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids in the March bank robbery of Fidelity Bank and Trust in Maquoketa.

The indictment claims that, on or about March 8, 2017, Rhodes and Stapleton robbed the Fidelity Bank and Trust in Maquoketa, taking more than $6,500 during the robbery. The indictment also claims that Rhodes and Stapleton conspired to rob the bank and that Stapleton went to the bank the day before the robbery to case it.

If convicted of both charges, Rhodes and Stapleton each face a maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, $200 in special assessments and six years of supervised release following any imprisonment. They also may be ordered to pay restitution.

Both Rhodes and Stapleton will appear for an arraignment on June 28. They are currently being held in custody without bond.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Maquoketa and Dubuque police departments.

-- Times staff
A Moline woman has been charged with disorderly conduct in Rock Island Circuit Court after police say she filed a false report of sexual assault against an Illinois state trooper.

Zabina J. Buchanan, 44, was arrested Friday and was being held in the Rock Island County Jail on a $75,000 bond. Disorderly conduct is a Class 4 felony punishable by one to three years in prison.

Illinois State Police said in a news release Friday that Buchanan was stopped by the trooper for traveling the wrong way on a one-way street in Moline on April 14.

She was subsequently arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the release.

During her arrest and when she arrived at the Rock Island County Jail, Buchanan made numerous sexual assault allegations against the trooper, according to the release.

State police immediately initiated an investigation into the allegations and ultimately determined that the allegations were false, according to the release.

The case was turned over the Rock Island County States Attorney Office, which approved the new charge against Buchanan.

Integrity is one of the ISPs core values, District 7 Commander Capt. Victor Markowski said. Any allegations of misconduct against our officers are taken very seriously.

-- Times staff
A Muscatine woman was given a deferred judgement and placed on three years of probation for her role in an assault and robbery in Davenport in March.

Kayla A. Herbert, 20, was also ordered to pay $650 in restitution. If she completes the terms of her probation, the conviction will not be entered on her record.

She pleaded guilty to conspiracy and third-degree robbery. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dismissed an additional charge of second-degree kidnapping.

The incident happened about 5:40 p.m. March 5, according to police.

Police say Herbert and co-defendants Zachary D. Adcock and Robert A. Cornell conspired to pick up a woman in Davenport and take her to a separate location, where they assaulted her.

They then took her against her will to another location. She began to yell for help and tried to kick out the window in Adcock's vehicle in an attempt to escape, according to police.

Adcock was armed with a loaded .380-caliber pistol and pointed it at the woman. Herbert and Cornell grabbed her and prevented her from escaping. Cornell then stole $2,745 that was in the woman's bra, according to police.

The money was later found in Herbert's purse and scattered throughout Adcock's vehicle. The firearm also was recovered, according to police.

The three were arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy.

Cornell, 24, of Moscow, Iowa, pleaded guilty in late May to conspiracy and third-degree robbery. He will be sentenced Friday, June 30.

Cornell remained in the Scott County Jail on Friday afternoon.

Adcock, 21, also of Muscatine, has a final pretrial conference Sept. 13. He is charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony.

He remains free on bond.
After almost three decades at Black Hawk College, President Bettie Truitt has decided to retire.

Truitt, 52, announced her decision to the Board of Trustees this week, and it will become reality in December.

"I wanted to give ample notice," she said.

Truitt essentially grew up with Black Hawk. Her father, born in Belgium, immigrated to the Quad-Cities in the 1950s and enrolled in what was then Moline Community College.

When she was 10 years old, Truitt walked through the halls of the college with her dad.

"I looked around and said, 'Poppy I sure would like to be president here some day,'" Truitt told the Times in 2014, when she was named to the post.

She still lives in East Moline, just a few blocks from Black Hawk's Quad-Cities campus in Moline.

Still, 29 years is long enough for one job, even though she loves it, Truitt said. Her husband is retired and has been waiting for her to join him. The two will travel  a lot  in the future.

In the meantime, Truitt sees Black Hawk as a "fantastic place to work." She got her first job at the school as a math instructor, working for 18 years with students in the transfer program.

Her first year on the job was in the late 1980s and she had 180 students in six classes.

In 2007, Truitt became interim dean of instruction and academic support and then got that dean's job until 2012. That year, she became a vice president and added student services to her responsibilities.

In June 2014, she was named executive vice president and was named to the head office in December 2014.

When she went into the vice president of instruction position, it gave her a completely different level of understanding for what the needs of the students were, she said in the 2014 interview.

The community is a huge support to Black Hawk, Truitt said, and she loves working with the people, and students.

The ongoing budget battles in Illinois are the least favorite part of the job and have been tough on community colleges, she said.

"But we have so many dedicated individuals at Black Hawk," she said. "We are doing our best in these challenging times to create the atmosphere of success.

"It's just been wonderful to work here, every day."

Truitt enjoys challenges, such as matching Black Hawk programs to what the district needs and what the community needs.

This was demonstrated in the $13 million Health Sciences Center, which opened in 2015. At the ribbon-cutting event, Truitt was one of the people to arrive in an ambulance, sirens screaming. The vehicle was later used in the school's health programs.

Last August, Black Hawk added veterinary programs and put up a $6.9 million building for large and small animals at the district's East Campus in Galva, Illinois.

The veterinary sciences classes are now full, and Truitt sees that as another success story.

She also touts the transfer program, where she worked for 18 years. This allows students the low cost at Black Hawk  essentially $4,500 per year  and then to transfer "very successfully" to a four-year college.

Rick Fiems, chairman of the college's Board of Trustees sees Truitt's retirement as a loss for the college.

"Dr. Truitt has steered the college through some very rough waters during her time as president, and her efforts are greatly appreciated," Fiems said.

Truitt will work with administrators on the transition of a new person to the president's position.

After December, she and her husband will travel and "take time to relax a bit," she said.
MUSCATINE  Muscatine City Administrator Gregg Mandsager says Mayor Diana Broderson needs approval from the city council to hold Coffee with the Mayor.

Broderson plans to hold one Saturday at 9 a.m. at Happy Joe's at 203 Lake Park Blvd., Muscatine, her first since being returned to office by a district court judge.

The public events were one of the issues that led the city council to remove her from office last month.

Mandsager said under city code, if the events qualify as a committee or task force, which require city council approval.

"[I] simply wish that the mayor would follow the process," Mandsager said. "It either is an official committee that needs council approval or, if it is not a committee, then it is outside the scope of her authority."

Mandsager said the city code was updated in 2015, and places the sole authority to form ad hoc committees or task forces with the council.

Broderson has argued "previous mayors...had radio or T.V. shows," and she contends this is just another way to to that outreach.

"It's two different codes you're dealing with," Mansager said. "For example former Mayor (DeWayne) Hopkins and the Chinese committee he established, he took that committee and turned it over to a private group of citizens."

In an interview, Alderman Michael Rehwaldt dispute other contentions Broderson has made, and added city officials should not be blamed for the high legal fees related to her removal, and her pending appeal.

"The expense is not caused by the council spending money, the expense is caused by her conduct," he said. "Her conduct has caused the spending of, on average, $12,000 a month in legal fees."

Mandsager and Rehwaldt said they do not plan to attend Coffee with the Mayor on Saturday, but cannot speak for other council members. Mandsager emphasized every elected official has their own opinion.
1. Rain gives way to cooler temps

A good Friday to all. Early-morning thunderstorm are leaving the Quad-City metro area after a dazzling natural fireworks display of thunder and lightning.

What's next?

Here are the weather details from the National Weather Service.

Today scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible before 7 a.m. Otherwise the day will be mostly sunny with a high near 79 degrees. North winds between 10 to 15 mph will gust as high as 25 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 55 degrees. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Saturday will be mostly sunny with a high near 73 degrees and a low around 51 degrees.

Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high near 71 degrees and a low around 52 degrees.

2. Hundreds hit the pavement in first Bix at Six

The first Bix at Six training run kicked off last night along 4th Street in Davenport. Hundreds of runners were rerouted up Pershing Avenue while construction on Brady Street continues. The Quad-City Times Bix 7 race is Saturday, July 29. Check out these photos from the Bix at Six.

3. Bustos: Q-C rail garners more support

A Federal Railroad Administration official said Thursday the agency is committed to working with the state of Illinois to complete a passenger rail connection between the Quad-Cities and Chicago.

Meanwhile, a state official said a much anticipated agreement between the state and the railroad that owns much of the track between here and Chicago has been signed. Read more.

4. Davenport woman charged with child endangerment

A Davenport woman was arrested Thursday after police say she assaulted her 12-year-old daughter with an extension drop cord Wednesday.

Felicia Ann Brown, 40, was booked into the Scott County Jail at 1:52 p.m. Thursday on one count of child endangerment, a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Read more.

5. Walmart extends pickup service to Silvis store

6. He doesn't remember killing a man

Curtis Fry lost a couple of hours in 2008. He wishes he could get them back. The former Wilton High School and St. Ambrose University athlete doesnt remember anything about what took place in the wee hours of Feb. 7, 2008. What he does know is that he was exceedingly drunk and killed a man he didnt know.

Fry, raised in a Christian ministry by parents who have devoted their lives to helping troubled boys, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Jerome Patrick McEwen of Iowa City.

Although he doesnt recall exactly what happened, he does not deny being responsible for McEwens death.

Fry, 30, served 4 years of a 10-year sentence and now is determined to devote the rest of his life to making sure others dont make the same mistake he did. Read the rest of his story later today at qctimes.com and Sunday in print editions of the Quad-City Times.
States' rights be damned.

Those are the Cliffs Notes of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' letter to Congress that could undermine burgeoning medical marijuana programs in Iowa and Illinois.

In a letter to Congress made public last week, Sessions sought the lifting of protections from federal prosecution for state-run programs. And the entire basis for Sessions' argument for a federal crackdown flies in the face of accepted science.

No surprises there.

Sessions talks of a "drug crisis." He mentions spiking crime. And likens state-licensed growers to "dangerous drug traffickers who threaten American lives."

Apparently, the U.S. attorney general isn't one for nuance.

The "drug crisis" Sessions hits has nothing to do with medical marijuana. It's an opiate epidemic that's overtaking small-town America, birthed by the medical industries' over-reliance on powerful pain killers. Heroin has become the fallback for those whose prescriptions run out. By linking the opiate epidemic to state-run pot programs, Sessions is giving voice to an outdated, flatly false narrative that's militarized police and ruined millions of lives.

But, perhaps, it's even more shocking that Sessions' apparent desire for crackdown would do real harm to so many Iowans and Illinoisans. From veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress to those battling cancer, the clinical application of marijuana is all but established fact.

It's these people whom Sessions hopes to rob of valuable treatment. And, ironically, his backward policy would leave many with few options but the very prescription drugs that actually are damaging communities.

The U.S. attorney general has been all over the map on state's rights and the 10th Amendment. One day, he's shouting from the rooftops about the importance of local control. The next, he's seeking a federal crackdown.

It all boils down to whether he personally supports the state-level policy. Such inconsistency smacks of a lack of principle.

It would be an understatement to call Illinois' medical marijuana program cautious. The state's multi-year pilot program was rolled out slowly. Only now is it getting legitimately established. Iowa's program is downright prudish, considering the growing scientific consensus on pot's medical value. Just this year, did lawmakers finally OK a licensing program for growers, and this program is only for the oil extracted from the plant.

To hear Sessions tell it, both states are slinging joints to toddlers.

Some states are certainly testing the feds. Colorado and Washington state have both adopted full-fledged legalization, an effort designed to address draconian laws that sent a disproportionate number of young, black men to prison. Many others have followed suit. More than half the states in the country now tout a medical or recreational program.

In short, the Nixonian drug war is heading toward its rightful home, the trash heap of misguided policy.

Marijuana's place in society has changed drastically in the past decade. So, too, has the public's opinion on it, polls show.

Thousands of Iowans and Illinoisans benefit from the state-run programs. And thousands more stand to as research continues to legitimate its place as a viable treatment for those in pain.

But Jeff Sessions doesn't seem to care about the collateral damage. He's too busy fighting a war that never should have existed.
TEA | The organization responsible for a system that delivers water to towns and rural water systems in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota has awarded a contract to construct a pipeline.

The Lewis and Clark Regional Water System board of directors said Thursday that a roughly $2.2 million contract has been awarded to Winter Brothers Underground, of Sioux Falls, to construct the 3.8-mile MCWC-East service line along Six Mile Road in southeastern Sioux Falls.

After the pipeline and a meter building are completed, the infrastructure will provide a third and last connection for Minnehaha Community Water Corporation. Nearly $2.7 million had originally been budgeted for the work.
SIOUX FALLS | Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether says he will not seek the U.S. House seat being vacated by Kristi Noem.

Huether's second term as mayor ends next May, and there had been some speculation that he might make a run for Congress. He announced Wednesday that he will not do so, despite encouragement "from folks all across the great state of South Dakota."

Huether did not say what his plans are after he leaves the mayor's office.

The one-time Democrat announced earlier this year that he was changing his affiliation to independent.

Noem plans to run for governor next year.
Moscow court to examine lawfulness of Rusnano top manager detention

MOSCOW, June 23 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  The Moscow City Court is to examine the lawfulness of detention of Andrey Gorkov, a managing director of the state-owned technology corporation Rusnano, charged with abuse of his position in the company, the courts spokesperson Yunona Tsareva told RAPSI on Friday.

Earlier this month, Gorkov appealed his detention in the case over embezzlement of more than 700 million rubles ($11.7 million at the current exchange rate).

On June 11, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow detained Gorkov until August 9 in the case over machinations with corporations assets. Investigators believe that in 2011-2013 Gorkov was transferring Rusnanos assets to the Smolensky Bank under the guise of provision of cash services, in effect financing its activity. The top manager denies guilt and notes that he did not have the right to manage corporations money at the moment of revocation of the banks license in 2014.

As a result, Rusnano lost over 738 million rubles ($12.3 million) and, according to investigators, 400 million ($7 million) were allocated to Gorkovs brother, who is at this time wanted by the police, a day before the license was revoked.
HELENA  Environmental groups plan to crash the homecoming in Montana next week of President Donald Trump's Interior Department secretary with billboards, television ads and speeches to pressure him on issues from national monuments to sage grouse.

Ryan Zinke is scheduled to address the Western Governors Association's annual conference Tuesday in the town of Whitefish, which he represented as a state lawmaker from 2009 to 2011.

He will be welcomed by billboards urging him not to touch the Upper Missouri River Breaks, one of two dozen national monuments he's reviewing to eliminate or scale back protections.

Television ads will air during the conference telling him to leave alone a conservation plan by the Obama administration and 11 Western states to protect the sage grouse, an imperiled bird.

Advocates will give speeches in a downtown Whitefish park the day before Zinke's address, calling on the interior chief to better protect public lands.

"Welcome home," said Larry Epstein, a member of group renting the billboards that supports the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. "We hope to get the attention of Secretary Zinke and the Western governors."

Eleven governors, their staffs, lobbyists, business representatives and special interest groups will meet in the resort town near Glacier National Park on topics that include the Endangered Species Act, forest management and ties with Canada.

Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift and the Department of Interior press office did not return email queries for comment.

Supporters of the Trump administration's plans to review and possibly loosen existing land and wildlife protections are dismayed by the heavy investment that environmentalists are making to confront Zinke on his home turf.

Ron Poertner, one of about 120 ranchers, farmers and landowners who live in or use the Upper Missouri River Breaks and favor reducing the size of the 590-square-mile national monument, said they can't compete with that level of organization and money.

"We're haying, we're still spraying weeds, we're still doing farm work," Poertner said. "To say, 'Let's take a bus and do some counter-protesting,' there's no way."

The Montana monument, created in 2001 just before President Bill Clinton left office, includes federal, state and private land that surrounds a 149-mile stretch of the Missouri River that is mostly unchanged since Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery traversed it in the early 1800s.

Zinke is reviewing it and 23 other monuments in a report that will recommend whether they should be resized or eliminated.

Opponents of changes, such as Epstein's Hold Our Ground group, say the review is a waste of taxpayer money by rehashing already settled arguments. Supporters like Poertner are worried they'll be squeezed off the land and say presidents have too much power to unilaterally designate national monuments.

Zinke's Interior Department also is reviewing the land-use policies implemented in 2015 as a way of preventing even stricter policies to protect the sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

The conservation group Western Values Project is launching a television ad campaign for the Western Governors Association meant to ratchet up pressure on both Zinke and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.

"It appears Secretary Zinke wants to scrap all the work done by to Western communities, coalitions, sportsmen and women, wildlife managers, private landowners, and industry groups," Executive Director Chris Saeger said in a statement. "If Governor Bullock has an audience with Secretary Zinke next week, he must use it to insist that Interior continue with the sage-grouse plans."
MISSOULA  Markus Kaarma has asked the United States Supreme Court to review his 2014 Missoula murder conviction.

Kaarma was found guilty of deliberate homicide in December 2014 for shooting and killing 17-year-old German exchange student Diren Dede, who went into Kaarmas Grant Creek garage in April of that year, apparently looking to steal alcohol.

He first appealed his conviction in late 2015, with the Montana Supreme Court deciding in February to uphold his 70-year prison sentence, which includes a 20-year restriction before he is eligible for parole.

The U.S. Supreme Court accepts very few cases for review, typically reserving its judgments for those that involve significant, unsettled constitutional or legal questions.

Kaarmas attorneys Nate Holloway and David Maldonado wrote in their filing that the case raises a pair of critical questions of the Sixth Amendment: the right to an impartial jury and the ability of someone accused in a criminal case to control his own defense.

The request to the U.S. Supreme Court, called a petition for a writ of certiorari, includes a smaller number of issues than Kaarmas appeal to Montanas high court. It focuses on whether his requests to have the trial moved because of intense media coverage should have been granted and whether certain jury instructions given at trial should have been allowed.

In a small-town setting, the sensational nature of this charge had a massive impact on the community. A firestorm of publicity ensued, Kaarmas attorneys wrote.

They also took issue with the jury instructions given by Missoula County District Court Judge Ed McLean. The jury was told about Kaarmas claim of justifiable use of force in the defense of an occupied structure  which under the law allows deadly force if the occupant is subject to bodily harm, thinks they are in danger of bodily harm, or to stop a forcible felony.

Kaarmas attorneys wrote that over their objection at trial, the prosecution proposed adding the second set of instructions about defense of a person, where the use of force for self-defense must be proportional to the harm or threat.

Kaarma was denied the ability to proceed on the defense of his choosing. The elements were different and the instruction the State requested clearly imposed a higher burden before he could exercise deadly force, Kaarmas attorneys wrote in their petition. This violated Kaarmas autonomy and dignity to control his own defense and runs so contrary to the trial framework that it warrants reversal.

In denying Kaarmas appeal earlier this year, the Montana Supreme Court said while there had been widespread media attention, they did not believe it was enough to have prejudiced a jury pool against him to the point he could not have a fair trial in Missoula. The state justices also found that the jury instructions had reflected the testimony and evidence presented at trial.

Even if the highest court in the country declines to take up his case, Kaarma could continue to challenge his conviction with a civil suit.
Two years ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) placed controversial, sweeping regulations on the internet. The goal was worthwhile  to establish universal net neutrality rules to protect consumers and content alike. However, rather than construct a modern regulatory framework for ever-evolving services, regulators simply jammed the internet into ill-suited public utility regulations, known as Title II. This model dates back to the Great Depression, a time when the most sophisticated and advanced communications method was a rotary telephone.

The internet has famously benefited from a careful regulatory balance that allowed the internet to evolve. Avoiding heavy-handed regulations spurred on incredible growth over the last two decades. Our telecommunication abilities have skyrocketed from the days of the dial-up modem to todays broadband and the lightning fast speeds and boundless possibilities of new wireless networks on the horizon. This exciting period of constant innovation transformed our society in ways too numerous to count. The approach was working, but officials changed it anyway.

During the debate, critics warned that applying the antiquated Title II regulations to the internet would stifle investment of new broadband infrastructure. To no ones surprise those predictions are coming true as reports indicate that broadband investment is already lower than predicted.

When broadband companies are forced to slow down development of their networks, some of the first places to be impacted are rural areas where deployment of new technologies is more challenging and costly due to geographic limitations. So it goes without saying, the FCCs public utility regulation has already hampered the expansion of new broadband services to rural Montanans.

It should come as no surprise that broadband investment has diminished under utility regulations. The regime put in place by the FCC essentially requires a government permission slip for internet companies to offer new services or experiment with new products and offerings for consumers.

Thats simply crazy and its the antithesis of how such an important part of our economy should function. No one should have to get permission from a government regulator to expand their business or develop new ideas.

The debate over the utility regulations has been wrongly confused with net neutrality. Repealing the FCCs Title II regulations does not and should not equate to allowing broadband providers to slow, block or discriminate against types of specific users or content. Moreover, the ongoing regulatory back and forth on this issues has left many concerned with that net neutrality principles will never be permanently enshrined.

So lets have Congress specifically address it.

This is a critical issue for Montana. If we want equal opportunity for students in Montana, if we want to encourage the use of technology in more sectors of our local economies to spur job creation, and if we want our burgeoning tech industry to continue to grow, we need to encourage broadband deployment and investment.

Congress needs to step in and codify open internet principles into law. This would provide certainty, encourage innovation and finally put the issue to rest.

Senator Daines will have a key role in this debate in Congress. Let us encourage him to work with his colleagues to establish clear and lasting legislation to secure net neutrality once and for all.

Senator Fred Thomas is the Senate Majority Leader in the Montana State Senate.
The other day I was privileged to attend a meeting sponsored by the Montana Human Rights commission and St Paul Episcopal Church featuring Soft Landing Montana, a group which works with refugees living in Missoula. The purpose was not to bring refugees to the Bitterroot, as has been erroneously reported by word of mouth, but to show how passionate people can organize grass-root organizations to help those in need.

Sadly, there are many need to respond to in the Bitterroot Valley. We have many who cannot find work, afford housing, get the job training they need, or find transportation. We have people who have not finished their education, pregnant teenagers, a high incidence of suicidal ideation, and a significant problem with chemical addiction. Right now we do not need to meet the needs of refugees for there are none in the Bitterroot, but it is time that we stopped talking about these problems and start to do something about them.

It is hardly a new idea. In Hamilton have such organizations a SAFE, CASA, the Bitterroot Humane Society, Haven House and other have come into existence not because of our reliance on the Federal Government but because local people struggled to open and maintain them. There are others in formation. Here in the Bitterroot, there is one dealing on homelessness and lack of affordable housing that I belong to, and I am sure that there are others, but we have so many other needs. Veterans, children with reading disabilities, pregnant teenagers, high school drop outs, lack of jobs and hundreds of other issues face the Bitterroot, and we need to move beyond the expectation that Washington DC is going to fix these problems. The simple truth is that we need to continue to evolve into the sort of community where people actively and enthusiastically work to help others rather than be like so much of our society today that expects someone else to solve the problem.

As a Christian, my hope and belief is rooted in the dream that compassionate and caring people will continue to seek to help others in our community. I saw this last year when we served as the clothing drop off point for the Roaring Lion Fire, and I see it every day in the work of volunteers throughout the community. I thank everyone who has in any way reached out to those in need and will continue to do so,

 Richard Seaver Reynolds, Priest-in-Charge, The Bitterroot Episcopal Churches
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Playhouse Square Foundation's plan to add high-rise housing to downtown's theater district won rave reviews and initial design approval from the Cleveland City Planning Commission on Friday morning.

The commission gave its conceptual OK to the 34-story project, a glass-and-metal-clad apartment building and garage that will replace a parking lot at East 17th Street and Euclid Avenue. The nonprofit foundation, a theater-district steward with a robust presence in real estate, aims to start construction in late 2017. If that timeline holds, the 319-unit building would open by early 2020.

Playhouse Square will own the project. Hines, a global real estate firm that has built residential and office towers elsewhere, is playing the role of development manager, but will not be an owner.

Devon Patterson of SCB points to a contextual model of the planned Playhouse Square tower during Friday's Cleveland City Planning Commission meeting.

That structure evolved to address the challenges of building from the ground up in Cleveland, where rents aren't high enough to generate the returns that private developers and real estate investors expect on their money.

As a nonprofit focused on the long-term health of the district, Playhouse Square has a different perspective and is willing to accept more modest profitability.

"We at Playhouse Square see this as a working endowment, as an important part of the overall plan," Art Falco, the organization's president and chief executive officer, told the planning commission. "Playhouse Square has never developed such an important project."

Devon Patterson, a principal at architecture firm SCB, described a building that will enliven a quiet corner just steps away from offices, restaurants and more than 10,000 theater seats. The facade of the apartment building will shift, at points, to capture views of downtown, Lake Erie and Progressive Field. A residential deck atop the four-story, 550-space parking garage will include a swimming pool, gathering spaces and a dog park.

A model shows how the planned 34-story tower will fit into downtown Cleveland's theater district.

The project won't feature street-level retail, a decision that disappointed members of a city design-review committee at a public meeting earlier this month.

But Playhouse Square expects to line the garage along Euclid with shallow display bays that could, if more demand for shopping materializes, be expanded into storefronts.

Lillian Kuri, a planning commission member, applauded Playhouse Square for carving out that placeholder space. "We don't see that very often," she said. "It's a liner building for the future. It can't truly be that today, but that's understandable."

Renderings show that the garage's metal-paneled facade would function as a screen, a projection surface for images or videos tied to Broadway shows or district events.

The project team could come back to the planning commission for final approval within a month. "We'd actually like to put a shovel in the ground before the end of this year," Falco said.
Guwahati, June 23 : Apex industry association of the North East, the Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) has moved both the Centre and the State government in its persistent efforts to push for a better and focussed industrial policy as well as highlighting issues regarding GST and its impact on industrialisation in the Region.

Addressing a press conference held in Guwahati on Friday Bajrang Lohia, Vice President, Finer said that any dilution in benefits to industrial units under the old industrial policy will be detrimental to the cause of industries in the North East and that the benefits must be retained for industrialisation and investment in the Region.

"Over the past few weeks, FINER has submitted representations before Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, DoNER minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi and discussed issues related to NEIIPP and GST.

The team requested for a focussed industrial policy for North East and sought greater clarity on how the Central excise duty refund, currently eligible for Industries set up pursuant to NEIIPP, would continue under the GST regime," Lohia said.

Under the NEIIPP 2007, the units that have come in the North East were promised 100 per cent refund of excise duty paid (i.e. net of Cenvat Credit).

With the announcement of GST, apparently the refunds would be restricted to 58% by the Central government. The fate of the balance 42 % of the refunds accruing is unknown.

Speaking on the occasion, Amit Kumar Jain, Past Vice Chairman, FINER, said that the draft of the new industrial policy was ready but with the GST being rolled out next month, the policy might get a little delayed.

It transpired during the meetings FINER had with Central ministers and bureaucrats that the new industrial policy being prepared will be for three years while the benefits to industrial units in the Region will be for five years.

"The earlier policy had benefitted many industries in the remote areas of the Region and investments by big companies have taken place," Jain said.

While the Goods and Service Tax (GST) is slated for a July 1, 2017 implementation, some crucial issues regarding industries, and with especial reference to Assam and North East, are still unclear.

The issue of how the central excise duty refund, currently eligible for Industries set up pursuant to the NEIPP policy would continue under the GST regime is still not clear as there was no mechanism for it.

In regard to GST, FINER had requested the Centre that there should not be any dilution in refunds and that the promised incentives are not altered under the new regime.

FINER delegation comprising President Pabitra Buragohain and Vice President Bajrang Lohia had on June 20 held discussions with Assam Finance Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and Industry Minister Shri Chandra Mohan Patowary on and handed over separate representations on Excise refund, other high impact issues under the GST regime.

Both ministers were positive and advised that they would request Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to immediately write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi impressing upon these issues.

It may be mentioned that FINER had submitted a detailed memorandum incorporating the suggestions for a New Industrial Policy for the North East to NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on March 15, 2017.

Ever since, FINER has been taking up crucial issues relating to the NEIIPP in a bid to push for restoration of the NEIIPP Policy have a new policy framework in place.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, June 23 : Security forces had apprehended four militants including a top leader of United People's Liberation Front (UPLF) in two separate operations launched by the security personnel in Assam, officials said.

Huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered in possession from them.

Based on specific intelligence regarding the movement of a top commander of United People's Liberation Front, a joint team of troops of Red Horns Division under Gajraj Corps of the Indian Army and police launched an operation at the wee hours on June 21.

Guwahati based Defence PRO said that, timely and well executed operation resulted in apprehension of the Chairman of UPLF 'Garang Gajao' along with one .22 mm Pistol (Made in Chile) and six live rounds from Lahorijan area of East Karbi Anglong.

Reportedly, the activities of UPLF had started increasing in the border areas of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts with the tacit support of other militant groups. *

"Garang Gajao, a Myanmar trained cadre has been involved in mobilizing cadres and raising funds for strengthening UPLF as Chairman of the outfit.

He has also reportedly been involved in many subversive activities in the region. The apprehension of Garang Gajao has dealt a severe blow to nefarious designs of militant groups to disturb the peace and harmony in the Hill districts of karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao," the Defence PRO said.

In an another case, troops of Red Horns Division under Gajraj Corps of the Indian Army launched a joint operation on June 22 with Udalguri police based on specific input in order to nab suspected AANLA militants in general area Naobandha in Udalguri district.

An ambush was laid on the expected route of insurgents and during the ambush movement of three suspected individuals was seen.

The militants were challenged by ambush party but on being challenged all three tried to run away but the ambush party was able to apprehend them.

The nabbed militants were identified are as Johan Xalxo, Amruss Orang and Lieus Orang.

All three militants are resident of village Deochunga, PS Goreswar, District Baksa.

Security personnel had recovered one 0.22 mm factory made pistol with magazine and three lives rounds, one 7.65 mm factory made pistol with magazine and three lives rounds, one 9 mm factory made pistol without magazine and two lives rounds and one country made single shot gun in possession from them.

The apprehension of these three AANLA militants with huge recovery is seen as a great achievement as all individuals were on the run and police was also tracing them for a long time.

It is a major setback for AANLA group who is already in a dilapidated state.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, June 23 : Security forces on Friday morning had apprehended six hardcore militants including a ULFA (I) from the area along Meghalaya-Bangladesh border.

Assam police ADGP (Special Branch) Pallav Bhattacharya said that, following intelligence input, Assam police with the help of Meghalaya police and other security agencies had jointly launched operation along the international border with Bangladesh near Dawki and nabbed the militants.

"Intelligence Bureau (IB) informed us about movement of a militant group comprising by ULFA (I) and NDFB (S) at International bordering area. Following IB input, a team of Assam police had camped at the area to vigil the militants movement,"Bhattacharya said.

The top Assam cops said that, security personnel had apprehended six militants of the group from the area on Friday morning.

Among the nabbed militants, five are belonging to NDFB (S) and rest one to ULFA (I).

Meanwhile, a top source said that, huge cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered in possession from them.

The source said that, two top leaders of the outfit groups are included among them.

Several militants groups of North East India including ULFA (I), NDFB (S), Garo outfit GNLA are active along the bordering areas with Bangladesh and these outlawed groups set up few camps on the soil of the neighbouring county.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
KATHMANDU, June 23: The agitating temporary schoolteachers have ended the hunger strike following a four-point deal with the Ministry of Education.

The talks held at the Ministry in presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Gopal Man Shrestha and representatives of Nepal Teachers Federation, concluded with an agreement to give a chance to sit for exams to all temporary teachers for permanence and provide remuneration if they failed in the exams.

Those securing 40 marks would be permanent.

Earlier, the Education Act Eight Amendment (2072) had stated that those seeking financial benefits should have lodged application if they were not willing to attend the internal examination.

But, as per the agreement today, those failing in the exams too would be provided with health care service besides fixed by the Act. However, Education Act should be amended for the implementation of the deal.

Likewise, both sides have agreed to form an 11-member taskforce comprising the representatives of Ministry, Federation and temporary teachers to determine the ratio of vacant posts in free and internal competitions. The taskforce would submit its report within 15 days.

Likewise, agreement has been made to do more homework for ensuring reforms in curriculum, question grids and examinations.

Joint Secretary Dr Hari Lamsal, Chair of Federation Keshav Niraula and Committee's Chair Hemnath Chaulagain signed in the agreement paper.

After the agreement, Secretary at the Ministry Shanta Bahadur Shrestha broke the teachers' hunger strike by offering juice. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: The government has on Friday declared four day long public holidays in 35 districts of province, 1, 5 and 7 in view of the second-phase local level polls slated for June 28.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has informed about the holydays during elections. During the holidays, all the government and semi government offices will be closed, states the notice issued by the ministry.
DHANGADHI: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, also the Nepali Congress President, has said the victory of the party in the second phase of local level elections was imperative for the effective implementation of the constitution.

In his separate addresses to the election gathering held at Phoolbari and Manhera of Dhangadhi Sub Metropolitan City Friday, the NC President said the local level elections were interlinked with the constitution implementation and therefore the partys victory is a must.

The NC has taken the lead to movements for change in the country since 1950 which has empowered the people, he claimed, calling on the people to trust the party and elect NC candidates once again in the polls.

According to him, there is no alternative to the NC to sustain democracy and for its strengthening.

The Prime Minister, who himself is from the Province no. 7, said this province covering nine districts in the far-western was relatively behind in terms of development and the development of the province was the concern of his party.

Refusing the accusation that he had obstructed in the construction of Geta Medical College, he said he strongly believed that the college must be developed as a model college and had never thought he would do so causing obstruction, expressing commitment to establishing an Ayruveda Hospital and industrial corridor in Geta.

Discussions were underway with the Indian Government to systematise the Gaurifanta Check point along the Nepal-India border in Kailali, added Deuba.

Arguing that the upcoming elections were important to elect peoples representative for the local units so as to launch development works through them, PM Deuba pledged to implement Chameliya hydro electricity project and Paschim Seti hydro electricity in the province no 7 and to increase the allowance for senior citizens twice fold if the NC wins in the elections.

Reminding that a total of 22 bridges in Kailali and Kanchapur along the East-West Highway were constructed during his leadership in the past, Deuba expressed his commitment for development of physical infrastructures and electricity in each villages in the province no 7 within the next five years if NC emerges a winner in the upcoming polls.

Also speaking at the programme, NC leader Prakash Sharan Mahat claimed that the development and prosperity were possible in the country only during the NCs leadership.

Similarly, Pradeep Poudel stated that it is only the NC that could maintain the national unity in the wake of the rising extreme Madhesh-centric and Mountain-centric sentiments.

The NCs contender for the Chief and Deputy-Chief of the Dhangadi Sub-Metropolis, Nrip Od and Shushila Mishra Bhatta respectively, parliamentarians Ishwori Neupane, Buddhi Sagar Chaudhary, NC Dhangadi Chapter President Nara Narayan Shah among others were present at the programme.

Deuba, who has already assumed the leadership of the government as the Prime Minister for thrice in the past, visited Dhangadi for the first time since he assumed office on June 8 as the fourth Prime Minister.

He also addressed election programmes in Attariya in Dhangadi today itself.
KATHMANDU: Russian Ambassador to Nepal Andrei D Budnik paid a courtesy call on Home Minister Janardan Sharma on Friday.

During the meeting which took place at the Home Ministry, the Russian Ambassador put his queries about the progress on the proposal that Russia made in 2015 before the Nepal for signing the Memorandum of Understanding for mutual cooperation and exchange of information about disaster preparedness and response.

In response, the Minister said the MoU to this end could be signed after a few days homework, according to the Secretariat of Home Minister. He also acquired information about the Hydropower Project involving Russia that he had proposed while he was the Energy Minister.

On the occasion, the Russian Ambassador was learnt to have proposed Nepal purchase the logistics required for the Nepal Army including the MI 17 helicopter from Russia.

In reply, the Minister said he would officially respond to the proposal taking stock of budget of the respective ministry in his next meeting with the ambassador.RSS
Angolas state-owned diamond mining company Endiama produced 9.21 million carats of diamonds last year, exceeding a target of 9 million carats set by the ministry of planning and territorial development.

Footprint to Africa quoted company chairperson Antonio Carlos Sumbula as saying that the improved output was a result of great work by the employees.

He said Endiama would this year seek to produce less diamonds to stimulate an increase in rough prices.

The Endiama boss alleged that the company had lost about $130 million in revenue due to weak diamond prices.

Sumbula also said that Endiama would soon start operating a small mine called CAP 42, which was a CATOCA reserve.

Alrosa and Endiama recently signed a memorandum of understanding, Luaxe international investment contract and notarial record of the establishment of Luaxe enterprise.

Luaxe, which was discovered in 2015, was projected to record an annual output of between 8 million carats and 10 million carats.

Sumbula said Luaxe, considered the largest compared to Catoca, was running according to schedule and can be opened late 2018 or early 2019.

Catoca currently produces about 80 percent of the countrys total diamond output.

Alrosa and Endiama each control a 32.8 percent stake in Catoca, while LL International Holding B.V. owned by China-Sonagol controlled an 18.0 percent stake.

Brazils Odebrecht Mining Services owns 16.4 percent of the company.

Former Alrosa president Andrey Zharkov said last September that capital investments in Luaxe project during its mine life was estimated at $1 billion.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




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Part collaborator, part many-armed mover and remover of obstacles, Dooho Choi jumped into the deep end as a producer with 2013s SNOWPIERCER, Director Bong Joon-hos ambitious multinational sci-fi adventure. As the founder of Kate Street Picture Company, Choi dives in again with Bongs beautiful, bold OKJA, and spoke with me about wrangling locations across several countries, an international cast of top stars, a controversial new releasing platform, and a very large CGI pig.

The Lady Miz Diva: Both OKJA and SNOWPIERCER were international productions. What was different producing OKJA, as opposed to SNOWPIERCER?

Dooho Choi: Well, SNOWPIERCER had its own complexities, but OKJA was a little different in that we shot in different countries. It was shot all over South Korea, we shot a little bit in New York City and Brooklyn, and we shot in Vancouver, and we didnt have the luxury of doing separate pre-productions in New York and Vancouver while we werent shooting. We were sort of running prep more or less while we were shooting. So, that had its own challenges.

We would go home after the day and then be skyping with the New York department heads, or the Vancouver department heads, just making sure that we had the crews in those cities, because once we wrapped Korea, we went straight to New York and had less than a week to jump back into the shooting, and thats how it was for Vancouver, as well.

And because of the location-specific and character nationality-specific elements to the film, it was very important for Director Bong to have two production designers, two costume designers and two makeup departments. So, that was an interesting puzzle to put together, because just because it took place in the US, doesnt mean it was necessarily shot in the US, and vice versa. That was interesting process; to combine all those elements, which is unique to this one compared to SNOWPIERCER.

LMD: Please talk about the location shooting in New York City. You have this big Superpig parade scene with the huge crowd of extras right in the heart of Wall Street. What was that like to oversee?

DC: New York was a lot of fun. We lucked out; its a busy town, but a lot of really good people were waiting for the next big show and could do a couple of weeks on our show, so we had a really good team. And as much as we wanted to shoot all of the New York stuff in New York, we just couldnt afford to shoot, so as I pointed out, we isolated all the big exteriors to do in New York.

We shot on Wall Street over two weekends with 500+ extras. It was insanely hot: It was the middle of July last year, it was incredibly hot. It was an interesting experience dealing with New York City paparazzi while we were trying to shoot the scene.

Overall, it was a great experience to be in New York, shooting there, the location itself, the city itself was a very important part of the story for Director Bong. It was important to actually physically shoot in New York, especially the parade sequence. It was a tricky few days, but some great results, I think.

LMD: Were the logistics of location shooting your biggest challenge for OKJA?

DC: It was one of the elements, but I think with any film - especially with Director Bong - I think all of the elements pose its own challenges. Casting wasnt super straightforward or easy; just contemplating peoples schedules while were deciding where to shoot what when. Its challenging, especially with actors who have television commitments and whatnot. These days its just hard to get everybody in the same place at the same time.

But of course the visual effects was one of the first things we tackled, even before we had a script and we knew going in that this would be a very challenging visual effects project; finding the team, and working with the team and getting that pipeline set up properly from prep production to post. It was a major part of putting the production together.

LMD: I didnt know until researching for this interview that youd actually worked on D-WAR {DRAGON WARS} which was quite successful in Korea. Did working on that special effects-heavy film give you any insight about working on OKJA?

DC: Oh, sure, I mean, for those who remember the film, that was a project where all the visual effects was done in South Korea, and it had dragons. On that film, I worked on postproduction, and I think I learned kind of the ins and outs and what to expect on a visual effects-heavy film. That very much informs a lot of decision-making.

LMD: Director Bong and I spoke about the controversy regarding Korean cinemas who dont welcome OKJA due to the Netflix platform. Im glad to hear that South Korean cinemas will screen the film, but at the same time, this is not the first instance were hearing of the theatre industry protesting the movie being streamed simultaneous to a cinema run. What is your take on the resistance from Korean theatre owners?

DC: Netflix represents a new way of doing things and its not always something that people unanimously embrace right away. We knew what this model was getting into this project; its interesting to see the different reactions in different territories. But for us, its important to have that opportunity for people to see it on a big screen and honestly, we didnt expect the most resistance to us wanting to play in a movie theatre {Laughs}.

LMD: You were present when Director Bong mentioned OKJA to me at the Jacob Burns Center in 2015. How early do you come on to a project and how do you work with Director Bong in those primary stages? Does he look to you to see what is possible?

DC: As early as when we were in preproduction on SNOWPIERCER, he told me about OKJA. These types of stories usually sit inside Director Bongs mind for a while before hes ready to talk about them and then he starts to get into the writing mode.

On this one, it really began with a few initial sketches drawn by Director Bong; the size comparison between Mija and Okja, and sort of what Okja looked like fresh from his imagination, before any other artist was involved, and he was showing us some pictures - Tilda Swinton and myself - the last day we were in Seoul for the SNOWPIERCER promotions, so that wouldve been the summer of 2013, and then its really just about getting the concept artist and the creature designer involved.

You probably know this, but Jang Hwi-cheol, who designed the creature in THE HOST, and also designed certain key set pieces in SNOWPIERCER, he was the artist who helped flesh out Okja. Before we got to Erik De Boer, before we got to Method Studios; just on paper, Hwi-cheol would do some sketches based on Director Bongs notes, and thats a whole extensive process, designing Okja on paper. And while that was happening, Director Bong and I would take trips to New York, London, or wherever, just to meet with actors or visual effects companies: We went to San Francisco and Los Angeles and met the major creature visual effects companies.

So we met Erik De Boer and Method Studios way in advance of any actual work that they needed to start doing, but of course we knew Method from SNOWPIERCER; they did one of the key VFX sequences in the film, the aquarium  they did all the effects in that. So we had a prior relationship with that company, and Id learned from Dan Glass, the creative director, that they had started a creature pipeline in October, and they had just hired Eric De Boer who had won an Oscar for LIFE OF PI, and was coming from Rhythm and Hues, and he had hired some good people. So we had a meeting with him and Dan in Los Angeles early on, and we knew that was the guy that we wanted to work with. Then it was just about making the numbers work and making sure that we could get the number of shots that we needed, and the quality that we wanted.

During this process, Director Bong would be writing the first draft, and that month that we spent up in Pleasantville was actually the tail end of this process, which he was just finishing up the screenplay and we had met Jon Ronson in New York, and Jon was just about to start writing doing his pass. Spending that time in New York was very helpful: As you saw, its very near the train station; to just take a train to Grand Central, and then wed visit different buildings and see different New York City skyscraper views, and wed go down to Wall Street just to inform the writing and to get a sense of what New Yorkers were really like. We spent a lot of time there thinking about OKJA.

So, I got involved quite early on in the process and helped him put his team together, so Ronson came out of our little obsession with FRANK, and it was a really, really good collaboration.

LMD: When Director Bong and I spoke previously about HAEMOO in 2015, he said it was his last production project because it was a producers job to say no, and he didnt like to say no. Youve worked with him for a while, now. When and to what do you say no to Director Bong?

DC: Well, I dont say no to Director Bong, ever, I must say. But I wouldnt say no to any director. At least thats not the type of conversation I want to have as a producer.

Theres clearly things you cant give your director on any given film, but I think its more about looking at different options. As specific as Director Bong is and exacting in that he knows exactly what he wants, its not an easy process, but I think hes also very open to hearing the practicalities of what a certain position may entail. So we talk about it; we talk about whats most important and what he absolutely must have, as opposed to things that he can be a little bit more flexible on, and we work things out that way.

So I dont say no to him, but I dont say yes to him all the time, either. Its sort of a process of getting to understand whats the most key aspects for him and making sure that we have that covered, and then figuring out the smartest way we can get done some of the other things, which posed some challenges.

LMD: Ms. Swinton is listed as a co-producer on OKJA. How did that come about and what was it like to work with her in that capacity?

DC: We became really close friends during SNOWPIERCER, and like I said, Tilda was involved in the creative discussion, even before Director Bong start writing the script. So in terms of Miranda world, Lucy and Nancy and that whole aspect to the story, which is sort of the central aspect of the story, she had been talking to Director Bong and myself and Jon Ronson from a very early stage, unlike SNOWPIERCER, where she basically came to work while we were shooting it. We feel that her involvement is from the organic stage, and it was great to have that extra time with her. Shes just a terrific collaborator. We just love spending time together and cooking up new ideas for other projects.

LMD: Will you be involved in Director Bongs upcoming film, PARASITE?

DC: No. Thats the project when he did the deal to do MOTHER. It was with a company called Berenson, and he did a two picture deal with that company, and hes honoring the second film by doing PARASITE with that production entity. So I am working with him on his next English-language film, which will be right after PARASITE.

LMD: What will you be doing in the meantime while Bong is filming PARASITE?

DC: Well, were doing the English-language adaptation of SEA FOG/HAEMOO, and theres a few other things happening, you know the SNOWPIERCER TV series.

LMD: So, you are involved with the SNOWPIERCER television series?

DC: Yes, Director Bong and I are executive producers on the project.

LMD: Does that mean Director Bong and yourself will have a say over anything that you think doesnt look right, or doesnt ring true to the feeling of the film?

DC: Yeah, absolutely. Its important for us to be involved, because theres certain Korean projects that we made in good faith and the results were a little bit mixed a lot of times, and we just want to make sure that things stay in the world that Bong created.

LMD: I know that youve directed a short, but are you interested in directing a feature of your own one day, or is production where you make your home?

DC: Ah, well, its funny, I went to film school and I studied to be a director, and now Im a producer, and I feel like maybe thats the kind of producer I am, I suppose. I feel like I work well with directors, because I know what its like to be in their situation, trying to figure out a project. Yeah, I dont know, Im very happy to be producing, so thats the future, really, for the moment. {Laughs}

LMD: What would you like OKJA to say to audiences?

DC: I just hope people enjoy the film and get into Mijas extraordinary adventure. Just that theyll enjoy the relationship between Okja and Mija.
Hey, Toronto. If you are in the mood to have your mind blown without the aid of recreational pharmaceuticals this Saturday then you will want to check out the What The Film Festival happening at The Royal this Saturday.

Hosted by the Laser Blast Film Society, a monthly curated series of VHS action oddities at the cinema, the programmers Peter Kuplowsky and Justin Decloux have a knack for finding cinema that runs outside of the norm. They pick the best of the crop each year and we willingly subject ourselves to their selections.

Of the three selections this year, I have only seen Shes Allergic To Cats, but I am looking forward to seeing the Japanese version of Evil Dead, Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell. Also, who wouldnt want to see a Gorilla in sunglasses with a hand puppet in the movie Sylvio? The descriptions and times for all three films are below.

What The Film Festival runs this Saturday, June 24th at The Royal.

WHAT THE FILM FEST is Toronto's premiere showcase of eccentric cinema. Hosted by THE LASER BLAST FILM SOCIETY, it annually champions outlier and outsider films that intersect definitions of both genre and avant-garde cinema and operate outside the traditional parameters of taste and convention.

Tickets to individual screenings are $10 at the door, or you can purchase an advanced all-access wrist-band to see the entire programme for $20! BUY YOUR PASS HERE: universe.com/wtf17

4:30 PM - BLOODY MUSCLE BODY BUILDER IN HELL

7:00 PM - SYLVIO

9:30 PM - SHES ALLERGIC TO CATS

THE LASER BLAST FILM SOCIETY is made possible in part by the funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

4:30 PM

BLOODY MUSCLE BODY BUILDER IN HELL

Dir. Shinichi Fukazawa

Cast: Shinichi Fukazawa, Masaaki Kai, Asako Nosaka

Japan / 2014 / 62 min / CANADIAN PREMIERE

First (and only) time writer/director/actor/editor/cinematographer/special effects creator Shinichi Fukazawas deliriously named film is a winking homage to Sam Raimis THE EVIL DEAD, transplanting the story of hapless folks getting besieged by anarchic evil spirits from a cabin in the woods to a traditional and claustrophobic Japanese home. Unfortunately for the vengeful ghosts, one of the hapless aint so helpless, as they happen to be the titular BODY BUILDER (portrayed by the director himself), and have brought along some barbells to this spook-a-blast brawl. Shot on grimy Super 8 in 1995, but only completed and released in 2014, Fukazawa impressively distills his love supernatural splatter to a lean 62 minutes, while colliding a familiar barrage of low-fi gore, stop-motion monsters, and verbatim Evil Dead one-liners without ever feeling like a rehash. In era of remakes and reboots, it is the rare cover that remixes its source into something fresh and surprising; a treasure of a cult film that desperately deserves an audience so that it can swallow their souls.

7:00 PM

SYLVIO

Dir. Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney

Cast: Sylvio Bernardi, Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney

USA / 2017 / 80 min / CANADIAN PREMIERE

OFFICIAL SELECTION, SXSW 2017

A downtrodden debt collector named Sylvio Bernardi becomes an overnight celebrity after he trips and inadvertently smashes up the set of a public-access television show in the middle of a broadcast to the delight of its audience. Recognizing the audiences hunger to see more comical wanton destruction, the shows producer and host (Kentucker Audley) invites him to be a regular guest. Sylvio accepts the opportunity, but only in the hope that this platform will permit him to expose the world to his true passion: performing micro-narratives with a hand-puppet of a balding middle-aged man named Herbert Herpels. Oh, and Sylvio is a gorilla that wears sunglasses; did I not mention that? Based on a popular VINE channel that chronicled the banal struggle of a working-class primate across 814 six-second clips, SYLVIO conjures up an absurd, but legitimately heartwarming (and coherent) satire and idiosyncratic character study that remarkably transcends its humble social media origins.

9:30 PM

SHES ALLERGIC TO CATS

Dir. Michael Reich

Cast: Mike Pinkney, Sonja Kinski, Flula Borg,

USA / 2016 / 82 min / TORONTO PREMEIRE

OFFICIAL SELECTION, FANTASIA 2016

When a dog groomer (Mike Pinkey) who aspires to be recognized in Hollywood for his avant-garde video art asks out the girl of his dreams (Sonja Kinski, granddaughter of Klaus) and she accepts, he panics at the thought of inviting her over to his rat infested apartment. His anxiety leads him to illicitly procure a cat to help rid his apartment of the vermin but oh god the title of this movie THIS WILL NOT END WELL! Funded entirely by working as a body double for one of the DAFT PUNK robots, Michael Reichs incredible debut feature is a Linklater meet-cute soaked in an experimental VHS aesthetic that gradually escalates into a full-on Lynchian fever dream that dares to call out the disturbing nature of William Huycks HOWARD THE DARK and make a DVD copy of Frank Marshalls CONGO look devastatingly sexy. (FILMMAKER MICHAEL REICH WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE!)

EACH FEATURE WILL BE PRECEDED BY SHORT FILMS AND MORE!

SHORT FILMS:

THE CURE

Dir. Mike Olenick

USA / 2017 / 20 min / CANADIAN PREMIERE

Precedes BLOODY MUSCLE BODY BUILDER IN HELL @ 4:30 PM

A hypnotic sci-fi soap opera that collides the idiosyncratic private lives of both humans and aliens in a parade of sublime slow-zooms and kitschy feline totems.

CYBERTRONIC WARRIOR

Dir: Steven Kostanski

CANADA / 2017 / 4 min / WORLD PREMIERE

Precedes SYLVIO @ 7:00 PM

Director Steven Kostanski (The Void, Manborg) has partnered up with Transformers rockstars The Cybertronic Spree to lend his creative vision to their first original anthem, Cybertronic Warrior. Taking inspiration from Japanese mecha anime, TV and video games such as Robotech, The Super Sentai series, and Cybernator, this video follows the band through a dangerous space fortress filled with evil cybernetic life forms hell-bent on their destruction. Theyll have to load their courage files to make it through. But will they all survive?

LA TRISTESSE DURERA TOUJOURS

Dir. Vinny De Ghoulie

Cast: Vinny De Ghoulie, Vera R. Taylor

USA / 2017 / 10 min / CANADIAN PREMIERE

Precedes SHES ALLERGIC TO CATS @ 9:30 PM

Vinny De Ghoulie returns to WHAT THE FILM FEST with what may very well be his 8 12 - a maddening deconstruction of his own process culled from the remnants of a feature film he mounted, but failed to to realize. As amusingly bemusing as it is devastating.
 Today's SCOTUS CJ scorecard: government wins in two procedural cases, defendant wins in one substantive case | Main | Are federal judges already getting a little tougher at sentencing in the Trump era? 

The title of this post is the headline of this new Washington Post commentary authored by David Cole, who is the national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Marc Mauer, who is executive director of the Sentencing Project. Here are excerpts:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is right to be concerned about recent increases in violent crime in some of our nations largest cities, as well as a tragic rise in drug overdoses nationwide [Lax drug enforcement means more violence, op-ed, June 18]. But there is little reason to believe that his response  reviving the failed war on drugs and imposing more mandatory minimums on nonviolent drug offenders  will do anything to solve the problem. His prescription contravenes a growing bipartisan consensus that the war on drugs has not worked. And it would exacerbate mass incarceration, the most pressing civil rights problem of the day.

Sessionss first mistake is to conflate correlation and causation. He argues that the rise in murder rates in 2015 was somehow related to his predecessor Eric Holders August 2013 directive scaling back federal prosecutions in lower-level drug cases. That policy urged prosecutors to reserve the most serious charges for high-level offenses. Holder directed them to avoid unnecessarily harsh mandatory minimum sentences for defendants whose conduct involved no actual or threatened violence, and who had no leadership role in criminal enterprises or gangs, no substantial ties to drug trafficking organizations and no significant criminal history.... Sessions offers no evidence that this policy caused the recent spikes in violent crime or drug overdoses. There are three reasons to doubt that there is any significant connection between the two.

First, federal prosecutors handle fewer than 10 percent of all criminal cases, so a modest change in their charging policy with respect to a subset of drug cases is unlikely to have a nationwide impact on crime. The other 90 percent of criminal prosecution is conducted by state prosecutors, who were not affected by Holders policy. Second, the few individuals who benefited from Holders policy by definition lacked a sustained history of crime or violence or any connections to major drug traffickers. Third, the increases in violent crime that Sessions cites are not nationally uniform, which one would expect if they were attributable to federal policy. In 2015, murder rates rose in Chicago, Cleveland and Baltimore, to be sure. But they declined in Boston and El Paso, and stayed relatively steady in New York, Las Vegas, Detroit and Atlanta. If federal drug policy were responsible for the changes, we would not see such dramatic variances from city to city.

Nor is there any evidence that increases in drug overdoses have anything to do with shorter sentences for a small subset of nonviolent drug offenders in federal courts. Again, the vast majority of drug prosecutions are in state court under state law and are unaffected by the attorney generals policies. And the rise in drug overdoses is a direct result of the opioid and related heroin epidemics, which have been caused principally by increased access to prescription painkillers from doctors and pill mills. That tragic development calls for treatment of addicts and closer regulation of doctors, not mandatory minimums imposed on street-level drug sellers, who are easily replaced in communities that have few lawful job opportunities.

Most disturbing, Sessions seems to have no concern for the fact that the United States leads the world in incarceration; that its prison population is disproportionately black, Hispanic and poor; or that incarceration inflicts deep and long-lasting costs on the very communities most vulnerable to crime in the first place.... Advocates as diverse as the Koch brothers and George Soros, the Center for American Progress and Americans for Tax Reform, the American Civil Liberties Union and Right on Crime agree that we need to scale back the harshness of our criminal justice system.

Rather than expanding the drug war, Sessions would be smarter to examine local conditions that influence crime and violence, including policing strategies, availability of guns, community engagement and concentrated poverty. Responding to those underlying problems, and restoring trust through consent decrees that reduce police abuse, hold considerably more promise of producing public safety. Sessionss revival of the failed policies of the past, by contrast, has little hope of reducing violent crime or drug overdoses.
 SCOTUS decides defendant can show prejudice from bad plea advice and prevail on Sixth Amendment claim even with no defense to charge | Main | US Sentencing Commission releases its proposed priorities for 2017-18 amendment cycle 

June 23, 2017

"People keep voting in support of the death penalty. So how can we end it?"

The title of this post is the notable headline of this notable new commentary by noted death penalty abolitionist Austin Sarat. The first sentence of the headline highlights an important political reality, and the commentary goes on to review recent political developments and to emphasize the political challenges that abolitionists face. I recommend the commentary as a modern recap on the state of capital politics and as providing insights on how abolitionists can seek to develop a claim that capital abolition is not anti-democratic. I found found this little piece of political history especially interesting:

Since the beginning of the 20th century, when states across the country first adopted ballot initiative and referenda processes, 14 of them have put the death penalty on the ballot, some more than once. From 1912 to 1968, there were 11 such direct votes. Another 23 have occurred since 1968, during the height of Americas tough-on-crime, law-and-order era. In a few of those elections, voters have been asked only to approve technical changes in their states death penalty law. In others, like last year in Oklahoma, they had to decide whether to change their state constitutions to protect or reinstate the death penalty. Sometimes death penalty abolitionists have led the way in pushing for a referendum. More often, especially since 1968, voters have been asked to respond to a legislative, judicial or executive action which threatened to end, or ended, the death penalty. In those circumstances, the issue generally has been put on the ballot by pro-death penalty politicians. Yet whatever the form of the question, or the reasons for putting the death penalty to a vote, abolitionists have consistently taken an electoral beating. They lost 31 of the 34 times when voters were offered the chance to express their views. Lets consider the three times opponents of capital punishment won. In Oregon, abolitionists prevailed in 1914. But, just six years later, another referendum brought the death penalty back  only to have it voted down again in 1964. Arizona voters rejected the death penalty in 1916, but brought it back in 1918. Abolitionists have consistently lost in even supposedly progressive states like Massachusetts, which voted in favor of the death penalty in 1968 and 1982.

June 23, 2017 at 11:09 AM | Permalink

Comments

"But democracy is not the same as government by popularity contest or by plebiscite. It is a system of government grounded in principles of respect for equality and the dignity of all citizens. Any time an electoral action violates those principles, it damages democracy.

That is what our history teaches. The United States almost certainly would not have ended slavery or given women the right to vote if those issues had been decided at the ballot box.

And neither will this country abolish the death penalty in that manner."

I'm not sure what the "women the right to vote" thing adds here. The was decided at the ballot box. Various places passed it, Congress proposed an amendment and state legislatures ratified. Slavery is somewhat different because it is a case where an evil continued and it was an evil even if it was upheld at the ballot box. And, it would have extended longer without war. So, the message there might be that a major intervening event (WWII was a major point here for Europe) might factor in.

Then:

"Following the European example, it will do so only when politicians and judges conclude that democratic nations cannot put their own citizens to death and still be true to their own principles."

Well, that is a mixed bag since the politicians are put there by democracy and judges as well, if indirectly in various cases (especially federal judges). He is correct that simple referenda isn't the only way people act there. This is surely the case in an all/nothing way -- many states technically have the death penalty on the books, but in practice it is not used.

As an "abolitionist" (not a big fan of the word), article is a mixed bag.

Posted by: Joe | Jun 23, 2017 11:45:24 AM

I suggest hypocrisy. Europe, with it moral superiority, has hundreds of suicides and murders in prison. The risk for death by these is 10 fold for violent criminals.

End the death penalty. Fire hundreds of make work government lawyers. Go European.



Posted by: David Behar | Jun 23, 2017 11:54:52 AM

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 Are federal judges already getting a little tougher at sentencing in the Trump era? | Main | "People keep voting in support of the death penalty. So how can we end it?" 

June 23, 2017

SCOTUS decides defendant can show prejudice from bad plea advice and prevail on Sixth Amendment claim even with no defense to charge

The Supreme Court this morning handed down three more opinions, and the one notable criminal case decided today was Lee v. United States, No. 16327 (S. Ct. June 23, 2017) (available here). The Chief Justice wrote the opinion for the Court, which starts and ends this way:

Petitioner Jae Lee was indicted on one count of possessing ecstasy with intent to distribute. Although he has lived in this country for most of his life, Lee is not a United States citizen, and he feared that a criminal conviction might affect his status as a lawful permanent resident. His attorney assured him there was nothing to worry about  the Government would not deport him if he pleaded guilty. So Lee, who had no real defense to the charge, opted to accept a plea that carried a lesser prison sentence than he would have faced at trial. Lees attorney was wrong: The conviction meant that Lee was subject to mandatory deportation from this country. Lee seeks to vacate his conviction on the ground that, in accepting the plea, he received ineffective assistance of counsel in violation of the Sixth Amendment. Everyone agrees that Lee received objectively unreasonable representation. The question presented is whether he can show he was prejudiced as a result.... We cannot agree that it would be irrational for a defendant in Lees position to reject the plea offer in favor of trial. But for his attorneys incompetence, Lee would have known that accepting the plea agreement would certainly lead to deportation. Going to trial? Almost certainly. If deportation were the determinative issue for an individual in plea discussions, as it was for Lee; if that individual had strong connections to this country and no other, as did Lee; and if the consequences of taking a chance at trial were not markedly harsher than pleading, as in this case, that almost could make all the difference. Balanced against holding on to some chance of avoiding deportation was a year or two more of prison time. See id., at 6. Not everyone in Lees position would make the choice to reject the plea. But we cannot say it would be irrational to do so. Lees claim that he would not have accepted a plea had he known it would lead to deportation is backed by substantial and uncontroverted evidence. Accordingly we conclude Lee has demonstrated a reasonable probability that, but for [his] counsels errors, he would not have pleaded guilty and would have insisted on going to trial. Hill, 474 U.S., at 59.

Justice Thomas wrote a dissent joined by Justice Alito which gets started this way:

The Court today holds that a defendant can undo a guilty plea, well after sentencing and in the face of overwhelming evidence of guilt, because he would have chosen to pursue a defense at trial with no reasonable chance of success if his attorney had properly advised him of the immigration consequences of his plea. Neither the Sixth Amendment nor this Courts precedents support that conclusion. I respectfully dissent.

June 23, 2017 at 10:28 AM | Permalink

Comments

What a joke this opinion is. Prejudice is measured by likely outcome, not value of the chance. Roberts is looking more and more like a mistake.

Posted by: federalist | Jun 23, 2017 12:34:43 PM

Opinion in this case tracks the way that I have always understood Hill and the way that it's been applied in my state (which has had a rather conservative bench) -- that likelihood of success at trial was relevant to the credibility of the defendant's claim that he would go to trial but that ultimate issue was whether this defendant would have gone to trial.

Posted by: tmm | Jun 23, 2017 1:42:50 PM

Isolated statement in Hill that is totally against the tide, so to speak . . . .

Posted by: federalist | Jun 23, 2017 2:54:09 PM

Federalist writes, "What a joke this opinion is. Prejudice is measured by likely outcome, not value of the chance. Roberts is looking more and more like a mistake."

I agree. Contrary to Republican hopes, he is actually turning into a thoughtful, caring judge. A mistake indeed.

Posted by: anon3 | Jun 23, 2017 9:17:48 PM

A case where the defendant still only has a long-shot chance isn't the one I personally would take to determine how "mistaken" each side thought about Roberts.

On voting rights, the death penalty, same sex marriage, enemy detainee issues, gun rights, campaign finance and a variety of other things, Roberts decided repeatedly in a way conservatives appreciated. If they expected he never would vote in a way they felt wrong, that would be misguided. This includes his long game technique.

Posted by: Joe | Jun 23, 2017 10:54:54 PM

Thoughtful is fine but caring should be no part of a judge's job.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Jun 23, 2017 10:55:20 PM

At the very least, a district court judge can be caring to some degree when dealing with litigants, attorneys, jurors and so forth. I would think even a justice can be caring to some degree. You can apply the law while still be caring when the job allows it, including to those arguing the case. Probably hard not to be caring at all, judging still done by humans.

Posted by: Joe | Jun 24, 2017 12:28:45 AM

Non-citizen drug dealer gets to stay in America--gotta love the federal courts. ICE should figure out how to deport him anyway.

Posted by: federalist | Jun 24, 2017 8:34:56 AM

Actually, more careful reading would have shown that the non-citizen gets to go to trial.

Posted by: Mark M. | Jun 24, 2017 1:53:59 PM

federalist's hyberbole aside, I am not persuaded by the logic in the majority's opinion either. It's not that Robert's distinction is wrong so much as it is misapplied. The defendant is going to go to trial, lose, and then get deported anyway with nothing but a great deal of friction and heat for no apparent gain. How does that square with any meaningful notion of harmless error review? Robert's opinion reads like the need to invent a justification for what is really an arbitrary, even idiosyncratic result.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 24, 2017 5:23:02 PM

A person has the right to go to trial, even if that person has little chance of a not guilty verdict. What percentage chance will not be "harmless" in that sense to deprive him of being able to choose with the understanding that his ability to stay in the country is one the line?

People do desperate things repeatedly if they know even a tiny chance is present, feeling compelled, having the right, to try. Here, a basic bit of information was denied in making such a choice.

"Harmless" error is appropriate in certain cases where guilt would be found anyway so the fundamental fairness of the result in including certain tainted evidence remains, etc., but when it involves the basic right to choose in this sense, it is misapplied as Roberts noted. The basic right to certain things making harmless error inappropriate has been cited in cases.

Posted by: Joe | Jun 25, 2017 10:56:18 AM

Joe, of course, fails to mention the fundamental problem---it's easy to say, "yeah I would have rolled the dice at trial." And defendants get to have their cake and eat it too.

This opinion is a joke. To have outcomes based on a judge believing or not the "yeah I would have gone to trial"isn't law. Every defendant is going to say it . . . .

Posted by: federalist | Jun 25, 2017 1:08:36 PM

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 US Sentencing Commission releases its proposed priorities for 2017-18 amendment cycle | Main | Former DAG Sally Yates makes the case against AG Sessions new federal charging and sentencing policies 

This notable article from the Washington Free Beacon reports on some notable remarks by a critical member of Congress concerning federal sentencing reform. The article is headlined "Sen. Grassley: Criminal Justice Reform Still on the Table," and here are excerpts:

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) believes that his criminal justice reform agenda, unsuccessful under the Obama administration, still has bright prospects, in spite of the less reform-friendly administration of President Donald Trump. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, spoke at the American Enterprise Institute on Thursday morning about the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (SRCA), a bipartisan bill he first brought up in the last Congress....

"Long prison sentences always come with a cost. A cost to the taxpayers, a cost to families, and to our communities," Grassley said. "In many ways, and in many cases, the severity of the crime justifies these costs. But as we're all aware, that isn't always the case. Hence, the movement for sentencing reform."

The SRCA is meant to address these concerns through a number of approaches, Grassley said. These include expanded "safety valves" for non-violent offenders; a reduction in mandatory minimums for some drug crimes; and a reduction in sentences for offenders who complete programs designed to reduce recidivation. Grassley suggested that while the SRCA had the support of the Obama administration, the Trump White House, which has promised to "make America safe again," may be less friendly to the legislation.

"Obviously, the dynamic is different with a new president," Grassley said, but added that he was nonetheless "confident" about the SRCA's prospects. "We're looking forward to input from the administration" on the SRCA, Grassley said. "We had the support of the Obama administration. I think we have a chance of getting the support of this administration."

"I know that there is both support and opposition within this White House," Grassley said. "I certainly believe that it is consistent to be tough on crime and still support sentencing reform."

"We've been working since November to see what avenues we can have to move this bill along, particularly working with the executive branch of government. I'm confident about its prospects," he said....

Grassley criticized Sessions's comments that the administration would go back to pre-Obama sentencing discretion. "I'm not going to condemn people for finding fault with what Attorney General Sessions did when he spoke about going back to the pre-Obama, pre-Holder sentencing prosecutorial discretion that he gave to his U.S. Attorneys, that it was the wrong way to go. I could even say that I think it was the wrong way to go," he said.

Sessions opposed Grassley's bill when he was in the Senate. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, Sessions "personally blocked" the 2015 SRCA; he also, along with several of his colleagues, authored one of a series of op-eds opposing the bill. Sessions wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post in June in which he insisted more stringent sentencing was needed to curb surging violent crime. He also attacked those who claimed incarceration was driven largely by low-level, nonviolent drug offenders.

Grassley, however, said Sessions' priorities need not conflict with the SRCA. "There doesn't have to be anything incompatible with what he's doing, with what we're trying to do, because what we do is give people that have been sentenced unfairly, and they feel it, and their lawyers feel it, another bite at the apple, by going before a judge to plead their case, that their sentence ought to be shorter," Grassley said.
Since 1995, the Twin Peaks Pink Triangle has festooned our annual SF Pride weekend celebrations with a gigantic, one-acre pink homage to the LGBTQ community thats visible from 20 miles away. But this year, the digital projection-art wizards who helped build the just-launched Conservatory of Flowers Summer of Love light show are planting one right on the smacker of that Pink Triangle. Its called Kisses from San Francisco and will bring projected rainbow lips onto Patrick Carneys iconic Pride display, designed by the large-scale projection artists of Obscura Digital.

The display will look different than the above rendering, which is merely based on guesswork and the limited Photoshop abilities of SFists in-house artistic team. You can bet this display will be far more impressive in real life, as Obscure Digitals repertoire includes the Salesforce waterfall video wall, the Harpers Bazaar 150th Anniversary Empire State Building Projections in New York, and even a show on St. Peters Basilica at the Vatican. These guys are good.

Obscura Digital will project on the Triangle images of lips blowing kisses from San Francisco to the people of the world, in a grand and open-armed statement of love, positivity and human connection, the Obscura Digital group said in a release. The projections will take place on Saturday, June 24 from dark until 2 a.m.



Digital Obscura founder and chief creative officer Travis Threlkel calls the Pride weekend project a really simple and elegant gesture where San Franciscans of all ethnicities, all races and sexualites, and all political and religious alignments send their kisses out from San Francisco as a resistance to hatred and segregation.



Were looking to send a positive message from San Francisco to the rest of the world, Threlkel told SFist. Were going to colorize the lips so there is no color of skin. Each kiss will be a color of the rainbow coming from the middle of the Pink Triangle that can be seen from 20 miles away. That will represent San Franciscans sending kisses of love that represent acceptance and equality of all people.



Its meant to be some positive news in a threshold shit news and negativity, he said. Were going to send a rainbow of fucking kisses in the middle of the Pink Triangle and hopefully that signal will get out to a lot of people that need a little good news, and need to know that people in San Francisco have the same principles and care about the same things they do.



As with any year, volunteers are always needed to set up and tear down the triangle. Volunteer information is available online, with setup from 7 a.m.-10 a.m. Saturday morning and take-down from 4:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday evening.



Related: The SFist Guide To Pride 2017
The SFPD officer once dubbed the Hot Cop of the Castro has been ordered to stand trial on two felony counts of hit-and-run connected to an incident in North Beach in November 2015. Chris Kohrs, 39, stands accused of injuring two men with his car late one night on Broadway and then fleeing the scene on foot, only to turn himself in the next day. The incident occurred at 2:20 a.m. on November 29, 2015 and Kohrs's Dodge Charger seriously injured Franco Vilchez, an Iraq War vet, and Victor Perez.

Not long after, in December 2015, Kohrs was charged with the two felony counts of hit and run causing injury, and on Wednesday Superior Court Judge Robert Foley elevated one of the charges to hit and run causing serious permanent injury, as the Chronicle reports.

ABC 7's Vic Lee snapped Kohrs, hair slicked back, leaving the courtroom on Wednesday.

"Hot Cop" SFPD Ofc. Chris Kohrs ordered to stand trial after prelim hearing ends. Kohrs left scene after he ran over two pedestrians in 2015 pic.twitter.com/PyaCHAttWY  Vic Lee (@vicleeabc7) June 21, 2017

Kohrs rose to local fame in 2014 after he began getting photographed by passersby when he was shifts in the Castro, which was outside his usual jurisdiction as an officer with Park Station. Not long after he asked for the removal of a Facebook fan page dedicated to him, and said that he wanted to retreat back to his private life. He was reportedly on medical leave in the fall of 2015 when the North Beach collision occurred.

During Wednesday's preliminary hearing, as ABC 7 reports, the judge heard testimony from a friend who was out with Kohrs that night and was in the car at the time of the collision. Dr. Norman Banks testified that he never saw Kohrs drink that night, though they were out at a bar together, and he believed Kohrs was sober at the time. Questions have been raised by police about Kohrs's sobriety, because an accurate sobriety test could not be administered when he turned himself in eight hours after the incident.

Banks further explained that "All of us were freaked out" after the car struck the two men, referring to himself, Kohrs, and a third passenger in the car. "[Chris] was definitely freaked out, pacing back and forth," Banks said, per ABC 7's account. "We were all trying to figure out what to do, and then Chris disappeared out of sight."

Kohrs has remained out of custody on $100,000 bail. In March, Kohrs settled a civil suit that was brought against him by one of the victims.

He'll next appear in court on July 5, when a trial date will be set.

Previously: 'Hot Cop Of The Castro' Chris Kohrs Settles Civil Case In 2015 Hit And Run
It sounds pretty great: a swank rooftop bar overlooking SoMa and AT&T Park (walls) with a sleek design, curtained cabanas and designer cocktail menu. But there's a catch. There's always a catch.

The new 159-room Hotel VIA sits right next to the ballpark and boats a ground-floor Bar VIA open to the general public and offering a menu with price points that don't contain a comma.

Eater brings us the news that Hotel VIA also possesses a 3,000-square-foot swoon-worthy rooftop bar called "Rooftop at VIA." A mere glance at photographs of this airy spot will have you tossing on your trendiest sunglasses and racing to the King Street location for Instagram purposes before you get too excited, check your bank balance. The only way into RAV (tm: us) is to book a room at Hotel VIA (currently starting at $231.20 plus tax) or book yourself a 6-person cabana for $1,000.

It's not clear if that price tag comes with bottle service and a nacho bar, but it should.

Alternately, you can rent out the whole place for what I assume us an ungodly sum of money. Claims the website, "Host the event that everyone will be talking about for years to come!"

Years to come? Really? Does Beyonce make a contractually obligated appearance because RAV is cute and everything, but it's a bar on a roof designed to further divide us by money.

VIA might want to slow its roll as it possesses one of THREE new rooftop hotel bars launching in San Francisco this year. While the other two (Mid-Market's Yotel and Proper Hotel) aren't open yet, we're guessing they don't charge a grand for the honor of breaching the front door.

Related: Four New Hotels Are Opening In SF This Year, Three With Rooftop Bars


A man was shot to death in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood this morning, taking San Francsico's homicide count to 34 for the year.

Police say that the shooting was reported at 5:05 a.m. Friday, on the first block of Turk Street (which is between Mason and Taylor Streets).

According to a report from the San Francisco Police Department, officers responding to the scene discovered a 43-year-old male victim suffering from at least gunshot wound. Though he was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, he did not survive.

As of publication time, the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office had not publicly identified the victim. Police did not provide any details on the suspect or any possible motive behind the shooting, but confirmed that no arrests have been made.

Today's homicide is SF's 34th for 2017, following the fatal shooting of East Bay PE teacher Carlo Tateo as he left a SoMa business on Sunday. As with today's slaying, no arrests have been made in Tateo's case.

Previously: The Man Killed In SoMa Over The Weekend Was A Beloved East Bay PE Teacher
A 17-year-old girl who was hiking near Land's End was killed Thursday night, after she apparently lost her footing and fell to the rocks below.

Corte Madera resident Victoria La Rocca was hiking with another teen and adult on a trail near the Legion of Honor, ABC 7 reports, when she apparently stumbled on the trail and fell over the cliffside around 6 p.m. Thursday evening.

They were probably walking along a path or something and were not sure if she slipped, Fire Battalion Chief Denise Newman told the Ex.

The Chron reports that La Rocca fell about 50 feet and "landed on the rocks just east of Lands End," a remote spot that "made it difficult for rescue swimmers to reach La Rocca, prompting emergency crews to use a personal watercraft to get to her."

"When we arrived, we tried to get as close as possible, but there was a lot of terrain," Newman told NBC Bay Area. "Beach Patrol, which is the lifeguard at Ocean Beach, they had their Jet-ski and came on the water side and were able to find the victim."

La Rocca had multiple injuries and fractures, she was barely breathing when we got to her, Newman says. She fell all the way down to the water so therefore she was in the water and was kind of cold.

Rescue crews were able to eventually secure her to a flotation device, KRON 4 reports, and managed to get her to China Beach. She was pronounced dead as an ambulance transported her to the hospital.

La Rocca was a student at San Francisco's St. Ignatius High School, CBS 5 reports. Parents of La Rocca's classmates recieved an email from the school early Friday, saying We mourn her loss and ask you to pray for her entire family and friends...Please keep Tori and her entire family in your prayers in their hour of need.
The latest court filing by Uber in the self-driving technology case brought by Waymo has them thoroughly throwing former self-driving vehicle division head Anthony Levandowski under the bus. The filing suggests that Uber, or at least its former CEO Travis Kalanick, had knowledge that Levandowski possessed a trove of stolen plans and intellectual property belonging to his former employer, Alphabet/Waymo. As the Associated Press reports, Uber is now for the first time acknowledging that at least one disclosure occurred between Levandowski and Kalanick, in which Levandowski allegedly said that he had five disks worth of Waymo files back in March 2016, but they claim that Kalanick told Levandowski he didn't want them and that he couldn't not bring them with him when he came to work for Uber. [See update below.]

Alphabet's attorneys have previously argued that Kalanick and Levandowski hatched a plan to use the stolen plans and data to further Uber's self-driving vehicle efforts.

At the time, Kalanick had reached a deal to purchase Levandowski's self-driving trucking startup Otto, started while Levandowski was working for Google/Alphabet. The acquisition, worth $680 million, would later be completed in August 2016, and within six months, Waymo and parent company Alphabet would file the lawsuit we're talking about now, alleging that Levandowski downloaded some 14,000 proprietary files to a personal laptop before he left the company, and that Uber had used them in building their own cars.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup  who told Uber they had to compel Levandowski to testify or else fire him last month, which they did  ordered Uber to return the stolen files. And Uber has maintained all along that they developed their own self-driving cars, and specifically the LiDAR system that acts as the cars' 360-degree "eyes," and have not used any of Waymo's intellectual property.

Nonetheless, the companies are in a race to get their own self-driving cars onto city streets, a race that sped up when Uber flouted state regulators and began accepting passengers in their self-driving Volvos in San Francisco in December. In March, Google/Alphabet asked Judge Alsup to force Uber to cease operating its self-driving cars altogether until this legal battle is settled. It remains to be seen if the Justice Department will seek criminal charges against Levandowski.

So, the chess game of self-driving car dominance has registered one more decisive move, and meanwhile Wired posts this story about how Uber's self-driving car efforts, and its Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, are humming along just fine.

This lawsuit is just one of several major hurdles facing Uber this year following a significant amount of bloodshed last week in the wake of an internal investigation that revealed rampant sexual harassment and bad behavior among executives and employees there, culminating in Kalanick's departure.

But the New York Times now hears from some Uber employees that they want Kalanick back already, and 1000 of them signed an online petition to the company's board to bring Kalanick back in an active role following his forced resignation on Tuesday. Pal Ashton Kutcher also went on Howard Stern this week to defend Kalanick, saying, "I'm 100 percent certain there were mistakes made and he would cop to the fact that he made mistakes and did things that he maybe shouldn't have done. [But] I feel like we're in a society today that is so fast to judge people, and that we have to realize people make mistakes, and you have to let people learn from their mistakes."

Update: One week later, in a June 28 filing in federal court, Uber seems to be saying the opposite. They say, per CNet, "Prior to the filing of this lawsuit, no one at Uber knew that Levandowski had downloaded any Google proprietary information for any improper purpose or that he had deliberately taken any Google proprietary information with him when he left Google."

Previously: Uber Fires Self-Driving Car Exec Anthony Levandowski Over Google Lawsuit
Dr. Son was replying to a SGGP journalists question that which fields that Russia have calling for investors, suitable with Vietnamese businesses ability in the interview before a visit by President Tran Dai Quang to the Russian Federation.



According to Mr. Son, the Vietnam-Eurasia Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (VN-EAEU FTA), officially taking effect from October 5 last year, has given Vietnam preferential accesses to the potential large market of five EAEU member countries with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) nearing US$2.2 trillion and a population of 183 million people.

The newly effective FTA has pushed Vietnam and Russia export import turnover up to $1.37 billion, a year on year increase of 27.2 percent. Of the number, Vietnams export to Russia went up 28.4 percent and the country has received trade surplus.

Mr. Morgulov Igor Vladimirovich, deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said that was a joyful signal showing the practicality and effectiveness in the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Besides advantages from the FTA, Russia has given Vietnamese firms significant preferential treatments. Firstly, the Russian Government and local authorities always pay special attention to Vietnamese businesses, positively and efficiently work with Vietnamese authorized agencies to provide them with legal information and local investment policies as well as assistances in transport, customs and administrative procedure simplification to implement projects in Russia.

For instance, the Russian side has supported TH True Millk to carry out a breeding and milk processing project in Moscow and Kaluga on schedule by delivering land without auction, providing low interest loans, building farm, completing legal procedures and increasing labor quota for Vietnamese.

In addition, Russia has facilitated Hanoi-Moscow multifunctional complexs operations, supported Vietnamese companies to function a light industrial park in Moscow regularly, securely and efficiently.

Secondly, Vietnamese businesses have enjoyed assistance polices from Russia for projects in agriculture and consumer goods. The project of TH True Milk has been assisted with 30 percent of investment costs. Local authorities in the Republic of Bashkortostan and Primorsky Krai province have committed to giving Vietnamese investors in light industry rent incentives, preferential treatments in auction and assistances to build traffic, electric, water and gas infrastructures.

Amid the context that western nations have put embargo on Russia, Vietnamese companies have more dominances than many other nations to penetrate into Russian and EAEU markets. Still, they need to choose investment directions suitable with their ability and advantages to develop brand names and compete in the markets.

Talking about Vietnams position in the foreign affair policy of Russia, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son said that according to the foreign affair policy of the Russian Federation approved by President Vladimir Putin in November 2016, Russia considers itself as an inseparable part of the Asian-Pacific region.

Therefore, the country has positively boosted integration in the region and socioeconomic development programs in Siberia and the Far East, established the areas to be a foreign investment attracting destination and a security structure with comprehensive, open, transparent and fair cooperation on collective principle.

The Russias stressing of the policy is totally suitable with the embraced situation. Analysts said that the policy is a breakthrough in the eastbound policy of Russia.

Mr. Son said that Vietnam plays a particularly important position in the eastbound policy. It is a traditional comprehensive, reliable and friendship strategic partner of Russia. The two sides have profound understanding of each other, so Vietnam has the strength like a bridge spanning, promoting and boosting relations between Russia and ASEAN nations.

Vietnam locates in an important maritime route attaching Russias security and economics to the Asia-Pacific region. Besides bilateral benefits directly from oil exploitation in the continental shelf of Vietnam, Russia regards the Southeast Asian nation as an important chain in its maritime benefits in East Asia in particular and Asia-Pacific in general.

In addition, Vietnam has been the first country signing the EAEU FTA which members comprise Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The FTA attendance has made the country an entrance gateway for the economic area to the Southeast Asia region. From Russian angle, Vietnams participation in the agreement is a step helping materialize the eastbound policy.

Comprehensive strategic partnership

Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Son said that the strategic partnership relationship between Vietnam and Russia was established in 2001 and upgraded into comprehensive strategic partnership in the following year.

Inheriting Vietnam-Soviet relations which valuable assets are large achievements of the two sides traditional friendship and cooperation challenged over time, the comprehensive strategic relationship has much benefited Vietnam in many fields comprising politics, military security, economics, culture, education, health and society.

In politics, visits by high ranking leaders of the two countries, the mechanism of strategic dialogue and political consultation between the two countries foreign affair ministries; the Party, National Assembly and people diplomatic operations have helped the two sides exchange information and tightly cooperate at multilateral forums especially those at the United Nation within ASEAN-Russia cooperation framework, contributing in upholding peace and stabilization in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world.

Russia has supported Vietnam as host of APEC 2017, willing to share hosting experiences and closely work with Vietnam to successfully organize the event.

The two sides affirm their support of solving territorial disputes in the East Sea with pieceful measures on the basis of international law comprising the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea  UNCLOS, the spirit of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and towards building the East Sea Code of Conduct (COC).

The two sides agree that UNCLOS member nations should abide by and fully implement their duties according to the convention.

In army security, Vietnam and Russia have focused on developing national defense, army security and techniques and obtained good results for the last past. Russian modern weapons and ammunitions together with the professional training of Vietnamese personnel at Russias army technique institutions have helped Vietnam intensity defense ability and cope with military attack dangers from hostile forces.

The two countries have stepped up cooperation in four key fields comprising trade, investment, oil and gas and electricity. The relationship and connectivity between the two countries has been reinforced and developed through hundreds of thousands of Russian and Vietnamese visitors annually, the community of nearly 60,000 Vietnamese people who are living and doing business in Russia and thousands of Vietnamese students in the country.

The coming visit by President Tran Dai Quang will be an important event, continuing fortifying the belief between the two countries and marking a new step ahead in the bilateral relationship.

Russian education

Many Vietnamese scientists and managers have grown up from Soviet Union schools, including former General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and other countrys leaders.

Over time and practice, Russias education and training industry has showed its superiorities, which equip students with not only knowledge but also systems thinking method and second order logic so that they can apply efficiently in study and in practice after school. That is a strength of Russias education and training compared to other nations in the world.

Studying in Russia has been chosen by Vietnamese youth. With monthly scholarship, their living standard in the country has been quite good.

The Russian Government increases scholarships for Vietnamese citizens yearly and the country has become the worlds largest scholarship grantor.

At present, Vietnam has nearly 3,000 students in Russia, an important source to supplement high-qualified intellectuals and technical staff and a span linking up Russian and Vietnamese people.

By VIET TRUNG  Translated by Hai Mien
The 2nd international student science forum from June 21 to 25 discussed impact of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and smart city development.



72 participants were selected from universities nationwide and 36 other students from ten nations and territories including Cambodia, Cameroon, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Vietnam.

Additionally, over 1,500 Vietnamese students participating the event as observers joined in activities and seminars.



The forum was co-organized by Ho Chi Minh City Vietnamese Students Association and Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City on the theme of Industry 4.0 and building the smart city.

ISSF is an international forum that aims to bring together undergraduates from ASEAN and other countries to engage in meaningful academic, cultural and social exchanges.



During 3 days at the conference, participants will explore the chosen theme of the year through presentations, site visits, breakout sessions and lecture series by industry experts from both the public, private and the people sectors.



This year, students will discuss five topics including Industry 4.0; Models and initiatives of smart city; the fundamental technologies and smart applications in building smart city; Smart services of smart city and citizens' engagement in smart city.



This is a trending movement by municipal leaders and people to develop a modern and smart city keeping up with other metropolitans across the world.



After the opening ceremony, students shared researches, application and benefits of the Industry 4.0 to the world development; ideal models of building smart city in the globe. In addition, participants introduced software and creative methodologies in building smart city. Moreover, they proposed measures to develop prioritized services such as electronic government, intelligent traffic, medicine, education and training.



Furthermore, students thought about measures to increase residents awareness and behavior in smart city.



International students will pay visits to major construction, science and technology centers, and historic site in Ho Chi Minh City like the Hi-tech Park, Cu Chi tunnel, Thong Nhat Hall as well as exchanges with their peers in Medicine University, Technology University, and Marketing Finance University.

By THAI PHUONG  Translated by UYEN PHUONG
The diplomat noted that Vietnam is a reliable and traditional partner of Russia. Vietnam, located in an important maritime route connecting Russia and Asia-Pacific, was also the first to sign a trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) of which Russia is a member.Vietnam and Russia set up their strategic partnership in 2001 and upgraded it to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012.The two sides have worked together at multilateral forums such as the United Nations and within ASEAN-Russia cooperation, contributing to maintaining peace, stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.Russia has supported Vietnams hosting of the APEC 2017, said the ambassador.Vietnam and Russia have also supported settling territorial disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, aiming to build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.Both sides agreed that members of the UNCLOS must abide by their obligations stated in the document.At the same time, Vietnam and Russia have developed defence-security and military technology cooperation, said Ambassador Son who added that economic collaboration between the two countries has been strengthened with four key pillars of trade, investment, oil and gas and electricity.Nearly 60,000 Vietnamese people reside in Russia, along with some 3,000 Vietnamese studying in Russia.Regarding benefits from the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EAEC, which became effective on October 5, 2016, the diplomatic said that the deal enabled Vietnam to access a 183 million-strong market with total GDP of nearly US$ 2.2 trillion .Along with favourable conditions created by the agreement, the Russian Government has offered preferential policies to Vietnamese firms, especially in agriculture and consumer goods production.The deal has pushed two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia to US$ 1.37 billion since October 2016, a rise of 27.2 percent year on year, with a 28.4 percent rise in Vietnams exports.In terms of education, Son asserted that Russia is a good choice for Vietnamese students who wish to study abroad. Russia is Vietnams largest scholarship provider and every eyear, the Russian Government increases the number of scholarships for Vietnam.Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Son said President Tran Dai Quangs upcoming visit will reinforce mutual trust, marking progress in bilateral cooperation.

VNS
The visit aims to boost friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries.



In the friendly atmosphere, the leaders discussed on practical cooperative contents in the fields of economy, defense, culture, education...

They agreed to give courage as well as favourable business condition to investors, and reinforce further collaboration at international and regional forums, propose practical cooperative measures in fighting against terrorism, trans-national criminals, smuggling to ensure peace, regional stability.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc appreciated defense cooperation between the two nations, and suggested Cambodia to enhance searches for reoains of Vietnamese martyrs and experts in the neighboring country.

He also suggested both sides to strengthen border negotiation and solutions, and Cambodia to promote progress and effectiveness of legal document issuance for the Vietnamese community in Cambodia.

PM Hun Sen expressed his deep gratitude for Vietnamese peoples loss to help his country escape from Pol Pot genocide, and agreed to the suggestions of the Vietnamese PM, including repatriation of bodies of Vietnamese martyrs, border line and Vietnamese overseas.

Both two sides agreed to push up the friendly and cooperative relations in the upcoming time.

On the same day, the high- ranking delegation of Cambodia returned the country to end the visit.

BY NGOC MINH- Translated by Huyen Huong
Theres a good movie to be made about a bachelorette party. Rough Night isnt that movie.

Cute  until it turns deadly  the premise tries too hard to recover from an accident that happens much too early in the story. Five friends in Miami to celebrate ones impending marriage welcome a male stripper into their home. One gets a little aggressive with him, he hits his head on the corner of a fireplace and dies.

What to do? Weekend at Bernies dealt with a similar problem, but it wasnt caused by the ones trying to hide it. Here, weve got an episode of How to Dispose of a Body. Theres a halfhearted attempt to make the five justified but it never quite works. Once the stripper goes down, the fun ends.

Scarlett Johannson plays the bride-to-be, a woman running for office. Jillian Bell is the party planner who wants to show everyone just how tight the two are. Throw in two besties, one rich and unhappy (Zoe Kravitz), the other poor and militant (Ilana Glazer), and an exchange student from Australia (Kate McKinnon) and the film could have clipped along nicely without the death.

Because Bells character doesnt realize how obnoxious she is, the weekend becomes an eye-opener in more ways than one. She battles rejection; Kravitz toys with the neighbors next door (Ty Burrell and Demi Moore). Paul W. Downs shows up, too, as Johannsons fiance who decides to drive day and night to prove his love (and discover why shes not answering her phone).

Theres plenty to consider without the cover-up. With it, Rough Night becomes a slog to the end, particularly since there are diamond thieves lurking in the neighborhood.

McKinnon gamely tries to get the kind of quick laughs she earns on Saturday Night Live but even her oh-so-good Aussie accent cant hide what others have written. Kravitz is appealing, too, but given almost nothing to do. Without her close encounter with the neighbors, she could have been eliminated from the film and no one would have been wiser.

Director Lucia Aniello peppers the story with plenty of pop culture references (remember the sad astronaut?), aiming this at a specific demographic. Routinely, Rough Night doesnt graze its target.

There are too many familiar moments to make it as fresh as The Hangover or as surprising as Bridesmaids.

Rough Night wants to play in the same arena (heck, it was probably pitched in that context) but it doesnt have the necessary skills. The actors are fine (even though Johannson can be counted on for more laughs than shes asked to land) but this isnt anything more than a series of unfortunate and unmotivated incidents. Rough night, indeed.
SIOUX CITY | The Betty Strong Encounter Center will host Traditional Native Beadwork: A Demonstration and Discussion with Sherman Bear Ribs, Hunkpapa, and Diane Comes Out Holy Two Sticks, Oglala Lakota, at 2 p.m. Sunday. The event will be free; a reception will follow.
Screenings

Free blood pressure screenings, 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesdays at Countryside Senior Living, front lobby. No appointment necessary.

Programs/Self-Help Groups

Al-Anon Information Center, call 712-255-6724.

Al-Anon and Alateen, meetings locally. For times, dates and locations of area meetings, call 712-255-6724.

Alcoholics Anonymous, beginners information, call 712-252-1333.

Arc of Woodbury County, serving the mentally challenged, 5:15 p.m. meeting, second Monday of the month at Mid-Step Services, 4303 Stone Ave. For families and interested persons.

Child Care Resource and Referral, provides resources, education and advocacy for children, parents, and child care providers. Assists in child care needs. For more information, call 712-277-1180.

Co-Dependence Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at First Lutheran Church, Fireside Room.

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA), 10 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.

Compassionate Friends, 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each month (third Thursday in November and second Sunday December) in Mercy Medical Center's Leiter Room. For families who have lost children. Contact Nancy Webb 712-212-4032 or Don Mulder 712-541-5512.

Clinics

Siouxland District Health immunization clinics, call for appointment, 712-279-6119 or 1-800-587-3005.

Information

Family and Addictive Illness series, for more information, call 234-2300.

Iowa Fathers, 6 to 8 p.m. fourth Tuesday of each month at Hope Lutheran Church, Education Building, 218 W. 18th St., South Sioux City, Neb. Support group to help single, divorcing and divorced parents residing in the state of Iowa.

Mercy Pathways Outpatient Program, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, on the third floor, Mercy's Central Medical Building, 801 Fifth St., Suite 360. Provides hope, help, opportunity to connect through group therapy for individuals experiencing personal, relationship, psychiatric issues. For more information, call 712-279-5991.

Narcotics Anonymous, meetings daily, various times, dates and locations. For more information, call 712-279-0733.

Overeaters Anonymous, 1 p.m. Tuesdays at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3700 Indian Hills Drive; 6 p.m. Tuesdays at St. John's Lutheran Church, 402 Lane Ave., Storm Lake; 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Church of the Nazarene, 226 N. Main St., Viborg, S.D.; 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at Newman Center, 320 E. Cherry St., Vermillion, S.D.; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. A 12-step recovery program for people who have problems with food and weight. No fees.

St. Lukes Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on fifth floor of St. Luke's, located at 2720 Stone Park Blvd. Offers several levels of outpatient care including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and group therapy. This program provides support and integrated treatment to individuals experiencing personal or relationship issues as a result of their mental illness. For more information and admission criteria, call 712-279-3906.

Sobriety By Faith, 8:30 a.m. Saturdays at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For more information, call James Mothershead at 712-577-9715.

The Link-Recovery and Freedom, 1603 Glen Ellen Road; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday workshop, and Christian 12-step meeting 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. For all ages. Call Dee at 389-7432.

Women in Recovery, meets monthly at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For details, call 712-255-4623.

Tarahouse Meditation Center, 8 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6:30 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, all at 3112 Rebecca St. Three easy 10-minute sessions in small group; beginners welcome. For more information, call 490-6410.

Blood pressure and blood sugar screening, 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in the lobby at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Free to public.

Support Groups

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Hawkeye Club basement, 420 Jones St. For more information, call 277-5935.

Celebrate Recovery, Bible-based 12-step recovery group. Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive. Childcare provided. 712-490-3343. All welcome.

PFLAG of Siouxland, (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), 7 p.m., fourth Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November. St. Mark ELCA Church, 5200 Glenn Ave., in the upstairs meeting area. 712-258-3116.

Singles widowed and divorced, all ages, 4 p.m., Sundays. McDonald's at Sixth Street and Lewis Boulevard. 712-252-2675.

GriefShare, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

H.E.L.P. Ministries, spiritual NA support group, "Sunday on Saturday" service 6-8 p.m every Saturday at 513 Main St., Sioux City. Donald, 712-574-1744.

HIV/AIDS Support Group, meets weekly. For more information, call Darla or Teri at Siouxland Community Health Center, 712-252-2477 or 888-371-1965.

Hospice of Siouxland, seeking volunteers. For more information, call 712-233-4144 and ask for a volunteer coordinator.

La Leche League of Siouxland, breastfeeding support group meets every third Thursday at 11 a.m. at Morningside Lutheran Church. Children are welcome. For more information, call Mary at 712-546-7280 or Jacquie at 712-255-2998.

Living Each Day Cancer Support Group, 7-8 p.m. second Thursday of the month, Floyd Valley Hospital, Conference Center Room 2, Le Mars, Iowa. Open to all cancer patients, cancer survivors and family members. No charge. Pre-register by calling 712-546-3441 or 800-642-6074, ext. 441.

Mom and Baby Support Group, 10-11 a.m. last Monday of the month at the Orange City (Iowa) Hospital, lower level. For new moms and babies. 712-737-5260.

Tri-State Sober Project, 12-step meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Friendship Community Church, 305 Sergeant Square Drive, Sergeant Bluff. 6-7 p.m., Thursdays, Transitional Services of Iowa, 1221 Pierce St., Sioux City.

Doug's Donors Support Group, information for organ donors and recipients, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Fridays, 5:15-6:30 p.m. second Thursdays of the month at Mercy Cafeteria Woodbury Room. 712-277-1050.

Divorce Care, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

NAMI Siouxland, (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Support Group meets 6:30 p.m., second Tuesday of the month at Friendship House, 1101 Court St. For individuals and family members dealing with mental illness. 712-255-4209.

Orphan Sunday, 3:30-5 p.m. Sunday at Sunnybrook Community Church loft, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive.

Post Polio Support Group, 11 a.m. first Thursday of the month at Perkins Restaurant by Menards. 712-490-8213.

Relationship Support Group, 7 p.m. Fridays at Marketplace Mall. For more information, call 239-3129.

Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Individual and Support Groups. For more information, call CSADV in Sioux City at 712-258-7233; Plymouth County at 712-546-6764; Monona County at 712-423-3443. Advocacy and support available 24 hours a day at 1-800-982-7233. All services free of charge and confidential.

Sickle Cell Disease Support Group, 11 a.m. third Saturday of each month at St. Luke's Hospital, meeting room 1. For patients, their family and any concerned member. Call La'Keshia Rainey at 712-203-2019 for more information.

Single and Parenting, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

Sioux City Association of the Deaf, 7 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Morningside Church of Christ, 5015 Garretson Ave. Regular meeting, September-May; no meeting, June, July, August and December.

Siouxland Autism Support Group, second Thursday of the month at Northwest Area Education Agency, 1520 Morningside Ave. For more information, call Julie Case at 712-490-8939.

Siouxland Epilepsy Support Group, 5 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Prestwick Apartment Clubhouse, 4230 Hickory Lane. For anyone diagnosed with seizures or epilepsy and family or friends. For more information, call Steve at 274-6927.

Siouxland IC support group, meets quarterly in Sioux City. For patients struggling with interstital cystitis. For more information, call Jacque Dundas 316-641-9766.

Siouxland Informational Group for the Blind, 2-5 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Northern Hills Retirement Community, 4002 Teton Trace. For more information, call 712-266-8926 or 258-8151.

Grief support group, 5:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 5 for 13 weeks (may join at any time), Crescent Park United Methodist Church, 2826 Myrtle St., Sioux City. Scott, 712-899-6315.

Siouxland Ostomy Association, 2 p.m. first Sunday of each month (except September, which will be second Sunday; and no meetings June, July, August), in Room 300 at Mercy Medical Center, 801 Fifth St. For more information, call Dick Lindblom at 251-2453.

Siouxland Parkinson Disease Support Group, 1 p.m. fourth Monday of the month at Siouxland Center for Active Generations, 313 Cook St. For more information, call Sally Reinert at 402-987-3516.

South Sioux City Weight Support Group, 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at St. Paul United Methodist Church, South Sioux City. For more information, call 494-1401 or 494-2133.

Disabilities Resource Center of Siouxland, 520 Nebraska St., Suite 101: Women's Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month; LGBT Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Friday of the month; Adult ADHD, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; Advocacy Group, 1:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call 712-255-1065.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, group meetings various times, days and locations in Siouxland. For information on the chapter in your area, call 1-800-932-TOPS.

Voice Disorder Support Group, meets as needed at Mercy Medical Center, Buena Vista Room. 712-279-2686.

Women's Peer Support Group, in Wayne and South Sioux City, Neb., for those who have experienced domestic abuse. For more information, call the Wayne office at 402-375-4633 or 1-800-440-4633; in South Sioux City, call 402-494-7592. Help and support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services free and confidential.

Woodbury County D.M.D.A., noon-2 p.m. first Saturday of the month at Country Friendship Acres, 4501 West St.; 7-8 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at 515 Court St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at 441 W. Third St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at 409 W. Third St. in the Community Room. Support group for people with disabilities and mental disorders.

Natural Mamas in Siouxland, 1 p.m., third Tuesday of each month in the Garretson room of the Morningside Public Library. All ages of children are welcome to come with moms. For sharing natural living tips, recipes, natural remedies and health, homemaking, mothering, etc. For more information, call 402-913-0038 or visit their Facebook page.

A Step Beyond support group, 3:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, except for August, November and December when it meets at 5:30 p.m. (no meeting in January) at the Christy-Smith Resource Center, 1819 Morningside Ave. For more information, call 712-276-7319.

Divorce care, 5 p.m., Sundays. Fireside room, Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 South Martha St.

Gamblers Anonymous meetings, 4 p.m. Thursdays at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 315 Hamilton Blvd.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Morningside Presbyterian Church, 4327 Morningside Ave.; 7 p.m. Tuesdays, St. John Lutheran Church; 7 p.m. Sundays, Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.. 712-277-2901.

Art therapy support group, 5:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Registration required, call 252-9387.

After Breast Cancer Support Group, 5:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call Brenda, 252-9370.

After Prostate Cancer Support Group, 5:15 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call 252-9426.

Alzheimer's Association, Big Sioux Chapter Support Group, 2 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; 4 p.m. third Tuesday of the month (under age 65) at 201 Pierce St., Suite 110 (Famous Dave's building); and 6 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. For more information, call Emily Lord at 712-279-5802.

Christy-Smith Funeral Homes of Sioux City, extensive grief library at the Morningside location. Open to the public during weekday hours. For more information, call 276-7319.

Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness Support Group, 7:30 p.m. fourth Wednesday of the month in the lower level of the Orange City Hospital. For more information, call 712-737-5260.

Connections Area Agency on Aging, and Mercy Medical Centers Older Adult Services Welcome to Medicare, 1:30-4 p.m., the first Friday of every month at Connections Area Agency on Aging, 2301 Pierce St. To pre-register, or for more information, contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-279-6900.
MILFORD, Iowa | Police arrested three juveniles on charges of arson and criminal mischief in Milford on Friday.

The Milford Police Department in a release said the arrests date back to events on two days earlier in June. Police on June 10 investigated vandalism at Florence Park, where multiple fires were started in bathrooms and a dumpster.

Police also investigated buildings and vehicles being spray painted at Okoboji High School on June 16.

The department reported three juveniles, who were not named, were arrested on a felony charge of second-degree arson. They were also arrested on third-degree criminal mischief, an aggravated misdemeanor.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Battle Creek, Iowa, man was arrested after police said he was involved in a fight with a knife at a business in Storm Lake, Iowa.

The Storm Lake Police Department said the incident occurred just before midnight Thursday at MKZ Auto Repair and Sales, 820 Vestal St.

Police said German Ariel Zambrano Villa Lobos, 21, Battle Creek, Iowa, engaged in an argument with another person at the business and the incident escalated into a fight when a third party attempted to intervene.

Police said Zambrano Villa Lobos pulled out a knife, and during some tackling and fighting, one person was cut on the hand. Zambrano Villa Lobos fled the scene and was arrested early Friday morning at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 59 near Holstein.

Zambrano Villa Lobos was cited with the felony charge of willful injury causing bodily harm. He was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on $5,000 bond.

The person cut by the knife was treated at the scene by paramedics and later transported to the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake by private vehicle for additional treatment.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa | A Dickinson County man has been arrested on an attempted murder charge after police said he stabbed two people Thursday.

The Spirit Lake Police Department on Friday identified the suspect as Nicholas Thompson, 29, of Spirit Lake, Iowa. Police were called at 5 p.m. to home in the 900 block of 22nd Street to aid a person who had been stabbed.

The release did not describe the details prior to the stabbing. Thompson is charged with attempted murder and going armed with intent, both felonies.

Police said two people were injured, and their names were not released. One person was taken to Lakes Regional Healthcare and later airlifted to a facility in Sioux Falls. The other person denied medical treatment.

Thompson was booked into Dickinson County Jail.
On Iowa Politics breaks down Trumps visit to Cedar Rapids and Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbetts formal announcement that he will be running for the GOP nomination for governor.

On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast which re-creates the conversations that happen when Iowa's political reporters get together after deadlines have been met. This week's show features Erin Murphy, Bret Hayworth, Todd Dorman, Christinia Crippes, and James Q. Lynch.

This week's show was produced by Max Freund and the music heard in the podcast is courtesy of Past Masters. Chat with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @OnIowaPolitics, and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. Know an Iowa musician who should be on our show? Send their band sound files to oniowapolitics@gmail.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. | Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, took to the U.S. House floor Thursday to recognize the three "Miracle Kids" of Tanzania.

Sadia, 13, Wilson, 12, and Doreen, 13, were the only survivors of a May 6 school bus crash in the east African nation that killed 36 other passengers. Kevin Negaard, Jennifer Milby and Mandy Volkert, all medical volunteers who provide humanitarian assistance with Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministries (STEMM), were among the first people to come across the crash, which occurred after the school bus careened off the road into a ravine.

During a "Special Order" speech, King described in detail the dire medical condition of the three children, who were brought to Sioux City for medical treatment.

At the time the deadly crash, King was on an international trip to Bosnia and Sarajevo. He received a call from Dr. Steve Meyer, board president of Siouxland Tanzania Medical Ministries (STEMM), who made arrangements to transport the children to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City.

Meyer, whom King referred to as "a friend, a pheasant hunting buddy," told the congressman that two of the three children might not have survived in Tanzania, while the third, more likely to survive, would have been handicapped. Meyer asked King to accelerate the process of getting visas for the patients and their mothers, as well as a Medivac plane.

"I said, 'Can't you help them there? Can't you fix them there?'" King said. "And he said, 'No, I can't, we don't have the equipment in Tanzania. We're not going to be able to save them, unless we can get them out of Tanzania, get them back to Sioux City, where we can provide all the best medical care and surgery necessary to put their bodies back together.' "

Obtaining the visas wasn't too difficult, King said, but getting the high-priced Medivac lined up was another matter. Eventually, King secured the help of The Rev. Franklin Graham, president of humanitarian aid group Samaritan's Purse, and the plane brought the children across the Atlantic, to Sioux City.

The three children are still recovering from their injuries. King suggested the children could return to Tanzania as early as "the 18th or 19th of August."

Some onlookers, King said, have been astonished at the generosity of all those who helped the Tanzanian children.

"The father of one of these patients, said to Dr. Meyer, 'Why? Why? Why?' And Dr. Meyer said, 'Well, what do you mean, 'Why?'' King said. "'Why do you do this? Why are you willing to do this for our children?' And his answer is, 'We're Christians and we're Americans, that's why."
The Veteran's Memorial Bridge was built with a walking-biking connection between Sioux City and South Sioux City. Both cities already have a concrete walking-biking trail to the bridge as part of their trail system. The Sioux City connection to the bridge starts in Chris Larsen Park and the South Sioux City connection starts at the corner leading to the bridge.

A Missouri River crossing would be very dangerous. How would the city assure a new bridge would be safe? Would there be a significant liability risk? How many months of the year would the bridge be used? How many people are expected to use the bridge? What would be the useful purpose as both cities already have parking space and trails for their specific park activities? Who would maintain the bridge? What is the cost-benefit ratio? Wouldn't a new bridge be a duplication of an already existing bridge connection? Could the money be used for another safe purpose in the parks? - Lynelle Bieber, South Sioux City, Neb.
As the Trump administration considers more troops for Afghanistan and greater involvement in the Syrian civil war, Congress can no longer afford to stand idly while its war powers authority is usurped and eroded by the executive branch. President Donald Trump inherited counterterrorism wars on multiple fronts from his predecessor, Barack Obama, who inherited them from his predecessor, George W. Bush.

All sent American forces into battle based on the authority Congress granted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the time, al-Qaida was exploiting a power vacuum in Afghanistan to operate training camps and plan the 9/11 attacks. Massive U.S. military deployments in Iraq and Syria were not on lawmakers minds.

Instead of containing Islamist radicals, the 2003 Iraq invasion gave rise to al-Qaida in Iraq, which morphed into Islamic State. Islamic State fighters now have a footing in Libya and other North African states. Afghanistans instability has opened yet another expansion venue as ruthless Islamic State fighters compete with the Taliban for territorial control.

U.S.-backed government forces are losing ground, which is why Trumps defense secretary, Jim Mattis, proposes adding 3,000 to 5,000 U.S. troops to an existing force of 9,800. Mattis sense of urgency is understandable. But after nearly 16 years, Congress needs to assert its oversight authority before these deployments morph again into something worse. Senate Republicans are pressing this point.

In 2014, I wrote, absent congressional action, the president will continue to operate under an outdated authorization, leaving the door open for future presidents to claim undue and unbounded powers that will, over time, erode the balance of power fundamental to our constitutional system, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned during a hearing Tuesday. Three years later, that statement remains true. It is also one that I think most members of Congress will agree with.

Were now six months into this administration, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told Mattis during a June 13 hearing. We still havent got a strategy for Afghanistan. It makes it hard for us to support you when we dont have a strategy.

The Syria deployment is escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow as Russian-supplied Syrian government warplanes threaten American ground positions. U.S. forces have shot down a Syrian jet and drone in the past week, prompting angry threats from Russia. A Russian fighter jet buzzed a U.S. Air Force spy plane over the Baltic Sea on Monday. On Wednesday, a NATO jet pulled alongside a plane carrying Russias defense minister over the Baltic.

Americans deserve to know how all this is making us safer. If Trump has a strategy and goal, he should spell them out so Congress can grant or deny its legally required stamp of approval.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Whoever is in charge of the kitchen knows a thing or two about cooking. Each of the dishes we sampled was delish. Friends who have visited the new spot report similar experiences. Where Sea & Olive fails is in the front-of-the-house operation. Upon entering, we were practically pounced upon by a server. We were dining early before a movie and were the first customers, so we had our choice of seats in the attractive dining room or equally beautiful patio. As our server handed us the menu she informed us that Sea & Olive is a Turkish restaurant. The menu options are mostly Turkish dishes, some with influences from neighboring Mediterranean countries.

There is an entire page of small shared plates, or mezze, as they are referred to throughout the Mediterranean. Shaksuka is a stew of eggplant, tomato, pepper and onion, usually baked with an egg on top. Sea & Olives version arrives sans egg, but with eggplant so tender that it melts in your mouth. A bowl of anchovies is simply that, with the addition of olive oil and a few slices of onion and garlic. Both are excellent with the chewy, grilled pita bread.

Other small plate options include hummus, cacik (the Turkish version of tzatziki), grape leaves, borek (meat filled pastries), grilled fish, saganaki (grilled cheese) and assorted vegetable dishes, but oddly enough, there are no plates of the restaurants namesake, olives! Small plates range in price from $5-13, with most running $8 or less, making the special combo of two mezze plates for $16 and four for $30 not such a great deal.

Salads, priced $6-8 are easily enough for two to share, or as an entree with the addition of grilled salmon, shrimp or chicken for $6 more. Coban presents a large bowl of chopped cucumber, tomato and red onion with tangy vinaigrette. Entree courses are a bit pricey, ranging from $16 to $27. Although the portions are sizable, my grilled octopus was accompanied by only two tablespoons of sauteed greens; my husbands grilled salmon was augmented by the same greens and some vinegary onions. The addition of a starch side would go a long way toward making these dishes seem more fairly priced.

My octopus was perfectly prepared, but my husbands dish took a lot longer than expected. When the salmon arrived it was perfectly medium rare, but the skin was rubbery. The number one rule with fish skin is that if you cant serve it crispy, remove it from the plate. Meanwhile, my dish had grown cold as I sat waiting for his entree to arrive.

Neither our server, nor the others that stopped by ever asked why my plate sat practically untouched, nor did they offer to correct the mistake. When our server brought the check she finally admitted that she forget to put in the order for the second entree. We were the only diners in the restaurant! How can you forget to put in an entree when you only have two customers?



At the end of the meal, our server presented us with two miniscule pieces of baklava as an apology. With an error like that the salmon entree should have been comped. When we got our bill, we were also overcharged for a glass of wine. I pointed out to that the menu indicated house wines were $4 a glass during happy hour. She explained that that only applied to drinks at the bar, although it doesnt state so on the menu. In the end, we were given the happy hour price, but this is just another example of folks who dont know what theyre doing running a restaurant.

Ill give Sea & Olive a second chance, only because the food was well prepared and the atmosphere charming. However, they need to get someone in there who knows how to manage the front of the house operations if they hope to succeed. Queens will forgive less than stellar food, but we love good service!

Sea & Olive

2390 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors

954-306-3778
The gay, HIV-positive asylum seeker, Denis Davydov has returned to San Jose, Calif., after 46 days of detention in Krome Detention Center in Miami. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents detained Davydov for overstaying his entry visa, despite his pending asylum status. His case has now been transferred to California, but his next court date remains unknown.

In Russia, Davydov had no access to HIV medicine for years. Others harassed him for being gay. He said, I do not even want to think about what would happen to me, if I were sent back there. In Krome, he again found dehumanizing conditions. The guards called us by a number and our country of origin, like we were not even human beings. I was just 'Russia XYZ, Davydov reported.

Davydov came to the U.S. in September 2014 and applied for asylum in June 2015. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) granted the 30-year-old Russian pending asylum status. This status allows him to stay in the U.S. even if his visa would expire, while USCIS evaluates his asylum claim.

People seeking asylum have to stay within the U.S. until their case is resolved. In early March, Davydov travelled to the U.S. Virgin Islands to go backpacking.

When on March 13 he tried to board his flight home to San Jose, Calif., CBP agents detained Davydov in Saint Thomas, USVI. At that time, he had physical documentation of his pending asylum status from the USCIS. The CBP charged Davydov with overstaying his visa, but USCIS had granted him permission to stay in the U.S. while his case was pending. People with pending asylum status frequently overstay their visa. According to Immigration Equality (IE), the CBP agents had no legal grounds for detention as Davydovs asylum case was still pending.

It is not clear what caused CBP to detain Davydov. Jackie Yodashkin of IE, reported that, prior to Davydovs detention, CBP agents had not found his HIV meds. They also did not find gay porn or other gay indicators. Yodashkin indicated that Davydov speaks with an accent.

While Davydov could get his HIV meds at Krome, he developed a thrush-like condition. The doctor-on-duty told Davydov that he would have to see a specialist. After waiting six hours to see that specialist, he still received no medical treatment. The thrush-like condition has since cleared up.

Yodashkin said that IE currently represents 56 LGBT Russians seeking asylum in the U.S. Jamaica, Mexico, and Russia produce the largest numbers of asylum seekers in the U.S. Russian requests for asylum increased after 2013 when Russia passed its anti-LGBT propaganda law.

An unknown number of global migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are LGBT or live with HIV. IE has secured asylum in the U.S. for 950 people as of May 2017. All are either LGBT or live with the HIV infection. IE currently has another 680 clients seeking asylum. These 680 current clients either are LGBT or live with HIV. Conditions in Chechnya only increase the importance of LGBT and HIV refugee rights.

For information about Russian LGBT immigrants, visit the Facebook page of RUSA LGBT.

For more information on Immigration Equality, please visit http://www.immigrationequality.org/

To keep up with LGBT issues in Russia, please visit https://lgbtnet.org/en/content/our-contacts.

Follow Sean McShee on Twitter @SeanMcShee
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.




City Of The Dead (7.5% ABV)

Modern Times, San Diego, CA.

Export Stout with Barrel-Aged Coffee.

Bottles with CA distribution.

One of the most popular breweries in the well-established San Diego craft beer scene, Modern Times has made big waves in SoCal since launching in May of 2013, brewing what they call aroma-driven, complex, flavorful, session-ish beers. Theyre also incredibly interesting from a Sprudge perspective because they actually roast their own coffees under the Modern Times label, and sell both beers and coffees from their taprooms in Point Loma and North Park areas of San Diego.



City Of The Dead is an Export Stout, which historically are stouts that are higher in alcohol and brewed to make long trips across the oceans. What makes City Of The Dead such an important and what they consider a groundbreaking stout is that its brewed with their house-roasted bourbon barrel-aged coffee. Head brewer Bartleby Bloss oversees these process from sourcing to roasting to brewinga degree of control and integration thats rare in the beer world. We currently use a coffee that we sourced directly from Brazil form Mantiqueria de Minas, Bloss tells Sprudge. Its from the town of Carmo de Minas grown at Frazenda Engenho by Jose Vitor Bernardes. This coffee is a natural processed Acaia varietala Brazilian local hybrid of Bourbon and Typicayielding wonderful dark chocolate, strawberry, molasses, and light floral notes, as per Bloss.

Modern Times ages the unroasted green beans in bourbon barrels, using around one pound per barrel. They claim its the worlds first commercially bottled barrel aged coffee beerit says so right on the bottle. This chart below (courtesy Modern Times) shows us a little bit more about the process they use to make this beer.

So, what should you expect from a bottle of City of the Dead? As soon as you open the bottle, youre punched in the face with coffee aromas. Not the bitter kind, but sweet and aromatic. Pouring it you get an incredible head, really one of the bigger ones Ive seen for any coffee beer, and it stays around a while. I tasted it in a tulip glass, as I taste most beers, and this helped make the best use of the aromas as I took in my first sip. First sip is all coffeedelicious, freshly (and properly) roasted coffee with a nice creaminess. If youre a fan of coffee with a splash of cream in it, you will LOVE this coffee beer.

The mouthfeel on this beer is near perfect, and it drinks nice and easy. I tried it at just under room temperature, around 60 degrees, and this was the perfect temp for this beer. The more I drank of this beer, the more I enjoyed it, even with the outside temperature being 85 here in Atlanta. I could see myself drinking this any time of the year.

This beer is near perfect, and I cant think of anything I would do to change it. The coffee theyve chosen pairs perfectly with the malts and grains used, and theyve roasted the coffee to pull out the correct flavors to match with the beer. I feel like most of the conversation around Modern Times stouts revolves around their Monsters Park line, but honestly, they have other beers like this one and Devils Teeth that are equally as good, if not better. If you can find this Modern Times near you, get it. I actually purchased this from an online craft beer sourceCraftShackthat ships outside of CA, and the price was well-worth it at $8 a bottle, which is actually a steal for a beer of this quality.

Jason Dominy (@jasondominy) covers beer for the Sprudge Media Network, and is a co-host of The Last Beer Show podcast. Read more Jason Dominy on Sprudge.
On Monday, June 12th, thought leaders, association members, and future industry pioneers collected in the grandiose Pesti Vigado for a full day of mind-expanding talks weve come to know as Re:Co Symposium. The event has evolved in the nine years since its inception and recent rebrand. As a brand new attendee of both of 2017s Symposium events (in Seattle and Budapest, respectively), I cant express the personal honor I felt to have been amongst such inspiring and innovative people and ideas. After a morning coffee service provided to us by the Barista Guild of Europe, we gathered in the great theater hall to begin.

Specialty Coffee Association Executive Director Ric Rhinehart started us off with the state of the industry and the message was clearthe future isnt looking too good for coffee. It was simply a SWOT analysis of the future of coffee with a heavy focus on our current weaknesses and threats. Climate change, an aging farmer population, and a stagnated production of washed arabica coffee were just a few of the challenges named.

But even with serious problems threatening the very crop that upholds the livelihoods of millions of people along the value chain, strengths and opportunities do exist.

Consumer consumption is increasing, so its a good time to be in coffee sales, says Rhinehart. I was able to gather that while consumption was on the up and up, there would also be an increased need for traceability and transparency throughout the coffee supply chain, as consumers will inevitably become more aware of where their beloved caffeinated beverage is coming from. If for some reason that wasnt to be the case, it would be imperative for us as an industry to establish that standard.

Rhineharts talk offered a clear road map for the proceeding talks throughout the day. Thirteen other speakers were grouped into four sessions that covered a wide range of topics to give us glimpses into what was, is, and could be for the coffee industry, including talks like Risks And New Solutions, Flavor And Microbiology, Generations And Innovations, and Sensory Science And Sensory Design.

Transparency and traceability were two buzzwords I heard often throughout the day, but they were definite themes weaved through each and every talk. Jessi Baker (founder of Provenance.org) brought information on blockchain and its ability to use data technology to digitally trace the path of a product from producer to consumer. Raphael Studer (co-founder of Algrano) formulated the idea of coffee producers branding themselves. Additionally, he said giving producers online access would enable an equal flow of information from producer to consumer and back again, where currently the case is only one way.

Studer summed it up well, and we can all agree: Increasing transparency increases the coffee market.

 Increasing transparency increases the coffee market!! Learn it, live it, apply it. #RecoBudapest  Sprudge Live! (@SprudgeLive) June 12, 2017

As coffee flowed and the conversations evolved, we heard about the status of cascara as its own food category, cheese fermentation and microbes, and the uniqueness of our noses. I was thoroughly surprised to learn that we as humans are not able to smell every single thing on the SCA flavor wheel!

Dr. Henry Hoby Wedler was a repeat speaker from Re:co Seattle, and a highlight again here in Budapest. Dr. Wedler is a blind food and beverage sensory expert with a Ph.D in chemistry, and he spoke again to the Symposium crowd about sensory design. He dove into using all of our available senses to experience coffeenot only for personal sake, but through universal accessibility, too, for the consumer.

After this full day of hearing from some of the most innovative minds across multiple industries, the proceeding three days on the World of Coffee floor yielded a new look for the event, in the form of Re:Co Interactive. This programming made for three days of in-depth, intimate conversations and sensory sessions that created more ties to coffee and where we can be headed as an industry.

The sensory experiences of Re:Co Interactive were some of my favorite moments of the entirety of Re:Coand not just because some of them featured alcohol tastings and pairings with coffee. These small sessions gave an opportunity for attendees to engage directly with some of the speakers, as well as expand our minds, and palettes, as we made connections between beer malt and hops to coffee roast profiles, for example. Re:Co fellow presentations and debate sessions were also held, allowing for speakers and attendees to discuss with each other their thoughts and ideas on the coffee industrys current issues from their own corners and concentrations.

"Coffee is very humbling because it's truly human-produced."  Dr. Hoby giving perspective on how coffee has taught him. pic.twitter.com/QwxyKXgjwc  Sprudge Live! (@SprudgeLive) June 13, 2017

One session led by the aforementioned Raphael Studer focused on accessibility of information to coffee producers. In it, Re:Co Fellow Vava Angwenyi of Vava Coffee out of Nairobi, Kenya, called out the European coffee trading community for their lack of activity in Africa.

It is much easier for the United States to do trade with Central and South America due to location, Angwenyi stated. Europe really should be doing more trade with Africa. You all know whats going on thereyou know the lay of the land, even know some of the languages. You did colonize us, after all.

"European coffee should be trading more with Africa because you know the lay of the land  you colonized us." #HOTTAKE #RecoInteractive pic.twitter.com/ZYylc3BuCR  Sprudge Live! (@SprudgeLive) June 15, 2017

With unapologetic conversations like this one happening between industry professionals and leaders of all backgrounds, I felt the Re:Co Interactive format was wildly successful. When asked about the possibility of a similar format happening at Re:Co Seattle 2018, content producer Matt Slater felt optimistic. Its a brand new and we had the opportunity to do it, and its shown us what could be for Re:Co next year.

Re:Co Budapest offered a perfect glimpse into the future of Re:Co Symposium, and with hopes to expand its accessibility (and maybe even a talk of my own), it will be an event many will continue to travel from all over to take part.

You can see a full live feed coverage of Re:Co Budapest on Twitter at @SprudgeLive, full of more of my notes from the event, favorite quotes, photos, and yes, some emojis. And be sure to check out the #RecoBudapest hashtag for much more critical thought from the event.

Michelle Johnson (@thechocbarista) is the publisher of The Chocolate Barista, and the marketing director at Barista Hustle. This is Michelle Johnsons first feature for Sprudge.
It was only one start but for Francesco Larosa a chance to drive a pacer proved fruitful when the Sicilian professional finished second in the one race that he drove at Monticello Raceway on Thursday afternoon.

According to his friend Marco Barone who doubled as his interpreter, the Italian speaking professional driver and his wife Carola are celebrating their honeymoon with a two-week holiday in North America. And through some help from friends LaRosa made a connection with Monticello trainer Dan Gill who offered him a drive behind one of his pupils, Park it Park It, a four-year-old altered son of Big Bad John.

Sent off at odds of 8-1 from the three-hole in race five LaRosa allowed John DeSimone and Eye Candy to take the lead and then was comfortable with a two-hole trip all the way. However, in the lane Park It Park It flattened out and couldnt gain on the pace-setter and finished second a length behind Eye Candy in 1:57.

Asked how it felt to drive a pacer LaRosa replied through his translator, Barone: It was smooth and steady, and then added the pacer was easier to handle than a trotter.

A winner of a few hundred races in his homeland the opportunity to drive a pacer was special to the 30 year LaRosa since only trotters are raced in Italy, and for that matter all though continental Europe.

LaRosa and his dad handle a considerable stable based in Palermo, Sicily. Their horses compete at racetracks in Palermo, Siracusa, Garigliano and Naples as well as various racetracks in southern Italy.

After the Monticello race Francesco and Carola, along with Mario Barone and his son Rylee, were headed to the Big Apple . After a short stay in New York City the LaRosas will be on to California and then to Cancun Mexico before returning home to Sicily The Barones will leave New York and head back to their home in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
An accident that took place on Thursday (June 22) at Saratoga Casino Hotel has sent two drivers to hospital and claimed the life of one horse.

In the fourth race at Saratoga, Mister Miami (Dan Daley) was racing in fifth in a field of seven maiden pacers when he took a bad step and fell. Fifth Son (Francis Raia II) was following in behind and managed to mostly avoid the fallen horse but the trailer in the field, Sporty Big Boy (Stephane Bouchard) could not. Bouchard was catapulted from his sulky and Sporty Big Boy was reportedly euthanized as a result of his injuries. Mister Miami was injured after his fall but in stable condition.

According to harnessracing.com, both Daley and Bouchard were conscious when taken to local hospital.

A report on Bouchard's condition will be posted when available. Daley's son, Dan gave an update on his father.

"So far we know he has several broken ribs, a cracked clavicle, and a collapsed lung," Daley posted on Facebook. "They're monitoring him for internal bleeding and he's spending the night in ICU. He's the strongest man that I know and I'm confident that he'll fully recover... besides, there's horses to train next week!"

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Sporty Big Boy.
As Canada celebrates 150 years of confederation on July 1, Canadas horse racing industry is recognizing an even greater milestone, the 250th Anniversary of Horse Racing in Canada with 23 racetracks in eight provinces taking part in a national celebration over the July 1st weekend.

From British Columbia to Prince Edward Island, tracks holding races between June 30th and July 2nd will raise flags, hold commemorative miles and honour the people, horses and history from their local communities to mark the 250th Anniversary. The July 1st weekend initiative is part of a year-long celebration led by the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in conjunction with Standardbred Canada and Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society.

This anniversary provides the opportunity for the entire horse racing industry across the country to speak with one voice about our incredible history, said Linda Rainey, Managing Director of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. There arent many things in our country that are 250 years old and horse racing has reached that milestone. It is a story anyone who has ever been involved with horse racing can be proud of.

It all began, July 1, 1767, exactly 100 years before our countrys confederation, when a race took place on The Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. The Gazette de Quebec recounted the race as follows:

The horse race for a purse of forty dollars was held on Wednesday, first of the month, on the Hill of Abraham. It was easily won by Captain Prescotts mare Modesty, much to the discomfiture of those who, purporting to know about such things, had wagered against her and were thereby parted from their money.

From that day forward horse racing has been part of the fabric of the country. From coast to coast, generation after generation, people from all walks of life have participated in and enjoyed the sport, whether on grass-root tracks, agricultural fairs, on frozen rivers dotting the countryside, or in todays modern facilities.

Earlier this year a national initiative was launched to complete 250 Miles for 250 Years, with a goal of accumulating 250 commemorative miles honouring the communities, horses and people who have participated in the sport over the past 250 years. Many of those commemorative miles will be held over this official anniversary weekend.

Everyone attending the celebrations is encouraged to share their experience via social media using the #cdnhorseracing250

Participating tracks include:

Funding for the 250th Anniversary of Horse Racing in Canada initiatives has been provided by: Standardbred Canada, Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, HBPA Ontario, Central Ontario Standardbred Association, Ontario Harness Horse Association, Alberta Standardbred Horse Association, Harness Racing BC, The Jockey Club as well as individual donations. To support the 250th Anniversary Fund visit the Hall of Fame's Sponsorships and Donations page.

For additional information about the 250th Anniversary of Horse Racing in Canada and the celebrations planned go to canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com or via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and use the #cdnhorseracing250 hashtag.
Three-year-old pacing colts and geldings sparred in a trio of O.S.S. Grassroots divisions during Thursdays 10-race card at Mohawk Racetrack, and pacing fillies of the freshman variety kicked off their career in a $14,000 rookie event.

Nascar Seelster rallied from far off the pace to stake claim to the first O.S.S. division for the tandem of driver Randy Waples and trainer Bob McIntosh. The son of Mach Three-No Strikes Against got away next to last in the 10-horse affair, but steady gains in the middle stages of the mile put him into contention in the late going. He stormed home in :28.1 to win by a head over Mach Deja Vu in 1:53.1. Race favourite Southwind General cut out fractions of :26, :55.2 and 1:23.4 before fading and finishing third.

Robert McIntosh Stables Inc, Dave Boyle, Mardon Stables and James Walker share ownership on the gelding who was unraced as a rookie. Hes assembled a 1-1-1 record from just four trips to the track.

Doc Semalu pulled off an 8-1 upset in the second division for the duo of driver Sylvain Filion and trainer Stephane Larocque. Starting from Post 10, the gelding got away in mid-pack and gradually made gains in the middle stages of the mile. Fifth and parked at the three-quarter pole, the son of Mach Three-Signature Seelster kicked home in :28 to win by three-quarters of a length over Dream Of Luck in 1:54. The show dough went to Master The View.

Hes got a few issues, but hes got lots of go in him, and we were lucky enough to find a spot there closer to the front and everything opened up in the lane, said Filion. It worked out good for us. He showed some grit.

Bayama Farms Inc and Zoom And Fish Stable Inc share ownership on the sophomore who is 2-for-4 to kick off his 2017 campaign. It was a new lifetime mark for the career winner of $15,915.

Oak Island also rallied from well off the pace, and in doing so he took home the hardware in the final division for driver Bob McClure and trainer Justin Darling. The colt, who was eighth for the opening half of the $19,500 affair, got into the flow going to the three-quarter pole and from there he motored home in :27.4 to win by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:53.2. Tremendous Play was third-placed-second, while Bills Fells was fourth-placed-third.

Sent off at odds of 13-1, the son of Vintage Master-Sanabelle Island improved this years record to two wins from four tries. The four-time winner has banked more than $20,000 to date for Hutt Racing Stable of Paoli, PA.

Thursdays card also gave Mohawk fans their first look at two-year-olds as pacing fillies -- seven in total - squared off in a $14,000 tilt.

Heavily-favoured Lady Ella shot to the lead from Post 6 for trainer/driver Rick Zeron, and together the led the group through fractions of :28, :57.1 and 1:25.1 before kicking home in :28.3 to win by three lengths over Big Thong in 1:53.4. Taking home the show dough was Book The Bet.

The daughter of Sportswriter-Spun Sugar is owned by Rick Zeron Stables, Dean Lockhart, Cool Cat Racing Inc and James Walker.

To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results  Mohawk Racetrack.

For the official judges' report from Thursday's card, click the following link: Judges' Report - Mohawk - June 22.
The finest pacers dotting the eastern seaboard of Canada will face off Saturday evening in memory of Cecil Ladner at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The 11-dash card kicks off at 6:00 P.M. Saturday with the $5,000 Cecil Ladner Memorial Invitational lining up in the evening's finale. Ladner was a pivotal organizer and supporter of Island racing up until his death in 2005, when he was serving on the board of Harness Racing P.E.I. The lifelong horseman owned a number of top competitors including stakes winner Rouge Baron, Gold Cup & Saucer finalist Back From The Past and hard-hitting overnight horses like Legend Killean, Dunachton Nukes and GOK. The fastest standardbreds east of Quebec will put their noses on the starting gate in his honour this Saturday night and it is anyones race to win.

Mr Irresistible was a decisive winner in last Saturdays preferred pace with a 1:55.1 victory -- over a sloppy track with a two-second variant -- with Charlottetowns leading driver, Marc Campbell in the seat.

Campbell will drive the five-year-old son of Mister Big again this week and gets rail control as the favourite for trainer Jennifer Trainor and owner Danny Birt of Stratford.

Goliath Reigns has Post 2 at 6-1 odds after shipping in from competition at Truro Raceway for trainer Dawn Ellis and driver Todd Trites after winning in 1:56.2 over the Nova Scotia half-mile oval on June 11.

Post 3 has Nogreatmischief with 12-1 odds for co-owner, trainer and driver Walter Cheverie of Nine Mile Creek and co-owner John Thompson of Charlottetown. The Bettors Delight pacer has not made a start since October but was a qualifying winner in 1:58 recently in Charlottetown.

Junebugs Baby has Post 4 at 8-1 with Myles Heffernan driving for owner Jackie Heffernan of Glace Bay, N.S., after finishing second in 1:56.2 in his latest start.

Post 5 belongs to the other Nova Scotia ship-in, His Boy Elroy with Bernard McCallum training and driving. A winner in 1:57 over Truro Raceway in his most recent start, His Boy Elroy is listed at 10-1 for owner Dan MacRae of Baddeck, N.S.

The richest pacer in the field is a newcomer to Charlottetown. Invictus Hanover makes his second start on red soil and draws Post 6 for trainer-driver Jason Hughes and owner Foxyhall Racing of Wallace, N.S. The son of Yankee Cruiser is at 7-2 morning line odds as he looks to add to his $305,000 bankroll.

Post 7 belongs to a pacer that makes front no matter where he leaves. Adkins Hanover has Brett MacDonald making the trip from Rideau Carleton Raceway to sit behind the pacer in the absence of regular pilot Corey MacPherson. Adkins Hanover has been laying down devastating fractions in recent weeks for trainer Trevor Hicken and owner Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile., QC, but hasnt seen the winners circle since May 13.

The far outside Post 8 goes to a six-year-old pacer that surprised the top class on June 10 with an upset victory after a two-hole ride. Give Em Heck is unlikely to get as nice a trip from the outside of the starting gate this week for driver Gilles Barrieau, trainer Jackie Matheson and owner Colin Sheppard of Spaniards Bay, N.L.

Check out redshores.ca for race programs, live video and promotional information including the ongoing $100,000 Dash For Cash.

To view the entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Charlottetown.

(with files from Red Shores)
The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...
Measures to allow such shops in El Segundo, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach are all on their way to failing, based on semi-official election results
IANS

Detectives in Britain have arrested two men in connection with an international "conspiracy" to hack the Microsoft network, a media report said.

According to a Thursday report in The Registrar, the detectives - based in the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) - were now investigating "unauthorised intrusion into networks that Microsoft owns" between January and March. "This group is spread around the world and therefore the investigation is being coordinated with our various partners (including Microsoft, the FBI, EUROPOL and the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit)," a detective was quoted as saying.

While one of the suspects, a 22-year-old was arrested on suspicion of gaining unauthorised access to a computer, the other, a 25-year-old, was arrested under the Computer Misuse Act offences. The detectives have seized "a number of devices" during a raid. However, it was still not clear what information had been accessed by any alleged attacker.

Meanwhile, Microsoft said that no customer information has been compromised. "Today's action by authorities in the UK represents an important step... Stronger internet security depends on the ability to identify and prosecute cybercriminals," Microsoft was quoted as saying.

"This requires not only strong technical capability, but the willingness to acknowledge issues publicly and refer them to law enforcement," it said. "No customer data was accessed and we are confident in the integrity of our software and systems. We have comprehensive measures in place to prevent, detect and respond to attacks," the statement from Microsoft added.
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Facebook said it would not disclose information about political campaign advertising or related data such as how many users click on ads and if advertising messages are consistent across demographics, despite arguments from political scientists who want the data for research.

Details such as the frequency of ads, how much money was spent on them, where they were seen, what the messages were and how many people were reached would remain confidential under the company's corporate policy, which is the same for political advertising as for commercial customers. "Advertisers consider their ad creatives and their ad targeting strategy to be competitively sensitive and confidential," Rob Sherman, Facebook's deputy chief privacy officer, said in an interview on Wednesday, when asked about political ads.

"In many cases, they'll ask us, as a condition of running ads on Facebook, not to disclose those details about how they're running campaigns on our service," he said. "From our perspective, it's confidential information of these advertisers," Sherman said it would not make an exception for political advertising. "We try to have consistent policies across the board so that we're imposing similar requirements on everybody."

Academics who study political campaigns worldwide said this kind of information fosters accountability by analyzing how candidates compete for votes and whether election systems live up to expectations of fairness. Transparency can also deter fraudulent ads, they said. "We don't have the capacity right now to track it, and nobody does, as far as we can tell," said Bowdoin College professor Michael Franz, a co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which catalogs political ads on traditional television but has no means of doing so on Facebook.

Television has been the backbone of political advertising for decades, and local U.S. broadcasters are required to disclose a wealth of details about the cost and schedules of ads. The ads can be seen by anyone with a television provided they are aired in their markets. Online advertising, though, often targets narrow, more carefully constructed audiences, so, for example, an ad could be directed only to Democrats under 25 years of age.

Thousands of variations of online ads can be directed at select groups and the targeting can be extreme. Academics argue this is where the process can become very opaque. "Candidates can speak out of both sides of their mouths," said Daniel Kreiss, a communications professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Having some kind of digital repository of ads that are purchased during a particular cycle and linked to a particular source is a good, democratic thing for the public."

No such repository exists, and the quandary for researchers is expected to worsen as more politicians use digital advertising because of its relatively low cost and opportunities for target marketing.

According to U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign, $70 million was spent for its ads on Facebook, more than on any other digital platform including Google, and Trump has credited Facebook with helping him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton last November. Advertising on Facebook also figured prominently in recent elections in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, researchers said.

Britain is investigating how candidates use data to target voters. Facebook ads generally disappear with the scroll of a thumb on a smartphone, and they have no permanent links. Advocates for transparency call them "dark ads." Facebook calls them "unpublished posts."

Researchers said that disclosure reports from the U.S. Federal Election Commission are unhelpful because they show what campaigns pay to intermediaries, not to internet platforms. The role of advertising online is as important to study as the effect of so-called "fake news," which has received more attention than ads, scholars said.

"The holy grail, I think, of political analysis for the 2016 election is to figure out which communications from which entities had an effect on which jurisdictions in the United States," said Nathan Persily, a Stanford University professor who writes about elections. Facebook has such information and should make it available for study, Persily said.

Facebook's Sherman said the company was open to hearing research proposals, but he doubted much could be achieved. "Even if we were able to be more transparent in this area, it would only be a very small piece of an overall story," he said.

Reuters
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Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg revised the world's largest online social network's mission statement on Thursday to emphasize support for hobby clubs, civil society organizations and other community groups.

The move comes as Facebook faces pressure from smaller rivals such as Nextdoor and Meetup, whose online networks bring together neighbors and people in the same area with shared interests. Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page that his company's new mission is to "give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. "The previous mission was "to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." Facebook's pursuit of that mission has been criticized in the past 12 months after the network became one of the main distribution points for so-called fake news, which many think influenced the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Zuckerberg said in February he wanted to boost the number of Facebook users who are members of what they called "very meaningful" groups. Only about 5 percent were members of such groups, he said then. The head of Facebook, with 1.9 billion users and $27.6 billion in revenue last year, was in Chicago on Thursday to meet people who run group pages on Facebook.

"If what you're trying to do is run a group that has thousands of people, you need tools to help manage that," he told CNN in an interview. Facebook wants to build those tools, he said. Alphabet Inc's Google also hosts community groups, as do Nextdoor and Meetup. Nextdoor, a site for neighbors to meet one another and share news and advice, said on Monday it was expanding into Germany after rapid growth elsewhere.

Zuckerberg told CNN that supporting organizations built around neighbors, churches, pets and the like has a larger purpose.

"Once people are coming together in these smaller groups, that actually grows and it ends up with much bigger changes in the world," he said.

Reuters
Aditya Madanapalle

ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has just deployed 31 satellites in orbit after a 23 minute flight. This was the fortieth launch of the PSLV, one of the most reliable launch vehicles in the world, which has earned it the moniker of ISRO's workhorse rocket. There were satellites from Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Of the three satellites that ISRO notes are from Belgium, according to the launch manifest, one was actually from China and the other two were from the United Kingdom.

Eight of the satellites are part of the QB50 project, a swarm of fifty academic satellites from different countries around the world, which is led by Belgium. The total weight of all the satellites on board was 955 kg. The 29 foreign nanosatellites have been launched as part of arrangements between Antrix, ISRO's commercial arm and the customers. Here are the details of the satellites that the PSLV-C38 mission has deployed.

CartoSat 2 series

The main payload is the Earth observation CartoSat 2 series satellite. The satellite is similar to five earlier satellites already deployed in the CartoSat 2 series. There are panchromatic and multispectral cameras on board which will be used to observe the Earth from a polar sun synchronous orbit at a height of 505 kilometers. The orbit is similar to the orbit of the CartoSat-2D, which was launched in the PSLV-C37 mission with 104 satellites on board. The orbit will allow the CartoSat-2 series to image the Earth when the sun is directly overhead, allowing for clear lighting conditions with minimal shadows.

The imaging instruments on board are amongst the most advanced used by Indian satellites, and are capable of imaging the Earth in sub-meter resolutions. The images will be used for a number of Land Information System (LIS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) applications. The satellite will be used for cartographic applications, creating land use maps, regulation of coastal land use, monitoring roads, and keeping track of water distribution. The main payload alone weighs 712 kg. There are reaction wheels, magnetic torquers and Hydrazine thrusters for controlling the satellite. The planned mission duration for the satellite is five years.

NIUSAT MARK I

The other Indian satellite on board is an academic institute satellite from Noorul Islam University. The satellite weighs 15 kg, with two optical payloads on board. There is an RGB multispectral camera that can capture images in a 30-meter resolution and a Short-wave Infrared camera with a resolution of 120 meters. The images captured by the satellite will be used for disaster support operations, as well as monitoring agricultural crops in the Kanya Kumari district.

The university has established a dedicated command and control center for telemetry and telecommand operations (downloading data and uploading commands). Their command center is equipped with a very high frequency / ultra high frequency antenna for the command and control operations and an S-Band antenna for data reception. The Satellite structure, Electrical Power System, On Board Computer, Telemetry and Tele Command Transponder were all developed by the NIUSAT team. ISRO and private industries also participated in the process of realising the satellite. The satellite is meant to contribute to the welfare of the nation, and allow the university to acquire the know-how for developing satellites.

PEGASUS AT03

The PEGASUS AT03 is a nanosatellite from from the University of Applied Sciences in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, and is a part of a constellation of 36 satellites. The nanosatellite is based on the popular CubeSat standard and has the subsystems arranged in layers. The main instrument on board is the multi Needle Langmuir probe system, which will be used to measure the density and temperatures of electrons in the thermosphere, one of the outermost layers of the atmosphere. The measurements will allow scientists to get a clear picture of the plasma conditions in the thermosphere, and better understand the process that determines the weather on Earth.

One of the unique aspects of the PEGASUS swarm is that the side panels in the satellite are printed circuit boards and provide additional functions apart from providing support. The various sub systems in the satellite are connected by the side panels, allowing the design team to avoid using wires. The side panels also have magneto torquers to control the alignment of the satellite. The on board computer is based on the 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 processor, and the satellite has an SD card slot. The PEGASUS uses a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for propulsion.

QB50-BE06/ NUDTSat

The QB50 project is an international network of nanosatellites from various universities around the world. The launches of the satellites are distributed between India's PSLV and the Atlas V, operated by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed-Martin. The PSLV is taking up, among others, the VZLUSAT-1, the QB50-DE04, the Lituanica Sat-02 and the URSA MAIOR from the QB50 constellation with the PSLV-C38 launch.

The QB50 project seems to have assigned a misleading country code for the BE06 satellite, as the CubeSat is listed as being named the NUDTSAT, from the National Institute of Defense Technology, in China. The designation for the satellite could be QB50-CN06. The CubeSat will be used for detecting ions and neutral particles in the upper atmosphere and is also equipped with space imaging systems.

Inflatesail

The Inflatesail is from the Surrey Space Center, in the United Kingdom. The Inflatesail is a technology demonstration satellite to check the viability of a dragsail to safely deorbit a satellite. There is a lot of debris and junk in space, which almost forms a ring around the planet. These leftovers from previous missions are a hazard to current spacecraft, satellites and space stations in orbit, and can lead to disastrous collisions. On the Inflatesail, a dragsail will be deployed using an inflatable boom, and will be controlled by a motor. The technology has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of debris in low Earth orbit.

UCLSAT

The UCLSat is also a part of the QB50 project from the University College London and has an Indian connection. Parts of the satellite were developed by Dhiren Kataria, an intern at the University College of London who also worked on the Pratham satellite, which went up on the PSLV-C35 mission. Like the CN06, the UCLSAT will detect ions and neutral particles in the upper atmosphere.

SUCHAI 1

The Satellite of the University of Chile for Aerospace Investigation (SUCHAI) is for educational and scientific purposes. The main purpose of the satellite is to demonstrate the capabilities of designing, building and operating the satellite. Like the PEGASUS, the SUCHAI is also equipped with a Langmuir probe to study the variation of electron density in the atmosphere. The satellite will also study the effect of space weather on critical electrical systems in satellites. The SUCHAI is equipped with a camera and GPS.

VZLUSAT-1

The VZLUSAT-1 is a nanosatellite for atmospheric research from the Czech Republic. There is a radiation-hardened composite for housing the electronics. The aging process of the material will be verified over the course of the mission. The satellite will demonstrate a new concept for a miniaturised x-ray telescope. Such a telescope can potentially be used to monitor terrestrial gamma ray flashes, and space weather such as solar flares. The other main instrument on board is the FIPEX, -(Phi=Flux)-Probe-Experiment. The experiment will measure atomic oxygen in the atmosphere to validate conventional weather models. The communications systems on the satellite was tested by driving it around in a car.

Aalto-1

The Aalto-1 is a satellite developed by more than 80 students from the Aalto University in Finland. The satellite is a technology demonstration mission, and is equipped with a Fabry-Perot spectrometer. A RADMON radiation detector will monitor the low Earth orbit for electrons and protons, and will be used to map particle radiation. Finally, there is a plasma brake that will be used to deorbit the satellite. From Finnish, the name translates to a plasma hammer for testing a solar wind turbine, according to Google.

Robusta-1B

The Robusta-1B is an academic satellite that is an upgrade of the Robusta-1A. The instruments on board are improved versions of the instruments on the Robusta-1A and builds on the learnings from the first mission. The main purpose of the satellite is to study the effects of space radiation on critical electrical components in satellites. A battery anomaly in the original satellite has been corrected for this mission.

QB50-DE04

The satellite is also known as the Compass-2 and is a nanosatellite from Germany. One of the payloads of the satellite is an expandable panel of innovative thin film solar cells. The deployment of the solar panel will be tested. The panels will be observed under space conditions. In the end, the main payload on the satellite is a dragsail.

URSA MAIOR

The URSA MAIOR, named after the constellation commonly known as the Great Bear is a representative satellite in this mission, and part of the QB50 project. The URSA MAIOR is an Italian satellite from the University of Rome. Like the Chilean SUCHAI and the Austrian PEGASUS, one of the scientific payloads on board is the a Langmuir probe. The satellite is also equipped with a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems micro thruster experiment. Like the English Inflatesail and the German Compass-2, the URSA MAIOR deployable dragsail to safely de-orbit the satellite.

Max Valier

The Max Valier satellite is named after an Austrian rocketeer. The satellite has been developed by teams in Germany and Italy. The satellite is an academic satellite. The main payload on the satellite is a miniaturised X-Ray telescope for mapping the universe. The other payload on the satellite is a maritime Automatic Identification System (AIS). The system allows ships to avoid collisions. The data from the satellite will be beamed down to the Earth using amateur radio frequencies.

Venta-1

The Venta-1 is an academic nanosatellite from the Ventspils University College in Latvia, built in collaboration with the City University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, Germany. Like the Max Valier satellite, the Venta-1 will have an AIS. The telemetry and telecommand operations will be carried out by a dedicated ground station at Ventspils University College. The Venta-1 is also an Earth observation satellite, and has a low resolution camera for imaging the planet.

LituanicaSat-2

The LituanicaSat is an academic nanosatellite by the Vilnius University in Lithuania. The satellite will demonstrate the ecologic chemical propulsion (EPSSS), which are small but powerful thrusters. If successfully demonstrated, the system can potentially be commercialised. The satellite will take measurements and observe the constituents of the upper atmosphere. One of the interesting experiments the satellite will conduct is to test the uplink and downlink capabilities between CubeSats and remotely piloted aircraft systems. The LituanicaSat-2 has a FIPEX, like the Czech VZLUSAT.

3 Diamonds

The 3 diamonds are nanosatellites by Sky and Space Global. This will be the first demonstration of the capabilities of a company that wants to allow anyone, anywhere on the planet to communicate at any time. The Australian based company eventually hopes to deploy hundreds of satellites in orbit to support these capabilities. The organisation aims to use the satellites to be useful for remote sensing, IOT networks, communications, defence and science.

D-Sat

The D-Sat does not use a dragsail to demonstrate a scalable system to safely deorbit a satellite. The US based company is called D-Orbit. The system used is a miniaturised rocket that ensures that the satellite will come back to Earth. While in space though, the satellite has a scientific payload to analyse the atmosphere. The D-Sat is also equipped to track orbital debris, and will demonstrate a forecasting and warning system to prevent aircraft from being affected by falling space debris.

CE-Sat 1

The CE-Sat 1 is from Japan, and is essentially a DSLR morphed into a satellite. The CE stands for Canon Electronics, and Canon's space program is the Space Technology Laboratory. The CE-Sat 1 is a remote sensing satellite. The satellite is meant to demonstrate the systems and improve image processing and analysis software.

skCUBE

The skCUBE is a Slovakian technology demonstration satellite. There are two versions of every system on board for redundancy. The main scientific sensor on board is for measuring very low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic radiation. One of the problems that the satellite is trying to solve is to accurately measure these VLF radiations, and avoid the disruptions in the instruments caused by the same VLF radiations.

CICERO-6

The CICERO-6 is a weather monitoring satellite from GeoOptics. As the number indicates, this is the sixth weather monitoring software launched by the company. GeoOptics has committed to making all data gathered by its constellation of satellites for any research use worldwide. As such the CICERO-6 is a technology demonstration mission of a GPS radio occultation sensor that will allow monitoring of global weather with greater accuracy.

Tyvak-53b

Tyvak is a nano and micro satellite solutions company that specialises in commercialising capabilities of small satellites. The Tyvak-53b is a technology demonstration satellite, that will test out a deorbital technology. The Tyvak-53b is a satellite from the US, along with the Cicero and the 8 Lemurs.

Lemur-2

The rest are all Lemur-2 satellites from Spire Global. This will be the second batch of eight Lemur-2 satellites launched by ISRO this year, the PSLV-C37 mission inserted the same number of Lemurs into orbit. Before that, Lemur satellites have been launched by Cygnus, Antares, Atlas, Dnepr and from the International Space Station. These satellites specialise in AIS systems. The data is used by insurance companies, safety passage of ships, monitoring illegal fishing and to combat piracy.

ISRO had two successful launches in June, the first demonstration flight of the GSLV MKIII with the indigenous cryogenic upper stage engine and the PSLV-C38 mission with 31 satellites on board. However, ISRO is not done for the month of June. On 28 June, the GSAT-17 will be launched along with the Hellas Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN by Arianespace from French Guiana.
tech2 News Staff

The worlds smallest satellite was just launched by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on 21 June. The satellite was designed by a team of students from Tamil Nadu and weighs a mere 64 g. Its been named KalamSat in memory of former scientist and late President, APJ Abdul Kalam.

The tiny satellite was launched by a NASA sounding rocket from NASAs Wallops island facility. News Nation reports that this is the first time an Indian students experiment has been carried by NASA.

Chennai: Students who built the world's smallest satellite, rejoice after its launch. The satellite weighing 64 grams was launched by NASA. pic.twitter.com/ak7NP9KzUO  ANI (@ANI_news) June 22, 2017

Rifath Sharook, who helped design the satellite, states that the purpose of the satellite is to demonstrate the strength of 3D printed carbon fibre, designed the satellite. The satellite was selected via a Cubes in Space competition, which was organised in part by NASA. 86,000 designs were submitted, Sharooks design was the one that won.

The rules of the competition stated that the satellite must weigh exactly 64 g and fit in a 4-cm cube.

Sharooks attempt was funded by an organisation called Space Kidz India.

The satellite successfully endured 12 minutes of microgravity in space.
hidden

Uber Technologies Inc has hired a law firm to investigate how it obtained the medical records of an Indian woman who was raped by an Uber driver in 2014. The review will focus in part on accusations from some current and former employees that bribes were involved, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP, which is in the early stages of the probe, was hired by the ride service after employees gave contradictory accounts of how Uber obtained the medical records, one of the people said. The firm is also exploring whether former Chief Executive Travis Kalanick knew how Uber came into possession of the records, the person added.

Kalanick through a spokesman declined to comment. Uber also declined to comment, and O'Melveny & Myers did not respond to a request for comment. Members of Uber's board were briefed about the investigation in recent days, shortly before five major Uber investors sent a letter to Kalanick to demand his resignation, said the person. The probe was likely one reason the board turned against Kalanick, who stepped down on Tuesday, the first person said.

The investigation is ongoing and has not reached any conclusions on whether Uber improperly obtained the records. Reuters has no evidence that bribery occurred.

The rape victim sued Uber last week, accusing the ride service operator of improperly obtaining and sharing her medical records. The suit said that shortly after the rape occurred, former Uber Asia chief Eric Alexander "met with Delhi police and intentionally obtained plaintiff's confidential medical records." Alexander, through spokeswoman Heather Wilson, denied paying any bribes and said that the files containing the victim's records had been obtained through appropriate, legal methods.

A Delhi police spokesman did not answer multiple phone calls from Reuters to seek comment. The rapist was convicted in 2015. According to a person familiar with conversations between Kalanick and Alexander, the two executives had discussed obtaining the victim's records because they suspected the rape might have been fabricated by an Uber rival to damage the company. Another person said Alexander showed the medical files to colleagues in New Delhi more than once.

Wilson denied that Alexander had discussed or shared the records with colleagues. She said that Alexander believed the victim was raped and never expressed the view that it was a set up. Uber fired Alexander earlier this month. Kalanick, 40, announced late on Tuesday that he was resigning as chief executive, though he would remain on the board of Uber. He said he had accepted "the investors' request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted by another fight."

Privately held Uber has grown from startup to a global ride service valued at $68 billion in less than a decade, driven by Kalanick, who set the tone of a company that challenged laws and norms to succeed. Confidence in Kalanick had been strained this year by claims of sexual harassment in the company and a lawsuit accusing Uber of benefiting from trade secrets stolen from self-driving car technology from Alphabet Inc's Waymo.

Reuters
EU leaders boost support for Libya to halt migrant exodus

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, speaks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, right, and French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

AP, Brussels :

European Union leaders are set Friday to boost their support for conflict-ravaged Libya as the number of people fleeing Africa from there for better lives in Europe continues to rise.

At a summit in Brussels, the leaders will commit to step up their backing for the Libyan coast guard to stop people setting out for international waters in unseaworthy boats.

The U.N.'s migration agency calculates that around 70,000 people have arrived in Italy from Libya so far this year, compared with around 56,000 for the same period last year. Almost 1,900 have died trying to make the perilous Mediterranean crossing in 2017.

"Loss of life and continuing migratory flows of primarily economic migrants on the Central Mediterranean route is a structural challenge and remains an issue of serious concern," the leaders say in a draft of their final summit statement, seen by The Associated Press.

"The EU and its member states will have to restore control to avoid a worsening humanitarian crisis."

Training and equipping the Libyan coastguard is a key part of the plan. But human rights group Amnesty International says the coast guard is plucking people from the sea and returning them to a country where they face detention and possibly torture or rape.

EU leaders "are increasing the capacity of the Libyan coastguard while turning a blind eye to the inherent, grave, risks of such cooperation," said Iverna McGowan, head of Amnesty's European office.

Libya is also appealing for help to secure its porous southern border, which is some 4,000 kilometers (2,500) miles long.

The leader of Libya's unity government, Fayez Sarraj, has been in Brussels lobbying the Europeans and the NATO military alliance for help.

"As the number of migrants rises, the economic and social fabric of southern Libya is placed under very significant strain," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"Financial contributions are necessary to bolster that southern border" and "we seek the European Union's support in that endeavor," Sarraj said.

EU leaders also want to replicate their migrant deal with Turkey which, despite rights and legal concerns, has drastically reduced the number of people crossing the Aegean Sea. Niger, hub for the main western African transit route, has been held up as example of what can be done.
KISHOREGANJ: Deputy Commissioner Md. Azimuddin Biswas addressing an advocacy meeting on food safety at local Collectorate Conference Room on Wednesday .
News In Brief

Sylheter Dak declaration revoked by DC

Sylhet Correspondent

The authorities have revoked the permission to publish the vernacular newspaper The Daily Sylheter Dak owned by convicted industrialist Ragib Ali. Ragib Ali, serving his sentences in jail, was the publisher of Bengali daily, the top-selling newspaper in the district. Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md Rahat Anwar said, His conviction for fraud led the authorities to cancel the newspaper's declaration, He told that the declaration was cancelled as per the law on Thursday and a copy of the notice was sent to the newspaper on Sunday. Sylheter Dak Acting Editor Md Abdul Hannan and Executive Editor Abdul Hamid Manik could not be reached by the news agency for comments. Its publisher and head of editors' panel Ragib Ali has been sentenced to different prison terms in three cases. He and his son Abdul Hye, who is also an editor of the newspaper, were sentenced to 14 years in jail in February this year for forging land ministry documents to grab the temporality of a tea estate in Sylhet. The duo, along with Ragib Ali's daughter Rozina Kadir, son-in-law Abdul Kadir, and a relative, Dewan Mostak Majid, were sentenced to 16 years in jail in April in another case of fraud. Ragib and Hye were sentenced to one year in jail in March for publishing newspaper while being fugitive. To develop the standard of living for small caste people education stipend distributed

UPGP quarterly meet held

Staff Reporter, Kishoreganj

UPGP Project, a project UNDP arranged a quarterly coordination meeting with chairman and secretary was held at local Collectorate Staff Club Hall Room on Wednesday noon. Deputy Commissioner Md. Azimuddin Biswas attended as chief guest while Deputy Dirrector & Deputy Secretary of Local Government Division Md. Zahirul Islam in the chair. It was addressed among others by UNDP District Facilitator Md. Nazrul Islam, Consultant Monior Hossain Majumder, Katiadi Upazila Chairman Abdul Wahab Ainuddin and Union Chairman Advocate Kamal Sahrif. D.C Azimuddin Biswas said that, the union should be service oriented and focused on transparency and follow up Act- 2009. UP service delivery and peoples oriented for scale UP good governance as people's governance as a local government institute.

Education stipend distributed among ethnic people

Gafargaon (Mymensingh) Correspondent

Some 49 learners from primary to University level have been given stipend at Shilpokola Academy at Gafargaon under Mymensingh on Tuesday noon. This education stipend has been given to the ethnic group people from Prime Minister's Office Development Assistance Programme" to develop the standard of living of ethnic people .UNO Dr Shamim Rahman presided over the function. Upazila Parishad Chairman Md.Asraf Uddin Badal was the chief guest in the function. AC (Land) Sheikh Shamsul Arefin conducted the function. Upazila Vice-chairman Reshma Akter , Education Officer Anuwarul Islam , Secondary Education Officer Belayet Hossain also delivered their speeches in the function. A learner of primary level got as a stipend - TK 2000 , Secondary level- TK6000, higher secondary level TK- 8000, and University level TK-12800 .. The learners of this sector were very pleased to get study -stipend and thanked the Prime Minister and Honourable MP Fahmi Golandaz Babel .
Sylhet rice millers urge authority to fix new procurement rate

Sylhet Correspondent :

Only 45 millers out of 482 listed signed contracts with the Food Department for supplying 1358 tonnes of rice from the four districts of the division.

However, sources said most of them wouldn't be able to supply as the region had lost almost 95 per cent Boro crops in Sunamagnj while the other districts also suffered much.

Besides, the other millers even on repeated requests from the Food Department, didn't respond that way for signing contracts, said Regional Controller of Food, Sylhet division, Md Anisuzzaman.

Only one miller managed supplying 22.5 tonnes of rice in Jogonnathpur upazila till as yet.

Of the total, only two millers out of 85 in Sylhet district signed contracts while it is 36 against a total of 49 in Moulvibazar and only seven in Sunamganj against the total 270. None among 78 millers in Habiganj responded to sign contract. A number of millers, requesting to remain unquoted, said the decision of rice procurement in the division was wrong one this year as the effects of disastrous floods is still visible in the haor region.

Besides, market price of rice is higher all over the country than the rate government is offering during the drive, a good number of millers said. They urged the authority concerned to fix a new procurement rate.

Already the farmers have completed farming on 64,621 hectares of land against the target of 67,509 hectares in Sylhet, 48,337 hectares in Moulvibazar, 45,120 hecatres in Habiganj and 12,500 hectares in Sunamganj district.
ULAB-CSO hosts Iftar Party

A view of the Iftar Party of ULAB Career Services Office organised by Alumni Wing of ULAB at its Campus recently.

Campus Report :

ULAB Career Services Office (CSO) Alumni wing arranged an Iftar Party at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) Campus recently. The ULAB Alumni Iftar party was an eagerly awaited program for the alumnus to come back to the campus and share an evening with the ULAB family. Throughout the evening participants enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with their faculty and friends and reminisce over memories from the classroom.

ULAB Vice Chancellor Prof HM Jahirul Haque delivered his welcome speech and spoke about the importance of the holy month of Ramadan.

He also encouraged former students to stay close to the ULAB family and promise to continue such programs in the future.

ULAB CSO is working on bringing all the graduates under one roof and believes that this network of graduates will act as a strong platform to share the objective to foster the professional and intellectual growth of ULAB graduates. Such events expect to establish unity, compassion and brotherhood among the graduates.

Among room full of Alumnus, Prof Imran Rahman, former Vice Chancellor and Dean, USB; Prof Akhtar Ahmed, Registrar; Abu Rasel, Director, ULAB CSO were also present at the program.


SEU awarded best Blood Donor organisation '17

Campus Report :

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Jointly awarded Southeast University (SEO) as the best blood donor organization, 2017on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day-2017 at the auditorium of Holy Family Medical College in the capital. A crest and a certificate were handed over by Health Minister Mohammad Nasim to Dr Arun Kanti Guha, Associate Professor and Dr ANM Ahmed Ullah, Associate Professor, DTE, SEU. Two other faculty members, Dr Syed Atiqur Rahman (Associate Professor) and Muzahidur Rahman Chowdhury (Lecturer) and a group of students of SEU were present on the occasion.


Appointment of Special Judge

Appellate Division :

(Civil)

Surendra Kumar Sinha CJ

Syed Mahmud Hossain J

Hasan Foez Siddique J

Mirza Hussain Haider J

Md Bazlur Rahman J

Anti-Corruption Commission, Dhaka and others...........Petitioners

vs

Abdul Azim and

...............others

........ Respondents

Judgment

February 14th, 2016

Code of Criminal Procedure (V of 1898)

Section 9

No person shall be appointed a Special Judge unless he is or has been a Sessions Judge or an Additional Sessions Judge or an Assistant Sessions Judge. A Sessions Judge, an Additional Sessions Judge and an Assistant Sessions Judge are the officers to compose of a Sessions Division. A Sessions Judge in a Sessions Division is appointed under Section 9 of the Code and he being the senior most judicial officers of the Sessions Division transfers the cases to Additional Sessions Judges or any other Judges for holding trial of cases as Special Judges of the Sessions

Anti-Corruption Commission Act (V of 2004)

Sections 17,19 and 20

Power of Commission-Unless and until the then Bureau, now the Commission, is satisfied that there is prima-facie materials against a public servant, who has allegedly committed an offence under the Ain, the Commission normally does not disturb such public servant in the manner the police officer can arrest an ordinary offender on the basis of information regarding the commission of cognizable offence. Under the Ain of 2004, the horizon has been expanded and besides a public servant, the Commission has power to hold inquiry in respect of schedule offences against any person who has allegedly committed any offences. . ..... (11)

Code of Criminal Procedure (V or 1898)

Section 94

Before the seizure and search of documents and other things in respect of certain offences, prior permission of the Sessions Judge is necessary and in some cases, the permission of the High Court Division is necessary. By reason of this prohibition, the investigation officer can not ask any financial institution within the meaning of Bank Companies Ad to show particulars of bank accounts being maintained by its customers for the purpose of inquiry or investigation in respect of offences under the Money Laundaring Protirod Ain and other specified offences. It is only with the permission of the Sessions Judge, this can be done. . ... (9)

Code of Criminal Procedure (V or 1898)

Section 94

Naturally, whenever the Commission gets information regarding the commission of an offence by any person which requires production and/or inspection of a document which is in custody of a bank or banker as defined in the Bankers' Books Evidel1ce Act and relates to disclosing of any information of bank account of any person, prior permission to the Sessions Judge is necessary. The Session Judge in such eases passes an order in his administrative capacity because no proceeding has yet commenced. Under such circumstances, on perusal of the report of the investigation officer in which he has disclosed the purpose for seizure of the documents in question, if the Sessions Judge is satisfied that the seizure of document or the inspection of the bank documents relating to handling of the account necessary for the purpose or ascertaining the truth or falsehood to the in formation, he accords the permission. . .... (12)



Nurul Huda vs Bahar Uddin, 41 DLR 395 and Zaved Khan vs ACC, 63 DLR 221 ref.

AKM Kamal, with Fazlul Haque, Advocate, instructed by Shahanara Begum, Advocate-on-Record-For the petitioners.

Fida M Kamal, Senior Advocate, (with Mahbub Ali, Senior Advocate, and ASM Abdul Mobin, Advocate) instructed by Zahirul Islam, Advocate-on-Record-For the Respondents.



Judgment

Surendra Kumar Sinha CJ : This petition at the instance of Durniti Daman Commission is directed from a judgment of the High Court Division by which it made the rule nisi absolute declaring a letter under memo dated 23rd March, 2011 issued by the Metropolitan Sessions judge, Dhaka according permission to freeze the bank accounts of the writ petitioners to be without lawful authority.

2. Short facts relevant for the disposal of this petition are that the writ respondents opened several bank accounts (in several branches) with different banks in their names. They claimed that they were doing their business by paying tax and VAT regularly. The writ-respondent No.2 without informing them issued an official letter on 1st March, 2011, with regard to their bank accounts directing the writ respondent Nos. 11 to 22 to freeze those accounts for a period of 30 (thirty) days. They, however, came to learn from the banks concerned that as per the said direction their accounts had been freezed. Subsequently, the office of the writ-respondent No.2 by Memo dated 3rd March, 2011, furnished a list of bank accounts of the writ petitioners requesting the Commission to take initiative against those accounts. Pursuant thereto, the Commission by its memo dated 21st March, 2011 appointed the writ-respondent No.8 to inquire into the matter, who filed an application before the learned Special Judge and Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Dhaka on 23rd March, 2011, mentioning all the bank accounts and prayed for freezing those accounts in order to protect the interest of the customers from practicing fraud and for holding a proper inquiry into the matter. Accordingly, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Dhaka, without- issuing any show cause notice issued an administrative order under Memo dated 23rd March 2011 allowing the writ respondent No.8 to freeze all the bank accounts and sent copies of the order to all concerned branches of the banks.

3. The High Court Division made the rule absolute mainly relying upon two unreported decisions of the High Court Division on the assumption that the learned Metropolitan Sessions Judge acted excess of jurisdiction in according permission to the C0mmission to freeze the accounts of the writ petitioners. In course of the hearing of the matter, it has been contended on behalf of the writ petitioners that the learned Metropolitan Sessions Judge has made the administrative order of freezing the accounts violating, the provisions of law, inasmuch as, he cannot make such order prior to the initiation or any proceedings against the writ petitioners.

4. The High Court Division was totally misconceived in entertaining the writ petition and also interfering with the inquiry process or the Commission. The Commission has all the powers to lake such step if it is of the opinion that it has got information that the writ petitioners have been involved in the business of money racketeering and with that end in view, they have opened bank accounts in different banks and indulged in the business through those accounts. Under the Prevention of Corruption Act (Act II of 1947) offences punishable under Sections 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 165A of the Penal Code and the offences of 'criminal misconduct' defined in Section 5 of the Act were being prosecuted against a public servant. An Inspector of Police has been given power to investigate into those offences without the permission of a Magistrate. Under the said Act the procedure for commission of 'criminal misconduct' by a public servant was different. If any public servant commits or attempts to commit any 'criminal misconduct such act is taken to be an offence punishable with imprisonment.

5, Then there is another legislation to cover the field which is the Anti-Corruption Act, 1957 Under this Act, a Bureau of Anti-Corruption has been created to investigate in respect of offences of 'criminal misconduct' by a public servant and accumulation of wealth or resources or property disproportionate to his known sources of income and the inquiry and investigation of these offences have been given to the Bureau which has its own investigation agency. Under the said provisions, after making an inquiry if it is satisfied that a public servant is found to have accumulated property beyond his known sources of income, it can prosecute such officer. Under the said Act, the Bureau has been given the power to hold inquiry before institution of a case against a public servant. It call issue notice upon any public servant if the Bureau finds thai such public servant or his dependents has accumulated resources beyond his known sources of income. The procedure for trial of those offences has been provided under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1958 by a Special Judge.

6. Thereafter, the Durnity Daman Commission Ain, 2004 has been promulgated. The powers of the Commission have been given in Section 17 of the said Ain. Clause (Ka) of Section 17, it is stated that the Commission can hold inquiry and investigation in respect of offences mentioned in the schedule such as:

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(?) ??? ????? ????, ???? (??? ??? ?? ????) ?? ???????? ???,???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ????, ????, ???, ???, ???, ???, ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????????? ?????????;

(?) ???????????? ???????? ???, ???? (???? ????? ??? ???)?

(?) ???????? (?) ???? (?) ?? ?????? ??????????? ???? ????????? ?? ???????? ??? ????? ????, ???? (??? ??? ?? ????) ?? ??????? ??? ? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ? ?????? ???????? ??? ??????? ???? ? ?????? ???????? ?? ??????? ??? ? ?????? ?????????? ??????????

7. A look into the schedule will show that the offences punishable under the prevention of Corruption Act and Money Laundering Ain, 2002 along with other offences have been included in the schedule to the Ain. Under the Ain, the Commission has its own investigation agency to hold inquiry and investigation into the offences mentioned in the Ain and the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure are made applicable for the purpose of investigation and trial of cases subject to the condition that the provisions which are inconsistent with the Ain shall not be applicable, meaning thereby that the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure shall be applicable as far as practicable. The only difference is that under the Code, in respect of cognizable offences no prior permission of the Magistrate is necessary for the investigation and arrest of the accused person by the investigation officer but under the Ain prior sanction for taking cognizance of the offence is necessary and before the submission of police report, the permission of the Commission will be necessary.

8. The writ petitioners challenged an order issued by the Metropolitan Sessions Judge in according permission to freeze the accounts mentioned in the said letter in exercise or powers under Section 94(1) (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure read with Section 10(1) and 14 of the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain, 2002. Chapter VII of the Code of Criminal Procedure under the heading of processes to Compel the Production of Documents and other movable property and for the discovery of persons wrongfully confined' wherein Sections 94 to 105 are included. Under this Chapter, the police officer has been given the power to seize documents and other things and the procedure for search and seizure of those documents and things have been specifically provided in sections 101-103. In respect any document or other thing, which is in the custody of a bank or banker as defined in the Bankers' Books evidence Act, 1891, and it relates disclosure of any information of any bank account, prior permission of the Sessions Judge is necessary.

9. Before the seizure and search of documents and other Things in respect of certain offences, prior permission of the Sessions Judge is necessary and in some cases, the permission of the High Court Division is necessary. By reason of this prohibition, the investigation officer cannot ask any financial institution within the meaning of Bank Companies Act to show particulars of bank accounts being maintained by its customers for the purpose of inquiry or investigation ill respect of offences under the Money Laundaring Protirod Ain and other specified offences. It is only with the permission of the Sessions Judge, this can be done. This is, an established practice being followed since 1898 and we fail to understand how 'the High Court Division has overlooked this provision.

10. In course of hearing, the learned Counsel appearing for the respondent has drawn our attention to the heading of the order by which the Sessions Judge has accorded permission, wherein it has been mentioned MYcORvZsx evsjv`k miKvi, gnvbMi `vqiv RRi Kvhvjq" According, to the learned Counsel, this heading presupposes that this order has been made in administrative capacity and no proceedings is pending before the learned Metropolitan Sessions Judge, and therefore, the Sessions Judge cannot pass such order.

Learned Counsel made similar submission before the High Court Division and the High Court Division was convinced with the argument and it was of the view that, in the absence of any proceedings, the learned Sessions Judge cannot make such order.

(To be continued)

This is based on a wrong notion. Question of pendency of any proceedings does not arise at this preliminary stage. Because no case can be filed by the Commission against any person unless and until the investigation officer collects prima-jacie materials from which it can be inferred that the suspected offender has violated the law The -matter is at the preliminary stage. The Commission has been given the p0wer to holding inquiry as had been given to the defunct Anti-Corruption Bureau to hold an inquiry against any person before initiation of a proceeding.

11. The reason behind it is that un less and until the then Bureau, now the Commission, is satisfied that there is prima-facie materials against a public servant, who has allegedly Committed an offence under the Ain, the Commission normally does not disturb such public servant in the manner the police officer can arrest an ordinary offender on the basis of information regarding the commission of cognizable offence. Under the Ain of 2004, the horizon has been expanded and besides a public servant, the Commission has power to hold inquiry in respect of schedule offences against any person who has allegedly committed any offences.

12. Naturally, whenever the Commission gets information regarding the commission of an offence by any person which requires production and/or instruction of in document which is in custody of a bank or banker as defined in the Bankers' Books Evidence Act and relates to disclosing of any information of bank account of any person, prior permission to the Sessions Judge is necessary. The session Judge in such eases passes an order in his administrative capacity because no proceeding has yet commenced. Under such Circumstances, on perusal or the report of the investigation officer in which he has disclosed the purpose for seizure of the documents in question, if the learned Sessions Judge is satisfied that the seizure of document or the inspection of the tank documents relating to handling of the account is necessary for the purpose of ascertaining the truth or falsehood to the in formation, he accords the permission.

13. If the views taken by the High Court Division are accepted, then it will not be possible on the part of the Commission to collect incriminating documentary evidence against any suspected offenders. Because there is only an information before the Commission that the writ petitioners have been indulging in money laundering through different bank accounts. If the accounts are not checked/freezed how the investigation officer can collect evidence or materials to instantiate the charge, if any, against the offenders? It is only on inspection of the banking documents and the ledger book etc. maintained with the banks, the investigation officer can ascertain whether or not the transactions made by the writ petitioners are so suspicious that the accounts might have been used for the purpose of money laundering.

14. The initiation of a proceedings under the law arises after collecting such materials on inspection of the banking transactions but if the suspected offender removes all the money from the bank, or destroys the documents relating to the Accounts with the help of bank officials, it will be difficult on the part of the investigation officer to collect evidence against them of the suspected offenders get scent of the movement of the Commission, they may withdraw the entire amount and leave the country. Under such eventuality, the suspected offender cannot be prosecuted. This is not the purpose for which the law has been promulgated.

15. After the preliminary inquiry if the investigation officer finds sufficient materials to initiate a case, he will then institute a case with prior permission of the Commission but before that stage is reached, the suspected offenders will be able to destroy all the documents in connivance with the bank. Therefore, the High Court Division was totally unmindful in declaring the order of the learned Sessions Judge without lawful authority.

16. The High Court Division held that under the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain, the Special Judge is empowered to pass such order and that the learned Sessions Judge has no power to make such order. It failed to notice that the learned Metropolitan Sessions Judge is ex-officio Senior Special Judge and under the Ain, it is the Metropolitan Sessions Judge who is authorized to pass such order. It has over looked section 3(2) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act which provides that "No person shall be appointed a Special Judge unless he is or has been a Sessions Judge or an Additional Sessions Judge or an Assistant Sessions Judge. A Sessions Judge, an Additional Sessions Judge and an Assistant Sessions Judge are the officers to compose of a Sessions Division. A Sessions Judge in a Sessions Division is appointed under Section 9 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and he being the senior most judicial officers of the Sessions Division transfers the cases to Additional Sessions Judges or any other Judges for holding trial of cases as Special Judges of the Sessions Division. Again if we look at sub-section (2) of Section 4, it will be more clear that the Sessions Judge is the ex-officio Senior Special Judge of a Sessions Division. It provides:

"4(2) where two or more Special Judges have jurisdiction, wholly or partly in the same territorial limits, the Government shall, b) notification in the official gazette declare one of them to be the Senior Special Judge for that area and notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (1), such Senior Special Judge shall have exclusive jurisdiction to take cognizance of all offences triable under this Ast committed or deemed to have been committed within that area.

17. These provisions are self explanatory and in this, regard no further explanation is necessary. The Sessions Judge in a Sessions Division is ex-officio Senior Special Judge and therefore, he has all the powers of a Special Judge within the meaning of the Criminal Law Amendment Act and the Durnity Daman Commission Ain. As observed above, the offences punishable under the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain are schedule offences of the Durnity Daman Commission Ain of 2004 clearly provides, that the offences punishable under the said Ain shall exclusively be triable by the Special Judge which includes the Senior Special Judge. Therefore, the High Court Division was totally unmindful in arriving at such conclusion. The decisions referred by the High Court Division in Nurul Huda vs Bahar Uddin, 41 DLR 395 and Zaved Khan vs A CC, 63 DLR 221 are also to the same extent based on misconception of law.

The judgment of the High Court Division is set aside. This petition is disposed of with the above findings and observation.
Panel Mayor of Raozan Pourashava Bashiruddin Khan addressing the reminiscence meeting of Shafiqul Islam Chowdhury Baby at Raozan as Chief Guest on Wednesday.
Amazon to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion

Reuters :

Amazon.com Inc said on Friday it would buy Whole Foods Market Inc for $13.7 billion, in an embrace of brick-and-mortar stores that could turn the high-end grocer into a mass-market merchant and upend the already struggling US retail industry.

Amazon used aggressive pricing to become an e-commerce retail juggernaut and has recently been experimenting with brick-and-mortar outlets. It will take over a natural and organic grocer pioneer with 456 stores, a mecca for young, high-end shoppers, that has been struggling to rein in prices and integrate technology.

The deal represents a dramatic turn in strategy for Amazon, which has offered food delivery through its Fresh service for a decade but has not made a major dent in the $700 billion grocery market.

"The ramifications for all of retail are seismic - not just retailers that sell grocery, but for everyone," Gordon Haskett analyst Chuck Grom said.

Shares of dozens of supermarkets, food producers, payment processors and shopping malls collectively lost at least $35 billion in US market value on Fridayas the news reverberated across financial markets.

Shares of grocer Kroger Co swooned 9.2 percent, while Wal-Mart Stores Inc fell 4.7 percent, signaling fears that Amazon could broaden Whole Foods' product mix and cut prices.

Amazon's shares rose 2.4 percent to $987.71, adding $11 billion to its market capitalization, which in one sense makes the acquisition nearly free for Amazon shareholders.

"Supermarkets will now have to contend with not only competition with each other and non-traditional grocers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Target Corp, but with a retailer like Amazon which has the financial capacity to price aggressively," said Mickey Chadha, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody's Investors Service.

Customers leave the Whole Foods Market in Boulder, Colorado May 10, 2017. Reuters

Amazon agreed to pay $42 per share in cash for Whole Foods, a 27 percent premium on the Austin, Texas-based grocer's closing share price on Thursday.

But in a sign that investors believe a rival bid is likely, Whole Foods shares rose above the offer price to close at $42.68.

No value in status quo

A former grocery expert at Amazon predicted that the chain, nicknamed "Whole Paycheck", would add a selection of discounted food and build out non-grocery areas within stores, particularly for pharmacy and Amazon devices.

"There's no value in Amazon keeping the status quo at Whole Foods. Whole Foods was losing market share to Kroger," said Brittain Ladd, who until earlier this year was a senior manager working to roll out AmazonFresh globally.

"It's pharmacy. It's having the ability to put stores that are similar to Apple stores inside Whole Foods," he said.

Amazon has been looking at shop layouts that could allow traditional in-store purchase, online ordering with on-site pickup, and home delivery, using store warehouse space as a distribution point, Ladd said.

Despite Amazon's reputation for harnessing technology, a prototype store inside its corporate office in Seattle, called Amazon Go, which uses sensors and tech-savvy cameras to detect shoppers' selections and then charge their Amazon accounts, has rolled out more slowly than planned, a person familiar with the matter said.

And while some analysts expect Amazon to bring vast buying power to Whole Foods, Amazon's heft in the food market is far smaller than in other areas, and high demand for organic products gives farmers unusual bargaining power.

Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said plans do not include reducing jobs as the result of the deal and that the company does not plan to automate Whole Foods cashiers jobs with Amazon Go technology.

Whole Foods was under pressure

The deal unfolded after Jeff Bezos, Amazon's chief executive officer, approached Whole Foods CEO John Mackey about a month ago and received an eager response from Mackey, two people familiar with the matter said.

The grocer will continue to operate stores under the Whole Foods Market brand, and Mackey will remain CEO, the companies said.

Whole Foods has posted seven straight quarterly sales declines at established stores and recently overhauled its board of directors in the face of pressure from activist hedge fund Jana Partners LLC.

Jana, which disclosed an 8.3 percent stake in Whole Foods in April and is the company's second biggest shareholder, stands to make roughly $300 million from the sale to Amazon.

The deal is for $13.4 billion in cash and the remainder in debt. The acquisition price implies a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings multiple for Whole Foods of 31 times, versus a 14.4 average for the S&P 500 Food Retail index.

Amazon and Whole Foods expect to close the deal during the second half of 2017.

Eyes on Grocery Shoppers

Amazon, started in Seattle in 1994 by Bezos, a former hedge fund manager, has grown into the world's biggest diversified online retailer, with a market capitalization of nearly $500 billion. It has expanded from a book seller into a merchant of nearly all consumer products, as well as producing videos.

Both Amazon and Whole Foods cater to younger consumers including millennials as well as the affluent.

"Amazon could bring technology to all Whole Foods locations, or it could absorb Whole Foods into AmazonFresh. Either way, it's good for consumers like myself," said Di Wu, a New York resident in her early 30s who is a member of Amazon's Prime fast-shipping club and who shops at Whole Foods at least twice a week.

"Amazon is known to drive down prices and make the shopping experience more efficient," Wu said.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc advised Amazon on the deal and provided bridge financing. Bank of America Corp also provided financing to Amazon, while Evercore Partners Inc advised Whole Foods.
Taiwan`s Foxconn says Toshiba deal `not over`

AFP, New Taipei City :

The head of Taiwan's tech giant Foxconn said Thursday its pursuit of Toshiba "is not yet over", a day after the Japanese firm announced it preferred another group of bidders to acquire its prized chip business.

Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai, is controlled by billionaire Terry Gou and reportedly had Apple as a financial backer in its multi-billion dollar bid for Toshiba's memory chip unit, seen as crucial for the cash-strapped Japanese firm to turn itself around.

Toshiba said Wednesday it would hold exclusive talks with a consortium of US, South Korean and state-backed Japanese investors, dashing Gou's ambitions.

But the Foxconn chairman vowed to keep pursuing the acquisition, saying the Taiwanese firm still has a chance.

"The Toshiba case is not yet over. It is very similar to the Sharp deal," Gou told shareholders at an annual meeting in New Taipei City.

He was referring to his takeover last year of the Japanese electronics firm for $3.7 billion, a move he described as "really worth it."

Gou is known for his aggressive dealmaking prowess, shown by his dogged determination to acquire Sharp despite concerns over the Japanese firm's mounting losses.

"We still have a big chance," he said at Thursday's meeting of the Toshiba quest, adding there were still "a lot of variables".

The inclusion of Japanese investors in the selected bidding group by Toshiba will ease reported government concerns about losing a sensitive technology to foreign owners.

But a Foxconn official criticized Japanese authorities for taking a protectionist approach.

"There's no end to their corporate crisis if they are not able to open up," said Tai Jeng-wu, who took over as president of Sharp after Foxconn's buyout.

The Taiwanese firm is the world's largest contract electronics maker and is best-known for assembling products for international brands such as Apple and Sony.

Gou said earlier this year he was mulling a $7 billion investment to make flat panels in the United States in a joint project with Japan's Softbank.

He also said Foxconn aimed to increase investment in China this year to try to boost Sharp's market share in the country.
Death anniv of Dr. Abdul Matin Chy today

City Desk :

The 36th death anniversary of Dr. Abdul Matin Chaudhury, founder chairman of the Bangabandhu Parishad, Bose Professor and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dhaka will be observed today.

Qurankhwani will be held at the Dhaka University mosque, at his village home as well as at his Banani residence. Feeding of destitutes and wreath laying will also be held on that day.

Late Dr. Chaudhury has also been posthumously awarded the Independence Day Award 1997 for his contribution in the field of education.

The family of late Dr. Chaudhury requests all to pray for the salvation of the departed soul.
IGP says No threat of terror attack during Eid Carry only jainamaj during prayers: RAB DG

Staff Reporter :

Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque has assured that there is no possible threat of militant attacks during the Eid ul-Fitr celebration due to massive security measures taken by the law enforcing agencies.

He said, "The country's law and order situation is fully under control. Law enforcing agencies have taken necessary measures to ensure public safety ahead of Eid."

The IGP made the assertion to reporters after inspecting the security measures and traffic system

at Police Control Room at Chandra in Gazipur on Friday afternoon. He also said that the vehicles movement on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway is totally normal as law enforcers have been working to control the discipline of transports on the route for the last few days to make smooth journey of the home-goers.

"We have taken necessary security measures for the National and Sholakia Eid congregations. Measures have also been taken for others Eid congregations across the country. So, the law and order will remain under the control of the law enforcing agencies," the police chief said.

He said, "We hope that the sufferings of home bound people will decrease this year."

Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General Benazir Ahmed requested the devotees to carry only jainamaj to National Eidgah to perform prayers.

He also discouraged the devotees to carry water pots during prayers for the sake of security arrangements.

Benazir Ahmed said this while visiting the National Eidgah near the High Court in the city on Friday afternoon.

The RAB DG claimed that they have taken special security measures for all Eid congregations, including the National Eidgah, to make smooth the celebration of the Eid-ul-Fitr.

He said that the main Eid congregation will be held at National Eidgah. The President and important persons will take part in the Eid prayer here.

The total area will remain under surveillance of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, Benazir said.

He also said that dog squads, bomb disposal units of RAB and plain dressed law enforcers will patrol the area.

Striking and reserved forces will be kept standby. Besides, the RAB personnel will provide securities in other Eidgahs and mosques in the capital, he added.

In a query, the RAB DG said that militants have no power to sabotage as at least eight top level leaders were killed during operation of the law enforcers and 160 were also arrested after the Gulshan cafe attack last year. They also seized Tk 67 lakh from militants in last one year.

He also claimed that law enforcers will take time to make the country militants free as the issue is related not only Bangladesh, but also the whole world.


Traffic chaos on highways

Unfit vehicles, inactivity of police held responsible for tailbacks

Staff Reporter :

Movement of unfit vehicles and inactivity of highway police worsen the sufferings of home-going passengers on Friday.

A huge number of unfit buses that used to run within the city rushed to the highways carrying homebound passengers for extra benefits and got out order in different places of Dhaka-Khulna, Dhaka-Rajshahi and Dhaka-Tangail highways.

Wherever the unfit buses got crippled other vehicles try to pass the place through wrong sides and the same practice also followed by other vehicles come from opposite direction and thereby worsening the situation.

Passengers alleged that if there were highway police's movements then the situation might not be so bad. They further alleged that some highway police were found taking tea and gossiping among themselves.

"There is none to look after the situation. Small incident creates big sufferings," said, Ali Ahmed, a Khulna bound passenger from Savar.

If the government could control unfit vehicular movement and boost activity of highway police than more than our journey could be smoother," Ahmed added.

Eid passengers got trapped after leaving Dhaka as huge traffic gridlocks were crated in different highways. They also suffer from huge rush in Kamlapur railway station and Sadarghat launch terminal.

A large number of home bound passengers rushed in bus counters across the city on Friday to go to their village homes to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr.

The transport owners run more buses to carry more people which created untold traffic gridlocks in highways.

In Sirajgonj side of Dhaka-Rajshahi highways, thousands of North Bengal bound Eid passengers suffered for four hours at nearly 20 kilometer long tailback after crossing the Bangabandhu Bridge.

"We are in unbearable suffering as sitting in four hours in gridlock in same place in the Sirajgonj side of the Bangabandhu Bridge. The rush of transports was huge as the buses cannot run a single inch in an hour," Sikandar Ali, Senior Principal Officer of Sonali Bank, told The New Nation from the spot on Friday evening over telephone.

In Dhaka-Aricha highway, thousands of passengers of Barisal and Khulna bound buses faced sufferings as gridlocks found in several points of the highway. The witnesses said the gridlocks started from Savar. It took two hours to cross Nabinagar from Savar, drivers said.

The tailback also found in Aricha ferry ghat. Nearly four kilometer traffic gridlocks have been seen since morning as numbers of buses rush in the ferry-ghat.

Our correspondent said that around 350 buses were waiting to ferry crossings in Paturia ghat at noon. The similar scenario was found till evening.

One passenger from Paturia ferry ghat said that he found no bus uploaded in the ferry within three hours.

Apart from these, people were found waiting for hours at many points like Daulatdia of Rajbari district due to lack of sufficient transports.

"We crossed Padma river by launch for two hours. But the bus services failed to arrange vehicles within hours. Lots of passengers in different bus services in various destinations were also sufferings here for long time," said Nehal Shadid, a Private University student from Daulatdia.

He said that some people arranged vehicles on their own cost with extra charges to reach their homes.

In Munshiganj, the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at Gazaria faced an eight-kilometre tailback that pushed the home-bound passengers in untold sufferings.

"The pressure of vehicles mainly carrying home-goers increased since dawn. Highway police were working to ease the traffic congestion," said Sub-Inspector Hashem Ali Munshi, Bhaberchar Highway Police Camp in-Charge.

Heavy tailbacks were also found at different points on Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways, keeping several hundred vehicles stranded on the highways.

People of different walks of life were seen traveling on the roof of the buses, trucks and pickup vans with huge risk of their lives to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones.

Different points in Dhaka-Tangail highway also were found with huge tailback. Chandra, Kaliakoir and Kharajora areas were facing jam since Friday morning due to heavy pressure of vehicles, In Shimulia Ferry ghat, around 800 vehicles queued up at Shimulia pontoon in Munshiganj to cross the River Padma since morning. Officials of BIWTC said a number of 18 ferries were operating on Shimulia-Kanthalbari route.

Police control rooms and check-posts were set up in different points in highways to ensure smooth journey of the homebound people.

In Kamlapur railway station, huge number of passengers rushed after every train reaches the platform. They start competition among themselves to get in the train. Even the passengers were found to try to get in the train through windows with huge risk to get their seats.

The similar scenario also found at Sadarghat launch terminals. Huge home bound passengers made the launches overloaded.

BIWTC officials said, a total 211 launches, including 5 Eid special, will run towards 41 routes during the Eid.


DB to probe ASP Mizanur murder

UNB, Dhaka :

The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will now investigate the killing of assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Mizanur Rahman.

The case was transferred to the DB from Rupnagar Police Station on Thursday evening, said Inspector (Investigation) Shah Akhteruzzaman Ilias of the police station.

ASP Mizanur Rahman of Dhaka Highway Police was found dead at the Mirpur Beribandh (Embankment) in the city's Rupnagar area on Wednesday.

Mizanur, who joined Bangladesh Police as a sub-inspector in 1988, set out from his Uttara residence after Fajr prayers for his workplace at Savar, police said.

Victim's younger brother Masum Parvez filed a case with the Rupnagar Police Station accusing several unknown miscreants on the same day.
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Vietnam Veterans Are Honored

Nearly 50 veterans of the Vietnam War received certificates and a lapel pin, as well as a hearty welcome home, during a ceremony held June 6 at Thomas Persons Hall in Monticello.



Major Otis F. Clark, United States Air Force retired, Post Commander for American Legion Post 110, welcomed the crowd to the auditorium in the historic building. Then the Color Guard from the post presented the colors, and the crowd sang the national anthem. Next, Fred Paul, senior Vice Commander of Post 110 led those gathered in the pledge of allegiance. Colonel Walter E. Smith, USAF retired, Post 110 chaplain, led a moment of reflection and prayer.



Before the certificates and lapel pins were handed out, special guests were recognized. They included Sgt. Major Billy Connelly, retired, U.S. Army; State Sen. Burt Jones, State Rep. Susan Holmes, Monticello Mayor Bryan Standifer, and Sheriff Donnie Pope. Each of them took part in the program, honoring the veterans. They thanked the veterans for their service, and Sheriff Pope said because of the veterans, people in America can sleep at night.



Commissioner Mike Roby, with the Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) thanked the veterans, then Brian Zeringue, GDVS Projects Officer read a proclamation from the governor. At that time each veterans name was called, and they received their certificate and pin, and shook hands with the guests.



During the ceremony, Mr. Zeringue reviewed some statistics on the Vietnam War and the Georgians who served, including those who paid the ultimate price. In addition, Mr. Zeringue said there are 30 natives who are still listed as Missing in Action. Because of that the Legion set up the empty chair symbolizing those who have not made it home.



There are about 234,000 Vietnam veterans in Georgia. Those classified as Vietnam vets are those who served during the period of November 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975.



At the conclusion of the ceremony, the veterans gathered at the front of the auditorium for a group photo. Veteran Les Steele provided the music for the ceremony.
CRAINVILLE  Village President Ron Mitchell said the village of Crainville is seeing some business growth. Lucky Lady Video Gaming opened the first week of May, and the Wyld Hog followed the first week of June. M&J Chinese Restaurant is under new ownership.

He hopes the new Wolf Creek Interchange will open the way for more expansion in the future, but added that there is nothing concrete in the works.

Now that it is complete, we are very happy to have it. I hope it will increase development in that area, Mitchell said.

Tonya Slater, who owns Lucky Lady Video Gaming with Deidre Crabtree, echoed that sentiment.

Hopefully, once the overpass is complete other things will build up, Slater said.

Lucky Lady opened May 2 at 1808 Clark St., just west of Samuel Road. Samuel Road currently is closed due to construction at roads intersection with Illinois 13. It is their second location; the first is in Marion.

Slater said business is picking up, but the construction has not helped. She said to get to the business, the best way is to exit Illinois 13 at the new interchange and take Clark Street east. In spite of the construction, business is growing.

It has definitely picked up from the first month, Slater said. Once everything is complete and the barricades are out of the way, I hope business picks up even more.

Lucky Lady is open from 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday.

The Wyld Hog opened June 7 in the log cabin building built originally to house a second location of The Pioneers Cabin, a Willisville restaurant.

The Wyld Hog involved a lot of rehabilitating the building. They have invested a lot in that, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the village does not stand in the way of a new business opening. They try to help them expedite in any way they can.

He said as the area around the new interchange grows, it will be easier for semi-trailers to enter and exit the area. However, he does not want to speculate too much.

Speculation doesnt bring in much sales tax revenue, Mitchell said.
CARBONDALE  Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) officials have reported that information for more than 600 patients was breached by a third-party vendor earlier this year. Patients who may have been impacted will receive a letter with instructions on steps to take to help protect them from identity theft.

Experian Health, a vendor for SIH, provides information to SIH facilities for the purpose of verifying insurance eligibility during the patient registration process. On April 28, Experian Health notified SIH of a technical error caused by a server migration project, which resulted in the delivery of certain patient information to incorrect medical facilities between Feb. 13 and March 13. SIH was not the only healthcare system that was affected by the breach.

Experian Health was in the process of transferring information to a different server and sent patient information to the wrong medical providers. Although the information went outside the SIH system, those medical providers are still governed by HIPPA and cannot release information without the patients permission.

The misdirected data may have included patients name; date of birth; gender; address; Medicare ID/HIC number or member ID number for non-Medicare patients; payer/insurance company name; group policy number; group number; and/or Medicaid case number. Upon learning of the error, Experian Health immediately took action to identify the cause and correct the error.

We deeply regret this incident occurred. Experian Health assures us the information would only have been viewed or saved by another medical facility governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, said SIH Privacy Officer Marcia Matthias. During the course of SIHs investigation into the incident, Experian Health confirmed the error has been resolved.

Although the breach appears to have affected a small percentage of the more than 460,000 patients whose information is in the SIH system, officials want to make sure that those whose information was misdirected are protected.

SIH is offering free credit repair and monitoring services to the more than 600 patients potentially impacted by the misdirection of data to other HIPPA-governed medical facilities by a third party vendor. Mailed notices include instructions for accessing free credit repair and monitoring.

Notice of the incident also is posted on its websites, www.sih.net and www.sihmedicalgroup.net. The letter and websites provide additional details about the incident, along with a toll-free number, 855-259-6436, for assistance and precautionary steps affected patients can take.
The S.C. Highway Patrol continues to seek the person who led troopers on a high-speed chase along rural roads in Orangeburg and Calhoun counties.

Troopers recovered a stolen pickup truck in the incident, but damaged their own vehicles. They were not injured.

S.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Bob Beres said the suspect in the April 29 chase has not yet been identified.

The suspect ultimately evaded troopers after bailing from the truck and swimming into a pond off of Dwight Swamp Road.

Dashboard camera video released this week shows troopers trying to stop the truck after the driver evaded a safety checkpoint set up at St. Matthews Road and Waterspring Road just after 3 a.m.

Video footage clocks troopers exceeding 100 mph as the driver of the stolen truck disregards stop signs, drives in the wrong lane, fishtails several times and leads the chase down rural dirt roads with pot holes.

At one point, a deer darts into the side of one of the troopers vehicles, but that didnt slow the troopers pursuit.

During the chase, the driver led troopers down Waterspring Road onto Pasture Lane, then to Belleville Road and Moorer Road, ultimately taking them to Church Camp Road and ending on Dwight Swamp Road.

Troopers asked the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office to write the official report on the incident, noting that their vehicles suffered damage.

One of the troopers vehicles was damaged when the deer struck it on the side. The undercarriage of the other troopers vehicle was damaged when the chase took him over ruts and potholes, resulting in a leaking transmission.

After the pursuit of the suspect ended, a trooper is heard on the dashboard camera video saying, You see that deer hit me? That deer hit me in the door, man.

A little while later, the other trooper is heard saying, My car aint going to be able to drive.

If anyone has information about the whereabouts of the driver of the stolen 2015 burgundy Chevrolet Silverado with a South Carolina license plate registered to a company based in Chicago, Illinois, they are asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Callers may remain anonymous and a cash reward may be given.
Disturbing, distressing, disgusting. My reaction to the almost daily news from North Korea. How could it have happened that we are faced with the dilemma of this imminent danger? How do we extricate ourselves from this mess without killing and maiming millions of people?

In 1951, I was with the First Marine Division at the 38th Parallel in Korea. I experienced the death and human destruction of that war. Many of my Marine buddies did not come home. Many more lost an eye, a limb or more. I can still see Sammys smile, Big Mikes steely gray eyes, Jimmys scruffy face and hear Darrys voice talk about his hopes for a future that was not to be.

The North Korean fiasco is the result of a series of mistakes. The first mistake began at a conference in Potsdam, Germany in July of 1945. At that conference, attended by Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and President Harry Truman, the seeds were planted for the United States and the Soviet Union to divide the peninsula of Korea that had been occupied by the Japanese.

After the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, two U.S. colonels, Charles Bonesteel and Dean Rusk, drew a line on a map of Korea along the 38th Parallel. That line was agreed to by the USA and the Soviet Union. That decision became the basis for the divided Korea.

The decision by the United States to agree to the creation of a divided Korea was a colossal and costly mistake.

In February 1946 the Soviet section north of the 38th Parallel was taken over by what was called the Provisional Peoples Committee, which evolved into the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, under the leadership of Kim Il-Sung. Four years later in May of 1950, Kim Il-Sung met with Joseph Stalin in Moscow and got permission to invade South Korea.

The North Koreans invaded on June 25, 1950, and were beating the South Koreans when the United Nations acted and forces under General Douglas MacArthur pushed the North Koreans back from the perimeter of Pusan to the 38th Parallel. China warned the General not to proceed north of the 38th Parallel. President Truman, at MacArthurs urging, agreed to U.S. forces crossing the 38th.

On Oct. 15, Truman and MacArthur met on Wake Island where MacArthur convinced Truman that the Chinese would not enter the war. Following that meeting MacArthurs forces reached Pyongyang with victory in sight. In November 1950 the Chinese sent hundreds of thousands of troops across the Yalu River into Korea thus extending the war and the massive casualties to follow.

MacArthurs evaluation of the situation and his advise to Truman was the second serious mistake that propelled the war and led to Truman firing MacArthur.

More than 36,000 American service men and women died during the 37 months of the war. More than 103,000 were wounded and 7,799 are still listed as missing in action. It is a war that could have been and should have been avoided. The war never ended, only an armistice (ceasefire) was agreed to on July 27, 1953.

We have paid a huge price to save South Korea from the communists of the north. We must not pay more. I believe that we should work with South Korea and do what we must to put them in a position where they can defend themselves. We need to make sure they have the armaments and the know-how to defeat any move by an enemy to destroy them. We need to motivate them to do what must be done for their self-survival. This can only happen if they know that the USA will not fight another battle for them.

We have tried sanctions for decades. They do not work. They deprive the people and create economic conditions that cause desperation. It is this desperation that enables a leader like Kim Jung-un to squeeze the population to support his aspirations to become a nuclear power.

China must act to pressure Kim Jung-un to save himself by abandoning his nuclear program. The United States must enable and motivate South Korea.

Another Korean War must not happen. Not now. Not ever.
Francis Forbes, Executive Director of IMPACTS, confirmed that his agency and the US were already tracking Caribbean and South American nationals who have joined ISIS. (Credit: St. Lucia Star)

A coordinated Caribbean Community (CARICOM) clampdown on returning foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs)  including targeting their assets  is being prepared for approval at next months heads of government meeting in Grenada.





It is expected that in the next three weeks, CARICOM leaders will move to finalise plans for a CARICOM arrest warrant for FTFs, and sharing of recovered assets, as well as regional anti-terrorism legislation.





The Trinidad Guardian of June 14, stated that as the regional anti-terrorism legislation will be based on Trinidad and Tobagos proposed anti-terrorism legislation, the Trinidad Guardian reported.





The co-ordinated action comes in light of the 200-plus CARICOM nationals who have traveled to ISIS territories, this according to Francis Forbes, Executive Director of CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).





Forbes said that IMPACTS and the United States were already tracking "several hundred people from the Caribbean and South America whove gone to join the Islamic State (ISIS) terror network.

In addition, several returning FTFs are being actively monitored by regional law enforcement agencies, Forbes added.





Forbes also noted that calls had been made by Caribbean-born FTFs for home-turf attacks. He said returning FTFs hold battlefield expertise and pointed to the potential for "lone wolf attack and the spread radicalization, not to mention the "push such influence can have on transnational crime.





CARICOM Secretary General Irwin La Roque, who emphasized that no country was immune to terrorism, explained that the July summit will discuss the draft plan for the region concerning a CARICOM arrest warrant and sharing of recovered assets of FTFs.





"Our region cant afford complacency  one act of terrorism in one state will resonate and have implications across the region, La Roque added.





Meanwhile, T&Ts Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon said, that also at issue was the increasing influence of radical clerics and radicalised ISIS sympathisers in CARICOM states; the growing volume/accessibility of terrorist group propaganda online and via peer-to-peer networks; and the potential exploitation of the banking system to fund terrorist networks.





He called on CARICOM to criminalise and penalise acts of terrorism by nationals and non-nationals in a coordinated manner, and regional anti-terrorism legislation must be equally stringent and consistent.





"As such, the CARICOM Model Anti-Terrorism Bill and the proposed Agreement on the Return (of FTFs) and/or sharing of recovered assets are important tools which the region should seek to finalise as a matter of urgency. These are proposed to be opened for signature at CARICOM leaders upcoming meeting, Dillon added. (Source: caricom.org)
Todays pit bull is a descendant of the original English bull-baiting dog-a dog that was bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head. (Credit: mynewyorkcitylawyer.com)

Editors Note: Barbados has moved to control the ownership and control of dogs.





SVG has not yet made similar efforts, but maybe this story would hasten some serious attention for the concern herein.

According to a story carried by Barbados Today, June 17, 2017, Peter Christopher Rock, a 48-year-old dog owner, has been arrested and charged with manslaughter, in connection with the death of 74-year-old Verona Lolita Gibson of Monroe Road, Haggatt Hall, St. Michael.





The report stated that Gibson was attacked and killed by a number of dogs on Saturday, January 28, while walking along Monroe Road in Haggatt Hall.





Rock, also of Monroe Road, is also charged with three counts of keeping dogs without a license and three counts of keeping dogs unleashed in a public place.





Barbados Today reported the incident thus: Around 5:30 a.m. on January 28, Gibson was walking along Monroe Road when she was attacked by a pack of pit bull. She was bitten multiple times about her body and succumbed to her injuries at the scene.





When Rock appeared in the District A Court last Monday, June 19, he was not required to plea to the indictable charge. He was granted BDs$65,000 bail with one surety, and ordered to surrender his passport.

The court also ordered that he was not to keep any dogs until the matter was settled.

Rock returns to court on July 17. (Source:Barbados Today)




Earla Matthews, 2017 Female Fisher of the Year, gets her award from Nicoleen Lewis  1st Runner-up Miss SVG 2017.

The Annual Fishermans Day activities concluded on Monday 5th June at the Calliaqua Playing Field. However, the usual awards ceremony held on the same day, was postponed in respect of six persons who were reported missing at sea on the day.





When the awards ceremony did get going on Monday, June 12, at the New Kingstown Fish Market in Little Tokyo, most of the awardees were absent, as well as Minister of Economic Planning -Camillo Gonsalves, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries - Saboto Caesar, and his Permanent Secretary - Raymond Ryan.





Gonsalves and Caesar were said to be engaged in preparations for Parliament the following day.

The 2017 Fisherman of the Year trophy went to Vanrick Allick, captain of the boat Rainbow, for his catch of 452 pounds of fish on the day. He earned himself a $3000 cash prize, 1 case of Hairoun beer, 1 flare gun and an additional cheque of $16,500 in place of the usual 75HP outboard motor, which could not be sourced locally at the time.





Running a close second to Allick was Kenroy Bruce with a catch of 440 pounds. He was rewarded with $2,000, 1 case outboard engine oil, 3 life jackets, phone credit, 2 bottles of Vodka, among other items.





Last years Fisherman of the Year- Ray Anthony Clarke was third, landing 433 pounds of fish. He pocketed $1000 and took home 1 case of outboard engine oil, 3 life jackets, 2 bottles of Vodka, 1 case of beer, along with a quantity of nylon and fishing hooks.





Female Fisher of the Year went to Earla Matthews. She received $500 and a trophy among other prizes.

The heaviest single fish, 279 pounds, was caught by Shemrock Pierre. He was awarded $100, 1 case of outboard oil and 1 case of Hairoun beer.





In the Beach Seine category, Eli Slater took the top position with a catch of 3,699 pounds. For his and his crews effort, they were presented with a cheque for $2000, 2 bottles of Vodka, 1 case of beer, one gift voucher valued $500, a diving tank, 25 pounds of flour and nets.





Randolph Bradshaw, the only junior competitor, landed 19 pounds of fish and was rewarded with $200, a trophy, nylons and a number of fishing hooks, all compliments FLOW.





Students who participated in the Fishermans Day poster competition were also rewarded. There was a noticeably strong representation of students from the Sugar Mill Academy when award time came around.

Addressing the gathering, Jennifer Cruickshank-Howard, Chief Fisheries Officer, apologized for the absence of the government officials.





She said that the Fishermans Day activities commenced on May 5th, and between that day and June 5, a series of activities, e.g. Fish Nights, School Programmes, was organized by various fisherfolk co-operatives.

On Fisherman Day, a total of 4,448 pounds of fish was registered as having been caught, Cruickshank-Howard said.





This total was accounted for by 212 participants. Fifty-five boats registered for the Fishermans Day Competition; 24 of these returned with catches.





This years Fishermans Month of Activities was held under the theme: Save SVGs Sea Turtle, One Turtle at a Time, and with the slogan: Catch No Turtle, Eat More Fish. (KH)
Pews and other items have been removed from the Cathedral which is currently in very limited use.

Government is prepared to assist the Anglican community in the restoration project of the St Georges Cathedral Church in Kingstown.





According to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, in response to a question posed by St Clair Leacock, Parliamentary Representative for Central Kingstown during the June 13 Sitting of the House of Assembly, government has been involved in assisting churches in their reconstruction. However, Dr Gonsalves added, very often the assistance given is done very quietly.





"For instance, the government made a financial contribution to the restoration of the Methodist Church. I myself, upon the request from a delegation from the Methodist Church, also assisted by raising some money for that project, he said.





The Prime Minister disclosed that he had spoken to some members of the Anglican community, and had already made the suggestion that government will do something and if asked, he said that he will also make some calls in an effort to raise funds to go toward the restoration project.





The Prime Minister acknowledged the St. Georges Cathedral was an important institution and an important part of the countrys heritage: "[I] am really anxious for us to do something.





Based on information provided by the Diocese of the Windward Islands website, the estimated cost for the restoration project was put at EC$4 million. This is expected to cover the cost of restorative work to include work on the balconies, roof and ceilings, belfry, the timber floor supporting the organ, other flooring, windows and other miscellaneous work. (DD)
The Metrocint family, started some forty-nine years ago, welcomed two new members  Chenise Harper (2nd from left front) and Rosario Browne (2nd from right front).





It was a case of the first partnering with the first, when two of the top three performers in this years Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment received monetary assistance/bursaries from the first indigenous insurance company of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Metrocint General Insurance Co .





That connection came as a result of the parents of the two performers being long-standing insurers with Metrocint.

And last Wednesday, Desiree Richards, Managing Director of Metrocint Genneral Insurance Co. led the handing over of those bursaries to Rosario Browne and Chenise Harper.





Browne, with an average of 98 percent, topped the list, while Chenise shared the second position with another female student  Genevieve Mc Master.





Ms. Richards, daughter of Egerton Richards, founder of Metrocint General Insurance Co., was elated by the childrens success.





"Metrocint is happy with what these children have accomplished, Richards exclaimed.

She alluded to numerous community interactions with which her company is associated, but described the assistance to this years top students as "one of the happiest moments.

She pinned the students success to "good parenting.





Richards highlighted Metrocints endorsement of the family foundation.

"We encourage a family-like atmosphere at our company, she stated.

The two top students begin their secondary education in September, and they were bestowed with Metrocint Honorary Ambassador status by the Managing Director.





Besides the financial assistance, the students were given copies of the book Vincentian Entrepreneurs which features Metrocints founding father Egerton Richards.





Ian Da Silva, Metrocints Insurance Manager, acknowledged that when Office Manager Coleen Fraser observed that the top two students were Metrocints clients, it generated immediate consensus.

Da Silva has been in contact with the parents of both students through transactions over the years.

Rosarios mother - Rosalind Pinder/Browne deemed last Wednesdays activity a "great gesture by Metrocint. She used the occasion to "encourage others to come to Metro.





Chenises father, Freddie Harper, commended Metrocint on a "good initiative.

"A lot of businesses should do what Metrocint is doing. It would encourage students to perform, Freddie said.

He outlined that the more assistance students get, it will be better for them.




Relatives of Kemel Peters are at odds over what could have driven him to his tragic end.





Peters, 17-year-old male of Green Hill, succumbed to gunshot injuries he received during a gun attack at Mc Coy Street in Rose Place. Peters along with Shamaai Hazell, 25 years of Paget Farm, received gunshot wounds to their bodies. Both men were rushed to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital where Peters subsequently died.





At least one female family member is of the view that if Peters was allowed to stay at home despite his issues, he might have still been alive.





The relative, who professed to have had a very close relationship with the deceased, said that Peters never showed her a sign of rudeness. "He was good to me, she said.





The relative opined that the family "left him up to the road, and he didnt have any choice. "The ghetto accepted him, she said, adding that he was just 15 years old when he took to being on his own. "That is a young age to be on your own, she continued.





The relative said that Peters told her that when he was shot at last year, he believed he was mistaken for someone else. But she believes that he was killed this time because he had testified in a case that involved someone.

Peters, along with Aaron Delpesche, escaped being hit when a gunman opened fired on them at Lower Bay Street, July 4th, 2016.





On May 22 this year, Peters gave evidence against Ottley Hall resident Karon Twin Bowens in that matter, and Bowens was sentenced to five years after being found guilty of having an illegal firearm and discharging it at Peters and Delpesche.





Continuing in her conversation with THE VINCENTIAN, the relative said that a few weeks ago she had spoken with Peters and, like she did on previous occasions, she encouraged him to do right.

"Others might have a different opinion, but he was never rude to me and would always listen when I speak with him, she repeated.





The flip side





However, another female relative, Peters cousin, disagreed with the notion that the family did not try enough. "I dont think he was neglected by his family. I would say that his father was old school and Kemel wanted to be like his own man going back and forth, and his father didnt want that, said the cousin.





"His father love him very much and he was a favourite among his aunt and uncles. I would say he got caught up with the wrong crew, she told THE VINCENTIAN.





She confirmed that Peters began leaving home at age 15. "He was back and forth between home and Edinboro, she explained, and (she) recalled that during this time, she and another relative tried to encourage him to return to school.





"I spoke to him. He was back and forth between Green Hill and Edinboro. He didnt stay (home) long, said the relative.

"Each child have their own mind. The family did their best, he just followed the wrong crowd, the cousin insisted.





As for the family, they are "holding together a relative said.

"The family is strong, the bond is strong, everybody is there for one another and we are a God-fearing family, said the cousin.
The 2017 graduating class of the St Martins Secondary School (SMSS) have been challenged to look beyond their success and strive to assist others.





Rev. Adolf Davis, Superintendent of the Kingstown/Chateaubelair Circuit of the Methodist Church, and featured speaker at the SMSSs graduation ceremony on Tuesday at the R.C. Cathedral of the Assumption, Kingstown, said that individuals are called upon to do well in life.





"We dont want to go through hardships, so study your books  todays challenge is to see outside of your selfishness, he admonished the graduates.





"Too often, we get caught up thinking about ourselves  society teaches us that it is supposed to be about us, Rev Davis continued..





He challenged the 55 graduates to ask themselves: What will my success mean for someone else?

And in addressing the issue of challenges, Principal Wendel Edwards in his Principals Report, noted that this year, like those in the past, had its challenges.





"We were faced with a number of incidents that tried our faith, Edwards said.

"There were some forces out there that were on a mission to destroy the educational system, he continued.

"They support unruly behavior; the threats that principals and the Ministry of Education see are real, the principal said.





He then made a call for all the relevant stakeholders to unite in order to defeat the forces that threatened to destroy the nations students.





"Ours is not an institution of lawlessness. far too much is at stake.

But while there had been some challenges, there were some positives to report . a lot more students were meeting well above the required standards, according to Edwards.

It was also a good year for the school in sports, the Principal remarked. (DD)
Opposition member of parliament St. Clair Leacock wants more attention to be paid to security and safety as those needs relate to ferry travel between St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

As Parliament here moves to amend t the Civil Aviation Act so as to bring this countrys airport operations in line with international security standards and protocols, at least one parliamentarian is calling for attention to other areas in need of heightened security.





Opposition Parliamentarian for Central Kingstown, St Clair Leacock, said during his contribution to the debate on the amendment Bill to the Civil Aviation Act during the June 13 Sitting of Parliament, that the time had come for the relevant authorities to address issues of safety and security as it relates to travel to the Grenadines.





Under that amendment Bill, the Minister of National Security and Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves moved the motion for the amendments to be made in accordance with the requirements of international civil aviation bodies regulations pertaining to safety and security.





But, according to Leacock, this was being discussed while there were far less stringent measures in place as it pertained to safety and security at other ports.





"We are being prompted by international conformance with respect to our own airport infrastructure, [but] we dont apply the same vigilance to a domestic situation, a marine situation or traffic from the ferry berth to the Grenadines, Leacock said.





"We dont even keep a passenger list. God forbid the day we have a major tragedy; we will never even know who was on or who wasnt on, he continued.





And on vessels, passengers embark and disembark not knowing where they can find life vests, in the event they may require one. Leacock lamented.





"We dont even have regulation to say that it is an offence to remove a life jacket from a ship, as is the case with airlines, Leacock said. (DD)
By Azernews





By Sara Israfilbayova

Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), Ali Ahmadov met with leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova Zinaida Greceanii and Deputy Chairman of the Office of the President of Moldova Nikolai Posturus.

Ahmadov noted that fruitful cooperation exists between Azerbaijan and Moldova, adding that the positions of the two countries coincide on many issues.

Vice-Premier added that the relations between the ruling parties of both countries are also at a high level.

Greceanii, in turn, said that over the past 20 years, Azerbaijan and Moldova have developed strong economic ties, further adding that the visit of President of Moldova Igor Dodon to Azerbaijan will stimulate the bilateral ties between the countries.

Igor Dodon was received by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on June 22.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on May 29, 1992. Azerbaijan opened its Embassy in Chisinau on October 5, 2005 and Moldova opened its Embassy in Baku on November 1, 2005.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Moldova amounted to $3.75 million in January-November 2016, some $3.25 million of which fell for imports from Moldova, according to the Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

The number of exported products will increase between the two countries, as this year Azerbaijan will export horseflesh to Moldova.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of a plant that will produce ammunition for rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPG) in the city of Shirvan.

The plant of Sharg Production Union of the Ministry of Defense Industry will produce four types of ammunition for RPG-7V2.

Minister of Defense Industry Yavar Jamalov informed the president about the plant. President Aliyev pressed the button to launch the plant.

The plant has 10 production units, including automated mechanical processing, thermal processing, chemical grinding, explosives pressing, assembly sites, and an express laboratory.

The plant features 45 types of modern equipment made in Germany, the USA, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, Turkey, Ukraine and Taiwan.

The factory created 170 new jobs, with all employees trained by foreign specialists.

The staff members dealing with explosives attended special training to receive certificates. The production capacity of the plant in a single shift mode is 20,000 units of ammunition, which is enough to meet the demand of security and military services.

The president wished the staff of the plant success.
Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corp (Empower), a major district cooling services provider, has started delivering district cooling solutions to the Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT) and Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) projects in Dubai, UAE.



Empower will provide residential, retail and commercial real estate developments in these areas with up to 11,000 refrigeration tons (RT) of cooling services.



We are very pleased to deliver the first phase of district cooling solutions to JVC and JVT. The project has been supervised and managed with a high level of efficiency. At Empower, it is our mission to provide landmark projects of Dubai with world-class cooling solutions with district cooling services to drive the country towards its sustainable vision. The best technology has been deployed to construct the network in JVC and JVT, which will ensure highest performance and quality, said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower.



The project is divided into several phases and Empower will produce 30,000 RT by the end of this year.



Empower had signed last year a contract with Nakheel to provide district cooling services to Jumeirah Village Circle and Jumeirah Village Triangle. Empower will invest Dh1.8 billion ($490 million) in five years for this project, and will build six cooling plants in the two locations, to provide 260,000 RT for the 440 buildings.



Developers are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of reliability of district cooling service. The strong local and international reputation of Empower has made it the first choice for cooling services, thus helping us acquire larger segment of the district cooling market in Dubai, added Bin Shafar.



It is a pleasure to witness more and more real estate developers adopting district cooling services in their developments as they realise its advantages. As we expand in Dubai and the other emirates, we adopt the best and international cooling standards. This not only demonstrates our quality and efficiency, but also reinforces our presence in the region, concluded Bin Shafar.  TradeArabia News Service
Nissan has appointed Hussein M Dajani as general manager, Digital Marketing, for Africa, the Middle East and India.



He will lead Nissans digital and social media strategy in the region, which is becoming ever more significant for Nissans global business. Working with teams in local markets, his role will be to ensure that the company delivers an innovative experience online for customers, matching the innovation in Nissans cars. He will also take the lead on digital and content for Nissans regional Communications function, working on strategies to support the companys business goals.



Dajani, who has a BS in Business Administration from the American University in Beirut said: I am delighted to be joining Nissan and I am looking forward to further strengthening Nissans digital footprint in Africa, the Middle East and India.



This region is dynamic and includes some the fastest-growing, most promising economies in the world. Nissan is committed to offering our customers the best cars and customer service whether they are a first-time car-owner buying a Datsun redi-GO in India, or the latest generation of their family to purchase a Nissan Patrol in the Middle East.



Nissan already has a strong and growing presence with more than 15,000 employees across 87 countries in Africa, the Middle East and India. Four major regional hubs control Marketing and Sales, and related functions, in the United Arab Emirates, India, Egypt and South Africa  as well as satellite offices in other key markets including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are factories building Nissan cars in India, Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria with a combined annual production capacity of more than half a million units.



Dajani has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications. Previously he was head of Online Communities & Communications for Virgin Mobile in Qatar and area digital manager for the MEA region for Red Bull.



We are very pleased Hussein has joined our team as he brings to Nissan a wealth of knowledge in the field of digital marketing which has been gained working for some of the most respected brands in the world, said Peter Clissold, general manager of Marketing for Nissans Africa, Middle East and India region. His experience will be invaluable in a region where the digital landscape is fast-moving, diverse and among the most sophisticated in the world.  TradeArabia News Service
Northeastern Montana is nearing extreme drought as one of the states largest wheat-producing regions sees little rain.

Farmers across a 200-mile swath of the northeastern part of the state have seen just a half-inch of rain in the past two months. This trend after scant winter snows has farmers from Jordan to Plentywood nervous about the 2017 harvest.

It looks like August and September here already, said Tanja Fransen, meteorologist for the National Weather Service station in Glasgow.

In these parts, August and September range from harvest gold to parched brown. Drive by any field currently and you can see between the crop rows, farmers say.

Near St. Marie, there are fields seeded late this spring where nothing is poking up from the soil because there hasnt been enough water for seeds to germinate.

Theres nothing green to nibble on in the south Valley County grazing land near Glasgow.

Weve had probably about an inch of rain since April first and the last one was under a quarter-inch, said Terry Angvick, who farms near Reserve, about 31 miles south of Canada and 25 miles from the North Dakota line.

The drought is a complete reversal from where the northeastern region of the state was last fall when rivers were flooding with unseasonable rains. Many farmers waited to plant this spring because they thought holdover soil moisture from November would allow them to clear up some vomitoxin blight problems, Angvick said.

Farmers who waited planted into the worst of the emerging drought.

There was good moisture in the soil from the fall  as much as 8.6 inches below the surface, Fransen said  but dry weather and wind wicked that moisture away by early May.

Rob Davis farms near Larslan in Valley County, which anchors a region where 45 percent of Montanas spring wheat is grown. Hard, red spring wheat has been responsible for pushing Montana wheat sales over $1 billion annually for multiple years over the past decade. Montana is the nations third largest wheat producer. In an average year farmers around Larslan would expect to cut 40 wheat bushels from every acre. This year that seems unlikely, Davis said.

Were holding on, but if we dont get any bigger rains soon, everyone will be cutting a pretty low yield crop, Davis said.

Better farm practices are preventing the worst results, Davis said. Farmers who plant into untilled soil are seeing more moisture than they might have in past years. But with little moisture in reserve, theyre living from rain cloud to rain cloud.

Fransen doesnt think theres much rain in the regions future, although national long-term forecasts have suggested there could be improvement.

Theres a persistence to drought, Fransen said. It takes existing moisture to make rain, but there hasnt been any. In wet years like 2011, when tractors sank up their axles in mud well into June, theres enough moisture that the slightest stir in the air can prompt a cloud. Thats not where northeastern Montana is currently, Fransen said.

In Westby on the North Dakota state line, theres been 0.59 inches of rainfall since April 1. The normal amount for the same period is 4 inches. The same is true for Fort Peck. In Culbertson, an inch of rain since April has left the community 3 inches below average.

Fransen said farmers need to report their weather conditions to their county extension office, the National Drought Mitigation Center or the Montana Drought Advisory Committee. Those reports determine how long northeast Montana has been in drought and will be used to determine later this summer if the region qualifies for federal drought assistance.
Ten people face felony drug charges after state agents tied them to the sale of prescription painkillers illegally prescribed to them by a former Casper doctor.

Five of the 10 people charged appeared for their arraignments Friday morning in Natrona County District Court. Charlie Edwards, Melissa Bishop, Deni Antelope, Tammy Jonas and Amy Tomlinson each pleaded not guilty to the felony drug charges they face for allegedly delivering prescription painkillers they bought from Shakeel Kahn, a former doctor who practiced in Casper. Edwards and Bishop are also charged with delivering heroin.

Agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation arrested the 10 suspects after more than a year of investigation. The doctor and his wife, Lyn Kahn, were arrested in December for allegedly selling prescriptions to patients from all over the country. Their case continues in federal court, and both remain in custody after violating conditions of bond.

Court documents filed in District Court detail some of the surveillance, phone taps and interviews with informants that DCI agents conducted during their investigations. Agents also watched some of the defendants visit Kahns office on South Fenway in central Casper.

Agents allege that the accused were selling a variety of drugs, including Xanax and oxycodone. The documents also transcribe a number of conversations through text messages showing the negotiation of drug sales.

One of the defendants, Martha Zitterkopf, told investigators that the new doctor is the biggest drug dealer in her opinion, according to a description of the interview in charging documents.

Another interviewee told investigators that Antelope was selling oxycodone pills prescribed to her by Kahn through associates in Ethete, Fort Washakie, Lander and Riverton.

Five more defendants  Dustin Big Medicine, Zitterkopf, Kathy Hill, Wilemina Longtine and Roxanne Hagen  have yet to appear for their arraignments in the case.
Sens. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi on Thursday praised the newly released Senate health care bill, a piece of sweeping legislation they helped craft that they say will protect Americans from the failing Affordable Care Act.

The bill has attracted criticism from Democrats, who accused Republican Senate leadership of secretly drafting legislation that will affect one-sixth of Americas economy. The measure, which will likely be amended repeatedly in the coming week, would repeal the Affordable Care Acts individual mandate, roll back its taxes and change how federal Medicaid dollars are distributed to states in the coming years.

The bill is the Senates response to the American Health Care Act, a bill passed by the House in May. It would also change how much money can be deposited into health savings accounts, while setting aside money to help offset rising premiums and freezing Planned Parenthoods Medicaid funding for one year.

Both Enzi and Barrasso objected to the suggestion that the bill was written in secret. They said Republicans have made their grievances with the Affordable Care Act, a landmark piece of legislation often called Obamacare, known for nearly a decade.

We have been debating the failures of Obamacare for seven years, Enzi said in an email response to questions from the Star-Tribune. We have seen under the law what is not working. And as we move forward debating the discussion draft released today senators will have the opportunity to offer amendments.

But Vickie Diamond, CEO and president of Wyoming Medical Center, criticized the lack of public input in the bills drafting process. She said the measure was drafted in secret by 10 white guys.

Obamacare fix?

Barrasso echoed Enzi: Republicans have been debating repealing and replacing Obamacare for years, and he argued that Democrats arent interested in reaching across the aisle to help.

He said he didnt think the bill was perfect and added he would like amendments that would allow for lawsuit reform and for insurance companies to compete over state lines, a common refrain from President Donald Trumps days on the 2016 campaign trail.

Diamond said she hadnt had time to fully review the bill but said she didnt think it would help the uninsured. She said it might help in the short term, but by the beginning of the next decade, this is going to hurt everybody.

The bill would allow states to waive essential health benefits, services like maternity care and prescription drugs. In previous interviews with the Star-Tribune, Barrasso had railed against those benefits, which insurance companies were required to provide under the Affordable Care Act.

Rep. Liz Cheney, the states lone representative in the House, supported the AHCA in May, but she did not say whether she supported the Senates bill. In a statement released to the Star-Tribune, she said she looked forward to working with Enzi and Barrasso going forward. Her spokesman, Joseph Jackson, did not respond to a follow-up question on whether that meant Cheney supported the bill as written.

Uncertain prognosis

Diamond said she thought the bill was doomed regardless of what amendments were tacked on in the days before the bill is brought to the floor for a vote, which could happen late next week. She criticized the bills cuts to Medicaid, which she said would be around $800 billion; under the Senate measure, in 2021, Medicaid spending would be capped and distributed to states either as a lump sum or on a per capita basis.

Currently, the system matches funds spent by states on those who qualify for the program.

Enzi strongly denied that Medicaid was being cut at all, and Barrasso said it would not have much of an effect on Wyoming as the state did not choose to expand Medicaid, an option made available under the Affordable Care Act.

Diamond said Medicaid changes will hurt rural Wyoming hospitals that dont perform procedures, a concern she expressed in the wake of the AHCAs passage. She and other hospital officials have warned that rural hospitals may go out of business if the proposed legislation becomes law.

Enzi pushed back on that suggestion, saying that the volatility created in insurance markets because of Obamacare has been the most significant hardship on those hospitals. He said the Senate bill would make insurance more affordable to those who couldnt buy coverage under Obamacare, which would also boost rural hospitals.

But metrics like plan affordability are difficult to judge right now, as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has yet to release its score of the Senates bill. That information will illustrate the effects of the bill, such as the number of people who could lose coverage.

A message left for Eric Boley, president of the Wyoming Hospitals Association, was not immediately returned Thursday. He has in the past been critical of the AHCA and warned of its dire effects on the rural hospitals here.

Hospital officials concerned

But Diamond and Kristy Bleizeffer, the spokeswoman for Wyoming Medical Center, said the bill would hurt older Wyomingites. Under Obamacare, insurance companies can charge older Americans not yet on Medicare three times more than younger customers. Both the Houses AHCA and the Senates bill would raise that multiplier to five.

Wyomings an old state, and the raises in premiums for Americans who cant quite get on Medicare yet  thats going to be pretty devastating, Bleizeffer said.

Barrasso countered that subsidies will be available to older Americans to help offset any price increases. When asked whether he thinks those subsidies will be enough to make up for the increased premium multiplier, he pivoted and pointed out that premiums are already rising under Obamacare.

While both the House and Senates health reform bill repeals the requirement that people buy insurance, only the House offers something close to a replacement. Under that bill, individuals who stopped coverage for more than three months would face a 30 percent premium increase. Barrasso said no such provision exists in the Senate bill.

The purpose of the individual mandate, and seemingly the Houses 30 percent premium charge, was to keep insurance pools full and viable with younger, healthier individuals. That acts as a counterbalance to the older and chronically ill, who are more expensive for insurance companies. Without that mandate, its unclear how viable insurance pools can remain, as the Senate bill still requires that insurers provide coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
A debate about the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, is affecting Wyoming refineries, independent gas stations and the jobs they support.

The RFS law mandates injection of a national volume of ethanol into gasoline. Each year, EPA issues renewable fuel percentage standards that, when taken times each refiners petroleum fuel volumes, defines that refiners obligation  its share of the national renewable fuel volumes. The national volumes are achieved if every refiner meets its obligation.

Blenders, however, are not obligated. Every blender exceeds its individual obligation with the first drop of ethanol it blends.

At issue is whether the duty to inject or blend ethanol should belong to refiners or to truck rack wholesalers who actually do the blending. Should this point of obligation be the refinery, as the rule mandates, or the truck rack?

Refiners often cannot blend because their fuel is sold before it reaches the truck racks where blending is done. At stake are many millions of dollars in costs and disadvantages currently imposed on the nations and Wyomings small and independent refiners and independent gas stations.

Crucial to this debate are Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, the currency of RFS compliance. RINs are like a box top for ethanol. When ethanol is blended into gasoline, RINs are separated from the ethanol and surrendered to EPA as proof of blending. If a refiner cannot meet its obligation, it must purchase RINs from blenders to make up the deficit. Blenders are free to sell all RINs they separate.

EPA argues refiners who buy RINs recover those costs in the price of bulk fuel sold to rack blenders. In turn, blenders recover this price increase when they sell RINs to refiners. The voices of the American Petroleum Institute, whose members blend more fuel than they refine; the biofuel industry and others oppose moving the obligation to blenders, claiming EPAs rule got it right.

They are wrong. The rule harms mom-and-pop stations and independent and small refiners, impedes RFS progress and is illegal. Heres why.

1. Big Oil and blenders have no compliance costs. In fact, bulk fuel prices that recover compliance costs for independent refiners are bad for Big Oil and blenders. Every Big Oil RIN purchase is offset with a RIN sale by its truck rack blenders. Furthermore, Big Oil and blender companies purchase and blend more bulk fuel than they refine and need to minimize those costs. On the other hand, independent and small refiners recover RIN costs only through bulk fuel prices. Competition from Big Oil limits that option.

Given this tension, full RIN costs are not reflected in bulk fuel prices; small refiners recover only part of that cost. Prices I reviewed for 2014-2015 at Mitchell, South Dakota, confirm this. Refiners did not recover 23 percent of their RIN costs. In addition, mom-and-pop gas stations had a 4.1 cent per gallon disadvantage compared with rack discounts blenders could offer their owned or branded stations. EPA should replicate this study to confirm these results.

Blenders do not pay refiners RIN costs, as EPA hypothesizes, and discounts largely never reach mom-and-pops. RINs finance unfair competition for Big Oil and other blenders. Unless addressed, consumer costs will increase as independent refiners and small gas stations close.

2. The rule inhibits biofuel blending. Big Oil has extra RINs and blenders are not obligated. When EPA raises biofuel standards, Big Oil can sell lower blends, comply with extra RINS, ignore biofuel increases and exacerbate RIN shortages, raising RIN costs for independent and small refiners. Blenders, being unobligated, are under no legal compulsion to increase blending. If blending were obligated, Big Oil and blenders wouldnt have extra RINs to delay biofuel increases. Defending a rule that impedes biofuels is not in ethanols best interests.

3. The current rule authorizes illegal RINs. Now, blenders get RINs for blending the tiniest amount of ethanol. Yet, the Clean Air Act commands, The regulations ... shall provide ... credits by any person that refines, blends, or imports gasoline that contains a quantity of renewable fuel ... greater than the quantity required under paragraph (2).

Paragraph (2) specifies national quantities; paragraph (3) individual obligations. If Congress wanted RINs awarded for exceeding individual obligations, the statute would not say greater than the quantity required under Paragraph (2). Individual obligation RINs are not legal until national quantities are exceeded. Obligating blenders fixes this.

The point of obligation damages mom-and-pop gas stations and independent and small refiners, advantages Big Oil and blenders, delays biofuel increases and authorizes illegal RINs. The rule is a pernicious and seductive potion. No one should drink it.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some June 23 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
Twisting and turning, Turki Alturki, from Saudi Arabia, tries to line up a photograph with his cell phone as local Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the celebration of the breaking of the fast marking the end of Ramadan at the Tucson Convention Center. Ramadan is where the faithful observe a month of fasting from dawn to dusk and it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The line that prematurely ended Greg Pattersons term as a member of the Arizona Board of Regents was memorable.

The costume doesnt work, he told Rep. Mark Finchem in February. Trim that down, buy a suit. Decide where you want to be, but this isnt it.

It was overkill on the part of the then-chair of the Arizona Board of Regents, as he acknowledges. Patterson was angry about a bill Finchem had proposed and was, it seems, trying to play a Trump-style dominance game in the meeting with Finchem, of Oro Valley, and fellow GOP Rep. Jill Norgaard of Phoenix. When the Arizona Republic revealed the recording last week, Patterson first apologized, then resigned as a regent.

But the 25-minute recording, made secretly by Patterson, also reveals interesting details of the debate among state Republicans on their approach to funding the University of Arizona and the other state universities. Finchem and Norgaard had proposed abolishing the Board of Regents as it exists now and replacing it with separate oversight boards for each of the three universities. They were concerned in part by what they considered overspending by the universities.

Patterson and Eileen Klein, who is president of the Board of Regents, met with them to argue the regents were actually performing their oversight role well and that the lawmakers proposal would have the opposite of the intended effect. Finchem, whom Ive viewed as an occasionally embarrassing legislator because of his embrace of conspiracy theories, began the meeting by complaining about the criticism the Legislature gets for its low funding of the universities.

It doesnt help that we are beaten over a head with a club in the media day after day after day on being tightwad cheap asses when it comes to funding university operations, he told Patterson in the recording. I will tell you I find that, and I know that my fellow members find that, extremely offensive, especially when there are college programs for students who are not here legally, there are kids who are not getting an education as nearly free as possible.

This was a reference to the provision of the Arizona Constitution that says of the state universities, the instruction furnished shall be as nearly free as possible.

Patterson, who was a legislator in the early 1990s, suggested in the meeting that todays legislators could have had more criticism, but that the regents protected them.

Youre getting beat over the head, but its not by us. When I was here there were 86,000 kids in the system, and we appropriated $581 million in 1991 dollars, he said. Theres 165,000 kids in the system, and you appropriate $681 million. Its less money, in real terms, than I appropriated here 26 years ago.

Since then, the system has relied on higher tuition, its relied on outside revenue, its relied on dormitories and research expenditures that we can bring in as much as possible. The systems have been systematically privatized, and you have an eight-member Republican board that does not pummel you for that.

Republic revenge

Patterson, you may recall, maintained a blog for about a decade and has resumed writing it recently. The blog was dedicated in large measure to criticizing the Arizona news media, especially the Arizona Republic but also the Star and occasionally me personally.

Go back through his archives and youll find a drumbeat of often acid critiques of Republic writers, some of it fair, as well as gleeful celebration of the newspaper industrys expected demise that I find distasteful. His obsession with those two entities came through even in the conversation with Finchem and Norgaard, when he defended the salary of then-UA President Ann Weaver Hart by comparing it to what an executive of the Republics parent company would make.

Its certainly a fraction of what youd make at Gannett in the private sector, which is a collapsing business, he said.

So, you could view it as fitting that Republic reporters, through innovative use of Arizonas public-records law, essentially forced Patterson out. The Republic had reported Pattersons angry words for Finchem in April, but then they also found out Patterson had recorded the meeting, and they successfully argued that the recording was a public record that must be released under state law.

Getting the recording was good digging that made Pattersons position untenable before the Legislature. Of course, Patterson made an argument on his blog that Finchem could have been made out as the goat of the story. He subsequently deleted the post, but Im sure well hear more from Patterson before long, likely criticizing this column and pointing to it as a reason for the newspaper industrys eventual demise.

Watermelon Eegees

You cant go wrong in Tucson politics extolling Eegees. Gov. Doug Ducey talked about getting an Eegees card during his earlier years leading the state, and that line was a winner in his speeches here.

Now Mayor Jonathan Rothschild has taken that to the next level. His request that, in light of record high temperatures, Eegees release its watermelon flavor early, was met with a quick response from the company. A mainline of watermelon Eegees has been jabbed into Tucsons collective vein.

I was entertained by Rothschilds move  were all a little loco in the summer heat  but was concerned you should know the inspiration of the idea. Its local blogger, gadfly and occasional radio talker David Morales who has been demanding a return of what he considers Eegees most cooling flavor before the usual July date.

I repeated his demands on social media, then my colleague Joe Ferguson repeated them in conversation at a City Council meeting. Before we knew it, the mayor was involved, making good use of his bully pulpit to demand the release of the one substance that could ease our citywide overheating.
OPINION: "People have a perverse attraction to bad news and in todays digital world, bad news has become easier and easier to access. No group is quite as vulnerable to its influence than the digital natives of Gen Z," writes Marana resident Mitch Carroll.
Astronomers fear at least one of the telescopes on Mount Graham sustained heat damage when winds swept the Frye Fire across the highest peaks of the Pinaleno Mountains last weekend.

The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) did not burn, said astronomer Paul Gabor, vice director of the Vatican Observatory.

Heat from the nearby inferno melted some of the sprinkler lines set up to protect the telescope and Gabor is worried that it may have warped the metal enclosure. He also fears smoke and soot may have gotten inside to foul the sensitive electronic and optical systems.

Gabor had scheduled a visit to inspect the damage Thursday, but was told by officials managing the fire that recurring high winds made that trip too dangerous.

The fire, which came within feet of the Vatican Telescope, did not get that close to the Large Binocular Telescope, the biggest and most expensive instrument on the mountain.

There is no damage of any kind, said Christian Veillet, director of the LBTO, the international consortium that built the telescope.

Veillet said the telescope has been staffed with a skeleton crew throughout the fire and is being used as a spotting tower by the team fighting the fire.

The only worry we had, outside of the fire coming too close, was that we could have ashes and smoke going into the enclosure.

Smoke comes with little particulates and that is not good at all for some of the optics we have.

It smells like smoke inside the dome, he said, but there is no ash or debris around.

Veillet said the observatory did lose weeks of valuable observing time and probably wont open before the planned monsoon shutdown on July 11. Partner astronomers from Italy and Ohio State University had to leave without performing their observing runs.

Even though fire has already burned through those areas, wind from daily, dry thunderstorms has made the situation volatile, said Cameron Eck, spokesman for the team fighting the fire.

A team of firefighters remains in the high reaches of the mountains to protect summer cabins, a Bible camp and the Mount Graham International Observatory  home to the Vaticans telescope, the LBT and the UAs Submillimeter Telescope.

Their job is to just stay up there in the area and just keep mopping up. Were staffing that 24 hours a day and will continue to do that until we can say for 100 percent sure its safe, Eck said.

Eck said 831 people are assigned to the fire, with 7 helicopters dropping buckets of fire retardant.

The fire, which started with a lightning strike on June 7, has burned 21,335 acres of forest and was only 10 percent contained as of Thursday.

It came within feet of the Vatican telescope on Sunday afternoon. You couldnt see the VATT from the (nearby) Large Binocular Telescope, said Gabor.

Gabor received an emailed picture of the telescope, totally obscured in smoke, with flames visible. It had a message from Kevin Newton, one of three observatory personnel still on the site. VATT is in trouble, it read.

When the smoke cleared, the observatory was still standing. Gabor said no one has entered the telescope since then, but said an exterior inspection showed some evidence of maybe some heat damage to the dome.

He hopes to visit the site next week with engineers and an insurance adjuster. He said the observatory had been fire-hardened to prevent embers from entering through vents, but suspects that smoke and soot may have made it inside. The moths seem to find a way, he said.

This is the third time forest fires have threatened the telescopes managed by the University of Arizona on Mount Graham, southwest of Safford in Graham County.

Fire came within 200 yards of the observatory during the Clark Peak Fire in 1996 and the Nuttall Complex Fire in 2004.

The Frye Fire started in the fire scar left by the Nuttall Complex. The presence of downed timber and standing burned trees, combined with the steep terrain and erratic winds, make fighting the fire hazardous, said Eck.
PHOENIX  Saying lawmakers wrote what they meant, the state Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the same-sex spouse of a woman who gave birth to a child is not entitled to a presumption she is a parent.

In what could be a significant setback for gay rights, the court said the law on paternity clearly and unambiguously provides that it applies solely to men. And Judge Randall Howe, writing for the majority, said judges are powerless to change that, even in the face of the historic 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said gays are legally entitled to marry.

Given their ordinary means, man means an adult male human being and father means the male parent of a child, Howe wrote. Each of these words is gender-specific to males and not applicable to females.

Thursdays ruling comes six months after a different division of the Court of Appeals reached the opposite conclusion.

In that case, the judges rejected the arguments by the biological mother of a child that the Arizona laws determining who is legally presumed the parent of a child only apply when that other person is a male. Appellate Judge Philip Espinosa said that is overridden by that 2015 ruling that he said clearly stands for the premise that same-sex marriages are entitled to the same legal protections as traditional heterosexual unions.

Thursdays ruling now sets the stage for the Arizona Supreme Court to decide which reading of the law is correct. A hearing is set for this coming week.

But if what was decided Thursday is ultimately upheld, that has implications beyond child custody cases in gay marriage. It would lend legal credence to arguments that other Arizona laws that favor opposite-sex couples remain legal despite what the U.S. Supreme Court decided.

That includes a law that says only a husband and a wife can jointly adopt children. And another law says if the choice for adoption is between a single person and a married couple, placement shall be with a married man and woman.

The fight is over a state law that spells out that a man is presumed to be the father of a child if he and the mother were married at any time within 10 months immediately preceding the birth.

But that presumption can be rebutted if the other parent  the father under Arizona law  provides clear and convincing evidence he is not the biological parent. That becomes an issue in cases like this where the child is the result of artificial insemination and the spouse cannot be biologically related.

This case involves Heather Turner and Liza Oakley who were married in October 2014.

According to court records, the intent was for Turner to be artificially inseminated and carry the child. That resulted in a birth in 2015.

Turner listed Oakley on the birth certificate as the father. But there was never any effort to have Oakley formally adopt the child.

When the marriage fell apart, Turner argued successfully in court that Oakley could not assert any rights regarding temporary legal decision-making during the divorce or parenting time.

But that was before the October appellate court ruling that the nonbiological same-sex parent in a marriage is entitled to be presumed a parent. After a new hearing, the judge said Oakley was entitled to the presumption and that Turner could not rebut that because the evidence showed the women intended to raise the child together as co-parents.

That led to this appeal and the ruling that when lawmakers say man and woman, thats precisely what they mean, regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court said about same-sex marriage.

Howe said that decision established just two things.

First, the court spelled out that marriage is a fundamental right that government cannot deny to same-sex couples. And second, it requires all states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Great Britain

Prince Harry interview: No one wants throne

LONDON  Britains Prince Harry has suggested that no one in the royal family really wishes to rise to the throne  and that it is duty, rather than desire, that prompts them to continue serving the British people.

In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Harry said the House of Windsor is not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people.

Is there anyone of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I dont think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time, he said.

Archbishop: Church hid abuse of young men

LONDON  The Church of England colluded with and helped to hide the long-term sexual abuse of young men by one of its former bishops, the head of the church said Thursday.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby apologized to the victims of ex-bishop Peter Ball as his church published a damning report that detailed how senior leaders did little about allegations against Ball over years and even appeared to cover up the case.

Welby ordered the independent report after Ball was convicted and imprisoned in 2015 for misconduct in public office and indecent assaults against teenagers and young men from the 1970s to 1990s. Ball, 85, who admitted to abusing 18 young men, was released after serving 16 months.

Iraq

Iraqis: IS action was declaration of defeat

MOSUL  With their control of Mosul slipping away, Islamic State militants blew up the 12th century al-Nuri Mosque, along with its famous leaning minaret, in a formal declaration of their defeat, Iraqi officials said.

The mosque, destroyed Wednesday night, would have been a symbolic prize in the fight for Iraqs second-largest city. It was from a pulpit in that mosque that the extremists leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared a caliphate in the lands they had seized in Iraq and Syria in July 2014.

According to Iraqi officials, the destruction of the landmarks indicated that IS defenses are crumbling and the campaign to retake Mosul  launched more than eight months ago  is in its final stages.

Brazil

US suspends imports of meat products

RIO DE JANEIRO  In a major blow to Brazil, the United States announced Thursday the immediate suspension of all imports of beef products from Latin Americas largest nation because of safety concerns.

The decision by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue came three months after a major scandal into allegations of bribed meat inspectors shook Brazils meat industry and prompted several countries to temporarily halt imports.

In a statement, Perdue said that since March, U.S. inspectors have refused entry to 11 percent of Brazilian fresh beef products, about 1.9 million pounds.


Top Israeli military figures have slammed as empty and inappropriate the recent anti-Iran remarks made by the Israeli regimes army chief of staff lieutenant general Aviv Kochavi. In his remarks on Tuesday, Kochavi said the Israeli military was revising its attack plans against Iran amid fresh efforts by the new US administration to reverse Trumps Iran policy. He warned the Biden administration against rejoining the 2015 landmark Iran nuclear deal, which was abandoned by the Trump administration in May 2018, saying such a move would be bad and not the right thing to do.

I instructed the army to prepare a number of operational plans in addition to the existing ones, Kochavis said. We are taking care of these plans and will develop them during the coming year. Those who decide on carrying them out, of course, are the political leaders. But these plans have to be on the table, the Israeli general said.

Kochavis remarks were met with trenchant criticisms  even among the critics of the nuclear agreement, which was reached during former President Barack Obamas time in office.

Amos Gilad, a former head of Israeli Military Intelligence, said the threat of military action against Iran was an empty one and such a strike would never happen without the backing of the United States. You think you would carry out a strike without strategic cooperation with the United States? It will never, ever happen, Gilad said in an interview on the 103FM radio station on Wednesday. Understand that these are all just words. He warned that harsh remarks that contradict the position of the new American administration could be seen as defiance by the White House, adding, Thats not how you lead a policy. (PRESS TV)



BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:20 P.M.)  The spokesman for the Iranian armed forces, Major General Abu Fadl Shikaraji, threatened to destroy Tel Aviv in case Israel makes any mistake against Iran. Israels threats are part of psychological warfare, and if they are realistic, then they are illusions, Shkaraji said, adding that the Iranian army will destroy Tel Aviv and erase it if Israel commits any stupidity against our nuclear facilities.

The Israeli army lives in a state of terror and is too weak to carry out its threats on the ground, he said, adding that Israels threat to destroy our nuclear facilities is just illusions and pipe dreams. Shkharji stressed that the Iranian army will destroy the Israeli missile bases as soon as Iran is exposed to any attack, noting that the large part of Irans military capabilities have not been revealed. (AMN)



If the Zionists make a foolish move or any mistake, even the slightest one, against Iran, they will face a reaction that will destroy Tel Aviv and hasten the end of their regime, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi told Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam news network. He also said the Iranian Armed Forces have been strengthening their defensive capabilities day by day, and that the country is capable of carrying out strategic operations to level the enemy to the ground. (PRESS TV)



These excerpts from Iranian Press TV and Al Masdar News articles capture the current state of play in the ongoing Israeli-Iranian confrontation. Israeli and Iranian verbal chest thumping is at an all time high. If blustery language were bombs, wed be deep into WW III. However, Gilad is correct. Without US strategic cooperation, there will not be a massive conventional air attack on Iran. And that strategic cooperation is unlikely to be forthcoming under Biden, even though there are still plenty of Borg clowns in this administration just itching for just such an attack.

Throughout the Obama and Trump administrations the most probable scenarios involved massive US air and missile strikes against Iran to obliterate Tehrans nuclear infrastructure and bring about regime change. These strikes would be in conjunction with Israeli strikes or reluctantly launched after an insufficient initial Israeli strike. The goal, Israels goal, was always to eliminate Iran as a threat to Israel. There was nothing in it for us other than pleasing Israel and risking WW III.

The goal of US administrations was to prevent this, usually by placating Israel in various ways. No one, not Bush, not Obama, nor Trump wanted the US involved in a war against Iran. However, they were all plagued by swarms of Israel Firsters praying, many literally praying, for war. Obamas approach was the JCPOA. Israel viewed the JCPOA as an existential threat to their goal. Trump had a different approach, trash the JCPOA and embark on a policy of maximum pressure to collapse the regime in Tehran. Like previous administrations, this maximum pressure policy did not envision a massive US air attack.

Israel decided she could work with this. This became apparent when we learned of another Trump Tower meeting in 2016. This one had nothing to do with Russia. It was all about Iran and how the US, Israel, the UAE and the Saudis would force regime change in Tehran. It included a proposal to create a UAE-Saudi anti-terrorist force that would supplant the need for the US to police the region. Not that bad a plan, really. Getting rid of JCPOA was easy. It was an Obama agreement. Of course Trump would scuttle that. The same for selling weapons and ordnance to the Saudis and UAE. Thats profitable business. The assassination of Qasem Soleimani may or may not have been a part of this maximum pressure policy.

An important part of this grand plan was a robust regional strategic realignment. Israels close military cooperation with the UAE began in the 1990s. It was low key, but extensive. Kushners grand Middle East bargain last year just made that official. The UAEs Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) appears to be the true power broker on the Arabian Peninsula rather than the Saudi Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). He was the driving force behind the Abraham Accords. MBZ is a Sandhurst graduate and has built the UAE military and intelligence into competent forces although they are largely foreign. He is measured, pragmatic and sits atop large oil reserves as well as a growing international financial hub. His hand is behind many of the events throughout the Arab world. He is definitely worth watching.

Now back to Israel and Iran. At one time the best Israel hoped for was the unhindered flight of the IAF across Saudi airspace enroute to Iranian targets. That limited hope has morphed into the possibility of the active involvement of UAE and even Saudi bases and forces in an attack on Iran. The addition of fifty F-35s to the UAE Air Force would greatly increase the strike capabilities of the current hundred or so F-16 and Mirage 2000 aircraft. Even though reaching full operational capability would be several years away, I think the IAF would be giddy with anticipation of this possibility in spite of their apprehensions about Arab F-35s. In the meantime, Israel and the UAE are building a joint intelligence base on Socotra. Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are cooperating with Israel on missile defense, intelligence sharing, reconnaissance (both airborne and at sea) and cybersecurity. This Israeli-Emerati confidence building and integration will continue as long as MBZ sees it as advantageous.

The Saudi war on the Houthis has not helped Israel. Even though the UAE has pulled out of the conflict, Israels closeness to the UAE and growing cooperation with the Saudis have made Israel an active enemy of the Houthi. In response Iran has introduced the Shahed-131 and the more advanced Shahed-136 loitering munition UAVs to the northern Yemeni province of Al-Jawf. The Shahed -136 has an effective range of over 1,200 miles bring southern Israel and Gulf of Aqaba ship traffic within range. In response, Israel has had to station Patriot and Iron Dome AD systems at Eilat - the opening of an unwanted southern front in addition to the constant threat of Hezbollah to the north. This is also whatever missiles and drones Iran may have stationed in Iraq and Syria.

So, how will the Biden administration change Israeli calculations for a strike against Iran? Of primary interest to Israel is Bidens desire to reenter the JCPOA and improve relations with Tehran. As I alluded to earlier, this is anathema to Israel. Will this make Israel antsy enough to strike? I dont think so. Biden is also withdrawing support from the Saudi war in Yemen. He halted logistical and munitions support to the Saudis and paused the effort to provide F-35s to the UAE. The latter may even give MBZ pause for further open military cooperation with Israel. He wants those F-35s. Well never abandon Israel, but can we be relied on to provide logistical, intelligence and strike support to an Israeli initiated attack on Iran? In my opinion, it is no longer a sure thing.

And then there is Russia. The last thing she wants is an expanded war in the Middle East. Russia has recently signed several agreements to bolster Iranians defenses both air defenses and cyber defenses. Lavrov said that the construction of new units of the Bushehr nuclear power plant was discussed during his recent meeting with his Iranian counterpart. He also said "Russia hopes that the United States will return to the JCPOA and that this will be a condition for Iran to implement the JCPOA" and that "Moscow will continue its efforts to ensure that Iran and the United States fully comply with their obligations to the JCPOA in the near future." Russias demonstrated expertise in radio-electronic combat should make Israel think twice about a first strike. Not only would this expertise bolster Irans defenses, but Russia could hamper Israels strike capabilities from her bases in Syria and her ships in the Mediterranean. Russia would not sit this one out.

In my opinion, an Israeli strike on Iran is not imminent. Nor is it in the cards in at least the next several years. Israel has to be sure of a convincing victory. A draw would further damage Israels aura of invincibility. Without that, Israels best and brightest will fly away leaving nothing but Talmudic scholars and angry Palestinians to hash things out. There will be conflict as well as more big talk and selling of wolf tickets like I posted at the top of this article. The political maneuvering will continue. Military capabilities will continue to be developed. The intelligence conflict will continue. The cyber conflict will continue. All this will continue until something breaks one way or the other.

TTG

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/29/644100/Israeli-figures-slam-Kochavi-empty-rhetoric

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iranian-army-spokesman-threatens-to-destroy-tel-aviv-if-israel-attacks-irans-nuclear-facilities/

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/28/644011/Iran-Israel-threat-Dehqan-Shekarchi
Help India!

TCN News

Ahead of next weeks meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump, the US-based human rights advocacy group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) submitted a memorandum to US lawmakers urging them to undertake a Congressional delegation visit to Punjab to assess, report and apprise the US Congress of the recent spate of human rights violations against the Sikh community.

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On Tuesday and Wednesday, June 20 and 21, the rights groups delegation met with Senators and members of the US House of Representatives and discussed the issues of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution which strips Sikhs of their separate religious identity by labeling them as Hindus and by denying the group the basic right to self-determination. They also brought to light the incidents in which members of the Sikh community have endured genocidal violence perpetrated by the Modi regime.

Citing the recent illegal detention and torture of Sikh political activists, the memorandum states, On one hand, the recent events raise a serious question on the religious and political freedoms available to the Sikh community in Modis India, despite hollow claims of secularism and freedom of religion. While on the other hand, the brutal treatment of Sikhs by the Indian state, heightened and increased under Modi, necessarily follows the pattern through which the Indian government has dealt with Sikhs in the past when the Armed Forces of India and other security agencies carried out so-called counter insurgency operations in Punjab to crush the Sikhs rights movement during the 80s and 90s.

Since religious freedom functions at the core of American values, we have asked the members of Congress to stand against the persecution of Sikhs under the Modi regime, said attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ. Sikhs in India are targeted for campaigning to restore their separate religious identity and their inalienable rights to self-determination.

The memorandum also mentions the incidents after June 2014, which has cost Sikh lives in India.

With the support of Sikh Gurudawara Committees from across America, Sikhs For Justice will stage a Punjab Independence Rally coinciding with the Modi-Trump summit, on Monday June 26, from 12:30 until 2 p.m., in front of White House.
Help India!

By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter

In yet another incident of mob violence over alleged beef consumption, one Muslim was stabbed by a mob when he along with his brothers was travelling in a train from Delhi to Ballabhgarh, Haryana.

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Junaid, Hashim, Shaqir and Mohsin were returning to their home after shopping for Eid from Sadar Bazar of Delhi. They were returning to Ballabhgarh of Haryana by Delhi-Mathura EMU express.

According to the statement submitted by Hashim, fellow train passengers started abusing them as soon they boarded the train from Tughlaqabad. When the four Muslim guys resisted, they were beaten up. Meanwhile other train passengers joined the public beating of these four men.

Two persons from the mob took out knives and stabbed four of them. 16-year-old Junaid could not bear the beating and died on the spot. Two other victims are being treated at a hospital in Palwal.

Hashim admitted that the discussion was over suspicion of them carrying beef with their shopping products, but railway officials are claiming it to be a dispute over train seats. Health condition of Hashim and Shaqir is still critical.

Victims were thrown out from the train at Asavati railway station. Victims have alleged that GRP personnel and Ballabhgarh station refused to offer them help when they shouted for it. The case has been registered against unknown people. After Alvidas Namaz, Junaid was burried following postmortem at the hospital in Palwal.
Help India!

By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net

Srinagar: Khalsa aid, an international non-profit aid and relief organisation of Sikhs on Thursday June 22, organised an Iftar for the fire victims at Abi Novpora, Srinagar. The group also donated 52 blankets to 26 families who had lost their homes in April earlier this year.

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Most of the fire victims families were rendered homeless and were forced to live in tents. Some even started living in their wooden boats without any roof near the Dal Lake.

Khalsa aid wanted to help people in Kashmir. I had few friends here whom I asked for inputs and they suggested helping these fire victims as they were most deserving, Jeevan Joth, Khalsa aid volunteer told TwoCircles.net .

The group distributed blankets and served Iftar to more than 150 people on the banks of Dal Lake on Thursday evening. The relief organization intends to help fire victims further post eid by providing them beddings and other household items.

Muslims and Sikhs have a very close-knit relationship in both India and the rest of the world. Our group is right now working in various conflict zones of middle eastern countries.This program was also part of our outreach program, Jeevan said.

A valley-based digital marketing company, Captivating Kashmir also helped the fire victims with money so that they can celebrate their Eid well. The firm had started a fundraising campaign during the second week of June and raised two lakh eight thousands rupees and distributed 8000 rupees per family on Friday, June 23.

The idea to start a fund raising was conceived after I saw a picture on Instagram where a baby was sleeping in a boat wrapped in a half burnt blanket in his mothers lap. That moved me and I decided to start a campaign, Nihal-U-Rehman, co-founder of Captivating Kashmir told TCN. The group will also distribute ration among the fire victims in coming days.

On April 5, 2017, around 36 structures were gutted in a devastating fire at Fisher Mohalla, Abi Nowpora, on the banks of Dal Lake.
Help India!

How does an entire city become a terror hub? And what can it do to challenge this notion? Bhatkalis have for long taken pride in their culture and history but the recent allegations of terrorism have damaged their reputation and the effects are visible in the gaps created in the citys education and health sectors. In the fifth of the nine-part series, Amit Kumar looks at how the city looks to now facing a shortage of doctors and teachers due to the dent in its reputation.

Read part one here

Read part two here

Read part three here

Read Part four here

Depending on what your ideological leaning is, you will either see Bhatkal as an extremely laid-back town where little of interest happens, or a city which is continuously conspiring to wage war against India. Mind you, the latter will take a lot of imagination, prejudice against one community and a level of paranoia that might need psychiatric attention. Nevertheless, as even the most basic Google search on Bhatkal will show, the media has built up Bhatkal to be a sort of an antithesis of everything India stands for; and the locals are not happy. You guys talk like every day five bombs go off in this city and our day starts and ends by talking of Jihad, says a youngster. Is this why you are visiting the city too? To show the world how we are terrorists? he questions and walks away without waiting for an answer.

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The residents of Bhatkal, called Bhatkalis, have a rich, famous and a well-known past which goes back to many centuries. Located on the Western Coast of India, Bhatkal enjoyed trade relations with the world, and especially the Arab world, even before the advent of Islam in the region. From the seventh century onwards, the traders from Arabia also brought along the religion of Islam and since then, it remains one of the most defining characteristics of this city and a source of great pride. We embraced Islam out of our own conviction, and we are proud of that, says Abul Aleem Qasmi, a man in his 70s and the owner and editor of Naqsh-e-Nawayath, the only newspaper printed in the local language Nawayathi, which is a mix of Persian, Urdu, Marathi and Konkani. He says that trade has been the most important source of income for Bhatkal Muslims for over 1,000 years and even now, Bhatkalis take pride in their ability to do business. Although we are a small community, we are present across the nation and the world because of our entrepreneurial skills. It comes naturally to us, he adds.

But a strong and beautiful past can do little to tide over a controversial and unfortunate present. And for Bhatkalis, this has brought along a set of challenges that they never thought they would have to face. Over the past decade, the arrest of Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal, the alleged mastermind of the Indian Mujahideen, and the search for Reyaz Shabandri alias Reyaz Bhatkal, another alleged IM operative along with a dozen or more arrests in relation to terrorism has meant that the city has become known for issues that the residents claim to have little or no control over. And the bad name that the city has earned is now beginning to have an effect on the daily lives of the people.

Failure to attract quality teachers due to bad reputation

Take the example of higher education. Although Bhatkal is a small town in the Uttar Kannada district, it takes pride in having one of the best systems of education in the whole of Karnataka. A lot of credit for this goes to Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, an organisation set up as early as 1919 with the aim of spreading education among the locals. The trust, simply known as Anjuman in this area, is an association of Bhatkalis from across the world who donate generously to run 22 institutes under Anjuman that caters to everything from primary to postgraduate studies at subsidised costs. In fact, a literacy rate of over 90% for both women and men for Bhatkal city as per Census 2011 is the best example of their contributions.

The role of Anjuman in the life of Bhatkalis, whether Hindus or Muslims, has been so strong that it is rare to find a person who has lived in Bhatkal and not attended Anjuman at some point in his/her life. IS Siddique, the current General Secretary of Anjuman, says that the institute, which started with just a primary school in 1919, and its achievements are all down to the philanthropic nature of Bhatkalis.

Today, we have an engineering college, polytechnic institutes, degree colleges for both men and women and a host of other institutes because Bhatkalis who have prospered in their ventures have made it a point to give back some of their money to set up these institutes. All office bearers of Anjuman work for four years without a salary. This is because all of us have our own source of income and we look at this as an Islamic practice of giving back to our society. We are a minority institute so of course, most of our students are Muslims, but we have never differentiated between Hindus and Muslims. In fact, some of our brightest students are Hindus from Bhatkal and elsewhere. Isnt that something to be proud of? he asks.

However, over the past decade or so, there has been a worrying trend that has been observed. The first pinch was felt after the 1993 riots following the demolition of Babri Masjid after which the town faced a six-month curfew. Since then, the town had been presented as some sort of hardline Islamists who couldnt co-exist with Hindus. However, the calm followed by the riots seemed to have put an end to any such speculations. But over the past decade, the fear has returned.

Like all colleges, we have Professors, Lecturers and other teaching staff. However, in a lot of our college departments, we are missing senior faculty because we are struggling to find replacements, says Siddique. He talks of one instance in February this year, when Anjuman called for applications for a teaching staff in its Mechanical Engineering department. The ads were placed in both local and national newspaper but after there was no response, they also set up a walk-in interview. Guess how many people turned up?

Zero, says Siddique, with a look of disappointment on his face. The post continues to remain vacant.

One, and a very straightforward reason for this, says Siddique, is that over the past two decades hundreds of engineering colleges have come up in South India and especially Kerala and Karnataka. So, the competition is tough for sure. But we cannot ignore the fact that when people see the name Bhatkal, they feel that it may not be a safe place due to the terror tag. Even in terms of students, we have seen a fall in numbers. Earlier, for example, students from Kerala made a huge chunk of our student population but their numbers have come down, he adds. Like the Mechanical Engineering department, the Computer Science department has been searching for a Head of Department for over a year, and same is the case in its Physics department. In short, we are learning to do more with less and hoping that things improve, Siddique says. The main reason why Anjuman has not yet set alarm bells ringing over the lack of faculty is because a lot of ex-students of Anjuman have come back to work as faculty. About one-third of our faculty consists of students who studied here in the last decade, Siddique adds. Without them, I would not know where we would have been, he says.

The situation is no different in its womens colleges too. Established in 1995, Anjuman Pre-University college for Women and Anjuman Degree College moved to a bigger, modern building in 2015. However, despite high-quality infrastructure and a student intake of over 500, the college has found it tough to attract women faculty over the past few years. College principal Raeesa Sheikh says that they are currently operating on about 2/3rds capacity in terms of faculty. We can employ only female faculty. In the past two years, we have done all we can: offer higher salaries, better work profiles, but it has not worked much. Our science courses, especially Zoology and Botany, are in particularly bad shape due to lack of experienced teachers and we have to depend on externals to help us through the year. We are also dependent heavily on our former students coming back to teach here, she says. When asked about the reason, she says almost dismissively, You know the reason. When all of the media wants to paint us as a terror hub, what power will a college have?

Robust health facilities going to waste due to lack of doctors

The philanthropic nature of Bhatkalis did not stop at colleges. Their love to see Bhatkal as a self-sufficient town also resulted in setting up of at least six private hospitals to go along with the two government hospitals in the region. One such hospital set up nearly 30 years ago was the Welfare Hospital. In 2008, Islamic Welfare Society took over the control of the hospital. At that time, the hospital consisted of two general practitioners, one gynaecologist, one orthopaedic, one paediatrician, one radiologist and one anaesthetist. Today, nine years later, it has been left with two GPs and about two dozen paramedics. Abul Ala Barmawar, the hospital administrator, says they have tried everything possible to get more doctors. We have time and again advertised in national newspapers, even met doctors in Bangalore and Mangalore and invited them to come over, but it has not worked, he says.

Just before the orthopaedic surgeon left in 2008, he had commissioned some special equipment and the hospital had spent close to Rs 10 lakh on getting the same. Nine years later, the machines lie unused, and patients now have to go to nearby towns like Kumta, Honavar, Kundapur and even Udupi and Mangalore. The situation is so dire that there is one anaesthetist in the town who works in the government hospital and is available on call for us. If he is busy, you cannot conduct even the smallest operation in this hospital, says Barmawar. The only silver lining, if I can call it so, is that the Orthopaedic surgeon was also demanding some more equipment which would have cost Rs 25 lakh. Thank god we did not buy it, he adds.

Dr Nisar Sada came back to Bhatkal about a decade ago. I used to live in Mangalore but decided to come back here. Even then, there was a shortage of doctors here so I thought it made sense for me to come back, he says. In 2012, he established Asiya Hospital. Until two years ago, he had the services of a gynaecologist, but after she left, Sada realised the magnitude of his challenge. I networked across the nation. I visited doctors in Mangalore, Shimoga, Udupi, even Delhi, Chennai in search of a gynaecologist ready to work in Bhatkal. I cannot begin to explain how much effort I have put in this process: I offered better salary than Mangalore but people just cannot believe that Bhatkal is a normal place, he says. Unlike teaching, this profession does not give so much space to learn on the job. You cannot afford to make a single mistake so I also cannot compromise with quality, he adds.

The whole of Bhatkal today had one gynaecologist who works as a consultant. For 15,000 or more females, we have one gynaecologist. If you break a bone in Bhatkal, you will have to go to some other place to get it fixed, especially if it needs a scan, he says. If you come here, you will know how nice Bhatkalis are. But if you are hell bent on believing what the media has to offer, then what can I say except hope that you get rid of your prejudice? he adds. What we need is more attention to issues that every town faces. What we are getting instead is attention for all the wrong reasons, he laments.
Its been one whole year since Brexit, the day we officially voted to leave the European Union  and therefore one year since David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister in the style of Richard Nixon. That means it's also one year since everyone was worried about a Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and one year since Theresa May replaced him with her strong and stable leadership.

Its been quite a wacky 365 days since. In that time, we've seen May trigger Article 50, call a general election, right before the Brexit negotiations, in the hope of securing a stronger Conservative majority for the EU talks, and then having those hopes subsequently dashed when she lost the majority altogether and had to make a deal with the controversial unionist party  the DUP  simply to remain the Prime Minister.

Brexit talks have begun and theyre not pretty

May has begun the Brexit process negotiations following the disastrous UK election and according to EU representatives, the offer she has made regarding EU citizens rights is pathetic and totally removed from being fair and generous as she had previously promised. This morning, a meeting is taking place where officials in the ever-lovable Department for Exiting the European Union will sit down with a group of representatives for Brits living overseas, who were outraged by what they call Mays spin on the issue of Brexit rights during her speech at a dinner in Brussels.

At the Brussels dinner yesterday, she referred to the Brexit offer she was making to guarantee EU citizens rights as fair and generous, but according to the people she made the offer to, it is anything but.

They say the offer does not calm their anxieties, but in fact adds to them. This is partly, they say because she has written the offer in the language of immigration law and not the cast-iron, set-in-stone EU law, which changes everything.

This Brexit rights offer is also apparently not great for British people living in Europe.

Two weeks ago, the EU offered them a lifetime guarantee of their pre-existing rights, but May did not make any mention of this last night, saying instead that her offer was only on the table if the EU matched it. So, the EU cares more about British people than their own Prime Minister does? She doesnt acknowledge that just because theyre living overseas, theyre still British.

EU representatives: Mays offer is slightly pathetic

Nicolas Hatton, who founded 'the3million', a grassroots group fighting for the rights of UK settlers who have been coming in since last years referendum, said, There is something slightly pathetic about the Prime Ministers proposal, because she made no reference whatsoever to what Hatton calls the detailed, comprehensive offer that was put forward by the EU, instead choosing to throw that by the wayside in favour of her own strong and stable Brexit. He added that while she had herself described it as fair and serious, it is in fact neither fair nor serious.

British Sue Wilson, who lives in Spain and leads the Remainers of Spain, has outlined another concern over Mays Brexit offer, saying that it does not allow the European justice court a role in post-Brexit Britain.

However, that court is the ultimate legal mediator, or go-between if you will, in EU matters, which includes violations of EU citizens rights, so obviously she doesnt want those matters in Mays hands.

EU offer was far more generous

Wilson clearly hates Theresa May, as she said that her smug attitude, acting as though she is making the first move (by refusing to mention or acknowledge the EUs own Brexit rights offer), and acting like we should all be impressed and grateful for her generosity, when, in Wilsons and a lot of other peoples eyes, the offer that the EU already made on the same matter was far more generous for everyone involved, both EU and UK citizens living abroad.
Thanks to Theresa Mays terrible offer for their rights in the post-Brexit world thats less than two years away, British people who are living in Europe are worrying about their futures. Glynis Whiting, who hopes for Belgian citizenship, says that she is both worried and angry, understandably.

She notes that Brits living in Europe didnt get a vote in the EU referendum, and therefore feel betrayed and disappointed that all the old white Conservatives in England have gotten to decide their fate by voting to leave and kickstarting Brexit with a very, very slim majority of the referendum vote, and now its in the hands of May, whose strong and stable leadership is completely ignoring the best interests of these people.

Mays so-called generous offers useless, says Brit living in Belgium

John Brown, a Brit who has been residing in Belgium for 21 years now, says that the real issues only come to light when you get down to the nitty-gritty. He added, in a back-handed critique of Mays strategies, that he doesnt believe that any generous offers will get down to the real details. May called her offer generous, but it is anything but for Brits living in Europe and vice versa. The EUs counter-offer, on the other hand, which May has ignored, is totally fair and totally generous, so make of that what you will.
On July 2, 1937, celebrated aviator Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Fred Noonan vanished while flying over the Pacific Ocean. Earhart was attempting to circumnavigate the globe for the second time when her Lockheed Electra disappeared on their way to Howland Island, an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean.

The U.S Navy and Coast Guard launched a search-and-rescue operation that lasted two weeks and involved nine vessels and 66 aircraft. It was the largest and most expensive air and sea search in the history of America, according to HISTORY.com.

80 years on, the American aviators disappearance is still an mystery.

Now, an expedition has been organised by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) and Fred Hiebert, an archaeologist in residence at the National Geographic Society, to search for Earhart and Noonans remains.

About the expedition

The team will begin the six-day journey on June 24, travelling from Fiji to Nikumaroro, a remote island located in the western Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,000 miles north of Fiji.

The coral atoll is 350 nautical miles southwest of Howland, on the line of position (157 NW 337 SE) that Earhart identified in her last confirmed radio message, according to a National Geographic report.

Four specially-trained forensic dogs named Berkeley, Piper, Marcy, and Kayle will be the part of the mission. The border collies are trained to sniff out burial sites up to nine feet below ground and over 1,000 years old.

No other technology is more sophisticated than the dogs, said archaeologist Fred Hiebert, in a National Geographic report.

They have a higher rate of success identifying things than ground-penetrating radar, he added.

Other than the long and exhausting journey to get to Nikumaroro, the bone-sniffing dogs from the Institute for Canine Forensics (ICF) will have to face difficulties like scorching heat, dense vegetation and coconut crabs, the worlds largest land arthropod.

If bones are found, they will be shipped back to the U.S for DNA analysis.

"We will process whatever bone samples we find and compare them to a family member of Amelia Earhart, and if they are her bones, it will be the biggest CSI story in the world," said Hiebert in a USA Today report. "And then I can retire," he jokingly added.

What happened to Amelia Earhart?

Famed aviator Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. On May 21, her plane took off from Oakland, California, to begin the around-the-world trip. Earhart and navigator Noonan reached Lae, New Guinea on June 29. The duo was embarked on one of the last legs of their journey when their plane mysteriously disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean in July 1937.

In the eight decades since Earhart's disappearance, numerous theories have been doing the rounds.

According to the U.S. government, Earharts aircraft most likely ran out of gas and plunged into the Pacific Ocean, killing both the pilots.

However, according to American author W.C Jameson, Earhart was a pilot and a spy hired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to surveil Japanese military installations on the Marshall Islands. In his 2016 book 'Amelia Earhart: Beyond the Grave,' Jameson speculated that the aviators plane was shot down by the Japanese, or the duo was captured in the Marshall Islands after a crash or forced landing.

Meanwhile, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) has a completely different theory.

The non-profit organisation claims that Earhart and Noonan had continued along their same navigational line and landed on the island of Nikumaroro, where they died as castaways. Led by executive director Richard Gillespie, TIGHAR has spent the past three decades testing this theory and have travelled to Nikumaroro Island multiple times.
As part of his foreign trip, Donald Trump arrived in Rome and met Pope Francis at the Vatican. After tweeting out his thoughts, social media wasn't too kind in return.

Trump on the Pope

When it was announced that Donald Trump was going to be heading off on his first foreign trip as commander in chief, many wondered what would take place during the week-plus visit out of the United States. Prior to taking off, the former host of "The Apprentice" was hit with an onslaught of negative reporting that further linked him and his administration back to Russia.

The Washington Post reported that Trump shared classified information with two high-ranking Russian officials, while additional reports accused the president of trying to convince now fired FBI Director James Comey to back off his investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. With the pressure mounting, Trump left the White House and the United States last Friday, and made his way across the globe. After stops in Saudi Arabia and Israel that both received mixed reactions depending on personal politics, Trump landed in Rome and met with Pope Francis on Wednesday. As seen on his Twitter account on May 24, Trump was quick to gloat about the get together.

Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis. I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue PEACE in our world. pic.twitter.com/JzJDy7pllI  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2017

Taking to his Twitter account not long after meeting Pope Francis, Donald Trump attached a video clip of the two while adding a personal message from himself.

"Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis," Trump tweeted out, before adding, "I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue PEACE in our world." Despite Trump's praise, the Pope appeared to get slightly political as The Hill reported that the president was given a letter on climate change by the Catholic leader during the meeting.

Pope gives Trump letter on climate change during brief Vatican meeting: https://t.co/DFa278QrUf pic.twitter.com/ETb2Bq2qpw  The Hill (@thehill) May 24, 2017

Twitter roasts Trump

Within minutes of Donald Trump's tweet, social media users were quick to fire back with thoughts of their own. "Why were you all dressed for a funeral?

And what's with the shit-eater grin?" writer Mike P Williams wrote, while showing a side-by-side photo of Trump and former President Barack Obama.

@realDonaldTrump Mate, he looks like he can't wait to get away from you. pic.twitter.com/1U6XvczbnM  Neil Claxton (@MintRoyale) May 24, 2017

@realDonaldTrump Why were you all dressed for a funeral? And what's with the shit-eater grin?  Mike P Williams (@Mike_P_Williams) May 24, 2017

"Mate, he looks like he can't wait to get away from you," Neil Claxton tweeted out, while posting a photo where Pope Francis doesn't appear pleased with meeting Donald Trump. "Why avoid eye contact with The Pope here then?Can't hide your true motives?

A picture is worth a thousand words," another tweet read.

@realDonaldTrump You just sold $300bn of arms to Saudi Arabia, who you said was behind 9/11 & who's starving the people of Yemen. You know not what peace is.  Trita Parsi (@tparsi) May 24, 2017

"You're a serial philanderer& adulterer," author Joe Papp wrote on his Twitter feed. "You just sold $300bn of arms to Saudi Arabia, who you said was behind 9/11 & who's starving the people of Yemen. You know not what peace is," Trita Parsi added. The backlash continued as it was made clear that many Americans were not impressed with Donald Trump's visit to the Vatican.
On Wednesday morning, Donald Trump and members of his family traveled to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis. Following the meeting, Ivanka Trump decided to tweet out her thoughts, but was met with criticism from social media users.

Ivanka on Pope Francis

Donald Trump's campaign for president took most people by surprise. Initially viewed as a joke and nothing more than a publicity stunt to gain ratings for his reality show, Trump was able to weather the storm of controversy and blow by 16 other Republican candidates on his way to the GOP nomination last summer.

Four months later and the former host of "The Apprentice" pulled off the shocking upset win by defeating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States. One voice that was constantly in the president's ear was his daughter Ivanka Trump. Known as a calming influence, Ivanka has been by her father's side since day one of the campaign, and is now in an adviser role in the administration. In recent weeks, scandal and controversy has hovered over the White House, which led to Trump leaving behind many issues as he embarked on his first foreign trip as commander in chief. After stopping in Saudi Arabia and Israel, Trump made his way to Rome on Tuesday before meeting Pope Francis the following morning.

Along side the billionaire real estate mogul was First Lady Melania Trump and Ivanka, who decided to comment on the meeting with the Pope during a May 24 Twitter post.

It was an incredible honor to have an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis today, who inspires hope around the world. #POTUSAbroad

 AP pic.twitter.com/3T18HiR31k  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 24, 2017

Taking to her Twitter account on Wednesday was Ivanka Trump who seemed delighted that she was able to meet Pope Francis.

"It was an incredible honor to have an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis today, who inspires hope around the world," she tweeted. Along with her message, Ivanka attached a picture that has since gone viral showing the Pope not looking pleased with having to meet Donald Trump and his family.

Twitter reacts

Not long after Ivanka Trump tweeted about her experience meeting Pope Francis, social media users were quick to fire back.

"The pope looks really happy to meet you," Nathan Bernard wrote while posting an enhanced image of the Pope's face, before adding, "there's also no reason YOU should ever be meeting the pope."

@IvankaTrump there's also no reason YOU should ever be meeting the pope  Nathan Bernard (@nathanTbernard) May 24, 2017

@IvankaTrump I don't want to be the first to point it out but u all look miserable The pope does not look happy and ur dressed to go to a funeral. #weird  Banning4Congress2020 (@stevenlouis209) May 24, 2017

@IvankaTrump it's going to take more than a meeting with the pope to wash your sins away. The trump family is dishonest and evil  KHanson (@truthbcuz) May 24, 2017

@ColdAsHell40 @IvankaTrump But he was all smiles when Obama visited. Does that mean you like Obama?  Michael Tomlinson (@Michael93839737) May 24, 2017

"'This is some bullsh*t.' -Pope," a satirical tweet read.

"He looks miserable," another Twitter user observed. "Yeah, he looked pretty happy about it in this photo," writer Maria Langer mockingly tweeted.

Pope Francis looked so much happier when he was washing the feet of prisoners, the disabled, and AIDS patients than he did meeting Trump  The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) May 24, 2017

@IvankaTrump He stands also for a warning about clima change and a help from the rich to the poor people. The absolute opposite to your father.  Christian Kaiser (@KaiserMedien) May 24, 2017

@IvankaTrump This was the BEST picture of the Pope you could find? Steam is coming out of his ears!   Puerto Rico en Serio (@PuertoRicoSerio) May 24, 2017

@IvankaTrump Can you spot the difference? No one is happy about y'all. Not even the Pope. pic.twitter.com/fWDnsXhFnI  Ryan Graney (@RyanEGraney) May 24, 2017

"It's going to take more than a meeting with the pope to wash your sins away.

The trump family is dishonest and evil," another Twitter user wrote. "He stands also for a warning about climate change and a help from the rich to the poor people. The absolute opposite to your father," an additional tweet went on to read. As the negative reactions kept coming, Pope Francis started to trend on Twitter and didn't do the Trump family any favors in the process.
Melania Trump saved her husband from another embarrassing scene while in Rome. The president and his wife are on their first foreign trip and the majority of headlines have centered around their body language. Their interactions on the world stage are closely watched and they've succeeded in giving the media a lot to speculate on over the last few days.

Twice in one day

Donald and Melania Trump made up for the lack of hand-holding by partaking in it twice on Wednesday at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The couple were photographed holding hands as they looked up at Michelangelo's painted ceiling.

They did a second time when they posed for a family photo with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner under Michelangelo's crucifix.

Melania holds Trump's hand during visit to Sistine Chapel https://t.co/ufrVaPtONk pic.twitter.com/s91o4YCspI  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) May 24, 2017

Videos fuel rumors of marital discord

The first lady showed no interest in holding hands with Donald when they arrived at the airports in Tel Aviv and Rome. Videos showing the president offering his hand to Melania only to have it rejected have gone viral. In Tel Aviv, Melania swatted his hand away and in Rome she responded by using her hand to pull the hair back from her face. It definitely looked like she was giving him the cold shoulder.

Many argue that the media is making a mountain out of a molehill, but rumors about the true state of their marriage persist.

Body language expert weighs in

Why was the first lady so abrupt in refusing Donald's hand in Tel Aviv? Body language expert Patti Wood told The Independent that Melania Trump may have been sending the signal that she refuses to be led "like a child." The president was several steps in front of his wife when he reached his hand back to her and had it swatted away.

Wood gathers that Melania is used to being desired and openly displaying affection with her husband, but that changed after he was inaugurated. Donald is more interested in conveying a presidential image all on his own, not as a presidential couple. It was he who acted less than enthused to hold her hand when they flew into Palm Beach back in February.

Other reasons for lack of affection

Another point that's been debated is that Melania might have been uncomfortable holding hands in Israel because the culture there is more conservative. As to why she did in Rome, it's unclear. The country doesn't have the same conduct restrictions as the Middle East. It could be that she wanted to avoid any negative attention by showing affection on their first overseas trip, but the opposite happened.

Is the fact that Donald and Melania Trump were finally holding hands at the Vatican an effort to put on a united front for the sake of the public or did they feel it was appropriate for the situation they were in? Whatever the reason, the president was spared another humiliating incident with his wife.
As Donald Trump was set to head off on his foreign trip last week, many wondered what the rest of the administration was thinking as the president made his way to the Middle East. After a photograph was snapped of Vice President Mike Pence's reaction outside of the White House, the internet decided to have a little fun.

Twitter on Pence

Donald Trump's current foreign trip has created daily headlines as many wonder, and some fear, what the president will do or say when he is in the company of other world leaders. With the former host of "The Apprentice" making his way to various countries around the world, he leaves behind him a growing number of scandals and controversy that his entire team has been unable to shake.

Since the start of the trip, Trump has received heat for committing multiple blunders along the way. From his controversial speech on terrorism while addressing Saudi leaders, to his awkward interaction with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the note he left at the Western Wall, in addition to having his hand slapped away twice by Melania Trump during an attempt to hold hands, the president has stumbled along the way. However, as Trump departed the White House, a snap shot of Mike Pence was taken as the vice president appeared to look off into the distance. Mashable writer Laura Vitto poked fun at Pence due to the look on his face, which quickly went viral on Twitter on May 23 using the hashtag "DeepThoughtsFromMikePence."

"What's Mike Pence thinking about in this photo?" by Laura Vitto via Mashable https://t.co/5o2IvH51QG #news  HAAL Electronica (@HAAL) May 19, 2017

In what has turned out to be thousands of tweets using the hashtag, social media users were quick to troll the vice president.

"I'm wearing a**less chaps under this suit and nooooobody knows," one Twitter user wrote about Mike Pence and the aforementioned photo.

If a tree falls in a forest and hits a woman, how can I take her healthcare away before she gets to to hospital? #DeepThoughtsFromMikePence  O General My General (@rideatdawn) May 23, 2017

When they talked about the Trump brand, I didn't know it involved planting the letter L on my forehead. #DeepThoughtsFromMikePence pic.twitter.com/8RqVzYjRsE  Steve Redmond (@sjredmond) May 23, 2017

"I wonder if they know, I knew?' 'Wait, can they hear me thinking?' 'Oh, sh*t, mother, help me stop thinking,'" another tweet read.

"Mother, is it a lie if I repeat information without confirming it's true?" an additional message on Twitter added.

You are not thinking about Paul Ryan's workout pics. Not. Thinking. About. Them. #DeepThoughtsFromMikePence pic.twitter.com/rDJQQc5Q5T  The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) May 23, 2017

Mother, will I burn in hell if I tell Donald the stands were full & everyone loves him? #DeepThoughtsFromMikePence pic.twitter.com/RO3UMOMR1I  Richard Hine (@richardhine) May 23, 2017

"Don't forget Dons crayons for when we go to the restaurant...

must remember crayons," a tweet read as the mocking of Mike Pence continued to go viral across social media. "If I go into the woods to explore Mother Nature, does that count as being with another woman?" yet another tweet read. "Male romper or bermuda shorts... hmmm need to pray on this," one message posted.

#DeepThoughtsFromMikePence

If I go into the woods to explore Mother Nature, does that count as being with another woman?  Laurie Crosswell  (@lauriecrosswell) May 23, 2017

Next up

While social media users were having fun at the expensive of Mike Pence, Donald Trump and the administration have business to deal with upon the president's return to the White House next week.

As the scandal surrounding Russia continues to heat up, the commander in chief is rumored to possibly reshuffle his team as pressure from liberals and Democrats doesn't look to be ending anytime soon.
Brendan Dassey, subject of the hit Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer," has had his conviction overturned, 10 years after his sentencing. A United States Federal Appeals Court upheld the decision made by a lower court Thursday, stating that Dassey's confession was not legitimate.

Brendan Dassey confessed to detectives in 2007 that he aided his uncle, Steven Avery, in the rape and murder of photographer Teresa Halbach in Avery's salvage yard two years prior. Dassey was sentenced to life in prison.

The story of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey's trials and convictions received worldwide attention with the release of the incredibly popular "Making a Murderer" documentary series in 2015.

Coerced confession

Brendan Dassey's 2007 conviction was based largely on his confession, but a federal court ruled in August 2016 that detectives coerced that confession from him. The federal magistrate ruled that detectives took advantage of Dassey's youth and mental health problems. Dassey was 16 at the time of the confession.

A coerced confession is not admissible in a criminal trial. A confession must be freely given for it to be used as evidence

The Wisconsin state justice department appealed the courts' decision, sending the matter to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit court of appeals. The move kept 27-year-old Dassey behind bars.

Upheld decision

The three-judge panel from the court of appeals ruled on Thursday that the lower court's decision was correct, nearly a year after the original decision.

The panel of judges was split in their decision. The majority opinion stated that, among many other things, "the leading, the fact-feeding, the false promises, the manipulation of Dassey's desire to please" were factors in their decision and that "no reasonable court" would have considered Dassey's confession legitimate.

The dissenting opinion, written by Judge David Hamilton, was equally strong: "The majority's decision breaks new ground and poses troubling questions for police and prosecutors.

It calls into question standard interrogation techniques that courts have routinely found permissible, even in cases involving juveniles."

The state of Wisconsin can now ask for a review of the decision by the 7th Circuit Court or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The state can also choose to re-try Dassey within 90 days.

Not the final word

The state justice department had harsh words, stating "We continue to send our condolences to the Halbach family as they have to suffer through another attempt by Mr. Dassey to re-litigate his guilty verdict and sentence." Dassey's attorney, on the other hand, called it a "victory."

The Wisconsin Attorney General's office said that they expect to seek a review from the Federal court, and bring the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary

Dassey's uncle, Steven Avery, is in the process of appealing his own conviction.

Unexpected celebrity

"Making a Murderer" has brought widespread attention to the case, with many viewers believing Avery and Dassey's contention that they were framed.

The pair state that they were framed by the police, who they say were angry at Avery for suing the county over his own wrongful conviction for sexual assault, for which he served 18 years before DNA evidence exonerated him.

The two have a large social media following, with many pushing for their release.

All the people that believe Steven Avery & Brendan dassey are guilty, obviously didn't read through the case files #MakingAMurderer #Noclue  April (@aprilmelody86) June 21, 2017
Federal investigators have reprimanded the proprietor of a residence that they assert operated as an unlicensed day care establishment. The founder of the site ran a high-volume Drug Ring on the property.The specialists examining the case in Los Angeles accuse Felipe Talamante of retaining nearly $430,000 at his home in Highland Park and allowing minors between two and seven years in age to maneuver within the property and witness a covert agent for the state of California attempt to purchase approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine.

What we know so far

According to Yahoo News, the Drug Enforcement Administration released an affidavit that stated Talamante declared to undercover agents that he believed methamphetamines to be a drug for poor people and that he demonstrated prominent attributions when it came to distributing cocaine.

The bust comes after the DEA investigated Talamante for many years. On Tuesday, the Attorneys Office in the city of Los Angeles issued a declaration. It confirmed that local authorities executed a court order back in 2015 to inspect Talamantes Highland Park property.

The arrangement was an initial attempt to recuperate at least 20 kilograms of cocaine. Be that as it may, no one ever initiated the requests summoned the warrant.On the other hand, federal officials stated that the courts served another order that eventually led to the recovery of cocaine, in addition to crack and other illicit narcotics.

Los Angeles trying to fix child care scandal

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Talamante for selling controlled substances and being a hazard to children.The city lawyer has recorded a claim that looks for a directive against all proprietors of the home involved in the drug ring.

The suit claims federal agents witnessed minor children playing in the yard where the affirmed criminal activities occurred.

According to the litigation presented in this case, investigators discovered an undisclosed amount of cocaine inside one of the cushions where the children purportedly rested on regularly.

The case looks to seize the property and to enforce financial punishments, including penalty fees for all the attorneys and investigations involved over the years.

The city lawyer will likewise look for a transitory constraining solicitation that can permanently shut down the illegal day care center that the proprietor established on the property.

Police say they found at least 15 children under supervision while in the home. Police are still trying to contact their families and inform them of the matter at hand.
At the end of this last season of "Chicago Pd, " it looked like Erin Lindsay was moving on from the show. Fans were shocked to see this just as Jay was ready to propose to her, but everyone figured it might not really happen. It appeared to just be a cliffhanger and the next season Erin would be back where she belonged. Now, Hollywood Life is revealing the fate of Sophia Bush's character on "Chicago PD."

Sophia Bush's fate revealed

It turns out that after four seasons on "Chicago PD" Sophia Bush is going to be leaving the show. At the end of last season, she left the Chicago Intelligence Unit for a job in New York and wouldn't even answer Jay's call.

He was ready to propose to her even though they weren't together at the time. Now, it sounds like Erin Lindsay must be taking that job for sure and moving on from the show. So far, Sophia Bush isn't speaking out and fans don't know what made her decide to leave.

Could they replace her?

Rumors are that they may bring in another female lead to replace her. Guest-star Tracy Spiridakos joined the show last season, and now everyone is curious if she will end up sticking around for a while. Of course, this isn't like a soap opera where they will replace Sophia Bush in the role of Erin Lindsay. It doesn't look like there is any reason to do that and fans wouldn't accept it anyway.

Sophia Bush could end up coming back for a bit so that they can tie up the story line with her, but this isn't confirmed either.

No word yet on what she is moving on to do. Dick Wolf shared that next season of "Chicago PD" will be different saying, "We have a new showrunner, new writers, they are still hiring them. Then we will start creating ideas. Its too early to tell [what will happen next]."

With the news recently coming out that "Chicago Justice" wasn't renewed, the fans can't help but wonder if "Chicago PD" is going to end up with the same fate.

The fact that Sophia Bush is leaving means that they are going to have to bring in a strong female lead that fans will fall in love with the way that they did her. She is not going to be easy to replace that is for sure. Sophia Bush fans followed her over from "One Tree Hill" to "Chicago PD" and are going to miss her on the show.

It is shocking that she is moving on.

Are you shocked to hear that Sophia Bush is going to leave "Chicago PD"? Did you think that she would stick around? Sound off in the comments section below on your thoughts, and don't miss "Chicago PD" when it returns to NBC in the fall.
Jim Bob Duggar seemingly gave his daughters husbands his seal of approval, but behind the scenes, there could be trouble brewing for the supersized Arkansas clan. According to the Hollywood Gossip, Jim Bobs strict fundamentalist beliefs has him at odds with two of his son-in-laws, most notably his daughter Jessas husband of nearly three years, ben seewald.

When Jim Bobs daughter Jinger recently married Jeremy Vuolo, fans noted that the Duggar daughter began wearing pants instead of skirts as the females in the family all do. Jeremy, who is a pastor, doesn't share his strict father-in-law's beliefs that women should only wear skirts, and his new bride has been very public with her newfound fashion freedom now that shes no longer under Jim Bobs watch.

Where Jim Bob draws the line

While Pantsgate might have been enough to get under the Duggar patriarchs skin, he seems to play mostly nice with Jeremy Vuolo. But when it comes to Ben Seewald, there may be much more behind the dad of 19's big smile. The Hollywood Gossip reports that Jim Bob is openly feuding with Ben due to their very different religious beliefs, most notably Seewalds belief in the doctrine of Calvinism.

Seewalds belief in Calvinism, which teaches that one's salvation and path through life are pre-destined, is reportedly a major point of contention for his famous father-in-law. The doctrinal disagreement has caused real-life tension between the two men, according to insiders.

A source says that Jim Bob smiles in front of TLCs cameras in an attempt to keep the wholesome Duggar brand" intact, but behind the scenes its a whole different life" for the feuding family members.

This isnt their first divide

The Duggar patriarch is extremely conservative so some of Ben Seewalds more liberal-leaning views have reportedly divided the two of them before.

Last year, Ben publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement in defiance of the Duggar dad.

Duggar fans will likely never see the feud play out on the familys TLC reality show, Counting On. What they have seen is Ben entering the familys life and asking Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar for permission to court their daughter, then later marry her in a supersized TV wedding.

Early on, Jessa's dad told People magazine that he approved of Ben because he was the first guy that showed interest in his daughter that also had a spiritual focus and legitimate calling about ministry work. Jim Bob admitted that he thoroughly checked Ben Seewald out to make sure there were no red flags. Now it looks like he may have missed one.
Photo taken on June 21, 2017 shows view of the Gateway' 17 held in Detroit, the United States. Gateway' 17, a conference held by Alibaba in Detroit on June 20-21, features presentations and breakout sessions aimed at educating attendees on what and how to sell to China, especially through e-commerce platforms, so that they can grow their businesses and go global. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ocean Spray didn't realize that dried cranberries would be so popular with young women when it moved into the Chinese market two years ago.

The US-based food and beverage company was one of a wide array of small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, at the Gateway '17 summit that was encouraged to sell its goods to China's expanding middle class.

Other businesses at the two-day gathering, including baby and maternity, beauty and skin care, agriculture, apparel and seafood, were represented on Wednesday, the final day.

A highlight of the event was a stirring speech by Jack Ma, executive chairman and co-founder of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd, whose company is a driving force for US firms selling products in China online.
A psychological counselor in discussion with a resident of Funing county, Yancheng, Jiangsu province. CHINA DAILY A year ago, a small county in East China was devastated by a tornado that destroyed lives and homes. Now, the local people are determined to forge a new future.

When a tornado struck Li Yuhong's kindergarten, the school head had no time to be scared.

"It all happened too quickly, in the blink of an eye. The children had just woken from their early afternoon naps, and the older children were using their coloring books, when, all of the sudden, the weather changed. In just a few moments, dark clouds spread across the sky as if it were night. The children and I had never seen such a thing before. They cried because they were scared," Li recalled, speaking almost a year after the disaster.

At 2:30 pm on June 23 last year, a tornado hit Funing and Sheyang, two densely populated suburbs of Yancheng, a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu, about 300 kilometers from Shanghai.

The twister left 99 people dead, and 875 hospitalized. More than 31,800 homes were destroyed, and the lives of 45,500 residents were shattered. The direct economic loss was about 5 billion yuan ($730 million), according to Wang Rongping, Yancheng's Party chief.

In the village of Shuangqiao in Funing, farms and factories were razed, and roofs were torn off countless buildings, including some at Li's school, the Nanwan Kindergarten.

"The classroom, desks and even the floor were shaking, so I told the students to lie under their desks in a prone position. One girl stood up and attempted to run to meshe was crying and shouting for her grandmotherbut she couldn't even stand properly. Then, the roof of the building next door collapsed and tiles and bricks flew toward the back windows of the classroom. As I grabbed the girl and took her into my arms, a shard of glass sliced into my nose. The whole class was crying. I told the children to crawl towards me. We held hands and put our arms around each other," Li said, tearfully, trembling at the memory.

"We were so lucky. Sometimes, I can't stop wondering what would have happened if we had been on the playgroundall the children would have been blown away. What if I had died in the tornado, like the mother of one of my students? The first anniversary of my death would be approaching," she said.

Time to heal

It takes time for adults to overcome the trauma caused by the tornado, but it's even harder for vulnerable children to put such a disaster behind them.

"It takes time, sometimes 2 to 3 years, for children to get through the shadow of a tragedy," said Yang Zhaobao, head of the Sunshine Psychological Health Center, a counseling facility in Funing.
Editor's note: Gang wei, literally meaning Hong Kong taste, is a concept often talked about, but almost impossible to define. No one can tell what the taste is exactly, yet it can be found everywhere in the city - in the ting-a-ling of the trams, the shumai in tea houses and the burning incense in the Tin Hau Temple. As the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region celebrates the 20th anniversary of its return to China, we bring the series A piece of Hong Kong to try and explore the spirit of Hong Kong from some of the most intriguing aspects of the city.

Hollywood Road

As Hong Kong's second oldest road, Hollywood Road was built in 1844, much before the more famous Hollywood in California was given its name.

The road, linking Sheung Wan with Central, used to be a place where Chinese merchants came to trade antiques and artifacts with Europeans. Today, it is home to a great variety of art galleries and antique shops. Here, travelers can find all sorts of trinkets and art: from Chinese furniture, porcelain ware and Buddha sculptures to Tibetan rugs, Japanese netsukes and Coromandel screens. However, it may take the eyes of a historian to pick the truly rare and valuable antiquities from the trinkets sold to clueless tourists.
He Junqing, whose father, He Gang, donated ancient relics to the Palace Museum in Beijing, takes a look on Thursday at some of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) artifacts his father found while digging in his yard. [Photo/China News Service]

The Palace Museum in Beijing held a memorial on Thursday for a villager who donated precious cultural relics to the museum.

He Gang, a villager from Shangshui county, Henan province, discovered 19 silver artifacts from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in a buried jar he found while digging in his yard in 1985. The items are mainly vases and other containers believed to have been for daily use.

After turning down what villagers later described as a large bag of cash from antique dealers, He insisted on giving the artifacts to the country, officials said. He and two other villagers took a train to Beijing to give them to the Palace Museum.

He was killed in an accident on May 30 when a crane collapsed as he was helping to build a high-speed train track in Shandong province. He was 54.

Such a memorial, dedicated to an ordinary person rather than a renowned scholar, is rare in the history of the Palace Museum, the former imperial complex known as the Forbidden City. The museum houses 1.86 million artifacts.

The 19 items found by He filled a void in the huge collection, said Lyu Chenglong, a researcher at the museum.

"Many items housed in the museum are former royal collections from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, but Yuan articles are relatively rarely seen, let alone such delicate silver articles," Lyu said.

"Patterns and designs of the world-famous blue and white Yuan porcelain were developed from silver articles of that dynasty. The items donated by He greatly helped our research."

It is extremely rare to find such relics, which had remained intact in an ancient cellar, thereby preserving crucial historical information, said Li Ji, an archaeologist at the museum.

Some of the items donated by He have been periodically displayed, but are not on permanent display, officials said.

Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, praised He. "What He reflects is awareness of protecting traditional cultures and sticking to a righteous course," Shan said. "During a time when some people were driven by economic motives and robbed cultural relics, such a spirit should be highly respected."

More than 34,000 artifacts in the museum have been donated by about 700 people, but most were tycoons or scholars, Shan said. The museum has a special exhibition hall where their names, including He's, are displayed on plaques.

In 1985, the Palace Museum allocated about 9,000 yuan (about $3,000 at the time) as a reward for He and two other villagers who carried the artifacts to Beijing. When He encountered some job difficulties in later years, the museum also donated some money for his support. With his death, the museum donated 100,000 yuan ($14,600) to his family.

While this made some question his "donor" status, Gu Yucai, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, noted: "Public support is essential to preserving cultural relics. Donors deserve some bonus for their good deeds to set an example for others."

Gu said a national system to standardize such bonuses would help to create better conditions for donations of cultural relics.
Two Interesting Stories created by American artist Clint Hansen is on permanent display at the museum of The World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa. May Zhou / China Daily

The painting Two Interesting Stories by American artist Clint Hansen has brought unexpected delight to many Chinese visitors to the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa.

The revisit to Iowa in 2012 by Xi Jinping, then vice-president of China, and this year's appointment of former Iowa governor Terry Brandstad as US ambassador to China are the major contributing factors to more Chinese people seeking investment in this Midwestern state.

Zhao Li, president of Iowa China Group, which helps US companies looking to enter the Chinese market and Chinese companies seeking investment opportunities, said she's been welcoming more Chinese investors this year, sometimes several groups a week.

She often takes them to the World Food Prize Foundation, which is housed in the century-old former Des Moines Public Library building, now called the Hall of Laureates.

President Xi gave a speech there during his last visit, and billions of dollars worth of soybean agreements between Iowa and China have been inked there since then.

On the second floor of the museum, Chinese visitors find two familiar faces in the painting Two Interesting Stories: President Xi Jinping and his father Xi Zhongxun, along with scenes from their visits to Iowa.

Chinese visitors often take a photo in front of it as a keepsake, said Zhao.

"Most of them were surprised to learn from the painting that Xi's father Xi Zhongxun had also visited Iowa," Zhao said. "They are usually touched by the continuity of the story of the two generations of Xis."

Kenneth Quinn, president of The World Food Prize Foundation and former US ambassador to Cambodia, came up with the idea of using art to portray the development of the relationship between the two Xis and Iowa, which has had a significant impact on Iowa's relationship with China.

"Ambassador Quinn has told the story on many occasions," Zhao said. "When he met with President Xi in 2012, he mentioned that he might be one of the very few in Iowa who had shaken hands with both President Xi and his father. Xi then said to Quinn: you have two interesting stories."

Quinn, who was on then Iowa Governor Robert Ray's staff at the time of the senior Xi's two-day visit in 1980, showed the group the essential elements of Iowa's agricultural infrastructure, including the Amana Colonies.

The Amana Colonies began as an experiment in joint-ownership "communist" farming. Ownership was later divided up and the farm went private. Quinn recalled that the senior Xi was very interested in this history and took the time to learn all the details.

Quinn believes that what the senior Xi learned at the Amana Colonies prompted him to help craft China's agricultural reform. In January of this year, he wrote in The Des Moines Register:

" sweeping agricultural reform, which, just like Amana, now allowed individual Chinese farmers to control their own plots of land and production The results of this agricultural reformation were so immediate and dramatic that just 13 years later, the Chinese minister of agriculture traveled to Des Moines to receive the 1993 World Food Prize."

Quinn and his foundation worked with Hanse, an artist based in Des Moines, to create the painting.

After a few rounds of design, it was decided to depict three scenes: the senior Xi being welcomed at the airport by Governor Ray and Quinn in 1980; President Xi's first tour of an Iowa farm with Governor Brandstad in 1985; and his second visit to Iowa for the World Food Prize Foundation in 2012.

"I really enjoy the Chinese woodcut, so I did it in a way to show that I was inspired by its style and color," Hansen said. "It interprets the Chinese woodcut through my eyes."

Hansen was a high school student when the senior Xi first visited Iowa.

"Our teacher talked about his visit in class. It was one of the first official visits when the relations [between China and US] were getting better. They chose Iowa, which made us feel special. People still talk about it today," Hansen said.

Hansen said it is an honor to help tell the stories, to have people come to see the painting and keep the story alive.

"It helps to communicate that the world is getting smaller for us to build the relations like this. I hope the appointment of governor Branstad as the ambassador increases the relationship. It definitely benefits Iowa not only economically but also culturally. It's good all around," Hansen said.

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com
UNITED NATIONS  India's population is expected to surpass China's in about seven years and Nigeria is projected to overtake the United States and become the world's third-most-populous country shortly before 2050, according to a UN report issued on Wednesday.

The report, The World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Population Division, forecasts that the current world population of nearly 7.6 billion will increase to 8.6 billion by 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100.

About 83 million people a year are added to the world population and the trend is expected to continue despite falling fertility rates since the 1960s.

"The population in Africa is notable for its rapid rate of growth, and it is anticipated that over half of global population growth between now and 2050 will take place in that region," said John Wilmoth, director of the population division. At the other extreme, he said, Europe's population will decline somewhat in the coming decades.

The report forecasts that until 2050 half the world's population growth will be concentrated in nine countries: India, Nigeria, Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the United States, Uganda and Indonesia  listed in the order of their "expected contribution to total growth".

Twenty-six African countries are expected to at least double their population.

Nigeria, the world's seventh-largest country, has the fastest growing population of the 10 most populous countries and is projected to surpass the US shortly before mid-century.

China, which has 1.4 billion inhabitants, is expected to be replaced by India as the world's most populous country around 2024. India now has 1.3 billion inhabitants.

The report said fertility has been declining in nearly all regions in recent years.

Between 2010 and 2015, Wilmoth said, "the world's women had 2.5 births per woman over a lifetime  but this number varies widely around the world."

"Europe has the lowest fertility level, estimated at 1.6 births per woman in the most recent period, while Africa has the highest fertility, with around 4.7 births per woman," he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Delegates attend a plenary meeting of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 22, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

GENEVA - The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday adopted a resolution proposed by China entitled "The Contribution of Development to the Enjoyment of All Human Rights," marking the first time that the UN rights body adopts a resolution on development issues.

The resolution recognizes the common aspiration of the international community of building a community of shared future for human beings and affirms that development contributes significantly to the enjoyment of all human rights.

It calls upon all countries to realize people-centred development of the people, by the people and for the people, and calls upon all States to enhance international cooperation and spare no effort in promoting sustainable development, in particular while implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as it is conducive to the overall enjoyment of human rights.

The resolution welcomes further efforts to promote development initiatives with the aim of promoting partnerships, win-win outcomes and common development.

The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 70 countries.
Chinese infrastructure techniques are urgently needed to rehabilitate America's poorly maintained and in some cases dilapidated bridges and road system, industry experts from both countries agree.

The fact that the US, the world's most economically and technologically powerful country, should import fast-train know-how from a developing China, reflects a new normal for China-US cooperation and communication.

That notion was stressed at the 2017 US-China Transportation Cooperation Forum, held in San Francisco yesterday.

"China and the US cooperation on the infrastructure front is posed to become the new highlight in the trade engagement between the two countries," Luo Linquan, China's consul general to San Francisco, said in a keynote speech at the forum.

"California along with its neighboring states has especially close trade relations with China," he added. "The import and export volume between this region and China has mounted to more than $201 billion in 2016. "The One Belt, One Road Initiative was conceived in China but it provides a global platform for economic development for all the countries participating," he said.

Chad Edison, deputy secretary for transportation at California's state transportation agency, said the transportation system in the state, which he described as "not as efficient as it should be", could be improved with Chinese builders, know-how and services.

Chinese infrastructure companies expressed interest in getting involved in the improvements. Michael Lee, president of China Railway Signal & Communication Corp, said he hoped to build the group's "second home" in the US.

"American infrastructure may be outdated, but the country has very high industry standards. Those high standards help Chinese companies learn and grow," Lee said at the forum, which had more than 200 Chinese and American government officials and infrastructure company delegates participating.

US president Donald Trump has announced a $1 trillion in new spending on roads, bridges and other construction during the next decade.

The US civil engineering association estimated the country would need to invest $3.6 trillion to build and upgrade infrastructures nationwide by 2020. That would open opportunities for cooperation with foreign builders.

Experts at the forum concluded that the two governments' very different attitudes toward infrastructure and how it would affect the economy have become an inevitable hurdle.

They also pointed out that the language barrier and cultural differences have made their work in the US a rather bumpy ride at times.
Two Interesting Stories created by artist Clint Hansen is on permanent display at the museum of The World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, IW. MAY ZHOU / CHINA DAILY

The painting Two Interesting Stories by artist Clint Hansen has brought unexpected delight to many Chinese visitors to the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa.

The revisit to Iowa in 2012 by Xi Jinping, then vice-president of China, and this year's appointment of former Iowa governor Terry Brandstad as US ambassador to China are the major contributing factors to more Chinese people seeking investment in this Midwestern state.

Zhao Li, president of Iowa China Group, which helps US companies looking to enter the Chinese market and Chinese companies seeking investment opportunities, said she's been welcoming more Chinese investors this year, sometimes several groups a week.

She often takes them to the World Food Prize Foundation, which is housed in the century-old former Des Moines Public Library building, now called the Hall of Laureates.

President Xi gave a speech there during his last visit, and billions of dollars worth of soybean agreements between Iowa and China have been inked there since then.

On the second floor of the museum, Chinese visitors find two familiar faces in the painting Two Interesting Stories: President Xi Jinping and his father Xi Zhongxun, along with scenes from their visits to Iowa.

Chinese visitors often take a photo in front of it as a keepsake, said Zhao.

"Most of them were surprised to learn from the painting that Xi's father Xi Zhongxun had also visited Iowa," Zhao said. "They are usually touched by the continuity of the story of the two generations of Xis."

Kenneth Quinn, president of The World Food Prize Foundation and former US ambassador to Cambodia, came up with the idea of using art to portray the development of the relationship between the two Xis and Iowa, which has had a significant impact on Iowa's relationship with China.

"Ambassador Quinn has told the story on many occasions," Zhao said. "When he met with President Xi in 2012, he mentioned that he might be one of the very few in Iowa who had shaken hands with both President Xi and his father. Xi then said to Quinn: you have two interesting stories."

Quinn, who was on then Iowa Governor Robert Ray's staff at the time of the senior Xi's two-day visit in 1980, showed the group the essential elements of Iowa's agricultural infrastructure, including the Amana Colonies.

The Amana Colonies began as an experiment in joint-ownership "communist" farming. Ownership was later divided up and the farm went private. Quinn recalled that the senior Xi was very interested in this history and took the time to learn all the details.

Quinn believes that what the senior Xi learned at the Amana Colonies prompted him to help craft China's agricultural reform. In January of this year, he wrote in The Des Moines Register:

"sweeping agricultural reform, which, just like Amana, now allowed individual Chinese farmers to control their own plots of land and production The results of this agricultural reformation were so immediate and dramatic that just 13 years later, the Chinese minister of agriculture traveled to Des Moines to receive the 1993 World Food Prize."

Quinn and his foundation worked with Hanse, an artist based in Des Moines, to create the painting.

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com
It used to be said that what you do not know cannot hurt you.

Today, in a world tugged on one side by globalization, at the other by the forces of isolationism, what you do not know can have serious repercussions.

For people like Michael Yeoh, a public intellectual and entrepreneur, forecasting the future, helping to shape it and building bridges between his native Malaysia, Asia and the wider world has been his life for almost a quarter-century.

He is the CEO and cofounder of the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, one of the region's most respected think tanks. According to the University of Pennsylvania's annual global index, it ranks among the top 50 institutions that have a significant impact on public policy and developing new concepts.

An honorary professor of law and the author of books on leadership and business management, Yeoh cuts a scholarly dash. A cheerful individual, he speaks carefully and concisely.

When asked about a possible fulltime career as an author, Yeoh said: "Not fiction  not yet."

Born in 1952 in the then small town of Kajang, as a youth Yeoh studied in Christian missionary schools in Taiping and Penang, both in western Malaysia. Today, his hometown in the western Malaysian state of Selangor is a bustling suburb of Kuala Lumpur.

Speaking to China Daily, Yeoh said his education gave him a "good grounding in values such as honesty and integrity, humility and service to others".

Yeoh completed his higher education in Australia. "I studied at Monash University in Melbourne and read economics and accountancy," he said.

"At that time I thought Monash had a good economics program, something newer than some of the more traditional, older universities in Australia."

Economics gave him basic analytical skills, while accounting provided "a good base for business and management", he noted.

While admitting he could have stayed longer overseas after graduating in 1977, "absorbing more of the culture  perhaps studying a little bit more", he joined the professional services firm PwC.

Yeoh returned to Malaysia after his practical accountancy training, where for the next few decades he worked with numerous companies.

He sat on the boards of several listed companies in Malaysia, in sectors such as finance, education, IT and healthcare. He has been a member of the Malaysia-British and Malaysia-US chambers of commerce, and served as the secretary-general of the Malaysia-China Business Council.

Yet, it is his work with ASLI that has earned him much renown. Since its establishment in 1993, the think tank has raised its profile to emerge as one of Southeast Asia's foremost in the segment. Part of the reason for its importance is its pioneering position.

"We were the first private independent think tank (in Malaysia). Before that, there were many government think tanks but they were all government owned," Yeoh said.

And while other such institutes have since followed, ASLI's position as a non-partisan organization has given it an edge. It currently collaborates with think tanks in China, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia.

"I would even say building up ASLI is among my biggest achievements," said Yeoh.

The think tank has also created a Centre for Public Policy Studies, an independent institute to openly debate issues faced by Malaysia. These include the rights of indigenous Malaysians, youth participation in politics, and the Belt and Road Initiative  the plan initiated by China to build an infrastructure and trade network.

As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Malaysia has seen an influx of Chinese investment through construction and rail projects.

While most of Yeoh's working week is spent on the administrative aspects of running ASLI, he still finds time to regularly travel overseas for seminars and conferences.

ASLI hosts many major events, bringing in statesmen and political heavyweights, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Chinese president Hu Jintao, former US president Bill Clinton and the late South African president Nelson Mandela.

Yeoh met Clinton as early as 1986, as part of the United States Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. The then governor of Arkansas conferred a Goodwill Ambassador Award on his future Malaysian host.

More appointments and awards followed. In 1993, Yeoh was acknowledged with a state decoration from the Malaysian king. The title of Dato, an honorific title conferred by the governor of Penang, followed in 1997.

"I just get invited (to boards)," he explained modestly about his positions. "People have recognized what I've done in the past and it's just building on my success and past record."

Today, security is among the most serious concerns for Asia, he said.

"I think probably right now, and for the next five years, (a big issue) will be security and the threat of terrorism. We don't know where (that threat) is going to come from and we are very worried by what has been described as lone wolf attacks."

Yeoh admitted that he enjoyed one position in particular. It was acting as the Malaysian government's representative, with ambassador status, at the High Level Task Force on ASEAN Connectivity in 2010.

"One of the things we did was to develop a master plan on connectivity (in the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations). I think if it can develop a master plan, ASEAN can become a more connected region," he said.

"In our master plan we focus on three pillars  three limbs."

The first pillar, he explained, was physical connectivity  "transport infrastructure, power plants and logistics". The second was institutional connectivity, basically joint policy framing, corporate facilitation and investment liberalization.

"Our third pillar is people connectivity, which looks at freedom of people, education, culture, tourism and the building blocks of people connectivity."

Such connectivity has become a focus for governments worldwide.

Last June, when the UK voted in a referendum to leave the European Union, Yeoh was among the many experts who found themselves surprised by the result.

"The result was a big shock to me," said Yeoh.

What this has to do with Asia may seem miniscule, even immaterial. Yet, some analysts saw something else in the UK's retreat from the EU: A specter for Asia.

However, Yeoh disagrees. The EU is not a model for ASEAN, he said. "We don't think we can go that far."

In relation to global and regional peace and security, key questions remain.

Among these are: How will Asia continue its impressive economic growth? What impact will the policies of US President Donald Trump have on the region? What of the nuclear threat on the Korean Peninsula?

And just as important: Will Asia continue to embrace free trade?

"I think ASEAN has to be relevant," he said. "It has to be more coherent and deliver on its potential and promises.

"It has great potential, so it has to ensure that all the various plans and strategies are executed efficiently for businesses to grow and for countries to prosper."
US President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump walk toward Air Force One as they depart Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, June 13, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have accepted an invitation to visit China later this year, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed at a press briefing on Friday afternoon.

"They have (accepted the invitation)," he said when asked to confirm the report a few days ago. The report says the two will visit China ahead of President Trump's state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
From secluded beach hideaways to spectacular mountain lodges, Central and South America offer honeymooners a diverse choice of incredible places to stay. Check into a suite with a view of the water in Belize, sleep in an overwater cabin in Panama, re-connect with nature on a private island in Nicaragua, stay in a historic mansion in Ecuador, relax surrounded by a vineyard in Argentina, check into an eco-lodge in Guatemala, and many more. All the properties that made our list offer attentive service, unique accommodations, easy access to fun activities, delicious cuisine and an ideal location near some of the best beaches in South America.

We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.

1. Costa Rica - Hotel Punta Islita  Hotel Punta Islita

Hotel Punta Islita is a romantic beach hotel in Costa Rica, ideal for travelers looking for a sustainable and elegant place to stay. Standard rooms have private terraces and hammocks with mountain views. Other accommodation options include deluxe rooms, junior suites with a sitting area, private deck, and whirlpool; and junior suite premium rooms (casitas) with private terraces and plunge pools. Couples who wish for more space can stay in one of the two- to four-bedroom villas with full kitchens, private plunge pools, and gorgeous architecture. Attend Tico Cooking Sessions with the Chef, Tropical Cocktail Mixing Lessons, go horseback riding, canopy zip lining, surfing, hiking, bird-watching, on a howler monkey quest, play tennis or golf. In the evening, request a private torch-lit dinner to celebrate your new union. The Casa Spa offers massages and other therapies in a relaxing setting. There are two great restaurants to choose from at the hotel. Rooms start at USD 303 per night. Vacation Idea: Rent a romantic beachfront bungalow in Tunquen, on the coast of Chile.

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2. The Phoenix Belize  The Phoenix Belize

The Phoenix is a relaxing beach resort offering couples a choice of stylish oceanview suites. Guests can pick from one-, two-, or three-bedroom suites, each with a full kitchen and a veranda facing the Caribbean. Rooms have complimentary bottled water, whirlpool tubs, chaise lounges on the veranda, iPod docks, and spacious living rooms. In addition to the main pool, there is a lap pool and a pool deck with umbrellas, chaise lounges and the Pool Bar. The Fitness Center includes several free weights, exercise machines and twice-weekly yoga classes. The Sol Spa is a full-service facility and employs staff certified in the United States. Red Ginger is the hotels restaurant serving Caribbean seafood and North American dishes. Suites start at USD 350 per night.

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3. Rancho Santana  Rancho Santana

Rancho Santana is a luxury world-class resort on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, spread across 2,700 acres of rolling hills between the Pacific and vast Lake Nicaragua. It faces 2 miles of dramatic rocky shore that hides five lovely sandy beaches. Surrounded by so much water, the resort enjoys an almost constant breeze, forming probably the worlds most vertical and massive waves and attracting surfers from all over the world. The resorts rooms are modern and spacious, all featuring wonderful views of the ocean, furnished terraces, and all modern amenities. The luxury bathrooms have beautiful hand-painted tiles. Suites also have living rooms, and the three-bedroom apartments have fully equipped kitchens. The resort has four restaurants, a spa, a kids club, two outdoor pools, surfing lessons, horseback riding, and guided hikes. Comarca Limon #1, Carretera Las Salinas, Tola-Rivas, Popoyo Nicaragua, Tola 48500, Nicaragua, Phone: 310-299-7550 Vacation Idea: Rent a beachfront getaway on the coast of Chile in Tunquen.



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4. Ecuador - Casa Gangotena  Casa Gangotena



Casa Gangotena is located in a three-story restored historic mansion that overlooks Plaza San Francisco in the center of Quito. The 31 rooms are divided into six different styles, complete with antiques, modern technologies, and fine furnishings. Luxurious accommodations feature tall ceilings, Art Deco style furniture, and en-suite bathrooms. Casa Gangotena has a wood-paneled library, a third-floor terrace with panoramic views, a glassed-in patio where you can enjoy Afternoon Tea, and a beautiful garden. The restaurant is one of the best in the region, featuring award-winning wines and a fabulous tasting menu. Exiting the hotel takes you directly to Plaza San Francisco, where you can visit the Church and Covenant of St. Francis.

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5. Guatemala - Laguna Lodge Eco-Resort & Nature Reserve  The Laguna Lodge



The Laguna Lodge is an eco-friendly resort on the shores of Lake Atitlan, situated within its own private nature reserve. Couples have access to a diverse choice of activities, including a gym, walking trails, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, yoga, pilates, paragliding and scuba diving. The Laguna Lodge reserve covers 100 acres which you can explore at your own pace. The Hummingbird Spa lets you relax with massages, manicures and pedicures. The Jaguar Suite features wooden floors and adobe walls, a four poster king-size bed, fine linens, woven textiles, a lounge chair and antiques. Other lodge suites have similar layouts in varying themes. Zotz is the lodge's full-service international restaurant with spectacular views of the lake, serving eco cuisine. Suites start at USD 195 per night. Vacation Idea: Rent a beachfront bungalow in Tunquen, on the coast of Chile.

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6. Panama - Punta Caracol Acqua-Lodge  Punta Caracol Acqua-Lodge



Punta Caracol relies on renewable energy and offers a relaxing escape in the middle of the water with gorgeous views in all directions. The Acqua-Lodge is made up of exclusive cabins with private terraces showing the crystal clear waters and comfortable colonial beds. There are five Punta Caracol Suites, three Luna Suites, and one Master Suite, each of which are two stories. Ask for a cabin with a hammock and solarium platform on your honeymoon. The hotel itself is designed for relaxing, but it works with various local tours that let you see nearby towns, go on boat tours and see dolphins, go hiking in the rainforest, or go snorkeling. Within the hotel area itself, you can take a kayak or go snorkeling right off the beach. The on-site restaurant serves breakfast and dinner, which are both included with your stay. Just outside the hotel, you can explore the island on a motorcycle or bicycle or go for a boat tour to a nearby beach. Rooms start at $315.

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7. Florblanca Resort  Florblanca Resort

Located in Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula and the magnificent Costa Rican Pacific coast, Florblanca Resort is surrounded by lush tropical forests and faces a white sandy beach. Many of the Nicoya Peninsulas other famous beaches are with easy reach, including Cocal Beach, El Carmen Beach, and Santa Teresa beach. The area is a paradise for surfers and nature lovers, with the surrounding jungle teeming with wildlife and colorful birds. The resort has seven villas, large and chic, furnished with local hand-made furniture, beautifully decorated with local art, and painted in lively tropical colors. They have large open-air living rooms with big traditional hammocks. The bathrooms are also open air and have free-standing tubs made of local stone. All rooms have modern amenities such as Wi-Fi. Guests enjoy a beautiful infinity pool, a cozy TV lounge, a spa, and a yoga studio. 160 2 miles North of Franks Place, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica, Phone: +506 2640 0232



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8. Uruguay - Narbona  Narbona

Narbona is a relaxing lodge, winery and restaurant in Carmelo, Uruguay. There are five exclusive rooms with antique decorations for individuality and modern amenities. Three rooms look out over the winery, while the other two have vineyard views. Guest accommodations have king size beds with private terraces and balconies for enjoying the outdoors. Complimentary services include access to the garage and reading room, the use of iPads, and transfers to the area. You can also take a guided winery tour or a kart ride in the vineyards, sunbathe next to the outdoor swimming pool with bar service, exercise in the gym, borrow a mountain bike, or visit Puerto Camacho with a private beach, restaurant, and moorings. Guests can also go golfing, have a massage, or enjoy outdoor activities. Visit the wine cellar, have a romantic vineyard picnic, learn how grappa is made, go horseback riding, ride in an old carriage, take a sunset cruise, or rent a canoe or kayak. The Punta del Este Restaurant is surrounded by vineyards and serves meals made from farm-fresh ingredients. Carmelo Restaurant is available to the public and features three lounges, an old wooden bar, and candlelit areas for romance. Rooms start at USD 170 per night.



9. Best South American Vacations: Peru - DCO Suites, Lounge & Spa  DCO Suites, Lounge & Spa

The DCO is a modern boutique beach getaway that is hip, elegant, and in a paradise location still visited by few. All areas of the hotel view the ocean and have beach access and there are suites with ocean views and a master suite with ocean views, perfect for a five star honeymoon. All rooms have an iPod, air conditioner, courtesy beach kit, private terraces, and flat screen TVs. A typical spa experience is two and a half hours long and should be booked ahead of time; it includes massages, hydrotherapy, and the use of resting beds or the vapor chamber. Guests can also enjoy the beach lounge and terrace. The restaurant is two stories high with a structure that alludes to sea algae and decorations that include a mural and sculptural lamp. There is a seasonal menu, sushi happy hour, good music, and diverse menu for guests to enjoy. Rooms start at USD 223 per night.

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10. Argentina - Charming Luxury Lodge & Private Spa  Charming Luxury Lodge & Private Spa

The Charming Luxury Lodge is one of the unique South America honeymoon spots that sits along the water and was built in the style of traditional Andean architecture, surrounded by natural beauty with rooms that offer comfort and tranquility. Couples can choose from standard, master, deluxe and charming suites, each of which have views of the water and mountains. All suites over 50 square meters have Private Spas with double whirlpools, saunas, Finnish and Scottish showers, towel warmers, ozone therapy, and an LCD as well as a Home Theater and larger LCD TV. Enjoy relaxing spa services, such as massages, body treatments, facial treatments, and salon services in the privacy of your suite. The Restaurant by the Lake offers views of Lake Nahuel Huapi and serves Patagonian flavors, including fresh-baked breads, homemade pastas, and desserts. Suites start at 220 USD for two.



11. Argentina - Llao Llao Hotel & Resort  Llao Llao Hotel & Resort

Llao Llao Hotel & Resort is a Patagonia hotel with a park measuring 15 hectares as well as pools and other leisure activities. One of the best South American vacations, all of the 205 rooms at Llao Llao Hotel & Resort show Patagonian style with their luminous spaces, cozy feelings, and warm scenery. The golf course includes 18 holes, a clubhouse, and practice facilities. Vacation activities include archery, walks, mountain biking, rafting, bird watching, boating, fishing, 4x4 adventures, rappelling, water sports, skiing, snowboarding, swimming at the indoor or outdoor pool, exercising at the health club and fitness center, or relaxing at the spa. Patagonia Coffee Shop is cozy and relaxed while Los Cesares Restaurant is modern and refined. The Lobby Bar is ideal for cocktails and Asador Criollo serves traditional Argentinian dishes. The Club House is next to the golf course, Moreno Lake Bar is along the lake and the Winter Garden serves lunch and high tea. Rooms start at USD 245 per night.

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12. Peru - Tambo del Inka  Tambo del Inka

Tambo del Inka is the only Urubamba hotel that has a private train station going to Machu Picchu and offers a relaxing getaway with riverside gardens and a lagoon. There are four types of rooms and suites to stay in, all of which include internet access. Rooms provide 441 square feet of space with mesmerizing views, while suites measure from 753 to 883 square feet and include elegant settings and a furnished balcony. The tour desk can help you schedule a tour or you can receive assistance from the luxury concierge. The fitness center has weight machines, free weights, benches, and treadmills as well as individual televisions and views of the gardens. There is also an indoor/outdoor heated pool, complete with poolside beverage and food service as well as a complete spa offering massages, body treatments, and skin care services. The Kiri Bar in the lobby gives you a Peruvian experience and the chance to sip a cocktail. Hawa Restaurant serves traditional Incan cuisine. Rooms start at $290 per night.



13. Belize - Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort  Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort

Hamanasi is a relaxing beach hideaway in Belize which also offers fun tours and adventures. All rooms are air conditioned and have ceiling fans, in addition to Belizean hardwood furniture, private porches, colorful bathrooms with storage, and bottled water. Guests can select from 8 Beachfront Rooms, 2 Beachfront Plus units, 8 Treehouses, 2 Honeymoon Suites, and 5 Deluxe Treehouses. The Great House is the center of activity, including a wrap-around veranda, the bar and restaurant, a gift shop, and reception. Guests can relax in a hammock by the infinity pool or stroll through the lush gardens. The snorkeling and scuba diving center is full service and lets you rent equipment and boats. There is a restaurant inside the Great House, with outdoor eating on the veranda serving international cuisine with Caribbean influences. Continental breakfast is included with the room and the restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner. The bar has cocktails and drinks which you can enjoy by the pool. Beachfront rooms start at $251 per night, the Honeymoon Suite from $380 per night.



14. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Miramar Hotel by Windsor  Miramar Hotel by Windsor

If you want to experience the famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro, check into one of the ocean view rooms at the Miramar Hotel by Windsor. The swimming pool and infinity pool are lined with granite from Guatemala and you simply have to cross the street to enjoy Beach Service. There is a fitness center on the rooftop terrace with top-of-the-line equipment and the same panoramic views as the rooms. Restaurant Spa is the on-site restaurant and serves contemporary cuisine created by chef Paul Goes. He has received training in Spain and worked for other prestigious names to hone his skills before coming to the Miramar Hotel. The executive suite was designed by Paola Ribeiro and the master suite has panoramic views and offers even more space for relaxing in a luxury setting. The hotel is pet-friendly and has butler service. Rooms start at USD 240 per night.



15. Argentina - Arelauquen Lodge  Arelauquen Lodge



The Arelauquen Lodge by P Hotels is a cozy, upscale lodge in a gorgeous, large building with modern amenities and beautiful views of mountains and lakes. There are 28 rooms at the lodge, each between 270 and 505 square feet and giving guests dramatic views of the lake, golf course, or mountains in Bariloche. The furnishings are estate-quality and there are large windows to complement the view. Each suite also has a kitchenette with dishes and stainless steel appliances so that you can prepare your favorite meals. A 24-hour concierge team is ready to assist at all hours. Relax at the heated indoor/outdoor pool, detox at the sauna and visit the on-site fitness center. You can get a massage or other treatment at the spa, hire a personal shopper, or take advantage of the signature 18-hole golf course. There are also polo grounds and shuttle services to the nearby Cerro Cathedral for skiing as well as tours and transfers for kayaking, hunting, fishing, white-water rafting, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The restaurant, EPIC, mixes regional and international dishes and is available for every meal with room service 24/7. Honeymooners can take cooking classes and enjoy food tastings. Rooms start at USD 437 per night.

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16. Costa Rica - Arenas Del Mar  Arenas Del Mar



Arenas Del Mar is a short walk from Manuel Antonio National Park and is a rainforest and beachfront resort for travelers who want a luxury experience that is sustainable and surrounded by natural beauty. All guest rooms at this five-star hotel have views of the National Park, rainforests, secluded beaches, or the Pacific Ocean, visible from a private deck. There are 38 rooms in total, each with king beds, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, refrigerators, minibars, and a safe that fits your laptop. Since the hotel is located within the national park, there are various on-property tours, including bird watching and rainforest hawk trails as well as classes to learn how to make tortillas. The hotel can arrange outside tours to other destinations, either with a guide from the hotel or with another tour company. El Mirador Restaurant is by the pool and overlooks Espadilla Beach, the Pacific Ocean, and Manuel Antonio National Park. El Mirador Bar is perfect for a quick drink by the restaurant or pool and Playitas Restaurant and Bar is next to the secluded Playitas Beach and serves lunch. Rooms start at $270 per night.



17. Nicaragua - Mukul Resort  Mukul Resort



Mukul Resort is situated along Playa Manzanillo and features everything guests need for a relaxing getaway while exploring the Emerald Coast in Nicaragua. There are 37 guest rooms in total, each of which has ocean views and hand-crafted decorations and furnishings made by Nicaraguan artisans. There are six Beach Villas, six Ocean View Villas, and 24 Bohios within the resort. You can also enjoy the fitness center, Spa Mukul, Beach Club and La Palapa. The spa has six private suites and offers six signature experiences. Guacalito de la Isla Golf Course has 18 holes and a practice center as well as SNAG Golf training. Relax along the private beach or take an excursion to a nearby village or beach. You can also take a helicopter ride to view volcanoes or go hiking in the area. Enjoy Fine Dining at La Mesa or have lunch at Restaurant La Terraza. Rooms start at USD 500 per night.

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18. Chile - Elquimista  Elquimista



An exquisite retreat nestled in the mountains near La Serena in Chile, Elquimista is an elegant escape that offers individually designed and decorated Asian-Elqui style houses in the heart of the Chilean Patagonia. Built out of natural raw materials from the surrounding region, six luxurious houses boast home-away-from-home creature comforts, including fully equipped kitchens, deluxe bed linens, designer en-suite bathrooms and classic Chilean artworks and antiques. Houses have private terraces with breath-taking views of the valley and starry skies at night, perfect for honeymooners. Relax on hanging Chinese day beds by the main swimming pool and soak up the tranquility of the Elquimista gardens, Elqui valley and rugged mountains. Enjoy a variety of workshops or take a tour of the magical Pisco Elqui, once a sacred place for Tibetan monks. Houses start from around 105 USD per night.



19. Argentina - Cavas Wine Lodge  Cavas Wine Lodge



Cavas Wine Lodge is unique in that it is the very first lodge of this type in South America, showcasing the vineyards and winery in Mendoza along the Andes Mountains. The lodge is situated within the 55-acre vineyard and every room faces west, giving guests starry nights and beautiful sunsets framed against the Andes. All rooms have large private decks, spa style bathrooms, vintage soaking tubs, private plunge pools, and wood burning fireplaces. The spa is open daily and has wine therapy treatments, massages, and services with grape seed extracts, divided into couples treatments and those for individuals. The restaurant has a menu which changes three times a year to feature seasonal dishes, all made from organically-grown and ecologically-harvested food. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. Rooms start at USD 390 per night.

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20. Brazil - Txai Itacare  Txai Itacare



Txai Itacare is a boutique hotel that interacts with nature responsibly and welcomes guests to enjoy the regions culture and natural beauty. The resort is made up of bungalows that combine rustic simplicity with luxury accommodations, as all buildings were made from dende palm trees, bamboo, piassava, or other local woods and the king-sized beds feature canopy mosquito bedding. There are 38 suites in total, ranging from on top of the hills to right next to the beach and there is also a luxury bungalow and a premium bungalow, each of which measures 70 square meters and has a mini-bar and outdoor shower. You can also choose to rent a residence with 2,400 square meters of land. The resort offers beach access and features five swimming pools as well as hammocks and soft couches for relaxation. You can exercise in the fitness center with panoramic ocean views or prepare your own food in a full kitchen. The Shamash Spa combines treatments and practices from traditional times and modern ones for massages, rituals, and more. The Excursion House takes you on exclusive tours of nearby natural beauty, including to Camamu Bay and Caranha Farm. On site, you can hike along various trails or take classes in personal training, stretching, water aerobics, Tai Chi Chuan, Bio gymnastics, surfing, tennis, or Capoeira. Every swimming pool and living room has its own bar with alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, sandwiches, and snacks or you can enjoy the degustation menu at the Gourmet space or winery deck. Suites start at around 405 USD.



21. Nicaragua - Jicaro Island Ecolodge  Jicaro Island Ecolodge



Tucked away on a private island amongst Lake Nicaraguas Granada Isletas, Jicaro Island Ecolodge is an award-winning eco resort with spectacular views of the Mombacho Volcano. Designed to seamlessly blend into the surrounding environment, nine luxurious double-story casitas are ensconced throughout the forest with stylish decor, deluxe amenities, and breath-taking views of the jungle and lake. Contemporary furnishings in natural materials create a warm, welcoming ambiance. Private balconies with hammocks are the perfect place to relax and soak up the views. Begin the day with a revitalizing yoga session overlooking the lake, followed by a massage in the comfort of your cabin. After a day of exploring, unwind with a cocktail from the jungle bar and savor delicious local and international fare at the lodges restaurant where you can enjoy a range of creative cuisine against a backdrop of nighttime jungle melodies. Choose from a variety of tours and activities around the island where you can explore the local history and culture or learn more about the native fauna and flora from expert guides. Rates start at $560 per night.



22. Colombia - Hotel Casa San Agustin  Hotel Casa San Agustin



Hotel Casa San Agustin is a small luxurious hideaway in Cartagena where you will find original frescoes within the library and wood-beamed ceilings dating back centuries. There are 6 suites and 24 guest rooms decorated in soft blue with authentic Colombian styling, rich dark woods, chandeliers, ironwork beds, and works by local artists. Honeymooners should request a room with a whirlpools or a private plunge pool. Guests can get a drink at the bar and enjoy a relaxing day at the rooftop Solarium. The Alma Restaurant showcases coastal Colombian cuisine created by Executive Chef Heberto Eljach and inspired by his time in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Australasia. Dont miss the intimate bar with handcrafted cocktails and upscale snacks. The Pool Bar next to the open courtyard serves refined versions of traditional dishes. Rooms start at USD 360 per night.

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23. Argentina - Rio Hermoso  Rio Hermoso Rio Hermoso - Hotel de Montana Parque Nacional Lanin is located in a national park in Argentina, with native woods and wild sounds all around. The cozy mountain cabin architecture is divided into four deluxe rooms, two deluxe rooms with a terrace, a family room, and a full house option to book the entire building. While at Rio Hermoso, you can enjoy snow activities, horseback riding, bird watching, and fly fishing. The hotel will arrange your tours and other excursions and provide airport transfers. Relax in the library, DVD and TV lounge, or living room with a fireplace. You can also get a massage or take advantage of the wireless internet. Planned excursions include skiing, tours to nearby areas, mountain activities like hiking and kayaking, or golfing at a local golf course. The Restaurant and Tea House includes an open Bar for informal gatherings, a modern restaurant with Patagonian cuisine, Argentinean barbecue, and tea with pastries.



24. Chile - The Singular Patagonia  The Singular Patagonia The Singular Patagonia in Chile is a luxury hideaway for couples who want to relax and have a comfortable base while exploring the area. There are 54 rooms plus 3 suites with the oversized guest rooms offering 500 square feet of room, large picture windows, custom-designed furniture, Wi-Fi, large beds, and an overstuffed love seat. The suite is larger at 750 square feet and has a walk-in shower. The 3,000-square-foot Singular Spa is eco-conscious, soothingly warm, and pleasant, containing a private suite with multi-jet whirlpool, facial treatment room, two massage rooms, a steam rooms, a sauna, and an outdoor/indoor heated pool. The Singular has private access to mountains and farms, giving guests places to hike, kayak, and go horseback riding without interruptions. The staff can arrange one of 20 excursions or tours that take a half day or a whole day, depending on your preference. The on-site restaurant serves hand-crafted dishes made from fresh local ingredients with Chilean influences. Rooms start at $360 per night.



25. Brazil - Pousada Boutique Oratorio  Pousada Boutique Oratorio The Pousada Boutique Oratorio is a boutique hotel built with care. Each of the eleven luxurious rooms show attention to detail, aiming to create a unique, special place that feels like home. All suites measure 23 square meters in size and have distinct decorations and furniture from local artisans, creating a sophisticated environment. The eight luxury suites have a mini-bar, air conditioning, views of the mountains, and Egyptian cotton sheets. The three super luxury suites also have a private veranda and hydromassage. In addition to the Espaco Gourmet, there is also a pool, a spa with hydromassage, sauna, bar, a game room, a selection of DVDs, fitness center, and a panoramic garden. Espaco Gourmet and the Bar both offer refreshments, though the bar focuses on drinks while the restaurant features upscale versions of local mining cuisine. Leaving the hotel shows gorgeous views of the Serra de Sao Jose, or you can watch the sunset from a panoramic window in your room. Rooms start at $183 per night.



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HA NOI  Maritime Bank on Thursday signed an agreement with Gingatum Viet Nam to provide auto cachback services for users of the startups shopping app Clingme.

Accordingly, Clingme users with accounts at Maritime Bank will receive money immediately in their bank accounts when they want to withdraw money from Clingme accounts.

Normally, it takes five days to withdraw cash from Clingme accounts.

Clingme is an app via which users will get cashback of up to 40 per cent on their shopping bills from the companys partner stores. At present, Clingme has partnered with 2,700 stores in Ha Noi and HCM City.

Founded in 2013, Gigatum has raised funding of US$3 million. The company plans to have one million users at Clingme and 10,000 partner stores by the end of this year. - VNS
Tran Viet Dung, deputy director of VCCI Exhibition Service, said the Vietnamese manufacturing industry continues to grow strongly, attracting more investors attention and leading to an increasing need for advanced manufacturing solutions.  VNS Photo

HCM CITY  MTA Vietnam, the annual precision engineering and manufacturing technology expo for Viet Nam and the region, returns to HCM City next month.

It is expected to offer manufacturing professionals opportunities to network, exchange expertise and knowledge and seek business opportunities.

The 15th exhibition, also the largest so far, will have more than 420 exhibitors from 24 countries and territories, including 13 international group pavilions from Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand, BT Tee, general manager of UBM VES, the organiser of the expo, told a press briefing in HCM City on June 21.

MTA Vietnam 2017 will showcase a wide range of engineering products for Viet Nams manufacturing industries, from additive manufacturing/3D printing, machine tools and tooling systems, metrology and laser systems to precision engineering and semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials and components for automated manufacturing, he said.

John Tang, director of the Taiwan Trade Centres HCM City representative office, said 64 Taiwanese companies would have a presence in the Taiwan pavilion, the biggest foreign one at this years show.

Taiwan is the seventh largest machine tool maker and fifth largest exporter in the world, with its products being very competitive in terms of quality and prices, he said.

MTA Vietnam would be the most effective platform for Taiwanese companies to access the Vietnamese market, he said.

Held along with the expo will be technology conferences, seminars and workshops.

Tran Viet Dung, deputy director of VCCI Exhibition Service, local organiser of the expo, said the Vietnamese manufacturing industry continues to grow strongly, attracting more investors attention and leading to an increasing need for advanced manufacturing solutions.

MTA Vietnam serves as a catalyst for this by providing access to the latest manufacturing technology and equipment, further helping improve and enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities, he said.

To be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from July 4 to 7, the exhibition is expected to welcome 10,500 visitors.  VNS
HA NOI  Labels must be displayed directly on goods or their commercial packaging in easy-to-spot positions, clearly and fully showing compulsory information about the item.

This is the thrust of Government Decree No 43/2017/N-CP on labeling of Vietnamese and imported goods, which came into effect on June 1.

Under the decree, a labels compulsory information must include the name of the goods, name and address of the organisation or individual responsible for the goods, origin of the goods and other information depending on the characteristics of the goods.

Accordingly, organisations and individuals responsible for the labeling are required to present the information truthfully, clearly and precisely. In case such organisations or individuals authorise others to label their goods, the former will continue to remain responsible for following labeling regulations.

The new decree also requires goods imported into Viet Nam, which have original labels that are noncompliant with this decree or lack certain prescribed compulsory information, to have extra labels in Vietnamese enclosed with the original ones.

With these new regulations, the decree has created legal corridors to prevent vague labeling.

According to the Ha Noi Industry and Trade Department, lack of production date and place, and vague and inaccurate labeling are popular ways to swindle customers in the Vietnamese market.

It is easy to catch violations, including labels of the wrong size or incorrect font size of letters, in addition to many types of imported goods not having an extra label.

As a result, many production establishments have taken advantage of this situation to sell fake products. The violations have mainly been found in food items, clothing and electronic products.

Pham Van Thanh, a resident of Ha Nois Ba inh District, said he bought a gas stove labeled Rinai  Japans leading brand name gas stove at a trade centre in the capital city and supposed that it had been produced in Japan. When he returned home, he discovered Made in China printed below the stove.

An online home appliances shopkeeper in Ha Noi, said: "There are Rinai stoves made in Japan, made in Viet Nam, and made in China in the Vietnamese market at different prices. The customers should study this carefully before making a decision to buy one."

He gave the Napolis gas stove imported from Italy as an example. The stove is being sold for more than VN6 million (US$263.5) but there is another stove named Napoli whose label is similar to the Italian one which is priced at VN3 million. This stove is made in China.

Tran Viet Hung, deputy head of the Ha Noi Market Watch Department, said all goods in the market must be properly labelled. Goods with vague labels were often found to be fake or counterfeit.

The new regulations will serve as a deterrent and strictly penalise violations on labeling and stamps, Hung said.  VNS
HA NOI  Shares sank for a second day on Thursday as large-cap stocks continued to suffer profit-taking pressure while money sought opportunities in small- and mid-cap stocks.

On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index was down 0.14 per cent to close at 766.30 points.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index inched down 0.07 per cent to end at 98.61 points.

Large-cap stocks led the market downturn with eight of the top 10 largest shares by market value on the main bourse in HCM City losing value.

Bank shares continued to decline as investors practiced the buy the rumour, sell the news strategy. After purchasing the shares based on the imminent passing of the bad debt settlement resolution by the National Assembly, they proceeded to sell once the event happened.

Eight of nine listed lenders on the two exchanges slumped, of which Sai Gon-Ha Noi Bank (SHB) was the biggest loser with a 3.9-per-cent decrease. Big banks such as Vietinbank (CTG), Vietcombank (VCB), BIDV (BID) and Military Bank (MBB) slipped between 0.9-2.2 per cent.

The story of the bank shares is about to end after strong rallies for most of these stocks (except for Vietcombank), market analysts at Vietnam Investment Securities Co wrote in a note.

Money flows are looking for the last chance at a few stocks which have not increased much in the past rally, as well as the stocks promising positive business results in the second quarter, they said, noting securities, steel and electronics companies would likely yield fruitful results.

Stocks of these companies, such as FPT Corp (FPT), Hoa Phat Group (HPG), Hoa Sen Group (HSG) and Mobile World Group (MWG), posted gains in Thursdays trade.

On the positive side, investors are also channeling money into small- and mid-cap stocks, particularly in the real estate and agribusiness sectors.

Popular companies such as Sai Gon Thuong Tin Real Estate (SCR), at Xanh Real Estate Service & Construction (DXG), Novaland Investment (NVL), Hoa Binh Construction Group (HBC), Kinh Bac City Development (KBC) on the HCM Stock Exchange, and Viet Nam Construction and Import Export (VCG) on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange were among the most active, with each seeing several million shares worth over VN100 billion (US$4,405) traded.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai Co (HAG) and Hoang Anh Gia Lai Agricultural Investment (HNG) also soared with rises of 4.5 per cent and 4.9 per cent, respectively.

Liquidity decreased slightly with a total of 278 million shares worth a combined VN5.2 trillion ($227.2 million) traded in the two markets, down 13.1 per cent in volume and 3.4 per cent in value compared to Wednesdays trade.

Foreign investors increased buying local stocks with another net buy value of VN85 billion on the HCM Stock Exchange.  VNS
HA NOI  Up to 80 per cent of enterprises invest less than 5 per cent of sales revenue in branding development, undermining the domestic and foreign market share for Vietnamese products. This was one of the issues discussed at a conference in Ha Noi on Wednesday on improving competitiveness through branding development.

The conference, organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), was designed to discuss the current situation and trends and solutions in the development of Vietnamese brands, trends in consumption and the role of geographical indications in brand development.

ang Thuy Ha, director of Nielsen Viet Nam, said that 80 to 90 per cent of consumers say brand origin is more important than other product characteristics. Enterprises should therefore focus on consumer trends with specific customer groups and devise long-term development strategies.

"Enterprises should pay attention to increasing the advertisement of products and firms brand names on mass media, especially on the internet. At the same time, firms must also concentrate on domestic and international trademark registration, ang recommended.

Declan P Bannon, senior lecturer at British University Viet Nam, said Vietnamese businesses should priortise researching and setting targets for better strategies than their competitors, and more importantly, to focus on the intrinsic customer-side of the business.

"Building branding creates a huge advantage in sales. However, to develop a brand, the products must be of high quality. Good branding will help boost sales. If consumers are happy with the quality of the products, they will buy more. When customers are favoured, even medium-quality products combined with good branding will help build the brand into the desired product," Declan analysed.

The Viet Nam National Trademark Programme was launched in 2003 with the aim of building Viet Nams reputation for diversified goods and services in order to improve competitiveness of Vietnamese brand names in domestic and international markets.

The programme also promotes the awareness of distributors and consumers of Vietnamese brand name products, builds the image of Viet Nam as associated with the values of "quality, innovation, creativity, leadership". In addition, the programme helps raise the countrys prestige, pride and attractiveness, contributing to promoting tourism and attracting foreign investment.

o Kim Lang, deputy director of the MoITs Trade Promotion Agency, affirmed that the strategy for brand development for major export products, on the basis of coordination between the product brand names and geographical indications for local brands, will create a favourable environment for branding development activities of enterprises.

At the same time, the promotion of national brands and national branded products through mass media channels or international trade events will help raise awareness of and national pride in domestic brand products.  VNS
HA NOI  Strengthening regional integration, promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth, and enhancing the competitive edge of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are among the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperations (APEC) 2017 priorities.

Business Advisory Council (ABAC) chairman Hoang Van Dung unveiled this information at a press conference held in Ha Noi on June 21 by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to provide information on activities being held towards the APEC High-Level Week 2017.

Dung said ABACs work plan in 2017 will also focus on encouraging innovations in the digital era, ensuring food security and promoting sustainable and smart agriculture adaptive to climate change.

Regarding the second ABAC meeting in Seoul, Republic of Korea, he said APEC members agreed to focus their recommendations on the benefits of trade liberalisation and development as well as reduction of non-tariff barriers to goods.

The council emphasised the importance of the World Trade Organisation and values of free trade agreements such as the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, Dung said.

ABAC also noted that a stronger global supply chain will create opportunities to realise the huge potential of the digital economy and lenient policies will enable MSMEs to get easier access to international markets and global value chains and strengthen the participation of women in the economy.

The VCCI will also host ABACs third meeting in Canada and the fourth meeting in Viet Nams a Nang City to discuss and give business recommendations. ABACs report will be submitted to APEC leaders at the APEC High-level Week to be held in a Nang in November.

ABAC is the private sector arm of the APEC. APEC economic leaders decided to establish ABAC in November 1995 to advise them and other APEC officials on issues of interest to business. ABAC also responds to requests from various APEC sub-groups for information about the business perspective of specific areas of cooperation.

This private sector body presents recommendations to APEC leaders at an annual dialogue and advises APEC officials on business sector priorities and concerns.

ABAC comprises up to three senior business people from each APEC economy. Appointments are made by the leader of the member economy concerned. The chair of ABAC comes from the economy that is hosting APEC and therefore changes annually. ABAC represents a diverse range of sectors and includes small and large enterprises. VNS
LONG AN  BCG Bang Duong Joint Venture and South Koreas Hanwha Group have signed an agreement to set up a US$100 million solar power plant in Long An Province.

The 125ha plant in Thanh Hoa District will have a capacity of 100MW.

Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of next year, and it will begin to generate electricity in 2019.

Under the agreement, BCG Bang Duong will arrange capital sources, obtain the licence for the project, implement the project and negotiate a power purchase contract with Electricity of Viet Nam, the countrys sole power distributor.

Hanwha will provide the technology and equipment, carry out the installation and arrange international funding for the project.

Nguyen Ho Nam, chairman of BCG  one of the two companies in the joint venture  said: Understanding the importance and benefits of renewable energy amid rising electricity demand, BCG has chosen to enhance investment in renewable energy projects.

With Hanwha Groups experience and modern technologies in the renewable energy field, we believe that [the plant] will [help] mitigate climate change and protect the environment.

The agreement was signed in Long An on Thursday in the presence of provincial leaders and officials.

Hanwha, founded in 1952, is the eighth largest Korean corporation and has interests in petrochemicals, aerospace, construction, finance, renewable energy, and others.

BCG Bang Duong Joint Venture, a joint venture between Bamboo Capital JSC (BCG) and Bang Duong Investment - Construction - Trading Company, specialises in infrastructure development, real estate and renewable energy.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam will export processed chicken for the first time, starting with Japan, as it has got a go-ahead from the Japanese government and the department of animal health.

On Thursday, Norio Kumagai, director general of Japans department of animal health (DAH), sent Letter 29/shoouan/1941 to Viet Nams DAH, stating that Japan will now accept the import of poultry and processed poultry products from ong Nai-based Koyu & Unitek Co. Ltd.

This is the first time that a business has been allowed to export Vietnamese poultry, and that too to Japan, which is known to be one of the most difficult markets in the world.

Pham Van ong, director of Viet Nams DAH, told the Nong Nghiep Viet Nam (Vietnam agriculture) newspaper that since June 2016, the DAH has been guiding and supporting Koyu & Unitek to come up with a scheme to build a self-contained production chain for processed poultry to export to the Japanese market. The plan was then submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for approval.

The DAH collaborated with Koyu & Unitek and drew up a surveillance plan for poultry diseases and food safety, ensuring that the companys processing plant complies with Japanese standards.

On May 29-30, Japans DAH sent an inspection delegation to Viet Nam to observe and evaluate Koyu & Uniteks poultry production chain. Soon after, the delegation determined that the poultry meets hygiene requirements for export to the Japanese market.

After a year of negotiations with Japan and preparations to meet their requirements, Viet Nam has completed all procedures to export poultry and processed poultry products to Japan, a market which has very strict food safety requirements compared to other countries, ong said.

The DAH will continue to help Koyu & Unitek register to export poultry to the European Union and other markets, as well as expand its processing plant in the southeast region of Viet Nam.

Enterprises that want to export poultry and poultry products should contact the DAH, which will guide companies on building processing plants with self-contained production chain that can strictly control all stages of production, from breeding to slaughter, to fulfil the requirements of countries importing the products, ong said. They will have to use advanced technology to meet importers requirements on technique, quality and hygiene, he said.  VNS
HCM CITY  Spanish conductor Unai Urrecho and pianist Alexander Selitser will perform at a concert celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Spain at the HCM City Conservatory of Music on Saturday.

They will collaborate with the conservatorys Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra in performing works by Granados and Beethoven.

The concert will highlight the second volume of Granados 12 Danza Espanola for piano called Andaluza. The programme will also include Piano Concerto No 5 and Symphony No 7 by Beethoven.

Conductor Urrecho began as an orchestra musician at an early age in the Arrasate Musical Symphony Orchestra. He completed his conducting studies under Maestro Sygmon Kawalla at Chopin University in Warsaw, Poland.

He teaches at the University of Suwon, South Korea. He was founder and artistic director of Hwaseong Academy Festival Orchestra, and since 2013 he has been artistic director and principal conductor of Kwangsung Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.

Pianist Selitser received a doctorate in music at the St Peterburg State Conservatory in Russia. He has performed in various recitals and concerts with orchestras in Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain and South Korea.

Since 2004, he has held the position of visiting professor at the University of Suwon. He has offered master classes and acted as a judge at different universities in South Korea.

The concert will begin at 8pm at 112 Nguyen Du Street in District 1.  VNS
Lieutenant General o Kim Tuyen, Deputy Director of the General Police Department, told the Kinh te & o thi (Economic & Urban affairs) newspaper that the community plays a central role in reducing the number of drug addicts.

Can you explain the challenges in fighting drug addiction crimes?

The biggest challenge is the huge number of drug addicts across the country - upwards of 210,000 known addicts and likely an unknown number of other addicts who have dodged official surveys.

Another challenge is the rampant use of synthetic drugs in Viet Nam. The United Nations has warned that synthetic drugs are hard to control and we also know this from our first-hand experience.

Drug-related crimes are getting increasingly sophisticated, more organised, and more audacious  criminals are ready to use violence against law enforcement officers.

Our work, as high risk as it already is, has been getting more and more dangerous, bloodshed is no longer a rare occurrence.

The best example is the recent busting of a drug ring with police being forced to use guns against the criminals who violently resisted.

Reducing demand is an importance factor in drug prevention and control. How is treatment for drug addicts conducted now?

Reducing demand is one of three reductions contained in Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs directive regarding drug control, the other two being reducing supply and reducing consequences.

Reducing demand is achieved by combined efforts to prevent new drug use, detoxification and rehabilitation of drug addicts, as well as disrupting supply. Over time, we have gained a lot of experience and lessons in drug detoxification, namely that the involvement of local authorities and the community holds the key to success. Because no matter what methods or measures we use to help addicts overcome their drug dependency, the addicts will return home, and this is where its determined whether they will relapse. The community must be able to monitor their rehabilitation process, but at the same time, try to remove the stigma against former addicts and create favourable conditions for them to fully rejoin society through good and honest labour that can ensure their livelihood.

I believe, with current policies regarding detoxification methods and post-detoxification management, we can reverse the negative trend and help a great deal in combatting crime in general.

What is the most important element in detoxification?

To set the record straight, its not us, but I think the international community is struggling to find that "definitive" treatment regimen.

The Government has tasked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, and other concerned agencies to work on a drug detoxification scheme.

The police is requesting the Government and National Assembly to find ways to move "true addicts" into rehabs to isolate them from drug temptations as well as prevent them from creating social disorder, especially crime.

The "true addicts," according to MoLISAs report, account for 30 per cent of the 210,000 known drug addicts.

I believe obligatory rehabilitation is a viable management measure in communities where the drug situation is not under control.

How will prevention and control of drug-related crimes be conducted, given the rise in large-scale drug smuggling and production?

First, the focus will be on preventing synthetic drugs, an identified threat not by us alone but also by other neighbouring countries.

Second, by intercepting drug supply right at the borders, especially in the border areas of 14 northeastern provinces where 60-70 per cent of all drugs  heroine and synthetic drugs  are smuggled into Viet Nam. We are also stepping up co-operation with Chinese anti-drug authorities since China is considered by the United Nations a "manufacturer of cheap and large amounts of synthetic drugs."

With these focus points, the Ministry of Public Security expects to successfully put drug-related crimes under control.  VNS
President Tran ai Quang on Thursday urged the National Committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to forge ahead with thorough preparations for the upcoming events of APEC Year 2017 being hosted by Viet Nam. He spoke at the committees eighth plenary session held in Ha Noi.  VNA/VNS Photo An ang

HA NOI  President Tran ai Quang on Thursday urged the National Committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to forge ahead with thorough preparations for the upcoming events of APEC Year 2017 being hosted by Viet Nam. He spoke at the committees eighth plenary session held in Ha Noi.

President Quang hailed ministries, relevant departments and localities for the preparations ahead of the three ministerial-level and four senior official meetings of the 21 Asia-Pacific economies held in the first half of this year.

In the context of regional and global developments, it is necessary to recognise and seize opportunities to implement the targets set by the Party and State in hosting APEC 2017, he said.

Viet Nam needs to promote its role as host of APEC 2017  an important economic forum that plays a crucial role in terms of strategy, economics, politics and security, he added.

The APEC heads of state summit slated for November in the central coastal city of a Nang is intended to increase Viet Nams prestige and deepen relations among APEC member economies, he stressed. This occasion must be used to promote national strength, potential and economic co-operation, he said.

In addition to speeding up infrastructure preparation and increasing communications to promote the land, people and culture of Viet Nam, it is important to ensure absolute safety for the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who is also Chairman of the APEC National Committee, said the committee will do its utmost to ensure the pace and quality of preparations.

The ninth plenary session of the APEC National Committee is scheduled to take place in September 2017.

Viet Nam is hosting the APEC Year 2017 under the theme Creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future. The country has selected four priorities for APEC co-operation: promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth; deepening regional economic integration; strengthening micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMS)s competitiveness and innovation in the digital age; and enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change.

Established in 1989, APEC includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Viet Nam.  VNS
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held a working session with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in Binh Duong province on Thursday to discuss measures to further boost the two countries relations.  VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat

BINH DUONG  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held a working session with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in Binh Duong province on Thursday to discuss measures to further boost the two countries relations.

The two leaders exchanged opinions on co-operation in the fields of economics, defence, culture and education, and they agreed to facilitate investment and the trading of goods and services between Viet Nam and Cambodia.

They also pledged to foster co-ordination at regional and international forums, while proposing specific measures to prevent terrorism, transnational crime and smuggling in order to deal with issues related to security and ensure peace and stability in the region and in each nation.

PM Phuc spoke highly of the two countries defence co-operation and asked Cambodia to help speed up the search for and repatriation of the remains of voluntary Vietnamese soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia.

Applauding the completion of 84 per cent of land border demarcation and border marker planting work, the PM urged both sides to boost negotiations to seek solutions to existing border-related matters and co-operate closely in border management so as to build a shared border line of peace, stability, co-operation and sustainable development.

He also asked Cambodia to speed up the process of granting legal documents for Vietnamese people in the country.

PM Hun Sen agreed with his Vietnamese counterparts proposals, affirming that he will steer Cambodian offices to implement issues relating to repatriation of soldiers remains, border and the overseas Vietnamese community.

He again expressed his profound gratitude for the support Viet Nam gave to help Cambodia escape Pol Pots genocidal regime, as well as for the contributions made by Vietnamese businesses and investors for the countrys socio-economic development.

At the working session, the two sides reached consensus on all discussion issues, thus helping to intensify bilateral friendship and co-operation in the time ahead.

The same day, the Cambodian Government leader returned home, concluding his trip to Viet Nam.  VNS
HCM CITY  The nations economic hub, HCM City, should ensure that its development leaves no one behind, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said yesterday.

This is one its key tasks, the others being the generation of jobs with higher incomes and creating sustainable revenue sources for the State Budget by creating a favourable start-up environment, he said.

At a working session with city leaders yesterday, Phuc said it is imperative that the city builds an innovative economy, generates momentum for sustainable development and drive the countrys intensive international integration process.

While the city focuses on smart urban infrastructure, smart management and a competent technocracy, its core values should be inclusive growth and equal development opportunities for all, he said.

Phuc urged the city to review its land use plan and report results to his office by August.

HCM City should take the lead in terms of administrative reform, strive to be part of the top five competitive localities and create new breakthroughs in private investment.

To this end, HCM City and the capital city of Ha Noi should be pioneers in start-ups and innovation and become international centres in education and healthcare, he said.

Phuc asked the municipal Party Organisation and administration to focus efforts on removing bottlenecks hindering the citys socio-economic development, especially in transport infrastructure. The Government will foster and encourage the citys innovations, he said.

The PM also praised the citys contributions to the countrys GDP and State Mudget collection.

In the first half of this year, HCM Citys economy grew 7.76 per cent, compared to 7.47 per cent in the same period last year, with the best performers being services, industry, construction, and agriculture sectors. It will be a touch task for the city to achieve a growth rate of 8.5 per cent in the last six months and the following years, the PM said.

He also pointed out a range of limitations including a relatively low position on the competitiveness index, unequal competition and insufficiently strong legal institutions.

The city also has to tackle the serious problems of flooding, traffic jams and pollution, he said.

On the expansion of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Phuc urged relevant agencies and units to promptly locate and appoint experts and organisations to make scientific assessments so that the project can be implemented soon. Haste was needed because the Long Thanh International Airport, which aims to reduce the overload of Tan Son Nhat airport, is only scheduled for completion in 2025-27, he noted.

Representatives from ministries and agencies said at the meeting that HCM City has become an attractive destination for investors. However, the city should select suitable projects and prioritise urgent programmes in order to create a momentum for its growth.

They also suggested that the City further decentralises management at different levels.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, Nguyen Thien Nhan, said HCM City will spare no effort in trying to meet its socio-economic targets and exceed its State budget collection target. It will also persist with administrative reforms and try to launch the granting of investment licences under the one-stop model in September.  VNS
he HCM City administration has agreed on the World Bank (WB)s request for terminating a project on water drainage and pollution reduction of Tham LuongBen CatRach Nuoc Len canal. Photo saigondautu.com.vn

HCM CITY  The HCM City administration has agreed on the World Bank (WB)s request for terminating a project on water drainage and pollution reduction of Tham LuongBen CatRach Nuoc Len canal.

The information was released by the Office of the municipal Peoples Committee, which announced a recent working session between Chairman of the Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong and WB Country Director for Viet Nam Ousmane Dione.

Accordingly, the WB highly valued the southern citys efforts to co-ordinate with WB representatives in seeking solutions to obstacles to site clearance, compensation and resettlement of the project.

However, after considering many factors, the WB asked for HCM Citys unanimity in carrying out procedures for terminating the project.

The WB side affirmed that it will continue to assist the city, thus contributing to local development, especially in urban infrastructure development, flood prevention, and environment improvement.

It said the planned capital for this project, about US$400 million, will be spent on other projects depending on HCM City leaders proposal.

HCM City will continue implementing the water drainage and pollution reduction project by using local resources or other forms of investment, according to the Peoples Committee Office.

Chairman Phong assigned the municipal Department of Planning and Investment to work with relevant agencies to advice the Peoples Committee about procedures for terminating the WB funding for the project.

They were also ordered to suggest other projects on urban infrastructure development, flood prevention and environment improvement that need investment so that the municipal administration can continue to work with the WB.

The project on of Tham LuongBen CatRach Nuoc Len canal is aimed to drain water, improve the environment, expand waterway traffic, stabilise local residents life and give a facelift to areas on the banks of Tham Luong canal which cover nearly 15,000ha of land.

It spreads on a length of 32km in the districts of Binh Thanh, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Binh Tan and Binh Chanh, and districts 12 and 8.  VNS
HCM CITY  The latest trends in language teaching and learning in the digital age will be the main topic of discussion at the Vietnam-USA Society English Centers annual Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) conference held on July 21 at the White Palace Convention Center in HCM Citys Phu Nhuan District.

The conference is expected to attract more than 2,000 English language teachers in Viet Nam and other countries in the region.

They will have an opportunity to hear about the latest teaching trends through presentations by leading English language teaching (ELT) experts from the City University of New York, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Griffith University, and from major publishers like Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Macmillan, Pearson, Cengage, and National Geographic Learning.

With the theme Redefining English Language Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century Context, the 12th TESOL conference features presentations and discussions on what it is like to teach and learn English today.

In the digital age, ELT curriculum and textbook design will have to be modified to meet the needs of a generation of e-learners.

The developing digital technology has produced a new breed of English learners who have become more autonomous but also more connected. Will connectivism, dubbed the learning theory for the digital age, be the up-and-coming trend in ELT?

This year, the Vietnam-USA Society English Centers (VUS) TESOL conference will explore 14 topics such as developing communication skills in the 21st century classroom; innovation, technology, and ELT: A Critical Look; re-defining the high-stakes, four-skill academic English proficiency testing with automated scoring technology; TED talks and more  achieving powerful communication in the classroom; creative assessments for Young Learners; and 21st century education and an employable graduates.

For more information about the conference, please visit https://tesol. vus.edu.vn/ or dial hotline 0908 507 057. VNS
HCM CITY  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has exhorted the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) to become a leading research hub not only at the national level but also the regional and international levels.

Meeting with the universitys management during a visit to the southern province of Binh Duong on Thursday, he urged them to focus on training human resources in sectors in which Viet Nam has great need such as automotive engineering, IT and sustainable urban planning.

He wanted VGU to become an international-standard research university, whose achievements and reputation are based on the results of its scientific research, and share the results with the country and international community.

He hailed the efforts of its staff and students and their achievements during the nine years of its existence.

VGU has so far had 33 papers published in international journals, presented 50 papers at prestigious national and international conferences, and organised 22 national and international conferences.

This is very impressive for a nine-year-old international university, the PM said.

He thanked Germany, especially its Hessen State, for supporting VGU and hailed the Binh Duong Province administrations continuing efforts to help build it.

He called the university a symbol of the economic co-operation and friendship between Viet Nam and Germany.

He called on it to adopt Germanys advanced education system and engineering technologies to strengthen the ties between the two nations.

The PM instructed the Ministry of Education and Training to consider an appropriate financial autonomy model for VGU to enable it to achieve its full potential and contribute to local and national socio-economic growth.

VGU was the first public university to be founded under the new-model university project in 2008.

It offers 11 different programmes in science, engineering and technology, six of them masters degrees and the rest undergraduate courses.

Besides funding support from the two governments, it also receives strong academic support from more than 30 German partner universities.  VNS
HA NOI  An inspection carried out by an independent team on the quality of steel fishing ships built under a Government decree revealed that ship-building companies used substandard components for a number of ships, resulting in frequent breakdowns and degradation.

Tran Van Phuc, vice director of the Binh inh Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development who headed the inspection, announced the findings at a meeting on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested an inspection in 27 coastal provinces to examine the new steel fishing boats, after fishermen complained that poor quality fishing vessels were preventing them from fishing offshore.

Phuc said that as the inspection was going on, seven vessel owners asked to withdraw their complaint petition after working with the representative of Nam Trieu Ship Building Company. However, in order to arrive at accurate conclusions about the quality of the vessels, the inspection team still examined 17 vessels built by Nam Trieu Company and ai Nguyen Duong Company.

Five steel fishing vessels built by ai Nguyen Duong Company were made of steel originating from China and 12 steel fishing vessels operated by Nam Trieu Company had their bodies made of steel from Korea. On-site inspections of the 17 ships revealed that the painting on the hulls of five ships had peeled off.

Nine main engines were found to have been made by the Japaneses Mitsubishi Company, but a number of other related components were not in line with Mitsubishis operation principles. The company issued a document saying it does not make engines of the model and power stated in the engines found on the ships.

Most of these main engines are not working properly, the report said.

In 14 of the 17 ships inspected, the fish storage tanks were working improperly, with water stuck in them and the temperate-maintaining capacity insufficient.

The inspection team also found that ship quality inspectors had not properly checked the origins and quality certificates of the engines and other components before the vessels were handed over to their owners.

Compensation

The inspection team has asked Nam Trieu Company to replace 10 main engines and provide evidence of the components synchrony. The Nam Trieu and ai Nguyen Duong companies were also asked to clean the surface of the ships hull and repaint part or all of the ships in accordance with the process of maintaining steel shell ships.

The two companies will also have to repair or renew the damaged storage system due to its inadequate drainage and check for corrosion in the inner shell, and replace electricity systems on three ships in accordance with the signed contracts.

The group also asked Nam Trieu and ai Nguyen Duong companies to provide full documentation on the ships hulls, engines and marine equipment, and clear terms of warranty.  VNS
Bao Hoa

HA NOI  A Thursday morning at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) is just like every other weekday morning at a hospital: crowded, noisy with patients awaiting medical examinations.

A group of four women standing by the reception desk near the hospitals entrance, are busy writing wishes on a stack of envelopes. They are here to visit a 25-year-old Azerbaijani patient who came to Viet Nam as a volunteer, fell sick while teaching English to children in the northern mountainous province of Son La, and discovered he had acute myeloid leukemia.

Eldniz Nasabli was transferred from the Son La General Hospital to NIHBT on the morning of June 7 after a week of suffering from high fever and uncontrollable bleeding gums. Apart from leukemia, he was also diagnosed with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)  a complicated, fatal condition that costs a lot of money to cure, said doctor Vu Quang Hung, deputy director of NIHBTs chemotherapy department.

He was admitted to the hospital in critical condition due to considerable blood loss, Hung told the Dan Tri online newspaper. We immediately conducted tests and performed blood transfusions.

By Monday, forty-seven units of type B blood (11.7 litres) were transfused into Eldnizs body. He is a particularly severe case that requires such an amount of blood in such a short period of time, Hung added.

Eldnizs condition has been stabilised. Since his wish to return to his home country for treatment was dismissed by doctors because changes of pressure on airplanes during long flights could put his life at risk, Eldniz continues receiving blood transfusion and chemotherapy at NIHBT.

The young patients story has gone viral, with netizens writing about his condition on social media, spreading the word, asking their friends for blood and money donations.

Chinh Vu, a social media user, took lead in collecting money donations via bank transfer and gave them to Eldniz. By Monday night she received some VN105 million (US$4,600) from friends and acquaintances who got to know about him through her social media posts.

Having worked with a lot of foreigners in Viet Nam, I understand how horrific it is for them to fall sick in a strange place, Chinh Vu wrote on her personal page. I have never called for donations like this before [], but for this particular case, I myself would not be enough, she wrote. He needs more support from you, from your friends and from many other golden hearts of Viet Nam.

Nguyen Anh Tri, general director of NIHBT, also wrote about Eldnizs situation on his social media account. As soon as he knew about his sons illness, Eldizs father  Mr Valekh Nakhibov, a 59-year-old retired university professor  flew to Ha Noi to take care of him, he wrote.

Some $2,000, which is all his family got after asking everyone they know, was brought here to pay for his sons medical expenses, he wrote on Monday. Adding it to the amount raised by donors, it barely covered medication fees in this first phase of treatment. Id like to ask all of you to lend a helping hand to the child of the beloved country Azerbaijan that stayed close to us during wartime.

The hospital was also doing its best to support the young patient  calling for donors, sponsors, and providing him and his father with free meals since the beginning of their stay, Tri wrote.

Second home

The door of a patient room on the seventh floor of the NIHBT opened, revealing Eldniz who seemed to be asleep in his light blue hospital pijamas. Recognising he had visitors, Eldniz opened his eyes and barely mouthed: Hi, please come in.

The four visitors took turns talking to Eldniz and wishing him well, while he could only thank them ever so slowly and quietly as he was feeling unwell.

As their conversation with Eldniz and his father advanced, tears welled in the eyes of Tong Minh Nguyet  one of the visitors  as she revealed that she had been fighting breast cancer for nine years. I understand the struggles he is going through, she said. I believe he will make it  the higher powers will help him  because he has such a big heart.

Nguyet said she only got to know about Eldniz on Wednesday through the internet. Within one morning I was able to call for donations of VN6 million ($264) from my friends, who also came here with me today, she said. Its not much, but it represents our sincere hope that he will overcome this hardship, she said.

Although he couldnt talk much, Eldniz nodded in appreciation with every well-meaning word his visitors said.

Im so touched by all the love I received from Vietnamese people, he said. Viet Nam is my second home now.  VNS
HOA BINH  Police in Hoa Binh Province have arrested three people suspected to be responsible for the deaths of eight patients who underwent kidney dialysis treatment at a local hospital in May.

They are Bui Manh Quoc, Tran Van Son and Hoang Cong Luong.

According to investigators, they will be charged in a criminal case involving one of the most serious medical incidents in recent years.

Authorities have blamed the deaths on water used in the dialysis treatment and improper maintenance and operation of medical equipment.

Bui Manh Quoc, 31, director of Tram Anh Water Treatment Ltd Co, is being investigated for manslaughter following the violation of professional rules.

Tran Van Son, 27, an employee of the medical equipment department at the local General Hospital, is being investigated in connection with his lack of responsibility, leading to serious consequences.

Hoang Cong Luong, 31, a nephrology doctor, has been arrested for medical violations.

On May 29, 18 patients underwent kidney dialysis treatment at the hospital. Some later reported nausea, abdominal pain and shortness of breath.

Eight died the same day due to suspected anaphylactic shock.

The remaining 10 patients were transferred to Ha Nois Bach Mai Hospital and have recovered from the incident.

Meanwhile, Truong Quy Duong, director of Hoa Binh General Hospital, and two other employees have been suspended for further investigation into the negligence and irresponsible actions that led to the incident.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has launched a promotional writing contest about new rural area development and agricultural restructuring during the 2017-2020 period.

The contest, an initiative by the MARD, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Viet Nam Journalists Association, will begin this year, with awards to be gifted every year until it concludes in 2020.

Speaking at the launch ceremony held on Thursday, MARD minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the contest is aimed at increasing awareness of the press, creating a consensus and ensuring a social response to the new rural development programme and restructuring work of the agriculture sector.

The contest, according to Cuong, will also help spread information on the Party and States policies and laws on new rural development, update the works of agricultural restructuring simultaneously, and recognise and encourage journalists, writers and individuals to actively participate and contribute to the promotion of the rural area development programme in association with agricultural restructuring.

Entries can be in four media disciplines -- video, audio, print and online papers. They should be news, inspective of whether they are reports, interviews, commentaries or feature stories, and should be qualified and accurately meet demands in terms of writing skill and design.

The awards will include one first prize worth some VN15 million and two second prizes worth VN7 million each.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue, who also attended the ceremony on Thursday, emphasised that the construction programme of new rural areas in association with agricultural restructuring was a long-term policy of the Party and the State.

We have gone five years and achieved certain results. But there are heavy responsibilities ahead requiring cooperation of both the political system and the participation of the media, Hue said.

The deputy PM also stressed on the meaningfulness of the contest and important role of the media, saying channel of communication and dialogue between local authorities and the people in the implementation of the programme was essential.  VNS
WASHINGTON  US Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a revamped health care plan aimed at fulfilling President Donald Trumps pledge to repeal Obamacare, but a revolt by four conservatives put the bill in immediate jeopardy.

Democrats formed a united front against the controversial measure that was drafted in secret, criticizing it as a "war on Medicaid", the health care programme for lower income Americans, and calling it a worse plan than one that passed the House of Representatives in May.

For the past seven years, Republicans have worked to repeal the landmark health reforms of Trumps Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Members from both parties agree the repeal effort has never been closer to fruition.

Senate Republicans are painting the new plan as less austere than the House bill which, according to a forecast by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), would leave 23 million fewer people insured than under current law.

But the 142-page draft would allow states to drop several benefits which are now mandated, such as maternity care and hospital services, and also would abolish the requirement for most Americans to have health insurance.

It however delays cuts to the Medicaid program and maintains for two years the tax credits included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- commonly known as Obamacare -- to help lower-income Americans purchase coverage.

"I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill," Trump tweeted, seeking to give the effort a boost. "Remember, ObamaCare is dead."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled the bill at a closed-door session with party faithful.

Four Republicans quickly came out in opposition -- Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Rand Paul -- while at least three more Republicans have openly expressed serious concerns.

That poses a problem for the party leadership. Republicans hold 52 out of 100 Senate seats, so they can afford only two defections; in that case, Vice President Mike Pence would be brought in to break a 50-50 tie.

Getting to 50 votes

Asked what would need to be included in the bill to get him on board, Paul said: "It has to look less like Obamacare light -- its got to look like what we promised.

"It looks to us like the Obamacare subsidies will remain in place and... we think that the spending actually may exceed Obamacare spending in the next two years."

Lawmakers will be "looking to see if there are things that we can do to refine it, and make it more acceptable to more members in our conference, to get to 50," Senator John Thune said.

"Right now the challenge is -- how do we get to 50?"

Trump remained confident, but acknowledged that a "negotiation" might be needed to get the bill passed.

But during a picnic with members of Congress later Thursday, he urged that the "spirit of cooperation" lawmakers have shown in the aftermath of a congressmans shooting last week extend to legislative discussions.

However Obama, whose best-known domestic policy achievement stands to crumble, offered a scathing critique of the new bill just hours after its release.

He called it "a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families" to the very rich that would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections and "ruin Medicaid as we know it."

Even if the measure is ultimately tweaked through amendments in Congress, it "cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation," the former president warned in a Facebook post.

Meaner

McConnell said a fresh CBO score was expected next week, and there will be "robust debate" on the floor.

He also said there would be an open amendment process to allow changes. He wants a final vote by the end of the month.

Any new Senate bill would have to be reconciled with the House version.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said the new bill was "heartless," warning it would eventually cut Medicaid even more steeply than the House legislation, which slashes it by $800 billion over a decade.

While Trump reportedly called the House bill "mean" and wants to see a bill with heart, Schumer said "the Senate bill may be meaner."

The new legislation would eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit health organization that Trumps administration has targeted for cuts because it provides abortion services.

But it preserves a key element of Obamacare, which allows parents to cover children under their plan until age 26.  AFP
SYDNEY  Australian military spy planes will start flying missions over the southern Philippines to help in the fight against Islamic militants terrorising the area, the government said on Friday.

Fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have been battling troops for a month around Marawi city in the Mindanao region in a conflict that has claimed hundreds of lives.

Canberra, which has an extensive defence co-operation programme with Manila, said two high-tech AP-3C Orion aircraft will provide surveillance support to the Philippine military.

"The regional threat from terrorism, in particular from Daesh and foreign fighters, is a direct threat to Australia and our interests," said Defence Minister Marise Payne, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"Australia will continue to work with our partners in Southeast Asia to counter it."

She recently spoke with her Philippine counterpart, Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana, about how Australia could help and "we agreed the best way to defeat terrorism in our region is for us to work together".

The versatile AP-3C Orions usually patrol maritime borders and played a prominent role in searching for missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370, which went down in the remote Indian Ocean off Australia in 2014.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across Mindanao, home to 20 million people, on May 23 immediately after fighters flying the IS flag rampaged through Marawi.

Their assault on the city ignited an unprecedented urban war, which Duterte has warned is part of an IS campaign to establish a base in Mindanao.

The fighting has left Marawi, the most important Muslim city in the Philippines, largely in ruins.  AFP
BRUSSELS  British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to let EU citizens stay after Brexit as she met sceptical European leaders for the first time since her disastrous election gamble.

Under pressure from all sides since losing her parliamentary majority in the June 8 vote, May on Thursday held out an apparent olive branch on the uncertain fate of three million Europeans living in Britain.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the plans were a "good start", but added that "there are still many, many other questions" to be dealt with over Brexit.

Merkel had earlier made clear that Britains exit was not at the top of the agenda for the remaining 27 EU members, as they try to capitalise on a renewed sense of optimism to put the bloc back on track after years of austerity and crisis.

The EU sought instead to show its unity by pressing ahead with plans on counter-terrorism, defence and by renewing damaging economic sanctions against Russia over the war in eastern Ukraine.

"For me the shaping of the future of the 27 is a priority coming before the issue of the negotiations with Britain on the exit," said Merkel, Europes most powerful leader.

New French President Emmanuel Macron, attending his first summit, added that the EU had to "establish our own strategy based on our own interests".

May makes clear commitment

A year after its shock referendum vote to leave the EU, Britain is mired in crisis. Mays weakened position has raised fresh questions about whether her plan to leave the European single market will proceed.

Over dinner at the summit, May addressed the issue of citizens rights, one of the key three priorities for the opening stage of Brexit negotiations that began on Monday.

No EU citizen currently in Britain would be asked to leave on Brexit day, she said, while EU citizens living in Britain for more than five years will get "settled status".

"The UKs position represents a fair and serious offer and one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK," May told her colleagues.

The prime minister said she expected any offer by Britain to be matched by the EU for the one million Britons living on the continent, a government source said.

But her proposal sets up a clash with the EU after she rejected Brusselss demand that the European Court of Justice oversee and resolve any dispute over citizens rights post-Brexit.

May said the pledge on EU citizens would instead "be enshrined in UK law and enforceable through our highly respected courts".

She also drew criticism from a campaign group of EU citizens, the3million, which called her offer "pathetic".

"It fails on several points which would enable EU citizens in the UK to continue to live normally after Brexit," it said.

Other crunch Brexit issues are Britains estimated 100 billion euro (US$112 billion) divorce bill, and Northern Ireland, which will be on Britains only land border with the EU after Brexit.

Imagine theres no Brexit

Earlier, EU President Donald Tusk had channelled John Lennons "Imagine" as he said he hoped Brexit could be reversed -- though others immediately poured cold water on the idea.

"Who knows? You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one," the former Polish premier said with a broad smile, quoting Lennons iconic song.

But Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel -- who has strongly argued for EU unity on Brexit -- said Tusk should let it be.

"I am not a dreamer and I am not the only one," Michel told reporters, saying he thought it was "British humour" by Tusk.

Tusk said the EU had turned a corner in the year since the Brexit vote, adding: "Never before have I had such a strong belief that things are going in a better direction."

But the stage was later set for a possible row over the future of the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which will be relocated from Britain after Brexit.

The 27 EU leaders without May agreed to decide the future of the regulatory bodies, which bring both money and prestige, by November.

Law to combat online terror

In Brussels, security was stepped up after Tuesdays failed bomb attack at one of the citys main rail stations by an Islamic State sympathiser, following strikes in Britain and France.

EU leaders on Thursday urged Internet firms to do "whatever is necessary" to combat online extremism promoting such attacks, warning governments were ready to legislate if they did not act.

They also endorsed the EUs growing efforts to build up defence capabilities, especially amid concerns about US President Donald Trumps commitment to transatlantic ties.

And they recommended another six-month rollover of tough economic sanctions imposed against Russia in 2014 over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has claimed 10,000 lives.  AFP
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the role of D.C. residents in helping reveal lead contamination in the city's drinking water.

Years before the Flint water crisis made national news, Marc Edwards worked with Washington, D.C., residents to expose even more severe lead pollution in the drinking water in the nations capital.

Edwards, the Charles P. Lunsford Professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and a University Distinguished Professor, will discuss how those events foreshadowed the crisis Flint faces today, in a seminar at 11:30 a.m., June 30, in 2150 Torgersen Hall on Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus.



The seminar will be targeted for undergraduate researchers, but is open to all members of the Virginia Tech community.



Edwards, a nationally renowned expert on municipal water quality, first won widespread recognition for his years-long investigation into lead pollution in Washington, D.C.s, public water system.



Early evidence of lead contamination in D.C. homes emerged in 2001, and in 2003, Edwards detected lead, a potent neurotoxin, at levels so high that they were beyond the range of standard detection equipment even when samples were diluted by a factor of 10.



For nearly a decade, and in the face of substantial resistance, Edwards worked alongside collaborators in the public, press, and Congress to ensure that the story came to light. The team's work ultimately confirmed that lead levels in Washington, D.C.s, water were dangerously high, and revealed that the contamination was a result of flawed water treatment protocols and had contributed to damagingly high blood lead levels in the districts children.



He also uncovered scientific and ethical misconduct by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



For his key role in exposing this public health crisis, Edwards was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2007. But Edwards has said his interactions with the government agencies involved left him convinced that Washington, D.C.s, lead problem would not be an isolated event.



I was not surprised when Flint occurred, Edwards said in his March testimony to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. I was expecting a Flint to occur.



And when Flint mother Lee-Anne Walters reached out to Edwards, concerned that Flints public water was contributing to her childrens medical problems, he responded. After testing with Virginia Tech, Walters learned that her tap water had extremely high levels of lead.



In conjunction with Flint citizen activists, Edwards and a team from Virginia Tech coordinated a massive sampling program, which revealed that Flints water suffered from serious lead and bacterial contamination. Edwards research and advocacy put Flints water system in the international spotlight, prompting state and federal intervention and igniting a national debate on water safety.



Edwards came to Virginia Tech from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where, in 1996, the National Science Foundation selected him as one of only 20 young engineering faculty in the nation to receive a Presidential Faculty Fellowship. He completed his masters degree and doctorate in environmental engineering at the University of Washington and earned his bachelors degree in bio-physics from the State University of New York at Buffalo.



Edwards leads the ICTAS Center for Science and Engineering the Exposome; the center is supported by the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, which is hosting Edwards seminar in collaboration with the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates site on interdisciplinary water sciences and engineering and the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Teachers site on "Water ECubeG." Both sites are led by Vinod Lohani, a professor of engineering education and the director of education and global intiatives at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science .
Ten faculty projects have been selected for the inaugural year of the alumni-endowed Virginia Tech College of Science Deans Discovery Fund as part of its mission to support vital research advances. Funded projects range from cancer treatment to a neutrino detector.

Established by Dean Sally C. Morton, the fund is made possible by the Lay Nam Chang Deans Chair, endowed by the College of Science Roundtable Advisory Board. The fund was established after Morton heard a common refrain from faculty during her initial visits to college laboratories and offices: There is an unmet need for pilot funding to kick-start new ideas, invite speakers, support pilot research, and more.



All funded projects meet the colleges core research themes of integrated science; data and decision sciences, including the adaptive brain; global change; and materials for health, information, and energy, which support the Virginia Tech Beyond Boundaries initiative launched by President Tim Sands.



Investing the discretionary funds from this endowed chair back into faculty and their research efforts carries on the legacy of Dean Chang, honors the intent of the advisory boards gift, and seeds the growth and prosperity of the colleges future, Morton said. Our shared vision is to be science leaders who discover, create, inspire, and inform, and if these funds help, if only a little, in this endeavor, they will be well-spent. We are grateful for this funding opportunity through our Roundtable Advisory Board.

Because dozens of research proposals were submitted this past spring from across the college, members of the Deans Discovery Fund selection committee decided to fund 10 projects rather than an original five, with $80,000 in funding for the added projects coming from the colleges Annual Fund for supporting activities with the greatest impact on faculty and students. A total of $160,100 was funded.

Selectees this year are:



Daniela Cimini, associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences. Amount: $10,000. Project: Tetraploidy as a driver of tumor evolution.



Carla Finkielstein, associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences. Amount: $20,000. Project: 3-D engineered scaffolds to study mechanotransduction in tumor dormancy. Research partner: Rafael Davalos, professor in Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, part of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.

Jonathan Link, professor, Department of Physics. Amount: $20,000. Project: The CHANDLER reactor neutrino detector. Research partners: Patrick Huber, professor, and Camilli Mariani, associate professor, Department of Physics; and Ali Haghighat, professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering, part of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.

Honghu Liu, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics. Amount: $11,000. Project: Stochastic nonlinear reduced order modeling of the El Nino southern oscillation. Research partner: Traian Iliescu, professor in the Department of Mathematics.

Shaowen Luo, assistant professor, Department of Economics. Amount: $19,400. Project: A tale of two networks: trade and financial linkages in the global economy. Research partners: Shyam Ranganathan, assistant professor with Department of Statistics; Sudipta Sarangi, professor, and Kwok Ping Byron Tsang, associate professor, both Department of Economics.

Amanda Morris, associate professor, Department of Chemistry. Amount: $20,000. Project: Acquisition of a Micromeritics 3Flex surface area analyzer. Researcher partners: Robert Moore, professor; John Morris, professor; Greg Liu, assistant professor; Richard Turner, research professor, all Department of Chemistry; and Michael Ellis, associate professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

John Richey, assistant professor, Department of Psychology. Amount: $19,700. Project: Mechanisms of innate immune responses to mindfulness meditation. Research partner: Irving Coy Allen, assistant professor in Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, part of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Judy Riffle, professor, Department of Chemistry. Amount: $10,000. Project: Desalination of water via membrane separations: electrodialysis.

Birgit Scharf, associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences. Amount: $20,000. Project: Identification of cancer-induced bacterial promoters and discovery of new cancer targets through dual transcriptome analysis. Research partner: Liwu Li, professor, biological sciences.

Srijan Sengupta, assistant professor, Department of Statistics. Amount: $10,000. Project: Scalable statistical inference and anomaly detection for large, sparse networks.

Projects were selected for their potential to advance the frontiers of scientific research and to catalyze funding from external sources, said Randy Heflin, associate dean for research and graduate studies with the College of Science.



The Lay Nam Chang Deans Chair in the College of Science was established in 2016 by the College of Science Roundtable Advisory Board in honor of Lay Nam Chang, founding dean of the College of Science. The Roundtable Advisory Board comprises college alumni and friends that have helped guide the college since its founding in 2003.



In establishing the chair, the group sought to provide discretionary funds to enhance existing programs and develop new initiatives within the College of Science and help ensure its overall strong future.

Related stories:

Sally C. Morton named Lay Nam Chang Deans Chair in the College of Science

Sally C. Morton appointed dean of College of Science


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^pWATERLOO  First Congregational UCC Church, 608 W. Fourth St., will host ^pJazz too^p with Dan Hummel and Mike Michalicek, featuring Jovita Long and Friends, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

People can come for an evening of music followed by an ice cream social. The public is welcome, and admission is free.

WATERLOO  People can celebrate the joys of summer at an ^poutdoor worship service and potluck meal^p Sunday at First Baptist Church, Fourth and Baltimore.

Worship begins at 10:15 a.m. The Rev. Joe Greemore will speak on Stay with it! based on scripture from Galatians 6:1-10. Members of the Band of Light will lead in music.

A potluck dinner will follow in the church social room. FBC will provide fried chicken, table service and drinks. Members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Members of the community are welcome, and a nursery is available for children up to age 5.

WATERLOO  Minister Brion Martin of Harvest Vineyard Church will be the guest speaker for the ^pTeens Annual Encouragement Day^p event at 6 p.m. Sunday at Community Southern Baptist Church.

The day is organized by the church Teens in Action members, and the theme is Choices  What is the wise thing to do?

WATERLOO  The ^pMusic^p ^pMinistry^p of the Antioch Baptist Church, 426 Sumner St., will host an evening of worship and praise July 8 with the Male Chorus.

It will feature area vocalists and groups from the city.

For more information, contact the church office at 233-2587 or Reatha Phillips at 433-5406.
WATERLOO  A volley of complaints about fireworks being discharged ahead of approved dates has spurred city officials to remind residents to exercise caution.

Earlier this year, the lawmakers legalized consumer-grade fireworks in Iowa, and several vendors have been setting up around the city in recent days, although Waterloos city rules dont allow for detonating fireworks until June 30.

There is a lot of illegal firework use going on in the city right now ... . We know people are going to use fireworks because the amount that are being sold in our community, we are just hoping to get through the year without any significant fires or any significant personal injuries, said Waterloo Fire Chief Pat Treloar.

As of Wednesday, no fires in Waterloo have been determined to have started with fireworks, and Waterloo Fire Rescues ambulances havent transported anyone for significant fireworks injuries, Treloar said.

In Cedar Rapids, firefighters said fireworks were behind three home and garage fires since May, the latest coming Monday.

Still, since June 1, the Waterloo Police Department has received more than 150 fireworks complaints, usually called in by neighbors concerned about noise. By comparison, the same period in 2016 saw only 11 fireworks complaints.

Treloar said the community will likely have upwards of 15 vendors in operation in the coming weeks. He said the state has been doing a good job of inspecting the operations, and Waterloo fire officials also have been paying visits to check state license and city permits and drop off flyers noting the citys fireworks dates  June 30 to July 4.

Were comfortable with their setups. They are complying with all the requirements and all codes, Treloar said.

City officials found one unpermitted operation selling fireworks, Treloar said. They shut down and applied for a permit, he said.

Treloar suggested the following guidelines when using fireworks:

Fireworks cant be used on public property, including streets sidewalks and parks.

Always have a hose or fire extinguisher nearby when using fireworks.

Never relight a dud firework.

As a courtesy, talk to neighbors about any fireworks plans.

Clean up paper, cardboard and other debris after using fireworks.
Fish fry slated

at VFW

WATERLOO  The Military Order of the Cooties will host an all-you-can-eat fish fry from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the VFW Hall, 1406 Commercial St.

Cost is $8. The public is welcome.

An incorrect headline was printed earlier.

Button club will meet

WATERLOO  The Black Hawk Button Club will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. Pauls Methodist Church, 207 W. Louise (two blocks behind Allen Hospital).

Learn how the wooden button fits into history. People can bring a wooden button if they like. Call Jeanine at 266-3070 with any questions.

Blood drive

set in Denver

DENVER  A community blood drive for Denver and Readlyn is planned from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. July 7 at Denver Community Center, 100 Washington St.

Reserve an appointment at lifeservebloodcenter.org or (800) 287-4903.
CHARLES CITY  The Charles City man whose third-degree sexual abuse conviction was overturned by the Iowa Supreme Court because the district court didnt adequately warn him about representing himself intends to do it again.

This time, however, he wants a court-appointed attorney to assist him at his retrial.

The defendant asks for the assistance of counsel in a second chair position until such time as the attorney has shown a mastery of the facts and law implicit in this matter, Doug Lindaman wrote in his motion.

Former two-time candidate for local elected office and convicted felon Lindaman, 61, filed a motion that included 11 issues earlier this month. In it, he also requested a change of venue and sequestration of the jury.

Floyd County Attorney Rachel Ginbey answered in a motion filed last week. She resisted all issues raised with the exception of change of venue and appointment of counsel.

Lindamans retrial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Aug. 1. That could change.

Lindaman is accused of sexually abusing a teenager he hired as a farmhand. He claims he was conducting therapy on the boy to release repressed homosexual urges. The boy has no such urges, he and his family have testified.

A Floyd County jury agreed with prosecution that Lindaman sexually abused the boy and convicted him on April 12, 2016, of third-degree sexual abuse. Lindaman was serving a 10-year prison sentence when the Supreme Court ruled he deserved a new trial.

He was returned to Floyd County on June 6 and posted the required 10 percent of his $10,000 bond to be released from jail.

The issues raised in his June 16 motion indicate he will present the same defense as in his first trial. Although he admits touching the boy, he said it was nonsexual so it didnt violate the law.

To that end, hes pushing for a jury instruction reflecting contact of a non-sexual nature does not qualify as a sex act.

He also claims there is missing evidence that would benefit his case in the form of recorded statements from him. He claims the recordings were altered while in the states possession.

Near the end of presenting his case in 2016, Lindaman asked that the jurors be informed they can ask him questions directly. His motion was denied, and now he is revisiting that issue, requesting the new jury be informed of its inherent power to question witnesses so that the defendant has an impartial jury

Lindaman is also asking an expert witness from the first trial not be allowed in the second, that the state produce the devices used to record and store his statements from June 28-29 and July 30, 2011, and that he be allowed to depose people involved with the devices.

Hes asked for medical records of the alleged victim and wants to argue in court that Ginbey was vindictive and overreached in bringing the charge.
WAVERLY  A district court judge has turned down a request to release a woman serving prison time for stealing from a Sumner couple.

Mindy Jo Riley, 37, had been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for forgery and began serving her time in January.

In May, Riley's attorney asked the court to reconsider her sentence, noting she had made progress while in custody and was living in a minimum-security unit at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville. Riley is working as an activities and daily living assistant in the unit and has employment lined up at a construction company upon her release, according to her attorney.

Judge DeDra Schroeder denied the reconsideration without a hearing in a decision issued May 31.

Court records show unrelated fraud charges against Riley and William Ondrashek in Chickasaw County have been dismissed. They had been accused of collecting money from a Fredericksburg woman after claiming her grandson was in trouble and needed to post bond. Riley's charge was dropped in April at the request of prosecutors.
LAWLER  The Iowa Supreme Court has overturned a $1.4 million verdict in a sexual harassment case.

The move sent Tina Haskenhoffs suit against ethanol producer Homeland Energy Solutions of Lawler back to the Chickasaw County District Court for retrial because of problems with jury instructions in the case.

Haskenhoff began as lab manager for Homeland in 2009, and court records allege she was repeatedly harassed by her supervisor, Kevin Howes, and subjected to inappropriate conduct by other co-workers, including one who sent her a pornographic video.

Howes allegedly engaged in motions simulating sexual acts and talked about Haskenhoffs breasts and clothing, records state. She resigned in August 2011 and later filed a lawsuit.

The case went to trial in October 2014, and the jury awarded Haskenhoff $1.4 million, including $1 million for emotional distress. The court also awarded $846,364 in attorney fees.

In a split ruling, issued Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that a jury instruction failed to include language that an employer be given a reasonable chance to resolve the problems and another instruction misstated that law and emphasized certain evidence.
WATERLOO  A second person has been arrested in connection with a shooting that injured a man last week.

Waterloo police arrested Mico Rakein Rasharn Lovelady, 24, of Waterloo, on Thursday for willful injury causing bodily injury, going armed, intimidation with a weapon and carrying weapons.

He also was arrested for possession of marijuana after officers found marijuana during the arrest.

On June 16, police arrested Chavontae Charvez Boyd, 22, on similar charges. He remains in the Black Hawk County Jail.

Neighbors called police around 3 p.m. June 16 after hearing gunfire in the 400 block of West Wellington Street. A short time later, 29-year-old Duquin Dwight Fleming arrived at Covenant Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his leg, and officers found two spent shell casings on the sidewalk across from Elks Memorial Park.

Fleming was later released from the hospital.

Police allege Lovelady shot at Fleming, and Boyd acted as a driver.

Court records allege the two went to Wellington Street, and at least two rounds were shot at Fleming.
CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowas Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center has reached 500,000 students experiencing the arts through the Kaleidoscope Series for Youth since opening its doors in 2000.

The Kaleidoscope Series strives to provide youth with multiple opportunities to experience a wide range of performing arts. Students have the option to participate in a play, music or dance based on a literature book, a part of history or social issues such as bullying, poverty or body image. Fifty-six percent of Iowa counties have attended the series since 2000, and approximately 35,000 students are served each year. Gallagher Bluedorn has presented shows in rural communities, providing access to performing arts experience to schools that arent able to travel to Cedar Falls.

Since 2003, the Kaleidoscope Series has always been A Buck a Kid. Every performance is $1 per student. This gives students the liberty to experience live performance even though schools have less funding for learning opportunities outside the classroom.

Tickets are on sale for the 2017-18 season; go to www.gbpac.com/kaleidoscope/default.aspx for more information, or contact Amy Hunzelman, director of education and outreach for the Gallagher Bluedorn, at 273-3679 or amy.hunzelman@uni.edu.
Even as congressional Republicans eye sharp cuts to Medicaid as part of their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Democrats in Iowa say the program could, instead, be a lifeline for people struggling in the state's ailing individual health insurance market.

A small group of Democrats want to let Iowans buy into Medicaid, using ACA subsidies along with state money now going to managed care companies who run the program.

State Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, one of the Democrats pitching the plan, said it would bring younger and healthier people into the system. He and state Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, unveiled the idea in Des Moines on Wednesday along with former Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines.

The proposal faces steep odds. Republicans are in control at the national and state level, and Iowa just privatized Medicaid last year.

The U.S. Senate released its health care bill Thursday. Meanwhile, Iowa is struggling to deal with a failing individual insurance market.

Just one company, Minnesota-based Medica, has filed to sell policies in the state for 2018, and it seeks a 43 percent rate increase.

Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said Medica's filing doesn't resolve Iowa's difficulties.

Ommen has asked the Trump administration to approve a stopgap plan that would restructure Obamacare subsidies to entice younger, healthier people into the marketplace, as well as create a reinsurance pool to help insurance companies with higher-cost members. The proposal would allow companies to offer a single, standardized insurance plan.

Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield, the state's largest insurer, has said it will enter Iowa's individual market for 2018 if the Trump administration approves the state's request.

McCoy has concerns about the insurance division's plan because it will mean older people in the marketplace will pay more.

"It puts them at a real disadvantage," he said.

He and other Democrats say Iowa should take a more aggressive role. They point to the Nevada Legislature, which passed a bill this month that would allow its residents to buy into a government-run insurance plan. The proposal was vetoed by the state's Republican governor, Brian Sandoval.

"There are things Iowa can do," Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said Thursday.

The Iowa Democrats' plan comes as congressional Republicans are seeking to cut Medicaid. The House and Senate health care bills would convert traditional Medicaid to a "per capita" system. That would save the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars by spending less on the program, which pays for health care for the some of the nation's poor, elderly and those with disabilities.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis said the House bill would reduce projected Medicaid spending by more than $800 billion over 10 years.
DECORAH  One of Gundersen Health Systems Medlink Air helicopters could be permanently based at the Decorah Airport by fall.

Gundersen currently has a temporary lease for space at the airport for one of its helicopters, paying the city $500 per month.

At its meeting Monday, the Decorah City Council approved an engineering agreement for the design of a large aircraft hangar for Gundersen.

Clapsaddle-Garber Engineers of Cedar Rapids was hired for the concept design, design, bid letting and distribution of plans and specifications for the project at a total initial cost of $123,900.

Gundersen is looking at basing a helicopter at our airport including crew living quarters. There are several other steps coming and we will continue to work with Gundersen on a final design, City Manager Chad Birdsaid.

He said Gundersen is committed to a long-term hangar lease.

Council member Dan Bellrichard asked what would be considered a long-term lease, and Bird said that would probably be 20 years. Bird explained the lease would be for a long enough period of time to cover the cost of the hangar.

The hope is that its a net zero for the city, Bird said.

It certainly is a feather in the cap of the municipal airport to have a corporate entity like Gundersen even consider basing a helicopter at our airport, Bird said after Mondays meeting.

It speaks well to the management and operation of our airport, but I think more importantly this is something really important for our community in terms of the quality of medical care that is being afforded to our community and that we will have in our community, he said.

Gundersen also has a helicopter based at the Sparta-Fort McCoy, Wis., Airport.

According to Gundersen officials, having the two helicopters based in Decorah and Sparta helps to better cover Gundersens entire service area in southwest Wisconsin, Northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota.
CEDAR FALLS  The theme for this years 42nd annual Sturgis Falls celebration exemplifies the careers of this years host and grand marshal, Mike Michalicek and Jim Gosnell, respectively: Let the Bands Play On.

Both retired area band teachers, Michalicek from Waterloo schools and Gosnell from Cedar Falls High School, have put in nearly 40 years each in music education.

We always try to, the best we can, hook in our theme with people that exemplify that, said Jay Stoddard, president of the events board of directors. Mr. Michalicek and Mr. Gosnell are standouts in the community in their own right.

And in retirement, both are as active in the local music scene as ever.

I was totally taken by surprise that I was chosen. I just didnt think Id be asked to do something like this, Michalicek said. Im looking forward to it. I know Ill see a lot of people. Ive taught a lot of students in the area.

Michalicek began his career with Waterloo Community Schools 40 years ago, teaching all levels from elementary to high school band. He also was a worship leader at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Waterloo for 15 years and St. Johns Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls for five years.

Michalicek has received numerous awards, including the Gold Star Award for teaching in 1992 from the R.J. McElroy Trust and KWWL, a nomination to the Jazz Educators of Iowa Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Phillip Seehmann Award in 2016 from the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association.

Currently he teaches at Saint Patrick Catholic School in Cedar Falls, is leader of the popular band Checker and the Bluetones, works at the saxophone shop, Tenor Madness, teaches a summer jazz camp and organizes the Stone Soul Picnic each year.

We both have really made contact with a lot of kids, helped them grow and be the people they want to be, Michalicek said. Jim and I are both about the student. It wasnt about winning trophies or awards or anything like that. It was all about the kids.

Gosnell taught in the music department at Cedar Falls High School for 26 years as well as other communities, retiring after 38 years in public music education.

This is something pretty unique to me. Ive never been honored by the community like this. Thats pretty special, Gosnell said.

A veteran of the U.S. Army, Gosnell attended the Navy School of Music in Norfolk, Va., and was a member of the Fifth Army Band at Fort Sheridan in Chicago. He also served a year with the Fourth Division Band in Vietnam.

Gosnell was one of six recipients of the University of Iowa Distinguished Teacher Award in 1998, received the Gold Star Award for teaching in 1991 from the R.J. McElroy Trust and KWWL, was nominated three times by NEIBA for the Karl King Distinguished Service Award and received the Iowa Bandmasters Association state Distinguished Service Award for retired directors in 2014.

Currently, Gosnell is director of the Knightliters Jazz Band at Wartburg College, owns a private studio, teaches several saxophone and clarinet students and plays in the Waterloo Municipal Band.

I love working with students, working with kids. Its a pretty good match for me, Gosnell said.

When I first got to Cedar Falls in the 86-87 school year, the band had not participated in the Sturgis Falls Parade for many, many years, he said. I said, We need to do this. We want the community to support us, and weve got to support the community.

Every year since the Cedar Falls Band has been involved in the parade one way, shape or form.

The two will welcome the community in the opening ceremony at 6 p.m. today in Overman Park and will participate in the parade beginning at 10 a.m. in downtown Cedar Falls.
HAMPTON  The owners of a now-closed Hampton lumber business have been ordered to pay $3.45 million to a Missouri bank for alleged overdrafts and non-payment of a note.

Roger and Kaye Peters, directors of Franklin County Lumber Inc., also known as F.C. Lumber, had a commercial checking account with Exchange Bank of Missouri and in June 2013 obtained a $950,000 promissory note from the bank.

The lumber business closed in December 2015 and, in February 2016, Exchange Bank filed a civil lawsuit in Franklin County District Court alleging $2.68 million in overdrafts and an outstanding $771,872 balance on the note, according to court records.

The lumber company filed a counterclaim, which was dismissed in December, according to court records.

On June 8, District Court Judge Colleen Weiland issued a summary judgment siding with Exchange Bank as a matter of law without requiring a trial. Weiland ordered a judgment of $3.45 million plus 3.12 percent interest.

The bank also is seeking $106,451 in attorney fees, which will be the subject of a separate order.

Man sprays police

and firefighters

WATERLOO  A Waterloo man was arrested after he hosed down firefighters and police who responded to a trash fire in his backyard.

According to police, firefighters were called to 1320 South St. around 11:25 p.m. Wednesday and found 46-year-old Mark Anthony Lugrain was spraying a pile of garbage burning near a chain link fence.

He allegedly began arguing with firefighters about extinguishing the garbage and then started spraying firefighters and a police officer who arrived on the scene.

When police attempted to arrest Lugrain, he allegedly backed off and pulled his arm away, and officers took him to the ground and handcuffed him.

Lugrain was arrested for misdemeanor interference and public intoxication. He was released from the Black Hawk County Jail on Thursday.

Forgery sentence request turned down

WAVERLY  A district court judge has turned down a request to release a woman serving prison time for stealing from a Sumner couple.

Mindy Jo Riley, 37, had been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for forgery and began serving her time in January.

In May, Rileys attorney asked the court to reconsider her sentence, noting she had made progress while in custody and was living in a minimum-security unit at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville. Riley is working as an activities and daily living assistant in the unit and has employment lined up at a construction company upon her release, according to her attorney.

Judge DeDra Schroeder denied the reconsideration without a hearing in a decision issued May 31.

Court records show unrelated fraud charges against Riley and William Ondrashek in Chickasaw County have been dismissed. They had been accused of collecting money from a Fredericksburg woman after claiming her grandson was in trouble and needed to post bond. Rileys charge was dropped in April at the request of prosecutors.
By Bill Hughes Jun. 22, 2017 | 12:51 PM | WICKLIFFE, KY

Ballard County Judge-Executive Vickie Viniard, who is facing fraud and other charges, has announced she will retire on June 30.Ballard County Attorney Vickie Hayden told West Kentucky Star the announcement was made during Tuesday's Fiscal Court meeting. She said the court voted Magistrate Bob Renfrow as interim Judge-Executive until Governor Matt Bevin appoints someone to the office.Hayden said the Fiscal Court passed a resolution Tuesday recommending the appointment of Deputy Judge-Executive Todd Cooper to the position. She said several Ballard County officials will also be sending letters to Bevin, recommending the former sheriff for the job.Viniard was indicted in November on counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements on a loan application. According to the indictment, she and Ballard County Treasurer Belinda Foster took out around $450,000 in bank loans in total, pledging a $500,000 Ballard County certificate of deposit as collateral, all without authorization from the Ballard County Fiscal Court.Foster pleaded guilty in December, but her sentencing has been postponed until after Viniard's trial. It is set to begin August 7 in Paducah, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nute Bonner and a public corruption prosecutor presenting the case. Attorney Butch Bradley is representing Viniard.

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A startup needs to test an idea quickly. For this, an MVP is created. MVP, Minimal Viable Product  a test version of a product or service with a minimum set of functions (up to one or two), which allows you to see the product's value for consumers and the market. MVP is created to test hypotheses and check the viability of the intended product: is it worth developing the project further, what changes should be made? The sooner a startup brings its MVP to market and tests the idea, the better. This article will look at how no-code technology can help founders achieve their business goals.

This article will try to cover everything that a founder needs to know about no-code at the initial stage of creating a startup.

What is no-code?

No-code, zero-code platform is a tool for creating websites, applications, chatbots, and other programs without the need for direct code writing by programmers. No-code is a valuable alternative to traditional development.

No-code is confused with low-code, but there is a difference in these terms. Low-code includes no-code and the ability to "finish code", add parts of code and the functionality.

A user of a no-code platform usually does not need to know layout, programming languages, or hire a team of programmers. The user of the no-code tool creates an application using a visual block constructor, which he fills with the necessary content and functions, and the no-code platform itself does the processing of requests, compiling the application and other "magic." It generates code using AI and/or contains blocks of code pre-written by programmers.

No-code allows the startup founder to create an MVP himself, entrust it to his employee with basic technical literacy and understanding of the project, or hire a no-code developer. Even in the case of hiring a no-code developer, the cost of creating an MVP will be significantly lower than with classical development with programmers. For example, you can read the interview of a startup and no-code developer on our website, who initially worked as a Product Manager and was able to master no-code for his project himself.

Benefits of no-code for a startup founder

There are the following key advantages for a startup founder in using no-code technology:

a large selection of no-code tools, platforms, and their integrations at the moment  already in 2022, there are many tools and platforms for creating an MVP, a larger project, or even a finished product on no-code, but few people still know about them, and others are far from all startups and founders use their potential;

cost  no-code development saves the money by speeding up the development process, not hiring professional programmers or no need to maintain a developer department, monitoring functions and quick bug fixes, avoiding or reducing the growth of technical debt;

speed is the main advantage over classical development  no-code allows you to build a simple application in a weekend, and a more complex one can be built in a month. In this way, you can test an MVP and even several versions of an MVP very quickly;

low entry threshold  to master a no-code platform, you often do not need technical education at all, but only an understanding of a company's business processes or product from the inside. In the case of pro-level no-code platforms, technical education is required, but you can get used to it hundreds of times faster than with any programming language. This makes no-code available to almost everyone who wants to work with technology;

ease of use  no need to write hundreds of code lines  just move the blocks and assign links between them. Work on a project can be entrusted to your employee without communicating with a team of third-party developers. You can speak "in your language" without the need to understand the "inner kitchen" of developers;

flexibility  with the help of no-code, it is easy for a startup founder to add new functionality and new features right during a project or a MVP testing without a significant increase in development costs.

Possible disadvantages of no-code for a startup founder

As often, any property can be, under certain conditions, both a disadvantage and an advantage. In no-code, many of the benefits with the wrong choice of tool can turn into disadvantages:

no-code is not always a budget solution for a project. Sometimes in a no-code development package, you get unnecessary functions and additions (on AppMaster.io you can separately connect the frontend and pay only for the backend or only for those functions that you are using); if you do not understand the needs of your project, then you can make a mistake with the choice of a no-code tool and not be able to implement the necessary functions on it, or it will be too difficult to implement them; often, no-code tools fail to ensure proper data security and contribute to data leakage (but AppMaster.io allows you to host a finished application on any server); no-code tools often do not provide the ability to upload source code or provide uploading in an inconvenient format, which makes it difficult to move to another tool or to your development. You have to choose a no-code tool "once and forever immediately" (AppMaster. io gives you the ability to download the source code. Also, we generate human-readable code and you will not have any difficulties with its transportation); most no-code tools on the market are not suitable for creating a finished product, and there are significant difficulties with scaling the project if the MVP is successful (AppMaster.io is a professional no-code platform and our capabilities allow us to implement and support the finished product and scale it in the future).

Forewarned is forearmed. Choose your no-code tool wisely and take full advantage of your choice.

Types of no-code platforms

Conventionally, all no-code tools can be divided into several types: no-code devices with a low entry threshold (you can create frontend and not very powerful backend on them), integrators that help connect applications and services, and professional no-code platforms (they strive to replace the code completely, provide the ability to create a robust backend and high bandwidth).

The basic principle of operation of your MVP and the choice of a no-code platform depend on such a conditional division into types. For example, if you make a simple application like a diary, you can limit yourself to a no-code tool with a low entry threshold and a beautiful design.

If your application has powerful potential, high bandwidth, multi-user interface, and works with large amounts of data or real-time data, it is better to choose a professional no-code platform like AppMaster.io or Direcual.

If you use several services at once, link them on integrators like Integromat and Zapier.

Adalo

An easy-to-learn designer with a relatively user-friendly interface. The free version is helpful for learning. The free version contains Adalo watermarks and does not allow you to upload your applications to GooglePlayMarket and AppStore. Beginners often choose this no-code platform to create their first applications with simple logic.

Bubble

It will take more time to learn Bubble , but the platform allows you to work with the backend, databases, business processes, and layout. There are many plugins. The free plan allows you to master the tool, and you can start developing at the middle rate. The price increase is due to the rise in the number of users.

Integromat

It is an integrator. Experts talk about it as a simple and affordable platform for linking applications and services. Scenarios can be created personally, or you can use templates. If you need to connect an application with a service not from the Integromat database, fill out the form and connect to its API via HTTP.

Zapier

This is an integrator for linking applications with each other or with other external services. You can transfer data between thousands of applications. There is a script constructor (one event starts a chain of necessary actions).

Directual

The no-code platform positions itself for creating MVP applications (Minimal Viable Product, minimum viable product) and full-fledged applications of finished products. Scenarios are the backbone of the platform. Using scripts, you can automate the backend logic of the application, create and combine workflows. The Directual catalog includes out-of-the-box connectors, HTTP requests, webhooks, database listeners, and integration with popular services.

AppMaster.io

No-code next-generation platform for creating native and web applications on a real backend. Visual drag-and-drop designer, user-friendly business process designer, one-click app publishing to AppMaster Cloud, or integration with any cloud platform. Push notifications, authorization using social networks. Networks, email, and more. Connect applications to hundreds of services or programmatically access them using APIs. The ability to upload source code and documentation in a human-readable format and transfer it to your servers. Documentation auto-generation. Modern and fast language GoLang at the core.

No-code perspectives for startups

No-code development is gradually gaining popularity around the world. There are already more than 500 no-code tools for creating websites and various types of applications.

According to the forecasts of IT world experts, no-code will develop more and more actively and capture parts of the market responsible for medicine, small online business, small business, and all niches where it is possibly necessary to optimize and automate development processes.

The mass shift of businesses and their customers online and to gadgets has increased the demand for the fast and inexpensive creation of mobile applications that would work according to a single quality standard and have a simple, understandable, user-friendly interface.

Conclusion

No-code is visual programming in the form of a constructor without directly writing code. Usually, basic knowledge in development is enough to build applications on no-code.

The logic of no-code constructors is intuitive: the application interface is assembled from blocks, icons, buttons, and text which are connected to the database. Usually, you can choose a suitable template or do everything from scratch. Speed and economy are the main advantages of no-code tools.

No-code is suitable for creating an MVP, testing an idea or new features in a product, saving time for solving standard tasks. PRO level no-code platforms can provide you with a finished product, an application.

If you don't have an account on AppMaster.io yet, join us. After registration, you will be given a free trial period for 14 days, in which all the basic functionality of the platform is available. It will allow you to learn the intricacies of working with a professional-level no-code platform and understand its potential.
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Sarah Rose Sharp at Hyperallergic:

The show represents curatorial practice at its worst, and Hoffmanns flawed conceits here are many. First, one senses, in talking to him, that prior to the moment he conceived of the exhibition, he had never before entered a dollar store. It seems to him to be a place of novelty and marvelous tackiness, of cheap manufacturing and purposelessness best viewed with ironic detachment. He described the scene to me as though I too had never been to a dollar store  let alone shopped at one  during a brief interview at MOCAD.

[The show] was inspired by me going to a 99-cent shop in Brooklyn after doing a studio visit, said Hoffmann, who is the senior curator at large at MOCAD, in addition to being the director of exhibitions and public programs at the Jewish Museum in New York. He was in search of a garment steamer, which of course the store didnt have. It was interesting, because they had so many things that were ethnically specific  I think it was a Vietnamese neighborhood  and then I started talking to other people that told me, in fact, most of the 99-cent shops are really geared toward the ethnic community that is around them.

No kidding! Its almost like dollar stores spring up in low-income communities, capitalizing on consumers who employ them not as ironic source material for art projects, but as the few places they can afford to shop for items that allow them to eke out a largely unsupported existence!

more here.
Gareth Cook in Scientific American:

The Thinker, Auguste Rodins bronze sculpture, has become a visual cliche, a common representation of deep thought  a figure, gazing down, chin on hand, completely alone. This is utterly misleading, according to the authors of The Knowledge Illusion, which carries the subtitle: Why We Never Think Alone. Steven Sloman, a professor at Brown University, and Philip Fernbach, a professor at the University of Colorados Leeds School of Business, argue that our intelligence depends on the people and things that surround us, and to a degree we rarely recognize. Knowledge, they say, is a community effort. Sloman answered questions from Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook.

YOU ARGUE THAT WE DONT KNOW AS MUCH AS WE THINK WE DO. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS?

People overestimate how well they understand how things work. Direct evidence for this comes from the psychological laboratory. The great Yale psychologist Frank Keil and his students first demonstrated the illusion of explanatory depth, what we call the knowledge illusion. He asked people how well they understand how everyday objects (zippers, toilets, ballpoint pens) work. On average, people felt they had a reasonable understanding (at the middle of a 7-point scale). Then Keil asked them to explain how they work. People failed miserably. For the most part, people just cant articulate the mechanisms that drive even the simplest things. So when he again asked them to rate their understanding, their ratings were lower. By their own admission, the act of attempting to explain had pierced their illusion of understanding. We have replicated this basic finding many times, not only with everyday objects, but also with political policies. Matthew Fisher has shown that people overestimate their ability to construct logical justifications for their beliefs.

More here. [Thanks to Stefan Saal.]
The art of drag has a long history in San Francisco, and with the growing popularity of RuPaul's Drag Race (RPDR) and with DragCon spanning both coasts, the appetite for drag performances has reached a fever pitch. Here are our favorite places to catch the drag queens and kings of the Bay Area.





San Francisco

El Rio



Get your daytime drag fix on the third Sunday of every month when El Rio hosts Daytime Realness, which returned this spring after a six-month hiatus. From 2 to 8pm, Heklina, Stanley Frank, and Carnita promise "drag, dancing, and disorder" on El Rio's back patio. Expect queens performing in the daylight, guest DJs, and barbecue fromSneaky's. // 3158 Mission St. (Mission), elriosf.com









Oasis

Owned by drag queens D'Arcy Drollinger and Heklina, this drag powerhouse is home to weekly Mother events (formerly Trannyshack), where both established and aspiring queens can share their art, typically within a themethink Madonna, Ladies of the '80s, and more. Additionally, the club serves as a frequent venue for some of the top names in dragincluding RPDR finalists and winnersdoing one-woman shows, revamps of cult movies, or live musical performances. (You can also catch screenings of RuPaul's Drag Race while it's airing.) Swing by before July 1 to catch drag re-enactments of classic Sex in the City episodes, with Sue Casa, D'Arcy, Lady Bear, and Steven LeMay playing a raunchy core four, plus drag king Leigh Crow as Mr. Big. // 298 11th St. (SoMa), sfoasis.com







Powerhouse

In keeping with its more leather-leaning atmosphere and anything goes attitude, Powerhouse has options to fit your drag desires. Beatpig combines leather, fashion, and drag every third Saturday with host Juanita More!, joined by Walter Gomez and DJ Stanley Frank. Also expect go-go dancers, cheap drinks, bondage demonstrations, and rotating photographers in a leather bar atmosphere. And the first Saturday of the month, Powerhouse transforms into Powerblouse, when one lucky guy gets a full fantasy drag makeover courtesy of Juanita More! and Glamamore, with go-go dancers and drink specials. // 1347 Folsom St. (SoMa), powerhousebar.com







Beaux



With a name that translates to "boyfriends" in French, Beaux aims to be your partner in the Castro and has a selection of weekly events if your tastes trend drag. Beaux often welcomes former RPDR contestants (plus revolving DJs, club kids, and porn stars) for Big Top Sundays, and also hosts a Carnie Asadahosted Throwback Thursday and Sunday liquid brunch. // 2344 Market St. (Castro), beauxsf.com

Asia SF



The performers at Asia SF's tightly choreographed shows identify as transgender, not as drag queens, but the same level of artistry and respect for the stage goes into each polished performance. Don't expect amateur hour or rough-around-the-edges revuesthe dancers and lipsyncers here nail their songs (often Top 40 hits or club bangers), hit their marks and sometimes boast an uncanny resemblance to the pop stars they're honoring. The performers also act as servers for the dinner portion pre-show and have signature cocktails that bear their names. // 201 9th St. (SoMa), asiasf.com





Harry Denton's Starlight Room

While it may be a favorite of tourists and bachelorette parties, the Sunday's A Drag brunch at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel never fails to entertainit's been around for more than a decade for a reason. Queens such as Holotta Tymes and Donna Sachet mix comedy, lipsyncing, and dancing with well-hooked barbs at the audience's expense. It's traditional drag glamour at its finest, with plenty of gowns, sequins, and feather boas, plus a buffet brunch. // 450 Powell St. (Union Square), starlightroomsf.com





Finn Town

While not technically a show, this new Castro hotspot will transforms into Club Finn for Pride weekend, with a strong drag focus. As an homage to San Francisco's drag culture, Club Finn will serve special Stoli cocktails inspired by some of the community's most popular drag queens, who will also serve as hosts alongside owner Rick Hamer. Look for Empress Mercedes Monro (Thursday), Sister Roma (Friday), Ruby Red Monro (Saturday), and Whitney Skye Paterson (Sunday). Visitors will walk a rainbow carpet as they enter the "tavern with a twist," and once inside, they can expect a curated Pride playlist, drag movies playing on two screens, and a variety of Pride-themed bites. // 2251 Market St. (Upper Market), finntownsf.com







East Bay

The Port Bar



Co-owned by Sean Sullivan and Richard Fuentes, the Port Bar opened last June in Uptown Oakland, delivering a seven-days-a-week gathering place for the LGBT community right by the 19th Street BART station. As a nod to its nautical name, the Port's wall and bathroom are made from former Port of Oakland shipping containers and wood and corrugated steel were sourced locally or reclaimed from nearby businesses. The permanent art collection reflects six LGBT social-justice leaders as depicted by Bay Area artists. In addition to Friday night RPDR viewing parties with BeBe Sweetbriar, Port is also home to weekly Sunday #Blessed parties hosted by drag queen Carnie Asada. For the lip-syncing and singing performances, nightly themes range from Latina Cantina Cabaret to R&B. //2023 Broadway (Oakland), portbaroakland.com





White Horse Bar

Around since 1933 and the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the country, this Oakland mainstay has long been an East Bay LGBT hang. Wednesdays are the nights for drag, with Follies and Dollies every second Wednesday hosted by Cemora Valentino-Devine. Rebel Kings lets ladies dressed as men take over every first and third Wednesday, with drag king performances followed by live DJs, drink specials, and dancing. // 6551 Telegraph Ave. (Oakland), whitehorsebar.com







Club 1220

Drag in the suburbs? You bet. Head out to the old Club 1220 in Walnut Creek (just off North Civic Drive) every other week for Sunday Unwind and the Holatta Tymeshosted drag show, UnBoylievable. Each event features a different theme (ranging from "As Seen on TV" to "Lovin' Around the World"), performances from local queens, and a rotating roster of special guests. Holatta also heads behind the stick on Monday nights while the club plays specially selected movies. // 1220 Pine St. (Walnut Creek), club1220.com


Tell us: Did Diana marry for love or for the fairy tale?

This is the second installment in a series of photos and videos remembering Princess Diana as we approach the 20th anniversary of her shocking death on Aug. 31, 1997. Please share your thoughts and memories of Diana in our Icons community forum.

"The wedding of the century," on Wednesday, July 29, 1981, starred Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales, vowing to love and honor (obey was deleted at the couple's request) each other at St. Paul's Cathedral in London while 750 million watched on TV. In the U.S. fans rose in the middle of the night to tune in to the pageantry. Diana and her father arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, she in a voluminous David and Elizabeth Emanueldesigned ivory silk and taffeta gown with a 25-foot train, topped by a Spencer diamond tiara. The breakfast reception, at Buckingham Palace, (with 27 wedding cakes!) included a public balcony kiss  the crowd roared.

On their Mediterranean honeymoon cruise, Di swam in bikinis, Charles painted, and both windsurfed and scuba dived. But trouble may have been brewing even then over Charles' ex-girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles. At a royal family holiday in Scotland soon after, Charles spent days fishing, shooting and riding, but Diana became depressed and alarmingly thin, foreshadowing difficulties to come.
Television celebrities Hill Harper and Hoda Kotb share something special: Both are in their 50s and recently adopted a child, becoming a parent for the first time.

Harper, who starred in CSI: NY and recently appeared in All Eyez on Me and Homeland, revealed publicly this month he had finalized the adoption of his 18-month-old son. In an interview with ABC News, the single father said that for the longest time he envisioned he would get married, have biological children, and also adopt. Well, as he approached 50 years old a friend of his posed the question, Even though you arent married, why cant you just be a dad now?

Kotb, anchor for NBC's Today show, shared a similar reflection with her viewers: "I've always had this feeling inside that I wanted a baby, but I thought I was too late." She continued, "I was divorced, I had had cancer, and you just think, OK. I don't get everything, and it's OK. And then, all the sudden, you look around and you go, 'Well, why not me?' "

In an interview with AARP, Chuck Johnson, president of the National Council for Adoption, explained that while the age of parents adopting children isnt tracked, in his decades of experience he has seen a shift. As a social worker 31 years ago, I dealt with a lot of parents who were under 40 and adopting. Now parents are adopting well into their 40s, 50s, and in some cases older, Johnson said.

Hill Harper and son Pierce on Good Morning America, during an interview on June 16. abc.com

Harper admitted he was initially hesitant to consider adoption. And even after meeting with an adoption expert and learning more about the process, he still wasnt ready. Resuming his Hollywood-style life, the actor and author began shooting a new show and planning for other acting roles. But in November 2015, about six months after that meeting, Harper received a phone call from the adoption representative. Harper remembers the conversation nearly word for word. He said, 'There is a wonderful young woman whos having a son in three weeks. Would you be interested in adopting him?' 

The actor, who had never changed a diaper before, made the life-changing decision to become a father. He scrambled to get ready while also shooting All Eyez on Me. The father-to-be went from the film set to a plane and rushed to the delivery room where he witnessed the birth. He even cut the umbilical cord. Harper, now 51, says the biggest challenge is knowing that each day you are making decisions that will affect the future of your child.
The sweeping Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 also would allow states to waive important consumer protections including essential health benefits. This would allow insurance companies to no longer offer or drastically increase the cost of the coverage people need and depend on, particularly those with preexisting conditions. At the same time, the Senate bill would give billions of dollars in tax breaks to the health industry and wealthy individuals.

This new Senate bill was crafted in secrecy behind closed doors without a single hearing or open debate  and it shows, said Nancy LeaMond, executive vice president at AARP. The Senate bill would hit millions of Americans with higher costs and result in less coverage for them. AARP is adamantly opposed to the Age Tax, which would allow insurance companies to charge older Americans five times more for coverage than everyone else while reducing tax credits that help make insurance more affordable.

As it did with the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which the House passed in May, AARP vowed to hold senators accountable by informing its 38 million members how they vote on their health care bill.

Heres a look at some of the key provisions of the Senate measure, which Republican leaders would like to bring to the floor for a vote before the July 4 recess.

Medicaid

The Senate bill would restructure the Medicaid program, which provides health care coverage for 74 million poor and low-income adults, children, pregnant women and people with disabilities. Medicaid also pays for long-term care services and supports, including home- and community-based care, and covers two-thirds of the care for people living in nursing homes.

The bill would phase out the additional federal funding 31 states and Washington, D.C., receive to expand their Medicaid populations. This phaseout would leave states with a huge deficit.

In addition, the Senate measure would cap the amount of Medicaid funding a state can receive for each person enrolled in the program starting in 2020. The bill also would give states the option of requesting a lump sum payment, called a block grant, specifically for adults who are not elderly, disabled or included in the Medicaid expansion.

These changes mean less federal money would be available to the states for Medicaid. Starting in 2025, the rate of growth of the per capita cap would decline significantly, meaning even deeper cuts to the program. Given the aging demographics of the country, the cap would not keep pace with the funding necessary to support the needs of the senior and disabled population.

Cost to consumers

Current law bars insurers from charging older adults more than three times as much for premiums as they charge those who are younger for the same coverage. Both the AHCA and the Senate bill would allow insurers to charge older adults five times as much, and states could receive waivers to remove even that limit.

The Senate bill also would make important changes to the premium tax credit assistance available under current law for those purchasing insurance in the ACA marketplaces. Under the Senate bill, the tax credits would cover a smaller percentage of medical costs. These tax credits would decrease as a person ages, meaning older adults would have to spend a higher percentage of their incomes on health insurance premiums. And many people who currently receive premium tax credits would lose them altogether.

Essential health benefits

Under current law, all health plans must cover a set of basic medical services called essential health benefits.

These benefits include emergency services, chronic disease management, preventive and wellness services, in-patient and outpatient hospital care, pediatrics, maternity, mental health and substance abuse, prescription drugs, laboratory services and rehabilitation.

The Senate bill would allow states to request waivers to opt out of these essential health benefits. Allowing states to waive the basic benefits standards could mean that important coverage for people may not be available, including coverage depended on by individuals with preexisting conditions.
US judge blocks President Biden's student debt forgiveness plan

The injunction is the second to block the president's signature program, which could cut or eliminate student loan debt for up to 40 million people.


Drilling Intersects Strong Evidence of Bulk Tonnage Style Mineralisation

Perth, June 23, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Metal Bank Limited ( ASX:MBK ) is pleased to provide the following drilling update from the Triumph Project in southeast Queensland, Australia. Results have been received from an initial diamond drilling programme (8 holes for 1012.5m) testing various Induced Polarisation (IP) geophysical targets under shallow cover.



Highlights:



- 20 meter outer zone of mineralised intense alteration consistent with a bulk tonnage Au-Cu-Mo system successfully intersected



- Demonstrates bulk tonnage potential with at least nine new targets identified within a 4km x 2km corridor



- New IP geophysics and diamond drilling lays the foundation for systematic testing of high-grade and bulk tonnage targets with follow up drilling imminent



The results provide strong support for multiple bulk tonnage style mineral systems on the project, with the first hole into the Chief Adachi target returning strong Au-Ag-Mo-Bi geochemistry within intense feldspathic alteration typical of leakage above the 'roof zone' of a potentially much larger mineralised Au-Cu-Mo system concealed by shallow cover. Nine new Au-Cu-Mo bulk tonnage exploration targets have been defined; underpinned by the latest drilling, new IP geophysics and further supported by incorporation of existing geological, geochemical and geophysical evidence.



Tony Schreck, Managing Director of Metal Bank said:



"We now have direct evidence for a connection between the widespread high-grade Au-Ag mineralisation targeted to date and bulk tonnage Au-Cu-Mo style mineralisation of a potentially significant scale. This is a pivotal step change for the Triumph project and importantly, it provides the geological indication that the project can host large bulk tonnage systems similar to other multi-million ounce gold deposits of Eastern Australia."



Bulk Tonnage Style Au-Cu-Mo Mineralisation - Chief Adachi Prospect



An initial diamond drill hole (TDH115) has been completed at the Chief Adachi prospect, the first of nine new bulk tonnage targets to be tested. Drilling was designed to test the margin of a broad >750m x 350m IP geophysical anomaly characterised by a low resistivity signature concealed beneath shallow cover sediments. The results included elevated levels of Mo-Cu-Pb-Zn-Mo-Ag-Bi (Au) geochemistry associated with intense feldspathic-sericite alteration which are consistent with leakage from a mineralised 'roof zone' or outer carapace located above an intrusion. An interpreted drill section across the geophysical target zone is shown in Figure 3 in link below.



The porous nature of the intense feldspathic alteration containing abundant sulfide-filled vuggy cavities including molybdenum (Mo), chalcopyrite (Cu) and sphalerite (Zn) (Figure 1 in link below) is also consistent with the low resistivity IP response (Figure 4 in link below) and occupies a previously unexplored area concealed beneath sedimentary cover.



The priority at Chief Adachi target is to evaluate the entire IP low resistivity zone (>750m x 300m) interpreted to reflect similar widespread alteration and mineralisation (refer to Figure 4 in link below).



New Target Generation - IP Resistivity and Chargeability Geophysics



Nine new Au-Cu-Mo bulk tonnage exploration targets (including Chief Adachi) have been defined, underpinned by the latest drilling, IP geophysics and further supported by incorporation of existing geological, geochemical and geophysical evidence (Figure 2 in link below).



A conceptual exploration model of the Triumph intrusion-related mineralised system is shown in Figure 6 in link below with the section line shown in Figure 2. This 4km long section extends across the project area from New Constitution in the southwest to Bonneville in the northeast and highlights the link between the different styles of mineralised high-grade and bulk tonnage intrusion-related exploration targets at the Triumph Project.



A number of distinctive IP geophysical signatures were calibrated from drill testing as part of this diamond drilling programme providing more robust geological interpretations and a significant improvement in the ability to target under shallow cover sediments.



Triumph Project - next phase



The company's forward exploration strategy is to systematically explore these concealed new bulk tonnage targets for multi-million ounce potential in parallel with the continuation of testing for high-grade Au-Ag near surface mineralisation.



Follow-up drilling is planned to commence in early July at Chief Adachi targeting the IP geophysics concealed by shallow cover. Further drilling is also planned to continue to evaluate the high-grade Au-Ag targets at Bald Hill, Handbrake Hill, Big Hans, and New Constitution prospects, the subject of previous drill programmes.



The Triumph gold camp is an intrusion related gold system of the type encountered in a number of large systems in Queensland such as Kidston (3.7Moz Au), Mt Leyshon (3.5Moz Au), Ravenswood (3Moz Au) and Mt Wright (1.3Moz Au). Exploration to date by MBK has defined widespread high-grade Au-Ag mineralisation which appears as leakage around and above multiple intrusion related Au-Cu-Mo targets defined on the project.



To view tables and figures, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/82BG102Z





About Metal Bank Limited





Metal Bank Limited (ASX:MBK) core focus is creating value through a combination of exploration success and quality project acquisition. The company's key projects are the Triumph, Eidsvold and Mt Mackenzie Gold Projects situated in the northern New England Fold Belt of central Queensland, which also hosts the Cracow (3Moz Au), Mt Rawdon (2Moz Au), Mt Morgan (8Moz Au, 0.4Mt Cu) and Gympie (5Moz Au) gold deposits.

The company has an experienced Board and management team that brings regional knowledge, expertise in early stage exploration and development, relevant experience in the mid cap ASX-listed resource sector and a focus on sound corporate governance.
Lekki Lagos, February 1st 2019. Rilla Web Hosting, one of the top players in domain registration and web hosting has announces its full ...
LONDON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Corian design surface has been used to create the dramatic backdrop and furniture for the permanent collection of the newly opened Museu do Amanha in Rio de Janeiro. The museum is part of the revitalisation of the city's docklands, a city hall initiative. Unique design and cutting-edge technology have transformed Corian into a collection of highly innovative creations. The pieces are designed with tomorrow in mind and represent man's role as an agent for changing the future.

Cosmos

Cosmos - a black 'egg' measuring 20m long, 14m wide and 11m high - is made with Corian (Deep Nocturne colour). It is a large elliptical-shaped structure in which each piece has been formed, including the entry and exit tunnels. The piece features huge monolithic areas inside, which provide visitors with their first immersive experience on entering the museum. With space for 200 people, 'Cosmos' enables visitors to experience a sensory journey through the universe, based on a virtual tour in a 360 degree dome. They can travel through galaxies, dive into the subatomic world of elementary particles, enter the Sun's heart, and observe how the Earth was formed and life began.

Cosmos and the Interactive Tables

One of the highlights of this first immersive experience is 'Cosmic Horizons', a series of six interactive tables in a cup shape measuring 130cm in diameter and 80cm tall. Again fabricated in Corian design surface (Deep Nocturne tone), the tables include built-in monitors allowing visitors to interact more deeply with aspects of the universe. The pieces are moulded using a vacuum technique and have tops with precise oval cuts. One of the key features of the design is the bevelled finishing which allows for the installation of monitors and reading slots.

Tomorrow's Tables

'Tomorrow's Tables' have been fabricated in a similar way. The three geometrically-shape tables each have different dimensions (400 x 200cm, 300 x 220cm and 330 x 200cm, all 95 cm high). They are the focus of the 'tomorrow' theme which unfolds in an 'origami' shaped area of the Museum. Fabricated completely in Corian design surface, the 'Tomorrow's Tables' have a metal frame designed to support each element of Corian and the multiple monitors. These monitors alternate between showing a series of trends and scenarios, and interactive activities that place the visitor as an agent for constructing the future of our world. Achieving this fully customised design was possible thanks to the high tech abilities of Corian, which offers imperceptible seams, appearing to be a single and continuous piece. With Corian, it is possible to create designs with real personality: the product is easily adaptable to virtually any format or location, providing complete creative freedom.

Churinga Base

Located in the 'We' space in the Museum, 'Churinga' invites visitors to reflect on what we will leave for future generations. An Australian aborigine's artefact, the piece is more than an object: it is an endless 'tool' that links the past to the future by tying previous generations' knowledge and legacy to future generations. The Churinga base has a flattened circular design with different radii and angles, and measures 240cm in diameter and 55cm high. It was fabricated in Corian design surface (Rice Paper colour, available in Brazil) and then treated by artist Mana Bernardes with raw clay painting and handwriting to create a more rustic effect. In addition, floodlights have been embedded which illuminate the 'Oca', with the lighting equipment concealed within the design.

Logo and service counters

The service counters, which feature geometric shapes, are also made in Corian (Glacier White colour): they take charge of the Museum's visual communications. More than 400 letters and identification icons have been produced in Corian. One of the highlights is the main logo, inspired by a 'sticks' game, which is composed of more than 300 pieces of Corian design surface (Glacier White tone), decorated with eleven different colours of automotive paint.

To download the complete press release including images preview, click here.
From the "Make them, break them and forsake them" files... We'll be seeing this in America soon. Districts collapsing under the costs and training required to service the autism population. Adult programs wholly unprepared for the behaviors of autism. Employers unsure of how to manage Asperger's and HFA in the workforce. The world will NOT bend like a blade of grass to autism.



By Anne Dachel



There is an important story from Australia about how Senator Pauline Hanson spoke out in Parliament calling for the removal of some children with autism from regular education classrooms. All the major papers in Australia and Britain have the story. The BBC also mentioned that "in March, Ms Hanson made comments advocating the discredited theory which links vaccines with autism. She later apologised only for suggesting that parents subject their children to a non-existent test for vaccine allergies."

Hanson said she'd been approached by parents and teachers about the problem of having teachers' attention focused on the needs of autistic students in the classroom; she pointed to falling educational standards in Australian schools.

"I think that we have more autistic children, and yet we are not providing the special classrooms or the schools for these autistic children. ...We have to consider the impact that is having on other children in that classroom. ....Other kids in other countries who are going ahead leaps and bounds ahead of us, and unless we keep up a decent educational standard in this country, we will keep going further backwards and backwards. ...."

Hanson came under immediate attack for her "segregationist" remarks. Seen the stories below.

This is more evidence that worldwide, autism will never be seen as a problem, no matter what the cost or how bad the numbers Years of April Autism Awareness blue lights have taught us that we just need to accept autism as part of the human condition. We should accommodate those affected and pretend that it's always been like this.

And keep in mind that, much like the U.S., autism isn't seen as a problem in Australia. Look at the SBS.com piece from March 2017 entitled, "Why a 42 per cent increase in autism diagnoses is no cause for alarm."

Here's coverage from the last two days. Not one news source said a word about the dramatic increase in the number of affected kids in Australia's schools.

Also see my two attachments about stories from the last two months, SPECIAL ED COSTS and Special ed stories on the dramatic increase in special education students and cost in America. Not one news source asked why we have more and more of these students in this country. More evidence of how we've quietly surrendered to the loss of healthy children. No one dares to suggest that something is wrong.

June 23, Australia, The Western Advocate: Children with autism are 'holding our kids back': Senator Pauline Hanson

Senator Hanson told the Senate on Wednesday that she was supporting the federal government's Gonski 2.0 school funding plan because she feared education standards were plummeting, citing poor maths results and the Safe Schools program.

But it was comments she made about students with autism that has enraged the disability sector and ignited Twitter. 

"We can't afford to hold our kids back: we have the rest of the world and other kids in other countries who are going ahead [in] leaps and bounds ahead of us," Senator Hanson said.

June 22, 2017, BBC News: Australian politician criticised for remarks about autism
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Rain. High 72F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.
June 22, 2017

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani on June 7 announced an agreement among Iraqi Kurdish groups to hold a binding vote in September that could pave the way for an independent Kurdistan, free of control by the central government in Baghdad. An independent Kurdistan, which would border Iran along a province with a large Kurdish population, poses many challenges for the Islamic Republic. Iranian leaders have been vocal in their opposition to any referendum that would split Iraq.

During a June 20 meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, expressed his opposition to the independence vote. As a neighbor, the Islamic Republic is opposed to the holding of a referendum for the separation of a part of Iraq, Khamenei said. Those who are pushing it are opposed to the independence and identity of Iraq, he added. Iraq, with its roots and historical and cultural civilization, must remain integrated.

In a meeting with Abadi on June 21, parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, discussing the goals of extremist groups such as the Islamic State, warned against the disintegration of Iraq, which he said is something that Israel also seeks and something which will have no benefit for any part of Iraq. Larijani further said, Confronting the disintegration of Iraq is very important. We see this as a dangerous thing for all of the nations, and those countries that support it will also be impacted by it.

On June 10, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi, explaining Irans opposition to the referendum, said that during this complex time for Iraq and the region, there are some who seek the continuation of instability in Iraq. An integrated, stable, and democratic Iraq will guarantee the interests of all the people of the country, Ghassemi said.

There has also been a great deal of analysis in the Iranian media in opposition to the referendum. A June 20 article in the conservative Mashregh News said the referendum is not just an Iraqi issue. Some domestic issues for a neighbor, given its links to other areas, cannot be interpreted as solely a domestic issue, the article read. It said that while Iran has friendly relations with the KRG, such a referendum at this time will cause political and security instability  because of the international nature of Kurdish issues. The process of independence for Iraqi Kurdistan, the article said, could impact the situation of Kurds in Turkey, Iran and Syria. This, it argued, could cause additional instability in the region. Irans Kurdish regions, like those in Turkey and Syria, have experienced periods of violence. The June 7 Islamic State attack on Tehran was led by an Iranian Kurd.

A June 11 article run by the Tasnim News Agency said Iraqi Kurds are falling for a colonial plot to break up Iraq. The article also warned that the same could happen to Syria. Most Western countries, however, including the United States, oppose the referendum and have stressed the importance of maintaining a unified Iraq.

An Eghtesad News article wrote that the only country in support of the referendum so far is Israel. It cited June 12 comments by former Israeli Interior Minister Gideon Saar urging Israel and the United States to back the referendum. Saar said that Jews and Kurds are both minorities in the region and that the Kurds have proved they can be strategic and reliable partners. In June 2014, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would support an independent Kurdistan.
June 20, 2017

In the aftermath of the June 7 terrorist attacks in Tehran claimed by the Islamic State (IS), Iranian Reformists and moderates have sought to overcome the heightened factional divisions lingering from the recent presidential elections. Indeed, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Mohammad Reza Aref and Mostafa Tajzadeh among many other Reformist politicians have called for national unity. In contrast, conservative and hard-line politicians have not missed the opportunity to target their rivals. Even as bullets were flying inside parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a political offensive against moderate President Hassan Rouhani kicked off. Rather than a cause for national unity, the attacks in Tehran marked the beginning of a new bout of political infighting.

The easiest and most vulnerable target for hard-liner attacks is anyone who opposed Iranian involvement in Syria. Indeed, conservatives have used the Tehran attacks to reiterate once again that if Iran had not been involved in Syria and Iraq, it wouldve been fighting IS in the streets of the Iranian capital on a daily basis. Noteworthy among these voices is Ahmad Tavakoli, a conservative former member of parliament. In a tweet amid the terrorist attacks on June 7, Tavakoli lambasted Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the Reformist former mayor of Tehran, for his remarks on April 30 denouncing Iranian military engagement in Syria and advocating a solution based on political negotiations.

Another pivotal theme of hard-line rhetoric has been the strident defense of the role of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in protecting the country. The IRGC was fiercely criticized by Rouhani during the recent election campaigning over their ever-increasing involvement in the Iranian economy as well as interference with foreign policy and domestic politics. Ironically, instead of questioning the IRGC over their flagrant failure in preventing the infiltration of terrorists into parliament in the heart of Tehran, the IRGC has been heralded as heroes on state-run TV and in the conservative media.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Rouhanis efforts to engage in regional diplomacy have additionally been targeted. Kayhan, the hard-line daily whose editor-in-chief is appointed by the supreme leader, has condemned the United States for its purported support of the terrorists while criticizing Rouhanis emphasis on constructive engagement with the world, writing in an editorial on June 10, The events of the Wednesday [June 7] removed the facade of the Americans and exposed their true nature to the [Iranian] people.  Was Daesh [IS] not created during the [2013-15] nuclear negotiations?

That hard-liners have acted so promptly in using the June 7 attacks as an opportunity to slam the moderates is not surprising. Just a month ago, their all-out and powerful election machine was crushed by Rouhani, who secured 57% of votes on May 19, far ahead of Ebrahim Raisi, his main conservative opponent. As such, the attacks in Tehran have provided hard-liners with a post-election relief of sorts, as they have sought to reunite their forces and mobilize their shattered rank and file for a fresh standoff with the Rouhani administration. Thus, their reaction to the attacks should be analyzed in the context of their exasperation in the aftermath of the elections.

The conservatives defeat in the May 19 vote was defining, for it signaled the ideological dead end and lack of powerful discourse in their camp.

After the death of Khomeini in 1989, no hard-line candidate has been able to win a presidential election by emphasizing revolutionary and religious-conservative values. The first president after the demise of Khomeini, the late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was at the center of the political spectrum; his successor, Mohammad Khatami, was a fervent Reformist. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though conservative in theory and practice, was first elected in 2005 on the back of economic populism rather than by stressing the social and cultural policies of the hard-liners. Rouhani also won office in 2013 and last month by portraying himself as the only viable alternative to the conservatives, whether on social and cultural issues or foreign policy.

Even before the May 19 polls, the conservatives were aware of the inability of revolutionary slogans to mobilize voters. Thus, they hijacked Ahmadinejads rhetoric. Raisi and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf promised to multiply the monthly cash handouts that most Iranians receive, and they waged a multifaceted defamation operation against Rouhani by disclosing several documents about the alleged corruption of the Rouhani administration in the live TV debates. Furthermore, they tried to dissociate themselves from extremist social and cultural approaches and to depict a more moderate image. Even Raisi, the conservative finalist, met with an underground rapper who is popular among the youth. The photos of the meeting went viral on social media. The hard-liners loss in the elections, however, indicates that even incorporation of moderate and Reformist themes into the public image of conservatism will not necessarily strengthen their voter base. Therefore, a reshuffling of their whole discourse has now been put in place.

In this vein, the terrorist attacks in Tehran have provided hard-liners with a pretext to frame their new discourse around national security. If anything, as in many other parts of the world, conservatives have proven to be masters of this exercise.

Though national security seemed to be an initial conservative response to the Tehran attacks, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may not be following the same line. Instead of exacerbating the sense of emergency and aggravating the threat of terrorism, which could have been used to seek more prerogatives and impunity for the IRGC, Khamenei belittled the attacks by calling them firecrackers. Moreover, he chose to reiterate his usual revolutionary rhetoric and Islamic values to slam Rouhani.

Indeed, Khamenei has leveled two different yet connected rounds of attacks on the Rouhani administration after the June 7 attacks. First, only a few hours after the attack, he gave the green light to his supporters to engage in fiercer assaults on the government based on its allegedly nonrevolutionary social and cultural policies but also its permissive conduct of foreign affairs. He gave the revolutionary elements a fire-at-will formula so that they no longer needed to wait for the orders of a central command, meaning Rouhanis government, which, he suggested, is not vigilant to the real threats to the Islamic Revolution. On the other hand, on June 13 he meaningfully warned Rouhani of the fate of Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, the first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran who, after assuming office in 1980, was impeached by parliament and dismissed by Khomeini, In 1981, the then president bipolarized society and divided the people into two groups of opponents and proponents. That experience must not be repeated.

Disappointed with the results of the May 19 elections and with the inability of revolutionary discourse to win voters, the hard-liners have focused on finding a more instrumental way to go around their crisis and revive their energies. The Tehran attacks have provided them with the opportunity to achieve precisely these objectives. However, the question of whether new rhetoric centered on national security will provide conservatives with the impetus to regain lost momentum remains unclear. If anything, given Khameneis decision to not focus on national security in the aftermath of the attacks while increasing verbal assaults on Rouhani suggests that the scope for hard-liners to fully seize the opportunity is indeed limited.
June 22, 2017

BAGHDAD  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's foreign tour this week included three stops, most notably Saudi Arabia. It was his first visit to the country since he assumed his position about three years ago. Also, the visit occurred at a time when Gulf relations are going through a historic crisis that erupted after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates officially cut ties with Qatar.

Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Abadi said in a May 17 meeting attended by Al-Monitor and a group of media professionals that his visit to Saudi Arabia was planned more than a year ago and that he would not discuss the Gulf crisis. He also added that Iraq will not take part in the crisis in any way whatsoever.

The visit to Saudi Arabia aims to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, especially on the economic level, as Riyadh promised to provide facilitations to Iraqi investors and contribute to the reconstruction of Iraqi cities liberated from the Islamic State [IS], in addition to raising the level of security coordination between the two countries in the fight against terrorism.

Abadi arrived in Riyadh on June 19 as the head of a high-level government delegation. He met with King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and then-Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The meetings mainly led to the establishment of a joint coordination council, as per the Saudi-Iraqi joint statement, in order to take into account everything that could strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries to the desired strategic level; open new horizons of cooperation in various political, security, economic, development, trade, investment, touristic and cultural fields; activate the partnership between the private sectors of both countries; and follow up on the implementation of the agreements and memorandums of understanding signed between the two countries in order to achieve common goals.

However, some international newspapers, including Emirati daily The National, revealed that Abadi is mediating to calm the situation in the region and end the state of tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, especially as the Iraqi prime ministers jet flew from the city of Mecca directly to the Iranian capital city of Tehran in a move aimed at achieving political balance and playing an implicit role in mediation.

Adnan al-Sarraj, a member of the State of Law coalition and a close associate of the prime minister, told Al-Monitor that Abadi had no plans of officially mediating between Tehran and Riyadh, but he repeatedly expressed hope that the hostility that reached the level of direct threat between Saudi Arabia and Iran would end.

Sarraj added that Iraq is the most qualified party to play the role of mediator because it is the first victim of any clash that takes place in the region. Meanwhile, Iraq has good relations with everyone  but the main objective of the Abadi tour is to urge these countries to help reconstruct the cities liberated from IS.

Sarraj denied reports that Abadi's visit to Tehran was a spur-of-the-moment thing and unplanned, as opposed to the statements made by some officials in Iran, including Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari. These statements expressed Irans unwillingness to receive Abadi, which reflected the countrys discontent at Iraqs openness to Saudi Arabia and mediation attempt with Riyadh.

Abadi arrived in Tehran June 20 and met with President Hassan Rouhani, parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who stressed during his conversation with the Iraqi delegation the need to maintain the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), which he described as a blessed fruit and one of Iraqs backbones. Khamenei also praised the arrival of the PMU to the Syrian border as a major strategic step and warned Abadi against confiding in the Americans and following their policies in Iraq.

A source in the Iraqi delegation accompanying the prime minister told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that while Abadis visit to Riyadh was upon the invitation of Saudi Arabia, it was the Iraqi government that requested the Iranian side to receive the Iraqi government delegation at this particular time.

The goal behind the timing of the two visits is to deliver a message of reassurance to Iraqis and the regional powers that the Iraqi government will not side with a regional party against another and will reject the policy of regional axes, the source added.

Asked about reports that Iraq is seeking to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran or even interfere in the Gulf crisis, the source said, There were no mediation attempts, but Iraq expressed its position on the current crises in the region and explained that [Iraq] is the most affected party therein. Abadi stressed the need to fathom Iraq's domestic situation and establish calm.

Abadi's visit to Kuwait was symbolic after the visits to Saudi Arabia and Iran, whose competition in the region has largely contributed to the majority of the regional crises. Kuwait has initiated an intermediation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Iraq also has proposed an intermediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Knowing that Qatar's relationship with Iran was one of the reasons behind the Gulf rupture with Qatar, Abadi's visit to Kuwait can strengthen the role of the moderate group (Kuwait, Iraq and Oman) in the region to bring the enemies together and solve the crisis in the Gulf.

On May 21, the Iraqi delegation met with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad and discussed with him the possibility of postponing the indemnities of the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which amount to about $4 billion, and called for bringing Kuwaiti investments to the Iraqi provinces that suffered from the war against IS.

Abadis success in gaining excellent relations with Saudi Arabia  which also infers strengthened relations with the UAE, Bahrain and even Egypt  and in restoring diplomatic representation to the highest levels while attracting Saudi investments will put Iraq to the test and require it to prove that it is not siding with the Saudi axis that is hostile to the Iranian axis. This will probably lead the country to lose some of its Shiite allies who reject any Saudi role in Iraq.
June 19, 2017

For some young Egyptians, the holy fasting month of Ramadan is not only a spiritual time, but also an opportunity to launch small businesses. It's the high season for specific goods such as sohour and Iftar meals, colorful lanterns, khayameya work and other decorations.

Serving sohour  the pre-dawn meal during the holy month  can be a profitable business during Ramadan as many people like to spend the night eating together with friends. Some enterprising young people have started to compete with big restaurants in offering good quality meals at reasonable prices in the streets, where customers can enjoy the summer breeze.

Taking advantage of the holiday, Ahmed Abouda, 25, and Habiba Ashraf, 22, took over one of the sidewalks in Nasr City in Cairo and transformed it into a traditional seating area furnished with kilim carpets, cushions and small tables made of pallets to serve the famous meals of foul (beans) and tameya (falafel) made in a food cart they called Edrtna.

We started the project because we wanted to invest our time in doing something profitable, Abouda told Al-Monitor. He could not find a suitable job when he graduated from law school, so he established his own Ramadan business.

While Edrtna offers the same foul and tameya that are served all year round but are especially popular during Ramadan, Abouda and Ashraf keep inventing new recipes to attract new people and offer something for everyone. Besides their various kinds of foul made with sausage or butter and omelets and boiled or scrambled eggs, they also serve slices of watermelon, orange juice and bananas with Nutella or honey.

We wanted to be unique because people like variety and we wanted to make them come again. Thats how we grew our business, Abouda told Al-Monitor. They have about 25 tables, and the average sohour for one person at Edrtna starts at 30 Egyptian pounds (less than $2) and can reach 70 pounds (less than $4).

We built a good reputation last Ramadan, which was our first, and this year we are building on what we built last year, said Abouda, who makes some recipes with his friends at home.

Two young women, Dalia Ahmed and Hadeel el-Sherif, both 28 years old, launched their own sohour cart this Ramadan. They call it Cornishe Zayed.

With the help of volunteer friends, Ahmed brought a colorful foul cart to an empty space in the upscale Sheikh Zayed neighborhood and hung a banner and many LED lights. The customers start to arrive at 11:30 and linger until dawn every day. They also brought with them the Ramadan spirit more prevalent in the older areas of Cairo, like el-Hussein.

We wanted to take the risk. We planned to carry out the project by ourselves. We are the owners and the waiters at the same time, Dalia Ahmed, who holds a degree in mass communications, told Al-Monitor. Ahmed and her friend el-Sherif hired professional foul and tameya makers, while they prepare the other recipes like eggs and cheese with tomatoes at home.

As Ahmed and Abouda take their first steps, Saleh Masoud's business has exploded.

With his friends Abel Rahman Wali Eddin, Ahmed Ali and Tarek Azzam, Masoud established their Marzouka foul cart last Ramadan. They bought and redecorated a used foul cart and parked it on a street of Al-Moqattam district. They recruited many young people in the area to work with them and taught them about hygiene to make sure that every plate they serve is clean.

After great success last Ramadan, we rented a shop and put our cart inside it. We've started a new phase as Marzouka the shop, he explained.

This Ramadan, Marzoukas team offers not only sohour meals but also a festive atmosphere as they rented the empty space in front of their small shop and decorated it with lovely lighting and khayameya tapestries. They put out 600 chairs and 80 tables and hired 65 waiters.

Ramadan is a high season for foul, and we wanted to take advantage. We not only offer the traditional sohour but also homemade yogurt, sweet rice with milk, flan and ice cream in partnerships with other young people who make these products. We wanted to offer a complete and pleasant experience, Masoud told Al-Monitor.

Martina Adel, 21, and Malak Mohamed, 21, decided to start their own Ramadan business selling festive items like fawanes, small pillows and khayameya. The two university students displayed their products on a sidewalk in Cairo's Misr el-Gedida district.

If we enjoy what we are doing and we can make good profits, why should we be embarrassed? Adel said to Al-Monitor.

The two young women were pushed by the economic crisis that hit Egypt after the government's 2016 decision to float the pound, which increased the prices of many products dramatically.

We did not want to ask our families for money. Instead, we wanted to let them know that we are reliable, she added.

Adel and Mohamed displayed their products for two weeks before Ramadan and for another week after the beginning of the month, as sales drop off at that point.

This is our first time doing this, and it was like an improvisation. We bought our items from wholesalers and then sold them at a smaller markup compared to the shops, Adel told Al-Monitor. She said they plan to rent a small shop where they can sell other various products beyond the Ramadan season.
June 21, 2017

Imagine the residents of an entire town  rich and poor alike  cooking the exact same dish on the very same day and all having it for lunch. On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, all the citizens of Gaziantep have the same humble single-pot dish called yuvarlama, or yuvalama in the local dialect.

Designated in the UNESCO list of Creative Cities Network as a Gastronomy City in 2015, southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep is famous for its rich culinary culture. Its long history includes countless stories and legends attached to its numerous dishes.

Two of its most famous are kebab and baklava, but yuvalama is a far cry from either. It is a stew of minuscule ground rice and mincemeat dumplings, lamb cut into small cubes and chickpeas cooked to perfection, all blended with a creamy, tangy yogurt-based sauce and finally drizzled with melted butter infused with dried mint. The word "yuvarlama" comes from the verb to roll  yuvarlamak  so literally it means rolled into rounds in Turkish. The main feature of the dish is the ground rice and mincemeat dumplings rolled into beads so tiny that several fit in a spoon. Even after they are cooked and swollen with the juices of the dish, they must remain a tad smaller than a cooked chickpea, another essential ingredient.

The dish is deeply engraved in the hearts of the Antebis, as the citys natives are known. Even if they live miles from their hometown, they keep the tradition and have this essential meal on their tables, garnished with a deep dose of longing for their beloved city. Since yuvalama is an essential part of any festive occasion  including Eid al-Fitr or for Ramadan feasts  most of the people of Gaziantep have fond memories of it.

Mayor Fatma Sahin's memory is about how it almost became a barrier to her marriage. Her husband is not a native of Gaziantep but from the city of Malatya, another town renowned for its fine cuisine. When they decided to get married, the family of her future husband visited her family to ask for their blessing. Everything was going perfectly well until my husbands family commented on the food. They said the soup was amazing! Our side was instantly frozen with anger. To call yuvalama a soup is a big mistake, even considered as an insult! she told Al-Monitor.

Yuvalama has such an honorable place for its citizens that it can be considered the signature dish of the city. To downgrade it as a soup is a common sin of outsiders. Fortunately, the young couple managed to salvage the grave situation and they have been happily married ever since.

Yuvalama is extremely toilsome to make, particularly because one must make so many of them for the extended family. Therefore, it is an occasion for family members and neighbors get together to share the work. Just before Eid al-Fitr, Gaziantep turns into a giant yuvalama factory, the rice-meat beads being rolled at every house. Antebis are famous for creating things, so there is even a yuvalamatik gadget invented by Sahveli, a manufacturer of electronic kitchen equipment. The company has also introduced a bigger industrial version intended for small-scale producers and restaurants.

Hakan Tanriover, adviser to the undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is a native of Gaziantep and a fanatic for everything about the city. He told Al-Monitor that he is quite conservative when it comes to traditional dishes and cannot stand the idea of ready-made yuvalama dumplings. He told Al-Monitor that whenever his sisters tried to take a shortcut and use store-bought dumplings, he could spot the difference instantly. He said that much progress has been made now, however, and he will accept a recently successful brand.

Comceci is a local brand producing only ready-to-cook, frozen traditional foods. Owner Ibrahim Ozalkan told Al-Monitor that his business produced two tons per day to meet the Ramadan demand, equivalent to 120,000 boxes of yuvalama, each 500 g, serving eight.

Sahin's marriage might have been put at risk by an unfortunate misnaming of the iconic Gaziantep favorite, so she's helped ensure no one else makes the same mistake. Determined that the meal (which is definitely not soup) find the appropriate international recognition, her municipality had the dish registered with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Institute in June 2016. Officially, yuvalama now bears the label of Registered Designation of Origin, making it a truly Antebi dish.
June 20, 2017

The Gulf crisis centering on Qatar seems likely to affect the Palestinian territories in more ways than one, in particular in Gaza. Qatar's generous assistance of hundreds of millions of dollars for Gaza's development could soon come to a complete halt with Qatar being pressured by a Saudi-led coalition of other Gulf states and Egypt to cut ties with Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli officials are warning of potential repercussions of the crisis, which has resulted in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt severing relations with Doha for allegedly sponsoring terrorism. Doha denies the allegation.

Yaakov Amidror, former head of Israel's National Security Council, speculated to Israel Hayom on June 13 that a suspension of Qatari aid to Gaza and its decision to kick Hamas political bureau leaders out of the country might leave the Islamist movement with nothing to lose, pushing it to initiate a military confrontation with Israel. In a June 11 interview with Haaretz, Israeli military expert Amos Harel also predicted that a drop in Qatari support for Hamas could prompt an escalation against Israel this summer.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Al-Monitor that the knife could cut both ways. Arab division and tension in the region could tempt Israel to take advantage of the situation and move against the Palestinians, or as Qassem put it, commit crimes against them in Gaza.

Hamas hopes this Arab crisis will [soon] come to an end, because it mainly serves Israel, and the movement stresses that any Israeli escalation against Gaza would be met with all the resources it can get to defend the Palestinian people, Qassem said. The ongoing blockade on Gaza would lead Palestinians to confront their true oppressor, the Israeli occupation. Hamas is greatly offended by the hostility and pressure by the Palestinian Authority [PA], Israel and some regional parties.

On June 10, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel has no intention of reoccupying Gaza, but if it has to fight another war, it will not stop before eliminating Hamas entire military structure, regardless of the number of casualties it might inflict. On June 6, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had called on Qatar to stop supporting Hamas, prompting the movement to issue a statement the next day condemning Jubeirs statements, calling it insulting, inciting against Hamas and charging that it could allow Israel to seize the opportunity to attack. Anwar Gargash, UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, said on June 8 that the presence of Hamas leaders in Qatar was a problem for the region.

Meanwhile, Moumin Bseiso, an independent Palestinian political analyst in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, This is terrible timing for Hamas to be suffering the repercussions of the Gulf crisis. On the one hand, Israel is ready to pounce on Hamas in Gaza in an upcoming confrontation, which it believes will inevitably erupt soon. On the other, if Hamas [turns to] Iran for financial, political and military support, it would be in complete disregard for regional and international shifts  namely [growing] Arab and international hostility toward Iran. As a result, Hamas might not be able to survive the expected troubles and could soon find itself the target of a hard Israeli blow against Gaza.

An increasing number of Israeli surveillance drones have recently been flying over Gaza at low altitudes, and daily episodes of violence are taking place between Palestinian demonstrators approaching Gazas eastern border and Israeli soldiers on the other side. One Palestinian was shot and killed June 6 when Israeli soldiers fired on the protesters.

Ahmed Yousef, a former political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, the new head of Hamas political bureau, told Al-Monitor, The regional situation in light of the Gulf crisis and the pressure exerted by some regional countries on Qatar give Israel the opportunity to launch a military strike against Hamas, destroy its military structure and eliminate some of its leaders without necessarily eradicating the movement.

He further asserted, Today more than ever, Israel would like to use the political situation in the region to [diminish] Hamas military power and undermine its resources, especially since the world would be too preoccupied with regional and international issues to pay attention to what is really happening in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian military expert Maj. Gen. Wasef Erekat told Al-Monitor, The timing is not quite right for Israel to attack Hamas. It might be good timing in terms of the campaign against Qatar, which is considered Hamas ally, but it is not the right time to wage a war that would provoke [negative] Arab public opinion, which Arab countries wish to avoid, especially in the Gulf region. But Israel may nonetheless push Hamas buttons to stir up a military confrontation in which Israel would appear to be defending itself. This is an opportunity to appeal to Hamas' wise men to stop threatening Israel with any new war, because it would be a blow that the Palestinians in Gaza cannot bear.

Hamas has largely remained silent about the Gulf crisis, perhaps not wanting to provoke Arab states' hostility. The movement's leadership may well recognize that with the political, financial and military shadows cast by the Gulf crisis, it should forgo any military confrontation with Israel for the time being. Hamas alone, however, does not control the situation in Gaza. Israel, Egypt and the PA also have a say, and they have not hidden their hostility toward Hamas. This raises the possibility of their potentially seizing the opportunity to eliminate it once and for all.
June 22, 2017

Tourism has been among the main sectors of the Iranian economy that immediately witnessed steady growth after the lifting of international sanctions last year as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.

With the rise in incoming travelers, the development and growth of Iran's tourism industry has become one of the main focuses of the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. The country's Tourism Vision 2025 Plan outlines the goal of increasing the countrys share of the world's international tourists from 0.9% in 2004 to 1.5% by 2025, which would equal 20 million visitors and $30 billion in annual earnings. According to Iranian officials, more than 6 million foreign tourists visited the country in the previous Iranian calendar year that ended March 20, generating some $8 billion in revenue.

While the average age of tourists visiting Iran was about 60 only a few years ago, officials say the average age has decreased to between 45 and 50 as more young travelers visit the country. Indeed, Iran, which has been designated as the world's cheapest travel destination by the World Economic Forum in three consecutive biannual reports, has become a new destination for backpackers who prefer to travel at lower cost and avoid luxury hotels and services.

In this regard, hostels, which offer hospitality services at a cheaper standard and a lower cost than hotels, are gaining interest from investors and tourists alike.

The first permanent youth hostel was established in Germany in 1912 and soon became popular elsewhere. Although such hostels remain widely popular around the world, they are still in their infancy in Iran, with only a few established in the capital, Tehran, and major tourist cities in recent years.

Jalal Rashedi, the founder and manager of Seven Hostels Group, told Al-Monitor, "We started the first place in Tehran, which in terms of facilities and vibe, was in accordance with the internationally accepted standards of a typical hostel. Later on, we extended the same theme to other cities such as Shiraz, Esfahan, Alamut and also to a small town near Dizin Ski Resort."

He said Seven Hostels Group began to create a domestic platform for booking hostels in Iran through English-language websites to "facilitate the reservation of tours and also transportation services."

The increase in the number of young foreign tourists who visit Iran is considered a key factor behind the growing number of hostels across the country. While Iran grapples with an insufficient number of high-standard hotels, cheaper, traditional accommodation has not been successful in attracting foreign tourists.

Iran's traditional budget accommodation, known as "mosaferkhaneh" (traveler house), has long been used by locals. These facilities are widely used in religious cities such as Qom, Mashhad and Shiraz where pilgrims from all walks of life travel to visit holy sites. In a mosaferkhaneh, guests can rent a room which has one or more beds, with each room either having a bathroom and a kitchen or sharing such facilities with other rooms.

But despite the great number of these traditional low-cost accommodations across Iran, they've rarely been used by foreign travelers. "Mosaferkhanehs are not really popular with foreign tourists. They lack the young, lively and international vibe that you enjoy at a typical hostel. What's most fun about staying at a hostel is meeting other young travelers from other countries and sharing stories. And this is clearly something you can't experience at a typical mosaferkhaneh," Rashedi said.

He added, "Iranian mosaferkhanehs do not have proper websites in English and the tourists have no idea what to expect at these places."

That is why Golnar Zamani and Habibeh Fathi, young women who own "Hi Tehran Hostel," believe the easiest way to explain what's on offer is by simply labeling it. "Hostels are known internationally by the backpackers and young travelers who create the majority of tourism these days," Golnar told Al-Monitor.

The two entrepreneurs both say Iran's traditional, cheap accommodations are not introduced properly to foreign tourists.

"The range of prices, atmosphere, services and experiences of the hostels, no matter where they are in the world and regardless of their differences in trends and customization, are almost transparent for travelers," Fathi told Al-Monitor. "Traditional mosaferkhanehs in Iran are not known internationally since they haven't been successful in introducing their overall services through suitable platforms such as informative websites, travel forums, blogs and social media, which have young people as their target users," she added.

There are difficulties, however, for those owning and operating hostels in Iran.

Zamani said, "There is still too much regulation and bureaucracy in the way of hostel businesses." Still, she said this has not prevented hostels from growing as the government has shifted toward seeking more non-oil revenues in recent years.

With the re-election of Rouhani in the May 19 elections, it is expected that his government will pursue a similar foreign policy in its second term, creating a more open environment for further growth of the tourism industry and related subsectors. With this expectation, entrepreneurs such as Fathi describe the hostel sector as "a blue ocean area which has much potential and is developing super-fast."

Although insufficient accommodation capacity is one of the main issues that Iran must address to attract more foreign tourists, the growth of new businesses such as hostels is a clear indication that if the country wants to attract more foreign travelers and specifically younger guests, building new four- or five-star hotels alone is not the only necessary solution.
June 21, 2017

NAJAF, Iraq  Iraq's Islamic movements and political parties have intensified their rhetoric in recent weeks against atheism, warning Iraqis about its spread and the need to confront atheists. Such movements and parties worry that public sentiment is turning against Islamic parties in politics and that this could be reflected in upcoming elections, scheduled for the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018.

In a lecture this month in Baghdad, Ammar al-Hakim  head of the mostly Shiite Iraqi National Alliance party, which holds the overwhelming political majority in parliament and government  warned against the prevalence of atheism.

Some people resent Iraqi societys adherence to religious principles and its connection to God Almighty, he said. Hakim called for confronting these extraneous atheistic ideas with good thinking and with an iron fist against the supporters of such ideas by exposing the methods they use in disseminating their ideas.

Hakims message is contrary to the Iraqi Constitution, which guarantees freedom of belief and expression and criminalizes incitement against others and against compelling others to adopt or reject a specific faith.

During Ramadan, religious lectures in Shiite cities in Iraq's center and south  the main base of the Islamic parties  attacked the spread of secular and atheistic ideas, which are viewed as threats to Iraqi society.

Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has extensive influence among the politically ambitious pro-Iranian factions within the Popular Mobilization Units military organization. He warned May 30 of a supposed dangerous conspiracy by secular and nonreligious movements to take power from Islamic parties and gain control for themselves.

Atheism in Arab culture, as described by contemporary Egyptian philosopher Abdel Rahman Badawi in his book, The History of Atheism, covers a vast range of ideas and behaviors. To Badawi, atheism includes agnostics, emerging secular movements that reject the political role of religion, and those who criticize various aspects of religion. Secularism and atheism are thus often intertwined in the discourse of political Islam through the use of terms such as secular atheist trends and ideas. These ideas inspire fear in many politically-oriented Islamic movements.

According to Sayyid Qutb, a founder of political Islam who is widely studied by Islamists in Iraq, separating religion from political rule is tantamount to infidelity to God and denying divine governance.

Defunct Kurdish news agency AKnews conducted a nonscientific poll in 2011 about faith. When asked if they believed in God, 67% of respondents answered yes; 21%, probably yes; 4%, probably no; 7%, no; and 1% had no answer.

In a country that has not seen a national census for three decades, it's not possible to provide official numbers for members of different faiths and beliefs. It is especially difficult to know the size of those communities that hold taboo beliefs in a conservative society such as Iraq, which views these outsiders with disdain and where they are threatened by military groups and political leaders, some of whom demand they be beaten "with an iron fist." Much of what information can be gleaned comes in anecdotal form. Since 2014, after the Islamic State swept through Iraqi territory, many reports from various quarters have observed that more people are skeptical of Islamic beliefs and are rejecting Islam altogether, influenced by the negative image of Islam portrayed by extremist groups.

A prominent book store in Baghdad has seen more young people buying books on atheism from prominent nonbelievers such as Saudi writer Abdullah al-Qasemi and British philosopher Richard Dawkins. Even in a holy city like Najaf and within the Shiite religious establishments, Al-Monitor spoke to several religious students who not only have begun to question the fundamental beliefs of Islam, but the basic principles of religion in general. They would be ostracized by society in a heartbeat if they expressed their views freely.

Human rights activist, writer and satirist Faisal Saeed al-Mutar told Al-Monitor that atheists in Iraq face very difficult circumstances under a government with a majority of Islamic parties and with the dominance of Islamic militias over society.

Faisal, who follows Iraqi atheists' activities on social media, said, I clearly see that the numbers of atheists is rising in different areas in Iraq. Faisal recently founded the Ideas Beyond Borders organization, which defends Iraqi atheists and helps them organize and claim their rights.

Many atheists have been forced to flee Iraq because of harassment and threats. Jamal al-Bahadly, an atheist who is vocal about his views on social networking sites, said he received death threats from Shiite militias in Baghdad, forcing him to leave the country in 2015. He emigrated to Germany.

As an atheist, I was deprived of the most basic civil rights in Iraq. I feel that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not include me and my fellow atheists in Iraq," Bahadly told Al-Monitor. Iraq voted in favor of the declaration in 1948 at the United Nations General Assembly.

Leaders of Islamic movements repeatedly say they've seen a rise in the number of atheists in Iraq. Their statements of concern fuel even more concern among the ruling Islamic parties, who fear a decline in their political power.
June 22, 2017

One can understand and respect the refusal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to revoke the law requiring the PLO to financially support the families of Palestinian prisoners serving time in Israeli jails. After all, why should the sin of a Palestinian terrorist from the West Bank town of Jenin be visited on his son when the familys breadwinner is put away? Why should the daughter of a Palestinian woman who stabbed an Israeli soldier go hungry? On the other hand, its hard to understand and respect the campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the Palestinian payments to the prisoners families. The descendants of Israels biggest terrorists, among them the children of Baruch Goldstein who massacred 29 Muslim worshippers in Hebron in 1994, and the son of Yigal Amir, who assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, were rightfully entitled to child support from Israels National Security Institute.

One can also put up with the Palestinian custom of commemorating the names of friends they consider freedom fighters and heroes of the struggle for Palestine, although Israel views them as terrorists and murderers. Netanyahu, who regards this tradition as "sedition," obviously knows that dozens of town squares and major streets throughout Israel are named after members of the undergrounds. That is the term used for Jews who murdered women and children in mass terror attacks against the British rulers of Palestine and the Arab enemy before Israel gained independence in 1948. In addition, members of the Jewish Underground who murdered innocent Palestinians in the 1980s are not serving several life sentences. They received pardons, and one of them is even the editor of a well-known Israeli newspaper: Haggai Segal, editor-in-chief of Makor Rishon.

Just as one should understand and respect Abbas attitude toward prisoners families and the commemoration tradition, one should harshly condemn the cruelty he displays toward 2 million of his own people living for the past decade in the worlds biggest prison: the Gaza Strip. Did his hand not shake in April when he signed the order that effectively shut down the only power station operating in Gaza?

How evil does one have to be to ask the same country occupying his peoples land for 50 years to reduce the amount of electricity it supplies the Strip down to three hours of power a day? This is in addition to existing Israeli restrictions on Gaza that limit bringing in power generators, transformers and vital equipment to repair the grids that have collapsed under the heavy load on the power lines in the Strip. What crime did newborn Gazan babies commit for Abbas to cut off power to their incubators and to patients whose lives depend on medical equipment? Is everything acceptable in the struggle against Hamas?

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza did not bring out masses of Palestinians to protest in front of Abbas home to demand the resumption of power supplies to Gaza. The campaign against the evil Israeli-Palestinian initiative was actually launched by 16 civil society nongovernmental organizations in Israel. In a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, the organizations warned that the Defense Cabinets decision to accede to Abbas request regarding the reduction of power supplies to Gaza was illegal under Israeli and international law. At the end of the letter, attorney Osnat Cohen-Lifshitz, head of the legal department of Gisha, noted that while it cannot be denied that the Palestinian Authority (PA), the acting Gaza government, Egypt and the international community were responsible for the dire situation in Gaza, Israel also bears significant responsibility. As the letter underscores, the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza enclave that it occupied for 38 years did not absolve the Israeli leadership of all responsibility for its residents.

While formal legal responsibility lies with Israel, the Palestinian leadership bears the greatest moral and ethical responsibility for the situation. How will Abbas be able to claim that Israel is abusing his people by imposing on them collective punishments in the name of security reasons, when he himself is asking it to use the very same means for political reasons? How does he expect the Israeli public to place its trust in a leader who treats his people so cruelly, and to demand that its elected representatives take the necessary risks entailed in handing him territories for a future Palestinian state?

Israel and the PA do not seem to have learned a thing from the bitter lesson of the first Lebanon War (1982) that external pressure on civilians was not the way to unseat those in power. The crisis in Gaza is far more complex than the situation was in southern Lebanon in the 1980s. The odd couple, Netanyahu and Abbas, find themselves damned if they do and damned if they dont. On the one hand, if they keep up pressure on Gaza, its Hamas rulers might conclude that they have nothing to lose. When the volcano erupts, the burning lava will pour into the West Bank and reach Israels doorstep. On the other hand, if pressure on Gaza is lifted without any diplomatic advancement, Hamas will gain power in the West Bank. This, in turn, will result in the PAs collapse, an end to security cooperation with Israel and an outbreak of violence. The recent Hamas victory in elections held in the West Bank Birzeit University, despite the organizations shaky status, is indicative of its strength, at least among young Palestinians, who constitute a majority in the West Bank.

Its time Israel recognized that its policy of segregating and isolating Gaza has failed. Hamas has not surrendered, and the Strips 2 million besieged residents are not going to overthrow it. The right and just way to weaken Hamas and ease the distress of Gazas population was and still is in advancing a diplomatic arrangement with Abbas. In this respect, lifting the blockade on Gaza and even building a seaport there could rehabilitate the PAs standing in the Strip and slightly ease the anger at Israel. If Israel has accepted Abbas as a partner in punishing Hamas, why is Netanyahu going out of his way to rule him out as a partner for a negotiated arrangement with Israel? After all, one makes peace with enemies, but one doesnt get to choose them. US President Donald Trump appears to understand this old adage. Otherwise, he wouldnt have sent his close adviser Jared Kushner to Israel this week (June 21) to try and jumpstart negotiations.
June 23, 2017

At the Herzliya Conference, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said June 22 that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants to drag Hamas into a military conflict with Israel. According to Liberman, Abbas believes that another military conflict between Hamas and Israel could lead to the downfall of Hamas and the return of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the Gaza Strip.

Liberman is known for his acrimonious feelings toward the Palestinian president and has called him an obstacle to peace on countless occasions. In Liberman's view, only a route "circumventing Abbas" will lead to progress on the diplomatic front. This time, however, his comments were apparently not made out of the same sense of animosity. They were based on assessments by top Israeli security officials who claim that the PA's financial disengagement from Gaza  the electricity crisis, the slashing of salaries and even the reduction of the supply of medicines and medical equipment to Gaza's hospitals  could drag Hamas into another military conflict with Israel.

According to some assessments, these moves were planned by Abbas with a clear purpose. They were not simply intended to advance greater financial efficiency in the PA or to appeal to the Trump administration, but to bring down the Hamas regime in Gaza too.

The belief that a serious economic crisis will bring down the Hamas regime was the basis of Israel's policy, but also of the PA's policy after the June 2007 Hamas coup in the Gaza Strip. At one time, one of the main advocates of this approach of "hanging Hamas out to dry" was none other than Mohammed Dahlan, Abbas' adviser on security matters at the time and now his bitter rival.

It seems as if it took Abbas almost a decade to realize that the situation in the Gaza Strip is irreversible. Still, according to an assessment by the Israeli defense network, the Palestinian president has not given up hope of retrieving Gaza. He still sees himself as the "President of [all of] Palestine." And yet, after all the attempts to bring about reconciliation and compromise with Hamas, he is left with no choice but to change his approach and strive for the toppling of the Hamas regime by force.

One Israeli security source told Al-Monitor that for a long time now, Abbas and other senior officials in the PA have been especially critical of Hamas, particularly during contacts with international groups, including the Americans. Originally, they argued incessantly that Hamas is a hostile organization, but the tone became even more aggressive, approaching the militant, once it was learned that Dahlan's relationship with Hamas has been getting closer.

Senior PA officials have even begun using the term "Dahamasistan" recently to describe the reality in Gaza. The term combines the names "Hamas," "Dahlan" and "Afghanistan."

The campaign that Abbas is waging against Dahlan and Hamas is not limited to his talks with Western diplomats either. Al-Monitor has learned that representatives of the PA have been using interviews to the Palestinian media to emphasize that the international community regards Hamas now  more than ever  as a terrorist organization, responsible for the crisis faced by the people of the Gaza Strip.

So, for instance, Palestinian spokespersons emphasized comments by US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on June 20. The envoy called upon the UN to declare Hamas a terrorist organization and the sole bearer of responsibility for the humanitarian crisis faced by Gazans. This approach was intended to prove to the residents of Gaza that they had no more reason to hope that Hamas can save them from their miseries, and that the time has come for a "struggle" against the rebellious organization from Gaza and "Satan's emissary," Mohammed Dahlan.

Back to Liberman's comments. In the past, reports in Israel stated that the defense minister actually met with Dahlan, whom he considers a potential partner for progress on the diplomatic front between Israel and the Palestinians. While neither side confirmed these reports, Liberman's positive attitude toward Dahlan is no secret.

Libermans claim that Abbas is pushing Hamas toward a military conflict with Israel is echoed by Jamaat Dahlan, Dahlans associates in the territories. They claim that Abbas has "lost his mind," as they describe it, over the relationship formed between Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar and Dahlan, through Egyptian mediators no less. "He [Abbas] never imagined such a thing  that he would disengage himself from Gaza and that Dahlan would fill the vacuum, seeming like a savior to the people of Gaza and the West Bank," one of Dahlan's supporters told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

The supporters believe that the only way Abbas can sever the warm relationship that has formed between his two bitterest rivals is to cause a military conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Liberman's remarks at the Herzliya Conference and the remarks by Dahlan's supporters seem to match. The really interesting question is, of course, whether they were coordinated.

In a conversation with Al-Monitor, one senior Fatah source completely rejected these accusations. He said on condition of anonymity, "Liberman is well-known for his hatred toward Abbas. He should check his own house first to see how Israel spent years helping Hamas grow and transformed it into a major military organization that now poses a threat to Israel."

The source added that Abbas now realizes that "the reality that has emerged in the Palestinian territories [the West Bank and the Gaza Strip] cannot be changed through reconciliation. There are psychological processes that will be difficult to revert. The people of Gaza have begun to feel as if the PA and the people of the West Bank have abandoned them, and that feeling cannot be changed as long as Hamas continues to rule Gaza and wage war against Abbas."

Abbas should realize that many people in the Gaza Strip no longer see him as their president. Given the current crisis, many of them are actually pointing an accusatory finger at him instead.
June 22, 2017

"We are here to serve. Our role is to serve the normal, law-abiding citizens and to provide them with the best possible personal security while waging a determined and uncompromising war against those people who choose to define themselves as criminals." That was just one moving statement made by Israel's Commissioner of Police Roni Alsheich when he was sworn in to his new position in December 2015.

Ostensibly, Alsheich's comments expressed a deep understanding of the role police play in a democratic society. Yet since then, Alsheich has actually proved that he has a very worrisome lack of understanding concerning the sanctity of human rights within a democracy. It seems as if Alsheich, who rose through the ranks of the Shin Bet, climbing as far as deputy director of that clandestine organization, has not fully internalized his role in a civil society and continues to act as if he is still operating in the shadow world.

On June 21, Alsheich provided two disturbing headlines regarding his approach to civil rights in Israel.

The first headline told how the police commissioner appointed a committee to assess granting legal aid to police officers who want to sue civilians. It turns out that Alsheich is very disturbed by several instances of concerned citizens' public shaming of policemen on the internet and is working to put an end to the phenomenon, not only through criminal prosecution, but also by allowing police officers to file civil suits against civilians, with legal aid provided to them by the Israel Police itself. The committee was also tasked with determining whether to create a police defenders' office to assist police officers who are being sued.

According to reports, Alsheich reached his decision after several instances in which police officers claimed that civilians posted offensive materials online regarding their operational activities. The best known case involves attorney Barak Cohen, who posted an online video clip denigrating the police coordinator of intelligence in 2014 and was later convicted of harassing a public figure.

The person who gave his seal of approval to this move was none other than State Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. He approved the police commissioner's decision to establish the committee, which is to be headed by a retired justice.

The decision to establish this committee shows a gross misunderstanding of the importance of defending those very civil rights that the police commissioner is sworn to uphold and protect. The law as it now stands already allows the police to launch legal proceedings against anyone who posts offensive materials about police officers if those posts are related to the police officers acting to fulfill their duties. In fact, that is what happened in the case of Cohen. As such, it is not at all clear why Alsheich needs additional tools to enforce this. It seems as if his move was intended to discourage civilians from using legitimate tools, such as posting about police misconduct online.

Social networks provide the average civilian with an important tool to protect his or her rights by such means as distributing documentation of police misconduct. But it seems as if Alsheich cannot break free of the culture of the Shin Bet and has no sympathy whatsoever for civilians. His main interest is to protect his police force, even at the cost of limiting the rights of citizens to expose such misconduct.

The second headline came from Alsheich's speech to the Herzliya Conference, in which he announced that he was working to create a youth movement within the police force, intended to teach compliance with the law. It is too bad that Alsheich didn't use the opportunity to announce a series of workshops given by the police in schools, which could then be used to teach students basic concepts pertaining to their civil rights in a democratic society, such as the lofty right to demonstrate. It seems as if Alsheich doesn't fully understand the importance of demonstrating.

In May, the police commissioner instituted a ban on demonstrations outside the homes of public figures. As such, demonstrations held every Saturday night outside the Petah Tikva home of Mandelblit for "dragging his feet on the Netanyahu case," are now being held under restrictions. There is an increased police presence to enforce the new rules, and there have already been cases in which demonstrators were subjected to violent reactions by the police.

But Alsheich is not the only problem. There is also the decision by State Attorney Shai Nitzan, approved by Mandelblit, to launch a police investigation into former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is now serving time in prison. Olmert is now being charged with smuggling classified materials out of prison so that he could write his book. The very charge is scandalous.

In this incident, the most basic civil rights were trampled without anyone batting an eyelash. The police raid on the Yedioth Ahronoth publishing house, which is slated to publish Olmert's book, and the confiscation of computers and the manuscript (as well as other manuscripts there) are further evidence that the system itself has gone mad. Before he can even publish his book, Olmert is required by law to submit the manuscript to the State Censor and a special ministerial committee for approval. In other words, even if he used classified materials, these could be disallowed and removed before the book is even published.

Instead, Olmert has recently been portrayed as a traitor, an accusation that will certainly not help his request for an early release from prison for good behavior. Olmert had good reason to feel persecuted over the past few days. The chest pains that saw him taken to the hospital this week seem to be connected to all this as well.

At the beginning of this week's Cabinet meeting, Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz, normally considered one of Olmert's sharpest political adversaries, gave voice to the inescapable feeling that someone is abusing his power. "I hope that the parole board decides to release Olmert," he said. "I cannot understand this dance to demonize him that we have seen over the past few days. He paid his debt to society. I fail to understand this current trend to depict him as a security threat."

There is a direct connection between the police commissioner's problematic initiatives, such as the persecution of demonstrators and efforts to threaten those using social networks to expose police misconduct and the way in which Olmert and his autobiography are being treated. Even if Olmert was wrong, this does not justify the trampling of civil rights and a raid on a publishing house. Scenes like that must never occur here. Police should not have to raid a publishing house and confiscate manuscripts.

The recent series of events shows that the gatekeepers of Israeli democracy  the commissioner of police, the state attorney and the attorney general  are abusing their power to launch an unwarranted and undeterred attack on basic civil rights, such as freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate. And there is no one to raise a red flag and stop this shipwreck from occurring.
June 22, 2017

The last thing Jordan wanted was to be forced into choosing sides in the latest Gulf dispute that erupted unexpectedly June 5. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt jointly severed diplomatic relations with Doha and took additional measures that included closure of airspace to Qatar Airways flights, expulsion of Qatari nationals and blocking internet access to news websites associated with Qatar, primarily Al Jazeera. The declared reasons for this unprecedented action were allegations that Qatar was funding terrorist groups and was interfering in the domestic affairs of these countries in clear violation of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreements and international law.

The traditionally cautious Jordanian diplomacy was taken aback. But it was expected to show solidarity with its Gulf allies, especially Saudi Arabia. A day later, Amman announced that it was downgrading diplomatic representation with Qatar, asking the Qatari ambassador to leave, and revoking the license of Al Jazeera's office in Jordan. But it reiterated that Qatari nationals were still welcome in the kingdom. Furthermore, Royal Jordanian flights to Doha were not interrupted. By choosing a watered-down action, Amman was hoping to satisfy Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, the two capitals leading the Qatar boycott, without having to adopt extreme actions.

In justifying the Jordanian position, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said June 6 that the decision to downgrade diplomatic relations with Qatar came after examining the cause of the crisis between Doha and several other Arab states. He added in a statement that the government hopes that such a regretful time would come to an end and that the crisis would be solved on a solid ground. Since then, the government has avoided making any comment on the Gulf dispute.

It was also noteworthy that no mention of the crisis was made following King Abdullahs short visit to Kuwait City on June 13, where he held talks with the Kuwaiti emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The emir is leading the only mediation effort to end the dispute  so far unsuccessfully.

The king finds himself in an unenviable position for a number of reasons. He is the head of the Arab Summit, which was held in Jordan in March, and will be for the rest of the year. As such, it falls upon him, at least in theory, to lead reconciliation efforts to resolve inter-Arab disputes. Instead, his visit to Kuwait was interpreted here as marking a choice not to get directly involved in the Gulf spat while lending support to Sabahs peace endeavors.

Furthermore, the king is keen to demonstrate that Jordan maintains a moderate and independent foreign policy and that its actions underline its sovereignty as a state. Memories of the first Gulf crisis in 1990  when Jordan, under King Hussein, was perceived as siding with Saddam Hussein following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait  are still fresh in peoples minds. Back then, King Hussein sought to find an Arab solution to the crisis and prevent foreign intervention. He refused to join a multinational military coalition gathering in the Saudi desert to evict Saddam from Kuwait. In truth, he never supported Saddams occupation and Jordan maintained that its position was misrepresented.

As a result, Jordan was penalized politically and economically by Gulf states for its stand. Tens of thousands of Jordanian expatriate workers were forced to leave their jobs in Gulf countries and financial aid payments were suspended. It took years, until the mid-1990s, before normal relations with Gulf nations were restored to their normal levels.

The latest crisis is seen by Jordanian officials as an unnecessary, and perhaps costly, distraction from key regional challenges that include the war on Islamist terrorism, the plight of Syria and the fate of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, among others.

Furthermore, the crisis promises to exacerbate the state of the local economy, which has been suffering as result of high unemployment, slow growth, budget deficits and closure of borders with Iraq and Syria. Saudi Arabia has closed the only land border crossing with Qatar; this is a vital entry point for Jordanian exports, mainly agricultural produce and livestock, to Doha. One report, quoting a Jordanian spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, said Qatar imported 11% of the kingdoms agricultural exports, or about 500 tons daily.

It is not that Jordan enjoys especially good ties with Qatar. On the contrary, relations between Amman and Doha have been tepid, at best, for decades. Jordanian officials fail to provide a convincing reason for the lukewarm ties with Doha. Qatars support for Hamas, whose leaders were expelled from Jordan to Doha in 1999, could be among such reasons, as well as Ammans tenuous relations with the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

According to Ad-Dustour daily business editor Khaled al-Zubaidi, there are an estimated 40,000 Jordanians working in Qatar  mostly in mid- and upper-level positions. But he told Al-Monitor that he does not believe Doha will take retaliatory measures against them in response to Jordans actions. Such a move will have severe harmful effects on the Qatari economy, he said.

Over the years, the kingdom has repeatedly been subject to negative coverage from Al Jazeera, but Amman avoided taking retaliatory measures such as closing the networks office. And when GCC countries decided to present Jordan with a $5 billion grant over five years in 2011, at the height of the so-called Arab Spring, Qatar was the only country that failed to pay its share.

Still, Abdullah continued to woo the Qatari leadership through restraint and quiet diplomacy, especially after Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani took over from his father, who abdicated in 2013. Relations appeared to be recovering rapidly in recent months, as underlined by Tamims decision to attend the Arab Summit in Jordan in March.

Despite Jordan's bitter past relations with Qatar, Jordanian pundits avoided taking sides in the latest Gulf spat and expressed hopes that the row will soon be resolved. On social media, Jordanians were more forthcoming raising questions about US President Donald Trumps role in triggering the crisis between brothers and pointing to the irony of accusing Qatar of funding terrorism, and then, a few days later, signing a $12 billion military contract with Doha.

But for Jordan, ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE are strategically important. There are roughly 400,000 Jordanians working in Saudi Arabia whose remittances last year were estimated at $1.4 billion. The UAE is home to at least 250,000 Jordanian expatriates, many of whom occupy high-paying jobs. Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have traditionally provided grants and soft loans to the kingdom. During his visit to Amman in March, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saudi of Saudi Arabia and his Jordanian counterpart oversaw the signing of several agreements, including a $3 billion deal to set up a company that will make investments in Jordan.

This is one main reason why Jordan finds itself in an uneasy position over the latest Gulf crisis. Political commentator Omar Kullab told Al-Monitor that the sticky question is what Abdullah's government would do if the Saudis and others pressure Jordan to adopt additional punitive measures against Qatar. We cant afford to hold the stick from the middle for long if that happens, Kullab said.
June 22, 2017

Palestinians were surprised to find on June 12 that they could no longer access 12 websites. The owners of the sites were quoted by multiple sources as saying that the blocks began around 5 p.m., and that when they checked with their web hosts to see what had happened, they were told that the decision to deny access had come from the attorney generals office.

The targeted websites are affiliated with the Islamist movement Hamas and renegade former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan. Palestine Today, Shehab News Agency, Voice of Fatah, Palestinian Information Center and Amad are some of the more well-known sites now inaccessible.

The office of Attorney General Ahmad Bara offered no public comment or explanation other than to confirm that it had indeed issued the order. A source close to the Palestinian government was quoted by the independent Maan News Agency on June 16 as claiming that the decision was not political.

An article on Maan's website reported, A senior official from the Palestinian Authority spoke to Maan on Thursday [June 15], denying the reports, saying the websites were blocked due to a number of pending cases against them for reporting false information and being unethical. The official further said the sites had been accused of forgery  publishing false news  and slander. No additional details have been made available.

Muntaser Hamdan, a member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, rejected the attorney general's action, calling it a stark violation of freedom of the press. We in the journalists syndicate oppose this decision, which violates the Basic Law and is contrary to the commitment made by President [Mahmoud] Abbas last August, said Hamdan.

On Aug. 2, 2016, Abbas became the first Arab leader to sign a declaration on press freedom. The document, the Declaration on Media Freedom in the Arab World, emerged from 20 months of discussion and debate across the region.

The blocking of the websites is in violation of Item 3 of Article 27 of the Palestinian Basic Law, which states, Censorship of the media shall be prohibited. No warning, suspension, confiscation, cancellation or restriction shall be imposed upon the media except by law, and pursuant to a judicial ruling. The Basic Law was ratified by the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1997 and signed by President Yasser Arafat in 2002. It was amended in 2003 and 2005.

Hamdan, who heads the syndicate's training committee, conceded that there is no specific law regulating news websites and that there is a need to improve the sites level of professionalism. He insisted, however, The decision violates the right of Palestinians to know.

Hamdan said the syndicate is considering trying to reverse the decision in court. Since we are unable to obtain any legal justification for this decision that supersedes its being made for political reasons, we have no choice but to fight this in court, he told Al-Monitor.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms issued a strong statement June 18 detailing what had happened. It expressed concern about the blocking of the sites and called for the decision to be repealed. The statement read, This decision constitutes a serious violation of freedom of the press and expression and [the center] calls for the repeal of such measures and practices, which in this day and age of technological developments, is something of the past, and as suppression of voice and opinion is no longer possible in our day and age.

The International Federation of Journalists, of which the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate an affiliate, joined in condemning the Palestinian Authority's decision. Federation President Philippe Leruth said in a statement on the organization's website, Blocking websites and arresting journalists with opposing views is a grave breach of the Palestinian government's commitment to press freedom and journalists' fundamental rights. We call on the Palestinian government to lift the ban immediately and to release our colleague Dhaher al-Shamaly.

According to the syndicate, Shamaly was arrested June 8 for a post he published on Facebook criticizing Abbas. No charges have been filed against him, but he is still being held.

Palestines press freedom ranking has been eroding in recent years. In the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranks Palestine as 135th out of 180. In 2016, it had been 132nd. Meanwhile, US-based Freedom House listed the West Bank as not free in its annual 2016 report.

The Palestinian government's blocking of websites and arrest of journalists is yet another indication of the Ramallah-based leadership's loss of control. Such acts reflect a leadership that is paying a high price for the internal struggles within the leading Fatah movement and between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas. This toll affects the Abbas administrations credibility and deteriorates its public support.
June 22, 2017

An onslaught by Arab media outlets against the Hamas movement has gained momentum in the wake of the escalation of the Gulf-Qatar crisis.

On June 8, the spokesman for the Libyan National Army led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter, Ahmad al-Mesmari, accused Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, of training extremist members in Libya in the methods of booby-trapping and bombing.

At a June 8 press conference in Tripoli, Mesmari showed video footage of training and educational materials  on how to manufacture explosive devices and use machine guns  which he said belonged to members of the al-Qassam Brigades and which were allegedly found in the possession of captured extremist members in the Libyan city of Benghazi. He also accused the al-Qassam Brigades of providing technical assistance to terrorists on Libyan territory.

Hamas denied and rebuked all of these accusations. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Al-Monitor, These fabricated allegations by the spokesman of the Hifter forces aim to tarnish the reputation of the Palestinian resistance, which is defending the Palestinian people against Israel.

He said, Everyone knows that Hamas resistance activities are restricted to the Palestinian territories only. None of the many accusations leveled against Hamas by some Arab parties of being involved in acts hostile to any country have been proven so far.

In the same context, a Palestinian security source denied to Al-Sa'a 8 news website June 8 that there had been any intervention by al-Qassam Brigades in Libyan territory, adding that the allegations made by Mesmari are not based on any conclusive evidence proving the involvement of any soldier from the al-Qassam Brigades in the conflict in Libya.

Commenting on the educational materials produced by Mesmari, the source said, The Al-Qassam Brigades have a military academy like all other armies and paramilitary. The materials Hifter forces exhibited are educational materials for the al-Qassam Bridages that were published on the internet for everyone to see.

Abu Mujahid, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, told Al-Monitor that Hifter's forces will have to bear the consequences of the accusations made by their representative against Hamas. The smear campaign by Arab parties against Hamas aims to win over the United States and Israel, he said.

He noted that the accusations aim to justify the campaign against Qatar under the pretext of supporting Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups in Syria such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra.

He added, This took place after the US-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on May 21 and attended by US President Donald Trump and Arab and Muslim leaders. In his speech at the summit, Trump accused Hamas of being a terrorist organization.

This is not the first time Hifter forces have made such accusations against Hamas. On Jan. 6, they accused Hamas of spying on their military positions in Libya, which the movement denied.

The documents and materials presented by Mesmari soon stirred up mockery in Palestinian social media. Palestinian activists saw the allegations as very weak and said any person familiar with computer design programs could fabricate more credible documents.

Thousands of Palestinian social media activists used the Arabic hashtag that translates into "Hamas_is_Resistance_Not_Terrorism" in response to the accusations and in support for Hamas and the Palestinian resistance against the smear campaign launched against them by Arab media outlets, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Retired Maj. Gen. Yusuf al-Sharqawi of the Gaza Strip told Al-Monitor, Armed groups in Libya do not need military training by Hamas or other Palestinian resistance factions, noting that the members of the former Libyan army and some armed groups in Libya have greater military experience than that of the Palestinian resistance.

"Hifter forces accusations leveled against Hamas aim to prove these forces loyalty to the United States and some of its Gulf allies, he said. He added that the current alliances taking shape in the Arab region do not support resistance movements.

Mustafa al-Sawaf, a political analyst and former editor-in-chief of Felesteen newspaper, told Al-Monitor, Accusations by the Hifter forces against Hamas are part of a smear campaign by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to demonize Hamas through false accusations. The current Egyptian regime and the regime of President Hosni Mubarak also made similar accusations against Hamas.

Sawaf described Hifter and his forces as tools manipulated by Arab intelligence services to play pre-assigned roles, pointing out that Hamas intervention in any hostile action in any Arab country has never been proven.

He said Arab regimes are afraid of openly classifying Hamas as a terrorist movement out of fear of the general Arab public opinion, which considers Hamas to be a resistance movement seeking to liberate its land from Israel and that has nothing to do with terrorism.

The smear campaign against Hamas raised concerns among Palestinians, who see the accusations as a preliminary step in the plan to tarnish the image of the Palestinian resistance and alienate the regimes that support it, and thus give Israel a justification to abolish it.
June 22, 2017

On June 12, the Tunisian government issued a statement ordering all nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to declare all funds they receive from abroad and threatened to prosecute any party that failed to comply. The move, unprecedented since the fall of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, has sparked controversy in the local civil society sector.

Some in this sector saw it as within the scope of the anti-corruption campaign announced by the government on May 23, while others saw it as an attempt by the executive branch to control civil society.

In its statement, the government called on NGOs to disclose "all foreign funds they receive and explain their source, value and purpose in a media outlet within a month of the date of the statement, in accordance with the provisions of Article 41 of Decree No. 88 on the organization of NGOs issued in 2011."

It also called on NGOs to apply Article 44 of the same decree, which states, Each association benefiting from public funds shall provide an annual report to the Accounts Department including a comprehensive detailed description of its funding sources and expenditures.

Since the fall of Ben Ali's regime in 2011 and the prevailing climate of openness in the country, NGO activities have flourished in various parts of the country and many sectors.

Independent political analyst Mondher Bedhiafi told Al-Monitor, 20,000 NGOs operate in Tunisia, according to the data issued by the governments IFEDA Center on May 27, 2016. Most of them carry out religious and preaching activities and emerged like a tsunami after the revolution. They benefited from the leniency shown during the rule of the Ennahda movement between 2012 and 2013. Official statements by Tunisia's Minister for Government Relations with Civil Society Kamel al-Jandoubi indicate that since 2015, many of these religious associations have been involved in sending thousands to war and conflict zones and maintaining relations with terrorist groups.

Tunisian parliamentarian Leila Chetawi was dismissed on May 19 as head of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the recruiting of young Tunisians by armed groups abroad. On the same day, against the backdrop of disputes within the ruling party Nidaa Tunis, Chetawi revealed to the Tunisian news website Akherkhabaronline, "After receiving foreign funding, some religious and charitable associations are suspected of recruiting and transporting Tunisian youths to war zones.

Human and civil rights activist Sami Ben Salameh believes that nontransparent NGO funding represents a major problem in Tunisia. Despite the importance of foreign funding in ensuring the continuity of vital NGO activities, questionable funding by foreign parties often leads to controversies related to national security and to the independence of NGOs.

Ben Salameh told Al-Monitor, Ong23-10, for the support of the democratic transition path, in which I am a member, decided upon its establishment in 2011 to refuse any foreign or government funding so as to preserve its independence. But this has limited its activity and efficiency. Foreign funds are crucial for the Tunisian civil sector since they finance the activities of some serious NGOs and allow them to perform great services in terms of raising awareness and encouraging involvement in public affairs and political life through well-funded programs. Foreign funds also allow NGOs to carry out activities ensuring the right to education, womens rights and other human rights. However, these funds create political and security dilemmas. They are ultimately used as a means of influence by foreign forces to defend their interests in Tunisia and interfere in the countrys internal affairs. "

He noted that he does not believe that the government seriously intends to scrutinize all foreign funding directed to Tunisian civil society organizations, pointing out, This move is part of sporadic measures in the context of the war on terror and concerns NGOs financed by some Gulf countries that are suspected of acting as a facade to cover the financing of terrorism-related activities.

Ben Salameh continued, "Foreign financing is not limited to Gulf countries. We have been witnessing since 2011 a huge inflow of large amounts of money from US and European sources aimed at controlling the course of democratic transition in Tunisia in light of the absence of any oversight by the state apparatus.

Since 2011, after the Tunisian revolution left the country more politically open, the civil society sector became one of the most important platforms for key players in public affairs.

Under Decree No. 88 of 2011, NGOs are allowed to receive funds from abroad for their activities. The act endowed civil society with great financial resources.

Bedhiafi noted that the Tunisian government will face several challenges in addressing the issue of foreign funding, including the difficulty of prosecuting suspicious activities by NGOs in court. NGOs are likely to win any judicial proceedings aimed to dissolve them or suspend their activities for lack of appropriate evidence, he said.

He went on, Human rights organizations reject any restriction on NGOs' freedom, as they believe it will repress civil society, which has been active in the transitional period. Human rights organizations will view the governments move as a restrictive move on NGOs in violation the governments policies.

Salameh said, It is difficult to make a distinction between addressing security and sovereignty-related problems ensuing from the foreign funding of NGOs and using these problems as a pretext to introduce amendments to the law to restrict the civil societys role.

He noted, Any amendment of Decree 88 requires careful and cooperative study, in such a way as to preserve the sovereignty of the state and ensure that the authorities cannot cover up any crimes committed by their agents against the citizens. Some organizations are working on monitoring such abuses.

Article 35 of the Tunisian Constitution provides for the freedom to establish political parties, unions and associations. Article 49 reads, The limitations that can be imposed on the exercise of the rights and freedoms guaranteed in this constitution will be established by law, without compromising their essence. Any such limitations can only be put in place for reasons necessary to a civil and democratic state and with the aim of protecting the rights of others, or based on the requirements of public order, national defense, public health or public morals.

Tunisia has undergone major challenges since 2011, many of them closely linked to national security. Successive governments since the departure of Ben Ali have found themselves in deadlocks, unable to balance individual, economic and social freedoms against maintaining internal security.
June 21, 2017

Turkey has been under a state of emergency since the abortive coup attempt on July 15, 2016. During this period, 150,000 people have been arrested and 50,000 remain behind bars, including journalists, academics, students, public servants and even shopkeepers. Absent from this long list of alleged supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric accused of masterminding the putsch, are political figures who made no secret of their sympathy for Gulen in the past. This has long stirred controversy and sparked accusations that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is protecting its own.

In September 2016, two months after the coup attempt, the arrest of businessman Omer Kavurmaci  the son-in-law of Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas  led many to believe that the operations would extend to political quarters, since the Topbas familys sympathy for Gulen was no secret. The expectations, however, did not materialize. Moreover, the judiciary made a surprise decision in May 2017 to release Kavurmaci while pending trial, on the grounds he suffers from epilepsy and sleep apnea.

Then, in June 2017, the authorities arrested Ekrem Yeter, the son-in-law of AKP co-founder Bulent Arinc. An associate professor in medicine, Yeter was among hundreds of academics expelled from universities through legislative decrees that the government used to its advantage under the state of emergency. Yeter became a suspect because the health association that he chaired was shut down after the coup attempt for alleged affiliation with the Gulen community, which the government has since rebranded as the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization.

Yeter reportedly testified that he had joined the health association after his father-in-law advised him to contribute to the association. He testified that AKP heavyweights such as Labor Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu and Agriculture Minister Faruk Celik had attended the health associations events. Given the zeal with which prosecutors pursue alleged Gulen sympathizers, one would have expected that a testimony providing fresh names would lead to an expanded investigation. But this did not happen. Moreover, Yeter walked free after a few days in jail when a court ruled he had a permanent residence and therefore he could report to the police regularly and was not a flight risk.

The release of the two men was seen as special treatment, leading social media users to coin the term sons-in-law law, which politicians and journalists were quick to adopt. Pro-government columnist Abdulkadir Selvi, for instance, wrote, Along with criminal law, civil law, commercial law and international law, there is now a new bunch  'sons-in-law law.'"

The contrast between the treatment of different suspects was inescapable. The evidence prosecutors have against the sons-in-law and the evidence used to imprison journalists is beyond comparison. Kavurmaci, for instance, stands accused of financially supporting Gulen even after the coup attempt. Yeter is accused of implementing Gulenist projects via ministries and medical faculties. Cumhuriyet and Al-Monitor columnist Kadri Gursel, meanwhile, has been in jail since November 2016 for alleged links with Gulenists, the supposed evidence for which is telephone records showing that individuals who downloaded the ByLock application  the alleged secret communication channel used by Gulenists  had called or texted the journalist. Moreover, the bulk of those calls and text messages remained unanswered. The charges against other Cumhuriyet writers and journalists still in jail are of a similar nature.

More than 150 journalists remain in jail, including some with a lifelong record of opposing [the Gulenists], while the sons-in-law walk free, said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), at a June 13 CHP meeting in parliament. In a sarcastic tone, he added that perhaps mothers are to blame because they have failed to find the right fathers-in-law for their sons.

The Kurdish-dominated Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) is also incensed, as two of its co-chairs and 11 of its lawmakers are in jail. Is our co-chair, Selahattin Demirtas, without a permanent address? The law is being applied differently to different individuals, said HDP spokesman Osman Baydemir during a June 13 HDP meeting in parliament. During a parliamentary session, CHP lawmaker Eren Erdem directed a written question to the justice minister: The 150 journalists in prison, are they being denied release because they are nomads living in tents?

The public outcry over the sons-in-law law was not limited to AKP opponents. Selvi, the pro-government columnist, wrote that the release of Kavurmaci and Yeter had led to a great rupture in society, warning against creating the perception that some people enjoy protection. Devlet Bahceli, the head of the Nationalist Action Party, also warned against double standards.

Along with the 50,000 people in jail, the toll from the post-coup crackdown includes 130,000 people expelled from public service. The investigations, however, have yet to shed light on the political support that the Gulen community enjoyed in the years it was the AKPs main ally. The public outcry over the release of the sons-in-law was the reflection of growing misgivings, both in opposition and pro-government quarters, that the political leg of the affair is being covered up. Kavurmaci was eventually re-arrested on June 17, but the misgivings are far from being allayed. What the public expects is a clean-up, not only in public institutions but also in the AKPs own ranks.
June 21, 2017

US President Donald Trump is wavering between members of his team who want to expand the war in Syria by also targeting Iranian-linked elements and those who say such a step would mean endless conflict in the region. This internal US disarray further complicates already-complex field developments in the Syrian civil war and the battle against the Islamic State (IS).

Whichever way US policy in Syria moves, it's clear there will be no changes in its position on the Kurds. Beyond driving IS out of Raqqa, the United States appears to have long-range plans for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in which the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) play a significant role.

Numerous claims are circulating that the United States will deploy forces to Syria's Tabqa base, which has been liberated from IS; that the YPG will be sent to al-Tanf base on the Iraq-Syria border, where Jordanian-based forces opposed to the Syrian regime are operating; and that after Raqqa the next target will be Deir ez-Zor, and Kurds will be tasked with challenging the Iranian elements. Those ideas  combined with the pro-Saudi position the United States has adopted in the crisis with Qatar  inevitably lead to the question of what's next for the US-Kurdish partnership.

A senior YPG commander who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said the YPG is ready to go to anyplace in Syria to fight IS, but they will not agree to any alliance beyond that. He said Kurds see Iran as a problem but will not become part of a battle against it. They have no plans to move to al-Tanf, he said.

Recent developments have prompted questions as to whether the United States is using the Kurds and how much the Kurds can rely on the United States.

Erbil-based news agency Basnews contradicted the YPG commander, reporting that on US demand the YPG will send forces to al-Tanf military base in the Syria-Jordan-Iraq triangle and that Kurds will have a role in restraining Iran-affiliated groups. Basnews reported that American forces concluded a 10-year cooperation agreement with the YPG.

Basnews also reported details of the supposed agreement: The United States will treat the YPG as an ally in combating terror; the United States will provide all assistance to the YPG; the United States will help the SDF evolve into an army; the YPG will continue to be part of the SDF; the YPG will guarantee there will be no attacks against neighboring countries from Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan); and the YPG will ensure the security of US soldiers and bases in the region.

In an unusual move, Kurdish officials have made statements supportive of Riyadh regarding its tension with Qatar. A Saudi-led coalition of Gulf states and Egypt cut ties with Qatar earlier this month, claiming Qatar supports terrorist groups  a claim Qatar denies.

But a few days later on June 8, Syrian Democratic Assembly co-chair Ilham Ahmed told Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a brotherly country of Syria and is important for the Muslims. About the Qatari role in Syria, she said, Qatar, like several other countries, could have played a positive role in resolving the crisis, but its support to [some opposition groups over others] caused splits among [the opposition] and opened the way to extremism and terror in Syria. As for Irans role in Syria, she said, There is no room for sectarian and nationalist projects in Syria.

Salih Muslim, co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, also spoke to the same newspaper. He said that Iran, like Turkey, is hostile toward Kurds and fears they will gain rights in Syria.

Previously, Kurds had blamed the Saudis as much as Qatar and Turkey for emboldening jihadist groups in Syria. Kurds warned that the spread of Wahhabi ideology (strict fundamentalism) would harm the region. Kurds have always been suspicious of Iran and said Iran had participated alongside the Syrian regime in clashes against Kurds in Rojava. Nevertheless, Kurds did not openly challenge Iran.

The secular Kurds in Rojava said the partnership they formed with the United States during the October 2014 Kobani siege was imperative in the face of the IS threat. The United States, which had equipped and trained scores of groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) but could not get anything done with them, shifted to a partnership with the Kurds, who were able to maintain dialogue both with the United States and Russia while preserving a controlled tension with the Syrian regime.

The Kurds' balance shifted to favor the United States as Americans intervened to end Turkey's increasing attacks against Rojava. When the nature and scope of the partnership with the United States changed, the Kurds  who until then had hesitated to participate in an operation against IS in Raqqa  crossed to the south of the Euphrates River as part of the SDF. They took the Tabqa base from IS and made moves to slow the advance of the Syrian regime's army, thus abandoning their cautious handling of Syrian and Russian interests. It was then evident that the Kurds definitely opted to ally with the United States.

But the YPG commander who spoke to Al-Monitor was more cautious. Referring to operations away from the Euphrates, he said, Americans had a plan for al-Tanf, but that was foiled when Syrian-Iranian forces reached the Iraqi border first. Americans wanted to transfer allied forces in Jordan to Deir ez-Zor. If they could have done that they would have become our neighbors. But they cannot ask such a move from the Kurds. We cant send out forces elsewhere. Of course, we want to expand the battle against terror. We are willing to form a joint front, but we cant transfer our forces.

Asked about the reports of a 10-year accord with the United States, the YPG officer said, There is no such agreement. Of course, there is a kind of partnership on the ground. The US support has assumed serious dimensions, but it has not become based on any official document. Actually, this is the contradiction in our relationship with the United States. We do everything together, but nothing is done officially.

As to the pro-Saudi declarations of some Kurdish leaders in the crisis with Qatar, he said, We expressed a political reaction in view of the chaos. I dont think this was the appropriate attitude. Saudi Arabia is as responsible as Turkey for the chaos in the Middle East. They are enemies of the Kurds. I think our people felt like saying something as required at the time. I dont think ours is a strategic decision.

Asked about the Kurdish response to the possible US demands to curtail Iranian influence in the region, the senior YPG commander said, It is strategically and ideologically wrong to set up an alliance against Iran similar to the one set up against [IS]. We cannot line up with imperialist forces, neither with bigots. We have serious projects for the Kurds and also for the future of Syria, starting with democratization of the country. That is our goal. The United States doesnt care. We are wondering whether the international partnerships we have entered into will help implement this major project.

The YPG commander, responding to claims that the United States will deploy to Tabqa, also mentioned the Kurds' meeting June 17 with the Russians at Syrias Khmeimim air base, saying, The United States above all coordinates with Russia. They bargained with Russians, not with the Kurds, about Tabqa. Two forces drive politics in Syria: the United States and Russia. We are working for the integrity and democratization of Syria. That is why we are ready to fight at any corner of Syria. Russians are criticizing Kurds not because of Raqqa, but Tabqa. Two days ago, we sat down with them at Khmeimim to ease their concerns. They dont mind [us coming] down to the Euphrates but reject our crossing to the south of the river. We came down 25 kilometers; they told us the Euphrates is a natural boundary we shouldn't cross. But this is a boundary between the United States and Russia. I said to them, Dont draw a boundary. We also want to reach Damascus. To draw a boundary is a scenario to divide the land. You are drawing such a boundary. The Russians were surprised by our reaction. They have to understand that our problem is not only autonomy for the Kurds.

Asked how he would respond to charges that Kurds are the ones who brought the United States into Syria, he said, Yes, the United States entered the region with Kurdish support. They couldnt have done it otherwise. But that partnership with the United States has helped to extricate the Kurds from the vicious circle of oppression that has been over them for a hundred years.

Kurds are also debating the future of cooperating with the Americans, who don't bestow political recognition and who confine that relationship to a military partnership. In other words, Kurds are questioning how far they will be asked to carry the load of US policy as it evolves in the region.

Meanwhile, former US Ambassador to Damascus Robert Ford issued a striking warning in a June 19 interview with Asharq Al-Awsat. Ford said the United States is using the Kurds only to fight IS and warned that Kurds will pay a heavy price for depending on the United States. Ford said the United States will not ask its army to defend Syrian Kurdistan as an independent region.

The US partnership offers attractive opportunities, but it also brings with it the fear of having to face Turkey and Syria one day. Ford's warning becomes more meaningful when one adds to those fears the reactions the Kurds will inevitably face in the Arab world in the post-IS era.
Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Top AL.com business headlines

From gun manufacturing jobs to an update on one of Birmingham's biggest empty buildings, here are the top business headlines for Thursday, June 22, 2017. For more Alabama business news anytime, visit al.com/business.

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Kelly Poe | kpoe@al.com

Brown Marx update

The Brown-Marx Building at the corner at 1st Avenue North and 20th Street North had black scaffolding around it for years. It's been removed. Does that mean it's going to be renovated?

Not yet.

"(Hughes is) just trying to clean up around the building and make it look better prior to the opening of the Elyton," Carter Hughes, principal with H2 Real Estate and Hughes Capital Partners, wrote in an email. "We are just observing the market as we continue to explore our opportunities there."

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Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com

New beer in Birmingham

Nashville-based Tennessee Brew Works is partnering with AlaBev to bring the craft brews into the Magic City after expanding to the Huntsville area last month.

The brewer of Southern Wit, 1927 IPA, Tripel Star, Basil Ryeman, Walk the Lime, Extra Easy Ale and Cutaway Rye IPA will start distribution on Monday.

(Courtesy)

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Gun manufacturing jobs

A high-end gun manufacturer will invest $2.9 million into its Bessemer facility.

The expansion will lead to Steyr Arms adding up to 10 jobs. The Bessemer facility is the only U.S. subsidiary of the Austrian-based company that imports, distributes and assembles Steyr firearms. Steyr plans to relocate manufacturing of products it sells in the U.S. from Austria to Bessemer.

(Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Kelly Poe | kpoe@al.com

Purple Onion closing

The Purple Onion Deli & Grill closed its location at 1717 10th Ave. S. on Monday, staff confirmed to AL.com. The Southside location opened in 1995.

The casual restaurant is known for its Mediterranean food, including kabobs, baba ghanouj, falafel and breakfast offerings. The closing does not appear to affect Purple Onion's other locations, including the Hoover and Inverness locations.

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William Thornton / wthornton@al.com

Gadsden job fair

The Alabama Career Center System has announced some of the potential employers which will be represented at a regional job fair June 27 in Gadsden.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 210 at the Tracks in Gadsden. The job fair is free and open to the public.

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Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com

At Home in Trussville

Home decor store At Home has opened a new location in Trussville after moving out of an older store in Irondale.

The 90,000-square-foot store stocks more than 50,000 home decor items including furniture, rugs, wall art, housewares, patio and seasonal items. It opened Wednesday at 5036 Pinnacle Square.

(Courtesy At Home)

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Prattville Apartments

Work on proposed luxury apartments in Prattville's historic gin shop could begin next year. The Montgomery Advertiser is reporting that the group behind the gin shop project is looking to start sometime next year.

The paper quoted Kea Calame, vice president of LEDIC Realty, telling the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce the goal is to begin work on 146 luxury apartments by January. Right now, the Army Corps of Engineers wants an archeological study of the site.

(Photo by John E. Scott, Montgomery, Alabama / Courtesy Alabama Department of Archives and History)

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Mike Cason | mcason@al.com

July 4 gas prices

A record number of U.S. travelers are expected to hit the road and sky this Fourth of July, according to a forecast from auto club AAA.

As many as 44.2 million people are expected to travel over the holiday, an increase of 1.25 million people from last year. Low gas prices are credited with boosting auto travel this year.

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Bob Carlton | bcarlton@al.com

History of Dale's

A savory, soy sauce-based marinade that's great with everything from ribeyes to Bloody Marys, Dale's began in Birmingham in 1946, and it's now available in 44 states across the country. It's still owned and operated by the same family that started Dale's 71 years ago.

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Leada Gore | lgore@al.com

Amazon credits

You might have Amazon credits waiting for you, but you've only got them until Saturday. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.

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Emily Hill

Bed Bath & Beyond's bad quarter

Home goods retailer Bed Bath and Beyond had a bad quarter, and MarketWatch explores why.

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Leada Gore | lgore@al.com

Tesla might build China factory

Tesla is in talks to build a factory in China, Fox Business reports. The move would allow Tesla to avoid a 25 percent import tax on cars. (Contributed photo/Tesla)

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The Tylt

Uber employees petition to reinstate ex-CEO

Some Uber employees are circulating a petition to reinstate Travis Kalanick as CEO two days after he resigned, BuzzFeed reports. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

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Associated Press

Ivanka Trump's last luxury brand

Ivanka Trump's spas are one of her last luxury brands. Bloomberg explores the future of her name as a brand. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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Cameron Smith

Facebook shift

Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg chained the social network's mission statement to emphasize groups, Reuters reports. FILE - This July 16, 2013 file photo shows a sign at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File) (File Photo)
Anniston city officials today announced that Birmingham's Harbert Realty Services has pulled out of a partnership with the city to develop a retail property along Anniston's Quintard Avenue.

In December, a partnership was announced for a "major retail" project, involving the city, Harbert Realty, Alabama Power and Wells Fargo. The plan calls for retail space on the block at Quintard and Wilmer Avenues and 9th and 10th Streets, adjacent to the Anniston-Calhoun County Central Library.

In a news release, the city said Harbert was under contract on the property and was working through a period of due diligence while recruiting retail businesses.

Closing was expected this month, with a completion date by November.

Officials with the city did not give a reason for the withdrawal, but said they were confident the project can go forward. Attempts to reach Harbert for comment were unsuccessful.

"This administration has placed emphasis on economic development partnerships and we remain confident these will bear fruit," Anniston Mayor Jack Draper said.

City Manager Kent Davis said several developers are expressing interest in the project.

"Over the lifespan of a project, which is often a multi-year process, partners come and go, bringing unique skill sets at critical moments to keep a project in motion," Davis said.

The city's director of economic development and planning, Toby Bennington, said three fast-casual style food retailers have already shown "considerable interest" in the development site. He did not identify them.

"Many benchmarks on this project have been met," Bennington said in a statement. "We are well down the track for another developer to jump onboard."

Rod Nowlin, Alabama Power's Eastern Division customer service manager, said the company will continue to support the project.

"We understand the importance of growing our communities and being good citizens where we live and work," Nowlin said.
Decades ago, the 300-seat sanctuary at Sandusky United Methodist Church was full on most Sundays and overflowing on Easter.

"You had to put chairs in the aisles on Easter because you didn't have enough room to put everybody," said Donna Martin, a lifelong member.

"They were a thriving church," said the Rev. Dan Hallman, who has been pastor for the past 12 years and will be the last minister assigned to the church.

On Sunday, June 25, at 11 a.m., Sandusky United Methodist will hold the last worship service in its 126-year history, after regular attendance dwindled down to between 17 and 22. "It dwindled due to death and people being put in nursing homes," Hallman said.

It's one of 21 United Methodist churches being closed this year in Alabama, including 10 in the North Alabama Conference and 11 in the Alabama-West Florida Conference.

In addition to Sandusky, Ninth Street and St. Luke, other United Methodist churches closing this year in the North Alabama Conference are: Fruithurt, Bostick Hill, Midway (Lafayette), West Scottsville, Pine Springs, Bethlehem Station and Sulligent.

The conferences are opening some new congregations, starting Celebrate Recovery Ministries and satellite congregations. Two closed churches in Decatur, Ninth Street and St. Luke, will help start a new church in that area.

"The last couple of years, they've seen the writing on the wall," Hallman said of Sandusky.

"They've been seeing it coming since I've been there," he said. "They tried every program and strategy offered them. They were tired. We are a dying church. They wanted to die with dignity."

Back to Sandusky

Sandusky United Methodist, founded in 1891, reflects the history of its city and its state as well as any of the closing churches.

"Most of the men worked at U.S. Steel, some of them worked for ACIPCO (American Cast Iron Pipe Co.)," said Sherry Lochamy, 64, a lifelong member. "Your church was right there. That was the core of your community. My dad worked at U.S. Steel."

For decades, the community of Sandusky was like a company town for U.S. Steel. "It used to be a Mayberry of white families," Hallman said. "It's a transitional community."

As white families moved away and black families moved in, few black residents attended the church, which has three black members, including the pianist, Bo Floyd.

"It's hard to get young black families to come to an old white church," Hallman said.

Floyd said she started attending the church in 2000 and has been attending for 17 years. "I have absolutely loved it," she said. She served as minister of music at Sandusky, but recently took a job as minister of music at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church and will miss this Sunday's last service. She said she'll never forget the first time she went to a service at Sandusky.

"From the very first moment me and my kids walked in, the minister came all the way down out of the pulpit to greet us, and several members came to greet us, and I've only missed two Sundays in the last 17 years."

Some of the members who moved away still drove back. Jimmy and Sherry Lochamy, who live in Chilton County, have been driving back on Sundays.

"We've been driving back for seven years, an hour each way," said Sherry. "It's going to be hard not to come back to Sandusky."

The current sanctuary was built in 1976.

"It's a pretty church," said Donna Martin, 61, who married her husband, Darry, there on March 2006, the last wedding held in the church. "It's got a lot of paneling in it, it's dated. But it's a pretty church."

The previous sanctuary next door, with stone-lined stairs where weeds now grow in cracks in the steps, was used as a Sunday school classroom after the new building was done. Sherry and Jimmy Lochamy were the last couple wed in the old building, in May 1976.

Martin, the church's former youth director, said her mother, Joline Hubbert, 88, will be at the last service. She's attended the church all her life.

"My daughters were both christened there," Martin said. "My grandson should be there. He got baptized as a baby there."

The people that remain at Sandusky are like family to her.

"They have watched me grow up," Martin said.

"I've been in the choir since I was 15," Sherry said. "We don't have a choir anymore. I just lead the singing."

She said she went to Sandusky Elementary School and Minor High School. People shopped at Thomas Grocery, a now-defunct mom-and-pop store.

"Half the teachers at Sandusky Elementary went to Sandusky Methodist or Sandusky First Baptist," Sherry said. "You didn't dare get in trouble in school. Your teacher was going to call your mom that afternoon. It was a very close-knit, loving, family community. It's my community roots."

Time took its toll. Society changed. Sandusky United Methodist Church got left behind.

"It aged out," Sherry said. "The men started working at U.S. Steel after World War II. They're dying. They're up in their 80s and 90s. The community is aging, the people are aging. People travel now. Back then, you hardly ever left the community."

Three hymns

The last service will be somber.

"It's very bittersweet," Sherry said.

"We figure there'll be guests - people coming back for the last hurrah," Pastor Hallman said. "Just a time of reflection and remembering."

There won't be any fellowship meal or dinner on the grounds. "Our old ladies just can't do that anymore," Hallman said. "They've just got past being able."

People will share their memories.

"We've had a lot of good times there," Hallman said. "On Wednesday nights you'd have thought you were at the comedy club. People have been mutally supporting and loving. It's real sad to close."

Three traditional hymns will definitely be sung this Sunday, Hallman said.

"The Church's One Foundation" and "Amazing Grace" have been requested, and the service will probably wrap up with "Blessed be the Tie that Binds."

That one starts out with "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above," and the fourth stanza will sting a little bit: "When we are called to part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again."

Hallman expects that it will be an emotional service.

"Maybe we can jerk a few tears," Hallman said. "I'll shed my share of them."
Vacations at the beach make memories of splashing in the surf, digging in the sand and floating on lazy rivers. But for Holly Garrett's 61/2-year-old son, Isaac, a simple meal he ordered at Lucy Buffett's LuLu's Destin last week will stand out in his mind forever.

Since he was 4 months old, Isaac has suffered from severe, life-threatening food allergies. He cannot eat tree nuts, peanuts, dairy or eggs. Usually, when she takes him to a restaurant, Holly packs a homemade meal for him to ensure that he doesn't eat anything that could cause a bad reaction.

"It's not fun," she said. "It's not even worth it."

But last week, while on vacation in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Holly learned from the staff at a restaurant near where they were staying that LuLu's in Destin has a special menu for those with food allergies. Holly had never heard of such a thing. In fact, she called first to make sure it was true.

She and her extended family of 13, including her boyfriend, twin sister, brother and their families, decided to drive 30 minutes to Destin to try it. Their visit made such an impression that, when they returned to their home about 30 minutes north of Nashville, Tenn., Holly thanked LuLu's on the restaurant's Facebook page.

Dear LuLu's You are looking at a picture of a boy that has never, in his 6 and a half years, been able to order from a... Posted by Holly Garrett on Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Isaac's order was nothing fancy: Grilled chicken tenders, white rice and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette. But he savored every mouthful. It was the first time in his life he had been able to order a meal at a restaurant - an experience so many people take for granted.

LuLu's has had an allergy menu in place for at least six years, said Michael Butler, general manager of the Destin restaurant. "We're thrilled that Holly thinks we took such special care of her son, but we give the same treatment to every allergy guest who comes through our door," he said.

Having a manager take the guest's order is part of the protocol, which includes writing the order on a bright pink ticket and having an allergy cook on duty to prepare the food in a completely separate space where nothing is re-used, to prevent cross-contamination.

"The same manager personally delivers the food to the guest so we can ensure everything is done properly and the guest can eat with confidence," he said.

When Isaac's meal was in front of him, he was in awe. "All this is for me?" he asked his mother.

"Buddy, eat it all!" she told him.

Holly's post elicited replies from hundreds of people who empathized with her. Many of them are already LuLu's fans, and others said they plan to visit one of the two locations soon.

"I'm still not over it, really," she said. "They catered to us. It was amazing. They made it the best night of our lives, and his."

Yesterday, Holly received a message from LuLu's saying they've been overwhelmed by the response from her post and asking for her address to send Isaac some "Gumbo Love" goodies.

The restaurant's allergy program is "one of the best things as a company that we have done," said Butler, who started working at the Gulf Shores location in 2005 and opened the Destin location in 2015. He said the effort exemplifies Lucy Buffett's "heart-centered management philosophy."

"It's really important to us to treat guests like our own family," he said. "We want our guests with food allergies to feel safe and have the same experience as anyone else."

RELATED: Lucy Buffett's new cookbook, "Gumbo Love"
The Alabama Supreme Court said Friday that it won't review the appeal of death row inmate Ronnie Kirksey.

The supreme court voted 8-1 to deny a review of Kirksey's appeal.

The court majority did not issue an opinion on why it didn't agree to hear Kirksey's appeal. But Associate Justice Glenn Murdock, the lone dissenting vote, issued a dissenting written opinion.

Murdock had a couple of concerns regarding a U.S. Supreme Court decision in January 2016 that struck down Florida's judicial override law - where judges could ignore jury recommendations for life sentences in a capital murder cases and instead impose death. After that ruling Florida changed its law and judges there can no longer override the jury in capital murder trials.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Hurst that the death sentence should be based on a jury's verdict, not a judge's fact finding. Florida's former sentencing scheme - before Hurst - had required the judge alone to find the existence of an aggravating circumstance. The court ruled that was unconstitutional.

"I am concerned that the issue whether the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances in a capital case, as required for the imposition of the death penalty under Alabama law, sufficiently partakes of the nature of a factual inquiry so as to trigger the principles articulated in Hurst," Murdock stated. "I also believe this Court should further consider the petitioner's (Kirksey's) argument that the jury's verdict (in Kirksey's case) was constitutionally insufficient to support a death sentence because the jury was instructed that its verdict would merely be a recommendation."

Kirksey, of Gadsden, was convicted in the death of 23-month-old Cornell Norwood. The jury in 2010 found Kirksey guilty and unanimously recommended he be sentenced to death. The judge agreed and sentenced Kirksey to death.

The U.S. Supreme Court had vacated the sentences of Kirksey, Corey Wimbley, and Ryan Gerald Russell, last year and sent them back to the state appeals court to review in light of its Florida ruling.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in December, however, ruled the death sentences of Kirksey, Wimbley and Russell are constitutional and don't conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Hurst.

But since then Alabama's death penalty sentencing law has already been changed.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on April 11 signed into law a bill that eliminates jury overrides by judges. But that law is not retroactive, barring inmates already on death row in jury override cases from taking advantage of it.

Alabama's former death sentencing law - before the new one - had been compared to Florida's because both allowed judges to override jury recommendations for life and instead impose death. But prosecutors had argued juries did consider aggravating circumstances in their verdicts.
Birmingham public works crews on Friday will begin helping residents across the city clean up after Thursday's severe storms.

Mayor William Bell has authorized crews to remove trees and debris from private property. Most of the damage in Birmingham was in the areas of Ensley and Roosevelt City.

"We know that we have more storms coming and we want citizens to know that we will be there to assist starting early in the morning and in between the storms (on Friday)," Bell said in a statement. "As problems are reported, we will have crews working nonstop throughout the weekend to quickly clean up the damage."

At least four people were injured when a powerful storm system swept through west Jefferson County on Thursday afternoon. Much of the damage was concentrated in Fairfield, where an Express Oil Change, KFC and ABC Store were severely damaged or destroyed.

Birmingham residents are asked to call 311 to reported downed trees and debris. Residents can also use social media and the Nextdoor app. Click here for more information.

Gov. Kay Ivey declared a statewide state of emergency on Tuesday in anticipation of severe weather. This declaration allows the city to enter private property when it's necessary for public interest such as a danger to adjacent property, the right of way or to help facilitate other emergency work.
Authorities have released the names of a father and daughter killed Thursday night in an Etowah County crash involving an 18-wheeler.

Alabama State Troopers identified the victims as Anna Elaine Holthof, 21, and Roy Michael Holthof, 59. The crash happened just after 9 p.m. on Interstate 59, one mile north of Attalla.

Anna Holthof was driving a 2002 Chevrolet when she was struck by a 2007 Freightliner, troopers said. Her father was a passenger. Both victims were pronounced dead on the scene. The truck driver wasn't injured.

No additional information was available. The accident remains under investigation.
A Vestavia Hills woman has been charged with a felony crime in connection with a March DUI crash that critically injured a 24-year-old man.

Karen Pridgen Stafford, 50, was arrested Thursday, according to court and jail records. She was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 1:30 p.m. and released 27 minutes later after posting $15,000 bond.

Stafford is charged with first-degree assault in the March 4 head-on crash on U.S. 31 in Homewood that injured Hoover resident Steven Edmondson. Edmondson was traveling northbound on the highway when his vehicle was struck by Stafford, who was driving on the wrong side of the road. The crash happened on the hill near Brookwood Medical Center that Saturday evening.

Edmondson was rushed to UAB Hospital for emergency surgery. A portion of his left arm was amputated and both legs were shattered from the femur down. At the time, Edmondson worked as a manager, dispatcher and driver for TakeOut, a restaurant delivery service. He was also a full-time college student who has undergone multiple surgeries since the wreck three months ago.

The community has rallied around Edmondson since his wreck. Multiple fundraisers have been held to help him with his recovery, and a GoFundMe account has raised at least $21,000.

According to the affidavit against Stafford, she was driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance or a combination of both when she caused serious bodily injury to Edmondson with a motor vehicle. Homewood police said they had to wait for the results from testing sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences before obtaining the warrant.

Stafford is set to make her first court appearance on July 13. She is represented by Birmingham attorneys Tommy Spina and Brett Bloomston. The attorneys released this statement to AL.com: "This event is a real tragedy on many levels. Our thoughts and prayers have been with Mr. Edmondson and his family since the accident and we have communicated that to his lawyers and asked that they convey that to him from the outset. Regretfully, our system of justice discourages direct contact between parties when circumstances such as these occur."

Updated at 4:13 p.m. with a statement from Stafford's attorneys.
An estimated 2,500 refugees and migrants live in squatted buildings in Athens  some of which are at risk of eviction.

Hundreds of Greek protesters and refugees have demonstrated in Athens to voice opposition to a courts ruling to empty out squats, several of which provide residence to refugees and migrants.

Marching from the City Plaza refugee squat in central Athens, around 700 people made the trek to the Ministry of Migration building in the capitals Klafthmonos Square on Friday.





They chanted in support of squats and their residents, carrying signs that read City Plaza is our home and Hands off squats.

Solidarity demonstrations were also staged in cities across Europe, including in Germany, Austria, and Belgium. Many of the rallies were held in front of Greek embassies.

Earlier this month, a Greek court ruled that three squats  including City Plaza, the largest of its kind  must be evacuated. The other two buildings slated for eviction are Papouchadiko and Zoodochou Pigis 119.

Aliki Papahela, the owner of the Hotel City Plaza building, which sat empty in the capital for six years after the business shuttered in 2010, had filed appeals for its evacuation in court.

This attack, in general, is against the [refugee solidarity] movement, said Nasim Lomani, a 36-year-old member of the Solidarity Initiative for Political and Economic Refugees, arguing that the measure will leave the squats more than 400 residents without accommodation.

There are more or less 4,000 empty buildings in the city, said Lomani, who fled his native Afghanistan as a child and came to Greece more than two decades ago. They could use them [to house refugees].

READ MORE: Greek leftists turn deserted hotel into refugee homes

Founded in April 2016, when activists occupied the building, the City Plaza squat offers space for families to live in hotel rooms and access to refugee-run and activist-administered healthcare, education and dining, among other services. Most residents play a role according to their own abilities.

The squat boasts of providing temporary housing for more than 1,500 people, many of whom have now moved on to residences in Greece or elsewhere in Europe, throughout the last year.

City Plaza is organised on principles of self-administration and direct democracy. Activists and refugees make decisions about their activities by reaching general consensus through discussion and debate.

Feeling like they arent humans anymore

Activists argue that City Plaza and other squats like it provide an alternative to the decrepit conditions in camps, where asylum seekers struggle with overcrowding, a lack of resources and scarce access to quality healthcare, among other problems.

Referring to living conditions in camps, Lomani said: They [the government] managed to [make the refugees] feel like they arent humans anymore.

The Greek Ministry of Interior did not reply to Al Jazeeras requests for comments on the squats pending eviction.

READ MORE: Greek anarchists organise for refugees as state fails

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis has called on the government to empty squats for refugees and migrants, arguing that the refugee crisis does not legitimise anyone occupying arbitrarily public or private buildings to house those persons.

In an open letter to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Kaminis claimed the conditions in squats are as poor or worse than camps.

In March 2016, the European Union and Turkey struck a deal to stem the flow of refugees and migrants from Turkey. That deal allows Greece to deport people who arrived after March 20 of last year back to Turkey, where they can apply for relocation to Europe.

The agreement resulted in more than 60,000 refugees and migrants being stuck in limbo in Greece.

Hotbed of solidarity activism

Several of the citys dozens of squats are situated in Exarchia, a predominantly anarchist and leftist neighbourhood that has become a hotbed of refugee solidarity activism since the crisis exploded two years ago.

In addition to refugee squats and others like them that provide residence for anarchists and other activists, activist-administered social centres and soup kitchens are dotted throughout the city.

READ MORE: Why some refugees in Greece are being driven to suicide

Greek activists have held mass demonstrations in solidarity with refugees and migrants, calling for the closure of camps and the full integration of asylum seekers into society and the economy at large.

On March 19 of this year  the one-year anniversary of the EU-Turkey deal  thousands of Greeks and refugees took to the streets in Athens and elsewhere against that agreement and called for an overhaul of the EUs migration policies.

Syrizas about-face

After the left-wing Syriza party took power in January 2015, the government promised to radically overhaul Greeces immigration policies by providing citizenship to second-generation migrants born in the country and closing migrant detention centres.

Yet the ruling partys ostensible reversal on these promises has bred widespread discontent among solidarity campaigners.

The Syriza-led government was largely standoffish towards squats when the refugee crisis exploded, but it has taken an increasingly harsh stance in the last year, carrying out a spate of evictions.

Before sunrise on March 13, Greek police raided a pair of squats in Athens  one that provided housing for refugees, another that was inhabited by anarchist activists. Around 200 people were detained for several hours.

Last July, police stormed and emptied three squats in the northern city of Thessaloniki, briefly detaining dozens of activists and refugees.

OPINION: Martyr on the Mediterranean  Athens double crisis

In April 2016, police on the island of Lesbos surrounded and raided the No Borders Kitchen squat, a social centre for asylum seekers stuck on the island. Hundreds of activists and asylum seekers were arrested, and bulldozers ploughed through the squat and left only rubble in their wake.

Petros Constantinou, the national director of the anti-racist group Keerfa and a city councillor in Athens, estimates that the capitals dozens of squats provide residence for around 2,500 refugees and migrants.

They cannot evacuate them, he told Al Jazeera by telephone, accusing Syrizas leadership of appeasing right-wing groups by clamping down on squats. Many of the councillors in Syriza  not the municipality  support these occupations.

Constantinou added: The reality is that they cannot impose open suppression  What is real is the disgusting policy against the refugees, and so many people are disgusted by Syriza opening detention centres and isolating refugees in camps.

Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_








Gaza Strip  You only have one chance to catch your prey, even if it flies, Nasser Taeimah told Al Jazeera.

He was describing one of his most dangerous hunting trips along Gazas border in the eastern part of al-Maghazi refugee camp.

While Israeli military jeeps patrolled the border, a flock of wild ducks flew across the sky. But as he watched his prey soar, Nasser, an 11-year-old boy with piercing eyes, could not risk taking a shot.

I didnt have enough time, [even though] I had spent more than six hours waiting for the ducks, Nasser said. I just told my brother to follow the Israeli soldiers movements while I continued to hunt, but the ducks quickly disappeared.

Later, Nasser had the luck to spot another flock; as his brother watched the Israeli soldiers, a few minutes passed, but it felt like years, he said. The two brothers were determined to catch their prey, but they did not want to risk being caught by Israeli soldiers for being in an area of Gaza deemed out of bounds to the territorys residents.

INTERACTIVE: 24 Hours in Gaza

Nasser prepared his silenced hunting gun and simulated a duck call. As the flock moved closer to the ground, he took his shot and hit several ducks, but they fell behind the Israeli fence.

Using a branch from an olive tree, he managed to pull the fallen ducks towards him and through a small gap in the fence  but then he and his brother, Saker, heard shots fired from the Israeli side. It was not clear who the Israelis were firing at. Shaken, the two boys hid behind a tree for more than an hour before daring to venture back towards their home.

Although Nasser and Saker  which means falcon in Arabic  emerged from the incident unscathed, it could have ended differently.

In most places, hunting game birds is a classic recreational sport, but the situation is different in Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian siege for the past decade. During that time, the border area has become one of the most dangerous parts of the territory.

Last year, Israeli forces killed eight Palestinians in Gaza during demonstrations at the border fence and injured around 200, according to Human Rights Watch. Israeli authorities have declared the buffer area around Gazas border to be a no-go zone, with soldiers firing at people who enter it.

Despite these dangers, Nasser  who prides himself as the youngest bird hunter among dozens who practice the sport in the Gaza Strip  insists on going there to hunt with his father and brother every Friday.

Its not only his talent, his father, Khalil, told Al Jazeera. Hes challenged his inner fears here.

Nasser has a stutter that worsened during the 2014 Israeli bombardment of Gaza, and the condition has made him fearful of interacting with other children. He decided that succeeding as a hunter could make him more popular among his peers in Gaza, and has spent the past two years repairing shotguns in his fathers shop in al-Nusairat refugee camp. In the process, he has learned to recognise and understand the differences between various hunting weapons.

He went out on his first hunt a year ago; at the time, he could not even carry the gun, which was taller than him. His father later cut it down to match Nassers size.

When he first began to practice shooting, he fired on stationary objects before moving on to birds. He learned to simulate bird sounds to lure them closer before shooting them and bringing the meat home for his family to eat.

Q&A: Confronting trauma in Gaza City

To get to the border area, Nasser, along with his father and brother, takes a 30-minute motorcycle ride from their camp. Upon arrival, Nasser does an initial scan to determine the best vantage point from which to monitor the birds movements, while also staying hidden from Israeli soldiers.

Less than 500 metres separate us and the Israeli soldiers, Nasser explained during a recent hunting trip. But here, I find my adventure and my inner strength.

There are more than 500 kinds of birds across Palestine, including several types of migratory birds that arrive in different seasons, according to biodiversity researcher Ayman Dardona. Over-hunting in the besieged Gaza Strip  where many families struggle to meet their basic needs for food and shelter  has had a detrimental impact on the territorys ecological balance, he told Al Jazeera.

Migratory birds are useful for agriculture; they work to eliminate insects and larvae, to get rid of dead animals and to pollinate plants, Dardona noted.

Nasser says that he has caught and eaten a variety of birds over the years  everything from ducks to doves. On a recent day, after returning home from their hunt, Nasser and Saker gave their mother the birds they caught so that she could prepare them for dinner.

We have not sold any of the birds we hunted, Nasser said.

We just have really adventurous times, which end by eating tasty food after a hard day. [Despite the risks], we will not stop our adventures.
The list of demands that Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries say Qatar must comply with in order to end the diplomatic and trade siege they imposed on the country two weeks ago is so draconian and broad that it mainly raises new questions about the efficacy, motivation, and desired outcome of the Saudi-Emirati-led isolation of Qatar.





The demands leaked on Friday are so extreme and unrealistic in their scope, severity, and credibility that, if they are indeed accurate, they may backfire and hurt the Saudi and Emirati governments that are at odds with political realities in the Middle East instead of Qatar.

In the 13-point list, the countries demand Qatar to shut down the Al Jazeera network and other media it sponsors, scale down ties with Iran, sever all alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups like Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), and take other measures related to its relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Their most bizarre demand is to audit Qatar once a month for the first year after an agreement is reached, once per quarter in the second year, and then annually for another decade. This should be seen as a telltale sign that this is more of a Hollywood mafia hit list or a delinquent courts juvenile fancies than the terms of a serious diplomatic negotiation about credible concerns. And it will elicit chuckles rather than any serious response in the region.

READ MORE: Twitter users hit back at Saudi-blocs list of demands

These demands came very late in the crisis  over two weeks after the start of the blockade and they have a severe and unrealistic nature, which makes it impossible for Qatar to comply and also remain a sovereign state. The demands are based on widely unsubstantiated and exaggerated grievances against Qatar, which are more about differing political orientations and values than any alleged credible strategic threat.

The best that we can hope for is that this incident will push all concerned to focus more realistically on actual policy disagreements that can be resolved by reasonable compromises and concessions on both sides, rather than expressions of exaggerated fears in draconian punitive moves and threats. by

Also, no major country in the world has so far lined up squarely behind the Saudi-Emirati siege of Qatar (those who did are countries hobbled by a severe dependency on GCC aid) while most governments have called for a negotiated and mediated resolution. Yet, the Saudi-Emirati leaders expect Qatar to submit to these non-negotiable demands, accept their permanent tutelage, and remain under surveillance, like a child being disciplined or a criminal being rehabilitated.

A few days ago the US State Department expressed puzzlement about the Saudi and Emirati leaderships reluctance to spell out their complaints about Qatar. It emphasised the necessity for these demands to be put forward so that serious mediation could kick into gear.

The US insisted that Qatars neighbours should provide a list of reasonable and actionable demands  yet the list published on Friday does not seem to meet these criteria. The demands seek radical changes or total omissions of foreign and media policies that are central to Qatars definition of its role in the region and the world, so they cannot possibly be met or even seriously considered in their current form.

The accusations that Qatar funds and promotes terrorism through a range of Arab and Iranian parties have not found serious support around the region or the world. Many political groups and analysts agree that Qatari-funded organisations, such as Al Jazeera Arabic, supported some of the populist Arab uprisings in 2010-11, but this consensus does not extend to accusations relating to terrorism.

Dohas political relations with Iran, Hamas and other Islamists reflect the emirates ideology of maintaining working relations with all principal political actors in the region, in order to enable conflict-resolution negotiations and other useful political contacts when possible. Consequently, Qatars crime in the eyes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would seem to be that it seeks to engage with all the political and popular forces of the Middle East in order to maintain the balance of powers in the region.

This contrasts sharply with the Saudi-Emirati-Egyptian preference for asserting an old-fashioned paternalistic, top-heavy, security-anchored model of governance and public life that a majority of Arab people has tried to reject in the recent uprisings.

READ MORE: Turkey dismisses demand to close Qatar military base

These demands and the sentiments behind them seem to be the consequence of two simultaneous attempts to assert power and self-confidence in the region. The first of these attempts was the dynamic moves by the Saudis and Emiratis in the past six years to use their military and financial muscle across the region (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain) to beat back waves of citizen activism, free media, democratic populism, and rising Islamism that threatened their model of governance by welfare-state paternalism.





The second has been the assertion of political control in Saudi Arabia by the new crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, who has little to show to date for the internal reforms he initiated, his Yemen war adventure and the move against Qatar.

How these dynamic, aggressive moves by Saudi-Emirati leaders will impact the region will be clarified in the coming weeks, when Qatar and others respond to these demands that clearly need to be revised and negotiated to come closer to political reality.

The biggest immediate threat from a continuation of the current standoff is to the integrity of the GCC. This standoff may jeopardise the stability of the Gulf region and other Arab states that depend on the cooperation for their economic wellbeing. As a result of the reconfiguration of the regional strategic balance, actors such as Iran, Turkey, Russia and Israel can also make bold moves and complicate things.

We should expect to see more of the same in the region  new tension, conflict, and disruptions in society and peoples lives, as official and non-state forces show they are willing and able to resist the military and financial pressures by governments that take harsh and unrealistic measures to enforce unreasonable demands that are based on imprecise and non-credible analysis of realities of the region.

The best that we can hope for is that this incident will push all concerned to focus more realistically on actual policy disagreements that can be resolved by reasonable compromises and concessions on both sides, rather than expressions of exaggerated fears in draconian punitive moves and threats.

Rami G Khouri is senior public policy fellow and professor of journalism at the American University of Beirut, an internationally syndicated columnist, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
In 1994, just five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the United States and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) signed the Agreed Framework, which was aiming to suspend the latters nuclear programme,

Although the agreement eventually failed, US policy became predicated on the belief that the Democratic Peoples Republic, like the communist states of Eastern and Central Europe just before 1989, is hollowed-out and on the verge of collapse. However, North Korea has manifestly not collapsed.





A hollowed-out state is no longer capable of sustaining itself. In common-sense terms, a hollowed-out state cannot or does not provide its citizens with basic necessities. Alternatively, for a state to be considered hollow, the belief system on which it has based itself on has to be meaningfully called into question. Of course, even a state that exhibits these characteristics can still continue to be effectively operational, as long as it has functional instruments of repression.

The state organs of control continue to function with robust health in North Korea, but that is not the reason for the states persistence.

Surviving astonishing difficulties

Back in 1994, it was not irrational to believe that North Korea was on the verge of collapse. North Korea was in the grips of a famine that eventually claimed the lives of more than five percent of its population. The floods that had ushered in the famine had also destroyed much of the countrys production infrastructure. Yet at no subsequent point were there reliable reports of protests or riots against the government. The stoicism and stalwartness of the North Korean people in the face of astonishing difficulties throughout this period deserve explanation.

OPINION: Is war coming to North Korea?

When I first went to North Korea in 1999 to try to arrange for Canadas recognition, I was hoping to gain a better understanding of the country. I had one particular question on my mind: how had North Korea survived a crisis that involved a famine that had killed a million people and destroyed its production infrastructure, as well as a military confrontation with the worlds leading power and the death of a revered leader, who had presided over the country since its inception? I cannot think of another state that had survived such challenges. So how can we understand North Korea and the reasons behind its persistence?

North Korea is increasingly unlikely to collapse. It is increasingly capable of defending itself and, given its abiding fear of US aggression, it is unlikely to cede its missiles or warheads as bargaining chips. by

Understanding North Korea

A state can be analysed along three dimensions: governance, economy and belief system.

North Korea is politically organised on standard Leninist Democratic-Centralist principles. When it comes to its economy, North Korea, despite some leakage of authority to the countrys constituent counties and cities during the famine and in the course of its reforms, remains centrally planned. Regarding its belief system, the usual answer is that, ideologically, North Korea subscribes to Marxist Dialectical-Materialism.

Nevertheless, can we be sure that this is correct? What evidence is there to sustain this contention? For example, my first conversation with one of Chinas leading North Korea scholars elicited the curious observation that they dont understand the DPRK very well any more, because [North Koreans] broke their links with Marxism long ago.

At the moment, one of the most popular discussion topics regarding North Korea is its nuclear ambitions. Everyone is focused on the capacity of the countrys nuclear project. But, actually, questions about the size of North Koreas prospective nuclear stockpile and means of delivery should be only secondary to the question of the countrys intentions and North Koreas intentions, nuclear and otherwise, can only be derived, with some degree of assurance, by an examination of its Juche.

OPINION: Will China intervene in North Korea?

The Juche, which is usually translated as self-reliance, is the official state ideology of North Korea. The Juche is regularly dismissed as a simple exhortation to self-sufficiency, but in fact, it is so much more than that.

Observations on trips around the country, conversations with North Koreans of widely differing social, political and economic status and discussions with scholars and functionaries of what was then called the Juche Studies Institute helped me produce the following insights.

Conceptualisation of the Juche





The Juche was conceptualised by Kim Il-sung when he was in exile in the USSR during the Japanese colonial period. At the time, it was a nationalist variant of Marxism-Leninism, along the lines of Albanias Hoxhaisim or Romanias Ceausescuism, and had a strong Stalinist component with its emphasis on the cult of personality.

But in the 1960s, Kim Jong-il, with some help from his philosophy professor, Hwang Jang-op, reshaped the Juche into something entirely different. The recast version of the Juche rests on three pillars.

Confucianism: for its emphasis on hierarchy and family. There are from 50 to 54 levels in North Korean society. Ones place is determined by heredity, but talent can still provide for a rise in status.

Christianity: for its tradition of submission, divine intervention, and the Marian devotion that must have been useful in the rehabilitation of Kim Jong-ils mother, Kim Jong-suk as a revolutionary mother to the North Korean state.

OPINION: Will there be a Korean war under Trumps presidency?

Chondoism: for its nationalism, shamanism and roots in Korean traditions. Chondoism is a syncretic religion based on Ural-Altaic shamanism. There are, it is claimed, some four million adherents of Chondoism in North Korea and, when I met with their leaders in Pyongyang, one remarked whether I had noticed the strong affiliation between Chondoism and the Juche.

The cultural acquis of Koreas unfortunate history is also subsumed into the Juche. The frequent invasions during the Joseon Dynasty, the economic and cultural aggression of the Japanese during Koreas colonial period and the extraordinary brutalities of the Korean War laid the basis for xenophobia, a strong tendency to autarky, ultra-nationalism and militarism that define North Koreas sociopolitical reality in the Juche.

Preserving the Juche

In North Korea, which is essentially isolated from the rest of the world, the coordinated operation of all means of mass communication ensures the perpetuation of the Juche and, with that, support for the government. Indeed, isolation is the requirement for the ideological control of the population.

The way the education system functions in North Korea also ensures the inculcation of the Juches precepts in the population. Juche Studies is a major curriculum item in the school system. The children of senior military officers are removed from their families and educated in institutions such as the Mangyondae Revolutionary School between the ages of two  seven. The children of senior Workers Party of Korea officials are similarly schooled in special Party creches. It is this generation of Juche-imbued soldiers and party officials that has come to power since Kim Jong-un succeeded his father.

Far from being hollowed out, North Korea is ideologically united and more radically committed to the Juche than ever before. North Korea is, in fact, in rude health. The state ideology is sustained and reinforced by the countrys isolation and the continued effective operation of its mass media and state institutions. The economy is growing and sufficient surplus is being generated to support an expensive programme of developing a nuclear arsenal and the means of its delivery.

REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: Trumps North Korea dilemma  are sanctions the way to go?

North Korea is increasingly unlikely to collapse. It is increasingly capable of defending itself and, given its abiding fear of US aggression, it is unlikely to cede its missiles or warheads as bargaining chips.

North Korea constitutes a threat. At the very least, its missiles and nuclear weapons fuel proliferation in the region.

The range of rational policy options has narrowed to negotiations. But what is going to be negotiated and how will these negotiations come about? The risks of confrontation and misjudgements by all parties to this longest running crisis increase day by day.

Sven Jurschewsky is a retired Canadian Foreign Service officer who has specialised in political-military affairs, international security and intelligence, and nuclear arms control. He was head of political section at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing during which he was responsible for the establishment of Canadas diplomatic relations with the DPRK.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Doha-based media network says the demand by Saudi Arabia and allies aims to suppress peoples right to information.

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned a demand by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries to shut the media organisation, calling it nothing short than a siege against the journalistic profession.

The network said in a statement on Friday that the move aimed to silence the freedom of expression in the region and to suppress peoples right to information and the right to be heard.





We assert our right to practise our journalism professionally without bowing to pressure from any government or authority and we demand that governments respect the freedom of media to allow journalists to continue to do their jobs free of intimidation, threats, and fearmongering, it said.

Al Jazeera called on its peers in the industry, media institutions and other international organisations to reaffirm their solidarity in defending media freedom wherever it may be.

READ MORE  Qatar-Gulf crisis: All the latest updates

Since its inception 20 years ago, Al Jazeera has been reporting and telling peoples stories from the ground and from all corners of the globe by putting the human being at the heart of the story, the statement said.

We remain determined and resolute to continue our courageous journalism, reporting frankly, fairly, and truthfully from around the world.

Crime violating freedom of speech

Acting managing director of Al Jazeeras English-language service denounced demands by Gulf Arab states to shut down the network as an attempt to suppress free expression.

We are stunned by the demand to close Al Jazeera, Giles Trendle, the acting managing director of Al Jazeera English, said. Of course, there has been talk about it in the past, but it is still a great shock and surprise to actually see it in writing. Its as absurd as it would be for Germany to demand Britain to close the BBC.

Trendle said Al Jazeera is going to continue its editorial mission of covering the world news in a fair and balanced way.

READ MORE: GCC Crisis  Who is who?

We call on all governments to respect media freedom. We hope other media organisations will support our call to defend media freedom, he added.

Trendle said the roots of the demand to close Al Jazeera goes back to 2011 and the Arab Spring.

At that time, Al Jazeera was covering the dreams and the aspirations of a new generation of people. We provided the platform for the voice of the man and the woman in the Arab streets. We were covering those protests and we were providing a diversity of viewpoints, we were really the voice of the voiceless. I think there are some regimes in the region that dont appreciate that diversity of views. I think thats the reason for whats going on here.

Yaser Abuhilalah, director of Al Jazeera Arabic, called the demand to shut Al Jazeera a crime violating freedom of speech.

I am against demands to close any media outlet, because it is a crime, a violation of basic human rights to freedom of speech, Abuhilalah told Sputnik.

If Al Jazeera violated something, anyone could sue it  in a Qatari court or in [a court of] any other country, it is the legitimate right of every person harmed by the media. But the demand to close [Al Jazeera] is a crime.





Internal affair

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on the country on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism  allegation Doha denies.

After more than two weeks, the four Arab countries reportedly issued a 13-point demand list on Friday in exchange for the end of the anti-Qatar measures and gave a 10-day deadline.

Associated Press and Reuters news agencies reported they obtained the list from unnamed officials from one of the countries involved in isolating Qatar.

READ MORE: The Guardian  Attack on Al Jazeera must be resisted

The demands included the closure of all news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye.

Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that Al Jazeera Media Network is an internal affair and there will be no discussion about the fate of the Doha-based broadcaster during the Gulf crisis.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar have reportedly issued a list of demands to end a major Gulf crisis, insisting that Qatar shut down the Al Jazeera network, close a Turkish military base and scale down ties with Iran.

In the 13-point list, the countries also demand that Qatar sever all alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups, including Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and ISIL (also known as ISIS).

Associated Press and Reuters news agencies reported they obtained the list from unnamed officials from one of the countries involved in isolating Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain cut ties to Qatar this month over allegations that the country funds terrorism  an accusation that Qatar denies.





Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands, which also include paying an unspecified sum in compensation for what they claimed to be loss of life and other financial losses caused by Qatars policies.

According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalise citizens from the four countries and revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship violates those countries laws.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted that Qatars neighbours provide a list of demands that was reasonable and actionable.

The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, expel any members of Irans Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US sanctions.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  All the latest updates

The demands regarding Al Jazeera state that Qatar must also shut down all affiliates and other news outlets that Qatar funds, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect.

For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.

The document does not specify what the countries will do if Qatar refuses to comply.

List of demands by Saudi Arabia, other Arab nations

1) Scale down diplomatic ties with Iran and close the Iranian diplomatic missions in Qatar, expel members of Irans Revolutionary Guard and cut off military and intelligence cooperation with Iran. Trade and commerce with Iran must comply with US and international sanctions in a manner that does not jeopardise the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

2) Immediately shut down the Turkish military base, which is currently under construction, and halt military cooperation with Turkey inside of Qatar.

MARWAN BISHARA, AL JAZEERAS SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: This is clearly not just a question of demands, but an insult. The tone of these demands and the underlining approach does not only show total ignorance of international relations and a lack of understanding about what state sovereignty means, but it also goes to the heart of a lack of coherence and preparation by the four countries over putting a document like this together. This could be, for some who are supportive of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the start of a negotiating position  the starting bid, and now Qatar could counter-bid. But to be honest, I dont think thats even a starting bid. The US state department had made it clear that this [list with demands] needs to be reasonable, actionable and based on facts. There has to be evidence provided  and of course there is no evidence provided. What we know is that this has nothing to do with terrorism. If you accuse it of doing so, then you have to provide evidence. Qatar has made it clear that it does not support Fateh al-Sham, ISIL, al-Qaeda and so forth. The Muslim Brotherhood is not considered a terrorist organisation by the UK, by the United States and by most countries around the world. This list shows that these four countries are not interested in a solution to the crisis. What they are asking for is a complete and total humiliating surrender by Qatar of its sovereignty. That is not going to happen. This is counter revolution 2.0. This is the second phase of the attack on the Arab Spring and whats left of it, which is very little.

3) Sever ties to all terrorist, sectarian and ideological organisations, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIL, al-Qaeda, Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as the Nusra Front) and Lebanons Hezbollah. Formally declare these entities as terror groups as per the list announced by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt, and concur with all future updates of this list.

4) Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, US and other countries.

REAd MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  Your questions answered

5) Hand over terrorist figures, fugitives and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide any desired information about their residency, movements and finances.

6) Shut down Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations.

7) End interference in sovereign countries internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship for nationals where such citizenship violates those countries laws.

8) Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other financial losses caused by Qatars policies in recent years. The sum will be determined in coordination with Qatar.

9) Align Qatars military, political, social and economic policies with the other Gulf and Arab countries, as well as on economic matters, as per the 2014 agreement reached with Saudi Arabia.

10) Cease contact with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over files detailing Qatars prior contact with and support for opposition groups, and submit details of their personal information and the support Qatar has provided them.

11) Shut down all news outlets funded directly and indirectly by Qatar, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye, etc.

12) Agree to all the demands within 10 days of list being submitted to Qatar, or the list will become invalid.

13) Consent to monthly compliance audits in the first year after agreeing to the demands, followed by quarterly audits in the second year, and annual audits in the following 10 years.

Fikri Isik, Turkeys defence minister, said his country had no plans to review its military base in Qatar and that any demand for its closure would represent interference in the countrys relations with the Gulf state.

Isik told broadcaster NTV that he had not yet seen a demand for the base to be shut.

INTERACTIVE: GCC Crisis  Who is who?

The base in Qatar is both a Turkish base and one that will preserve the security of Qatar and the region, Isik said in an interview on Friday.

Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.





Interference in sovereignty

Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra said the list is definitely going to be rejected by Qatar.

Qatar has said it will only look into the demands once the sanctions are lifted, he said, adding that Qatar had already said that closing Al Jazeera was off the table.

It is a matter of national sovereignty. Anything that is presented to the Qataris which it considers to be interference in its internal affairs is going to be dismissed, Ahelbarra said.

Just yesterday the general sentiment we had was that perhaps the international community and GCC will turn toward restoring ties. But at this particular moment, I believe that there will be further escalation, mounting tension because of these demands.

Specifically, this demand on compensation takes the region into unchartered territory. To ask for compensation, you have to have the Qatari government say; Sorry, Ive made mistakes, and look into every single instance where Qataris made mistakes.

This is unprecedented in the Arab world. What if the Qataris say the Saudis have to pay compensation for every single civilian killed or innocent life taken all over the world. This is really surreal, Ahelbarra added.
Former State Department agent with top secret clearance faces life in prison for allegedly selling information.

A US defence contractor and former state department security officer was arrested by American counterintelligence officials and charged with spying for China.

The justice department said on Thursday that Kevin Mallory of Leesburg, Virginia, allegedly sold classified documents to Chinese intelligence agents on trips to Shanghai in March and April.

He could face up to life in prison if found guilty.

The content of the documents in question was not divulged but was characterised as defence information for which he received $25,000.

Your object is to gain information and my object is to be paid, Mallory told Chinese agents in a May 5 message, according to an indictment.

READ MORE: US presses China to do more to rein in North Korea

Mallory, 60, is a fluent Mandarin speaker who had served in the US Army, then as a special agent for the security service of the state department, before becoming a contractor to various government agencies.

Up until 2012, he had a top secret clearance level in positions in China, Taiwan, Iraq and Washington DC.

The Washington Post said Mallory had worked for the CIA.

The indictment said he made contact via social media in February with a Chinese recruiter who helped arrange a trip the next month to Shanghai to meet intelligence officials.

They were working under the guise of scientists with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, according to the indictment.

They trained him in using a special communication device which, when examined by investigators, showed Mallory planning to hand over more documents.

Mallory was charged with delivering defence information to a foreign government and with making false statements to FBI agents.
UK newspaper says attack on Al Jazeera is part of assault on free speech to subvert the impact of media in Arab world.

A demand by a group of Arab countries to close Al Jazeera Media Network is wrong, ridiculous and must be resisted, The Guardian newspaper has said in an editorial, joining a growing chorus of voices raising concerns about suppression of press freedom in the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt reportedly gave Qatar 10 days to comply with 13 demands to end a major diplomatic crisis in the Gulf, insisting, among others, that Doha shut down Al Jazeera, close a Turkish military base and scale down ties with Iran.





The attack on Al Jazeera is part of an assault on free speech to subvert the impact of old and new media in the Arab world. It should be condemned and resisted, the editorial published by The Guardian on Friday said.

Muzzling journalism

By attacking Doha-based Al Jazeera, Qatars neighbours want to gag media that raises questions about the way these nations are run, the respected British newspaper said in a piece titled, The Guardian view on Al Jazeera: muzzling journalism.

Al Jazeera was a key source of news as the Arab Spring rolled across the Middle East in 2011, infuriating many Arab leaders who no doubt wished it would be taken off air, permanently, The Guardian wrote.

READ MORE: Outrageous demand to shut Al Jazeera widely condemned

Al Jazeera, which arrived long before the internet in the region, broke the mould by reaching directly into Arab living rooms. Along with social media, Al Jazeera has in recent years stirred public opinion in ways Arab governments could not ignore.

But now Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates think they can silence it with a blockade of Qatar that will only be lifted if Al Jazeera is shut down.

READ MORE: Twitter users hit back at Saudi-blocs list of demands

While noting that Al Jazeera is not perfect, The Guardian said that Qatar abolished formal censorship 20 years ago.

By comparison, in 2012 the UAE demanded [ex-British Prime Minister] David Cameron rein in adverse BBC coverage or it would halt lucrative arms deals, it said.

Abu Dhabi is a regional media player. The UAEs deputy prime minister owns Sky News Arabia, along with Rupert Murdochs broadcaster. According to observers this station put out fake news about Qatars ruler.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  Your questions answered

Earlier on Friday, media watchdogs, human rights groups and prominent commentators all condemned the demand to close Al Jazeera as outrageous, absurd and worrying.

The Qatar-based network also described the call for its closure as nothing short than a siege against the journalistic profession.

We assert our right to practise our journalism professionally without bowing to pressure from any government or authority and we demand that governments respect the freedom of media to allow journalists to continue to do their jobs free of intimidation, threats, and fearmongering, it said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the Editorial Board of the New York Times said a misguided attack on Al Jazeera was an attempt by Saudi Arabia and its anti-Qatar coalition to eliminate a voice that could lead citizens to question their rulers.
Lawyers for the detainees argue they could face persecution or torture in Iraq because they are religious minorities.

A US judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the deportation of about 100 Iraqi nationals rounded up in Michigan in recent weeks who argued that they could face persecution or torture in Iraq because they are religious minorities.

US District Judge Mark Goldsmith issued an order staying the deportation of the Iraqis for at least two weeks as he decides whether he has jurisdiction over the matter. Goldsmith said it was unclear whether the Iraqis would ultimately succeed.

The arrests shocked the close-knit Iraqi community in Michigan. Six Michigan politicians in the US House of Representatives urged the government to hold off on the removals until Congress can be given assurances about the deportees safety.

The Michigan arrests were part of a coordinated sweep in recent weeks by immigration authorities who detained about 199 Iraqi immigrants around the country. They had final deportation orders and convictions for serious crimes.

READ MORE: What makes Trumps revised travel ban different?

The roundup followed Iraqs agreement to accept deportees as part of a deal that removed the country from US President Donald Trumps revised temporary travel ban.

Some of those affected came to the US as children and committed their crimes decades ago, but they had been allowed to stay because Iraq previously declined to issue travel documents for them. That changed after the two governments came to the agreement in March.





A US Department of Justice spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment on the ruling.

Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union representing the Iraqis in Michigan, said: The courts action today was legally correct and may very well have saved numerous people from abuse and possible death.

The US government has argued that the district court does not have jurisdiction over the case. Only immigration courts can decide deportation issues, which can then only be reviewed by an appeals court, it said.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said that people with convictions for murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, burglary, and drugs and weapons charges were among the Iraqis arrested nationwide.

The ACLU argued that many of those affected in Michigan are Chaldean Catholics who are widely recognised as targets of brutal persecution in Iraq.

Shia Muslims and Christian converts were also detained in Detroit. Kurdish Iraqis were also picked up in Nashville, Tennessee, activists and family members told Al Jazeera.

OPINION: The Muslim ban and the ethnic cleansing of America

One of the petitioners, Moayad Barash, 47, was detained by immigration agents during a family beach outing in June. The Chaldean Christian served time for drugs and other offences while a teenager, but has become the breadwinner in a family of four children  all US citizens.

Were hoping they release him and stop the deportation and bring the families back home, where they belong, before Fathers Day, his daughter, Cynthia Barash, 18, told Al Jazeera earlier this month, referring to the June 18 celebration.

We really want our best friend to come back home. We dont need our father or anybody else in the Chaldean Christian community to be sent back to Iraq to be tortured. If you look up what they do to people in Mosul, its crazy.

Chaldeans are indigenous Iraqis linked to the Roman Catholic Church and mainly based in northern Iraq for centuries. They began migrating to the Detroit area in the 1920s. According to the Chaldean Community Foundation, an estimated 200,000 Chaldeans live in the US.
Shooting outside La Carlota airbase in Caracas brings death toll from near-daily unrest to at least 76 since April.

Venezuelan troops on Thursday fired what appeared to be rubber bullets at protesters as they attacked the perimeter of an airbase, killing a demonstrator and bringing the death toll to at least 76 in unrest since April.

At least two soldiers shot long firearms through the fence at protesters from a distance of just a few metres. One man collapsed to the ground and was carried off by other demonstrators, television footage showed. Paramedics took at least two other wounded people to a hospital, a witness told Reuters news agency.

The protesters began attacking the fence outside La Carlota airbase in the wealthy east of Caracas when security forces broke up a march destined for the attorney generals office.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets over the past months to protest against a clampdown on the opposition, shortages of food and medicine, and President Nicolas Maduros plan to overhaul the constitution.

READ MORE: Venezuela  What is happening today?

Maduro says the violence is part of a foreign-led plot to overthrow his government.

A man identified as David Jose Vallenilla, 22, died after arriving at a hospital in the Chacao municipality where the protest happened, the mayor said.

He died at a private clinic where he arrived in very bad condition, said Mayor Ramon Muchacho.

Speaking outside the clinic, opposition politician Jose Manuel Olivares said Vallenilla had been killed by the national guard firing rubber bullets at point-blank range and criticised the shooting as repression.





The troops found responsible for crimes will be presented before the law, said Interior Minister Nestor Reverol, calling on the opposition to stop violent demonstrations.

Venezuelas national guard is a wing of the military charged with internal public order. It mainly uses tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to control protests that frequently escalate into riots.

Despite volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets, a small group of demonstrators throwing petrol bombs and powerful fireworks from behind flimsy homemade shields was able to rip down a section of the fence surrounding the airbase.

On Monday, a teenager died during another protest in the same area. Footage of the demonstration showed a national guard soldier pointing a pistol at protesters.

The government is investigating troops involved in that incident. I have ordered an investigation to see if there was a conspiracy behind this, Maduro said earlier on Thursday, saying the men involved in Mondays shooting had been detained.

US envoy urges global action on crisis

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Thursday urged the international community to take action to deal with the worsening crisis in Venezuela.

The tragic situation in Venezuela calls out for action, Haley said in a statement in which she complained about the lack of action from the UN Human Rights Council and the Organization of American States. The Venezuelan people are starving while their government tramples their democracy.

READ MORE: Venezuelas worst economic crisis  What went wrong?

Maduros government has rejected US calls for action by the international community. In a press conference from Caracas, Maduro pointed to a statement signed by 57 countries  including China, Russia and South Africa  supporting his socialist government and opposing any interference in the countrys internal affairs.

The imperialists have a fatal obsession with us, Maduro said. Were not going to permit that they turn us into a martyr or that the world crucifies Venezuela.
Pakistan army releases new video confession from Kulbhushan Jadhav who was sentenced to death on allegations of spying.

An Indian man sentenced to death on charges of spying in Pakistan has sought clemency from the countrys army chief after admitting charges of espionage against him, the Pakistani military has said.

Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was arrested in March last year, filed a mercy petition admitting his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan, the army said in a statement on Thursday.

Seeking forgiveness for his actions, he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds, the statement added.

Jadhav, a former Indian naval officer, was sentenced to death by a military tribunal in Pakistan earlier this year.

India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which ordered Pakistan to stay Jadhavs execution.

READ MORE: India warns Pakistan of consequences in spy row

Pakistans government accepted the decision, saying it does not affect Jadhavs current status as his execution was not imminent because of pending appeals.

On Thursday, India dismissed Pakistani militarys statement as farcical and an attempt to influence the proceedings of the ICJ.

The details and circumstances of the alleged mercy petition by Mr Jadhav are not clear and even the fact of its existence is doubtful and shrouded as the proceedings against Mr Jadhav have been in opacity, the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It renewed a demand for consular access to Jadhav and the grant of visas to his family to meet him in prison.

Pakistan also released a new confessional video statement from Jadhav on Thursday, in which he said he visited Pakistans southern city of Karachi twice for intelligence gathering on naval installations.

READ MORE: Can cricket cool India-Pakistan political hostility?

In the video, he admits to working for Indias RAW agency and financing Baloch separatists to carry out attacks on Pakistani military targets.

His visit to Pakistan was to establish and meet the leadership of Baloch sub-nationals, the BLA or the BRA and establish and infiltrate around 30 to 40 RAW operatives along the Makran Coast for operations along with Baloch sub-nationals and miscreants or terrorists, Jadhav said in the video.

Balochistan, Pakistans largest but least developed province, has been battling a years-long separatist uprising that the army has repeatedly characterised as terrorism.

Jadhav said Pakistan arrested him after he entered Balochistan, a statement that contradicts New Delhis claim that he was kidnapped from Iran last year.

Ties between India and Pakistan remain difficult and on Thursday there was fresh fighting on the disputed border in Kashmir, at the heart of 70 years of animosity.

The two countries have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britrish rule in 1947. Two of them have been over Kashmir.
Driver in van attack near Finsbury Park appears in court on terrorism-related murder charges after one man is killed.

The British van driver suspected of ramming Muslim worshippers near a London mosque appeared in court on Friday charged with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder.

Darren Osborne, 47, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London, speaking to confirm his name, age and that he had no fixed address.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it would argue that Osborne, motivated by extreme political views and a personal hatred of Muslims, acted to kill, maim, injure and terrify as many people as possible during this weeks attack.

He will appear at Londons Old Bailey criminal court for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

One man died in the incident early on Monday near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, and another 11 people were injured.

Police initially said it was unclear if the victim, 51-year-old Makram Ali, had been killed in the incident or had died of other causes.

On Thursday, they said the preliminary findings of a post-mortem had concluded he died of multiple injuries.

READ MORE: The connection between Grenfell and Finsbury Park

Alis family said in a statement: We know that he had some form of collapse because of his weak leg, a condition he suffers from, before recovering, sitting up and expressing a wish to return home only to then become a victim of this horrific incident.

The father-of-six, who had come to Britain from Bangladesh at the age of 10, was a quiet man who regularly attended his mosque and enjoyed playing with his grandchildren, the statement said.

Four others injured in the attack remain in hospital, with two receiving critical care.

Police said the rented van involved had been driven from Cardiff to London on Sunday and have appealed for anyone who saw it to come forward.

The incident at Finsbury Park in north London was the fourth attack in Britain since March described by police as terrorism, and the third to involve a vehicle driven at pedestrians.

Osborne was arrested at the scene after being apprehended by the crowd.

Prince Charles visited the scene of the attack on Wednesday and delivered a message of solidarity from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The heir to the throne said he was deeply impressed by Mohammed Mahmoud, the imam who shielded the suspect until police arrived, fearing a mob attack.
Rights groups and journalists raise concerns over suppression of press freedom as Gulf states issue demands to Qatar.

Press freedom and human rights advocates, journalists and social media users have condemned a demand by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to shut Al Jazeera network and other media outlets in Qatar.

The Arab states reportedly issued a 13-point list on Friday, demanding the closure of all news outlets that it funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye.

We are really worried about the implication and consequences of such requirements if they will ever be implemented, said Alexandra El Khazen, head of Middle East and North Africa desk at Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organisation promoting press freedom.

READ MORE: Arab states issue list of demands to end Qatar crisis

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Paris, Khazen said: We are against any kind of censorship and measures that could threaten the diversity in the Arab media landscape and pluralism, for instance.

The Arabic media landscape should make room and accept the broadest range of viewpoints instead of adopting repressive measures against alternative viewpoints that are found to be critical of some governments.

Khazen also expressed concern over the impact of the demands on the employees of the mentioned media outlets.

Some of them may come under pressure to resign or to choose to do so to be aligned with the policy of their country, so we are currently investigating this, she said.

READ MORE: Twitter users hit back at Saudi-blocs list of demands

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, called the Saudi-led blocs demand absurd.

This is just an attempted expansion of the cowardly censorship they have inflicted on their own citizens, but it will fail, she said.

Tim Dawson, president of the UKs National Union of Journalists, expressed his absolute horror in reaction to what he called a monstrous request and urged the Saudi government to withdraw the demands.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also condemned the use of news outlets as a bargaining chip and urged all countries involved in this dispute to stop holding media hostage to political differences.

Outrageous that Gulf countries using political dispute with #Qatar to stifle #pressfreedom. https://t.co/Mr8FpizDjf  Joel Simon (@Joelcpj) June 23, 2017

The Gulf region needs a vibrant free press and news outlets based there must be allowed to report freely, said Joel Simon, the executive director of CPJ.

Meanwhile, The Guardian criticised the efforts to silence Al Jazeera as wrong and ridiculous.

The attack on Al Jazeera is part of an assault on free speech to subvert the impact of old and new media in the Arab world. It should be condemned and resisted, the UK-based newspaper said in an editorial.

Al Jazeeras reaction

We are stunned by the demand to close Al Jazeera, Giles Trendle, the acting managing director of Al Jazeera English, said.

Of course there has been talk about it in the past but it is still a great shock and surprise to actually see it in writing. Its as absurd as it would be for Germany to demand Britain close the BBC.

Trendle said Al Jazeera is going to continue its editorial mission of covering the world news in a fair and balanced way.

READ MORE: GCC Crisis  Who is who?

We call on all governments to respect media freedom. We hope other media organisations will support our call to defend media freedom, he added.

Trendle said the roots of the demand to close Al Jazeera go back to 2011 and the Arab Spring.

At that time, Al Jazeera was covering the dreams and the aspirations of a new generation of people. We provided the platform for the voice of the man and the woman in the Arab streets. We were covering those protests and we were providing a diversity of viewpoints. We were really the voice of the voiceless. I think there are some regimes in the region that dont appreciate that diversity of views. I think thats the reason for whats going on here.

Yaser Abuhilalah, director of Al Jazeera Arabic, called the demand to shut Al Jazeera a crime violating freedom of speech.

I am against demands to close any media outlet, because it is a crime, a violation of basic human rights to freedom of speech, Abuhilalah told Sputnik.

If Al Jazeera violated something, anyone could sue it  in a Qatari court or in [a court of] any other country, it is the legitimate right of every person harmed by the media. But the demand to close [Al Jazeera] is a crime.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  All the latest updates

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar has denied the allegation.





Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that Al Jazeera Media Network is an internal affair and there will be no discussion about the fate of the Doha-based broadcaster amid the Gulf crisis.

To stem the flow of negative reactions Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain took steps to curb their citizens from expressing opinions that opposed their policies.

The UAE announced that any objections to the UAEs strict measures against the government of Qatar or expression of sympathy with Qatar would be a crime punishable by a prison sentence of 3-15 years and a fine of no less than $136,000 (500,000AED), whether on a social media platform or via any written or spoken medium.

The criminalisation of sympathy with Qatar was implemented in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with slight differences in the length of prison sentences and size of fines.

Khazen said the decision to punish citizens is a huge violation of freedom of speech and information that could have serious implications.

Al Jazeera reporters have often come under fire, with Egypt imprisoning Arabic reporter Mahmoud Hussein, who has been in jail for 185 days for disseminating false news and receiving monetary funds from foreign authorities in order to defame the states reputation.

Al Jazeeras Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy spent 437 days in jail before being released. Peter Greste spent more than a year in prison in Egypt.
Suicide attack near provincial police chiefs office kills at least 12 people and wounds 14 others.

Islamabad, Pakistan  At least 12 people have been killed and 14 wounded in a suicide car bomb attack near the provincial police chiefs office in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, police officials told Al Jazeera.

The explosion on Friday morning struck a police checkpoint near a complex that is housing the Balochistan police chiefs office, local police officer Muhammad Akbar said.

At least six police officers were among those killed, Ali Mardan, a senior police officer, told Al Jazeera.





Initial reports indicated a vehicle approached the checkpoint and explosives were set off when the driver of the vehicle was stopped by the police, provincial government spokesperson Anwar ul-Haq Kakar told local television channel Geo News.

At 8:45am (03:45 GMT), there was an old car, a Toyota Corolla  that came here near the [police chiefs] office and it was stopped by the police personnel. That is when the blast took place, he said.

There was no exchange of fire, but its possible that law-enforcement personnel may have fired into the air.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistan Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent out its spokesperson Asad Mansoor.

Altaf Hussain, local police official, said: Some of the wounded are still in critical condition. Most are police personnel, as well as a traffic warden.

It was a suicide attack. They came to the intersection and then blew themselves up there, said Hussain.

Al Jazeeras Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the Inspector Generals office was the likely target of the attack.

The attack took place in the red zone, close to the IGs office as well as the State Bank of Pakistan, he said.

Authorities are saying the IGs office couldve been the target.

Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan province, has seen frequent attacks targeting government buildings and security forces, as well as civilians.

In February, two bomb disposal squad members were killed and 11 others wounded in an explosion under Quettas Saryab bridge, local media reported.

In August last year, at least 74 people were killed in a suicide attack on the citys Civil Hospital, while another 60 were killed in an attack on a police academy two months later.

Past attacks in the province have been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, ISIL, as well as by Baloch separatist fighters who are fighting for independence from Pakistan.

The province has also seen a number of attacks carried out by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvis Al Alami faction, a group with ties to ISIL, known for attacking Shia Muslims.

Targeting CPEC

The resource-rich province is central to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $56bn trade and infrastructure project that seeks to create a major trade route from southwestern China to the Arabian Sea through the Balochistan port of Gwadar.

Security in Balochistan has been a major concern for CPEC, with separatists regularly attacking workers building road and other projects associated with the corridor.

Earlier this month, two Chinese citizens were kidnapped and killed in the province.

Pakistan has established a Special Security Division comprising 15,000 troops to secure the CPEC corridor and projects associated with it.

The Pakistani government and military have repeatedly blamed neighbours India for fomenting instability in Balochistan, although officials have presented limited evidence to back this claim.

On Thursday, Kulbhashan Yadav, an Indian national who has been convicted and sentenced to death by a military court for funding and planning attacks in Balochistan for the Indian spy agency RAW, submitted a confession and mercy petition to Pakistans army chief, the Pakistani military said.
Qatar ambassador to US says in a newspaper article that the blockade is an attempt to punish Doha for its independence.

Qatars ambassador to the United States has said that the allegations that Qatar supports terrorism and that it is a secret ally of Iran are just a smokescreen for an attempt to infringe upon Qatars sovereignty and punish it for its independence.

In an article published in Washington Post on Thursday, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani said that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have portrayed their anti-Qatar campaign as an attempt to force Qatar to abandon its support for terrorists.

They know terrorism poses just as much of a threat to Qatar as it does to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and every other nation, Sheikh Meshal wrote.

The second big lie in this smear campaign is that Qatar is a secret ally of Iran. The Saudis, the UAE and every government in the Gulf maintain diplomatic and trade relations with Iran. In fact, Irans biggest trading partner is the nation now leading the anti-Qatar blockade: the UAE. But more important, Qatar has been providing vital support to the opposition in Syria  which is battling against government forces allied with Iran.

READ MORE: Arab states issue list of demands to end Qatar crisis

Sheikh Meshal believes that the blockading nations are seeking to isolate and punish Qatar for its independence and to retaliate against us for supporting the true aspirations of people against tyrants and dictators.

The Qatari envoy highlighted that Qatar has always believed that dialogue, negotiation and compromise are solutions to violence through an open-door foreign policy.

Delegations from the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Israel, the Taliban, the Muslim Brotherhood and representatives of Western governments have all sat at the negotiating table in Doha for peaceful discussions on the major issues confronting the Middle East.

This open-door policy allows us to intercede on behalf of governments, such as the United States, that from time to time need to engage but have no communication channels of their own. Qatar has long been the regions central negotiating table, and for that, we will not apologise.

Sheikh Meshal said that Qatar has the right to chart its own course, without the interference of other nations.

He also accused the blockading countries of seeking to drive a wedge between Qatar and the US for their own political gain.
Officials say a man who was planning to attack Meccas Grand Mosque blew himself up after being surrounded by police.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have foiled a terrorist action targeting the Grand Mosque in Mecca, according to officials.

The Saudi interior ministry said in a statement on Friday that a man who planned to attack the mosque blew himself up when security forces surrounded a house in Mecca where he was hiding.

At least 11 people, including five policemen, were wounded in the collapse of a three-storey building where the suspect had barricaded himself, the ministry said.

Five other people, including one woman, were detained during the operation, it added.

Muslims from around the world converge to Mecca this time of the year for the conclusion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Since late 2014, Saudi Arabia has faced periodic bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

Purported images from the scene that circulated on social media showed an alley filled with bricks and other debris apparently from a blast.

Video showed what appeared to be a mans head lying among rubble from a collapsed structure.

Four people were killed last year days before the end of Ramadan in an explosion close to Islams second holiest site, the Prophets Mosque, in the city of Medina.

It was one of three suicide blasts around the kingdom on the same day, and which the US Central Intelligence Agency said bore the hallmarks of ISIL.
Defence minister says Ankara has no plans to review ties with Qatar after Arab states issue demands to end Gulf crisis.

Turkey has rejected a call from four Arab countries to shut down its military base in Qatar, saying the base was a guarantor of security in the Gulf and demands for its closure represented interference in its ties with Doha.

Defence Minister Fikri Isik told Turkish broadcaster NTV that he had not yet seen a request for the closure of the base, but made clear his country had no plans to review a 2014 agreement with Qatar which led to it being set up.

His reaction comes after Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism, reportedly issued a list of demands including closing down the military installation.

READ MORE: Arab states issue list of demands to end Qatar crisis

If there is such a demand, it will mean interference in bilateral ties, Isik said in an interview on Friday.





The base in Qatar is both a Turkish base and one that will preserve the security of Qatar and the region.

It is an important military base and no country should be disturbed by it.

Five armoured vehicles and 23 military personnel arrived in Doha on Thursday in a deployment that Turkeys armed forces said was part of a military training and cooperation deal.

Some 88 Turkish soldiers were already in Qatar, according to the Hurriyet newspaper.

The newspaper said a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which starts on Sunday and the number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000.

The Turkish military base in Qatar is a first for Turkey in the Arab world.

Turkeys miltary agreement with Qatar isnt a new thing, but after the Gulf tensions erupted Turkey just fast-tracked a draft bill in the parliament to deploy its troops to Doha and boost Qatars morale, said Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul.

According to the agreement, almost 600 Turkish military personel will be training Qatars soldiers.

Turkey has been the foremost supporter of Qatar since the Gulf dispute began on June 5.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the isolation of Qatar as inhumane and against Islamic values.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claims twin blasts at Parachinar market, as death toll from three separate attacks on Friday hits 85.

The number of people killed in twin bombings in the northwestern Pakistani city of Parachinar has risen to at least 67, bringing the overall death toll from three separate attacks across the country on Friday to 85, officials said.

Shahid Khan, a local government official, said the toll could rise as many of the victims remained in critical condition on Saturday.

More than 200 people were wounded in the rush-hour attacks on Parachinars Toori Bazar, he told local media.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni armed group, claimed the bombings in the predominantly Shia Muslim town.

Earlier on Friday, a suicide bombing at a police checkpoint in Quetta, in Balochistan province, killed at least 14 people, at least 10 of whom were police officers, the AFP news agency said.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.

In yet another incident on Friday, armed men in the port city of Karachi, in Sindh province, attacked police officers at a roadside restaurant and killed four of them before fleeing, Asif Ahmed, a senior police officer, told the Associated Press news agency.

Nawaz Sharif, Pakistans prime minister, ordered security to be tightened across the country after the attacks.

Terrorists are attacking soft targets and no Muslim can ever imagine to commit such horrific act, he said in a statement.

Such acts of terrorism will be dealt with the full power of the state.

Zoha Waseem, a researcher at Kings College in London, criticised what she called Pakistans ad hoc and reactionary response to terrorism, saying it only served to increase the appeal of armed groups.

Government policy of granting sweeping powers to security forces and increasing surveillance severely impinge on civil rights, she told Al Jazeera.

They are not preventive. They breed and exacerbate existing grievances in Pakistan, she said, adding that such measures meant armed groups will always find a pool of recruits, because they [public] are targeted by the state.

READ MORE: In Pakistan, forced disappearances will not silence us

Parachinar is the capital of Kurram, one of Pakistans seven semi-autonomous tribal districts that are governed according to local laws and customs.

Al Jazeeras Kamal Hyder, reporting from the capital Islamabad, said a state of emergency was declared in Parachinar following the double bombing.

The military sent two helicopters from Peshawar to ferry the ones that are in need of help, he said.

The blasts in the city came on the final Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, just days before Eid-al-Fitr, one of Islams holiest festivals.

The third major attack to hit Parachinar this year, the explosions occurred just hours before iftar, when the streets are often crowded with people shopping for food to break their fast with the evening Ramadan meal.

This happened on the last Friday of Ramadan, just a few days to go before the Eid holiday, so most of the people who were the victims in Parachinar were ordinary shoppers going about their shopping routines and possibly buying gifts for Eid, Hyder said.
Twitter users react with humour and own document of grievances, in response to Riyadh and its allies list of demands.

Social media users have hit back with humour and their own list of grievances after reports emerged that Saudi Arabia and its allies issued a list of demands.

Almost immediately after the Saudi-led blocs 13-point list of demands was made public on Friday, some Twitter users began posting their reactions under the hashtag the list is refused.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar on June 5 over allegations the country funds terrorism and is too close to Iran  allegations Qatar has repeatedly denied.

Their steep list of demands, published by news agencies on Friday, includes calls on Qatar to shut down Al Jazeera Media Network, close a Turkish military base, scale down ties with Iran, and pay an unspecified sum in compensation.

Qatar now has 10 days to comply, according to the reports.

U have NOTHING on Qatar and ur list shows u dont want to solve the issue.Plz go to ur room n dont come out till we tell u to#_   (@kholoudxyz) June 23, 2017

#_

Hey friends at #ksa #uae , plz help include below in demands 2 #qatar

A-3 FREE #Nutella a week

B-Free bobcorn at cinema  MISTER SBONSOR (@MisterSbonsor) June 23, 2017

Qatar refuses Saudi and the Emirates conditions and answers them with this voice message, wrote one Twitter user, embedding a man singing an old Gulf song, asking his wife to take your bag of clothes and leave my house for good and telling her she has a long tongue, implying she talks too much.

    

     #_ pic.twitter.com/qJef3MaJ07  Nasser khan (@nasser19999) June 23, 2017

Other Twitter users circulated a humorous list of counter demands for both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

https://twitter.com/QRSaudi1/status/878199963460788224

The counter demands for the UAE included the expulsion of 800,000 Iranians, the expulsion of exiled former head of the Palestinian Authoritys security services in Gaza Mohammed Dahlan and Egyptian and Jordanian security mercenaries, and a halt of support for renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar.

The Twitter list also included demands for the UAE to pull out of southern Yemen, to allow international human rights groups into its prisons, to close its Sky News Arabia broadcaster, and to disclose all secret relations with Iran.

The counter demands for Saudi Arabia included the closure of its Al-Arabiya broadcaster and its Middle East and Eilaf newspapers; the expulsion of overthrown Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled and sought refuge in Saudi Arabia, back to Tunisia; the publication of the names of thousands of Saudis who went to fight in Iraq and Syria; the disclosure of royal family and government money funneled into the wars in Iraq and Syria; the cancellation of the $450m arms deal with US President Donald Trump; and the allowance of Qatari organisations to help the poor in Saudi Arabia.

Other Twitter users countered the list of demands with their own demand to see evidence connected to the charges against Qatar.

They showed us their "demands" and now we demand evidence. #_     (@NooraNAlthani) June 23, 2017

Practicing dictatorship on your people is one thing, and practicing it against a nation and brotherly people is another, wrote Twitter user Hamad Ali al-Muhande.

I think the intent of the list is to force Qatar out of the council, he said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

-

    

      

         #_     (@hba863) June 23, 2017

Childish colonial demands to turn the emir of Qatar from an independent ruler to a governor employed by Al Saud to run Qatar, wrote Mustafa al-Jamaye, in reaction to the list.

                !!

  #   #_    (@moustafa8155) June 23, 2017

Muneer al-Jallude wrote: The owners of the list of demands from Qatar are either stupid or fools or arrogant, and I think they are probably a combination of all three.

               #_#_    (@jaloodym) June 23, 2017

In an attempt to portray Qatari reactions to the Saudi-blocs list of demands, one Twitter user posted video of a child giggling.

Another Twitter user posted a video of a man attempting to order a chicken sandwich with complex instructions and a diagram, writing: In the name of God, the demands have arrived.
Britains foreign secretary has said that a major diplomatic crisis in the Gulf will end only when measured and realistic conditions are discussed, in comments made shortly after a 13-point ultimatum was reportedly issued by a Saudi-led bloc of countries that have cut ties with Qatar.

Gulf unity can only be restored when all countries involved are willing to discuss terms that are measured and realistic, Boris Johnson said on Friday, according to a statement published by the UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The UK calls upon the Gulf states to find a way of de-escalating the situation and lifting the current embargo and restrictions which are having an impact on the everyday lives of people in the region, Johnson added.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  All the latest updates

The situation between the Gulf neighbours sharply deteriorated on June 5 after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade against it over allegations the country supports terrorism.

The Saudi-led bloc of countries has not provided any evidence, and Qatar has repeatedly denied the allegations as baseless.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  Your questions answered

Earlier on Friday, reports emerged that the bloc had given Qatar 10 days to comply with the demands, which included shutting down the Al Jazeera network, close a Turkish military base and scale down ties with Iran.

In the 13-point list, the countries also demand that Qatar sever all alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups, including Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

The document does not specify what the countries will do if Qatar refuses to comply.





Meanwhile, the United Nations said on Friday it is deeply worried about the situation in the Gulf and hoped the crisis to be solved through dialogue that should be consistent with international law, including human rights.

We continue to follow the situation with deep concern. We are aware of reports of a list of demands on Qatar. We are not able to comment in detail on, or confirm such a list, UN spokeswoman Eri Kaneko said.

We hope that the countries involved resolve the situation through dialogue, said Kaneko. We are ready to assist if requested by the parties.

INTERACTIVE: GCC Crisis  Who is who?

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted that Qatars neighbours provide a list of demands that was reasonable and actionable to move the diplomatic crisis towards a solution.

On June 12, Johnson had urged the Saudi-led bloc of countries to ease their blockade on Qatar and find an immediate solution to the impasse through mediation.

I call on all states to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and to find a rapid resolution through mediation, Johnson said at the time, adding that he was concerned by some of the strong actions taken by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.

The Qatari government has described the blockade as a violation of international law.
Qatari human rights body calls on Doha not to accept a list of demands by four Arab countries.

Qatar National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has called on Doha not to accept a list of demands submitted by four Arab countries, stating that it contains conditions that violate human rights conventions and other international and regional agreements.

By accepting those demands and conditions, Qatar will be subject to international accountability and violating its commitments regarding human rights conventions, NHRC said in a statement on Friday.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates  which cut ties with Qatar  issued an ultimatum on Friday to Doha to close Al Jazeera, curb ties with Iran, shutter a Turkish military base and pay reparations, among other demands.

OPINION: The GCC crisis  Draconian demands and juvenile politics

The committee stated that some of the conditions in the list of demands amount to gross violations of human rights, such as the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to nationality, and the right to asylum.





The closure of Al Jazeera contradicts all human rights conventions regarding freedom of opinion and expression as well as the protection of journalists, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other instruments issued by UNESCO in addition to the decisions of international human rights conferences, read the statement.

The NHRC also called for an immediate and unconditional lifting of a blockade imposed by the Saudi-led bloc of countries against Qatar.

The siege can not be subject to restrictions or conditions because it is in contravention of international agreements and human rights conventions, the committee said.

It should, therefore, be lifted immediately and unconditionally.


 :     ,   ,   

  ,        , -     28         .
We debate whether ISIL can be defeated, where their support comes from and how to stop them.

In 2015 the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) reportedly controlled nearly 300,000 square kilometres of territory between Iraq and Syria, even describing it as a caliphate.

Now, the brutal group has mostly been driven out of their Iraqi stronghold of Mosul, and its Syrian capital of Raqqa is under siege.

Is ISIL close to being defeated?

Not just yet; the campaign against ISIS is going very well  but it still controls lots of areas in Iraq and Syria, says Hassan Hassan, a senior fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. ISIS is losing but nobody is winning against it  three years later we still dont understand the ISIS ideology.

People are missing the point here this is an ideological challenge, and that is more important than anything else, says Iraqi parliament member Mowaffak al-Rubaie, also a former Iraqi national security adviser. Theyre on the run, but this is not the end of it.

For Georgia State University professor and author of Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terrorism, Mia Bloom, ISILs increasing global visibility is more likely an attempt at projecting power owing to the groups decline.

There might be this inverse relationship between how poorly ISIS is doing on the ground, and the fact that theyre on the run, and the need for them to project power elsewhere, says Bloom. This is a way where they remain relevant and give the illusion that they are still powerful and still in control.

For former Turkish counterterrorism police chief Ahmet Yayla, support for the group transcends territorial control.

They have a solid ideology when it comes to reaching out to their supporters and the people who support them ideologically, says Yayla, who is also a fellow at the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. So, it doesnt matter from their perspective whether theyre losing or not.

In this UpFront special, an international panel of analysts examines and debates whether ISIL are on the decline, where they get their financial and ideological support from, and how to stop them.

Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook.
Key stakeholders from the public sector, private sector and civil society from Africa and beyond are set to meet next week in Cotonou, Benin, to take forward collaborative climate action for sustainable development in the region. At the 9th Africa Carbon Forum, being held in Benin from 28-30 June, participants will focus on how to []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
A 66 person Short Term Training Team (STTT) from No 5 Royal Air Force (RAF) Force Protection Wing deployed from RAF Lossiemouth to Nigeria for a 6 week period to train the Nigerian Air Force Regiment. The focus of the STTT is to deliver a training package which enables students to operate effectively in the []Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
Following high-level meetings with foreign leaders, the U.S. State Department issues a "readout," an official statement to cover and characterize the event. This week, Jared Kushner, assistant to the president, and Jason Greenblatt, special representative for international negotiations, met with Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. At the first meeting, they were accompanied by U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman, at the second by consul general in Jerusalem Don Bome.

The language was precisely the same in both readouts  with the exception of a single sentence modified in each  and included affirmation of "their commitment to advancing President Trump's goal of a genuine and lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians that enhances stability in the region."

The exception was:

"The three officials discussed Israel's priorities and potential next steps with Prime Minister Netanyahu, acknowledging the critical role Israel plays in the security of the region."

"The three officials discussed priorities for the Palestinians and potential next steps, acknowledging the need for economic opportunities for Palestinians and major investments in the Palestinian economy."

There are three things to learn from the readout.

First, if the administration believes that the goal is "peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians," it is in for the same disappointment faced by its predecessors. Peace is not a negotiable property  peace is at best the outgrowth of the settlement of a dispute by war or by politics. (Machiavelli called it "the condition imposed by the winner on the loser of the last war.") The dispute is and always was over the legitimacy and permanence of the State of Israel in the region.

The parties to the dispute are Israel and the Arab states, not Israel and the Palestinians. The crux of the dispute is the continuing refusal of Arab states  the losers of all the wars  to meet the central requirement of U.N. Resolution 242.

Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.

If the Arab States, including Saudi Arabia  the president's hoped-for partner in fighting Islamic radicalization  cannot accept the legitimacy of the State of Israel, it is impossible to believe that the Palestinians  riven with dissention, weak, corrupt, and split between the dictatorial hand of an 82-year-old who is in the 11th year of a four-year term and a fascist Islamic cadre in Gaza  will be able to make a deal with the Jewish State.

Asking the Palestinians to step out ahead of the Saudis, Qataris, Omanis, and others whose states of war with Israel predate the establishment of Israel in 1948 and continue to this day is asking too much. If, on the other hand, the Sunni Arab states are serious about a regional perspective that involves Israel, ending their illegitimate holdout on Resolution 242 would give the Palestinians more confidence that Abu Mazen or his successor won't be the next Anwar Sadat. And it will further undermine the legitimacy of Hamas in Gaza, advancing President Trump's goal of reducing radicalism in the region.

The second thing to learn from the readout is that the administration sees the Palestinian problem in economic terms and is prepared to work toward "major investments in the Palestinian economy." Here it is useful to refer to former secretary of state John Kerry, who, in 2013, announced his intention to raise $4.2 billion in private investment for the West Bank with the aim of increasing Palestinian GDP by 50%, cutting its unemployment by 66%, and just about doubling median Palestinian income.

The Palestinian response was that it will not be "bribed" into recognition of Israel. "The Palestinian leadership will not offer political concessions in exchange for economic benefits," Mohammad Mustafa, president of the Palestine Investment Fund and economic adviser to Mahmud Abbas, said in a statement.

In some ways, that position is a cover for economic reality  something Mr. Kushner and Mr. Greenblatt well understand. As I wrote in 2013, "In reality, investment flows organically to places with an educated population, security, and rule of law that protects intellectual property and the repatriation of profits. It flows, for example, to Israel. Countries or areas with corrupt financial practices, a dictatorial, bifurcated government, multiple security services and an education system that is heavy on ideology and the veneration of violence get less."

Palestinian poverty is not a plague or an earthquake that needs remediation; it is intimately related to Palestinian government policy.

And third, there is a difference between the State Department readout on a single meeting and what happens the rest of the time. The readout conveys a sense of agreement on peace and economic advancement. An Associated Press report, however, indicates that in a preparatory meeting, Greenblatt raised the issue of Palestinian Authority payments to terrorists and their families and cited that a Palestinian official complained that "the Americans 'are buying' Netanyahu's complaints ... and that Greenblatt was insisting on an end to the welfare payments." He called the meeting "tense." In another report, journalist Khalid Abu Toameh wrote that a Palestinian official complained, "Kushner and Greenblatt represent Netanyahu, and not the U.S. administration. They act according to Netanyahu's instructions."

The idea that American officials take orders from Israel is an old anti-Semitic canard, resurrected here for the new administration. Some things are better left out of the readout.
It is a linguistic irony of the modern corporation that those most desolate of resourcefulness and human rapport occupy its Human Resources department.

Consistent with the culture of perverting language and policing words, "Human Resources" is one of those modern terms of which the intended and practical meanings are exact opposites.

If you work for an organization large and unfortunate enough to have a dedicated "H.R." division  and even, perhaps, if you have been a member of that mirthless, officious cohort  you know of what I write.

Moreover, though your conditioned response is to consider H.R. a necessary evil  after all, someone needs to hire, fire, and ensure that the company avoids legal disputes arising from personnel issues  you sense, on some level, that life would be better if the entire bureau simply did not exist.

Developed in the 1980s to protect corporations from the sudden ubiquity of "sexual harassment" cases, Human Resources departments have persisted and metastasized such that the current generation of workers cannot imagine a world without them. But, like so many cost-driving, self-perpetuating, control-seeking entities one finds in both the public and private sectors, scrutiny yields that not only are they not good at what they do, but what they do is not good.

Regarding hiring, it is not uncommon for HR personnel to have no training or experience as to the revenue-driving aspects of the organizations for which they work. This is to be expected, since H.R. is, as noted, a cost-driving enterprise, the make-work nature of which provides, at best, a thin prophylactic against legal trouble.

But consider the bounded rationality of an H.R. person working for, say, a software or engineering company, tasked with laying out the qualifications and sifting through the resumes of applicants while lacking expertise in that field. Certainly, he will receive guidance from the department head seeking a new employee, but the deficit of knowledge regarding the actual job dictates that the H.R. person does not know what to look for.

This is how you get nonsense prerequisites for posted positions such as "minimum 5 years' experience" or "English or journalism degree required."

As to the former, perhaps one applicant served five years in a cubicle, accomplishing nothing of consequence for a competitor, while another evinced prodigy-like skills in a shorter period of time and wishes to bring them to bear for you. Thanks to a reasonable-sounding yet arbitrary number devised by H.R., the company will most likely hire the lummox and let the superstar slip away.

Pertinent to the latter (and I admit I benefited from this in my early career), jobs that involve writing or media are often gate-kept by requirements of degrees in English or journalism. Once again, this evinces a misunderstanding by H.R. personnel as to how things work.

One's capacity for writing financial or news copy, for example, is not aided in the slightest by an English degree's obligations to read Moby-Dick or The Faerie Queene. And as for a degree in journalism, suffice it to say sheepskin of this sort makes four years of gender studies look like time well spent.

But again, to an H.R. person who has no idea what his company does or how it makes money, this sort of thing seems perfectly sensible.

To whatever extent Human Resources brings imagination to bear, its operatives discover uncharted ways to infuriate and enervate. No better object lesson exists than the H.R.-developed online application process.

Profiles must be created  complete with unnecessarily complicated passwords that incorporate upper- and lowercase letters, at least one number, special characters, and an emoji of a smiley whale  before carefully crafted resumes are deconstructed and supposedly "populated" into H.R.'s preferred form.

Invariably, such programs make a dog's breakfast of the applicant's curriculum vitae, such that even the most suitable candidates become frustrated at having to correct and readjust every field. Indeed, the more extensive their experience, the more irritating and time-consuming is this process.

Moreover, the applicant is robbed of the opportunity to present himself as he would like, since H.R. has prioritized its own convenience by making the process uniform. At what point does a qualified candidate with other options begin to make assumptions about the organization and question his desire to be part of it?

Likewise, Human Resources' involvement in the termination of employment, whether the person is leaving of his own volition or not, brings out the automaton-voiced worst of H.R. people.

The "exit interview" of a voluntarily departing employee  supposedly undertaken to find areas for improvement within the organization but more properly understood as scanning for potential legal liability  is a nonsense conversation between a person who is dishonest about its purpose and one who no longer cares.

Conversely, the unnecessarily obnoxious, key card-snatching, security perp-walking type of employee termination, designed by Human Resources and punctuated by one of its number uttering passive-aggressive, lawyer-approved disclaimers, is a rare moment in which the minatory nature of HR is laid bare.

Notwithstanding its ineptitude and menace evident at the commencement and conclusion of employment, the greatest organizational damage done by Human Resources occurs during the time in between. It is unhealthy, on a day-to-day basis, for a coterie that is uninvolved and disinterested in the actual business of an organization to monitor and police those who are working to make it a success.

H.R. types might insist there is a constellation of other, wonderful things included in their work, but make no mistake: their primary purpose is to keep an eye on you. This is undertaken with scrupulous adherence to the shifting mores of political correctness. This is how you get "mandatory diversity training" and, true to H.R.'s roots, zero-tolerance policies and terminations for behavior fitting the eternally elastic definition of "harassment."

Glomming on to an organization's hull, Human Resources exerts a kind of parasitic authority, since it is neither assigned (inasmuch as H.R. exists outside the traditional chain of command) nor emergent (no one looks to H.R. people for guidance simply because everyone respects them so doggone much).

Consequently, as outsiders with opaque power and picayune priorities, H.R. personnel are often oddly behaved (admittedly, there may be a chicken-and-egg scenario at work here). Again, supervision by peculiar people who do not understand or care if you are good at your job is not conducive to esprit de corps.

Perhaps most chilling are those moments when H.R. attempts to show its "fun" side. If you wonder what the Human Resources folks do when they are not alienating applicants, calling security, or sending stern memos about wearing open-toed shoes or labeling your lunch  this is it. That cartoon alligator holding a badminton racquet on the flier announcing the first-come, first-serve giant hoagie party in the break room at lunch  that was your H.R.'s associate's morning.

Related, if you are employed someplace where company time and resources are consumed to make a zany video about the people who work there, you need to find another job at once. In seriousness, you must commence sending out resumes the moment you are finished reading this essay.

The healthy growth of an organization is measured, in part, by its ability to decentralize. Human Resources is antithetical to that. Even a large corporation consists of smaller, interdependent entities, the managers of which, with developed skills pertinent to their fields, know what they need.

As the employment market shifts, with job changes and contract work becoming more common, one hopes Human Resources, that malignant misnomer of the modern corporation, returns to the abyss from whence it came.

Theo Caldwell has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, and the Kansas City Board of Trade. He holds degrees in English and management. Contact him at theo@theocaldwell.com.
We may be thankful to Alan Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School, for reminding us of the delicious irony of an investigation which began with reports of collusion with the Russians by Team Trump and charges of Russian hacking of our elections, now reverting to the tactics of Russias most murderous tyrant, Josef Stalin. As Dershowitz writes in the Washington Examiner:

Special counsel Robert Mueller was commissioned to investigate not only crime but the entire Russian "matter." That is an ominous development that endangers the civil liberties of all Americans. Federal prosecutors generally begin by identifying specific crimes that may have been committed -- in this case, violation of federal statutes. But no one has yet identified the specific statute or statutes that constrain Mueller's investigation of the Russian matter. It is not a violation of any federal law for a campaign to have collaborated with a foreign government to help elect their candidate One does not have to go back to the Soviet Union and Lavrentiy Beria's infamous boast to Stalin, "Show me the man and I will show you the crime," in order to be concerned about the expansion of elastic criminal statutes. There are enough examples of abuse in our own history. From McCarthyism to the failed prosecutions of Sen. Ted Stevens, Rep. Thomas DeLay, Gov. Rick Perry and others, we have seen vague criminal statutes stretched in an effort to criminalize political differences.

Indeed, now we here reports that Muellers investigation will range anywhere from Jared Kutchners finances to perhaps any unpaid parking tickets Sean Spicer may have. To paraphrase the boast of head of Stalins secret police, show Mueller the man, and he will find a crime, just as Muellers best friend, James Comey, found with Martha Stewart.

There too we see a vindictive prosecutor in search of a crime and it doesnt have to be the original charge, if there is an original charge. As the Daily Caller reported:

FBI Director James Comey declined to recommend criminal charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified material Tuesday. But back in 2004, he led what legal observers call a petty and vindictive prosecution against interior design icon Martha Stewart for a lesser offense. Stewart served a five-month prison sentence in 2004 at the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia, also known as Camp Cupcake, for lying to federal investigators about possible insider trading. In the years since the case, there is a consensus in the legal community that Comeys prosecution was overzealous and vindictive. The Cato Institutes Gene Healy condemned Comeys actions as temperamental and political in a 2004 column. Healy argued that Stewarts indictment was largely possible because the sheer volume of federal laws makes it possible to indict almost any individual on some basis -- reasonable or unreasonable. Quoting former Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, Healy wrote prosecutors will pick people that he thinks he should get, rather than pick cases that need to be prosecuted. His Cato colleague Alan Reynolds argued Comey prosecuted Stewart for having misled people by denying having committed a crime with which she was not charged.

We saw this Stalinesque persecution in the case of Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheneys chief of staff. Libby was convicted, again of lying to the FBI, because he misremembered events under relentless questioning. He was charged long after prosecutors knew it was Richard Armitage who leaked the name of CIA desk jockey Valerie Plame to the press. Instead of dropping the investigation at that point, prosecutors persisted, knowing they had to find a crime committed by someone somewhere to justify their existence.

Libby was charged with obstruction of an investigation into the outing of Valerie Plame as a CIA operative. As Investors Business Daily noted:

Remember the alleged outing of the already known CIA officer and desk jockey Valerie Plame? We were told then that the Vanity Fair cover girl's 15 minutes of fame jeopardized our national security even if everybody already knew who she was. "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, went to jail because his memory of events and who said what to whom regarding Plame differed from the recollections of others, particularly news reporters.

Yes, Virginia, this is a witch hunt. Robert Mueller III was appointed special counsel after his friend, the vindictive James Comey, committed a federal crime by leaking a memo which was a government record to the press. Mueller has picked staff and prosecutors as if he were stocking Hillary Clintons Department of Justice. He has picked a bevy of Clinton donors, an attorney who worked for the Clinton Foundation, a former Watergate assistant prosecutor, and even a senior adviser to Eric Holder. Objective professionals all (snarkiness intended ).

Mueller is in fact colluding with Comey to enact revenge on President Trump for Comeys firing, something which even Comey said Trump was constitutionally entitled to do. There is no evidence of collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice. It is not obstruction of justice for a President to exercise his legal and constitutional authority.

The facts and the lack of an actual crime will not stop Robert Mueller. Just show him the man, or woman, and he will show you the crime.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
What? Karen Handel beat that Democrat in the race for Sixth Congressional District in Georgia ? How could that be? How could that posssibly be? Five straight Republican Congressional wins in races against Democrats? Didnt the voters in Georgia know that Chuck Schumer believes that Donald Trump colluded with Vladimir Putin to win the 2016 Presidential election against Hillary Clinton? Looks like no one really cares. And looks like Americans see through the nonsense and the enormous waste of our taxes and national resources. Didnt the voters know that Michael Flynn was forced to resign months ago because he had not been square with Vice President Mike Pence when asked whether he had spoken with Russian government representatives before President Trump took office? Didnt the voters benefit from $50 million spent, much from outside the District, to educate them that The Resistance is ready? Didnt the voters know that Congress has been holding hearings to find out whether anyone in the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians? Didnt the voters know that Attorney General Jeff Sessions felt he had to recuse himself from investigating collusion charges because there were other charges floating that he himself had spoken to a Russian ambassador in the United States? Havent the voters seen Attorney General Sessions being grilled on television by Democratic Party United States Senators? Looks like no one really cares. And looks like Americans see through the nonsense and the enormous waste of out taxes and national resources. Didnt the voters know that James Comey now is a favorite of Democrats, as the former FBI Director testified with all sorts of innuendoes against President Trump and his supporters? Dont the voters know that there now is a Special Prosecutor, Robert Mueller, looking into all sorts of things concerning the Trump White House, or whatever? Didnt the voters know that Kellyanne Conway once jokingly told the public from the White House that she endorses Ivanka Trump clothing products? Didnt the voters know that President Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has done business with Russians? Dont the voters know that the Trump White House regularly is lampooned by Saturday Night Live and Stephen Colbert? Looks like no one really cares. And looks like Americans see through the nonsense and the enormous waste of out taxes and national resources.

From the day that we elected President Donald Trump over a self-obsessed, power-driven, and lying former First Lady and miserably incompetent former Secretary of State who shattered our national foreign footprint rather than any glass ceilings, whose contributions to American leadership included a failed healthcare program that she fatally convinced her husband to promote until its doom, and later a failed series of foreign policy disasters that she helped convince the empty-suit who beat her for the Presidency in 2008 to pursue until others encountered doom, the media and the Democrats have not given Donald Trump a day of fairness. Not a day, not a single 24-hour period, to simply pursue his vision for a greater America.

Despite that nearly unprecedented attack and five months of their anti-Trump vitriol and investigations and rumors and leaks and even hints of impeachment, this president has continued to lead. In only five months, he has straightened out the United States Supreme Court by naming one of the finest jurists of our generation, someone so impeccable that Democrats could not dent Neil Gorsuchs armor even as Republicans marveled at his fidelity to the Constitution and to the Framers vision, to fill out the Court. And the president has begun proceeding to name judges to the 129 other open federal judicial seats that can straighten out the federal district courts that conduct trials and the federal appellate courts that ultimately settle most of Americas laws.

Notwithstanding a five-month war of hate against a fundamemntally good man, with a fundamentally good heart and a vision to make this country great again, to repair the extraordinary damage to Americas foreign and world leadership posture, while fixing all that ails us at home, the president has moved, as quickly as his opponents could be sidestepped, to fulfill one important campaign promise after another. He has approved the Keystone XL pipeline. He has issued executive orders reversing a universe of Obama regulations that had handcuffed the American economy, suffocated business, and stifled the American labor force. He has begun liberating Americas own natural sources of energy from decades of Democrat regulation that gave the Saudis and Kuwaitis and Venezuelans and so many other hostile countries that are not our friends and that mean us no good  and that do not care a whit about the environment, nor impose any meaningful environmental oversight on oil and gas extraction in their countries  and he has opened new doors for the development and extraction and production of American energy, American oil, American natural gas, American clean coal.

He has opened bidding by inviting submissions for building a wall on our Southern border with Mexico, and his mere strength of presence has resulted in an unprecedented reduction in illegal crossings into our country from across that border. No wall  just a real president, with a real Attorney General, and a real Justice Department and a real Homeland Security team ready to enforce the laws already on Americas books  and illegal immigration has dropped like an Acme anvil in a Warner Brothers cartoon. Real ICE raids that finally have given law enforcement confidence and belief that the people whom they round up actually will be deported, not just set free in exchange for a blatantly false promise to appear months later at a court hearing that everyone would know would never happen.

Under brutal non-stop attack from Schumer and Pelosi and their shills at CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the entire left-wing apparatus  an attack so brutal that it has extended to the worst calumny and defamation, lies and libel and slander that go just to the limits of New York Times malice, even to portrayals of suggested assassination in New York theatrical productions  this President has forged new relationships overseas. Our real friends  nations like England and Japan and and Israel  no longer are the pinatas for an Obama-Clinton-Kerry foreign policy. Other friends  nations like Germany and France  have had to get used to a new playing field where, although the friendship and allegiances remain as strong as ever, now they and their cohorts have to pay their fair share of the bills, put up their fair share of the blood and sweat, and understand that they no longer have a kneeling, prostrating, apologizing rock star to tickle but a real American president to deal with. So maybe President Trump is not as popular with the Europeans as Obama was. Maybe they do not like when he asks them to pay the bills they have contracted to pay, and maybe they do not like when he tells them that he will not march America down Obamas ridiculous and nonsensical dance to tie the hands of American power and industry to some blindsided environmental agreements. So our president is not as popular with the Europeans as was Obama. And America is not as popular. Well, we voters are not Europeans, and he is popular with us.

But when the Russians over whom those Democrats now obsess  but whom Obama always considered irrelevant as he and his Hillary Re-set gave Vladimir Putin the Crimea, part of Ukraine, and a new foothold in the Middle East  threaten European sovereignty, to whom will those Angela Merkels and Emmanuel Macrons silently give thanks and beg for protection? They will give thanks that Trump is in the White House leading the Western alliance and the resolve of freedom, rather than an Obama who responded to the rise of ISIS by joking that they merely were a junior varsity and to the terrorist massacres in Paris by sending John Kerry and James Taylor abroad to ride bicycles and sing Youve Got a Friend.

The voters in Georgia knew that their prior President went to Castros Cuba, where he danced the salsa in front of a cutthroat while others were being murdered in Europe. A president who genuflected and bent the head and knee for Arab oil sheiks. A president who led from behind in Benghazi, even as American heroes and patriots died and Hillary thereafter lied to their families and the American people while secretly admitting to her daughter that our finest had been murdered by Arab Islamists on a 9-11 attack and not by a YouTube video that almost no one saw.

Those Georgia voters knew that, for the past five months, they instead have had a president who is reversing Obamas Cuba policies at breathtaking speed, restoring Americas commitment to freedom and human rights in the Western hemisphere. A President who has traveled to Saudi Arabia, met with Arab world leaders, and proved that America can have strategic alliances even with countries that do not share our values, but on our terms. We set the terms for such alliances. We  not they  make clear where we will compromise for our strategic purposes and where we will not bend. Unlike Obama, who began his presidency by traveling to Cairo and begging the Arab world for forgiveness  and who was repaid for his sycophancy with eight years of ISIS and Benghazi and a complete breakdown of all that our armed forces finally had achieved during the Surge in Iraq  this President went to the Arab world, challenging them to join us in fighting Arab Islamic terror, making no apologies nor excuses for maintaining a deep friendship with Israel as an ally of truly shared values  and still emerged with standing ovations and respect. Because people overseas respect American strength, and they longed for it after eight years of a pretender who was in way over his head, though he crooned with Jay-Z and always was cheered on by an adoring and adulating media who experienceds thrills in their legs and brain freezes as he tore down so much of what made us great.

The Democrats spent an unholy fortune in Georgia these past several months, seeking to wrest that House seat from the Republicans, just as they have tried in Kansas and Montana and South Carolina. The political obituaries for President Trump already had been written for the night that Democrat Jon Ossoff had beaten the Republican, ready for publication as soon as that Bernie Sanders leftist would win the House seat that had been in GOP hands. If ever the Devil went down to Georgia, it was during the parade of American leftist media camping out to tell a story of the demise of the Trump Presidency, the end of the Republican Congress, the return of the Weak. Maxine Waters surely had the Bills of Impeachment ready, perhaps delayed only because still working on spelling the harder words like Bill and of. Nancy Pelosi surely was being prepared with extra Vitamin B12 to get on the rostrum and try to generate five or ten minutes of quasi-coherence, describing the great new Democrat wave.

But, instead, the Republican won. Again. After five months of the media telling us that Americans are tired of Trump, regret Trump, care all about James Comey and investigating Attorney-General Sessions and investigating Jared Kushner and investigating Mike Flynn and investigating Donald Trump, it turns out that American voters do not care a whit about all that Washington Insider nonsense.

Americans want jobs. Americans want a federal judiciary that represents our values. Americans want European initiatives to remain in Europe, and we want them to pay their promised bills, just as each of us does every day in our own lives. Americans want clean oil and gas and coal that comes from our shores, that employs our citizens, and that keeps those assets at home, instead of importing foreign energy and paying tyrants for the privilege to send them our money in return for their truly dirty resources. We want lower taxes, an end to Obamacare, an America where we can keep our doctors once again and pay only for the health coverage options we want. We do not want to pay for Sandra Flukes condoms until she pays for our acetaminophen and ibuprofen and Band-aids. We do not want to fund Planned Parenthoods abortions, only their family planning and social counseling. We want criminals who are not rightly in America to be thrown out of this country. We want no part of international trade agreements that worry about every other country but our own, nor any part of environmental accords that choke off our industries while allowing China and India and the rest of the world to pollute without compunction. We do not mind working with China, and delaying calling them on currency manipulation and trade violations, if they truly come through tit-for-tat in managing that maniac in North Korea. And if they fail us, there is time to call them on currency manipulation and to change the rules of international trade to be fair again. We are done with free trade agreements that do not protect our workers and Trans-Pacific deals that sell out our interests to curry favor with those who do not care about our interests.

In short, no one who previously has supported President Trump really cares about all the nonsense that consumes the Washington Beltway. We see through the nonsense and the enormous waste of our taxes and national resources, with one bogus investigation after another. We just want the Congress  and particularly the Republicans whom we elected to work with President Trump  to do what we sent them there to do: lower taxes, repeal and replace Obamacare, get the Southern border under control, reverse the Obama era regulations, liberate American energy, maintain a strong world footprint fostering strength and power without sending our boys into new military adventures that we have no business wasting our resources over. Get the government working for us, start rebuilding the American infrastructure that Democrats and Republicans have allowed to decay while wasting decades building bridges to nowhere and conducting endless investigations over things we do not care about.
Let's get back to that rather depressing subject of violence south of the border. We learned today that May was a horrible month, indeed:

Mexico registered a record number of murders last month, officials said, underlining the country's struggles to deal with the horrific violence surrounding the multi-billion-dollar narcotics trade. There were 2,186 homicides in May, said a report from the National Public Safety System  the highest figure since the country began keeping track 20 years ago. The deadliest state was Guerrero, in the south, a hotspot in Mexico's war on drugs where 216 people were killed. In the western state of Sinaloa  where rival factions have been battling for control of the Sinaloa drug cartel since its kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was extradited to the United States in January  154 people were killed, the highest number in six years. Since Mexico first sent the military to fight drug trafficking in 2006, a wave of bloodshed has left more than 200,000 people dead or missing, as rival cartels wage war on each other and the army.

Depressing, indeed. By the way, the resort of Acapulco is in the aforementioned state of Guerrero.

It's interesting to see how Mexico has dropped from the news radar in recent weeks. It has been replaced by North Korea, Syria, Russia, and our own fanatical and ridiculous obsession with the Trump-Russia collusion. Yet I submit that Mexico is undergoing a critical time, and we need to sit down and find ways of helping each other.

What can we do? There aren't many options, but we can start by expanding The Merida Initiative (aka Plan Mexico) that President Bush approved in 2007. It provided the Mexican armed forces with up-to-date technology to fight the cartels. The bad news is that the cartels have the best of weapons. The good news is that the Mexican Army is willing to fight them, as they've been doing since late 2006.

We must also take Central America into consideration. El Salvador is a killing field at the moment, and people are leaving to make it to the U.S.

We should discuss how our drug consumption is killing our young people and funding these cartels.

It's complicated and very depressing, what's going on south of the border. I was fortunate to live and work in Mexico years ago. Mexico had problems then, but nothing like what we see every day on the front pages of newspapers. The daily killings are tearing up the country.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk), (YouTube) and follow me on Twitter.
One of the great pleasures of being out on one's own for the first time is finally having the freedom to break all the pointless rules and rituals imposed in the parental domicile. However, such pleasure is often short-lived.

I spent my whole childhood wondering why my mother bothered to wash bath towels. We used them only after bathing; after bathing, we are clean; therefore, bath towels, though wet, must still themselves be clean and, hence, in no need of washing. The argument was as simple as it was compelling. Upon presenting it to my mother, not only did she fail to come up with any kind of response, but she also had no rationale for her outmoded laundry dogma.

I remember vividly my first night in my own place, thinking I'd never again have to submit to a bunch of old people, who obviously never seriously considered whether their bath towel rituals really made any sense. It was the dawn of a new era of rationality  home economics would at last be governed by true scientific principles!

I was in the grips of a theory. Like anyone enslaved to an intellectual passion, my mind worked overtime to explain away the counter-evidence, which, in the form of noxious odor, all too quickly began emanating from my towels. "Smells are subjective," I said on day eight. "I'm likely just imagining things." "Must be coming from the toilet," I rationalized on day 11. "My roommates' cats must have peed on this towel!"  my last line of defense as I stood shivering and wet, unable to deny the overpowering stench, which instinctively forbade me from allowing the foul cloth to touch my skin.

I was reminded of my adventures in olfactory denial by an article in The Hill:

Rational conservatism involves being informed both by empirical facts and logic. We should base our principles on those grounds, to eventually make or influence policy that leads to the benefit of everyone. Instead, conservatives have relied on antedilvuian wisdom and antics that have been passed down through culture and tradition as the governing force of our ideology.

The authors make this point to argue that people like Jared Taylor of American Renaissance, who believe that whites have as much right to be racially conscious as anyone else, should be shunned by right-thinking conservatives. As a Jew, I'm not sure whether I have any skin in this game, since most people who visit sites like Taylor's view me as less white than Mnguni, the first king of the Zulus.

But it does seem mashugana to me that everyone can be racially conscious except, if I may use a term one encounters only on white nationalist websites, white goyim. (And we Jews do owe white nationalists gratitude for keeping Yiddish alive. One never encounters it anywhere else.) This asymmetry in acceptable race consciousness is bound to be detrimental to whites. And, regardless of past inequities, no one is required to drop all defenses.

But whether or not people like Jared Taylor should be persona non grata, the authors' claim about conservatism is patent nonsense. Conservatism's central attitude is one of intellectual humility. Any revision in our basic traditions has infinitely more unintended consequences than even the greatest mind can foresee. But our traditions must have something going for them, since they've got us to where we are now. Or, as Edmund Burke put it:

[T]he real effects of moral causes are not always immediate; but that which in the first instance is prejudicial may be excellent in its remoter operation; and its excellence may arise even from the ill effects it produces in the beginning. The reverse also happens; and very plausible schemes, with very pleasing commencements, have often shameful and lamentable conclusions. In states there are often some obscure and almost latent causes, things which appear at first view of little moment, on which a very great part of its prosperity or adversity may most essentially depend.

Any view that requires Burke to be posthumously excommunicated from conservatism is a non-starter.

But I've got to run. George Soros and Bibi Netanyahu are stopping by to plot the destruction of Christian America. And I've got to make sure my towels are clean. Oy vey!
It is truly sad that the WSJ gives so much ink to a big-government leftist like Alan Blinder. The piece on June 22, titled "Congressional Maneuvers in the Dark," is especially worthless.

Blinder, Democrats, and most of the media complain that Republicans are writing the health care bill replacing the rapidly collapsing Obamacare in the dark. Somehow, as all these complainers say they know nothing about the bill, they complain about what is in the bill. They must be prophets.

Blinder and the others, as far as I remember, never complained about Obama, Gruber, and others continually lying that people would be able to keep their doctors and keep their plans and that the costs would go down substantially, even though it was obvious that those statements were demonstrably false.

Blinder knows that the CBO's projections weren't even close, yet he pretends that the CBO projections for the replacement bill should be taken as fact. In 2010, CBO projected that 26 million would be covered by Obamacare by 2016. The number was actually 11 million. The CBO projected that the cost over ten years would be under $1 trillion and would reduce the deficit. By 2014, the projections had increased to over $2 trillion. Why should anyone believe what the CBO says on the new bill, and why does Blinder cite it as a good source?

Blinder, Senator Feinstein, and others pretend this is the first time they have ever seen a major bill handled like this. These people must be a few bricks short of a load if they don't remember Pelosi saying they have to pass Obamacare to see what is in it. That truly means that it was done in the dark. Everyone is going to actually see this replacement bill before he votes on it.

Blinder talks about Medicaid cuts, but there aren't any actual "cuts"  merely cuts in future pretend projections versus previous pretend projections. There is actually a $25-billion increase in 2018 proposed over 2017, but Blinder intentionally chose not to tell his readers about the increase because that wouldn't support his agenda.

It's a shame that Blinder, never having seen a tax, large government program, or regulation he didn't like, is allowed to teach at Princeton to push those theories on young adults.

Blinder chose to throw in a token comment about the Russian collusion garbage. He said, with absolutely no actual evidence, that "it got worse during the 2016 election, when the Russians intervened massively to try to elect Donald Trump," so I have two easy questions for Blinder. Why wouldn't the DNC let the FBI see the hacked computers instead of just showing them a report from an outside vendor, and why would Putin have wanted Trump over Hillary, since Obama and Hillary essentially did nothing to stop Putin's quest for power?
The excellent defense reporting website Breaking Defense is reporting that the Air Force is engaged in political combat with the House Armed Services Committee, in particular the chairman of the Strategic Services Subcommittee, Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama. The cause of this fight is the brainchild, as Breaking Defense phrases it, of Rogers: an entirely new branch of the military, a U.S. Space Corps, to take responsibility for defending America in the coming battlespace out there beyond traditional air warfare altitudes.

The Air Force is adamant that no such branch is necessary, insisting that it is quite capable of managing, as it now does, its space battle sphere to include the realm of satellites and space stations. Newly appointed Air Force secretary Heather Wilson insists that her existing branch is already heavily invested in the concept of space warfare and is quite prepared to effectively continue this mission into the future as long as Congress provides the necessary funding. Current Pentagon leadership appears to be unified in opposing this idea of an entirely new and independent service.

Critics point out that the United States Air Force split off from the United States Army almost seventy years ago, and they still have issues as to who's responsible for what. Space Corps supporters point out the more than 200-year-old symbiotic relationship between our Navy and the Marine Corps, two very different services under the leadership of a single service secretary, the secretary of the Navy. Following that model, Space Corps advocates would have their new service reporting to the existing Air Force secretary. I would point out that the Navy-Marine model has a major flaw: it is quite easy to determine the dividing line between ocean and land mass, whereas no sandy beaches exist in space.

This old soldier is unconvinced that a need exists currently for such a move. If future wars should shift their focus to a space battle area, then we should take another look at a special service branch, but for now, this is an idea still a bit too futuristic. While I'm not now perfectly comfortable with our existing services' capabilities in this battlespace, we can improve our overall strategic capability through the concept of multi-domain operations, wherein we integrate the warfighting capabilities of all our existing forces into a seamless, deadly grunt's ground-to-space station killing machine.

Someone should tell Congressman Rogers his rocket's fizzling on the launch pad.
The stars seem to be aligning badly for the Democrats ever since the awful night of November 8, 2016, when it was the illusion of inevitable demographic triumph, not a fancied glass ceiling, that was shattered.

The Russian collusion gambit is playing out with the lack of evidence admitted under oath, and worse, is raising the possibility of counter-investigations that might ask awkward questions of the Podesta Brothers and the fate of the U.S. uranium reserves.

Party fundraising is a disaster:

The Democratic National Committee is badly short of cash. The special elections were its best hope of reviving its fundraising. Unfortunately its fundraising totals continued to fall instead. The DNC didn't really believe that it could win the special elections, but it needed elections to spur fundraising.

The party's longtime leader and fundraising champion is facing a party revolt against her leadership. Ads attacking Ossoff showed his face morphing into Pelosi's prior to the recent special election in Georgia. She is a symbol of the gerontocracy that runs the party, as well as a symbol of the "San Francisco values" that the party has so completely embraced  values that are not universally popular in the electorate, but values that generate generous donations.

The Sanders wing correctly believes that it was cheated out of the nomination by a corrupt establishment and is therefore relatively impervious to appeals for party unity.

Black turnout, post-Obama, is significantly down.

And now the identity politics wing of the party is calling on it to reject outreach to persons of non-color. Brent Scher writes in the Free Beacon:

In the wake of the Democratic Party's Tuesday defeats, a progressive group acting to reshape the party is warning leaders to avoid "another billion-dollar blunder" by abandoning attempts to win over white working-class voters and stop taking black voters for granted. Democracy in Color, which hosted a forum earlier this year for candidates vying to take the reigns [sic] of the Democratic National Committee, put out a new report on Thursday morning urging the party to reject "conventional wisdom" that suggests it needs to win over people that voted for President Donald Trump in 2016.

It is true that the conventional wisdom is that adding back lost voters is the way to win elections.

"Democrats didn't lose because white working class voters defected to Trump," said Steve Phillips, the group's founder. "Democrats lost because of lower Black voter turnout ...

There is only one first black president.

... and Obama voters defecting to Jill Stein and other third- and fourth-party candidates."

Right. I kind of think pleading for party unity is going to be a tough sell.

This guy Phillips is connected, shall we say:

Phillips, a fellow at the Center for American Progress, wrote earlier this week on Democracy in Color's website that "every dollar" Ossoff "spent wooing Republicans is money flushed down the drain."

Trump Derangement Syndrome is the motive behind all that money flowing to those races. It doesn't win elections, but those donors are not interested in party unity and black turnout.

I am sorry, but I don't see the Democrats getting their act together anytime soon.
Actor Johnny Depp took the road that's becoming familiar for marginal celebrities desperate to garner headlines. At a film fest in Glastonbury, he trashed Donald Trump and idly asked the question, "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

Telegraph:

In a year that he would like to forget, which included his acrimonious divorce to Amber Heard, Johnny Depp made an appearance at the new Cinemageddon stage at Glastonbury Introducing his 2004 film The Libertine, about a 17th-century poet who notoriously drank himself to an early death, the 54-year-old chose to discuss American politics. "I think [Donald] Trump needs help," he said. "There are a lot of dark places he could go." He added: "I'm not insinuating anything  by the way this will be in the press and it will be horrible  but when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?" Responding to loud cheers, Depp said: "Don't worry, I'm not an actor, I lie for a living."

Well, there is that. But Depp's career has been on the downward slope toward oblivion for years, and the aforementioned messy divorce from Amber Heard  where the actress filed a restraining order against him  coupled with reports of bizarre behavior on the set of the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film, gives the impression that Depp is in crisis.

Depp, like other celebrities seeking attention, knows that the quickest way to gain tons of media exposure is to advocate the assassination of the president of the United States. His "qualifiers" notwithstanding, Depp knew that the assembled press would eat up his John Wilkes Booth reference and blast it all over the world.

It's pathetic. Johnny Depp's descent will not be stopped by his gaining cheap headlines or calculated P.R. moves. They used to say there's no such thing as bad publicity as long as they spell your name correctly. Only in the Hollywood cocoon is that still true.
We're used to judges blocking legitimate deportation orders from the government for specious reasons. Apparently, simply being in the U.S. illegally isn't enough anymore.

OK  so what about a bunch of murderers, rapists, and other criminal aliens? A judge in Detroit figured they, too, don't need to be deported.

Last week, DHS rounded up 100 Iraqis who either came to the U.S. illegally or committed serious crimes after getting here. DHS ordered them deported, but a federal judge had other ideas.

Washington Times:

A federal court halted the deportation of more than 100 Chaldean Christians that Homeland Security had been poised to send back to their home in Iraq, as a judge dealt yet another blow to President Trump's immigration plans. Judge Mark A. Goldsmith, an Obama appointee to the bench, said he feared some of the Iraqis' lives would be in danger if sent to Iraq, and said that was too much of a risk to run while he heard more extensive arguments in the case. He issued an injunction granting a 14-day stay of deportations for all Iraqis arrested in the Detroit region recently or in the coming days. Judge Goldsmith said the Trump administration was moving with "speed" to try to deport the Iraqis, so he felt compelled to step in to potentially save lives. "Such harm far outweighs any conceivable interest the Government might have in the immediate enforcement of the removal orders, before this Court can clarify whether it has jurisdiction to grant relief to Petitioners on the merits of their claims," he wrote. The Iraqis include convicted murderers, rapists, burglars and drug traffickers who are either illegal immigrants or who came legally then committed crimes that make them deportable. But they argued that sending them back to Iraq, where the U.S. government has said Chaldeans face genocide, is akin to a death sentence. They want to have their cases reopened so they can argue that circumstances have changed in their home countries, making their previous deportation orders null. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested nearly 200 Iraqis since the start of May, including 114 in the Detroit area, which is home to a large Chaldean population. Nearly all have criminal records. "The operation in this region was specifically conducted to address the very real public safety threat represented by the criminal aliens arrested," Gillian Christensen, an ICE spokeswoman, said in defending the arrests last week. "The vast majority of those arrested in the Detroit metropolitan area have very serious felony convictions." Some Iraqis have been under deportation orders for years, but the Iraqi government refused to accept them until the Trump administration struck a deal with Iraq earlier this year for the Middle Eastern nation to start accepting its deportees again. ICE didn't immediately comment on the judge's ruling Thursday.

Iraq doesn't want to accept these criminals  it already has its fair share of thugs. But how is this a problem for the federal courts? That their lives would be in danger if they were returned could be said about hundreds of thousands of illegals from Central America and elsewhere. The federal courts have inserted themselves into a political and public policy question that they have no business adjudicating.

What the judge is saying in this case is that it's perfectly OK to put American citizens' lives and safety at risk by allowing these violent criminals to stay. Better that an American gets murdered than the poor Iraqi thug who came here illegally in the first place.

With the Supreme Court ruling on the president's travel restrictions due any day, it has become apparent that the Judicial Branch of the U.S. government has taken on a vital national security role. For a bunch of judges who are supposed to know what the Constitution says, maybe one of them could point out where it says in our founding document that judges must assume this role.
After Grenfell: 600 deathtraps, party political boomerangs and another lousy inquiry

News is that Grenfell Tower was not the only building swaddled in flammable cladding. The Sun leads with 600 Fire Traps. It sees thousands of families living in fear that what happened in North Kensington could happen to their home. Eleven building in eight local authorities have been tested by the Government so far, including those, says the paper, in the London borough of Camden, which just happens to be a council under Labour control. So much for the narrative about only people in jeans, double-vent jackets and brogues placing the poor in danger. The Sun is happy to point out when a horror comes along and upsets all the pieces on the board, playing party politics with the dead is a campaigning boomerang.

Theresa May does not murder children. Jeremy Corbyn does not value life more or less than other party leaders. Using the dead for a political campaign is sick. Im sure among the enlightened and knowing screaming about justice for Grenfell and Tory child killers its a monumental order of self-restraint not to revisit Guy Fawkes old plot.

On page 5, the Sun tells us of the 4,800 residents in five Camden council tower blocks who cant sleep for fear of a blaze. The killer cladding was installed by Rydon, the same company that worked on Grenfell Tower.

Over in the Mirror, the front-page news is also of thousands more people living in deathtraps. We hear from Labours Harriet Harman, who calls the news chilling. It too mentions Camden Council, and looks at the Rivers Apartments in Tottenham, London, where the building is wrapped in the same lethal material as Grenfell. In Camden, the council has ordered the cladding on the Chalcots Estate to be stripped immediately. The paper does not mention that Camden Council is under Labour control. It does, however, remind readers that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is under Tory control, and that its hapless leader has resigned.

In the Express, Grenfell and cladding becomes something to do with illegal immigration. Ross Clark agrees that any illegal immigrants who survived Grenfell Tower should not be prosecuted but his bleeding heart swiftly dries like camel spit. No-one wants to be an illegal immigrant, dead or both. But he tells us that illegal immigration is a health and safety issue because lots of them live in sub-let council flats. Presumably, the way around this is to flush them out with random spot-cheques and drills. All for their own good, of course. The Grenfell Towers disaster, he notes, might not have been caused by overcrowding  no might about it, Ross, it wasnt  but unless we investigate properly the living conditions there, then sooner or later we are going to have similar tragedies caused by having people crammed into unsuitable housing.

As the Express looks to rehousing the poor and displaced in better accommodation  i.e. a prison before deportation  the Mail sees the GREAT EVACUATION, saying that thousands of tenants in the 600 infected towers may have to move out.

Of course, the exact cause of the inferno that destroyed Grenfell Tower on 14 June remains to be discovered. But, yes, youd want to move out if you lived in a tower block with questionable safety standards.

So they move out into temporary accommodation, the contractors move in, the council wonks say lessons have been learned and thank sheer luck that Grenfell never happened on their patch  and then what?

Right now the feeling is not that we need more legislation, but that building companies and clockwork councils need to better observe rules already in place. They should employ more common sense and gut-feeling in jobs that have been reduced to box-ticking. A disaster on this scale could have been prevented had people in power listened to the warnings. The cladding changed the building. But who was looking into how cladding affected fire risk and fire control? Nothing exits in isolation. In focusing on the cladding, the councils are not considering the bigger picture: who oversees the whole thing not just the micro-management? Who wasnt listening to Grenfell Towers residents when they campaigned long and hard for their Tenant Management Organisation to address their concerns? Instinct and local knowledge were ignored. Removing faddish and dangerous cladding wont alter that.

And then theres the ubiquitous inquiry. Over the need for quick action and addressing the concerns of people who live in their flats and know them best, politicians franchise action to a body not accountable to the public. And nothing changes.

Anorak

Posted: 23rd, June 2017 | In: Key Posts, News, Reviews, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(by Francesca Pierleoni).

ROME - Two masterpieces by Michelangelo da Merisi da Caravaggio, 'St. Francis in Meditation' and 'The Flagellation of Christ' will be juxtaposed with two copies that were likely made in the same era and are almost identical and the center of complex attributions and diagnostic investigations. These are the four works of 'Caravaggio nel Patrimonio del FEC, Il Doppio e la Copia', an exhibition curated by Giulia Silvia Ghia that will be at the Rome's National Gallery of Ancient Art at Palazzo Barberini from June 22 until July 16. The exhibition, which celebrates 30 years of a fund for buildings that serve as places of worship (Fondo Edifici di Culto, or FEC) "is a very intelligent scientific operation," said Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, who visited the exhibition at a preview with Interior Minister Marco Minniti.

"It was made possible through the Fondo Edifici di Culto, which owns many churches (about 800 as well as many other assets throughout the country, Ed.) and has an extraordinary number of works of art. There is here, alongside the paintings, important documentation that will help visitors to understand the differences that led to their being attributed to the correct artists".

The relationship between the two original Caravaggio works and the copies is filled with discoveries and surprises. The two works entitled 'St. Francis in Meditation', one from the San Pietro a Carpineto Romano church (housed in the National Gallery of Ancient Art) and the other from the Roman church Santa Maria della Concezione (known as the Church of the Capuchins) were for years at the center of a complex debate about who they were painted by. The painting of the Church of the Capuchins was attributed to Caravaggio in 1908, but in 1968 another identical version of the painting was discovered in the San Pietro a Carpineto church.

The restoration and technical research operations on the two paintings brought to light that the original (painted in 1605) was the one found in the San Pietro a Carpineto church 'The Flagellation of Christ', made between 1607 and 1608 and coming from the Naples Museo di Capodimonte, was commissioned by the De Franchis family and put in their chapel in the San Domenico church. The 1928 restoration brought the work back into the fold of Caravaggio studies thanks to diagnostic techniques that brought to light many modifications including a figure that was taken out of the final version. Its copy, now located in the Rosario chapel of San Domenico, was attributed after restoration in the early 1930s to Andrea Vaccaro, well known for his Caravaggio copies. The attribution was difficult and the latest diagnostic studies conducted for the exhibition brought to light new elements to reflect on. Since 1987, the FEC has been tasked with protecting heritage included in the property of bodies set up by the 'eversive laws' issued during the Unification of Italy, which suppressed many ecclesiastical bodies and seized their assets. The holy buildings that it is tasked with hold within them innumerable works of art including ones by Michelangelo, Guido Reni, Paolo Veneziano, Bernini, Tiziano and Cavalier d'Arpino.
GENEVA - Some 2,108 men, women and children are known to have died so far this year during the perilous sea journey to Europe, according to the latest figures from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), updated to June 21.

Of these, 2,011 perished on the central Mediterranean route from north Africa to Italy, a statement said. The total number of deaths is down on the same period last year, when 2,911 migrants were reported to have died. However, "it nonetheless marks the fourth consecutive year migrant deaths on the Mediterranean Sea have exceeded 2,000 and brings the total number of deaths on the Mediterranean since early 2013 to nearly 15,000 - or a daily average of 10 men, women and children since this current emergency began," IOM said.

Some 83,928 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through June 21, with almost 85% arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece, Cyprus and Spain. This compares with 215,997 arrivals across the region through 21 June 2016, IOM said.
Dane arrested for allegedly recruiting for ISIS Man of Moroccan origin arrested in Melilla

(ANSAmed) - Madrid, June 23 - Spanish intelligence officers on Friday arrested a 40-year-old Danish citizen of Moroccan origin in Melilla on suspicion of recruiting jihadists for ISIS, El Mundo quotes anti-terrorism sources as saying. The suspect named only as M.E.M. is accused of using a company structure in Denmark to process over 8 million euros destined to financing an international support network for combatants of ISIS and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. His arrest is the result of investigations made by the Spanish civil guard into residents of the Spanish enclave in Morocco who held positions of responsibility in Danish companies without having any background in economics. Searches were underway and the investigation remains open.



(ANSAmed)
Russian ships fire missiles at ISIS in Syria Command posts and weapons stores destroyed, ministry says

(ANSAmed) - Moscow, June 23 - Missiles launched from Russian military vessels deployed in the eastern Mediterranean have destroyed ISIS command posts and weapons and ammunition stores near Akerbat in the province of Hama in Syria, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday. "The launches of six Kalibr cruise missiles were carried out from the eastern part of water area of the Mediterranean Sea by frigates Admiral Essen, Admiral Grigorovich and Krasnodar submarine of Russia's Navy on the targets of the IS terrorist group in Syria," the ministry said in a statement.



The submarine launched the missiles while submerged. Other ISIS targets were hit in subsequent airstrikes, the ministry added. Russia said it notified Turkey and Israel of the imminent attacks. (ANSAmed)
Europe 'behind' on migration, Alfano says FM to host summit with European and Afrian countries in Rome

(ANSAmed) - BARI, JUNE 23 - Europe "is truly behind on immigration", Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said on Friday.



"We are also working bypassing Europe, but without forgetting that Europe needs to do its own work," Alfano continued. "In a few days' time I will host a summit in Rome with a few European countries and African countries of transit to prevent the migrants from arriving in Libya," he went on.



"In this way we will also save a piece of Libyan effort in stemming the departures," Alfano concluded. (ANSAmed).




Trade officials from APEC member economies and the USD1.3 trillion fashion industry have sewn a new partnership to make it easier for up and coming designers in the Asia-Pacific to build their brands and trade internationally.

Under the arrangement, officials, together with fashion designers and industry groups, have commenced work to reduce cross-border business barriers and better position designers to integrate into production and supply chains that can enable them to go global.

They are focused on advancing policies in APEC economies to support these goals based on public-private sector information sharing and the findings of companion research by the Chinese University of Hong Konghost of the APEC Study Centre in Hong Kong, China.

It is part of a broader initiative in APEC to open up trade opportunities for small business in high-growth services sectors via international production and supply chains, and which includes comparable efforts underway in logistics, software and tourism.

Our aim is to help emerging firms in APEC go global by creating an environment that enables them to crack into services trade, explained Marie Sherylyn Aquia, Chair of the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment, which administers the initiative.

We see considerable room for small fashion houses to become more competitive and access partners, suppliers and customers overseas, added Monica Chen, Assistant Director-General of Trade and Industry in Hong Kong, China, overseer of the initiatives fashion industry stream.

Apparel, hosiery and accessories business in the Asia-Pacific accounts for more than a third of the fashion industrys total value worldwide and two per cent of the regions GDP. The Asia-Pacific is also one of the industrys fastest growing regions, increasing 3.6 per cent in 2016. The implications for trade are significant, with fashion already accounting for as much as 12.5 per cent of exports among APEC economies.

It is powered by value chains consisting of companies large and small across the region and globally that play complementary roles in production and supply lines. Designers are their creative center, determining product distinctiveness, form and success, but they must also team with researchers, producers, distributors, marketing agencies, and support services providers.

Top challenges to their integration into value chains include knowledge and skills gaps in areas such as production methods, new materials and technologies, and management, as case study and survey analyses by the APEC Study Centre in Hong Kong, China reveal. Business model innovation, effective use of data and digital tools, and labor and environmental issues are parallel concerns.

The integration of small fashion businesses from the region into global value chains can enable them to compete internationally through upgrades in their processes, products and functions but it isnt automatic, noted Dr Andrew Yuen of the Chinese University of Hong Kongs Department of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics, and Associate Director of the APEC Study Centre in Hong Kong, China.

Its policy recommendations include support for general financing schemes and tailor-made financing channels, talent development and technological adaptation, sourcing information and manufacturing quality assurance. Public-private backed designer competitions, low-rent retail spaces for startups, fashion shows and global branding campaigns like Cool Japan and Fashion Hong Kong are also encouraged.

The fashion industry is both a major creator of jobs and growth, and an important way of promoting cultural identity on an international stage that can bring substantial benefits to other sectors in an economy, said Chungmin Lee, CEO of fashion market consultancy Trendlab 506 in Koreafashion accounts for some 300,000 jobs in Korea alone, according to APEC Study Centre in Hong Kong, China research. Efforts in APEC to work with designers and industry peers to take this process forward are encouraging, concluded Lee.

Trade officials will assess the overall progress of APECs value chain integration initiative and take next steps when they convene in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam in August.

# # #

For further details, or to arrange possible media interviews, please contact:

David Hendrickson +65 9137 3886 at [email protected]

Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 at [email protected]

More on APEC meetings, events, projects and publications can be found on. You can also follow APEC onand join us onand
Courtesy Kyle Miller(LANSING, Mich.) -- Hedy Steinbart, 92, learned how to make cherry-infused vodka from her parents in Germany in the 1940s.



Today, Steinbart can go to her local liquor store in Lansing, Michigan, and purchase a bottle of her own drink thanks to her 28-year-old grandson, who created Omas Cherry Infused Vodka as a passion project to continue his grandmothers legacy.



Our whole family was crying when we saw that, Steinbarts grandson, Kyle Miller, 28, said of the moment this month that Steinbart first saw her drink for sale on a store shelf. My goal was nothing more than to carry on Omas legacy.



Miller, one of Steinbarts four grandsons, has vivid memories from his childhood of watching Steinbart, who goes by Oma, German for grandmother, create her famous drink that was a staple at holidays and family celebrations.



Steinbart, with the help of family, including her two children, would handpick cherries, place them in glass jars with vodka and other secret ingredients, and leave it to infuse for four months, occasionally adding sugar and more alcohol throughout the process.



When Steinbart, who emigrated to the U.S. as a single woman in 1952, had to stop making the drink at age 90, Miller learned the process from her personally.



In 2015, Miller, who works in the insurance industry, decided to make the drink for his family and close friends and had 75 pounds of Michigan cherries shipped to his apartment in Chicago, where the Michigan native moved after college.



"My roommate thought I was crazy," he said.



Miller had a graphic designer make a label that told the history of his grandmother and the family recipe and shipped the bottles off as Christmas gifts.



My college friends all loved Oma so I sent it to all of them of course, Miller said. Once people got it they said, This is awesome. Ive got a wedding coming up. I want a case. I want more.



Miller then embarked on what he calls his passion project and partnered with a distiller to make Steinbarts homemade recipe scale-able for the mass market. The final product, which still uses handpicked Michigan cherries, was approved by Steinbart.



When we were trying to replicate the recipe, she would taste it and we did a blind taste test, Miller said. Shes going to tell you if she likes it or not so when we passed the blind taste test, I knew we were onto something.



Steinbart said her grandson put quite an effort into the years-long process of bringing the drink from her kitchen to stores.



Im a little excited I think and surprised too, but nothing surprises me with Kyle, she said.



Omas Cherry Infused Vodka hit store shelves in Illinois in March and in the familys home state of Michigan this month. The drink, which ranges in price from $34.95 to $39, is also available online and still features Steinbart's immigration and family story on the label.



"I have the ultimate respect for what she did and the label depicts what she means for our family," said Miller, who is now working with his business partners to raise additional capital to expand the brand to the Northeast.



Steinbart, whose photo is also featured on the bottle, is still adjusting to the fame that came once her drink hit the market. She has been stopped at church and by her doctor, while members of her daughters book club who tried to buy the drink locally were stopped because it was sold out.



I cant even tell you how amazing it is and what a wonderful tribute it is to my mom and how fun its all been, said Steinbart's daughter, Dory Steinbart, who is also Millers mom.



Dory Steinbart said she believes Miller wanted to carry on his grandmothers legacy because Hedy Steinbart's story is one of a resilient spirit.



They started with nothing and truly lived the American dream by working hard and saving their money, Dory Steinbart said of her mom and dad, who passed away in 2003. And they helped put all of four of their grandsons through college because they thought that so was important.



Hedy Steinbart, who worked as a tailor and is also famous in the family for her homemade applesauce, described her success story more simply.



Its hard work and it pays off, she said.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Its been a long time coming.

Thats been most Artesians reaction to the upcoming reconstruction of U.S. 82 between Artesia and Lovington.

Gov. Susana Martinez, New Mexico Department of Transportation Cabinet Secretary Tom Church, and other area lawmakers and officials met along a stretch of the highway just east of the HollyFrontier Training Center Wednesday afternoon to break ground on the $58 million project, a steady line of semis and oil and gas company pickups streaming past in the background.

This highway has a tremendous amount of truck traffic, Martinez noted, stating the reconstruction would make the road safer and help that traffic move more efficiently, improving public safety and creating a stronger foundation of economic growth in this area, which is extremely important to the entire state.

According to the NMDOT, the two-year project, which is tentatively slated for a winter 2019 completion, will include mill and overlay of the existing roadway, widening of driving lanes and shoulders, and new turning lanes at key intersections.

Thats welcome news to Artesias motorists  particularly those who frequent the stretch of highway, such as oil and gas workers and private citizens traveling to and from Lubbock, Texas, for medical care  despite the fact the renovation doesnt go quite as far as many had hoped.

Im disappointed its not going to be four lanes, said Evolyn Terpening, a local resident who essentially spearheaded the crusade for improvement of the busy stretch of highway. But passing lanes are better than nothing, and later, if they find the oil business is coming back strong, they might consider making it four lanes somewhere down the line.

Artesians have long wished for a four-lane highway between Artesia and Lovington due to the significant amount of oilfield traffic that traverses that path on a near-constant basis each day. Motorists complain it can be next to impossible to pass the large trucks behind which lines tend to form due to steady oncoming traffic and that trucks and company vehicles turning onto and off the two-lane highway create hazardous situations.

But it was in 2008 that Terpening made improvement of the highway her personal mission. In March of that year, her longtime friend, Louise Stuart, was tragically killed when a semi failed to brake upon approaching a line of cars stopped in a construction zone on the highway, slamming into the back of Stuarts vehicle.

I just decided we couldnt be having accidents like that, and that road was just too, too dangerous to be on, Terpening said.

Terpening and Artesia Mayor Phil Burch made their initial pitch to the NMDOT at a meeting in Ruidoso, and the mayor also carried her message to a second meeting in Hobbs. They made little headway, Terpening said.

Rather than give up, she went the proactive route, creating forms that could be used to tally large truck and oil company traffic during a trip to Lovington and back, and enlisting family, friends and other supporters to fill them out each time they made the trek.

We kept records from here to Loco Hills and from Loco Hills to Lovington, and then I kept those records, made copies, and sent them in to the highway department, Terpening said.

She said initially, the efforts still seemed in vain until State Rep. Cathrynn Brown of Carlsbad and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce of Hobbs began to take up the cause. Terpening expressed appreciation for lawmakers help in bringing broader attention to the matter.

I did an awful lot of work on that for years, she said. Now, finally, Im 89 years old and its going to come to pass.

Church noted funding was an issue when initially considering the project but that options were found. Approximately $20 million in funds will come from the state, with the federal government making up the difference.

We took an absolutely no-budget, non-funded project to a project were breaking ground on today, and its remarkable we can do that, Church said.

Public safety and accidents like the one that claimed the life of Stuart finally convinced the state action had to be taken.

In 2014, we had 47 (traffic) deaths in Eddy and Lea counties, Church said. It was about that time that the governor came to me and said, Get er done.

It is important. Itll save lives. Weve seen a major decrease last year; we had about 18 deaths in Eddy and Lea counties, a substantial reduction from 2014, and this project will help reduce that even further.

Projects like this are a great example of what can be accomplished when people actually work together to make our roads safer for our families and make our state more competitive for jobs, said Martinez. This is something New Mexico can be very proud of. Were putting people to work, and were using our dollars wisely.

Area officials were also glad to be a part of the project groundbreaking, having long recognized the need for improvements to the highway.

This is one of the highest-revenue-producing roads in New Mexico, said Brown. Its really critical for not just the local area but the state.

Im very pleased that the projects finally happening, and its certainly been a dangerous stretch of road for too many years. I hope itll be done safely and quickly, and we can get back to giving both travelers and truck drivers a safe passage.

Eddy County Commissioner Larry Wood of Artesia was also pleased with the increased safety implications of the project, not only as a private motorist but as a bus driver for the Artesia Public Schools.

I think its a welcome project, Wood said. I think they saw the safety part as something that needed to be taken care of, and Im glad to see it get started.

I drive activity buses for the schools, and traveling back and forth to Lovington, weve run into some close calls because of the condition of the road and the way people drive on it. So widening that road and making it smoother is also going to help with transporting our kids back and forth to ballgames safely.

The Daily Press will follow up Friday with additional information from the NMDOT regarding what drivers can expect on the portion of highway during the construction period.
Some observers question whether free or low-cost opera tickets really are reaching new audiences, as opposed to being giveaways to fans whod come anyway. Here, the general director of Opera Holland Park in London describes the several different programs of the sort his company offers, explains the philosophy behind the schemes, and describes the experience OHP has had with them.
There is no one in the British cultural world more single-minded, more monkishly devoted to the arts as a civic and public necessity, more able to bend events to his will.  When he arrived at the Tate in September 1988, it was an affectionately regarded and faintly parochial museum; he left it earlier this month one of the most powerful forces in the international art world. In a Guardian Long Read, Charlotte Higgins looks at Serotas career as he moves on to lead Arts Council England, the countrys cultural funding body.
In this issue of ASEAN Briefing magazine, we provide an introduction to the Philippines as well as analyze the various market entry options available for...
His promotion comes at a time when Aadhaar is being made mandatory for availing the benefits of various government schemes.

New Delhi: The government has promoted the Aadhaar-issuing body UIDAI's CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey to the position of secretary.

Pandey is a 1984-batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre and has been the head of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) since September 2015. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promoted Pandey as secretary, official sources said.

The department of personnel and training (DoPT) issued an order to this effect on June 21.

The UIDAI is the nodal body responsible for rolling out Aadhaar, the 12-digit biometric identification number to all residents. While more than 115.8 crore Aadhaar numbers have been generated in the country, the Aadhaar authentications have crossed 650 crore till date.

The elevation comes at a time when the Aadhaar is being made mandatory for availing the benefits of various government schemes and services. Recently, the government made quoting of the biometric identity number compulsory for opening of bank accounts as well as for any financial transaction of Rs 50,000 and above.
The director of 'A Beautiful Mind' will meet the film's star cast to discuss what needs to be done next.

Los Angeles: Ron Howard has been named as the new director for the Han Solo 'Star Wars' spin-off after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller left the project.

The director of 'A Beautiful Mind' will meet the film's star cast that includes Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover to discuss what needs to be done next, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began 40 years ago. With that in mind, we're thrilled to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the untitled Han Solo film. "We have a wonderful script, an incredible cast and crew and the absolute commitment to make a great movie," Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said.

Howard also expressed his excitement on Twitter, saying, "I'm beyond grateful to add my voice to the Star Wars Universe after being a fan since 5/25/77."

"I hope to honour the great work already done and help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film."

Kennedy confirmed the news of Lord and Miller's departure from the project, citing "creative differences" as the reason.
Along with the US, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning on Saturday.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday night said the aim of his upcoming visit to the US was building of a "forward-looking vision" for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide-ranging ties.

Modi, who will be meeting President Donald Trump for the first time on June 26 in Washington, said he looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views.

Along with the US, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning on Saturday.

"My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nation & the world," he tweeted.

In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from June 25 was at the invitation of Trump.

"President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said.

"I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide ranging partnership between India and the United States," the prime minister said.

He noted that India's partnership with the US is multi- layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.

"I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump," he added.

Apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs.

Like in the past, he will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora. In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit tomorrow to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

"Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa.

"We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added.

He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest.

"I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said.

He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit. After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem- Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.

"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter- terrorism and climate change," he said.

Economic relations form the core of the bilateral relations and the Netherlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally.

"The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said.

"Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies.

He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story.

"There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.
MoS (home) said Ram Nath Kovind is a qualifying candidate and his party and all sections of society are happy with it.

New Delhi: With the presidential elections approaching, Union Minister of State for home Hansraj Ahir on Friday said that all sections of the society are satisfied with the nomination of Ram Nath Kovind as the next leader of the nation, adding his selection is certain.

"We give Kovind wishes. This is a good choice by our party and all sections of the society are happy with this. He is a qualifying candidate. Meira Kumar's nomination is Opposition's decision, let them think over that. Kovind will win, we are certain of that," Ahir said.

Meanwhile, a confident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, while maintaining that the NDA Government's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind will win with majority, said that the Congress Party is using Meira Kumar as a 'sacrificial goat' in this election.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar has been announced as the Opposition's Presidential nominee.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accompany National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind to the Parliament House on Friday to file his nomination to be the 15th President of India.

The Prime Minister took to his Twitter handle to confirm the same.

"Will accompany Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji as he files his nomination papers today for the upcoming Presidential election," he tweeted.

The BJP has prepared four sets for Kovind's nomination.

In the first set, proposer Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present along with Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

In the second set, proposer BJP chief Amit Shah and Union finance and defence minister Arun Jaitley will be there.

In the third set, proposer Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Parkash Singh Badal, Union Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu will be present.

In the fourth set, proposer Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be present.

The Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) including O Panneerselvam have backed Kovind for the post of President.

The Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met on Thursday to discuss the NDAs decision on Presidential nominee Ram Nath Nath Kovind, following which they announced their candidate.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.
Rahul Gandhi also said it is heartbreaking to seeJ&K being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP-BJP govt.

New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Friday condemned the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammad Ayub Pandith and said it marks a new low.

"The brutal lynching of Dy SP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident," Rahul tweeted.

He said it is heartbreaking to see Jammu and Kashmir being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP-BJP government.

Condemning the brutal lynching of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith by a mob, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday stated that the brutal act was against both Islam and humanity.

"The way the DSP was lynched to death was so shameful. Killing a person in the holy month of Ramzan is condemnable. If the mob was suspicious about the identity of that person, then they should have informed the police instead of taking law in their hand. Such a thing is against both Islam and humanity," Azad said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti warned the people of the state to not test the patience of the security forces, who use restrain in dealing with locals.

On Thursday night, Pandith was lynched to death by a violent mob in downtown Srinagar.

The deceased DSP was on surveillance and was allegedly clicking pictures of people emerging from the Jamia Masjid mosque, when a mob attacked him.

After the situation became out of control, the cop in his own defence opened fire through his service pistol on the mob, in which three people got injured.

The angry mob then proceeded to attack him more severely and ended up taking his life.

Police have recovered the body of the deceased and are investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said two people have been arrested and a third person has been identified in connection with the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith.

"Two people have been arrested so far in this incident and a third one has been identified. The rest of the culprits will also have to face the law. According to the reports, when he was coming out of the mosque, people started raising slogans and started hitting him resulting in his death," Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police S P Vaid said in New Delhi.

He added that the DSP was posted outside the mosque for the security of the people so that they could offer prayers without any hindrance.

"A few people who were standing outside the mosque lynched him. This is a very unfortunate act. There seems to be a sheer difference between humanity and cruelty. People need to understand what is wrong. Further investigation is underway," Vaid said.
The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities selected for part financing of projects by the Centre under the scheme.

An investment of Rs 57,393 crore has been proposed under smart city plans. (Photo: ANI/PTI)

New Delhi: Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh and Rajkot in Gujarat figured in the new list of 30 cities that will be developed under the Centres Smart City Mission.

The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities selected for part financing of projects by the Centre under the scheme. Thiruvananthapuram took the first slot, followed Naya Raipur, Rajkot, Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati, and Bihar capital Patna.

Announcing the new list at an event here, Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for the 40 available slots but only 30 were selected. Four cities in Tamil Nadu  Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tiruchirappalli, and three in Uttar Pradesh  Jhansi, Allahabad and Aligarh  also made it to the list.

An investment of Rs 57,393 crore has been proposed for the development of these 30 cities. Of the planned expenditure, Rs 46,879 crore will be for core infrastructure and Rs 10,514 crore for technology-based solutions. With this, the total investment approved under the smart city plans of total 90 cities has gone up to Rs 1,91,155 crore, Mr Naidu said.

The minister said that 20 more cities will contest for the remaining 10 slots. These included Biharsharif (Bihar); Navimumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra); Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal); and Meerut, Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Rampur (Uttar Pradesh).

Of the 30 cities announced on Friday, 26 have proposed affordable housing projects that benefit the urban poor, 26 cities will take up school and hospital projects, 29 will take up redesign and redevelopment of roads.

All 30 cities will put in place integrated command and control centres that enable coordination among various agencies for better service delivery and effective management of scarce resources such as water and power, Mr Naidu said.

Referring to reports that maximum funds are being allocated to a small part of a city areas under the plan, Mr Naidu said the citizens and city governments proposed the projects for fixing the infrastructure deficit in their respective cities.

Nowhere in the world a city has been made smart overnight in one go, he said.
Kovind will also be the second dalit to occupy the office after K.R. Narayanan, who was at Rashtrapati Bhavan from 1997 to 2002.

New Delhi: In a show of strength, 15 chief ministers, including two from non-NDA parties, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Union ministers and NDA leaders accompanied the ruling alliances presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, 71, as he filed his nomination papers on Friday for the July 17 election. The Opposition bloc has named former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar against Mr Kovind. With the numbers favouring Mr Kovind, he will be the first BJP leader to occupy the nations highest constitutional post. President Pranab Mukherjees term ends on July 24. Mr Kovind will also be the second dalit to occupy the office after K.R. Narayanan, who was at Rashtrapati Bhavan from 1997 to 2002.

Interestingly, BJP ally and key NDA constituent Shiv Sena, whose leaders had seconded Mr Kovinds name in the nomination papers, was not represented on the occasion at Parliament House, which the ruling party said was due to some miscommunication. The chief ministers of two non-NDA non-UPA outfits  Tamil Nadus E.K. Palaniswami and his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao  were also present.

Representatives of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and the Jagan Mohan Reddy-ed YSRCP, who are supporting Mr Kovind, were also not present. However, a representative of the BJD, Odishas ruling party, was present when Mr Kovind filed his nomination.

Veteran BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi also accompanied the NDA nominee. PDP president and J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is down with viral fever, could not attend the ceremony. Both had told the BJP leadership. The NDA leaders also held a meeting attended by the PM ahead of Mr Kovind filing his nomination papers.

After filing his nomination, Mr Kovind reached out to the Opposition parties and said that the post of President was above party politics and that he would strive to maintain its dignity. To seek support, Mr Kovind will be visiting almost every state, accompanied by a senior BJP leader. His first visit will be to his home state, Uttar Pradesh, on June 25, where senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari will be accompanying him.

Ever since I became governor, I dont belong to any political party. The post of President is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support... I will do my best to maintain the dignity of the high office of President, said the NDA candidate after filing his nomination as he sought support from all members of the electoral college. Mr Kovind named several former Presidents to cite the great traditions of the office and stressed that the Constitution was supreme. That its supremacy is maintained is very important, he added.

Mr Kovind pledged that he would work for the countrys all-round development, fulfilment of youths aspirations and encouragement to modern education.

Reading from a prepared text, he said: I will strive to see to it that the dream to build a new India which is developing continuously when we celebrate 75 years of Independence in 2022 is fulfilled. He added that India is the largest and greatest democracy and thanked parties that had supported his candidature.

The BJP claimed Mr Kovind will win by an absolute majority, with UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath saying the Opposition had fielded Ms Meira Kumar to divide dalits to save their skin. He added: The intentions of the Opposition are not honest towards dalits, otherwise they would have fielded Kumar last time.

Three sets of nomination papers were filed in support of Mr Kovinds candidature, Prime Minister Modi and Mr Advani being among the 60 proposers in one. One set of papers, in which Mr Shah was among the proposers, was in Hindi, that some BJP leaders said was a rare practice. A fourth set will be filed on June 28, the last date of the filing of nominations.
The victims were abused with religious slurs while travelling back to their village in Haryana after shopping in Delhi for Eid.

According to an FIR filed by one of the survivors, the four victims were identified as Junaid, Hasib, Shakir and Mohsin of which Junaid died. (Photo: Screengrab)

Ballabgarh, Haryana: In a shocking incident of "hate crime", a 16-year-old boy was lynched by fellow passengers in a train on Thursday night.

According to a report in NDTV, the victim and three other men were attacked and subsequently thrown off the train when it pulled into a station at Asavati, just 20 km from Delhi.

The victims were abused with religious slurs while travelling back to their village in Haryana after shopping in Delhi for Eid.

According to an FIR filed by one of the survivors, the four victims were identified as Junaid, Hasib, Shakir and Mohsin of which Junaid died.

An altercation over seats escalated to violence as passengers in no time formed a larger mob and started beating up the four men.

One among the survivors, Mohsin, said that his cousins tried pulling the emergency chain, but their distress call went in vain as the train did not stop. He also claimed that the railway policemen did not respond to their requests for help.

More details are awaited.
Lalu Prasad however said that the difference in views will not have any impact on the Grand Alliance government in Bihar.

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Friday again appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not to make a "historic blunder" by extending support to the NDA nominee for the presidential poll.

Describing the combined opposition nominee Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti" (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar to "mend the historic blunder" of supporting NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"We are still treading on the path you had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'...Don't know what made Kumar move away and extend support to a RSS man," Prasad told reporters on his arrival at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

The RJD president, however, made it clear that the divergent paths taken by his party and the JD(U) would have no impact on the Grand Alliance government in Bihar headed by Kumar.

"There will be no impact of this (different views of the RJD and the JD(U)) on the Grand Alliance government in the future," Prasad said.

Bihar JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh repeated the party's decision to support Kovind and made it clear that there was no going back on it.

"Kovind as governor of Bihar walked hand-in-hand with the state government on the path of development...He has displayed attachment with Bihar," Singh said.

His party colleague Shyam Rajak echoed similar views.

"Hum logo ne thok-baja ke faisla liya hain (we have taken a decision after meticulously taking everything into account)," Rajak said.

Rajak is deputy leader in the state Assembly and member of the JD(U) core committee which decided on Tuesday to support Kovind.

Meanwhile, Congress minister Abdul Jalil Mastan described Kovind as "a Shiv Sena man" who harboured hardcore Hinduavta ideology.

"He is a Shiv Sena man harbouring hardcore hinduvta ideology...How can he be a clean man?" Mastan claimed.
Kovind was the Governor of Bihar before being chosen as NDA nominee for the July 17 prez polls billed as a 'dalit versus dalit' contest.

Kumar stuck to his stand, saying the Presidential elections should not become an issue of confrontation. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Patna/Bhubaneswar: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday faced fresh calls from ally and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and opposition parties to reconsider the JD(U)'s

support to NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind but he stood his ground.

Describing the Congress-led opposition nominee Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti" (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar for the second time in two days to "mend the historic blunder" in extending the JD(U)'s backing to Kovind. Meira Kumar's candidature was announced on Thursday.

Kovind was the Governor of Bihar before being chosen as the NDA nominee for the July 17 presidential polls billed as a 'dalit versus dalit' contest.

The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

But Kumar stuck to his stand, saying the Presidential elections should not become an issue of confrontation.

"It is an election for President. It should not become an issue of confrontation," he told reporters after visiting Prasad's residence in the evening to attend an Iftar party

where he was warmly greeted by the host and Deputy Chief Minister Tejawsi Yadav.

"There is no doubt about the result. We have lot of respect for 'Bihar Ki Beti' (Meira Kumar). But the question is has Bihar Ki Beti been chosen to lose?"

Kumar said the decision to support Kovind was taken at the meeting of JD(U)'s core committee.

"We have taken this decision after thinking on all aspects. And as far as JD(U) is concerned, it has always taken independent decisions, even when we were a part of NDA.

We supported Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA candidate that time." Stating that President's chair is not for political battle, Kumar said, "Had there been consensus, it would have been a good thing but I do not think it should be a matter of debate."

"I had met Ram Bath Kovind and then had a word with Sonia ji and Sitaram Yechuri ji and I told them about my emotions that Ramnath Kovind ji had a praise worthy role in Bihar as the governor. He had worked in Bihar without any bias."

Prasad earlier in the day said that the opposition parties are still treading on the path Nitish Kumar had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'.

"...don't know what made Kumar to move away and extend support to a RSS man," he told reporters on his arrival at the Jaya Prakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

Later in the evening, Prasad when asked if he had talks with Nitish Kumar said, "This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects."

The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

"We appeal to both the chief ministers of Odisha and Bihar to re-consider their decision and support a secular candidate like Meira Kumar. Above all, both BJD and JD(U) are

not part of the BJP-led NDA," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Reddy, accompanied by CPI national secretary Dr K Narayanana, said they hope both Patnaik and Kumar will have a rethink before casting their vote in favour of Kovind, whom they described as a "Sangha Parivar member."

"We do not know the reasons behind both Patnaik and Kumar supporting the NDA candidate," Reddy said adding, the CPI will contact the BJD and JD(U) before the presidential polls.

Stating that the country needs a secular person to become the President in the backdrop of attacks on dalits and minorities since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre, Reddy said opposition parties have fielded Meira Kumar keeping her background in consideration.

"She (Meira Kumar) has been the Speaker of Lok Sabha, having knowledge on external affairs matters and above all the daughter of Jagjivan Ram," Reddy pointed out.

He said the BJP's three-member committee had asked the CPI about its suggestion for a Presidential candidate.

"We had suggested the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi and they (BJP) said about meeting again. But, they announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind without consulting us," Reddy said, criticising the BJP for not going for a consensus candidate for the top post.

Asked why Gandhi was not made a candidate by the opposition for the presidential election, the CPI leader said, "We had just suggested the name of Gandhi. Had the BJP agreed on it, we would have supported him."

According to Left sources, it was also surprising that the names they considered were "not even discussed and proposed" when the Opposition leaders met in Delhi yesterday

to decide their joint candidate.

Ahead of the meeting, the Left parties had decided to propose Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, and B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash.

They claimed that leaders of the JD(U) -- which had earlier pitched for Opposition unity, but is supporting Kovind's candidature -- are also of the view that a non-Congress contender "would have been better," the sources said.

The sources suggested that fielding a Congress candidate is something that will come in the way of bringing the JD(U) back to the Opposition flock notwithstanding her being from Bihar.

"There is a feeling that some non-Congress contender should have been considered," the sources said.
Nine-to-five jobs could be a major reason for lack of vitamin

Nine-to-five job could be a major factor that puts one at high risk of Vitamin D deficiency (Photo: Pixabay)

Washington DC: Stuck behind your office desk for most part of the day? Your nine-to-five job could be a major factor that puts you at high risk of Vitamin D deficiency.

Shift workers, healthcare workers and indoor workers in particular are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency, researchers at the University of Alberta, Canada suggest.

Understanding the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in different professions could improve public health interventions and prevention efforts.

Dr. Sebastian Straube, the corresponding author said: "Our results suggest that occupation is a major factor that may contribute to suboptimal vitamin D levels. Regular screening of vitamin D levels in at-risk groups should be considered for future clinical practice guidelines and public health initiatives. Workplace wellness programs could include education about the importance of adequate vitamin D levels. This could help prevent adverse health outcomes linked to vitamin D deficiency, such as metabolic disorders, psychiatric and cardiovascular disorders, and cancer."

The researchers found that prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was highest among shift workers (80% of individuals), followed by indoor workers (77%) and healthcare students (72%). Among healthcare workers, rates of vitamin D deficiency varied depending on whether they were students, medical residents (65%), practicing physicians (46%), nurses (43%) or other healthcare professionals (43%).

Dr. Straube said: "Vitamin D production by the body is reliant on sunshine and UV exposure so any activity that reduces exposure tends to reduce vitamin D levels. Sunlight deprivation in young medical professionals, who may have particularly long working hours, and other indoor workers, puts them at higher risk of both vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency."

A high percentage of indoor workers (91%) were also found to have insufficient vitamin D, which means that their levels of vitamin D weren't necessarily as low as those found in vitamin D deficient individuals, but lower than levels recommended for health. By comparison, 48% of outdoor workers had vitamin D deficiency, while 75% had vitamin D insufficiency.

In order to evaluate vitamin D levels, deficiency and insufficiency in different occupations and to identify at-risk groups of workers, the authors conducted a systematic review of 71 peer-reviewed journal articles which involved 53,425 individuals in total and spanned a range of latitudes in both the Northern and Southern hemisphere.

The review may be limited by lack of agreement on the definition of vitamin D deficiency, different methodologies for assessing vitamin D levels across the included studies, and studies taking place at different latitudes, although vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency did not seem to be dependent on study location.

The authors caution that heterogeneity between studies may make conclusions derived from their combined data less reliable.

The study has been published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.
Students of the institute will need to let the authorities know the name of the movie they want screened and then wait for its approval.

Pune: The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) administration has made it compulsory for students to take its approval before screening movies at the Classroom Theatre (CRT). Now, students of the institute will need to let the authorities know the name of the movie they want screened and then wait for its approval. Earlier, students could screen any movie at CRT without informing the administration.

Robin Joy, president of FTII students association, said, The FTII is a film institute where we study film making. The CRT is our classroom to learn about films. How can the administration decide which movie we should watch? The registrar or the director of the institute are bureaucrats and they have no understanding of films.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a student said, Before the students strike opposing appointment of Gajendra Chuahan, we had easy access to the CRT and it was open all seven days. One of the students used to have keys to the CRT. But after the strike, students screened films about the strike, which did not go down well with the administration. So the keys to the CRT were handed to the security, he said.

But after we organised the programme for Ambedkar Jayanti, that included screening of a couple of movies, the administration sent a notice, asking us to furnish in writing, details of the movie to be screened, some 48 hours in advance, he said.

Bhupendra Kainthola, director of FTII, said, We have made that rule so that students do not watch non-certified films. But there has been no instance where we have denied permission for screening.
The three decades of agitation has claimed over 1000 lives and caused incalculable loss of property, he said.

Gangtok: Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling on Thursday extended his support for the Gorkhas demand for a separate Gorkhaland, state saying it would fulfil the constitutional demand of the people of Darjeeling and also bring permanent peace in the region.

In a letter to union home minister Rajnath Singh, he said, The fulfilment of the constitutional demand of the people in the Darjeeling Hills... Will provide long-awaited justice to their patriotism.

He also said that creation of a Gorkhaland state will restore permanent peace and prosperity in the region and Sikkim will be hugely benefited by it.

The three decades of agitation has claimed over 1000 lives and caused incalculable loss of property, he said.

Besides, he said, Sikkim has been suffering untold loss owing to the recurring blockage of its one and only lifeline NH-10, during the last 30 years of Gorkhaland agitation. Mr Chamling, also the president of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front, wrote about the plight of students and patients who needed to take that tension-ridden highway to travel to their destination.

He said that a prolonged agitation in Darjeeling-Sikkim region would pose threat to national security also because of the tiny Himalayan states strategic location.

Sikkim lies within three international borders with China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan.
The first seizure was made based on intelligence while the second was based on profiling.

Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs on Wednesday seized gold worth around Rs 1.10 crore in three separate cases. While two seizures were made in the course of searching the aircraft, in the third case, the passenger had posed to be wheelchair-bound in order to avoid paying duty for the gold he was carrying.

The first seizure was made based on intelligence. The AIU officers on Wednesday evening searched Jet Airways Dubai-Mumbai flight 9W 535 that lands at around 7.50 pm and recovered two unclaimed packets. The packets were wrapped with a black-coloured adhesive tape in one of the washrooms. They were concealed in the cavity behind the mirror placed in the left side rear washroom of the flight. Each of the packets contained five gold bars bearing foreign marking. They collectively weighed 1,160 grams and their market value is around Rs 35 lakh. In the second seizure, which was made based on profiling, Nimisha Jentilal Gudhka (38), a passenger, was intercepted. Gudhka, who hails from Jamnagar, Gujarat, had arrived from Dubai in the same Jet Airways flight. He had allegedly concealed eight gold bars that collectively weighed 660 gm and are valued at around Rs 20 lakh. They were hidden inside his trouser pocket and his wallet. Gudhka in his statement admitted the possession and recovery of the gold bars, which were being smuggled into India without payment of customs duty. Gudhka, a businessman, is not physically challenged but had allegedly posed to be wheelchair-bound with an aim to dodge the customs check.

In the third seizure, another Jet Airways flight 9W 67 was searched on the same night and 12 cut pieces of gold bars worth around Rs 60 lakh were recovered. The flight arrives from Bangkok at around 11.30 pm.

A 35-year-old passenger, Ravikiran Ghanshyam-bhai Gohel, was arrested in this connection. A resident of Gujarat, he was intercepted and he allegedly accepted carriage and concealment of the gold bars in the hollow pipe beneath the seats.
The heartwarming moment when he heard the heart beat inside the man's chest was captured in a video.

Losing a loved one is certainly a devastating experience in life, but its always heartening to know that even after death the person passed on the gift of life to someone through organ donation. A father experienced this moment and was overcome by emotions in a heart wrenching video.

Bill Conner lost his daughter Abbey to irreversible brain damage after she was found unconscious in a pool at a resort when she was just 20. Her organs were harvested over the next few days and four men aged 20 to 60 were saved by this.

Five months after her death, Bill Conner cycled 1400 miles from Wisconsin to Baton Rouge on Fathers Day to meet one of the men and hear his late daughters heart beat inside his chest. Conner could be seen breaking down after listening to heartbeats with a stethoscope and both men can be seen crying together.

The heart was donated to Loumonth Jack Jr who had 10 days to live after suffering a heart attack when he was saved by Abbeys heart. Conner said he could feel Abbey was alive inside with the heart beating.
For Muslims who live in and around Finsbury Park, the attack was not a surprise.

It was just after midnight in Londons Finsbury Park area. A number of Muslims who live there, migrants from Pakistan, Somalia and various Arab countries, had just finished taraweeh prayers at the Muslim Welfare House. Some others were helping an elderly worshipper who had fallen down while praying. That was when a white van suddenly appeared and crashed into the worshippers at the mosque.

It took about eight minutes for the London authorities to call the incident a terror attack and for medics to arrive at the scene. It was too late for at least one person, the same elderly man who the worshippers had been trying to help. At least 11 other people present at the scene were injured.

It was the ordinary people there who apprehended the attacker. The man, who had rented the van from a rental company, was shouting anti-Muslim slurs such as You guys deserve this when he was pulled out from the van which he had driven into the worshippers. The imam of the nearby mosque intervened while all of this was happening and ensured that nothing happened to the perpetrator who had tried to kill the people.

When the authorities arrived and he was finally arrested and taken away, he glibly waved to the crowd he was leaving behind. Some of them gathered and completed their prayers.

For Muslims who live in and around Finsbury Park, the attack was not a surprise. Even while terrorist attacks committed by Muslims gain undivided media attention in the UK, attacks on Muslims are rarely reported. In recent months, Muslim women wearing headscarves have been assaulted and spat upon, Muslim men are routinely stopped and harassed, Muslim children are bullied in schools, all of it conveniently ignored by the British authorities.

Even in the immediate aftermath of this attack, critics pointed out that the BBC continued to talk about fish markets and Brexit for quite a while before it decided to provide live coverage of what had happened.

The Muslims of Finsbury Park are used to being demonised and labelled as terrorists and they suspected that this instance would not be any different.

The Finsbury Park area is represented in Parliament by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the British Opposition, who was recently able to propel Britains Labour Party to gain seats against the ruling Conservatives. Corbyn was present at the scene at the Muslim Welfare House in the hours after the attack. The high-profile representation, however, seems to have done little so far to humanise his constituents in the eyes of the larger British public. It did, however, prompt a response from British Prime Minister Theresa May who said the man had targeted the ordinary and the innocent going about their daily lives.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, noted in his statement that the attack was in line with previous terrorist attacks in Manchester, on London Bridge and in Westminster. He promised that there would be more security at mosques as the last days of Ramzan and Id-ul-Fitr approached.

The reactions beyond Britains borders also revealed a lot about geopolitics and the framing of all Muslims as terrorists. While it did provide coverage of the attacks, at least one article on CNN chose to focus on the history of the Finsbury Park mosque associated with extremist preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri who was extradited to the US almost a decade ago and was sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

While American television networks did report the news, there was none of the back-to-back coverage that was allotted to the recent London Bridge attack.

Two groups, however, were openly celebrating. White supremacists in the US rejoiced at the attack  one, they believe, that the British Muslims deserved. At least one Twitter account associated with white supremacists declared that there was hope for the British yet. The militant Islamic State group too was rumoured to be elated at the attack, using the video as propaganda to gain recruits and to encourage all Muslims who have not yet migrated to the caliphate to do so immediately.

In this last bit lies the truth that all Western Muslims must face. It is unlikely that terrorist attacks in the West will abate anytime soon. With Western media and many Western politicians actively promoting the idea that all Muslims are terrorists, it is these communities, British Muslims among them, that will pay the price. With each subsequent terrorist attack being perceived as a collective indictment of all Muslims, and with a number of people starting to believe that Muslim beliefs may be linked to violence, many will likely have to leave these countries, or if they stay, hide their religious identity.

This sort of subterfuge whether it is casting aside the hijab, or shaving off the beard , or ensuring that mosques have no visible signs of identification, may soon become not a matter of choice, but a matter of survival.

By arrangement with Dawn
The US is believed to hold the most complete catalogue, listing an estimated 20,000 pieces of junk.

A European Space Agency director urged nations Tuesday to unlock concealed data on the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands of pieces of space junk, or "ticking time bombs" threatening spacecraft in Earth orbit.

The United States and individual European nations are among those keeping information close to their chest, partly for fear of revealing strategic or military secrets, ESA Director of Operations Rolf Densing told AFP at the International Paris Air Show.

"Right now, we do have about 750,000 pieces bigger than one centimetre (0.4 inches)" in orbit," he said. Many were caused by explosions of abandoned satellites and rocket bodies.

The number could grow to about 1.2 million by 2030.

There are also "several big, uncontrollable spacecraft" -- including thousands of non-responsive satellites left behind in space.

This, mingled with an estimated 1,500 operational craft in orbit -- including the manned International Space Station -- makes for a hairy situation.

"The highest risk are big, uncooperative objects" over which ground crews have no control, said Densing.

"You can imagine if they hit each other, or if they hit the space debris, break up further, this will cause an avalanche effect."

Yet, knowledge about space debris is similarly "scattered" -- held by national space agencies and often furnished only when a collision threatens their own space assets, said Densing.

Snowball effect

The US is believed to hold the most complete catalogue, listing an estimated 20,000 pieces of junk, he said, and Europe -- both ESA and its individual members -- fewer than 10,000.

ESA contributing states withhold certain debris data even from one another, and from the 22-member agency, said Densing, who also heads the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

The only information needed is when, and where, a piece of debris will find itself in the orbital region, he explained.

No need to divulge trade or military secrets -- and "this is not what we're asking for".

But there is a fear, he said, that "if you look for space debris, inevitably you will find things that nobody wants you to find."

Having a global, open database on space debris would allow experts to compile collision warnings and give spacecraft time to take evasive action.

"What I am advocating... is that we all overcome our vanities, we all open our catalogues," he said.

"This is about protecting our orbits, and it's in the interests in everybody."

A "snowball effect" of debris crashing with debris to create more and more pieces of dangerous junk, is already underway.

In 2009, two satellites -- Kosmos and Iridium -- collided at a speed of some 11.7 kilometres (7.3 miles) per second, destroying both and creating a debris "cloud" around Earth.

This "cloud", in turn, is thought to have yielded a small particle that smashed into Europe's Sentinel 1 satellite in August last year, knocking seven "splinters" -- yet more of debris -- off a solar panel.

"I am not sure that the problem is fully understood," Densing lamented.

"Those that have the most satellites, it's those that probably have contributed on a bigger scale to space debris, and I think also are the same ones that could profit the most if we avoid future collisions."

In recent years, spacefaring nations have adopted guidelines which determine that every spacecraft must be moved out of harm's way within 25 years of ending its life.
The European Commission expects Galileo to be fully operational by 2020.

Eighteen Galileo satellites have been placed in Earth's orbit to date, with four more due for launch later this year. (Photo: AFP)

The European Space Agency signed a contract with a German-British consortium Thursday to build eight more satellites for its Galileo satnav system, an alternative to America's GPS, the agency said Thursday.

The deal was signed at the International Paris Air Show with German company OHB as the prime contractor, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in charge of navigation systems.

The ESA signed on behalf of the European Commission, which owns and funds the system.

"Europe's Galileo navigation constellation will gain an additional eight satellites, bringing it to completion," the ESA said in a statement.

Eighteen Galileo satellites have been placed in Earth's orbit to date, with four more due for launch later this year.

With the last eight satellites to be built and tested by OHB, the 10-billion-euro ($11-billion) constellation will ultimately comprise 30 orbiters.

Twenty-four will be operational, in three orbital planes, with the rest standing by as spares, in orbit and on the ground.

The European Commission expects Galileo to be fully operational by 2020.

The project has experienced many setbacks, including the placement of two satellites in the wrong orbit.

Galileo went live in December last year, providing initial services with a weak signal, having taken 17 years and more than triple the original budget.

The civilian-controlled service is seen as strategically important for Europe, which relies on two military-run rivals -- GPS and Russia's GLONASS.

Neither provides a guarantee of uninterrupted service.

In January, ESA said the system suffered another setback, with atomic clocks -- claimed by the agency to be the most accurate ever flown for geolocalisation -- failing onboard a number of satellites in space.

Each Galileo satellite has four ultra-accurate atomic timekeepers, but needs just one working clock.

The failure of nine clocks out of 72 launched so far, has not affected operation, the agency said at the time.

But it would necessitate a relook at clock design, meaning further possible delays.

Thursday's statement said the eight new satellites are based on the approved design for the previous ones, but will feature "improvements based on lessons learnt."

Once fully deployed, Galileo aims to pinpoint a location on Earth to within a metre -- compared to several metres for GPS and GLONASS.

Clients of a paying service can get even more accurate readings -- down to centimetres.

It will also offer search-and-rescue services.
Facebook's new mission is to emphasize support for hobby clubs, civil society organizations and other community groups.

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg revised the world's largest online social network's mission statement on Thursday to emphasize support for hobby clubs, civil society organizations and other community groups.

The move comes as Facebook faces pressure from smaller rivals such as Nextdoor and Meetup, whose online networks bring together neighbors and people in the same area with shared interests.

Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page that his company's new mission is to "give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together."

The previous mission was "to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." Facebook's pursuit of that mission has been criticised in the past 12 months after the network became one of the main distribution points for so-called fake news, which many think influenced the 2016 US presidential election.

Zuckerberg said in February he wanted to boost the number of Facebook users who are members of what they called "very meaningful" groups. Only about 5 per cent were members of such groups, he said then.

The head of Facebook, with 1.9 billion users and $27.6 billion in revenue last year, was in Chicago on Thursday to meet people who run group pages on Facebook.

"If what you're trying to do is run a group that has thousands of people, you need tools to help manage that," he told CNN in an interview. Facebook wants to build those tools, he said.

Google also hosts community groups, as do Nextdoor and Meetup. Nextdoor, a site for neighbors to meet one another and share news and advice, said on Monday it was expanding into Germany after rapid growth elsewhere.

Zuckerberg told CNN that supporting organizations built around neighbors, churches, pets and the like has a larger purpose.

"Once people are coming together in these smaller groups, that actually grows and it ends up with much bigger changes in the world," he said.
President Donald Trump relies on son-in-law Jared Kushner to advance his agenda, the closest thing to royal assist that the US can muster.

Washington: Half a world apart, in a theocratic monarchy and a democracy, a king and a president are relying on their 30-something son and son-in-law to help consolidate power and push their policies.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman this week elevated his son Mohammed bin Salman to crown prince, setting him on course to become the next Saudi king.

President Donald Trump relies heavily on son-in-law Jared Kushner to advance his agenda, the closest thing to a royal assist that the US can muster.

Kushner was in the Mideast this week meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in an attempt to restart dormant peace talks. For that effort to succeed, Kushner will need the backing, or at least the quiet support, of Saudi Arabia - now under the reins of the crown prince, also known as MBS.

In this tale of two princes, Trump's son-in-law and Saudi Arabia's new heir to the throne have skyrocketed to power and been entrusted with a wealth of responsibilities and wide-ranging duties, even though neither had the experience that comes with years of government service.

The two have been presented to the public as outsiders who bring youthful energy and fresh ideas to sluggish bureaucracies with aging infrastructures.

For Trump, 71, and Salman, 81, the stakes couldn't be higher. Both have promised to deliver dramatic reforms to an antsy public. Kushner and MBS have built a relationship of increasing importance since Trump took office.

Kushner, 36, and MBS, 31, talk on the phone and dined together for several hours during Trump's trip to Riyadh in May, administration officials said. The officials spoke anonymously to discuss the private working relationship.

While in Washington in March, MBS lunched with Trump and Kushner in the State Dining Room. That visit helped ingratiate the young royal to Trump, and Saudi Arabia to the new administration in Washington.

It also laid the groundwork for Trump's maiden voyage overseas as president last month, when Trump became the first US president to make his first official trip to a Muslim nation with a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Trump and Salman also witnessed the signing of a nearly $110 billion defense deal, which administration officials say Kushner helped negotiate. The Obama administration had previously stalled on the deal because of concerns over Saudi aggression in Yemen.

Kushner emerged as a top adviser to Trump in the bruising 2016 presidential race. He spearheaded the campaign's data operation, had a hand in some policy speeches, and was often the last person Trump spoke to before making major decisions.

Prior to assuming his role as Trump's adviser, Kushner ran his family's real estate and construction business.

Within hours of King Salman's ascension to the throne in January 2015, the monarch named MBS as defense minister, which helped catapult the young prince into power and sidelined more experienced and older princes.

Two months later, MBS led Saudi forces into war in Yemen, becoming the face of a conflict framed in the Saudi media as a battle against Shiite-led Iran's ambitions for regional dominance.

The war whipped up nationalist fervor around the new king and his son. The Saudis paint the Yemen conflict as a fight against terrorism and border security - something that resonates with the new US administration.

Trump takes a bullish approach to defeating "radical Islamic terrorism," as he frequently refers to it, and is advocating for a border wall along America's southern border.

In Saudi Arabia last month, Trump conceded that he would only succeed in his goal of fighting terrorism with the partnership of Saudi Arabia and all other Muslim nations. That's where Kushner and MBS come in.

Kushner's growing duties as White House adviser have seen him serve as a point person for a range of contacts with countries from China to Mexico, develop ideas for infrastructure and criminal justice reform, oversee a new Office of American Innovation and, this week, try to broker Middle East peace - a goal that relies heavily on Saudi support.

MBS' portfolio includes oversight of defense and security, and transforming the kingdom's economy to become less reliant on oil exports for revenue.

His rise to power was accelerated after he visited Washington in March and met Trump. The visit helped reset relations between the two countries after years of strained ties under President Barack Obama over the nuclear accord with Iran, which Saudi Arabia strongly criticized.

Kushner and MBS are expected to collaborate on a more bullish policy on Iran, which both the US administration and the Saudi monarchy view as a threat to regional stability.

The US has also taken a proactive role in helping to pressure fellow Arab Gulf state Qatar to stop financing terrorism. "Given how close Kushner reportedly is with Saudi and Emirati young leaders, he may also serve as an effective channel for them to the president on the crisis over Qatar negligent behavior in the fight against terrorism," said David Weinberg, a Saudi expert with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

While close family ties are not unusual in US politics, Trump has maintained a tightly knit inner circle that has been influenced significantly by Kushner and his wife, Trump's daughter Ivanka.

The Middle East is no stranger to nepotism, with much of the Arab Gulf boasting hereditary rule and monarchies still ruling over Jordan and Morocco. Syria's President Bashar Assad is also part of a perceived "dynasty."
Trump said in his latest tweets, he has "no idea" whether there are "tapes" or recordings of the two men's conversations.

Washington: President Donald Trump declared Thursday he never made and doesn't have recordings of his private conversations with ousted former FBI Director James Comey, ending a month-long guessing game that he started with a cryptic tweet and that ensnared his administration in yet more controversy.

"With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information," Trump said in his latest tweets, he has "no idea" whether there are "tapes" or recordings of the two men's conversations. But he proclaimed he "did not make, and do not have, any such recordings."

That left open the possibility that recordings were made without his knowledge or by someone else. But he largely appeared to close the saga that began in May, just days after he fired Comey, then the head of an investigation into Trump associates' ties to Russian officials. Trump has disputed Comey's version of a January dinner during which the director said the president had asked for a pledge of loyalty.

Trump responded at that time, via Twitter, that Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

That apparently angry missive triggered a series of consequences each weightier than the last. Comey has suggested that the tweet prompted him to ask an associate to leak damaging information to the media. The resulting news reports built pressure on a top Justice Department official to appoint an independent prosecutor to oversee the Russia investigation. That special counsel is now reportedly investigating Trump's own actions in a probe that could dog his presidency for the foreseeable future.

Trump's declaration now that there are no recordings appear to settle a key dynamic in that investigation: It's now the president's word against Comey's notes.

Without recordings, Comey's version of his conversations with Trump - which he documented at the time, shared with close associates and testified about to Congress - will likely play a key role as prosecutors consider whether Trump inappropriately pressured the lawman to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Investigators will also weigh the credibility of Comey against a president who has shown a wobbly commitment to accuracy.

Thursday's revelation came a day ahead of a deadline to turn over any tapes to the House intelligence committee. The timing drew attention away from the release of the Senate's health care bill, which the White House hopes can provide Trump a much-needed legislative victory to boost his sagging poll numbers.

Trump's tweets, old and new, left many perplexed about whether there was motive or strategy behind the whole affair. The president appeared to enjoy ginning up mystery and spinning Washington reporters about the possibility there was a trove of surreptitiously recorded Oval Office conversations.

"I think he was in his way instinctively trying to rattle Comey," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a longtime Trump confidant, said before the Thursday tweets. "He's not a professional politician. He doesn't come back and think about Nixon and Watergate. His instinct is: 'I'll out-bluff you.'"

Trump's earlier suggestion about tapes evoked the secret White House recordings that led to Richard Nixon's downfall in the Watergate scandal. 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.

But the episode tired Trump's defenders and aides, who for weeks have been dodging questions about the recordings. Advisers who speak to Trump regularly have said he had not mentioned the existence of tapes during their conversations. More than a half-dozen aides said they were unaware of any recording devices. All demanded anonymity to speak about private discussions with the president.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday she didn't think Trump regretted the initial tweet. As for his possible motivation, she would only say it was perhaps about "raising the question of doubt in general." She also could not explain Trump's new reference to possible surveillance.

Mark Warner of Virginia, top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said, "This administration never ceases to amaze me." He said the tweeting is an example of Trump's "willingness to just kind of make things up."

"It's remarkable the president was so flippant to make his original tweet and then frankly stonewall the media and the country for weeks," Warner said. "I don't know how this serves the country's interests."

This is not the first time that Trump, the former star of reality TV and tabloids, has manufactured a melodrama that begins with bluster but often ends with a whimper.

Trump flirted with presidential runs in 1988 and 2000 before abandoning them. He offered to help rebuild the World Trade Center in 2004 but never followed through. And his embrace of birtherism, which questioned whether Obama was born in the United States and was eligible to become president, fueled his own political rise. He never produced any evidence.

"I think the president has played the media like a fiddle for two and a half years," said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

The pattern has continued since Trump's election.

On New Year's Eve, he claimed he knew "things that other people don't know" about foreign hacking of last year's election, and that the information would be revealed "on Tuesday or Wednesday." Those days came and went without an answer. In March, he tweeted the incendiary claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor, a charge he's never supported.

"He follows the paradigm that no news is bad news," said Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide. "He knows how to play to America's insatiable appetite not just for news but for drama and interest. He brought that to Washington."

He's also brought trouble to his White House.

At a Senate committee hearing this month, Comey suggested that the president's reference to possible recordings inspired him to disclose to the media through an intermediary a memo he had written of their Oval Office conversation. In that meeting, according to the memo, Trump told Comey he hoped he would let the Flynn investigation go. Comey said he understood that to be a request to drop the probe.

One week after the memo was disclosed, the Justice Department appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to take over the investigation into contacts between Russia and the Trump political campaign.
US President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs.

One official said he believed the test had taken place within the past 24 hours. (Photo: AP)

Washington: North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official said on Thursday.

The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile tests this year, could be for the smallest stage of an ICBM rocket engine, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A second US official also confirmed the test but did not provide additional details on the type of rocket component that was being tested or whether it fit into the ICBM program.

One official said he believed the test had taken place within the past 24 hours.

The disclosure of the engine test came a day after the United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington.

US President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although US officials said tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option.

China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, told Trump in a meeting at the White House that Beijing was willing to "maintain communication and coordination" with the United States in an effort to diffuse tension on the Korean peninsula, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry on Friday.

The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress last month that North Korea, if left unchecked, was on an "inevitable" path to obtaining a nuclear-armed missile capable of striking the US mainland.

Still, experts said Pyongyang could still be years away from have a reliable ICBM capability.

The continental United States is around 5,600 miles (9,000 km) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,400 miles (5,500 km), but some are designed to travel 6,200 miles (10,000 km) or farther.

Any military solution to the North Korea crisis would be "tragic on an unbelievable scale", Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said last month.

The United States, meanwhile, is ramping up capabilities to defend against the threat from North Korea, staging its first-ever successful test to intercept an incoming ICBM-type missile in May.

But a test on June 21 of a new capability being developed by the United States and Japan to defend against shorter-range missiles failed to hit its target, the US Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.

It was the second such test of the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor, which is being developed by Raytheon (RTN.N). The previous intercept test, conducted in February, had been successful.
This is the 1st significant sign of the Trump admin being more result oriented in its ties with India as compared to the Obama govt.

Washington: The US has cleared the sale of 22 predator Guardian drones to India, governmental sources said on Thursday a deal being termed as a game changer ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in Washington for his maiden meeting with President Donald Trump.

The deal, estimated to be worth USD two to three billion, has been approved by the State Department, the sources said.

The decision has been communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer by the State Department on Wednesday, according to the informed governmental sources.

"This is the first very significant sign of the Trump administration being more result oriented in its relationship with India compared to Obama administration," a source said.

The sources, who requested anonymity as the deal has not been formally announced, said the sale of 22 predator drones being manufactured by General Atomics is a game changer for US-India relations as it operationalises the status of major defence partner.

The designation of India being a major defence partner was decided by the previous Obama Administration, and formally approved by the Congress. The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to the questions in this regard. An official announcement is expected soon.

Modi's first meeting with Trump has been scheduled to take place at the White House on June 26. According to General Atomics, the Predator Guardian UAV, a variant of the Predator B, can be used for wide-area, long- endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

It can stay in the air for up to 27 hours and can fly at maximum altitude of 50,000 feet. The Indian Navy made the request for this intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform in 2016.

US Aerospace expert Dr Vivek Lall of General Atomics who was pivotal in India acquiring Boeing P8 ISR technology, is believed to have played a key role in fast tracking the decision-making process of the Trump administration.
The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

At least 11 people were killed and 24 wounded when twin blasts tore through a market crowded with shoppers preparing for the Eid holidays. (Photo: File/Representational)

Peshawar: At least 38 people were killed and 121 others injured on Friday in powerful twin blasts at a crowded market in Parachinar area of Pakistan's Kurram tribal district, bordering Afghanistan.

The first explosion occurred in Akbar Khan Market in Parachinar headquarters of Kurram Agency when people were busy shopping for Iftar and Eid, officials said.

The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar.

The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.

Pakistan Army contingents and FC personnel reached the site of the attack to aid in rescue efforts.

Earlier on Friday, a powerful car bombing near the office of the provincial police chief in southwestern Pakistan killed 11 people and wounded 20, officials said.

The explosion near the police chief's office in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was powerful enough that it was heard across the city, shattering windows of nearby buildings, said police spokesman Shahzada Farhat.
The North had earlier Friday denied torturing or mistreating Warmbier, in the first official reaction to his death.

American student Otto Warmbier, center, is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea. Warmbier, whose parents say has been in a coma while serving a 15-year prison term in North Korea, was released and returned to the United States Tuesday, June 13, 2017, as the Trump administration revealed a rare exchange with the reclusive country. (Photo: AP)

Seoul: North Korea on Friday accused the United States of waging a "smear campaign" over the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and sent back home in a coma.

US President Donald Trump has slammed the incarceration and eventual death of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier as "a total disgrace". "The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the US compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law", the foreign ministry spokesman said in state media.

The North had earlier Friday denied torturing or mistreating Warmbier, in the first official reaction to his death. "Our relevant agencies treat all criminals thoroughly in accordance with domestic laws and international standards and Warmbier was not an exception," a spokesman for the National Reconciliation Council said.

"Those who have absolutely no idea about how well we treated Warmbier under humanitarian conditions dare to utter 'mistreatment' and 'torture'," he said according to the official KCNA news agency.

Warmbier was buried Thursday in Ohio, less than a week after he was sent back home in a mysterious coma. He had been incarcerated for more than a year in North Korea after allegedly stealing a political slogan while on a trip to the capital Pyongyang as a tourist.
Darren Osborne, 47, will appear before magistrates in central London later Friday in relation to the charges, police and prosecutors said.

Forensic officers move the van at Finsbury Park in north London, where a vehicle struck pedestrians in north London Monday. (Photo: AP)

London: The British van driver who mowed down Muslim worshippers near a London mosque this week was charged Friday with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder, officials said.

Darren Osborne, 47, will appear before magistrates in central London later Friday in relation to the charges, police and prosecutors said. One man died in the incident early Monday near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, and another 11 people were injured.

Makram Ali, 51, died from multiple injuries following Monday's attack. He had collapsed with a leg problem and was being attended to by fellow worshippers leaving late-night Ramadan prayers at the mosque when the hired van careered into them.

Ali came to Britain from Bangladesh when he was 10. He was married with four daughters and two sons, and had two grandchildren. His family has said they were "devastated" by his death. "Our father was a quiet, gentle man," they said in a statement.

The attack was the fourth in Britain in three months, killing a total of 36 people and injuring around 200. The three previous attacks were all Islamist-linked.
Akhunzadah boasted international support saying 'The mainstream entities of the world admit its effectiveness, legitimacy and success'.

In 1992, when mujahedeen groups threw out the Communist government and turned their guns on each other, giving rise to the Taliban. (Representational/ File)

Kabul: The leader of the Afghan Taliban said on Friday that a planned US troop surge will not end the protracted war in the country and vowed to fight on until a full withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan.

The remarks by Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah came in a message ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr, something the Taliban do every year to rally followers.

In this year's message, the militant leader seemed to harden his stance, saying the Afghan government is too corrupt to stay on and warning of another civil war in Kabul - along the lines of the 1992 fighting when mujahedeen groups threw out the Communist government in Afghanistan and turned their guns on each other. That conflict killed more than 50,000 civilians and gave rise to the Taliban.

Akhunzadah also boasted of allegedly growing international support, saying "the mainstream entities of the world admit (the Taliban) effectiveness, legitimacy and success," an apparent reference to reports of overtures by Russia and China to the Taliban amid concerns of an emerging Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan.

While the IS affiliate's stronghold is in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, the branch has managed also to stage high-profile attacks elsewhere, including in Kabul, and there have been reports of its activity in northern Afghanistan.

The presence of battle-hardened Uzbek militants in the ranks also further worries Moscow. After urging Afghans to embrace holy war, or jihad, to oust foreign troops, Akhunzadah's rambling message went on to touch upon the conflict between Gulf Arab states and Qatar, saying he was "saddened" by the feud.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have accused Qatar of supporting extremists, a charge that Doha denies.
Ram Nath Kovind is backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Meira Kumar has the support of 16 opposition parties led by Congress. The two veteran politicians are in their seventies. For Lenin Raghuvanshi, the choice of Dalit candidates does not change the evils of the caste system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has divided the opposition.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  A Dalit will be the next president of India. This is a certainty after Meira Kumar, former speaker of the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and a veteran member of Sonia Gandhis Congress Party, agreed to run against Ram Nath Kovind, former governor of Bihar and a three-time member of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) for Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The election is set for 17 July and the result will be announced on the 20th.

The pictures of the two Dalit politicians have filled TV screens for days now. Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement caught the opposition by surprise and divided. The 71-year-old Kovind is well respected for his integrity and impartiality. And many analysts agree that Modis pick is meant to gain support among the most disadvantaged classes.

It was a move of Dalit-Brahamanism social engineering that does not change the evils of the caste system," said Lenin Raghuvanshi, a Dalit activist and executive director of the Peoples' Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) who spoke to AsiaNews.

This week comes in the wake Modi's recent electoral victories in five state elections. On Tuesday, he announced Kovinds candidacy and accompanied him this morning to fill out his official papers.

His decision to pick the son of a poor Dalit farmer in Uttar Pradesh has had an immediate impact. The 16 opposition parties led by Congress met yesterday and picked Meira Kumar, 72, the daughter of a former Deputy Prime Minister, Jagjivan Ram. All experts agree that the opposition was caught off guard and unprepared, and will likely pay a political price.

First of all, Modis ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) found a candidate like Kovind, a politician well respected and of high moral standing. Secondly, the prime ministers pick brought him the support of some of his rivals, including Bihars current Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a fierce opponent of BJP Hindu nationalists.

Some members of the opposition have admitted that they were caught unawares, and had to scramble to find someone who could stand against such a credible opponent. Surveys already suggest that Kovind has a 62 per cent lead in the electoral college.

According to Raghuvanshi, the reason for nationalists backing Kovind "stems from the desire to buttress their power based on male chauvinism." This explains why "many Dalit have joined the BJP in recent years", a counterintuitive behaviour since the BJP accepts the caste system (chapter three on integral humanism) as something that exists in society.

Although Kovind said today that if he is elected, he "would be above partisanship", many doubts it will be possible.

For Raghuvanshi, to improve the conditions of discriminated Dalit, it would be better to "promote a movement of reconciliation between different castes and religious communities starting in civil society, and create bonds between those who have suffered from communal marginalisation and Brahamanism. Outreach and meetings are the best way to fight dangerous prejudices that lead to hatred among communities." For this reason, the activist proposes the creation of a "new Dalit social movement to coordinate protest over common problems.

"All those struggling for human rights will be welcome, including those who want to reverse state privatisation, natural resource abuse, societal cleavages and hatreds fuelled by sectarianism, feudalism and the patriarchal system, encouraged by the caste system of Brahmanism and the ideology of Hindutva."
The main criticism is the lack of top officials who understand the country. Many people see the UN fail in the way it handles humanitarian crises. UN resident coordinator for humanitarian aid Renata Lok-Dessallien is leaving. To be effective, the UN must be sensitive to local issues and take them into account, The Irrawaddy writes.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies)  At a time when Myanmar is going through a critical and fragile political transition, the United Nations appears irrelevant and incapable of addressing the countrys many problems.

As the countrys institutions face challenges amid humanitarian crises, the UN mission is seen as a failure. The main criticism is that capable and knowledgeable people with institutional memory are not being appointed to the country.

The widespread mistrust of the United Nations found an echo in an editorial that appeared on 16 June in The Irrawaddy, an important independent pro-democracy Myanmar publication. The article noted that two recent stories highlight the failure of the UN mission in Myanmar.

The first on 13 June read that Canadian Renata Lok-Dessallien would be leaving her post as UN resident coordinator for humanitarian aid in Myanmar.

Internal UN documents prepared for the new UN Secretary-General described the Myanmar office as glaringly dysfunctional with strong tensions between different parts of the UN system, BBC News reported earlier this week.

Reliable news sources reported that Lok-Dessallien had been criticised for not doing enough about human rights abuses in Myanmar. In fact, this is not the only issue. It is just tip of the iceberg.

In a statement released Wednesday, the UN responded to news stories about the coordinators removal from her post as false and inaccurate.

If the UN cannot fix these existing issues and reposition itself to engage in Myanmar, there is a huge risk that it will become more and more irrelevant in the country, which needs outside assistance, the article said.

The other UN news story relates to State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyis visit to Sweden where she said that a UN probe into alleged human rights abuses by Myanmars military against the Rohingya last year would inflame ethnic tensions.

The state counselor said she would only accept recommendations from a separate commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan.

There has been international pressure to look into abuses in Rakhine State, but why does the UN not also send a fact-finding mission to the areas of conflict in northern Myanmar? To be effective, it must be sensitive to local issues and take them into account, the paper said.

Many people in Myanmar, although not hostile towards the Rohingya, view them as foreign to the country's history and culture, immigrants from Bangladesh. Most disagree with the United Nations on granting them citizenship.

There are many areas the UN can help with including raising economic, social, cultural and human rights standards, as well as increasing access to health, education and political rights. Furthermore, the UN can engage in issues such as climate change, peace building and sustainable development.

Myanmar could be a UN success story if the organization appointed an effective coordinator  with extensive knowledge of the country; experience dealing with a powerful army, ethnic leaders, government officials and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; and an understanding of the nuanced and complex situation on the ground.
by Fady Noun

The celebrations will take place on June 24 and 25 in Fatima, with the participation of Lebanese patriarchs and bishops. Macro-history finds its sense in micro-history. The Church is engaged in a spiritual struggle. Leo XIII wrote a prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  It has often been said that macro-history finds its sense in micro-history, at least insofar as some hidden bonds can connect seemingly unrelated events. This applies to the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima (13 May -13 October 1917). For the Catholic Church, there are no doubts about its veracity; hence the importance attached to its first centennial.

Pope Francis, whose pontificate is based on this, consecrated the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the world, on 13 October 2013, before the very statue of the shrine of Fatima (Portugal), sent to Rome for the occasion.

Many Church leaders and bishops will do the same, and next Sunday, 25 June, it will be the turn of Lebanon and the Middle East. A "Day of Lebanon in Fatima" is set from Saturday afternoon to Sunday in the great Portuguese shrine. On this occasion, Patriarch Al-Rahi will lead the rosary and the torchlight procession on Saturday and celebrate the Mass of consecration on Sunday. The pilgrimage is organised by the Patriarchal Commission for the Consecration of Lebanon and the Middle East and the Shrine of Harissa. Several other patriarchs and bishops will participate.

Between 13 May 1917 and 13 October 1917, the Virgin showed herself for six consecutive times on the 13th of each month to three young shepherds, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, who were tending their flock near the small hamlet of Fatima, Portugal. Through them, the Virgin sent the world a warning that was not heeded at the time. The price of this refusal was the Russian Revolution (1917), the Second World War (1939-1945), and the attack on John Paul II (13 May 1981). The history of the apparitions is public knowledge; hence it is impossible to cite all the conjectures, both positive and negative, over the event.

Let us remember only that to spare the world the aberration of Communism (the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917), the Virgin had asked the Pope, on the 13th of May of that same year (five months before) to consecrate Russia to His Immaculate Heart, in union with all the Catholic bishops of the world. For motives of embarrassing diplomatic expediency, this act of consecration was not done in public at the time. However, upon request, Pius XII performed it - imperfectly - in 1942, in the middle of the world war. Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI refused to do it. It was finally John Paul II who, more than thirty years later, fulfilled the request.

After she became a nun, Sister Lucia, the only surviving child who was visited occasionally by Our Lady after 1917, said of the four consecrations made (one by Pius XII and three by John Paul II), only the last one, that of 25 March 1984, had fulfilled the requirements of Heaven.

The implosion of the Soviet Union in 1989 without a single act of violence validated the enigmatic words uttered in 1917 in the middle of the Bolshevik revolution with no one giving a thought about the historic upheavals that would follow.

The last apparition of the Virgin to Fatima took place on 13 October 1917. On that day, at the request of the children who had received it from the religious hierarchy, the Virgin promised to give "a sign" authenticating her message and her person. In the presence of a crowd of tens of thousands of people who had gathered at the scene of the apparition, she kept her promise and the sun "danced", spinning on itself and then detaching itself from the sky rushing upon the earth under the shaken gaze of the crowd that, for a moment, believed the end of the earth was imminent. Eventually, the sun resumed its normal position and the miracle stopped.

To those who, evidently, believed in a collective hallucination, the Virgin gave an additional sign. Their clothes and the earth soaked by a persistent rain that day found themselves miraculously dry after the miracle. Many newspapers reported the news.

So where is the secret thread? On 13 October 1884, 33 years before the day before the great sign granted in Fatima (the age of Christ at the time of his death on the cross according to Catholic tradition), Pope Leo XIII, one of the great pontiffs of the Catholic Church, after a Mass celebrated in the Vatican, entered into ecstasy for about ten minutes, deeply immersed into a frightful vision, that of an exchange between Jesus and Satan on the fate of the earth, the adversary he met in the desert, as reported in the Gospels. In this vision, the pope was given the opportunity to see a myriad of unclean spirits exiting an endless abyss set on destroying the Church. Leo XIII immediately sat down at his desk and wrote a prayer which he ordered to be recited at the end of each Mass, which was done for quite a while. In it, he entrusted to Saint Michael the archangel with the mission of defending the Church.

The struggle in which the Church is engaged is a long-standing spiritual struggle, which takes place through the events of nations and the circumstances that we individually experience. For a Christian, history goes somewhere; time is not cyclical. The act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is not a "magic" act, understood as a kind of contract among the "spirits" with an obligation of result. It is a way of expressing our absolute faithfulness to Him whose love and blood brought us "from darkness to His admirable light", and we entrust ourselves to the One through whom He became flesh and to whom was conferred, according to His pleasure, the authority to be "Queen of heaven and earth."
by Paul Wang

Xi's full schedule includes a visit to the PLA garrison, the swearing in of the Hong Kong cabinet and infrastructure projects, but no meeting with the population. Security will be tight in view of possible terrorism. Beijings anti-democracy steps have also raised fear of protests. Aircraft carrier Liaoning is set to visit Hong Kong harbour.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Xi Jinping will visit Hong Kong for the first time since he became president in 2013 to mark 20 years since its return to mainland China on 1st July 1997.

Details about the visit are still sketchy, but the South China Morning Post has managed to get some information, which it has published today.

Most of the presidents activities will take place at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, which was built 20 years ago for the original handover ceremony.

Xi will visit the local Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) garrison and one or two ongoing projects connecting Hong Kong and the mainland: the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge or the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou.

Mr Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan will arrive in Hong Kong on 29 June and will stay at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

On July 1, he will oversee the swearing-in of the new chief executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her cabinet, thus replacing Leung Chung-ying and his administration (pictured with Xi).

Before leaving the city by plane that day, Xi will visit the construction site of one of the two aforementioned infrastructure projects.

Sources with knowledge of his three-day trip said that his tight schedule would mean little to no time to visit a local family or neighbourhood. But wife Peng Liyuan will meet residents of an elderly home on Friday.

Because of terrorist threats, the visit is shrouded in secrecy. In order to prevent violence and maintain security, more than a third of the 29,000-strong police force is expected to be deployed round the clock.

The day before the arrival of the president, divers from the forces elite Special Duty Squad, also known as Flying Tigers, will enter the waters and carry out an underwater security check outside the Wan Chai waterfront.

According to some local observers, the emphasis on security and the lack of direct contact with the population shows that the president fears protesters opposed to mainland policy vis-a-vis the territory.

Three years ago, Occupy Central protests brought tens of thousands of people out into the streets when Beijing refused demands for the direct election of Hong Kongs chief executive.

On the other hand, after Xs departure, Chinas first domestically built aircraft carrier Liaoning, which can carry 24 fighter jets, will sail into Hong Kong harbour next month and be open to the public.
Francis met participants to the 75th Convention of Serra International, stressing the importance of going out and rejoicing in our relationship with the Lord and the journey along the ways that he opens up before us. For him, To be friends to priests, sustaining their vocation and accompanying them in their ministry: with this great gift you enrich the Church!

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis spoke about the mission today in his address to the participants at the 75th Convention of Serra International centred on the theme of Siempre adelante, the courage of vocation, now underway in Rome from 22 to 25 June.

For the pontiff, going forward means the same as the Christian vocation, it is the response to the call to undertake the holy journey, the vocation of going beyond oneself, of not falling into the temptation of holding oneself back, but focusing instead on rejoicing in our relationship with the Lord and the journey along the ways that he opens up before us.

Francis praised Serra International for being friends of priests, of going being themselves along the path indicated by God. It is better to go forward limping, and even at times to fall, while always trusting in the mercy of God, than to be museum Christians who are afraid of change. Even though they received a charism or vocation, instead of serving the eternal newness of the Gospel, they are caught up in defending themselves and their own roles. Such a risk also hangs over Church institutions.

To be friends to priests, sustaining their vocation and accompanying them in their ministry: with this great gift you enrich the Church! This is, above all else, what a Serran is  a special friend whom the Lord has brought into the lives of seminarians and priests.

When Jesus speaks of his friends, he points to a hard truth: true friendship involves an encounter that draws me so near to the other person that I give something of my very self. Jesus says to his disciples: No longer do I call you servants . . . but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (Jn 15:15). He thus establishes a new relationship between man and God, one that transcends the law and is grounded in trust and love. At the same time, Jesus frees friendship from sentimentalism and presents it to us as a responsibility that embraces our entire life: Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15:13).

We become friends, then, only if our encounter is more than something outward or formal, and becomes instead a way of sharing in the life of another person, an experience of compassion, a relationship that involves giving ourselves for others.

Speaking about the theme chosen for the convention the pope said, Siempre adelante! Keep moving forward! Like you, I believe that this is a synonym for the Christian vocation. For the life of every missionary disciple bears the impress of his or her vocation. The voice of the Lord invites his disciples to leave the safety of their homeland and to begin the holy journey towards the promised land of encounter with him and with our brothers and sisters. Vocation is an invitation to go forth from ourselves, to rejoice in our relationship with the Lord, and to journey along the ways that he opens up before us.

Of course, we cannot make progress unless we take a risk. We do not advance toward the goal if, as the Gospel says, we are afraid to lose our lives (cf. Mt 16:25-26). No ship would ever set out into the deep if it feared leaving the safety of the harbour. So too, Christians cannot enter into the transforming experience of Gods love unless they are open to new possibilities, and not tied to their own plans and cherished ways of doing things. Pastoral structures can fall into this same temptation, being concerned more with self-preservation than with adapting themselves to the service of the Gospel.

On the other hand, when Christians go about their daily lives without fear, they can discover Gods constant surprises. They need but have the courage to dare, not to let fear stifle their creativity, not to be suspicious of new things, but instead to embrace the challenges which the Spirit sets before them, even when this means changing plans and charting a different course.
A report by AP reveals that extremists and al Qaida members were subjected to violence in the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, including sexual abuse and blindfolds for weeks. Senior US officers played a role in interrogations. The UAE rejects the charges and the United States downplays its role. Human rights groups report the disappearance of scores of people.

Sana'a (AsiaNews)  The Associated Press reported today that US forces were involved in the interrogation of detainees held in secret prisons in Yemen where torture is widespread. The centres are run by United Arab Emirati (UAE) and UAE-backed Yemeni forces.

The details that are emerging from prisoners are horrifying. Witnesses say that prisoners were crammed into shipping containers smeared with faeces and blindfolded for weeks, beaten, and trussed up on a grill  a spit like a roast to which the victim is tied and spun in a circle of fire, the article says.

Prisoners were also sexually assaulted, and some prisoners were allegedly transferred to a ship where US polygraph experts and psychological experts conducted interrogations.

Witnesses on condition of anonymity said that hundreds of men swept up in the hunt for al-Qaida militants have disappeared into a secret network of prisons in southern Yemen where abuse is routine and torture extreme. These facilities are inside military bases, ports, an airport, private villas and even a nightclub.

Other sources say that nearly 2,000 men have disappeared into the clandestine prisons, triggering protests among families seeking their release, in vane so far.

The Emiratis have rejected the accusations. However, several US defence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that American forces do participate in interrogations of detainees, provide questions for others to ask, and receive transcripts of interrogations from their Emirati allies.

They say US senior military leaders were aware of allegations of torture at the prisons in Yemen, looked into them, but were satisfied that there had not been any abuse when US forces were present.

Human rights groups have rejected US claims, saying that they are an attempt to whitewash the allegations and downplay US responsibility.

Human Rights Watch, journalists, and other groups have extensively documented torture and enforced disappearances. A report was just released on the detention and forced disappearance of 49 people  including four children  in Yemen.

The network of prisons echoes the secret detention facilities set up by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, which was eventually uncovered by human rights groups.

In 2009, then-President Barack Obama disbanded the so-called "black sites"; however, the UAE network in war-torn Yemen was set up during the Obama administration and continues operating to this day.

Civil war broke out Yemen in January 2015, pitting Sunni former President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, against Houthi Shia rebels, who are close to Iran and Lebanons Hezbollah.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led Arab coalition began carrying out air strikes against the rebels killing civilians, including children. The UN, which has criticised the intervention, has said that 8,000 people have been killed and 45,000 wounded so far.


(JegasRa/Bigstock.com) (JegasRa/Bigstock.com)

The head of immigration in Australia has called on other countries to follow its lead and take in more refugees.Michael Pezzullo, confirmed that the country will increase its annual refugee intake to 18,750 in the 2018/2019 financial year. The only other nations that have higher levels are Canada and the United States.The Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) stressed that it should be done through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and not through boats and other people smuggling routes.Indeed, the current Australian Government has taken a tough line on so-called boat people, refusing to allow people arriving by these means to settle in the country. As a result no boats have reached Australian shores for several years.Pezzullo has urged world leaders to increase their refugee intakes and take measures to help rip apart international people smuggling rings piece by piece. He said Australia was showing strong leadership on the issue, and other countries needed to step up.'Unless countries are willing to put those sorts of numbers and more on the table, people will take the boats, people will seek the services of smugglers and traffickers,' Pezzullo told the Crawford Australian leadership forum in Canberra where he was talking to mark World Refugee Week.'Globally, something has to happen. The rest of the world needs to step up on the permanent refugee resettlement side. You've got to destroy the smugglers' model, you've got to absolutely rip it apart. It's not about simply pushing them off into another theatre, this will need concerted global action,' he pointed out.Meanwhile, David Wilden, the First Assistant Secretary for Immigration, pointed out that Australia has a long and proud tradition of resettling refugees and people in humanitarian need. Since the end of the Second World War it has provided permanent resettlement to over 865,000 people from around the world and has taken 12,000 refugees from Syria in addition to the current annual humanitarian intake of 13,750.'Today, Australia continues to be one of the top three countries for resettlement of refugees and I'm pleased that we are among a small number of countries that have a permanent annual resettlement programme. Our Government is committed to assisting those in difficult and desperate situations overseas. In the past 10 years, Australia has resettled humanitarian entrants from 100 different countries,' he explained.'They contribute to Australia's diversity, a diversity of cultures, skills and talents, and demonstrate personal drive and commitment by seeking out education and training, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Many have gone on to build successful careers or academic success in business, education, sport and in the community sector,' he added.
Hot on the heels of the Street Triple S, the updated Tiger Explorer family might land in India as early as July 2017, with the Speed Triple in tow.

In 2016, Triumph Motorcycles updated its larger-capacity adventurer tourer, the Tiger Explorer, with a whole host of new features, not the least among which was converting the single model into a range encompassing six variants. Three of these variants were focussed on road riding while the rest three were off-road oriented. The big news now is that this updated Tiger Explorer range will come to India really soon. And by soon, we mean, it could be as early as next month.

The new Explorer range really bumps up its game, which should help it keep up to speed with its competitors such as the BMW R1200 GS and the Ducati Multistrada 1200. The basic 1,215cc inline-three-cylinder maintains its basic configuration similar to the older bike, but thanks to some internal tweaking, makes a little more power and torque  139hp and 123Nm  respectively. It still retains a six-speed gearbox though and features a shaft drive to send power to the rear wheel.

However, there is a whole new set of electronics based around a 6-axis IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), not on the base XR and XC though, which feeds the cornering ABS and multi-level traction control. And, thanks to the ride-by-wire throttle, the base XR and XC models get two riding modes  Road and Rain  while the top-spec XRa and XCa get five  Road, Rain, Off-road, Sport and Rider!

The chassis has seen a number of improvements as well, with the suspension having switched over from Kayaba forks and monoshock to more capable, semi-active units from WP (although the base XR and XC get manually-adjustable WP suspension). Brakes, a weak point of the older Explorer, have been addressed too. The rear brake, a 282mm, 2-pot Nissin unit, remains unchanged but the twin 305mm discs at the front get radially-mounted 4-pot Brembo monobloc calipers.

Other areas of improvement have been a new instrument cluster along with new switchgear, heated grips and seat, cruise control, a hill-hold system (only on the top spec XRa and XCa), self-cancelling indicators as well as a tyre pressure monitoring system.

We believe Triumph will adopt a similar strategy of rolling out the multiple variants of the Tiger Explorer into India that it has adopted for the smaller Tiger 800s. So, first were likely to see the base XR and XC models launch, followed by the more capable XRx and XCx, with finally the top-spec XRa and XCa coming in last. However, Triumph has said that theyre looking at locally assembling 90 percent of the models they sell in India by the end of this year. Its possible that the Tiger Explorer range might not make the cut when it comes to CKD operations and might be a direct import. In that case, it would even be possible to launch all variants in India at the same time.

In Triumphs home country, the UK, the Tiger Explorer range is priced slightly lower than the BMW R1200 GS range and a bit more than the Ducati Multistrada 1200 series. In India, the Ducatis cost a lot less compared to the BMWs because of differences in where the bikes get imported from and the accompanying duties. So, prices for the new Explorers could vary depending on how Triumph plans to source them for India.

Speed Triple and beyond

Its not just the Tiger Explorer range that we have to look forward to this year from the British marque. Speaking to Autocar India at the recent launch of the Street Triple 765 S, Vimal Sumbly, MD of Triumph India, said 2017 would be the year for roadsters from the company. This is not only a clear nod to the top-spec variant of the Street Triple 765, the RS, coming to India shortly, but hints at the larger-engined and recently-updated Speed Triple range landing here in the near future.

Near the end of 2015, Triumph took the wraps off an updated version of its big-boy roadster, the Speed Triple. This new bike was powered by essentially the same 1050cc, inline-three-cylinder motor as the outgoing model. But with some internal updates such as a new cylinder head and new pistons, it now produces 140hp of peak power and 112Nm of peak torque, up by 13hp/7Nm. Other mechanical additions have been a slip-assist clutch and a ride-by-wire throttle, of which the latter has allowed for five different ride modes. The bike does have a switchable traction control system, though it remains a bit more rudimentary compared to some of the more modern systems.

This new Speed Triple is still a little on the portlier side, with a dry weight of 192kg, making it nearly 30kg heavier than the Street Triple 765. So, while its not going to set any lap records, it doesnt shy away from its hooligan reputation, which it has crafted over the years. Suspension is an all-Showa fully-adjustable affair (for the base Speed Triple S) with upside down forks at the front and a monoshock at the back. Braking at the front comes from two 320mm rotors, clamped on by Brembo radially-mounted 4-piston monobloc calipers, while theres a single, 255mm disc with a Nissin 2-piston caliper at the back. Switchable ABS is offered as standard.

The previous-generation Speed Triple, which was part of the companys original line-up for India, but has since been discontinued, came here as a CKD and was last priced at Rs 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). We expect that the new Speed Triple will cost roughly in the same ballpark, although you can expect to pay more for the Speed Triple R which gets lots of carbon-fibre bits and more capable, fully adjustable Ohlins suspension.

Triumph India's Sumbly added that going forward Triumph was also looking at closing the gap between models launched in the UK and India. This means that the rumoured, upcoming semi-faired touring version of the Street Triple 765 would be on the cards for India as soon as it goes on sale in the UK  sometime early next year, we think!
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 61F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 41F. Winds light and variable.
What started as an online outreach effort by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office to local residents to help prevent crime is now going international.

"#9PMRoutine" a nightly reminder on social media to lock up home, cars

Sheriff's Office uses social media to spread the word

Global reach of tweets helping to reach more locals

BAY NEWS 9+, NEWS 13+ APPS UPGRADED: The new releases have a block-style layout that makes it easier to navigate, as well as an added section for Attractions Insider. A new weather section includes hour-by-hour forecasts and marine buoy data. Update your app today!

Sheriff Chris Nocco calls it the "9PM Routine", a nightly reminder to lock up your house and cars.



"It's a national issue," said Nocco. "We're trying to keep crimes from occuring and it's a very easy thing to do to remind people to lock their doors."



The Sheriff's Office spreads the word nightly on social media, using the hashtag #9pmRoutine on Twitter.





It's that time again! Lock up and keep those valuables safe! #9PMRoutine pic.twitter.com/hraykL8jWv  Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) June 23, 2017



Now they're getting folks outside of Florida to join in on the conversation, thanks in part to Chase Daniels, who helps run the Sheriff's Office's Twitter account.

"We had someone tweet us the other day that they lived in Atlanta and they called their mother who lives in Pasco County and told her to lock their doors," Daniels said.









"We had someone tweet us the other day that they lived in Atlanta and they called their mother, who lives in Pasco County, and told her to lock their doors," Daniels said.



In turn, that wider reach is actually helping to reach more folks locally.



"If we can get that person in Texas or New York to amplify the message and it gets back to someone in Pasco who wasn't following our account, it's done its job," Daniels said.



The trend even starts banter between other law enforcement agenices across the country who are also dealing with the same problems of unlocked doors.





"That bantering actually starts building more people in to our own social media and other agenices' social media, so it's really tying us all together," Nocco said.



So the next time you see it's 9 p.m., you can lock up and check in on social media, and you may just help remind someone else to do the same.


Amendment 2 is now the law of the land in Florida, but already it may end up in court.

Gov. Scott signs medical marijuana bill into law

Directs state to implement Amendment 2

Bans smoking, which could lead to a lawsuit from advocates

Gov. Rick Scott signed the medical marijuana bill state lawmakers passed earlier this month on Friday.

The bill implements Amendment 2, which expands medical marijuana use in the state. The law had to be in place by July 3 and enacted by October.

It expands the types of patients who can qualify for low-THC cannabis or full strength medical marijuana. It also allows for 10 new medical marijuana treatment centers in the state by Oct. 3, on top of the seven currently operating.

However, the bill bans smoking medical marijuana, something that was in the original amendment. Supporter and Orlando attorney John Morgan has indicated he may sue the state because of the ban.

Medical marijuana users will be able to vape, use infusions and edibles to get the medical marijuana.

Thank you @FLGovScott for doing your part!



I'll be in Tally soon to file my suit.#NoSmokeIsAJoke https://t.co/Ul3hZv3cfH  John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) June 23, 2017

What's in Florida's Medical Marijuana law?

WHO CAN GET IT

Anyone with a debilitating medical condition can receive the drug:

Cancer

Epilepsy

Glaucoma

Positive status for HIV

AIDS

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease)

Crohn's disease

Multiple Sclerosis

Medical conditions in the same class or comparable to the above conditions

A terminal condition diagnosed by a physician

Chronic nonmalignant pain

HOW DOCTORS DECIDE IF YOU CAN HAVE IT

A doctor must be properly trained in order to issue a certificate to a patient on medical marijuana. That includes the completion of a 2-hour course and a test.

The doctor must conduct a physical examination with a full assessment of the patient's medical history and diagnose them with one of the medical conditions above. They also have to make sure the patient is not registered for medical marijuana use with any other doctor.

The doctor then issues a certification (not a prescription) and adds the patient to the state's medical marijuana use registry.

The bill gets rid of a previous requirement that the patient must see the same doctor over a 90-day period before the doctor can sign off on medical marijuana.

Patients will get a registry ID card from the state. The state is expected to begin issuing the patient ID cards by Oct. 3.

You can find a qualified doctor on the Florida Dept. of Health website.

HOW YOU CAN USE IT

Patients can vape or take edibles (which are made with marijuana oil, and no other form). Smoking is not permitted. Only low-THC cannabis is allows in any public place or on public transportation. It's also not allowed on school grounds.

WHERE YOU CAN GET IT

The law allows for 10 new Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers on top of the current seven. The law allows the state to license more MMTCs as the registry of users grows.

Each MMTC will be able to operate a maximum of 25 dispensaries initially. As the registry of users grows, each MMTC will be allowed to open more dispensaries.

Local governments are also allowed to ban dispensaries.
WPVI-TV(EVESHAM, N.J.) -- The newest member of the Evesham Police Department was sworn in on Thursday, and the rest of the force couldn't help but smile.



Four-year-old Chase Gilchrist has been battling a rare brain cancer and it was his dream to get to be a cop for the day, his family told ABC station WPVI-TV.



Officers in Evesham, New Jersey, helped make it happen, making Gilchrist an honorary member on Thursday.



WPVI reported that the boy's day started with a ride in a police car, where he got his own uniform and ID.



"Doesn't feel really comfortable when you're wearing a vest," Chase Gilchrist remarked after donning his uniform for the first time.



"Now that he's got the official shirt on and the official police car, he's going to go nuts. He's loving it," Chase's father, Scott Gilchrist, told WPVI-TV.



The newest member of the force also inspired his much-older colleagues.



"Many little kids want to be police officers. This one truly has it in his heart," Evesham Police Lt. Ron Ritter told WPVI-TV.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Kirbyville superintendent Tommy Wallis has accused four Bryan ISD employees of breaking a court order, after a document implicating him in more than a dozen alleged Code of Ethics violations was released last week.

Wallis, who was forced to resign from Bryan ISD last fall, sued the district and the Texas Attorney General's Office to block the release of information related to his tenure and departure, including the complaint that was leaked to Bryan-College Station media last week.
An iconic Southeast Texas defense attorney, known for defending clients in high profile capital murder trials, died on Thursday.

C. Haden "Sonny" Cribbs's law office confirmed Friday morning that the public defender, who stood alongside some of Jefferson County's most infamous suspects, passed away.
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Tropical Storm Cindy, a dud for most Southeast Texans, blew up the lives of one Beaumont family.

About 11 p.m. Wednesday, Juan Vega was sitting near the back of his parents' Pipkin Street home when a two-story tall tree fell and caved in the middle of the roof.

His family wasn't expecting much of Cindy, but hours before the storm made landfall, they were homeless.

The house "is a total loss," he said.

> > HOW TO HELP | Online fundraiser opens to help family

Moments after the giant oak toppled, Vega helped his mother carry his disabled father to the end of the house to wait for firefighters.

He went back to the living room for his father's prosthetic leg and then tried to get the family out. He was able to clear the exit to the back door, where firefighters helped the family escape.

"It's our only home," said Vega, 18. "We don't really have any other place to go."

RELATED: Southeast Texas braces for Cindy

The family, who stayed with a family member overnight, returned to their home about 7 a.m. on Thursday. About 25 close family member and friends used thick ropes to lift the tree away from the house as much as they could.

The Red Cross is assisting the family, who didn't have homeowners insurance. Vega said since his dad became disabled a few years ago, they've had to choose between food and home insurance.

RELATED: Cindy makes first strike of season in Southeast Texas

Cindy was downgraded to a tropical depression after coming ashore in the pre-dawn hours Thursday, but even for a tropical storm, its impact on most residents was negligible.

In Sabine Pass, where the storm earlier was projected to make landfall, residents used to feeling the brunt of major storms were unimpressed.

"It didn't do much," said Sabine Pass resident William McCray. "It only came in at about 30 mph with maybe an inch or two or rain with some dark clouds, thunder and lightning."

SFlores@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/_saraeflores

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Here are four legislative updates for ASC leaders to note from May and June.

Alaska ASCs to face 5% reimbursement cut in 2018

In 2018, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services will lower payments for ASCs, inpatient hospitals and outpatient hospitals by 5 percent.

Ophthalmologist seeking ASC approval challenges Iowa's 40-year-old CON legislation

Ophthalmologist Lee Birchansky, MD, his patient Michael Jensen and Orange City, Iowa-based Korver Ear Nose and Throat are among those who filed a lawsuit against the Iowa Department of Public Health regarding the state's certificate-of-need legislation. The law's stipulation requiring physicians to obtain a CON before opening an ASC has impacted Dr. Birchansky's practice. The state has denied his application four times to open an ASC next to his office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Physician-owned hospital bill introduced in Senate

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., introduced legislation in the Senate to improve access to physician-led hospitals. The act would repeal the moratorium on physician-owned hospitals that was enacted in 2010 as part of the ACA.

North Carolina's CON legislation up for debate

North Carolina's Senate is considering legislation that would eliminate the state's certificate-of-need laws. CON opponents say the laws prevent competition in local regions. By repealing the CON system, competition would allow acute-care hospitals, diagnostic centers and rehabilitation centers to offer new services.
The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program accredited Cedar Park (Texas) Regional Medical Center as a comprehensive bariatric surgery center, Community Impact reports.

Here's what you should know:



1. The center participated in an independent, voluntary peer-evaluation process.



2. The accreditation means the center effectively demonstrated that it provides quality improvement with patient safety efforts at the forefront of any procedure.



3. Medical center CEO Brad Holland said in a release, "Our accreditation demonstrates the commitment to provide outstanding support and care for our patients, both pre- and postoperatively."



More articles on quality:

MiraMed releases summer issue of Focus  4 insights

8 ASC industry leaders to note

5 takeaways on stress levels among physicians, APs




Laurie Hurwitz, executive director of revenue cycle at La Crosse, Wis.-based Gundersen Health System, has managed the system's revenue cycle management operations for the past three and a half years.

In her role, Ms. Hurwitz oversees preservice, registration, coding, billing, insurance and payment for the six-hospital system. Prior to Gundersen, Ms. Hurwitz served as director of physician practice finance and decision support at Petoskey-based McLaren-Northern Michigan for more than two years.



Ms. Hurwitz recently answered questions from Becker's Hospital Review about her greatest challenges as a revenue cycle leader and how she would improve the revenue cycle process.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Question: What's your favorite part about being a revenue cycle leader for a healthcare system?

Laurie Hurwitz: I get really excited about improving the patient financial experience. That's really important if you're talking about someone who has a life-threatening illness. They need to be focused on getting well, not focused on what they are going to do about their bill. For others, they're paying a lot more than they're used to. To some degree, we touch them first, we touch them last, and we can have an enormous impact on their feelings about care here. It's about trying to take the focus off all the forms we need to get signed and the authorizations and focusing on the patient experience. If we do that well, the rest follows.

Question: What is the biggest challenge you're facing as a revenue cycle leader?

LH: Change is hard. As we approach our work differently, we need to have a different skill set. It's challenging to help existing staff acquire a new skill set, it's challenging to get others in the organization to understand things need to change  trying to manage all of that is an enormous undertaking. We've always needed people who are detail-oriented, efficient and effective. But what I need now is staff with all of that and really good people skills, who in spite of the hectic, frenzied pace, still manage to make a connection with the patient. A little compassion goes a long way.

Q: What is one of your goals this year?

LH: We are undertaking a big project to physically centralize registration at our main hospital and main clinics. We have nearly 50 registration hubs in our hospital and our two main clinics. It's impossible when you have that many sites to standardize the process and ensure the patient has a consistent experience. In addition, when patients come from far away, they may have multiple appointments and may need to register for every single one of them. From a patient perspective, that doesn't make sense. They're already registered, [and] they don't know why anyone has to ask them for the same information. We're looking to provide the patient with a consistent experience.

Q: What is one thing you'd do to improve the revenue cycle process?

LH: Providing the staff with an excellent experience. I don't believe most people have any idea how difficult their jobs can be. It's not easy to call somebody who hasn't been able to pay their bill and have a conversation with them about whether they need financial assistance or they need help setting up a payment arrangement. It's not easy when someone calls in and they're furious about their bill and they start yelling. It's not easy being the registration person who is trying to collect all that information when the nurse is standing there and wants the patient right now. It's not easy when you're coder and having providers second guess your work.

If I could make that  and I try  better for them, I would do that. As part of the registration redesign, we will make sure it's staffed appropriately so staff can make eye contact with the patient and feel good about what they do. In our customer service department, we've given staff thank-you cards and told them, think about a patient conversation that started tough but ended well, and write the patient a thank-you note. Thank them for letting you help them today. This reinforces for the patient that you care, and it reminds you about a positive interaction.
Moody's Investors Service says Senate Republicans' proposed healthcare bill, dubbed the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, would negatively affect hospital finances by causing the uninsured rate to rise.

"Under the proposed Senate bill, both for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals would face weaker demand for services and higher rates of uncompensated care expense, with the most significant impact on the sector occurring after 2020 when the changes to federal Medicaid funding are phased in," said Jessica Gladstone, a senior vice president at Moody' and lead analyst for Moody's-rated for-profit hospitals.

Under the proposed Senate bill, enhanced funding would be provided to Medicaid expansion states until 2021 and then slowly reduced over a three-year period. The bill would also convert Medicaid funding into a per-capita cap program and offer states the option to apply for funding as a block grant.

"Transitioning federal Medicaid payments to a per-capita, or block grant system, and freezing Medicaid expansion would reduce the number of people with insurance and increase hospitals' exposure to bad debt and uncompensated care costs," said Ms. Gladstone.

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CMS recently proposed changes for the 2018 performance year of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act's Quality Payment Program.

The proposed rule would reduce the reporting period for the program's advancing care information category and allow clinicians to use EHRs certified under the ONC's 2014 criteria, among other changes.

Here's how six healthcare groups reacted to the proposal's health IT changes.

American Hospital Association, which called for the cancellation of Meaningful Use Stage 3 in an earlier statement, was overall content with the proposed rule, AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels wrote in a statement.

"We  applaud CMS's proposal to provide much-needed relief from unrealistic, unfunded mandates for EHR capabilities by extending the use of modified stage 2 meaningful use requirements through 2018. We will encourage CMS to provide the same relief to hospitals," wrote Mr. Nickels.

American Medical Informatics Association was pleased with the flexibility afforded to providers in EHR reporting requirements. It further applauded CMS for its expansion of the list of Improvement Activities that count towards bonus payments for the MIPS Advancing Care Information performance category.

"This approach helps credit clinicians for using health IT within a care improvement context, and we see this as a more outcomes-focused approach to measuring health IT use," President and CEO Douglas B. Fridsma, MD, said.

College of Healthcare Information Management Executives urged CMS to push back its mandate on 2015 EHR certification and Meaningful Use Stage 3 in a June 13 letter.

"CMS largely heeded our advice," wrote Mari Savickis, vice president of federal affairs, in a statement. "[But the proposed rule] does not address the 2015 CEHRT timelines for hospitals," she added.

Ms. Savickis also voiced concern the revised timeline would put providers at risk of "substantial financial penalties."

Health IT Now said the proposed rule change "strikes a balance" between quickly implementing MACRA and offering providers time to comply.

The group also offered recommendations for the proposed delay in adoption of 2015- edition EHR  "review the certification program to ensure each requirement is integral to supporting providers' success in the program," wrote HITN Executive Director Joel White in a statement.

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society praised flexibilities the proposed rule would afford providers, specifically those allowing them to maintain use of their 2014-edition EHRs.

"The approach taken by CMS to encourage successful participation in Quality Payment Program while reducing burden aligns with our vision for how the program should proceed in 2018," reads the HIMSS statement.

The App Association's Connected Health Initiative expressed disappointment in CMS's failure to recognize and incorporate telehealth solutions into MACRA rules.

"The MACRA rules make minimal meaningful changes to reimbursement policies for telehealth or remote monitoring services, which is a disincentive to doctors and healthcare providers to leverage current, and future, innovations provided by app developers and telehealth companies," said Executive Director Morgan Reed.

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President Donald Trump invited a number of prominent technology executives to the White House this week to discuss topics like modernizing IT infrastructure, drone capabilities and broadband expansion.

Here are six highlights from the White House's "tech week."

1. The goal of tech week, according to White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner's opening statements June 19, was to review private sector solutions and apply them to government IT infrastructure, the LA Times reported.

2. President Trump met with several industry CEOs June 19, during which he called for a "sweeping transformation of the federal government's technology," Recode reported. Attendees included Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM; Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture; and Eric Schmidt, Alphabet executive chairman.

3. At the June 19 event, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told the Trump administration the government should take better advantage of commercial technology.

The tech executives also voiced concerns on President Trump's proposed immigration policies, which some worry will limit high-skilled immigration. However, during his pubic remarks later that day, but President Trump said he would help Silicon Valley "get the people [they] want," reported Recode.

4. President Trump told Iowans in Cedar Rapids he was committed to improving rural internet access June 21.

"I will be including a provision in our infrastructure proposal  $1 trillion proposal, you'll be seeing it very shortly  to promote and foster, enhance broadband access for rural America," he told crowds at Kirkwood Community College according to engadget.

5. Drone makers  such as PrecisionHawk CEO Michael Chasen, Kespry CEO George Matthew and AirMap CEO Ben Marcus  attended meetings at the White House June 22 to discuss industry regulation and expansion, Recode The drone industry called for a streamlined waiver process, and said improved regulations would help the U.S. maintain its innovative lead.

6. Technology executives  like Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T; Marcelo Claure, chief executive of Sprint; Mike Sievert, COO of T-Mobile; and John Stratton, president of Verizon  also met at the June 22 meeting to discuss wireless internet. Leaders discussed 5G broadband access and industry regulations, Recode reported.

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A group of Democratic Senators wrote President Donald Trump and the Department of Energy June 22 demanding the administration investigate "Russian capabilities with respect to cyberattacks on [U.S.] energy infrastructure."

The letter served as a follow-up to a prior letter, dated March 14, which called for a probe into Russia's ability to attack U.S. critical energy infrastructure. The 19 Senators claim that letter went ignored.

In the June 22 letter, the Senators referenced CrashOverride  the malware deemed responsible for a Ukrainian power outage last year  as evidence for the need for an investigation. Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security said the malware could be modified to target U.S. critical information networks and systems.

The Senators also address the proposed funding cuts to the DOE's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, which would reduce funding by more that 40 percent.

"Instead of responsibly performing the requested assessment, your administration has proposed slashing funding to the very offices tasked with protecting our grid from Russian cyberattacks," the letter reads. "How can our government protect our national security assets if the administration does not allocate the necessary resources?"

They request that, within 60 days, the administration direct the DOE to conduct an analysis into the scope of Russian capabilities to use cyberwarfare to threaten the energy infrastructure and examine the extent with which Russia has already attempted to intrude into the U.S. electric grid.

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North Carolina's fiscal 2017-2018 budget proposal, likely in its final shape, will set aside $1 million for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine to increase the number of slots available for prospective medical students, according to The Herald-Sun.

A draft of the budget emerged Monday. The $1 million allocation is less than the $10 million UNC initially requested, according to the report.

William Roper, MD, dean of the UNC at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, said he aims to increase the size of the annual medical school class from 180 students to 230 students. However, the increase in students would require approximately $10 million more a year in state funds. It is unclear how many additional slots will be added with the $1 million in funding.

Dr. Roper also said the school is in the midst of planning the construction of a medical education building. He said the project will be funded by last year's statewide bond issue, according to the report.

The proposal raised the budget for the medical school's satellite program at UNC at Asheville. It also allocated $30 million to subsidize residency assignments for physicians completing their training at hospitals and medical practices across the state.
Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach, a 373-bed facility in California, and 131-bed UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital declared their intent to form a strategic affiliation.

Officials said the organizations will share resources and academic, clinical and research expertise to provide high quality pediatric care to patients in southern California. The alliance will also allow both institutions to advance their pediatric specialty care programs by adding outpatient facilities, among other initiatives.

The organizations also announced their plan to collaborate with UC Irvine Health in Orange County, Calif., to expand their pediatric residency and medical education programs. UC Irvine Health has maintained a long-standing pediatric residency and teaching affiliation with Miller Children's & Women's.

The financial terms of the affiliation, if any, were not disclosed.

Miller Children's & Women's is a part of Fountain Valley, Calif.-based MemorialCare Health System, while UCLA Mattel Children's is a part of UCLA Health.
Becker's Hospital Review reported the following events related to hospital-union relationships  including unionization efforts, pickets, strikes and contract agreements  so far in June.

1. Baystate Franklin seeks NLRB help to prevent nurses strike

Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Mass., is seeking to avert a planned nurse strike via injunctive relief from the National Labor Relations Board, while at the same time preparing for the walkout.

2. After beginning layoffs, UM Hospital workers reach labor deal with administrators

The Service Employees International Union Local 1199 and the University of Miami Health System reached a labor deal covering workers at University of Miami Hospital.

3. California hospital workers begin 3-day strike

Workers at Watsonville (Calif.) Community Hospital began a three-day strike June 14.

4. NLRB accuses Queen of the Valley Medical Center of bad-faith bargaining

Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, Calif., confirmed the National Labor Relations Board filed a "bad faith bargaining order" against the hospital related to a union election that took place last fall.

5. Tufts nurses ramp up for potential one-day strike

Nurses at Boston-based Tufts Medical Center are actively preparing for a one-day strike after unsuccessful negotiations with the hospital.

6. Michigan unions protest non-local labor at UP Health System construction site

Local unions protested non-local labor at the yet to be completed UP Health System-Marquette (Mich.) facility, a subsidiary of Brentwood, Tenn.-based Duke LifePoint Healthcare.

7. CHI St. Alexius nurses consider unionizing

The Minnesota Nurses Association could see additional members from CHI St. Alexius Health in Bismarck, N.D.

8. NY workers strike at Fresenius-owned dialysis clinics

Approximately 200 protesters, including workers represented by the New York State Nurses Association and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, went on strike June 12 at Fresenius dialysis clinics in the New York City metro area.

9. Presence Saint Joseph nurses reach tentative labor deal

Nurses at Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill., reached a tentative contract agreement with the hospital.

10. 'Best' contract offer not good enough for Berkshire Medical Center nurses

Nurses at Pittsfield, Mass.-based Berkshire Medical Center overwhelmingly voted down the "best and final" contract offer from the hospital.
A woman has sued Elmhurst (Ill.) Hospital, alleging the hospital is liable for injuries she sustained two years ago when red-winged blackbirds attacked her outside of the hospital, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Judy Graves claims she fell and sustained serious undisclosed injuries when the birds attacked her in June 2015. The lawsuit alleges Elmhurst Hospital knew the birds were nesting in its landscaping but failed to post warning signs or keep people off of the walking path.

Property owners generally are not liable for injuries caused by wild animals on their property. However, liability can be imposed if the property owner does something to increase the likelihood a wild animal will harm someone and fails to warn the public of the increased risk, according to the report.

The lawsuit alleges Elmhurst Hospital is liable for Ms. Graves' injuries because its landscaping was designed in a way that "encouraged nesting and other habitation by wildlife, specifically including birds," according to the report.

Elmhurst Hospital spokeswoman Keith Hartenberger told The Chicago Tribune the hospital immediately posted warning signs and blocked the walking path when it learned there were red-winged blackbirds in its landscaping. Mr. Hartenberger said the hospital did not know the birds were nesting in the landscaping until the day Ms. Graves claims she was attacked.

Ms. Graves is seeking $50,000 plus legal costs.

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The following payers made headlines this week, beginning with the most recent.

1. Anthem vacates 2018 ACA exchanges in Indiana, Wisconsin

Indianapolis-based Anthem said it will pull out of the ACA exchanges in Indiana and Wisconsin for 2018.

2. Midland Memorial Hospital, Aetna reach 3-year in-network agreement

Midland (Texas) Memorial Hospital and Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna will continue in-network access for Aetna members at Midland Memorial facilities.



3. Passport Health Plan says planned expansion dependent on ACA

A proposed expansion of Louisville, Ky.-based Passport Health Plan  a Medicaid managed care organization  hinges on the future of the ACA.



4. Oscar Health extends 2018 ACA exchange footprint in 5 states

New York City-based startup Oscar Health will extend its ACA exchange presence in Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, Tennessee and California for 2018.

5. Iowa's only statewide ACA exchange insurer requests 43% premium hike

Minnetonka, Minn.-based Medica, the only payer offering ACA exchange plans statewide in Iowa for 2018, seeks an average 43.5 percent rate increase for individual plans next year.



6. BCBS of Illinois to offer plans on ACA exchange

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, the state's largest insurer, is preparing to return to the ACA exchange in 2018 despite the unpredictability surrounding the healthcare law.

7. UnitedHealthcare, University of Chicago Medicine solve contract dispute

Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare and University of Chicago Medicine reached an agreement Monday to keep the medical center and its physicians in the insurer's network.

8. CMS clears Cigna to resume selling prescription Medicare plans

CMS lifted sanctions on Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna restricting the payer from marketing and enrolling members in its Medicare Advantage prescription drug and Medicare Part D plans.



9. Saint Francis Hospital in Oklahoma, BCBS reach in-network agreement

Saint Francis Muskogee (Okla.) and Tulsa-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma are back in network after terminating their interim in-network agreement June 1.



10. Highmark in Delaware requests 34% rate increase for individual market plans

Wilmington-based Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware requested an average 33.6 percent rate hike for individual ACA exchange plans next year.



11. BCBS of Michigan seeks 27% premium increase for ACA exchange plans

Detroit-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan wants to raise premiums for its individual ACA exchange plans 26.9 percent on average next year  a figure the payer says would increase to 31.7 percent if federal subsidies are discontinued.



12. 2 health systems, investor complete acquisition of Evergreen Health plan

The Maryland Insurance Administration approved three investors' acquisition of Baltimore-based Evergreen Health.



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Mainstay Medical plans to host a key opinion leader lunch in New York City on June 26.

Here are four highlights:

1. The discussion will focus on the current state of chronic low back pain treatment.

2. Christopher Gilligan, MD, of Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Timothy Deer, MD, of Winchester, Va.-based The Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias, will deliver presentations on the clinical aspect of chronic low back pain.

3. Mainstay Medical will highlight ReActiv8, an implantable neurostimulation system designed to treat chronic low back pain.

4. ReActiv8 is CE marked and is undergoing an investigational device exemption trial in the United States.
Five spine surgeons give advice on controlling the cost of spine procedures.

Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.





Next week's question: What are key personality traits essential for success as a spine surgeon?





Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, June 28, at 5 p.m. CST.

Question: What are some best practices for controlling spine surgery costs?

Kern Singh, MD. Co-Director of Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (Chicago): Minimally invasive surgery is a great option for controlling costs. These procedures allow for faster recovery and minimal complications, which limits costs. Additionally, performing procedures in the outpatient setting whenever possible prevents costs associated with hospital-level care. Furthermore, I think it is important to carefully select patients that will benefit from spine surgery to avoid performing unnecessary procedures.

Alden Milam, MD. Spine Surgeon at OrthoCarolina (Charlotte, N.C.): Evaluating all of the various physical components of an operation is key for containing costs.

Brian R. Gantwerker, MD. Founder of the Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: Keeping disposables to a minimum and keeping cases as simple and short as possible.

Turnover time should also be as short as possible. Additionally, surgeons should work with vendors to keep costs down, but hospitals and ASCs should reward those surgeons for their efforts and let them share in the savings.

J. Brian Gill, MD. Spine Surgeon at Nebraska Spine Hospital (Omaha): Cost containment is an ongoing trend in spine surgery as it is within any high-utilization specialty such as orthopedics. Using limited vendors at a hospital/ambulatory surgery center tends to allow better pricing for the entity as there is consolidation to limited vendors.

Additionally, limiting what is used during surgery is beneficial. For example, using bone morphogenic protein and stem cell allografts for a single-level lumbar fusion whereby the costs exceed the DRG allotted amount for the procedure is not a sustainable model. Aligning with a hospital system or ASC where there is a vested interest from the surgeons and the system is the best way to control costs as each party is part of the solution and not contributing to the problem.

Plas T. James, MD. Spine Surgeon at Atlanta Spine Institute: I think that if a patient has a spine problem, and they can do a procedure in an outpatient setting as opposed to an inpatient hospital, the cost for the patient is usually much less. For example, one-level discectomy, lumbar discectomy, cervical fusions and ACDFs can all be done effectively, and you won't have to pay a facility fee for the operation if you are at an outpatient versus an inpatient facility.

I think another issue is in ordering tests such as MRI scans. Doing it at an outpatient center can cost you four times less than doing it at a hospital. So, if you are a candidate for an outpatient procedure, or what we call a 23-hour stay where you stay overnight, and it's an affordable operation, you may be able to do it at a controlled cost.
Here are seven key stories on outpatient spine trends and news.

5 best practices for spine surgery in ASCs

A study published in Spine used a Delphi panel to identify best practices for outpatient anterior cervical spine surgery. The panel initially reviewed 94 consensus statements and achieved consensus on 83. The consensus statements ranged from pain management to patient selection and surgical technique. Read about the best practices, here.





Spine & total joints in ASCs  Premier Orthopedic Surgery Center administrator weighs in

Natalie Soule, RN, administrator of Nashville, Tenn.-based Premier Orthopedic Surgery Center, shares insight on spine and total joints in the outpatient setting as well as offers key advice for boosting ASC growth. See what she has to say, here.





Torrance Memorial Medical Center to expand orthopedic, spine ambulatory services in Los Angeles

Philanthropists Melanie and Richard Lundquist donated $32 million recently to Torrance (Calif.) Memorial Medical Center. With a part of the donation, the hospital plans to add ambulatory locations for spine and orthopedic services in Los Angeles. Torrance Medical Center will also use the money to establish institutes for neuroscience as well as orthopedic and spine.





ASC plans coming down the pipeline following Rothman Institute, NueHealth and Jefferson Health's partnership with Main Line Health

Philadelphia-based Rothman Institute added another investor to own a portion of Bryn Mawr, Pa.-based Physicians Care Surgical Hospital, with future plans including a surgery center, according to The Times Heart News. Later in June, Rothman Institute will open an orthopedic-driven ASC at Bryn Mawr Hospital, thereby expanding upon its outpatient presence. Rothman also has an ASC at Media, Pa-based Riddle Hospital.





Laser Spine Institute Cleveland ASC welcomes new spine surgeon

Brad M. Picha, MD, joined Laser Spine Institute's Cleveland ambulatory surgery center. At Laser Spine Institute, Dr. Picha will treat a variety of conditions with minimally invasive spine procedures. He underwent fellowship training at Laser Spine Institute, which is required of all new surgeons joining the group.





Athens Orthopedic Clinic opens 10k-sq-ft ASC: 5 takeaways

Athens (Ga.) Orthopedic Clinic opened a new ASC May 15 in Loganville, Ga. The practice received a state license to operate the ASC, which is the only orthopedic ASC in Walton County (Ga.). Athens' surgery center is nearly 10,000 square feet and houses two operating suites and one procedure room.





What will come next in outpatient spine? 7 spine surgeon key thoughts

Seven spine surgeons discuss the latest trends in spine procedures performed in the outpatient setting. Read what they had to say, here.




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Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, has reportedly warned the US to stop upsetting the regional balance of power by siding with Saudi Arabia. Salehi said "lavish arms purchases" by regional actors would be seen as provocative in Iran. His comments follow Saudi's purchase of $100-billion worth of US arms during President Donald Trump's recent visit to Riyadh.
Massive twin blasts at a crowded market in Pakistan killed at least 18 people killed and injured more than 100 others on Friday. The blasts took place in Parachinar area of Pakistans Kurram tribal district, bordering Afghanistan. While the first explosion occurred in Akbar Khan Market when people were busy shopping for Iftar and Eid, the second one took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.
The Irish government said it is on course to recoup its investment in the lender

Ireland has returned Allied Irish Banks (AIB) to the stock market in a landmark moment that underscores the lender's recovery since it was saved from collapse during the financial crisis.

The Irish government completed the biggest European share sale this year, raising three billion euro (2.6 billion) in a flotation valuing AIB at 12 billion euro (10.5 billion).

The move carried an offer price of 4.40 euro (3.90) per share and will see the state continue to hold a 71% to 75% stake, with a view to selling it off in the coming years.

Bernard Byrne, chief executive of AIB, said: "This is a landmark day for the bank and puts the total cash paid to the s tate since its bailout to almost 10 billion euro (8.8 billion).

"The level of investor interest and support for AIB and Ireland is a great vote of confidence in the strength of the turnaround in the bank and the wider economy.

"It paves the way for the full recovery of the investment in AIB, over time, as we return to full private ownership."

AIB's exposure to Ireland's property market crash nine years ago brought the country to its knees and triggered a 20.8 billion euro (18.3 billion) bailout to save the lender from the abyss.

The bank said in March that it had returned a further 1.8 billion euro (1.6 billion) to the state, meaning it had paid back 6.8 billion euro (5.9 billion) of the bailout fund.

The lender also reported an annual pre-tax profit of 1.7 billion euro (1.47 billion) earlier this year, and delivered a dividend for the first time in nine years.

The initial public offering (IPO) will see around 90% of the shares go to institutional investors and 10% to retail investors.

Paschal Donohoe, Ireland's finance minister, said the IPO had created a "strong platform" for the government to recover all the money it had invested into AIB during the 2008 banking crisis.

He said: "The successful completion today of AIB's IPO represents a significant milestone in the government's long-held policy to dispose of our banking investments, returning them to the private sector over time.

"The offer was very well received and attracted high demand from investors everywhere it was marketed, reflecting the strength of AIB's investment story and prospects, and the attractions of Ireland's vibrant and growing economy."

AIB's shares will now be listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.
There is "full agreement" on both sides of the border over the challenges facing businesses - including having a "frictionless" cross-border trade, one leading business leader has said.

Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director general, was speaking after a meeting with Ibec to discuss issues for cross-border trade. In addition, to avoid a damaging 'cliff edge' scenario, the groups agreed that any EU-UK trade deal must include comprehensive transitional arrangements and allow business plenty of time to prepare and adapt to a new trading relationship.

"The CBI will play a vital role in taking the concerns of Northern Irish businesses affected by Brexit to all levels of government in London and Brussels," she said.

"With Northern Irish exports to the Republic of Ireland valued at 2.4bn in 2016, it is vitally important we reach a sensible agreement on the border issue which allows firms on both sides of the border to flourish.

"Meeting with representatives of Ibec it is clear there is full agreement from both sides of the border on the challenges a mismanaged Brexit would pose to businesses both north and south.

"There is a real desire to work together to find solutions that will promote a frictionless cross border trading system that allows businesses to avoid potential tariff and non-tariff barriers - this will be crucial for supporting jobs and future prosperity."

She added: "However, any potential solution requires political stability. We therefore once again call on all political parties in Northern Ireland to act in the best interests of the province by restoring power-sharing institutions by the end of June."

And Danny McCoy, chief executive of Ibec, said that any deal between the EU and UK "must recognise the unique economic and political challenge for Ireland and include a range of specific measures to address these".

"An early focus on avoiding a hard border with Northern Ireland is vital, but the Irish approach must also be informed by the greater economic importance of the east-west Irish-British trading relationship," he said.

"Across both trade and investments, the outcome of negotiations must not disadvantage Ireland.

"Any future EU-UK deal must facilitate the closest possible, tariff-free economic, trading and business relationship between the EU and UK into the future and should be as broad, comprehensive and as ambitious as possible, covering both goods and services."

Meanwhile, yesterday, the Irish Government declared it is demanding 'special status' for Northern Ireland after Brexit.

Dublin's Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has dismissed "language coming from London" in recent days that technology alone, with cameras and online permits, could bypass the need for border posts on the island of Ireland.
Tesco will boost the hourly pay rate for 250,000 workers to 8.42

Tesco said it will hand around a quarter of a million staff a 10.5% pay rise, marking its biggest investment in store pay for 10 years.

Britain's biggest grocer will boost the hourly pay rate for 250,000 workers from 7.62 an hour to 8.42 by November 2018.

However, the firm will also cut pay for staff working Sunday and bank holidays, with wages shifting from time and a half to time and quarter from July 2018.

Matt Davies, chief executive of Tesco UK, said: "This reward package sees our biggest investment in store pay for a decade, and gives colleagues a sustainable pay deal that rewards them for everything they do, while allowing us to also attract new talent.

"We also want to do all we can to help working parents and that's why we are proud to offer a much improved maternity package to our colleagues."

The pay boost will be rolled out to workers in three stages, rising from 7.62 to 8.02 in November 2017, before climbing from 8.02 to 8.18 in July 2018, and finally stepping up from 8.18 to 8.42 in November 2018.

However, staff will earn an equivalent hourly rate of 9.52, once benefits are taken into account such as bonuses and pension payments.

Tesco said the pay rise , which was agreed after talks with the union Usdaw, will leave 97% of staff better off.

It added that s taff working Sundays and bank holidays who are left worse off from the deal will be handed a lump sum on July 2018 to make up the difference for the next 18 months.

The move comes after Tesco announced on Wednesday that it would axe up to 1,100 jobs as part of plans to shut its call centre in Cardiff.

Tesco has more than 6,000 shops across the world, employing 460,000 staff.
British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and European Council President Donald Tusk pose during a EU leaders summit in Brussels on June 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL AND AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS LENOIRFRANCOIS LENOIR/AFP/Getty Images

European Council President Donald Tusk, right, speaks with British Prime Minister Theresa May prior to a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, June 22, 2017. European Union leaders are gathering for a two day summit to weigh measures in which to tackle terrorism and migration and to create closer defense ties. (Francois Lenoir, Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (2-L) leaves from a summit of European Union (EU) leaders on June 22, 2017 in Brussels. European leaders have agreed June 22 to crack down on online extremism and deepen efforts against European fighters joining extremists abroad. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Virginia MayoVIRGINIA MAYO/AFP/Getty Images

British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, and UK Permanent Representative to the EU Tim Barrow attend a meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, June 22, 2017. European Union leaders are gathering for a two day summit to weigh measures in which to tackle terrorism and migration and to create closer defense ties. (Francois Lenoir, Pool Photo via AP)

European Council President Donald Tusk, right, meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, June 22, 2017. European Union leaders are gathering for a two day summit to weigh measures in which to tackle terrorism and migration and to create closer defense ties. (Francois Lenoir, Pool Photo via AP)

No EU national currently living lawfully in the UK will be made to leave on the day of Brexit under proposals outlined by Theresa May to her European Union counterparts.

The Prime Minister told a European Council summit in Brussels that she wanted to offer "certainty" to the estimated three million EU expats in the UK and ensure that families are not split up by Brexit.

But she made clear that the proposals would be adopted only if the same rights are granted to UK citizens living in the remaining 27 EU states in a reciprocal settlement.

And she set up a series of probable clashes with the European Union by suggesting she could set an early cut-off date for residency rights and rejecting a Brussels demand for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to retain powers to enforce rights following Brexit.

Under Mrs May's plans, unveiled on the eve of the anniversary of the Brexit referendum, EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years by a specific cut-off date will be given the chance to take up "settled status", granting them rights to stay in the country and receive healthcare, education, welfare and pensions as if they were British citizens.

Those resident for a shorter period will have the opportunity to stay on until they have reached the five-year threshold.

Those arriving after the cut-off date but before the date of Brexit will have a "grace period" - expected to be two years - within which to regularise their immigration status with a view to later seeking settled status.

The cut-off date is yet to be set, but will come between the day when Britain formally notified Brussels of its intention to quit on March 29 2017 and the day when it finally leaves, expected to be March 29 2019.

Mrs May also promised that the system will be streamlined, doing away with the 85-page permanent residency application form which has been the subject of loud complaints from EU expats.

It is thought that the UK is reserving the option of setting an early cut-off for residency rights in case there is a late surge of migrants arriving as Brexit approaches.

But the introduction of a "grace period" raises the possibility that large numbers arriving during withdrawal negotiations may be allowed to remain, at least for a few years.

And the outline deal leaves questions unanswered over whether individuals with settled status will be permitted to bring in children or spouses and whether the new status will be subject to conditions other than length of residency.

Further details are expected to be revealed in a paper to be published by the UK Government on Monday.

Speaking over dinner at the Brussels summit, Mrs May told leaders of the other 27 EU nations: "The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer and one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society."

She said the UK did not want anyone currently in Britain to be forced to leave.

But the proposals are likely to meet resistance in Brussels, which has already published its own formal proposals which would guarantee the rights enjoyed under EU law to any European expat resident in the UK on the date of Brexit.

Other than the different cut-off date, the key point of contention to be thrashed out in talks between Brexit Secretary David Davis and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is likely to be over the question of jurisdiction.

The EU proposals stipulate that the European Commission should have "full powers" to monitor and the ECJ "full jurisdiction" for as long as citizens' rights remain protected under the withdrawal agreement.

But Mrs May told her fellow leaders: "The commitment that we make to EU citizens will be enshrined in UK law and will be enforced through our highly respected courts."

And a senior British official added: "We have been clear on the ECJ that we are taking back control of our own laws."

It is understood that there was no discussion of Mrs May's proposal at the Brussels dinner, as leaders of the EU27 stuck to their position that all negotiations must be conducted through Mr Barnier, and not through individual national leaders.

Mrs May left the meeting shortly after delivering her statement, in order to allow the EU27 to receive a briefing from Mr Barnier on progress in the first round of negotiations which took place on Monday.

Her announcement came at the end of a day which saw EU leaders agree to pursue closer defence co-operation and threaten legislation to force internet companies to remove extremist material from websites.

And European Council president Donald Tusk spoke of his "dream" that there could still be a U-turn on the Brexit decision before the expected date of withdrawal in March 2019.

Quoting John Lennon, he said that when people asked him if he thought there was any possibility of the UK remaining a member, he replied: "The European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve.

"So, who knows. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

But Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said that reopening the question of whether the UK will actually leave would only fuel uncertainty.

"I am not a dreamer. And I am not the only one," retorted Mr Michel.

"What we also need is certainty, for our companies in Belgium, in Europe. If we back this image that Brexit perhaps would not happen, it brings an uncertainty."
Jon Platt and his wife Sally at the Supreme Court in London earlier this year

Almost 140,000 of taxpayers' money was spent pursuing a court case against a Northern Ireland father who took his daughter on a term-time holiday, it has emerged.

The Government paid out the equivalent of six newly-qualified teachers' salaries taking action against Coleraine man Jon Platt, who lost a landmark legal battle at the UK's highest court earlier this year over taking his daughter to Disney World during school time.

The case was taken to the Supreme Court by education chiefs after High Court judges backed a decision by local magistrates on the Isle of Wight that Mr Platt had no case to answer over the unauthorised seven-day family trip to Florida in April 2015.

Costs released after a Freedom of Information request show that as of May 10, the Department for Education (DfE) bill for the court cases was 139,891. This would pay the wages of around six new teachers for a year.

The figures come as the case returns today to Isle of Wight Magistrates Court.

The department, which had supported the Isle of Wight Council in bringing the case, said it was pleased the Supreme Court had agreed with its position and removed uncertainty around term-time trips for schools and councils. But Mr Platt said he thought the money could have been better spent on education.

A breakdown shows that total costs incurred by the DfE were 53,654.90 - made up of 1,872 for the High Court case and 51,782.90 for the Supreme Court case.

In addition, the department reimbursed the Isle of Wight Council a total of 86,237.03.

This includes 71,606.03 for the Supreme Court case. The DfE agreed to meet the local authority's reasonable costs of the Supreme Court appeal. It also includes 14,631 to cover Mr Platt's costs in the High Court proceedings, which the council had been ordered to cover.

A DfE spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that the Supreme Court unanimously agreed with our position and removed any uncertainty for schools and local authorities. No child should be taken out of school without good reason.

"As before, headteachers have the ability to decide when exceptional circumstances allow for a child to be absent. The evidence shows every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil's chances of achieving good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances."

Mr Platt said: "I have always maintained that I thought the costs of this have been a disgrace and the money would be much better spent on education."

At the Supreme Court hearing in April, five justices unanimously allowed an appeal by education chiefs against an earlier ruling that Mr Platt had not acted unlawfully.

Mr Platt, who took his daughter on the Florida trip without the school's permission, was prosecuted by Isle of Wight Council after he refused to pay a 120 penalty.

But local magistrates found there was no case to answer.

Two High Court judges in London upheld the magistrates' decision, declaring Mr Platt was not acting unlawfully because his daughter had a good overall attendance record of over 90%.

The council urged the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court decision, saying it raised important issues over what constitutes "regular attendance'' at school.

The justices ruled in the council's favour, in a judgment clarifying what "regular'' attendance at school means.

The original case now has to go back to be heard again by magistrates.
William Cuthbert has been charged with attempting to murder Anne Carson

A Belfast man was remanded in custody today accused of trying to stab his grandmother to death.

William Cuthbert, 29, also allegedly stole 300 from the pensioner during the attack in the east of the city. Cuthbert appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with attempting to murder Anne Carson.

The alleged attack occurred at his Trillick Court address on Thursday.

The victim, understood to be aged 70, sustained chest and arm wounds.

Cuthbert is further accused of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a knife, with intent to commit attempted murder.

A third charge relates to the theft of a handbag, two sets of keys and 300 in cash belonging to Mrs Carson.

As he stood in the dock Cuthbert spoke only to confirm he understood the allegations against him.

A policeman said he could connect the accused with the charges.

Putting no questions to the detective, defence solicitor Dennis Boyd added that he was not seeking bail.

But Mr Boyd told the court: "The defendant was horrified when he learned of the injuries caused to his grandmother.

"He is praying for her speedy recovery."

Remanding Cuthbert in custody, District Judge Fiona Bagnall order him to appear again by video-link in four weeks time.
The only clues to the border at Castlederg are the road signs

Exactly a year ago the United Kingdom went to the polls and voted to leave the European Union - but today for people along Northern Ireland's border, there is still huge uncertainty about what the future holds.

It has been widely accepted that whatever lies ahead, it will impact most on Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK to share a border with a EU country.

That impact will be even more pronounced for the towns and villages that sit close to the border with the Republic, and felt most by the thousands who commute across it every day for work, leisure and trade with ease.

In West Tyrone, which includes the border town of Castlederg, 62% of the electorate came out to vote, and 26,765 backed the Remain camp.

That was more than double the number who thought the UK would be better off out of the EU.

Castlederg's neighbouring village of Castlefinn is just a five-minute drive, and the only way you can be sure you have entered the Republic is when the road signs change from miles to kilometres.

This is how people in Castlederg and Castlefinn want it to stay - regardless of how the vote went on June 23, 2016 - a seamless link between the two neighbouring counties of Tyrone and Donegal.

Frank Coyle, who voted Remain last year, said a return to the "borders of old" needs to be avoided.

He said: "This is a border town, but you wouldn't know there was a border at all. I can drive over to Castlefinn or I can drive to Lifford without restrictions at all.

"We were a bigger family when we were part of the European Union. It brought a lot of good things to border towns like Castlederg through the Peace and Reconciliation Fund.

"The worrying thing is, no one seems to know what is happening or what they are doing.

"We are getting no information from the British Government and that is a serious problem. They must know by this stage what is happening, but they aren't telling us."

Mark Farley doesn't see things in quite the same way. He voted to Leave and a year on he is confident he made the right decision.

Mr Farley said: "If I was given the chance today I would do the same again. I wouldn't want to see a hard border, but I don't really think there will be. I think a lot of it has been scaremongering.

"I think these talks between the DUP and the Conservatives will be good for Northern Ireland generally and for border towns like Castlederg, but they need to be talking to all the parties. Since last year there has been a big increase in the number of people coming across the border into towns on this side and it used to be the other way around."

One woman who crosses the border from Donegal to Castlederg on a regular basis is Mary Kelly, who recalled with horror the outcome of the referendum. She said: "I come into Castlederg at least three times a week and I couldn't believe it when I woke up to the news that Britain was leaving the EU.

"I come here for all my shopping and so does my husband. He buys all his agriculture stuff here and if he needs to get his car repaired he comes here for that too, because it is a lot, lot cheaper.

"The very idea of going back to a border would be a disaster.

"I remember waking up to the news that Britain voted to leave and I could not get over it, I couldn't believe it, I was devastated and that's the truth."

Marcus Logue, who voted to Remain last year, is a barber in Castlederg and he reckons around 40% of his customers are from across the border.

He said: "It looks to me like there is going to be a hard border and that's my biggest concern. I think a hard border would suit the DUP, because they won't want anything that they think would lead to a united Ireland.

"A lot of my clientele come from across the border and if there was a hard border I would lose them. I would see a big difference in my takings, and it would be the same for a lot of other traders."

As a nurse from Donegal, Frances Peoples is concerned about her patients who may need to cross the border for treatment. She said: "The cancer centre in Altnagelvin was built to help patients right across the north west region.

"One of the reasons for it was to save patients from Derry, Tyrone and Donegal having to travel for hours for treatment. If there are long queues at the borders, patients will be back to sitting in their cars for hours, and that's just one aspect."

Cynthia Reid voted to Remain. She is watching the negotiations between the DUP and the Conservatives with interest.

She said: "If you look at the handling they are having at the minute, you can't help but worry about how it will all end.

"You can only hope they will come to some kind of an agreement and I hope that any MP from here would do their best for us."
The DUP described a 19m estimate for an Irish Language Act as "reasonable", it has been claimed.

Irish language group Conradh na Gaelige met a DUP delegation in April which included Arlene Foster and Edwin Poots.

It came after Mrs Foster said she wanted to engage with Gaelic speakers who lacked political baggage. She also visited Irish language students at Our Lady's Grammar School in Newry - where she said 'thank you' in Irish.

An Irish Language Act is one of the major hurdles between the DUP and Sinn Fein in the crisis talks aimed at restoring the power-sharing Executive.

Mrs Foster previously said the DUP would never agree to the act. She made the now infamous remark, "If you feed a crocodile it will keep coming back and looking for more".

She made the remark during the Assembly Election campaign when addressing Sinn Fein's wish to have an Irish Language Act and said she was not prepared to "reward bad behaviour, and to capitulate to manufactured demands".

Conradh na Gaeilge said Mr Poots told them the 19m cost was "reasonable".

President of Conradh na Gaeilge Dr Niall Comer said: "When we met with the DUP in April we were told that there would be legislative provisions for the Irish language. The meeting was largely focused on the Conradh na Gaeilge discussion document that includes detailed costings of the Irish-language Act.

"DUP representative Edwin Poots also acknowledged, significantly, that our costings were reasonable. We see this as a considerable development, considering the public statements previously made by the DUP in which cost was used as the main obstacle to progressing legislation.

Conradh na Gaeilge have released their discussion document on their proposals for legislation that costed an Irish-language Act at 2million per year with an additional, one-off, cost of 9million needed to build the basic infrastructure to support the practical implementation of the legislation.

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Irish Language protesters outside Stormont in March this year Press Eye - Irish Language Protest March - 20th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan A large number of campaigners were on the streets of West Belfast today for a protest march in support of an Irish Language Act. The parade is started at the Culturlann Irish language centre on the Falls Road at 12pm before making its way to City Hall. North Belfast Sinn Fein election candidate John Finucane has called on people throughout Belfast to show their support for an Irish Language Act by attending the La Dearg march. Press Eye - Irish Language Protest March - 20th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan A large number of campaigners were on the streets of West Belfast today for a protest march in support of an Irish Language Act. The parade is started at the Culturlann Irish language centre on the Falls Road at 12pm before making its way to City Hall. North Belfast Sinn Fein election candidate John Finucane has called on people throughout Belfast to show their support for an Irish Language Act by attending the La Dearg march. / Facebook

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It said these costs are based on a "five-year plan over the lifespan of an Executive, leaving the total five-year cost at 19million (3.8million per year) and should, if implemented effectively, decrease over time".

When contacted for a response the DUP said: "Our views are well known and documented. We want to see mutual respect for all languages and cultures in Northern Ireland but not one elevated above all others.".
A former loyalist paramilitary commander turned supergrass has pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offences, including five murders.

Relatives of Gary Haggarty's victims watched on as the ex-chief of the Ulster Volunteer Force's notorious north Belfast Mount Vernon unit repeatedly answered guilty to the litany of charges put to him in Belfast Crown Court.

The pleas marked a significant stage of the long-time police informer's agreement to give state's evidence against fellow terrorists.

As well as the five murders, the 45-year-old, who is currently in protective custody, admitted five attempted murders, including against police officers; 23 counts of conspiracy to murder; directing terrorism; and membership of a proscribed organisation.

He also admitted assisting offenders involved in a murder bid on fellow UVF terror chief and police informer Mark Haddock.

On top of the 200 guilty pleas, Haggarty acknowledged responsibility for 304 other more minor offences. Those were not listed as formal charges on the bill of indictment but will be taken into account by the judge when he is sentenced.

Haggarty was interviewed more than 1,000 times by detectives in one of the biggest and most complex cases ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

The catalogue of offences stretch over a 16-year period from 1991 to 2007 and include the loyalist murders of John Harbinson, Sean McParland, Gary Convie, Eamon Fox and Sean McDermott.

Haggarty is expected to receive a heavily reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the authorities.

Outside court, Mr Fox's son Ciaran broke down as he described his feelings.

"It's just hard sitting in a courtroom watching a guy admitting to murdering your father," he said.

Mr Fox said the fact Haggarty was an informer when the offences were committed raised serious questions for the authorities.

"The police knew what was going to happen and took no action to stop it," he claimed.

Expand Close Eamon Fox's son Ciaran (left) and Gary Convie's father Joe outside Belfast Crown Court / Facebook

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Whatsapp Eamon Fox's son Ciaran (left) and Gary Convie's father Joe outside Belfast Crown Court

"Basically he was just a hitman - he killed at will."

He added: "Police knew my father and Gary Convie were both going to be murdered and they sat back and let it happen and that's hard to swallow.

"I don't care about the UVF, they'll meet their maker some day - the police, the people who were in authority to protect and serve, they didn't protect my family."

It is understood Haggarty has made allegations against 14 fellow loyalists, for crimes including four murders.

He has also given evidence in relation to alleged criminality by two former Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch handlers who worked with him when he was an informer.

His own lengthy charge sheet also includes aiding and abetting murder, kidnap, possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives as well as hijacking, false imprisonment, arson, intimidation and conspiracy to riot.

But he could walk free after his sentence hearing in September, given he has already served three years in custody - the equivalent of a six-year sentence.

In the interim, prosecutors will decide how to proceed with the evidence he has provided.

The content of his interviews amounts to 23,000 pages of transcribed evidence.

There was a significant police presence in and around the court for the high-profile arraignment hearing.

Haggarty, who is believed to be living at a secret location outside Northern Ireland, was escorted into court through a side door by two specialist police officers.

He was initially arrested in 2009 and charged with the murder of Mr Harbinson.

He then indicated his willingness to turn state's witness and subsequently signed an agreement to become an assisting offender under the terms of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (Socpa).

The terror boss, whose address was formally recorded on the indictment sheet as care of a Belfast police station, stood in the dock dressed in a grey suit during the hearing before judge Mr Justice Treacy.

Mr Fox expressed doubt Haggarty would ever end up in the witness box, alleging vested interests would thwart it.

"This goes right to the top, there are too many people going to get their hands burnt," he said.

"He's done wrong, his hands are deep in blood along with people he's going to expose and because of who he's going to expose I think it's not going to finish."

Mr Fox said it was hard to take that Haggarty would get a reduced sentence.

"He was bold as brass answering them (the charges), it was water off a duck's back. That's the hard part, just knowing he is going to walk a free man.

"The charges he is charged with, in an ideal world that man shouldn't see daylight."

After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Serious Crime Branch, said the guilty pleas marked a "milestone" for the victims and their families.

"It has been a very long, arduous and painful process for these families and I hope today's proceedings have made a significant contribution to the process of ultimately bringing closure to all the families of the victims of Mount Vernon UVF during that time," he said.

"The PSNI remains committed to moving forward and working with the PPS (Public Prosecution Service) in relation to the next stages of the investigation into Mount Vernon UVF and others who were involved with committing these offences.

"My detectives have worked hard over the last seven years to bring justice. I understand the frustrations of the families over the length of time this has taken but I have always said that it was important to take the time to get it right."
A Facebook page used by convicted criminal Christine Connor to communicate with two men caught up in her terrorist plot has been removed by the social media company, after the Belfast Telegraph highlighted that it was still available online.

Republican page 'United Struggle,' which had 183 followers and was available on Facebook for four-and-a-half years, was used by Connor to communicate with Zachary Gevelinger from the USA and Stuart Downes from Shrewsbury.

Both men later took their own lives.

Before its removal this week, the community page, which said members would "engage in an array of activities ranging from property destruction to the occupation of government buildings," had featured a post praising Connor as "the sister of a former POW and daughter of a well-respected Republican activist."

Earlier this week, Connor was sentenced to 16 years and four months in prison after she posed as a Swedish model to entrap two men into taking part in her bid to murder police officers.

On May 28, 2013, Connor threw "grenade-like" improvised explosive devices at police in the Ballysillan area of north Belfast.

At her sentencing on Tuesday, Judge McFarland told Connor he believed she was dangerous and was "committed to a violent philosophy to achieve political objectives".

A senior PSNI detective described Connor as "a dangerous woman who exploited others to further her own twisted ideologies".

The PSNI said that 31-year-old Downes, who jointly faced five charges including attempted murder, possessing explosives and causing explosions with intent to endanger life, had played a "key part in the attacks".

Evidence showed he had sourced component parts and shipped them to his Belfast accomplice.

The PSNI also arrested and questioned Gevelinger after he visited Connor in Hydebank Prison on July 6, 2013. They found correspondence from him to Connor in her house, as well as cheques he had sent her.

The FBI searched Gevelinger's house in the US and seized computer equipment which confirmed the link to Connor.

A PSNI spokesperson previously said: "We know she communicated with these men via a 'United Struggle' Facebook page she created - for her one-member organisation. Neither of these men, who are now both deceased, had previous connections to Northern Ireland or to Northern Ireland related terrorism." Despite this, 'United Struggle' had claimed that Connor was not a member of the group, nor had she participated in "any actions that we may have carried out."

PSNI Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell said that the United Struggle Facebook page was "not the main method of communication used by Christine Connor while planning her attack on police officers".

He added: "The PSNI contacted Facebook as part of our investigations into the attempted murder attacks in 2013. As there was no criminal content detected at that stage, no request was made for the page to be removed."

The Belfast Telegraph had not received an official response from Facebook at the time of going to press.
Ambulances are failing to reach almost half of the most urgent 999 calls on time, shocking figures reveal.

Ambulances are failing to reach almost half of the most urgent 999 calls on time, shocking figures reveal.

In the last year, a total of 27,884 category A incidents - an average of 76 a day - weren't responded to by ambulance crews within the target eight minutes.

This means only 51% of calls were reached in time. The response rate has also fallen alarmingly from five years ago, when 68.3% calls were responded to within eight minutes.

In 2012/13 a total of 15,737 calls were responded outside the target.

Official targets say 72.5% of category A calls should be reached in eight minutes - yet not once in the last year was this met. In one month, December 2016, just 45% were answered within eight minutes.

The figures emerged in a report from the Department of Health released yesterday.

If figures continue to fall, soon over half of all category A 999 calls won't be responded to in time.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said the declining performance levels reflect an increasing demand on emergency services each year.

UUP health spokesperson Roy Beggs called the figures "frightening" and claimed that lives are being put at risk.

"The importance of ambulances and paramedics arriving on time cannot be emphasised enough," he said.

"The longer someone has to wait for assistance in an emergency the greater the risk there is of them coming to serious and lasting harm," he said.

The Department of Health figures also detail emergency department waiting times for 2016/17.

Only 69.8% of patients attending Northern Ireland's main emergency departments were treated and discharged or admitted within four hours of their arrival.

The official target is supposed to be 95%.

Mr Beggs called the waiting times "disgraceful". Kevin McAdams, who represents health workers for the Unite Union, said the decline in response times showed a chronic under investment across the health service. "A lot of the pressure on the NIAS is because of the backlog in emergency departments, they can't discharge efficiently when leaving patients off," he said. "There's also a lack of an effective training mechanism for bringing in new paramedics.

"The Ambulance service can only be as good as the support it gets."

Responding to the report, a spokesperson for NIAS said 210,027 calls were made to the 999 service in 2016/2017, showing a rising demand each year.

"The Trust regrets that we were again unable to reach this target (of 72.5%)," the spokesperson said.

He said the key challenges include:

 Matching limited resources with increasing demand, particularly overnight and at the weekend;

 Longer on scene times due to more complex care pathways;

 Traffic congestion and increased requests for diverts and multiple responses to incidents such as traffic collisions;

 Impact of major incidents and special events on service delivery;

 An unforeseeable increase in long-term absenteeism among staff due to critical and long-term sickness which led to more retirements than expected, and;

 Challenges in balancing training and keeping staff on duty.

The NIAS added they had recently recruited and trained 43 ambulance care attendants, 48 emergency medical technicians (EMTs), 27 bank paramedics and 10 bank EMTs.

In addition, the spokesperson said that four hospital ambulance liaison officers are also used to assist with patient flow and facilitating patient turnaround.

He said the Ambulance Service is also working with hospitals to reduce A&E congestion.

The spokesperson added: "Moving forward, the Trust is engaged in a number of initiatives to improve our capacity to achieve the targets.

"These include a demand/capacity review, while we also examine how our clinical response model should be targeted to ensure that we reach the sickest patients in the shortest possible time."
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has set out his post-Brexit vision for an invisible border with Northern Ireland retaining a connection to the Customs Union.

Mr Coveney said Dublin will be pushing for a special deal - "unique status" - for Northern Ireland to ensure the border remains as close as possible to the current arrangement.

That could see the province retaining a link to the Customs Union, he said, adding that Michel Barnier, Europe's chief Brexit negotiator, is on board.

A scenario that would see a customs barriers, even an "e-border" using technology, would be a non-runner, the minister added.

"We're not going to stand for that," he added. "If we get to that point, we're not where we want to be."

"Ireland's staying in the Customs Union. So if we're going to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, there needs to be some relationship with the Customs Union and common market that allows Northern Ireland to be able to operate the way that it does today," the minister said.

He said that if we think in terms of Northern Ireland being simply in, or out of the Customs Union or single market, then it's "almost impossible to see a solution".

"That's why in the terms of reference for the EU negotiating team, they talk about imaginative and flexible solutions will be required, and they will be. We will need to think differently in terms of how Northern Ireland relates to and interacts to the common market."

Those solutions need to be devised without threatening the integrity of the UK, or the constitutional status of Northern Ireland, he added. The plan, therefore, entails Northern Ireland leaving the European Union with the rest of the UK.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Robin Swann said he was disappointed at Mr Coveney's calls for "special status" in Northern Ireland, which he described as "a thinly veiled attempt to break up the Union".

"As the Belfast Agreement makes clear, Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom until its people say otherwise," he said.
Nancy Smith (77) recalls a boy nearly being blinded when a stone hit his face

Once they were neighbours, but today they are separated by 40-foot high walls.

Now the stories of those living in the shadow of the East Belfast interface are to be heard thanks to a new project.

Later this year residents from the Short Strand and Lower Newtownards Road will come together to share their experiences.

The Belfast Interface Project will document what life was like before the walls went up, the impact that it has had on their lives and what it is like to live at an interface today.

Joe O'Donnell, chief executive of Belfast Interface Project, said: "They are a very important part of our shared history and heritage.

"We've received a huge amount of support for this, from people on both sides of the interface and can't wait to get started on our work."

Yesterday the Belfast Telegraph visited the area to hear some of the stories of its residents.

Nancy Smith (77), who has lived in the Short Strand area for several decades, remembers the time before the wall was raised.

She said: "The kids used to run down, throw a stone and run away again.

"I remember when a man and his wife visited my mother.

"When they were going out through the door, a stone hit their son in the face. He nearly got his eye put out with it. It was all black and bruised. He was lucky that he didn't lose his sight.

"They have this wall that has been built a long time, but everyone moved out because they wouldn't put up with stoning. It still happens sometimes."

On the other side of the barrier, in the Lower Newtownards Road area, 72-year-old Jean Kemp has mixed memories.

"There were fellas shot and all up there, a lot of years ago," she recalled.

Discussing what life has been like, after the barrier was established, Jean added: "It is quiet and the neighbours are awful nice. Last year my husband was still here and we went and watched the bonfire, things have quietened down."

Patrick Quinn (75), who has lived in the Short Strand area for over 30 years, said: "We were put out of our house in 1970, there was a massive battle that night and then I moved in here 32 years ago.

"It used to be wild, rioting day and night."

Chatting about what it is like to be living at an interface today, Patrick added: "It's been brilliant since the wall went up, there was a wee bit of bother, but nothing like what it used to be."

These stories and more will be explored as part of the Belfast Interface Project's work.

The Reflected Lives Project will be guided by Dr Anna Bryson, a senior lecturer at QUB, and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The cross-community group will receive training in interview techniques and other media skills, courtesy of the Bauer Academy at Cool FM, led by broadcaster Caroline Fleck.

A book of the stories will be produced, along with videos of the interviews, and all material will be archived for residents, historians and researchers.

Paul Mullan, from the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "This is a really fascinating area of Northern Ireland's heritage to explore and document.

"We're so used to seeing the peace walls and much is talked about interface areas, but it is not often we hear about the impact of growing up and living in the shadow of those barriers."
Details emerged as the Romanian national failed in a renewed bid for bail.

A man accused of banking "vast" sums of cash earned by Romanian women trafficked into Northern Ireland to work as prostitutes claims his income was from car dealing, the High Court heard on Friday.

Prosecutors alleged Spartacus Mihai is part of an organised crime gang exploiting victims who earned in excess of 125,000 from a sex trade centred in Banbridge, Co Down.

But the 20-year-old, of Henly Road in Ilford, Essex, has denied all knowledge of the suspected vice racket.

Crown counsel told a judge: "He said he buys and sells cars, that's why he had the money in his bank account."

Details emerged as the Romanian national failed in a renewed bid for bail.

Mihai and his 28-year-old brother Decebal, of Kenlis Street in Banbridge, are jointly charged with controlling prostitution, conspiracy to traffic within the United Kingdom, and concealing, converting and transferring criminal property.

They were detained after searches were carried out at Kenlis Street and a property on Belfast's Newtownards Road on May 25.

According to police four women were rescued from the two locations.

But all four refuse to co-operate with the investigation and have turned up at court appearances in support of the defendants.

The brothers were allegedly observed driving women to clients for sex, including trips to hotels, according to the prosecution.

Further research was said to have uncovered bank accounts and moneygram transfers of cash to Romania.

Opposing Spartacus Mihai's bail application, prosecution counsel contended: "While in Northern Ireland the brothers were depositing vast amounts of cash into UK bank accounts.

"It is believed to be around 100,000 earned from the prostitutes."

A further 26,000 was said to have been wired to Romania.

"Police believe he's part of an organised crime gang and if he was released he will continue to traffic victims, control prostitution and launder money."

Madam Justice McBride was told the probe is continuing, with further potential victims and witnesses to be interviewed.

"Police are currently investigating 16 telephone numbers and websites," the prosecutor added.

John O'Connor, defending, argued that Mihai should be bailed due to the expected time it will take to complete inquiries.

Refusing the application, however, the judge ruled that it was too soon to suggest delays in the case.
With almost 500,000 dogs in more than 300,000 homes, Northern Ireland folk are among the UK's biggest fans of man's best friend.

Today the pooches will be out in droves as businesses across the province join the national Bring Your Dog To Work Day.

The event raises money for charities dedicated to improving dog welfare.

There are a raft of benefits besides charity to Bring Your Dog To Work Day, as hounds are proven to lower stress levels, improve team co-operation and increase staff morale.

Miss Northern Ireland Anna Henry will be one of those getting involved.

The 22-year-old model from Portglenone said: "I have a beautiful one-year-old Saint Bernard pup called Mac. I can't believe how big he is already.

"I don't see how anyone could not support a charity that raises money to make sure dogs are looked after properly."

Former Miss UK Gemma Garrett would love to take her dogs to work - but said they were just too bouncy.

Dog-lover Gemma (34), who now works as a make-up artist, said: "I've two lovely big British bulldogs, Buddy and Stella."

But they are not allowed to go on jobs with her, as they're just too excitable.

"They crave so much attention," Gemma said.

"If I took them to a make-up job they would be into everything - eating the brushes, jumping around all over the place.

"They wouldn't sit still for a minute."

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long - who will be attending the talks at Stormont today - said she had thought about taking her dog Daisy to the high-powered political negotiations.

The MLA said her pooch might be able to inject a positive vibe into the discussions.

"She might perk things up a bit," she chuckled.

But having discussed the matter with her dog, she said last night Daisy did not seem too enamoured with the idea.

"However, if I get the chance, I'll take her with me to our constituency office in east Belfast instead," she added.

Women aren't the only people who'll be cooing over dogs in the office today.

BBC DJ Ralph McLean considers his six-year-old wheaten terrier Tarka his "best friend".

He said: "Unfortunately, health and safety will probably stop me bringing my dog to work, but they are a big relaxant on humans and I think they should have more rights.

"There's hardly any restaurants or cafes where I can take Tarka inside, and I'm all for increasing accessibility for dogs and for taking them to work.

"I also think raising money for animal welfare through events like Bring Your Dog To Work Day is essential as there are so many animals out there being treated so disgracefully by their owners.

"I believe dogs are humanity's best friend and everyone should get involved in this cause."

Those enjoying Bring Your Dog To Work Day can send photos of their pets to us at newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
A group of concerned parents have welcomed the publication of a report into a crisis-hit west Belfast school - but remain "horrified" at some of its findings.

Earlier this week De La Salle College was criticised for failings in its child protection measures after three pupils complained that a priest invited to the school asked them about their sex lives during confession.

An independent review ordered by De La Salle College's board of governors in January detailed several flaws in how the school dealt with the matter.

In a statement posted on social media last night, the school's concerned parents committee said they broadly welcomed the report "and in particular the recommendations stemming from it".

But it was "horrified to learn from this report that a highly sensitive confidential child protection file has been 'lost'."

"If lost, we ask the question, has this loss of personal data by a public body been reported to the Northern Ireland Information Commissioners Office?" the group asked.

"We can't begin to imagine how this child and his parents must feel, knowing that such personal information is in the hands of persons unknown."

The parents' group said it was "disgusted" to learn about the activities of the priest who had quizzed children about sexual matters in confession, saying that the incident raised further questions about the management of the school.

"Most important to us parents is the ultimate protection and well-being of our children," the group said.

"We are absolutely disgusted to learn that after what this priest done in the school, our children were brought to visit the same priest in Dublin on more than one occasion.

"We would like to know why did those in authority allow these trips to happen when they knew of the disclosures that had been made about this priest?

"Were these trips appropriately risk assessed?" they asked.

"Who authorised these trips? Was the teacher in charge of these trips briefed regarding the allegations against this priest?"

In their statement, the committee also paid tribute to the work of "amazing teachers" at the troubled school, who are trying to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

"This committee has a total respect for the majority of teachers who continue to provide a sterling teaching experience to our children while they continue to experience ongoing difficulties and challenges.

"Those teachers and the school will always have our full support."

They also stated: "As many parents will have similar sentiments to the committee we are pleased that it has now been publicly acknowledged that these horrendous incidents and the subsequent visits to Dublin did in fact take place," they said.

In an open letter to parents, De La Salle board of governors chair Monica Culbert welcomed the report and was "wholly committed" to implementing the report's recommendations.

The review team acknowledged that the "college staff has engaged in considerable efforts to rectify the deficiencies".

This includes a detailed action plan for 2017, although the report warned constant staff changes and absence means there is "major concern" over the plan's long-term sustainability.
Police have re-appealed for information after a family car was set alight which then spread to the family home in west Belfast.

It happened in the Belfield Heights area during the early hours of Tuesday January 3 and police are reissuing their appeal for information.

Police believe that a male poured fuel across the bonnet and roof of a white BMW X5 before it was set alight.

The family car was gutted by the fire which also spread to the family home causing significant damage.

Chief Inspector Kellie McMillan said, Even though the incident happened in January, our investigation is ongoing.

This was an incredibly reckless act which could have put lives in danger, had there have been anyone in the property at the time. However the ground floor of the home, contents and personal items belonging to the parents and the children who live there were destroyed.

We are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone with any information that can they think may be able to assist with the investigation, no matter how small or insignificant you feel it may be, to contact officers in Woodbourne on 101 quoting reference number 84 of 03/01/17. Information can also be passed anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 23rd June 2017 Dominica Magowan addresses a rally to protest against the flying of flags in South Belfast. The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

The Respect Shared Space Rally saw people congregate at Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye. 23rd June 2017

Rally against the flying of flags in south Belfast [Photos] Close

Around 250 residents in south Belfast have attended a protest demanding that UVF and unionist flags be removed from their area.

The crowd gathered in Cherryvale Park on the Ravenhill Road on Friday evening. They were addressed by local Ormeau Road resident Dominica McGowan.

She said that residents didn't want paramilitary flags in shared areas nor did they want the unionist flags which are now lining the Ormeau Road.

"This is a start, a beginning, the nucleus of positive action. It expresses the view of a significant number of residents," she said.

"This is not a political rally, rather it is an organic response to frustration, fear and lack of action."

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Many of those attending the rally told the Belfast Telegraph that local DUP MP, Emma Little Pengelly, was not reflecting their opposition to the flying of provocative flags in south Belfast.

A petition against the flags has secured almost 2,000 signatures. SDLP MLA Claire Hanna, Green MLA Clare Bailey, and Sinn Fein MLA Mairtin O Muilleoir were among the crowd but there were no political speakers at the rally.
Tributes have been paid following the death of celebrity chef Darren Simpson from Northern Ireland.

Mr Simpson was named the UKs Young Chef of the Year at the age 21 the youngest ever winner of the prestigious prize open to young talent under 25.

Mr Simpson, who leaves a wife and two sons, is reported to have suffered a heart attack in hospital on Thursday night.

The Daily Telegraph reported that it followed a recent bid at rehabilitation in a clinic for a long battle with alcohol addiction near his Byron Bay home in Australia.

Mr Simpsons illustrious career saw him train and work with some of the greatest chefs.

From 1992 to 1999 he worked in restaurants such as Paul Rankins Michelin-starred Roscoff, Belfast; Albert Rouxs Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, London; Sally Clarkes, London; and Simon Hopkinsons Bibendum, London.

He was joint head chef of the acclaimed River Cafe, London; and head chef at Sir Terence Conrans Sartoria in Savile Row, London.

In 1999, he moved to Australia to be head chef of Aqua Luna Bar and Restaurant at Sydneys East Circular Quay. Having received fantastic reviews, Darrens food was described as dynamic and big-flavoured.

He then opened award-winning La Sala (The Room), a modern Italian restaurant in 2005.

He became a well known face on the television food scene, with regular appearances on Lifestyle Food Channel and on programmes such as Ready Steady Cook.

He also presided as a judge on hit reality show My Restaurant Rules.

Tributes were flooding into the chef last night.

Fellow chef and presenter Andrew Ballard tweeted: Such sad news to hear of my former colleague Darren Simpson passing away today. RIP Dazza.

Australian chef Adam Moore said: R.I.P Darren Simpson you will be missed chef loved working with you.
The shooting took place in the Iris Court area on Friday

A man in his 30s has been taken to hospital after he was shot in the ankle in west Belfast.

The incident happened in the Iris Court area of the city at around 2.20pm on Friday.

The man's injury is not thought to be life-threatening.

Police have appealed for information.
Thousands of people have joined together to create the largest human peace sign at Glastonbury Festival.

Organisers estimate that up to 15,000 festival-goers and staff took part in the unofficial record attempt at the festivals Stone Circle.

The event was organised in the wake of terror attacks in London and Manchester to send a message of peace to the world.

In 2009, 5,814 people stood together to form the largest human peace sign at the Ithaca Festival in New York.

William Hawk, from Standing Rock, addressed the thousands of people in Glastonburys Stone Circle and led prayers for victims of recent tragedies.

We dont need this in our world, he told the crowd. Peace and love comes about simply by giving peace and love.

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SJ Smallpage, 36, who helped organise the event, held an inflatable peace sign with other volunteers from the Sanctuary at the festival.

I feel very humbled that people have joined together for something that represents everything that is good about Glastonbury, everything that is good about humanity, she said.

The numbers are awesome, I cant believe how many people are here. They were still steaming in through the entrances when it happened. It made my heart sing.

Expand Close Festival-goers were advised to keep out of the sun as Glastonbury baked during its hottest day on record on Wednesday (Yui Mok/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Festival-goers were advised to keep out of the sun as Glastonbury baked during its hottest day on record on Wednesday (Yui Mok/PA)

Ms Smallpage set up a Facebook group for the event and was stunned when 7,500 people said they would be attending. But organisers believe double that number actually took part in forming the peace sign.

Ben Harrison, 25, from Oxfordshire, attended the event with his brother, James, 37.

It is nice to do something that shows the world a signal of peace, he said. We dont have that opportunity to do that very often.

Revellers experienced the hottest day in the events history on Wednesday, when temperatures reached 31C (87.8F).

South Western Ambulance Service attended 59 incidents, with nine people taken to hospital.

This figure only includes patients treated by the trusts paramedics and not by the medical centre on site.

The weather began to cool on Wednesday evening, and revellers awoke on Thursday to clouds and slight drizzle.

By 9am on Thursday, 100,000 of the 135,000 ticket-holders were already on site. The main stages at Glastonbury open on Friday but activities such as power ballad yoga and a Frozen sing-along were taking place on Thursday.

Worthy Farms vintage Heidelberg press has started production for 2017, with the first edition of the Glastonbury Free Press published.

Security at the festival, which will host a population of 200,000, is tighter than in previous years following terror attacks in London and Manchester.

The world-famous event is being headlined by Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran.

Hollywood star Johnny Depp will make an appearance on Thursday, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will attend on Saturday.

Michael Eavis delighted music fans with a surprise karaoke performance at the Avalon Cafe. The dairy farmer and festival organiser joined tribute band Sladest for a rendition of Elvis Presleys You Are Always On My Mind. Crowds in the packed tent chanted Eavis, Eavis and rushed outside to take selfies with the 81-year-old.
The Duke of Edinburgh has cancelled an appearance at a London Zoo event (Andrew Matthews/PA)

The Duke of Edinburgh has cancelled an appearance at a London Zoo event as he continues to recover from an infection.

The Queens consort was due to visit the popular attraction next Wednesday, in his role as an honorary fellow of the Zoological Society of London, to present the Prince Philip Award for Contributions to Zoology.

Buckingham Palace said there were no current plans for Philip to miss other royal engagements later this month.

Expand Close The Duke of Edinburgh attended Royal Ascot with the Queen on Tuesday (John Walton/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Duke of Edinburgh attended Royal Ascot with the Queen on Tuesday (John Walton/PA)

The Duke spent two nights at a private London hospital after being admitted on Tuesday evening, as a precautionary measure, for treatment for an undisclosed infection.

He was discharged on Thursday morning, but has not joined the Queen at Royal Ascot, an important event in her private summer calendar.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: The Duke of Edinburgh will not be visiting London Zoo on Wednesday 27th June as he continues to recuperate. There are no current plans for His Royal Highness to cancel other forthcoming engagements.
The Duke of Edinburgh has been discharged from hospital after spending two nights being treated for an unspecified infection

The Duke of Edinburgh has been discharged from hospital after spending two nights being treated for an unspecified infection.

He was admitted as a precautionary measure on Tuesday night, on the advice of a doctor, after falling ill with an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.

The Duke (96) left from the rear of the private King Edward VII's Hospital in central London just before 10am yesterday, and was driven away.

His brief admission to hospital forced him to miss two major events in the Queen's calendar on Wednesday - the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot racing.

The Prince of Wales took Philip's place at the Queen's side when she went to Westminster to give a speech outlining the Government's programme on Wednesday.
A former loyalist paramilitary commander turned supergrass has pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offences, including five murders.

Gary Haggarty, the ex-chief of the Ulster Volunteer Forces notorious north Belfast unit, admitted the litany of crimes as part of his deal with the State to give evidence against fellow terrorists.

As well as the five murders, the 45-year-old, who is currently in protective custody, admitted five attempted murders, including against police officers; 23 counts of conspiracy to murder; directing terrorism; and membership of a proscribed organisation, when he appeared before a judge at Belfast Crown Court.

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Haggarty, who worked as a police informant during the Troubles, was interviewed more than 1,000 times by detectives in one of the biggest and most complex cases ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

The catalogue of offences stretch over a 16-year period from 1991 to 2007 and include the loyalist murders of John Harbinson, Sean McParland, Gary Convie, Eamon Fox and Sean McDermott.

The lengthy charge sheet also includes aiding and abetting murder, kidnap, possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives as well as hijacking, false imprisonment, arson, intimidation and conspiracy to riot.

Haggarty is expected to receive a heavily reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the authorities.

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He could well walk free, given he has already served three years in custody  the equivalent of a six-year sentence. Sentence is expected to be passed later in the year.

In the interim prosecutors will decide how to proceed with the evidence he has provided. It is understood Haggarty has made allegations against 14 fellow loyalists, for crimes including four murders.

He has also given evidence in relation to alleged criminality by two former Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch handlers who worked with him when he was an informer. The content of his interviews amounts to 23,000 pages of transcribed evidence.

There was a significant police presence in and around the court for the high-profile arraignment hearing.

Expand Close Gary Haggarty appeared at Belfast Crown Couty (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Gary Haggarty appeared at Belfast Crown Couty (Niall Carson/PA)

Haggarty, who is believed to be living at a secret location outside Northern Ireland, was escorted into court through a side door by two specialist police officers.

He was initially arrested in 2009 and charged with the murder of Mr Harbinson.

He then indicated his willingness to turn states witness and subsequently signed an agreement to become an assisting offender under the terms of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (Socpa).

The terror boss, whose address was formally recorded on the indictment sheet as care of a Belfast police station, stood in the dock dressed in a grey suit during the hearing before judge Mr Justice Treacy.

He said guilty as each charge was put to him, the majority in short form summary. Relatives of some of his victims watched on from the public gallery of the court.
The Labour leader was speaking after Theresa May gave MPs an update on the tragedy (PA)

Jeremy Corbyn has said each of the Grenfell Tower fire deaths could and should have been avoided, as it emerged combustible cladding has been found on at least 11 other tower blocks.

Mr Corbyn compared the tragedy with the Hillsborough disaster and child abuse scandals, saying: The pattern is consistent: working-class peoples voices are ignored, their concerns dismissed by those in power.

And he said thousands of people living in tower blocks around the country needed urgent assurances about their own safety.

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Downing Street has since confirmed that 11 blocks of flats in eight local authority areas in England have been found to have flammable facades, with tests being conducted urgently to see if many more could have the same material, which is suspected of helping the Grenfell blaze spread.

Updating MPs on the tragedy earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May said: The relevant local authorities and local fire services have been informed, and, as I speak, they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe and to inform affected residents.

Mrs May also said the tragedy will not be used to carry out immigration checks on those affected or on those providing vital information to identify victims or to assist the criminal investigation into the fire.

She said no stone will be left unturned in the inquiry into the tragedy, adding: For any guilty parties there will be nowhere to hide.

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Mrs May told the Commons she expected the judge leading the public inquiry to bring out an interim report, and said: What I think we very much want to ensure is that when the judge takes charge of this inquiry that people feel, as I said earlier, that they can have full confidence in the inquiry and so we are taking steps to ensure that thats the case.

In reply, Mr Corbyn said the residents of Grenfell Tower were let down both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand and that the public inquiry must establish the extent and by who.

Mr Corbyn told MPs: At least 79 people are dead. It is both a tragedy and an outrage because every single one of those deaths could and should have been avoided.

Two of the 11 buildings so far confirmed by the Government to have flammable facades are the Chalcots Estate in north London, which is removing the cladding, and the Mount Wise Tower in Plymouth. A third building is in the Manchester area.

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But while the samples taken from the 11 buildings failed Government tests it did not mean the tower blocks were unsafe, with that to be determined after more checks by the fire and rescue services, Mrs Mays deputy spokeswoman said.

Separately, Newlon Housing Trust confirmed the 22-storey tower block Rivers Apartments, in Tottenham, north London, was clad with Reynobond PE  which Grenfell tower was reportedly covered with.

A spokesman said the London Fire Brigade had carried out a safety audit and were satisfied it was a low-risk fire building, adding that they would comply with any further instructions.

The housing association was awaiting recommendations from experts to determine whether the cladding should be replaced, he added.
Jeremy Corbyn has suggested that Labours 10 an hour living wage pledge would also apply to 16-year-old workers, signalling a major rise on the current rates.

The Labour leader said the policy should apply to all workers when challenged on Labours General Election manifesto policy to raise the hourly rate for all adult workers.

Currently under-18s only have to be paid 4.05 an hour, while other younger age groups are not required to be paid the national 7.50 rate.

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Speaking at a Unison conference in Brighton, Mr Corbyn was asked by one delegate whether 16-year-olds should also be paid Labours living wage.

In response, Mr Corbyn said: Youre absolutely right. Yes, the 10 an hour living wage, real living wage, is correct and also should apply to all workers, because I dont think young people eat less than old people  thats my experience anyway.

Other groups as well as under-18s do not have to be paid the current living wage. For 18 to 20-year-olds the rate is 5.60 an hour, while for 21 to 24-year-olds it is 7.05. Apprentices only have to be paid 3.50 an hour.

Labours 10 an hour pledge was criticised by business groups during the General Election, who said it would hike their wage bills.

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Mr Corbyn also linked the Grenfell Tower disaster to the policies of austerity, warning that the Government cut public services at your peril.

A tower block in flames due to poor building quality, a heroic response by the fire and rescue service who are dangerously overstretched and overstaffed, and a Government and a local government response that has left victims sleeping out for a few days under bridges as they had nowhere else to go, Mr Corbyn said.

Make no mistake about it  this is the brutal reality of austerity economics that has failed in its own terms, and leading to falling living standards, rising inequality and disasters.

Weve always known that austerity was a choice  a choice made by those at the top, which has harmed the lives of many to maintain the privileges of a few, but has had absolutely devastating and frankly inhumane consequences for those at the very bottom of our society.

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He added: This wholly preventable tragedy at Grenfell Tower surely has got to be a warning lesson to all of us  you cut at your peril, you ignore safety at your peril.

Were there to hold this Government to account, but above all were there to be the government that will be willingly held to account to make sure we do achieve everything we set out in our manifesto.

The Labour leader also said that no seat was unwinnable for Labour, as he insisted his party was now a government in waiting.

He added: We are ready for another election at any time, to finish the job of beating the failed, clapped-out Tories and form a government that works for all.

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Mr Corbyn also told delegates at the trade unions conference that Labour would invest in public services and end the public sector pay gap, calling it a disgrace that nurses pay had fallen by 14% in real terms.

He added: In Britain, in 2017, we have nurses and other public sector workers being forced to go to food banks, along with one million other people whose chances have been crushed in the name of austerity.

When this was put to the Prime Minister she said that there are complex reasons for people having to use foodbanks.

Well, I hope the Prime Minister is listening today when I say that there are not complex reasons for people having to use foodbanks  the only reason is that this Government refuses to ensure people have enough income to feed themselves.
Comedian, broadcaster and writer Michael Palin has declared he feels very proud to be awarded an honorary degree by one of the UKs oldest universities.

The Monty Python star, who has also presented a series of ambitious TV travel documentaries, has been made a doctor of science by the University of St Andrews in recognition of his contribution to the subject of geography.

The 74-year-old joked the honour  the third to be given to a Python by the university  shows the ancient institution is not stuffy.

He told Press Association Scotland: It feels great, I feel very proud indeed to be honoured. Ive just had a rather nice life travelling around the world and doing comedy and there are other people being honoured for splitting the atom, or whatever.

The TV star, a former president of the Royal Geographical Society, said he is particularly pleased that the honour is recognising geography, a subject he feels can be unfairly regarded as boring.

Geography for me, in my life, has been curiosity about the world, interest in why people are different, and its done me a lot of good, he said.

Im very proud to be an ambassador for geography so this particular award, doctor of science for my work in geography, is important and I hope it sends out a signal to other people who want to be geographers, want to travel or just want to understand the world.

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Palin has made a number of acclaimed travel documentaries during his career, including Around The World In 80 Days, Pole To Pole, Sahara and Himalaya.

Speaking ahead of the award ceremony, he cited his work on Himalaya as one of the highlights of his wide-ranging career, alongside the films Life Of Brian (with the Pythons) and A Fish Called Wanda, in which he stars with fellow Python John Cleese.

As a former St Andrews rector, Cleese was awarded an honorary degree in 1971, while fellow Python Terry Jones was recognised there in 2013.

On becoming the third member of the comedy group to be honoured in the Fife town, Palin said: Its quite interesting, really. Pythons have always had quite a relationship with Scotland.

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Laughing, he added: The fact that Terry and John have both been honoured here, thats good. It shows its not a stuffy university.

He admitted he could never have imagined receiving such an honour when he was writing controversial sketches in the 1960s and 1970s.

We were in our 20s then, we were mischief-making, we were writing subversive things and we were trying to make people think again, he said.

I suppose the conventional world, the establishment, was what we were having a go at, as many people were in the 1960s.

So it is odd now, when I look back, to think that weve been honoured for being slightly subversive and for doing things in a different way. But thats I think what honours should be. Im very grateful that Ive been able to get this honour for having a way of looking at the world thats perhaps different from the way its been done before, thats great.
Khieu Samphan, former Khmer Rouge head of state, on a screen at the court's press centre of the UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh (Heng Sinith/AP)

The former head of state of Cambodia's 1970s Khmer Rouge regime has rejected the charges against him as his trial for genocide ended.

Khieu Samphan, 85, said the allegations were concocted by the country's traditional enemy, neighbouring Vietnam.

He delivered his closing remarks in front of the UN-assisted tribunal in Phnom Penh where he and a colleague are also accused of responsibility for implementing policies leading to murder and rape, among other crimes.

Khieu Samphan denied knowing about matters including forced marriage and the grievous fate of minorities while the Khmer Rouge held power, saying he only discovered them after the regime's fall in 1979 and during his trial.

He said he was made aware of the accusations of suffering under the Khmer Rouge regime, "but the term murderer I categorically rejected".

The Khmer Rouge is blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians from execution, starvation and inadequate medical care during its 1975-79 rule.

Khieu Samphan's 90-year-old co-defendant Nuon Chea, right-hand man to late Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, did not appear in court.

His lawyer Victor Koppe delivered remarks saying that his client regarded the tribunal as a "show trial' and "victor's justice".

The two men already received life sentences in 2014 for crimes against humanity.

The proceedings against them were split into two parts by the tribunal for fear that the defendants might die before a verdict was reached if it was kept as one.

Also separately convicted earlier was the head of the Khmer Rouge prison system, who ran a torture centre in Phnom Penh.

Khieu Samphan described the claim of genocide as "Vietnamese propaganda", a defence he and other former Khmer Rouge leaders have made previously.

Cambodians have long been suspicious of their much bigger eastern neighbour, and prejudice against Vietnamese is widespread.

Even the 1978 invasion of Cambodia by Vietnam to oust the Khmer Rouge raised suspicions about Hanoi's motives among many Cambodians.

The genocide case includes the killing of ethnic Vietnamese by the Khmer Rouge.

Khieu Samphan sounded another familiar theme in also casting blame on the United States for Cambodia's problems.

The US heavily bombed the Cambodian countryside during the 1970-75 civil war that led to the Khmer Rouge seizing power.

Critics of the US action charge that the intensive bombing radicalised Cambodian peasants and served as a recruiting tool for the Khmer Rouge.

"I want to bow to the memory of all the innocent victims but also to all those who perished by believing in a better ideal of the brighter future and who died during the five-year war under the American bombardments and (in) the conflict with the Vietnamese invaders," Khieu Samphan said.

"Their memory will never be honoured by any international tribunal."

AP
President Enrique Pena Nieto has said he wants a rapid investigation into reports of high-tech spying against journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico.

In his first public comments since the allegations broke this week, Mr Pena Nieto said it is easy to blame the government for spying, but it is not true. Yet, he then said the alleged victims cannot show proof they were harmed.

Speaking at the inauguration of an industrial park in the western state of Jalisco, Mr Pena Nieto said he rejects any invasion into the private lives of citizens, but concluded his remarks by seeming to call for a legal response against those making "false" allegations.

The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group, said this week that spyware called Pegasus produced by Israel's NSO Group was used to target the mobile phones of people who were investigating or critical of Mexico's government.

It said there was no conclusive proof of government involvement, but noted that the software was sold only to governments and that the detected targets were all investigating or critical of the government.

A copy of the remarks by Mr Pena Nieto, who suffers from historically low approval ratings, were distributed on Thursday by the president's office to media outlets and left some of the accusers genuinely confounded.

Carlos Loret de Mola, who hosts a news programme on the Televisa network and was one of those targeted by the software, slapped his forehead in disbelief in a video that he posted to his Facebook page.

"The Mexican government has put itself in aggressive mode," Mr Loret de Mola said in response to Mr Pena Nieto's comments.

"He says to the (Attorney General's Office), 'Investigate me fast, clear me of responsibility.'"

The president also said: "I hope that within the law something can be done about those who lodged false allegations."

John Scott Railton of Citizen Lab said on Monday during a presentation of his research that the software turns a mobile phone into a spy with the ability to remotely activate its microphone and camera as well as access everything that is stored on it.

Citizen Lab said it had "no conclusive evidence attributing these messages to specific government agencies in Mexico".

"However, circumstantial evidence suggests that one or more ... of NSO's government customers in Mexico are the likely operators."

The Centro Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez, a prominent human rights group that has investigated a number of high-profile human rights cases and said its staff members were targeted, was incredulous at the president's remarks.

In a statement late on Thursday, it called for an independent investigation by experts.

It said that by dismissing and diminishing the significance of the spying and threatening those who reported it, "President Pena Nieto has shown that he will not be capable of investigating himself".

AP
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For Immediate Release, June 23, 2017 Contact: Nathan Donley, (971) 717-6406, ndonley@biologicaldiversity.org Arkansas Board OKs Emergency Ban of Drift-prone Pesticide Dicamba Has Prompted More Than 240 New Complaints in Arkansas LITTLE ROCK, Ark. In response to more than 240 complaints of crop damage from the highly toxic and drift-prone pesticide dicamba, the Arkansas State Plant Board today voted to enact an emergency ban of the controversial pesticide that has spurred three lawsuits and a dispute that led to the murder of an Arkansas farmer. Once approved by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and a legislative council, the ban on in-crop use of the pesticide will be immediate. The problems with the dangerous pesticide began last year after Monsanto released soybean and cotton seeds that had been genetically engineered to resist it, triggering a jump in use of the pesticide and hundreds of complaints from farmers claiming crop damage from pesticide drift. This is a perfect example of the danger of crops genetically engineered for herbicide tolerance  they promote massive increases in use of these dangerous pesticides, said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. When crops resistant to highly toxic pesticides like dicamba are planted, it unfairly endangers the crops of neighboring farmers. Dicamba, which is well-known for its tendency to evaporate and drift to nontarget fields, is highly toxic to virtually all fruits and vegetables, as well as many crops that have not been genetically altered to resist it. The pesticide is also linked to increased rates of cancer in farmers and poses increased risks to some of the nation's most endangered species. Of the roughly 3 million acres of soybeans planted by Arkansas farmers this year, about 2 million acres come from Monsanto's dicamba-tolerant seeds. According to Monsanto's estimates, the adoption of dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton crops will cause annual dicamba use on soybeans and cotton to jump from less than 1 million pounds to more than 25 million over the next three to four years. So far this spring Arkansas regulators have received more than 240 complaints of dicamba misuse, more than seven times as many as in all of last year. Earlier this month dicamba drift ruined more than 100 acres at an Arkansas agricultural research station plot, where conditions are tightly controlled. Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee regulators are also already reporting complaints about damaging drift from applications of the toxic pesticide. Missouri, which led the nation last year with more than 200 dicamba-related complaints, has already received more than 50 complaints. An immediate ban on dicamba is the only honest solution to this dangerous problem and Arkansas is on the right path, said Donley. We hope additional states will take action to ensure that dicamba drift doesn't continue to wreak havoc on fields and the environment across the U.S. 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.
More than 1 lakh dengue cases were recorded in India last year

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched a pilot project in Pune to find hidden cases of dengue.

According to ICMR officials, The project involves developing a smart electronic surveillance system that might help predict a dengue outbreak

More than 1 lakh dengue cases were recorded in India last year.

As per the statement given by Dr Soumya Swaminathan, director general, ICMR to one of the daily newspaper, The reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg. To get a true picture of the dengue burden, a pilot project is being rolled out that aims at preparing a smart electronic surveillance system for dengue. Pune has seen large number of dengue cases in the past few years. The effort is to network with all healthcare providers to find hidden cases and identify hotspots in the city.

As part of the project, the team headed by Dr A C Mishra, former director of National Institute of Virology has collected more than 2,000 serum samples to detect antibodies against the dengue virus in the community and help prepare the electronic surveillance system for the city.
Several wine estates in South Africa are following the trend of converting to organic wine producing and processing, in the footsteps of its major export markets: the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), United States (US) and Canada. However, is organic wine production as financially sustainable as it is environmentally?

The organically grown vineyards of Avondale Wine. Image Source: AgriOrbit

The terms organic, biodynamic and sustainable can be confusing:

Sustainability refers to production that is environmentally responsible in a holistic sense but uses conventional chemical regimes that make use of fertilisers, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides.

Organic wine is produced from organically grown grapes and meets the standard for certification by a recognised organic certification agency. Standards often differ from one country to the next, but all organic wines are produced without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilisers.

Biodynamic wine is made and grown on the principles established by Rudolf Steiner. Biodynamic farming is by default organic, but considers the farm as part of a total living system. This includes the influence of the moon and planets, and the entire interdependent ecosystem of wildlife, natural habitat, vineyards and people.

Production methods

The South African Wine Industry Information and Systems NPC (SAWIS) defines organic wine as produced from organically grown grapes that meet the standard for certification by one of many recognised organic certification agencies. Organic wine is produced without chemical pesticides or fertilisers. Sulphites are strictly limited and controlled globally, but in certain countries, organic wine must be produced without the added use of sulphites.

The major point of difference is the reaction to outbreaks of disease and pests. With traditional chemical farming, a list of registered approved products is available to salvage the situation, whereas organic certifications forbid the use of any chemical pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Therefore, the organic biodynamic producer has to consider the fundamental causes and address these.

Chemical regimes are like a sticking plaster, covering up the issue instead of addressing the root cause. When using an organic and biodynamic approach to farming, you learn from nature to build the natural ecosystem which reduces the need for chemicals.

Regulations and certification

According to SAWIS, there is no difference between the primary production techniques for making wine. There are however certain products not allowed in the production of certified organic wines, as well as specified secondary wine manipulation techniques and processes.

There are certain practices that are restricted and not allowed, such as the addition of nitrogen in the fermentation process. Adding yeast, natural enzymes and sulphur is allowed, but sulphur levels are strictly controlled, explains Avondale Wines proprietor, Johnathan Grieve. We believe in making slow natural wines in a process using natural fermentation, no additives, and extremely low sulphite levels.

In South Africa, a certification seal appears on containers of wine or brandy certified by the Wine and Spirit Board (WSB), serving as a guarantee of origin, vintage, and variety as stated on the label. This certification applies to all wines, including organic. Even if farms produce wine organically, only those certified by an internationally accredited body are entitled to label their wines as organic.

Certification will depend on the particular export market. If you are selling in the EU, EU organic standards are required and the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Programme standards apply in the US. Avondale wines are certified according to both these standards, says Grieve.

Pros and cons

Organic wine production holds several benefits for the wellbeing of the environment, consumers, and labourers:

Benefits include:

 Less chemical usage on grapes.

 Less chemicals for workers to handle.

 Better for the environment.

 Brings life back to the farm.

 Less or no sulphur in wine.

 Growing demand for organic produce.

 Producing nutrient-dense, flavoursome products that are.

 Regulated standards recognised in markets.

Challenges include:

 May be a financial risk to the producer if not done correctly.

 Organic producers need to be engaged, believe in the system and have a sound knowledge of nature.

 Can be challenging in regions prone to infestation and infection.

 Organic wines might not fetch significantly better prices.

 Production may result in lower yields due to less control over pests if not managed correctly.

 It takes three years to convert a conventional vineyard to organic.

 Weed control presents the greatest challenge.

 Could be more labour-intensive.

 Farms are subject to regular and lengthy audit inspections.

 Organic requirements differ from country to country.

Market sustainability

If organic production is done correctly, there is no reason for the costs not to be sustainable, says Grieve. The local organic market is slowly taking off. This is mainly due to certification being expensive. There are a number of producers who are employing organic practices but have not completed the certification process. Organic wines are gaining traction as international consumers favour organic winemaking, in particular for its health benefits and ecological sustainability. Many supermarkets have organic wine sections, with increasingly more consumers seeking out organic wines.

Table 1: Size of the international organic wine market. (Courtesy of SAWIS)

Do you wish to farm organically because you want to get a premium for your product, or is it because your farm will start living again and produce quality produce, naturally resulting in expressive wines? With the latter reason, the skys the limit, says Grieve.

To illustrate the potential for the organic wine market, there are certain markets globally that have initiated an active drive to grow their inorganic offering. This had not been pushed by retailers but rather by consumers initially, so much so that one of the main South African markets set the goal to have 20% of its offering organic by 2020. I believe they reached this number by 2016, only two years after having set the goal. - Ursula Human, Farmbiz

The information provided was compiled courtesy of VinPro, SAWIS, Wines of South Africa, the Integrated Production of Wine and Jonathan Grieve of Avondale Wine.
Jeff Neville/Facebook(FLINT, Mich.) -- The man who stabbed a police officer at the Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, left the officer with an approximately 12-inch long laceration from his Adam's apple to the back of his neck, a hospital official said Friday morning.



Lt. Jeff Neville was assaulted outside the airport's Transportation Security Administration screening area on Wednesday morning, allegedly by a Canadian man, in an attack that is being investigated as an act of terrorism, officials said. Neville is in stable condition and expected to fully recover, according to hospital officials.



Neville was able to stop the assault within a minute and "never stopped fighting" until the attacker was in handcuffs, according to airport officials.



An airport maintenance worker also jumped in and helped restrain the attacker, according to Airport Director Craig Williams.



"I believe he saved Jeffs life," Williams said.



Hospital officials said that Neville was calm after the attack and appeared to understand the situation he was in.



The 12-inch knife used in the attack had an 8-inch serrated blade.



It sliced through the muscles in the officer's neck but likely avoided further damage by "a matter of millimeters," said Dr. Donald Scholten, a trauma surgeon at Hurley Medical Center.



The knife "was probably very, very close to severing his major artery and nerve," Scholten said Friday, adding that it could have also severed "his windpipe and digestive system."



"This was a significant force," Scholten said. "This was not a shaving nick."



Neville underwent surgery shortly after the assault, officials said, and he received at least 50 stitches.



Officials said Friday that Neville is making progress and expected to be discharged within a few days.



Neville has been an airport employee since 2001, Williams said, adding that he is "well-loved by everybody here just for his personality, his professionalism. He treats everybody with respect."



During Wednesday's attack, the suspect, Amor Ftouhi, allegedly yelled "Allahu Akbar," (God is great), according to David Gelios of the FBI.



Gelios said Ftouhi "continued to exclaim 'Allah' and he made a statement to the effect of, 'You killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan' and 'We're all going to die.'"



After Ftouhi was taken into custody and interviewed by authorities, officials said it appeared he had "a hatred for the United States and a variety of other things that motivated him ... to conduct this act of violence."



A criminal complaint was filed against Ftouhi on Wednesday for "violence at an international airport," but officials noted that there could be more charges in the future.



Ftouhi made an initial appearance in court Wednesday evening and ordered temporarily detained without bond, prosecutors said. His public defender did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.



The ongoing investigation into the incident is part of a joint operation between the U.S. and Canada, officials said.



Ftouhi legally entered the U.S. in Lake Champlain, New York, on June 16, and later traveled to Flint, Gelios said.



No one else appears to have been involved and there is no information to suggest a wider plot, officials said.



The airport, which was evacuated and shut down Wednesday, later reopened. No passengers were harmed in the attack, officials said.



Ftouhi's next hearing is set for June 28.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Liquor giant Distell, which owns best-selling brands such as Savanna, Hunters, Nederburg and Klipdrift, has uncorked a proposal that fortifies the position of its biggest shareholder, investment giant Remgro. The proposed deal could potentially also boost Distell's international deal-making and investment appeal by collapsing an archaic and unpopular pyramid holding company structure.

On Thursday, Distell proposed dismantling Capevin, a JSE-listed holding company that holds a 26% stake in Distell as its only asset. The central figure in the transaction is Remgro, which holds a 26.4% direct stake in Distell, as well as a 19% stake in Capevin. Other major shareholders in Capevin are asset manager Coronation and pension manager the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).

While there has been a persistent clamour to break down the pyramid, speculation about a possible dismantling of Capevin mounted this week following a Financial Mail article, that noted that Remgro had acquired more shares in Capevin in May to shift its stake from 15% to 19%.

After the dismantling of the Capevin structure, Remgro will remain the biggest shareholder in Distell with a 31.4% stake. The PIC will speak for about 31% and Coronation just more than 5%.

Most critically, the unbundling of Capevin's shareholding means the free float in Distell shares improves markedly from less than 20% to about 38%. The mechanism of the transaction involves the creation and listing of a new entity, New Distell, which will acquire all the shares in Capevin and Distell. Shareholders in both companies will receive shares in the newly listed New Distell as settlement.

An important twist in the transaction is that Remgro will be issued with unlisted B shares. These shares have no economic rights, but will provide Remgro with the same voting rights in Distell as it held before to the transaction via Remgro=Capevin Investments.

This means Remgro's 31.4% stake will actually speak for 52.8% of the new Distell. This is an important rider since Remgro appeared to be outbid by the PIC for SABMiller's 26.42% stake in Distell in 2016.

Remgro held pre-emptive rights on the SABMiller stake and was widely tipped to buy the shares after the takeover by Anheuser-Busch InBev.

According to a statement issued by Distell, the PIC and Coronation will support the transaction. Distell CEO Richard Rushton said that shareholders had been asking for the dismantling of the Capevin structure for a number of years.

He said the transaction would boost the general marketability of Distell stock to local and international investors. "It should also improve our ability to raise additional capital in the future, if required, to fund our growth ambitions."

Distell - which has enjoyed huge success with its cider brands - has lately shown an inclination to build a meaningful global presence. It has done this via the acquisition of cognac brand Bisquit cognac and whiskey brand Scottish Leader as well as new points of presence in the US and China.

Long-time Distell shareholder Chris Logan, the CEO of Opportune Investments, described Distell's proposals as very positive and a long time coming. He said that the Capevin structure was undoubtedly the main culprit in Distell never making value-accretive acquisitions with its scrip.

Source: Business Day
China and Hong Kong are overwhelmingly the largest shipment centres for fake goods sold around the world, in a growing, complex battle against sophisticated counterfeiters, Europe's police agency said Thursday.

In 2015, the two territories "were the provenance of 86% of global counterfeiting and $396.5 billion worth of counterfeit goods," Europol said in a detailed 74-page report, adding intellectual property theft was "one of the most lucrative criminal enterprises".

With the rising use of cargo rail links between China and Europe, there are also concerns that criminal networks may begin to seize on what can be a cheaper or faster alternative for transporting goods than container shipping or air links. Turkey is another important hub for the entry of fake goods into the European Union, along with Thailand and Singapore, said the joint report produced with the Madrid-based EU Intellectual Property Office.

Everything from shampoos, to batteries, electronics and brand-name clothing, toys, medicine and food has been counterfeited and sold, often to unsuspecting customers. There is also a rising trade in fake labels for Europe-based networks producing such goods inside the zone. But the top category of fake goods seized at the EU's borders in 2015 was cigarettes - accounting for some 27% of some 88,000 cases investigated by customs officials.

As gangs seek to bypass checks and reach consumers quickly and cheaply, rail connections out of China could offer "concrete advantages", the report warned.

"Intellectual property crime is extensive in the EU and carries very many adverse effects," warned Europol head Rob Wainwright. "It harms our economies, generates enormous illicit profits for organised crime groups, and often causes direct physical harm to citizens in the form of the growing supply of fake health and safety goods."

Sales of fake clothing and shoes amounted to more than 26 billion euros in lost sales of legitimate goods in Europe, or 9.7% of total revenues, causing an estimated 363,000 job losses in this "mirror economy", the report said. Many items are now being sold online directly to consumers, allowing counterfeiters to send their goods in small packets which may pass more easily through border checks.

"Counterfeiters often need to produce and ship products quickly, usually in reaction to emerging product trends and demands," the report said. While the goods may be produced cheaply, "air freight, despite being fast, is often too expensive" while a shipping container can take up to six weeks to reach its destination.

China is developing both its rail and road infrastructure to reach the eastern EU external borders.

Source: AFP
Eskom has appointed Johnny Dladla as the acting group CE, following the removal of Brian Molefe.

Dladla has been appointed with immediate effect, on the eve of the power utility's AGM on Friday, 23 June.

"Dladla has sufficient skills to excel in this role. He has 22 years of experience within the Eskom, 17 years invested in various nonregulated businesses and five years as CEO for Eskom Enterprises and its subsidiaries," acting board chairman Zethembe Khoza said in a statement.

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown also welcomed Dladla's appointment, saying he would bring stability to Eskom and the executive.

The power utility said Brown had obligated the board to finalise the appointment of a permanent group CE to ensure long-term stability to the utility.

The Eskom board was forced to rescind Molefe's reappointment earlier this month, as directed by Brown.

Molefe turned to the Labour Court to fight it. He has left Eskom twice in six months - once voluntarily and once under duress.

Brown is expected to remove the remaining board members at Friday's AGM.

Last week, board chairman Ben Ngubane resigned with immediate effect, citing personal reasons.

Source: BDpro
In the recent case of Willem Hendrik du Plessis v AMIC Trading, the employee referred a matter to the Labour Court seeking an order declaring his dismissal by the employer automatically unfair in terms of s187(1)(g) of the Labour Relations Act (LRA).

Redgwoods employed the employee previously, however, in 2012, the employer purchased the business of Redgwoods and the employees employment was subsequently transferred to the employer. The employers head office was originally based in Modderfontein.

In 2013, a fellow employee informed the employee about an email she discovered, where the HR department of the employer and the employees directors discussed a strategy to dismiss the employee. The strategy was that the employer would relocate its offices to Durban and the employee would be requested to relocate, and when he refused he would be retrenched.

After the employee became aware of the abovementioned email, he was informed by the employer that its head office was going to relocate to Durban. The employee was requested to move to Durban to work at the new head offices of the employer. The employee, being aware of the email, initially agreed but later changed his mind and then refused. The employer then commenced retrenchment procedures.

An independent company facilitated the retrenchment consultations, during which three offers were made to the employee. One of these offers was that the employee did not have to relocate, but would then be employed as an area manager in Gauteng at a reduced salary. The employee rejected all the offers and he was consequently dismissed.

The employee referred the matter to the Labour Court claiming that his dismissal was automatically unfair because the dismissal was due to the transfer of a business as a going concern.

Previous case law

The Labour Court considered the earlier decision of Van der Velde v Business & Design Software & Another (2006), which can be seen as the locus classicus when considering whether a dismissal is automatically unfair, where it took place due to a transfer of business.

In that decision, the Labour Court highlighted the different factors that need to be considered during this enquiry, namely:

The employee must prove that he/she was dismissed and that the underlying transaction is one that falls within the ambit of section 197 of the LRA.



The employee must further provide compelling evidence that indicates that the dismissal was causally connected to the transfer. When considering this factor, the Court will conduct an objective enquiry.



Once the employee has successfully discharged the abovementioned evidentiary burden, the onus shifts to the employer to prove that the reason for the dismissal was a reason that is not automatically unfair.



If the employer argues that the dismissal was based on a fair reason, for example operational requirements, the Court must apply a two-stage test to establish whether the true reason for the dismissal was the transfer itself, or a reason related to the employers operational requirements. This test includes:

Factual causation test (the but for test)  would the dismissal have taken place but for the transfer?





Legal causation test  this test must be applied if the factual causation test has been satisfied. With this test, the Court will objectively determine whether the transfer is the main, dominant, proximate or most likely cause of the dismissal.

It is insufficient for an employer to claim that the reason for the dismissal was not the transfer itself, if the dismissal was effected in anticipation of a transfer and in response to the requirements of a potential purchaser.



The court will take an objective stance in determining whether the employer used the dismissal as a means to avoid its obligations under s197. If the employer relied on the dismissal to avoid its s197 obligations, then the dismissal would have been related to the transfer. If not, the dismissal relates to the employers operational requirements or other fair reason.

Employee unsuccessful

In the present matter, the Labour Court held that the email that the employee became aware of (where his possible dismissal was discussed) was discovered in September 2013, after this, the employer searched for other premises in Johannesburg and even extended its lease in Modderfontein for a further three years. It was only after the terms of the lease became uneconomical that the decision was made to relocate the business to Durban.

Therefore, the Labour Court held that the employers conduct, after the email, demonstrates that the strategy in the email was not carried through. The Labour Court reached the conclusion that there was no evidence that the employees dismissal was related to the transfer of the business from Redgwoods to the employer. The Labour Court granted the employers application for absolution from the instance and as a result, the employee was unsuccessful.

This case reaffirms the correct approach to determine whether a dismissal was automatically unfair, if it took place due to a transfer of business in contravention of s187(1)(g) of the LRA. All employers anticipating to be involved in a transfer of business should consider the factors listed in the Van der Velde case, to ensure that their actions are in line with the provisions of the LRA.
No business can compete in an information vacuum, as competition does not take place in a vacuum. In order to compete vigorously, one needs information. However, it is important to understand the context in which information is exchanged and what information may be exchanged in order to avoid crossing the line of anti-competitive behaviour.

Sharing information amongst competitors may yield several pro-competitive benefits. Notwithstanding these benefits, there is an inherent danger that information sharing amongst competitors may increase transparency in the market with the result of facilitating collusion.

There are benefits to legitimate information sharing. It can serve as a discovery mechanism to prevent trial and error decision making and enable companies to adapt to changing market conditions. It furthermore informs organisational learning and allows organisations to benefit from solutions that come about in research and development. No organisation can formulate a competitive strategy without understanding the market place within which it competes.

Competition Commission workshop

In order to provide guidance as to what information may be legitimately shared amongst competitors and what cannot, the Competition Commission has recently hosted a workshop to obtain input from market participants on draft guidelines on the exchange of information between competitors.

When considering the draft guidelines on information exchange, it is clear that the Commission recognises the importance of information exchange in our economy and the impact that information sharing may have on competition in the market.

In formulating guidelines, one should take into consideration and learn from the know-how developed by other regulators. A number of countries have indeed dealt with information exchange considerations over many years in terms of competition law enforcement.

International example of collusion

One such example is the UK galvanised steel tanks case, which presents a view that could enable businesses to manoeuver around competition law obstacles.

On 21 March 2016, the UK Competition and Markets Authority settled an information exchange case, following a lengthy investigation and engagement with Franklin Hodge Industries, Galglass, KW Supplies and Balmoral Tanks, who are competitors of each other.

At a single meeting held on 11 July 2012, the parties exchanged commercially sensitive information. The CMA secretly recorded the meeting. The information exchanged comprised both generic and contract specific information. The specific information that was shared was in the form of price bands and prices quoted for specific historic contracts.

Interestingly, the purpose of the meeting was to invite Balmoral to join the parties pre-existing cartel arrangement. The audio-video recording of the meeting revealed that Balmoral declined the invitation to join the cartel arrangement with the parties but actively participated in the meeting by exchanging commercially sensitive information in an attempt to be social. The CMA noted that although Balmoral declined the invitation of joining the parties cartel arrangement, Balmoral did not publically distance itself from the cartel conduct of the cartel members. The CMA pointed out that when businesses become privy to cartel conduct, they must publicly distance themselves from the cartel conduct and express themselves firmly and unambiguously to avoid contravening competition law.

On an assessment of the case, the CMA found that the problem with the aforementioned meeting and the exchanged information lies in the fact that there was direct contact between parties who were already in an existing cartel arrangement. Balmoral was also liable for an infringement of competition law as it was made aware of the parties cartel arrangement but nonetheless chose to stay at the meeting and actively participate by exchanging commercially sensitive information with the parties. It is within this thorny bush of information disclosure that Balmoral was caught.

Importantly, the CMA held that its finding of Balmoral and the parties infringement is not based on the fact that the parties entered into a price-fixing agreement at the meeting held on 11 July 2012 but that the nature of the infringement is based on the fact that the exchanged information among the parties and Balmoral had the effect of reducing uncertainty as to future pricing in the market for water storage tanks. Consequently, the exchange of information distorted competition. This all resulted from one single meeting and the innocent conversation about the state of competition in the market.

Guidelines will assist in information exchange

Guidelines on information exchange will enable businesses to understand clearly how to deal with information exchange among competitors. However, there will always be significant room for interpretation. Businesses need to be vigilant and empowered as to what information may be shared and what information may not be shared among competitors. This can be achieved through education and training. It is paramount to empower employees with knowledge. Without the necessary knowledge, how can one expect staff not to fall foul of the Competition Act?

ENDS 788 words

Grant Henry Director Communications Advisory 082 561 7172 Grant.Henry@commsadvisory.com

From: grant.henry@commsadvisory.com [mailto:grant.henry@commsadvisory.com]

Sent: Monday, June 19, 2017 9:48 AM

To: undisclosed-recipients:

Subject: Competition Law: Competing in a vacuum or not
NEW YORK, US: Qatar Airways has notified American Airlines that it wants to buy about a 10% stake in the US carrier, which confirmed the move on Thursday in a securities filing.

 peshkova via Fotolia

Qatar Airways told American it would undertake purchases of American common stock with an eye toward a 10% stake, the filing said.

Shares of American shot up 5.6% in pre-market trade. Some neighbouring countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, have suspended all flights to and from Qatar as part of a diplomatic row with the Gulf country.

Source: AFP
There has been much talk about Africa's urban dividends  the increased prosperity and sustained socioeconomic development resulting from the expansion and industrialisation of African cities.

Yet such dividends can be derived only from governments deliberate planning and management of cities. That is the essential wisdom shared in the 2017 Economic Report on Africa (ERA), written by experts at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The report, titled Urbanization and Industrialization for Africas Transformation, is the fifth in as many years to highlight the need for structural transformation in Africa through industrialisation.

Rural-to-urban migration

Two years ago the ECA called on governments to use smart trade policies to advance industrial goals. Last year the report argued for green industrialisation, urging countries to infuse green initiatives into value-chain activities, especially during the process of transforming raw materials into finished products.

The 2017 report, launched in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2017, was one of the high-level events marking Africa Development Week. The purpose of the report is to assist governments and policy makers with strategies to harness urban growth and advance Africas industrialisation, says Adam Elhiraika, the director of the Macroeconomic Policy Division at the ECA.

Experts calling for increased attention to management and planning of cities often refer to a UN report that highlights the fact that four out of 10 people in Africa currently live in cities. With an annual urban growth rate of 3.4%, that number will rise to 5 out 10 in about 18 years, meaning that by 2035 half of the continents population will live in cities.

Such urban growth can be explained by rural dwellers migration to the cities in search of better economic opportunities and access to essential services.

But these population movements from rural to urban areas are rarely properly managed, and cities are often unable to provide residents with such public amenities as housing, water, electricity, health, education, sanitation and jobs, to name a few.

Traditionally, urban growth in developing countries is seen more as a challenge than an opportunity, Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, a prominent Senegalese architect, told Africa Renewal. It doesnt have to be like this forever, he said.

Some governments have responded to urban population pressures by building new cities, such as Diamniadio in Senegal, or rehabilitating older cities, such as Kigali in Rwanda.

Urbanisation and industrialisation

The 2017 ERA does not, however, advocate the creation of new urban centres to solve the problems associated with urbanisation. Instead the report points out the need for governments to plan urban and industrial development through deliberate policies and investments as a priority for the sustainability of both cities and industries.

In other words, according to the report, urbanisation and industrialisation should go together. History and experience demonstrate that urbanisation is closely linked to economic growth and the transformation of economies towards productive sectors, namely industries and services.

The idea that African cities and towns could be engines of economic growth and social development is not entirely new. Five years ago the African Development Bank pointed out that 55% of the continents GDP comes from cities. In South Africa more than three-quarters of GDP comes from metropolitan and other large urban municipalities, according to Lungisa Fuzile, South Africas former director-general of Treasury.

In 2015 the Mo Ibrahim Foundation referred to selected non-African countries to argue that there is a correlation between urban growth and increase in GDP per capita. The foundations report, African Urban Dynamics 2015: Facts and Figures, demonstrates a consistent link between a countrys level of urbanization and its GDP per capita, although such a link remains relatively and historically low in African countries, with the exceptions of Morocco, South Africa and a few other cities.

Colonial legacy

That African cities are not contributing enough to GDP may be explained in historical and geographical contexts. Africas major cities, for example, were located by the European colonial powers along the coast for the easy removal of raw materials by sea, or inland near the sources of those materials.

The colonial legacy continues to overshadow Africas current economic reality, which has remained tied in large part to the extractive industries. For years the ECA and a variety of experts have urged African countries to use value addition to raw materials sourced locally as a vehicle for industrialisation.

The Asian experience demonstrates that structurally and historically, urbanisation is a by-product of agricultural or industrial productivity growth. However, the problem with Africa is that countries with low productivity growth also appear to be witnessing urban growth, but without structural transformation.

In some African countries, urbanisation has been driven by the effect of natural resource endowments rather than industrialisation, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation underscored in its 2015 report.

This years ECA report corroborates the Mo Ibrahim Foundations argument. Africas unguided urban expansion risks perpetuating non-inclusive and unsustainable development growth, warn the authors of the report. For that reason governments are advised to make hard choices for the scale and type of investments they need to make, and for the spatial pattern (where the cities are located and how they interact) and urban form they want to see.

The ERA acknowledges those countries making efforts to tackle urbanisation fallout, such as by building new cities, but it sees room for improvement.

When we call for urbanisation and industrialisation to be included and prioritised in national development plans, we are not advocating for a return to centralised and rigid national development plans of the past, Elhiraika clarified at the report launch.

Population growth, according to Elhiraika, could lead to a rise in the middle class population, which in turn would trigger new consumption patterns, leading to an increase in demand for processed goods, a development that itself presents an opportunity for industrialisation.

What Africans must do, he concluded, is add value locally to valuable mineral and agricultural resources.

Article published courtesy of Africa Renewal.
Curro's tertiary education arm Stadio has acquired 74% of the Southern Business School (SBS), the latest regional acquisition as the company continues a strategy to expand its geographical reach in the tertiary education sector.

Source: SBS on Facebook

The acquisition is still subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions, including approval by competition authorities, the company said in note to shareholders.

On Thursday, the JSE-listed private education group announced the acquisition of 74% the issued share capital of SA-based SBS, which holds 51% of the Southern Business School of Namibia.

Curro is planning to unbundle Stadio later in 2017, part of a broader shakeup of the company that will result in founding CEO Chris van Der Merwe taking up a nonexecutive role at Curro in July, and heading up Stadio.

Curro chief operating officer Andries Greyling is expected to succeed him.

"Curro re-affirms its intention to unbundle and list Stadio separately during the course of this year. Shareholders are advised that further details in respect of such unbundling and listing will be released on SENS in due course," Curro said in the statement.

SBS is an SA-registered higher education institution, with SBS Namibia being recognised by the Namibian Qualification Authority. SBS has 11 accredited distance learning programmes, ranging from higher certificates to masters' degrees.

Earlier in June the company, through Stadio, acquired 100% of SA-based film school Afda.

In November 2016, Curro also acquired half of Botswana's BA Isago University, with the acquisition being done via its subsidiary, the Embury Institute for Higher Education.

In March 2016, Curro also acquired the Windhoek Gymnasium in Namibia.

Source: BDpro
Although the motives are good in attempting to stimulate employment for young work seekers, the negative impact of the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) is that some of the binding conditions place an administrative burden on payroll departments.

Supporting the ETI programme is a no brainer as our youth unemployment is in the range of 52%, but the South African Revenue Service (Sars) needs to review some of these burdensome conditions, particularly as the ETI has been extended to 28th February 2019.

For instance, the prescribed guidelines in the Act dont appear to take the actual work and business environment realities into account, mostly related to the inflexibility of many payroll systems.

Some of the issues

Some payroll systems cant automatically exclude employees when they turn 29.11 years, resulting in claims being made for employees who do not qualify.

The value of the remuneration must be based on 160 ordinary hours per month, excluding overtime and unpaid hours. This means that if less than 160 hours are worked, the system must gross up the remuneration to 160 hours per month to calculate the value of the ETI which must then be grossed down on the same basis. Therefore the hours worked must be recorded and tracked to make the correct claim calculation. The calculation needs to be rules-based to avoid manual intervention. This adds complexity with system programming and, as a result, is often managed manually.

Employers must ensure that they adhere to the qualifying period of 24 months claim for each employee. The 24 months need not be consecutive. Here again it is critical to have systems in place to manage this as non-adherence will be penalised.

One of the ETI requirements is that an employer must remain tax compliant for all registered taxes to be able to claim the tax incentive. If at any stage the employer is found to be non-compliant, all ETI previously claimed may be subject to reversal. The implications are that interest and penalties are imposed on arrear taxes. To rectify the process can take up to 21 working days as there is no ETI dedicated contact at Sars. To avoid this situation, the payroll department must be proactive and add an additional control function in their already busy schedules. A monthly statement of account must be requested from Sars (or can be obtained from e-filing through the person who is accountable for this in the company). This must be reviewed and any abnormal item reflected must immediately be raised as a query and rectified to ensure that the ETI claim is processed by Sars.

Sars has issued a Draft Binding General Ruling on the ETI Act 28 of 2013, aimed at resolving these issues, for which comments must be submitted by 24 July 2017.
In an effort to expedite the provision of affordable housing opportunities across the city, the City of Cape Town is seeking additional social housing partners.

"The development and availability of affordable rental accommodation in central areas of the city in particular, must play a key role in the future development of Cape Town. Furthermore, providing affordable housing opportunities closer to where people work or close to public transport is non-negotiable. This way we will create a more integrated and inclusive city where residents have equal access to opportunities. This approach will also assist us in addressing the legacy of apartheid spatial planning and improving densification and mixed land-use," said the citys mayoral committee member for Transport and Urban Development, Councillor Brett Herron.

The city currently has partnership agreements with five social housing companies to develop and manage affordable rental housing stock for lower- and middle-income residents.

Fast-tracking delivery

"Given the acute demand for affordable housing, the city needs more social housing partners to help us up-scale and expedite the number of opportunities delivered in the short- to medium-term. In this sense we are approaching a very exciting period where we will be fast-tracking the delivery of affordable housing opportunities at a number of key inner-city sites. These sites will be announced in a call for development proposals in the near future. This will provide us and our new social housing partners with the ideal opportunity to work together immediately," said Herron.

The city is therefore seeking to enter into partnership agreements with more companies who are accredited with the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) as stipulated by the Social Housing Act.

"We want to sign full partnership agreements with companies that are already experienced in developing and managing their own rental stock, but we are also looking for conditional partners who will be given capacity support to develop and manage their first projects. Once they have proven their ability to deliver, their agreements may be transitioned into full partnerships with the city," said Herron.

Compulsory briefing

Companies who are accredited with the SHRA and interested in entering into partnerships with the city are invited to attend a compulsory briefing starting at 10am on 30 June 2017 at 44 Wale Street in the Cape Town central business district. The interested companies are also requested to register on the citys social housing database.

"We need well-located affordable housing in our inner cities and around transport corridors. Importantly, we want partners who are just as committed as we are to addressing this need. They must be obsessive about delivery and quality, and they must be willing to serve the beneficiaries of these projects with passion," said Herron.

Agreements with social housing companies are based on the public-private-partnership model for service delivery. These agreements stipulate the aims, goals, objectives, performance targets, and specific areas of cooperation between the city and the institutions. The city provides rates subsidies and the social housing companies access capital subsidies from other spheres of government to ensure that more affordable rental accommodation options are provided.

Radical shift in financing, planning strategies

"When council adopted the Organisational Development and Transformation Plan in August 2016, we made a commitment to take radical steps to accelerate change. The Transport and Urban Development Authority is tackling the housing challenge head-on. We have recognised that we need a radical shift in our financing and planning strategies and delivery methods to address this scale of need. I am confident that we will soon have more partners from the private sector who will assist us in providing decent and affordable housing to those who need it most," said Herron.

The citys partnership agreements with the social housing companies Madulammoho, Social Housing Company, and Cape Town Community Housing Company will be renewed in due course, and the agreement with Communicare will be extended once the contract expires in October 2017. All of these companies have been accredited by the Social Housing Regulatory Authority as required by national government.
Putting African history on the map globally through storytelling combined with academic research is something that Deutsche Welle, in partnership with the Gerda Henkel Foundation, is doing.

Deutsche Welle has launched a story series for young Africans. The project, sponsored by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, will present 25 outstanding personalities of African history as a web comic and radio portraits.

The series "African Roots" suggests a historical arch of Dinknesh, also known as Lucy, the "mother of humanity", from today's Ethiopia over legendary rulers of the Middle Ages like the Mali king Sundjata Keita, to key figures of the independence movement like Patrice Lumumba. The project works with African sources, African researchers and African authors.

At the Global Media Forum in Bonn, experts from Cameroon, Uganda and Kenya discussed the effort made by Africans to interpret their own history in a panel under the title "From Lucy to You - Reclaiming African History".

"African histories are particularly in demand," said Claus Stacker, head of the DW Africa programs and initiator of the project. "Especially young users and listeners bemoan that the way that history is taught is strongly influenced by European and colonial perspectives and how little they learn about their own heroines and heroes. We hope to close this gap."

"The Gerda Henkel Foundation supports various research projects in Africa that are dedicated to the preservation of written and oral remembrance," explains Michael Hanssler, chairman of the board of management. "The story of Africa, with African voices, narrated for a young African audience - this core idea of African Roots is what the foundation likes to support."

"Our editorial offices did not choose only the most famous heroes and heroines, such as Nelson Mandela, but also personalities whose influence is less known," explains DW Africa editor Philipp Sandner. "In addition, we deliberately looked for strong women who are underrepresented in the history books."

The 25 animated web portraits are drawn by Nigerian graphic designer Jide Martin. In the coming months, 25 radio portraits and 25 web comics will be produced in six African languages.

African historians and cultural scientists work as experts on the series and young researchers are entering live chats in a direct dialogue with DW users.

The DW programs in Amharic, English, French, Hausa, Kiswahili and Portuguese reach about 40 million people every week. Young users are increasingly finding their way to DW via social networks. The number of African Facebook subscribers has doubled in just one year to 3.2 million.
There has been much talk about Africa's urban dividends - the increased prosperity and sustained socioeconomic development resulting from the expansion and industrialisation of African cities.

 Ulrich Mueller via 123RF

Yet such dividends can be derived only from governments deliberate planning and management of cities. That is the essential wisdom shared in the 2017 Economic Report on Africa (ERA), written by experts at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The report, titled Urbanization and Industrialization for Africas Transformation, is the fifth in as many years to highlight the need for structural transformation in Africa through industrialisation.

Rural-to-urban migration

Two years ago the ECA called on governments to use smart trade policies to advance industrial goals. Last year the report argued for green industrialisation, urging countries to infuse green initiatives into value-chain activities, especially during the process of transforming raw materials into finished products.

The 2017 report, launched in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2017, was one of the high-level events marking Africa Development Week. The purpose of the report is to assist governments and policy makers with strategies to harness urban growth and advance Africas industrialisation, says Adam Elhiraika, the director of the Macroeconomic Policy Division at the ECA.

Experts calling for increased attention to management and planning of cities often refer to a UN report that highlights the fact that four out of 10 people in Africa currently live in cities. With an annual urban growth rate of 3.4%, that number will rise to five out 10 in about 18 years, meaning that by 2035 half of the continents population will live in cities.

Such urban growth can be explained by rural dwellers migration to the cities in search of better economic opportunities and access to essential services.

But these population movements from rural to urban areas are rarely properly managed, and cities are often unable to provide residents with such public amenities as housing, water, electricity, health, education, sanitation and jobs, to name a few.

Traditionally, urban growth in developing countries is seen more as a challenge than an opportunity, Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, a prominent Senegalese architect, told Africa Renewal. It doesnt have to be like this forever, he said.

Some governments have responded to urban population pressures by building new cities, such as Diamniadio in Senegal, or rehabilitating older cities, such as Kigali in Rwanda.

Urbanisation and industrialisation

The 2017 ERA does not, however, advocate the creation of new urban centres to solve the problems associated with urbanisation. Instead the report points out the need for governments to plan urban and industrial development through deliberate policies and investments as a priority for the sustainability of both cities and industries.

In other words, according to the report, urbanisation and industrialisation should go together. History and experience demonstrate that urbanisation is closely linked to economic growth and the transformation of economies towards productive sectors, namely industries and services.

The idea that African cities and towns could be engines of economic growth and social development is not entirely new. Five years ago the African Development Bank pointed out that 55% of the continents GDP comes from cities. In South Africa more than three-quarters of GDP comes from metropolitan and other large urban municipalities, according to Lungisa Fuzile, South Africas former director-general of the treasury.

In 2015 the Mo Ibrahim Foundation referred to selected non-African countries to argue that there is a correlation between urban growth and increase in GDP per capita. The foundations report, African Urban Dynamics 2015: Facts and Figures, demonstrates a consistent link between a countrys level of urbanization and its GDP per capita, although such a link remains relatively and historically low in African countries, with the exceptions of Morocco, South Africa and a few other cities.

Colonial legacy

That African cities are not contributing enough to GDP may be explained in historical and geographical contexts. Africas major cities, for example, were located by the European colonial powers along the coast for the easy removal of raw materials by sea, or inland near the sources of those materials.

The colonial legacy continues to overshadow Africas current economic reality, which has remained tied in large part to the extractive industries. For years the ECA and a variety of experts have urged African countries to use value addition to raw materials sourced locally as a vehicle for industrialization.

The Asian experience demonstrates that structurally and historically, urbanisation is a by-product of agricultural or industrial productivity growth. However, the problem with Africa is that countries with low productivity growth also appear to be witnessing urban growth, but without structural transformation.

In some African countries, urbanisation has been driven by the effect of natural resource endowments rather than industrialisation, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation underscored in its 2015 report.

This years ECA report corroborates the Mo Ibrahim Foundations argument. Africas unguided urban expansion risks perpetuating non-inclusive and unsustainable development growth, warn the authors of the report. For that reason governments are advised to make hard choices for the scale and type of investments they need to make, and for the spatial pattern (where the cities are located and how they interact) and urban form they want to see.

The ERA acknowledges those countries making efforts to tackle urbanisation fallout, such as by building new cities, but it sees room for improvement.

When we call for urbanisation and industrialisation to be included and prioritized in national development plans, we are not advocating for a return to centralised and rigid national development plans of the past, Elhiraika clarified at the report launch.

Population growth, according to Elhiroaika, could lead to a rise in the middle class population, which in turn would trigger new consumption patterns, leading to an increase in demand for processed goods, a development that itself presents an opportunity for industrialization.

What Africans must do, he concluded, is add value locally to valuable mineral and agricultural resources.

Source: Africa Renewal.
Advertising Week, the world's largest annual gathering of marketing, media, and technology leaders, makes its long-anticipated debut in Africa on 14-19 February 2023, after the planned launch was delayed by the global pandemic.
There are controversies about visa bans. We have never said anything like that. The government does not have any visa ban on Harn Yanghwe, said U Zaw Htay at the press conference.

U Zaw Htay explained that the ex-government provided Harn Yanghwe with a Multiple Visa when he represented Euro-Burma Office (EBO) and co-operated with Myanmar Peace Center. However, there is no contract with EBO for the peacemaking process now. Therefore, the government no longer provides him with multiple visas, but he is allowed to get in and out of the country with a social visa, and it has already been confirmed with embassies.

Harn Yanghwe can get in and out of Myanmar. He just cannot stay for a very long time in the country like before. He can use the Social visa to enter the country, said U Zaw Htay.

A multiple visa allows people to stay in the country for a long period, and they will not need to apply for a visa every single time when they enter the country. A social visa needs to be reapplied for each visit.

Myanmar President Office Director General U Zaw Htay explained that the controversy about the visa ban on Harn Yanghwe can damage the governments image. That is why they invited the press to a press conference to clarify the information.
Myanmar security forces on June 20 got information that terrorist training was being conducted in the area at night, so security forces conducted area clearance operations.

Security forces found homemade weapons and rations, according to the Information Committee.

Three sword-wielding men were killed by Myanmar security force in self-defence during the operation, the Director General Zaw Htay said at a press conference.

Myanmar security forcesare continuing area clearance operations, he added.
Mon News Agency understands that MCL is contractually obligated to allocate two percent of its profit to regional development after the investment has broken even.

Deputy director and head of Mon States Investment Department U Myint Lwin said the project should break even in nine years and six months  triggering the funding.

[But] it may take longer if [the factory] is halted for some reason, U Myint Lwin said.

However, MP from Kyaikmaraw Constituency 2 Min Aung Mon said there are many unknowns.

The company hasnt specified the exact time for reaching the break-even point, he said.

Min Aung Mon added that the Mon State government should manage the regional development fund rather than MCL.

The MCL project has already attracted significant opposition from local villagers including a protest of some 7,000 people near the site in February.

Forget about rural development. They havent even repaired the road in our village that they are using, said Nai Aung Thike from Kun Ngan Village, which is located near the MCL factory.

Mon State government representatives said MCL spent 62 million kyat in 2014, 1.6 billion kyat in 2015, 323 million kyat in 2016 and 338 million kyat in 2017 on corporate social responsibility works.

The MCL cement factory is a joint venture between Siam Cement Group (SCG) and Pacific Link Cement Industries. Since April 1, the cement factory has reportedly been producing 5,000 tonnes per day.
PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2017

LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Carinsurancecheaponline.com has released a new blog post explaining how to find affordable car insurance for teenagers.

Teenagers are often considered a high risk category of drivers. This means that they pay more than the standard rates when applying for liability or collision car insurance. Statistics show that teenage drivers are likelier to engage in reckless driving behaviour. They are also leading when it comes to accidents caused by distracted driving.

How to use car insurance quotes

Teenage and young drives have a set of resources available to find better coverage deals for their vehicles. Online car insurance quotes help drivers compare different policies. A quote shows how much a company charges for premiums and what benefits a policy provides in case of an accident.

Drivers can get free car insurance quotes on a single website: http://www.carinsurancecheaponline.com/. Here, they can compare multiple policies in just a few minutes, without having to visit other websites. The website has important contacts in the insurance industry and is an objective source of information.

By comparing auto insurance quotes, teenagers can get cheaper coverage for their vehicles. It is possible to save more than 25% on a policy because comparing prices allows clients to sign up with the most advantageous offers.

"Online car insurance quotes can help teenagers find the right coverage plan." said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Carinsurancecheaponline.com is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.

For more information, please visit http://www.carinsurancecheaponline.com/.

Media Contact: Russell Rabichev, Internet Marketing Company, 800.475.3410, [email protected]

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE Carinsurancecheaponline.com
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The Naval Strike Missile being test fired. A Kongsberg photo

PARIS (BNS): US defence major Raytheon and Norway's Kongsberg Gruppen have decided to offer their Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to meet the US Navy's "Over-the-Horizon" weapon system requirement for its littoral combat ships and future frigates.



The team will meet the US Navy's June 23 proposal deadline, Raytheon announced in an official statement on June 21.



The NSM is a long-range, precision missile that provides superior strike capability against heavily defended land and sea targets, the company said.



The proven missile features unmatched ability to penetrate modern enemy defence systems plus advanced seeker and target identification technology, it added.



"NSM is the only missile of its class that is ready today to add critical, long-range firepower to naval ships," said Mike Jarrett, Raytheon Air Warfare Systems vice president.



"NSM is proven technology that will create new jobs in America and save the United States billions of dollars in development costs," he said.



Raytheon said it will produce the NSM launchers, missiles and components in the United States.



The US Navy had issued an RfP for "Over-the-Horizon Weapon System (OTH-WS)" programme in February this year.



Two other US defence majors, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, which were initially contending for the programme later withdrew from it citing that the competition was increasingly being driven to favour the NSM.



The NSM has been developed by Norway's Kongsberg which has partnered with Raytheon since 2015 to offer the system to the US Navy.



NSM is the main weapon onboard Norway's new frigates and corvettes. The missile has also been successfully test fired from the US Navy's Independence-class littoral combat ship, USS Coronado, in September 2014.




A file photo.

SRIHARIKOTA, AP (PTI): Space agency ISRO is all set to launch the GSAT-17 from French Guiana on June 28, the third launch is less than a month.



"GSAT-17 is getting launched on June 28. We will be working on the replacement satellite for IRNSS-1. Our plan is to have two Mark-II and two Mark-III launches apart from eight to ten PSLV launches per year," a beaming ISRO Chairman A S Kiran told reporters after the successful launch of PSLV-C38.



He was addressing the media after ISRO's workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 40th flight (PSLV-C38), successfully launched the Cartosat-2 series satellite, a dedicated one for the defence forces, along with 30 nano satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here,



ISRO was geared up for the launch of GSAT-17 and lined up more for the future, he said.



On June 5, ISRO had launched its most powerful and heaviest geostationary rocket carrying advanced communication satellite GSAT-19, weighing 3,136 kg, from the spaceport here.



Kumar said, "we have approvals for Chandrayaan-II and Aditya. Meanwhile, we are finalising Mars Orbiter II and Venus mission. Study teams are looking at them. Very soon, we will be finalising our plan of action. Then we will get the necessary approvals from the government and move ahead."



About IRNSS-IA, the ISRO chief said a replacement satellite would be sent as the "clocks have stopped functioning and there is a need to replace them."



Kumar said PSLV has emerged as a credible launch vehicle for anyone across the globe, because of the frequency at which launches are happening and also the access and timeline within which their satellites can be put into orbit.



"With each (PSLV) launch, we are trying to improve our capability in one new area, like multiple restarts, multiple orbits...different capabilities we are building. As we continue to do so, PSLV will be the in-demand vehicle for satellite launches across the world."



"In future, we are planning communication satellites where electric propulsion systems would be used. Currently, we have put on electric propulsion system in GSAT-9 that has been tested out. The primary advantage is that it will reduce the mass of the satellite by replacing chemical propulsion system.



We have a lot of plans," he said in response to a question on what lies ahead for ISRO.



He lavished praise on the Cartosat-2 team, which soared into space this morning along with 30 other nano satellites from 14 countries apart from India.



Earlier, the mission director B Jayakumar said all the satellites launched on Thursday by PSLV-C38 had been positioned in orbit.



"With Thursday's launch, we have acquired the confidence that we can launch multiple satellites in multiple orbits in a single mission," he said.


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Update 4pm: Relatives of victims of a former loyalist paramilitary commander turned supergrass watched on this morning as Gary Haggarty pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offences, including five murders.

The ex-chief of the Ulster Volunteer Forces notorious north Belfast Mount Vernon unit repeatedly answered guilty to the litany of charges put to him in Belfast Crown Court.

Loyalist Supergrass Gary Haggarty, (2nd from left), with his terrror gang, the infamous Mount Vernon Ulster Volunteer Force unit in North Belfast.

The pleas marked a significant stage of the long-time police informers agreement to give states evidence against fellow terrorists.

As well as the five murders, the 45-year-old, who is currently in protective custody, admitted five attempted murders, including against police officers; 23 counts of conspiracy to murder; directing terrorism; and membership of a proscribed organisation.

He also admitted assisting offenders involved in a murder bid on fellow UVF terror chief and police informer Mark Haddock.

On top of the 200 guilty pleas, Haggarty acknowledged responsibility for 304 other more minor offences. Those were not listed as formal charges on the bill of indictment but will be taken into account by the judge when he is sentenced.

Haggarty was interviewed more than 1,000 times by detectives in one of the biggest and most complex cases ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

The catalogue of offences stretch over a 16-year period from 1991 to 2007 and include the loyalist murders of John Harbinson, Sean McParland, Gary Convie, Eamon Fox and Sean McDermott.

Haggarty is expected to receive a heavily reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the authorities.

Outside court, Mr Foxs son Ciaran broke down as he described his feelings.

"Its just hard sitting in a courtroom watching a guy admitting to murdering your father," he said.

Mr Fox said the fact Haggarty was an informer when the offences were committed raised serious questions for the authorities.

"The police knew what was going to happen and took no action to stop it," he claimed.

"Basically he was just a hitman - he killed at will."

He added: "Police knew my father and Gary Convie were both going to be murdered and they sat back and let it happen and thats hard to swallow.

"I dont care about the UVF, theyll meet their maker some day - the police, the people who were in authority to protect and serve, they didnt protect my family."

Eamon Foxs son Ciaran (left) and Gary Convies father Joe outside Belfast Crown court after former loyalist paramilitary commander turned supergrass Gary Haggarty pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offences, including five murders. Pic: David Young

It is understood Haggarty has made allegations against 14 fellow loyalists, for crimes including four murders.

He has also given evidence in relation to alleged criminality by two former Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch handlers who worked with him when he was an informer.

His own lengthy charge sheet also includes aiding and abetting murder, kidnap, possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives as well as hijacking, false imprisonment, arson, intimidation and conspiracy to riot.

But he could walk free after his sentence hearing in September, given he has already served three years in custody - the equivalent of a six-year sentence.

In the interim, prosecutors will decide how to proceed with the evidence he has provided.

The content of his interviews amounts to 23,000 pages of transcribed evidence.

There was a significant police presence in and around the court for the high-profile arraignment hearing.

Haggarty, who is believed to be living at a secret location outside Northern Ireland, was escorted into court through a side door by two specialist police officers.

He was initially arrested in 2009 and charged with the murder of Mr Harbinson.

Mr Aaron Harbinson, (right), son of loyalist Supergrass Gary Haggartys victim John Harbinson, leaves Belfast Crown Court in tears following the UVF mans guilty pleas to over two hundred terrorism charges including five murders. He is accompanied by another victim, Eamon Foxs son Ciaran (left) Pic: Alan Lewis

He then indicated his willingness to turn states witness and subsequently signed an agreement to become an assisting offender under the terms of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (Socpa).

The terror boss, whose address was formally recorded on the indictment sheet as care of a Belfast police station, stood in the dock dressed in a grey suit during the hearing before judge Mr Justice Treacy.

Mr Fox expressed doubt Haggarty would ever end up in the witness box, alleging vested interests would thwart it.

"This goes right to the top, there are too many people going to get their hands burnt," he said.

"Hes done wrong, his hands are deep in blood along with people hes going to expose and because of who hes going to expose I think its not going to finish."

Mr Fox said it was hard to take that Haggarty would get a reduced sentence.

"He was bold as brass answering them (the charges), it was water off a ducks back. Thats the hard part, just knowing he is going to walk a free man.

"The charges he is charged with, in an ideal world that man shouldnt see daylight."

After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell, from the Police Service of Northern Irelands Serious Crime Branch, said the guilty pleas marked a "milestone" for the victims and their families.

"It has been a very long, arduous and painful process for these families and I hope todays proceedings have made a significant contribution to the process of ultimately bringing closure to all the families of the victims of Mount Vernon UVF during that time," he said.

"The PSNI remains committed to moving forward and working with the PPS (Public Prosecution Service) in relation to the next stages of the investigation into Mount Vernon UVF and others who were involved with committing these offences.

"My detectives have worked hard over the last seven years to bring justice. I understand the frustrations of the families over the length of time this has taken but I have always said that it was important to take the time to get it right."

Earlier: A former loyalist paramilitary commander turned supergrass has pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offences, including five murders.

Gary Haggarty, the ex-chief of the Ulster Volunteer Forces notorious north Belfast unit, admitted the litany of crimes as part of his deal with the State to give evidence against fellow terrorists.

As well as the five murders, the 45-year-old, who is currently in protective custody, admitted five attempted murders, including against police officers; 23 counts of conspiracy to murder; directing terrorism; and membership of a proscribed organisation, when he appeared before a judge at Belfast Crown Court.

Haggarty, who worked as a police informant during the Troubles, was interviewed more than 1,000 times by detectives in one of the biggest and most complex cases ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

The catalogue of offences stretch over a 16-year period from 1991 to 2007 and include the loyalist murders of John Harbinson, Sean McParland, Gary Convie, Eamon Fox and Sean McDermott.

The lengthy charge sheet also includes aiding and abetting murder, kidnap, possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives as well as hijacking, false imprisonment, arson, intimidation and conspiracy to riot.

Haggarty is expected to receive a heavily reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the authorities.

He could well walk free, given he has already served three years in custody - the equivalent of a six year sentence.

Sentence is expected to be passed later in the year.

In the interim prosecutors will decide how to proceed with the evidence he has provided.

It is understood Haggarty has made allegations against 14 fellow loyalists, for crimes including four murders.

He has also given evidence in relation to alleged criminality by two former Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch handlers who worked with him when he was an informer.

The content of his interviews amounts to 23,000 pages of transcribed evidence.

There was a significant police presence in and around the court for the high-profile arraignment hearing.

Haggarty, who is believed to be living at a secret location outside Northern Ireland, was escorted into court through a side door by two specialist police officers.

He was initially arrested in 2009 and charged with the murder of Mr Harbinson.

He then indicated his willingness to turn states witness and subsequently signed an agreement to become an assisting offender under the terms of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (Socpa).

The terror boss, whose address was formally recorded on the indictment sheet as care of a Belfast police station, stood in the dock dressed in a grey suit during the hearing before judge Mr Justice Treacy.

He said guilty as each charge was put to him, the majority in short form summary.

Relatives of some of his victims watched on from the public gallery of the court.

Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell, from the Police Service of Northern Irelands Serious Crime Branch, said the guilty pleas marked a "milestone" for the victims and their families.

"Our thoughts today are first and foremost with the victims and their families especially those murdered by Gary Haggarty; namely Sean McParland who was shot in front of his young grandchildren in February 1994 and died as a result 8 days later; Eamon Fox and Gary Convie who were shot dead as they ate their lunch in their car in May 1994, Sean McDermott who was shot dead in August 1994 and John Harbinson who was attacked on May 18, 1997," he said.

"Gary Haggarty has also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the murder of Peter McTasney, who was shot dead in his home in front of his three-year-old daughter in February 1991.

"It has been a very long, arduous and painful process for these families and I hope todays proceedings have made a significant contribution to the process of ultimately bringing closure to all the families of the victims of Mount Vernon (North Belfast estate) UVF during that time.

"The PSNI remains committed to moving forward and working with the PPS (Public Prosecution Service) in relation to the next stages of the investigation into Mount Vernon UVF and others who were involved with committing these offences.

"My detectives have worked hard over the last seven years to bring justice. I understand the frustrations of the families over the length of time this has taken but I have always said that it was important to take the time to get it right."
By Ann O'Loughlin

Directions have been handed down by the High Court on how cases in which a number of people are suing for compensation over the Thalidomide drug should be progressed.

Some 26 cases are being brought, 16 of which are already before the court, and lawyers for the plaintiffs sought directions on how the cases should proceed.

Some are urgent because of the medical conditions of people involved, the court heard.

Thalidomide, launched as a sedative in Germany in 1957, was first reported in 1961 as being linked to deformities in unborn children after it was given to their pregnant mothers.

The German manufacturers of the drug, the Irish distributors and the State, who are all being sued, claim the cases are barred from proceeding as a result of the statute of limitations. This places a time limit of generally between two and six years depending on the type of case and the time of a person's knowledge of an alleged wrong.

Manufacturers Grunenthal GmbH, distributors TP Whelehan Son & Co, and the Ministers for Health and Environment all deny the claims.

Grunenthal also applied to Mr Justice Seamus Noonan for directions over whether the issue of the cases being statute-barred should be determined first.

Today, Mr Justice Seamus Noonan directed the case proceed in accordance with a schedule put forward by the plaintiffs.

He declined to make an order at this stage in relation to the statute-barred issue but said it was open to the defendants to renew that application at a later stage.

He did not want the "disabled and impecunious plaintiffs" to be left fighting the case on two different fronts which would be disproportionate to any saving in court time in costs as had been argued by the company defendants as a reason for dealing with the statute point first.

He was satisfied the justice of the case required that he adopt the plaintiffs' schedule for further progressing the case.
A homeopath has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) not to run a Facebook advert in its current form again as it gave the impression she could treat the symptoms of autism, writes Stephen Rogers.

The ad by Almond Homeopathy said she had the great pleasure of meeting and working with many children diagnosed with ASD and the greater pleasure and joy of helping them overcome many of their symptoms that were holding them and their families back from getting the most out of life.

It also referenced a blog which contained a reference to a child whose learning, relationships and speech had improved.

The complainant objected to the claim that the advertiser could alleviate the symptoms of autism.

The advertiser said she was a qualified homeopath, registered with the Irish Society of Homeopaths.

People came to her with symptoms and she used the symptoms to determine what remedy may help them best.

She said she treated the person, not their condition or disease, and did not claim to be able to cure anything or anyone.

The ASAIs complaints committee said that, while noting the advertisers comments that she was a qualified and licensed homeopath and registered with the Irish Society of Homeopaths, it was aware from a previous case that the Department of Health had confirmed that there was no statutory regulation of complementary therapists.

The committee also said the wording of the post and the heading of the blog post would give readers the impression she could treat the symptoms of autism.

ASAI also upheld a complaint about an ad which appeared, through a Google search for the G Hotel, offering 5* The G from 97  Best Rates in Galway for 25 Sites  Trivago.ie.

The G Hotel, Old Dublin Road, Galway, complained that Trivago was falsely advertising rooms through its website from 97 for the hotel when, as a 5-star hotel, it did not have any rooms available for 97, nor was it likely to.

It said the rate advertised by Trivago cheapened its company brand and directed potential customers to click on the Trivago website, where misleading information was presented.

The advertisers, however, said they had checked the price log for The G Hotel going back a few months and, when comparing the various rates shown, uncovered that there was a mismatch between The G Hotel and another hotel. It had resulted in the price for another hotel being displayed for The G Hotel. They said they had corrected their mistake.

The ASAI Complaints Committee told Trivago it should not advertise rates for hotels unless it was in a position to demonstrate that the advertised rate was available to book.

This article first appeared in the Irish Examiner website.
iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck says he personally arrested one of his own officers on Thursday.



Beck arrested 10-year veteran LAPD officer Robert Cain in what has become the latest scandal involving the departments youth cadet program. The 31-year-old officer is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old female cadet.



The chief, who usually does not make arrests, said I told him youre under arrest for unlawful sex with a minor.



It is unclear if Cain has a lawyer.



The officer is from the same police station, the LAPDs 77th Street Division, that has been roiled in a scandal involving teen cadets who allegedly stole LAPD patrol SUVs, crashing two of them in chases last week after they were spotted by on duty officers. The teens are also accused of stealing equipment like police radios and bullet proof vests.



Beck says the teens pulled over drivers and impersonated officers with the stolen equipment but that they did not handcuff anyone.



The 15-year-old girl allegedly involved in the sexual relationship is one of seven cadets who have been arrested for stealing the patrol vehicles. Cain worked in the equipment room where police gear is checked out. Beck says he is not sure yet if Cain helped the teens obtain the stolen items.



When Beck learned of the alleged criminal conduct involving Cain, he said he made the decision to make the arrest himself.

I think its important to send a message, Beck said during a news conference. I find the actions of Cain, if they are proven, to be despicable. I find them to be absolutely inconsistent with the ethics and standards of the Los Angeles Police Department and they are criminal. Im a police officer and I felt it was my duty to make the arrest.



Beck said the sexual conduct did not happen at the police station and that the relationship was consensual.



The Los Angeles Police union representing LAPD officers is applauding Beck for taking quick action after the department learned about the relationship while investigating the stolen equipment and SUVs.



Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement, "There is no higher priority than protecting and guiding our young people -- and when they become LAPD Cadets, every parent should feel confident that they will be treated with the utmost care every step of the way."



Garcetti continues, "The charges against this officer are deeply disturbing, and I have been assured he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. These allegations represent a total breach of the trust we place in everyone who wears the uniform and a violation of the oath all officers take to protect and serve. There is an exhaustive review of the Cadet Program already underway, and I have faith that our program will emerge stronger and justice will be served.



Last week Beck suspended the youth programs at the 77th Street and Pacific Divisions. Cadets from both stations have been arrested.



Beck says he still supports the program for troubled teens that includes some 2,300 cadets and plans to attend an upcoming graduation ceremony.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A man has told a Dublin murder trial that he saw a woman put a small machine gun in a gym bag as she ran from the scene.

It is the prosecutions case that Christopher McDonald from East Wall in Dublin murdered Keith Walker in June 2015 while dressed as a woman.

Mr McDonald, aged 34, denies the charge.

Eugene Giles was on his way to work when he saw a woman standing outside Blanchardstown Pigeon Club with long black hair and big rounded sunglasses.

A short time later, he said he heard what he thought were firecrackers and people screaming that someone had been shot.

He said he then saw the person putting a machine gun into a big holdall bag before sprinting away from the club.

The prosecution believes Keith Walker was shot 18 times by the accused Christopher McDonald and that he was dressed as a woman at the time.

Mr Walker was dropping some pigeons off for his friend Jason OConnor who had to be restrained when he charged the dock earlier this week.

In his statement read out in court today, he said he was shocked and totally devastated when he heard his friend was dead.

He described him as a "decent fellow".
Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar have issued a steep list of demands to end the crisis.

The countries insist their Persian Gulf neighbour must close down broadcaster Al-Jazeera, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and shut a Turkish military base in Qatar.

In a 13-point list - presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis - the countries also demand that Qatar sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups including Hezbollah, al-Qaida and the so-called 'Islamic State' group.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut ties to Qatar this month over allegations the Persian Gulf country funds terrorism - an accusation that US President Donald Trump has echoed.

Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands, which include paying an unspecified sum in compensation.

According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalise citizens from the four countries and expel those currently in Qatar, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep it from meddling in their internal affairs.

They are also demanding that Qatar hands over all individuals who are wanted by those four countries for terrorism; stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the US; and provide detailed information about opposition figures that Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations.

Qatar's government did not have any immediate reaction to the list. Nor did the United States. Earlier this week, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson had insisted Qatar's neighbours provide a list of demands that was "reasonable and actionable".

Though Qatar's neighbours have focused their grievances on alleged Qatari support for extremism, they have also voiced loud concerns about Qatar's relationship with Iran, the Shiite-led country that is a regional foe for Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led nations.

The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of the Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US sanctions.

Under the 2015 nuclear deal, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were eased but other sanctions remain in place.

The demands regarding Al-Jazeera, the Doha-based satellite broadcaster, state that Qatar must also shut down all affiliates.

That presumably would mean Qatar would have to close down Al-Jazeera's English-language affiliate. Qatar's neighbours accuse Al-Jazeera of fomenting unrest in the region and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.
The former head of state of Cambodia's 1970s Khmer Rouge regime has rejected the charges against him as his trial for genocide ended.

Khieu Samphan, 85, said the allegations were concocted by the country's traditional enemy, neighbouring Vietnam.

He delivered his closing remarks in front of the UN-assisted tribunal in Phnom Penh where he and a colleague are also accused of responsibility for implementing policies leading to murder and rape, among other crimes.

Khieu Samphan denied knowing about matters including forced marriage and the grievous fate of minorities while the Khmer Rouge held power, saying he only discovered them after the regime's fall in 1979 and during his trial.

He said he was made aware of the accusations of suffering under the Khmer Rouge regime, "but the term murderer I categorically rejected".

The Khmer Rouge is blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians from execution, starvation and inadequate medical care during its 1975-79 rule.

Khieu Samphan's 90-year-old co-defendant Nuon Chea, right-hand man to late Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, did not appear in court.

His lawyer Victor Koppe delivered remarks saying that his client regarded the tribunal as a "show trial' and "victor's justice".

The two men already received life sentences in 2014 for crimes against humanity.

The proceedings against them were split into two parts by the tribunal for fear that the defendants might die before a verdict was reached if it was kept as one.

Also separately convicted earlier was the head of the Khmer Rouge prison system, who ran a torture centre in Phnom Penh.

Khieu Samphan described the claim of genocide as "Vietnamese propaganda", a defence he and other former Khmer Rouge leaders have made previously.

Cambodians have long been suspicious of their much bigger eastern neighbour, and prejudice against Vietnamese is widespread.

Even the 1978 invasion of Cambodia by Vietnam to oust the Khmer Rouge raised suspicions about Hanoi's motives among many Cambodians.

The genocide case includes the killing of ethnic Vietnamese by the Khmer Rouge.

Khieu Samphan sounded another familiar theme in also casting blame on the United States for Cambodia's problems.

The US heavily bombed the Cambodian countryside during the 1970-75 civil war that led to the Khmer Rouge seizing power.

Critics of the US action charge that the intensive bombing radicalised Cambodian peasants and served as a recruiting tool for the Khmer Rouge.

"I want to bow to the memory of all the innocent victims but also to all those who perished by believing in a better ideal of the brighter future and who died during the five-year war under the American bombardments and (in) the conflict with the Vietnamese invaders," Khieu Samphan said.

"Their memory will never be honoured by any international tribunal."
Canberra Greyhound Racing Club chairman Alan Tutt has his hand on his heart and tears in his eyes when asked how he feels about a ban on greyhound racing.

"It hurts," the self-described animal lover said, tapping his chest.

Canberra Greyhound Racing Club Chairman Alan Tutt. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

"Gutted. I'm gutted."

The looming end of the industry will equal the loss of about 50 jobs and millions of dollars in revenue. But the racing club will not go down without a fight.
Canada Day is Saturday, July 1 and celebrations will extend to Canberra.

Iconic landmarks in the national capital will be lit up in red and white to celebrate the day.

Can you capture the best image of a Canberra icon lit up in red and white for Canada Day on July 1?

Those earmarked to get the red and white treatment are Old Parliament House, Telstra Tower, Captain Cook Memorial Jet, the National Carillon, Malcolm Fraser Bridge (on the Majura Parkway) and the High Commission of Canada (on Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla).

And it's a big anniversary - 150 years of confederation. The British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into one Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.
Three years ago Peng Hui Wu had never grown a mushroom in his life.

Now he is Australia's pre-eminent producer of specialty mushrooms operating just outside the ACT's border.

Owner Peng Hui with a shiitake mushroom log inside one of the greenhouses. Credit:Jamila Toderas

In a short timeframe Gooda Creek Farm in Murrumbateman has become Australia's largest producer of shiitake mushrooms. The farm is also a large producer of enoki, oyster, king brown and chestnut mushrooms. But the impressive empire is just the start of Mr Wu's plans.

It has taken him less than three years to supply the widest variety of specialty mushrooms in Australia for major supermarket chains Coles and Costco. He also sells his mushrooms to wholesalers.
Skills Canberra has written to the employers of school-based apprentices to request that year 9 and 10 students are not involved in "any high risk activities" after two early-career apprentices were badly injured on ACT construction sites late last year.

The ACT government organisation has also brought forward its field officer visits to within the first two months of a school-based apprentice's employment, instead of within the first year, and will prioritise those visits over any other, according to briefing documents released under Freedom of Information laws.

Commencements have increased in some categories: carpenters, plumbers and electricians. Credit:Louie Douvis

The change in processes follows two high-profile incidents. On October 27 a 16-year-old undertaking a Certificate II in Construction Pathways through a school-based Master Builders Association program was injured on the Coles work site in Amaroo.

He sustained spinal and chest injuries, according to the notes written ahead of March's annual report hearings.
Mobile prices could drop 5.6 per cent nationally, saving consumers more than $650 million collectively every year, if the competition watchdog forces Telstra to share its regional mobile network, Vodafone claims.

However, Vodafone's own report and Telstra are warning roaming could introduce two tiers of pricing: national prices and city-only prices.

Vodafone's strategy chief Dan Lloyd had been leading its charge in favour of domestic roaming. Credit:Ben Rushton

The price cuts would come if Telstra lost its exclusive coverage advantage and was forced to match competitors' prices, according to Vodafone. There would also likely be more mobile companies as any provider could get access to nationwide networks.

"If the domestic roaming service is declared and operators apply nationally consistent pricing, we estimate that there would be a considerable reduction in the prices faced by consumers of national products (minus 8.1 per cent)," Frontier Economics wrote in a report commissioned by Vodafone for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
In the biggest pub sale this year, Iris Capital and Gallagher Hotel Management have bought two key Sydney hotels with a combined value of $65 million, to expand their footprint in the hot pub sector.

Investors are selling out to food and beverage operators who are shifting pubs away from relying on gaming and poor food, to be a destination with a signature chef.

Hunters Hill Hotel - 'a cornerstone, integral community establishment' - has been bought by Gallagher Hotel Management.

The national director at JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, John Musca, who negotiated the sale, said the asset transactions are "manifest examples of astute divergence in investment and operating strategies of two highly respected industry stakeholders at a particular point in time, reflecting class-leading thinking on both their parts".

The Tiger Bar Hotel is adjacent to the Hurstville bus and train stations in a precinct benefiting from a new LEP and residential intensification.
With dog whistles busy in federal politics, either through proposed citizenship and immigration changes or amazingly blond "Australia First" advertising, never mind the overt One Nation xenophobia, it's an interesting time to be recording a population milestone.

A little after Friday lunch, the population clock on the Australian Bureau of Statistics web site ticked over to 24.5 million.

The clock struck 24 million in February last year and, at the present rate of adding a net extra person every one minute and 22 seconds, it will hit 25 million in early October next year. Little Australia  and we are still little  continues to grow up.
Where to now for Oliver Curtis?

For all the focus over the past year on the wardrobe of his wife Roxy Jacenko and the breathless commentary on whether she would or wouldn't ditch him when he was released from prison, a far more sober reality faces a young father and businessman who has just walked free.

Oliver Peter Curtis, who celebrated his 31st birthday in jail, is a convicted insider trader.

Financial markets operate on trust. Investors bank on it. And right now Curtis has none of it.
Controversial cuts to Sunday penalty rates for hundreds of thousands of workers are facing a last-minute legal challenge, with unions seeking urgent hearings to stop them taking effect next weekend.

"We are compelled to take this legal step," said Jo-anne Schofield, national secretary of the United Voice union.

"The Fair Work Commission's decision to cut pay is significant. It symbolises a turning away from a long-held principle that has guided industrial law in this country for over a century - that the needs of workers should be placed on an equal footing with business and economic interests."

Documents filed in the Federal Court of Australia allege the workplace umpire misunderstood or failed in its duties under the Fair Work Act to ensure award rates were "fair and relevant", by mistakenly construing "relevant" as meaning suited to contemporary circumstances.
One in five 15-year-olds cannot demonstrate basic skills of reading and maths. Australia ranked No. 2 in the world in reading and No.2 in maths in 2000. Today, it's 14th in reading and 22nd in maths. And falling. Australia and South Korea used to be schooling peers. Now the Koreans are streets ahead. You don't need to look far afield to find a country doing better than we are; New Zealand's children are scoring higher on average than Australia's. "Basically what's happening," said Dr Sue Thompson, from the Australian Council for Education Research, who collated the test results for the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), "is everything's sliding backwards, if you like  our strong kids aren't as strong as they were and our weak kids are actually weaker than they were." Australia has wasted a generation chasing a red herring. The overriding priority for Australian schools was to spend more money to get smaller classes. Neither helped. Spending on schools in the past decade rose by 50 per cent on average across the country, even as standards slumped. Classes have grown steadily smaller, but so have students' marks.

It's starkly plain that, above a basic threshold, spending is irrelevant to results. According to the OECD, that threshold is a cumulative total of $US35,000 per student over the 11 years to age 15. Beyond that level, "expenditure is unrelated to performance".

Australia already spends more than double that sum on average. For example, the Paris-based data bank reports, countries that spend more than $US100,000 per student such as Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland and the US "show similar levels of performance as countries that spend less than half that amount per student, such as Estonia, Hungary and Poland".

New Zealand spends about one-third less than Australia but its students still outperform ours. If it weren't already entirely obvious from Australia's failure, smaller class sizes, the supposed Holy Grail of Australian education, turn out to be a bitter cup. "Highperforming education systems have systematically prioritised better teachers over smaller classes," the OECD reports. The teachers' unions demanded smaller classes not because they produced better outcomes but because they involved less work for the teachers. Australia needed to get out of this educational dunce's corner by settling the awful funding squabbles that have consumed all available political time and energy.

Labor gets credit for starting the process. It was Julia Gillard as Kevin Rudd's education minister who commissioned the Sydney businessman and philanthropist David Gonski to produce a report on the best possible model for schools funding. But the label of "Gonski" was soon turned from a formula for fair and consistent funding into a Trojan horse for massive extra spending. Gonski's principles had set out a blueprint for reform; they awaited a builder. The builder turned out to be Turnbull's new education minister, Simon Birmingham. He decided to dismantle the 27 separate schools funding deals that had built up as an accretion of political fix-its. He dumped Gillard's imaginary future funding and rescinded Tony Abbott's unworkable funding cuts. Instead, using the Gonski principles, he devised a formula that would increase funding per student for all the different school systems in Australia. It would average 3.5 per cent per year, but the rate would differ. It would differ between systems and according to need, as defined by their socio-economic status.

The final result, after a decade, would be that children with the same level of need would attract the same level of funding regardless of which school they went to. Another key element would be that the Commonwealth would contribute 20 per cent of the cost of a student in a state school, and 80 per cent of one in a non-state school, roughly in line with the historical division of labour between the Commonwealth and states. Gonski and the other members of his panel endorsed this formula. To deliver this, Birmingham asked for and received a Turnbull commitment to spend an extra $2.2 billion over the first four years and $18.6 billion extra over a full decade. That was more than the Abbott government had wanted to spend, but $22 billion less than Labor had promised over a decade. The Birmingham plan was a principled, centrist proposal and the funding was realistic. Which meant that all the political parties had some trouble accepting it. The conservative wing of the Liberals, as a vanguard for the Catholic system, put up a stink internally as they demanded that the Catholic schools retain an advantage over the rest.

In the end, Birmingham agreed to appease them with a special clause for the Catholics  a 12-month "transitional" delay and a review of the formula that decides socio-economic status. It wasn't an abject surrender, but it does allow the Catholic schools an opportunity to keep negotiating. Labor was faced with a choice. One of its frontbenchers, Anthony Albanese, proposed that Labor claim victory on the Gonski principles and support the government's proposal, but promise to add more funds when it returns to power.

But its education spokesperson Tanya Pliberselk wanted to oppose the deal, campaign to deliver the funding originally set out by Gillard, and keep up a fight. This is what the Australian Education Union (AEU) wanted, and it was also what the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union wanted. Why does the CFMEU care? It wants the same thing as the AEU because both are sworn political enemies of the Coalition. Foggo, the AEU former head, wanted the children put first. The current AEU head, Correna Haythorpe, wanted to put the politics ahead of the children. Just like the CFMEU. They got their way. Labor's leader, Bill Shorten, sided with Plibersek. So Labor put itself in the bizarre position of campaigning for Gonski for years, but then opposing Gonski when the moment came. Labor has been exposed. In the final analysis, Labor used Gonski as a cover story to favour its union mates at the expense of taxpayers, school children and education standards. Labor lost, but it vows to continue the fight all the way to the next election.

In feverish overreach in Parliament, Plibersek accused Turnbull of being Neville Chamberlin, the British prime minister who appeased Hitler's Germany and enabled the rise of fascism. If Labor persists with this bitter partisanship, the funding wars will continue to obstruct progress on improving teaching standards and the country will suffer. And when Labor eventually returns to government, it will still face the reality that the extra $22 billion is undeliverable. Faced with Labor's opposition, the government needed to find another 10 votes in the Senate to get its way  either the 10 Greens senators, 10 of the 12 other crossbenchers, or all of the above. The Greens split internally, nine to one in favour of a deal with the government, with the hard left's Lee Rhiannon refusing a deal on any terms. While the Greens dithered, 10 of the 12 other crossbenchers struck a deal with Birmingham. This group of 10 brought together very disparate elements  Jacqui Lambie, who had not voted with the government on any major legislation before, the sensible centrists of the Nick Xenophon party, and the rabble-rousing right-wing populists of Pauline Hanson's One Nation. After the vote, Nick Xenophon paid tribute to the Greens for winning some useful concessions from the government, noting that "grace is a quality lacking in politics in this country".
It's a good question, because if school funding was really based on need, how can a school such as The King's School in North Parramatta, which charges fees over $34,000 a year, now qualify for a federal funding boost of $19.3 million over the next decade?

A Herald letter writer this week got to the nub of voter disquiet about the reforms. "I could understand the concept of private school funding if someone could answer a simple question: If I don't like travelling in buses, why should the government buy me a car?" asked Graham Harris of East Ballina.

With deft political maneuvering, the government was able to bypass the Greens in the Senate to get the legislation through with the support of 10 out of 12 crossbenchers. Under the weight of tunnel-visioned education unions, the Greens remained wedded to the mirage of "an extra $22 billion" in Labor's version of the reforms, even though that was never realistic. Education Minister Simon Birmingham's massive win rescues Labor from a monumental own goal. By opposing the bill, Labor backed itself into a position that would have seen funding to public schools decline by $4 billion and done nothing to address anomalous grants to rich private schools. It would be understandable if Labor leader Bill Shorten and education spokesperson Tanya Plibersek are now breathing secret sighs of relief.

Parliament heads off for the winter break with the Turnbull government on a high from perhaps its most significant political victory yet: the passing of the so-called Gonski 2.0 school funding reforms through the House of Representatives.

The unsatisfactory answer is, history. For decades federal and state governments have funded public, independent and Catholic schools in states and territories according to special sectarian deals based on political expedience. The accretion of these deals has led to a system that is irrational, unfair and always open to further manipulation.

The businessman David Gonski's 2011 inquiry sought a rational and equitable solution with funding that was "sector blind", based solely on the needs of individual students. An independent national schools resourcing body would set a needs-based "school resourcing standard" for each school. There would be a uniform basic amount per student with loadings added to cover students' disadvantages, including low socioeconomic status, English language proficiency, school size and location, and indigeneity.

It was about diverting funding from low priorities to high priorities. But Labor nixed that idea, first with the political promise that "no school would lose a dollar" under its Gonski model and then by doing deals with the states and sectors to persuade them to sign up before the 2013 election. Fast forward to April when the Coalition engineered a surprise Gonski comeback, with the support of the man himself. All schools' federal funding would be adjusted over 10 years to wipe out the disparities in Labor's model until all government schools got 20 per cent of their school resourcing standard (up from an average of 17 per cent now) and all private schools got 80 per cent (up from the current 77 per cent).

Total federal funding would rise $18.6 billion over 10 years, which was $22 billion less than Labor's unfunded promise. As a result of negotiations with the Senate crossbench and an effective scare campaign about Catholic schools, the government reduced the timeline for getting schools to their funding targets from 10 to six years resulting in an extra $5 billion. The national schools resourcing body will be established after all. There will be a one-year transition period for Catholic and independent schools. Importantly, the model for determining socioeconomic disadvantage on which many of the anomalies are blamed will be reviewed.

The critics will object that the government is still buying too many people too many nice cars. But we shouldn't be so distracted by the fast moving Ferraris that we can't see that the buses and all the other cars have a better chance of moving forward. What's most important is that this reform entrenches needs-based federal funding of schools. A smart future Labor government would use it to dish out its promised extra $22 billion and adjust to iron out persisting wrinkles. An ambitious future Labor government would go the next step by getting the states, which are responsible for 80 per cent of public school funding, to sign up to need-based school resourcing standard as the basis for distributing all funding to individual schools.
Federal politicians have slashed their overseas travel bill by half, cut up to a million dollars from car hire services and reduced their their travel allowances by more than $500,000 compared with four years ago.

An analysis of parliamentary expenses shows the federal government's crackdown on politicians' entitlements has cut spending across the board, after a string of scandals that led to the resignation of a cabinet minister and two speakers.

Following public outcry over the generous travel perks of MPs in 2013, former prime minister Tony Abbott clamped down on politicians claiming expenses for weekend stopovers en route to Canberra, and forced MPs to sign declarations that they would have to repay unwarranted claims with a 25 per cent fine.
Three Turnbull government ministers have escaped possible charges of contempt after making an abject apology to Victoria's Supreme Court, in a ruling that will be an immense relief to the federal government.

On Friday, a week after they refused to say sorry for comments critical of terrorism sentencing, Health Minister Greg Hunt, Human Services Minister Alan Tudge and Assistant Minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar apologised unreservedly for the comments, Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue, QC, told the court on their behalf.

Mr Donaghue said the ministers had watched last week's hearing and reviewed the transcripts.

They had also looked at the transcripts of the Court of Appeal hearings regarding appeals against the sentences of convicted terrorist Sevdet Ramadan Besim and a teenager known as MHK which they had criticised.
A self-styled adviser to a federal Liberal assistant minister, with reported close ties to an international Chinese Communist Party lobbying organisation, has withdrawn at the very last minute from representing the party on a Sydney council.

Chinese Australian businessman Yang Dongdong was all but assured of a coveted second, winnable spot on the Liberal ticket for Burwood council for its September election, local sources said, a seat carved out for him especially.

Malcolm Turnbull, Huang Xiangmo, Craig Laundy and Yang Dongdong at a 2016 Chinese New Year festivities.

But following a blaze of publicity about Chinese influence in Australian politics generally and Mr Yang's own influence in assistant minister for Industry Craig Laundy's office, he withdrew from council preselection as late as Friday morning.

He withdrew from council preselection following dinner with a group of local Liberal powerbrokers at a Burwood Turkish restaurant on Thursday evening, a source said.
While Simon McIntyre and his young child waited for their baggage to come through from their Sunday evening Rex flight from Armidale, other passengers watched in astonishment as detectives from the Terrorism Investigations Squad handcuffed the property manager and led him away.

Simon McIntyre (in the white shirt) in Dubai with his associate Christian Madison.

In McIntyre's car, which was parked at Sydney Airport's domestic terminal, they found a loaded black Ruger pistol, $5000 in cash, a large machete-like knife, a smaller military knife and three UHF two-way radios.

What Australian Federal Police later found in a cabin at McIntyre's remote property in Meryla, near Moss Vale, according to a police statement of facts, was even more astonishing: $2.4 million in cash hidden in a Louis Vuitton bag, 13.4 grams of the drug ice, and more prohibited weapons including an automatic rifle, a Norinco SKS rifle with a folding bayonet and a double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun.
Three people will face court after police raids in Sydney allegedly busted a drug syndicate supplying cocaine and ecstasy in the metropolitan area.

Three search warrants were executed at Sylvania Waters, North Bondi and Chifley on Friday afternoon, with two men and a woman arrested.

Police say that over 40 grams of cocaine, 55 ecstasy capsules and $40,000 in cash were seized during the operation.

A 24-year-old man charged with supplying prohibited drugs, knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and directing a criminal group has been refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday.
Two men who allegedly extorted money from a $144 million tax fraud syndicate allegedly used Sydney property developer Michael Teplitsky to launder their money, boasting that it would come back "nice and f---ing squeaky clean".

Mr Teplitsky's office in Double Bay was one of 30 properties raided on May 17 when police charged 11 people, including Australian Taxation Office deputy commissioner Michael Cranston, his son, Adam, and daughter, Lauren.

Police officers handcuff Michael Teplitsky (in glasses) during a scuffle amid a raid on his Double Bay office. Credit:Fairfax Media

He was arrested momentarily after he allegedly assaulted a Fairfax Media photographer during the raid. His girlfriend, Olivia Korner, pulled the hair of a Fairfax reporter.

The Ukrainian-born developer is behind a string of high-end residential and commercial developments in Sydney. This week, he made $327.5 million by selling the heritage office building at 100 Harris Street, Pyrmont, occupied by Fairfax Media's real estate site Domain.
A Sydney primary school teacher has told Salim Mehajer's electoral fraud trial her signature was forged on documents nominating her for election to Auburn Council as part of a group headed by the colourful property developer.

Fatima Kandil, 30, told the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday she did not submit documents to the Australian Electoral Commission changing her address from Lidcombe to Auburn before the 2012 council election.

But she admitted she did agree to run for election as part of a group of candidates led by Mr Mehajer, even though she had no prior interest in or involvement in local government politics.

"A group of friends suggested it, one of whom was Salim," Ms Kandil said.
It comes after weeks of turmoil for former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale.

Member for Cairns Rob Pyne calls for an Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Member for Cairns Rob Pyne has ramped up calls for a Queensland ICAC.

Queensland needs an Independent Commission Against Corruption because the crime watchdog is not up to the job, an independent MP argues.

He recently resigned, citing ill health, and it was later revealed he was stopped carrying $50,000 at a Melbourne airport, although barrister Sam Di Carlo stated he had asked him to carry the money as part of a Supreme Court settlement.

Mr Pyne used parliamentary privilege to table documents levelling serious allegations of corruption and misconduct against Mr Pisasale and others a week after the former mayor resigned.

Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller has referred the allegations against Mr Pisasale contained in Mr Pyne's documents to the Crime and Corruption Commission.

Speaking outside Parliament on Friday, Mr Pyne said an ICAC was needed in Queensland to lift standards of transparency and accountability in local government and public administration.

"The state government needs to be listening and they need to be acting," Mr Pyne said.
Vincent O'Dempsey has launched an appeal bid against his convictions for the murders of Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters 43 years ago.

O'Dempsey was last month found guilty by a Brisbane Supreme Court jury of taking Mrs McCulkin, 32, and her daughters Vicki, 13, and Leanne, 11, from their Highgate Hill home on the night of January 16, 1974 and killing them in bushland near Warwick.

Vincent O'Dempsey was convicted of the McCulkins' murder. Credit:7 News Queensland

A notice of appeal was filed with the courts on Thursday encompassing three counts of murder and one of deprivation of liberty.

In handing down a life sentence in May, Justice Peter Applegarth described O'Dempsey as "beyond redemption" and said he expected him to die in jail.
A Ballarat court has found a former local mayor in his 70s guilty of child sex offences.

Graham Bruce Collins, mayor of the former Shire of Sebastopol, was found guilty of three counts of indecent act with a child under 16 and one count of sexual penetration of a child under 16.

Graham Collins, 77, was mayor of Sebastopol three times.

The jury acquitted Collins on four counts of indecent act of a child under 16.

The offences occurred in 2015 and 2016 when Collins was 75.
Victorian hospitals and medical facilities are being inspected for combustible cladding in a statewide audit by the Health Department.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy said "every health care building in Victoria has been declared safe and fit to occupy", despite her department saying that checks were still continuing.

The Royal Women's Hospital and the new $1-billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre have already been placed on heightened alert by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade because of concerns they were installed with combustible cladding.

It is understood some cladding panels will be removed from the Royal Women's Hospital later this year, and that the cladding on the cancer centre was removed before patients moved in.
Victoria Police has taken the extraordinary step of cancelling all fines issued by speed and red-light cameras hit by the "WannaCry' computer virus.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Ross Guenther made the announcement on Friday afternoon, saying about 55 cameras were affected by the the WannaCry ransomware virus between June 6 and June 22.

An investigation found the virus and had no impact on camera accuracy. Credit:Pat Scala

The cameras, most of them in inner-city Melbourne, issued 590 speed and red-light fines during that time.

Drivers will soon receive letters noting that those fines had been cancelled.
Commuters are being greeted by an increasingly familiar sight around Melbourne's CBD: large concrete bollards to help prevent terrorism attacks.

More than 50 of the bollards, placed around Southern Cross Station's major entry points, sprang up at the station, and on Queens Bridge Street in Southbank, overnight.

They are part of a $10 million safety upgrade announced by Premier Dan Andrews earlier this month to prevent terrorism and hinder vehicle attacks.

The temporary concrete blocks have already been installed at Federation Square and Bourke Street.
A Perth doctor who prescribed steroids and human growth hormone to patients unnecessarily has been banned from practising medicine for 10 years and fined $5000 for sending a derogatory letter to the medical professional who first questioned his methods.

Anish Dwarka Singh was considered a leading obesity expert operating in Perth's western suburbs before the Medical Board of Australia launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct in 2015.

A Perth doctor has been banned from practicing medicine for 10 years.

The State Administrative Tribunal found the doctor had prescribed patients with steroids and illegal weight loss medication - and had arranged patients to receive iron infusions and fresh frozen plasma infusions - when there was no medical need to do so.

Singh failed to keep adequate notes of the consultations with patients he prescribed steroids and other drugs to for weight loss or body building purposes.
Washington: US Senate Republicans have unveiled the legislation they hope will replace Obamacare with a plan that scales back aid to the poor and kills a tax on the wealthy on Thursday.

The bill's fate was quickly thrown into question as several senators voiced skepticism. Four conservative lawmakers said they could not support it in its current form, leaving Republicans short of the votes they need for passage. Democrats were united in opposition.

The 142-page proposal, worked out in secret by a group led Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, aims to deliver on a central campaign promise of US President Donald Trump by rolling back former president Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, which has provided coverage to millions of Americans since it was passed in 2010.

Republicans view the law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, as a costly government intrusion into the private marketplace.
Seoul: South Korea on Friday successfully test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of hitting any part of North Korea as it seeks to counter the North's growing missile threat.

As President Moon Jae-in watched, the weapon  a type of Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile  blasted off from a test site in Taean, a coastal county south of Seoul, the capital, the president's office said in a statement.

The missile travelled a designated distance before hitting a target, the office said, without disclosing how far it flew.

Defence officials and the domestic news media said the missile could fly up to 800 kilometres the maximum ballistic missile range allowed under a deal with the United States.
Latest News Sydney records highest auction clearance rate in six months Almost 70% of properties sold in first week of November

ScotPac opens new broker portal System aimed at speeding up approvals

ING has announced the consolidation of its direct and third party business units with the banks broker head taking on broader responsibilities. Mark Woolnough , formerly the head of third party distribution, will now step into the newly-created role of head of distribution in a move the bank hopes will ensure a smooth, seamless customer experience regardless of channel.We have customers who have come to us directly for their everyday banking, but they may have a mortgage with us through a broker, and there should be no difference in how these customers experience our brand, whether through direct everyday banking or their broker-introduced home loan, Woolnough said.By bringing together these two areas of our business we are aiming to create a centre of excellence for mortgages, ensuring all our customers get the same consistent and great experience of our brand.ING currently has 1.7 million customers with brokers helping the bank bring in 90% of its home loans.If you look at the broker market, it currently represents 55-60% of the mortgage flows in Australia. Therefore, this gives us an indication that theres a segment of the market  the other 40-45%  that chooses to go online, direct-to-branch or through other channels for their mortgage that we believe we can assist customers with.By focusing on both channels, broker and direct, ING could give the client great service and their channel of choice, he told Australian Broker.If they come direct, they generally take on a lot more of the tasks or administration themselves. Theyre mostly being the pilot of their own home loan experience, whereby if they decide to come to ING by a broker, they are getting that specialist support and guidance.Woolnough joined ING in 2000 as a relationship manager and headed up the former direct mortgages team prior to becoming head of third party distribution. The move to the new role was a pat on the back, he said.For a number of years, weve delivered a strong proposition to mortgage customers through brokers. Were the fifth largest lender in the country so with a strong brand, weve proven to be a more-than-capable partner for brokers.This was recognition that the expanded team could build a strong mortgage distribution and proposition for existing ING customers as well as those new to bank, he said.Brokers will remain a very strong channel for the bank with the consolidated roles being around greater efficiency, streamlined processes, economies of scale, and support for mortgage customers.The broker channel will continue to grow and go from strength to strength. Weve seen this through growth in the market and also in our books. We believe well provide the broker customer an even better experience and breadth of service.There was also an opportunity for ING to refer more complex direct-to-bank customers onto the brokers as well, he said.That can help build broker businesses. This is not to say that all we want are the simple deals and transactions. Its more of an acknowledgement of the value that brokers bring to the borrower over an extended period of time.Brokers are well experienced and deal with a number of transactions, customer segments, lenders and policies. Whereby at ING Direct , were limited to one policy, one appetite, one set of products. If customers dont meet our product or if we cant help them from a risk appetite, then theres an opportunity for us to refer them to the brokers or aggregators who we know have access to products or services that best suit that customer.
Springfield quarry plan still unresolved as residents wait, worry

Conditional Use Hearing on a proposed quarry along Rt. 309 in Springfield may be nearing an end after two years. Here's what residents have to say.
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...
F & P, Primaflow and Connections has opened its new southern regional distribution centre in Bedford, scaled to serve customers in the Midlands and south of the UK, and make over 3,000 products available for next-day delivery.

The new site  a multi-million-pound investment  forms a core part of F & Ps corporate strategy to deliver greater value to customers through shortened delivery timeframes and improved stock range and availability.

F & P Managing Director, Jed Kenrick, said: The facility step changes our ability to service customers in the Midlands and south of the UK: it means that we can not only make thousands more products available via next-day delivery  but that every one of these can be delivered by our own drivers, rather than by carriers.

This means that customers anywhere in the country can now access 11,000 plumbing, heating and bathroom products from Primaflow and F & P, delivered carefully by one of our specialist delivery colleagues on one of our own vehicles. Not only does that give customers access to a wider range, it makes their lives easier and F & P simpler to deal with.

Jed continued: It represents the second step of a 3-step modernisation programme that has seen a similar programme in the north of the UK to consolidate stock holding and picking to our Wakefield regional distribution centre. The third step will be completed later this year as we replace our operating systems in two out of the three businesses, streamlining the three systems we currently work on to a single integrated operating base.

This programme gives us the physical and system infrastructure to serve existing customers better and expand our business into new customer channels and new product categories.

The opening of the new Bedford facility has seen the creation of around 20 new jobs, with 100 staff expected to work on-site  roles include warehouse and office staff, call centre operators and drivers.

Jed says the Bedford warehouse has enabled a realignment of existing F & P stock and service centres, with the Orpington and Camberley TSP sites ensuring they have an extensive range of collect stock to support local stock emergencies.

Despite this investment nothing changes on the customer delivery front as we will continue to use existing delivery vans, routes and drivers to deliver the products each day meaning there shouldnt be any disruption to customer service.

Were excited about this opening which is a historic milestone in our companys history, and we look forward to working even more closely with customers as a result.
A local celebration to show appreciation for the work of the Armed Forces was held in Northampton on 19 June to mark the beginning of Armed Forces Week.

Travis Perkins has partnered with military charity SSAFA to encourage its employees across the UK to have a communal brew to show their support for the men and women of the Armed Forces.

Held as part of Armed Forces Week, the annual national campaign gives everyone the opportunity to show their support for the Armed Forces past and present, including currently serving troops, service families, reservists, veterans and cadets.

Similar events have been taking place across the UK, enabling people to come out and show their support, and giving a much-valued morale boost for Armed Forces personnel and their families. This years national event takes place in Liverpool on 24 June.

Proactively supporting Armed Forces Week, celebrations follow Travis Perkins being the 1,500th signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant in March 2017.

Charlotte Jewell, a spokesperson for Travis Perkins, said: We employ approximately 300 service leavers across our business, so the SSAFA Big Brew Up was the perfect way for our employees up and down the country to show their support for the Armed Forces.

James Grant, Head of Corporate and Events at SSAFA, added: We are delighted that Travis Perkins have decided to celebrate Armed Forces Week by partnering with SSAFA on our Big Brew Up. Travis Perkins and SSAFA have many shared values including our work in the community and our heritage and we look forward to strengthening our relationship.
SR Timber is entering a team for a charity car rally to Monte Carlo this September, which will take them through ten European countries in just four days in a road-legal car that costs less than 500 to buy.

Shaun Revill and Duncan Hargreaves from the company have signed up for the Pavestone Rally, which is raising as much money as possible for two charities: the Rainy Day Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The pair have bought a car on eBay and will decorate it and then drive it, whilst in fancy dress, to Monaco for 7th September.

The route will take them from Dover to Belgium and Luxembourg before heading through Germany and Switzerland to Liechtenstein. From there, they will go through Austria and head over the Stelvio Pass into Italy before driving back to France and finishing in Monte Carlo.

Duncan added that he is confident that Team SR Timber will raise much more than the 1,500 minimum that organisers hope that each team can raise. Recently, SR Timber raised 5,000 for the British Heart Foundation, after two members of staff climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last year.
Teen visits South Jersey in 50-state Flowers and Flags tribute to vets

Preston Sharp of Calif. visits veterans graves in Cinnaminson cemetery in South Jersey on 50-state Flowers and Flags tribute to their sacrifices
Highbridges King Alfred School has been a dealt a blow with a new Ofsted inspection report that rates it as inadequate.

The report  which was sent to parents of the schools pupils on Thursday (June 22nd)  rates five areas as inadequate and one area as requiring improvement.

Ofsted has rated the following as inadequate: overall effectiveness; the effectiveness of leadership and management; the quality of teaching, learning and assessment; personal development, behaviour and welfare; and outcomes for pupils.

It adds that the schools 16-to-19 study programmes require improvement.

The report states: For several years, GCSE exam results have been poor, including in English and maths. Leaders have not tackled these issues with sufficient urgency and have failed to halt the decline in standards.

Leaders do not accurately monitor and evaluate the schools work. This has limited the effectiveness of actions taken to improve pupils behaviour and the quality of teaching.

Pupils, including the most able and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not make the progress of which they are capable. Teachers do not have sufficiently high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

The report adds: Teachers do not use information about what pupils already know and can do to plan effectively for the next steps of pupils learning.

Provision for pupils personal development lacks attention to some aspects of risk that they may face in society.

Governors are not well informed about the schools work and the progress pupils make. They have not challenged the schools leaders to make the rapid improvements required. reports Burnham-On-Sea.com

The Ofsted report continues: Leaders strategies to ensure that disadvantaged pupils catch up quickly have not worked.

Behaviour is inadequate, as evidenced by too many instances of low-level disruption in classrooms and by the lack of pride many pupils show in their work.

The attendance of pupils overall is too low, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs. Leaders actions to resolve these issues have not resulted in sufficient improvement.

The quality of careers guidance in Years 7 to 11 is poor. Many pupils do not have the knowledge or understanding to make informed choices about their futures.

The report also highlights several strengths. The recent changes to curriculum and teaching are beginning to make a positive impact on the progress that pupils make in key stage 3.

It adds that: Students in the sixth form show good attitudes towards their studies. The proportion of students who carry on to undergraduate study is high.

The previous inspection by Ofsted rated the school as good, demonstrating that the inspectors believe there has been a decline in its overall effectiveness.

The inspection was carried out between April 26-27 this year.

Burnham-On-Sea.com has invited the school to comment and the head teachers comments are reported here.
A Life with Wildlife: From Princely India to the Present

Author: M K Ranjitsinh,

Publisher: Harper Collins 2017

Pages: 380

Price: Rs 799



Readable memoirs by Indian civil servants are few and far between. The legendary R P (Ronnie) Noronha of the Indian Civil Service penned the classic A Tale Told By An Idiot, which concludes in the late 1960s. B K Nehru, with his long distinguished career as bureaucrat, diplomat and governor, penned an inappropriately titled but charming book called Nice Guys Finish Second. These gave rare insight into the goings-on at the district and state levels and at the apex of the political pyramid.
Your speed of recovery in a is related to many things. Among them is one you might not consider: the condition of your roommate.
A year after Pherozesha Sidhwa had co-founded his tile-making company in 1922 with his nephew, Rustom, during the Swadeshi Movement, he had a whole batch of black and white patterned tiles thrown into the Arabian Sea. Sidhwa just wasnt happy about how the tiles looked.It was almost worth Rs 50,000; that was a lot in those days, says Firdaus Variava, Sidhwas grandson and vice-chairman at and Tiles.It was only when Sidhwa went to Italy soon after the tiles were discarded that he realised that all they needed was better polishing.Bharats tiles have also left their mark in residences of the ex-royals of Bikaner, Gwalior Jodhpur, and more. Although 75 years have passed, all flooring is in excellent condition. It is beautiful and is a pleasure for me, my family members and guests who visit us, reads a note from the former maharaja of Vansda, Gujarat.Go anywhere across the country, even to railway stations including the rambunctious Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, and youre likely to be walking on Bharats tiles: its a legacy that dates back to 95 years. In fact, if youve grown up in Mumbai, says designer Ravi Vazirani, youd have to be living under a rock to not have seen the gorgeous floors at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club or any of the citys old buildings. (Bharat tiles are here too.)
Everstone Capital-led Enterprises on Friday said it proposes to enter new food categories using organic and inorganic routes. The company is best known for Modern Bread, a brand launched in 1965. Everstone had acquired from Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in April 2016 for an estimated Rs 250 crore. The acquisition included not only the Modern trademark but also its manufacturing assets and people. The company has manufacturing plants at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.


is looking at hackathons as a way to fast track innovations and build solutions that can be implemented in its business quickly. So far, the company says a little over a dozen such solutions born at hackathons over the past six years have made it to production.
Information technology (IT) services company Services has acquired Ciber Inc, a US-based global IT consulting and outsourcing services company, for $93 million. Established in Troy, Michigan, in 1990, by Indian entrepreneur M Madhava Reddy, has taken this strategic move towards further strengthening its position globally.
Automobile are planning to invest around Rs 13,000 crore investment in Tamil Nadu The auto majors include Hyundai, CEAT and PSA Peugeot. The development comes at a time when the state lost some of the big ticket investments, include Kia's, to the neighbouring state of Andhra.

Speaking at the Assembly today, M C Sampath, minister for Industries, said that is planning to invest around Rs 5,000 crore on expansion.
An independent probe had cleared Infosys Chief Executive Officer Vishal Sikka over allegations of personal gains made during the acquisition of Israeli software firm Panaya, the company said on Friday.
In a separate statement on Friday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that had paid a $1 million settlement for failing to adequately compensate hundreds of workers, failing to pay applicable taxes and breaking US visa rules.
Directors of UK-based Cairn Energy Plc have raised the issue of the retrospective tax on them with senior officials in the American administration, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US.
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IT major Infosys on Friday said its internal audit committee has found no evidence supporting a whistleblower's allegations of improprieties related to the Panaya acquisition.

In February, Infosys had said it will investigate claims levelled by the whistleblower in an anonymous mail to market regulator Sebi, alleging wrongdoings by the company when in buying Israeli automation technology firm Panaya.

While strongly refuting the allegations, the Bengaluru-based firm had also hired Gibson Dunn and Control Risks (GDCR) to conduct an internal investigation into the charges.

"Gibson Dunn and Control Risks have now completed their detailed and extensive Independent Investigation and as they have described in the attached document, they did not find any evidence whatsoever of wrongdoing," Infosys said in a statement.

It added that the company has fully cooperated with all requests for information from Sebi regarding the anonymous complaints.

In February 2015, Infosys had announced buying the Israeli automation technology company for $200 million or Rs 1,250 crore in cash.

GDCR, in its report, said it had found no evidence to support allegations regarding wrongdoing by the company or its directors and employees.

It added that there were no conflicts of interest or kickbacks and the approvals required for the acquisitions were obtained with regard to the Panaya acquisition.

"...Thorough due diligence was conducted, the valuations of the target done by an outside financial advisor were reasonable, and the purchase prices were within the range of values determined by that advisor," it said.

Also, it said it had found no evidence that CEO Vishal Sikka had received excessive variable compensation or incurred unreasonable expenses for security, travel and the Palo Alto office.
Limited on Thursday said it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Daher Aerospace, France for manufacture of aerospace components.

According to the fully-owned subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, the MoU was signed at the Paris Air Show.

Daher Aerospace is tier-one manufacturer in aerostructures segment comprising fuselage sections and fairings made of composites as well as conventional metals for Dassault Aviation and other leading global aircraft manufacturers.

In India, Dassault has 50 per cent offset obligation for 36 Rafale aircraft, a contract valued close to 8 billion euros. is a key partner with Dassault Aviation for the largest offset programme so far in India.

"This offers a great opportunity for both the to work together for aerospace composites parts manufacturer. There is an increasing demand in aerospace sector for the composite components," the company said in a statement.

"Signing this MOU on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show, envisages a strategic partnership with Daher with aim to jointly explore opportunities in design and manufacture of composite parts; design and build of welded ducts, metal conduits, swaged pipes and cable harness supports; aerostructure components, integrated logistics, airframes, assemblies and related industrial activities."

The company elaborated that the new facility with Daher Aerospace fosters a comprehensive defence manufacturing eco-system through backward integration under the government's 'Make in India' programme for indigenous manufacturing of aerospace components.

The global demand for composites is estimated to rise from $18 billion to $43 billion by year 2032.
The government on Thursday assured the it would take corrective steps to ensure growth, and deal with financial stress and declining revenues.
Investment bank Credit Suisse is reaching out to minority shareholders of Snapdeal to build a consensus on the sale of the e-commerce platform to a larger rival, Flipkart.

According to sources, Credit Suisse, which is advising Snapdeal on the proposed deal, is reaching out to smaller shareholders to get them on board for the acquisition.

The beleaguered firm has a number of investors including PremjiInvest, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Ratan Tata, Foxconn, Temasek and BlackRock among others.

Emails sent to Snapdeal and Credit Suisse did not elicit any response.

PremjiInvest -- the personal investment arm of Wipro chairman Azim Premji and a minority investor in Snapdeal -- had written to the company seeking greater clarity on the deal terms. It has also called for equal treatment of shareholders for payouts from the deal.

It has been previously reported that early investors, Nexus Venture Partners (NVP) and Kalaari -- who also have Board representation -- could receive payouts worth over $150 million once the deal is closed.

Snapdeal's largest investor, SoftBank has been proactively mediating the sale for the past few months. The Japanese investment firm has already succeeded in getting Board members to agree to the said sale and a term sheet for due diligence with Flipkart has been signed.

Snapdeal's Board has representation from Snapdeal founders (Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal), SoftBank, NVP and Kalaari Capital.

The due diligence process is expected to be completed by month-end or early July.

The deal between Snapdeal and Flipkart, if completed, would mark the biggest acquisition in the Indian e-commerce space.

One of the leading contenders in the Indian e-commerce space, Snapdeal has seen its fortunes failing amid strong competition from Amazon and Flipkart.

Compared to a valuation of about $6.5 billion in February 2016, the sale to Flipkart could see Snapdeal being valued at about $1 billion.

SoftBank has already written off over $1 billion on the valuation of its investment in Snapdeal.
Tata Teleservices, the loss-making telecom services provider of the Tata group, had asked banks to restructure loans worth Rs 29,000 crore following a Rs 11,650 crore erosion in its net worth in 2016-17, banking sources said.
India's largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services has hired 12,500 people in the five years to 2016 in the US, creating more than half of the jobs by global IT services firms in America, according to a study by The Cambridge Report.

The Indian software major has spent over $3 billion (Rs 19,360 crore) on employment, educational and academic partnerships over the past three years in the US. TCS had posted consolidated revenue of US $17.6 billion (Rs. 1,13,572 crore) in fiscal 2017.
Life of a 41-year-old woman has been saved after successful removal of a cyst weighing 200gm from her brain at a city hospital in Faridabad, doctors said on Thursday.

According to the hospital authorities, Shanti got diagnosed of the problem couple of months back. Along with tremendous pain, the patient was unable to stand or walk without support.

Doctors advised MRI of her head which unveiled a large hollow stone-like tumour/ cyst inside her brain. It had taken the shape of an egg with a hard surface, with brain cells all around it.

After admission at the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), a team of doctors was constituted and accordingly the decision was taken to perform the surgery.

"We tested the foreign matter and discovered that it was caused by some parasite. Such parasites in the brain are known to cause soft balloon like cysts in some patients, but this type of hard structure and size has never been reported in medical literature," said Mukesh Pandey, Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon at AIMS.

During the surgery, the doctors had to be extra careful in removing the cyst as it contained toxic fluids as well. They said that if the fluid had leaked out into the brain, it could have caused severe reactions or formed more cysts, which could have killed the patient.

The surgery took about four hours.

"It was a challenging surgery as we had to remove this egg-shaped cyst completely and in one piece without causing any damage to the brain. It was about 200gm in weight and measured 8cmX8cm in size," said Kamal Verma, Director of Neurosurgery at AIMS.

According to the doctor, the patient took couple of weeks to recover and now is fit to do her daily chores.

"Shanti can carry out her daily chores smoothly and has no problems with her speech now. She thanked AIMS for giving her a new life," said one of the doctors.
It all started when Rachel Berliner was pregnant and unable to cook at home. My husband, Andy, is not a good cook. He would buy frozen food, which would taste just terrible, she says. Thats when Berliner realised that there was hardly any convenience food in the market that was organic, healthy and vegetarian. If you read the list of ingredients on the pack, these frozen foods have stuff like hydrogenated starch and more, which you cant even pronounce, she says. So, she, together with Andy, started Amys Kitchen  named after their daughter  in 1987 as one of the first organic, vegetarian and non-GMO convenience and frozen food brands in the US. An integral part of the global progressive food movement, the Berliners dont like to call Amys Kitchen a company, rather they call it a family-run home-style kitchen, where a community of farmers, friends and employees contribute to the recipe development.
China again on Friday said that there is no change in its stance on the admission of non-NPT states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), spoiling India's chances of entering the elite club at its crucial meeting currently underway in Bern.

"As for non-NPT countries being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to China's position," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing.

He was replying to a question whether there is any change in China's stand at the plenary meeting taking place in the Swiss capital, Bern.

"I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on admission of new members and the Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate," he said.

"As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, as far as I know this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold principle of decision upon consensus and continue to discuss various dimensions like technology, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission the group," he said.

China's stand, stonewalling India's admission, has become a major stumbling block in bilateral relations between the two countries.

After India's application for entry into the 48-member elite group which controls the nuclear trade, Pakistan, the all-weather ally of China, too had applied with the tacit backing of Beijing.

While India, which is backed by the US and a number of western countries has garnered the support of a majority of the group's members, China has stuck to its stand that new members should sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), making India's entry difficult as the group is guided by the consensus principle. India is not a signatory to the NPT.

After a series of meetings, China has backed a two-step approach which stipulates that the NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the NSG and then move forward with discussions of specific cases.

The Bern meeting is being regarded significant as it is taking place after Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly took up the issue of India's accession to NSG with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their recent meeting at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on the Indo-Pacific region, including the disputed South China Sea which was expected to figure during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to US, Geng said the situation in the South China Sea is cooling down.

"With the concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," he said.
The traffic police in Pakistan's Faisalabad city is using an image of Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah's no-ball in the final of the Champions Trophy to warn the drivers to stay behind the line at the red light.

City Traffic Police Faisalabad in Punjab, Pakistan's third-most-populous city, is using Bumrah's no-ball in the image on its posters.

The image with two cars behind a line on one side and Bumrah's no ball on the other carries a caption - "Don't cross the line. You know it can be costly".

Below the caption is the logo of the City Traffic Police Faisalabad.

Bumrah's no ball gave Pakistan's opener Fakhar Zaman an early life in the final of the Champions Trophy against India at The Oval on Sunday.

27-year-old Zaman went on to score 114 runs - his maiden ODI hundred in the all-important ICC Champions Trophy final. India lost the match by a massive 180-run margin.
conducted a mock drill in Sarojini Nagar market today to check the preparedness in handling a "London-style" attack.

The drill started at 9 PM and went on for close to an hour, the police said.

"Ramming a vehicle into pedestrians has become the most common form of terror attack. We keep receiving inputs about terror outfits planning to target Delhi. Mock drills are a way to check the preparedness levels of various stakeholders," said a senior police officer referring to the recent terror attacks in London.

The police had received a specific input about a "London- style" attack being planned to disrupt the International Day of Yoga in Connaught Place here yesterday and a three-tier security cover was thrown around the place.

In April, a hijacked beer truck rammed pedestrians at a central Stockholm department store, killing four people, wounding 15 others and sending screaming shoppers fleeing in panic.
India did better only than Pakistan over 15 years to 2015 among 19 countries in South and Southeast Asia (including China) by potential and actual healthcare access and quality.

The second largest and the fastest growing economy in the region, India saw its gap widening by 5.5 points, 1.4 points less than Pakistan, in 1990-2015, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index published in The Lancet, a British medical journal.
India is the only country in the world which has maximum opportunity to invest, leading NRI entrepreneur G P Hinduja has said as he sought a tripartite co-operation among China, India and the UK for the investment.

"Chinese have money, British have the expertise, competency and consultancy. There could be a tripartite concept which can work - China, UK and India," the Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group told a Chinese delegation and representatives of the British government at a reception he hosted at his residence last night.

Highlighting that India has excellent opportunities for Chinese companies to invest in infrastructure, he said in his view the only country in the world today which has maximum opportunities is India.

"I hope the governments between themselves think of this and take things forward," he said. "Anything you would like to do with the Hinduja Group in India, UK, China or anywhere else, we will welcome you."



The Chinese billionaires present at the event included Yan Bin, who made his money in Red Bull; husband and wife Chen Hongtian and Lily Yao Lini of Xiangqi, who are in real estate and mining; Xu Hang of Mindray Medical, who are in pharmaceuticals and now diversifying into real estate development; and Angel Wang Yunxiao.

Xu Hang boldly predicted: "The GDP of our three countries (China, India and Britain) will account for more than 50 per cent of the world's GDP in future."



The Indian billionaires who attended the event included Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute and S P Lohia of Indorama, headquartered in Indonesia.

Speaking on behalf of the British administration, Michael Charlton, chief investment officer in the Department of International Trade, said: "There are huge opportunities for both Indian and Chinese companies in the UK. The Department of International Trade and my boss Secretary of International Trade Liam Fox are looking forward to new, heightened levels of foreign direct investment in the post-Brexit environment."



The meeting was organised by Shanghai-based Hurun Report, who publish rich lists on China and India.

Its publisher Rupert Hoogewerf said, "Bringing India and China together, two great cultures of 5,000 years history, is great.
The United States is looking forward to strengthening its ties with India, the Trump Administration has said ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister and President Donald Trump next week.

"We're looking forward to strengthening ties between the United States and India," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference.

Modi and Trump are scheduled to meet at the White House on Monday. This would be the first meeting between the two leaders.

After Trump won the presidential elections last November, the two leaders have spoken over phone three times, the last being Trump's congratulatory phone call after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

A number of key issues, including ways to step up cooperation in effectively combating terrorism and further strengthening defence ties, are also likely to figure during the talks between the two leaders.



Here are five key issues on the trip's agenda:

1) Economic cooperation: "One of the agendas of the visit is how to further push and develop economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries for mutual benefit," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said when asked about the focus of the Modi-Trump meeting.

Refusing to give further details, he said all matters of bilateral interests will be on the table, adding, "The leaders will have an entire gamut of relationship in front of them when they talk."

2) Taking ties further: The MEA spokesperson said the Indo-US relationship has been very robust and strong and the thrust of the visit would be to take it further.

Writing for thewire.in, Seema Sirohi argues that a "public validation" of the strategic partnership between the two nations by Trump would be important. Trumps "unpredictability", Sirohi explains, has sent India "back to the hedging table, reinvigorating old friendships and exploring new ones". (Read more)

3) Pakistan and China: Asked whether Modi will raise with Trump the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Baglay said India's concerns regarding it are very well known and that it was logical to assume that matters relating to regional and global security will be discussed.

"Terrorism that emanates from there (Pakistan) affects not only India, but other countries in South Asia and the world over," he said.

According to a Reuters report from earlier this week, the Trump administration appears ready to harden its approach toward Pakistan to crack down on Pakistan-based militants launching attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Potential Trump administration responses being discussed include expanding US drone strikes, redirecting or withholding some aid to Pakistan and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally, US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Sirohi argues that Modi would also want to get a clearer picture of Trumps policy towards China and Washingtons future course of action.

4) Defence deals: As reported earlier, The Indian armed forces will be getting 22 American-made Guardian drones after the US cleared their sale ahead of PM Modi's visit to Washington for his maiden meeting with US President Donald Trump. The clearance comes just days after the announcement of the possibility of making American F-16 fighter jets in India under the Modi government's Make in India programme.

The F-16 assembly line will only shift to India if the government selects the jet for the Indian Air Force. Before taking any such decision, both sides will have to hold comprehensive discussions.

5) H-1B visas: According to a Reuters report, Indian Trade Secretary Ria Teaotia told reporters this week the H-1B visa programme, under which Indian IT firms send large numbers of professionals to the United States, would be one of the one issues on the table during Modi's visit.
At present, there is only a set of "do's and don'ts" for the social media which needs to be graduated to a full-fledged guidelines that should be adopted on such a network.
As opposition leaders sat to discuss the on Thursday, one man's absence told its own tale. The man was Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his message was clear. The JD(U) president was nobody's man but his own -- and his party's.

Opposition leaders yesterday devoted some time to Nitish, whose decision to support NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind had rattled many.

RLD leader Lalu Prasad promised to coax him into supporting the opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a Dalit from Bihar, a state that Nitish has ruled since 2005, barring a nine-month break.

Though described in many quarters as a "surprise" move, Nitish's endorsement of Kovind is just one among many decisions he has taken in recent months which set his party apart from the non-NDA bloc it belongs to.

"He takes contrarian decisions from time to time if he thinks they are in public interest," JD(U) leader K C Tyagi said.

That the 66-year-old Socialist was going against the tide on the presidential poll, to be held on July 17, became evident last month when he skipped an opposition lunch convened by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to discuss the issue - and the very next day attended a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

The CM also supported the NDA on issues roundly criticised by the opposition such as the Army's strike on Pakistan troops in October last year and the NDA's decision to ban high currency notes in November.

"He is wont to take decisions on the basis of his conscience and pragmatism -- and at times both. He thought demonetisation and GST were good for the country and so backed them," said Patna-based social scientist Shaibal Gupta.

Nitish has weaved his way in and out of tie-ups with the NDA. He left the non-NDA group for an alliance with the BJP, and then opted out of it to form a 'maha-gathbandhan' against the NDA for the 2015 assembly polls.

Hostile to Modi to begin with, Nitish has made soothing sounds in recent years -- a far cry from 2010 when he called off a dinner in Patna because Modi was going to be a part of it.

Nitish was said to have been irked that supporters of the then Gujarat CM had put up posters which tom-tommed that Gujarat had donated Rs 5 crore to Bihar for flood relief.

Modi's resounding victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections may have tempered Nitish's position. In 2015, when Modi made a sudden stopover in Lahore on his way back from Kabul, Nitish surprised his allies by congratulating him.

"Nitish has a habit of deviating from the official line of the party or alliance," said senior Bihar BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav. "He did so in the past, too," Yadav said, referring to the 2012 .

The CM had then sprung a political surprise on his allies - the NDA - by backing the UPA presidential candidate, Pranab Mukherjee, against the NDA's P A Sangma. He had a personal relationship with Mukherjee, he said.

In the case of Kovind, a dalit, caste politics are possibly at play. The Maha-dalits are a large constituency in Bihar, and Nitish would not like to alienate them - as he did when he installed, and then summarily dismissed, Jitan Ram Manjhi, a dalit, as Bihar CM before the 2015 state poll.

Not everybody saw Nitish Kumar's moves as politically astute.

"Nitish has nothing to do with his own party or alliance and goes by whatever suits his narrow and personal political interests," said RJD MLA Bhai Birendra.

The MLA's outspoken views strengthened the belief that all was not well between the JD(U) and RJD's Prasad, whose family members' financial dealings were being probed by central agencies. This, some leaders said, was another reason why Nitish was publicly moving away from his allies.

"He is very image conscious. And he doesn't want a dhabba (stain) on him," a Bihar watcher said. "This is his way of distancing himself from the larger opposition where Lalu plays a big part."



But Nitish, known for his tightrope acts, isn't walking out of the opposition either. So while he skipped Gandhi's lunch, he was present in Chennai for DMK leader M Karunanidhi's 94th birthday last month.

Yesterday, LJP leader Ramvilas Paswan urged Nitish to join the NDA. He should not be in "two boats at the same time", he said.

But the Bihar CM has shown that he will do just that. As long as he wants to.
blinow61/iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- As Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were shooting at a pit bull that was charging at them, a 17-year-old boy was apparently struck in the chest by one of the bullets and died, the sheriff's office said.



The shooting happened at about 3:45 a.m. Thursday in Palmdale, California, after deputies responded to a report of loud music, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. As the deputies walked up the driveway, a 60- to 65-pound pit bull "aggressively charged at the deputies and attacked one of them," biting the deputy on the knee, the sheriff's department said.



At that time, a young man came out from behind an apartment complex and restrained the dog and took it to the back of the building, the sheriff's office said.



Deputies were helping the injured officer and waiting for paramedics when "the pit bull came from the rear of the apartment and again charged at deputy personnel," the sheriff's office reported. "At that point, two deputies shot at the pit bull from a 5- to 7-feet distance, at which time, the pit bull retreated back to the rear of the apartment complex into the carport area."



The deputies went to the back of the complex "in an attempt to corral the dog to prevent additional victims," the sheriff's office said, and as they walked to the rear carport area, they found a teenager on the ground who appeared to have been shot in the chest, the sheriff's office said. The teen was hospitalized and later died.



The sheriff's office said "detectives believe when the juvenile came out from behind the building, which was approximately 40 feet away from where the shooting occurred with the dog, the juvenile may have been struck by one of the skip rounds." Capt. Christopher Bergner of the sheriffs office said it appeared that the "skip round" that hit the teenager had ricocheted off the ground, the Los Angeles Times reported.



The deputy bitten by the pit bull was also hit in the leg by a bullet fragment, the sheriff's office said. According to the Los Angeles Times, Bergner said in a press conference the deputy's injury also appeared to have been from a skip round that had ricocheted off the ground. He was transported to a hospital and is listed in stable condition, the sheriff's office said.



The sheriff's department said the investigation is ongoing. Because this was a fatal deputy-involved shooting, separate investigations will be conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner - Coroner, Sheriff's Homicide Bureau and Internal Affairs Bureau, the sheriff's office said. The Office of the Inspector General is expected to provide independent oversight during the investigation and the Los Angeles County District Attorney is also involved. "Once concluded, every aspect of the shooting is reviewed by the Sheriff's Executive Force Review Committee," the sheriff's office added.



The pit bull will be euthanized, the sheriff's office said.



Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department, said the department's policy for using a firearm on an animal is, "Personnel may use firearms to employ deadly force when dealing with animals when they reasonably believe that death or serious physical injury is about to be inflicted upon themselves or others.



"The shooting of animals that are not a threat of serious bodily injury to a person has proved to be inherently dangerous to bystanders as well as Deputy personnel. Therefore, Department members shall not use firearms to shoot animals fighting with other animals (e.g., dogs)," Nishida said. "If it becomes necessary to destroy an injured (euthanasia) by use of a firearm and the conditions are such that there is an extended or inappropriate response time by the animal control agency, authorization to use a firearm on an animal must be obtained from an on-scene supervisor."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Some may argue its always wrong to try to evaluate something as complex as teaching. As an educationist  who knows just how complex teaching can be  I have some sympathy with this.

But more than ever before, students are investing significant sums of money  and personal risk  in their higher education. And they are particularly interested in precisely the things the new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) measures. Things such as how likely they are to secure a highly skilled job as a result of their course, or how good their chosen university or college is at retaining students. These are both valid questions and we have the data to answer them  not crudely collected, but carefully collated.

As well as job prospects and dropout rates, the TEF also looks at how effective students think the assessment and feedback is at their university, along with the mix of students from different backgrounds and ethnic groups.

Students first

In many ways, the TEF signals a new way of thinking for universities. It sits alongside a number of recently published studies as part of an increased focus on outcomes for students. This includes the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data on salaries and employment, as well as the pilot studies of learning gain  a measure of the improvement in knowledge, skills, work readiness and personal development  made by students during their time spent at university.



In the past, have thought more about inputs, processes and outputs. Attention has been concentrated on staff, technology, curriculum, assessments and degree classifications. But this new focus on outcomes is a potential game changer. Not because outcomes are all that matter, but because, in a mass higher education system, they do matter. These outcomes are at the very core of the TEF, and they require to think hard about the impact of what they do and how they evaluate it.

Institutions which did best, wherever they are in the sector, grasped this with coherent and compelling ways to describe that relationship. The very best submissions were a joy to read, conveying a rich, vibrant learning experience which, among other things, engaged and stretched students  extending their sense of what is possible and orienting them to success beyond university or college. And this success was distributed across the sector  it is independent of institutional reputation, age, subject makeup or regional location.

Performance gaps

Quite rightly, the TEF panel was required to focus on the way higher education meets the needs of the most disadvantaged. There are real success stories here, but few submissions were systematic on the ways in which disadvantage is addressed, and how they act to close performance gaps among groups of students.

This proved to be one of the most revealing and absorbing parts of the exercise, and one where almost everyone has things to learn  particularly from those institutions which are already working with marginalised groups in difficult settings.



As an educationist whose research expertise has been in schools, it strikes me that have much to learn from schools in the way they address disadvantage. Its not enough simply to widen participation. What is important is to close gaps in attainment and to secure success beyond enrolment.

Lessons to learn

Its been an exceptional privilege to chair the TEF panel and to oversee the assessment. The results clearly demonstrate the UK has a world-class higher education sector with outstanding examples across the country.

Almost inevitably it has been controversial, but it marks a striking advance for the sector  focused on outcomes and the processes which produce them. It is also a way of further raising the profile of one of the most important things all universities do: teaching.

The TEF team is not only publishing the results, but all the data  statistical and written submissions  that the assessments are based on. No higher education system in the world has previously released such a fabulous resource for understanding teaching. I will be using these results to ask tough questions of my own team at Sheffield Hallam, about what we do and how. And I hope other universities will use the opportunity to do the same.

Chris Husbands, Vice Chancellor, Sheffield Hallam University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
It is possible to sleep with the Tubelight on. The latest in a series of collaborations between superstar Salman Khan and filmmaker Kabir Khan is repetitive, preachy, and unforgivably insubstantial. While the film is set mostly in the India-China war of 1962, its plot is as simplistic as its characters. Fortunately, at 136 minutes, it is shorter than expected.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) has changed the tenure of the operations and maintenance contracts for the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports to 20 years from 10 years, and will allow airline operators to bid for them in an effort to improve revenue for successful bidders.
After moving in a narrow range for several weeks, green vegetables have started firming up in spot Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yards because of the long dry spell and frequent changes in weather, resulting in high spoilage.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with US President Donald Trump will provide the first real indication of where US policy on India is headed under the new administration and whether progress is guaranteed or dubious.
The Indian armed forces will be getting 22 American-made Guardian drones after the US cleared their sale ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington for his maiden meeting with US President Donald Trump. The clearance comes just days after the announcement of the possibility of making American F-16 fighter jets in India under the Modi government's Make in India programme.
When Prime Minister crosses the Atlantic on Saturday night for his first meeting with Donald Trump, the US President who has been in office for only five months, he will be tempted to reflect on his first meeting with Trumps predecessor, Barack Obama, in the White House.
There will be no announcement of the sale of F-16 fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF), or even of Indian interest in the F-16, during Prime Minister Narendra Modis official visit to Washington DC on Sunday and Monday.
The government will issue an Ordinance next week to clarify the tax-exempt status of units in special economic zones (SEZs) after the roll-out of the goods and services tax (GST).
Even as the Yogi Adityanath government has signed the Power for All document with the Centre to provide 24x7 electricity supply to all households, state energy minister Shrikant Sharma has clarified that power tariffs would not be hiked this year.
The Central Board of Secondary (CBSE) under the scanner of the Supreme Court announced the results of National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination (NEET) today on June 23 2017 on their official site cbseneet.nic.in. The NEET is an entrance examination for any graduate medical course such as MBBS, Bachelor of Dental Surgery or postgraduate course i.e. Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Surgery in government or private medical colleges in India. This year the NEET was taken by around 11.38 lakh students. Soon, the examination fell for a number of controversies forcing many to file individual petitions in Madras and Gujarat High courts. On receiving a considerable amount of petitions, the Madras Court applied a stay order on the announcement of NEET 2017 results. However, the countrys top governing legal body Supreme Court disbanded the stay order and asked the CBSE Board to make the results public before June 26. The Board then promptly released the OMR Sheet and Answer Keys on June 15, before the notified date of June 16.

How to check your results:

Visit the official page cbseneet.nic.in. (Or click here for direct link)

Provide your details, Roll Number and Date of Birth

Hit the Submit button

Your result will appear. Print it out for future use

Lists of Counselling



The Board will be sharing the lists of All India Rank for NEET 2017 and State Wise Rank for the same. After the results are announced, the students will now appear for All India Quote counselling. The counselling will be organized by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).

State Wise Counselling

We are expecting the MCC to release the schedule of counselling on time after the result declaration. As far as counselling at state level is concerned, the states would be releasing it soon. Medical colleges in a particular state have 85% seats for the native students and 15% (All India Quote) seats for the students from other state. For instance, a student from Delhi wants to purse MBBS from a college in Mumbai, he will be given a seat from 15% seats of total seats of the college. For now the counselling for All India Quote would be conducted in July and state wise counselling in August this year. For updates on counselling, visit the official site of MCC here.

About NEET:

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is an entrance exam for any graduate and postgraduate medical course in India. Announced by the Government of Indian, it was held for the first time on May 5, 2013. However, the exam was soon invalidated by the Supreme Court of India on the petitions against it. The NEET 2016 was conducted in English and Hindi. Later more languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati were added.
The (RBI) has declared the results of RBI Grade B Officers Exam (Phase I). The exam was taken for recruitment program of the Bank to select the deserving candidates to be appointed as the officers under Grade B Cadre. Unlike from other Public Sector Banks that hire the candidates through the IBPS exams, the RBI has its own selection process to conduct exams, counsel and recruit the best candidates. The Bank had released the Notification of RBI Grade B (2017) in June aiming to undertake the online test at two levels; Phase I and Phase II. The Online Test through these phases would help the Bank shortlist the applicants for final appointment.

More than 3900 Qualify



On June 17, 2017 (Saturday), the Bank conducted the RBI Grade B Phase I exam at different centres across the country for the recruitment of Offers in Grade B (General), Officers in Grade B (Department of Economics and Policy Research-DEPR) and Officers in Grade B (Department of Information and Statistics-DSIM). The exams duration was 120 minutes and included four sections: General Awareness, English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. The Bank announced the results within a week and published a list of around 3500 candidates who cracked the Phase I Online Test. The results for RBI Grade B (General) can be downloaded here, for Officers in Grade B DEPR can be downloaded here and for Officers in Grade B DSIM can be downloaded here.

The exam had a total of 200 marks. And for selection in Phase II, the candidate must secure the minimum cut-off in each test and on the total marks as well. The Banks will release the cut-offs in the next two weeks. The cut-off list will help the candidates their marks and category wise Phase I cut-offs.

RBI Phase II Exam



The Bank has scheduled the RBI Grade B Phase II exams (online) on July 6 and 7, 2017 (Thursday and Friday) .It will be for 300 Marks with three different sections.

Exam Paper Type Marks Duration Economics & Social Issues Objective 100 90 English (Writing skills) Descriptive to type using keyboard 100 90 Finance & Management Objective 100 90 300 270 mins

Candidates appearing for the exam must know that the Phase II Online Test will be conducted in shifts. One has to appear for all the shifts because all the papers are mandatory. In Paper II (English-Writing Skills), the candidate will be required to use the keyboard in the computer itself as English paper will test his or her writing skills in provide long descriptions. For details on the same, visit the official page here
PMs statement before his upcoming visit to Portugal, USA and Netherlands

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The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will embark his visit to Portugal, USA and Netherlands tomorrow. The PM said that this visit is aimed at enhancing the bilateral engagement in various areas. .

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"I will pay a working visit to Portugal on 24 June 2017. Our close historical and friendly ties have picked up momentum after H.E. Prime Minister Antonio Costas visit to India in January 2017. .

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I am looking forward to my meeting with PM Costa. Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions. We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties. We will deliberate on means to intensify our cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest. I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties. .

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I am also keen to interact with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit", the Prime Minister said. .

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The Prime Minister will be visiting Washington, D.C. on 24-26 June. .

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"I will be visiting Washington, D.C. on 24-26 June at the invitation of President Donald J. Trump. President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people. I look forward to this opportunity to have an in depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide ranging partnership between India and the United States. .

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Indias partnership with the United States is multi-layered and diverse, supported by not just Governments but all the stakeholders on both sides. I look forward to building a forward looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump. .

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Apart from official meetings with President Trump and his cabinet colleagues, I will be meeting some prominent American CEOs. As in the past, I look forward to interacting with the Indian diaspora in the United States as well." .

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The PM will also visit the Netherlands on 27 June 2017. .

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"I will be visiting the Netherlands on 27 June 2017. We are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations this year. During the visit, I will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Mark Rutte. I will also call on King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and meet Queen Maxima. .

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I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter-terrorism and climate change. .

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Economic relations form the core of our bilateral relations. The Netherlands is our 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally. The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs. Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition. I will discuss with PM Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies. I will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and will encourage them to join the Indian growth story. .

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There are strong people to people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian Diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands", the Prime Minster said. .

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ISROs Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C38 successfully launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites today from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. This is the thirty ninth consecutively successful mission of PSLV. .

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PSLV-C38 lifted off at 0929 hrs (9:29 am) IST, as planned, from the First Launch Pad. After a flight of about 16 minutes, the satellites achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 505 km inclined at an angle of 97.44 degree to the equator (very close to the intended orbit) and in the succeeding seven and a half minutes, all the 31 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence beginning with Cartosat-2 series satellite, followed by NIUSAT and 29 customer satellites. The total number of Indian satellites launched by PSLV now stands at 48. .

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After separation, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide various remote sensing services using its panchromatic (black and white) and multispectral (colour) cameras. .

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One of the 30 co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C38 was the 15 kg NIUSAT, a University/Academic Institute satellite from Nurul Islam University, Tamil Nadu, India. The remaining 29 co-passenger satellites carried were international customer satellites from USA (10), United Kingdom (3), Belgium (3), Italy (3), Austria (1), Chile (1), Czech Republic (1), Finland (1), France (1), Germany (1), Japan (1), Latvia (1), Lithuania (1) and Slovakia (1). .

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With todays successful launch, the total number of customer satellites from abroad placed in orbit by Indias workhorse launch vehicle PSLV has reached 209. .

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Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands, including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran, an official of one of the four countries said.
Twin blasts tore through a market crowded with Eid shoppers in a mainly Shia town, a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car and militants opened fire on police in separate attacks in Pakistan's three major cities on Friday, killing 62 people and wounding nearly 100.

The suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboob's off ice in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, killing at least 13 people, including seven policemen, and wounding 21 .

The blast was claimed by both the local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group and by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter group of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Thirteen people, including seven policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

Hours later, two back-to-back blasts tore through a market crowded with the people shopping for Eid in the Shia- dominated Parachinar city in the Kurram tribal region, killing at least 45 people, mostly Shias, and injuring 75 .

The first blast occurred during rush hour in Turi Market, where a bus terminal is also located. The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

At least 45 people have been killed and 75 injured in Parachinar, an official from the Parachinar administration told PTI.

Earlier, Medical Superintendent of the District General Hospital, Parachinar, Sabir Hussain, confirmed the death of at least 25 people and injuries to over 100 in the blasts. More than 20 of the injured were in critical condition.

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. However, Sunni militant groups have claimed responsibility for several attacks in the area in the past.

In the evening, two armed men on a motorcycle, with their faces covered with helmets, opened fire on police officers at a roadside restaurant in Karachi and killed four of them.

An assistant sub-inspector was among those killed in the attack, said Superintendent of Police Asif Ahmad.

In Parachinar, officials said the blasts on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramazan targeted people shopping in the area and those heading out of the city ahead of Eid.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar. The security forces cordoned off the entire area and started search operation.

Pakistan Army contingents and FC personnel reached the site of the attack to aid in rescue efforts.

"Two Army aviation helicopters have taken off from Peshawar to Parachinar for the speedy evacuation of the injured to Peshawar," the army said in a statement.

"Rescue operation in progress," it added.

Pakistan army, meanwhile, launched a countrywide intelligence-led military operation against militants.

Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said that security has been tightened across the country.

"Special Intelligence-Based Operation (IBOs) and search operations (were) launched in coordination with intelligence and other Law Enforcement Agencies," he said.

On March 31, a car bomb blast near an Imambargah of Shia Muslims killed 23 people and injured 70 others in Parachinar.

In January, 25 people were killed and 87 others when a bomb tore through a crowded vegetable market in the same city.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attacks, saying that terrorists involved in the attacks will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected Quetta bomber tried to break a security perimetre to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

Kakar blamed India for the Quetta blast.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by Civil Defence Director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the Quetta blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Earlier this year, on February 13, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded.
Six administrators of channels on the Telegram messaging application have gone on hunger strike in Iran's Evin Prison to protest their prolonged detention without access to legal counsel. The six men were arrested in the run-up to Irans May 2017 presidential election.
Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a draft of their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which they expect to vote on next week.
More and more people are getting their news online. This worries those that think the internet and the technologies that underpin it will produce highly polarised news environments, with little potential for the shared debate that well-functioning democracies need. But data from our 2017 Reuters Institute Digital News Report shows that polarisation of online news audiences varies dramatically from country to country, even in nations with similar levels of technological development.

Our survey shows that the internet now rivals television as peoples main source of news in most of the 36 countries we looked at  and under-35s have a particularly strong preference for online news. But despite this, many aspects of how people get news online remain poorly understood. As a result, we lack information about how online news audiences take shape.

Our preliminary research into online news audience polarisation, however, can shed some light on this. Our survey measured which online news sources people use on a weekly basis, as well as where they would place themselves on a seven-point scale ranging from very left wing to very right wing. When we look at the audiences for various news sources, we see that some have more people who self-identify with the political left than the right  and vice-versa.

Take the audiences for three news sources popular in the UK (Figure 1). The Guardian has more readers who self-identify with the left (43%) than with the right (12%). The opposite is true of Mail Online. Sky, meanwhile, has a fairly even split.

Digital News Report

Mapping the audience

We can use this data to create a map of the most popular online news sources within a country to get an idea of the level of polarisation that exists (see Figure 2). The further each brand is from the mid-point (the average political leaning of the population as a whole), the more their audience is made up of either left-wing or right-wing users.

Traditionally, the UK has been home to a highly partisan press, so we would expect to see popular newspaper brands at the edges of the map. The size of the bubbles represent the weekly online news reach of the brand. The largest bubble is for BBC News online, which has an audience that is slightly to the left of the population as a whole, but still close to the centre. This makes sense, given that the BBC is both well-funded (at least compared to some other public service broadcasters in Europe) and has a mandate to be politically impartial.

Digital News Report

Compare this to the US (Figure 3). Here, the bubbles are more spread out, highlighting that some news brands have even more skewed audiences than in the UK. National broadcasters such as Fox News are at the edges. Most other publishers have an audience that is more left-wing than the population as a whole. Also, notice that the middle of the map is relatively sparse, with few of the most widely used sources attracting those from the left and the right in equal numbers  or a large proportion of centrists. On this basis, it would appear that online news media is more polarised in the US (even as we control for national differences in the political leaning of the population).

Digital News Report

Norway, shown in Figure 4, is different again. Brands  whether they have a print or broadcast legacy  have built large audiences by appealing to people from across the political spectrum. Like many other northern European countries, Norway used to have a strong party press. Some newspapers  such as Dagsavisen, with its historic links to the Norwegian Labour Party  do still have skewed online audiences. But despite this, more recent moves towards a more neutral, commercially orientated press  together with a popular public service broadcaster  mean that the Norwegian online news environment is considerably less polarised than the USs.

Digital News Report

Dont blame the internet

We see even more variation when we use this same method to consider other countries in Europe. Of course, this is just one way of measuring political polarisation. Potentially, there are many more. We can also conceive of polarisation along different dimensions, such as age or level of interest in the news, both of which might have important societal consequences.

But the differences are still striking, because they show that the internet does not guarantee polarised news audiences. All three countries are highly technologically developed, with similarly high levels of internet penetration (UK 92%, US 90%, Norway 96%, according to Internet World Stats). Even the figures for social media use do not seem to support the idea that is the primary driver of polarisation. Weekly social media news use is as high in Norway (53%) as in the US (51%) and higher than the UK (41%), but news audiences are clearly much less polarised.

The causes of news audience polarisation are likely to be numerous and complex. We can also question what the right degree of polarisation might be, given that a certain amount is probably necessary to encourage political action and debate. and the development of the tools that make up the web will always be part of the story of how polarisation comes about, but, at least for now, the historical, social and political factors that shaped media systems  and the consumption of news  throughout the 20th century seem to offer better explanations for the differences in polarisation we see.

Richard Fletcher, Research Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
has slipped 15% to Rs 168 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) after Malaysian hospital chain, IHH Healthcare Berhad (IHH), said it was nowhere close to concluding a deal in healthcare services provider.
From new fundraising instruments like municipal bonds and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) to passing orders in long-pending matters like the Reliance Industries unlawful gains case, Ajay Tyagi, chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has made some right moves in his first 100 days in office.
Days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets President Donald Trump for the first time in Washington, the State Department has said that United States is looking forward to strengthen its ties with India

"We're looking forward to strengthening ties between the United States and India. We have a lot of areas of mutual cooperation, fighting terrorism, we have a lot of people-to-people ties, strong people-to-people ties; so we're looking forward to that visit. We have a lot of visas that get granted - are granted to Indian citizens," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

Further stating that U.S. treasures its relationship with their Indian friends, Nauert expressed the Trump Administration's eagerness in greeting the Indian delegation.

Giving an ample indication of the 'friendly' ties, the U.S. has cleared the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India.

At the invitation of the US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Modi will visit Washington DC on June 25-26. The two leaders have spoken over phone for at least three times.

However, this meeting comes at a time when Trump made critical comments on India while announcing the US decision to pull out of the Paris climate change agreement.

President Trump has accused India and other countries of trying to extract "billions and billions and billions" of dollars in foreign aid from the developed to sign up for the climate accord.

In spite of the difference on some issues, Prime Minister Modi's discussions with Trump are likely to find a common approach on matters related to South Asia, particularly the rise in infiltration from the neighbouring Pakistan, terrorism and India's case for a seat at the nuclear supplier's group.

The Prime Minister has reiterated India's support to the Paris agreement and said he is willing to go further than what has been committed under the Paris accord.

Both the leaders will hold discussions on taking the bilateral ties to a new level, convergence of strategic interests in South Asia, joint effort in fighting terrorism, trade and specifically the vexed issue of H-1B temporary visa, the biggest concern for New Delhi,

Moreover, US National Security Adviser (NSA) Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster has re-affirmed India's position as the US's "major defence partner" during talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

McMaster had discussed bilateral ties, situation in the South Asian region including Afghanistan and Pakistan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his April visit.

Under the previous administration, Prime Minister Modi had a record number of eight meetings with former US president Barack Obama.

Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval had met his then counterpart Michael Flynn in December -before the inauguration.

On the US executive order on H1B visas, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reportedly hit back at the US on the H1B visa issue and said that their companies in India will also be affected .She has said that it is not only the Indian companies which will get affected but also the US companies who earn profits which go to their economy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said 'Bihar ki beti' Meira Kumar has been nominated as the Presidential candidate by the Opposition only to lose.

"I have a lot of respect for Meira Kumar, but 'Bihar ki beti' has been nominated only to lose," Nitish told the media.

Despite conflict of opinion over presidential nominee, Janata Dal (United) chief today attended an iftaar party organised by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Patna. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was also present at the party with grand alliance partner.

Remaining firm on its stand of supporting Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Nitish said his party took the decision after a detailed discussion with all party leaders.

"We took the decision after discussing all the leaders of our party and will not reconsider our decision to back Kovind," he added.

He further said the presidential candidature should not be made a subject of political confrontation.

Earlier, Lalu said that Nitish was doing a 'mistake' by supporting Kovind, adding that he would try to convince him to rethink on the same.

"I don't know why Nitish Kumar took this decision. I will tell him that he has made a mistake and would appeal him to rethink on his decision to support Kovind," Lalu told ANI.

The opposition on Thursday fielded former Lok Sabha speaker Meira as Presidential candidate against NDA's nominee Kovind.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.

The counting of the votes will be done on July 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said the Centre has given an assurance that it will buy onions and various kinds of lentils from farmers in the wake of a price fall and a 20 percent agriculture growth in the state this year.

Chouhan conveyed this appeal to Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh here, and also asked the Centre to postpone the date of purchase from June 30 to July 15.

"Madhya Pradesh has witnessed 20 percent agricultural growth, and it was possible because of the farmers' hard work and the government's schemes. However these figures have also led to a problem. We have produced 32 lakh metric tons of onions which has led to fall in prices due to which the farmers were unable to get good prices," Chouhan said.

He said that by July 15 the government will purchase 8, 00,000 MT of onions from farmers.

This comes in the wake of a recent farmers' agitation who have been protesting to waive off farm loans and better prices for their produce.

During the agitation, five farmers were killed by the police, a move that was severely criticised and the Chouhan-eld government faced flak from all of the Opposition parties.

So far 17 farmers have committed suicide since the protests started in Mandsaur by farmers on June 6.

The government has ordered a judicial inquiry to probe the situation. Retired High Court judge, Justice J. K. Jain was appointed as the single member of the commission.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Comprehensive travel and leisure activities platform Cleartrip has launched the Arabic version of its desktop websites. The launch will make available Cleartrip's uncluttered and intuitive UI, seamless user experience, and hassle-free booking experience to Arabic audiences, particularly those in markets belonging to the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (formerly Gulf Cooperation Council).

The Arabic website will have airline-focused content, which is a top consumer preference in the region.

The latest development is in sync with Cleartrip's long-term strategy of consolidating its global footprint, particularly in large and high-growth markets like Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The launch of an Arabic-language portal will allow the brand to make available its innovative travel solutions to the Arabic audience, which accounts for a lion's share of the region's overall online travel market.

Being a market pioneer in the region, Cleartrip already enjoys a considerable consumer base amongst English-speaking users in GCC countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Despite being a huge market, the GCC travel industry is still growing and is ripe for disruption. Having achieved a clear leadership position in the UAE, we wanted to expand our footprint across other high-potential GCC countries by catering to Arabic users in the region, who have shown a strong preference for Arabic content while making online travel reservations. This is why we have launched our Arabic-language desktop website," said a spokesperson from Cleartrip.

He further added that more customers will be benefited from the cutting-edge travel solutions, and will be looking to launch more innovative offerings in the near future to serve users from the region in the language of their preference.

In addition to its Arabic desktop website, Cleartrip has also set up an Arabic voice support centre in Dubai offering users the option of calling in for assistance or requesting a call-back, ; the centre will further Cleartrip's customer-centric proposition.

The brand also plans to launch its Arabic app in the coming quarters, to make online travel reservations more convenient and hassle-free for its users in the region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A confident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, while maintaining that the NDA Government's presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind will win with majority, said that the Congress Party is using Meira Kumar as a 'sacrificial goat' in this election.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar has been announced as the Opposition's Presidential nominee.

"Knowing completely well that she will be defeated, Congress is trying to make her a sacrificial goat in this election. Meira Kumar had chaired the speaker position with great dignity. Such a person should not have been chosen when they (Congress) were well aware that she will be losing," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI.

The BJP leader also said that the grand old party is trying to pit a Dalit against another Dalit and dividing the society.

"Congress has been forced to tow the BJP line in selecting the presidential candidate. BJP forced Congress to pick a Dalit candidate as their own presidential candidature. Unfortunately, it is trying to pit Dalit versus Dalit and dividing the society in the process," he said.

Another BJP leader Shaina NC asserted that their nominee Ramnath Kovind will win the presidential election as they have more numbers in their basket.

"As a woman in public life, I would like to compliment Meira Kumar for her candidature, but I think at the end it is about numbers. As they say, let the best man or woman win, and in this particular case, clearly the NDA and our allies have the numbers," she told ANI.

The Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met yesterday to discuss the Democratic Alliance's (NDA) decision on Presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind, following which they announced their candidate.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday condemned the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammad Ayub Pandith and said it marks a new low.

"The brutal lynching of DySP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident," Rahul tweeted.

He said it is heartbreaking to see Jammu and Kashmir being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP-BJP Government.

Condemning the brutal lynching of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith by a mob, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday stated that the brutal act was against both tIslam and humanity.

"The way the DSP was lynched to death was so shameful. Killing a person in the holy month of Ramzan is condemnable. If the mob was suspicious about the identity of that person, then they should have informed the police instead of taking law in their hand. Such thing is against both the Islam and the humanity," Azad told ANI.

Echoing similar sentiments, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti warned the people of the state to not test the patience of the security forces, who use restrain in dealing with locals.

Last night, Pandith was lynched to death by a violent mob in downtown Srinagar.

The deceased DSP was aon surveillance and was allegedly clicking pictures of people emerging from the Jamia Masjid mosque, when a mob attacked him.

After the situation became out of control, the cop in his own defence open fire through his service pistol on the mob, in which three people got injured.

The angry mob then proceeded to attack him more severely and ended up taking his life.

Police have recovered the body of deceased and are investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said two people have been arrested and a third person has been identified in connection with the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith.

"Two people have been arrested so far in this incident and third one has been identified. The rest culprits will also have to face the law. According to the reports, when he was coming out of the mosque, people started raising slogans and started hitting him resulting in his death," Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police S. P. Vaid told media here.

He added that the DSP was posted outside the mosque for the security of the people so that they could offer prayers without any hindrance.

"A few people who were standing outside the mosque lynched him. This is a very unfortunate act. There seems to be a sheer difference between humanity and cruelty. People need to understand what is wrong. Further investigation is underway," Vaid said.

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The death toll in a suicide attack outside New Kabul Bank branch in Afghanistan's Lashkargah has risen to 34.

The blast took place at about 12 noon local time after a car bomb exploded, Tolo News quoted a spokesman for the provincial governor Omar Zwak as saying.

The victims have been taken to the emergency hospital, he added.

According to officials, a car loaded with explosives was detonated by a suicide bomber in front of the crowded New Kabul Bank building in Lashkargah.

The majority of victims were civilians who had lined up to cash their salaries ahead of Eid-al-Fitr.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, after the attack, said that insurgents do not believe in any religion, but are an enemy of the human race.

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Social media giant Facebook has finally set up its new 'Group Insights' feature to enable proper administration of groups administrators (admins) to hold a more stringent check of the content being posted online.

Under the new feature, apart from assessing real-time metrics around growth, engagement and membership - such as the number of posts and times that members are can also be engaged.

Being the brainchild of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the few feature was rolled out at the first-ever Facebook Communities Summit (FCS) in Chicago, entirely dedicated to group admins, and leaders who have built safe and supportive communities on Facebook.

In lieu of this, the company also introduced its new mission, 'Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together,' in support of these admins.

As part of this mission, the company rolled out a host of other features to assist the admins in understanding and ideating the purpose of these communities.

Facebook enabled an option to filter membership requests according to common categories like gender and location, and then accept or decline all at once.

Apart from this, to help keep their communities safe from bad actors, group admins can now remove a person and the content they've created within the group, including posts, comments and other people added to the group, in one step.

Another important feature is the group-to-group linking, which allows group admins to recommend similar or related groups to their members.

In these minor yet significant ways, Facebook aims to integrate communities and sub-communities from across the globe.

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HDFC Bank Ltd will be organising awareness workshops to educate traders, merchants, and businessmen on the forthcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which is slated to come into effect on July 1, 2017.

Ahead of its rollout, more than 500 workshops will be held at over 300 towns and cities.

The GST is proposed to be a comprehensive indirect tax on manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods as well as services at the national level. Introduction of GST will make India one unified market and replace all indirect taxes levied on goods and services by central as well as state governments.

"As the nation moves towards 'One Nation - One Tax' with the rollout of GST, we as a socially responsible corporate citizen are happy to contribute in educating the community on the merits and processes of GST. The workshops to be held at over 300 towns and cities will give the audience an in-depth look into GST, with workflows, case studies," said Navin Puri, Country Head - Branch Banking, HDFC Bank Ltd.

As part of this initiative, HDFC Bank will educate traders, merchants, and businessmen on the benefits of GST, procedure for filing returns and case studies on its implementation.

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The lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith in Srinagar prompted defence experts to unanimously demand that the people of Jammu and Kashmir repel militancy and combat terrorism head on.

One of the experts, Sunil Deshpande, told ANI, "It is shocking and should be condemned by everyone. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are killing their own people. His son fainted when he saw his father's body. His daughter studying in Bangladesh came on leave to celebrate Eid with her father."

Another expert S R Sinho said, "It's a shame for the Kashmiri government and our government too, that officers on duty are being killed and tortured. The other day, six policemen were kidnapped, tortured and killed. A similar case doesn't happen in Russia or Israel."

Sinho said the act is a human right violation and it is high time that the country's leadership wakes up.

Pandith was lynched by a violent mob in Srinagar for allegedly making a video of locals indulging in acts of stone pelting and for firing his pistol and injuring three persons.

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The meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation concluded here on Friday, in which Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu signed a roadmap for boosting bilateral military cooperation.

Jaitley said the meeting would review the entire range of military and military-technical cooperation issues between India and Russia within the framework of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The issues of Russian-Indian military and military-technical cooperation and its perspectives of further development were also discussed during the meeting.

Both sides stressed on the potential of the cooperation in the spheres of missile and naval technologies, aircraft construction, shipbuilding and modernisation of the land forces equipment.

Moreover, both countries' Defence Ministers gave a high praise to anti-terror and naval exercises, which were held last year. Also, they confirmed the arrangement of holding a joint Russian-Indian inter-specific exercises "Indra-2017" on the Russian territory this autumn.

The meeting was held in a friendly and business atmosphere and demonstrated the mutual desire of further enhance of the multifaceted cooperation between the Defence Ministries.

The "roadmap" of development of bilateral military cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of India and the final protocol, aimed at the development of the relations between Russia and India in a military-technical sphere were signed at the end of the Commission meeting.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Vice-President of Iran and the head of Iran's atomic energy organisation has warned the U.S. for supporting Saudi Arabia saying, it will upset the regional balance of power.

He further stressed that West must change the course "If the Iran deal is to survive".

Referring to the Saudi purchase of $100 billion of U.S. arms during Donald Trump's recent visit to Riyadh, Ali Akbar Salehi wrote in Guardian, "Lavish arms purchases" by regional actors because of the abundance of oil wealth would be seen as provocative in Tehran and that it would be unrealistic to expect Iran to remain "indifferent".

The article by one of the architects of the 2015 landmark nuclear deal comes at a time when tensions in the Middle East are at an all time high as Tehran and Riyadh are having conflicting views on the regional wars in Syria and Yemen.

Salehi said it was possible to rescue the deal's engagement if it was met with reciprocal gestures.

"The fate of this hard-won deal depends, in the final analysis, on western resolve and adherence to the principles just mentioned. Disregard for Iran's genuine security concerns, either through deliberate changing of the military-security balance in the region, or by stoking Iranophobia in the region and beyond, would jeopardize engagement," wrote Salehi, the vice-president of Government of Iran.

"Often following hard-won engagement, some western nations, whether distracted by short-sighted political motivations or the lucrative inducements of regional actors, walk away and allow the whole situation to return to the status quo ante," wrote Salehi.

Salehi warned of "chaotic behaviour" and "further tension and conflict" if the other side disregarded Iran's security concerns, failed to adhere to its commitments and insisted on what he called alternative facts that are bound to create unnecessary crisis including ideas such as the "clash of civilizations", "Sunni-Shia conflict", "Persian-Arab enmity" and the "Arab-Israeli axis against Iran" Salehi wrote in the Guardian.

Trump's first foreign trip to Riyadh has led to the diplomatic isolation of Qatar by Saudi Arabia and its allies which has tilted the regional balance. Salehi cautioned, "We would all end up back at square one."

"Unfortunately, as things stand at the moment in the region, reaching a new state of equilibrium might simply be beyond reach for the foreseeable future." warned Salehi.

Salehi urged the outside to take heed of the results of last month's Iranian presidential election and the message Iranians sent, but he said "engagement is simply not a one-way street and we cannot go it alone".

Although Trump has promised to "dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran", he has not so far taken any concrete steps to scrap it. Last month, two days before Iran's presidential election, his administration announced that it was continuing to waive nuclear-related sanctions under the agreement despite Washington toughening up its overall Iran policy.

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In the wake of the upcoming presidential polls, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Secretary General Sitaram Yechury has assured that the opposition will mount a fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in defence of the minorities of the country.

"This is a political fight. It is between those forces who want to strengthen the values enshrined in the Indian constitution and it's against those who are undermining those values which is represented by the BJP and RSS", Yechury told ANI.

Yechury made specific appeals to Janata Dal United (JDU) leader Nitish Kumar and Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik to rethink their stance in the matter..

"We have appealed all the political parties, especially JD(U) and Orissa's Naveen Patnaik. We have also spoken to Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party", added Yechuri.

Yechury asserted that all the parties who cherish the Indian constitution must come together in this fight.

Earlier today, nominee by the Democratic Party (NDA) for the upcoming Presidential elections, Ramnath Kovind filed his nomination papers in the Parliament House.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanied Kovind to file his nomination to be the 15th President of India.

Addressing media after filing his nomination papers for the July 17 elections, Kovind said, "Ever since I took over as Governor, I have no political affiliation. President of India is above politics," Kovind said.

Kovind resigned from the post of Bihar Governor after he was selected by the Modi Government as its candidate for the country's top post.

Kovind's candidature has been opposed by many Opposition parties over his affiliation with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He represented the party and Uttar Pradesh in Rajya Sabha twice and was BJP spokesperson prior to his appointment as Bihar Governor in 2015.

Kovind filed his nomination papers in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior NDA leaders.

"In our country Constitution of India is supreme. We have to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution," said the NDA's candidate who will face the Opposition candidate and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

He also said that he would do everything to maintain the dignity of Indian President's post.

"I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will do everything to maintain the dignity of country's top post," Kovind said.

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Post the end-moment announcement of the presidential nominee by the Opposition, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majeed Memon on Friday said that the party member must decide in a non-political way between Meira Kumar and Ramnath Kovind as who would serve as a better leader, adding the decision should favour Kumar.

"I would humbly appeal to the party members that if they want to continue to sail with the Opposition, which they are saying, then they must reconsider now and apply their mind in an absolutely non-political way between Meira Kumar and Ramnath Kovind and see who would make a better leader of India. I think they should decide in favour of Meira Kumar," Memon told ANI.

He further said that the declaration of Kumar's name as the combined Opposition candidate has come through the unanimous decision of 17 Opposition political parties.

"Some of the political parties like JD (U), (Biju Janata Dal) BJD, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) or Shiv Sena have already announced that they are supporting Kovind. I would pose a question to them that don't you think that your decision was a little too immature and in haste when you took important decision like who is going to head the Indian executive for the next five years? It's an important decision," he questioned.

Memon further said that they took this decision without knowing whether Kovind is going to be a single man in the contest and there will be no contest against him.

"They should have waited for some time," he asserted.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar was on Thursday announced as the Opposition' Presidential nominee.

The Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met yesterday to discuss the Democratic Alliance's (NDA) decision on Presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind, following which they announced their candidate.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier said that the Opposition was a divided house over the Presidential elections as many of its partners have extended support to ruling NDA candidate.

BJP chief Amit Shah had announced the name of Kovind as NDA's consensus candidate for the post of Indian President.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the notification in this regard and the process of the nomination has started that will continue till June 28.

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Terming Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu's "loan waiver has become a fashion now' statement" as 'unfortunate', the Congress Party on Friday said that the former should apologise to the farmers.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan questioned the 'fashionable' quotient when so many farmers were attempting suicides due to the burden of loans.

"Venkaiah Naidu's utterances have become unfortunate. He is talking about farmers who are killed in cold-blood in Madhya Pradesh. What is fashionable about it? A waiver is saving the farmer, getting them back into the banking circle, into the economic situation. Venkaiah Naidu must apologise to the farmers on his statement," Vadakkan told ANI.

Another Congress leader KTS Tulsi also maintained the same, saying it is not a matter of fashion when the poor people are taking their lives.

"One should not make fun of people. These poor people are taking their lives. It is a not a matter of fashion. A person decides to end his life when he is absolutely frustrated. So, such a statement is not suited to be made by such a senior politician," Tulsi told ANI.

However, Naidu, who has already drawn flak for remark, defended his stance yesterday, while saying that he was referring to the approach of the political parties, who are not focussing on long term, but only short term problems.

"I am being misquoted. My statement was in a context that the political parties, instead of addressing long term issues and bringing in structural policy changes, are adopting short-term methods which have become the fashion. I was referring to the approach of the political parties particularly of going to the level of populist schemes like giving grinders, mixies, and lollipops to children," Naidu told ANI.

Naidu further said that waiver has to be done in an extreme situation, but that cannot be a solution in the long term, adding that the government needs to focus more on infrastructure.

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With a week left for Goods and Services Tax (GST) to be implemented, the Congress Party on Friday said the NDA government's 'uniform tax regime' is complicated and will cause trouble in the future.

"We are not against GST. It is our birth child, but we are against the format in which BJP wants to bring it. Those who once opposed GST are now implementing it," Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam told media here.

He further said the Centre's notion 'one nation one tax' is wrong as there are four slabs in it.

Nirupam had earlier cornered veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan for advertising GST, saying the latter should not promote the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) 'stupid act'.

"Amitabh Bachchan is a very respectful person, but it is not important that he becomes a part of every stupid act of the BJP," Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam told ANI.

He further said the veteran actor might face the brunt of the protest against the GST which may affect his image in the long term.

"Businessmen are already infuriated about the introduction of the GST and are also planning to stage protests against it. The government is not ready to listen to the businessmen. There will be protests against it and also against Bachchan for being the brand ambassador of GST. So, he should not promote GST," Nirupam said.

Taking to Twitter, Nirupam advised Bachchan to withdraw his name as GST brand ambassador.

Highlighting the loopholes of the uniform tax regime that is set to be implemented from July 1, Nirupam said, "The way GST is being brought in the country, people are discontented with that. The agencies are saying that it should not be implemented in this manner."

A video featuring Bachchan has been released by the government in which the actor can be seen explaining GST as a "unifying force, just like the three colours in the flag".

The mega star also took to his Twitter handle stating that he was asked to promote GST to which he agreed.

The GST will be implemented from July 1, said the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely.

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The Hyderabad branch of the Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary charge sheet before the NIA Special Court against one of the accused namely Mohammed Irfan for his alleged role in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror conspiracy module.

During the investigation, it was found that Mohammed Irfan had searched for hideouts for physical training of members of the terror module.

He had also searched and identified safe house for the terrorist gang, in the outskirts of Hyderabad along with another accused namely Muzaffer Hussain Rizwan.

Mohammed Irfan took an oral Oath of Allegiance in favour of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed Caliph of the ISIS, in the presence of Rizwan and another accomplice Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani.

The module said, "On the instructions of Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani, Mohammed Irfan had collected and transported explosive precursors along with an aide Mohammed Ilyas Yazdani from the outskirts of Pochampally village of Telangana's Nalgonda district."

The module said that he also went to Anantapur town of the state to send co-ordinates of the spot through Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani.

The electronic gadgets seized during the investigation established his radicalization towards ISIS ideology.

He was in possession of materials like 'Mujahid Guide' and 'How to conduct lone wolve attacks' and was very much influenced by Jihadi Ideologues like Anwar Awlaki, Omar Bakri Mohammed.

This case was registered on June 22 at the NIA Hyderabad Branch.

He was arrested on January in Hyderabad.

It was revealed during house search conducted at his premises in the city on June 29, 2016.

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Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Friday branded the cop lynching incident as 'murder' and assured action in the matter.

"I condemn it in the strongest words because it's a crime. It's a murder. The government will take it in that way and the police will take a strong action against them," Singh told ANI.

In an apparent reference to the separatists, Singh said that those people who claim that they are for the welfare of the people don't even utter a word when such incidents take place.

"This is a cowardice approach on their part. They should come out. These people only talk in favour of pro-Pakistani elements but when the question of our security forces come, these people don't act," he added.

Last night, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched to death by a violent mob in downtown Srinagar.

The deceased DSP was allegedly on surveillance and was clicking picture of people emerging from the Jamia Masjid mosque, when a mob attacked him.

After the situation became out of control, the cop in his own defence open fire through his service pistol on the mob, in which three people got injured.

The angry mob then proceeded to attack him more severely and ended up taking his life.

The police have recovered the body of deceased and are investigating the matter.

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North Korea has dismissed accusations of torturing U.S. university student and said death of Otto Warmbier soon after his return home was "a mystery" to them as well.

Pyongyang rebutted allegations by U.S. that Otto had died because of torture and beating during his captivity as "groundless."

The North's foreign ministry spokesman also said in comments carried by the official KCNA agency that Warmbier was "a victim of the policy of strategic patience" of former U.S. president Barack Obama, whose government never requested his release.

"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the U.S. in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well," the spokesman was quoted by KCNA, as saying.

Less than a week after returning to the United States after 17 months of detention in North Korea, his family announced Warmbier had "completed his journey home."

The 22-year-old died on June 20 in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his family at his side.

Otto died because of severe brain damage.

Warmbier, 22, was arrested in the reclusive country while visiting as a tourist in January 2016. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel, North Korea state media said.

The cause of Warmbier's death is not known, and his family objected to an autopsy.

The North Korean Government said he fell into a coma after contracting botulism and taking a sleeping pill in March 2016. But U.S. doctors said they found no evidence of the illness.

"Let us state the facts plainly: Otto Warmbier, an American citizen, was murdered by the Kim Jong Un regime," said U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, CNN reported.

While condoling the tragic death of college student Otto Warmbier, U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the "brutality of the North Korean regime."

Last week, his treating physicians in Cincinnati said he suffered from unresponsive wakefulness, a condition also known as persistent vegetative state.

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Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepted on June 21 that the Pakistani Air Force had struck down an Iranian drone on June 19, as it flew around four kilometers inside Pakistani territory in the Panjgur sector along the Pakistan-Iran border.

This is the first such incident on this border, which witnesses rampant trafficking of humans, drugs and arms. As per Iran, more than 28,000 illegals have been arrested, trying to cross the border into Iran from the Pakistani side in the last twelve months.

Though this is the first incident of downing of an Iranian drone, it is certainly not an isolated incident of Pakistani offensive against Iranian interests.

In fact, it suits Pakistan to keep its border with Iran restive and porous, thereby allowing terrorist groups like the Jaish-al-Adl to operate in Iranian territory and pull back into Pakistan when required.

Iran has on multiple occasions expressed serious concerns about the situation along the border to Pakistan during Joint Border Commission meetings as well as thorough their Foreign office but has found the Pakistani side dragging its feet on improving the ground situation.

As a result, incidents of attacks against Iranian security personnel along the Pakistan-Iran border continue, with the Iranian side suffering casualties. One of the recent attacks took place on April 26 in Mirjaveh when Sunni militants, using long-range guns, in a cross-border attack from the Pakistani side, killed 10 Iranian border guards.

The Iranian government in a statement issued after the Mirjaveh attack held the Pakistani government as 'ultimately' responsible for the incident. It , therefore, came as no surprise when in May 2017 Iranian Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri warned that his country would not hesitate to launch attacks against terrorist hideouts in Pakistan, if Iranian soldiers continued to die in attacks carried out by terrorists in Pakistan.

At bilateral meetings with the Pakistani side, Bageri has repeatedly called upon Pakistan to deploy its army along the border for effective control. Despite multiple requests, Pakistan refuses to take effective measures to tighten control in the border areas. Instead, it has allowed Jaish -al- Adl leader Abdul Sattar Riggi the freedom of movement in Pakistan.

As Iran quickly loses its patience with Pakistan and adopts a more hardened stance, it is likely that Pakistan will further encourage Sunni extremist elements to carry out acts of violence within Iran.

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"Pakistan's concept of Sharia has nothing to do with Islam," said Shiraz Ahmad in his address at a seminar on "Human Rights abuses in Pakistan" organised by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in collaboration with the Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum.

Ahmad is the Additional Executive Director of the Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat, India, and he was speaking about gross human rights violation being perpetrated on the Ahmadiya community in Pakistan, and that too with state sanction.

Ahmad said that Ahmadiyas were declared non-Muslim in 1974 by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and were further deprived through an Anti-Ahmadiya Ordinance in 1984 promulgated by then military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.

The political isolation of the Ahmadiyas through instruments of state has led to their harassment in all walks of life. They vote as non-Muslims and are denied and equitable job opportunities. There are severe restrictions to their entry in professional institutions which hampers their right to education. Restrictions have been imposed on the production of Ahmadiya literature.

Hundreds of Ahmadiyas have been charged under the Draconian Blasphemy Law of the state and sentenced to long imprisonment and even death.

Most significantly, state marginalisation of the Ahmadiyas in Pakistan has encouraged the militants and extremist elements towards specifically targeting the community with violence. Many Ahmadiyas have been and continue to be murdered in cold blood by religious extremists while their religious places are desecrated and destroyed.

Ahmad concluded by saying that even though international human rights organisations raise the issue of Ahmadiya persecution in Pakistan in various forums more need to be done to ensure the safety and individual liberty of the persecuted community.

The seminar also touched upon the human rights abuses of other minority communities like the Shias, Hindus and Christians.

The terrible conditions prevalent in insurgency afflicted areas like Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan because of the "heavy boot" policy of the Pakistan Army were also discussed in the seminar.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully launching Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C38) for earth observation from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota earlier in the day.

The Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter to express his happiness and tweeted, "Congratulations to ISRO on its 40th successful Polar satellite launch carrying 31 satellites from 15 countries. You make us proud!"

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee also expressed his pleasure and congratulated the team for their immeasurable efforts.

"Congratulations to ISRO team on the successful launch of PSLV-C38 carrying 31 satellites #PresidentMukherjee," President Mukherjee tweeted.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also expressed his elation saying the satellite launch made him proud of the nations' scientists.

"Congratulations #ISRO on the launch of #Cartosat2 series. Science in service of humanity-proud of our space scientists for making it happen!," Gandhi tweeted.

The PSLV-C38, is carrying 712 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation and 30 co-passenger nano satellites, weighing about 243 kg, the total weight of all these satellites carried by the PSLV-C38 is about 955 kg.

The co-passenger nano satellites belong from 14 different nations, including countries like-Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and India.

Cartosat-2 is a remote sensing satellite and its major objective is to provide high-resolution scene specific spot imagery.

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A day ahead of his three-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that he intends to strengthen ties will all the three nations - Portugal, The Netherlands, and the United States.

Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter and said, "Will hold talks with Mr. @antoniocostapm & interact with the Indian community during my Portugal visit tomorrow."

"My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world."

"My visit to Netherlands seeks to boost bilateral ties & deepen economic cooperation," he added.

Prime Minister's three-nation tour begins tomorrow.

According to External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay, PM Modi would visit Portugal on June 24, the U.S. on June 25 and 26, and the Netherlands on June 27.

Prime Minister Modi is expected to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on regional security situation as also ways to enhance cooperation in bilateral areas of strategic importance.

In the U.S., he will have a community event as well as a meeting with the business leaders.

Ahead of the U.S. tour, Prime Minister Modi will visit Portugal, where he is expected to hold talks with his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa.

"We are working on several documents to strengthen India-Portugal economic, scientific and cultural engagements and we expect to finalise and sign these documents essentially which are in the nature of memorandum of understanding," Baglay has said.

"We look forward to a very action-filled, useful, productive and successful visit of the Prime Minister," he added.

On Prime Minister Modi's visit to the Netherlands, the spokesperson has said India and the Netherlands are celebrating 70 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year and therefore, the trip is more significant.

During his visit, the Prime Minister will meet Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accompany Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind to the Parliament House today to file his nomination to be the 15th President of India.

The Prime Minister took to his Twitter handle to confirm the same.

"Will accompany Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji as he files his nomination papers today for the upcoming Presidential election," he tweeted.

The ruling NDA government has nominated Bihar Governor Kovind for the position for for the post of Indian President.

The BJP has prepared four sets for Kovind's nomination.

In the first set, proposer Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present along with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

In the second set, proposer BJP chief Amit Shah and Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley will be there.

In the third set, proposer Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Parkash Singh Badal, Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu will be present.

In the fourth set, proposer Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be present.

The Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) including O. Panneerselvam have backed Kovind for the post of President.

Meanwhile, the opposition on Thursday nominated former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for the highest post India.

All 17 political parties unanimously proposed name of Meira for forthcoming Presidential elections.

The decision was taken after the Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met to discuss the NDA decision on Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have backed Kumar.

Though earlier, the Mayawati-led BSP extended their support to Kovind, but after the nomination of Kumar, they recalled their support.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.

The counting of the votes will be done on July 20.

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Opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar on Friday expressed her happiness at being nominated, while stating that the poll is a fight of ideology.

"A very important decision was taken yesterday. They have made me the nominee. I am extremely happy that this took place with everyone's consent. This election is a fight of ideology. The 17 parties that have come forward have immense faith on their decision. I will start my campaigning based on this decision," Kumar told ANI.

Expressing joy over the fact that she was unanimously selected as Opposition's Presidential nominee by 17 political parties, Kumar said they are deciding on the date of filing the nomination.

Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind filed his nomination.

He was accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his trip to Parliament House to file his papers.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar was yesterday announced as the Opposition' Presidential nominee.

The Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met yesterday to discuss the Democratic Alliance's (NDA) decision on Presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind, following which they announced their candidate.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier said that the Opposition was a divided house over the Presidential elections as many of its partners have extended support to ruling NDA candidate.

BJP chief Amit Shah had announced the name of Kovind as NDA's consensus candidate for the post of Indian President.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the notification in this regard and the process of the nomination has started that will continue till June 28.

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The Centre on Friday expressed its confidence over Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Ram Nath Kovind's victory in the presidential polls and thanked the opposition parties for their support.

"Ramnath Kovind is a very deserving candidate. He was born in a simple poor family and is now going to sit on India's highest post. We tried and appealed to make consent with the opposition parties. It will be a historic victory for us. Ramnath Kovind will win with majority," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told ANI.

Meanwhile, Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said thanked the opposition parties for their support.

"We met all the leaders of opposition and heard everyone. Then keeping in mind all the views of the parties we decided the name of the candidate. Kovind is a great candidate, he has a fantastic political career. We want to thank all the parties who are going to support us. Before announcing Kovind's name, we discussed with Congress but they decided to contest. I have full faith that Ramnath will win the elections. I am happy that parties outside NDA are giving us support," he added.

Kovind earlier in the day filed his nomination for the presidential polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanied Kovind to file his nomination.

Along with Prime Minister Modi, Naidu, BJP veteran leader L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP chief Amit Shah were present at the Parliament.

Before going in to file his nomination, Kovind along with the BJP top brass and the Prime Minister, linked their arms together and raised them in front of the media, in a display of strength.

The opposition yesterday nominated former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for the presidential polls.

All 17 political parties unanimously proposed Kumar's name for the forthcoming Presidential elections.

The decision was taken after the Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met to discuss the NDA's decision on Kovind.

The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have backed Kumar.

Though earlier, the Mayawati-led BSP extended their support to Kovind, but after the nomination of Kumar, they recalled their support.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday extended his support to Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

On being asked about AIADMK's support to the NDA candidate, Palaniswami said, "Yes, our party fully supports Ram Nath Kovind."

Ramnath Kovind earlier in the day filed his nomination in the Parliament.

Addressing media after filing his nomination papers for the July 17 elections, Kovind said, "Ever since I took over as Governor, I have no political affiliation. President of India is above politics," Kovind said.

Kovind resigned from the post of Bihar Governor after he was selected by the Modi Government as its candidate for the country's top post.

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After Jat protestors in Rajasthan blocked railway tracks seeking OBC quota reservation for the community belonging to Dholpur and Bharatpur districts, Jat leader Vishvendra Singh on Friday stated that if government was willing to provide reservation, it should be given in writing.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "If government is really willing to provide reservation to Jats in OBC, it should come to Bharatpur and give people in writing when it will be implemented,"adding, "Jats in Bharatpur and Dholpur have been demanding reservation since August 2015, but the demand has not been fulfilled yet."

Earlier in the day, the rail services along the Alwar-Mathura route in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan were affected after Jat protestors blocked the railway tracks seeking OBC quota reservation for the community belonging to Dholpur and Bharatpur districts.

Meanwhile, the Agra-Bandikui rail route has also been hit.

The protestors have blocked portions of the highways connecting Bharatpur to Mathura, Agra and Jaipur. They are also staging blockade on state highways at Kanjoli Line, Kumher, Deeg, Bedham, Pasta, Rarah and Delhi road in Kaman.

Earlier in the day, Convenor of Bharatpur-Dholpur Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, Nem Singh, who is leading the blockade of railway track at Bahaj said, "The Government should give the timeline for issuing a notification of the OBC quota; only then will we hold discussions with panch patels on lifting the blockade."

On Thursday, the OBC commission had submitted its report to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

The district administration is trying to convince the protestors to lift the blockade.

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The second air cargo flight carrying 10 MTs of fresh fruits and 30 MTs of vegetable and medicinal plants from Kandahar, Afghanistan will arrive in New Delhi on June 24, 2017.

Direct air cargo link between Afghanistan and India was established with the inaugural flight landed in Delhi on June 19, 2017, which carried 60 MTs of Hing (asafetida). Similarly, air cargo flight from Delhi to Kabul transported 100 MTs of goods, mainly pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

The Afghanistan-India Air Freight Corridor was inaugurated by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on June 19 in Kabul. The inaugural flight was received at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Ganapati Raju, Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar and Afghan Ambassador to India Dr. Shaida Mohammad Abdali.

The idea of creating air freight corridor first put forward by President Ghani during his meeting with Prime Minister Modi in September last year. The two leaders reached final agreement to set up air cargo service between the two countries when they met in Amritsar later in December.

The Afghanistan-India Air Freight Corridor aims to enhance the annual volume of bilateral trade between the two countries which presently stands at around 700 million US dollars.

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A seminar on "Human Rights abuses in Pakistan" was organised by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in collaboration with Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum today.

Several domain experts were invited to give their views on the many aspects that come under the purview of human rights abuses in Pakistan.

The topics included disappearance of minorities from the demographics of the country; persecution of minority communities like the Sikhs, Hindus and Christians as also non-Sunni Muslim communities like Shias and Ahmadiyas; genocide being perpetrated on the Baloch people; marginalisation of the Sindhi population; human rights violations in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir with special mention to the colonised area of Gilgit-Baltiatan and finally the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan Army on the civilian population of the state.

While speaking about the persecution of the Shia community, Ashok Behuria, senior fellow at the IDSA, said that in Quetta, Hazara Shias are being attacked due to their relation with Iran and the blame is being put on India. Shias across Pakistan are being similarly attacked, murdered and persecuted.

On the issue of persecution of Ahmadiyas, Shiraz Ahmad, Additional Executive Director of the Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat, India, said that the political isolation of Ahmadiyas by successive government has led to their harassment in all walks of life.

They vote as non-Muslims and are denied and equitable job opportunities. There are severe restrictions to their entry in professional institutions which hampers their right to education.

Restrictions have been imposed on the production of Ahmadiya literature. More significantly, they are being subject to attacks by extremist elements.

Zulfiqar Shah, formerly associated with the Institute for Social Movement, Hyderabad (Sindh) said that the Hindus of Sindh have been divided into the high caste and schedule caste categories in order to marginalise their strength as a political entity even as an attempt is being made to change the demographic pattern by settlement of Punjabis in the province. There is open harassment and sexual exploitation of the minority communities replete with disappearances of its members.

Sajjad Hussain, a journalist and social activist from Kargil, spoke of the extra-judicial killing of nationalists in Gilgit-Baltistan and the open colonisation of the region for the benefit of the Pakistan Punjabi elite and China.

He said that if Indian considers the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to be her own then she should raise a voice in their support.

He advocated setting up of some research and study centres focused on Gilgit-Baltistan to generate more information about the isolated region.

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India's premier software provider Tally Solutions has announced the launch of Tally.ERP 9 Release 6, its GST ready accounting and compliance software.

A beta version of the software is available to download for free at www.tallysolutions.com/gst for users to experience the product. The product promises technology that will make the lives of owners worry-free in the wake of GST with its unique simplicity, blazing fast speed and pin-point accuracy.

The product will be free for existing customers provided they have a valid subscription. For new users, the cost will be Rs. 18,000+ applicable taxes for a single user edition and Rs. 54,000 applicable taxes for an unlimited multi-user edition (same as current rates).

Tally has been working extensively across the country in helping people get GST ready through awareness events pan-India. As a next step in this journey, Tally.ERP 9 Release 6 has been designed, developed and delivered as a simplistic means for businesses to comply with GST.

The company will now work towards making adoption of its GST ready software simple and easy. They will organize "Upgrade your Tally" camps across the country, facilitate remote upgrade through their extensive 20,000+ partner network, and will also publish simple DIY documents to promote self-service on their site www.tallysolutions.com/gst .

The company will also be working with Reliance Jio and HDFC bank to increase outreach and help businesses implement the new version of the product. Tally is already working on a fully connected GST solution in conjunction with GSTN, which will further simplify the lives of people.

"There are around four to five million GST registered companies who maintain their books of accounts on Tally. We understand that all of them and other businesses in the country are anxious and concerned about the implications of this revolutionary tax regime. We are, therefore, shouldering the responsibility to make the impending transition smooth and easy for them. Tally.ERP 9 Release 6 is our first offering for businesses which will solve for their immediate requirements. As laws and procedures mature, and GSTN makes their APIs available, we will continue to deliver solutions which will make GST compliance simple and convenient for them. We are committed to walking the GST journey with businesses in the country and supporting them every step of the way," said MD Tally Solutions, Bharat Goenka.

The company along with its 20000+ strong partner network has already conducted more than 5000 GST events across the country. It has tied up with associations like CAIT, FAIDA, ASSOCHAM, CII and principal companies for the same and reached out to more than two lakh businesses already.

Tally also launched an exclusive blog (blogs.tallysolutions.com) and mobile app (Tally for GST) to demystify and simplify GST. In order to help businesses who are currently maintaining books manually to automate in the GST era, the company recently launched Biz Guru in association with Acer India and CAIT.

Biz Guru is a one stop plug and play accounting and GST compliance solution. They intend to continue these initiatives and drive several more activities to help the business community with GST.

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The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday conducted raids on Public Health Department Chief Engineer, Paamu Rangarao and Andhra Medical College Professor, Vijay Kumar here.

Raids are also underway at other locations including Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Hyderabad, West Godavari and seven other places in Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier on June 19, the ACB conducted raids at various places belonging to Gajuwaka sub-registrar D. Venkayya.

Upon investigation, gold, land documents, and Rs. 42,000 were recovered.

Venkayya was already arrested by the ACB in 2011.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday received the highest prize in United Nations Public Service Award for the state government's Kanyashree Prakalpa (Girl Child) scheme in The Hague, Netherlands.

Mamata, who had left for Netherlands on June 19 to address a United Nations meet, expressed happiness over the achievement and tweeted, "We are delighted on behalf of our countrymen and the people of Bengal to receive the first prize on @UN Public Service."

We are delighted on behalf of our countrymen and the people of #Bengal to receive the first prize on @UN Public Service Day 1/2  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) June 23, 2017

She further said that receiving the first prize from the United Nations was a huge honour and recognition.

Mamata also took to her Facebook account to announce the feat under the title - "Kanyashree of Bengal now becomes Kanyashree of the world."

Out of 552 nominations from 62 countries, the United Nations awarded the United Nations Public Service first place winner award in the category on reaching the poorest and most vulnerable through inclusive services and participation to the West Bengal Government for Kanyashree.

"It is indeed a historic achievement and a proud moment for the people of West Bengal and India," Mamata said in her Facebook post.

West Bengal Government's 'Kanyashree Prakalpa' is an intiative to improve the life and the status of the girls and help them pursue higher studies by providing financial help to the economically backward families. It also aims to prevent child marriage.

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Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone said that its finance committee approved the issuance of fixed rate senior unsecured notes aggregating $500 million and has approved the pricing tenure and other terms of the note. The notes will mature on 30 July 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

HDFC has executed a subscription agreement with International Finance Corporation (IFC), Washington whereby IFC would subscribe to the rupee denominated bonds to be issued overseas by the company upto an amount of Rs 1300 crore, subject to the approval of the Reserve Bank of India. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

V-Mart Retail has opened two stores in the State of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. With this, the total number of stores increases to 148 stores. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

La Opala RG announced that suspension of activities at the company's Madhupur plant has been lifted, following an amicable settlement with the Workers Union on 21 June 2017. The operations at the plant are expected to resume gradually on a planned basis, which will reach full normalcy by 10 July 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

Quess Corp has signed the definitive agreements to acquire 46% equity in Heptagon Technologies, on 21 June 2017. The transaction entails a cash consideration of Rs 9.77 crore.

Separately, Quess Corp announced that on 21 June 2017 Quesscorp Holdings, wholly owned subsidiary of the company has entered into definitive agreement to acquire 51% shareholding in Comtel Pro, a private limited company incorporated under the laws of Singapore. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

Shriram EPC announced that it has won multiple orders under its water management business amounting to Rs 165 crore. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

The first order amounting to Rs 83.37 crore from City Corporation Davanagere, involves designing, building and improving bulk water supply for 24X7 water supply to Davanagere city and O&M of the Bulk Water Supply Scheme for 3 months. The ADB funded project is to be executed over a period of 30 months with 3 months for O&M.

The second order amounting to Rs 82.56 crore from Tamil Nadu Water Supply & Drainage Board (TWAD Board) entails implementation of Water supply scheme in Hosur Municipal Corporation, Krishnagiri district. The order is to be executed over a period of 24 months.

Sakthi Sugars announced that consequent to issue and allotment of further equity shares by Sakthi Auto Component (SACL) Associate Company, the Company's shareholding in the share capital of SACL stands reduced from 25.93% to 22.67%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

Separately, Shakti Sugar had given corporate guarantee for the loan availed by Orlandofin BV, Netherlands, erstwhile wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, amounting to EUR 40 million. As this loan has been fully settled by the borrower, the corporate guarantee given by the Company has been released and discharged.

Mindtree proposes to buyback equity shares of the Company. The Board will consider the proposal on 28 June 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

Indiabulls Real Estate said that the company proposes to issue secured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures of face value Rs 10 lakh each aggregating Rs 500 crore, on a private placement basis. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

EID Parry India said that Parry Nutraceuticals (a division of EID Parry and part of the Murugappa Group) has forged a partnership with Synthite Industries, to apply proprietary patented technologies for extraction of Phycocyanin, a natural blue pigment found in Spirulina. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

Natural Blue is one of the Primary colours, which is difficult to master and has very limited sources that are acceptable by regulatory bodies. Phycocyanin (Extracted from Spirulina) is approved by all major regulatory bodies in USA, EU, Japan and South Korea as food colour. Moreover Phycocyanin offers excellent stability and flexibility for application in a variety of food and beverages. Spirulina is being consumed for many decades as a health supplement and is proven safe. Therefore huge growth is expected in the natural food colours segment mainly driven by the consumer's demand for clean labels and favourable regulations.

Synthite Industries, with its strong global presence in the natural colour segment, will focus on this market, while Parry Nutraceuticals will continue catering to the Human nutrition segment.

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DFM Foods fell 2.04% to Rs 1,388 at 10:33 IST on BSE, with the stock sliding on profit booking after recent rally.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 57.88 points, or 0.18% at 31,232.86. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 194.63 points, or 1.25% at 15,414.86.

On the BSE, 1,627 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 9,106 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 1,430 and a low of Rs 1,375.60 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 2,355 on 1 July 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 1,122 on 7 June 2017.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 22 June 2017, declining 10.88% compared with the Sensex's 2.35% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter declining 16.25% as against the Sensex's 7.28% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one year declining 34.59% as against the Sensex's 16.91% rise.

The small-cap company has equity capital of Rs 10 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Shares of DFM Foods had rallied 17.87% in the preceding five trading sessions to settle at Rs 1,416.90 yesterday, 22 June 2017, from its close of Rs 1,202.15 on 15 June 2017.

ABG Capital sold 52,000 shares of the company at Rs 1,400.58 per share in a bulk deal on the BSE yesterday, 22 June 2017. ABG Capital sold 75,282 shares of the company at Rs 1,401.08 per share in a bulk deal on the NSE yesterday, 22 June 2017. ABG Capital held 1.57% stake in DFM Foods end March 2017.

LTR Focus Fund sold 1.24 lakh shares of the company at Rs 1,400.15 per share in a bulk deal on the BSE yesterday, 22 June 2017. LTR Focus Fund held 1.52% stake in DFM Foods end March 2017.

Steadview Capital Mauritius sold 1.27 lakh shares of the company at Rs 1,400.15 per share in a bulk deal on the BSE yesterday, 22 June 2017. Steadview Capital Mauritius sold 1.18 lakh shares of the company at Rs 1,404.74 per share in a bulk deal on the NSE yesterday, 22 June 2017. Steadview Capital Mauritius held 3.05% stake in DFM Foods end March 2017.

DFM Foods' net profit fell 68.5% to Rs 3.66 crore on 24.2% decrease in net sales to Rs 93.17 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

DFM Foods is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of snack foods.

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Videocon Industries, Hathway Cable & Datacom, Delta Corp and Power Finance Corporation are among the other losers in the BSE's 'A' group today, 23 June 2017.

Fortis Healthcare slumped 10.94% to Rs 176.30 after reports suggested IHH Healthcare Berhad is not close to concluding any negotiations to buy controlling stake in the company. The stock topped the losers in 'A' group. On the BSE, 21.43 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 10.37 lakh shares in the past two weeks.

With regards to news titled HH Pulls Plug on Fortis Deal Over Daiichi Scare, the company clarified during market hours today, 23 June 2017 that the company is still evaluating possible way to raise fund and no firm decision in the regard has been approved by the board till date.

Videocon Industries was locked at 5% lower circuit at Rs 17.20. The stock was the second biggest loser in 'A' group. On the BSE, 4.97 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 1.11 lakh shares in the past two weeks. The stock has been battered unabated after two lenders Central Bank of India and Dena Bank declared the company's account as non-performing assets (NPA).

Hathway Cable & Datacom shed 4.5% at Rs 37.15. The stock was the third biggest loser in 'A' group. On the BSE, 40,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 69,000 shares in the past two weeks.

Delta Corp dropped 4.44% at Rs 155. The stock was the fourth biggest loser in 'A' group. On the BSE, 6.42 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 6.72 lakh shares in the past two weeks.

Power Finance Corporation declined 4.35% at Rs 123. The stock was the fifth biggest loser in 'A' group. On the BSE, 4.51 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 4.61 lakh shares in the past two weeks.

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Fortis Healthcare slumped 11.16% to Rs 175.85 at 12:00 IST on BSE after reports suggested IHH Healthcare Berhad is not close to concluding any negotiations to buy controlling stake in the company.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 140.56 points, or 0.45%, to 31,150.18. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was down 219.34 points, or 1.49%, to 14,543.73.

High volumes were witnessed on the counter. On the BSE, 16.34 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with an average volume of 9.7 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 187.60 and a low of Rs 174.45 so far during the day.

The stock had hit a record high of Rs 230.90 on 3 May 2017. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 142.60 on 9 November 2016.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 22 June 2017, rising 1.59% compared with Sensex's 2.35% gains. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 13.7% as against Sensex's 7.28% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one year, gaining 23.1% as against Sensex's 16.91% rise.

The mid-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 518.46 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Earlier reports had suggested that IHH Healthcare Bhd will be buying a controlling stake in Fortis Healthcare and SRL Logistics from Malvinder and Shivinder Mohan Singh, the promoters of the company.

The combined deal value of Fortis Healthcare and SRL Diagnostics was seen at around Rs 19000 crore and the deal was expected to complete within a few weeks. However, IHH Healthcare reportedly said IHH is not, nor is it close to, concluding any negotiations or due diligence or transactions in India at this point in time.

IHH was wary of Daichhi Sankyo's ongoing Rs 3500 crore litigation against the Singh brothers and was not convinced that it would get clean and undisputed ownership of Fortis shares, report said.

The Japanese company has disputed the right of the Singh brothers to sell their shares in their group companies until their arbitration dispute is settled. A Singapore arbitration tribunal has ordered the brothers to pay Rs 3500 crore to Daichhi Sankyo, who have challenged this order in the Delhi High Court.

The arbitral award came after Daiichi alleged that the Singh brothers had concealed crucial information while selling Ranbaxy to it for $4.6 billion in 2008. The Singh brothers are contesting the award.

Fortis Healthcare Holding has 52.2% stake in the firm as per the shareholding pattern as on 31 March 2017.

The plan to sell their healthcare assets is part of the Singh brothers' strategy to divest control in all their key businesses through multiple transactions to raise funds to tide over the cash crunch at the group level.

Fortis Healthcare reported consolidated net loss of Rs 37.52 crore in Q4 March 2017 compared with net loss of Rs 87.6 crore in Q4 March 2016. Net sales rose 5% to Rs 1123.43 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

Fortis Healthcare is a leading integrated healthcare delivery service provider in India.

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Quess Corp rose 1.16% at Rs 897 at 12:42 IST on BSE after the company said it has signed the definitive agreements to acquire 46% equity in Heptagon Technologies.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 129.47 points or 0.41% at 31,161.27.

On the BSE, 2,999 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 6,393 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 919.80 and a low of Rs 892 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 1,068 on 8 June 2017 and a record low of Rs 452.40 on 14 July 2016.

The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 22 June 2017, advancing 8.37% compared with the Sensex's 2.35% rise. The stock had also outperformed the market over the past one quarter, gaining 28.57% as against the Sensex's 7.28% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 126.79 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Quess Corp signed definitive agreements to acquire 46% equity in Heptagon Technologies on 21 June 2017. The transaction entails a cash consideration of Rs 9.77 crore.

Separately, Quess Corp announced that on 21 June 2017 Quesscorp Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company has entered into definitive agreement to acquire 51% shareholding in Comtel Pro, a private limited company incorporated under the laws of Singapore. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 22 June 2017.

On consolidated basis, Quess Corp's net profit remained almost same at Rs 27.64 crore in Q4 March 2017 compared to a year ago quarter. Net sales rose 12.6% to Rs 1122.09 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

Quess Corp is India's leading integrated business services provider. It serves customers across four segments namely, global technology solutions, people & services, integrated facility management and industrials.

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The demand by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries for Qatar to shut down Al Jazeera network, among other conditions, to end the ongoing diplomatic impasse in the Gulf region has drawn condemnation.

watchdog Reporters Without Borders slammed the demand and said it was "worried about the implication and consequences of such requirements".

The Gulf states issued a 13-point list of demands, including the closure of all news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye.

"We are really worried about the implication and consequences of such requirements if it will ever be implemented," said Alexandra El Khazen, head of Middle East and North Africa desk at Reporters Without Borders.

The demands were presented by Kuwait, which is trying to mediate in the crisis since Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar early this month and imposed sanctions on the island Gulf nation.

On the demands list was that Qatar sever diplomatic ties with Iran, kick members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard out of Qatar and cease any joint military cooperation with Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

The list also demanded that Qatar sever all ties with "terrorist organisations", including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State group, Al Qaeda and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Additionally, the four nations -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain -- also demanded that Qatar hand over all individuals who are wanted by these four countries for terrorism and stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups.

Qatar is also required to immediately terminate its construction of a Turkish military base and stop any joint military cooperation with Turkey on Qatari territories.

For the coming 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance based on the list of demands, the report said.

Doha, however, did not immediately respond to the demands.

Al Jazeera has condemned the demand and called it "nothing short than a siege against the journalistic profession".

Giles Trendle, acting Managing Director of Al Jazeera, said: "We are stunned by the demand to close Al Jazeera, of course there has been talk about it in the past but it is still a great shock and surprise to actually see it in writing. It's as absurd as it would be for Germany to demand Britain to close the BBC."

Trendle said Al Jazeera is going to continue its "editorial mission of covering the world news in a fair and balanced way".

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting "terrorism". Qatar has denied the allegation.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that Al Jazeera Network is an "internal affair" and there will be no discussion about the fate of the Doha-based broadcaster amid the Gulf crisis.

To stem the flow of negative reactions Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain took steps to curb their citizens from expressing opinions that opposed their policies.

--IANS

ahm/dg

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The West Bengal government's Kanyashree Prakalpa on Friday was awarded the first prize in United Nations Public Service Award for Asia Pacific here.

Out of 552 initiatives from 62 different countries, West Bengal government's intiative - a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at retaining girls in schools and other educational and skill development institutions and preventing child marriage - was chosen the best.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "We are delighted on behalf of our countrymen and the people of Bengal to receive the first prize on @UN Public Service."

She said receiving the first prize from the UN was a huge honour and recognition.

Banerjee also said the importance should be given to the public voice and to the projects that the public likes.

The scheme has already enrolled more than four million adolescent girls and the state government has till date, transferred about $500 million directly to the beneficiaries' bank account.

The scheme is being implemented through 16,000 institutes and schools.

Earlier, Banerjee had also participated at a ministerial conversation at the World Forum.

--IANS

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"One Nation, One Tax, One Market", affirms Amitabh Bachchan in a video on the virtues of GST, while Akshay Kumar is out to make his "humble contribution to Swachh Bharat" through his new film "Toilet: EK Prem Katha".

Bollywood, it seems, is striving to stay on the right side of the ruling dispensation.

Amitabh, one of Indian cinema's most globally recognised faces and whose friends-turned-foes history with the Congress is not unknown, has been made brand ambassador for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), a sweeping tax reform set to roll out on July 1.

It is not surprising because Amitabh has remained in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's good books for quite some time. Remember, Gujarat Tourism's "Khushboo Gujarat Ki" campaign with Amitabh as the brand ambassador?

The Congress, on whose ticket the megastar had contested the Lok Sabha election from Allahabad in 1984, is clearly not happy.

But it is worth mentioning that during the Congress regime only, Unicef had appointed the megastar Goodwill Ambassador for Polio Eradication in India. It was a success, given that the nation was declared polio-free in 2014 by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"Both Prime Minister (Modi) and Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) know that the government is not ready nor does it have the infrastructure to roll out GST. That's why it is using a legend like Amitabh Bachchan so that he becomes the fall guy and has to face the brickbats," Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam has said.

When it comes to campaigns, Big B is certainly a lucky mascot.

What does the actor have to say?

"I was asked, I did it," the 74-year-old veteran, who endorses other government initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and is recently seen in 'Darwaza Band' campaign, tweeted about his decision to push the GST buzz.

As far as Akshay is concerned, he is doing his bit through films like "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" and "PadMan".

A dekko at the trailer of "Toilet..." hints at how Akshay's entertainer will perhaps set an example of wielding Bollywood's soft power in giving a hard push to menacing social concerns like open defecation, gender discrimination and myths around menstruation.

"Here is my humble contribution towards a Swachh Bharat, 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' trailer," read a social media post from Akshay, who even met Modi to talk about his movie last month.

"Good effort to further the message of cleanliness," Modi lauded the actor.

The latest in the grapevine is that Akshay, who won the Best Actor National Award for "Rustom" earlier this year, has landed a chance to play Modi in a film. Some contrary reports refute that claim -- but from what one can tell, Akshay is in the good and 'right' books.

There are more.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar's "Indu Sarkar" is making a noise ever since the launch of its poster featuring Neil Nitin Mukesh bearing resemblance to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The film captures the Emergency period of India during the rule of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 -- obviously ruffling up feathers in the Congress.

In his defence, Bhandarkar says the film is "70 per cent fiction and 30 per cent realism", that he has not named any politician and that the project is "not sponsored".

Even the government-backed censor board, which is readily asking filmmakers to bring NOCs for films on real life personalities, is ready to offer leniency to Bhandarkar as his project takes no names.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is in "Indu Sarkar", is also going to play former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in "The Accidental Prime Minister".

The film will be based on a book by Singh's media adviser Sanjaya Baru, who had controversially depicted his former boss as not being in full control of his own cabinet and being subservient to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Prodded about playing a Congress man, the pro-BJP actor, whose wife Kirron Kher is a BJP MP from Chandigarh, told IANS in a recent chat: "It's too early to talk about it."

But at a press conference he took a dig at Singh, saying: "It is not a silent film."

A master of wit and sarcasm, Rishi Kapoor had last year stirred a political storm with tweets slamming the Congress party for naming important places such as roadways, railways and airports after the Nehrus and Gandhis.

Back then, the Congress said people were targeting the Gandhis "to get into the good books" of the ruling BJP, which has a string of Bollywood supporters like Paresh Rawal, Hema Malini and Shatrughan Sinha.

They say films are a mirror to the society and Bollywood fraternity is certainly doing its bit to propagate the initiatives of the NDA government by highlighting them in their cinematic offerings.

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Friday condemned the attack on a Muslim family in a local train in Haryana on Thursday that led to the death of a 15-year-old student and serious stab injuries to two others.

"CPI-M strongly condemns the communal attack on a Muslim family in a local train on the outskirts of Delhi leading to the death of Junaid and serious stab injuries to his brother, Shakir. The third brother Hashim was also injured," the party said in a statement.

The family had boarded the train at Delhi on Thursday for Ballabhgarh, Haryana. Junaid and his younger brother are students in a madrasa in Surat and were heading home for Eid.

A few men who got on at Tughlaqabad reportedly started abusing them using communal language.

When they protested ,they were brutally attacked amidst shouting of communal slogans. Junaid was beaten to death in the train. Shakir was stabbed in three places.

The badly injured victims were not allowed to get off at Ballabhgarh. They were thrown off the train. Some people later found them and took them to Palwal hospital.

"This communally motivated crime shows that the BJP-RSS rule is leading to communal mob actions. There have been earlier incidents of violence against Muslims on trains but the government has not acted to uphold the law of the land, thus directly encouraging the growth of such communal hate crimes," the CPI-M said.

CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat, Lok Sabha member Mohammed Salim and Delhi Secretariat member Asha Sharma met the family in hospital in Delhi on Friday.

"It is shameful and condemnable that the government and specifically the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have maintained a deafening silence and not a single officer has been deputed to even visit the family," it said.

"CPI-M demands action against the guilty. It demands adequate compensation for the family. It calls for strong protest actions against such communally motivated crimes, especially in public spaces," the party said.

--IANS

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Cuba has urged the US authorities to continue bilateral cooperation against drug trafficking.

At a press conference on Thursday, Antonio Ibarra, Secretary of Cuba's National Drug Commission, said cooperation between the two nations had increased substantially after the implementation of a bilateral agreement signed during the administration of former US President Barack Obama, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The effectiveness of working alongside security forces from Caribbean countries and the US has allowed more activities of this nature to be stopped," said Ibarra.

The Cuban official said cooperation with the US allowed Cuban border patrol troops to maintain direct communication with the United States Coast Guard and better pursue naval vessels suspected of carrying drugs.

"In the last 10 years, we have helped the United States seize more than 40 tons of drugs and collaborated in almost 500 cases," he said.

However, since Trump came to power this year, a scheduled high-level meeting in this area has not taken place, which concerns Cuban authorities.

"We held several high-level talks with US law enforcement officials but those talks are now on standby. They have been postponed at the request of the US side, but the agreements signed in this matter continue to be implemented," pointed out Ibarra.

Despite this situation, he said that Cuba maintains its willingness to continue collaborating for the "good of both countries".

Ibarra also said that the strategies employed by criminal groups have changed and drug trafficking has increased in the past year.

"In these first months of 2017, we have captured three times more drugs than in the first half of 2016," he said.

--IANS

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The (DU) colleges announced their cut-offs on Friday with most of them concentrating around the 97 per cent tab for commerce courses, set earlier in the day by the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC).

Hindu, Lady Shri Ram (LSR), and Kirorimal College set their cut-offs for Economics (Honors) at 97.5 per cent.

Releasing its cut-off earlier than the rest, SRCC had pegged it just a little higher at 97.75 per cent, for the Economics (Honors) and B.Com (Honors).

Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College threw a little surprise with a 98.25 per cent cut-off for Economics (Honors).

It left behind others when it came to sciences with the highest 99.66 per cent cut-off for B.Sc. (Electronics). For B.A. (Honors) English, it set an enviable cut-off of 98.75 per cent, higher than the rest.

Just like sciences, SGTB Khalsa raised the bar highest for arts as well with a 99 per cent cut-off for its B.A. (Political Science) course.

LSR set its B.Com (Honors) cut-off on par with SRCC at 97.75 per cent.

The coveted Miranda House came at an asking rate of 97 per cent for B. Sc. (Zoology) and 96.67 per cent for Maths and Physics.

Hansraj College pegged its sciences cut-off at 97.33 and 97.75 per cent for Chemistry and Computer Science, its highest this year.

Among colleges offering journalism course, LSR set the highest cut-off of 98 per cent, followed by Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DCAC) with 97 per cent.

Off campus colleges like Bharti College and Institute of Home Economics set their journalism cut-off at 96 per cent, followed by Maharaja Agrasen College, located in Mayur Vihar in east Delhi, at 95 per cent.

Cut-offs for courses in Hindi and Sanskrit (Honors) hovered within an achievable 60-70 per cent for most colleges.
The European Union (EU) leaders have decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia, European Council President Donald Tusk said.

"Agreed. EU will extend economic sanctions against Russia for their lack of implementing the Minsk Agreement," Tusk said on his Twitter account on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The EU made such a decision during a two-day summit in Brussels with security and defence, Brexit, migration and economic development on the agenda.

The EU initially introduced economic sanctions on Russia in 2014 over Ukraine conflict, targeting Russia's financial, energy and defence industries.

--IANS

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Two F-35A fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Martin of the US, created quite a buzz among the visitors to the week-long 52nd Paris Air Show, otherwise known largely as an event to showcase commercial airplanes.

Lockheed Martin's pair of F-35A -- a single seat, single engine, all-weather, multi-role fighter jet -- were put on static display as well as flown from the US Air Force's Hill airbase in Utah.

The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform both ground attack and air defence missions.

As the F-35's fly-past at the air show came, the roar of its engines seemed to pull almost everyone out into the open in sweltering heat at the Le-Bourget airport here.

The fighter jet was the cynosure of all eyes as its F135 engine, an afterburning turbofan and said to be the most advanced in the world, created a thrust to make the jet take off into the skies albeit with a short runway.

The stealth jet climbed up vertically, a manoeuvre done to showcase the power of its engine.

It then performed a series of manoeuvres, turning at around 50 degrees angle and even flying upside down for around 10 seconds before it completed a loop and recovered its position.

It was a demonstration of the aircraft's capability to target its nose in the chosen direction, also called high alpha, or a high angle of attack that in a combat situation is a key strength for a fighter jet.

The pilot then showcased a slow speed pass, demonstrating the aircraft's control.

In a display that lasted nearly eight minutes, the F-35A performed vertical flights, high alpha loops at 50 degrees, peddle turns and 360-degree turns.

One of the unique features of the stealth fighter is the 360-degree view it affords the pilot through a special helmet, designed specifically to fit each pilot based on measurements taken through laser, and allows infrared vision around the aircraft through six cameras on the jet during day as well as night.

Lockheed Martin chief test pilot Allan Norman said: "It is the easiest fighter (plane) to fly. Its controls and capabilities to take care of itself makes it one of the safest, one of the most survivable and lethal fighter planes."

The F-35 has three main models: F-35A that is conventional take-off and landing, F-35B with a short take-off and vertical landing, and F-35C which is a carrier-based catapult assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery.

(Anjali Ojha's trip to the air show is at the invitation of AirAsia. She can be contacted at anjali.o@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Grenfell Tower fire in London that killed 79 people started in a faulty fridge, the Metropolitan Police said on Friday, adding the cladding on the 24-storey block has failed all safety tests.

Both the insulation and tiles at the tower had failed safety tests, with the insulation proving more flammable than the cladding, Scotland Yard's Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said in a statement.

The police will consider manslaughter charges, the Evening Standard newspaper quoted her as saying.

The catastrophic Grenfell Tower blaze led to the death of at least 79 people last week while many more were left homeless. The number of dead is likely to still rise, said McCormack. "I fear there are more."

She said police had established that the initial cause of the blaze was a fridge-freezer in a flat at the fourth level and that the fire was not started deliberately, Xinhua news agency reported.

McCormack said the police were also considering health and safety breaches against companies, organisations or individuals in relation to the fire, "the worse fire in London since World War II".

The investigation will probe whether the use of the cladding material at the Grenfell Tower had been illegal, the report said.

She said the police had already shared its findings with the government's Department for Communities and Local Government, recommending they immediately share the findings with town and city councils across the country.

McCormack said she feared more people could have been killed in the fire amid concerns some of the people living there had been in the country illegally.

She issued a plea for information saying the police and the national immigration department had promised the legal status of victims of the fire would not be questioned.

The way the fire spread and the rapid speed of its spread through the building, leading to whole families being incinerated by the flames, is forming part of what was described as "one of the biggest and most complex investigations" by the Met police.

An estimated 600 tower blocks across the country have facia cladding similar to that used in the Grenfell Tower.

Some local authorities have already started to remove cladding from buildings as a safety precaution and to assure residents afraid to live in high rise towers.

--IANS

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Blaming the West Bengal government and senior officers for the killing of three GJM activists in police firing on June 17, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung on Friday demanded a CBI probe into the deaths.

"Our three activists were killed in police firing, for which police authorities must face consequences... There should be a CBI probe. I urge the Centre to order a CBI inquiry," Gurung said.

"The District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police of Darjeeling and the West Bengal government should take responsibility for the deaths," said Gurang, who is in hiding for more than a week ever since police raided his house.

Police have confirmed one death and maintained no shots were fired by security forces. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also echoed the view.

On the other hand, the GJM chief claimed visual evidence for the three deaths in police firing.

"We have video footage of the police firing and also the cartridges that hit our activists," Gurang said, denying that the protesters fired during the violence.

Gurung accused the police of raiding his residence without proper warrant and vowed to intensify the agitation in the Darjeeling hills and continue with the indefinite shutdown to fight for Gorkhaland.

Gurung, who headed the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, said he had resigned from the body along with other GJM members and said they will burn the law pertaining to GTA in public on June 27 as a symbolic protest.

The GJM chief said he will talk to the Centre only when the Gorkhaland demand was met.

In the picturesque hill town of Darjeeling, thousands of GJM activists clashed with security forces on June 17, following alleged police raid and vandalism at GJM leader Binay Tamang's house.

Several vehicles were torched and 36 police personnel, including Indian Reserve Battalion officer Kiran Tamang, were injured in the violence.

The GJM took out rallies along with the bodies of its three activists the following day in Darjeeling.

--IANS

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The Niti Aayog on Friday told the Himachal Pradesh government to prepare a plan to double the income of its farmers in five years even as the Virbhadra Singh-led government blamed the think tank for a drastic decline in Central funding to the state.

Increasing the income of farmers is our major focus, said Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand while interacting with senior state ministers and officials of the state government.

He said since the formation of Niti Aayog, its focus has shifted from allocation of funds to providing inputs to the states on strategic issues.

"A slowdown has been noticed in the state's agriculture, manufacturing, market reforms and irrigation and these needed to be addressed," said Chand. However, in other fields the state has been performing better, he added.

Agriculture Minister Sujan Singh Pathania advocated for introducing an income support system for the farmers. He demanded to bring the trout fish farming under a crop insurance scheme.

Communicating his concern over central funding, Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh said the state used to receive central assistance in the ratio 90:10 and was getting the status of special category hill state before the formation of Niti Aayog.

In the post-Niti Aayog era, funds to the state have been reduced drastically in centrally-sponsored schemes and the special industrial package has been stopped, he said.

The Minister said various schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana have been submitted to the central government for approval but there has been no response so for.

He urged the Niti Aayog to provide bonus to the state in lieu of its commendable role in forest conservation and putting a complete ban on felling.

Singh also requested that villages with population less than 250 be brought under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana of the Ministry of Rural Development to ensure road connectivity there.

In his inaugural address on Friday, Chief Secretary V.C. Pharka said the state government was in a position to achieve most of the targets by 2022 but added that decline in central funding would definitely come in the way of doubling the income of farmers.

--IANS

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The central government on Friday launched the "City Liveability Index" - a first of its kind initiative introduced by the Urban Development Ministry - to measure the quality of life in 116 major cities including capital cities and those with a population over one million.

"Time has now come to measure life quality in cities and rank them accordingly," Urban Development Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu said while launching the Index at a Workshop on Urban Transformation.

The cities will be assessed on a comprehensive set of 79 parameters to capture the extent and quality of infrastructure including the availability of roads, education and health care, mobility, employment opportunities, emergency response, grievance redressal, pollution, availability of open, green spaces, and culture.

After selecting the agency for undertaking this assessment next month, data collection will be completed in the next about six months, Naidu said.

On the occasion, the Urban Development Ministry also increased reform incentive fund for the next three financial years from Rs 900 crore to Rs 10,000 crore "to promote next generation reforms that would make a substantial difference to urban governance and service delivery and resource mobilization by urban local bodies," said Urban Development Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

The Ministry also disbursed Rs 500 crore as an incentive to 16 states that performed well in implementing urban reforms during 2016-17.

Progress in respect of reforms like e-governance, audit of accounts, tax revision policies and extent of tax revenue collection, energy and water audit, establishing state level financial intermediaries for resource mobilisation and credit rating was taken into account.

Andhra Pradesh topped the list scoring 96.06 per cent marks. Others who received the incentive fund in order of merit were Odisha (95.38 per cent), Jharkhand (91.98 per cent), Chhattisgarh (91.37 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (90.20 per cent), Telangana (86.92 per cent) and Rajasthan (84.62 per cent).

Punjab also scored 77.02 per cent along with Kerala (75.73 per cent), Goa (75.38 per cent), Mizoram (75 per cent), Gujarat (73.80 per cent), Chandigarh (72.73 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (70.67 per cent) and Maharashtra (70.52 per cent).

Marks scored by these states were considered for deciding the quantum of incentive with high scorers getting more.
Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U President Nitish Kumar on Friday said his party is free to take its decisions, and admonished the opposition alliance for fielding "Bihar ki beti" (Bihar's daughter) Meira Kumar to lose.

Nitish's remarks came a day after 17 opposition parties led by Congress named former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate and Rashtiya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav hailed her as "Bihar ki beti" as she has her roots there.

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief has announced his support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Ram Nath Kovind, now former Governor of the state.

"It is a well thought out decision, and our sentiments are clear. Ram Nath Kovind's role as Bihar Governor has been admirable, he worked impartially. We are glad that our state's Governor is going to become the President of India," Nitish said.

On Wednesday, coalition partner Lalu Prasad Yadav had said he would ask Nitish Kumar to reconsider his decision to back NDA's candidate Kovind.

However, the Bihar Chief Minister completely negated the possibility of a rethink on his decision: "There is no question of changing the decision as it has been taken by the party's core committee... I am firm on my stand."

Asked to comment on Lalu's request to reconsider his decision, Nitish said: "I will not say anything on what others say and I will not react to what Lalu-ji told the media. Lalu-ji is free to say whatever he wants and has every right to appeal.

"Even I am proud of Bihar ki beti. But has she (Meira Kumar) been chosen to lose? Why didn't they field her in the last two presidential elections?"

He termed the opposition's stance as "losing strategy" and called for a better strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Our party has always taken independent decisions on such matters. We supported Congress nominee Pranab Mukherjee in 2012 despite being part of the NDA," he said.

Nitish stressed that the JD-U decision to support Kovind should not be looked upon from a political angle. "It is not an issue of political confrontation at all. Presidential poll is a national issue. This is not an issue for the Bihar's ruling grand alliance."

--IANS

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The KSIDC, the nodal investment promotion agency of the Kerala government, has tied up with Cornell University, US, to set up a Life Sciences Park in Thiruvananthapuram.

The two sides inked a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the park, said a Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) release issued here on Friday.

The agreement will allow KSIDC to source expertise from the university in agri, food, biomedical, veterinary and industrial biotechnology segments for the projects expected to come up in the Life Sciences Park.

Cornell University is globally acclaimed for its strength in these sectors.

The top officials of the two organisations met up at the ongoing BIO 2017 convention in San Diego, US, the release said.

BIO is the largest annual global event for the biotechnology industry and attracts the biggest global biotech companies. It offers networking and partnering opportunities in the biotechnology and life sciences sectors.

KSIDC also hopes to identify resourceful investors, particularly NRIs, for taking up ventures in the life sciences sector in Kerala.

--IANS

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In another twist in the ongoing trial in the Kopardi gangrape-murder case of a minor girl, one of the accused on Friday moved an application seeking summons for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as a defence witness.

Lawyer Prakash Aher, representing the third accused Nitin G. Bhailume, said this is because the Chief Minister has tried to interfere with the judiciary and the judicial process in this sensitive case.

"The CM made a statement in Maharashtra Legislature saying that the government would ensure that the three accused would be hanged and for this, it had appointed Ujjwal Nikam as the Special Public Prosecutor," Aher told IANS.

The development comes a day after Vijaylaxmi B. Khopade and Balasaheb Khopade, who are appearing for another accused, sought Nikam be summoned as witness.

Both the matters are likely to be decided by the court July 7, Aher added.

Terming the CM's stance as strange, Aher said that there was a similar gangrape-cum-murder case in Parner in Ahmednagar district in 2014, of a minor girl.

"There are three accused even in that case... it is going on before the same Ahmednagar Sessions Court, the judge is the same and even the SPP (Nikam) is the same. However, unlike the Kopardi case of July 13, 2016, in the Parner case, nobody made a demand for death sentence to the accused who belong to an upper caste," he contended.

On Friday, Bhailume's statement was recorded before Sessions Judge Suvarna Keole, he said.

"The accused is a resident of Pune, he is a BSc graduate and was preparing for his national competitive examinations at the time of the incident. He was not aware of the incident nor present at the scene of the crime, and was arrested only after four days," Aher said.

Incidentally, since Bhailume happened to be a distant relative of another accused, Jitendra B. Shinde alias Pappu, he was summoned for questioning by the local police twice and allowed to go before his arrest, he added.

Aher also said that the medical report went in his client's favour and none of the witnesses - who comprise mostly government servants and the victim's relatives - have said that Bhailume was seen anywhere near the scene of the crime.

A few months back, Aher said he filed a discharge application for Bhailume, but it was rejected owing to certain circumstances, and later, apprehending his release, the prosecution suddenly added the charge of criminal conspiracy in the crime allegedly to trap him (Bhailume).

On April 1, some activists of a local group Shiv Prahaar, claiming the Kopardi victim was their "sister", attacked the three accused in the court premises, but they escaped unhurt.

Aher claimed that the "entire case is fabricated, with ulterior political and casteist motives, to divert attention from some other major issues".

--IANS

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NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind on Friday filed his nomination here for the July 17 Presidential election and pledged to uphold the dignity of the country's top constitutional post.

Senior BJP functionaries said that with a large number of non-NDA parties supporting Kovind, they are confident of his winning with a huge margin.

Kovind, 71, filed the papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies as well as parties backing him.

After filing the nomination, Kovind came out along with Modi, Shah, party stalwarts L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, with others following them.

Those present included Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal.

The leaders waved towards the waiting mediapersons and briefly posed for pictures, holding each others' hands in a show of unity and raised it in a victory sign. Amit Shah did not yield to mediapersons' request for comments.

A former BJP MP, Kovind told the media after filing his nomination that he has had no party affiliation since he became the Bihar Governor after Modi took power in New Delhi in 2014.

"The President's post carries a lot of dignity. My effort will be to keep the post above party . I promise I will try my best to uphold the dignity of this office. The Constitution is supreme and it is our duty to maintain its supremacy," he added.

Kovind filed three set of nomination papers. BJP leaders said another set will be filed on June 28, the last date for filing nominations in the election which will see the former Bihar Governor take on opposition candidate and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

Later, speaking to media, Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that he could not understand why the Congress was opposing NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"Kovind is a good candidate. He is non-controversial, educated and experienced and has been good as Bihar Governor. He has worked among the weaker sections and the downtrodden. I cannot understand why the Congress is opposing him," he said.

"We have a comfortable majority. All major political parties are supporting Kovind. The Congress alone knows why it is contesting because they do not have numbers on their side. But anyway it is their democratic right to contest," he said.

The NDA, including the Shiv Sena and the PDP of Jammu and Kashmir, commands the support of 48.93 per cent in the electoral college made up of MPs and MLAs.

With the backing of parties outside the alliance like TRS (2 per cent), AIADMK (5.39 per cent), YSR Congress (1.53 per cent) and BJD (2.99 per cent), the NDA's support will cross the half way mark to reach nearly 63 per cent. The JD-U (1.91 per cent) is also backing him.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the opposition candidate, in a statement appealed to all members of the Electoral College to vote on the basis of "cherished principles of...inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism."

"The post of the President carries the responsibility of safeguarding and defending our constitutional principles. The values I hold dear -- of inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism -- are the values the President must uphold. If these values are undermined so is our Constitution," she said.

"I appeal to all the honourable members of the collegium to base their decision on these cherished principles and secure them for our future generations," Meira Kumar said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Congress was not sincere towards the Dalits or the Dalit cause.

"Had it been so, they would have fielded Meira Kumar in the last election itself. Now, after the NDA nominated a Dalit, they have brought in Meira Kumar to pit a Dalit against a Dalit to insult the Dalits."

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi said the Congress was insulting "Bihar ki beti" (Bihar's daughter) by forcing her to take on another Dalit candidate.

"Now that the BJP has named a Dalit candidate, they started seeing all the virtues in Meira Kumar. This is an insult to 'Bihar's daughter'," Sushil Modi said.

Meanwhile, Kovind's candidature got more backing with Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U president Nitish Kumar categorically rejecting the appeal of RJD chief Lalu Prasad not to make a 'historic blunder' by extending support to the NDA nominee.

"There is no question of my changing my decision," he told the media in Patna.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Manipur Cabinet will soon ban all licensed single and double barrelled shotguns to check poaching, state Forest Minister T. Shyamkumar said on Friday.

Individuals concerned for their safety should opt for handguns instead, he added.

At a workshop on the protection of the brow-antlered deer, found only in Manipur, the Minister said: "There is a need to create awareness among the people in the villages under the 40 square km area of the Keibul Lamjao national park, the natural habitat of the endangered deer."

He said that villagers who depend on fishing in the lake, inside the park, should be provided alternative means of earning since they have no other source of income.

Wildlife groups are organising workshops on how man and deer could co-exist peacefully. A two-day workshop of the villagers surrounding the national park concluded on Thursday.

Wildlife expert S.A. Hussain said the people should protect the deer as it is the state animal.

Many villagers, who participated in the workshop, were not happy that they are not allowed to enter the lake and the national park.

Bimal, a fisherman, told IANS: "For generations people have been fishing in the lake. It is a cruel policy of the government to deprive them of their source of income."

Officials say the deers are being poached regularly. But fishermen say they are against poaching and catching of migratory birds.

Wildlife enthusiasts are concerned by the low population of the brow-antlered deer. There are 260 of them, according to the 2016 census.

In 1951, the deer was thought to have become extinct. However, six of them were sighted in 1953.

--IANS

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A mob stripped and lynched a senior police officer in the grand mosque of Srinagar, triggering widespread outrage. Hundreds attended the funeral of 57-year-old Deputy Superintendent of Police Muhammad Ayub Pandit even as two persons were arrested.

"All those involved in the officer's murder will be brought to justice," said DGP S.P. Vaid, adding that a third person has been identified and a manhunt has been launched to trace him.

Pandit was deployed at Srinagar's largest mosque, the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of Srinagar's old city.

He was deployed on frisking (access control) duty at the mosque to ensure that nobody enters the holy place with weapons to harm Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and other devotees inside.

Mirwaiz Umer leads the Friday prayers at the mosque and on all other holy occasions.

What has shocked people about his killing is that he was killed during the holiest night of the Islamic calendar -- 'Shab-e-Qadr'.

Pandit was reportedly clicking pictures of the crowd outside the grand mosque to which some people objected. Surrounded by an irate mob, the officer fired from his service revolver to free himself, injuring three persons.

However, the mob overpowered him, stripped him and beat him to death.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who attended the wreath laying ceremony at the district police lines, condemned the brutal killing. "He had allowed all his personal security guards to go home and observe the Shab-e-Qadr at their native mosques.

"He performed his duties trusting the goodwill of the people whose lives he was protecting. His murder is actually a murder of trust," she said.

"Jammu and Kashmir Police is one of the finest police forces in the country. They exercise maximum restraint while dealing with the law and order situation. I fear what will happen if this police force loses its patience," she said.

Senior ministers Naeem Akhtar, Altaf Bukhari and Haq Khan were also present at the Police Lines besides senior civil, police and paramilitary officers.

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh termed the killing "highly condemnable". "It is murder and police would take strongest action against those who were involved."

DGP Vaid said the lynching of the officer had proved that "very little difference is now left in Kashmir between humanity and barbarism".

Former state Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah condemed the killing, saying "His death is a tragedy and the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins."

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq described the murder of the officer as "a brutal act which is outside the parameters of humanity and religion".

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said the lynching marked a "new low" in Jammu and Kashmir and it was "heartbreaking" to see the state "being pushed back several decades" due to the failure of the BJP-PDP government.

The killing has invited more condemnation, including on social media, as the officer was not deployed on any anti-militancy, intelligence gathering or even maintenance of law and order duties when the mob lynched him.

Pandit belonged to Nawpora area in Srinagar city where he was buried in his ancestral graveyard. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and son.

His daughter who is pursuing MBBS in Bangladesh had returned home two days ago to celebrate Eid with her parents.

After the killing, Friday prayers were not allowed at the Jamia Masjid and the mosque was shut -- for the first time since the Dogra rule ended in the Valley.

A police statement issued here on Friday said: "The martyred police officer was laid to rest at his native place. Hundreds of people, including police officers, friends and relatives attended the the funeral prayers."

A week earlier, six policemen including a Station House Officer (SHO), Feroz Ahmad Dar, were killed by militants in Anantnag district.

In an unrelated development, authorities imposed restrictions in some areas of Srinagar on Friday after separatists announced post prayer protests in the Kashmir Valley.

The curbs under Section 144 preventing the gathering of five or more people at any place were imposed in areas falling under the jurisdiction of Khanyar, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj, Safakadal and Maisuma police stations, a police officer said.

The separatists called for protests after the Friday prayers against the killing of a civilian, Touseef Ahmad Wani, in Pulwama district in firing by security forces on Thursday.

Wani was killed when a mob attacked the Kakapora police post on Thursday after three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed in the area by the security forces.

June 23 is the last Friday of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

--IANS

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday urged Central government to extend the deadline of ongoing onion procurement to July 15 owing to bumper production in the state.

He also asked for increase in the procurement quantity from current two lakh tonnes to eight lakh tonnes through Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), as per a release.

Chouhan met Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh here and apprised him of bumper onion crop in the state, which may go up to 32 lakh tonnes this year.

He said the drop in prices due to bumper production was a matter of concern so he was requesting the deadline be extended from the current June 30 to July 15 to facilitate farmers to sell their produce and get fair price.

A few days ago, the central government decided to procure two lakh tonnes from Madhya Pradesh, which produce about 26-28 lakh tonnes annually.

Chouhan also asked for procurement of moong (green gram) and urad (black gram) through Price Stabilisation Fund by intervening in the market due to their production.

--IANS

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Asserting that he does not hold any political affiliations, NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind on Friday pledged to uphold the dignity of the President's office and keep it above party .

"From the day I became the Governor of Bihar, I had no party affiliation," Kovind asserted after filing his nomination for the July 17 election.

Kovind, 71, filed the papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies, as well as parties backing him.

"The President's post carries a lot of dignity. My effort will be to keep the post above party . I promise I will do everything possible to uphold the dignity of this office. The Constitution is supreme and it is our duty to maintain its supremacy," Kovind said.

The former Bihar Governor and BJP's Dalit leader said the President was the supreme commander of the armed forces. "It is our priority to secure the borders of our country."

He said India is the largest democracy in the world, where the post of President is "most august".

"Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam are among those who held this position earlier. The country and the whole world is familiar with this great tradition," he said.

Kovind said he would do his best for the country's all-round development, fulfilment of youths' aspirations and encouragement to modern education.

"At a time when we would be celebrating 75 years of independence after a few years, I will strive to see that the dream to build a new India, which is developing continuously, is fulfilled," the BJP leader said.

Kovind thanked Modi, and National Democratic Alliance Chief Ministers and others for supporting his candidature.

Kovind is widely expected to sail through the presidential election, although a contest is imminent as the opposition parties have fielded former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their nominee.

The NDA, including the Shiv Sena and the Peoples Democratic Party of Jammu and Kashmir, commands the support of 48.93 per cent voters in the presidential electoral college made up of MPs and MLAs.

With the backing of parties outside the alliance like TRS (2 per cent), AIADMK (5.39 per cent), YSR Congress (1.53 per cent) and Biju Janata Dal (2.99 per cent), the NDA's support will reach nearly 63 per cent. The Janata Dal-United (1.91 per cent) is also backing him.

The vote count will take place on July 20. President Pranab Mukherjee's term ends on July 24.

--IANS

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan got a sense of the "spread of Hindi cinema" when a girl from Poland broke into a song and dance sequence on the Bollywood chartbuster "Kajra re" in front of him on the set of "Thugs of Hindostan" in Malta.

He narrated the incident on his blog on Thursday night.

"A young crew member from 'Thugs of Hindostan' walks up gingerly to me on set and with some hesitation she says, she wishes to sing a song to me.

"I look at her... She is young and shy and white Caucasian... and I wonder why she would want to do that, particularly because there is no indication that she would even know who I am, even though she has been told that the project she is on is an Indian film and these actors are the actors on the film.

"I am suddenly surrounded by other crew members, who, I am somewhat surprised to note, are egging her on to do so... And so with great clarity of accent and tune she starts: 'Aisi nazar ? kajrare ? kajrare, tere kaale kaale naina.'"

Big B said the girl had "great composure and confidence".

"She even does a few of the patent steps of the song... Everyone bursts into applause and I gently ask her, where she is from... From Poland."

Then another assistant walked up to him with a girl.

"She says she has been a fan from when she was young, and that her first film was 'K3G' (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham...'). She is from Kazakhstan."

The 74-year-old veteran says his idea of sharing these incidents is not "to impress one and all with the diversity of crew working on a film from India but the spread of Hindi cinema in the lives of so many away from Indian shores and not necessarily Indian".

"May Indian cinema live multitudinous years and may the cross-section of the world society believe and show affection to talent from our Indian shores," he added.

--IANS

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Union Science Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday praised Indian scientists for their contribution toward the world's biggest telescope -- Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), which is under development.

The Minister said that it's a matter of pride that India is working on the project being developed by an international consortium.

"India is collaborating with the US, Japan, and other countries for the world's biggest telescope project. It's a matter of great pride for us," Vardhan said.

Last year Ladakh, one of the sites for the giant telescope, was ruled out. The TMT is being built at an estimated cost of USD 1.47 billion by an international consortium consisting of India, the United States, Canada, Japan and China.

According to a report, TMT will enable scientists to study fainter objects far away from Earth in the Universe, which gives information about early stages of evolution of the Universe.

Also, it will give scientists finer details of objects like undiscovered planets and planets around other stars.

--IANS

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A court here on Friday issued notice on the plea of a 17-year-old girl

who had sought the annulment of her "marriage" conducted when she was only three.

Family court judge Rekha Bhargava issued a notice to the said-to-be husband, directing him to appear before the court in a month's time.

Sarita said her purported in-laws and the local community and village leaders were pressuring her to go to her husband's place.

She and her mother, who is a widow, were initially terrified but gathered courage to approach Kriti Bharti, a rehabilitation psychologist and managing trustee of NGO Saarthi Trust, who advised them to challenge the child marriage.

"I do not accept the marriage. I want to study and want to have a career. For the annulment of my child marriage, I have filed a petition with the help of Kriti didi. I am very much hopeful that I will get justice soon," Sarita said in a statement.

A resident of Sunthala region in Jodhpur, she was married off to Mahender alias Gogi, a resident of Partapnagar in the same district in September 2003 by her father who was being pressurised by community members.

Soon after the marriage, her father died.

Later, the in-laws started putting pressure on Sarita's mother to send her to their home but both refused, saying that they do not accept the child marriage.

The girl says both she and her mother suffered tremendous mental torture due to continuous pressure and ill treatment by her ostensible in-laws.

When they could not take the pressure, the girl contacted Bharti and with her help, approached court.

"Sarita was under tremendous pressure by her in-laws mentally and was in a state of depression. For the annulment of her child marriage, a petition has been filed in the court," said Bharti.

Saarthi Trust has so far annulled 32 child marriages in India and also prevented thousands of them.

--IANS

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Russian jets have intercepted 14 foreign planes near its borders in the past week, the Defence Ministry said in a report on Friday.

According to the report, a total of 23 reconnaissance flights were carried out near the Russian borders last week by aircraft of seven countries, reports Xinhua news agency.

Among them, 10 flights were performed by the US's PC-135 jets and RQ-4B Global Hawk drones. Four were conducted by Norwegian P-3 Orions, and three by Swedish Air Force's Gulfstream intelligence planes.

British, Portuguese, Japanese and French planes were also spotted.

It is reported that the number of incidents involving Russia and NATO military aircraft has increased since 2014.

--IANS

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday witnessed the test-firing of a home-grown ballistic missile to showcase the country's defence capability against Pyongyang.

Moon visited a test site of the state-run Agency for Defence Development (ADD) in southwest South Korea earlier in the day to observe the Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile's test-launch, presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.

The Hyunmoo-2 is South Korea's indigenously developed ballistic missile with a range of 800 km, reports Xinhua news agency.

Moon's visit was aimed as a warning against North Korean provocations, the spokesman said.

The Friday test-launch of the Hyunmoo-2 missile marked the fourth successful one. The ballistic missile will be deployed following two more tests.

Moon said he believes that dialogue, engagement and talks with Pyongyang would be possible only when South Korea has a strong capability for defence and security that will overpower North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

--IANS

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Amid the Madhya Pradesh government's claims of providing all possible relief to peasants, one more farmer was on Thursday reported to have committed suicide in Sehore, the home district of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

With the latest incident, the number of peasants ending their lives under debt stress and pressure from moneylenders in the Chief Minister's home district has reached six in the last 12 days.

According to reports, deceased Kisan Babu Lal (40) of Palkheri village, in Ichhawar tehsil, consumed poison due to the stress from mounting debt. He was rushed to the district hospital in a critical condition where he succumbed on Thursday.

"We got the information about a farmer's death from media reports. The bereaved family is yet to formally intimate police in this regard," said Ichhawar Police Station Incharge M.R. Khan.

Additional District magistrate Chandramohan Singh said he had asked a sub-divisional officer to visit the village to find out the real cause of farmer's death.

Prior to this, five peasants had committed suicide in Sehore district.

On Thursday itself, one Shatrughna Meena of Guradiya village, took the extreme step following pressure from a moneylender. He had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh from a moneylender, who was now asking for double the amount.

Besides, Bansi Lal of Jamoniya Khurd village, Dulichand of Jajna village, Mukesh Yadav of Lachore village and Kaju Khan of Bapcha village -- all from Sehore district -- committed suicide due to debt stress and pressure from moneylenders.

--IANS

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Sri Lankan police on Friday arrested Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) leader Lahiru Weerasekara following violent clashes between students and security forces.

The police said a probe would be conducted over the protest staged by the IUSF in front of the Health Ministry on Wednesday which resulted in 85 students and nine policemen being hospitalised, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Health Ministry property had also been severely damaged as a result of the violent protest.

The police said the students had behaved in an unruly manner after they forcibly entered the ministry building in violation of the order issued by the Colombo Chief Magistrate.

The students wanted the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), Sri Lanka's only private medical faculty, to close down.

As a result of the clashes, doctors attached to the Government Medical Officers Association went on an indefinite island-wide strike on Wednesday, severely hampering the medical sector and leaving thousands of patients stranded.

--IANS

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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday told the Delhi High Court that it will re-evaluate the answer sheets of students who have asked for it.

Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain made the assurance to a vacation bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Yogesh Khanna hearing various petitions by students, who appeared for Class 12 board exams this year, against the board's decision to scrap its re-evaluation policy.

"...if any of the petitioners were to apply to CBSE with a grievance that a particular answer sheet has not been evaluated as per the concerned marking scheme circulated to the head examiner in respect of major subjects, whereupon CBSE will scrutinise such answer sheets and take appropriate remedial action, if required," he said.

Jain said that the marking schemes concerned will be uploaded on CBSE's website within two working days.

He also told the court that all such requests will be considered on first come, first served basis and papers of those who have applied for re-verification will be scrutinised on priority basis.

Advocate Kirti Uppal, appearing for some of these students, had challenged the CBSE's May 29 notification and requested the court to direct it to reconsider this policy.

However after hearing the CBSE's submission, the bench disposed off the petitions.

--IANS

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Hyderabad police on Friday arrested a youth for allegedly having links with Islamic State sympathisers.

Konakalla Subramanyam alias Omer was arrested from a house in Paramount Colony here.

Personnel of Special Investigation Team (SIT) found in his possession one mobile phone, which contained incriminating conversation with IS sympathisers.

Police filed a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy against the 22-year-old accused, who has been remanded to judicial custody.

A native of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh, Subramanyam had embraced Islam in 2014. Police said he visited Gujarat and trained in religious rituals and scriptures. He also visited Srinagar, Omrabad, Ambur of Tamil Nadu and Mumbai.

"He has been indulging in chatting with IS sympathisers through social media network like Facebook, Whatsapp and Telegram," said a police statement.

According to the police, he has been in regular conversation with one Abu Qahafa Al-Hindi, IS sympathiser and resident of Mumbai. Police claimed that Omer wanted to carry out subversive activities in the country with the instigation of Abu Qahafa Al-Hindi.

--IANS

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Perhaps J R D Tata would have been pleased, for what rankled most of all his disappointments with successive Indian governments was Morarji Desai sacking him as a director of the airline he started in 1932. But as a practical man, JRD would also have remembered his friend, Singapores veteran Lee Kuan Yew, warning about the rot that had eaten into the old Tata Airlines after it became Air India in 1946 and was nationalised in 1953.
Firming its stand further to achieve a separate state of Gorkhaland, all 44 representatives of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), including party leader and General-Secretary Roshan Giri, on Friday tendered their resignation from the semi-autonomous Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA). .
The opposition zeroed in on former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for three good reasons  her caste, her state and her party.

Worried about cracks in the opposition over the NDA's nominee, Ram Nath Kovind, the opposition selected Congress's Kumar in a bid to woo back the JD(U) and ensure that the BSP did not break away.

The JD(U) on Wednesday said it would back Kovind, while the BSP had said it would not take a "negative" stand towards the candidature of a dalit after the NDA announced their candidate was a dalit from UP earlier this week.

The BSP on Thursday supported the Opposition's candidate, stressing that Meira Kumar was "more capable and popular" than Kovind.

At a 17-party opposition meeting today, NCP chief Sharad Pawar proposed the names of three people  Kumar, ex-home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and former Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar.

"It was RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who pitched for Kumar. Two things went in her favour. One that she belongs to the Congress and was selected by its chief Sonia Gandhi," sources in a Left party said.

Second, the fact that she was "the daughter of Bihar" would "impel Nitish Kumar to re-think his decision to support Kovind who comes from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh", the sources said.

Third, of course, she was a dalit, with an impressive political background.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Yadav appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to change his mind on the issue, and said he would discuss this with the CM in Patna.

"I will meet Nitish Kumar and will urge him to change his decision to support the NDA candidate. I will tell him not to commit a historic blunder. I will ask him to think again," Yadav said.
Today, 17 Opposition parties, with their sights focused on putting up a strong and united challenge to the Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, decided to field former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate, making the contest a Dalit versus Dalit race.
At least 10 people were killed and several others injured today in two subsequent blasts at a crowded market in Parachinar area of Pakistan's Kurram tribal district, bordering Afghanistan.

The first explosion occurred in Akbar Khan Market in Parachinar headquarters of Kurram Agency, officials said.

The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

At least 10 people were killed in the blasts.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar.

The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A suicide bomber blew up his explosive-laden car near the office of the regional police chief in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province today, killing at least 13 people, including six policemen, and injuring 20 others.

The powerful blast took place near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboob's office on Gulistan Road area of the provincial capital, Quetta.

Thirteen people, including six policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

The bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital after the attack, according to hospital officials. Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo that the suspected bomber in the car tried to break a security perimetre to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Kakar blamed India for the blast.

Balochistan has also been facing insurgency by Baloch nationalists and Islamist militants.

Security officials also confirmed that the blast was the result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which exploded after the "suspicious" driver was spotted by policemen.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the blast and began investigating after rescue services shifted the injured and deceased to the hospital.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by Civil Defence Director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying that terrorists involved in the attack will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Earlier this year, on February 13, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two back-to-back blasts today tore through a market crowded with people shopping for Eid in the minority Shia dominated Parachinar area of Pakistan's Kurram tribal district, killing 25 people and injuring 100 others.

The first explosion occurred in Akbar Khan Market, where a bus terminal is also located, during rush hour in the market. The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

Medical Superintendent of the District General Hospital, Parachinar, Sabir Hussain, said that at least 25 people are killed and over 100 others injured in the blasts.

The nature of the explosions was not immediately clear.

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts.

According to officials, the blasts targeted people shopping in the area and those heading out of the city ahead of Eid.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar.

The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.

Pakistan Army contingents and FC personnel reached the site of the attack to aid in rescue efforts.

"Two Army aviation helicopters have taken off from Peshawar to Parachinar for the speedy evacuation of the injured to Peshawar," the army said in a statement.

"Rescue operation in progress," it added.

On March 31, a car bomb blast near an Imambargah of Shia Muslims killed 23 people and injured 70 others.

In January, 25 people were killed and 87 others when a bomb tore through a crowded vegetable market in the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Army jawan Sandeep Jadhav had promised to come home to celebrate the birthday of his son Shivam tomorrow, but to the utter devastation of his family the jawan will return home in a coffin.

A pall of gloom descends on the jawan's native Kalegao village in Sillod tehsil of Aurangabad district.

The 34-year-old soldier, who belonged to the 15 Maratha Light Infantry, was yesterday killed in an attack by a team of Pakistani special forces, which had sneaked 600 metres across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shravan Mane, a 24-year-old sepoy from Kolhapur, was also killed in the attack.

When Jadhav's father Sarjerao learnt about his death, he decided not to play the television at home so that the family does not come to know about the fateful .

One of the villagers said, "Sandeep had assured his family that he would come home for Shivam's birthday. As the birthday preparations were going on in full swing yesterday evening, Sarjerao decided not to play the television at home when he learnt about his son's death. He also asked some of his relatives not to talk about it to his family members, including Jadhav's wife, elder daughter and others."



However, by late this afternoon, they were finally briefed about the incident for the conduct of his last rites.

Aurangabad District Collector Naval Kishor Ram said, "Sandeep's body would reach Aurangabad by this evening. But, we have not received any confirmation about the shifting of the body yet."



Meanwhile, in Kolhapur, the family members of Shravan Mane are waiting for his body to arrive.

Kolhapur District Collector Avinash Subhedar told PTI his office was in touch with the Army officials in Jammu.

"We are hopeful of his body reaching Kolhapur by this evening," he said.

Mane, a resident of Gogave village in Shahuwadi tehsil of Kolhapur district, was a bachelor and had joined the Army only a couple of years back.

"All the male members of his family, including the extended ones, are connected with the Army. His father had served in the Army as a jawan. Mane's elder brother and brother-in-law are at present serving in various battalions of the Army," Subhedar said.

Sanjay Shinde, resident district collector of Kolhapur said, "We are in touch with the Army officials in Jammu about shifting of Mane's body. We are told that it should first reach Jammu, as the route from Poonch to Jammu is difficult. Once the body reaches Jammu, the Army will either carry it to Pune or directly take it to Belgaum, closest airport from Kolhapur.

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ABC/Randy Holmes(WASHINGTON) -- Hours after actor Johnny Depp made controversial comments about President Donald Trump, the White House issued a statement condemning anyone who makes threatening remarks about the commander-in-chief.



While introducing his new film, The Libertine, at England's Glastonbury Festival Thursday night, Depp brought up Trump.



"I think he needs help," Depp told the crowd. "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? I want to clarify: I'm not an actor. I lie for a living, however, it's been a while. Maybe it's about time."



Depp did not say whether he was referring to the assassination of President Lincoln by actor John Wilkes Booth in 1865.



The White House criticized Depp's comments in a statement to ABC News on Friday.



"President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it's sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depps colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a Democrat elected official," the statement read.



In addition to the White House, the Secret Service issued its own statement.



"We actively monitor open source reporting, including social media networks, and we evaluate potential threats. For security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities," the Secret Service told ABC News.



Depp's publicist issued a statement from the actor:

"I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump. It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone."



Depp isn't the first public figure to come under fire for making questionable statements about Trump. Last month, comedian Kathy Griffin was featured in a video holding a decapitated likeness of Donald Trump's head. Griffin later apologized but said she remains under investigation from the Secret Service.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight said the aim of his upcoming visit to the US was building of a "forward-looking vision" for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide- ranging ties.

Modi, who will be meeting President Donald Trump for the first time on June 26 in Washington, said he looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views.

Along with the US, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning tomorrow.

"My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted.

In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from June 25 was at the invitation of Trump.

"President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said.

"I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide ranging partnership between India and the United States," the prime minister said.

He noted that India's partnership with the US is multi- layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.

"I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump," he added.

Apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs.

Like in the past, he will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora.

In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit tomorrow to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

"Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa.

"We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added.

He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest.

"I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said.

He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit.

After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem- Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.

"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter- terrorism and climate change," he said.

Economic relations form the core of the bilateral relations and the Netherlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally.

"The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said.

"Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies.

He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story.

"There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.

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The country's first all-women petrol station run by released prisoners was inaugurated at Chanchalguda Central Jail premises here today.

Telangana Home Minister N Narsimha Reddy, who inaugurated the bunk said it is the first petrol bunk in the country to be run exclusively by women who were formerly prisoners and now released.

"With a view to provide employment to former women convicts, the Telangana Prisons Department selected 25 former women prisoners who were released from the Chanchalguda prison and they will be paid Rs 12,000 per month for their services at the petrol bunk," Reddy said.

"We wanted to give them employment so that it provides for their sustenance," Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) V K Singh said.

The Telangana Prisons Department already operates 10 petrol bunks in different districts and inmates and released prisoners besides former jail authorities man such bunks and they generates turnover of over Rs 300 crore annually.

"One more such petrol bunk will be opened very soon in Asifabad," Singh said.

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Yet another debt-burdened peasant has allegedly ended his life in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, taking the number of farmers' suicide to 22.

Raghuvir Yadav consumed a poisonous substance on June 21 at his home in Pali village under Bijawar police station, around 300 km from here in the impoverished Bundelkhand region, Sub-Divisional Police Officer S P Dohre said.

The 27-year-old died last evening when he was being taken to Gwalior for further treatment from the Chhatarpur district hospital, where he was initially admitted, he said.

While the family of Yadav claimed he took the extreme step due to his mounting debt, the police said a family dispute led him to end his life.

"A couple of days back, Raghuvir's father Deshpat Yadav had complained of harassment against his sons, including the elder son Munshi. There was a family dispute over the division of property," Dohre said.

Munshi, however, said Raghuvir was under stress due to financial burden on him and denied that there was any family dispute.

With this, the number of debt-ridden farmers who have ended their lives in the state in the last fortnight has reached 22.

Yesterday, four suicides were reported in the state - one each from Chhatarpur and Sagar districts of Bundelkhand and others from Budni, the Assembly segment represented by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and a village in Chhindwara, the Lok Sabha seat of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath.

Early this month, the western Madhya Pradesh witnessed a major peasant agitation seeking loan waiver and remunerative prices for farm products. On June 6, five farmers were killed in police firing in Mandsaur district.

Besides Chhatarpur and Sagar, farmer suicides have been reported from Sehore, Hoshangabad, Raisen, Dhar, Neemuch and Vidisha districts since June 8.

In Sehore, the home district of the chief minister, six suicides have been reported so far.

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IT major Infosys today said its internal audit committee has found no evidence supporting a whistleblower's allegations of improprieties related to the Panaya acquisition.

In February, Infosys had said it will investigate claims levelled by the whistleblower in an anonymous mail to market regulator Sebi, alleging wrongdoings by the company when in buying Israeli automation technology firm Panaya.

While strongly refuting the allegations, the Bengaluru- based firm had also hired Gibson Dunn and Control Risks to conduct an internal investigation into the charges.

"Gibson Dunn and Control Risks have now completed their detailed and extensive Independent Investigation and as they have described in the attached document, they did not find any evidence whatsoever of wrongdoing," Infosys said in a statement.

It added that the company has fully cooperated with all requests for information from Sebi regarding the anonymous complaints.

In February 2015, Infosys had announced buying the Israeli automation technology company for USD 200 million or Rs 1,250 crore in cash.

The report by the two firms found no evidence to support allegations regarding wrongdoing by the company or its directors and employees, Infosys said.

It added that there were no conflicts of interest or kickbacks and the approvals required for the acquisitions were obtained with regard to the Panaya acquisition.

"...Thorough due diligence was conducted, the valuations of the target companies done by an outside financial advisor were reasonable, and the purchase prices were within the range of values determined by that advisor," it said.

Also, it said it had found no evidence that CEO Vishal Sikka had received excessive variable compensation or incurred unreasonable expenses for security, travel and the Palo Alto office.

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Debt-ridden Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar has shelved the plan to sell power business to group firm Lalitpur Power Generation Company for about Rs 1,200 crore, even as its lenders have initiated resolution process under S4A to restructure loans.

The company had announced plans in December to sell its co-generation power business, having 449 MW capacity at 14 locations in Uttar Pradesh, to LPGCL for about Rs 1,800 crore.

Later the deal size was reduced to Rs 1,227 crore.

Bajaj Hindusthan has a debt of around Rs 6,000 crore.

In a BSE filing, the company informed that "Joint Lender Forum of the company has taken a decision that the loan account of the company will be taken up for consideration under the 'Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A Scheme) introduced by the RBI.'



Bankers will evaluate and formulate the Resolution Plan as envisaged in the Scheme for implementation, it added.

The company also informed that the proposal for sale of co-generation power business "has been consequently shelved".

The entire amount of cash consideration from this deal was proposed to be utilised by the company towards advance repayment of its existing term debt.

Bajaj Hindusthan has 14 sugar mills with cane crushing capacity of 1.36 lakh tonnes per day and alcohol distillation capacity of 800 kilo litres per day.

Besides sugar, Shishir Bajaj-led Bajaj group has interests in power, ethanol, real estate, personal care products and infrastructure.

The group's power venture includes Bajaj Energy Pvt Ltd, with 450 MW thermal power generation commissioned in 2012 and the Lalitpur Power Generation Co Ltd with a total of 1,980 MW thermal power generation capacity.

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The Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) made up of special forces men and terrorists were armed with 'special daggers' and 'headband cameras' to mutilate and record the attack on the Indian Army patrol party after entering 600 meters across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

The attack left two Indian soldiers dead while one BAT member was killed in retaliatory action by Indian troops.

Army troops during search and sanitation operations, recovered the body of a member of the BAT team along LoC in Gulpur sector of Poonch district yesterday.

"The body of the intruder killed in the BAT attempt on 22 June has been retrieved and handed over to the local police," a senior army officer told PTI.

"Arms, ammunition and other war-like stores including a special dagger and a headband with a camera, knife, one AK rifle, 3 magazines, 2 grenades besides dresses and bags was recovered which reflects the barbaric mindset of the Pakistan Army," he said.

"The resolute action of our soldiers didn't let the nefarious plan (of mutilating bodies and recording it on camera) succeed," officer said.

Giving details, the officer said that a special class of dagger and a knife was meant to engineer quick mutilation and beheading of jawans killed in the firing exchanges and it has been foiled by the quick action by Indian soldiers.

The BAT member was wearing headband with camera on his head to record the action and possible mutilation of jawans, which was prevented by other troops who shot dead one of them and injured another, he said.

The officer said it is matter of investigation whether the camera was live connected with Pakistan Army establishments across the border.

"The data and details of the camera will be analysed," he said.

"We are confident that another BAT member has also been killed but his body was taken back by the other members of the BAT," he said.

In the third such attack this year, a team of Pakistani special forces yesterday sneaked 600 metres across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Border Action Team (BAT), which generally comprises special forces personnel of the Pakistan Army and some terrorists, carried out the attack at around 2 pm yesterday under heavy cover fire by Pakistani troops from their posts, he said.

"A Border Action Team of five to seven heavily-armed men, under the cover of Pakistani firing, entered 600 meters inside the LoC in Gulpur forward area in Poonch sector around 2 PM yesterday and launched a fierce attack on Indian Army patrol party with several types of weapons," the official said.

The Pakistani attackers came up to 200 meters near the Indian posts.

During the attack, the Pakistani troops resorted to firing in Gulpur-Karmara-Chakan-Da-Bagh area along the LoC.

The armed intruders targeted an area domination patrol of the Indian Army, triggering a gunfight, the official said.

The Indian troops killed one of the attackers and injured another whose extrication was facilitated by the cover fire by the Pakistani troops from their posts.

In the firefight, two Indian soldiers were killed. They were 34-year-old Naik Jadhav Sandip of Aurangabad, Maharashtra and 24-year-old Sepoy Mane Savan Balku of Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

The Pakistani firing continued till 3.30 PM yesterday even as the Indian posts retaliated strongly.

In a similar BAT attack on May 1, two Indian soldiers were beheaded in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district. That attack too was carried out under the cover of shelling by the Pakistani troops.

Prior to that, a BAT attack was carried out in February but there were no casualties.

Earlier, there have been several BAT attacks in which Indian jawans have been beheaded or their bodies mutilated.

On October 28 last year, militants attacked a post and killed an Indian Army soldier and mutilated his body close to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Machil sector.

In January 2013, Lance Naik Hemraj was killed and his body mutilated by a BAT. It had also beheaded Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh.

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The ruling BJD and opposition BJP today took to streets separately over farmers issue and staged demonstrations demanding revision of the minimum support price (MSP) on paddy and agriculture loan waiver in the state.

While the BJD leaders including some ministers sat on a dharna and submitted a memorandum to the President through Odisha Governor S C Jamir demanding revision of the MSP on paddy, the BJP activists staged demonstration demanding loan waiver in all the district headquarters.

A delegation of the BJD led by Agriculture minister Damodar Rout submitted a memorandum highlighting "anti-farmer" policies of the Centre.

Rout later told reporters that the BJP in its election promise had announced to double the MSP on paddy.

They said Odisha Assembly in its last session had also adopted a unanimous resolution to put forth a demand before the Centre to raise MSP of paddy to Rs 2,930 per quintal and a House Committee led by the Speaker had sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to submit its memorandum.

However, the House Committee is yet to get an appointment from the Prime Minister's office.

The activists of the BJP, on the other hand, staged demonstrations at Collector offices in all districts demanding waiver of farm loans in the state. The party's Krushak Morcha submitted memorandums addressed to the Governor through the Collectors.

The Morcha raised question on the state government's alleged dilly-dallying on waiver of farm loans while the Uttar Pradesh and Maharastra have already waived loans to bail out farmers from the crisis.

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"The Leftovers" actress Carrie Coon has been cast in New Regency's upcoming thriller "Widows".

The 36-year-old actress will shoot the movie after she completes filming her role in Steven Spielberg's "The Papers", according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Steve McQueen id directing "Widows", which is currently in production and features an ensemble that includes Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez as well as Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell and Daniel Kaluuya.

The story, based on the 1980s British TV series of the same name, starts out with a group of armed robbers being killed during a heist attempt. Their widows then decide to finish the job their spouses started.

Coon will play a widow who declines to join the others in their plan.

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India today successfully put into orbit a satellite that will give a boost to its military surveillance capabilities along with 30 other tiny satellites --all but one of them foreign--from a single rocket in yet another milestone for its low-cost space programme.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle of the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) in its 40th flight (PSLV-C38) lifted off majestically from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre here at 9.29 am and injected the 31 satellites into orbit about 27 minutes after lift off, amid applause from scientists.

Dubbed as a 'smart eye in the sky', the 712-kg Cartosat-2 series earth observation spacecraft launched by the 44.4-metre tall rocket as its primary payload is an advanced remote sensing satellite that is expected to give defence surveillance a leg up. The 31 satellites together weighed 955 kg.

Today's mission was the second highest number of satellites to be launched by the ISRO using a single rocket.

On February 15 this year, the PSLV-C37 mission launched 104 satellites into orbit at one go, scripting history. Of this, 101 satellites were from foreign countries.

With the launch of the third spacecraft in the Cartosat-2 series, the images sent by the dedicated satellite for defence forces is expected to become sharper and wider.

The previous satellite in the series had a resolution of 0.8 metres and the images it took over India's neighbourhood had helped New Delhi carry out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control last year, according to ISRO sources.

The latest remote sensing satellite has a resolution of 0.6 metres, which means it can spot even smaller objects.

"It can recognise objects within that square (0.6 m by 0.6 m)", an ISRO official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"Defence surveillance will get a leg-up. It can be used in identifying terrorist camps and bunkers... Some formations," the official said.

Once this satellite becomes operational, it would be "handed over" to the defence forces, which have their own "set up," including ground-stations and trained manpower to access data, the official said.

The ISRO said after a flight of 16 minutes the Cartosat-2 series satellite achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 505 km inclined at an angle of 97.44 degree to the equator very close to the intended orbit.

Later, all the other 30 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence.

After separation of the satellite, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bengaluru took over the control of the satellite, an ISRO release said.

"In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide various remote sensing services," it said.

The co-passenger satellites includes a nano satellite designed and developed by the Noorul Islam University in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.

The NIUSAT satellite would provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications.

The other 29 nano satellites are from 14 countries-- - Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

As the satellites were injected into orbit one by one, the scientists broke into cheers at the Mission Control Centre.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed ISRO for the successful mission.

"Congratulations to ISRO team on the successful launch of PSLV-C38 carrying 31 satellites," Mukherjee said in a tweet.

Modi said in a tweet: "Congratulations to ISRO on its 40th successful Polar satellite launch carrying 31 satellites from 15 countries. You make us proud!"



As the satellites were injected into orbit one by one, the scientists broke into cheers at the Mission Control Centre.

Lauding the scientists, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar said the mission was successful.

"I congratulate the hard work of the entire team, especially the Cartosat team. This particular mission has been successful, it has put all the satellites into the orbit," he said.

The PSLV-C38 is the 17th flight of PSLV XL configuration (with the use of solid strap-on motors).

The ISRO had on June 5 launched its most powerful and heaviest geostationary rocket carrying advanced communication satellite GSAT-19, weighing 3,136 kg, from the spaceport here. Every stage of the three-stage GSLV MkIII with indigenous cryogenic engine had performed well.

"Our effort of continuing to provide increased earth observation, navigation as well as communication will continue and we have many more activities to be performed in the coming days," he said.

The space agency said the 29 international customer Nano satellites are being launched as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), commercial arm of ISRO and international customers.

Cartosat-2 is a remote sensing satellite and it is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series with the objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imagery.

The imagery sent by the satellite would be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and man-made features and various other land information system(LIS)as well as geographical information systems (GIS).

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The Madras High Court today asked the Tamil Nadu government to explain as to why names figuring in the Election Commission and IT Department reports on the alleged bribing of RK Nagar assembly segment voters were not mentioned in the relevant FIR.

The FIR against unnamed persons had been registered on a complaint by the Returning Officer of the constituency, where the April 12 byelection was rescinded by the EC over the alleged use of money power to influence voters.

A bench of justices M Sathyanarayanan and M Sundar sought the government's explanation while hearing a lawsuit by one M P Vairakkannan, seeking the court's direction for lodging an FIR on the electoral malpractices in the RK Nagar bypoll.

The court also issued notice to the Election Commission, Chennai police commissioner, the Tamil Nadu's chief electoral officer, besides the returning officer of RK Nagar assembly constituency seeking their replies by July 14 to the petition.

On June 19, the court had sought a status report from the EC on the matter and had directed the Chennai police to submit the case diary.

Accordingly, the EC and the police had submitted their reports to the bench today.

After perusing the reports, the bench said the Income Tax report mentioned several names while the EC report had three particular names.

It said none of the names were there in the FIR with the column for the names of accused left blank.

In his response, the attorney general said these were the slips which were seized at the time of the raid conducted by the IT department and that investigation was underway.

To this, the bench again asked the AG, "Why the names that were mentioned in the report of EC were not shown in the FIR?"



The bench then directed the high court registry to keep all the reports in a sealed cover.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami earlier this week informed the state assembly that a case had been registered in this regard by police and investigation was on.

He was responding to Leader of Opposition M K Stalin (DMK) and Congress members who raised the issue of EC asking the state Chief Electoral Officer to instruct the Returning Officer to lodge a police complaint on the alleged bribing of voters in RK Nagar constituency.

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China on Friday asked India and the US not to disturb peace in the strategic South China Sea and play a "constructive role" in the disputes there, as the issue was likely to be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with President Donald Trump.

Modi will meet Trump on June 26. He will hold talks with Trump on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said the situation in the disputed region was "cooling down".

"With concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect the efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," Geng said.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea.

Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade.

The US had recently sent a navy warship near an artificial island in the South China Sea as part of the first "freedom of navigation" operation under President Trump, a move China said challenged its sovereignty in the region.

China termed the US' move as "irresponsible" and warned that America's deliberate provocations would have "extremely dangerous consequences" to regional stability.
China reaffirmed today that there is no change in its stance on the admission of non-NPT states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, marring India's chances of entering the elite club during its crucial meeting in Bern.

"As for non-NPT counties being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to China's position," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing.

He was replying to a question whether there is any change in China's stand at the plenary meeting currently taking place in the Swiss capital, Bern.

"I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on admission of new members and the Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate," he said.

"As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, as far as I know this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold principle of decision upon consensus and continue to discuss various dimensions like technology, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission the group," he said.

China's repeated stonewalling of India's membership bid in the NSG has become a major stumbling block in bilateral relations.

After India's application for entry into the 48-member elite group which controls the nuclear trade, Pakistan, the all-weather ally of China, too had applied with the tacit backing of Beijing.

While India, which is backed by the US and a number of western countries has garnered the support of a majority of the group's members, China has stuck to its stand that new members should sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), making India's entry difficult as the group is guided by the consensus principle. India is not a signatory to the NPT.

After a series of meetings, China has backed a two-step approach which stipulates that the NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the NSG and then move forward with discussions of specific cases.

The Bern meeting is being regarded significant as it is taking place after Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly took up the issue of India's accession to NSG with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their recent meeting at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on the Indo-Pacific region, including the disputed South China Sea which was expected to figure during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to US, Geng said the situation in the South China Sea is cooling down.

"With the concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play constructive role in this regard," he said.

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The Indian Coast Guard rescued 15 fishermen today after their boat was stranded in high seas off Andhra Pradesh coast.

MFB Mohan Raj, a fishing boat registered in Tamil Nadu, had ventured into the sea from Nagapatnam on June 16 with 15 crew onboard, a Coast Guard release said here.

After the boat got stranded in a rough sea due to a mechanical failure, Kakinada-based Coast Guard ship ICGS Rajdhwaj, under the command of commandant (JG) Vivek Sharma, sailed last night for its help.

The CG ship reached the stranded boat at around 4 am. As efforts to repair the defect failed, ICGS Rajdhwaj towed the fishing boat back to the shore.

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Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil today demanded a judicial probe of yesterday's violence at Nevali in Thane district in which 29 people including 12 policemen were injured.

The Congress leader today met the villagers and also the injured farmers and policemen admitted to hospitals.

"I will meet the Chief Minister tonight and apprise him of the situation and demand immediate intervention by the government. I'd also press for inquiry by a retired high court judge into police atrocities," he said.

"The government must explain why the Defence ministry did nothing about the land for over 75 years and what was the urgency which prompted them to take possession now," he said.

He also took potshots at the Shiv Sena, the ruling ally. "Their leaders represent this region in the Assembly as well as the Parliament. Yet they have not been able to ensure justice to the people who have been cultivating the land for the past 75 years. They are only looking for opportunity to politicise the issue," he said.

Meanwhile, residents of Bhal, where police vehicles were set on fire during yesterday's violence, alleged that a group of policemen vandalised houses and vehicles in the village last night.

District police said they are conducting inquiry into the incident.

Farmers protesting construction of boundary wall around a Defence land at Nevali yesterday set vehicles on fire and clashed with police.

The aggrieved farmers had earlier approached the Bombay High Court challenging the acquisition of over 1,600 acres of land by the Defence ministry.

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The CPI today urged BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar to reconsider their decision and support opposition candidate Meira Kumar in the July 17 presidential election.

"We appeal to the chief ministers of Odisha and Bihar to reconsider their decision and support a secular candidate like Meira Kumar. Above all, both BJD and JD(U) are not part of the BJP-led NDA," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters here.

Reddy, accompanied by CPI national secretary K Narayanana, said they hope both Patnaik and Kumar will rethink before casting their vote in favour of Ram Nath Kovind, whom they described as a "Sangha Parivar member".

"We do not know the reasons behind both Patnaik and Kumar supporting the NDA candidate," he said adding, the CPI will contact the BJD and the JD(U) before the presidential poll.

A secular person should become the president against the backdrop of attacks on Dalits and minorities since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre. The opposition has fielded Kumar considering her background.

"She (Meira Kumar) has been the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, has knowledge of matters related to external affairs and above all she is the daughter of Jagjivan Ram," Reddy pointed out.

He said the BJP's three-member committee had asked the CPI about its suggestion for a presidential candidate.

"We had suggested the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi and they (BJP) said about meeting again. But they announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind without consulting us," Reddy said criticising the BJP for not going for a consensus candidate for the top post.

Asked why Gandhi was not made a candidate by the opposition for the presidential election, the CPI leader said "We had just suggested the name of Gandhi. Had the BJP agreed to it, we would have supported him.

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Durga Shanker Mishra, an IAS officer of the 1984 batch from Uttar Pradesh, today took over as the Union urban development secretary in place of Rajiv Gauba, who moved to the Ministry of Home Affairs as an officer on special duty.

Mishra had been serving as the additional secretary in the urban development ministry since July 2014.

He has also served as vice-chairman of the Kanpur Development Authority and municipal commissioner of Kanpur.

Besides being Collector of Agra district during 1996-98, he had held various assignments in Union and state governments concerning revenue administration, internal security, civil aviation, tourism, sports, agriculture, taxation, medical and health and mining.

Mishra holds B.Tech degree in Engineering from IIT-Kanpur and MBA (International Business) from University of Western Sydney, Australia.

He also holds PG Diploma in Public Policy from Institute of Social Studies, The Hague.

Mishra had also been visiting faculty at the University of Guelph, Canada.

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The Calcutta High Court today directed that notice be served on the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung by all means possible in a PIL challenging the indefinite bandh called by the party in the Darjeeling hills.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty directed the Darjeeling superintendent of police to serve the notice personally on Gurung or send it to his office.

If any of these were not possible, the notice, along with a copy of the petition and today's order, be pasted on the walls of Gurung's office, it said.

The process should be videographed so as to ensure that the GJM president is represented in court in the matter, it said.

The bench had on June 16 directed the West Bengal government to ensure normal life in the restive Darjeeling hills, while reiterating earlier orders of the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court declaring bandhs illegal.

The court had last week directed that notice be served on Gurung, a respondent in the PIL.

But the petitioner and the state advocate general told the bench that they were unable to serve the notice on Gurung.

"We have tried all means, but what we gather is the person is absconding," Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted.

He, however, said that the option of email could not be tried as Internet services were suspended in the hills.

Dutta, who wanted to file an 'informal' report on the losses to public and private property due to arson in Darjeeling since the violence began on June eight, was directed to do so on Wednesday next in a sealed cover.

The court had last week directed the state government to file a report on the losses and steps taken to ensure normalcy in the hills.

The matter will be heard again on next Friday.

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Former British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is "passionate" about the Indo-UK ties, as he received a special recognition award for his work in promoting the bilateral relationship.

"I am absolutely passionate about the relationship between Britain and India," Cameron said as he received the honour from Indian high commissioner to the UK Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha at the Indian Awards 2017 ceremony in the Houses of Parliament here last night.

"It is a relationship based on common interests, a relationship based on the extraordinary strengths of the British Indian Diaspora and Britons working in India. I am proud of the amount I have done to help build this relationship that is going to be so important for the future of both of our countries," he said.

The Indian Awards have been founded by UK-based Indian- origin professional Amarjit Singh, Chief Executive Officer of the India Business Group (IBG), to recognise UK-based individuals, businesses and organisations who have contributed to furthering the India-UK relationship culturally, socially or economically.

"The modern relationship between the UK and India is at a key juncture. Through the Indian Awards we aim to inspire and encourage the next generation of UK and Indian entrepreneurs, facilitators and bridge builders who will take the bilateral relationship to greater heights," Singh said.

Among the other winners at the annual awards, launched this year, included the Entrepreneur Award for Indian-origin Deputy Mayor of London for Business Rajesh Agrawal and Arts and Culture Award for Professor Sunil Khilnani, Director at King's College London India Institute.

Dr David Landsman, Executive Director of Tata Limited and one of the judges for the awards, said, "Many people in both countries contribute to the growing India-UK relationship. The Indian Awards 2017 have succeeded in identifying some of those who have gone well beyond the day job to make a real difference."



The Indian Awards 2017 was backed by the British Council and Institute of Directors (IoD), among others.

Stephen Martin, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said, "The IoD is delighted to have participated in the Indian Awards 2017, particularly at a time when the UK needs to turn its idea of 'Global Britain' into a tangible reality. Growing business and trade links between our two countries is essential as we prepare to exit the European Union.

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A youth was stabbed to death, and his two brothers were injured, by a group of people who also allegedly passed slurs against them after a dispute over a seat on a train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana, police said today.

The deceased has been identified as Junaid (17) while his brothers Hasim (21) and and Sakir (23) were injured, Deputy Suprintendent of Police (DSP), Faridabad Government Railway Police (GRP), Mohinder Singh told PTI.

"Sakir is serious," the DSP said, adding that the GRP has registered a case of murder.

Singh said the incident happened last night on board the Delhi-Mathura passenger train between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations.

"An altercation took place between the three brothers and some 10 passengers over a seat. The passengers allegedly passed some remarks on the three brothers, who are Muslims, and residents of Khandawali village in Faridabad," he said.

He said a passenger used a knife to stab one of the brothers to death.

"The passengers thrashed the three brothers badly and attacked them with a knife," he said.

No arrests have been made so far, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
All the elected members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), including its chief executive Bimal Gurung, resigned today from the administrative body in the trouble-hit Darjeeling hills with the GJM vowing to intensify the stir for a separate state.

The indefinite shutdown entered Day Nine crippling normal life in the hills where an uneasy calm prevailed with small processions supporting Gorkhaland seen on the streets.

The elected members of the GTA belonged to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) which is leading the stir.

Gurung, also the GJM supremo, who was not seen in public for the past several days, appeared before the media at Patlebas in Darjeeling, a party stronghold.

Taking a confrontationist stand, he said, "The agitation for Gorkhaland will continue. We have resigned from the GTA. Our one point demand is Gorkhaland. I will fight till the end."



He said, "I am not Kishenji (Maoist leader) who can be eliminated in a police encounter. I have not taken up arms against the country. I am fighting for the identity of the Gorkhas and in a democracy I have every right to do that."



Meanwhile, the evacuation of students, stranded in several boarding schools, took place today as the GJM had given a 12-hour window till 6 pm to allow them to leave the hills safely.

The boarding schools arranged for buses to send the students to Siliguri in the plains, from where the guardians will pick them up.

Father Shanjumon at St. Joseph North Point school which has nearly 400 boarders, said, "We arranged fifth-four buses to take the students to Siliguri. All the boarders have been evacuated."



Alleging that the police had opened fire in the hills on June 17 in which three GJM activists were killed, Gurung said, "We (the GJM) have the video footage of the incident. I demand a CBI inquiry."



It was the state government which has violated human rights and slapped false cases against the GJM, he claimed.

A case of murder, arson, assault on police personnel and conspiracy to incite violence on June 17 has been filed against Gurung and his wife Asha.

Asked about the Centre's response to the GJM's demand, Gurung said, "Talks are on with the central government and we hope something positive will come up soon."



GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said that the resignation letters were being forwarded to the GTA principal secretary.

The party decided to burn copies of the GTA Accord, reached in 2011 among the Union home ministry, the West Bengal government and the GJM, on June 26 and 27.

The state government had yesterday offered a dialogue to defuse the crisis with Home Secretary Malay De saying that the doors of the government were "open for talks to restore normalcy in the hills".

State education minister Partha Chatterjee reiterated that the police did not open fire.

"They (the GJM) are continuing the agitation holding the hill people as prisoners. What they are saying is not the voice of the people. Doors are open for discussion. But they are fomenting trouble," he said.

"Why have they (the GJM) resigned (from the GTA). The term of the GTA will end on June 30," he added.

Tourism minister Gautam Deb said the way the GJM was throwing challenges was not correct. "We know how to alienate and tackle them in a democratic way."



The Calcutta High Court, during the day, directed that notice be served on Gurung by all means possible in a PIL challenging the indefinite bandh called by the party in Darjeeling.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty asked the Darjeeling superintendent of police to serve the notice personally on Gurung or send it to his office.

A police official in Darjeeling said Internet services remained suspended in the region for the sixth day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Embassy Group today announced the signing of an MoU with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) for the construction of the Kadubeesanahalli Metro Station here, and said it will be funding to the tune of Rs 100 crores towards the project.

The station will be constructed just outside Embassy TechVillage, on the 17-km long recently approved North-South metro corridor on Outer Ring Road.

Stating that the construction will be done in accordance with the facade designs and specifications approved by BMRCL, Embassy in a release said it has agreed to pay an amount of Rs 100 crores to BMRCL for the purpose of the project in installments.

It said the period of concession and permission granted to Embassy Group will be for a period of 30 years starting from the date of commencement of commercial operations and could be extended further on mutual terms.

"We are delighted to partner with BMRCL on the prestigious Namma Metro project and we see this as a positive step by the government to involve the corporates towards improving infrastructure and urban transportation projects in the city," Embassy Group CMD Jitu Virwani said.

The group said as part of the agreement it will maintainKadubeesanahalli Metro Station including housekeeping and maintenance along with all the equipment as per specifications laid by the corporation.

BMRCL had identified and invited private entities and companies to sponsor up to 25 per cent of the total project cost with an intention to congregate funds as well as get corporates to participate in faster funding and completion of transportation projects.

"The MoU signed between BMRCL and the Embassy Group is part of the innovative financing push by Namma Metro and we strongly believe that it will encourage corporates to come forward and contribute in developing the urban infrastructure and build a well-equipped modern city," BMRCL MD Pradeep SinghKharola said.

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Former Calcutta High Court judge C S Karnan, arrested for committing contempt of the Supreme Court, today remained admitted to a hospital with the doctors describing him as "not fit" to be discharged.

"He is a bit better but not in a state to be released from the hospital. Doctors are keeping an eye on him," a senior officer at the Presidency correctional home (jail) told PTI.

Sixty two-year-old Karnan was admitted to state-run SSKM hospital last evening after he complained of "uneasiness" and chest pain.

It was learnt that the doctors at the hospital conducted a few medical tests on the former judge today too and the results are being awaited.

Karnan, who had been evading arrest since May 9 after the Supreme Court awarded him a six-month jail term, was arrested on the June 20 night by a team of West Bengal CID from a private resort at Malumichampatti, about six km from Coimbatore, where he was hiding for a few days.

He was brought from Chennai to Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon and was taken to the Presidency correctional home.

Karnan, who has earned the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court, retired from service on June 12 as a fugitive.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following are the top stories of the eastern region at 2100 hours



CAL5 WB-GJM LD RESIGN



Darjeeling: All the 45 elected members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), including its Chief Executive Bimal Gurung, today resign from the administrative body.

CAL6 POLL-PREZ-LALU



Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad today again appeals to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not to make a "historic blunder" by extending support to the NDA nominee for the presidential poll.

CAL7 WB-GJM GURUNG



Darjeeling: The GJM, spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, adopts a confrontationist stand today with its chief Bimal Gurung threatening to intensify the stir and demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged police firing in the hills on June 17.

CAL8 WB-METRO-TUNNEL



Kolkata: The tunnelling work under the Hooghly river, the first such underwater project in the country, to provide metro connectivity between Howrah and Kolkata completed.

CAL9 POL-PREZ-CPI



Bhubaneswar: The CPI today urges BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar to reconsider their decision and support opposition candidate Meira Kumar in the July 17 presidential election.

CAL10 WB-KARNAN HEALTH



Kolkata: Former Calcutta High Court judge C S Karnan, arrested for committing contempt of the Supreme Court, today remains admitted to a hospital with the doctors describing him as "not fit" to be discharged.

CES6 AS-RHINO-POACHER



Tezpur (Assam): One rhinoceros was killed and its horn was taken away by poachers in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, following which Assam Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma seeks a report from officials.

CES16 AS-FLOOD



Guwahati: Flood situation in Assam worsens today with over 82,000 people affected in four districts in the state.

CES17 WB-HEALTH-COMPENSATION



Kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) today finds Apollo Gleneagles Hospital as guilty and held three doctors negligent in carrying out the treatment of a baby.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US auto major Ford on Friday recalled 39,315 units of Fiesta Classic and the previous-generation Figo models in India to rectify faulty power assisted steering hose.

It said the recall will affect units of the two models made at the company's Chennai plant between 2004 and 2012.

" is voluntarily inspecting 39,315 Ford Fiesta Classic and previous-generation Ford Figo vehicles...For a potential concern related to high-pressure power assisted steering hose," it said in a statement.

The company, through its dealers, will replace the high-pressure power assisted steering hose on all affected vehicles, it added.

Ford remains committed to delivering world-class quality vehicles to its customers and this voluntary safety recall is part of that commitment, it said.

Previously, had recalled 1,66,021 units of Figo and Fiesta Classic models in September 2013 to rectify faulty rear twist beam and the power steering hose.

Last year, the company had recalled around 42,300 units of the new generation of hatchback Figo and compact sedan Figo Aspire to fix a software glitch that could lead to malfunctioning of airbags during a collision.

In November 2015, the automaker had announced recall of 16,444 units of compact SUV EcoSport in India to fix faulty rear twist beam bolt, a part in vehicle's suspension.



Ford South Africa recalls India-built Figo, Ikon models



Ford South Africa said today it will recall nearly 16,000 Figo and Ikon cars built in India due to a potential fire risk.



The cars, built between August 2004 and March 2012, require Ford technicians to replace the "high-pressure power assisted steering hose, which may split, resulting in a power steering fluid leak", Ford said.



"A power steering fluid leak could result in fumes being emitted from the engine compartment. It may also be possible for power steering fluid to come into contact with the vehicle's exhaust system components, creating the potential for smoke and, in extreme cases, fire," the company said.
Ford South Africa said today it will recall nearly 16,000 Figo and Ikon cars built in India due to a potential fire risk.

The cars, built between August 2004 and March 2012, require Ford technicians to replace the "high-pressure power assisted steering hose, which may split, resulting in a power steering fluid leak", Ford said.

"A power steering fluid leak could result in fumes being emitted from the engine compartment. It may also be possible for power steering fluid to come into contact with the vehicle's exhaust system components, creating the potential for smoke and, in extreme cases, fire," the company said.

Assuring customers of delivering quality vehicles, Ford said it was proactively recalling the vehicles to correct the problem and would be advising them of the recall and corrective action.

The recall comes just two months after the conclusion of a debacle over Ford's Kuga model, scores of which caught fire.

Ford's initial reluctance to act after the first Kuga caught fire, killing the owner who was trapped inside led to a year-long battle between the motorist's family and the company.

After threats of a class action, Ford made what was referred to as "a bad public relations move" by motor industry pundits when they offered the motorist's family a free car as compensation, which they declined.

As reports came in of an increasing number of Kugas catching fire, the South African National Consumer Commission stepped in, resulting in Ford recalling Kugas for replacement of components which could cause overheating.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four militants, including chairman of a outfit, were arrested by security forces in different areas in Assam, a defence spokesman said today.

Acting on an information about the movement of a top leader of the United Peoples Liberation Front (UPLF) in Lahorijan area of Karbi Anglong district, a joint team of the Army and police caught its chairman yesterday, he said.

The UPLF Chairman Garang Gajao was arrested along with a .22 mm pistol and six live rounds of ammunition.

In an another incident, three militants of the All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) were arrested by a joint team of the Army and police in Naobandha area of Udalguri district yesterday, he said.

The security forces recovered a 0.22 mm pistol with magazine and three live rounds, a 7.65 mm pistol with magazine and three live rounds, a 9 mm pistol and two live rounds and a country made single shot gun, the spokesman added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government today relaxed norms for export of bamboo products to promote the shipments.

There is a negligible exports of bamboo from India.

"Export of muli bamboo till March 31, 2019 and bamboo products (except bamboo charcoal, bamboo pulp and unprocessed bamboo shoots) mace from bamboo obtained from legal sources has been permitted," the directorate general of foreign trade said in a notification.

It, however, said these exports are permitted subject to proper documentation and certificate of origin.

This certificate would be issued by the concerned state forest department from where the bamboo has been procured by the purchaser.

Germany is the prominent importer of Indian bamboos.

India's bamboo exports in 2016-17 was only USD 0.05 million (about Rs 32 lakh).

*****************



Synthite Industries inaugurates lab at Wageningen University * Spice oils and oleoresins supplier Synthite Industries today said it has inaugurated its office-cum-laboratory at the Wageningen University campus in Netherlands.

The company which has customers like Pepsico, Nestle and Unilever has a target to achieve Rs 3,000 crore turnover by 2020.

Synthite Group Managing Director Viju Jacob said: "Our Europe office will be manned by employees from Netherlands and we are sure, Synthite will soon increase its customer base as well as sales volume in the European continent."



*****************



Globetouch acquires Indian start-up Teramatrix Technologies * US based technology firm Globetouch has acquired Indian IoT start-up Teramatrix Technologies for an undisclosed amount.

"The addition of Teramatrix significantly improves our IoT (internet-of-things) and Connected Car strategies. We will be using our Cloud SIM and xFusion IoT technologies to enable the future of autonomous cars," Globetouch CEO Riccardo Di Blasio said in a statement.

Teramatrix developed a software platform that can enable cross industrial applications to enhance customer satisfaction and operational intelligence by analysing data emanating from devices, sensors, enterprise apps, workforce and customers.

The start-up firm, founded in 2013, has been serving automobile companies Tata Motors, Hero Motocorp, Volvo, Eicher etc.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The GST regime will be a game changer for stainless steel industry, as it is expected to simplify compliance mechanisms and curb parallel economy, industry body ISSDA has said.

The apex stainless steel industry body has also urged the government to include electricity, furnace oil and natural gas, which are key inputs for production of stainless steel into the scope of Goods and Services Tax (GST), scheduled to be rolled out from July 1.

"The GST regime will be a game changer for stainless steel industry. The new tax structure will not only enhance the ease of doing business by simplifying compliance mechanisms but would also curb the parallel economy by bringing in more transparency," Indian Stainless Steel Development Association President K K Pahuja told PTI.

Primary stainless steel products will attract 18 per cent GST which will help the industry to grow and avoid the hassles of multiple duty structures. At present, primary steel products have 12.5 per cent excise duty, 5 per cent of VAT and 2 per cent CST, he said.

"Another positive side of GST on the stainless steel industry could be the inclusion of raw materials like coal and iron ore in tax slab of 5 per cent. Logistics, which forms crucial part of cost structure for any product, is also expected to reduce significantly with seamless movement of goods across the states," Pahuja said.

However, the industry would stand to gain more if electricity, furnace oil and natural gas could also be considered under the ambit of GST, the industry body said.

Stainless steel is majorly produced through Electric Arc Furnace Route or Induction Furnace, where electricity is a major cost of production. Similarly, furnace oil and natural gas are used for re-heating steel.

"All these components are kept out of GST purview, which may affect the competitiveness of the industry in the long run," ISSDA said.

"GST is a good policy change for the Indian Stainless Steel industry. India has shown impressive growth to become the second largest stainless steel producer in the world," Pahuja said, while commenting on the new indirect tax regime.

"As per capita stainless steel consumption is expected to increase due to increased spend on infrastructure, construction, railways, food processing and many other end-use sectors, where stainless steel scores better than other materials on account of life cycle cost," he said.

Post GST rollout, stainless steel industry also expects reduced time for movement of goods. However, some concerns on the implementation of GST, additional compliance costs in IT network etc need to be addressed, Pahuja added.

The country's stainless steel output rose to 3.32 million tonnes during 2015-2016 over 2014-15 showing an impressive growth of more than 9 per cent, he said.

In 2016, India pipped Japan to become the second largest stainless steel producer in the world after China.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here, the US has cleared the sale of 22 predator Guardian drones, a force multiplier that will boost the Indian Navy's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The deal, estimated to be worth USD two to three billion, has been approved by the State Department, sources said.

The decision has been communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer by the State Department yesterday, according to the informed governmental sources.

"This is the first very significant sign of the Trump administration being more result oriented in its relationship with India compared to Obama administration," a source said.

While the deal has not been formally announced, the sale of 22 predator drones being manufactured by General Atomics is "a game changer" for the US-India relations as it operationalises the status of "major defence partner".

The designation of India being a "major defence partner" was decided by the previous Obama Administration, and formally approved by the Congress.

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to the questions in this regard. An official announcement is expected soon.

Modi's first meeting with Trump has been scheduled to take place at the White House on June 26.

According to General Atomics, the Predator Guardian UAV, a variant of the Predator B, can be used for wide-area, long- endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

It can stay in the air for up to 27 hours and can fly at maximum altitude of 50,000 feet.

The Indian Navy made the request for this intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform last year.

This maritime capability will be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy who has procured other advance technologies including Boeing P-8 aircraft.

The Guardian has cutting edge technologies that do not do not exist in the current Indian Navy arsenal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court has asked Canara Bank to provide compensation of Rs 2.62 lakh to a 68- year-old man for the trauma and humiliation suffered by him over a wrongful attachment of his property by the authorities.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice A K Chawla issued the direction on the plea by V K Bhatnagar, whose property was wrongly attached by Canara Bank situated at Sapru Marg, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh for default of payment by a debtor of the same name.

The bench said that petitioner faced extreme humiliation since not only was the warrant of attachment affixed to his property but also announcement of the attachment were issued through loudspeakers.

The man then filed objections before the Debt Recovery Tribunal, Lucknow, stating that he had undertaken no financial transactions with a Canara Bank there and also disclosing his parentage.

He had also shown that he was a resident of Delhi where as the debtor is a resident of Lucknow.

However, no reply was offered by Canara Bank in response to the objections filed.

He thereafter, moved the high court against the bank.

He had submitted that he is a senior citizen and that the actions of the bank resulted in undue harassment and trauma.

The bench noted that no private detective agency was required to verify the petitioner's claim and the same could have been done by a bare perusal of municipal records and the Aadhaar cards of the individuals concerned.

The petitioner's property has remained attached from September 14, 2015 to March 7, 2017 despite the petitioner having brought all the correct and complete facts regarding his ownership and occupation of the property to the notice of the bank in September 2015.

Though, in March 2017, the bank published an apology in a daily national, the same cannot be enough to compensate for the trauma and loss of reputation faced by the aged man.

The court awarded compensation at the rate of Rs 15,000 per month for the period of attachment, that is a total of Rs 2,62,500 for a period of 17 and a half months, plus litigation costs amounting to Rs 1,00,000.

"The above narration of facts manifests utmost negligence on the part of the officials of the bank in proceeding against the property of the petitioner thereby permitting the debtors to go scot free...

"The present case is a fit case in which the bank undertakes an inquiry and fixes responsibility for the failure of its employees in ascertaining assets of the debtors as well as wrongly proceeding against the property of the petitioner without careful due diligence and without conducting basic title research/inspection of property and municipal records," the bench said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Appalled by the government's litigious tendency reflecting in its appeal against a verdict awarding a rather modest compensation to a young man reduced to "vegetative state" in a mishap involving a state bus, the Madras High Court has more than doubled the sum to Rs 25 lakh.

Justice S Vimala awarded the exemplary compensation to 21-year-old Manikandan, taking note of his permanent urethral disability after the mishap 11 year ago, making him dependent upon the external tubes and other fixtures to pass the urine and lose his marriage prospects for good.

The judge enhanced the compensation from Rs 10.48 lakh to Rs 25 lakh while adjudicating an appeal by the Tamil Nadu's State Transport Corporation, challenging the modest compensation awarded by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal.

The Tribunal had ordered the Rs 10.48 lakh compensation, assessing that youth had lost his earning capacity up to 75 percent.

But, Justice Vimala said, "Having regard to the nature of the urinary problem, the loss of earning capacity should have been fixed at 100 per cent and not at 75 per cent (as calculated by the tribunal), as the claimant has a mere vegetative living."



Incidentally, the tribunal itself had awarded an enhanced compensation to boy, who had sought a sum of Rs 6 lakh only despite undergoing treatment for over three years after his accident in September 2006.

Appalled by the state's litigious temperament, prone to challenge each and every judicial verdict, the judge said the state and its instrumentalities were the major litigant before courts and their contribution to the "docket (cases) explosion is considerable."



"If the transport corporation has toed the line of State Litigation Policy, as a responsible public sector undertaking, it would have abstained from filling this appeal as this is a case where the tribunal itself has awarded more than what is claimed by the petitioner.

"The corporation had the opportunity to see the pitiable condition in which the petitioner is placed on account of the injuries sustained by him in the accident," the judge said.

The state and its undertakings shall, herein after, think twice before launching a prosecution, preferring an appeal or defending some litigation on "filthy and frivolous" grounds that too after burning a big hole on the state exchequer, amounting to 'pyrrhic victory,' she said.

The corporation has not only lost the appeal, but also suffered the liability to pay more compensation, the judge added.

The appellant had challenged the award by the tribunal as excessive and disproportionate contending that this was not a fit case to adopt multiplier method for the purpose of assessing the loss of earning capacity.

Stating that the man had suffered fracture of hip bone and rupture of urinary bladder leading to fixation of alternative urinary passage externally, the judge said it had been stated that there was no control over passing of urine.

"It is the claim of the injured that the passage had to be expanded at least once in a month. The tube has to be changed twice in a month. The claimant has lost the chance of getting married, because of the urethral injuries suffered," the judge noted in her order.

The man had appeared before her in her chambers for the hearing all along carrying the urinary bag which would not make him feel comfortable to stand in front of others, the judge said.

She directed the corporation to deposit the compensation amount along with interest at the rate of 7.5 per cent per annum.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There is a "historic opportunity" for the US to partner with India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, a top American think tank said today, urging the Trump administration to assist New Delhi in enhancing its defence capabilities.

The Atlantic Council in a memo to US President Donald Trump on the eve of Modi's arrival said the three areas where India needs to enhance its defence capabilities are navy, space and unmanned drones.

"Partnering with India could help the US advance its own security interests, as well as counter the Chinese penchant for aggression in the Indo-Asia region," Bharath Gopalaswamy director of the Atlantic Council's South Asia Centre, said in a memo to the president.

Gopalaswamy said the US should assist India by providing it with the means to maintain a "commanding position" in the Indian Ocean region.

"Such a policy would bolster Indian capacity through the sale of maritime and surveillance technologies while also spurring domestic business growth and job creation here in the United States. India particularly needs assistance in three domains-carrier aviation, space surveillance, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)," he asserted.

However, the memo warns Trump on raising the H-1B issue with Indians.

"Your desire to return outsourced information technology services to the United States would cost India economically. Such policies would also pose a hindrance for bilateral trade and impede further cooperation. While appealing in the short term, such policies may inflict greater long-run costs to US security interests," the memo said.

Noting that during his visit, Modi will aim to strengthen the India-US security partnership in order to counter an increasingly aggressive China, the memo said this is a major break from India's traditional, non-aligned status and will offer the US best opportunity to partner with India to address growing security challenges posed by China.

"India's potent geostrategic location and status as a rising power makes it an ideal partner for US cooperation. The United States should take advantage of this position to work with India as a leader as well as a balancer wherever and whenever applicable," the Atlantic Council said.

"India worries that China is increasingly challenging American primacy in the 'command of the commons'-in the air, space, and on the high seas. Disagreements over issues such as the South China Sea pose a threat to US dominance given the area's strategic significance," the memo wrote.

India sees China as being heavily invested in establishing its presence as an economic superpower across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and even Europe, as well as the Indian Ocean region seen as India's sphere of strategic influence, it said.

With the advance of China's 'Belt and Road Initiative', the Chinese military footprint will extend all the way from the Mediterranean to Guam, it added.

"As naval powers, the United States and India must have unfettered access to international sea lanes that Beijing intends to restrict and control; thus, a closely coordinated US-India policy toward China is imperative," the memo said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reserve Bank deputy governor SS Mundra today said migration to Ind-AS accounting is likely to increase banks' provisioning requirements by a hefty 30 per cent, putting additional pressure on the already fund-starved banks to raise growth capital.

Banks will have to comply with the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) for financial statements for accounting periods beginning from April 2018.

"The migration to expected loss from the current practice of incurred loss would most likely raise the provisioning requirements on loan losses in the medium-term, in line with similar experiences in the globe where they have migrated to.

"Generally, it is found that the first migration on an average translates into a 30 per cent increase in the provisioning requirements of the credit portfolio," Mundra said while addressing the ET-organised BFSI seminar here this evening.

He asked banks to be opportunistic in raising capital to meet the additional capital requirements arising form the new accounting norms.

"Banks should be proactive in capital raising and need to take steps like arranging funds from majority share-holders, accession markets, selling off non-core assets and also realign the asset base to stay away from riskier assets," said the central banker.

Talking about the trillions of stressed assets that banks are saddled with, Mundra said bad loans have proved to be a tremendous drain on the economy and have constrained the ability of banks to intermediate.

"While steps are currently afoot to resolve the stressed assets issue, it is important for each stake-holder to learn the right lessons. Banks must also improve their risk management capabilities as it is critical to their survival," the former commercial banker said.

Advising lenders to be mindful on green finance, the deputy governor said, "Going forward, banks would need to be increasingly sensitive in their lending to industries that might create a bigger carbon footprint, to the extent of bearing further exposure and reducing current exposure to these companies".

There is a likelihood of asset quality pressures emerging in some accounts which are high carbon emitters, owing to demand of slowdown for their products, he warned.

Mundra said banks are concentrating on lending to the manufacturing sector but needs to focus services sector also.

He said the infrastructure sector, which will require over USD 43 trillion over the next five years, provides lenders a big opportunity but asked them to be cautious.

On the increasing automation in the banking sector and elsewhere, he said this will lead to a deep job cuts.

"The World Bank has said in a report that proportion of jobs threatened in the country due to automation over the next few years at 69 per cent," he warned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SwiftKey, which is a part of software giant Microsoft, is witnessing strong uptake of its smartphone keyboard that has helped India become one of its top three markets.

"We are witnessing strong demand for our product in India. India is already among our top three markets in terms of users," SwiftKey co-founder and CEO Jon Reynolds told PTI.

He added that the growth has come not only from pre- embedding its keyboards on smartphones but also downloads.

"We are working with a number of OEMs (handset makers) in India. In addition to that, a large number of people are downloading our keyboard," he said.

Swiftkey's keyboard supports 22 official Indian languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Konkani, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

SwiftKey will also offer transliteration support for Indian languages like Punjabi, Marathi, Odia and Telugu.

Microsoft had acquired SwiftKey in February last year. At that time, it had said SwiftKey's keyboard applications was available on nearly 300 million Android and Apple devices.

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In a major move, India and Russia today agreed on a roadmap for ramping up bilateral defence cooperation and decided to conclude negotiations for different military platforms soon.

Both the sides signed a protocol for the roadmap to step-up defence engagement during the annual meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation.

The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu.

The roadmap includes specific activities to be concluded by both the sides, and aims to enhance cooperation in the field of political and military dialogue, besides exercises between the armed forces of the two countries.

In the meeting, Jaitley conveyed to the Russian side about the importance of having a robust and reliable after- sales support mechanism with regards to serviceability of Russian-origin equipment, Indian government officials said.

Russia has been one of India's key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. However, it has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country.

Jaitley also talked about the new opportunities for participation of Russian companies in the Indian defence manufacturing sector as pert of the 'Make in India' programme under the new strategic partnership policy for defence production.

The Indian government last month unveiled a "strategic partnership" model under which select private firms will be engaged along with foreign entities to build military platforms like fighter jets, submarines and battle tanks.

Both the sides also agreed to conclude various ongoing negotiations for different platforms as well as restructure the inter-governmental commission to enhance military to military cooperation, the officials said.

During the meeting, both the sides expressed satisfaction at the "concrete progress" that has been made on areas of cooperation since the last meeting of the commission in October 2016.

"The discussions were productive and held in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship," the officials said.

"India's military technical cooperation with Russia is one of the key pillars of our relationship," they said.

It was the 17th meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation.

Addressing the plenary of TECHNOPROM 2017, a leading forum for technological development Showcasing India's "path- breaking" initiatives for defence production, Jaitley, who is in Russia on a three-day visit, has invited Russian firms to set up joint ventures with Indian firms and manufacture advanced military platforms through technology transfer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major move, India and Russia today agreed on a roadmap for ramping up bilateral defence cooperation and decided to conclude negotiations for different military platforms soon.

Both the sides signed a protocol for the roadmap to step- up defence engagement during the annual meeting of the Indian- Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC).

The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu.

The roadmap includes specific activities to be concluded by both the sides, and aims to enhance cooperation in the field of political and military dialogue, besides exercises between the armed forces of the two countries.

In the meeting, Jaitley conveyed to the Russian side about the importance of having a robust and reliable after- sales support mechanism with regards to serviceability of Russian-origin equipment, Indian government officials said.

Russia has been one of India's key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. However, it has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country.

Jaitley also talked about the new opportunities for participation of Russian companies in the Indian defence manufacturing sector as pert of the 'Make in India' programme under the new strategic partnership policy for defence production.

The Indian government last month unveiled a "strategic partnership" model under which select private firms will be engaged along with foreign entities to build military platforms like fighter jets, submarines and battle tanks.

Both the sides also agreed to conclude various ongoing negotiations for different platforms as well as restructure the inter-governmental commission to enhance military to military cooperation, the officials said.

During the meeting, both the sides expressed satisfaction at the "concrete progress" that has been made on areas of cooperation since the last meeting of the commission in October 2016.

"The discussions were productive and held in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship," the officials said.

"India's military technical cooperation with Russia is one of the key pillars of our relationship," they said.

"We are determined to go ahead with building up cooperation in order to enhance the combat readiness of both countries' armed forces and to exchange experience in various defence-related matters," Gen. Shoigu said at the meeting.

It was the 17th meeting of the IRIGC-MTC.

The meeting took place nearly three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to "upgrade and intensify" defence ties through joint manufacture and co-production of key military hardware, during their annual summit talks at St Petersburg.

Addressing a leading forum for technological development showcasing India's "path-breaking" initiatives for defence production, Jaitley, who is in Russia on a three-day visit, on Wednesday invited Russian firms to set up joint ventures with Indian firms and manufacture advanced military platforms through technology transfer.

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Indian-Americans here are eagerly looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a big way during his visit to the US capital to meet President Donald Trump.

The Indian community in Washington might not be as big the community as in New York/New Jersey area or the Silicon Valley, where the Prime Minister addressed two massive rallies in recent years, but the enthusiasm among the diaspora is at the same level.

The community is planning to welcome Modi at every possible location where he could be available during his three-day stay here.

"There is a huge enthusiasm among Indian Americans," said Adapa Prasad, a top leader of the Overseas Friends of BJP USA, who is playing a key role in organising events to welcome the Prime Minister.

Unlike New York and Silicon Valley, Modi is attending a smaller community event on Sunday in a Virginia suburb of Washington DC. The Sunday afternoon reception is invitation only and has been restricted to leaders of the community organisations and eminent Indian-Americans from across the country.

"Despite this people are coming from across the country. They are flying and driving down to Washington DC for several hours to have a glimpse of their popular leader," Prasad said.

It is understood that the community reception can accommodate about 600 people.

In addition to the community events, several think-tanks and organisations have planned a series of events coinciding with the US-India Summit on Monday.

The East West Centre in Washington and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with the Senate India Caucus and the House India Caucus will launch 'India Matters for America/America Matters for India', a publication and web resource for credible and nonpartisan information, graphics, analysis, and at the national and state level on US-India interactions.

The briefing brings together experts from the US Government, business, and academia to assess how the partnership between the United States and India has moved towards greater cooperation in matters of regional security, trade, and cultural exchange, a statement said.

Another American think-tank Hudson Institute has partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to host a discussion on Monday on building stronger trade relations between India and the US.

Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, will offer his perspective on the India-US relationship.

A panel discussion to be moderated by Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the US, would include Pratyush Kumar, president of Boeing India; Danny O'Brien, government relations leader for transportation at General Electric Company; James Shapiro, resident director in North America for Tata Sons; and Kapil Sharma, senior vice president at Wipro. The panelists will explore ways to foster deeper economic bonds through innovation, global supply chain integration, investment, and more, a statement said.

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) is organising a mini-conference on the Indo-US ties and Indian diaspora on June 25, which among others would be addressed by Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge, foreign affairs dept of the Bharatiya Janata Party and an editor of book 'Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India's Foreign Policy'.

Indiaspora is also organising a reception to celebrate India US relationship.

Meanwhile, separatist Sikh and Kashmiri groups have announced that they will hold anti-India protest rallies in front of the White House on Monday.

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Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday lauded Indian scientists' contribution to the world's biggest telescope which would enable astronomers to observe the intricacies of the universe from the comfort of the earth.

Vardhan said the site for the telescope - a multi- million dollar project being developed by an international consortium including India - was still being finalised.

Hanle in Ladakh was one of the sites being explored.

"The sites would be evaluated for technical and logistical suitability," the minister of Science and Technology said, hailing Indian scientists as among the best in the world.

India's contribution to the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) project would be "more in terms of hardware" than money, he said, adding that India would spend Rs 1,300-crore on it.

The ambitious next-generation TMT is to be built at an estimated cost of $1.47 billion by an international consortium consisting of institutions from India, the United States, Canada, Japan and China.

"India is collaborating with the US, Japan, and other countries for the world's biggest telescope project. It's a matter of great pride for us that our material would be used in it," Vardhan said.

Addressing a gathering at a workshop for journalists at the CSIR's Anusandhan Bhawan here, he said construction was expected to start at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, but protests by locals in that part of the US had stalled the project.

India is a 10 per cent partner in this global project. On the Indian side, the project is being handled by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy.

The gigantic telescope, scheduled to be ready by 2020, will provide astronomers with unparallelled power to observe the universe.

From the Indian side, the project would be led by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore, with the help of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.

"I have been to several scientific laboratories and research centres in the country and have met top scientists in the US too. But, I can tell you, our scientists are a notch above and not a notch less than those people," Vardhan said.

At the day-long workshop jointly organised by his ministry and the Delhi Journalists Association, the minister lamented that reportage on science-related subjects was being elbowed out by "sensational news items" driven by politics and other issues.

In his address, Vardhan reiterated that India was a world leader historically in various fields and that Prime Minister Narenda Modi had reposed "extraordinary faith" in the abilities of Indian scientists.

"We should look to our ancient wisdom and knowledge to draw inspiration. But the moment I say something like that some people and the media start accusing us of saffronisation," he said.

To drive home the point, Vardhan recounted how the "grandson of (Italian inventor) Marconi had acknowledged the contribution of J C Bose on wireless transmission".

The minister also recalled the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad and Syama Prasad Mookerjee in building "great institutions" after Independence.

"In many institutions, I see foundation stones laid by first prime minister Nehru, first president Dr Rajendra Prasad and Syama Prasad Mookerjee, whose death anniversary we are observing today. These institutions are a testimony to their vision and contribution," Vardhan said.

Describing the work of the 75-year-old Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) as the "tip of the iceberg", he hailed its contribution to science, saying the CSIR ranked 12th among some 1,200 government-funded research institutions globally.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will call on US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to give final touches to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with President Donald Trump which the State Department said would strengthen bilateral ties in areas like counter-terrorism.

Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.

The Jaishankar-Tillerson meeting is likely to give final touches to the Modi-Trump meeting at the White House on Monday.

Jaishankar, a former Indian ambassador to the US, has been playing a leading role in shaping the India-US relationship under the Modi government.

"We're looking forward to strengthening ties between the United States and India," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily conference.

"We have a lot of areas of mutual cooperation, fighting terrorism, we have a lot of people-to-people ties, strong people-to-people ties; so we're looking forward to that visit," she said.

After Trump won the presidential elections last November, the two leaders have spoken over phone three times, the last being Trump's congratulatory phone call after the BJP won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Modi will meet US President Donald Trump on June 26. He will hold talks with Trump on a range of issues, including terrorism and India's concerns over possible changes in H-1B visa rules.

India has time and again raised the issue of H-1B with the US authorities and asked them to liberalise the visa regime as Indian companies contribute significantly to the American economy.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year.

Apart from ways to enhance trade and business cooperation, Modi and Trump are expected to discuss defence ties.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu today signed a roadmap for boosting bilateral military cooperation, Russia's official media reported.

"We are determined to go ahead with building up cooperation in order to enhance the combat readiness of both countries' armed forces and to exchange experience in various defense-related matters," Gen. Shoigu said at the 17th meeting of the Russian-Indian inter-governmental commission for military-technical cooperation.

He said that the experts of the two countries have drafted a roadmap for the development of military cooperation between Russia and India, which is to become the basic document in planning bilateral contacts.

At the end of the session Shoigu and Jaitley signed a corresponding document, the official Tass agency reported without providing details of the roadmap.

Ahead of the visit, the Defence Ministry in New Delhi had said the meeting will review the entire range of military and military-technical cooperation issues between India and Russia within the framework of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The meeting took place nearly three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to "upgrade and intensify" defence ties through joint manufacture and co-production of key military hardware, during their annual summit talks at St Petersburg.

A vision document, issued after the talks between Modi and Putin, said both the countries decided to work towards a "qualitatively higher level of military-to-military cooperation".

Russia has been one of India's key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. However, it has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country.

Jaitley, also the Finance Minister, is in Russia on a three-day visit.

On Wednesday, Jaitley had invited Russian firms to come forward with proposals for technology transfer to Indian companies and facilitate joint manufacturing of advanced military platforms.

"I invite Russian companies to come forward with proposals for technology transfer to Indian companies and facilitate manufacturing of more advanced components/parts and sub-systems. This can start with platforms of Russian origin where the requirement is in large numbers and is recurring in nature," he said.

"Russian companies, which already have a long experience of working in India and working with India are well placed to take a leading role in this process," he had said while addressing the plenary of TECHNOPROM 2017, a leading forum for technological development.

In a major step towards defence indigenisation, the Indian government last month unveiled a "strategic partnership" model under which select private firms will be engaged along with foreign entities to build military platforms like fighter jets, submarines and battle tanks.

"In the days to come, we hope to fully harness the energies, entrepreneurial spirit and enterprise of the private sector in the area of defence manufacturing.

"Here again, Russia as India's largest, oldest and most trusted partner in defence hardware and equipment, would have a comparative advantage in partnering with Indian companies for realising 'Make in India' potential in defence production," Jaitley had said.

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Taking a dig at political leaders baulking at the implementation of GST in J&K from July 1, Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JCCI) today threatened to go on an agitation, holding the state government 'solely responsible' for it.

"Chamber has conveyed to the state government that non-implementation of GST shall mean total collapse of trade andindustry and if the needful is not done urgently and immediately, theChamber is ready for an agitation for which the state government shallsolely be responsible", JCCI President Rakesh Gupta told reportershere today.

Gupta, who was part of the JCCI delegation that met Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today, said that GST was a matter of economy and commerce and the Chamber shall not allow any politician to play with their livelihood.

He said that the Chamber advises all the political parties to actpositively for the overall growth of the country and the state.

The Deputy Chief Minister reassured the Chamber that the government is serious on the implementation of GST and the needful will be done soon.

"Chamber shall not allow any politician, whether in ruling coalition or in the opposition, to play politics on GST or else Chamber shall not spare such politicians who are openly working against the state and the country," Gupta said.

The Chamber also conveyed to Deputy CM that non implementation of GST will lead to total collapse of trade and industry.

Gupta said that the implementation of GST was in everybody's interests -- be it trade, industry or common man -- and GST is just a reform in taxation system replacing terminology and integrating different taxes under one head.

"It shall also benefit our state to earn huge revenue as we are a consuming state," he said.

As the July 1 rollout date for implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) nears, Jammu and Kashmir could face double taxation owing to its failure to pass the legislation, experts said.

All states, barring J&K, have passed their State GST bill.

J&K has not passed the legislation as the government faced severe opposition to the new tax regime from political parties and business community, which claimed that it compromises the financial autonomy and special status of the state guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution.

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Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma today directed the district administrations to involve all 'Sakhi Mandals' and 'Gram Swachchata Samiti' to speed up work in gram panchayats and blocks to achieve the target of 15 lakh toilets in 2017/18.

Chairing a Swachcha Bharat Mission programme through video conferencing with all deputy commissioner and deputy development commissioners, Verma said under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yozana, personal toilet construction should be ensured under MGNREGA in rural areas, according to an official release.

The panchata and blocks should also verify whether the toilets were used, it said.

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A court on France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion today sentenced a 30- year-old man to 15 years behind bars for the killing of a British ex-commando in 2011.

After a three-day trial, a jury convicted Vincent Madoure of taking part in the murder of Carl Davies, a 33-year-old former Royal Marines Commando.

Davies was found battered to death in a gutter on November 9, 2011. He suffered a fractured skull, broken bones, multiple bruising and cuts, an autopsy found.

He had arrived on the island two days earlier aboard a merchant vessel where he was working as a security guard.

Investigators suspected Davies was assaulted by a group after he left a nightclub, possibly to mug him.

Authorities only started to make headway in their investigation after a violent gang operating near the venue was arrested the following year.

Three of its members were charged with Davies's death, two of whom were acquitted for lack of evidence -- a decision that the lawyer for Davies's relatives lashed as a judicial error.

His family was in court for the trial. Madoure, who maintained he was innocent of the crime, will file an appeal, his lawyer Henri Moselle said.

Reunion was claimed by France in the mid-17th century and is one of the country's five overseas departments. It has the same administrative structure as departments, or counties, in metropolitan France.

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NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind will start a nation-wide tour on June 25, stopping first in Uttar Pradesh, where he will talk to members of the electoral college that votes for the new president.

The former Bihar governor will be accompanied by senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari in the UP leg of the tour.

BJP sources said Kovind, 71, would travel to the bigger states and at some places interact with electoral college members from more than one state.

He would discuss the issue with MPs and MLAs of the parties which have announced their support to him.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members besides MLAs from all state assemblies comprise the electoral college, totalling 10,98,882 votes.

The vote value of a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha is 708, while that of an MLA would depend on the population of the state he or she represents.

They said state BJP leaders may reach out to opposition parties as well and ask them to attend the meetings to be addressed by Kovind.

As there is no provision of party whips in presidential elections, the BJP hopes that it may get the support of people who would like to vote for Kovind, irrespective of their party position.

The complete itinerary of Kovind's travel is still being finalised as it will also depend on the availability of state leaders, including NDA chief ministers and others supporting him, the sources said.

After filing his nomination Kovind reached out to the opposition by asserting that the president's office was above party politics and that he did not belong to a party.

"Since I became the governor I do not belong to any political party," the former head of the BJP's Dalit Morcha -- who is almost certain to be the next president -- said.

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The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), nodal investment promotion agency of the Government of Kerala, has inked a Letter of Intent (LoI) with US-based Cornell University, for channelling expertise for Life Sciences-based projects in the state.

The letter was inked on June 20, the opening day of Bio 2017, the largest annual global event for the biotechnology industry at San Diego, a release said here.

KSIDC is representing Government of Kerala in the three-day long event.

The agency's participation in the event has the context of a Life Sciences Park coming up at Thonnakkal near here, it said.

The Letter of Intent was signed by the Managing Director of KSIDC, Dr. M M Beena and Dr W Ronnie Coffman, Director of International Programs, Cornell University in the presence ofY S Chowdary, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Government of India.

The LoI will enable KSIDC to source expertise from the University in the agriculture, food, biomedical, veterinary and industrial biotechnology segments for the projects expected to come up in the proposed Life Sciences Park.

Besides, the significant achievement by way of a tie-up with Cornell University through the LoI inked, KSIDC hopes to identify resourceful investors, particularly NRIs, for taking up ventures in the Life Sciences sector in Kerala, the release added.

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A 30-year-old woman was injured when an iron railing of a Portuguese-era state run district hospital in Margao came crashing on her this afternoon.

Rizwana Khan, living in the suburban locality of Margao, had come to visit a patient in the district hospital, popularly known as Hospicio hospital.

"When she was walking, an iron railing from the second floor came crashing down on her. She was immediately taken to the casualty and later admitted. She is out of danger but kept under observation," an official attached to the hospital told PTI.

The Portuguese-era hospital is in dilapidated condition, while work on the new building in the city is currently underway.

State government has announced that the new building would be commissioned in December this year.

When contacted, State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that he has sought a detailed report about the incident from the hospital administration.

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RJD chief Lalu Prasad today again appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not to make a "historic blunder" by extending support to the NDA nominee for the presidential poll.

Describing the combined opposition nominee Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti" (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar to "mend the historic blunder" of supporting NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"We are still treading on the path you had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'...Don't know what made Kumar move away and extend support to a RSS man," Prasad told reporters on his arrival at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

The RJD president, however, made it clear that the divergent paths taken by his party and the JD(U) would have no impact on the Grand Alliance government in Bihar headed by Kumar.

"There will be no impact of this (different views of the RJD and the JD(U)) on the Grand Alliance government in the future," Prasad said.

Bihar JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh repeated the party's decision to support Kovind and made it clear that there was no going back on it.

"Kovind as governor of Bihar walked hand-in-hand with the state government on the path of development...He has displayed attachment with Bihar," Singh said.

His party colleague Shyam Rajak echoed similar views.

"Hum logo ne thok-baja ke faisla liya hain (we have taken a decision after meticulously taking everything into account)," Rajak told PTI.

Rajak is deputy leader in the state Assembly and member of the JD(U) core committee which decided on Tuesday to support Kovind.

Meanwhile, Congress minister Abdul Jalil Mastan described Kovind as "a Shiv Sena man" who harboured hardcore Hinduavta ideology.

"He is a Shiv Sena man harbouring hardcore hinduvta ideology...How can he be a clean man?" Mastan claimed.

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The Maharashtra government today entered into an agreement with Ola, under which the cab aggregator will train 20,000 youth to become micro-entrepreneurs in the field of passenger transport in the next five years.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the concerned departments to extend all possible help towards the initiative and present an interim report in the next 3-months.

"The government intends to develop skills of youth and create jobs. Through the Pramod Mahajan Kaushalya Vikas Yojana, youth in different sectors are being trained to become entrepreneurs," a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said.

It further said that Ola has created employment for about 5 lakh youth in the nation and ferries around 4 crore passengers.

"The company, that has a presence in about 100 cities is further looking to expand its operations in other regions as well. As a part of its expansion, the company seeks to train 50 lakh youth across the nation in the next 5 years," it said.

"The company had put up a proposal before the state government and showed its intention of providing skill development training to generate employment," it added.

The statement further said that according to the agreement, Ola will train 10,000 youth in the next 2-years to become micro-entrepreneurs.

"Looking out for eligible candidates, providing them with skills, extending trained youth possible help to get employment will be done by Ola," it said.

Youth will be physically, technologically trained and will be extensively taught about passenger transport sector.

The statement said that youth from districts like Palghar, Raigad, Aurangabad, Amravati would be given preference for skill training.

"The company has requested the government to ease the conditions required for youth to obtain permissions to start their businesses.

"We have also been requested to provide financial help to the trained youth to buy vehicles for their business. The final decision on these will be taken once the concerned departments submit their report," the statement added.

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India's Mahesh Mangaonkar went down to Daniel Mekbib of Czech Republic in five games in the quarterfinal of the Squash XL Open, a PSA World Tour event, in Auckland today.

Mekbib shot down the aspirations of 6th seeded Indian with a hard-fought 13-11, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11, 11-9 win, a SRFI press release here said.

The unseeded Czech, ranked way down in the 150s in the World, had ousted the 2nd seed Ivan Yuen of Malaysia in the first round and appeared to run away with the match against Mahesh too.

But after the Indian found his way in by equalising the score 2-2 in a match replete with hard hitting drives, there was hope of something more.

But Mekbib got back to his winning ways again in the deciding twister and managed to edge out Mahesh at the business end.

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A reputed Colombo crime family underboss reported to be the oldest inmate in the federal prison system has been released at the age of 100.

Newsday reports John "Sonny" Franzese left the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, in a wheelchair just before noon today. He was serving a 50-year sentence for bank robbery.

His son, Michael, says the elder Franzese is planning to live with a daughter in Brooklyn.

The newspaper reports Franzese was allegedly involved in loan sharking and extortion.

US Bureau of Prisons records show he was paroled at least six times since his 1967 conviction, but each time ended up back in prison.

The last time was in 2010 when he was caught shaking down strip clubs and a pizzeria.

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There is more garbage than land for people in the national capital, the Delhi High Court said today, citing photographs in newspapers showing the accumulation of solid waste in various parts of the city.

The court said a will to work was needed to clean up the city and not funds as claimed by the three municipal corporations who have blamed the Delhi government for not implementing the 4th Finance Commission recommendations.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said the court's orders need to be read first "before we talk of implementation".

This was said in reference to the hearing held on June 21 when the bench had noted that its orders appeared to have been not read by the commissioners of the three civic bodies.

The bench told the three corporations, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, that if its orders regarding implementation of the 4th Finance Commission recommendations have not been followed by the Delhi government, then a contempt plea can be filed.

The commission was set up in 2009 to review the financial position of the civic agencies and make recommendations on sharing net proceeds of taxes, duties, tolls and fees levied by the Delhi government.

The court also said the rate at which the corporations were legalising the unauthorised constructions, it would soon that all of them would be "financially bust".

It directed the civic bodies to give a tabulation of the last five years' progression with regard to the demographic trend, variation in their staff strength and the development of infrastructure.

The bench also asked them to inform the court about the the fate of the sewage treatment plants in the city.

The court also took up the issue of the deaths of a rag- picker, who was electrocuted at a garbage heap where a live wire had fallen, and that of a child who fell into a pit allegedly dug up by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) four months ago.

Concerned over the two incidents, the bench sought a status report from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) with regard to the death of the rag-picker and a similar direction was issued to the DDA in connection with the nine-year-old boy's death.

While seeking the status reports from the two agencies by June 27, the court said, "It was high time that we changed the way we work or should we wait for more people or children to die."



It also told the authorities, "You cannot say the crisis was because of the rains. This is happening because you are not doing your job.

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Leading milk supplier Mother Dairy's Managing Director S Nagarajan has resigned from his position citing personal reasons.

Former Managing Director of the company, Sanjiv Khanna will succeed him.

Nagarajan, who has been leading Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd as the Managing Director since May 2010, will continue in this role only till June 30.

"I had put in my papers in March due to personal reasons. I want to spend time with my parents who live in Bengaluru," he said when contacted.

His resignation was accepted by the company's board in its meeting held on June 13.

Under his leadership, Mother Dairy scaled up its operations with the launch of various products and variants, widening its offerings.

An alumni of IIM Ahmedabad, Nagarajan started his career with Nestle and had stints in many leading food companies, including erstwhile Cadbury India, Frito-lay India and Joyco India in various functions.

His successor Khanna is currently serving as CEO of SBC Beverages Ghana.

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A mukhia (village headman) was shot dead by suspected ultras of People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) in Khunti district while an encounter took place between the security personnel and CPI (Maoists) in Palamau district today, police said.

The CPI (Maoists) today opened fire at the security personnel, who were on anti-naxal operation in Vijaygiri hills under Naudihabazar police station of naxal-affected Palamau district, police said.

The Maoists opened indiscriminate firing from foothill on seeing the approaching security personnel, forcing them to retaliate, said Superintendent of Police, Indrajeet Mahatha adding that the encounter lasted for two hours.

Mahatha said the naxals fled the scene in view of the mounting pressure.

A massive search operation was launched following the encounter to apprehend the naxals but in vain so far, he said.

Meanwhile, according to a report received from Khunti district, a panchayat mukhia was shot dead by suspected PLFI activists last night in Narahatu village under Rania police station of the district.

Around 10 PLFI activists laced with fire-arm arrived in the village and dragged the 32-year-old John Lugun, mukhia of khatkura panchayat out of his house late last night and gunned him down, said Sub-divisional Police Officer (Torpa), Nazir Akhtar.

Superintendent of Police Ashiwini Kumar Sinha visited the village to investigate the incident.

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North Korea has tested a rocket engine that could potentially be fitted to an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official told AFP, amid soaring tensions over Kim Jong-Un's nuclear weapons program.

"A rocket engine was tested today," the US official said yesterday on condition of anonymity, without providing any details.

of the test came one day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged China, Pyongyang's sole ally, to put more pressure on the North to rein in its atomic weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Calling North Korea the "top security threat" to the United States, Tillerson said China has a "diplomatic responsibility to exert much greater economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime if they want to prevent further escalation in the region."



President Donald Trump has made halting the North Korean nuclear threat his number one foreign policy priority.

"We watch North Korea's actions closely. But we will not comment on intelligence," Navy commander Gary Ross said in a emailed statement, declining to confirm the rocket engine test.

"We call on the DPRK to refrain from provocative, destabilizing actions and rhetoric, and to make the strategic choice to fulfill its international obligations and commitments and return to serious talks.

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HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh today termed government policies on housing as practical and implementable and expressed hope that new regulations will stop "undesirable activity" practiced by some realtors.

Segments of the real estate sector in India have many a times been a hotbed of undesirable activity and these practices should come to an end with the recent establishment of real estate regulatory authorities across the country, he said in his annual message to shareholders.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) was passed by parliament in 2016 and the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation had given time till May 1, 2017, to formulate and notify rules for the functioning of the regulator.

RERA seeks to bring clarity and fair practices that would protect the interests of buyers and also impose penalties on errant builders.

Parekh said: "These regulators will be the confidence builders for consumers and watchdogs for compliance on the part of developers. Increased transparency benefits the entire housing ecosystem."



For years, he added, the market craved an 'enabling environment' that would foster an increased supply of homes at the right price points and help widen the target group of customers for housing finance players.

"This government's policies on housing are practical and implementable. With the benefit of four decades of experience in this field, I can confidently say that I have never been as optimistic about the housing sector as I am currently," he said.

Over the last 25 years, he said, the company seized every opportunity to diversify into various financial services as and when these sectors were liberalised.

HDFC has a unique structure as both, a single product financial company and parent of the group companies.

"Our subsidiary and associate companies are decentralised and managed and run by independent boards. Our only call on our group companies is performance evaluation of the group CEOs, succession planning, acquisitions and key investments. We now hope to extract greater value from our group companies and explore listing opportunities, where conducive," he said.

To better reflect long-term value creation, investors of HDFC need to increasingly focus on the consolidated rather than the standalone entity, he said.

"To conclude, I would like to reiterate that India's macro-economic fundamentals have never been stronger than today. A number of structural reforms are underway which will place India on a higher growth trajectory. We are excited about our future as we are about India's future and we hope you partake in our optimism," he said.

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Falling for the fourth straight session, the NSE Nifty today dropped another 55 points to close at 9,574.95 on emergence of selling mainly in PSU bank, realty, auto, media, bank and financial services stocks.

Investors preferred profit-booking ahead of a long weekend and also maintained a cautious stance, considering that GST rollout date is approaching fast.

Besides, participants are keenly awaiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first US visit under the Donald trump dispensation next week.

In overseas markets, European stocks edged lower as oil and gas and consumer goods shares declined. Investors will assess data for eurozone manufacturing and services activity in June. Most Asian shares ended higher as crude oil prices pulled away from this week's 10-month lows.

The NSE 50-share Nifty index opened higher at 9,643.25 and hovered in a range of 9,647.65 and 9,565.30 before ending at 9,574.95, a fall of 55.05 points, or 0.57 per cent.

It saw an intra-day movement of about 82.35 points.

Sector-wise, PSU Bank fell 2.00 per cent followed by auto 1.69 per cent, realty 1.62 per cent, media 1.44 per cent, bank 0.81 per cent, finance service 0.79 per cent, metal 0.70 per cent, infra 0.64 per cent, private banks 0.56 per cent and energy 0.36 per cent.

In the broader market, the Nifty mid-cap and small-cap indices fell 1.24 per cent and 1.54 per cent, respectively.

Major index gainers were Powergrid (1.83 per cent), Vedl (1.11 per cent), SunPharma (0.95 per cent), AuroPharma (0.95 percent), ICICI Bank (0.78 per cent).

Losers included Bank Of Baroda (2.60 per cent), IOC (2.57 per cent), Tata Motors (2.11 percent), TataMtrDvr (2.07 per cent), Bosch Ltd (2.03 per cent) and SBIN (1.88 per cent).

A total of 1,340 scrips declined, 348 advanced, while 79 remained unchanged.

Total securities that hit their price bands were 117.

Turnover in the cash segment fell to Rs 23,570.39 crore from Rs 26,262.87 crore yesterday.

A total of 13,923.25 lakh shares changed hands in 90,69,754 trades.

The market capitalisation of listed firms on the NSE stood at Rs 1,24,23,250.61 crore.

The National Stock Exchange market will remain closed on Monday for "Ramzan Id" holiday.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today faced fresh calls from ally and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and opposition parties to reconsider the JD(U)'s support to NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind but he stood his ground.

Describing the Congress-led opposition nominee Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti" (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar for the second time in two days to "mend the historic blunder" in extending the JD(U)'s backing to Kovind. Meira Kumar's candidature was announced yesterday.

Kovind was the Governor of Bihar before being chosen as the NDA nominee for the July 17 presidential polls billed as a 'dalit versus dalit' contest.

The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

But Kumar stuck to his stand, saying the Presidential elections should not become an issue of confrontation.

"It is an election for President. It should not become an issue of confrontation," he told reporters after visiting Prasad's residence in the evening to attend an Iftar party where he was warmly greeted by the host and Deputy Chief Minister Tejawsi Yadav.

"There is no doubt about the result. We have lot of respect for 'Bihar Ki Beti' (Meira Kumar). But the question is has Bihar Ki Beti been chosen to lose?"



Kumar said the decision to support Kovind was taken at the meeting of JD(U)'s core committee.

"We have taken this decision after thinking on all aspects. And as far as JD(U) is concerned, it has always taken independent decisions, even when we were a part of NDA. We supported Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA candidate that time."



Stating that President's chair is not for political battle, Kumar said, "Had there been consensus, it would have been a good thing but I do not think it should be a matter of debate."



"I had met Ram Bath Kovind and then had a word with Sonia ji and Sitaram Yechuri ji and I told them about my emotions that Ramnath Kovind ji had a praise worthy role in Bihar as the governor. He had worked in Bihar without any bias."



Prasad earlier in the day said that the opposition parties are still treading on the path Nitish Kumar had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'.

"...Don't know what made Kumar to move away and extend support to a RSS man," he told reporters on his arrival at the JayAprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

Later in the evening, Prasad when asked if he had talks with Nitish Kumar said, "This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects."



The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

"We appeal to both the chief ministers of Odisha and Bihar to re-consider their decision and support a secular candidate like Meira Kumar. Above all, both BJD and JD(U) are not part of the BJP-led NDA," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Reddy, accompanied by CPI national secretary Dr K Narayanana, said they hope both Patnaik and Kumar will have a rethink before casting their vote in favour of Kovind, whom they described as a "Sangha Parivar member."



"We do not know the reasons behind both Patnaik and Kumar supporting the NDA candidate," Reddy said adding, the CPI will contact the BJD and JD(U) before the presidential polls.

Stating that the country needs a secular person to become the President in the backdrop of attacks on dalits and minorities since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre, Reddy said opposition parties have fielded Meira Kumar keeping her background in consideration.

"She (Meira Kumar) has been the Speaker of Lok Sabha, having knowledge on external affairs matters and above all the daughter of Jagjivan Ram," Reddy pointed out.

He said the BJP's three-member committee had asked the CPI about its suggestion for a Presidential candidate.

"We had suggested the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi and they (BJP) said about meeting again. But, they announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind without consulting us," Reddy said, criticising the BJP for not going for a consensus candidate for the top post.

Asked why Gandhi was not made a candidate by the opposition for the presidential election, the CPI leader said, "We had just suggested the name of Gandhi. Had the BJP agreed on it, we would have supported him."



According to Left sources, it was also surprising that the names they considered were "not even discussed and proposed" when the Opposition leaders met in Delhi yesterday to decide their joint candidate



Ahead of the meeting, the Left parties had decided to propose Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, and B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash.

They claimed that leaders of the JD(U) -- which had earlier pitched for Opposition unity, but is supporting Kovind's candidature -- are also of the view that a non- Congress contender "would have been better," the sources said.

The sources suggested that fielding a Congress candidate is something that will come in the way of bringing the JD(U) back to the Opposition flock notwithstanding her being from Bihar.

"There is a feeling that some non-Congress contender should have been considered," the sources said.

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The security cover of the opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar has been upgraded to the top most 'Z+' category, under which she will have round-the-clock protection of armed security personnel.

Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, was yesterday chosen as the opposition's candidate to contest the presidential poll.

Kumar, who was being provided with 'X' category security, will be provided with 'Z+' security cover by the Delhi Police, official sources said today.

Under 'X' category, the protectee gets one security personnel, armed with semi-automatic rifle, round the clock.

The enhanced security cover entails about 36 security personnel, including commandos, protecting an individual whose threat perception is assessed to be very high by central intelligence agencies.

The protectee also gets pilot and escort vehicles, with armed security personnel.

The NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind has already been given 'Z+' and NSG security cover by the central government.

A squad of 10-12 armed NSG commandos will be with Kovind, along with escort and pilot vehicles.

The NSG commandos will move around with Kovind, who is expected to travel across the country extensively to meet legislators and leaders of political parties to seek support for his candidature.

Seventy-one-year-old Kovind is a low-profile Dalit activist and a two-term former BJP Rajya Sabha member.

The NSG protects high-profile politicians such as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, senior BJP leader L K Advani, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The presidential election is scheduled to be held on July 17.

President Pranab Mukherjee completes his five-year term on July 24.

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The Islamic State group helped fund the month-long siege of a southern Philippine city through a Malaysian militant who was reportedly killed by troops, the Philippine military chief said today.

Gen. Eduardo Ano told The Associated Press that Malaysian Mahmud bin Ahmad reportedly channeled more than USD 600,000 from the IS group to acquire firearms, food and other supplies for the attack in Marawi. Money believed to be from illegal drugs also funded the uprising, he said.

Mahmud was wounded in the fighting last month and reportedly died on June 7, he said. A local militant leader, Omarkhayam Maute, also is believed to have been killed in the early days of intense fighting and troops were looking for their remains to validate the intelligence the military had received.

Troops are seeking the help of villagers to pinpoint the spot where Mahmud was reportedly buried, Ano said. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar acknowledged that Mahmud was in Marawi fighting with insurgents but said he believed the militant is still alive.

Malaysian authorities are trying to determine the number of Malaysians who joined the siege but said at least four may have been killed in clashes.

Two other rebel leaders, top Filipino militant suspect Isnilon Hapilon and Maute's brother, Abdullah, were still fighting in Marawi, Ano said.

A former Malaysian university professor who became radicalized and received training in Afghanistan, Mahmud appeared in a video showing militant leaders planning the Marawi siege in a hideout, a sign of his key role in the uprising. The AP obtained a copy of the video, which was seized by troops May 23.

A month ago, about 500 local militants, along with some foreign fighters, stormed into Marawi, a bastion of the Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.

Troops since then have killed about 280 gunmen, recovered nearly 300 assault firearms and regained control of 85 buildings. Many of the taller buildings were used as sniper posts to slow down the advance of government forces, the military said.

At least 69 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have died in the fighting. Only four villages in Marawi remain in the hands of the militants, out of the 19 of 96 villages across the lakeside city of 200,000 people that the black flag-waving militants had occupied.

"They are constricted in a very small area. They're pinned down," Ano said. He said three boatloads of gunmen who tried to join the militants were blasted by navy gunboats three days ago in Lake Lanao, which borders Marawi.

Ano said the battle was taking longer because the militants were using civilians as human shields.

"We can just bomb them away or use napalm bombs to burn everything, but then, we will not be any different from them if we do that," he said.

The audacious attack by the heavily armed militants and their ability to hold on to large sections of a city for weeks surprised the government and sparked fears among Southeast Asian countries that the Islamic State group was moving to gain a foothold in the region.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said the Philippines accepted an offer of two AP-3C Orion aircraft to provide surveillance to local troops. The US military earlier deployed a spy plane and drones over Marawi.

Facing his worst crisis, President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in the south to deal with the Marawi siege.

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The lynching of a police officer in Jammu and Kashmir is an "unholy" act in the pious month of Ramzan, Union minister Jitendra Singh said today.

He said the tragic death of the officer was yet another eye-opener for the innocent masses of Kashmir who had been held to ransom for decades together by self-styled protagonist who claimed to have waged a war in the name of religion, jihad or Islam.

"If this is a war in the name of religion can there be more irreligious act like this? And if this is the war in the holy name of Islam, can there be a more unholy and un-Islamic act than this in the holy month of Ramzan?" Singh told PTI.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ayub Pandit was stripped naked and stoned to death by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar in the early hours today.

Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), has said militants are under tremendous pressure and in desperation they are resorting to cowardice act like this which is actually creating public opinion against them.

He demanded strict action against those involved in the lynching.

Singh, who is also the Lok Sabha member from the state's Udhampur constituency, blamed the previous Congress governments for the situation in Kashmir.

"What is being witnessed in Kashmir today is cumulative consequential series of pitfalls, blunders and experiments done by the Congress governments when it was at the helm both at the Centre and in Jammu and Kashmir, either lone or in coalition, for nearly half-the-century," the minister said.

In the last two years, some of the decisive steps taken by the Modi government both in combating militancy as well as bringing to book the separatists and the promoters of terrorism were not seen in the earlier years of the previous Congress governments, he said.

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The crime branch of Thane police, which is investigating an international ephedrine supply racket, today issued a notice of 'declared proclaimed offender' to former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni and her partner and drug lord Vicky Goswami.

A team of crime branch officials went to Kulkarni's house at Sky Enclave in Versova, suburban Mumbai, and pasted a notice on the door as the actress' whereabouts are not known. Similar notice was pasted at Goswami's residence in Ahmedabad, said assistant police commissioner Bharat Shelke, the chief investigating officer.

"If both the accused fail to remain present before Thane police within the given period, we will start the process of seizing their properties with court's permission," Shelke told PTI.

A special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act court recently declared Kulkarni and Goswami as proclaimed offenders and ordered attachment of their properties.

Crime branch of Thane police had raided Avon Lifesciences in Solapur in western Maharashtra last year and seized around 18.5 tonne of ephedrine worth Rs 2,000 crore.

According to the police, the ephedrine was being diverted to a Kenya-based drug cartel headed by Goswami where it was used to make the party-drug methamphetamine.

Police have arrested over a dozen people in the case so far.

According to the police, Mamta's whereabouts are not known, whereas Goswami was taken into custody by the US law enforcement agencies some months ago.

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The Indian space agency ISRO today successfully launched its workhorse rocket PSLV carrying 'eye in the sky' Cartosat-2 series satellite -- a dedicated satellite for the defence forces -- and 30 nano satellites into orbit.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 40th flight (PSLV-C38), lifted off majestically from the first launch pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre here at 9.29 am and injected the satellites into orbit about 27 minutes after lift off, amid applause from scientists.

The 44.4 metre tall PSLV-C38 carried the earth observation satellite -- Cartosat-2 series satellite as the primary payload along with 30 co-passenger satellites totally weighing 955 kg.

ISRO said after a flight of 16 minutes the Cartosat-2 series satellite achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 505 km inclined at an angle of 97.44 degree to the equator very close to the intended orbit.

Later all the other 30 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence.

After separation of the satellite, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bengaluru took over the control of the satellite, an ISRO release said.

"In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide various remote sensing services", it said.

With the launch of the third spacecraft in the Cartosat-2 series, India's 'eye in the sky' is set to become sharper and wider.

The previous satellite in the series had a resolution of 0.8 metres and the images it took on India's neighbourhood had helped New Delhi carry out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control last year, according to ISRO sources.

The latest remote sensing satellite has a resolution of 0.6 metres, which means it can spot even smaller objects.

"It can recognise objects within that square (0.6 m by 0.6 m)", an ISRO official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"Defence surveillance will get a leg-up. It can be used in identifying terrorist camps and bunkers... Some formations," the official said.

Once this satellite becomes operational, it would be "handed over" to the defence forces, which have their own "set up," including ground-stations and trained manpower to access data, the official said.

PSLV-C38 is the 17th flight of PSLV XL configuration (with the use of solid strap-on motors).

The co-passenger satellites includes a nano satellite designed and developed by the Noorul Islam University in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.

The NIUSAT satellite would provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications.

The other 29 nano satellites are from 14 countries-- - Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

As the satellites were injected into orbit one by one, the scientists broke into cheers at the Mission Control Centre.

Lauding the scientists, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar said the mission was successful. "I congratulate the hardwork of the entire team, especially the Cartosat team. This particular mission has been successful, it has put all the satellites into the orbit," he said.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed ISRO for the successful polar satellite launch carrying 31 satellites.

"Congratulations to ISRO team on the successful launch of PSLV-C38 carrying 31 satellites," Mukherjee said in a tweet.

Modi said in a tweet: "Congratulations to ISRO on its 40th successful Polar satellite launch carrying 31 satellites from 15 countries. Youmake us proud!"



With today's successful launch, the total number of customer satellites from abroad placed in orbit by India's workhorse PSLV reached 209, the release added.

The ISRO had on June 5 launched its most powerful and heaviest geostationary rocket carrying advanced communication satellite GSAT-19, weighing 3,136 kg, from the spaceport here. Every stage of the three-stage GSLV MkIII with indigenous cryogenic engine had performed well.

Kumar said the GSAT-19 has reached the designated location and all the payloads have been switched on and it has started performing.

He said a communication satellite would be launched on June 28 "which will add significant number of transponders to our capacity."



"GSAT-17 is getting launched on June 28 (from French Guiana). We will be working on the replacement satellite for IRNSS-1A. Our plan is to have two Mark-II and two Mark-III launches apart from eight to ten PSLV launches per year," he said.

"Our effort of continuing to provide increased earth observation, navigation as well as communication will continue and we have many more activities to be performed in the coming days," he said.

The space agency said the 29 international customer Nano satellites are being launched as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), commercial arm of ISRO and international customers.

Cartosat-2 is a remote sensing satellite and it is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series with the objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imagery.

The imagery sent by the satellite would be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and man-made features and various other land information system (LIS) as well as geographical information systems (GIS).

Earlier on February 15, ISRO scripted history when the PSLV-37 mission launched 104 satellites into orbit, including a Cartosat-2 series earth observation satellite.

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Navdeep Singh from Punjab has topped the prestigious National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS and BDS courses, results of which were declared by CBSE today.

The second and third ranks were bagged by Madhya Pradesh's Archit Gupta and Manish Mulchandani, respectively. Archit had also topped the AIIMS entrance examination.

Girls outnumbered boys in qualifying the test with a total of 3,45,313 girls clearing it against 2,66,221 boys.

Singh, who hails from Muktsar in Punjab, scored a percentile of 99.99 with 697 marks out of total 720. The 18- year-old, whose father is a government school principal, wants to pursue MBBS in Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, one of India's premier medical institutions.

"I was confident of clearing the exam but not bagging the top rank," the topper, who has studied in Muktsar's Shivalik Public School, told PTI.

A total of 11,38,890 students had appeared for the exam. Of these, 6,11,539 passed the test which was held on May 7.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had on June 12 set in motion the process for declaring the result of NEET-2017 after the Supreme Court gave its go-ahead.

On May 24, the apex court stayed an interim order of the Madras High Court, which had restrained the CBSE from publishing the result.

A total of 9.13 lakh students took the test in English medium while 1.20 lakh opted for Hindi.

This was the first time that Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and foreigners were allowed to take the exam.

According to information available on the Medical Council of India (MCI) website, 470 medical colleges have approximately 65,170 seats for MBBS; in 308 dental colleges, nearly 25,730 seats in BDS are available.

CBSE had deployed 490 officials at centres spread across 103 cities. Last year, the first, the exam was conducted in only 52 cities.

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Unidentified miscreants today



shot dead a 37-year-old student leader of Haokip Student Organisation at Langol Games village here, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Lenkholal Haokip. He died when he was taken to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), they said.

Investigation is underway to nab the culprits, police said.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday asked the Indian envoy in Saudi Arabia to help a nurse from Karnataka who has reportedly been pushed into slavery in the Gulf country.

"Javed : Pls help rescue this lady. @IndianEmbRiyadh," Swaraj tweeted, asking India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Javed to help Jacintha Mendonca, the Indian nurse.

As per media reports, a kafil in Saudi Arabia has demanded 24,000 Saudi Riyals ($6,398) to free her.

Replying to a separate query on Twitter, Swaraj said every PIO (person of Indian-origin) cards has to be converted to OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) cards, saying it is mandatory.





Every PIO Card has to be converted to OCI Card. This is mandatory. https://t.co/wZFSmtz9Oh  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 23, 2017

She also directed the passport division of the External Affairs Ministry to resolve difficulties being faced by a person with disability.

Her response came after one Luv Kher requested to renew a passport of his disabled son.

"@SushmaSwaraj @MEAIndia Kindly approve passport renewal of my divyang son (J9503328), can't visit biometrics. Appl. pending @ RPO GZB Thanks (sic)," Kher said.



Responding to the issue Swaraj tweeted, "I have asked @CPVIndia to resolve this".
: An integrated textile processing park has been planned to be set up in Ramanathapuram District at a cost of Rs 150 crore with Central grant, the Tamil Nadu Government said today.

The facility upon operational would have 30 textile processing units with a capital outlay of Rs 450 crore and create 6,000 jobs, Industries Minister M C Sampath told the state assembly.

The park would come on a 225 acre land in Manakudi village under Thiruvadanai Taluk, he said.

Besides, a desalination plant to suppy water will also be established at the facility.

In order to obtain grant from the Centre, proposals has been sent and approval was "awaited".

To receive the environmental clearance and coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearance for the project, the CRZ maps and study report has been submitted to the CRZ Comittee and project approval was "expected" shortly, it said.

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A double-decker tourist bus became stuck under the Alexandre III bridge in central Paris on Friday, injuring at least four people, firefighters said.

The bus crashed into the bridge, a tourist hotspot due to its ornate structure and views over the Eiffel Tower and River Seine. The Paris fire service said one of the injured was seriously hurt.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in their maiden bilateral meeting must focus on establishing new priority areas in the Indo-US cooperation, which is an important for Asia's regional stability, an American expert has said.

"Ahead of the first Trump-Modi summit, US-India relations are on uncertain footing. There is not yet a visible, cabinet-level leader in the US willing to take up this relationship as a priority. Trade concerns on both sides are growing," Richard M Rossow said in an op-ed released ahead of Modi's visit to the US.

"The June 2017 summit must focus on establishing the new priority areas for cooperation. The strength of this relationship is an important component of Asia's regional stability, and both leaders must ensure that recent momentum is maintained," Rossow, senior adviser and Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic International Studies said yesterday.

Rossow said the notion that Trump and Modi's shared political characteristics would ensure continued progress in building ties between the US and India is visibly falling apart.

"Though leaders in both countries reiterate the standard line that they prioritise the other, in a more practical sense, we have seen increased frictions in the last six months. The US is turning up the heat on India on commercial matters, while India expands its vision of "Make in India" and is courting additional global relationships with new vigour," he said.

"The Modi-Trump summit on June 26 is a singular chance to get an early, favourable course correction. At risk is a possible four-year freeze in ties, with increased friction on trade and backsliding on past commitments to cooperation. The meeting will provide more clarity on whether the past six months have been Act 1 in a surprising friendship or Round 1 of a protracted slugging match," Rossow said.

Lindsey Ford, director of Asian Security,Asia Society Policy Institute said, while Trump and Modi may have challenging waters to navigate on the economic front, especially regarding trade deficits and visa issues, a bright spot in their conversation is likely to be the security and defence relationship.

Anubhav Gupta, assistant director,Asia Society Policy Institute, said that Modi is sure to bring up South Asian stability, in particular US policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The administrations recent decision to let the defence department determine troop levels in Afghanistan could result in a short term influx of US troops there, which India might welcome, he said.

"However, India will look for reassurance that the administration is committed for the longer term in Afghanistan and has a true interest in and strategy for maintaining stability," Gupta said.

"Modi will also push the administration for a more stern US policy toward Pakistan, which continues to support militancy in Afghanistan and India. Support on these two fronts would reassure India greatly," he said.

According to Puneet Manchanda, professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business, Modi's visit to the US is best seen as a reset of economic relations between the two countries.

"Given the new regime in the White House, India needs to make sure that US investment in India, especially as related to defence and energy, is not going to change dramatically," he said.

"It also seems that President Trump prefers to build individual relationships with foreign leaders and thus it would help PM Modi to put the building blocks of such a relationship in place during this visit," Manchanda said.

Arun Agrawal, professor of natural resources and environment, at the University of Michigan said India's ambitious moves in the renewable energy sector mark its emergence as a major global player in solar and wind.

"Those who care about climate change and sustainability will be excited about Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US. India's future plans to advance on electric cars and pursue greater sustainability will require digital innovations and partnerships," Agrawal said.

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Two foreign inmates who tunnelled their way out of a Bali prison have been captured in East Timor, police said today, in the latest prison break case in Indonesia.

Bulgarian Dimitar Nikolov Iliev and Indian Sayed Mohammed Said were caught at a hotel in Dili yesterday after arriving on a boat illegally from Indonesia.

They had escaped from Kerobokan prison Monday along with with two other inmates, Australian Shaun Edward Davidson and Malaysian Tee Kok King.

The pair were originally caught for entering East Timor without legal documents, said East Timor senior police official Henrique da Costa, but police later concluded the pair were two of the four Bali fugitives.

"We will most likely hand them back to the Indonesia Friday afternoon now that we know they are fugitives," da Costa told AFP.

The four foreign inmates escaped Bali's prison through a 50 x 75cm (20 x 30 inch) hole at the prison's wall that connects to a 15-metre (49-foot) long water tunnel heading towards a main street.

Davidson -- who was going to be freed within months -- and the Malaysian inmate are still on the run.

The Bali jailbreak came days after dozens of prisoners swam through flood waters to escape an Indonesian jail in Jambi province after one of its walls collapsed. Most were later recaptured.

In May, more than 440 inmates fled a prison in Pekanbaru City on the island of Sumatra after prison guards let them out of their cells to pray. Only about half were caught.

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The UAE today advised Qatar to take a list of stern demands drawn up by its neighbours seriously or the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf would turn into a "divorce" with Doha.

Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates state minister for foreign affairs, issued the warning more than two weeks into the oil-rich region's worst diplomatic crisis in years.

He also accused Qatar of leaking a document containing the demands by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, which have cut diplomatic ties with the gas-rich state accusing it of sponsoring terrorism.

Qatar strongly denies such charges.

The demands have not been officially unveiled but Doha- based Al-Jazeera channel said overnight Thursday they were handed to Qatar by Kuwait, which is mediating in the crisis.

According to the document posted on social media, the Saudi-led coalition demands that Qatar closes down Al-Jazeera, downgrades diplomatic ties with Iran and shuts a Turkish military base in the emirate.

"The leak (of the demands by Qatar) is an attempt to abort the mediation in a childish act that we have grown accustomed to from our brother," Gargash wrote on Twitter.

"It would be wiser that (Qatar) deal seriously with the demands and concerns of the neighbours or a divorce will take place," he said.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia and the UAE led a severing of all links with Qatar for allegedly supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, "that aim to destabilise the region".

Egypt, Bahrain and other allies followed.

Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Iran, its regional rival, of interference throughout the Middle East.

As well as cutting diplomatic ties, Qatar's neighbours closed their air space to Qatari carriers and blocked the small but gas-rich emirates' only land border, vital for its food imports.

"The brother (Qatar) must realise that the solution for its crisis lies not in Tehran or Beirut or Ankara or Western capitals or in media outlets, but in regaining the trust of its neighbours," Gargash said.

"It is not possible to accept that the brother continues as the Trojan horse" in the Gulf or as a funder and "platform for an extremist agenda", he added.

Earlier this week, a foreign diplomat told AFP the crisis had reached a "stalemate" and "won't end soon".

Ankara and Washington have also been trying to help broker a solution to the crisis within the Gulf Cooperation Council which groups Qatar with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

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Twelve years after his bitter parting of ways with the party which made him Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Congress leader Narayan Rane today shared the stage with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

The occasion was 'bhumipujan' (ground-breaking) ceremony of the quadrupling of Mumbai-Goa Highway at Kudal in the coastal Sindhudurg district, which is Rane's bastion.

Rane, who was expelled from Shiv Sena in 2005, also heaped praise on Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who were present at the event.

Rane's praise for Gadkari and Fadnavis comes amid speculation in the political circles that he may be on his way to BJP.

Last week, BJP president Amit Shah, when asked during a TV interview if Rane would be joining the party, had said, "Let him approach us first."



Bitter critics over the last decade, both Rane and Thackeray desisted from criticising each other during today's event.

Interestingly, posters in Kudal town showed Rane welcoming Fadnavis and Gadkari to Sindhudurg, but did not feature any other Congress leader.

The Rs 3,487 crore project is expected to boost the connectivity between Mumbai and Goa.

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It would be much better for the UK to end up staying in the EU as it is only a matter of time before the people see that the "Brexit emperor has no clothes", leading NRI entrepreneur Lord Karan Bilimoria has said.

Participating in the debate on Queen's Speech in the House of Lords yesterday, Lord Bilimoria, founder-Chairman of the Cobra beer and Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, said, "In reality, it is only a matter of time before the people see that the Brexit emperor has no clothes."



Given the option of a hardBrexit or a soft Brexit, the opinion of the British people at that time will probably be, "Why not just stay with what we've got, which is the best of both worlds?"



"As French President (Emmanuel) Macron has said and as the rest of the EU would welcome, it would be much better for us to end up staying in the EU, and there may well be no Brexit whatever," he said.

The Prime Minister said that there will be no turning back after she triggers Article 50, whereas the noble Lord Kerr -- the person who wrote Article 50 -- has said time and again that "we can turn back at any time simply by saying, 'We do not want to do this, Unilaterally, we withdraw'," Bilimoria said.

In his hard-hitting speech, Bilimoria said British Prime Minister Theresa May tried to sideline Parliament to implement Article 50 (of the Treaty of Lisbon) which outlines the procedure for the exit from the EU membership.

It was only with the big defeats suffered by the government here in the House of Lords that the Prime Minister had to call the election, which has exposed a premier who has not listened, he said.

She has not listened to Parliament, business or the people, Bilimoria asserted.

The gracious Queen's speechtalks about establishing new policies on immigration. The Prime Minister has not listened on immigration and targeted tens of thousands, he said.

"She has not listened to universities. I am proud to say that the University of Birmingham, where I am a chancellor, and the Cambridge Judge Business School where I chair the advisory board, have just been awarded gold in the new teaching excellence framework," he said.

International students bring 25 billion into the UK. They are one of the strongest forms of soft power in this country, yet they are still treated as immigrants in the net migration figures, Bilimoria said.

The Prime Minister refused to listen and took them out of those figures, he said.

Bilimoria recalled that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in November 2015, he had discussed with premier May that the movement of people is important for India.

"We talk about trade deals, but there can be no trade deal without looking at the movement of people as well. The Indian High Commissioner here, Y K Sinha, has said very clearly that India is open to a bilateral trade deal but there will be no trade deal without looking at the movement of people," Bilimoria said.

"Look at the realities of a country such as India, with 1.25 billion people. How many bilateral trade deals does India have with the rest of the world? Nine, and not one with a western country," he said.

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British police have arrested two men in their twenties over an alleged plot to hack into Microsoft's network.

Detectives from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) carried out raids which led to the arrest of a 22-year-old from Sleaford and a 25-year-old from Bracknell in the UK yesterday.

"After speaking with Microsoft, we can confirm they did not gain access to customer information. It is too early to speculate on what information the group has accessed," said Detective Sergeant Rob Bryant.

It is believed that the men were involved in repeated attempts to infiltrate the American software giant's network between January and March this year.

Both were charged under the UK's Computer Misuse Act that criminalises unauthorised access to computers.

SEROCU said the pair were part of a larger group that was plotting the cyber-intrusion into the software giant's systems, seeking to steal customer data.

"We are working closely with our colleagues in EMSOU (East Midlands Special Operations Unit), Microsoft's cyber team, the FBI, EUROPOL and the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) to investigate these offences. This group is spread around the world and therefore the investigation is being coordinated with our various partners," Bryant said, adding that a number of devices have been seized as part of the investigation and thetwo men remain in police custody.

Tom Burt, Microsoft's vice-president and deputy general counsel of the Digital Crimes Unit told the BBC: "Today's action by authorities in the UK represents an important step. Stronger internet security depends on the ability to identify and prosecute cybercriminals.

"This requires not only a strong technical capability, but the willingness to acknowledge issues publicly and refer them to law enforcement. No company is immune from cybercrime. No customer data was accessed, and we're confident in the integrity of our software and systems.

"We have comprehensive measures in place to prevent, detect, and respond to attacks. We also have specialist teams focused on working with law enforcement to identify people who attack either us or our customers, and we're committed to fast and effective action against attackers.

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Family members of the 1997 Uphaar cinema tragedy victims today met Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and requested him to recommend rejection of the plea filed by real estate baron Gopal Ansal for waiver of one-year jail term awarded to him in the case.

The Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) handed over a representation to the L-G saying giving such mercy to "rich and powerful" people would send a wrong message to other wrongdoers in society.

The association said that the Delhi government has already recommended rejection of the plea filed by Ansal.

"We at AVUT request you not to consider the mercy plea filed by Gopal Ansal. Using discretionary powers to provide mercy for the rich and powerful is sure to send a wrong signal to other wrongdoers who will doubtless be emboldened by any mercy shown to Gopal Ansal," AVUT, in its representation filed through its president Neelam Krishnamoorthy, said.

"We are relieved that Delhi government has recommended rejection of the mercy plea. We hope that you too will accept our request and recommend rejection of the same," it said.

AVUT has said that Gopal Ansal, through his counsel, has filed a plea before the president requesting clemency and waiver of the jail term awarded by the Supreme Court and it has been forwarded to the LG office by the home ministry for an opinion.

The Supreme Court had on February 9 directed Gopal Ansal to serve a year's jail term while his elder brother Sushil Ansal had got relief from incarceration with prison term already undergone by him in the two-decade-old case of Uphaar fire tragedy in which 59 people had died.

The apex court, in a majority 2:1 verdict, had asked 67- year-old Gopal Ansal to surrender within four weeks to serve the remaining jail term of one year punishment. He was in jail earlier for around four-and-a-half months.

The apex court had also upheld the fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on both the convicts earlier and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre.

The 59 people had died of asphyxia when a fire broke out during the screening of Bollywood movie 'Border' in Uphaar theatre in Green Park area of South Delhi on June 13, 1997.

Over 100 people were also injured in the subsequent stampede.

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The US military says it killed a key moneyman for the Islamic State group.

A statement by the US-led military coalition fighting IS said Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi was killed in an airstrike June 16 in the city of Abu Kamal near the Iraqi border.

The statement said al-Rawi owned a currency exchange in Abu Kamal that he used along with a global network of financial contacts to move millions of dollars into and out of IS-controlled territory and across borders on behalf of the group.

In December 2016, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on al-Rawi and his company.

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West Bengal government today wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh protesting against the manner Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling supported the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's demand for a separate Gorkhaland.

The letter was written by West Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee in absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is presently in The Hague for a United Nation programme, state secretariat sources told PTI.

Seeking immediate intervention of the Union Home Ministry in the matter, the West Bengal government has complained as to why one state was interfering in the affairs of another state.

In the letter to the Centre, the state government stressed that the issue of the hills "is entirely the state's matter".

"A state must behave in a more responsible manner and everybody is within the purview of the Constitution, and we should be aware of our responsibilities," Chatterjee wrote.

In the letter, the state government described the current situation in the hills as a display of "political hooliganism" and gave a detailed account of the violence in the hills since June 8.

The loss of property, condition of tourists and harassment of the common people have also been laid down by Chatterjee to Singh in the letter.

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling had yesterday extended his support for a separate Gorkhaland state and wrote to Rajnath Singh saying the statehood will fulfil the constitutional demand of the people of the Darjeeling hills and also bring permanent peace in the region.

He had also said that creation of a Gorkhaland state will restore permanent peace and prosperity in the region and Sikkim will be hugely benefited by it.

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The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) today found Apollo Gleneagles Hospital as guilty and held three doctors negligent in carrying out the treatment of a baby.

The WBCERC has also awarded a compensation of Rs 30 lakh to the baby's family, who died on April 19.

"Apollo Gleneagles Hospital is guilty of mismanagement and misrepresentation of facts, deficiency in services, negligent. It is also having come to the conclusion that three doctors seemed to be negligent in carrying out the treatment as expected," the Commission said in its order.

Four-month-old Kuheli Chakraborty, who was admitted to the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital for a colonoscopy, died primarily because of an anaesthetic overdose.

The Commission named three doctors - Dr V R Srivastava, Dr Mahesh Kumar Goenka and Dr Sanjay Mahawat for being negligent in carrying out the treatment of the baby "as expected", the report stated.

"The Commission awarded a compensation of Rs 30 lakh to be paid by Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals. Of the Rs 30 lakh, an amount Rs 10 lakh to be paid to the complainant parents, on providing the name for reviving such compensation, within a week and the balance Rs 20 lakh in next three weeks," the order read.

Failure to give compensation in due time by the hospital will make it liable to pay an interest of 9 per cent per annum till the payment is fully made, the commission said.

The WBCERC has also referred the matter of negligent treatment by the doctors to the West Bengal Medical Council.

"The matter of prima facie negligent treatment by the said doctors is hereby also referred to the West Bengal Medical Council... For taking necessary and appropriate action," the order said.

Describing the order as "unacceptable", Apollo Gleneagles Hospital has said it will appeal against it to the "appropriate authorities".

"We respect the Commission. However, with humility we find the verdict is unacceptable and we will appeal against it to the appropriate authorities.

"Over scrutiny into such complicated decisions taken by doctors trying to save lives at all costs will dampen the true spirit of medical profession. We are committed to our core value of providing the best care and clinical results to our patients at all times," the spokesperson of Apollo Gleneagles, Kolkata said.

The Commission constituted under the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Act 2017 is entrusted with the powers and functions of the Act to examine and consider complaints in matters related to patient care service, deviations from declared fees and charges, refusal of supply of copy of medical records and allied matters.

It also has powers to award compensation not exceeding Rs 50 lakh, including interim compensation.

The baby's parents Abhijit Chakraborty and Shalu Chakraborty, residents of Joka in the southern fringes of the city, had lodged a complaint with WBCERC alleging medical negligence leading to the death of their daughter.

The hospital submitted its report denying the alleged negligence by the hospital or its doctors when WBCERC had served it a notice.

The Commission had called for a hearing earlier this month and heard both the complainant and the hospital authorities as well as the three doctors.

The parents of Kuheli had approached the Apollo Hospital on a reference from ESI hospital, Joka for treatment.

After the death of the baby, her family had lodged a complaint with the Phoolbagan police station against three doctors and the hospital authorities alleging medical negligence.

The hospital has been under the scanner for medical negligence and malpractices following the death of a patient in February and Apollo Group's managing director Preetha Reddy, who met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the incident, had admitted to lapses in the hospital's healthcare delivery system.

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The Congress today expressed serious concern over the "worsening situation" in Kashmir after a DSP was lynched and asked the government what policy it has for the state which saw jawans and policemen dying every other day.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi termed the lynching as "horrific", saying the incident marked a new low in the state.

He lamented that the state had gone back several decades due to the "complete failure" of the PDP-BJP combine there.

"The brutal lynching of Deputy SP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident," he said on Twitter.

"Heartbreaking to see J&K being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP/BJP government," he tweeted.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also condemned the brutal killing of deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith and said it was against Islam and humanity.

"It is a shameful act. Killing a person in the holy month of Ramzan is condemnable. Such thing is against both the Islam and the humanity," Azad said.

At the AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson R P N Singh said, "There is complete breakdown as far as law and order is concerned, as far as internal security is concerned. It seems that the Government has no policy, has no kind of action plan and seems that it is not moved by what is happening in J&K."



He said the situation in Kashmir was worsening as even forces and policemen are lynched.

"A DSP is lynched in the heart of Srinagar which is extremely frightening. Is there any Government? Is there any rule of law? What kind of security scenario is this when security personnel are being lynched in the heart of the city," he said, adding one can understand the situation today.

Singh said there is complete breakdown in internal security as far as J&K is concerned. It is extremely unfortunate that so many times condolences have to be read for our brave-heart Jawans who are being martyred every day and so are policemen now.

"How many more Jawans are going to be martyred, how many more Policemen are going to be martyred. We just saw in the last one month that over 17 policemen have been martyred in J&K. More than 208 Army personnel have been martyred in J&K alone," he said, adding that there have been terrorist attacks on military establishment where civilians have died.

"Where is this Government and where is its Nationalism? Does this Government feel that J&K exists and needs attention? We see no urgency, no movement, no political will as far as this Government is concerned," he said.

The Congress leader asked whether the government has shown any seriousness in discussing the deteriorating situation in J&K, both internal as well as external threat perception, and has a meeting of CCS been convened.

"It is something that shakes the very foundation of the Constitution of this country. It shakes the very faith in the Government responsible for protecting our Borders, our people," he said.

Singh said this government talks much about nationalism and asked whether what was happening in Jammu and Kashmir is the nationalism they talk about.

"It is matter of concern that anti-social elements and lynch-mobs are having a free-run under this government. The Congress takes this very seriously," he said.

The Congress leader said everyday jawans, policemen and innocent citizens were martyred but the Prime Minister does not find time even to even regret these incidents.

"Is this nationalism and is this the 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' that they talk about," he asked, adding that the Congress party views this seriously and will raise this issue and seriously try and corner this government.

"If anybody tries to attack India, the Congress party will strongly stand against it," he said.

Singh said the country is safe only as our armed forces are doing their duty diligently.

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The United States is expected to authorise India's purchase of a naval variant of the Predator drone, two sources familiar with the situation said, ahead of a visit next week by Indian Prime Minister to try to revitalise ties in his first meeting with President .

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones, worth more than $2 billion, is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.

The deal would still require approval by Congress. California-based General Atomics, the maker of the Guardian drone sought by India, declined to comment.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in New Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.

The Indian navy wants the unarmed surveillance drones to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance.

"We are trying to move it to the top of the agenda as a deliverable, this is something that can happen before all the other items," said an Indian official tracking the progress of the drone discussions in the run-up to the visit.

India, a big buyer of U.S. arms that was recently named by Washington as a major defence ally, wants to protect its 7,500- km (4,700-mile) coastline as Beijing expands its maritime trade routes and Chinese submarines increasingly lurk in regional waters.

India already uses dozens of Israeli Heron and Searcher unarmed aerial vehicles (UAVs), but the Guardian operates at higher altitudes and can carry far heavier payloads, offering the navy greater reach.

A source tracking the discussions said the U.S. State Department had dropped its objections to the sale of the Guardian drones to India.

It had been concerned about the potential destabilising impact of introducing high-tech drones into South Asia, where tensions are simmering between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir, which is divided between them.

Such a sale of sensitive military hardware must be authorised by the State Department before being sent to Congress for review. A congressional source said no notification of a planned sale has yet been sent to Congress, but this could come next week. The State Department declined comment ahead of any notification.

Other strains have emerged in US-India relations, with the United States vexed by a growing bilateral trade deficit and Trump accusing New Delhi of negotiating unscrupulously at the Paris climate talks to walk away with billions in aid.

US officials expect a relatively low-key visit by Modi, without the fanfare of some of his previous trips to the United States, and one geared to giving the Indian leader the chance to get to know Trump personally and to show that he is doing so.

Modi is also not expected to press hard on a US visa programme the Trump administration is reviewing to reduce the flow of skilled foreign workers and save jobs for Americans, seeing limited gains from raising a sensitive issue, they said.

FIGHTER JETS

"There is a palpable fear in New Delhi that the new US president's lack of focus on India, and limited appointment of South Asia focused advisors, has resulted in India falling off the radar in Washington," Eurasia Group's Shailesh Kumar and Sasha Riser-Kositsky said in a note.

Defence deals are one area where the two countries could make progress because of bipartisan support, an Indian official involved in the preparations for the visit said.

Vivek Lal, the chief executive of global strategic development at General Atomics who has been driving the negotiations for the drones, is expected to be among a group of CEOs meeting Modi at a roundtable on Sunday.

Marillyn Hewson, the CEO of Lockheed Martin which is bidding to produce F-16 fighter planes in India, will also meet Modi. The jet deal is potentially the biggest since the two countries began deepening defence ties more than a decade ago.

On Monday, Lockheed Martin announced an agreement with India's Tata Advanced Systems to produce F-16 planes in India, provided it won a contract to equip the Indian Air Force with hundreds of new aircraft.

Lockheed has offered to shift its ageing F-16 production line from Fort Worth, Texas, as part of Modi's "Make-in-India" drive while it ramps up production of the high-end F-35 aircraft at home.

Since Trump's election on an "America First" platform, US and Indian officials have sought to play down any contradiction between his stated desire to protect American jobs and Modi's "Make in India" policy, arguing, for example, that deals in which components made in the United States are shipped to India for assembly benefit workers in both countries.

Sweden's Saab is the other contender for the contract to make combat planes in India, which is expected to open for bidding in the next several months.
(Corrects 2nd graf to say two Yishidun executives were penalized, not three, and clarifies 6th and 7th paragraphs to say that suspended sentences were given to the two people from Yishidun)

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese court meted out a nearly 700 million yuan ($102.4 million) punishment to a Russian-controlled high-frequency trading firm for futures market manipulation on Friday, drawing a line under one of the most high-profile cases of misconduct Beijing blames for contributing to the 2015 stock market crash.

The verdict by the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, posted on its official microblog, also involves a penalty to two executives of Yishidun International Trading Co. The ruling comes at the end of a week in which index publisher MSCI agreed to include China's domestic shares to its emerging market benchmark.

"Malicious" short selling by domestic and foreign "speculators" have been largely blamed by the Chinese government for causing the market crisis that started in the summer of 2015.

Yishidun, based in China's eastern city of Zhangjiagang, and controlled by Russian nationals Georgy Zarya and Anton Murashov, pocketed illegal gains worth 389 million yuan by frequently trading China's index futures between June 1 and July 6, 2015, the Shanghai court said in a statement.

According to the verdict, Yishidun would be fined 300 million yuan, and its illegal gains would also be confiscated.

Meanwhile, the court gave suspended sentences to Yishidun's two executives, Gao Yan and Liang Zezhong, of three years and 2.5 years, respectively.

Jin Wenxian, an employee from a brokerage the trading firm used, received a sentence of five years.

In its battle against speculators during the market crisis, Beijing netted journalists, senior executives in brokerages and even securities regulators. Other foreign funds punished by Beijing included Chicago-based hedge fund Citadel, whose account in Shanghai was suspended by the Chinese government.

($1 = 6.8388 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Samuel Shen and David Stanway; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Whole Foods, which accepted a $13.7 billion offer from Amazon.com Inc last week, has not received any rival bids as of Friday, a second source said. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is confidential.

Wal-Mart spokesman Greg Hitt declined to comment on whether the company is considering a bid for Whole Foods. Whole Foods and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Whole Foods shares have been trading above Amazon's deal price of $42 per share since the deal was announced last Friday, as stock market investors speculate about the possibility of a higher offer.

Whole Foods shares reached a high of $43.84 earlier on Friday, but dropped after reported that no rival bids have so far emerged. Its shares were last trading after hours at $42.85.

Wal-Mart had been tipped as a potential bidder for Whole Foods by retail analysts, although Hitt previously called reports that Wal-Mart might put in a rival offer "false and baseless."

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has been investing heavily in building its e-commerce business and has been acquiring smaller online companies such as Jet.com, ModCloth, Moosejaw and Bonobos.

"Bidding for Whole Foods would be a 180-degree turn from what Wal-Mart's strategy has been for the past two to three years," said Edwards Jones analyst Brian Yarbrough.

Amazon's proposed purchase of Whole Foods brings disruption to the $700 billion U.S. grocery sector, a traditional area of retailing that is in the middle of an intense price war.

In preparation for that price war, Wal-Mart in recent months has cut grocery prices, improved its fresh food and meat offerings, modernized shelving and lighting in its grocery department and expanded its online pick-up service.

Whole Foods' peer Kroger Co , as well as Target Corp and Costco Wholesale Corp , have also been identified by analysts as potential bidders for Whole Foods.

Both Amazon and Whole Foods cater to younger consumers, including millennials, as well as more affluent shoppers.

Whole Foods has said it will continue to operate stores under the Whole Foods Market brand, and that John Mackey will remain chief executive.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Chicago and Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin is lobbying for German firms to win business revamping India's creaking railway network, one of several countries attracted by the scale of India's transport needs and which are campaigning to export their technology.

The economy ministry said on Friday it had agreed to finance a government feasibility study into a high-speed rail link between Chennai and Mysore, and had also discussed a project to modernise the Chennai-Hyderabad route.

"The government is conducting talks ... with the Indian government about two railway projects in which German companies are interested," it said in a statement, confirming an earlier report in German business weekly WirtschaftsWoche.

It said the projects had been a topic of conversation during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Berlin in May.

The ministry did not name any companies but industrial group Siemens would be most likely to benefit from any business. Siemens declined to comment.

Under Modi, India has been talking up the appeal of bullet trains as the main rail network, slow and saturated, struggles.

India appointed Chinese, French and Spanish firms in 2015 to conduct studies into building three high-speed rail lines linking its major cities.

However, aside from one line awarded to the Japanese, Modi's government has not said how it would pay for high-speed lines if they eventually get the green light.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Additional reporting by Tommy Wilkes in New Delhi; Writing and additional reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Mark Potter)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Promit Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters) - An internal investigation by India's Infosys into alleged improprieties related to two acquisitions by the IT services company found no evidence of wrongdoing, it said on Friday.

The findings, released in a statement a day before the company's annual shareholder meeting, may quell some of the investor disquiet that has buffeted Infosys in recent months.

Infosys commissioned law firm Gibson Dunn and consultancy Control Risks to look into allegations that a whistleblower made against the company in February.

Those accusations included improprieties in the acquisitions of Panaya, a New Jersey-based automation technology provider, and Silicon Valley start-up Skava, as well as inappropriate compensation paid to Infosys Chief Executive Vishal Sikka.

The whistleblower also accused Sikka of requesting that improper deals be made with customers, while saying that the company's mergers and acquisitions team acted without proper approvals.

A letter from Gibson Dunn to the Infosys audit committee -- published along with the company statement -- said that the investigation found "no evidence whatsoever" of wrongdoing by Infosys, its directors or its employees.

Besides the whistleblower allegations, Infosys has also been rocked by accusations by some of its founders of lapses in corporate governance.

In early February TV channels reported that the company's founder promoters, led by its first chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy, wrote to the board to express concerns about executive pay rises and severance deals given to two former executives.

Murthy didn't answer a call seeking comment on the Gibson Dunn report that also said it "found no evidence that the CEO received excessive variable compensation or incurred unreasonable expenses".

The internal inquiry also reviewed the results of an earlier investigation by Indian law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) on the departure of its CFO and on the veracity of its findings.

"We also concluded that CAM's two previous investigations were thorough and that their findings and conclusions were reasonable and credible based on the evidence," the Gibson Dunn letter said.

Shares in Infosys have also come under pressure from political rhetoric in the United States about the outsourcing of U.S. jobs and a proposed tightening of visa regulations in a country on which the company and its rivals rely heavily.

Since the beginning of 2017, shares in Infosys have fallen by 6.7 percent while the Nifty IT Index has dropped 2.2 percent.

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Susan Thomas, Euan Rocha and David Goodman)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Infosys said on Friday an investigation it commissioned had found no evidence of wrongdoing in accusations by an anonymous whistleblower, releasing the findings a day before it holds its annual shareholders meeting.

Infosys Ltd commissioned the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP and risk consultants Control Risks to investigate allegations the whistleblower made in February against India's second-biggest software services exporter.

The accusations included improprieties in the acquisitions of Panaya Inc, a New Jersey-based provider of automation technology, and Skava, a Silicon Valley e-commerce startup, as well as allegations of inappropriate compensation paid to Infosys Chief Executive Vishal Sikka.

The whistleblower also accused Sikka of requesting that improper deals be made with customers, while saying Infosys' mergers and acquisitions team acted without proper approvals.

However, the investigation by Gibson Dunn and Control Risks found "no evidence whatsoever to support" wrongdoing by the company, its directors or its employees, according to a letter sent by the investigators to Infosys, which the company published on Friday. The letter said the "allegations were rebutted by substantial and credible evidence."

The company has also been mired in a separate row with its founders, who have accused the management of lapses in corporate governance.

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; editing by Susan Thomas)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Makiko Yamazaki

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp said it was open to talks with Western Digital Corp in their dispute over the sale of the Japanese conglomerate's prized chip unit - an apparent olive branch after it chose another suitor as preferred bidder.

The two have been feuding bitterly and Western Digital, which jointly runs Toshiba's main semiconductor plant, has sought a U.S. court injunction to prevent any deal that does not have its consent.

The softer tone from Toshiba comes on a day of further indignities as the crisis-wracked conglomerate saw itself demoted to the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and estimated bigger losses for the past financial year.

This week it chose a consortium of Bain Capital and Japanese government investors as preferred bidder for the unit, the world's No. 2 producer of NAND flash chips. It wants to clinch a deal, worth some $18 billion, by June 28, the day of its shareholders meeting.

"Western Digital used to be a good partner, so we want to continue talks. I'm disappointed with the current dispute," Toshiba CEO Satoshi Tsunakawa told a conference, adding it was important that they joined forces to better compete against bigger rival Samsung Electronics.

"We want Western Digital to jointly invest to fight against Samsung. It will be so disappointing if we can't do so because of the dispute," he said.

But in a sign that tensions were still high, Tsunakawa also said Toshiba was not going to be the first to propose the U.S. firm join the consortium and it was still considering whether to block Western Digital employees not based at the plant from accessing joint venture data servers.

Tsunakawa also said he did not expect any changes to the make-up of the consortium before June 28.

Western Digital's offer had not found favour on price and because the U.S. firm wanted to take control of the unit, he said, adding that he expected executives from Toshiba to still be running operations after the sale.

His comments come after sources familiar with matter said earlier this week that the Bain consortium members had made resolving the dispute with Western Digital a condition of their investment.

Representatives for Western Digital were not immediately available to comment.

HYNIX HURDLES?

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix Inc is also part of the Bain consortium and its membership has raised concerns that the winning bid may find it difficult to clear anti-trust reviews.

Its presence has made Western Digital reluctant to join the group in its current form due to worries that high-level technology for NAND chips, which provide long-term data storage, could be leaked to its rival, sources familiar with the matter have said.

But Tsunakawa said SK Hynix would not be holding any equity and would not be involved in management - an arrangement that was unlikely to raise regulatory red flags and would prevent leaks of key technology information.

SK Hynix, which is relatively weak in NAND flash memory chips, has said it has joined the group because it sees new business opportunities. It will provide half of the 850 billion yen ($7.6 billion) that Bain plans to put up in the form of financing, sources have said.

Earlier in the day, Toshiba flagged a net loss of around $9 billion for the year ended in March with negative shareholders' equity of around $5.2 billion, both worse than expected on an increase in liabilities at bankrupt nuclear unit Westinghouse and potential legal damages.

With negative shareholder equity confirmed, the Tokyo Stock Exchange said it would move Toshiba's listing to the second section of the bourse from Aug. 1 - the latest in a series of humiliating developments since December for a firm that has been in business for more than 140 years.

Toshiba also received regulatory approval to delay filing its annual earnings by more than a month amid a prolonged accounting investigation at Westinghouse. It is the sixth time since 2015 that Toshiba has delayed an earnings filing.

Regulators have now given Toshiba until Aug. 10 instead of June 30 to submit the filing. Failure to gain an extension would have put the troubled company's stock exchange listing in further jeopardy, although it still needs to dig itself out of negative shareholders' equity by the end of this financial year to stay listed.

($1 = 111.2000 yen)

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Edwina Gibbs)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Before anybody outside Apple was aware of it, the project that would become the was referred to internally by the code name Purple. No one seems to remember exactly why; it may have been named after a toy purple kangaroo that belonged to one of the engineers.
Commercial Feature is a Business Standard Digital Marketing Initiative.

The Editorial/Content team at Business Standard has not contributed to writing or editing these articles.

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Delhi University is set to release its cut off list for undergraduate admissions 2017 later in this evening on its official website Du.ac.in.

DU is known to release cut offs that are 99 per cent above for most of their courses, creating tough competition among students who look to enrol themselves in under graduation courses every year.

Expectations continue to remain high, while applicants are on a keen lookout for the first list to get ahead with application processes.

Application for merit-based courses offered by Delhi University ended on June 12. Earlier the university was due to announce the cut off on June 20 but postponed the announcement to June 23.

Last year the highest cut off for B.Com (Honours) was 99.25 per cent at Ramjas college, cut off for B.A. English (Honours) at SGTB Khalsa college was 98.75 per cent while B.Sc. Electronics was 99 per cent.

However, the list that is expected to come out today is only the first out of the four lists that will be released. Students who don't make it to the first list, can hold their hopes to the consecutive lists that are scheduled to come out.
The United States is expected to authorize India's purchase of a naval variant of the Predator drone, two sources familiar with the situation said, ahead of a visit next week by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try to revitalise ties in his first meeting with President Donald Trump.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones, worth more than $2 billion, is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.

The deal would still require approval by Congress. California-based General Atomics, the maker of the Guardian drone sought by India, declined to comment.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in New Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.

The Indian navy wants the unarmed surveillance drones to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance.

"We are trying to move it to the top of the agenda as a deliverable, this is something that can happen before all the other items," said an Indian official tracking the progress of the drone discussions in the run-up to the visit.

India, a big buyer of U.S. arms that was recently named by Washington as a major defence ally, wants to protect its 7,500- km (4,700-mile) coastline as Beijing expands its maritime trade routes and Chinese submarines increasingly lurk in regional waters.

India already uses dozens of Israeli Heron and Searcher unarmed aerial vehicles (UAVs), but the Guardian operates at higher altitudes and can carry far heavier payloads, offering the navy greater reach.

A source tracking the discussions said the U.S. State Department had dropped its objections to the sale of the Guardian drones to India.

It had been concerned about the potential destabilising impact of introducing high-tech drones into South Asia, where tensions are simmering between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir, which is divided between them.

Such a sale of sensitive military hardware must be authorized by the State Department before being sent to Congress for review. A congressional source said no notification of a planned sale has yet been sent to Congress, but this could come next week. The State Department declined comment ahead of any notification.

Other strains have emerged in U.S.-India relations, with the United States vexed by a growing bilateral trade deficit and Trump accusing New Delhi of negotiating unscrupulously at the Paris climate talks to walk away with billions in aid.

U.S. officials expect a relatively low-key visit by Modi, without the fanfare of some of his previous trips to the United States, and one geared to giving the Indian leader the chance to get to know Trump personally and to show that he is doing so.

Modi is also not expected to press hard on a U.S. visa programme the Trump administration is reviewing to reduce the flow of skilled foreign workers and save jobs for Americans, seeing limited gains from raising a sensitive issue, they said.

FIGHTER JETS



"There is a palpable fear in New Delhi that the new U.S. president's lack of focus on India, and limited appointment of South Asia focused advisors, has resulted in India falling off the radar in Washington," Eurasia Group's Shailesh Kumar and Sasha Riser-Kositsky said in a note.

Defence deals are one area where the two countries could make progress because of bipartisan support, an Indian official involved in the preparations for the visit said.

Vivek Lal, the chief executive of global strategic development at General Atomics who has been driving the negotiations for the drones, is expected to be among a group of CEOs meeting Modi at a roundtable on Sunday.

Marillyn Hewson, the CEO of Lockheed Martin which is bidding to produce F-16 fighter planes in India, will also meet Modi. The jet deal is potentially the biggest since the two countries began deepening defence ties more than a decade ago.

On Monday, Lockheed Martin announced an agreement with India's Tata Advanced Systems to produce F-16 planes in India, provided it won a contract to equip the Indian Air Force with hundreds of new aircraft.

Lockheed has offered to shift its ageing F-16 production line from Fort Worth, Texas, as part of Modi's "Make-in-India" drive while it ramps up production of the high-end F-35 aircraft at home.

Since Trump's election on an "America First" platform, U.S. and Indian officials have sought to play down any contradiction between his stated desire to protect American jobs and Modi's "Make in India" policy, arguing, for example, that deals in which components made in the United States are shipped to India for assembly benefit workers in both countries.

Sweden's Saab is the other contender for the contract to make combat planes in India, which is expected to open for bidding in the next several months.
Many will fancy owning a car with number plates which read 0001 or 0007, but it's not always possible for this wish to come true. Those who really believe in numerology, are even willing to shell out extra to get car numbers that stand out. And, the Delhi government probably feels it is a good proposition to tap on. No wonder they have an e-auction to sell car numbers that perhaps sound cool to those who are interested.

The result - the Delhi government earned Rs 16 lakh by giving away the digits 0001, which is considered a VIP vehicle registration number. With red and blue beacons a part of bygone days, there's definitely more interest in these special-sounding numbers among the rich and the powerful. But it was not an individual who was able to take home the 0001 number. A hospitality company - Palm Land Hospitality Pvt. Ltd - bid Rs 16 lakh to get the number, which made the other 29 bidders relent. The starting bid for 0001 was fixed at Rs 5 lakhs.

"Most buyers are companies...Only nine 0001 numbers have been bought by individuals since 2014," the DNA quoted Special Commissioner (Transport) KK Dahiya as saying.

In fact, Rs 16 lakh is the highest bid for 0001 number plate in Delhi in the past three years, those who are familiar with the e-auction say. "This was the highest bid in three years for the premium number. There is a spurt in the number of bidders after the red and blue beacon ban set in earlier this year," Dahiya said.

The previous highest bid for 0001 number plate was Rs 14 lakh made by a sugar company in 2014. If we are talking about special numbers, there's no way we can miss Jame Bond's iconic 0007. While there was no fresh highest bid on this, the number had fetched Rs 10.40 lakh in February in 2015. Other number plates such as 0009 in September 2014 was sold for Rs 8.5 lakh in 2015.


The nation is inching closer to launch its most historic Goods and Services Tax at the midnight of Jun 30. All the state governments except Jammu and Kashmir have passed the GST bills in their respective assemblies. Jammu and Kashmir enjoys special autonomous status under article 370 that restrict the central government's legislation applicability to only three areas in the state - defence, external affairs and communication.

In this situation, the most obvious questions one faces are:



What will happen to those from Jammu and Kashmir and how will they be a part of new taxation system?

GST Network chairman Navin Kumar spoke to Business Today and said: "The states don't have to do anything at this point. Their role will only come after returns have been filed and they start assessment. At this point, the only thing they need to do is look at the registration applications and say 'yes' or 'no'. The question is when there is no law, what happens to people who apply from J&K. We are in a fix, what to do? Shall we block their application? But there are two parts to GST-CGST and SGST. CGST law is already there. So what we are thinking is that for those applications we will generate a provisional registration. I have already referred the matter to the government to provide a solution."



How will GST be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir?

Jammu and Kashmir will have to pass special laws to be able to implement the GST. The state Assembly will have to pass a legislation saying Central-GST (CGST) and Integrated-GST (IGST) bills are applicable to them. This approval by the state assembly will be in addition to the requirement of all states to approve the State-GST law. Once the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passes the laws, the Central government will have to amend CGST and IGST laws and delete the phrases that they do not apply to the state. Deletion of the phrase will make the laws applicable to the state.



Are you a trader? This is what you need to do

If you are a trader or businessperson registered under existing taxation system you need to apply for provisional registration. The government will provide you a Goods and Services Tax Identification Number (GSTIN). This number will have 15 digits. GSTIN is somewhat similar to the existing Tax Identification Number (TIN).


Midmark Corporation, one of the leading medical, dental and veterinary equipment makers in the US, is planning to make India a major manufacturing base for its global operations in near future.

Midmark, which fully acquired India's leading hospital beds and related office furniture maker Janak Healthcare a couple of years ago, will invest significantly in the country in the coming years, said John Baumann, president and CEO of Midmark.

"We have just invested in a new fully automated hospital beds manufacturing facility and are bringing our OPD hospital furniture portfolio to the country. That will be followed by our other products", said John Baumann, while speaking to media at Umbergaon in Gujarat as part of the inauguration of the new facility.

With numerous multinationals chains coming into the Indian market and with the spread of private healthcare to smaller cities in the country, Midmark is positioning India as a major market for its branded hospital furniture products, he said.

The privately held Midmark Corporation, with its history dating back to 1915, has eight manufacturing facilities in the US and one at Italy, besides two units at Umbergaon in Gujarat.

"The new unit will help to increase our hospital beds manufacturing capacity by 40 percent", said Sumeet Agarwal, managing director, Midmark India. It sells about 25-30,000 hospital beds in the Indian market and is the leader with a market share of close to 35 percent. It is estimated that India has over one lakh hospital beds.

Janak was established in the year 1951as Janak Manufacturing Works, which later became Metalbeds India in the year 1979 and then was renamed as Janak Healthcare. Midmark acquired a minority equity stake in Janak in


Budget airlines GoAir is set to increase its operations in its Delhi-Bengaluru route, launching its third daily direct flight between the cities with effect from June 24.



The addition of flights is a result of the growing demand in this route, especially from the corporate travellers from the cyber hub to the National Capital.



This allows the airline to strengthen its domestic network and increasing connectivity.



"With this addition, GoAir now flies 1,225 weekly flights between its 23 destinations serviced," the airline said in a statement.



The new direct flight will leave Bengaluru at at 11.35 am and arrive at New Delhi at 2.20 pm. Subsequently, the flight will leave New Delhi at 3.05 pm, and arrive at Bengaluru at 6 pm.



The new segment is said to operate between June 24 to September 19, 2017.




Since the news of the Tata Group evincing interest in buying stake in government airline Air India came, the media has been flooded with various reports examining the Tatas' move and its likely plan to revive the ailing carrier.

On Thursday, Tatas likely acquisition of the carrier received a thumping response from none other than Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal.



If Air India is to be privatised, then Tatas will be one of the better candidates to buy stake in the airline, the business leader told media.

Amid the government exploring ways to revive the debt-laden airline, Tata group is believed to be interested in purchasing stake in the national carrier.

"Tatas, if it (Air India) has to be privatised, should be one of the better candidates," Mittal said in New Delhi.

Also read: Air India, Jet Airways to fly extra in Kerala-Qatar route during Eid

His response came when reporters sought his views on reports that Air India might be sold off and that Tatas are interested in buying stake in the airline.

There are various proposals, including complete privatisation, are on the table to reverse the fortunes of Air India but there is no finality yet.

A senior Civil Aviation Ministry official said the Cabinet would first decide on the future course of action for Air India.

Only then, it would be clear whether there would be disinvestment or some other route would be looked at for reviving the airline, the official added.

On Wednesday, sources said Tata group was evaluating options on buying stake in the airline. Air India traces its roots to Tata Airlines, which was formed way back in 1932.

Set up by Tatas, the carrier was made a public company and was rechristened as Air India. Later, it was nationalised.

Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya said Air India should be privatised as its debt level is "simply not sustainable" and government action on the airline's future course is likely within six months. The airline is staying afloat on Rs 30,000 crore bailout package extended by the previous UPA government.

With PTI inputs


Home Ministry and Intelligence Bureau (IB) have red flagged the consortium between Essar Oil and Russian oil company Rosneft over security concerns, stated a report by the Economic Times.

Quoting government sources, the report stated that the Home Minstry have reservations about the deal originate from the Vadinar port being a part of the deal. Under what has been hailed as India's biggest FDI deal, $13 billion, or Rs 84,000 crores, will be paid by Rosneft, a Russian bank UCP and a Swiss commodity trading form for 98 per cent stake in Essar Oil. This will cover India's second largest oil refinery at Vadinir and around 3,000 fuel stations across the country, the report said.



The objection over the deal comes from the fact that this deal will put the Kremlin-owned Rosneft in control of the Vadinar port in Gujarat. More than Rs 13,000 crores will be paid for the 58 million tonne deep draft port used for importing crude and exporting finished products, the report read. The port is close to the Indo-Pakistan border and even has some defence installations nearby.



The Essar-Rosneft deal was signed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during the BRICS summit in 2016. Now the Prime Minister's office is expected to decide whether the Vadinar port will be a part of the deal or not, the report said.



"All requisite approvals from Govt of India for the Essar Oil transaction to proceed are available. Your query pertaining to seeking Ministry of Home approval for the port has nothing to do with the present Essar-Roseneft-Trafigura-UCP deal. Hope this clarifies the matter adequately," an Essar spokesperson was quoted in the ET report.



Meanwhile, Essar Oil's Joint Lenders Forum lenders, comprising of 23 banks, approved the Essar-Rosneft deal earlier today. Now the company expects to complete the deal by the earlier half of July. The influx of foreign exchange the deal will bring is expected to boost the banking system of India. Around 90 per cent of the proceeds from the deal will be used to repay the 23 banks including SBI, ICICI, PNB, IOB and others.



Notably, the lenders had refused to award no objection certificate to the deal which led to the deal missing its earlier deadline of March 31 this year.

Also watch:




Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha today vowed to save the debt-laden sector in his meeting with industry leaders, including Sunil Bharti Mittal, as incumbents highlighted the financial stress inflicted on them by Reliance Jio.

"An inter-ministerial group has been constituted to examine the issues affecting repayment capability and viability in the telecom sector. Their report is expected soon," Sinha said after a two-hour meeting with the telecom honchos.

"...corrective steps will be taken by the government for ensuring orderly growth in this sector in terms of services to the common man," he added.

Sinha's meeting with the telecom bigwigs comes amid a raging financial crisis in the telecom sector. The industry is reeling under revenue and profitability pressures, and its debt has risen to a colossal Rs 4.6 lakh crore.

Incidentally, officials of State Bank of India were also present at the meeting and are understood to have said that sector is indeed facing financial difficulties with operational profit tanking to Rs 45,000 crore from Rs 75,000 crore just two years back.

They also warned that the sector is staring at a deficit of Rs 80,000-90,000 crore after taking into account the interest payments, loan repayments and capex requirements.

During the meeting, Jio is believed to have dubbed the stress in the telecom sector as a misconception. It said the sector's operating profit margins at 30 per cent are among the highest as compared to other industries.

Jio reiterated the arguments it had made to the inter- ministerial group last week, that large operators should bring in more equity and reduce debt.

Asked about Jio's allegations that operators were not infusing enough equity, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal quipped, "Please go and look at our balancesheet."

In the meeting, Airtel is learnt to have said that the return on capital has come down from 6 per cent to 3.4 per cent in the last quarter of fiscal 2017.

Justifying the revenue dip in telecom sector, Jio is learnt to have said that revenue of state-run operators too had taken a hit in 2002-03 due to the entry of private operators in the long-distance telephony space, and the sector had been affected again in 2008 when new players entered the market.

However, it added, the industry revenue grew subsequently.

The incumbent operators and Jio differed sharply over the contentious issue of call connect charges, with the newcomer favouring removal of these rates and incumbents demanding an increase in the current rate of 14 paise/minute.

An official present at the meeting said that incumbent operators also pointed to the asymmetric traffic to justify their demand for an increase in the Interconnection Usage Charges.

SBI, which had last week met the inter-ministerial group, supported deferment of spectrum payment with moratorium of 3-5 years and increase in instalments. It also favoured reduction in levies and taxes from the current level of 33 per cent to 22 per cent in tune with global practices.

Apart from Mittal and Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani, today's meeting was also attended by Idea Cellular Managing Director Himanshu Kapania, Tata Sons Director Ishaat Hussain and Reliance Jio Infocomm Board Member Mahendra Nahata. Telenor CEO Sharad Mehrotra was also present at the meeting.

The meeting comes just days after the inter-ministerial group held a dialogue with all telecom companies on the industry's financial stress and measures that can be taken to ease the situation.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India too had met the telecom companies last week, where Idea Cellular suggested imposition of a minimum floor price for voice and data services.
Following the death of Otto Warmbier, the American detained in North Korea for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster, concern has been raised for three other Americans detained in the country. Warmbier had been released to the United States after 17 months of detainment, but was unconscious when he arrived and died shortly after due to extensive brain damage.

Demands from the U.S. government have been made for the release of the other three individuals, but no demand has been made for David Sneddon, the son of Providence residents Roy and Kathleen Sneddon. David went missing in 2004 while traveling through the Yunnan province in China, and the Sneddon family believes there is strong evidence pointing to an abduction by North Korea.

The U.S. State Department leans toward the explanation given by Chinese officials: that he fell into Tiger Leaping Gorge or drowned in the river while hiking.

But a body was never recovered, and there is strong evidence that suggests he completed the hike.

The case continues to gain media attention both across the country and internationally. The Canadian Broadcasting Company released a radio documentary Thursday about the Sneddon familys search for David and the evidence that continues to come forward. That can be heard at this <a href=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-22-2017-1.4171342/we-have-to-keep-looking-family-believes-missing-u-s-student-abducted-by-north-korea-1.4171353 target=_blank>link</a>.

Roy Sneddon and his sons visited the area shortly after the disappearance and said they met people who claimed to see David days after his hike. More evidence has come forward in the last 13 years from those inside North Korea who have claimed to see David. A 2016 article from Yahoo Japan backs up many of Sneddon familys beliefs. The articles source said David was kidnapped, forced to teach Kim Jong-un English and that he is now living in North Korea with a wife and two kids.

The Sneddon familys report of their trip to China to find David can be viewed <a href=http://www.helpfinddavid.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/12/DavidSneddon_ENG_low.pdf target=_blank>here</a>. A timeline of events and possible sightings of David is listed below.

<h4>Timeline:</h4><h3>Aug. 11, 2004</h3>

After spending more than three months in China, David Sneddon emailed his family informing them he would be taking a bus to Tiger Leaping Gorge later that day. He said he was having a great time but was excited to come home. That was the last communication from David his family received.

<h3>Aug. 26, 2004</h3>

David was scheduled to travel to Seoul, South Korea to meet his brother, Michael Sneddon, for a business meeting with potential clients. The Sneddon family was concerned that Davids emails had stopped, but knew he was an experienced traveler and was likely in a remote area away from internet access. When David failed to arrive in Seoul, Chinese authorities were contacted. Chinese police concluded he fell into Tiger Leaping Gorge or drowned in the river, but a body was never found.

<h3>September 2004</h3>

Not believing the explanation, <a href=http://www.helpfinddavid.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/12/DavidSneddon_ENG_low.pdf target=_blank>Davids father and two brothers traveled to China to search for David</a>. They met more than 10 people who claimed to see him after he left the gorge, some describing his appearance, clothing and fluency with the Chinese language in great detail. One of the individuals claimed to have hiked with David, and said he finished the hike with him. The last sighting of David was in Shangri-La at 12 p.m. Aug. 14, 2004, three days after his supposed death. The clues ended there, but they felt they gathered enough evidence to know he didnt die in the gorge. Davids father and brothers returned home.

<h3>April, 2011</h3>

Seven years after the disappearance, Davids mother Kathleen received a phone call from a man named Chuck Downs, who was the executive director for Committee of Human Rights in North Korea. Downs told Kathleen that he believed North Korea had something to do with the disappearance. According to Outside Magazine, <a href=https://www.outsideonline.com/1923586/did-north-korea-kidnap-american-hiker target=_blank>Downs said the disappearance was similar in pattern to other abductions</a> carried out by North Korea, that Davids linguistic abilities would make him a prized catch and that he believed there was cooperation between North Korean and Chinese agents in the area.

<h3>May, 2012</h3>

Outside Magazine also reported that the Sneddons received a report from the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN). It stated that <a href=https://www.outsideonline.com/1923586/did-north-korea-kidnap-american-hiker target=_blank>a North Korean defector obtained Chinese security documents showing that an American student was arrested in the Yunnan province</a> in August 2004 for helping illegal residents. The documents claimed the 23 or 24-year-old was released the following September to five North Korean secret agents.

<h3>June, 2012</h3>

A man in South Korea with close ties to the North Korea defector community <a href=https://www.outsideonline.com/1923586/did-north-korea-kidnap-american-hiker target=_blank>informed the Sneddons that a man matching Davids description</a> was seen teaching English in Pyongyang.

<h3>February, 2016</h3>

Representative Chris Stewart and Senator Mike Lee introduce a resolution to congress asking the State Department to investigate.

<h3>Aug. 31, 2016</h3>

An article in Yahoo Japan backed up the Sneddon familys belief that David was kidnapped and taken to North Korea to teach English. The source stated that David likely tutored Kim Jong-un and now has a wife a two kids.

<h3>Feb. 6, 2017</h3>

South Korean activist Choi Sung-ryong claims a North Korean source <a href=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/02/06/US-student-David-Sneddon-alive-in-North-Korea-activist-says/3511486432521/?spt=su&or=btn_fb target=_blank>confirmed Sneddon was moved to the remote area in Mount Myohyang</a> after the case received international attention. Choi also said Sneddon was spotted in Pyongyang at the Chosun Red Cross Hospital and the Bongsu church.
Mr. Guo Ce, economic and commercial counselor, Mrs. Farida Abbas, CEO of British Chamber of Commerce in Kenya, Mr. Liu Xianfa, Mr. Nick Nesbitt, Mr. Jacob De Kiahe and Vice President of Stecol Corporation Zhang Yufu (from right to left) at the unveiling of the CSR Report. [Photo by Liu Hongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

The Kenya-China Economic and Trade Association has launched a social responsibility report for the first time.

The association's report, March towards Development, Together for a Shared Future, released on Wednesday, gives reviews the impact of the 73 member organizations' corporate citizenship programs, environmental, social and governance activities.

It also examines the role of Chinese enterprises' business activities in the local economy in 2016.

Some companies have run programs designed to ensure business ethics and integrity, and integrate responsible practices into business operations.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Dr Liu Xianfa, said the association had made valuable contributions to cooperation between the two countries.

"KCETA member companies continue to proactively carry out social responsibility, comply with laws and regulations and integrate the sustainable development goals into their activities," he said.

He noted that Chinese companies in Kenya have hired more than 42,000 local employees.

A recent World Bank report noted that Chinese businesses in Kenya employed on average 360 local workers, more than the average of 147 by other foreign companies in the East African country.

"Creating employment opportunities is one aspect of upholding CSR (corporate social responsibility). All Chinese companies are also creating win-win outcomes by transferring technology, contributing to communities and cooperating with local government," he said.

Kenya Private Sector Association Chairman Nick Nesbitt said the private sector played a major role in Kenya's economic growth, providing more than 71 percent of employment opportunities in the country.

"CSR is changing from charity to business practices that have a positive impact on people, the planet and profit and we are happy that the Chinese businesses in Kenya are taking a similar direction," he said.

The Mcedo Beijing School, which educates students from the Mathare slum has benefited from support from the Chinese embassy in Kenya and the Chinese business community.

"Through the support by KCETA member enterprises, Mcedo Beijing School students are able to get education opportunities through to universities thereafter supporting their families," school deputy chief executive Jacob De Kiahe, said.
| BY Ricki Green |

The only global creative awards judged by journalists (including CB representing Australia and NZ) officially launched its 31st year this week in Cannes, revealing the ceremony venue, new categories, conference speakers, additional jury members and the jury president.

Epica will hold its next jury meeting, conference and ceremony in Berlin from November 13-16. The 2017 jury president will be Spencer Baim (pictured), chief strategic officer at VICE Media.

The awards ceremony itself will be held at the Meistersaal, a historic concert hall built in 1910, on November 16. This will be preceded by the annual conference, whose theme this year is The Creative Singularity: How Technology Drives Creativity.

Confirmed speakers so far are Richard Wilson, co-founder of Stop Funding Hate; Preethi Mariappan, VP executive creative director of emerging experiences EMEA Sapient Razorfish; Sascha Martini, managing director R/GA Berlin; and Patrick Lara, managing director, Publicis Conseil.

Epica also unveiled its own ad campaign, this year created in-house. The eye-catching campaign features the words We are watching you composed of letters cut out from the names of the magazines and sites on the Epica jury.

New to the jury this year are The Economic Times, India (via its specialist marketing reporter) and Marketing Directo, Spain.

Last but not least, Epica has introduced two new categories this year: Music Video; and Online and Mobile Services (which covers advertising for digital brands such as Airbnb and Uber).
| BY Lynchy |

The choice to forgive yourself. The choice to preserve tradition. The choice to celebrate what matters most. These are the values championed by the heroes in the 2017 Raya films by Digi, Astro and KFC.

Naga Malaysia with a mission of making things better for brands, consumers and society, has made it even more of its focus in 2017 to tap into human insights to go beyond the common themes associated with festive periods and unearth their deeper meanings and core truths. Naga believes that the true essence and spirit of Raya can be captured through telling relevant, thoughtful and emotional stories that resonate with the hearts and lives of members of society.

The films celebrate an individuals freedom and personal choice to make amazing things happen that truly make a difference to their lives for the better.

The three films, although differing in terms of storyline and outcome, represent the coming together of the magic of Raya, along with the power an individual wields to make a personal change that positively affects themselves and their loved ones.

Astros Head of Branding & Malay Marketing, Raja Jastina Raja Arshad applauded Nagas commitment in uncovering and portraying authentic Malaysian stories year by year. With true stories like 2015 Kisah Benar Herman, 2016 Kisah Benar Zika, and this years Kisah Benar Adli & Luqman, we hope to inspire everyone to open up and show appreciation to our loved ones and the people around us. We are also grateful to be playing a part in raising the awareness of autism, she added

Audrey Chong, Head of Marcomm for Digi Telecommunications expressed her appreciation to Naga on being creatively insightful with local sentiments. We had a tall order for Naga this Raya. The story needed to be anchored on a strong community insight. It had to be real and relatable for all Malaysians during every festive season including this joyous Hari Raya. Naga nailed it spot on!, she concluded.
This relationship was reinforced when the Speaker's Chair in the British House of Commons was destroyed during an air raid in 1941, and in response, the Australian Government paid for a replica of the Speaker's Chair at Provisional Parliament House and presented it to the British House of Commons in 1951. It was carved by British craftsmen out of Australian hardwood and had 'The Gift of Australia' inscribed across the back.
While the APVMA accepted the auditor's recommendations to improve risk management and governance and performance measures for the reforms, it said that considering their scale, the timeframes it was given to achieve them were challenging and resources were limited.
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 ...
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is examining a false threat that a dirty bomb was on the Maersk Memphis at the Port of Charlestons Wando Welch terminal, according to a report from Reuters news service.



The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is examining a false threat that a dirty bomb was on a containership at the Port of Charlestons Wando Welch Terminal, Reuters reported.

The terminal was shut down Wednesday night and reopened early Thursday morning after law enforcement officials completed a scan of the U.S.-flag containership, Maersk Memphis.

The 6,478-TEU containership arrived at the Port of Charleston at around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and about half an hour later, authorities were made aware of the potential threat and evacuated the terminal.

The FBI launched the investigation because it is a crime to make a false threat against a U.S.-flagged ship, said Donald Wood, a spokesperson for the bureau in Columbia, S.C., according to Reuters.

Thursday morning, the port resumed normal operations with minimal impacts to our operations from the incident, Erin Dhand, South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) manager, corporate communications and community affairs told American Shipper. Only one shift was missed, and that work was made up within the day with the support of the ILA 1422 and 1771, stevedores, maritime community and SCPA operations team.

By Thursday afternoon, the Maersk Memphis had left Charleston and set sail for Savannah, Ga.

According to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting, the Maersk Memphis is deployed on Maersk Lines MECL loop, which has a rotation of Houston, Savannah, Norfolk, New York, Algeciras, Port Said, Djibouti, Salalah, Dubai, Port Qasim, Pipavav, Mumbai, Salalah, Algeciras, New York, Charleston, Savannah and Houston. The MECL deploys 11 vessels with an average capacity of 6,386 TEUs.


Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Pulitzer Prize Finalist





Journal Sentinel reporter Dan Egan was a finalist for the 2013 and 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for his Great Lakes series.

In 2013, the judges noted "his exhaustive examination of the struggle to keep Asian carp and other invasive species from reaching the Great Lakes and ultimately all of the nations inland waters, a story enhanced by animated graphics."

In 2010, the judges commended "his path-breaking coverage of how invasive aquatic creatures have disrupted the ecosystem of the Great Lakes and other bodies of water, illuminating the science and politics of an important national issue."
The U.S. has issued international arrest warrants for five ex-VW managers in connection to the automakers emissions-cheating scandal.



According to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, the five former executives and developers, as well as two executives under former CEO Martin Winterkorn, were indicted by U.S. authorities for conspiracy to commit fraud and for violation of the U.S. environmental rules.

Thus far, a spokesman at VWs Wolfsburg headquarters declined to comment on the matter, as reported by Autonews.

This development comes after former VW manager Oliver Schmidt was arrested back in February in Miami, just as he was about to board a flight to Germany. Schmidt is currently awaiting trial in the United States after being denied bail.

The official reason behind Schmidts arrest was for offering reasons for the discrepancy [in harmful emissions] other than the fact that VW was intentionally cheating on U.S. emissions tests, in order to allow VW to continue to sell diesel vehicles in the United States.

Its also unlikely that German authorities would extradite the five accused to the U.S. to face charges, since German citizens can only be extradited to other European Union countries or to an international court.

PHOTO GALLERY
Those of you who remember the Jim Carrey/Jeff Daniels comedy Dumb and Dumber from 1994, probably also remember the shaggy dog fur-covered Mutt Cutts van they used for transportation.



What you may not remember is that in that movie, the main characters also stumbled upon a red Lamborghini Diablo, which until now was probably the fastest thing you could associate with the famous comedy.

This Dumb and Dumber tribute car posed in front of cameras at the 2017 StreetGasm 2000 rally, featuring a fluffy wrap, a large floppy tongue out front, whisker spots underneath the headlights and even Mutt Cutts signs on the rear windows.

Its also quite loud, more so than a regular RS6, thanks to its custom Akrapovic Exhaust system. As if this thing needed any more help standing out during its trip from Amsterdam to Valencia.

Quirky looks aside, this is still a high performance car, powered by a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8, sending 560 PS (553 HP) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque to all four wheels. In a straight line, it will get from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds  or 3.7 seconds if you go for the more powerful RS6 Performance version.

VIDEO
In hard times, a miller sells his daughter to the Devil. Protected by her purity, she escapes from the Devil who, in revenge, deprives her of her hands. So begins her long journey towards the light but in spite of her resilience and the new protection of a handsome princes estate, the Devil devises a plan of his own. This beautiful and dreamlike take on the Brothers Grimm story has created an adult fairytale destined to become a classic. Hand-painted with lush, evocative details and featuring the voices of Anais Demoustier (The New Girlfriend) and Jeremie Elkaim (Declaration of War).

The films graphic style could prove challenging to viewers who are accustomed to conventional animation characters that depict every eyelash and skin pore, but as Laudenbach explains in the film notes, the essence of the film can be discovered inbetween the details of his drawings. The film, he said, gives great importance to drawing, drawing that is light and scattered with holes, which very often finds its consistency only when it is put into movement, which is the essence of animation.

Adds Laudenbach: Contrary to the large majority of feature-length animated films, The Girl Without Hands offers an image that is not finite. Or, to put it another way, that is in-finite. I like to think that this infinity opens up the imagination of the viewer, whose brain, in withdrawal, must work to fill in the gaps.

Laudenbachs film, which carries a strong feminist message, enjoyed a healthy reception in France last year, where it premiered in the ACID program at Cannes, was nominated for best animated feature at the Cesar Awards, and won both the jury prize and the award for best French film at the Annecy Animation Festival.

The Girl Without Hands will open in New York on July 21 at the IFC Center (323 6th Ave in Manhattan) and in Los Angeles on August 4 at the Laemmle Music Hall (9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills). Additional cities will be announced on the films official website.
Armen Mazlumyan, member of the Armenian National Committee of Egypt, hopes that the bill on the Armenian Genocide will be submitted to the parliament and will put up to voting.

June 23, 2017, 10:58 Armenian National Committee of Egypt continues pro-Armenian activity: Movies being shot on Armenia

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 23, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: The Committee has carried out active works since the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide aimed at recognizing the Genocide by Egypt, however, Mazlumyan said certain political circumstances hindered that process.

Egyptian lawmaker Mustafa Bakri prepared a legislative initiative by calling on the parliament and government to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Mustafa Bakri announced that historical documents prove that in 1915-1922 the Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians. In order to discuss these facts the lawmaker urged the parliament to hold a special session. 337 MPs signed under the bill.

As for the Nagorno Karabakh issue, Egypt has adopted a neutral stance. Its relations with Azerbaijan are at good level, thats why it runs a balanced policy, Mazlumyan told Armenpress, adding that their work is mainly focused on cooperating with media representatives and intellectuals and introduce Armenia to them. Thanks to the efforts of the Armenian National Committee, visits of media representatives and intellectuals are organized to Armenia two times a year. For instance, during the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, 55 representatives of politics, intellectuals, media and art visited Armenia, he said.

He informed that at the moment two films are being prepared about Armenia in Arabic. The films will tell about Armenia, the Armenian people and the countrys tourism. The movies will be presented in Armenia.

The preparation works will be completed soon. The movies present Armenia, its people and tourism opportunities to the world. One of the scriptwriters of the films is Egyptian who visited Armenia three times and wrote a book which now will be turned into a movie, he said.
Photo: CTV

A seven-week-old puppy almost died after getting into its owner's drug stash.

A veterinarian was able to revive the pup with a naloxone IV.

Dr. Adrian Walton says the Shih Tzu was fading fast when it was brought to the Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge.

It surely would have died, had the owner not confessed the pet had ingested hard drugs containing fentanyl.

"Most people lie to us when it comes to drugs, and this owner was forthright," Walton told CTV. "If he hadn't, we would have lost this dog."

The dog "was completely non-responsive," he said. "We gave the injection, and we had a brand new puppy."

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Contributed

The South Okanagan man accused of attempted murder in connection to a shooting and manhunt in Oliver, was sentenced on a separate drug charge Thursday in Penticton court.

Afshin Ighani, who pleaded guilty to one drug possession charge, was sentenced to 14 days by Judge Meg Shaw. The crown and defence agreed on the sentance.

According to circumstances provided by federal crown, on Jan. 25, 2017, an officer getting gas in Oliver observed a damaged vehicle.

After running a search, he found the license plate belonged to a different vehicle.

When asked to provide his license, Ighani refused, also attempting to provide several different biblical names.

The officer searched Ighani and found his pockets overflowing with Canadian currency and a bag of a cocaine. He was arrested and booked for possession of a controlled substance, and released shortly after.

Less than four months later on April 14, Ighani allegedly shot Thomas Szajko, leading to a wide manhunt in the South Okanagan, a kidnapping and his arrest in Princeton on April 22.

He remains in custody and appears in court on those charges for a bail hearing on July 7.
We live on the water and have a few comments about why we wish we had more fences on the foreshore.



We have people walking in from Gyro beach to use our private dock that is not insured for public use. In one instance, we had a bunch of kids who were drunk after a day in the sun and started a fight with one of our owners who was 89 at the time. He almost got pushed off the dock. We have had people come over and throw cigarette butts in the sand. Dogs crapping on our beach and in one instance 2 young girls ran up onto our lawn and were peeing behind the bushes. It's the few bad apples that make us feel this way about fences. Dont blame us for trying to protect our backyards with fences. Blame the bad apples. If you had people coming into your backyard peeing in the bushes Im sure you would want a fence. Oh wait, you do have fences.



Having said that, here is the real heart of the matter. Its simple logistics. We do not have a Venice Beach where there are miles of unimpeded beach to walk on. We have a shoreline that is broken up for many reasons, both man-made and natural obstructions, that make a dream of an unimpeded shoreline a false reality.



Lets look at the shoreline. At the end of Watt road there is a home with a large point of land that has no sand beach. It's a rock retaining wall and that is it. As to get closer to downtown you run into many homes that have no beach and the yards/properties end with grass lawn and rock and huge willow trees hanging out over the water and fences on their property. There are blocks of homes/yards like this behind the hospital as well. Then there is the Bird Sanctuary. There is no beach around that section of land and as a matter of fact, its all mud. There are obstructions all along the shoreline.



The shore line is what it is. The City or Province would have to spend millions to change all the obstructions both natural and manmade in order to facilitate this pie in the sky dream and that's not going to happen.



Plus, there are currently many blocks lengths of beach accesses where people can already walk and they dont! There are beach accesses at the end of almost every road to gain access to the shore but no one walks between the accesses. In front of our place the sand goes from Gyro beach all the way down to another beach access almost 4 blocks away. Each year we see maybe a handful of people walk from one end to the other. If our beach was full of people walking by then we might be inclined to support this more due to the demand but there is not any demand. Other than a few people who have this bee in their bonnet.



We do not see the demand for the City or Province to spend any money on this. Do I agree that docks should be built with an easy access past them? Yes I do. But that about as far as this is logistically going to change.



Would it be nice to walk 12 Kms along our beach? Yes it would. But its logistically and financially impossible.



Sorry but it is what it is.

Bill Ferguson
Photo: The Canadian Press

The confession of a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" was improperly obtained and he should be retried or released from prison, a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled Thursday.

Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbach's death on Halloween two years earlier. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach in the Avery family's Manitowoc County salvage yard. Avery was sentenced to life in a separate trial.

A federal magistrate judge ruled in August that investigators coerced Dassey, who was 16 years old at the time and suffered from cognitive problems, into confessing and overturned his conviction. The state Justice Department appealed the ruling to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a move that kept Dassey, now 27, behind bars pending the outcome.

A three-judge panel from the Chicago-based 7th Circuit upheld the magistrate's decision to overturn his conviction. Wisconsin can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, ask for a review by the full 7th Circuit or retry Dassey within 90 days.

Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, said the office expects to seek review by the full 7th Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court, and hopes "that today's erroneous decision will be reversed."

"We continue to send our condolences to the Halbach family as they have to suffer through another attempt by Mr. Dassey to re-litigate his guilty verdict and sentence," Koremenos said.

Dassey's lawyers from the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth at Northwestern University said they're elated and will take immediate steps to secure his release.

Attorney Laura Nirider said they want to send Dassey home to his mother as soon as possible. She said they did the math and determined that he had been in prison for 4,132 days as of Thursday.

The centre's director, Steven Drizin, said the ruling provides a model for the kind of thorough analysis that courts should always undertake in assessing whether a confession was voluntary, and highlights the importance for teenagers to have parents or trusted adults in the interrogation room.

"While these tactics might not have overwhelmed a seasoned criminal or a 30-year-old with a law degree, they clearly overwhelmed a 16-year-old, socially avoidant, intellectually limited (youth) who had never been interrogated by the police before," he said.
Photo: Google Maps Police chased a man into Penticton Library on Thursday

A report of a man with a gun near Pentictons Queens Park Elementary elicited a major police response on Thursday.

At 12:53 p.m., police were called about a male with a gun seen walking away from the school towards Downtown Penticton.

All police resources responded and ensured the safety of the students and staff at the school, Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said.

Patrols found a man matching the description, at Main Street and Eckhardt Avenue, about 20 minutes later.

When officers tried to stop him, the suspect fled on his bicycle and ran into the library, which was promptly surrounded by police.

The male was arrested inside the hallway near the west exit of the library, Wrigglesworth said.

No firearm was found, but police say there were items and weapons in the mans possession that could have been mistaken for a gun by the witnesses.

The 32-year-old man was already wanted on a warrant out of Princeton, with new charges being recommended to the Crown.

He remains in custody, pending his first court appearance Friday.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

The Wibit inflatable water park on Okanagan Lake is opening in Penticton this weekend for its third season.

"It has been a long hard spring and we are just looking forward to things getting back to normal with families enjoying the beach," said Randy Gallagher, who owns and operates the water park with his son. The pair also have a floating park in Kelowna and will be opening a new park in Osoyoos next year.

The high water has not slowed them down in Penticton, with opening weekend typically coinciding with the Peach City Beach Cruise, taking place this weekend.

"It has all been fantastic so far," said Gallagher. "The city has been good to work with and we've had a really great response from the public. Kids can't wait to go on it."

Gallagher said he was also appreciative of all the people who have worked so hard to protect the shoreline along the lake, from firefighters to city crews and yacht club members.

"It has just been a phenomenal effort by everyone," he said.

The park will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with full day tickets costing $25.
Photo: Sotheby's International Realty Canada The most expensive home ever listed in Vancouver was recently put up for sale for $63 million.

A 21,977-square-foot mansion recently put up for sale has become the priciest real estate to ever be listed in Vancouver.

Belmont Estate, sitting on 1.28 acres in Point Grey, has been listed for $63 million, almost $23 million higher than its most recent property value assessment.

The three-floor mansion has an elevator, two gallery halls, an indoor pool, a six-car garage and 12 bathrooms.

Over 12,000 tulips, hyacinths and daffodils bloom on the property in the spring.

In addition to the $63-million price tag, prospective buyers will also face a $3,122,950 Property Transfer Tax on the purchase.

"I believe that the buyer of this home will have a passion for art, history, luxurious landscapes and timeless design, said realtor Christa Frosch in a statement.

The current owners of the home, Joseph and Rosalie Segal, are local philanthropists, who recently donated $12 million to a new mental health and addictions facility at the Vancouver General Hospital.

- With files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: CTV

Vandals destroyed a rainbow crosswalk in Campbell River within hours of it being installed.

Residents are shocked after vandals repeatedly did burnouts on the colourful crosswalk as the city gets ready for its pride festival this weekend.

Within 35 minutes, we had our first burnout situation, and the person who did it came back around. By the next morning, there was three or four more, Keith Plamondon told CTV.

Plamondon's business installed the canvas-backed vinyl crosswalk and is now also being targeted by those who don't like the LGBTQ symbol of diversity.

Weve been harassed through Facebook messages, through text messages, he said.

"Were disheartened with (the) vandalism, said Campbell River parks department manager Ron Bowles said.

The crosswalk is to be repainted today.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: The Canadian Press

Protections that have been in place for more than 40 years for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park area will be lifted this summer after U.S. government officials ruled Thursday that the population is no longer threatened.

Grizzlies in all continental U.S. states except Alaska have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1975, when just 136 bears roamed in and around Yellowstone. There are now an estimated 700 grizzlies in the area that includes northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho, leading the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conclude that the population has recovered.

"This achievement stands as one of America's great conservation successes," Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement.

The final ruling by the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove Yellowstone grizzlies from the list of endangered and threatened species will give jurisdiction over the bears to Montana, Idaho and Wyoming by late July.

That will allow those states to plan limited bear hunts outside the park's boundaries as long as the overall bear population does not fall below 600 bears. Hunting bears inside Yellowstone and nearby Grand Teton National Park would still be banned.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The baby panda, who has become an overnight celebrity in Japan, is a girl.

Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said Friday the panda, born June 12, was ruled a female by examining experts. The still nameless cub has been doing well, drinking mother ShinShin's milk.

Giant panda cubs gradually get black markings on their ears, eyes and paws, and the spots were starting to show. The zoo released a photo that showed a pinkish mouse-like creature with some dark spots on its body. Earlier video showed the mother gently cradling the cub and apparently giving it breastmilk.

The cub won't be in public view for months. But the zoo is already drawing crowds in this nation that has an acute weakness for "kawaii," or cute, things.

And Japanese media have been feeding practically daily reports on the little panda as well as footage of children getting excited at the zoo. The public is being solicited to give her a name.
BLADES: The Electoral Commission says that all sensitive election materials are now in the provinces and being sorted out for distribution to each electorate in preparation for polling. These include ballot-papers, candidate posters, polling schedules; indelible inks for voters to show they have voted, and of course electoral rolls.

PAPUA New Guinea's electoral commission says it is prepared and ready for polling in the general election.

These election materials have been dispatched to all regions of PNG, according to the commission, by the Australian Defence Force with its C-130 military aircraft. The PNGDF Air Transport Squadron has also been assisting in this.

BRD: What's the feel like on the ground, in terms of how harmonious this election may be?

BLADES: A little bit tense I'd have to say. There's a lot of words, accusations being slung around between opponents, a stream of invective on social media, and a couple of sitting MPs have commented how this is the nastiest they've experienced in a PNG campaign.

That could be a mark of the dissatisfaction with the performance of parliamentarians. Or also maybe a sign of how much social media has raised the volume of public discourse. But certainly here in the National Capital District, there are suggestions of possible rigging, violence or intimidation at play.

Police Commissioner Gary Baki confirmed there is an open investigation into four NCD candidates following the leak of chat logs on social media. Now these four, according to a series of screen grabs doing the rounds, have been allegedly caught in conversation plotting to use fake ballot papers, intimidate voters and even plans for violence against incumbent NCDC governor Powes Parkop.

But to look at the screenshots that are being circulated in social media, which allegedly incriminate the group of candidates, it almost looks too obvious, as if there was a set-up at play. We'll have to wait and find out what comes of the investigation, but the four candidates held a press conference to say that their Facebook accounts were hacked and messages sent without them knowing.

BRD: Ballot papers are an area of concern to a number of candidates.

BLADES: Yes that's right. Ever since the Electoral Commission announced that the ballot papers were being printed in Indonesia, there's been a lot of suspicion that they will be tampered with, claims that there was a surplus amount printed and that some of these will be used later to fabricate results, a range of allegations. And just

People's Progress Party leader and Kavieng MP Ben Micah has called on prime minister Peter O'Neill and Electoral Commission Patilias Gamato to immediately conduct an investigation into reports of ballot papers being tempered with and the election be rigged. He says he has evidence of some candidates holding onto the printed ballot papers.

He warned that were this type of rigging to proceed the country might go up in flames if this problem was not addressed. So I think there is a pressure on the commissioner to disprove some of that. But it is quite traditional, or typical, for the electoral commissioner to come under most intense pressure over preparation for the election. So far he has said any evidence of tampering with election materials must be presented to the police.
Photo: The Canadian Press Quasi Modo was voted world's ugliest dog in 2015.

The World's Ugliest Dog Contest is celebrating man's best friend's perfect imperfections in California on Friday.

The pooches  many of which are adoptable or previously adopted  will face off in a red carpet walk and "Faux Paw Fashion Show," organizers said. The contestants are judged on first impressions, unusual attributes, personality and audience reaction.

A blind Chihuahua-Chinese Crested mix named Sweepee Rambo bested 16 other homely hounds in last year's competition and waddled away with $1,500, a trophy and a flight to New York with her owner, Jason Wurtz, for media appearances. The then-17-year-old champion proved that third time's the charm after falling short in the competition twice before.

By celebrating inner beauty, organizers said they hope to showcase that all dogs, regardless of physical appearance, can be lovable additions to any family.
Photo: CTV The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a woman can sue Facebook in British Columbia.

The Supreme Court of Canada says a woman who wants to sue Facebook over its use of "sponsored stories" can pursue her case in British Columbia.

Deborah Douez wants to file a class-action lawsuit against the social media giant over a now-defunct advertising format, which allegedly used her name and profile photo in ads endorsing a company for which she had clicked the "Like" button.

The ads were generated for companies that purchased the sponsored stories format and were sometimes displayed on the newsfeeds of her friends.

A lower court approved her suit, but the British Columbia Court of Appeal stayed the case, saying it should properly be pursued in California, where Facebook is based.

The appeal court said all potential users of Facebook must agree to its terms of use, which include a forum selection and choice-of-law clause requiring that disputes be resolved in California according to California law.

In a 4-3 decision today, the Supreme Court calls the clause unenforceable.
Photo: funtasticsports.ca The Total Fun Castanet.net and Total Restoration Fantastic Home Run Derby will be held July 2.

Castanet and Total Restoration are inviting people to knock one out of the park

The Total Fun Castanet.net and Total Restoration Fantastic Home Run Derby will be held July 2 between noon and 3:45 p.m.

There are men's and women's divisions to see who has the best bat.

There is a $5 registration fee to be paid at the diamond and all proceeds go to Kids Sports.

And of course, there are prizes.

Heavy hitters can register online.
Photo: Castanet Staff Temperatures are expected to hit the mid-30s this weekend across the province.

It's going to be hot this weekend.

Environment Canada has issued a weather alert for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, warning of possible record-breaking temperatures.

Temperatures are expected to reach at least 32 C away from the ocean, likely breaking records in some areas.

In the Okanagan, temperatures are also expected to spike, hitting 32 C Saturday and a scorching 35 C on Sunday in Kelowna.

But while beach weather is here, many Kelowna beaches remain closed due to high lake levels.

Temperatures are expected to cool off a bit Monday across the province, with a chance of showers in the Okanagan.
There's a lot going on at gas stations to keep us safe that you may have never known about.
Photo: Google Street View The Coquitlam Central Bus Loop has been closed after a "suspicious package" was found.

UPDATE: 10:12 a.m.

Police have reopened the Coquitlam Central Bus Loop after a police incident involving a suspicious package.



RCMP and Metro Vancouver Transit Police have determined there was no threat.

However, the incident is still under investigation.

The public is reminded to think twice before discarding packages in a public area.

ORIGINAL: 9:40 a.m.

Police have closed a bus loop in Coquitlam after a suspicious package was found.

The Coquitlam Central Bus Loop, near the corner of Lougheed Highway and Barnet Highway, was closed Friday morning.

Police have not elaborated on what the package may contain, or where exactly it was found, but they've asked the public to avoid the area.

RCMP investigators are working with Metro Vancouver Transit Police to keep everyone safe and resolve this incident, Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in a statement.

Some transit users have taken to Twitter to say the incident has caused delays in their commute.
Photo: Jerry Mason The Village of Lumby is starting its sandbag cleanup.

The water is receding and now the cleanup begins.

With the risk of flooding subsided, the Village of Lumby has entered into a recovery phase and will now focus on cleanup and restoration efforts.

This phase will include the implementation of a recovery plan, which the Village has been working on with assistance from the Province.

The collecting and disposing of the tens of thousands of sandbags that were placed during the response phase is set to begin.

People are cautioned that many of the sandbags can contain contaminated material and proper handling and disposal will be critical.

The Province is providing a work team to assist with the sandbag removal efforts, which is expected to being today.

A short wall bin will be placed at the Lumby Curling Rink parking lot, 2230 Shields Ave., for disposal of sandbags.

Residents may dispose of their own sandbags in the bin and those handling sandbags are encouraged to wear protective gloves if contamination from the floodwaters is suspected.

The timeframe for completion of the recovery efforts is not known, but the Village will work diligently to return the community to a normal state.
Photo: CTV The death of a man in East Vancouver has been ruled an accident.

Police investigating the death of a man found in a parking lot at Kingsgate Mall Thursday have determined his death was accidental.

Vancouver Police Department Const. Jason Doucette said just after 1:30 a.m. June 22, a man in apparent medical distress was rushed to hospital and died a short time later.

Investigators worked with the BC Coroners office, and it appears the man died from an accidental fall, said Doucette. The deceased has been identified as a 24-year-old man visiting Vancouver from the United Kingdom.
Photo: RCMP

The City of Vancouver says its first responders are attending to an increasing number of calls linked to deaths or overdoses caused by illicit drugs.

City officials say five overdose deaths were recorded in Vancouver during the week of June 12, up from four the week earlier.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service reports an 18 per cent increase in overdose calls over the same period.

A news release from the city says a local medical lab has also identified a spike in the number of urine samples testing positive for carfentanil, an opioid considered to be 100 times more powerful that fentanyl.

Twenty-one per cent of samples tested by the lab showed signs of carfentanil, up from six to eight per cent of samples tested in February and March.

The city says the increase presents "an extreme risk" to the public.

At the end of May, the B.C. Coroner's Service reported 488 overdose deaths across B.C. so far this year, with 144 in Vancouver, followed by 51 in Surrey and 37 in Victoria.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says the B.C. government has failed to stem the fentanyl crisis, 14 months after a public health emergency was declared in the province.

"Four British Columbians die every day from overdoses, yet the crisis barely warranted a mention in (Thursday's) throne speech," Robertson says in the release.
Photo: Twitter

One London community is evacuating some 800 households from five publicly owned apartment towers because of safety concerns following the devastating fire that killed 79 people in a west London highrise last week.

The move comes as residents of thousands of tower blocks around Britain expressed concern about safety after commonly used building materials were blamed for rapidly spreading the blaze at Grenfell Tower.

Camden Council in north London, which announced the evacuation Friday night, was the first local government to take the dramatic step of emptying its buildings so safety upgrades could be made.

Council leader Georgia Gould said the borough made the decision after the London Fire Brigade and council experts said they couldn't guarantee the safety of residents after inspecting the five towers. The inspectors were following up on previously unknown safety complaints from residents, she said.

"I've made the really, really difficult decision to move the people living there into temporary accommodation while we do the urgent works to guarantee safety," Gould told reporters outside the public housing complex. "I know it's difficult, but Grenfell changes everything."
BEIJING - With the recent launch of operation of Kenya's Mombasa-Nairobi railway, China's remarkable infrastructure capabilities are again highlighted in promoting regional interconnectivity to pave way for global economic growth.

Ronnie Lins, CEO of Center China Brazil: Research & Business, commended China's infrastructure capabilities as leading the world.

"China's infrastructure capabilities take a lead worldwide, effectively pushing forward its economic and social development," he said.

The Chinese-built 472-km-long Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) linking Kenya's capital Nairobi and East Africa's biggest port city Mombasa comes as part of ambitious efforts to build a 2,700-km East Africa corridor connecting Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and other East African countries.

Poor infrastructure has been blamed in part for impeding Africa's capital inflow and economic development. The railway joins other Chinese-built ones in promoting interconnectivity in Africa, including the continent's first transnational electrified railway linking Ethiopia with Djibouti completed in October 2016, which cut traffic time from one week to 10 hours.

By the end of 2016, the Mombasa-Nairobi railway construction had created 42,000 jobs locally. It is expected to become both a regional artery of communication and a link to the adjacent industrial parks and special economic zones, putting Kenya on a faster track of industrialization and economic growth.

Experts believe that improved interconnectivity will become a fresh economic driving force amid uncertainties over global economic recovery and serious structural problems.

In Asia, Africa and Latin America, Chinese-built railways are extending further and further to boost construction of infrastructure and trade networks intended by the China-proposed Road and Belt Initiative in seeking common development and prosperity.

Like building blocks of a global picture of interconnectivity, such infrastructure projects, many of them under the framework of the Road and Belt Initiative, are meanwhile boosting mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation and partnerships.

Former Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra called the initiative a crucial multilateral integration project that "goes beyond the traditional Silk Road to reach Latin America." For Latin America, increasing infrastructure cooperation with China will help promote regional integration, she added.

Latin American countries have shown a growing interest in the initiative, with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank that serves partly to support projects seeing its Latin American members increase recently to six.

Guo Shengxiang, dean of the Academy of APEC Creative Finance, an Australian think tank, sees that China's infrastructure capabilities are still in an upturn.

"China's infrastructure capabilities will continuously benefit world economy," he added.
PRIVACY POLICY

Last Updated: 2/26/2020

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1.2 The Site. This Privacy Policy covers information collected from users of the website, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC.com, and affiliated websites, that are owned or controlled by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC including, without limitation, (collectively, the "Site"), The Site also includes versions designed for browsing on mobile devices and the use of such devices is governed by this Privacy Policy as well. Before using or submitting information to the Site please review this Privacy Policy carefully, as well as the terms of use (the "Terms of Use"), available at http://https://www.catholic.org/about/tos.php that governs your use of the Site.

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2.3 Aggregate Information. In connection with your visit or use of the Site, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may automatically collect usage information, such as the numbers and frequency of users and their characteristics and information about similar groups of users, certain age groups or users that live in a particular geographical area. This data is only used in the aggregate as a statistical measure and not in a manner that would identify you personally. Aggregate information generally is collected through the use of cookies and Web Beacons as discussed below.

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2.5 Social Network Profile Information. If you interact with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, the Site, Content, Promotions, or Services, through a social network or by connecting your Member account with your social network account, then you may be permitting CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC to access certain information from your social network profile (such as your name, email address, your friend list, photos, age, gender, location, birthday, social networking ID, current city, or the people/sites you follow). If you don't want to allow a social network to share such information with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC and other third parties, please review the privacy settings and instructions of the applicable social network before you connect your Member account with your social network account.

Information Collected by Third Parties.

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may allow third parties to display or provide Advertisements, Content, Promotions or Services on or through the Site. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, its partners and/or advertisers, or social networks, may use third party servers to serve or present the Advertisements, Content, Promotions or Services that appear on the Site and to conduct research about the Advertisements, Content, Promotions or Services. Any of these third party servers may collect non-personal information, such as your browser, operating system, date/time of viewing, IP address, Device ID, or clickstream data. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC cannot control the activities of such third parties, web sites or social networks. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POLICY DOES NOT COVER THE COLLECTION AND USE OF INFORMATION BY SUCH THIRD PARTY SERVERS OR SOCIAL NETWORKS.

Tracking Technologies.

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or its third parties may use tracking technologies, such as cookies and Web Beacons, to collect information about users who visit or use the Site and view or interact with Advertisements, Content, Promotions or Services on or through the Site.

4.1 Cookies. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC uses "cookies" to help you access and navigate the Site more efficiently and to statistically monitor how many people are using the Site.

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How CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC Uses Information.

When you provide CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC with your Personal Information, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may use it to manage CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's registry of Members, facilitate communication between CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC and you and/or between Members of the Site, notify you of features or special events and provide you with other information CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC feels may be of interest to you. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC also uses information collected to customize, analyze, adjust and improve the Site, Content, Promotions and Services to meet CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's users' needs and expectations. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC also may use the information to oversee adherence to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Community Guidelines which are provided in the Terms of Use for the Site to enforce CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's agreements with you, to prevent fraud and other prohibited or illegal activities and for other legally permissible purposes. These uses of your Personal Information may include, without limitation, the following:

5.1 Public Areas. The Site features groups, discussions, member profiles, comment areas, blogs and similar areas where users can share information about themselves and their opinions, as well as post questions and Content that may contain Personal Information ("Public Areas"). Other visitors to the Site may view information posted in Public Areas. Further, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may include all or a portion of the information posted in Public Areas in the newsletters described in this Privacy Policy. By using the Public Areas, you hereby acknowledge and agree that any information you share in a Public Area (including, without limitation, Personal Information) is available to the public. Information you post to a Public Area may be viewed, accessed, or collected by, or disclosed to, third parties and may be used by others in ways neither you nor CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC are able to control or predict, including, without limitation, to contact you for unauthorized purposes.

5.2 Email, Sharing and Communications. The Site offers the ability to share Content or communicate directly with other users via email and other communications Services on the Site. If you use email or these Services, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will use the recipient's email address or other means of identification in order to send the Content and CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will also ask for your email address or other means of identification. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not use the recipient's email address or other means of identification for any other purpose unless the recipient gives CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC permission to do so.

5.3 Member Areas. If you have access to certain areas of the Site because you are a Member ("Member Areas"), the Member Areas may contain groups, discussions, member profiles, comment areas, blogs and similar areas where Members can share information about themselves and their opinions, as well as post or share Content. Personal Information or Content you post or share through a Member Area may be viewed, accessed, or collected by, or disclosed to, other Members and may be used by other Members in ways neither you nor CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC are able to control or predict, including, without limitation, disclosure of your Personal Information or Content to the public or to contact you for unauthorized purposes. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC uses the Personal Information you provide when registering to become a Member to send you CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC publications, information about Member benefits and special offers, features included in the Member Areas and other information that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC believes is relevant and useful to its Members. By using the Member Areas, you hereby acknowledge and agree that any information you share in a Member Area (including, without limitation, Personal Information) is available to other Members and to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC for use as provided herein.

5.4 Profiles. If you register to become a Member of the Site, the information that you provide to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may be associated with one or more profiles, which may be stored on third-party servers. These profiles, or a portion thereof, may be viewed by other Users of the Site, including, but not limited to those who are not Members of the Site.

5.5 E-Newsletters. If you register at the Site or subscribe, you may choose to receive a newsletter via email from CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC which may include information such as highlights from different areas on the Site, the programming schedule, and information about new features Content, Promotions or Services. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time by clicking on the "manage your preferences" link at the bottom of any email newsletter sent to you and following the instructions. You also may unsubscribe at any time by logging in to the applicable Site where you created your profile and changing your preferences.

5.6 Promotions. Often times, Promotions offered on the Site are sponsored by unaffiliated third parties. Information that you provide as part of an entry into a Promotion sponsored by an unaffiliated third party will be shared with the sponsor if CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC advises you of such in the Promotions official rules. Some Promotions also may require consent to the release of information contained within the entry form for background check purposes or tax purposes if you become a winner. You should carefully review the official rules of each Promotion that you enter as they may contain additional important information about CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's or the sponsor's use of your Personal Information.

5.7 Features and Services. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may retain other third parties and individuals to provide features and Services consistent with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Privacy Policy on CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's behalf. Examples include customer support specialists, web hosting companies, fulfillment companies (e.g., companies that fill product orders or coordinate mailings), data analysis firms and email service providers.

5.8 Editorial. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC also may use your Personal Information in response to a solicitation for editorial, online and/or on-air purposes and for marketing and promotional purposes in connection with such solicitation. If such information is used online, on a mobile application or in a telecast, no Personal Information, other than name, city and state, will be disclosed without your consent.

5.9 Third Party Advertisements. We may contact you regarding other marketing or promotional information that we think you may find of interest. You may opt-out of such marketing material as described under the Choices section below. If you opt-out, we may still contact you for reasons unrelated to marketing, such as for purposes of alerting you to important information about your Membership.

5.10 Social Network Features. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC and the Site, Content, Promotions and Services, may include features that connect to social networks and allow you to share or like Content, Promotions or Services with your friends or other users of the social networks. These social networks may collect information, such as your IP address, which page you are visiting on the Site, the videos you viewed, or the Content, Promotions or Services that you shared, and may set a cookie to enable the features to function properly. The social network providing the features on the Site may be able to collect information about you, even if you don't use those features. To control this sharing of information, please review the privacy policy of the relevant social network.

5.11Ecommerce and Subscriptions. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may also use cookies to enable you to use a "shopping cart" if you want to purchase goods or Services while on the Site or a subscription, to store your preferences associated with video streaming, or other Content offered from the Site and to offer you products, programs, or Promotions based on purchases, subscriptions and Site usage behavior that you and/or other customers have exhibited. If you subscribe, your Personal Information and payment information will be collected and stored with your subscription account.

5.12 Videos. Certain cookies that are set when some video products are accessed on the Site, called local shared objects or Flash cookies, may not be managed using the settings in your web browser. If you set your browser or Adobe Flash options not to accept cookies or local shared objects, you may not be able to take advantage of certain e-commerce Services, or videos on the Site. You agree that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may share your viewing of videos with, or obtain information about your viewing of videos from, analytics providers and advertising partners and third-party social media sites unless you withdraw your consent. Find your special gift this Christmas Season 15% OFF

5.13 Reports. The aggregate information collected by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC also is used to create profiles of the audience for the Site that include anonymous statistical demographic information but no Personal Information. This aggregated information is used to, among other things, determine trends and needs and supply market research to potential advertisers and partners to help them understand the Site's audiences. For example, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may create a report that tells advertisers that thirty percent of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Members are males under forty years, so that they can determine which of their Content, Promotions or Services are most appropriate for CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Members.

5.14 Administration. From time to time, in CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's sole discretion, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may use your Personal Information to send you important administrative information regarding the Site, your subscription (if any), and related Services or changes to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's terms and policies. Because this information may be important to your use of the Site, your subscription (if any), and related Services, you may not opt out of receiving such communications.

With Whom CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC Shares Information.

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may share your Personal Information with third parties, as follows:

6.1 Advertisers. If you "opt in" to receive information about identified advertisers or their services or products, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may share your Personal Information with them. If you have questions about how these companies use your Personal Information, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC encourages you to review and understand their respective privacy policies. You may at any time "opt out" of having your Personal Information as part of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's marketing mailing list or otherwise.

6.2 Advertising Partners. Advertisements appearing on the Site may be delivered to users by advertising partners, who may set cookies. These cookies allow the ad server to recognize your computer or device each time they send you an online Advertisement to compile information about you or others who use your computer or device. This information allows ad networks to, among other things, deliver targeted Advertisements that they believe will be of most interest to you. This Privacy Policy covers the use of cookies by the Site and does not cover the use of cookies by any advertisers, each of whom maintain their own privacy policy.

6.3 Service Providers. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC engages service providers to perform functions and provide Services to us or on our behalf, including Promotions, and other programs. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may share your private personal information with such service providers subject to obligations consistent with this Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures, and on the condition that the third parties use your private personal data only on our behalf and pursuant to our instructions.

6.4 Payment Processors. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC shares your payment information with payment services providers to:

a. process payments,

b. prevent, detect and investigate fraud or other prohibited activities,

c. facilitate dispute resolution such as chargebacks or refunds, and

d. for other purposes associated with the acceptance of credit or debit cards.

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may share your credit or debit card number with payment services providers or card networks to monitor card transactions at participating merchants and track redemption activity for the purposes of providing card-linked services.

6.5 Member Services. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may offer special products and services, sweepstakes, contests, rewards programs, or other special offers to its Members through third parties ("Member Services"). CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may share certain Personal Information such your name, postal address and email address ("Member Information") with these third parties in order to notify you of their offerings, to determine whether, or at what level, you qualify for the products or services, and to evaluate new and existing products or services. If you prefer that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC not share Member Information with third parties, you can contact us at any time (see Choice below). However, if you apply for products or services or participate in any sweepstakes, contests, rewards programs or other special offers, the information listed above, plus other relevant information you provide will be shared directly with the third parties who will be providing the requested products or services. These third parties are required to use Member Information CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC shares only to provide the requested services. We are not responsible for any additional information you provide directly to these parties, and we encourages you to become familiar with their privacy practices and policies before disclosing information to them. Information you provide to third parties, may in turn be shared with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC along with information about your use of the services. In some cases, these third parties may require as a condition of providing services to you that you authorize them to share information with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC. If we terminate our relationship with a third party, information you provided to them may be returned to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, and CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may provide that information to a new third party offering the same or similar services.

6.6 Government, Law Enforcement or Third Parties. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may disclose any information, including without limitation Personal Information that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC deems necessary, in its sole discretion and without your prior permission, to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC also may exchange information, including without limitation Personal Information, with other companies and organizations for credit fraud protection, risk reduction and related activities or to protect the rights, property of safety of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC and its agents, employees or affiliates or others. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right to disclose a user's Personal Information if CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC believes the user is in violation of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Terms of Use, even without a subpoena, warrant or other court order.

Sale or Transfer of Information.

In the event of a sale, merger, liquidation, dissolution or sale or transfer of substantially all of the assets of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or the Site, personal Information and/or other information collected about you from the Site may be sold, assigned or transferred to the party acquiring all or substantially all of the equity and/or assets of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or the Site in order to permit the party to continue the operation of the Site, including the Member Areas. Subject to your ability to opt-out, you consent to the sale and transfer of your information as described in this paragraph.

Accessing, Correcting or Removing Your Personal Information.

If you are a Member and would like to review, update or delete your profile, please log in to and select the profile in which you would like to review, modify or delete information (i.e., the Personal Information you have provided to us).

8.1 Choice. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC respects the privacy of your Personal Information. If you tell CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC that you do not wish to have this information used as a basis for further contact with you, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will respect your wishes. You also may choose not to provide CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC with certain information, but that may result in you being unable to use certain features of the Site. You may instruct CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC to stop sending you certain promotional materials (e.g., email messages, newsletters, postcards and letters) by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in those materials. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may, however, continue to contact you to provide service to your account. Please note that if you use more than one name or email address when communicating with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or participating on the Site, you may continue to receive communications from CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC to any name and/or email address which you have not specified in your opt-out request.

8.2 Correcting or Removing Your Personal Information. For Personal Information CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC holds, you can request that we correct the data if it is inaccurate or remove the data if we are not required to retain it by law or for legitimate business purposes. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may decline to process requests that are frivolous/vexatious, jeopardize the privacy of others, are extremely impractical, or for which access is not otherwise required by local law. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC provides you with the following options for correcting or removing your Personal Information from CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's database for marketing purposes:

You can send an email to legal@catholiconline.email or

You can send mail to the following postal address:

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC

Attention: Privacy Department

P.O. Box 9686

Bakersfield, California 93389

privacy@catholiconline.email

8.3 Canceling Your Account or Subscription. To cancel your account or subscription, you can email customerservice@catholiconline.email subject "Cancel My Account" or "Cancel My Subscription" and include the email address that you registered your account or subscription with (if different from the email address you're sending the email from) or via your online Member account page. Remember that even after you cancel your account, copies of some information from your account may remain visible in some circumstances where, for example, you have shared information with a third-party application or website. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may also retain backup information related to your account on our servers for some time after cancellation for fraud detection or to comply with applicable law or our internal security policies. Because of the nature of caching technology, your account may not be instantly inaccessible to others, and there may be a delay in the removal of the content from elsewhere on the Internet and from search engines.

8.4 Data Retention. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will retain your information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or allowed by law.

Important Disclosures, Practices and Contact Information.

9.1 Third Party Links. The Site contains links to third-party websites. Please be aware that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC cannot control and is not responsible for the information collection practices of such websites, which may differ from those of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC encourages you to review and understand the privacy policies of these websites before providing any information to them.

9.2 Data Security. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC maintains a variety of commercially reasonable physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access and disclosure. For example, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC uses accepted tools and techniques to protect against unauthorized access to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's systems. You should be aware that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC has no control over the security of other sites on the Internet that you might visit or with which you might interact even when a link may appear to another site from one of the Site. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC wants you to feel confident using the Site but no system can be completely secure. Therefore, although CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC takes steps to secure your information, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information, searches or other communications will always remain secure. In the event of a breach of the confidentiality or security of your information, including your Personal Information, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will notify you as necessary and if possible so you can take appropriate protective steps. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may notify you under such circumstances using the email address(es) that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC has on record for you and/or by regular mail (if available). You also should carefully handle and disclose your Personal Information. Please refer to the Federal Trade Commission's website at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/data.shtm for information about how to protect yourself against identity theft.

9.3 Children. The Site is a general audience site and is not intended for children under 13. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC requires that only persons 13 years of age or older use any of the Site. By using the Site, you hereby represent that you are at least 13 years old. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not knowingly market to, solicit information, accept service or collect information from children under the age of 13. The Site may ask users for their birth dates to ensure that the Site is not collecting information from children under age 13 or to identify when additional steps may need to be taken in connection with information collected from children under age 18. When the Site has actual knowledge that it collects information from children or offers a service directed toward children, it will comply with applicable laws, including the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. In the event that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC learns that we have collected Personal Information from a child under age 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any Personal Information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at: legal@catholiconline.email

9.4 Changes to this Privacy Policy. At any time without prior notice, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's practices. When CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC posts changes to this Privacy Policy, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC encourages you to bookmark this Privacy Policy and to periodically review it to inform yourself of changes to it or any of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's other policies. Any changes to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Privacy Policy will become effective upon CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's posting of the updated policy. Use of the Site constitutes your acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Policy then in effect.

9.5 California Privacy Rights. If you are a resident of California ("California Users"), in addition to the rights set forth in this Privacy Policy, you may have certain additional rights. You generally have the right to request information from CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC regarding the manner in which CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC shares certain categories of Personal Information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits you to request information regarding the disclosure of your Personal Information by us to third parties for the third parties' direct marketing purposes. Under the law, however, a business is not required to provide this information if it adopts and discloses to the public (in its privacy policy) a policy of not disclosing customer's personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes unless the customer first affirmatively agrees to the disclosure, as long as the business maintains and discloses this policy. Rather, the business may comply with the law by notifying California Users of their rights to prevent disclosure of personal information and providing a cost free means to exercise that right. Please note that whenever you opt in to receive future communications from a third party, your information will be subject to the third party's privacy policy. If you later decide that you do not want that third party to use your information, you will need to contact the third party directly, as CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC has no control over how third parties use information. You should always review the privacy policy of any party that collects your information to determine how it will handle your information. Please note that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is only required to respond to one request per customer each year. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is not required to respond to requests made by means other than through this email address: legal@catholiconline.email California residents who are minors under 18 years old may request the removal of any information that they posted to the Site by contacting legal@catholiconline.email Upon such request, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will anonymize or remove from public view any content posted by a minor to the Site, unless required by law to retain such content or information.

9.6 Users from Other Jurisdictions or Outside the United States. By visiting the Site, submitting information or using any of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Content, Promotions or Services, you acknowledge that you accept the practices and policies outlined in this Privacy Policy and consent to having your data transferred to and processed on computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. If you do not accept this Privacy Policy, please do not use CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Site. The Site is controlled and operated by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC from the United States. If you are not a resident of the United States or you are located outside United States and choose to provide information to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, please note that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will transfer the information, including Personal Information, to the United States and process it there. Your acceptance of this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement and consent to that transfer. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not represent or warrant that the Site, or any part thereof, are appropriate or available for use in any particular jurisdiction. Those who choose to access the Site do so on their own initiative and at their own risk, and are responsible for complying with all local laws, rules and regulations. You also are subject to United States export controls in connection with your use of the Site and/or Content, Promotions or Services related thereto and are responsible for any violations of such controls, including, without limitation, any United States embargoes or other federal rules and regulations restricting exports. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may limit the availability of the Site, Content, Promotions or Services, in whole or in part, to any person, geographic area or jurisdiction that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC chooses, at any time and in CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's sole discretion.

9.7 No Rights of Third Parties. This Privacy Policy does not create rights enforceable by third parties.

9.8 Catholic Online, LLC uses YouTube API Services to take advantage of YouTube video features. It allows Catholic Online, LLC to feature YouTube videos on Catholic Online. View the YouTube Terms of Service (ToS) here. (https://www.youtube.com/t/terms). Catholic Online LLC uses Google products within Catholic Online LLC. View the Google Privacy Policy Here. (https://policies.google.com/privacy).

9.9 Contacting CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of the Site or your dealings with us, please feel free to contact CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC at:

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC

Attention: Privacy Department

P.O. Box 9686

Bakersfield, California 93389

privacy@catholiconline.email

Users Outside of the United States (except for EU) Our computer systems are currently based in the United States, so your personal data will be processed by our service providers or us in the United States where data protection and privacy regulations may not offer the same level of protection as in other parts of the world. If you create a user account with the Site as a visitor from outside the United States, by using the Site you agree to this Privacy Policy and consent to the processing of your personal data on servers outside your home country.A We will take commercially reasonable measures to ensure that any such transfers of your personal data comply with applicable data protection laws and that your personal data remains protected to the standards described in this privacy policy. In certain circumstances, courts, law enforcement agencies, regulatory agencies or security authorities in those other countries may be entitled to access your personal data.
TERMS OF USE

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC ("CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC," or "we," or "us," or "our") owns the website CATHOLIC.ORG and certain other affiliated websites that are owned or controlled by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, including, without limitation, catholic.org/tv, (collectively, the "Site") referred to in these Terms of Use ("Terms").

The Site offers you ("you," or "your") and other users, including you (each, a "User," and, collectively, "Users"), a collection of online resources, including forums, message boards, blogs, surveys, polls, searchable databases, software, specialized audio, video, information, materials and other content (collectively, the "Content"). The Site also includes, without limitation, sweepstakes, contests, rewards programs, special offers or other promotions (collectively, "Promotions"), and interactive features, communications or messaging services, ecommerce, and other services made available on or through the Site, or which enable CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC to operate, maintain and provide the Site (collectively, "Services").

As used in these Terms, "Members" means Users who have registered with the Site. "User Content" means all User or Member items, comments, communications or other Content submitted, posted, uploaded, shared, linked, sent or communicated through the Site or transmitted to the Site as well as any attachments to those submissions.

Acknowledgement and Acceptance

THESE TERMS SET FORTH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS THAT APPLY TO YOUR USE OF THE SITE. UNLESS EXPLICITLY STATED OTHERWISE BY CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, ALL CONTENT, PROMOTIONS OR SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY NEW FEATURE ADDED FROM TIME TO TIME, ARE AUTOMATICALLY SUBJECT TO THESE TERMS.

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC'S PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY. BY REGISTERING TO USE OR USING THE SITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND THE PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT ALL OF THESE TERMS AND THE PRIVACY POLICY, THEN PLEASE DO NOT USE OR REGISTER TO USE THE SITE. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC RECOMMENDS THAT YOU PRINT OUT A COPY OF THESE TERMS FOR YOUR FUTURE REFERENCE.

Additional Terms

From time to time, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may supplement these Terms with additional terms that pertain to specific Content, Promotions or Services, such as new or expanded services and products, rewards points programs, courses or events ("Additional Terms"). You understand and agree that such Additional Terms are hereby incorporated by reference into these Terms. Modifications to Terms

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may modify these Terms from time to time. When CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC posts modifications to these Terms, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will revise the "Last Updated" date at the bottom of this page. The modified Terms will be effective immediately upon posting. Your continued use of the Site after the posting of the modified Terms constitutes your agreement to abide and be bound by them, as modified. If you object to any modification, your sole recourse is to terminate your use of the Site. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC recommends that you check the Site from time to time to inform yourself of any changes in these Terms or any of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's other policies.

If any provisions of the Terms are deemed invalid, void or for any reason unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the balance of the Terms. Changes to the Site

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may modify or discontinue the Site, any portion thereof or any Content, Promotions or Services related to or contained on the Site without notice to you and without liability to you or any third party, except as otherwise provided in these Terms. We may also impose links on the use or access to certain features or portions of the Site, or restrict your access to any part or all of the Site, in all cases with or without notice to you or liability to us. Registration and Username

Certain activities on the Site require registration which require you to provide your name, email address and, in some cases, a physical address. When you register to become a Member, you also may be asked to select a username and password. You agree to register only once using a single username. In addition to the required registration information, you may be asked (but are not required to provide) your gender, personal interests and other such information. You agree to provide accurate and complete information during registration and any edits to your Member profile and agree to not:

a. register under the name of another person

b. choose a username that is vulgar, profane or otherwise offensive

c. choose a username that impersonates or suggests representation of another entity

d. choose a username that incorporates a solicitation FREE Catholic Classes Pick a class, you can learn anything Season of Advent The Knights Templar w/ Certificate Mysteries of the Bible FREE Online Classes Novena to the Heavenly Father for our Earthly Fathers Personal Information and Privacy Policy

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may collect and process any information that you choose to enter on the Site or provide to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC in any other way that would allow CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC to identify you or contact you (collectively "Personal Information"). Any Personal Information provided by you while you are visiting or using of the Site or gathered by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or third parties during any visit to the Site shall be subject to the terms of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Privacy Policy, which are incorporated herein by reference. Click here if you wish to read CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Privacy Policy. Account Information and Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your username, password and other account information or Personal Information. You are entirely responsible for any and all activities that occur under your username and password whether or not authorized by you. You agree to immediately notify CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC at customerservice@catholiconline.email of any unauthorized use of your username or password.

Although CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will not be liable for losses caused by any unauthorized use of your username, password or other account information, you may be liable for the losses of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or others due to such unauthorized use.

Members should be aware that disclosure of Personal Information such as your full name or address posted through the Site may result in unwanted solicitations from third parties or unwanted communications. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC disclaims any responsibility or liability from your disclosure of such Personal Information or any other information through the Site.

Public Areas, Member Areas and User Content

The Site features groups, discussions, member profiles, comment areas, blogs and similar areas where Users can share information about themselves and their opinions, including Personal Information, as well as share User Content ("Public Areas"). In addition, the Site may contain areas with Content, Promotions or Services intended only for use by Members ("Member Areas") and CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right to limit features and these areas to Members.

Although CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may from time to time monitor the User Content shared through the Site, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is under no obligation to do so. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC attempts to create a safe and supportive environment for all individuals by taking measures to prevent offensive behavior, but CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC makes no guarantee with respect to your experience of the Site. You understand that User Content posted or shared by a Member is based on their personal opinion and experience and that the Site does not endorse nor guarantee the accuracy of any User Content and cannot be held liable for any damages incurred as a result of the submission or use thereof.

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away. Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.



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CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right (but is not obligated) to, without limitation and in CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's sole discretion:

a. record the communications through the Site;

b. investigate any allegation that a communication does not conform to these Terms and determine in its sole discretion to remove or request the removal of the User Content;

c. remove User Content which is abusive, illegal, or disruptive or that otherwise fails to conform with the User conduct terms below or otherwise with these Terms;

d. monitor, edit or disclose any communication through the Site;

e. edit or delete any communication posted through the Site;

f. disclose any communication posted on any portion of or through the Site as necessary to satisfy any law, regulation or governmental request, regardless of whether such communications violates these standards and/or

g. reserve the right in our sole discretion to decline to remove any User Content that is submitted even if it violates these Terms.

By reading, viewing, browsing or submitting User Content through the Site you agree that you are solely responsible for your own communications and User Content, the consequences of posting or sharing those communications and User Content, and your reliance on communications and User content. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is not responsible for the consequences of communications or User Content submitted through the Site. Any communications sent to you by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC personally concerning your participation in the Site or related matters are not intended to be made public and you agree not to post these communications through the Site or elsewhere on the Internet.

Please notify CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC at customerservice@catholiconline.email immediately if you feel that a posted User Content is in violation of the Terms. If you feel threatened or believe someone else is in danger, please contact your local law enforcement agency immediately. If you are dissatisfied with communications posted to the Site, your sole recourse is to terminate your use of the Site.

User Conduct and Comment Policy

You agree that when using the Site, you will act in a manner consistent with the goals of the Site, and by way of example as per our Comment Policy. and not as a limitation, you specifically agree that:

a. You will not violate any applicable local, state, national or international law, including but not limited to any rule, regulation, decree or ordinance.

b. You will not submit, post, upload, share, link, send, communicate, or download information or Content through the Site unless you have all rights and authority necessary to do so.

c. You will not post any inappropriate, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit, potentially libelous or slanderous, infringing, harmful, harassing, threatening, illegal or other material or information that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC in its sole discretion views as objectionable to the Site, including but not limited to text, graphics, audio and video files.

d. You will not use the Site to defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, embarrass, cause distress, unwanted attention or discomfort or otherwise violate the legal rights (including without limitation rights of privacy and publicity) of any person, User, Member or representative of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC.

e. You may express your disagreement with someone's point-of-view, but personal attacks, or attacks based on another person's race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other such condition or circumstance, are strictly prohibited.

f. You will not impersonate another person or entity, including but not limited to a CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC representative, or communicate under a false name or a name that you are not entitled or authorized to use.

g. You will not post surveys, contests, chain letters, pyramid schemes, unnecessarily long messages, unnecessary or repetitive posts, multiple ratings for the same item, meaningless text, spamming, offensive declarations or other similarly disruptive content.

h. You will not falsify or delete any author attributions, legal or other proper notices or proprietary designations or labels of the origin or source of software or other material posted on the Site.

i. You will not post files that contain viruses, corrupted files or other similar software, programs or routines that may damage the operation of another's computer or the Site.

j. You will not attempt to "crack," "hack," "bomb," manipulate or otherwise gain unauthorized access to another account, username(s) or other information, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC servers, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC software or areas of the Site not intended for your access.

k. You will not post, transmit or distribute any unsolicited advertising, promotional materials or other forms of solicitation to Users or Members, individuals or entities, except in areas designated by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC for such purposes.

l. You will not harvest, mine or otherwise collect or store Personal Information about others, including without limitation email addresses and Member profiles.

m. You will not use or launch any automated system, including without limitation, "robots," "spiders," "offline readers," etc., that accesses the Site in a manner that sends more request messages to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC servers in a given period of time than a human can reasonably produce in the same period by using a conventional on-line web browser. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC grants the operators of public search engines permission to use spiders to copy materials from the Site for the sole purpose of creating publicly available searchable indices of the materials, but not caches or archives of such materials. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right to revoke these exceptions either generally or in specific cases.

n. You agree not to collect or harvest any Personal Information, including without limitation usernames, from the Site or to use the communication systems provided by the Site for any commercial solicitation purpose.

o. You agree not to solicit, for commercial purposes, Users, including Members, of the Site.

p. You agree not to include in any User Content any email addresses or telephone numbers or Personal Information of any entity or person, including your own.

q. You agree not to submit any User Content that infringes on the copyright, trademark or intellectual property rights of any person, entity or that may contain proprietary information that otherwise violates the legal rights of any person or entity. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not permit copyright infringing activities and infringement of intellectual property rights on its Site. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC will remove all Content and User Content if properly notified that such Content or User Content infringes on another's intellectual property rights. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right to remove Content and User Content without prior notice and expressly reserves it rights under the Good Samaritan provisions of Communications Decency Act, Title 47, United States Code, Section 230(c).

r. You agree not to include links as part of your signature line as they will be considered a form of solicitation in violation of these Terms. We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away. Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.



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User Content License

As a Member, you may post, upload, share or submit User Content through the Site. You understand that whether or not such User Content is published, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any User Content.

You shall be solely responsible for your own User Content and the consequences of posting, uploading, sharing or publishing it. In connection with User Content, you affirm, represent and/or warrant that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use and authorize CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to any and all of your User Content to enable use of the User Content in the manner contemplated by the Site and these Terms.

For clarity, you retain all of your ownership rights in your User Content. By submitting your User Content to the Site, you hereby grant CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the User Content in connection with the Site and CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Site (and derivative works thereof) in any and all media formats and through any and all media channels. You also hereby grant each User of the Site a non-exclusive license to access your User Content through the Site and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such User Content as permitted through the functionality of the Site and under these Terms.

You further agree that you will not submit material that is:

a. copyrighted, protected by trade secret or otherwise subject to third party proprietary rights, including without limitation privacy and publicity rights, unless you are the owner of such rights or have permission from their rightful owner(s) to post the material and to grant CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC all of the license rights granted herein; and

b. in connection with User Content, contrary to applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations.

License Grant, Software and Marks

Subject to these Terms, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC hereby grants you a nonexclusive, nontransferable right to:

a. access the Site and its Content, Promotions and Services;

b. access the software which includes, but is not limited to files, images incorporated in or generated by the software, and data accompanying the software (collectively, the "Software"), made available through the Site; and

c. download, print and use one copy of the Content for your personal or internal use only. Unauthorized access to the Site, or to the networks, systems, equipment, services, telecommunications or computer facilities used to deliver the Site, is a breach of the Terms and is a violation of law.

If you download Software from the Site, the Software is licensed to you by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC pursuant to the above license grant and pursuant to other terms and conditions that accompany the Software, if any. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not transfer title to the Software to you. You may own the medium on which the Software is recorded, but CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or its licensors retains full and complete title to the Software and all intellectual property rights therein. Software available in connection with the Site is further subject to United States export controls. No Software may be downloaded from the Site or otherwise exported or re-exported in violation of U.S. export laws. Downloading or using the Software is at your sole risk.

No Content, or trademarks, service marks and logos contained in the Content (collectively, "Marks"), may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way without the prior written consent of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or the applicable owner of such Content and Marks. If you download or print a copy of the Content for personal use, you must retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained therein. Modification of the Content or use of the Content for any other purpose is a violation of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's copyright and other proprietary rights. For purposes of these Terms, the use of any such Content on any other website or networked computer environment is prohibited.

Except as specifically permitted in these Terms, you may not, directly or indirectly:

a. transfer, sell, sublicense, rent or lease the Content or the Software;

b. circumvent any encrypted data or gain access to more materials or data than was licensed or use the Site in any manner which violates this these Terms or any applicable law;

c. reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, translate or convert any Software or computer programs used to access the Site; and/or

d. copy (except as provided herein), reproduce, disclose, distribute, display, perform, publish, adapt, create derivative works of, translate or otherwise modify the Content and/or Software or permit any third party to engage in any of the acts proscribed in clauses (a.) through (d.).

Upon request, you must provide CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC with evidence of compliance with this Section. Any special rules for the use of the Content or Software, accessible on the Site may be included elsewhere within the Site and are incorporated into these Terms by reference.

The Content of the Site is protected by copyright and other United States and foreign intellectual property and related laws, rules and regulations. The Content includes both material owned or controlled by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC and material owned or controlled by third parties and licensed to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC. Except for User Content you post through the Site, title to all Content remains with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or the third party owners of such Content. Any use of the Content not expressly permitted by these Terms is a breach of these Terms and may violate copyright, trademark and other laws. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC.

Suspension, Termination or Cancellation of Membership or Subscription

You acknowledge and agree that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may block your use of the Site or its Content, Promotions, Services, and/or suspend or terminate your membership to the Site or Subscription (as defined below) if you fail to abide by these Terms.

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right to:

a. delete any or all User Content provided by you or your agent(s) through the Site;

b. suspend or discontinue your registration with the Site;

c. suspend or discontinue your Subscription (as defined below) or any digital product, product, course, event, content, tool or service used or purchased through the Site;

d. notify and/or send your account information or any User Content to and/or fully cooperate with the proper law enforcement authorities for further action; and/or

e. any other action which CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC deems to be appropriate.

If your ability to access the Site and/or any other Content, Promotions or Services provided to you by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is suspended or discontinued by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC due to your violation of any portion of these Terms or for conduct otherwise inappropriate for the Site, then you agree that you shall not attempt to re-register with or access the Site and/or any other digital product, Content, Promotions, Services provided by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, through use of a different username, account information or otherwise, and you acknowledge that you will not be entitled to receive a refund for fees related to those digital items, Content, Promotions, Services to which your access has been suspended or terminated. If you violate the immediately preceding sentence, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to immediately take any or all of the actions set forth in clauses (a) - (e) of this Section without any notice or warning to you.

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may, in its sole discretion, terminate a Member if he/she has been inactive for a period of twelve (12) months. A Member will be defined as inactive if she/he has not logged into the Site with her/his username and password.

To cancel your account or Subscription (as defined below), you can email customerservice@catholiconline.email subject "Cancel My Account" or "Cancel My Subscription" and include the email address that you registered your account or Subscription (as defined below) with (if different from the email address you're sending the email from). Because of the nature of caching technology, your account may not be instantly inaccessible to others.

Third Party Links

These Terms apply only to the Site. The Site may provide links to other websites and resources, the content and features of which may change over time. Because CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC has no control over such third-party sites and resources, you acknowledge and agree that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is not responsible for the availability of such websites or resources and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products or other materials on or available from such websites or resources.

Separate end user license agreements or terms of use that set forth additional conditions may apply to Promotions or Services offered via the Site. Please also note that registration and certain other information about you are subject to the privacy policy posted at the website on which you are providing your information. Please read that website's privacy policy for information on how your data will be handled. In addition, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC mobile application is governed by its own terms of use and privacy policy. Before using or submitting information to other websites or mobile applications, please review their terms of use and privacy policies carefully.

YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THIRD PARTY WEBSITES AND RESOURCES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION YOUR USE OF ANY CONTENT, INFORMATION, DATA, ADVERTISING, PRODUCTS, PROMOTIONS, SERVICES OR OTHER MATERIALS ON OR AVAILABLE THROUGH SUCH WEBSITES AND RESOURCES, IS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND IS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO SUCH WEBSITES AND RESOURCES.

It is possible that other websites and resources provide links to the Site (whether with or without CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's authorization). CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC has no control over websites and resources that provide links to the Site and you acknowledge and agree that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC does not endorse such websites and is not responsible for any links from those websites or resources to the Site or for any content, advertising, products or other materials available on such other websites. You further acknowledge and agree that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or inability to use

a. websites or resources to which CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC provides links or that provide links to the Site, or

b. any content, goods or services available on or through any such websites or resources.

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC has the right, at any time and in its sole discretion, to block links to the Site through technological or other means, without prior notice.

Social Networks

The Site, or its Content, Promotions or Services, may include features that connect to social networks and allow you to share or like such Content, Promotions or Services with your friends or other users of the social networks, or you may be able to connect your Member account with your social network account. To learn more about how your information may be shared with social networks or how your social network information may be shared with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, please read our Privacy Policy. and the privacy policy or settings of the relevant social network. Dealings with Third Party Providers

Your correspondence or business dealings with, or participation in Promotions or Services sponsored by, any third party advertisers or other third party providers of goods, Promotions or Services made available on or through the Site, including payment and delivery of goods, Promotions or Services (and expressly including, without limitation, travel or tours arranged through the Site), and any other term, condition, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such third-party advertiser or provider and solely at your own risk. You agree that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC is not responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings or as the result of the presence of such third-party advertisers or providers on the Site. E-Commerce, Payments

If products, subscriptions ("Subscriptions"), or Services are made available for purchase through the Site and you wish to purchase such products, subscriptions or Services, you may be asked by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC or its designee (or, if such product, subscription or Service is being made available by a third party provider, by such third party provider) to supply certain information relevant to your purchase, including, without limitation, credit card number, expiration date, billing address and shipping information. YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO USE ANY CREDIT CARD(S) OR OTHER PAYMENT MEANS USED BY YOU OR THROUGH YOUR USERNAME(S) TO PURCHASE ANY SUCH PRODUCT AND/OR SERVICE. You acknowledge that any such information will be treated by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC in accordance with CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Privacy Policy. You grant CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC the right to provide such information to third parties in order to facilitate the completion of transactions initiated by you or on your behalf through the Site. Verification of information may be required prior to acceptance of any order through the Site. Descriptions or images of, or references to, products, subscriptions or Services on the Site do not imply CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's endorsement of such products, subscriptions or Services. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC reserves the right, with or without prior notice, to: change descriptions or references to products, subscriptions or Services; limit the available quantity of any product, subscription or Service; honor, or refuse to honor, any coupon, coupon code, promotional code or other similar promotions; and/or refuse to provide any visitor to the Site with any product, subscription or Service. Prices and availability of any product, subscription or Service offered through the Site are subject to change without notice. Refunds and exchanges shall be subject to CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's refund and exchange policies, in the applicable Additional Terms, as may be made available by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC and updated by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC from time to time. You agree to pay all charges that may be incurred by you or on your behalf through the Site, at the price(s) in effect when such charges are incurred, including all shipping and handling charges. In addition, you remain responsible for any and all taxes that may be applicable to your purchase(s), and you agree that such taxes, if any, are not the responsibility of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC. Purchases, Subscriptions

The Site offers Content, Services and other products that you can view, purchase, subscribe to, or download, subject to the terms, conditions and license set forth in these Terms. In addition, you can find related products and services at other locations, or via other third party providers, including, without limitation, storefronts, wireless carriers, online music and/or video download and streaming sites, video game console services, third party websites, etc. (collectively "Third Party Sales Locations"). ALL PURCHASES ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE, LOSS OR INJURY ARISING OUT OF: THE ACTIVITIES OF ANY VENDOR OR THIRD PARTY SALES LOCATION, THE MERCHANDISE OFFERED BY THE THIRD PARTY SALES LOCATIONS, ANY LOSS OR INJURY RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS OR INABILITY TO ACCESS THE SITE, ANY THIRD PARTY SALES LOCATIONS OR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE THEREIN, OR ANY LOSS OR INJURY ARISING OUT OF YOUR PURCHASE OR USE OF ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.

The Content, Services and all other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC are provided for your private, non-commercial use, and you may not distribute, modify, translate, rebroadcast, transmit, perform or create derivative works of them.

17.1 Price Modifications; Merchandise and Services Availability

Catholic Online, LLC reserves the right to modify the price of any Services or Subscriptions or any other products offered. Catholic Online, LLC is not responsible for any error in copy or images relating to Services or any other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC. Any offer to sell any Services or any other products or Subscriptions offered by Catholic Online, LLC, may be discontinued at any time in Catholic Online, LLC's sole discretion.

The Services and any other applicable products or Subscriptions offered by Catholic Online, LLC or Third Party Sales Locations are subject to transmission limitations of the Internet and, as applicable, wireless carriers, including, but not limited to, video and/or audio dropouts, rebuffering or loss of connection. 17.2 Customer Service

Should you have any questions about the purchase of Services, Subscriptions or products, send an email to customerservice@catholiconline.email 17.3 Purchasing; Price; Payment

In order to purchase Services, Subscriptions or any other products from Catholic Online, LLC or via Third Party Sales Locations, you may be required to provide complete and accurate personal information, including, without limitation, your name, address, telephone number, email address, credit or debit card information and shipping address. Catholic Online, LLC Privacy Policy explains how such information may be collected and used by Catholic Online, LLC. With respect to Third Party Sales Locations, the privacy policy of any such Third Party Sales Location applies to the collection and use of your information by the operators and/or owners of such Third Party Sales Location. Your ability to purchase Services, Subscriptions and/or any other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC is subject to limits established by your card issuer. You must notify Catholic Online, LLC immediately of any change in your credit or debit card information, including any change to your home address. Catholic Online, LLC may bill your credit or debit card at the time the Services, Subscriptions or any other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC are ordered or fulfilled. You must pay all amounts accrued in your account, including sales tax and shipping and handling charges, when due. Catholic Online, LLC may in its sole discretion decline service to or terminate any account. Neither Catholic Online, LLC nor any Vendor or any operator of any Third Party Sales Location is responsible, and must not be held liable, for any breaches in transaction security by any third party.

By purchasing any Services, Subscriptions or any other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC, you acknowledge and agree that your credit or debit card is being charged by the payment processor of Catholic Online, LLC or its third party, the operator of such product or service.

By utilizing a credit or debit card for purchase of any Services, Subscriptions or any other applicable products offered by Catholic Online, LLC, you authorize Catholic Online, LLC to charge such card on the periodic basis as specified (e.g., once per month for monthly Subscriptions) in the amount described on the applicable Service or Subscriptions' purchase path(s).

If the account number, expiration date or other information of any credit or debit card account associated with your Subscription or Service changes, Catholic Online, LLC recommends that you update it as soon as possible. Please also be aware, Catholic Online, LLC may acquire this current information from Catholic Online, LLC's financial services partner and update the information previously provided to us by you to include such revised payment information.

17.4 Sales Tax

For certain purchases of Services, Subscriptions or other products, Catholic Online, LLC is required to collect sales tax. In states or regions that impose sales or use tax, a purchase is subject to tax unless specifically exempt. Purchases from Catholic Online, LLC are not exempt from sales or use taxes simply because they are made from the Internet or because Catholic Online, LLC is not required to collect sales or use tax by any particular state or region. Whether any sales tax will be collected on a given purchase and the amount of tax charged depends on a number of factors including whether Catholic Online, LLC is subject to tax in a given jurisdiction. The purchaser is responsible for any applicable taxes not collected by Catholic Online, LLC and certain states require purchasers to file a sales/use tax return annually reporting taxable purchases that were not taxed and to pay such tax. For details, see the website of, or otherwise contact, the applicable taxing authority. If any sales tax will be collected directly by Catholic Online, LLC in connection with a purchase, that amount will be shown either prior to the completion of any purchase or reflected in the final confirmation of that purchase.

For Oklahoma purchasers, applicable use tax on purchases made from Catholic Online, LLC may be reported and paid on an Oklahoma individual income tax return [Form 511] or by filing a consumer use tax return [Form 21-1]. The referenced forms and corresponding instructions are available on the Oklahoma Tax Commission website www.tax.ok.gov.

17.5 Billing and Refund Policies for Certain Services

For certain Subscriptions billed on a monthly basis ("Monthly Subscriptions"), the term begins when you purchase the Subscription and ends thirty (30) calendar days later. Your Subscription will automatically renew monthly at the full monthly price applicable at the time of purchase or at the regular full monthly price, in the event your purchase was subject to a discount or special promotion, each in accordance with the terms presented to you at the time of purchase. In the event Catholic Online, LLC discontinues or significantly alters a Monthly Subscription or Service that you have purchased with monthly automatic renewal, Catholic Online, LLC shall notify you via the email address provided at purchase of such cancellation and may provide information about similar or new Monthly Subscriptions or Services. To cancel a Monthly Subscription, send an email to customerservice@catholiconline.email. Cancellation will become effective as of the next monthly billing cycle following receipt.

For certain Subscriptions billed on a yearly basis, the term begins upon purchase of the Subscription and ends on the anniversary date of your purchase the following year, with one-time billing immediately following your purchase of the yearly Subscription ("Yearly Subscriptions"). Your Yearly Subscription will automatically renew annually on the anniversary date of your initial purchase each year at the previous year's regular full yearly price, unless Catholic Online, LLC discontinues or significantly alters the Yearly Subscription prior to the start of the applicable Yearly Subscription renewal period. In the event Catholic Online, LLC discontinues or significantly alters a Yearly Subscription or Service that you have purchased with annual automatic renewal, Catholic Online, LLC shall notify you via the email address provided at purchase of such cancellation and may provide information about similar or new Yearly Subscriptions or Services. To cancel the annual automatic renewal feature, send an email to customerservice@catholiconline.email. Cancellation will become effective as of the next annual billing cycle following receipt.

17.6 Refund Policies for Certain Subscription Services

In order to provide the highest customer satisfaction possible, Catholic Online, LLC will refund the purchase price paid for a Subscription if a refund request is made to the email address or telephone number(s) provided immediately above and below within five (5) days of your initial purchase of a Subscription or within five (5) days of any annual automatic renewal date for any Yearly Subscription. In no event will Catholic Online, LLC grant you more than one (1) refund during any given calendar year or provide partial or pro-rated refunds.

Of course, should you wish to cancel your Subscription at any time, you may send an email to customerservice@catholiconline.email If such cancellation occurs on any date following the fifth (5th) day after your purchase date, then your cancellation will be effective as follows:

a. Any Yearly Subscription: Cancellation of each year after (and not including) the year during which you cancel. NOTE: Each year of your Yearly Subscription concludes on the anniversary date of your initial purchase date.

b. Any Monthly Subscription: Cancellation of each month after (and not including) the month during which you cancel. NOTE: the first month of your Monthly Subscription concludes thirty (30) days after your initial purchase date and each subsequent month thirty (30) days thereafter.

17.7 Notifications and Other Terms and Conditions

By accepting this Agreement, you agree that Catholic Online, LLC may notify you about changes to prices, Subscriptions and/or Services and other products, services or subscriptions by sending an email message to your email address on file with Catholic Online, LLC, and by publishing such notices from time to time on the informational page(s) applicable to the Services. It is your responsibility to notify Catholic Online, LLC of any change in your email address by logging in to the Site and using the online account management tool. If your email service includes functionality or software that catalogues your emails in an automated manner, it is your responsibility to ensure that those emails we send to you reach your inbox, either by routinely monitoring your bulk, junk and/or spam email folders or by adding us to your address book or safe senders list. In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and the terms and conditions provided for any such Service or Subscription, the terms and conditions of the applicable Service or Subscription will govern.

Programming, pricing, terms and conditions of Services, Subscriptions and other products offered via by Catholic Online, LLC are subject to availability and change. Certain Services, Subscriptions and other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC other than the Site, including downloadable wireless applications, may be governed by an end user license agreement or similar agreement with different terms and conditions than are contained in this Agreement, including different refund policies, which terms may be in addition to the terms contained herein. Please refer to the terms and conditions of such Services, Subscriptions or products to determine the policies applicable for such other Services, Subscriptions or products. In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and the terms and conditions provided for any such Services, Subscriptions or products, the terms and conditions of the applicable Services, Subscriptions or products will govern.

17.8 Access to Services and Restrictions

Subscription activation for Services and other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC, and subsequent ability to access Services and other products offered by Catholic Online, LLC, may be subject to approval of your valid major credit or debit card and verification of other information that you submit or is otherwise obtained by Catholic Online, LLC (e.g., your IP address). Applicable taxes are not included and are the responsibility of the subscriber. IF YOU CIRCUMVENT, OR ATTEMPT TO CIRCUMVENT, ANY USE RESTRICTION HEREIN: YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL BE SUBJECT TO IMMEDIATE TERMINATION. FOR EARLY TERMINATION; YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO LEGAL ACTION; AND CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REPORT SUCH MISCONDUCT TO APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.

SHARING OF PASSWORDS TO ANY ACCOUNT, SERVICE, SUBSCRIPTION, OR PRODUCT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. IN ADDITION TO THE RIGHTS AND REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC AS SET FORTH IN THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHARGE USERS THE FULL SUBSCRIPTION FEE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL WITH WHOM THE USER HAS SHARED HIS/HER PASSWORD.

17.9 Cancellation of Subscription

To cancel your Subscription, you can: email customerservice@catholiconline.email, subject "Cancel My Subscription" and include the email address that you registered your account or Subscription with (if different from the email address you're sending the email from); or via your online Subscription account page. Member Rewards

Catholic Online, LLC may, in its discretion, offer a membership rewards program ("Member Rewards") to its Members. Members may participate in CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's Member Rewards and, if applicable, earn points that can be redeemed for promotional offers from merchants. Member Rewards points made available by CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC through the Site, are nonrefundable, have no monetary value (i.e., are not a cash account or equivalent), and are only a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to use, even if such came with a durational term. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may immediately suspend or terminate the license we grant you as a Member to Member Rewards points for any or no reason, in our sole discretion, and without advance notice or liability. We may modify any Member Rewards points program, or the terms that govern their usage, at our sole discretion, and such modifications may make the Member Rewards points more or less common, valuable, effective, or functional. Sweepstakes, Contests, and Promotions

Any sweepstakes, contest, or similar Promotions that CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may make available through the Site or for which CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC may, from time to time, send email messages to you will be governed by terms that are separate from and may vary from these Terms. By participating in any such sweepstakes, contest, or similar Promotions (if any), you will become subject to its specific terms. Note, however, that you remain subject to these Terms to the extent they do not conflict with the applicable Promotions terms. System Outages

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC periodically schedules system downtime for maintenance of the Site and other purposes. Unplanned system outages also may occur. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC has no liability whatsoever for:

a. the resulting unavailability of the Site;

b. any loss of data or transactions caused by planned or unplanned system outages;

c. the resultant delay, misdelivery or nondelivery of information caused by such system outages; or

d. any third party acts or any other outages of web host providers, Internet service providers or the Internet facilities and networks. Disclaimer

YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF THE SITE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ALL CONTENT, PROMOTIONS, SERVICES, SUBSCRIPTIONS, DIGITAL ITEMS, COURSES, EVENTS, TOOLS AND PRODUCTS PURCHASED THROUGH THE SITE, IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED OR THAT SITE OR THE SERVERS THAT MAKE IT AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR ANY OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC DOES NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE CONTENT, PROMOTIONS OR SERVICES ON THE SITE WITH RESPECT TO THEIR CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY OR OTHERWISE. YOU (AND NOT CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION OF ANY DEVICE THAT YOU USE TO ACCESS THE SITE. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. Limitation of Liability

CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, RESULTING FROM THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SITE OR FOR THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS, CONTENT, PROMOTIONS, SERVICES, DIGITAL ITEMS, EVENTS, COURSES AND/OR CONTENT OR RESULTING FROM ANY GOODS, PROMOTIONS, SERVICES, DIGITAL ITEMS, EVENTS, COURSES AND/OR CONTENT PURCHASED OR OBTAINED OR MESSAGES RECEIVED OR TRANSACTIONS ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE SITE OR RESULTING FROM UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLES EVEN IF CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold each of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC and its parent corporations, subsidiaries and affiliated entities and their respective members, shareholders, officers, directors, employees and agents, harmless from and against any and all third party claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys' fees) due to or arising out of:

a. your use of and access to the Site or its Content, Promotions or Services;

b. your violation of any provision of these Terms;

c. your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any copyright, property, or privacy right; or

d. any claim that your or any of your User Content caused damage to a third party. Claims of Copyright Infringement

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Miscellaneous 29.1

Notices. Any notice or other communication required or permitted to be made under these Terms or the Mobile Terms may be delivered in person, by telecopier transmission, by United States certified or registered mail, by a nationally-recognized overnight courier or, as provided below, by electronic means. Except as otherwise provided herein, a notice shall be effective (a) upon receipt, if delivered in person; (b) upon receipt (confirmed by automatic answer back or like evidence of receipt), if sent by telecopier during normal business hours at the office of the recipient thereof and otherwise at the opening of business at such recipient's office on the next business day; (c) three (3) days after deposit into the United States mail, if sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested; (d) at 11:00 a.m. on the next business day, if sent by overnight courier; and (e) as provided below, if sent by electronic means. In each case, such notice to any party shall be made to the address of such party indicated (i) in the case of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC below, or (ii) in the case of the User, the address provided by the User upon registration. Either party may from time to time change its address for receiving notices in writing, or its electronic address, in the case of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, by posting a change of address on the Site or, for either party, by sending a notice to the other party in writing or by electronic means promptly confirmed in writing. Any notice or other communication to be made hereunder, even if otherwise required to be in writing under other provisions of these Terms, may alternatively be made in an electronic record transmitted electronically to the electronic addresses set forth (1) in the case of CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC, below, or (2) in the case of the User, the electronic address provided by the User upon registration. Any notice or other communication made in electronic form will have the same legal effect and enforceability as if made in non-electronic form. CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC also may broadcast notices, messages or other matters of importance on the Site; such broadcasts shall constitute notice to all Users. 29.2

Governing Law. These Terms and the Mobile Terms are governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of California and the United States of America, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provisions that would cause the application of any other state's or nation's laws. 29.3 29.1

Arbitration. THIS SECTION PROVIDES FOR RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES THROUGH FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION BEFORE A NEUTRAL ARBITRATOR INSTEAD OF IN A COURT BY A JUDGE OR JURY. All disputes arising under or relating to these Terms or the Mobile Terms or to your use (or inability to use) of the Site shall be settled by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules and Supplementary Procedures for Consumer-Related Disputes ("Supplementary Procedures"), as amended by these Terms. The Supplementary Procedures are available online at www.adr.org. To the extent that the arbitrator deems reasonable, the arbitrator may conduct hearings, if any, by teleconference or videoconference, rather than by personal appearances. Any in-person appearances requested by the arbitrator shall be held in Kern County in the State of California. The arbitrator's decision shall be based upon the substantive laws of the State of California without regard to its principles of conflicts of law. Arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in English and shall be conducted in a manner that preserves confidentiality. The arbitrator's decision shall follow the plain meaning of the relevant documents and shall be final and binding. The award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be confirmed and enforced in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The foregoing shall not preclude CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC from seeking any injunctive relief in U.S. state or federal courts for protection of its intellectual property rights (including the rights of its licensors), and you agree to exclusive jurisdiction by the federal and state courts located in Kern County in the State of California, and waive any jurisdictional, venue or inconvenient forum objections to such courts. 29.4

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Other. These Terms do not create rights enforceable by third parties. These Terms do not, and shall not be construed to, create any partnership, joint venture, employer-employee, agency, or franchisor-franchisee relationship between the parties hereto. These Terms will bind and inure to the benefit of each party's successors and permitted assigns. You may not assign, transfer, or sublicense any of your rights or obligations under these Terms without CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC's prior express written consent. No waiver by either party of any breach or default hereunder will be deemed to be a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach or default. If any part of these Terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, it will be replaced with language reflecting the original purpose in a valid and enforceable manner, and the enforceable Sections of these Terms will remain binding upon the parties. Any heading, caption or Section title contained herein is inserted only as a matter of convenience, and in no way defines or explains any Section or provision hereof. These Terms, together with all policies referred to herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC with respect to your use of the Site and the Mobile Sites and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals between you and CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC regarding such subject matter. Without limitation, you agree that a printed version of these Terms and of any notice given in electronic form shall be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this agreement to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form. Contacting CATHOLIC ONLINE, LLC

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UPDATED: 2/26/2020
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U.S. Rep. John Katko is teaming with a California Democrat in an attempt to expand mental health services nationwide.

Katko, R-Camillus, has introduced the Mental Health Improvement Act, which would add licensed mental health counselors and relationship therapists to Medicare's list of eligible service providers.

The mental health professionals in these fields are currently unable to bill Medicare for their services. Katko said adding them to Medicare's network of service providers would provide improved access to care, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-California, is the original cosponsor of the measure.

Katko unveiled the bill three months after a mental health task force he led with Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, a Syracuse-area Democrat, released its final report. The document outlined several recommendations, including federal legislation that was needed to improve mental health services.

"This measure will not only increase access to care for older Americans in communities nationwide, but it will help alleviate the strain on our nation's mental health and addiction workforce," Katko said. "I'll continue to fight at home in central New York and in Washington to ensure individuals and families receive the care they need."

National groups and organizations from central New York have endorsed the legislation. One of the supporters is the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Syracuse.

Karen Winters Schwartz, president of NAMI of Syracuse, called poor access to good medical care, including mental health services, a "grave injustice" that can lead to an array of problems, including hospitalization, loss of productivity and suicide.

"In the end, the cost to society is morally and fiscally catastrophic," she said. "Congressman Katko understands this and I commend him for his efforts. The Mental Health Access Improvement Act will be a positive step in providing justice to those of our population who suffer daily with these neurological, brain-based illnesses."
A Democrat and Republican are hoping to provide more information for student loan borrowers about their financing options after leaving college.

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch has introduced legislation, the Educating Student Loan Borrowers Act, which would require student loan companies to distribute information to borrowers annually about repayment options and forgiveness plans that are available.

The bill's lead cosponsor is U.S. Rep. John Katko, who has cosponsored a separate measure that would allow borrowers to discharge student loan debt into bankruptcy  an option that isn't available under current federal statutes.

The goal of the Welch-Katko bill is to educate students about their options. While financial counseling is required for students who take out loans to fund their college education, there's no mandate in place for student loan providers to share information on the various repayment options and forgiveness plans.

Welch, D-Vermont, said his bill will give borrowers more information to help them quickly pay off their debt.

"Higher education is the gateway to America's middle class," he said. "Graduates should be focused on putting their degree to work and securing a job that will allow them to enter that middle class, rather than getting caught up in the maze of student loan repayment process."

Katko, R-Camillus, said the bill will allow college graduates to better understand their options when attempting to pay off their debt.

"The more knowledge borrowers have, the more feasible and manageable repayment becomes and the more opportunities college graduates have to become greater contributors to our community," he said.

The latest figures show that there are more than 42 million student loan borrowers with debts totaling more than than $1.3 trillion. Student loan debt has surpassed total credit card debt.

Nearly three-quarters of students who attend college will borrow funds to pay tuition and related expenses. A fraction of those who receive federal loans  one-sixth  will not be able to pay back their loans on time.
AUBURN  The Auburn City Council voted unanimously to approve police, firefighter and assistant fire chief contracts before the previous contracts expired, a stark difference from previous rounds of contract negotiations in 2013, which dragged on into the next year.

The council approved five-year contracts for all three parties during Thursday night's city council meeting, which will go into effect July 1, 2017. Each contract included salary raises for the employees, offset by health insurance cost decreases for the city.

City manager Jeff Dygert said five-year contracts "give the city stability" when it comes to planning the city budget each year.

The deals between the city and the New York Finger Lakes Region Police Officers Local 195 and the Auburn Professional Firefighters 1446 feature an average salary increase of 2.6 percent per year. The agreement between the city and the Auburn Assistant Fire Chief's Association Local 4021 is an average yearly salary increase of 1.9 percent.

"Salary increases are almost a given in any contract negotiation," Dygert said.

The city gave police and firefighters the option to choose from three health insurance plans. Dygert said the city encouraged the employees to choose a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, which is more affordable for both the city and employees, with an average savings of $4,000 per employee.

All new employees will be required to enroll in the Blue Cross Blue Shield plan.

The fire chiefs' contracts will save the city money in the long run by no longer allowing chiefs to "bank" vacation time to cash out upon retirement.

"We've tried to make a few tweaks with health care with the assistant chiefs group and we succeeded to a certain extent, but its a small group and the return on that would not be drastic," Dygert said.

City council members expressed appreciation at how contract negotiations were handled this year.

"I would like to congratulate everyone involved in negotiating these contracts," Councilor Dia Carabajal said. "I think it's a very important thing for us as council to remember that having contracts in place and on time is very important."

In other news...

 The installation of the blue-green algae treatment equipment at the Emerson Park pump station on Owasco Lake is "right on schedule," said Director of Municipal Utilities Seth Jensen.

Jensen said most of the project materials have already been ordered and the electrical contractor has been working since June 12.

Later in the meeting, the city council voted to award the general contractor bid for the project to M.A. Bongiovanni, Inc. of Syracuse.

Jensen said the system should be up and running by the beginning of August, a month before the typical bloom period.

 Free two-hour parking in the Lincoln Street garage will begin July 1, but the automated parking system equipment will not be installed until the second week of July, Superintendent of Public Works Mike Talbot said.

The current lower level metered spots will soon utilize an automatic kiosk and 14 spots along the garage's north wall will be converted to metered parking. These spots will not offer the two-hour free parking.

Talbot said the city will put up signs in these spots to alert frequent users of the changes, which also go into effect July 1.
Nashville based band Behold The Brave will be coming to Chattanooga on July 15, playing at JJ's Bohemia in support of their forthcoming release out on July 7.

Review for Behold the Brave:

Behold the Brave is a band whose sound is hard to ignore. Beyond the heavy, fuzzed-out guitars, theres the beauty in the beast: Southern rock, blues, and psychedelic melodies at its finest. As vocalist and guitarist Clayton Davis explains, We want every song to create a different vibe and feeling that adds the right ambiance for every occasion.

And with that goal in mind, the Nashville band, consisting of Davis along with Zack Randolph (guitar), Jeremiah Thompson (drums) and Joel Parks (bass), incorporates a slew of genres and influences: Soulful Southern vocals ala Stax, West Coast psych haziness, James Brown bravado, Mudhoney bass fuzz, and the best of 60s and 70s pop and RnB, from the Beatles to Motown.

Thats a lot for a young band to be referencing but when one digs deeper, it only makes sense. Many forms of art can be influential; films, commercials, paintings, theories, science, nature, religion, Davis points out. Life experiences influence us to feel differently about songs or certain types of music.

Behold the Brave started in Chattanooga, a city that embodies picturesque, as its surrounded by mountains and ridges, complete with the Tennessee River running through it. It affected our writing, Davis recalls. We wanted to write heavy, fun stuff that you would jam out to if you saw a band play your favorite bar.

In early 2015 came a move to Nashville, the Music City, a city that has had its own unique influence as well. Surrounded by a more robust music industry and having put in more studio time, they are maturing as a band. Having developed a relationship with local studio, Gold Cassette, the band is developing and refining its take on Southern rock. Our thoughts go beyond just the songwriting itself and a lot more into production, Davis says, recalling one of their influences, The Beatles, who used the studio as another instrument rather than just a tool.

Youll hear more of their musical growth on their debut release slated for release July 2017 via WITHYN Records.

beholdthebrave.com
During a surprise reception to honor Henry Schulsons 20 years of service to Creative Discovery Museum and the Chattanooga community, Mayor Andy Berke presented Mr. Schulson with the Key to the City.

There are people in our community who make such a difference with their own voice that they should be recognized as being a key to our future, and unlocking the potential of our city," said Mayor Berke during his speech at the reception. "On behalf of the citizens of Chattanooga, I want to present Henry Schulson with a Key to the City of Chattanooga.

Mr. Schulson was completely surprised. I am totally shocked, said Mr. Schulson. When the Museum opened, it was like a tree that landed without roots. Over the last 20 years, weve worked to build deep roots in this community. So many people have worked to create this Museum. Its really become a community Museum, and thats something Im most proud of.

Mr. Schulson also credited Jayne Griffin, Ed.D for providing over 20 years of leadership as director of education.

I couldnt have done this for 20 years without Jayne, Mr. Schulson said. Her passion for children, her expertise as an educator and her commitment to teaching children through the power of play has been instrumental to the success of the Museum.

For two decades, Mr. Schulson has served as executive director at the Museum. Through his leadership, Mr. Schulson has transformed Creative Discovery Museum into more than just a museum:

 In 2016, the Museum served over 283,000 children and families at the Museum and through its outreach programs;

 It is an economic driver for downtown attracting more than 237,000 guests in 2016. Approximately 55,000 were out of town visitors;

 It is an educational resource for over 71,000 students a year;

 The Discovery Mobile, a mobile science lab, has provided lessons to over 3,500 students in the region who may not have access to materials and curriculum;

 It is a training ground for over 100 teen volunteers;

 It is a national hub for alternative energy education in partnership with the Department of Energy and the BioEnergy Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory;

 And it is a community center that provides close to 50,000 free and reduced admissions every year.

If you think about all he has done, so many children come through here (Creative Discovery Museum) and find their own voice, Mayor Berke said. With our own kids, Monique and I saw that. Hes understood the power that he has, and the Museum has, to become the voice for kids in our community.

At the time Mr. Schulson was hired, the Museum was only a year-and-a-half old. According to Lori Runge, who served as board chair at the time, the Museum looked very different then than that it does now.

We all know the great place the Museum is today, Ms. Runge said during her speech at the reception. As many know, and I do say every single chance I get, hiring Henry was our greatest accomplishment.

As I look at the Museum today, we had no idea how good of a decision we really made, Paul Brock said. Mr. Brock served as acting director at the time Mr. Schulson was hired. The Museum partners with educators, schools, social service agencies. Its a resource for children and families in this area. This community is stronger because of the leadership hes provided.

In addition to the impact Mr. Schulson has outside of the Museum, Ms. Griffin voiced appreciation for his leadership and compassion for the Museum staff.

Staff knows that Henrys leadership allows us to grow into ourselves, said Ms. Griffin. He celebrates the people we are. He knows, respects and cares about all of his staff. I also couldnt have done this for 20 years if it wasnt for Henry.

Its been a real privilege to have a front row seat as board chair for the last nine years to watch Henry do what he does to improve our community every single day, said Leonora Williamson, Creative Discovery Museum board chair. This formidable leader and his team truly do make our community the best place for a child to grow up.

As part of the celebration, the Museum board created Henrys Fund through the Community Foundation. Mr. Schulson received a check for over $11,000 to use towards the Museum at his discretion. To contribute to Henrys Fund, you can make checks payable to Henrys Fund and mail to Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga at 1270 Market St., Chattanooga, TN, 37402.






The hottest surface temperature ever recorded was in Iran, where scientists captured a reading of 159 degrees Fahrenheit. Although we cant and shouldnt link every heat wave or record high temperature to climate change, trends show global averages are rising. This will lead to all kinds of problems, including sinking cities and mass migrations.

New data is being released at regular intervals now, detailing what we should expect in coming years. A lot of it is quite alarming, too, as it turns out some parts of the world might become quite literally uninhabitable as a result of rising temperatures.

Climate change and killer heat

The main issue, as some scientists are pointing out, is the number of days with high temperatures in a given year is going to grow considerably in certain regions. Higher temperatures for longer stretches of time? It will spell disaster. One study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, said a significant portion of the worlds population will face existential threats because of rising temperatures within decades.

Around 30% of the worlds population is currently exposed to climatic conditions exceeding this deadly threshold for at least 20 days a year, the study said. By 2100, this percentage is projected to increase to ~48% under a scenario with drastic reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and ~74% under a scenario of growing emissions. An increasing threat to human life from excess heat now seems almost inevitable.

Its scary stuff. We looked at which countries are in the most danger from rising temperatures and put together a list of 15. Its not exhaustive, but these 15 countries could see mass casualties related to climate change over the next century.

1. India

India is a massive country and not just geographically speaking. The countrys population is about 1.3 billion, which is roughly four times as many people as there are in the United States  and in less geographic space.

This could be disastrous when climate change is mixed into the equation. In certain parts of the country, temperatures could soar in coming years, leading to massive body counts. In many cities, temperatures already average nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer.

2. Australia

Most of Australias population already resides along the coasts. Thats because the countrys interior  including the Outback  is basically a giant oven. Climate change, naturally, would likely cause temperatures in certain regions to climb even higher, which could end up killing more people than ever.

Many Australians have already been killed due to heat-related causes, and that could get even worse. Between 1844 and 2010, extreme heat killed more than 5,300 Australians.

3. Brazil

South Americas biggest and most populous country, Brazil is also in danger of seeing more extreme and deadly heat waves as a result of climate change. Brazils cities are also rife with poverty, meaning many people without access to clean water or air-conditioning are particularly at risk. In certain parts of the country, average temperatures already hit near 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. If that goes up in coming decades, things could get very ugly.

4. Pakistan

Pakistan is also in harms way when it comes to the effects of climate change. Heat waves in recent years have killed thousands, and more frequent heat waves will result in more deaths. Few countries are in a worse position to deal with rising temperatures than Pakistan.

5. United Arab Emirates

While Pakistan is preparing for the worst, so are folks in the United Arab Emirates. Most of us know the UAE because of Dubai, as the rest of the country is mostly desert. Temperatures in the country average well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during certain parts of the year. This is also one of several nations in the Gulf region that might become uninhabitable within decades due to extreme heat.

6. Saudi Arabia

Another Gulf region country that will see massive problems due to increasing temperatures is Saudi Arabia. Its much larger and more populous than UAE, but Saudi Arabia will experience the same pains related to climate change. Thousands of people  including foreign pilgrims visiting Mecca  have been killed by the heat over the years. And its only going to get worse.

Now, well swing through the African nations that are in a very precarious position as global temperatures rise.

7. Sudan

Few nations have had a rougher go of it in recent years as Sudan. There have been famines, droughts, and civil wars. And on top of that, the country is facing a lot of uncertainty related to climate change. Temperatures often soar above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in Sudan, and its not uncommon for heat waves to kill dozens. Widespread poverty also means many people dont have access to water or air-conditioning to cool off.

8. Somalia

Sudans nearby neighbor Somalia is perhaps in more trouble than any country in the world. This is mainly due to the fact that there has been a lack of any sort of stability for decades now. There are few places people can go for help. And as weather patterns become more extreme, the needy will be in even more trouble. Disease, malnutrition, and extreme heat can only lead to disaster.

9. Chad

Yet another north-central African country  as this is the main glut of nations that are in very serious trouble  Chad faces the same tough conditions that Sudan and Somalia do. Again, widespread drought and a lack of resources are already making things tough for Chads population, and changing climate patterns will only exacerbate that. Temperatures regularly soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the countrys record high was 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

10. Niger

Located to the west of Chad, Niger is yet another country in the African interior which is in for some turbulence. Much of the country is desert, including the Sahara, where temperatures are known to climb well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit almost daily. And, as youve probably guessed, that has led to plenty of deaths over the years, mostly related to disease, drought, and famine.

11. Mali

We keep moving west through central Africa, which puts Mali next on our list. Though were talking about a different country, in this case, its the same unfortunate story. Mali has been dealing with droughts and famines for decades, and those problems will grow worse as average temperatures rise. Malis hottest recorded temperature was 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and during the summer the average high is 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

12. Mauritania

As we move west along the danger zone, as it relates to climate change, the next country on our list is Mauritania. The country is actually situated along the coast, though its larger portions are inland bordering Mali and Algeria. Its these portions that typically experience the hottest temperatures. Triple-digit temperatures are the average for more than six months of the year in these areas.

13. Nigeria

Nigeria borders Niger to the south and sits along the Atlantic coast. Like the other countries preceding it, Nigeria has experienced significant problems related to disease and famine. Heat waves, naturally, are also a big problem. Again, its mostly in the countrys interior where temperatures soar into the triple digits. But humidity near the coast can also make it very hard to keep cool and hydrated.

14. Thailand

Researchers say countries in the tropical regions will be the hit the hardest by climate change. That includes Thailand. Its already a hot and humid part of the world, and temperatures in Thailand will only increase as climate trends shift in coming decades. Intense and long heat waves are already starting to become the new norm, and many deaths are associated with these temperature spikes  including a number of drownings related to kids trying to beat the heat.



15. Venezuela

Well finish off with Venezuela, a country that is experiencing a number of issues completely unrelated to climate change. But Venezuela, which is located in northern South America, is also facing issues related to forest fires (unlike many other countries on our list) as temperatures rise. Also  and we dont mean to trivialize  but the country appears to be running out of beer reserves as temperatures increase.

More from Culture Cheat Sheet:
Airports are a necessary part of flying. But everybody hates the endless lines, anxiety-inducing security checkpoints, unpredictable delays, and rundown terminals youll spot at the most hated airports in the U.S. There might not be one definitive ranking of Americas most hated airports. But theres definitely a consensus. Researchers time and time again discover travelers hate LaGuardia, cant stand OHare, and would do anything to avoid Hartsfield-Jackson.

The Economist posits, American airports offer a shabby welcome to the greatest nation on Earth. And the BBC reports, The Wright Brothers may have given birth to modern aviation on a beach at Kitty Hawk, but U.S. airports these days are far from world-beating. Want to find out which airports savvy travelers would advise you avoid the next time you fly? Read on to check out the most hated airports in America.

16. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL)

Busy hubs like Atlanta are tough to avoid. But many travelers wish they could skip Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson. J.D. Power reports the airport is feeling the strain of accommodating 100 million travelers per year. The group also gives Hartsfield-Jackson only middling scores when it comes to check-in and security, baggage claim, and terminal shopping. Those scores cant save ATL from being one of the most hated airports in the U.S. And the airport made Bloombergs list of the most frustrating airports, too.

TimeOut USA notes travelers either love ATL or hate it. The airport has 207 gates across seven concourses  and they all seem to be packed with crowds at every hour of the day and night. Plus, Travel + Leisure notes though public transportation to and from the airport might be convenient, that hardly makes up for long waits, slow baggage handling, and a shortage of kid-friendly areas.

15. Kansas City International Airport (MCI)

The airport in Kansas City doesnt get much love from Bloomberg either, which reports the airport has an atrocious record for on-time departures. (Its flights leave as scheduled only 75% of the time.) Plus, the blog Sleeping in Airports puts Kansas City in fourth place on its list of the worst airports in North America.

A few reasons why? A notorious shortage of bathrooms, for starters. The airport also has a dearth of air-side restaurants to feed hungry travelers. And even though MCI is easy enough to navigate, it quickly feels cramped and claustrophobic when busy flights arrive. At least the terminals have comfortable seats.

14. Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

Houston certainly doesnt top the list of most hated airports in the U.S. But travelers definitely complain about the length of the lines, the cleanliness of the terminals, and the shopping amenities available. Those complaints land IAH on Priceonomics list of the worst airports  not just in the United States but around the world.

Houston also earned a place on Bloombergs list of the most frustrating airports. Plus, Sleeping in Airports complains Houston has too many travelers and not enough immigration officers. That can mean long waits and missed flights for international travelers. And the nicest thing Travel + Leisure could say about Houston? Theres a reasonably good chance that your flight will take off and not be canceled. At least thats something.

13. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

Another of the most hated airports Bloomberg singles out as exceptionally frustrating? The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport. Surprisingly, the airport has a pretty terrible track record of getting planes off the ground on time. (Unlike some other most hated airports, Fort Lauderdale probably cant blame snowstorms either.) In fact, FLL ranks among the top five airports for the worst percentage of on-time flights, according to Bloomberg.

Plus, J.D. Power isnt impressed by the airports check-in process, its security check, its terminal facilities, or even its baggage claim. If you can choose another airport to get to your spring break destination or your favorite vacation spot, you might want to reconsider a flight through Fort Lauderdale.

12. Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Travelers also name Orlando one of the most frustrating airports in the country, according to Bloomberg. The publication notes it also takes a long time for travelers to even get to the airport, with average drive times reaching a whopping 68 minutes. And the traffic jams dont end once you roll up to the airport either.

In fact, the airport has debated whether it should replace TSA agents with privately hired guards in an effort to reduce the amount of time travelers spend waiting in line at security. If you want to avoid one of the countrys most hated airports the next time you fly to Florida, The Points Guy recommends skipping Orlando and heading to nearby Tampa, where you can enjoy faster security lines, among other perks.

11. Chicago Midway Airport (MDW)

Though its certainly not as bad as OHare, Chicagos Midway doesnt escape the wrath of tired travelers. MDW lands on Bloombergs list of the most frustrating American airports, not least because it takes travelers an average of 58 minutes to get to the airport. But ultimately, Midway might earn its reputation as one of the most hated airports in America because of its terrible on-time departures record  the worst in Bloombergs ranking.

Midway might not be as deeply and obviously despised as OHare. But Thrillist reports that anyone who bitches about OHare has never flown through Chicago Midway. Midway is much smaller than OHare. Its so small, in fact, that it serves many more passengers than it was designed to accommodate. And travelers routinely get stuck in security so long they miss their flights altogether. Talk about a terrible way to start a vacation.

10. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

Nobody likes flying into Philadelphia, thanks to its long delays, far-flung terminals, and dilapidated terminals. In fact, Philadelphia makes Priceonomics list of the worst major airports in the entire world. And it also lands on Bloombergs list of the most frustrating major airports in the U.S.

Travel + Leisure singles it out for its poor design and lack of cleanliness. Plus, the magazine notes you can expect to encounter surly staff and long lines if you fly in or out of this Pennsylvania airport. And you shouldnt expect to get your checked bags quickly because the airport is notoriously inefficient at baggage handling.

9. Miami International Airport (MIA)

Florida sounds like a great vacation destination. But youre sure to run into some frustrations on your way there if you fly into the Miami International Airport. Priceonomics names Miami one of the worst airports not only in the U.S. but around the world. And Bloomberg identifies it as one of the most frustrating airports in the country.

The Huffington Post complains about the airports remarkable feeling of near-constant construction and its cramped waiting areas overflowing with people. And Sleeping in Airports nominates Miami as the second-worst airport in North America. The reason why? Its massive lines, huge distances, confusing signage, broken toilets, and dirty floors. Plus, the airport doesnt even have free Wi-Fi.

8. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

Dallas might be one of the busiest airports in the nation. But you should probably avoid it if you can. Dallas Fort-Worth is another airport that lands on Bloombergs list of the most frustrating for travelers. (The publication also reports an average drive time of 47 minutes for travelers to even get to the airport.) And NerdWallet considers it one of the worst airports in the U.S. for summer travel.

Travel + Leisure characterizes DFWs flight information screens as helpful. But the check-in and security experiences earn poor marks. And the airport gets only middling scores for baggage handling, staff responsiveness, and Wi-Fi. According to Travel + Leisure, DFW came out as a truly average airport. Not the best, but not the worst. At least its pretty clean.

7. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX is a worn-out airport long overdue for a Hollywood makeover, according to Travel + Leisure. CNN characterizes the Los Angeles airport as eight terminals connected by a traffic jam. The Huffington Post reports that the airports most glaring weak spots include long lines, ubiquitous pan handlers, inconvenient bus gates, and a layout that makes it difficult to get from one terminal to another.

Bloomberg also calls out LAX as one of the most frustrating airports in the country. And J.D. Power notes the renovations planned for the next few years will pose some access problems at the U-shaped airport. In fact, LAX is also one of the most hated airports among pilots, who complain about the constant construction. Even traffic outside the airport is terrible. And Thrillist posits that real friends take cabs and dont ask to be dropped off/picked up, FYI.

6. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

You might not need to wait long to get a taxi or a train to JFK. But you will definitely have to wait at every other juncture of your journey. JFK lands near the top of Bloombergs list of the most frustrating American airports  and in first place as the most frustrating airport to actually commute to, with an average drive time of 111 minutes. And according to The Points Guy, travelers who fly through JFK can look forward to incredibly long waits to get through security.

Plus, it can take an hour to get from one terminal to another  which has undoubtedly led to countless missed connections.The Huffington Post blames the airports barely connected passenger terminals for making JFK such a nuisance to navigate. CNN says travelers can look forward to worn-out terminals, huge crowds, long immigration lines, and bad attitudes from ground staff when theyre unfortunate enough to fly in or out of JFK.

5. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

Bloomberg names Boston Logan as one of the most frustrating airports in the United States. Travel + Leisure reports Logan is far from the cleanest major airport in the country. And the customer service staff on the ground doesnt exactly have a reputation for responding quickly when something goes wrong.

Plus, you can expect long waits to check in and to clear the security checkpoint. And if youre arriving in Boston, you should also expect to spend extra time waiting for your baggage to show up. If youre an international traveler landing in Boston? NerdWallet reports you should also anticipate extra long waits to clear customs.

4. Chicago OHare International Airport (ORD)

Thrillist characterizes Chicagos OHare International as the ninth circle of Dantes hell, with a complicated layout, shabby interior, bad signage, last-minute gate changes, and late connections. The public transportation to get you to the airport might be OHares best feature, according to Travel + Leisure. The airport earns poor marks for its check-in and security experiences. And travelers also complain about the difficulty of getting from one concourse to another.

J.D. Power points out OHares poor track record of on-time flights comes courtesy of frequent storms (not exactly the ground staffs fault). But The Points Guy notes OHare earns its status as one of the most hated airports thanks to not only to its high rates of delays, but also its long waits in security. And The Huffington Post reports OHare seems to have a talent for making international passengers wait as long as possible to clear customs.

3. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Washington Dulles repeatedly comes up in discussions of the most hated airports. But Priceonomics actually names it one of the worst major airports in the world. And Dulles earns third place in Bloombergs ranking of the most frustrating American airports. Plus, because it sits 26 miles from Washington, D.C., Dulles is another of the most hated airports that requires a lengthy commute. (Bloomberg reports an average drive time of 67 minutes.)

TimeOut USA notes the airports interesting architecture  designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen  probably wont distract you from the endless lines and hassles. Plus, Dulles has very limited shopping and dining options. So you cant count on a good meal or some retail therapy to cheer you up. In fact, Travel + Leisure thinks the experience is so dismal that you should just fly from Baltimore instead.

2. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Many people would prefer to fly out of Newark than the other New York area airports. But that doesnt say anything good about EWR. It lands in second place among Bloombergs most frustrating airports. The Points Guy, ranking the worst airports across the United States, notes Newark doesnt earn the worst scores in one category. Instead, it suffers from lackluster ratings across the board.

Thrillist, more colorfully, writes that Newark Liberty is ugly and dirty and is also at least an hour from NYC. And TimeOut USA reports you can look forward to flight delays, long check-in lines, and longer queues at TSA checkpoints when you head to Newark. But the lines dont stop once you get on the plane. You can also expect lines on the tarmac, where youll probably have to wait for dozens of planes to take off before yours can move.

1. New Yorks LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

The No. 1 complaint about the countrys most hated airport? LaGuardia hasnt aged well. And it shows. TimeOut USA notes, The airport wasnt designed for 21th century security checks, nor was it designed for inclement weather  theres always a chance of finding water dripping into buckets across the terminal when its raining. And though it doesnt take quite as long for travelers to get to LaGuardia as it takes them to get to JFK, Bloomberg reports average drive times of 69 minutes  no walk in the park.

LaGuardia also earns Bloombergs title as the most frustrating airport in the United States. The Points Guy reports it has the highest rate of flight delays and cancellations. It charges extortionate parking rates. And, according to Travel + Leisure, it ranks the worst for check-in and security, baggage handling, communication, Wi-Fi, and cleanliness. An impending redesign will ease overcrowding in the long run. But in the short term, travelers have to deal with construction-related headaches.

Read More: 6 Ways Youre Wasting Time at the Airport
We know Chicago was the backdrop for the dramatic ouster of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick this week, but a big question remains: Who was Kalanick meeting with the day he was forced to step down by Uber's board of directors?

Reports indicate Kalanick was interviewing candidates to fill Uber's empty chief operating officer post ... but whom? Was it an Uber insider? A tech CEO? A less-known but powerful operator at one of Chicago's larger corporations?

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Interest in the mystery Chicago meeting is swirling, a local venture capitalist said.

Uber declined to comment, as did, officially, many Chicago tech watchers who were nonetheless musing on who in town might rate that kind of attention.

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Is anyone else in Chicago wondering who Travis Kalanick was interviewing while he was in town?  Jason Heltzer (@jheltzer) June 22, 2017

Maybe Margo Georgiadis ?  George D. Bousis (@GBousis) June 22, 2017

Whether he was even interviewing a Chicagoan or meeting an out-of-towner in neutral territory is not clear. But it's intriguing to wonder who in Chicago might fit the bill: a savvy operator who could handle Kalanick and a reputation turnaround, while managing what is now a huge global company with major cultural and legal problems to solve.

"I don't know of anyone he would be interviewing in Chicago" for the COO role, said a local person with ties to Kalanick. The pool of Chicago candidates for such a position is relatively small, and he said he had not heard any chatter about anyone in town considering the job.

It is also hard to say whether someone considered for the COO role earlier this week would now be in the running for the now-empty CEO role at Uber, said another local tech watcher. Uber likely needs a new leader who could take the company public at a massive valuation, he said.

On the national stage, major figures including former Boeing executive and Ford CEO Alan Mulally are popping up as possible CEO candidates.

Oh, and another question: It has also not been not clear at which hotel Kalanick was staying when he received the hand-delivered letter from Uber investors requesting his resignation. In the past, he had stayed at the Soho House and Waldorf Astoria, one person said.

As for the who-could-it-possibly-be parlor game, the names bandied about, if you ask, include national and local figures from both private and public companies.

And yes, we reached out and asked them all. Some denied meeting Kalanick, some declined to comment and others did not respond. But in case you're curious, here are some of the names that surface as having both Chicago ties and the chops to possibly show up in that kind of conversation.

 Mike Gamson, the Chicago-based senior vice president of global solutions at LinkedIn. Gamson leads LinkedIn's Chicago office and oversees more than half of the company's workforce, sources said. But working against that theory is the fact that it is known he will not move from Chicago and that he has not held a CEO role, sources said. A LinkedIn representative said Gamson was out of the country and did not meet with Kalanick on Tuesday.

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 Margo Georgiadis , a former Google and Groupon executive with a home in Chicago who took over as CEO of toymaker Mattel in February. With allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination on Uber's record, some say a strong female leader could be a good choice. A Mattel spokesperson said Georgiadis did not meet with Kalanick this week.

 Padmasree Warrior, CEO of electric autonomous car startup NIO U.S. The former Cisco chief technology and strategy officer used to live in Chicago.

 Dick Costolo, former COO and CEO of Twitter and current CEO of fitness startup Chorus. The tech executive was involved in Chicago's improv community after college. A Chorus representative said Costolo was not in Chicago on Tuesday.

 Bill Ready, currently COO of PayPal. Ready rose through the ranks after PayPal acquired Chicago-based Braintree, of which he was previously CEO. A PayPal representative declined to comment.

 Rich Williams , CEO of Groupon, a publicly traded company based in Chicago that is in the midst of a turnaround. A Groupon spokesman said Williams did not meet with Kalanick this week in Chicago.

 Matt Maloney , CEO of Chicago-based Grubhub, which some speculate could be an acquisition target for Uber. Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital, who stepped down from Uber's board of directors this week, also previously served on Grubhub's board. A Grubhub spokeswoman declined to comment on speculation regarding Maloney's schedule.

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 Mike Evans, the former COO of Grubhub who stepped down after the company went public in 2014. After the IPO, he took a cross-country bike trip and is now writing a science fiction novel, according to his LinkedIn profile. Evans said he did not meet with Kalanick this week.

 Rob Chesney, who previously served as COO of Trunk Club  which sold to Nordstrom in 2014  and is currently "enjoying (a) short hiatus," according to his LinkedIn profile.

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Twitter @aminamania
In the past few months, as Uber sputtered and veered off the road in a scandal-ridden pileup, the fast-moving ride-hailing firm has hired or featured one woman after another as it tries to keep from totaling its image.

Liane Hornsey, Uber's human resources executive who started in January after coming from Google, was front and center as the company dealt with allegations by an engineer about a toxic culture that was permissive of sexual harassment. Director Arianna Huffington has been the most visible spokesperson for the board. The two big hires the company made in recent weeks as it tries to fill its hollowed-out executive ranks -- Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and former Apple marketing executive Bozoma Saint John -- are women, as is one of its new additions to the board, Nestle executive Wan Ling Martello.

So now that CEO Travis Kalanick has resigned, should a woman replace him, too?

Right now, the question is just one in a wildly speculative parlor game over who Uber's next CEO might be. For the most part, the answer involves little more than guesswork and rumors over who might take on the monumental job of not only repairing the company's culture but holding off growing competition, an exodus of leaders and a string of controversies that include a trade secrets lawsuit and a federal inquiry into its use of a software tool.

Of course, the top skills Uber's next CEO will need -- things like experience running a fast-growing firm, the ability to talk to investors as it heads toward an expected IPO and the wherewithal to navigate a company where its competitive founder remains on the board --will be paramount.

But the gender question is interesting to consider in this case. A company rocked with sexual harassment allegations and in need of overhauling a macho culture could send a loud signal by naming an experienced woman to the top job. Peter Crist, managing director of the executive search firm Crist Kolder Associates, said talk that a female CEO could depolarize the situation "isn't a bad premise:" "A really talented, accomplished woman in the chair would do a whole lot to move the cultural dial."

Indeed, one of the recommendations Uber said it would implement from the report by the law firm Covington & Burling suggested it hire a diverse candidate as chief operating officer, which could mean a woman. Now that Kalanick has resigned, it's possible some of those COO candidates might be considered for the top gig.

Michelle Ryan, a research at the University of Exeter, said in an interview that when she started reading about the idea of a woman taking over for Kalanick, "I was just like, that's got 'glass cliff' written all over it," referring to the term she and a colleague coined about how women appear to be disproportionately chosen for challenging leadership jobs. Yet because it's more than just a company facing a series of crises, and one needing an overhaul of its macho culture, she said naming a woman could send a powerful message.

"It signals to everyone 'we hear you and we want to change,' " she said. "There is some sort of validity there, which also potentially masks the 'glass cliff' phenomenon."

So which names have come up? Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer at Facebook, is a name that many, many media reports have speculated about. And indeed, she ticks some key boxes: She's held the No. 2 job at a fast-growing tech firm and was brought in to run the business and help its founder as Facebook began to mature. She was an executive when Facebook went public, something Uber is expected to do. And of course, the "Lean In" author is one of the most outspoken and authoritative voices for gender equality in the workplace.

The problem: There appears to be zero chance Sandberg would take the job; several reports have cited people close to her quashing those rumors full-stop.

Another name that's shown up several times: Meg Whitman, the CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She offers the experience of running not one but two tech companies -- eBay, where she led and scaled up a previously founder-led business, and Hewlett Packard, which she came in to turn around and has split into two. (She now runs the enterprise business.) But again, Whitman seems unlikely to take it: A spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal Whitman was "fully committed to HPE."

Tech publication Recode suggested Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, saying "there's little doubt about her qualifications," even if the long-time Google employee remains "a shot in the dark." She's led Google's acquisition of YouTube and efforts to turn the massive video site into a viable business. She's also been outspoken about gender issues in the workplace, writing op-eds about paid leave and "How to break up the Silicon Valley boy's club."

Plenty of other names have bandied about. Some have questioned whether Huffington might take the job, but a spokeswoman told the Associated Press she has no interest. The Wall Street Journal reported in April that Karenann Terrell, former chief information officer of Wal-Mart Stores, and Helena Foulkes , an executive vice president of CVS Health, had interviewed for the chief operating officer job, though it also reported Foulkes was no longer in discussions with Uber.

In a CNBC interview last week before Kalanick's resignation -- and the same day General Electric's succession plan was announced -- Carnegie Mellon professor Vivek Wadhwa suggested Beth Comstock, the GE vice chair who leads the company's new growth areas and has run its lighting business, as well as marketing and communications.

And since the topic is a Silicon Valley tech company and female leaders, there's another name that's of course been thrown in the mix: Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. After all, she's now available.
Iron Gate Motor Condos in Naperville is hosting its 4th annual International Auto Show. Two-hundred special interest, exotic and classic show cars are expected. Plus, show-goers will be able to get a peak inside the many "condo garages" housing private car collections.

The popular "Cal's Riders" program continues again this year, to grant wishes to children fighting pediatric cancer by offering special rides to special kids in special cars. All proceeds from the show benefit the Cal's Angels foundation.

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Admission is free for all. And there's no fee for show cars either. Food trucks will be on site offering a variety of eats and drinks.

You can also stop in at the just-opened Iron Gate Motor Plaza and visit Brighton Auto Detailing, Fluid MotorUnion, D&M Corvette, Soundz Plus and Chicago Motor Cars.

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The show is open to all makes, models and types of special-interest cars and trucks. The array of entries will be parked by country of origin.

An awards ceremony will be held at 2PM.

Iron Gate Auto Show at a glance

Sunday, June 25, 2017

10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine

Free to all. Donations will be gladly accepted for CalsAngels.org

Iron Gate Motor Condos, 2212 Ferry Road just north of I-88 and Route 59 in Naperville.

For information visit www.irongatemotorcondos.com
Charmaine V. Rickette, CEO of Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken, talks about how her family's recipe for mild sauce came to be. (Roger Morales / Chicago Tribune) (Roger Morales / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Barton J. Taylor now lives about 20 miles east of Atlanta in Lithonia, Ga., but the born-and-raised Chicagoan still misses what he calls "a taste of home": mild sauce, the sweet, slightly spicy condiment prevalent at chicken joints and other restaurants on the city's South and West sides. So, Taylor wrote in to our new reader-driven series, What's the Story?, asking about the sauce's origin and what goes into a good mild sauce.

RELATED: What's the Story? Exploring the peppermint stick and pickle snack from the South Side

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"You take Chicago's culinary palate for granted until you leave Chicago," says Taylor, who grew up in the city's South Shore neighborhood, graduated from Whitney Young High School and, after leaving for college, moved back to work for CPS. He lived in Chicago for nine of his adult years before he left to take a job as chief of staff at Teach for America in Georgia  where there's no mild sauce to be found.

"Unless you are in Chicago or from Chicago, people have no idea what (mild sauce) is," says Samuel Marshall, a private chef who lives in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.

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When RedEye dining critic Michael Nagrant moved to Chicago from Detroit about 16 years ago, he had never heard of mild sauce, he says  and he thinks he might never have discovered it if he hadn't made an effort to leave his North Side neighborhood to eat. His comment seems borne out by online discussions I found on Chowhound about mild sauce. The North Siders sound mystified; those from the city's South and West sides know all about it.

So what is this Chicago thing called mild sauce? When Taylor searched for a recipe to make at home, he got "20 different answers," he says.

Charlotte Lyons, former food editor of Ebony magazine, describes mild sauce as a combination of hot sauce, ketchup and barbecue sauce. "It's great on chicken, fish, french fries etc.," she wrote in an email.

Gary Wiviott, pitmaster at Lincoln Park's Barn & Company, guesses mild sauce's proportions are 5 parts barbecue sauce to 2 parts ketchup and 1 part hot sauce.

"Mild sauce is much sweeter and less complex" than barbecue sauce, says Peter Engler, a former University of Chicago genetic research scientist who is widely considered an expert on South Side dishes (he once appeared on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" to explain the South Side mother-in-law sandwich to the host). "Some mild sauces are almost translucent, and (the sauce is) almost always sweet."

Though, in a follow-up email, Engler wrote that he's also sampled mild sauces that would "easily pass" as barbecue sauce, underscoring the range of options out there.

"Mild sauce" is more a flavor designation than an exact recipe, says Allison E. Collins, chief executive officer of Select Brands LLC., Chicago-based maker of Argia B's Mumbo Sauce, an iconic bottled barbecue sauce. Essentially, she says, what makes mild sauce mild sauce is that it isn't hot. Many restaurateurs use barbecue sauce as a base for mild sauce but "doctor it up" in different ways, she says.

All this may explain why mild sauce has different tastes depending on where you go to find it. Taylor has thoughts on what he's looking for: "It needs to be a little sweet and ... not hot, but have a little pucker," he says, noting the consistency should be somewhere between ketchup and hot sauce.

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But mild sauce shouldn't taste too much like ketchup, warns Nagrant. "All the bad ones, I wonder if they're just ketchup because they're that ketchupy," he says. "The best ones have a little pepperiness or a sweet spice note  that probably came from the barbecue sauce."

"I think most South Siders have a pretty clear idea what to expect when asking for mild," adds Engler, a longtime South Sider himself. In that respect, you can think of it like ketchup: There are different ways to make it, but at the end of the day, you know what you're expecting when you order it.



Having lived on Chicago's North Side for 13 years, I'm ashamed to admit I don't remember ever tasting mild sauce.

In the name of research, I took off from Tribune Tower with two friends and spent an afternoon on Chicago's South Side visiting two of the best-known purveyors: Harold's Chicken Shack and Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken. At the suggestion of Nagrant, who spoke of its "outlier" sauce, I also visited Hienie's Shrimp House in the South Deering neighborhood.

I ordered the 1/2 "regular," which was white and dark pieces of fried chicken, with fries and extra sauce, at Harold's Chicken Shack #24 at 407 E. 75th St. in the Chatham neighborhood. I thought the extra sauce would come in a little plastic container for me to taste separately. No. The chicken and fries arrived blanketed in a dark, ruddy sauce that was tangy and a little bit sweet. The sauce acted almost like a glaze on the chicken pieces, gently clinging to the crackling crisp coating.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Uncle Remus, now a local chain with four locations, is one of the best places in Chicago to try mild sauce, a beloved condiment on Chicago's South and West Sides. A customer walks through the restaurant at 737 E. 47th St. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

The Uncle Remus restaurant at 737 E. 47th St. in Bronzeville served a reddish/orange mild sauce that was sweeter than at Harold's and sported a warm spice note. Taylor's words to me on the telephone came to mind as I sampled the saucy chicken. He said the Uncle Remus version was "a little stickier" than Harold's, "with an almost honey sort of taste." The chicken came sauced, while the fried okra I ordered on the side was easily dunked into the small plastic containers of extra sauce.

At Hienie's, 10359 S. Torrence Ave., my order was fried chicken with fries and fried shrimp. This sauce came on the side, was red and had a distinct ketchup flavor.

All three versions were similar yet different, like a trio of sisters. I liked that. All fulfilled their role in uplifting the bird flavorwise. I'll never look at fried chicken in quite the same way again.



After my day sampling mild sauce, I'm as curious as Taylor about its origin. Where did it come from? Who created it?

"It's very debatable who started it, but of course I'd say it was my dad," says Charmaine Rickette, chief executive officer of Uncle Remus, which her parents founded in 1964. Rickette loves mild sauce so much that she carries it in her car, "so if I go to Portillo's, I can put mild sauce on my hot dog."

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When her parents launched their business, originally called Royal Chicken, customers were offered a choice of hot sauce or ketchup, she says. When people started mixing them together, her father, Gus Rickette Sr., began experimenting with a combination of ketchup, hot sauce and barbecue sauce until he came up with a proprietary blend.

"Mild sauce was not mild sauce until we created it," she says.

But Bruce Kraig, a local food historian and co-editor of upcoming book "The Chicago Food Encyclopedia," can't confirm that statement. "I know that it's South Side, served in chicken shacks and so likely invented (at one of them). Other than that, I don't know," he wrote in an email.

Mild sauce is a staple at Harold's Chicken Shack, which now has locations all over the city. (Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune)

I ask Collins, of Argia B's Mumbo Sauce, what she knows of mild sauce's origin story. She says her father, Argia B. Collins, opened his first barbecue restaurant in 1950. When employees asked customers if they wanted their food spicy or not, they'd ask for "the mild sauce."

"Consumers don't know what the brand is," Collins says. "(But) they know they don't want it hot. 'Give me the mild sauce.'"

Collins' comment squares with one of Nagrant's beliefs: that mild sauce developed as a reaction against hot sauce.

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Or maybe it was born out of an "oops!" moment. That's what Charla Draper thinks. She's owner of It's a Food Biz!  a Chicago-based consulting food marketing firm.

"Most places that serve (mild sauce) have (ketchup and barbecue sauce) in large pump-style containers or large squeeze bottles, says Draper, who runs food blog Chow-Chow & Soul. "At some point, in a busy kitchen, the ketchup was added by mistake to the barbecue sauce (container) or vice versa. When it was time to taste, folk realized ... it was pretty good!"

I send a copy of a mild sauce recipe from Marshall, the Bronzeville chef, to Michael Twitty, a Rockville, Md.-based food historian, blogger at www.afroculinaria.com and author of upcoming memoir "The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South."

"That's a very Mississippi-type easy breezy tomato based bbq sauce," he writes back, adding that some version of mild sauce probably made its way to Chicago during the Great Migration. Both Argia B. Collins and Gus Rickette Sr. were born in Mississippi. Harold Pierce, who founded Harold's in 1950, hailed from Alabama.

What does Taylor think of Marshall's mild sauce?

"Verdict: looked and smelled like mild sauce. Tasted like mild sauce that was missing either a splash of hot sauce and/or tablespoon of sugar," he wrote in an email.

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As he keeps searching for a perfect recipe, Taylor has come up with a simple stopgap: He has been using Bonne Chere Original brand barbecue sauce when he craves mild sauce. He buys it by the gallon at L&P Wholesale Candy Co., 7047 S. State St., when he visits Chicago and takes it home in his luggage. The flavor is surprisingly similar to mild sauce, he says, and a bottle lasts about eight or nine months.

I head out to L&P, in the city's Park Manor neighborhood, to buy a bottle of Bonne Chere. The label lists high-fructose corn syrup, water, distilled vinegar, tomato paste, modified food starch and salt as the top six ingredients. The gallon plastic jug costs $7.50. We taste it in the Tribune test kitchen, alongside mild sauce from Harold's, and it's shocking how close the two are in color, consistency and flavor. But what sticks with me as much as the taste is the store receipt. In the system at L&P, Bonne Chere rings up as "Mild Sauce Original."

wdaley@chicagotribune.com Twitter @billdaley

Mild sauce

Samuel Marshall, a private chef who lives in Bronzeville, developed this recipe for what he calls his version of mild sauce. Marshall uses Open Pit brand barbecue sauce and Heinz ketchup in his recipe. Warning: Tasters in the Tribune kitchen found this to be very different from the mild sauce offered at Harold's and other Chicago institutions.

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1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/4 cup water

1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

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Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, whisking, until bubbly. Let cool and serve on fried chicken, fish or any other meat you desire.
We Tried It: The Celebration Strangewich, an odd attempt by Hellmann's Mayonnaise to celebrate Pride. (Roger Tino Morales / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

Bust out your sprinkle-loaded party cannons, guys and gals: This weekend is the Pride Parade.

According to weather forecasts, Sunday is going to be a beautiful day for celebration, community, visibility and everyone's favorite, corporate commercialism.

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You only have to look at how every other parade float is sponsored by banks, airlines, vodka brands, etc., to see how prevalent corporate visibility is these days. A lot of this is good and positive: These companies are signaling their support for their LGBTQ+ clients, employees and families (while not-so-subtly coding themselves as friendly towards new customers too).

For the most part, it's innocent fun times, complete with sparkles and more rainbows, but then we come to the fine line dividing participation from pandering. Earlier this week, mayonnaise brand Hellmann's stepped over that line, said many on social media.

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In since-deleted tweets, the mayonnaise brand tweeted to its 33,000 followers a photo of its "Celebration Strangewich," part of the brand's long-running social media campaign of all sorts of unusual sandwiches they call Strangewiches. The sandwich can still be found on Pinterest posts.

What's on this "strangewich," pray tell? Mozzarella, mayonnaise  and rainbow sprinkles.

In the words of RuPaul, "Oh no she betta don't."

Twitter users were quick to deride the campaign. One user by the handle @billiejpreece tweeted "maybe dont (sic) put gay pride and #Strangewich in the same tweet??? we're not strange," while BuzzFeed editor Chris Geidner was one of the first to screenshot the tweet for posterity.

"It's both an incredibly poor idea, for the audience, and a perfect metaphor, by some critical readings of what Pride has become," tweeted Geidner.

jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joeybear85

RELATED: We Tried It: Tribune staffers taste internet food fads on video






Its been one of NBCs traditions, bringing advertising clients and bigwigs to the Olympics where they get to see events and attend parties. But in these unstable times, NBC may find itself entertaining its Olympic advertisers at home rather than taking them to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Citing concerns over security and tensions between North Korea and the United States, advertisers are expressing reluctance over traveling to the Olympics. The Wall Street Journal reports that NBC is considering plans to host the advertisers at Jackson Hole, Wyoming or perhaps another location.

Even without the advertisers, NBC will still have some 1,000 staffers on the ground in Pyeongchang.

But this week, the United States has been dealing with the death of student Otto Warmbier who was arrested in North Korea, imprisoned, later released and then died this week just days after returning home. And with that backdrop, Olympic advertisers are having second thoughts about going to a locale that is about 50 miles south from the North Korean border.

It appears that the 2018 Games wont have as much sponsor participation as in the past with many reducing the numbers of their delegations. And this relates back to NBCs Olympic advertisers deciding not to go to South Korea next year.

While there hasnt been an attack at an Olympic site since Atlanta in 1996, advertisers would rather not take a risk and NBC will do their best to accommodate them closer to home rather than take them to next years Games.

[Wall Street Journal]
The dirty martini has endured in the cocktail canon since at least the 1930s, when hazy olive brine first started to cloud pristine glasses of vermouth-tinged vodka or gin.

At the Albert, the newly opened street-level bar at the Hotel EMC2 (get it?), food and beverage director Rebecca Royster cleans up the enduring cocktail's act with a tweak that yields lovely results.

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Royster's version, dubbed the Piquant Martini ($14), begins with the classic mix of gin and vermouth  here, CH Distillery's version of London dry gin and Montanaro's extra dry vermouth di Torino. But, rather than add olive brine, she opts for three golden drops of olive oil, which bead and dance on the surface of the drink.

The resulting flavor is austere and clean, not "dirty" at all, with the sunshiny bits of oil adding lemony aromatics. There is no lingering oil on the palate or the lips, as is a risk with spirits that have been fully fat-washed (that is, infused with oil). Instead, the olive oil melds with the gin, eventually integrating itself completely, its presence no longer noticed as you sip your way to the bottom of the glass, where a briny caper leaf awaits. This is the kind of drink you order to wash the stink off a bad day.

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The Albert at Hotel EMC2, 228 E. Ontario St., 312-471-3883 , www.hotelemc2.com/eat-drink

jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joeybear85






Balsam is made with a number of botanicals, including ingredients from Rare Tea Cellar, clockwise from left to right: Malorca Melon, Magnolia Oolong, Egyptian Lemon and Cassia cinnamon. (Beth Rooney, Chicago Tribune)

The idea  reinventing sweet vermouth  was audacious. But that's exactly what made the challenge appealing to mixologist Adam Seger.

Seger has a history making liqueurs. Five years ago he launched the Grand Marnier-influenced, Martinique-inspired liqueur Hum. He also has experience crafting his own vermouth. A little more than a decade ago, while working for Lettuce Entertain You, the Chicago-based restaurant group, he began fortifying wine, heating it up and infusing it with a mix of botanicals.

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His homemade vermouth was good, but its shelf life was short. One, maybe two, weeks at best. The problem is that while manufactured vermouths last longer, they don't last much longer. Even though they are fortified, that is, bolstered with a higher alcohol spirit, they might last a month or so in refrigeration after opening. Because many people  and bars  don't go through vermouth that quickly, that means that they're often left with the dilemma: Use old, subpar vermouth that lacks the full breadth of the spirit's aroma or pour unused vermouth down the drain.

And that's where the idea came from. About a year and a half ago, Seger figured there had to be a better solution. Because the wine is what makes vermouth's life span short, he came up with the idea of making a traditional vermouth but leaving out the wine. In other words, make a spirit that captures vermouth's complex, delicate flavors. If done right, he thought, he'd be able to use the spirit on its own or mix it with wine to make vermouth on demand.

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The idea flipped the vermouth he made at Lettuce on its head by starting with the botanicals rather than the wine. He'd make a spirit  he came to call it Balsam  that featured the bitter, sweet and floral aromatics common to sweet vermouth, including wormwood, the ingredient that nearly all American-made vermouths leave out. He aimed for the flavors and aromas to be familiar  think classic Italian vermouths like Carpano Antica Formula or Cocchi Vermouth di Torino  but he also wanted it to be distinct.

Working with Rodrick Markus, master tea blender at Rare Tea Cellar, based in Ravenswood, and Barry Young, master distiller at Boyd & Blair Vodka in Glenshaw, Pa., Seger started with botanicals common to vermouth such as cinnamon, vanilla and clove, along with that wormwood.

While the first batch was good, it lacked a certain "sluttiness," Seger says. "We wanted it to be decadent. To have a real strong fruit note."

Subsequent batches of what Seger calls an American amaro leveraged Rare Tea Cellar's obscure offerings, including Mallorca Melon tea (a blend of Spanish cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, hibiscus and Seville orange), and a 4-year-old Sicilian Blood Orange Pu-erh fermented dark tea, as well as Southern Decadence Magnolia Shrubbery, which combines cane vinegar and sugar with Magnolia Blossom Oolong tea leaves that are dried in a room full of magnolias so as to absorb the flowers' aroma.

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The result is reminiscent of vermouth: It is earthy and bitter, but also sweet and fruity, and remarkably complex. One sip brings to mind cinnamon and vanilla. The next, orange and hibiscus. Yet another, cloves and allspice.

It isn't vermouth. But then again, it isn't trying to be. Instead, it is something utterly unique.

Find it

Demand is high even before Balsam is released. "We've had so many inquiries from around the world," Markus says. The spirit debuts in Chicago Thursday at Lush Wine and Spirits (1412 W. Chicago Ave. and 2232 W. Roscoe Ave.). Look for it in coming weeks at select Chicago restaurants and at some Chicago area Mariano's. If the first batch disappears, no fear, Markus says 10,000 more bottles are on their way from the distiller.

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Try it

The original idea  a spirit that you use to make your own vermouth  holds up; just mix one part Balsam with three parts wine. Balsam can also be enjoyed on its own with ice and soda water or as a cocktail ingredient.

This summer Seger plans to expand the line with Balsam Americano, which he makes by redistilling Balsam to remove the color and refine the flavor and then combining it with a delicate, floral Pennsylvania-produced Cayuga blanc wine. Delicate and refined, with Balsam's complex notes in the background.
As far as eye-rolling cliches go, the "phoenix from the ashes" narrative ranks pretty high as the worst among them, maybe after "a hidden gem off-the-beaten path," but it's hard to describe Thai and Danielle Dang's story as anything but.

On Wednesday, the husband-wife team opened their long-awaited HaiSous restaurant in Pilsen, just days after Crain's Chicago Business published the wild saga of Embeya, Dang's former jewel of a restaurant from which he was summarily pushed out by his business partners, Komal Patel and Attila Gyulai. The drama-filled story of embezzlement, lies and legal woes reports that Patel and Gyulai emptied Embeya's coffers and fled the country, leaving the Dangs fighting debts.

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Yet, in the midst of that news comes HaiSous -- a significant statement for the Dangs, who are making moves to get out from under the weight of the Embeya aftermath, while bringing bright, flavorful Vietnamese fare to Pilsen.

Holding court in HaiSous' large open kitchen, chef Dang began serving up dishes during a soft-opening dinner service Wednesday night, a hint at the flavors and dishes he will be cooking nightly.

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The soft-opening menu continues through Sunday, ahead of the restaurant's grand opening Monday. The $33 ticketed meal is a three-course family-style spread of five dishes, with drinks and additional entrees available a la carte. I attended the opening with a dinner date familiar with Dang's cooking at Embeya. (I lived out of state when the restaurant was at its peak.)

The first course, labeled "for fun" on the menu, featured hen xao xuc banh do, a serving of minced clams with fried bits of garlic. The clams came with a side of a crunchy rice cracker studded with black sesame seeds, a crunchy, earthy foil to the soft and zingy clams.

My companion was looking forward to the other opening dish, goi du du (young papaya salad with slivers of Vietnamese beef jerky and tuong ot chili sauce), which she recalled from Embeya. A generous pile of angel pasta-thin strands of al dente green papaya, this dish was as refreshing an opener as they come. The sauce was thin but brightly flavored  our server warned us of its chile heat, but for those familiar with Vietnamese cuisine (a playful, deeply flavored blend of aromatics, heat, acid and cooling elements in the form of fresh herbs), the sharp heat was quickly mellowed out by the interplay of other ingredients.

The second course featured much more substantial dishes. The suron heo kho trung (braised spareribs done in a Northern style) was soft and savory, while the so nau nuro dua was a deeply flavored dish of mussels submerged in a velvety coconut milk broth, fragrant lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf floating throughout.

Add-ons are available during the soft-opening, moderately priced ($8 to $16) for folks looking to round out their meal. Canh ga chien nuoc mam, a dainty stack of fried chicken wings coated in caramelized fish sauce, was initially sticky-sweet but gave way to a mouth-tingling heat. The grilled rabbit (tho nuong chao) was coated in fermented tofu. Though it was lightly charred, the smoky elements of the succulent, tender meat also hinted at telltale aromas of lemongrass and ginger.

Dessert was a humble-yet-rich coconuty rice pudding, or a skewered roasted spear of pineapple. The latter dish boasted a different texture than fresh fruit, fleshy versus stringy, and was accompanied by a finger dish of chili salt for dipping.

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The opening menu of drinks features cocktails ($10), two alcohol-free options ($5) and a modest wine list with by-the-glass pours ($10 to $12), also available by the bottle (most hover at $40).

Dinner showed the promise of Dang's kitchen, with flavors familiar (in the chicken wings and mussels) and inviting to folks unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine. Spanning savory, sweet, spicy and vinegary, the dishes run the gamut, an appealing entry for both Pilsen, which lacks a Vietnamese presence, but also for fans of Dang's laser-focused techniques.

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The restaurant design itself -- guided by Danielle Dang -- is loft-chic, with exposed bricks and concrete pylons, polished-wood banquettes, large windows and bright recessed lighting. The open kitchen commands the rear of the main dining room, the featured open flame staffed by the buzzing team of cooks. It's spacious and comfortable, with minimal adornments, but does not translate as cold.

As for service, it was touching to hear some of the staff members express their excitement about HaiSous. Upon seating us, our server asked how we found our way to HaiSous before letting us know that she lived only four doors down from the restaurant. After explaining what to expect for the evening, she told me and my companion, "I'm excited for a restaurant like this in Pilsen."

I wonder how many people will repeat that sentiment this weekend?

HaiSous, 1800 S. Carpenter St., no phone yet

jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joeybear85
Johnny Depp was Glastonbury Festival's inaugural guest at its new Cineramageddon drive-in movie theater in Britain Thursday night, and he certainly gave the place a memorable launch. While introducing a screening of his 2004 movie "The Libertine," he made inflammatory statements about President Donald Trump.

"I think he needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go," Depp said, according to the Guardian.

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He then asked the crowd, "When was the last time an actor assassinated the president?"

The answer is John Wilkes Booth, who shot Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in 1865.

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"It is just a question - I'm not insinuating anything," he assured the crowd. "By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it."

He also claimed that he wasn't referring to himself, since he's not really an actor. "I lie for a living," he clarified. "However, it has been a while and maybe it is time."

This isn't the first time Depp has aired his feelings about Trump; he played the then-candidate in Funny or Die's "The Art of the Deal: The Movie" in early 2016. But that was mere parody - not something the Secret Service might need to investigate.

When asked about the incident, a representative from the Secret Service responded that it's "aware of the comment in question. For security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities."

Depp has been the subject of plenty of bad press in the last year. First there was the very public implosion of his short marriage to Amber Heard, who claimed the actor had physically abused her. Photos of her bruised face circulated around the Internet. The pair reached a $7 million settlement at the end of last year.

Meanwhile, Depp sued his business managers, who in turn countersued, going public with some very unsavory accusations about the actor, saying that he has compulsive spending disorder and had squandered hundreds of millions of dollars with an outrageously extravagant lifestyle that included spending $30,000 every month on wine. According to a Hollywood Reporter story about Depp's recent troubles, he was also difficult on the set of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," where he routinely showed up late for work, leaving the cast and crew waiting around for hours.

And now there are his statements at Glastonbury. If Kathy Griffin's experience joking about Trump's death - by holding up a fake severed head that resembled the president - is any indication, there could be some serious blowback. Griffin ended up making a tearful apology but still lost her New Year's Eve gig with CNN.

Depp knows how to apologize, at least. He had to very publicly do so when he and Heard illegally smuggled their dogs into Australia. The formal, videotaped apology the pair made was stilted and stiff but at least seemed genuine. Later, Depp told Jimmy Kimmel that there had been a few takes of the mea culpa, since it was hard for him to keep his composure. So much for saying sorry. But Depp said it himself: He lies for a living.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
At a time when President Donald Trump is advocating the construction of a physical wall to protect the national purity of the American population, the science-fiction conceit of "The Bad Batch"  in which an assortment of supposed undesirables are exiled to a fenced-off desert wasteland past the Texas border  doesn't sound all that dystopian. After her terrific freshman effort "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" slipped some intersectional feminism into its slinky modern vampire tale, writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour's glossed-up follow-up once more weaves independent identity politics into a stylish, blood-spattered mash-up of genres, from cannibal exploitation to spaghetti western. The result, while far busier than Amirpour's debut, somehow seems to have less going on inside: Though there's much to savor in the picture's lavishly distressed visuals and soundscape, its narrative feels increasingly stretched and desultory.

With its glistening soundtrack dominated by Brooklyn electro duo Darkside, eccentric star casting  complete with a near-incognito cameo for Jim Carrey  and Vice Media production credentials, "The Bad Batch" seems to be angling hard for the youthful cult following that is coming more gradually to "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night." The film certainly has enough outward swagger to get it, but whether its heavy-handed state-of-the-nation symbolism will resonate with audiences in the quite the way it intends is another question. For many, the styling and story world presented here will evoke last year's beloved blockbuster "Mad Max: Fury Road," a less explicitly political work that nonetheless, with its progressive plea for gender parity, is very much a film for its times. Amirpour's own grungy desert dust-ride is more meandering and less immediate in its impact.

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Still, as sophomore slumps go, "The Bad Batch" remains a seductive one, alive with electric imagery and inchoate ideas regarding heroism in the margins, and the fundamental inequity of the American Dream. Would that Amirpour trusted the subtext of her own script a bit more: There's surely little need for on-screen billboards bearing slogans like, "You can't enter the Dream, the Dream enters you."

Happily, Amirpour's visual storytelling has rather more fluency and wit. The film's near-wordless opening reel is sensational, setting up its nightmare near-future America with crisp economy. So much so, in fact, that we never see "America" itself  only the unnamed no-man's-land where our young heroine Arlen (British supermodel-turned-actress Suki Waterhouse, exerting a cool presence despite a touch-and-go Southern accent) is dumped by military officials after a period of incarceration. Like thousands of other former American residents, she has been branded (literally so, via an identifying tattoo) a member of the Bad Batch, a catch-all collective term for the miscreants, misfits and immigrants deemed unfit for society by the U.S. authorities.

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Left to their own devices in this arid wilderness, these outcasts have formed their own social divisions. While those on the Bridge survive on cannibalism and aggressive iron-pumping, members of the so-called Comfort community go in for more narcotic-fueled hedonism, lorded over by skeezy, mustachioed commune leader Rockwell (a broadly leering Keanu Reeves). Captured and confined by the Bridge folk in a taut pre-title chase, Arlen loses two of her limbs to dinner preparations before she fashions a skateboard-assisted escape and finds sanctuary in, well, Comfort  though, as the timeline jumps forward five months, it's clear that she doesn't fit this society any more than the last one to evict her. (Why Arlen was declared "bad" in the first place is left to the imagination.)

Arlen zigzags uncertainly between this temporary home and the unknown promise of the desert  where she becomes the accidental guardian of motherless child Miel (Jayda Fink), whose Cuban-expat cannibal father Miami Man (hulking "Game of Thrones" alum Jason Momoa) is searching for her. As the characters' paths cross (and criss-cross), however, the film becomes as unmoored and arbitrary in its movements as they do; at nearly two hours in length, "The Bad Batch" could stand to streamline its rescue tale considerably, at little cost to its contemporary political undertow.

As it drifts and dawdles through its elaborately detailed, none-too-fantastical fantasy world of LSD parties and wall-less makeshift strip malls, the film touches upon a number of intriguing moral ironies and reversals. The family values of cannibals are brought improbably to the fore, while the free-living principles of Comfort emerge merely as a sinister twist on conservative values in the private domain of the all-too-tellingly named Rockwell  who inhabits a veritable Playboy Mansion of pregnant women emblazoned with the words, "The Dream is inside me."

Yet "The Bad Batch" rarely delves more searchingly beneath such glib surface commentary to expose deeper yearnings in its imagined American hinterland: As a deranged hobo (Giovanni Ribisi) gestures toward his half-complete jigsaw puzzle of the Star-Spangled Banner, it's the blunt symbol we're invited to consider, not its damaged human presenter. (In many respects, "The Bad Batch" would fit on a bristly double-bill with Andrea Arnold's recent "American Honey": Both are stories of young women, failed by mainstream society, seeking their place on the fringes, though while Arnold takes an intuitively emotive approach, Amirpour's is far more schematic.)

To be fair, with its legion grindhouse references and deliberately glassy performance style, "The Bad Batch" isn't necessarily out to touch the heart. But the film doesn't exactly quicken it, either: the dreamy deliberation that Amirpour's debut used to such tense effect doesn't cast quite the same spell here.





"The Bad Batch" -- 2.5 stars

MPAA rating: R (for violence, language, some drug content and brief nudity)

Running time: 1:58

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Opens: Friday

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
I've only met Daniel Day-Lewis once, during a press junket for "Gangs of New York." I sat next to him at a round-table interview during which my colleagues peppered him with questions about his crafty portrayal of Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorsese's portrait of mid-19th century Manhattan. As the Q-and-A ended, I whispered that the last time I'd seen him was 15 years earlier, when he played the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky in the play "Futurists" at the Royal National Theatre on London's south bank.

"You saw that?" Day-Lewis asked, astonished.

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Saw it? I was permanently transformed by it, socked from my solar plexus right down to my molecular makeup. Although Day-Lewis had already exemplified impressive range with breakout performances in "My Beautiful Laundrette" and "A Room With a View," he wasn't yet a household name outside the art house.

In the intimate Cottesloe Theatre, where the audience sat inches away from the stage, Day-Lewis dominated the play - about the artists who helped shape the Russian Revolution - with a towering, all-consuming performance, his shaved head making his 6-foot 2-inch frame even more imposing, his shock-and-awe delivery of Mayakovsky's poetry an explosive torrent of politics, passion and commitment. He even seemed capable of making the vein on the side of his forehead pulse at will.

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I swear I felt some of Day-Lewis's spit on my forehead that night, a fact I shared with him at the "Gangs" junket, which made his hooded eyes give way to a huge, face-cracking smile. By the time Day-Lewis played Bill the Butcher, the same overwhelming stage presence I had experienced in the National's tiny black-box space had been on display in movie after movie, from "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" to "The Last of the Mohicans" and "In the Name of the Father." By then, he'd won one Oscar, for "My Left Foot"; he's since added two more, for "There Will Be Blood" and "Lincoln."

And now, to quote his character in "There Will Be Blood," he's finished. Earlier this week, Day-Lewis issued a statement that he has decided to stop acting, providing no details about what led to his decision or what he might be pursuing in the future.

The response has run the gamut between rank speculation and elegiac mourning. But not, necessarily, surprise. Now 60, Day-Lewis has been notorious for his approach-avoidance relationship with the craft he so thoroughly mastered, taking long stretches of time between movies to enjoy his adopted home in Ireland or learning to cobble shoes in Italy. During a theatrical production of "Hamlet," he reportedly saw the ghost of his late father and swore off the stage for good; he's known for adamantly refusing to break character on movie sets, demanding that co-workers address him by his fictional names, his method blurring into its own form of brilliant madness.

Those eccentricities have been dismissed as showy and self-indulgent, but few would argue that they haven't resulted in some of the most indelible characterizations of the past 30 years, with Day-Lewis exemplifying screen performance at its most fully inhabited and uncompromising. The actress Beulah Bondi said that an actor must create his or her character "from the feet up." Day-Lewis was feet-up 24/7, bringing the same fire-hose ferocity I saw at the National to roles that could sometimes feel mannered or scenery-chewing but never in service to mere vanity or self-regard.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 Actor Alec Baldwin first flirted with quitting show business in a 2013 post for the Huffington Post and amended his stance in a New York Magazine cover story, declaring he was done with public life, not acting. "Its goodbye to public life in the way that you try to communicate with an audience playfully like were friends, beyond the work you are actually paid for. Letterman. 'Saturday Night Live.' That kind of thing," he said. Fast forward to 2016 and Baldwin is responsible for "SNL" earning its highest ratings in years with his cutting Donald Trump impression. He's even threatened to retire his impersonation, but qualified the claim with a "but we'll see." (Greg Allen/Invision/AP)

How could audiences be immersed in the emotional life he was conjuring on screen if he didn't dare take the plunge himself, without reservation or self-protection? For some, talent is a renewable resource; for others, it's subject to depletion: Stripping oneself down to build up another persona has to be physically and psychically exhausting, exacting a price that eventually can't be recouped by retreating into what Montaigne called the "back shop" of solitude and self-renewal.

Those long retreats from the profession point out how anachronistic Day-Lewis's career seems a generation later than he began it: At a time when the prevailing business model for actors is to latch on to a comic-book movie to finance one's passion projects, when a star such as George Clooney can make a cool billion selling his tequila business, Day-Lewis has resisted the paradigm of superheroes and side hustles. There's something revealing in the fact that two Sirs - Anthony Hopkins and Patrick Stewart - can be seen this summer in the new "Transformers" sequel and "The Emoji Movie," respectively. Meanwhile, Day-Lewis has been almost perversely choosy, racking up a modest 20 movies over the course of a 35-year career, with nary a robot car or poop icon among them.

If Day-Lewis' retirement is indeed permanent, his final movie will be a more edifying affair: "Phantom Thread," a 1950s-era drama set in the fashion world, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, of "There Will Be Blood." Then, presumably, the finest film actor of his generation will embark on the longest retreat of all, during which any number of passions may emerge - or re-emerge.

Those mourning Day-Lewis' imminent disappearance from the movies do well to remember James Cagney's quieter but no less resolute decision to quit acting in 1961, after a dismal experience filming the satire "One, Two, Three." Twenty years later, before Cagney would make one of the most brilliant comebacks in Hollywood legend and lore, Milos Forman approached him with his adaptation of "Ragtime," hoping to coax him back to the screen.

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"No. I'm retired," Cagney is said to have replied. Then, after a few moments went by, came the instinctive question that defines all actors at their core: "What's the part?"

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
A bombshell investigation by the New York Times has revealed that the Mexican government used spy software, sold to it by an Israeli cyber weapons designer and intended for use against cartels and other criminal groups, to surveil anti-corruption activists, human rights lawyers, and academics.

The NSO Group, which claims to provide "authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime", sold the Mexican government spyware allowing it to take over smartphones, monitoring calls, texts, and emails, and even giving the surveiller access to the phones cameras and microphones, the Times reported.

Code from the Groups software was found on phones belonging to journalists and activists, including Carlos Loret de Mola, a news anchor for the Mexican network Televisa, with many government sources.

Also targeted was Carmen Aristegui, a prominent Mexican journalist known for breaking the Casa Blanca scandal, in which Mexican president Enrique Pena Nietos and his wife were given a $6.3 million home, built for them in one of Mexico Citys finest neighborhoods by a national construction company with business connections to Pena Nietos administration.

Since 2015 Aristegui reported receiving text messages from unknown numbers, instructing her to click links that would have caused her to download the spying software. When she did not take the bait, the spyware operators began targeting her son, the Times reported.

The lawyer representing the 43 students disappeared from a teachers college, in which government officials were implicated, also reported being surveilled.

In a speech given Thursday, after the expose was published, President Pena Nieto admitted that his government had purchased the spyware, but he denied that the government had ordered any of the alleged surveillance, and called for a swift investigation into the allegations.

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Pena Nieto also appeared to threaten the reporters and victims who uncovered the scandal, saying:

I hope that the Republics federal prosecutors can quickly identify those responsible, and with the support of the Law, can act against those who have raised these false accusations against the government.

Azam Ahmed, the New York Times reporter in charge of the investigation, quickly responded on Twitter, and corresponded with Pena Nieto's governmentafterwards:

not 100% sure but I think the president just ordered an investigation into civil society and the NYT for story on espionage #GobiernoEspia  Azam Ahmed (@azamsahmed) June 22, 2017

Govt of Mexico just called to clarify that the president was neither threatening us nor civil society. @EPN apparently misspoke in speech https://t.co/XUchOurJqQ  Azam Ahmed (@azamsahmed) June 23, 2017

In a later interview, the President's spokesman, Eduardo Sanchez, clarified that "In no way was the president attempting to threaten either The New York Times or any of these groups. The president misspoke."
On the grounds of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, a maple tree stands as a towering testament to the power of hope under the most dire circumstances.

The tree is a descendant of a silver maple that grew in Czechoslovakia's Terezin concentration camp. It was smuggled as a small cutting inside the boot of a Czech guard and nurtured to life by the children imprisoned there.

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A new children's book, "The Children's Tree of Terezin" (Legacy Publishing), tells the story of how the tree took root. Its author, museum docent Dede Harris, will read the story Sunday during a family program at the museum.

"There are so many lessons we can learn from this story," said Harris, whose husband, Sam, is a Holocaust survivor. "Teamwork and cooperation in the way the children lined up and gave the tree a little of their rationed water; giving generously no matter what your circumstances are; knowing you can always make a positive difference in this world. Hope, certainly."

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The book is a window into the beauty and bravery that managed to play out amid the horrors of the Holocaust.

A group of adult prisoners at Terezin established a council of educators who vowed to support creativity and learning inside the camp. They led their fellow prisoners to perform operas, create music, write and paint.

Irma Lauscher was a member of that council.

"Irma's husband, Jiri, and their daughter, Michaela, were also prisoners in Terezin," the book reads. "They too were starving and afraid. Despite Irma's fears for herself and her family, she managed to think of others, especially the children in the camp. She was very concerned over the children's well-being."

The Lauschers survived Terezin, and Harris interviewed Michaela for the book.

Irma Lauscher taught the children at Terezin about the Jewish holidays and created ways for them to celebrate. She talked a guard into smuggling in a tiny tree so they could plant it for Tu B'Shevat, a holiday that is partly a celebration of trees.

As the tree grew, it became a symbol of hope. One child, Harris writes, penned a poem about it.

"Here were three things the Nazis could not take from us.

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They could not take the blue sky above us, for our gazing.

They could not take the flood of sunlight pouring into our courtyard, nourishing our tree and us.

But most of all, they could not take Our Invisible God who remained deep in our hearts."

After World War II, seeds and cuttings from the tree were sent around the world.

"The memory of Irma Lauscher and these brave children will live on for all who see the trees and read their story," writes Harris.

Terezin survivors will be present at Sunday's family program to answer questions and share their memories of the camp and its tree. Sara Akerlund, who beautifully illustrated "The Children's Tree," is also scheduled to attend.

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After hearing the story, families will receive flowerpots to decorate and seeds to take home and plant.

"People were terrified, and yet this beautiful little story took place," Harris told me. "It reminds us of all the good in the world."

"The Children's Book of Terezin" program will take place 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie. Admission is free for children with a library card from any town or city, $6 without and $12 for adults. Reservations at ilholocaustmuseum.org/terezin

hstevens@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @heidistevens13

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Small mangrove plants are meant to replenish some of the tropical trees that have been lost in Sri Lanka. The California-based environmental nonprofit Seacology has pumped millions of dollars into mangrove restoration projects on this island nation. ( Elaine Glusac/Chicago Tribune )

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Amid piles of dried chiles, straw baskets and ripe papaya, Jeevanti Chatuvina's wares  represented by her sister modeling a gold-studded red sari, dramatic eyeliner and a perfectly coiffed chignon  glamorized the weekly market found on the edge of a lagoon lush with mature mangroves about an hour's drive north of Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Her bridal beauty business, like the others at the pop-up, represents the economic link between protecting the mangroves  as nurseries of the island's fish stocks, tsunami buffers and CO2 sinks  and sustaining communities dependent on them.

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"We can't do mangrove conservation without the people," said Anuradha "Anu" Wickramasinghe, co-founder of Sudeesa, a Sri Lanka nonprofit advocating for small-scale fishing and farming operations. It was his idea to provide business training and $100 micro-loans to some of the poorest women in coastal fishing communities in exchange for their protection of the vital ecosystem, applying a social fix to an environmental problem caused by logging, mass prawn farming and, in the northern areas, civil war. "They get training from us and seed money from Seacology."

This spring, I joined Seacology, the California-based environmental nonprofit, on one of its tours that showcase its projects. Mangrove restoration in Sri Lanka is its largest ever, with the organization donating $5 million over five years to protect more than 21,000 acres of coastal mangroves by bringing the micro-loan program to 15,000 rural women. Meeting the program's budding entrepreneurs and exploring solutions to environmental challenges with field experts were the highlights of an itinerary also filled with more tourist-friendly activities, like a walking tour of Colombo, visits to Hindu and Buddhist temples, and meals both traditional and trendy.

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From the broken Paris climate pact to the collapsing ice shelf in Antarctica, climate issues have dominated recent headlines. Providing access to those front lines, the travel industry has mirrored eco-concerns with the growth of climate-focused trips.

Many of these trips are concentrated at the poles. In Greenland, for example, the number of tourists rose almost 24 percent in 2015. Last year, tourism grew by nearly 10 percent  more than double the global average. American travelers represented one-third of the 34,539 travelers who visited Antarctica this past winter, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, by far the largest contingent (Chinese travelers come in second at 12 percent).

"The Arctic and the Antarctic are changing in dramatic ways, more so than anywhere on Earth," said Sven Lindblad, founder and CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, the pioneer of cruise travel to Antarctica and the Galapagos. "Clearly, there is a greater sense of urgency and interest on the part of travelers to see and understand these environments."

The travel industry contributes to carbon emissions, of course, but tour operators argue that exposure to threatened regions converts the curious to conservation. As oceanographer Jacques Cousteau once said, "People protect what they love."

"Our most significant contribution to the realm of sustainability is utilizing the experiences our travelers are having as 'Aha!' moments to come back and do more to protect the planet and our species,'" said Ted Martens, vice president of marketing and sustainability at Natural Habitat Adventures, a wildlife-focused tour company that offsets the carbon emissions of its operations by funding green technology projects.

Natural Habitat runs trips in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund that have generated $10 million since 2003 for WWF programs confronting deforestation in the Amazon and preserving orangutan habitats in Borneo, among others. Natural Habitat's six-day trips to see polar bears in Canada cost $6,195 (all rates are per person).

With World Wildlife Fund-Canada, Adventure Canada is offering an "Arctic Safari" from July 30 to Aug. 10 that explores Greenland's communities and ice fjords, from $5,995.

Some operators encourage citizen scientists to help researchers with their work. The nonprofit EarthWatch Institute runs "Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge" trips, in which travelers take water and tree core samples to measure the health of animals and plants (from $2,014 for seven days). EarthWatch Institute also offers teen-only departures.

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Over the next two summers, Poseidon Expeditions will run trips to the North Pole featuring a citizen science program to collect data on sea ice thickness and melting (from $6,960 for 10 days). Data from the operator's first citizen science launch, in 2015, is already being used by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States' Sea Ice Prediction Network.

Lindblad is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the Galapagos this summer with cruises aboard the 96-passenger National Geographic Endeavor II (10 days from $6,960) and the new National Geographic Global Explorers Program. The latter's educational activities include collecting plankton, recording wildlife sightings and earning an inflatable Zodiac boat "driver's license."

During the 2017/2018 Antarctic travel season, Abercrombie & Kent's Classic Antarctica departure Jan. 6 is devoted to "Understanding Climate Change" and features noted Antarctic researcher Dr. James McClintock (from $13,495 for 12 days).

Naturalist Richard Polatty, a veteran of 60 trips to Antarctica and guide for International Nature and Cultural Adventures (from $10,995 for 11 days), views familiarity as a source of support for the region.

"Antarctica is the author of global climate in some ways and is a very sensitive indicator of global climate change," he said.

But it is felt as far away as Sri Lanka, where fishermen in the north say the tides have changed in the past two years, and at least 50 feet of new mangroves planted near Jaffna stand in parched dirt instead of being flooded by water. With the assistance of the navy, Sudeesa continues to plant seedlings with the goal of repopulating the sea with fish and empowering women to be protectors of the coastal forests by ensuring a family income.

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"We take care of the mothers, who will pass on their knowledge to their children," said Sudeesa's Anu as we drove down a sand road separating woven fishing huts from the sparkling turquoise sea on a community-based tour of the island better known for luxury resorts. "To the children we say, 'This is your wealth.'"

Elaine Glusac is a freelance writer.

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Democratic Speaker of the Illinois House Michael Madigan speaks to the media on Dec. 4, 2016, after a meeting with Gov. Bruce Rauner. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

As Democratic candidates for governor pitched their cases to the Cook County Democratic organization on why they were best to take on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, something bothered me.

The man who wasn't there.

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I just couldn't shake it. It was like some aggravating pebble in my shoe, but not your average pebble.

It was huge pebble, about the size of a wizened 75-year-old ward boss from the Southwest Side of Chicago.

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The Democratic candidates who spoke at the pre-slating on Thursday each gave a good accounting of himself.

Chris Kennedy asked the Democrats not to endorse a candidate, and he talked of ethics, which irritated a few. But he made sense when he said the Democrats must "help restore faith in government because, if we don't, we'll never get the funding we need to make changes."

Billionaire J.B. Pritzker, who has this thing wired through Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, said fellow Democrats who criticize him or even mention Boss Madigan are doing the work of Rauner.

Then he talked of how he's spending time and effort "building the party," which is code for "I'm paying for a lot of stuff, so don't mention Boss Madigan."

Young progressives Daniel Biss and Ameya Pawar talked of reaching out to young voters from the Chicago area. Each has a future.

And Pawar seems to be positioning himself not as much for a run for governor but for some other office down the line, perhaps mayor of Chicago.

Downstate farmer/educator Bob Daiber said bluntly that he was the only one running who could get Republican votes out of central and southern Illinois.

But as they spoke, there was that darn pebble again, itching inside my 4EEE Oxford.

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And it had eyes, the terrible icy blue eyes of the Night King in "Game of Thrones" or the oculist in "The Great Gatsby."

Those blue eyes see every weakness. They open earlier than yours do and they close much later than yours. Those are the eyes boring in on a tired Rauner, getting him to almost cave in supporting a tax increase, which would end Rauner's political life.

These are the eyes of the man who runs things in Illinois, the man didn't have to be there Thursday to hear the candidates.

Boss Madigan.

And this is what I've been wondering:

Why would these Democrats work so hard, spend millions of dollars and kiss so many behinds to become governor, all the while knowing that if they succeed, Boss Madigan will tell them what to do?

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Don't think he won't boss them. Because he will. He runs the legislature and always tells governors what to do. Especially Democrats.

Ask former Gov. Patrick Quinn, a Democrat. He's got the psychic scars to prove it. Unfortunately, you can't ask another Democrat, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is in federal prison and won't be available for quotes any time soon.

So knowing this about Madigan, why do they run?

I hoped J.B. Pritzker would explain it, since he's the one linked to Boss Madigan, but he said anyone who brought up Madigan was doing Rauner's work.

He wanted to talk about how he would lead Illinois once he got rid of Rauner.

"It's clear that Illinois wants a leader," Pritzker said. "Illinois needs a leader."

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It seemed heartfelt, because I think Pritzker truly wants to be a "leader." And it's a lot more dynamic than saying, "Illinois needs a son-in-law."

But isn't that what a Democratic governor would be in Illinois? A son-in-law?

A Democrat running for governor with Boss Madigan around is like a wealthy bridegroom stuck with paying for the entire wedding in the hopes of joining the family business. Traditionally, the son-in-law isn't expected to foot the bill, but this is Illinois.

So the groom pays for the band and the banquet hall; takes care of the priest and the bartenders; the florists, the pastry chefs, the wine merchants, the bakers, the butchers and the cooks. He pays them all.

He also pays for the wedding dress, and the photographers, and the video people and airline tickets for the relatives  and one for Aunt Ida's evil little ferret, Pepe  paying for every dang thing.

But after he marries the bride and joins the family business, he realizes that the thing he most worried about is coming true, like those nightmares that continue even while you think you're awake at the kitchen table and then the goblins arrive, eating your dog.

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That bridegroom paid for so much, and reporters write glowingly about his great promise and a "New Day for Illinois"; and people expect him to do something. Because he is something. He's the governor.

But then he learns that, governor or no, he's just the son-in-law in the family business; and now that all the bills are paid, the Boss is happy. And the Boss isn't going anywhere.

He's the Boss. And the son-in-law is the son-in-law. He might be a rich son-in-law like Pritzker, who can buy the house next door and remove the toilets for a tax break on his own mansion; or a relatively poor one like Quinn, with paper napkins and a picnic table in the dining room. It really doesn't matter.

The son-in-law is the one who gets sent out for coffee, and for apples for the Boss' lunch. If you don't think it works that way, you're either a stranger to these lands or you're sucking up to Madigan for biscuits.

Because that's politics in Illinois. And this thing is just beginning.

Listen to the Chicago Way podcast  with John Kass and Jeff Carlin  and our guest, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, here: wgnradio.com/category/wgn-plus/thechicagoway.

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jskass@chicagotribune.com
To the editor:

Sun Sounds of Arizona held its 25th annual Made In The Shade festival on June 10 at the Pepsi Amphitheater. This year was the largest, most successful in Sun Sounds history and we have many people to thank for that. Funds raised during Made In The Shade help Sun Sounds provide audio information services  newspapers, magazines, and other timely works  at no charge to people with visual disability or who otherwise cannot read conventional print.

Local agencies and merchants contributing to Made In The Shade include (alphabetically): Beaver Street Brewery, Coconino County Parks and Recreation, Coconino County Probation Department, Craft Beer Hop Stop, Findlay Toyota Flagstaff, Flagstaff Family Food Center: Food Bank and Kitchen, Lumberyard Brewing Co., Majestic Marketplace, Nackard Beverage, North Country HealthCare, Sprouts Farmers Market, The Village at Aspen Place, Tops Liquors, Twin Arrows Casino Resort, Whole Foods Market, and Wils Grill. Thank you to all the brewers who brought tasty wares for sampling.

Thank you to our many volunteers, including skilled beer judges from the Mountaintop Mashers and as always, the Flagstaff Lions Club.

Finally, thank you to everyone who attended, some in wonderfully outlandish costume, from throughout Arizona and far beyond. We hope to see you all next year!

BOB LARKIN

community outreach, Sun Sounds of Arizona, Flagstaff
Remnants of a mural on the exterior of the former Casa Aztlan on South Racine Avenue in Chicago on June 22, 2017. The mural was obliterated and the building is being redeveloped. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel chose a neighborhood famous for its ethnic street art when he stopped by Thursday at the National Museum of Mexican Art to proclaim that "what makes Chicago great is public art  not just downtown and on the lakefront but in all 50 wards."

Not all his donors got the memo, it seems.

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Just three days earlier and less than a mile from the Pilsen museum, a contractor who recently gave Emanuel's campaign fund $10,000 shocked residents when he painted over one of the neighborhood's oldest and most beloved murals.

The iconic mural at the former home of community organization Casa Aztlan, 1831 S. Racine Ave., has since 1971 featured heroes of Mexican and Mexican-American culture including artist Frida Kahlo and activist Rudy Lozano.

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In a neighborhood where gentrification is a dirty word to many, outrage over developer Andy Ahitow's order to paint over the artwork was stoked by the fact that what used to be a community center is being converted into luxury condos.

Dozens of protesters who gathered Tuesday were further inflamed to discover a Facebook post in which the contractor who carried out Ahitow's order  Emanuel donor Morris Gershengorin  seemed to echo President Donald Trump's campaign slogan when he wrote "#makingchicagogreatagain" next to a photo of the soon-to-be-destroyed mural.

Byron Sigcho, who helped organize the protest, said the developer "didn't recognize the implications" of destroying the art and went ahead "without discussion."

Emanuel, understandably, wanted nothing to do with the brouhaha as he announced a fresh round of arts funding on Thursday, telling Chicago Inc. that any questions about the mural or his donor "are for the alderman," Danny Solis.

Ahitow and Gershengorin, for their parts, blame miscommunication. A mortified Gershengorin told Inc. that he is no fan of Trump, who is widely loathed by Chicagoans of Mexican descent, adding that he hadn't intended to invoke the president's campaign slogan.

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Ahitow added that damage to the building meant it was necessary to paint over the mural but that he always intended to eventually commission a "tasteful" new work "that reflects the community and its history." He said he was working through Solis' staff with the National Mexican Art Museum to identify a suitable muralist.

Though Solis' staff confirmed that, it was news to the museum's president and founder, Carlos Tortolero, who said he was not consulted before the original mural was destroyed and that "by painting over it with another mural, they're whitewashing it with color."

His preference, he said, would be to have the original artists re-create what was originally there.

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And the story might yet have a happy ending, of sorts. Reached at his home in Oakland, Calif., renowned muralist Ray Patlan, now 70, told Inc. he'd be happy to once again lead a community effort to paint the building, as he first did 46 years ago.

"I love the idea," Patlan said. "If the developer is willing to work with me, it might be a good step for his public relations in the community."

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
Jose Colon ties balloons to the flagpole outside Roberto Clemente High School in remembrance of his 18-year-old daughter, Frances Colon, who was shot and killed Friday night. Colon was the third student from Clemente killed this year. (Michael Tercha, Chicago Tribune)

The father of a Roberto Clemente Community Academy High School student killed Friday spent Monday morning putting up a memorial to his daughter at the North Side school. Later that morning, he remembered one of the last things he did with his daughter.

It was Friday afternoon, Jose Colon Jr. recalled, and he and his daughter Frances were watching President Barack Obama speak at Hyde Park Academy on the city's South Side. The topic of that speech: The same kind of gun violence that would end his daughter's life later that night.

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"She said, 'About time they do something with the gun thing,' " he said, adding that Obama and other elected officials need to "make these people more afraid" to shoot each other by making tougher penalties.

The 46-year-old man wasn't optimistic the president's proposals would come to fruition soon enough.

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"It's not over," he said. "This is just the beginning. Wait until summer comes along."

Frances Colon, of the 2900 block of West Armitage Avenue, was shot about 7:05 p.m. Friday in the 1100 block of North Pulaski Road, according to police. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 8:16 p.m.

Colon is the third student at Roberto Clemente to be killed this school year, said Clemente's principal Marcey Sorensen.

Rey Dorantes, 14, of the 2400 block of West Augusta Boulevard, a freshman at the school, was shot and killed on Jan. 11. His death came about a month after another Clemente student, Jeffrey Stewart, 16, of the 5200 block of West Race Avenue, was shot and killed on Dec. 9.

"I'm sick of it," said Sorensen. "How many more kids have to die before we do something?"

The school has mobilized a crisis team to support students and staff. Despite the deaths, Sorensen said the students have been coping well.

"Our kids live in fear and because of that, they are incredibly resilient," she said.

Colon was a senior who was preparing to attend college, said Sorensen. She was previously selected as the student of the month, a recognition for students who display good behavior, Sorensen said.

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Clemente sophomore Noel Roman said this morning he's not surprised his high school has had to deal with the recent string of fatal shootings.

"Considering the neighborhood, no," he said. "It's barely getting better."

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Roman said he didn't know Colon personally, but they shared some friends.

"It's like, 'I was walking with her one day and now she's gone,' " he recalled one of his buddies telling him.

Colon, who refers to the president by his first name, repeated that he doesn't want Obama to forget about the victims of gun violence like his daughter who don't always grab national headlines.

On Monday afternoon, from the porch of his Humboldt Park residence, he pulled out a holiday card from the Obama campaign.

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"I want you to let them know," he told this reporter, pointing to the first lady's signature. "She knows me."

psvitek@tribune.com

Twitter: @Patrick Svitek



nnix@tribune.com

Twitter: @nsnix87


A federal jury has awarded more than $300,000 in damages to a West Side man who was punched in the face by a Chicago police officer while handcuffed, fracturing his jaw.

After a three-week trial and more than two days of deliberation, the jury on Wednesday found that Officer Matthew Bouch used excessive force when he struck Devonte James during an arrest in November 2013, court records show.

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James, whose jaw was broken in two places, was awarded $304,000 in compensatory damages as well as $7,500 in punitive damages that are to be paid by the officer himself, records show.

The jury found in the city's favor on counts involving other officers who were at the scene.

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During the trial, Bouch, who has since been promoted to detective, testified that James tried to break free and that to gain control of him the officer hit him with an open-handed strike.

An expert hired by the city also testified that striking a handcuffed suspect was within the use-of-force guidelines taught at the Chicago Police Academy.

James' attorney, Jeffrey Granich, told the Tribune he was "pleased that the jury saw through the ridiculous testimony" of the officers and expert.

"If Chicago police officers think that it's OK to hit handcuffed people in the face and break their jaw, then maybe it's time for someone to look at their training," Granich said.

In an emailed statement Thursday, Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the Law Department, said "we are pleased that the jury found in our favor on most of the counts in this case and are evaluating our legal options regarding the verdict."

James was sitting on his grandmother's porch with a cousin in the Austin neighborhood on Nov. 17, 2013, when Bouch and several other 15th District officers entered the front yard and handcuffed both teens, records show.

While James was cuffed and being questioned, Bouch punched him twice in the face, according to James' lawsuit. Medical records presented at trial showed that James needed three surgeries to repair two fractures to the jaw, including having a steel plate and screws inserted to shore up the bone.

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Instead of taking James to a hospital for treatment, Bouch and the other officers brought him to the Austin District police station and charged him with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest, according to the suit.

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The charge was dismissed two months later after Bouch and the other officers involved in the arrest failed to appear in court, records show.

Records show Bouch, a member of the force since 2002 has had 31 complaints lodged against him in his 15-year career, including allegations of illegal arrest, excessive force and warrantless searches. None of the complaints has been sustained or resulted in any discipline, records show.

While the lawsuit by James was pending trial, Bouch was promoted to detective, according to court records.

Bouch is currently a defendant in another pending excessive force lawsuit alleging police tased a West Side man several times while he was in custody, records show.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b
Two teens were among 13 people wounded in separate attacks from Thursday afternoon to early Friday on the South and West sides, Chicago police said.

About 8:40 p.m. Thursday on the West Side, the two teens were in the 2600 block of West Hirsch Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood when a light-colored sedan pulled up next to them and opened fire.

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A 14-year-old boy was shot in the upper right arm. He was taken in good condition to Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, police said. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the right foot, and he was listed in good condition at St. Elizabeth Hospital.

The shooting happened just west of the Erie Elementary Charter School, which had drawings of peace signs on its windows. People gathered at a home near the crime scene talked among themselves as police watched over the evidence. One man said he heard gunshots, but he wasn't sure how many there were. "God only knows," he said.

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About 5:05 a.m. Friday in the West Side's South Austin neighborhood, a 28-year-old man was walking out of a gas station in the first block of South Leamington Avenue when someone shot him in the arm, police said. His condition was stabilized at Loretto Hospital.

Just before 3 a.m. on the South Side, a 28-year-old man was grazed in the back of the neck while he was in the 5500 block of South Indiana Avenue in the Washington Park neighborhood. He took himself to Mercy Hospital after he heard gunshots and felt pain, police said.

About 2:40 a.m. on the West Side, a 23-year-old man was shot in the leg and side while he was walking in the 2600 block of West 23rd Place in Little Village, police said. A vehicle approached and someone inside shot at him. His condition was stabilized at Mount Sinai Hospital. The windshield of a Toyota sedan that had been parked near the corner was damaged with visible bullet holes.

About 2:25 a.m. in the Far South Side's Roseland neighborhood, a 23-year-old man was shot during an attempted robbery in the 11200 South Wentworth Avenue, police said. He was shot in the buttock, and he was listed in good condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

About 9:30 p.m. Thursday on the West Side, a 23-year-old was critically injured and a 35-year-old man was wounded during a Lawndale drive-by shooting in the 1600 block of South Hamlin Avenue, police said. They were standing outside when a dark-colored car drove by as someone in the car shot at them. The younger man was shot in the arm and twice in the abdomen. He was listed in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital. The older man was shot in the shoulder, and his condition was stabilized at Mount Sinai Hospital.

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About 6:15 p.m. on the West Side, a 23-year-old man was shot while he was standing in the 3200 block of West Madison Street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. A dark-colored sedan pulled up and someone fired shots. The man was shot in his right thigh, and he was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was listed in good condition, police said

Shortly after 5 p.m. in the South Side's New City neighborhood, another person was wounded. A 24-year-old man took himself to St. Bernard Hospital after he was shot in the foot in the 5400 block of South Aberdeen Street. He was listed in good condition, police said.

Another person was shot about 4:30 p.m. in the South Side's Gresham neighborhood in the 8000 block of South Justine Street. A 20-year-old man said he was walking when a group of males began firing in his direction, striking him in the buttocks. The victim was taken in good condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

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About 12:15 p.m. on the South Side, two women were wounded in an attack in the Englewood neighborhood. A man was driving a sedan in the 6500 block of South Halsted Street when two men approached in a black SUV and one of them started arguing with him, police said.

At some point, the driver of the SUV opened fire toward the sedan. An 18-year-old woman, who was a passenger in the sedan was shot in the buttocks. She was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was listed in good condition, police said.

A 55-year-old woman, who was standing in the 6500 block of South Lowe Avenue, was shot in the right foot. She was taken to St. Bernard Hospital, where she was listed in good condition, police said.

No one was in custody in any of the shootings Thursday, and police were investigating.
Police are searching for a 14-year-old girl who is missing from the North Side. (Provided by Chicago Police Department)

Police are searching for a 14-year-old girl from the North Side who sent a text message to her family threatening to hurt herself, according to a news release.

Pamela Lucero, of the 6100 block of North Hermitage Avenue, was last seen Thursday in the 2400 block of West Jarvis Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood. She had been missing from her home since Tuesday.

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She sent a text message to her family in which she threatened to hurt herself, according to the news release.

She is described as a Hispanic girl who is 5-foot, 1-inch tall. She weighs about 125 pounds, she has brown eyes and black hair.

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Anyone with information about the girl's whereabouts is asked to contact the Area North Special Victims Unit at (312) 744-8266.
President Xi Jinping visits a family in the mountainous village of Zhaojiawa, Kelan county, during his Shanxi inspection tour on Wednesday. He and the CPC are trying to lift families from poverty and to help them get rich.

During visits to farming villages, president offers residents hope

President Xi Jinping, while visiting a village in North China's Shanxi province, called on Wednesday for greater efforts and more effective measures to help those living in poverty.

The people's longing for a happy life is the goal that the Communist Party of China is striving for, Xi said during a stop in the village of Songjiagou, Kelan county, during his Shanxi inspection tour.

The village is newly built for local people who relocated from poverty-stricken homes nearby.

Xi also is general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. The committee is making efforts now to lead people from poverty and to get rich, and the people's livelihoods will "rise joint by joint like sesame flowers on the stem," the president said.

He called on the villagers to "roll up their sleeves and work on" following the steps of the CPC Central Committee.

During the tour, Xi also visited three families in the mountainous village of Zhaojiawa, which also is beset by poverty. Xi talked with villagers about the causes of their poverty and how to improve their incomes. He also went to the fields to inspect crops and check on the water in the village's only well.

Xi recognized the local government's efforts to relocate villagers from impoverished areas to newly built residences. He urged local authorities to take more measures to help poor people improve living conditions and raise their incomes.

In the village of Zhaojiawa, Xi held talks with civil servants who were dispatched from the Kelan county people's congress for the village's poverty-alleviation work. He encouraged the civil servants to have intensive contacts with villagers and help them out of poverty.

Noting that the CPC has dispatched a number of officials and teams to take charge of poverty relief at grassroots organizations in recent years, Xi said that the measures are effective for poverty alleviation. He encouraged the promotion of officials capable of poverty reduction.

The president has paid much attention to poverty reduction in recent years. In his New Year's address, Xi said that what he cares most about is poor people.

The poverty reduction work requires tailored relief policies and precise measures, and sometimes patience and accuracy, like "doing embroidery", Xi told lawmakers during the top legislature's annual session in March.

Under a standard set in 2011, China categorizes individuals with an annual income less than 2,300 yuan ($334) as poverty-stricken. The CPC has promised to lift all those still living in poverty out of that status by the end of 2020.

The number of people living in poverty nationwide was reduced by 12.4 million last year to 43.35 million. The government will lift another 10 million people out of poverty this year, according to the Government Work Report.

During the inspection tour on Wednesday, Xi also visited a memorial hall in Xingxian county, Lyuliang, and presented flowers at the site for revolutionaries there.

At a former headquarters of a military command of the Communist Party of China during World War II, Xi urged the public not to forget the revolutionaries who contributed to the success of the revolution, the resistance against Japanese invaders during World War II, the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the socialist revolution and construction.
The annual competitive grants process for the communities of northern Arizona, facilitated by the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff, culminated recently in the awarding of grants to nonprofits in Page, Williams and Tuba City.

A total of $22,013 was awarded to seven nonprofit organizations serving residents of Page/Lake Powell. This years grant recipients include the Arizona Theatre Company, Association for Supportive Child Care, Coconino County Public Health Services, Glen Canyon Natural History Association, Special Olympics Arizona, The Circle of Page, and United Way of Northern Arizona (Kindercamp).

Eight nonprofit organizations serving residents of Williams were awarded a total of $9,575. This years grant recipients include the Arizona Science Center, Coconino Community Services, Girls on the Run of Northern Arizona, Matthew James Broehm VFW Auxiliary Post, United Way of Northern Arizona  KinderCamp, Williams Alliance for the Arts, Williams Fire Department, and Williams Public Library.

In Tuba City, $7,006 was awarded to four nonprofit organizations serving its residents. This years grant recipients include the Life Sharing Center, Tuba City Humane Society, Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, and United Way of Northern Arizona  VITA Program.

For more information about the competitive grants process or ACF of Flagstaff, contact Gwen Groth, Regional Philanthropic Advisor, at GGroth@azfoundation.org or call 520-526-1956.
Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in January, 2007, before an adoring congregation, in his signature Sermon on the Mount style. On June 29, it became available to the public. Ten years later, the phone has spread like Christianity. The device represents the pinnacle product of all capitalism, as Brian Merchant argues in his new book, The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone. Merchant calls the adoption of the iPhone a rapid, civilization-scale transformation.

Happy birthday, iPhone. Time for a return to its origins.

In the stage show that introduces the phone, Jobs has no doubt hes making history. The Apple logo is rendered, tall as a man, in what looks like onyx ganache. Jobs stands on the dais, haloed in the logos glow. He explains the novelty of touch-screen scrolling. He flashes the album art from Green Days American Idiot. He plays a good-luck voicemail from Al Gore. He speaks of magic, of revolution.

And, then, at length, he talks smack about the horrible Blackberry buttons, which he intends to make obsolete with the glabrous minimalism of the iPhone.

Yes, glabrous: having a surface without hairs or projections. Merchant doesnt use the word in his book, which chronicles his search for what he calls the soul of the iPhone. But glabrous may be the perfect way to describe the pinnacle fetish of capitalism. I heard it first from Marina Warner, the British mythographer, in a lecture she gave that likened the iPhone to Venus de Milo and depilated porn actors. Those idealized female forms, she said, look and feel alien, the way the iPhone does, and all three suggest that terrestrial humans  in our stubborn hairiness  chronically fall short.

The iPhone is also oleophobic: It fears oil. Hairless and oil-free, the iPhone holds human biology in contempt. We have designed something wonderful for your hand, said Jobs on that first day. But the iPhone is to human hands like cold chrome is to warm, yielding fruit.

Sigh. We fell in love with hardware that was our opposite.

I watched the Jobs keynote introducing the iPhone, and  like many others  I was charmed by the devices sleekness and aspirational price tag. But I put off buying one. For all the Green Day it could play, it also seemed aloof. Meanwhile, my beloved Blackberry worked better than ever. The keyboard worked so well that by 2007 I could write long emails on it in mixed cases and full paragraphs. I didnt use SMS or its goofy shorthand in those days. Designed for lawyers seeking roving billable hours, the Blackberry made it possible to actually work and write while on the go.

But suddenly, when the iPhone appeared, every phone but Apples started to look like a fidget spinner for the dandruff club. I couldnt shake the idea that there was something unsightly and uncool about a raised non-dynamic keyboard, so when my T-Mobile plan elapsed, I switched to iPhone-friendly AT&T, and took home my first iPhone.

For months I thought of it as the Greta Garbo of my personal effects. It wouldnt mix with my warm leather wallet or battered Filofax. It seemed to leap from my hands as if it would be alone or get cracked trying. No more writing long emails on the vanishing keypad; with my new clumsiness I became less literate, and found text abbreviations and emoji easier. I started taking thousands of rolls of pointless photographs for which I evidently needed yottabytes of space in the iCloud. I blamed myself when its battery drained too fast.

Over these 10 years, two moments in Jobs iPhone baptism have stuck with me. The first is when he compares the iPhone to all other smartphones, saying, Its way smarter and super easy to use. The primary Apple promise: We are smarter so you can be dumber. Thats been true for me. I used to regularly open my Blackberry and even had some sense of how it worked; now I have to trust Geniuses for my iPhones simplest repairs.

The other line I think of is a Jobs throwaway. Hes deep into rhapsodizing about the phones features, and mentions the sensor that keeps your phone from hanging up if you brush against it. You dont get spurious input from your face! he fairly shouts. The word spurious  bogus  stood out. That stuff your face says, those inputs, are not true inputs, in Jobs world. Whats true are only the inputs the phone has been programmed to recognize. For the iPhone, everything else  human skin, faces, emotions, warmth, long paragraphs of real prose  cannot be said to exist. Its all spurious.

And thats how in a single decade nearly a billion of us came to own the iPhone, and the iPhone came to own us.



ABOUT THE WRITER

Virginia Heffernan co-hosts the Trumpcast podcast and is the author of Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art. She wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
Today I met a long-time Flagstaff resident and his wife in a supermarket parking lot. The first words out of his mouth were "What is happening to Flagstaff." He and most of his friends have been on the conservative side and have generally been on the pro-growth side of local politics. They probably would never have dIsplayed my old bumper strip "DON'T PHX FLG. They are now appalled at the extremely rapid pace of development and expansion of Flagstaff, and are probably willing to display my new sign, "FLG is being PHX'd."

There are two primary drivers of our explosive growth: Escapees from the heat, congestion and overcrowding from the bleak, overdeveloped tragedy that is called Phoenix. Developers have ruined all the available land in the Valley of the Sun, and now look northward to sustain their projects and profits.

The second tragedy is the drive to grow enrollments at Northern Arizona University. Apparently, the Arizona Board of Regents has incentivized this growth by offering salary bonuses to the NAU president for continuing to grow enrollments. Do the regents and the president have any idea what impacts this is having on our community? I think not.

NAU has long since ceased to be a community partner and has become only a growth engine fueling its own self interest. Any thinking person would ask if the quality of classroom education has improved with all the growth. Again, being in daily contact with students, my answer would be a resounding "No!"

It is time for Phoenix developers, the Arizona Board of Regents and the president of NAU. To realize that, sometimes, smaller is better.

JAMES E. BABBITT

Flagstaff
Man charged in connection to fatal shooting in rural Pueblo County

The Pueblo County Sheriffs Office has arrested a man on suspicion of murder in connection to the fatal shooting of a 73-year-old woman in rural Pueblo County.
Our weekly round up of other news affecting foreign investors throughout Asia:

Salary, Individual Income Tax, and Social Security in Singapore

It is important for companies operating and hiring employees in Singapore to understand the key elements of the countrys payroll process and stay updated on the latest regulatory changes when computing salary and social security contributions.

Filing GST Returns in India

The GST gets rolled-out on July 1, and will replace Indias current system of indirect tax. In this article, we provide a brief description of the types of returns that will need to be filed once the goods and services tax is launched, and the various categories of tax payers recognized by the GST system.

Russian Domestic Auto Sales Up 15%

Signs of a mini boom in Russia are growing as domestic auto sales increased for the third straight month. Sales for May were up 14.7 percent compared to May 2016, reaching 124,900 vehicles.

Will Chinas OBOR Hit A Silk Road Ceiling?

Chinas OBOR projects have been exclusively driven by Chinese State Owned Enterprises. Many of these have diversified from their original purpose, such as the somewhat disconcerting sight of China Nuclear Energy Industrial Corp (CNEIC) proudly advertising the fact that they are the main contractors for building several skyscrapers in downtown Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

Vietnam  US Increasing Trade Relations

Vietnam and the US have signed business deals worth US$8 billion. Learn more about the deals and understand how they fit into improving trade relations between the United States and Vietnam.



About Us Our Briefing updates are written by and provided by the various regional offices of Dezan Shira & Associates throughout Asia. To obtain a complimentary subscription to Asia Briefing please click here. To contact Dezan Shira & Associates concerning foreign investment and assistance in Asia, please email us at asia@dezshira.com

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017

Doing Business in ASEAN introduces the fundamentals of investing in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, concentrating on economics, trade, corporate establishment and taxation. We also include the latest development news in our Important Updates section for each country, with the intent to provide an executive assessment of the varying component parts of ASEAN, assessing each member state and providing the most up-to-date economic and demographic data on each.

An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2017

Doing Business in China 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates in January 2017, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Hong Kong 2017

Doing Business in China 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates in January 2017, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to stay up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2017 provides readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Singapore and outlines the citys role as a trading hub within ASEAN. The guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, and social insurance in the city-state.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam. Compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, this guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll, and social insurance in this dynamic country.
With the scope and penalties of Chinas social credit system being further clarified in 2021, legal and regulatory compliance has become more important than...
A week-long exhibition on China Intangible Culture kicked off in Kathmandu on Thursday, offering Nepalese an opportunity to gain an insight into the rich and abundant Chinese history and culture.

Nepali people visit a stall during the opening of China Intangible Cultural Heritage Week in Kathmandu, Nepal, June 22, 2017. A week-long exhibition on China Intangible Culture kicked off here on Thursday, offering Nepalese an opportunity to gain an insight into the rich and abundant Chinese history and culture. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

The event hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture has brought the wonderful and profound Chinese culture closer to the Nepalese people, deepening cultural exchanges and promoting cooperation between the two countries.

The event co-organized by the Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and Television of Tianjin and China Culture Center in Nepal has brought over more than 10 artists from China's eastern port city of Tianjin.

"Preservation of cultural heritages is very important and Nepal and China can work together in this field. Through this exhibition, Nepali people will be able to understand more about Chinese culture and heritages," Chinese Ambassador Yu Hong said after inaugurating the exhibition.

The event includes Tianjin Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition, Tianjin Cultural and Innovative Products Show and Weifang Kite making and flying activities.

The exhibition comprises display of wood engraving, painted clay figures, dough molding, straw collage, paper cutting and embroidery products among others.

Since Nepal is enriched with cultural diversity and ancient heritages, authorities said the Chinese way of promoting and protecting heritages can be a practical lesson for Nepal.

Newly-appointed Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Bidhya Sundar Shakya said, "Nepal is rich in culture, language and festivals which should be preserved for future generations. Chinese experience on preservation and development of cultural heritages can be very useful for us."

Appreciating the Chinese support in reconstruction of quake-damaged cultural heritages of the country, he said that such event promoted culture exchange and enhance friendship between the two countries.

Addressing the opening ceremony, representative from the Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and Television of Tianjin said that cultural cooperation between two neighbors could be boosted under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative.

People from various walks of life including school students visited the exhibition and appreciated the unique Chinese intangible culture. The viewers were amazed by the way artisans used various techniques to create beautiful piece of arts.
The Palace Museum in Beijing held a memorial on Thursday for a villager who donated precious cultural relics to the museum.

He Junqing, whose father, He Gang, donated ancient relics to the Palace Museum in Beijing, takes a look on Thursday at some of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) artifacts his father found while digging in his yard. [Photo/China News Service]

He Gang, a villager from Shangshui county, Henan province, discovered 19 silver artifacts from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in a buried jar he found while digging in his yard in 1985. The items are mainly vases and other containers believed to have been for daily use.

After turning down what villagers later described as a large bag of cash from antique dealers, He insisted on giving the artifacts to the country, officials said. He and two other villagers took a train to Beijing to give them to the Palace Museum.

He was killed in an accident on May 30 when a crane collapsed as he was helping to build a high-speed train track in Shandong province. He was 54.

Such a memorial, dedicated to an ordinary person rather than a renowned scholar, is rare in the history of the Palace Museum, the former imperial complex known as the Forbidden City. The museum houses 1.86 million artifacts.

The 19 items found by He filled a void in the huge collection, said Lyu Chenglong, a researcher at the museum.

"Many items housed in the museum are former royal collections from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, but Yuan articles are relatively rarely seen, let alone such delicate silver articles," Lyu said.

"Patterns and designs of the world-famous blue and white Yuan porcelain were developed from silver articles of that dynasty. The items donated by He greatly helped our research."

It is extremely rare to find such relics, which had remained intact in an ancient cellar, thereby preserving crucial historical information, said Li Ji, an archaeologist at the museum.

Some of the items donated by He have been periodically displayed, but are not on permanent display, officials said.

Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, praised He. "What He reflects is awareness of protecting traditional cultures and sticking to a righteous course," Shan said. "During a time when some people were driven by economic motives and robbed cultural relics, such a spirit should be highly respected."

More than 34,000 artifacts in the museum have been donated by about 700 people, but most were tycoons or scholars, Shan said. The museum has a special exhibition hall where their names, including He's, are displayed on plaques.

In 1985, the Palace Museum allocated about 9,000 yuan (about $3,000 at the time) as a reward for He and two other villagers who carried the artifacts to Beijing. When He encountered some job difficulties in later years, the museum also donated some money for his support. With his death, the museum donated 100,000 yuan ($14,600) to his family.

While this made some question his "donor" status, Gu Yucai, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, noted: "Public support is essential to preserving cultural relics. Donors deserve some bonus for their good deeds to set an example for others."

Gu said a national system to standardize such bonuses would help to create better conditions for donations of cultural relics.
Chinese-born designer Isabella Liu won the International Jewelry London (IJL) Editor's Choice award for Creative Originality.

Isabella Liu's IJL award-winning Sea Rhymes collection. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Claire Adler, a luxury communications consultant, and Sam Willoughby, the IJL event director, selected the awards this month.

The Creative Originality award is presented to the brand or designer that impresses the judges with true originality in terms of design, innovative use of materials or striking color combinations.

Isabella Liu was born in China and is now based in London. She founded her own studio in 2014 and is an award winning jewelry designer and artist whose works have been exhibited at Birmingham Museum and Arts Gallery, and who has won awards at the Goldsmiths' Craftsmanship and Design Awards in 2015, as well as awards at the 2015 Milan World Expo China-Italy International Jewelry Design Competition, among other accolades.

Selected by "WOMEN OF CHINA" magazine, Isabella was honored as one of 10 "Impressing the world, Chinese Women Yield Brilliant Results in 2015."

Isabella was honored as Exceptional Talent in Craftsmanship and Design by the Arts Council England in 2015, which encouraged her to contribute to the jewelry and crafts industry from a business, academic and cultural level.

Japanese artist Hokusai's "The Great Wave," and Isabella's fascination with the sound of the sea, inspired her IJL award-winning Sea Rhymes collection.

The curves of each sculptural piece are designed to embrace each stone like the ocean envelopes the body, when moving inspires the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore, producing an effect of transporting the wearer to a tranquil place.

The piece is an innovative 3D sculptural transformation inspired by a 2D classic painting highlighted with beautiful sounds.

In response to winning the award, Isabella said, "This award is such a great compliment to my creative originality and will push me even harder in my future ventures with forward thinking.

"Whenever I travel to the seaside, I write a poem, expressing my emotions, which has helped me bring a sense of romance and joy to the Sea Rhymes collection."

Claire Adler, one of the two judges of the competition, commented, "Isabella Liu's Sea Rhymes collection is statement jewellery at its best  bold, architectural and imaginative. It experiments with the notion of hearing the waves of the sea and experiencing their calming influence."

To find out more, please go to: www.jewellerylondon.com/editorschoice.

IJL 2017 will run from September 3 to 5 at Olympia Grand, London.
The Etihad Airways of United Arab Emirates' (UAE) and China Southern Airlines on Thursday announced a new codeshare agreement, which will allow passengers access to certain routes involving the two countries.

Under the codeshare partnership, China Southern Airlines will put its "CZ" code on Etihad Airways' daily services between the major Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu and Abu Dhabi, according to an e-mailed statement by the two airlines.

The new agreement will allow passengers of China Southern Airlines to book codeshare flights to and from Abu Dhabi, and connect to Etihad's network for over 100 destinations worldwide.

Mohammad Al-Bulooki, Etihad's executive vice president of commercial, hailed the codeshare partnership as "a significant milestone" in its network developing, especially in the Chinese market.

The move increased Etihad's codeshare agreements to 53, said the airlines.

"By partnering with China Southern Airlines, each airline can use its strengths to benefit the other and offer more choice with enhanced connectivity to all guests," said Al-Bulooki.

Zhang Lin, China Southern Airlines' senior management on international cooperation, also praised the establishment of the new partnership.

"China Southern Airlines will be able to extend our services globally - via Etihad Airways' Abu Dhabi hub to the Middle East, Africa and Europe," Zhang Lin said.

Both Etihad Airways and China Southern Airlines are planning to implement a reciprocal loyalty partnership in the near future to enable their guests to earn and redeem miles on each other's flights network.

Bilateral trade between the Gulf state and China hit 60 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2016, up from 54.8 billion dollars in 2015, said Hani Rashid Al-Hamli, secretary-general of the Dubai Economic Council.

China has more than 4200 companies operating in the UAE with 8 billion U.S. dollars in direct investment in the Gulf nation mainly in the UAE construction and trade sectors, Al-Hamli added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) talks with veterans at the former site of a military region command in Xing County of north China's Shanxi Province, June 21, 2017. Xi had an inspection tour in Shanxi Wednesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping said more should be done to end poverty and improve the standard of living in revolutionary base areas.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a tour Wednesday of Lyuliang and Xinzhou, two revolutionary base areas in Shanxi Province.

On Wednesday morning, Xi visited Lyuliang revolutionary memorial museum in Xing County of Lyuliang City and left a basket of flowers in a mark of respect for the country's martyrs, the term used for war heros.

Xi spoke highly of the "Lyuliang spirit" and said it should be used as motivation to "improve people's lives and to achieve the great rejuvenation of the nation."

During the tour, Xi spoke about how the poverty relief campaign related to the target of achieving a "moderately prosperous society in an all-round way" by 2020.

Also on Wednesday, Xi visited the village of Zhaojiawa, an impoverished area in Xinzhou City, where he talked with villagers and officials.

Xi spoke of improving living conditions through relocation and called for better supporting measures that would ensure income sources for residents.

The president also met with poverty-relief work teams, and praised their efforts.

Xi said sending officials to serve as first Party committee secretaries at the local level was not only conducive to the poverty eradication campaign, but also improved the competence of officials. He proposed that promising officials at this level should be considered for promotions.

The president vowed continued efforts to improve people's lives and asked everyone to "roll up sleeves and work harder together with the CPC Central Committee."
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The State Council, China's cabinet, said Thursday its upcoming nationwide inspection would focus on the implementation of measures to reduce corporate burden.

The central government will review efforts to reduce or scrap businesses administrative fees, and whether arbitrary administrative charges were imposed on enterprises, it said in a statement.

The central government has pledged to reduce corporate costs by 1 trillion yuan (about 147 billion U.S. dollars) this year.

Recent measures to cut administrative fees and lower the financial burden of companies have supported stable economic growth, but the efforts of some local governments and departments have been lax, noted the statement.

The State Council last month decided to start a new round of reform inspections to ensure tasks for this year's economic and social work will be achieved on schedule.

This is the fourth such nationwide inspection since it began in 2014.
 Flash

Following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with more than 150 Chinese nationals on board, tourist arrivals from China have dipped. However, after efforts from the governments and tourism sectors of both countries, the trend is reversing.

Malaysia waived visa fees for Chinese tourists, introduced e-visas, and waived visa requirements entirely for tour groups from China. Airlines have been adding more new flights both to secondary Chinese cities as well as top Malaysian tourist destinations outside the capital. It's all paying dividends. In the first five months of 2017, the number of tourists from China rose some 26 percent year-on-year to 1.4 million.

The number of Malaysians visiting China has been rising quickly too, with Malaysia now among the biggest sources of foreign tourists to China.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May has told European Union (EU) leaders the EU citizens living in Britain for five years will be given "settled EU status," the BBC reported on Thursday.

The report said the new immigration status would grant them rights to stay in Britain and get health, education and other benefits after Brexit.

May made clear the proposals would be adopted only if the same rights were granted to British citizens in the EU states.

It was reported that May gave her "generous offer" after a working dinner with other EU leaders at the two-day Brussels summit.

Before going for the summit meeting, May told reporters that protecting rights of citizens should be earlier issues to be considered in the Brexit negotiations.
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has opened a new official website through its foreign ministry, said official media Thursday.

The foreign ministry started running a website "http://www.mfa.gov.kp." from Thursday to inform the world of the DPRK's foreign policy and other developments in the country, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The website will help promote an understanding of the DPRK's foreign affairs and policy and contribute to boosting the relations of good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and other countries on the ideas of independence, peace and friendship," it said.

The foreign ministry website offers information in Korean and English only.

A few permanent foreign media correspondents here report news using information supplied by the DPRK foreign ministry overseas propaganda department.

The KCNA, which carries a foreign ministry statement almost every day, carries news on its website "www.kcna.kp" in Korean, English, Chinese, Russian, Japanese and Spanish.
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Cuba called on U.S. authorities on Thursday to continue bilateral cooperation against drug trafficking despite recent measures announced by President Donald Trump to roll back American policies toward Cuba.

At a press conference, Antonio Ibarra, secretary of Cuba's National Drug Commission, said cooperation between the two nations had increased substantially after the implementation of a bilateral agreement signed during the administration of former President Barack Obama.

"The effectiveness of working alongside security forces from Caribbean countries and the United States has allowed more activities of this nature to be stopped," said Ibarra.

The Cuban official said cooperation with the U.S. allowed Cuban border patrol troops to maintain direct communication with the United States Coast Guard and better pursue naval vessels suspected of carrying drugs.

"In the last 10 years, we have helped the United States seize more than 40 tons of drugs and collaborated in almost 500 cases," he said.

However, since Trump came to power this year, a scheduled high-level meeting in this area has not taken place, which concerns Cuban authorities.

"We held several high-level talks with U.S. law enforcement officials but those talks are now on standby. They have been postponed at the request of the U.S. side, but the agreements signed in this matter continue to be implemented," pointed out Ibarra.

Despite this situation, he said that Cuba maintains its willingness to continue collaborating for the "good of both countries."

Ibarra also said that the strategies employed by criminal groups have changed and drug trafficking has increased in the past year.

"In these first months of 2017, we have captured three times more drugs than in the first half of 2016," he said.

In 2016, Cuba seized 1,711 kilograms of drugs of all types but the drastic increase in 2017 means that cooperation with neighbors is all the more needed, he said.
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The spate of military failures suffered by the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq will push it to launch more terror attacks in the West, a senior Iraqi expert told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

Terror attacks across the United Kingdom, France and Belgium have killed dozens of people since March, while the IS militants are being cornered in Mosul and Raqqa, its de factor capitals in Iraq and Syria.

"The loss of IS in Mosul and Raqqa will push the terrorist group to find an alternative land for the Jihad against what they name apostates," said Abdullah al-Jubouri, an Iraqi army officer and security expert.

Jubouri pointed to several reasons behind the increasing terror attacks in Europe.

The reasons include "the killing of many of its best commanders, divisions in its ranks, fear of treachery, the decrease of people volunteering to be suicide bombers, in addition to losing the revenues of oil sells after they lost control of many oil fields in Iraq and Syria," he said.

Moreover, the IS finds it effective to encourage suicide bombers to cause panic in European society, as "they can cause much more damage" and "really make the enemy afraid."

"The group can get people prepared to be suicide bombers in Europe and they can cause much more damage. So the fight is moving to the 'enemy land', including the West," Jubouri concluded.

According to the expert, it is a dangerous tendency that the terror attacks are carried out by individuals inspired by radical ideology rather than by terrorists directly linked to the IS machinery.

"The individuals inspired by Jihad are very dangerous, very creative and also difficult to identify. There is no group decision-making process, so they are basically free to act upon any scenario they think up," he said.

"They are even not asking for instructions," Jubouri said, adding that the IS prefers to just provide "self-motivated individuals tools and techniques to act independently."

Jubouri believes that the main motivation for Muslim extremists to carry out attacks across Europe recently is revenge.

"Revenge was one of the motives of some IS attacks in Europe, as it responds to the pressure against its strongholds with counter-attacks in multiple distant places," Jubouri said.

The extremists carry terror attacks "in order to undermine public support for involvement in the anti-IS international coalition," he added.

MASS MIGRATION CRISIS CONTRIBUTES TO INCREASED TERROR ATTACKS IN EUROPE

To some extent, the worsening security situation in Europe is self-inflicted given its inadequacy to address the mass migration crisis in the continent since 2015, Jubouri said.

"It is believed that such (terror) networks are fairly widespread in Europe, as Europe's mass migration crisis since 2015 has provided cover for the networks to infiltrate in the continent," he noted.

The European governments were doing almost nothing to stop jihadists from going to Syria and Iraq to join IS group, the Iraqi expert said.

"Now Europe has to face a generation-long struggle to deal with thousands of jihadists returning as the IS caliphate is collapsing," he lamented.
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The lone-wolf attacker who stabbed a police officer at a Michigan airport tried unsuccessfully to buy a gun, according to FBI investigation.

David Gelios, the Detroit-based FBI officer who is in charge of the attack, told a news conference on Thursday that Amor Ftouhi, a dual citizen of Canada and Tunisia, attempted but failed to buy a gun after he entered the United States legally on June 16.

Ftouhi came to the Bishop International Airport in Flint, some 80 km northwest of Detroit on Wednesday morning and stabbed a police officer on duty in the neck.

He yelled "Allahu Akbar," or "Allah is the greatest" in English before he made the attack with a 30-centimeter knife. He also said something like "you have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan" and "we are all going to die," according to initial accounts from eye witnesses.

The injured officer is said to be recovering after surgery.

Gelios said so far they found no personal connection between the attacker and Flint, suggesting that he chose the airport probably because it is an international one.

The FBI is now investigating the attack as a possible act of terrorism, in coordination of the Canadian authorities, but it seems to be a lone-wolf attack.

"We have no information to suspect the attack was part of a wider plot or suspect he was aided or had associates," said Gelios.

Ftouhi made a brief appearance in a U.S. District Court in Flint on Wednesday and was ordered to be held without bail, waiting for his second hearing next week.
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Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Thursday defied appeals by some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to send back to school pregnant girls after their delivery, saying that will never happen in his administration.

Addressing a rally in Bagamoyo district at the end of his three-day official visit to the Coast region, Magufuli scolded the NGOs that have been pushing the government to allow teen mothers back to school.

"These NGOs are being used by their foreign agents," said the president.

He said schoolgirls who were impregnated could engage in other undertakings after they had given birth, including joining the Vocational Education Training Authority centers where they can learn skills like sewing.

"They should not expect going back to school under my administration," Magufuli said, adding that if allowed back to school, they could encourage others to engage in unprotected sex.

Some NGOs have of late been pressuring the government to allow teen mothers back to school.

Some of them have urged the government to formulate a legal framework that would allow teenage mothers to resume studies after giving birth.

HakiElimu, a non-profit civil society organization, said recently that early pregnancy among schoolgirls was some of the factors behind schoolgirls' failure to finish their studies.

A study carried out by the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences revealed that pregnancy was one of the major reasons for school dropout among teenage girls in the East African nation.

In 2007, pregnancy accounted for 21.9 percent of secondary schools dropout, said the study, adding that Mtwara region in south of the country was one of the leading areas in Tanzania for teenage pregnancy.

The study showed that school dropout caused by pregnancy increased from 5.2 percent in 2003 to 21.9 percent in 2017.
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The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have completed a siege on areas under the Islamic State (IS) in Syria's northern city of Raqqa, a well-informed source told Xinhua Thursday.

The siege on Raqqa has been completed, amid talks among the tribesmen in the city about reviving negotiations with IS over the next 24 hours for the withdrawal of IS from the city, the source said, on condition of anonymity.

He said that the SDF, which comprises of Arab, Kurdish, and Assyrian fighters, have lost tens of its fighters over the past two weeks of battles against IS in Raqqa, as a result of the suicide bombings carried out by IS against the SDF and allied forces, which are fighting to strip IS of its de facto capital of Raqqa.

Earlier in the day, the SDF said in a statement that its troops have captured the southern bank of the Euphrates River, adding that they are so close to lay siege on IS-held areas in Raqqa.

Since unleashing its offensive on Raqqa two weeks ago, the SDF captured four neighborhoods on the eastern and western flanks of Raqqa as well as several towns and villages in its surrounding.

Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, the SDF stresses resolve to capture the entire city of Raqqa from IS.

Still, the possibility of IS withdrawal from Raqqa seems far-fetched as the IS is still having strong fortifications inside the city.

Also, Russia, the main backer of the Syrian government forces, will not allow the withdrawal of IS from Raqqa, as the terror militants will be heading toward Deir al-Zour province in the east, which will add more pressure on the Syrian army fighting to liberate the surrounding of Deir al-Zour from IS.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that Russia will strike the IS convoys leaving Raqqa, in case of any deal.

The pro-government Syrian media outlets have repeatedly accused the U.S. of not genuinely fighting to eliminate IS in Raqqa, but to push it to withdraw toward Deir al-Zour, so that the pressure will be placed on the Syrian army.
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Pakistan army said Thursday that an "Indian intelligence agent" who was awarded death sentence for espionage and terrorism in April, has "made a mercy petition" to the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The army said earlier Kulbushan Sudhir Jadhav, the "serving Indian Naval Officer" was arrested on March 3, 2016 through a counter intelligence operation from Mashkel area of Balochistan province for his involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan.

"In his plea, Commander Jadhav has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions. Seeking forgiveness for his actions he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," the army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a statement.

Commander Jhadev had earlier appealed to the Military Appellate Court which was rejected, the spokesman said.

"Under the law he is eligible to appeal for clemency to the chief of the army staff (which he has done) and if rejected, subsequently to the President of Pakistan," he said.

The army also released Jadhav's second confessional video, in which he can be seen accepting his acts of terrorism and espionage so that the world should know what India has done and continues to do against Pakistan.

The International Court of Justice asked Pakistan last month to stay the execution of the Indian convict on an appeal by the Indian government.

"Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings and shall inform the Court of all the measures taken in implementation of the present order," the court said in its order.
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A suspected cholera outbreak caused panic at a Nairobi hotel where several delegates were attending an international health conference on Thursday.

Nairobi County government health official, Bernard Muia said some 10 medics among them two doctors who were part of the delegates at the conference were rushed to hospitals after they contracted a disease suspected to be cholera at Weston Hotel.

Muia said the visitors started experiencing symptoms similar to those of cholera that is vomiting and intense diarrhea.

"Those affected have already been admitted to hospital but we are not sure whether it is indeed cholera but we are still investigating. We have already collected samples for testing and we will issue an alert if it is indeed cholera," said Muia.

He said contingency measures have been put in place in case more people are infected. The delegates are attending the Kenya International Scientific Lung Health Conference, which had been organized by the Ministry of Health.

Muia said majority of the participants are medics from public sector. The outbreak came at a time services in all public hospitals have been crippled by a nurses' strike.

The nurses were joined by doctors in the strike to agitate for the release of their salary arrears.

The county health chief however said that the doctors had not yet confirmed whether it was cholera but all fingers pointed at it being food poisoning or a water borne disease.

"We suspect that those infected had consumed water that was not clean or are suffering from food poisoning. I was personally there and managed to rush them to hospital for treatment and testing for cholera," he said.

Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease, usually spread by contaminated water and food, and can cause severe diarrhea that in extreme cases, can lead to fatal dehydration and kidney failure within hours.
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The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Thursday that more than 5 million children need urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq as intensified fighting continued.

A new report released by UNICEF also said that 1,075 children have been killed and more than 1,100 children have been maimed and injured since 2014.

It noted that nearly 5,000 children have become separated from their families, and there have been nearly 140 attacks on schools and nearly 60 attacks on hospitals.

Peter Hawkins, UNICEF's representative in Iraq, said that across the country, children continue to witness sheer horror and unimaginable violence.

He said that they have been killed, injured, abducted and forced to shoot and kill in one of the most brutal wars in recent history.

Therefore, the UN agency appealed for an immediate end to the ongoing violence in Iraq, saying that all warring parties owe it to the children of Iraq to put an end to the conflict.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday inspected the test-firing of a home-grown ballistic missile to show the country's defense capability against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Moon visited a test site of the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in southwest South Korea earlier in the day to observe the Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile's test-launch, presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.

The Hyunmoo-2 is South Korea's indigenously developed ballistic missile with a range of 800 km.

Moon's visit was aimed at warning against recent DPRK provocations, the spokesman said, noting that the missile is at the core of a project to incapacitate the DPRK nuclear missile threats.

The Friday test-launch of the Hyunmoo-2 missile marked the fourth successful one. Following two more tests, the ballistic missile would be deployed.

Moon said that though he believes dialogue, engagement and talks with the DPRK would be made possible only when South Korea has strong capability for defense and security that will overpower the DPRK.

He added that the weapons system the ADD researchers were developing was not a tool to destroy or kill, but a measure for dialogue and peace.
As I headed to Yancheng, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, to report on the first anniversary of a tornado that changed thousands of villagers' lives, I reviewed the facts.

I knew the death toll had reached 99, and I had read that thousands of locals lost their homes, more than 850 were injured and many others lost their jobs.

I realized these were devastating blows to the community's foundations, but I didn't quite grasp the full depth of the damage the tornado left in its wake.

Traveling around different villages in Yancheng, I saw the rubble of a few homes left untouched after the twister. I was told that many others had been rebuilt by the residents without the help of contractors.

Being from the Midwest of the United States, I have seen the damage tornadoes can do. An average of 51 tornadoes occur in Iowa, the state I call home, every year, with the US bracing for 1,253 a year on average, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Jiangsu attracts tornadoes as well, due to its location in a low-lying plain where subtropical and warm temperate zones meet, causing severe weather patterns. Along with Guangdong province, Jiangsu is one of the places in China most frequently hit by convection storms.

The physical damage has been easier to fix than the emotional damage, especially for the children.

When I spoke with Li Yuhong, head of the Nanwan Kindergarten in Shuangqiao village, she talked about how the tornado moved through the area during class time, and the damage it caused. Luckily, the children sustained only minor injuries. The students seemed cheerful the day I visited, but Li said some are now scared to go to school, or don't talk much.

This especially struck me. Some children associated the fear with their school, a place where they should be learning and having fun. In school, I grew up practicing what to do in the event of a tornadofind a room with no windows and hide under a desk or sturdy object. I never had to use those procedures, and I definitely wasn't scared to go to class.

On my visit to Yancheng, I met many people who had lost their homes and family members. Such a tragedy would leave anyone devastated, and I was touched to see the locals are moving forward as they build a better tomorrow.
Lincoln Police arrested a convicted sex offender paroled in January and are investigating his possible connection with a shooting Wednesday in Lincoln.

Ricardo Jackson, 48, was arrested just before 8 a.m. after negotiators from Lincoln Police and the Lancaster County Sheriff's Department worked seven hours to get him into custody without incident, Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said Thursday.

Jackson was arrested at a hotel near the Lincoln Airport where he was staying with a 29-year-old woman. Officers also found a 9mm handgun inside the room. Some hotel guests were forced from their rooms while officers worked to get Jackson into custody. Bliemeister said in some cases guests slept in the hotel lobby or in their vehicles.

Jackson was arrested on suspicion of not meeting his parole requirements, dating to a March 3 warrant, Bliemeister said. In June, LPD received another warrant for Jackson allegedly failing to comply with his sex offender registry requirements.

The investigation into any connection with Wednesday's shootings continues.

One person was injured in a pair of shootings and a third reported an incident involving a gun, Capt. Don Scheinost said Wednesday night.

The first of the three incidents occurred in the 1000 block of G Street just before 12:40 p.m., Scheinost said.

Investigators determined a round was fired at a home there, but no one was injured. A 28-year-old woman and other residents were inside at the time of the shooting, Bliemeister said.

Just before 3 p.m., a 54-year-old man reported hearing gunshots coming from a home in the 1300 block of Hudson Street, near 13th and South streets, Scheinost said.

Several people were reportedly seen running from the house after the gunshots rang out

Officers didn't find anyone injured when they arrived, but around 6:30 p.m., a 19-year-old woman showed up at Bryan West Campus with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Bliemeister said Thursday that police are still determining at what location she was injured.

Police said another woman reported someone pointed a gun at her in a residence in the 600 block of South 27th Street.

Bliemeister said Jackson is only suspected in that incident. Officers found one shell casing but it's not clear if a shot was fired, the chief said.

Jackson is a registered sex offender dating back to a 1999 conviction in Douglas County for first-degree sexual assault of an adult, according to the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry.
Workers repacking good at a warehouse of Geodis a logistic supplier in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade zone. [Photo/VCG]

Government lifts restrictions on range of business in nation's 11 pilot free trade zones

More sectors are now open for foreign investment in China's 11 pilot free trade zones, ranging from helicopter manufacturing to financial services, the Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday.

China has pledged to offer more market space to foreign companies to carry out manufacturing, transportation, information, mining, scientific research and culture-related business in these zones.

Sun Jiwen, the ministry's spokesman, said all activities conducted by foreign firms in businesses not on the negative list only need to be filed at the relevant commerce bureau, rather than being reviewed by government branches.

The central government removed the restriction that Chinese partners must hold stakes when foreign businesses set up companies to manufacture helicopters over three metric tons in its FTZs, and that urban rail vehicle production business must be conducted under the format of joint ventures.

In addition, they are entitled to establish companies with individual ownership.

Eager to restore the country's earning ability, the State Council, or China's cabinet, on June 16 issued the 2017 negative list for its FTZs, which removes 27 items which were in the 2015 edition, leaving 95 areas off-limits to foreign investors after four sets of modification since 2013.

The country had 190 entries on its negative list when the first FTZthe Shanghai Pilot FTZwas launched in September 2013.

"The change will allow foreign investors access to the same regulation rules for new investment as domestic firms, as long as the business is not on the negative list," said Sun.

The 2017 negative list has further clarified the requirements of investors' background, earning ability and stock proportion for foreign companies to participate in China's banking and insurance industries to raise transparency and competitiveness in China's FTZs.

Since China launched its first pilot FTZ in Shanghai in 2013, another 10 provinces and municipalities have been included in the second and third batches of new FTZs in 2015 and earlier this year.

Expert said the revision can be viewed as a significant move by China to open its economy in a global environment of rising protectionism.

"The country is moving fast to lower thresholds for foreign investors. More industries have been accessible to foreign investment in the country's FTZs, while laws were amended last year to simplify the approval procedures for foreign companies," said Wei Jianguo, vice-chairman of the Beijing-based China Center for International Economic Exchanges.
Buoyed by the success of the nation's ride-hailing and bike-sharing sectors, Chinese companies and consumers are set to benefit from the country's intensified efforts to drive the rapidly expanding sharing economy.

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said it is important to develop the new economy to cut overcapacity and generate sustainable long-term economic growth.

The central government approved a guideline to boost the blossoming sharing economy at a State Council executive meeting on Wednesday, saying it will help the nation adapt to the global technological and industrial revolution and foster new growth momentum.

According to the guideline, entrepreneurs are encouraged to tap into the sharing economy, and the authorities will introduce new access and supervision policies to remove industrial and regional barriers to the sustainable development of the sharing economy.

A report released in February by the State Information Center and the Internet Society of China reveals the market for the sharing economy reached 3.45 trillion yuan ($505 billion) in 2016, an increase of 103 percent year-on-year.

Having taken notice of the ballooning sharing economy, the Chinese government expects it to grow 40 percent year-on-year over the next few years. By 2020, it is set to account for more than 10 percent of total GDP.

Li Heng, a student at Peking University, is a frequent user of shared bikes and ride-hailing services.

"The sharing economy has really brought convenience to my daily life. I can easily take a ride by simply tapping my smartphone. But some problems still bother me, such as the lack of shared bikes when I am in a hurry or the high cost of booked cars during peak times," Li said.

Zhang Xu, a senior analyst at Beijing-based internet consultancy Analysys, said the new guideline will help to remove regional barriers from the development of the sharing economy.

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Mobike riding into Japan

Chinese bicycle-sharing startup Mobike Technology Co Ltd is charging ahead into Japan as the company scrambles to expand overseas and bring the China-originated bike-sharing service to more countries.

Mobike announced on Thursday that it has established its Japanese subsidiary Mobike Japan Ltd in Fukuoka, and it plans to begin services in the city later this year.

The move came shortly after Mobike raised more than $600 million in its latest round of financing from investors including Tencent Holdings Ltd.

Soichiro Takashima, mayor of Fukuoka, said the local government welcomed Mobike's bike-sharing service to the city.

"With Mobike's bike-sharing platform, Fukuoka residents, as well as tourists, can enjoy greater mobility and convenience when traveling around the city. We look forward to the benefits Mobike will bring with the reduction in the number of automobiles," Takashima said.

Mobike was first launched in Shanghai in April 2016, and has since expanded across China, into Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The company said that within 14 months it has expanded to 100 cities, with more than 100 million registered users and 5 million bikes in operation.

Mobike is locked in fierce competition with arch-rival Ofo Inc for supremacy in the burgeoning sector both at home and abroad. Mobike aims to have presence in 200 cities by the end of this year.

Chris Martin, head of international expansion at Mobike, said: "The Fukuoka city government and the Fukuoka Directive Council have given Mobike an incredible platform from which to expand our business in Japan."
German insurance group, Allianz SE, helped turn around asset manager Pimco in the United States.

Now, it is trying to bulk up on the other side of the world.

"Asia is still a relatively small part of the overall global portfolio but it holds a very big promise," George Sartorel, Asia-Pacific chief executive officer of Allianz, said in an interview.

George Sartorel, chief executive officer of Allianz Asia-Pacific. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We have kept quiet in Asia, but our goal is to accelerate growth in the region. We see it really as the growth engine for Allianz," he added.

While it has managed to turn around Pacific Investment Management Co, Allianz has lost ground to other European insurers in the Asia-Pacific region, where a growing middle-class is driving demand for insurance. The region generates only about 4 percent of its premiums. Prudential Plc in London draws about 36 percent from Asia and Paris-based Axa SA about 10 percent.

"In terms of premiums and earnings, Asia is almost negligible at Allianz at the moment and compares poorly to Axa and even more so to Prudential," said Nick Holmes, an analyst at Societe Generale SA who covers the companies.

"Both Axa and Prudential have stronger historic ties to the region, which might be an advantage," he added.

Allianz joined with Standard Chartered Plc earlier this year to sell general insurance in the region through the bank's branches and digital platforms. In China, the Munich-based company is awaiting a license to sell online insurance nationwide in partnership with search engine Baidu Inc and asset manager Hillhouse Capital Management.

"While we got positive signals from the regulator, I think we need to be patient," Sartorel said. "If we pull that off, that is something transformational for us in China, giving us access to 800 million potential customers."

It remains to be seen how profitable a partnership with China's biggest search engine could be for Allianz, Societe Generale's Holmes said.

Banking partnerships are no bargain either for insurers. Allianz paid Standard Chartered about $200 million upfront to sell its general insurance products in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. The lender expects to receive at least $1 billion in payments over the 15-year life of the bancassurance agreement, including profit-sharing, people with knowledge of the matter said at the time.

It was still good value, according to Sartorel, 59, who oversaw Italy and Turkey at Allianz before taking on the Asia-Pacific role in 2014.

"We're confident because penetration is low and Standard Chartered is committed to the business model that we are planning to deploy across the geography," said Sartorel, who is responsible for markets including China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines.

Allianz is also in talks with a number of potential partners to expand its life insurance business in China, he said.

The insurer already operates a fully owned non-life insurer in three provinces and a life insurer that is present in eight of provincial-level regions in China.

Sartorel ruled out a joint venture with a mainland bank because of the low margins for insurers.

About two thirds of Allianz's insurance products in Asia are sold through agents and the remainder through partnerships with banks including HSBC Holdings Plc.

Likewise, Axa has joined with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd to sell life insurance in China. It offers non-life insurance through a joint venture with Tian Ping Auto Insurance Company Ltd.

"We will in the future do more digital partnerships" Sartorel said, referring to the Standard Chartered agreement. "How do I compete with Ping An Insurance, which has a million agents on the street in China? Forget it."

BLOOMBERG
Ma Huateng, chairman and chief executive officer of Tencent Holdings Ltd, speaks during the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Forum in Hong Kong, China, June 20, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Billionaire Pony Ma Huateng has called for the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to be turned into China's Silicon Valley and a "mecca for talent".

The chief executive officer and co-founder of online giant Tencent Holdings Ltd made it clear he would like to see more policy support for the plan at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Forum in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Ma felt governments in the area should switch from being competitive to collaborative and join forces to attract the best global talent in high-tech businesses.

"We know very well how much of a headache it is for our staff commuting between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland every day," Ma said, referring to the time spent at border checkpoints.

With that in mind, he urged governments in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to build the bay area into a "talent mecca" or China's equivalent to Silicon Valley in the United States.

"Working and living in the Greater Bay Area today remains quite different from what it would be like in Hong Kong and Macao," he said.

"Talent in the two SARs (special administrative regions) still have to count the days to avoid staying in the mainland for more than 180 days within a year," Ma added. "Otherwise, they will be taxed at the higher mainland rate."

Founded in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in 1998, Tencent was listed in Hong Kong in 2004 with two thirds of its workforce living in the Greater Bay Area.

Naturally, Ma has become a strong advocate for a concrete plan, which included a headline grabbing proposal at the National People's Congress meeting in Beijing in March.

At this week's forum in Hong Kong, he put forward the idea of a "green card" for top-notch talent to reduce their travel time at border checkpoints between the mainland and the two SARs.

He also suggested tax subsidies for highly skilled workers based in Hong Kong and Macao but operating in Guangdong.

"The proposed efforts would polish the bay area's brand as a place for high-end talent from across the world," Ma said. "Otherwise, people may vote with their feet and migrate to other jurisdictions."

The first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Forum, co-hosted by the China Development Institute and One Country Two Systems Research Institute, and supported by Tencent, attracted more than 400 policymakers, business leaders and academics from across the world.
By Ren Xiaojin and Ma Si in Shenzhen | China Daily | Updated: 2017-06-23 08:29

Shenzhen Shekou Port handled nearly 24 million TEUs of containers in 2016, making it one of the three largest global cargo-handling seaports. [Photo/China Daily]

Cross-border trade has become vital growth engine for the city's economy

Major companies in Shenzhen are expanding to cope with growth opportunities thrown up from the Belt and Road Initiative.

International projects are opening up for businesses in industries such as infrastructure, logistics, information technology and financial services.

"To reap the benefits from its harbor location, Shenzhen is boosting connectivity with countries and regions related to the Belt and Road Initiative by implementing projects in trade, logistics, air transport and the information sector," said Wu Sikang, director of the Shenzhen Development Research Center.

Shenzhen is one of China's most vibrant cities and is actively encouraging Chinese companies to develop a Going Global strategy.

Already many firms are involved in putting together logistic networks, Wu confirmed.

Shenzhen Yantian Port Group Co Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding to take part in the Melaka Gateway Port project in Malaysia.

China Merchants Group has also announced plans to roll out offices in 47 ports in 18 countries.

Local enterprise groups continue to be in the forefront of the Belt and Road Initiative, which connects Asia, Africa and Europe to a modern version of the ancient Silk Road.

Shenzhen airport has invested heavily in infrastructure renovation and launched new flights. It has added 12 international routes, including to Sydney, Dubai and Jakarta.

It has also increased the number of flights to major Southeast Asia cities. Last year, about 2.23 million international travelers visited the airport, which was up one third year-on-year.

Other sectors are also experiencing a boom.

"To serve the city's crossborder financial and logistics business, Shenzhen is working full swing on its booming IT sector," Wu said.

"It has increased the speed levels of its internet connection with Qianhai, the pilot zone for service industry cooperation. And it will also build a cross-border e-commerce customs clearance platform," he added.

Wu pointed out that stimulating cross-border trade was crucial to the economy.

Last year, 216 foreign companies started up in Shenzhen, an increase of 46.9 percent year-on-year. The city's international trade with Belt and Road economies also reached 482.7 billion yuan ($70.9 billion) during the same period, an increase of 7 percent compared to 2015.

"Cross-border trade has become a vital growth engine for the city's economy," Wu said. "The city has seen an increase in import and export activity, and bilateral investment since last year."

In 2016, Shenzhen attracted $280 million of foreign investment, a jump of 175 percent compared to the previous year.

Domestic companies such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp are also scrambling to expand their global presence.

Huawei, the multinational telecommunications equipment and smartphone manufacturer, has invested $12.5 billion in Belt and Road-related economies.

Now its products and services are available in more than 170 countries and regions.

ZTE, another multinational telecommunications equipment company, has moved into overseas markets. It recently bought a major share in a leading Turkish telecoms company Netas for $101.3 million.

Shenzhen Energy Group has pursued opportunities in Europe and is involved in a wind power project in Greece.

Closer to home, Wu stressed that Shenzhen would accelerate cross-border financial collaboration through the Qianhai pilot zone.

China Merchants Bank has provided a 341 billion yuan fund for 1,186 clients involved in the initiative, which includes cross-border renminbi loans, bilateral bonds and equity investments.

The city has also set up a 10 billion yuan pool to support overseas acquisitions and infrastructure projects.

Cultural companies are also promoting the Going Global development strategy.

Shenzhen Broad Link Cultural & Creative Co Ltd has held exhibitions in Pakistan, Canada and the United States.

"We want to use cutting edge digital technologies to re-create Chinese culture and expand its influence in the world," said Joe Ye, managing director of Shenzhen Broad Link.
Wanda Film trading halted, tumbling almost 10% on market speculation

China's A-share market opened buoyantly in Thursday morning trading, climbing higher over excitement about MSCI's decision to include mainland shares in a key index. But gains were erased in the afternoon on profit-taking and weakness in small-cap stocks. Analysts, however, said they remained bullish about A-shares in the long run as a result of the development.

The blue-chip CSI 300 index rose 0.1 percent to 3,590.34 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.3 percent to 3,147.45 points.

Shares in Shenzhen-listed Wanda Film, a listed arm of Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group, halted trading after tumbling nearly 10 percent on speculation about Wanda Group.

The company denied as "malicious speculation" market rumors that banks had ordered a sale of its bonds, and said it was operating normally.

Investors continued to pile into stocks that will potentially benefit from inclusion in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The US index provider said on Tuesday it would add 222 China-listed stocks to its Emerging Markets Index, tracked by around $1.6 trillion in funds, with the inclusion process starting in June 2018.

Fang Xinghai, deputy head of China Securities Regulatory Commission, said in a television interview Wednesday evening that the MSCI would include more A-share stocks in its key index.

He added that quotas for Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor programsamong the major channels for foreign investors investing in China's marketwere likely to be expanded accordingly.

Fang said it is likely that 30 percent of A-share listed stocks will be included in the MSCI key index. Currently more than 3,000 shares are listed on mainland's A-share market.

The MSCI inclusion "paves the way for global capital inflows into China's A-shares," rating agency Moody's said in a report on Wednesday, projecting roughly $11 billion in near-term fund inflows into mainland stocks from funds benchmarked to the EMI.

Citi China Securities Services said in a report that the MSCI inclusion of A-share stocks had long-term significance.

"Globalization of China's capital markets is a gradual and inevitable process," it said.

The firm said it believed that there may not be a sharp increase in the number of new QFII or RQFII license applicants due to the MSCI index inclusion, but foreign funds were likely to increase their investment quotas in response.

"We also expect to see an increase in the number of smaller overseas institutional investors accessing the A-shares via the Connect programs for the first time," the report said.

Reuters contributed to the story.
BUENOS AIRES - An Argentina minister on Thursday underscored the importance of his country's joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a development initiative led by China.

With the move, Argentina "expands its financing tools to grow the economy," Luis Caputo, Minister of Public Finance, said a statement.

Now "Argentina will be able to begin presenting projects for infrastructure development and job creation," the minister added.

AIIB's board of governors approved Argentina's membership on June 16.

The AIIB is a lending bank designed as an alternative to traditional institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), whose loans often come with political strings attached.

The AIIB "will be able to finance, co-finance or participate in projects for economic development, provide consulting and technical assistance, and grant special resources," said Caputo.

The minister also said the institution is interested in promoting a wide range of key sectors, such as energy, transport, telecommunications, rural infrastructure, agricultural development, urban development, water supply, sanitation services, environmental protection and logistics.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, President of Argentina Mauricio Macri spoke of his country's intention to join the institution.

"We have committed ourselves to forming part of the infrastructure bank. Our objective is to participate, add to the initiatives for the Mercosur region (and) for Argentina," said Macri.

"We believe it can be a very good vehicle for continuing to develop shared initiatives, both to improve infrastructure and boost production, and in that way have greater exchanges with China," the president said.

The bank was founded on January 2016, and is headquartered in Beijing.
China is not yet ready to issue an official digital currency of the nation, nor has it authorized any institute to do so. This is according to China's central bank, which made the statement to address rising digital currency fraud and virtual currency prices.

According to a notice issued by the Gold and Silver Bureau of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the so-called digital currency in the market now is not legal, as the central bank has not yet issued a legal currency.

The PBOC said at a January seminar that it will issue official digital currency as soon as possible. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the central bank, elaborated that the digital currency issued by the PBOC will be mainly responsible for replacing cash, so as to bring down costs and improve the efficiency of circulation.

The concept of digital currency is increasingly popular, especially as certain forms like Bitcoin gain value. The PBOC warned that some institutes and companies promoting digital currency are likely perpetrating pyramid schemes or other fraud. As early as 2013, Bitcoin was classified as a virtual commodity rather than a legal currency.

Issued by the Jiangsu Internet Finance Association in April, a report on Chinese internet pyramid schemes observed that there are over a dozen digital currencies in China, all of which are "illegal pyramid schemes in the disguise of digital currencies."

In May, a court in Peixian county, Jiangsu province sentenced a man to four years in prison for organizing a pyramid scheme in the name of promoting "Markcoin" and "Vikcoin." The organization turned out to have lured hundreds of thousands of clients, and the amount of money involved potentially reached hundreds of millions of renminbi.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian fund managers are positive on MSCI's recent move to include Chinese stocks into its global benchmark equity index, though they see limited impacts on markets in near term, as the weightage is minimal and the formal process will only start in a year later.

After MSCI twice deferred its A-share inclusion previously, this time marked a milestone for China's A-share, said Huang Juin Hao, Affin Hwang Asset Management's portfolio manager.

But he sees little impact in short-term to either Malaysian or the Chinese markets as this will only be a 5 percent partial inclusion of China's A-shares and will only be done in two stages of 2.5 percent each, starting in May 2018 and August 2018.

He also noted that full inclusion could be stretched and take a long time as seen in the cases of the South Korea and China's Taiwan, both of which took more than six years.

On the impact to Malaysia, Huang said post the two-step partial inclusion in May 2018 and August 2018, the weight in MSCI Emerging Market (MSCI EM) will drop to 2.38 percent from 2.42 percent, which could result in potential passive outflows of $144 million, and to him, this is a non-event to Malaysia.

However, China's weight in the MSCI EM will increase to 29.31 percent, from 27.99 percent, with potential passive inflows of $5 billion, of which $2.7 billion inflows are expected to A-shares.

"Compared with the A-shares average daily turnover of $65 billion, this is also not significant," Huang added.

For China-H shares, he noted that there is no short-term impact given potential passive inflows of $2.3 billion which is less than 5 percent of average daily turnover.

But he still considered it positive on China stock market. Therefore, the fund house regional portfolio holdings are more than 30 percent exposed to China via H-shares and American Depository Receipts (ADRs).

Lim Suet Ling, UOB Asset Management (Malaysia)'s executive director and chief executive officer, opined that the inclusion of China's domestic equities to MSCI benchmark indices is marginally positive for the A-shares market listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

"Since the initial inclusion is small relative to the overall A-shares market capitalization, the near term impact will likely be muted. This is despite that there may be a short term sentiment boost to the broader market," Lim said.

She said that fundamentals are far more influential to the market than index inclusion in the medium to long term.

Since the representation of 222 large-cap-stocks will comprise only a tiny share of the index, the fund house may start investing in some good quality A-shares names if it has very strong conviction in them, Lim added.
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BEIJING - With more than 200 million people over the age of 60, pension reform is a pressing matter for China.

In the first five months of the year, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 1.58 trillion yuan (about $231.5 billion) flowed into pension funds for workers, up 23.9 percent year on year.

Total expenditure in the period increased 23.2 percent to 1.35 trillion yuan, leaving a balance of around 226 billion yuan. The cumulative balance stood at 4.08 trillion yuan at the end of May.

Revenue surpassing expenditure will likely continue for the rest of the year, ensuring benefits are paid in full and on time, according to a ministry spokesperson.

While the overall picture stayed positive, geographical imbalance remained. In areas where economic growth is behind the national average, such as the old industrial base of northeast China, fewer people paid contributions while many had retired, resulting in a periodic deficit.

"We should start from where we are now and focus on the long-term, taking effective measures to ensure steady growth of the pension fund and promote the sustainable growth of the pension system," the spokesperson said.

China has been actively expanding pension fund coverage. By the end of 2016, employees participating in workers' pension funds totaled 379 million, 25.7 million more than a year ago.

Fiscal funds have been an important source of income for pensions. Since 1998, central fiscal funds have contributed 2.57 trillion yuan to pension funds for enterprise employees, including over 400 billion yuan of investments in 2016 alone, up 12.9 percent year on year.

Local governments have also been expanding their pension investments. In 2016, local governments at different levels together contributed 66.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year surge of 79.6 percent.

The country will continue to increase pension fund revenue by expanding coverage and raising fiscal investments, the ministry said. The central government will also play a bigger role in addressing the geographical imbalance, making proper adjustments to ease the burden in areas with pension fund shortage.

While money keeps flowing into the pension pool, the authorities are also striving to achieve better returns.

Pensions are traditionally held by banks or used to purchase treasury bills. They are now allowed to be invested in a variety of financial products, including bonds and stocks.

As of March this year, seven provincial-level regions have entrusted a total of 360 billion yuan of pensions to the National Council for Social Security Fund in the hope of more diverse and higher returns.

To contain the risks associated with higher yields, the government has set a 30-percent limit on the proportion of pension funds tied up in stocks, while various systems to guarantee fund security, including internal controls and risk provisions, are gradually established.

In the meantime, China is also developing a social security system to meet the demands of different groups. Besides the basic pension plan, individuals can also choose annuity programs or commercial pension insurance.

In a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, China decided to speed up the development of commercial pension insurance, urging insurance companies to offer personalized and differentiated services to individuals and households.

"Commercial pension insurance, just like social security, is a lifeline for ordinary people," Li said.

"We must ensure that the funds are managed safely and reliably. This is the bottom line that every insurance institution should adhere to," he said.
Sandrine Deveaux, managing director of Store of the Future, demonstrates the operation of a touch screen mirror to select fashion items at the launch of Farfetch UK Ltd. [Photo/Agencies]

JD.com Inc, China's second-largest e-commerce player, said it will invest $397 million in London-based online fashion retailer Farfetch UK Ltd to further penetrate the luxury sector, amid fierce competition with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

JD will become one of the largest shareholders of the UK firm following the transaction, and its founder and CEO Liu Qiangdong will join Farfetch's board, JD said in a statement.

Farfetch will leverage JD's existing logistics, internet finance, technology capabilities and social media resources, including its WeChat partnership, to expand its sales channels in China, as well as allow Chinese consumers to access luxury brands online.

The announcement comes as JD attaches greater importance to high-end luxury and fashion to meet the huge demand among its upwardly mobile customers.

"As part of our major luxury push, we could not have found a stronger online partner than Farfetch," said JD CEO Liu Qiangdong. "We have always believed that the long-term trend of Chinese e-commerce is toward quality over price."

Liu said JD is looking forward to deepening its relationships with Farfetch and luxury brands in the future.

The cooperation will benefit 700 global brands and boutiques on Farfetch's platform, enabling them to take advantage of JD's vast resources and tap into China's luxury market.

"China is the world's second-largest luxury market, and we are delighted to have such a respected partner. This partnership addresses the market's challenges by combining the Farfetch brand and curation with the scale and influence of the foremost Chinese e-commerce giant," said Jose Neves, CEO of Farfetch, which raised $110 million in 2016 in a Series F round of funding.

Alibaba, JD's largest domestic rival, has expanded heavily into luxury goods with its online marketplace Tmall.

Lu Zhenwang, chief executive officer of Shanghai-based Wanqing Consultancy, said JD has an upper hand in selling electronic devices and home appliances, and it is making efforts to introduce clothing and luxury products to attract more affluent Chinese consumers.

"JD currently has a weakness in the luxury supply chain. Through its cooperation with Farfetch, JD will enhance its presence in the luxury sector and expand its luxury offerings," said Lu.

Since the beginning of the year, JD has hired Winston Cheng as president of international to lead its international business development with global partners and overseas investments, and created a new business unit, JD Fashion.
Workers use interphone to communicate at a train station in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

US data communications and telecoms equipment provider Motorola Solutions Inc said it is planning to establish a dedicated team in China to customize its digital two-way portable radios and services for Chinese industry customers, to improve their working efficiency.

Lily Fu, acting sales general manager of Motorola Solutions China, said that her company was bullish on its prospects in China and key areas of future growth included transportation and use in forestry protection. She said that by 2020 the average compound growth rate for the digital mobile radio sector would reach 6 percent.

The company's portable communications products range from police radios, business handhelds, to family-friendly walkie-talkies.

Fu said the China was an important market for Motorola Solutions and she was confident about the company's growth in the country, adding that China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) would also boost its development.

"China is a highly diverse and complex market where we work closely with our customers and partners to clearly understand their challenges in order to design and co-create solutions that meet their specific needs," Fu said.

Fu added that her company would continue to increase its R&D and innovative resources and enhance the features of its digital mobile radio portfolio.

"R&D spending now accounts for about 10 percent of our revenue," she said.

Currently Motorola's digital radio systems are deployed in many industries across China, ranging from transportation, the oil and gas industry, to forestry, hospitality and retail sectors.

The company recently conducted a survey of 300 users, which found that reliability, voice quality and battery life were the most important drivers in choosing digital radio technology.

US technology giant Motorola Inc divided its business into the mobile phone division Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions in 2011.

Motorola Mobility was acquired by Chinese personal computer maker and smartphone group Lenovo Group Ltd from Google Inc for $2.9 billion in October 2014.

Motorola Solutions, as a global leader in critical communications, was among the first multinational technology companies to set up an office in Chinese mainland in 1987.

According to the company's earnings results for the first quarter, its sales reached $1.3 billion, up 7 percent from a year ago. It expects revenue growth of 2 to 3 percent in the second quarter compared with the same period last year.

Fu Liang, an independent telecoms expert, said Motorola has a traditional strength in the two-way radio field, but it faces Chinese competitors such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp, which are making efforts in radio communications networks and terminals.
BEIJING - China's TV and film watchdog Thursday asked three major web portals, including the Sina Weibo, to shut down video and audio streaming services that are in violation of state rules.

The popular twitter-like Sina Weibo, news portal Ifeng.com and ACFUN, a major online video site with "bullet screen" function where real-time comments from viewers appear on the screen, and other websites have provided audio-visual services without gaining the appropriate certificates, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said in a statement.

They have screened "many politically-related programs that do not conform with state rules and social commentary programs that propagate negative remarks and opinions," it said.

"The administration has ordered authorities in charge to take effective measures to shut down the websites' audio-visual services and make a thorough rectification, so to create a cleaner cyberspace," it said.

Weibo has about 340 million monthly active users, while ACFUN, nicknamed "A station," was one of China's first video sites to feature bullet screen interaction, and a major provider of cartoons and anime.

The administration has repeatedly asked websites to gain the correct certificates before providing audio-visual programs. In May, it punished Tencent for spreading self-made political and live news programs and playing vulgar shows on mobile apps including WeChat.
Jack Ma (L), chairman of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is in a conversation with Charlie Rose (R), famous American television talk show host and journalist at Gateway'17 in Detroit, US, June 20. [Photo/Xinhua]

DETROIT - Air Traffic was jammed and hotels were full in the US city of Detroit on Monday when more than 3,000 business representatives flocked in for the Gateway 17 conference, Aibaba's biggest-ever public event, in the United States.

Addressing to thousands of entrepreneurs at the two-day session, Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, educated owners of US small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on marketing their companies to Chinese consumers.

"For me CEO has a different meaning -- Chief Education Officer," he joked.

Why Chinese market

"If you miss China, you miss the future," Ma told the group of entrepreneurs at Cobo Center in Detroit.

He emphasized in his keynote speech the importance for US businesses to tap into the huge Chinese market.

Indeed, Chinese consumers are shopping around the world. Cross-border retail e-commerce spending in China is expected to grow six-fold to $245 billion between 2015 and 2020, according to AliResearch and Accenture.

Meanwhile, China has the highest share of e-commerce sales and total retail sales in the world, according to eMarketer, a New York-based market research company. E-commerce sales in China are expected to account for 37 percent of total retail spending worldwide by 2020, data from eMarketer showed.

The more than 500 million consumers on Alibaba's platforms are upgrading their lifestyles and yearning for high-quality American products, resulting in a drastic increase in online shopping, with the majority of which conducted through mobile devices.

Ma said domestic consumption in China has played a leading role in boosting the country's economic growth which would drive the world economy in the next decades to come.

He is confident that Alibaba will be able to create 1 million jobs in the United States in the next five years by helping 1 million small US businesses sell their products to China and Southeast Asia.

In California alone, Alibaba has already helped create more than 20,000 jobs, said Ma.

"We are made in China but we are made for global," said Ma. Globalization and free trade rules that were designed for big companies and developed countries need to be changed to benefit small businesses, young entrepreneurs and farmers around the world, he added.

Ma pledged that Alibaba would be dedicated to helping SMEs to go global as it always did over the past 18 years.

Jack Ma, chairman of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is speaking during a Keynote Program at Gateway'17 in Detroit, US, June 20. [Photo/Xinhua]

Jack Ma's charisma

On the second day of the conference, Ma met with his old friend Bruce Thelen, a veteran attorney who left his post in Wall Street in 1980 for a trip around the world.

Nearly 40 years ago, a teenaged Ma greeted Thelen out front of the only hotel opened to foreigners in Hangzhou, China, offering to guide him to tour the city for free.

According to Ma, he spent about eight years offering free tours to foreign tourists just to practice English and listen to stories that were so alien to him at that time.

The audience burst into applause when Ma recalled his old days and what he did contrary to convention.

Ma said listed companies usually put shareholders' interest at the top of their priority list, but he reversed it by considering customers' interest first.

"If the customers are happy, the employees are happy, then the shareholders should be happy," he said, adding that it's unimaginable or even disastrous for a company when shareholders are happy but customers and employees are not.

Fighting counterfeits

Allegations from brands of widespread counterfeit goods on Taobao and Tmall Marketplace have long been the thorny problem for the company which Ma called a "cancer," and promised to do everything to solve.

Ma said Alibaba has invested heavily in technology, talents and resources to fight counterfeits.

"Afraid of our data tracking ability, people who make counterfeits are escaping from our platform," he said, elaborating that the company could now track who are buying, selling, and producing counterfeits.

To better protect intellectual property rights, Alibaba also plans to expand the scope of off-line cooperation with law enforcement agencies, and help identify and eliminate factories producing counterfeit goods.

US SMEs on Tmall

US SME forerunners have benefitted from the vast Chinese market. About 7,000 US brands, big and small, market and sell on Tmall today, including Nike, Apple, Starbucks, Victoria's Secret, Stadium Goods, LuckyVitamin, Jewelry.com and Real Techniques.

John McPheters, co-founder and CEO of Stadium Goods, said the company had its eyes set on China very early because collectible sneakers is a $6 billion industry and is particularly popular in China.

"We decided to partner with Tmall Global because it is a trusted platform and it is where Chinese consumers go to shop," said McPheters.

Sam Wolf, on the other hand, has just started to know about Chinese consumers. Having opened a Tmall Global store for around half a year, Wolf saw huge growth potentials for his products in China.

"Right now China is one of our top three overseas markets, and I won't be surprised if it becomes our largest market in the future," said Wolf, who founded LuckyVitamin, an online natural products retailer based in Pennsylvania.
A customer is trying a new red iPhone 7 in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, March 25, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

A total of 45,362 Chinese apps were booted from Apple's App Store from June 13 to June 22, according to data analysis platform ASO 100, Beijing Business Today reported.

More than 15,500, or 34.34 percent, of them were gaming applications, it said.

The report said the cleanup probably target apps using hot patching, a solution that can enable developers to bypass the time consuming vetting process to deploy patches to users' devices immediately.

To ensure all apps in the App Store meet Apple's standards for security and integrity and maintain a healthy and clean app ecosystem, Apple has developed a thorough vetting process that scrutinizes all submitted applications.

However, once the original app is approved after Apple Store's vetting process, hot patching may be used by hackers to embed malicious code into users' smartphone.

Early this month, Apple had warned iOS developers by emails that any code, frameworks, or Software Development Kits that can change the app's behavior or functionality after App Store Review approval had to be removed.

Chinese apps were not the direct targets. More than 27,000 apps in the United States were also pulled from App Store in June, the report said.

In addition, Apple does not ban all hot patching technologies. According to section 3.3.2 of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, only hot patching with capability to change app's native code, such as OC, rollout.io and JSPatch, are prohibited.

Many gaming applications in China are using Java Script, which is not banned by Apple, the report said.

Besides apps using banned hot patching, copycat apps, apps that have not been downloaded for years or host pirated music, and apps unable to support App Store's IPv6-only networks are also facing cleanup, according to a report by tech.sina.com.cn

Apple announced in June that its App Store had paid out $70 billion to developers since 2008, of which 30 percent was made last year, according to Xinhua.
Buildings in Beijing's Guomao area are enshrouded by rain clouds on Thursday afternoon. Shen Gang/China Daily

Beijing municipal authorities warned the public on Thursday that the regional storm that is expected to continue until Saturday may still pose dangers and suggested that people avoid rural and mountain areas if possible.

Cai Qi, the capital's Party chief, visited the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters on Wednesday night as the storm settled in. All departments should be prepared for this round of storms to ensure people's safety and the city's order, Cai said.

The Beijing Meteorological Service said the heavy rain will affect the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei area as it sweeps from west to east. The strongest rain is expected to hit Beijing on Thursday night.

Wang Jing, a meteorologist at weather.com.cn, a national weather website, said the rain will be sustained but decentralized.

To ensure the safety of tourists, 174 scenic spots in Beijing were closed temporarily and will reopen as weather allows.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism said tourists should not go to rivers, mountains or campsites because of the chance of geological movement.

More staff members have been placed on standby status by the Municipal Commission of Transport, and emergency vehicles are ready for service, it said.

It also shifted subway operations from autopilot to manual drive, increased the number of buses and prepared for longer working hours.

By 2 pm on Thursday, Beijing Capital International Airport had canceled 366 flights because of thunderstorms. It expected the storms would clear by around 3 am on Friday.

China's national weather observatory continued its alert for rainstorms on Thursday morning, as heavy precipitation is expected across the country over the next few days.

On Friday, heavy rain is expected in parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, as well as in Hebei and Shandong provinces and in Beijing and Tianjin, with precipitation of up to 120 millimeters, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The center warned local authorities to reduce outdoor activities and take precautions against strong winds, flooding and geological disasters.
A Southeast Nebraska farmer, who is also a school board member, says the Legislature needs to take a hard look at tax credits which have been on the books for years  specifically the infamous LB775, which was passed in 1988 and the more recent (2005) Nebraska Advantage Act.

Dennis Schuster of rural Steinauer is among a host of rural residents who want to see property tax relief  especially in light of declining commodity prices, which have caused many to blame underperformance in the agriculture sector for a nearly $1 billion shortfall between projected and actual revenues. With little or no profit, Nebraska farmers and ranchers are paying less in state income taxes and simply not buying things that generate sales tax.

He said the USDA reported that annual net farm income in 2013 was at an all-time high of $123.7 billion. However, since that time, grain and livestock prices plummeted, and the agency now predicts national net farm income for 2017 to be only $62.3 billion, almost 50 percent less.

But he is quick to add that its not all the farmers fault. He said its past time for the Legislature to look at the money pit of tax credits given to big business. Starting with LB775 of 1988, there have been a number of economic development programs enacted to excuse the payments of income, sales and property taxes if a company is large enough to make promises of investment, expansion and job creation.

Relying on reports that are readily available online from the Legislature and the Nebraska Department of Revenue, Schuster calculated that from 1988 to 2015, the net of recapture totaled $1,870,326,578 for companies reporting the intention to create 90,967 jobs. That comes to $20,560 per job paid to companies by the state, if the promised jobs are newly-created.

In addition, nearly $10.4 billion of estimated personal property assessed value was exempted by class in 32 Nebraska counties. In Nebraska, 459 companies have received both property tax credits and investment growth act tax credits under LB775.

Then, the Nebraska Advantage Act (LB312) was passed to provide income, sales and property tax credits. Recently, the Legislature requested a study of 79 companies. An audit report indicated that 68 companies were estimated to have created 2,968 net additional full-time equivalent jobs. The cost to the state ranged from $24,500 to $320,000 per FTE job over the six years of the study.

Between 2008 and 2014, 17 companies in seven counties claimed a property tax exemption totaling approximately $57.6 million. The estimated reduction in property tax collection by government subdivisions, between 2008 and 2014, was $57.5 million. School districts in those subdivisions lost nearly $34.3 million in revenue, which could have reduced the taxes levied on district home, agricultural and business property owners.

In addition, Schuster said that between 2008 and 2014, 59 companies received local sales tax refunds resulting in a loss of $14.5 million to 142 Nebraska cities where sales occurred. Some 64 companies that received more than $500 million thanks to LB775 also applied for Advantage Act credits totaling more than $42 million before 2015. A total of 310 companies applied under the Advantage Act, and credits totaling over $676.7 million were authorized, Schuster said.

The Department of Revenue estimates in its 2015 Annual Report on Tax Incentives that by 2025, the cumulative amount of forgone state revenue will be more than $925 million. That estimate factors in new projects being approved between 2015 and 2025. If there were no additional projects other than the 79 projects in our population, the 2025 cumulative forgone state revenue estimate is $473 million."

Those figures are only for credits under the Nebraska Advantage Act. The fiscal analysis for LB775 from 2015-2025 projects another $311 million of lost revenue.

Schuster makes a logical conclusion. Thats $784 million in lost revenue by 2025. With revenue projections for 2018 alone down by $1.5 billion, Nebraska can no longer afford to give these tax credits away. Without the credits granted to date, the state could have a nearly balanced budget.

Halting the tax credits from these two programs is a much higher priority than the governors recommended income tax reduction for higher-bracket taxpayers and corporations.

Thats an important step toward tax relief.
A vehicle makes its way through a flooded road in Beijing on June 23, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

China's national weather observatory renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms on Thursday as heavy rain is expected across the country in the next few days.

On Friday, heavy rain is expected in parts of Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin and Shandong with precipitation of up to 120 millimeters, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Up to 140 millimeters of rain will hit parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei and Jiangxi, while some of these areas may see hail or thunderstorms, said the NMC.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
President Xi Jinping (C) talks with veterans at the former site of a military region command in Xingxian county of North China's Shanxi province, June 21, 2017. Xi had an inspection tour in Shanxi Wednesday. [Xinhua/Pang Xinglei]

TAIYUAN -- President Xi Jinping said more should be done to end poverty and improve the standard of living in revolutionary base areas.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a tour Wednesday of Lyuliang and Xinzhou, two revolutionary base areas in Shanxi Province.

On Wednesday morning, Xi visited Lyuliang revolutionary memorial museum in Xing County of Lyuliang City and left a basket of flowers in a mark of respect for the country's martyrs, the term used for war heros.

Xi spoke highly of the "Lyuliang spirit" and said it should be used as motivation to "improve people's lives and to achieve the great rejuvenation of the nation."

During the tour, Xi spoke about how the poverty relief campaign related to the target of achieving a "moderately prosperous society in an all-round way" by 2020.

Also on Wednesday, Xi visited the village of Zhaojiawa, an impoverished area in Xinzhou City, where he talked with villagers and officials.

Xi spoke of improving living conditions through relocation and called for better supporting measures that would ensure income sources for residents.

The president also met with poverty-relief work teams, and praised their efforts.

Xi said sending officials to serve as first Party committee secretaries at the local level was not only conducive to the poverty eradication campaign, but also improved the competence of officials. He proposed that promising officials at this level should be considered for promotions.

The president vowed continued efforts to improve people's lives and asked everyone to "roll up sleeves and work harder together with the CPC Central Committee."
Residents of Yancheng, Jiangsu province, who lost their homes and small holdings in the tornado have not only suffered financial losses, but they also face a future full of fear.

To ease their plight, both financial and psychological, local companies have made a point of hiring more people.

Dai Yuanjun, head of Jiangsu Taoyuan Family Decorations Co, opened a new workshop near a relocation center in Sheyang county, a convenient location for local people.

Sheyang, on the northern outskirts of Yancheng was badly hit by the tornado on June 23 last year. The relocation center is a gathering place for those who lost their homes.

"About 11 people are working on site, and others take materials from the workshop and work at home," Dai said.

The family business produces and sells knitted items, including curtains, wallpaper and rugs, made from natural materials, such as bamboo fibers and twine made from corn husks or hemp.

It only takes a few days to learn to use a knitting machine, according to Dai.

Zhou Yonghua's house and farmland were badly damaged by the twister. She started work on-site earlier this year, knitting curtains. Now the 60-year-old can earn 70 to 100 yuan ($10 to 14) a day, depending on how quickly she works.

"I learned to use the knitting machine in just a few days, less than a week," she said. Two people are required to operate the machine, and Zhou and her partner make 15-meter-long curtains, producing a meter an hour.

For two months, Dai provided each new worker with a subsidy of 600 yuan a month while they learned the trade and honed their skills.

Lu Hua, owner of the Lyuhe peach farm in Sheyang, has also hired locals on his farm, which was destroyed by the tornado. First, he employed about 20 local workers to undertake reconstruction work, and as the peach harvest period approached, he hired more people to pick the fruits.

Mei Ruyuan began working on the farm about a month after the tornado hit. The 66-year-old laborer earns 2,100 yuan a month for ensuring that the curtains of the greenhouses are rolled up in the morning and lowered again at night.
HORGOS, Xinjiang -- Despite Ramadan, saleswoman Guliman has seen many customers at the fur apparel store where she works in Horgos, a port bordering Kazakhstan in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The store has been short-staffed lately and is recruiting shopping guides who speak Kazakh or Russian.

"We have had more customers from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia recently. They like fur a lot," said the 28-year-old, who is from a nearby county and is ethnically Kazakh.

Guliman makes around 5,000 yuan (730 U.S. dollars) a month depending on her sales performance. It is much higher than she could make at her old job, sitting at an office at a local housing institution.

The marten coats, produced in northern China's Tianjin City, cost 8,000 to 10,000 yuan each at the store. Monthly sales revenue can reach 800,000 yuan.

The store, Aliu International, is located at the China-Kazakhstan International Border Cooperation Center, the world's only duty-free shopping center spanning two countries, which opened in 2012.

People from both countries are welcome to shop at the 5.28-square-km center without a visa.

As a port, Horgos, which means "a place where caravans pass" in Mongolian, dates back more than 130 years.

While Horgos lost its shine as caravans faded into history, the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, has revitalized the old port.

Daily Crossings

On a June afternoon in a parking lot on the Chinese side, foreign buyers swarmed out of shopping buildings, loaded their purchases into cars and headed home across the border. Guldan, 46, was among them.

Guldan is from Zharkent, a town in Kazakhstan some 40 km away from Horgos. She visits the center every day, along with her two siblings, and their driver, buying children's goods worth approximately 5,000 yuan each time.

At the center, each person is allowed to purchase up to 8,000 yuan in duty-free goods each day.

"My husband runs a baby store at home, so we come here every day to refill our stock. China-made products are very popular for both price and quality," said Guldan, while packing strollers, bicycles and beds for children into cars.

Seric, 34, also from Zharkent, sells small goods at a duty-free building at the center. Working at Horgos, he is able to go home every day. When he worked in the Kazakh capital Astana, 1,600 km away, he only returned home once a year.

"Although I'm in Horgos, I just feel like I'm working at home," he said. "My neighbors are jealous and often ask me when the companies here will offer more jobs."

According to the border control station in Horgos, more than 5 million Chinese and foreigners crossed the border last year via the Horgos cooperation center, accounting for 70 percent of total entries and exits in Xinjiang.

Cargo trains from the Chinese cities of Chongqing and Zhengzhou pass through the port on their way to Europe. Earlier this month, a new passenger train route was launched via Horgos, which reduces travel time by eight hours between Urumqi, Xinjiang's regional capital, and Almaty in Kazakhstan, compared to the old route via the Alataw Pass.

Wang Gang, Party chief of Horgos, said the number of service cashier windows at the industrial and commercial registration center has risen from five in 2014 to 20 now.

Thirty new businesses are registered every day on average in Horgos, which was inaugurated as a city in 2014. They are attracted by preferential policies, a simpler registration process and a five-year exemption on business taxes.

"These businesses will bring tens of thousands of jobs as well as consumption," he said.

The economy of the city expanded 40 percent to 2.68 billion yuan, and the revenue budget rocketed up 278 percent year on year to 1.32 billion yuan in 2016.

Boshihao Group, a Shenzhen-registered firm that develops and produces robots, smartphones and tablet computers, opened a factory in Horgos in May.

The factory will meet demand from the Russian and Central Asian markets, according to its general manager, Min Jianbo.

"A shorter delivery time to these countries and preferential tax policies are major reasons that we have chosen to locate our factory here," he said.

Saleswoman Guliman studied software engineering in Beijing after graduating from university in 2012. She is confident that her academic achievements will be put to use somehow in Horgos as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"I'm sure I'll find a job here related to my major someday, maybe when the high-tech companies decide to localize their technical personnel," she said.
Shandong Provincial High People's Court overturned original judgment and has sentenced the man who was convicted for life for stabbing four debt collectors to five years on Friday.

The court said Yu Huan acted in self-defense and he confessed to his crime during the trial, so he should be shown leniency in line with the law.

Yu, 21, from Liaocheng, Shandong, was sentenced to life for intentionally causing injury by a lower court on Feb 17, after he stabbed four debt collectors who confronted him and his mother. One of the debt collectors later died.

He appealed to the high court, claiming he reacted the way he did because one of the debt collectors had insulted his mother by exposing himself to her, which was later verified by the court in a public hearing on May 27.

The case aroused public attention at that time with some saying Yu's penalty was too harsh.
Shanghai authorities seize a total of 1.1 tons of cocaine concealed in the cargo of frozen mackerel.[Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Under a cooperative program between Chinese and United States customs, Shanghai authorities seized 1.1 tons of cocaine concealed in the cargo of frozen mackerel at Yangshan Deepwater Port on Nov 4, 2016, custom officials announced at a news conference on Thursday.

Officials said this was the largest bust of the drug in China in recent years.

The cargo, which was declared as 20 tons of frozen Pacific mackerel, was headed to Cambodia from South America. According to custom officials, the cocaine was divided into 1,102 packets and hidden at the bottom of the cases of mackerel. The packets were marked with special transparent sealing tape.

The authorities extracted the cocaine and placed the fish back in their cases before allowing the ship to proceed as scheduled. Chinese and Cambodian police later caught a suspect, identified as a Vietnam national, when he attempted to receive the cargo on Nov 26.

Police said they are still on the hunt for three more suspects, including another Vietnamese and two Vietnamese Canadians.

He Qi in Shanghai contributed to this story.
The silver wares and a container He Gang donated to the Palace Museum on display at the museum on Thursday. [Photo/VCG]

A memorial service was held in the Palace Museum in Beijing on Thursday to pay tribute to a farmer who donated rare cultural relics to the museum, reported thepaper.cn.

He Gang, a 54-year-old native of Guqiang village in Shangshui county, Central China's Henan province, died in an accident on May 30 at a railway construction site.

Back in 1985, He discovered 19 pieces of silverware stored in a tank while digging in a residential groundwork. With the help of the village Party chief, He handed over the 19 artifacts, which date back to Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), to the Palace Museum.

The silverwares filled the gap in collections from the period, according to the museum.

Liu Hong'en, the then-Party chief of Guqiang village, said after He unearthed the relics, one person offered high prices for the silver wares, but He refused to sell them, insisting that he would give them to the authorities.

"Despite being an ordinary farmer and living a hard-up life, He chose to give the treasures he discovered to the State without hesitation, which is admirable," said Shan Jixiang, the curator of the Palace Museum.

Shan said many rare cultural relics are discovered and protected by ordinary people just like He.

He Gang. [zjol.com.cn]

To honor his contributions in cultural relic protection, the museum granted him 8,000 yuan ($1,170) in monetary reward and 1,000 yuan in travel subsidy.

In 2003 when He's family was mired in financial difficulties, the museum raised a fund to help him, said Liang Jinsheng, a former head of cultural relic management at the Palace Museum.

After He died, the museum gave his family members 100,000 yuan in subsidy.

Despite the financial difficulties, He told Zhejiang news outlet zjol.com.cn in a previous report that he never regretted giving the cultural relics to the museum and he would do the same if he discovered new treasures.

According to the museum, China faces the serious problem of illegal excavation and trafficking of cultural relics, but there are no specific regulations on rewarding people who hand over cultural relics to the authorities, which hampers the protection of historical treasures.

The memorial service was held to encourage more people to protect cultural relics, said the museum.
According to an assessment report on educational needs in the internet era performed by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the information literacy of teachers in rural primary schools is substandard. Forty-one percent of teachers in such areas have only learned the basics of using computers. Only 46 percent have received formal IT training, which is a depressing reality, said Zhong Hongwu, the researcher who led the study.

A seminar to promote IT education in Chinese rural primary schools

The study was performed on a total of 2,000 teachers and students from 106 hope primary schools, which are charity-funded institutions, in 22 Chinese provinces.

"The demand for professionals who are good with computers and for them to train the teachers in those schools is very strong. There should be teachers who really know about computers," Zhong said in a seminar to promote IT education in Chinese rural primary schools. The event held in June was sponsored by Samsung China.

"Chinese people have achieved much in IT infrastructure construction in rural primary schools, but actual usage is far from satisfactory," said Yu Shengquan, a professor at the faculty of education at Beijing Normal University.

"The root of the problem is that they don't have the ability to make full use of the IT facilities provided to them. And this kind of ability cannot be developed in one day," Yu said.

The key step to improving rural primary schools' IT education levels is to establish a means by which IT methods, can provide the much-needed professional training classes and improve the quality of education offered, Yu said.

Du Xigui, a schoolmaster from a hope primary school in Hebei province said his school started computer courses from 2002. At that time, only 2 percent of families owned a computer. Students were very curious about computers. The school organized typing and drawing games to motivate the students to learn about computers.

Students have been very fond of computers in recent years; they will stand outside the IT classrooms earlier, waiting for the classes to begin, said Du.

"Students in rural areas use computers without access to the internet. They paint with mice, type with word processors, and students in higher grades know a little about making presentations, but that's all. They know little about the information brought by the internet", said Yang Xiaoyu, deputy secretary-general of the China Youth Development Foundation.

At the seminar in June, Samsung China announced the launch of the Samsung Hope Project Fund. Samsung China established the fund with the China Youth Development Foundation in 2004, aiming to facilitate the construction of hope primary schools in impoverished Chinese areas.

Up to now, the accumulated donations made by Samsung China have exceeded 200 million yuan ($29 million), with which a total of 150 hope primary schools in 28 provinces were built.

Eighty-one of the schools were equipped with electronic devices, including computers and networks. For the next step, they will organize training classes tailored for the teachers there.

"To meet the needs of the hope primary schools, we released the assessment report of educational needs in the internet era with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. We have realized that the intelligent classrooms and training classes are the most desirable resources for them, and we created the strategies to facilitate popular science education in those schools," said Fang Jinshun, vice-president of the human resources team at Samsung China.

"Samsung China will give full play to our information technology and high-end products, as well as to our advantages in international resources, in order to improve the educational quality in those rural areas. Students there will have equal rights with those in big cities. They will know more about the world and realize their dreams," said Yun Seong-hee, senior vice-president of human resources at Samsung China.
President Xi Jinping visits the wheels workshop of Taiyuan Heavy Industry Railway Transit Equipment Co in Taiyuan, the capital of North China's Shanxi province, while inspecting enterprises in Shanxi on Thursday.

He vows better lives are ahead for poor families

President Xi Jinping has highlighted the importance of poverty reduction amid the Communist Party of China's continuous efforts to build a well-off society.

Poverty alleviation ranks No 1 among the government's projects for improving people's livelihoods, Xi told officials at a conference on Thursday during his inspection tour of North China's Shanxi province.

Xi kicked off the inspection tour of the coal-producing inland province on Wednesday. He visited the houses of poor farmers, paid tribute to revolutionaries, inspected companies and held a conference with local officials.

The government should increase farmers' income from various channels and improve the living conditions in rural areas, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The president also required the government to pay much attention to such issues as employment, education, pension, housing, health and food safety to ensure that the public can lead happy lives and the social order is stable.

"The mission of the Party and the government is to serve the people, and it's our duty to make the people's life better and better," Xi said while visiting a family in an impoverished village in mountainous Kelan county on Wednesday.

While visiting another poor family, Xi required the local government to arrange for the education and life of the disabled grandchildren of an elderly woman whose husband and son had died. He also urged officials to pay much attention to the problems of poverty caused by illness.

It is the CPC's solemn promise to lead poor people and impoverished regions to a comprehensive, well-off society, Xi said.

On Thursday, Xi visited two companies in Taiyuan  one that produces wheels for high-speed trains and one that makes carbon fiber. Xi talked with the workers and encouraged them to uphold the spirit of craftsmanship to make more contributions to "made in China".

The companies should improve their capacity in technology, equipment and environmental protection via innovation, Xi said. He encouraged the companies to seize the opportunities of the country's transportation development and Belt and Road construction.

During the conference, Xi urged the upgrade of local economies that previously relied heavily on coal mining. He also vowed to fight corruption and boost clean governance.
NEW YORK  Coal company Murray Energy has sued HBO and its Sunday-night host, John Oliver, for what it says was a "false and malicious broadcast" last Sunday evening. It's seeking financial damages and a court order barring rebroadcasts of the segment's "defamatory statements."

Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" coal segment criticized the Trump administration's effort to revive the industry, saying coal jobs have dropped for decades and other energy alternatives are driving the industry's decline.

He ribbed Murray Energy's CEO Robert Murray, who blames regulatory efforts by the Obama administration for damaging the coal industry. He said the 77-year-old looked like a "geriatric Dr. Evil" and noted that the company had fought against coal safety regulations.

The Ohio company sued the comedian Wednesday afternoon in circuit court in West Virginia, saying that he tried to embarrass Murray by making fun of his age and appearance and made false statements about a 2007 collapse of a Utah mine, when nine miners died. The company said Oliver ignored information it sent the show that it says showed an earthquake caused the mine's collapse and that the show made no mention of "the efforts Mr. Murray personally made to save the trapped miners."

An HBO spokesman says the show didn't violate Murray Energy's rights or those of Murray. Oliver noted on the show that Murray Energy has a litigious past, and last month sued the New York Times for libel.

Murray Energy employs about 5,400 people, about half of those in West Virginia.
MANILA - The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are planning to closely cooperate to halt the flow of militants, weapons, funds and extremist propaganda across their borders amid alarm over recent attacks in their region.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and his Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts gathered in Manila with top security officials on Thursday to discuss a joint plan of action amid a disastrous siege of southern Marawi City by militants aligned with the Islamic State group that has left about 369 combatants and civilians dead.

As the IS loses territory in Syria and Iraq, Southeast Asian governments worry that battle-hardened Asian fighters, including those from Indonesia and Malaysia, may return to exploit social restiveness, weak law enforcement, a surfeit of illegal arms and raging insurgencies to establish a foothold.

Many worry that the siege in Marawi could draw in the returning extremists.

"We expect that those who will be displaced there will go to Asia and because of the Marawi uprising, the Philippines is like a magnet," said Philippine Military Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano, who took part in the closed-door security conference.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi condemned the attack in Marawi and said her government was ready to help.

"Your challenges are Indonesia's challenges and your challenges are also the challenges of the region," she said, adding that the threat of terrorism is imminent and that "no action is not an option."

A draft of a joint statement expressed "concern over the recent incidents of terrorism and violent extremism in their countries" and their desire to plot joint strategies to combat it.

The neighboring countries will also discuss how to cooperate in enhancing military and law enforcement training, compare their counterterrorism laws and help each other "counter the extremist narrative through education" and promotion of religious tolerance and moderation, according to the draft statement.

Islamist militants holed up in the southern Philippine town have been cornered and their firepower is flagging, the military said on Thursday, as the five-week battle for control of Marawi raged on.

The fighting in Marawi broke out on May 23.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera said on Thursday the number of militants holding out in Marawi had dwindled to "a little more than 100".

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Tampus said: "Their area has been reduced to 1 square kilometer only". Tampus' troops are blocking escape routes across bridges spanning a river to the west of the militants.

Ap - Reuters

Policemen stand guard along the main road of Marawi City as government forces continue their assault against militants on Thursday.Romeo Ranoco / Reuters

(China Daily 06/23/2017 page11)
Two visitors look at Chinese artist Wang Suizhi's flower arrangements at the Third Art Exchanges on Flower Arrangements, Tokyo, Japan, June 15, 2017. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

The third Art Exchanges on Flower Arrangements was held in the China Cultural Center in Tokyo, Japan, on June 15.

The event, launched in 2015, was first held in Beijing and in then Seoul in 2016. It was designed to enhance the cultural exchanges of China, Japan and South Korea, and annually highlights the charm of flower arrangements to youngsters from the three nations. The event was also created to encourage the younger generation to talk about culture and education.

Lu Sishe, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, attended the third event, along with about 70 officials and representatives from China, Japan and South Korea.

Lu said the 2,000-year friendship and cultural exchange among the three countries were aesthetically recorded in flower arrangements.

At the time of the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Week, Chinese artist Wang Suizhi introduced the history and development of China's flower arrangements.
[Photo provided to China Daily]

Art lovers in Beijing will enjoy the audiovisual feast during the Beijing New Dance Festival from Aug 19 to 27. More than 40 dancers and choreographers from the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Slovenia, Venezuela, Singapore and Israel, will give performances.

The dance performance 16 by dancers from Plesni Teater Ljubljana in Slovenia, expresses a 16-year-old story of professional and intimate connection of two contemporary dance artists, Rosana and Gregor, who through the speech of dance tell their own life story onstage.

A Spanish dance group called Compania Sharon Fridman will present its most recent project Free Fall. The project tries to explore the unlimited repertoire of movements that occur when a body falls and resists abandoning its vertical state. Falling becomes an inexhaustible starting point from which multiple compositional paths can be drawn.

Free Fall will recruit 20 new members from the public to participate in the performance, regardless of their ages, physical qualities or dancing skills.

The Old Lady Modern dance company from China will stage the work Pond on Aug 25. Through the old women's dream, love, passion and the gratefulness for their life, the dance shows a kind of symbol alluding to all kinds of social circles. The performers try to share the stage of the senior people's real stories, having their voices heard by the public that even though they are fading out from focus of society, they can still be vivid like young people  to love, to live and to take the positive attitude toward the beauty of being old and to maintain the courage to face weakness and even the death.

Besides, the festival will offer some master classes and workshops. With these activities, dance lovers in Beijing can get a chance to follow professional instructions, improve dancing skills and strengthen their artistic sensibilities. A series of Pilates and yoga classes will also be opened to the public in the mornings through the gala.
Seafaring tourists making waves in local leisure models 2017-06-23 09:35:19 China Daily Zhuan Ti The tropical landscape, flourishing mangroves and delicious local food in Sanya, at the southern tip of the island province of Hainan, left sweet memories to George Liu and his family from Hong Kong during a recent cruise tour.

The tropical landscape, flourishing mangroves and delicious local food in Sanya, at the southern tip of the island province of Hainan, left sweet memories to George Liu and his family from Hong Kong during a recent cruise tour.

"We enjoyed the stay in Sanya and may invite our friends to visit the beautiful vacation resort again some day," said Liu.

Liu and his family were among the 3,009 walk-in tourists to partake in Dream Cruises, under Hong Kong Star Cruises. It has the largest cruise liner in Asia with a tonnage of 150,695 and is 335.35 meters in length. The liner stopped at the 10-year-old Sanya Phoenix Island International Cruise Terminal earlier this month.

This is the first time that Sanya, one of China's largest cruise ports, received an international cruise with walk-in tourists.

It also marks the first time the city sent cruises tourists to destinations via sea buses to offer visitors new experiences.

"The Sanya Phoenix Island International Cruise Terminal will be able to harbor five to seven cruises and receive 2 million tourists annually, one of the largest in Asia, when its second-phase expansion is completed," said Cai Chaohui, deputy manager of the port's business center.

The State Council, China's cabinet, and the Hainan provincial authorities have issued a number of policies to promote cruise tourism in Hainan, a move to push development of new tourism models and products.

Companies that choose Hainan ports as a terminal or stopover port will be awarded financial bonuses of up to 400,000 yuan ($58,820) for each voyage.

A total of 62.24 million domestic and overseas tourists, among them 49.77 million overnight visitors, toured Hainan in 2016, bringing in 67.25 billion yuan in revenue.

Ocean tourism is becoming a new industry with great potential for Hainan.

Fu Buming, an official in charge of the provincial cruise and yacht management office, said Hainan has exclusive natural, geographical and policy advantages to develop the cruise and yacht industry.

The tax-refund and duty-free policy, free visas and visas on arrival for visitors from 59 countries and regions are building a healthy environment to attract both domestic and overseas tourists.

Zhu Deliang, dean of the tourism college under Hainan Normal University, suggested that Hainan enrich its sea tourism products, focus on near-sea tourism and integrate sea voyage routes into land routes to seek more economic and social benefits.

"It is encouraging that Hainan is making solid progress in diversifying its tourism products and upgrading its international stance.

"But there is still room to improve its services, such as greater convenience for entry and exit, more internationalized finance services, more competitive prices and more attractive tourism products," said Jiang Yiyi, director of the International Tourism Research Institute under the China Tourism Academy.

In order to meet diversified needs for tourism products, Hainan is also sparing no efforts in developing healthcare tourism, sightseeing in local villages and towns, rainforest adventures, RV camping, sports, folk culture and shopping, according to provincial tourism authorities.

Foreign visitors enjoy their stay on a sightseeing passenger liner in Hainan.Weng Yejun / For China Daily

(China Daily 06/23/2017 page18)
Baotou-based company attends international summit 2017-06-23 13:59:11 chinadaily.com.cn Lu Wei Tian Long Ecology, a Baotou-based company with expertise in environmental protection and improvement, was invited to an international summit, discussing issues related to desertification and its prevention, on June 16, reports Baotou Daily.

Tian Long Ecology, a Baotou-based company with expertise in environmental protection and improvement, was invited to an international summit, discussing issues related to desertification and its prevention, on June 16, reports Baotou Daily.

The summit  Mongolia International Summit on Desertification Prevention and Technological Innovation  was held in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

A total of 165 experts in desertification prevention from seven countries, including Russia, Japan, Israel and China, attended the summit, discussing solutions to desertification and its prevention to improve the environment and boost regional economic development.

Tian Long Ecology became the main force behind a greenery project at Daqing Mountain in Baotou city during 2001. The company has successfully introduced an intelligent system utilizing drip irrigation to help control water usage and helped boost fertilization to boost greenery on the mountain. It has grown into one of West Chinas leading companies.
Haier leads the way on international standards 2017-06-23 16:51:08 chinadaily.com.cn Haier, Chinas largest electronics and home appliance firm, will host an intelligent manufacturing forum as part of the 2017 Qingdao Forum on International Standardization that runs from Jun 27 to 29.

Haier, China's largest electronics and home appliance firm, will host an intelligent manufacturing forum as part of the 2017 Qingdao Forum on International Standardization that runs from Jun 27 to 29.

Haier's event will be themed around collaborative innovation and aims to call for leading businesses and experts along with famous standardization institutions, to share experiences and jointly promote research and development using globally accepted standards for the intelligent manufacturing sector.

Haier gained the opportunity to host this event thanks to its creative endeavors and accomplishments in terms of quality, technical breakthroughs, intelligent manufacturing and standardization.

Since its foundation in 1984, Haier has attached significance to innovation and standardization in satisfying the demands of consumers worldwide and realizing mutual benefits for Haier and its clients. In 1984, as part of an essential move taken by the founders, German standards were used to develop a standards framework in accordance with the overall business strategy.

By the end of 2016, Haier had submitted a total of 90 proposals on setting and revising world standards, 43 of which have since been adopted; and it had offered 410 proposals to help make and amend standards for the Chinese industry, with 365 out of 410 published. Haier holds first place in the Chinese home appliance industry in terms of submitting proposals for national and international standards.

There are 66 seats at international associations for standardization, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) held by Haier's experts.

Backed by 10 research centers around the world, Haier has developed a standards system that serves widespread purposes. Now it has become the first in China to be accredited to create a national innovation base to set and promote technical standards for the electronics and home appliance industry.

Over the past 33 years, Haier has gradually become a market leader, not only in China but in the global home electronics and appliance market, and the company plays a major role in setting international standards, with more than 7,000 patents and 589 intellectual property certificates. Its safe care heaters, dual drive washing machines technologies and its fridge and freezer standards have been awarded patents and been proposed for IEC Criteria.

Once it went on the market, the safe care water heater technology boosted Haier's sales by 40 percent, representing an 8 percent rise in sales for the industry as a whole.

At the IEC refrigerator branch conference held in Minsk, Belarus in October 2015, Haier was elected to run the IEC refrigerator freshness-maintenance team, and refrigeration standards it put forward through joint efforts by its research institutes around the world and through its world-leading testing institutions from the Netherlands and China Agricultural University, were finally adopted  making Chinese industrial history.

Haier sets the pace for intelligent manufacturing standards

Haier has also made considerable efforts to study intelligent technologies and standards to help boost the intelligent manufacturing sector.

It has finished upgrading five assembly lines and 28 plants plus updated over 800 procedures so far. It has built up eight interconnected branch offices, of which, the smart plant in Jiaozhou, Qingdao, will be one of the three most advanced projects exhibited during the 2017 Qingdao Forum on International Standardization.

The Internet factory + COSMOPlat system, a digital product invented as an enthusiastic response to the prospering intelligent manufacturing sector, has been included into IEC Criteria.

Approved by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Haier pioneered the Intelligent Manufacturing Innovation Strategic Alliance (IMSA), the first in the world, with the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMEC), China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI), China Information and Communications Technology Academy (CAICT), Tsinghua University and China Telecom.

Meanwhile, it worked with CESI to issue China's first intelligent manufacturing standards framework for the home appliance industry. It is thought that two standards will be released during the intelligent manufacturing forum at the end of June.
China, Japan and South Korea artists arrange flowers in summer 2017-06-23 14:36:23 Chinaculture.org The third Art Exchanges on Flower Arrangements was held in the China Cultural Center in Tokyo, Japan, on June 15.

The third Art Exchanges on Flower Arrangements was held in the China Cultural Center in Tokyo, Japan, on June 15.

The event, launched in 2015, was first held in Beijing and in then Seoul in 2016. It was designed to enhance the cultural exchanges of China, Japan and South Korea, and annually highlights the charm of flower arrangements to youngsters from the three nations. The event was also created to encourage the younger generation to talk about culture and education.

Lu Sishe, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, attended the third event, along with about 70 officials and representatives from China, Japan and South Korea.

Lu said the 2,000-year friendship and cultural exchange among the three countries were aesthetically recorded in flower arrangements.

At the time of the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Week, Chinese artist Wang Suizhi introduced the history and development of China's flower arrangements.
Shanghai customs carry out major drug bust 2017-06-23 13:36:23 China Daily Under a cooperative program between Chinese and United States customs, Shanghai authorities seized 1.1 tons of cocaine concealed in the cargo of frozen mackerel at Yangshan Deepwater Port on Nov 4, 2016, custom officials announced at a news conference on Thursday.

Under a cooperative program between Chinese and United States customs, Shanghai authorities seized 1.1 tons of cocaine concealed in the cargo of frozen mackerel at Yangshan Deepwater Port on Nov 4, 2016, custom officials announced at a news conference on Thursday.

Officials said this was the largest bust of the drug in China in recent years.

The cargo, which was declared as 20 tons of frozen Pacific mackerel, was headed to Cambodia from South America. According to custom officials, the cocaine was divided into 1,102 packets and hidden at the bottom of the cases of mackerel. The packets were marked with special transparent sealing tape.

The authorities extracted the cocaine and placed the fish back in their cases before allowing the ship to proceed as scheduled. Chinese and Cambodian police later caught a suspect, identified as a Vietnam national, when he attempted to receive the cargo on Nov 26.

Police said they are still on the hunt for three more suspects, including another Vietnamese and two Vietnamese Canadians.

He Qi in Shanghai contributed to this story.
Chinese, Ethiopian FMs meet on bilateral issues 2017-06-23 09:20:23 Xinhua Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Ethiopian counterpart, Workneh Gebeyehu, on bilateral relations here on Wednesday.

ADDIS ABABA - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Ethiopian counterpart, Workneh Gebeyehu, on bilateral relations on Wednesday.

Wang noted that China and Ethiopia upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in May when Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was in China for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

The advancement reflected the high level of bilateral relations and charted the future course for China-Ethiopian relations, the Chinese foreign minister said.

Practical cooperation between China and Ethiopia is at the front of China-African mutually beneficial cooperation and has made significant achievements, he added.

China is ready to implement the consensus between Chinese and Ethiopian leaders, hold fast to the idea of joint construction of the "Belt and Road", give full play to the exemplary role of China-Africa cooperation in industry capacity, and implement the "10 major China-Africa cooperation plans", to strengthen political mutual support and deepen practical cooperation in various fields, he said.

China also stands ready to build an economic corridor along the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and expand cooperation with Ethiopia in human resource development and strengthen communication and coordination on global and regional affairs, so as to inject new content to their comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, he said.

The Ethiopian foreign minister said Ethiopia-China relations are very important and of strategic significance.

The Belt and Road Initiative Forum for International Cooperation has provided an important opportunity for the expansion of cooperation in all fields between Ethiopia and China, and Africa and China, said Workneh.

Workneh said his country thanks China for its strong support and assistance to Ethiopia's efforts to realizing economic transformation.

Ethiopia is willing to join efforts with China to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as economy, security, infrastructure, human resources and aviation, he said.
Three years ago, Cheryl Hill and Sarah Kuhr started a new concept in downtown Laurel, aimed at creating a gathering place for crafts lovers.

The Front Porch has since outgrown its original home, and now the two Laurel women have launched a unique concept to bring their brand to the rest of Montana.

We just feel blessed its been well-received, Kuhr said.

This month, Front Porch has added classes in nine Montana cities: Baker, Plentywood, Havre, Helena, Red Lodge, Absarokee, Bozeman, Fairfield and Missoula. The business had already offered classes in Laurel, Billings and Columbus, making a total of 12 cities.

The classes in Columbus have been going on for about a year to see if people were receptive, Hill said.

Its gone so well. Thats where we tested the concept to see if it would be doable, she said.

The instructors came to Laurel this month for a weekend training retreat to learn the classes.

Kuhr and Hill launched The Front Porch in the spring of 2014 in downtown Laurel. Business grew quickly, and they moved to their current, larger home at 613 1/2 E. Main St. within two years.

The two former stay-at-home moms sell homemade signs and other goods at the Laurel store, but their bread-and-butter is the classes they teach. Women (and some men) sign up and learn how to make a home decor item, which they can keep and display.

Most recently, for example, students made a Fourth of July planter, emblazoned with the American flag, Kuhr said.

The two women said theyd heard from people around the state about a Front Porch studio in their hometowns, but they didnt feel ready for a major brick-and-mortar expansion.

Instead, Hill and Kuhr tested this model, which allows them to develop the Front Porch brand around the state with little overhead costs. They have an eye on possible franchises but are taking it slow.

We would love to see the Front Porches all over the U.S. But at this point, as business owners, we want to test the waters We want to build community where people could gather We saw that success and how much joy that brought in Laurel, Hill said.

Classes are between $40 and $50 per session, which typically last about two hours. The supplies are provided by Front Porch.

Instructors are paid $50 per class, with a $20 bonus for classes with more than 15 people. Theyre required to hold four classes per year, but they can do more if there is enough demand, Hill said.

Visit the website at www.frontporch.info for more information about class times in various cities, or opportunities to become an instructor.

Out and about

The former Bourne Again Shoppe at the corner of Grand Avenue and 17th Street West is getting new life.

Workers last week were tearing off the facade for a $20,000 exterior remodel at 1701 Grand Ave.

No tenant was listed on the permit application with the city. The contractor is Kisling Quality Builders.

Bourne Again, a consignment shop, closed about two years ago.

Also on the West End, the former Cetrone photography studio has a new owner.

The property at 3028 Central Ave., which was damaged in a fire last summer, was purchased by Dave Eggebrecht, according to broker George Warmer of Coldwell Banker Commercial.

Eggebrecht couldnt immediately be reached for comment about his plans for the property.

Firefighters determined the July 22 fire was human caused but were uncertain it was set intentionally. It resulted in significant damages to the building, including a collapsed roof.

The building was vacant at the time.

Lawn-care service expands

A Billings couple has brought a new lawn-care business to town.

Tyler and Beth Hollenbeck announced this month they have opened a new Weed Man franchise in Billings.

Weed Man is a 45-year-old lawn care provider that fertilizes and performs pest control for lawns.

Last year, the company recorded $91 million in sales nationwide, a 9 percent increase from 2015.

Call 406-672-0550 or visit www.weedmanusa.com for more information about the Billings franchise.

New owner at enviro firm

A Billings environmental consulting firm is under new ownership.

Jason Vollmer recently purchased Environmental Consulting Services from founder Kevin and Jacinta Walsh. Kevin Walsh will remain with the firm as a senior consultant to help with client transition and develop new business.

The Walshes launched the firm in 1993 and worked with industrial, commercial and private clients mostly in Montana.

Environmental Consulting can be reached at 406-254-1741 or online at www.enviroconsult.com .

Haikus from the valley

Locos in Laurel

Celebrated in sitcom

Filmed in the Caboose
Allianz seeks to bulk up in Asia in wait for market permit 2017-06-23 07:54:55  German insurance group, Allianz SE, helped turn around asset manager Pimco in the United States.

German insurance group, Allianz SE, helped turn around asset manager Pimco in the United States.

Now, it is trying to bulk up on the other side of the world.

"Asia is still a relatively small part of the overall global portfolio but it holds a very big promise," George Sartorel, Asia-Pacific chief executive officer of Allianz, said in an interview.

"We have kept quiet in Asia, but our goal is to accelerate growth in the region. We see it really as the growth engine for Allianz," he added.

While it has managed to turn around Pacific Investment Management Co, Allianz has lost ground to other European insurers in the Asia-Pacific region, where a growing middle-class is driving demand for insurance. The region generates only about 4 percent of its premiums. Prudential Plc in London draws about 36 percent from Asia and Paris-based Axa SA about 10 percent.

"In terms of premiums and earnings, Asia is almost negligible at Allianz at the moment and compares poorly to Axa and even more so to Prudential," said Nick Holmes, an analyst at Societe Generale SA who covers the companies.

"Both Axa and Prudential have stronger historic ties to the region, which might be an advantage," he added.

Allianz joined with Standard Chartered Plc earlier this year to sell general insurance in the region through the bank's branches and digital platforms. In China, the Munich-based company is awaiting a license to sell online insurance nationwide in partnership with search engine Baidu Inc and asset manager Hillhouse Capital Management.

"While we got positive signals from the regulator, I think we need to be patient," Sartorel said. "If we pull that off, that is something transformational for us in China, giving us access to 800 million potential customers."

It remains to be seen how profitable a partnership with China's biggest search engine could be for Allianz, Societe Generale's Holmes said.

Banking partnerships are no bargain either for insurers. Allianz paid Standard Chartered about $200 million upfront to sell its general insurance products in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. The lender expects to receive at least $1 billion in payments over the 15-year life of the bancassurance agreement, including profit-sharing, people with knowledge of the matter said at the time.

It was still good value, according to Sartorel, 59, who oversaw Italy and Turkey at Allianz before taking on the Asia-Pacific role in 2014.

"We're confident because penetration is low and Standard Chartered is committed to the business model that we are planning to deploy across the geography," said Sartorel, who is responsible for markets including China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines.

Allianz is also in talks with a number of potential partners to expand its life insurance business in China, he said.

The insurer already operates a fully owned non-life insurer in three provinces and a life insurer that is present in eight of provincial-level regions in China.

Sartorel ruled out a joint venture with a mainland bank because of the low margins for insurers.

About two thirds of Allianz's insurance products in Asia are sold through agents and the remainder through partnerships with banks including HSBC Holdings Plc.

Likewise, Axa has joined with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd to sell life insurance in China. It offers non-life insurance through a joint venture with Tian Ping Auto Insurance Company Ltd.

"We will in the future do more digital partnerships" Sartorel said, referring to the Standard Chartered agreement. "How do I compete with Ping An Insurance, which has a million agents on the street in China? Forget it."

BLOOMBERG
A model presents creations by Asian designers at the opening runway show during the annual conference of the Asia Fashion Federation.[Photo provided to China Daily]

In Asia, indigenous fashion has long been overshadowed by Western brands, but the region has gradually come together to change this.

The Asia Fashion Federation recently held its annual conference in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.

The theme this year is "fashion without borders in an Internet Plus era", focusing on how the fashion industry can take advantage of the internet.

The organization, established in 2002, is a fashion liaison among China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It is intended to enhance lifestyles and culture in East Asia, and promote the development of the region's fashion industry.

Member countries alternately host the annual conference. It consists of a chairman's meeting, seminars, business-matching programs and other trade and academic activities.
Nearly a hundred foreign students visited the Confucius Temple in the hometown of the "Great Sage", Qufu, Shandong province, on June 18-19 to pay their respects to the ancient philosopher and experience traditional Chinese culture.

The group of scholars, hailing from a range of countries involved in China's Belt and Road Initiative including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, India and South Africa, are all studying Chinese in cities such as Beijing, Jinan and Tai'an.

The young students are all deeply fascinated by Chinese culture and had signed up to experience Confucian tradition in the most authentic of settings.

A foreign student copies out the "bibles" of Confucianism, known as the "Four Books and Five Classics", during a cultural visit on June 18 in Qufu, Shandong province. [Photo by Ding Chunli/ wenweipo.com]

They took part in a series of traditional cultural activities including reading, reciting and copying out the "bibles" of Confucianism, known as the "Four Books and Five Classics".

Foreign students experience ancient archery on June 18 in Qufu, Shandong province. [Photo by Ding Chunli/ wenweipo.com]

They also tried out the "Six Arts", or liu yi, of ancient China: Rites, music, archery, chariot racing, calligraphy and mathematics.

As the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, Qufu's main claim to fame is having shaped two sages of the ages. And the city has built a thriving tourism market by promoting its rich cultural heritage.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis meet with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and General Fang Fenghui, chief of the People's Liberation Army's Joint Staff Department prior to the US-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, US, June 21, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Harvard University professor Graham Allison had a question for me when I chatted with him last week about his new book: Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?

He found that some Chinese are uncomfortable with the word "inevitable" in his description of the Thucydides's Trap.

"They say 'war is not inevitable'. I say, 'Correct, correct, it's not inevitable'," says Allison.

While Thucydides argued that the rise of Athens caused fear in Sparta and made war inevitable, Allison said Thucydides does not really mean inevitable. It was an exaggeration.

He wanted to know what the Chinese understanding of the word "inevitable" is. "Am I falling into a language trap?" he asked.

I understand Allison's concern. People, both in and outside China, have been talking a lot about the possibility of China and the United States falling into the Thucydides's Trap.

The "Destined for War" in the title of Allison's book sounds sensational, but Allison is simply trying to give a warning to the rising power and existing power. They should learn from history to better handle possible flashpoint issues, such as the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan and South China Sea. This is despite his firm belief that neither country wants a war with the othera war that would be mutually destructive and catastrophic to the planet.

Like some other US scholars, Allison seems to believe that China will act just like the imperialist US in the 19th century if it becomes powerful enough, admitting that the US has had more unnecessary wars than necessary wars in its short history.

But China is, of course, not the US. In the last four decades, China has worked to strengthen the existing global governance institutions system such as the World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank rather than undermining them. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road Initiative are supplementary to the current global system.

Allison believes both countries need to make some painful adjustments, admitting that the US is only "slowly" adjusting to a rising China. For example, he believes that the US does not need to support every claim of the Philippines or Vietnam in the South China Sea.

Such adjustment won't be easy for either of them, especially as the US is feeling deeply anxious about no longer being No 1 in the world in increasing number of areas, and it is showing it is unwilling to share power as much as it should be.

Making compromises or admitting mistakes is no easy job for a superpower. For example, in the past weeks, US officials and lawmakers have called on China to use more leverage to pressure the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to give up its nuclear weapon program. But Allison believes the US has set a bad example in this regard.

The US and its NATO allies pursued regime change in Libya in 2011 after Muammar Gadhafi gave up its nuclear program. The US and its allies also toppled Saddam Hussein in Iraq on the pretext of finding alleged weapons of mass destruction in 2003. Both sent the wrong message to the DPRK leaders.

There is no doubt that the US should take measures to correct its past mistakes in order to inject confidence in possible negotiation on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. How about accepting China's dual suspension proposalfor the DPRK to suspend its nuclear and missile activities, and for the US and the Republic of Korea to suspend their large-scale military drills?

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis meet with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and General Fang Fenghui, chief of the People's Liberation Army's Joint Staff Department prior to the US-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, US, June 21, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

The Korean Peninsula, the South China Sea, terrorism, military-to-military cooperation ... the list goes on.

Any of such topics of bilateral, regional and global concern raised at the table of the maiden China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue could have consumed the daylong session. Especially, the Korean Peninsula issue, as the tragic death of Otto Warmbier added fuel to public outrage at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, raising concerns the dialogue might get mired in who is to do what next.

Such worries proved unfounded, however. And the opening installment of the brand-new mechanism of China-US engagement was successful, sustaining the constructive atmosphere from the summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in early April, and adding optimism to the three other componentseconomic, law enforcement and cybersecurity, and social and cultureof the China-US Comprehensive Dialogue.

Beijing and Washington have plenty of thorny, pressing tasks at hand, many of which can't be accomplished without both being involved, and committed simultaneously. That Xi and Trump seem to get along well and China-US relations have so far fared well in the Trump era are reassuring signs that essential lessons about this particular relationship have been learned.

Many longstanding issues keep haunting China-US relations not because Beijing and Washington lack the wisdom, or tools to resolve them, but because they are lacking the mutual trust and political will to work together.

It would certainly be misleading to assume Beijing and Washington will be happy together hereafter, though both pledged goodwill and collaboration. However, considering the arduous job of forging mutual trust, there was nothing more to expect from Wednesday's dialogue. And, at the end of the day, what truly matters is their consensus to manage and control their differences on the basis of mutual respect.

In fairness to both parties, Beijing and Washington have made attempts to jointly handle issues of common concern, including the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But more often than not, they keep getting ensnared in their differences at critical junctures.

Such a state of affairs may be understandable between a rising power and an incumbent one, which is how China and the US are portrayed in the age-old framework of a big-power struggle.

So the diplomatic pragmatism the Chinese and US leaders have demonstrated so far is welcome as it may usher in more benign interaction that cultivates goodwill via case-specific collaboration. For their interests are not intrinsically contradictory, it is their mutual suspicions that they need to overcome.

The latest dialogue just affirmed their shared will to try and do so.
Employees of an online store process orders in Qingyanliu village, East China's Zhejiang province on Dec 29, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

A MAN WAS RECENTLY found guilty of running a website that helped online shops falsify the number of transactions they made in order to fool people into believing they were trusted by consumers. That is the first time someone has been punished for this kind of crime in China. Beijing News comments:

The man was found guilty of "illegal trading", as well as "violating the personal information of citizens".

Such deeds should be punished because they are a type of fraud and ruin the normal order of online retail. With the help of such people, the shops that provide bad products and services cannot be eliminated from the market, due to a lack of customers.

Worse, a complete interest chain has already been formed. Data show that there were at least 680 enterprises conducting such activities in 2014, making an estimated revenue of more than 200 billion yuan ($29.2 billion) that year.

However, there has been hardly any judicial penalty for those falsifying the data. Many online trading platforms simply correct the data if their falsehoods are uncovered.

Last December, when online trading platform Alibaba sued shatui.com for falsifying its data, it was found that the latter had already been punished by a local government for the same misdeed, and the penalty it received was just a fine of about 100,000 yuan.

That is why the latest ruling is significant, as it sets a precedent of judicial punishment for those professionally falsifying data on online retailers' transactions.

This will in turn boost the development of e-commerce, which is based on trust.
After the two-day summit at Mar-a-Lago, the US and China announced a 100-day plan to improve strained trade ties and boost cooperation between two nations.

What will happen to US-China trade talks? During the past three decades, US trade stance has shifted from one that used to be multilateral and inclusive to one that is increasingly bilateral and assertive. These policy stances can be condensed into three scenarios.

In the multilateral scenario, Washington would pursue multilateral trade agreements that include China (expansion of the WTOs Information Technology Agreement concluded; the tariff-focused Environmental Goods Agreement; Chinas negotiations to join the WTOs procurement agreement; US efforts at a Trade in Services Agreement). This scenario is more typical to US administrations in the early days of Chinas reforms and opening-up policies, when the mainlands economic might was still marginal.

In the bilateral scenario, the US would intensify bilateral negotiations with China to liberalize trade through high-level bilateral dialogues, such as the US-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue and the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), while seeking to complete the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT).

This is perhaps the scenario that former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, pushed in the second term of President George W. Bush. It rested on the idea that commercial interests also bring about political and strategic benefits.

In the assertive scenario, the US would take a more aggressive stand against China (dispute settlement cases against China in the WTO; threats of trade sanctions; greater use of US trade remedy laws, including antidumping and countervailing measures). In one way or another, the Obama administration adopted this scenario as it seized the WTO option and flirted with trade sanctions. In turn, the Trump administration initially also threatened to exploit aggressively US trade remedy laws against China.

In brief, there is more continuity between Obama and Trump than the Democrats would like to acknowledge.

In his 2016 campaign, President Trump promised to renegotiate key US free trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). After his inauguration day, he walked the talk and used executive order to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). NAFTA renegotiations are set to start soon.

As trade policy relies mainly on executive action, the Trump administration may opt for renegotiating deals rather than rejecting them, which would lower the downside risk. As the negotiations are to begin after mid-August, they will be followed closely by other bilateral trade agreements that will soon be on the table. Since these talks are likely to endure through the fall, major trade friction that would undermine global growth prospects may be deferred until 2018.

What about the 100-day plan concluded during the Trump-Xi meeting at Mar-a-Lago? The effort is to improve strained trade ties and boost cooperation between two nations. However, if the plan fails to offer major breakthroughs after the summer, Trumps trade hawks may resurface and deficit rhetoric could escalate again.

As the Trump administration must fight for its political survival, even as it would like to implement bold reforms, it seeks short-term wins to foster confidence.

If the 100-day plan could generate significant results, it has potential to take the bilateral ties on a new level.

The author is the founder of Difference Group and has served as research director at the India, China and America Institute (USA) and visiting fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore).
I knew it was going to be an interesting afternoon when we entered the offices of Gulliver's Gate through a "glacier".

"This is where the woolly mammoth (scaled down, of course) is going to go," said Michael Langer, the president and co-founder of Gulliver's Gate, as he pointed to an opening in the cave-like structure.

Once past the tribute to Antarctica, I sat down to chat with Langer about the miniature version of the world he manages.

"Every step of the way we were told again and again and again that what you're doing is impossible and it can't be done, and we just didn't believe it, and we're glad we didn't," Langer said.

Located on West 44th Street in Manhattan at Times Square, Gulliver's Gate is an enchanting tour of the physical world - on a scale of 1:87 - meaning you'd be 87 times smaller if you were walking around inside it.

Opened on May 9, the 49,000-square-foot setting is a triumphant blend of persistence, creativity, technology, real estate savvy and fundraising - $40 million worth.

"It's been four years since the first ideas went on paper. It took a miraculous feat of 15 months to completely reconstruct the internal space here in Times Square while simultaneously building these beautiful models from around the world, built by artisans, over 600 of them, and flown here, shipped here from around the world," Langer said.

CEO Eiran Gazit, an Israeli entrepreneur, teamed up with Brooklyn native Langer to produce the lifelike wonders, which got some capital and buzz from a kickstarter.com campaign in 2014, but has relied mostly on private investors.

There is an Asia exhibit, in which China plays a large part. After all, it was assembled by a team of 29 workers in Beijing who built it in 178 days.

There's the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square, complete with miniature square-dancing ladies. There is Shanghai's famous Oriental Pearl Tower and Fujian's Tulou Cluster.

What makes Gulliver's Gate (the name a riff on Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels, as the title character encountered the Lilliputians) so intriguing is its blend of past and present.

It all comes together with the help of 3-D printing and even drones, five of which were used to film a spectacular overhead video of Niagara Falls.

The tribute to the host city is called Metropolis, which was constructed in Brooklyn and took 358 days to complete. You'll see Grand Central Station and its tracks below cutting through Manhattan's famed bedrock. In one vignette, commuters come to the aid of a woman who dropped her handbag on the track.

Times Square has the TKTS bleachers. There is also a long map of Manhattan that was given life by a 3-D printer and eventually will be illuminated, with neighborhood sections available in the gift shop.

There's the Brooklyn Bridge, straddled by Spiderman, in one of the many pop cultural nods, or "Easter eggs", as Gulliver's calls them.

There's a picturesque New England display, which includes Fenway Park's Green Monster and the nearby Citgo sign in Boston.

Big Ben and the Tower Bridge in London are there, as is St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, the Colosseum in Rome and the pyramids of Egypt.

The Latin America exhibit highlights Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, hilly favelas and the Christ the Redeemer statute. It also includes the Panama Canal, with ships passing through.

Gulliver's Gate also shows what it's made of. The workstations where the models and landscaping are made are viewable to visitors.

And the work goes on apace.

As Langer was explaining the Europe exhibit, a worker popped up from underneath it, near the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

You can even have a 3D-scanned miniature version of yourself made and become a "model citizen" of Gulliver's Gate in the country of your choosing.

Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan June 22, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

AMMAN - Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that China was keen to boost ties with Jordan in various areas.

At a press conference in Amman with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, the Chinese official said there is large room for more cooperation in areas of trade, economy and culture.

Referring to a visit by King Abdullah II of Jordan to China in 2015, he said the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Jordan has since kept rising.

He added that there was increased cooperation between China and Jordan in areas of energy, infrastructure and transport.

He also said China will continue to provide aid to Jordan to help relieve the pressure the Syrian refugees impose on the kingdom.

Wang also stressed the need for a political solution to the Palestinian issue.

The Chinese foreign minister also called for intensified cooperation in combating terrorism.

Moreover, Wang said China is working seriously to find partnerships for development in the region.

For his part, Safadi said Jordan was working with all players including China to end the conflict in Syria.

China is Jordan's second largest trading partner, and the two countries are working to explore new areas for collaboration, he added.
Charles Chuck Wittnam passed away on June 17, 2017, in Billings, after a long illness. He was the son of Charley Guy Wittnam and Edna Allen Wittnam. He was born on his familys farm near Witt, Illinois, on May 23, 1927. He grew up on the farm with two older sisters, Leota and Nora Lee. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II. Upon returning from service, he farmed with his father only to be called back to the navy to fight in Korea in 1951. Serving as a quartermaster on a destroyer assigned to a carrier group, he was particularly proud to have alerted officers to a navigation error, which narrowly prevented a collision between his ship and a carrier during a nighttime course correction. Upon returning to Illinois, he met and married Dorothy Dot Knodle who lived on a nearby farm. He proposed on their third date. It was a marriage that would last 65 years. After marrying Dot, he went to school on the GI Bill, becoming the first in his family to receive a college degree. He then pursued a career in industrial chemical sales that lasted more than 30 years. During that, he and Dot had two sons. His job required frequent relocation requiring the family to live in seven different cities in six different states across the U.S. Chuck and Dot retired to Grants Pass, Oregon, where they lived for many years before poor health required them to move to Billings to be near family in 2014. Chuck was an avid poker player, who loved fishing, the outdoors and the West. He was very proud of the accomplishments of his sons and grandchildren.
Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer stands during a press conference after Senate Republicans unveiled their version of legislation that would replace Obamacare on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, June 22, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled legislation that would replace Obamacare with a plan that scales back aid to the poor and kills a tax on the wealthy, but the bill's fate was quickly thrown into question as several senators voiced skepticism.

Four conservative lawmakers said they could not support it in its current form, leaving Republicans short of the votes they need for passage. Democrats are united in opposition.

The 142-page proposal, worked out in secret by a group led Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, aims to deliver on a central campaign promise of President Donald Trump by rolling back former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, which has provided coverage to millions of Americans since it was passed in 2010.

Republicans view the law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, as a costly government intrusion into the private marketplace.

Trump welcomed the bill but indicated that changes may be in store.

"I am very supportive of the Senate #Healthcarebill. Look forward to making it really special!" he wrote on Twitter.

Trump urged the House of Representatives to pass a similar bill in May, only to criticize it in private as "mean" once it passed. He said on Wednesday he wanted a health plan "withheart."

Democrats immediately attacked the legislation as a callous giveaway to the rich that would leave millions without coverage.

"The president said the House bill was mean," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. "The Senate bill may be even meaner."

Obama weighed in on Facebook. "If there's a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family  this bill will do you harm," he wrote.

The Senate's most conservative members said the plan did not do enough to scale back the US government's role.

"This current bill does not repeal Obamacare. It does not keep our promises to the American people," said Senator Rand Paul, who along with fellow Republican Senators Ted Cruz, MikeLee and Ron Johnson said they could not support it in it scurrent form.

Shares of hospital companies and health insurers rose on the bill's release, with the overall S&P 500 healthcare sector closing up 1.1 percent at an all-time high.

"The initial proposal I think is more generous and morepositive to the industry than expected," said Jeff Jonas, aportfolio manager with Gabelli Funds.
CHICAGO - The lone-wolf attacker attacker who stabbed a police officer at a Michigan airport tried unsuccessfully to buy a gun, according to FBI investigation.

David Gelios, the Detroit-based FBI officer who is in charge of the attack, told a news conference on Thursday that Amor Ftouhi, a dual citizen of Canada and Tunisia, attempted but failed to buy a gun after he entered the United States legally on June 16.

Ftouhi came to the Bishop International Airport in Flint, some 80 km northwest of Detroit on Wednesday morning and stabbed a police officer on duty in the neck.

He yelled "Allahu Akbar," or "Allah is the greatest" in English before he made the attack with a 30-centimeter knife. He also said something like "you have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan" and "we are all going to die," according to initial accounts from eye witnesses.

The injured officer is said to be recovering after surgery.

Gelios said so far they found no personal connection between the attacker and Flint, suggesting that he chose the airport probably because it is an international one.

The FBI is now investigating the attack as a possible act of terrorism, in coordination of the Canadian authorities, but it seems to be a lone-wolf attack.

"We have no information to suspect the attack was part of a wider plot or suspect he was aided or had associates," said Gelios.

Ftouhi made a brief appearance in a US District Court in Flint on Wednesday and was ordered to be held without bail, waiting for his second hearing next week.
A piggy bank sits on the shelf at Ambassador Toys in San Francisco, California, Feb 5, 2009 file photo. Piggy banks and money boxes are gaining popularity in the United States as people started to save their money at home after the 2008 economic recession. [Photo/VCG]

Do you have a credit card debt? How healthy is your savings account? Which account boasts the biggest number?

Nearly a quarter of US adults say they have no savings to tide them over in an emergency situation like an unexpected layoff, an expensive trip to the doctors or other big-ticket expenses, according to a new survey released by US financial services company Bankrate.

This is despite experts' advice that people should aim to build a financial cushion to cover three to six months' worth of spending.

Surprisingly, the New York-based portal says the survey results are actually good news as the number of people with zero savings is at its lowest level since polling began in 2011.

The June survey also reveals that 31 percent of Americans have what Bankrate considers an adequate savings cushion. While that means that about two-thirds of the country still isn't saving enough money, the number of good savers is at its highest level since the survey began seven years ago, up 9 percent from 2015.

Generally, Americans' saving habits are getting better but are still far from ideal.

"Americans are putting money in savings," Bankrate analyst Greg McBride said. "Yet, we're still not out of the woods. Everyone should strive to have at least six months' expenses socked away for the unexpected, but it's encouraging to see progress being made."

A villager counts money at the Belarusian Republican Union of Consumer Societies' mobile shop in the village of Kharashki, Belarus, June 16, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Bankrate broke down its survey results to compare the savings habits of baby boomers and millennials.

Of the 1,003 adults polled, 27 percent of the young millennials, aged 18 to 26, said they had three to five months' of money saved, compared to only 11 percent of baby boomers who'd saved the equivalent.

Young millennials "are trying to be savvier with their money" after seeing their parents struggle during the 2008 economic recession, a consumer and money saving expert Andrea Woroch said.

Compared with Americans, Chinese people seem much thriftier.

According to data published by the International Monetary Fund in 2013, China ranked third in the world's top-saving countries, with estimated $4.6 trillion in savings, while the United States, whose economy is nearly double the size of China's, saves around $2.8 trillion, 17 percent of its GDP.

China's savings may come as a surprise to outsiders, particularly the Americans, Orville Schell, director of the Center on China-US Relations in New York, told Forbes.

Chinese usually save to pay out of their own pocket for retirement, education and healthcare. Despite the booming consumerism in China today, conservative spending habits are deeply ingrained in their culture, he added.
US President Donald Trump (L) speaks in Ypilanti Township, Michigan March 15, 2017 and FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., May 3, 2017 in a combination of file photos. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON  US President Donald Trump declared Thursday he never made and doesn't have recordings of his private conversations with ousted former FBI Director James Comey, ending a month-long guessing game that he started with a cryptic tweet and that ensnared his administration in yet more controversy.

"With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information," Trump said in his latest tweets, he has "no idea" whether there are "tapes" or recordings of the two men's conversations. But he proclaimed he "did not make, and do not have, any such recordings." That left open the possibility that recordings were made without his knowledge or by someone else. But he largely appeared to close the saga that began in May, just days after he fired Comey, then the head of an investigation into Trump associates' ties to Russian officials. Trump has disputed Comey's version of a January dinner during which the director said the president had asked for a pledge of loyalty.

Trump responded at that time, via Twitter, that Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"That apparently angry missive triggered a series of consequences each weightier than the last. Comey has suggested that the tweet prompted him to ask an associate to leak damaging information to the media. The resulting news reports built pressure on a top Justice Department official to appoint an independent prosecutor to oversee the Russia investigation. That special counsel is now reportedly investigating Trump's own actions in a probe that could dog his presidency for the foreseeable future.

Trump's declaration now that there are no recordings appear to settle a key dynamic in that investigation: It's now the president's word against Comey's notes.

Without recordings, Comey's version of his conversations with Trump  which he documented at the time, shared with close associates and testified about to Congress  will likely play a key role as prosecutors consider whether Trump inappropriately pressured the lawman to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Investigators will also weigh the credibility of Comey against a president who has shown a wobbly commitment to accuracy.

Thursday's revelation came a day ahead of a deadline to turn over any tapes to the House intelligence committee. The timing drew attention away from the release of the Senate's health care bill, which the White House hopes can provide Trump a much-needed legislative victory to boost his sagging poll numbers.

Trump's tweets, old and new, left many perplexed about whether there was motive or strategy behind the whole affair. The president appeared to enjoy ginning up mystery and spinning Washington reporters about the possibility there was a trove of surreptitiously recorded Oval Office conversations.

"I think he was in his way instinctively trying to rattle Comey," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a longtime Trump confidant, said before the Thursday tweets. "He's not a professional politician. He doesn't come back and think about Nixon and Watergate. His instinct is: 'I'll out-bluff you.'"Trump's earlier suggestion about tapes evoked the secret White House recordings that led to Richard Nixon's downfall in the Watergate scandal. 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.

But the episode tired Trump's defenders and aides, who for weeks have been dodging questions about the recordings. Advisers who speak to Trump regularly have said he had not mentioned the existence of tapes during their conversations. More than a half-dozen aides said they were unaware of any recording devices. All demanded anonymity to speak about private discussions with the president.
A wealth management qualification from the United Kingdom can now be taken in Mandarin, another milestone as China's financial services industry integrates with global standards and practices.

The Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment said on Wednesday it has made its basic-level exam available in China, across 10 test centers. In addition, it has partnered with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, which will provide personal training to students at its campus in Qingdao, in East China's Shandong province.

"Our exam's international recognition will help Chinese candidates prove their competency to clients and gain recognition from their employers," said Hayley Brown, the institute's senior international manager.

Brown said the organization is also in the process of making the tests for two other, more advanced, qualifications available in Mandarin.

CISI, which emerged from the training arm of the London Stock Exchange 25 years ago, has become the benchmark in the wealth management industry. Currently, around 40,000 candidates take CISI exams in 80 countries. Most candidates sit the exam in English, although it has also been available in Spanish, Greek, Arabic, and French.

Its profile-raising move in China follows in the footsteps of other international exams, including the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Chartered Financial Analysts, and FRM Financial Risk Manager. These international exams have all become increasingly popular with young finance professionals in China, especially those who aspire to work overseas or work for international financial companies in China.

Alan Wu, director of China programs at Manchester Business School, said CISI will have unique selling points in China.

"All qualifications have a slightly different focus, and the increasing number of international exams available in China gives Chinese students more diverse choices," said Wu.

CISI's entry into China began with Qingdao municipal government representatives visiting the institute's headquarters in London last year, when they invited the organization to make the exam available in China and partner with the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics' Qingdao campus.

The Qingdao government hopes finance professionals from the city will sit the exam, helping Qingdao become a center for wealth management.

According to the latest Global Finance Centres Index in March, Qingdao was the 38th most important financial center globally. In March 2016, it joined the list at number 79.

CISI expects at least 500 candidates to take the exam in China in the first year it is offered in Mandarin, of which 80 percent will be finance professionals working in China, and the remainder will be students.
Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of the South Korean political scandal and long-time friend of President Park Geun-hye, arrives for a hearing arguments for South Korean President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, January 16, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL  A South Korean court has sentenced a longtime friend of ousted President Park Geun-hye to three years in prison for using her presidential ties to unlawfully get her daughter into a prestigious Seoul university.

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday said Choi Soon-sil "committed so many illegal activities" as she pressured Ewha Womans University to grant admission and then provide academic favors to her daughter despite Chung Yoo-ra's questionable qualifications.

Choi is being tried separately over more serious charges, including allegations that she colluded with Park to take tens of millions of dollars from the country's largest companies in bribes and through extortion.

Park was removed from office and charged over the corruption scandal in March.

AP
China hopes to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with the United States and push bilateral ties to keep developing healthily and steadily, State Councilor Yang Jiechi said when meeting US President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday.

Conveying President Xi Jinping's greetings to Trump, Yang said bilateral ties have achieved new and important progress under the guidance of the important consensus the heads of state of the two countries reached in their meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Florida in April.

Such progress, including reaching agreement on the "early harvest" from the 100-Day Plan, a plan the two presidents agreed on in their Mar-a-Lago meeting to bolster bilateral economic ties, has brought tangible benefits to people of both countries, according to the state councilor.

Yang also said China is willing to work with the US to maintain high-level exchanges as well as exchanges at other various levels and handle properly disputes on the basis of mutual respect.

The state councilor was in Washington attending the first round of the China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, which was held on Wednesday.

He said this round of the dialogue, which both sides believe was constructive and fruitful, was an important step to implement the important consensus between the heads of state of the two countries.

Yang said Xi looks forward to meeting Trump again during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany in July, and welcomes Trump to pay a state visit to China this year.

Yang also said China highly appreciates the fact that the US government sent delegates to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which was held in Beijing in May.

Trump requested Yang to convey his greetings to Xi, and said he was pleased with the progress bilateral cooperation has achieved since the Mar-a-Lago meeting.

Trump said the US hopes to cooperate with China in projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Speaking of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Trump said the US looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China to achieve the peninsula's denuclearization at an early date.

Yang reiterated China's position on the issue, and said China hopes to continue to maintain communication and collaboration with all related parties, including the US, to make joint efforts to ease tension in the peninsula and solve the issue properly.

Yang also met US National Security Advisor Herbert Raymond McMaster and Jared Kushner, senior advisor to the US president in the White House on Thursday.
BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) leaders have expressed doubts over the British Prime Minister Theresa May's fresh offer to protect EU citizens' rights on the second day of a summit on Friday.

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said "no" when asked whether he was any clearer about the kind of Brexit London wants.

"That is a first step but this step is not sufficient," he told reporters at his arrival of the summit.

May tried to reassure EU nationals in UK that their futures would be secure on Friday.

"No one will have to leave, we won't be seeing families split apart," she said before the summit.

May on Thursday made a "fair and serious offer" to her EU counterparts over the contentious issue of the future rights of EU citizens, saying those who arrived lawfully before Brexit would have the chance to build up the same rights to work, healthcare and benefits as British citizens.
PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday the death of American student Otto Warmbier days after his release was a "mystery," as his health indicators and examination results were all normal when he left DPRK.

A spokesman the country's foreign ministry said the DPRK gave Warmbier all available medical treatment and care on a humanitarian basis until his return to the United States, and that Warmbier was not mistreated or tortured during his 18-month detention in DPRK.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatment and care with all sincerity on a humanitarian basis until his return to the US," the Korean Central News Agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

Warmbier, 22, was released on June 13 and died on June 19 after arriving home in a coma, according to earlier foreign media reports.

He was sentenced by DPRK court to 15 years of hard labor in March last year for anti-DPRK activities at the order of an American religious group and the Central Intelligence Agency during stay in Pyongyang. Warmbier claimed to be a tourist.

"As for groundless public opinion now circulating in the US that he died of torture and beating during his reform through labor, the American doctors who came to the DPRK for repatriation of Warmbier will have something to say about it," said the DPRK spokesman.

The US doctors "examined Warmbier and exchanged medical observations about him with" DPRK doctors, and "recognized that his health indicators like his pulse, temperature, respiration and the examination results of the heart and lung were all normal," said the spokesman.

"We provided him with medical treatment and brought him back to life when his heart nearly stopped" beating, the spokesman added.
President Xi Jinping looks forward to meeting again with US President Donald Trump during the G20 Summit in Germany in July and welcomes Trump to make a state visit to China this year, State Councilor Yang Jiechi told Trump.

China hopes to work with the United States to make sure these high-level exchanges gain fruitful results, Yang said while meeting with Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Yang also said China hopes to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with the US and continue promoting the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties.

Conveying Xis greetings to Trump, Yang said bilateral ties have achieved new and important progress under the guidance of the important consensus that the two heads of state reached during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April.

Such progress, including reaching agreement on the early harvest from the 100-Day Plan  a plan the two presidents agreed to at Mar-a-Lago to bolster bilateral economic ties  has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries, Yang said.

China is willing to work with the US to maintain high-level exchanges as well as exchanges at other levels and to properly manage differences on the basis of mutual respect, Yang said.

The state councilor was in Washington attending the first round of the China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, which opened on Wednesday.

The dialogue is one of four that the two countries agreed to establish during the Mar-a-Lago meeting.

Yang said this round of the dialogue was an important step to implement the consensus between Xi and Trump.

Yang also said China highly appreciates the fact that Trump sent delegates from the US government to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held in Beijing in May.

Trump asked Yang to convey his greetings to Xi, and said he was pleased with the progress that bilateral cooperation has achieved since the Mar-a-Lago meeting.

Trump also said the US hopes to cooperate with China in projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Speaking of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Trump said the US looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China to achieve the peninsulas denuclearization at an early date.

Yang reiterated Chinas position on the issue and said China hopes to continue to maintain communication and collaboration with all parties involved, including the US, to make joint efforts to ease tension on the peninsula and to solve the issue properly.

Su Xiaohui, a researcher of Chinas foreign policy at the China Institute of International Studies, said China-US relations have remained stable since the Mar-a-Lago meeting, which was very successful in setting the tone for bilateral ties.

Fan Jishe, a researcher of China-US ties at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China and the US have maintained close cooperation on major issues, and they need timely communication to solve or narrow their differences.

Meetings between the heads of state of the two countries help guide bilateral ties to develop in a healthy way, Fan said.
Luosongjiangcun, an executive with the Buddhist Association of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, wrote "best wishes" in Tibetan for a participant in a seminar on Tibetan culture and history at the City Hall in Huy, Belgium, on Thursday. Fu Jing/China Daily

Belgian academics and officials listened with great interest to a presentation on Tibet's cultural and historical development by a Chinese delegation visiting Huy, a picturesque town about 80 kilometers from Brussels.

The presentation, which included facts, figures and photos, was sponsored by the Association for International Cultural Exchanges of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The group also has made presentations in other parts of Europe, including Barcelona, Madrid and Vienna.

The questions and comments indicated that Belgians are curious about educational progress, the rights of Tibetan girls and how the autonomous system operates in the region.

"They have spoken volumes about the rapid development of Tibet, which I am dreaming to visit," said Claude Honore, a tourism official in Liege, Belgium. "Obviously the presentation is factual, and the development comes with vision, a long-term vision, for the Tibetan region."

Many in the audience of about 40 were academics in cultural and Chinese studies.

Hao Shiyuan, president of the Chinese Anthropological Society, spoke on the Chinese government's stance on the Tibet question, the situation before Tibet's democratic reform started in 1959, and the region's rapid development since then.

Before 1959, there was virtually no formal educational system in Tibet, and only monks and the children of the ruling class had access to education at temples, Hao said. Tibet, with a population of more than 3.3 million, has now opened six institutes of higher education and kindergartens and compulsory and vocational schools in villages and cities.

"Tibetans are entitled to 15 years of free education," said Gamadanba, deputy secretary-general of the cultural exchange association. Many Tibetans use only one name.

When asked, Gamadanba confirmed that girls and boys have equal educational rights. He said that before 1959, the illiteracy rate in Tibet was as high as 95 percent and now it has dropped to 1.2 percent.

Hao said Tibet still has a double-digit growth rate despite the lagging global economy and the slower pace of growth in China as a whole. Last year, the economic growth rate in the autonomous region was 11.5 percent.

"The long-lasting growth of the economy and the rapid increase in Tibetans' incomes are mainly the result of consistent financial transfers from the central government," Hao said. "The provinces and municipalities in the developed and rich part of China have also offered tremendous help by pairing with cities, towns and even villages in Tibet."

Honore said that when Belgians think of international travel, many more are considering China rather than the United States.

Hao strongly suggested that Honore visit Tibet, but "only if he can cope with the lower level of oxygen" due to high altitudes.
A retired teacher, college educator and child support investigator who says the city does a pretty darn good job delivering services, is a candidate in the Ward 4 Billings City Council race.

Rick McIntyre, 67, said family members encouraged him to run, and he was also inspired by a former neighbor, Mick Ohnstad, who served previously on the council. He was a great old guy. I really enjoyed his company, and I always thought he was a good citizen, McIntyre said.

He and his wife have two grown children. Hes a 1967 graduate of Dawson County High School in Glendive and a 1971 graduate of Eastern Montana College, where he earned a masters degree in education in 1977.

McIntyre said he doesnt have any ax to grind, but would like to help residents develop an appreciation and acceptance of the work of both police and firefighters.

Those jobs are critical, and I think we can do a better job making young people understand they are their friends, especially police officers, he said.

Time recently spent on the city's website has been educational, he said.

It seems like a large job with a lot of issues, but I dont have one specifically, he said.

While he has more time to dedicate to the council than someone who has to work full-time, I do have a grandson that I want to spend as much time with as possible.

During his years as an educator in Hobson outside of Lewistown he served six four-year terms as a justice of the peace.

I did a lot of mediating with small claims and civil cases, so I have some experience trying to find common ground for people, he said. I think I can be effective in that regard.

While he may not be in on the councils choice of who will succeed City Administrator Tina Volek, he said hed like to see someone who is responsive and open to new ideas.

On the councils recent authorization to provide residential snow plowing beginning this winter, McIntyre said he favored setting aside money for plowing during emergencies and would leave it up to city staff when they think thats feasible. I dont want them to have to spend (the money) or lose it, and I think that (mindset) has gone by the wayside.

George Blackard and Penny Ronning are McIntyres challengers in the race to succeed Al Swanson, whos not running for a second term. Following the Sept. 12 primary, the two top vote-getters will go on to the Nov. 7 general election.
The most recent legislative session was a mixed bag for Indian Country, a pair of legislators told a crowd of about 25 people Thursday at the Billings Public Library.

Sen. Jen Gross and Rep. Kelly McCarthy, both Democrats from Billings, said during the Native American Race Relations and Healing Seminar that the 2017 session was marked by at least a handful of positive developments.

McCarthy noted that funds were appropriated to help prevent suicide among Native Americans, and economic development funding for Indian Country held firm.

McCarthy talked about two specific developments he found heartening. One was a bill by Sen. Lea Whitford, D-Cut Bank, that creates an eighth tourism district in the state, this one with a Native American focus. After some headwind developed against the bill, proponents dialed the funding back to around $100,000, McCarthy said.

Im happy we got at least that far, McCarthy said. Some kid in Norway would love to sit on a tour bus with a Native storyteller and experience that history. Im a white guy and I know some of these stories, but people on our reservations know hundreds of these stories. Why havent we developed that as tourism and a business opportunity?

One resolution that McCarthy was able to get passed early in the session honors the participants of the annual Northern Cheyenne Fort Robinson Memorial Breakout Run. The run honors the memory of the slaughter of Natives led by Chief Dull Knife who were trying to escape federal captivity.

McCarthy, an Air Force veteran, emphasized such qualities as 138 years of unbroken military service on the part of Northern Cheyenne tribal members, and the resolution passed both chambers without a single no vote. It was one of the first things we did, and it set the tone early on, he said.

Gross, a freshman legislator, focused her talk on her Senate Bill 319, which pevents a state agency or local government from prohibiting people from wearing traditional tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance at such events as high school graduation.

I love the journey a bill takes, and this one had a tumultuous journey, she said.

Gross described the bipartisan effort to help her get a hearing scheduled, with a particular hat tip to Sen. Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, the Senate majority leader.

When the bill failed by a 5-4 count in committee, Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby, the only Native American Republican in the Legislature, helped convince her to blast it to the floor of the Senate, where it was adopted, moved on to the House and was eventually signed into law by Gov. Steve Bullock.

She also recounted the story of the Flathead High School graduate denied the opportunity to wear a decorated mortar board during his graduation ceremony a few weeks after the law went into effect.

The episode got so much social and traditional media attention, she said, that the school principal was very receptive when Gross called him the following Monday. He called the student and his mother and grandmother, offering each an apology.

The student, Gross told the crowd, wants the incident to spark a larger conversation around race. He found a way to make more good out of the situation and move forward in a direction where we can continue to have these conversations.

Unfortunate as this incident was, it sent a clear message, and I dont think this will happen again, she said. Its clear this is the law in Montana, but its also clear that there is still discrimination in Montana and clearly we have a long way to go.

McCarthy concluded the talk with a pair of failed bills. Rep. Sharon Stewart-Peregoy, D-Crow Agency, tried but failed to convince her colleagues to change state law that stipulates that English is the states official language.

Rep. Bridget Smith, D-Wolf Point, sponsored a bill to rename Columbus Day as Montana Heritage Day.

It turns out, McCarthy said of Columbus, he wasnt that great of a guy.

Its hard to understand the opposition to changing the name of the holiday, he said. I think my friends on the other side just werent ready to embrace change. We just need to work a little harder and help them come with us to quit honoring someone like that.
(WNS)--North Korea on June 23 denied it tortured American student Otto Warmbier, who died shortly after returning to the United States in a comatose state. The countrys official Korean Central News Agency accused the United States and South Korea of slandering its image despite the humanitarian treatment Warmbier received. Our related institutions are treating criminals who committed crimes against (our) republic strictly based on domestic law and international standards, and Warmbier was no different, KCNA said. The agency did not release any additional details about why the 22-year-old returned in a coma. Warmbier received a 15-year sentence with hard labor in March 2016 after he was accused of stealing a propaganda poster from a Pyongyang hotel. Doctors who treated him following his release said Warmbier suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service
Call Ann Fink crazy, but the intrepid grandmother has a tradition to uphold. Shes toured Israel, Jordan, and Egypt with 8 of her 13 granddaughters. Victoria, a preteen, is number 9.

Her parents are not afraid, said Fink, a Pennsylvania native, while visiting Egypt with Victoria. We believe we can die at any time. Only God knows when and where.

Neither tourist knew just how much visits like theirs support the regions beleaguered Christians.

From a high-water mark of $7.2 billion in 2010, tourism revenue in Egypt has fallen by 76 percent following the unrest of the Arab Spring. The decline has devastated the economy and, with it, Egypts Christians.

Copts, an estimated 10 percent of the population, make up more than half of tour operators and more than a quarter of the tourism workforce, according to Adel el-Gendy, a general manager in the Tourism Development Authority. Christians have better connections to the West, he said, and are often more skilled with languages.

Gendy, a Muslim, has been assigned development of the Holy Family route25 locations that, according to tradition, were visited by Jesus, Joseph, and Mary as they fled Herods wrath. Relaunched with government and church fanfare in 2014, the route is close to being designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, he said. But the project has struggled as tourists stay away.

The route runs through Old Cairo, which boasts churches dating back to the fourth century but feels like a ghost town. Souvenir shops are open, but their lights dim. Our income has dropped by 90 percent, said Angelos Gergis, the Coptic Orthodox priest at St. Sergius Church, built above a cave where tradition says the Holy Family ...

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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.
More than 100 Iraqi Christians arrested in immigration raids earlier this month will get to stay in the United Statesat least for another two weeks, according to an order issued yesterday by a federal judge in Detroit.

Judge Mark Goldsmith halted the immediate deportation of the recently detained Iraqi nationals for 14 days, while he decides whether the district court or an immigration court has jurisdiction over their case, Hamama v. Adducci.

The court described their plight:

Petitioners state that because of their having resided in the United States and their status as religious minoritiesmany are Christian, others are members of oppressed Muslim sectsthey are likely to be persecuted, tortured, or killed by members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the de facto government in many parts of Iraq.

The written order follows outcry from the Detroit areas Chaldean Christians, who were shocked when officials detained scores of them on June 11. The American Civil ...

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This week marks the second anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the majority opinion states that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples according to the 14th amendment. Recent Pew Forum research indicates that support among Americans for same-sex marriage has grown from 31 percent in 2004 to 55 percent in 2016. Most notably, the percentage of those who identify as Christian (whether evangelical, mainline Protestant, or Catholic) who have also come to accept same-sex marriage has increased at nearly identical rates as the general population.

As Christians debate homosexuality in the context of our current culture, the churchlike the rest of our countryis experiencing growing division and is now sharply polarized over an issue that few of us discussed at all 15 or 20 years ago. Groups on both sides of the debate often fall short in balancing the age-old tension between law and grace. Progressive Christians have to complete some relatively impressive theological gymnastics to work around the Bibles consistent prohibition of same-sex activity and relationships, and hyper-conservative Christians have yet to explain how disowning children or rejecting fellow parishioners with same-sex attractions can possibly fall under Jesus instruction to love our neighbors as ourselves.

So how can we better hold law and grace in an effective tension that allows us to maintain our convictions and also show love toward those who do not?

This question is of particular significance to me as someone who grew up struggling with same-sex attraction and found no safe place to confide and sort out those feelings. From early on, I was drawn to other women in a way that felt different. ...

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Judicial Watch Asks Trump Administration to End Congressional Obamacare Exemption Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172



WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch requested the Trump administration stop members of Congress and their staff from unlawfully purchasing, with taxpayer subsidies, health insurance through the District of Columbia's small business exchange. The Judicial Watch request was made on June 14, 2017, to the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of a process set out by the Department of Health and Human Services to reform the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare.



Judicial Watch wrote: The ACA requires states to create at least two exchanges: a small business exchange (referred to as "SHOP" in the ACA) and an individual exchange. It also requires certain members of Congress and congressional employees to purchase insurance on an exchange created either by their state of residence (or by the District, if they are a D.C. resident) or by the federal government, if their state of residence did not establish an exchange. 42 U.S.C.  18032(d)(3)(D)(i). Because the ACA limits the purchase of insurance on a small business exchange to employees of small businesses - and Congress is not a small business - the ACA unequivocally requires that certain members of Congress and congressional employees purchase insurance on an individual exchange created either by their state of residence (or by the District, if they are a D.C. resident) or by the federal government for that state.



Nonetheless, OPM promulgated 5 C.F.R.  890.102(c)(9), which purportedly authorized congressional employees to purchase health insurance offered by an appropriate small business exchange, and the OPM Director subsequently issued guidance stating, "OPM has determined that the DC SHOP . . . is the appropriate SHOP from which Members of Congress and designated congressional staff will purchase health insurance in order to receive a Government contribution." Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Members of Congress and Congressional Staff, 78 Fed. Reg. 60653, 60654 (Oct. 2, 2013).



Similarly, CMS issued guidance stating, "Consistent with the OPM rule, this guidance clarifies that offices of the Members of Congress are considered qualified employers eligible to offer coverage to Members and designated Congressional staff through the appropriate SHOP as determined by OPM. CMS clarifies that offices of the Members of Congress, as qualified employers, are eligible to participate in a SHOP regardless of the size and offering requirements set forth in the definition of "qualified employer" in the Exchange final rule, provided that the office offers coverage to those full-time employees who are determined by statute to purchase health insurance from an Exchange for the purpose of the government contribution." CMS, Affordable Insurance Exchanges Guidance (September 30, 2013, available at [URL REMOVED]



Because certain members of Congress and congressional employees are enrolled in a small business exchange, the government is contributing monies contrary to the ACA. If OPM's and CMS's regulation and guidance were revoked, the government would save monies being expended unlawfully to provide contributions to the approximately 20,000 members of Congress and congressional employees. In addition, the rule of law will be enforced.



MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-asks-trump-administration-end-congressional-obamacare-exemption/

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Solar energys prospects dimmed in Montana on Thursday as state regulators retooled incentives for renewable energy development.

Montanas Public Service Commission voted to dramatically cut the guaranteed rates and contracts offered to solar projects no larger than 3 megawatts  projects large enough to power 540 or fewer homes.

The changes by the PSC make Montanas incentives the smallest in the region, say renewable energy advocates, who said solar developers would likely move on to other states as a result.

Montana is going to lose out on the solar revolution. Its going to go to Idaho and Wyoming and other states, said Anne Hedges, of the Montana Environmental Information Center.

Last year, MEIC was among a group of solar advocates to file a complaint with the quasi-judicial Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after the utility regulator pulled the plug on guaranteed rates and contracts for small solar projects. The states largest utility, NorthWestern Energy, had argued that the PSCs terms for small solar projects were too attractive and that there had been a surge in applications from solar companies hoping to hook up to NorthWestern.

By law, the utility must offer small qualifying projects the contracts and rates set by the PSC. The extremely favorable terms  a 25-year contract and payment for power roughly double the spot market price  had been on the PSC books for several years, during which the cost of solar panels was high enough that no one bothered with Montana's terms.

Then, the price of solar panels fell dramatically and solar companies began showing interest in Montana's favorable terms.

The PSC obliged the utility in June 2016. NorthWestern had received 97 solar hookup requests in the 18 months before Montana suspended its offer. After the PSC obliged NorthWestern, the number of proposed small Montana solar projects fell to 10. By December, FERC had ruled that Montana regulators were wrong to suspend the solar incentives program for NorthWestern.

Thursday was the PSCs attempt to set new incentives for renewable energy projects. States are required by federal law to set a price and contract lengths in order to promote alternative energy resources under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. Utilities are supposed to be obligated to buy power from qualifying facilities under the states terms. The law has been on the books for 49 years.

Thursdays PSC reset of the rules effectively cut contract lengths to five years, with an option to negotiate for five more. Previously, the contracts had been 25 years, a length solar developers said they need to secure financing. Guaranteed rates for power were cut 40 percent.

Commissioner Tony ODonnell, of Billings, said the contract and rate changes would force small qualifying facilities to operate more like businesses in a free market setting. The long contracts and above-market rates were subsidies that ultimately cost utility customers more money based on the guaranteed price paid for renewable energy.

However, those small qualifying facilities also make a minimal contribution to the power sold by NorthWestern, influencing monthly customer bills in pennies not dollars.

Commissioner Travis Kavulla then persuaded the PSC to apply the same short contracts to any additional power generated by NorthWestern in the future. The utility shouldnt benefit from monopolistic terms, either, Kavulla said. The PSC agreed, applying the new terms to NorthWestern, also.

NortheWestern had been outspoken about cutting contract lengths and rates for small qualifying facilities. The utility didnt have a response Thursday concerning how the contract changes might affect NorthWestern.

We support the Commissions efforts to appropriately set rates for Qualifying Facilities projects, projects that our customers ultimately pay for under federal rules that require utilities to buy the electricity the projects generate, said Butch Larcombe, a NorthWestern spokesman. Beyond that, from a NorthWestern standpoint, we need to wait to see the PSCs final, detailed order to understand what impact it may have on our customers.
home World UN accuses DR Congo government of backing militia that stabbed pregnant women and mutilated toddlers

The United Nations has accused the Congolese government of backing a militia that was said to have stabbed pregnant women and mutilated toddlers in the Kasai region.

The Associated Press reported that U.N. has called for an international investigation on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo following accounts of babies with machete wounds and pregnant women sliced open.

"I am appalled by the creation and arming of a militia, the Bana Mura, allegedly to support the authorities in fighting the Kamwina Nsapu (rebels)," Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Zeid, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the new group had carried out attacks targeting civilians from the Luba and Lulua ethnic groups.

"My team saw children as young as two whose limbs had been chopped off. Many babies had machete wounds and severe burns ... At least two pregnant women were sliced open and their foetuses mutilated," he stated.

A report released by the Catholic church on Tuesday has noted that 3,383 people have been killed in Congo's volatile Kasai provinces since August. The U.N. has estimated that about 1.3 million people have fled their homes to avoid the conflict in the region.

The conflict began after a tribal chieftain named Kamwina Nsapu was killed in a military operation in August after his followers rebelled against Congolese authorities. Nsapu had openly challenged the authority of President Joseph Kabila's government, provoking security forces to launch a crackdown against his militia.

According to the church report, the DRC armed forces (FARDC) had destroyed 10 villages in an attempt to put down the insurrection. Four villages have been destroyed by tribal militias while six were ravaged by unknown forces. The document has noted the discovery of 30 mass graves, while the U.N. has spoken of 42.

Zeid said that the Congolese government's efforts have been "clearly insufficient in view of the massive scale and horrific nature of the crimes that have taken place and, sadly, continue."

DR Congo's Human Rights Minister Marie Ange Mushobekwa responded to the Zeid's report, saying the government has nothing to hide.

"Some countries ... should not try to use the Human Rights Council a such a respectable institution a to settle scores with states whose leaders they don't like," Mushobekwa stated.

She also disputed the claims about the mass graves, saying there has not been enough evidence provided to confirm such reports.

In February, the Catholic Church reported that its churches have been targeted in attacks, with some buildings desecrated and Christian nuns terrorized.

The U.N.'s humanitarian office made an appeal for $65 million in emergency funds in April, but only $5.2 million so far has been provided.
A symbol of hope and defiance  Saule pleureur by Monet

Conor Jordan, Deputy Chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christies in New York, reflects on the artists deeply personal response to the First World War  offered on 27 June in London

Executed between 1918 and 1919  in the midst of of a period now considered the great final flowering of Monets career  Saule pleureur (Weeping Willow) is one of a series of 10 paintings depicting a majestic tree which lined Monets lily pond in Giverny. Five of the pieces in this groundbreaking series are now in museums, including the Musee Marmottan in Paris and the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas. Held in the artists collection until his death and never exhibited during his lifetime, Saule pleureur is one of only five of the series remaining in private hands. In contrast with Monets water lily paintings, which have a primarily horizontal feel, the emphasis in the Weeping Willow series is on the vertical. As Conor Jordan, Deputy Chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christies in New York, explains, theres a sense of both ascent and descent, as well as a singular internal circulation of energy. According to the specialist, Saule pleureur is a celebration of the artists capacity to create a symphony of colour over an impressively large, vertical scale. When you see the painting for the first time, Jordan explains, you encounter an almost encrusted cliff face of a painting. It reminds me of late Rembrandt, another artist in complete control of his tools and language. Like the greatest of paintings, the expert says, Saule pleureur rewards repeated viewing: It offers up its magic quickly, but also over time.



Open a larger version of this image Claude Monet (1840-1926), Saule pleureur, 1918-19. Oil on canvas. 51 x 43 in (130.5 x 110.2 cm). Estimate: 15-25 million. This work is offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 27 June at Christies London

From 1914 Monet had been working on an ambitious project that came to be known as his Grandes decorations. On canvases five feet high and more than six-and-a-half feet wide, the artist reproduced the ephemeral reflections in his lily pond. By early 1918, eight canvases had been completed; four more were nearly finished. Soon, however, the artist changed course and began a separate group of works: a series of Weeping Willow paintings, including Saule pleureur. In these canvases, says Jordan, Monet continued his life-long meditation on the effects of light and atmosphere. But the weeping willow carried connotations of sorrow, and this series has been seen as a lamentation on the state of the world. As he began the Weeping Willows, the First World War had reached its final, climactic year. Monets younger son Michel and stepson Jean-Pierre Hoschede had been sent to the front early in the conflict, and although the artist was too old to fight himself, he felt a deep need to contribute to the war effort. Like Matisse, who had tried to enlist but had been rejected due to his age, Monet took refuge in his work. It is the best way not to think too much about the sadness of the present, Monet wrote in December 1914. Although, he added, I should be a bit ashamed to think about little investigations into forms and colours while so many people suffer and die for us. Monet waged his own battle in his studio, seeking to create art that affirmed both natures immutable beauty and human endurance in the face of violence.

What an agonising life we all are living, Monet wrote to his dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in June 1918. I continue... to work, although at times, I long to give it all up
The former chief executive of Chase Power Development was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for embezzling money from his company.

John David Upchurch, 54, of Spring, was accused of submitting false invoices for fake projects to pay for personal expenses including personal travel, hotels, country club memberships, personal car restoration, fishing equipment and a hunting trip. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in January.

Upchurch was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake, who allowed Upchurch to remain free on bond until he is assigned to a federal prison. Upchurch already paid $1.5 million in restitution.

"John is a good man who made a terrible choice," said Houston lawyer Shaun Clarke, who is representing Upchurch. "John forthrightly accepted responsibility for his crime and he now will forthrightly accept the consequences in that same spirit."

Houston-based Quintana Capital Group created Chase Power to launch a power plant in Corpus Christi. Upchurch was hired as CEO in 2008. For four years beginning in 2008, Upchurch embezzled company funds, according to U.S. attorney's office in Houston which prosecuted the case.

Upchurch took company checks to merchants and used his company credit card for his personal expenses, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

RELATED: 2 energy execs plead guilty in embezzlement case

Kathleen Smith, former president of Chase Power Development, entered a guilty plea of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in January after she was also accused of using company funds for personal use. Smith was sentenced in April to two years of probation by Lake, according to court records.

David Gerger, the Houston lawyer who represents Smith, declined comment. In January he said, "She's a good person who has done everything she can to make this situation right."
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New data shows Houston alcohol sales plummeted without thirsty tourists in town for the Super Bowl.

The Texas Comptroller recently released data on alcohol sales for the month of March, showing a steep drop off in revenue for many bars and hotels when compared to February.

In other words, it's back to business as usual for many booze sellers.

FANFARE: Here's who sold the most alcohol in Houston during Super Bowl month

The most notable example is the Underdogs Pub on Washington Ave, a small bar that made headlines for tripling its annual revenue during the Super Bowl and raking in $742,274 in alcohol sales.

In March, Underdogs Pub made $30,624 in sales or $711,650 less when compared to February.

Luckily, March's alcohol sales serve as a more accurate example of where typical Houstonians patronize.

IN DECLINE: Houston companies that dropped the most in the Fortune 500

Just because the Super Bowl is gone doesn't mean Houstonians didn't have a reason to drink. Spring Break, March Madness and the Houston Rodeo gave Bayou City residents more than enough excuses to imbibe.

Click through above to see who sold the most alcohol in Houston during the month of March.
John L. Mone

SAN ANTONIO -- Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, held an interim hearing on base encroachment this week in San Antonio and it's only the first of multiple stops around the state, a prelude to a push to get lawmakers on board with a statewide strategy on base realignment and closure.

Five rounds of base realignment and closure, or BRAC, has closed military installations in Texas from Beeville to Lubbock and every place in between. The Trump administration's announcement of a sixth round of BRAC for 2021 has San Antonio officials concerned.
Surfers flocked to Galveston Island Wednesday to catch some tall waves as Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall at the Texas-Louisiana border.

While lifeguard towers were pushed against the seawall and away from the tide, surfing enthusiasts ran into the Gulf's rough waters. It's tradition, albeit risky, for surfers to take advantage of the high swells produced by tropical storms.
Tali Arbel/Associated Press

Comcast on Friday said it had more than doubled the speed of one of its lower-tier offerings for existing Houston customers.

Its Xfinity Performance 25, rebranded Performance Plus, now has download speeds of up to 55 Mbps. The full monthly price for the tier will remain the same, about $60-$65, Comcast said in an announcement. Most customers will have to reset their modems to receive the faster speeds, the company said.
Northeast Houston is getting a master planned business park of more than 270 acres close to Generation Park at Highway 59 and Beltway 8.

The project will be ideal for manufacturers and energy-related service companies looking for space, said Robert LaCoure, principal at Lee & Associates-Houston in a statement. Lee & Associates is representing the park's private developer.
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The new 2929 Weslayan high-rise south of River Oaks and The Rice, a redevelopment of downtown's Rice Hotel, earned top honors at the Houston Apartment Association Honors Awards.

The two Cornerstone Award winners were among 19 properties to be recognized by the Houston Apartment Association, which divided properties by age, size and type. The winners were selected from 117 communities that applied for the awards, which were determined by committees from HAA after visiting the sites. The winners scored high on factors such as service, operations, design and impact on the community.

The Rice, which opened as the Rice Hotel in 1913, recently underwent a major renovation after being converted to apartments in 1998. It sits on the former site of the Capitol of the Republic of Texas on Texas Avenue at Main Street and is managed by Greystar.

"Old meets new throughout this beautiful historic landmark," the judges commented, noting that the property commands rents of $2.60 per square foot.

"They're able to lease units without giving specials in a market that's giving specials right now," said Tina DeFiore, a staff member with the Houston Apartment Association who coordinated the awards.

Standout amenities at 2929 Weslayan, a 254-unit high-rise managed by PM Realty Group, include elevator access directly into selected apartment units, full-time valet and concierge services, and a full-time pool attendant. Roka Akor, a Japanese sushi and steakhouse, recently opened on the first floor of the 40-story tower.

Among recently built properties that made the list are Cottages at South Acres, Lafayette Plaza for seniors, and Hanover Southampton in Rice Village.

Many of the complexes feature amenities such as movie rooms, resort-style pools, outdoor kitchens, fitness studios, sand volleyball, children's playgrounds and on-site doggy stations.

Older apartments with modern amenities made a strong showing in the judges selections. Many of the nominations were for communities with fewer than 100 units or between 100 and 150 units.

"Most of our nominations this year were in smaller properties," DeFiore said.

"There are a lot of independent owners going in and buying multifamily properties and doing the renovations and bringing them up to code and then leasing them, probably at higher rate and to a different clientele."
Legal professionals from China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have jointly released a guidebook on investment-related laws to help prevent and solve rising commercial disputes, a senior official of the All China Lawyers Association said.

Leading law firms in Belt and Road countries will work together to compile a practical guide of investment-related laws to reduce legal risks while enterprises make investments, Jiang Junlu, deputy director of the association's international business committee, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

"A proper legal system and sound legal services are essential to ensure the smooth progress of Belt and Road projects, such as transnational investment and building strategic maritime channels," he said.

In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, together known as he Belt and Road Initiative. The initiative aims to promote free trade, infrastructure construction and people-to-people exchanges among different continents.

Jiang said the guide would have two volumes, which cover the laws involving several fields ranging from investment, trade, labor, environmental conservation, intellectual property and dispute resolutions.

"Such a guidebook will enable Chinese officials, businessmen and experts to fully understand the legal system and laws of the Belt and Road countries and provide legal support for Chinese enterprises while they expand their business in Belt and Road countries," Jiang said.

He said the first guidebook of investment-related laws, which covers 43 countries such as Myanmar, the Philippines and Russia, was published early this month and the second one involving more countries will be published at the end of this year.

The Ministry of Justice has allocated about 1.1 million yuan ($165,100) for compiling the guidebooks.

Apart from the guidebook, the association also will set up representative offices in some Belt and Road countries, according to Jiang.

Moreover, the association plans to organize a regular annual forum to discuss legal concerns related with the Belt and Road projects, including infrastructure construction, international trade and shipping finance, he said.

He Yong, general secretary of the association, said in an earlier interview the association had established a database of 86 Chinese lawyers and 121 foreign lawyers from key Belt and Road law firms who would use the platform to "understand the laws and practices, share information and experiences to better serve the initiative".
Armed with a recently awarded $500,000 federal grant, St. Vincent Healthcare will begin using licensed clinical social workers to augment its primary care services.

It's part of an initiative that seeks to integrate behavioral care with the hospital's primary care. Patients who seek out their primary care doctor and show signs of depression, anxiety, substance abuse or other issues will now have a licensed clinical social worker on site with whom they can immediately meet.

The licensed clinical social workers operate as behavioral health specialists and, once the patient is handed off to them by the physician, will screen the patient to decide if they'll be better served by their doctor or with St. Vincent's specialty clinic for behavioral health.

With the grant money, St. Vincent will hire five licensed clinical social workers for the integration program and train five nurses who will work alongside them. They'll work out of St. Vincent's internal medicine clinic downtown and its clinics on Broadwater and in Hardin.

"It's huge," said Michael Butz, clinical psychologist at St. Vincent. "We're ecstatic."

The goal is to ensure the hospital is providing the right intervention at the right place and at the right time.

Butz said that on average higher-need patients are identified about 20 percent of the time by their primary care physician. With a behavioral health specialist on hand who can do more in-depth screening, those patients now will be identified sooner and get the help they need quicker, he said.

The integrated care initiative won't change emergency room care. When a patient arrives to the emergency room showing signs of mental health distress or substance abuse, Butz and others from his department are called in directly to treat the patient.

The grant is part of the federal Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention  Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Project, funding through the U.S. Health Resource & Services Administration.

Staff at the hospital is excited.

"It has the potential for significant change," said Dennis Sulser, CEO of the St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation, which applied for the grant.

The foundation applied early last year, and the grant application got high marks, but they were ultimately turned down by the Health Resource & Services Administration. And then earlier this year the hospital got a call.

The Health Resource & Services Administration was moving into round two of awarding the grants and they wanted to know if St. Vincent still planned to implement the integrated care model they'd described in the grant application.

The answer was a resounding yes, Butz said.

The Health Resource & Services Administration announced officially this week that it had awarded the grant to St. Vincent.
The Zodiac Killer has never been identified, but he terrified Americans in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The serial killer left a string of victims across Northern California, then sent taunting letters to the local newspapers that contained confessions and cryptograms.

In the years since, the Zodiac Killer has inspired numerous television shows, movies and even songs. He's also the inspiration for Meg Gardiner's latest novel, "Unsub," which incorporates thriller conventions, true-crime elements and literary allusions to produce a suspenseful page-turner. Gardiner will be in Houston this week to discuss "Unsub" at Murder By The Book.

Q: Tell us about "Unsub."

A: It's a psychological thriller about a young cop, Caitlin Hendrix, who hunts an infamous serial killer known as "the Prophet." The Prophet was active in the 1990s, apparently inspired by the Zodiac Killer, and has returned recently. Hendrix gets drawn into this, and it's difficult for her because her father was the lead detective on the original case. He couldn't solve it, and it destroyed him emotionally and tore his family apart. He discourages Caitlin from getting drawn into it, but she cannot resist.

More Information 'Unsub' By Meg Gardiner Dutton, 384 pp., $26 Author appearance

Meg Gardiner will discuss and sign "Unsub," 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Murder By The Book, 2342 Bissonnet; 713-524-8597 or murderbooks.com. See More Collapse

It's a riveting psychological thriller, and I want people to come away feeling chilled and exhilarated and learn something about the way these cases drill their way into the minds and hearts of not just the cops and victims, but the entire public. I'm from California. I grew up there, and I remember this terrifying case that never quite went away.

Q: As you mention, the book is in some ways inspired by the Zodiac, who captured the public's attention for the past five decades. Why do you think he has proved so durably fascinating?

A: The Zodiac is the ultimate "unsub," or unknown subject," which is where the title of the book comes from. He contacted newspapers, the police, radio shows; he put himself out there as an almost terrifying celebrity. I first learned about him as a child by seeing a rendering in the newspaper of a man with a gun wearing what looked like a black executioner's hood with the zodiac symbol drawn on the front. For me and others, it became a mystery that turned into a myth.

Q: I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but is it fair to say that the book was also inspired by other works of literature?

A: The story dives into the religious and literary, the way that poetry, puzzles and psychology all resonate, even across centuries and millennia. I don't want to give away too much, but the killer's driven to carry out a distorted view of justice. Why does the great literature or poetry alluded to in the book continue to resonate? Because great literature always does. It understands the human heart, our deepest fears, longings, hatreds and loves.

Q: Were you tempted to call the book "The Prophet"?

A: Ah, coming up with a title. You haven't seen the walls of my office! I wanted the book to remain mysterious and not sound overtly religious. This book is about the unsub and also the cop who is hunting the unsub.

Q: You mention religion and religious themes  or, if you prefer, themes of good and evil  occur throughout the novel. Do you incorporate symbols to reinforce the novel's themes as you go along, or do you add them later?

A: One of my former writing teachers, Ron Hansen, says "writing a novel is a ramshackle process." You can't do it all at once. But an outline can guide the author, and once you start down a road, new ideas come to help you enrich it. When you are writing a psychological thriller, you want the novel to work on many levels, and I think imagery and symbols can add to the overall effect.

Q: The symbol for Mercury appears on the cover of the novel. Tell us about Mercury.

A: It's thousands of years old, and I think it looks pretty scary. But it is rich with mythological and astrological meanings. Caitlyn tries to learn the meaning of this symbol. Does it signify the devil? Does it suggest the Prophet is the messenger of the gods? Or is it something else entirely?

Q: After writing a novel every year or so, it's been three years since your last one. What explains the gap?

A: I lived in England for many years, and my husband's job was transferred to the United States. We moved to Austin, which was a big change in my life, and I was also ready to make a change in what I was writing. So I took the time to develop this new series about a cop hunting a killer of the sort who had haunted my dreams since I was a child.

Q: You say "series." Is there more to come from Caitlin Hendrix?

A: Yes, I am working on the sequel to "Unsub." I love series, and I love standalones. You bring something different to each, but writing about a cop who is hunting these killers lends itself to a series.

Q: "Unsub" is set in California, where you grew up. Any plans for a Texas setting in one of your novels?

A: You bet. In fact, I am working on the "Unsub" sequel now, and I just edited a scene where the protagonist can look out the window and see the (University of Texas) Tower.

Q: With the enduring mystery surrounding the Zodiac and a series of novels in the works, it sounds like it could make for a good television drama.

A: Yes, "Unsub" was bought by CBS for development as a television series. I'm a novelist, but it's a cherry on a sundae if the novel finds its way onto television. Either way, I'm very excited about this novel and the prospects for more to come.

Mike Yawn is the director of the Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics at Sam Houston State University.
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Houston isn't at a loss for fine, contemporary steakhouses. Nor for upscale sushi dens. But both those concepts under one gleaming roof? Now that's unique. That's Roka Akor.

The Japanese sushi and steakhouse concept opens June 26 at snazzy new digs on the ground floor of the 2929 Wesleyan Apartments tower. Flooded with natural light and warm woods, Sushi Akor looks the money, and is sure to draw the same clientele that has made Steak 48 at River Oaks District such a hit.

Roka Akor is an upscale brand within the portfolio of JNK Concepts based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Houston's branch is the fifth store behind rockin' Rokas in Scottsdale, Chicago, Skokie, Ill., and San Francisco.

The 200-seat restaurant boasts several distinct areas including the Roka Bar, a sushi bar, robata grill, and a private dining room decorated with giant jars of flavor-infused shochu, a Japanese distilled spirit.

Houston's Roka Akor has the largest steak program of any of its sister restaurants  appropriate for a meat-eating metropolis, said corporate executive chef Ce Bian. Three types of Japanese wagyu (from the Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Shiga prefectures), as well as Japanese kobe, and wagyu steaks from the esteemed Snake River Farm in Idaho. The steaks are grilled over several types of charcoal, which Bian said adds to the flavor. Some of the steaks sport flavor-packed Asian glazes.

The entrees also include seafood (salmon teriyaki, jumbo tiger prawns with yuzu chili, miso-marinated black cod, and grilled Alaskan king crab with chili lime butter), and other proteins such as Korean-spiced lamb chops, teriyaki chicken, and glazed pork ribs.

Sashimi and nigiri sushi are represented in full seafood splendor: fatty tuna, blue fin tuna, big eye tuna, sea urchin, red snapper, striped jack, amberjack, fluke, yellowtail, scallop, salmon and freshwater eel.

The appetizers  divided into cold plates and hot dishes  are so arresting, they're like putting the fireworks first. Bien said Roka Akor lavishes attention to the plating of its high-end morsels: "Our dishes are very special and there's a lot of labor involved." You can see that immediately in the composition of toro tartare, a disk of cubed fatty tuna festooned with flowers, crispy leaves of fried taro, and a dollop of ossetra caviar sitting atop a gold moon of quail egg. Pink folds of tuna tataki wear an Easter bonnet of flower petals and lotus root chips. Delicate rolls of thin, seared beef tataki are glossed with truffle jus and capped with black truffle shavings. From the hot side: crispy squid with serrano peppers; robata grilled diver sea scallops with yuzu pucker; robata grilled pork belly cut with picked radish and tarragon miso; and lobster and shrimp dumplings.

The cocktail menu features Roka signature drinks such as Gosotochiri (vodka, sake, elderflower liqueur, serrano chile and ccucumber); Roka Fashion (blended Japanese whiksy, biters, orange and lemon oils, and Okinawa black sugar); and Saketini (gin, sake, cucumber, and honey syrup). But there's also special Houston cocktails such as Dreams in Green (vodka, sake, lemon juice, Thai basil and lemongrass-infused safflower oil and foamy aquafaba); the Backroom Deal (anejo tequila, Italian sweet vermouth, brandy liqueur, toasted tobacco leaf and vanilla bitters); and Paper Tiger (gin, yuzu, lemon, and matcha syrup). And don't forget the shochu program, a wealth of Japanese whisky, and an ample wine list.

Roka Akor, 2929 Wesleyan, 713-622-1777; rokaakor.com/houston. Open for lunch Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner daily from 5 to 11 p.m. Roka Bar offers happy hour daily from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
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Make-A-Wish foundation partnered with Five Star Painting and a team from IKEA Houston to create a dream bedroom for Dorian Moreno.

Dorian is a 12-year-old girl who suffers from acute lymphocytic leukemia, which occurs when an error develops in a bone marrow cell's DNA.

Dorian also is legally blind.

Brenda Oden, granter for the Make-A-Wish grant that funded this project, said they chose Dorian from a list of many children who have a "wish journey."

Dorian's wish was pushed an entire year after she was facing an increase in health issues resulting in more hospital stays in April 2016.

"We are so excited for her, she finally has a space that accommodates all her needs, from being able to store all her medical equipment to having a calm space for Dorian to relax," Oden said.

Out of the many projects the Make-a-Wish foundation completes, Oden said the bedroom makeovers are the most time consuming.

It involves contacting donors, painting, putting in flooring and purchasing new furniture, all leading to the final decor and "dress" of the room, which Oden said make the entire process most rewarding.

"Your heart grows by leaps and bounds and doing something to help another human being puts life into perspective and reminds you that there is always hope," Oden said.

Stuart Averett, owner of Five Star Painting, said this story hits close to home as he is a leukemia survivor.

Averett said participating in Make-A-Wish project and learning about the work they do with children made him feel as though he had a connection built with kids over their mutual diagnoses.

Five Star Painting has a history of working on homes and offices in the Humble and Summerwood area, which Averett said made it convenient to step up and volunteer his services.

"Our customers live, work, and own businesses in the area where we make our living." Averett said. "It is important to me to support the community where we do business."

The local Sherwin Williams store donated the paint that was used on this project.

IKEA was contacted and Kae Bruney, local marketing specialist for IKEA, said they worked to make sure their role also met the needs and wants of Dorian.

"We worked closely with Brenda to understand Dorian's needs and determine the products that would best serve them," Bruney said. "We wanted to create a room that was both functional and fun."
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A popular fitness blogger and Instagram model in France died after a pressurized canister used for dispensing whipped cream exploded, hitting her in the chest.

Rebecca Burger's death from the June 17 incident was announced on social media Wednesday by her family, who warned of the potential risks of defective whip cream dispensers.

The post published on Burger's Instagram page to her more than 150,000 followers read:

---

... an example of the cartridge/siphon from Chantilly that exploded and struck Rebecca's chest, killing her. Take note: the cartridge that caused her death was sealed. Do not use this type of device in your home! Tens of thousands of these appliances are still in circulation.

---

Authorities in Eastern France told the French newspaper 20 Minutes, that the victim suffered cardiac arrest in her home in Galfingue on Saturday and firefighters were able to revive her heartbeat. But Burger was unconscious when she arrived to the hospital and died the following day.

Whipped cream dispensers use nitrous oxide canisters, which, when pierced by a pin, release the gas and pressurize the cream container.

According to the consumer magazine, 60 Millions, two people were gravely injured in 2014 by whipped cream canister dispensers in France.

A 2014 news release by the French economy ministry advised people to be cautious when using cream dispensers: "Since 2010, several models of kitchen syphons, also called cream syphons, have turned out to be dangerous and led to home accidents."

Ard'Time, the company of the whip cream dispenser Burger reportedly used has been recalled because of reports that the plastic head could explode and fly off, according to their website.

In addition to posting fitness pictures on Instagram, Burger ran the lifestyle blog Rebecca Likes where she would document her travels and outfits. She uploaded her first YouTube video on June 10 showing her on a trip in Bali.

In an Instagram post, Women's Best, an online health store which Burger promoted online, paid tribute to the blogger:

We are sorry to announce the sad news of losing this beautiful soul. Our french athlete Rebecca Burger (@RebeccaBlikes) passed away. Rebecca was not only a great fitness figure but a generous and kind person to work with. Please pray for her soul to rest in peace and for her family to stay strong. We will always be proud of you Rebecca  A post shared by WOMEN'S BEST (@womensbest) on Jun 19, 2017 at 11:48am PDT

We are sorry to announce the sad news of losing this beautiful soul. Our french athlete Rebecca Burger (@RebeccaBlikes) passed away. Rebecca was not only a great fitness figure but a generous and kind person to work with. Please pray for her soul to rest in peace and for her family to stay strong. We will always be proud of you Rebecca

---

The BBC reported that in 2013, one victim of an exploding cream dispenser told RTL radio: "I had six broken ribs, and my sternum was broken. At the hospital, I was told that if the shock and blast had been facing the heart, I would be dead now."

In 2014, a consumer watchdog group in France issued a warning about dispensers with "defective parts . . .. When a user screws a new gas cartridge into the head of one of the defective canisters the resulting pressure causes the spray nozzle to break free and fire off like a rubber bullet," it reported, according to The Local.

Officials have opened an investigation into Burger's death.
After months of intense debates about Houston Independent School District budget proposals that centered on teacher raises and making funding more equitable across schools, the Board of Education approved a $2 billion budget on a split vote for the 2017-2018 school year.

Thursday night's meeting stretched to about 1 a.m. Friday.

The nations seventh largest school district will face an estimated $106.8 million budget deficit during the coming school year, leading officials to take money from the districts rainy day fund to help pay for its day-to-day operations.

The districts total property taxes will stay the same  about $1.21 per $100 of taxable property value  but it will increase the amount it collects for its maintenance and operations taxes and decrease the amount it collects in interest taxes.

The adopted budget includes salary increase for teachers based on years of experience. Teachers with five or fewer years of experience will receive a 2 percent salary increase and those with 16 or more years of experience will receive a 4 percent increase.

A budget amendment that would have given all teachers and support staff 5 percent raises across the board failed on a 6-3 vote as some trustees worried how the district would fund salary increases.

Zeph Capo, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers union, said that the increases are a step in the right direction but will not be enough to make Houston ISD more competitive with its neighboring districts.

I hope that its enough to keep every one of the teachers I know who have been offered jobs in other districts to stay here another year until we can fix this, Capo said. This is a Band-Aid, but we need a long-term fix.

Only Trustee Anna Eastman voted against the budget but left the meeting before a reporter could ask about her vote.

Its the first budget to be brought forward by Superintendent Richard Carranza, who came to the district in September.

While many hailed Carranza at his hiring as someone who would be a change-maker, the budget proposed few changes some had expected to see, including changes to magnet funding and how schools in the district are funded.

Carranza said he held off on some of those changes  particularly changes to how magnet programs are funded  so he could gather input on potential shake-ups. He said he would present the board with a proposal about magnet schools by January 2018.

This is not a matter of not exhibiting leadership, Carranza said. Were talking about monumental shifts with magnet programs and other concerns. Were starting that work, but that doesnt come to fruition in just one budget season.

The approved budget will see the district dip below the amount of money it's required to keep in its general fund balance, essentially a rainy day fund districts are mandated to maintain, due to its budget shortfall.

The district will have about $308 million on hand for emergencies at the end of the 2016-2017 fiscal year, but that number could drop to about $246 million by the end of next year. Thats about $29 million less than its supposed to keep on hand. Some of those reserve funds will be spent to give district staff raises.

District budget officials increased the amount dedicated to salary increases from $26 million presented at a June 15 workshop to about $48 million Thursday after board members groused over how little salary increases for teachers and support staff would be.

District officials also cut funding for Carranzas Achieve 180 campus turnaround plan by more than $8 million to help pay for raises.

Board President Wanda Adams also proposed an amendment that would cut $200,000 from a fine arts initiative to give elementary school principals a small raise, which was approved.

Also new Thursday was an additional $2.2 million for the districts special education department that was included after trustees Anne Sung and Jolanda Jones raised questions last week about a lack of funding increases for a department that has faced scrutiny for failing to provide adequate services and testing to special education students.

The $2.2 million includes funding for testing materials, nursing support, three parent liaisons, an autism program at three high schools and a senior program manager for the department.

Budget officials with the district said this has been the most difficult budget to create in recent memory due largely to a lack of funding increases from the state, recapture and uncertainty stemming from the Texas Legislatures scheduled special session.

Glenn Reed, the districts general manager of budgeting and financial planning, said his office did not finish finalizing the budget proposal until 10 minutes before Thursdays meeting.

This is the first year Houston ISD has been ordered to pay recapture fees by the state, giving the state millions to help buoy districts that collect little in property taxes. It could cost the district between $77.5 million and $137 million, although the districts proposed budget assumes HISD will have to pay the larger amount.

We have a lot of challenges on our revenue streams, not because Houstons not growing, but because of a lack of action by our Legislature, Reed said.

Because of anticipated deficits, Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones proposed having schools give any extra money they have at the end of the school year back to the central.

Houston ISD is different from many districts in how it funds its schools, giving principals large pots of money and allowing those school leaders to decide how to spend those funds.

If a school had money left over prior to Skillern-Jones amendment, the school could keep 75 percent and only have to give back 25 percent to the district.

Under the amendment, which was approved on a 5-4 vote, schools now must give 100 percent of those extra funds back to the district after the 2017-2018 school year.

Trustee Anna Eastman did not support the amendment and said when the district previously forced schools to give all of their extra money to the district, school leaders would go on spending sprees to ensure theyd keep their same level of funding for the coming school year.

If schools didnt spend money on their needs, that money doesnt need to be returned to those schools, Skillern-Jones said. We need that money because of the budget deficit.

Trustee Mike Lunceford also proposed an amendment to ask the states Legislative Budget Board to conduct a performance review of the district and to take a closer look at how its spending money. The board voted 8-1 in favor of asking for the performance review.
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The Brewster County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in finding a missing 15-year-old girl who is said to be in grave or immediate danger.

Stormie Clemmer is described as a white female with green eyes, standing 5 feet 7 inches and weighing 100 pounds. Clemmer was last seen wearing a black shirt, blue jean shorts and hiking shoes.
A grand jury on Thursday indicted a former Houston Police Department officer for his actions earlier this year when he caught and shot a man who allegedly burglarized the officers home, District Attorney Kim Ogg announced, adding that her six-month-old administration is focused on police accountability.

Bruce Johnson faces a misdemeanor assault charge and a felony charge of tampering with evidence.

HPD Chief Art Acevedo expressed disappointment in the then-officers actions but touted the role of a new investigative unit in gathering the evidence that led to Johnsons prosecution, promising transparency and accountability.

At an afternoon news conference, Ogg said the charges represent a new commitment to police accountability.

Johnson was off-duty but wearing his uniform on Feb. 16 when he confronted Derek Carr, who allegedly had robbed Johnsons family home in northwest Houstons Acres Homes neighborhood

CASE FROM THE PAST: Grand jury clears Joe Horn

Prosecutors in the case said Carr, who is in the Harris County Jail and has been charged with burglary, was carrying Johnson family belongings as well as a 16-inch metal tool. Carr, 42, is held in the Harris County Jail and faces a burglary charge  the 11th time he has been charged with burglary since 1992, according to court records.

The two got into a physical altercation. Johnson shot Carr once in the arm and once in the back, Ogg said.

A bystanders video recorded Johnson after the shooting as he kicked the wounded Carr about 10 times, prosecutor Jamie Reyna said.

Photo evidence also showed that Johnson moved the metal tool, which Ogg said was a clear effort to tamper with the scene.

He moved a critical piece of evidence, Ogg said. It wasnt a mistake. Theres not a question (about the) intent.

A Harris County grand jury on Thursday returned a felony charge of tampering with evidence and a misdemeanor assault charge for the kicking. Ogg said the grand jury declined to indict Johnson on an aggravated assault charge for the shooting.

The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in state prison, but Ogg said Johnson likely would avoid time behind bars because his clean criminal record makes him eligible for probation.

Ogg said Thursdays charges represent her administrations commitment to holding law enforcement officers accountable.

Our law applies to every person in Harris County, and our law will be equally applied to all people, including police officers, Ogg said, adding that her office will seek faster turnaround on such civil-rights investigations.

Thursdays charges come just two weeks after a grand jury indicted a Harris County sheriffs deputy and her husband on murder charges in the death of John Hernandez, who died by strangulation after a fight with the deputys husband.

READ MORE: Harris Co. sheriff's deputy, husband charged in Denny's choking death

In a statement, Acevedo said the department was "extremely disappointed in the actions of this former employee," who retired in March after 23 years with the department. Acevedo pointed to the role of the Special Investigations Unit he created to examine "critical cases."

"While the circumstances in this case on the day of occurrence suggested no wrongdoing, a proper impartial investigation by HPD SIU lead to the discovery of facts and evidence resulting in the indictment of this former employee," Acevedo said. "The Houston Police Department remains committed to transparency and accountability."

Court records did not list an attorney for Johnson. The Houston Police Officers' Union does not comment on cases of former employees who are no longer officers.


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A 19-year-old girl from Fort Worth who tragically died Monday after being thrown from a horse is being remembered by friends and family online.

According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office, Jocelyne Campos sustained multiple blunt force injuries from the fall, which caused her death, which was deemed an accident.

Karely Vazquez, a close friend of Campos, told mySA.com that the horse Campos was riding panicked and darted off. Friends attempted to catch up to her but were unable to make it in time.

READ ALSO: 'Careless' foreman crushes woman, 19, with backhoe at Bexar County construction site

"They didn't see how it happened, but the guess is the horse stood on his hind legs and threw her off," Vazquez said.

The Star Telegram reported that the accident took place in south Fort Worth near Echo Lake on Sunday night.

Campos died from her injuries the following morning.

Vazquez said that Campos was the life of the party.

"She was so happy. Her smile was contagious and she was always making people laugh," Vazquez said.

READ ALSO: Online tributes remember the 'sweet soul' of New Braunfels teen who was killed Saturday in shooting

Friends and family have taken to social media to express their love and admiration of Campos, who was described as being a genuine angel, an amazing friend and shining star.

A fundraiser has been created in her honor to help pay for funeral expenses. As of Thursday morning the page had raised $6,330 of the initial $5,000 goal.

jthorpe@express-news.net

@jerilynnthorpe
Patrons who flowed through a local restaurant on a recent evening did so supporting area veterans through a local Boy Scout's initiative.

David Randall, a Boy Scout in Tomball's Troop 113, engendered the idea for his Eagle Scout Project.

A senior at Tomball Memorial High School, Randall, 17, said the fundraiser will offset costs for a $3,000 monument he and his father designed and built for Tomball's VFW Post 2427 to honor United States Navy veterans.

The project holds particular significance to Randall as someone with veterans in his family - his aunt and two uncles formerly served - and his own hopes to join the Marines in the future.

"These men have been willing to give everything for their country, it's the least I can do to give back to them," he said of the project.

Randall's initiative focused on veterans because of his family connections and longtime interest in the military. He said enlisting had always been something he was interested in.

Chick-fil-a Tomball said it will donate 20 percent of proceeds from the three-hour event to the project.

Randall, who describes himself as fun-loving but serious when he needs to be, said it'll feel like a pressure's been lifted when he completes his Eagle Scout project - which aims to display scouts' dedication and work ethic, he said.

"It'll feel good to be at the top of the mountain if you will," he said.

A Boy Scout since first grade, has his own plans to join the service as a Marine and is hoping to earn a Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship to Texas A&M University next school year.

"It shows you've been willing to put the time and effort in to make it," Randall said.

He said the monument could be raised as early as July.

For Post 2427, the monument comes as its memorials - a tank and plane included - require refurbishing.

As VFW's across the country struggle with funding and refilling their rolls with younger membership, Michael Donald, who runs the VFW's communications arm, said projects like Randall's are not only helpful, but help draw attention to an organization in need of it.

"We want people to notice and come by and see what we have to offer," said Donald, a former Buffalo Soldier.

"Nobody knows (the VFW) is there but the post is history. The monuments aren't just there to catch your eye, we're trying to help people appreciate military history."
Jose Yau

A nurse liaison for the Pack Unit prison northwest of Houston testified in federal court Friday that she cannot ask for reassignments if inmates are at risk for heat-related illness.

Six inmates have asked a judge to intervene immediately to protect them from indoor heat that tops 100 degrees in living areas that are not air conditioned. Several inmates testified that the heat keeps them from sleeping at night. They often wet their clothes to stay cool. The warden testified over two days, explaining he had implemented cold showers and made multiple air-conditioned respite areas available during heat waves.
Multiple people fled a Ford Mustang on Thursday night after it became ensnared in a wire fence on a South Side lawn, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

There were six occupants in total, including two minors, said Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Kesckes.

When the car crashed, multiple people were not wearing seatbelts and three were taken to an area hospital with injuries that did not initially appear life-threatening, according to Kesckes. Both minors were "turned over to their custody," Kesckes said.

The vehicle is suspected to have been involved in a hit-and-run crash at an area casino before hitting a fence and some lawn ornaments at a residence on the 1000 block of South Frontage Road at about 8:30 p.m., he said.

Kesckes said the hit-and-run incident is being investigated by the Billings Police Department.

The Mustang's driver, an adult male, was one of three that left the scene of the crash. He was later arrested and taken to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Speed also may have been a factor in the crash. The driver had been traveling eastbound on South Frontage Road and it appears he was attempting to turn a corner when he hit the wire fence, Kesckes said.

Kesckes described the fence as similar to a sheep fence and primarily made up of 6 inch squares of metal.
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The New York Times is reporting that the CIA director spoke with a Syrian regime official in February about Austin Tice, a former Marine officer from Houston who became a journalist and went missing in 2012 while reporting on the civil war in Syria.

Tice's family has held out hope for nearly five years. He was abducted Aug. 14, 2012. He appeared in a video a month later but has not been heard from since. A Syrian official previously told the Associated Press the government has no knowledge of Tice's whereabouts.

His family lives in Houston's Westbury neighborhood. His parents have kept up a campaign of lobbying and letter writing to push the U.S. government to secure their son's release.

TWO YEARS IN: Austin Tice's family tries to celebrate his birthday without him, two years since his disappearance

In December, Texas' senior U.S. senator said officials are confident Tice is still alive, the Chronicle reported:

The president's special envoy for hostage affairs said the government has "high confidence" that Houston native Austin Tice remains alive, still held in Syria along with other American captives, Cornyn announced in a speech on the Senate floor.

His parents, who have not responded to a request for comment, said in December they were preparing for their fifth holiday season without Austin:

"We'll still have joyous family gatherings," Marc Tice said, "but there'll be that empty space that Austin is usually filling with his outsize personality."

'NOT JUST BLIND OPTIMISM': U.S. officials say there is reason to hope Austin Tice is still alive

Friday's news came out Friday in a story by Adam Goldman, a national security reporter for the Times:
As Thursday began, Houston area residents were bracing themselves for Tropical Storm Cindy's landfall, while in rainy Galveston others were shrugging off the storm's impact and enjoying night surfing along the beach and swimming in hotel pools.

Earlier, some planes were delayed at Bush Intercontinental Airport due to high winds and a few power outages were reported.

The tropical storm, the first system of hurricane season that may affect the Houston area, is expected to barrel in early Thursday morning bringing winds as high as 50 mph, heavy rains and flooding to portions of southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast.

By late Wednesday, it was moving northwest, causing forecasters to predict rainfall as the main threat to the Houston area.

"This is a good test run," Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said late Wednesday. "Hopefully everybody now pays attention that we are in hurricane season."

The storm is expected to make landfall Thursday morning between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. Some coastal areas along southeast Texas were already seeing an impact, with Galveston experiencing gusts of wind exceeding 40 miles per hour. Tree limbs were down in some coastal areas and isolated power outages had affected the region.

Power outages knocked out service to about 800 homes and businesses about 7:45 p.m. in Galveston, though service was quickly restored.

Minor coastal flooding could impact the Bolivar Peninsula and portions of Galveston Island, the weather service reported. Wind speeds could cause some residents to face some isolated power outages.

Even after the tropical system passes through Houston, the weekend is expected to be a rainy one with slightly cooler temperatures in the upper 80s.

Tropical Storm Cindy formed earlier this week near the Yucatan Peninsula and was expected to move inland near the Texas-Louisana line, shifting the worst of the heavy rains and flooding away from Houston and into southern Louisiana and Mississippi.

Alabama and portions of Florida were also expected to get heavy rains and some flooding, with a tropical storm warning posted from San Luis Pass at the southern end of Galveston Island to the Florida Panhandle.

Rainfall of 1-3 inches was expected in Harris County, with the heaviest rains early Thursday morning. Tropical storm warnings were also in effect for Chambers, Galveston and Liberty counties.

The storm has already turned deadly, killing a 10-year-old boy in Fort Morgan, Alabama, on Wednesday when a large log struck him due to the storm surge. Across the country, the tropical system also affected those in the Florida Panhandle, damaging homes and vehicles. Trees fell on houses and also hit cars, according to local officials.

Flooding caused some roads to carry knee deep water reported in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Tornadoes also reportedly touched down near Biloxi, Mississippi.

Offshore, operators reported pulling workers from 40 oil and gas production platforms, or about 5 percent of the more than 700 manned platforms in the Gulf, and one drilling rig, according to the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. BP evacuated non-essential personnel from its Mad Dog and Atlantis platforms, but did not expect the storm to be severe enough to warrant total evacuation.

"Our top priority is the safety of all personnel and protecting the environment," BP said. "We remain prepared to respond as conditions warrant."

In Houston, emergency officials, residents and area businesses prepared in various ways for the impending storm.

"We spend pretty much the whole day picking up debris," said Mike Dishberger, past president of the Greater Houston Home Builders Association and owner of Sandcastle Homes. "Work slows down to a crawl."

In Galveston, city officials hoped the storm's impact would be minimal. A voluntary evacuation was ordered for the Bolivar Peninsula, which has been hard hit for decades by flooding from hurricanes and tropical storms.

Some residents packed to move as others braced for the storm. TxDOT crews worked to remove debris and place barricades where needed along the roadways, which already by mid-afternoon were overtaken periodically by strong waves in some areas. Power outages knocked out service to about 800 homes and businesses about 7:45 p.m. in Galveston, though service was quickly restored. Even as the storm drew nearer after nightfall, some Galvestonians were set on making the best of it with after-dark surfing.

"I can't wait to go out there, it's gonna be awesome," said Gino Weedman, 21. "I'll use the lights from the oil rigs."

He acknowledged pre-storm night-surfing could be dangerous, but cited one advantage: "You can't see death coming."

"Night adds more excitement to it," he added. But for all his enthusiasm about the prime surfing conditions, the lifelong Galveston resident remembers Ike and knows the possibility of real danger could be out at sea.

"You never know what is coming," he said. "I expect anything to hit here.

At one Galveston hotel pool, a few swimmers frolicked shortly before midnight in the rain.

At a quiet crossroads in Cheek in Jefferson County on Wednesday, several people filled sandbags in the soupy, dripping evening.

"Every time it rains, the street floods," said Sean Williams, a pipe fitter from nearby Beaumont, as he filled 20 sandbags.

Terence Simon, a Beaumont fire fighter who was filling bags for his mom, said residents shouldn't be too relaxed about Cindy.

"You can't be too careful with a tropical storm," he said. "Allison was a tropical storm that settled over Houston and dumped a ton of rain. ... I'm thinking this could be one of those."

For Houston, sustained winds are expected to range from 20 to 30 mph, but residents along Galveston Bay may see even stronger winds, with gusts up to 40 mph

Outside of Texas, the storm is expected to produce 6 to 9 inches with isolated maximum amounts up to 15 inches over southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and western portions of the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night. This rainfall could cause life-threatening flash flooding in those areas.

Forecasters predict the storm will weaken to a tropical depression by the time it reaches Arkansas early Friday and arrives in Virginia and Delaware by Saturday.

Cindy started as a disorganized system near the Yucatan Peninsula, but spent most of Tuesday building up over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

On Tuesday, it strengthened into a named tropical storm.

The heaviest rains were expected to be east of Interstate 45, said Brian Kyle, National Weather Service meteorologist.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who joined Emmett at a press conference Wednesday, urged residents not to let up on their guard.

"If you don't have to be out late ... , certainly turn around, don't drown," Turner said.

Residents took the threat seriously enough on Wednesday, stripping store shelves of bottled water and stocking up on canned goods, flashlights, batteries and other supplies. Some stores were nearly out of stock by Wednesday morning.

Emergency responders, transportation and flood control experts remained on alert late Wednesday in case the storm took a turn for Houston.

The Texas Department of Transportation identified more than 35 locations around the greater Houston area where officials expected high water to collect in case barricades were needed to stop people from driving into the high water.

On Wednesday, crews started fanning out to probable locations where they would be needed to address street flooding.

Officials along the Houston Ship Channel also took precautions, but the storm posted a larger threat to the Sabine-Neches Waterway, which includes Port Arthur, Beaumont and Orange, and the Calcasieu Ship Channel, which includes the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana.

The Coast Guard said it activated a coordination team ahead of the storm in the Sabine and Lake Charles areas, but not in Houston.

"It is just far enough to the east of us here in Houston that Coast Guard measures to close the port were not warranted," said Steve Nerheim, director of the Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Services for Houston and Galveston.

Capt. Robert Shearon, presiding officer for the Houston Pilots who guide ships in and out of the Houston Ship Channel, said they will monitor the situation closely.

"This is an early wakeup call for what we might expect this season," Shearon said.

Reporters St. John Barned-Smith, Mike Glenn, Margaret Kadifa, Keri Blakinger, Andrea Rumbaugh, Blake Paterson, Dylan Baddour, Ryan Maye Handy, David Hunn, Collin Eaton and Dug Begley contributed to this report contributed to this report.
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A Texas A&M graduate and former special forces soldier has been seen by millions after a photo of his humanitarian efforts went viral.

David Eubank works with the Free Burma Rangers, an organization that provides humanitarian aid to people in conflict zones. Eubank has spent the past nine months in Mosul, Iraq, and came back to the United States four days ago.

MORE MOSUL NEWS: UN says IS targets children to hold Mosul civilians hostage

Eubank was featured on CNN for his efforts to save the Iraqi people and has since been featured in numerous media outlets.

"That was just one of the many things that happened to us that was captured on video,"Eubank told Chron.com. "We've had many, many days that were similar to that where ISIS was killing civilians."

Story continues below...

Recently, the Islamic State blew up a 12th century al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, the Associated Press reports. The group has been fighting with Iraqi special forces in the city.

IN IRAQ: Iraqi Kurdish forces take more ground east of IS-held Mosul

"I've already been shot and have lost so many friends," Eubank said. "But I love the Iraqi people, they keep growing on me."

Eubank said Iraqis are warm, welcoming people. He said he's always wanted to be a humanitarian after leaving the military.

Eubank said he was born in Texas but grew up in Thailand with his parents, who did missionary work. He attended Texas A&M from 1979 to 1983. He then joined the military, first as an infantry officer and then as a ranger. From 1989 to 1992, he served in the special forces. After the military, Eubank attended seminary in Pasadena, California.

FORCES TO IRAQ: US sending 560 more troops to Iraq as Mosul push intensifies

People from Burma traveled to Thailand and contacted Eubank's parents, seeking humanitarian help. That's how Eubank and his wife Karen ended up in humanitarian work since 1993.

"When I was 5 years old, I remember walking out into the yard and looking up in the sky and saying, 'I'm going to be a soldier and then a missionary,'" Eubank said.

That's precisely what Eubank has done, raising his kids with his wife while they work to deliver humanitarian aid.

Click through the slideshow above to learn more about Mosul.
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A 22-year-old Dallas man is accused of pulling a butcher knife on his sister because she complained that he was spraying too much Febreze, a product used to eliminate odors.

When Demarcus Ge Nard Gillespie's sister confronted him Tuesday, the man reportedly choked and punch her. Her cousin intervened to stop the assault, but the argument allegedly continued in the living room, where Gillespie's great-grandmother said she saw him go to the kitchen and return with a 8.5-inch knife.
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AUSTIN -- A day after California banned state-funded travel to Texas, citing a new Lone Star adoption law they say is discriminatory, Texas officials on Friday mocked the decision as a cheap political stunt.

There were suggestions that Texas lawmakers might retaliate when they come into a special session starting July 18.

"California might be able to stop their state employees, but they can't stop all the businesses that are fleeing over taxation and regulation, and relocating to Texas," said Gov. Greg Abbott's press secretary, John Wittman.

READ ALSO: Texas Senate OKs bill setting new rules when clerks refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses

Privately, Abbott aides and legislative leaders dissed the California move as hollow, saying that if that if the Golden State is so concerned about discrimination and human rights outside its borders, Gov. Jerry Brown should not have recently visited China.

Several said California's move appears hypocritical. In China, gay marriage is illegal, workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is common, same-sex rape is not against the law, and the civil rights of LGBTQ people are not protected.

"It's funny how the very state that is so adamantly against keeping terrorists out of our country -- they oppose the President's travel ban -- now wants to keep Californians out of Texas," said Marc Rylander, communications director for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "I guess that's California logic."

Others seemed ready to fire back at California over the snub. "I hope @GregAbbott_TX will let us reciprocate during the special session," tweeted state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock.

READ ALSO: Pastor claims prayer over cake stopped bar owner from being gay

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was in line throwing shade at California, as well: "If California state employees can't come to Texas, they will be among the few Californians who remain at home. Thousands of folks fled California's high taxes and liberal attitudes to come to Texas in 2015. Overall, Texas gained over half million new residents from other states. In California, almost 700,000 people moved out."

California Gov. Jerry Brown and other officials had no immediate response.

Because California's travel ban covers universities, several predicted that San Jose State University might be unable to play the University of Texas Longhorns in Austin in a scheduled game Sept. 9.

UT plays the University of Southern California Trojans the following week in California.

"Boo-hoo, they can't come," snarked one Capitol official. "They'll miss the Alamo, the Cowboys and Texans, the Rockets and Spurs, Texas barbecue and the best state in the nation to do business. Keep this up and they'll have no place to go."

But there's a loophole that California universities are likely to take advantage of in keeping their athletic commitments.

Claire Doan, spokeswoman for the University of California system, said in an e-mail to the Wichita Eagle that if a university's athletic team had committed to participate in an event before Jan. 1, 2017, "then it's permissible to use state funds. However, if a contract was entered on or after that, then state funds cannot be used for travel."

She said individual universities will use these guidelines to determine whether to participate in NCAA events held in Kansas.

READ ALSO: Laredo ranks as one of the least LGBT friendly cities in Texas

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra touched off the escalating war of words on Thursday by adding four states to a list of places where California-funded or sponsored travel is prohibited, under a state law that restricts the expenditure of state funds to places that "authorize discrimination" against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

It also covers places that repeal state or local protections for LGBTQ citizens or create exemptions to laws to permit discrimination against same-sex couples or families.

The target of the Texas listing is a new Texas law that allows child welfare providers to deny adoptions to parents based on "sincerely held religious beliefs." California officials said that is discriminatory.

READ ALSO: Memories of murals outside departed Montrose gay bar Mary's still live on

Alabama, Kentucky and South Dakota were also added to the list on Thursday. Spokesman for governors in those states said Friday they were reviewing the California ban and had no immediate comment.

Based on its law, California now bans state-funded travel to eight states. The others are Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Even Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appeared to take a swipe at his California counterpart, noting in a statement that Californians continue to flock to Texas as a better place to live and work.

READ ALSO: Gay-pride crosswalk makes debut in Montrose

"I talk to people almost every day who made the trek from California to Texas, and without fail, they tell me their move is due to either greater job opportunities, much lower-priced housing, an escape from a left-coast political climate, or just a better quality of culture and life," he said.

Under a new law that took effect in California on Jan. 1 that bans state-funded travel to places with discriminatory laws, Becerra has to keep a list of those laws and the places where state travel is banned.

In addition to allowing child-welfare agencies to refuse a placement based on religious beliefs, he new Texas law -- House Bill 3859 by Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls -- also allows faith-based organizations to place children in religious schools and to deny referrals for certain contraceptives, drugs or devices.

READ ALSO: Houston ISD superintendent proposes including LGBTQ history in curriculum

Under the law, if an organization refuses services to children or prospective parents on religious grounds, they will be required to refer the child or parent to a different organization, Frank's office said Friday.

In a statement on Friday, Frank said he was "extremely disappointed that California wants to play political games" with legislation that seeks to "expand the number of high-quality foster homes to serve our most vulnerable children."

"While California prides itself on being "open-minded," it is only open-minded if you kneel at the altar of a certain political agenda," Frank said. "It seems that California has become like many college campuses across the country. They love a diversity of people, but not a diversity of opinion.

"In Texas, all groups are welcome, but none are forced to believe someone else's political agenda.

In Texas, we want all hands on deck to serve Texas children."

Hotly debated by lawmakers before it passed, supported by the conservative Republicans who control both legislative chambers in Texas, the bill supported by religious organizations who said said they would have stop assisting with placements if they were forced to violate their religious beliefs.

LGBTQ groups blasted the measure as a way to allow discrimination.

Amid the wrangling Friday between officials in Texas and California, several advocacy groups in Texas sided with the Golden State position.

In statements, they said that the 7,000-member Professional Convention Management Association has canceled a convention in Houston because of its moves to pass anti-transgender laws and that the NFL and CEOs of several top corporations including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Dell have warned Texas against passing the discriminatory laws.

"We're watching a slow-motion economic train wreck here, and the special session could turn that into a full-on disaster," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, an advocacy group that opposes the Christian right.

"This goes beyond the very real moral problem with discriminating against people simply because of who they are or whom they love. What should be increasingly clear even to the governor and lieutenant governor is that their obsession with writing discrimination into law risks turning Texas into a state that people and companies simply don't want to visit or do business in."
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.
BOZEMAN  The Department of Corrections will decide where a Bozeman woman will serve her sentence for failing to protect her young son from being badly injured in May 2015.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports (bit.ly/2t0wJfn) 24-year-old Hannah Moore was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in the department's custody with six suspended for felony criminal endangerment. She was given credit for the 212 days she spent in jail.

Moore's 21-month-old son suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and a lacerated liver, among other injuries. She lost her parental rights.

Prosecutors say at the time the boy was injured Moore was using illegal drugs. No one has been charged with abusing the boy. Court records say Moore and her boyfriend at the time gave investigators various stories about how the boy might have been injured.

___

Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
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The May 27 guest opinion from David Tyler on ethanol is a display of ignorance and part of an orchestrated attempt by special interests to twist and distort the facts to paint a completely false picture.

For starters, there is no such thing as an ethanol mandate. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) , passed on two separate occasions through both a Republican and Democratic Congress requires refiners and importers to augment their slate of products with a small percentage of renewable fuels, of which ethanol is one. They choose ethanol to comply with the law because they make money off it and many own ethanol facilities.

Tyler's assertion that we have achieved energy independence and biofuels had nothing to do with that is preposterous. At the time of the creation of the RFS, U.S. petroleum imports were surpassing 60 percent and climbing. Ten percent ethanol blends, supplemented by E85 and biodiesel, reversed that trend long before the resurgence of domestic oil production. And we are hardly energy independent. We may be a net exporter of oil but still subject to the whims of foreign countries and global events.

Next he goes to an old favorite  that we use 40 percent of the corn crop for ethanol production. The corn that is used is feed-grain corn, and after extracting the starch content, the bulk is returned to the feed chain as a higher protein and higher value animal feed. So the net corn usage for ethanol production is less than half that amount. That is like saying something cost a dollar when it is in fact 50 cents, you just forgot to count the change.

As for the cost of corn, it is simply irresponsible to tell your readers the price of corn has doubled. Corn today at approximately $3.50 per bushel is less than it was a when the RFS was established more than a decade ago. It is the demand created by the RFS for corn that has ushered in a new era of efficiency and productivity that allows American corn farmers to produce plenty of feed, food and fuel. To suggest our use of corn is in any way contributing to hunger and famine is shameful. Tyler should hire some barges and I'll meet him at any port in the United States and give him all the grain he can handle.

He references "a number of studies" challenging the environmental benefits of ethanol. Show me those studies and for every one I'll show five that say the opposite. Ethanol reduces every criteria pollutant for ozone and smog while reducing CO2 emissions by 30-50 percent, including counting the energy inputs. It replaces the benzene and other carcinogens in gasoline and even adjusting for a lower energy content, is less expensive than gasoline and provides more benefits. It is a multi-billion dollar domestic industry employing hundreds of thousands of people and lowering the cost of fuel and food.

Tyler would like to see all those ethanol jobs transferred to the oil industry when, in fact, the two can work together and provide us with a cleaner, domestic fuel that creates jobs in both sectors and makes us truly energy independent. But first we have to deal with the facts and his article fails in that regard.
Copiii cu nevoi speciale din Stefan Voda au conditii de reabilitare mai bune, datorita UE si Fundatiei Soros Moldova
The Ohio Senate has rejected a House budget provision that would deny injury benefits to workers living in the U.S. illegally.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Sen. Jay Hottinger, a Newark Republican, said after a hearing Tuesday that the provision is a pretty big policy issue that should be reviewed more thoroughly. He says the Legislature needs to ensure the requirement doesnt have unintended consequences for the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation.

Republican Rep. Bill Seitz says the bill only requires the Bureau of Workers Compensation to verify an injured workers legal status. He says it also means workers compensation isnt being taken away from legal immigrants and workers. Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, said during a House floor debate in May that money paid to people living in the U.S. illegally are dollars taken from businesses and workers who are here legally.

Democratic Rep. Dan Ramos is Ohios longest serving Latino state officeholder. He says the proposal would lead to unsafe working conditions and make it cheaper for businesses to hire workers who are in the U.S. without legal permission.

Hottinger says the workers compensation bureau doesnt collect Social Security numbers and isnt positioned to know whether someone is in the country illegally.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
When it comes to getting airplanes off the ground in broiling weather, its not the heat or the humidity. Its the air density.

Hotter air gets thin, making it harder to take off and land safely, mostly for smaller jets. Thats what has kept some planes grounded in Phoenix this week where temperatures have been pushing 120 degrees.

Airplanes take off and stay aloft because of lift, the force from the movement of air underneath the planes wings that push it upward.

As air warms up, it expands and theres fewer molecules to be under your wing, said Lou McNally , professor of applied meteorology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

With less lift, you need more of everything. You need more thrust to take off. You need more distance (on the runway) to take off. You need more distance to land. You need more speed to land. It gets to a point for some aircraft that it gets just too much, he said.

High heat also means a plane climbs at a lower rate, said pilot Patrick Smith, author of the book Cockpit Confidential .

To compensate, planes have to generate more thrust or power and have larger wings. Smaller jets that generate less thrust, like Bombardiers CRJ regional jets, which have a 118-degree limit at Phoenixs elevation, are more likely to be stuck in the heat.

At Dubai International Airport and other Gulf airports, which are used to hot weather, many flights  but not all  arrive at night and early morning to get around the heat problem. Gulf carriers also tend to operate longer flights using larger planes that arent as limited by high heat.

In Phoenix, temperatures around 118 are infrequent enough that airlines continue to use regional jets for shorter trips.

If a plane does try to take off beyond its temperature threshold, it may keep racing down the runway and not get up in time and have to abort. And if it tries to land when the air is too thin and hot, thats not good either because it can run out of runway, McNally said.

Before they fly, pilots consult a sheet that tells them about the temperature, elevation and even humidity  factors that go into something called density altitude, a key measurement of flight conditions.

Airlines can take other steps when the temperature climbs too high. They can lighten the planes load by selling fewer seats  a tactic American Airlines is using in the Phoenix heat wave  or reducing cargo. They can take off with less than a full tank of fuel and then stop somewhere cooler to refuel.

The density altitude is the main issue, but there also could be simple heat issues on internal components like seals that might become too soft or even melt at higher temperature, MIT aeronautics and astronautics professor R. John Hansman said.

Pilot Smith said electronics overheat, brake temperatures run high and internal machinery gets overly hot and then toss in ground temperatures racing past 110 degrees and things begin to break down.

(Koenig reported from Dallas, Texas.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Oregon and Washington has resulted in collision claim frequencies that are about 3 percent higher overall than would have been expected without legalization, a new Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) analysis shows. This is HLDIs first report on how marijuana legalization since 2014 has affected crashes reported to insurers.

More drivers admit to using marijuana, and it is showing up more frequently among people involved in crashes. Though there is evidence from simulator and on-road studies that marijuana can degrade some aspects of driving performance, researchers havent been able to definitively connect marijuana use with more frequent real-world crashes. Some studies have found that using the drug could more than double crash risk, while others, including a large-scale federal case-control study, have failed to find a link between marijuana use and crashes. Studies on the effects of legalizing marijuana for medical use also have been inconclusive.

Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana for adults age 21 and older with voter approval in November 2012. Retail sales began in January 2014 in Colorado and in July 2014 in Washington. Oregon voters approved legalized recreational marijuana in November 2014, and sales started in October 2015.

HLDI conducted a combined analysis using neighboring states as additional controls to examine the collision claims experience of Colorado, Oregon and Washington before and after law changes. Control states included Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, plus Colorado, Oregon and Washington prior to legalization of recreational use. During the study period, Nevada and Montana permitted medical use of marijuana, Wyoming and Utah allowed only limited use for medical purposes, and Idaho didnt permit any use. Oregon and Washington authorized medical marijuana use in 1998, and Colorado authorized it in 2000.

HLDI also looked at loss results for each state individually compared with loss results for adjacent states without legalized recreational marijuana use prior to November 2016.

Data spanned collision claims filed between January 2012 and October 2016 for 1981 to 2017 model vehicles. Analysts controlled for differences in the rated driver population, insured vehicle fleet, the mix of urban versus rural exposure, unemployment, weather and seasonality.

Collision claims are the most frequent kind of claims insurers receive. Collision coverage insures against physical damage to a drivers vehicle in a crash with an object or other vehicle, generally when the driver is at fault. Collision claim frequency is the number of collision claims divided by the number of insured vehicle years (one vehicle insured for one year or two vehicles insured for six months each).

The combined-state analysis shows that the first three states to legalize recreational marijuana have experienced more crashes, says Matt Moore, senior vice president of HLDI. The individual state analyses suggest that the size of the effect varies by state.

Colorado saw the biggest estimated increase in claim frequency compared with its control states. After retail marijuana sales began in Colorado, the increase in collision claim frequency was 14 percent higher than in nearby Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. Washingtons estimated increase in claim frequency was 6 percent higher than in Montana and Idaho, and Oregons estimated increase in claim frequency was 4 percent higher than in Idaho, Montana and Nevada.

The combined effect for the three states was smaller but still significant at 3 percent, Moore says. The combined analysis uses a bigger control group and is a good representation of the effect of marijuana legalization overall. The single-state analyses show how the effect differs by state.

Each of the individual state analyses also showed that the estimated effect of legalizing recreational use of marijuana varies depending on the comparison state examined. For example, results for Colorado vary from a 3 percent increase in claim frequency when compared with Wyoming to a 21 percent increase when compared with Utah.

HLDIs new analysis of real-world crashes provides one look at the emerging picture of what marijuanas legalization will mean for highway safety as more states decriminalize its use. In the coming years, more research from HLDI and others will help sharpen the focus. As HLDI continues to examine insurance claims in states that allow recreational use of marijuana, IIHS has begun a large-scale case-control study in Oregon to assess how legalized marijuana use may be changing the risk of crashes with injuries. Preliminary results are expected in 2020.

In addition to Colorado, Oregon and Washington, five other states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for all uses, and 21 states have comprehensive medical marijuana programs as of June. An additional 17 states permit limited access for medical use. Marijuana is still an illegal controlled substance under federal law.

Worry that legalized marijuana is increasing crash rates isnt misplaced, says David Zuby, executive vice president and chief research officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. HLDIs findings on the early experience of Colorado, Oregon and Washington should give other states eyeing legalization pause.

Source: HLDI
An extreme heat wave in the Southwest U.S. made the fight against a series of wildfires more difficult this week, including one that has destroyed at least four homes in an Arizona town known for its wineries, authorities said.

Temperatures in parts of Arizona, California and Nevada soared to nearly 120 degrees this week, creating problems for firefighters. In California, two firefighters were treated for heat-related injuries as they battled a blaze in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles.

In New Mexico, authorities say a brush fire destroyed sheds and vehicles on private property and sent two residents and a firefighter to the hospital for smoke inhalation and other minor injuries.

In Arizona, about 100 firefighters battled a 2-square-mile blaze that ignited Tuesday in triple-digit temperatures in Sonoita, 45 miles southeast of Tucson. None of the wineries dotting the area was threatened.

The heat is a major factor not only for us getting overheated but heat will rise up our embers, which will cause more fires to pick up, said Joseph De Wolf, chief of the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District.

State forestry officials said six structures were destroyed but didnt know how many were homes. De Wolf said earlier that four houses had burned. An additional 120 homes were at risk.

De Wolf said residents who have been evacuated were being escorted back to gather their livestock and other animals. He said he hoped to get people back in their homes by evening.

The biggest challenge we have is the heat thats going to come up this afternoon, De Wolf said.

Ann Alden, who lives within a half mile of where the blaze started, said she fled her home Tuesday evening as soon as she saw the flames.

My initial thought was that we were in big trouble, Alden said.

The 70-year-old Alden had a plan in place once wildfire season arrived, but knew she had to leave quickly before the fire blocked her only way out of the area. She loaded three of her six horses into a trailer already hooked up to her truck, and put her two dogs in the backseat. Her cat went into a carrier onto the truck bed, along with an overnight bag. Alden called a friend to pick up the remaining horses.

It was scary, obviously adrenaline was flowing, she said.

Residents expressed concerns about their homes and livestock at a community meeting where the local fire chief spoke. One woman nervously asked about her burros, which had gotten loose. De Wolf told her one of his team members was working on gathering them.

De Wolf said crews were focusing on setting a perimeter around the fire, which was not contained.

Officials will also ensure firefighters are hydrated and safe amid the heat wave, Department of Forestry and Fire Management spokeswoman Tiffany Davila said.

The department said the cause of fire was not known but lightning strikes were reported in the area.

Firefighters across Arizona are battling about 30 blazes, making resources scarce, De Wolf said. He said he was asking Gov. Doug Ducey to help cover the financial costs of battling the fire.

Fires are burning throughout the southwest, including one in Utah that forced the evacuation of more than 700 people and shut down part of a state highway.

One home has been destroyed in the blaze and another was damaged in the fire sparked Saturday by someone using a torch to burn weeds. A fire official said that person could face charges for causing a fire that could cost more than $1 million to fight.

(AP reporters Angie Wang in Phoenix and Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Company Advances Kespry Cloud with Insurance-Focused Application, Opens its Architecture to Third-Party Software Providers

Menlo Park, CA, June 23, 2017  Kespry, the leading aerial intelligence platform provider, today announced that it is moving deeper into vertical markets with its formal entry into the insurance sector. The move allows Kespry to extend its end-to-end and easy-to-use enterprise drone platform by offering insurance specific functionality such as inspection-quality imagery for roofing and automated analysis to assist claim adjusters. As part of the launch, a free webinar How Drone Technology is Transforming Roof Inspections will be hosted on Thursday, June 29th.

The companys official entry into the insurance sector comes after extensive field tests and insurance specific improvements designed together with customers and industry leaders such as Hancock Claims Consultants, AMCAT Roofing, CRU Adjusters and Superstorm Restoration.

The easy-to-use and fully-integrated Kespry Drone Platform enables major industrial companies to collect more accurate information, more frequently, efficiently and safely. This drives greater cost savings and business value, said George Mathew, CEO and chairman of Kespry. Now, insurers can dramatically improve the policyholder experience through shortened claim cycles while also reducing loss adjustment expenses and minimizing liabilities and risks for field staff.

The move into the insurance industry comes as the company makes significant strides in improving its cloud platform. In addition to significant upgrades in scalability, security and reliability, the platform also provides the mapping, rendering, data analysis and analytics required in comprehensive aerial intelligence applications.

The company also announced it is opening its architecture to third-party software providers to further extend its insurance capabilities and allow for easy integration with existing enterprise applications. To build and grow its ecosystem, Kespry has established a foundation for providing APIs for integration with third parties. This will also provide for bi-directional data sharing between Kespry and other enterprise systems.

Kesprys field-to-finish experience is the only fully automated aerial intelligence solution designed to improve the property and casualty roof claim cycle. It provides claims adjusters and other insurance professionals with instant access to accurate data that is automatically processed and securely stored for immediate use. Data captured by the Kespry Drone delivers high-resolution imagery with 1 mm per pixel resolution, which is capable of detecting granule loss and physical damage. Field and desk adjusters have access to comprehensive roof dimensions and automated damage detection, with onsite availability of rooftop imagery made possible in less than 10 minutes.

One of the most powerful aspects of the new Kespry Cloud is the sophisticated machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence designed to automatically identify hail damage. Customized wireframes are quickly produced for the entire roof and automated dimension reports are instantly available for high accuracy measurements. Insurers can then seamlessly move data into common estimate generation software and claims management systems to complete the claims process.

Kespry is the markets only provider of a fully-integrated drone platform designed from the ground up for use in demanding industrial environments. The company has a proven track record for its work with more than 200 customers in the aggregates, mining, architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) industries around the world.

About Kespry

Based in Menlo Park, Calif., Kespry is the leading aerial intelligence platform provider that is transforming how organizations capture, analyze and share business insights. Kespry develops drone hardware, software and cloud services that deliver a seamless, accurate and highly efficient solution from field to finish. Founded in 2013, Kespry serves customers across North America, Europe and Australia such as Fluor, Lehigh Hanson/Heidelberg, Sully-Miller/Colas USA, Terus Construction, Webcor, Whitaker Contracting and Woolpert.

Media Contact:

Rosalie Bartlett

rosalie@kespry.com

650-434-5048


Energy policy issues often divide Americans along partisan lines, pitting proponents of coal-fired electrical generation against advocates for alternative sources. So its remarkable that one issue has united Montanans of both major parties, along with lawmakers from Washington state, renewable energy proponents and supporters of the Colstrip power plants.

This diverse group wants the elimination of a transmission fee so high that capacity is being wasted.

This story starts back in 1981 when Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency, built a 1,900 megawatt transmission line between Townsend and Garrison in Western Montana. The Colstrip partners contracted to use 1,700 megawatts of capacity. BPA had a tentative deal with the Western Area Power Administration to use the remaining 200 megawatts of capacity at a higher price than the Colstrip energy would pay.

The 1,900 megawatt line was built, but the WAPA deal fell through. Electricity generated at Colstrip moved over the line under a contract that requires Colstrip partners to cover the costs of maintaining the line.

Wasted capacity

A wind energy development near Forsyth now wants to contract with BPA for 184 megawatts of capacity that isnt being used, but developers say the extra charge makes the deal unworkable.

If the fee is reduced and the wind energy firm uses the now-unused capacity, its payments will help cover costs now borne by Colstrip partners, including NorthWestern Energy, which serves Montana customers, and Talen Energy, which markets Colstrip electricity outside Montana. Ratepayers in Montana and Washington would benefit because regulated utilities would see lower costs for providing power.

The Montana House approved a resolution sponsored by Rep. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, calling on the BPA to eliminate the Montana intertie rate because:

It adds 40 percent to the cost of traversing the BPA network.

Full subscription of the intertie would reduce the Townsend to Garrison rate paid by the Colstrip partners by as much as 9.5 percent, including costs passed on to Montana consumers.

Elimination of the Montana intertie rate would make new generation facilities in Montana more competitive.

U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Jeffrey A. Merkley made a similar case in a June 12 letter to BPA Administrator Elliott Mainzer in Portland, Oregon. The Democratic senators urged Mainzer to eliminate the Montana Intertie rate and, instead, charge network rates beginning at Townsend.

The senators noted that decision would be consistent with BPAs obligation for encouraging the widest possible diversified use of electric power at the lowest possible rates to consumers consistent with sound business principles.

Democratic Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and the states all-GOP Public Service Commission support nixing the Montana intertie rate.

July 26 decision

Yet last week the BPA announced a draft decision to retain the exorbitant rate that keeps this transmission capacity from being used  and unnecessarily adds to the cost of Colstrip power.

Charging the regular rates of BPAs 15,000-mile transmission network on that 90-mile stretch through Montana is a no-brainer. It would be a win for BPA, its customers and their customers. More electricity would move through Montana and the unit price of transmission would drop.

The BPAs final decision, which is expected on July 26, should reflect the business- and consumer-friendly change that state officials, legislators and energy producers want.

The benefits of reducing the fee for using the transmission capacity that has gone unused for nearly 40 years are simply undeniable.
AKRON, Ohio - Retired judge Carla Moore was named the 50th recipient of Akron Community Foundation's Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award.

Moore will receive the award, which honors those who have shown selfless dedication to humanitarian causes in Akron, on Oct. 17.

In 2004, Moore was elected to the OHio Ninth District Court of Appeals, where she served as a judge for 13 years until her retirement in February. Prior to that, she served on the Akron Municipal Court.

Moore was the first black female judge elected to each of these courts and was known among her peers for treating those who appeared before her with dignity and respect.

She also is known for her support of local women and children through her charitable giving, volunteer service and individual outreach. As a volunteer for Greenleaf Family Center's Teen Parent Program, she helps young parents complete their education and make productive parenting choices.

Moore is a board member of the Law and Leadership Institute, a statewide initiative that prepares urban, public high school students for success through a four-year academic and life skills program.

Moore's peers also know of her personal involvement in her court cases. In the late 1990s, after learning of the struggles of a homeless woman who appeared before her court, Moore invited the woman to her family's home for dinner. Following that dinner, she invited the woman to stay with her until she had saved enough for her own apartment.

From 2013 to 2015, Moore led the Ohio State Bar Association's 9th District Pro Bono Committee, which involved determining the needs for those who could not afford legal counsel and encouraging local attorneys to donate their time.

Moore has served on more than two dozen boards and committees - often in leadership roles - for local and national nonprofit and professional organizations. She has also received numerous awards for her professional accomplishments and commitment to the community.

Prior to her judicial career, Moore practiced law and was an adjunct law professor at Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Moore received her bachelor's degree from the University of Akron and her law degree from Ohio State University.

Moore was selected to receive the Polsky Humanitarian Award by a committee of past honorees.

For more information, call Akron Community Foundation at 330-376-8522 or visit akroncf.org.

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AKRON, Ohio -- Dozens of additional charges have been filed against an Akron man who is accused of posing as a police officer and handcuffing children as part of a fake "scared-straight program," prosecutors said.

Christopher S. Hendon, 26, wore tactical gear and carried a gun during several incidents that happened March 29 to April 6 at schools and courthouses, investigators said. Hendon is not a certified police officer.

Hendon faced a dozen criminal charges following his arrest in April, but a Summit County grand jury on Friday handed up an supplemental indictment that added 47 more charges, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release.

Hendon is now charged with seven counts of kidnapping, seven counts of abduction, 16 counts of impersonating a police officer with firearm specifications, 13 counts of illegal conveyance of a weapon into a school, four counts of illegal conveyance of a weapon into a courthouse, seven counts of assault, four counts of criminal trespass, one count of impersonating a police officer and one count of endangering children.

The investigation began after Hendon tried to bring a handcuffed child into the Summit County Courthouse on April 6, the Summit County Sheriff's Office said. Investigators later discovered Hendon, who wore a tactical vest and carried a gun, tried to enter a courthouse with a handcuffed child at least four times.

On one occasion, Hendon tried to bring a child into the Summit County Jail, detectives said.

The additional charges handed up Friday accuse Hendon of posing as an officer at school at least twice. Hendon placed multiple children in handcuffs each time, prosecutors said.

Investigators seized weapons, handcuffs, law enforcement equipment, and police insignias when they searched Hendon's home April 24.

Hendon is scheduled to be arraigned on the supplemental charges July 11 in Summit County Common Pleas Court.

Investigators are still trying to identify children who participated in Hendon's scared-straight program. Tipsters can call the Summit County Sheriff's Office detective bureau at 330-643-2131.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A proposal allowing electric utilities to ask for a rate increase to keep their credit rating healthy has run into a buzz saw of opposition.

The latest count is that nine organizations representing consumers, businesses both small and large and the state's major industries are firing opposition letters at the state's top lawmakers, who are sequestered in a Conference Committee attempting to work out the state's budget before the end of next week.

The provision enabling the state's traditional electric utilities to ask the Public Utilities Commission for rate increases to bolster their credit standing, and thus the ability to borrow money, showed up earlier this week without notice. It was tucked into the nearly 5,000-page state budget bill that lawmakers had worked on -- with many public hearings -- for the previous 45 days.

The Ohio Manufacturers' Association Friday morning went beyond sending letters to lawmakers and emailed a wrap-up of the situation to its 1,400 member companies. The

included a legal

from Columbus attorney and OMA special counsel Kimberly Bojko.

She concluded: "The utilities continue to ask for more customer-paid subsidies due to an alleged fiscal crisis due to their parent company or affiliates' bad business decisions. Once again the utilities are asking customers to bail them out, seeking to shift ordinary business risk from shareholders to ratepayers."

The Manufacturers' Association late Thursday joined with Ohio Consumers' Counsel Bruce Weston, the Northeast Ohio Public Utilities Council, or NOPEC, the state chapter of AARP, the Ohio Chemical Technology Council and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, to ask top lawmakers for a second time to strip the proposal out of the budget bill.

"The proposed language that should be removed from the budget bill does not merely codify current PUCO practice, as apparently is claimed by an electric utility. In fact, the language reverses rulings of the Ohio Supreme Court, that last year overturned PUCO decisions allowing utility charges to customers for financial stability for electric utilities," argues the

the group sent to the legislative Conference Committee.

"Additionally, the Senate language could interfere with customer appeals now pending in the Ohio Supreme Court, to protect Ohioans from electric rate increases."

The letter also noted that several of the organizations who signed it intend to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court a ruling that the PUCO made in October raising delivery rates for FirstEnergy customers in order to ensure the company could borrow and pay for major upgrades to its local distribution network.

If enacted, the new rule would block that suit.

On Wednesday, three other organizations representing industry, including some of the state's largest heavy industries, also objected to the provision because of its timing and because they saw it as a way for the traditional utilities to funnel the extra customer charges to their subsidiaries which own power plants and are, by law, supposed to compete for customers, not be subsidized by them.

The "new language in the . . . statute seems directed at providing an opportunity for the regulated utility to boost electric bills through non-bypassable charges for the purpose of addressing financial problems in its unregulated line of business or financial problems at the affiliate or parent level,"

the Industrial Energy Users-Ohio, the Manufacturing Policy Alliance and the Ohio Energy Group.

The Consumers' Counsel and the Ohio Manufacturers' Association were the first to ask lawmakers to remove the language. Outraged that the provision had been inserted at the last minute in the final version of the bill, they

on Tuesday before its approval by the Senate.

The Senate approved the bill anyway and sent it to the House because the formal process of approving budget legislation takes about a week and because top lawmakers in the Senate saw the proposal as merely "codifying" something the Public Utilities Commission already does.

DP&L, Inc., owner of Dayton Power & Light, had the language inserted into the budget bill, and that's how it is also defending the language.

"The request only added the option for the PUCO to be able to consider this among its many criteria. It simply gives the PUCO an optional 'tool in their toolbox' on how they can balance the needs of utilities and customers to ensure our ability to provide reliable service," the company wrote in an email Thursday, confirming it had asked for the provision to be added to the budget bill.

The PUCO in fact did consider its ruling last October granting FirstEnergy a rate increase as "credit support" for the company, though the three-year $204 million-a-year increase was officially for "distribution modernization."

In a separate opinion accompanying the Oct. 12 order, Chairman Asim Haque noted that the purpose of the increase was "to ensure that FirstEnergy retains a certain level of financial health and creditworthiness to that it can invest in future distribution modernization efforts."

He added that the "Commission is an economic regulator. It is not a bank. It is not a trust fund," and noted that "if FirstEnergy truly needs $4.5 billion dollars to achieve full financial health, then the Commission's decision today falls well short of that expressed need. The Commission does not intend to be, nor will it be, nor should it be the entire solution for FirstEnergy's current financial difficulty."
MORELAND HILLS, Ohio -- Welfare check, Meadowhill Lane: Police responded to a report of an 85-year-old man walking around naked on the afternoon of June 18. The call came about halfway down the block from his house, and upon arrival, police found that he had since returned home. His caretaker was notified of the situation.

Special attention, Mill Creek Lane: A resident reported late on June 13 that her husband had been robbed in downtown Cleveland earlier in the day, with his wallet being taken.

A report had been filed in Cleveland, but the couple requested extra patrols in their neighborhood for a week, as well as additional information on identity fraud.

Theft (elsewhere); Chagrin Boulevard: A resident, 32, reported June 16 that she had gone to a party the night before in Lorain, where someone stole her Xanax medication out of her purse. She was advised to call Lorain police.

Car crash, damage to property, Chagrin River Road and Chagrin Boulevard: Moreland Hills and Bentleyville police investigated the scene of an accident that took place shortly before 2 a.m. on June 17.

Suspicion, Wiltshire Road: Police were called to check on a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood shortly before 10:30 p.m. on June 18.

Erratic driver, Chagrin River Road and Chagrin Boulevard: Responding to a complaint around noon on June 17, police caught up with a driver at Route 87 and Farmcote Drive and learned that the car in question had some front end issue that that made it appear to be all over the road.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- The charming home at 60 Solether Ln. has a unique feature not found in many homes, especially not 40-year-old colonials.

It has an elevator.

But the lift is far from the only thing that makes the house unique.

"It's hard to find a house that is in walking distance to downtown Chagrin Falls that is newer construction and up to date," listing agent Karen Eagle with Howard Hanna says. "This home has it all - with a true gourmet kitchen, upstairs laundry, and beautifully updated baths."

The home, on the market since May, boasts four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms in 3,840 square feet. The asking price is $749,000.

Built in 1988 and sitting on nearly an acre of land, the home has since been updated throughout with hardwood floors on both levels. The spacious great room has vaulted ceiling, beautiful and functional built-ins and a fireplace.

"The home has been renovated using such fine quality materials," Eagle says. "The house feels sturdy."

The kitchen is a chef's delight with granite counters, Sub Zero fridge, Wolf range, long center island, walk in pantry and access to a porch with retractable screens overlooking the woods. The kitchen is also where you catch the elevator, which can go up or down.

The home's four bedrooms are all on the second level, including a master suite with vaulted ceiling and master bath with both a tub and stand up shower.

Take a ride down two levels to the fully finished basement with a rec room, bedroom, full bath and walk-out acceess to the patio and three-car garage.

Outside, the main level balcony, front courtyard and lower level paver patio offer nice views of the surrounding trees.

Address: 60 Solether Lane

City: Chagrin Falls

Price: $749,000

Size: 3,840 square feet

Year built: 1988

No. bedrooms: 4

No. bathrooms: 4 full, 1 half

Lot size: 0.81 acres

School district: Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools

Other notable attributes: wet bar and second fireplace in living room, 10-minute walk to downtown Chagrin Falls, located on cul de sac with very little traffic.

Real estate agent and contact info: Karen Eagle, Howard Hanna

phone: (440) 773-6187

email: kareneagle@howardhanna.com

web: www.HowardHanna.com/KarenEagle
EUCLID, Ohio - The Rev. Scott Goodfellow spends most days pouring sacrificial wine, a holy moment during Mass. But one day a week, though, he opts for beer.

Goodfellow brews beer on his day off with his father.

Like a church that opens its doors to all, the father-and-father duo welcome an array of beer styles. They have made India Pale Ales, stouts, porters and English ales. Amber ales and wheat beer, pumpkin ale and Irish ales. Goodfellow also experiments with smoked beer and has used beechwood and mesquite. And like many brewers, he has fun with names, like "Holy Hunk IPA" and "Wheat Will Rausch You."

The brewing roots were planted for Goodfellow, parochial vicar at Sts. Robert and William in Euclid, about 10 years ago, when he and a friend at the seminary tried making mead.

"I had no idea what I was doing," he said. "It was awful. It's still awful. It's not getting better or worse."

But he kept the equipment, and a few years ago tried his hand again. His father had a brewing kit, and one day the son asked: "Can I help you?" The hobby grew for them. They evolved to using all-grain equipment. It started as three or four times a year and increased from there.

With small batches, you "get to know the malts, the hops and the brewing process," he said. And it's the process Goodfellow loves. He goes online to read about other brewers' mistakes so he can learn what to avoid. He researches styles.

"We started crushing our own grains and really trying to craft our own recipes," said the priest, who was ordained in 2014 and is originally from Avon Lake. "I love the process, the research. I like the creativity."

Then came an epiphanal moment a few years later. He was on a Catholic Relief Services trip to Ethiopia with a stopover in Frankfort when he and a pal took a side trip to Belgium. He immersed himself in the world of Trappist ales.

That exquisite, hand-crafted, sought-after style is produced by only 11 breweries in the world (Belgium has six). Monasteries that brew this beer must meet strict regulations to call their ale Trappist.

"Before that, I didn't know what craft beer was," he said. "I had no idea of the wide, wide world of beers."

Now, he shares that expansive world with his congregation.

"This community is so loving," said Goodfellow, 30.

As well they should be when their priest is making beer.

"I've shared the fruits of my labor," he said. Recently, he sponsored a brew day to teach brewing basics. About a dozen people showed up, with some being folks "who wouldn't go to a more religious-focused church event, like Bible study," he said.

He calls the group Billy Bob Brewery - derived from the saints' name in his parish. And while he encourages interested people to learn about beer, it was a fellow homebrewer, Andrew Mitchell, who urged him to enter his beers in an Ohio State Fair competition. Both are members of SNOBS - Society of Northeast Ohio Brewers.

So Goodfellow submitted six beers and wound up taking a first place for his Trappist ale and fourth in the smoked-beer category.

"The judges said it (the Trappist Ale) was true to style," he said. "It was my first time entering beer in competition. I was floored. I just wanted feedback."

Father and father's brewing would yield the equivalent of 50 to 52 12-ounce bottles, he said, but they opt to keg. Bottling extends the process with sanitizing, drying and capping time. Besides, priests are busy; it's not as if they work only Sundays.

Interestingly, Goodfellow is not the only priest in Northeast Ohio making beer. The Rev. Andrew Hoover, who has been parochial vicar at St. Peter's in North Ridgeville for about a year, also brews.

"I'm certainly not as advanced as Father Scott," he said. "I haven't won anything from it except the respect of some friends, which is good enough for me."

But Hoover, 31, is similar to his brewing brother in Euclid in that he, too, enjoys the process.

"The first thing is getting behind the bottle, seeing what goes into it," he said. "I taught high school science before I entered the seminary so I have a little bit of a background for science and chemistry. I brew recreationally. I certainly like getting to know the process and in some ways the problem-solving. I find it a combination of the art ... and an awesome opportunity to work toward the finished product."

Hoover, who has been brewing for about eight years, said his father's interest in winemaking led to he and his brothers picking up a home-brew kit.

"We brewed it, and the rest is kind of history," he said. "We're all brewing now." Even a younger sister who once despised the aroma of seeping grains is now interested, he said.

The one day a week he sets aside to "recharge, refresh" often is spent brewing, said Hoover, a fan of IPAs who prefers to brew with others and manages about six batches a year.

The hobby also has an unexpected residual effect on Goodfellow.

"Sometimes," he said, "I think I like brewing the beer better than drinking it. I like the process; it's rewarding."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Building a new bar, restaurant, cafe comes with a price -- obviously.

How many sandwiches, small plates, cocktails and entrees do you have to sell to justify using marble or wood, having elaborate decor or an expensive bar?

All calculations went out the window when James Justice started work on Architectural Justice. The elaborately-decorated 4,000-square-foot spot located in the heart of old downtown Strongsville is many things... a cafe, bar and restaurant. It's also a gallery, showroom and cooking school.

"We started with an idea and kept building on it," says James Justice, who co-owns Architectural Justice with his wife, Darlene. "It wasn't about making money; it was bout building a cool space."

Most restaurateurs would find such talk, well, hard to monetize. But Justice isn't a restaurateur. He's co-owner of a Medina home design firm - also called Architectural Justice - that specializes in granite, cabinetry, flooring and furniture.

"One day, we were driving by and saw that this was available," says Justice, referring to the space that once housed the old Vining's service station. "It seemed like the perfect space to do something interesting."

Initially, that meant a cafe and a showroom for AJ wares, which run the gamut from Art Deco to Baroque styles.

At times, the lines between home furnishings and cafe decor get blurred. The space is adorned with elaborately-crafted mahogany, marble and metal - not to mention sculptures and objects built by Justice and other designers from the area and around the world.

A 20-foot wall sculpture made of Lumix Stone is illuminated with lights to reflect colors. There's also a 17-foot acacia wood table from Thailand. A winding stair case leading to the second floor is built out of Sahara noir marble from Italy.

"We wanted to show what our company can do," says Justice, "but also create the feeling that you're in some cafe in Europe."

The cafe part was inspired by trips to Italy and England.

"There aren't any coffee shops around here and it's hard to find any places you might find in Europe," says Justice, who will be selling Rising Star coffee and will offer wide-ranging espresso and tea lists. "And then we started adding to things one by one."

The dining portion will seat 50 and come with a menu that features tartines, salads, charcuterie, waffles and elaborate cakes and deserts. The cafe will serve coffee along with sodas and wine. Expanded drink and food menus are in the works.

"We were told that it would be impossible to do food, but we have a concept - "Shop and dine and be inspired." - and a chef in place to pull it off," says Justice, referring to Joshua Scherger, formerly executive chef at Office Bistro and Bar in Cuyahoga Falls. "You should see the response we get from people who stop to see what's going on. They can't believe all this in here -- we can't wait to share it with them."

After more than two years of planning - and expanding the plan - the wait is almost over.

PREVIEW

ARCHITECTURAL JUSTICE

Opening: Architectural Justice has set a July 11th grand opening and will do its soft opening in early July.

Location: 13593 Pearl Road, next to Square 22 and across from Strongsville Cafe.

Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday; 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

Info: Go to architecturaljustice.com.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Andrei Tarkovsky's films were attacked by Soviet authorities. But it would be wrong to call him a Soviet dissident.

The Russian director would've been a dissident no matter where he lived. There was no convention or category he didn't rebel against.



Over the course of 26 years, Tarkovsky, who died from lung cancer in 1986 at age 54, crafted only eight films. The lack of output is often attributed to run-ins with Soviet authorities.



There's another reason. The movies are creeping epics that contemplate grand issues with all the urgency of a boulder on a flat surface. Somehow, though, they move forward, ever so slowly and ever so beautifully.

They are cinematic poetry par excellence.



At first, the films are dense and slow-moving, a challenge to the casual movie fan. But once you dig into the rhythm, they become mesmerizing and forceful - and will make you want to see them again.

Which explains the large and enthusiastic crowd for last weekend's showings of "Stalker" at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. The 1979 classic - set in rundown post-industrial future and based on a stellar novel, "Roadside Picnic," by brothers Boris and Arkady Strugatsky - is one of two Tarkovsky films to be digitally restored and reissued.

The other, "Solaris," hits the Cinematheque at 9:10 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday.

Like "Stalker," "Solaris" is a slice of sci-fi that exists in its own universe, far from any film conventions. As Tarkovsky once declared, "I can't like Spielberg, say, make a film for the general public - I'd be mortified if I could."

"Solaris" is intensely personal and spiritual, which is why the Soviets saw him as narcissistic; his films served him, not society. The deep religious quality of his films - and rejection of the rational and material worlds - made him as much of an outsider in the United States as in his home country.

Even as his films became increasingly popular in Europe, they were rarely shown here. And they were barely understood.



But years later, films like "Solaris" have had a lasting resonance on sci-fi and cinema as a whole. The 1972 film, which Steven Soderbergh remade last year, allegedly was made by Tarkovsky in response to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," which he saw as an atheist work.



It tells the story of Kelvin, a scientist sent to a decaying space station orbiting the planet Solaris to study why some of the cosmonauts are suffering from "hallucinations." Upon his arrival, he learns that the planet is actually a living entity that materializes human fantasies.



Enter his deceased wife, Hari, who committed suicide some years earlier.



She appears to Kelvin as a hallucination, but the scientist begins to believe her to be real. He ends up trying to renew his commitment to her - despite the fact that she lacks many of the attributes of Hari. After all, she isn't her - just the materialization of his memory of her.



Like Kelvin, "Solaris" seems like a faraway, distant place, but it sucks you in like a black hole. Are the things we remember to be true really true? Or is memory merely a mirror of what we wish it to be?



Even if Tarkovsky knew the answer, I doubt he would have told us.

PREVIEW

SOLARIS

What: The 1972 sci-fi masterpiece by Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky has been reissued with a digital restoration. 165 minutes. In Russian with subtitles.

When: It screens 9:10 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, 11610 Euclid Ave, Cleveland.

Info: Go to cia.edu/cinematheque or call 216-421-7450.
By BOB "RAILBIRD" ROBERTS

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- More often than not, the Kentucky Derby proves to be a grueling test. The mile and a quarter distance often exposes pedigree shortcomings as it drains participants of their energy. They end up needing a vacation from the starting gate.

It's been seven weeks since the 143rd Kentucky Derby went to the post. Five of the 20 thoroughbreds have yet to run back, while the 15 that have raced combine for just two victories in 17 subsequent starts.

After taking a deep breath, four of the Run for the Roses runners will be at Thistledown for Saturday's $500,000 Ohio Derby (Grade III), hopeful of putting their careers back on track by collecting the $300,000 first prize.

Heading the pack of nine is Brad Grady's Girvin, a dark brown colt that never got to run his race at Churchill Downs after being jostled shortly after the start and then nearly sent to his knees when caught in traffic turning for home. He ended up 13th, beaten nearly 20 lengths.

Thistledown oddsmaker Nick Mascio has installed Girvin the Ohio Derby's 2-1 morning line favorite based on his sparkling record prior to the Louisville debacle. The son of Tale of Ekati was on his game when he won back-to-back Grade II stakes at the Fair Grounds, the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby.

"He had a terrible trip in the Kentucky Derby," said trainer Joe Sharp. "The sloppy track didn't help and then he was nearly dropped at the 3/8th pole when in heavy traffic."

Sharp says that Girvin, a winner of three of five starts and $874,000, has regained his energy after a three-week break. He signaled his readiness for the Ohio Derby by working five furlongs in a minute last Saturday.

"It was his best work in quite awhile," said Sharp.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who rode Girvin in the Kentucky Derby, will ride him at Thistledown.

"Mike is high on him," said Sharp. "He said I should have run him back in the Preakness or Belmont."

The other Run for the Roses also-rans ready to run in the Ohio Derby are Irap, winner of Blue Grass, but 18th in the Derby, Untrapped, 12th in the Derby, and Spiral Stakes winner Fast and Accurate, 17th in the Derby.

Stow's Ron Paolucci will run a three-horse entry in the Ohio Derby, the stakes-debuting Talk Less, Churchill Downs allowance winner Vibe, and the lightly-raced Game Owner, a winner of his only two starts.

The Ohio Derby is the eighth race on Saturday's nine-race card with a post time of 5:10 p.m.

$500,000 Ohio Derby Lineup

Prog No., Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds

1. Talk Less, Luis Colon, Jeff Radosevich, 12-1

1A. Vibe, Ricardo Feliciano, Robert Hess, 12-1

1X. Game Over, Jacob Radosevich, Jeff Radosevich, 12-1

2. Irap, Julien Leparoux, Doug O'Neill, 3-1

3. Untrapped, Ricardo Santana, Steve Asmussen, 9-2

4. Sorry Erik, Kent Desormeaux, Keith Desormeaux, 6-1

5. Girvin, Mike Smith, Joe Sharp, 2-1

6. Fast and Accurate, Terry Houghton, Mike Maker, 8-1

7. Hinton, John McKee, Thomas Drury, 20-1
Help me understand why is the FBI is looking for the needle and ignoring the haystack.



It appears that Obama was settling agency lawsuits against corporate defendants requiring them make 'donations' to left-wing interest groups. Unfortunately, the victims of the corporate misdeeds never received any compensation.



Leaked emails from Soros Open Society Foundation revealed that during Obama's presidency, Soros advised then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on foreign policy in Albania and Soros received U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) funding. Soros also gave at least $10.5 million to Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Quid pro quo???????



Why isn't the FBI concerned with the haystack (Hillary, Soros and Obama) instead with the needle (Trump's obstruction of justice)?



Why is FBI also overlooking Bengasi, IRS scandal (Lois Learner, etc.), Fast and Furious gun running to Mexican Drug Cartels (ATF Supervisors, Attorney General Holder and their culpability in the death of US Border Agent Brian Terry).



How about Obama's Organizing for Action (OFA), largely funded by George Soros with their goal to take down the sitting President of the United States.



The FBI quick looking for the needle and take a few step back and look at the haystack.

William Riedthaler,

Northfield Center
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The discovery of an invasive silver carp beyond a waterway barrier in Chicago that is designed to keep the fish from entering Lake Michigan is causing alarm among advocates for the Great Lakes.

The carp was caught nine miles from Lake Michigan by a fisherman below the T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam, according to an Associated Press article in the Chicago Tribune.

The silver carp is perhaps the most notorious of four Asian carp that officials are trying to keep from entering the Great Lakes. It's the one that jumps out of the water and has been frequently photographed above the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, said Jeff Reutter, former director of Ohio State University's Sea Grant office at Stone Lab on Put-in-Bay in Lake Erie.

"Anytime you find one beyond the barrier it's not a good sign," Reutter said, but one fish does not mean there's a spawning population.

A bighead carp was found beyond the barrier in Lake Calumet in 2010, according to the Associated Press.

The good thing that came from the silver carp's discovery is that it automatically calls for an intense two-week sampling of the waterway to see if more of this fish can be found, Reutter said.

The discovery of the silver carp has increased the concerns of several members of Congress from the Great Lakes region.

"The fishing industry in the Great Lakes is a $7-billion-a-year economic engine and it would be severely threatened if Asian Carp are allowed into the Great Lakes.," stated Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio in a written release. "The Administration should release its proposed plan they have drafted so there is no delay in protecting the Great Lakes from Asian Carp."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has studied ways to make the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on Des Plaines River less susceptible to a breach by invasive species, but did not release its findings as scheduled in February.

The co-chairs of the U.S. House of Representatives' Great Lakes Task Force, which includes Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Democrat from Toledo, Rep. David Joyce, a Republican from Russell Township, and several others from nearby states, also called for release of the study.

"This news is deeply troubling and the threat of Asian carp has long been a concern of this Task Force and experts across the Great Lakes," states the co-chairs in a written statement. "This is further evidence that action must be taken to protect our Great Lakes from this grievous threat."

Portman also used the carp's discovery to renew a call for full funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. President Donald Trump has eliminated the $300 million allocated last year for the initiative from his proposed budget.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Defense attorneys said Friday that a burglary suspect reached for a Cleveland police officer's gun before he was shot and killed, but prosecutors contended there is no evidence to support the officer's self-defense claim.

Closing argument in Cleveland police officer Alan Buford's three-day trial focused on whether the officer acted reasonably when he fatally shot Brandon Jones on March 19, 2015 outside a grocery store in the city's Glenville neighborhood. Defense attorneys argued the 18-year-old man grabbed at the officer's gun, but prosecutors said evidence does not support that theory.

Buford is charged with negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor, in the case. Cleveland Municipal Judge Michael Sliwinski will determine whether Buford, who has been with the department for 21 years, acted recklessly and unreasonably when he fired the shot.

Sliwinski said Friday that he will take time before rendering his decision. He will review testimony and more than 340 exhibits that prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted in the case.

Defense attorney Henry Hilow argued Friday that Jones reached for Buford's gun after officers caught Jones breaking into Parkwood Grocery on Parkwood Drive. Hilow said a police officer heard a witness, Patricia Rollins-Landers, tell someone during a phone call "I don't know why that boy grabbed at his gun."

But the officer, Lakisha Harris, testified that she thought her supervisor overhead the phone call. That revelation was not passed on to investigators until 13 months after the shooting.

The supervisor, then-Sgt. Teresa Kennedy, testified she never heard Rollins-Landers say Jones reached for the gun. Rollins-Landers also testified she never said that.

Another officer, Carmen Crosby, told investigators that Buford told her Jones reached for the gun. Dan Mabel, a trace evidence expert for the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, also testified that investigators found gunshot primer on Jones' hands, which could indicate his hand was near the gun when it fired.

"The evidence is overwhelming of a fight," Hilow argued. "There were gunshot particles on Jones' hand. The only way they get there is if he reached for the gun."

Buford did not take the stand during the trial.

Hilow also argued that Buford's partner, Gregory King, also had his gun drawn and his finger on the trigger when they caught Jones breaking into the store. King's actions showed he felt fear, Hilow argued.

Prosecutors, however, countered that King's testimony supported their case against Buford. King testified Wednesday that he felt Jones was shocked when the officers caught him and grabbed him, and that the shooting was unnecessary.

King testified he never saw Jones reach for Buford's gun, but conceded he was unable to see Jones' other hand while he struggled to gain control of Jones.

Prosecutors argued the shooting was negligent because Buford did not try to subdue Jones.

"Mistakes just cannot be made like this," Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Brian Radigan said. "It leads us to not trust the justice system."

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments section.
ELYRIA, Ohio - Lorain County Community College plans to be the first two-year college in the state to offer a bachelor's degree program.

Trustees on Thursday approved a resolution to support of the design and launch of the applied bachelor's degree in microelectronic manufacturing.

A provision allowing for community colleges to offer select applied bachelor's degrees if a university is unable to offer training to meet the need of local businesses is in the proposed two-year state budget. College officials said they expect the measure to be approved by legislators.

Similar legislation in prior years has not gained traction as four-year public universities opposed allowing the 23 community colleges in the state to offer four-year degrees.

Sinclair Community College near Dayton has said it was prepared to offer four bachelor's degrees, including in unmanned aerial systems, the Dayton Daily News reported.

If the measure is approved in the budget, Ohio will join nearly half of all other states that allow four-year degrees at community colleges. LCCC would need approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education for the program.

LCCC said it answered an industry need by launching the state's first associate degree program in mechatronics technology with a focus in micro electromechanical systems in 2014. The program is one of only 16 in the U.S.

Microelectronic manufacturing helps companies makes products and processes "smart" by embedding sensors and micro electromechanical systems. Microelectronic manufacturing is an interdisciplinary field that combines mechanical and electrical engineering technology with science, mathematics and communications.

Expanding to include an applied bachelor's degree would greatly benefit students and employers in the region, LCCC President Marcia Ballinger said in a statement.

"This legislation is a game-changer for Ohio," she said. "Ohio has set a target to have 65 percent of its workforce with an industry recognized credential or degree by 2025. Institutions of higher education need to do all we can to reach this goal, including pursuing new models. LCCC is ready to step up, and this program hits the mark. Employers are engaged in the process and working with us to design and deliver the program. Students are excited because it leads to a degree and a good job."

Graduates of the associate degree MEMS program complete paid internships with industry partners and when they graduate they are often offered a full-time job with that employer. Through the 'Learn and Earn' model, graduates have a 100 percent job placement rate.

"The employment rate of our graduates is a testament to the need for this program," Johnny Vanderford, professor of microelectronics, said in a statement. "By expanding LCCC's offerings to include an applied bachelor's degree, we will be directly meeting the needs of employers in this high-growth field."

LCCC, like other community colleges, offers access to bachelor's and master's degrees on its campus through partnerships with four-year colleges. The new degree would be entirely at LCCC.

Students in the new program would pay LCCC tuition all four years but the fourth year would include additional equipment and technology fees. The total cost to complete the program will be less than $15,000. Annual salaries in the field are $65,000, the college said.

"The authority to deliver applied bachelor's degrees, especially in fields like this, expands upon our commitment to our community to keep access to higher education affordable," Ballinger said.

CORE Technology, Inc., in Avon, is a designer and manufacturer of high performance standard and custom AC/DC and DC/DC power conversion products. The company participates in the MEMS internship program and has hired several LCCC graduates.

"The development of LCCC's applied bachelor's degree program aligns with our need for skilled employees in this critical area," CORE Technology President Jack Redilla said in a statement. "This program will increase the talent pool available for new hires to my company and also provide a method for upgrading the skills of our current employees."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 43-year-old man was shot in the throat Thursday evening while walking in the city's Ohio City neighborhood, police said.

The shooting happened about 6:40 p.m. at the intersection of West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue.

The man told police he walked from downtown across the Detroit-Superior Bridge when a man rode up to him on a bicycle. The bicyclist yelled at the man, jumped off the bike and told the man, "I'll blow your head off," according to police reports.

The bicyclist pulled out a gun and fired a shot that hit the man in the throat under his chin, reports say.

The shooter jumped back on his bike and sped away. He has not been arrested, police said.

The wounded man walked several blocks to Lutheran Hospital. The man was then flown via emergency helicopter to MetroHealth. His condition is unknown.

Doctors recovered the bullet from the man's throat and turned it over to police for evidence, report say.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments section.
PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Painesville Police Department is investigating a complaint about an officer's treatment of a dog that been had struck and killed by a car, police said.

A woman reported Wednesday that she saw a car hit the dog on Mentor Avenue at Chestnut Avenue, and that she stopped to cover the dog with a sheet. The dog died before an officer arrived, police said in a news release.

The woman said an officer arrived and kicked at the sheet before he picked up the dog and put it in the trunk of a police cruiser. The officer admitted he nudged the sheet with his foot in order to make sure the dog had died, and that he would not get bitten, police said.

The police department also received a complaint that several children were upset when the officer picked the dog up by its front legs and put it into the police cruiser, the news release says.

"We are fully aware that those observing this incident were upset by the abrupt manner in which the officer loaded the dog into the trunk of a cruiser," the release says. "This could have been alleviated by waiting for another officer to assist, so that the process of picking the dog up would have been more discreet."

The department has reached out and apologized to the dog's owners and the woman who covered the dog with the sheet, the release says.

The incident is under review, and police supervisors will determine if the officer will be disciplined, the release says.

A woman wrote on Facebook that she saw the officer kick the dog. The claim sparked outrage on the social media website.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments section.
Going from college to the real world was like being thrown off of a cruise ship into deep water and told to swim to shore. For four blissful years at one of the top liberal arts schools in America, I was challenged and encouraged. Inside and out of the classroom, I met bright, curious people who helped me grow as a person. I learned, as the cliche goes, how to think. But I did not learn how to earn money, choose the right job or, even in any rudimentary way, get by in the real world. After graduating, I stumbled through two jobs and a bout of unemployment before I finally made any real progress in my career. And though none of that is the fault of my college, my failures were not unrelated to my educational experiences. I had been led to believe the workplace would be something like my campus, where, for the most part, students and teachers alike treated each other with a baseline respect, engaged in thoughtful dialogue and, when they fought, fought fair. It was not. Instead of requiring that I pass a swimming test, it would have been far more useful if my school, before giving me my diploma, had insisted that I sit down and watch the 1992 David Mamet film about stressed-out salesmen who are forced to sink or swim, "Glengarry Glen Ross."

Alec Baldwin as Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross Image source: New Line Cinema

So that you new grads can learn, in advance, from my experiences, here are three of the main things that I didn't know I didn't know when I started my first job.

1. Your bosses aren't necessarily good at their jobs

Probably because I was lucky enough to have intelligent, capable parents and smart, accomplished professors, it never really occurred to me that, when I got to the working world, I would so often answer to people who had no idea what they were doing. My first boss was naturally timid and compensated by yelling and cursing. A lot. And he was a prince compared to his boss, who, directly before hanging up, once screamed into the phone loud enough for our whole section of the office to hear, "No, Mom, f--- you!" Since that initial position, I've had a rogue's gallery of unstable or inept managers, including one who, in a matter of a few short months, ran a buzzy, promising start-up into the ground. Though I've also worked for inspiring and impressive managers  indeed, thank goodness, I am working for one right now  I've learned never to take competence for granted.

2. HR doesn't work for you  it works for the company

One common misconception among entry-level employees is that Human Resources will be on their side, regardless. While HR departments can certainly be helpful, they don't exist to serve you; their primary purpose is to protect the company. That's why workers who approach HR to complain often find the results frustrating, a 20-year HR veteran explains in an article for Vox. As that vet puts it, "How do you help organizations attract and retain great talent while also doing your job and protecting the company from lawsuits when something goes horribly wrong? The answer is that you can't." Understand at the outset what HR can and cannot do for you, Lifehacker suggests, noting that "you shouldn't expect HR to keep anything confidential even if you ask." Some HR departments are better skilled than others at advocating for employees. In one of my first jobs, HR didn't take me seriously until I had documented a year's worth of infractions. So take a tip from Uber whistle-blower Susan J. Fowler and former FBI director James Comey: Write everything down.

3. Make yourself indispensable
Chinese tech giants Alibaba Group Holdings and Tencent Holdings will be among new investors pouring a total of around $10 billion into mobile carrier China Unicom, sources said, part of efforts by Beijing to rejuvenate state behemoths with private cash.

Four sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that Alibaba and Tencent would invest in the Shanghai-listed unit of the telecoms group - China United Network Communications - as part of the capital-raising effort.

One of the sources said Alibaba and Tencent would lead the group of investors, while Baidu, the third of China's constellation of tech giants, has pulled out. The source did not comment on the reason for that decision.

China Unicom, formally known as China United Network Communications Group, plans to raise around 70 billion yuan ($10.25 billion) through the Shanghai unit, the sources said. That would mark the largest capital raising in Asia since the initial public offering of insurer AIA Group in 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data.

About 50 billion yuan would be raised through new share issues, while China's second-largest telecom carrier would also sell part of its stake in the Shanghai-listed unit, two of the sources said. The sources could not be identified as the negotiations are not public.

Other potential investors approached by China Unicom, named last year as part of a pilot mixed-ownership reform scheme, include the country's other major internet firms and some state-backed institutions, such as China Life Investment Holding, one of the sources said.

Alibaba, Tencent and other potential investors have yet to finalize the terms of any purchase, the sources said, though the deal is likely to be finalised by this summer.

China United Network did not respond to requests for comment. China Unicom Group and China Life Investment Holdings could not immediately be reached. Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent declined to comment.

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), which oversees state-owned enterprises (SOEs), also did not respond to a request for comment.
A rainbow bagel burger by WORD, a Singapore-based cafe. WORD

Color-changing drinks, liquid nitrogen dessert and gourmet marshmallows  fare for a music concert or the Muslim holy month of Ramadan? It may be unconventional, but in Singapore, hipster food crazes are all the rage during the Islamic celebration. Every year, a mega market pops up on the island nation in honor of the month-long Ramadan period, in which Muslims typically fast from dawn to sunset. The bazaar sells all the necessary preparations for festivities, such as lights, traditional clothes and carpets, but its food offerings are the biggest draw. Grilled meats, rich gravies, jellies and densely baked cakes are traditional Ramadan dishes in Southeast Asia, and while they remain prevalent in the market, they now share the stage with rainbow-hued confections and fantastical fusion snacks  key pillars of hipster food. "In the (Geylang Serai) bazaar, there has always been a lot of focus on trending food and new combinations," said Yushendra Jalil, a vendor selling anchan tea  a multi-layered Thai drink that changes color when stirred. Singapore is well known as a foodie's paradise, with its rich tradition of multi-cultural street treats, but cutthroat competition has food and beverage operators constantly vying for customers' attention.

The Dragon's Breath  a dessert of crackers, meringue and puffed cereal tossed in liquid nitrogen. Nyshka Chandran | CNBC

With average monthly rents at the bazaar ranging from 14,000 to 17,000 Singapore dollars ($10,000 to $12,000), stall operators are doing all they can to stay afloat  and that includes taking advantage of trends popular among a certain set of millennials, particularly the unicorn phenomenon. After Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino launched to great acclaim in April, businesses around the world are increasingly jazzing up foodstuffs with multicolored dye to draw in youth and encourage photo sharing on social media. In other words: free publicity. And while many bemoan the lack of more traditional offerings, the sheer array of treats has turned the market into a popular destination, drawing both foreigners and locals from all walks of life. "The older generation complains about the hipster food but I think it's a good thing, it brings people together," said a 17-year old by the name of Prince Shawn. "Yes, it isn't what it used to be but that's Singapore for you." A look around the bazaar seems to confirm the direction toward "Instagrammable" food: There are rainbow bagel burgers, candyfloss burritos, milkshakes with blue-pink-purple swirls and a sparkly drink called Unicorn Tears that gives off a swirling glitter effect when shaken. Then there's Dragon's Breath, smoke-emitting cereal and biscuit balls that are doused in liquid nitrogen.

June 2017: A view of Singapore's Geylang Serai neighborhood Ramadan bazaar. Nyshka Chandran | CNBC
Theresia Hersch, Mandan, was promoted to the rank of chief warrant officer 5 on May 15 in front of an audience of friends, family and fellow Guardsmen at the Raymond J. Bohn Armory in Bismarck.

Brig. Gen. Robert Fode, North Dakota National Guard Army Component commander, presided over the ceremony. Brig. Gen. Giselle Wilz, commander, NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, and senior military representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, administered the oath of office via video teleconference.

A Bismarck native, Hersch began her career in the state Army National Guard in 1988, when she enlisted into the 818th Medical Battalion. She attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and after being appointed as a warrant officer was hired as the executive assistant to then-North Dakota Adjutant General Keith Bjerke in 1996. In 2000, Hersch was assigned as the personnel officer for the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion and later worked in the Guard human resource office as the employee benefits specialist.

In 2007, Hersch deployed for a yearlong mission to Iraq with the 164th Engineer Battalion (Security Forces). Upon her return, she was asked by former North Dakota Adjutant General David Sprynczynatyk to serve as his executive assistant and aide-de-camp. Hersch served in this capacity until 2015, when she deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina as Wilz's aide-de-camp. Upon her return home, Hersch became the strategic engagement coordinator for the North Dakota National Guard, a position in which she continues.

An active volunteer in Bismarck-Mandan, Hersch is vice commander and Honor Guard member for AMVETSPost 9 and a lifetime member and Honor Guard member for the Disabled American Veterans. She helped co-organize Team Red, White and Blue chapters across the state with her husband, Robert Fode. Team RWB is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to enriching the lives of American veterans, their families and communities though social and physical activities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he supported a Republican health care bill to replace Obamacare that was unveiled in the Senate on Thursday.

"I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill. Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead," Trump said on Twitter.

tweet

Trump had privately referred to health care legislation passed by the House last month as "mean," according to congressional sources. He told a rally on Wednesday in Iowa that he wanted a Senate bill "with heart."
Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar issued a steep list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Persian Gulf neighbor shutter Al-Jazeera, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and close down a Turkish military base in Qatar.

In a 13-point list -- presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis -- the countries also demand that Qatar sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups including Hezbollah, al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the list in Arabic from one of the countries involved in the dispute.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut ties to Qatar this month over allegations the Persian Gulf country funds terrorism -- an accusation that President Donald Trump has echoed. Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands, which include paying an unspecified sum in compensation.

According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalize citizens from the four countries and expel those currently in Qatar, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs.

They are also demanding that Qatar hand over all individuals who are wanted by those four countries for terrorism; stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the U.S.; and provide detailed information about opposition figures that Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations.

Qatar's government did not have any immediate reaction to the list. Nor did the United States. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had insisted that Qatar's neighbors provide a list of demands that was "reasonable and actionable."

Though Qatar's neighbors have focused their grievances on alleged Qatari support for extremism, they have also voiced loud concerns about Qatar's relationship with Iran, the Shiite-led country that is a regional foe for Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led nations.

The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of the Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with U.S. sanctions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were eased but other sanctions remain in place.

The demands regarding Al-Jazeera, the Doha-based satellite broadcaster, state that Qatar must also shut down all affiliates. That presumably would mean Qatar would have to close down Al-Jazeera's English-language affiliate. Qatar's neighbors accuse Al-Jazeera of fomenting unrest in the region and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.
First there was bitcoin, now there's ethereum. The cryptocurrency, along with its associated blockchain software platform, has gained popularity recently and is considered an alternative to . Ethereum is up 4,100 percent year to date, CNBC reports, and made headlines this week when its price plummeted from $319 to just 10 cents in seconds. (It later rebounded.) But what people may not realize is that ethereum's founder, Vitalik Buterin, is only 23 years old.

Vitalik Buterin, founder of ethereum Getty Images

Buterin has become a celebrity in the cryptocurrency space and is credited with co-founding Bitcoin Magazine in 2011. He has more than 90,000 Twitter followers and posts frequently about the industry's latest news. He was a 2014 recipient of billionaire Peter Thiel's prestigious fellowship and last year, he was included on Fortune's 40 under 40 list.
It's summer, and trading is light, but here's something that might perk your interest: Friday is usually the heaviest volume day of the year.

It's the annual Russell Reconstitution, the day when the Russell indexes are rebalanced. There's $8.5 trillion in asset benchmarked to or invested in products based on the Russell U.S. indexes.

Why is this important? Indexes rule the world because passive investing rules the world, and these indexes determine what go into many mutual funds and many ETFs.

The main interest is to look at stocks that are going into or out of the large-cap Russell 1000, and into or out of the small-cap Russell 2000 . Both are market-cap weighted indexes. Passive investors tied to these indexes will have to buy or sell these stocks depending on how the stocks have performed in the last year.

The largest 1,000 by market cap go into the Russell 1000. The remaining roughly 2,000 go into the Russell 2000. The breakpoint  the dividing line between the Russell 1000 and the Russell 2000  is about $3.4 billion.

How the mighty have fallen. This is where it gets a little fun  traders get to see who gets kicked out of the Russell 1000, and who has risen into the Russell 1000 from the Russell 2000.

Let's start with the losers, because, well, there's a morbid sport in looking at once-mighty companies that have seen better days.

No surprise, there's some big retail names that are being given the boot: JC Penney , which is down to a mere $1.4 billion market cap, and Dillard's , which is down to $1.5 billion, are both getting kicked out of the Russell 1000. Some former internet/tech darlings are also getting the boot: Groupon, Yelp and Fitbit.

Finally, it's been a mess for oil companies, and plenty of names are getting tossed: Diamond Offshore, Noble, Ensco, Rown, Penn Virginia.

Steve DeSanctis, SMID-Cap Strategist for Jefferies, notes that the Russell 2000 has traditionally hosted companies on the way up, and then on the way down: "That's one of the problems with the Russell 2000: You do get a heavy dose of companies that are well past their prime, companies that have to reinvent themselves after being a great company."

Then there's the other way around: small companies that are knocking the cover off the ball, and graduating to the Russell 1000.

The best example is AMD, which has had quite a year, going from roughly $5 to $14 in the last 12 months, and adding more shares to boot. "AMD was an also-ran years ago, but reinvented themselves and now they compete with companies like NVIDIA," DeSanctis told me.

So will there be any price action? DeSanctis notes that stocks going from the Russell 1000 to the Russell 2000 often outperform short-term. Why? Because those stocks are going from being a small fish (a small market cap) in a big pond (the Russell 1000) to a bigger fish in a smaller pond (the Russell 2000). They will gain a larger market weight in the Russell 2000, which will force indexers to buy them, often resulting in a bump up in price.

But DeSanctis cautions that this is not an infallible rule. It hasn't happened this year in Energy stocks getting demoted, for an obvious reason: Energy stocks are so out of favor with investors that it is overwhelming any indexer that would buy them. "It doesn't matter what passive guy has to buy these stocks," DeSanctis said. "With oil down so much, these stocks are going to be down even more."

Regardless, one big winner tomorrow will be traders. NYSE volume last year was 6.9 billion shares, more than twice normal volume. That was also the day of Brexit!
as Uber's chief executive is a potential blow to the company's operations in Asia, a region where it faces stiff competition from local ride-hailing players, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Investors and analysts interviewed by the Journal said Uber is losing the race in Asia. The company retreated from China last year after selling its business to homegrown Didi Chuxing, and is battling fierce competitors Ola and Grab in India and Southeast Asia, respectively.

An Uber spokesman declined to say whether its strategy in Asia may change following Kalanick's departure, the WSJ said.

Read the full Wall Street Journal report here.
Americans are more "likely to believe" former FBI Director James Comey than President Donald Trump about the events that led to Comey's abrupt ouster last month, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Friday.

By about a 2-to-1 margin, the respondents said they are more likely to trust Comey's account, which he laid out in detail in Senate testimony earlier this month. Some 45 percent of respondents said they are more likely to believe Comey, while 22 percent said the same for Trump, who has disputed key parts of Comey's testimony. Just 21 percent said "they believe neither of them," while 8 percent said "they believe both of them," according to NBC News.

Only 27 percent of Americans approve of Trump firing Comey, while 46 percent disapprove, the poll shows.

Trump terminated Comey last month amid the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Comey later testified that Trump asked him for loyalty  which an FBI chief does not owe a president  and made a statement that he interpreted as a request to "drop" a probe into former national security advisor Michael Flynn. Trump denied making those statements.

Trump is reportedly being investigated to find out if he attempted to impede the Russia probe.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, conducted June 17 to June 20, surveyed 900 adults and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.27 percentage points.

Read the full NBC News story here.

WATCH: Comey: I kept records on Trump because I thought he might 'lie'
"We will be doing acquisitions," Chen told " Squawk Alley " on Friday. "If you follow the company for a while, you know that we are about to break out and do some investment in growth. That's part of our big plan here."

BlackBerry shares dropped more than 10 percent on Friday morning  but those who follow the company know it's "about to break out," CEO John Chen told CNBC.

Though known for its iconic mobile phones, the Canada-based BlackBerry is now primarily a software company, with products such as cybersecurity shields and the QNX automobile platform. The company said last year it would spend nearly $75 million over the next few years on a self-driving car hub.

Chen said some cybersecurity projects are likely to contribute to this year's earnings and that space might be ripe for acquisitions.

"The newer area of machine learning, as related to cybersecurity  we're already a leader in that space," Chen said. "We really would like to add more capability and features there. That's one part of it.

"Anything that we could apply back to both our automotive business as well as our enterprise business, as we talked about," he said. "And the other area is expanding the channel and the reach for our auto business. We have a very commanding lead in the market for auto software. .... We've got to expand our footprint in reaching much more globally."

Despite Chen's optimism, Wall Street didn't react well on Friday to BlackBerry's latest financial results.

BlackBerry earned an adjusted 2 cents per share, excluding items, on revenue of $244 million in the first quarter. That's better than the breakeven level expected by a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate, although BlackBerry's revenues fell short of the $264.4 million expected.

The light sales were due, in part, to a drop in its high-margin software and professional services sales. Chen said the company's financial results were complicated by transactions that have taken place over the past few years.

"A year ago, we had a revenue from the good technology acquisitions that came off the balance sheets. So if you take that off ... the year-over-year growth of our enterprise business was actually 12 percent," Chen said. "So it's not as people think  that it's not growing at all."

BlackBerry was also boosted by a $940 million windfall from a dispute with Qualcomm .

"The relationship is actually quite good. We had a disagreement [with Qualcomm] over the licensing and the contracts," Chen said. "Both sides had agreed to be friendly, whatever the outcome would be. We happened to come out, in my mind, the right way. But we are also working a lot on technology ... We are working together, we enjoy working with each other and we respect each other as companies."

Still, Chen said in a statement the company intends to be profitable on an adjusted basis for the full year and to generate positive free cash flow, even without the Qualcomm arbitration award.

BlackBerry shares are still up nearly 41 percent over the past year.

BlackBerry has a slight advantage over its rivals, Chen said, in that it has proximity to some of Canada's top college engineering programs.

"This area is booming," Chen said. "The company has turned. We are doing well. From a financial point of view, we are investing. People like that, especially young talent."

 Reuters contributed to this report.
U.S. government debt prices traded sideways on Friday, as investors digested several data releases and awaited speeches by U.S. Federal Reserve members. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note sat flat at around 2.15 percent, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was down slightly at 2.712 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

Treasurys



In economic news, the IHS Markit U.S. Output Composite index hit a three-month low, while new home sales rose less than expected in May. On the central bank front, a host of speeches by Fed officials took place Friday. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said Friday there is still no need to further raise short-term rates right now. Meanwhile, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said the Fed cannot directly address the

problems of inequality, globalization and the challenges facing lower-income Americans, though it can help identify solutions for legislators to take up. Mester did not discuss monetary policy.
The books we read, the people with whom we associate, the news sources we follow all have a hand in forming our world view and the opinions that guide us from day to day. Is there something in our hereditary makeup that works silently behind the scenes, too? Maybe some imprinted experiences of our forebears that lingers on in our subconscious? Generational rage? The Native Americans speak of it and so do descendants of other displaced groups who have been uprooted from their comfortable way of life.

Whatever it is that drives people to follow a course of action, one group of people persists in holding a strong bond with the past  the Germans from Russia. On the one hand, the history of oppression and maltreatment in Stalinist Russia pervades meetings in conventions held each year in various locations. On the other hand, happier times experienced and celebrated by their culture are evoked, too.

Some of the old immigrants talked of life before arriving in the United States or Canada. Some, like my grandmothers family who had resided in Ukraine, didnt. We do know that upon their arrival in the Port of Baltimore they possessed only $11 and that she and her siblings huddled around to hide their father who was ill and afraid he wouldnt be permitted entry into the country.

All of my wifes ancestors came from areas where poverty caused by their treatment in the political climate of the country caused them to leave and come here. They could not forget about or cease to yearn for those left behind. Her mother and aunt told of finding their mother crying in fear of her relatives left behind in the old country. Another relative, a baker by trade, lived in Selz, Russia, and while delivering bread was beaten, robbed and died soon after with little being done to find and punish the criminals.

Stories such as these will be shared at the 2017 convention of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society to be held in Bismarck July 12-16. Attendees at these conventions will gather in a convivial atmosphere of seeing old friends and meeting new ones. A common cause unites this group: They claim ancestors who either fled a hard life in Russia or stayed behind and suffered the indignities forced upon them in such places as Beresan, Bessarabia, Crimea, Dobrudscha, Gluckstal, Odessa, etc.

Scheduled sessions will cover a wide range of topics, some lighthearted, some heart-wrenching. Susie Wickman will give an introduction to genealogy, telling the group how her interest in it started after receiving a box of family pictures after her parents died. Her search leads her deeper and deeper into the family history. Allyn Brosz from Washington, D.C., will discuss German Russian farmers in South Dakota and how they tested their First Amendment freedoms in World War I. Eric J. Schmaltz follows the story of Pauline Lehl, who came to Oklahoma and received 180 letters bearing historical witness of tragedy from relatives who stayed behind.

The Rev. Marv Mutzenberger will present the life and times of Martin Luther through a series of scenarios, with each focusing on a specific moment in Luthers life. Nancy and Alex Herzog will borrow from found memoirs of those captured by Soviet forces and exiled to remote areas of the USSR to work as slave laborers. The Rev. Milton Ost will lead participants to peek behind the scenes" of Catherine the Great and other Romanov czars who influenced the lives of German forebears and eventually led them to leave for other destinations.

Others convention programs include kuchen and plachinda making, Volga German colonies, combing through North Dakota state archives, cooking sauerkraut and knoephle, demographic patterns of Bessarabian Germans, experiencing the history of ancestors, German Russian farming before GMO, cultural customs and the Heritage Foundation.

Many will look forward to a session titled Retelling those Great Humorous Stories and Jokes from Our German Relatives. The heritage is rich with stories and jokes that brought humor and laughter to lives filled with hard work and hardships. Its said to be an opportunity to share stories, and having none, to simply sit back, listen, and laugh.

Attendees always come from many states, Canadian provinces and European locations, and usually return year after year. A deep-seated yearning for knowledge of our ancestors and their exodus from oppression drives participants to understand how and why they came to the promise of a better world. Information about the Germans from Russia Society and this convention can be found at www.grhs.org.
China-based co-working firm UrWork has joined hands with Australian consultancy firm Collective Campus to launch its first overseas branch in Singapore on Friday.



UrWork is currently backed by Alibaba-affiliate Ant Financial and Sequoia Capital, among others, and has established its co-working platform across 16 cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, in China. UrWork also recently announced a merger with its domestic rival, New Space, that gives the merged company a tentative value of $1.31 billion.



The company is said to be China's response to WeWork, which is based in Sillicon Valley and valued at $16.9 billion. They are not, however, the only competition in the shared working space segment in Singapore or China.

But Mao Daqing, founder and CEO of UrWork, says he isn't worried about crowded markets. Singapore, he said, was a good base for his firm to meet companies interested in going international and to act as a "bridge" to China.



"Before we came to Singapore, we (had) already developed ourselves for two years in China," Mao told CNBC's "The Rundown."

"We can survey and facilitate ... international companies when they want to go into China."

A Singapore location would also work as an outpost for Chinese entrepreneurs abroad, he said.

The company has started working with a government trade development agency, International Enterprise Singapore, as well as major property developer CapitaLand to identify spaces.

UrWork Singapore will initially be at Launchpad @ One-North in the city's tech and science district.

Mao estimated the cost for a space at UrWork in the city-state to be 400 to 600 Singapore dollars ($288 to $432) per co-working seat monthly.
The recent rally in hospital and HMO stocks means the Senate Republicans' health-care bill will not pass, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Friday.

"You can't have both of those go up. It's antithetical," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." "That is like oil and water."

Cramer spoke one day after health-care stocks posted sharp gains, with hospitals and insurers climbing, after the release of the Senate GOP health-care reform bill, which would replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

HCA rose as much as 3 percent, while Tenet Healthcare jumped 9 percent on an intraday basis Thursday. Aetna , UnitedHealth , and Centene also rose on the news.

Health care stocks pulled back Friday, but the sector was still on track to post a weekly gain of more than 3 percent.

The bill proposes phasing out Medicaid's expansion program and capping Medicaid spending, repealing Obamacare taxes and restructuring subsidies to insurance customers.

Hospital stocks have been under pressure from the possibility of health-care reform because they have been more profitable under Obamacare, which the Congressional Budget Office said would result in 23 million more Americans with insurance over a decade than under the House GOP plan. The Senate version is expected to be scored as early as next week.

"I really feel that people have to recognize a vote to be able to cut back Medicaid, which is what this really is ... is a vote to be able to lose your seat whether you're in the Senate or the House. So, I think this rally was about how this thing's dead," Cramer added.

 Reuters and CNBC's Dan Mangan contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump said he hopes House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi does not step down from her post.

In an appearance on "Fox & Friends" that aired on Friday, Trump said he would like Pelosi to stay right where she is because she has an "extraordinary record against her."

"It would be a very, very sad day for Republicans if she steps down. I would be very disappointed if she did," Trump said.

The comment came after some Democrats on Thursday called for Pelosi to step down in the wake of special election losses this year, including a high-profile race in Georgia on Tuesday.

Republican Karen Handel beat Democrat Jon Ossoff in the race for the Georgia seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, dashing Democratic hopes to pull off an upset in the runup to the 2018 midterm elections.

The two campaigns and outside groups supporting and opposing the candidates shelled out at least $36 million, including more than $22 million from Ossoff's campaign.

Pelosi, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said she's confident she has the support in her caucus.

The Associated Press and CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 slipped 0.23 percent with most sectors and major bourses in negative territory. For the week, bourses were little changed.

Europe's food and beverages sector was among the worst performers on Friday, down about 0.7 percent. Britain's pizza delivery business Domino's slipped towards the bottom of the benchmark after Berenberg bank lowered its outlook for the stock to "hold" from "buy". Its shares fell more than 2 percent on the news.



Dutch insurer NN Group has been asked to compensate one of its customers after allegedly failing to adequately inform them about important aspects of an investment insurance product that was widely sold in the 1990s and 2000s, Reuters reported. The group's shares slumped more than 3 percent.

Meanwhile, Britain's biggest free-to-air commercial broadcaster, ITV , was among the best-performing stocks on Friday after Morgan Stanley raised its stock recommendation to "overweight". Its shares rose more than 3 percent.

On Wall Street, equities fluctuated between gains and losses on Friday as energy stocks tried to stem this week's sell-off.



Oil prices watched

Oil continued to be at the forefront of investors' minds on Friday, as prices showed signs of a recovery following a sharp decline earlier this week.

Prices inched higher on Friday with U.S. crude hovering near $43.15 a barrel at 16.30 p.m. London time, while Brent sat at around $45.65. However, glut concerns continue to persist.

Looking to data, France and Germany both released flash PMI figures for June on Friday morning. Germany's manufacturing and services sector - which accounts for over two-thirds of its economy - dipped to a four-month low in June. Markit's flash composite PMI fell to 56.1 from 57.4 in May.



Business activity in France also eased more than predicted in June as growth weakened in the country's services sector. Data compiler, IHS Markit, found France's PMI fell to 55.3, down from 56.9 in May.



Euro zone PMI growth unexpectedly slowed to 55.7 in June, down from 56.8 in May. A reading above 50 indicates growth.
Jaap Arriens | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Recent elections have shown that likes and shares on social media giant Facebook are now translating into votes for political parties at an increasing rate. But while Facebook is "one of the, if not the most important channel" of the media, there are "massive question marks" about the transparency of political parties' and campaign groups' use of it, Carl Miller, research director at the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at thinktank Demos, told CNBC via telephone. Miller argued that governments need to regulate political parties' use of Facebook and make transparent their spending on the platform. Social media as an increasingly effective tool for mobilizing the masses has already caught the attention of regulators. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, head of the U.K.'s independent authority on public information, wrote in a blog post in May this year that a formal investigation was opening up into "the use of data analytics for political purposes." While the post, like much official material, referred to social media with a broad brush, it is widely accepted that Facebook is the most influential. The investigation chiefly concerns campaigning ahead of the Brexit referendum in June 2016, but "potentially also ... other campaigns." Effective use of social media helped transform the fate of the underdog U.K. Labour party in the General Election earlier this month. An uplifting campaign, which encouraged legions of young voters to head to the polls, meant that the party added 33 parliamentary seats to its total and helped to erase the majority held by the incumbent Conservative Party. Facebook's potential power over elections lies in its ability to enable political parties and campaign groups to specifically target individuals with advertising. Users are confronted with a closed circle of information, one that is uniquely geared to influence them in a less publicly accepted way than newspapers and television channels.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks to supporters on May 22, 2017 in Goole, England. Matt Cardy | Getty Images

The extent to which governments regulate Facebook's impact on political outcomes remains a grey area. In fact, the Information Commissioner's Office mentions social media only a handful of times in its latest guidance on political campaigning. Facebook does have its own code of practice, though the issue is seemingly playing on the social media behemoth's conscience. In a blog post by the company entitled "Hard Questions" published June 15, one such topic was "Is social media good for democracy?" Miller questioned the argument that the extent of Facebook's influence is limited to younger demographics, saying instead that "If it didn't matter, why are parties spending so much money on it?" According to the U.K.'s Electoral Commission, the Conservative party forked out 1.2 million on social media advertising ahead of the 2015 General Election though both parties are yet to confirm their 2017 spend to CNBC. The simple logic of numbers suggests that targeted campaigning could make a big impact in electoral systems that divide voters into smaller groups, such as the U.K.'s constituencies, where a small margin of voters can cause a seat to swing from one party to another. Miller said that Facebook's "algorithmic accountability (is) more powerful than any newspaper in the world" and that governments "should be looking to change that." Facebook clarified to CNBC via e-mail that it aims to strike a balance between allowing businesses and organizations to advertise while also making sure that its users feel comfortable. Data remains private and is not shared with or sold to third parties, though advertisers can reach people based on interest categories.

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Toxins from household fungi can easily become airborne and cause health problems, a new study has found.

A group of researchers found that three types of fungus that can grow on ordinary household wallpaper can spread into the air. They said the effects of the airborne transmission on human health are understudied.

Fungal toxins, also called mycotoxins, should be taken seriously as a source of indoor air pollution, and so-called sick building syndrome, the researchers said.

"We demonstrated that mycotoxins could be transferred from a moldy material to air, under conditions that may be encountered in buildings," said study co-author Jean-Denis Bailly, a professor of food hygiene at the National Veterinary School of Toulouse in France, in a release. "Thus, mycotoxins can be inhaled and should be investigated as parameters of indoor air quality, especially in homes with visible fungal contamination."

They published the results Friday in the American Society for Microbiology's journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

The researchers said far less research exists on the dangers of airborne fungal toxins than on fungal toxins in foods.

Thus, they focused on three fungi commonly found in contaminated food: Penicillium brevicompactum, Aspergillus versicolor and Stachybotrys chartarum.

The team created a flowing stream of air over a piece of wallpaper contaminated with the three fungi and analyzed samples of the air.

They found that some toxins were present on tiny particles of dust, that people or animals could easily inhale. They also found the different species sent different amounts of fungal toxins into the air, which might allow future researchers to prioritize efforts.

Very little research has been done on the effect of such toxins once they have been inhaled, the researchers said in the release.

Scientists have highlighted the dangers of indoor air pollution before. While much attention is focused on airborne pollutants from car emissions, factories and power plants, others such as household mold, chemical fumes and smoke can pose dangers within the home.

Bailly said energy efficiency efforts may even be exacerbating the problem, as houses are increasingly insulated to save on heating and cooling. These kinds of environments may worsen the development of fungus in moist areas, such as in bathrooms, or appliances that use water, like coffee makers.

"The presence of mycotoxins in indoors should be taken into consideration as an important parameter of air quality," Bailly said.
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Theresa May offered fellow EU leaders a "fair" deal on Thursday for compatriots living in Britain after Brexit, though her peers sounded skeptical and demanded more detail from a prime minister weakened by an electoral misfire two weeks ago.



Given the floor for 10 minutes at the end of a Brussels summit dinner, her first since she launched the two-year withdrawal process in March, May outlined five principles, notably that no EU citizen resident in Britain at a cut-off date would be deported. There are roughly 3 million living there now.



That was, she told them, "a fair and serious offer", a British official said. It was "aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives, and contributing so much to our society".



Promising details on Monday, May also said those EU citizens who had lived in Britain for five years could stay for life.



Those there for less would be allowed to stay until they reach the five-year threshold for "settled status". Red tape for permanent residency would be cut there would be a two-year grace period to avoid "cliff edge" misfortunes. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who earlier said she wanted "far-reaching guarantees", described giving full rights to those in Britain for five years as "a good start" but said many questions remained.

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"It is a first good step which we appreciate," said Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern. "Many details are left open. A lot of European citizens are concerned and not covered by May's proposal. There is a long, long way to go for negotiations."



Other leaders offered few details on their reservations.



May's push to set the cut-off date as early as March 29 this year, is unlikely to wash with many in the European Union, whose position is that nothing must change until Britain leaves -- scheduled for March 30, 2019. And there was much missing from an outline offer which the British previously called "generous".

No discussion

Another sticking point could be May's rejection of another EU demand that expats be able to enforce their rights in the EU court. The source said they would have to accept British judges.



Brussels has been dismissive of May's call for sweeping and quick guarantees for expats, including over a million Britons on the continent, and says only detailed legal texts can reassure and take account of complex, multinational family situations.

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Leaders had agreed with summit chair Donald Tusk not to open discussions with May and she left immediately afterwards, leaving the other 27 to discuss other Brexit issues without her.



They were briefed by Michel Barnier, who launched the Brexit negotiations for them on Monday, and discussed the move of two EU agencies from London after Britain quits.



Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, among others, had made clear that they did not want to be drawn into Brexit talks and wanted to focus on the future of the EU minus Britain.



May seemed keen to calm the mood with the continentals after weeks of sniping during her election campaign, stressing that London wanted a "special and deep partnership with our friends and allies in Europe".



Merkel also expressed a desire for constructive talks with Britain, but made clear that the EU's priority now was its own future: "We will conduct these talks in a good spirit," she said. "But the clear focus has to be on the future of the 27."



France's new president spoke of working with Germany to revive European integration and Macron did not refer at all to Britain during his remarks before talks got under way.

"Not the only dreamer"
He becomes the fifth GOP senator to say he will not back the bill as it is currently written, and the first in Senate Republicans' so-called moderate wing. Some of those lawmakers could eventually change their stances after potential amendments to the plan.

"In this form, I will not support it," Heller said at a news conference with Republican Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said Friday he will not vote for the Senate's Obamacare replacement bill as currently written.

If three Republicans defect, the party cannot reach the majority vote it needs to pass the measure.

Senate Republicans on Thursday morning released a draft of their secretive Obamacare replacement bill, called the "Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017." The plan would repeal Obamacare taxes, restructure subsidies to insurance customers that are based on their incomes and phase out Medicaid's expansion program. It contains some key differences from the version the House passed last month.

Heller and Sandoval said they believe that Obamacare has problems, but raised concerns with the Senate plan's Medicaid provisions. Heller said he thought the bill would harm the elderly, the disabled and people battling substance abuse, adding that he is "not confident" it will lower costs for consumers.

Sandoval said Medicaid expansion provided coverage to about 210,000 people in Nevada. He added that Nevada "is one of the most improved states in the country" in expanding coverage.

"You have to protect Medicaid expansion states. That's what I want. Make sure we're taken care of here in the state of Nevada," Heller said.

The federal government's share of funding for Medicaid, which is jointly run with individual states, would fall over the course of seven years to end up at around 57 percent of the cost of that program, which offers health coverage to the poor.

Under Obamacare, the federal government had guaranteed that its funding for adults newly eligible for Medicaid because of the Affordable Care Act would fall to no lower than 90 percent of their costs. That expansion program would begin being phased out in 2021, and fully repealed three years later.

Heller's position potentially adds to the difficulties the GOP faces in changing the plan to secure votes from at least 50 of its 52 members. The other four Republicans who said they would not back the current bill  Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin  did so because it did not go far enough to repeal Obamacare.

"There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health-care costs," the senators said in a statement Thursday.

Both Paul and Cruz told reporters Thursday that they felt they could get to "yes" votes with tweaks to the proposal. Paul said, "My hope is not to defeat the bill."

But tweaks to appease the four conservatives could alienate Heller and other moderates, or vice versa.

House Republicans barely managed to muster enough votes with a series of last-minute amendments before the chamber passed a highly criticized Obamacare replacement plan last month. That chamber, too, faced opposition from both conservative and moderate pockets.
The locations slated for closure include 18 Sears stores and two Kmart stores, which are located in Sarasota, Florida; Roseville, Michigan; Watchung, New Jersey and East Northport, New York, among other locations, according to Business Insider.

Sears Holdings plans to close 20 more Seritage-owned stores in the U.S. , in addition to the more than 200 closures that have already been announced by the department store chain. The closures were first reported by Business Insider , which said store employees were told about the retailer's plans on Thursday. The news was later confirmed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday morning by real estate investment trust, or REIT, Seritage , which owns the properties. In 2015, Sears sold 235 Sears and Kmart store locations to Seritage as part of an agreement in which Sears Holdings leases the stores back from the REIT. If a store is "unprofitable as defined" in the agreement between the companies, Sears has the option to exit the lease by making a payment equal to one year of rent, a Sears spokesman told CNBC.

A Sears spokesman said the stores are expected to close their doors in mid-September, with liquidation sales beginning by June 30.

"Sears Holdings continues to actively manage our real estate portfolio to identify additional opportunities for reconfiguration and reduction of capital obligations," Sears spokesman Howard Riefs said in a statement following the Seritage filing.

"We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced," Riefs said.

Sears announced its first round of store closures in January, and many people believe the department store chain is headed down a path toward filing for bankruptcy, as the retailer struggles to grow its sales.

Other peers in the mall space, such as Macy's and J.C. Penney , have also seen slowing foot traffic at brick-and-mortar locations, with more and more purchases being rung up online.

Many mall REITs, such as Simon, GGP and Macerich, have been under increasing pressure by analysts and investors, who question how the real-estate landlords will fill vacated anchor boxes, should a department store, like Sears, announce plans to close.

In its filing with the SEC, Seritage said the 20 Sears stores being closed represent 3.8 million square feet of gross leasable area, or GLA, in its real estate portfolio. The aggregate annual base rent at these stores is approximately $11.2 million, or 4.9 percent, of Seritage's total annual base rent as of March 31.

Under their agreement, Sears will continue to pay Seritage rent until the chain fully vacates the 20 stores. Sears will also pay Seritage a termination fee equivalent to one year of the aggregate annual base rent, plus one year of estimated annual operating expenses.

Earlier on Thursday, Sears Canada , which was spun off from Sears in 2012, announced it would be closing a quarter of its stores, or 59 locations, as part of a court-supervised restructuring.
The upcoming Fourth of July celebrations may be a little different for some Mandan and Morton County residents. Due to recent drought conditions both the city and the county have implemented bans to help prevent fires in the area.

Mandan

On June 6 the Mandan City Commission voted to prohibit the use of fireworks within city limits during the Fourth of July holiday, unless drought conditions improved by June 16.

Since conditions did not improve the ban on the use of fireworks was enforced.

City and county officials said there is little chance for the ban to be lifted unless a significant amount of rain falls between now and the holiday.

The city of Mandan said the Mandan Fire Department has extinguished six grass fires since April. Mandan Fire Chief Steve Nardello said that even though open burning is prohibited within city limits, outdoor fire pits with screens or covers are permitted.

Nardello added that the department relies on weather and drought information from the National Weather Service in Bismarck as well as the North Dakota Department of Emergency Service's fire index.

The Fourth of July fireworks display at the Dacotah Centennial Park after the rodeo will not be affected by the ban.

Fireworks cannot be sold in Mandan or Bismarck but can be bought outside city limits. In normal years, Mandan allows fireworks use from noon to midnight on July 2 and July 3 and from noon July 4 to 2 a.m. July 5.

According to the city, violation of Mandans present fireworks ban is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days imprisonment and $1,500 in fines. If a fire is caused by fireworks, additional criminal charges could be added.

"This an unusually dry year, not every year is like this but I think it's essential that we respect the ban," said Mandan City Commissioner Shauna Laber.

Morton County

Morton County's total burn ban went into effect on June 8, and continues until further notice. The ban prohibits the use of any fireworks, agricultural burning and charcoal grills or wood-burning stoves.

According to press release from the county, the mandatory burn ban affects the unincorporated areas in Morton County.

Morton County Commission Chairman Cody Schulz said Tom Doering, county emergency manager, and Mandan Rural Fire Chief Lynn Gustin went before the county commission suggesting a countywide fireworks and burn ban.

"The reason it was done (the ban) is in the interest of public safety. Our hope is that we get some rain between now and the Fourth of July and if that happens we will certainly consider rescinding the burn ban, but until further notice it's going to be in effect, " said Schulz.

Schulz added that people violating the ban would face the same misdemeanor charge as in the city of Mandan.

Lincoln also has implemented a fireworks ban, along with Burleigh County and Bismarck issuing burn bans and Burleigh prohibiting the use of fireworks until further notice.

Chauncy Schultz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Bismarck, said he and the team he works with consistently study weather patterns and are in contact with area officials when there is possible severe weather or drought conditions on the horizon. We really try to communicate both what we think is most likely to happen and perhaps what we think is not particularly but theres a chance of, Schultz said.

The NWS in Bismarck monitors the weather in western and central North Dakota, 36 counties in total.

For updated drought information, visit the NWS website at www.weather.gov/bis. To learn more on the bans in Mandan or Morton County visit www.cityofmandan.com or www.co.morton.nd.us.
President Derek Aberle is hoping that the entry-level smartphone market in China will help drive growth.

Qualcomm may be seeking new areas to sell its chips as it continues to fight several legal battles with , which has stopped paying Qualcomm royalties. Apple believes Qualcomm is overcharging in chip royalties, while Qualcomm believes Apple's iPhone wouldn't be possible without its technology.

China may help hedge any issues on the horizon, should Apple and Qualcomm's battles turn even more sour.

"China is a very large market for smartphones," Aberle said Friday, according to the Japanese financial news agency Nikkei. "It's actually difficult for any company including Qualcomm to be able to work with and support all of the customers in a market that is that large."

Qualcomm will face local competition. Huawei, for example, builds its own Kirin processors, while MediaTek is a popular brand name in entry-level low-cost smartphones.

CNBC reached out to Qualcomm for comment but a spokesperson was not immediately available.

Read the full article from Nikkei here.
India's largest digital payments company Paytm is looking to expand its footprint to include lending services and credit cards for customers, in a move that threatens to shake up the country's traditional banking sector further.

In an interview with CNBC, Chief Financial Officer Madhur Deora said the launch of its pilot lending program would come within weeks.

"Think of it as a credit card but without the card," Deora said Thursday. "So if you don't have money available to you on your Paytm account, you can still do a transaction and you can just pay us later."

The ambitious push into the lending space is the latest step for a company that has seen its user base triple, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulled 86 percent of India's cash from circulation last November.

Demonetization forced the country's unbanked - more than 200 million according to a 2015 PwC report - and millions of offline merchants onto digital payment platforms. Paytm already has 250 million users, and 5 million offline merchants, according to Deora.

The new products would look to build on that by offering interest-free loans in partnership with lending companies, acting as a type of charge card. The company also plans to launch a credit system that would allow users to carry over balances, while paying interest.

"Our ambition is, we want to have wealth management products, which are relevant to the auto rickshaw driver," Deora said.
David Bonderman recently resigned from his position on the board of Uber following news of his sexist remarks. Bloomberg | Getty Images

'Moments later, a male in the room offers up my suggestion.'

Some women recalled moments when they relayed an idea during a meeting, only to have a male colleague chime in later and claim it as his own. "I work in the oil and gas and power generation industry, and I am surrounded by mostly males. "I offer suggestions and comments during meetings, and often my suggestions do not even get acknowledged. Then, moments later, a male in the room offers up my suggestion and claims it as his own, and everyone acts real supportive and cheers it on, so to speak. "I have been on email threads with a team of colleagues, and if I state a fact that is not in agreement with what one of my male co-workers has said, he sends me a message later telling me that I need to 'soften my responses' to him. "I have been told by friends and family members that have not seen me for a while that I speak 'with such authority,' even just in friendly conversation outside of work, and that I 'sort of talk more like a guy.' I am certain I picked this up at work, as I need to seem as 'unfeminine' as possible in order to be taken seriously."  Jennifer Kelly "I am a [male to female] transgender engineer working for a large aerospace company. I transitioned mid-career. I have found that prior to my transition, my input and opinions in meetings were regarded and considered. Post-transition, I could render an opinion or assertion, and it seems that only when a male colleague affirms the same assertion, only then is it taken seriously. He will then get credit for the idea. This is apart to constantly being interrupted while speaking. "If anyone wants to proclaim that this type of behavior does not exist, I have my life, lived in two genders, to refute this."  Christienne Frank

A male colleague said, 'I'm sure you know a lot about cleaning.' People chuckled.

Some women shared stories about having sexist remarks hurled at them during meetings or having their contributions ignored. "I am an associate professor in informatics with a Ph.D. in Computer Science. Most recently, while at a meeting discussing faculty hires, I was explaining how a job candidate (who was a man) should not be hired for our faculty slot because he had never worked with medical data, which is sparse, messy and needs a lot of cleaning. "I was cut off after the 'cleaning' part by a male colleague saying, 'I'm sure you know a lot about cleaning.' People chuckled."  Name Withheld "At a former company, the C-suite was dominated by men, but management was predominantly women. I remember sitting with two other intelligent women waiting for the C.E.O., and when he walked in, he looked around and said, 'Where are all the guys?' "If he had only realized that we were the ones getting stuff done."  Jen Pinner "I am a retired attorney in California. I was having a telephone discussion with a male attorney during which I was vigorously advocating my client's position. Mid-sentence, I was interrupted by the male attorney who said, 'I think you need to take a Midol and call me back when you feel better.' Although I was outraged at this sexist and ridiculous comment, I chose to ignore it and continued making my argument. The male attorney then hung up on me."  Linda Castro "I worked in investment banking and was the only female in the team for awhile. "I've been told, 'The only reason you would be in the boardroom is if you were bringing us tea.' When I said that was out of line, I was told that I couldn't take a joke. I raised this with the head of the division, and he refused to believe me. "The same head of the division had commented when I asked about overseas transfer opportunities. I was asked: 'Why do you want to go overseas? To find a man?' "I pushed my direct boss to do something about it and to his credit he did try. But sure enough I was ostracized for speaking up and complaining. "What the experience tells me is that it's a top-down cultural issue. If the senior leaders are not serious about it or held accountable for it, there's no hope for the rest of the team."  Name Withheld "I was the only female partner on a consulting team bidding for some client work. And I was the only one who had significant experience and expertise in this particular situation. And yet my input was significantly ignored. When I showed my frustration I was publicly and privately chastised, and threatened with, 'If you behave like this ... I'm not sure you should be consulting to clients.' This was 25 years into my consulting career."  Mel Lowe

'I was told that he made more because he was the head of his household.'

Some women spoke broadly of the gender pay gap, but many shared specific stories of being paid less than a male counterpart. "One of my most recent favorites was during an annual performance review. I was told I wasn't getting a raise (not even a cost-of-living increase), so I was a bit taken aback. My manager's response? 'It doesn't matter. Your money is just for fun, anyway.'"  Name Withheld

'I have never felt undervalued for regressive gender roles.'

While most women recalled numerous instances of sexism and gender bias in the workplace, others praised a culture of inclusivity. "I have had very positive experiences in my workplace. That may surprise people because I am an assistant professor of theology at an evangelical Christian university in the Midwest. Christians, especially conservative evangelicals, have a reputation for regressive gender roles. "I have never felt undervalued or had my voice stifled, even when I am the only female on a committee. My male colleagues understand (or are at least trying to understand) the importance of being advocates for full inclusion of women. "I think the major difference in my situation is my university's theological commitment to gender equality. Sometimes we women, especially liberal activist women like me, can get so deep into the mire of sexism that we can lose sight of the fact that progress is being made, and there are places where women really do have it good."  Miranda Zapor Cruz

'I've had men ask, "Is there a man I can talk to?"'
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Valuations of U.S. bank stocks are being hit by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding their industry which has been the focus of concerted regulatory attention in recent years, according to a banking analyst at Rafferty Capital Markets. Given President Trump's pledge to prioritize the rolling back of many of the stricter oversight initiatives introduced in recent years, the regulatory gyrations are only expected to continue. This means that banks such as Citi are likely to keep sitting on their whopping capital piles in a continuing state of paralysis, Dick Bove told CNBC's Street Signs on Friday.

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"They have no vision, they have no future outlook which says 'this is what's going to be happening in this industry five years from now, this is how much capital we're going to have, this is how we're going to deploy it to grow our earnings'" claimed Bove, pointing to the robust capital positions reflected across the board in the Fed's latest round of stress tests carried out on 34 U.S. banks as evidence of the capital stockpiling underway. "What it (the stress test) shows is that the American banks are not having any difficulties at the moment. It indicates that they can generate staggering amounts of capital over relatively short periods," he continued, before turning to the detrimental impact the opacity has on the sector's relative stock market performance. "What you have is kind of a mess in terms of trying to figure out what these companies are, what they're doing, where they're going - and that keeps the multiples on these stocks relatively low," he added.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day. STOCKS/ECONOMY -Stock futures are lower after Thursday's mixed close. Expect heavier volume today because of a rebalancing in the Russell 2000. We also get manufacturing and services PMI reports this morning. QATAR IMPASSE -Saudi Arabia and its top allies have issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar in negotiations to end the economic blockade against it that the Saudis began earlier this month. The demands include cutting off funding to the Muslim Brotherhood, closing a Turkish airbase in Qatar, and pulling the plug forever on Al Jazeera. AIRLINE WARS -American Airlines CEO Doug Parker has written a letter to his employees sharply criticizing the Qatar Airways offer to buy 10 percent of the company. OIL/ENERGY -U.S. crude oil prices are up a bit but still at the $42 a barrel level. OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT -The Senate GOP unveiled its Obamacare replacement bill Thursday, but four Republican Senators have already come out against it. They do say, however, that they are still willing to negotiate. BANK HEALTH -All 34 major U.S. banks passed their Dodd Frank-imposed stress tests. Now we await next week's approvals or nixing of their capital plans. TERROR/DEFENSE -North Korea is testing a rocket engine most likely for use in an ICBM. TRUMP TRADE -The U.S. is banning beef imports from Brazil over safety concerns. -The Boeing plant in South Carolina where President Donald Trump spoke this year is laying off 200 workers. -Top Congressional leaders from both parties are pushing back against President Trump's proposed steel tariff.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Fayez Nureldine | AFP | Getty Images
"Our patent laws are losing strength, and as a result, the U.S. is losing its competitive edge. This year, the United States fell from first to tenth in the world in patent-system strength as ranked by U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the creation of new startups in the U.S. has slowed."

But our patent laws are losing strength, and as a result, the U.S. is losing its competitive edge. This year, the United States fell from first to tenth in the world in patent-system strength as ranked by U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the creation of new startups in the U.S. has slowed. In 2015, the United States' share of the world's venture capital fell to 54 percent, down from 83 percent in 1996, according to a recent report from the National Venture Capital Association. Meanwhile, just in the last few years, both China and India have doubled their share of this funding.

These statistics should worry all of us.

Why are we falling behind? A few reasons:

First, thanks to recent changes, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can now reconsider whether it should have granted a patent in the first place, which has made it too difficult for people to protect their inventions. Some inventors' patents are challenged over and over again, in proceedings that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Small businesses, let alone garage inventors, can't afford the costs to take on big corporations that infringe on their rights.

Second, even an inventor that wins these court and agency battles can end up with little to show for it. Many courts require the infringer only to pay the inventor the value of a license, instead of forcing them to pull products with another's technology off the shelves. That's like telling a homeowner that he cannot force out a squatter but instead can only claim "reasonable rent," even after winning a lawsuit. It leaves small businesses little leverage when negotiating with bigger companies, which can take the inventor's idea and refuse to pay until the court orders them to. This destroys the patent's ability to protect the idea's market value.

These legal changes have been a real detriment to our ability to innovate and grow. That's why we've introduced the STRONGER Patents Act in the Senate this week. Our bill would place limits on how many times the Patent Office can reconsider a patent. It would also make sure the courts treat patent rights just like any other property right.

The challenges we face as a country need the attention of our inventors. Our inventors, in turn, need the backing of our laws, so they can get the funding they need to turn their innovations into the next revolutionary breakthroughs that we see in the marketplace.

The STRONGER Patents Act will help our intellectual property laws keep up with the innovators, so their ideas can fuel the American economy for generations to come, just as the Founders envisioned.

Commentary by Chris Coons, a Democratic United States Senator from Delaware and Tom Cotton, a Republican United States Senator from Arkansas. Follow them on Twitter @SenTomCotton and @ChrisCoons.

Follow CNBC's Opinion section on Twitter @CNBCopinion.
Radio anchor and producer Antonia Gonzales has featured countless indigenous people on her program, National Native News, and the issues she has covered include the recent Native-led protest over the Dakota Access Pipeline. Gonzales spent 10 days reporting from Bismarck and the nearby Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

She said she arrived at possibly the worst time possible: during a December blizzard where blinding snow raged across the prairie and temperatures fell far below zero.

She likened the challenges of reporting on the protest on radio to serving as a foreign correspondent. Gonzales said she hopes reporting on the protest and other threats against Native culture and sacred lands will continue, and she hopes relationships in North Dakota can continue to be fostered between Native and non-Native people and organizations.

The undertold story is the relationship building that has to occur in North Dakota, said Gonzales during a recent visit to Rapid City, S.D.

Gonzales, 38, a member of the Navajo Nation, is a prominent member of the small but committed contingent of Native American journalists in the United States and Canada. The National Native News program features a five-minute daily segment of radio stories told mainly by freelance journalists from across the world.

While proud of her Indian heritage and culture, Gonzales told the Rapid City audience of about 75 people that she considers herself a journalist first when on the job and approaches each news event or story with the same ethical, objective mindset required of any journalist, Native or otherwise.

And yet, Gonzales said she and other Native journalists do bring a unique perspective and understanding that allows a deeper look into both the triumphs and tragedies that become news on reservations and within indigenous populations.

"I want to give indigenous people a voice and tell stories about what's really going on, the challenges being overcome," said Gonzales, a married mother of two boys who lives in Albuquerque, N.M. "I see a need for Native journalists to tell their stories, at all levels, not just in Native communities."

Gonzales offered one example of how Native journalists, or those non-Native journalists who string for her network, saw a different side to a major news event. After the federal Environmental Protection Agency mistakenly released 3 million gallons of orange wastewater from the Gold King Mine into the Animas River in Colorado in August 2015, most of the mainstream media coverage focused on the ecological damage to the river and EPA's culpability, Gonzales said.

But Gonzales took a different angle, instead focusing on how the fouled water had hampered the ability of Navajo Nation residents to provide clean water for their families and corn crops.

"People had no alternative to using that water," she said, noting that the suffering of those Native people was missed by most of the media. "I saw how much it hurt people because corn is so important to the Navajo culture."

Gonzales said the mainstream media has a long way to go to understand Native culture and Native peoples in order to develop solid source relationships and to tell stories that go beyond statistics and impressions that can at times seem dire.

"We know our people, we know our communities and we have a different perspective," she said.

Gonzales has recently taken up the cause of "solution journalism," in which the reporting tends to seek out ways in which people found success tackling systemic issues, and then offers that way forward as a model for other individuals and communities.

She said she often finds that Native youth are where positive change and forward-looking ideas germinate, which gives her hope for a bright future for indigenous people. As one who was mentored in her craft and now takes on a mentoring role herself with students, Gonzales said she is hopeful that Native young people will go to school, learn a profession or craft, then return to their reservations or hometowns to perpetuate the lessons they learned and the skills they have mastered.

She said journalists should not just cover Native issues when there is controversy or crisis, but rather should focus on the many positive things taking place in indigenous communities.

In order to foster future positive relationships between Native and non-Native populations and communities, Gonzales urged both journalists and non-journalists alike to remain curious and kind, and respectfully ask their neighbors about their culture, their language, their identity, their challenges and their hopes and dreams.

"Be a human, go into a community," Gonzales urged. "These are your neighbors, so visit them and learn about them."
HRH Queen Elizabeth II arrives on day two of Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 21, 2017 in Ascot, England Bryn Lennon | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Every year during the month of in June, horse racing enthusiasts descend upon the British town of Ascot, to see if they can win big on the races and show off the latest fashion trends. Royal Ascot is beloved by many, with some 300,000 racegoers attending the five-day event every year  including the royal family, who always make sure the time honored tradition is part of their social calendar. As the internationally renowned event sees people from across the world descend upon the British town, CNBC takes a look at some of the glitz and glamor seen during the event.

A royal day out

Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Eugenie of York, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Princess Beatrice of York are seen in the Parade Ring as they attend Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 22, 2017 Chris Jackson | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Ascot racecourse has a very majestic upbringing. The racecourse itself dates back more than 300 years and was founded by Queen Anne in 1711; however it would take a while longer for "Royal Ascot" to materialize as an event. Several monarchs have since carried on the tradition of visiting and supporting the racecourse. Fast forward and it has become a favorite for the current British monarchy, with the Queen being an owner, breeder and long-lasting fan of thoroughbred horses. Members of the royal family make a regular appearance at the event, with the Royal Procession  where the queen and members of the her family arrive along the racing track in horse-drawn carriages  traditionally taking place each day of Royal Ascot.

Top hats for a top day

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 20, 2017 Samir Hussein | WireImage | Getty Images

One of the most iconic traditions of Royal Ascot is the top hat. While not every male attendee wears a top hat, some ticket areas of the racecourse  which tend to cost more  enforce a strict dress code, stating that the accessory must be worn.

Standing out from the crowd

Racegoers attend Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in June 2017 Getty Images Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage | Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment | Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Entertainment

When it comes to Royal Ascot, fashion is the name of the game. Whether racegoers rent or buy their outfits and accessories, making a statement is definitely a time honored tradition. That's especially true, when it comes to the hat designs.

Security in full force

An armed police officer patrols around Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 21, 2017 in Ascot, England. Jack Taylor | Getty Images Entertainment| Getty Images

A popular event such as Royal Ascot isn't alien to having security on site. In light of the recent U.K. terror attacks however, security measures have been intensified at this year's event. Extensive dog, bag and physical search procedures for attendees' protection have been implemented across the racecourse's entrances, to ensure safety at the event. The horse racing event also chose to open on the first day with a minute's silence, in light of the recent tragedies.

The queen takes center stage

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waves as she travels by horse-drawn carriage to arrive on day one of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet, in Ascot, west of London, on June 20, 2017. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS | AFP | Getty Images

While seeing any member of the British royal family would leave one star-struck, Queen Elizabeth II tends to cause the most excitement among racegoers. For starters, what the queen wears to each day of the event tends to get people talking, with people even placing bets on what color the monarch's hat will be at certain days of Royal Ascot. Meanwhile, being an owner and breeder of several thoroughbred horses, Royal Ascot will often see some of the queen's horses race during the five-day event. You can normally spot the horse by its jockey, who wears the queen's racing colors: a purple body with gold braid, scarlet sleeves, and black velvet cap with gold fringe, according to the racecourse's website.

Place your bets

Le Brivido with Pierre-Charles Boudot up wins the Jersey Stakes at Ascot Racecourse on June 21, 2017 in Ascot, England. Horsephotos | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

During Royal Ascot, racegoers can often be found near the bookmakers, looking at the odds for each horse to see whether they can win big and end the day on a profit.

Strict dress code

Views of the crowd on day 1 of Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 20, 2017 in Ascot, England Chris Jackson | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Appearance is key at Ascot Racecourse. According to a 2014 report by Deloitte, attendees spent a total of 33 million ($42 million), solely on fashion and beauty treatments for the racecourse's events during 2013. In order to uphold Royal Ascot's reputation and prestige, the racecourse announced in 2012 that it was tightening its dress code for its top enclosures, meaning both men and women had to wear smart attire, and either have to  or are recommended  to wear a hat or headpiece, depending on the ticket arena. Outside of Ascot week, these rules tend to be relaxed somewhat however, smart attire is still advised or enforced.

Ladies Day

Racegoers mingle around the parade ring as they attend Ladies Day at the Royal Ascot horse racing meet, in Ascot, west of London, on June 22, 2017. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS | AFP | Getty Images

Traditionally, the Gold Cup  supposedly "Royal Ascot's oldest and best loved race"  tends to take place on the third day of Royal Ascot, colloquially known as Ladies' Day. Aside from the highly coveted Gold Cup, Ladies' Day is seen as one of the most renowned moments for attendees to dress in their best race-going outfits. If you're an attendee, expect to come across many fancy hats and colorful dresses.

Picnics in the sun

Racegoers enjoy a picnic in front of the grandstand on Ladies Day at the Royal Ascot horse racing meet, in Ascot, west of London, on June 22, 2017. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS | AFP | Getty Images

Watching the horses race by isn't the only major event many people partake in leisurely at Ascot. For many who choose to view the races from the ground level, having a picnic is quite a familiar sight.

A favorite among the famous

Royal Ascot 2017: Piers Morgan | Nathalie Emmanuel | Bernie Ecclestone Getty Images Credit: DMC/GC Images | Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images Entertainment | Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images Entertainment
Sears is trying something new.

The department store chain announced on Thursday it opened its first Sears-branded appliance and mattress store in Pharr, Texas.



Word of the new store comes the same day reports surfaced that Sears is planning to close an additional 20 Sears and Kmart locations across the U.S. That's on top of the more than 200 stores it's already slated to close this year.

This first-of-its-kind store for Sears showcases appliance brand Kenmore, and mattresses from Tempur-Pedic, Beautyrest, Sealy and Serta, among other well-known labels, the retailer said.

Plans are also underway to open additional freestanding Sears stores dedicated to these two categories  what Sears is calling "two of its strongest." Dating back to the department store chain's early days, appliances have always been a part of Sears' so-called bread and butter.

The Texas store's manager, Albert Silva, told CNBC his store is about 20,000 square feet with 22 employees so far, and he plans to hire more. At Thursday's ribbon cutting, Silva said he saw a supportive showing from the local community, with many people excited about the brand's return to Pharr.

Back in 2015, Sears closed a full-line store a few miles down the road. Many shoppers had grown to rely on Sears for household items, so the chain's return  now in a slightly different format  is promising, Silva added.

Pharr is also situated about three miles from Mexico, so international "border business" should really help Sears' new store thrive, the manager said.

Notably, even though this store is branded as only selling mattresses and appliances, Sears said, shoppers can order any item from the company's website and pick it up at the new Texas store without paying any shipping fees.

"Our members tell us they want an integrated and seamless shopping experience," the company said in a statement. "They want to shop on their own terms  which means sometimes shopping online, sometimes visiting a store and sometimes a combination of both."

Last year, Sears introduced a similar new store concept in Fort Collins, Colorado, selling only appliances. This latest launch in Texas is a bid to replicate the success Sears has seen in Colorado, the retailer said, adding the Colorado store has "surpassed projections since its opening."

Silva said he's only been working at Sears for three months but is excited about the growth potential of the new store concept. "We are trailblazers of what the future is."

It's a rare spot of optimism for the troubled retailer, which warned earlier this year that there were doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern.

In order to fend off a possible bankruptcy, Sears has been closing hundreds of underperforming locations, conserving cash as its sales shrink.

While this smaller-format store may be a less expensive way to continue to keep the Sears brand in front of consumers, it will be difficult to expand this strategy widely given the retailer's heavy debt load.

"In some ways [this store] makes sense," GlobalData Retail's Managing Director Neil Saunders told CNBC. "Sears is best known for appliances and mattresses, and that's where its strengths still lie. A stand-alone store in the right location is more likely to attract customers. ... The format looks good and incorporates technologies and services that customers will value."

The biggest issue, though, is that this is a "drop in the ocean" compared to the wider problems at Sears, Saunders said.

The landscape remains competitive, and more and more home-improvement companies want a share of the appliance category, he added. "Sears has its work cut out to compete."
The world's second-largest economy has made waves recently with its fast-growing tech sector, marking what experts say is a noticeable shift away from the old image of a copycat China. And it's a move that China needs  looking toward the new economy driven by the private sector and entrepreneurship.

China will again host the World Economic Forum's annual June meeting, often called Summer Davos, and innovation is in the spotlight.

"Technology and China  these two words actually go together now," said Jenny Lee of GGV Capital. "It used to be in the past, people would ask me if there was real technology in China, if there's innovation  the whole market has changed."

China has its fair share of tech giants, including Alibaba , Baidu and Tencent , firms that have changed how Chinese consumers operate by providing a variety of services. Some are even making a big splash in artificial intelligence, which entrepreneurs say will be the next big thing to shake up the world.

The country is also now home to 50 unicorns  private companies worth more than $1 billion  according to CB Insights. Some are even expanding globally within their first year of operation, and experts are expecting a wave of Chinese tech IPOs to come soon.

"The China market itself is huge, so it's very important to first focus on the Chinese market, but there are a lot of things that are common that can run even in neighboring markets," said Anu Hariharan of Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator. There's "plenty of interest in expanding globally  for example, (Uber competitor) Didi is operating in Brazil."

Eyes will also be on how China continues to position itself on the world stage. In January, President Xi Jinping became the first Chinese leader to give a speech at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. His message positioned China as a global connector and leader, and it's one Beijing has continued to push.
Oil prices fell sharply this week on concerns about global oversupply, but now might be the time to buy the commodity, according to one strategist. and have both fallen around 4 percent so far this week, leaving it in a technical bear market as prices are down more than 20 percent so far this year. Brent fell below $45 for the first time this year on Thursday before recovering. Prices have fallen on concerns of high global inventories and increasing production from several countries, according to Miswin Mahesh, oil market analyst with Energy Aspects. "(The falling price) reflects ample supplies of light sweet crude in the Atlantic. Higher output from Libya, Nigeria; and offers of North Sea crude from floating storage are looming on the market," he told CNBC via email on Tuesday.

Crude oil sprays from a well bucket. Getty Images

But with oil prices at current levels, this might be an opportunity for investors to pick up cheap futures contracts. Nannette Hechler-Fayd'herbe, global head of investment strategy & research at Credit Suisse, says her firm will be buyers oil at this price. "Since the coming up of shale oil in the U.S., (oil) has been caught up in this broad range between $40 and $60 and we are again testing this lower bound. Whether one likes it or not, there are a number of shale producers that are really not going to look very profitable at this moment," she told CNBC's Squawk Box on Friday. "So production is likely at this point to react a bit more than what we have all been expecting in the last half year, Also the inventories are starting to be drawn."

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The Senate health-care bill has sharpened the central political question surrounding the 2017 Republican agenda: Will the voters who made Donald Trump president rebel?

Like the House health-care bill, the Senate version would roll back Obamacare's expansion of insurance coverage under Medicaid. While cutting Obamacare's taxes on the rich, it would shrink both subsidies and requirements on insurers for coverage on exchange marketplaces, leaving many beneficiaries with skimpier protection and higher deductibles.



Those changes threaten financial hardship for the very constituency that won Trump the 2016 Republican nomination and tipped the electoral votes that put him in the White House.



They violate his explicit pledges to protect Medicaid from cuts and reduce their out of pocket expenses for health care.



Yet that doesn't mean those voters will lash out if Congress enacts the cuts and Trump signs them. As an in-depth recent examination of the president's supporters shows, they backed him for different reasons.



A broad-based group of analysts conducted the study with support from the Democracy Fund. Emily Ekins of the libertarian Cato Institute identified five distinct groups of Trump voters.



Most of them are consistent Republicans. The least loyal Republican group, which formed the core of Trump's support for the nomination from the beginning, is what Ekins calls "American Preservationists."



She described this segment  about 20 percent of Trump backers overall  as having relatively low levels of income and formal education. They are the most likely Republican group to be on Medicaid and to be disabled.



These voters lean left on economic issues such as trade, income inequality, anger at Wall Street and support for federal entitlement programs. For those reasons, Trump's rhetoric about protecting entitlement programs and raising taxes on the rich offered a natural fit.



But so did Trump's tough stance on immigration and harsh words for Mexicans crossing the border. Overwhelmingly white like other Trump voters, "American Preservationists" also hold distinctive views on race.



They "have a strong sense of their own racial identity  and believe that anti-white discrimination is as pervasive as other forms of discrimination," Ekins wrote. "They have cooler feelings toward minorities. They agree in overwhelming numbers that real Americans need to have been born in America, or have lived here most of their lives, and be Christian."



And the study found that those views of racial solidarity helped propel Trump's general election victory more than his "populism" on trade or entitlements.



"What stands out most," concluded George Washington University political scientist John Sides, "is the attitudes that became more strongly related to the vote in 2016: attitudes about immigration, feelings toward black people and feelings toward Muslims."



As president, Trump has reflected their attitudes through a series of actions. His administration has toughened immigration enforcement, pursued his travel ban targeted at six majority-Muslim nations, and targeted Obama administration initiatives designed to change law enforcement and sentencing practices.



Though five months of controversy have eroded the president's public standing, polls show Trump retains backing from roughly 8 in 10 Republicans. What's unclear now is whether a direct hit from health-care legislation could trigger accelerated fallout among his base of white working-class support.



In the swing states Trump carried, those voters gained health insurance coverage in large numbers from Obamacare. They included 376,000 whites without college degrees in Ohio, 355,000 in Michigan, and 242,000 in Pennsylvania, according to an Urban Institute analysis.



Trump states such as Kentucky (279,000), Arkansas (128,000) West Virginia (119,000), also reduced the proportion of noncollege whites without health insurance by 47 percent or more. All have Republican senators who have wavered on the legislation.



Yet few doubt that Trump will sign whatever health bill House and Senate Republicans agree on  and count on his ability to hold his core supporters. The same is true of forthcoming tax-reform legislation, which from all available indications will confer disproportionate benefits on the wealthiest Americans.



"I'm not sure they will punish him," said Sides. The economy is currently healthy, insurance cutbacks will take years to phase in, and Trump's emotional bond with those voters has been strong.



Republican House members and some senators, however, must face voters in 2018, two years before Trump does. An economic downturn could upset their calculus.



Their relationship with Trump voters is also different than Trump's. Next week's planned Senate vote will test whether they share his confidence.
Tyra Banks speaks at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Paras Griffin | Getty Images

Banks taught the branding course last month to students whose ventures ranged from creating a life-saving device, to initiatives aimed at transforming the current political culture. In addition to having the 25 pupils define their brand, they learned how to communicate it through various media and how to represent it in their personal appearance so that the public "at the blink of an eye can recognize you, from the way you look, to the way you sound, to the words you use, to the pictures that you post. ... I think the more obsessed you are, the better chance you have of breaking through the clutter.'' Once your brand is established, Banks says, "the most important thing is to watch your competition and to see if your brand that is now very successful is being copied, because when people see something that's good, everybody jumps on that bandwagon.'' Banks has learned that first hand. "I pivot constantly in my career,'' she says, adding that when she notices the competition, she thinks " 'Oh no, you will not catch up. ... Boo, don't you know you should just make up your own thing, because we're about to change this, and you're going to look obsolete because you're going to be copying something that I don't even do anymore?' And that's why the other shows have not worked.'' Another tip that Banks' students received came from a social media expert, Gary Vaynerchuk, who informed them that posting messages, photos and tweets shouldn't feel like a chore. "You need to focus and you need to be great at it,'' Banks says, "so if you're on every single platform, but you only like a couple of them, get off of those. ... platforms and focus on the ones that you like.''

Tyra Banks speaks at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and rings the closing bell. Kelly Sullivan | Getty Images

Banks, who is now mother to a 1-year-old son, York, said that such balance is important in other aspects of life. A few years ago, she was gracing magazine covers not because of her modeling career, but because of her television success and business acumen. She was chosen for Time magazine's 100 most influential people, became one of Glamour's women of the year, and at one point simultaneously hosted America's Top Model and her own talk show. "I was on fire,'' she says. "I was so successful. ... but I was exhausted and I was sad.'' She recalls preparing to interview then-Senator Barack Obama for her talk show, and rather than have her staff review his writings and prepare notes, she insisted on reading Obama's books herself. "I was really going overboard,'' she says, to the point "where I probably would have had to go to the hospital if I didn't slow down.'' But after her son was born, "I definitely focused on him. I didn't do any work at all for months."
Morton County commissioners will be considering sunsetting and rezoning the recreational district at the recommendation of the Morton County Planning and Zoning Commission.

If you have a zoning district, its supposed to accomplish a goal for your community, said Natalie Pierce, director of Morton County's Planning and Zoning Department. The recreational district, right now, is acting like a free-for-all. Anything goes. We dont need it, its not a useful district."

The recreational district, made up of about 410 landowners, is one of the original zoning districts established in 1967.

Landowners, however, are concerned about losing their unique designation.

Living in this area where we have the wildlife, we have the river  it makes it special, and I want our area to be listed as that, said Morton County resident Linda Semmon. If Im simply residential, it could mean the same as living in town and I dont. Why not categorize these areas, then, as recreational residential?

About 56,000 acres of land in Morton County has been placed in the recreational district. Most of the parcels are within walking distance of the Missouri River.

Though the recreational district was intended to be reserved for public recreation, actual uses vary from residential subdivisions to large-scale agricultural operations.

Its hodgepodge of uses includes agriculture and ranching, residential lots, cemeteries/church properties, government and institutional land, county parks and campgrounds, conservation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land, commercial and industrial.

What I can tell you is the deer are not going to move out because this gets designated as something else, Pierce said. And the view is not going to go away. Just zoning something residential does not mean that it becomes urban. Its not going to change how special that area is.

The way it is now, its virtually unenforceable," said Andy Zachmeier, planning and zoning commissioner. "Its too wide open. Its not enforceable. The recreational district is not a usable tool any longer."

Last month, Morton County commissioners approved a new set of zoning districts that will help facilitate the sunsetting of the recreational district. The new parks and recreation district will account for 4.3 percent of the 56,000 acres, if the rezoning goes into effect.

In the beginning, the powers that be at that time were painting with a very broad brush, Pierce said. This is probably a bit of overkill in terms of setting aside park land, or recreational land.

County commissioners will vote on the sunsetting of the recreational district at a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the County Commission Room of the Morton County Courthouse.

"If there is a right that you're losing because of the zone change, please let the county commission know by Tuesday's meeting," Zachmeier said. "We might have overlooked something. If it needs to be fixed, we'll do the best we can to fix it."
No one is worried about the sandwich. Instead, they're monitoring the wind conditions and the weather patterns. For weeks, they've been testing pressure chambers and solar panels. There is a robotic arm to check, and all of the cameras have to be tested. But the chicken sandwich? It will be fine. Frozen, but fine.

Sometime this week (maybe Saturday), Kentucky Fried Chicken , in cooperation with Arizona-based World View Enterprises  a launch provider company aiming to pioneer "the edge of space" will send a KFC Zinger Chicken Sandwich to space. Or rather, to the edge of space, to the stratosphere, where it will hang out for a few days, hovering above the earth sending videos and selfies back down to the surface as part of a months-long advertising campaign. Up in the stratosphere, there's less gravity, but at temperatures as low as minus 90 degrees, the sandwich will be pretty frozen, safe and pretty.

@WorldViewSpace: #Zinger1 has been scrubbed today due to increased ground wind conditions. Next launch attempt looks like Saturday. Check back for updates

"I mean, we're taking a chicken sandwich to space," says Jane Pontyer, the CEO of World View Enterprises, laughing. "It certainly has a pretty significant giggle factor to it." What's even more laughable is that KFC and World View aren't even the first ones to bother with this same stunt. For at least five years, civilians and companies alike have been shooting food and beverages into space for publicity and laughs. But how on earth do you pull it off?

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To be exact, the KFC Zinger, in all its space flight glory, isn't actually going to space: It's going up to the stratosphere, which is technically not "space," to hang out for a few days. The stratosphere is part of the earth's atmosphere (between the trophosphere and mesophere, for those of you who care). There's still gravity there, though a tiny bit less, and it extends up to about 31 miles above the earth.

When we hear about someone sending something to space, they are almost always sending it into the stratosphere. To get something all the way out of earth's atmosphere requires a rocket, and rockets are expensive. The fuel and oxidizer alone for Space X's 9 v.10 rocket  aka the notable March 2017 rocket launch by billionaire Elon Musk's "space transport company"  cost an estimated $200,000. Estimates put the cost of the reusable rocket launch at $5,113 per pound, or about $6 million. But to get to the stratosphere, all you really need is a very fancy balloon.

The balloons that World View operates look like jellyfish while they inflate. Similar to hot air balloons, the "stratollites" inflate on the ground and travel straight up. But unlike a hot air balloon, they are closed at the bottom and inflated with helium. The balloons cost less, can be rapidly deployed, and can hover over a specific location for days, weeks, or months. The balloons can carry up to 4,500kg of material and return to the ground at a very specific location. They are very fancy balloons.

For the KFC stunt, the sandwich will be staying in the stratosphere for four days thanks to the development of World View's stratolitte, which will be equipped with sensors, cameras, and all sorts of other instruments that will allow ground control to monitor the flight as well as direct where the stratolitte flies.

"Up in the stratosphere there is almost no air, so you cannot fly the way you'd fly in an airplane," Pontyer says. "The easiest way I can explain it is that we are trying to sail the stratosphere." Pontyer explains that the stratosphere is made up of winds that go in different directions on different levels. By changing altitude, then, the balloon can be moved into different wind streams (found using its onboard laser pulse technology) that will take it where they want to go. World View's balloons also have the capability to hover over a single spot by moving up and down between wind stream rapidly, via ground control.

Versions of stratolittes are affordable enough that amateurs have used them to send food (and other things) to the stratosphere. One of the earliest Internet-documented examples comes from five Harvard students, who sent a hamburger to the stratosphere in 2012. They sprayed the hamburger with varnish to protect it from the wind, attached a GoPro camera to it, and inflated a balloon. They claimed that their space hamburger reached 90,000 feet before the balloon popped and their hamburger tumbled back down to earth 130 miles away, where they retrieved it from a tree. Since then, amateurs have sent cheese pizza, Coors Light, potato chips, volleyballs, lamb chops, and a disgusting-looking pink icing donut to space. In fact, anyone can send stuff to the stratosphere now. The site sentintospace.com offers a basic kit  including a balloon, locator, space box, and parachute  for $225.00.

But these missions, if you can call them that, are simple and rudimentary compared to the projects being planned and executed by brands. Jose Cuervo used a similar process to send a margarita to space. Using the space program JP Aerospace  a volunteer-based DIY space program  the company launched a margarita in a shaker up into the stratosphere with a balloon in 2015.

The only company to send a food-type-thing all the way out of the earth's atmosphere and into space (kind of) is the Oregon-based Ninkasi Brewing Company, which sent a canister of yeast into 77 miles up into the exosphere, the outermost layer of the earth's atmosphere, before it fell back down to earth and was turned into a beer called "Ground Control." As Wired noted, "Space beer, if nothing else, is quite the conversation starter," and that alone seems to be the aim of these projects.

"The challenge was how do we make it a really big deal," says George Felix, KFC's director of advertising. "The colonel was the ultimate chicken salesman. He believed every day was a great day for fried chicken. He never cut corners, and so we aren't either."

And the Zinger's trip to the stratosphere is certainly like none other before it. Pontyer says World View has been working on the technology to perform this kind of flight for a couple of years now, but that its work with KFC has been pretty rapid fire: They've only been planning this mission for a couple of months. "It sounds pretty simple," she says. "You're going to slap a sandwich underneath a balloon and take it to space! How hard could it be?"

Pretty hard, she explains. Not because of the balloon, but because of all the things KFC, the client, want the stratolitte to be able to do. It wants HD video footage coming down from the sandwich in real time, and a communication system that works. And of course, World View had to ensure that its first passenger, the sandwich, would be safe. The Zinger will be traveling in a bucket designed to look like KFC products, with a clear lid so that the sandwich can be easily photographed. All of this raises costs. Pontyer won't confirm how much this mission costs, since a lot of money has been needed to continue development on the stratolitte, but she says that if I wanted to do the same thing without all the bells and whistles with  say  a brownie, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars.

There have been all kinds of tests on the vehicle/ KFC bucket/sandwich home at World View's new 135,000-square-foot headquarters outside of Tucson, Arizona: vacuum chambers, thermal chambers, altitude testing, and ground testing of all sorts. The glimpses of this testing are hilarious. It's utterly ridiculous to see a sandwich inside a bubble dome like a space helmet sitting in the middle of a giant metal room.

"It's fabulously silly. It is silly and it is fun, and I think it's funny." Pontyer says. "Space can be very lofty, and it is very lofty, but it's great to remember that we can have fun sometimes too."

A lot of things still have to go right before the Zinger sandwich travels a couple dozen miles above the earth. "I'm saying things I never thought I'd say," Felix laughs. "For example: Our launch window opens soon." The launch window opened on Wednesday, June 21, but the actual launch depends on the wind and the weather. "People are having a lot of fun with it, and we really like that because that's the tone of our brand," Felix says.

Ultimately, World View hopes that the stratolitte will be able to carry people up into the stratosphere. They hope to have a flight that lasts five or six hours and takes a crew of people up in a stratolite to see the earth for $75,000 dollars. By working on this project, World View was able to develop more technology that will help when they're ready to take people to space. "For now we are totally focused on helping our passenger get to the stratosphere," Pontyer says, laughing again. "Our first passenger happens to be a chicken sandwich, but the flight itself is a huge milestone."
Wal-Mart is not actively considering making an offer for Whole Foods Market , a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The retail giant was among those that analysts said could potentially make a counter bid for the grocery chain as the company has been focusing its deal making on bulking up its digital business.

However, Reuters reported that Whole Foods, which has accepted a $13.7 billion offer from Amazon.com , has not received any rival bids as of Friday.

A Wal-Mart spokesman declined to comment on whether the company is considering a bid for Whole Foods. Whole Foods and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Although Wal-Mart's name had been mentioned as a rival suitor, some felt expected that the deep-pocketed Amazon would have countered any offer with a sweeter bid.

Whole Foods shares have been trading above Amazon's $42 bid since the deal was announced last Friday, as stock market investors have speculated about the possibility of a higher offer.

Shares of Whole Foods and Walmart both remained unchanged in aftermarket trading Friday.

JAB Holdings was also been flagged as a potential bidder for Whole Foods by retail analysts. The private equity player has been shifting its focus to restaurants and food and beverage businesses, most recently it said it would purchase Panera Bread in a deal valued at about $7.5 billion.

Whole Foods has been under pressure from activist investor Jana Partners and money manager Neuberger Berman, which have called on Whole Foods to sell itself. The investors have criticized Whole Foods for its poor performance and have suggested the chain could be merged with another grocer.

 Reuters contributed to this report
I've been struck over the last 10 years at how substantive understandings between nations have failed to keep pace with our abilities to communicate through the internet, global media and increasing levels of travel.

My perspective on this paradox dates back to Blackstone's 2007 initial public offering. China's sovereign wealth fund became a significant investor in my company, and I was invited to join the Board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management. This was really an invitation to get to know China.

Virtually everyone I knew in 2007 agreed that China had become a critical player on the world's stage. However, few people had a deep understanding of the complex cultural values and traditions that underpin that nation's business, political and everyday life. While my frequent visits and the relationships I built in China deepened my own understanding, I became more aware of and concerned about broad cultural gaps.

Watch: "A Billionaire's Bet: The Best and the Brightest," on CNBC on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT about the Schwarzman Scholars program in Beijing aimed at grooming future leaders.

As China continues to expand its economic and international influence, this lack of cross-cultural understanding could have tragic consequences. Harvard Professor Graham Allison has articulated an idea known as the "Thucydides Trap." It states that, through history, the rise of an emerging power very often creates fear and anxiety among established powers, which can (in the worst-case scenario) lead to war.

Schwarzman Scholars was designed to help defuse those tensions and create a more peaceful world. Each year, it brings up to 200 of the world's most promising students from countries around the world to study in Beijing at Tsinghua University. By exposing those future leaders to China and each other, it is our hope that they can then go back to their home countries and help interpret what is happening in China in a more nuanced and thoughtful way.

The journey to create such an ambitious program was anything but easy. It was a six-year effort involving teams in New York and Beijing. We were half-a-world and 12 time zones away, attempting to create an international program without precedent in a country with a different language and culture from our own. When we started, we had no curriculum, no faculty, and no selection process for the scholars. We didn't even have a building to house the program.
One of the exhibits at the ANA Worlds Fair of Money in Denver features paper currency that was mistakenly misprinted, including this Series 1935D $1 silver certificate with upside down serial numbers.

The U.S. Treasury Departments Bureau of Engraving and Printing will display its educational $1 Billion Exhibit featuring high denomination currency, including Series 1934 $100,000 gold certificates.

Only five 1913 Liberty Head 5-cent coins are known to exist today, and one of them, the J.V. McDermott/Aubrey Bebee specimen, will be displayed at the ANA Denver Worlds Fair of Money.

During the early 1860s Colorado Gold Rush, Clark, Gruber & Co. of Denver produced gold coins including this 1860 $20 denomination coin with a fanciful depiction of Pikes Peak.

The ANA Museum Showcase will include highlights from the museums Colorado Gold Rush exhibits.

The American Numismatic Association Worlds Fair of Money Aug. 1 to 5 in Denver is an opportunity for a close-up look at some of the numismatic hobbys greatest rarities.

To celebrate the ANAs 50th anniversary headquartered in Colorado Springs, the ANA Museum Showcase at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver will feature Colorado Gold Rush era rarities and Lesher Referendum dollars along with other historic and famous numismatic treasures from the associations Edward C. Rochette Money Museum.

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The ANA opened its Colorado Springs headquarters building in 1967, and as part of this years golden anniversary we want collectors and the public to see examples of Colorados colorful numismatic history as well as some of the other most popular items in the ANA museum collection, explains ANA Executive Director Kim Kiick.

Weve been planning for many months to create Denver convention exhibits that will be must-see for collectors and will be an educational and appealing introduction to the fascinating hobby for the general public, said ANA Museum Curator Douglas Mudd.

The ANA Museum Showcase area (booth #1103) will be open during public hours of the convention in Hall F of the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street.

The Denver Worlds Fair of Money will be open to the public Tuesday to Saturday, Aug. 1 to 5. Public hours will be Tuesday, Aug. 1, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. MT; Aug. 2 to 4, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The charm of the Morgan dollar, plus a look at the largest U.S. gold coin to circulate: Another column in the July 3 Coin World takes a look at the whimsical names of the $2 Federal Reserve note

Admission is free for all ANA members. Admission for non-ANA members costs $8 for adults, with children 12 and under admitted free. Admission is free for everyone on Aug. 5.

Included among the exhibit highlights are:

??The McDermott/Bebee Collection 1913 Liberty Head 5-cent coin; the Idler/Bebee Class III 1804 Draped Bust dollar; and error notes from the Bebee Collection with upside down serial numbers and other printing mistakes.

??1907 Saint-Gaudens, Roman Numerals, High Relief and 1907 Ultra High Relief gold $20 double Eagles from the Harry W. Bass Jr. Collection.

??A set of 1860s Clark, Gruber & Co. Colorado pioneer gold pieces. Clark, Gruber & Co. were private forerunners of the Denver Mint.

??A nearly complete set of Lesher Referendum silver dollars from the early 1900s.

??A 1933 Indian Head gold $10 eagle, one of the greatest gold coin rarities of the 20th century with fewer than 40 known surviving examples from the last year that U.S. gold coins were struck for circulation.

??The David Rittenhouse 1792 silver half disme along with the George Washington-signed document as president appointing Rittenhouse as the first director of the United States Mint.

??The Bureau of Engraving and Printings $1 Billion Exhibit, featuring $100,000 gold certificates.

The 1913 Liberty Head nickel donated to the ANA by Aubrey and Adelle Bebee is always a favorite at the conventions, Mudd said. One of its previous owners, J.V. McDermott of Milwaukee, used to carry it in his pocket to show to strangers. Today its insured for $3 million and is one of only five known 1913 Liberty nickels.

The Colorado Gold Rush era coins in the Museum Showcase will include an 1860 Clark, Gruber $20 gold piece with a design that has the word DENVER below a fanciful depiction of Pikes Peak, which actually is located in the Colorado Springs area, about 70 miles south.

Lesher Referendum dollars are an intriguing part of Colorados mining history.

To promote greater use of silver, Joseph Lesher of Victor, Colorado created eight-sided dollars in 1900 and 1901 from silver mined in the Cripple Creek area. Lesher quickly gave up his plans for the coins, but today these octagonal, so-called dollars are an example of Old West history you can hold in your hands, Mudd explains.

The Rittenhouse 1792 half disme is an example of the first coins authorized by President Washington during the early days of the U.S. Mint. It is being displayed by the ANA, courtesy of Brian Hendelson, president of Classic Coin Company, Bridgewater, N.J., in celebration of the Mints 225th anniversary this year.

For additional information about the Denver Worlds Fair of Money, visit www.WorldsFairofMoney.com or call 719-632-2646.
Legislators are poised to take Gov. Doug Burgum to court over his vetoes. This isnt a partisan fight, its a Republican-dominated Legislature arguing that a Republican governor exceeded his authority.

Burgum said he vetoed parts of legislation because lawmakers were intruding on executive branch authority. Lawmakers counter that the opposite is true, that Burgum exceeded his constitutional authority. Legislators have an opinion by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem to support their arguments. Its an interesting dispute and it needs to be resolved.

The separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government remains a key to how we govern. Theres nothing wrong with Burgum and the legislators wanting to protect their turf. This isnt a Republican versus Democrat fight, its a question of where the lines are drawn regardless of party. Any court decision will influence the future relationships between governors and legislators.

Legislative Management voted unanimously Wednesday to file a lawsuit. They plan one more vote before proceeding with litigation. Its uncertain what could change legislators minds since a compromise with the governor at this point in the dispute seems unlikely. Sen. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, who voted in favor of the lawsuit, voiced concerns about the potential cost of the legal action. The state remains in a financial crunch, so being concerned about spending makes sense.

However, its important to get the issue resolved. Stenehjem, in his opinion, ruled the governor couldn't veto a spending restriction or condition without striking the appropriation itself. Legislative Council staff suggested "selective deletions" used by Burgum could alter legislative intent in the future. An example they gave: A bill stating that funds "may not" be used for a specific purpose could be changed so that they "may" be used.

As the Forum News Service explained, Stenehjem's opinion "governs the actions of public officials" until the question is decided by the courts. Public officials aren't necessarily required to follow attorney general opinions, but they lose some protection if they don't. The Tribune Editorial Board thinks its the right approach to seek a court ruling. If members of the same party cant agree it means down the road when the governors office and the Legislature are controlled by different parties that conflict will be likely. Its best to resolve the dispute now.

Burgums vetoes came after the Legislature adjourned and left Bismarck. Legislators saved three days of their 80-day regular session limit in case they wanted to hold a special session. They wanted to save some days in case Congress made changes in the Affordable Care Act that would require state action. Their intent wasnt to save days to deal with vetoes.

In fairness to Burgum, many of the vetoes involved bills passed in the final days of the session. It took him and his staff time to review the legislation before he acted.

This is a healthy situation with both sides trying to do what they consider is right. Two branches of government are arguing and the third branch gets to resolve the issue. Theres no guarantee a final ruling will completely satisfy anyone, but we should have clarity. We should be happy that we have a system of checks and balances that works.
Drought conditions are making many areas of North Dakota vulnerable to fires, prompting the state Forest Service to closely watch the threat level and prepare to deploy firefighting resources to areas that need help.

Ryan Melin, fire manager for the North Dakota Forest Service, said indicators that predict the potential for fire and its severity are more serious now than in previous years in June.

If things dont change, we could see a threat of catastrophic wildfires, uncontrollable fires, Melin said.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared a drought emergency this week and directed state agencies to coordinate drought response efforts.

Drought conditions continue to worsen in North Dakota, with the U.S. Drought Monitor showing 8 percent of the state in extreme drought, 32 percent in severe drought, 27 percent in moderate drought and 33 percent abnormally dry.

Burgum, who discussed the drought Thursday during the State Water Commission meeting, said hes strongly encouraging all cities and counties to take a hard look at banning fireworks and open fires, something many communities have already adopted.

Weve got some real fire risk potentially coming, Burgum said.

The North Dakota Forest Service has 20 full-time and seasonal firefighters and equipment that can be dispatched around the state to help local fire departments that need additional resources, said Tom Claeys, forestry and fire management team leader.

The service has five Type 6 wildland fire engines, which are specially designed to move over hills and wildland areas, Claeys said. The agency will monitor the conditions and if warranted will stage equipment and staff in areas facing fire threats, he said.

The potential for fire is very high, and we want to keep people safe and we want to keep communities safe, Claeys said.

Information about current burn restrictions is available at NDResponse.gov, along with other drought information.

Burgum also ordered the formation of a unified command structure with the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, Department of Agriculture and other state agencies to coordinate the states drought response. The various agencies are meeting on Monday.

Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue released Conservation Reserve Program acres in North Dakota for emergency grazing, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said Friday.

Secretary Perdue understands and respects the severity of the situation and the producers of North Dakota and took immediate action, Goehring said in a statement. I am happy we have another option for our livestock producers who need grazing, and we will continue to work with the secretarys office to identify a date for emergency haying of CRP.

Goehrings office advises producers to check with their county Farm Service Agency office to ensure their acres are eligible. CRP acreage in South Dakota and Montana also has been authorized for emergency grazing.

Burgums drought declaration also activated the drought disaster livestock water supply program for 26 North Dakota counties. The program includes $250,000 in state dollars to help producers pay for water supply projects to bring water to livestock. More information is available at swc.nd.gov.
Microsoft is asserting that enterprise customers have the wrong idea about the asset management investigations its partners tout as a way to save money on software licensing.

"There is a misperception around Software Asset Management and Compliance Audits," Patama Chantaruck, the general manager for Microsoft's software asset management & compliance group, claimed in a post to a company blog last month that included the phrase "myth-busting" in its title.

Chantaruck was vague about what the "misperception" was, but implied that customers conflated the two different programs when she offered definitions of each, Software Asset Management, which goes by SAM, and licensing audits.

"Microsoft SAM programs are voluntary services designed around industry standards that help customers gain data insights, optimize licensing, minimize risks, and be more productive with their IT investments," Chantaruck said. "A compliance audit is a mandatory review of a company's use of Microsoft's products and services designed to help customers achieve and maintain license compliance and to protect Microsoft intellectual property rights [emphasis added]."

The idea that Chantaruck was worried about mixed-up customers was bolstered by a Microsoft-published FAQ on audits. To the question, "Some sources claim that Microsoft SAM and license compliance verification (commonly known as an 'audit') are the same. Is this correct?" the FAQ's reply was unequivocal. "No."

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

It's unclear what prompted Chantaruck's jeremiad, although she noted that she became aware of the confusion over the programs after meeting with partners to discuss SAM. Presumably, she was relating what partners had told her, that customers were wary of SAM because they thought it was another name for the invasive audits that Microsoft conducts and businesses fear.

Because Microsoft and its partners offer fee-based SAM services, concerns on the part of customers about their practices could easily dampen enterprise enthusiasm for the evaluations, and thus reduce revenue from SAM programs. And Microsoft clearly sees SAM as a money maker for its partners.

"The SAM opportunity in enterprise has never been bigger. Learn about Microsoft's plan for enterprise and industry accounts, and how you can build new revenue streams with SAM," states a description of one of several SAM-related sessions listed on the schedule for the upcoming Inspire conference in Washington, D.C. July 9-13. Microsoft Inspire is the renamed Worldwide Partner Conference, long the yearly massive meet-up of the firm's global partner network, on which Microsoft relies for much of its software and services sales.

One licensing expert, Wes Miller of Directions on Microsoft, had no insights into what triggered Chantaruck's blog post, but pointed out that SAM is not new. "It's existed for a long time," Miller said. "And there are very specific rules of engagement of SAM versus an audit," he added, echoing Microsoft's description of two completely different processes, one voluntary, the other mandatory.

Hold on a minute, countered Paul DeGroot, the principal of Pica Communications, a consulting firm that specializes in deciphering Microsoft's licensing practices and advising enterprises on handling software audits.

"The point of [Chantaruck's blog and the FAQ] is that Microsoft thinks nice language will somehow make customers happy to invite them in," DeGroot said in a lengthy email reply to Computerworld's questions. "No matter how nice [that invitation] is, even if you are fully compliant, these exercises generate a lot of overhead, and unless you hire someone full time to understand the licensing and read the contracts, which is also overhead, you're probably missing something."

Most of all, DeGroot disputed Microsoft's clean-cut separation between SAM and an audit, calling the company's efforts "more word play than substance."

"Microsoft has a continuum of audit levels," DeGroot said. "There's a self-audit, mentioned in some volume licensing contracts, where Microsoft sends them a form to fill out. There's a Microsoft-paid SAM engagement. There's a mandatory audit. If you elect to not do the first, you will get an 'invitation' to do the second. If you decline the second, you will get the third."

In DeGroot's experience, Microsoft sees an investigating continuum, with SAM -- those that Microsoft pays for -- but a step in the sequence that ultimately leads to an actual audit.

Not surprisingly, software licensing audits have a strong revenue-generating rationale, just as do, for instance, tax audits. "If Microsoft doesn't think [an audit] will pay off, they don't do it. Remember, they're paying the auditor and [those people don't] come cheap," DeGroot added.

In fact, even as Chantaruck decried what she characterized as a "misconception" about SAM and audits, elsewhere Microsoft linked the two.

"Customers who take licensing compliance seriously and have a robust internal Software Asset Management (SAM) process are likely to be better prepared for license compliance verifications," the FAQ read, substituting "license compliance verification" for the shorter "audit."

DeGroot's firm doesn't deal in SAM directly -- although it partners with vendors who do -- but it does perform functions that Chantaruck ticked off as SAM features, including license optimization and, thus, potential savings.

To prepare a client for an announced audit, said DeGroot, his team conducts a "mock audit" using the same tools Microsoft and the contracted accountant auditors deploy. "[We] get the customer cleaned up before a Microsoft auditor comes in," he said. "The customer may still owe Microsoft, but we do our level best to apply the rules in the optimal way for the customer. We may also suggest pre-emptive changes that, without spending more money, eliminate or reduce non-compliance."
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publishing, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.

I write this on Thursday morning, as Im watching Theresa May making a statement to the Commons on the Grenfell Fire tragedy. She may not emote in public, she may at times appear awkward, but listening to what shes saying, and the way shes saying it, I would challenge any Conservative MP to say that shes not handling things properly.

She is juggling some huge issues at the moment: trying to do a deal with the DUP; Brexit; Grenfell Tower and reacting to terror attacks being just four. And shes doing it with scant support from the Downing Street, where so many people have quit their jobs since the general election. In the last two days, John Godfrey, her Head of Policy and Chris Brannigan, Head of Government Relations, have both departed.

All these jobs are going to be difficult to fill  given the consensus that May is a Prime Minister who wont be there much longer. She may not fight another election, but it would be madness for her either to quit or be toppled in the immediate future. Let her get on with the job, and let her Cabinet support her in these difficult times. If they dont, they will be letting down their party and their country.

        

Winston Churchill said never let a good crisis go to waste. It may seem brutal to quote him in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, but the truth is that you can tell a lot about a politician by the way he handles a crisis. Some sink. Some swim.

As I write this column, Nicholas Holgate, the Chief Executive of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, has quit his job. As well he might: the councils response has been lamentable.

But its not just the officers who should be quitting  its the politicians. I hear from the sharp end how they have failed local people, and I do not understand how Nicholas Paget-Brown, the councils leader is still clinging to power. On Monday, he did offer his resignation but, according to a pretentious statement he issued, it was unanimously refused by his fellow councillors.

Frankly, the whole lot of them should quit, for a whole host of reasons. It was clear almost from the start of this crisis that they werent capable of handling it. OK, you might say: but how on earth could anyone prepare for a tragedy like this?

Surely, though, every council has an emergency disaster plan. Surely it isnt difficult to comprehend that, in the aftermath of a fire, in which more than a hundred families are rendered homeless, the council needs to have a strong and visible presence on the ground.

The most common complaint I have heard is that the council wasnt there there  and that, if it was, councillors and officers havent been identifiable. (Presumably hi-vis vests are a no-no in Kensington.) Instead, the council kept saying look at our website or phone this number.

The trouble was that some of the surviving families hadnt got phones. And even if they did manage to access a phone, and dial the number, it was either engaged or rang out. So people had to sleep out in the open for several days. The media was constantly highlighting this, but the council seemed incapable of action.

By Sunday morning, May decided to step in, and the Government told various council officers not to turn up for work, since it would take over. Almost at a stroke, things changed.

It shouldnt have taken that long. If Sajid Javid had had his finger on the pulse of what had happening, he would have personally taken charge of the aftermath and marched down to the scene with twenty of his officials, set up a tent, and asked people: What can we do, what do you need? He could have made his reputation as a man of action who knew what to do. Instead, he, like everyone else, was paralysed.

The rumour is that he is on leadership manoeuvres, positioning himself to run if for whatever reason May quits. He, like all the others, needs to banish such thoughts from his mind. Many believe he only survived the Cabinet reshuffle by the skin of his teeth. His political reputation was in tatters anyway following, what many Brexiteers believe to be his careerist decision to back Remain rather than Leave.

Remember, he had a reputation as one of the biggest Eurosceptics in the cabinet at one point, but will have known that if he backed Leave, David Cameron would never have forgiven him. Instead, it was all those who had looked to him to take a lead who found it difficult to forgive what they saw as his opportunism.

You can tell a lot about the way politicians react during a crisis, and Im afraid that Javid hasnt covered himself in glory. He would do well, as May might say, to get on with his job and banish all thoughts of leading the Conservative Party from his mind. Hes got a reputation to rebuild, and the best way to do that is to excel at his job.



        

Imagine that I was interviewing Boris Johnson a few hours after Emily Thornberry had appeared on my show in the election and had made a major gaffe. And imagine that, during his criticism of her, he had said: Well, Iain, I thought she looked 15 years older.

Now imagine the outcry that would then ensue from female Labour MPs. Well, on Tuesday I asked Thornberry about Mays Commons speech responding to the Queens Speech. (Thornberry had been sitting opposite her on the Opposition front bench.) And she said: Well, Iain, I thought she looked fifteen years older.

The Prime Minister is a Conservative, you see, -so shes fair game. Brendan ONeill got it absolutely write, when he wrote this on his Facebook page

So much as sneeze in front of Diane Abbott and youre a racist misogynist. Raise the small matter of Hillary Clintons unleashing of mayhem in Libya and youre a sexist pig. Challenge Stella Creasys support for bombing in Syria and youre a foul troll who clearly cant handle the idea of women doing politics. Wonder out loud if Julia Gillard was a naff PM and youre a 1950s throwback in dire need of awareness-raising. But Theresa May  you can say anything you like about her. Unfeeling, uncaring, murderous, robotic, nasty, obsessed with fashion, with a gurning face perfect for piss-taking memes, her inability to emote proof shes a bad leader, and a bad woman. Its always nice to be reminded of what a partisan racket the new feminism is.

        

Talking of Johnson, Im afraid that he is not being well served by some people who count themselves as his friends. The stories in last Sundays papers did Boris no favours: these briefings by his so-called friends were designed to enhance his chances of taking over from May. They ended up having the opposite effect.

Do I believe that Boris wants to one day lead the Conservative Party? Yes, I do. And theres absolutely nothing wrong with that. Do I believe that he is trying to manipulate events in his favour at the moment? No, I do not. I genuinely believe that he, like David Davis, is trying to make this sorry state of affairs work. Both of them have been backing the Prime Minister, and quite right, too.

Thats what the whole cabinet should be doing. No one, least of all the supporters of any potential future leaders, does their favoured person any favour by seeking to destabilise either May or one of their potential rivals. Johnson doesnt want his friends to indulge in this behaviour. Its self-indulgent political knackery, and it must stop.

        

The BBC drama/documentary How May became Prime Minister was a peculiar piece of television. My partner kept asking me: Well, whos that supposed to be? No idea, I invariably replied.

It wasnt that it wasnt entertaining  it was. But you were never sure what was true and what was a dramatization. The actress who played May had clearly never studied her. Her portrayal was more Thatcher than May. Similarly, with Andrea Leadsom. Ben Wallace appeared to have aged 20 years. The actor playing Michael Gove at least bore some passing resemblance to him, even if his character was wholly wrong. Jake Berry, who speaks with a slight Liverpool twang, suddenly became a cockney. These things matter.

Having spoken to one or two of the people involved, there were conversations and events that just did not happen. This is one of those TV dramas that you really look forward to watching, but that in the end give you a feeling of being rather let down. It could have been so much better.

         

So far this year, I have taken one day off work, and even that was because I was taking part in a university panel on Brexit. For the last seven weeks, Ive been working six days a week. I dont mind admitting, Im knackered.

So next week, Ive got a week off. At last. I have rarely looked forward to a break more. Im not going anywhere because going anywhere would involve doing things. Im going to spend nine days in the quiet of the Norfolk countryside. The most active I might get is to get in the car and drive to Sea Palling beach to walk the dogs.

Ill read, Ill catch up on a few box sets like the latest Homeland and House of Cards, and constantly fall asleep without feeling at all guilty. Im also going to try not to look at my laptop between 9am and 9pm. Obviously, we all know that I wont stick to it, but its a laudable aim, isnt it? But fear not, dear ConservativeHome readers: Ill still be writing this column next week. Its the least I can do!

        

How to run a LibDem raffle. Yes, that is the title of the latest must-read blogpost by Mark Park, the Liberal Democrat blogger . I feel sure that a ConHome reader could write a Tory version. In fact, we probably all could. But taste prevents us from doing so
There has been much excitement since the Queens Speech about the idea that the Scottish Parliament, with its separatist majority of Nationalist and Green MSPs, could block Brexit.

Below the hyperbole, this refers to the fact that the (formerly Great) Repeal Bill may require a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) from Holyrood.

As this primer in the i explains, an LCM is a devise whereby a devolved legislature formally grants permission to Westminster to legislate on something which is usually a devolved matter. Theyve been used hundreds of times. But as the article explains, they are fundamentally a courtesy. Parliament is the sovereign entity at the heart of our constitution and it can legislate on any matter it wishes.

The Sewell Convention, on which LCMs are built, stipulates that Parliament will not normally legislate on reserved issues. But thats no basis for the idea of a block on Brexit: not only does the phrase normal allow for extraordinary circumstances, which Brexit surely is, but its still just a convention  a powerful bit of soft pressure, but no more.

Once this is understood, we can get a more accurate view of the battlefield. This is not really a constitutional crisis: those tend to arise in systems where equally-matched arms of the constitution find themselves in a deadlock. Parliamentary sovereignty makes that almost impossible.

There are some enthusiasts for federalism who hope that this foundation of our constitution might get re-written by the courts, and that i briefing goes so far as to say that there may even be grounds for a legal challenge.

But we have only recently put this theory to the test, when the Scottish Government weighed into the Miller case over Article 50. Although the 11 justices split in their decision on the main case, they were united in rejecting the SNPs attempt to conjure a devolved veto, and delivered a judgement which recognised that the Sewell Convention is inherently political and not legally enforceable.

Does this mean that an LCM, if required, wouldnt be problematic? Not at all. The SNP may have continually failed to wring mileage out of constitutional grievances since the Brexit vote  a year ago today, as it happens  but thats not something a responsible Government will want to put too often to the test.

But any crisis will be political, not constitutional, and we can already see the outlines of a political solution taking shape. Ian Duncan, the new appointee to the Scottish Office, has talked in strong terms about the need to consult the Scottish Government, and the SNP are talking up how unacceptable it would be if powers over devolved policy areas repatriated from Brussels ended up exercised by London.

A deal whereby the Government agrees to pass all powers over devolved areas straight down to Holyrood, in exchange for an LCM, seems plausible at this point.

Thats not perfect: such powers have presumably been passed to the EU precisely because it was felt they could be better exercised by a higher, coordinating body. If youre a Europhile who believed in the wisdom of such transfers ,then London ought to be the next best thing after Brussels, if not for all those laws then at least for some of them.

The demand that every power be passed straight to the devolved legislatures is a call to prioritise the nationalist aversion to London over the interests of good government and, by forcing the Government to buy off Nicola Sturgeon and Carwyn Jones, an LCM requirement will probably leave us with a somewhat less optimal distribution of powers within the UK post-Brexit.

But it cant prevent Brexit from happening, at least constitutionally. The Government will have to negotiate the political waters with care.
North Dakota has received a $2 million federal grant to boost medication-assisted treatment across the state, equip more people with a drug to reverse an overdose and provide grants to individual communities to fight opioid addiction.

Drug-related overdoses claimed the lives of 61 North Dakotans in 2015, compared to 43 deaths in 2014 and 20 deaths in 2013, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

North Dakota was one of dozens of states and territories to receive the first-ever grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The North Dakota Department of Human Services received the funding in May, some of which will be used to increase buprenorphine providers statewide. Buprenorphine is a medication-assisted treatment similar to methadone, but unlike methadone, it can be prescribed by any doctor, if the doctor has undergone specialized training.

About $1 million will go toward communities to support localized approaches to opioid addiction and treatment. The state plans to fund up to six organizations, each receiving $180,000.

"Really, the purpose of this community grant opportunity is for communities to identify their local needs and gaps related to the opioid crisis," said Laura Anderson, a prevention administrator for the state Department of Human Services' Behavioral Health Division.

"One of the things that we considered when we were applying for this was sustainability, and so, with this grant, were not planning to use the money at state or local level to pay directly for treatment services, because when the funding goes away, those individuals all of sudden don't have their treatment paid for anymore," Anderson said.

Instead, the grant will be used to support other strategies, including the utilization of medication-assisted treatment, looking at barriers to treatment, purchasing naloxone and communication efforts, such as educating the public on North Dakota's Good Samaritan law.

Anderson said the department opened applications on Tuesday. The deadline to apply is July 21, and more information can be found on the department's website.
Gov. Doug Burgum declared a drought emergency late Thursday, allowing the State Water Commission to activate a program to help ranchers in 26 counties with moderate to extreme drought.

Burgum also ordered North Dakota agencies to coordinate drought response efforts and make information related to drought conditions and burn bans available at NDResponse.gov.

Burgums executive order came hours after the State Water Commission voted to activate the drought disaster livestock water supply program to help ranchers get water to livestock.

The program would provide $250,000 in state dollars to help fund water supply projects such as new wells or hookups to water pipelines to help livestock producers in areas with extreme drought.

This drought represents an escalating threat to farmers, ranchers and all North Dakota residents as livestock feed and water supplies deteriorate and the risk of wildfires continues to climb, Burgum said in a statement. Were committed to mobilizing the appropriate state resources to ensure the safety and economic security of our citizens for the duration of this situation.

The program is available to 15 counties experiencing extreme drought and the 11 counties adjacent to them, areas primarily in the western and central parts of the state.

The counties are Adams, Billings, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Divide, Dunn, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Kidder, McHenry, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Renville, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Ward and Williams.

During the Water Commission meeting, which is led by the governor, Burgum said hes been meeting with leaders of state and federal agencies to address the severe drought conditions facing North Dakota.

This is one important piece of a much broader statewide response that were working on, Burgum said during the meeting.

The governor ordered the formation of a unified command structure with the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, Department of Agriculture and other state agencies to coordinate the states drought response.

The website NDResponse.gov will have updated maps and information related to drought conditions, including details about the 19 counties that have burn bans with restrictions on fireworks.

Drought conditions continue to worsen in North Dakota, with the U.S. Drought Monitor showing 8 percent of the state in extreme drought, 32 percent in severe drought, 27 percent in moderate drought and 33 percent abnormally dry.

A lot of cattle are being sold," said Water Commissioner George Nodland of Dickinson. "It's sad.

Burgum also sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, asking him to immediately release Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres to give producers another source of livestock feed.

Under the drought disaster livestock water supply program, the state will fund up to half of a water supply project, such as rural water system connections, pipeline extensions, pasture taps, stock water tanks and other projects, for producers in the affected counties.

The maximum available is $3,500 per project, with each producer eligible for up to three projects.

More information, including a map of the counties included in the program, is expected to be available Friday and posted to the State Water Commission website, swc.nd.gov.

The program was last activated in 2006 and continued into 2009.

Patrick Fridgen, director of the planning and education division for the State Water Commission, said the program has been popular in the past and he expects a lot of calls in the next few weeks.

For more information, contact (701) 328-4989 or swclivestock@nd.gov.
Cloud News

Perficient Buys $27M Consulting Firm Clarity To Boost Microsoft Practice

Alec Shirkey

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Perficient has purchased Clarity, a 160-person software consultancy based in Chicago, as it seeks to expand its cloud and custom app development capabilities, the company announced Friday.

Perficient, No. 57 on the CRN Solution Provider 500, said Clarity, with annual revenues of $27 million, would become part of its dedicated Microsoft business group, a move that will nearly double the units current size to 330 employees.

"Were super bullish on Microsoft. Our relationship with them has only gotten better every year," Perficient chairman and CEO Jeff Davis said. "We swept top (national solution provider) partner in all three regions and believed a lot in their direction with Azure and also what they've done with Office 365 ... We have a great amount of confidence to invest more in the Microsoft space."

[Related: Perficient Buys $9M Management Consultancy to Drive End User Technology Investments]

The deal, structured at 30 percent stock and 70 percent cash, will include a stock component of about $9 million, Davis said, along with a one-year earnout provision for Clarity.

Company founders Jeff Smith and Jon Rauschenberger, as well as partner Jerry Brunning, will accept leadership roles with Perficient, according to a press release. Smith expressed excitement at the potential for Clarity to expand its client portfolio.

"Perficient is well known for its expertise across many technology platforms and is widely regarded as one of the largest and most capable Microsoft systems integrator partners in the country," Smith said in a statement. "Joining the Perficient team accelerates our collective opportunities for continued growth and success."

For Perficient, Claritys key offerings include intellectual property assets such as Clarity Connect, a communication management product that leverages Skype for Business and Office 365 to create feature-rich call center capabilities for businesses.

"(Intellectual property) is becoming a more and more important part of our business," Davis said. "Its not so much the resale and the sale of that, but its the differentiation  I think the industry is trending more and more in that direction."

The consulting company also maintains a deep client list that features several key relationships with Fortune 500 companies, and its foothold in Chicago and the Great Lakes region helps Perficient further penetrate that market.

Another important component of the Clarity acquisition is its background in developing custom applications within the Microsoft platform, which Perficient felt was an area of deficiency within its portfolio. Of particular interest to Perficient given its partnership with Adobe, and the Adobe-Microsoft digital marketing partnership is Claritys experience with development on Dynamic CRM.

"It was frankly a gap for us. It was an area that we needed to shore up. This certainly accomplishes that," Davis said.

One other area of practice for Clarity that could be a precursor to future Perficient endeavors is IoT. Clarity touts itself as a leader in the IoT space on its website, citing solutions that range from interactive vending machines and self-service kiosks to innovation in improving point-of-sale processes and inventory management.

Davis, although measured in discussing the fast-growing space, revealed that Perficient has begun scouting potential "IoT-concentrated" targets.

"IoT starts with the design of the devices and engineering, application, deployment," Davis said. "Its early to see exactly where the big opportunities will be in the space."
A trucking company that illegally dumped oilfield waste on a northwest North Dakota road in 2014 continues to contest a $950,000 state fine, taking its case to the state Supreme Court on Thursday.

Black Hills Trucking does not dispute that one of its truck drivers intentionally released produced water, a waste byproduct of oil production, onto a Williams County gravel road, said attorney John Morrison.

But the company contends that, because it already paid a $200,000 fine to the North Dakota Department of Health, it should not also have to pay a fine to the North Dakota Industrial Commission for the same violations.

The company, part of Wyoming-based True Companies, also argues the Industrial Commission overstepped its jurisdiction and should reimburse Black Hills Trucking for attorneys fees.

The dispute dates back to February and March of 2014, when surveillance equipment recorded the company's trucks dumping produced water on a road. One incident was observed by a Department of Mineral Resources inspector, which led to a criminal conviction against the driver and a $3,000 fine.

The health department fined the company $200,000 for several violations, including the illegal dumping as well as violations related to the company hauling waste without a permit for eight years.

An additional $259,000 fine was suspended by the health department as long as the company met certain conditions, including not hauling oilfield waste for five years.

The Industrial Commission, which consists of the governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner, also fined the company $950,000. Attorney Hope Hogan argued the agency has broad jurisdiction over oilfield waste, including trucking of produced water from the well to the disposal site.

Hogan said the road was never cleaned up, even after the Industrial Commission issued a complaint.

Morrison argued there was no evidence of environmental damage and regulators never asked Black Hills Trucking to do any cleanup at the site.

Last spring, an administrative law judge reviewed the matter and sided with the company, saying the Industrial Commission does not have jurisdiction over trucking of produced water. The Industrial Commission rejected that decision and persisted with its fine, a decision upheld by the district court.

Now the company is seeking the Supreme Court to reverse that decision and dismiss the fine. The Supreme Court took the matter under advisement.
Forbes released its annual list of the richest people in America, and found that two industries yield the most millionaires and billionaires than any other.

Despite reports of stores like Sears and JC Penney struggling, fashion and retail is tied with finance and investment for the leading industry in America. Sixteen states see the most wealth come from these two sectors.
David Grimmel / Contributed photo

Replicas of Columbus Nina and the Pinta were scheduled to be docked over the next several days at Captains Cove Seaport in Bridgeport until their departure on Wednesday morning, July 5. While in port, the public is invited to visit the ships for a walk-aboard, self-guided tour.

The Nina was built completely by hand and without the use of power tools. Archaeology magazine called the ship the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built. In 2005, the Pinta, also a caravel, was launched in Brazil and was the first ship to sight land in the New World. Historians consider the caravel the Space Shuttle of the 15th century, according to the Columbus Foundation Inc., out of the British Virgin Islands.
BRIDGEPORT - A former Stratford letter carrier, accused of sexually assaulting a local woman in her home, was given a suspended sentence Friday.

Dennis Hwang, 31, who worked out of the Westport post office until he was fired after his arrest, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree sexual assault and second-degree unlawful restraint.

He was sentenced to a suspended two-year term followed by two years probation by Superior Court Judge Earl Richards. The judge also ordered Hwang to stay away from the victim and to undergo sex offender treatment.

As part of the plea bargain, Hwang agreed to serve 30 days in jail while awaiting the sentencing hearing.

The victim was too overcome during the sentencing hearing to speak so Senior Assistant States Attorney Tatiana Messina read a statement from the victim in which she explained how the incident traumatized her.

Last November, police said officers were dispatched to Fisher Court in Stratford for a panic alarm. When officers got there the female resident emerged from the home upset followed by Hwang who was wearing his U.S. Postal Service uniform.

He forced himself on me, police said the woman cried.

Police said Hwang and the woman had previously worked at the post office together. They continued that the woman told them Hwang had showed up uninvited to her door with a cup of hot chocolate and a bagel.

The woman had let him in only to be pushed into a corner by Hwang who forced his body up against her, police said. He then threw her down on a couch and was sexually assaulting her when police said the woman managed to grab the key fob for her alarm system and hit the panic button.

Police said Hwang told them he was just trying to have some fun.
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WASHINGTON  Mitch McConnell hailed it as a way for the nation to transition away from Obamacares collapsing system entirely, so more Americans will not be hurt.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., had a different impression of the health care bill unveiled Thursday by Senate Republicans.

McConnell has a thin needle to thread, Murphy said on MSNBC, noting that Republicans are hoping for a Senate vote prior to the July 4 recess. You might see some political theater that plays out between now and next week.

Murphy said McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and the Senate majority leader, knows this bill is a loser. It makes no sense and it doesnt solve a single problem in our health care system.

Others in Connecticuts deep-blue Democratic cadre echoed Murphys condemnation.

Make no mistake, people will needlessly die under this plan, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in a statement. It should come as no surprise that Republicans preferred to hash out the details of this bill behind closed doors, rather than give the American people the opportunity to understand what is going to happen to their families.

And as Senate Republicans took the wraps off their secretive bill  mixed bag of sweeteners and bitter medicine compared to what House Republicans approved last month  the GOPs own hopes of party unity were rebuffed by four conservative senators.

The Republican Senate bill will not accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: To repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs, said a statement by Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ron Johnson, R-Wisc.

More Information The Senate bill would: - Eliminate federal funding of Planned Parenthood - Eliminate mandate that all must have health insurance - End the expansion of Medicaid - Halt many taxes imposed to pay for subsidies. - Provide less emergency funding for opioid addiction and treatment - $2 billion compared to $65 billion in the House bill - Allow children up to age 26 to remain on parents' health care plans - Likely bar denial because of pre-existing conditions, based on language in the bill - Base its formula for premium tax credits on income rather than age See More Collapse

Measured presidential praise

Two of the Senates leading Republican moderates, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said they needed more time to study the bill before committing.

President Donald Trump, who embraced the House bill only to deride it later as mean, offered guarded praise Thursday for the Senate bill. Getting a bill through Congress will require a little negotiation, but its going to be very good, he said at the White House. We will hopefully get something done, and it will be something with heart and very meaningful.

Like its House counterpart, the Senate bill would eliminate federal funding of Planned Parenthood, and bring the curtain down on most elements of the Affordable Care Act  Obamacare  including the mandate that all must have health insurance, the expansion of Medicaid, and a bevy of taxes imposed to pay for subsidies.

It does, however, maintain allowing children up to age 26 to remain on parents health care plans and language barring denial because of pre-existing conditions.

Its formula for premium tax credits is based on income rather than age, which is used in the House bill. It extends the timeline for elimination of Medicaid expansion, through which 207,600 in Connecticut just above the poverty line got health insurance.

But compared to the House bill, it speeds up the financial capping of Medicaid, which overall covers 856,100 low-income enrollees in Connecticut. As it stands now, Medicaid is an open-ended entitlement  meaning that all in the program can get treatment as needed.

A slap in the face

Compared to the House version, the Senate bill provides less emergency funding for opioid addiction and treatment  $2 billion compared to $65 billion.

That could be problematic for Republican senators like Rob Portman of Ohio or Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, whose states have been particularly hard hit by the opioids crisis.

This is a slap in the face to any senator with the slightest concern about opioid addiction and abuse, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Whether House or Senate or, most likely, a combination of both, the long-promised repeal and replace effort would bring dramatic changes to states like Connecticut that fully embraced Obamacare.

Its a betrayal of trust, Blumenthal said in an interview. Connecticut not only relied on but trusted federal promises and commitments (under Obamacare), and it was rewarded enormously with real-life consequences. The numbers of people with health insurance expanded enormously, and people are living healthier and better lives in Connecticut because of the ACA.

According to data gathered by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, the number of uninsured in Connecticut went down by 152,500 between 2013 and 2015  the first years of full implementation of Obamacare.

The Congressional Budget Office has yet to release an analysis of the 142-page Senate bills impact. A comparable report on the House GOP concluded 23 million fewer would be insured over the next decade than if Obamacare had stayed in place.

Blumenthal and Murphy plan to hold what they termed an emergency field hearing on the bill at New Haven City Hall on Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Senate Republicans are going to do all that they can to ram this bill through Congress and change the rules to reconcile it with a completely different House bill, said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. Why? So that President Trump can claim credit for living up to one of his most dangerous and misguided campaign promises.

Email: dan@hearstdc.com
Senator Rand Paul, a former Republican presidential candidate, has teamed with other senators to propose a new law to block the federal government from interfering with state medical marijuana laws.

The move shows that of all issues, medical marijuana seems to have drawn together politicians on both sides of the political aisle. Democrats have joined Paul in sponsoring the bill.

The reason for the proposal is not complicated. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made his dislike of legalized marijuana well known, and even scoffs at mounting evidence cannabis has significant medical benefits. Marijuana is listed as a Schedule 1 drug with no medical value and high potential for abuse. The Drug Enforcement Agency, which controls how drugs are classified, has refused to review the evidence of marijuana's medicial benefits.

President Donald Trump has remained silent on the matter since taking office in January, although his spokesman, Sean Spicer, has said people should expect more enforcement of federal law on marijuana.

While none of that is specific, it certainly doesnt seem to bode well for those who would like to see marijuana removed from the list of Schedule I illegal drugs at the federal level, along with other drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

Related: The $5B Challenge Medical Marijuana Poses to Big Pharma

The CARERS Act

Known as the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect State Act (CARERS), the law takes a major step in U.S. policy. If passed, it would amend the Controlled Substance Act, the law that currently makes all marijuana illegal at the federal level.

The new act would allow for production, sale and use of medical marijuana in states where the law allows for it. Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana.

The bill is sponsored by Paul and two Democrats, Corey Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. The act originally was introduced in 2015 and was reintroduced in June.

Don Murphy, director of conservative outreach for the Marijuana Policy Project, said the law is needed because the federal government should not be meddling in state laws that have made medical marijuana legal.

Reintroducing the act is the first of many steps we hope this Congress will take to end the federal prohibition of medical marijuana, Murphy said in a prepared statement.

Passage of the bill could alleviate the concerns of thousands of investors and entrepreneurs in the marijuana industry, not to mention the scores of employees who now make a living because of legalized medical marijuana.

Related: 4 Cannabis Business Ideas from the Frontier of the Legal Weed Industry

Federal Meddling

Debate over the bill should have a bit more urgency considering the recent actions of Sessions and Trump.

In a private letter obtained by the website Mass Roots, Sessions asked members of Congress to change the current prohibition that keeps the Justice Department from using federal funds to prosecute medical marijuana operations in states where it is legal.

The amendment, passed by Congress during the Obama Administration, essentially provides the protection many investors and business owners have counted on to operate legal marijuana operations without fear of federal reprisals.

But Sessions called the measure  the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment  unwise because it restricts the Justice Department from taking action particularly in the midst of an historic drug epidemic and potentially long-term uptick in violent crime.

Additionally, Trump  in signing the fiscal appropriations bill into law in May  listed the amendment as one he might override, writing, I will treat this provision consistently with my constitutional responsibility to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

Notably, Trump also didnt ask for an extension of the amendment in his initial budget request to Congress.

Follow dispensaries.com on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest cannabis news.

Related:

Senators Press Legislation to End DEA 'Meddling' In States That Legalize Medical Marijuana

The $5B Challenge Medical Marijuana Poses to Big Pharma

Report Foresees $5B Legal Cannabis Industry for California



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



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Days of Rage are all the rage. Im thinking of having one myself. Why should rage be the exclusive preserve of the Fascist Left?

OK, so the million-strong march which was supposed to bring down the Government on Wednesday failed to materialise.

In the event, only a few hundred could be bothered to turn up and spew their confected hatred at the Tory scum.

Must have been something to do with the hot weather. Im surprised the organisers didnt blame global warming for disrupting their divine right to chuck a brick through the front window of Starbucks.

A man is apprehended by police officers as protesters gather in Parliament Square for a Day of Rage

Never mind, therell be another riot along in a minute, egged on by the overgrown student revolutionaries who lead Her Majestys Loyal Opposition.

Labour is banking on a wave of public service strikes and violent street protests to propel Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street. The next mass demo is planned for Saturday, July 1.

John McDonnell, who would now be Chancellor of the Exchequer if the result of the General Election had gone the other way, is calling for a million marchers (its always a million, isnt it?) to bring London to a standstill.

Give voice to the taxpaying majority abused by the arrogant political class

Funny how those who claim to speak for the people never seem to give a damn about the millions whose lives are ruined by this direct action. A few days ago, Labour was posing as the champion of hard-pressed police officers wilting under the burden of the Tory cuts.

I dont suppose theyve given a moments thought to all those coppers who will have their weekend leave cancelled on July 1, and be expected to cope with bitter and twisted, Trot-inspired troublemakers spitting in their faces.

Same goes for the firefighters exploited for political advantage by Labour after the Grenfell Tower fire.

Why should they have to give up their well-deserved days off just because some anti-austerity, bedsit anarchist might decide to set fire to a few parked cars or lob a petrol bomb at McDonalds?

Police officers urged activists to stay calm, insisting the force wasalready stretched at a time of high-terror threat

Theres a world of difference between exercising the right to peaceful protest, and insurrection.

And, as far as Im concerned, when a prominent politician such as McDonnell calls for the overthrow of a democratically elected Government by extra-parliamentary means, he is guilty of sedition  which, until Labour abolished it in 2009, was a criminal offence.

Not that Im proposing turning this ludicrous, self-righteous Che Guevara wannabe into a martyr.

Hed enjoy it too much.

But Im sick and tired of those sections of the media which elevate sinister enemies of democracy such as McDonnell to the moral high ground.

How many times have we been told on radio and TV that the Tories lost the election and Corbyn was the real winner  despite coming a distant second in both votes and seats?

Much of the post-election political coverage has been taken straight from the playbook of Hitlers propagandist Joseph Goebbels: Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.

Dozens of officers were brought to calm the situation, forming a tight barrier between the activists and the gates to Downing Street

A classic example is the absurd mantra that when 17.4 million voted for Brexit, they didnt know what they were voting for. Of course we did.

Spreadsheet Phil was at it again this week, claiming people didnt vote to be poorer. Who the hell ever suggested they had, except anti-democratic Remoaners who are determined to overthrow the result of the EU referendum?

Thats why we need our own Day of Rage, to articulate the anger of the silent majority (Tory and Labour) who voted Leave; to give a voice to the law-abiding, taxpaying majority, who are routinely abused and traduced by a noisy, arrogant, self-obsessed political class and their accomplices in the media, the unions and the so-called public services.

Yes, by all means rage against Mother Theresa for calling an unnecessary election in a fit of hubris and then making such a mess of the campaign that she surrendered the initiative to those desperate to derail Britains departure from the EU.

Maybe we need our own Day of Rage, to articulate the anger of the silent majority (Tory and Labour) who voted Leave

Rage, too, against the Scottish Nationalists, Scottish Conservatives, Lib Dems, Tory and Labour Remainers, unelected members of the House of Lords, and wealthy vested interests who now all think they have the right to defy the British people.

Rage against all those cynical opportunists who turn every adversity, from a tragic fire in a tower block to a terrorist attack, into a political slanging match about spending cuts, even before the bodies are cold.

Rage against the procession of public sector union leaders given free rein on the airwaves to squeal about austerity, without even beginning to understand the meaning of the word.

Left-wing headteachers seem to spend more time moaning about the cuts than actually doing the job theyre paid for. They should stop insulting our intelligence with their lies, such as having to rattle buckets outside school gates to pay teachers wages.

Rage against those who are forever screeching about the pressure on public services; the chronic housing shortage; overcrowded roads, trains and buses; and then in the next breath loudly oppose any controls on immigration, legal or illegal.

A group called the Movement for Justice By Any Means Necessary marched from Shepherd's Bush to Downing Street hoping to 'bring down the government'

How can we plan public services when we have no idea how many people are living here? Fifteen years ago, the then Commissioner of the Met told me there were at least 250,000 people in London the police knew nothing about.

Goodness knows what that figure is today.

So it comes as no great surprise to learn that some of the survivors of the awful Grenfell Tower fire have been reluctant to come forward for help because of questions over their immigration status.

There were estimated to be 600 people living in 120 one and two-bedroom flats. We may never know the identity of some of those who died in such tragic circumstances.

Rage against those who try to prevent us from asking difficult questions about these innocents caught up in an avoidable disaster.

Rage, also, against those constantly complaining that the NHS is starved of funds, when the Health Service has never had more money thrown at it, yet think the demands placed upon it should be infinite.

As for nurses pay, wed all love them to earn more. But there are millions of people in the private sector who havent had a salary increase for years  and dont enjoy the job security and index-linked pensions of those on the public payroll.

Rage against the billions of pounds being frittered away in foreign aid every year, simply so that politicians can feel good about themselves.

Rage against Left-wing bigots who demand that anyone who challenges their warped world view is prosecuted for hate crime, yet turn a blind eye to Islamist preachers of hate in British mosques inciting their gormless disciples to bring mass murder to our streets.

Rage against the experts and Government ministers who encouraged drivers to buy diesel cars in the name of saving the planet, and are now punishing us for doing what we were told.

Rage against the imbeciles who increased electricity bills so they could litter our green and pleasant with useless, heavily subsidised War Of The Worlds windmills  and remain bitterly opposed to nuclear power and fracking, even as the lights are going out.

Rage against the local councils who refuse to mend the roads, or maintain the street lights, or empty our dustbins once a week  yet are never short of money when it comes to building new civic centres and hiring hundreds of expensive diversity enforcers and climate change advisers.

Rage against the rail unions holding passengers to ransom, especially when we learn train drivers on strike-happy Southern Rail have just rejected a deal which would pay them a staggering 75,000 a year  way beyond the dreams of most of the passengers whose lives they routinely make a misery. And rage against the incompetent, cowardly managers and transport ministers who have let it happen.

Rage against the whole rotten lot of them, for all the good it will do. But Mail readers arent the type to march on Downing Street, or throw petrol bombs at the police. We prefer the ballot box to the barricades. Which is why the political class keeps getting away with it.

I may rage against the machine every now and again. But Ive always bowed to the inevitable wisdom of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band:

No matter who you vote for, the Government always gets in.

And as someone once said: if voting changed anything, theyd abolish it.
Just imagine a 48-year-old woman believing she was once turned down for a job because she did not order her food in Italian during an interview over lunch.

Imagine that woman believing this failure to request spaghetti per favore revealed her working-class origins and cost her the position.

Imagine that this woman is now the Education Secretary, presiding over the launch of a Social Mobility Index of employers, to encourage companies to hire candidates from a wide range of backgrounds.

Justine Greening (pictured) means well in helping the Social Mobility Foundation to urge employers to provide opportunities for poorer, working-class applicants

Just imagine that, Justine.

Of course, Miss Greening means well in helping the Social Mobility Foundation to urge employers to provide opportunities for poorer, working-class applicants.

It is, after all, a laudable initiative  even if it is far removed from the brave new dawn recently promised by Theresa Mays Government. Plans to overturn a ban on new grammar schools have been abandoned, after the Prime Minister calculated that the policy was likely to be defeated in the Commons.

And if not there, then almost definitely in the House of Lords.

My research says these studies are daft... To cheer you all up, here are my favourite new studies released this week. All true! A study published in Current Biology journal has found that howler monkeys with smaller testicles scream louder than their bigger testicled peers to compensate. Research by Lancaster University found that most residents of Kendal found the Cumbrian town quiet in the evenings. Long distance love? A study in Psychological Science found that people who were shown photos of puppies and bunnies next to a photo of their absent partner developed more positive associations with that partner than control groups. Just a thought  perhaps this is something Melania Trump could try? Not the howler monkey theory, silly  the puppy pics. Advertisement

All utterly depressing if you happen to believe passionately, as I do, that grammars are one of the best routes to social mobility this class-ridden country has ever produced.

As a bright pupil from a Scottish council housing estate, it was my dream to attend one. Unfortunately, I entered secondary education in Scotland after 1971, when streaming and selective education were abolished and all state schools became equal in terms of status, curriculum offered and examinations taken.

From that point onwards  until Mrs Thatcher tipped the balance back in the Eighties with parental choice  the only thing that streamed in Scottish schools were noses.

For better or worse, we were all in it together; a great stew of corporation kids with second-hand books and few other options. Im grateful for the education I did receive, but sometimes think I have thrived in spite of it, not because of it.

And a lot of Left-wing grandees must surely agree. Particularly women such as Labour shadow cabinet members Diane Abbott, Emily Thornberry and Baroness Chakrabarti, as well as Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, who all champion the comprehensive system (for others) but sent their own children to private or selective state schools.

To give their little darlings the best chance to succeed, while the less advantaged struggle to shine at bog standard comprehensives. The hypocrisy is gasping.

Thats why I want far, far better prospects for pupils today than the Education Secretary wringing her hands and suggesting that lack of middle-class poise in a lunchtime trattoria could mean the end of a career before it even started.

One could argue that Justine is a shining example of social mobility. The Rotherham-born steelworkers daughter went to a comprehensive, studied economics at Southampton University and, before entering Parliament, worked for several accounting companies, including PricewaterhouseCoopers. Now she is in the Cabinet! Well done her.

Plans to overturn a ban on new grammar schools have been abandoned, after the Prime Minister calculated that the policy was likely to be defeated in the Commons

Yet a long time ago, Greening (left) felt unfairly judged in a restaurant while being taken out to lunch by two junior managers from an investment bank. She recalled: I remember trying to work out whether I should order the meal in Italian . . . or whether I should read the English translation underneath. In a split second, I decided Im a non-pompous person, I will just read the English. And I could tell with the body language that I had just failed a test.

What rubbish. Miss Greening can have no real idea of why she was not given the job, but rather arrogantly assumes it had nothing to do with her ability or qualifications. Yet she insists she is a working-class casualty who has received the sharp end of unconscious bias because of accent or behaviour.

An Education Secretary falling victim to the fashionable malaise of victimhood? God, please, no. Things are bad enough without that.

Apart from anything else, its not a social gaffe to order in English in an Italian restaurant in England with English translation on the menu. It would be rather Hyacinth Bucket to do otherwise.

All this does is show up Justine Greenings own insecurity and class prejudice, while propounding the conceit that the working classes are oiks who cant be trusted not to eat their peas off a knife or send the vichyssoise back because it is cold.

That is not to say that people dont make crass class judgments  this is the land of the perma-prinked pinkie, after all  but I know posh folks with table manners like pigs and working-class strivers who can speak Italian with the fluency and grace of a contessa.

If Justine Greening wants to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds get into top universities and firms she should turn her attention to the basics  the sodding education system.

That is what is important, not knowing which spoon to use for her coffee-flavoured custard dessert. Or tiramisu, to me and you.

It can't be Vegas every day, Harry

In an interview with Newsweek, Prince Harry claimed that no one in his family wants to be King or Queen

Here comes Prince Harry, lurching into another rather ill-judged interview.

In an encounter with Newsweek, he claimed that no one in his family wants to be King or Queen.

Can that be true? If so, shouldnt they be encouraged to drop all the castles and prestige that come with the job?

The poor Queen! Sixty-five years of flawless service, but saddled with a grandson who seems to think that royal life is nothing more than a game of thrones. Harry also took the opportunity to air his dismay at having to walk behind his mothers coffin  a sentiment echoed by William in another recent interview.

It is truly awful that the princes were bereaved at a young age. Sadly, it is a fate that befalls a lot of children around the world, most of whom do not have a richly upholstered royal cushion of wealth and privilege to comfort them.

To be frank, its not his fault  this latest interview was surely arranged ages ago  but now is not the time, given recent events in London, for Harry and his brother to keep reminding us of their grievances and how much they have suffered.

This recent exposure to princely emotions has been interesting, but I wonder if the moment has come for the pair of them to retreat back into the royal shell.

To stop emoting and over-sharing and  lets be honest  having a bit of a moan.

Yes, royal constrictions and duties must be a pain sometimes. But Harry has to realise that not every day can be a naked- in-Vegas-day.

A new fledgling in Madge's love nest

If a 58-year-old male pop star made a habit of dating voluptuous models half his age, wed be appalled. When Madge does it, its supposed to be a triumph for feminism

All change among the hunky fledglings in the Madonna love nest. The voracious pop star has reportedly dumped one lover  Aboubakar Soumahoro, 26  and replaced him with 31-year-old Kevin Sampaio. Or has she adopted them? As she might sing, it is too soon to tell (what the heck is going on).

The voracious pop star has reportedly dumped one lover  Aboubakar Soumahoro, 26  and replaced him with 31-year-old Kevin Sampaio (pictured)

Perhaps I dont have to mention that both are male models, with airbag chests and brick-sized biceps? Of course not. If a 58-year-old male pop star made a habit of dating voluptuous models half his age, wed be appalled. When Madge does it, its supposed to be a triumph for feminism  instead of what it really is: an embarrassment for her kids. Surely?

Still, I can see the advantages. You havent got an irritating old boy shuffling about looking for his spectacles and taking a nap after his last nap.

No one is asking you to trim his ear hair or if its OK to mow the lawn in his dressing gown (no). Plus youve got someone to run errands without complaining. Still, having to deal with all those hormones and young man energy! It must be exhausting for her, forever trying to prove to herself, her ex-husbands and everyone else that shes still smokin hot.

Meanwhile, Kate Beckinsale was spotted kissing 21-year-old Matt Rife in Los Angeles. The 43-year-old star has fallen for the only handsome twentysomething in Hollywood who has managed to evade Madonnas clutches.

Good luck to both these women. Its going to be a long, hot summer of young love.

Soggy bottoms in the sun

Paul Hollywood posted this ominous photograph of the new Bake Off team

Paul Hollywood posted this ominous photograph of the new Bake Off team, revealing that it was taken on the hottest day in the Bake Off Tent ever.

Clearly, we can look forward to weeping muffins, flaky Danish pastries, collapsed tarts and disappointing buns.

I dont expect the baking will be up to much either. Look at this lot! They exude the charisma of inmates from a high-security old folks facility who have escaped with their minder and are waiting at a bus stop for number 45 to the bingo hall.

It does not bode well for the new series on C4, does it?

A Day of Rage protester holds up a misspelled placard

The Day of Rage? Ive never seen anything so pathetic, vainglorious and self-dramatising as this bunch of malcontents wasting everyones time. Their efforts on Wednesday certainly seemed more Day of Rage than Day of Gainful Employment. Or even Day of Doing Homework.

Honestly, their misspelled placards would have put Neil and Rick in The Young Ones to shame. They included: Why do tragedys always happen under Tories?

And: Our Lifes End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter. There was also one that read: No Justice, No Peace.

Where is the peace and justice in spending an entire day shouting at overstretched London policemen, who are doing so much to keep everyone in the capital safe? Quite.




It's one of the most popular stores on the high street, offering affordable versions of designer looks that have made it a firm favourite among women of all ages - and seen its parent company's profits rocket.

No doubt Zara had a huge part to play in the 10 per cent surge in sales revealed by Inditex this week, which posted 2.7bn in profits for the year ending March 2017.

But the downside of its ubiquity is that each time you debut a hot new purchase, you run the risk of bumping into several other women wearing the exact same thing.

Yet there's more to Inditex than just Zara - so if you're fed up of arriving at a social event in the same dress as everyone else, you might want to turn your attention to the lower profile Spanish brands owned by the umbrella company.

From Uterque's sleek silhouettes, which are perfect for mature ladies, to Pull and Bear's trendy festival fashion, these are the places to shop for fast fashion that no one else will be wearing this summer.

UTERQUE

Uterque has long been a fashion editor favourite thanks to its sleek silhouettes and sharp tailoring. This gingham dress, 54.90, is being touted as the piece of the summer

Uterque is owned by the same company as Zara and arguably has better pieces on offer. The Spanish brand, which doesn't yet have bricks and mortar stores in the UK, has long been a fashion editor favourite thanks to its sleek silhouettes and sharp tailoring.

Aimed at women aged from 25-50 who are 'middle class, urban, educated, cosmopolitan and independent', the brand bills itself as 'sophisticated and smart, attentive to detail, self-confident and independent'.

Much like at Zara, the stock is refreshed twice a week to reflect fast moving trends.

The price point is slightly higher than its better known counterpart - with dresses costing around 80 and leather totes around 110 - but its reflected in the high quality fabrics.

In a similar way to Zara, the garments in store and online are renewed twice a week to reflect latest trends. Left: Culottes, 54.90. Right: Jeans with fringed knees, 39.90

PULL AND BEAR

Pull&Bear is ideal for festivals and summer holidays and is targetted at a young, cool crowd with a penchant for casual clothes (crossover neckline jumpsuit with ruffle trim, 17.99)

Pull&Bear was created in 1991 and aimed at young fashion lovers. Perfect for festivals and summer holidays, the range has a laid back and fun feel - with prices to match.

Giving key trend pieces the '90s treatment, Pull&Bear's new collection features dresses from 29.99 and shorts 22.99.

The range is full of distressed denim, comfortable but chic jersey dresses and edgy outerwear.

Pull&Bear's clothing is much more casual than Zara's and includes youthful garments like this long sleeveless dress, which costs 17.99

OYSHO

Oysho is also owned by the umbrella company but focuses just on lingerie, beach and swimwear lines (Paisley print dress, 39.99)

Oysho is owned by the same group but focuses solely on lingerie and swimwear - but with the new underwear as outerwear trend, you can certainly get away with donning one of its glamorous cover-ups on a night out.

Created in 2001, Oysho's lingerie, beach and swimwear lines channel a trend-led philosophy that's young, fun and feminine.

Asos, which stocks the line, says shoppers will fall in love with its lingerie sets, laid-back loungewear and sugar-sweet swimwear.

Created in 2001, Oysho's beachwear is young, fun and feminine (short embroidered crepe jumpsuit, 39.99)

STRADIVARIUS

Stradivarius targets a customer below the age of 35 and its collection is full of colourful print dresses and Zara-esque separates (left: Long low-cut dress, 29.99. Right: Striped poplin dress, 19.99)

Stradivarius is also part of the same group, and specifically aimed at women under 35.

In its mission statement on its website, it says: 'We are fully aware that what makes our customers happy today may not be what they want tomorrow, which is why we are constantly hunting down the latest trends to come up with the perfect looks for every occasion.'

MASSIMO DUTTI

Massimo Dutti, which has a higher price point than the other brands, promises to always use high quality fabrics that are also practical and comfortable (raincoat: 69.95)

Massimo Dutti was incorporated to the group in 1991, and stocks the most expensive and luxurious clothes of all those under the fashion umbrella.

The store says its collection epitomises 'elegant and universal' style for independent, cosmopolitan men and women of today.

The shop promises that it uses the highest quality fabrics that are also practical and comfortable.

BERSHKA

Bershka was set up in 1998 as an innovative fashion retail concept which targets the youngest hipsters in the market. There are 1,081 Bershka stores and the brand currently operates in 75 markets.

Bershka also prides itself on its trendy stores, which are designed with an urban theme reflecting street fashion, music and art.
The Melbourne mum-of-two, now 49, beat her cancer with the help of laughter

Ros Ben-Moshe was diagnosed with bowel cancer at on her 43rd birthday

Ros Ben-Moshe spent her 43rd birthday in a doctor's office after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.

The laughter therapist, now 49 years old, is the author of Laughing at Cancer: How to Heal With Love, Laughter and Mindfulness, which documents her journey with bowel cancer by finding joy and laughter in the little things.

The Melbourne mum-of-two spoke to Daily Mail Australia about how laughter helped get her through the darkest days of her cancer battle.

Ros Ben-Moshe, from Melbourne, was diagnosed with bowel cancer at on her 43rd birthday

'Six years ago I spent that birthday sitting in the surgeons office discussing surgical options,' Ros told Daily Mail Australia.

'The birthdays since have definitely been an improvement on that.'

Doctors had found a malignant tumour in Ros's rectum, which would require surgery to remove as the cancerous cells had spread.

'I essentially had three options: I could have had the tumour removed and kept my fingers crossed that everything would be fine,' she said.

I don't believe laughter cures cancer, but it is a powerful healing tool and stress buster.

'Or I could've had a partial bowel resection. But the only way, even in this era of high tech medical technology to actually establish whether the cancer had spread to the lymph, is to do a full bowel resection.'

The tumour sat low in Ros's bowels so doctors had to perform a complete bowel resection.

Ros wanted to make sure she would be around for her husband (centre) and two sons (left and right)

The laughter therapist's new book documents her journey with bowel cancer by finding joy and laughter in the little things

Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer in Australia.

Bowel Cancer facts Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world Bowel cancer is the third most common type of newly diagnosed cancer in Australia 14,958 Australians are told they have bowel cancer every year Bowel cancer is Australia's second biggest cancer killer after lung cancer, claiming the lives of 4,162 people every year. Source: Bowel Cancer Australia Advertisement

As both her sons were young at the time, 12 and 15-years-old, Ros said she couldn't live with any doubt that the cancer would come back.

'Even though I was told there was a slim chance the cancer had spread, I opted to have a full bowel resection,' she said.

'Because where the tumour sat was very low down, it was a very tricky part of the body to heal.

'The bowel was connected four months after.'

Eight days after the final bowel surgery, the cancer had been successfully removed.

'I knew I was safe,' she said.

'On paper, I was really healthy and active. I was slim and was a lecturer in health promotion!'

Even though her whole world 'turned upside down', Ros, who was lecturing at La Trobe university at the time, said she felt supported by her family and friends and the medical team.

As a way to combat her loneliness, the mother began using mindfulness techniques and laughter to help get her through.

'I was actually teaching the benefits of laughter on the side while lecturing, so to have to put what I was teaching to use for myself was interesting,' she said.

'I had to stop teaching it and start living it.'

While in hospital, Ros began to centre herself and visualise happiness and joy, as laughter did not come initially.

While in hospital, Ros began to centre herself and visualise happiness and joy, as laughter did not come initially

'As anybody who has had surgery to the stomach or bowels would know, you cannot laugh for at least six weeks, it's just too painful,' she said.

'What I did do was a lot of smile and mindfulness practices, to visualise that every tissue and cell and and fibre of my body was smiling back at me.'

Once Ros could physically laugh again, she made conscious decisions to watch funny television shows with her family and finding joy in little things.

'Laughter is 30 times more powerful than morphine: it's a powerful well-being tool and releases endorphins to promote healing,' she said.

A week after the major bowel resection surgery, a minor complication arose that sent Ros into a panic.

'Laughter is 30 times more powerful than morphine: it's a powerful well-being tool,' Ros said

'It all ended up fine but that morning I was feeling really low,' she said.

'There was nothing that was going to tempt me to have breakfast when they brought it in.'

Ros's new book details her battle with bowel cancer

With her breakfast came a pencil and paper so patients could request a certain breakfast option.

'On the corner of this mat that was on the hospital tray I started to write out a list of positive things that had come as a result of this operation,' she said.

Thinking there may have been only one or two positive things to write about, Ros ended up filling the whole page with positive thoughts.

'It was the small things, like being able to appreciate the view outside.'

'The last thing I wrote was "wow, how blessed am I".'

Ros said it's important, battling an illness or not, to have 'micro-moments of joy' every day.

In her new book, Ros discuses the benefits of laughter as a healing tool during illness and every day stresses.

'I don't believe laughter cures cancer, but it is a powerful healing tool and stress buster,' she said.

'I let the doctors take care of my illness, but I took care of my wellness.'

Ros wants others to understand that 'the more you choose to laugh and to smile, the more you'll find reasons to'.

Ros is now the director and founder of LaughLife wellness programmes and is helping to raise awareness of bowel cancer in Australia.
Move over Millennials and Generation X-ers, there's some new kids on the block.

Australian Dan Woodman, associate professor of Sociology at the University of Melbourne, claims there is a new micro generation, called Xennials, who were born between 1977 and 1983.

Speaking to Mamamia, Professor Woodman said Xennials are a mix of the pessimistic generation X and the optimistic Millennials.

There is a new micro generation, called Xennials, who were born between 1977 and 1983 (stock image)

Where Millennials were born and raised with technology, Xennials grew up outdoors and later grew with technological developments

'The idea is there's this micro or in-between generation between the Gen X group  who we think of as the depressed flannelette-shirt-wearing, grunge-listening children that came after the Baby Boomers and the Millennials  who get described as optimistic, tech savvy and maybe a little bit too sure of themselves and too confident,' Professor Woodman told the publication.

Xennials grew up in a time where landline phones were used to organise catch ups with friends, and people read the newspaper and watched the nightly news to keep up to date with current affairs.

Professor Woodman said Xennials have a unique experience when it comes to technology, enjoying their childhoods without the worry of social media posts to gain Instagram popularity.

Xennials are tech-savvy, having come into the technology boom in their 20s, but had a childhood free of social media (stock image)

Then in their 20s, Xennials hit the technology boom.

'Then we hit this technology revolution before we were maybe in that frazzled period of our life with kids and no time to learn anything new. We hit it where we could still adopt in a selective way the new technologies,' Professor Woodman said.

'We learned to consume media and came of age before there was Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat and all these things where you still watch the evening news or read the newspaper.'

'We learned to consume media and came of age before there was Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat'

However, it's not likely that a whole micro generation experienced the same upbringing, Professor Woodman explained.

'Internal to whatever these groups are, whether it's Millennials or Xennials, there's going to be people who have very very different experiences based on whether they're a man or a woman, whether they had a lot of money or not much money as a kid,' he said.

English leadership consultant Simon Sinek previously spoke of the 'entitled, narcissistic, self-interested, unfocused and lazy' attitudes of Millennials, claiming it's not their fault.

Xennials hit technology 'where we could still adopt in a selective way the new technologies'

Touring Australia and New Zealand in March earlier in the year, Mr Sinek said millennials had been dealt 'a bad hand' with their upbringing because they had grown up in an environment where 'every child wins a prize'.

'Some of them got into honours classes, not because they deserved it, but because their parents complained,' Mr Sinek said.

'(They were) thrust into the real world and in an instant, they find out they're not special, their mums can't get them a promotion. And by the way, you can't just have it because you want it.'
Senator Larissa Waters has revealed she was viciously trolled after making history by breastfeeding her 14-week-old baby girl while passing a motion in Federal Parliament.

On Thursday the Queensland Greens senator and mother passed the motion on black lung disease as she cradled and fed her daughter Alia Joy on the floor of the chamber.

But not everyone was impressed with Ms Water's public breastfeeding - the senator shared a screenshot of an anonymous text message from an angry troll who called her a 'dumb b**** with the big t**s'.

Scroll down for video

Greens Senator Larissa Waters (pictured) puts forward a motion on Black Lung disease while breastfeeding her baby daughter Alia Joy in the chamber in parliament on Thursday

After footage of her breastfeeding her daughter during parliament went viral, Ms Waters was harassed by trolls

The Queensland mother says bringing a child into Parliament made it a 'happier' environment

'Not a good look you may think it's clever but believe me Waters will be remembered in politics as the dumb b**** with the big t**s with an ego that was five feet in front of her brains all the best next time she is a goner but she is already aware of that hence the exhibition,' the strange message read.

The troll also bizarrely signed off the vulgar text message with 'regards', which Ms Waters wryly referred to as she posted a screenshot online to Twitter.

But the senator's decision to breastfeed during parliament also sparked countless messages of support and praise from other women who applauded her for bravely pushing the boundaries.

'Keep doing what you are doing - challenge stereotypes and leading by example. Change is rarely comfortable - I'm proud of you,' one woman said.

'Heartwarming for many mothers seeing how you manage the tough demands of politics. We deserve to be so well represented. Thanks,' another wrote.

But the senator's decision to breastfeed during parliament also sparked countless messages of support and praise from other women who applauded her for bravely pushing the boundaries

Cradling her baby daughter in her arms, the senator smiled as her daughter gets breastfed

Some Twitter users applauded the senator for bravely breastfeeding while passing a motion

'Heartwarming': Many users praised Ms Waters for leading by example for women in high-profile jobs

But some agreed with the vicious troll and claimed Ms Waters should not be praised

However some Twitter users appeared to side with the anonymous troll and slammed Ms Waters for 'showing off' and while others claimed she should not be praised for something so intrinsically human.

'Lol. "Clever". Like you were feeding your baby whilst riding a tiny bicycle across a tightrope over a pit of snakes,' one man said.

'There are private offices to do private things. You wouldn't feed your toddler in the middle of a work meeting. A baby is no exception,' another said.

But the senator maintains having a baby in the chambers is calming for other politicians in what is usually a 'toxic' environment.

'Obviously it is a high stress and sometimes toxic environment but having a baby it tends to bring a smile to people faces, and hopefully it improves peoples moods and generally the decisions that are made too,' Ms Waters told Sunrise.

Senator Waters posted about her latest historic moment to her Twitter followers on Thursday

Senator Waters kisses her daughter after putting forward a motion on black lung disease

Ms Waters made headlines on Thursday for her nonchalant attitude while cradling her daughter in a room full of stoic politicians.

Bringing her baby in for a feed with a white towel over her shoulder, the Greens senator wasted no time when she got on her feet to put forward the motion.

The display was met with delight from fellow colleagues, including Senator Richard Di Natale who was seen playfully holding little Alia.

Following the motion, Senator Waters took to Twitter to post about her latest historic moment to more than 30,000 of her followers.

'First time I've had to move a Senate motion while breastfeeding! And my partner in crime moved her own motion just before mine, bless her,' she wrote.

Little Alia has been a regular visitor in the Senate chamber since she made her debut in May, making history as the first baby to be breastfed in parliament.

Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale was spotted playfully holding Alia in his hands

Senator Waters has called for more women and parents in parliament since returning from maternity leave following the birth of her second daughter in March

Since then, she's accompanied her mother during numerous Senate divisions and debates, and even the Midwinter Ball, a charity event attended by politicians and journalists.

'So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal Parliament! We need more #women & parents in Parli,' she tweeted at the time.

She later tweeted a photo of the pair, adding: 'So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal Parliament! We need more #women & parents in Parli.'

Senator Waters has called for more women and parents in parliament since returning from maternity leave following the birth of her second daughter in March.

Last year, she instigated changes to Senate rules to allow new parents to briefly care for their infants on the floor of parliament.

The House of Representatives has made similar changes.

Greens colleague Sarah Hanson-Young made headlines in 2009 when her two-year-old daughter Kora was taken from her arms and ejected from the Senate chamber.
Nadia Bartell has figured out the trick to getting her baby boy to sleep.

The WAG, who is married to AFL player Jimmy Bartel, took to Instagram to share her simple secret to 380,000 followers.

Nadia, 31, revealed that her 19-month-old son Aston is back to sleeping soundly after she began talking to him before saying goodnight.

Fashion blogger Nadia Bartel, 31, revealed that her 19-month-old son Aston (pictured together) is back to sleeping soundly after she began talking to him before saying goodnight

Nadia revealed she lays next to Aston on the floor 'for a little while', but makes sure to leave before he is 'fast asleep'

'The only thing I have changed is talking to him lots at sleep time,' Nadia wrote in the caption of a sweet picture of her and her son.

The fashion blogger said she talks to Aston about 'why he needs to go to sleep' and how he is 'a big boy in his own bed'.

Nadia also revealed she lays next to him on the floor 'for a little while', but makes sure to leave before he is 'fast asleep'.

'He seemed so anxious and scared at sleep time and that has soothed him,' she wrote.

'It's worked a treat so far, hopefully it stays this way.'

Nadia said Aston had slept for 'two nights straight' after she began to talk to him and is now 'sleeping through the night'.

The fashion blogger said she talks to Aston about 'why he needs to go to sleep' and how he is 'a big boy in his own bed'

The WAG, who is married to AFL player Jimmy Bartel (pictured with his son), took to Instagram to share her simple secret to 380,000 followers

With her hashtags the WAG was quick to address that her tip '#mightnotworkforeveryone' but that it '#workedforus'.

But the trick doesn't seem to be foolproof, as Nadia later revealed in the comments that Aston was 'back to his usual antics last night' and that she 'spoke too soon'.

Nadia's followers were quick to share their sympathy and own tales of sleep deprivation due to fussy and scared kids.

'My little boy is the same age as Aston and has been going through the exact same thing,' one fellow mum wrote.

'Very anxious at sleep time and waking a few hours after going to bed and screaming. It's so tough, but we are hoping we are through the other side too.'

'Well done babe,' she added. 'You sound like a great mummy, he's a lucky boy.'

Another mum shared a tip of her own.

Nadia (pictured with Jimmy in February) later revealed in the comments of her Instagram that her trick wasn't foolproof and that Aston was 'back to his usual antics last night'

Nadia has been candid in the past about her struggles with Aston, who suffers from silent reflex - which causes painful irritation in the esophagus

'We have always played music at sleep time with both our girls and once they were asleep we would turn it off,' she wrote. 'It seems to calm them.'

'Hope your little man keeps sleeping through for you.'

Nadia has been candid in the past about her struggles with Aston, who suffers from silent reflex.

The condition causes painful irritation in the esophagus due to stomach acid, and can leave babies irritable or refusing to eat.

Nadia wrote on her blog that from the day he was born, Aston was a 'really fussy baby' who was constantly 'in a lot of pain'.

The first-time mum at first blamed herself for his constant tears, sure she was doing something wrong and was at fault.

'I had nothing to compare it to and I felt like if I told people he cried a lot and wouldn't sleep at all then it was a sign of weakness on my behalf,' she wrote.

'But I knew that something wasn't quite right with my boy and his screams weren't your usual baby cries, he was screeching in pain.'

Nadia eventually realised something was very wrong and sought the advice of a doctor.
NIMBY luvvie Sir David Hare (pictured) is protesting against a proposed excavation next to his 5 million leafy Hampstead home

NIMBY luvvie Sir David Hare is protesting against a proposed excavation next to his 5 million leafy Hampstead home.

The celebrated playwright says that a neighbour's plan to expand their basement will shatter the crescent's treasured peace and tranquillity.

'The crescent has always been a quiet residential street where people lived for 20 years or more,' says Hare. 'Only in the past few years has it become a square on an investor and estate agent's Monopoly board. That's changing its character.'

The new owners of a neighbouring property want planning consent to rebuild an extension at the back of the house and revamp the cellar.

'Basement work of this kind is now loathed in London for very good reason,' adds Hare. 'This street is losing its essential charm and character to people coming in and hollowing it out for commercial profit.'

The writer has approached the Town Hall, urging planners to reject the scheme. 'These unnecessary basements are anti-social and destructive,' says Sir David, who is married to fashion designer and sculptor Nicole Farhi.

'In the interests of letting the crescent retain its essential character  quiet, peaceful, neighbourly  I implore the council to reject this application.'

The writer has approached the Town Hall, urging planners to reject the scheme. 'These unnecessary basements are anti-social and destructive,' says Sir David, who is married to fashion designer and sculptor Nicole Farhi (pictured together in 2016)

Architect Piers Smerin, who filed the application on behalf of the new owner, says the plan was not a large basement extension, but sought simply to expand a small cellar at the front of the house. He said: 'While it is technically described as basement work, it is pushing it to describe it as a basement  it is making an existing cellar space a little wider and deeper.'

This is not the first time Hare has found himself in conflict with neighbours. Sir David, 70, was previously forced to move out of his glass-roofed writing studio after an illegal two-storey extension blocked out the light.

'I have already endured the noise, dirt and constant disruption for 18 months,' he adds. 'At times, I had to move out.'

Sir David wrote the script for The Reader  the film that won Kate Winslet an Oscar  in his studio, as well as plays including the Olivier award-winning Skylight and Pravda.

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Mirren shows off her fancy footwork

Dame Helen Mirren's self-confessed fondness for 'stripper shoes' was evident this week when she took to the stage at Cannes Lions to talk about anxiety and insecurities.

The 71-year-old star wore red platforms (pictured), which she favours to accentuate her 5 ft 4 in stature.

The Oscar-winner, who advised the audience not to be 'self-obsessed' about appearances, completed her look with a 1,650 polka-dot Dolce & Gabbana dress.

Dame Helen Mirren's self-confessed fondness for 'stripper shoes' was evident this week when she took to the stage at Cannes Lions to talk about anxiety and insecurities

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Lucy Prebble, the award-winning British playwright behind the hit Enron, has taken the latest thespian retirement in her stride. 'It's fine  Mark Rylance has announced he will now play Daniel Day-Lewis,' she jokes.

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One musical figure unaware that a new version of Simon and Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Water was being recorded to raise money for survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster was, surprisingly, Art Garfunkel himself.

Happily, when I told him earlier this week about it, he was delighted. I feel very heart-warmed, said Garfunkel, who will be performing at the London Palladium on July 23.

Many years ago, I did my best to sing my heart out on this song, and now theyre saying: Art, we have found a way it could be of help to society,  and I love that.
With a burgeoning student population and more than 50,000 extra students predicted to flock into Victoria's schools over the next eight years, the need for extra classroom space in Australia has never been greater.

Which is precisely why one education expert in Victoria is arguing the case for a three day school week, and for children to be taught in 'shifts'.

Deakin University associate professor of digital learning, Tom Apperley, believes that the solution to young people's learning lies online, rather than always in school.

An education expert in Victoria is arguing the case for a three day school week, and for children to be taught in 'shifts' (stock image)

'In 20 or 30 years, school won't be an everyday affair,' the expert told the Herald Sun.

'As state-funded schools continue to grow, they might only offer a student three or fours days a week. Or they might just go to offering half-days and shifts for students.'

He continued by saying that digital education could help to top up or supplement what the students were learning in the classroom:

'Digital infrastructure will take the pressure off our physical infrastructure,' Mr Apperley added.

Deakin University associate professor of digital learning, Tom Apperley, believes that the solution to young people's learning lies online, rather than always in school (stock image)

Mr Apperley said that digital education could help to top up or supplement what the students were learning in the classroom (stock image)

Mr Apperley also discussed the idea that subjects such as maths, science, reading and music will at some stage stop being taught individually.

He explained that lessons could be 'gamified' - or inspired by video games - making learning more fun:

'Students will need to unlock lessons A, B and C before they can go on to D,' he said.

'It makes learning fun and gives people incentive.'

The expert believes lessons could be 'gamified' - or inspired by video games - to make learning more 'fun and [to] give people incentive' (stock image)

The idea that a shorter school week could lead to greater benefits for students and schools is not new.

In 2015, Mary Beth Walker, Dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, and Mark Anderson, a faculty member at Montana State University, undertook a study to examine the impact of the four-day week on student learning.

'Our results, based on fifth grade mathematics scores, generally show that achievement rises after the introduction of a four-day week,' Ms Walker said at the time.

Meanwhile, other schools in Australia already offer teaching via computer games, open-plan classrooms or no formal classrooms.

Deakin University was Australia's first to offer degrees delivered completely online, and 25 per cent of students already choose this approach.
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Rising from the soil, right by the Brisbane river, is a minimalist house that one would expect to see in the heart of Japan - rather than on the edge of Queensland.

But, then again, that is exactly what Hamilton resident Steve Minon wanted to achieve with his $1million home, featured on Foxtel's Grand Designs Australia.

Steve has always been drawn to the culture of Japan, so much so that he quit his job as an advertising executive to open his own gyoza and beer restaurant in Brisbane.

Rising from the soil, right by the Brisbane river, is this $1million minimalist house that one would expect to see in the heart of Japan - rather than on the edge of Queensland

Hamilton resident Steve Minon wanted to create a minimalist escape that reflected his love of Japanese culture in his native Australia. Pictured here is his lounge and partner Jonny on the home's second floor

The home features a steel staircase that leads up to the second floor, which is mostly made up of the kitchen (pictured)

And when it came time to design his own home, he knew he wanted to have a piece of the Land of the Rising Sun in his native Australia.

Steve hired renowned Japanese architect Yo Shimada to help design the Japanese-style Queenslander home in an exceptionally steep and difficult plot of land.

Yo Shimada, who is regarded for providing innovative solutions to demanding sites, was just the man to help bring Steve's vision to life.

'I think if there's a culture that demonstrates simple clarity, it's the Japanese,' Steve said.

'I guess it's the way the Japanese package things up so cleanly and elegantly.'

It also features classic Queenslander features, including a massive veranda that captures the breeze from the Brisbane river and captures the incredible view

Steve (pictured) has always been drawn to the culture of Japan, so much so that he quit his job as an advertising executive to open his own gyoza and beer restaurant in Brisbane

The first floor features the couple's bedroom, as well as a bathroom that is entirely made out of glass (pictured). The only privacy offered is an aluminum curtain that fits seamlessly with the home's steel and silver colour scheme

The experimental home has a 'treehouse-like playfulness', featuring an origami ceiling and a design that shows off every structural detail.

It also features classic Queenslander features, including a massive veranda that captures the breeze from the Brisbane river and captures the incredible view.

The house stands on a skeleton steel frame that supports two slender floors and a traditional Australian gable roof.

Only a main bedroom and study area take up the first floor in the simple design, where the bathroom's see-through glass wall leaves little privacy without the aluminum curtain.

A steel staircase leads up to the second floor, which features a kitchen, small lounge area and a second small bedroom.

Steve and his partner Jonny affectionately called the structure 'the X house' as it was being built.

The experimental home has a 'treehouse-like playfulness', featuring an origami ceiling and a design that shows off every structural detail keeping it upright

A steel staircase leads up to the second floor, which features a kitchen, small lounge area and a second small bedroom

'It's an X shape, on two levels,' Steve explained. 'On one arm of the X is a deck or a room and on the other end is a deck or a room.'

The house was actually designed for only one person, with Steve confirming the plans before he met his partner.

So when the couple made plans to move in together, Jonny made it clear his 230kg baby grand piano was coming with him.

But the house also taught the musician to pare back parts of his life, adapting to Steve's minimalist style.

The couple had an authentic Japanese groundbreaking ceremony before building began, appealing to the gods for safety in construction.

The couple had a Japanese groundbreaking ceremony before building began, appealing to the gods for safety in construction

One must walk up 70 steps before reaching the front door of a house, throwing in a daily workout for the couple no doubt

There were some hiccups along the way, including the fact that they began during Queensland's cyclone season and were working with two firms on two different continents.

The design was so compact and tight it required incredible precision, and robots had to be used to cut the framework for exact measurements.

Since most of the structure is exposed, the placement of every single nut and bolt mattered.

What was created was a perfect mash-up of Japanese and Queensland cultures that both men loved, even when they need to walk up 70 steps every day to get to the front door.

'Possessions require maintenance, and that takes time. We'd rather spend time on experiences,' Steve said.

It's hard to obtain a simple life but, as Steve said, 'this house makes it easy'.
A 65-year-old woman has opened up about her terrifying near-death ordeal after undergoing a cleansing detox treatment.

Pamela Kilah, from Brisbane, was left with excruciating pain mid-way through colonic irrigation - a health fad that helps detoxify the body and banishes bloating.

The treatment, which has been long endorsed by many Hollywood stars, involves flushing out the contents of the intestines via tubes pumped with water.

But the procedure was far from glamorous for the Australian mother who has been struggling to walk since she was hospitalised about a year ago.

Pamela Kilah (pictured) has opened up about her terrifying near-death ordeal after undergoing a cleansing detox treatment that has left her struggling to walk

'I was in a lot of pain,' she told Today Tonight Adelaide.

Ms Kilah claimed she was in such severe pain, she was unable to dress herself at the clinic as her desperate pleas for an ambulance were dismissed.

'[The] fourth time, I yelled, I raised my voice and yelled [for an ambulance],' she said.

After being rushed to hospital, she learned she had suffered peritonitis - a life-threatening infectious inflammation caused by leakage or a hole in the intestines.

Ms Kilah claims she underwent three surgeries to repair the damage after she was left with a ruptured bowel, collapsed lungs and a congestive heart failure.

The 65-year-old has been struggling to walk since she was hospitalised about a year ago

She has since downsized her home after she was no longer able to maintain it on her own

She said she decided to do the procedure after her daughter was happy with her colonic irrigation treatment.

The mother has since downsized her home after she was no longer able to maintain it on her own.

She hopes by telling her story, she's warning other people against the treatment that has been popping up at beauty spas across the globe.

'Don't do it. Don't go there,' she urged.

'I nearly died two or three times.'
A mum-of-three who hated her 32A breasts but could not afford implants, went up four cup sizes after getting strangers to fund the operation.

Abbi McConnell, 33, was desperate for surgery after breastfeeding left her boobs 'saggy and small'.

The barmaid signed up to a free site where users donated money to her operation when they talked online.

After raising $5,700 (4,500) in just two months, Abbi, of Cleveland, Ohio went under the knife for the first time June 2010, boosting her bust to a size 32DD.

Following a second op, which she paid for herself by saving up, she is now a 32G.

She said: 'For me, there was nothing sexual about talking to these men online. I didn't do anything sleazy, and actually made some good friends.'

Abbi McConnell, 33, from Cleveland, Ohio felt self-conscious of her breasts (left) so in 2010 she joined a website where people pay to fund breast surgery and boosted her cleavage to 32DD

Abbi, just before her second surgery, in May 2012. She paid herself to boost her breasts again to 32GG

Abbi felt her small boobs became saggy after she breastfed her children Skyler, 14, Micah, 12 and Niko, 10.

'When I was breastfeeding they were really full and much bigger, but afterwards they lost their shape so much that I called them "runny eggs",' she recalled.

'Not only did I have tiny breasts but they were so out of shape. I felt like they were deformed and it really knocked my confidence. I couldn't wear bikinis or halter-neck tops.'

By February 2010 naturally slim Abbi, who was a professional ballerina for 18 years, decided she needed to take action.

Abbi went from a 32A cup to a 32G after her second surgery in May 2012

Abbi, in 2008 before she had surgery, hated her 32A breasts, which shrunk after feeding her three children

Abbit with her sons (left to right) Skyler, Micah and Niko, at an amusement park, in June 2017

She said: 'My boobs were so small that I felt like a boy. I didn't feel very womanly. I saw other girls with curves and felt so envious.

'I started googling 'cheap breast implants' and came across American website My Free Implants.

'It's a network where men donate money to help you get the surgery you want and in return they get photos, videos, messages and conversations.

'I knew I wanted to get my boobs done and feel better about myself, and the site was just pictures and chats with men. I knew I wouldn't do anything dirty or dodgy.'

Abbi, in a night club, in 2006 before she had surgery (left). The mother-of-three chatted to men online before they pledged money to fund her surgery (right)

Abbi, seen celebrating after her second surgery with a cheeky balloon, in 2012

She says her partner at the time was supportive of her plan too, just wanting her to be happy.

After researching online, Abbi knew she needed to raise 4,500 and thought it would take a year to do.

But over the next two months, Abbi spoke to men from around the world on video chat and instant messaging.

She admits she was sent creepy photos, but never responded with sexy images of herself.

One man asked Abbi to film herself washing her hair, fully clothed, and getting a friend to help her too and paid her $200 (160) each time

Abbi, pictured following surgery in 2012, chatted to men online about wanting an operation

'It was more about friendships with different men, chatting every day. It became so addictive that I was on the site around 40 hours a week. I had some odd requests too,' she laughed. 'One man asked me to film myself washing my hair, fully clothed, and getting a friend to help me too.

'He paid me $200 (160) for that each time.'

Another man asked Abbi to rest stationary, like pencils and a ruler, under her breasts, something Abbi didn't feel comfortable doing.

Abbi, in 2009, called her small breasts 'runny eggs'. She was desperate to enhance her 'saggy and small' breasts

In all, Abbi says 10 'benefactors' help her reach her goal in two months.

One British man, in his 30s, donated around 1,000 in all, and the pair have even kept in touch after Abbi's operation.

'We talk every day. He's single but I'm not attracted to him, we are like best friends.'

Abbi, before her first surgery in 2010. The mother-of-three said she felt 'deformed' and was self conscious in bikinis and low cut tops

Abbi, showing off her new breasts after her second round of surgery, in 2012. She paid with her own money to boost her cup size to 32GG

Abbit with her sons (left to right) Skyler, Micah and Niko, just before a day out at an amusement park, in June 2017

When Abbi reached her goal, she booked in for the operation at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio.

'I told the doctor to pump them up as much as he could,' she said. 'He took me up to a 32DD.

'When I saw my breasts for the first time it was an amazing, magical moment.

Too impatient to go on MyFreeImplants.com and wait for donations, Abbi went under the knife again in May 2012, taking her to her current size, a 32G.

Abbi's partner at the time was fully supportive of her plans to use the website where men pay for boob jobs, although she is now single

'I finally felt more feminine, sexy and like a real woman. I always felt like people were looking at me before. But I knew I wanted to be bigger.'

This time Abbi saved up herself, too impatient to go on MyFreeImplants.com and wait for donations, and went under the knife again in May 2012, taking her to her current size, a 32G.

Now single, Abbi added: I've always dreamed of and some really good friends from the site too.'

Abbi, pictured hours after her first surgery, in 2010, which boosted her cup size to a 32DD
The granddaughter of Princess Grace Kelly has revealed her battles with loneliness following her father's death in a rare interview.

Charlotte Casiraghi, 30, opened up about the 'anguish' she has felt in the years following the tragic passing of Stefano Casiraghi.

Stefano was just 30 when he was killed in a boating accident in 1990. Charlotte was four-years-old.

In a rare interview Charlotte Casiraghi, granddaughter of Princess Grace Kelly, has spoken candidly about her father's death

And in a new interview Charlotte admits that 27 years on she has come to terms with the fact that grief is a part of human existence.

Speaking to L'Observateur de Monaco she said: 'Anxiety and existential anguish are part of everyone's life.

'My personal experience has been of sad events, such as my father's early death, but these are things that happen to everyone, no matter where he comes from.'

Charlotte was just four-years-old when her father Stefano Casiraghi was killed in a boating race. Pictured: Charlotte, held by her mother Caroline, with her father and brother Pierre

Growing up without her father Charlotte admits that she felt a certain amount of solitude.

She added: 'Loneliness, I felt it early enough, adolescent, and this is what prompted me to introspection, especially since I had a temperament that inclined me to analysis.

'I think this is more a matter of my personal sensitivity than of the fact that I come from a family indeed a little particular.'

Charlotte says that she experienced a great amount of solitude growing up without a father

Following a successful career in modelling, previously acting as the face of Gucci, Charlotte turned to a professional showjumping career since 2009

Charlotte, who is not herself a princess, is the second child of Caroline and the late Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi, who tragically died in a boat race accident when she was just four-years-old.

Caroline is Albert's older sister, daughter of the late Prince Rainier and the late American actress Grace Kelly. This makes Charlotte fifth in line to the throne.

Following a successful career in modelling, previously acting as the face of Gucci Charlotte turned to a professional showjumping career since 2009.

She put her equestrian career on hold in 2013 wheres she gave birth to her only child Raphael before returning to the sport in 2014.
Thousands of revellers have descended on Worthy Farm in Somerset for the Glastonbury festival, which has developed into a much more glamorous occasion in recent years.

Old clothes you don't mind getting muddy teamed with wellies have been replaced with skimpy outfits and elaborate beauty looks, with models and celebrities naturally leading the way in upping the ante.

Queen star Roger Taylor's model daughter Tigerlily has certainly been doing her bit to turn up the heat, posing in provocative skimpy lingerie teamed with athleisure.

The 23-year-old who is a Glastonbury fanatic and describes it as the 'maddest' in terms of fashion showed off her model figure in a mesh crop top from Bluebella with some strategic embroidery barely protecting her modesty.

Tigerlily is camping at the event with long-term boyfriend, model Henry Pedro-Wight and will have no problem standing out from the crowd in a range of seductive festival ensembles.

Another shot sees her posing braless on a bridge, wearing a black fishnet top and denim hotpants.

Queen drummer Roger Taylor's daughter Tigerlily, 23, shows off her figure in a very racy bra top at Glastonbury

The blonde beauty teamed her racy crop top with a pair of casual Adidas leggings

The English graduate posed on a bridge in a fishnet top and denim hotpants

The first acts take to the stage today, but revellers have been arriving since Wednesday and festival goers have already been partying hard, showing off flamboyant outfits as they enjoyed music, dancing and drinks a plenty at the Somerset farm.

The second day of Glastonbury saw a surprise appearance from former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, who looked in good spirits as he arrived at the site, ahead of the start of the main performances on Friday.

Revellers are currently enjoying some respite from the scorcher they experienced on Wednesday when temperatures soared to 31C (87.8F), making it the hottest day in the festival's history.

But the dry weather is not expected to last, with a spot of drizzle predicted on Friday night and rain showers on Saturday morning.

Tigerlily soaks up the atmosphere in front of the Tipi Village

The Glastonbury fanatic describes the festival as 'the maddest' when it comes to fashion

Meanwhile, thousands of festival-goers joined together to create the largest human peace sign in the wake of recent terror attacks in London and Manchester.

Organisers estimate that up to 15,000 took part in the unofficial record attempt at the festival's famous Stone Circle.

William Hawk, from Standing Rock, addressed the crowd during the peace sign event, saying: 'We don't need this in our world. Peace and love comes about simply by giving peace and love.'

The model will certainly fit in at the festival where racy looks have become ever more popular in recent years

Tigerlily rocking the underwear as outerwear trend to perfection

Queen star Roger Taylor's model daughter Tigerlily poses in some highly provocative lingerie from Bluebella

Tigerlily is camping at the event with long-term boyfriend, model Henry Pedro-Wight

SJ Smallpage, 36, who helped organise the event, held an inflatable peace sign with other volunteers from the Sanctuary at the festival.

She said: 'I feel very humbled that people have joined together for something that represents everything that is good about Glastonbury, everything that is good about humanity.

'The numbers are awesome, I can't believe how many people are here. They were still steaming in through the entrances when it happened. It made my heart sing.'

The model rocking a figure hugging bodysuit teamed with tracksuit bottoms

Tigerlily wore her hair in braids for the festival and plumped for neon and silver nail polish

Festival organiser Michael Eavis also delighted music fans with a surprise karaoke performance at the Avalon Cafe, joining tribute band Sladest for a rendition of Elvis Presley's You Are Always On My Mind.

Crowds in the packed tent chanted 'Eavis, Eavis' and rushed outside to take selfies with the 81-year-old.

By 9am on Thursday, 100,000 of the 135,000 ticket-holders were already on the Worthy Farm site, despite the main stages not opening until Friday.

Aerial shots taken from a helicopter on Thursday revealed the sheer scale of Glastonbury as a population of 200,000 people create a temporary home almost as big as Brighton.

The blonde beauty takes a quiet moment in a garden before the festival gets underway in earnest
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will address music fans at Glastonbury tomorrow and he might well spot a familiar face in the crowd in the form of his old colleague Ed Balls.

The former Shadow Chancellor, 50, who arrived at Worthy Farm in Somerset yesterday, is preparing to enjoy a weekend of live music with his wife Yvette Cooper, and the pair were spotted queuing for the showers this morning with dozens of other revellers.

Their presence in the queue with other campers indicated the pair opted for standard accommodation rather than the luxury - and very pricey - pop ups on offer elsewhere on the site.

After showing off his dance moves on the last series of Strictly Come Dancing Mr Balls is bound to be recongised by younger music fans at the festival.

While male revellers were spotted plumping for glitter beards and colourful hair, the former MP kept his look more conservative in a checked shirt and combat shorts.

Ready to party! Former MP Ed Balls was seen preparing for the first day of music at Glastonbury by taking advantage of the on-site showers

Mr Balls has been joined at the festival by his wife Yvette Cooper

The couple took their place in the queue for the showers this morning with dozens of other revellers, as dark clouds loomed overhead

By 9am on Thursday, 100,000 of the 135,000 ticket-holders were already on the Worthy Farm site, despite the main stages not opening until Friday.

Aerial shots taken from a helicopter on Thursday revealed the sheer scale of Glastonbury as a population of 200,000 people create a temporary home almost as big as Brighton.

It comes as former astronaut Michael Massimino - who will be speaking at this year's festival - described how the sprawling 900 acre site, which has a perimeter of 8.5 miles, could be seen from space.

He told the Glastonbury Free Press: 'If you were flying over the festival with all that humanity there I think you'd be able to see an imprint.

The former MP cut a casual figure in combat shorts and a checked shirt

The political power couple patiently waited with other revellers to take advantage of the shower facilities this morning

The retired MP's Labour colleague Jeremy Corbyn will address music fans at the festival tomorrow

Mr Balls waited with his towel slung over his shoulder and looked on his phone in the queue for the showers

'You'll see green and then bang, you'll see something that looks a bit different. And you'd definitely be able to see all the lights at night.'

This year's Glastonbury headliners are Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran.

Jeremy Corbyn will attend on Saturday to take part in a talk, before introducing hip hip duo Run The Jewels on the Pyramid Stage.

Security at the festival, which will host a popular of 200,000 people is tighter than in previous years following the recent terror attacks in London and Manchester.

After his stint on Strictly, Mr Balls is likely to be a recognisable figure among younger festival goers
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With some revellers setting up camp as early as Tuesday it is no wonder that the constant party is proving too much for some Glastonbury goers.

Photos from Thursday night show party goers enjoying the night life of the festival at the Shangri-la area - with the late night rave clearly proving too much for some.

Following a night of drinking and dancing many campers could be seen forsaking their tents and taking a nap in the surrounding fields.

Revellers partied into the early hours on Thursday night as they enjoyed the night life of the Shangri-la area

One woman could be seen giving her friend a helping hand after taking a tumble in the mud while another toom to her pal's side as he took a break from partying in the grass.

But while the nightlife proved too much for some plenty of revellers were ready to see the party into the early hours pictured enjoying late night tipples on day two of the festival.

Thousands more music fans have descended upon Worthy Farm for the world famous music event over Thursday and Friday with headliner act Radio Head set to perform tonight.

Thursday saw a surprise appearance from former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, who looked in good spirits as he arrived at the site, ahead of the start of the main performances on Friday.

While some party-goers struggled to keep up others were determined to keep the celebrations running into the early hours

One woman could be seen lending her friend a helping hand after he took a tumble in the mud on their way back to the tent

However, it seems that the man had made himself rather comfy and his pal struggled to talk him round

Revellers enjoyed some respite from the scorching temperatures of the previous day, with highs of 21C (69.8F) on Thursday.

They awoke to clouds above the festival site following the hottest day in the event's history on Wednesday, with temperatures soaring to 31C (87.8F).

This year's campers certainly appear to be enjoying the warm weather as the frolicked around in the sunshine, at a festival that has become famous for its torrential rain and mud-filled site.

But the dry weather is not expected to last, with a spot of drizzle predicted on Friday night and rain showers on Saturday morning.

The party appears to have got a bit much for this festival fan who is having some alone time away from the Shangri-la area

This glittery group enjoy an intimate chat and a drink as they party continues into the evening

This fun-loving group enjoy some down time, sharing a drink together before heading back to their tent on Thursday night

This colourful group appear to be calling it a night as they prepare to pack up following a rather raucous evening

It looks as though this man may be feeling slightly queasy following a late night of dancing and drinks

Meanwhile, thousands of festival-goers joined together to create the largest human peace sign in the wake of recent terror attacks in London and Manchester.

Organisers estimate that up to 15,000 took part in the unofficial record attempt at the festival's famous Stone Circle.

William Hawk, from Standing Rock, addressed the crowd during the peace sign event, saying: 'We don't need this in our world. Peace and love comes about simply by giving peace and love.'

SJ Smallpage, 36, who helped organise the event, held an inflatable peace sign with other volunteers from the Sanctuary at the festival.

She said: 'I feel very humbled that people have joined together for something that represents everything that is good about Glastonbury, everything that is good about humanity.

Music fans faced length queues for the showers at Glastonbury this morning

With storm clouds gathering, revellers are likely to be in even more need of those showers by tomorrow

'The numbers are awesome, I can't believe how many people are here. They were still steaming in through the entrances when it happened. It made my heart sing.'

Festival organiser Michael Eavis also delighted music fans with a surprise karaoke performance at the Avalon Cafe, joining tribute band Sladest for a rendition of Elvis Presley's You Are Always On My Mind.

Crowds in the packed tent chanted 'Eavis, Eavis' and rushed outside to take selfies with the 81-year-old.

By 9am on Thursday, 100,000 of the 135,000 ticket-holders were already on the Worthy Farm site, despite the main stages not opening until Friday.

The party got under way at Glastonbury Festival today as thousands more revellers descended upon Worthy Farm for the world famous music event

Festival-goers showed off their flamboyant outfits and covered their faces with glitter as they enjoyed music, dancing and drinks a plenty at the Somerset farm

A group of revellers dressed up as Princess Leia as they paid tribute to actress Carrie Fisher, who died last December

Aerial shots taken from a helicopter on Thursday revealed the sheer scale of Glastonbury as a population of 200,000 people create a temporary home almost as big as Brighton.

It comes as former astronaut Michael Massimino - who will be speaking at this year's festival - described how the sprawling 900 acre site, which has a perimeter of 8.5 miles, could be seen from space.

He told the Glastonbury Free Press: 'If you were flying over the festival with all that humanity there I think you'd be able to see an imprint.

These women showed off their embellished and multi-coloured ensembles as they enjoyed the second day of the festival

Two women wore 'I love MCR' and 'We are Manchester' T-shirts in tribute of the devastating Manchester arena attack in May

Revellers enjoyed some respite from the scorching temperatures of Wednesday, waking up to clouds above the site

'You'll see green and then bang, you'll see something that looks a bit different. And you'd definitely be able to see all the lights at night.'

This year's Glastonbury headliners are Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran, with Hollywood star Johnny Depp will make an appearance on Thursday.

Jeremy Corbyn will attend on Saturday to take part in a talk, before introducing hip hip duo Run The Jewels on the Pyramid Stage.

Security at the festival, which will host a popular of 200,000 people is tighter than in previous years following the recent terror attacks in London and Manchester.

By 9am on Thursday, 100,000 of the 135,000 ticket-holders were already on the Worthy Farm site, despite the main stages not opening until Friday

Aerial shots taken from a helicopter on Thursday revealed the sheer scale of Glastonbury as a population of 200,000 people create a temporary home almost as big as Brighton
The Prince of Wales has celebrated his 40th anniversary as Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment by watching a spectacular Red Devils display.

Wearing his tropical service dress and the Paras maroon beret, Charles joined hundreds of families, friends and veterans at a military barracks in Colchester for a day of events.

With everyone seated around the parade ground at Merville Barracks all eyes looked to the sky as the Parachute Regiment freefall team - The Red Devils - fell to earth.

The Prince of Wales wears safety glasses as he drives a Jackal armoured vehicle during a visit to the Merville Barracks in Colchester, Essex

The Prince of Wales is celebrating 40 years as Colonel in Chief of the Parachute Regiment

The Prince wore his tropical service dress for today's ceremony

Prince Charles spent time speaking to friends, families and veterans during the visit

The Prince of Wales taking part in parachute training at RAF Brize Norton on April 18th 1978

The seven men, who are all serving Paras, trailed red smoke behind them as they hurtled to the ground then adjusted their descent and landed gracefully around a target laid out on the ground.

They carried a commemorative flag as a present for the Prince and after making their parachutes safe presented the memento to Charles.

The Parachute Regiment - known as the Paras - is an elite airborne infantry regiment of the British Army. It has expertise air-land deployments, by helicopter, airplane or parachute.

Speaking today, Charles described how he learned how to parachute jump after he was appointed Colonel-in-Chief in 1977.

Dramatic: One of the seven-man Red Devils display team falls to earth with graceful precision

Prince Charles meets the Red Devils parachute display team following their jump today

The prince saluted the Colour Flags as he observed a march past during a day of events

The Prince, wearing his Para salutes the rows of soldiers lined up for the special occasion

The Red Devils released the Union flag as they came into land at the barracks

THE PARA PRINCE: CHARLES' HISTORY WITH THE REGIMENT Prince Charles on the Parachute Training Course in April 1978 Prince Charles was made Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment in 1977 following a successful career in the Navy. At his own request, he went through the notoriously taxing parachute training course at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire the following April. He would later tell his biographer Jonathan Dimbleby he did not feel he could 'look them in the eye' or wear the regiment's famous maroon beret and para wings unless he had completed the course. As Colonel in Chief The Parachute Regiment, the prince regularly visits the regiment and takes a personal interest in supporting where he can bereaved families and the wounded. Advertisement

He said: 'When I was appointed to the position (of Colonel-in-Chief), I felt I couldn't look your predecessors in the eye, or even dream of wearing the red beret, without doing the parachute course.

'This freed the cat among the proverbial pigeon, but in the end I was allowed to join parachute training course 841A at Brize Norton.

'In those days, you started by having to jump out of a creaking basked suspended below a balloon.

Charles appeared in excellent spirits as he greeted members of the regiment at the barracks

The prince makes regular visits to the regiment and was on hand for the milestone today

Prince Charles smiled as he met one member of the regiment during the celebrations today

This was particularly testing on the nerves as it was like jumping deliberately out of a doorway at the top of an 800ft building, with the anchoring cable disappearing, usually, into a layer of cloud that obscured the ground.'

It also emerged that Prince Harry has skydived with the Red Devils display team, learning how to land with permission.

Harry joined up with the famous flying Paras and was taught how to drop out of the clouds with the group, which performs across the country.

Charles salutes as he watches the march past during the commemorations in Colchester

The Red Devils fell to earth with a commemorative flag, left, marking Charles' servic

Wearing the famous red beret, Prince Charles took a seat on the training ground today

Captain Joe Palmer told the crowds that the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief's youngest son had been skydiving and 'he's a natural'.

He said he believed it was Harry's first jump and he mastered the two elements of skydiving, 'freefall handling' where a person is dropping through the air, and getting to grips with canopy, once the parachute is open.

Later, a spokesman for the Red Devils said: 'The prince joined us about five years ago, when he did the same as everyone else where you learn the basic course and you jump with a couple of instructors. He picked it up quickly.'

The Prince of Wales in a group photograph with the Parachute Regiment during a visit to Merville Barracks

Soldiers stood to attention in Colchester as they helped to mark Prince Charles' 40 years in post as Colonel in Chief

Prince Charles has been Colonel in Chief for four decades - an anniversary marked in spectacular style

The regiment was created after Winston Churchill, speaking in June 1940, called for the formation of an elite Corps of troops, of at least 5,000 parachute troops.

The regiment wore the maroon beret and the nickname 'red devils' was bestowed by the enemy forces during fierce fighting in North Africa.

Following many famous operations during the war, the Parachute Regiment went on to serve everywhere from Palestine to Northern Ireland to the Falklands.

The Red Devils carried a commemorative flag as a present for the Prince, and after making their parachutes safe following their descent presented the memento to Charles
Known for her love of flamboyant headgear it was no surprise to see Queen Maxima sporting a rather ostentatious piece of millinery on Friday.

The Queen of the Netherlands stepped out in an oversized straw hat on day four of her royal tour of Italy.

The 46-year-old monarch looked resplendent in a gold silk dress printed with a floral design and complete with lace detailing.

Queen Maxima looked resplendent in a golden ensemble for her fourth and final day of her Italian tour

She showcased her flair for coordination by pairing her ensemble with tan accessories, including a suede clutch and a pair of leather gloves.

The mother-of-three swept her golden locks back into a stylish chignon in light of the warm weather.

Maxima was joined by husband King Willem Alexander for a tour of the Galleria Rossanna Orlandi in Milan.

She and husband King Willem Alexander visited he Galleria Rossanna Orlandi in Milan

The couple could be seen admiring an enormous light installation complete with delicate glass work

The Dutch Queen met with the Italian designer who had bought along her granddaughter who wore the same shade of orange as her grandmother

The Dutch Queen met with the Italian designer who had bought along her granddaughter who wore the same shade of orange as her grandmother - possibly a nod towards the national colour of the Netherlands.

The Argentinian-born royal spent several minutes chatting to the enchanted young girl before making her way inside the gallery.

The royal couple could be seen admiring an enormous light installation complete with intricate glass work.

The couple later took time to pose for a group photograph with members of staff at the gallery.

The couple later took time to pose for a group photograph with members of staff at the gallery

King Willem Alexander looked dapper in a charcoal grey suit as he accompanied Maxima to the gallery on Friday

Maxima and King Willem-Alexander are coming to the end of their four day state visit to Italy.

On Thursday the couple went to a vintage car event in Rome where she posed with classic vehicles.

The couple later made a trip to Milan, where they joined Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, at the Cenacolo Vinciano in the Refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Earlier on Thursday Queen Maxima wore all black to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican with her husband, King Willem-Alexander.

As is customary - though not mandatory - at Papal audiences, the Queen, who is Roman Catholic, covered her head with a traditional black lace mantilla to meet the Pontiff.

On Wednesday they made a whirlwind trip to Sicily to browse a street market, and attend a concert by a Dutch violinist in Rome.
A woman was left with a large fish-shaped bone lodged in her throat after eating cod earlier that day.

The 23-year-old was admitted to hospital complaining of an 'uncomfortable sensation' in her throat.

Doctors were originally left stumped by the woman's symptoms, as she was able to breath normally and there were no signs that her airways were blocked.

However a soft tissue X-ray revealed that a three-centimetre-long fishbone (1.2 inches) was left jammed in the soft tissue of the woman's oesophagus.

The fish-shaped foreign object was successfully removed from the woman's throat during a surgical procedure the next day.

X-ray showing a 3cm-long fishbone (pictured top) lodged in the throat of a 23-year-old woman

EDIBLE ROBOT COULD REMOVE SWALLOWED OBJECTS A new foldable robot could help doctors remove swallowed objects without the need for surgery. The origami robot can be swallowed, steered through the stomach using a magnetic field and then attach itself to the foreign objects to help them pass through the digestion system. The ingestible machine, developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of York in 2016, is made using dried pig intestine used in sausages. This sandwiches a material that shrinks when heated, allowing the robot to wriggle its way through the stomach. Advertisement

Diagnosis

The woman was admitted to the emergency department of St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

'The patient had eaten cod earlier during the day,' said Dr Aileen McCabe in a case report published in the British Medical Journal.

'The patient denied any shortness of breath or stridor.

'On physical examination, while she reported an uncomfortable sensation in her throat, no airway compromise was evident.'

Treatment

Although direct examination showed no sign of a bone, a soft tissue X-ray revealed that a fish-shaped object was stuck in the woman's oesophagus.

The next day, the fish-shaped object was successfully removed from the woman's throat in a surgical procedure.

Dr McCabe said: 'The patient was subsequently brought to the operating theatre the next day by the ENT surgical team, whereby the foreign body was identified and removed from the upper oesophagus via direct visualisation with a flexible endoscope.'

The patient was left with no long-lasting health effects.
A teenager who got severe frostbite on both his hands after falling asleep in the Arctic has managed to make a full recovery following pioneering treatment.

The 18-year-old was on his way back from his local pub in Greenland when he passed out drunk outside his house in temperatures of -30C (22F).

The teenager, who is a Greenlandic Inuit, was taken to hospital after 30 minutes outside with severe frostbite on all of his fingers.

Although some parts of his fingers had started to die off from the cold, the man was able avoid amputation after doctors carefully wrapped his fingers in antiseptic dressings.

Doctors hailed his recovery as a 'good outcome' for medicine and urged other practitioners to think twice before amputating limbs affected by serious frostbite.

A teenager was left with severe frostbite on both his hands after falling asleep in the Arctic

WHAT IS FROSTBITE? Frostbite occurs when body tissue (usually skin) freezes over. When this happens, blood vessels contracting, which reduces blood flow and oxygen to the affected region. Feeling in that part of the body is lost and the skin changes colour. Frostbite mostly affects body parts that are far from the body's core and so have worse blood flow. These parts include your feet, toes, hands, fingers, nose and ears. With immediate medical attention, most people recover from frostbite. But if severe frostbite occurs, tissue can be permanently damaged. If parts of the tissue start to die, amputation can be the only option. Advertisement

Falling asleep in 30C

The teenager was brought to his local hospital after passing out drunk in Arctic conditions.

Dr Luit Penninga said in a case report published by the British Medical Journal: 'The patient was in a state of intoxication after drinking a large amount of alcohol at the local pub.

'He had fallen asleep outside his own house with an outside temperature of 30C.

'Reportedly, he slept outside for around 30 min before he was brought to the hospital.'

He was diagnosed with having second- to third-degree frostbite with several blood-filled blisters.

Receiving treatment

Emergency doctors tried to warm his hands back up using lukewarm water and gave him ibuprofen to help him cope with painful blistering and swelling.

After spending two weeks in his local hospital, he was flown to Iluilissat Hospital in Greenland.

'Clinical examination at admission at the regional hospital showed that the patients right hand had swollen thick fingers plus loss of sensations in all fingers,' Dr Penninga said.

'Small amounts of pus were observed on several fingers. The left hand looked similar, but less severe.

Although some parts of his fingers had started to die off from the cold, the man was able avoid amputation thanks to new treatment. Pictured are the man's hands a year after the incident

'On his fifth finger, dark, dry necrosis was observed.'

Necrosis is the death of most or all of the cells in a tissue due to disease or injury.

Though the teenager's symptoms could have led to amputation, doctors were able to avoid this by pursuing an alternative treatment.

Doctors carefully wrapped the man's fingers in antiseptic bandages and changed his dressings every day to prevent infection and to give his wounds time to dry out.

Making a 'full recovery'

When the wounds began to dry and properly heal, dressing of the wounds stopped and the man received physical therapy to help him regain feeling in his hands.

Dr Penninga said: 'Wound healing was good. No loss of digits or parts of digitd occurred.

'At a follow-up one year after the frostbite incident, the patient had regained full mobility and strength in all fingers.

'He had no complaints about pain, loss of sensation or cold intolerance.'

Dr Penninga added the man's recovery should make doctors think twice about amputating limbs affected by frostbite.

'Conservative treatment performed properly over a long time should be encouraged and emphasised to reduce tissue and limb loss,' Dr Penninga said.

'Our case shows that full recovery can be achieved even with severe frostbite lesions.'
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Current Pascagoula city attorney Eddie Williams has learned that his time with the city will expire when the upcoming administration is sworn in to City Hall July 3.

Mayor-elect Dane Maxwell's transition team chairman Frank Corder notified the current city council of an item on the proposed agenda that will include a discussion of the city attorney's seat.

The Mississippi Press spoke with Williams on Thursday. He confirmed that he had received notice from Corder that he will not be retained.

"I received word through Frank Corder this morning, who is working apparently as the leader of Mayor-elect Maxwell's transition team, that I will not be reappointed to my position," Williams said.

According to Williams', his replacement has been selected by the incoming administration, but he was asked not to share that information.

After former City Manager Joe Huffman departed his position, Williams also took on the interim city manager role. Per Williams, Corder did not share information as to who will become the interim city manager.

November would have made 10 years that Williams served as city attorney, but while he will not be reappointed, he said he has enjoyed his time serving the City of Pascagoula.

"I have been enjoying it, it has been a great almost 10 years and it has been a hell of a ride," Williams said. "I have enjoyed every day of it -- until now," he chuckled.

His colleague, Ward 3 councilman David Tadlock, said Williams is a fine gentleman.

"Eddie is a good lawyer and I have known him since I moved to Pascagoula 24 years ago," Tadlock said. "He's a good man and a good gentleman and I hate to see that be their decision. It was not this council who made that decision."

Williams' work had an impact on the recent election, when he raised the possibility that two council candidates might have a conflict of interest if elected due to a lawsuit involving the Jackson County Utility Authority.

Ward 3 candidate Stephen Burrow is a partner at the Heidelberg, Steinberger, and Colmer law firm handling the Jackson County Utility Authority's defense, and at-large council candidate Jennifer Colmer is married to a partner at the firm.

Williams consulted with the Mississippi State Ethics Commission,

which issued a ruling that it would be a conflict of interest for council members with ties to the firm to serve while the city continued to pay the firm.

Burrow disputed that ruling, saying it was based on incomplete information. He also criticized Williams' handling of the matter, saying he had brought it up in January, but only took it to the Ethics Commission after Burrow had won the primary. Burrow went on to win a council seat, as did Colmer.

On Thursday, the Heidelberg law firm released a statement saying that Burrow and fellow attorney James Colmer would leave their law firm to start their own practices to satisfy the State Ethics Commission ruling.

"It is truly a personal and professional compliment to them that they are making this tremendous sacrifice at this stage of their careers so that Mr. Burrow and Mr. Colmer's wife can provide the public service to Pascagoula that has been entrusted to them by the voters of our city.

While we strongly disagree with the Ethics Commission's Advisory Opinion, as well as the suspect circumstances and timing surrounding it, these outstanding people have an overwhelming desire to serve the city they have called home for all of their lives. They are committed to not waste time and resources on yet another piece of needless litigation that would be at another detriment to the City for no good reason."

While he said that he would not speculate if his taking the matter to the state level played a role in his reappointment, Williams said he had a conversation with Maxwell about it.

"While that is not being articulated, I do know from personal conversation I had with Mayor-elect Maxwell a couple of weeks ago to put in his words, 'some people were very offended by what happened,'" Williams said.

He responded saying, "Well, I'm very sorry they were offended, but they should have checked this out on their own. I did put that firm on notice back in January -- of course at that time Colmer had not announced her candidacy, but I did put that firm on notice in January through Mr. Burrow shortly after he qualified that he had a conflict of interest," he said.

"I will not speculate on that because that would not be appropriate, but according to Corder, the council wants to move forward in a different direction and that is basically what I was told this morning," he said.

Corder confirmed to the Mississippi Press he did notify the city attorney/acting city manager of the proposed agenda for the upcoming council's first meeting on July 5, but said that no decision had been made because the new council has yet to be sworn in.

Williams' contract will expire on July 5 at 5 p.m.
A woman has narrowly avoided death after discovering she had aggressive rectal cancer while decluttering her desk at work.

Michelle Forde, from Cork, Ireland, was a few weeks into a new job when she decided to clear up and send off some forms for health insurance she'd chucked on her desk.

When the welcome pack arrived a few days later, she discovered a leaflet which listed symptoms to look out for  and Ms Forde realised she had many of them.

Ms Forde had been suffering from a lack of energy, bursts of acne and bleeding when she went to the toilet - but had put her symptoms down to her stressful career as a TV producer.

After telling doctors of her symptoms, she was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer that had spread to three of her lymph nodes and was close to reaching her organs.

Michelle Forde, from Cork, Ireland, was diagnosed with aggressive rectal cancer after sending off a health insurance form she found on her desk

RECTAL CANCER RISK FACTORS It's not known exactly what causes rectal and bowel cancer, but there are a number of things that can increase the risk. These include: Age  almost nine in 10 cases of bowel cancer occur in people aged 60 or over Diet  a diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre can increase your risk Weight  bowel cancer is more common in people who are overweight or obese Exercise  being inactive increases the risk of getting bowel cancer Alcohol and smoking  a high alcohol intake and smoking may increase your chances of getting bowel cancer Family history  having a close relative who developed bowel cancer below 50 years of age puts you at a greater lifetime risk of developing the condition SYMPTOMS: The three main symptoms are:

Blood in the stools

Changes in bowel habit such as to more frequent

Looser stools

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Ms Forde, who now lives in Earlsfield, south London and is in remission, said: 'I'd left the forms on my desk and hadn't even thought about them but tidying up and getting the welcome pack helped me realise I needed to get this checked out.

'A lot of people notice the symptoms but are too embarrassed to go to the doctor. It's a cancer that people don't really talk about, even though bowel cancer is the fourth most common type in the UK.

'I didn't even think about cancer because I was so young and barely noticed anything was wrong.

'I'm so lucky that I found out when I did as it was just days away from spreading throughout my body.'

Her unusual symptoms

Ms Forde first started experiencing symptoms including bleeding when she went to the toilet in January 2016, but they were so light and infrequent, she said didn't pay much attention.

Also suffering from fatigue and an unusual outbreak of acne on her face, she put it down to being busy at work.

But when she started a new job in July 2016, she was offered health insurance.

She explained: 'The forms sat on my desk for a few weeks and then I came across them one day when I was tidying up. I told myself, 'I better do that.'

'I received a welcome pack and on the first page, it said "if you ever have any of these symptoms, let us know".

'It mentioned lack of energy, bleeding and more frequent bowel movements. I realised that I ticked a few of those boxes.'

Referred to the private London Bridge Hospital, Ms Forde went to see a bowel specialist for the first time in September 2016.

Ms Forde (left), pictured with sisters Valerie (middle) and Kelly (right), had been struggling with fatigue and acne but put the symptoms down to her stressful job as a TV producer

The 33-year-old (pictured right in hospital) was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer which had spread to three of her lymph nodes and was close to reaching her organs

Her devastating diagnosis

She continued: 'He did an examination and didn't like what he found.

'From his face at that first meeting, I knew there was something that wasn't quite right.'

Two weeks later, a colonoscopy and MRI scan revealed that Ms Forde had stage three rectal cancer.

The tumour, which was about 6cm, had spread to three of the local lymph nodes and doctors warned that the cancer could spread to other organs very quickly.

Ms Forde, pictured with sister Kelly (right), was told she would require surgery and because the tumour was low down in her rectum she would live with a colostomy bag

They told her that it could be treated, but it would require surgery and because the tumour was low down in her rectum she would live with a colostomy bag for the rest of her life.

'My initial reaction was just to leave the office as quick as I could,' Ms Forde said.

'The doctor was running after me to try and talk to me but I just had to get out.

'My younger sister Kelly, 27, was with me and I turned to her and said, "Don't be sad, I'm off to work. I'll see you later".'

Getting treatment

After she had some time to think, Ms Forde went back to her doctor and told him that she although she wanted them to save her life, she wanted to explore all other treatment to preserve bowel function.

She started radiotherapy in October 2016, and trying to keep life as normal as possible, would go straight to work after each session.

After four weeks, scans showed that, although the tumor had shrunk, it was still in her lymph nodes and would require chemotherapy.

Ms Forde (pictured left with sister Kelly) dropped to just seven and a half stone while being treated with gruelling chemotherapy

In February 2017, she started the first of 12 sessions of but within just five sessions, doctors advised taking a break because it was making her seriously ill.

She said: 'After session five of chemotherapy, I started to swing dramatically between constipation and diarrhoea.

'I also developed really strong heartburn every time I ate or drank.

'I collapsed from a mixture of dehydration, tiredness and pain. I was then hospitalised for 10 days.

'My weight dropped from just over nine stone to seven and a half at my lowest ebb, which is very low for a person who is 5ft 10ins tall.'

Her recovery

Amazingly, in April 2017, as Ms Forde started to recover, doctors scanned her again in preparation to restart her chemotherapy and discovered that the tumor was completely gone and the lymph nodes had returned to normal.

Doctors advised that microscopic traces may grow back, and gave her three options  to finish chemotherapy, to have papilion treatment, a very targeted form of internal radiotherapy that can be used when the tumor is much smaller, or to watch and wait.

'I decided to just wait and have regular scans - the hope that it doesn't come back but if it does, they will catch it early and be able to treat it quickly,' said Ms Forde.

Ms Forde is pictured left with Kelly who was a runner-up in the Miss London 2017 competition and right in Berlin in 2014

'I'm really grateful to all the doctors who worked tirelessly to preserve my bowel function.'

Within weeks, Ms Forde returned to work after two months off for chemotherapy.

She said: 'My employer was very supportive throughout everything which meant I could concentrate on my treatment.'

Sadly, she did not have time to freeze her eggs before starting treatment, so is unsure whether her fertility has been affected.

On the whole, though, she is staying positive and the experience has made her reevaluate her life.

The 'silver lining'

She said: 'The silver lining out of it was that I really bonded with my family. They were amazing throughout, especially my little sister who I live with.

'I am originally from Cork and my family were amazing, taking it in turns to come over and help.

'It completely changed my outlook. When you realise you are not invincible, you start looking at what is important. I always wanted to be seen as this really strong person who doesn't need anybody.

She said her diagnosis had brought her closer to her family, who took it in turns travelling from Ireland to look after her

'That illusion was shattered for me during this experience. It was a difficult time but it's changed my life in so many ways.'

Ms Forde is setting up an Instagram account with her sister Kelly, @fordesisters, on the topic's of healing, health, happiness and fashion which will contain lots of positivity for those dealing with illnesses and helpful information which Michelle and Kelly have learned throughout their journey.

She added: 'I am grateful to Bowel & Cancer Research who have worked with me to tell my story so that others are aware that bowel cancer can affect young people and that we should all be vigilant.'

Bowel & Cancer Research supports the best research across the UK into bowel cancer and other bowel diseases. Its pioneering and inclusive approach places it in a unique position to understand the impact of these diseases on individuals and their families, friends and colleagues.
Although states with legalized marijuana laws have more car crashes, the number of fatalities from accidents haven't increased, a new study has found.

It comes a day after recreational marijuana laws in Colorado, Oregon and Washington were linked to a nearly three percent increase in car crashes compared to states that don't allow it.

That finding came from a new report from the Highway Loss Data Institute and the organization claims the hike in these auto collisions is directly linked to marijuana.

In states where recreational marijuana is legalized there is a three percent increase in the number of car accidents but crash fatalities are similar to other states, studies claim

PROOF WEED LEADS TEENS TO HARDER DRUGS Teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis are 26 times more likely to turn to other drugs by the age of 21. The study of the lives of more than 5,000 teenagers produced the first resounding evidence that cannabis is a gateway to cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens and heroin. It also discovered that teenage cannabis smokers are 37 times more likely to be hooked on nicotine and three times more likely to be problem drinkers than non-users of the drug. The findings from Bristol University provide authoritative support for those warning against the liberalization of drugs laws. The report said: 'After taking account of other influential factors, those who used cannabis in their teens were at greater risk of problematic substance misuse by the age of 21. 'Both those who used cannabis occasionally early in adolescence and those who started using it much later during the teenage years had a heightened risk of nicotine dependence, harmful drinking, and other illicit drug use. 'And the more cannabis they used the greater was the likelihood of nicotine dependence by the age of 21.' Advertisement

However, the number of fatal car accidents did not increase in these states, according to another study by the University of Texas in Austin.

These reports follow concerns of marijuana abuse as figures show an increase in the number of adults using the drug in states where laws on its use are lax.

Experts in the Highway Loss Data Institute study said past researchers were not able to 'definitively connect marijuana use with real-world crashes'.

The HLDI is affiliated with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit organization funded by auto insurance companies which have a vested interest in not having to play claims and a bias against any sort of impaired driving.

Researchers conducted the study by factoring in statistics from Colorado, Oregon and Washington before and after recreational marijuana use was legal.

They then compared this data to neighboring states.

'More drivers admit to using marijuana, and it is showing up more frequently among people involved in crashes,' the study claims.

Of three states, Colorado, where the drug has been legal since 2014, saw the largest estimated increase in claim frequency. It was 14 percent higher than neighboring states.

Washington was second highest with a six percent increase, and Oregon came last with just a four percent increase.

The combined effect for the three states was a small but significant almost three percent, according to the HLDI Vice President Matt Moore.

The University of Texas study looked at Washington and Colorado for its study, and examined data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System between 2009 and 2015.

This study was focused on the number of motor vehicle fatalities rather than just the number of accidents.

They compared the data from the two states with eight other states that had similar traffic and roadway characteristics, as well as in their population, vehicle ownership rates and traffic laws.

Researchers said there was no significant change in the number of fatal car crashes in the states where recreational marijuana use was legalized and the control states.

Of three states, Colorado, where the drug has been legal since 2014, saw the largest estimated increase in accident claim frequency. It was 14 percent higher than neighboring states. Washington, then was second highest with a six per cent increase and Oregon came last with just a four percent increase

As marijuana becomes legalized across the country, experts and politicians fear the impact it can have on society.

A recent June study found an increase in the number of adults using the drug in states where laws on its use are lax, sparking abuse concerns.

The report found adults aged 26 and older had the highest increase of marijuana use, jumping more than two percent in a month-span after recreational laws were passed in eight states.

Researchers from Columbia University also found there was a rise in heavy use of the drug and are concerned this prevalence could lead to higher abuse figures.

Studies claim that dependency on the drug could lead to a weakened memory and have negative effects on behavior.

Both medical and recreational use of marijuana are legal in Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, California and Maine.

Restricted for medical use only are: Montana, North Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and Hawaii.
Terror recruits often seem to come from vulnerable backgrounds.

But new research suggests that those with traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could be more at risk of being radicalised.

It follows a number of high-profile cases where autism appears to have played a role in the offender's behaviour.

So if people with ASD could be at higher risk, how can we protect them from falling under the spell of terror organisations such as the so-called Islamic State?

Those with traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could be more at risk of being radicalised

Terrorism involves committing violent acts for political, religious or ideological reasons.

It can either be committed as part of an organised group or alone but it is traditionally characterised and understood as a group phenomenon.

But a new type of terrorist threat has emerged in recent years  the 'lone wolf'.

Over the last decade, the rise of lone wolf terrorists has necessitated the need for an understanding of the pathway from radical ideology to radical violence.

A greater understanding of this issue would inform the development of more effective identification strategies.

Given that the examination of any connection between ASD and terrorism is in its infancy, a simple categorical model describing different levels of commitment to a terrorist cause may be one step forward.

Arie Kruglanski and colleagues describe a 'degree of radicalisation' scheme where different levels of commitment to different terrorist-related activities was identified.

According to their scheme, the most prevalent group of individuals are those who are 'passive supporters' (those who are sympathetic to the cause).

Next, are individuals who are more active in the organisation (they may have an administrative function or recruit others).

The next category involves individuals who actively support violence and are ready to fight for the cause.

Lastly, they identify suicide bombers who are willing to give their lives. Lone wolf terrorism would fit this last category.

I have been examining the link between ASD and terrorism in collaboration with Lino Faccini, a New York State psychologist.

Together we presented specific examples of people with ASD who had engaged in each level of commitment to different terrorist-related activities.

We did this to illustrate how some of the symptoms of ASD can 'help' make a pathway towards being inspired to act on behalf of a terrorist cause, join a terrorist organisation, engage in directed attacks  or indeed carry out lone wolf terrorism.

Active supporters and lone wolves

In 2015, Peyton Pruitt  a youngster diagnosed with Autism, mild intellectual disability and Attention Deficit Disorder  was arrested in Alabama for sending bomb making instructions to a person he believed was part of IS.

This case may be about a naive and vulnerable person, who spent an exceptional amount of time scouring the internet without supervision.

But in doing so he became fascinated or fixated with terrorism.

Subsequently he found some affiliation with others whom he could relate to, via the safety of the internet.

As a result, he was then exploited and/or became sympathetic to and inspired by IS.

Nicky Reilly (left), from Plymouth, and Peyton Pruitt (right), from Alabama, both have Autism Spectrum Disorder and have committed terrorist offences

Another case we discussed was that of Nicky Reilly, an 18-year-old man, diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

Reilly did not have many friends and lived in a poor area of Plymouth, England.

Reilly clearly had difficulties relating to other people and had a fixation with terrorism and martyrdom.

He sought and found affiliation (and also what he believed was the right life).

He became a practising Muslim in 2002. After his girlfriend left him, he befriended a group of Muslim men.

Reilly became obsessed with martyrdom and with the Twin Tower attacks.

He had posters of the attacks on his wall and as wallpaper on his computer.

He would watch videos of the 9/11 attacks and watch video clips of beheadings. Reilly believed that he would be entitled to a better life if he died a Muslim.

Eventually, he changed his name to Mohammed Rasheed. Reilly also turned on his family calling them 'infidels'.

He devised a plan to make three crude bombs, and strap them to his chest as a suicide bomber, then run out in a crowded restaurant killing as many people as possible.

Reilly went into the bathroom of a restaurant with bottles containing sodium hydroxide, paraffin and nails.

But when he activated the bomb, he had difficulty opening the bathroom stall door and it exploded. He was seriously injured.

Tragically, Reilly took his own life while in prison some eight years later in 2016.

Risk factors

It is important to caution here that there is no substantial link between ASD and terrorism.

However, there may be specific risk factors which could increase the risk of offending among people with ASD.

Autistic special interests such as fantasy, obsessiveness (extreme compulsiveness), the need for routine/predictability and social/communication difficulties can all increase the vulnerability of an person with ASD to going down the pathway to terrorism.

Searching for a 'need to matter' or social connection and support for someone who is alienated or without friends may also present as risk factors.

People with an ASD may be more vulnerable to being drawn into increasingly more involved commitment.

They also have a tendency to hyper-focus in on their fascinations and interests at the expense of other attachments and life interests.

These are potentially the conditions which extremists are increasingly exploiting in people they target for recruitment and training.

Our findings clearly highlight the need for clinicians carrying out forensic evaluations of people who have engaged in terror-related actions to investigate whether ASD may be related to their behaviour.

Such evaluations are vital  not just in delivering justice  but also to ensure rehabilitation and offender management are informed by an understanding of the ASD diagnosis in each case.

From an article published in The Conversation by Clare Allely, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Salford.
Teenage girls who have the controversial HPV vaccine are not at risk of chronic fatigue syndrome, a major study confirms.

In recent years thousands of adolescents have claimed this is exactly what has happened to them in the weeks following their jab, including two in the last six months that MailOnline has reported on.

In one instance, a 16-year-old girl was left paralysed in three limbs due to the side effects. Another sporty 13-year-old suffered an alleged reaction to the HPV vaccine that left her reliant on a wheelchair.

Health officials across the world have always strongly denied the link, and said there is not enough evidence to even suggest it.

And new research on more than 175,000 Norwegian girls shows they are right - there is no increased risk in those who have the jab.

Health officials across the world have always strongly denied a link between the HPV vaccine and chronic fatigue syndrome, saying there is not enough evidence to even suggest it

Norwegian Institute of Public Health scientists discovered unvaccinated girls face the same risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome.

Study author Berit Feiring said: 'This is a major study where we have investigated the association between HPV vaccination and chronic fatigue syndrome.

'The incidence of this disease has increased in Norway, but we found no association with HPV vaccination.'

How was the study carried out?

For the study published in the journal Vaccine, researchers tracked the health records of 176,453 girls who had the HPV vaccine.

All were eligible through Norway's national immunisation programme, administered in three doses over several months, with the first delivered to girls aged 12.

The girls were followed until age 18, with the researchers keeping a record of any new diagnoses of chronic fatigue syndrome.

During the study period, just 407 girls who had been administered the vaccine were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

THE 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL LEFT PARALYSED BY THE HPV VACCINE A 16-year-old girl was left paralysed in three limbs and in hospital on a drip after having the controversial HPV jab, MailOnline reported last December. Back in 2014, Ruby Shallom was vaccinated at school to protect her against cervical cancer as part of the routine NHS programme. But just weeks later, the keen horse-rider and runner started to suffer from stomach spasms, dizziness, pain, headaches and fatigue. Her muscles became weaker and in May 2016 - two years after she was given the jab - she woke up with no feelings in her legs whatsoever. She has since lost all sensation in both her legs and one of her arms and is virtually bed bound - unable to eat, lift or dress herself, incontinent and often too weak to lift her head. Doctors have been unable to diagnose her with anything and have dismissed it as being psychological, refusing to acknowledge any link to the jab. Her parents spoke out after former glamour model Melinda Messenger said on This Morning that she stopped her 12-year-old daughter, Evie, having the jab over fears of chronic illnesses. Advertisement

What is the HPV vaccine?

The vaccine is routinely offered to schoolgirls aged 12 and 13 and more than eight million across the UK have been vaccinated in the past eight years.

It protects against HPV which causes cervical cancer - the most common cancer in women under 35 - and is thought to save some 400 lives each year.

As with any vaccine, there is a very small chance of a severe allergic reaction with the HPV jab, according to the Vaccine Knowledge Project at the University of Oxford.

The European Medicines Agency statistics show that up to February 2017, 11,867 reactions to Gardasil have been recorded.

The incidence of this disease [chronic fatigue syndrome] has increased in Norway, but we found no association with HPV vaccination Study author Berit Feiring, from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Many report symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, and cases of girls being left paralysed are rare. Fatalities have been seen, reports also showed.

No credible evidence

But authorities around the world agree that the evidence doesn't support a link between HPV vaccination and chronic illnesses.

The World Health Organisation, the US Centre for Disease Control and the European Medicines Regulator have 'extensively reviewed the vaccine's safety'.

They concluded there is 'no credible evidence of a link between the HPV vaccine and a range of chronic illnesses'.

Earlier this year a spokeswoman for Public Health England and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency renewed their stance.

She said: 'As with all vaccines, the safety of the HPV vaccine is under constant review. Every report of a suspected side effect is taken seriously.'

Melinda Messenger's refusal

It comes after Melinda Messenger was accused of scare-mongering by This Morning's resident doctor after revealing she wouldn't be giving her teenage daughter the HPV vaccine in December.

A row erupted between the former glamour model, 45, and Dr Chris Steele after she expressed her concern about the link between the jab and a range of chronic illnesses.

Dr Steele attacked her for making her decision to not give Evie, 13, the jab public as others parents could follow suit.
Canadian officials warn there is no safe way to take marijuana but released guidelines to help limit the 'real health risks' that cannabis can cause.

Rates of marijuana use in Canada are among the highest in the world, with more than 10 percent of adults and 25 percent of adolescents taking the drug.

These high rates have led country officials to launch a set of guidelines on how to limit the negative aspects of the drug as the nation moves toward legalization.

Experts warn cannabis-related health problems include memory and physical coordination problems, car crashes and drug abuse.

The first piece of advice is to refrain from all marijuana use, as well as encouraging young people not to take the drug.

Canada is moving towards marijuana legalization but experts are concerned about the drug's health risks. Experts said there is no safe way to take the drug and it is best to abstain from it

CANADA'S LOWER-RISK CANNABIS USE GUIDELINES Cannabis use has health risks best avoided by abstaining

Delay taking up cannabis use until later in life

Identify and choose lower-risk cannabis products

Don't use synthetic cannabinoids

Avoid smoking burnt cannabis - choose safer ways of using

If you smoke cannabis, avoid harmful smoking practices

Limit and reduce how often you use cannabis

Don't use and drive, or operate other machinery

Avoid cannabis use altogether if you are at risk for mental health problems or are pregnant

Avoid combining these risks Source: American Journal of Public Health Advertisement

The guidelines were published in the American Journal of Public Health and based on a scientific review.

The experts behind the new 10 guidelines hope that this will limit the risks cannabis users have when they take the drug.

Dr Benedikt Fischer, a senior scientist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, said: 'Factual, science-based information can provide guidance to cannabis users to make choices that reduce both immediate and long-term risks to their health.'

The first guideline is to not use marijuana because there is no safe way to take the substance.

However, if someone decides to ignore these risks, the center recommends abstaining from the drug until a person is older and to use lower doses of marijuana.

Officials also advise against smoking marijuana and recommend other forms of the substance instead.

Dr Laurent Marcoux, of the Canadian Medical Association, said: 'The CMA continues to recommend a broad public health policy approach focused on preventing problematic drug use; ensuring the availability of assessment and treatment services for those who wish to stop using; and harm reduction to increase the safety for those who are using.'

Marijuana use is increasingly becoming legalized across the world, including the US, and experts are trying to understand how it impacts society.

As the Canadian researchers noted, cannabis use among adolescents and teens is a cause of concern for many.

Marijuana is still highly controversial because although it may help with some conditions, such as epilepsy, it can also lead to negative health risks.

Studies suggest the drug can help lessen menstrual cramps and can even be used as an alternative to opioid painkillers.

However, cannabis has been linked to driving up the risk of severe gum disease and can be a gateway drug to harder illicit substances.

A recent study found that teenagers who regularly smoke marijuana are 26 times more likely to turn to other drugs by the age of 21.

The study of the lives of more than 5,000 teenagers produced the first resounding evidence that cannabis is a gateway to cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens and heroin.

It also discovered that teenage cannabis smokers are 37 times more likely to be hooked on nicotine and three times more likely to be problem drinkers than non-users of the drug.

The findings from Bristol University provide authoritative support for those warning against the liberalization of drugs laws.

In the US, both medical and recreational use of marijuana are legal in Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, California and Maine.

Restricted for medical use only are: Montana, North Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and Hawaii.
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Bakhsheesh Elahi was waiting for the morning bus when a lone gunman on a motorcycle pulled up beside him and shot him dead.

Rana Tanveer had just taken his family to safety after radical Islamists spray-painted death threats on his door, when a car smashed into his motorcycle and sped away.

Taha Siddiqui answered his phone to hear a menacing voice from a government agency telling him he needed to come in for questioning, without saying why.

The three men are journalists in Pakistan, considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for this profession. But even by Pakistan's standards, things have gotten worse, according to journalists, Pakistani and international human rights activists, and advocacy groups.

The mother of Pakistani journalist Bakhsheesh Elahi cries while talking about her son, with her newborn grandson in Haripur, Pakistan

In addition to attacks from militants or criminals, Pakistani journalists are also facing threats from government agencies or the military itself.

'Journalists are not threatened from one side alone, they are threatened by drug mafia, they are threatened by political gangs. They are also threatened by religious extremists,' said Asma Jehangir, a human rights lawyer and the director of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

'They are threatened by the military. They are also threatened by people who are deeply (involved) in corruption, but when it comes to the extremist elements, governments are very reluctant to move because they themselves are afraid of them.'

A family member shows the photograph of assassinated Pakistani journalist Bakhsheesh Elahi in Haripur, Pakistan. Elahi was waiting for the morning bus when a lone gunman on a motorcycle pulled up beside him and shot him dead

Elahi, a determined investigative reporter in northwestern Pakistan's Haripur, is just the latest example. The father of five, including a daughter born just 20 days earlier, was killed on June 11 while waiting for a bus a few hundred meters from his home.

Local journalists turned Elahi's funeral into a protest, carrying his body through the streets and stopping traffic to demand that the killers be brought to justice, according to Zakir Hussain Tandi, president of the Haripur Press Club.

But impunity and a lack of prosecution has characterized many of the attacks on journalists in Pakistan. Elahi, who was bureau chief of an Urdu language newspaper and sister television station, was the fourth journalist killed in Haripur district in the last three years. All but one of the murders has gone unsolved.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says 60 journalists and 10 media workers have been killed in Pakistan since 1992.

Pakistani journalist Rana Tanveer rests at a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Tanveer had just taken his family to safety after radical Islamists spray painted death threats on his door when a car smashed into his motorcycle and sped away sending him to hospital

Elahi's Facebook page featured his relentless reporting against political corruption. One of the country's largest television news channels to feature one of his stories.

'We think his death is probably related to his journalism,' said Tandi of the press club. 'Lots of people didn't like his investigations, the drug mafia, corrupt politicians, car thieves. He wrote about them all.'

Pakistani journalists and social media activists have been detained, often by intelligence agencies, tortured according to some who were released, and threatened with blasphemy charges, which carry the death penalty and routinely incite mobs of radical extremists to violence.

Pakistani journalists protest holding banners reading 'arrest killers of Bakhsheesh Elahi.' in Haripur , Pakistan

Last week, a social media activist was sentenced to death for allegedly posting an item deemed insulting to Islam.

That sentence 'sends a threatening message to all ... causing fear and leading to self-censorship,' Steven Butler, Asia director of the CPJ, said in an email. 'It's clear that authorities - including investigative authorities, prosecutors, and the military - are keeping a close eye on journalists and ready to act when red lines are crossed.'

Last month, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered a crackdown on 'those ridiculing the Pakistan Army on social media (to protect) the prestige, reputation and goodwill' of the armed forces.

The mother of assassinated Pakistani journalist Bakhsheesh Elahi sits with the children of her son in Haripur , Pakistan

On May 18, Taha Siddiqui, Pakistan's correspondent for France 24 TV, received a threatening call from someone claiming to represent the counter-terrorism wing of the Federal Investigation Agency , ordering him to come in for questioning. Siddiqui, who is also bureau chief of the World Is One News website, is an outspoken critic of Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies.

'My work is in the public domain,' Siddiqui asked. 'What does counter-terrorism have to do with journalism, with free speech?'

Siddiqui phoned colleagues for advice and stopped answering his door. He eventually spoke to Jehangir, the human rights lawyer, who advised him to file a petition demanding to know why he was being investigated. Siddiqui, who didn't go in for questioning, has already made at least one court appearance and was told by the FIA that he was being investigated because of his critical stories about the military.

Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jehangir says journalists in Pakistan are under more regular attacks

On May 30, Rana Tanveer, a correspondent for the English-language daily newspaper, The Express Tribune, found death threats spray painted on his home in eastern Lahore saying he would die for writing stories about the plight of minorities in Pakistan - particularly Ahmedis, reviled by mainstream Muslims who label them as heretics because they believe in a messiah who arrived after the Prophet Muhammad.

Pakistan has officially declared them non-Muslims, making it a crime for Ahmedis to identify themselves as Muslims. Dozens are facing charges.

'That was shocking for me,' Tanveer said of the spray-painted threats. He went to the police, which didn't register a case but instead advised him against filing a formal complaint, saying it would enrage the radicals who had threatened him.

Tanveer has received several such threats over the years; even his landlord had been warned against renting to him because of his coverage of religious minorities

On June 9, Tanveer was riding his motorcycle after meeting a colleague from the Pakistan Union of Journalists to decide how to deal with the threats when a speeding car slammed into him and sent him crashing to the pavement. He suffered a fractured leg and believes it was no accident.

Today, he is in hiding with his family, unprotected by police and unsure when he can return to his job.

Jehangir said she believes the government crackdown is being done at least partially at the behest of Pakistan's military.

'They think that the image of Pakistan is being destroyed by the word getting out of here,' she said. 'Now, if you stop picking up people, stop torturing people, the image will improve, but don't shoot the messenger.'
Shell is retreating from its key oil business in Nigeria amid long-running battles with thieves and racketeers. The blue chip giant lost around 5,660 barrels of oil per day last year  and far more in previous years  as criminals hacked into its vast network of pipes and sold the oil on local and international black markets.

Oil leaks caused by sabotage, as well as through its own operational problems such as cracked pipes and equipment breakdowns, have devastated local livelihoods and wildlife, triggering conflict and resentment.

Shell entered Nigeria in 1936 and the country's oil has helped the Anglo-Dutch firm become the 170billion mega-business it is today.

Hostile environment: A farmer tends to crops beside oil pipes in the Niger Delta

But bosses are now focusing on Nigeria's vast gas reserves instead, seeing it as a cleaner, more efficient resource.

The move could help finally reverse Nigeria's damning paradox of being awash with resources while at the same time struggling to supply power its 182m residents' homes.

Shell has sold around 13 of its 33 oil wells in the country to Nigerian companies since 2010, with more sales possible.

Over the past few years, Nigeria's small independent oil producers have spent billions buying assets from the big international players.

As Shell steps up its focus on gas, Osagie Okunbor, the boss of its operations in Nigeria, this week said it was about to make a final investment decision on a 300m cubic feet gas project in the south of the country. It would supply gas to a vast petrochemicals and fertiliser company.

That would add to Shell's vast gas assets in the country including a distribution company and share of a liquified natural gas plant.

Okunbor said: 'We have been revising our strategy in terms of our presence in Nigeria. We have essentially streamlined our footprint such that we pay a lot more emphasis on gas and reduce the oil part of our footprint.

'Even with this divestment we are probably the biggest international oil company operating onshore.

'So it's not like we have fled  what we have done is to focus on gas, which as energy we felt is a more efficient energy source.

'Also, frankly gas compared to oil is easier to manage in terms of some of the issues we face.'

This week, Shell took reporters on a helicopter ride over the Niger Delta to ram home the problem of illegal 'bunkering' where thieves siphon off oil.

Oil that has leaked out of local pipes clings to the shoreline, seeping up to houses and into the mangrove forests. Leaping up from the greenery are flames from refining stolen oil.

Yet also visible is the Bodo Creek area which was devastated by a spill of Shell's corroded pipes in 2008 and 2009, destroying waterways and fishing supplies.

Work has yet to start on cleaning up the area  two years after Shell was ordered to pay 55million compensation  with recrimination thick on all sides. Shell says local communities have been obstructing clean-up efforts in the hope of getting more compensation.

Inemo Samiama, who leads the clean-up's independent mediation programme, said: 'People got used to sharing money and they wanted the money for the clean-up to be shared as well.'

Many local residents say they have been angered by delays to the clean up and the way it has been handled including the choice of contractors. They have brought a case in London's High Court to keep alive their right to sue Shell if the clean-up is inadequate.

Even after the Bodo spills, around 200 tons of oil spilt last year from Shell's pipelines was unconnected to sabotage. It says 90pc of its leakages were due to theft.

But gas looks like the future Nigeria is thought to have the ninth-largest reserves in the world. Okunbor added: 'We have very big ambitions to grow a domestic gas base.

'There's no point building a business on gas that we don't get paid for or don't get the right price for it  so will be part of that debate in the wider Nigerian economy to ensure that the whole value chain for gas works.'
Qatar has launched a fresh power grab on the global airline industry with plans to snap up 10 per cent of one of America's most recognised carriers.

Gulf airline Qatar Airways, already the biggest shareholder in British Airways owner IAG, is seeking a 638million stake in American Airlines.

The deal comes as the carrier seeks to navigate testy waters in the United States, after tighter security measures and a ban on travellers from certain Muslim countries under president Donald Trump.

Gulf airline Qatar Airways, which is already the biggest shareholder in British Airways owner IAG, is taking a 638m stake in American Airlines

Qatar has also been rocked by a furious row in the Middle East over its alleged support of Iran and Islamist terrorism, with six Arab countries severing diplomatic ties with Doha.

A number of Arab states have also closed their airspace to Qatar Airways.

BA in Argentina clash Budget airline Norwegian is taking on British Airways by launching a new service from London to Argentina for 299 next year in a challenge to BA's dominance. BA currently monopolises the direct route and tickets can range from 749 return to more than 1,900 one way. Announcing the move, Norwegian said it was aiming to drive down fares and offer more choice. Flights start on February 14, with a weekly service of four flights all year round. Passengers will travel from Gatwick to Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport on new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

According to the US carrier, it had not yet received written notice from the Gulf carrier of its intention to invest.

A 10 per cent stake would make Qatar one of American's largest shareholders and comes after the firm raised its stake in IAG to 20.4 per cent last August.

The two firms have been at loggerheads over competition concerns with American accusing Qatar of using state subsidies to offer substantially lower fares.

In a filing confirming the approach it said a holding by Qatar Airways would not change its stance on the position.

Anyone seeking to acquire at least 4.75 per cent of its stock is required to receive approval from its board after giving written notice, which had not yet been received.

The gulf carrier's investment would trigger a review by the antitrust division of the US justice department.
Embattled iPhone chip maker Imagination Technologies has put itself up for sale amid a bruising battle with Apple.

The firm, once Britain's most valuable tech company, yesterday revealed it was talking to potential buyers after seeing almost 500million wiped off its value in just one day in April.

The Hertfordshire-based company has designed graphic chips for the iPhone since the product's launch in 2007 but its fortunes tumbled when Apple announced plans to make the components itself.

Imagination has been seeking a divorce payout from the Silicon Valley giant, which it relies on for about half of its revenues, and says proceedings are still active.

Imagination Technologies designed graphic chips for the iPhone but its fortunes tumbled when Apple announced plans to make the components itself

But its decision to put itself up for sale yesterday still sent shares in the company soaring by 16.4 per cent, or 20.25p to 143.75p, as analysts predicted there would be a long queue of interested investors.

It is now valued at 408million, well below its 2012 peak of nearly 2billion.

Major firms in the frame possibly include American chip maker Intel, Taiwanese semiconductor company MediaTek, US telecoms firm Qualcomm and even Apple.

Liberum analyst Janardan Menon said: 'This is a company that ticks a lot of exciting boxes and is working in what are becoming some very important areas.

'For many of the big companies that will be interested, it is also not that expensive.' The broker upgraded its recommendation from 'hold' to 'buy', advising investors it could be valued at as much as 233p a share  well above its close last night.

Menon said: 'It is an underappreciated asset, but that should not detract from the fact it has key intellectual property.'

There were also suggestions of interest from China, with some analysts tipping existing shareholder Tsinghua Unigroup as a possible buyer, although this prospect could create possible issues with regulators.

Malik Saadi, of ABI Research, said: 'Investors from China, which is looking to become a leader in the internet of things and artificial intelligence, are the most likely. It could even be a company like Alibaba. Imagination still has a lot of value and its tech is paramount to that.'

After its shares crashed in April, Imagination said it would sell its loss-making MIPS and Ensigma businesses to focus on its PowerVR arm, which makes technology for Apple.

Yesterday, it said these sales were 'progressing well' but Liberum suggested there would be several parties seeking to acquire the whole business.

Qualcomm was also in a spat with Apple, the broker noted, and could acquire Imagination to use as a weapon against its rival.

This was one reason why Apple might consider buying the British company itself, analysts pointed out. Bosses at Imagination said they were in early discussions with potential bidders, but added: 'There can be no certainty any offer will be made.'

The iPhone's runaway success from 2007 sent its shares soaring, with Imagination's peak value reaching almost 2billion in 2012, but the firm has struggled to reduce its reliance on Apple.
Desperate: The Bank launched controversial emergency liquidity auctions in 2008

Desperate action by the Bank of England to save the teetering financial system during the crisis did not break the law, investigators have decided.

The Bank launched controversial emergency liquidity auctions in 2008 to throw cash at British lenders as the City was on the brink of collapse.

Around 61.5billion was made available to HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland alone through emergency loans in 2008.

There were fears the Old Lady might have offered illegal concessions to struggling firms in its eagerness to prevent a meltdown.

But yesterday, the Serious Fraud Office said it had found no evidence of wrongdoing after a two-year probe.

In a statement, Bank chiefs admitted they were taken by surprise by the sudden failure of lenders worldwide in 2008.

They suggested the calamity came close to overwhelming the institution, admitting there were problems with how it operated at the time and saying that the crisis triggered a period of unprecedented stress.

The Bank referred itself to the Serious Fraud Office after a 2014 review by City lawyer Lord Grabiner suggested there were questions to answer.

A separate investigation into 100,000 documents was also carried out by City law firm Travers Smith and barrister Jonathan Laidlaw.

Grabiner was paid 129,500 for his work, and the Old Ladys overall fees during the criminal probe came to more than 4.7million.

The SFO spent around 343,000 on the investigation.
VANCLEAVE, Mississippi - Jackson County's four mayors-elect are in many ways a diverse group.

Two of them are young for the positions they are about to hold: Moss Point's Mario King is 30; Ocean Springs' Shea Dobson is 31. The other two are of a more "traditional" age for mayors: Pascagoula's Dane Maxwell is 53; Gautier's Phil Torjusen is 61.

Three are white, one is black. Three are Republicans, one is a Democrat. They come from different backgrounds, different work experience. Three unseated incumbents, while one won over a field of challengers for a vacant office.

What they have in common, however, is a desire to move their respective communities forward, to bring about change voters clearly desired when they elected the four new mayors, as well as 15 of 25 new board/council members in the four municipalities.

Recently, The Mississippi Press arranged a roundtable interview with the four men and during the roughly 90-minute conversation it became clear they have every intention of working together, supporting each other and striving for the betterment of Jackson County as a whole.

Here is the interview in its entirety (Note: Thanks to the staff and owners Tim and Lisa Wold at Cast Iron Cafe in Vancleave for hosting the meeting):

Mississippi Press: Now that all of you have had to time digest what happened election night, what are your thoughts on being the next mayor of your respective cities?

Dane Maxwell: Election night, for me, was a little overwhelming. We had about 300 people and it was a big celebration. I had 864 messages on my phone. I'm still trying to get all those answered. I was elated and overwhelmed. Since then, I've had time to digest. I'm certainly excited and anxious to get started. I would say that's the biggest thing - I'm anxious to get started. We have a good team, a good transition team. We're working, we're meeting, we're getting things done. We have a meeting with the governor Monday and we're ready. I'm excited about moving forward. I've been working on plans since last year. I knew we were going to hit the ground running and that's what we're doing.

Mario King: I'm excited about the opportunity to lead the city out of a state of despair to a state of hope and prosperity. I think the energy in our community has shifted so much towards a positive vibe. Everybody is so excited about change and I think that's mirrored all over the coast. Everyone is so excited. We had a great time election night, everyone was so excited, and we're just ready to move forward. I'm anxious, as well, to get in there and work. We've been meeting with different people to transition. We're hopeful the mayor (Billy Broomfield) will work with us. At first, he was ok with me, but now he doesn't seem to want to meet with us. But I'm hopeful we'll be able to work with him on the transition. Other than that, it's been very positive.

Shea Dobson: It was definitely a huge night for me. I knew in the back of my mind it was a real possibility of winning this thing, but I was mentally prepared for whatever would happen, win, lose or draw. Obviously, the stars aligned and it went our way. I'm still getting used to being called "mayor." I tell people, just call me by my name. I don't have an ego in it. I'm ready to hit the ground running. I'm like a sponge - trying to soak up all the information I can get. I've been meeting with department heads, meeting with everyone at city hall. In our case, we have four new faces on the board of aldermen, plus me, so there's going to be a culture change, a lot of people figuring out the routine as they go. I don't want to say it's a complete house cleaning, but our city government is going through a drastic change and I'm just ready to work with everyone to get it done.

Mississippi Press: Dane and Mario both mentioned the transition process. How is your transition going in terms of working with Mayor (Connie) Moran?

Dobson: Mayor Moran invited me to sit in with the Economic Development Council the other night and I appreciate her doing that. We still have a couple of weeks before the swearing-in, so I'm looking forward to getting as much information as I can and I'm looking forward to working with her in any way she's willing to help me.

Phil Torjusen: (Noting that, unlike the other three, he's had more than a month since his primary win) My victory lap was over a long time ago (laughing). I think all these guys will agree that when you're in an election, it's always a mystery until it's over. You never know what could really happen at the end. My read on the situation was it was going to come out the way it did. People were looking for change. They were looking for something new, for something to happen. Whether it was me or someone else, the challenger was probably going to win. I heard over and over the same issues that I'm ready to go to work on. Mr. Gollott has been very friendly, very cordial. Neither of us ran a negative campaign, whatsoever. It was a gentleman's campaign. We have talked since then. I've got meetings with the new council members and the city manager next week and we'll start going through the transition process. As far as getting up to speed, I've been sitting on two city boards - the planning commission and the Civil Service board - for many years and I'm pretty much in tune and I'm ready to come on out and get rolling.

Mississippi Press: For each of you, is there one particular thing you hope to accomplish quickly once you take office, a short term goal, something you want to change or fix and do it quickly?

King: For us, it's simple. You can't do anything without professionalism. I think we need to embed that back into our culture. We need a professional culture in Moss Point, where the citizens feel respected when they come into the city, where people who work for the city are knowledgeable about their jobs and their departments. I think that's one of the main things - things as simple as answering the phone, dressing professionally, knowing what department a citizen needs to call for the help or information they need.

Maxwell: I agree with Mario on professionalism and what we need to do is create a culture that's business friendly and resident friendly.

King: Yes.

Maxwell: That's one of the first steps we're going to make along with cleaning up the city. Once we change the culture in city government, where they have for years not had effective leadership, in my opinion, to drive that message, to hold them accountable for that positive attitude and customer-friendly attitude, then we can begin with cleaning up the city, turning around some of the dilapidated properties. That's what they're going to see in Pascagoula.

Dobson: I definitely support the idea of having a good culture in city government, making sure you have everybody in every department understands their job and their responsibility. I want my routine to be known, that I'll be in the office in the early morning and will be available to my department heads and everybody at city hall to come talk to me, give me feedback, or for me to ask them what they need from me. That's a key for me, to re-instill the idea that the mayor will be accessible and ready to work. In addition to that, our budget hasn't been terrible, but I want to make sure we have the most sound budget we can. I'm ready to work with the aldermen on that. With so many new aldermen, I think there's a lot of people ready to get to work and make sure we're prepared for anything in the future. I'm really focused on making sure our city is prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Torjusen: Gautier has been pretty stagnant. In other words, it hasn't had proactive leadership, not proactive in going out and getting anything. We've been sitting around just waiting to see if anything comes our way. That's not the way it's going to be in my administration. We're going to go out and we're going to get it. A couple of things we need to do right out of the gate is we need to address our water and sewer issues. That's a huge complaint coming from the public. They want to see something done, something in process that will be a long-term fix. We're going to need that, anyway, to do economic development - making sure our infrastructure, our water and sewer system is of good quality and at a good rate. I'm going to hop on that pretty quick. I've already been reviewing all the operating agreements we have in place, both with the Jackson County Utility Authority and Clear Water. The other thing is, I'm already talking to a number of retailers about getting them in there. We need something pretty quick. One thing your cities (gesturing towards the other three) have that our city doesn't have is we only have one grocery store. We have no competition. That's one of the things people are really asking for on the front end - can we get another grocery store. Not that Jerry Lee's does bad. I know those people. They are my friends. But competition is healthy, for everybody. So I'm going to target a grocery store pretty quickly.

Mississippi Press: Now I want to turn your attention to the next four years. You've discussed your immediate plans, but what are some of your goals and aspirations for your city over the length of your first term?

Maxwell: I can tell you that we're already working on three major projects that will be long term and we're kick-starting them. Moving the JCUA wastewater plant there in Pascagoula - it could have been moved 30 years ago if someone would have taken the steps to do it. We've done that. We've helped them get some funding and they're on the move to to that. But I have a couple of critical issues that are pretty much even. I've got a superfund project there in the City of Pascagoula which is going to have an effect on all of the surrounding cities because of the water contamination and the runoff, which is one of the things Mario and I had talked about. I went to the White House and we started communications with the EPA to continue to fund it and clean it within five years. That's a big project I'm working on, along with reducing the burden on coastal cities in regard to a 500 or 1,000-year storm, which we may not see again in another 500 years. We might, but it's unfair. Alabama's got a six-foot flood elevation just across the state line and in Jackson County it's 14 feet. It's just not fair. So we're going to work to get that changed.

Torjusen: Speaking of the superfund, I've got two independent companies which would like to get a hold of that, get it done and privatize it. I've been working with them for two years, but when the EPA came in, that all kind of got pushed away. But we need to have that conversation.

Maxwell: Well, all they have to do is get a hold of me and we'll get that started. We could immediately introduce them to the White House liaison for the EPA. They're willing to help us in any way they can.

Torjusen: We need to do that. These are two good outfits and they're well-funded.

Maxwell: Well, let's get it done. I'm ready to clean it up. Mario and I are going to work towards bringing some big economic growth along that corridor there (Mississippi 63).

King: We really want to develop that. My priorities are waterfront development and infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. We want to fix a lot of things with our infrastructure, which is the biggest complaint. Then, we want to look at the foundation of our economic development. We want to look at our economic development from a foundational standpoint - education, community awareness and involvement - what can we do now, currently, to increase profit, to increase development. How do we get people to make Moss Point the place to be? Those will be my first priorities. Beyond that, I had already asked Dane "What can we do to work together?" Y'all are our neighbors. We should be working together. We need to work together to make things work for Jackson County and the One Coast effort. How do we make our end of the coast more attractive to make people want to come here? Those are my priorities.

Dobson: Definitely infrastructure is a big part of our long-term goals. We also need greater economic development along the eastern end of town. We have some vacant buildings we need to find tenants for and get some commerce going. There are some wetlands permits, some hoops we have to jump through, but I want to work with the aldermen to ensure we're doing all we can to foster growth along the east side of town. That will even help Gautier and Jackson County as a whole. For those coming from the west, we are the gateway into Jackson County. Getting more people flowing into our city will help everybody. Along with that, there's the Highway 90 expansion. I'm going to be working with MDOT to make sure it's done responsibly. We're going to work with the business owners to make sure we have a good plan. There's going to be some growing pains. Ocean Springs is a growing city, but I'm going to do everything I can to minimize those growing pains. The beach walkway - we need to take care of that. One good hurricane is going to wipe that out. I'm interested in fixing that. Whatever projects we take on, I want to be sure we're thinking long term and not kicking the can down the road and worrying about how to pay for things later.

Torjusen: Obviously, quality infrastructure is a long-term goal and something needed for economic growth. But economic development is really the major focus for Gautier moving forward. We lost our revenue stream from the mall and we lost it fast. You can't replace it as fast as you lost it. A couple of projects I want to do that will help economic development are I want to work with the junior college to get some student housing built there, maybe a couple of dormitories there. That would definitely help move us towards a robust economy. Another thing is we've got a jewel sitting out there at I-10 and Gautier-Vancleave Road, but those properties are surrounded by the Sandhill Crane Refuge. I want to talk to people to start the process of how we're going to free up that land, doing some mitigation to swap out and help economic development. That's probably not a real quick thing, either, but it's a process that needs to get started.

Mississippi Press: You've already touched on this during the course of our discussion, but just how critical do each of you believe it is that the four of you - and your communities - work together? And, secondarily, do you feel the cities working together is something that has been lacking?

Maxwell: I personally think it could have been a much better relationship. It's been something that's been discussed with all of these guys out on the campaign trail. It is a priority for the four of us. We are immediately going to continue our communication and set something up for a monthly meeting. There are projects we can all do together, such as infrastructure. You've got the White House coming down with a trillion dollar infrastructure plan. We're going to pool our resources there and try to get as much of that as we can. That could result in rebuilding Jackson County's infrastructure. That's a big project and we're all going to be involved in that. One thing I've started working on that Phil probably doesn't know about yet is trying to relocate the Sand Hill Crane refuge. You can go across the Texas state line and hunt them, yet we're taking up a large part of the county and the city protecting a bird that's hunted in almost every other state. That's a big bureaucracy I'm going to working on with Phil. That also helps Moss Point when you start bringing people into that area. Those kind of things will also appeal to Shea and myself, because once we can create an area of economic growth, I think it helps all four of us. We're absolutely going to work together. We're all friends and you're going to see a real close relationship.

King: I think it is so important. I think past administrations have lost opportunities, because there might be something Pascagoula is doing well, or something Ocean Springs has access to that we don't. No matter what, the county is large enough that if an organization or company comes in, those employees have to live somewhere, and it's likely going to be in Jackson County. So if a business comes into one city, giving them additional taxes, many of those employees may live in another city, adding to their tax base. We have to sell the county. We have to show we're a county that's working together. I think that opens up more doors for economic development. It shows how in-sync we are, that we're not working against each other. It shows we're a united county looking to compete for economic development. I think Jackson County has a tremendous opportunity right now, but with the four of us and our new boards taking office, people are looking to see what we're going to do. I appreciate you bringing the four of us together, because we've all been talking through the campaign. I've talked to Shea and Dane during the campaign, and this is my first time to meet Phil, but I'm just super excited about the opportunity. I think what you see here is a genuine attitude of togetherness, and that's what it's all about.

Dobson: Everything Dane and Mario have said is essential. I think with Mario and I, given our age group, for us it's not really a partisan thing or an ideological thing. We just want to bring people together. You might not always agree, but you can work as a team. I think our communities are best when we work as a team. Our county is bestwhen we work as a team and our entire coast is best when we work as a team. That's why I'm excited to work with all these men, as well as Fofo and Billy Hewes and everybody in Harrison County. In Ocean Springs, we have a lot of people who work in Pascagoula, or work in Biloxi and I just want to bring the One Coast concept to the forefront and do everything we can to build the county and the coast as a whole.

Torjusen: It's extremely important we work together. When you get together with people who are in the same business as you - and we're all going to be in the same business - you get the synergy of it. You share things - you say "Hey, you might not want to do this, because this is what we did and this is why it didn't work." You share ideas, you help each other out. So communication between us is extremely important. The monthly meeting that came out of this meeting will be very, very beneficial. I know since I'm the oldest, they'll elect me chairman of the monthly meetings (laughing). But I want to have fun with this, too. It's going to be a lot of work, but we can do a lot of good for a lot of people. These are not our cities. These are the people's cities. They have elected us to come in here and serve and provide the leadership. We've got a tremendous responsibility to do that and the better we can help each other out, the better off we'll all be in the long run. We've got another generation of people coming up and it's great to have young people in city government right now. It's a wonderful thing.

Mississippi Press: All of you won by comfortable margins of varying degrees, but obviously there were those who did not support you and campaigned against you. What do you say to those people? What do you want them to know?

Torjusen: What I want to tell them is give us a chance. You had a choice on who to vote for and if you didn't vote this way, I understand and respect that. But what I told people on the campaign trail is if you're happy with the way things are right now, you've got a candidate. But if you're not happy, if you're ready for a change, I'm your candidate. There were only two of us. So I what I want those people to do is give us a little time. It's not going to happen quick. Don't be quick to judge. Give it a little time and in four years, if you're not happy, you'll have another choice to make.

Dobson: A common theme I kept repeating throughout my campaign was I want to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. I've been in politics for about nine years and I've been on more than my fair share of losing ends of campaigns. I understand exactly what it's like to put everything you have into a campaign and then come up short. I definitely sympathize and I understand it may sting right now. You may not always agree, but the people who supported me are not always going to agree with me. I'm my own man and we have a lot of new board members and things going on in the city. There are going to be growing pains, but ultimately I think it's going to be a positive for the city. Another common theme in my campaign was I wanted to make sure everyone has a voice. My idea of good government is making sure everyone feels like they have the opportunity to have their voice heard, to address their leaders. I think that goes a long way. I'm going to make sure I hear everyone out and keep an open mind.

King: For me, I tell people it's time to come together. I always remain respectful of their opinions, but at this point it's about Moss Point. I'm not the mayor for my supporters, I'm the mayor of Moss Point. I want to be all-inclusive. I want everyone to feel comfortable, feel appreciated despite our differences during the campaign. Now is the time for everyone to bring their ideas to the table and move Moss Point forward and make sure of the success of the entire city, not just one side or one group. There's no longer sides - it just Moss Point. I can appreciate those who didn't support me, appreciate them voicing their opinions, and I respect that. But now it's time to pull off of that and rejuvenate Moss Point.

Maxwell: Like this meeting here today, we have to be leaders. We have to show Republicans and Democrats working together, just like we've agreed here today we're going to do. We are truly friends. I think the communities out there need to look at us, see what we do, and gauge us on what we're doing as we move forward. I had a very tough race, as far as the negatives, and I know there are a few people out there who are not going to support me no matter what I do. But my slogan was "We Are Pascagoula." Whether you are a Catholic, a Baptist, a non-denominational, a Republican or Democrat, we're going to work together. Some people are just not going to be on board. All of us had a low voter turnout and some people just aren't going to get engaged. But we're going to try to make sure we set the right example, and I think we're going to do that. In Pascagoula, they spoke loudly and they expect actions. Like Shea said, I promise you I'm going to make decisions and appoint people that some people are not going to like. But it's my decision, based on what I think we need to do to move forward. Whether they like those decisions or like me, I just want us all to come together. If you're truly in for the best interests of the City of Pascagoula, you're going to get on board instead of sitting back and be a keyboard warrior, being negative on Facebook or Twitter or whatever. You're going to get involved and help us do it. As I said, I think we'll be able to bring Pascagoula together. I'm excited about it and that's the reason my slogan was "We Are Pascagoula."

Torjusen: One thing I'd like to add is that when you're the leader, a lot of times when you make a decision, it may appear to be unpopular, but many times those are the decisions that get you through the critical times. They are tough decisions.

Maxwell: I don't think any of us are afraid to make tough decisions. I think in the past the leadership has twiddled around with those decisions. But I think all of us here are anxious to get started and not afraid to make those decisions. We'll lean on each other to bounce ideas off of and I think you're going to see a huge, drastic change for the good in Jackson County in the next four years.

King: I think we have four people who are approachable. I think that's very different, not only here in Jackson County but across the country. People who get elected to office are not approachable. Like Dane, we all got hundreds of texts and emails and voicemails after we won and we're all up long after the work day responding to those messages. My wife has to remind me to go to bed, because I'm up late trying to respond to all those people. This is clearly a calling for all of us and I think having four people for whom race, party affiliation, age doesn't matter - we may be a little ignorant of what's out there (drawing laughter from others), because we're all talking about working together, and that hasn't been the norm. I'm thankful for us being here together. We are one at this point. We are still community members, no different than anyone else, and we wanted to see change. Now we're leading that change. The first part of fixing things is coming together.

Torjusen: I had one elderly gentleman tell me last week "You're going to do well, because you never think you're better than anybody else."

Maxwell: One of the interesting things in talking with everybody is all four of us have been more focused on the transition and what we're about to do with economic development, flood insurance, rebuilding our infrastructure, things like that, than we have been with setting up our swearing-in ceremonies. I don't even know when mine is because I've been so busy.

Torjusen: We're going to be mayors way before you (laughter; Pascagoula has the last swearing-in on July 3).

Maxwell: Like Mario said, we were all part of that populous that was ready for a change. Now that we're leading the change, we're just anxious to get started.

Torjusen: We're working already.

Maxwell: Exactly. We're meeting with leaders, we're talking to businesses, we're talking about those things that need to be accomplished. We fought our campaigns individually, we didn't drag each other into it, but now we're talking and we'll continue to do that.
A father's love is like a mountain, as the Chinese saying goes. This man is willing to carry a whole mountain on his back just to provide a safe and happy life for his son.

Ran Guanghui, a market porter in south-west China, has melt the hearts of millions after a picture of him and his toddler son was shared on social media.

In the picture, the labourer was carrying a large bag of goods with one hand, so that he could free his other hand to hold his toddler son, who was going down the stairs.

Ran Guanghui, a Chinese labourer, has moved millions after the above picture became viral. Mr Ran used one hand to carry a massive bag, so he could hold the hands of his toddler son

Mr Ran comes from rural Chongqing. He moved to the city centre with his wife for a better life

The man used his hands, and sometimes a trolley, to move goods for local businessmen

Mr Ran works five days a week and earns around 250 yuan (28) a day by hard labour

The moving picture was taken by a Chinese reporter in Chongqing seven years ago. It emerged on Chinese social media and became viral last week as people celebrated Father's Day.

Mr Ran was 41 years old at the time and his son, Ran Junchao, was three. The man brought the boy to his work because Junchao's mother couldn't look after him.

The picture was shot when Mr Ran was going down a flight of stairs while carrying a bag weighing around 100kg (220lbs). Little Junchao tried to follow him.

The boy, who was still perfecting his skills of walking, struggled when he tried to go down. Mr Ran used all his might to lift the sack with one hand, so he could hold his toddler son with the other hand.

There are thousands of porters in Chongqing, a municipality in south-west China, as merchants need people to help them move good up and down steep roads and flights of stairs

Mr Ran makes over 20 trips daily, each varying from 200 metres to 500 metres in distance

The father said everything he did was for his son and he wanted to give him the best life

Mr Ran's son, Ran Junchao, was only three years old in the viral picture. The above picture was taken in 2013 when Junchao was six years old and had just started school

Mr Ran lived in a cramped house in Chongqing with his family, as the picture in 2013 showed

Mr Ran is one of the thousands of porters working in Chongqing, a massive municipality with around 30 million residents.

Both Mr Ran and his wife are from rural parts of Chongqing, and they moved to the city centre to seek a better life.

Mr Ran is a labourer while his wife works in a small restaurant.

The couple brought their son, Ran Junchao, with them to the city, so that they could look after him.

Xu Kangping, the journalist who took the picture, told MailOnline: 'I remember the day when I took the picture clearly. It was June 20, 2010.

'The flight of stairs was long and the father was carrying such a heavy bag.

'That was not an easy trip. However, the father would have to climb up and down the stairs about 20 times a day with goods in order to make a living.'

This picture, taken in 2015, showed Mr Ran and Junchao having dinner at their home. Since then, Mr Ran has managed to use his savings and buy a flat for his wife and son in Chongqing

In order to buy a home for his family, Mr Ran saved 46,000 from working as a porter

Mr Ran is one of the thousands of porters working and living in Chongqing, south-west China

Each of Mr Ran's trips varies from 200 metres (656 feet) to 500 metres (1,640 feet) in distance in mountainous Chongqing where roads could be steep.

The weight of the goods he carries could be up to 500kg (1,102 lbs) in one go.

For that particular trip, captured by Mr Xu's picture in 2010, Mr Ran would be paid around eight yuan (90p).

The journalist added: 'Mr Ran is one of the most ordinary labourers in China. However, what's extraordinary of him is his genuine and great love for his son under the most difficult circumstances.'

After Mr Xu published his picture on a local newspaper, Mr Ran's story moved millions of people to tears.

The father takes a nap between trips on the street. The man has said that he would be happy to be a porter for another 20 years as long as his son could have a decent life

Mr Ran said: 'As a father, I would never complain no matter how busy and tiring my work is'

Mr Ran's sweat seeped through a paper box after he carried it to the destination

Beads of sweat broke out on Mr Ran's back after he completed a trip. The man had to do over 20 trips every day in order to make ends meet for his family in Chongqing

In a follow-up interview in 2013 with Mr Xu, Mr Ran said everything he did in life was for his son.

He told Mr Xu, who works for Chinese newspaper Urban Express: 'As a father, I would never complain no matter how busy and tiring my work is.'

The man, who was 44 years old at the time, said he was willing to work for another 20 years to create a comfortable life for his son.

As his ages increased, the work started to become harder and harder for Mr Ran. Pictured, the man was having his ear checked in 2015 after suffering from tinnitus in 2015

A traditional Chinese medicine doctor prescribed drugs to Mr Ran after examining him in 2015

Today, Mr Ran, 48, still works as a porter in Chongqing, earning some 250 yuan (28) a day by hard labour.

He works every day of the year, except for the few days around China New Year when markets and shops are closed.

Earlier this year, the thrifty man managed to save 400,000 yuan (46,000) and bought a flat in Chongqing where his family are now living.

Fortunately, little Junchao has not disappointed his father.

The boy, who is now 10 years old, is a hard-working fourth-grade pupil. He is also a student leader at his primary school.

The father said his son was getting naughtier and naughtier, but he couldn't be prouder when he learned about his good academic grades.
Britain could lose sovereignty over a Mauritian island used as a defence base after EU countries refused to support the UK in a UN vote over the dispute.

The General Assembly voted Tuesday to seek an opinion from the top UN court on Mauritius' claim that Britain illegally maintains sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, where the United States has a major military base in the Indian Ocean.

Only Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and Lithuania contested the measure in support of Britain, as the vote was approved by a winning margin of 94-15 with 65 abstentions.

The loss for Britain came as it begins negotiations to leave the European Union, and there was a lack of support for the UK from the 27 other EU members.

Cyprus voted in favor of the court referral and 22 EU nations including Germany, France and Italy abstained.

Fuel tanks at the edge of a miltary airstrip on Diego Garcia, largest island in the Chagos archipelago

An aerial shot of the snake-like formation of Diego Garcia - the largest of 60 small islands comprising the Chagos Archipelago

Rosemond Sameenaden, 70, joins other Chagos islanders outside the High Court, London, where they fought the UK government for the reinstatement of their homeland back in 2007

Mauritius' defense minister, Anerood Jugnauth, told General Assembly members before the vote that the Chagos archipelago has been part of Mauritius since at least the 18th century and was unlawfully taken by the United Kingdom in 1965, three years before the island nation gained independence from Britain.

He said British Foreign Office memos from 1965 and 1966 reveal 'shocking truths' of how the UK sought to present the United Nations with their evidence in 'the dismemberment' of the Chagos islands and the eviction of the people living there.

An Air Force B-52 bomber from the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing takes off from Diego Garcia for a combat mission

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the United Kingdom remains confident of its sovereignty over the islands, which it renamed the British Indian Ocean Territory after the 1965 agreement with authorities in Mauritius.

He said the UK agreed at that time to return sovereignty to Mauritius whenever the archipelago was no longer needed for military purposes.

The UK concluded an agreement with the United States in 1966 to use the territory for defense purposes.

It is now a forward operating location for aircraft and ships that contribute to regional and global security.

Rycroft said the US-UK presence contributes 'to guaranteeing the security of the Indian Ocean itself, from which all neighboring states benefit, including Mauritius'.

'The facilities play a critical role in combating some of the most difficult and urgent problems of the 21st century, such as terrorism, international criminality, piracy and instability in many forms,' he said, adding it was clear what had been agreed with Mauritius.

Jugnauth said Mauritius has repeatedly stated 'that we do not have any problem with the military base, but that our decolonization process should be completed'.

'More than five decades have passed, and now is the time to act,' he said.

A group of Chagossians in Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos archipelago, land for a visit

The resolution asks the International Court of Justice two questions - was the process of decolonisation of Mauritius lawfully completed in 1968 - and what are the consequences under international law of the UK's continued administration, including with respect to the inability to resettle Chagos residents on the islands?

US Deputy Ambassador Michele Sison strongly backed the UK, warning that establishing a precedent of going to the court 'is dangerous for all UN member states.'

The International Court of Justice needs to consider 'whether it would be appropriate for it to respond to this request,' Sison said.

'In our view it would not.'

A Foreign Office spokesman said: Taking this dispute to the international court of justice is an inappropriate use of the ICJ mechanism.
Energy titan Robert Murray is suing HBO's John Oliver for defamation over a taunting broadcast in which he labeled the CEO a 'geriatric Dr. Evil'.

Murray Energy Corporation's lawyers filed its lawsuit against the British comedian in a West Virginia court this week.

It accuses him of 'malicious' defamation and says many of his statements about the coal industry were untrue.

HBO is standing by the host, claiming nothing he said 'violated' the 77-year-old CEO or his energy company.

Oliver made the comments during his weekly show Last Week Tonight on Sunday.

John Oliver is being sued for defamation by coal titan Robert Murray who claims the comedian 'maliciously' defamed on his HBO show on Sunday

The segment was focused on President Trump's promise to restore jobs in America's flailing coal industry and poked holes in the administration's claim that Barack Obama was to blame for its decline.

His resounding complaint was that the president is trying to pump new life into a doomed industry when instead he ought to be focusing on new opportunities for the countless coal workers who have or are due to lose their jobs as it, apparently inevitably, declines further.

As part of the longer segment, he pulled up past interviews in which Murray appeared to criticize President Obama. Oliver joked about the 77-year-old's pronunciation of the former president's name.

Later, he brought up a deadly collapse at one of the company's mines. Six men died in the disaster at Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah in 2007. The accident was investigated by The Department of Labor which found the cause to be 'inadequate mine design'.

Murray maintains it was down to an earthquake, a claim Oliver undermined on his show.

Oliver shared his beliefs that the president should change his focus to finding new jobs for current coal miners rather than trying to save their current ones and revive the industry

Murray makes regular appearances on television to discuss numerous presidents' plans for the industry

The host even acknowledged the risk that he would be sued him over his comments.

When contacted to provide a comment for the segment, Murray Energy Corp.'s lawyers responded with a letter which urged Oliver to cease and desist.

It threatened legal action in the event that he made defamatory, disparaging remarks. It did nothing to discourage Oliver from exploring the topic.

'I didn't really plan for so much of this piece to be about you but you kind of forced my hand on that one.

'I know that you are probably going to sue me but you know what? I stand by everything I said,' he said defiantly.

Murray Energy Corp. is seeking unspecified damages to be determined at a jury trial and is also seeking an injunction which would remove the segment from the internet to prevent it from being seen again.

Robert Murray is no stranger to litigation and has filed lawsuits against national and local media in the past.

In a statement, HBO told Deadline that is was standing by Oliver.

'We have confidence in the staff of and do not believe anything in the show this week violated Mr. Murrays or Murray Energys rights,' a spokesman said.
North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official warned on Thursday, as South Korea tested its own weapons.

The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile trials this year by the North, could be for the early stage of an ICBM rocket engine.

A second official also confirmed the test but did not provide additional details on the type of rocket component that was being tested or whether it fit into the ICBM program.

North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official warned on Thursday, as South Korea tested its own weapons (pictured)

One official said he believed the test had taken place within the past 24 hours.

North Korea's state media, which is normally quick to publicize successful missile-related developments, did not carry any reports on the engine test.

South Korea did not have details about the reported test and declined to comment on the possible nature of the engine.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China opposed any action that violated UN Security Council resolutions and called for restraint from all parties.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in inspected the test-launch of a ballistic missile (pictured) on Friday that is being developed by the South's military

Meanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was elected last month on a platform of a more moderate approach to Pyongyang including dialogue to ease tension, inspected the test-launch of a ballistic missile on Friday that is being developed by the South's military.

'I believe in dialogue, but dialogue is possible when it's backed by strong defense and engagement policy is possible only when we have security ability that can overwhelm the North,' Moon was quoted by his office as saying at the test site.

Moon's office did not disclose the details of the missile being tested, but South Korea has been working to develop ballistic missiles with a range of 800 km (500 miles), a voluntary cap under an agreement with the United States.

North Korea's state media, which is normally quick to publicize successful missile-related developments, did not carry any reports on the engine test

The United States has tried for years to discourage South Korea from developing longer-range ballistic missiles in keeping with the Missile Technology Control Regime, a voluntary international arms-control pact.

The disclosure of the North's engine test came a day after the United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington.

President Donald Trump has warned that a 'major, major conflict' with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although US officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option.

The continental United States is around 5,600 miles (9,000 km) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,400 miles (5,500 km), but some are designed to travel 6,200 miles (10,000 km) or farther.
Photos from China show the hilarious results of translations gone wrong, with signs, menus, and even brand names damaging the country's image.

Now the Chinese government has declared war on 'Chinglish,' vowing to wipe out the hilariously bad English translations that can be found all over the country.

The new national standard will require correct grammar, and ban rare words and expressions, as well as hate speech, the People's Daily reports.

The Chinese government is cracking down on hilarious English translation fails like this one

Tourists have been greeted by signs like 'Racist Park,' meant to be 'Park of Ethnic Minorities'

Direct or machine translations are often to blame for signs like this that should say 'Dried Vegetables.'

Authorities in China are worried that 'Chinglish' is damaging their country's image worldwide

Chinas Standardization Administration and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has provided sample translations, and cautioned against direct translations that have resulted in signs like 'Big F*** Hall.'

Although 'Chinglish' has been amusing tourists for years, the Chinese government are taking it seriously, and are worried such signs damage their nation's image.

Chinese linguists are also concerned that 'Chinglish' is causing social problems, and holding back the development of a multilingual society.

Tourists have been snapping pictures of 'Chinglish' signs for years and posting them online

Chinese authorities have established a new national standard which will require correct grammar

Chinese linguists are worried that bad translations are preventing China from becoming a multilingual society

'Chinglish' signs can be spotted all over China, on signs, menus, and even in bathroom stalls

If the new standard is successful, it will see an end to signs such as 'Racist Park,' a previous embarrassing translation for the Park of Ethnic Minorities.

Many of the unfortunate signs are due to direct or machine translations, such as 'F*** Vegetables' for 'Dried Vegetables,' and 'Dangerous, be careful drowning.'

Users on Reddit's popular China forum were skeptical about the new measures, with one user named Smirth writing, 'This could be solved with like 1 app and 2 foreigners working part time. But it won't be!'

The new national standard warns translators to avoid direct translations and rare expressions

It remains to be seen whether the new standard will be effective in reducing 'Chinglish' signs

Similar attempts to stop 'Chinglish' in the past have failed, and online observers are skeptical

China is increasingly focused on its global image, and hopes the new rules will improve it

If the measures are successful, signs like this will be a thing of the past, saving face for China

'So they're going to eradicate Chinglish by handing out another set of guidelines that no one is going to read. If I had a nickel for every time I saw a plan to eradicate Chinglish, and a nostalgic article lamenting its impending demise, I could buy a nice hot plate of victim of government violence chicken,' wrote Xiefeilaga.

Others lamented 'Chinglish's' impending demise, 'Oh no. Where am I going to get my daily dose of hilarious Chinese fail now?!' asked Drew627.

Previous efforts to eradicate 'Chinglish,' such as a widely publicised campaign in Shanghai in 2012, have fallen flat, but authorities will be hoping the new measures can help improve China's global image for good.
Two men who were found with a stash of more than 1,200 stolen beehives worth $200,000 have been charged with a string of felony counts.

Pavel Tveretinov, 51, and Vitaliy Yeroshenko, 48, were snared by officials investigating two years worth off night time raids on orchards in Fresno, California.

A tip-off in April led officers to a field where they found the two men among stacks of mismanaged hives. They could face a decade in jail if convicted.

Pavel Tveretinov, 51, and Vitaliy Yeroshenko, 48, were snared by officials investigating two years worth off night time raids on orchards in Fresno, California

Bees are a key part of the agriculture industry in California, the nation's most productive farming state.

Beekeepers from around the country truck in their beehives and rent them to farmers to pollinate their flowering crops, such as almonds.

The victims of the night raids were beekeepers as far away as Missouri, Montana and North Dakota.

The two Sacramento-area men are charged with nine felony counts of receiving stolen property.

While announcing the break in the case in May, Fresno County Sheriff's investigators said they had netted 2,500 stolen beehives valued at nearly $1 million.

Charges filed by prosecutors on Thursday, however, estimate 1,200 beehives valued at $200,000.

A tip-off in April led officers to a field where they found the two men among stacks of mismanaged beehives. They could face a decade in jail if convicted

While announcing the break in the case in May, Fresno County Sheriff's investigators said they had netted 2,500 stolen beehives valued at nearly $1 million

Prosecutors based their charges on the reports they received from investigators, said Geri Benavides, a spokeswoman for the office.

An attorney representing Yeroshenko could not be reached for comment. Authorities have issued a warrant seeking his arrest.

Defense attorney Andrew Kalnoki dismissed the validity of the case filed against Tveretinov, who was booked into jail with bail set at $267,750.

'The charges have no factual or legal basis,' Kalnoki said. 'We are going to put forth a very vigorous defense.'
Concern is growing in a conservative, remote corner of Oregon as people start arriving in a national forest for a Rainbow Family of Living Light annual gathering, a counter-culture event expected to draw thousands.

Officials with the Malheur National Forest said this week that around 600 Rainbow Family members are already camped at a gathering site near Flagtail Meadow with an additional 10,000 and 30,000 arriving by July 4.

The Rainbow Family of Light is a loosely organized group that gathers in a different location each year for several days of music, camping, and prayers for world peace. The annual event began in the 1970s.

Some locals were 'furious', and a Native American tribe says the campsite is located on their ancestral territory.

The U.S. Forest Service said it had already made two arrests, handed out 31 warnings and written up three violation notices as of Tuesday.

Concern is growing in a conservative, remote corner of Oregon as people start arriving in a national forest for a Rainbow Family of Living Light annual gathering (from 2016)

The counter-culture get-together (above in 2016) expected to draw up to 30,000 by July 4. Around 600 Rainbow Family members are already camped at a gathering site near Flagtail Meadow

Rancher Loren Stout, who has a federal grazing permit on land adjacent to the event site, was upset, saying the Forest Service would punish ranchers if they ignored permit requirements and tapped a spring for drinking water like the Rainbow Family has done.

'People are furious over this,' Stout told the Blue Mountain Eagle, a weekly newspaper in John Day. 'Not because it's a friggin' bunch of hippies. It's the different standards.'

A Native American tribe, the Burns Paiute, said the Oregon site is within its ancestral territory, and asked for attendees to be respectful.

'This land is sacred to us, and we hope they respect it,' Burns Paiute Tribal Chairman Joe DeLaRosa said in a statement Thursday.

In a welcoming note to attendees, the tribe said the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the winter of 2016 by those trying to put federal lands into the hands of locals, had occurred on land sacred to the tribe.

'We are still recovering from last year's desecration,' the tribe said.

Rancher Loren Stout has a federal grazing permit, but she said people were 'furious' at the different standards extended to the Rainbow Family, who did not sign a special use permit. Pictured, a file photo

Members took to the event's Facebook page and expressed concerns about keeping the place hygienic while others questioned whether pants were required. Pictured, file photo

People with small children, those with disabilities and senior citizens were among those who took to the event's Facebook page to discuss accessibility and bus routes in the lead up to the event near the town of John Day in eastern Oregon.

Some commentators expressed concern about keeping the place hygienic.

'Bury your s--t, bury your dog's s--t, bury your baby's s--t,' one person wrote.

Another asked what the 'pants policy' is, and got dozens of responses, including that they're optional.

The Forest Service said its resource specialists are making sure that kitchens, peace circles, and latrines are located appropriately.

Ahead of last year's event in Vermont in the Green Mountain National Forest, there was a lot of concern about whether the Rainbows would pick up after themselves once the gathering was over.

They carved campsites out of the wilderness, but once the bulk of the Rainbows left, a number stay behind, in some cases for weeks, to clean up.

The Rainbow Family of Light is a loosely organized group that gathers in a different location each year (file photo) for several days of music, camping, and prayers for world peace

Last year's event took place in the Green Mountain National Forest of Vermont, and a number of people stayed behind to clean up. Pictured, file photo

The Forest Service said the group refused to sign a special use permit, required for groups of more than 75. The group has noted that it claims no leader, and consequently there is no one to sign such permits. The Forest Service said it will require operating conditions that users must abide by.

The first national Rainbow gathering was held in 1972, partly an outgrowth of community many young people felt at the 1969 Woodstock music festival. The get-together is held each year on national forestland.
CCTV footage has emerged of the moment a band of brazen thieves broke into a shopping centre bunker room and stole $250,000 cash from an ATM.

The bandits used 'sophisticated tools' to rip the door off a Suncorp ATM after sneaking in through the roof at a shopping complex in Bray Park, north of Brisbane.

At around 1.15am, a black-clad robber was captured on camera exiting the bunker carrying what appears to be a duffel bag filled with stolen cash, Nine News reports.

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A man dressed in black was captured on CCTV footage leaving the bunker with a duffel bag

The thief was spotted on camera after breaking into the Suncorp ATM at 1.15am on Thursday morning

Detectives assessed the area on Thursday morning after the thieves had broken into the bunker room

Police believe an angle grinder and a crow bar were used to remove the door of the ATM at Kensington Village Shopping Centre on Thursday morning.

At least one thief entered the bunker through an air vent and dropped into the small room to steal the money, police say.

Officers were pictured at the Bray Park shopping complex on Thursday Morning after the area had been sectioned off into a crime scene.

A number of investigators were seen sweeping the bunker for evidence, while one climbed onto the roof of the bunker to assess how the thief had entered the room.

Police also believe the incident is linked to a string of other ATM robberies in Brisbane, including a theft of over $100,000 from a bank machine in Virginia.

Investigations into the matter are continuing.

An investigator is pictured on the roof of the bunker which the thieves used to access the ATM cash (pictured)

Officers were pictured at the Bray Park shopping complex (pictured) on Thursday Morning after the area had been sectioned off into a crime scene
A Liberal senator is so incensed with controversial Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied that he wants her to move to an Arab dictatorship where child brides and female genital mutilation are common.

The 26-year-old Sudanese-born former ABC presenter has this week declared that Australia's system of parliamentary democracy 'does not represent anyone' because it's biased against women and racial minorities.

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz, who is also a migrant, is so outraged by her remarks he has suggested she move to an Arab dictatorship.

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Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied says Australia's parliament doesn't represent her

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has called on Yassmin Abdel-Magied to move to an Arab dictatorship

The ex-Abbott government minister says Yassmin Abdel-Magied's remarks were reprehensible

'Yassmin Abdel-Magieds attacks on our democracy, calling it a 'neo-liberalist capitalist project' and effectively backing Arab dictatorships where forced marriages, female genital mutilation and sexuality-based executions are legal are reprehensible,' the former Abbott government minister told his Facebook followers.

'If Ms Abdel-Magied thinks our system of government is so bad perhaps she should stop being a drain on the taxpayer and move to one of these Arab dictatorships that are so welcoming of women.'

Egypt, Iraq and Yemen are the only Arab nations on the World Health Organisation list of 30 mainly Muslim nations where female genital mutilation is practised.

Ms Abdel-Magied, who is on the taxpayer-funded Council for Australian Arab Relations, has the backing of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, putting her at odds with her Liberal colleague Senator Abetz, who was born in Germany.

The founder of Youth Without Borders also went on a 11-day tour of the Middle East to promote her book last year, costing taxpayers $11,000, but she failed to raised the issue of female genital mutilation in her native Sudan.

But despite receiving many platforms to air her views, she rubbished a suggestion from former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans that she could run for parliament if she wanted to change things.

'Look at the photo of the House of Representatives. It does not represent anyone,' she told the Future Shapers conference at Canberra's Australian National University on Wednesday night.

'It doesn't represent me and it doesn't represent the people that I know.'

She added that Australia's political parties were biased against women and racial minorities.

The former ABC television present had no interest in the suggestion she could run for office

Former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans said parliament achieved more than social media

Kenyan-born Lucy Gichuhi delivered her maiden speech as the first black African senator

This is despite the fact federal parliament has a black, Kenyan-born senator, a Muslim woman, a Muslim man, three indigenous women, two Aboriginal men, a senator who fled Iran as a boy and a prominent Malaysian-born lesbian.

Her remarks were also made on the same night that South Australian independent senator Lucy Gichuhi delivered her maiden speech to parliament as the nation's first black African federal member.

'Do you know how to get to office? I have to go to preselection, which works really well, and I have to go through these other systems which for women and people of colour are actually biased,' Ms Abdel-Magied said.

Mr Evans, who was a Hawke government cabinet minister in 1991 when Ms Abdel-Magied was born, said people like her needed to be involved in parliamentary politics to effect change.

'Yassmin, I am making an unequivocal plea for engagement in traditional politics, parliamentary politics as well as all the other social dimension politics you're talking about,' he said.

'Because unless you do, you abdicate the field to the Brexiteers.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied told the ABC's Q&A program Islam was the 'most feminist' religion

The founder of Youth Without Borders caused outrage with her political Anzac Day tweet

'You opt out and you just play the GetUp! game or the social media game and don't do the serious parliamentary game as well, you're missing a very important vehicle for actually getting decent policy.'

Ms Abdel-Magied's Australia Wide program on ABC News 24 was axed in May.

The decision came after the national broadcaster had rejected calls for her to be sacked for a controversial Anzac Day tweet which said: 'Lest. We. Forget. (Manus, Naura, Syria, Palestine)'.

In February, she sparked outrage as a guest on the ABC's Q&A program for suggesting Islam is the 'most feminist' religion.

She also clashed with independent senator Jacqui Lambie by suggesting Sharia law to her was praying five times a day as a Muslim.
Two more Bill Cosby jurors have spoken out saying the jury was almost evenly split in its deliberations, which refutes earlier claims the majority wanted to convict the entertainer.

The jurors, who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press and TV network WPXI, said on Thursday that a similar number of jurors wanted to convict the 79-year-old as acquit him.

It contradicts earlier reports that jurors voted 10-2 to convict Cosby on charges he drugged and molested a woman at his Philadelphia area home in 2004.

A different juror had earlier told ABC News that jurors voted 10-2. The juror who spoke to the Associated Press confirmed that vote but said three people then changed their minds. He said the panel was typically more evenly split.

A mistrial was declared Saturday in Pennsylvania after 52 hours of deliberations.

The juror who spoke to WPXI also said the jury found it hard to believe alleged victim Andrea Constand given it took her a year to report the allegations of sexual abuse.

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Two more Bill Cosby jurors have spoken out since the mistrial on Saturday saying the jury was almost evenly split in its deliberations

'That's hard for me to believe, that I've been injured and it takes a year to report,' the juror said.

'Whatever the man did, he's already paid a price and suffered.'

The juror added that the votes were 7-5 or 5-7 for much of the deliberations.

The other juror who spoke out also questioned the long delay in bringing charges against Cosby, suggesting that 'no new evidence from 2005 to now has showed up, no stained clothing, no smoking gun, nothing.'

Constand told jurors Cosby gave her pills that made her woozy and then penetrated her with his fingers as she lay paralyzed on a couch, unable to tell him to stop. Cosby has said his encounter with Constand was consensual.

The alleged victim, now 44, initially went to police about a year after she said Cosby assaulted her, but a prosecutor declared her case too weak to bring charges.

Prosecutors reopened the investigation in 2015 after the public release of a deposition that Cosby gave in 2005 and 2006 as part of accuser Andrea Constand's civil suit against him - testimony that hadn't yet been offered when another district attorney passed on the case in early 2005. Prosecutors used Cosby's deposition as evidence at the criminal trial.

Cosby is now eager to get back to work after the sex assault case ended in a mistrial. The disgraced comedian already has a tour in the works, according to his spokesperson.

Andrew Wyatt appeared on Good Day Alabama on Wednesday and announced that the 79-year-old actor plans to host a series of town halls educating teenagers, young athletes and even married men about how to avoid being charged with a sex crime.

It was then revealed by Wyatt that one of those town halls would be taking place 'some time in July' in Birmingham, Alabama.

One juror said the jury found it hard to believe alleged victim Andrea Constand (above leaving court on Friday) given it took her a year to report the allegations of sexual abuse

Peas in a pod: Cosby exited the court on Saturday with his spokesman Andrew Wyatt (left) and his wife's spokesperson Ebonee Benson (right)

Wyatt appeared on the show along with Camille Cosby's spokesperson and fellow Alabama native Ebonee Benson in their first televised interview since the case ended in a mistrial on Saturday.

At one point, the host of the show, Janice Rogers, said of these proposed town halls: 'Is it sort of a do as I say not as I do thing?'

The reference to Cosby's infidelities with a number of other women and admission to giving some of those women Quaaludes caused both Wyatt and Benson to burst out in laughter.

'We're going to talk to young people because this is bigger than Bill Cosby,' Wyatt said.

'This issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today, and they need to know what they're facing when they're hanging out and partying, when they're doing certain things that they shouldn't be doing.'

He then added: 'And it also affects married men.'

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment about Cosby's planned tour.

Benson then stepped in to explain the dangers facing young people when it comes to the subject of sex crimes.

'The laws are changing, the statute of limitations for victims of sexual assault are being extended, so this is why people need to be educated on a brush against the shoulder,' Benson said.

'Because anything at this point can be considered sexual assault and it is a good thing to be educated about the laws.'

On the topic of law, Wyatt said early in the interview that he was not surprised at all with the verdict in the case.

'(Cosby) has always said, 'I don't want people coming in deciding if I'm guilty or innocent. I don't want them to take that stance. I want them to hear the truth,' Wyatt said.

'And I knew that once they heard the truth it was either going to be a mistrial or a verdict of not guilty.'

Big news: His spokesperson Andrew Wyatt announced the tour on Wednesday while appearing on 'Good Day Alabama'

Reason: 'The laws are changing, the statute of limitations for victims of sexual assault are being extended, so this is why people need to be educated,' said Ebonee Benson (above)

He claimed that there were 'so many inconsistencies in Constand's testimony.'

Wyatt then added: 'She gave a different testimony to the Toronto police department and then to Montgomery County and then to the DA Castor at that time, which is why they decided not to press charges (in 2005).'

He also claimed the 52 hours that the jury tried to come to a verdict last week was the 'longest deliberation ever in the history of Montgomery County'.

As for his client, he said Cosby is doing better than ever.

'He's great, I talked to him this morning,' he said. 'He was excited to go home - and his life was at stake, his freedom was at stake - to go home and spend time with Mrs Cosby and the children and just celebrate Father's Day.'

Cosby was just as happy as he walked out of the courthouse with Wyatt on Saturday, who raised a single fist in the air and declared that the comedian's 'power' was back.

He also quoted Huey P. Newton, the co-founder of the Black Panthers, by stating: 'Power is the ability to define phenomena, and make it act in a desired manner.'

Then, to close it out, he attacked those who represented the women accusing Cosby.

'The jurors, they used their power to speak, and Mr Cosby's power is back,' Wyatt said.

'So the legacy didn't go anywhere, it has been restored. And for all those attorneys who conspired like Gloria Allred, tell them to go back to law school and take another class.'

Going hard: Camille Cosby (above last Monday) called District Attorney Steele 'heinously and exploitevly ambitious,' Judge O'Neill 'overtly arrogant and collaborating with the district attorney,'

Welcome aboard: It is unclear when Cosby hired Benson, posting a photo of her back in May after her client gave him a painting (pair above on left)

Camille Cosby, the comedian's seldom-heard-from wife, also jumped into the fray with a statement of her own, which was read outside the courthouse by Benson and later posted on her husband's Twitter account.

In it , she called District Attorney Steele 'heinously and exploitatively ambitious,' Judge O'Neill 'overtly arrogant and collaborating with the district attorney,' the media as 'blatantly vicious entities that continually disseminated intentional omissions of truths for the primary purpose of greedily selling sensationalism at the expense of a human life.'

She did not attack the accusers, but did label their legal counsel as 'totally unethical.'

Benson spoke about Camille's statement in her interview on Wednesday.

'It was a very direct statement. It was a very truthful and pure statement,' said Benson. 'I think the feedback only came from those who did not come and listen for the evidence for themselves.'

Benson also said in the interview that Cosby's relationship with Constand, which she states was rape and he describes as a mutual affection, helped him in the case even though it revealed he had cheated on his wife.

'I think [the jury] definitely thought about it, because this case, this trial happened years before we made it into a courtroom,' said Benson.

'This trial sort of played out in the eyes of the media, so public opinion was definitely a factor.'

She went on to say: 'I think seeing Mrs Cosby in the courtroom the day that she did come, on closing arguments, and also hearing that statement from her afterwards, I think that resonated with the jury.

'It took away the celebrity aspect and made them more like regular people.'

Benson then closed out by explaining: 'Everyone has issues in a marriage, everyone has problems in a marriage.'

It is unclear how long Benson has been working with Cosby, with the actor posting a rare photo of himself and the young woman on Twitter back in May after an artist she represented made a portrait for the 'Cosby Show' creator.

Wyatt meanwhile has been by Cosby's side for the past few years.

Cosby wrote about the appearance of Benson and Wyatt on Twitter Wedhnesday afternoon, stating: 'Thank You #GoodDayAlabama #WBRC #FOX6 and the most watched news anchor #JaniceRogers @JANICEROGERS6.'

He followed that up with: '...for having my publicists #AndrewWyatt and #EboneeBenson on your show.'
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.

WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
A former Mexican lawmaker arrested at the California border was charged Thursday with working for the Sinaloa drug cartel, whose once-powerful kingpin, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, she is said to have dated.

Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez, a former representative in the Sinaloa state legislature, was charged Thursday in federal court in San Diego with conspiracy to distribute 11 pounds of cocaine in the United States between January 2013 and January 2017.

She also has been identified as Guzman's girlfriend by a person cooperating with the investigation, and was even said to be present when he infamously escaped police in 2014 using a tunnel concealed by a bathtub, according to court documents reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Sanchez was arrested Wednesday morning trying to enter San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico via the at the Otay Mesa Cross Border Xpress pedestrian bridge.

Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez was charged Thursday with drug conspiracy as she attempted to enter the US. The former Mexican state lawmaker is said to have romantic ties to El Chapo

Sanchez was a state legislator in Sinaloa, where she was known in the Mexican media as 'Chapodiputada', or 'The Chapo legislator'

Sanchez was arrested Wednesday morning trying to enter San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico via the at the Otay Mesa Cross Border Xpress pedestrian bridge

A Customs and Border Patrol agent at the border crossing discovered her visa had been cancelled by the US State Department and she was suspected of drug trafficking.

Sanchez has denied that she was Guzman's girlfriend, and her lawyer has said she was coming to the US to seek asylum after receiving death threats in Mexico.

However the informant said she used the aliases 'Maico' and 'Tere' during romantic liaisons with Guzman, and the federal complaint cited communications intercepts corroborating the claim that she was with Guzman when he fled through the bathtub tunnel.

Guzman was extradited to the US in January and is being held under maximum security at a federal administrative segregation unit in Manhattan, where he faces a laundry list of charges.

The 60-year-old Guzman is now married to the beauty queen Emma Coronel, 27, with whom he has twins.

In the Cosala district of Sinaloa state, Sanchez was known as 'Chapodiputada', or 'The Chapo legislator', in the Mexican media.

An informant told federal investigators that Sanchez dated Guzman around 2014 when he was on the run from police

Guzman was extradited to the US in January and is being held under maximum security at a federal administrative segregation unit in Manhattan

Guzman (right) is seen with actor Sean Penn in 2016, before his arrest and extradition to the US

Guzman's current wife is former the Coffee and Guava Queen Emma Coronel, 27. The two have twins together and Coronel has attended his court proceedings in New York

After Guzman escaped the February 2014 raid via the bathtub tunnel, Sanchez allegedly advised him to come to the Cosala district 'because she worked there as a deputy".'

Guzman was arrested several weeks later, but escaped from prison for a second time by riding a motorcycle through a tunnel, before he was re-arrested and extradited to the US.

The complaint also alleges that during a 2012 Homeland Security investigation into the Sinaloa drug cartel, Sanchez was identified as being involved in helping traffic drugs and launder proceeds for Guzman.

She has been ordered held without bail as a flight risk.

Guzman is being held in prison in New York and is scheduled to go on trial in April 2018 on charges he oversaw a multibillion-dollar international drug trafficking organization responsible for murders and kidnappings.

He has pleaded not guilty. His wife has attended his court proceedings.

Guzman was extradited to the United States after escaping twice from prison in Mexico, including once through a mile-long tunnel stretching from the shower in his cell.
An 11-year-old girl was on her way to school when she was viciously attacked by two Bullmastiff-type dogs that appeared to be neglected on Thursday.

Authorities said Jaelyn Rodriguez, of Yonkers, New York, was walking to the bus stop on Yonkers Avenue around 7.15am when the dogs started mauling her.

Bystanders tried to fend off the dogs by throwing things at them, according to News 4. People threw bottles and other items, as well as a trash bin lid to distract the dogs.

A good Samaritan then helped the girl and drover her to St Joesph's Hospital.

Eleven-year-old Jaelyn Rodriguez, of New York, was on her way to school Thursday morning when she was viciously attacked by dogs, who appeared to starving and neglected. Her mother, Teeresa Rolon (pictured) said her daughter was bit 'from the neck to the feet'

Bystanders tried to fend off the dogs by throwing things at them. People were threw bottles and other items, as well as a trash bin lid to distract the dogs. A good Samaritan then helped the girl and drover her to St Joesph's Hospital (pictured)

It's still unclear what caused the Bullmastiff-type (file image) dogs to attack Jaelyn, but when police arrived to the scene, they were still roaming around. Police euthanized the dogs, who were described as 'very skinny' by neighbors

Jaelyn's mother, Teeresa Rolon, told the station that the dogs 'totally just attacked her, knocked her to the floor and bit her'.

'She's bit everywhere from the neck to the feet. She's just in a lot of pain,' her mother said.

It's still unclear what caused the Bullmastiff-type dogs to attack Jaelyn, but when police arrived to the scene, they were still roaming around.

Authorities tried to control the animals with darts and health sticks, but police said the dogs appeared aggressive.

Police then euthanized the dogs, who were described as 'very skinny' by neighbors. One woman said the dogs' stomachs were 'caved in' and their ribs were visible.

An unidentified Yonkers man told News 12 that the dogs were his.

Video courtesy of News 12 Westchester

An unidentified Yonkers man (pictured) told News 12 that the dogs were his. 'Of course I'm sad,' said the dogs' owner. 'These dogs gave me a headache. The man said he was going to the police department 'to deal with this thing'

The dogs' owner (pictured outside his home) does have 'Beware of Dog' signs hanging up outside, but according to witnesses the dogs weren't tied up or contained at the time of the attack

'Of course I'm sad,' said the dogs' owner. 'These dogs gave me a headache. The man said he was going to the police department 'to deal with this thing'.

Jaelyn is in stable condition and being treated for injuries. Photos of her in the hospital show that she suffered bite marks to her arms and legs.

It is unclear if the dog owner will face charges.

Jaelyn's mother said if it wasn't for the good Samaritan, 'she would be dead'.

However, she said, her little girl is traumatized.

'For someone who loves animals, she doesn't even want to see another dog,' Rolon told News 4.

'She's afraid they're going to come back, but I told her they're not here anymore, that they were put down.'

Police confirmed that they are in contact with the dogs' owner and are investigating the incident.
Lutfur Rahman (pictured) was booted out of office for rigging a mayoral election for the East London borough of Tower Hamlets

'Banana republic' mayor Lutfur Rahman was slapped down by judges yesterday as he tried to overturn a ban on public office.

Rahman was booted out of office for rigging an election, but went to the High Court complaining his human rights had been breached.

He demanded to be allowed to stand for office again, but his bid to grab back power has ended in humiliation.

Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Mr Justice Supperstone refused his application after a two-day hearing.

It comes two years after Rahman was exposed as a town hall cheat by four ordinary voters who took him to an election court, which found him guilty of fixing the ballot to become mayor of Tower Hamlets in East London.

It fell to those same voters, at their own expense, to defend the electoral judge's ruling as Rahman launched a High Court action to overturn his five-year ban from standing for election.

The four citizens, led by anti-corruption campaigner Andy Erlam, had to again pay out of their own pockets to fight the legal challenge.

In 2015, they risked financial ruin to bring Rahman to court, where electoral judge Richard Mawrey QC ruled his industrial-scale vote rigging would shame a 'banana republic'.

Rahman and his cronies had forged postal votes, created an army of 'ghost voters' and threatened Muslim voters they would go to hell unless they backed him.

Slapped down: Rahman (right) went to the High Court saying his human rights had been breached - but his bid to be allowed to stand for office again ended in humiliation

The judge said Bangladesh-born Rahman, Britain's first Muslim elected mayor, had shamelessly 'played the race card on every occasion' in a bid to silence the four locals as Islamaphobes.

Last night Mr Erlam said: 'Mr Rahman needs to admit to himself that he did wrong, serve his five year ban from public office and pay our legal costs which in total amount to about 500,000.'

Mr Erlam and his fellow citizens face significant legal fees but in court they were represented for free by barrister Francis Hoar.

During the failed bid to clear his name, Rahman's QC Paul Bowen told the judges his client's human rights had been breached.

He argued that, because police and prosecutors had decided - after the election court ruling - not to bring any criminal charges against Rahman, he should therefore be cleared of the election court's verdict that he was 'personally guilty' of stealing the election.

The judges rejected this logic.
Government paid 140,000 of taxpayers' money to pursue a case against Jon Platt (pictured)

Almost 140,000 of taxpayers' money has been spent pursuing a court case against a father who refused to pay a 60 fine for taking his daughter on a term-time holiday.

The Government paid out the equivalent of six newly-qualified teachers' salaries taking action against Jon Platt, who lost a landmark legal battle at the UK's highest court earlier this year over taking his daughter to Disney World during school time.

The case, which was closely watched by parents across the country, was taken to the Supreme Court by education chiefs after High Court judges backed a decision by local magistrates on the Isle of Wight that Mr Platt had no case to answer over the unauthorised seven-day family trip to Florida in April 2015.

Costs obtained by the Press Association under Freedom of Information laws show that as of May 10, the Department for Education (DfE) bill for the court cases was 139,891.93. This would pay the wages of around six new teachers for a year.

The figures come as the case returns on Friday to Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court.

The department, which had supported the Isle of Wight Council in bringing the case, said it was pleased the Supreme Court had agreed with its position and removed uncertainty around term-time trips for schools and councils.

But Mr Platt said he thought the money could have been better spent on education.

A breakdown shows that total costs incurred by the DfE were 53,654.90 - made up of 1,872 for the High Court case and 51,782.90 for the Supreme Court case.

In addition, the department reimbursed the Isle of Wight Council a total of 86,237.03.

Jon Platt (pictured with wife Sally) lost a landmark legal battle at the UK's highest court earlier this year over taking his daughter to Disney World during school time

This includes 71,606.03 for the Supreme Court case. The DfE agreed to meet the local authority's reasonable costs of the Supreme Court appeal.

It also includes 14,631 to cover Mr Platt's costs in the High Court proceedings, which the council had been ordered to cover.

A DfE spokeswoman said: 'We are pleased that the Supreme Court unanimously agreed with our position and removed any uncertainty for schools and local authorities: no child should be taken out of school without good reason.

'As before, headteachers have the ability to decide when exceptional circumstances allow for a child to be absent. The evidence shows every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil's chances of achieving good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances.'

Mr Platt said: 'I have always maintained that I thought the costs of this have been a disgrace and the money would be much better spent on education.'

At the Supreme Court hearing in April, five justices unanimously allowed an appeal by education chiefs against an earlier ruling that Mr Platt had not acted unlawfully.

Mr Platt, who took his daughter on the Florida trip without the school's permission, was prosecuted by Isle of Wight Council after he refused to pay an initial 60 penalty, which had by then risen to 120.

But local magistrates found there was no case to answer.

Two High Court judges in London upheld the magistrates' decision, declaring Mr Platt was not acting unlawfully because his daughter had a good overall attendance record of over 90%.

The council urged the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court decision, saying it raised important issues over what constitutes 'regular attendance' at school.

The justices ruled in the council's favour, in a judgment clarifying what 'regular' attendance at school means.

The original case now has to go back to be heard again by magistrates.
A Sydney mother has been charged after allegedly leading police on a high speed chase with her three-year-old son strapped in the back seat of her car.

The 23-year-old woman allegedly drove through two sets of red lights at high speed in Cabramatta in Sydney's south-west at about 10.30pm on Thursday night.

She allegedly led police on an eight-minute chase, reaching speeds up to 150km/h as well as driving on the wrong side of the road before police stopped her several suburbs away.

A Sydney mother has been charged after allegedly leading police on a high speed chase with her three-year-old son strapped in the back seat of her car. Stock photo

Police said the driver travelled from Chadderton Street onto the Hume Highway, Cabramatta, then was followed onto Rookwood Road at Yagoona, Brunker Road and Cooper Road, Birrong, before being stopped near Rodd Street, Birrong, eight minutes later.

It wasn't until the vehicle stopped that officers discovered the little boy strapped into child seat, as well as a 23-year-old man in the front-passenger seat.

No collisions occurred during the chase and no-one was injured, police said.

The woman, from Cabramatta, was remanded in custody and is due to face Bankstown Local Court on Friday.

She is facing a string of charges including speeding, driving while suspended and negligent driving.

Meanwhile, the child has been placed in the care of relatives.




Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey (pictured) colluded with senior clergy to protect a paedophile bishop, a damning report revealed yesterday

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey colluded with senior clergy to protect a paedophile bishop, a damning report revealed yesterday.

As a result, serial sex offender Peter Ball  who boasted of being a confidant of Prince Charles  escaped prosecution for more than 20 years.

An independent inquiry into the scandal found that the Church of England knew of a string of allegations against Ball, then bishop of Gloucester, but failed to alert the police. Current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby urged Lord Carey to step down from his role as an assistant bishop after the report covering his time as head of the Church of England.

Some of Ball's victims called for a criminal investigation into senior clergy after the report found that the Church was 'more interested in protecting itself' than helping those he had abused, and that at least nine bishops knew allegations had been made against him.

Ball, a former suffragan bishop of Lewes, was let off with caution for molesting a teenage novice monk in 1993. Although the Church knew of other allegations against him, it was not until 2015 that Ball was finally prosecuted and jailed.

He admitted abusing 18 teenagers and young men who had sought spiritual guidance from him between 1977 and 1992.

Ball was jailed for 32 months, serving half his sentence.

The report into the scandal by Dame Moira Gibb, titled Abuse of Faith, described the Church's handling of the scandal as 'lamentable'.

It revealed that:

Lambeth Palace failed to pass on to police six letters of allegations about sex abuse 'or worse' by Ball in an apparent act of 'deliberate concealment';

Lord Carey lobbied police and prosecutors on Ball's behalf during the 1993 investigation;

After Ball accepted a caution, Lord Carey declared him 'basically innocent', invited him to stay three times and paid for a holiday for him;

Lord Carey gave Ball 12,500 of Church cash and only three years later allowed him to preach in public schools despite knowing of numerous other allegations;

The failures continued under Rowan Williams, who succeeded him as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Archbishop Welby said the report made harrowing reading. He said: 'The Church colluded and concealed rather than seeking to help those who were brave enough to come forward.

'This is inexcusable and shocking behaviour. To the survivors who were brave enough to share their story and bring Peter Ball to justice, I once again offer an unreserved apology. There are no excuses whatsoever for what took place and the systemic abuse of trust perpetrated by Peter Ball over decades.'

The Archbishop has written to Lord Carey asking him to 'review his position' as an honorary assistant bishop in the Oxford diocese. The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Dr Steven Croft, confirmed last night that Lord Carey had 'voluntarily agreed to step back from public ministry' ahead of a meeting to discuss the report.

Ball was first arrested on December 12, 1992, over allegations that he had molested trainee monk Neil Todd.

As news of the investigation spread, Lambeth Palace received seven letters containing potentially disturbing information about him, including one from a man who described how, when he was 15, he had been asked by Ball to perform a sex act.

In another, a man said Ball had asked to share a bedroom with his 17-year-old son.

Current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby urged Lord Carey (pictured) to step down from his role as an assistant bishop

Lord Carey was briefed about the claims and replied personally to two of the letters. But only one, which was of least concern, was passed to the police. Ball escaped with a caution in 1993 for a single act of gross indecency against Mr Todd, who continued to be haunted by his experiences and took his own life in 2012.

The inquiry report said: 'The Church's management of those seven letters, containing allegations against Ball, is perhaps its greatest failure in these events.

'The letters came from a range of families and individuals quite independently of each other. They raised concerns which were all either indirectly or precisely suggestive of sexual impropriety, or worse, by Ball. The failure to pass six of the letters to police  must give rise to a perception of deliberate concealment.'

The report added that 'some of the most senior clergymen in the country' were dealing with the issue, including nine bishops and an archbishop, even before the caution.

'Yet serious concerns about an abuse of power and privilege were not adequately investigated, and matters which might constitute allegations of a crime were not passed to police.'

After accepting the caution, Ball agreed to quit the Church. But Lord Carey played a key role in allowing him to return, describing him as a 'basically innocent' man for whom he had a 'very high' regard and inviting him to stay at Lambeth Palace.

He invited him back twice more, paid for a brief holiday and handed him 12,500 in cash  although Ball was still 'bitter' not to have got the full 20,000 he had requested, the report says.

Others in the Establishment also rallied to support Ball, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Coggan, two MPs, two public school headmasters and Lord Lloyd, then a Lord Justice of Appeal.

Ball went on to live in a 'specially acquired' rented cottage on the Prince of Wales's Duchy of Cornwall estate.

Just three years after his caution, Lord Carey agreed that Ball should be permitted to preach at a public schools and conduct confirmations.

An independent inquiry into the scandal found that the Church of England knew of a string of allegations against Ball (right), then bishop of Gloucester, but failed to alert the police (left, Carey)

And the following year, he told bishops they could allow Ball to carry out some religious services  but asked them to inform Lambeth Palace when he did because of concerns of 'possible press interest'.

Dame Moira said: 'Ball's priority was to protect and promote himself and he maligned the abused.

'The Church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.'

Lord Williams, who was Archbishop of Canterbury between 2002 and 2012, is also criticised in the report. He was 'lamentably slow' at investigating Ball, having known for many years that there were concerns. He was warned about Ball in 1993 during the investigation into his abuse of Mr Todd.

Subsequently he twice learned that the disgraced former bishop had accepted an invitation to preach or carry out confirmations in schools without seeking permission, but took no action.

After belatedly completing a review into Ball prompted by media allegations, he sat on it for five months. The report concludes: 'Lord Williams inherited a confused situation regarding Peter Ball but he and his staff missed the opportunity to review and clarify it. He did oversee real change but at a pace which now seems lamentably slow.'

Last night Graham Sawyer, a survivor of Ball's abuse, said: 'The Church continues to use highly aggressive legal firms to bully, frighten and discredit victims.'

Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon, who represents a number of Ball's victims, added: 'It's clear that senior figures concealed very serious allegations against Ball  the institution colluded with an abuser.

'Evidence that Lord Carey turned a blind eye to reports of Ball's offending is damning, but the report highlights that failure to safeguard vulnerable boys and young men continued under Carey's successor Rowan Williams. This appalling abdication of responsibility, from the most senior figures in the Church, is unforgivable.' Lord Carey said in a statement that and he accepted the report's criticisms.

'I apologise to the victims of Peter Ball,' he said. 'I believed Peter Ball's protestations and gave too little credence to the vulnerable young men and boys behind those allegations.'

He said he regretted not putting Ball's name on the Lambeth List  names of people whose suitability for ministry is under question  after the 1993 caution.

How beast boasted of royal friendship

By Tom Kelly

Peter Ball boasted of being a confidant to Prince Charles and of his close links to the Royal Family. The disgraced bishop attempted to exploit his royal contact to 'bolster his position', the report says.

He used it in particular to influence Lord Carey and others from whom he hoped to receive sympathetic treatment.

Ball's solicitors claimed to have a supportive letter from a royal during his initial investigation for abusing a novice monk in 1992, although no copy of it has never been produced.

Peter Ball, then Bishop of Gloucester, with Prince Charles in 1992. The following year he went to live in a house rented from the Prince's Duchy estate

Following his police caution and the retirement of his twin, Michael Ball, as Bishop of Truro, the brothers lived together in a house rented from Charles's Duchy of Cornwall estate, which had acquired it 'specifically for that purpose,' the report says. Ball publicly claimed that it was his 'loyal friend' the Prince of Wales who 'allowed me to have a Duchy house'.

The Duchy said the house was purchased, and let on a commercial basis, by the Duchy estate, not by the Prince. The report added: 'Ball clearly intimates on many occasions, to Lord Carey and others, that he enjoys the status of confidant of the Prince of Wales

'There are frequent references in Ball's letters to Lord Carey and others to his attending royal functions and to meeting members of the Royal Family. In one letter to Lord Carey in 1998, Ball wrote: 'I get more and more invitations I have spoken to 400 voluntary workers in Eastbourne... I am shortly to preach to the Grenadier Guards; preach at Wellington College, confirm at Radley College and next year preach at Dartmouth to what looks like a full turn-out of the Royal Family.'

Ball arranged to meet Lord Carey in April 1996 to deposit a collection of his correspondence with Charles in the Lambeth Palace Library for 'posterity'.

But the report said a review of correspondence held by the Church found 'no evidence that the Prince of Wales or any other member of the Royal Family sought to intervene at any point in order to protect or promote Ball'.
Investigators are looking into whether the Trump campaign may have gained access to stolen private information obtained from hacked voter databases prior to the 2016 election.

Current and former officials told TIME magazine that the hacking of voter databases in the lead up to the election was more extensive than previously thought.

In addition to stealing personal information from thousands of voters, including partial Social Security numbers, hackers were also able to hack voter data in at least one county voter database.

Officials say they identified the altered voter data and were able to rectify it. It is not clear if this particular incident was linked to Russia and its meddling in the election.

Investigators are looking into whether Trump campaign associates may have gained access to stolen private information obtained from hacked voter databases prior to the 2016 election

Congressional investigators are now looking at whether any of this stolen information made its way to the Trump campaign, according to two sources who spoke to TIME.

CBS News reports there is no evidence so far that information stolen from the voter databases was actually used by the Trump campaign but is a sign that the congressional investigation is widening.

It comes after cyber security officials in the US government said on Wednesday that Russian hackers attacked voter systems in 21 states that they would not name.

Two - Arizona and Illinois - have already acknowledged that their systems were targeted. The other 19 states that were identified by the Department of Homeland Security are a government secret.

But officials stressed at a Senate Intelligence hearing that the vote tallies in those states were unaffected.

Cyber security officials in the US government said on Wednesday that Russian hackers attacked voter systems in 21 states that they would not name

'We have a very high confidence in our assessment,' Sam Liles, acting director, of DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis Cyber Division, said.

Hackers stole voter data in some of the states, but US officials would not say which at Wednesday's panel on election security to the frustration of senators on the intelligence committee demanding to know the full scope of Russian infiltration in 2016.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the assessment of 17 US intelligence agencies that blame Russia for election meddling, questioning Thursday why the Obama administration didn't try to stop it.

"By the way, if Russia was working so hard on the 2016 Election, it all took place during the Obama Admin.," the president tweeted. "Why didn't they stop them?"

All 17 intelligence agencies have agreed Russia was behind the hack of Democratic email systems and tried to influence the 2016 election to benefit Trump.

The findings are at the heart of an investigation into contacts that members of Trump's campaign team may have had with Russian officials during the campaign and the transition.
Australia's top government officials have been granted pay increases following a wage review by The Remuneration Tribunal.

The panel - who set the bar for politicians and bureaucrats - released their determination on Thursday evening with the favourable findings for MPs ministers and Canberra mandarins.

From July 1 the boss of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Martin Parkinson will be paid $878,000 - the highest remuneration of the public servants, the Canberra Times reported.

Following a pay review the boss of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Martin Parkinson will be the highest paid at $878,000

The Remuneration Tribunal released their findings on Thursday evening

Treasury Secretary John Fraser's pay will rise to $856,000 while Foreign Affairs boss Frances Adamson and the Defence Secretary, who is yet to be decided, will receive $830,000 each year.

Secretaries responsible for mid-ranking departments such as Human Services, Industry or Attorney-General's will see salaries to $746,000 including the series of general and 'catch-up' raises - a 9 per cent rise from 2013.

The committee did not consider the 'catch-ups' proposed under the Labor government in 2010 following a departmental secretaries' salaries review.

Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd who supported the Coalition's recommendation to freeze wages for most public servants since 2013 will earn an extra $13,000 yearly.

His boss, Michaelia Cash, and her colleagues will see their pay increased, to over $350,000 from July 1.

Michaelia Cash (pictured) and her colleagues will see their pay increased, to over $350,000 from July 1.

Treasury Secretary John Fraser's (pictured) pay will rise to $856,000 each year from July 1

In their statement the panel noted it had received a sizeable increase in requests from public servants who believed they were not being remunerated accordingly.

'A large number of Commonwealth agencies has negotiated increases of up to 2 per cent each year for their employees since the Bargaining Policy has been in place,' the tribunal wrote.

'Several agencies have agreements in place that are approaching a total of 6 per cent in wage adjustments over the period since 2013.'

Almost 100,000 government officials however have seen no increase since 2013 who now can only hope for a one per cent raise each year between 2014 and 2020 under the ban on back pay rules.
The decision to approve a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point has locked the nation into a 'risky and expensive' project, watchdogs claim.

The warning comes from the National Audit Office (NAO) and raises serious questions over the Government's decision to go ahead.

The official watchdog warned that the cost to families of guaranteeing a high price for the electricity produced by the power station has spiralled from 6bn to 30bn.

More worrying, it says the nuclear reactor chosen for the site in Somerset is 'unproven', raising questions over its safety.

The decision to approve a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point has locked the nation into a 'risky and expensive' project, watchdogs claim. The warning comes from the National Audit Office (NAO) and raises serious questions over the Government's decision to go ahead

Theresa May postponed final approval for the scheme when she became prime minister last year amid concerns the power plant, to be built in partnership by the French company EDF and China General Nuclear Power, was not good value for money.

However, she then decided to go ahead with the scheme despite serious concerns that it will saddle consumers with high bills for decades.

On top of that, many countries, including Germany, have turned their backs on nuclear power because of safety concerns in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.

The NAO says the value for money tests used by the Government to support going ahead with the planned Hinkley Point C reactor showed the economic case was 'marginal and subject to significant uncertainty'.

And in a damning conclusion, it said that ministers have 'not sufficiently considered the costs and risks of its deal for consumers'.

The cost of building Hinkley Point C (HPC) has been put at a staggering 18billion in 2016 prices and, in theory, it will provide 7per cent of the country's electricity by the mid-2020s.

However, consumers will have to pay an inflated price for the electricity it produces - 92.50 per megawatt hour of electricity generated.

The impact on customer bills was initially put at 6billion, however the NAO says the figure has now spiralled to 30billion.

The official watchdog warned that the cost to families of guaranteeing a high price for the electricity produced by the power station has spiralled from 6bn to 30bn. More worrying, it says the nuclear reactor chosen for the site in Somerset is 'unproven', raising safety questions

And it says the final figure will be even more, because this is based on a calculation running to 2030, when in fact families will continue to foot the high cost for the plant's output through until 2085.

The amount raised from customers through bills over its lifetime, which is expected to run until 2085, is put at 79.7bn.

And the cost of decommissioning it and managing the nuclear waste is put at 7.3bn in 2016 prices.

The nuclear reactor chosen for the project is also a major cause for concern. The NAO report warns: 'The reactor design for HPC is unproven and other projects that incorporate it are experiencing difficulties.'

EDF is building the same type of European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) in Flamanville, France, but the project is years behind schedule and billions of euros over budget.

The French nuclear regulator ASN is set to give a provisional ruling next month on whether the plant can start up as planned in 2018, despite potential weak spots in its reactor vessel.

The UK Government's handling of the project is in the hands of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, where the Secretary of State is Greg Clark.

Head of the NAO, Amyas Morse, (correct) said: 'The Department has committed electricity consumers and taxpayers to a high cost and risky deal in a changing energy marketplace.

'Time will tell whether the deal represents value for money, but we cannot say the Department has maximised the chances that it will be.'

EDF Energy, which is owned by the French government, insisted that Hinkley Point C remains good.

A spokesman said: 'Consumers won't pay a penny until the power station is operating and it is EDF Energy and CGN who will take the risk and responsibility of delivering it.

'The project is having a major impact on the UK's industrial capacity, jobs and skills.'

It said the scheme will make it easier and cheaper to build other new nuclear power stations.'
Theresa May insisted her offer to let 3.2million EU nationals stay after Brexit was 'fair' today - despite it being bluntly dismissed by top Eurocrats today.

The PM defended her bid to break the deadlock on reciprocal rights for citizens, making clear she was determined to take back control of the UK's borders and laws.

But European Council president Donald Tusk complained that the proposals were 'below our expectations'.

And EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker waded in to brand the plan 'not sufficient'.

With formal Brexit negotiations less than a week old, the stage is now set for a major row over whether European courts can keep meddling after we leave.

Some EU figures are pushing for its citizens to keep rights in the UK that would be superior to those of Britons.

Under Mrs May's plans, unveiled on the eve of the anniversary of the Brexit referendum, EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years by a specific cut-off date would be given the chance to take up 'settled status'.

Theresa May said today she was convinced the UK proposals were 'fair and serious'

European Council president Donald Tusk told a press conference this afternoon that the plans were 'below our expectations'

But Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured arriving at the Brussels summit this morning) bluntly said the proposals were 'not sufficient'

Mrs May, pictured walking into the summit venue with the UK's representative in Brussels Sir Tim Barrow today, will give a press conference later

They would be granted the same rights as British citizens to stay in the country and receive healthcare, education, welfare and pensions.

Those resident for a shorter period will have the opportunity to stay on until they have reached the five-year threshold.

Anyone arriving after the cut-off date but before the date of Brexit will have a 'grace period' - expected to be two years - within which they can pave the way to seek settled status later.

The cut-off date is yet to be set, but will come between the day when Britain formally notified Brussels of its intention to quit on April 29 2017 and the day when it finally leaves, expected to be March 29 2019.

Despite criticism from Mr Tusk and Mr Juncker, Mrs May told a press conference at the end of the summit this afternoon: 'I remain of the view that this is a fair and serious offer.

'What we are saying is that the citizens who came to the UK ... will be able to stay and we will guarantee their rights.'

Mrs May admitted: 'There are some differences between that and the proposals the European Commission put out.

OSBORNE TAKES AIM AT MAY OVER RIGHTS FOR EU NATIONALS Theresa May today rejected a claim from former Chancellor George Osborne that she blocked a move to guarantee rights for EU citizens immediately after the referendum. An editorial in the Evening Standard - which Mr Osborne now edits - said: 'Last June, in the days immediately after the referendum, David Cameron wanted to reassure EU citizens they would be allowed to stay. 'All his Cabinet agreed with that unilateral offer, except his Home Secretary, Mrs May, who insisted on blocking it.' But Mrs May told a press conference in Brussels this afternoon: 'That is certainly not my recollection.' Advertisement

'That will go into the negotiations.'

Mrs May said she was pleased that other leaders such as Poland's Beate Szydlo had 'reacted positively' to the proposals.

Over dinner with EU counterparts last night, Mrs May sent a tough message on the question of whether the bloc would retain legal control after Brexit.

'The commitment that we make to EU citizens will be enshrined in UK law and will be enforced through our highly respected courts,' she said.

A senior British official added: 'We have been clear on the ECJ that we are taking back control of our own laws.'

German Chancellor Mrs Merkel said the proposal was a 'good start' to discussions.

But she cautioned that the two years of Brexit negotiations that started this week involve 'many, many other issues'.

She specifically cited the bill Britain will have to pay to leave and the border situation in Ireland as examples.

'It means we have lots left to do,' Mrs Merkel said.

Mr Juncker gave the plan a far less effusive welcome, saying was a 'first step, but not sufficient'.

At a press conference wrapping up the summit this afternoon, he suggested the ECJ's role was not up for negotiation.

'I cannot see the ECJ being excluded from the settlement in future,' Mr Juncker said.

Mrs May told a press conference at the end of the summit this afternoon: 'I remain of the view that this is a fair and serious offer.'

Mrs May and Mr Tusk were all smiles as they shook hands at the start of the second day of the summit, but they are on a collision course over rights for EU and UK nationals

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured addressing supporters at the Unison conference in Brighton today) said the proposal on EU nationals 'fell far short' of what was needed - although it is unclear what Labour would be putting on the table

Mr Tusk and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are taking a hard line on the talks after Mrs May's position was weakened by the election result

Mr Tusk told the same press conference: 'The UK's offer is below our expectations and risks worsening the situation for our citizens.'

Meanwhile, former Chancellor George Osborne has claimed Mrs May blocked a move to guarantee rights for EU citizens immediately after the referendum.

HOW WILL BREXIT TALKS HAPPEN? Theresa May's offer on reciprocal rights was received in near-silence by EU counterparts - because they are insisting on the talks being conducted through the European commission. Under the terms agreed between the EU and UK, the official negotiations will take place in four-week 'rounds'. Brexit Secretary David Davis and the commission's Michel Barnier are expected to kick off each round before handing over to officials to hammer out technical details. The first phase of the talks will cover the divorce settlement - with the main topics reciprocal rights for UK and EU citizens, the potential bill for Britain, and the Northern Ireland border. The first session began on Monday, with the next due to start on July 17. Both sides have committed to 'transparency', and are expected to released updates about each round accompanied by press conferences. English and French are the 'working languages' for discussions and documents. The exact timetable of the talks will depend how they progress. But the hope is to have agreement on the principles of the divorce - potentially including a sizeable bill for the UK - by the Autumn. Brussels insists that only then can trade negotiations begin. Unless those can be tied up by October next year, there is a danger the ratification process would not be complete before we formally leave the bloc in March 2019. Extending that deadline would require unanimous consent from the 27 continuing member states. Advertisement

An editorial in the Evening Standard - which Mr Osborne now edits - said: 'Last June, in the days immediately after the referendum, David Cameron wanted to reassure EU citizens they would be allowed to stay.

'All his Cabinet agreed with that unilateral offer, except his Home Secretary, Mrs May, who insisted on blocking it.'

Jeremy Corbyn said the proposal on EU nationals 'fell far short' of what was needed - although it is unclear what Labour would be putting on the table.

'What she has floated falls far short of the full guarantee Labour would make. That isn't just the right thing to do, it's also the best way to guarantee the rights of British nationals living in the EU,' he told the Unison conference in Brighton.

The issue of legal jurisdiction will be the key point of contention to be thrashed out in talks between Brexit Secretary David Davis and the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

The proposals are likely to meet resistance in Brussels, which has already published its own proposals which would guarantee the rights enjoyed under EU law to any European resident in the UK as soon as Brexit happens.

Current EU proposals stipulate that the European Commission should have 'full powers' to monitor and the ECJ 'full jurisdiction' for as long as citizens' rights remain protected under the withdrawal agreement.

Mrs May also promised that the system will be streamlined, doing away with the 85-page permanent residency application form which has been the subject of loud complaints from EU expats.

It is thought that the UK is reserving the option of setting an early cut-off for residency rights in case there is a late surge of migrants arriving as Brexit approaches.

But the introduction of a 'grace period' raises the possibility that large numbers arriving during withdrawal negotiations may be allowed to remain, at least for a few years.

Mrs May left the meeting shortly after delivering her statement, in order to allow the EU27 to receive a briefing from Mr Barnier on progress in the first round of negotiations which took place on Monday.

MrTusk helped commission president Mr Juncker put on his jacket after the pair held a joint press conference this afternoon

460bn Brexit boost for FTSE Nearly 460billion has been added to the value of Britains leading companies since the stock market lows following the Brexit vote a year ago. The FTSE 100 index of blue chip giants has jumped 24 per cent, while the FTSE 250 benchmark of more domestically focused firms has gained 31.5 per cent. The rally has added 459billion to the value of UK stocks  boosting the pension pots of millions of workers and investments such as ISAs. Following an initial sell-off in the two days after the referendum, the surge has made a mockery of warnings that the stock market would be hammered by Brexit. The rally has partly been driven by the fall in sterling, making foreign earnings worth more when they are converted into pounds. Sterling is down 14.5 per cent against the dollar and 13 per cent against the euro since the Brexit vote, which has also boosted exports. Laith Khalaf, of savings and investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said: Overall the UK stock market has performed very strongly since the referendum. Comment  Page 18 Advertisement

The outline deal leaves questions unanswered over whether individuals with settled status will be permitted to bring in children or spouses and whether the new status will be subject to conditions other than length of residency.

Further details are expected to be revealed in a paper to be published by the UK Government on Monday.

Speaking over dinner at the Brussels summit, Mrs May told leaders of the other 27 EU nations: 'The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer and one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society.'

She said the UK did not want anyone currently in Britain to be forced to leave.

Mrs May, pictured talking to EU counterparts today, said her proposals had been welcomed by many fellow leaders

There was no discussion of Mrs May's proposal at the Brussels dinner, as leaders of the EU27 stuck to their position that all negotiations must be conducted through Mr Barnier, and not through individual national leaders.

But, despite claims of EU 'unity', one leader broke ranks and offered early backing to Mrs May, saying the UK has every right to enforce citizens' rights in British courts.

Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite said: 'We would like to have a different situation but it's the right of Britain to decide how much they will be involved and use the European judiciary.'

She also showed a chink in the bloc's negotiating stance by saying the 'cut-off date is not so important'.
Rick Perry admits to being a "Neanderthal"

CNBC Interviewer: Do you believe that CO2 is the primary control knob for the temperature of the earth and for climate?



Rick Perry: No, most likely the primary control knob is the ocean waters and this environment that we live in.







Figure 1 | Monthly CO2 at Mauna Loa. Data source: NOAA

This idea that science is just absolutely settled and if you don't believe it's settled then somehow you're another neanderthal, that is so inappropriate from my perspective.

...the presence of a few hundredths of carbonic acid gas in the atmosphere, while offering almost no obstacle to the passage of the solar rays, would suffice to prevent almost entirely the loss by radiation of obscure heat, so that the surface of the land beneath such an atmosphere would become like a vast orchid house, in which the conditions of climate necessary to a luxuriant vegetation would be extended even to the polar regions.

Anthony Watts disputes the greenhouse effect

Yesterday, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) published a letter yesterday to U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, admonishing him for having the temerity to doubt that carbon dioxide is the primary driver of global warming.

Skepticism that fails to account for evidence is no virtue.

The fundamental problem of science disinformers

The fundamental problem of our knowledge boils down to the sample size. We only have about 100 or so years of temperature records that are worth anything and even the most recent records on all that good [sic] because theyre terribly polluted by the infrastructure of human existence itself. And further our understanding of atmospheric and oceanic cycles is even more limited in time than the case of global temperature data.

The modern science of climate goes back to the early 1800s

Trotting out worn out denier memes

What's in it for Anthony Watts?

He wants to publicly declare his political commitment to anti-science ideology of the Republican party. He wants to let his readers know that "Sky Dragon Slayers" are now welcome at WUWT. He realises that if he's going to continue to get gobs of money sent his way, he has to welcome hard core deniers (and utter nutters) to his fray. He wants to spread FUD about climate science, indulging in straw man arguments, a favourite technique of science disinformers. He wants his readers not to trust the scientific knowledge on which the modern world depends. He wants the world to continue to hurtle into global warming, and he wants more and far worse weather disasters than we've seen so far. He no longer cares that he is regarded as a fool, a scientific illiterate, or a deliberate disinformer.

There are other explanations that you might come up with. Feel free to speculate.









From the WUWT comments



There are a lot of comments from greenhouse effect deniers, which I doubt would have been tolerated a few years ago at WUWT. Anthony Watts has found it necessary shift further into dismissive land if he's to keep up his blog hits and There are a lot of comments from greenhouse effect deniers, which I doubt would have been tolerated a few years ago at WUWT. Anthony Watts has found it necessary shift further into dismissive land if he's to keep up his blog hits and get enough suckers to pay off his mortgage for him. Looking through the comments, it appears there is almost no-one left at WUWT who isn't a 'bat-shit crazy' science denier.





This comment from 4kx3 is perplexing, but shows that Anthony is attracting the type of audience he dreams about:

June 22, 2017 at 12:21 pm

You gotta love it. The organization that once thought weather was caused by meteors now believes that climate is caused by CO2.

June 22, 2017 at 12:11 pm

What is it Richard Lindzen says? That to believe CO2 is the climate control knob for planet earth is to come dangerously close to believing in magic?

June 22, 2017 at 12:07 pm

There seems to be an endless chain of people who believe that CO2 is the main driver of global warming solely because they heard it from someone with authority and assume that they applied due dilligence in coming to that conclusion. In my work there have been times where we have been repeatedly told by managers and execs that something cant be done, then after following the chain to find out why, we eventually come to the lowly person who would do the actual work and are told yes, it can be done. Its just that nobody ever asked because they all just assumed it cant.





Mike the Morlock seems to think that Rick Perry is the Secretary of Homeland Security, where seems to think that Rick Perry is the Secretary of Homeland Security, where FEMA is housed (that would be John F. Kelly ), and thinks he's busy taking care of weather disasters exacerbated by global warming, rather than attending to the cause. June 22, 2017 at 12:59 pm

American Meteorological Society Seems they have nothing better to do then lecture the head of the department of energy. Hmm, could any of you people who are member give them a ring and point out that it is very likely that Mr Perry is a bit busy. We just had a tropical storm plow into the gulf states, there is a old fashion heat wave in the southwest. Which is after a winter and spring that dumped record breaking snow in the Rockies and California. Ah, is all this heat, you know melting the snow, I have not heard a peep. That is a lot of water up there. I would expect flooding but then that is just me. Oh and Jellystone is acting up again.

Maybe they could see their way to concentrating on some important stuff.

michael

CD in Wisconsin supports supports plausible explanation No. 3 above , unwittingly providing a reason for Anthony Watts pushing disinformation.

June 22, 2017 at 2:06 pm

Does anyone know if the AMS gets any federal funding like the National Academy of Science does? A quick Google search did not yield any evidence to me that it does, but I could be wrong. If so, how much?

I think it would be interesting for Secretary Perry to mention any such funding to the AMS in a letter to them if AMS does not demonstrate any interest in acknowledging the scientific issues and problems with the CAGW issue. People sometimes can change their tune when their health of their pocketbook is at stake.

Chad Jessup accepts the science of the greenhouse effect, but doesn't understand it. Water vapour doesn't increase in the air unless the world gets hotter. The world is getting hotter because atmospheric CO2 is increasing.

June 22, 2017 at 3:10 pm

Well, they did get this part correct, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are the primary cause [of global warming]. They just conveniently did not mention that water vapor was the main driver.

Barry Brill wants the AMS to attach to the letter, all the IPCC reports and all the other mountains of evidence collected over the past 200 years. He doesn't know how to look it up himself.

June 22, 2017 at 3:57 pm

Multiple lines of evidence (unidentified) is the last refuge of a spinner who cannot cite even a single line of evidence, a scientific paper, an equation or other mathematical proof, or even a specified individual authority. It sounds like pure waffle.

Scott Scarborough wants the AMS to put up a pole (sic). Unusually, for a science denier, he believes in the value of determining scientific consensus by opinion polling.

June 22, 2017 at 5:04 pm

The AMS should pole their members on the question. If they dont they have no business writing such categorical letters. Heads of such organizations are usually more adept at politics than they are adept at the central subject of their organization.

June 22, 2017 at 9:37 pm

Someone should compose a synopsis of some of the strongest, well-said points on this blog and actually send it to the AMS with a cc to Rick Perry.

References and further reading










It has now emerged that Irn-Bru (pictured) isn't Scottish at all

It is known as Scotland's other national drink and is reputedly 'made from girders'.

But now it has emerged that Irn-Bru, that famously fizzy and sickly sweet pop, isn't Scottish at all.

Researchers claim the drink's roots lie in America. And to make matters worse, it is claimed that it was an English firm which invented the iconic strongman image - a version of which now features on the Barr's Irn-Bru cans and bottles.

David Leishman who researched the history of the fizzy drink said it became 'Scottish through branding and advertising rather than being invented in Scotland'.

The Scot, who teaches at Grenoble Alpes University, in France, discovered the first Iron Brew drink was launched in 1889 - earlier than previously thought.

And the drink, sold under the brand of Ironbrew, was first described as the 'The Ideal American drink'.

Mr Leishman, who is originally from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, said he was apprehensive about revealing his findings.

He said: 'In my mind, I had always thought that the drink was invented in Scotland.

'But, following my research, I find it quite heartening that Irn-Bru has become Scottish through branding and advertising rather than being invented in Scotland.

'I was a bit apprehensive about announcing some of these findings to AG Barr plc, particularly the fact that the strongman was invented by an English firm.

'Robin Barr and marketing director Jonathan Kemp were extremely helpful though, allowing me access to the company's own archives, answering questions and undertaking their own research as a result of my findings.'

The drink was first sold under the name Ironbrew by the New York-based manufacturers and chemicals firm Maas & Waldstein.

The firm trademarked the name and successfully sued copycat brands, but it faded from view in the 1920s, with the exception of a few regional markets.

It became a popular drink across the USA between the mid-1890s until the 1910s.

In its American heyday, Ironbrew claimed to have serious health benefits.

But following the 1911 Pure Food and Drug Act, its makers were no longer able to boast of benefits within their advertising.

The original American Ironbrew is also thought to have been a dark colour similar to arch rival Coca-Cola.

The drink was said to have a vanilla taste which would make it unrecognisable to the flavour beloved by Scots in the modern day.

Mr Leishman added: 'A 1908 report on soft drinks in Kansas stated that Ironbrew was dark brown and tasted of vanilla.

'A legal action launched by Coca-Cola against copycat brands in 1918 mentioned that consumers were misled when Ironbrew was sold in Coke bottles because it was 'about the colour of Coca-Cola'.'

David Leishman who researched the history of the fizzy drink said it became 'Scottish through branding and advertising rather than being invented in Scotland' (stock photo)

In the UK, the first company to sell the flavour and essence to bottlers was London-based Stevenson & Howell which launched its product in the summer of 1898.

To advertise the drink, which they called Iron Brew, they registered a strongman holding aloft a glass of the beverage surrounded by weights and dumbbells as a trademark.

This featured on bottle labels and advertising that Stevenson and Howell supplied bottlers with and the liquid was the more familiar orange colour that we know today.

The strongman was unknowingly adopted by Barr's for their Irn-Bru, and later became identified with the Highland Games athlete Adam Brown.

A.G Barr are thought to have sold a drink called 'iron brew' for the first time as early as the summer of 1898.

They insist that they never used the specific Iron Brew essence from Stevenson & Howell in any of their drinks but created their own original recipe using a combination of different flavours and ingredients.

But they did buy bottle labels and show cards from the firm which showed the strongman.

Mr Leishman added: 'In recent decades Barr's have never claimed to be the inventor of iron brew drinks but they were surprised that they did not come up with the strongman image.

'They had no idea that the Stevenson and Howell strongman even existed.

'But I wanted to dispel some of the urban myths surrounding the origins of the drink to better understand how it became associated with Scottish identity.

'My father was from Falkirk and was a big local history enthusiast with a special interest in Barr's, so I suppose the idea for this project came from him.'

A spokesman for A.G. Barr said that despite there being a number of different versions over the years no one has come close to matching the Barr recipe.

He said: 'There's no doubt there have been Iron Brews in the past, but for us there is only one real IRN-BRU.

'That's the Irn-Bru still made by us today, according to the long-standing Barr secret recipe.'
Millionaire contractors are facing claims that they pocketed taxpayers cash to install fireproof cladding  only to fit cut-price flammable panels instead. Pictured is the cladding on the Chalcots Estate in Camden

Millionaire contractors were last night facing claims that they pocketed taxpayers cash to install fireproof cladding  only to fit cut-price flammable panels instead.

One local authority said it was considering legal action over the panels installed on several of its high-rise tower blocks, claiming they were not the safe ones it had paid for.

Camden council, in north London, made the allegations against contractor Rydon, which charged 66million to re-fit five of its high-rise blocks at the Chalcots Estate. Rydon was the company behind the controversial refurbishment of the doomed Grenfell Tower in North Kensington.

Harley Facades Ltd, which supplied the cladding panels, was also involved in both jobs.

Yesterday council leader Georgia Gould said they were taking urgent legal advice after discovering the panels were not to the standard that was commissioned.

As workmen there began tearing down the panels yesterday, the Mail asked both contractors if they had taken taxpayers money to fit safe cladding but instead installed cheap flammable versions.

Harley Facades replied no comment and referred all questions to Rydon, and Rydon did not respond except to refer inquiries to Harley.

Rydons boss Robert Bond, a supercar fan whose Aston Martin features a personalised Bond number plate, has been in hiding since the Grenfell Tower inferno.

Harley Facades is run by husband and wife Raymond and Belinda Bailey, who live in a grand 1million home in Crowborough, East Sussex. Last night residents spoke of their disgust. Ron Austin, 59, who has lived on the estate for 18 years, said: Ive been living in a potential firebomb for the past few years.

Chalcots resident Julia Mummolo, 24, said: I have been unable to sleep since the fire at Grenfell ... I cant stay here. I live on the 16th floor. I dont know how I would be able to get out if there were a fire.

However, Rona Stanway attacked the council, saying: Camden council wont even admit theyve done anything wrong, theyre just saying theyve been diddled ... Why didnt they check what theyd done?

Workmen began tearing down the panels yesterday at the Chalcots Estate. The north London council said it was considering legal action over the panels installed on several of its high-rise tower blocks, claiming they were not the safe ones it had paid for

Murder squad detectives are now leading a 250-strong team of police, fire and health and safety investigators to probe whether any crimes have been committed, and the CPS is advising on potential charges.

A Mail investigation showed that in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment, which cost 8.6million, contractors saved just 6,250 by using flammable cladding instead of a fire retardant version.

Yesterday Camden councils leader stressed the cladding used on the Chalcots Estate blocks differs significantly from the material used on Grenfell. But Miss Gould, 31, added there would be round-the-clock fire patrols while all the cladding was removed.

PM BOOED DURING NEW VISIT The Prime Minister faced yet another hostile reception during her latest visit to meet survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster. Theresa May was ushered into a car by her security team as the crowd jeered and booed at her following the unannounced visit on Wednesday night. She does not appear to respond in the footage, obtained by ITV filmed just hours after she publicly apologised for the governments failures in responding to the tragedy. It comes after she was met with cries of coward and shame on you when she met residents at a refuge centre near the scene of the tragedy on Friday. She told the House of Commons yesterday that she had been to North Kensington to meet a group of residents who came to Downing Street at the weekend to hear about the progress being made. Mrs May had been criticised for her first visit, in which she only met emergency services, in contrast to Jeremy Corbyn who spoke to and hugged survivors. Her response to the tragedy opened up renewed questions about her leadership after seeing her Commons majority wiped out in the June 8 General Election. Advertisement

The Mail established that Reynobond PE cladding was used on both Grenfell and the Camden blocks of flats  which the Government has said is illegal, although experts have challenged this.

Even Reynobonds manufacturer, Arconic, warns it is crucial that Reynobond PE should not be fitted on tall buildings above 10 metres (32ft), which is about the first four storeys, to avoid fire spreading extremely rapidly. Yet despite warnings, 67-metre (220ft) Grenfell Tower was swathed in Reynobond PE  and now so have five Camden tower blocks.

Camden Council told that Mail that although its cladding was made of Reynobond, it differed from Grenfell because it was paired with a type of insulation that does not burn.

Rydon, which was the company behind the controversial refurbishment of Grenfell Tower (pictured), charged 66million to re-fit five high-rise blocks in Camden

Although not commenting yesterday, Harley Facades issued a statement last week saying it will fully support and cooperate with the investigations into this fire.

Harley added that it was not aware of any link between the fire and the exterior cladding.

Rydons statement from Mr Bond last week said: Rydon Maintenance Limited completed a partial refurbishment of [Grenfell Tower] in the summer of 2016 which met all required building regulations.
A huge stuffed cow has been credited with saving a toddler in Massachusetts from a dangerous fall.

Luis Eduardo Gomez, from Chelsea, near Boston, was jumping on his bed with his 12-year-old sister.

Then a bounce sent him right out the window, falling 16 feet onto the concreted below.

Luis' favorite stuffed toy - a two-and-a-half foot stuffed cow, cushioned his fall

Luckily Luis landed on his stuffed cow, which broke his fall and left him with minimal injuries.

He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital but was released after one night.

Luis Estrada, the boy's great uncle, told the Boston Globe the incident was a miracle.

He said: 'I was paralysed. We rushed down to get him and we grabbed him; he was shaken.

'I thank God for everything; he was watching over us.

The boy was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital but released overnight

'God save him. The cow helped.'

He added that the 2-year-old takes the stuffed animal with him everywhere.

Chelsea Deputy Fire Chief John Quatieri said the incident was 'certainly quite strange'.

Chelsea Police and firefighters were surprised by the strangeness of the incident

He told the Boston Herald: 'He was very lucky. In the 25 years I've been here, this is a first.

'Thank God for that cow. I'm sure he's going to keep it for many years to come. That was his guardian angel.'
Trump-hating actor Johnny Depp used an appearance at the UK music festival Glastonbury to take another stab at the president he loathes on Thursday.

Appearing on stage to introduce a screening of his film The Libertine, Depp asked a crowd of party-goers: 'When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?'

They cheered in response, their enthusiasm seeming to surprise the 54-year-old who shrugged as they applauded him.

Launching his attack on the president, Depp said: 'Can we bring Trump here? I think he needs help,' he said, attracting boos.

Scroll down for video

Actor Johnny Depp drew boos and cheers at Glastonbury as he asked a crowd of revelers: 'When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?'

Then, almost under his breath, he said: 'This is going to be in the press and it'll be horrible but I like that you're all a part of it,' before making his assassination remark.

A video of his comments was shared online by music magazine NME .

It is not the first time the Pirates of the Caribbean star has shared his public distaste for Trump.

It is not the first time the actor has shared his grievances with the president (seen above today with the first lady)

Earlier in the year, he suggested that Trump was so unpopular and disliked that he threatened to stamp out the presidency.

In May, he offered to carry on Alec Baldwin's beloved Saturday Night Live impersonation of the president should he stop performing it.

He concocted his own Trump impersonation in a 2016 Funny or Die sketch.

Thursday's remark carried the same dangerous tone of a photo-shoot in which comedian Kathy Griffin participated last month.

In a video from it, the flame-haired starlet appeared expressionless and holding up a fake version of the president's head, smeared in blood.

The stunt caused widespread outrage and fallout. Griffin was fired from her New Year's Eve hosting gig on CNN an the Trumps lashed out at her personally, claiming she'd frightened the president's 11-year-old son Barron who saw the image on television and thought his father had been killed.

She made a tearful apology for it at a press conference later. It also comes after a shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice last week which injured five people including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise who remains in hospital.

Depp is at the festival to promote its first ever film event. He posed on one of the cars from which revelers can watch the films before he took to the stage

Kathy Griffin attracted criticism earlier this year after appearing in a photo-shoot holding up a bloodied dummy of the president's head

The men were targeted as they practiced batting for a charity match at an early morning practice session by disgruntled Democrat James T. Hodgkinson.

Hodgkinson, 66, asked them if they were Republican before opening fire. He died of his injuries in hospital after being shot by hero Capitol Police officers.

It is Depp's first visit to the music festival in England's Somerset countryside. He was called in to kick-off its first ever film festival which precedes the weekend's music.

As part of it, party-goers at the Somerset farm where the festival is held packed into retro cars to watch movies outdoors.

It was the first time he had ever been to the event which draws stars, including Hollywood names, every year.

Depp's appearance at the music festival was his first

He welcomed the invitation and atmosphere, describing the scene as 'beautiful chaotic madness.'

Depp is in the midst of a legal battle with his former management who he has accused of mismanaging his money.

Court documents from that case have exposed how business managers tried to meet with him to help him organize his finances and rein in on big spending several years ago. He offered to sell his possessions to satisfy them but one concession he refused to make was his private plane.

In a desperate email, Depp wrote: 'I am doing my very best on holiday spending but there is only so much I can do as I need to give my kiddies and famille as good a Christmas as possible, obviously within reason.

'Regarding the plane situation, I don't have all that many options at the moment. A commercial flight with paparazzis in tow would be a f***** nightmare of monumental proportions.'

He went on to explain how he planned to get paid $20 million for The Tourist, $35 million for the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean and another $20 million for Dark Shadows.

It was the first 'proper pay check' he had received since starring in Public Enemies in 2009, he wrote.

Desperate to rectify his seemingly hemorrhaging accounts, he wrote: 'What else can I do??? you want me to sell some art? I will. you want me to sell something else??? sure... what??? boat is going to be chartered at new years [sic] and Sony will then charter it for the TOURIST shoot in Venice. Other than that, I got bikes, cars, property, books, paintings and some semblence [sic] of a soul left. Where would you like me to start???'

Depp's divorce from Amber Heard was finalized earlier this year. It was a bitter, public fight which involved accusations of domestic abuse and alcoholism. He has two children from his previous marriage to actress Vanessa Paradis.
Two men who were driving a 'stolen dirt bike' on Long Island were killed after the owner of the bike allegedly chased them down with his minivan.

Family members identified 19-year-old Keenen King as the victim who died immediately after the crash when the driver, idenitifed as Christopher Bouchard, cut them off.

The other man, 20-year-old Anthony Garriques, was rushed to Stony Brook University Medical Center in critical condition, but his family confirmed on Facebook that he succumbed to his injuries Thursday evening.

Two men who were driving a 'stolen dirt bike' on Long Island were killed after the owner of the bike allegedly chased them down with his minivan. Keenen King, 19, and 20-year-old Anthony Garriques (right) were idenitifed by family members as victims of the crash

'The driver of the minivan spotted his bike and he attempted to obtain the dirt bike,' Suffolk Police Commissioner Timothy Sini said. When police arrived at the scene, the dirt bike had been partially placed inside the van (pictured)

Police arrested the driver of the van, identified as Christopher Bouchard (left and right). Police didn't confirm if Bouchard intentionally caused the accident or whether he is the owner of the bike. However, he did post the bike on Instagram telling his followers that it had been stolen

'The driver of the minivan spotted his bike and he attempted to obtain the dirt bike,' Suffolk Police Commissioner Timothy Sini told NBC.

The dirt bike was reported stolen in the Mastic Beach area around 7am, just three hours prior to the crash.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, the crash occurred on Montauk Highway around 10.15am, causing a highway closure for several hours.

King and Garriques were traveling in the westbound lanes when the minivan, which was traveling in the opposite direction, cut across and tried to block their path, according to the New York Post.

Witnesses said the van slammed into the bike head-on, sending both men flying.

When police arrived on scene, they found the dirt bike partially placed into the rear of the van.

King and Garriques were traveling in the westbound lanes when the minivan, which was traveling in the opposite direction, cut across and tried to block their path. Witnesses said the van slammed into the bike head-on, sending both men flying

Police arrested the driver of the van, who was identified as Christopher Bouchard. They also arrested another male passenger in the vehicle

Police arrested Bouchard and another male passenger in the vehicle.

Authorities didn't confirm if Bouchard intentionally caused the accident or whether he is the owner of the dirt bike.

However, Bouchard did post a photo of the bike to his Instagram page telling his followers that it had been stolen.

Police later charged 27-year-old Bouchard with reckless endangerment.
Highly sensitive data including passwords and email addresses of some of the countrys most powerful officials is being sold online by Russian hackers.

Around 1,000 British MPs and parliamentary staff, 7,000 police employees and more than 1,000 Foreign Office officials are all understood to have had confidential information traded on the internet without their knowledge.

Even some of the Prime Ministers closest government ministers, including education secretary, Justine Greening, and business secretary, Greg Clark, are thought to have been affected by the hack.

Education secretary, Justine Greening, and business secretary, Greg Clark, are thought to have been affected by the hack.

The huge database was being sold for just 2, with the low price justified by the fact it had already spent months being passed around. Its original price is likely to have been much higher.

Two lists containing information about the victims private internet accounts reportedly appeared on Russian-speaking sites, before later being released for free, the Times said.

The data is believed to have come from the careers networking site, LinkedIn, and social media site, MySpace, as well as a number of other smaller services.

In total, the master database is believed to have more than one billion records.

The head of IT at the Foreign Office was also left red-faced after his passwords appeared on the list.

Peter Jones, the chief operating officer, appears to have used a surprisingly weak password after it appeared on one of the lists more than 3,700 times.

It is feared hackers could potentially use the data to blackmail or impersonate officials via their personal accounts.

Hackers could even gain access to governmental accounts, if the officials used the same password for both personal and professional accounts.

The National Cyber Security Centre, which protects the country against potential cyberattacks, told the newspaper that it would reissue guidance to government departments after it was made aware of the issue.

Peter Jones, the chief operating officer, appears to have used a surprisingly weak password after it appeared on one of the lists more than 3,700 times

If these people used the same credentials . . . elsewhere  potentially on government systems  thats not good, said Rob Pritchard, a cybersecurity specialist at the Royal United Services Institute.

Among the list of affected police officials was Andy Redwood, who led the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The three most passwords with the police email addresses in one of the lists were password, police and police1.

Ms Greening and Mr Clark did not respond to requests for comment when they were contacted by the newspaper, while Mr Jones and Mr Redwood declined to comment.
Devastated friends and family have farewelled the young nanny who was tragically killed in the London Bridge terror attack with a touching memorial service before releasing white doves by her grave.

Sara Zelenak, 21, was one of two Australians killed when three terrorists ploughed into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed people in the nearby Borough Market earlier this month.

On Friday, hundreds of mourners arrived at the Moreton Bay College campus - her former high school - for a private funeral service celebrating the young woman's life.

A picture of Ms Zelenak smiling graced the cover of the memorial service's program, along with the words: 'Love began in her heart and radiated to the whole world.'

Friends and family have gathered at a Brisbane school to farewell Sara Zelenak (pictured) who was tragically killed in the London Bridge terror attack

A picture of Ms Zelenak smiling graced the cover of the service program (right), along with the words: 'Love began in her heart and radiated to the whole world'

Those closest to Ms Zelenak said their final goodbyes to her after a hymn was sung by a choir to begin the service.

Memories of Ms Zelenak were shared by her mother Julie and stepfather Mark Wallace.

That was followed with tributes from Ms Zelenak's best friends Hannah Harper, Sarah Beverley and Sarah Lambourne.

After a DVD tribute, a message from Federal Member Ross Vasta and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was read out.

During the burial ceremony, family and friends released doves in Ms Zelenak's honour

Mourners looked on as a dove was released following a solemn procession to the burial site

The doves were released after those closest to Ms Zelenak said their goodbyes at her funeral

A huge crowd of mourners gathered around for Ms Zelenak's burial after a private funeral

Police stopped traffic outside the school so the hearse carrying her coffin could make its way from the campus to the burial site

Ms Zelenak's family carry her coffin from the hearse to the spot where she will be buried

Grieving attendees are seen embracing at the site where Ms Zelenak was laid to rest on Friday

After the service, police stopped traffic outside the school so the hearse carrying her coffin could make its way from the campus to the burial site.

A convoy of cars containing family and friends followed closely behind.

During the burial ceremony, they released white doves in Ms Zelenak's honour.

Afterwards, mourners were invited to continue celebrating Ms Zelenak's life at The Grand View Hotel in Cleveland.

Mourners are seen arriving for the private funeral service in Brisbane on Friday morning

Ms Zelenak's casket is seen being taken inside the school where her funeral is being held

A hearse carrying Ms Zelenak's casket, adorned with flowers, is seen at the Brisbane school

Mourners are seen making their way to the Moreton Bay College campus on Friday

Mourners arrived at the Moreton Bay College campus on Friday morning for the private funeral service

Earlier, Ms Zelenak's aunt Tara described her as 'the most beautiful, happy, positive young lady with so much to live for'.

'Her heart and spirit will live on in all of us,' she wrote on Facebook.

Eight people were killed when three terrorists hit pedestrians with a white van on London Bridge, before stabbing revellers in the nearby market with 12-inch ceramic knives.

Ms Zelenak was stabbed after she became separated from her friends as they ran for their lives when violence and chaos broke out on the evening of June 3.

The Brisbane woman had been working in London as an au pair, caring for two young boys.

Tributes will also be read by Ms Zelenak's best friends Hannah Harper, Sarah Beverley and Sarah Lambourne (above, with Ms Zelenak, right)

The Brisbane woman had been working in London as an au pair, caring for two young boys

Sara Zelenak's stepfather Mark Wallace (left, with Ms Zelenak) had called every hospital in London in a desperate attempt to find her when she was missing

A funeral for the other Australian woman who died in the attack, nurse Kirsty Boden, 28, will be held next week.

Ms Boden's family and friends will farewell the 'Angel of London Bridge' in her Riverland home town on Monday at a service at the Loxton Swimming Pool.

Her parents Christina and Ken Boden, brother Chris and her partner James Hodder will join other relatives and friends at the Loxton pool for a service to commemorate her life and she will be buried at the nearby cemetery.
Pictures of the famous al-Nuri mosque in Mosul where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a so-called caliphate have been released.

The mosque, destroyed on Wednesday night, was a symbolic prize in the fight for Iraq's second-largest city.

It was there that the extremists' leader declared a caliphate in the lands they had seized in Iraq and Syria in July 2014.

The destruction was seen by some as an indication that the terror group's defences are crumbling and the campaign to retake Mosul is in its final stages.

Al-Nuri mosque in Mosul , destroyed Wednesday night, was a symbolic prize in the fight for Iraq's second-largest city

The destruction of the landmarks indicated that the terror group's defences are crumbling

Iraqi special forces Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said: 'They knew that the battle had been decided in favor of the Iraqi forces and they knew that we were going to enter the mosque in only a few hours.'

He added that his that his troops were only 50 meters (yards) from the mosque site.

'That's why they exploded it,' he said.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi tweeted early on Thursday that the mosque's destruction was an admission by the militants that they are losing the fight, calling it a 'formal declaration of their defeat.'

Inside western Mosul, residents were still reeling from the loss of the iconic structure that was blown up during the celebration of Laylat al Qadr, the holiest night of the year for Muslims.

The 'Night of Power' commemorates when the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during the holy month of Ramadan, which is in its waning days. The minaret that leaned like Italy's Tower of Pisa had stood in Mosul for more than 840 years and was known as al-Hadba.

'It is a shock, a real big shock,' Amir al-Jumaili, a professor at the Archaeology College in Mosul, told The Associated Press.

bu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in the lands they had seized in Iraq and Syria at the mosque in July 2014

Mohammed Tariq al-Bayati recalled growing up next to the mosque.

'I was in my grandfather house. I remember we used to play under its shade,' al-Bayati said. After learning of its destruction, he said he felt like his childhood had also been demolished.

'It is the city's icon, I can say that Mosul has died,' the longtime resident added.

ISIS has blown up the iconic al-Nuri mosque where it announced its own so called caliphate in 2014. Pictured: An image of the destruction release by Iraq's Joint Operation Command today

The terror group is said to have blown up the place of worship - also known as the Grand Mosque - to cover its escape as Iraqi soldiers advanced on the Grand Mosque in the Old City

The terror's group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only public appearance on the balcony of the al-Nuri mosque in Mosul's Old City that year

'Our forces were advancing toward their targets deep in the Old City,' Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah said today. Pictured: Iraqi troops posing with the flag of defeated ISIS fighters

ISIS's notorious black flag has been flying from one of the mosque's minarets since the militants captured Mosul, as well as swathes of Iraq and Syria, in 2014.

The militants sealed off all roads leading to the place of worship last month but today, US-backed Iraqi soldiers moved in on the mosque following an eight-month-long campaign to recapture Mosul, ISIS's de-facto capital in Iraq.

'The Daesh (ISIS) terror gangs committed another historical crime by blowing up the al-Nuri mosque and its historical al-Hadba minaret,' an Iraqi military statement said today.

The destruction of two of Mosul's best-known landmarks - which ISIS claimed were obliterated by an airstrike - comes on the fourth day of a US-backed Iraqi offensive on the Old City.

The destruction adds to a long list of Iraqi heritage sites and monuments the jihadist organisation has destroyed in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS is said to have covered many streets near the Grand Mosque with sheets of cloth to obstruct air surveillance

The militants sealed off all roads leading to the Grand Mosque to stage a last stand against Iraqi troops in May. Pictured: Baghdadi speaking at the Mosque

Today US-backed Iraqi soldiers moved in on the mosque following an eight-month-long campaign to recapture Mosul

With its windy, narrow roads, the battle for Mosul's Old City is considered the deadliest in the operation (file photo of an airstrike near the Mosque in Mosul)

The blast occurred as Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service units, who have been battling their way through Mosul's Old City, got to within 50m of the mosque (file photo)

IRAQ'S TOWER OF PISA Al-Nuri mosque's minaret known as 'Al-Hadba' - the 'Hunchback' - was the most loved and recognisable landmark in Mosul and sometimes referred to as Iraq's Tower of Pisa. The 'Hadba' was completed in 1172 and had distinctive ornamental bands of brickwork wrapping around its cylindrical shaft. It started listing centuries ago and has long been considered an endangered monument. The minaret, with its unmistakable shape, was the symbol of the city and featured in many local shops signs and advertisements. It gave its name to countless restaurants, companies and sports clubs. Al-Nuri mosque's minaret known as 'Al-Hadba' - the 'Hunchback' - was the most loved and recognisable landmark in Mosul When ISIS imposed its tyrannic brand of Islamic law it destroyed several key heritage sites in Mosul, including the main museum and shrines to Jonah and Seth. It reportedly rigged the 'Hadba' but was prevented from blowing it up by the local population. 'The minaret of Al-Hadba has been here forever, it is part of the history of Mosul, it is the symbol of the city,' Ahmed Thilij Hamed, a 49-year-old local of the Old City, said on Monday. He added: 'When the minaret is destroyed, it will be the final blow to Mosul's heritage because all the other landmarks are gone. I will be very sorry, I cannot imagine such a moment.' Advertisement

The blast occurred as Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service units, who have been battling their way through Mosul's Old City, got to within 50m of the mosque.

The forces had encircled the jihadist group's final stronghold in the Old City yesterday.

Iraqi officials had privately expressed the hope that the mosque could be captured in time for Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan.

With more than 100,000 civilian men, women and children trapped in its fragile houses and windy roads, the battle for Mosul's Old City is considered the deadliest in the operation.

The militants were moving stealthily in the Old City's maze of alleyways and narrow streets, through holes dug between houses, fighting back the advancing troops with sniper and mortar fire, booby traps and suicide bombers.

They have also covered many streets with sheets of cloth to obstruct air surveillance, making it difficult for the advancing troops to hit them without a risk to civilians.

'We are attacking simultaneously from different fronts to break them into smaller groups which are easier to fight,' said an officer from the Federal Police, another force taking part in the assault on the Old City.

Iraqi officials had privately expressed the hope that the mosque could be captured in time for Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan

The Iraqi army estimates the number of Islamic State fighters at no more than 300, down from nearly 6,000 in October

The fight to retake Mosul was launched more than eight months ago and has forced as many as 850,000 from their homes

The Iraqi army estimates the number of Islamic State fighters at no more than 300, down from nearly 6,000 in the city when the battle of Mosul started on October 17.

The fall of Mosul would mark the end of the Iraqi half of the 'caliphate' even though Islamic State would continue to control territory west and south of the city, the largest they came to control in both Iraq and Syria.

Baghdadi has left the fighting in Mosul to local commanders and is believed to be hiding in the border area between Iraq and Syria, according to U.S. and Iraqi military sources.

The Iraqi government initially hoped to take Mosul by the end of 2016, but the campaign took longer as militants reinforced positions in civilian areas to fight back.

The fight to retake Mosul was launched more than eight months ago and has forced as many as 850,000 from their homes.
A man has saved his two wheelchair bound neighbours after fire ripped through their home in the middle of the night.

Fire broke out at the couple's Redcliffe home, north of Brisbane, about 12.15am on Friday morning.

The pair, who both use wheelchairs, were unable to escape from the property as flames began to surround them.

A man has saved his two wheelchair bound neighbours after fire ripped through their home (pictured) in the middle of the night

Neighbour Brian Protheroe (pictured) said he woke up to hear the sound of breaking glass and rushed outside to see the house alight

Neighbour Brian Protheroe said he woke up to hear the sound of breaking glass and rushed outside to see the house alight.

'We came outside, seen the fire and Rod the owner next door was calling to his wife Robin. They're both in wheelchairs,' he told 9 News.

'Robin was stuck up on the ramp and couldn't get past because the fire was coming out of the window.'

Brian then rushed over to the home, lifted Robin over the balcony and took her to safety.

Brian said he rushed over to the home, lifted Robin over the balcony and took her to safety

He said he doesn't consider himself a hero and anybody would have done the same.

'I just happened to be the first one there, that is all, because I live next door,' he said.

The couple were taken to Redcliffe Hospital with smoke inhalation while crews took two hours to extinguish the blaze.

Police are investigating the cause of the blaze which left the property extensively damaged.
New concrete bollards have been installed across Melbourne's city centre in a bid to prevent future terrorist attacks.

The 140 concrete blocks were placed on busy streets overnight, five months after a car was allegedly driven into crowds in the Bourke Street Mall, killing six people.

Roads lining Federation Square, Flinders Street Station and other central sites have been lined with heavy, cement barriers.

One Instagram user likened the concrete blocks with rectangle holes to Big Brother

The concrete barriers are designed to prevent a future terrorist attack in downtown Melbourne

Overnight, new blocks were placed along Southbank Boulevard, near Queensbridge St and Crown Casino, and at Southern Cross Station.

These new barriers at eight locations add to 66 already installed on June 10 in the Bourke St Mall and at Federation Square.

The footpath chicanes, protecting pedestrians from traffic, have been likened to Big Brother in George Orwell's novel about a surveillance state, Nineteen Eighty-Four.

'The new security bollards in Bourke Street Mall are watching you,' one Instagram user said.

The square concrete blocks have been placed around Melbourne's busiest streets

CCTV footage showing Gargasoulas allegedly driving a Holden Commodore into city crowds

Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett described the concrete bollards as symbols of fear

An image of Dimitri Gargasoulas driving a mid-1990s Holden Commodore in Melbourne

Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett described his sadness as concrete barriers were being installed last week from the side of trucks.

'Worse that folks no longer feel safe in their own homes, but our streets becoming symbols of our fear,' he tweeted.

In January, Dimitrious 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas, a 26-year-old Melbourne local allegedly drove a mid-1990s Holden Commodore into crowds in the Bourke Street Mall .

He has since been charged with six counts of murder and 28 counts of attempted murder.

Gargasoulas is alleged to have deliberately struck a number of pedestrians in Melbourne's Bourke Street at around 1.30pm on January 20, with a car owned by a 76-year-old man.

Dimitrious 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas, 26, was charged with six counts of murder for driving a car into crowds in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall in January

Wreckage of a mid-1990s maroon VS-series Holden Commodore sedan in Melbourne

Concrete barriers are response to Gargasoulas' alleged crime of driving a car into pedestrians
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with White House senior advisor Jared Kushner in the West Bank City of Ramallah, June 21, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

RAMALLAH - Jared Kushner, a senior advisor to United States President Donald Trump, announced Wednesday night that President Trump is committed to reaching a serious peace deal, a senior Palestinian official said.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, a senior aid to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in an official press statement that Kushner's remarks were made in a meeting held in Ramallah with President Abbas.

He said that Abbas received at his office in Ramallah Kushner and Trump's envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt, who are visiting in the region, and had held earlier talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Abu Rdineh said that President Abbas stressed during the meeting on the principle of the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 with east Jerusalem as its capital.

"The meeting has deeply and clearly discussed all the permanent status issues, mainly refugees and prisoners," Abu Rdineh said.

President Abbas visited the United States and met with President Trump in the White House earlier this year, and then President Trump visited in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and met with Abbas.

"During the meeting, Kushner told President Abbas that President Trump is committed to reaching a serious peace deal," said Abu Rdineh, who attended the meeting.

He said that President Abbas expressed to Kushner and Greenblatt his commitment to peace based on the international resolutions and the 2002 Arab peace initiative.

The last direct peace talks held between Israel and the Palestinians were sponsored by the United States.

The talks stopped in April 2014 after it went on for nine months without achieving any breakthrough due to deep disputes on Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Despite the dogs size and strength, the toxic atmosphere produced infections, open sores and cuts, and an array of other health crises. Photo by Meredith Lee/The HSUS

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The rescue of 84 Great Danes from a 15,000-square-foot mansion in a resort community in central New Hampshire was as surprising as it was dramatic. The juxtaposition of a pricey neighborhood and a huge house packed with animals living in filth and squalor reminds us that there are hard-hearted and troubled people everywhere  people who lose control and fall short when it comes to their animal care responsibilities. Responders did not just find feces on the floor and on the wires cages; the walls were splattered with it. Despite the dogs size and strength, the toxic atmosphere produced infections, open sores and cuts, and an array of other health crises.

Now, these dogs are in our hands even as the alleged perpetrator running the dog-selling operation from her home has vowed to fight the charges. We dont know how long the court proceedings will take, but they could drag on for the rest of the year and into 2018. As a consequence, the cost of care for these animals may run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as we hold and care for them in an emergency shelter. Because she refuses to surrender them, we cant yet send them to placement partners or foster care.

Yesterday, we released a video that captures more details of how the raid occurred and the environment in which the dogs lived. We hate what happened to these dogs, but we are not shrinking from our duty and our desire to turn their lives around.

But with thousands of substandard and inhumane commercial breeding operations churning out puppies for the pet trade, its clear that we cannot rescue our way out of the puppy mill problem. We must convince people to make better, more informed choices when they get a dog, or any animal for that matter, and thats why we are shouting from the rooftops about the wayward ways of the mills. The best alternative when youre in the market for a dog is to adopt from a shelter or rescue group. If you go to a breeder, make sure its a humane-minded one, and that you make the effort to see the parents of the offspring.

We must also enact stronger state and federal policies to prevent ongoing mistreatment of animals in commercial breeding operations. The federal Animal Welfare Act regulations for large-scale dog breeding operations are more akin to survival standards than animal welfare rules. And as this nightmare of a situation at the mansion demonstrates, New Hampshires laws are in need of a massive overhaul.

This breeder was not federally licensed, and may not have been covered under New Hampshire law, which requires licensure and inspection only for breeders selling 50 individual puppies or 10 litters in a yeara threshold that allows many commercial breeders to escape any oversight or regulation. Whats more, even when regulated, the animal welfare standards are not strong enough and do not provide enough safety for dogs.

New Hampshire also needs a serious approach for dealing with the enormous costs associated with caring for mass animal rescues like the one we encountered. The HSUS is absorbing costs to rehabilitate and care for the Great Danes, in part as a service to the town of Wolfeboro. But The HSUS and its supporters should not have to bear these costs. Twenty other states have found solutions to this problem, ensuring that private humane organizations and taxpayers are not stuck with the bill, while still protecting the rights of defendants. The New Hampshire legislature must work to pass a comprehensive cost of animal care law that would place the cost to care for animals seized in a cruelty investigation on the shoulders of the person responsible for the crisis.

We are calling on New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, whose track record for animal welfare has been strong in his first year, to work up a new legal framework to require stronger breeding standards, to cover more large-scale breeders, and to place the burden of costs on these individuals when the animal care situations they create spiral out of control.

You can call Gov. Sununu and ask him to take this action in light of this case. The only reminder youll need in order to make that call comes in the form of this short video, which shows whats at stake for animals.








Foul mouthed teenagers roaming Willunga High forced the school into lockdown this week leading to police sending students home.

An alleged lunchtime fight between a Year 9 boy and a Year 11 student left the younger teenager with facial injuries at Willunga High School, south of Adelaide, on Wednesday.

Following the fight a group of students roamed the campus using 'verbally revolting' language and refusing to obey staff directions leading to an 'invacuation'.

Willunga High School (pictured) was placed into 'invacuation' following a group of students refusing to follow staff orders

The post sent out to the school community from Willunga High

While school principal Anthony Van Ruiten ordered the 'invacuation' type lockdown - posted on the Facebook page - the school ushered in the help of local police to defuse the situation.

'We had a group of students who were walking around the school that were agitated and had heightened emotions,' he told The Advertiser.

'They were being verbally revolting to teachers. Staff were trying to get them into a place they could de-escalate and calm down, so they could get them back into the classroom.'

Mr Van Ruiten said staff don't have the right to approach students, which is why police were called in to take action.

'Unfortunately kids dont automatically have respect for teachers these days,' the principal told the publication.

The Willunga High posted the order of the 'invacuation' on Facebook to the school community.

Willunga high school was forced into lockdown following a scuffle in the grounds

'For the safety of students and staff we enacted an invacuation due to inappropriate yard behaviour of a small group of students,' the post on Facebook read.

'Year Level Coordinators are following this up and consequences have been applied for students involved.'

A few parents took to Facebook to vent their frustration at how they found out the school was in lockdown hours after the incident.

One parent wrote: 'To wait 3-4 hours after the incident isn't acceptable. Yes the school's communication skills is seriously lacking. I will be in to discuss this.' [sic]

One parent was not happy at how she found out the school was in an 'invacuation'

Other parents were happy the school dealt with the situation camly

Another distressed parent wrote: 'The only reason I knew was through a friend at approx 2:30 and so called my son who informed me of what had happening, which btw when I called the 'invacuation' had already been over.' [sic]

While some were confused at the communication between the school and parents, others praised the school for handling the situation calmly and swiftly.

'I was happy with the notification process, as it was a courtesy rather than an urgent message that parents needed to take any action,' a parent posted.

The police told Daily Mail Australia that a couple of the students were facing suspension.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Willunga High for comment.
A man and woman were robbed and brutally assaulted by a group of up to 15 people while waiting for a bus in Sydney's west.

The pair were attacked at a T-Way Station at Bonnyrigg on Thursday at 8 pm, New South Wales police said.

The 34-year-old man was treated for suspected fractured rib and facial injuries while a 26-year-old woman received superficial cuts and abrasions.

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NSW police said the pair were attacked at a T-Way Station at Bonnyrigg on Thursday at 8 pm

The pair was assaulted while waiting for a bus at Bonnyrigg, 36 kilometres west of Sydney

The pair were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics at the scene before being taken to Liverpool Hospital for further treatment.

Fairfield detectives were also informed by the pair that their wallets and mobile phones were stolen during the assault.

A NSW police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that police were still investigating the case and that there was nothing further to add at the moment.

The pair was treated at the scene by paramedics before being transferred to Liverpool hospital

Fairfield detectives were called to the scene and had interviewed several teenagers in the area

An unnamed witness told Channel Nine following the attack the pair had ran for their lives

Meanwhile, Nine News reports that the couple and the teenagers had met at the bus stop to discuss something when a 'beat down' took place, a witness told the station.

'They fled the scene straight away.

'Like there was a bomb.

'They just ran for their lives,' the witness said.
Australia's advanced intelligence-gathering P-3 Orion aircraft are heading to the Philippines to help in the fight against Islamic State-affiliated terrorist groups.

Defence Minister Marise Payne on Friday confirmed two RAAF P-3 Orion aircraft will provide surveillance support to local forces.

The planes will operate in the Mindanao region where four Islamist groups, including Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group, are fighting.

Two of Australia's advanced intelligence-gathering P-3 Orion aircrafts (pictured) are going to the Philippines to help in the fight against Islamic State-affiliated terrorist groups

Defence Minister Marise Payne on Friday confirmed two RAAF P-3 Orion aircraft will provide surveillance support to local forces

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the Mindanao region under martial law.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Senator Payne have promised Australia stands 'ready to assist' the Philippines if needed.

'The regional threat from terrorism, in particular from Daesh and foreign fighters, is a direct threat to Australia and our interests. Australia will continue to work with our partners in South East Asia to counter it,' the senator said in a statement.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) and Senator Payne have promised Australia stands 'ready to assist' the Philippines if needed

'I recently spoke with my counterpart Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana about how Australia can assist the Philippines in its fight against extremists. We agreed the best way to defeat terrorism in our region is for us to work together.'

Australia currently has an extensive Defence Cooperation Program with the Philippines, which includes counter terrorism cooperation.
Lloyd Haughton, 41, was arrested on Wednesday after detectives matched his DNA to that of the girl's unborn baby

A rabbi has been arrested for sexually abusing and impregnating a pregnant 15-year-old girl after police matched his DNA to her unborn baby's.

Lloyd Haughton, 41, was first reported to police in March when the girl came forward to claim he had been abusing her.

He denied it but a month later, the girl's mother contacted police in Sanford, Florida, to say that she was pregnant.

Detectives ordered a DNA test to be carried out and the results were returned this week.

They showed that Haughton is the baby's father. He was arrested on Wednesday and remains in custody on $35,000 bail.

Haughton, who was born in Jamaica, was fired by Synagogue Beth Israel, where he worked, immediately after his arrest.

It is not clear whether the girl was impregnated before or after she first reported her allegations to police.

In March, she told police he had touched her breasts and genitals. The suspect was questioned but denied all allegations.

He now faces one count of Sexual Battery by a Custodian/Victim under 18.

In a statement, Sanford Police Chief said: 'It is always disheartening when people in positions of authority violate and abuse the trust that is bestowed upon them.

'I hope the congregation and community can come together to heal and repair the trust that has been shattered.'
Four bearded 'Middle Eastern' men accused of storming a western Sydney cinema shouting 'Allahu Akbar' were in fact local Sikhs unimpressed with Baywatch who started acting silly.

The turban-wearing foursome went to see the film version of the 1990s TV series at the Hoyts cinema in Blacktown earlier this month because it stars popular Indian actress Priyanka Chopra.

But 20 minutes into the action they decided they did not like the film and created a disturbance when they moved to another theatre, according to a Sikh community leader.

The men deny shouting 'Allahu Akbar', or anything similar.

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The four men who caused a disturbance at a Blacktown cinema earlier this month captured on CCTV

The four men who caused a disturbance at Blacktown Hoyts cinema did not like the film version of Baywatch

Initial reports said four Middle Eastern men had stored a cinema in Blacktown's Westpoint shopping centre shouting 'Allahu Akbar'

General secretary of Australian Sikh Association, Jagtar Singh, helped locate the four men using a CCTV image from the cinema and put them in touch with police.

'They told me they went to watch Baywatch,' Mr Singh told Daily Mail Australia.

'There is a very famous Indian actress in the film, Priyanka Chopra. Probably they went to see her at that movie but they didn't like it. That's what they told me.'

The group then created a disturbance when they moved to another theatre and had a disagreement with staff. 'Those guys were doing some silly things there,' Mr Singh said. 'They were creating some trouble. They were silly.'

It was reported earlier this month that a man burst into the cinema at the Westpoint shopping centre shouting the Arabic phrase for 'God is great' before fleeing.

He was then said to have returned with three other men and the group again chanted the words which have been used as a battle cry by Islamic jihadists committing terror acts around the world.

Movie-goers, many of them families, were reported to be terrified of an imminent terrorist attack after the incident about 8pm on Sunday, June 11.

One witness said she initially thought the incident was 'a sick joke'. She was close.

The men had chosen to see Baywatch because it stars popular Indian actress Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra, pictured attending a polo tournament in New Jersey earlier this month, is a superstar in India

A manhunt was launched for the intruders, who were described by police as four bearded men of Middle Eastern appearances, aged in their 20s, wearing dark clothing.

One movie-goer told 9 News she was terrified and feared she would die.

'Is this it?' the woman said she thought. 'Are we going to die?'

Another woman who was in the cinema told Daily Mail Australia she initially thought it was a 'sick joke' when a man entered the theatre yelling 'Allahu Akbar'.

'The first time he came in and screamed it we thought, "this is just a sick joke",' the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

The Hoyts cinema in Blacktown where four men were reported to have stormed a cinema shouting 'Allahu Akbar'

But she said the man returned with three others and the darkened room plunged into panic.

'People were on edge, you could hear everyone whispering among themselves. When they came we got straight out,' she said.

The woman was on her way to alert security when she came face-to-face with the group of men outside. She said the men were of Indian heritage and not Middle Eastern.

'They were in their late 20s, early 30s, of Indian heritage. While they were being kicked out they screamed it again. The whole thing was very weird.'

It got weirder.

The day after the incident, Blacktown police sought help from the management of the Sikh temple at nearby Glenwood to identify four bearded, turban-wearing men captured on CCTV.

The Sikh community launched a Facebook campaign to find the four men pictured in CCTV taken at the cinema

Jagtar Singh, the general secretary of the Australian Sikh Association, helped find the four members of his community sought by police

Mr Singh posted a CCTV still of the four men on Facebook and asked the Sikh community to find them.

'Police is looking for these 4 persons to talk,' Mr Singh wrote. 'If you recognise any one of these 4 persons please come forward and clear the doubt.

'I request these persons to come forward and clear the doubt. Please forward this message to find out these guys so that any doubt in police mind is cleared.'

Mr Singh got a call the next day identifying the men, who wanted to see him. He said he wanted to speak to them too.

Police had apparently already identified one of four because he had booked the group's Baywatch tickets online.

The men went to Blacktown police station the following day and cleared the matter up.

Indian actress Priyanka Chopra attending a photocall for Baywatch in Berlin last month

The men who caused a disturbance at Blacktown's Hoyts cinema contacted leaders at the Sikh temple in nearby Glenwood

Mr Singh said all four had denied saying 'Allahu Akbar' and he had no idea why they would use those words. He did not believe they had.

'It doesn't make sense,' Mr Singh said.

'I couldn't see any purpose from those four gentlemen why they should say "Allahu Akbar". They told me they didn't say it.'

'I've got it in my mind maybe someone looking at their faces and their turbans might have said "Allahu Akbar" from the audience.'

Mr Singh was concerned the Sikh community had been unfairly maligned by a misunderstanding.

'We Sikh people, we don't say Allahu Akbar,' he said.

'We don't have any problems with the Muslims or Christians. We don't have any problem with any of the community.

'We try to live amicably. We are telling our young generation, especially coming from India, to integrate with the community.'

A NSW police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Friday that four men had attended Blacktown police station and spoken to detectives. No charges had been laid.
An Islamist extremist group the Australian government is refusing to ban has declared there will be a war between Islam and the West.

Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Wassim Doureihi, who wants a global Islamic caliphate based on Sharia law, has urged Muslims to take up arms against Western civilisation.

'The change that Muslims must demand and humanity so desperately seeks is nothing less than wholesale, systemic change,' he said.

Wassim Doureihi has previously repeatedly refused to condemn ISIS in an ABC-TV interview

The extremist, who who previously repeatedly refused to condemn ISIS in a TV interview, likened the West to a criminal who needed to be confronted.

'The West will not evolve like a reformed prisoner seeking to remedy its past,' he said.

'Its existence is dependent upon the perpetuation of its crimes and the privileges it has long inherited, which is why we must confront another truth that a clash is inevitable between the existing world order and its proposed alternative.'

His comments, made at a recent Hizb ut-Tahrir conference in Sydney, were posted this week on the Facebook page of fellow leader Uthman Badar, who in March confirmed he supported the death penalty for ex-Muslims and jihadist activity.

Hizb ut-Tahrir's Wassim Doureihi says there will be a clash with Islam against the world order

Both Hizb ut-Tahrir leaders addressed the forum at Campsie, in the city's west, asking if Australia could be setting up concentration camps for Muslims.

Mr Doureihi is the same man who in 2014 repeatedly refused to condemn Islamic State despite being asked more than a dozen times to do so by ABC Lateline presenter Emma Alberici.

In May, Attorney-General George Brandis announced the Australian government would not be banning Hizb ut-Tahrir even though it is illegal in Germany and The Netherlands and a range of Muslim-majority nations including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and even Saudi Arabia.
Pictures have emerged of new concrete barriers being installed in central Sydney just outside the scene of a deadly terrorist attack.

Workers were pictured on Friday afternoon setting up the barricade in Martin Place next to the Lindt Cafe.

A total of twelve concrete barriers now line the busy pedestrian plaza after concerns it may be susceptible to a vehicle-ramming terror attack, similar to those in London and Stockholm.

Pictures have emerged of new concrete barriers being installed in central Sydney just outside the scene of a deadly terrorist attack

A total of twelve concrete barriers now line the busy pedestrian plaza after concerns it may be susceptible to a vehicle-ramming terror attack

The bollards have been set up just outside the scene of the December 2014 Sydney siege (pictured)

Police told Daily Mail Australia the barriers were installed as a measure to ensure people's safety while in a public area.

'While there is no specific threat, the New South Wales police force works with a variety of government bodies, owners and operators providing advice on security measures,' a NSW spokesperson said.

'Ultimately, the advice from police is managing the balance of risk against the need for the public to enjoy access to public spaces.'

The spokesperson said the world's best 'vehicle mitigation' practices were studied and then shared with the council, before the concrete barriers were put in place.

Makeshift barricades, such as buses and cars, have previously protected Martin Place during events with large crowds such as Anzac Day and Vivid Sydney.

The latest barriers appear to be a more long-lasting solution, but it's unclear if they will be a permanent fixture.

Police told Daily Mail Australia the barriers were installed as a measure to ensure people's safety while in a public area

A NSW Police spokesperson said the world's best 'vehicle mitigation' practices were studied before the concrete barriers were put in place

Workers were pictured on Friday afternoon setting up the barricade in Martin Place next to the Lindt Cafe

Their installation comes just as 140 concrete blocks were placed across Melbourne's city centre in a bid to prevent future terrorist attacks.

They were installed on busy streets overnight five months after a car was allegedly driven into crowds in the Bourke Street Mall, killing six people.

Roads lining Federation Square, Flinders Street Station and other central sites have been lined with heavy, cement barriers.

Overnight, new blocks were placed along Southbank Boulevard, near Queensbridge St and Crown Casino, and at Southern Cross Station.

Members of the public observe a minute's silence during a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the Lindt Cafe siege at Martin Place

Their installation comes just as 140 concrete blocks were placed across Melbourne's city centre in a bid to prevent future terrorist attacks

These new barriers at eight locations add to 66 already installed on June 10 in the Bourke St Mall and at Federation Square.

The footpath chicanes, protecting pedestrians from traffic, have been likened to Big Brother in George Orwell's novel about a surveillance state, Nineteen Eighty-Four.

'The new security bollards in Bourke Street Mall are watching you,' one Instagram user said.

Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett described his sadness as concrete barriers were being installed last week from the side of trucks.

The square concrete blocks have been placed around Melbourne's busiest streets

CCTV footage showing Gargasoulas allegedly driving a Holden Commodore into city crowds

'Worse that folks no longer feel safe in their own homes, but our streets becoming symbols of our fear,' he tweeted.

In January, Dimitrious 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas, a 26-year-old Melbourne local allegedly drove a mid-1990s Holden Commodore into crowds in the Bourke Street Mall .

He has since been charged with six counts of murder and 28 counts of attempted murder.

Gargasoulas is alleged to have deliberately struck a number of pedestrians in Melbourne's Bourke Street at around 1.30pm on January 20, with a car owned by a 76-year-old man.

Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett described the concrete bollards as symbols of fear

An image of Dimitri Gargasoulas driving a mid-1990s Holden Commodore in Melbourne

Dimitrious 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas, 26, was charged with six counts of murder for driving a car into crowds in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall in January
Insecurities in the locker room and a lack of self confidence in the bedroom is pushing men to try a new penis enlargement procedure.

More than 100 Australian men aged from 22 to 68 have undergone the non-surgical girth augmentation, which can increase their width by one inch for up to two years.

Created by Perth plastic surgeon Dr Jayson Oates, the procedure, named Calibre, is an alternative to 'painful and invasive surgery' that can't be reversed.

Perth plastic surgeon Dr Jayson Oates has performed a non-surgical penis enlargement procedure, named Calibre, on more than 100 Australian men aged between 22 and 68 (stock image)

Dr Oates told Daily Mail Australia he came up with the technique after he noticed a stream of male patients complaining of feeling inadequate and asking how they can improve their penis size.

'Your penis is often termed your manhood and if you have this feeling that your manhood isn't adequate than that puts a strain on you,' he said.

'For a lot of guys it's that locker room type thing  you're at the gym and the showers are all open and you're feeling self-conscious of this area of your body.'

'A lot of guys have shrinkage and if you're self-conscious about it and then it shrinks, it makes you feel even more self-conscious.

The physician said he met a young woman who had had dermal fillers  which are often injected into the face to ward off wrinkles  placed in her breasts, instead of undergoing a breast augmentation.

'It made me think  we do it in the face, why not do it down there,' he said

Dr Oates created Calibre after seeing an increase in male patients who wanted to increase their penis size but were reluctant to go under the knife (stock image)

Dr Oates began researching the effect dermal fillers could have on the penis and began performing the procedure two years ago.

'We wanted it to be safe. Various permanent fillers are used in Mexico and Korea and some guys are fine, but we can also see these terrible results as well with lots of lumps and bumps and when it's permanent there's not much you can do,' he said.

During the procedure, a man's penis is numbed before it is injected with the dermal fillers  which last about two years and can be topped up.

The penis width is increased by about one inch and doesn't not shrink as much as normal, Dr Oates said.

'We're not creating these monster penises, they're not turning into donkeys or anything,' he joked.

Dr Oates injects dermal fillers  which are often injected into the face to ward off wrinkles  into the penis, causing its width to expand by one inch (stock image)

It is a walk in, walk out procedure that takes about an hour and there is no recovery time, he continued.

'It needed to be totally painless  most guys aren't that brave really,' Dr Oates said.

He said most of his patients have what is considered an average sized penis.

'We've had some guys who have a slightly smaller penis but the vast majority are entirely average standard. A few are already big guys who just want to be bigger.'

'No such thing as too much of a good thing in this area.'

Clinical Psychologist Dr Gemma Sharp, who works with Dr Oates in assessing patients' needs, told Daily Mail Australia a desire to increase their partner's sexual satisfaction is another motivating factor for men.

'It ties in to sexual prowess and masculinity,' she said.
The body of a missing teenager, who disappeared while out walking her dog, was found in a Texas landfill.

Kaytlynn Cargill, 14, went missing on Monday and she was last seen near her home around 6.20pm, according to the Bedford Police Department.

On Wednesday, a worker at the Arlington landfill discovered a body at the facility.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner later identified the body as Kaytlynn, according to WFAA. The cause of death hasn't been revealed.

The body of missing teenager, Kaytlynn Cargill (left and right), 14, who disappeared while out walking her dog on Monday, was found in a Texas landfill

On Wednesday, a worker at the Arlington landfill discovered a body. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner later confirmed the body found in the landfill (pictured) was Kaytlynn. The cause of death hasn't been revealed

Bedford police said the teen disappeared while walking her dog near the Oak Creek Apartments. The landfill is about four miles from where Kaytlynn was last seen.

A neighbor told WFAA he saw the teen tie her dog's leash to a fence and ask friends to watch the animal, but she never returned.

'I didn't hear any yells and it happened right behind my balcony,' said neighbor Zach McDaniel. 'I heard no yells, no helps, no nothing.'

When Kaytlynn was reported missing, authorities said they had no reason to believe that she was in any danger, nor did they have any reason to suspect foul play.

'We will pursue every lead, leave no stone unturned and bring the person or persons responsible for Kaytlynn's death to justice,' Lt Kirk Roberts told the station.

A GoFundMe was set up for the family by a friend. 'This is a memorial fund setup in the memory of Kaytlynn Cargill to help the family during this difficult time,' the page read.

As of Thursday night, the account had raised more than $3,400 of its $10,000 goal.

Authorities are asking anyone with information pertaining to the death of Kaytlynn to call the Bedford Police Department at 817-952-2440 or contact the Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.

A GoFundMe was set up for the family by a friend. 'This is a memorial fund setup in the memory of Kaytlynn Cargill (pictured) to help the family during this difficult time,' the page read
The head honchos of Australia's most profitable businesses gathered together to raise money for homeless people by partaking in the 'CEO Sleepout'.

But the wealthy bosses were slammed after it emerged the men and women were given virtual reality headsets to simulate homelessness instead of actually sleeping rough on the streets.

Footage of a row of CEOs wearing the expensive headsets as they experienced 'what it was like to be homeless' through futuristic software sparked fury from dozens of critics who slammed them as 'out of touch' with reality.

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The wealthy men and women were filmed wearing virtual reality goggles as part of the CEO Sleepout

Footage of a row of CEOs wearing the expensive headsets as they experienced 'what it was like to be homeless' through futuristic software sparked fury from dozens of critics who slammed them as 'out of touch' with reality

Dozens of Twitter users quickly slammed the charity for spending money on VR goggles

One sarcastic user implied the virtual world is no where near as awful as the reality for homeless people

The caption of the video, posted to Twitter, read: 'Our Sydney CEOs using virtual reality to get a glimpse of the realities faced by the people who experience this everyday.'

But despite the noble intentions behind the cause, the charity was instantly condemned online by users who were unimpressed by the philanthropists wearing VR goggles instead of taking to the streets.

'When you want to be woke but don't actually want to mingle with the dirty poors,' one Twitter user joked.

'Lord forbid they go anywhere near a real homeless person,' another wrote.

Others encouraged the wealthy business leaders to live in the 'real' world where people are forced to sleep nightly on Sydney's cold streets.

'Lord forbid they go anywhere near a real homeless person,' one person wrote

This Twitter user pointed out the money spent on expensive software could have been used to help homeless people

The St Vincent De Paul charity aims to raise money and awareness for homeless people in Australia

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) attended the CEO Sleepout in 2016

'Um, maybe with what you paid for the VR headsets you could have fed, bathed and housed ACTUAL homeless people,' one woman said.

Another sarcastically wrote: 'Yes! Dealing with the virtual cold, the virtual violence, the virtual hunger, the virtual untreated illness, the virtual despair...'

The businessmen and women involved in the annual CEO Sleepout includes John O'Sullivan, CEO of Tourism Australia, Annabel Spring, Group Executive for Wealth Management at Commonwealth Bank, Tobi Pearce, partner of Kayla Istines and CEO of the Bikini Body Training Company and even Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

During the event CEOs from across Australia 'sleep rough' on cardboard and in sleeping bags on the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Gold Coast, Launceston, Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong.

Organised by St Vincent De Paul, it aims to raise millions of dollars to help solve the homelessness crisis.

So far in 2017 the initiative has raised well over $5 million from donations.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the organisers of the CEO Sleepout for comment.

During the event CEOs from across Australia 'sleep rough' on cardboard and in sleeping bags on the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Gold Coast, Launceston, Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong
A Melbourne man who plotted to behead a police officer on Anzac Day, and a teenager who planned to set off a homemade bomb in a crowded part of the CBD, have both been given longer jail terms after federal prosecutors appealed.

Sevdet Ramadan Besim was jailed for 10 years with a seven-and-a-half year minimum in 2016.

On Friday the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and re-sentenced him to 14 years, with a minimum 10 years and six months, saying the original jail term did not match community expectations.

The 19-year-old was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment last year by the Supreme Court of Victoria for doing acts in preparation for, or planning a terrorist act

Besim, then 18, planned to drive his car into a police officer performing duties on Anzac Day and then behead him to advance 'violent jihad'.

He chose Anzac Day for his planned attack to 'make sure the dogs remember this as well as their fallen heroes'.

The Hallam teenager pleaded guilty to conspiring to do an act in preparation for or planning a terror act, a charge carrying a maximum term of life imprisonment.

The sentencing judge found his youth and immaturity were significant mitigating factors despite there being no direct evidence he had renounced his violent jihad beliefs.

However, Chief Justice Marilyn Warren and Justices Mark Weinberg and Stephen Kaye ruled on Friday that the serious offence meant the effect of any mitigating factors, such as youth and rehabilitation, should be limited.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Sarah McNaughton SC said too much emphasis was given to Sevdet Ramadan Besim's youth, immaturity, previous good character and rehabilitation prospects when he was sentenced to 10 years with a minimum seven and a half years in 2016

They said general deterrence and community protection should be given substantial, if not primary, weight.

The appeal judges said the offending was extremely grave and the sentence did not match community expectations.

'The fact a police officer was targeted for beheading, that the killing was to take place publicly, and on Anzac Day and the respondent's willingness to kill other innocent civilians if at all possibly, made this an extremely serious example of a terrorist offence,' they said in their ruling.

The court had previously heard Besim's family had no idea he had been radicalised.

His defence said he was young, impressionable and now removed from the 'dangerous context' where he was communicating online with people he viewed as charismatic guides.

Commonwealth prosecutors also appealed against the seven-year sentence given to a 19-year-old in December for a foiled plot to set off a bomb in the Melbourne CBD on Mother's Day, arguing it was too lenient.

The Victorian Court of Appeal today re-sentenced the teen to 11 years with a minimum of eight years and three months.

The court had previously heard Besim's family had no idea he had been radicalised

Chief Justice Marilyn Warren and Justices Mark Weinberg and Stephen Kaye said the offending was particularly serious and the maximum and minimum jail term he received was manifestly inadequate.

'They are well outside the range of sentence that was reasonably open to the sentencing judge in the circumstances of this case,' they said.

They said the teen's steps towards rehabilitation were far from complete and despite his youth, general deterrence and denunciation of his crimes were of primary importance in a case like this.

'Unless appropriate weight is given to those considerations in a case such as this, the criminal justice system will not have sufficiently discharged its duty to properly express the community's outrage,' they said.

The Hallam teenager (pictured) allegedly planned to kill a police officer during Anzac Day commemorations in 2015

The judges said a strong message needed to be sent to deter other like-minded individuals from indulging in similar conduct.

The teen pleaded guilty to obtaining documents relating to an improvised explosive device (IED) and partially constructing an IED in preparation for a terror act, a crime which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Commonwealth prosecutors said his plan was 'well advanced' and he had stockpiled five boxes of screws in his bedroom for use as shrapnel.

Other items, including a pressure cooker and encrypted documents about homemade bombs, were seized when police raided his home in May 2015.

The appeal judges said he had shown clear intent to assemble and use one or more improvised explosive devices to cause widespread death and injury.

Prosecutors said if authorities had not intervened when they did, people could have been killed or seriously injured.

They argued the teenager's sentence - which would have seen him released into the community at age 22 - did not reflect the 'outrageous, heinous offence', but his defence said he was impressionable and had since renounced his radical beliefs.
Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has said spending years working with asylum seekers made her 'radicalised' in her role.

Ms Triggs explained that 'dealing with human beings' on issues like immigration detention and domestic violence led to her developing strong views on the subjects.

She said she was sad, but also relieved to leave her position after five years in an interview with One Plus One's Jane Hutcheon.

Ms Triggs, who arrived in Australia at the age of 12 with her family from London, said Australians innately react negatively to those who arrive in the country using methods the Government describes as illegal.

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Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs (pictured) has said spending years working with asylum seekers made her 'radicalised' in her role

'But as you meet the people; you're talking to mothers on Christmas Island with their babies, you're meeting men who have been held for seven years in detention centres or meeting the families of women killed in domestic violence, or realising that a 55-year-old can't get a promotion or a job,' she said.

'When you're dealing with them and you start to get the data, frankly, one becomes radicalised.'

As AHRC chief, Ms Triggs has slammed laws that give ministers the power to detain people without charge or trial.

'We are regressing in Australia  penal powers lie with the judiciary, not the minister,' she said.

Ms Triggs explained that 'dealing with human beings' on issues like immigration detention and domestic violence led to her developing strong views on the subjects. Above, the Immigration Detention Centre on Christmas Island

She was referring to Australia's policy of refusing to settle any refugees who try to arrive by boat - which the government says dissuades asylum seekers from attempting the dangerous and occasionally deadly ocean crossing from Indonesia.

Instead, Australia pays Papua New Guinea and Nauru to house asylum seekers in camps that have been plagued by reports of abuse and draconian conditions.

Ms Triggs also spoke about the difficulties she faced after the AHRC embarked on an inquiry into the prolonged detention of immigrant children, producing a report in 2015 called The Forgotten Children.

She said she had no idea the investigation would put the independent body on the wrong footing with the new Coalition Government.

She also said that she had been approached by the former Abbot government and asked to step down from the presidency and assured that another job would be found for her if she agreed - but she refused.

However, she said that when things got tough, she had the support of her husband - and a gin and a tonic when necessary.

After leaving her position at the end of July, she plans to take up other work and write a book.
Johnny Depp's managers knew that the Hollywood actor had allegedly assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard, court documents reveal.

The documents allege that Depp's staff and security were aware he was 'extremely volatile' and had 'sometimes gotten physical' with his then-wife.

His team also claim to have had direct knowledge of an incident where Depp allegedly violently kicked the actress in 2014.

The revelations were included in court documents filed this week by Depp's former management group TMG.

Court documents allege Johnny Depp's management team were aware he was 'extremely volatile' and had 'sometimes gotten physical' with his then-wife Amber Heard

The Pirates of the Caribbean star is suing TMG for mismanaging his money.

In the recent court documents, Depp's former management team claim the allegations of abuse at the hands of the actor are accurate, according to the Hollywood Gossip.

The domestic violence allegations first surfaced when Depp and Heard were going through their messy divorce last year.

During the high-profile divorce, Heard released a series of text messages - published by ET - that she had exchanged with Depp's assistant that referred to the alleged abuse.

At the time, Depp publicly denied that the messages - which mentioned the 2014 kicking encounter - were real.

In the recent court filing, TMG appears to confirm the authenticity of the messages.

'Depp and his long-time assistant publicly denied the messages and outrageously accused Heard of manufacturing them,' one filing states.

'TMG is informed and believes that Depp knew full well that the text messages were genuine, but pressured and berated his assistant to falsely challenge the texts publicly.'

The revelations were included in court documents filed this week by Depp's former management group TMG. Depp, pictured at Glastonbury Festival on Thursday, is suing TMG for mismanaging his money

The domestic violence allegations first surfaced when Depp and Heard (pictured in April 2016) were going through their messy divorce last year

It comes after email exchanges between Depp and TMG dating back to 2009 that discussed his financial status were also made public in court documents.

The management firm submitted the emails Depp sent as part of a 109-page document fighting back against the star's attempts to keep his former agent and lawyer from being subpoenaed in the case.

During the high-profile divorce, Heard released a series of text messages - published by ET - that she had exchanged with Depp's assistant that referred to the alleged abuse

TMG has been fighting the lawsuit, insisting that Depp's money problems are his own fault. They claim the emails show that the actor 'knew the dire state of his finances'.

In the emails, TMG's Joel Mandel urged Depp to 'take it easy' on holiday spending and asked to set up a meeting to 'look realistically at income and expenses and to work together on how to make sure that these are back in balance.'

In response, Depp promised to do what he could.

However, the star insisted one expense he couldn't do without was flying by private jet as a commercial flight would be a 'f***ing nightmare of monumental proportions'.

'first, thank you for dealing and getting me through. secondly, i am doing my very best on holiday spending, but there is only so much i can do, as i need to give my kiddies and famille as good a Christmas as possible, obviously within reason,' the email from Depp to Mandel read.

'but, regarding the plane situation,., i don't have all that many options at the moment. a commercial flight with paparazzis in tow would be a f***ing nightmare of monumental proportions. forget the dillinger auction. don't need it.

In the recent court documents, Depp's former management team claim the allegations of abuse at the hands of the actor against Heard are accurate

Email exchanges between Depp and TMG dating back to 2009 that discussed his financial status were also made public in court documents. Depp is pictured above on Thursday at Glastonbury Festival

'know that i will be starting THE TOURIST, on or about the 15th of february; which will be 20 mil. i will then go, virtually, straight into PIRATCS 4, for 35 mil and then in turn to DARK SHADOWS for another 20 mil.

'i hope that by the amount that will be coming in from work in the coming year and also from back end proceeds, etc., will put everything straight.

'what else can i do??? you want me to sell same art??? i will. you want me to sell something else??? sure... what??? [sic]

'boat is going to be chartered at new years and sony will then charter it for the TOURIST shoot in venice. other than that, i got bikes, cars, property, books, paintings and some semblance of a soul left, where would you like me to start???

'i don't like being in this situation, but there wasn't a whole lot of choice, as THE RUM DIARY was a sacrifice we knew would be happening and the last proper paycheck was PUBLIC ENEMIES. i will do my best, joel.(sic).'
A group of pro-asylum seeker protestors have climbed to the top of Melbourne's Channel Seven building and raised a banner claiming deporting refugees will lead to their 'death' and demanding Immigration Minister Peter Dutton be sacked.

The five protesters, from activist group Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance, were aiming their message at the Border Force headquarters opposite the building.

Other group members unfurled a second banner outside the Border Force's offices at Custom's House in Melbourne demanding Australia immediately close all detention centres, Seven News reports.

Five male activists from the Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance scaled Channel 7

The pro-refugee protestors are calling for the sacking of Immigration Minister Peter Dutton

The banner was aimed at the Border Force headquarters, located at Custom's House opposite

A second group of activists held a protest banner on the street outside the Border Force office

Police then scaled the building and began discussions with the protestors, who remain on the roof.

Activist Sam Castro, who was banned from going near the Border Force headquarters after similar protests last month, said that the activists had resorted to the dangerous protest due to the failures of politicians and the legal system.

'They (Border Force) want to operate out of Customs House without people knowing, this is where they controlled what happens on Manus and Nauru.'

Police climbed the building and the banner was taken down, but the refugee protesters remain

The protestors still on the roof are committed to staying there until their message is heard

'We can't rely on the politicians, nor on the legal system that has been effectively bypassed. It is up to us to act to stop business as usual until the government closes the camps and safely re-settles the people it has illegally detained and tortured.'

'There will be no justice and no business as usual for the government and their private contractors, until the asylum seekers and refugees held as political prisoners in Australia's immigration detention centres are safely resettled.'

She also stated that the five male protestors still on the roof were committed to staying there until their message was heard.

On their website, WACA state that they aim to, end indefinite detention of refugees, close all onshore and offshore concentration camps and prosecute Australian politicians for breaching the international human rights of asylum seekers.
Victorian police believe a man may have deliberately driven his car into a petrol tanker, causing the fiery crash that killed him.

The 49-year-old Hastings man driving the Mercedes was killed, but the tanker driver escaped with only minor cuts and grazes when the car crossed onto the wrong side of the road in Tyabb on Thursday night.

Police confirmed on Friday that they are treating the crash as a deliberate self-harm incident.

Victorian police believe a man may have deliberately driven his car into a petrol tanker, causing the fiery crash that killed him. Above, the aftermath of the collision

The tanker, carrying LPG and petrol, caught fire but the main tank was not breached.

About 20 tonnes of LPG is being decanted from the stricken tanker before police can go in to examine the scene.

CFA operations officer Don Wilkie said more than 100 firefighters worked to gain control of the fire just before midnight.

'The fact is this could have been much worse if there was an explosion,' he said on Friday.

'The B-Double still has 20 tonne of LPG in the tank. The gas company will begin decanting shortly and this process is essentially moving the gas from one tanker to another.'

The process is expected to take until later on Friday afternoon, with police then moving in to examine the scene.

The driver of the Mercedes was killed in the crash but the tanker driver escaped serious injury

The tanker, carrying LPG and petrol, caught fire but the main tank was not breached

The road will be closed for the rest of the day and potentially over the weekend, with residents warned a gas smell could linger.

The force of the crash sent debris 350 metres from the scene, but there was no breach of the tank's contents, so local residents were safe to remain in their homes.

Tyabb man Bruce Thompson said he heard a series of explosions from his home, about 500 metres from the accident site.

'I heard a massive explosion and then five or six smaller explosions after that,' he told AAP on Thursday night.

'It really shook the house.'

Ambulance Victoria treated the truck driver at the scene and he was taken to Frankston Hospital in a stable condition.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
President Trump believes the friendship between ousted FBI director James Comey and Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor tasked with probing his election team's ties to Russia, is 'very bothersome'.

The president made the remarks in an interview with Fox and Friends. A teaser for the show was released on Thursday night.

Stopping short of answering whether he believed Mueller should recuse himself from the probe, Trump said he that 'all' of the investigators looking into whether he colluded with Russia to win the election were 'Hillary Clinton supporters'.

Nonetheless, he promised there was no evidence for them to find that he had obstructed justice in any way along the campaign trail.

'There has been no obstruction. There has been no collusion. There has been leaking by Comey, but there's been no collusion, no obstruction and virtually everybody agrees on that,' he told Fox reporter Ainsley Earhardt.

The president shared his views on the Russia investigation with Fox and Friends on Thursday

He said he believed the 'very, very close' friendship between Robert Mueller (left) and James Comey was 'very bothersome'. Comey was pictured on Thursday leaving The New York Times building in Manhattan with his wife (right)

Earhardt asked the president directly if Mueller, who was brought on after Comey's sensational firing on May 9, should step down given his connections to some of those the investigation may concern.

'He's very, very good friends with Comey, which is bothersome.' He seemed eager to carry on, remarking 'but he's also' before stopping himself suddenly and telling the interviewer: 'We're going to have to see.'

One thing is he certain of is that none of the investigators are fans of his.

'I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters,' he said with a slight grimace.

Mueller is also a former FBI director, spearheading the bureau from 2001 to 2014.

He was finally named as the special prosecutor for the Russia investigation on May 17, two weeks after Trump fired Comey, claiming the decision was over his handling of how Hillary Clinton used a private email server while she was Secretary of State.

After his firing, Comey made a bombshell claim - that the president had asked him to drop his probe into whether disgraced National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn had colluded with the Kremlin.

President Trump also insisted again there was 'no obstruction, no collusion' by anyone on his team with Russian officials

First Lady Melania Trump also took part in the interview. She spoke after her husband to say she and Barron were 'all settled' in the White House

Comey, serving as an anonymous source, gave The New York Times details of a memo he scribbled after a meeting with Trump which recorded the claim.

On June 9, as he testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey admitted it was he who leaked the story and said he felt he'd been pressured by the president to let go of his pursuit of Flynn.

He admitted that President Trump never explicitly asked him to drop the investigation.

On Thursday, the president and first lady hosted the Congressional Picnic at the White House

President Trump has always denied ever asking him to ease off Flynn. After Comey testified, he suggested their conversations had been taped and that they would reveal the truth.

On Thursday however, the president said he had no recording of it and never taped their conversations. Others may have, he said, 'with all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information.'

Comey was pictured visiting The New York Times building in Manhattan's Eighth Avenue with his wife on Thursday evening.

A spokeswoman for the company which owns the newspaper said the visit was innocent and that he did not visit the newsroom.

As part of his Fox and Friends interview, the president was also asked for his view on the four Republican senators who are refusing to get behind his healthcare bill.

The senators are Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Ted Cruz of Texas.

Trump was optimistic they would soon change their minds.

Former FBI director Mueller was brought on to lead the investigation into the Trump campaign's possible ties with Russia on May 17. He is pictured on Capitol Hill on Wednesday

'Well they're also four good guys, four friends of mine and I think that they'll probably get there. We'll have to see. You know healthcare is a very difficult situation. And if you look, the Clinton's tried to get it and after years and they years couldn't do it. Obamacare was murder for them to get and now its failed it's virtually out of business. Obamacare is a disaster and we're trying to do something in a very short period of time,' he said.

First Lady Melania Trump also took part in the chat and revealed she and Barron were both well and truly settled into White House life after relocating from New York City earlier this spring.

'We are enjoying it very much,' she said, adding that Barron was 'all settled' and 'loves it here'.

The first lady, who chose to remain in Manhattan with their son to allow him to see out the school year before relocating to Washington, is not missing their old life.

'I'm so busy and to be doing so many great stuff. So it's a really special place,' she said.

The full interview will be shown on Fox and Friends on Friday.
A Queensland court has sentenced a mother to six months jail for biting a paramedic on his genitals while being heavily intoxicated.

Emma Louise Clinch, 32, a repeat and known offender to the police, has also received three months jail time for assaulting a security guard and one month each for assaulting and obstructing a police officer.

A spokesperson from Southport Magistrates Court told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Clinch, a mother of six would be eligible for parole for all three offences on August 22.

A women was sentenced to six months in jail for biting a paramedic in the groin (stock image)

Gold Coast Bulletin reports that Ms Clinch committed the crimes while serving a suspended sentence for assaulting two police officers in March.

Magistrate Andrew Sinclair in his sentencing labelled Ms Clinch latest offences as serious.

Ms Clinch who had previously worked at a school tuckshop pleaded guilty to all three charges on Thursday.

She had committed the offences on May 2 at 5.30 pm.

Mr Sinclair had ordered the sentences be served concurrently.
Sheriff deputies in California shot and killed a 17-year-old boy when their bullets ricocheted off the ground as they opened fire on a pit bull.

The teenager - named Armando Garcia-Muro - was struck in the chest by at least one 'skip' round as Los Angeles County sheriff deputies fired multiple shots at an aggressive pit bull after 3:40am in Palmdale, California.

'He may have been struck by one of the skip rounds in what we're calling an extremely, extremely unfortunate incident,' said LASD Capt. Christopher Bergner to Buzzfeed News.

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Armando Garcia-Muro, 17, was struck in the chest by at least one 'skip' round as Los Angeles County sheriff deputies fired multiple shots at an aggressive pit bull after 3:40am in Palmdale, California

Law enforcement had been checking on a music complaint at a house party when they were charged at by the dog who bit one of the deputies on the knee

'Our initial impression was [the deputies] didn't even see the individual coming around from the side of the building.'

Law enforcement had been checking on a music complaint at a house party when they were charged at by the dog who bit one of the deputies on the knee.

Armando was said to have come out from behind the apartment and temporarily restrained the pit bull by pulling it to the rear of the building.

Bergner said that five deputies had been present at the time of the shooting but only two fired their weapons, firing six to eight rounds

The dog would re-emerged while the deputies waited for paramedics causing them to open fire on the animal, striking it within close range. It scuttled back to the carport area where authorities found Armando with a gunshot wound to the chest.

He was taken to a hospital but was later pronounced dead.

The deputy who was bitten by the dog too was struck by a runaway bullet and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Amber Alcantar, Armando's aunt, told the Los Angeles Times hat her nephew - who was about to enter his senior year at R. Pex Parris High School in Palmdale - was shot trying to stop the pit bull from attacking law enforcement a second time.

Bergner also told the publication that five deputies had been present at the time of the shooting but only two fired their weapons, firing six to eight rounds.

The dog would re-emerged while the deputies waited for paramedics causing them to open fire on the animal, striking it within close range. It scuttled back to the carport area where authorities found Armando with a gunshot wound to the chest

The deputy who was bitten by the dog too was struck by a runaway bullet and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment

He added that the dog - who was taken to an animal hospital for surgery but had to be euthanized - was full-grown male that weighed 60 to 65 pounds.

Amber Alcantar, Armando's aunt, told the Los Angeles Times hat her nephew - who was about to enter his senior year at R. Pex Parris High School in Palmdale - was shot trying to stop the pit bull from attacking law enforcement a second time

The owner of the dog lives int he apartment complex where the shooting occured. She declined to give her name because she had 'too many things going on with the law right now.'

She said that her home was used as a local hangout by some of the kids in the area and her dog was a 3-year-old blue-nosed pit bull.

'They are all my friends,' the woman said.

'They are good kids. They come over and they listen to music.'

She claimed that her dog is well mannered and off his leash, which was a normal practice, and feels that the deputies' claims about the dog seem questionable.

'That's not my dog. That's not his personality,' she said.

The department's use-of-force policy gives deputies the free range to fire at animals if they 'reasonably believe' that they're about to be killed or injured by the animal

Bergner said any time a deputy fires a duty weapon, he or she is put on temporary desk duty while the incident is investigated.
There was a report that Verizon tried to buy Charter for about $100B. It was rejected for being too low.

The other rumor is that Altice which bought Cablevision and Suddenlink is looking at a nearly $2B IPO and will use those proceeds to buy Cox. But that may not happen because Charter now wants to buy Cox.

John Malone, the pioneer cable consolidator, has been all about consolidating cable, telco and wireless. His Liberty Interactive just acquired Alaska's GCI for $1B. There is noise that he would flip that to Charter. Cox plus Bright House plus TWC plus Charter plus GCI gives a 49 state footprint and would make that entity bigger than Comcast.

Charter was fined by New York State $13 million for not living up to its merger agreement. The rest of us are enjoying newer, higher pricing.

Meanwhile Comcast is being sued for cutting a small Texas ISP's lines and putting them out of business after they rebuffed an offer to be acquired by Comcast.

Just to add some notes, a bunch of Senators asked the DOJ to "closely scrutinize AT&T's proposed acquisition of Time Wamer." It won't change the course of this consolidation.

As 5G rolls out -- or 4G gets density to satisfy the bandwidth consumption of mobile Americans, you pick -- it will require a lot of fiber to towers and small cells. The editor opinion on Fierce makes it sound like the cellcos weren't hard nosed negotiators before now. Sheesh. There has always been a cap on how much a cellco would pay for bandwidth to a tower. Always.

Nearly 25% of Urban Americans aren't connected to broadband internet, usually due to cost for broadband. And despite the fact that Americans pay more for broadband than other countries, Wall Street is asking the ISPs to charge more. Greed.

The divide between rural broadband and urban is still large. The short fall at the USF Fund isn't helping. The telcos, including AT&T, want that funding to do any build outs. A political hot potato to add to the pile with Net Neutrality, mergers, healthcare and the whole American infrastructure (bridges, roads, power grid).

Bigger not Better.

Who thinks that the CenturyLink acquisition of Level3 will be derailed by the $12B lawsuit that C-Link is facingin the wake of charges that they pulled a Wells Fargo accounting scam?

One last thing: GTCR acquired Inteliquent. GTCR also owns Onvoy. They merged them and decided to keep the name Inteliquent.
He may have been one of the greatest scientists of all time but poignant letters have revealed Albert Einstein's personal struggles in love, life and work.

Intimate notes written by the theoretical physicist detail his heartbreak as his first marriage broke down, his estrangement from his children and his journey to discovering groundbreaking theories.

The treasure trove of letters also shed light on Einstein's humour as he jokes about quantum physics, getting old and being Jewish.

The collection is set to go under the hammer at Christie's in London, with estimated sales prices ranging from several hundred pounds to 150,000.

Albert Einstein, pictured here with his wife Elsa, made personal revelations through the series of letters

The letters written to his friend and collaborator Michele Besso are set to go under the hammer

In the 56 letters written to his friend and collaborator Michele Besso, the scientist pokes fun at his colleagues in Berlin, complains about being shown off 'like a prize bullock' on a tour of the United States and being bored in a League of Nations meeting.

They also chart his marriage to first wife Mileva Maric and subsequent second marriage to his first cousin, Elsa Lowenthal.

In one letter written shortly after his marriage the scientist discusses a paper he has submitted despite being unwell.

Einstein also discusses how he is 'getting closer to God'.

Another is a moving letter penned to Besso's family after his death in March 1955 and just weeks before Einstein's own death at the age of 76.

Einstein (left) also penned a moving letter after the death of Michele Besso (right) in March 1955 and weeks before his own death at the age of 76

The lot will go under the hammer at the Valuable Books and Manuscripts sale on 12 July 2017 at Christie's in London

The Theoretical Physicist is photographed here in Zurich, Switzerland, 1911, with his first wife, Mileva Maric

Einstein later began an affair with his cousin, Elsa Lowenthal (pictured), whom he went on to marry

The treasure trove of letters also shed light on Einstein's humour as he jokes about quantum physics, getting old and being Jewish

Thomas Venning, Head of Books and Manuscripts at Christies in London, said: 'Cataloguing the letters from Albert Einstein to his closest friend, Michele Besso, was a roller-coaster ride: intellectually exhilarating, funny, endearing  and with an unexpected conclusion.

'Working through these 56 letters was almost like getting to know Einstein himself.

'Whats more, this was a particularly attractive side of him, the side that his closest friend saw over 50 years.

'The most striking parts of his personality? His humility, his absolute love of what he did  at one point, he says, I would not want to go on living if I didnt have my work  and his ability, through that extraordinary mind, to see the universe in a perspective that is beyond the rest of us.'

The lot will go under the hammer at the Valuable Books and Manuscripts sale on 12 July 2017 at Christie's in London, with some letters being sold online.
Premier Inn fears it has fire trap cladding on three of its newest hotels as the scandal spread from tower blocks today.

The hotel giant is 'extremely concerned' about Grenfell Tower-style panels at its buildings in Brentford, Tottenham and Maidenhead, which was opened by Prime Minister and local MP Theresa May in 2015.

Until now, fears over cladding have centred on high-rise council flats, but the safety concerns are now reaching beyond the housing sector.

The hotel chain said that the aluminium composite cladding on its hotels in Berkshire and London did not appear to comply with government guidance for tall buildings.

Premier Inn fears it has fire trap cladding on three of its newest hotels (pictured in Maidenhead) as the scandal spread from tower blocks today.

In 2015 Theresa May performed the opening ceremony at the Maidenhead Premier Inn now at the centre the latest cladding safety alert

Premier Inns in Brentford and Tottenham also have cladding the hotel giant described as 'extremely worrying'

PM hailed Premier Inn 'with Grenfell Tower cladding' as a 'clear vote of confidence' as she opened 10m hotel Theresa May performed the opening ceremony at one of the Premier Inns at the centre the latest cladding safety alert. As local MP she opened the 10 million hotel at Maidenhead, Berks, in November 2015. Opening the 124-bed hotel the MP described it as a vote of confidence in the area which is seeing extensive town centre development ahead of the opening of Crossrail in two years time. And at the ribbon-cutting ceremony she revealed she often stayed in Premier Inns while involved in campaigning at by-elections. The company revealed concerns about cladding used in the construction of three of its hotels - although it said it did appear to be a less flammable type than that used at Grenfell Tower Advertisement

However they did stress that it did appear to be a less flammable type than that used at Grenfell Tower, according to BBC Newsnight.

They said an independent expert has assured them that the hotels were safe to stay open given their 'robust' safety measures including fire detectors and smoke alarms in every room.

The hotels do not operate a 'stay put' policy and have multiple means of escape.

Premier Inn has over 750 hotels across the UK. An online policy states: 'Fire safety is of paramount importance and, as a minimum, we aim to comply with legislative requirement and relevant British Standards relating to fire safety.

'We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to protect our Team Members, guests, visitors and those in the vicinity of our hotels from the effects of fire.

'In doing so we will concentrate on fire prevention measures designed to eliminate or reduce fire hazards in our hotels, thereby reducing the likelihood of a fire occurring.'

Construction company director Bahram Bahramie, 62, one day into a four-night stay at the Maidenhead hotel.

He said: 'They need to start work immediately and make sure it is safe.

'This is the third time I've stayed at this hotel in the last month and it did made me think [about staying again in the future] when I saw it on the news.

Ascot-goer Simon Weadon, 51, from Brighton, Sussex, was just dropping checking in before heading off for a day at the races and was pleased that hotel chain were being proactive.

'I like how Premier Inn has already stepped forward and are telling us about it,' he said. 'It's comforting that they have accepted it straight away.

'Unlike the authorities involved in the London tower they've come straight out with it. It would be concerning if they didn't do anything but they have so I'm fine with it really.'

The revelations come as 11 high-rise buildings in eight local authority areas have been found to be covered in combustible cladding following safety tests.

Thousands of people may have to be evacuated from death- trap tower blocks after tests showed they are clad in flammable material.

Workmen in Wythenshawe, Manchester, where panels of cladding are being tested

Councils and private firms around the country are having building materials examined

Councils were braced for what could be one of Britain's biggest peacetime evacuations after the tests confirmed cladding blamed for the devastating Grenfell Tower blaze has been fitted to other blocks across the country.

Downing Street said 600 tower blocks in England have been fitted with cladding of some sort. Tests finally began yesterday.

In a letter to MPs last night, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said 11 tower blocks in eight local authority areas had been found to be fitted with flammable cladding. The blocks are in local authority areas including Camden, in London, Manchester and Plymouth.

But the remaining tests will take at least a week to complete, leaving tens of thousands of people living in fear.

Theresa May told MPs that councils would be expected to find alternative accommodation for those in death-trap blocks, adding: 'We cannot and will not ask people to live in unsafe homes.' She added: 'I know many others living in tall residential buildings will have concerns about their safety after what happened at Grenfell.'

Work has stated to remove cladding on the Burnham Tower in Camden (pictured, with missing panels bottom right) - one of five on the Chalcot estate needing emergency work

Scaffolders started to remove cladding at the Chalcot estate in North London as emergency work began today

But there was confusion last night after the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) issued advice to councils saying residents could remain in their homes while the cladding is removed, provided 'mitigating measures' are taken, such as banning barbecues on balconies.

Terrified residents living in affected blocks last night said they could not sleep for fear of being caught in a repeat of the deadly Grenfell blaze.

In other developments:

London Mayor Sadiq Khan demanded the resignation of local Tory council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown, saying there was 'no confidence at all' in his leadership.

The PM pledged criminal action if the law had been broken, saying: 'There will be nowhere for any guilty parties to hide.'

It emerged that Grenfell victims were treated for cyanide poisoning  believed to have come from burning insulation panels.

But ministers were facing questions last night about why it had taken eight days to begin testing to see if other tower blocks are fitted with potentially deadly cladding. Mr Khan said: 'I have been calling for eight days now for maximum transparency.

'From the very first task force meeting I attended I said we have got to provide the reassurance that people need because, not unreasonably, if you live in a tower block you are worried, if you have got friends and family who live in a tower block you are worried.' Three high-rise tower blocks in Devon have been found to be clad in the same combustible material as Grenfell Tower.

Occupants of the 16-storey Lynher, Tamar and Tavy buildings in Plymouth were told of the potential fire risk to their buildings yesterday. The council said that the towers will now be monitored around the clock by fire safety teams. Meanwhile local MP Luke Pollard said he wanted the blocks 're-clad urgently'.

Cladding being removed from high rise tower blocks in Barnet, London, which has the same outer panels as the Glenfell tower

These three high-rise tower blocks in Plymouth, Devon, have also been found to be clad in the same combustible material to the Grenfell Tower in London - and have had security teams installed

Meanwhile it emerged yesterday that at least three victims of the Grenfell Tower inferno were treated with an antidote for cyanide poisoning after inhaling deadly fumes from the fire.

King's College Hospital said three of the 12 patients it received were treated with the hydrogen cyanide antidote Cyanokit.

The news appeared to confirm fears that insulation boards fitted to the exterior of the 24-storey tower block emitted the highly toxic gas when set alight.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Government had to step in and fund safety work and evacuations. Mr Corbyn told MPs councils faced 'a huge job of work, and when the Prime Minister says that those people who are in danger must be moved out of their properties  this is a massive undertaking and a huge focus of Government resources will have to go into it.'

Mr Corbyn said the public inquiry ordered by the Government must identify those who 'let down (Grenfell residents) both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand'.

The Government was unable to say how many privately-owned tower blocks or office buildings may also be affected. Last night it emerged that every tower block in Birmingham will be fitted with a sprinkler system regardless of whether the Government will pay.

The leader of the city council John Clancy said the city's 213 blocks would get the systems at a cost of up to 31million  and would be assessed for other measures. Mr Clancy has written to the heads of nine of Britain's other big city councils urging them to support his calls for the Government to offer financial assistance to fire-proof high-rises.
A former NRL star and father of four girls has spoken out in surprising support of Pauline Hanson's controversial calls to remove autistic children from mainstream classrooms.

Shaun Berrigan, an ex Brisbane Broncos player, has an autistic daughter named Imogen, and says he agrees with Senator Hanson's divisive comments about separating autistic students from the rest of the school.

The 38-year-old claims children on the autism spectrum have behavioral issues and therefore take the attention of the teacher away from others.

Shaun Berrigan (pictured), an ex-Brisbane Bronco's player, has an autistic daughter named Imogen (pictured), and says he agrees with Senator Hanson's divisive comments on separating autistic students from the rest of the school

The father-of-four (pictured) also believes autistic children should be educated in specially designed programs 'as they are usually too smart to prosper in our current special school systems'

Pauline Hanson's (pictured) controversial calls to remove autistic children from autistic classrooms drew the ire of many

'School teachers shouldn't have to deal with these issues and are not equipped with the skills set to help them,' Mr Berrigan wrote in the Courier Mail.

'Autistic children learn differently and they require professional help, behavioural therapists and child psychologists. This is indisputable fact.'

The father-of-four also believes autistic children should be educated in specially designed programs 'as they are usually too smart to prosper in our current special school systems'.

'The difficult thing with understanding autistic kids is they are all different. In mainstream schools it's only a matter of time before they're bullied and picked on,' he added.

Mr Berrigan acknowledged the way Pauline Hanson presented her thoughts in parliament may have seemed insensitive, but agrees with the backbone of her argument.

'The difficult thing with understanding autistic kids is they are all different. In mainstream schools it's only a matter of time before they're bullied and picked on,' Mr Berrigan (pictured) added

Mr Berrigan acknowledged the way Pauline Hanson (pictured) presented her thoughts in parliament may have seemed insensitive, but agrees with the backbone of her argument

He says her stance on autism education has paved a way for parents of autistic children to speak up about what it is really like to raise a special needs child.

The former athlete is one of few public figures to agree with Senator Hanson's contentious comments, while other prominent people expressed outrage.

The Project host Waleed Aly - who also has an autistic child - told the Carrie & Tommy Radio Show it was not an effective solution to remove special needs students and slammed her for lumping all autism sufferers into one category.

'The experience of autism is so diverse that you can't possibly categorise it in this way,' he said.

'It's when you lump everything together and try to turn everything into a problem that is to be solved somehow or quarantined from things that are not a problem, that's when I think life starts to get difficult for people.'

The Queensland Senator made the remarks during a speech confirming she will help to pass the Federal Government's $18.6billion school funding package.

The Project host Waleed Aly (pictured) - who also has an autistic child - told the Carrie & Tommy Radio Show it was not an effective solution to remove special needs students and slammed her for lumping all autism sufferers into one category

The Queensland Senator (pictured) made the remarks during a speech confirming she will help to pass the Federal Government's $18.6billion school funding package

'These kids have a right to an education by all means - but if there's a number of them, these children should actually go into a special classroom, looked after and given that special attention,' she said.

'Most of the time, the teacher spends so much time on them they forget about the child who wants to go ahead in leaps and bounds in their education, but are held back.

She continued on to say people needed to be 'realistic' and 'get rid of those people' to help the other children.

'It's no good saying we have to allow these kids to feel good about themselves and we don't want to upset them and make them feel hurt,' she said.

'We have to be realistic at times and consider the impact that it's having on other children in the classroom.

'We need to get rid of those people because you want everyone to feel good about themselves.'
Bali jail escapee Shaun Davidson claims he has fled Indonesia for the European party city of Amsterdam.

The Perth-born bandit and three other prisoners escaped the notorious Kerobokan prison in Bali on Monday through a tiny tunnel burrowed underneath the jail walls.

And now Davidson claims he has managed to get very far away from home in the space of a few days.

He posted a series of updates to Facebook late this week, his first post claiming he was 'living the dream' in the Netherlands capital.

Fled to Amsterdam? Shaun Davidson (pictured) is wanted in Perth, charged with four offences including possessing methamphetamine and cannabis for sale or supply

That's not near Kerobokan? Shaun Davidson checked into Amsterdam late this week - days after he disappeared from his Bali jail

His second post featured a group photograph of several men and women wearing singlets at the Club Air nightclub.

'Closing time where's all the ladies at', Davidson then wrote.

The fugitive wasn't seen in the picture.

The updates were posted just for Davidsons friends but were provided to Daily Mail Australia by a source on Friday afternoon.

It comes after two of Davidson's accomplices were discovered at a luxury resort in East Timor on Thursday.

Bulgarian national Dimitar Nikolov Iliev and Indian man Sayed Mohammed Said were caught at the four-and-a-half star Novo Turismo in Dili.

But Davidson and fellow escapee, the Malaysian man Tee Kok King, were no where to be seen.

The two men were arrested more than 2,000km from the jail they escaped from

Bulgarian national Dimitar Nikolov Iliev and Indian man Sayed Mohammed Said were caught at Novo Turismo in Dili East Timor (pictured)

The Australian also garnered support from strange quarters on Friday, with Perth property tycoon James Tee taking to Facebook in support of Davidson.

Tee, well-known for his flamboyant image, congratulated the fugitive in a series of posts and comments online.

'Well done Rage!!! Haha,' he wrote, using Davidson's nickname. 'A round of applause for Shaun Rageone Davidson!'

James Tee (pictured) used Davidson's nickname 'Rage' and told him to sell his story for cash

Tee also mocked the Indonesian police, and the Bali Nine drug smugglers.

'He'll well and truly be beyond Indonesian jurisdiction now. The dopy (sic) Indo cops can forget looking for him.

'If only the Bali 9, oops I meant Bali 7 was as smart?! Ahhhhhhhahaha.'

The prisoners were said to escaped through the muddy passage which is about 50cm by 75cm wide and 12 metres long.

The tunnel travelled underneath the prison wall and emerged at a road running along Kerobokan.

(From left to right) Dimitar Nikolov Iliev from Bulgaria and Indian man Sayed Mohammed Said were caught in East Timor on Thursday but Shaun Davidson and Tee Kok King from Malaysia are still on the run

It is believed the men used a fork and a bucket to construct the tunnel (seen here being drained on Tuesday) and make their escape

One of the discovered East Timor prisoners, Dimitar Nikolov Iliev, 43, was serving a seven-year term for money laundering.

Meantime, Said, 31, was in the midst of a 14-year sentence for drugs.

Davidson was serving a one-year prison sentence for using another person's passport. He was due to be released in August.

He was also wanted in Perth, charged with four offences including possessing methamphetamine and cannabis for sale or supply.

Tee Kok King, 50, was understood to be serving seven and a half years for drug offences.
Pilgrims in Honduras are flocking to a woman's home after an image of Jesus Christ 'miraculously' appeared imprinted on a flour tortilla, it has been reported.

Housewife Iris Suyapa Caceres Castellanos said she was sitting down for dinner with her niece when they opened a bag of tortillas and came across the 'divine apparition'.

Ms Castellanos said she 'felt something coming into my body from the soles of my feet' when she saw the Son of God burned in the centre of the flatbread on Wednesday night.

Pilgrims in Honduras are flocking to a woman's home after an image of Jesus Christ 'miraculously' appeared imprinted on a flour tortilla (pictured), it has been reported

Since the 'miracle' her house in the La Sidra community of Danli in eastern Honduras has received hundreds of believers from all over the country who have come to witness the apparition.

She told the El Heraldo newspaper she believes the appearance is a 'call from God for young people to come close to Christ. I feel excited and blessed. I believe it is the image of God that I can see.'

She has now placed the miracle tortilla in a glass jar alongside other religious objects on a special altar in her front room, where people come to receive a blessing.

One astounded pilgrim, Olga Marina, 71, said: 'You look at the little eyes, the little mustache and his hair, and a wheel that has formed around the outline this image in the tortilla, can you imagine? It's a miracle.'

Housewife Iris Suyapa Caceres Castellanos said she was sitting down for dinner with her niece when they opened a bag of tortillas and came across the 'divine apparition'

Ms Castellanos, who has a snack bar in the local council building, told local media she and her niece were about to make traditional dish 'baleada' when they opened a pack of tortillas made by Melissa, the local tortilla seller.

She said: 'We were ready to have dinner when my niece opened the bag of tortillas.

'She screamed when she saw the image and gave it straight to me, because she had opened it in my house.

'She said she has compared the image to the face of Jesus which appears in the Mormon Bible and believes it is identical.

Ms Castellanos said she 'felt something coming into my body from the soles of my feet' when she saw the Son of God burned in the centre of the flatbread on Wednesday night

Ms Castellanos said she now wants to preserve the miracle tortilla 'so I can have it for the rest of my life. It is a blessing for all my family, especially for my niece who was allowed to find it first.'

It is not the first time the image of Jesus has appeared in the unlikeliest places.

Earlier this year the image of Christ is believed to have appeared in a tree trunk in the town of General Las Heras in Argentina, with thousands flocking to the site to receive a blessing.

Pictured, a vintage illustration of Jesus Christ, published in Germany, circa 1900

In 2015 the face of Jesus appeared in the side of a hill after the landslide in the San Francisco area of Putumayo, Colombia.

Local landowners cashed in on the 'miracle' by charging visitors to view it.

And in 2010 nurse Alex Cotton, from Coventry, believed she received a sign from God after a picture of Jesus appeared on her drainpipe.

She said: 'Some people can see him straightaway and other people can't. I guess it's just a matter of faith.'
The irate Jeremy Corbyn fan who was thrown out of Question Time by David Dimbleby is a self-styled 'Tory-buster' whose week started badly when neighbours claim they called police on him after a row.

Heckler Steve German  dubbed 'Mr Tumble' by Twitter users due to his colourful shirt - stood to be a Socialist MP and believes the Queen is a 'parasite' who should be removed from the throne.

Last night he was ejected by Mr Dimbleby for yelling 'Theresa May is a zombie prime minister' as Justice Secretary David Lidington and others tried to speak.

Neighbours say Mr German was in a bad mood ahead of Question Time - following a row with a fellow Taunton resident in which police were called.

Heckler Steve German stood to be a Socialist Party MP in Taunton collection 118 votes in 2015 and is believed to be the first person to be thrown off Question Time, during last night's show

Heckler Steve German was ejected by David Dimbleby for yelling 'Theresa May is a zombie prime minister' as Justice Secretary David Lidington and others tried to speak

Locals say he had a dispute with a neighbour over children playing football, which then turned 'ugly'.

The children in the quiet street were allegedly playing football in the road - much to the annoyance of Mr German.

They claim last Saturday afternoon Mr German came out and scolded the children, who returned home and told their mother.

Dani, the neighbour who claims she was involved in the dispute with Mr German said she was 'not surprised' thrown off thee BBC show.

'It does not surprise me he was kicked off the show,' the 28-year-old caterer said.

'He came round knocking on my door after my little one kicked a ball over the fence. He got his camera out and started recording me.

'I said, "I've had enough of you." I'm a single woman on my own. He has shut himself in his house and will not come out after I called my dad round to have a word.

'He will happily shout at me but not when a man comes down.'

Mr Dimbleby lost his patience and said: 'I think you ought to leave, you know' - sparking wild cheers - he swung his bag over his shoulder and walked out

According to neighbours, Mr German annoyed Dani by using his phone to film her - and eventually, police were involved.

'He can get vociferous,' said one neighbour, who didn't want to be named.

'I think what happened in the neighbourhood might have a direct bearing on what happened on Question Time.

'We had a problem with kids in the neighbourhood kicking a football.

'He [Mr German] shouted at them. It was nothing abusive but he might've said something like, 'you horrible kids'.'

'We thought it was all over then a man arrived and was shouting [at Mr German].

'It escalated and two police cars arrived.'

In the aftermath of his ejection people on social media named him as Steve German from Taunton - and viewers also poked fun at his loud shirt

Another neighbour said: 'The trouble with Steve is he gets out his phone and starts filming straight away. That's confrontational.

'He gets over-excited. He won't back down. He believes in justice and fair treatment. It turned very ugly.

'She [Mr German's neighbour] is stirring it. I would not blame Steve. He did nothing out of hand. He was not out to cause trouble.'

Neighbours revealed Mr German is a recent neighbour and lives with girlfriend Jacqueline.

'He likes to talk,' said one. 'It's impossible to have a five minute conversation with him.'

Mr German has been cooped up in his girlfriend's house ever since - and now rarely leaves, residents say.

Mr German, a prolific Facebook user, revealed he is a Corbyn fan - but he has repeatedly criticised some Labour politicians for not being left-wing enough.

Photographs show him posing with the Socialist Worker in front of David Cameron giving a toast at a black tie event or on various picket lines.

Heckler Steve German stood to be a Socialist MP and believes the Queen is a 'parasite' who should be removed from the throne

On social media he appears to praise the 1917 Russian Revolution and the fall of the Tsar posting a number of pictures of Lenin and other Soviet communists.

He also offered friends a 20 per cent discount to attend a Trotskyism Today event on the 76th anniversary of his murder and 'debate on socialist ideas to change the world!'.

There are also a number of posts criticising the monarchy and the Queen, who he branded a 'parasitical' and not a 'harmless relic'.

His post said: 'Under a socialist society, there would be no place for these parasitical, ancient symbols of privilege'.

He also posts a number a number of anti-Tory posts including one 'Tory-buster' poster liked by friends.

He has now found fame after apparently becoming the first audience member ever to be thrown off Question Time.

At various points during the show he interrupted panelists to brand the Tory Government illegitimate and called Theresa May a 'zombie PM'.

He branded Gina Miller a Tory and shouted 'tax the rich' as the millionaire Remainer spoke.

He also yelled: 'Jeremy Corbyn has proven that anti-austerity policies are popular! The Tories and the Blairites lost that election.'

But as Minister David Lidington attempted to reply to him, the audience member merely heckled the newly-appointed Cabinet member.

Mr Dimbleby warned: 'I know you have your views. You're one person in an audience of 150, I don't want you taking over this programme. He's speaking, let him speak.'

For the first time in the evening, Mr German did not put up a fight, slinging a black satchel over his shoulder and heading down the steps

But Mr Lidington continued his struggles to get a word in edgeways as he tried to defend the Government's early teething problems, with the man now demanding to 'tax the rich'.

A riled Mr Lidington retorted: 'The corporation tax yield has gone shooting up since the government reduced the rates of corporation tax, providing more money for the National Health Service, schools, social care and the other public services - please show a bit of financial literacy.'

The final straw for Mr Dimbleby, 78, came when the man shouted: 'She's a zombie Prime Minister.'

The presenter, clearly frustrated by this point, told him: 'I think you ought to leave, you know'.

Mr German's ejection from Question Time sparked a large number of comments of social media

For the first time in the evening, the man did not put up a fight, slinging a black satchel over his shoulder and heading down the steps without the need for any security to get involved.

His comments clearly had not gone down well with his fellow members of the crowd, who whooped and applauded as his trudged his way off the set.

Some commented on how despite his outspoken views he didn't put up any fight and quickly left the set.

And the man was the talk of social media after the incident, with questions being raised as to whether his ejection was a Question Time first.

One Twitter user said: 'First time I've ever seen someone evicted from Question Time! Ooh the shame!! Good on Dimbles tho. Legend'

Another added: 'Never seen anyone been asked to leave on before. First time for everything.'

MailOnline has attempted to contact Mr German for comment.
An off-duty policeman who came to help other officers when he heard gunshots outside his home was shot by a fellow cop.

St. Louis police initially said the officer, who is black, was shot by another cop - who is white - in an incident of 'friendly fire' during a shootout with suspects.

Pictured: Interim Police Chief Lawrence OToole, who said the off-duty officer was shot in the arm during the incident

But Interim Police Chief Lawrence OToole has now said the off-duty cop was shot in the arm in a later incident after a uniformed officer failed to recognize him.

The officers were pursuing suspects near the North Point area of the city on Wednesday night after a vehicle was stolen and police were fired upon as they gave chase, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Two men aged 17 have since been charged with dozens of felonies, including first-degree assault, armed criminal action and motor vehicle tampering.

Now the lawyer of the 38-year-old wounded officer has said the case shows there is 'this perception that a black man is automatically feared'.

Rufus J. Tate Jr., speaking to Fox 2, added: 'This is the first time that we are aware that a black professional in law enforcement [has] himself [been] shot and treated as an ordinary black guy on the street. This is a real problem.'

'This has been a national discussion for the past two years.'

The incident unfolded when cops recognized a stolen vehicle, pursued it and were shot at by its three occupants.

The cops pulled back but kept up their pursuit until the car crashed and the driver and passengers fled.

Two police officers then shot at the suspects, hitting one in the ankle, before the off-duty officer emerged from his home with his official gun.

There have been numerous protests against the police in Missouri since the death of Michael Brown, who was shot by an officer in Ferguson in 2014. Pictured: An activist holds up a sign during a protest

According to a police summary. he was initially ordered to lie on the ground - which he did - before being recognized as a cop.

When he began walking towards the uniformed officers, another cop emerged and, not recognizing the off-duty cop, fired at him once.

The man, who has been a cop for 11 years, was sent to hospital but released yesterday.

The Force Investigative Unit is now reviewing the event.
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An iconic Second World War fighter aircraft which crash landed as it tried to rescue Allied troops has taken to the skies for the first time in nearly 80 years.

The Mk 1 Hawker Hurricane thundered through the skies after taking off at Elmsett in Suffolk following a 2 million restoration project and some 25,000 hours of highly-skilled labour.

In May 1940, the Hurricane of 245 Squadron took off from Kent with Pilot Officer Kenneth McGlashan at the controls, before being shot down on a Dunkirk beach.

But now the distinctive sound of the P2902 with its Merlin engine is set to thrill aviation and history fans at air shows across the country.

The Mk 1 Hawker Hurricane glistened as it thundered through the skies after taking off at Elmsett in Suffolk following a 2 million restoration project and some 25,000 hours of highly-skilled labour - after being discovered beneath the sea more than 20 years ago

In May 1940, the Hurricane of 245 Squadron took off from Kent with Pilot Officer Kenneth McGlashan at the controls. He was heading for the French coast to provide air cover for the armada of small ships collecting trapped Allied troops from the shore as the Germans swept across Northern France towards the Channel. But the aircraft was hit by fire from a Messerschmit 109 and the badly-injured pilot managed to bring the aircraft down in one piece

Eventually the downed fighter was washed out to sea and covered by the sand but in the late 1980's French fishermen complained their nets were being torn by an underwater obstruction - and discovered the sunken Hurricane. It was dredged up by enthusiasts and bought by Hawker Restoration who began work on the restoration six years ago

In 1940, Officer McGlashan was heading for the French coast to provide air cover for the armada of small ships collecting trapped Allied troops from the shore as the Germans swept across Northern France towards the Channel.

But the aircraft was hit by fire from a Messerschmit 109 and the badly injured pilot managed to bring the aircraft down in one piece.

McGlashan set fire it to prevent it falling into enemy hands before scrambling on board a paddle steam that took him and 2,000 troops back to Britain and safety.

Eventually the downed fighter was washed out to sea and covered by the sand but in the late 1980's French fishermen complained their nets were being torn by an underwater obstruction - and discovered the sunken Hurricane.

It was dredged up by enthusiasts and bought by Hawker Restoration who began work on the restoration six years ago.

At the controls as it took to the skies once more was Stuart Goldspink, one of the country's most experienced 'warbird' pilots, who has flown nine of the world's eleven Hurricanes restored by the Suffolk aero company.

Before a restored aircraft can get approval to fly again it has to undergo a series of rigorous checks and be fully examined by the Civil Aviation Authority. They then issue a permit to test and for the next few weeks the plane goes through a series of increasingly longer flights before we hand it over the new owner

At the controls as it took to the skies once more was Stuart Goldspink, one of the country's most experienced 'warbird' pilots, who has flown nine of the world's eleven Hurricanes restored by the Suffolk aero company. Stuart - whose day job is flying Boeing 757 and 767s around the world for a commercial airline - said: 'It is such a huge privilege to be able to fly a Hurricane'

The Hurricane, which belongs to an Essex-based company, will be based at Duxford near Cambridge which has become a centre for World War Two planes alongside the Imperial War Museum's aircraft collection and is now home to several other restoration and maintenance firms

Mr Goldspink added: 'It is an extraordinary experience to feel and know a little of what it was like for the thousands of brave young men who took part in World War Two. 'These aircraft have none of the flying aids that modern planes have which makes it a pure stick and rudder experience. The Hurricane is so responsive it feels alive and part of you'

HURRICANE: CHAMPION OF BATTLE OF BRITAIN Some 55 per cent of the 2,739 German losses were caused by the Hurricane. Here are some Hawker Hurricane facts: Introduced - 1937 Total number of planes built - 14,533 Wingspan - 40ft Engine - Rolls Royce Merlin 1,185hp at 21,000ft Max speed - 339mph Armament - 4 x 20mm cannons, 2 x 226kg bombs Number of Hurricanes at start of Battle of Britain - 2,309 Planes lost during Battle of Britain - 565 Advertisement

Mr Goldspink, whose day job is flying Boeing 757 and 767s around the world for a commercial airline, said: 'It is such a huge privilege to be able to fly a Hurricane.

'It is an extraordinary experience to feel and know a little of what it was like for the thousands of brave young men who took part in World War Two.

'These aircraft have none of the flying aids that modern planes have which makes it a pure stick and rudder experience. The Hurricane is so responsive it feels alive and part of you.'

Andrew Wenman of Hawker Restorations, formerly based at Milden but now at Elmsett, said: 'The project, as with all old aircraft, was challenging - spares are increasingly hard to source and we often have to manufacture the parts we need.

'Before a restored aircraft can get approval to fly again it has to undergo a series of rigorous checks and be fully examined by the Civil Aviation Authority.

'They then issue a permit to test and for the next few weeks the plane goes through a series of increasingly longer flights before we hand it over the new owner.

'Then we have to finish another Hurricane that belongs to a brain surgeon who wants a complete change in his life and intends to give up medicine to become an air display pilot.'

The Hurricane, which belongs to an Essex-based company, will be based at Duxford near Cambridge which has become a centre for World War Two planes alongside the Imperial War Museum's aircraft collection and is now home to several other restoration and maintenance firms.
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has urged all politicians to opt out of a pay rise, pledging to donate his own salary boost to charity.

Senator Roberts has sought advice from th egovernment on how he can opt out of a rise which will tip backbench federal MPs over the $200,000 mark in a week's time.

As many Australians struggle to meet rising costs of living with negligible wage growth, our politicians have been given pay increases of at least $4000.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, whose pay packet will rise from $517,504 to $527,852, has shied away from speaking out against the rise.

One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has urged all politicians to opt out of an imminent pay rise

'Maybe we have to get an opt-in or opt-out clause. It saves the taxpayer money and it also shows that we're fair dinkum about being accountable ourselves and responsible,' Mr Roberts told ABC.

'There are several things  we can consider donating it to charity or whatever.'

The July 1 two per cent pay rise, the first in 18 months, has been determined by the independent Remuneration Tribunal.

Politicians will also be awarded a tax cut once the deficit levy on Australia's highest income earners is lifted on July 1, lowering the marginal tax rate to 47 per cent.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told 2GB radio there was 'never a good time' to increase the pay of politicians.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said the process was independent, but he acknowledged it came at a time when hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers were about to get their penalty rates cut.

The Senator has already pledged to donate his own salary boost to charity

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, whose pay packet will rise from $517,504 to $527,852, has shied away from speaking out against the rise

'It's done at arm's length to take the politics out of it,' he said.

Asked whether he would accept the rise, Mr Shorten said: 'You could always give the money to charity.'

Senator Roberts said donating the money to charity would still cost taxpayers and the best option was no pay rise or opting out.

The increase also applies to judges and heads of government agencies.
A man found dead inside a car near Sydney's Maroubra beach was murdered, according to NSW Police, who say he was stabbed several times.

The 68-year-old's body was found in the back of a white Ford Laser that he had been living in, on Wednesday night.

A post-mortem examination on Friday concluded the man had died from several stab wounds, with homicide squad detectives now investigating 'a number of lines of inquiry'.

Police say a homeless man, whose body was found in a car outside a Sydney school was stabbed to death. The body was found on Wednesday night in the back of this white Ford Laser

The man, who locals described as an 'elderly chap', was repeatedly stabbed before the gruesome discovery was made by a passer-by. Police established a crime scene (pictured)

The man, who locals described as an 'elderly chap', was repeatedly stabbed before the gruesome discovery was made by a passer-by, according to Seven News.

Police said the dead man had multiple signs of injury but they are yet to discover a motive for the suspected crime.

On Thursday afternoon, two men were stopped and searched by police just metres from where the body was found, according to Seven.

Police reportedly seized a laundry basket and cordoned off a separate crime scene before seizing two cars for forensic testing.

Seven News understands the men were questioned about a State of Origin party held at an apartment close to where the man was found dead.

On Thursday afternoon, two men were stopped and searched by police just metres from where the body was found

Police reportedly seized a laundry basket and cordoned off a separate crime scene before seizing two cars for forensic testing

Maroubra locals have described the deceased as a kind man who kept mostly to himself.

'He was friendly, he really didn't have much to do with any people. He just slept in his car,' Todd McGarth told the network.

Anthony Reid told AAP he first noticed the man parked at the beach in January.

'He was an elderly chap, he was there most nights and some days just sleeping,' Mr Reid said.

'I got to Maroubra beach a lot, he would always back his car up there. All he had in his car were his blankets and pillows. I felt sorry for him.'

Mr Reid said he offered the man some money and blankets but the man politely declined and said he didn't need money. That was in April.

Sydney police are pictured line search a nearby park in Maroubra after the body was found

The hatchback was seen being towed around 7.30am on Thursday. Maroubra locals have described the deceased as a kind man who kept mostly to himself

'The last thing I said to him was ''don't let everyone know you have money'',' Mr Reid said.

A crime scene was established on Mons Avenue, which is about 200 metres from the beach near a park called Broadarrow Reserve.

Police Superintendent Karen McCarthy said the investigation was in its preliminary stages and she couldn't confirm the type of injuries the victim suffered.

She urged witnesses to come forward with information.

A crime scene was established on Mons Avenue, which is about 200 metres from the beach near a park called Broadarrow Reserve
Back in February, President Donald Trump asked U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVosand the rest of the cabinetto toss out regulations and guidance that was either burdensome or expensive for school districts, states, and colleges to implement. The idea was to get rid of regulations that are redundant, inhibiting job creation, or outdated.

So how is that going? DeVos and company issued a 66-page progress report on their efforts Thursday, saying that her department was looking at 150 regulationsimpacting everything from Title IX to student privacyand 1,677 pieces of policy guidance, impacting the Every Student Succeeds Act and other key laws. You can check out a long, long list of regulations and guidance that the department is looking at, starting on page 14 of the report.

The report doesnt mention any new regulations that are headed for the trashcan, although it does note that the Trump administration has already hit the pause button on Obama-era regulations that impact for-profit colleges .

And the report gives a little bit of a behind-the-scenes look at how, exactly, the department is going through this regulatory review and potential purge.

For instance, on page 12 of the report , you can find a list of the career staffers and political appointees who are on the regulatory reform task force. Its lead by Robert Eitel, a senior counselor to the secretary, as well as Elizabeth McFadden, the deputy general counsel for ethics, regulatory services. And it includes Jason Botel, the acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education; Ebony Lee, the deputy chief of staff for policy; Jim Manning, the acting undersecretary for education, and a host of others.

And the agency says it will be reaching out to advocacy groups for their feedback, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, and groups representing district and tribal leaders. The department has already asked the education community for its ideas of regulations and guidance to scrap, in a federal register notice published Wednesday .

All of these announcements on slimming down the departments regulatory role may come at a bit of an awkward time for DeVos & Company.

State leaders and their advocates say the department has overstepped its bounds in implementing ESSA. To clear things up, the department published its own guidance documenta list of frequently asked questions but some advocates say that didnt help much.

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Survivors of the Grenfell Tower blaze are being hit with parking tickets after they were moved to other London boroughs, it emerged this morning.

Hundreds of traumatised residents of the tower have been moved into hotels around the capital following the blaze which killed at least 79 people.

Volunteers have been left furious at how little the local council has done for them in the days after their homes were destroyed.

But it emerged today that, despite authorities offering little help in the aftermath of the fire, council parking wardens have been on hand to dish out swingeing fines at their new temporary homes.

Hundreds of those who survived the Grenfell Tower blaze have been left homeless and moved into hotels and temporary accommodation around London

But community leader Ertha Pound told Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway that some now face parking charges because their permits are not valid in other areas of the capital

They have been hit with tickets after moving into new accommodation because their parking permits are not valid in other areas.

Families will be given 20,000 for every person who died in fire An initial 20,000 will be given to the families of each person who has died or is declared missing presumed dead, The Charity Commission has announced today. Up to 10,000 will also be available for immediate distribution to each person seriously injured and requiring hospital treatment. Another 10,000 will also be given to every family from Grenfell as a 'fresh start' grant as they move into new permanent accommodation. Three of the major funds raising cash for those affected, the British Red Cross, K&C Foundation and the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund in collaboration with The London Community Foundation, have now come together with the London Emergencies Trust. It now holds 11.1million in donations. It has been agreed to consolidate some of the cash raised for the victims by the charities, with support and advice from the Charity Commission, to coordinate financial help for those affected. David Holdsworth, chief operating officer at the Charity Commission, said the British public have 'now donated millions to help the victims' of the fire. 'This collaboration, along with the first immediate distribution of funds from public donations, will help ensure clear, easy access to the help and support that those affected by this devastating tragedy so urgently need,' he said. Advertisement

The parking wardens' tactics were revealed by Queen's Park Community Councillor Ertha Pond, who has been helping with the response effort.

She told Good Morning Britain: 'Survivors have been put in accommodation and they've been given parking tickets because they've moved to another borough and their cars are in a different borough.

'They get tickets and they can't pay for parking.'

More than 130 people from the tower have been moved into hotels since the blaze. Another 100 who lived around the building are also in temporary accommodation.

It also emerged today residents of the west London tower block who are later given bigger homes could be subject to the removal of the spare room subsidy, branded a bedroom tax by critics.

Although the bedroom tax does not apply to people in temporary accommodation, it may to victims housed in permanent accommodation.

The Department of Work and Pensions said: 'We would advise that in these circumstances any requests for a DHP (discretionary housing payment) to meet rent shortfalls should be treated as a priority.'

Giles Peaker, a solicitor specialising in housing law, told Inside Housing that the Government will eventually have to find a longer-term solution.

'In the first place people should not be being put into properties where they would be subject to the bedroom tax,' he said.

'Any re-housing ought to be suitable, which would include affordability and the number of rooms.

'They would have a clear case for DHPs... but it's not a permanent solution.'

Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday said the tragedy will not be used to carry out immigration checks on those affected or on those providing 'vital' information to identify victims or to assist the criminal investigation into the fire.

Investigators are continuing to piece through the building as they look into the blaze

Mrs May said 'no stone will be left unturned' in the inquiry into the tragedy, adding: 'For any guilty parties there will be nowhere to hide.'

Mrs May told the Commons she expected the judge leading the public inquiry to bring out an interim report, and said: 'What I think we very much want to ensure is that when the judge takes charge of this inquiry that people feel, as I said earlier, that they can have full confidence in the inquiry and so we are taking steps to ensure that that's the case.'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the residents of Grenfell Tower were 'let down both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand' and that the public inquiry 'must establish the extent and by who'.

Mr Corbyn told MPs: 'At least 79 people are dead. It is both a tragedy and an outrage because every single one of those deaths could and should have been avoided.'
A man banned from driving for 100 years has been caught behind the wheel of a car on a Melbourne freeway.

Police say they were 'a bit taken back' when they stopped the 24-year-old Pascoe Vale man on the Westgate Freeway at Altona, in the city's south-west, on Thursday and discovered he was subject to a century-long driving ban.

A court date was arranged for the man, while his car - complete with a 'F*** The Police' sticker on the windshield - was impounded.

Police stopped a 24-year-old man on the Westgate Freeway at Altona, Melbourne (pictured), where they discovered he was driving despite being handed a 100-year driving ban

'Most times an administrative disqualification or suspension period (is) for non-compliance issues, such as fail to pay fines, undertake road safety courses,' police posted on Facebook on Friday.

'Usually once the person has complied, they are re-instated.'

The man will need to pay $1006 to get his car back - not that he'll be driving it any time this century.
Theresa May arrived at the summit venue with the UK's representative in Brussels Sir Tim Barrow today

Britain could face paying billions of pounds in damages to investors for leaving the EU single market, it has been claimed.

In a fresh challenge to Brexit, lawyers have warned that compensation could be due if company profits fall as we cut ties with the Brussels club.

The claims would be based on bilateral treaties between the UK and other countries that guarantee investors 'fair and equitable treatment'.

The government insists there would be any grounds for damages.

But Holger Hestermeyer, an international dispute resolution academic at King's College London and former staff member at the European Court of Justice, said the scale potentially far exceeded the 50billion 'divorce' bill being mooted by Brussels.

'The EU's so-called divorce bill has sparked much excitement,' he told The Times.

'It is insignificant, however, compared to the damages the UK might have to pay to investors if they successfully take the UK to court for damages they suffered because of Brexit.'

Britain has more than 90 bilateral investment treaties with countries such as Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

The treaties reportedly protect investors by guaranteeing them 'fair and equitable treatment'.

If the UK lost access to the EU single market as a result of Brexit, some lawyers argue, that would amount to a breach of the agreements.

More than 40 per cent of experts in investment law at a seminar entitled 'Can foreign investors sue the UK for Brexit?' agreed that they could.

Suzanne Spears, a partner at the specialist law firm Volterra Fietta which was involved in organising the event, told the newspaper: 'Any investor who invested in the UK probably assumed we'd stay in the EU.

The latest legal threat emerged as Mrs May attends a summit with EU leaders in Brussels today

Mrs May was given a warm welcome by counterparts including Emmanuel Macron (left) and Angela Merkel (centre)

'If you came to the UK for access to the EU single market and beyond it via the EU's free-trade agreements with other countries, that market was huge.'

Luis Gonzalez Garcia, who has represented the Mexican government in past cases, said: 'I expect investors to have a go even if they know their chances of a successful claim are slim. I expect many claims.'

But a spokesman for the Department for International Trade said: 'The government does not believe that the UK's decision to leave the EU will provide grounds for valid legal claims under our bilateral investment treaties.'
Facebook is launching a new program to combat extremist material online - but won't let spies read encrypted messages, it emerged today.

The social network will train non-governmental organizations to help them monitor and respond to extremist content and create a dedicated support desk to tackling radicals, the company has said.

But some say the moves do not go far enough, as the company is expected to deny British spies the ability to read encrypted messages on WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook.

Facebook has launched a new anti-terror scheme - but won't allow spies to view encrypted messages in WhatsApp, which is also owns

Following a string of terror attacks, the government has hit out at internet companies for not acting quickly enough to take down extremist online propaganda and fostering 'safe places' where extremists can breed.

Despite the new move, Facebook is expected to tell Home Secretary the firm will not allow security services to break into WhatsApp's 'end to end' encrypted messages, The Sun reported today.

MP Nigel Huddleston, from the Commons Culture Select Committee told the paper: 'Facebook know WhatsApp is the platform of choice for some of the darkest elements in our society.

'The public's mood on this has changed, and Facebook are on the wrong side of it.'

Tech giants have come under pressure to tackle extremist videos being shared online

Tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter insist they have employed thousands of people to take down hate speech and violent content over the past two years.

Security analysts say the efforts have dramatically reduced the use of these platforms for jihadist recruitment efforts, although more work needs to be done.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, said; 'There is no place for hate or violence on Facebook.'

Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg is expected to tell Home Secretary Amber Rudd spies cannot access WhatsApp messages

'We use technology like AI to find and remove terrorist propaganda, and we have teams of counterterrorism experts and reviewers around the world working to keep extremist content off our platform.'

Prime Minister Theresa May has sought to enlist British public opinion to force the US internet players to work more closely with the government rather than proposing new legislation or policies to assert greater control over the web.

Earlier this week, May urged fellow European Union leaders at a meeting in Brussels to join her in putting pressure on tech companies to 'rid terrorist material from the internet in all our languages'.

She called for the internet companies to shift from reactively removing content when they are notified of it, towards greater use of automatic detection and removal tools - and ultimately preventing it from appearing on their platforms in the first place.
A veteran LAPD cop was arrested by the chief of police over allegations he had sex with a 15-year-old cadet.

Police Chief Charlie Beck handcuffed Officer Robert Cain yesterday at the 77th Street Division.

The cadet in the case is herself under investigation after being suspected of joyriding in stolen patrol cars.

'I think it's important to send a message,' the chief said at a news conference, branding Cain's actions 'despicable.'

Scroll down for video

Pictured: Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck walks past a display board showing an image of Officer Robert Cain after a news conference yesterday

Pictured: LAPD officials stand near a board showing a pictures of Officer Robert Cain. Cain has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old cadet

Cain, 31, was booked on suspicion of having unlawful sex with a minor. It was unclear if he had an attorney.

Cain, a 10-year veteran, was the 77th Street Division's equipment room operator and was involved in checking out police cars and other items, Beck said.

'It's believed that he had knowledge of and has been involved in the unlawful use of police equipment, including cars,' Beck said.

Cain had no 'significant history' of disciplinary actions or use-of-force complaints, the chief said.

Pictured: Police Chief Charlie Beck speaks from a podium during the press conference. The 15-year-old cadet in the case is suspected of joyriding in stolen patrol cars

The teen had been a cadet for three months. Text messages on her cellphone led investigators to Cain, Beck said.

So far, it doesn't appear that anybody else in the cadet program or other police officers knew of the alleged relationship, which is said to have taken place outside of the station, but the investigation continued, Beck said.

The cadet program is open to 14- to 21-year-olds and provides free training in police work, LAPD values and physical fitness. About 2,300 youths are enrolled. Cadets can perform limited duties such as traffic and crowd control at public events but they are not sworn police officers and have no official authority.

The program has been under scrutiny since cadets last week led officers on wild pursuits around the city in stolen police cars that ended with two crashing.

Investigators said they used a vacationing sergeant's name to sign out the cars along with stun guns and radios.

Pictured: Los Angeles police officer Liliana Preciado sets up a display board showing an images of officer Robert Cain

Four other cadets - including the girl - were later arrested for allegedly riding along.

Beck has said some cadets made homemade police uniforms, impersonated police officers and made traffic stops but none of the drivers they pulled over were cited, handcuffed or had force used on them.

The stolen vehicles were taken from the 77th Street Division and the Central Division.

Beck suspended cadet programs at both divisions.

No other sworn officers or other cadets have been implicated in the cadet program scandal but an investigation continues and top detectives have been assigned, including some who worked on the infamous 'Grim Sleeper' serial murder case, Beck said.

'Obviously this is not the Police Department that I want to lead,' the chief said.
Bizarre video footage shows a teacher smashing up the confiscated mobile phones of students in China.

In an almost 'public execution' style, students from a secondary school in Guizhou were forced to watch their devices being completely destroyed on June 21.

According to the report, the parents fully supported the school's actions.

Hundreds of students were forced to watch their confiscated phones being smashed up

A teacher at the front of the playground can be seen using a tool to destroy the phones

In the footage posted to Pear Video, an adult in a military style suit can be seen holding what appears to be a hammer.

He repeatedly smashes a phone before standing on it and snapping it in half.

The man then pulls more devices out of the bag and begins again.

The students can be seen sat down and watching.

A female voice can be heard saying having a phone is against the rules

According to the report, parents of the students were supportive of the school's actions

In the background a woman can be heard saying: 'Any mobile phone brought into school against the rules will be soaked in water and smashed on the ground.'

The video has attracted many comments online.

One user wrote: 'This is the parents' hard earned money and you're smashing it?'

While another said: 'Robbery!'

And one user commented: 'I think this approach is wrong, because the students' mobile phones are bought by the parents and the school has no right to destroy the parents' financial items.'
Ofsted's school inspector Amanda Spielman will today condemn primary and secondary schools that place league tables above the education of their pupils

Ofsted's new schools inspector will today urge teachers to stop letting league tables get in the way of children receiving a proper education.

Amanda Spielman is to condemn primary and secondary schools that place league table results above the interests of pupils.

Ms Spielman will make her first major speech since the general election to argue that teachers are facing pressure to boost exam grades and that the real substance of education is dwindling.

'We should be ashamed that we have let such behaviour persist for so long', Ms Spielman will say at The Telegraph's Festival of Education.

'Most of us, if told our job depends on clearing a particular bar, will try to give ourselves the best chance of securing that outcome?'

The education watchdog boss is expected to encourage schools of the importance of broadening minds, enriching communities and advancing civilisation.

She will add: 'Inspections are about looking underneath the bonnet to be sure that a good quality education - one that genuinely meets the pupils' needs - is not being compromised'.

Ms Spielman is expected to encourage schools of the importance of broadening minds, enriching communities and advancing civilisation

The Department for Education has not immediately commented.

In March, Ofsted warned that a growing number of schools are entering pupils for non-academic qualifications to boost their performance data - despite such courses not being in the best interests of pupils.

It comes after Englands behaviour tsar, Tom Bennett, said behaviour in schools was not reflected accurately enough in official data captured by Ofsted.

In her first speech since the general election, the education watchdog boss will say: 'We should be ashamed that we have let such behaviour persist for so long'

Mr Bennett claimed inspectors often gain only very fleeting impressions through questionnaires, observing classes and discussions with staff and students.

He suggested some school leaders are masking issues as they attempt to come across well during inspections.

Mr Bennett told the BBC in March: Behaviour has not been taken seriously enough in the past, and the official data underestimates the extent of the problem in all schools.
French bus drivers have won the right to wear shorts at work after turning up in the searing heat donning skirts.

The male drivers in Nantes were sick of having to wear trousers in the sweltering French sunshine while their female colleagues were allowed to bare their legs.

As a protest, the men wore skirts during the heatwave - where the temperature behind the wheel of the buses topped 50C - and their bosses decided to relax the company's strict uniform policy.

The bus drivers posing up in their skirts and polo shirts as the temperature rises in France

Bosses said the drivers, pictured in their skirts, were not allowed to wear shorts to work

One driver Didier Sauvetre who is a CFDT union member told Presse Ocean: 'We envy women at moments like this.

'Given that skirts are an authorised outfit in the company, we are wearing skirts.'

The company, Semitan, was meant to review its policy on June 30, but nothing came of the meeting.

But after the drivers got their pins out, the changes were made.

Another union rep Gabriel Magner said: 'A modern outlook would allow us to wear long shorts from time to time. This is a form of discrimination. Women drivers can wear skirts, but not the men.

'In this heatwave, the temperatures are reaching close to 50C behind our windscreens.

'And given we have no air conditioning on our buses, it's unbearable.'

The drivers' bosses were meant to address the uniform police on June 30 but nothing changed despite drivers claiming the temperature was hitting more than 50C in their cabins

Eventually the bus company's chiefs buckled and allowed their drivers to wear shorts to work

Despite changing the policy, Semitan's president Pascal Bolo was less than impressed.

He said: 'It's difficult but it's only a few days in the year. We're not in Montpellier anyway.

'Equipping all the staff would have a huge cost and the new buses are all equipped with air conditioning, even in the cab.

'And my office is not air-conditioned either.'
Sick ISIS propagandists have called for more lone-wolf and vehicle attacks on the West in the final days of Ramadan.

The pro-jihadi Nashir News Agency published an image showing a car running over skulls along with the caption 'run them over without mercy'.

ISIS regularly uses its social media channels and anonymous messaging apps to call for attacks on the West, but the latest propaganda drive carries particular weight after a series of attacks across Europe.

Nashir News Agency, a pro-ISIS channel, has encouraged extremists to carry out more lone wolf and vehicle attacks on the West, saying 'run them over without mercy'

It comes after a spate of vehicle attacks in London, which began with the Westminster Bridge attack back in March while killed five

Four jihadis launched vehicle and knife attacks at Westminster Bridge and London Bridge in recent weeks, killing 13, while an attack on a mosque in Finsbury Park by Darren Osborne used the same ISIS-inspired tactics, killing one.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the actions of Parliament attacker Khalid Masood, and London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba after their atrocities were carried out.

Meanwhile a successful bomb attack at Manchester Arena by Salman Abedi, targeting young people attending an Ariana Grande concert, killed 22.

This week saw another two attempted bombings when Adam Dzaziri drove a gar packed with a gas canister and weapons at police on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba then launched a vehicle and knife attack on London Bridge and Borough Market (scene pictured)

The latest attack was carried out at Finsbury Park mosque, where Darren Osborne is accused of used the same tactics as the jihadis

Another jihadi, Oussama Zariouh, was shot dead by police while trying to carry out a suicide bombing on the subway in Brussels.

Zariouh and Abedi were known to have links to ISIS, while Dzaziri was raised according to the fundamentalist Salafi sect of Sunni Islam, which ISIS espouses.

Ramadan is a holy month of fasting in the Islamic calendar, in which good deeds are rewarded manifold, and bad deeds especially punished.

In ISIS's twisted interpretation of Islam, this means attacks on non-believers and apostates - which it considers 'good' - will be honoured many times over in the afterlife.
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Thousands of people who own a model of fridge-freezer which started the Grenfell Tower blaze are being urged to contact manufacturers Hotpoint amid safety fears.

The government ordered an urgent investigation into Hotpoint's FF175BP after police revealed it was the model which started the blaze which killed at least 79 people in west London.

Hotpoint's FF175BP model had not been subject to any product recall, but will now be examined by safety experts as part of a government-ordered review.

Consumer group Which? says all of the machines - of which 64,000 were made - should be recalled if found to be faulty, to tackle the concerns of the hundreds of terrified families who still have one.

Meanwhile workmen moved in to strip cladding from tower blocks around the country today as investigators revealed tiles and insulation on Grenfell House have not passed safety tests.

Scotland Yard said today it will consider 'every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards' and have seized documents and materials from a 'number of organisations'.

A Hotpoint FF175BP (like that pictured) started the blaze. Cladding from the outside of the building has failed safety tests

Hotpoint has issued this warning on its website, after the FF175BP was identified as the model behind the disaster

The Grenfell Tower blaze which killed at least 79 people was started by a faulty Hotpoint freezer, police have revealed today

Commenting on the investigation into the blaze, Met Police's DSI Fiona McCormack said today: 'What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests.'

Although the official number of people missing believed dead still stands at 79, police fear more were trapped inside the building and say they may never know the true death toll.

The fridge freezer was announced as the source of the blaze as:

At least 11 buildings across eight local authority areas in England have been found to have flammable cladding and at least 25 are believed to have aluminium composite cladding, like that which was fixed to Grenfell. Hundreds more are being tested.

Hotel chain Premier Inn said it has 'concerns' that cladding used on some of its buildings may not meet safety regulations, particularly hotels in Maidenhead, Brentford and Tottenham.

The Charity Commission announced an initial 20,000 will be given to the families of each person who has died or is declared missing presumed dead, from the money raised from numerous appeals.

It was confirmed a total of 151 homes were destroyed in the blaze, including 129 in the tower itself and 22 from nearby Grenfell Walk.

363 households have been placed in hotel accommodation in or as near to the Royal Borough as possible, 213 of which are from the cordon area which surrounds the tower.

Describing how the investigation was proceeding, DSI McCormack said today: 'We have been in Grenfell Tower, from top to bottom, last week.

'Next week we will be installing a lift to the outside of the building to assist. But our forensic search may not be complete until the end of the year.'

Have YOU got one the Hotpoint freezers? Hotpoint said 64,000 units of the same model as that which started the blaze were made between 2006 and 2009. However, the number in circulation would be lower given the time period involved. Anyone who believes they have one of the fridge-freezers is being urged to call the company's freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826 or visit hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer. Advertisement

As part of the investigation, teams listened to some 600 distressed 999 calls with 'terribly harrowing content'.

DSI McCormack added: 'Every complete body has been removed from the building. What we are dealing with now, as you can imagine in the intense heat, is a very distressing scene.

'What we haven't got is a picture of how many people might have been in there. That's the number in really worried about, that there might have been other innocent people in there.'

Repeating concerns from police commander Stuart Cundy about the scale of the task in identifying the victims, DSI McCormack added: 'There is a terrible reality that we may not find or identify everyone who died due to the intense heat.'

Hotpoint's FF175BP models were manufactured by Indesit between March 2006 and July 2009 and were sold for around 330 at the time. The models were discontinued in 2009 but thousands are thought to still be in use.

Alex Neill, from consumer group Which?, said: 'If it turns out that faults in this fridge-freezer caused the fire to start at Grenfell Tower, this raises serious questions about the safety of these products.

'If this model is found to be faulty, a full product recall must be implemented swiftly by the manufacturer so that any at risk products are removed from people's homes.'

Anyone who believes they have one of the fridge-freezers is being urged to call the company's freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826 or visit hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer.

Investigators have been piecing through the wrecked building since the disaster. So far, 79 people are said to have died

Photos take after the blaze showed the devastation caused inside the building, where temperatures reached 1000C

Scotland Yard said that tests carried out as part of the investigation show that tiles and insulation 'don't pass any safety tests'

The fire is understood to have started in a fourth floor flat. A resident of the flat, Behailu Kebede, raised the alarm and warned neighbours. His friends later told The Sun he felt terrible that people had died, although there is no suggestion he knew the fridge was faulty as no previous recall had been ordered.

The BBC reported that the fridge fire was extinguished by fire crews before they realised the flames had spread outside.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said today: 'The device is being subject to immediate and rigorous testing to establish the cause of the fire. I have made clear to the company that I will expect them to replace any item without delay if it is established that there is a risk in using them.'

Behailu Kebede raised the alarm and woke neighbours, potentially saving their lives, after the blaze started in his flat. There is no suggestion he knew the fridge freezer was faulty as it had never been the subject of a recall

The department advised consumers not overload plugs, ensure sockets are not damaged and to check cables and leads are in good condition.

According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), nearly one fire a day in the capital involves white goods. Its 'Total Recalls' campaign has called on the Government, manufacturers and retailers to make changes to improve safety.

One proposed measure calls for manufacturers to use metal rather than plastic to make the backs of fridges in order to protect flammable polyurethane insulation, which is used in most refrigeration, from components that could cause a blaze.

LFB has also called for a central register of product recalls, better publicity of faults and recalls, and greater regulation of secondhand appliances as part of its campaign.

Hotpoint have issued a statement saying they are working with the authorities but were 'unable to speculate on further details at this time'.

A Hotpoint spokesman said: 'We are addressing this as a matter of utmost urgency and assisting the authorities in any way we can. We will provide additional updates as our investigations progress.'

The Hotpoint spokesman added: 'Words cannot express our sorrow at this terrible tragedy. We offer our most profound condolences to the victims, those who have lost loved-ones, homes, and possessions, and to their friends and families.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with all those involved, including the emergency services who risked their lives to extinguish the blaze and rescue those in the building.'

Meanwhile, cladding from hundreds of high-rise buildings around the country are being tested by the government to see if they pose a fire threat.

Work is being carried out to strip material from a residential block in the Village 135 development in Wythenshawe, Manchester after concerns were raised about the cladding

Hotel chain Premier Inn has 'concerns' that cladding used on some of its buildings. Hotels in Maidenhead (pictured), Brentford and Tottenham have been investigated during an assessment

Islington Council today said cladding was to be removed from its Braithwaite House, one of eight blocks tested, after it was found to have aluminium composite material.

Test results from the other blocks, Harvist Estate and Brunswick Estate, are yet to be returned, a spokesman said.

Councillor Diarmaid Ward said: 'Last night we received results of tests on cladding on the side of Braithwaite House, and they have confirmed the presence of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM).

Hotpoint's tumble dryers were at centre of house blaze scandal Hotpoint was previously at the centre over a fire scandal over its tumble dryers. In November 2015, a national safety recall was announced covering millions of tumble dryers sold under the Indesit, Hotpoint and Creda brands. The manufacturer admitted that there had been at least 750 fires associated with the machines, some of which caused serious damage. The problem was caused by fluff accumulating in the filter, which is very close to the heating element on these models. Advertisement

'We're arranging to have the cladding, which is only on the sides of the building, removed as soon as we possibly can by a specialist contractor.'

Work is also being carried out to strip material from a residential block in the Village 135 development in Wythenshawe, Manchester after concerns were raised about the cladding.

Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG), which runs the block, said it was taking no chances and work to remove the material began yesterday afternoon.

In a statement WCHG said: 'Following the tragic events from the Grenfell Fire, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, working with the Greater Manchester Fire service, has conducted a comprehensive review of all ten tower blocks within Wythenshawe.

'We can confirm following early fire safety actions taken we have been able to detect that our Village 135 scheme has been identified as having 78 feature panels which are located in a small area of the overall development, works to remove these panels will commence today.'

Towers in Camden, Manchester and Plymouth are among the at-risk buildings, Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid said in a letter to MPs.

Camden Council has already begun removing cladding from five towers of up to 23-storeys on its giant Chalcot Estate over fears they are potentially dangerous.

But residents in the 721 flats will not be moved and fire wardens will be put there 24 hours a day to reassure locals and help in the event of a blaze.

The north London council looks set to sue contractor Rydon, who also carried out the Grenfell work, claiming 'the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned'.

Work has stated to remove cladding on the Burnham Tower in Camden today (pictured, with missing panels bottom right) - one of five on the Chalcot estate needing emergency work

Scaffolders started to remove cladding at the Chalcot estate in North London as emergency work began today

Three high-rise tower blocks in Plymouth, Devon, have also been found to be clad in the same combustible material to the Grenfell Tower in London.

Occupants of the 16-storey Lynher, Tamar and Tavy buildings in Devonport, Plymouth were told of the potential fire risk to their buildings. The towers will now be monitored round the clock by security teams.

Families will be given 20,000 for every person who died in fire An initial 20,000 will be given to the families of each person who has died or is declared missing presumed dead, The Charity Commission has announced today. Up to 10,000 will also be available for immediate distribution to each person seriously injured and requiring hospital treatment. Another 10,000 will also be given to every family from Grenfell as a 'fresh start' grant as they move into new permanent accommodation. Three of the major funds raising cash for those affected, the British Red Cross, K&C Foundation and the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund in collaboration with The London Community Foundation, have now come together with the London Emergencies Trust. It now holds 11.1million in donations. It has been agreed to consolidate some of the cash raised for the victims by the charities, with support and advice from the Charity Commission, to coordinate financial help for those affected. David Holdsworth, chief operating officer at the Charity Commission, said the British public have 'now donated millions to help the victims' of the fire. 'This collaboration, along with the first immediate distribution of funds from public donations, will help ensure clear, easy access to the help and support that those affected by this devastating tragedy so urgently need,' he said. Advertisement

Other councils across the UK have been ordered to provide samples of the cladding used on high-rises by Monday and these will be tested at a rate of 100 per day.

Barnet Council has warned that inspectors have found that three of its blocks have similar metal panels as the ill-fated Grenfell Tower, but say they are not combustible.

Residents at the 22-storey River Apartments in Tottenham, north London, have been sent an email saying the building has the same cladding as Grenfell Tower, it has emerged. The building is now being tested.

Meanwhile, Salford City Council has confirmed that nine of its tower blocks have cladding that is similar to the material used on Grenfell Tower.

Aluminium composite material is used on the recently refurbished buildings in Pendleton, with tests currently being carried out to check whether it is combustible.

The council said there will be extended patrols around the affected blocks, adding that 'all fire risk assessments' for the buildings are up to date.

The Scottish government has confirmed that no council-owned tower blocks north of the border are affected by the Grenfell Tower cladding, after local authorities across the country conducted checks on their properties.

Birmingham City Council said none of its 213 blocks used the cladding on Grenfell Tower, but announced that it will be installing sprinkler systems and other fire suppression measures in the wake of the tragedy.

Plymouth MP Luke Pollard was alerted to the worries over three blocks in the city last test results during a debate in the House of Commons on the Grenfell Towers disaster and left immediately.

He said: 'What residents will want to know is that the city council, Plymouth Community Homes and the Fire Brigade are working together to get the answers they need.

'What we need now is to make sure they conduct updated fire checks and provide information to residents and people who live nearby on what this means.

'After the terrible tragedy of Grenfell Tower, the residents are right to demand answers and that's what I and local councillors are asking for.

'It's reassuring that Plymouth Community Homes has acted so swiftly.'

The blocks in Camden, north London were refurbished with the cladding at a cost of 16 million. But in the aftermath of Grenfell warning posters have been put up in communal areas telling residents that the cladding is believed to be the same.

Today their worst fears were realised and tenants told MailOnline they cannot sleep at night due to concerns about the safety of their homes.

Cladding being removed from high rise tower blocks in Barnet, London, which has the same outer panels as the Glenfell tower

These three high-rise tower blocks in Plymouth, Devon, have also been found to be clad in the same combustible material to the Grenfell Tower in London - and have had security teams installed

Julia Mummolo, 24, a shop worker, said: 'Of course I am worried. I have been able to sleep since the fire at Grenfell. I'm trying to find somewhere else to live i can't stay here.

'I live on the 16th floor. I don't know how I would be able to get out if there were a fire.'

Abdulazuz Farah, 56, a community worker said: 'I am really worried for the safety of my family. This is the same cladding and itvwas put in by the same company.

'I live on the 17th floor. I don't know how we would get out. We are all really worried but we don't have anywhere else to live.'

Louise, 25, said: 'Everyone is worried but where else can we go? There is now here else for us to go.'

23-storey tower blocks in Camden were refurbished with the cladding at a cost of 16m now found to be dangerous - warning posters have been put up in communal areas telling residents

Another long term resident who asked not to be named added: 'My parents moved in here in 1969. There are no fire alarms, no fire extinguishers and no evacuation plan.

'Like lots of people I haven't been able to sleep at night after what happened at Grenfell. And to find out we have the same cladding well it's a scandal.'

Restaurant worker Muban Miah, 44, has lived in one of the five towers with his wife and son for the last eight years.

He said: 'People who live on the upper floors are very worried because they don't know what is going to happen.

'There are so many people living in their, young, old and families and who knows what is going to happen if there's a fire.

'We've been told it would take half an hour for a fire to spread from one flat to another. But after last week it is very worrying.'

Minicab driver Mohamed Nur, 42, who lives on the 16th floor with his wife and five children.

'Yesterday they came down to take a panel for testing and today we were told it was safe but they are going to change it.

'To be honest I never thought the cladding was safe because of the foam underneath. With what happened last week I am worried. Anything could happen if a fire starts.

'It is not the fire that kills you it is the smoke. After last week I've made sure I know all the exits. I always make sure my children know what to do if something happens. I worry about what will happen to my children.

'Whenever I hear a siren outside I always go to the window to check and see what is happening.'

Bob O'Toole, who lives at the Burnham tower block on the Chalcots Estate in Camdem, is among those who have been told the building failed a fire safety test

Mandy Ryan is a resident of Dorney House on the Chalcot Estate, Chalk Farm, north London, where work is being carried out

Camden Council has revealed its own independent tests show cladding on five up to 23-storey towers on its giant Chalcots Estate (pictured) is potentially dangerous and will be removed

Occupants of the 16-storey Lynher, Tamar and Tavy buildings in Devonport Plymouth were told of the potential fire risk to their buildings. The towers will now be monitored round the clock by security teams

Bob O'Toole, 62, has lived in one of the blocks for 15 years and is chairman of the residents association.

He said: 'After the fire last week. I was 99.9 per cent sure that our towers were safe. However we were told this morning that the cladding had failed the fire safety test.

'A lot of people were worried about it because there are a lot of families with young children living here, as well as elderly people and vulnerable people.

'The council has been up front with everyone about it and they have given people a lot of reassurance.

'The key is the council is going to do something about it and the important thing is to get the message out there to everyone.'

Blocks in Barnet, left, and Rivers Apartments in Tottenham, right, are believed to have similar or the same panels as Grenfell and some will be removed and tested

Camden Council will rip off the cladding from its Bray, Burnham, Taplow, Dorney and Blashford towers (pictured top left to bottom right) immediately and claim it was not to the specification they demanded

Engineer David Heaton, 56, was visiting his elderly mother who lives on the eighth floor, but did not want to be photographed.

He said: 'My mum's lived here for 42 years. She got dementia and I have to say it's very worrying to hear about the cladding.

'When Grenfell happened last week I was worried about what would happen if there was a fire.

'This is exactly the same sort of building but the next day my mum got letters from the council and her MP giving us assurances.

'It's good they are going to replace the cladding because it's better to be sure it's safe.'

Councils were told to provide the Government with details of the cladding used on high-rises by Monday and three samples were found to be combustible after tests on a 'small number' of specimens.

Flammable panelling on the outside of Grenfell Tower is suspected to have aided the rapid spread of last week's blaze, trapping dozens inside.

The Department for Communities and Local Government is coordinating the process and facilities allow for 100 samples a day to be tested. The fire service will also carry out checks at high risk buildings.

The Grenfell fire was caused by a faulty fridge in one of the flats - and the panels can be seen here exploding off the side

By mid morning on the day after the blaze, the aluminium plastic cladding could be seen charred and melted on the tower in west London

Cladding on the lowest levels of Grenfell survived the fire and can be cross-checked with the many other blocks across the country

Samples taken from the buildings failed Government tests to determine whether the cladding is combustible but that does not mean the tower blocks are unsafe, with that to be determined after more checks by the fire and rescue services, Theresa May's deputy spokesman said.

She said: 'Failing this test does not necessarily mean that your building may be declared unsafe.

Council officials inspected Grenfell Tower 16 TIMES The 10m Grenfell Tower refurbishment was inspected 16 times by Kensington and Chelsea council, but officials still failed to stop the use of deadly flammable cladding. The plastic panels that were fitted to the outside of the 24-storey tower block were blamed for the fire spreading from one fourth floor flat and engulfing the entire building. At least 79 people are believed to have died in the inferno. Survivors have said that Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, the Grenfell landlord, was warned repeatedly about fire safety between 2014 and 2016 when the refurbishment was going on. Inspectors failed to spot that the building was being clad in a materials effectively banned on tall buildings by the government despite viewing it more than 15 times. Kensington and Chelsea council told the Guardian that the first inspection took place on August 29, 2014 and the last was on July 7, 2016. The building inspectors, working for the Conservative-run council, then issued the project with a completion certificate. The high-rise went up like a match as the panels' plastic core burned ferociously. Advertisement

'It will be subject to further testing that is undertaken by the fire services to do that and if that is the case then we will be obviously working with local authorities and the landlords to make sure that nobody stays in a building that's proved to be unsafe.'

The Prime Minister revealed that tests in the wake of the Grenfell disaster had raised potential dangers in other buildings.

She insisted urgent steps were now being taken to ensure residents in those blocks were safe - and appealed for landlords who were concerned about their properties to come forward. Three samples are thought to have raised alarm, but the total number of buildings potentially affected is unclear.

The bombshell news came as the PM updated the Commons on the crisis, and again apologised for the 'failures' in the response.

She said an initial report on what caused the fire at Grenfell would be published over the next 48 hours.

More than 700,000 has been paid out to victims so far, who will not have be expected to repay the cash, and a central command centre has been set up to control the response, with more than 600 people working to support victims in the area.

Experts have pointed to the type of cladding used on Grenfell as a potential reason why the blaze was able to spread so rapidly. Tests have been carried out amid fears that many more properties could be subject to similar risks.

'Shortly before I came to the Chamber I was informed that a number of these tests have come back as combustible,' Mrs May told MPs.

'The relevant local authorities and fire services have been informed and as I speak they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe and to inform affected resident.

'Immediately after this statement the department for communities and local government will contact any MPs who constituents are affected.'

The Prime Minister announced that a probe into whether cladding in Grenfell Tower met fire safety regulations will be published in the next 48 hours.

Theresa May faced questions over whether the material had passed fire and building safety tests when the West London tower block had been refurbished.

Councils across Britain race to test their tower cladding Burnham residential tower on the Chalcots Estate, Camden, where cladding is being removed CONFIRMED CAMDEN The council is due to urgently remove cladding from five tower blocks on Chalcots Estate. The cladding was tested this week and, although different to that used in Grenfell, was found to be made up of 'aluminium panels with a polyethylene core'. The council has since said it will seek legal advice and accused contractors of fitting flammable materials below the commissioned standard. It also pledged round-the-clock fire safety patrols on the estate's corridors. DEVON Three high-rise tower blocks in Devon have been found to be clad in the same combustible material to the Grenfell Tower in London. Occupants of the 16-storey Lynher, Tamar and Tavy buildings in Plymouth were told of the potential fire risk to their buildings yesterday (Wed). Fire precautions at the buildings were checked urgently and the towers will now be monitored round the clock by security teams. MANCHESTER Wythenshawe Community Housing Group said 78 panels were being removed from a small area of the Village 135 development. Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) said: 'We can confirm following early fire safety actions taken we have been able to detect that our Village 135 scheme has been identified as having 78 feature panels which are located in a small area of the overall development, works to remove these panels will commence today.' ISLINGTON Islington Council said cladding was to be removed from Braithwaite House, one of eight blocks tested, after it was found to have aluminium composite material. Test results from the other blocks, Harvist Estate and Brunswick Estate, are yet to be returned, a spokesman said. Councillor Diarmaid Ward said: 'Last night we received results of tests on cladding on the side of Braithwaite House, and they have confirmed the presence of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). 'We're arranging to have the cladding, which is only on the sides of the building, removed as soon as we possibly can by a specialist contractor. BEING TESTED BARNET Barnet Homes, the council-owned company which runs 24 high-rise blocks in the borough, is reviewing safety in 10 blocks. Three blocks - Granville Point, Harpenmead Point and Templemead point - were reclad in 2012 and have similar panels to Grenfell Tower. They were inspected on Monday and the insulation materials were found to be non-combustible. The other seven blocks have different cladding to Grenfell but are being inspected as a 'precautionary' measure, the council said. NEWHAM Three of the borough's 88 tall buildings have so-called ACM cladding which could be a fire risk. The cladding on these three buildings is now being tested. A spokesman for the council said: 'Once the results are known, we will take whatever action is necessary to ensure our residents are safe. Rivers Apartments in Tottenham, north London, where a review is being carried out of the cladding 'We have already written to tenants and leaseholders in the three blocks explaining what is going on and will keep them informed of all developments.' HARINGEY The London Borough of Haringey owns 54 blocks over six storeys high. None of our blocks have the Reynobond aluminium cladding system that was used on Grenfell Tower. Rivers Apartments, a 22-storey block owned by a Housing Association, is being tested over fears it has the same cladding as Grenfell Tower. HOUNSLOW Only one of the borough's 35 high-rise buildings has the cladding of the type being tested. It is called Clements Court. A council spokesman said: 'We have now taken a sample of this cladding and submitted it to the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the DCLG as part of its national inspection exercise, which will examine the detail composition of the outer ACM aluminium cladding. Behind the cladding, however, the system is insulated with a 'rockwool' material which is a non-combustable product, and the installation of the system is solely external and did not interfere with the interior of the building. SUTTON The council has eight blocks in its borough - the highest of which is 16 storeys - and has pledged to undergo a 'comprehensive review of fire safety'. Two blocks have cladding but using different materials than what was used in Grenfell. WESTMINSTER Harley Facades, who refurbished Grenfell Tower, supplied the over-cladding at six tower blocks on the Little Venice estate, but the type of cladding used is different, with non-flammable insulation. As a precaution, urgent checks are being carried out on the cladding system and the way it was installed. The local authority has visited all 41 of its tower blocks to review their fire evacuation plans. HAVERING The council has no tower blocks which are higher than 14 storeys. Inspections are being carried out on the other blocks they have in the borough. SALFORD The council says nine of its tower blocks have cladding that is similar to the material used on Grenfell Tower. Tests are being carried out to check whether it is combustible. BELIEVED TO BE SAFE BARKING AND DAGENHAM There are four blocks in the borough which have cladding, but the council said it is not the same type as used on Grenfell Tower. CROYDON 16 cladded blocks have been found not to have been clad with the same materials as Grenfell Tower. However, they are being tested as a precaution. GREENWICH The council said that none of the 105 high-rise buildings in Greenwich are clad in the same way as Grenfell Tower. Grenfell's fire has led to councils across the UK testing if their cladding is dangerous HAMMERSMITH AND FULHAM The council owns three tower blocks which have cladding, but the materials used are different to Grenfell Tower. RICHMOND The council has two 15-storey blocks which have both been recently over-clad with fire resistant cladding. WANDSWORTH There are three blocks in the borough with cladding. The council is carrying out tests but officers are confident they are safe. DONCASTER Cladding different but 'capping' under windowsills is the same, so they are being checked and tests urgently taken. Statement from St Leger Homes: 'The cladding system we have used in Doncaster is an External Wall Insulation (EWI) Render System which is not the same as was used at Grenfell Tower. The core cladding system we have used is different to that used in Grenfell Tower. 'However, we are aware that a small capping detail under the windows of Silverwood House is similar to that used on Grenfell Tower. Whilst this minor capping work (not the window frames or external cladding) is a different make and supplier to that used in London, we are seeking expert advice and ensuring that extensive further testing is urgently undertaken.' NEWCASTLE Your Homes Newcastle, which manages 38 high rise blocks on behalf of the Newcastle City Council, has reassured tenants that the type of cladding used on the Grenfell Tower has not been used on any of its buildings. The council said it is still reviewing building regulation records for existing high rise residential buildings over 18m in height. They said the priority was 'to identify buildings which have been retrofitted with external cladding and to check if the cladding specified is 'aluminium composite material'.' LEEDS The council said there are 22 blocks with cladding but none are made from flammable material NOTTINGHAM They have 13 blocks, none of which use aluminium cladding LIVERPOOL Council said it is still investigating whether privately owned properties have the cladding  the council does not have any housing stock itself ROTHERHAM There is only one block, but it has no external cladding HARTLEPOOL There is only one council block, owned by social housing provide 13. Investigations are taking place to see what the situation is with the cladding WAKEFIELD None of the 2 high rise blocks  managed by company WDH - are clad with the aluminium panels. Statement said: 'Only five have had external wall insulation, which is not a cosmetic treatment and is fixed directly to the super structure, rendered with no air gap, is non-combustible and we have the relevant manufacturer's guarantees confirming the safety of all products used.' Advertisement

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said sprinklers should be fitted to all buildings immediately in the wake of the disaster

The House held a minute's silence yesterday for the victims of the devastating fire in North London last week - amid fears the final death toll could top 100

Calls were made for combustible materials to be banned in tower blocks during an urgent Commons statement on the deadly fire.

Mrs May said: 'My understanding is the fire service and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) - and BRE were there on the scene very early to look at this issue - they have been identifying the cause of the fire and any contributory factors to the fire.

'They are testing the cladding on the building and they expect to make the results of this public, I think in the next 48 hours.'

IS THE GRENFELL TOWER CLADDING ALREADY ILLEGAL? The 'combustible' cladding used on Grenfell Tower is understood to already be illegal on tall buildings in the UK. Speaking on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday, Philip Hammond said: 'My understanding the cladding in question - this flammable cladding that is banned in Europe and the US - is also banned here.' The Department for Communities and Local Government also confirmed that cladding with a flammable core was banned on buildings over 18metres high. A breach of building regulations is a criminal offence with unlimited fines. It is not yet clear whether other types of cladding found to be combustible are already illegal in the UK, as it depends on various factors, including the height of the building. The police chief leading the criminal investigation into the Grenfell Tower disaster has said that they will be looking at 'criminal offences that may have been committed by any individual or any organisation.' Commander Stuart Cundy said they would be investigating 'how the building was managed and maintained, fire safety measures in the building', as well as 'the construction and the refurbishment.' Advertisement

Responding to calls for a ban, Mrs May told MPs: 'What we need to ensure is that when the fire services, when the police have done their investigation, that any action that is necessary immediately as a result of the identification of the cause of the fire and the reasons why the fire took such hold - which is the issue that is of particular concern - then any action that is necessary is taken and it will be taken.'

Under pressure to introduce incentives for landlords to be given incentives to retro-fit sprinklers, she warned that 'in not all cases will it be the case that the retro-fitting of sprinklers is actually going to be the thing that makes the difference'.

Pressed to give further details about whether the cladding met building regulations, Mrs May asked MPs to remember that there was a criminal investigation under way.

She added: 'The testing of the cladding, the testing of the materials used is being undertaken and a statement will be made by the police and the fire service within the next 48 hours.'

Warnings that the insulation used in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment was flammable had been published on the website of its manufacturer.

Celotex confirmed that it supplied its RS5000 insulation for the 8.6 million renovation of the block.

According to details published online, the material 'will burn if exposed to a fire of sufficient heat and intensity'.

It has also been speculated that if a rain-proof layer had been added to the building a small cavity could have been created, which acted as a wind tunnel and accelerated the spread of the flames.

RS5000, according to Celotex's website, has a Class 0 rating under UK building regulations, meaning it has the highest rating for preventing the spread of flames and prevents the spread of heat.

However, its 'health and safety datasheet' notes: 'The products will burn if exposed to a fire of sufficient heat and intensity.

'As with all organic materials, toxic gases will be released with combustion.'

Design specifications suggest the renovation work carried out at Grenfell Tower included plans for a 50mm 'ventilated cavity' next to 150mm of Celotex FR5000 insulation, which also has a Class 0 rating.

Camden council confirmed cladding used on its Chalcots Estate in north London was to be removed after testing raised concerns about its safety.

Protesters today marched from Shepherds Bush to Parliament to demand justice for the victims of the Grenfell fire disaster

Tensions rose as demonstrators confronted police as they marched on Parliament in the 'Day of Rage' protest. There is widespread anger at the response of the government to the disaster

Theresa May, pictured being escorted by police out of St Clements Church when she visited it in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower blaze. Angry protesters had gathered outside and heckled the Prime Minister for her slow response to the tragedy

Councillor Georgia Gould, leader of Camden Council, said: 'The new results from the laboratory show that the outer cladding panels themselves are made up of aluminium panels with a polyethylene core.

'Therefore, the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned. In light of this, we will be informing the contractor that we will be taking urgent legal advice.

'Whilst we are clear that our cladding design and insulation significantly differs to that at Grenfell Tower, the external cladding panels did not satisfy our independent laboratory testing or the high standards we set for contractors.

'Camden Council has decided it will immediately begin preparing to remove these external cladding panels from the five tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate.

'Camden Council will do whatever it takes to ensure our residents are reassured about the safety of their homes.'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said sprinklers should be fitted to all buildings.

'I ask the government to make available emergency funds so that councils can carry out immediate fire safety checks and install sprinklers, and the timetable for that be made known to residents,' he said.

'There is obviously a huge cost involved in removing and recladding blocks which have flammable materials included in them.

'That money must be made available absolutely immediately because it is a huge job of work.

'And when the Prime Minister says that those people who are in danger must be moved out of their properties, this is massive undertaking and a huge focus of government resources will have to go into it.'

The House held a minute's silence yesterday for the victims of the devastating fire in North London last week - amid fears the final death toll could top 100.

Furious protesters marched on Westminster in a 'Day of Rage' to demand justice for the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

There remains widespread anger at Mrs May's inept response to the tragedy.

Victims and their families are demanding to know how it was possible for a fire to rip through the tower block and set the whole thing alight like firelighter in minutes.

Serious questions remain over how it was legal to wrap the tower block in cheaper, more flammable cladding.

While Kensington and Chelsea Council chiefs have faced a furious backlash after it emerged they have been sitting on 300million reserves while council services have been stretched.

And criticism has been aimed at Mrs May personally after she failed to show leadership in the wake of the disaster.

She spent most of the day after the tragedy holed up in No 10, and when she did visit the site she failed to meet any victims, families or local residents.

Her aides scrambled to try to rectify the glaring mistake by organising for her to visit a church in the area the next day.

But the PM was heckled as she slipped out a side door in a bid to avoid angry protesters waiting for her outside.

The disaster has been described as her 'Hurricane Katrina moment' - in a reference to President Bush who in 2005 flew over New Orleons in his plane as he visited the flood-ravaged area.

The government has now set up a 5million emergency fund for the victims and ordered a public inquiry into the fire.

While it has emerged that survivors of the Grenfell Tower blaze are to be moved into flats in a 2billion luxury development in Kensington.

The government has bought up 68 flats in the lavish new apartment block on Kensington High Street to house those who lost their homes in the fire which killed at least 79 people.

The deal is thought to have cost tens of millions of pounds as apartments in the development are currently for sale from 1,575,000 to 8.5 million.

Some of the families currently being put up in hotels in the area will be moved into the flats permanently from the end of next month.

The 68 one, two and three bed flats have been bought by the City of London Corporation in response to the tragedy and handed to Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council for 'long term' social housing.

An average flat is 2.4million but the developer St Edward sold the 68 for a total of 10million in an 'extraordinary gesture' and insisted on being paid what it cost to build them.

'We can't sleep at night': Horror of residents living in high-rise flats with SAME cladding as Grenfell Tower who have to stay put as council rips it down

High rise block residents have told of their horror that their homes are covered with the same combustible cladding that is being blamed for the Grenfell Tower inferno.

Tenants living on the Chalcott Estate in north London say they cannot sleep at night due to concerns about the safety of their homes.

Julia Mummolo, 24, a shop worker, told MailOnline: 'Of course I am worried. I have been unable to sleep since the fire at Grenfell.

'I'm trying to find somewhere else to live as I can't stay here. I live on the 16th floor. I don't know how I would be able to get out if there were a fire.'

Bill Grover, 45, added: 'I'm furious that we have to live here while they work out how to get rid of this stuff.

'I will do everything I can to stay safe - check all electrical appliances. But it's not just about me. A fire could break out in any of the flats.'

High rise block residents are horrified that their homes are covered with the same combustible cladding being blamed for the Grenfell Tower inferno. Thahiya Islam told MailOnline: 'They put up this cladding to make the block look nicer but it's putting people's lives in danger'

Residents in the 721 flats will not be moved and fire wardens will be put there 24 hours a day instead. Abdulazuz Farah, 56, a community worker, said: 'I am really worried for the safety of my family'

Camden Council has revealed five towers of up to 23-storeys on its giant Chalcot Estate are potentially dangerous.

The process of ripping off the aluminium panels with polyethylene insulation - banned in America and Germany - has already started as scaffolding was put in place this afternoon.

But residents in the 721 flats will not be moved and fire wardens will be put there 24 hours a day instead.

Camden Council says five towers of up to 23-storeys on its giant Chalcot Estate are potentially dangerous. Elizabeth North, 78, told MailOnline. 'I live on the 7th floor so hopefully I would be able to get out if there were a fire. But what about children living on the top floors?

The council looks set to sue contractor Rydon, who also carried out the Grenfell work, claiming 'the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned'.

Abdulazuz Farah, 56, a community worker said: 'I am really worried for the safety of my family.

'This is the same cladding and it was put in by the same company. I live on the 17th floor. I don't know how we would get out.

'We are all really worried but we don't have anywhere else to live.'

Louise, 25, said there was no other option but to stay: 'Everyone is worried but where else can we go? There is nowhere else for us to go.'

Another long term resident who asked not to be named added: 'My parents moved in here in 1969. There are no fire alarms, no fire extinguishers and no evacuation plan.

'Like lots of people I haven't been able to sleep at night after what happened at Grenfell. And to find out we have the same cladding? Well, it's a scandal.'

The removal work at Chalcots Estate follows an urgent inspection of the tower block cladding following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower that claimed the lives of at least 79.

Camden Council, which manages the estate, says a sample of the cladding was sent away for testing at the independent Building Research Establishment Laboratory.

Georgia Gould, Leader of the Council, said: 'The new results from the laboratory show that the outer cladding panels themselves are made up of aluminium panels with a polyethylene core.

'Therefore the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned.

'In light of this, we will be informing the contractor that we will be taking urgent legal advice.

'Whilst we are clear that our cladding design and insulation significantly differs to that at Grenfell Tower, the external cladding panels did not satisfy our independent laboratory testing or the high standards we set for contractors.'

Mother-of-four Sura Daoud said she had nowhere else to go, Mrs Daoud, 38, originally from Iraq, said: 'I live in the top floor with my children, one of them is disabled, so I am worried about the cladding. But it took such a long time to find somewhere to live I don't want to move'

Brian Wright a retired security guard told MailOnline: 'People are really panicking. It's keeping a lot of people awake at night. They've (Camden Council) have got to get rid of it. Clearly the cladding is putting our lives in danger'

Ms Gould said the insulation used on the Chalcots towers included fire resistant wool and fire sealant which had stopped a fire spreading in a nearby block in 2012.

Construction firm Rydon, which carried out the refurbishment of the exterior of Grenfell Tower which finished last year, installing cladding and new windows, said its work 'met all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards'.

But Chalcots residents were still concerned. Thahiya Islam, who lives in the Bray block, added: 'We're all really worried.

'They put up this cladding to make the block look nicer but it's putting people's lives in danger.'

Elizabeth North, 78, who has lived on the estate for 35 years says there will be uproar from residents.

She told MailOnline: 'They (Camden Council) promised us that the cladding was not the same as at Grenfell Tower. Now that it is proven to be the same there will be uproar.

'I live on the 7th floor so hopefully I would be able to get out if there were a fire.

'But what about the families with young children? And there are children living on the top floors what about them?'

Kensington council boss's resignation from 180,000-a-year job was announced just hours after Theresa May visited the area amid growing pressure over shambolic Grenfell Tower aid effort

Nicholas Holgate - the chief executive of Kensington borough council - was told to resign by communities secretary, Sajid Javid, after the shambolic response to the Grenfell Tower fire

The 180,000-a-year chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea Council has been forced to quit over the Grenfell Tower inferno and the 'shambolic' response effort that followed.

Nicholas Holgate was effectively told to resign by communities secretary, Sajid Javid on Tuesday.

His resignation was announced late last night, just hours after Theresa May visited the west London borough.

The 55-year-old career civil servant, who will have worked up a huge pension pot during his time at the Treasury, Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the west London local authority, is likely to have received a lavish payout.

In a statement, Mr Holgate said Mr Javid 'required the leader of the council to seek my resignation', adding it would be a 'distraction' if he kept his job.

'Serving the families so desperately affected by the heart-breaking tragedy at Grenfell Tower remains the highest priority of the council,' he said.

'Despite my wish to have continued, in very challenging circumstances, to lead on the executive responsibilities of the council, I have decided that it is better to step down from my role, once an appropriate successor has been appointed.'

Theresa May today told the Commons it had become clear that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 'could not cope'.

'It is right that the Chief Executive has resigned,' she said.

The PM said of the tragedy: 'It should not have happened... that initial failure was then compounded by the fact that the support (victims received) was not good enough.'

Mrs May is understood to have visited Kensington at around 7pm last night, just hours before Mr Holgate's resignation was announced on the authority's website.

Leader of the council Nicholas Paget-Brown (left) said it was 'with great regret' that he had accepted Mr Holgate's resignation. In a statement Mr Holgate said Mr Javid (right) 'required the leader of the council to seek my resignation', adding it would be a 'distraction' if he kept his job

Mr Holgate joined the civil service as a trainee at the Treasury in 1984 after studying economics at Cambridge University.

He has worked his way up through a number of lucrative roles, including Chief Operating Officer at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Finance director for Kensington and joint chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.

He was not answering calls at his two-bedroom flat following his assertion at his west London apartment block this afternoon.

His resignation comes after it was revealed Grenfell residents had repeatedly warned the council and their landlord, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, about fire safety in the building before the inferno.

At least 79 people died in the fire, which tore through the west London tower block on June 14. Some 600 people were left homeless after the blaze and the aid effort after the disaster was slammed as 'shambolic' by residents.

Shadow housing secretary John Healey said Mr Holgate's decision was correct and accused the authority of going 'awol'.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'He's right to go, he had to go, his council went awol in the days after this terrible fire at a time when the victims, survivors, those families still looking for their family members who were missing needed help on the ground and above all someone to reassure them and coordinate the relief and help efforts.

'The council were nowhere to be seen when I was down there the day after the fire - he had no option and he was right to go'.

Mr Holgate appears to claim he was forced to quit.

He said: 'Success in our efforts requires leadership across London that sustains the confidence and support of central Government.

'There is a huge amount still to do for the victims of the fire, requiring the full attention of this council and many others. If I stayed in post, my presence would be a distraction.'

Mr Holgate (pictured, left, earlier in his career and, right, with his wife Natalie) has worked in the civil service since 1984, when he started as a trainee at the Treasury

There was no answer at Holgate's home in west London today as questions were raised about his resignation
UPDATED

The House passed a reauthorization of the federal law governing career and technical education programs on Wednesday, but how exactly it will mesh with other workforce development efforts afoot in Washington remains to be seen.

Lawmakers backed H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act , which would overhaul the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Like the Every Student Succeeds Act, it gives more decision-making and funding authority to states. The bills lead co-authors are Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.

Among other things, the bill would allow states to set aside money for their own competitive-grant or other funding streams for CTE, and increase the permitted share of federal aid states could set aside for their own use from 10 percent under current law to 15 percent. It also is designed to better connect education in local communities to their respective local labor market, and changes the definition of which students are counted as concentrators in career and technical education programs. (That last provision has caused some heartburn among CTE advocates who think its overly broad, although it hasnt significantly hampered the legislation.)

The Perkins Act hasnt been reauthorized since 2006. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan praised the bill Thursday before the vote:

.@SpeakerRyan : This bill can make a real difference for American workers  #whyCTE pic.twitter.com/cO2Hzsa0HO  Ed & Workforce Cmte (@EdWorkforce) June 22, 2017

Thompson said at a press conference Thursday highlighted those struggling with unemployment and poverty that stretched back generations: Today were here to celebrate a piece of legislation that can fix all that by restoring rungs on the ladder of opportunity. And Krishnamoorthi highlighted an acute skills shortage now plaguing the labor market. This particular bill addresses that squarely, and it does it with high schools and community colleges.

Last September, the House passed a very similar bill to the one lawmakers approved on Thursday. Among the changes from that bill to this one is that in the current bill, the education secretary must definitively approve or reject state Perkins plansin the 2016 bill, those plans would have been considered approved if there was no definitive rejection by the secretary. The new bill also puts additional requirements on states for maintaining a certain level of their own CTE funding. Civil rights groups, however, are worried that the bill would reduce federal oversight too much .

Advocates are hoping that President Donald Trump will help career and technical education through his focus on issues like infrastructure. And our colleague Catherine Gewertz covered the Trump administrations recent moves to back apprenticeship programs . When asked how the bill would work with those efforts, Thompson responded it would fit like a hand in a glove, and noted that expanded apprenticeships was a part of the bill. However, Trumps proposed education budget for fiscal 2018 would cut Perkins grants to states by about 15 percent.

Stan Litow, the leader of the IBM Foundation who helped start P-TECH high schools , said it makes all the sense in the world to get local communities more involved, as long as theres a strong framework for communities and schools to work with businesses in the area.

Theres no such thing as a perfect piece of legislation, said Litow. But he added that theres a sense of urgency in the CTE community to move it along: It has the broad support of leaders across business, student organizations, not-for-profit groups, educators.

Last year, Senate negotiations to pass its own Perkins bill broke down over a partisan dispute over the power of the education secretary. Its unclear whether the change in administration will remove roadblocks to getting a Senate CTE bill over the finish line.

Photo: Lawmakers gather for a press conference on Capitol Hill after the House unanimously passed H.R. 2353 on Thursday, June 22. The bill would reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. At the podium is a lead author of the bill, Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa. (Andrew Ujifusa/Education Week)

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
An angry mob beat a police officer to death outside a mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir as tensions ran high in the volatile Himalayan region.

Witnesses said the mob attacked Mohammad Ayub Pandith late Thursday after he fired his pistol when confronted by worshippers at the mosque in the main city of Srinagar who suspected him of being a government spy.

Violence between government forces and civilians has spiked in recent months in the disputed Muslim-majority region, where many oppose Indian rule.

Police officer Mohammad Ayub Pandith was beaten to death by an angry mob (picutred) outside the Grand Mosque in Srinagar, in the Kashmir region, amid regional tensions

The crowd attacked Pandith (pictured), who was providing security during prayers, after believing he was spying on them because he was taking pictures on his phone

Pandith's relatives attended the funeral, where they were overcome with emotion. Police said the officer opened fire on the crowd after being threatened, wounding three

Relatives had to be consoled as they mourned Pandith's death on Friday. Recent violence in the Kashmir region has seen almost 200 people killed

Rights groups say 196 people have been killed so far this year in violent incidents, among them 55 civilians.

A police statement said Pandith, a deputy superintendent with the security wing of the state police, had been 'attacked and beaten to death by a mob'.

He 'sacrificed his life in the line of duty,' the statement said.

Witnesses said worshippers confronted Pandith, who was not wearing a uniform, as he took pictures with his mobile phone outside the Jamia (Grand) Mosque in Srinagar during the festival of Lailat-ul-Qadr, when Muslims hold late-night prayers.

He drew out his pistol and fired, injuring three, as his colleague fled the scene, they said.

'Some youths at that point immediately pounced on him, snatched his weapon and more people came and started beating him up,' a witness said.

Police said they have arrested two people over the killing and identified one other.

Pandith was posted at the mosque to ensure the prayers passed off peacefully, the local director general of police S. P. Vaid said as he paid tribute to his colleague at a funeral ceremony.

Mehbooba Mufti, the head of Kashmir state, lays a wreath on the coffin of officer Pandith. Many in the region oppose Indian rule, sparking violent clashes

Pandith's death (funeral, pictured) comes after five other officers were killed when Kashmiri rebels ambushed their convoy a week ago

Armed paramilitaries stand guard outside Pandith's funeral on Friday as colleagues and relatives paid their respects

Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq meanwhile condemned the murder in a tweet.

'Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values & religion,' he said.

'We cannot allow state brutality to snatch our humanity & values.'

Hundreds of stone-throwing residents clashed with police in the area after the killing and authorities have imposed restrictions on people's movements, fearing protests.

The incident came a week after suspected rebels in Indian Kashmir ambushed a police patrol, killing five officers.

The state's Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti praised the police force for their 'restraint' in the face of recent pressures, adding, 'the day they run out of patience it will be a difficult situation'.

In April the state police chief advised officers to avoid visiting their family homes after suspected rebels went warned of consequences if police did not quit their jobs or stop participating in counter-insurgency operations.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Rebel groups have for decades fought roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed territory, demanding independence or a merger of the region with Pakistan.

Over the past year the violence has increasingly drawn in civilians, with young students holding mass protests and whole communities coming out to throw stones at government forces engaged in anti-militant operations.

Officials say dozens of young men have joined the rebel ranks since security forces killed a hugely popular rebel commander last July.
A 35-year-old man was rushed to hospital after putting 15 sewing needles into his penis.

The man had the needles in his penis for around one year and sought out medical advice after suddenly feeling intense pain and seeing blood while urinating.

Doctors spent an hour and a half removing all craft tools from the narrowest part of the penis on June 20.

A 35-year-old man has put 15 sewing needles in his penis for the past year in north-east China

The longest needle he had put in was about eight to 10 cm long (3.15-3.94 inch) and the shortest was about five to six cm long (1.96-2.36 inch)

HuaShuang Morning Post reported that the 35-year-old bachelor was admitted to The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region in Shenyang of Liaoning Province on June 20.

The 15 sewing needles measured from five centimetres (1.96 inches) to 10 centimetres (3.94 inches).

The man said he had been sticking needles in his genitals for about a year.

Dr Cao Zhiqiang, a urologist said an x-ray showed the needles stuck at the membranous urethra, which is also the narrowest part of the male urethra.

The patient claimed he did not feel any pain as he put the needles in with the pinhead up.

However, with 15 needles inside the penis, it began causing him pain and bleeding while urinating.

Dr Cao (picture) explained putting objects inside the penis is a kind of peculiar sex similar to foot fetish and sadomasochism

Dr Liu Long, chief urologist and Dr Cao used an ureteroscope to examine the urinary tract, as well as resectoscope and laparascope.

By using a guidewire, the needles were taken out bit by bit.

'The operation was about an hour and a half long. I am sweating and my hands are trembling when it's over. This is not an easy one,' said Dr Cao.

Dr Cao said Andrology department had had patients who put pen refills and thermometers in the penis.

'There are scholars explaining this scenario as one of the peculiar sex similar to Sadomasochism and foot fetishes. Patients are looking for excitement through unusual ways,' Dr Cao explained.

He also added that people who fascinate about peculiar sex should be cautious on safety as it could cause stricture on the urinary tract.
A woman who stole 68 punnets of cherry tomatoes from a supermarket chain has been given a good behaviour bond and ordered to repay Coles hundreds of dollars.

The European woman, who works as a nanny, faced a Brisbane court on Friday where her punishment was handed down over the theft which occurred throughout several months.

She stole the cherry tomatoes as her doctor had told her she needed to eat more fresh vegetables for health reasons, 7 News reported.

The woman reportedly has diabetes and took the large amount of cherry tomatoes as was unable to afford paying for them as they were 'too expensive'.

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A woman (pictured) has been given a good behaviour bond and ordered to hand back hundreds of dollars to Coles after she was caught stealing 68 punnets of cherry tomatoes

The woman was ordered by a magistrate to repay the Coles supermarket chain $261 (stock image)

The woman reportedly had taken the 68 punnets of cherry tomatoes because her doctor told her she needed to eat more fresh vegetables (stock image)

The woman was ordered by a magistrate to hand back $261 to Coles when she appeared before the court.

She was also slapped with a $300 good behaviour bond for her offending.

She had pleaded guilty over the offence.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America' in nationwide rallies on Friday.

Protesters also burned the flag of militant group ISIS which claimed responsibility for attacks in Tehran this month.

Iranian state media said hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the rallies to mark Al-Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and is held on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America' in nationwide rallies on Friday

Protesters also burned the flag of the United States, Israel and militant group ISIS, which claimed responsibility for attacks in Tehran this month

Iranian state media said hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the rallies to mark Al-Quds Day

What is Al-Quds Day? Al-Quds is a historic Arabic name for Jerusalem, and Iran says the day is an occasion to express support for the Palestinians and emphasize the importance of Jerusalem for Muslims. Advertisement

Marchers included soldiers, students and clerics. Black-clad women with small children were among those flocking the streets of central Tehran, many carrying portraits of Khomeini and his successor Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In Tehran's Vali-ye Asr street, three mid-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles were displayed, including the Zolfaghar missile that Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards used on Sunday to target bases of the IS in eastern Syria.

Top Guards' commanders have repeatedly said that Israel is within range of Iran's missiles. Sunni Muslim states in the Gulf and Israel say Tehran's ballistic missile program is a threat to regional security and has led to the United States imposing new sanctions.

Marchers included soldiers, students and clerics. Black-clad women with small children were among those flocking the streets of central Tehran

In Tehran's Vali-ye Asr street, three mid-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles were displayed, including the Zolfaghar missile that Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards used on Sunday to target bases of the IS in eastern Syria

Top Guards' commanders have repeatedly said that Israel is within range of Iran's missiles

'With this rally our nation is telling America that we are determined to continue our path,' Rouhani said, referring to the US Senate's decision to impose new sanctions

'With this rally our nation is telling America that we are determined to continue our path,' Rouhani said, referring to the US Senate's decision to impose new sanctions.

Crowds were seen chanting anti-Israel slogans in solidarity with Palestinians whom they urged to continue their fight against the 'occupying regime'.

Demonstrators chanted 'Death to Israel, Death to America,' carried banners reading 'Israel should be wiped off the map' while people were shown burning the Israeli flag.

People meted out the same treatment for the banner of ISIS which has said it carried out deadly twin attacks in Tehran on June 7.

Demonstrators chanted 'Death to Israel, Death to America,' carried banners reading 'Israel should be wiped off the map' while people were shown burning the Israeli flag

Iran blames regional rival Saudi Arabia for being behind the attacks but this is denied by Riyadh

Iran blames regional rival Saudi Arabia for being behind the attacks but this is denied by Riyadh.

'Daesh (IS), America and Israel are all the same. They are all terrorists,' a young woman marcher in Tehran told state TV.

Opposition to Israel is a touchstone of belief for Shi'ite-led Iran, which backs Palestinian and Lebanese Islamic militant groups opposed to peace with the Jewish state, which Tehran refuses to recognise.

A member of Iranian Revolutionary Guard speaks on his walkie talkie while Zolfaghar surface-to-surface ballistic missiles are displayed

A clergyman holds a poster showing caricatures of U.S. President Donald Trump, center, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman

A portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu burned by Iranian demonstrators

Israel, the United States and its chief Sunni Arab ally Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of fomenting tension in the Middle East and of sponsoring terrorism. This is denied by Tehran.

Tensions have risen sharply in the Gulf between Qatar and four Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, in part over Doha's links with Iran.

'This year's rally... shows people want our region to be cleaned up from terrorists, backed by the Zionist regime (Israel),' President Hassan Rouhani told state TV.

Opposition to Israel is a touchstone of belief for Shi'ite-led Iran, which backs Palestinian and Lebanese Islamic militant groups opposed to peace with the Jewish state

Israel, the United States and its chief Sunni Arab ally Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of fomenting tension in the Middle East and of sponsoring terrorism. This is denied by Tehran
Rio de Janeiro's conservative and religious Mayor Marcelo Crivella said he is considering drastic cuts to city funding for the samba schools at the heart of the annual carnival extravaganza.

City hall currently gives some two million reais, or more than $600,000, to each of the 12 top schools making up the so-called Special Group, which competes at the Sambodromo stadium in elaborate parades.

But after two years of a deep national recession the city is looking for budget cuts and Crivella - a former bishop in the evangelical Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - is known to be lukewarm about the Rio Carnival and is putting its future in doubt.

He is said to have slashed the budget in half and critics claim he is doing it over his religious beliefs, sparking protests in the city.

A dancer performs on one of the Rio Carnival's famous floats wearing the Brazilian flag in her costume

Two samba dancers hold up a Brazilian flag as part of the festival that is under threat of cancellation

Brazilian dancers Glauce Costa (centre) and Jessica Gomes perform during the rehearsal of the Mocidade Samba school in Rio de Janeiro on February 17, 2014, as a preparation for the 2014 carnival parade

Members of the samba school Imperatriz Leopoldinense take part on the special group parade at the Marques de Sapucai samba track in Rio de Janeiro. They are one of 12 schools facing budget cuts

Samba school members sing as they march toward the Sambadrome during a protest against mayor Marcelo Crivella in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The samba schools are protesting the decision by Crivella to cut carnival funding in half for the 2018 Carnival parade

This year, he broke longstanding tradition by not attending the opening of the Sambodromo parades in what was widely seen as a snub to the event's wild party culture.

Now, Crivella is studying a plan to take about half of the approximately $7million budget for the samba schools and use it for funding the approximately 15,000 children in municipal kindergartens.

The mayor's office said: 'What we are doing is reflecting on how to spend in a better way - whether to use these resources for a three-day party or spread out over 365 days.'

The carnival contest is the high point in several weeks of festivities that bring in an estimated $1 billion in revenues to the city.

A carnival dancer flaunts her amazing outfit

Jorge Luiz Castanheira, president of the Independent League of Samba Schools, said reducing aid would 'be a step backwards' for the world-famous event.

'Raising the budget for kindergartens is definitely important, but it's also treating the carnival in a simplistic way,' he told O Globo newspaper.

'Above all it's the economy surrounding the carnival - the hotels, restaurants and activities - that generate tax revenues.'

The carnival also suffered another blow this February when a huge float got out of control and ran into a crowd, injuring several dozen people, one of whom died of her injuries in April.

Sao Paulo Mayor Joao Doria says Brazil's biggest city will also slash public funding for the annual Carnival celebrations, following a similar step by Rio de Janeiro.

Although Doria did not say how big the cut will be, he promised to seek private funding to cover the gap.

'Faced with the budgetary rift we inherited, it is fundamental to reorganize our finances and invest in prioritary areas with fiscal responsibility,' Doria said Wednesday on his official Facebook page.

Sao Paulo's city government provided $9 million (30 million reals) for this year's Carnival.

Doria first announced his decision Tuesday night after a meeting with other Brazilian city mayors, including Marcelo Crivella from Rio de Janeiro.

Crivella has decided to cut by half Rio's funding for its own Carnival, the biggest in the world.

The move has drawn criticism in the city, including a protest over the weekend.

The organizers of the Rio Carnival and samba school supporters contend that Rio's mayor, a former Pentecostal bishop, is motivated by religious beliefs.

uzana Werner, former girlfriend of Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo, dances for the Grande Rio samba school during the Rio 2000 Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

A member of the Unidos do Viradouro samba school performs at the Sambodrome, during the first night of Rio de Janeiro's famed carnival parades, in Brazil

Doria, however, praised the Sao Paulo Carnival for its 'charm and magnitude' and said he will work with the private sector to cover city hall's cuts.

Brazilian governments at all levels are facing tough choices and major budget cuts following an economic recession.

Citizens sounded off on Doria's Facebook page in support of the measure.

'The city already spends in security, lighting and cleaning of the streets, the rest of it needs to come from the organizers! End bread and circuses,' said one commenter.
Poverty-stricken households who rely on food handouts are being made to put signs saying 'I'm poor' outside their house to receive government aid in India.

The controversial measure has sparked outrage in the northern state of Rajasthan.

The local ruling Bharatija Janata Party, the party of India's prime minister Narendra Modi, says the signs are required to deliver aid more quickly and effectively.

Poverty-stricken households who rely on food handouts are being made to put signs saying 'I'm poor' outside their house to receive government aid in India (File photo)

However, critics have blasted the scheme as 'a sick joke.'

It is believed around 150,000 households will be required to put up the signs in order to receive 10kg of wheat.

The full sign says: 'I am poor, receive ration from National Food Security Act.'

'It's a sick joke,' Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told the Hindustani Times. 'If the state government provides them ration under the Food Security Act, it's their legal right and not a charity from the government.'

Santra Devi, a local resident, said it felt shameful to be forced to put the sign on his home.

It is believed around 150,000 households will be required to put up the signs (pictured) in order to receive 10kg of wheat

'We have to suffer this humiliation for 10 kg of wheat,' Devi said. 'It has become difficult to hold our head high.'

Earlier this month it was revealed that at least half of India's under-18 population lives in acute poverty.

'These new results are deeply disturbing as they show that children are disproportionately poor when the different dimensions of poverty are measured,' said Sabina Alkire from the University of Oxford.
This is the horrifying moment when a sail training ship ploughed into the side of another giant wooden vessel in a Dutch harbour as onlookers scream out danger warnings.

The video shows the Bulgarian tall ship, 'Royal Helena' raming the docked replica tall ship, 'Nao Victoria' in Oudeschild harbour on the island of Texel between the North Sea and the Waddenzee and a popular destination for classic sailing boats.

Both vessels had been sailing together on a charter 'Ships of Discovery' tour but disaster struck when the 160-foot long 'Royal Helena' enters the port at speed and ploughs straight into the port side of the docked 'Nao Victoria.'

The bowsprit of the barquentine, built in 2009, spears the deck and rigging of the smaller vessel amid the sound of breaking and tearing and both ships were clearly badly damaged but remained afloat. There are no reports of any injuries.

The Spanish registered 26-year-old 'Nao Victoria', which is on a tour of the UK and Europe, has damage to its port bulwark while the Bulgarian vessel has bow damage.

The original 'Nao Victoria' is believed to have been the first ship to circumnavigate the globe after leaving Seville in 1519 and returning to the Spanish port three years later.

A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel.

The boats are so large that moving them in tight spaces like marinas and ports is difficult.

The collision took place at Oudeschild harbour in Texel, the Netherlands on Tuesday afternoon

In the video, the majestic black hull and towering masts of the Spanish tall ship can be seen which is moored at the marina.

The Bulgarian ship, which is thought to be trying to turn or dock in the port, can be seen heading straight for the middle of the Spanish ship.

Moments later it ploughs straight into the other boat.

Luckily it is thought nobody was injured in the incident.

Bulgarian tall ship Royal Helena (right) crashes headlong into Spanish tall ship Nao Victoria

The video was posted to YouTube and it sparked a conversation online.

Hartofila wrote: 'Ok, ships entering harbor are supposed to be piloted by the harbor pilot?'

DeDerp wrote: 'Only a pilot with intimate knowledge of the waters of the port could have possibly avoided this collision.'

But some people adopted a more humorous perspective on the incident.

Hartofila wrote 'Prepare boarding parties!!!'

Hill1 wrote 'So much speed!!'

corne kalis wrote: 'You have to brake!'

  wrote: 'Amm. What can I say? Impressive :) We must have gone at an inappropriate speed! I will now pay the repair at European prices.'
Pauline Hanson's comments on children with autism are 'ill-informed, simplistic and facile', says NSW education department secretary Mark Scott.

Mr Scott on Friday gave evidence at a NSW government inquiry into the education of students with a disability or special needs.

The education boss said he welcomed debate around the best way to provide quality education to children with disabilities which, he argued, was 'a matter of great complexity'.

Pauline Hanson's comments on children with autism are 'ill-informed, simplistic and facile', says NSW education department secretary Mark Scott

Mr Scott on Friday gave evidence at a NSW government inquiry into the education of students with a disability or special needs

The education boss said he welcomed debate around the best way to provide quality education to children with disabilities (stock image)

'Parents, teachers and the students with disabilities themselves deserve better than the ill-informed, simplistic and facile policy contribution made by one well-known political figure this week,' Mr Scott said in his opening address.

The ABC's former managing director did not mention Senator Hanson by name.

The Queensland senator, speaking during a debate on schools funding earlier this week, suggested autistic children be removed from mainstream classrooms to stop other students being held back.

Mr Scott said vocal disapproval of Senator Hanson's comments had been encouraging.

'The roar of response was so encouraging in defence of our children and our work to ensure inclusion and the best possible opportunity for every child and every young person in our schools,' he said.

'What concerned me most was the lack of sensitivity, insight and the damage those comments could do.'

One Nation Leader Senator Pauline Hanson speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday

Education boss slams Pauline Hanson after she called for autistic children to be pulled from regular classrooms (stock image)

Mr Scott said he accepted there would be moments in the hearing that revealed the shortcomings of the department, particularly around the experience of families trying to enrol a child with a disability in a mainstream school.

'We need to be able to provide a better approach to document that pathway but also to broker a solution as best we can for that family,' he said.

However, enrolment figures show the overwhelming majority of students diagnosed with autism were in mainstream classes, and that was the way the department wanted it, he added.

'There will be opportunities for engagement around what is the most appropriate setting for each individual child so they flourish.

'But we have a bias toward inclusion and that's a fundamental underpinning of the work we do.'
Huma Abedin put her divorce woes behind her on Thursday to attend the New York premiere of Sofia Coppola's new drama.

The 41-year-old Hillary Clinton's aide appeared happy and relaxed in her black lace dressed as she mingled with the stars.

She was pictured smiling with Sofia Coppola and looked relaxed as she posed for the paparazzi.

Huma mingled with guests including The Beguiled's acclaimed director Sofia Coppola

Huma Abedin was spotted arriving at 'The Beguiled' New York premier on the Lower East Side

Her night was spent watching the premiere of Civil War-era drama 'The Beguiled', starring Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell.

The premiere was littered with stars and some of New York's highest society, including former Victoria's Secret model Lindsay Ellingson and Actress Amanda Peet.

Back in March, Huma spent time with Hollywood's elite - stopping by the Walk of Fame ceremony for billionaire television producer Haim Saban.

She brought along son Jordan while she hobnobbed with the like of David Foster, Simon Cowell, Larry King, Elizabeth Banks and Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti at the event.

The former Hilary Clinton aide looked elegant as she took to the red carpet in her black lace Scanlan Theodore blouse, which she paired with a matching skirt

It's been reported that Huma is using Weiner's upcoming sentencing as leverage for their divorce battle

Her husband, disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, will soon to be sentenced for sexting with a teenage girl, and is likely to face between one and three years in federal prison.

Huma, who has been spotted out and about alone since filing for divorce, is using Weiner's pending conviction as a way to gain leverage in the breakup, the New York Post reported.

Matrimonial attorney Bernard Clair said: 'The sentencing is extremely important as to custodial and pragmatic factors regarding parenting.

'How can you resolve custody if you don't know whether or not the father is going to be incarcerated?'

However she will have to wait until after the divorce to avoid sharing any royalties with Weiner

Abedin, 41, is also reported to be seeking $2million for a tell-all memoir - which might go some way to explaining her relaxed smile at the movie premiere.

However, she will have to wait until after the divorce proceedings to avoid sharing any of the royalties with Weiner.

Despite the fact that pair filed for divorce, Huma reportedly invited Anthony back to her the couple's luxury $11,900-a-month duplex.

It came the day the ex-Congressman plead guilty to sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl.

Weiner had wept in court on May 19 while begging for forgiveness as he entered a plea of guilty to a single charge of transferring obscene material to a minor.

Weiner's 'stylish and unique' duplex apartment was listed for rent, only to be taken off the market a week later. Pictured, Weiner leaving Manhattan Federal Court on May 19

'I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,' Weiner told the court, while agreeing to accept any prison sentence of less than 27 months and register as a sex offender.

Weiner's day in court came eight months after DailyMail.com revealed that the disgraced Congressman had been exchanging sexually-charged messages and explicit photos with a 15-year-old high school student in North Carolina.

The exchanges began in January of last year after the teenager reached out to Weiner on Twitter, and continued through late spring.
A gold Cartier watch once owned by first lady Jackie Kennedy has been bought by one Mrs Kim Kardashian West.

The timepiece was auctioned off on Wednesday at Christie's in New York City.

Auction sources revealed to TMZ that Kardashian was the anonymous winning bidder.

Christie's estimated that the watch would fetch about $120,000, but Kardashian took the treasure home for a $379,500 winning bid.

Kim Kardshian (left, on June 14) is reportedly the anonymous bidder who won Jackie Kennedy's Cartier gold watch (right) at auction on Wednesday

The watch was a gift from Jackie's brother-in-law, Prince Stanislaw Radziwill. She's pictured above sporting the watch in a photo from 1969

The sources said that Kardashian plans to wear the watch, which matches her new simplified style.

According to the engraving on the back, the watch was gifted to Jackie by her brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw Radziwill on February 23, 1963 - to commemorate a 50-mile hike he took part in on behalf of President John F. Kennedy, just months before the president's assassination.

In that year, a 1908 memo from President Theodore Roosevelt emerged discussing the speed at which Marines should be expected to cover 50 miles on foot.

The White House published the memo and encouraged modern Americans to hike 50 miles to prove they are still just as fit.

According to an engraving on the back, Radziwill gave Jackie the watch to commemorate a 50-mile hike he completed in 1963 - just months before President Kennedy's assassination

A picture that Jackie painted to commemorate the event was also offered alongside the watch

While JFK and Jackie didn't personally participate in the hike, they organized friends to take part in the challenge in Palm Beach.

Radziwill was one of the participants, as was Kennedy's old Harvard friend Chuck Spalding. The president and first lady joined at various sections of the race, where steaks and champagne were offered as refreshments.

In addition to the watch, a painting that Jackie made of Radziwill and Spalding completing the walk was offered at the auction.
Come July 1, who will be in charge of running the New York City school district, a system that educates more than 1 million students?

It could be New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio or it could be a central school board, which was disbanded in 2002 but resurrected for 38 days in 2009 when the city faced a similar question.

State lawmakers left Albany, the state capital, at the end of the legislative session late Wednesday without extending the law that would allow de Blasio to continue to oversee the citys public school system.

The legislature gave control of the district to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in 2002, and awarded him a lengthy renewal when it expired in 2009. Lawmakers have opted to give de Blasio one-year extensions.

While both Republican and Democratic lawmakers support mayoral control, Republicans in the legislature have been at odds with de Blasio, and they have used the mayoral control issue as a bargaining chip, particularly to get concessions around charter schools.

Republican John Flanagan, the state Senate majority leader, has tied renewing mayoral control to lifting the charter schools cap. Democrats dont want to do that, and de Blasio said in a radio interview recently that the two issues should not be linked. Assembly Democrats have also linked tax measures, which Republicans do not support, to extending the mayoral control law.

Both sides blamed the other for the stalemate as they departed Albany, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Legislators could return to Albany to take action before the law expires at the end of the month. But its unclear that that would happen. Flanagan has said that he has no plans to return to Albany during the break.

I will continue to work to extend mayoral control because I believe very strongly in the accountability it provides, Flanagan said in a statement, according to Newsday. But I also believe that the 50,000 boys and girls in Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx who are now on waiting lists for a seat inside a charter school deserve the best possible education we can provide. I will never stop fighting for those kids, and will not leave them without a voice.

Before the mayor got control of the schools, the system was run by small community school boards and a central board of education. Critics say that system was rife with cronyism, corruption, and chaos. But the local school boards had support among some who say the boards gave parents a stronger voice in their schools, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The city has said that it could cost about $1.6 billion over 10 years if mayoral control goes away and the city reverts to the community school boards system.

What happens now? The law lapsed in 2009, during one of Albanys many leadership squabbles, and, as the New York Times pointed out this week, there was no significant disruption to the system. (This happened during the summer when schools were not in session.)

At the time, the seven-member school board (with two mayoral appointments and one by each of the citys five borough presidents) was reconstituted. The board convened to reappoint then-chancellor Joel Klein to his post as the schools chief and to urge the legislature to get on with the business of renewing mayoral control. The legislature passed the law before a second meeting could be held and the board was again disbanded.

Related stories:

Will New York State Lawmakers Extend Mayoral Control of Schools?
A doctor whose gender wrongly appeared as male on on a Jetstar booking has vented her frustration and accused the airline of sexism.

ICU doctor Sandra Lussie took to social media to share the embarrassing mishap before a flight from Sydney to her hometown of Melbourne.

Jetstar has apologised for the incorrect gender, which they chalked up to a system error rather than chauvinism.

ICU doctor Sandra Lussie has vented her frustration after her gender wrongly appeared as male on a ticket booking with Jetstar

'Fly with Jetstar as a female doctor, website assumes you're male without any way of changing it. Even the internet is sexist,' Ms Lussier wrote on Twitter.

Jetstar's chief information officer Claudine Ogilvie told Daily Mail Australia she apologised for the error, which has been dealt with.

'In our system, the Doctor title is provided as an option to let us know of medical practitioners on board in the case of an inflight emergency.'

Ms Ogilvie said the gender only impacted the 'manage my booking' section of the website, not the itineraries and boarding passes, which were gender neutral.

'We've contacted Dr Lussier to apologise for the system error. We updated our software earlier today so this won't happen again.'

New Zealand doctor Ross Scott-Weekly used social media to declare the same error happened to his wife in 2016.

Ms Lussie took to social media to share the embarrassing mishap before a flight from Sydney to her hometown of Melbourne
An oligarch's son worth 40m, who bought himself a helicopter to celebrate splitting from his wife, is fighting to get her 'over-generous' 7m divorce payout slashed.

Ella Zimina says she had to 'live relatively frugally' after separating from Russian multi-millionaire Boris Zimin in 2009, whilst her ex-husband partied on the family yacht and 'took up learning how to fly his new helicopter.'

Mr Zimin, 47, the son of Russian telecommunications don, Dmitri Zimin, agreed to hand Mrs Zimin 6m after the couple were divorced in 2009 in Russia.

But last year Mrs Zimina, 45 - who lives in a 5m five-storey, six-bedroom, house in Holland Street, Kensington, with the couple's three teenage children - applied to London's High Court to have her 'reasonable needs' reassessed and was handed a 1.15 million top-up.

Boris Zimin, 47, agreed to hand Mrs Zimin 6m after the couple were divorced in 2009 in Russia. Now, he wants some of that money back because he believes his ex-wife, Ella Zimina, is 'taking advantage' of the 'generous' UK divorce courts

Mr Zimin now says his ex-wife has 'taken advantage' of the 'generous' UK divorce courts and is fighting to strip her of the extra seven-figure payout.

His lawyers are also accusing her of causing an eye-watering 2.3m of the family fortune to be squandered on legal bills.

But Mrs Zimin insists her original 6m payout was an 'injustice', given the vast extent of her ex-husband's wealth.

Applying 'English standards of fairness', she says that, if anything, even more should have been added to her award.

The Appeal Court heard that the couple married in 1997 and split after 12 years of marriage.

They moved to London in 2004 and spent a year renovating their Kensington house, but split before the work was completed.

Mr Zimin departed overseas whilst his wife and children remained in the family home in London.

Ella Zimina, 45, is pictured outside the Appeal Court. She claims she had to 'live relatively frugally' while her ex-husband partied and 'took up learning how to fly his new helicopter'

Neither of them had made their own money, but owed their lifestyle to the 'enormous largesse' of Mr Zimin's father, who made hundred of millions of pounds from telecommunications following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Post-split, Mr Zimin continued to enjoy the high life, 'including sumptuous properties in the sun, use of a 3.5m yacht and ownership of a 850,000 helicopter,' his ex-wife's lawyers told the court.

She led a more 'modest' lifestyle and applied to have her divorce settlement upped by 3.65m.

Mrs Justice Roberts handed her 1.15m extra, but Lewis Marks QC, for Mr Zimin, is now arguing that she should have been sent packing.

'If a wife has millions of pounds, the wife is clearly not suffering hardship,' he told three senior judges at London's Appeal Court.

'It is impossible to characterise the provision made in Russia as inadequate.

'The provision was offered, and accepted, as a comprehensive worldwide clean-break package.

'We submit that, where the foreign order has been made by consent, unless the agreement would be liable to be set aside on the conventional grounds of fraud, misrepresentation or duress had it been made in England, it should be afforded the fullest respect.'

The Russian settlement 'objectively met the wife's needs', insisted the QC, who added that Mr Zimin's super-rich dad was 'the creator of the entire fortune'.

Mrs Zimina, he claimed, had unfairly 'taken advantage' of her residence in England to get her payout upped.

'Mere disparity between a foreign award and what would be awarded in England is not a reason to grant permission to apply (for more),' Mr Marks said.

'To do so is giving unwitting encouragement to applicants, like the wife in this case, to think that, even if they haven't suffered injustice, they can roll the dice and ask the court to give them permission to apply,' the barrister added.

And he told the judges that the divorce courts were 'not to be used to take advantage of a more generous approach in English cases.'

Criticising the toll of the court battle on the family wealth, he concluded: 'These proceedings, from 2014 to the present day, have cost the family approximately 2.3m in legal costs.

They moved to London in 2004 and spent a year renovating their Kensington house, but split before the work was completed. The house is valued at 5million

'The husband made every possible effort to have the case resolved quickly, and ideally cheaply, from the start.'

Richard Todd QC, for Mrs Zimina, however defended her right to seek a bigger award in England - and claimed she should have got more.

'In truth Mrs Justice Roberts was too restrained in her award, not too generous,' he said.

'The husband has had in the order of 40m and a lifestyle including sumptuous properties in the sun, use of a 3.5 million yacht and ownership of a helicopter.

'The wife had 3m in property and 3m in cash.

'The parties did not live off capital, they lived off the largesse of the husband's father. The husband continued to enjoy that enormous largesse after 2009.

'The husband's extended family wealth had run to the hundreds of millions.

'After the Russian deal, the wife lived relatively frugally, whilst her husband enjoyed the yacht and took up learning how to fly his new helicopter.

'For determining what was reasonable, all matters had to be considered, and that included the context of this man's tens of millions of pounds. 'The judge achieved a balanced decision.

'The wife was right to do the best she could in Russia, but such steps did not operate to prevent her from applying (to have her payment increased in England) as the husband would suggest.

'In a case where the husband had assets in excess of 40.5 million...the wife's needs should have been assessed on a generously interpreted basis.

'It is accepted that...the court should not be indulgent to cynical attempts to take advantage of England's more generous regime, something which was not the case here.

'The correct approach should have been to reject the Russian agreement in accordance with English standards of fairness.

'Once all matters which should have been taken into account, and which were not taken into account, by the Russian court are considered, then the agreement would not pass an English fairness test.

'The husband says England should make an award in Russian terms. It did not, it should not. We invite this court to dismiss the appeal,' Mr Todd concluded.

Lord Justice Patten, sitting with Lord Justice Floyd and Lady Justice King, said there must be a good reason for divorcing spouses to ask English courts to revise foreign orders and not 'simply because we are more generous to the parties here.'

But he added that it was arguable that the wife 'could say that the Russian divorce has been adverse to her and, had she been able to divorce in England, she might have got more.'

The judges have now reserved their ruling on the case to be given at a later date, yet to be set.
The Boeing plant where President Donald Trump gave a jobs speech promising to 'never, ever disappoint' workers has announced it will lay off about 200 people.

The North Charleston, South Carolina factory - which is producing the 787 Dreamliner airplane - announced the cuts yesterday.

In a statement, Boeing said: 'Our competition is relentless, and that has made clear our need as a company to reduce cost to be more competitive.'

In February, Trump visited the site to say 'jobs is one of the primary reasons I'm standing here today as your president'.

Pictured: President Donald Trump speaking at the debut event for the Dreamliner 787-10 at Boeing's South Carolina facility

He added: 'We're here today to celebrate American engineering and American manufacturing,' Trump said at the time, as reported by The Washington Post.

The president went on: 'We're also here today to celebrate jobs. Jobs!'

Boeing, which faces stiff competition from its rival Airbus, has seen orders drop and as a consequence has been reducing staff since early this year through attrition and buyouts.

According to CNN Money, unions reported that a minimum of 1,800 employees took voluntary offers at its Washington State factories.

Pictured: Trump shakes the hand of Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's chief executive officer, during the visit

Pictured: Trump gives the thumbs-up to staff at the plant. About 200 workers there are set to be laid off, according to Boeing

In 2013, the South Carolina plant - where employees are not unionized - saw a significant reduction in staff.

Explaining the latest stage of the layoffs, Boeing said it was part of a national scheme to cut jobs first announced in December.

The firm is cutting back on production of the 777 passenger jet by nearly 60 per cent as it adjusts to new conditions.

But it still employs about 150,000 people around the world.

The White House has not yet commented.
A father in India chopped off his three-year-old daughter's ears before claiming a ghost told him to do it, police say.

Amrit Bahadur, 35, a father-of-six from Delhi, said the spirit told him to 'make your daughter cry' and said it would take her away if he did not do as he was told.

Investigators say Bahadur, a restaurant cleaner, attacked daughter Bina at home on Thursday morning after locking wife Meena Devi, 33, and his other five children on the terrace.

Amrit Bahadur, 35 (left), beat three-year-old daughter Bina (right, with older sister Anju) and cut off her ears at their home in Delhi, India, after saying a ghost told him to 'make her cry'

Officers say Bahdur beat his daughter first, before chopping off both of her ears.

When neighbours heard her cries and Meena's screams for help they called the police who arrested Bahadur at the scene and took him into custody.

Meanwhile Bina, who was bleeding heavily, was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi hospital, in Delhi, along with her severed ears.

Doctors operated on the little girl last night and managed to reattach her ears.

Meena told police her husband had been hallucinating for the last ten days.

She said he had been disturbed for the last two months, since they lost their two-year-old daughter to a fever.

Wife Meena Devi, 33, said she was locked out of the house with her five other children while Bahadur attacked Bina (scene pictured right)

Station House Officer Manjeet Singh, from GTB Enclave Police Station, said: 'We arrested Bahadur the same day.

'He told us a ghost had told him to make his daughter cry. The accused has admitted his crime but claimed the spirit made him do so.'

He has been arrested on charges of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm, under the Indian Penal Code.

Bina is now at home recovering but doctors need to monitor her recovery before they can confirm if she will suffer any long term damage.
Eight Abu Dhabi princesses have been convicted of human trafficking over the way they treated servants in a luxury hotel at Brussels.

The women were handed 15-month suspended sentences for human trafficking and degrading treatment at a court in the Belgian capital.

They were acquitted of the more serious charge of inhuman treatment but also ordered to pay a fine of 165,000 euros (145,000), with half the sum suspended.

Eight Abu Dhabi princesses have been convicted of human trafficking over the way they treated servants in a luxury hotel at Brussels. One of the victims (second right) is seen arriving at court

The princesses, who are from Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family, did not appear in court.

Defence lawyer Stephen Monod said he was pleased he case was finally resolved after nearly a decade.

He said in a statement: 'Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case which has generated many misconceptions'

The case was brought after a servant of the family slipped out of the hotel where the women stayed for several months in 2007 and 2008 and filed a report to Belgian police.

The princesses were handed 15-month suspended sentences for human trafficking and degrading treatment at a court in the Belgian capital

Police raided the then Conrad Hotel in 2008 where princess Sheikha Hamda Al-Nahyan, 64, and her seven daughters had rented the entire 4th floor for a few months.

They were alleged to have had people working round the clock, forcing some to sleep on the floor.

The princesses did not appear in court, only their legal representatives.
A poised and polished Melania Trump shared just how much she is loving her new life in the nation's capital in her first major interview since her husband was sworn into office back in January.

The First Lady spoke with 'Fox & Friends' host Ainsley Earhardt in a segment that was filmed on Thursday during the annual Congressional picnic, and revealed that she could not be happier just two weeks after moving into the White House with son Barron.

'We are enjoying it very much,' Melania said of her time thus far at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

When asked how her 11-year-old son was handling the move, Melania said: 'He loves it, yes all settled. He loves it here.'

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Shinging star: Melania Trump gave her first interview since her husband took office, appearing on 'Fox & Friends' Friday morning in a segment that was filmed on Thursday

Opening up: The First Lady spoke about life at the White House two weeks after making 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue her official residence (l to r: Ainsley Earhardt, President Trump, First Lady)

Get her to the Greek: The First Lady looked picture perfect for her appearance, wearing a $1900 white dress with multicolored stripes by Mary Katzentrou (above)

Melania and Barron made the move to Washington DC soon after President Trump's youngest soon finished school for the year in Manhattan.

Barron will be attending St Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland come September

He skipped out on the Congressional picnic Thursday however, which is held each year on the White House lawn.

The President and First Lady were instead joined by staffers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at the soiree, with the couple bringing along their three children Arabella, Theodore and Joseph.

Those two families both made the move down from the Big Apple in the wake of President Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton, and the First Lady said in her interview that she does not miss the place she has called home for the past two decades.

'I'm so busy and we're doing so many great stuff. So it's really special place and I love it here,' said Melania, who was born in Slovenia.

She became a permanent resident of the United States back in 2001, and five years later she was able to obtain her citizenship after marrying President Trump.

Hugging babies: 'We are enjoying it very much,' said Melania of her new home in DC, adding that her 11-year-old son Barron 'loves it' in the nation's capital

Kissing babies: The 47-year-old also said that she does not miss New York because she is 'so busy' and 'doing so many great stuff'

Posing with fans: 'It's New York City team. And we have carousel and great stuff outside,' Melania said of the Congressional picnic, the first she has organized

Melania, who is only the second first lady to have been born outside the country, also spoke a bit about putting together her first Congressional picnic.

'Tonight, it's a great picnic, Congressional, picnic with all of us getting together,' said Melania.

'It's New York City team. And we have carousel and great stuff outside.'

As always, the First Lady looked picture perfect for her appearance, wearing a $1900 white dress with multicolored stripes by Mary Katzentrou.

The Greek-born designer was also a favorite of Michelle Obama during her years in the East Wing.

Silent all these years: The First Lady was asked just four questions during the 20-minute interview on 'Fox & Friends'

Supportive spouse: Melania spent the rest of her time dutifully nodding as President Trump spoke

Magic Melania: Melania is only the second first lady to be born outside the United States

Melania went with a more natural beauty look for the interview and wore her hair down, which paired with her classic A-line dress to give her the appearance of Jackie Kennedy.

It was 55 years ago that Jackie gave her first interview in the White House.

For her historic tour back in 1962, Jackie gave the public a look at the newly remodeled White House after spending the first year of her husband's presidency overseeing a $2 million overhaul of the building.

CBS aired the special on Valentine's Day and featured the then-first lady front and center while President John F. Kennedy made only a brief cameo towards the end of the hour-long segment.

Industry icon: It was 55 years ago that Jackie Kennedy gave her first interview in the White House (above in 1962)

Partners: CBS aired the special on Valentine's Day and featured the then-first lady front and center while President John F. Kennedy made only a brief cameo (above)

Smile and nod: Melania's interview with 'Fox & Friends' was far briefer and toned down of course, while only being filmed in the largely nondescript Map Room of the White House

Melania's interview with 'Fox & Friends' was far briefer and toned down of course, while only being filmed in the largely nondescript Map Room of the White House.

It was also more Melania who made a cameo in the interview, with a majority of the time being taken up by President Trump as he talked about healthcare, James Comey and what he believes are his biggest accomplishments since taking office.

The First Lady, who was asked just four questions during the 20 minute interview, smiled and nodded along approvingly as her husband spoke.
MSNBC analyst Elise Jordan has come under fire for likening President Trump to a suicide bomber.

The former Bush White House aide made the controversial comment on Thursday, when she was asked to weigh in on the president's recent admission that he never recorded his conversations with FBI Director James Comey as he had previously hinted at.

MSNBC host Craig Melvin said that 'it would seem as if the president may have been lying all along about the existence of these tapes'.

MSNBC analyst Elise Jordan (left) likened defending President Trump (right) to 'hugging a suicide bomber'

'No, hes just wasting  he wasted the countrys collective time speculating over whether these tapes existed or not,' Jordan said. 'Its a sad day when you cannot depend on the presidents word.'

She added: 'My advice would just be to Republicans who do cozy up to him  its like hugging a suicide bomber. He blows you up in the process with him.'

When Melvin said that approximation sounded 'a little strong,' Melvin didn't back down.

'If youre a Republican who went out on a limb and defended Donald Trump over saying, well, hes got tapes that will back up his point of view, you just got blown up, too,' Jordan said.

Jordan was widely criticized by Twitter users for the statement.

Jordan's comments on MSNBC on Thursday were widely criticized by Twitter users

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Barack and Michelle Obama, along with their two daughters, are taking a luxury vacation to Indonesia - where the former president lived in the 1960s.

Soldiers fell into formation in the popular tourist destination of Bali on Friday in preparation for the Obamas' five-day vacation at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Ubud, where villas cost upwards of $2,500 a night.

The former president is then scheduled to travel to the island of Java to speak at the 4th Indonesian Diaspora Congress in Jakarta, where he spent his childhood after his mother Ann Dunham married second husband Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian man.

Soldiers fell into formation in Bali, Indonesia, on Friday in preparation for the Obamas' five-day vacation

Ngurah Rai Military Air Base commander Col. I Wayan Superman was enforcing security measures along with scores of soldiers and police officers

Barack and Michelle (pictured unveiling plans for the Obama Presidential Center in May) are joined by Malia and Sasha

Malia (left in May) was interning with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in New York City before she starts college at Harvard in the fall, while Sasha (right), celebrated her sweet 16th and recently wrapped up the school year at Sidwell Friends

On Thursday, Barack Obama was spotted in Hawaii, where his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, lives with her husband and two kids. She accompanied the Obamas on their trip to Bali on Friday.

The family arrived at a military airport via Guam on Friday evening, with Ngurah Rai Military Air Base commander Col. I Wayan Superman enforcing security measures along with scores of soldiers and police officers.

Prior to their landing, the commander told the Jakarta Post the Obamas' private jet would have priority, although they would try to minimize any disruptions to the other flights.

Barack and Michelle are also joined by Malia, who is on her gap year before she starts college at Harvard in the fall, and Sasha, who recently celebrated her 16th birthday and wrapped up the school year at Sidwell Friends.

Both Barack and Michelle kept it casual in jeans as they were greeted on the tarmac by Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika before the family's motorcade headed towards Ubud.

The Obamas will be enjoying some rest and relaxation at the Four Seasons, where freestanding villas come with a private pool and a spacious sun terrace overlooking the lush rice fields surrounding the Ayung River.

From anti-gravity yoga classes to rafting on the river, the Obamas will have plenty to do for five days before the former president heads to the island of Java.

The Obamas will be enjoying some rest and relaxation at the Four Seasons, where freestanding villas come with a private pool and a spacious sun terrace overlooking the lush rice fields surrounding the Ayung River. Pictured, the Four Seasons spa

With anti-gravity yoga classes, spa sessions and river rafting, the Obamas will have plenty to do for five days before the former president heads to the island of Java

Pictured, a pool overlooking tiered rice fields in the Ayung valley sanctuary, where villas can cost upwards of $2,500 a night

Obama is also scheduled to visit Yogyakarta before heading to the capital of Jakarta, where he will give a keynote speech at the Indonesian Diaspora Congress, which starts July 1 (pictured, the Four Seasons)

Obama's stepfather was from Indonesia, and he spent a few years living in the country in the late 1960s before he returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents

He's scheduled to visit Yogyakarta, a city known for its cultural heritage where Obama's mother did anthropological research.

He will then head to the capital of Jakartaa keynote speech at the Indonesian Diaspora Congress, which starts July 1.

'We don't know what the theme will be of Obama's keynote speech, but we have proposed two main themes to him: globalization and pluralism,' Chairman Dino Patti Djalal told reporters earlier this month.

Obama was born in Honolulu to a white American mother and a Kenyan father after they met as students at the University of Hawaii.

But his parents divorced, and his mother went on to marry Lolo Soetoro, with whom she had Maya. They eventually moved to Indonesia for a few years in the late 1960s before Barack returned to Hawaii.

Since leaving office, Barack, Michelle and Sasha have settled in a 8,200-square-foot mansion in Washington DC while their younger daughter finishes high school.

The former first couple have been enjoying themselves after eight years, jetting off to Richard Branson's private Necker Island before vacationing in Italy.

They've both scored lucrative book deals, and unveiled plans to construct the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park to train and encourage the next generation of leaders.
A depraved childcare worker who fondled a young boy at a preschool community centre has been jailed.

Peter John, Gill, 52, committed a 'gross breach of trust' when he assaulted the five-year-old boy at the Adelaide centre in December 2014, The Advertiser reported.

Gill touched the boy on the outside of his shorts for several seconds near the children's lockers, and the act was witnessed by another carer only metres away at the time.

Peter John, Gill, 52, committed a 'gross breach of trust' when he assaulted the boy at the Adelaide centre in December 2014

Gill claimed he 'did nothing wrong' and blamed his colleagues- But he was convicted of aggravated indecent assault

Gill claimed he 'did nothing wrong' and blamed his colleagues. But he was convicted of aggravated indecent assault.

He was found guilty in March by District Court Judge Sophie David.

She jailed him on Friday for two and half years for his insidious' and 'abhorrent' crimes.

'You were in charged with the care of this very young boy and you breached that trust in a very serious manner,' Judge David said.

The boy's devastated mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wept in the public gallery.

Earlier this week she vented her rage at the 'spineless' childcare worker.
The gold rush brothel run by President Trump's grandfather will be turned into a tourist attraction.

Friedrich Trump built the Arctic Restaurant and Hotel in Bennett, Canada, and kickstarted the family's multi- billion empire.

On the surface, his business was simply a hotel and restaurant that boasted a fancy menu - in reality, it was a brothel that housed prostitutes and sold large amount of alcohol, Maclean's Magazine reports.

The Parks Canada and the Carcross Tagish First Nation want to transform the ancient site into a tourist attraction, 120 years since its founding.

Friedrich Trump, pictured, built the Arctic Restaurant and Hotel in Bennett, Canada, and started the family's empire

The Parks Canada and the Carcross Tagish First Nation want to transform the ancient site, pictured, into a tourist attraction, 120 years since its founding

Trump - who was working as a barber - moved from Manhattan, New York, to Bennett to start the business in 1897.

The German-born immigrant was attracted to the Klondike Gold Rush in Bennett.

When he arrived, he employed indigenous people in Canada to help him construct the building.

The hotel sold dishes considered expensive at the time, including moose, goose and caribou.

Prostitutes - who called themselves 'Ladies of the Night' - often stayed at the hotel to entertain guests.

One hotel reviewer wrote at the time: 'For single men the Arctic has excellent accommodations as well as the best restaurant in Bennett, but I would not advise respectable women to go there to sleep as they are liable to hear that which would be repugnant to their feelings - and uttered, too, by the depraved of their own sex.'

In 1901, Trump left Bennett since the gold rush was over and moved his business to Whitehorse, Canada. He later sold the restaurant because the government at the time was suppressing alcohol, gambling and prostitution - the main sources of his profits.

He then moved back to Germany - which he left at the age of 16 years old - and met his wife Elizabeth.

The pair had three children together: Fred - the president's father, John and Elizabeth - and eventually returned to the US.

President Trump has called reports of his grandfather running a brothel 'totally false'.

The renovators are yet to say when the site will be open to the public.

Fred Trump sold his business and moved back to Germany - which he left at the age of 16 years old. Pictured in a 1915 portrait are Fred jr. ,Friedrich, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Christ and John (left to right)
Ten students are graduating from high school in Mississippi by the skin of their teeth: a scoring mistake gave them one crucial extra point on a history test.

That bit of news was the latest shoe to drop in an assessment screw-up that has led Mississippi to fire Pearson as its testing vendor.

This week, the state department of education announced that 10 students received higher scores than they actually earned on the state history exam. Based on those falsely high scores, the students were cleared to graduate, according to news reports . State officials said they are not going to revoke those diplomas because of the scoring error.

In a statement, Associate State Superintendent Paula Vanderford said that no student failed to graduate because of scoring errors that worked against them .

The Mississippi state board of education fired Pearson last week after the company revealed that it had used the wrong table to score 951 of the U.S. history exams taken by 27,000-plus high school students this spring. Of those students, 36 benefited from scoring errors, but 26 of them had not met additional requirements to graduate.

Board officials noted that the mistake on the U.S. history test marks the third time in recent years that Pearson has made errors that affects students. The first was in 2012, when the company transposed answer choices on the biology exam, resulting in failing scores for 126 students. The second was in 2015, when online science testing for 5th and 8th graders was interrupted.

The boards move cost Pearson its 10-year contract to give tests in high school biology, 5th grade science and 8th grade science, in addition to high school history. The state gave a one-year, $2.2 million contract to Questar Assessment, which already gives the states math and English/language arts tests, to administer the history and science tests instead.

Mississippi used to require all students to pass four subject tests, including history, to graduate, but it changed its requirements. Now students have more options. They can substitute good grades, ACT scores, or college coursework for a failed end-of-course test and still graduate.

Photo: Istockphoto
The girlfriend attacked her partner with a kitchen knife (file photograph)

An enraged girlfriend hacked off her boyfriend's penis with a kitchen knife after forcing him to have sex with her one last time when he refused to marry her.

The grisly incident occurred at 11.30am on Wednesday in front of the couple's family, who were in the house at the time.

The 23-year-old girlfriend had brought up the dicey topic of marriage only for the 35-year-old street vendor called Ravi to say they weren't going to have a wedding day.

She then forced him into the bathroom, demanded he have sex with her, and then chopped off his genitals.

Ravi was rushed to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial hospital for emergency surgery after he was attacked in outer Delhi in the Mangolpuri area.

The couple had been together for four years before she maimed him, and now the girlfriend is on the run.

The bridge that leads into the outer Delhi area of Mangolpuri, where the incident happened

Her brother and sister-in-law were in the house at the time and witnessed him being stripped and shoved into the bathroom, according to the Times of India.

The 23-year-old had told him there would be 'dire circumstances' if he did not do as she said, but after having sex with him, she still attacked him.

The injured Ravi sprinted from the house screaming for help when neighbours spotted him and called the police who are still hunting for the girlfriend.
Peter Mims, the American sailor who went missing from the U.S.S. Shiloh last week, has been found safe on board the ship

An American sailor who was presumed dead following a huge man-overboard search, but was then found to have hidden below deck for almost a week, is to face possible court-martial charges.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Peter Mims, 23, from Interlachen, Florida, was thought to have been lost at sea on June 8 while his guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh was operating in the Philippine Sea.

After a six day search of the open ocean, he was discovered on-board and to have been hiding in the own ship's engine room.

Forces from the US and Japanese navies conducted a 50-hour search over 5,500 square-miles before the rescue was reluctantly called off at midnight on June 11.

However, four days later, the gas turbine systems technician was located alive and well, although the circumstances of how he survived undetected for seven days still remain murky.

This week, he was brought to a brig this week in San Diego where he will be dealt with by his superiors.

The Sailor was found hiding in the USS Shiloh's (above) engine room

Video courtesy of ActionNewsJax

It's unclear why Mims was hiding in the ship's engine room and how he survived for a week there.

'We do not know all the details and motivations behind this Sailor's week-long disappearance,' Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight told The Navy Times.

'This matter remains under investigation, but early indications are that he had taken steps to avoid being found by other Sailors, who were actively attempting to locate him.'

So far, the Navy has not responded to questions regarding his recovery and the 7th Fleet - which is based in Japan - has not elaborated on how he was found.

According to information released by the service, Mims joined the service in February 2014 and had served aboard the Shiloh since August 2014.

His awards included the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

The sailor was reported missing 180-miles east of Okinawa on June 8 and the search extended for thousands of square miles until June 11 before it was called off

Mims is pictured above in photos posted to Facebook. He joined the Navy in 2014

He was initially thought to have fallen overboard while the ship was 'conducting routine operations 180 miles east of Okinawa,' according to the Navy.

More than half a dozen US Navy and Japanese Defence Force vessels combined with helicopters and aircraft from the Ronald Reagan to search for the missing Mims.

The list of American manpower and ships dedicated to finding the crewman included, the USS McCamphell, USS Barry and USS John McCain.

After spending 50-hours trying to locate the sailor in the Philippine Sea, the search was called off on the stroke of midnight on June 11.

Above, the layout of a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, which is the same class as the U.S.S. Shiloh
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An incredible collection of photographs documenting the Dambusters raid and the heroes involved has been unearthed in an archive belonging to a lauded Flight Sergeant.

Leonard Sumpter, a bomb aimer, kept a personal scrapbook featuring press cuttings and photographs showing the airmen from RAF's 617 (Dambusters) Squadron at work and play during the Second World War.

The images include Guy Gibson's Lancaster sitting on the runway with the ingenious bouncing bomb loaded underneath. Following the legendary 1943 raid, he won the Victoria Cross.

An incredible collection of photographs have been uncovered in an archive which was kept by one of the Dambusters, Flight Sergeant Leonard Sumpter. The bomb aimer is pictured above with other crew before setting off on 617 Squadron's last operation of the war - to bomb Hitlers infamous Bavarian retreat in Berghtesgaden in April 1945

The collection includes photographs of Flt Sgt Sumpter with the former Dambusters at a black-tie reunion at Barnes Wallis' 90th birthday in 1977. As well as Wallis, Johnnie Johnson - who is the last surviving Dambuster alive - and pilots Geoff Rice and David Shannon are pictured

This pictured shows Flt Sgt Sumpter dancing (centre) with Diana Dawson-Mitchell at a 617 squadron party in July 1944

Other pictures show Flt Sgt Sumpter having downtime in the war with his colleagues, including this one from June 1944 which shows them enjoying a swim with female companions at the Petwood Hotel near their base in Lincolnshire

There are also aerial images showing other huge bombs which were dropped by Flt Sgt Sumpter towards enemy targets during his wartime career.

Other pictures show Flt Sgt Sumpter - who won the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the raid - having downtime in the war with his colleagues. Pictures show them sipping drinks and enjoying a swim with female companions at a hotel near their base in Lincolnshire.

There are also snaps of a Dambusters' black-tie reunion at Barnes Wallis' 90th birthday in 1977. As well as Wallis, Johnnie Johnson - who is the last surviving Dambuster alive - and pilots Geoff Rice and David Shannon are pictured.

Two years after the war he did a tour of some of the sites he had bombed in France and Germany and his photos from that - which show the wrecked Mohne dam and a viaduct - are also included.

Flt Sgt Sumpter's historic logbook was also unearthed and features more than 140 pages of entries dating from October 15, 1941 to September 2, 1945, including details of the raid - known as Operation Chastise - on May 16, 1943.

The book also details 617's last sortie of the war in April 1945, an attack on Berchtesgaden - Adolf Hitler's 'Eagles' Nest' in the Bavarian Alps - with a 12,000lbs Tallboy bomb.

Flt Sgt Sumpter is pictured left with other Dambuster crew members meeting 'Bomber' Arthur Harris (right), who led RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War

The collection of photographs also includes a picture of the Lancaster used on the famous Dambusters raid in May 1943

The images include Guy Gibson's Lancaster sitting on the runway with the ingenious bouncing bomb loaded underneath (pictured). Following the raid, he won the Victoria Cross

Two years after the war, Flt Sgt did a tour of some of the sites he had bombed in France and Germany and his photos from that - which show the wrecked Mohne dam (pictured) - are also included

On that trip, in May 1947, the airman and keen photographer also took a picture of a viaduct which is included in the book

As well as photographs, Flt Sgt Sumpter's scrapbook (pictured) also features newspaper cuttings of 617's exploits with Barnes Wallis's huge Tallboy bombs

There are also signatures of his superior officers including Gibson, Henry 'Dinghy' Young, David Maltby, Shannon and James Tait.

The archive has been unearthed by Flt Sgt Sumpter's daughter, who has decided to put it up for auction.

The logbook is tipped to sell for 4,000 while the scrapbook is valued at 3,000.

Richard Davie, of Nottingham-based International Autograph Auctions which is selling the archive, said: 'The log book gives us an insight into what Bomber Command were concentrating on during the Second World War.

'The highlight was the Dambusters raid which was one of the most famous operations of the war.

The logbook (left) is tipped to sell for 4,000 while the scrapbook (right) is valued at 3,000. Both will be auctioned tomorrow

In February 1945 there were attacks on U-boats and midget submarine pens, an abortive attack on a rail viaduct at Bielfeld (pictured) and two later attacks on the same target

There are also dozens of wartime reports of the raid, with this snippet published on May 16th, 1943

The scrapbook contains this amazing photograph of a 22,000lb (10 ton) Grand Slam bomb being dropped over a target. These were the largest non-nuclear weapons used during the war

'This is an original record from one of the successful participants and the log book also contains a record of the bombing of Hitler's Eagles' Nest.

'It is extremely rare and historically important.

'While the logbook is an official record Flt Sgt Sumpter had to comply with and fill in all the details, this scrapbook is a much more personal record of the war through his eyes and includes press cuttings with written comments besides them.'

Flt Sgt Sumpter, from Luton, had served in the Grenadier Guards before transferring to the RAF in 1941.

After he was assigned to 617 Squadron, which was set up specifically for the Dams raid, he took part in numerous low-level night-time training exercises over the English countryside, according to his log.

His entry for the May 16, 1943, lists the seven crewmen on his plane which took off from RAF Scampton at 9.50pm. He stated: 'Op. No. 14 via Holland to the Hun. Satisfactory attack on Eder Dam 18 miles west of Kassel. Average ht. 100 feet.'

This picture, included in the scrapbook, was taken over northern France in June 1944 just after a bomb was released

This cutting refers to an article which talks about water coming through the Mohne Dam in the Ruhr Valley in Germany

The book also details 617's last sortie of the war in April 1945, an attack on Berchtesgaden - Adolf Hitler's 'Eagles' Nest' in the Bavarian Alps - with a 12,000lbs Tallboy bomb

In June 1944 (pictured) Flt Sgt Sumpter carried out a 'good raid on a rocket installation' in the Pas De Calais area

His logbook refers to a 'special target' operation over the Antheor Viaduct in southern France in February 1944 (pictured)

During the raid, his Lancaster, call sign AG-L, hit their target of the Eder dam but their bomb failed to breach the wall.

Of the 19 Lancasters and 133 crew who took part in the raid, eight planes were shot down and 53 men were killed.

Flt Sgt Sumpter was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for his part in the raid.

The following year he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in marking bombing targets while flying in Mosquito planes.

His logbook refers to operations over a 'special target' on December 16 and December 22, 1943, an operation over an Nazi engine plant at Limoges, south west France, which caused 'complete devastation' and one over the Antheor Viaduct in southern France in February 1944.

There are also signatures of his superior officers including Gibson, Henry 'Dinghy' Young, David Maltby, Shannon and James Tait (some of which are pictured above)

One raid caused 'large fires' at a Michelin rubber works, while another 'demolished' a powder explosive works in the south of France in March 1944.

In June 1944 Flt Sgt Sumpter carried out a 'good raid on a rocket installation' in the Pas De Calais area.

In February 1945 there were attacks on U-boats and midget submarine pens, an abortive attack on a rail viaduct at Bielfeld and two later attacks on the same target.

On April 25 1945 he carried out the final raid on Berchtesgaden. By the end of the war he had flown 35 operations. He died in 1993.

The auction takes place tomorrow.
A New Orleans-based photojournalist is suing the Trump Organization for $150,000 for publishing her photo on its website without permission.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal photographer Julie Dermansky is accusing President Donald Trump's company of copyright infringement.

She claims the organization illegally profited off her work without authorization, violating the Copyright Act.

On June 22, she filed a lawsuit in New York district court seeking $150,000 in damages for the alleged infringement and is demanding a trial by jury.

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This photo was part of the court documents in the lawsuit of Julie Dermansky against the Trump Organization. The photo is of five women wearing T-shirts that spelled out 'Make America Great Again #Trump' and gained almost 28,000 likes

Dermansky explained she shot a photograph at a Trump rally in January 2016 and registered it with the Trademark office.

Julie Dermansky wrote on her website that much of her body of work focuses on social justice issues

She states without her permission, her photo was posted on the Instagram page @RealDonaldTrump and featured on the Trump Organization website.

The image of the five women wearing shirts with the words 'Make America Great Again #Trump' received 27,871 likes. It bears Dermansky's watermark but she was not tagged.

Though it is common for Instagram users to repost others' work, the Terms of Use do not allow posting photos that violates someone elses intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark.

Dermansky claims the Trump Organization did not license the work nor did it have her permission or consent to publish her photo.

She accuses Trumps company of willfully, intentionally and purposefully disregarding her rights.

President Trump's company is being sued by photographer Dermansky for using her photo without her permission on its Instagram and website

She filed suit seeking all profits, gains and advantages the company received by illegally using her work along with an injunction ordering the Trump Organization LLC to cease using her photo.

The image in question has since been deleted from @RealDonaldTrump's Instagram page.

The same picture went viral in March of 2016 when someone photoshopped the work 'white' over 'great' making the slogan read 'Make America White Again'. Snopes proved this version to be a hoax.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal Dermansky filed the complaint on June 22. Her photo was posted on the Instagram page in January of 2016

Dermansky wrote on her website that much of her body of work focuses on social justice issues. Her work has been published in major news organizations such as The Atlantic, Al Jazeera and The Guardian.

Her statement on her website reads in part: 'I am documenting mankinds demise through photography, video, and the written word. My work illustrates Mans disregard for social justice and negligence toward the planet. '

Her public Twitter and Facebook pages indicate she is not a Trump supporter.

This is not the first time a Trump has landed in hot water over a photo. Donald Trump Jr. posted a photo of a bowl of Skittles equating them to Syrian refugees in September.

The photo was taken by a former refugee who fled Cyprus who sued the president's son for using the photo without his permission.
An eight week old puppy that was near death after being locked her in a car in 100 degree Texas heat and had to be rescued by police, is being returned to the owner.

Chandler Allen Bullen, 20, was arrested for animal cruelty after locking his pup Annabelle in his car without air conditioning while he went into Walmart for 30 minutes. Bullen told cops he didn't leave the AC on because he didn't want to waste money on gas. The Manor City Court decided on Thursday to give Annabelle back to the owner.

Manor police, which charged the puppy's owner with animal cruelty, had hoped to win custody of the dog, named Annabelle, so they could hand her over to an animal shelter.

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A Texas puppy is recovering today after being left inside the sweltering heat of a car

Police identified the car owner as 20-year-old Chandler Allen Bullen. Bullen told police he left the puppy in the car without the engine running because he didn't 'want to waste gas.' He faces charges of cruelty to a non-livestock animal

'The Manor Police Department is extremely saddened and disappointed with the court's ruling today that ordered the release of 'Annabelle' to the owner,' police said in a statement. 'The Manor Police Department wishes the best for Annabelle and hope she lives a happy and healthy life.'

Bullen will still face a charge of cruelty to a non-livestock animal, which is a Class A misdemeanor.

It was 99 degrees outside with a heat index value of 109 at the time, according to data from the National Weather Service.

Police reached through a partially opened sunroof and unlocked the car with a tire iron, an arrest affidavit said.

The owner, police said Thursday, had been ordered to appear in court in 30 days with Annabelle and a report providing proof he had taken the dog to a veterinarian.

Dashcam video released by Manor Police near Austin shows them working to rescue the little dog. All four windows to the vehicle were closed, causing the temperatures inside to rise significantly.

Witnesses discovered Anabelle, a 8-week-old German Shepherd-Husky mix, locked inside a car in Manor, Texas, where temperatures reached 100 degrees

The dog was near death when she was pulled out and had been hiding under a car seat to find some shade

By the time officers arrived on the scene Annabelle was panting and crying and trying to hide under a rear passenger seat in an attempt to find shade.

She was found locked in a car in a Wal-Mart parking lot Saturday afternoon.

Officers managed to successfully open the doors to the car by using a tire iron to reach through the sunroof and hit an unlock button.

Incredibly, Annabelle has staged a 'miraculous recovery' and is now back to running around and wagging her tale. She is healthy once again, but also extremely lucky

Officers said that the puppy was overheated, infested with fleas, had several lesions and appeared to be in poor condition.

The owner returned to the car about half-an-hour later and was then promptly arrested on animal cruelty charges.

'The officers just spoke with him and asked him why he left the animal in there with the windows up and the extreme heat,' said Manor Police Sgt. Randall Anderson to KXAN, 'and his reaction was, basically, he didn't want to waste gas.'

'It's sad to hear because they're defenseless much like children,' Anderson said. 'You know, they can't get out of the car by themselves, and it's kind of just stuck in there.'

After freeing the puppy, officials transported her to a local veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Lund, at the Austin Animal Center.

Lund told reporters the puppy was near death when she received her.

However, after receiving treatment, little Annabelle is showing signs of a 'miraculous recovery.'
A mother-of-seven was strangled to death with a dog leash by her abusive boyfriend at her home on Tuesday night, according to prosecutors.

Ryan Power, 32, has been charged with murdering Leah Penny, 31, at her home in Malden, Massachusetts, reported the Boston Herald. He was arraigned Thursday morning and is being held without bail.

Police responded to a call Wednesday to find Penny dead at the foot of her staircase with a dog leash wrapped around her neck, according to Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Dunigan.

Leah Penny (left) was strangled to death with a dog leash by her abusive boyfriend, Ryan Power (right) at her home on Tuesday night, according to prosecutors

Ryan Power (left), 32, has been charged with murdering Leah Penny, 31, (right) at her home in Malden, Massachusetts

The couple's two children, ages one and two, were lying in their cribs at the time, police have said. Penny had five other children at the time of her death.

Power's mother found Penny's body when she went visit her grandchildren at their home, and immediately went to Malden police.

Not much later, she was contacted by her son, who had fled to Seabrook, New Hampshire.

When contacted by phone by a detective and the Malden police chief, Power admitted to having an argument with Penny Tuesday night, and said it turned physical and he 'choked her with his hands', according to the district attorney.

The couple's two children, ages one and two, were lying in their cribs at the time, police have said

Penny had a total of seven children, two with Power. She is pictured with six of her children

After the argument, he claims to have left, gone to the store, and then come back, but said he didn't see Penny again that night, according to the Herald.

Later, speaking with New Hampshire police after a warrant was issued for his arrest, he said: 'My girl is dead. I came back home and she was dead.'

In May, prosecutors said police visited the couple's home on Lebanon Street after Power pushed his girlfriend to the ground and ran off with their two children.

He was charged with assault and battery, and following the incident, Penny asked police for a restraining order against Power if he were able to make bail.

In May, prosecutors said police visited the couple's home on Lebanon Street (pictured) after Power pushed his girlfriend to the ground and ran off with their two children

Patty Duble (center), Penny's mother, who still lives in North Carolina, said the whole family is heartbroken over her daughter's tragic death. Pictured left to right are Leah Penny, her mother Patty Duble and her sister Katie

However, the North Carolina native never filed the court papers to keep him away, according to prosecutors.

Patty Duble, Penny's mother, who still lives in North Carolina, said the whole family is heartbroken over her daughter's tragic death.

Speaking to the Herald, she said: 'The whole family is distraught. It doesn't seem real. I just had no idea that things were the way that they were.

'I knew there were problems - but I never knew it was that intense.'

Later, speaking about the alleged murder, Duble said: 'He left a one-year-old and a two-year-old in that home alone, with their mother dead on the floor, without regard. I want that to be known.'
William 'Brute' Bradford runs the DOE's Office of Indian Energy, but his social media past is coming back to haunt him

An appointee to a key position in the Department of Energy apologized on Thursday for a history of incendiary remarks on Twitter  including calling former president Barack Obama a 'Kenyan creampuff.'

William 'Brute' Bradford runs the DOE's Office of Indian Energy, but his social media past is coming back to haunt him.

Bradford's other targets included Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, whom he called a 'self-hating Jew,' and NBC host Megyn Kelly  whom he referred to as 'MegOBgyn Kelly' as a slam on her feminist advocacy.

The Washington Post exposed the sensational messages, posted to his since-deleted Twitter account.

Bradford's controversial tweets all came before he joined the Trump administration, but they will still give the White House a new headache at a time when it is slowly filling hundreds of key administration vacancies.

'As a minority and member of the Jewish faith, I sincerely apologize for my disrespectful and offensive comments,' he told the Post.

'These comments are inexcusable and I do not stand by them. Now, as a public servant, I hold myself to a higher standard, and I will work every day to better the lives of all Americans.'

Bradford called former president Barack Obama a 'Kenyan creampuff,' a not-so-subtle birtherist dig

The Trump administration appointee called then-president Obama an Iranian stooge and suggested he might have to be forced out of the White House when his term expired

Bradford's comment about Obama came in December, and included an accusation that the former president 'was given his mission in Tehran [a] long time ago, and it suits him just fine.'

'How else can a Kenyan creampuff get ahead?' he asked.

Bradford also tweeted the suggestion that Americans might have to stagte a coup to remove Obama from office if he refused to vacate the White House at the end of his term.

'If Obama won't leave office in January 2017, what will we do? Is a military coup the only answer? Need to think NOW,' he wrote.

That tweet linked to an essay Bradford had written in November 2015 titled: 'Remove Obama: ISIS and the Presidents dereliction of duty.'

Bradford wrote that '[i]t is not hyperbolic to suggest that Obama is the single most important figure in the rise of radical Islam and the spread of the Caliphate since the Prophet Muhammad himself.'

He argued that Obama should be impeached, saying that the then-presidnet would likely not lift a finger if 'one million Americans were immolated in a suitcase nuclear attack on New York City.'

Bradford blasted Facebook's co-founder as a 'self-hating Jew' for his anti-Trupm advocacy

He also mocked then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly as 'MegOBgyn,' a slap at her feminist advocacy

Bradford's digital body-slam of Zuckerberg was no less incendiary, following the Facebook guru's plea for Americans to vote against Donald Trump.

'Who is this little arrogant self-hating Jew to tell anyone for whom to vote?' he tweeted.

He offended Japanese-Americans, too, in a February 2015 tweet celebrating the anniversary of the creation of internment camps for that group's citizens during World War II.

'It was necessary,' Bradford tweeted.

He also referred to Kelly, then of Fox News, as 'MegOBgyn,' claiming that he coined the moniker.

Bradford blasted Obama's Pentagon last year for green-lighting female armed service members to serve in combat roles

And Bradford also weighed in on the trend toward allowing women to serve in U.S. military combat roles, conflating it with the larger issue of women serving in the armed forces.

'Women have no business in combat. Period,' he tweeted.

'Republicans [are] pandering on this issue. Disgusting. I'll shoot anyone who comes for my daughters.'

Bradford is a former faculty member at the U.S. Military Academy, the National Defense University, the Coast Guard Academy and the United Arab Emirates National Defense College.

He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University, law degrees from the University of Miami and Harvard University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Florida.
Madrid Gay Pride organisers have set up 'emergency lanes' for evacuation from potential terror attacks and banned fireworks to prevent deadly stampedes.

The city has boosted security for the start of WorldPride 2017, one of the biggest celebrations of LGBT rights, which is expected to see more than two million people attend over 10 days.

An interior ministry source said at least 2,000 officers would reinforce Madrid's usual contingent to monitor roofs, underground parking stations and entries to various sites.

Jesus Grande, one of the parade's organisers, said a large fireworks display planned for the closing ceremony on July 2 had been cancelled by authorities.

Madrid Gay Pride organisers have set up 'emergency lanes' for evacuation from potential terror attacks and banned fireworks to prevent deadly stampedes. Pictured, revellers during Madrid's Gay Pride festival last year

Authorities fear the noise could cause a panic like the one in Turin, Italy, this month, which saw one person die and more than 1,500 hurt after fireworks sparked a stampede among Juventus fans who feared a bomb attack while watching the Champions League final.

Organisers have also said 'emergency lanes' will be created in busy places to allow for possible evacuations, as well as traffic restrictions, bag searches and mobile medical units.

Meanwhile, the La Razon conservative daily reported Thursday that security forces would implement '24-hour surveillance of the most radical jihadist "targets" living in Madrid and nearby,' covering 200 to 300 people.

The 10-day celebration culminates with a huge parade on July 1 down the Paseo del Prado, one of the Spanish capital's central avenues, which in itself could attract 'up to one million people,' according to Madrid's Cogam LGBT Collective, one of the organisers.

Madrid's famous Gay Pride festival will be held from Friday 23 June to Sunday 2 July.

Fireworks have been banned at this year's parade. Authorities fear the noise could cause a panic like the one in Turin, Italy, (pictured) this month, which saw one person die and more than 1,500 hurt

For the past two years, Spain, the third most popular tourist destination in the world, has been on high terror alert.

While it has been spared in the wave of recent jihadist-inspired attacks in Europe, it was hit in March 2004 by bombings on commuter trains in Madrid that left 191 people dead.

Earlier this week, police in Madrid arrested three Moroccans including an 'extremely dangerous ISIS member' just days before revellers arrive in the city for the Gay Pride festival.

The 32-year-old man was described as being in an 'advanced state of radicalisation' and likened to terrorists behind recent attacks in the UK and France.

Two other suspects he shared a flat with near to Madrid's Atocha train station, one aged 38 and the other aged 33, were also held in dawn raids on Wednesday.

Police in Madrid have arrested three Moroccans including an 'extremely dangerous ISIS member' just days before two million people arrive in the city for the Gay Pride festival

A spokesman for Spain's National Police, referring to ISIS by its acronym DAESH, said: 'Officers have arrested a 32-year-old Moroccan man living in Madrid who belonged to the terrorist organisation DAESH and was in an advanced state of radicalisation.

'He had an extremely dangerous profile, coinciding with those of the terrorists recently involved in attacks in the United Kingdom and France, and was considered an obvious threat to national security.

'The suspect had carried out an exhaustive study and search for official DAESH training material.

Two other suspects he shared a flat with near to Madrid's Atocha train station, one aged 38 and the other aged 33, were also held in dawn raids on Wednesday

The force added in a statement: 'During the investigation, it has been possible to detect different markers on social media that link this man to ISIS members in Syrian-Iraqi war zones'

'He had compiled an abundant amount of jihadist terror manuals such as a suicide bomber manual or an Electronic Jihad manual.

'The subjects covered by these documents range from ideological preparation through to acts of martyrdom.

'There are other manuals that the police are analysing at the moment.'

The force added in a statement: 'During the investigation, it has been possible to detect different markers on social media that link this man to ISIS members in Syrian-Iraqi war zones.

'He was also trying to recruit people in his close circle so he could convince them to wage violent jihad in our country.'
Mummy blogger Constance Hall has announced she is engaged to Denim Cooke just months after splitting from her husband.

Perth-based Hall shared the news with her more than 1.1 million Facebook followers on Friday evening with a photo of her looking lovingly into the eyes of her soon-to-be husband.

'Ps lover boy wants to spent [sic] the rest of his life with me. Spoiler I said yes three f***ing times,' the mother-of-four wrote.

Constance Hall announced on her Facebook page to her more than 1.1 million followers on Friday evening she was engaged to Denim Cooke

Ms Hall and Mr Cooke first crossed paths back in February and first publicly revealed their love for one another in April

Denim Cooke revealed in a Facebook post how he had proposed to Hall and explained that 'We are written in the stars'

The 'Like a Queen' author then commented under the post: 'Let's all drinks to this!!!!'.

Mr Cooke revealed on the The Cooke Trinity Facebook page how the marriage proposal came about, adding 'We are written in the stars'.

'To let you in on something deeply personal, I have proposed marriage to Con twice in two months. Every time she has said "YES",' he wrote.

'Obviously we are both hopeless romantics so recently I got down on one knee at the beach in Carnarvon and asked for the third and final time.'

Mr Cooke said his third proposal was made while they were both standing 'on the soft white sand entwined in each other's arms with the waves crashing on the beach behind us'.

'The sunset had mixed tangerine with frusia [sic] and against the turquoise water it struck me that this moment was too good to ignore,' he wrote.

He explained how he was feeling nervous at the time and his heart was racing.

Ms Hall and Mr Cooke are pictured here together in Ireland when she was in the country to promote her book 'Like a Queen'

Ms Hall commented on her own post 'Let's all drink to this!!!!' and received well-wishes from her Facebook followers

On The Cooke Trinity Facebook page, people were quick to lend their congratulations to the newly-engaged couple

He said: 'I came up with "Constance Hall, as you know our love has existed before the beginning of time, please will you marry me so our souls can be entwined till the end of time".

'We kissed deeply and passionately and then she jumped onto my hips and wrapped her legs around me.'

Fans were quick to lend their congratulations to the newly-engaged couple.

One wrote: 'Con, the two of you are literally perfect together. Meeting you both was so wonderful, you just have this amazing energy that you can feel in the entire room when you're around one another. You both deserve to be insanely happy'.

In a Facebook post in April, Ms Hall claimed her and her estranged husband Bill Mahon had 'made the decision to go our own ways'.

'We stopped enjoying each other and the kids stopped seeing happiness in our love, only contempt,' she said.

Later that month, Ms Hall opened up about her love for Ireland where she was visiting to promote her 'Like a Queen' book - and the man accompanying her on the trip - Mr Cooke.

'Falling in love with Ireland and each other,' she wrote on Facebook along with several heart emojis.

Mr Cooke, a single father, first appeared in the blogger's life earlier this year after she penned about meeting him at a skate park.

Ms Hall first met Mr Cooke at a skate park in February and wrote a Facebook post about the encounter

Ms Hall opened up about her love for Mr Cooke in a Facebook post in April while in Ireland promoting her 'Like a Queen' book

Ms Hall said in a Facebook post in April, her and her estranged husband Bill Mahon had 'made the decision to go our own ways'

She spoke highly of her admiration for his parenting skills after listening to his inspiring story of how he was embarking on a trip around Australia with his two sons 'on a quest to skate every single skate park'.

'A couple of weeks ago after taking the kids out for dinner I grabbed a couple of beers and went to the skate park, tire them out so they crash without fighting,' she wrote in her blog on February 27.

'There were two kids there, long blonde haired kids who's skating skills defied the laws of gravity and who spoke kindly, respectfully to the younger less talented kids like mine.'
Sir Vince Cable, pictured on the election campaign trail in London in May, said he has been 'sounded out' by remain-backing Tories

Lib Dem leadership front-runner Vince Cable has said he is in secret talks with Tory MPs to water down Brexit.

The former business secretary said he is speaking to Remain-backing MPs about cooperating in parliament.

The claim came as the Lib Dems tabled an amendment to the Queen's Speech that would keep Britain in the single market - a move that has been ruled out by the government and Labour.

Theresa May has been scrambling to tie up a deal with the DUP to prop her up in power after the bombshell election result stripped her of her Commons majority.

Even with the support of the Northern Ireland party's 10 MPs, only seven Tories would need to rebel during a vote in the House to defeat the Government.

This wafer-thin working majority means the PM is at the mercy of her MPs, and a backbench Tory rebellion could plunge her Brexit plans into crisis.

Sir Vince said remain-backing Tories are starting to organise behind the scenes and have been tapping him up to discuss mounting a parliamentary assault on the government's Brexit plans.

He told The Telegraph: 'Informally all kinds of networks are being established and I have been sounded out by several of them.'

And Sir Vince said the 'tribal differences between the parties have broken down' and that instead he wants MPs from all parties 'to be encouraged to work together'.

He said: 'There are a lot of Conservative MPs who may not have put up a flag called Remain but are very, very worried about the more extreme options on the table and would like to keep either the customs union or the single market or both.'

Sir Vince praised Tory arch europhile Ken Clarke, and said: 'We have to work with like-minded people across the spectrum trying to get a softer, more sensible version of Brexit.'

His comments suggest that an alliance of remain-backing MPs from all political parties could launch a guerrilla warfare in the House of Commons to keep many of the tenets of membership.

The move would enrage voters who backed Brexit last year and do not want their MPs to overturn their referendum votes in the Commons Chamber.

Mrs May this week unveiled plans for eight Brexit bills which will deliver on the historic vote to leave the EU and bring tackle sky-high immigration.

Theresa May, pictured in Brussels today, where she made a 'fair and generous' offer to allow the 3.2 million EU nationals living in the UK to stay after Brexit

But with her majority wiped out, she is bracing herself for some difficult clashes in parliament which could imperil her plans.

The Liberal Democrats want Britain to stay in the single market - which would effectively mean the UK would have to keep its borders open.

While dozens of Labour politicians have publicly backed plans to stay in the single market - despite their leadership's position.

And if Tories join the throng, the PM will face a tough fight to push her plans through.

David Jones, the former Brexit minister who lost his job in last week's Cabinet reshuffle, admitted that 'the arithmetic is challenging but I think deliverable' in the Commons.

And he said the Brexit-backing Tory MPs will fight back by striking alliances with their Labour counterparts like Kate Hoey.

He told the newspaper: 'MPs from all sides should now be working to ensure a smooth and successful Brexit.

'Voters will not forgive politicians who are indulging in shabby games rather than supporting the Government in delivering on the referendum result.'

The secret talks have emerged as Mrs May is in Brussels where she has made a bold offer to allow the 3.2 million EU nationals living in the UK to stay after Brexit.

But she received a chilly response from Brussels, with European Council president Donald Tusk complaining that the proposals were 'below our expectations'.
By age 10, a young black boy with multiple siblings, raised in a single-parent home by a mother who did not complete high school, moves quite a bit, has incarcerated family members, and struggles academically is an ideal candidate for what is called the school-to-prison pipeline . Ten seems, to me, a very young and tender age to introduce thoughts of prison.

But these days, the streets arent the only place youth are interacting with law enforcement and punishment; its happening in schools too , where many youth spend more than 50% of their time. Many low-income schools with large populations of students of color have school resource officers (SRO) on their campuses, increasing the possibility of student and police interaction.

In California, as in other states, police officers are stationed in schools and have direct contact with students, replacing educators and administrators as disciplinarians for minor offenses and behavioral issues. A 2016 ACLU report states that on-campus policing often results in over-criminalizing students--especially low-income students of color.

Impacting Students of Color

School policing disproportionately impacts students of color. A recent study showed that campuses with larger populations of students of color are more likely to use harsh surveillance techniques, disciplinary actions and involve police in minor infractions . Public schools serving primarily black and other nonwhite students commonly rely on more restrictive security. This is the case even following highly publicized school shootings, according to a research paper by Jason P. Nance at the University of Florida.

Without meaning to, the state is supporting a predictable school-to-prison pipeline. The path to prison is not just about school police. When young men of color enter school, they are likely to experience harsher discipline practices, being taught by unprepared teachers, being referred for special education , and a feeling of detachment from school. We know the risk factors, and theres not enough being done to stop the feeding of young people of color into a judicial process that leads to incarceration.

The average arrest rate for students in California schools, where more than 80% of students are low-income, is seven times higher than the average arrest rate where fewer than 20% of students are low-income, according to the ACLU . In addition, students of color in California schools are referred to police for their infractions more than twice their white counterparts, increasing their chances of suspension, expulsion, probation, juvenile detention and/or prison. Furthermore, research shows, students entering the juvenile justice system through academic infringement are less likely to return to school, once their time has been served.

To gain a better understanding of school policing in California, I spoke with Professor Bruce Matsui, who has consulted and written about school policing and who is a former teacher and school administrator. Matsui noted that the biggest difference between good SROs and bad ones depends on school administrators.

Law & Order

He said, Some administrators want Law & Order, and they create a culture of punishment which scares children with the police presence. A punishment culture hurts schools more than it helps them, Matsui says. Furthermore, good SROs, in partnership with good administration can impact change in schools and create specific programs to assist the students who need help, rather than repeatedly discipline their behaviors.

Matsui recommended in-depth training programs, necessary to assist school officials and officers in defining and communicating clear expectations. Another program that has proven beneficial is restorative justice. Restorative justice is an opportunity to focus on the rehabilitation/helping of the offender, rather than justice by way of punishment. In such cases, the child (offender), the victim, school administration, officials (including the officer), and parents are all involved and working collectively to right the wrongs of any given occurrence. Most importantly, restorative justice programs , on average, yield reductions in recidivism compared to non-restorative approaches to behaviors.

Matsui offered two pieces of advice that administrators and other education leaders and police officers can take in order to create a culture thats mutually beneficial:



Context is very, very important. District-wide approaches fail because the relationship between students, administrators, teachers, and SROs cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. This does not work! All districts and all schools are not the same. Organized communication is necessary from the outset. Administration, teachers, parents, students and SROs should all be on the same page before an issue occurs. Communication is key.

Increasing Concern

There is an increase in concern and discussion about policing in schools. Howie Knoff provides an extensive list of some of the most controversial examples of school resource officers (SROs), school-based police officers and/or school security staff. He writes:

In March 2016, a Baltimore school district police officer slapped, kicked, and swore at a young black man outside a Baltimore high school, sparking a criminal investigation and cries for federal authorities to intervene. In October 2015, a video shows a SRO in South Carolina ripping a high school girl from her chair and body-slamming her to the ground after she refused to follow school rules. Also in October 2015, a 14-year-old Texas boy was choked to the floor by an SRO called in to stop a gym fight. In November 2014, a 52-lb 8-year-old Covington, KY elementary studentwho suffered from ADHD and PTSDwas cuffed above the elbows for 15 minutes by an SRO because he was having some behavioral difficulties in his classroom."

Some Answers

I am a concerned doctoral student and mother of a young, black man. I dont have all the answers, but I do have some. Here are a few places that we can start:



As detailed in Knoffs piece , we should include school resource officers in Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) required plans. ESEA/ESSA requires states to develop pathways of reduction for bullying, harassment, suspension, and expulsions. In this, the school-to-prison pipeline should be considered, and policies to directly impact reduction created. Training! Training! And More Training! There are only 12 states that have laws requiring training of school resource officers (SROs). On average, school resource officers receive only three days of counseling and education training prior to entering into the schools. Even though many of them have years of police experience, more training is needed for school resource officers about creating a safe, cohesive and productive learning environment. Include school resource officers in open house events, parent and teacher associations, and other school-community related events so that students, parents, school administrators and teachers have opportunities to develop relationships with one another before disciplinary action is required. California schools should create alternatives to suspension and expulsion, such as restorative justice, for at-risk youth who are expected to have increased negative interactions with school resource officers. If nothing else, school and police officials should work to create a routine in which punishments fit the infraction. As Matsui mentioned, context is extremely important!

We need a more planned, comprehensive, and psycho-educationally-relevant process of hiring, preparing, deploying, integrating, and supervising SROs, school-based police and school security guards. The primary task, both Knoff and Matsui said, is to keep students, staff and schools safe, not to escalate routine disciplinary incidents to the point that they become criminalized. I agree.

Marquisha Mar Spencer is a PhD student, research assistant and student-body president at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests involve student and identity development, marginalized student populations and gender biases. Connect with her onTwitter: //twitter.com/BrownGrlBloggin and Instagram: //www.instagram.com/__thekingsdaughter/
The family of a 15-year-old Pennsylvania girl who hanged herself says in her obituary that she had a tough life made worse by school bullies.

Sadie Riggs' family posted her obituary on Facebook after she died Monday, writing that she was a 'sweet and loving girl' who loved softball, reading, drawing and music.

However, they say Sadie had a difficult life, alluding to issues with her biological parents by saying that she lived with her aunt.

Sadie Riggs (pictured) killed herself on Monday and her family have blamed bullying

They say she was in counseling and took medications for emotional issues complicated by bullying, much of it on social media.

Sadie's family tells the bullies: 'Please know you were effective in making her feel worthless.'

'That is all between you and God now, but please know that it is not to late to change your ways,' the obituary reads.

In an obituary, Sadie's family said that she was trying to get help for emotional issues but that the bullying became too much. She's pictured above with her aunt Sarah Smith, who she lived with

In an interview with WPXI, Sadie's aunt Sarah Smith said that most of the bullying happened on social media and that 'they called her everything in the book'.

However, the family says that they wouldn't wish any pain on those who hurt Sadie.

'To all the bullies out there, I just want you to know that as much as we despise your actions never, ever do we wish for you to feel the paralyzing pain that engulfs our bodies, a pain so severe that it makes the simple act of breathing difficult or the guilt that leaves us wondering what we could have done differently-or that struggle to remember the last words we spoke...Our hearts are beyond broken.

'Sadie, it was a privilege to have you in our lives and we will always love you,' the obituary reads.

The obituary ends with a plea to be nicer to each other.

'In lieu of flowers, the family of Sadie ask that you be kind to one another,' it says.

'Sadie, it was a privilege to have you in our lives and we will always love you,' the obituary reads

Bedford Area Superintendent Allen Sell says that he can't comment on the specific situation but that policing social media bullying is difficult because schools don't have jurisdiction if it happens outside school hours.

The district is offering counseling to students affected by Sadie's death.

Riggs' aunt has set up a Go Fund Me page to help raise money for the young girl's funeral, which is set for this weekend. So far, it has raised more than $900 of its $6,000 goal.

 For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or click here

 For confidential support on suicide matters in the UK, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here
A devastated father has described the 'massive void' left in his life after a sadistic thug murdered his two-year-old son by repeatedly punching him in the stomach and stamping on his head.

Chevaze Sanchez McGregor, 27, inflicted a string of injuries on Jeremiah Regis-Ngaujah before delivering a fatal blow which ruptured the boy's intestines.

The toddler - known as 'little smiler' - was left 'broken and battered' with more than 100 injuries including a skull fracture and a bite wound.

Medics attempted to save the boy's life but he suffered an 'agonising' death 24 hours after the attack.

Chevaze McGregor (left) who murdered his partner's two-year-old son Jeremiah Regis-Ngaujah (right) after stamping on his head in a fit of rage has been jailed for 21 years

Today, McGregor - who believed pain could teach children right from wrong - was jailed for life when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court.

Jeremiah's mother Sindyann Regis, 26, who had previously admitted allowing the death of a child, was sentenced to three years and four months.

Her not guilty plea to murder was accepted by the prosecution.

Jeremiah's devastated father Sahr Nguajah described his feelings of 'guilt and self-blame' after the toddler's death in November last year.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Nguajah said he could not describe how he felt about losing his son, describing him as a 'happy, cheerful' young boy.

The electrical engineer said: 'As a parent you assume the natural role of being the protector, although unable to protect against illness you should be able to protect your children from violence within the home.

'I was unable to protect Jeremiah and this lack of being able to protect him increases my guilt and self-blame.

Jeremiah's mother Sindyann Regis (pictured), 26, who had previously admitted allowing the death of a child, was also sentenced to three years and four months

'His early departure has left a massive void in my life.

'He was loved by all that knew and came into contact with him in his very short life.

'Jeremiah will be greatly missed but never forgotten.

'I wasn't ready to say goodbye and neither was Genevieve, but our comfort is that Jeremiah will always remain in our hearts forever and ever, our loss is heaven's gain.

'Losing your child is hard enough to deal with, but losing them through murder is just inconceivable.'

He had earlier told the court: 'He was my beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him.

'I had many hopes and dreams for Jeremiah, for example going to nursery where he would make new friends and start to learn new things about young life.

'Then starting school wearing his first school uniform and beginning his journey as a young child creating wonderful memories, learning about love and laughter along the way.

'I will never know what Jeremiah may have become as a young man.

'I know he loved to laugh and already at such a young age he loved to sing and dance. He found so much pleasure and joy in music.

'He loved it if you sung to him and would join in.

'Jeremiah was everything you could hope for and so much more.

'He was happy, cheerful and full of mischief.

'He had an inquisitive nature and was affectionate and his affections for the people in his life had no limits.

'He had an infectious smile, lovely big dark eyes and curly hair and loved his sister, Genevieve.'

Doctors who examined Jeremiah's body became suspicious of the injuries he had suffered, including this adult-sized bite mark

During the hearing, the court was told how Jeremiah was born in February 2014 but his parents had separated before the birth.

Regis, who was living in London at the time, had been brought up in the Pentecostal church where she met McGregor while seven months' pregnant.

Sally Howes QC, prosecuting, said the pair were initially just friends but it developed into a relationship and McGregor was present at the birth of Jeremiah.

But the relationship came to an end and Regis moved away. The couple stayed in touch and in June 2016 they rekindled their relationship.

During the hearing, the court heard how McGregor used physical chastisement to 'toughen children up'.

The thug used his fists, a belt and a rod to discipline Jeremiah and three other children.

The court heard how on the night of Jeremiah's death an ambulance was called to the child's home in Wednesfield, West Midlands, after Regis knocked on neighbours' doors claiming her son was unwell.

Police released CCTV footage of McGregor flying into a rage just months before he killed Jeremiah

In the disturbing video McGregor tears his own t-shirt from the neck to the waist

McGregor then approached the ambulance carrying Jeremiah. The child had no pulse and was not breathing.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead the next morning.

The court heard how doctors who examined Jeremiah's body became suspicious of the injuries he had including an adult-sized bite mark.

NSPCC: 'JEREMIAH SUFFERED HORRIFIC CATALOGUE OF INJURIES'

An NSPCC spokesman said: 'It is deeply shocking that someone who should have protected and nurtured this defenceless young child could inflict such terrible pain and take his life. 'Jeremiah suffered a horrific catalogue of injuries, and it is only right his mother and stepfather face the full force of the law for the sickening crimes they have admitted. 'It is vital that people are alert to the warning signs that a child is being abused or neglected, and that they report their concerns - it could save a child from serious harm. 'They can call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, text 88858 or email Advertisement

Police were alerted and a post-mortem examination revealed that Jeremiah died from peritonitis - inflammation of the stomach tissue - as a result of blunt force trauma to his abdomen.

In police interviews, McGregor - who claimed not to remember hitting Jeremiah around the head, produced a letter in which he stated: 'Sindyann does not discipline him so it must be me.

'The job of the parent is to correct. God gave us pain so we know to do the right thing.'

As Miss Howes outlined the boy's injuries, Regis could be heard sobbing in a room beside the dock and was allowed to leave court.

She described how he suffered numerous rib fractures, a bite mark to his chest, bruising and brain injury.

Concluding her summary of the events leading up to the death, Miss Howes told the court: 'This is a case of a callous, sustained regime of brutality against a defenceless two-year-old in his own home.

'Jeremiah was left broken and battered with life-threatening injuries and as his life ebbed away moment by agonising moment, Chevaze McGregor stood by and watched, knowing full well what he had done.'

The court heard how even the investigating police officers were shocked by the brutality inflicted upon Jeremiah.

The court also heard how Regis told police that her partner had 'anger management difficulties'.

During the hearing, the court heard how McGregor, pictured left in a shocking CCTV video, used physical chastisement to 'toughen children up'

In the shocking video, McGregor then hurls himself onto the floor in a fit of rage

Detective Inspector Hines added: 'Evidence shows McGregor (pictured rear) was prone to bouts of extreme loss of temper'

'He would get so angry and everyone was a bit scared,' she said.

Following the hearing, police released CCTV footage of an incident at McGregor's father's home which showed the murderer having an angry outburst.

In the disturbing video he goes on to tear his own t-shirt from the neck to the waist before hurling himself face-down onto the floor.

Detective Inspector Warren Hines, from the West Midlands Police homicide team, said: 'The death of one so young is always tragic.

'But it's horrifying to think of the amount of violence and suffering this child must have endured at the hands of someone he should have been able to trust.

'McGregor was a controlling, manipulative and violent individual.

'He believed in chastising children physically and used a belt, a rod and his fists to cause the terrible injuries to Jeremiah.

'We believe the fatal assault was inflicted a couple of days before, and Jeremiah was left in agony until he succumbed to peritonitis.

'Evidence shows that Jeremiah had defensive wounds to his hands and arms, which shows he tried to shield himself from the beatings.'

Detective Inspector Warren Hines said McGregor, pictured in the hoodie, was a controlling, manipulative and violent individual'

Medics attempted to save Jeremiah's life but he suffered an 'agonising' death 24 hours after the attack by McGregor, pictured with his top off during a bout of rage which was caught on camera

Detective Inspector Hines added: 'Evidence shows McGregor was prone to bouts of extreme loss of temper.

'Sindyann must have known what was happening - we have been told Jeremiah whimpered when McGregor was around - yet she allowed him sole charge and discipline of the toddler.

'Parents are duty-bound to care for children and to nurture them into adulthood.

'The home should be a sanctuary of safety, reassurance and happiness, not a place where they are brutalised and beaten.

'Jeremiah must have spent his short life absolutely terrified.'

Paul Reid from the CPS added: 'Throughout his short life, Jeremiah had been exposed to pain, hurt and suffering inflicting by Chevaze McGregor.

'Sindyann Regis accepted that there was a significant risk of serious harm being caused to her son by McGregor and that she was aware of the risk. She failed to protect him from that risk which ultimately led to his death.

'In the early hours of Sunday morning McGregor had become angry with the child and taken him into the bedroom.

'Two loud banging noises were heard and when Regis opened the door she saw McGregor holding the crying child and shouting at him.

'He told her to close the door, but instead of intervening and stopping him, she closed the door and just walked away.

'Our thoughts are today with those affected by Jeremiah's very sad and untimely death.'
Donald Trump's chief of staff is reportedly on the chopping block again..

Reince Priebus has until the end of the summer to shape the White House up or ship out, the Washington Post reported.

Priebus has been one of the most scrutinized senior staffers in the Trump administration and rumors of his demise have persisted since the president's first days in office.

He 'is the most imperiled person here,' one Preibus colleague told the Post.

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior advisor to President Doanld Trump, shares a moment with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus during a Congressional Picnic at the South Lawn of the White House last night

Priebus has been one of the most scrutinized senior staffers in the Trump administration and rumors of his demise have persisted since the president's first days in office

He 'is the most imperiled person here,' one Preibus colleague said

Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman, is a suggested replacement

His future in the Trump White House depends heavily on his ability to drag health care reform legislation and a tax package that Trump's said will be the biggest cut in American history, if he gets it the way he wants it, across the finish line.

White House insiders rooting for him to leave said it would make sense for him to go even if he does secure victories in those legislative arenas, so he can end his short tenure in the Trump administration on top.

'Reinces only priority is moving the presidents agenda forward, and he works day and night toward that goal,' White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters told the Post.

Walters, a former colleague of Priebus' at the Republican National Committee, said the Trump chief of staff is 'keeping the entire administration, from the White House to the agencies, focused on the presidents top policy objectives: repealing and replacing Obamacare, significant tax reform and rebuilding our nations infrastructure.'

The vultures are circling, nonetheless.

White House insiders have suggested Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman to replace to him.

New York Rep. Chris Collins, a member of Trump's transition team, has also been put forward as an option.

A report in Politico last week said Priebus, the chairman of the RNC when Trump was elected, had until July 4 - Independence Day in America - to turn things around.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the information was false and the source of the gossip is 'either a liar or out of the loop.'
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An explorer has rediscovered a Nazi prisoner of war camp 'frozen in time' in the middle of Cheshire and forgotten even by locals - with 'help' still etched on the walls.

Matthew Holmes, 23, visited the abandoned camp on the outskirts of the small village of Weston, Cheshire, which has remained largely forgotten in British history books for over a century.

Dating all the way back to 1939 and once home to around 300 Nazis and Italian POWs, the eerie prisoner huts remain largely intact and Mr Holmes claims even locals he asked were unaware it was there.

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Eeerie: Snape Farm (pictured) where Italian and Nazis ate and slept in 1939. The abandoned camp still remains untouched

Haunting photos show where the prisoners once ate and slept, with even the toilets and showers still intact and even tools left behind by the soldiers who worked on the nearby farmland.

The only graffiti, which Mr Holmes believes could date from the time, is of a cartoon of a lady with 40s-style hair and the word 'help' etched in the wall.

The 'derelict explorer', who has both English and German family members, claims his fascination with the war was his motivation to visit the site, which is known as Snape Farm.

Matthew, a landlord from Manchester, said: 'It's hard to put into words how that felt to be there.

'It was quite breath-taking to think that at some point hundreds of Nazis lived there.

'They were held in this prisoner of war camp to prevent them going back to fight.

Writing on the wall: Matthew Holmes, a history lover believes that the only image from the time would be the words 'help' (L) and 1940's style cartoon (R) still clearly etched on the wall

The PoW farm on the outskirts of Chesire has been 'forgotten' even by the locals

Intact: One of the PoW camp huts home to Nazis or Italians who spent their war years in Britain after capture

Avid history fan Matthew Holmes (pictured) says it is clear from the camp that 'not many people' have been there since it closed in 1945

'Looking at the condition of the camp, it is fairly evident that not many people had been there since it closed [in 1945].

'I still had the original copper and other metals there and I was surprised they hadn't been stolen because of their worth. Usually, in other abandoned places, these metals are stolen for profit.

The forgotten PoW camp where 300 Nazis and Italians lived out the Second World War Snape Farm was originally commissioned as an anti aircraft defence site, to defend Crewe.

German, then Italian POWs were stationed at the camp and worked on farms during and after the war.

Weston wasnt assigned a camp number - it was a satellite camp of another camp in the area - so is often forgotten about.

Prisoners in this camp allegedly gained the trust of the guards, and were able to engage in local community events and in some instances wander free in and out of the camps outside of their working hours. Advertisement

'There was no graffiti either, but I discovered an original etching on the wall which was dated 26 April 1950. It read about flocks of sheep so I think the prisoners there would have been working on farmland.

'Part of my decision to visit the site was that it was pretty much exactly how it was.

'I knew many people didn't even realise it was there - even people who lived in Crewe.'

In the images, the huts still have their wiring, largely intact windows and even some tools which had been left behind.

Along with Snape Farm, there were three other camps for POWs in the area including Crewe Hall and research has uncovered stories of escape attempts and even soldiers falling in love with locals and remaining in the area after the war.

Having visited both Auschwitz and Snape Farm, Matthew was able to see a stark contrast in how the prisoners were kept.

Matthew said: 'There must be so much history to this place that we don't know. It was quiet; somewhat peaceful.

'When I went into the huts, I crouched in the corner and tried to imagine what it was like to be there at the time - playing cards, reading books.

'The whole place was frozen in time.

'When I walked into where the prisoners would have lived - where they were eating, sleeping and washing, it felt surreal. You never know what you are going to walk into.

'frozen in time': One of the brick-built huts, with sheet-metal roofing rusts in the sun more than 70 years after it was abandoned

(Left) The remnants of a shower and toilet (Right) at the PoW camp hidden away in the Cheshire countryside

Huts lined up in a row would have been where the PoWs would have eaten their meals and rested up for the nights

A light-bulb still intact on the floor was likely last lit some seven decades ago

'This is what interests me the most about abandoned buildings.'

'I've visited Auschwitz too, but this is completely on a different spectrum.

'If I was a German prisoner of war at that time, I don't think I would have felt threatened because I think it would have been much more comfortable than the front line.

'These prisoners were fed, working, showering, they had clean clothes. This was worlds away from the concentration camps.

'What I have found out is that the camp held mostly Nazi prisoners of war, but also some Italians and Polish prisoners too.

'The Second World War is a massive topic for me. I have got family on both sides of the war.

'I have always had a love for history.'
The US European Command on Friday released dramatic photos of a Russian jet coming within a few feet of a US Air Force reconnaissance jet over the Baltic Sea on Monday in a maneuver that has been criticized as unsafe.

The photographs released Friday show the Russian SU-27 coming so close to the wing of the US RC-135U that the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit in some images.

Intercepts are common and are usually considered routine, but EUCOM said in this case on June 19 'due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft during the intercept, this interaction was determined to be unsafe.'

The incident happened a day after the US military brought down a Syrian military jet near Raqqa for bombing near US-allied forces on the ground, the first time Washington had carried out such an action in the multi-pronged civil war.

Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said it would treat US-led coalition aircraft flying west of the Euphrates River in Syria as potential targets and track them with missile systems and military aircraft.

It stopped short of saying it would shoot them down.

The US European Command has released dramatic photos of a Russian jet (above) coming within a few feet of a US Air Force reconnaissance jet over the Baltic Sea in a maneuver that has been criticized as unsafe

The photographs released Friday show the Russian SU-27 coming so close to the wing of the US RC-135U that the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit in some images

Intercepts are common and are usually considered routine, but EUCOM said in this case on June 19 'due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft during the intercept, this interaction was determined to be unsafe'

US officials said that the pilot came as close as five feet to the wing of the reconnaissance aircraft

The incident is the latest indication of rising tensions between the West and Russia over the ongoing Syria civil war

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet is seen above in this stock photo. This is the second incident over the Baltic in which a Russian warplane came dangerously close to a Western jet

An American RC-135 reconnaissance plane is seen in the above stock image

The Russian Defense Ministry said it was also immediately scrapping a Syrian air safety agreement with Washington designed to avoid collisions and dangerous incidents.

Moscow accused Washington of failing to honor the pact by not informing it of the decision to shoot down the Syrian plane despite Russian aircraft being airborne at the same time.

Washington hit back, saying it would 'do what we can to protect our interests.'

'The escalation of hostilities among the many factions that are operating in this region doesn't help anybody. And the Syrian regime and others in the regime need to understand that we will retain the right of self-defense, of coalition forces aligned against ISIS,' White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

On Wednesday, Sweden summoned Russia's ambassador after another SU-27 jet flew close to a Swedish Gulfstream reconnaissance plane over the Baltic.

Dramatic footage captured the moment a Russian fighter jet (left) chased off a NATO aircraft on Wednesday after it buzzed a plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the Baltic Sea

Pictured: A map showing the possible route the defense minister's plane could freely take over the Baltic Sea

The Russian fighter jet had chased off the NATO aircraft after it buzzed a plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the Baltic Sea.

The F-16 had tried to approach the aircraft carrying the defense minister even though it was flying over neutral waters, agencies said today, before a Russian Sukhoi-27 turned up to warn it off.

Shoigu was reported to be en route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad for a meeting to discuss how well Russia's western flank was defended.

In dramatic footage appearing to show the incident unfolding, a Sukhoi-27 can be seen flying between an F-16 and another plane before tilting its wings side to side to indicate to the NATO pilot that it was armed with missiles.

The F-16 then seems to fly off.

Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist slammed Russia as 'unprofessional' and urged Moscow to avoid incidents like this again.
Yale University dean June Chu posted Yelp reviews of restaurants and establishments in New Haven, Connecticut that referred to people as 'white trash' and 'low class folks'

The Yale University dean who was placed on leave over offensive reviews she posted on Yelp has left her position permanently, according to the school.

Pierson College dean June Chu issued a public apology last month for offensive reviews she posted to Yelp, referring to people as 'white trash' and 'low class folk'.

Just days after leaving the reviews from her personal Yelp account, they were uncovered by angry students and began circulating the Ivy League school.

Stephen Davis, the head of Pierson College, on Tuesday informed members of the residential college that Chu had left her position and 'wishes the best to the students.' He said he was beginning the search for a new dean.

Davis sent an email on May 18, after the offensive reviews were first uncovered, informing members of the residential college that Chu had been placed on leave.

He said the reviews, which were more numerous than he first believed, contained 'inappropriate and unacceptable language pertaining to race and class' that was 'deeply harmful to the community fabric.'

Chu posted at least 10 reviews of restaurants and establishments in New Haven, Connecticut from her personal account in the past few years.

The reviews, which were obtained by the Yale Daily News, were slammed as demeaning, offensive and elitist.

'To put it quite simply: If you are white trash, this is the perfect night out for you!' Chu wrote in a review of a Japanese restaurant.

The reviews, which were obtained by the Yale Daily News, have been slammed as demeaning, offensive and elitist

June Chu posted at least 10 reviews of restaurants and establishments in New Haven, Connecticut from her personal account in the past few years

Chu also gave a scathing review of a New Haven cinema and a gym she frequented

'This establishment is definitely not authentic by any stretch of of the imagination and perfect for low class folks who believe this is a real night out.

'Over salted and greasy food. Side note: employees are Chinese, not Japanese,' Chu, who identifies as Chinese American, added.

In another restaurant review, Chu wrote: 'I guess if you were a white person who has no clue what mochi is, this would be fine for you.'

Chu also gave a scathing review of a New Haven cinema saying the staff were 'barely educated morons trying to manage snack orders for the obese and also try to add $7 plus $7.'

In a review of a local gym, Chu called an employee 'the rudest person and just full of attitude'. She added: 'Seriously I don't care if you would 'lose your job' (I am sure McDonald's would hire you).'

The social psychologist issued an apology and deleted her Yelp account after the reviews drew backlash and started circulating among angry Yale students. She has now left her position at the school

The social psychologist - who once said she valued 'views on diversity, equity, partnerships, and academic success' - issued an apology and deleted her Yelp account after the reviews drew backlash and started circulating among Yale students.

'I have learned a lot this semester about the power of words and about the accountability that we owe one another,' Chu wrote.

'My remarks were wrong.

'There are no two ways about it. Not only were they insensitive in matters related to class and race; they demean the values to which I hold myself and which I offer as a member of this community.'

Chu's Yale biography notes: 'She has sought to help students not only succeed academically but to support their holistic academic experience and multifaceted identities.'
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At least 25 tower blocks have the same tinder-box cladding that helped engulf Grenfall Tower in 15 minutes, it was revealed today.

Thousands of residents are living in blocks in London, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth encased in panels blamed for the devastating blaze that claimed the lives of at least 79 people last week.

Theresa May has said they will not be forced to stay in 'unsafe homes' but with councils facing what could be one of Britain's biggest peacetime evacuations they have so far told residents they will not be rehoused.

Today Premier Inn admitted it has 'serious concerns' about cladding on three hotels - including one in Mrs May's Maidenhead constituency.

Up to 30,000 buildings including more hotels, hospitals, GP surgeries, student flats and office blocks will also have to be tested to see if they are also 'combustible'.

The increasing safety concerns for all high-rise British buildings has reached a watershed since the devastating blaze at Grenfell, whose cladding and insulation failed all safety tests, police said today.

Scotland Yard has confirmed it has launched a manslaughter inquiry, which will see Kensington and Council Council and the contractors who refurbished the block for 8.6million last year.

At least 25 tower blocks have the same tinder-box cladding that helped engulf Grenfall Tower in 15 minutes - but residents are being asked to stay put

The Grenfell fire was caused by a faulty fridge in one of the flats - and the panels can be seen here exploding off the side

Scotland Yard said that tests carried on Grenfell as part of the investigation show that tiles and insulation 'don't pass any safety tests'

Police considering range of crimes after 79 died in Grenfell blaze What charges might be brought? Police and prosecutors could work towards charges of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, breach of health and safety regulations, breach of health and safety rules or breach of fire safety regulations. Who faces investigation? Police said today they have seized documents and materials had been seized from a 'number of organisations'. Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council will be investigated because it inspected Grenfell Tower on at least 16 occasions and its staff signed off the building as safe. The businesses that carried out the 8.6million refurbishment of Grenfell will also be probed. Rydon managed to project and the cladding was installed by Harley Facades Ltd. Both deny any wrongdoing and say the project 'met all required building regulations  as well as fire regulation and health and safety standards' Advertisement

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack documents and materials had been seized from a 'number of organisations'.

She said: 'We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards. We are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offences and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower'.

The forensic search of Grenfell is not likely to be completed until the end of the year - but she said there are 'no hidden victims'.

Commenting on the investigation into the blaze, DSI McCormack said: 'What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests.'

Describing how the investigation was proceeding, DSI McCormack added: 'We have been in Grenfell Tower, from top to bottom, last week.

'Next week we will be installing a lift to the outside of the building to assist. But our forensic search may not be complete until the end of the year.'

As part of the investigation, teams listened to some 600 distressed 999 calls with 'terribly harrowing content' - suggesting that some operators may have kept talking to victims until their deaths.

DSI McCormack added: 'Every complete body has been removed from the building. What we are dealing with now, as you can imagine in the intense heat, is a very distressing scene.

'What we haven't got is a picture of how many people might have been in there. That's the number in really worried about, that there might have been other innocent people in there.'

With Britain facing its biggest housing safety scare for decades, it has emerged:

At least 14 buildings across eight local authority areas in England have been found to have flammable cladding, But at least 25 are believed to have aluminium composite cladding, like that which was fixed to Grenfell. 600 are being tested at a rate of 100 per day

Police say there are 'no hidden victims' inside Grenfell - but not all the bodies of the 79 have been removed

Hotel chain Premier Inn said it has 'concerns' that cladding used on some of its buildings may not meet safety regulations, particularly hotels in Maidenhead, Brentford and Tottenham.

The Charity Commission announced an initial 20,000 will be given to the families of each person who has died or is declared missing presumed dead, from the money raised from numerous appeals.

It was confirmed a total of 151 homes were destroyed in the blaze, including 129 in the tower itself and 22 from nearby Grenfell Walk.

363 households have been placed in hotel accommodation in or as near to the Royal Borough as possible, 213 of which are from the cordon area which surrounds the tower.

Thousands of people who own a model of fridge-freezer which started the Grenfell Tower blaze are being urged to contact Hotpoint as the number of buildings found to be covered in potentially flammable cladding continues to rise.

The government ordered an urgent investigation into Hotpoint's FF175BP after police revealed it was the model which started the blaze which killed at least 79 people in west London.

Hotpoint's FF175BP model had not been subject to any product recall, but will now be examined by safety experts as part of a government-ordered review.

Consumer group Which? says the machines should be recalled to tackle the concerns of the hundreds of terrified families who may still have one.

Scotland Yard said today it will consider 'every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards' and have seized documents and materials from a 'number of organisations'.

Towers in Camden, Manchester and Plymouth are among the at-risk buildings, Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid said in a letter to MPs yesterday.

It has since emerged that blocks in Portsmouth and the London boroughs of Brent, Islington and Hounslow are also a risk.

Camden Council has revealed its own independent tests show cladding on five up to 23-storey towers on its giant Chalcots Estate (pictured) is potentially dangerous and will be removed

Scaffolders started to remove cladding at the Chalcot estate in North London as emergency work began yesterday

These three high-rise tower blocks in Plymouth, Devon, have also been found to be clad in the same combustible material to the Grenfell Tower in London - and have had security teams installed

Workmen in Wythenshawe, Manchester, where panels of cladding are being tested

Work is being carried out to strip material from a residential block in the Village 135 development in Wythenshawe, Manchester after concerns were raised about the cladding

Leamington House and Horatia House in Somerstown Portsmouth are having cladding removed as a precaution after tests revealed a fire risk

Elizabeth House in Wembley passed a fire safety test but Clements Court in Wembley is said to have failed and cladding will be removed 'as soon as possible'

Islington Council today said cladding was to be removed from its Braithwaite House, one of eight blocks tested, after it was found to have aluminium composite material.

Test results from the other blocks, Harvist Estate and Brunswick Estate, are yet to be returned, a spokesman said.

Councillor Diarmaid Ward said: 'Last night we received results of tests on cladding on the side of Braithwaite House, and they have confirmed the presence of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM).

'We're arranging to have the cladding, which is only on the sides of the building, removed as soon as we possibly can by a specialist contractor.'

Work is also being carried out to strip material from a residential block in the Village 135 development in Wythenshawe, Manchester after concerns were raised about the cladding.

Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG), which runs the block, said it was taking no chances and work to remove the material began yesterday afternoon.

In a statement WCHG said: 'Following the tragic events from the Grenfell Fire, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, working with the Greater Manchester Fire service, has conducted a comprehensive review of all ten tower blocks within Wythenshawe.

'We can confirm following early fire safety actions taken we have been able to detect that our Village 135 scheme has been identified as having 78 feature panels which are located in a small area of the overall development, works to remove these panels will commence today.'

Cladding at two high-rise buildings in Portsmouth - Horatia House and Leamington House - is being removed as a precaution after tests revealed a fire risk, Portsmouth City Council said.

Letters were being sent to residents living in the two blocks explaining the measures being taken. The city council's deputy leader Luke Stubbs said no other blocks were affected.

Mr Stubbs said: 'Like all councils, we have been working with the Government and fire service to review our buildings.

'As a precaution we submitted some cladding for testing and the results that came back said the cladding on Horatia House and Leamington House was a fire risk.

'As a result we are removing the cladding from those buildings. Protection of Portsmouth's residents is our number one priority and we will not comprise on safety standards.

'We will be removing the cladding as quickly as we can. In the meantime, we would like to reassure residents we have conducted a full assessment of the buildings, with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, and the buildings are safe to stay in with all of the existing safety measures still in place.'

Hotel chain Premier Inn has 'concerns' that cladding used on some of its buildings. Hotels in Maidenhead (pictured), Brentford and Tottenham have been investigated during an assessment

Premier Inns in Brentford and Tottenham also have cladding the hotel giant described as 'extremely worrying'

A Hotpoint FF175BP (like that pictured) started the blaze. Cladding from the outside of the building has failed safety tests

In every fire that has broken out in city council tower blocks in the past few years, the blaze has been contained within the property where the fire broke out, he added.

Mr Stubbs went on: 'As an extra precaution council staff will be present in the two buildings 24 hours a day, for as long as necessary.'

Three high-rise tower blocks in Plymouth, Devon, have also been found to be clad in the same combustible material to the Grenfell Tower in London.

Occupants of the 16-storey Lynher, Tamar and Tavy buildings in Devonport, Plymouth were told of the potential fire risk to their buildings. The towers will now be monitored round the clock by security teams.

Other councils across the UK have been ordered to provide samples of the cladding used on high-rises by Monday and these will be tested at a rate of 100 per day.

Barnet Council has warned that inspectors have found that three of its blocks have similar metal panels as the ill-fated Grenfell Tower, but say they are not combustible.

Residents at the 22-storey River Apartments in Tottenham, north London, have been sent an email saying the building has the same cladding as Grenfell Tower, it has emerged. The building is now being tested.

Meanwhile, Salford City Council has confirmed that nine of its tower blocks have cladding that is similar to the material used on Grenfell Tower.

Aluminium composite material is used on the recently refurbished buildings in Pendleton, with tests currently being carried out to check whether it is combustible.

Camden Council has already begun removing cladding from five towers of up to 23-storeys on its giant Chalcot Estate over fears they are potentially dangerous.

But residents in the 721 flats will not be moved and fire wardens will be put there 24 hours a day to reassure locals and help in the event of a blaze.

The north London council looks set to sue contractor Rydon, who also carried out the Grenfell work, claiming 'the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned'.
John Platt appeared at Magistrates' Court after losing his legal battle to challenge a fine for taking his daughter out of school during term time

A father has lost a two-year legal battle after refusing to pay a fine for taking his daughter on a term-time holiday in a case that will cost the taxpayer 200,000.

Jon Platt, 46, was convicted of failing to secure his daughter's regular attendance at school in a hearing at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court - where the case was returned after the businessman lost a landmark legal battle at the Supreme Court earlier this year.

But it wasn't the end of his legal ordeal with officials slapping two parking tickets on his family's vehicles during the court hearing.

He couldn't pay the fee because of a faulty parking machine and has now been ordered to cough up 120 which - perhaps unsurprisingly - he does not plan to dispute.

It is the same amount that he was ordered to pay by Isle of Wight Council for taking his daughter out of school two years ago after failing to fork out the initial 60 fine.

Platt told MailOnline: 'Do you think I'm going to appeal those after what's happened in the last two years? Am I buggery. i'm going to pay them and shut up.'

Giving the judgment today, magistrate Jeannie Walker said: 'The circumstances of this case fall squarely into that breach of school rules.

She added: 'The council has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the child was not attending school regularly on those dates of the holiday.'

Platt was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay 2,000 costs plus a 20 surcharge.

The father said he has spent close to 30,000 on fighting the case, with additional funds covered by legal aid.

John Platt, his wife Sally and family members arrive at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court today where he is appearing over failing to pay the school fine

Appearing today at court: The case had been take top the Supreme Court by education chiefs after High Court judges backed a decision by local magistrates on the Isle of Wight that Platt had no case to answer

Figures disclosed to the Press Association under Freedom of Information laws have shown the Department for Education had spent close to 140,000 pursuing the legal action.

Taxpayers will pick up an additional 60,000 for Platt's costs that have been granted by the courts.

He told MailOnline: 'It's been incredibly stressful and it's taken up huge amounts of time.

'The ball is very much in my court but I'm not going to appeal - I'm going what the Isle of Wight council should have done.

FATHER'S MISSION TO TAKE ON 'UNFAIR' SCHOOL FINES April 2015: Jon Platt refuses to pay a 60 fine to Isle of Wight Council for taking his daughter out of school on holiday to Florida

October 16 2016: Platt successfully overturns the fine at magistrates' court after the council prosecute him

May 13 2016: High Court judges rule in favour of Platt and Isle of Wight Council announce it will appeal the High Court's judgement in favour of Platt

April 6 2017: The Supreme Court upholds the council's decision to fine Platt

June 23 2017: The case is returned to Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court, where Platt's plea of having no case to answer was rejected. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay 2,000 costs plus a 20 surcharge Advertisement

'I'm going to stand here now and say I disagree fundamentally, I think they erred in law, that we have grounds for appeal - but Jon Platt isn't going to appeal that decision.

'I'm going to respect it, accept it, pay the 2,000 in costs and put it behind me.'

'This is over 200,000 that the taxpyaer has spent and I feel bad - but that was not my choice.

'I've had to burn about 30k of my own money defending a pretty reasonable position.

'I don't want to waste any more of my money on this, it's been a very expensive process and somewhat undermined my faith in the justice system.

'The cost of winning at the Magistrate's Court is that you're going to burn a fortune.

'The only people who can afford to plead not guilty to even low level offences are people who have earned no money because those people aren't going to pay the cost of the case - but if you've worked hard all your life it could be ruinous.'

Platt now fears the case will have implications for parents around the country.

He said: 'There were around 8.5million unauthorised absences around the country in a single term.

'Every single one of those is, if the headteacher decided that's what the school rules should be, an unauthorised breach, all 8.5million of those are criminal offences.'

Jon Platt (pictured with wife Sally at an earlier hearing) lost a landmark legal battle at the UK's highest court earlier this year over taking his daughter to Disney World during school time

Summing up his case, Ben Rich, for the Council, said the Supreme Court had ruled that regular attendance means in according with the rules of the school.

The council has proved that the youngster did not attend on the relevant dates and was on an unauthorised holiday, he said.

'The Isle of Wight has proved beyond reasonable doubt that he is guilty of the offence.'

Platt's lawyer Paul Greatorex QC said: 'The prosecution has not produced any evidence as to what the school rules are.

'There's nothing in writing. What are the school rules? Who knows? They are not there.'

Platt's barrister had also argued that his case came under one of a number of statutory exceptions which says that a pupil has not failed to attend school regularly if he or she lives more than two miles from their school and the council has failed to fulfil its duty to provide transport, meet the costs of transport or offer a move to a nearer school.

Platt told the court that after he split from his daughter's mother in 2013, the youngster spent half her time at his house, around 3.6 miles from the school.

He argued he had not been offered transport or help.

The court also heard that Platt had not applied for assistance.

Platt, who took his daughter on the Florida trip without the school's permission, was prosecuted by Isle of Wight Council after he refused to pay a penalty - which turned into a major legal battle as it was dragged through the courts.

At the Supreme Court hearing in April, five justices unanimously allowed an appeal by education chiefs against an earlier ruling that Platt had not acted unlawfully.

But local magistrates found there was no case to answer.

Two High Court judges in London upheld the magistrates' decision, declaring Platt was not acting unlawfully because his daughter had a good overall attendance record of over 90%.

The council urged the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court decision, saying it raised important issues over what constitutes 'regular attendance' at school.

The justices ruled in the council's favour, in a judgment clarifying what 'regular' attendance at school means.
Disturbing footage shows a swarm of knife-wielding thugs chase a father-of-two seconds before he was stabbed to death.

Jonathan McPhillips was killed in February and the latest footage released by police reveals the chaotic chase before he was fatally stabbed.

It shows panic in the street as several hooded suspects brandish massive knives while giving chase.

Police believe a smartly dressed man who witnessed the chase could hold clues in their investigation into the murder of the 28-year-old.

In the footage, Jonathan collided with an innocent bystander as he attempted to escape from a melee, before he continues to flee and runs back into the road.

The disturbing footage show passersby panicking as the group of hooded thugs gives chase to Jonathan McPhillips

The carnage spills out onto the road and Mr McPhillips can be seen bumping into a passerby wearing smart clothes before he continues to flee

It happened on Saturday, February 25 at around 12.40am, but shortly after police were alerted to a second stabbing victim on the same street in Islington, north London.

Jonathan was found injured and rushed to hospital, where he died on Wednesday, 1 March.

A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as single stab wound to the chest.

The second victim, a 17-year-old boy, was also taken to hospital and subsequently discharged.

After bumping into the smartly-dressed man, the victim runs out into the road again as the thugs continue to give chase

A suspect is seen here brandishing what appears to be a large knife before he also disappears into the night and runs down the street

A hooded and masked man flee the scene. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams said: 'Jonathan's family have been left completely devastated by the circumstances which led to his death'

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams said: 'Jonathan's family have been left completely devastated by the circumstances which led to his death.

'His two young daughters will now grow up with a devastating loss that has deprived them of the chance to know their father.'

Cops arrested seven people between the ages of 19 and 45 in connection with the killing and they have all been re-bailed.
A woman is suing Delta Airlines after she was allegedly sexually assaulted on a flight in front of an air steward  who then dismissed her concerns because the assailant was a 'platinum member'.

Ayanna Hart, 45, of Glendale, California, was traveling from Los Angeles to Denver on May 12 when she claims she was attacked by a fellow passenger in the First Class cabin.

Hart, who was with her 15-year-old daughter at the time, tells DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview the 'drunk' man groped her three times, touching her left breast on one occasion, and even threw a pillow at her.

When another passenger complained about his behavior, the air steward allegedly replied: 'Don't worry about him, he's platinum [medallion] status - he flies with us all the time.'

Nightmare flight: Ayanna Hart, 45, a production company executive from Glendale, California, says she was sexually assaulted in a first-class cabin during her flight to Denver, Colorado

And when Hart, who works for an LA-based production company, left the aircraft, she says the attendant told her he was sorry that the man had been 'flirting' with her.

'I was so angry and so disgusted by the time I got off the plane,' Hart told DailyMail.com. 'Before I could say anything [to him], the attendant turned and said to me, 'I'm so sorry [the alleged assailant] was flirting with you'.

'I said, oh that's what you call this? I was so mad - I just needed to get off the plane.'

Hart, who is now set to sue the airline after failing to get an apology, says she is a regular traveler herself but does not have medallion status with Delta's Skymiles frequent flyer program.

To achieve platinum status, which comes with benefits such as free upgrades and priority boarding, a traveler must spend $9,000 and fly 75,000 miles with Delta in one calendar year.

Hart said: 'I didn't know that if you have platinum status, you're allowed to sexually assault people on a plane. I didn't know that was one of the perks you get.'

Another airline PR scandal? The 45-year-old's alleged ordeal began shortly after boarding a Delta-branded Embraer E-175 jet (pictured) and was dismissed after a flight attendant allegedly told her the man was 'platinum status'

The alleged assault comes less than three months after Kentucky medic David Dao was filmed being brutally dragged off a United flight at Chicago's O'Hare airport on April 9.

Elderly Dr. Dao was left bloodied and bruised after being hauled off the plane by local cops and is now suing the airline.

A week later, a young mother was left in tears on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to San Francisco following a confrontation with an air steward.

And on May 3, a video surfaced showing a Delta gate agent smacking a phone out of a 12-year-old boy's hand at New York's LaGuardia airport - although the incident in question was later revealed to date from July 2016.

Hart, who usually flies with either Delta or Virgin America, says her experience has made her skeptical of all US-based airlines.

The mother-of-one was traveling with her 15-year-old daughter when a 'drunk' passenger - described as a white man in his late 20s to early 30s - began to harass her and 'groped' her breast three times

She said: 'It's hard for me to say if I will fly Delta again. It doesn't give me confidence in them at all but I don't know if any airline is any better. I just don't know.'

The 45-year-old's alleged ordeal began shortly after boarding a Delta-branded Embraer E-175 jet at Los Angeles' LAX airport at approximately 7pm local time on May 12.

The flight was operated by SkyWest, a subsidiary air service provider which offers 2,000 flights a day to 230 destinations on behalf of Delta, as well as United, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

Hart was making the 1,098-mile journey to Denver, which has a flying time of 2 hours and 26 minutes, to help her parents pack up her grandmother's home and possessions after the elderly woman passed away.

She paid extra for upgrades to First Class as a treat for herself and her teenage daughter, who had recently completed an exam at school.

Upon boarding, she says she noticed nothing amiss and spent the first 15 minutes of the flight playing a Sudoku game published in the in-flight magazine with her daughter.

But she became aware of the drunk man, whom she describes as being white and in his late 20s or early 30s, sitting in a single seat to her left after he began singing loudly.

Hart, who was flying from LAX (pictured), claimed the flight attendant later said he was 'sorry' that man was 'flirting' with her

Hart said: 'I'd say probably 10 or 15 minutes into the flight, he started singing really loudly to himself. He had earbuds in and he was clearly drunk.

'He wasn't in a suit. He had on jeans and a nice striped, button-down shirt. He looked presentable. He was probably in his late 20s, early 30s maybe. He was white and he had brown hair.'

At first, she says she thought nothing of it but 15 minutes later, she claims the man reached across the aisle and groped her breast.

She told DailyMail.com: 'He kind of grabbed and started tickling on the left side of my body near my breast. The area that I guess would be below your armpit. The side breast.

Rigid with fear, Hart says she was so shocked by the contact she didn't know what to do at first but then loudly told the man not to touch her.

Hart plans to seek punitive damages if she doesn't receive an apology from the airline

She says he then pulled his hands away and held them up in acknowledgement. But shortly afterwards, he attempted to grab her for a second and third time.

'The second time, he grabbed and was pulling on my arm,' Hart said. 'The third time he grabbed the cutout shoulder on my dress and was almost ripping it while grabbing at my shoulder.'

And Hart claims the man's behavior did not go unnoticed, with both the flight attendant and her fellow passengers witnessing the various incidents.

She said: 'Between the second and the third time [the man grabbed her], he got up to go to the restroom and the passenger sitting in front of him called the flight attendant over.

'He said 'I'm really worried about that guy'. The flight attendant then said, 'Don't worry about him, he's platinum [medallion] status - he flies with us all the time'.

'I was so horrified. Everyone on the plane in First Class was saying, 'he's touching her'. Everyone was aware of it.

'The first time [Hart was allegedly groped], he [the flight attendant] was not necessarily aware because I did not say anything to him until I was getting off the plane.

'But after [the passenger] touched me the third time, the flight attendant definitely knew  he even said to him, 'No touching'.

'I'm like, that's all you're going to say? And then [the man] threw a pillow at me. The flight attendant basically just dismissed his behavior like it was fine.'

When the plane landed in Denver, the passenger, who Hart says had by that time consumed five or six alcoholic drinks, made a swift exit.

She claims the air steward apologized for the man's 'flirting' as she made her own exit and says she was accosted by a second passenger as she left who told her he had been horrified by what he witnessed.

Hart said: 'When I got off the plane, a gentleman came up to me and said, I was sitting two seats behind you and I had my seat belt off the entire time because if he touched you again or did something, I was going to jump up and grab him because I saw everything.'

The 45-year-old later told her parents what had happened but did not inform the local police because she thought they did not have jurisdiction over incidents that occur on aircraft.

By now 'very upset' about what had happened, she contacted an attorney Marc Randazza, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, on her return to Los Angeles.

He has since approached Delta to demand an apology on Hart's behalf but says so far, he has been replied to only once  with a referral to SkyWest's insurers.

Airline scandal: The alleged assault comes less than three months after Kentucky medic David Dao was filmed being brutally dragged off a United flight at Chicago's O'Hare airport on April 9

Randazza, 47, says he will file a lawsuit next week if Hart does not receive the apology she wants and plans to ask for punitive damages.

He said: 'Delta had a duty to maintain a safe environment for its passengers. It failed to do that by failing to control what happened on the plane.

'That is both in terms of how this guy was behaving when they had the ability to put an end to it and also by over-serving him with alcohol, thus contributing to the problem.

'Then, after being given multiple occasions to do something about it, it seems the real thing they did about it was endorse it [by not stopping the man].'

Approached by DailyMail.com, Delta promised to respond to Hart's allegations but, at the time of publication, had yet to do so.

SkyWest responded to an inquiry from DailyMail.com with a statement that read: 'The safety and security of all on board our aircraft is our first priority.

'It is our policy not to comment on pending litigation.'

Pressed on the alleged behavior of the crew member, spokeswoman Marissa Snow added: 'We hold our crew-members to the highest standards of professionalism and have strict policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of all onboard.'

Hart, who says she has been underwhelmed by the 'lukewarm' response so far, says more needs to be done to ensure aircrew are trained to protect passengers and intervene if necessary.

She said: 'I feel like there needs to be more regulation, more training in place. There needs to be something so everyone understands that everyone on a flight is a paying customer.

'Everyone expects on a flight what you would expect out in the world. Sexual assault is not OK on a plane or anywhere else in the world.'
If Your Teen Joins a Gang, What Should You Legally Do?

Parents do their best to keep their kids out of trouble. Sadly, the best isn't always good enough. For a multitude of reasons, children can turn to rebellious, illegal activities during their teenage years, even going so far as to join gangs.

If those gangs are engaged in criminal activity, parents should rightly be concerned, not only for their teens' criminal liability but for their own. Here's what you need to know.

Gang Crimes

Of course there are any number of criminal activities for which gangs and gang members can be liable, spanning from simple graffiti and vandalism to drug trafficking and murder. And a teen participating in those crimes can be arrested, charged, convicted, and incarcerated. Although the procedure for juveniles charged with crimes can differ from that for adults, teens may be charged and tried as adults if the crime is serious enough. And many jurisdictions have gang enhancements, which increase penalties if a member is convicted.

But gang membership can implicate teens in other ways as well. Even if your child didn't sell drugs or commit assault him- or herself, they could still be charged with conspiracy or under accomplice liability, and the penalties for such convictions can be as severe as for the crime itself. And in some states and counties, gang affiliation in and of itself can be a crime.

Parental Crimes

While rare, parents can be held liable for the crimes of their children. Parental liability can begin with school delinquency and extend to more serious crimes, depending on what the parent knew and when they knew it. In California, for example, parents can be liable if they knew of a teen's potential misconduct and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent that misconduct. In Illinois and Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia, parents can be liable if a teen gains access to a firearm that wasn't properly stored. And many states will hold parents financially responsible for their child's property crimes.

Parents and children are not perfect, but there are better and worse ways for parents to respond to their children joining a gang. Start by contacting a criminal defense attorney in your area.

Related Resources:
Lisa Fisher, 49, was killed in a suspected murder-suicide on the Chicago Skyway early Wednesday morning

A woman who was shot dead in a murder-suicide by her boyfriend made a desperate, last-ditch plea for help from a toll booth worker just moments before she was gunned down on a Chicago freeway, police said on Friday.

Help me, 49-year-old Lisa Fisher said in a low voice as she was sitting in a car driven by her companion, 30-year-old Christopher Pena, on the eastbound side of the Chicago Skyway at the 87th Street toll booth early Wednesday morning, according to police.

Fisher was hoping for help from a toll booth worker as Pena was looking for change to pay the fare, the Chicago Tribune reported.

At around 4am, Pena began to roll his red Chrysler through the toll bridge.

At that point, Fisher jumped out of the car and began to run, according to police.

Thats when Pena jumped out of the car from the drivers side seat.

He allowed the car to continue rolling.

Police say Fisher pleaded for help from a toll booth worker just moments before her companion, Christopher Pena, 30, shot her dead on the eastbound side of the Chicago Skyway at the 87th Street toll booth early Wednesday morning (above)

Police said that Fisher fell to the ground after being hit with a bullet. Pena then stood over Fisher and fired more rounds into her body, according to investigators.

The toll booth worker who witnessed the shooting began to scream into the intercom. Another employee at the toll bridge then alerted police

As Pena began to walk back toward his car, which had crashed into a wall a number of feet from the toll bridge, a police officer approached him. What are you doing? the officer asked him. Let me see your hands

Thats when Pena took his 9mm handgun, aimed it at his own head, and fired a fatal shot. Both Pena and Fisher were pronounced dead at the scene

Pena then took out a gun and aimed it at Fisher, firing at least one shot.

Police said that Fisher fell to the ground after being hit with a bullet.

Pena then stood over Fisher and fired more rounds into her body, according to investigators.

The toll booth worker who witnessed the shooting began to scream into the intercom.

Police cordoned off the area where the Chrysler had crashed and blocked traffic east of the Dan Ryan Expressway while conducting an investigation. The lanes were reopened by 10am

Another employee at the toll bridge then alerted police.

As Pena began to walk back toward his car, which had crashed into a wall a number of feet from the toll bridge, a police officer approached him.

What are you doing? the officer asked him. Let me see your hands.

Thats when Pena took his 9mm handgun, aimed it at his own head, and fired a fatal shot.

Both Pena and Fisher were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police later determined that they were a couple who lived separately in Chicago.

A toll booth employee who witnessed the shooting was taken to hospital due to apparent shock.

Police cordoned off the area where the Chrysler had crashed and blocked traffic east of the Dan Ryan Expressway while conducting an investigation.

The lanes were reopened by 10am.
It was a bridge too far for a man who was driving across Green Bay's Walnut Street Bridge in Wisconsin.

Just as the van he was driving towards the middle of crossing, the vehicle ended up falling into the gap between the road and the point at which the drawbridge rises, early on Thursday morning, as it began to open up.

Rescue crews said the man drove too far as the bridge was opening, and his minivan became wedged in the middle with a drop of between 40 and 50 feet directly below.

Scroll down for video

A minivan got stuck between sections of a downtown Green Bay lift bridge early Thursday

Officials say the van was wedged between the east bridge span and the roadway on the Walnut Street bridge as it opened up sending his car rolling backwards

The drawbridge opened up sending the vehicle rolling backwards towards a gap between the bridge and the roadway

Incredibly, there were no injuries despite the precarious position of the van

Rescuers ended up having to cut the roof open in order to get the driver out.

It remains a mystery as to how the man was able to get past gates and traffic lights at the bottom of the bridge that is designed to stop traffic when it opens up.

'The way the bridge is set up, his car was stuck there. The safest way we thought to get him out was we cut a hole in the top of his roof, and put a ladder in there to get him out. That way he didn't have a chance of falling into the bridge itself,' said Green Bay Metro Fire Bat. Chief Mike VandenAvond to WBAY.

Green Bay Metro Firefighters relied on their training to get the man to safety.

'We had a couple firemen that put harnesses on so we could tie 'em off so they wouldn't have to have anything to worry about falling anywhere,' said Lt. Cody Johnson, Green Bay Metro Fire Department.

Courtesy of WBAY

The bridge has lights and gates at each end so it's unclear how the car was able to bypass them

A tow truck was able to lift the van out of the bridge after it became wedged at 2am

'And then from there we actually cut open a hole on the top of the van roof and we took a ladder that we have off of our ladder truck, stuck it in the hole so that the victim was able to climb out of the van by himself'

Had the vehicle fallen into the river below, it would have made for a dangerous situation for both the driver of the vehicle and also fire crews.

Green Bay Police is now investigating how it happened.

'At this point it looks like the driver did not have a valid driver's license, our investigation right now is not complete yet either, so I would anticipate there may be some citations for at least license violations, possibly some moving violations involved with that one,' said Lt. Karl Ackermann who is with the department's traffic department.
Rear Admiral Brian Fort has been named the US Navy's lead investigator into the collision

Fresh details have emerged in the deadly crash between the USS Fitzgerald and the ACX Crystal cargo ship, as Rear Admiral Brian Fort names the US Navy's lead investigator into the June 17th collision.

A defense official has confirmed earlier reports that there are indications that the Philippines-flagged cargo ship was on autopilot when the pre-dawn collision occurred, CNN reports.

The same official says that five of the seven sailors who were killed in the incident were 'incapacitated' nearly instantly, as the bow of the Crystal collapsed the berthing area where they were sleeping.

The official said that the other two sailors killed may have been trying to rescue their crew mates, 'but at some point the ship somehow lost communication' with them and they perished.

Heavy damage is pictured on the US Navy missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald after it collided with a cargo ship near Japan early on Saturday morning

Damage: The ACX Crystal reveals the damage caused by her collision with the USS Fitzgerald on Saturday

Course: This was the approximate route of the ACX Crystal before it collided with the USS Fitzgerald on Saturday morning - both ships officially reported a crash to the Japanese Coast Guard just after 2.20am on Saturday

Seven US Navy sailors were killed in the collision, authorities have confirmed. They are (top row, left to right) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, CA; Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, VA; Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, CT; and Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, CA. Bottom row (left to right Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., from Elyria, OH; Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, MD; and Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, TX

All seven sailors were found dead in the flooded area of the ship.

The official said it may never be known whether the order to seal the hatch to the flooded compartment came while the two sailors were still alive.

The official added that the collision impacted near a communications node on the Fitzgerald, and that the crew had to resort to using satellite phones to communicate both on board and back to shore - potentially explaining the apparent one hour delay between the collision and the first report to the Japanese coast guard.

Meanwhile, Japanese investigators said Thursday that they had recovered a data recorder from the ACX Crystal, which is owned by a Japanese firm and is currently docked in Yokohama near Tokyo.

Investigators are examining the ship's movements, including its location, direction, speed and other data to determine the cause of its collision with the USS Fitzgerald early Saturday off Izu Peninsula, west of Tokyo.

'By analyzing the data, we should be able to determine the circumstances of how it crashed,' Transport Safety Board spokesman Katsunori Takahashi said.

The safety board is focusing on the cause of the collision and the lessons to be learned, while Japan's coast guard is investigating possible professional negligence in the accident.

US Navy and Coast Guard officials are investigating the destroyer at its home port, Yokosuka naval base.

Official time: The Japanese Coast Guard have said that the ACX Crystal collided with the USS Fitzgerald at 1.30am before the 30,000 ton cargo vessel began to perform a large U-turn - seen in red

Account: Following the collision at 1.30am the ACX Crystal was observed making a huge loop round which ended with it returning to the site of the accident with the USS Fitzgerald at 2.20am where they both reported their deadly crash

Japanese coast guard official Takeshi Aikawa said the first distress call came from the container ship at 2.25am, and it identified the other party as 'a US warship.' The coast guard immediately contacted the destroyer to ask about its damage.

The Japanese coast guard has revised its estimate of the collision time from an initial 2.20am to 1.30am after interviewing the Crystal's crewmembers and examining the ship's location.

The US Navy still uses 2.20am as the time of the collision, but U.S. military officials say they have no intention to dispute the Japanese coast guard, and that the investigation will settle the issue.

There is speculation that the Fitzgerald might have been temporarily unable to communicate because of damage from the collision, or because its crew was working frantically to keep the ship from sinking.

Rear Admiral Fort, who was named on Friday to lead the Navy's investigation, is a former commander of a squadron of six destroyers. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the Naval War College.

The victims might have been killed by the impact of the collision or drowned in the flooding, said Navy spokesman Lt Paul Newell, who led the media on a visit to get a firsthand look at the mangled destroyer. 'The damage was significant,' he said. 'This was not a small collision'

Earlier this week, a defense expert claimed there was nobody on the bridge of the cargo ship when it struck the USS Fitzgerald.

'I suspect, from the data, that the ACX Crystal was running on autopilot the whole time, and nobody was on the bridge. If anyone was on the bridge, they had no idea how to turn off the autopilot,' said Steffan Watkins, an IT security consultant and ship tracking analyst for Janes Intelligence Review, to DailyMail.com.

Speculation has centered on why the USS Fitzgerald and its skeleton crew was struck on its starboard side in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Under international maritime rules, the Fitzgerald would be expected to give the ACX Crystal the right of way and real-time charts appear to show the Filipino-crewed vessel was sailing on that side.

Multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations are under way on how a ship as large as the container could collide with the smaller warship in clear weather said coastguard spokesman Takeshi Aikawa.

Listing: A shot of the ship's helipad shows how dramatically the USS Fitzgerald is listing after the accident

The impact of the collision crushed the starboard side of the Fitzgerald. The ship was visibly listing as it sailed into its home port in Yokosuka, Japan on Saturday afternoon.

Janes expert Watkins says that a sudden and unexplained U-turn observed on charts was performed by the ACX Crystal to see what had been hit - after human control was re-established on the bridge.

The Japanese authorities confirmed to DailyMail.com that they received the distress call from the Crystal container ship - which is crewed exclusively by Filipinos - at 2.20am local time.

But the owners, Tokyo based shipping firm NYK Line, told the DailyMail.com that the collision occurred at 1.30am.

Commercial shipping can be tracked, such as the ACX Crystal, in real time via maps on maritime websites.

Steffan Watkins told DailyMail.com that the u-turn could have been carried out to find out what had been hit.

The damaged US Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald is seen berthing at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo

The damage to the destroyer suggests that the ACX Crystal might have slammed into it at a high speed, raising questions about communication between the two vessels in an area where as many as 400 ships pass through every day, according to Japan's coast guard

The container ship was seen making a U-turn before the collision on some ship trackers, a move that has raised questions about what happened. Both Aucoin and the Japanese coast guard, however, said it was too early to determine what led to the collision

After shifting through the data of the Crystals tracks at sea Watkins has concluded the cargo carrier mistakenly blindsided the Fitzgerald as the ship was without a human pilot at the time.

According to the the tracking data 15 minutes after the presumed 1.30am collision with the Fitzgerald, the ship righted its course, and increased speed, readjusting for the change in course the collision had made.

'This is, to me, proof that a computer was driving. No captain shakes off a collision with a US Navy Destroyer and resumes course so perfectly,' said Watkins.

The company that charted the Crystal, NYK Line, confirmed to DailyMail.com that its offices received a call from to say they had hit something.

It wasn't until an hour later that the merchant ship informed the Japanese coast Guard.

'After further review of all the data and their own information (I am not privy to what sensors and transponders they might have) I'm sure the US Navy knows by now the hit was at 1.30am, but is in a difficult position to explain that time difference,' said Watkins.

A screenshot provided by vessel-tracking service MarineTraffic shows a track of the route of the container ship ACX Crystal that collided with the USS Fitzgerald in the waters off Shimoda in the Izu Peninsula, southwest of Tokyo

'Not calling it in until 2.25am is unbelievable unless you consider they had no idea what they hit until 2.25am.

'It is unconscionable to think a 30,000 ton vessel collided with, and could have utterly destroyed, another vessel, and waited an hour to call the Japanese Coast Guard and report the collision.'

So far there is nothing to indicate how two well equipped vessels could not avoid one another.

Scott Cheney-Peters, division officer aboard the Fitzgerald 2006-2008, suggested the accident was down to human error.

The coast guard questioned crew members of the ACX Crystal, and is treating the incident as a case of possible professional negligence, said Masayuki Obara, a regional coast guard official

This screenshot shows a track of the route of the container ship ACX Crystal that collided with the USS Fitzgerald: The track of the container shipis route by MarineTraffic shows it made a sudden turn as if trying to avoid something at about 1:30 a.m., before continuing eastward. It then made a U-turn and returned around 2:20 a.m. to the area near the collision

'There's a lot that can go wrong even when the bridge team one or both ships is doing everything it can to avoid a collision. It's too early to speculate on the exact circumstances in this case so this is only to help understand the context,' he told Mailonline.

'The first thing to remember is the physics - ships can carry an immense amount of momentum with them given their size.

'Every time two ships approach each other at sea they rely on codified rules of the road to govern how they perform their delicate dance.

'But making sure they get the steps right depends on a shared understanding of the situation - which can be more difficult at night - and failing that, communication.'

The US Navy and the Japanese authorities, and NYK have declined to comment on aspects of the ongoing investigation, nor has an explanation been offered as to why USS Fitzgerald did not see the ACX Crystal coming and vice versa.

All parties have refused to discus the investigation which they say is still ongoing.

According to Japanese law suspects in criminal proceedings, such as these, can be held for at least 23 days without charge and without access to lawyers.

The coast guard declined to confirm if they were still questioning the Philippine crew and captain in Yokohama where the Crystal is now berthed.
Muslim community leaders in Sydney have backed Manchester Central Mosque's stance to refuse Manchester attacker Salman Abedi a proper burial.

The leaders made the comments to the Daily Telegraph on Friday, ahead of the Eid ul-Fitr festival, a religious holiday that celebrates the end of Ramadan.

They said denying terrorists an Islamic burial was a key part of the fight against radicalisation and extremism.

Muslim community leaders in Sydney have backed Manchester Central Mosque's stance to refuse Manchester attacker Salman Abedi a proper burial. Pictured is Dr Jamal Rifi

Dr Jamal Rifi, a prominent figure in the Lebanese Muslim community in Sydney, said the local Islamic community had refused Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis a religious burial and he was not surprised Manchester had taken a similar stance.

Dr Rifi said people might portray they were doing things in the name of Islam, but he said they were disgracing Islam.

'It is part and parcel of the multipronged approach we need to do, we need to triple our efforts to interact with radicals, to find them, debate them and change their attitudes,' Dr Rifi said.

He said extremists had hijacked verses of the Koran that promised 72 virgins in paradise to 'brainwash' young men.

Pictured is Salman Abedi, 22, who carried out a suicide bomb attack at Manchester Arena on May 22. Muslim leaders in Sydney support him being refused a religious burial

He said the only way to end it was to defeat these people, militarily and ideologically.

Man Haron Monis was buried in January 2015 in an undisclosed location.

Parramatta Mosque chairman Neil El-Kadomi also told the Daily Telegraph the community did not support or tolerate any terrorist attack by or against Muslims.

Islamic Friendship Association spokesman Keysar Trad said the refusal of burial rites was a message to criminals that they would not tolerate extremism.

Dr Rifi said that the local Muslim community had refused Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis (pictured) a religious burial. His body was buried in an undisclosed location
Officer Kyle Prior shot Pedro Ramirez (pictured), 28, early on Tuesday after Ramirez lunged at him out of his bedroom closet with a large knife

Footage from a police officer's body camera shows the moment he shot dead a Las Vegas men who lunged at him with an eight-inch butchers knife.

Officer Kyle Prior shot Pedro Ramirez, 28, early on Tuesday after Ramirez lunched at him out of his bedroom closet with a large knife, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The altercation happened when police responded to a 911 call about domestic violence at the Bella Vida Apartments Complex, Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Tim Kelly said on Thursday.

Kelly said the officers spent nearly 10 minutes knocking on the apartment's door at around 12:14am before a four-year-old finally let them in.

They encountered a woman, likely the child's mother, who there were no other adults in the home. However, based on the 911 call, the officers suspected otherwise and searched the apartment to look for the man.

Kelly said the officers spent nearly 10 minutes knocking on the apartment's door at around 12:14am before a four-year-old finally let them in

Footage from one of the body-cameras shows officers walking through the dark apartment with a flashlight and going into each room apprehensively to look for the man.

After about 20 minutes, the officers came across Ramirez in the master bedroom's walk-in closet, crouched behind a row of hanging clothes with a kitchen knife in his hands, according to the Review-Journal.

Body camera footage shows the officers telling Ramirez to come out of the closet and drop the knife. Two of the other officers fired their tasers at the man, according to Kelly, but he did not react.

Footage from one of the body-cameras shows officers walking through the dark apartment with a flashlight

The officers apprehensively enter each room in case Ramirez is in there, shining a flashlight in first before slowly entering

Body camera footage shows the officers telling Ramirez to come out of the closet and drop the knife

Ramirez can be seen running out of the closet with the knife held out in front of him before Prior fired three rounds into him, striking him each time.

He later died at University Medical Center from the gunshot wounds.

His wife, who has not been named, had multiple visible injuries from the fight with her husband that led to the initial 911 call, and told police he hid because he did not want to go to jail.

. Two of the other officers fired their tasers at the man, according to Kelly, but he did not react

Ramirez can be seen running out of the closet with the knife held out in front of him before Prior fired three rounds into him, striking him each time

The department has previously responded to two other instances of domestic violence at that apartment in 2016 and 2015, Kelly said.

Prior was placed on routine paid administrative leave while the incident is being investigated.

This is the second time he has shot a suspect dead. He joined the force as a civilian employee in 2008 and became an officer in 2012, according to the Review-Journal.
Father-of-one Andrew Dobson, 49, (pictured leaving Chester Crown Court in handcuffs after sentencing) used eBay to buy the 150 silicon doll from a sex toy firm based in Hong Kong

A nuclear energy expert was behind bars in disgrace on Friday after he was caught smuggling a child-like 'paedophile' sex doll into the UK in the first case of its kind in Britain.

Father-of-one Andrew Dobson, 49, from Cheshire, used eBay to buy the 150 silicon doll - which resembled a girl as young as four - from a sex toy firm based in Hong Kong.

The sick item came with a negligee, face mask, blindfold, gloves and an even a 'cavity warmer' to give it a more 'life-like feel.'

But the package was intercepted by Border Force officials as it arrived at East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire.

Police later raided Dobson's 300,000 property in the village of Wistaston near Crewe, Cheshire and found 26 pornographic images and videos on his computer of children being abused.

One 12 minute clip showed a girl of six being raped by a man wearing a clown mask. He later admitted buying the child-like doll to use for sex.

At Chester Crown Court, Dobson, who works as a consultant on nuclear propulsion admitted importation of an obscene item and further charges of making and possessing indecent images and was jailed for two years and eight months.

Judge Simon Berkson told him: 'I had the doll shown to me and it is disgusting to think that this type of item exists and can be bought and imported all over the world.

'This was no mistake or misguided act on your part, it was meant for your perverted sexual desire towards children.

'This sexual desire was confirmed for the police when they made a search of your property and searched on the computerised equipment and found indecent still images of children and moving images. In the movies, one of which was 12 minutes long was the worst type of abuse that can happen on a child.

The sick item (left) came with a negligee, face mask, blindfold, gloves and an even a 'cavity warmer' to give it a more 'life-like feel.' Pictured right, Dobson after his arrest

'You have had a very respectable job which you have held for a number of years and you have an elderly mother who relies upon you for her care and you have an 18-year-old son who I can only assume you also care for. I am told that for the importation charge this is the first sentence for the offence in England and Wales.'

The court was told that the package was seized by the UK Border force on 23 September last year.

Prosecuting Peter Hussey said: 'The package was sent by air from Hong Kong and it was the defendant who ordered it, and UK Border Force who intercepted it.

'There has been an ongoing operating targeting this type of package being imported into this country. The package was opened and contained a childlike sex doll which has been sent from a company run in Japan and which operates out of Hong Kong.

'There was an invoice and an advert for the doll. There is also documentation of the eBay account and the advert. The advert shows a young child posing in a sexual way.'

After the case Det Cone Andy Kent (pictured with a box containing the child-sized sex doll), of Cheshire Police said: 'Knowing child sex-dolls exist and are available for sex offenders to buy is sickening'

Kent added: 'Dobson should serve as an example to those who think they can also commit this crime for their own selfish needs'

The female doll was 105 cm in height, and a doctor gave it an age between 3 years and 8 months to 6 years and 2 months. The court heard the sender of the package had tried to hide what is was.

In mitigation Dobson's lawyer Simon Parry said the doll was 'child size and not child like' but added: 'He is ultimately ashamed of the situation he has got himself into and he is motivated to explore this offending behaviour and put it behind him.

'This is somebody who has had a sexual difficulty that needs to be addressed and nipping in the bud.

'He is man who since graduating from university has led a constructive hardworking life and who has contributed a lot - he is an entirely hardworking decent man. His work has benefitted the entirety of the country.

'His mother is elderly and relies on his care, his father recently died and it will impact his 18 year old son who lives with him.

'A custodial sentence will probably mean that the house will have to be sold and he will lose his current employment which would be quite catastrophic.'

Dobson (pictured arriving at Chester Crown Court) was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life

Dobson was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.

After the case Det Cone Andy Kent, of Cheshire Police said: 'Knowing child sex-dolls exist and are available for sex offenders to buy is sickening. For Dobson to go to great lengths to import one for his own sexual gratification shows the extent of his paraphilic interest in children.

'Dobson should serve as an example to those who think they can also commit this crime for their own selfish needs.'

Border Force's Julian Doughty, Senior Manager at the Fast Parcel Joint Border Intelligence Unit, said: 'The importation of dolls likes this is a new phenomena and Dobson is one of the first people sentenced in the UK in relation to such an item. Working closely with law enforcement partners, Border Force is determined to bring those involved in this type of offence to justice.'

Last year authorities in Australia seized 18 shipments of child-sized sex dolls. A Japanese firm which produces more than 100 different types of child sex dolls claim they can be used to 'help paedophiles control their sexual urges' and therefore prevent crime.
A 10-year-old has become one of the first victims of the toothpick crossbow trend in China.

The boy's eye was injured after a toothpick from the new crossbow landed in his eye causing damage to his cornea on June 19.

The crossbow has the ability to fire out needles and nails causing anxious parents to call for a ban.

The boy was injured when a toothpick was shot into his eye by the dangerous toy

His mother said one of his classmates was using the dangerous toy in class

Chinese media say the 'toothpick' crossbow can shoot iron nails in place of toothpicks

The young boy from Xinjiang province suffered damage to his right eye.

Doctors say that even if the treatment is effective, his vision can not fully be restored.

He has a traumatic cataract which occurs when an eye has suffered some kind of trauma.

His mother told Guancha.cn that a classmate was playing with a toothpick crossbow when the object went straight into her son's eyes.

The crossbow is now currently available to purchase on shopping site Ebay

Chengdu police have reportedly stopped sales of the toothpick crossbow

Police in the city of Chengdu have banned the toys prompting calls for the ban to extend nationwide.

The crossbows can fire out needles and nails and are sold in shops for as little as seven yuan (81p).

However they were originally intended to be used for shooting toothpicks.

According to Shanghai Daily, shop owners have been selling out of the mini crossbows fast and are struggling to meet demand.

It said: 'The Toothpick Crossbow toy has spread across China like wildfire among the nation's primary and middle school children.'

On the way? The items are now on sale in the UK via auction site Ebay raising concern

'The unusual shooting toy may be very small but it is powerful enough to puncture a balloon and pierce cardboard. And when the toothpick is swapped for a metal needle, it becomes a dangerous weapon.

There is now concern that the popular toy could arrive in the UK with the items now for sale on Ebay. Most of the sellers come from Asia but one seller is based in the UK.

Toys R Us confirmed to MailOnline that there are no plans to stock this product in their stores.

While other Chinese state media said the mini crossbows can fire at a distance of more than 65 feet and shoot iron nails in place of toothpicks.

Police in Chengdu in China's southwest, have reportedly stopped sales of the product and concerned parents across the country want the government to issue a nationwide ban.

Earlier this month an 11-year-old in China miraculously survived after one of her classmates thew a 'ninja star' into her head by accident.

One of the blades was stuck into the pupil's head to a depth of two centimetres (0.8 inches).

Surgeons removed the object after operating on the girl for around an hour.
London's Metropolitan Police have launched a campaign that aims to tackle to scourge of moped thieves.

The Secure Your Scooter campaign shows how easy it is for gangs to steal scooters, motorcycles and mopeds.

The short dramatised video, posted on Twitter, shows how simple it is to break a steering lock, or to steal a scooter when its not locked up properly.

It urges bikers to use two locks to secure their vehicles instead.

In the film one of the 'thieves' says: 'If it's got two locks on it I ain't even looking at it, waste of my time.'

The new campaign comes after more than eight thousand scooters were stolen in London last year.

The brazen nature of moped thieves, often snatching scooters and phones from victims in broad daylight on busy streets, has led for calls for a police clampdown.

The short clip shows thieves using power tools to break the chain securing scooters

It also shows phones been stolen on streets in broad daylight, which has become a dangerous problem in London

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said: 'This campaign is about encouraging scooter owners to do everything they can to adequately secure their vehicle against its theft and its subsequent use to commit thefts and violent robberies against the public.

'Police are working hard to make the streets hostile territory for reckless criminals who endanger lives, but it is the easy availability of scooters that is driving the rise in scooter-enabled crime.

'So I urge all riders, properly secure your scooter to reduce its risk of theft. If everyone plays their part we can thwart these thieves.'

The 'thief' in the video boasts about how easy it is for them to break simple
Police in the Netherlands have declared they are ready to join the hunt for an Australian criminal who escaped from a Bali prison.

Shaun Davidson claims he has fled Indonesia for the European party city of Amsterdam.

Police in that city say they already work to track down fugitives from the UK and would be willing to search for the Australian, news.com.au reported.

'If we only have slight information about fugitives we are always willing and able to trace somebody down,' a police spokesman told the publication.

Fled to Amsterdam? Shaun Davidson (pictured) is wanted in Perth, charged with four offences including possessing methamphetamine and cannabis for sale or supply

That's not near Kerobokan? Shaun Davidson checked into Amsterdam late this week - days after he disappeared from his Bali jail

The Perth-born bandit and three other prisoners escaped the notorious Kerobokan prison in Bali on Monday through a tiny tunnel burrowed underneath the jail walls.

And now Davidson claims he has managed to get very far away from home in the space of a few days.

He posted a series of updates to Facebook late this week, his first post claiming he was 'living the dream' in the Netherlands capital.

His second post featured a group photograph of several men and women wearing singlets at the Club Air nightclub.

'Closing time where's all the ladies at', Davidson then wrote.

The fugitive wasn't seen in the picture.

An image posted to Facebook in Amsterdam with the caption: 'Closing time where's all the ladies at'

The two men were arrested more than 2,000km from the jail they escaped from

The updates were posted just for Davidsons friends but were provided to Daily Mail Australia by a source on Friday afternoon.

It comes after two of Davidson's accomplices were discovered at a luxury resort in East Timor on Thursday.

Bulgarian national Dimitar Nikolov Iliev and Indian man Sayed Mohammed Said were caught at the four-and-a-half star Novo Turismo in Dili.

But Davidson and fellow escapee, the Malaysian man Tee Kok King, were no where to be seen.

Bulgarian national Dimitar Nikolov Iliev and Indian man Sayed Mohammed Said were caught at Novo Turismo in Dili East Timor (pictured)

The Australian also garnered support from strange quarters on Friday, with Perth property tycoon James Tee taking to Facebook in support of Davidson.

Tee, well-known for his flamboyant image, congratulated the fugitive in a series of posts and comments online.

'Well done Rage!!! Haha,' he wrote, using Davidson's nickname. 'A round of applause for Shaun Rageone Davidson!'

James Tee (pictured) used Davidson's nickname 'Rage' and told him to sell his story for cash

Tee also mocked the Indonesian police, and the Bali Nine drug smugglers.

'He'll well and truly be beyond Indonesian jurisdiction now. The dopy (sic) Indo cops can forget looking for him.

'If only the Bali 9, oops I meant Bali 7 was as smart?! Ahhhhhhhahaha.'

The prisoners were said to escaped through the muddy passage which is about 50cm by 75cm wide and 12 metres long.

The tunnel travelled underneath the prison wall and emerged at a road running along Kerobokan.

(From left to right) Dimitar Nikolov Iliev from Bulgaria and Indian man Sayed Mohammed Said were caught in East Timor on Thursday but Shaun Davidson and Tee Kok King from Malaysia are still on the run

It is believed the men used a fork and a bucket to construct the tunnel (seen here being drained on Tuesday) and make their escape

One of the discovered East Timor prisoners, Dimitar Nikolov Iliev, 43, was serving a seven-year term for money laundering.

Meantime, Said, 31, was in the midst of a 14-year sentence for drugs.

Davidson was serving a one-year prison sentence for using another person's passport. He was due to be released in August.

He was also wanted in Perth, charged with four offences including possessing methamphetamine and cannabis for sale or supply.

Tee Kok King, 50, was understood to be serving seven and a half years for drug offences.
A distraught woman was ordered to get out of a public pool because she was too curvy and her swimsuit might 'excite teen boys'.

Tori Jenkins, who was swimming in a pool at her apartment in Knoxville, Tennessee, was then told to pose for photos in her one-piece to show how 'inappropriate' it was, she claims.

Jenkins, 20, has garnered the sympathy of many who heard her story after her fiance Tyler Newman posted the story and pictures of his 'humiliated' girlfriend on Facebook.

Tori Jenkins was forced to leave the public pool at her apartment in Knoxville, Tennessee, because she was too curvy and her swimsuit might 'excite teen boys'

The 20-year-old was then called to the office of her apartment's leasing consultant and ordered to pose for photos in her one-piece to show how 'inappropriate' it was

Jenkins felt she had to confess that her butt was 'larger than others'. Her fiance shared the story in a Facebook post that has since been shared close to 18,000 times

'I'd just like to say on my own behalf that I'm really amazed by all of the overwhelming support I've received,' Jenkins wrote on her Facebook page, after her story had been shared close to 18,000 times.

'Thank you all, you really don't know how much it means to me. It hasn't even been that long since it happened but I can tell you that I've felt really sh***y about myself since. Being distracted by friends and work and your wonderful comments have made this process a whole lot easier. '

Jenkins had been swimming at the pool at the Smoky Cross Apartments with five of her friends and her fiance for just three minutes when the leasing consultant said her 'thong bathing suit' was inappropriate because she was in a 'family environment', she told DailyMail.com.

The consultant then called Jenkins to her office and instructed her to look in a large mirror so she could see the problem herself, the 20-year-old said.

'I know what I look like, I bought this myself, it's not a thong,' Jenkins responded.

According to Jenkins, the consultant told her the swimsuit would 'excite' teenage boys and accused her of misunderstanding the situation because she didn't have children herself.

'There are a lot of teenage boys in this complex,' she said. 'You don't need to excite them.'

The consultant then said Jenkins was more curvy than other women and needed to wear a normal bathing suit that 'covers the whole butt'.

Jenkins felt forced to say her butt was indeed 'larger', which explained why her bathing suit - which she bought from Forever 21 - may have appeared as a thong while she walked.

The couple pay $300 fee, in addition to their monthly rent of almost $1,000, to maintain the pool in the apartment, Newman notes in his viral post.

I have never really witnessed sexual harassment and/or rape culture until today, he added.

'I've never seen my fiancee embarrassed to the point where she can't even look her best friends in the face.

'I've never seen her cry like she did in our apartment today. Never seen her want to be isolated like that.

'All because some ignorant a**holes think they can police the size and shape of her body.'

The Tennessee native had been swimming in the pool at the Smoky Cross Apartments for just three minutes when two leasing agents approached her

She was with five of her friends and her fiance, Tyler Newman (pictured with Jenkins) for just three minutes when the leasing consultant said she was wearing a 'thong bathing suit' even though she was in a one-piece. Jenkins later felt forced to say her butt was 'larger than others' so her clothes occasionally ride up

Newman posted the story and pictures of his 'humiliated' girlfriend on Facebook. While so many posted comments in support, others made vile comments about her body

Many on social media expressed their outrage at how Jenkins was treated and encouraged her to appreciate her body despite the consultant's critique.

Tara Mash said: 'You look amazing! I'm so sorry people can be such a-holes! You didn't deserve anything that happened to you that day.

'I hope you won't let that awful woman's words change the way you view yourself or your body. Hugs to you!!'

While the feedback has been mainly positive, some on social media have posted negative comments about her body, so much so that Jenkins had to delete a picture that showed the front part of her suit.

'I took it down after reading so many hateful comments about my stomach and so many intensely explicit sexual comments,' she wrote in a post on Thursday.

'The entire point of this post is that no man or woman has the right to make me feel uncomfortable in my own skin. No right to police me or any other human.'

But Jenkins has taken lessons from the unfortunate incident, rather than allowing it to bring her down.

'If you see something happening you feel is wrong, speak up,' she told DailyMail.com.

'And if it happens to you, keep your head high and only pay attention to the positivity in your life. Don't let anyone make you feel less than you're worth.'
Mon State cabinet member U Wunna Kyaw (photo: MNA)

Mon State government has announced it will change the location of a Mawlamyine Township affordable housing project due to problems with road access and readiness for construction at the original site.

Mon States Minister of Planning, Finance, Immigration and Population U Wunna Kyaw told the Mon State Hluttaw on June 21 that the project will be relocated from Min Ywa Village to Kyar Inn Village.

But the project will now be built on just over 21 acres of land as opposed to the original 44 acres of land.

We will try to build it as fast as possible since the Hluttaw has set down a decision for the relocation," U Wunna Kyaw said.

"This project will be built from the 2017-2018 fiscal year budget so we will try to finish it within the fiscal year.

State Hluttaw MP from Paung Constituency 1 U Tun Min Aung said its good that the government wants to change the location due to the land condition [of the original site]".

The Mon State Hluttaw enacted a law to allocate five billion kyat for the Min Ywar Village affordable housing project in March.

According to U Wunna Kyaw, this is the first time Mon State will use state budget funds to build affordable housing.
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A young Sydney property investor with a portfolio worth over $55million is selling off dozens of houses after experts predicted the bubble is soon to burst.

Nathan Birch, 32, has made his fortune buying houses at the lower end of the market and predicting that their worth will increase over the years.

He uses the buy and hold method, where an investor buys stocks - in this case property - and holds on to them for a long time.

Nathan Birch, 32, has made his fortune buying houses at the lower end of the market and predicting that their worth will increase over the years

In a blog post on Mr Birch, who runs property investment group Binvested, said the finance environment has changed (one of Mr Birch's properties is pictured)

In 2008 Mr Birch paid $140,000 for this white house and it is now worth $360,000

Mr Birch just gradually raises the rent in each property as they increase in value.

This method can be successful, but risky, especially if the markets experiences a downturn.

In a blog post Mr Birch, who runs property investment group Binvested, said the finance environment has changed.

'For a long time now, I've been collecting properties like kids collect action figurines in a happy meal. I never like to see one go,' he wrote.

'But recently, the finance environment has changed.

'It's a bitter pill to swallow for a buy and hold investor- but I need to optimize to suite the times we are in by letting some go.

This property in Penrith NSW was bought by Mr Birch for $234,000 in 2008 and is worth $600,000 today

Also in Penrith in Western Sydney, NSW, the real estate developer paid $248,000 for this house and it's now worth $550,000

'I want to keep moving in a market where almost every investor is stuck in the mud  even if that means selling to get into a new position.'

In terms of what the 32-year-old is putting on the market, he said:

'I'm looking to sell some regional properties and certain metro properties that I feel have peaked in the current cycle and I can redeploy the funds to better suit my advanced strategy of developing with cash.'

This comes as house prices are forecast to plummet over the next two years.

House and apartment prices in Sydney should drop by about five per cent by 2020, while Brisbane and Melbourne will experience weakening apartment markets.

Mr Birch uses the buy and hold method, where an investor buys stocks - in this case property - and holds on to them for a long time

Young Sydney property investor Nathan Birch, with a portfolio worth over $55million is selling off dozens of houses after experts predicted the bubble is soon to burst

It follows a period of enormous growth in Sydney, with median house prices jumping by 81 per cent in the last five years.

BIS analyst Angie Zigomanis said a decline in interest from investors struggling to secure home loans would be one of the driving factors behind the property slump.

'A tighter lending environment will affect Sydney more than anywhere else because that's where the bulk of investors were buying and where they put in the highest price offers,' Mr Zigomanis said.
A detective investigating the Grenfell Tower disaster says some of the fire's victims may never be found or identified.

Scotland Yard's Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack today told of the horrific scenes investigators face in the devastated tower block as they comb the building in 'intense heat'.

More than 400 people were in the building when a fridge fire spread up the 24 storeys in just 30 minutes, killing at least 79 men, women and children.

Police searching the tower say they have now removed every 'complete body' from the building.

It is thought that there are dozens more unknown victims with detectives fearing the probe at the 'distressing scene' could stretch into next year.

Investigators say the full search and recovery operation at Grenfell Tower may take months

A detective on the case has told of the toll the probe is having on emergency service workers

DSI McCormack said: 'It is impossible to learn about what happened that night without feeling the true tragedy and the human cost of this terrible, terrible incident.'

She told how investigators had listened to hours of 999 calls made from those watching the fire unfold and those trapped inside.

She said: 'We have also listened to over 600 emergency 999 calls made to the fire brigade, ambulance service and police to understand the events of that night.

'Some of those calls are over an hour long and each call tells its own distressing story.'

Rescue teams have worked to shore up some of the most fire-ravaged flats in the building, with sniffer dogs used at first because of fears the structure was unsafe.

DSI McCormack said: 'The working conditions are difficult and distressing for those teams - I have spoken to them personally and understand their commitment to returning those inside the Grenfell Tower back to their families and loved ones.

'The painstaking search continues - we will use a number of different searching techniques - including a full fingertip search in the areas of the building where we need to.'

Temperatures in the block are believed to have reached 1000C at the height of the blaze

Manslaughter charges are now being considered after safety flaws were found in the building

This graphic shows the scale of the devastation that tore through the building - with the seven confirmed dead by the Metropolitan Police marked with asterisks

She added: 'Next week we will be installing a lift to the outside of the building to assist the recovery process.

'Such is the devastation inside, our forensic search and recovery may not be complete by the end of the year.

'There is a terrible reality that we may not find or indentify all those who died due to the intense heat of the fire.

'But we will do absolutely everything we can with utmost sensitivity and dignity.

'Given the catastrophic damage caused to the building we have to do work to ensure the building is safe for all agencies to work in.'

Manslaughter charges are being considered by detectives investigating the fire as it emerged the structure had failed fire safety tests.

A detective involved in the case said: 'The working conditions are difficult and distressing'

Cladding and insulation encasing the building did not pass any fire safety tests, she added, increasing concern the 24-storey block's facade accelerated the blaze's spread.

The nationwide hunt for high-rise buildings with flammable cladding continues, with thousands of people finding their homes were potentially dangerous

By Friday afternoon, the Government said 14 buildings across nine local authority areas in England were found to have flammable cladding.

As police continued to unpick the roots of the disaster, Ms McCormack said a string of criminal offences were now being considered.

Khadija Khalloufi, 52, (pictured with her hubsnad Sabah Abdullah, 72) was revealed as the fifth person to be formally identified by police

Celebrated artist Khadija Saje has been named by police as being among the victims of the Grenfell Tower blaze after the official death toll rose to 79 this morning

Tony Disson's family said the grandfather (left) is missed terribly. Syrian refugee Mohammad Alhajali (right) was the first victim to be named

Documents and materials had been seized from a 'number of organisations', she added.

She said: 'We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards. We are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offences and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.'

A Hotpoint FF175BP model was found to have been the fridge-freezer at the centre of the tragedy and followed witness reports from June 14 that one resident claimed his appliance was responsible.
A huge section of Dubai Marina turned orange after what is thought to be a spillage caused the water to change colour.

The mysterious transformation happened on Thursday and inspectors were still scratching their heads on Friday trying to work out how the water had been stained.

But now an official believes it was caused by a substance used by construction workers to strengthen soil upstream.

The water in Dubai Marina turned orange by what is thought to have been a spill from a construction site

Talib Julfar, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Environment and Public Health Services Sector, said the nearby construction site was most likely the reason and told Khaleej Times: 'It is probably a substance that contactors use to strengthen weak soil.

'The substance is used as contractors pour the casting after they clear water from the area.'

Residents became worried it was a huge oil spill, but the authorities have insisted the water is still safe to drink.

A spokesperson from Dubai's Municipality said they had not yet officially identified the cause and a team of officials had been sent to inspect the site for a conclusive reason.

Resident Shereen Hafidh told The National: 'I woke up this morning and can still see the discolouration of the water, there was no smell, however, by late afternoon it seems to clear up.'

Dubai Municipality said 'the orange colour that appeared was due to excavation works related to a construction project at Qarn Al Sabkha'.

'The discolouration in the water poses no threat to marine life or human health. It also has plans and processes in place to protect to health of people and preserve the environment'.
Fraudster Oliver Curtis will swap the prison greens for designer suits when he quietly slots into a role in his father's business next week.

Curtis, who walked free on Friday after one year behind bars, will work as a business development officer at his father Nick's medical tech business E-Nome.

The investment banker was welcomed into the free world by his socialite wife Roxy Jacenko and their two children when he boarded a private jet in rural NSW.

A family friend revealed Curtis is hastening back to work under the insistence of Jacenko, who bore the weight of the family in his absence, Daily Telegraph reports.

Oliver Curtis walks out of Cooma Prison after one year behind bars for insider trading

A family friend revealed Curtis is hastening back to work under the insistence of his socialite wife Roxy Jacenko (pictured on the morning of his release clad in $49,000 designer gear)

'He needs to get to work. He will be there Monday morning,' the unnamed source told the newspaper.

The insider trading charges saw Curtis slapped with a five-year ban from being a company director by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).

Questions have risen over the former private school boy's future within the finance industry, with the scandal casting a dark cloud over his reputation.

Files previously seen by Daily Mail showed Curtis upheld his subscription to the Financial Review, behind bars, suggesting his banking days may be behind him.

Curtis was welcomed into the free world by his socialite wife Roxy Jacenko and their two children (pictured)

Curtis will lose no time landing on his feet with a role in his father Nick's (pictured outside the Supreme Court for his appeal) medical tech business E-Nome

The family embraced in a long and emotional hug before departing for Sydney

A spokesman for ASIC confirmed Curtis was free to return to finance as soon as he left Cooma Correctional Centre.

In April, Jacenko told Daily Mail Australia she would urge Curtis to be returning to working life as soon as possible after leaving Cooma prison.

'It's the only way to get over things in life, the only way to power through them and get back to normality is resuming life, resuming your career, resuming the time you spend with your children and your family,' she said.

'So it's been discussed, and I'm very much of the mindset that, my suggestion to him is straight back to work.'

Jacenko return to the couple's Bondi apartment on Friday after picking up her husband from jail
A farmer who was caught having sex with donkey should marry the animal said its owner who has allegedly gone to tribal leaders to force the nuptials.

The pervert was caught assaulting the donkey by its horrified owner in the village of Roadhouse in Limpopo province, South Africa, according to local media.

The animal's owner reported the sex attack to village elders and claimed it was not the first time the man interfered with the donkey, said the local Capricorn Voice newspaper.

A farmer who was caught having sex with donkey should marry the animal said its owner who has allegedly gone to South African tribal leaders to force the nuptials (stock photo)

The ass's owner allegedly demanded that the farmer be forced to take the donkey as a wife.

He said: 'When I went to him he said he was sorry about it but I'm not satisfied as it was not for the first time that he committed the same act.'

The farmer reportedly refused to appear before the elders.

The pervert was caught assaulting the donkey by its horrified owner in the village of Roadhouse in Limpopo province (pictured), South Africa, according to local media

Acting Headman Daniel Ngobeni, said: 'Because of the man's absence we have transferred the matter to the Shigalo Tribal Authority Council.'

Thompson Ntlamu, secretary of the Shigalo Tribal Authority Council, said it was investigating.

He said: 'We summoned the man and he will appear to answer to charges against him.'
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was spotted in New York City for the first time since he stepped down as the head of the ride-hailing app on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old was seen on foot - in Nike sneakers - wearing a baseball cap, mirrored sunglasses and a backpack in these exclusive DailyMail.com photos.

Kalanick, the embattled founder of Uber, resigned earlier this week at a pivotal, and increasingly problematic, time for the company.

It was not by choice however, with five of the company's biggest investors demanding his resignation according to The New York Times, who obtained a copy of the letter those individuals sent to Kalanick.

In the aftermath of that shocking revolt by the company's primary shareholders, it was revealed that while Kalanick was out as CEO he would remain a member of the Uber board.

Incognito: Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was spotted in New York City for the first time since he stepped down as the head of the ride-hailing app on Tuesday

Laying low: Kalanick, who resigned on Tuesday at the demands of company investors, was seen sporting casual attire to keep a low profile, with a blue cap, sunglasses, jeans and a t- shirt

The 40-year-old resigned as the head of the company but it was reported he would remain on the Uber board

Kalanick, who is worth $6.3billion, still retains control of a majority of Uber's voting shares

The shock over Kalanick's departure was followed on Wednesday by speculation about who might be stepping into the CEO role at Uber, with Sheryl Sandberg the first name to gain traction.

That is not happening however, according to Hobson, who claimed her good friend will not be taking the job.

'So Ive talked to multiple sources around Sheryl, zero chance that shes leaving Facebook. Zero,' said Hobson.

'They made it clear a lot of people want this job, but they also made it clear that they see this job as not one person but a team because they have so much work to do and so many positions,' said Hobson.

'I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight,' said Kalanick.

It went on: 'I will continue to serve on the board, and will be available in any and all ways to help Uber become everything we've dreamed it could be. Thank you for everything.'

Kalanick, who is worth $6.3billion, still retains control of a majority of Ubers voting shares.

Uber's board said in a statement: 'Travis has always put Uber first. This is a bold decision and a sign of his devotion and love for Uber.

'By stepping away, he's taking the time to heal from his personal tragedy while giving the company room to fully embrace this new chapter in Uber's history. We look forward to continuing to serve with him on the board.'

Meanwhile, one of the investors who demanded Kalanick step down, Bill Gurley of Benchmark, stepped down from his post on the company's board of directors on Wednesday.

Gurley had been pushing for change ever since February, when former Uber employee Susan Fowler wrote about her year working at the company.

Fowler alleged that she and other women at the company were subject to constant harassment by men, and that when she did take complaints to human resources they were always dismissed and nothing was done to change the toxic environment.

She even claimed that at one point an employee with the HR department stated that shew might be the problem, and not the men.

It was not just that either, and Fowler also detailed some members of the staff as doing everything they could to rise up in the ranks while sabotaging not only other workers but also the productivity of the company.

Addressing his resignation in a statement on Tuesday, Kalanick said 'I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight'

Gurley was replaced by Matt Cohler, his co-worker at the venture firm and a close friend of Sandberg.

It is unclear if he waited to take the position until after Sandberg made it clear that she would not take the job to avoid any possible conflicts of interest, as Gurley seemed to have already planned his exit early in the week.

Among the name floating around as possible replacements for Kalanick are newly ousted Yahoo head Marissa Mayer, Meg Whitman of Hewlett Packard and Helena Foulkes of CVS.

AOL head honcho Tim Armstrong, former Ford CEO Mark Fields, and departing GE chairman Jeff Immelt are also said to be in the mix.

The decision to hire a female would send a strong message no doubt in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal plaguing the company, which led to the termination of 20 employees.

Uber, which was founded in 2009, has raised more than $14 billion over the past eight years.

In the letter to Kalanick, the investors also demanded that an experienced CFO be hired and that the founder and former CEO help the board in their search for his replacement.
The Obama administration had one final punishing act up it's sleeve for Russia after the intelligence community determined that the country meddled in presidential election last fall.

Before leaving office, the former president authorized a super secret plan to plant cyber bombs in Russia's infrastructure, in case it needed to retaliate quickly.

The project wasn't ready then, the Washington Post reports. It will be up to sitting President Donald Trump to deploy it.

Trump has been less willing to attack Russia for its antagonistic actions than his predecessor and he may not follow through with the plan to infiltrate Russia's digital systems.

Secret plan: Obama approved planting top secret cyber weapons in Russia, but did not use them

The White House would not say at a Friday briefing that it refused to televise whether Trump would meet Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit next week in Germany, let alone confront him about election hacking.

For months after the US intelligence community said Russia was responsible for election hacking, Trump would not pin the crime on the Kremlin.

He finally said at a January news conference that he thought it was Russia with the caveat, 'I think we also get hacked by other countries and other people.'

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday at an off-camera gaggle that Trump thinks that Russia was 'probably' responsible for the election hacks that hurt his opponent.

She said Trump was dinging Democrats when he called the hack a 'big Dem hoax' that morning and an 'excuse' for Hillary Clinton's defeat.

'I believe the reference to the hoax is about the fact that they're trying to delegitimize his win in the election process, and less about the hack itself,' she said.

The reporter had asked why Trump was continuing to dispute the intelligence community's assessment that Russia was behind the hacking and leaking strategy of DNC officials' emails.

'I think he's made it clear and been consistent that while everyone agrees the result of the election wasn't influenced, he thinks that it probably was Russia,' she said, 'and I think that regardless President Trump has made it clear that we have to protect the integrity of the electoral system.'

A Washington Post expose on the Kremlin's elaborate plot to undermine confidence in the American electoral system disclosed months of internal deliberations before Obama exited office about how to handle the Russian-ordered hacking.

Obama ended up throwing out 35 Russian diplomats, closing two Russian compounds in the US and putting economic sanctions on the country that did minimal damage.

He left the meatier option, the use of the cyber weapons, to Trump to develop and carry out.

In September of last year, after the US intelligence community was confident of its assessment that Russia had broken into Democrats' email system, Obama confronted Putin on the sidelines of a G20 meeting.

The former president says that he told Putin to 'cut it out.' Obama says he threatened Putin with 'serious consequences if he didn't.'

Passing the buck: Instead Obama left it for President Trump to decide whether to act

Trump has said on several occasions, despite the hacking, that he would like to have a good relationship with Russia, if possible. His secretary of states, Rex Tillerson, told lawmakers during a hearing last week that he wants to hold off on new sanctions while the US works with Russia to resolve the situation in Syria.

Tillerson's comments came before a coalition aircraft shot down a Syrian government plane in Syria that was firing on a US-aligned group fighting ISIS near Raqqa.

The Russian government warned the US afterward that it could make its aircraft targets in a dramatic flare of tensions.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer would not say Friday whether Trump would speak to Putin face-to-face at the G20 summit in two weeks about the hacking that senators worried this week could happen again in the lead up to next year's congressional elections.

'We have a lot of countries that we will probably have bilateral with on the sidelines of the G20,' Spicer told a reporter.

The Trump spokesman would not give a straight answer on the president's desire to meet with Putin, following a report last month that they discussed one during a phone conversation.

'I think that he understands that we have a role, we we, to the extent that we can work with Russia to solve some problems and cooperate, if we can find that willingness, then we'd like to do it,' Spicer said. 'When we have an update on the schedule as we go closer to the G20, I'm sure we'll provide that to you.'
Authorities say a police officer for an upstate New York village has been charged with rape and endangering the welfare of a child.

State police say 25-year-old Yermia 'Jeremy' Solomon, an officer with the Monticello Police was arrested for having sexual relations with someone less than 17 years old after state troopers received an anonymous hotline report.

Monticello Police Chief Robert Mir said Solomon has been with the village department for about three years. Solomon has been placed on paid leave indefinitely.

Solomon was released from the Sullivan County Jail after posting $50,000 bail, he was arraigned in Town of Thompson Court.

An order of protection was issued on behalf of the minor.

Monticello Police Officer charged with raping a minor after troopers received an anonymous hotline tip

The Village of Monticello's Police Department (pictured) where Solomon is currently on paid leave from

Under state penal law, a charge of official misconduct reflects an official's 'unauthorized exercise of his official functions,' for personal benefit, and with the knowledge that the act is unauthorized.

Chris Thorpe, a senior investigator with the state police told the Times Herald Record Solomon's job 'had nothing to do with how the suspect met the victim in this case.'

State police declined to say if the alleged contact happened once or multiple times, or if more charges are pending.

The investigation is ongoing, Thorpe said.

Solomon made about $71,000 in 2016, according to SeeThroughNY.net.

Chief Mir said they will 'handle this appropriately' and cooperate fully with the investigation.

Yermia Solomon is not related to Monticello Mayor Doug Solomon, who said the village knew about the arrest but did not have details.

He will return to Village of Woodridge Court on a later date and is being represented by attorney Henri Shawn, who declined to comment.
Authorities say an F-16 Thunderbird military jet apparently practicing for an Ohio air show has been involved in an accident.

Penelope Reed of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Dayton says a report was received at 12:31pm Friday of a jet off the end of a runway and on its top.

Both pilots were extricated from the plane and no injuries were reported, according to Dayton Daily News.

She says Wright-Patterson Air Force Base dispatched a crash team and heavy rescue crew.

Footage of the crash was broadcast on ABC 22 TV.

Reed says there was no immediate report of any fuel leaks.

Authorities say an F-16 Thunderbird military jet (like the ones seen above) practicing for an Ohio air show has been involved in an accident

Penelope Reed of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Dayton says a report was received at 12:31pm Friday of a jet off the end of a runway and on its top

No injuries were immediately reported as emergency responders were working to extricate the two occupants inside the aircraft

Staff Sgt. Tabatha McCarthy with the Air Force Thunderbirds public relations office says there was a 'mishap' while a plane was on the ground.

She had no other information.

The Thunderbirds issued a statement on its Facebook page which reads: 'The United States Air Force Thunderbirds were conducting a single-ship familiarization flight on Friday June 23, 2017.

'Upon landing there was a mishap at the Dayton International Airport with an F-16D Fighting Falcon at approximately 12:20pm.

'Emergency services are on the scene. We will provide more information as it becomes available.'

Dayton's annual air show begins Saturday.

The accident is reported one day after a fighter jet crashed at a Houston airbase, causing a one-mile area to be evacuated around the scene of the accident.

A fighter jet crashed at a Houston airbase Wednesday, causing a one-mile area to be evacuated around the scene of the accident

The pilot safely ejected himself from the plane, and was treated at an area hospital

The F-16 aircraft from the 138th Fighter Wing at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base went down during takeoff on a training mission for NORAD, according to KHOU.

The aircraft was carrying ammunition when it crashed around 10.30am local time.

The pilot safely ejected himself from the plane, and was treated at an area hospital, according to officials.

He walked to the ambulance and is said to be fine.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has launched an investigation into what former Attorney General Loretta Lynch may have done in 2016 to influence an FBI investigation related to Hillary Clinton's classified email scandal.

Lynch was widely criticized for meeting with former president Bill Clinton on an airport tarmac last summer while his wife was under criminal investigation for mishandling classified materials.

Mrs. Clinton, a former secretary of state and at that time the Democratic White House nominee, kept her State Department work emails on a private email server at her home, obscuring them from government record-keepers.

She was ultimately not prosecuted even though thousands of classified emails were later recovered from the server.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE LETTER

Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch is now the subject of a U.S. Senate inquest into whether she held back the FBI from a hard-charging probe of Hillary Clinton's classified emails

Clinton, who was at the time the Democratic presidential nominee, was let off the hook for the copious classified materials found on her private email server

The Senate committee asked Lynch in a letter on Thursday to describe her involvement in the Clinton probe. Both Republicans and Democrats in the committee's leadership signed it.

The letter cites an April 22 New York Times story that describes a memo 'written by a Democratic operative who expressed confidence that Ms. Lynch would keep the Clinton investigation from going too far.'

That document, the Times reported, was recovered from Russian hackers who were unaware the FBI could see what they had taken from U.S. networks.

The Washington Post described in May 'a Russian intelligence document' that 'cited a supposed email describing how then-Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch had privately assured someone in the Clinton campaign that the email investigation would not push too deeply into the matter.'

Lynch and former president Bill Clinton (center-right) met on an airport tarmac in Arizona last year, but insisted they never discussed Hillary's pending case. Clinton is picuted with Bryan Pagliano, who ran his wife's secret email server

James Comey, the fired FBI director, told Congress last month that Lynch's involvement in the case was one factor that pushed him to go public with his knowledge of Clinton's activities

Fired FBI Director James Comey said during his May 3 Senate testimony that he was prodded to come forward last July with his findings about Clinton in part because he feared Lynch's activity could compromise his agency's independence.

'A number things had gone on, some of which I cannot talk about yet,' he said, that made me worry that the Department leadership could not credibly complete the investigation and decline prosecution without grievous damage to the American people's confidence in the justice system.'
Uganda is so poor that few can afford medical care, giving it one of the lowest life-expectancies on the planet  this toxic combination made the country ripe for infiltration by Tiens, a Chinese Multi-Level-Marketing "nutritional supplements" cult whose members set up fake medical clinics that diagnose fake ailments and proscribe fake medicines, then rope patients into becoming cult recruiters who convince their friends to sign up for the cult.



Al Jazeera outfitted an investigator with a hidden camera, and recorded her "diagnosis" and prescription by a fake doctor at a Tiens "clinic," then followed her through her induction into the cult at a series of high-pressure indoctrination sessions.



So we asked Halima to go to the weekly "training sessions" with her hidden camera.

This, we knew, was risky. I'd spoken to people who had been investigating MLM practices for years and they thought Halima, who would be attending training sessions over several weeks, might actually be in danger of being convinced and recruited.

She was going to be subjected to a barrage by the Tiens motivational speakers. We couldn't be with her the whole time, so we agreed to monitor her with regular phone discussions to check that she was not suddenly having unrealistic dreams of becoming rich through selling food supplements.

Luckily she isn't so easily fooled, and was able to document how Tiens convinces people to stay loyal through reinforcement of the idea that distributors are starting a new life and by its unrelenting "blame and shame" rhetoric about personal failure and not selling enough products. Only their inadequacies and doubts  and those of sceptical family and friends who should, of course, be dropped  were barriers to the recruits achieving great wealth.

When we met up with Michael Halangu, a former Tiens distributor, he confirmed these were the same techniques that had kept him in the business for years. In our interviews he was open about how they fooled him and how much money he lost, but the psychological impact had gone deeper; although he could see all the aspects of the scam, he still blamed himself for not having made a success of it.

But while it is clear that the poor, weak and vulnerable are particularly susceptible to such schemes, even strong people can succumb under enough pressure. Michael is an intelligent and determined man with a college degree, and we even met a university professor among the distributors at one Tiens event we attended.

Eventually, as you will see, we were able to put some of the points raised in this film to a Tiens representative. The company told us about its 5,000 distributors in Uganda and its operations across the African continent and how if people worked hard enough they too could enjoy the cars and yachts and millionaire lifestyles that their top distributors enjoyed. The company was less illuminating about those who hadn't been so lucky  or those of its distributors who, after carrying out bogus medical diagnoses, were happy to con gullible members of the public into buying Tiens products.
Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger has met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris ahead of climate change talks - and appeared to take a shine to his wife.

The former Governor of California, who has attacked President Donald Trump over his withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, grinned as he placed a kiss on Brigitte Macron's cheek today.

Schwarzenegger is visiting the French capital alongside politicians, legal experts and activists who are launching a campaign for a global environmental pact.

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France's First Lady Brigitte Macron grinned as she met the action hero and former Governor of California

He leaned in to kiss the President's wife as he met the Macrons in Paris ahead of discussions about a worldwide environmental pact

It comes just weeks after President Donald Trump announced he would pull the US out of the 196-nation Paris Agreement on curbing dangerous global warming.

It brought a scathing response from Schwarzenegger, who said: 'One man cannot destroy our progress.

'One man cant stop our clean energy revolution. And one man cant go back in time. Only I can do that.'

The 69-year-old, whose film credits include Predator, Kindergarten Cop, Twins, The Expendables and Total Recall, said 200,000 Americans die every year from air pollution, and hit out at climate change deniers.

Hitting it off: The Hollywood star joked with French First Lady outside the Elysee Palace today

Schwarzenegger met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris today ahead of tomorrow's talks

The pair are set to take part in talks about a worldwide pact which would see countries sign up to legally-binding environmental law

Backers of the proposed pact want it to protect the human right to a clean, healthy environment.

The end goal, organisers said this week, is a legal treaty under which states can be brought to justice for flouting the rights of a group or individual.

Schwarzenegger gives a thumbs up after his meeting with Macron today

The new pact, being blueprinted by top legal minds from several countries, should eventually be put to the United Nations for adoption, and impose legally-binding obligations on signatory states, its drafters say.

'We already have two international (human rights) pacts... The idea is to create a third, for a third generation of rights - environmental rights,' said French judicial expert Laurent Fabius, who will chair tomorrow's meeting.

The earlier covenants - one for social, economic and cultural rights, the other for civil and political rights - were adopted by the UN in 1966.

Fabius, who chaired the 2015 UN conference that approved the hard-fought Paris Agreement, said the new text should outline rights and duties, provide for reparations to be made in case of a breach, and introduce the 'polluter pays' principle.

It would mean that people can bring states to court, "to have them held responsible or to compel them to adopt laws that are more protective of the environment," explained Yann Aguila of the French Club des Juristes, a think-tank involved in the project.

Participants in Saturday's meeting would include ex-California governor-turned climate campaigner Arnold Schwarzenegger, former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, as well as high court judges from several countries.

The meeting will be closed by President Macron, who after Trump's announcement pledged 30 million euros ($34 million) to fund the work of foreign climate researchers on French soil.

Schwarzenegger speaks with the French President ahead of tomorrow's talks, which follow President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement
Slumped on a couch in Downing Street clutching a cup of tea, Fiona Hill looked exasperated during her time as one of Theresa May's aides.

Almost a year on and the chief of staff, who was forced to resign after the Tory election disaster earlier this month, looks remarkably more sprightly - and stylish.

A carefree Miss Hill has been pictured walking around London in a summery white dress, smoking a cigarette.

Fiona Hill (pictured), who was forced to resign as one of Theresa May's aides after the Tory election disaster, has been pictured looking a lot more sprightly walking around London

Mrs May looks somewhat more exasperated in this picture alongside fellow ex-chief of staff Nick Timothy, taken in July 2016, shortly after Theresa May became Prime Minister

She looks worlds apart from the glum figure she cut earlier this month, when she and Nick Timothy stepped down as joint chiefs of staff to Mrs May.

Mr Timothy admitted to a mistake in how he drafted a social care policy for the manifesto seen as a major factor in the electoral setbacks that left Mrs May clinging desperately to power.

But he claimed the wider Tory campaign had failed to spot a surge in Labour support even while the Conservative vote soared to 'historically high' levels.

Both issued statements defending Mrs May today after a former No 10 aide today revealed a 'toxic' atmosphere in Downing Street.

Mrs May had been under pressure to fire both of her top advisers in the aftermath of the shock losses which wiped out the Conservative majority in Parliament.

The resignations could help hold off a challenge to Mrs May's Tory leadership. The PM is reshuffling her Cabinet today as she tries to shore up her position.

Katie Perrior, who resigned from Downing Street when the election was called, revealed the pair ran a dysfunctional No 10 obsessed with crushing enemies.

Ms Hill (right, today) looks worlds apart from the glum figure she cut earlier this month (left), when she and Nick Timothy stepped down as joint chiefs of staff to Mrs May

Mr Timothy (left) admitted to a mistake in how he drafted a social care policy for the manifesto seen as a major factor in the electoral setbacks

Writing on the Conservative Home website, Mr Timothy said: 'I take responsibility for my part in this election campaign, which was the oversight of our policy programme.

'In particular, I regret the decision not to include in the manifesto a ceiling as well as a floor in our proposal to help meet the increasing cost of social care.

'But I would like to make clear that the bizarre media reports about my own role in the policy's inclusion are wrong: it had been the subject of many months of work within Whitehall, and it was not my personal pet project.'

In her own statement, Ms Hill said: 'It's been a pleasure to serve in government, and a pleasure to work with such an excellent Prime Minister.

'I have no doubt at all that Theresa May will continue to serve and work hard as Prime Minister  and do it brilliantly.'
On his latest business trip to the global financial centre in Switzerland last week, hedge fund manager Michael Treichl (pictured) was driven to take his own life

Staying in a city as synonymous with wealth as Geneva, Michael Treichl  scion of a rich and well-regarded family of bankers  usually cut a relaxed, cosmopolitan figure.

But on his latest business trip to the global financial centre in Switzerland last week, the 69-year-old hedge fund manager was wracked by turmoil so overpowering that he was driven to take his own life.

Last Friday, his body was found in Lake Geneva, and retrieved by police. It was a tragic and shocking end for Mr Treichl who had, to the outside world, lived a remarkably fortunate life. He was married to a former Vogue model, and his financial triumphs had afforded them a lifestyle of which most people can only dream.

With a historic mansion in the English countryside staffed by a butler and a chef, a private art collection, helicopter travel, and top private schools for their children, the couple enjoyed a globe-trotting lifestyle and were regulars at society events.

It seemed an enviable existence  until two months ago. In the early hours of Easter Saturday, fire gutted their 500-year-old, Grade I-listed home, Parnham House in Dorset. Such was the extent of the inferno that it took until the Wednesday of that week for the fire brigade to extinguish the flames.

Inferno: In the early hours of Easter Saturday, fire gutted their 500-year-old, Grade I-listed home, Parnham House i4634094n Dorset. Such was the extent of the inferno that it took until the Wednesday of that week for the fire brigade to extinguish the flames

Shock: On that same day, Mr Treichl was arrested on suspicion of arson

On that same day, Mr Treichl was  to the shock of his family and the local community  arrested on suspicion of arson.

So began a mystery that has prompted furious debate everywhere from the sleepy pubs of Dorset to the highest echelons of the financial world. Speculation was mounting before his demise that he had money problems.

Now, his sudden death has intensified the mystery of what happened to Parnham.

Following his arrest, Mr Treichl, an Austrian citizen who had settled in Britain, was released the next day 'under investigation'. Dorset police say this means 'under investigation until all reasonable inquiries have been completed'.

Gone: The house was empty on the night of the fire, with Mr Treichl in London, and his wife Emma (pictured) and their children Max, 17, and Charlotte, 15, staying in Provence, France

Blaze: So began a mystery that has prompted furious debate everywhere from the sleepy pubs of Dorset to the highest echelons of the financial world. Now, his sudden death has intensified the mystery of what happened to Parnham (pictured burning two months ago)

After he was freed, he said: 'I am devastated at the loss of our home. The restoration of Parnham has been my life's work and it is insane to think I could have destroyed it. I am now intent on rebuilding it.'

So why did the police arrest him?

The house was empty on the night of the fire, with Mr Treichl in London, and his wife Emma and their children Max, 17, and Charlotte, 15, staying with relatives in Provence in the south of France. Emma rushed home to be with her husband after he called her about the fire that morning.

Probe: Following his arrest, Mr Treichl, an Austrian citizen who had settled in Britain, was released the next day 'under investigation'. Dorset police say this means 'under investigation until all reasonable inquiries have been completed'

Devastated: After he was freed, Mr Treichl said: 'The restoration of Parnham has been my life's work and it is insane to think I could have destroyed it. I am now intent on rebuilding it'

Wife Emma said: 'Michael was at Parnham the following day, looking at the burning wreckage,' she recalled. 'He was very emotional. He could barely speak. He was sobbing'

'Michael was at Parnham the following day, looking at the burning wreckage,' she recalled. 'He was very emotional. He could barely speak. I don't recall his exact words  he was sobbing.'

Since then, there have been no other arrests and no public updates on the progress of the investigation, though certain clues have only served to increase speculation.

In April, the Mail revealed it was said locally that a hoard of silver antiques had been found piled outside the house. A jerrycan carrying up to 25 litres of fuel was also said to have been abandoned on the lawn.

Investigating: Since then, there have been no other arrests and no public updates on the progress of the investigation, though certain clues have only served to increase speculation

Mystery: In April, the Mail revealed it was said locally that a hoard of silver antiques had been found piled outside the house. A jerrycan carrying up to 25 litres of fuel was also said to have been abandoned on the lawn. Pictured: The interior of the beautiful stately home

Now, following Mr Treichl's death, further tantalising claims have emerged. Specialist fire warning and sprinkler systems in the house had been disabled, and a laser movement sensor burglar alarm had been turned off, it is believed.

One theory is that the fire may have been caused by sophisticated thieves anxious not only to cover their tracks, but to make it impossible to know whether treasures were lost in the blaze or stolen.

The police will not comment on such matters. Nor  yet  have they said how Mr Treichl's death might affect their investigation.

When the news broke on Monday, his devastated family released a statement saying he had 'sadly passed away, having suffered from severe depression'.

Beautiful: Now, following Mr Treichl's death, further tantalising claims have emerged. Specialist fire warning and sprinkler systems in the house had been disabled, and a laser movement sensor burglar alarm had been turned off, it is believed

Michael enjoyed a long and distinguished career in finance. He was a devoted family man and husband to his wife Emma, their two children, and his two step-children.'

Now, investigators in Switzerland are attempting to piece together the financier's final hours. Officers would not say who alerted them to Mr Treichl's body in the lake, but a family friend confirmed to me that he was in Switzerland on business alone. The family has been living elsewhere in Dorset since the fire.

A spokesman for Geneva police said: 'The most probable cause of death is suicide by drowning. The police were alerted by someone and a body was found in Lake Geneva by our lake brigade.

'It is too early to discuss toxicology, and the attorney general requested an autopsy. Nothing more can be said at this stage as the police investigation is open.'

Exactly what drove Mr Treichl into the waters of Lake Geneva remains to be seen. But there seems little doubt the fire at Parnham deeply affected him.

He bought the house for a reputed 4 million in 2001, and spent as much as 10 million doing it up. It was just the latest remodelling in its history, the most notable being when Regency architect John Nash reshaped Parnham in the Gothic style around 1810.

Ruined: One theory is that the fire may have been caused by sophisticated thieves anxious not only to cover their tracks, but to make it impossible to know whether treasures were lost in the blaze or stolen. The police will not comment on such matters. Nor  yet  have they said how Mr Treichl's death might affect their investigation

Depressed: When the news broke on Monday, his devastated family released a statement saying he had 'sadly passed away, having suffered from severe depression'

Despite 100 firefighters tackling the blaze  after being alerted by a milkman at 3.50am  only the exterior walls were saved.

Mr Treichl's collection of hunting trophies and portraits were all destroyed, as was a collection of medieval armour amassed by one of his relatives, which included a suit of armour that survived the Turkish occupation of Vienna in 1529.

Yesterday, a friend told me: 'He had suffered from depression since before the fire. The fire exacerbated [it]. When your home is your life's work and all your possessions are destroyed, as theirs were, it would be deeply depressing for someone who wasn't already diagnosed with the condition, let alone one who was.'

Mr Treichl, once described in a German magazine as 'slim, quiet, restrained, with surprisingly expressive eyes', was a leading light in London-based hedge fund, Audley Capital Advisers LLP.

Friends insist 'Audley was and is a leading hedge fund'. But  perhaps inevitable when a financier takes his own life  questions have been raised about whether Mr Treichl's finances were as rosy as appearances suggested.

Gutted: Despite 100 firefighters tackling the blaze  after being alerted by a milkman at 3.50am  only the exterior walls were saved

One Austrian analyst claimed: 'There is a suggestion the assets under management [at Audley] were reducing, that things were going downhill for a while. If that is true, the profitability of the whole thing is going to go down steadily.'

Mr Treichl himself acknowledged in an interview last August, after the UK's referendum on EU membership, that his ventures faced ups and downs. 'We are hardly affected by Brexit, but we have to adjust to the weak pound.'

Yesterday, a spokesman for Audley Capital Advisers said co-owners Julian Treger and Michael Treichl 'were hugely successful a few years ago'.

'In recent years, they have worked less together. Julian has been focusing on the mining industry within Audley, which has been successful, and Michael has been pursuing other successful interests,' he said.

Mr Treichl's other activities included several private equity interests which had given significant returns in recent years.

Destruction: Mr Treichl's collection of hunting trophies and portraits were all destroyed, as was a collection of medieval armour amassed by one of his relatives, which included a suit of armour that survived the Turkish occupation of Vienna in 1529

Life's work: In Switzerland this week, officials said that an autopsy is general practice for deaths which occur in a public place, including lakes. 'Now that the autopsy has been completed, the body has been handed over to the family,' a spokesman said

Asked about Audley making a loss of 811,528 in 2015, but in 2016 a profit of 273,961, the spokesman said it can take years for investments to realise profits and for this to be reflected in accounts.

Mr Treichl held an MBA from Harvard Business School, spent almost 20 years in banking, and held senior positions at investment banks SG Warburg in London and Merrill Lynch in New York. In that time he developed a certain pragmatism. 'Of course, there are always investments which do not run as you have imagined,' he once said, but added that with a couple of exceptions, he was 'quite satisfied' with the progress of his career.

'Money is not an end goal, but you can make a beautiful life with it,' he said. 'As a professional investor I only earn money when my investors make profits with me.'

In Switzerland this week, officials said that an autopsy is general practice for deaths which occur in a public place, including lakes.

'Now that the autopsy has been completed, the body has been handed over to the family,' a spokesman for the Public Prosecutor's Office said on Thursday.

Amid the shock of the suspected suicide, some observers pointed out this week  in what may be no more than a grim coincidence  that he died on the 65th birthday of his brother Andreas, chief executive of Austria's largest bank Erste Group. (Their father Heinrich Treichl, also a respected banker, died aged 101 in 2014.)

Grim coincidence? Some observers pointed out this week that he died on the 65th birthday of his brother Andreas, chief executive of Austria's largest bank Erste Group. (Their father Heinrich Treichl, also a respected banker, died aged 101 in 2014)

Unsolved: investigators in two countries are now seeking answers to the ever-more pressing questions of why this brilliant man took his own life  and why his Dorset mansion was reduced to ashes

A report in business magazine Trend once called the relationship between Michael and Andreas 'chilly'  a claim which arose because a company which was, it said, 'a subsidiary of the Erste Bank of Andreas Treichl' was involved in a financial disagreement in which Michael played a part.

The report is disputed by Andreas, but the differences are said to go back nearly a decade to a power struggle for control of an Austrian firm called Meinl International Power (MIP). Michael Treichl had been on the company board and helped to raise money from investors. But at an extraordinary general meeting in 2008, he was removed as a director.

Later he said: 'The investment of these funds was somewhat sluggish . . . I was cast from the supervisory board,' phlegmatically adding: 'Too bad, that is capitalism.'

His ejection from the board was the result of a corporate battle in which he was set against what the Austrian press called a 'rebel side'. This group included an investment firm called ESPA, connected to the bank run by Michael Treichl's brother Andreas.

Did those circumstances really lead to bad blood?

Andreas Treichl's spokesman told me he would not comment on Michael's death. He added: 'The report of Trend was badly investigated. ESPA was working in this case on behalf of its clients and not Erste Bank. But this didn't fit into the [magazine's] story...'

As the sun blazed down on a sparkling Lake Geneva yesterday, investigators in two countries were seeking answers to the ever-more pressing questions of why this brilliant man took his own life  and why his Dorset mansion was reduced to ashes.
A fifth Republican U.S. senator said Friday that he won't support the health care bill his party's majority published online Thursday, casting new doubt that the GOP can drag the legislation across the finish line.

And Donald Trump loyalists flush with cash are planning to bounce him from the Senate with a million-dollar primary election ad campaign painting him as a tool of Democrats.

With a slim 52-48 edge in the upper chamber of Congress, Republicans can afford only two defections. Vice President Mike Pence could theoretically cast a tiebreaking vote.

But with the addition of Nevada Sen. Dean Heller to the list of naysayers on the political right, the party has a problem.

On Thursday a right-wing quartet composed of Texan Ted Cruz, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, Utahan Mike Lee and Kentucky's Rand Paul announced that the draft bill to replace Obamacare wasn't aggressive enough.

Heller's complaint seems to be that it goes too far.

'I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes insurance away from tens of millions of Americans,' he told reporters during a Las Vegas press conference.

Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada on Friday became the fifth Republican senator to say he won't support his party's health care legislation, making it one notch tougher for the GOP to drag the bill across the finish line

Republican senators (from L-R) Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee and Rand Paul said Thursday that they would stand in the way of their party's Senate bill

Heller is considered the most vulnerable Republican incumbent running for Senate re-election next year, a reality that has pushed him to the political center.

The White House suggested Friday afternoon that in the absence of unanimous Republican support a few centrist Democrats might be persuaded to join the cause.

'I know Senator Manchin talked about potentially getting some Democrats together' to discuss it, said White House press secretary Sean Spicer during an off-camera briefing.

A Manchin spokesman quickly clarified to reporters that his boss's vote 'is not' up for grabs.

Spicer said the president 'wants to work with' the GOP's internal skeptics to get them to 'yes,' however.

'Senator Manchin himself also noted that he would like to sit down and work, and I think if we can find  we will grow that number even larger, he would like to do it,' he added.

He mentioned that he might have some additional folks that expressed to him a willingness to work together. And I think the president's been clear, if anybody has a willingness ... to get it done, he'd love to work across party lines.'

Heller's apostasy, coming from the center-right, appears to be sanctioned by Senate leadership as a way to help hold on to the seat in 2018.

But Trump loyalists are not prepared to let him off the hook.

NO SALE? West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin's vote is not up for grabs, his spokesman said Friday

America First Policies, a group staffed with former Trump White House staffers and campaign aides, is preparing to run ads against Heller that describe him as a 'typical politician' who is breaking with the president to stand with Democrats.

The group is run by former Trump White House Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Walsh and campaign digital director Brad Parscale.

The move will be seen as a signal to other Republicans that opposing Trump's agenda carries a political risk.

'I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill,' Trump tweeted Thursday. 'Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead.'

Senate Republicans unveiled their draft health care legislation on Thursday, a package that promised to cut Medicaid, end penalties for people not buying insurance and erase a raft of tax increases as part of their long-awaited plan to scuttle Obamacare.

Cruz, Johnson, Lee and Paul quickly moved to establish themselves as a swing-vote bloc that could decide the bill's future.

'We are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor,' the four lawmakers said in a joint statement.

'There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current healthcare system but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their healthcare costs.'

After weeks of closed-door meetings that angered Democrats and some Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a new health care proposal on Thursday

President Donald Trump is standing firmly behind the bill, and some of his outside loyalists are planning to run ads against Heller during next year's primary election season

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is set to lead the Democrats' opposition, guaranteeing that no one from the minority party will cast a 'yes' vote

The draft bill's Medicare cuts, sure to enrage liberals, wouldn't begin until 2025 but would take deeper swipes at the popular program than the version of the legislation that passed the House of Representatives last month.

After weeks of closed-door meetings that angered Democrats and some Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the proposal online Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday on the Senate floor that 'seven years ago, Democrats imposed Obamacare on our country. They said it would lower costs. It didn't. ... They said it would increase choice. It didn't.'

'Obamacare is a direct attack on the middle class, and American families deserve better than its failing status quo  they deserve better care,' he said, promising that the Senate bill will 'transition away from Obamacare's collapsing system entirely so more Americans wont be hurt.'

In a departure from the version the House approved last month, which Trump privately called 'mean,' the Senate plan would drop the House's waivers allowing states to let insurers boost premiums on some people with pre-existing conditions.

It would also largely retain the subsidies Obama provided to help millions buy insurance, which are pegged mostly to people's incomes and the premiums they pay.

The most significant changes to the calculation formula would base a taxpayer's needs on a ' bronze'-level plan instead of a more generous 'silver' policy, and cut the benefit for people earning more than 350 per cent of poverty-level income instead of 400 per cent.

Cruz, one of the four GOP dissenters, said Thursday that he's 'hopeful that as we openly debate this legislation, real improvements will be made prior to floor consideration so that we can pass a bill that provides the relief from Obamacare that Republicans have repeatedly promised the last seven years.'

The Texas right-winger said he wants Americans to have the freedom to choose among a wider variety of medical insurance policies, including those offered in states other than the ones where they live.

'Obamacare is dead,' Trump said Thursday during an event with emerging technology entrepreneurs, 'and we're putting a plan out today that is going to be negotiated. We'd love to have some Democrats' support but they're obstructionists'

He also is insisting on the expansion of health savings accounts 'so that consumers can pay health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis.'

And states, Cruz said, should be incentivized 'to cap punitive damages in medical malpractice lawsuits to further reduce the cost of healthcare.'

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday on the Senate floor that the Republican bill is 'heartless' and 'may be meaner' than what the House passed.

'This bill will result in higher costs, less care, and millions of Americans will lose their health insurance, particularly through Medicaid,' Schumer huffed. 'It seems designed to slash support for health care programs in order to give tax breaks to the very wealthy.'

Releasing a statement just minutes after Republicans published their 142-page draft, far-left Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called it 'even worse than expected and by far the most harmful piece of legislation I have seen in my lifetime.'

'This bill has nothing to do with health care. It has everything to do with an enormous transfer of wealth from working people to the richest Americans,' the fast-reading senator said.
Cruise ship passenger David Dell was forced to spend three weeks in the same outfit

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime  a 5,000 cruise from Los Angeles to the Panama Canal, stopping at Mexico and Costa Rica on the way.

But it turned into a disaster for pensioner David Dell when British Airways lost his luggage, leaving him stuck with the same clothes for three weeks.

To make matters worse, he was only offered two 25 vouchers as compensation  which could only be spent on BA products.

Mr Dell, 71, from Benfleet, Essex, caught a flight from London to Los Angeles in January this year with his partner. When they landed, another passenger took his luggage by mistake.

Staff assured him that he would be reunited with the bag before their cruise ship, the Norwegian Jewel, left. But the bag never turned up and so he was forced to set off without it.

Mr Dell was forced to borrow clothes off other passengers and use time scheduled for day trips to rush to local markets and buy underwear.

He said: 'I was told at least four times by the company that they would deliver my bags to me as the boat stopped at ports, but it never turned up.

'After a few days some of the other passengers had heard about what happened and were joking around, asking if I was having to wear my partner's clothes. A few of them lent me items of clothing like t-shirts, which was nice as it shows a bit of British spirit.'

He added: 'Several more days went past and BA told me they would just send my luggage home.

British Airways lost his luggage, leaving him stuck with the same clothes for three weeks - and offered him only two 25 vouchers as compensation (file photo of cruise liner)

'It was a major holiday for us and turned into a bit of a disaster. We made the most of it but it's just not what you want.'

When the couple returned home they were reimbursed for the items they were forced to buy on the trip after spending over 500. But when Mr Dell got in touch with the company regarding compensation for the disruption, he was sent just 50 in BA vouchers.

'It's disgusting', he said. 'I didn't ask for a particular amount of money because I'm not like that, but I thought I would be entitled to some as it really ruined the holiday ... but they just sent through two vouchers.'

'I'll never fly with BA again, so the vouchers won't even get used,' he added.

A spokesman for the airline said: 'We're very sorry that another customer accidentally picked up Mr Dell's bag and for the frustration and difficulties that caused ... We did everything we could to find his bag and send it on to him.'

An IT failure at BA caused chaos for more than 75,000 passengers on the May bank holiday weekend, leaving many stranded or with lost luggage.

The company is facing losses of over 100million for the glitch, which boss Alex Cruz blamed on a 'power surge'.
A teenage girl in Texas has been killed in a tragic riding accident after she was thrown from her horse.

Jocelyne Campos, 19, suffered multiple blunt force injuries from the fall from her horse on Sunday evening in Forth Worth, Texas, and was pronounced dead in a hospital on Monday morning.

Jocelyne Campos, 19, suffered multiple blunt force injuries from the fall from her horse on Sunday evening in Forth Worth, Texas

Campos was riding with friends near Echo Lake when something apparently spooked her horse, which threw her to the ground

Campos was riding with friends near Echo Lake when something apparently spooked her horse, which threw her to the ground.

'She liked animals,' her friend Karely Vazquez told the Star-Telegram.

'Her grandpa had a farm and she liked to go out there and see the animals. She liked that kind of life,' Vazquez said.

Campos graduated from South Hills High School last year and was working at a Metro PCS store in the area, according to Vazquez.

The teen had plans to enroll at Tarrant County College in the fall, her friend said.

'My heart is broken at the loss of such a beautiful genuine angel,' friend Melissa Rivera wrote on Facebook. 'I love you & you will NEVER be forgotten.'

Campos graduated from South Hills High School last year and was working at a Metro PCS store in the area

Head injuries are associated with roughly 60 percent of all fatalities in horseback incidents, according to data from the Centers of Disease Control.

It is unknown whether Campos was wearing a helmet when she was thrown from the horse.

'She was a daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and great friend!' loved ones wrote on a fundraising page for Campos' funeral expenses.

'Her spirit will live on within us and that gorgeous smile and free spirited girl will never be forgotten.'
Aaron Hernandez's Massachusetts mini-mansion is still for sale, more than two months after he committed suicide

Aaron Hernandez's Massachusetts mini-mansion is still for sale, more than two months after the disgraced New England Patriots player committed suicide in his jail cell.

The North Attleboro home was originally put on the market for $1.5million in March, but is now listed at $1.3million.

Its listing on Redfin promises a '[m]aster suite with private balcony, gas fireplace, wet bar with refrigerator, over-sized master bath has jetted tub, double vanity and tiled shower.'

A superior court judge allowed Shayanna Jenkins, Hernandez's fiance, to take over the family estate a week after the convicted murderer's April death.

So far, the 15-room property has received one offer of $1.2million, which ended up falling through.

And now, even if the home does finally sell, Jenkins and her four-year-old daughter Avielle may never see a penny of the proceeds.

The North Attleboro home was originally put on the market for $1.5million in March, but is now listed at $1.3million

Even if the home does finally sell, Jenkins and her four-year-old daughter Avielle may never see a penny of the proceeds. They are pictured in court April 12 before the athlete's death

The cash has already been allocated to settle an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit filed against Hernandez by the family of his 2013 murder victim Odin Lloyd.

Hernandez was serving life without parole for killing Lloyd when he died. Lloyd's mother Ursula Ward was suing him for wrongful death and the pair were reportedly close to reaching a settlement.

Ward wants $6million and has appealed to the New England Patriots, Hernandez's former team, to give it to her.

He had been trying to sell the 15-room property when he committed suicide in April

Its listing on Redfin promises a '[m]aster suite with private balcony, gas fireplace, wet bar with refrigerator, oversized master bath has jetted tub, double vanity and tiled shower'

The families of the two victims from Hernandez's second trial could also file wrongful death suits against him despite his acquittal.

Hernandez committed suicide on April 19, 2017 in his jail cell. It came just a week after he was cleared of killing Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu in 2012.

Neither of the victims' families has yet filed civil lawsuits against the late star or his estate.

The home is in the prestigious neighborhood of Westwood estates in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, very close to where the Patriot's play

The home is listed online as coming with a kitchen equipped with a 'granite island, wolf appliances, wine cabinet, pantry, wet bar and dining area.' The home also features a basement which the listing says comes with 'custom bar, sink, refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher

Hernandez died without leaving a will and with no money left to give them.

His lawyer told The Boston Herald his estate was valued at $0.00 when he died and, other than the home itself, he had no other assets to sell.

The home is listed online as coming with a kitchen equipped with a 'granite island, wolf appliances, wine cabinet, pantry, wet bar and dining area.' The home also features a basement which the listing says comes with 'custom bar, sink, refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher.

'The finished basement also offers a full bath including a sauna and ice bath a theater room and a possible workout room.'

It also comes with a sun room, in-ground pool, cabana, and three-car garage, according to the listing.

The home comes with a sun room, in-ground pool, cabana, and three-car garage, according to the listing

In 2012, Hernandez signed with the Patriots on a $40million contract. He is believed to have been given promised around $10million at the time.

When he was arrested for Lloyd's murder, the team halted $5million of his pay. They have still never given it to him but could be forced to if Hernandez's lawyers manage to vacate his conviction posthumously.

Under Massachusetts law, a person can have their record vacated if they die before their appeal is heard.

Hernandez's appeal had not yet gone before a court and his lawyers believe he may be eligible to have his slate wiped clean posthumously.

If this happens, the Patriots may be obliged to award his estate the money it withheld when he was arrested and convicted.

Hernandez was represented at his second trial by Jose Baez, who shot to notoriety when he helped get Casey Anthony acquitted of murdering her daughter in 2011.
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It was a Kushner takeover in the James Brady Press Briefing Room on Friday afternoon as cameras captured Arabella and her little brother Joseph giving their version of the White House tour to their cousins.

Ivanka Trump's two oldest children were joined by their dad sister's Dara and her four children as the posed and played at the podium, where just 30 minutes prior White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was having a decidedly less enjoyable time.

This is the first time that Dara has visited her older brother since he made the move down to Washington DC back in January.

Family: Dara Kushner Orbach is visiting her older brother Jared for the weekend in Washington DC (Dara with back to camera holding purse)

Group shot: She drove down from her home in New Jersey on Friday morning with her husband David Orbach and their four children (Arabella and Joseph Kushner in the briefing room with their four cousins)

Letting loose: On Friday afternoon, Ivanka Trump's daughter Arabella and son Joseph played around in the White House briefing room with their four cousins

Doing her own thing: Dara has no role in the family real estate business and is a homemaker who largely avoids the spotlight

Faith: Her husband is the chairman of Regal Bank in New Jersey and the family are practicing Orthodox Jews like Ivanka and Jared

Dara was seen arriving early Friday with her husband David Orbach and the couple's three sons and one daughter.

David was the founder of the private lending company Gallant Funding, but left in 2011 to become chairman of Regal Bank.

He also has a real estate background, working that area while employed by the law firm of Pryor Cashman Sherman & Flynn.

Unlike her brother Jared and sister Nicole, Dara has no ties to the family business and is a homemaker who has done her best to avoid the spotlight.

Summer vacation in Washington DC as members of the Kushner family stand outside Jared and Ivanka's home in an upmarket area

Ivanka and Jared's daughter Arabella Kushner and one of her cousins holds flowers as they arrive home

Joshua, the youngest member of the family, also has a major role in the family company either, and runs Thrive Capital.

He is also overseeing his brother's investments and Ivanka's company while they are both employed in the White House.

The Orbach family are also practicing Orthodox Jews like Ivanka and Jared, meaning that everyone will be returning back to the $5.5 million Kalorama mansion before sundown on Friday.

Saturday night will be a bit different however, with Ivanka and Jared likely heading off to the wedding of Steve Mnuchin and his Scottish bride Louise Linton.

It is unclear if Dara and David will also be at the wedding, or maybe made the trip down to stay with Ivanka and Jared's three children while their parents sneak out for the night.

Ivanka and Jared previously took time off work earlier this month to observe Shavuot with their children, with Joshua coming to visit for the two-day holiday.

On the second day Jared was forced to head into work, on the same day that president trump announced he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris accord.

It has been a difficult month for Jared, who did enjoy one major moment earlier this week when he gave his first public speech since joining the Trump administration.,

A Time cover story released in early June revealed that he received the 'New York Observer' as a $10million gift from his father Charles, who gave him the money for his graduation from Harvard.

He also found himself in hot eater over his rumored dealing with the Russians and his desire to set up a secret back channel to communicate with the Kremlin.

President Trump came to the defense of his son-in-law over reports of his Russian dealings, calling the news 'fabricated.'

After eschewing Twitter during a nine-day trip abroad to the Middle East and Europe back in late May when the news broke, President Trump furiously dismissed the allegations of Russia ties as 'fake news' and 'fabricated lies.'

'It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media,' tweeted President Trump upon his return.

'Whenever you see the words 'sources say' in the fake news media, and they don't mention names it is very possible that those sources don't exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!'

In yet another tweet, amid criticism of his frequent Twitter rants, Trump wrote: 'the Fake News Media works hard at disparaging & demeaning my use of social media because they don't want America to hear the real story!'

He later tweeted a Fox News story defending Jared, despite the fact that the piece cited an unnamed source.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee called for an investigation into 'potentially fraudulent statements and misrepresentations' made by companies promoting investment in a property development involving the Kushner family last week.

Chuck Grassley, a Republican senator from Iowa, requested a review of claims made by Chinese migration agency Qiaowai and the U.S. Immigration Fund in the marketing of the One Journal Square project in Jersey City, New Jersey to potential investors in China.

Grassley flagged his concerns to the Department of Homeland Security and the Securities and Exchange Commission in a May 24 letter that was later posted on his website.

Nicole Kushner Meyer, the sister to White House adviser Jared Kushner, spoke at an event earlier this month in Beijing where she was marketing a property owned by their family in New Jersey.

She made a pitch to attract $150million in financing for the housing development known as One Journal Square, a $976.4million project that's currently underway, to the more than 100 Chinese investors who attended the event at the Ritz-Carlton.

The money would be provided though EB-5, a government program that provides foreign investors a path to citizenship in exchange for investments of at least $500,000 in U.S. development projects.

The company has stated about 15 per cent of the nearly $1billion project will be funded through the EB-5 program.
A grand jury has recommended an aggravated assault charge against a Dallas police officer who shot and killed a pregnant woman in a January confrontation involving a stolen car.

The Dallas County district attorney announced Friday that Dallas Police Officer Christopher Hess was indicted on the charge of aggravated assault in the shooting death of a pregnant 21-year-old Genevive Dawes.

Hess shot and killed a pregnant Dawes in a January confrontation involving a stolen car. It is the first time in 43 years that a Dallas Police officer has been indicted for an officer-involved shooting that resulted in death.

Genevive Dawes leaves behind two daughters, Krystinah Rosales, 2 (left) and Cerenity Rosales, 1 (right)

A Dallas Police body camera image released from the incident on January 18

Daryl Washington, a civil rights attorney representing Dawes' family, said they were hoping for a murder charge to be brought against the officer. Washington also said the family was hoping a second charge would be brought because of the passenger, Virgilio Rosales, Dawes' boyfriend, who was also shot at during the incident.

He said Dawes was five months pregnant when she died after being struck by at least four bullets.

Hess and another officer, Senior Corporal Jason Kimpel, who the grand jury did not recommend charges against, had responded to a suspicious persons call, according to police accounts.

Dawes and Rosales allegedly ignored commands to get out of the car, reversed the car into a police cruiser, rammed a wooden fence and were reversing away from the fence when police fired, killing Dawes and injuring Rosales.

Virgilio Rosales (pictured) Dawes' boyfriend was also shot at during the incident. He was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon as a result of the January incident

Washington said that account is flawed. He said the couple was sleeping about 5 a.m. in the car when police arrived. He said from the evidence he has seen, Dawes never drove the car toward the officers or tried to hit them. He also said Dawes did not know the car was stolen.

Washington said the officers fired 14 times into the car, and that he believed Hess had fired 13 of the shots.

'There were a total of 14 shots at a vehicle that was going five miles per hour,' Washington said. 'I can 100 per cent stand behind the fact that no officers were in danger. No officer at the time that those shots were fired, were behind that vehicle. And I feel comfortable saying that the statements given by the Dallas police officers were inaccurate.'

Authorities say Hess, a 10-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, will be placed on administrative leave pending a review by Internal Affairs investigators.

If convicted, Hess faces between 5 and 99 years in prison. It was unclear from court documents if Hess had an attorney.

The Dallas County district attorney's office was scheduled to hold a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss the charges.

Dawes' family made statements Friday about Genevive being a devoted mother

Dawes' family members, who gathered to make a statement about the indictment Friday, said she was a goofy and loving woman who would make everyone laugh, once adopted a stray duck and was devoted to her two daughters, Krystinah Rosales, 2, and Cerenity Rosales, 1.

'I feel like they tried to make my sister look like a criminal, to sweep it under the table to not even try to get justice for her,' said Alisha Garcia, Dawes' 26-year-old sister. 'She was my only sister. They took her life.'
A man suspected of raping and killing a Google executive while she was out jogging near her mother's Massachusetts home last year has now been charged with her murder.

Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, was indicted for murder on Friday by a grand jury over the slaying of 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte.

Marcotte, a graduate of Boston University, was found dead in the woods near her mother's Princeton home in August 2016.

She was reported missing after she failed to return to the family home after going for a run.

Her hands, feet and head had been burned.

Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, was indicted for murder on Friday by a grand jury over the slaying of 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte in August near her mother's home in Princeton, Massachusetts

Marcotte had worked as an executive for Google in New York. She was in Princeton visiting her family when she was killed

Colon-Ortiz was arrested in April after his DNA matched a DNA profile police had built using samples found on Marcotte's hands during her autopsy.

He was initially charged with aggravated assault and battery, and assault with attempt to rape.

Colon-Ortiz was arraigned in Leominster District Court and held on $10 million bail.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr said the alleged killer's district court charge will now be dismissed and he will be arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on the murder charge at a later date.

Marcotte had worked as an executive for Google in New York. She was in Princeton visiting her family when she was killed.

Marcotte, a graduate of Boston University, was found dead in the woods near her mother's Princeton home in August 2016. Her hands, feet and head had been burned

Marcotte's body was found near the Massachusetts home of her mother (right), whom she was visiting from New York

Colon-Ortiz is a US citizen who had only recently moved from his native Puerto Rico when he allegedly murdered Marcotte.

He was described in his first court appearance as a married FedEx employee.

The District Attorney said earlier this year that Marcotte's bravery in trying to fight off her killer helped them track down the suspect.

'It was through her determined fight and efforts that we obtained the DNA of her killer,' Early said.

In a statement following the arrest, Marcotte's family said: 'After eight long months, we're able to take the first step toward justice for Vanessa.

'She was a beautiful, intelligent, and generous young woman whose passion for giving back to the community will always be remembered.

'As we move forward, her spirit will live on through The Vanessa T Marcotte Foundation that strives to empower women to live boldly and fearlessly.'

Family members load Marcotte's coffin into the back of a hearse after her funeral last year Vanessa Marcotte's dead body found naked and burned


Last night at the UK's Glastonbury Festival, Johnny Depp asked this rhetorical question of the crowd:

"When was the last time an actor assassinated a President?"





I believe that the answer is April 14, 1865, when actor John Wilkes Booth murdered Abraham Lincoln.





The White House's response to Depp's comment? "Sad."





According to an official White House statement, "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and its sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depp's colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a democrat elected official."



Secret Service staff assistant Shawn Holtzclaw told CNN that they are aware of the matter but can't comment further.





UPDATE: Johnny apologized.






A New Hampshire state lawmaker who once called for Hillary Clinton to be executed for treason received a warm welcome Friday at the White House.

Al Baldasaro, a longtime Trump supporter and a noted veterans advocate, was in the audience when the president signed a bill reforming some parts of the Veterans Affairs department.

The 60-year-old Republican, a retired U.S. Marine Corps first sergeant, was photographed alongside White House chief counselor Kellyanne Conway in the East Room.

Baldasaro earned a visit from the Secret Service last year when he phoned in to a Boston radio show during the Republican National Convention, where he was a Trump delegate.

Al Baldasaro, a Trump campaign adviser who said last year that Hillary Clinton should be executed for treason, was welcomed at the White House on Friday to witness a bill signing

Baldasaro, a new Hampshire state lawmaker and a retired U.S. Marine first sergeant, spoke on Trump's behalf when veterans issues were at the fore

In addition to calling Clinton  then the presumptive Democratic nominee  'a piece of garbage,' he raked her over the coals on WRKO for 'the lies that she told those mothers about their children that got killed over there in Benghazi.'

'She dropped the ball on over 400 e-mails requesting backup security. Somethings wrong there,' he added.

And then the coup de grace: Moments later he said that 'this whole thing disgusts me. Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.'

Baldasaro's presence at the White House drew interest from reporters on Friday, and a few asked press secretary Sean Spicer how inviting him squared with the Trump administration's frustration with similarly threatening comments made against the president.

The White House has encouraged Americans to cool off harsh political rhetoric in the wake of last week's shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise at the hands of a former Bernis Sanders campaign volunteer.

Spicer said Friday that he was 'not aware' of what Baldasaro said in the past.

Friday's bill signing concerned reforms in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Baldasaro posed for pictures eith fellow vets

Clinton, Baldasaro said last summer during the Republican National Convention, 'should be put in the firing line and shot for treason'

But 'I don't think we should be resorting that kind of language with anyone in our country,' he declared.

Just minutes earlier, Spicer had complained about the lack of outrage that followed Hollywood icon Johnny Depp's musing about 'the last time an actor assassinated a president.'

'The president has made it clear that we should denounce violence in all of its forms,' he said.

The day after Baldasaro insisted Hillary Clinton should face capital punishment for treason, reporters caught up with him at the Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

He told the Boston Globe that 'without a doubt' he stood by his comments.

'When you take classified information on a server that deals with where our State Department, Special Forces, CIA, whatever in other countries, thats a death sentence for those people if that information gets in the hands of other countries or the terrorists,' he said.

'As far as I'm concerned, that's information for the enemy. In the military  shot, firing squad. So I stand by what I said.'

He did allow in a separate interview with WMUR-TV, however, that the firing squad might be a little outmoded.

'As far as I'm concerned, it is treason,' he told his home-state TV channel.

'And the penalty for treason is the firing squad. Or maybe it's the electric chair now.'
High-rise building across the country such as in Wythenshawe (pictured), Maidenhead and Plymouth are being urgently checked for flammable cladding and insulation

Survivors of the Grenfell Tower inferno yesterday demanded to know why the building was swathed in cladding which has now failed all known safety checks.

Detectives said they were considering manslaughter charges after the insulation used in the building was also blamed for the shocking speed of the blaze which tore through the West London block last week, leaving 79 people feared dead.

Experts said it was the manufacturer's duty to get the material signed off by an independent testing house. This can be done anywhere in the world, with the rigour of testing varying from country to country.

The aluminium exterior panels on Grenfell were made by made by US firm Arconic, which last night refused to comment on who had signed them off.

However, the company warns it is 'crucial' that the panels  called Reynobond PE  should not be fitted on buildings above 32ft, which is about the first four storeys, 'to avoid fire spreading extremely rapidly'.

This raises questions about why it was chosen to cover the 220ft Grenfell Tower during a recent refurbishment. Separately, the Celotex RS5000 insulation fitted to Grenfell Tower during its refurbishment will no longer be supplied for use in cladding on high-rise buildings, its manufacturer said yesterday.

Survivors of the Grenfell Tower inferno yesterday demanded to know why the building was swathed in cladding which has now failed all known safety checks. Pictured: The Premier Inn hotel in Maidenhead, Berkshire, which is having tests carried out on its cladding

More than 500 people were living in the tower block when fire rapidly spread through it a week ago, killing at least 79. The building still contains many bodies because searching is dangerous

Russ Timpson, head of the London-based Tall Building Fire Safety Network, said the onus was on the manufacturers of panels to get them tested for fire safety. He added: 'There are a variety of testing houses in the industry.

'The testing houses in the UK are generally very good, but there is a bit of variation in how rigorous the testing houses are around the world. But there have been cases in the past where companies have had products tested in regions where the regulations are not up to the same standard as the UK.'

Mr Timpson added: 'All products have to meet certain EU specifications, but the certificate can be got from any testing house.

Detectives said they were considering manslaughter charges after the insulation used in the building was also blamed for the speed of the blaze at the West London block last week. PIctured: Cladding being removed from a new tower block in Wythenshawe

'The product will be tested and when it is finished it will have a fire performance rating.

'Obviously the certificate that comes with the product will say where it was approved and which testing house approved it, but it is just one of many things that needs to be looked at by the approved inspectors, and it is down to the competency of that inspector whether it gets overlooked or not.'

Ex-minister rejected plan to beef up appliance recalls A Tory business minister rejected recommendations designed to protect families against death-trap household appliances. Witnesses to the Grenfell tragedy claim it was triggered by an explosion in a fridge in a flat on one of the lower floors. Many of the 4,000 fires caused by faulty appliances every year involve items that have been subject to a safety recall, but under the current recall system, 80 per cent of them are never traced. In 2015, the Government asked consumer champion Lynn Faulds Wood to review the recall system. However, she said former Tory business minister Anna Soubry ignored her recommendations, and the review was 'kicked into the long grass'. Miss Faulds Wood said: 'I was really disappointed, completely disappointed.' Miss Soubry said: 'I pay tribute to Lynn's work and I felt we worked very well together.' Advertisement

Grenfell resident Maryam Adam, who had to flee the fire, said: 'We always had concerns about the materials used and we wondered why the refurbishment was needed as it was warm enough already.

'Many of my wonderful neighbours have been lost in this fire. Their relatives need to be told why these materials were chosen.'

Police have begun questioning the individuals and firms responsible for the refurbishment and building works carried out on the tower block.

Officers have seized documents and materials as they consider whether criminal offences have been committed.

Both the aluminium composite cladding tiles and insulation failed all safety checks in the wake of the fire. Initial testing by the Building Research Establishment, based in Watford, Hertfordshire, revealed it was the insulation behind the aluminium tiles which burned so quickly. There were several makes of insulation surrounding the tower and experts are pulling burnt sections off the skin of the building to examine them further.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack, who is leading the investigation, said: 'There isn't a name on them, they are still doing that work to identify them. The insulation was more flammable than the cladding.

'It is very unusual for the Met to deal with this type of building fire. That is why we are getting specialists in.

'The tests we have done so far are small-scale emergency tests, more to do with public safety than our criminal investigation. They do not pass any of the safety tests.

'We are looking at every criminal offence, including manslaughter.'
A panda breeding centre in China has welcomed three new panda cubs.

Two panda mothers gave birth to three cubs collectively at Shaanxi Rare Wild Animals Rescue and Breeding Research Centre in northwest China's Shaanxi province last week.

The mothers and cubs are all in good health, reports the People's Daily Online.

Welcome to the world: A male cub at the Shaanxi Rare Wild Animals Rescue Centre

Fourteen-year-old Yang Yang holds her male cub shortly after giving birth last week

The three cubs were born to the two panda mothers at a centre in Shaanxi

Fourteen-year-old panda Yang Yang gave birth to a male cub on June 11 and Ai Bang gave birth to twin male cubs the following day.

Yang Yang was born in 2003 at the centre and took part in the centre's artificial breeding programme.

Her cub weighed 185 grams and has since grown to some 320 grams.

Ai Bang was born in 2006 and gave birth to two cubs on June 12. At the time of their birth, the cubs weighed 107 grams and 125 grams. They currently weigh over 230 grams.

Feeding time: A staff member feeds a male cub delivered by fourteen-year-old panda

The mothers and cubs are all in good health says the breeding centre
A group of self-proclaimed paranormal researchers claim they have found proof of aliens near the city of Nazca in Peru.

The team say they have found a mysterious three-fingered 'mummified humanoid' with an elongated skull.

But not everyone is convinced of the finding, and one UFO expert says that this is simply a plastercast model.

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A group of self-proclaimed paranormal researchers may have found proof of aliens near the city of Nazca in Peru. The team claim to have found a mysterious three-fingered 'mummified humanoid' (pictured) with an elongated skull

DOUBTS OVER THE FIND Not everyone has been convinced that the alien mummy is real. Leading UFO expert Nigel Watson, author of Haynes UFO Investigations Manual, told MailOnline: 'I'm no expert on ancient mummified bodies but they tend to be more leatherish looking. 'This seems to be a plastercast over a bone structure with three fingers attached to the hands.' 'Such hoaxes are the product of wishful thinking mixed with greed and a lust for publicity. 'The more exotic the claim the more viewers they generate, and so we get ever more bizarre 'revelations' about alien corpses, flying saucer wreckage and messages from our alien masters.' Advertisement

In a short documentary on the bizarre find, Dr Konstantin Korotkov, a professor at Saint-Petersburg University, says that these features are not a deformity, but that the individual is 'another creature, another humanoid.'

The body was found covered in white powder, which the team say was used to preserve the remains.

They claim that carbon dating samples of the body dates between 245  410 AD, though the validity of these tests has not yet been verified.

Writing for conspiracy theory website Ancient-origins, anthropologist Alicia McDermot said: 'Open-minded scientists studying human origins may find themselves in a situation where they have to identify this surprising discovery as true, probable, or a false find.

'It is important in these situations to remain curious yet skeptical.

'We should keep an open mind yet stay apprehensive about jumping to conclusions on new discoveries, even if they seem incredible at first.'

The body (left) measures 1.68 metres (5 foot 6 inches) tall and has similar proportions to humans. But the mummy's three long fingers on each hand and its lack of nose and ears suggest it could be something from beyond Earth. Pictured right is a Cat scan of the corpse

IS IT AN ELABORATE HOAX? Jamie Maussan, an ex-investigative journalist who is infamous for his involvement in several high-profile UFO hoaxes, was part of the Peruvian mummy team. In May 2015, he promoted photographic slides claiming to be pictures of an alien recovered from the Roswell flying saucer crash of 1947. They were revealed to the world at a conference in Mexico, where he charged 15 ($20) for people to watch a live video stream of the event. The slides were said to have been thoroughly researched yet they were soon discovered to be pictures of a mummy in a museum exhibition. 'Jamie Maussan is infamous for promoting dodgy UFO videos and alien artefacts,' Mr Watson said. 'He has cried wolf too often to be ever taken seriously by anyone with at least one functioning brain cell.' Advertisement

Despite the excitement among conspiracy theorists around the new find, there may be a more simple explanation.

Leading UFO expert Nigel Watson, author of Haynes UFO Investigations Manual, told MailOnline: 'I'm no expert on ancient mummified bodies but they tend to be more leatherish looking.

'This seems to be a plastercast over a bone structure with three fingers attached to the hands.'

'Such hoaxes are the product of wishful thinking mixed with greed and a lust for publicity.

'The more exotic the claim the more viewers they generate, and so we get ever more bizarre 'revelations' about alien corpses, flying saucer wreckage and messages from our alien masters.'

And it's not just the mummy itself that has raised eyebrows among sceptics.

Jamie Maussan, an ex-investigative journalist who is infamous for his involvement in several high-profile UFO hoaxes, was part of the Peruvian mummy team.

In May 2015, he promoted photographic slides claiming to be pictures of an alien recovered from the Roswell flying saucer crash of 1947.

The alien-hunting team behind the find claim that carbon dating samples of the body date it between 245  410 AD, though the validity of these tests has not yet been verified. Pictured is an x-ray of the mummy's skull reportedly taken by the team

The body was found covered in white powder, which the team say was used to preserve the remains

They were revealed to the world at a conference in Mexico, where he charged 15 ($20) for people to watch a live video stream of the event.

The slides were said to have been thoroughly researched yet they were soon discovered to be pictures of a mummy in a museum exhibition.

'Jamie Maussan is infamous for promoting dodgy UFO videos and alien artefacts,' Mr Watson said.

'He has cried wolf too often to be ever taken seriously by anyone with at least one functioning brain cell.'

Despite the excitement around the new find, not everyone has been convinced that the alien mummy is real. Leading UFO expert Nigel Watson claims that mummies usually look leathery, and that the Peruvian find looks like plaster cast
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These are the horrifying photos from the heyday of the Eugenics movement that the world wants to forget.

Before the atrocities of Nazi Germany, eugenics - the system of measuring human traits, seeking out the desirable ones and cutting out the undesirable ones - was once practised the world over.

In the decades following the 1859 publication of Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species', a veritable craze for eugenics spread through Britain, the United States and Europe.

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Bruno Beger was a German racial anthropologist who worked for the Ahnenerbe, a project in Nazi Germany to research the archaeological and cultural history of the Aryan race. In this image taken in 1938, Dr Beger is measuring a Tibetan woman's head to demonstrate what he believed were the 'inferior' characteristics of her race

These images have been released today from the the Library of Congress archive.

Advocates of eugenics made significant advances during the early twentieth century - and claimed that 'undesirable' genetic traits such as dwarfism, deafness and even minor defects like a cleft palate needed to be wiped out of the gene pool.

Scientists would measure the human skulls of felons in an effort to eradicate criminality - whilst other eugenic proponents suggested simply cutting out entire groups of people because of the colour of their skin.

The first sterilisation law - which stopped certain categories of disabled people from having children - was passed in Indiana, USA in 1907.

This was twenty-six years before a similar law was introduced by the Nazis in Germany in 1933.

In fact, in their sterilisation propaganda, the Nazis pointed to the precedent set by America.

In one haunting image from 1912, a British family of children born with rickets is photographed by the Eugenics Society to demonstrate that their condition is hereditary and could be controlled through selective breeding.

Composite photographs (left), created to show the common faces of criminality and disease, taken from Inquiries into Human Faculty and its Development in 1883. A photograph of a Fich Henri Leon (right), a convicted criminal, with the measurements of his various body parts in Paris in 1902

Shown here are various types of Indian dwarfs and giants, photographed by the Eugenics Society to demonstrate how humans could be selectively bred to control size in 1912. As these photos make clear, for nearly 100 years, eugenics was much more than a German idea - many parts of the world were complicit

The New York City Police Department practices taking arm measurements using anthropometric methods (left) and demonstrates how to measure a criminal's cranium in (right) in 1908. From 1907 in the United States, men, women and children who were deemed 'insane, idiotic, imbecile, feebleminded or epileptic' were forcibly sterilised

Researchers (left) measure the capacity of a human skull by filling it with water in the National Academy of Sciences in 1885. Pictured right is an image of a human skull taken from the same year. After the publication of Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species', a veritable craze for eugenics spread through Britain, the United States and Europe

Whilst in another photo, families from Kansas are seen competing in the 1925 'Fitter Family' contest, which was meant to find the most eugenically perfect family in America.

In another 1912 image, a child with a cleft lip poses for the camera in London, England - to show that they should be kept from breeding.

British Sir Francis Galton - a cousin of Charles Darwin -became obsessed with Origin of Species and coined the term 'Eugenics' in 1883.

He believed that breeding humans with superior mental and physical traits was essential to the well-being of society as a whole, writing 'Eugenics is the science which deals with all influences which improve the inborn qualities of a race; also with those which develop them to the utmost advantage.'

Galton was knighted for his scientific contributions and his writings played a key role in launching the eugenics movement in the UK and America.

HISTORY OF EUGENICS In 1907, the eugenics Education Society was founded in Britain to campaign for sterilisation and marriage restrictions for the weak to prevent the degeneration of Britain's population. In 1931, Labour MP Archibald Church proposed a bill for the compulsory sterilisation of certain categories of 'mental patient' in Parliament. Meanwhile from 1907 in the United States, men, women and children who were deemed 'insane, idiotic, imbecile, feebleminded or epileptic' were forcibly sterilised, often without being informed of what was being done to them. By 1938, 33 American states permitted the forced sterilisation of women with learning disabilities and 29 American states had passed compulsory sterilisation laws covering people who were thought to have genetic conditions. All legislation was eventually repealed in the 1940s. Advertisement

Portraits demonstrating the standard head shapes of 'criminal types' of various races. The images were captured in France in 1914

A child's head is measured to determine his personality and predict his future in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1932. At the time it was believed the quality of an individual's genes could be determined by their skull measurements. Some eugenic proponents suggested simply cutting out entire groups of people if they had degenerative genes

In 1907, the Eugenics Education Society was founded in Britain to campaign for sterilisation and marriage restrictions for the weak to prevent the degeneration of Britain's population.

A year later, Sir James Crichton-Brown, giving evidence before the 1908 Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feeble-Minded, recommended the compulsory sterilisation of those with learning disabilities and mental illness - an act that Sir Winston Churchill supported.

Then in 1931, Labour MP Archibald Church proposed a bill for the compulsory sterilisation of certain categories of 'mental patient' in Parliament.

Babies compete in the 'Better Baby Contest' where doctors tried to find the perfect infant human specimen in Washinton DC in 1931. The Better Baby contests were designed to evaluate and improve families. Babies between the age of 6 and 48 months were judged on their health and the competitions aimed to establish standards for judging infant health

Families in Topeka, Kansas compete in the 'Fitter Family' contest which was designed to find the most eugenically perfect family in 1925. These contests were a popular form of eugenics education in the 1920s and were modelled on the Better Baby Contests. They exemplified 'positive eugenics' and encouraged 'fit' people to have larger families

Although such legislation was never actually passed in Britain, this did not prevent many sterilisations being carried out under various forms of coercion.

Meanwhile from 1907 in the United States, men, women and children who were deemed 'insane, idiotic, imbecile, feebleminded or epileptic' were forcibly sterilised, often without being informed of what was being done to them.

By 1938, 33 American states permitted the forced sterilisation of women with learning disabilities and 29 American states had passed compulsory sterilisation laws covering people who were thought to have genetic conditions. Laws in America also restricted the right of certain disabled people to marry.

Sometimes, however, things went even further.

A mental institution in Illinois euthanized its patients by deliberately infecting them with tuberculosis, an act they justified as a mercy killing that cut the weak link in the human race.

Shown here are composite photographs of patients with and without various diseases, created to find the common facial characteristics of people who are resistant to disease. The images were taken in London in 1912

Dr Bruno Beger measures the facial characteristics of a Tibetan man in 1938. This project was masterminded by Ernst Schafer, a zoologist who worked for the German secret service. The aim of the project was to help the Race and Settlement Office or SS-Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt of the SS identify Jews

Photographs of 'human races,' organized to suggest a common trait shared by 'primitive' Australians, Africans, and Neanderthals

A poster warns that breeding among the unfit creates an unwanted burden on the rest of society in Philadelphia in 1926. 'Some people are born to be a burden on the rest', the poster reads.'Every 15 seconds $100 of your money goes for the care of persons with bad heredity such as the insane, feeble minded, criminals and other defectives'

French researcher Alphonse Bertillon demonstrates how to measure a human skull in Paris, France in 1894. Bertillon was a criminologist who first developed a system for measuring physical body parts - particularly of the head and face - to work out if someone might be a criminal

Photographs of 'Indian Dwarfism' from the Eugenics Society in 1912. Dwarfism refers to people who are 4 feet 10 inches or under as a result of a genetic or medical condition. Before the atrocities of Nazi Germany, eugenics - the system of measuring human traits, seeking out the desirable ones and cutting out the undesirable ones - was once practised the world over

Other countries which passed similar sterilisation laws in the 1920s and 30s included Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

After these kinds of ideas took root in Nazi Germany and sparked the horrors of the Holocaust, eugenics turned into a dirty word.

With the dark conclusion of its philosophy exposed before the world, it became difficult to justify forced sterilization as a tool for the greater good.

All legislation was eventually repealed in the 1940s - and history was then subtly rewritten, with eugenics discussed as something that the Germans did and from which the rest of the world could wash its hands clean.

But, as these photos make clear, for nearly 100 years, eugenics was much more than a German idea. The whole world was complicit.

A craniologist demonstrates how to measure a human skull in Sweden in 1915 (left) and a woman wears a psychograph (right), a machine designed to determine someone's mental faculties by measuring their skull in the US in 1931. Used in the early part of the twentieth century, the psychograph discerns a subject's aptitudes by looking at a person's head

A demonstration of how to measure a criminal's ear, inspired by Bertillon in Paris in 1894. Scientists would measure the human skulls of felons in an effort to eradicate criminality. The Bertillon system quickly gained acceptance as a reliable way to carry out criminial investigations and in 1884 it was used to capture 241 offenders

A convicted criminal named Albert Smit has his head measured in the Netherlands in 1896. Law enforcement created records of known criminals and their skull measurements as well as full-face photographs, now known as 'mugshots'. The system was introduced into the US in 1887

An anthropometry class learns about the different types of human noses, inspired by Bertillon (left) and French weightlifter Alexandre Maspoli (right) poses as an ideal human specimen on the cover of La Culture Physique in France in 1904. Maspoli was born in Lyon in 1875 and was amateur weightlifting champion for 19 years in a row and was also a successful sculptor

A class studies the Bertillon method of criminal identification, based on measuring body parts in Paris between 1910-1915. In 1907, the Eugenics Education Society was founded in Britain to campaign for sterilisation and marriage restrictions for the weak to prevent the degeneration of Britain's population

A woman with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism (left) in 1912, as photographed by the Eugenics Society. The notes point out that her parents and children also have achondroplasia. A humiliated-looking man with 'eunuchism' (right) allows scientists of the Eugenics Society to photograph him in the nude in the same year

A family of children born with rickets are photographed by the Eugenics Society in 1912. In 1907, the Eugenics Education Society was founded in Britain to campaign for sterilisation and marriage restrictions for the weak to prevent the degeneration of Britain's population

Children afflicted with rickets, photographed by the Eugenics Society in 1912 to demonstrate that their condition is hereditary and could be controlled through selective breeding. Sir James Crichton-Brown, a leading psychiatrist, recommended the compulsory sterilisation of those with learning disabilities and mental illness - an act that Sir Winston Churchill supported

A phrenologist demonstrates how to measure a person's head in the United Kingdom in 1937. In 1931, Labour MP Archibald Church proposed a bill for the compulsory sterilisation of certain categories of 'mental patient' in Parliament. Although such legislation was never actually passed in Britain, this did not prevent many sterilisations being carried out under various forms of coercion

A phrenologist demonstrates how to measure the mental energy inside of a woman's head in London in 1937. By 1938, 33 American states permitted the forced sterilisation of women with learning disabilities and 29 American states had passed compulsory sterilisation laws covering people who were thought to have genetic conditions

A map illustration revealing which states in the United States have laws condoning forced sterilisation in New York in 1921 (left). A photograph of a child with a cleft lip (right), taken to demonstrate the type of child that should be kept from breeding in London in 1912

A Eugenics and Health Exhibit teaches the crowd how illiteracy can be controlled through selective breeding in the US (date unknown). The first sterilisation law - which stopped certain categories of disabled people from having children - was passed in Indiana, USA in 1907. This was twenty-six years before a similar law was introduced by the Nazis in Germany in 1933
While you might expect a hive to be full of bees, a new patent filed by Amazon suggests that giant versions of the structures could soon be used to house drones.

A patent published today shows a nine-story hive with space for hundreds of drones.

While Amazon has not said when, or if, it plans to create the hives, the patent suggests that they could be used in 'downtown districts' or 'urban areas' where there is little space to build outwards.

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While you might expect a hive to be full of bees, a new patent filed by Amazon suggests that giant versions of the structures could soon be used to house drones. A patent published today shows a nine-story hive with space for hundreds of drones

DRONE HIVES The hive is designed to accomodate landing and takeoff of unmanned aerial vehicles in urban settings. While most of Amazon's fulfilment centres are in more rural areas where there is room to sprawl out, the patent recognises that such centres wouldn't be possible in busy cities. The patent states: 'There is a growing need and desire to locate fulfillment centres within cities, such as in downtown districts and densely populated parts of the cities. 'By locating the fulfillment centres within the cities, items may be more quickly delivered to the growing population of people that live in the cities, as well as the large population of people who work in the cities.' The hive could complete hundreds of thousands of orders to people in cities every day, according to the patent. Advertisement

The patent was filed by six Amazon inventors in 2015, but has only been accepted today.

The patent, which is published with the US Patent and Trademark Office, states: 'A multi-level (ML) fulfillment centre is designed to accommodate landing and takeoff of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), possibly in an urban setting, such as in a densely populated area.

'Unlike traditional fulfillment centres, the ML fulfillment centres may include many levels (i.e., stories, floors, etc.) as permitted under zoning regulations for respective areas.'

While most of Amazon's fulfilment centres are in more rural areas where there is room to sprawl out, the patent recognises that such centres wouldn't be possible in busy cities.

The patent states: 'There is a growing need and desire to locate fulfillment centres within cities, such as in downtown districts and densely populated parts of the cities.

The hive is designed to accomodate landing and takeoff of unmanned aerial vehicles in urban settings where there isn't space to build outwards

'By locating the fulfillment centres within the cities, items may be more quickly delivered to the growing population of people that live in the cities, as well as the large population of people who work in the cities.'

The hive could complete hundreds of thousands of orders to people in cities every day, according to the patent.

This isn't the first time that Amazon has patented a wacky idea around its drone delivery systems.

Amazon has not been shy about its drone-delivery ambitions, with trials taking place in the UK at the end of 2016, and the first 'Prime Air' demonstration in the US in March

Last month, Amazon patented a new system that adds a parachute to a shipping label.

The device could help to make sure that packages delivered by drone or other airborne crafts make a soft landing.

The patent reads: 'The system can comprise a label that includes a parachute to enable the packages to be dropped from the aerial vehicle, yet land at the package's destination without damage.'

Last month, Amazon patented a new system that adds a parachute to a shipping label. The device could help to make sure that packages delivered by drone or other airborne crafts make a soft landing

Amazon has not been shy about its drone-delivery ambitions, with trials taking place in the UK at the end of 2016, and the first 'Prime Air' demonstration in the US in March.

It is unclear if and when Amazon plans to use these two patents.
Fishermen off the west coast of the US have been baffled by the arrival of millions of pyrosomes  tiny marine creatures often called the 'unicorn of the sea' or 'sea pickles.'

While the fishermen have found the influx of pyrosomes a nuisance, scientists are using the opportunity to study the creature, which is usually very rare.

Scientists hope to understand why the pyrosomes have flocked to the area, and what impact they will have on the ecosystem there.

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Fishermen off the west coast of the US have been baffled by the arrival of millions of pyrosomes  tiny marine creatures often called the 'unicorn of the sea' or 'sea pickles'

WHAT ARE PYROSOMES? Pyrosomes usually live in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas, although some are found a bit deeper. The cylindrical-shape colonies are made up of thousands of individuals, known as zooids. Each zooid is a few millimetres in size and are each connected by tissue and move as one inside the pyrosome's tube structure. The mysterious creatures are asexual, and reproduce by cloning themselves. Advertisement

Pyrosomes are only a few millimetres long, but tend to gather in huge colonies.

Speaking to The Guardian, Olivia Blondheim, a student at the University of Oregon, said: 'Right now we are scrambling to learn as much as possible while we have the opportunity.

'If we continue to see this many, what impact will it have on the ecosystems here, and what economic impact on the fisheries?

'There are so many unknowns at this point, it really is a remarkable bloom.'

Pyrosomes usually live in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas, although some are found a bit deeper.

The cylindrical-shape colonies are made up of thousands of individuals, known as zooids.

The influx appears to have started in Oregon, before sweeping north up the coast, witn reports suggesting the creatures have reached as far north as Sitca, Alaska

Each zooid is a few millimetres in size and are each connected by tissue and move as one inside the pyrosome's tube structure.

The mysterious creatures are asexual, and reproduce by cloning themselves.

Fishermen across the west coast of the US have described the swarms as stretching 'as far as the eye can see', according to Ms Blondheim.

Researchers from the University of Oregon now hope to understand why the pyrosomes have flocked to the area, and what impact they will have on the ecosystem there

The influx appears to have started in Oregon, before sweeping north up the coast, witn reports suggesting the creatures have reached as far north as Sitca, Alaska.

Ms Blondheim said: 'There were reports of some pyrosomoes in 2014, and a few more in 2015 but this year there has been an unprecedented, insane amount.'

This isn't the first time that an influx of pyrosomes has appeared.

Pyrosomes usually live in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas, although some are found a bit deeper

Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin, a self-proclaimed 'Jellyfish Guru' at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, told The Guardian that 'gargantuan' blooms have been seen in the sub-Antarctic before.

She said: 'Because they aren't wanted, and people really aren't used to seeing them  they really do impact fisheries and catch a lot of attention.

'In the case of these pyrosomes, I don't think anyone is quite sure what has led to this bloom...it is unusual.

The cylindrical-shape colonies are made up of thousands of individuals, known as zooids. Each zooid is a few millimetres in size and are each connected by tissue and move as one inside the pyrosome's tube structure

'There is every possibility it is a natural phenomenon, but an abundance this gobsmackingly big also suggests there may be something behind it that is not natural in origin.'

The researchers now hope to understand whether the pyrosomes are expanding more quickly due to warming sea temperatures caused by climate change.

Ms Blondheim added: 'One of the things we are figuring out is have these guys been off the coast and we haven't seen them? Are they moving inshore for a different reason?'
It seems humans aren't the only creatures that feel the pressure to perform.

Chimpanzees change their hunting strategy when they know scientists are watching, new research suggests.

Scientists believe a group of Sonso chimps in Uganda who have been observed by scientists for 27 years may have become acclimatised to being watched, while their Waibiri neighbours have not.

This might explain the dramatically different hunting strategies of the Sonso and Waibira chimpanzee communities that live just next to one another.

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For Sonso chimpanzees (pictured) most of the current generation of adults were born being being watched by scientists so they are relaxed about their presence

SONSO AND WAIBIRA The Sonso community, studied for 27 years, prefers to hunt for black and white colobus monkeys. After catching a monkey the high-ranking males take possession of the carcass, even when they weren't the ones to catch it. Other group members then beg for access to the food, which is sometimes shared. The Waibira community, studied for six years, currently prefers to hunt for duiker  a type of small antelope  especially red duiker, a species the Sonso chimpanzees have never been seen to hunt. Waibira also hunt for several other species, including monkeys. After catching prey, lower-ranking group members, even young females, are able to take and keep possession of the carcass. Dr Catherine Hobaiter believes the presence of scientists might have changed the behaviour of the communities. Advertisement

Research led by the University of St Andrews found that two chimpanzee communities in the Budongo Forest in Uganda had strikingly different attitudes to hunting and how they shared meat.

'The differences in hunting between these communities are dramatic  so we wanted to try to understand why', said lead author Dr Catherine Hobaiter.

'They live in the same forest and have access to the same prey, but they hunt for different species and seem to share food differently', she said.

There are many reasons why their hunting practices are so different, but Dr Hobaiter believes it may be because one group has become acclimatised to being watched by scientists.

'The main thing that's different about them right now is how used to having humans follow them around the forest they are', she told BBC.

'For Sonso - most of the current generation of adults were born with us being there, so they're really incredibly relaxed about our presence.'

'But [for] Waibira - some of the young ones have started to grow up and become very comfortable with us, but some of the adults would be 30-40 years old when we started, and five years of us following them round is a fraction of their lifetime', she said.

Dr Hobaiter noted that it might take a long time for chimpanzees to accept the presence of newcomers in their territory.

The Sonso community, studied for 27 years, prefers to hunt for black and white colobus monkeys (pictured, left). After catching a monkey (right) the high-ranking males take possession of the carcass

The Sonso community, studied for 27 years, prefers to hunt for black and white colobus monkeys.

After catching a monkey, the high-ranking males take possession of the carcass, even when they weren't the ones to catch it.

Other group members then beg for access to the food, which is sometimes shared.

In contrast, the Waibira community, studied for six years, currently prefers to hunt for duiker  a type of small antelope  especially red duiker, a species the Sonso chimpanzees have never been seen to hunt.

A young female chimpanzee in Waibira refuses to share the meat with a dominant male sitting next to her - this would be unheard of among the Sonso. Dr Catherine Hobaiter believed the presence of scientists might have changed the behaviour of the communites

Waibira also hunt for several other species, including monkeys.

After catching prey, lower-ranking group members, even young females, are able to take and keep possession of the carcass.

'Long-term research with wild chimpanzees brings real conservation benefits, but we have to remember that our presence can affect their behaviour; in this case the group hunting used to catch colobus monkeys may take years to re-establish', Dr Hobaiter said.

Dominant male chimpanzees in Sonso take possession of the meat, even when they were not the ones to catch it. Dr Hobaiter noted that it might make a long time for chimpanzees to accept the presence of newcomers in their territory

Other members of the Sonso group then beg for access to the food, which is sometimes shared. Dr Hobaiter believes their hunting practices might be different because they have been acclimatised to being watched by scientists for such a long time

'Part of our work is to understand what our impact is and to try to minimise it', she said.

Chimpanzees are widely considered the most 'cultural' species of non-human animals.

This study emphasises that cultural, social, environmental and human factors all contribute to the differences we see between chimpanzee communities today, researchers said.
Using fingers to count is an important part of learning maths in young children, researchers have found.

They found that children who learned to count with their fingers, in combination with games involving number symbols such as dominoes, saw improvements in their mathematics skills.

The findings have implications for early math teaching strategies to improve quantitative skills in young children.

In the past, pupils were discouraged from using their hands when learning maths - but in a new study researchers found that children who learned to count with their fingers, in combination with number games such as dominoes, saw improvements in their mathematics skills

According to the researchers, in the past pupils were discouraged from using their hands when learning maths.

But this new study, conducted by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Bristol, has confirmed what they say many parents feel instinctively - that finger games that children tend to use are important for their education.

To conduct the study, the researchers worked with 137 primary school students aged between six and seven.

HOW THEY DID IT The researchers worked with 137 primary school students aged between six and seven. The children were separated into five groups with different learning conditions. One group followed teacher-led finger training; the second followed teacher-led number games such as dominoes and snakes and ladder; the third followed both finger training and number game exercised led by teachers, the fourth followed both finger led and number game exercised led by researchers, and the fifth group was a control, teacher-led typical maths class. Each group except for the control followed eight 30-minute sessions, twice per week for four weeks. Each group then underwent tests to assess their finger gnosis (the ability to differentiate fingers when touched without visual cues), quantitative and magnitude comparison skills. Advertisement

The children were separated into five groups with different learning conditions, which were all given counting and number games - but only a few groups were given games involving finger counting.

One group followed teacher-led finger training; the second followed teacher-led number games such as dominoes and snakes and ladder; the third followed both finger training and number game exercised led by teachers, the fourth followed both finger led and number game exercised led by researchers, and the fifth group was a control, teacher-led typical maths class.

Some of the number-game activities included dominoes, card games such as snap and memory pairing and snakes and ladders.

Others played finger games, such as being asked to hold up a given number of fingers, or numbering fingers from one to five and then having to match one of them by touching it against the corresponding finger on the other hand, or tracing colored lines using a particular finger.

Each group except for the control followed eight 30-minute sessions, twice per week for four weeks.

Each group then underwent tests to assess their finger gnosis (the ability to differentiate fingers when touched without visual cues), quantitative and magnitude comparison skills.

The groups of children that participated in both the number games, such as dominoes and snakes and ladders, and finger games did significantly better in a quantitative skills test relative to student who simply followed business-as-usual maths classes

While the groups that just had finger training and number games training did slightly better in maths tests than the control group that had typical maths classes, the groups which participated in both the number games and the finger games did significantly better in a quantitative skills test relative to the controls.

'This study provides evidence that fingers provide children with a "bridge" between different representations of numbers, which can be verbal, written or symbolic,' said Dr Tim Jay, a Professor of Psychology of Education at Sheffield Hallam University.

'Combined finger training and number games could be a useful tool for teachers to support children's understanding of numbers.'
SpaceX successfully launched its second previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket booster, in the first of two missions scheduled for its weekend doubleheader.

After pushing back its initial launch date for BulgariaSat-1, SpaceX's rocket lifted off on schedule at 3:10 p.m. today from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Just two days later, the firm plans to launch 10 Iridium satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Sunday June 25.

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SpaceX has launched its second previously flown Falcon 9 rocket booster, in the first of two missioned scheduled for its weekend doubleheader

THE REUSABLE ROCKET RACE SpaceX made history in March when it achieved the first-ever reuse of an orbital-class booster, which CEO Elon Musk had deemed a huge revolution for spaceflight. Reusable rockets would cut costs and waste in the space industry, which currently loses millions of dollars in jettisoned machinery after each launch. Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency are also developing similar technology and are in testing stages. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com and owner of The Washington Post newspaper, said last month that Blue Origin expects to begin crewed test flights of the New Shepard, the company's flagship rocket, next year and begin flying paying passengers as early as 2018. The Indian space agency also hopes to develop its own frugal shuttle, as it seeks to cash in on a huge and lucrative demand from other countries to send up their satellites, after a successful test launch last month. Advertisement

The success of the BulgariaSat-1 launch marks the firm's second flight of a reused booster.

After taking off from the Kennedy Space Center, the Falcon 9 rocket moved through its first stage entry burn and the second stage engine cutoff according to plan.

During the live-streamed web event, the presenter explained that the landing would be the most challenging, being a three engine landing burn.

But, the first stage managed to land back down on SpaceX's drone ship - though slightly off target.

Falcon 9 first stage has landed on Of Course I Still Love You  second successful launch and landing of a flight-proven booster.

This is also 'the first time weve had a booster land on both our East and West Coast drone ship, the presenter noted.

Ahead of the launch, Musk tweeted his doubts that the booster would return to Earth intact.

Falcon 9 will experience its highest ever re-entry force and heat in todays launch, Musk wrote.

Good chance rocket booster doesnt make it back.

But, following its landing on Of Course I Still Love You, Musk revealed the rocket was doing fine - albeit 'extra toasty.'

Falcon 9 will experience its highest ever re-entry force and heat in todays launch, Musk wrote on Twitter ahead of the launch. Despite doubts, the first stage made it back to the landing platform

After pushing back its initial launch date for BulgariaSat-1, SpaceX's rocket lifted off on schedule at 3:10 p.m. today from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The success of the BulgariaSat-1 launch marks the firm's second flight of a reused booster

Rocket is extra toasty and hit the deck hard (used almost all of the emergency crush core), but otherwise good, Musk tweeted.

During the livestream, SpaceX also confirmed it had successfully deployed the BulgariaSat-1 to Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

Today's launch will be followed by a second launch on the other side of the country this Sunday.

And together, these two flights will be a major step towards SpaceXs goal of more frequent launches, being the eighth and ninth Falcon 9 launches this year alone.

The first stage managed to land back down on SpaceX's drone ship - though slightly off target. Falcon 9 first stage has landed on Of Course I Still Love You  second successful launch and landing of a flight-proven booster

Team is running additional ground system checks; Falcon 9 and payload are in good health, SpaceX tweeted today, in regards to the BulgariaSat-1 launch.

New liftoff time set for 3:10 p.m. EDT.

The booster set to fly from the Kennedy Space Center was used this past January to deliver 10 Iridium satellites to orbit, according to QZ.

It was initially slated for launch on June 19th, but was pushed back for additional fixes.

After taking off from the Kennedy Space Center, the Falcon 9 rocket moved through its first stage entry burn and the second stage engine cutoff according to plan

This is also 'the first time weve had a booster land on both our East and West Coast drone ship, the presenter noted during the live-streamed event

Standing down on BulgariaSat-1 to replace a fairing valve, next launch opportunities are 6/23 and 6/23, SpaceX tweeted on Sunday.

And, shortly after, the firm revealed a second launch would follow within the next 48 hours.

Iridium targeted for 6/25  could be a weekend doubleheader, SpaceX wrote.

The second launch, however, will be using an entirely new rocket, according to QZ, as Iridium says the risk is not yet worth the potential cost savings.

Ahead of the launch, Musk tweeted his doubts that the booster would return to Earth intact. But, following its landing on Of Course I Still Love You, Musk revealed the rocket was doing fine - albeit 'extra toasty'

As of now, all appears to be on track for Sundays launch.

Static fire test of Falcon 9 at Vandenberg AFB complete  launch of 10 @IridiumComm NEXT satellites slated for Sunday, June 25, SpaceX tweeted earlier this week.

Elon Musk recently shared a glimpse at what goes on inside the Falcon Factory, where SpaceXs powerful rockets are born.

SpaceX has revealed its plans for a weekend doubleheader, as the firm prepares to launch two missions on opposite ends of the US

Just two days later its launch at Pad 39A, the firm plans to launch 10 Iridium satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Sunday June 25

A stunning flythrough video shows different stages of work on the massive boosters, revealing a look at everything from the Merlin engines to what its like inside the cavity of an unfinished Falcon 9.

The footage came just days after Musk announced the aggressive timeline for the completion and launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket, and the steady hum of machinery can be heard as employees work to bring the firms space-faring visions to life.

Musk shared the video on Instagram this week, writing, Flying through the Falcon Factory.

Components from several Falcon 9 rockets can be seen, with numerous first stage cylinders seen lying throughout the factory floor.

The video even shows employees working inside the massive structures, putting into perspective just how enormous they truly are.

Elon Musk has shared a glimpse at what goes on inside the Falcon Factory, where SpaceXs powerful rockets are born. A stunning flythrough video shows different stages of work on the massive boosters

THE FALCON HEAVY Height: 70 meters (229.6 feet) Stages: 2 Boosters: 2 Cores: 3 Engines: 27 Payload to LEO: 63,800kg (140,660 lb) Payload to Mars: 16,800kg (37,040 lb) Total width: 12.2m (39.9 ft) Mass: 1,420,788kg (3,125,735 lb) Total thrust at lift-off: 22,819 kilonewtons (5.13 million pounds) Advertisement

Earlier this month, Elon Musk revealed on Twitter that SpaceX is now targeting two to three months for the arrival of all Falcon Heavy cores to Cape Canaveral.

And, he said the launch should come a month after that.

The firm boasts that the Falcon Heavy will be the worlds most powerful rocket when completed.

It will be equipped with three cores, making for a total of 27 Merlin engines to generate 5.13 million pounds of thrust at lift-off.

According to SpaceX, it will be able to carry more than 140,000 pounds of payload to low-Earth orbit, making it the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.

Earlier this month SpaceX fired one of the three boosters that will form its 'megarocket', called Falcon Heavy.

The static fire test in McGregor, TX last week is a major step towards bringing the worlds most powerful rocket a step closer to its maiden launch.

Elon Musk took to Twitter to hail the success, saying 'Falcon Heavy is this times three. One way or another, launch is guaranteed to be exciting ...'
This woman was pulled over by police and refused to speak to the officer. She was arrested for "obstruction."

I don't know where it happened. Does anyone know about the outcome of this arrest?

[Update 6/23/2107: It was in Warren County, New Jersey and she sued the police department]
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NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed a stunning look at the rugged terrain of the red planet, in a scene that could rival Britains beloved white cliffs.

The new view shows Mars breathtaking white cliffs of rover, captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera.

According to the space agency, the ocean-like surface at the bottom right side of the photo is actually an expanse of dunes, creating a striking contrast with the shoreline beside it.

NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed a stunning look at the rugged terrain of the red planet, in a scene that could rival Britains beloved white cliffs. The new view shows Mars breathtaking white cliffs of rover, at a site known as Meridiani Planum, captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera

The image has been enhanced to better show the differences in the terrain, creating what appears to be a cloud-covered cliff edge and foamy waves.

The reality is that the surface of Mars is much dryer than our imaginations might want to suggest, NASA explains.

This is only a tiny part of a much larger structure; an inverted crater  a crater that has been infilled by material that is more resistant to erosion than the rocks around it  surrounded by bluish basaltic dunes.

The edge of these elevated light-toned deposits are degraded, irregular and cliff-forming.

The landscape has been compared to the White Cliffs of Dover  the famed cliffs of the British Isles that are now rapidly eroding in whats thought to be a result of human activity. The cliffs at Seaford Head in East Sussex were hit by three unexpected collapses in just two days this week, as seen above

Overall, the region known as Meridiani Planum is smooth, unlike much of the rest of Mars.

And, according to NASA, this also means its younger than other sites.

Its known to contain hematite, and salt-bearing rocks known as sulfates.

The landscape has been compared to the White Cliffs of Dover  the famed cliffs of the British Isles that are now rapidly eroding in whats thought to be a result of human activity.

This week alone, there have been multiple cliff collapses at the historic site in East Sussex, with three unexpected collapses in just two days.

On Wednesday a dramatic cliff fall also took place at the shore, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. Pictured above, the debris can be seen piling into the water

This week alone, there have been multiple cliff collapses at the historic site in East Sussex, with three unexpected collapses in just two days. The third cliff came crashing into the sea led the Coastguard to issue a warning

According to research published this past fall, the cliffs are retreating by up to 12 inches (32 cm) each year.

This is a huge increase from the 0.8 inches (2 cm) a year the cliffs were losing up until a few hundred years ago.

The scientists, led by Dr Martin Hurst from the University of Glasgow, studied the erosion of cliffs in East Sussex over thousands of years.

BRITAIN'S DWINDLING WHITE CLIFFS The cliffs in East Sussex have only been documented for the past 150 years, but researchers were able to look back much further by dating samples of the rocks. Cosmic rays penetrate through the atmosphere and collide with atoms in rocks, resulting in the production of rare isotopes such as beryllium-10 in the upper few metres of the Earth's surface. In a recent study, researchers counted the number of beryllium-10 isotopes in our shore platform rock samples to work out how long the shore platform had been exposed to cosmic radiation, and therefore how long it has been since cliff retreat uncovered that section of platform. They found the erosion rate of the cliffs was slow, around 0.8 inches (2 cm) a year, up until a few hundred years ago. The cliffs in East Sussex have only been documented for the past 150 years, but researchers were able to look back much further by dating samples of the rocks Advertisement

They believe that man-made defences  such as sea-walls and groynes  which first appeared on our beaches in Victorian times, may also be causing a more rapid rate of erosion, scientists suggest.

These defences stop sediment travelling from west to east  leading to beaches under the white cliffs to become thinner, offering less protection from the waves.

Another possibility is our seas have become stormier  as the path of storms travelling from the Atlantic may have switched to the south, leading to more damage to the cliffs.

It's also thought that stormier weather over the last century or so could be to blame  causing the cliffs to crumble more rapidly.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said records of coastal erosions only date back 150 years.
It seems Samsung believes its Galaxy Note 8 has what it takes to stand up to Apple's highly anticipated 10th-anniversary iPhone.

A new rumor brought to light, by an individual briefed on the companys plans, has said the Samsung Note 8 will be unveiled in September, VentureBeat reported.

If true, the rivals will have to battle it out for the top spot in the market, but Samsung's handset is believed to boast a new design, cutting-edge software and costs less than the so-called 'iPhone 8'.

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A new rumor brought to light by an individual briefed on the companys plans, has said the Note 8 will be unveiled in September (pictured is a render that was released earlier this month)

NOTE 8 RUMORS Rumors surrounding the Note 8 first came to light in April, which had suggested that the Android could have significantly smaller bezels, an infinity screen and dual cameras. Sources have said its design will mirror that of the Galaxy S8. Sources have suggested that the Note 8 will have an Infinity display, which has an 18.5-to-9 width-to-length ratio. It will have 6GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel sensor for each of the dual cameras on the back. And the new software that will improve split-screen multitasking, give the S Pen more capabilities and enable users to pin handwritten notes to the always-on display. Rumors have said it will be unveiled in September and cost over $900 (999). Advertisement

The report comes from Evan Blass with VentureBeat, who noted the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 breaks Samsung tradition, as it will be the first Samsung is counting on more than an expansive screen to differentiate the Note line from the S-series.

If the rumors are true, than the Note 8 could be just as, or even more, attractive than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 family released earlier this year.

The Note 8 is expected to boast cutting edge components, a dual camera setup and of course, the iconic S Pen stylus.

It is also said that the handset will have 6GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel sensor for each of the dual cameras on the back which is the first time Samsung has added this feature to any of its devices.

But Samsung seems to have not learned from its mistake of placing the fingerprint sensor on the back.

Although the repositioning to the back made room for the edge-to-edge screen for the Galaxy S8, some users have found that the rear-camera is constantly smudged, as they have to 'poke around to locate it'.

But the firm seems to have made up for the mishap with the new software that will improve split-screen multitasking, give the S Pen more capabilities and enable users to pin handwritten notes to the always-on display, Blass explained.

However, the sleek design and cutting edge technology does come with a price - users should expect to pay a little over $900 (999).

If the rumors are true, than the Note 8 could be just as, or even more, attractive than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 family (pictured) released earlier this year. The Note 8 is expected to boast cutting edge components, a dual camera setup and of course, its iconic S Pen stylus

Although some my question the fate of the Note 8, it seems Samsung will not be a repeat offender, as this smartphone is set to be designed with a 3300mAh battery  the exploding Note 7 handsets had a 3500mAh battery.

Samsung had first dropped hints about a follow-up to its exploding Galaxy Note Series in April  the smartphones were found to have irregularly sized batteries that caused them to overheat and catch fire.

Although the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was one of the biggest blunders in smartphone history, the South Korean firm believes it's Note 8 has the ability to stand up to Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone 8.

And in order to do so, Samsung is set to release the smartphone before Apple's does theirs.

Although some my question the fate of the Note 8, it seems Samsung will not be a repeat offender, as this smartphone is set to be designed with a 3300mAh battery  the exploding Note 7 (pictured) handsets had a 3500mAh battery

FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE NOTE 8? A nine second video was uploaded to Weibo, China's leading social media site in May. It was later posted on Twitter by the leaker @mmddj_china. If the video is to be believed, the new Note 8 would have a 6.3 inch screen which would reach to each edge of the device. This bezel-less design is similar to the Infinity Display featured on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ released earlier this year. A similar design is rumored for the next flagship iPhone. The screen dimensions shown would make the Note 8 0.6 inches larger than its predecessor. It would also be 0.1 inches larger than the S8 + which would make it the largest flagship smartphone ever released by Samsung. Other rumors suggest it will have a fingerprint scanner on the front as well as a dual camera on the rear. Advertisement

Samsung was forced to scrap its Galaxy Note 7 line last year after repeated reports from users that they were catching fire.

Airliners banned the devices over safety fears and the company had to recall three million handsets.

Samsung launched a vast inquiry into the issue that is expected to cost the company an estimate $5.3 billion.

It later claimed a battery fault in the Galaxy Note 7 was to blame.
Im in a rigid inflatable a hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle during a midwinter blizzard. The boat is hammering across the choppy grey water and Im certainly dressed for the occasion: a hood-to-toe survival suit, thermal mittens and snow goggles.

As we swerve into the Trollfjord, a clearing sky reveals towering, white-streaked mountains, and wheeling over them in full majesty is our first sea eagle. It spreads its ragged 8ft wingspan, its broad white tail feathers gleaming, and circles for a moment.

At the helm, our jovial skipper Larsen reaches into a bucket of dead herring and chucks one over the side of the boat. The eagle dives at 100mph before the fish can sink, and snatches it out of the water in its great claws. Its split-second timing. Olympic stuff.

Mesmerising landscape: Libby gazed upon the pink-streaked mountains of Senja, Norways second-largest island

Welcome to our first day of a very cold short break. Still in that faint daze which follows a three-plane journey, we had signed up for our first chilly safari despite some fierce weather. You have to grab your chances when you can because it is a privilege to stalk these emperors of the bird world.

A fifth of all white-tailed eagles can be found around northern Norway. I had seen one before, in a blue summer sky in Scotland, and on clear sunny days here they must be equally magnificent.

BUT I preferred it this way: there is something magical in encountering sea eagles on a bleak day  dark, angry angels descending from grim icy rocks to curve over the vivid glacier-green water. It reminds you that they, not we, own this region.

We were out on the water for two hours as the boat hurtled on to the next spot, sometimes bobbing gently around as the herring-flinging Larsen artfully choreographed each eagle sighting so anyone with unfrozen fingers could take pictures. The hailstones may have bounced viciously off our hoods on the fast run home, but none of us regretted a minute of it.

On Inntravels new high-end, high-latitude journey Libby said she ate like a royal

Twenty years ago, I journeyed up this coast on the Hurtigruten, the Norwegian coastal ferry that threads north from Bergen through the inland passages to more than 30 harbours great and small.

I remembered three things: one was standing entranced for hours, gazing at the sharp, snowy shapes of the Lofoten islands and being told by the ferrys captain which rock formations are reputed to be trolls, frozen as punishments for mischief.

Another memory was being so gripped by the romance of Norway that I bought a heavy, leather-shouldered hunting jacket to make me look like a dashing young elk-hunter. Sadly, my silhouette is now more like an ageing elk, but I dug it out to wear again.

The third memory was of an allegedly typical Lofoten dish: boiled cod with boiled cod liver, in a cod liver oil sauce.

I am pleased to say that this time, on Inntravels new high-end, high-latitude journey  while still using the Hurtigruten ferries  we ate like royals. Dont tell the children, but reindeer steaks are delicious.

This journey, which we truncated into five nights although you would be better off with the more relaxing seven, is an enterprising winter route through Norways Arctic islands.

The spectacular sight of the Northern Lights cant be guaranteed (we saw only some weird milky streaks through cloudy nights), but the thrill of the north is overwhelming anyway.

We began in Svolvaer, on one of the Lofoten islands, staying in cosy traditional rorbu  fishermens huts on stilts over the water. We ate a delightful meal in a beautiful old beamed building, and in the morning we looked out on mountain and harbour, and on the no-nonsense paraphernalia of industrial fishing: lorries and sheds and an enormous A-frame rack for drying cod into stockfish.

After a night in the rorbu, we caught the northbound Hurtigruten at 10pm, checked into a comfortable cabin and, through another blizzard, sailed a hundred miles further north to the island of Senja.

Cold front: The rigid inflatable that took Libby out in search of sea eagles

From the ships deck at dawn I saw that the snow had cleared: mountaintops streaked with pink and topaz shaded up to violent, ethereal blueness over grey-green seas. We were higher in the Arctic Circle now.

Senja is Norways second-largest island, with great rocky fingers clawing westward at the open Atlantic. It has been opening up to tourism thanks to a tract of national park, and there is local pride in being more remote, more peaceful, more idiosyncratic than the Lofotens to the south.

We were picked up and driven an hour through frosty birch woods, twisting mountain roads and snowfields to our second destination, Hamn. It feels like the far end of nowhere, a ragged jumble of land and water with peaks and shimmering fjords.

Hamn was a fishing village until the 1890s when a nickel mine opened and it was boom-time.

The quirky tourist potential only began to be exploited in 1993. Now on the site of old fishing huts lie chic wooden apartments, and an elegant conference and wedding centre with every possible amenity (they had a demanding group in recently, and hastily built a gym).

There is also a huge outdoor hot-tub built into the cockpit of an old fishing boat.

Norwegians seek out Hamn all year for the peace, the sheltered kayaking, the snow-shoeing, hiking, whale-watching and wildlife. And if youre interested in something more light-hearted, theres a museum dedicated to trolls and legends nearby.

During a sunny spell one day, a cheerful chap called Lasse coaxed us into another set of thermally lined survival suits and goggles to explore the surrounding islands.

We took a fast speedboat this time with proper seats. We saw a golden eagle and watched a crowd of seals fishing in the clear green water off the pure white beaches. Clouds of cormorants, gulls and gannets wheeled by, soaring and swooping. Northern magic.

The next day the snow came back, so the staff cheerfully dug it clear of the wheels of the Hamn- i-Senja minibus, and we crawled across the white and lovely island to the Hurtigruten ship.

We spent a final night in Tromso, gazing at the great A-shape of the Arctic Cathedral before our flight home.

England felt, for once, very far south.
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Don't judge a book by its cover.

Likewise, don't judge the Hyatt Regency Kyoto by the fact that it looks like a boring apartment block on the outside.

Inside, it's gorgeous.

The Hyatt Regency Kyoto looks like a boring apartment block on the outside (left) - but step inside and guests revel in zen-like luxury (right)

Ted's bedroom has a futon-y king-sized bed with a beautiful kimono-tapestry headboard and paper-lantern-style lighting

The en-suite has a granite floor and a luxurious shower

The aesthetics are clever  a bit of zen-like Japanese design fused with Western style.

East meets West in a way that'll keep guests from both compass points happy and relaxed.

Our room, for instance, has a futon-y king-sized bed with a beautiful kimono-tapestry headboard, paper-lantern-style lighting and a granite-floored ensuite  and all the mod-cons, including a flat-screen TV, mini-bar, air-conditioning and a tablet.

We sleep like babies.

Walk up a grand staircase in the lobby and you'll find yourself in the hotel's Italian restaurant, Trattoria Sette.

The hotel describes it as 'casual' dining.

I'll describe it as a mixed bag.

With splendid dark wood everywhere and low lighting, the atmosphere is deliciously relaxing  save for the slightly-too-loud power ballads coming through the speakers.

The food is tasty, save for the fact that my girlfriend's gnocchi has way too much sauce.

The wine, though, is first-rate. As is the service.

And we're mesmerised, but slightly baffled, by the girl in the kimono employed to wander from table to table and smile at the guests as if to remind them, in case they've had catastrophic memory loss, that they're in Japan, and not Italy.

The only mark for the hotel's basement bar though  Touzan Bar  is 10 out of 10.

The only mark for the hotel's basement bar  Touzan Bar (pictured)  is 10 out of 10. It has a stupendously extensive drinks list that includes decent wine and exceptional whiskies from all over the world. The bar top is a gigantic slab of the most beautiful wood and the snug, low-lit atmosphere conducive to feeling utterly content

TRAVEL FACTS For more information visit the Hyatt Regency Kyoto website. Finnair flies from London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh to Tokyo Narita, via Helsinki, with fares from 675 in economy class and 2,500 in business class return. To book go to www.finnair.com or call +44 208 001 01 01 for more information. InsideJapan Tours tailors itineraries for Japan trips to suit all interests, time frames and budgets. Visit InsideJapanTours.com or call 0117 370 9730. Try the efficient Airportr luggage assistance service if you don't fancy lugging your cases to the airport. Visit airportr.com for more. Advertisement

This place is top top notch, with a stupendously extensive drinks list that includes decent wine and exceptional whiskies from all over the world.

The bar top is a gigantic slab of the most beautiful wood and the snug, low-lit atmosphere conducive to feeling utterly content.

I order something with gin in it that is superbly refreshing.

The staff throughout the hotel also deserve top marks.

We're greeted multiple times, with bowing, on the short walk from the entrance to the lifts by staff genuinely happy to make sure you're happy.

And the look of horror on the waiter's face during breakfast as we stand up with our cups to search for coffee is a picture.

He trots over saying 'no, no, no, we'll bring you coffee, please, allow me'.

That tells me all I need to know about the service here. It's offered with pride.

Location-wise, meanwhile, the Hyatt is well placed. It's just south of the Southern Higashiyama district and the stunning Kodai-ji and Kiyomizu-dera temples. And just over a mile away from the main railway station.

We pay just over a fiver for a taxi ride from there.

All in all, in a city awash with great places to stay, the Hyatt deserves serious consideration  it's deceptively good.
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The aviation industry is now a slick - and largely safe - phenomenon.

From Australia to Antarctica, more than three billion people across the globe make international travel a leisurely, often luxury pursuit, each year.

In recent times we've seen carriers enhance the experience with modern amenities such as Wi-Fi and lie-flat cabins, while designer menus create fine fining at 39,000 feet.

There's even talk of new supersonic air travel after a Richard Branson-backed company announced it will begin testing Concorde-replacing flights, next year.

But obviously it wasn't always this way. Back in the day - when flying through the sky was a mere pipedream - the prototypes that sparked today's jets were far less impressive.

With rickety wings and people-powered engines, it's a miracle they managed to function at all. To prove it, here's a collection of history's most shocking moments in air travel...

Brave man! Francois Baudot, ex chief engineer of the Bleriot works, whose founder made the first flight across the English Channel in 1909, making a preliminary test of a cycle plane in the early 1900s

Pictured in 1910: Prof JS Zerbe stands in front of his multiplane, an eight cylinder, aircooled airplane, with five wings and two props

Humble beginnings: Louis Paulhan flying a Farman boxkite biplane 'Le Gypaete No 6' at the Blackpool flying week, 1909

Ground-breaking: The very first plane to be flown by an Englishman in 1909, designed by Sir Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe OBE

We have lift-off: French aviator Louis Bleriot (1872-1936) in the monoplane in which he flew the channel in 1909

Scary: Early aviator Louis Paulhan flying a Farman biplane over Los Angeles to set a new altitude record of 4,164 feet and a new endurance record of 1 hour 40 minutes and 40 seconds, circa January 1910

Original: Samuel Cody, the first man to fly a plane in Britain, debuted his prototype for a new invention - the water plane, 1910

The friendly (and rather fierce) skies: A number of planes prove their worth at the Los Angeles International Air Meet in 1910

Brave: Glenn Curtiss (left) and Lt. Theodore Ellyson in the Curtiss A-1 Triad amphibian, the first U.S. Navy plane

1921: Three men attempt to launch an aeroplane with six sets of wings for maximum uplift in Washington DC

Bumpy ride: Keen pilot Joan Hughes flies a Demoiselle monoplane, a replica of a 1909-1910 model, in pre-WW2 London
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It's a replica of Greek temple the Parthenon, but instead of marble this installation is made from 100,000 banned books.

The creation, called 'The Parthenon of Books', is the centre piece of this year's Documenta 14 exhibition in German city Kassel. Created by conceptual artist Marta Minujin, its aim is to stir debate around censorship.

It has also been installed at the same site where Nazis burned books by Jewish or Marxist writers in 1933. The 170 titles that form the building include the Bible, Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses and Mark Twains The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

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'The Parthenon of Books' is the centre piece of this year's Documenta 14 exhibition in Kassel, Germany

It's installed at the same site where Nazis burned books by Jewish or Marxist writers in 1933

Real life copy: Built with the same dimensions of the real-life Parthenon, metal grills were first installed and then the books, which were covered in plastic, were wedged into place by volunteers

Banned: All of the 100,000 books were wrapped in plastic and attached to the metal grills by volunteers on cranes

The creation is part of this year's Documenta 14 exhibition of contemporary art. The 100-day show in Kassel, Germany, is expecting one million visitors

The original Parthenon, a former temple, was first created in 447 BC, on the hill of the Acropolis in Athens. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.

This installation was built with the same dimensions of the real-life Parthenon. Metal grills were first installed and then the books, which were covered in plastic, were wedged into place by volunteers on cranes.

Organised by Adam Szymczyk, The Documenta 14 is an exhibition of contemporary art. It last took place in 2012 and attracted 905,000 people. The 100-day show is, this year, expecting one million visitors.

Created by Argentinian conceptual artist Marta Minujin, 74, its aim is to stir debate around censorship

The books that appear on the installation include the Bible, Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses and Mark Twains The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The exhibition has a twin show in Athens that runs until July 16.

The project wasnt an easy one for South America creator Minujin. The artist launched it last year by appealing to the public for the 100,000 books.

Students at Kassel University then helped to draw up a list of 170 banned books.

Students at Kassel University helped to draw up a list of banned books

Visitors admire 'The Parthenon of Books', the centre piece of this year's Documenta 14 exhibition in Kassel

The art show, Documenta 14, which runs every five years also showcases other artists work.

Now in its 14th edition, it runs for 100 days - and many know it as the 'museum of 100 days'.

Other installations at the show include 'Pile o Sapmi', a curtain made out of reindeer skulls by Norwegian artist Maret Anne Sara, and 'Mill of Blood' by Mexican artist Antonio Vega Macotela.

A visitor walks around the installation (Polyethene tarpaulin and cotton thread) by Mata Aho Collective at the exhibition of contemporary art, in Kassel, Germany

The installation 'Pile o Sapmi', a curtain made out of reindeer skulls, by Norwegian artist Maret Anne Sara at the Documenta 14

Vistors admire 'Mill of Blood' installation at this year's show, by Mexican artist Antonio Vega Macotela

Artist Marie Cool Fabio Balducci performs in front of the painting 'Without title' by Apostolos Georgiou

A man performs in front of the light installation 'Staging: Lighting Wall 1' by New York-based artist Maria Hassabi

A visitor looks into a historical gate (Torwache) covered with jute sacks, an installation by Ibrahim Mahama, Ghana

A painting by Senegalese artist El Hadji Sy - said to be one of the most significant figures in African contemporary art
It may not seem like it during rush hour, but we're a world away from how long it took some of the most famous explorers to travel the globe.

New research by a travel website shows that since 1271 travel times have decreased by 99.95 per cent.

And to illustrate this, it produced a series of fascinating interactive maps that compare famous explorers' journey times with how long that same journey would take today.

Captain Cook: His journey from England to Australia took 1 year and 8 months - today it would take just 26 hours and 7 minutes

Long haul: Captain Cook's journey from Plymouth to Botany Bay, in 1768, was a staggering 18,000 miles

The 26 hour journey today doesn't really contend with Cook's sail across the Atlantic

Travel Bag, who compiled the research, has launched a Race of Discovery that calculates how long explorers' journeys would take today.

Captain Cook's journey, where he was to observe the Transit of Venus in 1768, took him one year and eight months and saw him sail from Plymouth across the Atlantic Ocean. He sailed around South America and then headed for New Zealand and then finally on to his destination - Botany Bay in Australia.

Today we would have to contend with possible traffic while getting to the airport in England and endure a 22 hour flight all the way to Sydney. It's 26 hours, but Captain Cook would be amazed.

Christopher Columbus: His journey from Spain to the Bahamas took 2 months and 9 days - today it would take 16 hours and 25 minutes

Sail away: Christopher Columbus' journey to the new world in 1462 wasn't an easy ride

Connected: These days, the Spanish can be on a beach in the Bahamas after just two flights

Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the New World in 1462 took him two months and nine days, while today it can be done in 16 hours and 25 minutes, which is a 99.02 per cent decrease in travel time.

His now famous voyage, where he stumbled upon the Bahamas, and then Cuba, saw him sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, and travel across the Atlantic Ocean until he saw land.

Today to travel from Spain to the Caribbean island it would involve a flight from Spain to Miami and a connecting flight to the Bahamas.

Marco Polo: The explorers' journey from Venice to China took 4 years - today it would take under a day

A hump in the road: The explorers' journey, in 1271, on the Silk Road, saw him travel by camel

Time saver: Travel technology has led to a 99.95% decrease in travel time

It took explorer Marco Polo four years to travel from Venice to China. Sailing from Venice to Trabzon, part of his journey even saw him travel by camel. Today the journey would involve three connecting flights and take less than a day.

Other explorers' journeys that feature on the map include Amelia Earhart, Roald Amundsen and David Livingstone.

Paul Hopkinson, marketing director at Travelbag, said: 'It's inspiring to follow in the steps of these renowned explorers, learn more about their accomplishments and see how long their expeditions would take using modern-day travel methods.'

Travelbag also revealed that thanks to developments such as the Hyperloop, travel time will decrease by another 50 per cent over the next 100 years.

Hopkinson added: 'A Race of Discovery not only shows how far we've come, but also where we're heading next. With pioneers like Elon Musk and Tim Peak, the universe is moving ever closer.'
There's a new boy in Bella Hadid's life  and boy is he a cutie.

The 20-year-old debuted her new pet puppy Oslo on Instagram on Thursday.

The model shared a behind the scenes snap of a fashion shoot in New York, where it looked like the adorable Rottweiler was the one doing the shooting.

Puppy love! Bella Hadid posed in a bra as she shared first pic of her new pet Rottweiler Oslo on Thursday

Bella flaunted her flawless figure wearing just a pair of jeans and a black bra, while her canine companion wore only a fetching red collar.

'after long days on set with Oslo when I'm in NYC, free dog walks for life from @wag are [perfect],' she wrote using emojis. 'thanks for the gifts @wag :)'

Bella's Oslo is just the latest famous pooch to sign up to the dog walking on demand app, after Kendall Jenner's Mew, Chloe Grace Moretz's Pearl, Bella Thorne's Dojo, Hailey Baldwin's friend's Jim Carrey, and Mariah Carey's Jill E Beans and Cha Cha.

After the shoot the brunette beauty jetted of to Paris to meet her big sister Gigi and he boyfriend Zayn Malik.

Jetsetter: Afterwards she jetted to France and headed straight for the Heron Preston Presentation Man Menswear Spring/Summer 2018 show as part of Paris Fashion Week

It was business as well as please though as she headed straight for the Heron Preston Presentation Man Menswear Spring/Summer 2018 show as part of Paris Fashion Week.

The half Palestinian stunner set pulses racing in a heavily cropped bright orange coat and plunging bralet.

A matching orange skirt, which had 'handle with care' written down the front in silver, added to the look, as well as thigh high dominatrix style boots.

Despite having only just landed en France, it was the second stunning outfit she rocked.

Fashionista: She was spotted en route to her hotel wearing a barely-there bandeau top, jeans and a snakeskin jacket

She was spotted en route to her hotel wearing a barely-there bandeau top, jeans and a snakeskin jacket.

On Thursday she also used Instagram to wish little brother Anwar a happy birthday with a sweet throwback.

'Happy birthday my sweet angel. Your love and light is worth all of the stars in the sky! I'm so proud of the man you have become and are becoming,' she wrote.

'I'm so proud and lucky to call you my brother. Nobody loves you more than me my mini me @anwarhadid forever and ever and ever x infinity .. 18 years you're still my best friend and favorite man'
She's the Australian model making waves in her career worldwide.

And Jessica Hart stunned as she stepped out at the star-studded Royal Ascot races in England on Thursday.

Dazzling in a plunging blue frock and Cartier jewels, the 31-year-old cut a regal figure as she was spotted on Day Three of one of the world's most exclusive racing events.

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Stunner: On Thursday, Jessica Hart stunned as she stepped out at the star-studded Royal Ascot races in England

The blonde beauty showed off her svelte physique in the blue and white gown by British designer Giles Deacon.

Carrying a round leather bag by designer Bertoni 1949, the Sydney-born model added extra glamour to her outfit with a pair of pointed black heels and a black woven hat.

Dripping in Cartier jewels which included a gold watch, choker and necklace, Jessica was joined by the French luxury jeweller's managing director, Laurent Feniou.

Accessories: Jessica was seen dripping in Cartier jewels which included a gold watch, choker and necklace for the day out

Stylish: Carrying a round leather bag by designer Bertoni 1949, the Sydney-born model added extra glamour to her outfit with a pair of pointed black heels and a black woven hat

Taking to Instagram to document her outing, the leggy blonde told her 264,000 followers: 'The day I met HM the Queen ... Thank you #LaurentFeniou for being the best date and introducing me to the fabulous Harry Herbert for what turned out to be the most memorable day of my life!!'

The caption accompanied a candid snap of Jessica with Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's chairman Harry Herbert.

The former Victoria's Secret model - who won a Dolly magazine modelling competition at age 15 - opened up about the pressures of conforming to society's expectations recently.

Having a good day: 'The day I met HM the Queen ... Thank you #LaurentFeniou for being the best date and introducing me to the fabulous Harry Herbert for what turned out to be the most memorable day of my life!!'

Her date: Laurent Feniou wore a three piece suit for the races on Thursday

Speaking to Best Weekend, Jessica said: 'There is a lot of stress in feeling you have to conform to what everyone thinks is cool or whatever is in.'

Touching on the topic of teenagers documenting their lives on social media, she worried they were denying themselves the same opportunity she had growing up of developing self-assurance and a sense of individuality.

'I think theres a little less individuality today, unless its the extreme opposite and someone is being extremely unique to make a point of being different,' she said.

Sea of blue: The blonde beauty showed off her svelte physique in the blue and white gown by British designer Giles Deacon

With almost two decades of experience under her belt Jessica also had some advice for her younger fans.

The Victoria's Secret model told teenage girls not to grow up too quickly in an interview with The Daily Telegraph last week.

'Teenagers today seem way older than I was. For me at 15 was probably what today is as a 10-year-old. Everyone is growing up so quickly and wearing things older than their age,' she told the publication.
Roxy Jacenko left her Sydney home early this morning to greet her husband Oliver Curtis after he was released from prison in Cooma following a year-long sentence for conspiracy to commit insider trading.

The 37-year-old had her children, Pixie, 5, and Hunter, 3, in tow, however she appeared to leave her wedding ring at home.

The PR maven's left hand was conspicuously bare of accessories as she carried Hunter's car seat to her vehicle.

On her way: Roxy Jacenko left her Sydney home early this morning with her children to pick up her husband Oliver Curtis following his release from prison

Ringless: The PR maven's left hand appeared conspicuously bare of accessories as she carried Hunter's car seat to her vehicle

It was also missing when she returned to the car, carrying her pricey $14,000 Hermes bag in her hands.

Roxy's children rugged up in matching Burberry macs and Roxy donned a stylish black blouse, $1499 J Brand leather pants and $872 Gianvito Rossi heels for the no doubt emotionally charged meeting.

The family left their home under the cover of darkness shortly before 7am.

Roxy took her black Range Rover to the airport, where the Sweaty Betty PR boss boarded a private jet, booked in her name, to fly to Cooma.

Both Pixie and Hunter accompanied her on the journey.

No ring: It was also missing when she returned to the car, carrying her $14,000 Hermes bag in her hands

Bling-less fingers: The PR queen has stepped out without her wedding ring on multiple occasions over the past few weeks

On their way: Roxy took her black Range Rover to the airport, where the Sweaty Betty PR boss boarded a private jet, booked in her name, to fly to Cooma

On Tuesday, Roxy had stated she planned to protect her children from seeing their father 'in handcuffs' and had at first not intended to take them on the plane.

Roxy made the comments at her 'In Conversation With Roxy Jacenko' event in Melbourne.

She stated: 'I might have to take (Pixie and Hunter) in the car with him to (his) office so they can see there is no plane involved, or handcuffs for that matter'.

The children and their mother were reunited with Oliver, a businessman who was convicted of insider trading, at Cooma airport.

Roxy booked a private jet to fly to the town, about an hour south of Canberra, and avoided the growing crowds outside the prison.

Flight: Roxy's children accompanied her on the journey to meet Oliver in Cooma

Plans: On Tuesday, she had stated that she planned to protect her children from seeing their father 'in handcuffs' and had at first not intended to take them on the plane

Change of plans: She stated: 'I might have to take (Pixie and Hunter) in the car with him to (his) office so they can see there is no plane involved, or handcuffs for that matter'

All together: However, the children did accompany her on the journey to meet Oliver in Cooma

Roxy had previously hidden Oliver's sentence from her kids, and told her son and daughter that their father has been in China the past year.

The PR queen has stepped out without her wedding ring on multiple occasions over the past few weeks.

Most recently, she was wearing neither her wedding ring nor engagement ring in several social media snaps and video posted last Friday.

In February, Daily Mail Australia reached out for comment after Roxy was seen heading to the gym without her wedding ring.

Ring off: The PR queen has stepped out without her wedding ring on multiple occasions over the past few weeks

'I do weights based training, can't be doing that with rings on my fingers!' Roxy stated.

But in April, the mother-of-two's marital status became the subject of rumours when she was pictured kissing her ex-boyfriend Nabil Gazal at his Sydney apartment.

The businesswoman had earlier appeared on a TV interview to insist 'all is fine' in her relationship with Oliver.

Rumours: In April, the mother-of-two's marital status became the subject of rumours when she was pictured kissing her ex-boyfriend Nabil Gazal at his Sydney apartment

Earlier this week, a source close to the Sydney PR queen has told Daily Mail Australia that there will be a welcome home party for Oliver, but Roxy won't be involved.

Instead the couple's young children will be handling 'hosting' duties.

Roxy announced the event on Tuesday, telling guests via text message: 'Pixie and Hunter invite you to drinks on Saturday and Oli will be so excited to see you.'
A secret passageway led to an trove of smuggled Nazi artifacts, say investigators in Argentina, and their collector is in trouble with the law.

They were put on display at the Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations in Buenos Aires on Monday. Many Nazi higher-ups fled to Argentina in the waning days of the war, and investigators believe that officials close to Adolf Hitler brought the artifacts with them. Many items were accompanied by photographs, some with Hitler holding them.

"This is a way to commercialize them, showing that they were used by the horror, by the Fuhrer. There are photos of him with the objects," Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich told The Associated Press.

The objects include a device used to measure heads. Nazis believed that one could distinguish a Jew from someone belonging to the supposed Aryan race by head measurements.
It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind, and on Thursday in Los Angeles, Hailey Baldwin did just that.

The 20-year-old model was spotted leaving her friend Kendall Jenner's house in a tiny black dress with lace up detailing on its sides.

Her pert derriere could be seen as she walked to her car in the super short garment.

Cheeky: Hailey Baldwin risked a wardrobe malfunction in this ultra short black dress as she visited Kendall Jenner in Los Angeles on Thursday

That same day, she was spotted at trendy boutique Fred Segal in West Hollywood with a different girlfriend.

Hailey sported a white sleeveless jumpsuit with lots of gold chains, large gold hoop earrings and a Stalvey backpack.

The outing comes after her ELLE UK interview where she revealed her ire when people dismiss her as an Instagram model.

Switch: Soon after she was spotted making her way into Fred Segal boutique in West Hollywood

'Its not fair, because I work my a** off to make what I have and to prove that this is what I want to do. I want to be a model,' she divulged to Elle. 'I dont want to be an Insta model, nor am I an Insta model.

'I dont think I would be where I am if people didnt see something in me.

'Dont ever call me that because it really hurts my feelings and its disrespectful.'

Chain reaction: She wore plenty of gold chains around her neck as well as large hoop earrings

Yin and yang: Hailey was joined by a girlfriend who wore all black in contrast to Baldwin's all white look

The daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin has been candid in her strong sense of faith throughout the infancy of her career.

Now apart of Hollywood's hottest model Brat Pack, Hailey - alongside pals Kendall Jenner, Gigi and Bella Hadid - confessed that her dedication to her spirituality that has helped 'anchor' her while dealing with the madness that surrounds her life.

Although outspoken in her beliefs, she admitted that when people tease her about her spirituality, she is left offended as it is something that has transformed her family's life.

Sidewalk catwalk: The 20-year-old strutted her stuff as she made her way through the parking lot carrying a Stalvey backpack

'Spirituality is a good way of being able to always be connected with something thats bigger than you. Its an anchor.'

Apart of one of the most enviable girl squad's in the celebsphere, Hailey admitted that she is the 'mom' of her friend group - which includes Kylie and Kendall Jenner, who the beauty refers to as 'rational'.

The model added: 'Im the "mom". I like taking care of people, I like nurturing peopleWe sometimes call Kendall [Jenner] "Mamma Kens" because shes very rational.

Model citizen: In a recent interview with ELLE UK, Baldwin expressed her ire at being dismissed as an Instagram model

'She has a good head on her shoulders and shes a straight thinkerIm kind of like an encyclopedia. Im a little nerdy to be honest.'

While candid in her admissions, one subject she refrained from speaking about was her rumored romance with model and YouTube star Cameron Dallas, 22.

Hailey has previously been linked to Justin Bieber, while Cameron has only had one girlfriend in high school, according to a video posted on his YouTube channel in which he shared: 'I've been in one relationship and that was my junior year, so it's been a while'.
She always exudes elegance with her fashion choices.

And Rosamund Pike stayed true to her sartorial flair on Thursday as she attended British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman's leaving party at London's Dock Kitchen.

The 38-year-old actress looked glowing in a dusky pink trapeze dress with delicate laser-cut floral embroidery.

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Pretty in pink: Rosamund Pike stayed true to her sartorial flair on Thursday as she attended British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman's leaving party at London's Dock Kitchen

Looking every inch the English rose, the Gone Girl star added height with a pair of rose pink barely there heels.

She scraped her golden tresses back off her face into an elegant chignon and highlighted her striking features with dewy make-up.

Ever the social butterfly, the A United Kingdom star cosied up to Victoria Beckham at the event.

Looking good: The 38-year-old actress looked glowing in a dusky pink trapeze dress with delicate laser-cut floral embroidery

The Gone Girl star has been promoting her latest movie The United Kingdom.

In her film, she stars with Selma's David Oyelowo in a based-on-a-true-story of a member of the Botswana royal family who returns to rule his African nation with a white English wife at his side.

She's also recently wrapped filming on the as-yet-untitled thriller base don the 1976 Air France hijacking that led to a raid to free hostages at the airport at Entebbe, Uganda, by Israeli special forces.

Pucker up: She shared a warm embrace with Victoria Beckham at the event

The in-demand star has five movies completed and in the can, with three set for release this year: Hostiles with Christian Bale, High Wire Act with Jon Hamm and The Man with the Iron Heart with Mia Wasikowska and Jack O'Connell.

It was announced this week that she has signed on to play war journalist Marie Colvin in a planned biopic.

The veteran correspondent died in 2012 during a rocket attack while covering the siege of Homs in Syria for the U.K.s Sunday Times.
He's rumoured to have split from Channel 10 employee Hannah Scott back in April.

And since the alleged break-up, Kris Smith has been enjoying the single life with fellow bachelor, Sasha Mielczarek, 32.

Continuing their long-running bromance, the 38-year-old posted a picture to Instagram on Thursday in which he is seen smoking a cigar and enjoying a glass of wine.

Enjoying the single life: On Thursday, Kris Smith smoked a cigar and enjoyed a glass of wine during a trip to Queenstown, New Zealand

'Rugged up with red wine and cigars. This is seriously one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to #Queenstown #winter #winterfestival,' he captioned.

Kris layered up with a navy blue jacket for the cold night out.

Staring into the distance, Kris showcased his cigar, however according to gentlemen etiquette websites, held it incorrectly.

Relaxing: Arriving on Thursday, Kris was joined by Bachelorette winner Sasha, who made some social media posts of his own

Bromance: The pair have been enjoying quite to bromance of late

All rugged up: Sharing a black and white image of their night out, Sasha captioned a picture: 'Two of the roughest heads going round but loving every second this beautiful place has to offer'

Arriving on Thursday, Kris was joined by Bachelorette winner Sasha, who made some social media posts of his own.

Sharing a black and white image of their night out, Sasha captioned a picture: 'Two of the roughest heads going round but loving every second this beautiful place has to offer.'

Go the Blues! The friends were also spotted together on Wednesday night at the State of Origin match in Sydney

The friends were also spotted together on Wednesday night at the State of Origin match in Sydney.

Sporting New South Wales attire, the pair appeared to be jovial after having had a few beverages at Mr Wong beforehand.

Kris and Sasha, who were also seen eating Hungry Jack's burgers on Monday, are in New Zealand for Queenstown's Winter Festival which will conclude on Sunday.

Cheat meal! Kris and Sasha were also spotted earlier in the weeks enjoying burgers from Hungry Jack in a food court
Penelope Cruz has revealed she had 'a long conversation' with Donatella Verscae before signing on to play her in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

The Spanish actress, 43, told EW.com that it was 'very important' to her that she have the blessing of the sister of the murdered Italian fashion designer.

'I did have one conversation that was between she and I. I don't want to say the details,' Penelope said. 'I think she knows that the way I'm playing her, that I truly love her and respect her.'

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Got to know each other: Penelope Cruz - left as as Donatella Versace (right) on the set of American Crime Story in May, revealed she sought the designer's permission to play her on TV

Versace's murder by serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Miami in 1997 is the subject of the FX anthology series created by Ryan Murphy that won critical acclaim and awards for its debut season The People v. O.J. Simpson.

And Murphy is already talking up Penelope's performance, likening it to the way Sarah Paulson portrayed O.J. prosecutor Marcia Clark on screen last year.

'Penelope's portrayal is very real and human. I think Penelope is to Donatella what Sarah is to Marcia Clark,' the showrunner told EW.

Close as can be: Donatella is the sister of Gianni Versace who was murdered in Miami in 1997. The pair are pictured in 1996

Empathetic: The Spanish actress said she had 'a long conversation' with Donatella, adding: 'I think she knows that the way I'm playing her, that I truly love her and respect her'

The actress also helped secure a change to the material after Donatella expressed concern about her children's privacy.

'She didn't want her children to be characters in the show or exploited, and I understood that, so we removed that element,' Murphy explained.

In ACS, Gianni is played by Edgar Ramirez with Ricky Martin as his lover Antonio D'Amico.

Glee alum Darren Criss plays Cunanan, who shot dead the designer on the steps of his South Beach and then 10 days later killed himself as law enforcement closed in on him.

A third season of American Crime Story will deal with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath and a fourth season is also in the works about the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal.
He's the wisecracking jokester on The Kyle & Jackie O Show known as 'Intern Pete'.

And Peter Deppeler was up to his old tricks on Friday, attempting to play 'The Floor Is Lava' with disgraced businessman Oliver Curtis upon his release from jail in Cooma.

The radio personality was part of a media pack awaiting Oliver and did his best to lighten the frenzied mood with the popular childhood game.

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Childish: KIIS FM's Intern Pete was up to his old tricks on Friday, attempting to play 'The Floor Is Lava' with disgraced businessman Oliver Curtis upon his release from jail in Cooma

Pete approached Oliver, who completed his 12-month prison sentence for an insider trading conviction, as he walked out of the Cooma Correctional Centre.

'How does it feel to be free Ollie?' he asked the father of two, who quickly rushed towards his awaiting vehicle flanked by security guards.

'Welcome back to the country,' Pete quipped, in possible reference to Oliver's wife Roxy Jacenko telling their children he was away in China during his prison sentence.

'How does it feel to be free Ollie?' he asked the father of two, who quickly rushed towards his awaiting vehicle flanked by security guards

'Welcome back to the country,' Pete quipped, in possible reference to Oliver's wife Roxy Jacenko telling their children he was away in China during his prison sentence

He then attempted to squeeze in a number of references to update Oliver on pop culture highlights during his time away from society.

'While you've been in lock-up, fidget spinners are the big thing, Sophie Monk is the new Bachelorette - and the floor is lava, by the way!' he yelled.

'The floor is lava!' he repeated, as Oliver ignored him and opened the door to a black Range Rover with a driver whisking him to the local airport.

'While you've been in lock-up, fidget spinners are the big thing, Sophie Monk is the new Bachelorette - and the floor is lava, by the way!' he yelled

'The floor is lava!' he repeated, as Oliver ignored him and opened the door to a black Range Rover with a driver whisking him to the local airport

'The Floor Is Lava' is a childhood game where people have only five seconds to jump onto the closest surface off the ground.

Pete has played the prank on his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson and numerous celebrities, including Prince Harry, during interviews.

'Welcome back to real life mate!' Pete gestured to Oliver before he was quickly driven away to Cooma airport.
Kate Winslet was all ready to do an extreme scene, shot inside the wreckage of a jets fuselage  with a mountain lion  but the studio bosses would not hear of it, deeming it way too dangerous.

The Academy Award-winning actress wanted there to be more of a confrontation between her character and the cougars featured in The Mountain Between Us, an epic love story about two strangers (Winslet and Idris Elba) who survive a plane crash in remote mountains and must then survive the wilderness.

The picture is as intense as Leonardo DiCaprios The Revenant, but its contemporary  and theres no bear to battle.

Kate Winslet stars with Idris Elba in The Mountain Between Us, an epic love story about two strangers who survive a plane crash in remote mountains and must then survive the wilderness

The mountain lion scene in director Hany Abu-Assads feature shows the beasts prowling around the fuselage at the crash site. They never let the lion into the plane while I was in there, Kate told me.

I was up for it. But the studio was like: No! It is not going to happen.

Kates husband Ned Rocknroll was not keen either. The day before the sequence was filmed, she had showed him the next days Call Sheet, which bore an image of a mountain lion.

It had a warning which read Cougars on set today. Nobody wear red. No loud noises. No food or drink on set.

He thought it was a joke, Kate told me. And I said, Its not a joke. He did not want those lions close to me at all.

But Winslet said there was no way she was going to allow herself to be mollycoddled during filming, while a stunt double did all the risky stuff.

The film-makers were going to use a stunt double for another tricky scene, involving a plunge into icy water. The problem was that she didnt look anything like me, Kate said. And it would have meant that Hany wouldnt have been able to get a close up of her face. They had a wet and dry suit for her; but nothing for me.

The Academy Award-winning actress wanted there to be more of a confrontation between her character and the cougars featured in the film

The star of the classic Titanic movie told them: This is what I do  Im the water girl!

In the end, she was allowed to do that scene, and the result is powerfully effective.

We did have lots of quite scary things to do, Kate admitted of the filming, in Pemberton, British Columbia.

Our coldest day was minus 38 celsius. You got out of the car and immediately the insides of your nostrils would freeze.

But she loved working on the film (scheduled for release here on October 6)  and working with leading man Idris, who plays a surgeon to her Guardian columnist.

The film differs enormously from Charles Martins soppier source novel. Alex, the heroine, faces more ordeals on screen than on the page, and is equal to the challenge.

Winslet said there was no way she was going to allow herself to be mollycoddled during filming, while a stunt double did all the risky stuff

Alex, she said, has reached the point where shes thrown caution out the window. Her philosophy now is: We have to give ourselves a chance to survive here!

We like a bit of female strength, Kate laughed. Its always lovely to see women on film taking the initiative.

Sounds a bit like the 41-year-old sitting before me in a suite at the Soho Hotel in a thrown together black suit and caramel silk blouse (a combination of Zara and Michael Kors).

she concurred: You take on board the risk you are taking, and I think: Yeah, if it were me, I think Id rather do something than nothing.

Mountain safety experts checked out the snowy terrain she and Idris were to walk on months in advance, because in the film they have to venture onto deep, virgin snow  not slush trampled by the crew. Hany would point and say: Go down there . . . that way!

The mountain safety guys were good, so it was pretty safe to venture out. But Id be thinking: Where would I run to, if theres an avalanche? 

Hany Abu-Assad told me the chemistry between his two stars was extraordinary.

He said that he cast Idris after another actor wanted to make the film on a studio sound stage.

I didnt want a wimp, the director said. I wanted a man. So I cast Idris. And then we got Kate, who is fearless. They go well together.

Kate shot The Mountain Between Us after starring in Woody Allens latest, Wonder Wheel. In that one, she plays Ginny, a waitress in a clam restaurant on Coney Island in Brooklyn during the Fifties, who becomes friendly with a lifeguard (played by Justin Timberlake).

Im hearing great things about the film  and Kates performance in particular.

No wonder Wonder Wheel is opening smack in the middle of awards season this winter.
He spent the last week luxuriating on James Packer's super-yacht in Bora Bora with his new girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough, 33.

And Karl Stefanovic, 43, showed off his tropical tan on Friday when he returned to work, as he slammed Australian politicians for taking winter breaks.

Karl made the comments during a discussion with journalist Ross Coulthart about the recent 2 per cent wage increase given to federal politicians this week.

He's back! Karl Stefanovic, 43, showed off his tropical tan on Friday when he returned to work after his holiday with girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough as he slammed Australian politicians for taking winter breaks

'This is a bit of a bill to swallow for the taxpayer, but do you think pollies paid enough?' asked Karl, who sported a golden tan from his getaway.

Ross responded by arguing that the pay rise is justified, saying: 'I don't think we understand just how hard they work. I think they're worth the money,' responded Ross, in part.

'Now they're going on a winter break though. They don't work that hard, do they Ross?' Karl interjected.

Meanwhile, breakfast TV host Karl earns nearly $3 million a year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

He has enjoyed two romantic getaways with his new squeeze Jasmine, including their recent trip to Bora Bora and his week-long break trip to Mexico in April.

He also took an extended Christmas break this year, during which time he holidayed in the US for six weeks.

The world is his oyster! He has also enjoyed several romantic getaways with his new squeeze Jasmine this year

He's a jet-setter! He spent the last week luxuriating on James Packer's super-yacht in Bora Bora with his new girlfriend

Living it up! Jasmin was spotted riding on a jet ski during her lavish Bora Bora adventure with Karl

Lazy days! Jasmine shared this Instagram snap during her lavish trip to Bora Bora with Karl

It was after this time, the newly-separated father-of-three was spotted getting cosy on a yacht with his new model girlfriend Jasmine.

Last week, Karl's mystery disappearance during the Today show mid-episode left viewers confused.

The Sunday Telegraph soon reported that Karl's sudden 'disappearance' was a 'well-orchestrated plot' to avoid paparazzi as he boarded a flight to Auckland en route to Bora Bora.

At the time, a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Karl is on leave for the next few days. He will be back on air at the end of next week. Ben Fordham will be filling in for him.'

At the time, a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Karl is on leave for the next few days. He will be back on air at the end of next week. Ben Fordham will be filling in for him.'
She's arguably one of the most sought after supermodels in the world.

And Kate Moss proved she was multi-talented as she attended the launch of Calvin Klein's Obsessed perfume at London's Spencer House with Mario Sorrenti.

The British model, 43, slipped her clotheshorse figure into a loose pink frock, leading a star-studded arrival of guests.

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Star-studded: Kate Moss proved she was multi-talented as she attended the launch of Calvin Klein's Obsessed perfume launch with Mario Sorrenti

Showcasing her tanned and toned legs she elongated them with a pair of black killer heels.

Swamping her petite physique, the loose batwing frock skimmed her lithe figure, and she teamed it with a sprinkling of delicate accessories.

Wearing her blonde tresses in loose waves around her face, the mother-of-one accentuated her almond-shaped eyes with statement eyeliner.

Model behaviour: The British model, 43, slipped her clothes horse figure into a loose pink frock, leading a star-studded arrival of guests

Fellow models: Winnie Harlow also supported her model pal Kate at the event which celebrates the modelling icon's latest collaboration with photographer Mario Sorrenti

Joining her in hosting the event was famed photographer Mario Sorrenti, who looked dapper in a blazer and jeans.

Her appearance comes as blossoming model Lottie Moss, Kate's half sister, admitted she looks up to the iconic clothes horse.

Speaking in an interview with Tings, she said: 'I just hope that I can become half as successful as she is.'

Leggy: Showcasing her tanned and toned legs she elongated them with a pair of black killer heels

Statuesque: The pair certainly stood out at the glitzy event

Playing the model: Joining her in hosting the event was famed photographer Mario Sorrenti, who looked dapper in a blazer and jeans

But despite Kate's stratospheric success, Lottie said she doesn't feel pressured by her legacy.

She said: 'My sister and I are two different people and she is on her path and I am on my own.'

Kate has worked in the modelling industry for almost four decades and has graced the cover of British Vogue 30 times.

Fashion bash: Winnie supported her model pal Kate at the event which celebrates the modelling icon's latest collaboration with photographer Mario Sorrenti

She's in fashion: Her modesty was preserved by a nude layer underneath sheer black, but the cut still flaunted her amazing body

Looking fab: Winnie showcased her trim figure in the tight-fitting number

Lottie was signed to Storm models at the tender age of 13, a year younger than Kate was when she was discovered.

Meanwhile fellow model Winnie Harlow also supported her model pal Kate at the event which celebrates the modelling icon's latest collaboration with photographer Mario Sorrenti.

The two originally teamed up for Calvin Klein for its Obsession scent released in 1993, and now they've collaborated on the campaign for two new Calvin fragrances, Obsessed for Women and Obsessed for Men.

Racy: The beauty looked sensational in a black crochet jumpsuit as she posed up a storm at the event held at Spencer House in London

Strike a pose: Winnie Harlow stole the spotlight at the Kate Moss & Mario Sorrenti launch of the OBSESSED Calvin Klein fragrance on Thursday night, thanks to her racy choice of outfit

Suave: Back at the event Brooklyn Beckham also joined the festivities, showing off his unique style

The beauty looked sensational in a black crochet jumpsuit as she posed up a storm at the event held at Spencer House in London.

Winnie showcased her trim figure in the tight-fitting number.

Her modesty was preserved by a nude layer underneath sheer black, but the cut still flaunted her amazing body.

A pair of strappy heels and sleek loose locks were the finishing touches.

It's been an exciting month for Winnie, who picked up the Editor's Award at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards two weeks ago.

Stylish teen: Donning a denim jacket, black skinny jeans and biker boots, he posed alongside guests at the bash

Branching out: Brooklyn, 18, has recently released his debut photography book, giving fans a glimpse of his family life

The model gave an emotional acceptance speech, where she thanked her mother for her guidance, revealing their close bond after her siblings were 'incarcerated.'

'I'm super nervous. Winning this was one of my awards this year. I'm honoured, grateful, humbled and blessed to win this iconic award,' she told the a-list crowd.

'I was raised by a very strong single mother. My siblings I was supposed to be looking up to were incarcerated. I've been living in London for almost a year now, thank you for accepting me and welcoming me.'

Al-white! Emma Weymouth (L) and MIC's Mark-Francis Vandelli also attended the event

Taking tips? The aspiring photographer gave himself some down time to enjoy the night's festivities, before attempting to make a low-key exit

Checkmate! Joshua Kane showed off his unique dandy style in a three-piece checked suit

Back at the event Brooklyn Beckham also joined the festivities, showing off his unique style.

Donning a denim jacket, black skinny jeans and biker boots, he posed alongside guests at the bash.

Brooklyn, 18, has recently released his debut photography book, giving fans a glimpse of his family life.

And the aspiring photographer gave himself some down time to enjoy the night's festivities, before attempting to make a low-key exit.

Shy? Brooklyn appeared shy as he left the bash with his minder

Get off! He looked to be asserting his independence as he left the bash

Tat's not cool! His inked up bodyguard kept a reassuring hand on his arm

Boys: The duo headed towards their car as they called an end to the night

Making the sidewalk her catwalk: Winnie posed for photographers outside the venue

Turning heads: She got onlookers attention as she left the bash

Pretty in purple: Betty Bachz looked stunning in a lilac gown

Groomed gang: Betty posed with Mark Francis Vandelli and Emma Weymouth

Chic: Emma looked stunning in a plunging white jumpsuit

Having a laugh: Emma and Mark laughed together as they posed for photos

Strike a pose: Emma and Mark looked stunning as they worked their sophisticated ensembles

Cool pair: Francesca Merricks and Joshua Kane went for gothic glamour
He's the Australian wildlife warrior who was tragically killed by a stingray in 2006.

And now Steven Irwin's legacy will be immortalised in a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His family, including wife Terri, daughter Bindi and son Robert, shared a video of themselves receiving the exciting news to social media on Friday.

Lovely news: Steven Irwin's legacy will be immortalised in a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The news was announced by his family on Friday

The family watched on a laptop as they received the news, standing around one of Steve's old Utes while on their conservation property in Western Queensland.

Terri, Robert and Bindi were clearly ecstatic at the news, with the video showing the trio letting out an excited cry before embracing each other.

Robert, 13, exclaims 'that's amazing!' while Bindi, 18, and Terri, 52, scream and jump in excitement.

Exciting: The trio stood around one of Steve's old Utes as they received the news via a video on a laptop

Bindi informs the camera 'Dad's getting a star on the walk of fame!' while Terri can be seen throwing her hands in the air and is noticeably in shock.

'I can't believe it,' the startled mother-of-two says, as emus in the background appeared curious of the commotion.

She jokes, 'He's going to Hollywood!' before embracing her two children around the shoulders.

Proud family: Bindi informs the camera 'Dad's getting a star on the walk of fame!' while Terri can be seen throwing her hands in the air and is noticeably in shock

A shocked Bindi adds, 'that's so exciting, can you believe it?'

Terri shared the touching video to her Twitter, captioning it 'someone I love is a star...'

While Bindi posted an old picture of herself and her father to her Instagram with the news.

Wildlife legend: His children wrote touching tributes on their respective Instagram accounts after receiving the news

'I am beyond excited to share with you all that we have just received the news that Dad will be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,' she wrote in caption alongside it.

'Dad changed the world by reaching out to people through their television screens to bring them on the adventure of a lifetime. To have his name on a Hollywood Star means the world as we carry on his important work.'

Robert also shared the clip, writing: 'I am so proud of my dad getting a star on the walk of fame in Hollywood.

Touching moment: Terri joked 'He's going to Hollywood!' before embracing her two children around the shoulders

'He was the the best conservationist and inspired so many people and he was also the greatest dad in the world. I am so excited that everything he loved and was passionate about will carry on,' he added.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced the 2018 honorees Thursday and the list also includes Jennifer Lawrence, Jack Black, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Hamill, Nick Nolte and Zoe Saldana among film stars.

Television stars who will be honored include Gillian Anderson, Lynda Carter, Simon Cowell, Taraji P. Henson, Mandy Patinkin and Shonda Rhime along with Steve.

Carrie Underwood, Mary J. Blige, Richard Branson, Petula Clark, Harry Connick Jr., Ice T, Snoop Dogg and 'Weird Al' Yankovic will be the recording artists honored with sidewalk stars.
She is due to give birth to her first child in November.

And Ferne McCann looked every inch the glowing mother-to-be as she left a yoga session at DW Fitness in Essex.

The former TOWIE star, 26, covered her blossoming baby bump with a pink sweatshirt tied around her waist as she showed off her lithe legs in skintight leggings.

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Looking good: Ferne McCann looked every inch the glowing mother-to-be as she left a yoga session at DW Fitness in Essex

The brunette beauty seemed to be in relaxed spirits as she strolled to her car with a purple yoga mat tucked under her arm.

Looking casual for the fitness session, she styled her chestnut locks in tousled waves and wore minimal make-up.

Rocking a pair of monochrome leggings, she opted for comfort in her footwear with sleek black and white trainers.

The reality star turned presenter completed the look with a navy marl vest and a smattering of tasteful gold jewellery.

Yummy mummy to be: The former TOWIE star, 26, covered her blossoming baby bump with a pink sweatshirt tied around her waist as she showed off her lithe legs in skintight leggings

Gym bunny: The brunette beauty looked to be in relaxed spirits as she strolled to her car with a purple yoga mat tucked under her arm

Looking casual: She styled her chestnut locks in tousled waves and wore minimal make-up

Ferne previously revealed that she was expecting her first child with her ex-beau Arthur Collins under stressful circumstances.

He was arrested and charged with 14 counts of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and one count of throwing corrosive fluid on a person with intent to do grievous bodily harm in connection with the acid attack in London nightspot Mangle.

She said she was 'initially shocked' by her pregnancy and admitted she was 'devastated' by the events that had unfolded with her former flame but has vowed to do the best for her baby.

Mane attraction: She ran a hand through her brown hair which was styled in tousled waves

Lowkey outing: She appeared to be in relaxed spirits as she headed back to her car

Where's your bump? She seemed coy about showing off her tummy, which she kept covered up in layers

Former flames: Ferne is expecting her first child with her ex-beau Arthur Collins, who has been arrested in connection with an acid attack in London nightclub Mangle

Speaking to OK! magazine, she divulged: 'Initially I was devastated. What I had planned and was getting excited about had disappeared in a matter of moments.

'It was so hard to deal with what happened, but then I realised it was not about me but about my child. Ill do my best for my baby.

A harrowing time for the Essex beauty, she continued to discuss her tumultuous time and insisted that her hormones have added to her emotional state.

Candid: She said she was 'initially shocked' by her pregnancy and 'devastated' by the events that had unfolded with her former flame but has vowed to do the best for her baby

Honest: She said: 'It was so hard to deal with what happened, but then I realised it was not about me but about my child. Ill do my best for my baby

Opening up: A harrowing time for the Essex beauty, she continued to discuss her tumultuous time and insisted that her hormones have added to her emotional state

Revealing all: She added: 'There are times I feel emotional. Not in a negative way, like Im feeling really sad, but my hormones are all over the place. But I never feel lonely as I have my baby'

She added: 'There are times I feel emotional. Not in a negative way, like Im feeling really sad, but my hormones are all over the place. But I never feel lonely as I have my baby.

'I thoroughly intend to bring up my baby as a single mum like many other women have done in the past. And I will do my best for this baby as a single mum.'

Despite showcasing her courage, Ferne revealed she finds herself constantly reflecting on the events of the past two months which leave her in floods of tears.

'Just sitting here talking about it makes me feel emotional, just contemplating what a life-changing experience Ive been through,' she confessed. 'I have shed tears, but I always try and keep it to myself  although I do usually wear my heart on my sleeve.

'But because of the situation Im in, I have tried to keep those moments to myself. I could burst into tears right now.'

It's Ladies Day! The reality star seemed ready to put her woes behind her as she got dressed up for Royal Ascot on Thursday

Double trouble: She joined forces with her former TOWIE co-star Billie Faiers

Fun in the sun: Billie rested a protective hand over Ferne's baby bump as they posed at the famous racecourse

Ready for their close up: The two reality stars perfected their pouts for a sultry selfie
Every day for the past year, the government of Bahrain has shut off the internet in Duraz between 7PM and 1AM, making this the longest internet shutdown in the history of the region, and one of the longest internet shutdowns in world history.



Deji from Accessnow writes, "The internet shutdown in Duraz is a pernicious, highly technical (and disguised) form of a shutdown. This is happening in the middle of the Gulf crisis, amidst a crackdown on rights activists. The UN Human Rights Council has condemned the practice of shutdowns and internet companies and telcos around the world have spoken out against them through the Global Network Initiative."





Our research revealed the presence of a device on Batelco's Internet backbone that disrupts certain Internet traffic to and from Duraz between 7PM and 1AM, while leaving other traffic undisrupted. We concluded that it is possible that the disruptions were a result of a Service Restriction Order (SRO) from the Bahrain Government. The disruption was part of the systematic security siege of the village following protests that began on 20 June 2016 after the government revoked the nationality of prominent Shia cleric Sh. Isa Qassim. Protesters remained on the streets outside his home for almost one year until the Ministry of Interior (MoI) led an armed operation on 23 May 2017 to disperse the protests. We have verified that the internet disruption has been carried out every day since 23 June 2016, marking one year of nightly internet disruptions.



Bahrain Internet Shutdown Hits One Year Mark, Longest in Region's History

[Bahrain Watch]
She is doting mother to two adorable sons, Rocket Zot, two, and Racer, seven months.

And Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) was photographed for the first time with both of her boys while spending family time with her mother Sharon Bingle recently.

The clan were dressed casually as they strolled the streets of New York City where Lara is based with her husband, actor Sam Worthington.

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Bonding: Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) was recently seen enjoying family time with her mother Sharon Bingle and lookalike sons Rocket Zot, two, and Racer, seven months

The Cronulla-born beauty had her hands full with the tots, who although almost two years apart in age, bear a striking resemblance to each other.

Rocket Zot, affectionately named after Lara's late father's nickname, walked proudly beside his brother's stroller as the trio was spotted enjoying a day out together.

At one stage the hands-on mum scooped the toddler up with one arm as she masterfully pushed Racer's pram with the other.

Family ties: Rocket Zot, affectionately named after Lara's late father's nickname, walked proudly beside his brother's stroller as the trio was spotted enjoying a day out together

Doting: At one stage the hands-on mum scooped the toddler up with one arm as she masterfully pushed Racer's pram with the other

Low-key: The model and her family were dressed casually as they strolled the streets of New York City where Lara is based with her husband, actor Sam Worthington

Day out: The clan enjoyed a day out in New York City and the boys were pictured together for the first time

The trio were joined by Lara's mother Sharon, dressed in a comfortable ensemble of white T-shirt, black leggings and sneakers and a cross-body bag.

The doting grandmother came to the aid of her stunning daughter, who flaunted her svelte figure in an all-black athleisure outfit.

She assisted Lara in a variety of ways, including holding Rocket Zot and then pushing Racer's stroller while Lara held onto the two-year-old.

Assistance: The trio were joined by Lara's mother Sharon, dressed in a comfortable ensemble of white t-shirt, black leggings and sneakers and a cross-body bag

Helping hand: The doting grandmother came to the aid of her stunning daughter, who flaunted her svelte figure in an all-black athleisure outfit

Mum's the word: She assisted Lara in a variety of ways, including holding Rocket Zot and then pushing Racer's stroller while Lara held onto the two-year-old

Casual: The mother and daughter duo cut low-key figures and went makeup-free for a no-fuss day out with the children

The mother and daughter duo cut low-key figures and went makeup free for a no-fuss day out with the children.

They dressed Rocket in the kids version of Vans' popular slip-on shoes, a graphic T-shirt and gray cotton pants and had his hair tied up in a fashionable topknot.

His little brother Racer laid back in his pram without shoes and was outfitted in a long-sleeved white shirt and green pants.

Trendy: They dressed Rocket in the kids version of Vans' popular slip-on shoes, a graphic T-shirt and gray cotton pants and had his hair tied up in a fashionable topknot

Adorable: His little brother Racer laid back in his pram without shoes and was outfitted in a long-sleeved white shirt and green pants

Evolution: The last decade has seen Lara transform from a tabloid fixture to a successful businesswoman and mother

The last decade has seen Lara transform from a tabloid fixture to a successful businesswoman and mother.

The skincare entrepreneur recently told InStyle magazine life is 'much more rich and meaningful' as she reaches 30.

'I've never felt happier. I'm so incredibly excited about entering this new decade of my life,' she told the publication.
They're preparing to move into their newly-remodelled multi-million-dollar waterfront mansion in Sydney.

And it seems Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall's lavish abode will have plenty of space should the genetically-blessed couple start a family.

Appearing on Today Extra on Friday, the 33-year-old model hinted at baby plans, admitting there 'is a room that could be' a nursery.

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Baby on the way? Jennifer Hawkins has hinted she could start a family with husband Jake Wall 'one day' during an appearance on Today Extra on Friday

Jen's comments came after host Sonia Kruger asked 'Is there a nursery?' while discussing the model's new home in Pittwater.

The blonde bombshell also added that she will become a mother 'one day'.

Speaking of her building project, the former Miss Universe Australia admitted she 'can't wait to move in' to the house, which has taken over three years to complete.

Maybe baby: The 33-year-old model admitted there is 'a room that could be' a nursery in her newly-built home in Pittwater, Sydney

'It has taken a long time. It's a big build,' the Myer ambassador stated on Friday.

'But it's exciting and it's going to be our home,' she added.

Earlier this week, the couple took to Instagram to share sneak peeks of their sprawling pad.

Exciting times: The blonde bombshell is making final preparations to move into her new lavish pad with beau Jake

How the other half live: Earlier this week, the couple shared photos of what their new home will look like once the renovations are complete

Stunning: The property was purchased by the couple for $4million in 2014 and has been re-imagined into their dream home

Uninterrupted views: The waterfront property boasts a pool, a four-car garage with lift, a home theatre as well as a gym

Posting images from Jake's construction company J Group Projects' account, the pair showed the progress made on the multi-storey property.

The spacious home boasts a four-car garage with lift, a home theatre as well as a gym.

Another impressive feature is the wet-edge pool with a sandstone border, which will provide the homeowners with an unbroken view of a glistening harbour littered with boats.

'It has taken a long time. It's a big build,' said Jen, adding that she 'can't wait' to move in

The couple purchased the property in the affluent Sydney suburb for $4million in 2014.

They married in June 2013 in front of a reported 50 guests in Bali at Uluwatu's luxury Semara resort.

The gorgeous couple first met prior to Jen being crowned Miss Universe in 2004 and dated for eight years before saying 'I do'.

Jake, who runs his property development company with his model wife, proposed during a romantic holiday to New Zealand in December 2010.
Hampstead (12A)

Verdict: Flawed but watchable comedy

Rating:

The Graduate (12A)

Verdict: An all-time great

Rating:

Romantics  and estate agents  like to peddle the myth that London is less a city than a collection of villages.

The notion suits filmmakers, too, from the classic Ealing comedy Passport To Pimlico via Richard Curtis's Notting Hill to this week's release Hampstead, which conspicuously attempts to celebrate London's NW3 postcode area as Curtis did W11.

Unfortunately, it just as conspicuously fails. To plunder an old line from the comedian Arnold Brown, the neighbourhood, populated mainly by pompous men and prissy women, simply comes over as NW twee.

An American widow called Emily (Diane Keaton) and Donald (Brendan Gleeson) star in Hampstead

On the subject of plunder, Hampstead also pinches a Notting Hill-style plot. It is a romantic comedy based on an improbable and secretive liaison, in this case not between an American movie star and a floppy-haired English bookseller but a genteel, cash-strapped American widow called Emily (Diane Keaton), and Donald, a hairy Irish recluse (Brendan Gleeson) living in a clearing on Hampstead Heath.

Now, I don't mind admitting that I've been slightly in love with Keaton ever since Annie Hall. Who hasn't? And I'm a great admirer of Gleeson  such a charismatic actor. I'm also rather fond of Hampstead, having cut my teeth as a journalist, almost 30 years ago, on the local paper there. So I was more than ready to be delighted by this film, and I tried, I really tried, to locate its charms.

But they are frustratingly well hidden beneath a barrage of forced whimsy, silly stereotypes and the most irritating score I've heard for ages, a maddeningly jaunty refrain that feels like being slapped around the ears with a wet jokebook.

I should add that Keaton and Gleeson are absolved of all blame. They are both splendid and it's possible to enjoy their screen rapport even if the relationship between Emily and Donald stretches credibility well beyond snapping point. It's also lovely to see her in precisely the kind of clothes  berets, big cardies  that Annie Hall herself might be wearing 40 years on. In a way, Keaton plays Grannie Hall.

Nonetheless, director Joel Hopkins and writer Rob Festinger are jointly guilty of wasting a golden opportunity. Hampstead could, should, have been a sweet romcom for the hip-replacement generation. Alas, the romance is unconvincing and on the whole the comedy has all the bright effervescence of pond water.

The film was inspired by the true story of Harry Hallowes who, in 2007, after squatting on the Heath for 20-odd years, was eventually granted the title deeds to his little plot of land, becoming a multi-millionaire overnight. The character's love affair with an American widow, so far as I know, is entirely fictitious. But there's no reason fact and fiction should blend as uneasily as they do here.

The new film pinches a Notting Hill-style plot (pictured Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in the 1999 hit film)

Emily lives opposite the Heath in a smart mansion block, though her unmourned adulterous husband has left her with a mountain of debt. She is patronised by just about everyone, from her faintly creepy adult son (James Norton) to the ridiculous coven of middle-aged shrews who live in her building, led by Lesley Manville's ghastly bossyboots, Fiona.

Perhaps feeling threatened by Emily's single status, Fiona tries to pair her off with her sex-starved accountant, James, played for purely comedic effect by Jason Watkins in what looks suspiciously like another rip-off from Richard Curtis films, where there is usually one character designed just to milk laughs. Here, alas, laughs come there none.

Emily strings him along, because he's sorting out her accounts for free in the hope of what he would doubtless call a spot of rumpy-pumpy, being that sort of chap.

But romantically she only has eyes for hairy Donald; literally so, having been alerted to his existence with the benefit of a pair of binoculars, even though he's been living for yonks in a shack behind a few trees, just yards from her front door.

When Emily summons the police after spying Donald being beaten up by thugs, a gentle courtship unfolds  lady and the tramp. Now, I can't claim to know many shack-dwelling hermits, but I'd have thought personal hygiene might be an issue.

Not for Donald, happily. He is irreproachably presentable, with a vegetable patch Monty Don might envy. So, of course, we are meant to feel his outrage when rapacious property developers, spearheaded by bossy Fiona's husband, decide to have him evicted.

Local placard-wavers promptly make him their latest fashionable cause and, in a court case, a judge (Simon Callow, almost inevitably) rules in his favour.

Ironically, it is then Emily, not Donald, who is compelled to move. The poor thing is so on her uppers that she is forced to take her Grannie Hall wardrobe to a gloriously-appointed cottage, in a picture-postcard setting on the banks of the Thames.

That's the kind of film this is, but I'm still awarding it three stars. It has just enough virtues to make it watchable, and I'm all for romcoms involving folk at the latter end of those five stages of life  lager, Aga, Saga, Viagra and gaga (a very NW3 joke).

 For a masterclass in how to mix comedy and romance with genuine pathos, not to mention really great music, all filmmakers and for that matter everyone else should seek out the shiny new 50th anniversary restoration of The Graduate.

I should think a sizeable majority of people who love Mike Nichols' 1967 generation-gap comedy  about 21-year-old college-leaver Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), who is seduced by his parents' friend Mrs Robinson (Anne Bancroft) before falling for her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross)  have only ever seen it on TV.

The 1967 film The Graduate tells the story of 21-year-old college-leaver Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman, right), who is seduced by his parents' friend Mrs Robinson (Anne Bancroft) before falling for her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross, left)

But it's wonderful to be reminded that Nichols made it for the silver screen, where his genius shines from every frame.

It is simply a perfect movie, and it's hard to believe, watching Hoffman's exquisitely nuanced performance as the angst-ridden Ben, that it marked the actor's film debut. Mind you, Bancroft almost steals his show.

Nichols wanted Doris Day before he hired Bancroft, who turns the embittered, alcoholic, destructive but ineffably sexy Mrs Robinson into one of the cinema's great femme fatales.

All that, and Simon and Garfunkel, too. They really don't make 'em like this any more.
She recently opened up about how she has been battling the ageing process.

And it seems Courteney Cox may have overdone it after she was spotted hobbling along with the aid of a crutch as she stepped out with her daughter in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The 53-year-old Friends favourite's right knee was heavily bandaged as she limped along next to her girl Coco Arquette after a trip to the cinema.

Upwardly mobile: Courteney Cox was spotted hobbling alongside her daughter in LA Thursday

The Cougar Town star looked in fine form, besides her injury, in a pretty black floral dress.

Courteney, who in the past has boasted of a workout regime that includes cardio exercise, weight training, running, hiking and Pilates, perhaps strained her knee while partaking in one of her gruelling sessions.

She was joined by her elegant 13-year-old daughter Coco, whose father is her former husband David Arquette, who seemed more interested in her mobile phone than her mother's injury.

The actress, whose career artistic high watermark was starring in 1987 classic Masters of the Universe, has just revealed she has sworn off getting any more injections into her famous face.

She told New Beauty magazine: 'Ive had all my fillers dissolved. I feel better because I look like myself.'

Fitness fanatic: She may have overdone it while partaking in her gruelling training regime

Courteney crocked: But she stoically strode on with the help of her walking aid

What injury: In typical teenage fashion Coco seemed more interested in her mobile phone

Natural beauty: She has just revealed she has sworn off getting any more filler injections

Ahoy there: Courteney certainly proved she could play a female version of Long John Silver in a remake of Treasure Island

'I think that I now look more like the person that I was (before adjustments). I hope I do.

'Things are going to change. Everything's going to drop. I was trying to make it not drop, but that made me look fake.'

The actress also claimed it made a gradual foray into facial injection, with what started as a little turning into a lot.

She said: 'The next thing you know, you're layered and layered. You have no idea because it's gradual until you go, 'Oh, s***, this doesn't look right.'

Courteney walks: But in a miraculous moment she ditched her aid and started walking

Making it look easy: Her walking form was stellar despite her lack of a crutch

Dinner date: Courteney Cox dined at Palm Restaurant that evening
They love nothing more than expressing their admiration for each other in endless social media posts.

And it seems Natasha Oakley, 26, and Devin Brugman, 27, have taken their friendship to the next level, flaunting not only matching swimwear, but matching tattoos in their latest Instagram snap from their Italian getaway.

The stunning bikini models pose hand in hand with their identical love heart tattoos on full display.

Matching everything: Natasha Oakley and Devlin Brugman match their swimwear, sunnies and love-heart tattoos in cupid Italian Instagram snap

Flashing their immaculate pearly whites, the beauties also appear to be wearing matching sunglasses.

The pair, who share the massively successful bikini blog, A Bikini A Day, stood poolside at Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo.

They show off their ample assets and bronzed skin during a perfectly sunny day in Taormina.

Bikini clad: The duo have flaunted their ample bosoms and bronzed limbs in a series of shots taken while holidaying in Italy

Devin's voluptuous cleavage was barely contained by triangle top and it seemed her clleavage even caught the attention of her bestie.

She wore high waisted bottoms that were pulled up high to reach her belly button.

The brunette let her shoulder-length locks fall naturally as she placed a hand on the top of her leg.

All smiles: The girls dazzle with their matching pearly whites and ample cleavage

Natasha opted for hip-riding bottoms for her white two-piece, which she looked to be adjusting as the picture was being taking.

She accessorised with a delicate silver necklace that dangled down her chest, drawing even more attention to her cleavage.

In her caption, Natasha offered an explanation of the match-up, 'If you came all the way to Italy to see me then we might as well match...,' she said.
She revealed her pet pooch Maggie had been left paralysed from illness in mid-2016.

And Lisa Wilkinson showed Today viewers how well her prized boxer pup was doing on Friday, in celebration of 'Take Your Dog To Work Day'.

The 57-year-old's beloved dog made a special appearance during a segment on the morning show with veterinary doctor Katrina Warren.

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Puppy love: Lisa Wilkinson showed Today viewers how well her prized boxer pup was doing on Friday, in celebration of 'Take Your Dog To Work Day'

'Today just may be my favourite day of the year [because] it's Take Your Dog To Work Day,' the veteran journalist announced.

'Everybody has been kindly asking after her [and] she's doing really well,' she added.

Maggie was left paralysed at 11 weeks old when she unexpectedly fell ill and was infected with a deadly parasite, leaving her to walk assisted in a device with wheels.

'Today just may be my favourite day of the year [because] it's Take Your Dog To Work Day,' the veteran journalist announced

Fighter: Maggie was left paralysed at 11 weeks old when she unexpectedly fell ill and was infected with a deadly parasite, leaving her to walk assisted in a device with wheels

During the segment, Dr. Katrina Warren, who met Maggie shortly after her paralysis was diagnosed, observed the canine's marked improvement.

The vet also described how bringing pet dogs to work can benefit employees.

'[Dogs] bring smiles to everybody and lift the spirits of the workplace,' she explained.

'[Dogs] bring smiles to everybody and lift the spirits of the workplace,' she explained

'Research also shows people who take their dogs to work actually work longer hours because they're not worried about getting home to their dogs,' she continued.

The pet doctor also stated how simply stroking a pooch has a 'calming effect'.

'It can reduce blood pressure and therefore reduces stress,' she reported.
She's the Australian transgender model taking the fashion world by storm.

And on Thursday, Andreja Pejic turned heads as she posed up a storm at the New York film premiere of The Beguiled.

The 25-year-old showed off her quirky style in a sheer pink mini-dress that showcased her trim pins and slender physique.

Frilly: On Thursday, Andreja Pejic turned heads modelling her best poses at the film premiere of The Beguiled, in New York.

Andreja's white underwear was easily visible through the thin material of her frilly frock.

The dress also featured metallic silver patches and a frilly design around her chest and shoulders.

Keeping the colour scheme consistent, Andreja sported silver sparkly heels and cinched in her waist with a silver belt.

A sheer delight! Wearing a pink mini dress, Andreja's underwear was easily viable through the thin material

The international model accessorised her look with a fuchsia pink clutch.

Letting her statement dress do the talking, Andreja kept her makeup minimal and her blonde locks looking effortless.

Sporting well groomed eyebrows, she donned a luminous and radiant face and opted for a matching pink lip.

Stunner: Sporting well groomed eyebrows, she donned a luminous and radiant face and opted for a matching pink lip

Statement piece: The dress also featured metallic silver patches and a frilly design around her chest and shoulders

This month Andreja became the first transgender woman in history to appear on the cover of GQ Portuagal.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate her moment. the blonde beauty shared what the cover meant to her.

'I'd say this cover represented me getting my long awaited revenge on all those boys who didn't wanna hold hands in public when I was finding out about love for the first time,' she captioned the post.
She's the former Miss Universe Australia known for her incredible figure.

And on Thursday, Renae Ayris looked sensational at the Bondi Beach launch for Ecoya Candles.

Attending the event with her personal trainer boyfriend Andrew Papadopolous, the 26-year-old dressed casually, but made a statement with her racy footwear.

Stunner: On Thursday, Renae Ayris looked sensational at the Bondi Beach launch for Ecoya Candles

Keeping chic and warm, Renae wore an off-the-shoulder striped knit top that showcased her svelte frame and hugged her enviable curves.

She completed her outfit with a pair of skinny jeans tucked into sexy black thigh high boots.

Protecting herself from the Sydney sun, she brought along a pair of sunglasses to the event as well.

Beauty: Keeping chic and warm, Renae wore an off-the-shoulder striped knit top that showcased her svelte frame and hugged her enviable curves

Figure hugging: Renae completed her outfit with a pair of skinny jeans and black knee high boots

Picture perfect: Attending the event with her personal trainer boyfriend Andrew Papadopolous, the 26-year-old dressed casually as she flashed her signature smile for photographers in front of the picturesque beach front setting

Looking radiant, the blonde beauty sported a luminous glow as she posed in front of the media wall.

Keeping her makeup minimal, Renae had her pout coated in a glossy pink lip lacquer and her blue peepers were accentuated with smokey eye shadow.

Andrew also dressed casually for the outing in a grey long sleeved shirt and a pair of black chinos.

Happy couple: Posing together in front of a colourful floral display, Renae held a small hot drink as she smiled happily with her man

Fashion forward: Lifestyle blogger Lisa Clark also attended the event in a chic and stylish ensemble

Posing together in front of a colourful floral display, Renae held a small hot drink as she smiled happily with her man.

Lifestyle blogger Lisa Clark also attended the event in a chic and stylish ensemble.

The brunette former Big Brother star wore a loose white shirt that was half tucked into a pair of distressed boyfriend jeans.

Chic: The brunette beauty wore a loose white shirt that was half tucked into a pair of distressed boyfriend jeans

Stylish: Effortlessly throwing a blazer over her shoulders, she completed her fashion-forward look with a pair of black pumps

Brunette beauty: Lisa accessorised with some round aviators and kept her makeup simple with a pink lip

Effortlessly throwing a blazer over her shoulders, she completed her fashion-forward look with a pair of black pumps.

Lisa accessorised with some round aviators and kept her makeup simple with a pink lip.

27-year-old yogi Caroline Groth also attended the candle launch in a black leather jacket from Neuwdenim.

All black: 27-year-old yogi Caroline Groth also attended the candle launch in a black leather jacket from Neuwdenim

Sporting a full black ensemble, the cancer survivor opted for flat closed toe mules and ripped skinny jeans.

Caroline accessorised with some gold chains and a watch.

Looking effortless in front of the media wall, the Denmark native swept her short blonde hair to one side.

What's so funny? Caroline seemed in good spirits on Thursday, having a laugh for photographers

Brightening it up: Posing alongside abstract artwork in the gallery, the Instagram star looked comfortable as she posed with one hand in her pocket

Caroline seemed in good spirits on Thursday, having a laugh for photographers.

Posing alongside abstract artwork in the gallery, the Instagram star looked comfortable as she posed with one hand in her pocket.

The candle relaunch was held in Bondi's Pacific Building penthouse, which is home to many expensive pieces of art including the large painting of Bondi Beach by Brett Whiteley.
He mysteriously vanished from the Today set halfway through last week's show only to re-emerge in Bora Bora days later.

And on Thursday, Karl Stefanovic was spotted arriving into Sydney airport with his own luggage... as well as girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough's designer clutch and fedora hat in tow.

The 42-year-old was left holding his 33-year-old girlfriend's belongings as he strolled through the terminal following the romantic getaway.

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Back to reality! Karl Stefanovic was spotted arriving back to Sydney following his romantic holiday in Bora Bora, carrying his girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough's designer clutch and hat

Karl sported his usual casual outfit of jeans with a shirt and navy blazer as he stepped off his flight.

Although Jasmine was not pictured with the father-of-three at the airport, the pair had in fact spent the past week holidaying on the Tahitian island.

The new couple were all smiles as they took to the waters of the South Pacific on jet skis in photos published earlier this week.

Helpful boyfriend: The 42-year-old carried his own bag as well as well as his 33-year-old girlfriend's belongings

Reunited in Bora Bora: Karl's return to Sydney comes a week after he jetted off to the Tahitian island to meet up with his model girlfriend (pictured)

The pair beamed as they lapped up the luxuries while holidaying with Karl's billionaire friend James Packer aboard his Arctic P yacht.

Karl disappeared from the Today set to jet off to Bora Bora to meet up with his model girlfriend last week.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Karl's sudden 'disappearance' was a 'well-orchestrated plot' to avoid paparazzi as he boarded a flight to Auckland en route to Bora Bora.

He said what? Returning from his holiday on Friday, Karl took a swipe at politicians for taking a winter break, suggesting they don't 'work that hard'

That's rich: Karl's comment comes just after he left his Today show duties to jet to Bora Bora, where he enjoyed his third break in less than a year

At the time, a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Karl is on leave for the next few days. He will be back on air at the end of next week. Ben Fordham will be filling in for him.'

Meanwhile, on Friday morning, Karl took a swipe at Australia's politicians for taking winter breaks, just as he's returned to work from his third break this year.

Karl made the comments during a discussion with journalist Ross Coulthart about the recent 2 per cent wage increase given to federal politicians this week.

'This is a bit of a bill to swallow for the taxpayer, but do you think pollies paid enough?' asked Karl, who sported a golden tan from his getaway.

Playing games: The Sunday Telegraph reported that Karl's sudden 'disappearance' from the Today show last week was a 'well-orchestrated plot' to avoid paparazzi as he boarded a flight to Auckland en route to Bora Bora to meet Jasmine

Ross responded by arguing that the pay rise is justified, saying: 'I don't think we understand just how hard they work. I think they're worth the money,' responded Ross, in part.

'Now they're going on a winter break though. They don't work that hard, do they Ross?' Karl interjected.

Meanwhile, breakfast TV host Karl earns nearly $3 million a year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

He has enjoyed two romantic getaways with his new love Jasmine, including their recent trip to Bora Bora and his week-long break trip to Mexico in April.

He also took an extended Christmas break this year, during which time he holidayed in the US for six weeks.
Jennifer Hawkins has been busy preparing to move into her newly-remodelled multi-million-dollar waterfront mansion in Sydney.

But the 33-year-old took time out of her busy schedule on Friday to pop into the KIIS FM studios in Sydney.

The leggy beauty looked stunning in a pair of skinny jeans with large rips at the knees.

Blooming: Jennifer Hawkins took time out of her busy schedule on Friday to pop into the KIIS FM studios in Sydney

The smiling beauty teamed the casual denim with a chic blouse with pleated panels, over which she slung a light, pink trench.

Her blonde hair was wore in tousled waves over her shoulders, and a pair of aviator style sunglasses completed the ensemble.

Jen seemed delighted when faced with a persistent autograph hunter, who held a smart phone and appeared to want a selfie with the famous face.

Pretty in pink: The smiling beauty teamed the casual denim with a chic blouse with pleated panels, over which she slung a light, pink trench

Not long after her interview, the model hinted at baby plans during an appearance on Today Extra, admitting there 'is a room that could be' a nursery in her new home.

Host Sonia Kruger asked 'Is there a nursery?' while discussing the model's new abode in Pittwater.

The blonde bombshell also added that she will become a mother 'one day'.

The former Miss Universe Australia admitted she 'can't wait to move in' to the house, which has taken over three years to complete.

Baby on the way? Jen hinted she could start a family with husband Jake Wall 'one day' during a an appearance on Today Extra on Friday

The couple purchased the property in the affluent Sydney suburb for $4 million in 2014.

'It has taken a long time. It's a big build,' the Myer ambassador stated on Friday.

'But it's exciting and it's going to be our home,' she added.

The couple married in June 2013 in front of a reported 50 guests in Bali at Uluwatu's luxury Semara resort.

New home: The former Miss Universe Australia admitted she 'can't wait to move in' to the house, which has taken over three years to complete
The CBC asked me to write an editorial for their package about Canadian identity and politics, timed with the 150th anniversary of the founding of the settler state on indigenous lands. They've assigned several writers to expand on themes in the Canadian national anthem, and my line was "We stand on guard for thee."

I wrote about bill C-51, a reckless, sweeping mass surveillance bill that now-PM Trudeau got his MPs to support when he was in opposition, promising to reform the bill once he came to power.





The situation is analogous to Barack Obama's history with mass surveillance in the USA: when Obama was a Senator, he shepherded legislation to immunize the phone companies for their complicity with illegal spying under GW Bush, promising to fix the situation when he came to power. Instead, he built out a fearsome surveillance apparatus that he handed to the paranoid, racist Donald Trump, who now gets to use that surveillance system to target his enemies, including 11 million undocumented people in America, and people of Muslim origin.





Now-PM Justin Trudeau has finally tabled some reforms to C-51, but they leave the bill's worst provisions intact. Even if Canadians trust Trudeau to use these spying powers wisely, they can't afford to bet that Trudeau's successors will not abuse them.



Within living memory, our loved ones were persecuted, hounded to suicide, imprisoned for activities that we recognize today as normal and right: being gay, smoking pot, demanding that settler governments honour their treaties with First Nations. The legitimization of these activities only took place because we had a private sphere in which to agitate for them. Today, there are people you love, people I love, who sorrow over their secrets about their lives and values and ambitions, who will go to their graves with that sorrow in their minds  unless we give them the private space to choose the time and manner of their disclosure, so as to maximize the chances that we will be their allies in their struggles. If we are to stand on guard for the future of Canada, let us stand on guard for these people, for they are us.



What happens after the 'good' politicians give away our rights? Cory Doctorow shares a cautionary tale.

[Cory Doctorow/CBC]





(Image: Jean-Marc Carisse, CC-BY; Trump's Hair)
Several celebrities have taken to social media to pay tribute to Irish culinary star and celebrity chef Darren Simpson after he died from a suspected heart attack on Thursday.

Fellow celebrity chef Matt Moran, as well as Channel Seven star Melissa Doyle, were among those to share their grief over the vivacious personality's death.

The husband and father-of-two is believed to have suffered a fatal heart attack in hospital on Thursday night, according to reports by The Daily Telegraph.

Sadness on social media: Several celebrities have taken to social media to pay tribute to Irish culinary star and celebrity chef Darren Simpson after he died from a suspected heart attack on Thursday

The publication claimed Darren's death followed a long battle with alcohol addiction-related illness for the restaurateur.

In an interview with Fairfax Media, My Kitchen Rules judge and Colin Fassnidge spoke of the rivalry he had shared with the late chef, describing him as a 'good sparring partner.'

'We were friends earlier on, but then we became sparring partners. He was a very good sparring partner,' he said.

Friendly feud: Colin Fassnidge described Darren as a 'good sparring partner' in his tribute

'Obviously the man had his demons, as we all do. But I think he was a great cook and everything else will be overshadowed.'

'That's how he'll be remembered. And he'll be known for being a fiery f***er, as well.'

On Friday morning, The Great Australian Bake Off judge Matt Tweeted, 'So sad the hear the news the chef Darren Simpson has died.'

'Too young and one of the best chefs. Thinking of his family xx.'

His tribute echoed throughout the culinary community with another of Darren's former colleagues, Andrew Ballard, also Tweeting his grief.

Sad news: Former colleagues and industry friends shared tributes on their respective Twitter pages

'Such sad news to hear of my former colleague Darren Simpson passing away today. RIP Dazza,' the chef and presenter said.

Former Ready Steady Cook host Peter Everett described Darren as a 'kind hearted man' and 'larrikin' in a Facebook post.

'We shared some fun and funny times on Ready Steady Cook, be proud of all you achieved in this life,' the reality TV chef said.

Tragic loss: Celebrity chef, husband and father-of-two Darren Simpson died after fatal heart attack following long battle with alcohol addiction-related illness

Former host on Channel Seven's Sunrise, Melissa Doyle, also took to Twitter to share her condolences.

'RIP Darren Simpson. You were a much loved member of the Sunrise team when the show began.'

'My heart goes out to your family xx,' the Sunday Night presenter said.

Tribute for his mate: Former colleague Andrew Ballard shared a tribute in the wake of 'Dazza's' death

Industry friends: Darren is seen with actor Paul Mercurio (left) and TV host Lee Chan (centre)

Chief restaurant critic at the The Sydney Morning Herald, Terry Durack, spoke of the 'cocky Irish charm' Darren brought to everything he did.

'Darren changed the look and feel of our contemporary Italian menus almost overnight,' Terry said.

'I didn't know him as a television chef but as a real one, grafting in many of the top kitchens in the UK (including the Italian-leaning River Cafe and Sartoria) and in Sydney.'
They have just enjoyed a beach vacation in Greece.

And on Thursday, Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith and daughter Willow, 16, arrived back home in Los Angeles after their European jaunt.

Jada looked cheery and Willow looked weary as they made their way to their waiting vehicle for the ride home from the airport.

La la land: Jada Pinkett Smith and her daughter Willow touched down at LAX on Thursday night

Jada, 45, paired a polka-dot top with black sweatpants and a jean jacket worn on her shoulders for the flight.

Willow, meanwhile, wore a t-shirt with a butterfly printed on it and lugged a guitar case with her for their trek to an awaiting vehicle.

Sleepy Willow: The 16-year-old Whip My Hair singer looked tired after a 14-hour flight

On Tuesday, Willow shared a series of photos from a beach mission with her mother, telling her 2.3 million Instagram followers about her experience with pollution on the beaches in Greece.

'I couldn't stand seeing these beautiful beaches in Greece littered with trash,' she wrote.

'I saw seagulls, dead on their backs from choking on tiny slivers of plastic and other non-biodegradable materials; They even die from eating fish who have ingested these particle-size slivers.'

Beach patrol: They spent part of their vacation to Greece helping clean polluted beaches

Front and center: The Set It Off actress lead the way for her daughter as they walked to their car

'4 beautiful humans accompanied my mom and I in gathering 22 trash bags full of plastics and urban debris off of 3 small beaches in Antipaxos, Greece,' the teen wrote.

In the accompanying photos, Jada's rock hard bikini body could be seen in a red, black and white swimsuit.

Her daughter covered up in a windbreaker jacket for the charitable mission.

Jada recently appeared in an installation of Carpool Karaoke: The Series with her Girls Trip co-stars Queen Latifah, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish.

Their movie Girls Trip will hit theaters in the US on July 21.
It's an event known equally for glamorous outfits as it is drunken escapades.

But Australian model Tahnee Atkinson was all class at the Royal Ascot races in England on Thursday.

The 25-year-old put on a busty display in a preppy white shirt dress.

Class act! Australian model Tahnee Atkinson was all class in a preppy white shirt dress atthe Royal Ascot races in England

In images shared to Instagram, the Australia's Next Top Model winner held a glass of champagne.

Her tight Karen Millen gown accentuated her petite frame and ample bust.

The outfit featured a tie-fastened waist pleated skirt detailing and tailored sleeves.

Tahnee was joined by blogger Roxie Nafousi, who she towered over in a pair of black stiletto heels.

Meow! The Australia's Next Top Model winner, 25, was joined by blogger Roxie Nafousi (L), with the pair having some fun with a cat ears image filter on Instagram

Her smokey eyeliner was flawless as ever, drawing attention to her bright blue eyes.

Having spent last week modelling alongside the 'bad boy' of Australian fashion Jordan Barrett, she went without the notorious socialite at the event.

She also managed to cleverly avoid ending up like one of the punters she documented on her Instagram story, who appeared to be taking a nap on the grass.

Having a nap? She also managed to cleverly avoid ending up like one of the punters she documented on her Instagram story, who appeared to be taking a nap on the grass

A lady appeared to be friends with the horizontal woman didn't appear to be concerned as she stood next to her.

Tahnee captioned the image 'Poor darlin.'

Later, she shared a selfie alongside Roxie, with the pair having some fun with a cat ears image filter.

Getting excited! Tahnee documented the event on social media
They're the genetically-blessed couple who recently hinted at baby plans.

But while supermodel Jennifer Hawkins' frame isn't changing yet to make way for a bundle of joy, she put her attention onto her husband Jake Wall's physique.

Speaking to WSFM's Jonesy and Amanda on Friday she rejected the claim that her model beau was 'shredded.'

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'If he was that would make me feel bad!' Supermodel Jennifer Hawkins denies husband Jake Wall is 'shredded'... after hinting at plans to start a family on Friday

'He's NOT shredded. I don't like that. He's got a bit of muscle,' the blonde stunner said, despite his noticeable abs and muscular frame.

'If he was shredded that would make me feel bad,' the slender beauty said.

During the chat the former Miss Universe also shared that she and Jake loved travelling to Italy, where they carb-loaded on the delicious cuisine and wine available without putting on weight.

'It's okay to have carbs when you run,' the former Getaway host said, before joking 'you can eat whatever you want there and you don't get chub, whereas here you pasta everyday and you go "oh man".'

'He's got a bit of muscle': Jennifer claimed Jake was definitely muscular, but was not 'shredded'

'You can eat whatever you want there and you don't get chub': During the chat the former Miss Universe also shared that she and Jake loved travelling to Italy, where they carb-loaded on the delicious cuisine and wine available without putting on weight

Meanwhile, the duo are preparing to move into their newly-remodelled multi-million-dollar waterfront mansion in Sydney.

And it seems Jennifer and Jake's lavish abode will have plenty of space should the couple start a family.

Appearing on Today Extra on Friday, the 33-year-old model hinted at baby plans, admitting there 'is a room that could be' a nursery.

Baby on the way? Jennifer Hawkins has hinted she could start a family with husband Jake Wall 'one day' during an appearance on Today Extra on Friday

Jen's comments came after host Sonia Kruger asked 'Is there a nursery?' while discussing the model's new home in Pittwater.

The blonde bombshell also added that she will become a mother 'one day'.

Speaking of her building project, the former Miss Universe Australia admitted she 'can't wait to move in' to the house, which has taken over three years to complete.

Maybe baby: The 33-year-old model admitted there is 'a room that could be' a nursery in her newly-built home in Pittwater, Sydney

'It has taken a long time. It's a big build,' the Myer ambassador stated on Friday.

'But it's exciting and it's going to be our home,' she added.

Earlier this week, the couple took to Instagram to share sneak peeks of their sprawling pad.

Exciting times: The blonde bombshell is making final preparations to move into her new lavish pad with beau Jake

How the other half live: Earlier this week, the couple shared photos of what their new home will look like once the renovations are complete

Stunning: The property was purchased by the couple for $4million in 2014 and has been re-imagined into their dream home

Uninterrupted views: The waterfront property boasts a pool, a four-car garage with lift, a home theatre as well as a gym

Posting images from Jake's construction company J Group Projects' account, the pair showed the progress made on the multi-storey property.

The spacious home boasts a four-car garage with lift, a home theatre as well as a gym.

Another impressive feature is the wet-edge pool with a sandstone border, which will provide the homeowners with an unbroken view of a glistening harbour littered with boats.

'It has taken a long time. It's a big build,' said Jen, adding that she 'can't wait' to move in

The couple purchased the property in the affluent Sydney suburb for $4million in 2014.

They married in June 2013 in front of a reported 50 guests in Bali at Uluwatu's luxury Semara resort.

The gorgeous couple first met prior to Jen being crowned Miss Universe in 2004 and dated for eight years before saying 'I do'.

Jake, who runs his property development company with his model wife, proposed during a romantic holiday to New Zealand in December 2010.
Doreen Jacenko visited with daughter Roxy and son-in-law Oliver Curtis at their multi-million dollar apartment on Friday afternoon.

The mother of the PR maven was pictured arriving at the Bondi address just hours after Oliver touched down in Sydney following his release from Cooma Correctional Centre in rural New South Wales.

Clearly taking after her stylish daughter, a designer-clad Doreen cut a fashionable figure for her reunion with disgraced Oliver, clad in $1900 Gucci track pants.

Arriving in style! Roxy Jacenko's mother, Doreen, was seen visiting her daughter and son-in-law Oliver Curtis at their Bondi home on Friday

The eye-catching trousers, which were featured on the runway at Gucci's 2017 resort show, featured red and white stripes down the sides complete with snap fastening.

Doreen teamed the pricey pants with a caramel coloured Hermes Birkin bag, which retails for $14,000.

The matriarch was perhaps inspired by Roxy, who was also seen sporting her own Hermes handbag earlier in the day.

Pricey pants: Perhaps taking after her daughter's love of designer clothing, Doreen opted for a pair of $1900 Gucci track pants to reunited with her disgraced son-in-law

Shielding her eyes from the paparazzi glare, Doreen also wore dark sunglasses and a black mock neck sweater as she strolled confidently to meet with her family members.

Doreen was not the only visitor to the home on Friday, with Oliver's own parents, Nick and Angela, also spotted.

Oliver's father is a wealthy investment banker, who is the former chairman of resources giant Lynas Corp.

Reunion: Oliver's own parents, Nick and Angela, were also spotted at the Bondi address

Early release: Oliver was released on good behaviour on Friday morning

Also seen at the address was a florist delivering a large bouquet of flowers as a welcome home gift to Oliver.

The 32-year-old was sentenced in June 2016 to a maximum of two years behind bars after he and former best friend, John Hartman, netted themselves nearly $1.5 million through insider trades.

However, Oliver was released early on good behaviour on Friday morning.

Welcome home! A florist was seen delivering flowers to the Bondi apartment

Daddy's home! Roxy hired a private jet to fly from Sydney to Cooma with the couple's children

Wife Roxy hired a private jet to fly from Sydney to Cooma with the couple's children, Pixie, 5, and Hunter, 3, to meet Oliver as soon as he left the prison .

For the big day, the PR maven was decked out in designer attire, including $1,499 J Brand leather trousers and $872 Gianvito Rossi Plexi two toned stilettos.

Not to be outdone, Oliver also left Cooma Correctional Facility clad in a $600 Moncler Striped Trim Hoodie before he met with his family on the airport tarmac.
She's been having fun in the sun on holiday in Greece.

And Lucy Mecklenburgh sizzled in a strapless orange swimsuit as she posed on a yacht in Santorini on Friday.

The former TOWIE star, 25, showed off her incredible figure in the high cut swimming costume as she got bronzed in the Mediterranean.

I'm on a boat: Lucy Mecklenburgh flaunted her fabulous figure in a strapless orange swimsuit on holiday in Santorini on Friday

The brightly coloured number featured a zip, which came down to her navel as she posed seductively by the hot springs.

The reality star shielded her eyes with a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses and wore her tousled raven locks down.

Lucy jetted into Greece on Thursday and seems determined to make the most of her stay.

On Thursday, the former TOWIE star visited Athens and Vouliagemi, just down the coast from the capital.

Fun in the sun: The former TOWIE star, 25, jetted into Greece on Thursday and showed off her bronzed figure in a striped bikini in Voula

Lucy showed off her toned physique in a striped bikini as she relaxed in the town of Voula.

The strapless bikini top featured a ring in the middle, which joined the skimpy material together.

The reality star lay in a floral swing seat and laughed as she posed next to an iced coffee and some fresh fruit.

Beach babe: Lucy Mecklenburgh was reminiscing about her Dubai trip as she shared a stunning throwback snap on Instagram

The jet-setting star has visited Ibiza, LA and Rome over the last few months.

In February, Lucy posted a stunning throwback snap to her holiday to Dubai.

Clad in a tiny red bikini, Lucy showed off her enviable figure as she enjoyed a cocktail on the beach.

Red hot! Clad in a tiny red bikini, the former TOWIE star, 25, showed off her enviable figure as she enjoyed a cocktail on the beach in snaps from her getaway

The scanty two piece offered a look at her impeccably toned abs and perky bust as she smiled down the lens.

The reality starlet turned fitness guru captioned the shot: 'Summer bodies are made in winter girlies!!!'

It comes after Lucky showed off the fruits of her labour with a sexy lingerie selfie.

Slipping her incredible body into racy matching pink bra and knicker set, the star seductively smiled into the mirror as she slipped her gown off her shoulders.

She wrote: 'Behind the scenes shooting!'

While Lucy has moved on to her exercise empire, her former fiance Mario Falcone is said to be going back in time and returning to TOWIE.

Holy Meck! Fitmess guru Lucy certainly showed off the fruits of her labour last week as she showed off her incredible body into racy matching pink bra and knicker set

Two years after his dismissal for touting slimming pills - a banned act for castmembers - sources tell The Sun that the hunky star has been vying for a comeback on the ITVBe reality show, leading to interest from producers in bringing him back in 'cameos' where storylines permit.

Despite reports, the 28-year-old tailor previously lashed out at producers for trying to 'dumb him down' by restricting his vocabulary - after which he claimed he had 'sold his soul to the devil'.

Mario has reportedly been attempting a comeback, meaning insiders claims will no doubt delight fans, particularly with his new girlfriend Becky Miesner.

A source said: 'Mario has been quite keen to come back for a while and 'TOWIE' have invited him back to film the odd cameo and will use him where story permits.'

Mario, who proposed to his ex-girlfriend Lucy Mecklenburgh on the show - a decision he later lamented, recently hinted about a return to the show but admitted his girlfriend Becky isn't interested in the limelight.

Of his return, he said: 'There may be a development on that front but I can't actually say anything about it. I love that Becky isn't interested in the public eye. It's nice to keep one thing to yourself that you really enjoy and cherish.

Hello Mr Falcone? Sources tell The Sun that the hunky star has been vying for a comeback on the ITVBe reality show, leading to interest from producers in bringing him back in 'cameos' where storylines permit

Lovers: Atop the information from sources, his former co-star and love interest Chloe Sims (pictured), with whom he enjoyed a number of steamy kisses, penned an apparent confirmation in her Star magazine column

'She's so grounded. The world I'm from doesn't interest her. I can't stand to think about upsetting her like I have with other girls in the past. In my eyes, she's perfect.'

Atop the information from sources, his former co-star and love interest Chloe Sims, with whom he enjoyed a number of steamy kisses, penned an apparent confirmation in her Star magazine column.

She wrote: 'I was thrilled when Mario Falcone hinted that he might be returning to TOWIE. I love old cast coming back, and hes so funny.

'Mind you, I reckon it will only work if he comes on the show with his girlfriend Becky Miesner, and Im not sure if hell do that, as being on TV hasnt worked for his relationships in the past.'

Loved up: Mario, who proposed to his ex-girlfriend Lucy Mecklenburgh (pictured) on the show - a decision he later lamented, recently hinted about a return to the show but admitted his girlfriend Becky Miesner isn't interested in the limelight

That was then: Despite reports, the 28-year-old tailor previously lashed out at producers for trying to 'dumb him down' by restricting his vocabulary - after which he claimed he had 'sold his soul to the devil'

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Mario and TOWIE for comment.

Back in June 2014, the handsome star was filmed snorting what appeared to be cocaine in shock footage, leading to his suspension.

He released a statement reading: 'I would like to publicly apologise to my loyal family and friends, all of my co-stars on TOWIE, to ITV and most importantly to all of the fans.

'After a few personal issues, I went off the rails. I have been seeking professional assistance and am now fit and well.'

Sorry: Back in June 2014, the handsome star was filmed using what appeared to be cocaine, leading to his suspension. He released a statement reading: 'I would like to publicly apologise to my loyal family and friends, all of my co-stars on TOWIE, to ITV and most importantly to all of the fans

In 2015, Mario was banned from joining the cast in filming the TOWIE special in Marbella after he was seen promoting slimming pills on social media - a barred stipulation in the TOWIE contract.

Despite reports of a return, on Tuesday the handsome star took to Instagram to promote fat burning tablets - the same brand he was reported to have been removed for.

After departing the programme four months after the ban he gave an impassioned interview, in which he claimed he was too intelligent for his co-stars and was discouraged by producers from using polysyllabic language.

He told The Mirror: 'I had to dwindle it down a bit when I did TOWIE. Once I said the word discombobulated and the whole crew said: "Mario you cant say that", and I was like why?

'They said: "The people who watch TOWIE wont know what youre talking about". I confused Tommy Mallet! I was a bespoke tailor before so I cant speak to wealthy clients like Aw right me geezer  it sounds horrible.

'When I was on This Morning for a segment, Holly Willoughby said: "Mario I mean this in the nicest way possible, youre really intelligent, I had no idea!" Thanks for the backhanded compliment. I am normal. (coming back) I dont do it anymore, I bought my soul back from the devil.'
He proposed to Anna Heinrich during their Broome getaway last month.

And it seems Tim Robards, 34, has been helping his fiancee sculpt her slender figure ahead of their big day.

The couple was all smiles in their post-workout selfie in the gym of the Pullman resort in Phuket, Thailand, on Friday.

Getting fit together! Tim Robards took to Instagram to share a selfie with fiancee Anna Heinrich after a rigorous workout at the gym while on their holiday in Thailand

The former Bachelor took to Instagram to share a selfie after a rigorous session in the gym.

He captioned the post with an inspirational messages to his 148,000 followers: 'The only workout you regret is the one you DIDN'T do!'

Tim also added the hashtags: #keepingbalance #shedidntlookthispretty5minsago #whack #ImeanshelooksprettyAaallllthetime, to his post.

Meanwhile, in his Instagram story Tim shared a clip of Anna doing steps gym equipment as she worked on her arms and legs.

Blushing bride-to-be! Earlier in the day, Anna shared a photo of herself by the pool in Phuket looking incredible in a tiny bikini

Keeping motivated: Tim also took to his Instagram story to share a clip of Anna doing steps gym equipment and working on her arms and legs

Earlier in the day, Anna took to Instagram to share a snap of herself flaunting her chiselled physique in a bikini.

With her sculpted legs and bronzed complexion on display, the former Bachelor star beamed as she stood on the edge of her hotel pool.

The blonde beauty showed off ample cleavage in the multi-coloured crochet bikini top, matched with a tiny pair of side-tied bottoms.

'Workin' it,' the newly-engaged socialite captioned the photo, tagging the swimwear's brand in her post.

Holiday glow: The 30-year-old jetted to Thailand earlier this week to attend a friend's wedding with her fiance Tim Robards

'Peace out Sydney': Anna beamed as she shared a snap from the airport ahead of her flight, expressing her excitement for the holiday

The lawyer-turned-reality-star is currently enjoying a break with her fiance Tim, 34.

Anna took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal the couple were heading overseas for a friend's wedding.

'Peace out Sydney...... Thailand/Europe bound. Surprise, surprise we have another wedding to go to #yay #excited,' she wrote in a post.

It's official! The Bachelor couple became engaged last month after four years of dating, with Tim proposing during a romantic getaway to Western Australia

It looks set to be their turn to host their own wedding soon, with Tim proposing to Anna last month during a romantic weekend away in Western Australia.

NW magazine reported earlier this month the reality star couple could be set to return to television in their own Foxtel show.

They are allegedly 'gearing up to make the announcement' about the upcoming program, which insiders say will be like Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's Newlyweds.
He and his husband Carl Hyland welcomed twins Phoebe and Chase to the world earlier in the year, having used a surrogate to carry them.

And Kieron Richardson has released a documentary through All4 charting the process of becoming a 'gay dad'.

But the title of the show - Raised By Queers - has rocked the apple cart where some are concerned, with Eamonn Holmes revealing to Kieron and Carl that there had been complaints about 'the Q word' ahead of the couple's appearance on This Morning on Friday.

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'We're reclaiming the word!' Kieron Richardson defends the title of new documentary Raised By Queers after Eamonn Holmes reveals This Morning have received complaints about it

He and his husband Carl Hyland welcomed twins Phoebe and Chase to the world earlier in the year, having used a surrogate to carry them

'The phrase is now LGBTQ - so we are reclaiming the word Queer,' Kieron, 31, explained, defending the title of the show.

Host Eamonn Holmes then informed him that This Morning had received concerns about using the word on daytime TV.

But Kieron didn't seem at all fazed: 'The whole season [on All4] is about being proud of that and if anyone calls me a queer then, yeah, I am!'

The defiant Hollyoaks actor explained that he and Carl - whom he married in 2015 - received negative comments from some small-minded social media users when they first announced their surrogacy plans.

'Some were very negative,' he said. 'Just because of who you go to bed with at nighttime, shouldn't affect if you want to be a father. This documentary is for people who have a negative opinion about same sex relationships to see what it's like.'

Carl gushed about his new status as a father-of-two: 'It's amazing, if one of us had a womb we'd have five by now!'

The Q word: The title of the show - Raised By Queers - has rocked the apple cart where some are concerned, with Eamonn Holmes revealing to Kieron and Carl that there had been complaints about 'the Q word' ahead of the couple's appearance on This Morning on Friday

Defiant: The Hollyoaks actor explained that he and Carl - whom he married in 2015 - received negative comments from some small-minded social media users when they first announced their surrogacy plans

New dads: Speaking about their decision to use a surrogate, Kieron said - 'We thought about adoption, we might do that in the future, we researched this. We weren't expecting to get two babies'

He also revealed that their first Father's Day was marred last week: 'We went to a restaurant on Father's Day and we went to change the babies and were told we couldn't go in [to the toilets] because the baby changing facilities is for the women only.

'We said that there's no mother!'

'This is not just about sexuality, it's about single dads,' Kieron said, championing unisex changing facilities for mums as well as dads.

Speaking about their decision to use a surrogate, he added: 'We thought about adoption, we might do that in the future, we researched this. We weren't expecting to get two babies!'

Of the documentary, he said: 'I think it's great for the kids to show them in the future, just to show Chase and Phoebe that we did this.'

Legacy: Of the documentary, he said - 'I think it's great for the kids to show them in the future, just to show Chase and Phoebe that we did this'

New parents: Kieron Richardson has revealed that he and his beau have become fathers to son Chase and daughter Phoebe Rae in a cute Twitter post

Sweet announcement: The Hollyoaks star, 31, made the announcement by posting a snap of the babies' hospital bands

Eamonn's co-host Ruth Langsford asked what the twins call their fathers.

'We were having a discussion about whether he's daddy or dad and thought he should be dad because he's the more masculine one! According to him' Kieron explained.

'We thought about papa, but we're not french!' they added.

Ruth asked which of the pair had been the successful sperm donor, to which they deemed it 'an unfair question'.

'We are both the fathers. It doesn't matter to us, so why should anyone else care?' Carl said.

Kieron made his first appearance away from his family two weeks ago; speaking on Facebook's Hollyoaks Social Live, when asked if he's had any sleep lately, the soap actor responded: 'Chase and Phoebe are quite good sleepers so its not been too bad.'

Baby joy: The couple revealed they would become proud fathers to twins in a sweet Instagram video, which they shared last December

He did ask Eamonn and Ruth whether or not they looked tired, to which the presenters remarked: 'No, you're beaming. You look so happy!'

However, in a less idyllic revelation, Kieron revealed in the same Facebook Live: 'Chase has weed nearly in my mouth!'

Discussing how he came to choose the babies' names, the Hollyoaks star said: 'We had the books, went on the internet and searched every single name possible!

'And then we went to a chicken restaurant the other week and [their names] were decided in a chicken restaurant.'

The actor made the announcement that the twins had arrived a month ago by posting a snap of the babies' hospital bands, alongside the caption: 'Welcome Chase and Phoebe Rae.'

The actor had revealed over Christmas that he and Carl were expecting twins, making the announcement in an adorable festive-themed video.

The clip showed two 'Baby on board' signs hung up on a Christmas tree, before revealing Kieron and Carl sat on the floor opening a present.

When they removed the wrapping, the gift was a large piece of card which read: 'Twins coming 2017'

The caption on the video read: 'Merry christmas to us thanks to the British surrogacy centre (sic)'

Kieron then revealed the gender of the babies - a boy and a girl - in January, gushing that he and Karl were set to welcome their 'very own Prince and Princess'.

The couple's baby joy comes just 10 months after Kieron revealed they had been struggling to conceive a baby through IVF and were concerned they weren't going to ever have a family of their own.

Speaking at the time, he told The Mirror: 'We were hoping to have a baby this year. Unfortunately, like anyone who is trying for a baby through IVF - whether they are gay couples or not - it is a lottery.

'We have tried it four times, with the same surrogate mum, and we have fallen into that 30% bracket of it not working.

'But we have not given up the fight and are still continuing. We are going to keep trying until it is successful.'

Past, future, present: The caption on the video read: 'Merry Christmas to us thanks to the British surrogacy centre (sic)'

Relief: The happy news came after the actor revealed that the pair had been struggling to conceive a baby through IVF after four failed attempts

The couple married in April 2015 in front of Kieron's co-stars at a romantic ceremony in the the Peak District.

The loved-up pair posed for photographs in front of Devonshire Dome in Buxton Derbyshire, with as many as 12 bridesmaids, including Stephanie Davis, Jennifer Metcalfe and Gemma Merna.

The pair announced their engagement in 2014 after seven years together.

Kieron came out in 2010 when he revealed on television that he was gay like his on-screen character Ste.
She recently shocked Strictly Come Dancing fans, when she revealed her plans to step away from the popular ballroom show after seven years.

But Natalie Lowe has now hinted that she could very well return to the BBC dancing competition in the near future - albeit behind the scenes.

During an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Friday, the 36-year-old beauty said that she's eyeing the possibility of becoming a Strictly choreographer.

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She's back? Natalie Lowe has hinted that she could well be returning to Strictly Come Dancing

Sitting alongside Olympian gymnast and 2012 Strictly winner Louis Smith, she said: 'Im still pinching myself. Have I made the right decision? But no, Im excited to see whats going to happen next.

'It is my life, its still my family and I will still be heavily involved doing choreography eventually. I could not have Strictly not be part of my life.'

When GMB co-host Ben Shephard asked Natalie what advice she would give the new crop of professional dancers - Dianne Buswell, Amy Dowden and Slovenian dancer and Playboy model Nadiya Bychkova - she kept it short and sweet.

Revelation: She made the revelation during an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Friday, alongside Olympian gymnast and 2012 Strictly champ Louis Smith

Dance: The 36-year-old beauty said that she hopes to serve as a choreographer on the show

Moving on: Natalie recently quit the show after seven years on the hit BBC compeition

Interview: The pair were interviewed by GMB co-hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway

'I'm not familiar with these three,' she admitted, before adding: 'Good luck. Its so intense, its so full on.'

It was recently revealed that new recruit Nadiya has had a racy career as a Playboy cover girl - which she is set to balance with her appearance on the BBC show.

The blonde bombshell, 27, is set to fill the shoes of former professional Kristina Rihanoff, 39, known for her fiery and sultry personality - as she joins new sirens Dianne and Amy on the new line-up.

Lingering doubts: Natalie confessed that she had doubts about her decision to quit Strictly

Style file: The dancer wowed in an asymmetrical blue dress, while Louis looked casually cool

Let's hug it out: The pair hugged as they posed for shots together backstage at ITV's studios

Twirl: The jovial TV personality gave onlookers a friendly twirls as she made her departure

Nadiya - who is a two-time World Champion and European Champion in Ballroom and Latin '10' Dance - previously competed on the Bosnian version of 'Strictly' and she is looking forward to impressing the UK fans.

She said: 'I'm extremely happy to be joining the 'Strictly Come Dancing' family this year. One of my biggest dreams is to be part of this great show and I can't wait to get started.'

While she is known for her impeccable dancing skills, the stunning star is also known for her modelling prowess.

Nadiya starred on the front cover of Slovenia's Playboy magazine in April 2015, and also featured on the cover of FHM in March 2012.

Bikini babe: Nadiya Bychkova has already set tongues wagging with her racy Playboy modelling career, after being announced as a new pro dancer on Strictly Come Dancing

Taking the floor by storm: The blonde bombshell joins new sirens Dianne Buswell (L) and Amy Dowden (R) on the new line-up

Cover girl: As well as dancing, Nadiya starred on the front cover of Slovenia's Playboy magazine in April 2015, and also featured on the cover of FHM in March 2012

Siberian siren: The blonde bombshell draws striking comparisons to former professional Kristina Rihanoff, 39, who was known for her fiery and sultry personality

Explaining that her time in front of the camera only helps her dancing abilities, she explained to The Sun: 'Modelling is very closely connected with dance.

'Both require the art of performance and a suitable appearance.'

Kristina - who left Strictly in 2015 to welcome her first child with former celebrity dance partner on the show Ben Cohen - is no stranger to a racy snap of her own, often sharing sultry selfies with her fans.

The couple met in 2013 when they were partnered up on Strictly Come Dancing -while Ben was still married to Abby Blayney.

Cute couple: Kristina - who left Strictly in 2015 to welcome her first child with former celebrity dance partner on the show Ben Cohen - is no stranger to a racy snap of her own

Professional: Nadiya - who is a two-time World Champion and European Champion in Ballroom and Latin '10' Dance - previously competed on the Bosnian version of 'Strictly'

Ready to rhumba! She said: 'I'm extremely happy to be joining the Strictly Come Dancing family this year. One of my biggest dreams is to be part of this great show'

Intertwined: Speaking about juggling her two careers, she said: 'Modelling is very closely connected with dance. 'Both require the art of performance and a suitable appearance'

Also lined up to join the professional dancers when the show returns is Dianne Buswell, from Australia and Amy Dowden, from Wales.

Dianne, who previously appeared on Dancing with the Stars Australia, revealed she is excited by the opportunity to demonstrate her talents on the BBC show.

She shared: 'What an honour it is to be a part of 'Strictly Come Dancing'. 'Words can't describe how excited I am to take on this amazing challenge and give it my everything.'

Hot head: Flame haired Australian Dianne Buswell is also set to take the stage on the show as one of the three new professional dancers on the show

'What an honour': Dianne, who previously appeared on Dancing with the Stars Australia, said on Instagram: 'Words can't describe how excited I am to take on this amazing challenge'

Teamwork: She also paid tribute to her dancing co-stars in her announcement on Instagram, writing: 'Congratulations to Nadiya and Amy !!! See you girls soon!'

On her Instagram post, she shared a picture of the three girls as she penned the caption: 'Soooo this happened !!!!!! OMG soooo happy to tell the world I'll be a pro dancer on this years strictly come dancing what a dream congratulations to Nadiya and Amy !!! See you girls soon'.

And Amy, the current British National Champion, is similarly enthusiastic about the prospect.

She said: 'Becoming a professional dancer on 'Strictly Come Dancing' has made my wildest dreams come true, it does not feel real.

All the way from the UK: Flying the flag for the UK was Amy Dowden, from Wales

Doing her bit: Amy, the current British National Champion, is the first ever Welsh professional dancer on the show, gushing the opportunity had 'made her dreams come true'

Excited: She said: 'I have always been proud of my Welsh roots and feel so honoured to be the first Welsh professional dancer on the most loved show on TV'

'I have always been proud of my Welsh roots and feel so honoured to be the first Welsh professional dancer on the most loved show on TV.'

The trio of newcomers have been drafted in following Joanne Clifton departure from Strictly Come Dancing.

The 33-year-old professional dancer starred on the BBC programme in 2016, winning the coveted glitterball trophy alongside her partner Ore Oduba - but Joanne will not be returning to 'Strictly' when the new series begins later this year.

Gone: Joanna Clifton has announced her departure from Strictly Come Dancing

She's a winner! The 33-year-old professional dancer starred on the BBC programme in 2016, winning the coveted glitterball trophy alongside her partner Ore Oduba - but Joanne will not be returning to 'Strictly' when the new series begins later this year

Ukrainian ballroom and Latin dancer Oksana Platero also left the programme, with Natalie Lowe having already confirmed her departure from 'Strictly'.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Strictly and Joanne for comment.

Joining Joanne in departing was show stalwart Natalie, who took to Twitter to pen: 'I'm going to miss my Strictly family so much. Its been an AMAZING 14yrs Warmest thanks 2 everyone who supported me on'.

Oksana, who starred on the show for just one season after being paired with Judge Rinder last year, is also exploring new ventures as she left the show.
She is maintaining a long-distance relationship with boyfriend Richie Strahan.

And Alex Nation stepped out solo on Friday, while attending a charity event at The Atlantic restaurant, in Melbourne.

The 26-year-old showcased her support for The Reach Foundation, an organisation that helps youths across Victoria and New South Wales.

Flying solo! Alex Nation has stepped out on her own to attended a charity event for The Reach Foundation at The Atlantic restaurant, in Melbourne on Friday

She looked glamorous as she posed along the media wall, debuting slightly shorter locks.

Alex showed off her trim and toned pins in a mini black dress with a halter neck.

Her glamorous frock also featured shoulder cutouts and trendy bell sleeves.

Effortlessly chic! The 26-year-old looked glamorous as she posed along by the media wall, debuting what appeared to be a shorter trim to her trademark blonde bob

The mother-of-one teamed her ensemble with a pair of strappy black heels, that showed off a tattoo on her right foot, and accessorised with a pair of understated gold earrings.

Alex recently returned from a solo holiday in Phuket, Thailand.

While at the tropical destination she took to Instagram to show off her trim body in a tiny black bikinis to her 106,000 followers, including her boyfriend Richie.

Yummy mummy! The mother-of-one recently returned from a holiday in Thailand where she flaunted her bikini body on her Instagram

Taking on the air ways! She also took a break from hosting her radio show 'The Drive Out with Jay, Foz and Alex' after making her debut on the Southern FM program earlier this year

The former venue manager also took a short break from hosting her radio show 'The Drive Out with Jay, Foz and Alex' on Southern FM.

She made her debut earlier this year and took to Instagram to share the exciting news with her followers.

Alex wrote: 'I am so thankful for this opportunity and to work alongside @luke_forrest & @bayjruno producing some serious banter and 10/10 laughs from Foz and I, because well Jay is only there for his good looks!
The magic isn't the Disney Princesses behaving as we all should; it is how much it meant to the Redditor who shared this video of their magical experience. While these responses were not universal to all the characters, in the comments, the poster says they were heartfelt and only deepened their love of Disney Parks. READ THE REST
He's starring in the latest installment of the Transformers franchise, which focuses heavily on technology.

But Josh Duhamel still likes the simple things in life.

In an interview with The Project on Friday, the Hollywood heartthrob revealed he owns a 'rustic' cabin in rural Minnesota where he likes to get back to basics. However, he added that his superstar wife Fergie has never visited.

'She's never been there!' In an interview with The Project on Friday, Hollywood hunk Josh Duhamel revealed he has a cabin in Minnesota- but that wife Fergie hasn't visited

When talk of the interview turned to technology, 44-year-old Josh stated: 'I think its really important to teach kids to understand and appreciate basic things.'

The Los Angeles star then divulged details of the remote property he reportedly purchased about eight years go.

'I have a cabin out in the middle of Minnesota. It's, like, rustic. I literally just put a toilet in last year. You had to go outside and poop in a hole,' Josh revealed.

'I think its really important to teach kids to understand and appreciate basic things': Josh's young son, Axl, pictured in the great outdoors

The interviewer then quickly replied, 'I cant imagine Fergie doing that!'

'No, she never goes. She's never been there!' Josh replied laughing.

The actor has previously discussed the cabin in an April interview with Yahoo, stating he was hoping to take he and Fergie's three-year-old son Axl to spend some time there.

New blockbuster: Josh is starring in Transformers: The Darkest Knight, which focuses heavily on technology

'Ill probably take him out this summer,' Josh told the publication. 'Hes young, but I just want to get him used to going.'

He added, 'Its definitely roughing it, but its just such a nice break to to be there.'

At one with nature: Young Axl is seen exploring the wild in a photo uploaded on Josh's Instagram

And it seems that Josh made good on his promise, with a recent photo from his Instagram showing young Axl in the great outdoors.

In the cute picture, Axl is seen standing by a campfire in the woods, with Fergie not in sight. However, the Black Eyed Peas songstress was tagged in Josh's snap.

According to an interview with Men's Journal, Josh bought the property 'about eight years ago.'
She famously left the iconic pop group, the Spice Girls, in 1998 - two years before the group officially disbanded.

But almost 20 years later, Geri Horner has revealed the real reason behind her departure.

Speaking to The Sun, 44-year-old Geri divulged that the group's decision to make an R&B album was something she couldn't back.

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No going back: In an interview with The Sun, Geri Horner, 44, revealed the real reason why she left the Spice Girls - because their desire to make an R&B album was something she couldn't back

Photocall: The beauty was spotted meeting Buddhist monks outside the BBC studios in London on Friday

Admitting that the decision led her to think that she needed to give the group 'space', she said:

'Sometimes you have to give people space... They had to make that R&B album, which I'm not.

'I don't know how to write R&B music, I really don't. I don't have that. So they did that album and made a very good album, it had to be done and that's quite right, as an artist you want to explore.'

Important decision: Of her departure, Geri said: 'Sometimes you have to give people space... They had to make that R&B album, which I'm not'

The Spice Girls burst onto the music scene in 1996 with their debut single Wannabe, and became revered as 1990s icons of the 'Cool Britainnia' movement.

At the time of Geri's departure, she cited that 'differences' between her and the group were the cause of her leaving.

However, Mel B, Emma Bunton and Geri reformed a spinoff trio group in 2016, naming themselves Spice Girls - GEM - although they have yet to release any music.

Famous past: The Spice Girls burst onto the music scene in 1996 with their debut single Wannabe, and became revered as 1990s icons of the 'Cool Britainnia' movement

Moving on: Geri has put her days as Ginger Spice firmly behind her, although she formed a trip spinoff group with Mel B and Emma Bunton called Spice Girls - GEM

New friends: Meanwhile, Geri looked excited to meet Buddhist monks. Cladding her slender legs in a pair of skinny jeans and wedges, she smiled as she chatted with them

Meanwhile, Geri looked excited to meet Buddhist monks outside the BBC studios in London on Friday.

Cladding her slender legs in a pair of skinny jeans and wedges, she smiled as she chatted with the monks, and at one point was seen to link arms with them.

She styled her flame-haired locks in loose waves around her face, and wore minimal make-up to accentuate her fresh, glowing skin.

Natural beauty: She styled her flame-haired locks in loose waves around her face, and wore minimal make-up to accentuate her fresh, glowing skin

Looking good: The monks were dressed in their traditional burnt orange attire, and Geri looked smart as she slipped a white jacket on

The monks were dressed in their traditional burnt orange attire, and Geri looked smart as she slipped a white jacket on.

The beauty, who has two children - Bluebell Madonna, 11, and Montague George, six months - appeared to be in high spirits as she laughed and chatted away to everyone.

Geri recently released a single, Angels In Chains, in tribute to her late friend George Michael, of which she is donating all proceeds to charity Childline.
She's been busy filming upcoming BBC crime drama Collateral and - if seeing is believing - she is also carrying her second child.

So it was no doubt a welcome relief when Carey Mulligan spent some quality time with her husband Marcus Mumford in London on Wednesday night.

Visibly displaying the signs of a rounded tummy, the actress, 32, was dressed for the warmer weather in a Bardot-style dress, which was perfect for a Nobu date night.

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A night off: Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford were seen enjoying a low-key date night at Nobu in London on Wednesday

Clearly still in love, the actress and her Mumford & Sons musician husband shared a tender embrace after dark.

They left the restaurant hand-in-hand after sharing a meal at one of London's premium eateries, popular among stars.

While Marcus' outfit was non-descript in a dark shirt and matching trousers, Carey was hard to miss.

Sharing a moment: After their dinner they they shared an embrace

She kept comfortable in flat sandals and dressed her so-called bump in a patterned midi dress that skimmed over her shape.

The famously tight-lipped actress has yet to confirm she's expecting a second child, though her first pregnancy was similarly shrouded in secrecy.

Reports first emerged about a surprise pregnancy last month when super-slim Carey was suddenly spotted with a rounded stomach at hot spot Sexy Fish.

She and husband Marcus, who married in 2012, welcomed their first child Evelyn in 2015, three years after tying the knot.

She's now returning to television work with a four-part BBC drama about a fatal shooting in London.

Carey plays the detective trying to get to the bottom of the shooting, amid an ensemble cast that includes Billie Piper, John Simm and Nicola Walker.

It's her first small screen part since The Walker, in 2015, and follows the hugely successful film Suffragette, in which she played Maud Watts.

Meanwhile, Marcus will be headlining Latitude Festival next month with his band after making a comeback in late 2016.
She's shared some very racy moments and her big nights out on social media during her London trip.

But it seems Imogen Anthony has made the long haul flight back home to Sydney.

On Friday, the 26-year-old took to Instagram to share a snap of herself wearing a lacy red leotard, that featured a halter neck.

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'Good to be home!' Imogen Anthony has set hearts racing with a snap of herself wearing a high cut, red lace leotard

In the photo, she posed with her hands running through her peroxide blonde locks, wearing an elegant black robe, paired with knee high boots.

The Maxim cover girl captioned her post: 'You were good 2me #London.

'Good to be home with my animal children,' she added, likely referring to her multitude of pets including dogs, cats and bunnies.

Raunchy! She shared plenty of racy snaps of herself during her trip to the UK's capital, including on of herself in nothing but a black G-string

The glamour model was in the UK capital for the past few weeks for business meetings, photo shoots and catching up with friends.

Her 132,000 followers complimented her on the saucy post, one wrote: 'Brilliance has become you.'

While another said: 'I would usually say "oh just stop it" because you're killing me in the greatest way possible.'

Keeping it saucy: Her legions of fans complimented her on the saucy post, one wrote: 'Brilliance has become you'

This comes after Imogen shared a skin-baring selfie, posing in front of a mirror.

Wearing nothing but black G-string and a studded bracelet, she appeared to be running her hand seductively through her blonde hair.

Meanwhile she barely covered her assets by holding her arms strategically across her chest.

Flaunt it: Wearing nothing but black G-string and a studded bracelet, Imogen barely covered her assets by holding her arms strategically across her chest

Standing with her legs astride, the girlfriend of Kyle Sandilands, 46, taut and slender pins were on full display, while her enviable torso also took centre stage in the photo.

Imogen's legion of fans were quick to gush at the steamy post with many congratulating her shock-jock boyfriend.

'God Kyle is a lucky man, he deserves it but,' one fan offered while another could only manage a 'Ooohhhhhweeeeee,' in response to the steamy selfie.

Hot bod: Standing with her legs astride, the girlfriend of Kyle Sandilands, 46, taut and slender pins were on full display, while her enviable torso also took centre stage in the photo

It seems that Imogen's track record of daring social media photos is encouraged by beau Kyle.

Speaking on his KIIS FM breakfast show on Friday, Kyle revealed that Imogen would not take kindly to being told to cover up.

'I have my opinion and I voice it strongly, but she doesn't care what I think,' Kyle admitted.
She is fronting a show called Just Tattoo Of Us, where contestants are adorned with often regrettable inkings which are later zapped off.

And Charlotte Crosby had a taste of her own medicine on Friday as she headed to a laser removal clinic to get rid of her tattoo which was dedicated to her ex-boyfriend Mitch Jenkins, who she split from last year.

The 26-year-old former Geordie Shore star proved she had well and truly moved on a day before her laser session as she headed out with her new beau and co-host Stephen Bear, during which they locked lips and giggled together.

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Kiss, kiss: Charlotte Crosby proved she had well and truly moved on a day before her laser session as she headed out with her new beau and co-host Stephen Bear, during which they locked lips and giggled together

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 announced the news on Instagram with the caption: Happy valentines... #YoungStupidAndVeryCrazyInlove'.

After breaking up, 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.

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.

Almost gone: She headed to a laser removal clinic to get rid of her tattoo which was dedicated to her ex-boyfriend Mitch Jenkins, who she split from last year

Loved-up: As the couple headed out together on Thursday they looked every inch the image of love's young dream as they locked lips and held hands before sharing sweet giggles and whispers during their outing

Out and a pout: The happy duo proved they are as enamoured as ever

A serious moment: Bear was momentarily straight-faced during the outing

Locking lips: The happy couple looked closer than ever as they put on a steamy display

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.

As the couple headed out together on Thursday they looked every inch the image of love's young dream as they locked lips and held hands before sharing sweet giggles and whispers during their outing.

Charlotte looked sensational in a pair of racy thigh-high boots which far defied the searing heat in the UK while also rocking tight jeans and a slouchy jumper.

Up close: 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 announced the news on Instagram with the caption: Happy valentines... #YoungStupidAndVeryCrazyInlove'

Happy days: The duo were holding hands and looking loved up

Getting it gone: The stunner was seen lying on a bed with the laser working its magic

Bear meanwhile showed off his usual edgy style as he sported a pair of eye-wateringly tight white jeans while also holding a personalised Louis Vuitton handbag with Charlotte's initials - CLC - Charlotte Letitia Crosby.

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.

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.'

Gone but forgotten: She is fronting a show called Just Tattoo Of Us, where contestants are adorned with often regrettable inkings which are later zapped off

Tucking in: Charlotte was enjoying a bite to eat with her beau

Hold me close: The stunner was showing just how chivalrous her beau was as he clutched her bag

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.'
She's the glamorous AFL WAG, who regularly cheers on her footy star husband from the stands.

And Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) looked every inch the doting wife while celebrating 30-year-old husband Buddy's Sydney Swans win against the Essendon Bombers on Friday.

The David Jones ambassador proudly clutched a bouquet of roses in the Swans team colours after watching the Swans' astonishing one-point AFL victory at the SCG.

Proud as punch: Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) looked every inch the doting wife while celebrating 30-year-old husband Buddy's Sydney Swans win against the Essendon Bombers on Friday

'Thank you dolls @tombunting @alexrathgeber Two of the kindest souls I know ( The most perfect coloured rose's too),' she captioned a snap shared to Instagram.

Buddy shared a team snap on Instagram with the simple caption: 'How good.'

Sporting a peach-coloured faux-fur coat paired with skinny jeans and a chic blouse, the 25-year-old looked dressed for a celebration as she delightedly gazed down at her red and white bouquet in the snap.

What a win! The Swans enjoyed an astonishing one-point AFL victory against the Essendon Bombers, with a 86-85 win

Cheering on her man: Jesinta was in the stands at the SGC showcasing her support for Buddy (L)

Smitten: The couple wed in a lavish ceremony in December last year

The statuesque beauty displayed styled locks and flawless makeup, including a bold red lip which added a pop of colours.

Buddy's AFL matches are not the only thing winning support from Jesinta, with the brunette beauty recently weighing in on indigenous matters.

In the latest edition of InStyle Magazine, Jesinta said Australia 'doesn't recognise Indigenous people enough.'

The magazine reports that the model made the passionate plea for equality while presenting at the InStyle Women of Style Awards, last month.

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: 'Our country doesn't recognise Indigenous people enough': Jesinta recently called for equality during a passionate speech at InStyle event

'Our country does not recognise Indigenous people enough, especially Indigenous women,' she said.

She added that she was thrilled that the awards honoured 'incredibly ambitious, talented, driven, smart, stylish and intelligent Indigenous women.'

Buddy's mother Ursula is Indigenous Australian.

Her man: Jesinta is married to AFL star Buddy Franklin, 30, whose mother Ursula is Indigenous Australian

In late 2015, Jesinta said her future children with her man will be taught to appreciate all cultures.

'The reality is my children are going to be indigenous and we need to bring them up to have an appreciation of all cultures and the history and where it is that they come from and the adversity their culture has been through,' she said during an interview with the Today show.

'It's about raising awareness and being inclusive and paying respect to the past but also making sure that we focus on a positive future so we can move forward and live as a happy nation. I think it should be important for all Australians regardless of whether you're indigenous or not.'

She also promoted understanding between cultures while speaking about Australia Day.

'It's very sad for some people': She also promoted understanding between cultures when she spoke about Australia Day

Earlier this year, the model said Australia Day, which is celebrated annually on January 26, won't be 'real' until there are indigenous flags hung around the country.

She said of the national holiday: 'As a woman I have independence, I have rights, and I have freedom of speech.

'But I also think you can't go past the fact that Australia Day is also a very sad day for some people,' she added.

'You know, for some people it's called Invasion Day for indigenous people, so I would like to see moving forward Aboriginal flags or the indigenous flags around studios and that, to me, would be a sign of really moving forward and the real Australia Day.'

Earlier this year, Buddy took to Instagram to declare: '#ChangeTheDate.'
She is a Mexican actress who plays the bank robber girlfriend of Jon Hamm's character in Baby Driver.

And Eiza Gonzalez stole the show at the Baby Driver photocall in Madrid in a frilled waistcoat dress.

The actress, 27, was joined by co-star Ansel Elgort, who joked about at the event on Friday.

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Romantic look: Eiza Gonzalez stole the show at the Baby Driver photocall in Madrid in a frilled white shirt dress with a coordinating waistcoat

Eiza channeled a romantic European look in her frilled white shirt dress, with a bouffant cravat detail.

The high-collared under frock was paired with a long navy waistcoat, which was embroidered with sequins in the shape of a star.

The waistcoat nipped Eiza in at the waist and was cut off a few inches above the bottom of the white dress, allowing the frilled detailling to spill out.

Eiza's black shoes also harked back to a past age, with a high tongue.

Having a laugh: Ansel Elgort, who stars in Baby Driver, larked about on the red carpet in a navy blue polka dot blazer

Co-stars: Eiza's high-collared under frock was paired with a long navy waistcoat, which was embroidered with sequins in the shape of a star

But the heel was given a modern twist with added pom pom buckles.

Eiza drew her raven locks into a high ponytail and accessorised with black teardrop earrings.

Ansel, 23, pulled funny faces for the camera in a navy polka dot blazer and paisley patterned top.

Star: Eiza put on a leggy display in the dress with a historic twist, which nipped in her waist with a simple tie

Classic beauty: Eiza drew her raven locks into a high ponytail and accessorised with black teardrop earrings

Trio: Eiza and Ansel were joined by director Edgar Wright, whose past films include Shaun of the Dead and Ant-Man

He paired his dark jacket with white trousers and added some edge with a pair of combat boots.

Ansel wore a pair of coordinating sunglasses as he had a laugh with Eiza at the photocall.

The pair were joined by director Edgar Wright for the promotional event in Spain.

Mexican star: Eiza made an appearance in 2015 film Jem and the Holograms and has also acted in Spanish soaps, or Telenovelas

Sharp: Ansel paired his dark jacket with white trousers and added some edge with a pair of combat boots

The film, which will be released on June 28, follows getaway driver Baby, played by Ansel, who has to take part in a bank heist before he can leave the criminal world behind.

Eiza plays Darling, a bank robber and girlfriend of Jon Hamm's character, Buddy.

Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey plays the leader of a group of bank robbers who recruit Baby to help them perform a heist.

Action flick: The film, which will be released on June 28, follows getaway driver Baby, played by Ansel, who has to take part in a bank heist before he can leave the criminal world behind

Smooth criminal: Eiza plays Darling, a bank robber and girlfriend of Jon Hamm's character, Buddy
Heidi Klum took a walk on the wild side in New York on Friday.

The 44-year-old stepped out in a daring zebra-print jumpsuit and snakeskin bag.

Noticeable: On Friday, Heidi Klum, 44, stepped out in an attention-grabbing, red ensemble

The America's Got Talent host accessorized minimally with a set of rings, a thin necklace and oversize shades.

Heidi added extra length to her already-long legs with a pair of black, platform heels.

The gorgeous blonde slicked back her long locks, pulling up her tresses into a tight high bun. Heidi kept her make-up to a minimum, choosing a natural glam look with bronzed cheeks.

Into the wild: The supermodel had an eye for animals with her zebra-print jumpsuit and snakeskin-like bag

The mother-of-four began her career in at the age of 19, having won a modeling contest that earned her a $300,000 contact with Models New York.

Heidi rose to fame when she became part of the Victoria's Secret family in 1997, and stayed with the brand for 13 years.

The Germany-born beauty has graced the covers of notable magazines including Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire and various international Vogue covers.

Lovely: The gorgeous blonde slicked back her long locks, pulling up her tresses into a tight high bun

She has also hosted and executive produced shows such as Project Runway, Seriously Funny Kids, has been a spokes model for various brands such as New Balance, McDonald's and H&M to name a few.

Despite her monetary gain, on of Forbes top-earning models has not always had it easy.

'When I started, in Paris, Milan, London, and New York, I was turned down so many times,' she revealed to DailyMail.com.

Her start: The mother-of-four began her career in at the age of 19, having won a modeling contest that earned her a $300,000 contact with Models New York. She is seen on Tuesday in New York

'I never got to do high fashion because I was too curvy.'

In a 2009 interview with German outlet BILD, one of the nation's designers, Wolfgang Joop, reportedly felt Heidi was 'too heavy.'

'She is no runway model. Heidi Klum is simply too heavy and has too big a bust. And she always grins so stupidly. That is not avant-garde  that is commercial.'
They are engaged after Mario Falcone popped the question to Becky Miesner on their romantic Greece getaway.

And Becky proudly flashed her sparkly diamond ring as she walked hand-in-hand with her fiance Mario when they arrived back in the UK on Thursday afternoon.

Completely smitten, the TOWIE hunk, 29, was unable to keep his eyes off his lover as he headed through the airport terminal, dressed in a smart navy Ralph Lauren shirt.

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Love is in the air! Mario Falcone can't keep his hands off Becky Miesner as she flashed her diamond ring when they arrived home in the UK on Thursday afternoon

Still in holiday mode, the reality star kept it casual as he completed his look with a pair of beige cut-off shorts and flip flops which showed off his bronze tan.

The make-up artist ensured the eyes of her beau remained well and truly on her as she flaunted her legs in tiny denim shorts which were fraying at the edges.

Looking effortlessly chic, Becky teased a glimpse of her ample assets in the plunging neckline of her baggy white Tee.

Head-over-heels! The lovebirds packed on the PDA in the busy terminal after they got engaged on their idyllic Greece getaway

Scraping her brunette tresses back into a neat bun, she scooped the stray wisps off her face with her huge sunglasses.

Under the influence of love, the couple couldn't resist locking lips as they packed on the PDA in the middle of the busy terminal.

They have gone from strength to strength after enjoying a state of bliss on their sun-soaked holiday to Santorini.



Together forever! While they had the best time abroad, they looked pleased as punch to be home in each other's arms

Mario initially broke the news he popped the question after a year of dating on their romantic break abroad.

The former TOWIE star made the announcement on Instagram on Sunday morning, along with the words: 'She said YES!! Very very happy and lucky.'

In the accompanying snap, the reality star can be seen on one knee holding the ring in his hand.

'She said YES!!': 'Very very happy' Mario revealed he is engaged to girlfriend Becky after less than a year of dating, sharing this snap on Instagram on Sunday

Madly in love: The TOWIE hunk couldn't keep his hands off Becky as he affectionately kissed her forehead in a recent picture

A shocked yet delighted looking Becky stands before him in a red floaty dress while sipping on a glass of champagne.

The TOWIE hunk later shared a post of the lovers toasting to their engagement, with Becky's huge diamond ring on her left hand catching glimpses of the light.

Mario's previous engagement to Lucy Mecklenburgh came to a memorably acrimonious end in 2012, after it was revealed that he'd been unfaithful to her.

And he threw some major shade at his ex back in April, by suggesting that his close-knit family didn't ever particularly care for her during their ill-fated romance.

Cheers! The couple toasted to their happy news as Becky showed off her huge diamond ring which sparkled in the sunlight

Gushing about his latest relationship to OK! magazine, the 29-year-old said: 'I love kids. My whole family love Becky. She's the first girlfriend they've really warmed to, so they're like: "Get married, have babies!"

'I'd have them now,' he continued. 'I love children and I think I'm in a relationship that's stable enough and my life now is stable enough to have children.'

The loved up couple began dating last summer, and reality TV star Mario admitted to the publication that he already sees Becky as the mother of his children.

Loved-up! Now Mario popped the question to Becky while they were holidaying in sunny Santorini

Dressed to impress: Mario looked very dapper in a lemon shirt and smart trousers as he prepared to ask for his girlfriend's hand in marriage

However, Becky, 28, was hesitant, saying that although she didn't believe you had to be married to have children, she would at least like to be engaged before she became a mum.

Id like an engagement first,' the brunette explained. 'Im not one that has to be married before kids, but Id definitely like that commitment.

Mario teased that a proposal was definitely coming. Im planning to propose maybe later this year or next,' he told the publication.

The couple began dating in the summer of 2016, and after sharing a host of loved-up snaps from their holiday, fans have begged Mario to propose.

A-list affair: The lovers (pictured together at Haggerston Park in August 2016) put on a very loved-up display when Becky joins Mario on the red carpet

Cosy! They have gone from strength to strength since they began dating last summer

Mario had previously hinted at engagement plans with the petite beauty after he posted a video of Becky dancing captioned: 'I truly hope and pray I marry this girl one day!'

The reality star also spoke out on his previous engagement to TOWIE co-star Lucy Mecklenburgh to OK!, who he proposed to on the hit reality show.

Although the couple were engaged, the Essex native insists that it 'wasn't a real one' and that he will consider his future engagement to Becky as his one and only.

Asked about cheating on the boutique owner, Mario said that he regretted his actions, but had learned from them.

Viewers watched the TOWIE personality pop the question to Lucy in June 2012 after a romantic day on a yacht off the Spanish coast during The Only Way Is Marbs.

Blast from the past! Viewers watched the TOWIE hunk pop the question to Lucy in June 2012 after a romantic day on a yacht off the Spanish coast during The Only Way Is Marbs

Harsh: Mario also spoke out on his previous engagement to TOWIE co-star Lucy Mecklenburgh in 2012, insisting it wasn't a 'real one'

Happier days: Now the TOWIE hunk is very loved-up with his fiance Becky




It was the holiday of a lifetime - made all the more special by the fact they went unnoticed by fans.

Now Kim Kardashian has shared a couple of intimate snaps from Kanye West's low key birthday trip to Japan.

The first of the images shows a surprisingly casual Kim seated at a table barefoot, her face turned to the camera and free of it's usual heavy make-up.

'Say cheese!' Kim Kardashian shares intimate pictures from Kanye West's birthday trip to Japan

Wearing camo pants and a white tank top, she has her legs crossed beneath her.

The image appears to have been taken by her rapper husband, who was celebrating his 40th birthday on the surprise trip, which was organised by Kim herself.

A second photo posted by Kim showed the 36-year-old pouting into a mirror the same evening, her blue purse visible in the selfie.

A third shows her sitting with crossed arms at the sushi restaurant.

On Tuesday this week Kim said on The View that she surprised her beau with the Tokyo trip, because it's a 'place that he loves to go to get away and get inspiration.'

For the mother of two, the visit was the first time she had been to the country.

Throw back Thursday: Kim and Kanye travelled to Japan on a surprise trip for his 40th birthday, on June 8

Kim said they 'always talked about how we really wanted to go together.'

The lovebirds, who celebrated their third anniversary of May 24, had just come off a trip to the Bahamas with kids North, four, and Saint, 18 months, before heading to Japan early this month.

Kim told the hosts of the show that it was 'great to get away when there's no noise and just us. That trip was really special.'

When word on their visit spread, she said it got 'a little crazy towards the end.'

Sushi time: The couple's break was relatively normal, and they went unbothered by fans

However while Kim enjoyed sneaking away with her husband, she wasn't impressed by his photography skills.

Speaking at the Forbes Womens Summit in New York City, she said of her time in Japan: 'Kanye and I woke up at 3am and we couldnt get back to sleep and I said lets go into, in this town in Tokyo where there are all these bright lights, lets go take all these pictures and well post them on social media and it will look so cool.

'We tried to do it, and it was such a mess, and he just was not the best photographer. I was like, "You ruined what my social media was going to look like." So we scrapped that shoot, but we got the good experience.'


At a recent press conference, a wasp flew into the mouth of Costa Rica's President Luis Guillermo Solis.



"I ate it," he said in Spanish with a smile. "I ate the wasp."





As Weird Universe points out, it's similar to this memorable and unscripted moment in Raiders of the Lost Ark:












She's a doting mom to her four-year-old son Cyrus.

And that experience translated onscreen, as Claire Danes held hands with a young actor while filming A Kid Like Jake in New York on Friday.

The actress held hands with the boy, who was obviously comfortable in her presence, as they strolled along the sunny sidewalk for the cameras.

Mom's the word! Claire Danes holds hands with onscreen son as the two film A Kid Like Jake in New York

As Alex Wheeler, the 38-year-old actress plays the concerned mother of a precocious four-year-old who prefers princesses to G.I. Joe in the 2018 transgender family drama.

The three-time Emmy winner not only has four-year-old Cyrus with her husband Hugh Dancy, her Homeland character is also mother to a small child.

Danes and her onscreen husband Greg (Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons) accentuate little Jake's 'gender variant expression' in order to secure him a scholarship into kindergarten.

The perfect role: The three-time Emmy winner not only has four-year-old Cyrus with her husband Hugh Dancy, her Homeland character is also mother to a small child

In step: The actress had obviosuly struck up a bond with the small child

Transgender filmmaker Silas Howard (Transparent) is helming A Kid Like Jake, which also stars Octavia Spencer, Priyanka Chopra, and Michaela Watkins.

Original playwright Daniel Pearle adapted the big-screen version from his 2014 Lincoln Center play, which was a hit at Manhattan's Claire Tow Theater.

Fans can next catch the four-time Golden Globe winner as Clare in the children's show dramedy Brigsby Bear - hitting US theaters July 28 - with Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Kyle Mooney, and Andy Samberg.

Emmy nominations will be announced July 13, and Claire is expected to receive yet another nod for her role as bipolar ex-CIA agent Carrie Mathison on the sixth season of the Showtime hit.

Career high: Emmy nominations will be announced July 13, and Claire is expected to receive yet another nod for her role as bipolar ex-CIA agent Carrie Mathison on Homeland
Presidential candidate Khaltmaa Battulga, pictured on June 11, 2017, has been plagued by reports of an offshore account and arrests of many of his colleagues by Mongolia's anti-corruption body

Mongolians pick a new president Monday after a campaign marred by corruption scandals plaguing all three candidates, from jobs for cash to offshore accounts and donations from an alleged cult.

The allegations have sapped enthusiasm among voters in a country that remains mired in poverty despite having billions of dollars worth of natural resources buried beneath its sprawling steppes.

"We are forced to choose the lesser of three evils," Dugersurengiin Sukhjargalmaa, a former member of the Mongolia People's Party (MPP) and advisor for national gender justice organisation MONFEMNET, told AFP.

The candidates are Mieygombo Enkhbold for the Mongolian People's Party -- which controls the parliament -- Khaltmaa Battulga for the opposition Democratic Party (DP) and Sainkhuu Ganbaatar for the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party.

The outgoing president, DP's Tsakhia Elbegdorj, is not running because he has served the maximum two four-year terms.

While Enkhbold is favoured by Mongolia's older stock as the most stable, credentialed choice, his campaign has been plagued by a video recording that allegedly shows the candidate and two MPP officials discussing a $60 billion tugrik ($25 million) plan for selling government positions.

Enkhbold has maintained that the recording was altered to misrepresent the conversation.

Battulga has been haunted by reports of offshore accounts attached to his name, as well as the arrests of several of his associates by Mongolia's anti-corruption body last spring.

The third-party candidate is also not exempt from controversy: a video allegedly shows Ganbaatar receiving a $44,000 donation from a member of the "Moonies," or Unification Church, a South Korean-based Christian group that critics consider a cult.

Mongolian authorities confirmed Thursday that the man in the footage is Ganbaatar, but the candidate has called the clip a ploy by his competitors to force him out of the race.

Battulga has also stirred up controversy by saying that Enkhbold has Chinese ancestry, suggesting he is not pure Mongolian.

- 'Knee-deep in scandals' -

Analysts say none of the candidates may win Monday's vote outright, which would trigger the country's first ever run-off election.

Mieygombo Enkhbold (L), pictured on June 10, 2017, is popular among older voters, but accusations against him of corruption have helped create what experts call a negative election tone

"All three of them are knee-deep in scandal," Mogi Badral Bontoi, the head of a Mongolian market analyst firm, told AFP.

"This is probably the most negative elections we've had in 27 years of democratic history."

The scandals have been a distraction as Mongolia grapples with economic problems, with nine percent unemployment a top concern among voters.

The next president will inherit a $5.5 billion bailout package spearheaded by the International Monetary Fund in the hopes of stabilising Mongolia's debt-wracked economy.

The landlocked north Asian nation has been hit hard by a more than 50 percent fall over the past five years in the price of copper, its main export, while slowing growth in its biggest customer China has hobbled the economy.

Mongolia's economy grew a measly one percent in 2016 -- a stark contrast to record-high 17 percent growth in 2011.

- Blank ballots -

Frustrations around the negative campaigns have fuelled speculation that voters will cast an unprecedented number of blank ballots as a protest vote.

At least 50 percent of the voting population must participate for the election to be valid.

Regarded as a democratic oasis sandwiched between Russia and China, the former Soviet satellite once reported around 90 percent voter participation.

Mongolian voter turnout has dropped significantly, and officials are worried that people will cast blank ballots or simply not vote at all due to the unpopularity of all three presidential candidates

But turnout dropped to 64 percent in the last presidential election in 2013.

"I will not cast a vote in this election," said a 37-year-old housewife who gave only her surname, Tuul.

"All three of them are crooks, liars and oligarchs."

Julian Dierkes, a Mongolia scholar at the University of British Columbia, said "nothing really sets the candidates apart".

Instead, Dierkes said, voters may weigh whether to deepen the MPP's dominance or maintaining a balance of powers with the presidency and parliament led by different parties.

At an Ulan Bator supermarket, Amariin Urangoo, a 35-year-old travel advisor, grimaced when asked about the election.

"I won't vote," she said, "because there's nobody to choose from."
Australia will send two high-tech AP-3C Orion aircraft to fly missions over the southern Philippines to help in the fight against Islamic militants terrorising the area

Australian military spy planes will start flying missions over the southern Philippines to help in the fight against Islamic militants terrorising the area, the government said Friday.

Fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have been battling troops for a month around Marawi city in the Mindanao region in a conflict that has claimed hundreds of lives.

Canberra, which has an extensive defence cooperation program with Manila, said two high-tech AP-3C Orion aircraft will provide surveillance support to the Philippine military.

"The regional threat from terrorism, in particular from Daesh and foreign fighters, is a direct threat to Australia and our interests," said Defence Minister Marise Payne, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"Australia will continue to work with our partners in Southeast Asia to counter it."

She recently spoke with her Philippine counterpart, Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana, about how Australia could help and "we agreed the best way to defeat terrorism in our region is for us to work together".

The versatile AP-3C Orion's usually patrol maritime borders and played a prominent role in searching for missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370, which went down in the remote Indian Ocean off Australia in 2014.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across Mindanao, home to 20 million people, on May 23 immediately after fighters flying the IS flag rampaged through Marawi.

Their assault on the city ignited an unprecedented urban war, which Duterte has warned is part of an IS campaign to establish a base in Mindanao.

The fighting has left Marawi, the most important Muslim city in the Philippines, largely in ruins.
New Zealand-born Christian Lealiifano, who has played 19 Tests for Australia, was diagnosed with leukaemia in August 2016

Wallaby star Christian Lealiifano has made an emotional return to rugby 10 months after he was diagnosed with leukaemia, his ACT Brumbies club said on Friday.

The fly-half, who has been out of action since his diagnosis in August, made an appearance during the club's exhibition match against the Asia Pacific Dragons in Singapore on Thursday.

Lealiifano, 29, kicked five conversions for a 10-point contribution, playing for 30 minutes in their 61-14 victory in what is seen as a major step towards a full recovery.

"It was fantastic to get back onto the field and play some rugby after such a long lay-off," Lealiifano said.

"This is another step in the recovery process and it felt good to be on the field and fully involved again.

"I am concentrating totally on my recovery and my rugby at the moment and my focus is on helping the team and trying to get back to full health and my best as a rugby player."

Lealiifano said his battle with leukaemia was "an ongoing process" and he was "mindful of taking each day as it comes".

New Zealand-born Lealiifano, who has played 19 Tests for Australia, was diagnosed with the cancer that affects the blood and had a bone-marrow transplant operation after a successful match with his sister.
Meat exports brought in more than $13 billion to the Brazilian economy in 2016 and the industry employs six million people

The United States announced Thursday a halt to all imports of fresh beef from Brazil, the world's second-largest producer, citing "recurring" concerns after large shipments failed food safety tests.

The ban will remain in place until satisfactory corrective actions are taken, the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement that will again put the reputation of Brazil's industry under the spotlight.

All meat imported to the US from Brazil has been inspected since March, when some of the country's top meat producers became embroiled in a tainted-meat scandal.

During that time, the US food safety and inspection service rejected 11 percent of Brazilian fresh beef, compared with only one percent of quantities from other nations, it added.

"My first priority is to protect American consumers," US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.

"That's what we've done by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef."

Antonio Camardelli, president of Brazil's Meat Exporters Association (Abiec), said the loss was potentially "incalculable".

But he blamed the problems on a reaction to some components of a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine that Brazil uses, which had become visible in the US inspections.

Camardelli said producers had asked the Brazilian government to resolve the problem in a meeting with their US counterparts.

But since the enhanced US inspection measures kicked in, 106 lots -- approximately 1.9 million pounds (861,825 kilograms) -- of Brazilian beef products were refused entry to the US "due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues."

"It is important to note that none of the rejected lots made it into the US market," the Department of Agriculture said, noting that the "Brazilian government had pledged to address those concerns, including by self-suspending five facilities from shipping beef to the US."

"Today's action to suspend all fresh beef shipments from Brazil supersedes the self-suspension," it added.

Brazil's beef production is surpassed only by the United States, according to USDA data.

But in March the South American country's industry was rocked by investigators' accusations that 21 meat processing companies used chemicals to hide the smell of rotting meat and bribed health inspectors to pass off their products as safe.

About 20 countries -- including Hong Kong and China, the biggest importers of Brazilian beef -- as well as the European Union, fully or partially closed their doors to the country's meat imports.

After the bans, Brazil's average daily meat exports plunged 19 percent in a week, or $11.7 million, according to the trade ministry, before client countries agreed to resume imports after fierce haggling.

Meat exports brought in more than $13 billion to the Brazilian economy in 2016. The industry employs six million people.
Four foreign inmates escaped through a 50-inch hole at Kerobokan prison

Two foreign inmates who tunnelled their way out of a Bali prison have been captured in East Timor, police said Friday, in the latest prison break case in Indonesia.

Bulgarian Dimitar Nikolov Iliev and Indian Sayed Mohammed Said were caught at a hotel in Dili Thursday morning after arriving on a boat illegally from Indonesia.

They had escaped from Kerobokan prison Monday along with with two other inmates, Australian Shaun Edward Davidson and Malaysian Tee Kok King.

The pair were originally caught for entering East Timor without legal documents, said East Timor senior police official Henrique da Costa, but police later concluded the pair were two of the four Bali fugitives.

"We will most likely hand them back to the Indonesia Friday afternoon now that we know they are fugitives," da Costa told AFP.

The four foreign inmates escaped Bali's prison through a 50 x 75cm (20 x 30 inch) hole at the prison's wall that connects to a 15-metre (49-foot) long water tunnel heading towards a main street.

Davidson -- who was going to be freed within months -- and the Malaysian inmate are still on the run.

The Bali jailbreak came days after dozens of prisoners swam through flood waters to escape an Indonesian jail in Jambi province after one of its walls collapsed. Most were later recaptured.

In May, more than 440 inmates fled a prison in Pekanbaru City on the island of Sumatra after prison guards let them out of their cells to pray. Only about half were caught.
Papua New Guineans go to the polls Saturday in an election the country's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill sees as a turning point for a Pacific nation once described as a "totally dysfunctional blob"

Papua New Guineans go to the polls Saturday in an election the country's leader sees as a turning point for a Pacific nation once described as a "totally dysfunctional blob".

Since the last election five years ago, capping a turbulent political period which at one point saw PNG with two rival prime ministers, the rugged and sprawling country has grown up, according to Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

"Through four decades of statehood, elections had been marred by supporters getting out of hand and making news headlines for all the wrong reasons," he said ahead of polling booths opening.

"This election things are different. Candidates are presenting their ideas, some have policy platforms, and campaigning has been at a level of maturity that our nation can be proud of as we prepare to vote.

"Democratic process in Papua New Guinea has come of age, and our people are benefiting from this change."

His claim of turning a corner is in sharp contrast to PNG being criticised by Australian diplomats in leaked cables as a "totally dysfunctional blob" ahead of the polls in 2007.

O'Neill's People's National Congress won the last election in 2012, and he was able to swell support by forming partnerships with smaller parties in the 111-seat parliament.

He cites achievements since then as delivering on key infrastructure promises and providing free education and health in a crime-ridden country that remains mired in poverty.

So far campaigning in the often-violent nation has been relatively peaceful, with only a handful of people dying in clashes between rival supporters.

Despite O'Neill's rhetoric, Terence Wood, a PNG expert at the Australian National University, said it was too early to say the resource-rich country had come of age.

"There are still a lot of underlying issues present in PNG politics," he told AFP.

"It is still infused with money, corruption is a big issue and violence in the community is of significant concern. None of that has really changed."

Regardless of what happens, he said the most important outcome was stability.

"A stable democracy hasn't given good governance to PNG, but instability is worse," he said.

- 'Government is broke' -

O'Neill, 52, is up against Don Polye's Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party and a coalition of former top politicians including ex-prime ministers Sir Michael Somare and Sir Mekere Morauta.

They accuse O'Neill of mismanaging an economy hurt by slumping global commodity prices, and reckless spending to achieve his goals.

"The major problem confronting our country is the fact that the government is broke," said Ben Micah of the Peoples' Progress Party, which is among those trying to unseat O'Neill.

"Certainly it's the issue of the shortage of funds in government and issues of maladministration, issues of corruption that continue to plague the leadership of the prime minister and many of his ministers."

O'Neill survived a no-confidence vote last year over corruption allegations following weeks of protests and civil disobedience urging him to resign.

His victory in 2012 drew an end to a bizarre period in PNG politics which began when the Supreme Court ruled in December 2011 that O'Neill's election as prime minister by fellow MPs in August that year was illegal.

The court called for ailing former premier Somare, whose family resigned him on health grounds, to be reinstated.

It triggered a crisis which, at its height, saw the nation with two prime ministers, two governors-general and two police chiefs.

Hundreds of observers are in the country monitoring the polls, which close on July 8 and are notoriously open to bribery.

PNG villagers, who receive little from the political system, often see them as simply a "time of food" -- a reference to the cash, pigs and other items candidates provide to win votes.
Pandas are born pink, hairless and so small it can be difficult to determine their sex

A baby panda recently born in Japan is a girl, a Tokyo zoo said Friday, adding that the little cub appeared to be in good health.

Tokyo's Ueno Zoo celebrated the first birth of a baby panda in five years on June 12, prompting rolling television reports and setting off panda fever nationwide.

A zoo spokesman said the female cub's sex was confirmed based on pictures sent to a panda research centre in the shy animal's native China.

Pandas are born pink, hairless and weighing around 100 grams (three-and-a-half ounces) -- so small it can be difficult to determine their sex.

The little cub "seems to be in good health" and is drinking her mother's milk, the spokesman said, adding she is now 17.6 centimetres (seven inches) long and weighs 283.9 gramme (9.9 ounces).

Her pink body is beginning to show tell-tale black panda fur.

"She has started to grow black fur around her eyes and on other parts of her body," the spokesman added.

Zoo keepers were carefully tending to the cub and her 11-year-old mum Shin Shin, who resumed her daily schedule of munching young bamboo stalks and rolling around days after giving birth.

The birth of the as-yet-unnamed cub comes after the last panda's arrival at Ueno Zoo ended unhappily, with the baby dying from pneumonia.

The death reduced one of the zoo's directors to tears.
EU leaders will take on the issue of globalisation at a Brussels summit

EU leaders tackle the thorny topic of globalisation at a summit on Friday with deep divisions between proponents of free markets and others seeking more protections, most notably France.

The election of "America First" President Donald Trump has sown confusion in Europe, with free trade advocates asking that the EU take leadership and sign new trade deals with Japan, Mexico and South America.

But French President Emmanuel Macron has warned leaders to prioritise protections for Europeans worried about globalisation or risk a spike in populist sentiment that helped Trump win the presidency and brought on Brexit.

"It's not a secret that there is not one single view on how globalisation can be better controlled," a senior EU diplomat said ahead of the summit, on condition of anonymity.

"There are quite a few nuances between those who are more free on trade and those who want to have more controls," he added.

The most divisive issue is a proposal spearheaded by pro-EU Macron to hand Brussels more powers to control Chinese investments in Europe's key industries.

"I'm in favour of fair protection... I'm in favour of free trade, not of being naive," Macron said after a first session of talks on Thursday.

Macron, who beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen in last month's run-off, is asking that the summit launch measures towards screening investments by China in Europe that have startled some Europeans.

- Anti-dumping defenses -

But according to a draft of the summit conclusions seen by AFP, opponents of Macron's efforts have so far succeeded in blocking the effort, in effect delaying discussion to an unspecified later date.

Instead, leaders will only ask the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to "examine the need" to screen investments from countries outside the EU, with China the main target, the draft said.

Macron's idea has faced significant opposition from Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, as well as European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem, all highly suspicious of French-style meddling in the open market.

"We don't want to hurt investment," Malmstroem told a conference organised by Politico on Monday.

Historically, export-driven Germany has steered clear of protectionism, but recently got spooked by the acquisition of leading robot-maker Kuka by Chinese firm Midea, a transaction that caused a stir domestically.

Germany for now has quietly backed Macron in his quest to screen sensitive Chinese investments and will heavily influence the final outcome of the debate.

The summit is less divided on finding ways to set up stronger anti-dumping defenses against China and other countries.

Beijing has faced international condemnation for flooding the world with super cheap steel, solar panels and other products, leaving international rivals on their knees.

EU leaders are expected to urge EU institutions to swiftly implement anti-dumping measures currently under negotiation in Brussels.
The explosion occurred in front of the office of the police chief in Quetta, which is capital of mineral-rich southern Balochistan, a province that is rife with separatist and Islamist insurgency

An explosion targeting a police vehicle in Pakistan's southwestern Quetta city on Friday killed at least 13 people and injured around 20 others, officials said.

The blast, in front of the office of the Quetta police chief, was claimed by both the local affiliate of the Islamic State group and by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, according to the SITE monitoring group.

There was no immediate explanation for the dual claims. Islamic State Khorasan Province, the Middle Eastern group's affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been known to work with the myriad of Pakistani militant groups in previous attacks, including with JuA.

Friday's attack in Quetta, the capital of insurgency-wracked Balochistan province, "targeted a police pick-up in front of the IG (Inspector General) office", said senior police official Mohammed Tariq.

"A motorcycle was also destroyed in the explosion," he said.

"The death toll has climbed to 13," Fareed Ahmed, medical superintendent at Civil Hospital told AFP, with around 20 injured, most by shrapnel. Police officials said nine policemen were among the dead.

At the hospital, worried children stood by the bloodstained cots of wounded relatives, and Pakistani soldiers visited injured colleagues.

Stunned survivors could give few details about the attack. "I was sitting on a chair. There was an explosion. I got injured and fell down," said one victim, Gulzar Ahmad.

Pakistan has been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan, the country's most restive province, since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting.

Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, it 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.

Beijing is ramping up investment in its South Asian neighbour as part of a plan unveiled in 2015 that will link its far-western Xinjiang region to Gwadar port with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades.
President Xi Jinping will come to Hong Kong next week to mark 20 years since the city was handed back to China by Britain, according to local media

President Xi Jinping will come to Hong Kong next week to mark 20 years since the city was handed back to China by Britain, local media said, in a visit that will be incendiary to activists.

Although widely expected, officials have not so far said whether Xi will make the trip, his first to Hong Kong since becoming president in 2013.

The South China Morning Post reported for the first time Friday that Xi's visit had been "confirmed", citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the visit.

It comes at a time when Beijing stands accused of squeezing the semi-autonomous city's freedoms and frustrations have led to the emergence of a new independence movement calling for Hong Kong to break from the mainland.

Protesters say they are preparing to gather during the handover celebrations and Xi's visit will be shrouded in a huge security operation.

His itinerary includes touring the garrison of China's People's Liberation Army in central Hong Kong, as well as visiting an infrastructure project, the Post said.

He will arrive Thursday with his wife Peng Liyuan and stay until Saturday July 1, the handover anniversary date, when he will inaugurate the city's new leader Carrie Lam, the report added.

Hong Kong was handed back to China by colonial power Britain in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal designed to protect its freedoms and way of life for 50 years.

But a number of incidents, including the disqualification from parliament of two pro-independence lawmakers and the alleged abduction of five Hong Kong booksellers, have raised fears that Beijing is trampling the agreement.

A government spokesman told AFP Friday there was still no official confirmation that Xi would visit.

Political analyst Willy Lam predicted there may be "ugly scenes" if he does.

"The fact that the head of the (Chinese Communist) party and the army is in Hong Kong I think will enhance people's impression that Beijing really means business," said Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"This is a symbol of the fact that in 'one country, two systems', the one country is towering over the two systems."
Former Khmer Rouge leader head of state Khieu Samphan (C) denies being part of the killing machine that decimated nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population

One of the top surviving leaders of Cambodia's ruthless Khmer Rouge regime on Friday denied genocide charges and rejected the label of "murderer" in forceful closing remarks at a lengthy UN-backed trial.

The Khmer Rouge's former head of state, 85-year-old Khieu Samphan, spoke angrily to the Phnom Penh chamber trying him and another senior leader, 90-year-old Nuon Chea, for the regime's killing of ethnic Vietnamese and Muslim minorities, forced marriage and rape.

The men are the two most senior living members of the radical Maoist group that seized control of Cambodia in 1975 and carried out some of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.

Up to two million people are believed to have been killed by the time the Khmer Rouge was overthrown in 1979.

The pair were handed life sentences in 2014 after convictions over the forced evacuation of around two million Cambodians from Phnom Penh into rural labour camps and murders at one execution site.

But Khieu Samphan, who was one of the Khmer Rouge's few public faces as its head of state, claims he was not part of the killing machine that exterminated nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population from 1975-1979.

Up to two million people died under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979

On Friday Khieu Samphan denied responsibility for the mass murders and other abuses against Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese, which were described in chilling detail by more than 100 witnesses throughout the three-year trial.

"I didn't know about these issues," he said, adding that the "idea of Cambodian genocide" was invented by Vietnam.

At one point he made eye contact with witnesses who had described graphic accounts of Khmer Rouge cadres committing cannibalism, mass rape and holding killing competitions of the minority groups.

"I know that they really suffered. I also heard when they spoke to me sometimes referring to me as a murderer....But the term murderer, I categorically reject it," he said.

Nuon Chea, known as "Brother Number Two," declined to deliver a closing statement and watched the proceedings from a court holding cell due to his frail health.

His lawyer said Nuon Chea believed he was part of a "show trial".

"Nuon Chea couldn't care less if you convict him again to a life sentence... he doesn't take this institution seriously," defence lawyer Victor Koppe told the courtroom.

The judge has not said when the verdict will be delivered.

The hybrid court, which uses a mix of Cambodian and international law, was created with the backing of the UN in 2006 to try senior Khmer Rouge leaders.

The number of allegations against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan was so vast the court split their trials into a series of smaller hearings in 2011, fearful the pair might die before a verdict could be delivered.

Only three people have been convicted by the court as several key Khmer Rouge leaders have died without facing justice, including "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, who passed away in 1998.

In February the tribunal dismissed a case against a mid-level Khmer Rouge official charged with crimes against humanity, saying she was not high-ranking enough to fall under the court's jurisdiction.
US President Donald Trump met with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi at the White House on Thursday

China's top diplomat told Donald Trump that Beijing was willing to keep working with Washington to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula -- days after the US leader implied that Chinese efforts had failed.

The meeting between State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Trump at the White House on Thursday also came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged China to step up diplomatic and economic pressure on the North over its nuclear weapons.

The meeting was reported by China's foreign ministry. There was no White House statement on the get-together, which had not been mentioned in the president's daily schedule.

"China is willing to maintain communication and coordination with relevant parties including the United States to ease tensions on the peninsula," Yang said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Trump told Yang he looked forward to "enhancing cooperation" with China on the denuclearization of the North, the ministry said in a statement.

On Wednesday Yang and top General Fang Fenghui met with Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the State Department to discuss North Korea and other regional issues.

Hours before the talks began, Trump sent a tweet that appeared to suggest China's President Xi Jinping had come up short on reining in its neighbor.

"While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!" Trump tweeted.

Trump did not elaborate on what might happen next if China, by far the North's most important trading and diplomatic partner, is out of ideas.

Trump, who frequently denounced China on the campaign trail, has turned to Beijing to help pressure its ally North Korea, prompting concern among Asian partners that America might go easy on Beijing over its expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea.

Trump, who met with Xi at his luxury resort in Florida in April, also confirmed he would visit China later this year, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Tillerson said Wednesday that China had a "diplomatic responsibility to exert much greater economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime if they want to prevent further escalation in the region".

For their part, the Chinese envoys pressed for negotiations, proposing again a "dual-track approach" in which North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile activities while the United States and South Korea would halt large-scale military exercises.

The meetings between the two sides followed the death of Otto Warmbier on Monday, the American student returned to the US last week in a coma after being detained in North Korea for 18 months.
Botswana's former president Sir Ketumile Masire has died aged 91

Sir Ketumile Masire, Botswana's second post-independence leader who is largely credited with being the architect of the country's famed stability, has died, an aide said Friday. He was 91.

One of Africa's most respected elder statesmen, he was known for leading regional peace efforts in Mozambique, Kenya and Lesotho.

In recent years, he was heavily involved in efforts to bring peace to Mozambique, which descended into violence in 2013, pitting Renamo rebels against the government.

Masire passed away in a hospital in Botswana's capital Gaborone late on Thursday, according to his senior private secretary Fraser Tlhoiwe.

"He died peacefully at Bokamoso private hospital surrounded by his family at 10:10 pm on 22 June 2017," Tlhoiwe said in a statement.

Masire had been hospitalised for surgery on June 16, his family said. Despite being admitted to intensive care, he was thought to be in stable condition.

President Ian Khama has declared three days of national mourning for the late leader, ahead of his burial on Thursday in Kanye, southwest of Gaborone.

"In remembrance of Sir Ketumile, we shall as of today, begin a three-day period of mourning... during which flags shall fly at half mast as they will also do on the day of the funeral," he said in a statement.

- Peacemaker -

Masire took office in 1980 following the death of president Seretse Khama, and led the country until voluntarily stepping down 1998, having overseen a period of unprecedented economic growth.

He is largely credited with being responsible for Botswana's longtime stability.

As well as mediating to end violence in Mozambique, Masire also helped to resolve political crises in Kenya and Lesotho after leaving office.

He also chaired an International Panel of Eminent Personalities investigating the circumstances of the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

One of Africa's most stable countries, Botswana is a republic with Masire's Bechuanaland Democratic Party (BDP) -- now the Botswana Democratic Party -- holding power since independence in 1966.

Over that period, Botswana has enjoyed uninterrupted civilian rule.
UNICEF's Myanmar representative, Bertrad Bainvel, says it is harder to recruit a child soldier now than it was four years ago

Myanmar's military released 67 child soldiers on Friday, its first discharge this year as part of a slow process to end decades of forced recruitment of underage fighters that began under the former junta.

There are no concrete figures on how many children are still among the estimated 500,000 troops that serve in Myanmar's military or the ethnic rebel armies it battles in the country's border regions.

The state's army has released almost 850 children and young people from its ranks since signing a pact with the United Nations in 2012, the year after the former junta ceded power ending a brutal 50-year reign.

Recruitment of underage fighters has also slowed while Myanmar's young civilian government is working to help underage recruits reintegrate into society.

"It is much more difficult to recruit a child today than it was four years ago," said Bertrand Bainvel, UNICEF's Myanmar representative, citing the military's efforts to strengthen age checks and centralise recruitment.

But experts say children remain at risk as new underage recruits continue to trickle into the military and ethnic armed groups waging insurgencies against the state.

Recruiters from the army and their middlemen still scour public spaces like parks and stations in major cities like Yangon and Mandalay looking for vulnerable boys they can tempt or force into service.

Many are sent to conflict areas such as the northeastern states of Kachin and Shan, where the army is fighting several rebel groups who also use child soldiers.

UNICEF has been stepping up efforts to negotiate with those groups but none have officially started releasing underage fighters.
The Admiral Grigorovich launches cruise missiles in the eastern Mediterranean off the Syrian coast during a strike against Islamic State (IS) group positions in November 2016

Two Russian warships and a submarine in the Mediterranean have fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in Syria, the defence ministry said Friday.

It said that Turkish and Israeli military "were informed in a timely manner of the missile launches through communication channels," but it did not mention the United States.

Russia has suspended its communication channel with the US on military operations in Syria after a US jet shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday, with Moscow accusing Washington of failing to issue a warning.

The defence ministry said that Russia's Admiral Essen and Admiral Grigorovich warships and the Krasnodar submarine fired six Kalibr missiles at command centres and weapons stores in Syria's Hama region.

"As a result of the surprise mass missile strike, command points were destroyed and also large stores of weapons and ammunition of the IS terrorists in the area of Aqirbat in the Hama province," it said.

The ministry added that Russian planes then carried out aerial strikes that "destroyed the remainder of the IS fighters and their facilities."

The ministry released video footage of missiles being fired from underwater by the submarine and from the ships as well as aerial footage of the missiles striking two-storey buildings in what appeared to be semi-desert areas.

The most recent such strikes from ships and submarines were announced by the ministry on May 31, aimed at targets around Palmyra.

The defence ministry said Friday that IS fighters have been moving forces into Hama province this week under cover of night and using large buildings there as command points and weapons stores.

It said the fighters were trying to move out from Raqa towards Palmyra.
US student Otto Warmbier, seen here in February 2016, was arrested for committing hostile acts against North Korea

North Korea on Friday accused the United States of waging a "smear campaign" over the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and sent back home in a coma.

US President Donald Trump has slammed the incarceration and eventual death of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier as "a total disgrace".

"The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the US compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law", the foreign ministry spokesman said in state media.

The North had earlier Friday denied torturing or mistreating Warmbier, in the first official reaction to his death.

"Our relevant agencies treat all criminals... thoroughly in accordance with domestic laws and international standards and Warmbier was not an exception," a spokesman for the National Reconciliation Council said.

"Those who have absolutely no idea about how well we treated Warmbier under humanitarian conditions dare to utter 'mistreatment' and 'torture'," he said according to the official KCNA news agency.

Warmbier was buried Thursday in Ohio, less than a week after he was sent back home in a mysterious coma.

He had been incarcerated for more than a year in North Korea after allegedly stealing a political slogan while on a trip to the capital Pyongyang as a tourist.
Iraqi security forces have recaptured most towns and cities in Anbar province after jihadists swept through the desert province in 2014

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a town in western Iraq on Friday, killing at least eight civilians and a soldier, officers said.

He was one of a group of four suicide bombers who infiltrated a neighbourhood of Al-Baghdadi, a town on the Euphrates River in the restive western province of Anbar.

"Army forces were able to kill three suicide bombers after trapping them in a house in the Martyrs neighbourhood by detonating their belts with gunfire," a senior police officer said.

"The fourth managed to hide and later blow himself up in the midst of a group of civilians and soldiers," the officer said.

The police officer and Sharhabil al-Obeidi, a local district official, said eight civilians and a soldier were killed in the blast, while another 11 people were wounded.

Anbar is a sprawling desert province traversed by the Euphrates River and bordering Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

It has long been an insurgent stronghold, and IS already controlled parts of it before it swept through Iraq in 2014 to take over around a third of the country.

Pro-government forces have since retaken most towns and cities in Anbar, but the jihadists still control areas near the Syrian border and have desert hideouts from which they harass federal forces.
Iranians burn US and Israeli effigies during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran on June 23, 2017

Chants against the Saudi royal family and the Islamic State group mingled with the traditional cries of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" at Jerusalem Day rallies across Iran on Friday.

The annual show of solidarity with the Palestinians, during which hundreds of thousands of Iranians take to the streets, was launched by the Islamic republic's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and is now also marked by its allies across the Middle East.

This year's commemoration coincided with an intensifying battle for influence in the region between Shiite Iran and its Sunni arch rival Saudi Arabia, which severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in January 2016.

"Death to the House of Saud and Daesh (IS)," the demonstrators chanted. "Death to America", "Death to Israel", "Death to the UK".

Iran has been heavily involved in the war against IS in both Iraq and Syria, where it has trained and advised militias to fight the jihadists.

On Sunday, Iran fired six 750-kilometre (470-mile) range missiles at an IS base in eastern Syria, days after the jihadist group claimed twin bombing and shooting attacks in Tehran that left 17 people dead.

Zolfaghar missiles are displayed during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran on June 23, 2017

On Friday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards displayed some of the same Zolfaghar missiles used in the strike at Valiasr Square in the heart of the capital, alongside a 2,000-kilometre (1,250-mile) range Qadr missile.

Iran's ballistic missile programme has been the subject of persistent concern in Washington and the target of repeated US sanctions.

Some demonstrators burnt Israeli and American flags, while others carried a coffin plastered with a picture of US President Donald Trump and the slogan: "Death to America, death to the House of Saud."

In a speech to the crowd in the capital, parliament speaker Ali Larijani called Israel the "mother of terrorism".

"The displacement of millions of Muslims by the Zionist regime is unprecedented in the history of all terrorist groups," he said.

- Anti-Rouhani slogans -

President Hassan Rouhani, who joined the march through Tehran, hit out at a new sanctions bill approved by the US Senate, while videos on social media showed a small group of protesters chanting hostile slogans.

Reformist sites posted videos showing hardliners shouting "down with liar" and "down with the American cleric".

They warned that Rouhani could face the same fate as Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, Iran's first elected president after the 1979 Islamic revolution, who was impeached by parliament in 1981, less than two years later.

One video showed Rouhani's security guards rushing him into his car while others prevented protesters from approaching.

Last week, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had warned those who created "polarisation" could face the same fate as Bani-Sadr, without giving names.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani takes part in a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran on June 23, 2017

The rare protest on Friday came one month after a mob attacked Rouhani's car when he visited a mine in northern Iran where 43 miners had been killed in an accident.

Other videos showed First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri and outspoken MP Ali Motahari being heckled by angry protesters.

Rouhani's three female deputies were first to respond on Twitter.

"The ugly action of a small group insulting the president cannot damage national unity... and the strong support for Mr Rouhani," wrote Massoumeh Ebtekar, the president's deputy on environmental affairs.

"Insulting the president on Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day is an unbefitting response by the extremists to the nation's choice," tweeted Zahra Ahmadipour, vice president for cultural heritage and tourism.

The interior ministry issued a statement saying an investigation into the "illegal" actions was under way.

Also for Jerusalem Day, Iranian authorities unveiled a large panel at Palestine Square in central Tehran, counting down "the days left until the destruction of Israel".

The figure of 8,411 days -- or just over 23 years -- on the panel is based on a speech which Khamenei gave nearly two years ago predicting Israel would no longer exist by 2040.
Ghanaian MPs wanting to make private visits to the US must now apply like all other applicants

Former presidents, lawmakers and senior government officials in Ghana will no longer have special privileges for private travel to the United States, Washington's envoy has said.

Until now, such individuals were able to take advantage of "protocol services" where they did not have to physically appear at the US embassy to obtain a visa.

But on Thursday, US Ambassador Robert Jackson told members of parliament that the process had changed, sources in the legislature said.

"If you are travelling for tourism or business that is not related to government business, you will be required to make a personal appearance, even with former presidents," he said.

"There are no exceptions."

The withdrawal of protocol privileges comes two months after Britain's top diplomat in Accra accused three MPs and a former lawmaker of visa fraud in a letter to Ghana's parliament, raising the prospect of a travel ban.

The allegations included visa overstays for family members, in some cases for several years, after they used diplomatic channels for travel on non-official business.

Britain's outgoing high commissioner Jon Benjamin said MPs wanting to make private visits now had to apply "like any other applicant".

It was not clear what prompted the US ban but it is understood all foreign missions were aware of the British investigation into visa irregularities involving MPs.

Contacted by AFP, the US embassy in Accra gave no immediate response.

The US decision is not thought to be connected to a Ghanaian Supreme Court ruling on Thursday on two former Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The court ruled that the 2016 transfer of the pair from the US detention facility to live in Ghana was unconstitutional.
The release of Wild Turkey Masters Keep Decades is meant to celebrate Eddie Russells 35th Anniversary at Wild Turkey. According to the companys press release, Eddie used some of the companys rarest and most precious barrels from the center and upper floors of their McBrayer Rickhouse for this release. The label for Decades appears to violate TTB regulations as they require percentages on any whiskeys that lists multiple ages. Decades was originally set to be released in mid 2016, before the company abruptly delayed it until February 2017 in most markets. The exact reason for the delay is unknown. This release shares the same bottle and box design as Masters Keep 17 Year that suggests future release in this series will continue to do so.

NOSE

An expressive and gratifying nose of typical Wild Turkey aromas consisting of toffee, orange peel, and caramel. Oak and butterscotch provide a rich base along with another aroma thats hard to pin down. At times this scent reminds me of a belgian beer, and others, a bouquet of roses. Its faint and a bit odd, but interesting when you get a whiff of it.

palate

The flavors start off quite gentle like Wild Turkeys limited releases often do, before ramping up like the companys popular Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon is known for. The flavors repeatedly bounce from sweeter notes, to oaky ones, before settling on strong baking spice notes. If the sweeter notes were more prominent like they often were with older Wild Turkey releases, this palate would be top notch.

finish

A long finish thats bold with its oak and spice notes. There is a bit of clove, tannins, and ethanol on the aftertaste that counters the better aspects of the finish. Its not overly deep, but the sweet notes are able to peek out from the strong oak front just enough to add a little necessary layering. I just would like to see a little more of it.

uniqueness

Probably the thing youll most notice when you take a sip of Wild Turkey Decades is its boldness. After Wild Turkey Diamond Anniversary and Wild Turkey Masters Keep 17 Year coming in under 100 proof, the company finally comes out strong at 104 proof with Decades. Wild Turkey is never one for high proofs, as evidenced by their barrel proof offering the last couple of years at 112.8 proof, but sometimes the numbers dont tell the whole story.



Wild Turkeys barrel entry proof has always been on the low side compared to its competitors. This often results in a fuller flavor at a lower proof and why their 101 Bourbon has the reputation it does for being so bold. Despite this, Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon and their single barrel version of it, Kentucky Spirit, actually tastes watered down compared to Decades. Even though Wild Turkey Rare Breed comes in hotter at 112.8 proof, it cant match the richness of Decades. This might not make it very unique compared to other bourbons on the market, but within its own bourbon family, it definitely stands out.

value

Once again the bourbon boom inflates yet another limited release. Decades comes in less that Russells Reserve 1998s $250 price tag, and thankfully at the same $150 as 2015s Wild Turkey Masters Keep. Regardless of what constitutes the new normal regarding limited releases, $150 is just too much for whats in this bottle. Russells Reserve 1998 might have cost $250 when it was released, but what was in the bottle backed it up and it quickly sold out. In many parts of the country you can still find Diamond Anniversary and Masters Keep on shelves, which is a good indication theyre overpriced. Decades is good bourbon, maybe even great, but not amazing enough to constitute $150. One of my ideal bourbons is a richer, higher proof Kentucky Spirit and while Decades comes close to it, the lack of strong sweet notes keeps this bourbon from reaching greater heights. At three times the price of Kentucky Spirit, close isnt good enough.

overall

A boldness of flavor and a proof to back it up, Wild Turkey Decades is one of the companys better limited releases in recent years.
Iran's historic agreement with world powers ended a 13-year standoff over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme

Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi is urging the West to change course in the Middle East in order to save the historic atomic deal, saying "the moment of truth has arrived".

The accord, reached between Tehran and world powers in Vienna in July 2015, saw Iran drastically curb its nuclear activities. In return, nuclear-related Western and UN sanctions were lifted.

But writing in Friday's Guardian newspaper, Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said negotiating agreements with Western powers had been a "mixed experience" for Tehran.

"Often, following some hard-won engagement, some Western nations, whether distracted by shortsighted political motivations or the lucrative inducements of other regional actors, walk away and allow the whole situation to return to the status quo ante," he said.

Salehi was writing against the background of increasing US-Iran tensions since President Donald Trump came to power.

He said the nuclear deal could be saved but it would take concerted action and a clarification of Western security policy in the Middle East.

"For example, US arms sales to some traditional regional clients in the Middle East, and ostentatious, lavish arms purchases by the same regional actors just because of the abundance of oil wealth, are provocative," he said.

"This is especially the case if the national defence efforts of Iran -- which are partly induced by this process -- are simultaneously opposed and undermined. It would be unrealistic to expect Iran to remain indifferent to the destabilising impact of such conduct."

Trump has vowed to "dismantle" the "disastrous" nuclear deal and has ratcheted up US sanctions, calling for Iran to be isolated and throwing his weight behind Tehran's arch rival Saudi Arabia.

Last month, on his first foreign trip, Trump visited Saudi Arabia and promised its leaders access to $110 billion in weapons and training.

Salehi called for engagement from all parties.

"We have, so far, taken a number of solid steps towards a constructive engagement aiming at common goals and objectives. Those steps could be strengthened further by genuine reciprocal gestures and actions.

"The moment of truth has arrived."
(FILES) UAE state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, poses for a picture during an interview with AFP in his office in Dubai on June 7, 2017

The UAE on Friday advised Qatar to take a list of stern demands drawn up by its neighbours seriously or the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf would turn into a "divorce" with Doha.

Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates state minister for foreign affairs, issued the warning more than two weeks into the oil-rich region's worst diplomatic crisis in years.

He also accused Qatar of leaking a document containing the demands by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, which have cut diplomatic ties with the gas-rich state accusing it of sponsoring terrorism.

Qatar strongly denies such charges.

The demands have not been officially unveiled but Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel said overnight Thursday they were handed to Qatar by Kuwait, which is mediating in the crisis.

According to the document posted on social media, the Saudi-led coalition demands that Qatar closes down Al-Jazeera, downgrades diplomatic ties with Iran and shuts a Turkish military base in the emirate.

"The leak (of the demands by Qatar) is an attempt to abort the mediation in a childish act that we have grown accustomed to from our brother," Gargash wrote on Twitter.

"It would be wiser that (Qatar) deal seriously with the demands and concerns of the neighbours or a divorce will take place," he said.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia and the UAE led a severing of all links with Qatar for allegedly supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, "that aim to destabilise the region".

Egypt, Bahrain and other allies followed.

Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Iran, its regional rival, of interference throughout the Middle East.

As well as cutting diplomatic ties, Qatar's neighbours closed their air space to Qatari carriers and blocked the small but gas-rich emirates' only land border, vital for its food imports.

"The brother (Qatar) must realise that the solution for its crisis lies not in Tehran or Beirut or Ankara or Western capitals or in media outlets, but in regaining the trust of its neighbours," Gargash said.

"It is not possible to accept that the brother continues as the Trojan horse" in the Gulf or as a funder and "platform for an extremist agenda", he added.

Earlier this week, a foreign diplomat told AFP the crisis had reached a "stalemate" and "won't end soon".

Ankara and Washington have also been trying to help broker a solution to the crisis within the Gulf Cooperation Council which groups Qatar with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Albert Einstein died at the age of 76 in Princeton, New Jersey

Albert Einstein may have been a genius when it came to the world of physics -- but the magic formula for marriage eluded him, according to letters up for auction at Christie's.

The man behind the theory of relativity was on less solid ground when it came to relationships, according to a series of letters to his lifelong friend and collaborator Michele Besso.

"What I admired most in him as a man was the manner in which he managed to live for so long peacefully but also durably with a spouse -- an enterprise in which I piteously failed twice," Einstein wrote to Besso's family on March 21, 1955, just after his friend's death, which preceded his own only by weeks.

In an emotional final paragraph, Einstein wrote of Besso: "Now he has again preceded me a little in parting from this strange world.

"This has no importance. For people like us who believe in physics, the separation between past, present and future has only the importance of an admittedly tenacious illusion."

Besso provided moral support to his close friend since their student days in Zurich in the 1890s as Einstein endured marital difficulties with first wife Mileva, from whom he separated in 1914.

They divorced in 1919 and he then married his cousin Elsa.

The collection of 56 letters to be sold at auction from July 6 to 13 stretches across 50 years and covers a raft of subjects.

They include intellectual matters, not least his study of relativity -- "a promising field theory" -- but also the rise of Hitler and the intimacies of private life.

Einstein at times shows great humility but also humorous self-deprecation, often joking about himself while also emphasising his deep love of his work.

He described his scientific breakthroughs as "getting closer to God".

In one letter he urges Besso to "keep me informed of the situation by means of postcards, without paying too much attention to any continuity of content. In the age of quantum theory, this is perfectly permissible."

Einstein died at the age of 76 in Princeton, New Jersey, having in 1940 taken out US citizenship. He renounced his German citizenship in 1933 after the Nazis came to power.
President Donald Trump is questioning the impartiality of Special Counsel Robert Mueller as he leads a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign

President Donald Trump has questioned the impartiality of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the probe into Russia's meddling in the US election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

In an interview with Fox News aired Friday morning, Trump argued that Mueller, a former FBI director, is "good friends" with James Comey, Mueller's successor at the spy agency whom Trump fired on May 9. Trump later acknowledged he took this step with the Russia probe in mind.

When George W. Bush was president, Mueller and Comey worked together -- Mueller as FBI director and Comey as deputy attorney general.

Trump also said that some of the staffers that Mueller has hired for his investigation "are all Hillary Clinton supporters." US news reports say some of these staffers have made campaign contributions to Democratic candidates.

Asked point blank if Mueller should recuse himself from the Russia probe, Trump said: "Well, he's very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome. But he's also -- we're going to have to see."

Trump added: "I mean we're going to have to see in terms -- look, there has been no obstruction. There has been no collusion. There has been leaking by Comey."

Trump did say, however, that Mueller is an "honorable man."
An Iraqi man wounded in a suicide bombing as people fled the Old City of Mosul arrives at a makeshift hospital on June 23, 2017

A suicide bomber blew himself up Friday among civilians fleeing the Old City of Mosul, where increasingly desperate jihadists are mounting a bloody last stand.

The carnage came just over a day after the Islamic State group blew up the mosque where its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself "caliph" three years ago, as well as its iconic ancient leaning minaret.

According to a major and medic in the Iraqi army, a bomber who had blended in with fleeing civilians killed at least 12 people in the Mashahda area of the Old City.

"We received 12 people killed and more than 20 wounded in our field hospital, including women and children," Ahmed Hashem told AFP from a nearby field hospital.

According to Abdelghani al-Assadi, a top commander in the Counter-Terrorism Service that has spearheaded the fighting against IS since 2014, around 8,000 people have managed to flee the Old City since an assault was launched on June 18.

Around 100,000 more are believed to remain trapped by the jihadists, who have made human shields a key element in their defence of old Mosul, their last redoubt in Iraq's second city.

Suicide bombing of civilians fleeing Mosul

The security forces have been wary of Iraqi IS members attempting to flee the Old City death trap by blending in with the population, while the Chechen, French and other foreign jihadists stay behind to mount a suicidal last stand.

Omar, his black and grey shirt covered in blood, was one of the more than 20 wounded being treated at the army field hospital following the blast.

"When the security forces started approaching our area, we ran to meet them," the young man said, nursing a head wound.

- Weeks till victory? -

"A man popped up and shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) before blowing himself up," said Omar. He said his mother and brother were killed while his sister-in-law and two children were missing.

An Iraqi woman cries after witnessing a suicide bombing as people fled the Old City of Mosul on June 23, 2017

Those civilians left in the Old City's IS-held areas face multiple dangers.

Those who attempt to flee have to cross some of the most active front lines in three years of war against IS and risk being executed by the jihadists if they fail to escape.

Those who choose to stay or have no choice have been essentially besieged for months with scant drinking water and food in areas that are being hit by air strikes and artillery on a daily basis.

More than 800,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since tens of thousands of Iraqi forces on October 17 launched a massive operation to wrest back the country's second city from IS.

The population density of the Old City of Mosul and its narrow streets make the latest push a very dangerous and complicated operation.

On Wednesday evening, the Nuri mosque in which Baghdadi gave his first sermon as IS leader in July 2014 as well as the nearby 12th-century "Hadba" (hunchback) minaret were blown up.

Officials in Iraq and its partner nations argued this act was one of desperation and an admission of defeat.

IS blamed a US air strike and released a video late Thursday showing the levelled monuments, where Iraqi forces have not yet arrived.

An Iraqi girl receives treatment at a makeshift hospital after a suicide attack as she was escaping the Old City of Mosul on June 23, 2017

"Almost 50 percent of the Old City has been retaken. We don't control Nuri but we will within 48 hours," a senior officer in CTS said.

Assadi remained cautious when asked how much longer the battle might last and said the hardest might be yet to come.

"I cannot give you an exact estimate... but it will take weeks," he said.

An Iraqi intelligence officer speaking on condition of anonymity on the edges of the Old City said suicide bombers disguised as members of the security forces were one of the biggest threats as the operation progressed.

He said many of the hundreds of IS fighters thought to have been hunkering down in the Old City last week have already been killed.

"There could be no more than 200 left now," he said, as clouds of smoke from strikes and mortar shelling billowed into the sky behind him.

"All the others were killed, except 15 or 20 who were arrested as they tried to flee posing as displaced people," he said.
Yemeni children infected with cholera receive treatment at Sabaeen Hospital in the capital Sanaa, on June 13, 2017

A cholera outbreak in war-ravaged Yemen will probably have infected more than 300,000 people by September, up sharply from the current tally of nearly 193,000 cases, the United Nations said Friday.

"Probably at the end of August we will reach 300,000" cases, UN children's agency (UNICEF) spokeswoman Meritxell Relano told reporters in Geneva during a conference call.

Since the outbreak was declared in April, an estimated 1,265 people have died, she said.

"The number of cases continue to increase," Relano said, adding that all of the 21 governorates in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, have been affected.

She said children had been hit hard by the outbreak, accounting for half of the registered cases to date. But only a quarter of the people who have died so far were children.

Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection spread through contaminated food or water.

Although the disease is easily treatable, doing so in conflict-torn Yemen has proved particularly difficult.

Two years of war between Shiite Huthi rebels and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab military coalition have killed more than 8,000 people and wounded 45,000 others.

According to the UN human rights agency, civilians account for nearly 5,000 of the recorded deaths and more than 8,500 of the injuries.

Saudi Arabia on Friday announced it was contributing $66.7 million towards an anti-cholera programme in Yemen run by UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

The conflict has also devastated Yemen's infrastructure, leaving more than half of its medical facilities out of service.

Yemen is on the brink of famine, with about 17 million people -- two-thirds of the population -- uncertain of where their next meal will come from, the UN's World Food Programme says.

"This is the largest humanitarian crisis happening in the world at the moment," WFP spokeswoman Bettina Luescher told reporters.

She said the agency was scaling up its response and aimed to provide food aid to 6.8 million people across the country this month alone.

But more than half of those people will receive reduced rations because of a dire funding shortage, she warned.
The Al-Jazeera logo is seen in a studio in New York

Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera said Friday any move to shut it down was an attack on media freedom, following demands by Gulf neighbours for the channel to be taken off air.

The closure of the broadcaster is said to be one of 13 wide-ranging demands placed on Doha by Saudi Arabia and its allies as the price for lifting an almost three-week long "blockade" on Qatar.

"We in the network believe that any call for closing down Al-Jazeera is nothing but an attempt to silence the freedom of expression in the region and to suppress people's right to information," the broadcaster said in a statement.

Al-Jazeera added that it "deplores" calls for its closure.

Although there has been no official confirmation of the demands from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain among others, the list also apparently calls on Qatar to cut ties to groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State organisation, Al-Qaeda and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Qatar is also required to hand over opposition figures wanted by its three neighbours and Egypt.

In addition to Al-Jazeera, it must also shut online information sites that it supports, according to the reported demands.

Anwar Gargash, the UAE's state minister for foreign affairs, warned Qatar faced a "divorce" if it did not comply with the demands.

The list apparently gives Qatar 10 days to implement the demands.

There has been no official response yet from Qatar, which has denied accusations that it supports extremists.

dh/dr
Previous elections in Zimbabwe have been marred by violence against opponents of President Robert Mugabe as well as voter intimidation and alleged fraud

Zimbabwe's Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday pledged that next year's elections will be peaceful, "free and fair" despite opposition concerns about electoral interference.

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference aimed at courting South African investors, Mnangagwa noted that the last election in 2013 "was free of any violent incidents."

"We believe that we shall have a free and a fair election during 2018," he told reporters, pledging that the upcoming presidential and parliamentary ballot would, like the last, be "free of violence."

Previous elections have been marred by violence against opponents of President Robert Mugabe as well as voter intimidation and alleged fraud.

The ruling ZANU-PF party, in power since independence in 1980, has a stranglehold on government and is often accused by the opposition of electoral fraud, voter intimidation and violence.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai believes Mugabe's party has never fairly won any election in recent times.

"ZANU-PF has not won recent elections, it has rigged them," he told AFP last month, saying he didn't expect Mugabe to come out and commit to "create conditions for free and fair elections."

Mnangagwa said political parties had agreed to electoral reforms to "level the playing field" including the creation of voter registers based on polling stations rather than constituency-based rolls.

Ahead of the vote, the government will roll out biometric voter registration to create fresh voter lists.

Previous ballots have been marred by allegations of the exi'tence of ghost voters, with names listed of people who were long dead, were under age or who never even existed.

Opposition parties are trying to forge an electoral alliance in a bid to oust the 93-year-old Mugabe whom the ruling party is fielding.

But Mugabe has scoffed at the planned alliance as combination of zeros saying it would make victory easier for his ruling party as it focusses on one common rival rather than separate opponents.

ZANU-PF is widely seen as divided over Mugabe's successor, with Mnangagwa seen as one of the favoured replacements along with Mugabe's wife Grace.
Pro-regime gunmen gather at a military airport held by Syrian troops and pro-regime militias in the northeastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor on December 12, 2014

Syrian regime forces on Friday broke into the eastern Deir Ezzor province for the first time since 2014, a monitor said, after seizing territory from Islamic State group jihadists.

Government forces control part of Deir Ezzor city and the adjacent military airport, but IS holds the vast desert province and most of the provincial capital.

"Backed by Iranian, Lebanese and Iraqi fighters, the Syrian army entered Deir Ezzor province from the southeast, near the Iraqi border," said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said the pro-government forces had advanced eight kilometres (five miles) into the province.

They are now just 12 kilometres (less than eight miles) from the key T2 oil pump, which lies on a pipeline extending from Iraq through central Syria to its western coastline.

Syria's desert, known as the "Badiya", extends over 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 square miles) from central Syria to the borders with Iraq and Jordan to the east and southeast.

Much of the Badiya has been held by IS, but Syria's army has been chipping away at it for months.

In addition to capturing key oil fields and infrastructure, government forces are keen to break IS's stranglehold on regime-held districts of Deir Ezzor city.

An estimated 100,000 civilians are living under IS siege.

Earlier this month, Syrian government forces reached the eastern border with Iraq for the first time since 2015.

By Friday, according to the Observatory, army troops were in control of an 85-kilometre (53-mile) stretch of the frontier.

The government's advance has created tensions along the border, where US-led coalition forces are using a garrison to train anti-IS fighters.

On June 8, a US warplane shot down a drone after it dropped munitions near At-Tanaf, after other incidents where the coalition fired on pro-regime forces on the ground as they approached the garrison.

And last Sunday, a US fighter jet downed a Syrian government warplane in the country's north for the first time in the six-year conflict.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011 before turning into a complex war involving regional and international players.
A Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft lands at an airbase in the southern Russia's Krasnodar region, on March 16, 2016, after arriving from Syria

Russian and US military officials are still using a special hotline to communicate about operations in Syria, a US official said Friday, days after Moscow said it was severing the connection.

Russia on Monday said it would stop using the so-called "deconfliction" line in response to a US pilot shooting down a regime war plane in northern Syria, with Moscow accusing Washington of failing to issue a warning.

But Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, told reporters in a video call that "the deconfliction line is in use."

"It is in use to make sure that... our air crews and ground forces are safe," he said.

The Russian defense ministry said Friday it had conducted a "surprise mass missile strike" against IS targets, using cruise missiles fired from the Mediterranean.

Dillon would not say if Russia had used the line to warn the Americans ahead of the strike, but a US defense official confirmed to AFP that it had.

Sunday's shoot-down saw a US pilot fire on a regime warplane as it "dropped bombs" on US-backed local forces.

Moscow quickly said it would stop using the line, but the reality is that the communication channel is a vital link between Russia and the United States to make sure the two powers avoid mishaps in Syria's confusing battlespace.

After the United States launched a cruise missile attack on a regime air base in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons strike on civilians, Moscow made a similar threat in April.

But it later emerged that Russia and the United States continued to use the hotline even after Moscow said it was hanging up.
In a 6-2 vote, the justices backed Jae Lee, a South Korean immigrant who opened two restaurants in Memphis, Tennessee and emigrated to the United States in 1982 when he was 13

The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that immigrants can get another shot in court if deported after their lawyers advise them to plead guilty.

The top court's ruling in a case involving a South Korean could have major ramifications in a country where the vast majority of criminal cases are resolved with guilty, not guilty or no contest pleas, and at a time when President Donald Trump's administration seeks to stricter enforcement of immigration rules.

In a 6-2 vote, the justices backed Jae Lee, a South Korean immigrant who opened two restaurants in Memphis, Tennessee and emigrated to the United States in 1982 when he was 13.

Lee was arrested in 2009 after police found 88 ecstasy tablets in his home. He was arrested for possession of the drug with the intent to distribute it. The felony crime almost automatically leads to deportation if the suspect is convicted.

Lee's attorney at the time, Larry Fitzgerald, convinced him to plead guilty to avoid a likely prison sentence. Lee got a relatively lenient sentence of one year and one day as part of a plea deal.

Fitzgerald erroneously advised his client that even though he was not a US citizen, he would not be deported after serving his sentence due to his previously clean record over three decades in the country.

Lee later insisted that he would not have pleaded guilty had he known it would trigger deportation.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said there was "substantial and uncontroverted evidence" that Lee would not have taken the plea deal.

"But for his attorney's incompetence, Lee would have known that accepting the plea agreement would certainly lead to deportation," Roberts said, while noting however that Lee likely would have been convicted anyway had he gone to trial.

The court's newest member, Neil Gorsuch, did not participate in the decision.

The ruling was part of several immigration-related cases before the justices this term. They are expected to indicate in the coming days whether they will examine Trump's controversial travel ban.

Roberts said the court would deliver its last decisions for the annual term Monday. The next term begins in October.
Togo President Faure Gnassingbe has been in power since winning the 2005 election

Togo's government on Friday announced a series of Christian, Islamic and voodoo "purification ceremonies" aimed at purging the country of its violent past and promoting reconciliation.

The West African nation was rocked by political unrest during presidential elections in 2005, which were won by Faure Gnassingbe, who remains in power.

An official death toll from the clashes has never been given. A group close to the government has said 105 while the opposition said 811 died.

The United Nations has said there were between 400 and 500 deaths.

The government on Friday said the "purification ceremonies" would take place July 3-9 to "promote the spirit of appeasement" and "tolerance".

The ceremonies are aimed at the "easing of tensions as a prelude to a reparation programme for victims", according to a state press release.

Ceremonies will be held across the country by all official religions in Togo, including in Roman Catholic and evangelical churches, in Islamic mosques and with voodoo priests, it added.

Togo's government set up a truth, justice and reconciliation commission to investigate political violence from 1958, when colonial ruler France announced it would make Togo independent, to 2005.

In 2011, a total of 22,415 people were identified as victims and some 2,475 of them initially received compensation totalling 2 billion CFA francs (3 million euros).

The head of Togo's high commission for reconciliation and reinforcement of national unity (HCRRUN), Awa Nana-Daboya, said more would be paid after the religious services.

"Prayers, libations and offerings" were expected at the ceremonies "to appease the hearts of the victims", she added.

Human rights groups and opposition political parties have denounced the fact that no-one has ever been tried for the violence in 2005.

In April 2010, France's Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture and Amnesty International appealed to Gnassingbe to end impunity for the unrest.

Gnassingbe's father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, was president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. The ex-military officer ruled the former French colony with an iron fist.

According to Amnesty International, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture are still commonplace.
An image grab taken from Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV on June 23, 2017 shows Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, giving a speech to mark Jerusalem (Quds) Day

The head of Lebanese movement Hezbollah on Friday warned Israel against attacking Lebanon or Syria, saying "hundreds of thousands" of Arab and Muslim fighters would be ready to strike back.

"The Israeli enemy should know that if it launches an attack on Syria or Lebanon, it's unknown whether the fighting will stay just between Lebanon and Israel, or Syria and Israel," Hassan Nasrallah said.

"I'm not saying countries would intervene directly -- but it would open the door for hundreds of thousands of fighters from all around the Arab and Islamic world to participate in this fight -- from Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan," he said.

Nasrallah made the remarks in a speech broadcast on television to mark Jerusalem (Quds) Day, an annual show of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The commemoration was first launched by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late revolutionary leader of Iran -- a main sponsor of Hezbollah and staunch rival of Israel.

Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon, and others from Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, are battling alongside regime forces in Syria to defend the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The powerful Shiite movement and Israel have fought many battles including a devastating 34-day war in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Border skirmishes have broken out occasionally since then, and Nasrallah on Friday said any future confrontation would be "very costly for Israel".

Tensions were rising this week along the frontier, with Israel accusing Hezbollah of expanding observation posts to conduct reconnaissance missions across the border.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, denounced the "dangerous provocation" and sent a letter of protest to the Security Council.

And the head of Israel's air force said it would have "unimaginable" military power at hand in any future conflict with Hezbollah.

"What the air force was able to do quantitatively in the... Lebanon war over the course of 34 days we can do today in 48-60 hours," Major General Amir Eshel said on Wednesday.

"This is potential power unimaginable in its scope, much different to what we have seen in the past and far greater than people estimate."
Nigeria's acting President Yemi Osinbajo orders troops to keep the peace in Taraba after ethnic clashes between the Mambilla and Fulani groups have turned deadly

Nigeria's acting president Yemi Osinbajo has ordered troops in to keep the peace in the restive state of Taraba after deadly clashes between herders and farmers.

The vice-president, standing in for President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on indefinite medical leave, said Thursday the extra military battalions and police reinforcements had been sent.

Police say 18 people were killed in unrest between the Mambilla and Fulani groups in the central state earlier this week but others put the death toll at more than 100.

A local senator put the death toll at about 50 but it was not possible to independently verify that figure.

"With great sorrow, I offer my condolences to the victims of the violent attacks in communities in Taraba State," Osinbajo said in a statement posted on Twitter Thursday evening.

"The perpetrators of these attacks and acts of violence will be brought to book," he said.

When asked about the the death toll and how many troops have been deployed to the area, Nigerian armed forces spokesman John Enenche said "no confirmation yet".

The clashes comes as Osinbajo is trying to keep a lid on simmering ethnic tensions and has been calling for national unity in the face of an upsurge in separatist sentiment across Nigeria.

- 'Cycle of violence' -

The Mambilla and Fulani clashed in Ngoroje village and the violence spread to other communities in the state, which borders Cameroon.

"We have lost 105 herdsmen in the Mambilla crisis in the last five days," said Mohammed Keruwa, head of the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders' Association of Nigeria, an umbrella Fulani organisation.

A Fulani herding boy interacts with a cow in a field outside Kaduna, northwest Nigeria, on February 22, 2017, where long-standing tensions between herdsmen and farmers have flared up again

"So far 40 settlements have been affected with over 100 homes razed. The Mambilla tribes are envious of the Fulani herders, whom they see as taking over their land," he told AFP.

"The Fulanis are Muslims and the Mambilla tribes are Christian. This adds to the volatility of the situation."

Taraba state police spokesman David Misal added: "The situation is calm now. It was a misunderstanding between two ethnic groups the Mamabilla and the Fulani.

Taraba lies in Nigeria's restive "Middle Belt", where the mostly Christian south meets the largely Muslim north, and has long been a flashpoint for ethnic conflict.

The wider region is notorious for bloody election campaigns and battles over fertile farmland and resources, with opposing groups often staging brutal tit-for-tat reprisals.

Extra troops began arriving in Taraba from Monday, according to Jameel Muhammad, the media aide to Taraba Central Senator Abubakar Yusuf.

Political analyst Chris Ngwodo said the state has "very weak security institutions (and) is not able to forcefully confront the incident and punish the perpetrators".

"More and more ethnic communities are resorting to self-help and we're seeing a lot of militarisation on the ground, especially in the hinterlands of the country," he added.

"This is not the last that we'll see of this particular cycle of violence."
An undated picture of Lebanese pop singer Suzanne Tamim, lover of Egyptian tycoon Hisham Talaat Moustafa who was jailed for ordering her murder

An Egyptian real estate tycoon jailed for the murder of a Lebanese pop diva was freed Friday as part of a presidential pardon for hundreds of detainees, security officials said.

State television said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned a total of 502 prisoners to mark Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Hisham Talaat Moustafa, who was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2010 for the murder of Suzanne Tamim, was among those pardoned on health grounds, an interior ministry official told AFP.

Moustafa was released from prison on Friday, he said. A police official at the Torah jail south of Cairo confirmed the tycoon had been freed.

Tamim, Moustafa's lover, was murdered in July 2008 at her Dubai apartment by former policeman Mohsen al-Sukkari.

The court which sentenced Moustafa to jail accused him of having paid Sukkari $2 million to cut Tamim's throat.

Sukkari was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Tamim's killing sparked an outcry in the region, particularly in Egypt where Moustafa was a respected figure and a businessman associate of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's son and heir apparent Gamal.

Moustafa was also a member of Mubarak's now-dissolved National Democratic Party.

In May 2009, Moustafa was sentenced to jail but a year later an appeals court overturned the verdict on procedural grounds and ordered a retrial. In 2010 he was handed a 15-year prison sentence.

State television said those pardoned by Sisi included people jailed in connection with "demonstrations". It did not elaborate.

In July 2013, Egypt's army, then headed by Sisi, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi who had succeeded Mubarak, and launched a crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

The crackdown saw hundreds of demonstrators killed and thousands jailed, including secular dissidents.

In the aftermath of the crackdown authorities also banned all but police-approved protests.
India's Shikhar Dhawan plays a shot during the first One Day International (ODI) match between West Indies and India at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on June 23, 2107

Shikhar Dhawan extended his excellent Champions Trophy form to the start of the West Indies tour but heavy rain forced the abandonment of the opening one-day international at the Queens Park Oval on Friday.

Dhawan stroked an assured 87 and featured in an opening stand of 132 with Ajinkya Rahane (62) as the tourists reached 199 for three off 39.2 batting first when torrential midday showers curtailed their innings and no further play was possible.

A no-result was declared in late afternoon when it became clear that prevailing conditions would not allow for a minimum 20 overs to be faced by the West Indies to constitute a match.

After West Indies captain Jason Holder chose to field on winning the toss on a bright warm morning, Indias openers laid the foundation for a formidable total.

They dominated a bowling attack that lacked genuine potency in the absence of injured fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who has been ruled out of consideration for the first two ODIs after breaking down during the series against Afghanistan two weeks earlier.

Rahane made the most of his opportunity with the experienced Rohit Sharma rested from this campaign following the Champions Trophy.

He was first to the half-century mark but was also the first wicket to fall, deceived by a slower delivery from fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and offering a simple catch to Holder at mid-on.

Dhawan was then joined by captain Virat Kohil and looked certain to complete an 11th ODI hundred only to fall leg-before to Devendra Bishoo 13 runs short of the landmark.

West Indies' captain Jason Holder takes a catch to dismiss India's Ajinkya Rahane during the first One Day International (ODI) match between West Indies and India at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on June 23, 2107

Leg-spinner Bishoo, who was not considered for any of the three ODIs against the Afghans, was the pick of the bowlers with figures of one for 39 from his allotment of ten overs.

As the skies clouded over India lost another wicket in attempting to accelerate with Yuvraj Singh becoming Josephs second wicket.

Kohli and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were playing with greater urgency when the showers first arrived with India at 189 for three off 38 overs.

They resumed after half an hour but managed just another eight deliveries before the players were again chased off the field by a heavy downpour. Despite the best efforts of the groundstaff and the umpires, who were hoping to have the West Indies face 26 overs in pursuit of a target of 194 on the Duckworth Lewis System, no further play was possible.

The second match of the five-game series takes place at the same venue on Sunday.
Former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar faces multiple sexual misconduct charges

A former doctor to gymnasts from successive US Olympic teams is to stand trial on charges that he sexually assaulted female athletes, some younger than 13, over almost two decades.

A Michigan court on Friday ruled that Larry Nassar, a member of USA Gymnastics from 1996 to 2015, will face 17 counts of criminal sexual conduct.

The 53-year-old, who maintained a practice at Michigan State University before he was fired last year, is accused of abusing his position to assault young girls.

The charges, which he denies, followed three days of hearings, during which six female accusers testified.

At Friday's final hearing, Judge Donald Allen Jr watched video of a police interview with Nassar in which he claimed the acts that one alleged victim considered assault were in fact medical treatment.

The judge said the video helped corroborate some statements made by Nassar's accusers, and that the doctor's words helped establish enough cause to take the case to trial.

Nassar served as the US gymnastics team's doctor through four Olympic Games.

Law enforcement officials have accused him of using his position with the governing body that sets rules and selects US Olympic gymnasts to sexually assault dozens of athletes and other patients over decades.

Former athletes who accuse Nassar of assault say he was empowered by an environment in elite gymnastics where complaints or signs of injury could jeopardize Olympic dreams.

The president of USA Gymnastics, Steve Penny, resigned in March after repeatedly being urged to quit for allegedly being slow to notify authorities about sexual abuse allegations in the organization.

Nassar has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, including child pornography, and remains in jail pending trial.

A federal trial on the child pornography charges is scheduled for August, with state trials following later in the year.
Prosecutors said University of Cincinnati campus police officer Ray Tensing, pictured at his 2015 arraignment hearing, was not in danger during his encounter with Sam DuBose

The second murder trial of a white Ohio policeman who shot a black man during a routine traffic stop ended Friday in a mistrial, just as the first had a year earlier.

Former University of Cincinnati campus police officer Ray Tensing was accused of killing Sam DuBose in a case tinged with the same overtones of racial discrimination and heavy-handed tactics as other recent high-profile US police shooting cases.

Tensing, 27, told investigators that he opened fire out of fear for his life after DuBose, 43, tried to drive away and dragged the officer along with him.

But prosecutors said a review of police body camera footage showed Tensing was not in danger during the July 2015 incident involving the unarmed motorist.

The first trial in 2016 ended in mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury in the second trial sent a note to the judge Friday that they were similarly divided.

"We are almost evenly split regarding our votes toward a final verdict. We have given this extensive deliberation, with opportunity for both sides to express their positions. We do not perceive coming to a unanimous decision," the jury wrote.

The prosecutor during the first trial, Joseph Deters, had strongly criticized the shooting.

"This is the most asinine act I have ever seen a police officer make," he said at the time. "It was totally unwarranted."

US prosecutors have found it difficult to convict police officers in high-profile shooting cases involving black victims -- despite recent incidents being captured on video.

Anger over the failure to find the officers guilty has sometimes boiled over, leading to violent protests.

Peterson Mingo, a DuBose family spokesman and Cincinnati church pastor, appealed Friday for calm.

"Right now, the family wants peace. The family wants reconciliation," he told reporters.

"The family does not want any upheaval. They don't want any violence," Mingo said.

A Wisconsin jury earlier this week acquitted Dominique Heaggan-Brown in the killing of Sylville Smith, who was carrying a semi-automatic pistol during a brief foot chase.

Minnesota police officer Jeronimo Yanez was found not guilty last week in the shooting death of motorist Philando Castile, whose dying moments were live-streamed on Facebook.

And all six Baltimore officers charged over the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, due to spinal cord injuries suffered in the back of a police van, were eventually cleared.
A federal jury in Kansas sided with farmers in a lawsuit against Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta after prices collapsed when China refused to allow imports of gentically-modified corn from seeds the company sold.

A US federal jury on Friday ordered Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta to pay nearly $218 million to 7,000 Kansas farmers after selling them genetically-modified corn seeds not approved for export to China.

The farmers suffered profound economic damage in 2013 when Chinese authorities refused imports of corn grown with Syngenta's bioengineered seeds, causing prices to plummet, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

"The verdict is great news for corn farmers in Kansas and corn growers throughout the country who were seriously hurt by Syngenta's actions," Pat Stueve, a lawyer for the farmers, said in a statement.

The jury in Kansas found Syngenta negligent in the matter, and awarded $217.7 million in compensation to the farmers, court papers showed. The company said the case is "without merit."

The verdict came down after only a half day of deliberations, but covers only one of eight lawsuits targeting Syngenta over the matter, Stueve said.

"This is only the beginning. We look forward to pursuing justice for thousands more corn farmers in the months ahead."

Other cases involve farmers in agricultural states such as Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio, with nationwide losses exceeding $5 billion, he said.

The company said it was "disappointed" with the verdict and will appeal.

The ruling "will only serve to deny American farmers access to future technologies even when they are fully approved in the US," adding that the two strains of corn seeds in the case had approval of US regulators and "in the key import markets recommended at the time by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and other industry associations."

"American farmers shouldnt have to rely on a foreign government to decide what products they can use on their farms," the company said in a statement.
An aerial view shows the Clock Tower and the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy Muslim city of Mecca on September 13, 2016

Six foreign pilgrims were hurt on Friday in Saudi Arabia when a suicide bomber targeting Islam's holiest site of Mecca blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said.

The incident happened around the Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of worshippers gathered for early afternoon prayers on the last Friday of this year's Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month.

Ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told Saudi television that police "foiled the terrorist plan that targeted the security of the Grand Mosque, pilgrims and worshippers."

In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested five suspects, including a woman, before surrounding the bomber's location around the Grand Mosque.

"Unfortunately he started shooting towards security personnel once he noticed their presence in the area, which led to an exchange of fire before he blew himself up," Turki said.

The blast partially collapsed the building where he had taken refuge, injuring the six pilgrims, Turki said.

He added that four had already been released from hospital, and five security men were also slightly hurt.

Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has faced periodic bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Purported images from the scene that circulated on social media showed an alley filled with bricks and other debris apparently from a blast.

Video showed what appeared to be a bearded man's head lying among rubble from a collapsed structure.

- Counter-terrorism capabilities -

Near the end of Ramadan last year in the Saudi city of Medina four security officers died in an explosion close to Islam's second holiest site, the Prophet's Mosque.

It was one of three suicide blasts around the kingdom on the same day, in which a total of seven people were believed killed. The others occurred in Jeddah and in the Gulf city of Qatif.

The US Central Intelligence Agency said those attacks bore the hallmarks of IS.

Most of the targets in Saudi Arabia have been the Shiite minority and security forces, killing dozens of people.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called for attacks against the kingdom, a member of the US-led coalition battling the group in Syria and Iraq.

Since July last year police have arrested around 40 people, including Saudis and Pakistanis, for alleged extremist links.

Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism capabilities -- which for years were led by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef -- are well-regarded internationally.

On Wednesday Prince Mohammed was ousted from his posts of crown prince and interior minister, replaced as heir to the throne by King Salman's son Mohammed bin Salman.

Friday's counter-terrorist operation was the first to take place under the new interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is in his early 30s.

Prince Abdulaziz is the nephew of the deposed minister.
The diplomatic crisis between Qatar and several neighboring states includes the closure of the country's only land border, the Abu Samrah crossing with Saudi Arabia, pictured here

The White House said Friday it considers the deepening crisis in the Gulf to be primarily "a family issue," urging regional leaders to chart a way out while offering US help in enabling talks.

When asked about a list of demands placed on Doha by Saudi Arabia and its allies as the price for lifting an almost three-week "blockade" on Qatar, press secretary Sean Spicer declined to comment directly.

"We believe it's a family issue," he said. "If we can help facilitate those discussions then so be it, but this is something they want to and should work out for themselves."

The demands placed on Qatar include the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a long-standing source of conflict with neighboring countries which accuse the network of fomenting regional strife.

Asked specifically about Al-Jazeera, and America's attachment to freedom of the press, President Donald Trump's spokesman replied: "We are going to play a facilitating role in those discussions but that's a discussion that these countries need to have amongst themselves."

The Qatar-based broadcaster has denounced the move as an attack on media freedom.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia and the UAE severed all links with Doha for allegedly supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, "that aim to destabilize the region."

Other allies, including Egypt and Bahrain, followed.

Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Iran, its regional rival, of interference throughout the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has held a series of telephone calls with both Riyadh and Doha in recent days to help resolve the crisis.
The defective ignition switches would sometimes shut off unexpectedly during driving, and have been linked to more than 100 deaths and hundreds of serious injuries

US auto giant General Motors has reached a settlement with hundreds of car owners in a lawsuit over faulty ignition switches linked to 100 deaths, the company's lawyers said Friday.

In a letter to a federal judge in New York, the lawyers said GM has "agreed to a private, confidential aggregate settlement" with 203 eligible plaintiffs.

The deal "potentially resolves hundreds of state court claims as well."

The parties will work to document the deal in the next month, and "will then turn to implementing the settlement terms, which will take some time," the letter said.

The defective switches would sometimes shut off unexpectedly during driving, and have been linked to more than 100 deaths and hundreds of serious injuries.

The issue potentially exposed GM to billions of dollars in claims.

The company declined to comment on the settlement, but had argued in court that its 2009 bankruptcy should protect the "new GM" from claims against the old company over the faulty switches.

But in late April, the US Supreme Court refused to hear GM's appeal of a lower court decision rejecting the company's claims.

Plaintiffs argued the company should be liable for the conduct of "old GM" because that company knew about the defect long before the bankruptcy.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York in July ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, saying consumer complaints were lodged as early as 2002.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Investors in a deep sea treasure hunt are opposing a request by the man who led the expedition to be freed from jail on contempt-of-court charges.

Judge Algenon Marbley has held defendant Tommy Thompson in contempt of court since December 2015 for violating terms of a plea deal by refusing to respond to questions about the location of 500 missing gold coins.

Thompson's attorney argues that federal law prohibits holding someone under such conditions for longer than 18 months.

Attorneys for the Dispatch Printing Company, an expedition investor, said in a Tuesday court filing that Thompson should be held indefinitely until he helps find the coins.

The coins, valued at up to $4 million, were minted from gold taken from the S.S. Central America, which sank in an 1857 hurricane.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - The chairman of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn said Thursday it may spend more than $10 billion to set up manufacturing in the United States, and will announce investment plans by early August for at least three states.

Terry Gou gave no new information about where Foxconn will locate a U.S. display panel factory he said in January would cost up to $7 billion to build. That announcement triggered a flurry of lobbying by state leaders hoping to attract the investment, which he said might generate as many as 50,000 jobs.

Foxconn is the biggest contract manufacturer of smartphones and other devices for Apple, Sony, Blackberry and other brands. Its success has made Gou Taiwan's richest businessman. The company raised its profile with its purchase in March 2016 of struggling Japanese electronics brand Sharp for $3.5 billion.

FILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, file photo, Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou waves as he arrives at a hotel in Beijing. Gou says there is 'still a chance' the Taiwanese electronics giant might be able to buy Toshiba's chip business despite the Japanese company's choice of another bidder as its preferred buyer. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

The company plans to develop operations in the U.S. that combine hardware manufacturing and software development in technologies including artificial intelligence and automation, Gou said at a meeting with shareholders. Asked later at a news conference how much Foxconn might invest during the five-year plan, he said it might exceed $10 billion.

Foxconn has been in touch with the White House and expects to conclude negotiations by the end of July or early August, Gou said. He said the first investment agreement should cover at least three states, with at least three others to be added later.

The display panel factory, if built, would be a political trophy for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has promised to revive American manufacturing in the Midwest.

Gou mentioned Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Texas as manufacturing states with which Foxconn hopes to work but gave no indication whether any of them might be in the investment agreement. Gou said in January that Pennsylvania was the leading candidate for the panel factory, which would work with Sharp.

Details for each state were not settled, but overall, "we will provide at least tens of thousands of job opportunities," said Gou at the news conference.

Expansion into the United States would reduce Foxconn's reliance on China, where it has the bulk of its operations and employs about 1 million people.

Also Thursday, Gou said there is "still a chance" Foxconn might be able to buy Toshiba Corp.'s memory chip business despite the Japanese company's choice of another bidder as its preferred buyer.

Toshiba said Wednesday it picked a bid totaling about 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) by a U.S.-Japan consortium. Toshiba is selling the lucrative operation due to losses at its U.S. nuclear power unit, Westinghouse Electric Co.

"It is not a done deal yet. I believe there is still a chance for Foxconn," Gou said.

He noted that Toshiba's choice of the U.S.-Japanese consortium faced opposition, including from Japanese banks.

Western Digital of the United States also opposes the choice. It owns SanDisk chip operations that have a joint venture with Toshiba in Japan and says the company has no right to transfer that venture without the American partner's consent.

Western Digital said it filed a request for arbitration last week. Toshiba has accused Western Digital of interfering with its sales efforts.

___

McDonald reported from Beijing.
NEW YORK (AP) - Coal company Murray Energy has sued HBO and its Sunday-night host, John Oliver, for what it says was a "false and malicious broadcast" last Sunday evening. It's seeking financial damages and a court order barring rebroadcasts of the segment's "defamatory statements."

Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" coal segment criticized the Trump administration's effort to revive the industry, saying coal jobs have dropped for decades and other energy alternatives are driving the industry's decline.

He ribbed Murray Energy's CEO Robert Murray, who blames regulatory efforts by the Obama administration for damaging the coal industry. He said the 77-year-old looked like a "geriatric Dr. Evil" and noted that the company had fought against coal safety regulations.

The Ohio company sued the comedian Wednesday afternoon in circuit court in West Virginia, saying that he tried to embarrass Murray by making fun of his age and appearance and made false statements about a 2007 collapse of a Utah mine, when nine miners died. The company said Oliver ignored information it sent the show that it says showed an earthquake caused the mine's collapse and that the show made no mention of "the efforts Mr. Murray personally made to save the trapped miners."

An HBO spokesman says the show didn't violate Murray Energy's rights or those of Murray. Oliver noted on the show that Murray Energy has a litigious past, and last month sued the New York Times for libel.

Murray Energy employs about 5,400 people, about half of those in West Virginia.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - A delegation from the U.N. Security Council has landed in Haiti, where it has been met by protesters demanding that the world body do more to fight a deadly outbreak of cholera likely caused by its troops.

The delegation is in Haiti to assess security ahead of the planned end of the U.N. peacekeeping mission that began in 2004.

Around 1,000 protesters gathered outside the main U.N. base in Port-au-Prince as the delegation arrived Thursday. Protest leader Brian Concannon of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti expressed anger that cholera was not on the delegation's official agenda.

Cholera has killed at least 10,000 people since late 2010. The water-borne illness was likely introduced when U.N. troops discharged contaminated waste into the Artibonite River.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A U.S. Army judge won't allow lawyers for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to ask potential military jurors whether they voted for Republican President Donald Trump.

The judge, Col. Jeffery Nance, is allowing the defense to ask prospective panel members other questions about whether they were influenced by negative comments Trump made about Bergdahl. But Nance said Thursday that a written questionnaire couldn't ask directly how they voted.

Defense attorney Eugene Fidell said he believes the other questions on the survey will help defense attorneys probe for bias. Fidell has argued that Bergdahl can't get a fair trial because of campaign-trail criticism by Trump.

Bergdahl is scheduled for trial in October on charges that he endangered comrades by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Stephen Colbert is on a mission to Russia.

The host of CBS' "The Late Show" is on assignment there for a future broadcast, the network said Thursday.

Colbert, whose steady political wisecracks have been accompanied by a rise in his ratings, wasted no time in taking a dig at President Donald Trump over the possibility of tapes involving fired FBI Director James Comey.

FILE - In this May 2, 2016 file photo, Stephen Colbert arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala in New York. CBS said Thursday, June 22, 2017, that the late-night TV host is on assignment in Russia for a future broadcast. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

"Don't worry, Mr. President. I'm in Russia. If the "tapes" exist, I'll bring you back a copy!" Colbert tweeted.

His message came after Trump said on Twitter that he has no recordings of his private conversations with Comey, despite an earlier suggestion that they might exist.

Colbert also posted a photo of himself wearing a trench coat and in front of a grand building that appeared to be the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.

A CBS spokeswoman said she had no information on where Colbert was visiting or how the material he was gathering in Russia would be used.
A historic women's college in Georgia apologized Thursday for its past connections to racism and the Ku Klux Klan.

Wesleyan College in Macon said on its website that it was "sorry for the pain that parts of our past have caused and continue to cause."

The school said that when it was founded as the world's first college chartered to grant women degrees, "the economy of the South was based on the sin of slavery" and its students were part of a society "steeped in racism, classism and sexism."

That lead to school rituals "that today remind us of the Klan's terrorism" and the decision to name one of the school's student classes after "the hate-espousing Ku Klux Klan."

In addition, students did "appalling things," including "treating some African-Americans who worked on campus like mascots," the school said.

Although Wesleyan students changed the rituals and the class names, "they also remind us that our history did not stop with those words and images," the college said.

"While we at Wesleyan College, like many throughout the world, continue to struggle with both the legacy and presence of intolerance and hatred, we rejoice that our students today continue to challenge us and lead us forward," the school's statement said.

Colleges and universities have been grappling with their historical connections with slavery.

Georgetown University and the group of Catholic priests that founded the Washington, D.C., school have apologized for selling slaves in 1838 to raise money to pay off the college's debts. And the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors has unanimously approved the design for a memorial honoring the contributions of slaves who helped build and maintain the school.

Wesleyan said it will continue to examine its history.

"Wesleyan can be a community where all kinds of people are able to know, trust, learn from, and care for one another. Our story is one of hope, where the lessons of history make us stronger," the school said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar issued a steep list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Persian Gulf neighbor shutter Al-Jazeera, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.

In a 13-point list - presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis - the countries also demand an end to Turkey's military presence in Qatar. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the list in Arabic from one of the countries involved in the dispute.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar this month over allegations the Persian Gulf country funds terrorism - an accusation that President Donald Trump has echoed. Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands, which include paying an unspecified sum in compensation.

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2015, file photo, staff members of Al-Jazeera International work at the news studio in Doha, Qatar. Kuwait has given Qatar a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that includes shutting down Al-Jazeera and cutting diplomatic ties to Iran. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal, File)

Qatari officials in Doha did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP. But the list included conditions that the gas-rich nation had already insisted would never be met, including shutting down Al-Jazeera. Qatar's government has said it won't negotiate until Arab nations lift their blockade. The demands were also likely to elicit Qatari objections that its neighbors are trying to dictate its sovereign affairs by imposing such far-reaching requirements.

Only a day earlier, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had warned the demands must be "reasonable and actionable." The U.S. issued that litmus test amid frustration at how long it was taking Saudi Arabia and others to formalize a list of demands, complicating U.S. efforts to bring about a resolution to the worst Gulf diplomatic crisis in years.

According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalize citizens from the four countries and expel those currently in Qatar, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs.

They are also demanding that Qatar hand over all individuals who are wanted by those four countries for terrorism; stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the U.S.; and provide detailed information about opposition figures that Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations.

Qatar vehemently denies funding or supporting extremism. But the country acknowledges that it allows members of some extremist groups such as Hamas to reside in Qatar, arguing that fostering dialogue with those groups is key to resolving global conflicts.

Qatar's neighbors have also accused it of backing al-Qaida and the Islamic State group's ideology throughout the Middle East. Those umbrella groups also appear on the list of entities whose ties with Qatar must be extinguished, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah and the al-Qaida branch in Syria, once known as the Nusra Front.

More broadly, the list demands that Qatar align itself politically, economically and otherwise with the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional club that has focused on countering the influence of Iran. Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led nations have accused Qatar of inappropriately close ties to Iran, a Shiite-led country and Saudi Arabia's regional foe.

The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with U.S. sanctions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were eased but other sanctions remain in place.

Cutting ties to Iran would prove incredibly difficult. Qatar shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran which supplies the small nation that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup its wealth.

Not only must Qatar shut down the Doha-based satellite broadcaster, the list says, but also all of its affiliates. That presumably would mean Qatar would have to close down Al-Jazeera's English-language sister network.

Supported by Qatar's government, Al-Jazeera is one of the most widely watched Arabic channels, but it has long drawn the ire of Mideast governments for airing alternative viewpoints. The network's critics say it advances Qatar's goals by promoting Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood that pose a populist threat to rulers in other Arab countries.

The list also demands that Qatar stop funding a host of other news outlets including Arabi21 and Middle East Eye.

If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.

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Hussain Al-Qatari in Kuwait, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Vivian Salama in Washington contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
News / National

by Staff reporter

PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday presented Wings to 11 pilot cadets at Thornhill Airbase in Gweru.The Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces also commissioned 26 Basic Officers Training graduates at the 67th Pilot Training Course Wings presentation and Basic Officers Course number one of 2016 graduation ceremony at the airbase.Of the 11 cadet pilots, three were women while there were also 10 female graduands on the Basic Officers Course.In his speech after presenting the Wings and commissioning parade ceremony, President hailed Zimbabwe and Namibia relations.He said the sister countries should continue strengthening the cordial relationship they have nurtured over the years, adding that number the 67 Pilot Training Course was jointly managed by Zimbabwean and Namibian Pilot Instructors.President Mugabe said the military synergies between the two Southern African countries should enable them to develop and assist each other in every facet that concerns the two nations."Number 67 Pilot training Course jointly managed by Zimbabwean and Namibian pilot instructors, is indeed the first of its kind, run by the Defence Forces of our two countries. It demonstrates and underlines the depth of the relationship and understanding between our two great nations," said President Mugabe."To our friends from the land of the brave, Namibia, I would like to say, let us continue to strengthen the cordial relationship which we have nurtured over the years in order to develop and assist each other in every facet that concerns our countries."The President said ZDF has remained steadfast regardless of the biting effects of the illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western detractors for over a decade."Today we are celebrating the successful completion of these two courses and indeed making recognition of the hard work and steadfastness of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, in particular and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in general. In spite of a number of challenges among them the biting effects of sanctions imposed on our country for over a decade, the Air Force of Zimbabwe ensured that the two courses were successfully conducted," he said."Number 67 Pilot training Course which commenced on October 1, 2012 had 20 Pilot Cadets. It comprised of three phases namely, Military Training Phase, Ground School and Flying Phase. The military training phase was done at the school of flying training and completed on May 31, 2014, at the end of which the cadets were commissioned to the rank of Air-Sub-Lieutenant."During the same year students of the flying training course were posted to the Number 6 Squadron to begin Ground School Training and the Flying Phase of Pilot training. As a means of deepening the skills base within the Operations Branch, some of the students who had been posted to Number 6 Squadron were sent abroad to undertake other special flying courses."President Mugabe said two students in the same course returned home after completing special courses in the People's Republic of China.The students  His Excellency said  covered various ground lessons which are designed to equip them with in-depth knowledge of the SF260 aircraft systems and other aviation related subjects."The Flying Phase which is the critical phase for this course was designed to equip the student pilots with appropriate skills and techniques to enable them to excel in any platform within the Air Force of Zimbabwe. The students underwent flying exercises that included general handling, stalling, spinning, instrument flying, formation, aerobatics, night flying and navigation. They successfully completed this phase after doing at least 120 flying hours. By the end of the Course students had been rigorously examined in aviation knowledge and skills and were assessed and judged as truly ready to become part of the highly reputed Air Force of Zimbabwe flying crew," said President Mugabe.He said since the personnel who enrolled for the course came from various walks of life, such as doctors, engineers and administrators.The course content, which was comprehensive, inclusive and varied, featured subjects such as Military Law, Arms and Sword Drill, Map reading, First Aid and Civil Military Relations."Students were after training transformed from civilian life into disciplined and quality Air Force of Zimbabwe Officers," said President Mugabe.
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - Romain Grosjean is talking himself up as a future Ferrari driver.

The Frenchman is in his second season with the American-owned Haas team, which uses Ferrari engines, and clearly fancies a shot at something bigger.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is 37 years old and this could be in his last year in F1, meaning a spot might be available next year. Grosjean is certainly not shy putting himself forward for it.

"If there is an opportunity, if there is a seat, I believe I'm in a good position," Grosjean said at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. "Who knows what the future holds?"

"Who knows what the F1 grid is going to be like next year? Then there's the Kimi case, what is he going to do?"

Grosjean is one of the fastest drivers in F1 on single lap speed, but his career so far has been somewhat erratic. Although he has two second-place career finishes, he was also given a one-race race ban for reckless driving at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2012.

Not one to be daunted, Grosjean cites the example of Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas as proof that getting a top seat is possible.

The Finnish driver, who also had not won a race before this season, was hurriedly signed from Williams by Mercedes after Nico Rosberg's sudden decision to retire just days after winning last year's F1 title.

"If you had asked Valtteri what he was doing I'm sure he would (have said): 'Yeah, I'm going to go again with Williams,'" Grosjean said. "Next thing you know, you're in a world champion's car. So it's a phone call (away)."

At 31 years old, and with the last of his 10 career podiums back in August 2015, Grosjean is growing frustrated.

He has failed to finish two of seven races this season, with a best result of eighth place.

"You don't get the chance to win a race," he said. "It's like you were starting the 100 meters race 10 seconds behind the others."
Acting as a mediator, Kuwait has presented Qatar a long-awaited list of demands from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, four Arab nations that cut ties with Qatar in early June. A copy of the list was obtained by The Associated Press and translated from Arabic.

A look at the demands:

- Curb diplomatic ties with Iran and close its diplomatic missions there. Expel members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard from Qatar and cut off any joint military cooperation with Iran. Only trade and commerce with Iran that complies with U.S. and international sanctions will be permitted.

- Sever all ties to "terrorist organizations," specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State group, al-Qaida, and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Formally declare those entities as terrorist groups.

- Shut down Al-Jazeera and its affiliate stations.

- Shut down news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

- Immediately terminate the Turkish military presence currently in Qatar and end any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside of Qatar.

- Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organizations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the United States and other countries.

- Hand over "terrorist figures" and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide any desired information about their residency, movements and finances.

- End interference in sovereign countries' internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship violates those countries' laws.

- Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatar's prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups.

- Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other, financial losses caused by Qatar's policies in recent years. The sum will be determined in coordination with Qatar.

- Align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014.

- Agree to all the demands within 10 days of it being submitted to Qatar, or the list becomes invalid. The document doesn't specify what the countries will do if Qatar refuses to comply.

- Consent to monthly audits for the first year after agreeing to the demands, then once per quarter during the second year. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.
AVON LAKE, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio man is facing charges after police say he stole more than 500 signs, claiming they were an eyesore and a distraction to drivers.

John Hoelzl, of Avon Lake, was charged Wednesday with a felony count of receiving stolen property.

Police say the signs, valued at more than $5,500, were taken over a period of several months.

The Avon Lake Police Department began investigating the thefts after receiving several complaints. Police say some of the signs were illegally posted, but most had been granted city approval.

Hoelzl tells WJW-TV in Cleveland that he "probably shouldn't have" taken the signs and he expresses his apologies.

Court records show he faces a preliminary hearing June 29.
Donald Trump may be uniquely suited to push for Middle East peace: the Israelis as well as key Arab players, each for their own reasons, are all looking like admirers who seek to please. But out-of-the-box thinking will be needed nonetheless.

Presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner was in the region this week to hear ideas about a final-status deal. According to a Palestinian official who participated in the meetings, he asked both sides for proposals to take to the U.S. president.

This resurfaces the formula pursued in vain by presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, which presupposes a near-total pullout from the lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and sharing of Jerusalem.

FILE - This Sept. 30, 2016 file image released by the Israeli Government Press Office shows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, at the funeral for former President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem. Donald Trump may be uniquely suited to push for a creative Middle East peace: both the Israelis and key Arab players, each for their own reasons, are looking like wary admirers who seek to please. But the reasons why Israelis and Palestinians have failed to reach a final peace agreement remain stubbornly in place, and so the search is on for an out-of-the-box "deal." The focus could eventually fall on a partial peace deal that breaks the diplomatic logjam by avoiding excessive ambition. (Amos Ben Gershom, Israeli Government Press Office via AP, File)

Palestinians say they're giving up three-quarters of pre-state Palestine. Israelis see their small country made smaller still in a hostile region teeming with jihadis and struggle with how to divide Jerusalem between countries that will need a border.

Complicating matters are 600,000 Israelis now living in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Various plans envisioned land swaps to incorporate some settlements on the Israeli side - but many people would still need to be removed from their homes, raising real prospects of violence. Resultant maps, with borders snaking around neighboring villages and towns, are all ungainly to various degrees.

Then there's the Palestinian demand for refugees, including millions of descendants, to have at least theoretical rights to return to Israel - a non-starter for most Israelis. In what seems tit for tat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the Palestinians to dutifully recognize Israel as a "Jewish state," even though a fifth of its citizens are Arabs who in many cases identify primarily as Palestinians.

Past more moderate Israeli governments have made offers they considered very far-reaching, but none quite satisfied the Palestinians. With few expecting Netanyahu to even approach the past offers, the focus could soon fall on a partial deal that sidesteps excessive ambition.

In one scenario, a Palestinian state arises on lands Israel can comfortably evacuate under present realities - the existing Palestinian autonomous zones set up in the 1990s, plus other parts of the West Bank, plus Gaza, if the coastal strip can be retaken from the Hamas militants who seized it in 2007. Final borders, Jerusalem and the refugee issue would wait, as would declarations of eternal peace.

"We must not nullify any option for a final settlement. We must only seek to make the interim period as manageable as possible; to enable the parties to get used to the mutual benefits of peace and quiet," wrote Tsvi Bisk in Israel's Haaretz, recommending "'a little land for a little peace.'"

Despite rising nationalism, the Israeli electorate does want movement and there is an expectation Netanyahu and his right wing would be amenable to a partial pullout - even if they may still need to be pushed on details. Indeed, it might cement further their rule.

The Palestinians have objected to such notions in the past, fearing that Israel will be happy to unload most of the Palestinian population in this way but then never return to the table, rendering the intended interim phase permanent in effect.

That's where the Sunni Arab world being rather assiduously courted by Trump might play a role, offering both sides carrots.

Israel would joyously welcome any normalization - an embassy in Riyadh, trade relations with the Emirates, security cooperation in the Gulf. But the Palestinians, impoverished still and traumatized, may have even more to gain from an Arab embrace: aid and investment for their nascent state, and improvements in the lot of Palestinians who across the region are oppressed in various ways.

Trump may have the leverage to nudge this along. His apparently good relations with key corners of the Arab world may seem odd given his anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric, but they rest on some solid pillars.

First, he has firmly taken the Saudi side in that country's tussle for regional hegemony versus Iran. That contrasts with Barack Obama, who sought to neutralize Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy, and despite reaching a multilateral deal to achieve this is widely seen in the region as an appeaser.

Second, unlike Obama, Trump does not torment authoritarians over human rights. Many of the region's rulers conflate political Islam with Islamic terrorism, justifying crackdowns on dissent - and the new administration seems to not quibble with this. And Egypt's government, which came to power after the military overthrow of an elected Islamist president, feels rehabilitated and welcome in Washington again.

Across the Sunni Arab world there is interest in resolving the century-old Israeli-Palestinian issue and focusing instead on pacifying the smoldering region and containing Iran.

In an unusual meeting of the minds, Israel's nationalist leadership agrees. Gone is American public moralizing over the Palestinians. Instead come exhortations to "deal" - something many Israelis feel the Palestinians never genuinely did in decades of sticking like glue to their core demands.

Indeed, many Israelis had general difficulty warming to Obama. With striking disregard of his repeated acts of support, they seemed receptive to the nationalist message that he was naive at best. And even liberal Israelis are grateful to see a U.S. leadership that calls out the United Nations for what they view as an irksome obsession with the Palestinians at the expense of other oppressed groups around the globe.

It will be extremely difficult for the Netanyahu camp in Israel - which is often joked of as a branch of the U.S. Republican Party - to rebrand Trump as anything but a friend, even if pressure should arrive.

And from Jerusalem to Ramallah and Riyadh, all the players project a view of Trump as mercurial and impulsive enough that he must be handled with caution and a wary smile. It's a landscape that may make the Middle East, for all its vexations, improbably fertile ground for U.S. diplomacy at the moment.

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Perry is AP's Middle East editor leading text coverage in the region. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/perry_dan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Rain bands reeling away from Tropical Depression Cindy spread drenching rains from the Southeast to the Midwest, triggering flash flood warnings over several states including West Virginia, whose residents on Friday marked the anniversary of deadly floods last June.

The storms stretching for hundreds of miles (kilometers) are expected to push river levels higher in coming days as the remnants of a tropical storm cross Tennessee and Kentucky into West Virginia. The severe weather, which was blamed for recent coastal flooding in the Deep South, tornadoes and one death, is rumbling closer to the densely populated East Coast.

The National Weather Service said Friday afternoon that Cindy was winding down and had lost tropical characteristics as heavy rain potential moved east across the Ohio Valley and into Pennsylvania with severe thunderstorms forming to the south.

Britt Singletary walks down Brandon James Drive to his car parked outside the Wells Ferry Landing subdivision in Biloxi, Miss., on Friday, June 23, 2017. Rivers across South Mississippi are above flood stage after several days of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Cindy. (John Fitzhugh/The Sun Herald via AP)

Weather service forecasters said rainfall totals of 2-4 inches (50-100 millimeters) were possible in several states, with up to 6 inches (150 millimeters) in isolated spots. Flash flood watches were issued for much of Kentucky and West Virginia. Last June, torrential rains in West Virginia claimed 23 lives and memories of that disaster remained fresh at somber ceremonies honoring the dead.

A brief ceremony marking last year's fatal flooding took place Friday at the West Virginia Police Academy in Dunbar, where a bell was rung 23 times, for each who died. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin traveled to another community, White Sulphur Springs, for the dedication of a memorial for eight victims there.

Labeled a 1,000-year flood by the National Weather Service, the storm destroyed more than 2,100 homes statewide and damaged another 2,000. "As time goes on we're struggling to get through the after effects of what took place in the flood," John Wyatt, a pastor from Rainelle, told West Virginia Public Broadcasting. He's still rebuilding his own home.

On Friday evening, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice planned to join a candlelight service at Rainelle United Methodist Church in one of his state's worst-hit flood areas of 2016. Five people in that Appalachian town of 1,500 died in the disaster that piled up water, mud and debris in homes, businesses and streets.

With Cindy's remnants a threat over a huge area, many just hoped severe weather would pass them without harm.

"We should have a comfortable weekend coming up if we can just get through tonight and tomorrow," said Greg Meffert, lead forecaster in the Paducah, Kentucky, weather service office.

The U.S. Storm Prediction Center said severe storms pose a lingering threat from the Southeast into western Pennsylvania. Even Indiana in the Midwest felt the impact of Cindy, which sprang Tuesday from the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm before roughing up the Deep South and making landfall Thursday. It has since weakened to a depression while heading far inland.

Heavy rainfall associated with remnants of the storm caused scattered street flooding across central and southern Indiana on Friday. Weather service flood warnings covered most of the southern two-thirds of the state, with more than 3 inches (75 millimeters) of rainfall having accumulated in some places by midday - and minor flooding expected along some Indiana rivers.

Emergency crews helped some people from stranded vehicles in Muncie, Indiana, including a nearly submerged SUV at a railroad underpass. Low-lying roads in many areas were covered with water. Early Friday, high winds also peeled off part of the roof from a high school near South Bend, leaving 10 classrooms damaged. No injuries were reported.

Cindy was blamed for one death: Nolan McCabe, 10, of St. Louis, Missouri, was vacationing with family on the Alabama coast when he was hit by a log carried in on a big wave. Cindy also caused widespread coastal highway and several short-lived tornadoes.

In Alabama, the weather service said, an EF-2 twister with winds up to 120 mph (190 kph) struck just outside Birmingham Thursday. Several businesses were damaged and at least four people were hurt.

In Tennessee, Memphis Light Gas and Water reported that as many as 10,000 customers were without power Friday morning, amid local reports of heavy rain, gusting winds and some morning traffic snarls.

Still, the storm barely registered attention for some. Danielle Clewley, a 25-year-old student out grocery shopping Friday at a Memphis supermarket, said she didn't even hear the rain overnight though she added, "my air conditioning is very loud."

"I had heard Tropical Storm Cindy mentioned," Clewley said.

But she saw no damage in her neighborhood and thought hype in advance was due to officials feeling it was better people were overprepared than underprepared. "And, ratings are good," Clewley added of the local TV news outlets.

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McGill reported from New Orleans. Associated Press writers Adrian Sainz in Memphis; Michael Virtanen in Morgantown, West Virginia; Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; and Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Wth a rising tide, strong southerly winds from Tropical Depression Cindy lash the lakefront Thursday, June 22, 2017 in Mandeville, La. (David Grunfeld/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP)

Water levels rise after a combination of high tide and the rain from Tropical Storm Cindy in Lake Charles, La., Thursday, June 22, 2017. (Rick Hickman/American Press via AP)

A possible tornado touched down destroying several businesses, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Fairfield, Ala. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says the threat of severe weather has not concluded as the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy pushes inland. Ivey in a Thursday press briefing urged people to stay vigilant. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

A police officer stands guard after a possible tornado touched down destroying several businesses, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Fairfield, Ala. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says the threat of severe weather has not concluded as the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy pushes inland. Ivey in a Thursday press briefing urged people to stay vigilant. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

A mailbox sticks out of water during neighborhood flooding after Tropical Storm Cindy, now downgraded to Tropical Depression Cindy, in Big Lake, La., Thursday, June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A car drives through a partially submerged roadway after Tropical Storm Cindy, now downgraded to Tropical Depression Cindy, in Big Lake, La., Thursday, June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Two members of the Mandeville Yacht Club take advantage of the strong winds from Tropical Depression Cindy as they sail a 420 sailboat in Lake Pontchartrain, Thursday, June 22, 2017 in Mandeville, La. (David Grunfeld/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP)

Beachgoers enter the water even though double-red flags are flying, warning of dangerous conditions and extremely rough surf in the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy, in Seaside, Fla. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Donz bar patron Cilton Bordelon drinks a beer while the bar takes on water, as a rising tide and strong southerly winds from Tropical Depression Cindy lash the lakefront Thursday, June 22, 2017 in Mandeville, La. (David Grunfeld/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP)

Water levels rise after a combination of high tide and the rain from Tropical Storm Cindy in Lake Charles, La., Thursday, June 22, 2017. (Rick Hickman/American Press via AP)

A thunderstorm bringing heavy rains moves over the Black Warrior River Friday, June 23, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Rain bands spinning off of Tropical Depression Cindy spread drenching rains across the Southeast and into the Midwest on Friday, triggering scattered flash flood warnings in several states including West Virginia, whose residents are still recovering from deadly floods one year ago. (Gary Cosby Jr./The Tuscaloosa News via AP)

A person fights through a heavy downpour near Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday, June 23, 2017. Rain bands spinning off of Tropical Depression Cindy spread drenching rains across the Southeast and into the Midwest on Friday, triggering scattered flash flood warnings in several states including West Virginia, whose residents are still recovering from deadly floods one year ago. (Gary Cosby Jr./The Tuscaloosa News via AP)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran staged anti-Israel rallies across the country on Friday, with protesters condemning Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and chanting "Death to Israel" as the powerful Revolutionary Guard displayed its ballistic missiles, including the type used this week in Syria.

Marchers in Tehran headed from various points of the city toward the Friday prayer ceremony at Tehran University campus grounds. Protesters burned the Israeli and the American flag, as well as effigies of Israeli leaders.

President Hassan Rouhani and other Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, attended the demonstration. State media reported that similar rallies were underway in other cities and towns in Iran.

Iranian protesters burn representations of US and Israeli flags in their annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 23, 2017. Iran held rallies across the country, with protesters condemning Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and chanting "Death to Israel." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The anti-Israel rallies are an annual event marking al-Quds Day, a historic Arabic name for Jerusalem. Iran sees it as an occasion to express support for the Palestinians and emphasize the importance of Jerusalem for Muslims.

Iran doesn't recognize Israel and staunchly backs militant groups that are opposed to it, including the Palestinian Hamas that runs the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese Shiite militant Hezbollah group.

Rouhani told reporters that the rally was Iran's response to the U.S. violations of the "rights of people" of Iran after the Senate last week approved new sanctions on Tehran over its missile program, something Congress is expected to decide on soon.

Rohani, in remarks carried by the official IRNA news agency, said Israel supports "terrorists in the region."

Larijani, in a speech to Tehran demonstrators, called Israel the "mother of terrorism" and said that in the "20th century, there was no event more ominous than establishing the Zionist regime."

The rally also inaugurated a huge digital countdown display at Tehran Palestine Square, showing that Israel will allegedly cease to exist in 8,411 days.

In 2015, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted that after 25 years - by 2040 - there will no longer be a State of Israel.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard used the demonstration on Friday to showcase three surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including the Zolfaghar - the type that Iran used this week to target the Islamic State group in Syria. The Guard said it fired six such missiles on Sunday at IS targets in the city of Deir el-Zour, more than 600 kilometers (370 miles) away.

Another missile on display at the Tehran rally was the Ghadr, with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) that can reach both Israel and U.S. bases in the region.

Iran holds al-Quds day rallies held each year on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to end this weekend. Iran has marked the day since the start of its 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the country cut relations with Israel.

The Guard said the Iranian airstrike in Syria was in retaliation for an IS attack earlier in June on Iran's parliament and a shrine in Tehran that killed 18 people and wounded more than 50.

A member of Iranian Revolutionary Guard speaks on his walkie talkie while Zolfaghar surface-to-surface ballistic missiles are displayed in an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 23, 2017. Iran used the Zolfaghar missile this week to target the Islamic State group in Syria. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A clergyman holds a poster showing caricatures of U.S. President Donald Trump, center, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman in an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 23, 2017. Iran held rallies across the country, with protesters condemning Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and chanting "Death to Israel." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian protesters burn representations of US and Israeli flags in their annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, as Ghadr H surface-to-surface ballistic missile is displayed by Revolutionary Guard, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 23, 2017. A portrait of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini and Jerusalem's Dome of Rock hangs from a building in background. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A portrait of U.S. President Donald Trump burned by Iranian demonstrators lies on the ground in their annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 23, 2017. Iran held rallies across the country, with protesters condemning Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and chanting "Death to Israel." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) - Martha is big, ugly, lazy and gassy. And a world champion.

In a competition annually dominated by the old, the tiny, and the hairless, the 3-year-old, 125-pound Neapolitan Mastiff used her lollygagging youth to win the 29th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest.

She was a favorite of the Northern California crowd from the start, often plopping down on her side on stage with her droopy face spread across the ground when she was supposed to be showing off. The judges didn't even need to hear her signature snore to give her the award.

Martha, a Neapolitan mastiff, walks down the red carpet during the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. Martha, of Sebastopol, Calif., was the winner of the event. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

"Do you know you just won the World's Ugliest Dog Contest?" asked Kerry Sanders of NBC News, one of three judges who gave Martha the crown. Her handler Shirley Zindler answered for her: "I'd gloat, but I need a nap."

Martha lumbered away with $1,500, a flashy trophy and a trip to New York for media appearances, all things she could hardly care less about.

The dog, from nearby Sebastopol, was rescued when she was nearly blind from neglect by the Dogwood Animal Rescue Project in Sonoma County, where the contest was held. After several surgeries, she can now see again, Zindler said.

The only animal in this year's contest too big to be held by her handler, Martha beat out 13 other dogs, most of them the kind of older, smaller dogs who win here.

Moe, a 16-year-old Brussels Griffon-pug mix from Santa Rosa, California, who was the oldest in the competition, came in second. He had lost his hearing and sight but his sense of smell is strong and he was enjoying all the smells at the Sonoma-Marin Fair where the contest is held, including funnel cakes and other fried goodies.

Chase, a 14-year-old Chinese Crested-Harke mix, came all the way from Neath, United Kingdom to take third place.

The contestants were judged on first impressions, unusual attributes, personality and audience reaction.

Many of the contestants were adopted. Monkey, a 6-year-old Brussels Griffon, and Icky, an 8-year-old unknown breed, were both rescued from the homes of hoarders.

These dogs - some with acne, others with tongues permanently sticking out - are used to getting called ugly. But for their owners, it was love at first sight.

"He's my sexy boy," Vicky Adler, of Davis, California, said of her 8-year-old Chinese Crested named Zoomer.

Shirley Zindler, of Sebastopol, Calif, lifts up the jowls of Martha, a Neapolitan mastiff, during the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. Martha was the winner of the event. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Martha, a Neapolitan mastiff, competes while being escorted by Shirley Zindler in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. Martha was named the winner of the contest. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Shirley Zindler, of Sebastopol, Calif., reacts after her dog Martha, a Neapolitan mastiff, won the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. At right is judge Kerry Sanders. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Shirley Zindler, of Sebastopol, Calif., sits with her dog Martha, a Neapolitan mastiff, who won the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 23, 2017.(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Martha, a Neapolitan mastiff, stands on stage after winning the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. Martha is owned by Shirley Zinder, of Sebastopol, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Rascal, left, a Chinese Crest, held by Dane Andrew of Sunnyvale, Calif., meets Chase, right, a Chinese Crested Harke, held by Storm Shayler, right, of Britain, before the start of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Martha, a Neapolitan Mastiff, from Sebastopol, Calif., waits for the start of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Moe, a Brussel griffon pug, from Santa Rosa, Calif., waits to compete in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Linda Elmquist, of Tucson, Ariz., holds up Josie, her Chinese crested mix, before the start of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Icky, left, an unknown hairless, and Zoomer, right, a Chinese crested, both from Davis, Calif., wait to compete in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair Friday, June 23, 2017, in Petaluma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea on Friday called itself the "biggest victim" in the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and died days after being released in a coma.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency denied that North Korea cruelly treated or tortured Otto Warmbier and accused the United States and South Korea of a smear campaign that insulted what it called its "humanitarian" treatment of him.

The comments published by KCNA were North Korea's first reaction to Otto Warmbier's death in a U.S. hospital Monday after it released him for what it called humanitarian reasons.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier watch as their son Otto, is placed in a hearse after his funeral, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Wyoming, Ohio. Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student who was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years in prison with hard labor in North Korea, died this week, days after returning to the United States. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Doctors at the hospital said Warmbier had suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause. Relatives say they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016.

His family and others have blamed North Korea for his condition.

Warmbier was accused of stealing a propaganda poster. Through statements on KCNA, North Korea said it dealt with him according to its domestic laws and international standards.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S., considering that his health got worse," the agency quoted an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

The spokesman said "groundless" speculation of torture and beatings could be refuted by American doctors who came to North Korea at the time of Warmbier's repatriation and "recognized that his health indicators like pulse, temperature, respiration and the examination result of the heart and lung were all normal." The report did not mention Warmbier's neurological status.

"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the U.S. in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well," the spokesman said.

"To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident and there would be no more foolish judgment than to think we do not know how to calculate gains and losses," he said.

"The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the U.S. compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law," the spokesman added.

A separate KCNA article published hours earlier criticized South Korea for using Warmbier's case to seek the release of other detainees, including six South Korean citizens. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in an interview with CBS television earlier this week that it was clear North Korea bears a heavy responsibility for Warmbier's death.

The article said South Korea was tarnishing North Korea's image with "slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture."

It demanded that South Korea return 12 restaurant workers who defected to the South last year. South Korea said the women defected on their own, while North Korea claimed they were deceived and abducted to the South.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. Three Americans remain in custody in the North.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - More than 250 U.S. mayors are meeting in Florida at a time when many cities are pushing back against Trump administration policies on climate change and immigration.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors opens its annual meeting Friday in Miami Beach. Mayors of cities with populations of 30,000 or more will discuss plans to reduce the nation's carbon footprint and protect immigrant families.

City leaders will also consider efforts to curb gun violence and safeguard local government and public school funds that face cuts under President Donald Trump's policies.

The event will feature special guests such as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta and U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin.

The mayors will vote Monday on policy resolutions to send to federal lawmakers in Washington.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Vice President Mike Pence's visit Friday to Colorado to celebrate the anniversary of Focus on the Family came at a time of change for the religious right during the age of President Donald Trump.

Focus on the Family was once well-known for its involvement in politics. But under new leadership, it has dialed that back in an effort by younger evangelicals to withdraw from partisan culture wars.

At the same time, many older evangelicals have stayed the course, helping Trump become president and the religious right gain political power.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during Focus on the Family's 40th anniversary celebration Friday, June 23, 2017, during his visit to Colorado Springs, Colo. (Christian Murdock /The Gazette via AP, Pool)

Trump's win breathed new life into the older-school political approach that Focus on the Family once embodied.

Pence urged the group to rekindle its interest in politics, especially in light of a health care proposal that could dramatically slash support for abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

"The time is now," Pence said, rousing about 1,650 supporters to their feet when he declared the health law passed under President Barack Obama was "dead."

"This is when we are going to defund Planned Parenthood once and for all," Pence said, whipping the standing crowd to whistles and cheers.

Focus was founded in 1977 by James Dobson, a child psychologist who started a radio show advising Christians about being good parents. That effort evolved into Focus on the Family, which at its peak had more than 1,000 employees and served as a platform for Dobson to weigh in on legislation, sit on White House panels and campaign against gay rights.

Dobson left in 2010, and the organization is now about half the size. It's led by 55-year-old Jim Daly, who has scaled back involvement in politics and sees himself as part of a younger generation of religious leadership.

Focus remains true to its Dobson-era mission of fighting against laws that ban conversion therapy to "cure" gay people.

But perhaps the greatest contrast between the old and new Focus came last year, when Dobson endorsed Trump while Daly and Focus stayed neutral.

"Those heavyweights in the Christian community" grew up in an era of widespread school prayer and centrality of Christianity in American life, Daly said. "They literally were trying to save the nation from going in the wrong direction."

Daly said the younger generation knows those days are past and is wary of using electoral politics to rekindle them.

"Jesus does not go after Caesar much - he dealt with people at their point of need," Daly said, touting the ministry's radio show, counseling and efforts promoting foster care and adoption.

His arguments echo those of other religious leaders such as Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention, who pushed his denomination to formally condemn the so-called "alt right" movement, and Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California.

The 81-year-old Dobson was vacationing in California and unavailable for an interview.

After moving to Colorado in 1991, the Dobson-era Focus pushed a ballot measure to block any anti-discrimination laws aimed at protecting gays in cities and counties in the state.

The measure passed but was struck down by the Supreme Court. In the process, it inspired several gay Coloradans to become Democratic activists. Ted Trimpa is now one of Colorado's most prominent political strategists and a close friend of Daly.

Trimpa recalled a private meeting with Daly and several younger religious conservatives before the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. He was struck by how open the new generation is.

"They don't approach it as 'you're doing something wrong, you're sinning,'" Trimpa said. "There isn't a core belief that either one of us is counter to humanity - and that's where we always believed Dobson to be."

Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, contended that Focus' softer-edged stance is just a pose.

"Look at the data they put out," Lynn said, referring to Focus' arguments against bans on conversion therapy and suggestions that transgender children are being misled. "This is really hard-core stuff and it's not easily distinguished from the way Jim Dobson talked when he ran the place."

Jeff Hunt, director of the Centennial Institute, a think tank at Colorado Christian University, said the less-political approach of those like Daly has opened up a void in religious politics that others filled by enthusiastically backing Trump.

"There's still a real hunger for continual, strong leadership that Dobson provided," Hunt said.

Trump won the support of 80 percent of evangelicals, according to exit polls - the highest percentage for a presidential candidate on record.

Since Trump entered the White House, polls have shown religious voters to be his most steadfast supporters. He has rewarded them, appointing Ben Carson, a hero to many religious conservatives and a former guest on Focus radio shows, to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Trump's Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, has been a strong supporter of religious schools. And Pence, who in a speech earlier this month called Dobson his "mentor," is a prominent evangelical politician.

Much of the energy that conservative religious voters put behind Trump stemmed from the anxiety they felt during the Obama years, when gay marriage became legal and religious employers were required to provide health insurance that covered birth control.

"Our strength has a lot to do with the way the faith community felt under attack the past eight years," Hunt said.

Even though Focus wasn't actively involved in Trump's win, Daly is happy with the administration. He also admires Pence.

But Daly doesn't have too much faith that religious conservatives will stay in political power. Democrats, he said, will eventually win again.

"This is fleeting," Daly said.

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This story has been corrected to fix Jeff Hunt's title. He is director of a think tank at Colorado Christian University, not the school's president..

Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, center, jokes with Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, while introducing them at the organization's 40th anniversary celebration Friday, June 23, 2017, during his visit to Colorado Springs, Colo. (Christian Murdock /The Gazette via AP, Pool)

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, arrive at Peterson Air Force Base on Air Force Two Friday, June 23, 2017, during his visit to Colorado Springs, Colo. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

FILE - In this June 3, 2009, file photograph, Jim Daly, president and chief executive officer of Focus On The Family, is shown on campus of the nonprofit in Colorado Springs, Colo. Vice President Mike Pence will deliver a speech to mark the nonprofit's 40th anniversary during a celebration on Friday, June 23, 2017. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post via AP)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2004, file photograph, the administrative headquarters of Focus on the Family is shown on the north side of Colorado Springs, Colo. Vice President Mike Pence is set to speak during the nonprofit's 40th anniversary celebration on Friday, June 23, 2017. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, May 2, 1996, the main administration building at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colo. is shown while Kerry Steven Dore held police at bay with four hostages for two hours. Dore later surrendered after an additional four hours of negotiations on Thursday, May 2, 1996. To mark the nonprofit's 40th anniversary, Vice President Mike Pence will speak at a celebration at the headquarters on Friday, June 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 16, 2012, file photograph, Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson, center, attends a memorial service for Watergate figure-turned-evangelist Charles Colson in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Vice President Mike Pence will speak at Focus On The Family's 40th anniversary party Friday, June 23, 2017, at the nonprofit's headquarters on the north end of Colorado Springs. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, file)
News / National

by Staff reporter

Former Zimbabwean Ambassador to Germany and educationist, Dr Elijah John Chanakira has died.Dr Chanakira who was a diabetic patient sustained fatal injuries in a car accident near Caledon shopping centre in Hatfield on his way to receive dialysis treatment in the capital on Monday.According to relatives, Dr Chanakira who has been suffering from a kidney ailment for some time died when an unlicenced driver of one vehicle rammed into the car ferrying Dr Chanakira to a local hospital for his scheduled dialysis session on Monday.He was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery but died the following day from internal injuries sustained in the accident.Relative Elman Chanakira said Dr Chanakira whose wife died some six years ago had relocated from his Borrowdale home and was now staying in his rural home in Dema among his people.Mourners are gathered at his rural home in Dema.Dr Chanakira will be buried at Chanakira village in Seke this Saturday (tomorrow) at 2pm.Born October 7, 1933 in Chanakira village in Chief Seke's area, Dr Chanakira is the sixth born in a family of seven, two girls and five boys.He attended Murape, Chemhanza, Waddilove and Kutama schools before attaining higher education at Roma and Rhodesia universities.Dr Chanakira then proceeded to the University of Georgia in the United States where he attained masters and PHD between 1975 and 1978.on returning home, he went on to lecture at Gweru Teachers College.His colourful career saw him became deputy secretary for Higher Education in 1981 and Permanent Secretary from 1983 to 1992.He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993 as Zimbabwean Ambassador to Germany and Austria, a capacity in which he served for 6 years.On returning home, Dr Chanakira was asked to chair the commission of the City of Harare.From the City of Harare he went joined the Africa University where he set up the peace, leadership and governance programme and lectured for many years.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republican leaders have released their 142-page discussion draft of a health care bill, triggering a series of legislative steps with one goal - repeal and replace Democratic President Barack Obama's 7-year-old law.

A look at the next steps:

-Congressional Budget Office analysts review the bill and its effect, both on Americans and the nation's finances. Report is expected early next week.

- Senate debates the bill and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said senators will have an opportunity to offer amendments to add to or change the bill. Dozens of amendments are expected, and the Senate schedules back-to-back-to-back votes known on Capitol Hill as a "vote-a-rama."

- McConnell has the option of offering the final amendment, which could contain changes aimed at placating GOP holdouts.

- Senate Republicans are aiming for a final vote next Thursday, before lawmakers leave town for the weeklong July 4th recess.

- The Senate bill differs from the House health care measure, so the legislation would have to be reconciled in a House-Senate conference committee. Both the House and Senate would have to vote again on a final version before sending it to President Donald Trump for signature.

Or

- The House could simply approve the Senate version and send it to the president, though some Republicans may not be on board.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Half a world apart, in a theocratic monarchy and a democracy, a king and a president are relying on their 30-something son and son-in-law to help consolidate power and push their policies.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman this week elevated his son Mohammed bin Salman to crown prince, setting him on course to become the next Saudi king. President Donald Trump relies heavily on son-in-law Jared Kushner to advance his agenda, the closest thing to a royal assist that the U.S. can muster.

Kushner was in the Mideast this week meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in an attempt to restart dormant peace talks. For that effort to succeed, Kushner will need the backing, or at least the quiet support, of Saudi Arabia - now under the reins of the crown prince, also known as MBS.

FILE- In this Saturday, May 20, 2017, file photo, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, right, walks with Ivanka Trump at the Royal Court Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Saudi Arabia's newest heir to the throne Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known, have skyrocketed to power and been entrusted with a wealth of responsibilities and wide-ranging duties, even though neither had the experience or that comes with years of government service. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

In this tale of two princes, Trump's son-in-law and Saudi Arabia's new heir to the throne have skyrocketed to power and been entrusted with a wealth of responsibilities and wide-ranging duties, even though neither had the experience that comes with years of government service. The two have been presented to the public as outsiders who bring youthful energy and fresh ideas to sluggish bureaucracies with aging infrastructures.

For Trump, 71, and Salman, 81, the stakes couldn't be higher. Both have promised to deliver dramatic reforms to an antsy public.

Kushner and MBS have built a relationship of increasing importance since Trump took office. Kushner, 36, and MBS, 31, talk on the phone and dined together for several hours during Trump's trip to Riyadh in May, administration officials said. The officials spoke anonymously to discuss the private working relationship.

While in Washington in March, MBS lunched with Trump and Kushner in the State Dining Room. That visit helped ingratiate the young royal to Trump, and Saudi Arabia to the new administration in Washington.

It also laid the groundwork for Trump's maiden voyage overseas as president last month, when Trump became the first U.S. president to make his first official trip to a Muslim nation with a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Trump and Salman also witnessed the signing of a nearly $110 billion defense deal, which administration officials say Kushner helped negotiate. The Obama administration had previously stalled on the deal because of concerns over Saudi aggression in Yemen.

Kushner emerged as a top adviser to Trump in the bruising 2016 presidential race. He spearheaded the campaign's data operation, had a hand in some policy speeches, and was often the last person Trump spoke to before making major decisions. Prior to assuming his role as Trump's adviser, Kushner ran his family's real estate and construction business.

Within hours of King Salman's ascension to the throne in January 2015, the monarch named MBS as defense minister, which helped catapult the young prince into power and sidelined more experienced and older princes. Two months later, MBS led Saudi forces into war in Yemen, becoming the face of a conflict framed in the Saudi media as a battle against Shiite-led Iran's ambitions for regional dominance. The war whipped up nationalist fervor around the new king and his son.

The Saudis paint the Yemen conflict as a fight against terrorism and border security - something that resonates with the new U.S. administration. Trump takes a bullish approach to defeating "radical Islamic terrorism," as he frequently refers to it, and is advocating for a border wall along America's southern border.

In Saudi Arabia last month, Trump conceded that he would only succeed in his goal of fighting terrorism with the partnership of Saudi Arabia and all other Muslim nations.

That's where Kushner and MBS come in.

Kushner's growing duties as White House adviser have seen him serve as a point person for a range of contacts with countries from China to Mexico, develop ideas for infrastructure and criminal justice reform, oversee a new Office of American Innovation and, this week, try to broker Middle East peace - a goal that relies heavily on Saudi support.

MBS' portfolio includes oversight of defense and security, and transforming the kingdom's economy to become less reliant on oil exports for revenue.

His rise to power was accelerated after he visited Washington in March and met Trump. The visit helped reset relations between the two countries after years of strained ties under President Barack Obama over the nuclear accord with Iran, which Saudi Arabia strongly criticized.

Kushner and MBS are expected to collaborate on a more bullish policy on Iran, which both the U.S. administration and the Saudi monarchy view as a threat to regional stability.

The U.S. has also taken a proactive role in helping to pressure fellow Arab Gulf state Qatar to stop financing terrorism.

"Given how close Kushner reportedly is with Saudi and Emirati young leaders, he may also serve as an effective channel for them to the president on the crisis over Qatar negligent behavior in the fight against terrorism," said David Weinberg, a Saudi expert with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

While close family ties are not unusual in U.S. politics, Trump has maintained a tightly knit inner circle that has been influenced significantly by Kushner and his wife, Trump's daughter Ivanka.

The Middle East is no stranger to nepotism, with much of the Arab Gulf boasting hereditary rule and monarchies still ruling over Jordan and Morocco. Syria's President Bashar Assad is also part of a perceived "dynasty."

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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ayaelb and Vivian Salama at https://twitter.com/vmsalama

In this Wednesday, June 21 , 2017 photo released by Al-Ekhbariya, Mohammed bin Salman, newly appointed as crown prince, left, kisses the hand of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef at royal palace in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Wednesday appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, placing him first-in-line to the throne and removing the country's counterterrorism czar and a figure well-known to Washington from the line of succession. (Al-Ekhbariya via AP)

FILE- In this Saturday, May 20, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman during a bilateral meeting, in Riyadh. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Saudi Arabia's newest heir to the throne Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known, have skyrocketed to power and been entrusted with a wealth of responsibilities and wide-ranging duties, even though neither had the experience or that comes with years of government service. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
TIRANA, Albania (AP) - Albania holds parliamentary elections Sunday, a poll that will gauge the country's readiness to start European Union membership talks. The three leading parties held unusually subdued campaigns, with the two main contenders burying decades of confrontational rivalry as new disputes opened up.

Here's a look at the leading candidates.

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FILE - This is a Thursday, March. 16, 2016, file photo of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama as he gestures during press conference marking the end of a summit of Western Balkan leaders in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Albania holds parliamentary elections Sunday, June 25, 2017 a poll that will gauge the country's readiness to start European Union membership talks. Rama made his name as the man who updated the drab, communist-era look of the Albanian capital. Now he's seeking a second term as prime minister with the Socialist Party . (AP Photo/Amel Emric, File)

URBAN RENAISSANCE MAN

As mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama made his name as the man who updated the drab, communist-era look of the Albanian capital. Now he's seeking a second term as prime minister with the Socialist Party following a first term marked by further economic development and improvements to city centers around the country.

Rama, 52, is promising more: Setting an annual growth target of more than 5 percent, from the current 3.5 percent, while reducing the national debt from 71 percent of gross domestic product to the low 60s.

The Socialists say they can boast about the success of their reforms in the energy sector and agriculture, and are seeking a strong mandate to advance a modernizing agenda focused on corruption and judicial reform.

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MAYOR 2.0

Emulating Rama's rise, opposition leader Lulzim Basha also served as mayor of Tirana before becoming a topflight contender.

Basha heads the center-right Democratic Party, succeeding the veteran Sali Berisha after his defeat in the last general election. At just 43, Basha already has considerable cabinet experience and ran his election campaign on a low-tax and anti-corruption platform.

He accuses the Rama government of failing to fight the country's major drug trafficking problem, and even of having links to organized crime.

The Democrats are promising a 9-percent flat tax, free school meals and a revamped health system, in a manifesto they argue will reduce social inequality.

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NEW KINGMAKER?

Ilir Meta isn't running in the 2017 elections, but he's been the face of the center-left Socialist Movement for Integration, or LSI, during the campaign.

Meta, a former prime minister and veteran of post-Communist politics at age 48, has been elected the country's next president after twice acting as kingmaker in coalition governments - once for the Democrats then for the rival Socialists.

LSI leadership has passed to the lesser known Petrit Vasili, a former health minister. Both main contenders in Sunday's poll have vowed not to form a coalition with his party.

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Follow Semini at http://twitter.com/lsemini

FILE - This is a Tuesday, April 11, 2017 file photo of Lulzim Basha, leader of Albania's main opposition Democratic Party, as he speaks to his supporters in Tirana, Albania holds parliamentary elections Sunday, June 25, 2017, a poll that will gauge the country's readiness to start European Union membership talks. Lulzim Basha also served as mayor of Tirana before becoming a topflight contender. Basha heads the center-right Democratic Party, succeeding the veteran Sali Berisha after his defeat in the last general election. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina/file)
FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey authorities are looking for a police officer after he skipped out on his trial on charges that he helped gang members in police investigations.

The Monmouth County Sheriff's Office says it is searching for 49-year-old Keith German after the Asbury Park patrolman failed to show up in court Tuesday. The trial went on without him. German's lawyer isn't commenting.

A neighbor tells the Asbury Park Press he saw two people loading a trailer in German's driveway last week.

German is accused of tipping off gang members in police investigations in exchange for stalking a woman who turned down his advances.

He was free on $50,000 bond, charged with numerous crimes, including official misconduct, racketeering conspiracy, stalking and computer theft.
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) - A man who was fishing in the Tennessee River reeled in a waterlogged camera and then used social media to track down its owner in Florida.

The St. Augustine Record reports Nate Wilson's line snagged as he was fishing June 10. Then he reeled in the algae-covered camera that 37-year-old Alex Mansur accidentally dropped during a vacation five years ago.

Wilson found the memory card and uploaded the images to Facebook in hopes of finding the camera's owner.

It didn't take long. About eight hours later, one of Mansur's cousins in Tennessee called him.

Mansur says he was paddleboarding when the lanyard he carried the camera on slipped from his wrist. He thought the pictures were lost forever.

He plans to go to Tennessee this summer to thank Wilson.

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Information from: The St. Augustine (Fla.) Record, http://www.staugustine.com
A mistrial was declared Friday in the murder retrial of a white University of Cincinnati police officer charged in the shooting of a black motorist, the second time a trial in the case has ended in a hung jury.

Judge Leslie Ghiz declared a mistrial Friday afternoon after the jury of nine whites and three blacks said it was hopelessly deadlocked on murder and manslaughter charges against Officer Ray Tensing.

It was the second time Tensing had faced trial in the 2015 fatal traffic stop shooting of an unarmed black motorist, 43-year-old Sam DuBose.

The Hamilton County jury had deliberated some 30 hours over five days after getting the case Monday, and had been given a final charge to come to a conclusion on Friday morning.

The jury on Friday afternoon told the judge they were almost evenly split in their votes and didn't anticipate coming to a decision. Ghiz then declared a mistrial.

Former University of Cincinnati police officer Raymond Tensing, left, and his attorney listen as a judge tells the jury to continue deliberations after the jury said they are deadlocked

Cincinnati officer Ray Tensing shot and killed Samuel DuBose during a traffic stop. Tensing said he feared he could be dragged under DuBose's car as the motorist tried to drive away from him

The family of DuBose demanded another retrial in the case.

Audrey DuBose, mother of the victim Sam Dubose, said in a statement that prosecutors made a 'strong presentation' in the murder trial of Tensing but the family is 'outraged' a second jury failed Friday to convict him.

She called on the Cincinnati community to join them in 'peaceful protest' of what she called an 'unjust result.'

Earlier Friday, the jury said that it couldn't reach a verdict on either charge of murder or voluntary manslaughter.

Judge Leslie Ghiz had sent them back to the deliberation room where, she said, 'Hopefully, you're able to resolve your deadlock.'

A solemn-looking Tensing, 27, sat with his head lowered in the courtroom as Ghiz read a note sent to her by the jury: 'We are unable to come to a unanimous decision on either count after thorough deliberation. How should we proceed?'

Ghiz then gave the jury formal instructions to re-examine their views and listen to one another's opinions.

'It is your duty to decide the case if you can conscientiously do so,' she said.

Prosecutors and the defense agree that Tensing shot 43-year-old Sam DuBose in the head after pulling him over for a missing front license plate on July 19, 2015.

As in his first trial, Tensing testified in his own defense and said he feared he could be dragged or run over as DuBose tried to drive away. He was in tears at some points.

'I meant to stop the threat,' he told jurors last week. 'I didn't shoot to kill him. I didn't shoot to wound him. I shot to stop his actions.'

Prosecutors said repeatedly the evidence contradicted Tensing's story. An expert hired by prosecutors said his frame-by-frame analysis of the former officer's body camera video showed the officer was not being dragged by the car.

Judge Leslie Ghiz reads what is known as the 'Allen charge,' which instructs jurors to re-examine their opinion after the jury said they are deadlocked on Friday

His first trial also ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked. Tensing's first jury of 10 whites and two blacks deliberated 25 hours over four days in November before a mistrial was declared.

In that case, the jury first reported it couldn't reach a verdict on the third day, and a different judge sent them back to continue. They returned the next day to say they remained hung.

The University of Cincinnati fired Tensing last year after his indictment. It restructured its public safety department and made other policing reforms.

The university reached a $5.3 million settlement with DuBose's family, including free undergraduate tuition for DuBose's 13 children.

The case is among several across the country in recent years that have raised attention to how police deal with blacks. It's also among cases that show the difficulties prosecutors face in gaining convictions against police for on-duty shootings.

Father of 13 DuBose was pulled over for not having a front license plate; when he didn't have his license, he handed the cop a bottle of gin from the floor of the vehicle

A jury last week acquitted a Minnesota officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop.

And jurors Wednesday acquitted a black police officer of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of a black Milwaukee man who threw away the gun he was carrying during a brief foot chase after a traffic stop.

Jurors in the Tensing case began deliberations Monday afternoon.

They submitted a question Tuesday about the location of a piece of evidence. At the end of the day, they came into the courtroom where the judge praised their work and encouraged them to 'hang in there.'

To convict Tensing of murder, jurors had to find he purposely killed DuBose. The charge carried a possible sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

The voluntary manslaughter charge means killing during sudden passion or a fit of rage. That carried a possible sentence of three to 11 years.
ISLAMABAD (AP) - The Latest on the day's attacks in Pakistan (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

A Pakistani government official says twin bombings, minutes apart, have hit a crowded market in the country's northwestern tribal region, killing at least 15 people and wounding 70.

Pakistani nursing staff attend an injured girl at a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, Friday, June 23, 2017. A powerful bomb went off near the office of the provincial police chief in southwest Pakistan on Friday, causing casualties, police said. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Local government administrator Zahid Hussain says the bomb attacks took place at the Tori market in Parachinar on Friday afternoon. He says authorities are transporting the dead and wounded to hospitals.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the region has been battered by bitter sectarian violence, in which Sunni militant groups have targeted Pakistan's minority Shiite Muslims in the area.

___

9 a.m.

A suicide car bombing near the office of the provincial police chief in southwestern Pakistan has killed 11 people and wounded 20.

Police spokesman Shahzada Farhat said explosion near the police chief's office in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was powerful enough that it was heard across the city, shattering windows on nearby buildings.

The bombing came ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, which follows the holy month of Ramadan, expected to end this weekend.

A breakaway Taliban faction later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was part of the militants' campaign to enforce Islamic law. Asad Mansoor, spokesman for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, vowed more such attacks.

Later, the Islamic State group said in a competing claim that it was behind the attack. The competing claims could not be reconciled.
PHOENIX (AP) - The political career of Joe Arpaio ended last year when the six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix known for cracking down on illegal immigration and housing inmates in tents outside in the desert heat was trounced in an election that focused on his own legal troubles.

Now, the 85-year-old who called himself America's toughest sheriff will face his day of reckoning in court for defying a judge's order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Arpaio's trial starts Monday on a criminal contempt-of-court charge for prolonging the patrols for nearly a year and a half. The judge later found that Arpaio's officers had racially profiled Latinos.

FILE-In this Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio shows his badge as he holds a ceremony where 92 of his immigration jail officers, who lost their federal power to check whether inmates are in the county illegally, turn in their credentials after federal officials pulled the Sheriff's office immigration enforcement powers, in Phoenix. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

The former sheriff could face up to six months in jail, though lawyers who have followed his case doubt he would get locked up if convicted.

His critics hope the case will bring a long-awaited comeuppance for the former lawman who led crackdowns that divided immigrant families and escaped accountability when he regularly flouted the rules.

Attorney Mike Manning, who isn't involved in the case but has sued Arpaio several times over deaths in the jails, said the famously defiant Arpaio deserves his fate because he "saluted the court with his middle finger" when he violated the court order.

Jack Wilenchik, an Arpaio attorney, said the former sheriff is charged with a crime for cooperating with federal immigration authorities, which the Trump administration now is encouraging more police agencies to do.

"This is really just a fight about immigration law and what it means," Wilenchik said. "And Arpaio is trying to do what a good cop does, which is to enforce the law."

Arpaio, reached by phone last week, declined to comment.

He rode to national prominence by launching highly publicized immigration crackdowns, landing him in court when Hispanic immigrants sued. He was ousted from office last year in the same election that sent Donald Trump to the White House after using some of the same immigration rhetoric that made Arpaio a national name a decade earlier.

The key issue in the trial will be whether Arpaio intentionally violated a judge's 2011 order to stop the patrols. Arpaio acknowledges that he kept up the immigration enforcement but says it was not on purpose. For a conviction, prosecutors must prove he intended to disobey the judge.

The judge found Arpaio ignored the order because he believed his immigration enforcement efforts would help his 2012 re-election campaign. His legal troubles likely contributed to his crushing defeat in November to retired Phoenix police Sgt. Paul Penzone.

The things that Arpaio used over the years to boost his popularity - TV interviews, news releases and tough talk about America's border woes - are now being used against him in court.

Arpaio said in a news release a week after the judge told him to stop the patrols that he would continue to enforce immigration laws. A few weeks later, he told a TV interviewer that deputies were still detaining immigrants in the country illegally.

It's not clear if Arpaio will testify, but two people who were illegally detained plan to take the witness stand to describe their traffic stops.

Arpaio has brought several longshot legal efforts. He tried unsuccessfully to bar prosecutors from mentioning his comments about immigration during his last three campaigns. And he subpoenaed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a witness.

Attorney Andy Jacob, who isn't involved in the case but has watched much of it as a court spectator, said the criminal charge will ensure that the sheriff's office will comply the next time a judge hands down an order.

"This is to vindicate the power of the court," he said.

Tom Morrissey, a retired chief U.S. marshal who has been a friend of Arpaio's for more than two decades, said the former sheriff's supporters are furious about how he's being treated in the courts and in news coverage.

"That fury is growing. Joe is just one of the victims of a corrupt process and a corrupt system," said Morrissey, a former state GOP chairman.

Lydia Guzman, a Latino civil rights advocate and longtime Arpaio critic, said a criminal conviction would help hold the former sheriff accountable for breaking the rules and tarnish his reputation.

"This will be his legacy, that he abused his power," Guzman said. "It will end in a mugshot. I don't think he is afraid of jail. I think he is afraid of what this will do to his image and the legacy he leaves behind."

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Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/jacques%20billeaud.

FILE-In this Wednesday, July 28, 2010 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks in Phoenix about U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton's ruling that blocked the most controversial sections of Arizona's new immigration law from taking effect. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE-In this Saturday, June 23, 2012 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio signs autographs for inmates as he walks through a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jail called "Tent City" in Phoenix. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE-In this Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio pauses while speaking about a detention officer who was shot in Phoenix. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE-In this Thursday, July 29, 2010 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks in Phoenix announcing his crime suppression sweeps. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE-In this Friday, July 14, 2006 file photo, Elias Bermudez, president of Immigrants without Borders, kneels before Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio outside the Sheriffs office in Phoenix. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York)

FILE-In this Feb. 4, 2009 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, left, orders approximately 200 convicted illegal immigrants handcuffed together in Tent City in Phoenix for incarceration until their sentences are served and they are deported to their home countries. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

FILE-In this Dec. 11, 2007 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio addresses members of a chain gang in Phoenix. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE-In this Thursday, April 3, 1997 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio displays one of the new prisoner uniform tops in downtown Phoenix, Ariz. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Scott Troyanos, File)
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder urged the Republican-led Michigan House on Friday to pass economic development tax incentives when it meets in July, saying there is still time to lure a Taiwanese electronics giant to the state despite the cancellation of a vote on the legislation.

Foxconn, which plans to locate a display panel factory in the U.S. that could cost up to $7 billion, will announce investment plans by early August for at least three states, Chairman Terry Gou said Thursday. He mentioned Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Texas as manufacturing states with which Foxconn hopes to work.

House Speaker Tom Leonard called off a vote on the Senate-approved bills Tuesday night and adjourned until July 12, citing concerns that the Republican governor had cut a deal with House Democrats that would "undermine" other GOP priorities. He did not elaborate.

FILE - In this March 13, 2017, file photo, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder speaks during a news conference in Detroit. The governor on Friday, June 23 urged the Republican-led Michigan House to pass economic development tax incentives when it meets in July, saying there is still time to lure a Taiwanese electronics giant to the state despite the cancellation of a vote on the legislation. Foxconn, which plans to locate a display panel factory in the U.S. that could cost up to $7 billion, will announce investment plans by early August for at least three states, Chairman Terry Gou said Thursday. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Snyder, who is on a weeklong trade trip in Europe, told The Associated Press that the proposed tax incentives for large-scale business expansions are "relatively straightforward" and are about "more and better jobs for Michigan." He traveled to Japan in early June to entice Foxconn, which assembles smartphones and other devices for Apple, Sony, Blackberry and other brands - mostly in China.

Asked about Foxconn's decision-making process, Snyder said in a phone interview from Milan, Italy: "We're later in that timeframe but there still is time. ... If we get something done in July, we can still hit that (August) date."

After Snyder took office, Michigan in 2012 stopped issuing new tax credits for companies to add or retain jobs as part of an overhaul that slashed business taxes overall. The state instead awards a smaller pot of cash grants and loans for economic development.

Snyder, senators and economic development officials now say tax incentives should be offered again to help Michigan compete with other states for major projects, but some GOP lawmakers - including the House speaker - are opposed philosophically.

Snyder said he wants to hear Leonard's specific concerns about the negotiations "first person. He did not say if the administration had agreed to scuttle future GOP labor-relations bills in exchange for support from Democrats and teachers unions already upset about a plan to coax newly hired teachers into a 401(k)-only retirement benefit. The tax incentives, valued at up to $200 million a year for companies adding at least 250 jobs, cleared a House committee Tuesday after six of eight Republicans and three of four Democrats voted yes.

"As a practical matter, you have a situation where a bill's going through the Legislature," Snyder said. "Doesn't it make sense that I should be talking to Republicans and Democrats and trying to work together on getting something done? I thought that's how the legislative process should work. I'm not focused on partisanship. I'm focused on getting good jobs for Michiganders."

But Leonard spokesman Gideon D'Assandro said there is "a lot of confusion" over what agreement may have been cut with Democrats.

"If a deal takes good bills and Republican priorities off the table, then it could be bad policy. ... That is why House Republicans need to get those answers from the governor," he said.

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Follow David Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/David%20Eggert
In North Carolina, Men Can Legally Continue To Have Sex With A Woman After She Says "Stop"

In case you need another backwards law to make you never want to visit North Carolina, here ya go. Apparently in 1979, the Supreme Court case State v. Way ruled that women do not have the right to withdraw from sex after they've consented.

A 19-year-old woman discovered this first-hand when she was told her attacker didnt break the law when he continued to have sex with her even after she said no. Aaliyah Palmer consented to have sex with him at a party, but after he started getting violent and pulling her hair, she asked him to stop.

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I said, Youre hurting me. Stop, she told The Fayetteville Observer. Its really stupid. If I tell you no and you kept going, thats rape.

Sen. Jeff Jackson agrees. He represents Mecklenburg County and says multiple women have approached him about how the law has impacted them because of a crazy loophole.

North Carolina is the only state in U.S. where no doesnt mean no, he told The Observer. Theres no reason for this to be partisan. Its about doing whats obviously right.

Whats perhaps most shocking about the law is that it's unapologetically gendered against women. It specifically states women cannot revoke consent after sexual intercourse begins, which means the same is not true for men.

In 1985, State v. Robinson cited the '79 case as precedent, stating, We of course agree with the North Carolina court that a mere change of the woman's mind in the midst of sexual intercourse does not turn the man's subsequent participation into rape.

This law has prevented women from seeking justice for decades, and it will continue to do so until its changed. Many of these cases depict situations in which consensual sex turns violent, but even then women legally arent allowed to back out.

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Everyone has the right to change their mind about sex at any point, no matter what. And sex without consent is rape. Period.

This law just reiterates to every woman in North Carolina that mens desires take precedent over everything, including her own body.

Photo via James Walsh, Flickr

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Brianna is a BUST editorial intern from Indiana. After finishing her bachelor's in telecommunication news and journalism from Ball State University, she went to Syracuse for her master's in arts journalism. She likes writing about movies, performance art and advocacy. You can follow her on Twitter @BriKirk, and reach out to her at briannakirkham@gmail.com.
DETROIT (AP) - Detroit says the sale of city-owned properties as part of plans for new bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada will bring in $48 million.

Mayor Mike Duggan on Friday announced an agreement with the state to sell 36 parcels of land, underground assets and about 5 miles (8 kilometers) of streets for the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The Canadian-financed bridge is scheduled to open in 2020.

Detroit plans to use the money for neighborhood redevelopment, job training and health monitoring for Detroit residents.

The mayor's office says $33 million will go to a neighborhood improvement fund to assist more than 450 Detroit families who live near the bridge project. They will get the option to stay in their current homes or swap a home for one elsewhere in the city.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - As the nation's opioid epidemic intensified, Indiana cracked down on over-prescribing doctors and "pill mills" catering to people with addictions. The state also took aim at doctor-shopping - the practice of visiting multiple physicians to score more painkillers.

The measures had an impact, but not what officials hoped for.

While making opioid prescriptions harder to get, the crackdown also helped spur a twofold increase in robberies of pharmacies that exacerbated the state's standing as No. 1 in the nation for those crimes. Between 2009 and 2016, Indiana had 651 pharmacy robberies - the most in the U.S. and more than the 597 recorded by No. 2 California, which has six times the population, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration records show.

In this Jan. 25, 2017 photo, Elwood, Ind. police bag evidence as they investigate an armed robbery at Low Cost Prescriptions in Elwood, Ind., where one robbery suspect was shot and wounded by police. Law enforcement and pharmacies in Indiana are fighting back against a wave of pharmacy robberies that followed a state crackdown on opioid abuse. Those pill-robbing crimes surged in the state during 2015, when Indiana topped the nation with 168 such heists targeting painkillers and other potent drugs. (John P. Cleary /The Herald-Bulletin via AP)

The frequent holdups reflect a grim reality: With each regulation or law enforcement tactic, the opioid crisis quickly shape-shifts to evade new obstacles. Dealers and those struggling with addictions adapt, and the epidemic continues with little interruption.

"They're always looking for wherever they can get their foothold. And once they do, they're going to take advantage," said Tom Prevoznik, a deputy chief of pharmaceutical investigations with the DEA in Arlington, Virginia.

Pharmacies and law enforcement agencies in Indianapolis, where most of the robberies have occurred, are fighting back. Pharmacy chains have installed time-release safes that won't open for several minutes, forcing robbers to risk arrest by waiting. Signs so far are positive. Robberies in Indianapolis numbered only eight through early June, compared with 55 for all of 2016.

But some criminals responded to those efforts by traveling from Indianapolis to small suburban towns to rob pharmacies, including one in January in Elwood, about 40 miles from Indianapolis, where two robbers herded frantic employees into a bathroom after threatening them with a handgun.

Indiana's economic makeup has made it a likely breeding ground for opioid addiction for years.

The 2008 financial crisis hit the state's manufacturing economy hard, causing waves of layoffs. And physically demanding jobs in heavy industry have long left workers prone to injuries that could lead to prescriptions for painkillers.

"They get a legit medical prescription - and then all of a sudden it gets out of control," said Jason Hockenberry, an Emory University professor of health policy who has studied opioid addiction. He said the state already had outsized opioid woes, related in part to its location along Interstates 65 and 70 - two major corridors for illicit drugs.

Opioid addiction was behind the state's worst-ever HIV outbreak, in 2015, an epidemic that infected more than 200 people in a rural county north of Louisville, Kentucky. Most had shared needles while injecting a prescription painkiller. That year, Indiana ranked 17th in the nation in heroin and prescription opioid overdose deaths, with 1,245 deaths per 100,000 people.

Four years ago, the Legislature directed the state's Medical Licensing Board to draft rules requiring patients to visit their doctors periodically to keep getting prescription refills. The changes included requiring doctors to use an online database to check patients' use of controlled substances.

But stemming easy access to opioids probably contributed to the binge of 168 robberies in 2015, more than twice the previous year's total, as more people addicted to prescription opioids robbed stores seeking painkillers and other potent drugs, said Greg Zoeller, who was Indiana's attorney general at the time.

The holdups - sometimes more than five a day in Indianapolis - flooded the black market with nearly 200,000 pills, primarily painkillers.

"We knew full well that if you reduce easy access, you're going to have these kinds of consequences," Zoeller said.

Lt. Craig McCartt, who oversees robbery investigations for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said 85 percent of Indianapolis' pharmacy robberies in 2015 were committed by juveniles enlisted by adult dealers offering cash and gifts to rob the stores.

Amid that crime spree, Indianapolis police teamed up with the DEA, FBI and federal prosecutors for a multi-agency approach that's led to the indictments of 35 people, including six juveniles, in 62 of the robberies.

The state's two largest drugstore operators, Walgreens and CVS, have also installed time-release safes at their roughly 180 Indianapolis pharmacies and added armed guards at some stores in recent years.

Indiana's pharmacy robberies dropped to 78 in 2016, but the state still ranked second in the U.S., behind California. The latest effort targeting the robberies is a law taking effect in July that will lead to longer sentences for people who threaten violence or injure anyone during pharmacy robberies.

Ken Fagerman, a former South Bend pharmacist who wrote a book about the robberies, said the pharmacy industry should not have tolerated the heists for years and shares some blame.

"It's regrettable that more wasn't done sooner," he said.

In this Jan. 25, 2107 photo, Elwood, Ind. police investigate an armed robbery at Low Cost Prescriptions in Elwood, Ind., where one robbery suspect was shot and wounded by police. Law enforcement and pharmacies in Indiana are fighting back against a wave of pharmacy robberies that followed a state crackdown on opioid abuse. Those pill-robbing crimes surged in the state during 2015, when Indiana topped the nation with 168 such heists targeting painkillers and other potent drugs. (John P. Cleary /The Herald-Bulletin via AP)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on a federal appeals court ruling that said a confession was improperly obtained from Brendan Dassey, one of two defendants in a Wisconsin killing that was the focus of the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" (all times local):

3:50 p.m.

Attorneys for a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" have petitioned for his release now that a federal appeals court has ruled that his confession was coerced.

FILE - In a Friday, March 3, 2006 file photo, Brendan Dassey is escorted out of a Manitowoc County Circuit courtroom, in Manitowoc, Wis. A three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit on Thursday, June 22, 2017 affirmed that Dassey, a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" was coerced into confessing and should be released from prison. Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbach's death two years earlier. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Lawyers for Brendan Dassey filed papers Friday saying Thursday's decision by a three-judge appeals panel leaves no reason for further delays.

The court gave Wisconsin prosecutors until 5 p.m. Monday to file a response.

Dassey was 16 when he told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005.

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel says the state will take whatever steps are necessary to keep Dassey behind bars. He plans to ask the full Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to review the decision.

___

10:45 a.m.

Wisconsin's attorney general says he plans to ask the full 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to review a decision by three of its judges who ruled an inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" should be retried or freed.

Speaking on WTMJ-AM Friday, Brad Schimel says the state will have a better chance of reversing the decision with a full and "balanced" court.

A federal magistrate judge in Wisconsin ruled in August that investigators coerced Brendan Dassey into confessing and overturned his conviction. Schimel's Justice Department appealed the ruling to the 7th Circuit. A three-judge panel issued its ruling Thursday.

Dassey, then 16, told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005.

Dassey's attorneys say they will take immediate steps to secure his release. Schimel says the state will take whatever steps necessary to keep Dassey behind bars.

____

12:21 a.m.

Prosecutors say they'll seek to reverse an appeals court decision that the Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbach's death on Halloween two years earlier. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach. Dassey was 16 then and suffered from cognitive problems. He's now 27.

Wisconsin's attorney general plans to ask the full 7th Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court to review Thursday's 2-1 split decision from a three-judge appeals panel.

Dassey's attorneys say they're elated and will take immediate steps to secure his release.

Avery is pursuing his own appeal.
LONDON (AP) - A former paramilitary commander turned police informer in Northern Ireland has pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offenses.

In court Friday, 45-year-old Gary Haggarty pleaded guilty to five murders; five attempted murders; 23 counts of conspiracy to murder; directing terrorism; and membership of a banned organization in incidents stretching from 1991 to 2007.

Besides the 200 pleas entered in Belfast Crown Court, the 45-year-old admitted responsibility for 304 minor offenses.

Authorities say Haggarty has provided evidence against 14 former colleagues in the Protestant-based Ulster Volunteer Force, and also against two of his former police handlers.

Haggarty was first charged with one murder in 2009, and then agreed to become a prosecution witness.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - The Latest on a Kansas jury's award of nearly $218 million to Kansas farmers who sued Syngenta over genetically modified corn seed. (all times local):

11:25 a.m.

Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta says it will appeal a Kansas federal jury's awarding of nearly $218 million to Kansas farmers who sued the company over its introduction of a genetically modified corn seed variety.

Syngenta says in a statement that it is "disappointed" by Friday's verdict after a three-week trial in Kansas City, Kansas. That case involves four Kansas farmers representing more than 7,000 growers in the state. Another trial involving about 60,000 cases begins next month in Minnesota.

The lawsuits allege Syngenta introduced the seed variety to the U.S. market before China approved it for imports, wrecking an increasingly important export market for U.S. corn and causing price drops.

The Kansas trial was the first test case. It and the Minnesota trial will provide guidance for how the complex web of litigation in state and federal courts could be resolved

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11 a.m.

A federal jury in Kansas has awarded nearly $218 million to farmers who sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed variety.

Friday's verdict after a three-week trial in Kansas City, Kansas, involves four Kansas farmers representing more than 7,000 farmers in the state. Another trial involving about 60,000 cases begins next month in Minnesota.

The lawsuits allege Syngenta introduced the seed variety to the U.S. market before China approved it for imports, wrecking an increasingly important export market for U.S. corn and causing price drops.

The Kansas trial was the first test case. It and the Minnesota trial will provide guidance for how the complex web of litigation in state and federal courts could be resolved.
A roundup of some of the most popular, but completely untrue, headlines of the week. None of these stories are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked these out; here are the real facts:

NOT REAL: Retired MI5 Agent Confesses On Deathbed: 'I Killed Princess Diana'

THE FACTS: A piece on a site called the Anti News Network renews a take on conspiracy theories blaming British agencies or the royal family for the princess' August 1997 death in Paris. A coroner's jury ruled in 2008 that Diana and boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed were killed by the reckless actions of their driver and paparazzi. Investigators testified that no British government agency was involved in her death. MI5, Britain's domestic security agency, has a policy of not identifying current or past employees. The ANN story cites as its source the website yournewswire.com, which says it makes no representations about the accuracy of the information it posts.

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NOT REAL: NASA'S KEPLER TELESCOPE DISCOVERED ARTIFICIAL ALIEN MEGASTRUCTURE

THE FACTS: Some scientists speculated that an unusual light pattern coming from a star about 1,400 light years away could be the result of megastructures built by aliens to surround the star and harness its energy. A headline from univverse.org suggests the theory has been confirmed, but the authors of a study about the light pattern wrote that it was most likely the result of comet and planet-like space debris passing nearby.

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NOT REAL: Sarah Huckabee Blames Clinton For Comey's Removal: "If She'd Confessed, He Wouldn't Have Had To Commit All Those Atrocities Against Her"

THE FACTS: The deputy White House press secretary did use the word "atrocities" when explaining the reasoning behind former FBI director James Comey's May 9 firing by President Donald Trump, but she didn't put the blame on Hillary Clinton. A story that originated with admitted satire outlet Newslo falsely claimed Sanders said if Clinton confessed to her role in mishandling of emails, Comey wouldn't have lost his job. Sanders cited Comey's handling of the investigation into the emails as the reason for his firing.

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NOT REAL: FOX HEADLINES British Actor 'MR BEAN' Rowan Sebastian Atkinson dies at 62 After CAR-CRASH - TODAY 2017

THE FACTS: Hoaxes on the actor's death, alternately describing a car crash or a suicide that ended the "Mr. Bean" actor's life, have been circulating since last summer. Some pieces have listed Atkinson's age as two years younger than he is - he was born Jan. 6, 1955. Others falsely superimpose reports of his obituary on BBC and Fox News logos, which never ran such reports. Atkinson recently resurrected his portrayal of French detective Jules Maigret in a British TV series.

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NOT REAL: Charles Manson has been granted parole

THE FACTS: The website now77news.com has one story saying Manson is out on parole and another saying he's dead, but California corrections officials say Manson remains incarcerated. Manson was last denied parole in 2012 and continues to serve time for a series of slayings, including the 1969 murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six other victims over two nights. The false story claiming Manson is out on parole lists his age as 79; he's actually 82.

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This weekly fixture is part of The Associated Press' ongoing efforts to fact-check claims in suspected false news stories.

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Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A top Al-Jazeera official on Friday denounced demands to shut down the network by countries involved in a dispute with its host nation Qatar as an attempt to suppress free expression.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar and restricted access to land, sea and air routes earlier this month over allegations it funds terrorism - an accusation Doha rejects but that President Donald Trump has echoed. The move has left Qatar, whose only land border is shared with Saudi Arabia, under a de facto blockade by its neighbors.

The countries delivered a list of demands to end the embargo Thursday and gave Qatar 10 days to comply with the ultimatum. The 13-point list calls for Al-Jazeera and all its affiliates to be shut down.

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2015, file photo, staff members of Al-Jazeera International work at the news studio in Doha, Qatar. Kuwait has given Qatar a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that includes shutting down Al-Jazeera and cutting diplomatic ties to Iran. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal, File)

"Any call to close down or curtail Al-Jazeera is nothing but an attempt to muzzle a voice of democracy in the region and suppress freedom of expression," Giles Trendle, the acting managing director of Al-Jazeera English, told The Associated Press by phone from its Doha headquarters.

He reiterated the position taken by the Qatari government that shuttering the network is not an item up for negotiation.

"We stand firm in our commitment in providing our usual comprehensive and impartial coverage of events around the world," he said.

Launched in 1996 with financial support from Qatar's rulers, Al-Jazeera has over the years grown into one of the Middle East's most influential and controversial media outlets.

It quickly became one of the most widely watched Arabic channels, but it has long drawn the ire of Mideast governments for airing alternative viewpoints, including hosting Israeli officials.

The network's critics say the Arabic-language services in particular advance Qatar's goals by promoting Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood that pose a populist threat to rulers in other Arab countries.

Qatar supported the calls for change resulting from the 2011 Arab Spring protests that led to upheaval in Egypt, Syria and other Middle East nations, and the network intensively covered those protests.

In Egypt, it was seen as sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president Mohammed Morsi, who came to power in 2012. After the Egyptian military ousted Morsi, Egypt revoked Al Jazeera's press credentials and imprisoned three of its employees for collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera sued Egypt in January 2016, saying many of its journalists were harassed after Morsi's overthrow.

The network's coverage reverberated among regional powers well prior to the Arab Spring uprising. In 2002, its coverage of a Saudi peace plan with Israel led Saudi Arabia to yank its ambassador from Qatar. That diplomatic rift lasted six years.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in March 2014, upset about a perceived interference in their affairs through the network and Qatar's funding of Islamist movements. They returned eight months later after Qatar took some steps against Brotherhood members.

Asked how the newsroom was handling the latest demands for its closure, Trendle said it was "business as usual."

"We remain committed to doing journalism," he said. "Everyone here is at their desk and doing their work and on their normal shifts."

The ultimatum presented to Qatar also includes demands that the natural gas-rich state stop funding a host of other news outlets including Arabi21, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

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Associated Press writer Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report.

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Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at www.twitter.com/adamschreck .
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. military says it killed a key moneyman for the Islamic State group.

A statement by the U.S.-led military coalition fighting IS said Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi was killed in an airstrike June 16 in the city of Abu Kamal near the Iraqi border.

The statement said al-Rawi owned a currency exchange in Abu Kamal that he used - along with a global network of financial contacts - to move millions of dollars into and out of IS-controlled territory and across borders on behalf of the group.

In December 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on al-Rawi and his company.
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York governor's pardon of a World Trade Center disaster worker fighting deportation to Colombia after a drug conviction is the latest example of politicians trying to rescue individuals from their immigration problems, but the mixed and unpredictable results make it unlikely to become a common occurrence.

Carlos Cardona had his 1990 drug conviction wiped off the books by Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week, improving the Queens man's chances of remaining in the U.S. while he receives health treatments for ailments linked to his work on the Sept. 11, 2001, recovery effort.

His case follows several other recent instances when Democratic governors have pardoned individuals facing deportation for state crimes that sometimes occurred years earlier. The pardons have come after President Donald Trump ordered increased deportations, resulting in a boost of over 35 percent in his first 100 days in office when compared to the same period last year.

In this Jan. 8, 2001 file photo, a rescue worker wearing a dust mask, peers through a cloud of dust created by an excavator at the World Trade Center site in New York. The New York governor's pardon of Carlos Cardona for a 1990 drug conviction is the latest example of politicians trying to rescue individuals from their immigration problems. Cardona worked on the World Trade Center recovery operation after the 2001 terrorist attacks. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

"It works some of the time," said Jason A. Cade, a University of Georgia School of Law professor who has studied how the practice has evolved over the last century. "It is a way to avert what might be unfair deportations in certain cases."

It did not work after Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe pardoned Liliana Cruz Mendez for a minor driving offense after she was detained by immigration agents when she arrived May 18 for a regular check-in. The Falls Church, Virginia, mother of two was sent back to her native El Salvador anyway.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, hoping to stop a deportation, pardoned a Cuban immigrant, Rene Lima-Marin, last month for an armed robbery he committed 19 years ago.

Cade said changes by Congress in the 1990s pertaining to when pardons can excuse drug offenses for immigration purposes created "a lot of weirdness" so that pardons sometimes are effective for more serious drug crimes but not for lesser offenses.

Recently, a Massachusetts judge dropped the criminal case against a man caught smoking marijuana at a national seashore so he could still get his green card, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a research organization that argues that lower levels of immigration are better for the country.

In addition to pardons by governors, some prosecutors are thinking twice before filing charges that might result in deportation, raising the risk that a "parallel system of justice emerges where it is different for non-citizens."

"When a few people are able to get exemptions like this, the number who ask for them grows," she said.

Vaughan said the power to pardon is meant to be used sparingly for exceptional cases, which is one reason why some states do not let governors make a decision to pardon alone.

She said most of the 12 million people in the country illegally are "decent people" and many are using the extensive due process afforded by the U.S. immigration system to gain legal residency. To speed and ease the process for a few is a "slap in the face for those who wait their time, pay their dues," Vaughan said.

"It's really very controversial and not very admirable," she added.

Kim Bobo, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, said fear has gripped hold of immigrant communities and there should be a lot more pardons, especially when people get arrested for offenses like failing to have a driver's license, a common affliction for those living in the country illegally.

"It's a scary time for immigrants," she said.

Andrew Novak, a professor at George Mason University, said he believes there should be more pardons, though governors face potential political backlash.

"It's sparingly granted because it's subject to political misuse," he said. "It's fraught with political considerations. And governors, I think, are sensitive to being seen as soft on undocumented immigration."

Still, he added, governors might find it a political benefit in some states.

"Many Americans, especially in liberal states, perceive the immigration laws as being unfair in general," Novak said.

In Cardona's case, Cuomo said in a statement that he hoped the pardon would show the state is "taking a major step forward in protecting the hardworking immigrants who contribute to our economy and move New York forward."

"In the face of this heartless and wrongheaded federal policy, the state will continue to hold the torch high and advance its legacy of hope, inclusion and opportunity," he said.

Cardona's wife, Liliana, said her husband's health would likely suffer if he was deported to Colombia, where he won't have health insurance or a good economic situation.

"It's very sad to think that the government is not going to help him after he acted with courage and solidarity with the people of this country," she said.

She said the governor's pardon has given them hope that he can stay, though he remains detained by immigration authorities.

"Even though for years he paid lawyers and tried to correct that mistake and clean his image, he could not do it, and now, with God's help and the help of the governor, he has accomplished that dream of not having that problem," she said.

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Associated Press writers Claudia Torrens and Verena Dobnik contributed to this report.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - An Arkansas judge has ruled in favor of the cousin of world champion boxer Jermain Taylor regarding a 2014 shooting incident after the former Olympian didn't appear at a court hearing.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2s3BGiB ) reports that Taylor is currently serving a six-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to nine felony charges in 2015, including those related to a shooting that left his cousin Tyrone DaWayne Hinton in critical condition.

Hinton filed a lawsuit against Taylor in 2015 seeking compensatory and punitive damages for medical bills related to the shooting.

Taylor's representatives told a Pulaski County Circuit judge Thursday that Taylor was in Florida, with no money and no intention of attending his hearing in Little Rock.

A trial date to determine the amount Taylor owes Hinton will be scheduled.

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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com
How To Pack A Hiking Backpack

All The Essentials You Need To Pack For Your Next Hike

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Youve felt the urge to get away  away from the bustle and trappings of modern life: technology, traffic, work, so damn many people, and the pressure to keep up with it all. It can be rejuvenating to escape, to get away into the wilderness. But the beach or the mountains? With the beach, sure the oceans beautiful, but the parking, the sand, schlepping all the stuff, and just more people? No, youre heading for the hills, where you might not see another person for days. One of the simplest ways of getting away is to go for a hike, preferably as far away from civilization as possible. So strap on a backpack and load up with the bare essentials and get out into nature where a guy can think some serious thoughts, reflect, and just be.

If youre new to hiking  which, if youre reading this, you probably are  you probably need a backpack. Weve got you covered here. The next thing youll want to know is how to pack your backpack before embarking into the wild. Wait, what? Cant I just shove my clothes and stuff into the pack, as long as it all fits, and worry about it later? You could, but packing efficiently will make you more comfortable, save you a good deal of trouble, and make roughing it just a bit less rough.

Before packing, lay out your gear to get a good visual of all you are bringing. You'll want to pack smart and youre probably going to need fewer clothes than you think. A rule of thumb for how heavy your pack should be is 25-30% of your body weight, and you dont want to be near the top of this if youre new to backpacking. So keep it as light as possible. You want to think in terms of layers, not frequent changing of clothes. If it gets cold, you just can add another layer. You may be out there for multiple nights, and consequently, you might get a bit funky. Thats okay. Youll probably come back filthy and with a decent beard, too  very manly, and all part of the experience.

Once you have all your gear laid out, you can start to plan where everything goes. Generally, the bottom of the pack is for bulky items you wont need until making camp. The mid-section is for dense, heavy items. The top of the main compartment is for bulky items that you may need to access on the trail. The accessory pockets should be reserved for things you might need in a hurry  like an emergency  or things youll need frequently. Last, you can strap oversized or odd shaped items to the outside of the pack.

Bottom of the Pack

Heres where youll stuff your sleeping gear. You can also shove your tent in here if you take the poles out (they can be strapped to the outside later). Any long underwear for sleeping and extra camp shoes can go here, too.

Midsection

This is where you can pack heavier items, like your stove, pots and pans, as well as your food. Placing the heavier things in the middle keeps the bulk of the weight centered over your hips for maximum stability, and the closer to your back, the better. If youre bringing a bear canister, pack it as full as you can with food and any other items with a scent (e.g. toothpaste, sunscreen). Also, your hydration bladder should be in the midsection. Many packs will have a compartment for that built in. If you are packing liquid fuel, be sure the lid is tight and pack it upright, and below your food, in case of leaks. Also, make sure to fill any containers with gear. Carrying an empty pot, for instance, is a waste of precious space. So put your utensils, matches, soap, or other small things in there.

Top of the Pack

Things that are bulky but that you may need while on the trail should be packed near the top  a jacket or vest (a sweaty body will get cold quickly once you stop hiking), your rain gear, a first aid kit, water filter, toilet supplies. When you need any of these, you wont want to have to dig down to the bottom of your pack, especially while on the trail.

Accessory Pockets

The accessory pockets should be reserved for things you may need frequently or urgently while on the trail. Your map and compass (yes, you should have these), GPS, snack foods for keeping your energy up, a water bottle if you dont have a reservoir, flashlight, insect repellent (when you need this, it will be urgent), sunscreen and lip balm, sunglasses, and your headlamp. These are things that, when you need them, youll want to know exactly where they are and be able to access them quickly. Once you have your backpack loaded, be sure to pull all of the compression straps tight to keep things from shifting around and messing with your balance.

Exterior

Lastly, you can strap a few odd-shaped or overlong items to the outside of your pack. The tent poles you pulled out of the stuff sack, a camp stool or seat, rope, trekking poles  all can be attached using the loops, fasteners, or straps that most packs come with. Items should be securely attached and not allowed to swing or rattle around or snag plants on your hike.

Need gear? AskMen recommends:

Sleeping Bags

For backpacking, youll want a mummy bag you can shove into a stuff sack. For most uses, a three-season sleeping bag rated for between 15 and 39 degrees will be plenty cozy for the weather youre likely to encounter. If you want great quality, go with the brand that built their gear to withstand Everest, Northface. The Northface Cats Meow 22 sleeping bag provides a lot of comfort for a great price.



We Recommend: Northface Cat's Meow 22, $154.00 at Amazon.com

Tents

For most purposes, a lightweight, two-person tent is what youll need. Big Agnes makes a great tent: well ventilated, lightweight, gear loft, and two doors (so you wont be stumbling over your companion in the middle of the night) in their Copper Spur backpacking tent.



We Recommend: Big Agnes Copper Spur $429.00 at Amazon.com

Camp Stoves

Ease of use, weight, and being able to pack it up are all important. Jetboils Flash Cooking System is a great, fast, all-in-one cooking system.



We Recommend: Jetboil Flash Cooking System, $99.95 at Amazon.com

Water Filters

A packable, reliable water filter that doesnt require much maintenance is a requirement. MSRs Autoflow Gravity Filter takes the work out of making clean water. Their gravity system will filter 4 liters of water so you dont have to keep going back to the source.



We Recommend: MSR Autoflow Gravity Filter, $110.00 at Amazon.com

Youre ready to venture forth and conquer the wilderness. Now, out you go!

AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration has authorized the sale of unarmed surveillance drones to India, the manufacturer said Friday, as the two nations' leaders prepare for their first face-to-face meeting.

India initiated its request to buy 22 Guardian MQ-9B unmanned aircraft for maritime surveillance last year. The deal is estimated to be worth about $2 billion. The offer is still subject to congressional approval.

The green light from the administration marks a further deepening in defense ties as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

FILE - In this June 2, 2017, file photo Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Trump administration is set to authorize the sale of surveillance drones to India as the two nations' leaders prepare for their first face-to-face meeting on June 26. That's according to a congressional aide and an industry representative speaking to The Associated Press. (Mikhail Metzel/TASS News Agency Pool Photo via AP)

Modi's two-day visit to Washington, which starts Sunday, takes place amid uncertainty over the relationship because of differences on trade and other issues.

So far in his presidency, Trump has focused on outreach to China, India's strategic rival, as he looks to Beijing to rein in North Korea. But Washington and New Delhi share concerns about China's rise as a military power.

India reportedly wants the drones for surveillance of the Indian Ocean - waters that China's navy increasingly traverses after establishing its first overseas base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti. India's archrival Pakistan would also likely be opposed to the drone sale.

"We are pleased that the U.S. government has cleared the way for the sale of the MQ-9B Guardian to the Indian government," Linden Blue, CEO of the manufacturer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said in a statement. Blue added that it would "significantly enhance India's sovereign maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific."

A congressional staffer familiar with the matter confirmed the administration has approved the sale. The staffer was not authorized to discuss the potential deal and requested anonymity.

David McKeeby, spokesman for the State Department bureau of political-military affairs, said it does not comment on proposed defense sales before Congress is formally notified.

A senior White House official said Friday that the U.S. is interested in providing India the kind of high technology it provides to its closest allies and defense partners. That is important to the strategic partnership and for cooperation in areas like the Indian Ocean, and also creates U.S. jobs, said the official, who requested anonymity to brief reporters on the preparations for Modi's visit.

India does not have a formal alliance with the U.S., but defense ties have intensified in recent years with joint drills between the two militaries and defense sales. The South Asian nation, which has traditionally bought most of its defense equipment from Russia, is looking to upgrade its capabilities.

Since 2008, India has signed more than $15 billion in U.S. defense contracts, including for C-130J and C-17 transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, Harpoon missiles and Apache and Chinook helicopters.

Ashley Tellis, an expert on South Asia at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the U.S. decision to offer the Guardian aircraft to India is significant as the U.S. has a standing policy of declining export of such advanced drones other than to allies involved in combined operations with U.S. forces.

"Much bureaucratic china within the U.S. government had to be broken to get to this decision," he said.

There could still be pushback from Congress. While there is bipartisan support for closer U.S.-India security ties, some lawmakers remain wary of the export of U.S. drone technology to non-allies.

Modi, a Hindu nationalist, will be making his fourth visit to the U.S. since he took office in 2014. He forged a strong relationship with President Barack Obama, and on his last visit in June 2016, he addressed Congress and described the U.S. as an "indispensable partner."

The visit is likely to be lower key and aimed at building a personal bond between the two leaders, who have spoken twice by phone since Trump took office. Modi will be the first foreign dignitary to be hosted for dinner at the White House during Trump's presidency.

They share a populist streak and a knack for using social media, and are likely to find common ground on combating Islamic extremism. Modi will be urging a tougher stance on Pakistan over militants that India blames for attacks on its territory.

But there could be increased strains on trade issues.

India is among nations singled out by the Trump administration for their trade surpluses with the U.S., which in India's case totaled $30.8 billion in 2016. New Delhi is also closely watching the administration's review of the H1B visa program, under which thousands of skilled Indian workers come to the U.S.

New Delhi was irked by Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord. In making the announcement, the U.S. president said New Delhi had made its participation "contingent on receiving billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid." India denies that and says it will continue to be part of the accord, regardless of U.S. participation.

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Associated Press writer Vivian Salama contributed to this report.
Eds: Major scheduled events for the week of June 25-July 1. Note that many events are subject to change at the last minute.

The following economic reports will be issued in Washington (all times EDT), unless otherwise noted:

SUNDAY: No events of note.

MONDAY: Commerce Department releases durable goods for May, 8:30 a.m.

TUESDAY: Standard & Poor's releases S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for April, 9 a.m.; The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for June, 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for May, 10 a.m.

THURSDAY: Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases first-quarter gross domestic product, 8:30 a.m.; Freddie Mac releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY: Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for May, 8:30 a.m.

SATURDAY: No events of note.

___

SUNDAY, JUNE 25

No events of note.

___

MONDAY, JUNE 26

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court issues orders and opinions.

BERLIN - Germany's Ifo institute releases its monthly business confidence index, a key indicator for Europe's biggest economy.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 27

WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

WASHINGTON - Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee hearing on marine sanctuaries.

WASHINGTON - Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta testify before Senate Appropriations subcommittees on the president's budget request.

WASHINGTON - House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on self-driving vehicles.

WASHINGTON - U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley testifies before a House Appropriations subcommittee on the president's budget request.

WASHINGTON - House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on the terrorist threat to Europe.

___

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump holds a re-election fundraiser at his Washington hotel.

WASHINGTON - U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on advancing U.S. interests at the United Nations.

___

THURSDAY, JUNE 29

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, through June 30.

___

FRIDAY, JUNE 30

No events of note.

___

SATURDAY, JULY 1

No events of note.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - The Navy is disciplining nine sailors for their roles in a 94,000-gallon fuel spill that killed nearby wildlife, prompted families to temporarily leave their homes and cost the service $3.8 million to date, an official said Friday.

Rear Admiral Jack Scorby told reporters that punishments range from possible losses in rank and pay to referrals for a court martial. Citing privacy rules, he declined to name those involved. But Scorby said they include junior enlisted sailors as well as senior officers.

A civilian also faces potential action, which could include being reassigned to another job.

The admiral said the people involved failed to perform their duties while on watch in May at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach. The base, home to several fighter squadrons, sits within Virginia's largest city near housing developments and creeks. Residents have dubbed the near-constant roar of jet engines as the "sound of freedom."

The spill occurred while jet fuel flowed from a barge on the Intracoastal Waterway to a base pipeline and various storage tanks. A switch left in the wrong position routed fuel into a 2,000-gallon container instead of an 880,000-gallon tank, causing the far-smaller one to overflow.

The error went unnoticed for 16 hours while $180,000 worth of fuel poured out.

"We own this," Scorby said, adding that the Navy is adding various new safety measures to prevent future spills. "It's our responsibility to fix it."

About 25,000 gallons flowed off the base and into nearby neighborhoods and waterways. The Navy said it does not believe residents were exposed to any health risks.

But the odor prompted 48 families to voluntarily leave for as long as two weeks, with many staying in hotels at the Navy's expense. The cost for hotel rooms and meals was about $180,000.

Scorby said the Navy is still working to help one family return.

Almost 1,500 animals perished. Most were fish, frogs and other marine wildlife. Eighteen migratory birds, which are federally protected, also died.

The Navy and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will continue to monitor the soil and water as well as keep an eye on nearby wetlands that were damaged.

Sailors have also increased their rounds during fueling operations. Among other new safety measures, engineers have installed additional valves to prevent overflows. The Navy is also reviewing its training and qualifications.

"We have been working hard to make a terrible situation better," Scorby said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Military chiefs will seek a six-month delay before letting transgender people enlist in their services, officials said Friday.

After meetings this week, the service leaders hammered out an agreement that rejected Army and Air Force requests for a two-year wait and reflected broader concerns that a longer delay would trigger criticism on Capitol Hill, officials familiar with the talks told The Associated Press.

The new request for a delay will go to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for a final decision, said the officials, who weren't authorized to discuss the internal deliberations publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

FILE - In this June 13, 2017, file photo. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford listens on Capitol Hill in Washington. Military chiefs will seek a six-month delay before letting transgender people enlist in their services, officials said June 23. Dunford told a Senate committee there have been some issues identified with recruiting transgender individuals that "some of the service chiefs believe need to be resolved before we move forward." He said Mattis was reviewing the matter. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Transgender servicemembers have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban, declaring it the right thing to do. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon's personnel system.

But Carter also gave the services until July 1 to develop policies to allow people already identifying as transgender to newly join the military, if they meet physical, medical and other standards, and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months. The military chiefs had said they needed time to study the issue and its effects on the readiness of the force before taking that step.

Officials said Friday that the chiefs believe the extra half-year would give the four military services time to gauge if currently serving transgender troops are facing problems and what necessary changes the military bases might have to make.

The chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps discussed the matter with Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work on Thursday, officials said.

Dana White, the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, said there have been ongoing discussions with the service chiefs and a recommendation is expected, but she declined to disclose any details.

"It's been a very deliberative process," she said. "The deputy secretary of defense has not submitted a recommendation to the secretary yet and so no decision has been made."

Stephen Peters, spokesman for Human Rights Campaign, said the group is disappointed with the delay request.

"Each day that passes without implementing the final piece of this important policy harms our military readiness and restricts the Armed Forces' ability to recruit the best and the brightest," said Peters, a Marine veteran. "There are thousands of transgender service members openly and proudly serving our nation today, and as they've proven time and time again, what matters is the ability to get the job done - not their gender identity."

Already, there are as many as 250 servicemembers in the process of transitioning to their preferred genders or who have been approved to formally change gender within the Pentagon's personnel system, according to several defense officials.

According to several officials familiar with the matter, three of the four services wanted more time. In recent weeks, Navy officials suggested they would be ready to begin enlistment in July but asked for a one-year delay, largely to accommodate a request from the Marine Corps for more time, officials said. The Navy secretary also oversees the Marine Corps.

The Army and Air Force wanted a two-year delay to further study the issue, said the officials, who were not authorized to talk about the internal discussion publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Officials said there was a broad recognition that allowing transgender individuals to enlist affects each service differently. They described the biggest challenge as the infantry. They said the discussions aimed at a solution that would give recruits the best chance of succeeding, while ensuring the services maintain the best standards for entry into the military.

Service chiefs will also require that transgender recruits be stable in their preferred genders for at least two years, an increase from Carter's earlier plan to allow 18 months, the officials said. The chiefs also want to review the policy in a year to see how things are working, the officials said.

Key concerns are whether currently enlisted troops have had medical or other issues that cause delays or problems with their ability to deploy or meet physical or other standards for their jobs. Military leaders also want to review how transgender troops are treated, if they're discriminated against or have had disciplinary problems, the officials said.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee last week there have been some issues identified with recruiting transgender individuals that "some of the service chiefs believe need to be resolved before we move forward." He said Mattis is reviewing the matter.

The military services have various ways of counting the number of transgender troops currently serving. The Pentagon has refused to release any data. But officials said there are 42 servicemembers across the Army, including the National Guard and Reserve, who have been approved to change their gender identities in the personnel system. At least 40 more are in the process of transitioning, they said.

Officials said there are about 160 sailors in the Navy who are somewhere in the process of gender transition. That could include counseling, hormone treatment or gender reassignment surgery. And about "a handful" of Marines have come forward to seek medical care involving gender transition, and there are possibly others going through the process with their commanders, officials said.

The Air Force refused to release any numbers, and other officials did not know those details.

A RAND study found that there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender service members in the active duty military, and another 1,500 to 4,000 in the reserves.
PARIS (AP) - Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the environment shouldn't be a partisan issue.

The actor-turned-Republican politician told reporters in Paris on Friday that he had a "wonderful" one-hour meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Schwarzenegger says he and Macron, a centrist, discussed climate change.

"We all breathe the same," he said after Macron saw him to the steps of the presidential Elysee Palace.

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, speaks with former US actor and founder of the R20 climate action group Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday, June 23, 2017 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (Geoffroy van der Hasselt, Pool via AP)

Schwarzenegger has publicly sparred with U.S. President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican and "Apprentice" host who is withdrawing the U.S. from a global climate accord reached in Paris and taken jabs at Schwarzenegger's TV ratings.

Before leaving the Elysee, the former Hollywood star went back up the palace steps to give first lady Brigitte Macron a kiss on the cheek.

Schwarzenegger received France's Legion of Honor in April.

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, speaks with former US actor and founder of the R20 climate action group Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday, June 23, 2017 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (Geoffroy van der Hasselt, Pool via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, speaks with former US actor and founder of the R20 climate action group Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday, June 23, 2017 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (Geoffroy van der Hasselt, Pool via AP)
John Franzese (above), a reputed Colombo crime family underboss reported to be the oldest inmate in the federal prison system, has been released at the age of 100

A reputed Colombo crime family underboss reported to be the oldest inmate in the federal prison system has been released at the age of 100.

John 'Sonny' Franzese left the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, in a wheelchair just before noon Friday, according to Newsday.

He was serving a 50-year sentence for bank robbery.

His son, Michael, says the elder Franzese is planning to live with a daughter in Brooklyn.

The newspaper reports Franzese was allegedly involved in loan sharking and extortion.

US Bureau of Prisons records show he was paroled at least six times since his 1967 conviction, but each time ended up back in prison.

The last time was in 2010 when he was caught shaking down strip clubs and a pizzeria.

He was dubbed The Nodfather for snoozing at his trial.

'Hes one of a kind,' said retired FBI agents Robert Lewicki.

Franzese left the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, in a wheelchair just before noon Friday. He is seen above in his wheelchair outside Brooklyn's federal court in this June 15, 2010 file photo

US Bureau of Prisons records show he was paroled at least six times since his 1967 conviction, but each time ended up back in prison

In 2005, the FBI convinced Sonny's son, John Jr. Franzese (right), to wear a wire against the mob. The FBI has claimed that Franzese once contemplated arranging his own son's death after he became a government cooperator

Franzese's life of crime began in 1938, while he was still a teenager, with an assault arrest. Prosecutors say he was kicked out of the Army four years later after displaying 'homicidal tendencies'. He is seen above in the center being escorted to a New York police station in 1966

In 1966, he beat a murder charge accusing him of killing a rival and dumping the body - cement blocks chained to the feet - into a bay

In 2005, Lewicki convinced Sonny's son, John Jr. Franzese, to wear a wire against the mob.

'Theres never been a guy like Sonny. There will never be another guy like Sonny, the last of a dying breed.'

Franzese has boasted about killing 60 people in a lifetime of crime, according to authorities.

The FBI has claimed that Franzese once contemplated arranging his own son's death after he became a government cooperator.

Franzese was once a regular at the Copacabana nightclub, where he could be seen with singers Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.

He also had a stake in the classic porn film Deep Throat.

In addition to his mob activities, Franzese also had a stake in the classic porn film Deep Throat

Authorities say an informant had recorded him bragging about mob killings, saying he killed a lot of guys but was never caught.

They say he also recommended that the best way to dispose of body parts was to dry them out with a microwave and grind them up in a garbage disposal.

He was arrested in the racketeering case in 2008 and was later freed on $1 million bail.

Franzese managed to gain his release on Friday due to credit for good behavior and time served awaiting his trial.

Franzese's life of crime began in 1938, while he was still a teenager, with an assault arrest.

Prosecutors say he was kicked out of the Army four years later after displaying 'homicidal tendencies'.

In 1947, court papers say, he raped a waitress in a garage.

In 1966, he beat a murder charge accusing him of killing a rival and dumping the body - cement blocks chained to the feet - into a bay.

Franzese was convicted in 1967 in a bank robbery, sent to prison and paroled in the late 1970s.

Though never convicted of another crime, authorities say he rose to second in command of the Colombos, one of New York's five Italian crime families.

Prosecutors say one reason Franzese dodged arrest in other murders is that he became good at making bodies disappear.

Investigators caught him on tape in 2006 describing his favourite recipe for that: Dismember victim in kiddie pool. Cook body parts in microwave. Stuff parts in garbage disposal. Be patient.


ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - If Disneyland is "The Happiest Place on Earth," Jeff Reitz may be its happiest citizen.

As of Thursday, Reitz had visited the park for 2,000 days in a row - every day for 5 years.

Reitz, 44, of Huntington Beach began visiting the park on New Year's Day in 2012 with his former girlfriend. The unemployed Disney fans thought it would be a fun way to keep up their spirits if they visited every day during that leap year.

But after they got jobs and even after the relationship ended, Reitz kept going.

"It's become a living breathing thing along the way," he told the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/2tDcbGS ).

The Air Force veteran now works at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System and makes time to visit the park daily, sometimes alone and sometimes with his current girlfriend, Karen Bell of Costa Mesa.

"I love walking around taking pictures, talking with cast members and guests," he said.

Reitz has tried virtually every ride and restaurant in Disneyland and the adjoining Disney California Adventure Park. His favorite restaurant is Pizza Port in Tomorrowland.

His favorite ride is the Matterhorn Bobsleds, which he first rode when he was 2.

"I love sitting in the front row, holding the handle and leaning into the turns," Reitz said.

But "there's nothing I would turn away from," he said.

Reitz has some advice for Disneyland visitors: Get the Disneyland app for smartphones to keep up with wait times and ride closures and use the FastPass system to reserves times for the most popular attractions.

"The number one thing I tell people is to bring your patience," Reitz said. "With the summer time crowds and the heat I tell people to relax and have fun."

Reitz doesn't know how long he'll keep making daily visits to the park but notes his current annual pass is good until next January.

"I've gotten to experience so much of the magic of Disney that it continues to be fun for me," he said. "And that's why I've still chosen to keep coming every day."
WASHINGTON (AP) - An adviser to President Donald Trump's campaign who called for Hillary Clinton to be shot is visiting the White House.

Al Baldasaro attended a veterans event Friday just hours before White House press secretary Sean Spicer denounced a play for seemingly urging violence against the president.

Baldasaro, who advised Trump on veterans issues, said last summer that he believed Clinton "committed treason" for putting American lives at risk while secretary of state.

FILE - In this May 31, 2016, file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens at left as Al Baldasaro, a New Hampshire state representative, speaks during a news conference in New York. Baldasaro, an adviser to President Donald Trump's campaign who called for Hillary Clinton to be shot is visiting the White House. Al Baldasaro attended a veterans event June 23, 2017, just hours before White House press secretary Sean Spicer denounced a play for seemingly urging violence against the president.(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

He then said "anyone that commits treason should be shot."

Baldasaro attended an East Room ceremony Friday as the president signed a bill into law that will make it easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire employees.

Spicer criticized a New York production of "Julius Caesar" that dressed the assassinated Roman leader like Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans in full control of government are on the brink of history-making changes to the nation's health care system. The impact for consumers would go well beyond "Obamacare."

Former President Barack Obama's signature law is usually associated with subsidized insurance markets like HealthCare.gov. But the Affordable Care Act also expanded Medicaid.

Not only would the GOP legislation scale back coverage through the insurance markets and phase out the Medicaid expansion, it would also make fundamental changes to the broader Medicaid program. The federal-state program covers low-income people, from newborns to elderly nursing home residents, from special-needs kids to young adults caught in the opioid epidemic.

FILE - In this April 3, 2017, file photo, the Senate side of the Capitol is seen in Washington. Republicans in full control of government are on the brink of history-making changes to the nation's health care system, but "Obamacare" is only half the story _ and many people may not realize that. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

House Republicans have passed their health care bill, and Senate GOP leaders are driving toward a vote next week. President Donald Trump is waiting, eager to deliver on a campaign promise to repeal the law.

Against fast-moving developments, here's a look at some major issues for consumers.

WHY MEDICAID MATTERS

As health care costs have kept climbing, employers cut back on coverage, and Medicaid passed Medicare as the nation's largest public insurance program. It now covers about 70 million people, including children and able-bodied adults mostly served by private managed care plans.

The GOP's biggest Medicaid change involves limiting future federal financing. Since its inception, Medicaid has been an open-ended entitlement, with Washington matching a share of what each state spends. Instead, Republicans propose a per-beneficiary cap.

In addition, the GOP would phase out added financing that Obama's law provided as an incentive for states to expand the program and cover more low-income adults. About 11 million are covered by the expansion.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the House bill would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $834 billion over 10 years, and the program would cover about 14 million fewer people by 2026, a 17 percent reduction.

Governors of both parties have warned Congress that would mean a cost shift to states that undermines coverage for the vulnerable.

Medicaid limits got very little attention in the 2016 presidential campaign. The idea was a relatively late addition to Trump's talking points. Indeed, candidate Trump had started out promising no cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.

Economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a longtime GOP adviser, says the Republican approach is "180 degrees different in its economic and budgetary philosophy," from the course steered by Obama. The Medicaid limit would move the nation closer to putting public health care programs on a budget, fiscal discipline that conservatives say is long overdue.

But the human consequences could be politically volatile. "No one wins on health care policy," observed Holtz-Eakin.

WHAT DOCTORS ARE SAYING

Groups representing doctors and hospitals are overwhelmingly opposed to the Republican approach, because it's likely to result in millions more uninsured people. Consumer organizations like AARP are also opposed.

Under Obama, the nation's uninsured rate dropped below 9 percent, a historic low. Progress has stalled, partly because "Obamacare" is politically divisive. Now, the uninsured rate may start climbing again, because both the House and Senate bills cut federal financing and repeal an unpopular requirement to carry health insurance.

It "would have a profoundly negative impact on Americans," said John Meigs, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Some Republicans argue that a Medicaid card or an "Obamacare" policy means little because either the doctor doesn't accept notoriously low Medicaid fees, or high deductibles under the health law keep patients from coming in.

But doctors see a health insurance card as a ticket into the system, so patients can be screened for chronic conditions that can ultimately lead to serious illnesses. Obama's law made many preventive services free of charge to the patient.

Dr. Mott Blair of Wallace, N.C., recalls a patient who got a colonoscopy that found a polyp, which undetected could have led to colon cancer.

"Now we are able to bring them in and get their blood sugars down, their blood pressure down," Blair said in a recent interview. "They're not going to have a disastrous complication like a stroke or a heart attack, at least not for the foreseeable future."

PRIVATE INSURANCE CHANGES

Republicans would make no significant changes to employer-provided coverage, which remains the mainstay of private insurance.

They focus instead on the market for individual policies, which Obama's ACA sought to reform by providing subsidies, setting requirements for comprehensive coverage, and creating online markets where consumers could compare plans. An estimated 17 million to 20 million people have individual policies. About 10 million are in the ACA's markets.

"Obamacare's" results have been mixed, with lower enrollment than expected, big losses for many insurers, and sharp premium increases. The situation varies from state to state, with healthy markets in some and others struggling to hang on to insurers. Consumers who are not entitled to subsidies can face shockingly high premiums.

Both the House and Senate bills would keep subsidies for private insurance, although with considerably less money. The House and Senate formulas for subsidies differ. States would be able to seek waivers from federal insurance requirements.

The Senate bill takes immediate steps to stabilize insurance markets for the next two years.

Over the long run, premiums for younger people are expected to come down. But older adults and people who require comprehensive coverage are likely to pay more.

"Low-income people will end up paying higher premiums for plans that have bigger deductibles, compared to today," said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, commenting on the Senate bill. "Older people who are now getting premium subsidies would get substantially less help, but younger people would get more."
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Federal regulators said Friday they are launching an investigation into the improper shipment last week of nuclear material from Los Alamos National Laboratory to other federal labs around the country.

The National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed in a statement that it was informed by the New Mexico lab that procedures weren't followed when shipping what was only described as small amounts of "special nuclear material" to facilities in California and South Carolina.

The material had been packaged for ground transport. But instead it was shipped via an air cargo service, which isn't allowed by federal regulations.

It marks the latest gaffe by Los Alamos, the lab that created the atomic bomb. Criticism has been intensifying over the lab's history of safety lapses as work ramps up to produce key components for the nation's nuclear weapons cache.

"This failure to follow established procedures is absolutely unacceptable," Frank Klotz, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said in a statement.

The agency oversees the lab along with other facilities that make up the U.S. nuclear complex. Klotz said it's required that contractors who manage the labs, production plants and waste repositories rigorously adhere to what he called the highest safety and security standards as part of their national security work.

Once the investigation of the shipments to California and South Carolina is complete, the federal agency said any responsible parties will be held accountable.

Lab officials on declined to comment and referred questions to the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

Home to some of the nation's top nuclear scientists and other researchers, Los Alamos has struggled for years to address management and oversight issues along with more recent safety concerns about the handling of radioactive waste and plutonium.

A series published this week by the Center for Public Integrity cited numerous internal reports and other documents outlining federal regulators' concerns about safety lapses at the lab over the years, including a plutonium spill last summer and workers in 2011 positioning plutonium rods in a way that could have been disastrous.

In 2014, a chemical reaction stemming from Los Alamos inappropriately packaging a barrel of radioactive waste caused a radiation leak at the government's only underground nuclear waste repository.

That misstep resulted in costly recovery work and a backlog in the multibillion-dollar program for cleaning up waste from decades of research and bomb-making.

There have also been reports that Los Alamos failed more than once in recent months to accurately document and label hazardous liquid that was shipped to a disposal facility in Colorado.

Klotz noted earlier this week that safety is paramount and that his agency withheld more than $82 million in contractor payments over safety and operational issues at the lab between 2013 and 2016.

The current $2.2 billion contract for Los Alamos National Security LLC to manage the lab ends in 2018. Some critics have said putting the contract out to bid will offer an opportunity to make changes at Los Alamos.

Greg Mello, with the Los Alamos Study Group, said the concern with the latest incident is that pressure changes could have compromised the packaging of the nuclear material once it was aboard the cargo plane.

"It's like a cheap ball point pen in your shirt pocket," he said. "It turned out fine this time, but the deeper problem is why are there so many kinds of errors."
Umai Crate, one of the subscription side-projects from Japan Crate, is a Tokyo-based instant ramen subscription service. Each box is curated and shipped directly from Japan, so you know its the real deal.

What Is Umai Crate?

To explain Umai Crate, first we have to look back at its big-brother box: Japan Crate. Japan Crate was the brainchild of Hank Rao, who, after a business trip to Japan that exposed him to the wonders of Japanese treats, decided to figure out a way to bring Japanese snacks to North America -- beyond just Pocky and flavored Kit Kats.

With the success of Japan Crate, Rao launched three spin-off crates to complement the candy crate. Doki Doki, a kawaii-centric crate to bring more cute into your daily life; Kira Kira, a Japanese beauty crate; and of course, Umai Crate, a ramen subscription service.

Just like Japan Crate before it, Umai Crate aims to bring a part of Japan into your kitchen each month. Whether youre purchasing the box for your office lunches or youre using the service to facilitate quick dinners in the evenings, Umai Crate definitely comes through in evoking the feeling of digging into a bowl of ramen at a counter somewhere in Tokyo.

Unboxing Umai Crate

When the Umai Crate arrived on my desk, I could easily distinguish it from the rest of the mail due to the bright yellow box. I received it at the same time as my Japan Crate, which was bright red, and together they significantly brightened up my workspace -- a welcomed change from the boring kraft-paper UPS boxes that usually greet me.

Everything inside the box was packaged exceptionally well. Just like my Japan Crate, opening the Umai Crate felt as though I was peeking into an oversized bento box -- every box and bag of ramen had its place and it was very aesthetically pleasing.

Aesthetics aside, my Umai Crate was packaged so that none of the ramen would get squished in transport. I was worried that some of it would have gotten a little banged up, considering it was being shipped from the other side of the world, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everything made it without even the slightest defect.

Rummaging around inside the box, I found a little bit of everything. There were individual bowls that would make for a perfect microwaved lunch, bags of noodles that would need to be completely removed from the packaging and heated on the stove for dinner as well as a booklet that explained how each type of noodles should be prepared and a surprise (and adorable) chopstick holder!

Since everything is shipped directly from Japan, all of the packaging on the products is, naturally, written in Japanese. Thankfully, for those subscribers who cant read Japanese fluently, Umai Crate also curates a monthly English-language booklet that explains each product in detail -- so you know what youre biting into.

The Review

When I found out I would be reviewing Umai Crate, I will admit I was slightly skeptical. I had just gotten back from a trip to Japan where I was eating bowls of noodles literally every single day. Upon our return, my boyfriend has been making his own noodles at home, so I know what a good bowl of Japanese noodles should taste like -- and we know how to create a good bowl at home, too.

After convincing my boyfriend to give the contents of our Umai Crate a try, we got to work preparing the vegetarian and bonito-based packages. The convenience factor was huge for us. My boyfriend works until late in the evening, so being able to prepare dinner in less than 10 minutes was a major asset.

We took a bit more time to prepare the meal than it suggests on the packaging because we chose to add green onion, tofu (for me), pork belly (for him), nori sheets and bamboo shoots to make our dishes more substantial. Without these additions, our bowls would have been ready in about 3 minutes. However, I would strongly suggest adding outside ingredients to your noodles... Although the broth does have significantly more flavor than the instant ramen you bought in college for a quarter, even if it's from Japan, the ramen from the Umai Crate is still an instant noodle and therefore it fares much better when accompanied with fresh ingredients.

We were both pleasantly surprised to find that the Umai Crate curation offered a lot more than just instant ramen noodles. Our next meal was a stir fry (all fresh, outside ingredients) on a bed of instant crispy noodles (from the crate). At first, I was reluctant to try the Umai Crate because I thought I would end up eating the same dish every night, but they pack the box with a variety of options to offer multiple meal possibilities.

I enjoyed seeing the different meals we could make with instant noodles, sure, but my boyfriend does most of the cooking in our household -- even when the cooking is just boiling water to make ramen noodles, so I think his opinion on Umai Crate is the one that matters here. I wasnt expecting it, but he really loved this out-of-the-box experience! In the past, weve tried out fresh food subscription services and they did not yield the same excitement or creativity as Umai Crate did. Overall, it was a fun experience that took us back to somewhere between quick college meals and our trip to Japan.

Cost

Umai Crate only comes in one size -- which includes 7-8 premium quality packs of instant noodles. The price depends upon what length of subscription you opt for. The most economical option is the 12-month prepay, which comes out to $22.50/month. However, you may also choose to pay for a 3-month or 6-month subscription. If you prefer no commitment, there is a month-by-month option as well ($25/month).

How To Subscribe

Subscribing to Umai Crate is easy. Once you decide on the amount of time youd like to subscribe, youll be taken to the terms page. There, youll be asked to fill out your postal address, billing information and to create a password to manage your Umai Crate account.

Managing Your Subscription

Managing your subscription is quite simple. Just sign into your account to access the next shipping date, the cut off date to suspend your account and the steps to cancel your subscription if youve had enough ramen for a while.

Is Umai Crate Worth It? THE VERDICT: Maybe

Is Umai Crate worth it? It really depends on your lifestyle. While I enjoyed testing out the different rare and unique Japanese ramen, Im not sure that I would order the box again. Perhaps its because Im lucky enough to live in a city where I can get a really good bowl of ramen for about a fourth of the price of the Umai Crate, but I just dont see myself opting for a $25 box of instant ramen more than once.

Thats not to say that you would feel the same as me -- my boyfriend loved and would probably subscribe given the chance. I see this working for a lot of people who may not have access to delicious restaurant ramen or those who dont have a lot of time to spend on cooking and like to have a quick dinner alternative on hand.

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WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - A man accused of killing a Google employee who went out for a run near her mother's Massachusetts home last summer has been indicted.

Worcester (WUS'-tur) County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. says a grand jury handed down the indictment Friday against Angelo Colon-Ortiz.

The Worcester resident was arrested in connection with the death of 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte last August in Princeton, a small town 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Boston.

Prosecutors say Colon-Ortiz was apprehended in April after his DNA matched samples on Marcotte's body, which was found in the woods not far from her family home.

Colon-Ortiz faces charges of aggravated assault and battery and assault with attempt to rape. He's been in custody since his arrest and will be arraigned later. His lawyer hasn't commented.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday that some companies based in Europe are considering expanding into Michigan or adding to existing operations there, and he wants to ensure that the state has enough qualified engineers and technicians to fill the potential jobs in the long term.

Snyder, who will return Saturday after a weeklong trade trip to France, Germany and Italy, said he focused in part on selling Michigan industry as not just being automotive-centric. He spent two days at the Paris Air Show, where he had 55 meetings. He said Michigan has more than 680 companies in the aerospace supply chain.

"That's huge. We needed to tell that story more, and it got a great response," Snyder told The Associated Press by phone from Milan. He plans to return to Europe in September for the Frankfurt auto show in what would be his administration's sixth European trade mission.

In Italy, Snyder said he met with a major auto supplier that may expand its existing Michigan operations and a biotech company that is looking to have a U.S. presence. While he declined to name the biotech company, his office later issued a news release saying he had met with leaders from Clerici-Sacco, whose customers include dairy and pharmaceutical companies.

"I think we have a good chance to attract them to west Michigan," Snyder said.

He said executives from companies already operating in Michigan gave "positive feedback," and the concern he heard most often is whether Michigan will have enough workers in the skilled trades.

"They just want to make sure we're filling the long-term pipeline," said Snyder, who said he emphasized existing community college and robotic programs that train engineers and technicians.

___

Follow David Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/David%20Eggert .
LIMA, Peru (AP) - As the flames engulfed the room where Luis Huaman was trapped inside a warehouse in Peru's capital, he made a call to his mother in a desperate plea for help.

Nearly a day later, the fire was still raging and there was no sign of the 19-year-old.

At least four people were missing Friday after a warehouse filled with tons of combustibles caught fire. Relatives of two men trapped in the blaze said both were locked inside the rooms where they were working when the fire broke out. Cellphone video obtained by a local television channel showed another now missing man desperately kicking a door in a futile bid to escape.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

"They locked them in, which is criminal," President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said as he covered his mouth with a paper mask to protect himself from the fumes. "They were practically slave workers."

The fire cast a critical light on Peru's little regulated and vast informal employment sector, which encompasses as much as 70 percent of the nation's workforce.

"Peru doesn't have enough labor inspectors for the thousands of businesses that exist and for the other enormous number that operate off the books," said Kardy Villavicencio, a lawyer and labor rights expert.

The fire broke out Thursday afternoon and leaden clouds of smoke continued to fill the air just 15 blocks from Peru's presidential palace 20 hours later.

Temperatures inside the building reached up to 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 Fahrenheit), firefighter commander Fernando Campos said. Firefighters said it was likely the worst blaze they had encountered since a 2001 fire that killed 277 people.

Police said they had been unable to locate the building's owner.

Cesar Herrera said his 21-year-old nephew, Jovi Herrera, was one of those missing. He said his nephew had phoned begging for help to find the key to the room he was locked in.

"Help me, I'm going to die," Herrera quoted the young man as pleading.

Bertha Villalobos, the mother of Huaman, said she also got a frantic call from her son telling her he was stuck in a locked room. She said he had told her previously about being locked in while working, and she always made him food to take, knowing he would be stuck inside.

"My son told me the owner would lock them in," she said.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Exhausted firefighter Julia Alegre Smith rests after working to battle a warehouse fire in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. The fire has been raging for nearly a day in Peru's capital where tons of flammable materials were stored. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Firefighter Alfredo Salazar is being cooled down with water by a policeman after working to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Firefighters take a break from working to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski walks to inspect firefighting efforts at a warehouse in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 23, 2017. At least 4 people are reported disappeared inside the warehouse according to authorities. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
DENVER (AP) - A federal judge in Denver on Friday ordered the release of a man who has been detained for 5 years after being accused of providing material support to an Uzbek terror organization active in Afghanistan.

Under Judge John Kane's order, Jamshid Muhtorov will remain detained in suburban Denver until a hearing to determine the conditions of his release. His trial is expected to begin early next year.

The order came a day after Muhtorov filed court documents accusing the detention center's warden of violating his right to a speedy trial, The Denver Post reported.

Muhtorov is accused of supporting the Islamic Jihad Union and communicating with the group's website administrator.

"His professed desire to join a movement that justifies the murder and maiming of all who dare to think differently than he does on matters of faith and religion deeply offend our values of religious liberty, the sanctity of life, tolerance, justice, and the rule of law," Kane wrote in his order. "Mr. Muhtorov, however, has already spent more than five years in detention before even being found guilty of acting, in any way, on his alleged terrorist beliefs."

Kane also argued that Muhtorov is not a flight risk, citing the suspect's family and community ties.

The judge noted that Muhtorov's wife has lived and worked in the community for a decade, and Muhtorov himself lived in suburban Denver for five years without incident before his arrest.

The couple also have three children together.

Jeffrey Dorschner, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver, decline to comment, citing a gag order in the case. A request for comment from the Federal Public Defender's office, which is representing Muhtorov, was not immediately granted Friday afternoon.

Muhtorov was arrested Jan. 21, 2012, in Chicago with about $2,800 in cash, two shrink-wrapped iPhones and an iPad, as well as a GPS device. He denied the allegations and said he had been headed to the Uzbekistan region to visit family when he was arrested.

In 2014, Muhtorov challenged the constitutionality of a National Security Agency warrantless surveillance program and requested that prosecutors disclose how surveillance law was used in his case.

The challenge came after the U.S. Justice Department said it intended to use information gleaned from one of the NSA's warrantless surveillance programs against Muhtorov. It was the first time the department had made such a disclosure.

Kane ruled in 2015 that the NSA's programs had a potential for abuse, but they did not violate Muhtorov's constitutional rights in this case. Warrantless wiretaps were used appropriately in the case, he said.

Muhtorov fled Uzbekistan in 2007 and settled in the Denver suburb of Aurora as a political refugee. He became a legal permanent U.S. resident.

Muhtorov argued he was targeted by the Uzbek government because of his work with human rights groups in his homeland.

___

Associated Press writer James Anderson contributed to this report.
Theresa Mays hopes for an early deal on the rights of expat citizens after Brexit suffered a setback when EU leaders gave a frosty reception to proposals which she unveiled at a Brussels summit.

European Council president Donald Tusk said the UK plan fell below Brussels expectations and could worsen the situation of three million EU citizens living in the UK, while German chancellor Angela Merkel said they did not represent a breakthrough in Brexit talks.

Mrs May insisted that her offer was fair and serious and should reassure EU nationals in the UK that they will be able to go on living their lives as before.

But the PM stuck to her position that any extension of rights must be part of a deal offering similar arrangements to Britons living in the remaining 27 member states.

She faced an allegation from former Cabinet colleague George Osborne of having blocked a unilateral offer which David Cameron and all other senior ministers wanted to make last summer.

An editorial in former chancellor Mr Osbornes Evening Standard newspaper described Mrs Mays offer as an act of self-interest dressed up as a gesture of international generosity and accused the PM of blocking Mr Camerons preferred unilateral option as home secretary.

Confronted with the claim at a Brussels press conference, Mrs May responded: Thats certainly not my recollection.

The two-day summit ended with battlelines being drawn over the key questions of jurisdiction and the cut-off date for residency rights.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said it was inconceivable to him that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) would have no judicial role in enforcing EU nationals rights under any future arrangements.

But Mrs May set her face firmly against ECJ involvement, while suggesting that expats rights could be protected by international treaty.

They will be enshrined in UK law, they will be enforced through the highly respected UK courts, and of course if this is an aspect of the withdrawal treaty then it will be enshrined in international law as well, she said.

PM: I am very pleased to be here at the European Council today following the constructive start of our negotiations. pic.twitter.com/RK0hIziZut  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) June 22, 2017

Under the proposals which Mrs May outlined to fellow leaders on Thursday, all EU nationals who have been in the UK for five years will be entitled to settled status, granting them the same rights as their British neighbours to healthcare, education, welfare benefits and pensions.

Those with a shorter period of residency will be able to stay on to reach the five-year threshold and others arriving after a yet-to-be-defined cut-off date will have a grace period to regularise their status.

This is a fair and serious offer, she said.

It gives those three million EU citizens in the UK certainty about the future of their lives and we want the same certainty for the more than one million UK citizens who are living in the European Union.
Prince Harry has been skydiving with the Armys Red Devils display team, learning how to land with precision  and has been hailed a natural.

Harry joined up with the famous flying Paras and was taught how to drop out of the clouds with the group, which performs across the country.

The princes exploits came to light when the Prince of Wales celebrated his 40th anniversary as Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment by watching a Red Devils display, at a barracks in Colchester with hundreds of the soldiers families and friends.

The grand finale of today's @TheParachuteReg parade is an amazing display by @RedDevilsOnline. Wow! pic.twitter.com/bdolm0VckN  Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) June 23, 2017

As the seven-man team, all serving Paras, trailed red smoke as they hurtled to the ground, their commanding officer Captain Joe Palmer told the crowds that the regiments Colonel-in-Chiefs youngest son had been skydiving and hes a natural.

Later, a spokesman for the Red Devils said: The prince joined us about five years ago, when he did the same as everyone else where you learn the basic course and you jump with a couple of instructors. He picked it up quickly.

He said he believed it was Harrys first jump and he mastered the two elements of skydiving, freefall handling where a person is dropping through the air, and getting to grips with canopy, once the parachute is open.

Prince Charles during a visit to Merville Barracks in Colchester

Wearing his tropical service dress and the Paras beret, the heir to the throne later gave a speech on the parade ground and described how he had learned to parachute jump.

He said: When I was appointed to the position (of Colonel-in-Chief), I felt I couldnt look your predecessors in the eye, or even dream of wearing the red beret, without doing the parachute course. This freed the cat among the proverbial pigeon, but in the end I was allowed to join parachute training course 841A at Brize Norton.

In those days, you started by having to jump out of a creaking basked suspended below a balloon. This was particularly testing on the nerves as it was like jumping deliberately out of a doorway at the top of an 800ft building, with the anchoring cable disappearing, usually, into a layer of cloud that obscured the ground.

The Prince of Wales celebrated his 40th anniversary as Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment

To mark the 40th anniversary of the princes association with the Parachute Regiment he watched a march-past of its four Battalions, inspected the men on parade and presented awards to some of the regiments long-serving members.

Before leaving he was shown displays of some of the equipment used by the soldiers and took the wheel of a Jackal armoured vehicle bristling with firepower.

The heir to the throne is known to own an Aston Martin DB6 sports car but he seemed at home driving the vehicle designed for war zones.
Dual Classic heroine Winter continued her fantastic season with an assured victory in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The daughter of Galileo caused something of an upset when seeing off better-fancied stablemate Rhododendron in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, but proved that was no fluke when following up in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh in tremendous style.

Her stablemate Churchill, this years dual 2000 Guineas winner, came up short in Tuesdays St Jamess Palace Stakes, but Winter made no mistake in the hands of Ryan Moore.

Winter ridden by Jockey Ryan Moore wins the Coronation Stakes during day four of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse (John Walton/PA)

WINTER produces a sensational display to land the Coronation Stakes. #RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/l7EfKwYzRW  Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 23, 2017

With French raider Precieuse and Winters stablemate Roly Poly setting the pace, the 4-9 favourite was waited with by Moore.

She was sent about her business passing the two-furlong marker and quickly found an extra gear to leave her rivals toiling.

Winter passed the post with two and a quarter lengths in hand over Roly Poly, while Hydrangea was third to provide trainer Aidan OBrien with a one-two-three, and a big double on the day after Caravaggio in the preceding Commonwealth Cup.

Your Coronation Stakes hero



WINTER



 pic.twitter.com/o70hs6bEjV  Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 23, 2017

Moore said: She was only doing what she had to do. She travelled beautifully through the race and was very professional, but she was just doing what she had to I think.

Its a hard thing to do to win two Guineas and then come here, but shes with a trainer who can do magic things.

Its very hard to do what shes done, but shes good. Shes beaten some good fillies from France and America and this is a strong piece of form.

WINTER in full bloom!! She adds the Coronation Stakes to her two Guineas wins this season!



A dual #ChampionsSeries winner!! pic.twitter.com/qdugN8g74P  Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) June 23, 2017

OBrien said: Shes a filly who is thriving from race-to-race, she travelled well, Ryan had her in a lovely position and shes won very well.

She gets the trip very well, shes very classy and is a great traveller. When you ask her she gallops out strong.

Physically shes thriving, David (Wachman, former trainer) always thought the world of her last year and now shes thriving race-to-race.

OBrien went on: All roads lead to Del Mar (Breeders Cup), but first theres a race in three weeks time, the Falmouth, so well see how she is and how her training keeps going.

Shes had four races quick enough, but shes doing well and enjoying it. Shell get further later on so we might look at races like the Nassau.

I thought her best furlong was the last. She galloped out.
Petra Kvitova secured the best win of her comeback so far, beating Kristina Mladenovic to reach the semi-finals of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham.

The Czech was playing her fifth match since returning from the horrific stabbing she suffered at her home in Prostejov six months ago.

Kvitovas left hand is still not fully recovered but she has shown very encouraging form since returning at the French Open and defeated world number 12 Mladenovic 6-4 7-6 (7/5).

Petra Kvitova, pictured, will play Lucie Safarova next

For much of this match, Kvitova was dominant, showing off her grass-court nous as a two-time Wimbledon champion.

Things became complicated late in the second set when Kvitova was broken serving for the match and taken to a tie-break. That was close, too, but the seventh seed got a stroke of well-deserved luck when a forehand dribbled off the top of the net on the final point.

Kvitova will next play her fellow Czech Lucie Safarova, who survived a three-hour ordeal against Daria Gavrilova. Having saved match points in her opening-round win over Dominika Cibulkova, Safarova did the same again against Gavrilova.

It was the tenacious Australian who saved five set points on her way to winning the opener before Safarova hit back. Gavrilova served for the match in the decider but Safarova forced a tie-break and won 6-7 (4/7) 6-3 7-6 (7/5).

I dont enjoy going from match point down, but its been just happening lately, the world number 41 said with a smile.

Safarova is yet to win in nine meetings with Kvitova, but is delighted to see her countrywoman back.

Its amazing how shes coming back, and after what happened, how quickly she was able to return to play competition, said Safarova. And shes been playing great on grass, and obviously weve had a lot of matches against each other, and Im still waiting for a victory. But, for me, so far, great rounds on grass courts.

The other semi-final will be between former French Open champion Garbine Muguruza and Australias Ashleigh Barty, who both benefited from retirements.

Muguruza had just levelled at one set all with Coco Vandeweghe when the American called it a day because of a foot problem.

Vandeweghe, who lost just four games against Johanna Konta in the second round, had been struggling with the issue since the first round. The world number 30 is a dark horse for Wimbledon and is now set to pull out of next weeks Aegon International in Eastbourne.

She said: I think any injury is a cause for concern but, once I get the exact information, I can make a decision as far as rehab and being as prepared as possible for Wimbledon.

Barty was leading qualifier Camila Giorgi 5-2 when the Italian pulled the plug.
A report will be forwarded to the British Horseracing Authority after an incident involving a racegoer apparently throwing a pint of beer towards jockey Andrea Atzeni before the last race at Royal Ascot on Friday.

Atzeni, who had won the preceding contest aboard Stradivarius, reported to the stewards an object had been thrown at him on the way to post. The rider was interviewed by the stewards, as was the clerk of the course Chris Stickels and a representative of the managing executive.

The stewards report said having heard their evidence and viewed a recording of the incident which showed a plastic glass being thrown from within the vicinity of the half-furlong marker on the stands side, they noted the explanation of Stickels that Ascot would try to establish during their post-race debrief with security staff whether they can identify who threw the object, and that more staff would be deployed to the area.

A racegoer apparently threw a pint of beer towards jockey Andrea Atzeni before the last race at Royal Ascot on Friday (Mike Egerton/PA)

Andrea Atzeni gets a lovely tune out of STRADIVARIUS as they take the Queen's Vase!



A potential St Leger winner? pic.twitter.com/DDx94Qi2h4  Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) June 23, 2017

Nick Smith, Ascots director of racing and communications, told Press Association Sport: We are aware of the incident which is very unfortunate and is not acceptable. We are having an operations review of the area and will steward the area accordingly tomorrow.

From what we have seen they were impossible to identify. The only footage we have seen is the RaceTech footage on the track and all you can see is this plastic glass coming across.

At this stage I dont know if they identified the person, but we will obviously look at our CCTV. If we can identify him we will identify him, but at the moment weve not got the footage to do that.
LUSAKA, June 21 (Reuters) - Zambian prison authorities on Wednesday transferred an opposition leader who is charged with treason from a maximum security facility back to one in the capital following a court order by a magistrate.

United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema, who is facing treason charges for impeding a motorcade for President Edgar Lungu, had been moved from a prison in Lusaka to the maximum security facility outside the capital on June 9.

Magistrate Ireen Wishimanga said the opposition leader and five others should be moved to a prison near the court while she hears a separate case in which Hichilema wants a minister to be charged with contempt of court for allegedly saying he was in prison because he refused to recognise Lungu as president.

"..the order given by this court... (should) be adhered to until such time when a new one is issued or there will be consequences," Wishimanga said before a packed court.

Prison warders drove Hichilema and his co-accused to Lusaka Central Prison immediately after the court case.

Hichilema was arrested in April when police raided his home and charged him with trying to overthrow the government, a case which has stoked political tensions in what is regarded as one of Africa's more stable and functional democracies following a bruising election last year. (Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Ed Stoddard and Toby Chopra)
Elision Technolab Delivers Contact Center Solution to PMC Bank

The customer satisfaction rate in the banking industry varies greatly depending on the size of the bank and region. While small banks with a single branch in small communities are known for great customer service, large organizations with many locations have difficulty achieving the same level of success when it comes to delivering the best possible support. In India, which currently ranks as the second most populous nation in the world, banks face a considerable challenge in delivering quality customer support for such a large population. For India's PMC Bank, the answer was the turnkey contact center solution from Elision Technolab.

As one of the top 10 cooperative banks in India, PMC was receiving a large volume of calls every day throughout its 126 branches operating in six different states across India. In order to address the volume of calls, it contracted the service to a third-party vendor, which was not delivering on the promise of providing quality customer care. The bank wanted an on premises system so it could have more control over the contact center solution it was purchasing.

Elision Technolab offered the necessary contact center software along with hardware from Sangoma, which was able to deliver all of the features it needed. The platform included inbound and outbound calling to respond to customers in real-time with reminders and follow-ups as needed. The calling features were blended together with IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) to provide self-service options for customers.

In addition to voice calls, the new platform also included SMS, email integration, call recording, and hot marking APIs for Card Block functionality. All of the services are protected with high end server and data security at server and data level to comply with financial regulations.

PMC Bank said, The total costs incurred for handling Inbound and Outbound calls by this in-house solution, is the same as the cost incurred in the past towards Inbound calls ONLY by an outsource agency. This saves almost 50% of cost for us. These benefits have been achieved in spite of adding more number of Agents for making successful outbound calls, leading to higher business achievements.

After PMC Bank deployed the turnkey contact center solution from Elision Technolab, it was able to achieve uniformity in response to customers for all calls across all channels. The bank also experienced a 98 percent increase in customer satisfaction by routing calls to the most skilled agents to address the needs of each caller. This not only improved work efficiency of staff by 97 percent, but operational costs were also down while the return on investment increased by 78 percent.

Edited by Alicia Young
By Katy Migiro

LAIKIPIA, Kenya, June 23 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - K enyan farmer Martin Evans pushed open the bullet-holed wooden door to reveal a pool of blood where Duncan Murimi, a manager at his cattle ranch in northern Kenya, had been shot by intruders.

Evans, 62, bandaged Murimi's bleeding arm and hurtled back down the hill to his stone farmhouse in Laikipia, which has been hit by a wave of land invasions.

"He was having trouble breathing but he was still talking," Evans said sadly, his eyes shielded by a navy hat.

Dozens have been killed and injured in Kenya's drought-stricken Laikipia region as armed herders searching for scarce grazing land have driven tens of thousands of cattle onto private farms and ranches from poor-quality communal land.

When they reached Ol Maisor farm, Evans discovered a second bullet had torn a huge hole in Murimi's left side.

"It was too late. He died," said Evans, looking out over his land which has been forcibly occupied since May 2016 when more than 20 herders with axes and torches cut six km (4 miles) of wooden post fence and ransacked a local school.

"I've had three guys killed on this farm in the last month."

Prominent victims of the Laikipia violence include British safari company owner Tristan Voorspuy, who was shot dead in March, and Italian-born Kuki Gallmann, author of the memoir "I Dreamed of Africa", who was injured in April.

With increasingly severe droughts, population growth and the enclosure of public lands, many traditional nomads, who are often poor and illiterate, lack grass for herds so move south to where private owners limit livestock numbers and rotate animals.

Between 40 and 75 percent of Laikipia - the country's second most important wildlife area after the Maasai Mara - is owned by cattle ranches and wildlife conservancies of up to about 100,000 acres.

Each cow needs at least 10 acres of land to be healthy, says Evans, who normally keeps 3,000 beef cattle on his 29,000-acre ranch, as well as allowing wild elephants and zebras to graze.

The invaders have brought 30,000 cattle on to his farm.

"We have nowhere to graze," said John Leparsanti, a Samburu herder dressed in a red cloak who lives near the Evans family, 200 km (124 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.

"I cannot wait and see livestock dying and yet there is grass here."

ELECTIONS

Laikipia residents say local politicians are encouraging herders to invade private land to win support ahead of August elections and displace those who might vote against them.

Maasai-owned Il Ngwesi, a 16,000-acre wildlife conservancy where Britain's Prince William has stayed, has also been hit.

Foreign tourists had to be evacuated by helicopter in February after armed herders forced their way on to land next to luxury eco-lodges reserved for wildlife.

One Samburu invader died in the firefight, according to local administrator Maurice Kisio, which led to revenge attacks.

Some 4,500 Il Ngwesi residents have been driven from their homes in recent months, Kisio said, as women in bright wrap skirts and beads queued to register for food aid while khaki-clad rangers with AK47s looked on.

Rose Kuraru, 27, was pregnant when she was shot by Samburu gunmen while cooking dinner in March, along with her six- and eight-year-old sons, in Il Ngwesi's Arjijo village.

They all survived after politicians flew Kuraru by helicopter to hospital for a Caesarean-section and surgery.

"I am fearful," said shaven-headed Kuraru, sitting in bed breastfeeding her baby girl, swaddled in a white blanket.

"They want to take Il Ngwesi for themselves."

Trouble began after Laikipia North member of parliament Mathew Lempurkel, a Samburu, promised to evict white landowners from Laikipia ahead of the 2013 elections, residents said.

"He was telling us: 'I will take the whites back to their place and I will give you all this land'," said Teresia Karmushu, who fled her Il Ngwesi home in March after Samburu started shooting into people's houses at night.

"We didn't want the speech ... because these whites are helping us," she said, adding that many locals, like her husband, work in the tourism and conservation industry.

Lempurkel denies calling for violent evictions or inciting Voorspuy's murder, for which he was arrested in March with charges later being dropped for lack of evidence.

"We don't want to go a Zimbabwe way," he said, referring to the violence that ensued when followers of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe stormed onto white-owned farms in the early 2000s.

"Let the government compensate our white brothers and let the land revert back to the ancestral owners... Why should foreigners from the UK own millions and millions of (acres of) land in Kenya?" he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

GRIEVANCES

There are long-standing grievances over skewed land ownership in Kenya, as in other former white settler colonies, like South Africa, where President Jacob Zuma mooted the idea of expropriating land from white farmers without compensation.

British colonialists gave most of Laikipia to Europeans after getting the Maasai to sign a treaty in 1911 agreeing to move some 300 km southwest to a native reserve.

At least 20,000 people were forcibly moved off their land at gunpoint, according to historian Lotte Hughes.

After independence, President Jomo Kenyatta gave or sold most of the departing whites' land to his own ethnic group, the Kikuyu, many of whom had also lost their land under colonialism.

More recently, wealthy Kenyans, foreigners and conservationists have bought land in Laikipia.

"That is a source of pain to any Maasai," said Maasai campaigner Johnson Mali ole Kaunga, who says the treaty was "fraudulent" because the illiterate clan leaders who put their thumbprints on it did not have authority to give the land away.

Kenya's National Land Commission (NLC), an independent government body set up in 2012, is investigating about 50 historical injustices claims submitted by the public, several involving Laikipia, said Commissioner Samuel Tororei.

Some cases will involve public hearings, he said, before the NLC can recommend an apology, compensation or land restitution.

Parliament has yet to pass regulations guiding the process and proposals to create a compensation fund.

Evans said he would willingly sell his land, which his father bought in 1968, to the government but he is tired of being scapegoated as an 'outsider'.

"I was born here," said Evans. "We are home ... I'm a Kenyan as much as anybody else." (Reporting by Katy Migiro @katymigiro; Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths and Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories.)
By Makini Brice

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, June 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations stressed on Thursday its support for eradicating cholera in Haiti, an epidemic it accidentally started, although the government said residents would be better served if aid funding was channelled through it.

The U.N. secretary-general on Tuesday appointed a new special envoy for Haiti tasked with leading fundraising efforts for the plan to beat cholera, introduced in 2010 when peacekeepers dumped infected sewage into a river.

"We acknowledge that there's a problem and we are here to reiterate the commitment of the United Nations and the international community to work together to fight this problem and to work to solve it," Bolivia's U.N. Ambassador Sacha Sergio Llorentty Soliz told journalists at the national palace.

Llorentty is also president of the U.N. Security Council for the month of June.

Aviol Fleurant, Haiti's acting minister of foreign affairs, said the U.N. Security Council and the government had discussed plans for better management of aid in a closed-door meeting.

"A large part of aid travels through NGOs ... which could be used to efficiently and sustainably finance the implementation of public policy through governmental channels," he said.

The Security Council voted unanimously in April to end its 13-year-long peacekeeping mission in Haiti and replace it with a smaller mission, which would be drawn down after two years as the country boosts its own force.

The peacekeeping mission, one of the longest running in the world and known as MINUSTAH, has been dogged by controversies, including the introduction of cholera to the island and sexual abuse claims.

As members of the Security Council touched down in Haiti on Thursday, some 200 people assembled outside the U.N. base with posters and signs calling for reparations to individual cholera victims and demanding an end to MINUSTAH and the follow-up mission.

"If MINUSTAH hadn't brought cholera here, I wouldn't have had cholera," said Renette Charedy, a 36-year-old standing at the fringes of the protest.

The U.N. does not accept legal responsibility for the outbreak of the disease, which causes uncontrollable diarrhea. Some 9,300 people have died and more than 800,000 sickened due to cholera and Haiti's government believes the U.N. still has work to do on it. (Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Richard Pullin)
By Tatiana Bautzer

SAO PAULO, June 23 (Reuters) - The billionaire owners of Uruguay's Mega Pharma SA have hired Jefferies LLC to explore alternatives for Latin America's No. 4 pharmaceutical company, which could include debut bond and stock offerings, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

According to the people, Mega Pharma would first issue a bond as early as this year. Tapping global debt markets first would speed up a plan by Germany's Struengmann family to market a future initial public offering globally, the people said.

Mega Pharma, which is based in an industrial park in the Uruguayan city of Canelones, is controlled by twin brothers Andreas and Thomas Struengmann - also the founders of generic drugmaker Hexal AG that was sold to Novartis AG 12 years ago and a fixture in recent biotech investment rounds.

Both the Struengmanns and Mega Pharma, which has $1 billion in annual revenue and 10 factories across Latin America, considered listing the stock in the United States and either Colombia, Brazil or Argentina, the people said.

Jefferies declined to comment. The Struengmanns and Mega Pharma did not respond to requests for comment. The people spoke under the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans freely.

Their quest for investor money underscores how pharmaceutical deals could gain further steam in a region where demand for medicines has spiked in recent years. Some biotech investors globally are also burning through cash faster than ever before, as they try to turn their companies into specialty pharmaceutical firms.

In the 12 months through June 22, there were 21 pharmaceutical-related mergers and acquisitions in Latin America, compared with only five in the same period a decade ago, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Based on the value of recent pharmaceutical deals in Latin America, Mega Pharma could be worth about $2.5 billion, private equity bankers told Reuters. Mega Pharma's focus on branded medicines has shielded it from heightened competition in generic drugs, a segment that has seen declining returns in recent years, the same bankers said.

The Struengmanns joined Mega Pharma when Argentina's Laboratorios Roemmers SA decided to form a unit grouping some local assets in Argentina with others in Uruguay, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Venezuela. A year ago, Mega Pharma opened Mega Labs, a $110 million compound in Uruguay that is so far its largest. They own stakes in German biotech firms Glycotope and BioNTech. Along with buyout investors, three years ago they purchased a hearing aid devices producer from Siemens AG . Since selling Hexal, the Struengmanns have invested in banking too.

A month ago, the brothers agreed to sell their German regional lender Suedwestbank AG, their main investment in banking and which they bought in 2004, to a Cerberus Capital Management LP-led bank from Austria. (Additional reporting by Malena Castaldi in Montevideo; Editing by Guillermo Parra-Bernal and Lisa Shumaker)
NAIROBI, June 23 (Reuters) - Attackers shot and killed three people in a raid on a commercial bank in northeast Kenya's on Friday, police said.

Two civilians and a police officer died in the attack in Mandera County, police commander Charles Chacha said.

"There were five armed gangsters. When they arrived at the bank, they shot the officer at the door, and the police managed to shoot one of the criminals, but ...they escaped," Chacha told Reuters by phone. (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by George Obulutsa; editing by John Stonestreet)
By Daren Butler

ISTANBUL, June 23 (Reuters) - Turkey rejected a call from four Arab states on Friday to shut down its military base in Qatar, saying the base was a guarantor of security in the Gulf and demands for its closure represented interference in its ties with Doha.

Defence Minister Fikri Isik told Turkish broadcaster NTV that he had not yet seen a request for the closure of the base, but made clear Ankara had no plans to review a 2014 agreement with Qatar which led to it being set up.

He was speaking after an official from one of the four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism said they had sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing down the military installation.

"If there is such a demand, it will mean interference in bilateral ties," Isik said, suggesting instead that Turkey might continue to bolster its presence in Qatar.

Five armoured vehicles and 23 military personnel arrived in Doha on Thursday in a deployment Turkey's armed forces said was part of a military training and cooperation deal. Some 88 Turkish soldiers were already in Qatar, according to the Hurriyet newspaper.

The newspaper said a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which starts on Sunday, and the number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000. An air force contingent was also envisaged, it said.

"The strengthening of the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf's security," Isik said. "Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda."

Turkey, which has long tried to play the role of regional mediator, is also wary of upsetting its other allies in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, and Isik said Ankara had hoped that tensions over Qatar could be resolved without a crisis.

Isik said Turkey's presence in Qatar should be seen as a benefit for the whole Gulf. "The base in Qatar is both a Turkish base and one that will preserve the security of Qatar and the region," he said.

Turkey's military support for Qatar has been matched by stepped up commercial links.

Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci said Turkish exports to Qatar have tripled since the four Arab countries began boycotting the Gulf state earlier this month.

"Since June 5 exports to Qatar have amounted to $32.5 million. Of this $12.5 million is food. This figure is three times the normal level," Tufenkci told reporters at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner on Thursday evening.

Turkey has sent more than 100 cargo planes of supplies to Qatar but Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci has said it was not sustainable to maintain supplies through an air lift. (Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Can Sezer; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
PARIS, June 23 (Reuters) - France's interior minister rejected calls from charities for a new migrant reception centre in the northern port of Calais, where hundreds who have fled war and poverty are again roaming the streets in search of food and shelter.

The minister, Gerard Collomb, visited the port city on Friday and earlier said extra police would be drafted into the area.

French authorities sent in bulldozers last year to clear a migrant camp known as the Jungle, where thousands of migrants hoping to cross the Channel to Britain lived in squalid conditions. Many of them were sent to lodgings around France.

Collomb took a firm line during a visit, saying a new centre would recreate the situation that existed before the Jungle camp, considered a public health risk, was demolished.

"We don't want to create a gathering point where numbers would swell back up to 7,000 over time. That would not be tolerable, for the migrants, the residents of Calais and for economic life," he told reporters on arrival.

Aid agencies say about 400-600 migrants are once again gathered and sleeping rough on streets.

Before it was demolished, the Jungle camp had become a symbol of Europe's difficulty in dealing with the migrant crisis. Charities had warned the Socialist government at the time that migrants would return.

Newly elected President Emmanuel Macron and his centrist government have come under pressure from the human rights watchdog which has described conditions facing migrants in Calais as "inhuman".

"Refugees make up 0.25 percent of Europe's population. Can we really not look after them ?" Jacques Toubon, head of the national human rights watchdog, said on RTL radio.

"These people are equal in dignity, equal in their rights ... and France's legal obligation is to accord them basic human rights."

Macron has instructed local officials to treat migrants more humanely, government spokesman Christophe Castaner said, and he has also asked Collomb to see to it that asylum requests are processed within six months.

Collomb told the regional Nord Littoral newspaper that he was sending additional mobile police units to the Calais area.

Earlier this month, two French charities accused police of using excessive force against migrants and preventing aid groups from distributing meals.

Many migrants set on crossing the short stretch of sea from Calais to Britain, try to do so by slipping inside the cargo holds of large trucks bound for English shores. (Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Brian Love and Richard Balmforth)
By Kieran Guilbert

DAKAR, June 23 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Millions of children across the Lake Chad basin are prey to deadly water-borne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis E as the rainy season hits a region already reeling from Boko Haram's insurgency, the United Nations said on Friday.

More than 5.6 million children in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, many of whom have been uprooted by violence and live in host communities or refugee camps, are facing the disease threat as the rains arrive, said the U.N. children's agency (UNICEF).

Flooding and muddy roads are expected to limit aid access to remote areas, where hunger is growing and food is lacking, while the insecurity has made it hard to deliver supplies and ensure clean water is available ahead of the rains, aid agencies say.

"The rains will further complicate what is already a dire humanitarian situation, as millions of children made vulnerable by conflict are now facing the potential spread of opportunistic diseases," Marie Pierre Poirier of UNICEF said in a statement.

"Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene conditions can lead to cholera and hepatitis E," said UNICEF's regional director. "Staving off disease is our top priority."

Cholera, which spreads through contaminated food and water, causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leaving small children especially vulnerable to death from dehydration, whereas liver disease hepatitis E is particularly deadly for pregnant women.

In Niger's Diffa region - which has been hit by the conflict and hosts about 250,000 uprooted Nigeriens and Nigerian refugees - an outbreak of hepatitis E has killed at least 33 pregnant women so far this year, said Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

"To curb this type of outbreak, we know that our best asset at the moment is ... water and sanitation activities," said Victor Illanes of the aid group.

"But when the deficiencies are so high and the space to be covered is as large as Diffa, it is difficult for these activities to have an impact in the short term," he added.

Boko Haram's campaign to create an Islamic state is in its eighth year with little sign of ending. It has claimed more than 20,000 lives and uprooted 2.7 million people across Lake Chad.

More than 5 million people in northeast Nigeria need food aid, and about 1.5 million are believed to be on the brink of famine, yet the United Nations this month had to cut emergency food supplies for 400,000 people due to a lack of funding. (Reporting By Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)
BERLIN, June 23 (Reuters) - Germany's federal cyber-security agency, BSI, said on Friday the private email inboxes of German executives and government employees were being targeted by professional cyber attacks.

Selected executives are being sent deceptively real-looking "spear-phishing" emails. They claim to have noticed irregularities in the use of the inbox or offer new security functions, the BSI said in a statement.

Germany is heading for elections in September, and security experts have warned that officials might face cyber attacks like those that occurred before elections in France and the United States over the past year.

The attacks identified by BSI ask users to click on a link and put their passwords into the website that then opens. If they do, the attackers can get access to their personal inbox.

Yahoo and Gmail accounts were targeted in the attacks. The BSI said it had prevented an attack on the government networks.

BSI President Arne Schoenbohm said the BSI generally could detect such phishing attempts, but private email inboxes were beyond its remit, which made them an attractive target.

"The attack infrastructure used is similar to that used in the attacks on and resulting leaks from the Democrats in the U.S. and against the French En Marche movement," the BSI said.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded Russia orchestrated a wide-ranging influence operation that included email hacking and online propaganda, in an effort to discredit presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win the White House in November.

The German government has warned political parties to step up their defences against hacking after emails from the campaign of Emmanuel Macron were leaked just before he was elected president of France. (Reporting by Michelle Martin, editing by Larry King)
KIEV, June 23 (Reuters) - Ukraine's state broadcaster said authorities in Geneva had frozen 15 million euros given by Kiev to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as a guarantee for the successful hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Ukraine staged the annual song fest in May. The event caused controversy after Ukraine banned the Russian contestant from entering the country, and Russia retaliated with a boycott.

The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) said it had given a 15 million euro guarantee to the EBU, which organises Eurovision, and was now due to get its money back because the event had been staged successfully.

However, the Geneva debt enforcement office has frozen this money without giving a reason, the Ukrainian broadcaster said in a statement that quoted its Director General Zurab Alasania.

"We have hired a law firm from Switzerland because we need to find out all the circumstances of the case and determine the procedure of how the arrest happened in accordance with Swiss law," said Alasania.

The EBU declined comment on Friday, saying it was an issue for the Ukrainian broadcaster. The Geneva debt office did not provide an immediate comment.

Portugal's Salvador Sobral won Eurovision this year performing a jazz-style ballad written by his sister, taking the top spot for the first time in the country's history. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Matthias Williams in Kiev, Tom Miles in Geneva; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Ed Stoddard

MIDDELBURG, South Africa, June 23 (Reuters) - South Africa Mines Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said on Friday that he was open to talks with companies over a new industry charter, as he rebuked the mining firms for planning to take the new rules to court, saying they were "negotiating in bad faith."

Unveiled last week, the revisions to the charter raised the threshold for black ownership in the mining industry to 30 percent from 26 percent and brought in other regulations the sector said it cannot afford.

The Chamber of Mines has said it was not properly consulted and would challenge the charter in court.

"Our doors are open to engagement with them. We will meet them," Zwane said in an interview with Reuters when asked if he would negotiate with the chamber. "We do not want to go to court. We are a peaceful people," he said.

Zwane also said he disapproved of the chamber's court move saying "using the courts as a negotiating tool is negotiating in bad faith."

The mines minister was speaking to Reuters at an event in the coal mining town of Middelburg where he was supposed to engage communities about the charter in a public forum.

But it was disrupted by a group of demonstrators who said they were angry that no provincial officials were there and it was hastily called off.

The new charter also stipulates that mining firms must pay 1 percent of their annual turnover to the Mining Transformation and Development Agency, which helps black communities.

Under the new rules, prospecting rights must be 50 percent black owned and mining rights should be 30 percent black owned. Mining firms are required to procure 70 percent of goods and 80 percent of services from black-owned companies.

Zwane would not be drawn on what parts of the charter might be changed, if any.

"I cannot say the charter will change," he said.

Zwane also said exploration permits for shale gas would likely be issued before the end of this year and fracking could begin in two years.

South Africas recoverable gas reserves from onshore shale and offshore gas fields was estimated in 2015 at about 19.5 trillion cubic feet (TCF). Officials say it would take about a decade to significantly develop these gas resources. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Adrian Croft)
By Daniel Wesangula

NAIROBI, June 23 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenya has promised free sanitary pads to all schoolgirls to encourage them to go to school during their periods, rather than stay at home with rags or tissues stuffed in their underwear.

Every schoolgirl is Kenya is entitled to "free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels" and a safe place to dispose of them, according to the law introduced this week.

"We are treating the access to sanitary pads as a basic human right," government spokesman Eric Kiraithe told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"We are improving the sanitation and healthcare of our schoolgirls, which will boost their class attendance."

Menstruation is still taboo in many countries around the world, where it's often considered embarrassing or shameful.

One in 10 African girls miss school during their periods, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF estimates, which means they fall behind in their studies and often drop out of school.

"This will give girls confidence to attend class on any day of the month, consequently improving their academic performance," said Albanous Gituru, director of Shining Hope for Communities, a girls' school in Nairobi's Kibera slum.

Girls can miss up to 15 days of school each term because they cannot afford sanitary products, he said.

In neighbouring Uganda, researchers from Oxford University found absenteeism from school was 17 percent higher among girls who had no access to sanitary towels or information about puberty.

When 10 percent more girls go to school, a country's GDP increases by an average of 3 percent. Each additional year of secondary schooling leads to a 15-25 percent increase in a girl's potential income, say gender equality campaigners.

The policy will cost Kenya 500 million shillings ($4.8 million) a year, Kiraithe said, expanding on a 2011 programme giving pads to girls from poor families. (Reporting by Daniel Wesangula; Editing by Katy Migiro and Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories.)
By Harro Ten Wolde and Alexander Hubner

FRANKFURT, June 23 (Reuters) - German budget mobile operator Drillisch will target the top of the market after its 8 billion-euro ($8.9 billion) merger with United Internet's 1&1 brand, its chief executive said, posing a new challenge to the premium brands.

Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica Deutschland have faced little threat until now from Drillisch, which appeals to customers on a tight budget and is known for its corny television ads featuring local celebrities.

"The perception that Drillisch stands for cheap deals will change," Vlasios Choulidis told Reuters in an interview. "We will be at the same level with the three big operators."

The new Drillisch had been expected by analysts to be a greater threat to the more price-sensitive products offered by the three network operators, leaving the top end of the market relatively undisturbed.

Bernstein analyst Dhananjay Mirchandani wrote when the deal was announced it should create "further structural repair with longer-term benefits," for the German mobile market, "but heightened competitive intensity in the near term" in the more price-conscious segment.

Telefonica Deutschland said last month it did not expect that the deal would impact its strategy.

Drillisch is in the process of a staggered stock-and-cash deal with United Internet that will create a business valued at 8 billion euros with mobile and fixed telecom products under one roof and more than 12 million customers.

That will make it a competitive fourth player in the German telecoms market, helped by United Internet's strong 1&1 brand and fibre network - Germany's second-largest - as well as having no need to invest in a mobile network.

Drillisch secured access to Telefonica Deutschland's mobile network three years ago as part of regulatory remedies to clear Telefonica's 8.6 billion-euro acquisition of KPN's E-Plus.

"We will continue to be able to offer the best value for money, but at higher prices we will also be able to offer more. Our products will be better and prices will rise accordingly," Choulidis said.

($1 = 0.8954 euros) (Reporting by Harro ten Wolde and Alexander Huebner; Editing by Maria Sheahan)
Turkey is to stop teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in high schools, claiming it is controversial and difficult to understand, a senior education official said.

In a move which has alarmed secular Turks, a chapter entitled 'Beginning of Life and Evolution' will be deleted from the standard biology textbooks used in schools.

The material will be available only to students who go on to higher education, according to head of the national education board Alparslan Durmus.

Turkey is to stop teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in high schools, claiming it is controversial and difficult to understand

Critics say President Tayyip Erdogan and the Islamist-rooted AK Party are undermining modern Turkey's secular foundations by pushing a conservative agenda.

They have held up tighter regulation of alcohol and other restrictions since he came to power in 2002 as further examples.

'We are aware that if our students don't have the background to comprehend the premises and hypotheses, or if they don't have the knowledge and scientific framework, they will not be able to understand some controversial issues, so we have left out some of them,' said Durmus.

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is rejected by both Christian and Muslim creationists, who believe God created the world as described in the Bible and the Koran, making the universe and all living things in six days.

The Bible presents that as the exact time needed for creation but the Koran says 'days' actually means long periods of time.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said earlier this year that Charles Darwin's (pictured) theory, first published in the 19th century, was 'old and rotten'

Critics say President Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) and the Islamist-rooted AK Party are undermining modern Turkey's secular foundations by pushing a conservative agenda

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said earlier this year that Darwin theory, first published in the 19th century, was 'old and rotten' and did not necessarily have to be taught.

The changes are part of a new curriculum that will go into effect at the start of the 2017-2018 academic year, and was formulated in accordance with 'Turkish values', Durmus said.

A total of 51 courses programmes from primary school to high school, including those at the 'Imam Hatip' religious schools championed by Erdogan, have been changed.
BERLIN/ANKARA, June 23 (Reuters) - The German government on Friday condemned Turkish criticism of a new liberal mosque in Berlin as interference in freedom of religion and opinion, adding further strain to an already fraught relationship.

A number of Turkish media as well as Turkey's main Muslim religious authority, Diyanet, have poured scorn on the Ibn-Rushd-Goethe Mosque, founded by Seyran Ates, a 54-year-old female lawyer and women's rights campaigner of Turkish origin who does not wear a headscarf.

The mosque, which uses the premises of a Protestant church, allows men and women to pray side by side instead of being segregated. Ates herself is the imam, in contravention of mainstream Muslim practice, which reserves the position for men.

Diyanet said the mosque's practices "do not align with Islam's fundamental resources, principles of worship, methodology or experience of more than 14 centuries, and are experiments aimed at nothing more than depraving and ruining religion".

Martin Schaefer, spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, said Berlin was concerned by the statement.

"I want to be very clear in rejecting all comments that clearly intend to deprive people in Germany of their right to freely exercise their religion and to limit the right to free expression of opinion," Schaefer said.

Germany, which is home to an estimated 4 million or more people of Turkish origin, is already at loggerheads with Turkey on numerous issues.

They include the barring of Turkish politicians planning to campaign in Germany for a referendum expanding President Tayyip Erdogan's powers; Turkey's arrest of a German-Turkish journalist working for a German paper ; and Turkey's refusal to let German parliamentarians visit an air force base hosting German planes .

Schaefer said it was not for the government to determine how people practised their religion, and that it would protect freedom of worship just as it protected freedom of opinion and press freedom.

Turkey's pro-government Sabah newspaper called the mosque's practices "the so-called prayer of the perverse".

Diyanet linked the mosque to the network of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for last July's failed coup and refers to as the "Gulenist Terrorist Organisation" or "FETO". Ates has denied any connection to Gulen.

The Turkish pro-government broadcaster A Haber ran a headline that read: "The ugly face of FETO in Berlin".

In a caption to a video story, A Haber also wrote: "The Gulenist Terrorist Organisation has caused a scandal in Germany's city of Berlin ... How is it trampling the rules and morals of Islam at the so-called mosque it opened?"

Gulen has condemned the coup attempt and denied any link to it. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Reuters TV in Berlin and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
ROME, June 23 (Reuters) - Four-time former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who portrays himself as a charming ladies' man, said on Friday that what he likes most about U.S. President Donald Trump is his wife, Melania.

Berlusconi, 80, has returned to the political spotlight this week as he campaigns for his Forza Italia party ahead of municipal election run-offs on Sunday, which he hopes will revive his political fortunes.

Appearing on a mid-day talk show on private broadcaster La7, Berlusconi was asked whether he was flattered to be compared to Trump, who also started out as a real estate mogul and became a controversial political leader.

"It doesn't make me feel one way or another," said the billionaire Berlusconi, adding quickly, "But regarding Trump, I can say, like many men and women, I like Melania. For her beauty, for her style and also her charm."

Berlusconi said he had never met her, but had seen her on television and had "heard many favourable opinions. Even the Democrats in America do not criticise her".

While the centre-right leader was ejected from parliament after being convicted of tax fraud four years ago, he has remained the undisputed leader of his party, the country's third or fourth most popular, depending on the poll.

The flamboyant former prime minister has a history of making politically incorrect comments, many of which seemed to fuel his popularity.

Last month he praised newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron as a "nice lad with a good-looking mother" -- widely taken to be a reference to the 39-year-old French leader's 64-year-old wife, Brigitte Trogneux.

He also raised eyebrows in 2008 for calling U.S. President Barrack Obama "suntanned". A year later he repeated the quip when talking about the First Lady, Michelle. "They went together to the beach to get a tan because even his wife is suntanned."

During his last stint in office, Berlusconi was embroiled in a sex scandal involving a teenage nightclub dancer, Karima El Mahroug, who went by the name "Ruby the Heartstealer" and attended "bunga bunga" parties at his mansion near Milan.

He was acquitted of any wrongdoing in that case in 2014. (Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
By Jean-Baptiste Vey and Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS, June 23 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and four eastern European Union leaders sought to smooth relations on Friday after publicly trading barbs over jobs and democratic values.

Macron, in power for little more than a month, has vowed to protect French workers from what he sees as "social dumping", in which companies employ cheaper labour, and unfair competition from the poorer eastern European states.

Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic say they should be allowed to compete on lower prices - just as more developed western EU nations compete on quality products and know-how - to catch up after decades of communist stagnation.

Along with looming negotiations on the EU's next multi-year joint budget that runs from 2021, this dispute is shaping up as one of the most contentious issues facing the bloc, exacerbating an east-west rift as it seeks unity to tackle Brexit.

But meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit, Macron and the leaders of the east European states - known together as the Visegrad four - agreed to set up an expert-level group to try to narrow differences over rules for so-called "posted workers".

"At the Visegrad meeting this morning we established which issues we disagree on and where we will continue to talk to better understand each other's constraints," Macron told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday.

"There are issues where I'd like to advance together, the posted workers directive being one... I believe we need a profound reform of the balance. I will do it with respect for our partners."

EU states are divided on rules under which, say, a Bulgarian truck driver or a Lithuanian bricklayer can work in France for a limited time for the eastern European wage, usually below the minimum level guaranteed in the west.

"I pointed out to Emmanuel Macron today how low wages are in the Czech Republic compared to France, and that French firms can also do more to raise (their) wages," Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said.

"We will start with the directive on posted workers."

A diplomatic source said the five leaders had agreed to meet again in September.

EAST-WEST

The Visegrad four have also clashed with France on the treatment of refugees and migrants from outside the EU, and were infuriated by Macron's open criticism of the track record of Warsaw and Budapest on democracy and rule of law.

But Macron received strong support from Merkel, Europe's most powerful leader, who said on Friday she believed they were obliged to speak out when common EU values were being damaged.

Macron has previously said he would seek sanctions on Poland, whose nationalist-minded government has angered the EU with moves to impose stricter state control over judges and public media and with its refusal to take in any refugees.

Earlier this week Macron told the Visegrad four not to treat the EU as a "supermarket" and said they would face consequences if they failed to respect EU rules and values.

He drew scorn from Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who put Macron's comments down to his relative youth. The French leader is 39.

On Friday Orban struck a more conciliatory note.

"As far as I can see, we identified the issues where pragmatic cooperation and agreement can be achieved on the basis of mutual respect," he told reporters. (Additional reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague and Noah Barkin in Brussels, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Gareth Jones)
HANOI, June 23 (Reuters) - Vietnamese police detained a French dissident of Vietnamese descent for deportation on Friday after the Communist state revoked his Vietnamese citizenship last month, his wife said.

Pham Minh Hoang, a 61-year-old activist and mathematics lecturer, had dual French and Vietnamese citizenship before Vietnam canceled his citizenship without giving a reason, a move that drew criticism from human rights groups.

Despite sweeping reforms to the economy and growing openness to social change, the Communist Party retains tight media censorship and tolerates no criticism. Dozens of bloggers and activists are serving sentences for crimes against the state.

Hoang's wife, Le Thi Kieu Oanh, said police came to their house in Ho Chi Minh city on Friday asking to carry out a regular check on their household registration but later forced Hoang to leave with them and said they would deport him the next day.

"My husband refused to go but three to four police officers used violence to drag him out and locked me inside the house... They also parked a signal jammer car right in front of our house," Oanh said.

The French embassy in Vietnam said it had no immediate comment.

Ho Chi Minh police said they could not provide any information on the case.

Hoang was sentenced to three years in jail for attempted subversion in 2011 but was released after 17 months and served three years under house arrest. He frequently posts blogs criticising the Communist party regime and the Vietnamese government.

Oanh said they were informed by the French consul general on June 1 of Hoang's Vietnamese citizenship being annulled and were given a month for him to leave the country but they refused to obey.

"It's Hoang's ideal to stay in Vietnam to raise a voice and contribute to building freedom and democracy," Oanh said.

"After the signal jammer car left I called the consul general and he just said he acknowledged the situation. What they would do after that, I don't know," she added.

She also said the French embassy and consulate in Vietnam are waiting for guidance from the French foreign ministry's decision on paper issuance for Hoang as he no longer has a Vietnamese or French passport, both of which have expired.

Vietnam's foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang last week defended the decision to revoke Hoang's citizenship, saying it was "conducted in accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese law."

Hoang is a member of California-based Viet Tan, a group Vietnam considers a terrorist organisation.

"The French government should not take part in the Hanoi regime's brazen exile of a well-known human rights activist," Viet Tan said in a statement. (Editing by London desk)
BEIRUT, June 23 (Reuters) - An Iraqi Shi'ite militia fighting alongside Syrian government forces against Islamic State advanced into Syria's eastern Deir al-Zor province on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported.

The advance led by Harakat al-Nujaba drove Islamic State fighters further back into their stronghold province of Deir al-Zor. Many IS fighters have moved there from Raqqa, where the group is under pressure separately from U.S.-backed militias, according to monitors and people displaced by fighting.

It expanded the territory controlled by Damascus allies in an area close to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders and also around a garrison used by U.S. forces and militiamen supported by Washington.

Tension has risen in the area in recent weeks between Syria, its allies Moscow and Iran, and the United States.

The U.S. military has repeatedly warned forces fighting on President Bashar al-Assad's side to keep away from the garrison, and warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State have struck pro-Syrian government forces.

Russia recently warned the United States it would track as targets coalition aircraft flying west of the Euphrates river, another sign of the tension.

Islamic State is being fought by numerous warring sides in Syria, including U.S.-backed Syrian Arab and Kurdish groups, and the Syrian army and its allies backed by Russia and Iran.

The warring sides are competing to seize territory vacated by Islamic State.

The U.S.-backed fighters along the Iraqi border are separate from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - those fighting around Raqqa. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Gareth Jones)
BOGOTA, June 23 (Reuters) - Colombia's Marxist ELN rebel group said on Friday it has freed two Dutch journalists captured this week in the northeast of the Andean country.

The reporters, Derk Johannes Bolt, 62, a television journalist, and Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender, 58, a cameraman, "have been released in perfect conditions," the group said on Twitter.

Bolt and Follender were seized in El Tarra in Norte de Santander on Monday.

The 2,000-strong ELN frequently kidnaps Colombians and foreigners, many of whom work in oil operations, for ransom and political leverage.

The ELN, the second-largest rebel group after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), is in talks with the government to put an end to more than five decades of war.

FARC signed a peace deal last year and is currently demobilizing its guerillas.

More than 220,000 people have been killed in a conflict that pitted the military against the FARC, ELN and right-wing paramilitary armies.

Last year the ELN seized a Spanish journalist, freeing her six days later. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Silene Ramirez and Andreina Aponte

CARACAS, June 23 (Reuters) - A man describing himself as a former boss and friend of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday urged an investigation into the killing of his son in anti-government unrest convulsing the OPEC nation for nearly three months.

David Vallenilla, 22, was shot at close range by a military police sergeant on Thursday, apparently with rubber bullets, as youths tried to pull down the fence around an air force base in Caracas and threw rocks at officials who had fired tear gas from inside.

Maduro's critics said the killing was further evidence of abuse by security forces after protests since April by demonstrators demanding general elections to end 18 years of socialist rule in the South American country amid a deepening economic and political crisis.

At least 76 people have been killed in the protests so far.

"I want to speak to my former colleague of the Caracas Metro, Nicolas Maduro, you know that we worked together, I'm Supervisor Vallenilla ... I was your boss," said the slain protester's father, also named David Vallenilla, referring to the years when Maduro worked as a bus driver.

"I want to make sure this is resolved Nicolas, please, he wasn't a criminal, he was a graduating student ... please friend," the elder Vallenilla told reporters outside a morgue as tears streamed down his face. "You met him when he was little."

Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the link between Vallenilla and Maduro.

Maduro, who makes frequent reference to his former job as a bus driver to highlight his working-class roots, calls the protests an effort to violently remove him from office with the backing of ideological adversaries in Washington.

Defense Minister Nestor Reverol offered an unusually swift condemnation of Vallenilla's shooting by a military officer, and state ombudsman Tarek Saab called it a "vile murder."

BARRICADES

Opposition leaders have vowed to remain in the streets to demonstrate against what many are now calling a dictatorship and to demand a solution to economic crisis that has created chronic shortages of staple goods and left millions struggling to eat.

The crisis has brought strong words from world leaders and diplomatic efforts to build dialogue between Maduro and his critics.

At Maduro's insistence, Venezuela is due to elect a new popular assembly next month to rewrite the constitution. Critics say Maduro will use it to consolidate power and keep adversaries in jail.

Around Caracas on Friday, demonstrators burned tires and blocked roads while chanting slogans that included "No To Dictatorship" and "Murderer, Maduro" to protest Vallenilla's death.

"We don't have weapons, the only option we have is to shut down the country," said Joselyn Almeida who walked out of her office with colleagues to join around 100 people in blocking a main avenue in the upscale district of Las Mercedes.

Officials say the recent wave of street protests across Venezuela, often resulting in vandalism, have arbitrarily restricted free transit and commerce and even prevented ambulances from reaching hospitals.

A group of demonstrators on Friday returned to the spot where Vallenilla was killed. They set three trucks on fire and pushed one of them against the fence of the air base, which they later partially tore down.

Opposition leaders said the demonstrators were not part of the broader protest and insisted the incident was staged by the government to tarnish the protest movement. (Additional reporting by Andreina Aponte; Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Tom Brown)
By Matt Spetalnick and Jason Szep

WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to remove Iraq and Myanmar from a U.S. list of the world's worst offenders in the use of child soldiers, U.S. officials said, a step that could prompt accusations the Trump administration is prioritizing security and diplomatic interests ahead of human rights.

The planned removal was made over the objections of experts in the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, which typically shapes U.S. policy on the issue, said one official with knowledge of the internal discussions.

Tillerson also rejected an internal State Department proposal to add Afghanistan to the list, two U.S. officials said. One official said the decisions appeared to have been made following pressure from the Pentagon to avoid complicating assistance to the Iraqi and Afghan militaries, close U.S. allies in the fight against Islamist militants. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Foreign militaries on the list can face sanctions including a prohibition on receiving U.S. military aid, training and U.S.-made weapons unless the White House issues a waiver.

Human rights officials expressed surprise at the delisting, which was expected to be announced on Tuesday, the officials said, as part of the State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.

A State Department official said the TIP report's contents were being kept under wraps until its release and the department "does not discuss details of internal deliberations."

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Officials said that although the report had been finalized there was always the possibility of last-minute changes.

Human Rights Watch said removing Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, from the list would be a "completely premature and disastrous action that will effectively betray more children to continued servitude and rights abuses."

The decision would also put the Trump administration at odds with the United Nations, which continues to list the Myanmar military, along with seven ethnic armed groups, on its list of entities using and recruiting child soldiers.

"What's particularly astonishing is this move ignores that the U.N. in Burma says that it is still receiving new cases of children being recruited" by the Myanmar military, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

COUNTERING CHINA?

Rights groups have long accused Myanmar of using child soldiers. Bordering both China and India, Myanmar is also of growing strategic importance to the United States at a time of increasing encroachment in the region by China, which has sought closer relations with its neighbor.

Iraq, which has received more than $2 billion in U.S. arms and training over the last three years, was added to the State Departments "Child Soldier Prevention Act List" in 2016. However, the flow of U.S. assistance has continued.

Former President Barack Obama handed out full or partial waivers regularly, including last year to Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, South Sudan and others out of 10 countries on the list.

Last year's State Department report said some militias of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mostly Shi'ite Muslim factions with ties to the Iraqi government and backed by Iran, "recruited and used child soldiers."

The report said that despite the PMF being funded by the government, Baghdad struggled to control all of its factions.

"The government did not hold anyone accountable for child recruitment and use by the PMF and PMF-affiliated militias."

Human Rights Watch said in January that it had learned that militias had been recruiting child soldiers from one Iraqi refugee camp since last spring.

Under the Child Soldiers Protection Act of 2008, the United States is barred from providing military assistance, training or weapons to countries where "armed forces or government-supported armed groups" recruit and use child soldiers, unless the president issues a "national interest" waiver.

The broader TIP report, the first of Trump's presidency, is sure to be closely scrutinized for further signs that under his "America First" approach there will be little pressure brought to bear on friendly governments, especially strategically important ones, for human rights violations at home.

The Obama administration, while more vocal about political repression around the world, also faced criticism from human rights groups and some U.S. lawmakers that decisions on annual human trafficking rankings had become increasingly politicized. (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick and Jason Szep; additional reporting by Antoni Slodkowski in Yangon and Phil Stewart in Washington)
Human civilization is rapidly approaching an unprecedented threshold beyond which lies an exciting yet highly uncertain and volatile age. Many of the assumptions that have formed the basis of complex industrial societies are themselves falling under increased scrutiny.

At almost every level, societies are being compelled towards introspection and a careful re-examination of the foundations upon which society rests. Across the globe, individuals, companies, communities and entire nations are seeking out new, more sustainable and more effective methods of building, powering and maintaining, their homes, offices and cities.

However, every civilization ultimately traces its roots back to a single innovation: agriculture. If we are to find a way forward, it is at this first and most basic stage of societys development that we must first turn our collective attention to.

The problem stated in its most basic form is not drastically different from when its dynamics were first perceived by Thomas Robert Malthus in his famous book, Essay on the Principle of Population (1798). The growth of a human population, past a point, will completely outstrip that populations ability to produce the food it needs to sustain itself.

Our planet is currently estimated to be home to 7.3 billion people and this number is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050. While the initial consensus was that Malthus was made redundant by the ability to drastically increase agricultural productivity, this only remains the case for as long as we continue to develop new ways of increasing food production but, crucially, without compromising the ability of our environmental systems to rejuvenate to a sufficient degree so as to ensure its continuity.

Meanwhile, the availability of land suitable for cultivation is expected to decline almost as fast as demand for it is expected to rise in the coming decades, exacerbated by increasing migration into already overcrowded cities. Demand for jobs in other sectors, combined with the extreme prevalence of agricultural poverty across the globe is also creating a further challenge in the form of labour scarcity.

On the international stage, Sri Lanka has watched on the sidelines as economies like China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia underwent - at times painful - transitions away from agrarian societies into fast-paced, high-tech, ostensibly modern societies. In the wake of these developments, we have witnessed calamitous environmental degradation and destruction, a pattern that is characteristic of industrial revolution-style approaches to agriculture and the

natural environment.

From a domestic perspective, investments into agriculture appear to be extremely risky endeavours, given the extreme vulnerability the sector has to shocks from unfavourable weather conditions and other factor imperfections. These combined with a host of systemic challenges have resulted in a steady de-coupling of agricultural producers from domestic and international market forces.

Instead, the sector has been forced down a path that has led to chronic inefficiency and an unhealthy dependence on public-funded subsidies in order to ensure that our farmers are able to earn the most basic of livelihoods.

Indeed, the temptation to assume that Sri Lankas challenges in relation to the agriculture sector are uniquely insurmountable is understandable, albeit misguided. In actual fact, the problems that we face are strongly co-related with issues in agricultural economies across the world. The good news is that systemic problems are capable of resolution through a systematic approach towards problem solving.



A bold new vision for a techno-agrarian society

For us at Hayleys Agriculture, this dilemma can be condensed as follows: how do we adapt our agricultural systems and business models to feed more people using less land in a manner that ensures long-term food security and environmental sustainability for future generations?

The crucial point that we kept in mind when answering this question is that there is no single correct answer.

Rather, the solutions that we worked to develop were multi-faceted, spanning all aspects of the agricultural supply and value chains and above-all, possessed of the ability to be self-sustaining. It was therefore imperative for us that whatever steps we took towards this goal were carefully and comprehensively organised along a unified master plan that clearly designates roles for all stakeholder groups.

Our solutions were market-oriented, allowing for the cultivation of an entrepreneurial spirit among all our agricultural sector stakeholders. We believe the time is now ripe for such an approach to be expanded to the national level, through a similarly coordinated effort between leaders in private agriculture like Hayleys, the Government of Sri Lanka and all agricultural sector stakeholders.

From a structural perspective, one of the main obstacles to commercial-scale cultivation is land fragmentation and the resultant inability to bring economies of scale into the agriculture and plantation economies in a meaningful way. We believe this problem has multiple solutions.

Over the recent past, the world has witnessed the emergence of numerous exciting breakthroughs in agriculture, from indoor farming techniques that are able to leverage refined modern high-tech agri growing systems such as hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic cultivation techniques to produce larger amounts of crops utilizing no soil whatsoever and we are proud to say that Hayleys Agriculture has in recent years made unprecedented progress towards the integration of these techniques at crucial points in our agricultural production framework.

Each of these technologies holds the potential to drastically expand our ability to grow crops using the absolute minimum in physical space. In that regard, Hayleys Agriculture has already commenced development of prototype aquaponic cubes for small-scale cultivation of aquatic plants for export markets. The lessons we learn from the development of this product could play an important role in augmenting our nations ability to produce agricultural products for the export market. It is vital to note that we are not merely substituting current agricultural models with these new innovations. Instead, we have worked to augment our commercial-scale cultivation projects using innovations in agricultural techniques and innovative diversifications in terms of what we produce, all in partnership with farmers and agricultural communities across the island. These efforts are perhaps best demonstrated through Hayleys Agricultures groundbreaking initiatives cultivating sea weed and moringa in the Northern and North Central Provinces.

In order to move in the same direction, Sri Lanka will have to look to public-private partnerships (PPPs)  such as the extremely promising arrangement between Hayleys Agriculture and the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology to develop a cutting-edge slow-release fertilizer.

Within this model, each stakeholder group must work in unison with the other to reach common, clearly defined goals, which are in turn developed and enforced through discussions with all relevant stakeholders. A great deal of these actions will most likely involve public goods and public land, hence at the outset, it is the government that will need to take the lead, however we in the private sector must not be reduced to mere passive participants in this process.

While at present we tend to look upon the problem of land fragmentation as being an intractable issue, we believe that if the government is able to free up land resources for the establishment of free trade zones, hotels, mixed development properties and a host of other purposes, then agriculture should be no different.

In cases where the consolidation of agricultural is completely out of the question, alternatives must be sought. One possible example would be to emulate successful models such as those implemented during the tenure of some former governments to establish special regions for the cultivation of certain crops like red chillies and other crops that are widely consumed domestically. This is also spelled out in the plans of the current government and needs speedy and effective implementation.

Furthermore, this approach needs to be constantly adapted, updated and expanded to meet contemporary requirements through the establishment of model farms in cultivating areas that are operated as PPPs that will serve as centres of excellence for a given region.

Although established through the state, the centres will be operated by the private sector. Utilizing the best agricultural equipment, cultivation techniques and planting material together with carefully measured use of crop protection products, the private sector will establish these model farms and then work to disseminate its knowledge on best practices, together with planting material and equipment to farmers in a given region.

The crops these model farms produce will be regularly evaluated in order to adjust to market demand. Buy-back agreements between farmers and the private sector farms will enable the private sector to develop transparent and effective relationships with farming communities and support them to become more closely linked into the actual needs of the domestic market.

The utilization of technology in the agriculture sector must also be expanded drastically if our vision is to be made a reality. At the ground level, technology can play a vital catalytic role in increasing productivity through the use of combine harvesters, automated agricultural seed planting machines and drones to increase crop production, monitor cultivation and use advanced digital imaging capabilities to carry out soil-mapping.

Such practices will enable farmers to more accurately determine the most productive extents of land available for cultivation. At a higher level, we must also look to leverage technology to address other long-standing systematic challenges in the agricultural sector.

These include weather sensing to track market demand and the utilization of predictive analytics and networked communication technology to instantly inform farmers of what crops are in demand and which of those would be most suitable for cultivation in a given region.

Storage and processing is yet another aspect of the agricultural value chain that needs to be developed on an urgent basis. Through the establishment of PPPs, stakeholders can work together to establish advanced storage facilities that are capable of preserving the integrity of produce for a much longer period, thus drastically cutting down on agricultural waste which currently pervades the entire sector, resulting in extreme supply and price distortions.

Similarly, Sri Lankan corporates must also work to develop complete vertical integration of the agricultural value chain. If we are to succeed, we must ultimately seek that out that success in export markets and in order to do so, we must create home-grown food brands that are capable of extensive value addition.

Sri Lanka is faced with unique challenges across its entire economy and of course in its agriculture sector. The solution to these problems will not be found by simply ignoring them and adopting an ad hoc, come what may attitude. If all stakeholder groups are able to formulate a unified vision for the sector and take decisive, systematic steps to achieve this vision, then I am confident that we as a nation will be able to discover an entirely new paradigm in sustainable, technology-enabled, commercial agriculture and in so doing, Sri Lanka will once again be able to recapture its position on the global stage as a land of serendipitous bounty.

(In addition to his post as Managing Director at Hayleys Agriculture, Rizvi Zaheed also serves as Chairman of the National Agribusiness Council, which stands as the apex body for 23 national associations covering all spheres of agribusiness in the country and is an affiliate body of the Ceylon

Chamber of Commerce)
While I thank Uditha for his searching critique, and must express my hope and expectation that he may yet develop into a successor of Ajith Samaranayake, I must correct him on three factual issues:



1. He writes that Like Dayans father, Malinda rejected the right-wing, elitist ethos of those institutions, and became a nationalist.



That is incorrect. Mervyn was an internationalist and a Third Worldist who was sympathetic to nationalism but never a nationalist. In that sense he was much closer to Godfrey Gunatilleke, Regi Siriwardena, Gamini Corea, Charles Abeysekara, Neville Jayaweera, Izzeth Hussein and A.J. Gunawardena than to Malindas father Gamini Seneviratne who was of course a contemporary and friend of his, and whose writings he enthusiastically published in the Lanka Guardian. Appropriately enough, it is Godfrey Gunatilleke, a golden lad of that most intellectual of generations, who has analyzed Mervyns ideology and consciousness most definitively, and rightly defines him as committed to humanism and universalism; to a universalist humanism.



2. Uditha also writes:  But theres never just one kind of nationalism: there are nationalisms, so soon enough we saw Dayan and Malinda fighting via newspaper columns despite the fact that both were opposed to the government over its handling of the warthe intellectuals were opposed to both since they were nationalists



Here too, the facts are the same as in or analogous to, the case of Mervyn de Silva and Gamini Seneviratne. Malinda was a militant Sinhala Buddhist nationalist, a member and electoral candidate of Champikas JHU and a member of NMAT. Unlike Malinda, I have never been a nationalist nor am I one today, despite my alignment with, support for and sympathy with nationalists and nationalism. I am not ontologically a nationalist. My support for nationalism is neither unconditional nor unqualified. I am however, a patriot who is also an internationalist and a universalist. To put it provocatively, I admire Puran Appu and Jose Marti, but not Anagarika Dharmapala because no sectarian ethno-religious particularism ever resonates with me.



3. The third error that Uditha makes is to say that He [DJ] is also a moderate federalist. It is because I come from the Marxist tradition that I have never been a federalist, moderate or otherwise. While I did support self-determination in my early twenties as a bookish Leninist, for 40 years since I have consistently been for equal rights as well as for devolution/regional autonomy. As the Chinese Constitution makes clear, it is perfectly possible and is often the case that those (especially those from a Leftist political culture) who are for regional autonomy are also staunch supporters of a unitary statewith regional autonomy/devolution.



Obviously I must clarify and set to rest my stand on Gotabaya. He is to be sure a Sinhala Buddhist nationalist, which I am not, but that is not all Gotabaya is, just as it is not all that Mahinda Rajapaksa or Dinesh Gunawardena is. Furthermore there are times in history when Sinhala Buddhist nationalism is more reactionary than progressive, more negative than positive, but this is not one of those times. This is much more like 1956, 1970 and 2005. Finally, there are times in history when there is an option other than a Sinhala Buddhist nationalist leadership and ideology under which to fight a pro-imperialist puppet regime like the UNP but that time came and went in 1947-1953 and again in 1984-1988 (Vijaya Kumaratunga). They were historical exceptions. One hopes such a time comes again and with greater sustainability and success.

Finally, to move from Udithas few factual inaccuracies to a single one of several partial misinterpretations. Vladimir Putin is an Orthodox Christian Russian nationalist, which is also what drives him and makes him take the stands he does. Like many throughout the worldstates, social groups and individuals-- from China to Cuba, from Syria to Vietnam, I applaud and admire him neither because of his Orthodox Christian Russian nationalism nor despite it. We support him because he revived his country having rescued it from capitulation and disintegration under a Yahapalana type Yelstin regime, won a war and crushed a ghastly separatist terrorist militia in Chechnya (years before we won our war), and takes an active stand for national sovereignty and a multipolar world. In short people like me throughout the world support him not because of his subjective ideology but because of the objective role that Putin plays in a given historical context. So also it is with my support for Gotabaya.
Frederick the Great of Prussia was a friend of Voltaire and enjoyed ribald evenings with the philosopher discussing the intricacies of lifes dos and donts. Before becoming king he was persuaded by Voltaire to become a pacifist. But on ascending to the throne he became the most ferocious and successful of Europes warrior leaders. He said of himself that he was doomed to make war just as an ox must plow, a nightingale sing and a dolphin swim in the sea.



So far the twenty first century has been far more peaceful than the twentieth. No world war and none are there likely to be, even though the great powers might have the occasional confrontation. Some say we are overwhelmed by small wars, understandably so since the media, especially the fickle eye of television, picks up on every altercation. As Francis Bacon wrote, there has never been, nor will there ever be, a shortage of seditions and troubles. But in fact this century there have been no interstate wars and civil wars are down in number, way below their Cold War total when the big powers stoked their fires.

Perhaps war is sometimes necessary and just. Most people will say that of the American civil war when President Abraham Lincoln led the northern states of the USA against the slave-holding South and of the Second World War when Hitler, the most evil man on earth, apart from Mao Zedong, killed millions and attempted to exterminate the Jews, homosexuals and gypsies.

But a closer look at history can raise a question mark there. Yes, slavery would have continued without the norths victory. But most slaves simply became serfs. The vote and other advances that Lincoln gave them were whittled away by southern legislatures and courts. Not until Martin Luther King arrived on the scene was true freedom realised in the 1960s and the US, for the first time in its history, could claim to be a democracy. Lincoln didnt do half as much for black people as President Lyndon B. Johnson.

As for the Second World War was it necessary? Hitler never wanted to fight Britain or Poland. He wanted the Polish-occupied port of German-speaking Danzig. He also wanted a free route to East Prussia through the Polish corridor. It would have been politically cheaper for Britain if it had pushed Poland to make that concession than to go to war, which Britain decided to do after Hitler, frustrated over his modest demand not being met, invaded Poland. Before World War 2 there were times when Hitler thought Germany would fight the Soviet Union one day, but not Britain or Poland.

"Failure in diplomacy means the hounds of hell are unleashed. In the last century hundreds of millions died unnecessarily and if President Donald Trump misplays his hand with North Korea millions more may soon die"



Most people abhor war but there has always been a minority who like it. In Europe in the nineteenth century it was regarded as a right of passage for upper class young men to go out and captain wars and to duel.

The well-regarded English poet Siegfried Sasoon described the opening days of the murderous Battle of the Somme as great fun. The act of slowly walking forward, showing ourselves openly resulted in extraordinary exultation. The great American novelist Ernest Hemingway, who volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War, wrote that he revelled in the dry-mouthed, fear-purging ecstasy. On the eve of World War 1 Winston Churchill told his wife how much the gathering storm excited him. According to the Israeli academic Martin Van Creveld, in his seminal book More On War, Many warriors of all ages have compared killing with having sex.

"As for the Second World War was it necessary? Hitler never wanted to fight Britain or Poland. He wanted the Polish-occupied port of German-speaking Danzig. He also wanted a free route to East Prussia through the Polish corridor



There are always alternatives to war if we think ahead and are prepared in some cases to spend time, money and political capital on preemptive action as we are on war. A good example is the way the US has helped North Korea. It has built half of a peaceful nuclear reactor. For a time North Korea was Americas biggest aid receiver in East Asia. In return North Korea was prepared to suspend its nuclear bomb research. Why has this not worked? It is because every time the Republicans in Congress have sabotaged the political deals that were meant to compliment the aid-giving.

Failure in diplomacy means the hounds of hell are unleashed. In the last century hundreds of millions died unnecessarily and if President Donald Trump misplays his hand with North Korea millions more may soon die. Western countries throughout their long history have fought more wars and killed more people than the worlds other nations.

Most Enlightenment thinkers agreed with Jean-Jacques Rousseau that mans basic nature is neither good nor bad. It is events that can turn good people into bad. Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are not bad men but they unnecessarily have led their countries back into a hostile relationship. They should read more history.



For 17 years the writer has worked as a foreign affairs columnist for the International Herald Tribune.
Aitken Spence Travels, Sri Lankas largest inbound tourism company, marks its 40th anniversary this week.

The company, a joint venture between leading conglomerate Aitken Spence PLC and TUI Group, the worlds number one integrated tourism company.

Aitken Spence was recognized as the leading destination management company in Sri Lanka at the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2017 held this month. The WTA was held for the 24th time and show cases the best in class across the travel spectrum.

This award is the latest accomplishment of Aitken Spence Travels who have won the Presidential Award for the Best Destination Management Company & Professional Conference Organizer for three consecutive years and has entered the Hall of Fame as well as won a PATA Gold for its Most Innovative Excursion.

The company handled 153,000 happy visitors to Sri Lanka during its last financial year.

Aitken Spence Travels is active in diverse markets, which have enabled them to establish their number one position in Sri Lanka apart from mainstream tour operations, excursions, cruises, nature and adventure, sports, MICE, online and luxury segments.

The companys outbound travel division Aitken Spence Holidays provides holiday packages while representing leading brands such as Tradewinds, Carlson Wagonlit, Rail Europe, Guangdong and Emirates Holidays.

Aitken Spence Travels has achieved many accomplishments over the last four decades in our journey towards becoming the leading DMC in Sri Lanka. Sustaining this success through a changing tourism industry has been a challenge.

However, we as an organization have been consistent through the energy that drives us with our innovative spirit and fearlessness in taking calculated risks to enter new markets or segments to charter our own course, Aitken Spence Travels Managing Director Nalin Jayasundera said.

Our committed staff led by our highly experienced management team must be recognized for their dedication and professionalism, and I truly believe we have the winning combination to continue to successfully drive the industry, he added.
Following are the excerpts from an interview with AMW Automall Head Rohana Dissanayake.

Can you tell the customers, those wanting to purchase vehicles, about the current automobile market?

Finding a good vehicle to purchase could be a daunting task with the current market conditions. Going through paper advertisements, calling vehicle sellers, visiting sellers, checking market prices, negotiating the price and even obtaining leasing information can be very time consuming when time is not a luxury that many of us have. Most importantly, how trustworthy is your vehicle seller? How sure are you about the vehicle that youre purchasing?



What about those wanting to sell their vehicles?

Its more or less the same process. In addition, you will have many unwanted people coming to your house to see your vehicle. I really doubt anyone these days would want unknown people visiting their houses. At Automall, we take that burden away from you where our team of professionals will provide you with a hassle-free service.



What is the concept of Automall?

AMW Automall is a fully-owned subsidiary of AMW, the leading automobile company in Sri Lanka. Identifying a gap in the pre-owned vehicle market, where customers had no access to a trustworthy source for selling or buying a pre-owned vehicle, AMW launched its very own brand for pre-owned cars in 2009. Our core objective was to give the customers an opportunity to trade in their old vehicle, hassle free, for a brand-new vehicle of their choice from AMW.

At Automall, a customer can purchase a certified pre-owned vehicle, sell an existing vehicle or trade-in the existing vehicle for a new vehicle. Throughout the years, AMW Automall has grown into becoming the largest pre-owned vehicle seller with eight branches located around the island offering over 1000 vehicles to choose from any brand.

We stand by our principles: trust, quality and value and are committed to providing a superior customer offering. Weve got all the criteria covered whether youre looking to sell, trade in or buy a certified pre-owned vehicle.

What makes buying a vehicle from Automall different from buying a vehicle on ones own?

All vehicles sold through Automall are certified pre-owned vehicles. We trade-in or purchase only vehicles of good quality; all vehicles are appraised and valued by a set of professional valuers. Prior to reselling, we complete all maintenance and repair requirements at state-of-the-art AMW workshops. Our trained engineers and technicians attend to all mechanical and body work requirements. These vehicles are then sent for a complete interior and exterior treatment. The vehicles are then brought to our showrooms where they undergo a 99-point check prior to reselling. This rigorous process is followed to assure our customers the highest quality of service and added value. We also offer an unmatched one-year or 20,000 kilometre warranty for all our certified pre-owned vehicles. We are proud to say that we are the only company that offers a warranty for registered vehicles in the market. Customers also get free AMW Roadside Assistance for the first year and can be part of the AMW World Loyalty programme. The quality of our vehicles, hassle-free process and customer experience are some things that we are truly proud of.



Tell us about the level of service a customer can expect at Automall?

We take pride in delivering a professional service. Our young and energetic team that goes beyond their call of duty are committed to provide a professional service to our customers. We are proud to have an energetic team that is the reason behind the level of customer service we deliver. Im proud of the team we have at Automall, who are devoted to delivering value to the customer and living up to our brand principles. In terms of our product offering, we have a wide range of vehicles from any brand through our widespread islandwide branch network. With this unbeatable combination, I can assure anyone that Automall provides the best product offering in the market.



Can you elaborate on the one-stop-shop concept of Automall?

Automall has solutions for customers looking to sell an existing vehicle or purchase a vehicle all under one roof. We give the customer the assurance of giving a competitive value for his well-maintained vehicle. When purchasing a vehicle, the customer has a wide selection of certified pre-owned vehicles to choose from. We can also fulfil your vehicle financing needs with our very own in house leasing company  AMW Capital Leasing and Finance PLC, which will arrange the lease within three hours.



What are the special incentives every Automall customer can expect?

There are many incentives for the customers who buy vehicles from us. We offer a class-leading, unmatched one-year or 20,000-kilometre warranty on the engine and gearbox for all certified pre-owned vehicles sold through AMW Automall.

A comprehensive 99-point check is carried out on all vehicles assuring the best quality on all vehicles sold by us. AMW Automall customers can make use of AMWs roadside assistance service free of charge for the first year and also be part of the AMW World Loyalty programme, which brings great benefits to customers across the AMW group. We also have a surprise waiting for our customers, which will be launched soon.



How wide is your network?

We initially started off with our showroom in Borella. This still stands as our flagship outlet. Since then, we have expanded by adding seven showrooms located in Nugegoda, Galle, Kurunegala, Matara, Negombo, Kandy and Malabe to give wider access to customers to enjoy the services of Automall. Automall has evolved into a concept that provides true value addition for anyone who is looking to buy or replace a vehicle.



What advice can you give to the customers of today?

Considering the highly competitive nature of the industry, what I would advise is to be extra vigilant when either selling or buying a vehicle. Make sure that you buy a certified pre-owned vehicle from a known and trustworthy source. There are so many aspects that need to be looked into when purchasing a vehicle; the mileage, number of owners, certificate of registration and accident-free condition of the vehicle are some. Its always good to go to the professionals in the industry to make an informed decision on your vehicle purchase or sale.
In its third edition Swim Week Colombo launches with Art Connect on the 27th of June 2017 hosted at Trace Expert City. Art connect returns for its second season and features six of Sri Lankas most acclaimed artists. Swim Week Colombo, with its title partner Olu Tropical Water, hosts this curated event that is highly anticipated by many a fashion personality and is an initiative that explores a meaningful interaction between art and fashion.

REVIVE looks at expressing Green Conscious and Earth Sensitive through the stream of Art. Six important artists bring together their sensibility to stir up green consciousness with unique perspectives. Collaboration of creative industries towards a common cause strengthens it.

Art and Fashion has a deep relationship. The expressive nature of these two creative streams is encompassed in Art Connect. This edition of Art Connect is the interpretation of the Green Conscious position of Swim Week through the eyes of 6 important artists.  Ajai V. Singh

The artists collaborating with Swim Week Colombo for the exhibition are Anoma Wijewardene, Mahen Perera, Bandu Manamperi, Vajira Gunawardena, Chathurika Jayani and Ajith Susantha. These six acclaimed artists will exhibit their expressions of the theme REVIVE.

Of the artists: Anoma Wijewardene - An alumna of Central St Martins College, University of the Arts, London, she was also a visiting lecturer there. She is known for creating images that depict man's existential anxieties, contemporary concerns about the human condition and internal tussle with his nature and his fellow man. Anomas work has been displayed at the V&A Museum and the House of Commons in London and she has also exhibited at Sotheby's Gallery Hong Kong. Her clients have included Yves St Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, and been featured in several international publications including the cover of Vogue Magazine in the UK. She was also one of the painters selected by India for the SAARC art Exhibition which toured the 7 capitals of the SAARC region. The multimedia trilingual exhibitions on Climate change, Sustainability, Inclusivity and Reconciliation are themes Anoma continues to push boundaries on for Art Connect.

Mahen Perera is an artist who works mainly with found objects and material detritus that are often ignored, and seeks to analyze and challenge the conventional language used to talk about issues of identity and representation. Trained in multidisciplinary design at the National Design Centre in Colombo, he went on to pursue his BA in Fine Arts from the Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore in affiliation with the Open University, UK. As a recipient of the prestigious Winston Oh travel award in 2007, Perera undertook a month-long residency in Prague. He intends to exhibit his style of art to build up narratives referencing history, sexuality, memory and time.

Bandu Manamperi is a leading figure in recent social art projects carried out under the aegis of Theertha, including Lets Take a Walk and Ape Gama. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture and is a core member of Colombos Theertha Artists Collective, Sri Lanka. Bandu was one of the first performance artists in Sri Lanka, creating highly personal art experiences based on the transformation of his own body, but he doesnt limit himself to any one genre and his art practice also encompasses sculpture, drawing and painting, and installation art. He also lectures and consults widely on a range of topics including contemporary art, museology, and local craft traditions. At Art Connect, Bandu will be exhibiting under two themes. Dirty Cloths, where he take an old piece of his clothing and various other textiles, surfaces which is both personal and has historical value to him and make screen or relief prints on them. He intends to engage in disciplined methods of printmaking for novel, contemporary expressions. The theme 6 months off a diary uses recycled paper from a personal journal with combination of old newspapers where he makes collages

Vajira Gunawardena questions the reality and the representations of realty in a bargaining world. Hence he concentrates on subjects such as politics, metaphysic, culture, history, consumerism, myths and ethics. Internal body of his work is interested in using the figurative forms, assemblage and stencil techniques. Each motif is a specific archetype that uses line, color and space to form a cognitive-based narrative that explores inhuman space in daily lives. He hopes that each image he uses will become more powerful, more important, and more communicable. Vajira works as a visiting lecturer at University of the Visual and Performing Arts  Sri Lanka. He is a Fine Arts graduate Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya and his work has been featured extensively in Sri Lanka and Internationally.

Chathurika Jayani is a young gifted artist who establishes a story that is defined by both dimension and texture. The use of mixed media creating a layered three dimensional visual on her canvas is effective in illustrating this aesthetic. The artist completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo and has participated in numerous group exhibitions both locally and abroad. In addition to this, she is the winner of multiple awards. Under the theme of Escape, she intends to exhibit a series of works for Art Connect. In this series of paintings, her attempt was to capture bolts of freedom in the lives of people living in slums of Colombo using recycled corrugated sheets and burnt wood as a base. Jayani's work is prominent due to her attention to intricate details and the creative methodology in which her work is presented which is expected to cater to those in attendance.

Ajith Susantha is a dynamic experimentalist who is forever coming up with innovative design ideas in acrylics, mixed media & 3D sculpture of various types. Ajith holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, from university of Kelaniya and ever since has exhibited his works in England and Norway, as well as the Colombo galleries. For Art Connect he will showcase abstract and untitled installation art which are created using recycled mixed media.

This is the second season, that Fashion Week has brought on board, to give form to their vision, through the curator of this exhibition Chamika De Alwis, Chartered Architect by profession, but passionate about art.

Swim Week Colombo benefits from its collaboration with strategic partners who have understood its vision and have rendered much support in pursuing its present goals in achieving a higher standing in the global fashion scene, as well as its new position in being environmentally and socially more responsible. Olu Tropical Water - Title Partner, Linea Aqua - Main Partner, Hilton - Hospitality partner, Wine World - Official Lifestyle Beverage Partner, Spa Ceylon, Ramani Fernando, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka and MSL Group Sri Lanka and Emerging Media  all of whom share and extend their support towards the vision and aspirations of pursuing an eco-system approach to environmentally responsible fashion.

These artistic interpretations shared at ART CONNECT will stimulate thoughts and inspire new ideas among designers and manufacturers, as with last years edition. Through these unconventional, yet related means, it is expected that a new wave in Sri Lankas fashion realm will be initiated.

For further information please visit www.swimweekcolombo.com or follow Swim Week Colombo of Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/swimweekcolombo/), Instagram @swimweekcolombo
Asia just doesnt seem to have enough money to pay its infrastructure bills. And as demand for infrastructure development soars, governments are looking to the private sector for funding, but are having a tough time finding takers.

Infrastructure investment in Asia from 2016 through 2030 is estimated to be about US $ 26 trillion, with the private sector expected to foot a large part of the bill. In just 24 counties and regions through 2020 alone, this sector will be asked to invest US $ 250 billion per year. However, there are obvious problems, as private investment in infrastructure development is currently hovering at around US $ 63 billion per year.

In order to attract the private sector, schemes known as public-private partnership (PPP)particularly concession schemesare being used to lure companies not only to invest money, but also to transfer technology and operational know-how in infrastructure development in the hope of earning a worthwhile return.

But to find willing investors, countries must have a framework in place that ensures transparency, fairness and predictability, such as reliable policy and regulation as well as specialized PPP branches of government that investors can trust.

India and the Philippines lead much of Asia in this area while the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam and Bangladesh have recently been making strides. However, nations such as Myanmar have done little, widening the PPP divide among Asian countries.

Governments need to enhance the capabilities of their PPP-related ministries, because even if such a framework exists, it is meaningless unless properly understood and implemented. The ability to coordinate PPP operations and deals between relevant ministries is important. In the PRC, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Viet Nam and Myanmar, local governments often direct PPP projects, but not many are capable of proper execution. Therefore, close coordination with the central government is crucial.



Proactive government

In Asia, more than 60 percent of PPP projects are thought to be proposed by the private sector, indicating governments limited capacity to propose such projects. This situation should be reversed, with governments taking the lead in delivering projects suitable for PPPs, then letting companies bid on them.

India is an example of having the government lead, with 90 percent of PPPs being proposed by the government, after which it holds competitive biddings. This is possible because India has the best PPP framework and implementation capacity among the emerging countries in Asia.

Some countries might still rely on the private sector to propose PPP projects, in which case it is imperative to guard against corruption by clarifying standards and procedures for selecting project proposals.

To build quality infrastructure through competitive bidding, it is also crucial that governments use evaluation criteria that includes such factors as life cycle cost, safety, resilience and environmental friendliness.

In the PRC, Indonesia and Viet Nam, state-owned companies sometimes tender bids alongside private companies. These are selected only on condition that the state companies have financial capacity, technology and operational know-how comparable to those of the private companies they are bidding against. Should a state company win a bid with public expenditures without private capitals, this approach deviates from the concept of a PPP.

When a government commits to a PPP, it must be in it for the duration. In the Philippines, a recently proposed PPP deal was abruptly changed to an official development assistance (ODA) project, with a cancellation of its concession bidding. Though some projects are not commercially viable and are better financed through ODA, governments should evaluate projects before proposing a PPP. If a government suddenly backs out of a PPP midway through the project structuring, it may discourage companies from bidding on future PPPs. PPP is not a panacea for solving the current infrastructure shortage. Some projects wont be profitable for companies and are best left to governments. Also, there are many things required of governments in PPPs. They must ensure a stable political environment and assist or compensate in matters that are out of the control of companies, such as changes to required official permits, contract breaches by governments, natural disasters and land acquisition.



Conducive environment

Governments must establish or enhance the proper financial markets and governmental financial institutions to accommodate long-term financing to private-sector parties

in PPPs.

Given that PPP projects usually run 20 years or longer, sufficient funding for their duration is desired. In some countries, such as Thailand and the Philippines, projects can obtain 15-year and longer loans from local banks. But banks in many other countries offer only short- to medium-term loans, posing the risk of having to refinance in the middle of a project, which may negatively affect

project viability.

Projects may be funded through foreign currency-denominated borrowing from foreign financial institutions. Since project cash-flows are typically generated in the local currency, foreign currency-denominated funding bears potential foreign exchange risk. In many countries, available measures to hedge this risk, such as derivatives, are limited.

To increase long-term funding, project bonds should be used. But this requires governments to develop or foster institutional investors and credit-rating agencies while also ensuring sound corporate governance, information disclosure and regulations, such as laws protecting investors. Most Asian PPP projects are financed through bank loans and few can issue project bonds. Malaysia is an exception, where funds can be raised through sukuk or Islamic bonds.

To meet the demand for infrastructure development, India and the Philippines ease single-borrower lending limits whenever needed. But this approach is not desirable as regards financial supervision. Meanwhile, global banks are becoming increasingly wary about financing PPP projects, which are relatively risky, under tightening regulations for capital adequacy ratio by the Bank for International Settlements.



Crucial cooperation

Countries that create environments conducive to successful PPPs will be first in line when it comes to attracting private investment, making PPPs a competition between countries as well as companies.

Multilateral development banks provide loans, equities, debt guarantees and technical assistances to support governments facing challenges. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is expanding loans for the private sector while enhancing transaction advisory services to public or private parties

involved in PPPs.

Cooperation among multilateral development banks is crucial. Specifically, cooperation between the existing financial institutionssuch as the ADB and World Bankand newly established banks including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) are extremely important.

The ADB and AIIB have already co-financed the public sector in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Georgia. Recently, the AIIB has also started extending loans to the private sector, such as to an independent power producer project in Myanmar. The ADB is ready to share its expertise for project due diligence, security package structuring and risk management, which are all required for private sector financing, with the AIIB through co-financing.

The demand for infrastructure development in Asia is robust, but there are not many PPP projects that are viable and bankable. Like the ADB, the AIIB is expected to improve this situation by proactively developing and structuring projects that create profitable business opportunities for private sector companies and financial institutions.

Furthermore, the ADB has been ensuring that funds collected from various investors flow into developing countries by issuing its bonds in developed countries, denominated in international currencies with a triple A credit rating maintained over the long term. Expectations are high for the AIIB to act as a go-between like the ADB as soon as possible.

(Ryuichi Kaga is the Head, Office of Public-Private Partnership, the Asian Development Bank)
Dr.Hiran Hettiarachchi - Group Chairman Blue Mountain apartment addressing the crowd

The keys to Sovrano, Blue Mountain Apartments luxury apartment complex, were handed to owners by the company at a celebratory event attended by over 150 guests which included the new residents and key stakeholders at the Movenpick Hotel Colombo. Sovrano was conceptualized and launched to make luxury living increasingly more affordable.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr.Hiran Hettiarachchi (MBBS-Colombo & MBA-Australia)  Group Chairman of Blue Mountain, said, It gives us great pleasure to hand over possession of Sovrano to the homeowners at this festive occasion. By completing this project in line with our high quality standards, we reinstate and demonstrate our commitment to delivering the highest professional standards to our customers. Sovrano is an aspirational project and we believe the residents can now revel in the exciting features of the project and enjoy its proximity to key areas of the city. I wish them happy memories in their new homes!

The Sovrano range of apartments was designed to offer homeowners affordable levels of luxury in a convenient and central location. The complex comprises a total of 41 elegantly designed two and three-bedroom apartments as well as spacious public areas including a roof-top terrace, a fully-equipped gymnasium, a swimming pool, a multi-purpose function area and secure parking facilities. Each apartment has its own spacious layout including a state-of-the-art kitchen, which will open up to a separate service terrace as well as a stylishly integrated pantry.

The modern apartment complex is situated just 100 metres away from the Kohuwala junction, a residential location that is in close proximity to leading supermarkets, schools and hospitals. Private road access will ensure that homeowners will be able to enjoy peaceful and private surroundings, whilst making the most of a central location.

The Blue Mountain Group has been making significant headway on several of its key projects and real estate developments. Lake Front  Nawala, Blue Mountain Apartments most recently commenced apartment complex is well ahead of its construction schedule and is on the verge of being sold out, with just two units remaining. Grandsburg, located on prime property at Kynsey Road, in the heart of Colombo 7, which allows residents quick access to almost all major locations in the city, is also nearing completion.

The company is making plans to host a ground-breaking ceremony for yet another project Avalon  a conveniently located property that is situated in Colombo 5. As a property developer Blue Mountain Apartments takes pride in delivering the highest quality product and building long term relationships with clients. The design and construction of each apartment is in accordance with the highest standards and professional ethics in the industry.

For further inquiries on any Blue Mountain Apartment project, contact Asir Nawas on 0714288288 number.

Blue Mountain Apartments is part of the Blue Mountain Group, which specializes in offering a wide range of land and real estate services in Sri Lanka, including real estate, land sales, apartment/condominiums, construction, property management, legal services and more. The company operates on a futuristic model of innovation and is has earned its place in the market as a trusted developer that is renowned for its reliability, speed, efficiency and quality. Run by a team of talented professionals, Blue Mountain is continuously strengthening its reputation both locally and aboard. The company recently emerged as the most awarded Sri Lankan real estate developer at the Asia-Pacific Property Awards and is set to continue raising its profile in the global real estate arena.
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, Jun 22, 2017 - A Canadian sniper has shattered the world record for a confirmed kill shot, firing from a staggering distance of 3,540 metres.



The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed on Thursday that a member of its Joint Task Force 2  the countrys elite special forces  made the record-breaking shot, killing an Islamic State militant in Iraq within the last month.



For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place, the military said in a statement to Torontos Globe and Mail newspaper.



The kill was independently verified by video camera and other data.



The sniper worked in tandem with an observer, who helps to spot targets, and used a standard Canadian military issued McMillan TAC-50 rifle, according to BBC
Supreme Court of Montana. STATE OF MONTANA, Plaintiff and Appellee, v. JEFFREY BRUCE LACKMAN, Defendant and Appellant. DA 15-0124 Decided: May 30, 2017

COUNSEL OF RECORD: For Appellant: Chad Wright, Chief Appellate Defender, Koan Mercer, Assistant Appellate Defender, Helena, Montana For Appellee: Timothy C. Fox, Montana Attorney General, Tammy A. Hinderman, Assistant Attorney General, Helena, Montana Eileen Joyce, Silver Bow County Attorney, Samm T. Cox, Deputy County Attorney, Butte, Montana

Justice Beth Baker delivered the Opinion of the Court.

1 A Silver Bow County jury convicted Jeffrey Lackman of deliberate homicide after he shot Mark Partelow, an acquaintance, in the head following a brief fight in Butte, Montana. Lackman raises three issues on appeal, which we restate as follows:

1. Whether the District Court abused its discretion in instructing the jury on Lackman's justifiable use of force defense.

2. Whether the prosecutor's comments regarding Lackman's failure to tell police his self-defense story constitute plain error.

3. Whether the prosecutor's misstatement of the legal elements for justified use of lethal force constitutes plain error.

2 We affirm.

PROCEDURAL AND FACTUAL BACKGROUND

3 Partelow and Lackman got in a fight when Lackman went to Partelow's home to pick up some personal belongings. Partelow punched Lackman two or three times before Lackman pulled out his gun and shot him. Lackman fled the scene with his girlfriend and another friend, Juan Jose Romero. Lackman wiped the gun down and Romero hid the gun north of Butte. Everyone involved had been using methamphetamine.

4 A highway patrol trooper arrested Lackman near Roundup the next night after stopping a car in which Lackman was a passenger. Two officers transported Lackman back to Butte. The officers did not interrogate Lackman during the transport, but Lackman asked them how difficult it would be to prove self-defense. The record does not reflect whether Lackman had received Miranda warnings.

5 Lackman gave notice prior to trial of his intent to raise the affirmative defense of justifiable use of force. He testified at trial that he shot Partelow in self-defense. Lackman stated that he had heard stories about Partelow pulling knives on people and beating them really severely, even to the point of death. He testified further that he was scared during the fight because he thought Partelow was going to kill me or at least severely beat me. During cross-examination, the State questioned Lackman about his self-defense story and asked if he had told anyone that story until today. There was no objection.

6 Lackman requested that the jury be instructed that lethal force could be used to prevent the commission of a forcible felony. Section 45-3-102, MCA. The District Court refused this instruction. The court reasoned that there was no evidence presented of a forcible felony other than the attack on Mr. Lackman personally, and that the instruction proposed by the State adequately addressed that offense. The court reasoned further that Lackman's instruction could potentially confuse the jury. The court instructed the jury that a person is justified in the use of deadly force only if he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm to himself.

7 In her closing argument, the prosecutor repeated the law of justifiable use of force as given in the jury instruction. The prosecutor then stated that a person has to have a reasonable belief that your life is in jeopardy to be able to take someone else's and be justified in doing so. Defense counsel did not object. Instead, she used her closing argument to correct the prosecutor's misstatement of the law. She emphasized, We don't have to let ourselves get beat up and get serious bodily injury in order to be justified in the use of force. The jury convicted Lackman. The District Court sentenced him to ninety years in prison. Lackman appeals.

STANDARDS OF REVIEW

8 This court reviews for correctness the legal determinations a lower court makes when giving jury instructions, including whether the instructions, as a whole, fully and fairly instruct the jury on the applicable law. State v. Carnes, 2015 MT 101,  6, 378 Mont. 482, 346 P.3d 1120. District courts are given broad discretion when instructing a jury; reversible error occurs only if the instructions prejudicially affect a defendant's substantial rights. Carnes,  6. A district court's decision on jury instructions is presumed correct, and the appellant has the burden of showing error. Carnes,  6.

9 This Court may discretionarily review claimed errors that implicate a criminal defendant's fundamental constitutional rights, even if no contemporaneous objection is made, under plain error review. State v. Godfrey, 2004 MT 197,  22, 322 Mont. 254, 95 P.3d 166. We exercise plain error review where failing to review the claimed error may result in a manifest miscarriage of justice, may leave unsettled the question of the fundamental fairness of the trial or proceedings, or may compromise the integrity of the judicial process. Godfrey,  22. We use our inherent power of common law plain error review sparingly, on a case-by-case basis, and only in this narrow class of cases. Godfrey,  22.

DISCUSSION

10 1. Whether the District Court abused its discretion in instructing the jury on Lackman's justifiable use of force defense.

11 The District Court submitted three instructions to the jury on justifiable use of force. Instruction No. 22 provided:

A person is justified in the use of force or threat to use force when and to the extent that he reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself against the imminent use of unlawful force.

However, a person is justified in the use of force which is intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily harm only if he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm to himself.

Instruction No. 23 provided:

If the Defendant has offered evidence of justifiable use of force, the State has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant's actions were not justified.

If you find that he/she has offered evidence of justifiable use of force, but that the State has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant's actions were not justified, you must find the Defendant not guilty.

And Instruction No. 24 provided:

The Defendant has offered evidence of justifiable use of force in this case. You are to consider the following requirements of the law in determining whether the use of force claimed by Defendant was justified:

[1] The danger of harm to the Defendant must be a present one and not made by a person without the present ability to carry out the threat;

[2] The force threatened against the Defendant must be unlawful;

[3] The Defendant must actually believe that the danger exists, that is, use of force is necessary to avert the danger and that the kind and amount of force which defendant uses is necessary;

[4] The Defendant's belief, in each of the aspects described, must be reasonable even if it is mistaken.

[5] A person who is lawfully in a place or location and who is threatened with bodily injury or loss of life has no duty to retreat from a threat, or summon law enforcement assistance prior to using force.

Even if you determine the use of force by Defendant was not justified, the state still has the duty to prove each of the elements of the crime charged beyond a reasonable doubt.

12 Lackman takes issue with Instruction No. 22. He points out that  45-3-102, MCAupon which the instruction is basedjustifies the use of lethal force where a defendant reasonably believes that the force is necessary either to prevent death or serious bodily harm or to prevent a forcible felony. Lackman also observes that  45-3-101(2), MCA, in turn, defines a forcible felony as any felony which involves the use or threat of physical force or violence against any individual. Lackman asserts that both aggravated assault ( 45-5-202(1), MCA) and assault with a weapon ( 45-5-213(1), MCA) are forcible felonies that can be accomplished by creating a reasonable apprehension of serious bodily injury.

13 Lackman thus argues that under the forcible felony provision of  45-3-102, MCA, a person can be legally justified in the use of lethal force to prevent an attacker from creating reasonable apprehension of serious bodily injury  even if actual serious bodily injury is not imminent. Because Lackman's use of force was the main question at trial, and under his reading the forcible felony standard is a more expansive standard for justified use of lethal force than requiring imminent serious bodily injury, Lackman argues that the District Court misstated the law and lessened the State's burden to prove that [his] force was not justified. Lackman asserts that the District Court therefore abused its discretion by not including forcible felony in Instruction No. 22.

14 In exercising its broad discretion in formulating jury instructions, a district court must instruct the jury on each theory which is supported by the record. State v. Archambault, 2007 MT 26,  25, 336 Mont. 6, 152 P.3d 698. This does not mean, however, that a defendant is entitled to have the jury instructed on every nuance of his or her theory of the case. Archambault,  25. We will thus uphold jury instructions so long as the instructions fully and fairly instruct the jury regarding the applicable law. Archambault,  25. The applicable law here begins with  45-3-102, MCA. It provides:

A person is justified in the use of force or threat to use force against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that the conduct is necessary for self-defense or the defense of another against the other person's imminent use of unlawful force. However, the person is justified in the use of force likely to cause death or serious bodily harm only if the person reasonably believes that the force is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm to the person or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

Section 45-3-102, MCA. Because it is an affirmative defense, Lackman had the initial burden of producing evidence that his use of lethal force was justified. State v. Erickson, 2014 MT 304,  25, 377 Mont. 84, 338 P.3d 598.

15 We construe  45-3-102, MCA, according to the plain meaning of its language. State v. Price, 2002 MT 229,  47, 311 Mont. 439, 57 P.3d 42. Lackman's argument that  45-3-102, MCA, authorizes the use of lethal force to prevent the commission of a forcible felony is correct as far as it goes. Predicate, however, is the first sentence of  45-3-102, MCA, which authorizes the use of force only when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that the conduct is necessary for self-defense  against the other person's imminent use of unlawful force. Section 45-3-102, MCA (emphasis added); see State v. Dahms, 252 Mont. 1, 13-14, 825 P.2d 1214, 1222 (1992) (noting that the term imminent does not refer to any element of felony assault, but applies to the justifiable use of force). We have held that  45-3-102, MCA, allows a person to use force to defend himself or herself in a degree commensurate with the threat of harm the person faces. Archambault,  15 (quoting State v. Stone, 266 Mont. 345, 347, 880 P.2d 1296, 1298 (1994)) (internal quotations omitted); accord State v. Miller, 1998 MT 177,  28, 290 Mont. 97, 966 P.2d 721 (concluding that the degree of force a person uses to defend himself must be commensurate with the threat of harm the person faces). Under the statute's plain language, Lackman was justified in using force against Partelowincluding lethal forceonly if Lackman reasonably believed that Partelow's use of unlawful force against him was imminent, and if the force he used in response was commensurate to Partelow's threat of force.

16 As the District Court concluded, the evidence did not support the theory behind Lackman's requested instruction. At the time Lackman shot Partelow, only he and Partelow were engaged in a fight. Lackman did not testifyand the evidence does not showthat Lackman shot Partelow to protect anyone other than himself. Multiple witnesses testified that the fight between Lackman and Partelow had gone on for only a short time when Lackman shot Partelow. Lackman testified that Partelow hit him [t]wo or three times and that he did not hit Partelow. Lackman testified that he had heard stories about Partelow pulling knives on people and beating them really severely, even to the point of death. He did not testify to seeing any weapon. Lackman said that the reason he shot Partelow was because he thought Partelow was going to kill me or at least severely beat me.

17 Lackman's own testimony demonstrates that he shot Partelow because he believed it was necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm to himself. Section 45-3-102, MCA. The District Court concluded correctly that the only forcible felony we're talking about is seriously [sic] bodily injury that would be inflicted against Mr. Lackman. The three justifiable use of force instructions therefore fully and fairly instructed the jury regarding the law applicable to Lackman's defense. We will not fault the District Court for refusing to instruct the jury on every nuance of [Lackman's] theory of the case. Archambault,  25. We conclude that the District Court did not abuse its discretion in instructing the jury on Lackman's justifiable use of force defense without including the forcible felony component.

18 2. Whether the prosecutor's comments regarding Lackman's failure to tell police his self-defense story constitute plain error.

19 During its case-in-chief, the State questioned one of the officers who transported Lackman back to Butte following his arrest. The prosecutor asked the officer if Lackman had asked any questions during the ride. The officer testified, One time Mr. Lackman asked me how hard it would be to prove a self-defense case. During his direct examination, Lackman admitted to making the statement and testified that he asked the question [b]ecause I knew what happened, but I didn't trustI don't know. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to prove my case.

20 He testified further on direct that he did not call the police after shooting Partelow because, I was doing drugs at the time, and I was afraid they wouldn't believe me. He agreed that it was his natural instinct to run from trouble. During Lackman's cross-examination, the prosecutor followed up on this line of questioning:

Q. And I believe [defense counsel] asked you if your natural instinct is to run?

A. Yes.

Q. Away from trouble?

A. Yes.

Q. If you're justified, why are you in trouble?

A. Because I don't really haveI don'tdidn't think that the police would believe me.

Q. Would believe what?

A. My story.

Q. Your story. Your story was that this man was going to kill you and you had to kill him?

A. Yes. That he was attacking me.

Q. And I think [defense counsel] put it in her opening that you had no other choice?

A. Yes.

Q. And you thought the police wouldn't believe you?

A. I didn't know if they would believe me or not.

Q. Did you ever tell themor the police your story?

A. No, I didn't.

Q. Nobody's heard your story until today; is that correct?

A. Until today.

Defense counsel did not object to this line of questioning.

21 In her closing argument, defense counsel emphasized Lackman's belief that the police would not believe his self-defense story. She opened her argument by stating:

How do you prove a self-defense case? How hard is it to prove a self-defense case? Those were the thoughts that were going through Jeff Lackman's mind when he was arrested. How does he go before someone and convey what it was like to have to make the ultimate decision, the decision to defend yourself from serious bodily injury or death, and that by defending yourself you shot someone.

During rebuttal, the prosecutor addressed defense counsel's argument:

And then [defense counsel] asked you, put yourselfor don't put yourselfwhy Mr. Lackman would be asking how hard it is to prove self-defense. Ask yourself what the answer is. I suggest when you're in the back of the cop car, you're going to find something else up. Because you weren't successful in the first time of events, which is to run and get away. So how hard is it to prove self-defense? And if it's self-defense, why don't you tell anybody? I can understand maybe that there's some apprehension with law enforcement. But when his girlfriend [who witnessed the shooting] asked him, How could you do that, why did you do that, he didn't say it was self-defense, did he? He didn't answer her. He didn't tell Romero. He didn't call anybody. He didn't do this until the gig was up and until he was in the back of a police car and he comes up with how hard is it to prove self-defense.

Defense counsel once again did not object.

22 Lackman argues that the State improperly introduced and commented upon his failure to tell police his self-defense story. He asserts that his claims warrant plain error review because they implicate his fundamental constitutional rights and failure to review the claims would result in a manifest miscarriage of justice and leave unsettled the fundamental fairness of [his] trial. Evidence of his silence, Lackman contends, violated M. R. Evid. 403 because the risk of unfair prejudice outweighed the evidence's probative value. Moreover, Lackman asserts, use of his silence to create an inference of guilt also violated his rights under the Montana Constitution. Lackman acknowledges that this Court has concluded that the State does not violate a defendant's rights by commenting on the defendant's silence prior to being given Miranda warnings. State v. Finley, 276 Mont. 126, 915 P.2d 208 (1996), rev'd in part on other grounds by State v. Gallagher, 2001 MT 39,  21, 304 Mont. 215, 19 P.3d 817. Nevertheless, Lackman urges us to follow other courts in holding that the State violates a defendant's rights by commenting on the defendant's silence regardless whether he has received Miranda warnings.

23 It is well established that impeachment use of a defendant's silence after arrest and after receiving Miranda warnings is a violation of due process. State v. Morsette, 2013 MT 270,  35, 372 Mont. 38, 309 P.3d 978 (citing Doyle v. Ohio, 426 U.S. 610, 618-19, 96 S. Ct. 2240, 2245 (1976)). Equally well established, it does not violate  due process of law for a State to permit cross-examination as to postarrest [pre-Miranda] silence when a defendant chooses to take the stand.  Finley, 276 Mont. at 139, 915 P.2d at 216 (quoting Fletcher v. Weir, 455 U.S. 603, 607, 102 S. Ct. 1309, 1312 (1982)); accord State v. Schaff, 2011 MT 19,  15, 359 Mont. 185, 247 P.3d 727 (concluding that Doyle does not preclude impeaching a testifying defendant using inconsistent pre-Miranda statements or omissions); State v. Clausell, 2001 MT 62,  61, 305 Mont. 1, 22 P.3d 1111 (concluding that the Doyle rule is limited to only those instances where the prosecution seeks to impeach a defendant's testimony based on silence after Miranda warnings were given).

24 We are unpersuaded that Lackman's claims warrant plain error review. After shooting Partelow, Lackman fled the scene with his girlfriend and Romero. While they were driving, his girlfriend asked, How could you dohow could you do that? Whatwhy would you do that? Lackman did not respond. He spent hours in the car with Romero after fleeing the crime scene. During all that time, he never made mention of having acted in self-defense. Lackman took the stand and testified that he did not call the police after shooting Partelow because he was afraid they wouldn't believe [him]. During its cross-examination, the State followed up on this line of questioning, with Lackman confirming that he did not tell police his story because he thought the police would not believe him. In the context of the questioning, the prosecutor's next questionNobody's heard your story until today; is that correct?relates to Lackman's prearrest silence. Similarly, considered in context, the prosecutor's comment in rebuttal closing argument that Lackman failed to tell anybody his self-defense story until the gig was up and until he was in the back of a police car relates to his prearrest silence.

25 To the extent that the prosecutor's comments can be characterized as relating to Lackman's post-arrest silence, it is undisputed that the record does not reflect whether Lackman was given Miranda warnings. We have held consistently that use of a defendant's post-arrest, pre-Miranda silence to impeach a defendant's testimony does not violate due process. Schaff,  15; Clausell,  61; Finley, 276 Mont. at 139-40, 915 P.2d at 216-17. In light of our case law, we conclude that Lackman's claims do not warrant plain error review because he has not demonstrated that the State violated his fundamental rights by commenting upon his failure to tell police his self-defense story. We therefore decline to address his argument that the Court should extend Doyle to a defendant's pre-Miranda silence.

26 3. Whether the prosecutor's misstatement of the legal elements for justified use of lethal force constitutes plain error.

27 During her closing argument, the prosecutor emphasized that the jury should not focus on Lackman's version of self-defense, but what the law is. The prosecutor continued:

And Judge Newman just read you the law that you should be focusing on here. A person is justified in the use of force or threat to use force, and to the extent that he reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself against the imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of force which is intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily harm only if he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury.

Later in her argument, the prosecutor made the following statement regarding justifiable use of force:

You have to apply what you have heard in this case to the law. And you need to determine andlook at that jury instruction on self-defense, and you need to determine what is reasonable, what belief is reasonable. You have to have a reasonable belief that your life is in jeopardy to be able to take someone else's and be justified in doing so.

(Emphasis added).

28 Defense counsel did not object to the prosecutor's misstatement of the law. Defense counsel used her closing argument, however, to correct the misstatement. She clarified:

[T]he law does not say that you can only use deadly force if there's the threat of death. It's also serious bodily injury. You'll have those instructions. Look at them. He did exactly to the extent what he needed to do to save himself.

Self-defense has been a concept accepted by the law forever, as far as I know. That has been granted to all of us, that we can defend ourselves. We don't have to let ourselves get beat up and get serious bodily injury. We don't have to allow ourselves to die. We get to defend ourselves. That is the right of each of you, and it was his right. And he exercised that right. 

Defense counsel used the phrase serious bodily injury six times during her closing argument.

29 Lackman contends that the prosecutor's misstatement of the law of justifiable use of force violated his right to due process and therefore warrants plain error review. He asserts that the prosecutor's misstatement prejudiced his right to a fair trial because it was the lynchpin of the State's persuasive closing argument. The State concedes that the prosecutor misstated the law but argues that the prosecutor's misstatement did not render [Lackman's] trial fundamentally unfair or his conviction a manifest miscarriage of justice.

30 We exercise plain error review sparingly on a case-by-case basis. State v. McDonald, 2013 MT 97,  8, 369 Mont. 483, 299 P.3d 799. We will not presume prejudice from the prosecutor's misstatement during closing argument; Lackman bears the burden of showing that the prosecutor's misstatement violated his substantial rights. McDonald,  10 (citation and internal quotations omitted). We view the prosecutor's misstatement during closing argument in the context of the entire argument in determining whether the prosecutor's comments violated Lackman's substantial rights. McDonald,  10 (citation and internal quotations omitted).

31 Although the prosecutor misstated the law, she correctly stated the law early in her closing argument. Immediately prior to her misstatement, she encouraged the jury to look at that jury instruction on self-defense. Thus, in the context of the entire argument, we cannot conclude that the prosecutor's misstatement violated Lackman's substantial rights. McDonald,  10. Moreover, defense counsel made a seemingly strategic decision not to object to the prosecutor's misstatement. Defense counsel emphasized during her closing argument that the threat of serious bodily injury justifies the use of deadly force. She pointed out the prosecutor's misstatement of the law and used it to Lackman's advantage. Lackman has not met his burden of showing that failure to review the prosecutor's closing argument may result in a manifest miscarriage of justice or call into question the fundamental fairness of his trial. Accordingly, we conclude that there was no plain error.

CONCLUSION

32 We affirm Lackman's deliberate homicide conviction.

BETH BAKER

We Concur: JAMES JEREMIAH SHEA MICHAEL E WHEAT DIRK M. SANDEFUR JIM RICE
China has worked in an astonishing manner during the last few decades to eradicate poverty. With this project they have managed to alleviate more than 800 Million people from poverty during the last thirty five years.

The main objective of this article is to find the modalities adopted by the Chinese Government to achieve this. In addition to improving traditional agriculture and industries which I have not discussed here they have implemented multi faceted programmes to make it successful.

In the alleviation of poverty the government recognizes the role education has to play. During the last several years the government has implemented several projects to uplift education. Free education has been introduced to rural areas, especially provinces where minorities live. Opening of new schools and development of existing schools was a part of this programme. The children of these poor schools were provided with free breakfast.

The state along with 13 other organizations have got together to make this project a success. In addition to this, the state provides incentives to teachers in remote areas to continue teaching in these areas.

"China aims to increase the number of village hotels nationwide to 3.4 M by 2020,"



One of the most important steps taken by the state is the vocational training given to students when they leave school. The emphasis of this education was industrial and connected to agriculture. The students of the western area who entered universities of other areas were given an education which will be much useful when they go back to their villages. Another remarkable step taken by the Chinese Government is the relocation of poor people in good areas. They successfully relocated 3.4 M people from poverty stricken areas to more developed areas.

The introduction of the Tourist Industry to remote areas is another method of increasing the income of rural people. The village areas of China are quite attractive and eco-friendly. These areas are full of fresh vegetables and fruits.The network of high speed trains that spread throughout the country also has helped the tourists to visit the rural areas of China. In some areas where small eating houses operate, they earn more than 200,000 Yuan per year. Today most of them shift from traditional farming to the modern service sector with much higher returns. More than 1.9 million such small hotels are found in rural areas today. In 2016 Tibet had 23 M visitors bringing in a gross income of 33 B Yuan. Over 100,000 herders and farmers were engaged in tourism services in 2016. International hotel giants such as Hilton, Four seasons and Banyan Tree have entered Chinas rural tourism market to grab a share of this lucrative business. Due to tourism over 10 M people have set themselves free from poverty during the last 5 years. China aims to increase the number of village hotels nationwide to 3.4 M by 2020, and also to lift 2M people out of poverty every year using rural tourism. Rural tourism can provide new business opportunities and help preserve beautiful scenery and push forward urbanization.

Xi Jinping, the President of China, which has a population 1.4 B had stated that alleviating poverty is his top priority. China has taken great steps to alleviate poverty during the 13th five year plan 2016  2020 under the leadership of Xi Jinping.

His ambition is to eradicate poverty by 2020. He has advised the government to maintain a neconomic growth of 6.5 % in the country, and to achieve that he plans to double the 2010 per capita income by 2020. He has advised the state officials to oversee that funds diverted towards the eradication of poverty are properly used for that purpose. Last year more than 19,000 people across the country were punished for corrupt practices related to the use of poverty alleviation funds, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The United Nations and the World Bank have commended the efforts taken by China to eradicate poverty. Mr. Bert Hofmann the Director of UN for China, Korea and Mongolia, has written a report to the global poverty reduction programme of UNO in 2016 and has vividly commended the poverty eradication programme of China. According to this report, world poverty has gone down by 70% due to Chinese actions. Between 1978 and 2016 China has emancipated 800 M of its people from poverty. It is believed by 2020 China will eradicate poverty and it will be a good example to other countries.



R. Jinith de Silva,

Vice President, Sri Lanka China Society.
There is an ever-growing demand for hair colour products among youth and elderly people and Sri Lankas premier cosmetics brand and the largest exporter of hair and skin cosmetics, Dreamron has been the saviour of many who are looking for quality products to get rid of their gray-hair problems. Catering to the needs of many, Dreamron introduced the Dreamron Five Minute Black Henna and it has become the number one choice of thousands, mainly due to its outstanding features and ease of use.

The product has been well received by clients both home and aboard and has made its presence felt by becoming the most sought-after hair colouring product within a short span of time.

Having gray hair is a common occurrence to almost everyone especially at the adulthood stage.

Hair has a tendency to lose its natural colour with advancing age and turn grey but premature greying is a morbid condition and it makes even the young look older. Dreamron Five Minute Black Henna is the best solution for those who are having gray or white hair. It will transform gray hair into shiny black in just five minutes, making you look younger instantly. It is really a time and money saving solution.

Dreamron Five Minute Black Henna incorporates the goodness of nature and the herbal ingredients and will not harm the hair and scalp while the dyeing effect gives a natural and shiny look.

It also conditions hair adequately thereby preventing the hair from drying, making it shiny and lustrous. Regular usage would also give healthier, younger and thicker hair.

It contains ingredients that customers look for as it doesnt contain any harsh chemicals unlike similar products available in the market. This is a non-toxic product and is best for all types of hair.

Dreamron Five Minute Black Henna is manufactured with natural ingredients imported from the United States and manufactured to meet the highest Japanese and the European standards of quality to give maximum safety for hair and scalp. Moreover, it has no unpleasant odour when mixing and applying.

The product is approved by CDDA and Sri Lanka Drug Regulatory Authority.

Other than Sri Lanka, this world-class product is also sold in India, Pakistan and Canada.

Dreamron Five Minute Black Henna is only one of many popular products which comes from the Deamron family, which is an expert with unparalleled understanding of local hair, has gradually become a leader and a trendsetter in the cosmetic industry in Sri Lanka.

Dreamon has introduced a wide range of beauty products that are used and trusted by millions in more than 30 countries.

Furthermore, it has made continuous efforts over the last 18 years as part of its ambitious growth plan to solidify its footprint both locally and internationally to achieve its future growth targets by increasing its production capabilities.
Swim Week Colombo 18 is fast approaching and while creating a launching platform for swimwear in the region, Fashion and Food will see leading restaurants in Colombo curate unique events intended to provide attendees with an unparalleled gastronomical experience exclusively during the fashion week from the 27th of June to the 2nd of July.

Fashion and Food will encourage the participation of an entire spectrum of premium tastemakers which will create special events during Swim Week. rare by Uga Residence will host the launch of Swim Week on the 27th of June. Other restaurants include Love Bar by Flamingo House, and L.A.B at Hilton Colombo. Cafe Francais by Pourcel, will be the venue of the after party.

Food and Fashion will commence from the onset of the fashion week. Following ART CONNECT, those present will be invited to attend the Launch of Swim Week at rare at Uga Residence and indulge in tapas and drinks. The launch will create an opportunity for attendees to soak up the atmosphere and gather hints of the events to follow, all while appreciating the unique richness in rare and its ingenuity at every level of the culinary spectrum.

Being one of Colombos most distinctive and exceptional dining and drinking destinations, We Love Fashion will take place at Love Bar by Flamingo House on the 28th of June. This will present a celebration that captures the highlights of the fashion week, fusing it with Colombos nightlife in the city and the thrill of being around celebrities in the fashion realm. With its captivating visual style and ornate colonial heritage, the event will present attendees with an unparalleled experience to revel in. In addition to this Flamingo House is commended for having a menu that brings to life the spirit of the island and the flavors, spices and aromas of its Asian neighbors. This will add to the spirit of celebration of Swim Week. With something to seduce every sense.

Swim Vibe will present a relaxed opportunity to meet and greet the models, designers and fashion personalities of Swim Week, which is a privileged opportunity for any fashion enthusiast. At the L.A.B by Hilton Colombo, the runway models retreat to a time of relaxation in the mild sophisticated setting of a lounge that boasts of knowing the art of food. Swim Vibe will be an event of class and glamor. While dining on only the finest culinary delights, fashion enthusiasts can mingle with leading designers and professional models as they bask in the swimwear fashion hub.

The after party wraps up each season in spectacular fashion at the Official Swim Week Colombo After Party venue, Cafe Francais by Pourcel on the 1st of July. Trendsetters, revelers, designers, models and invitees will vibe to sounds of music at Cafe Francais by Pourcel, indulge in authentic French bistro food and distinct cocktails that night.

Swim Week Colombo benefits from its partnerships with leading brands that have a taste for the exquisite and a deep appreciation for the finer things in life. This years partners are Olu Tropical Water - Title Partner, Linea Aqua - Main Partner, Hilton - Hospitality partner, Wine World, Spa Ceylon, Ramani Fernando Salons, Leo Burnett and MSL Group Sri Lanka and Emerging Media.

For further information please visit www.swimweekcolombo.com or follow Swim Week Colombo of Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/swimweekcolombo/), Instagram @swimweekcolombo
The industry association of Sri Lankas hoteliers and the leading lobby group of the countrys tourism sector this week claimed that their industry will become the largest investor in the Sri Lankan economy by 2020.

The industry has invested US$ 3 billion in the country. This is expected to increase by another US$ 1.5 billion by 2020. This means in Sri Lankan rupees, over Rs.700 billion. This is by far the highest investment any single sector has made in the country, THASL Chairman Sanath Ukwatte said.

The news would likely generate elation among government authorities, since the country is currently struggling to attract investments from both local and

foreign parties.

While US$ 4.5 billion could become one of the largest investments in Sri Lanka by 2020, the telecommunications industry which has 6 operators, had already invested over US$ 4.44 billion by the end of 2016, with the two largest players, Dialog Axiata and Sri Lanka Telecom contributing approximately US$ 3.5 billion.

The telecommunications industry technology changes rapidly, requiring rapid investments, and given Sri Lankas increasing appetite for data, given the increasing urbanization and changing lifestyle patterns, further investments may be required in infrastructure in the future.

Further, given the increasing Chinese influence to start a multi-billion dollar industrialization drive in Sri Lanka, the leisure industry may even find itself competing with more industries to claim the top spot of the investment bragging order, if such investments are realized.

Ukwattes hope is that that the tourism industry, which generated US$ 3.52 billion in foreign earnings last year, will become the largest foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka by 2020 backed by the projected investments, overtaking foreign remittances, which earn around US$ 7 billion annually. (CW)
With a primary goal of creating a networking space for the programming community of Sri Lanka, hSenid Mobile Solutions (hMS), together with Effective Solutions (Pvt) Ltd., recently conducted an event on robotics and programmable cars.

The event titled MiCar- Your own programmable car was to encourage young programmers to participate and share their experiences about this new-age technology.

With technology evolving at faster speeds, robots and AI are enhancing productivity, safety and efficiency across industries, including transportation. And while robotics creates new opportunities, there is a huge need for specialized skills for a new generation of engineers who will be required to leverage the power of robotics in innovative and beneficial ways.

Therefore, hSenid Mobile Solutions and Effective Solutions organized this event to build a strong robotics programming community within Sri Lanka which can match up to international standards. We wish to do this by getting the youth engaged in programming and coding events of this nature which would result in creating healthy competition between these participants, which would ultimately better the programming standards in the country as a whole, said Mr. Dinesh Saparamadu, CEO of hSenid Mobile Solutions.

Moreover, the organisers informed that they would be arranging a competition during early 2018, which is open for any programmable car apart from MiCar.

Saparamadu gave the welcome address and briefed the participants regarding the MiCar event and its future plans. Janith Kodithuwakku, the developer behind creating the MiCar device conducted a few demonstrations of the various functions the robotic car is able to perform and answered questions the attendees had with regards to the device.

hSenid Mobile Solutions is a multi-national telco software solutions provider with a focus on platforms converging telco APIs, analytics and signaling. Effective Solutions is a software and automation product development company founded by two electronic and telecommunication undergraduates from the University of Moratuwa.

MiCar is a micro-controllable robotic car that can be programmed by its users with ease. The distinctive feature to other existing products is the usage of light/photo transistors to capture the path instead of following the conventional practice of using capacitors.

This is developed entirely in Sri Lanka and was launched to the public at this event. The participants got the opportunity to learn about how this device works, its multiple functions and provided them with hands-on programming opportunities using the MiCar development tool kit. They were also shown a number of demonstrations of what MiCar can do, such as signal detection, line following, operating via Bluetooth, etc.
I will not put the blame for conspiracies launched in an uncivilized political climate on university students, said President Maithripala Sirisena in Polonnaruwa yesterday.

He further said that a certain group was trying to portray the government as one that creates an unjust situation for medical students at Government Universities by withdrawing their privileges, pruning free education and trying to mislead them.

The President made this point while addressing a function held at the Polonnaruwa Lankapura Maha Vidyalaya.

Speaking further the President said that while around 250, 000 students sit the Advanced Level Examination every year only about 90, 000 qualify to enter university and out of that only about 25, 000 are admitted to local universities. In order to realize their dreams the balance students go abroad spending huge sums of money in the process.

He emphasised the fact that it was because of this that private universities should also be established in our country to offer quality education according to the standards set by the government so as to ensure that the standards are the same in both these universities and government universities alike.

Every year about 80, 000 students are forced to go abroad for their higher education, and their parents, who are in low income groups, even mortgage their properties to make this dream a reality.

The government has taken a stand that even a non-government university should be allowed to operate according to the standards accepted by the government and during the discussions I had with the university students on the SAITM issue we agreed to make several changes to the courses offered at this institution as requested by them, the President said. (K.G Karunarathne)
Elections for local authorities should be held in four years and thus they had been scheduled to be held in 2015 and 2016



It has to be mentioned that the PAFFREL had filed a fundamental rights petition also in the Supreme Court in September last year, seeking an order for authorities to hold the local government elections

The debate over the holding of local government elections or not holding of it has been brought forth again, this time by the tiny dengue mosquito. With the dengue fever spreading to an unprecedented proportion claiming over 200 lives and threatening at least another 63,000, only for the last five and a half months in this year. Opposition parties, especially the Joint Opposition have renewed their agitation calling for the local government elections throughout the country.



They argue that disposal of garbage around the country has been crippled as there are no elected peoples representatives in municipal councils, urban councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas after their term lapsed, leaving the administration of those bodies purely in the hands of the bureaucracy that works mainly upon orders.



They were agitating for the holding of these elections for these local bodies since last year accusing the government for not holding the said elections for fear of defeat in light of their failure in keeping the promises given to the people during the last Presidential and Parliamentary election. Although their claim that the government fears to face the voters seemed first as a usual political vituperation, the governments behaviour during the past one year seems to have given credence to it.

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) has also joined the Joint Oppositions bandwagon this week. Entering into a political debate, the GMOA spokesman Dr. Samantha Ananda said on Tuesday that the solid waste management issues have erupted following the local government bodies were crippled, resulting in the current dengue epidemic situation in the country. It is well known that the powerful trade union of government doctors is in a collision course with the present government over the proposed ETCA agreement with India and especially over the governments refusal to close down the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) or the Malabe private medical college.



There are 335 local government authorities in Sri Lanka which include 23 Municipal Councils, 41 Urban Councils and 271 Pradeshiya Sabhas. Elections were held only for 330 local government bodies in 2006, but later another five new local authorities were created. Elections for the majority of these bodies, except for a few were last held in 2011 on a staggered basis or in three stages. The tenure of almost all these local government authorities has long lapsed by now.

There are 335 local government authorities in Sri Lanka which include 23 Municipal Councils, 41 Urban Councils and 271 Pradeshiya Sabhas. Elections were held only for 330 local government bodies in 2006, but later another five new local authorities were created

Elections for local authorities should be held in four years and thus they had been scheduled to be held in 2015 and 2016, a large majority being in 2015. However, an Act was passed in 2012 to change the electoral system from the Proportional Representation (PR) system to a mixed system of PR and first-past-the-post systems. The new system created a snag in holding elections in 2015, as wards had to be demarcated in areas under each local government body, under the new mixed system.



A National Delimitation Committee for the demarcation of wards was thus appointed in December 2012. Nevertheless, in terms of the enactment of that Act and an amendment Act adopted in the same year, the then Local Government Minister could opt to continue to have the old electoral system (PR system) in place, until the conclusion of the delimitation process.



However, prior to the conclusion of the delimitation process, the then Local Government Minister A. L. M. Athaullah published a Gazette Notification on January 1, 2013, which said that the provisions of the aforesaid amending Acts had come into operation fully and the previous electoral system has become defunct.



The report of the National Delimitation Committee which was appointed by the previous government under the Chairmanship of Jayalath Ravi Dissanayake, a SLAS officer was submitted to the Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister of the new government Faizser Musthapha on June 19, 2015. However, consequent to the publication of it, the ministry had received over 1,000 complaints claiming that the delimitation process was flawed.

It is well known that the powerful trade union of government doctors is in a collision course with the present government over the proposed ETCA agreement with India

Accordingly, a Cabinet sub- committee was appointed to look into the discrepancies in the demarcations of ward boundaries made by the Jayalath Dissanayake committee, followed by the Asoka Peiris committee in October 2015 for the same purpose. An all party conference was also held with the participation of the President and the Prime Minister with regard to the said issue.

Asoka Peiris committee had completed its task within three months and Peiris had been quoted by the Sunday Times on January 3, 2016 as expressing confidence that he could hand over the final report of the committee by the January 31 deadline. However, it was postponed and the Government Information Department said on June 22, 2016 that the Report is expected to be handed over on August 31 which was also not happened.



Again on December 26 Peiris had stated to the media that his report would be handed over to Minister Musthapha on the next day but again the Musthaphas Ministry said the release of the report had been delayed owing to some administrative issues.



In an interview with the Sunday Lankadeepa of January 1, this year Peiris had dropped a bombshell by saying that the Minister was asking him to drag on with the report and both the main political parties were keen to delay the report. He also alleged that the ministry was not providing adequate translators as well.



The Minister had denied the allegations in an interview with the same paper in its next issue. Before that he had retaliated by refusing to accept the report from Peiris publicly at a media conference on January 2, the very next day Peiriss accusation had been published, on the grounds that all five members had not signed it.



Interestingly, the report had not then been signed by the representatives of the two main parties, including the ministers party UPFA which were accused by Peiris for wanting to drag on. Finally the report was handed over to the Minister on January 17 this year.

The EC was quoted this week by the PAFFREL that barring some technicalities, all issues pertaining to the staging of the LG polls had been ironed out. It has to be mentioned that the PAFFREL had filed a fundamental rights petition also in the Supreme Court in September last year, seeking an order for authorities to hold theLG elections

After all, in spite of the fact that the process to change the electoral system had started in 2003; necessary laws pertaining only to local government elections have been promulgated after 13 years.The Election Commission was quoted this week by the PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchie saying that barring some technicalities, all issues pertaining to the staging of the LG polls had been ironed out.



It has to be mentioned that the PAFFREL had filed a fundamental rights petition also in the Supreme Court in September last year, seeking an order for authorities to hold the local government elections. Yet, the government has failed to announce at least a possible date for the holding of the local

government elections.
Kingswood steps into one hundred and twenty six years in a turbulent storm within one of the oldest Unions of Old Boys over an Annual General Meeting. But the prize -giving of the school would be held today with an Old Boy as the Chief Guest. The normal practice of an old Boy as the Guest of the Week would not be there while the Provincial Director is the Guest of Honour. Are these changes for the good of the school founded by a journalist and historian.

There is no parallel anywhere in the world that a journalist had founded an educational Institution and has lasted for one hundred and twenty five years. But, Kingswood College Kandy founded by a journalist Louis Edmund Blaze has withstood the currents of time. He was the Editor of Ceylon Independent and built a public school for the children of the country. He also became a Historian.

There seems to be nothing wrong when the Union of Old Boys goes before Courts, as Kingswood has a vibrant group of students who pass out of its portals. But, the fate remains. The Annual General Meeting is now in abeyance.

Kingswood was the first school to be handed over when schools were taken over by the State. It was also a decision by the Wesleyan Mission. The school proudly presents the three gates, one imported from the United Kingdom, one from South Africa and the other from England. But, unfortunately a Principal, removed this unique blessed gate to the area of the lower school and a new gate was constructed for the Mahapola exhibition, in order to take a heavy truck. But, Mahapola never materialized and disfigured the school entrance.

Kingswood was known as Blaze School founded in 1891 with twelve students, based on the foundations of public schools in England. Blaze was Sri Lankan, but was an Indian graduate from an Indian University, having his basics at Trinity College, Kandy. Kingswood was founded as Kandy Boys High School with a sister school as  Kandy Girls High School. Both were Methodist Mission schools.

On fourth May 1891, Kingswood saw the light of day as The Kandy Boys High School and later changed the name to Kingswood College in 1898.

There are many firsts at Kingswood woven for the benefit of the country, not only for the school. Traffic Units were born at Kingswood College when a senior prefect Sanaraja Banda Senaratne mooted the idea for a school traffic unit way back in the nineteen fiftys. Kingswood commenced rugby and gave up after a player died after an attack of a kick. It was the first school to recruit woman teachers such as Miss Annie Bartholomeuz to a boys school. The first to introduce school bands. The first to send a delegate Francis Rajapakse, to a World jamboree in Paris, and the only delegate to represent Sri Lanka at the Centenary Congress of the Red Cross. These are only a few of the many firsts...

The blessings of Blaze was that any child who passes out of the portals of Kingswood could live up to its standards and also fit into any society, high or low. There was no supremacy and everyone was equal, humble and disciplined. Blaze instilled this concept to the pupils at a very early age, so much so that when the Tulba family of Egyptians were exiled from Egypt and lived in Sri Lanka, they opted for Kingswood for their childrens future rather than forcing them into other recognised schools in Colombo.

The 156th birth anniversary of the founder falls on 29th September, born in 1861.

Blaze forsook an appointment offered by Professor Mars to be the Editor of the one time Journal Ceylon Independent for a short-lived journalistic career. He was also an author of Ceylon History.

The 156th birth anniversary of the founder falls on 29th September, born in 1861

Kingswood was the first school to be handed over when schools were taken over by the State

Kingswood is the only school that has prologues recited



Blaze took to journalism at the age of 15 when he was a student of Trinity College and became the founder editor of the fortnightly school magazine, the Gleaner  which he commenced on 15th May 1876. He commenced the classes with eleven pupils at No. 11, Pavilion Street, Kandy which is now Deva Veediya and houses an Attorneys office. When the school was at Pavilion Street, the Courts was in close proximity and a number of incidents had occurred during this period. One suchstory is when a boy saw a cock walking on the narrow pavement of Pavilion Street. Out came the catapult and the cock rolled on the ground and lay still. Right behind the boy was the Arm of the Law and the boy was taken to the Court, which was close by, now the International Cultural Centre. The Magistrate then was firm and also human. He asked, Where is the cock? The policeman could not touch the cock, because the cock stood up shook his feathers and walked away, among the laughter of the the legal fraternity and the Magistrate. That was life then.

The first prize giving of Kingswood was held in 1895 at the Kandy Town Hall which continued to be the venue till 1904 after which it was moved into Kandy Girls High School Hall and back to the Town Hall.

"There was no supremacy and everyone was equal, humble and disciplined. Blaze instilled this concept to the pupils at a very early age, so much so that when the Tulba family of Egyptians were exiled from Egypt and lived in Sri Lanka, they opted for Kingswood for their childrens future rather than forcing them into other recognised schools in Colombo. "



The first Chief Guest was F. Dornorst and the unique prologue was read by E.G. Jonklass. The privileged student to read the prologue was the winner of the oratory prize of the school, then and even now. Kingswood seldom invites politicians to be their Chief Guest, unless he is the Head of State.

Kingswood is the only school that has prologues recited and this tradition was borrowed from Harrow of England, where prize day poems were recited. In the words of Blaze, the object of the prologue was to get rid of the restlessness that is created during Prize Day in any school. In fact it was a diversion.

Blaze was the first graduate to obtain the B.A.Degree from the University of Calcutta, as student from Trinity College. Then he taught at the Boys School of Lahore for a short time after graduation. Blazes grandfather Hendrik Carl Blaze was a highly placed person in the United Kingdom. He arrived in Sri Lanka as the third mate on board the ship Amphitribe. He had three children including Henry Blaze, who was the father of of Louis Edmund Blaze. The Wesleyan Methodist Conference in England appointed Henry Blaze as a teacher to the Methodist Mission school at Bentota in 1821.

Henry Blaze then became the Headmaster of the Government Boys School, Payagala in 1826 and married a school teacher Margaret Caroline de Joodt in the same year.

A brief caning incident at Kingswood shows Blaze the educationist par excellence at work. It is recorded that when a boy had to be caned, he asked one of the boys to bring a cane and one who volunteered and jumped forward to bring the cane was the one who was caned by Blaze. The reason attributed by Blaze was that the boy who jumped to bring the cane was very eager to see one of his colleagues being punished. This he used to say was not the spirit of Kingswood.

Kingswood had no science teachers and the Wesleyan Mission imported them from India. Most of them did not return . They were involved with the spirit of Kingswood and their contribution spelt beyond the school walls.

Kingswood was lucky enough to obtain a spacious land to build the school in the present premises at Peradeniya Road. The gift was by a man who never set his foot on Kingswood soil nor did he see what was happening at the new education Institution. Sir John Randles the benefactor in England was looking for a school to which he could give 10,000 sterling pounds. The Wesleyan Mission selected Kingswood, which by this time was firmly built by its founder.
A woman lays flowers in tribute outside of Finsbury Mosque, following Mondays van attack on worshippers. AFP

The London Finsbury Park mosque attack was not unexpected. If it did not happen last Sunday, it was only an incident waiting to happen. That the attacker retaliated in kind is significant.

This is war  We have the right to fight back, Britains far right groups declared on social media in defence of Mondays attack in which one worshipper was killed and ten were wounded. The attacker, a father of four, plowed a white van into worshippers when they were coming out of the mosque after late night Ramadan prayers. He wanted to kill all Muslims. The incident was a replica of attacks carried out by Isis terrorists in recent months in London and other European cities. The message is that right-wing extremists are able to operate like a mirror image of Isis.



Rise up and cast Islam out of Britain, urged far-right extremists in social media messages. A British user of the American white supremacist site Stormfront described the attack as A protest against these disgusting pigs.



The rise of far right groups in Europe has been a serious concern to authorities since Norwegian far right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik in two terror attacks on July 22, 2011 killed 77 people, mostly innocent youths at a summer camp.



True, the far-right United Kingdom Independent Party fared miserably at the June 8 British elections and in France, Marine Le Pen of the far right National Front failed to win the French presidential election in May. But in other European countries such as Hungary, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece, right wing political groups have made significant gains in recent years and their membership is rising. They see Muslims as enemies and Islam as a threat to their way of life. The enmity increases with every Isis terror attack.



Isis terrorists are not unaware that every terror act they commit will go to strengthen far-right groups. They surely know that their attacks will only make Muslims in the West a target of Islamophobes, who have become more aggressive following Britains Brexit vote. According to the Guardian newspaper, the number of Islamophobic attacks in Manchester went up fivefold in the week after the concert bombing, with 139 incidents reported to Tell Mama, a group recording Islamophobic crimes, compared to 25 incidents the previous week.



It appears that either there exists a secret deal between the Isis and the far-right groups or they want to start the clash of civilisations.



However, one cannot expect the West to be peaceful and terror-free when the West is mainly responsible for the bloody mayhem in the Middle East. The Palestinians have been suffering for 70 years, because Britains Balfour declaration made 100 years ago allowed the creation of Israel on Palestinian land. As a result of the Wests meddling in Libya, Syria and Iraq, tens of millions of people are going through untold hardships. Britains Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, an anti-war activist, could see it. In a statement following last months Manchester arena bomb attack, he said: Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services, have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries and terrorism here at home.



To combat terrorism, Prime Minister Theresa May, on the contrary, took a position similar to the far-right thinking. She threatened to tear up human rights laws, saying If our human rights laws stop us from doing it, we will change the laws so we can do it.



With democratic leaders making such outlandish statements, we are only accelerating our reverse journey towards barbarism. It should not be called a clash of civilisations, for the civlised are capable of avoiding violence. If at all, it will be a clash of those who have hijacked religion and turned it into an ideology for violence, hatred and intolerance.



The so-called Jihadists  call them khwarijs or those who have exited Islam  and the far-right supremacists want such a clash  an Armageddon of sorts between evil forces. One wants to nuke Makkah or kill all Muslims and the other wants to rid the world of all those who do not subscribe to the terrorists interpretation of Islam.



The silent majority the world over  like most Londoners -- long for a world order based on peace and justice, a world order sustained by a dialogue among civilisations. Cohabitation instead of conflict should be the way forward, but the forces of evil see violence and hatred as means to establish an iniquitous order with supremacists in control. Sadly, even in countries like Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar racist forces and bigots carry out their hate campaigns with impunity, with the State turning a blind eye to hate-mongering or lacking the political will to root out the evil.



Besides racist and extremist ideologies, there are other forces that work against a peaceful world order where pluralism is respected and unity in diversity is seen as strength. With a Donald Trump in Washington, a Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and a King Salman in Saudi Arabia, the threat to a peaceful world order is, perhaps, at an all-time high.



Backed by white supremacists and surrounded by Islam-haters, Trump relishes anti-Muslim rhetoric. The only good Muslims for him are those who make deals with him  like the Gulf royals.



Since Trumps election to power, anti-Muslim incidents have been rising at an alarming rate. He is quick to take to twitter to congratulate himself for taking an anti-Muslim posture whenever the so-called Islamic terror takes place. But he hardly condemns or is slow to condemn white supremacist attacks such as the Portland incident where two Americans died trying to protect two Muslim women from a knife-wielding white supremacist or the Finsbury Park attack.



Netanyahu, whom Trump and most US Congress members dutifully serve, represents Zionist supremacism while King Salman symbolises Sunni bigotry. The three extremist ideologies  white supremacy, Zionism and Sunni extremism --openly cooperate to sustain a conflict-ridden world order for the benefit of a few at the cost of seven billion people who suffer.



That supremacism and bigotry still exist indicates that civilisation has not kept pace with advancements human beings have made in science and technology. It appears that we are virtually still in the state of nature, which, according to the 18th century political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, is a war of every man against every man, a constant and violent condition of competition where existence is nasty, brutish, and short. Shakespeare said, in Julius Caesar, O Judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason!
Binod Chaudhary, who is regarded as Nepals first billionaire and the only one from the Himalayan republic to be listed on Forbes Magazines billionaires list will be the chief guest of the 178th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Chaudhary led CG Corp Global Chaudhary Group is a conglomerate comprising over 80 businesses spread across 5 continents and 30 countries including US, Africa, Dubai, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and China. He is a global player in FMCG and is the brain behind Wai Wai, the iconic brand from CG, which has earned him the sobriquet Noodle King

Chaudhary, who has proved that an entrepreneur can do business in Nepal and still emerge as a billionaire, contrary to the popular perception, has controlling shares in the largest bank in his country and own stakes in numerous hotel investments, joint ventures and brands like Taj, Alila, Fern, Radisson and the ultimate destination wellness The Farm at San Benito.

An avid trekker and a fitness enthusiast, Chaudhari, who is also a philanthropist currently functions as the President Emeritus of Confederation of Nepalese Industries.

The acclaimed businessman has been a member of Constituent Assembly of Nepal, has been the President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce & Industry and had played a role at the World Economic Forums Global Leader for Tomorrow.

Chaudhary, who has been a Prime Ministerial Adviser in Nepal in the 2000s is expected to deliver the keynote address at the upcoming 178th AGM of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The AGM will take place on June 29th at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo.
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Charles HUNTER, individually and on behalf of a class of persons who were issued tickets for running a red light at those intersections within the City of Montgomery where automated photographic equipment is in use, Mike Henderson, individually and on behalf of a class of persons who were issued tickets for running a red light at those intersections within the City of Montgomery where automated photographic equipment is in use and who have not paid the civil fine, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. CITY OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, American Traffic Solutions, Inc., Defendants-Appellants. No. 16-15861 Decided: June 14, 2017

Before ED CARNES, Chief Judge, ROSENBAUM and HIGGINBOTHAM,* Circuit Judges. James Doyle Fuller, Susan Glasscock Copeland, Fuller & Copeland, PC, Montgomery, AL, for PlaintiffsAppellees. Robert E. Poundstone, IV, Rudy Hill, George R. Parker, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP, Montgomery, AL, Marc James Ayers, John Thomas Richie, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP, Birmingham, AL, Kim M. Boyle, Allen C. Miller, Phelps Dunbar, LLP, New Orleans, LA, William E. Shreve, Jr., John Day Peake, III, Phelps Dunbar, LLP, Mobile, AL, for DefendantsAppellants.

The City of Montgomery has a red-light camera program that is managed by American Traffic Solutions, Inc. Under that program Charles Hunter and Mike Henderson were ticketed and required to pay civil fines. They are the named plaintiffs in a would-be class action that was filed in Alabama state court claiming that the program and fines violate state law. (The complaint included a federal law claim but it was later dropped.)

The defendants, the City and Traffic Solutions, removed the case to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act, 28 U.S.C.  1332(d). The district court remanded the case to state court after deciding that the local controversy and home state exceptions, which bar the exercise of jurisdiction under CAFA, applied. See 28 U.S.C.  1332(d)(4)(A), (B). This is the appeal by the two defendants of that remand order.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Accepting the factual allegations in the complaint as true for present purposes, in 2007 Traffic Solutions approached the City and offered to install and manage a system of red light cameras within the city limits. The City liked the idea and enacted an ordinance authorizing a system of Automated Photographic Enforcement of Traffic Control Device Violations. Under the system Traffic Solutions sends photographs of potential red light violations to the Montgomery Police Department. Those photographs are viewed by police officers. If the officers determine that the red light was run, Traffic Solutions sends out a notice of violation to the owner of the vehicle that was driven through the red light. The resulting fine is paid to Traffic Solutions, which keeps a portion of it and remits the remainder to the City.

Under generally applicable law, Alabama classifies running a red light as a criminal misdemeanor. But in 2009, to accommodate Montgomery's program, the Alabama Legislature enacted a law creating a new non-criminal category of state law called a civil violation. That category is the opposite of a generally applicable one because it applies only to red light violations detected by cameras within Montgomery's city limits.

After receiving a notice of violation based on a photo taken by one of Traffic Solutions' red light cameras, Hunter brought this lawsuit as a class action in Alabama state court. His complaint contended that the Legislature's creation of the category of civil violations violated the Alabama Constitution, and that the City's ordinance violated state law. It also claimed that the defendants intentionally made yellow lights too short so that drivers would not have enough time to stop before the light turned red, leading to more violations and more revenue. Finally, the complaint contained a claim under 42 U.S.C.  1983, alleging that the defendants had acted under color of state law to deprive the class of rights protected by the federal Constitution.

The relief sought was: a declaration that the red light camera program was unlawful; a judgment requiring the City to refund all red light violation fines it had collected as a result of the program; an injunction directing both defendants to stop issuing tickets based on the program; an award of attorney's fees under 42 U.S.C.  1988 and the common fund doctrine; and the entry of any other necessary and proper orders.

Traffic Solutions, with the City's consent, removed the lawsuit to federal court based on the  1983 claim, the request for attorney's fees under  1988, and CAFA diversity jurisdiction. Hunter then amended his complaint to drop the  1983 claim and his reliance on  1988 for attorney's fees. The amendment also added as a second named plaintiff Henderson, another Alabamian who had received a red light ticket because of a Traffic Solutions camera. The amended complaint sought the same types of relief as the original one, except that its request for attorney's fees relied on the common fund doctrine alone.

About ten months after the case had been removed to federal court, without prompting the district court ordered supplemental briefing on whether it had subject matter jurisdiction. The order doing that noted the plaintiffs had dropped the  1983 claim, which was the sole federal claim, and it mentioned that one of CAFA's exceptions to the exercise of federal jurisdiction might apply and require a remand to state court. Taking the hint, the plaintiffs' supplemental brief contended that both CAFA's local controversy exception and its home state exception to the exercise of federal jurisdiction applied.

The district court agreed, finding that both exceptions applied so that [j]urisdiction over this case [was] not appropriate under  the Class Action Fairness Act. The court also declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the plaintiffs' claims (a part of its order the defendants do not challenge). This is the defendants' appeal from the remand order.

II. APPELLATE JURISDICTION

We start with whether we have jurisdiction to review the district court's order. See Thomas v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield Ass'n, 594 F.3d 814, 818 (11th Cir. 2010) (noting that even where [n]either party challenges our jurisdiction to entertain an appeal, we are obligated to address jurisdictional questions). As a general matter, remand orders are reviewable as final decisions under 28 U.S.C.  1291. Polk County v. Prison Health Servs., Inc., 170 F.3d 1081, 1083 (11th Cir. 1999); see Quackenbush v. Allstate Ins. Co., 517 U.S. 706, 71315, 116 S.Ct. 1712, 171920, 135 L.Ed.2d 1 (1996).

But our analysis cannot end with that general principle supporting jurisdiction because some of what  1291 giveth,  1447 taketh away. Section 1447(c) reads, in relevant part:

A motion to remand the case on the basis of any defect other than lack of subject matter jurisdiction must be made within 30 days after the filing of the notice of removal under section 1446(a). If at any time before final judgment it appears that the district court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the case shall be remanded.

28 U.S.C.  1447(c). That text encompasses two types of remands: (1) those following a timely motion that are based on a defect other than lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and (2) those, whether motion-motivated or not, that are based on the lack of subject matter jurisdiction. See id.; Whole Health Chiropractic & Wellness, Inc. v. Humana Med. Plan, Inc., 254 F.3d 1317, 1319 (11th Cir. 2001).

Section 1447(d), in turn, provides in relevant part that [a]n order remanding a case to the State court from which it was removed is not reviewable on appeal or otherwise. 28 U.S.C.  1447(d). To readers not given to fanciful interpretation, those words would seem to rule out review in cases, like this one, where there is an order remanding a case to the state court from which it was removed. That is, after all, exactly what the words say. Yet, as Justice Thomas has pointed out, the Supreme Court has interpreted  1447(d) to mean the opposite of what it says. Kakarala v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 578 U.S. , 136 S.Ct. 1153, 1153, 194 L.Ed.2d 618 (2016) (Thomas, J., dissenting from the denial of certiorari). Under the Court's Thermtron decision we do have jurisdiction to decide this appeal, unless the remand order in this case (1) followed a timely motion for a defect other than subject matter jurisdiction, or (2) was based on the district court's lack of subject matter jurisdiction. See Thermtron Prods., Inc. v. Hermansdorfer, 423 U.S. 336, 34546, 96 S.Ct. 584, 590, 46 L.Ed.2d 542 (1976), abrogated on other grounds by Quackenbush, 517 U.S. at 71516, 116 S.Ct. at 1720; see also Quackenbush, 517 U.S. at 71112, 116 S.Ct. at 1718 (explaining that  1447(d) must be read in pari materia with  1447(c), so that only remands based on grounds specified in  1447(c) are immune from review under  1447(d)).

The district court itself raised the possibility that a CAFA exception required remand. Because the remand was not done on motion, the first ground for a  1447(d) jurisdictional bar to our review is out. See Whole Health, 254 F.3d at 1319 (holding that review of a remand was not barred by  1447(d) even though review of that same remand would have been barred if it had been based on a party's motion). And a motion would not have been timely then anyway because the thirty-day deadline had passed ten times over before the district court raised the possibility of the case being subject to remand under one of the two CAFA exceptions.

As to the second ground for a  1447(d) jurisdictional bar to our review, the remand in this case was not for lack of subject matter jurisdiction because the CAFA exceptions that the remand was based on do not go to the existence of subject matter jurisdiction; instead they go to whether jurisdiction may be exercised in a particular circumstance. CAFA, through  1332(d)(2), provides that [t]he district courts shall have original jurisdiction in cases where the amount in controversy is over $5 million and the parties are minimally diverse. See 28 U.S.C.  1332(d)(2). Those two requirements are met in this case.

But if the local controversy exception or the home state exception applies, CAFA requires that the district court decline to exercise jurisdiction. Id.  1332(d)(4). The text recognizes that the court has jurisdiction but prevents the court from exercising it if either exception applies. Serrano v. 180 Connect, Inc., 478 F.3d 1018, 1022 (9th Cir. 2007); see also Watson v. City of Allen, 821 F.3d 634, 639 (5th Cir. 2016) ([T]he local controversy and home state exceptions require abstention from the exercise of jurisdiction and are not truly jurisdictional in nature.). Because the two CAFA exceptions that the district court relied on do not affect the existence of subject matter jurisdiction, the order here does not fall into  1447(d)' s second category of remand orders.

For those reasons, a remand order based on CAFA's local controversy exception or home state exception does not fall within either of  1447(d)'s categories, and review of it is not barred. We do have jurisdiction to entertain this appeal.

III. THE HOME STATE EXCEPTION

Having decided that we have jurisdiction, we turn now to the issue of whether the remand was proper. Congress enacted CAFA to address inequitable state court treatment of class actions and to put an end to certain abusive practices by plaintiffs' class counsel. Lowery v. Ala. Power Co., 483 F.3d 1184, 1193 (11th Cir. 2007). One way the statute does that is by broadening federal diversity jurisdiction over class actions with interstate implications. Id.

As we have already explained, the allegations of the amended complaint in this case, as supplemented by a stipulation in the district court, are adequate to give the district court subject matter jurisdiction over it. See p. , above. The district court may not, however, exercise the CAFA jurisdiction it has if either the local controversy exception or the home state exception applies. 28 U.S.C.  1332(d)(4)(A), (B). The plaintiffs, who are defending the remand, bear the burden of showing that at least one of the exceptions does apply. See Lowery, 483 F.3d at 1208 n.55; Serrano, 478 F.3d at 102324. We start and end with the home state exception.

The home state exception applies if two-thirds or more of the members of all proposed plaintiff classes in the aggregate, and the primary defendants, are citizens of the State in which the action was originally filed. 28 U.S.C.  1332(d)(4)(B). The parties agree that two-thirds or more of the members of the proposed plaintiff classes are citizens of Alabama. And the defendants do not contest that that the City is a citizen of Alabama and that Traffic Solutions is not.

That leaves, as the dispositive question, whether Traffic Solutions is a primary defendant[ ] under CAFA. If it is, then one of the primary defendants is not a citizen of the state where the action was filed, the home state exception to the exercise of jurisdiction does not apply, and the remand cannot be justified under that exception. On the other hand, if Traffic Solutions is not a primary defendant under CAFA, the City is the sole primary defendant and it is a citizen of the state where the action was filed. As a result, the home state exception to the exercise of CAFA jurisdiction will apply, and the remand was proper.

What are primary defendants for CAFA home state exception purposes? The statutory language provides little guidance. The term primary defendants is undefined, and there are no contextual clues as to its meaning. The dictionary does not help much either. It tells us that a primary defendant is one of first rank, importance, or value. Primary, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed. 2009); see also Primary, Random House Unabridged Dictionary (2d ed. 1993) (defining primary as first or highest in rank or importance; chief; principal). That seems to mean there can be only one primary defendant because only one of a type, set, or group can be of first rank, of first importance, or chief, or principal. But we know from the statutory language itself that cannot be correct because the statute uses the plural: primary defendants, not primary defendant. 28 U.S.C.  1332(d)(4)(B). Even after considering the statutory language itself, the specific context in which that language is used, and the broader context of the statute as a whole, Robinson v. Shell Oil Co., 519 U.S. 337, 341, 117 S.Ct. 843, 846, 136 L.Ed.2d 808 (1997), we still find the term ambiguous.

In this situation, absent any other source of guidance, we reluctantly and cautiously turn to legislative history materials. See Barnhill v. Johnson, 503 U.S. 393, 401, 112 S.Ct. 1386, 1391, 118 L.Ed.2d 39 (1992) (To begin, we note that appeals to statutory history are well taken only to resolve statutory ambiguity.) (quotation marks omitted); CBS Broad., Inc. v. Echostar Commc'ns Corp., 265 F.3d 1193, 1212 (11th Cir. 2001) (This Circuit's decisions  mandat[e] that ambiguity in statutory language be shown before a court delves into legislative history.) (quotation marks omitted) (alterations in original); id. at 1213 (Furthermore, we will not consult the Conference Committee Report, as resort to legislative history is unnecessary, and indeed, improper, where the statute's terms are plain and unambiguous.); see also Garcia v. Vanguard Car Rental USA, Inc., 540 F.3d 1242, 1247 (11th Cir. 2008) (explaining that [w]e may consult legislative history to elucidate a statute's ambiguous or vague terms, but when we consult legislative history, we do so with due regard for its well-known limitations and dangers).

The Senate Judiciary Committee's report on CAFA contains this statement about the meaning of the key term in the case before us:

[T]he Committee intends that primary defend[a]nts be interpreted to reach those defendants who are the real targets of the lawsuiti.e., the defendants that would be expected to incur most of the loss if liability is found. Thus, the term primary defendants should include any person who has substantial exposure to significant portions of the proposed class in the action, particularly any defendant that is allegedly liable to the vast majority of the members of the proposed classes (as opposed to simply a few individual class members).

S. Rep. No. 109-14 at 43 (2005). A report issued by the House Judiciary Committee regarding an earlier version of CAFA contains materially identical language. See H.R. Rep. No. 108-144 at 38 (2003). The explanation in the committee reports makes the primary factor in answering the primary defendant question the potential monetary loss that defendant faceswhether it is the real target of the claims seeking damages, has substantial exposure to damages if liability is found, and would incur most of the loss if damages are awarded.

The Third Circuit has stated that the House Judiciary Committee's report and other legislative history supports constru[ing] the words primary defendants' to capture those who are directly liable to the proposed class, as opposed to being vicariously or secondarily liable based upon theories of contribution or indemnification. Vodenichar v. Halcon Energy Props., Inc., 733 F.3d 497, 50405 (3d Cir. 2013). Along the same lines, the Vodenichar opinion suggests that courts assessing whether a defendant is a primary defendant ask whether, given the claims asserted against the defendant, [the defendant] has potential exposure to a significant portion of the class and would sustain a substantial loss as compared to other defendants if found liable. Id. at 50506. We agree with that reasoning and rule, at least where monetary relief is sought, as it is in this case.

It is not difficult to apply this potential monetary loss standard in this case. The only request for monetary relief in the amended complaint is for a refund of all traffic fines collected in connection with the red light camera program. That monetary relief is sought from the City alone, not from Traffic Solutions. Even if the City could and did seek indemnification or contribution from Traffic Solutions for any refunds it paid, that would be vicarious[ ] or secondar[y] liab[ility] for Traffic Solutions, which is not enough to make it a primary defendant. See Vodenichar, 733 F.3d at 50405.

The plaintiffs do seek injunctive relief against Traffic Solutions, but that is not monetary relief. And where monetary relief is sought, it is monetary reliefnot injunctive, declaratory, or any other kind of reliefthat matters. The plaintiffs seek no monetary relief at all from Traffic Solutions. It is not a primary defendant for purposes of the home state exception. That leaves the City as the only primary defendant in this case, and the City is a citizen of Alabama.

Because the only primary defendant is a citizen[ ] of the State in which th [is] action was originally filed, and the other requirements are met, the home state exception to CAFA jurisdiction applies. See 28 U.S.C.  1332(d)(4)(B). We affirm the district court's order remanding this case to Alabama state court.

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. Other CAFA provisions state that the  1332(d)(2) grant of jurisdiction shall not apply in certain circumstances. For example,  1332(d)(5)(B) provides that  1332(d)(2) shall not apply to any class action in which  the number of members of all proposed plaintiff classes in the aggregate is less than 100. None of those shall not apply provisions apply to this case.

. The district court initially requested briefing on the [c]ourt's basis for jurisdiction in this case. But its remand order did not state that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction; instead, the order explained that jurisdiction was not appropriate and that the court was declin[ing] to exercise jurisdiction. In any event, we are not bound by a district court's characterization of the basis of a remand; it is our responsibility to determine whether the remand was based on a jurisdictional defect or some other issue. See Corp. Mgmt. Advisors, Inc. v. Artjen Complexus, Inc., 561 F.3d 1294, 129697 (11th Cir. 2009) (deciding that the district court incorrectly characterized a procedural defect as a lack of subject matter jurisdiction).

. 28 U.S.C.  1453(c) establishes a permissive appeal procedure through which a court of appeals may accept an appeal from an order of a district court granting or denying a motion to remand a class action to the State court from which it was removed. In Evans v. Walter Industries, Inc., 449 F.3d 1159 (11th Cir. 2006), we reviewed under  1453(c) a remand order based on CAFA's local controversy exception. We did so because the Evans appellants had sought review only under  1453(c). That decision says nothing about whether  1291 could have been an alternative basis for appellate jurisdiction.

. The Senate Judiciary Committee report does not state that its explanation of primary defendants applies to the home state exception,  1332(d)(4)(B). Instead, it says that explanation applies to  1332(d)(3), which allows remand in the interests of justice, after consideration of six factors, if greater than one-third but less than two-thirds of the members of all proposed plaintiff classes in the aggregate and the primary defendants are citizens of the State in which the action was originally filed. There is no good reason to believe that the Senate Judiciary Committee's explanation of primary defendants would not also apply to the home state exception contained in  1332(d)(4)(B).

. Sometimes the monetary value of declaratory or injunctive relief is substantial. See, e.g., S. Fla. Wellness, Inc. v. Allstate Ins. Co., 745 F.3d 1312, 131516 (11th Cir. 2014) (declaratory judgment would entitle class members to over $68 million in benefits). We imply no view on how the primary defendant issue should be decided in a case where the monetary value of the declaratory or injunctive relief exceeds the amount of the monetary relief sought.

. Because we affirm the remand order on the basis of the home state exception, we need not, and do not, reach the district court's alternative ground that the local controversy exception applies.

ED CARNES, Chief Judge:
In politics there are degrees of expedience, of imperative, of loyalty, of friendships that sour and enmities that are forgotten. Nothing is cast in stone, which is why no one can be counted on as a permanent ally or foe. Picking on parties and individuals has naturally become a political necessity. Not just a necessity, but a necessary frill.

The truth is that Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, whose critique of Gotabaya Rajapaksa while the latter was in power years ago has resurfaced on social media, has changed. The truth is that hes not the only commentator bearing similar credentials and beliefs who has changed. The Joint Opposition is chock-a-bloc with those who affirm Sinhala Buddhist monoliths, multicultural monoliths, federalism and chauvinism. These faces were different while the man they supported was in power. They were different then because when the man you support is in power, you tend to push for your beliefs and diverge from his. Now that he is not in power, they have skewed those beliefs, or set them aside, until directly or through a proxy he does return to power.

My point is that both the government and Joint Opposition are operating on flawed premises. The government has made itself out as an anti-racist, anti-majoritarian coalition. The Joint Opposition has made itself out as the obverse of it. The tragedy here is that these stances (some laudable, others not) are being denied by their own representatives. So you have a policy of anti-racism by the government being subverted by the alleged racism of some of those who head that same government.

No less a figure than our president, lets not forget, was touted as the panacea for the primitive traditionalism of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. That this was only make-believe transpired much later. It transpired when the President condemned the organisers of a concert with the threat of a rather archaic punishment. It transpired when he openly condemned those who were investigating members of the armed forces. And it transpired when those who headed the many outfits formed prior and consequent to his election (to mention just one of them, Sarath Wijesuriya) began clashing with the same majoritarianism they had combated in the previous regime.

"The values those who hedge their bets on Gotabaya stand for are patently Dayans as well. Dayan is against any intrusions made by external players on our countrys sovereignty."

Dayan Jayatilleka is the ideological counterpoint to the majoritarianism echoed by the Joint Opposition. He is to it what the likes of Sarath Wijesuriya are to the government, with a caveat: the government is essentially two-faced, maintaining one in front of the people (reminding them that the armed forces will not be witch-hunted) and another in front of the international community (reminding them that certain elements in those forces will be tried in court). The Joint Opposition on the other hand, is chauvinist, by which I am not condemning them: after all there are degrees of chauvinism and when compared to certain individuals who condemn them, those who house the JO are saints. Which, incidentally, is what makes Dayans dilemma even more poignant.

The ideological founders of the movement that birthed Mahinda Rajapaksa were if I may put it, Nalin de Silva and Gunadasa Amarasekera. They were combating Tamil chauvinism in the seventies and eighties when the likes of Dayan were condemning Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism. They were behind the Jathika Chinthanaya, which tried to find a figure to continue Anagarika Dharmapalas national revivalist programme. Dharmapala had been succeeded, rather paradoxically and incompletely, by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. The Jathika Chinthanayas attempts to legitimise a more cohesive successor in that respect culminated, I believe, in 2005, when Chandrika Kumaratunga was ousted and Mahinda Rajapaksa became president. But Im digressing here.

Chandrika Kumaratunga in a speech on S.J.V. Chelvanayakam argued that Dayans current position(s) on power sharing couldnt be squared with his appointment as a minister in the Vadarajah Perumal North-East Provincial Council. That is true. (Not that she was any better at sticking to rhetoric, of course.) But this is only half the story: the other half, I believe, can be gleaned from perusing his background.

Dayan Jayatilleka was born to a largely cosmopolitan society and intelligentsia. His father, one of the finest prose stylists of his time had attended what the son later pointed out as the three most powerful ideological apparatuses of modern Sri Lanka: Royal College, Peradeniya University and Lake House. One of Dayans most enduring qualities is his penchant for types as opposed to absolutes, a legacy of his education in political science, which led him to describe his upbringing as follows:

My parents read Grimms Fairy Tales to me at bedtime, but my maternal grandmother from Moratuwa told me stories in Sinhala and was the only one to do so. She related Martin Wickramasinghes story Rohini to me. It is a romantic martial tale set within the Dutugemunu saga. She couldnt have been a Sinhala Buddhist chauvinist. She was a Catholic, originally from Nuwara Eliya, married to a highly literate Buddhist from Panadura.

At a time when lesser intellectuals were making the waves lambasting Sinhala Buddhism and affirming Tamil separatism, he stood out by opposing both. He made his political presence known to us most vividly in the eighties, and for better or worse, his subsequent political stints have been measured against what he did back then. He was active at a time when Gorbachev was preaching the gospel of glasnost, when Castro was moving away from the Soviet Union and when Communism was collapsing everywhere. It was a period of change. Change at all costs.

His most virulent critic, who happens to be a mentor of sorts to me, was at one point Malinda Seneviratne. Like Dayans father, Malinda was nurtured in those aforementioned three institutions. Like Dayans father, Malinda rejected the right-wing, elitist ethos of those institutions and became a nationalist. But theres never just one kind of nationalism: there are nationalisms, so soon enough we saw Dayan and Malinda fighting via newspaper columns despite the fact that both were opposed to the government over its handling of the war. Consequently, no one batted or bowled for them: the intellectuals were opposed to both since they were nationalists, so they enjoyed the fires they were igniting against each other.

Today Malinda and Dayan are on the same plane, though only barely. But I think its a mistake to vilify the latter with the same criterion the intellectuals use to vilify the former. Malinda never batted for anyone. People despised him because he had the guts to call out those opposed to Rajapaksa without supporting him explicitly, something he does even today. Dayan, on the other hand, is despised because he believes in the lesser of the two evils, an argument Malinda does not subscribe to at all, and because, for him, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is that lesser evil today.

The values those who hedge their bets on Gotabaya stand for are patently Dayans as well. Dayan is against any intrusions made by external players on our countrys sovereignty. He is also a moderate federalist, one who believes in the ideals but not the substance of the arguments of those who bat for the 13th Amendment. To hardcore nationalists, particularly to those responsible for Mahinda Rajapaksas political ascent, he is an outsider. Despite this, however, I believe their idealisation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not too different to Dayans: both see in him an administrator who can save us. At the end of the day, the success or failure of Project Gotabaya will depend on how these two camps come together by 2020. And I think much of the task to convince the two of Gotabayas political veracity has been left to Dayan.

Its no surprise that in his support for Rajapaksa, Dayan attracts more flak than Malinda, Nalin de Silva, and Gunadasa Amarasekera. Thats to be expected: all these people have been attracting flak ever since they went active, even Dayan. The latters support of a political figure that is incongruent with his wider political beliefs, however, is recent. In politics the recent more than the old, always sells. So Dayan, who I daresay has become the most significant political commentator of our time in Sri Lanka (something none of those intellectuals who rail against him can equal), will be at the receiving end of even more anger as the days and months progress.

He therefore remains a lone wolf. But then, we all are. Perhaps that is enough to cut him some slack. I wouldnt know. All I know and all that everyone who rails against him knows, is that the man can prevail. Dayan wins battles but loses wars was how someone summed him up. Maybe the battle hasnt ended. Maybe the war is yet to come. Again, I wouldnt know. And I wouldnt want to know. At least, not yet.
Baghdad, (Reuters), 22.06.2017 - More than 5 million children are in urgent need of aid in Iraq, the United Nations said on Thursday.



Across Iraq, children continue to witness sheer horror and unimaginable violence, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement.



They have been killed, injured, abducted and forced to shoot and kill in one of the most brutal wars in recent history. In Mosul, children are being deliberately targeted and killed by Islamic State militants to punish families and deter them from fleeing.



International organizations estimate that more than 100,000 civilians, of whom half are children, are trapped in extremely dangerous conditions in the Old City centre. More than 1,000 children have been killed and more than 1,100 wounded or maimed since 2014, it said.



Across Iraq, children continue to witness sheer horror and unimaginable violence, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement.



They have been killed, injured, abducted and forced to shoot and kill in one of the most brutal wars in recent history. In Mosul, children are being deliberately targeted and killed by Islamic State militants to punish families and deter them from fleeing.



International organizations estimate that more than 100,000 civilians, of whom half are children, are trapped in extremely dangerous conditions in the Old City centre. More than 1,000 children have been killed and more than 1,100 wounded or maimed since 2014, it said.
Though the Colombo Municipal Council collected garbage on a regular basis, people did not dump garbage at allocated places making the process of garbage collecting cumbersome, CMC Commissioner V. K. A. Anura said yesterday.

He said there were several piles of garbage remained in the city.

He said that the CMC had asked the assistance of the Armed Forces to raid illegal places of dumping garbage.

"Although we collect garbage on a regular basis, people do not dump garbage at appropriate places. Therefore, we have asked the forces and the Police to assist us to raid garbage dumping. So far, we have raided 111 such places and further raids will be carried out in future," the Commissioner told the Daily Mirror.

Though a considerable amount of garbage had been collected in the Colombo city during the last few days, the Daily Mirror witnessed several piles of garbage still remaining in the city.

Garbage piles have not seen at Dematagoda, Colombo 10, Colombo 03 and Manning Town in Borella. (By Sheain Fernandopulle)
Regular PickMe patron, Joanne De La Zilwa, took home a cash prize of Rs.1 million after she was adjudged as the lucky winner of PickMe Waasi Grand Draw 2017, the three-month loyalty programme introduced for patrons of the tech-based taxi hailing company.

Kicking off for the first time in March 2017, PickMe Waasi showered PickMe patrons with a plethora of giveaways for patrons who completed 100 rides with PickMe before June 10, 2017. During the three months that the programme was operating, 1,000 passengers received PickMe merchandise on a weekly basis while a further 100 passengers were awarded shopping vouchers each worth Rs.10,000.

Additionally, 10 lucky winners received iPhone 7s from PickMe as consolation prizes in the grand draw.

De La Zilwa received her grand award from PickMe Chairman Ajit Gunewardene at the PickMe Waasi awarding ceremony, which was held at Jetwing Colombo 7. The ceremony was also graced by PickMe Chief Executive Officer Jiffry Zulfer, PickMe board members, special invitees for Sri Lanka Police, PickMe staff members and winners of PickeMe Waasi.

Congratulating all the winners, Gunewardene said, We have two sets of customers  the driver and the passenger. We are acutely aware that we must constantly exceed expectations of both sets to achieve success and continue to be the market leader. This is our sole aim; nothing else matters unless we can deliver excellence in the eyes of our customer. We will not rest until we achieve that goal. Dananjani Ratnatunge, Mohomad Shafraz, Ishan Madumalitha, Ishani Fernando, Silmiya Mohamed, Asanka Samaraweera, Aynth Ali, Shyam Khan, Hamry Rafeek and Chaminda Janaka were the winners of 10 brand-new iPhone 7s while 10 other passengers were awarded with special prizes for their outstanding brand loyalty for the year 2016-17.

Throughout the 12 weeks of gift giving, PickMe Waasi  the biggest and the first of its kind competition in Sri Lanka  created more than 14,000 lucky winners. Although on a more personal level, PickMe Waasi is also our way of expressing gratitude to some of our most loyal customers for their continued patronage. Moving forward we aim to further expand this initiative, while naturally working towards the continuous improvement of our platform and offering, PickMe Chief Executive Officer Jiffry Zulfer added. As the largest organised taxi platform in Sri Lanka, PickMe currently services the Colombo regions complete transportation needs and maintains a base of over half a million registered users of the PickMe app and a taxi fleet of over 10 thousand, including three wheelers, mini cars, cars and vans.
In Colombo and other cities, peak-time traffic snarls have led to the calamity of eight road deaths a day in addition to costing hundreds of millions of dollars on wasted fuel, more air pollution and a waste of precious time for hundreds of thousands of people including schoolchildren. Super highways and other road projects have to some extent eased the congestion. But in recent months especially peak time demonstrations by university students and others are flashing red lights that the crisis could worsen.

The Megapolis and Western Development Ministry and the Highways Ministry have launched major projects including elevated highways to link Colombo city with key suburban towns. But these will take at least two more years and effective short-term measures also need to be taken to reduce motor accidents and ease the congestion.



Police traffic expert, former Deputy Inspector General T. Perinpanayagamin an article published in the Daily Mirror on Wednesdayhas proposed some practical steps to reduce motor accidents. With eight Sri Lankans dying everyday due to motor vehicle crashes, the traffic expert says improving road safety should be considered as a social imperative and the Government should be held accountable for its actions and failures. He says road accidents are a huge and complex problem. Therefore the active participation of many organisations and sectors is required to overcome this situation.



According to the former Police traffic chief, regular maintenance of roads is important to achieve road safety. He points out that in terms of the national master plan for 2007-2017 of the Road Development Authority, at Independence in 1948, Sri Lanka had about 11,000 km of trunk roads or Highways, of which 7,000 km were paved. Accordingly, only a small mileage of B class roads running up to 726 Km has been added to the road network in Sri Lanka in 64 years after Independence.



Nevertheless, the total number of vehicles has increased by about 300 per cent in the past 16 years. The number in 2000 was 1,706,382 and it has increased to 6,795,469 last year.



Even though Sri Lanka has an extensive road network, most roads were built about 50 years ago and do not have the capacity to cope with increasing traffic volumes. Therefore theres an urgent need to improve the capacity and efficiency of the road network to meet the growing transport requirements and avoid the road network becoming an impediment to national development, he says.

The former traffic chief recommends that before fines are increased there are several steps the government should take. Among them are the immediate improvement in the road capacity to meet the growing transport requirement; restrictions on light vehicles; speed-limit boards now installed in an ad hoc manner need to be re installed at the demarcated kilometre spot within the built-up area and non-built-up area; provide the public with efficient and safe transport system both by road and rail; driver improvement point system regulation published in a 2011 Government Gazette should be amended and implemented; the endorsement form system needs to be implemented without delay; no parking, parking and standing boards should be erected on main roads; Authorities have failed to erect approved sign boards with panels affixed to the boards prior to police prosecution; National Thoroughfare Act No.40 of 2008: There are serious errors and omissions in the Act and in the Expressway Regulation No. 2/2011 published in the Govt. Gazette No. 1717/4 of 03/08/2011. The entire Act and the Regulation should be repealed and a fresh Act and a Regulation should be enacted; traffic officers need to be trained and given refresher courses prior to being detailed for

traffic duties.



Life is precious and losing it on a road is a calamity and a crime. Therefore the government needs to give priority to road safety and easing traffic congestion.
For thousands of years, widows have been among the most oppressed in society. But many religious leaders have made historic proclamations about the widows mite, saying it is more valuable than all the wealth, gold and silver of the rich and ruling elite in society.

Significantly, the United Nations marked International Widows Day yesterday, saying that, Absent in statistics, unnoticed by researchers, neglected by national and local authorities and mostly overlooked by civil society organizations  the widows situation is dramatic and in effect, invisible.

In a shocking revelation of gender inequality and injustice mainly for widows, the UN says, in many countries, once widowed women often confront a denial of inheritance and land rights, degrading and life-threatening mourning and burial rites and other forms of widow abuse.

In many countries, widowhood is stigmatized and seen as a source of shame. Widows are thought to be cursed in some cultures and are even associated with witchcraft. Such misconceptions can lead to widows being ostracized, abused and worse. Widows children are often affected, both emotionally and economically. Widowed mothers, now supporting their families alone, are forced to withdraw children from school and to rely on their labour. Moreover, widows daughters may suffer multiple deprivations, increasing their vulnerability to abuse, The UN says -- pointing out some social dimensions that most people are not even aware of.

Such cruelties are often seen as justified in terms of cultural or religious practice. Impunity for abuses of the rights of widows is rife, with few perpetrators ever successfully brought to justice. Even in countries where legal protection is more inclusive, widows can suffer social marginalization.



Suggesting some steps towards progress to give widows a better status, the UN says, International Widows Day is an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows  too long invisible, uncounted and ignored. A dearth of reliable hard data remains one of the major obstacles to developing the policies and programmes to address the poverty, violence and discrimination suffered by widows. There is a need for more research and statistics categorised by marital status, sex and age to help reveal the incidence of widow abuse and illustrate the situation of widows.

Furthermore, Governments should take action to uphold their commitments to ensure the rights of widows as enshrined in international law, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Even when national laws exist to protect the rights of widows, what happens in many countries is that weaknesses in the judicial systems compromise how widows rights are defended in practice and should be addressed. Lack of awareness and discrimination by judicial officials can cause widows to avoid turning to the justice system to seek reparations. The UN says, Programmes and policies for ending violence against widows and their children, poverty alleviation, education and other support to widows of all ages also need to be undertaken, including in the context of action plans to accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In post-conflict situations, widows should be brought in to participate fully in peace building and reconciliation processes to ensure that they contribute to sustainable peace and security.



Empowering widows through access to adequate healthcare, education, decent work, full participation in decision-making and public life, and lives free of violence and abuse, would give them a chance to build a secure life after bereavement. Importantly, creating opportunities for widows can also help to protect their children and avoid the cycle of inter-generational poverty and deprivation, the UN says  stressing the positive aspects of how much widows could contribute. Last year the UN secretary general said there were some 259 million widows around the world, and nearly half were living in poverty.

In Sri Lanka, there is an additional crisis of the plight of war widows with the Northern Province alone known to be having some 90 thousand who are struggling for survival. In the South also are many war widows. The government and the society need to give special attention and facilities for them.
Quetta, (Dawn.com/AP),23.06.2017 - At least 11 people including five policeman lost their lives, while 21 others were injured in a suicide blast that shook Shuhada Chowk in Quettas Gulistan Road area on Friday morning, police said.



The injured were moved to Quettas Civil Hospital, where an emergency was declared. Security was tightened across the city following the attack. According to DawnNews, the blast occurred close to Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboobs office.



The blast was powerful enough that it was heard across the city, shattering windows of nearby buildings, said police spokesman Shahzada Farhat.



TV footage showed several badly damaged cars and a road littered with broken glass.



Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema, while talking to media, said it had not been determined yet who was being targeted in the attack. Anwarul Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the provincial government, said the bomb was planted in a moving car.



No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Kakar blamed India for the blast. He offered no evidence.
Textiles and garments industry in Sri Lanka depends heavily on imported raw material and accessories. More than 70 per cent of the raw material and 70pct -90pct of the accessories used in this industry are imported. Since fabrics and accessories account for more than 70pctof the cost of production, lack of backward linkages is a major constraint to the development of this industry.

ThreadSol, an Enterprise Material Management provider for the sewn products industry, has been successful in saving upto 10pct fabric for garment manufacturers in Sri Lanka with its innovative solutions, intelloBuy and intelloCut.

ThreadSols IntelloCut is a material planning and optimization solution for the sewn products industry. With the help of its advanced algorithms, IntelloCut gives the most optimized fabric usage plan for the optimized cutting and wastage reduction. ThreadSols IntelloBuy is a material estimation solution for the sewn products industry. It is the second product by ThreadSol, IntelloBuy gives accurate buying consumption for a particular style which saves millions of dollars of material cost at fabric buying stage.

ThreadSol has successfully partnered with the largest manufacturers in Sri Lanka including MAS Holdings, Orit Apparels, EAM Maliban Textiles, Omegaline, Crystal Martin, Brandix, Hirdaramani and helped them reduce their wastage to under 1pct.

Aroon Hirdaramani, Director- Hirdaramani Group is using ThreadSols intellocut in 10 of their factories across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam. He says, ThreadSols IntelloCut has improved our cutting efficiency by effectively handling multiple fabric groups and planning all end pieces which would otherwise be wasted. This is a solution we would recommend without hesitation.

ThreadSol aims to induce the apparel industry with the current technology prevailing in the world and provides all real-time information of the factories to manufacturers on their mobile phones.

One of the biggest improvements I get from intelloCut is the intelligence to command the process from the beginning- right from the fabric store to the cutting floor. Its like a common thread functioning in the factory that allows for an efficient feedback system. This coupled with automation can get us to become the best in the domain, said Felix Fernando, CEO- Omegaline.

Azeem Ismail, Managing Director, EAM Maliban Textiles is using ThreadSols intellocut in 10 of their factories across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam. He says, IntelloCut has reduced our effort by effectively handling multiple fabric groups and planning all end pieces which would otherwise be wasted. Indeed a solution worth recommending.

IntelloCut is a powerful business tool that has helped us standardize our cut planning process to achieve consistently high utilization of our fabrics across all sites, said Colin Vose, COO- Crystal Martin Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankas apparel manufacturers have realized the gravity of targeting fabric cost to increase their profits. In order to stay competitive they need to automate their processes by using the right technology. We are proud to stand by them in these evolving times, said Prateek Nigam, Country Manager (Sri Lanka) - ThreadSol.

ThreadSol demonstrates an entire range of enterprise material management solutions, which can help Srilankas apparel manufacturers save enormous material cost and boost major profits by upto 50%, in an industry that is heavily dependent upon economic priorities.

ThreadSol was established in 2012 launching its pioneering innovative solutions to challenge the predominant method used by manufacturing industries. In the short span of its operations, ThreadSol has offices in Delhi, Bangalore, Jakarta, Colombo, Istanbul, Ho Chi Minh City and Dhaka. With over 100 success stories around the world, ThreadSol is a name synonymous with consistent material saving and sustainable profit.For more information, please visit www.threadsol.com
The time has come for the country to rethink banning of liquor sales on Poya Days, Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament yesterday.

Speaking during a debate on the notifications made under Excise Ordinance in the House, the Minister said liquor sales were higher on Poya Days than the ordinary days.

"Liquor shop owners take stocks to their residences and sell them at a price which is hundred percent higher than normal," he said adding that people purchased liquor early, usually before the Poya Days, as they were fully aware that shops would to be closed.

He said the situation had become the same on the Christmas Day as well.

Further, the Minister said beer and wine should be available at an affordable price so that people would be discouraged from going for hard liquor.

Lets try and get rid of outdated ideologies, he added while pointing out that the suggestions he had come out with were his personal opinions. (By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the Ministry of Law and Order and Southern Development to report back to him just how university students were able to climb four storeys into the Ministry of Health building without the police being able to stop them.

This came about after he was informed by several ministers that the police did nothing to stop the students protesting against SAITM from getting into the Health Ministry building and causing so much damage to equipment and vehicles belonging to the ministry thereafter.

The PM had also asked the authorities to send him a report on the total cost of the destruction caused as a result of this invasion into the Health Ministry by the protesting students. (Anjula Mahika Weeraratna)
The first 100 day Yahapalana programme with extended life could only amend the Constitution for the 19th time



Post war, they were left with far more serious and sensitive issues than before the war. They were left with issues they never knew before; war crimes, crimes against humanity, transitional justice, reconciliation and accountability among many

Thanks to two ITAK leaders in Jaffna the people say, the North is being fast turned into a Tamil South. Commonalities are many. It begins with playing around with the Colombo Yahapalana government. Then come serious allegations on growing corruption. Next the split within TNA that was being whispered for some time. Now it comes to the streets, as with the SLFP. A sort of joint opposition. One part within the TNA and another outside it. Within a few months, its becomes a typical SLFP. That part which is outside the TNA is acting like the Joint Opposition (JO) in Colombo. They are also now looking for a Tamil Rajapaksa. A popular charismatic leader.



How did this come about?

Removing Wigneswaran is difficult now, as removing Rajapaksa from the SLFP. Sampanthan as leader of the TNA is in the same shoes as President Sirisena in the SLFP. Yet the political reality now is, Wigneswaran has emerged as the de facto leader of the Northern Tamil people, no different to Rajapaksa playing the same leadership role in Sinhala South

First is the deep seated frustration within Tamil society. They lived under every government since independence that promised but never delivered on their grievances. They believed in the Federal Party and Thanthai Chelvanayakam for over two decades to bring them answers.Thereafter, they left their loyalty at the doorstep of the TULF led by Amirthalingam for answers to issues grown bigger and complex. But none was able to help them solve their issues. In fact problems aggravated under every government. Then came Prabhakaran with his LTTE promising a separate Thamil Eelam State in North-East. That Godot never came. Their three decade wait for Prabhakarans promised Thamil Eelam left them once again, as devastated refugees under security forces of the Colombo government.

Post war, they were left with far more serious and sensitive issues than before the war. They were left with issues they never knew before; war crimes, crimes against humanity, transitional justice, reconciliation and accountability among many. These war survivors needed urgent answers to what the war left for them, before taking up long grieved political issues. They needed their own land back for resettlement. They needed answers for the missing in their families. They needed freedom for their youth still lying in detention without any charges. They needed unhindered social and economic space to begin life as respected, dignified citizens. They were also left without a credible political leadership. They needed one to represent them.



It is to this void and with this heavy baggage of a mutilated and frustrated Tamil society the TNA, dominated by ITAK, stepped into. ITAK leadership did not work with the people in repairing the dismantled social structures, for which they would have had to champion issues on the ground. Issues even the LLRC recognised and concluded urgent remedial action is necessary. The ITAK leadership knew, in the absence of any other political alternative, the Tamil people will have to vote them as representatives to all elected bodies, including parliament. They believed representative presence would make them the Tamil bargaining power. But not Rajapaksa. His project, buoyed by war victory against the LTTE,was a Sinhala Buddhist hegemonic project. He thus decided what Tamil people should be given, within his Sinhala Buddhist development politics.

With that the ITAK leadership in TNA was driven to the opposition and worked out a political deal with the UNP leadership. They believed that to be their only way out. The 2015 January presidential elections saw the TNA in the anti-Rajapaksa campaign. Tamil people and the Muslim community too, voted anti-Rajapaksa, en bloc. While the Muslim community expected the new Yahapalana rule to provide a secure life with rabid Sinhala Buddhist campaigns booked for good, the Tamil society expected the ITAK leadership in TNA to settle their most pressing issues, after Rajapaksa was voted out.



The first 100 day Yahapalana programme with extended life could only amend the Constitution for the 19th time. That too, in a very crude manner. TNA leadership with Sampanthan, a respected veteran parliamentarian, promised a total solution to Tamil issues before the end of December 2016, and appealed to the North-East Tamil voters to return the maximum number of TNA candidates to parliament at the August 2015 elections. Sampanthan wanted a very strong representative hand to bring home answers for Tamil grievances. At this election, he was given that extra strength he asked for. Tamil voters in Jaffna district in fact went to the extent of honouring his appeal to have Colombo bred, Royal College educated, Colombo resident Sumanthiran in parliament, that cost EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran, his three times held seat in parliament.

The 2015 January presidential elections saw the TNA in the anti-Rajapaksa campaign. Tamil people and the Muslim community too, voted anti-Rajapaksa, en bloc

Yet to date, the ITAK leadership which is in very close collaboration with this Yahapalana government for over two and a half years, has failed miserably in providing answers to any of the issues. TNA leadership held by ITAK has thus turned out in their alienation from people, to be more a Colombo presence. They, like their Sinhala counterparts in the South, now mark their presence in mainstream media, and are not seen on the ground where voters agitate for answers to their problems now almost 09 years old. These agitations and protests demanding answers needed political patronage and leadership. In the absence of ITAK leadership, it was gradually taken over by others in the TNA and in the Northern Provincial Council led by CM Wigneswaran. This trend grew into what is now known as Thamil Peoples Council (TPC). Among others from Tamil civil society, academics and professionals, TPC includes all 03 alliance members in the TNA, other than ITAK. In present day Tamil politics, it basically reads like the SLFP without the JO in the Sinhala South.

His position that the two ministers against whom proper investigations were not held, should be further investigated had many spins. They were used to justify attempts at removing him through a No Confidence motion, organised by 15 of the 30 ITAK councillors

In such context, Eluga Thamil rallies held in Jaffna last September and later in Batticoloa projected Northern Province CM Wigneswaran as a new Tamil leader. This new face in North and East galvanised mass support around TPC. With massive peoples participation in Jaffna, media hurried to assume a new Tamil political alliance was in the making. That sent shivers down ITAK leadership. It was no different in the South after the JO May Day rally in Galle Face.With Rajapaksa cheered as the peoples leader, SLFP and Yahapalana leaders were also uncomfortable and jittery, post Galle Face rally. All of it, as with the SLFP leadership trying to counter the Rajapaksa factor, led to a widening gap between ITAK leadership and an apparent TNA faction in the Northern PC led by Wigneswaran. With differences polarising into two political camps, as with SLFP politics, Wigneswarans administration in the NPC was accused of corruption. A man who lived with great respect as a Supreme Court judge, Wigneswaran thus decided to investigate allegations of corruption. Sadly the three member Committee he constituted for investigation though with two retired judges, had its own hiccups. There was mention that one of the members in the committee had been earlier retained as defence lawyer against the NPC. Also that, while two ministers were found guilty and recommended to be removed with their ministry Secretaries, other two ministers were not seriously investigated into.



CM Wigneswaran was also far too late in taking up complaints on corruption charges against his administration. He was into conflict with the ITAK leadership already and perhaps did not want to precipitate a crisis by investigating allegations against NPC ministers who are TNA elects. Even when a Committee was belatedly constituted to investigate corruption, there was a serious lapse on the part of CM Wigneswaranin appointing a competent, independent committee of inquiry. That left him vulnerable to attacks by his rival ITAK group. His position that the two ministers against whom proper investigations were not held, should be further investigated had many spins through numerous comments and statementsthat appeared in media. They were used to justifyattempts at removing him through a No Confidence motion, organised by 15 of the 30 ITAK councillors.

Peoples politics outside NPC and ITAK was different. None of these allegations against CM Wigneswaran bothered the Northern voter. What bothered Northern voters were ITAK manipulations to remove Justice Wigneswaran from the office of CM.They did not want their main political plank removed from political power. Protests against attempts to oust Wigneswaran were therefore spontaneous and massive. So massive, Wigneswaran himself wouldnt believe he had been a catalyst of alternate political power in Northern Tamil politics.



Removing Wigneswaran is as difficult now, as removing Rajapaksa from the SLFP. Sampanthan as leader of the TNA is in the same shoes as President Sirisena in the SLFP. He had to save face and immediately worked on a compromise. Fortunately for him, Wigneswaran was also prepared to compromise. Yet the political reality now is, Wigneswaran has emerged as the de facto leader of the Northern Tamil people, no different to Rajapaksa playing the same leadership role in Sinhala South. Yet on two different and opposing political platforms. Wigneswaran emerged on a platform for far more devolved power and Rajapaksa stubbornly on a Unitary State. How these scenarios would evolve would have to be seen in months not years to come.
In one month, Public Art Chattanooga and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center will host The Big Nine Art Bash, a celebration of public art and MLK Boulevard, with a special tribute to the late Booker T.

Since the MLK Murals dedication last January, the boulevard has continued to see vibrant transformations that enhance the neighborhood, honor the Big 9s rich cultural history, and promote economic growth. The latest addition, the MLK District Sculpture Exhibition, was installed in April and animates the lawn of the Bessie along with The Blue Trees.

On July 22, the sculptors will show off their work and share their unique process during the Big 9 Art Bash. The exhibition and lawn of the Bessie will come to life with interactive and site specific performances from The Pop Up Project. Some of the newest and longest-standing establishments along the boulevard will offer food and drink, and later in the evening, guests will enjoy an outdoor screening of the documentary, America's Boulevard: A Mural on MLK, about the creation of the MLK Mural.

The renaissance happening on MLK Boulevard is breathing life into this historic corridor. The Big 9 Art Bash will resurrect the stories of this important neighborhood and take us back to another time by celebrating the African American history, culture, and music of the Big 9, said Katelyn Kirnie, director of Public Art Chattanooga.

The Booker T. Scruggs Ensemble will perform a tribute to the groups late visionary, who passed away earlier this month. Their closing set will be performed in tandem with choreography from the Pop Up Project to one of his songs.



For years the Bessie has helped preserve and share the African American history of the neighborhood and region. We are excited to be a part of the revitalization of MLK Boulevard as a center for our neighbors to gather and for people to experience art and culture on our lawn, said Dionne Jennings, president of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. The Big 9 Art Bash is one of many events we hope to host that encourage Chattanoogans to visit, explore, and learn more about this historic district.



Big 9 Art Bash - Bessie Smith Lawn

Lineup for Sunday, July 22 (7-10 p.m.):

SCULPTURES by Charlie Newton, Ruth Aizuss Migdall, Charlie Brouwer, Harry McDaniel, R.L. Hughey and Deb McNeil

PERFORMANCES by The Pop Up Project: dancers Cornelius Heard, Mattie Waters, Jules Downum, Lacy Maselle

MUSICIANS: Booker T. Scruggs Ensemble, Lon Eldridge, Tyler Martelli and more
First Things First will present Kick-Off to Kindergarten on Thursday, July 20, from 6-7:30 p.m.



Kick-Off to Kindergarten will give parents with children who are soon-to-be kindergartners some insider tips for a smooth transition to the classroom. They will learn how to partner with the childs educators, ways to be involved both in and out of the classroom, gain tips to lessen anxiety about the first days of school, explore the importance of routines and schedules in the home and much more.

Since FTF is partnering with the Downtown YMCA for this event, parking in the garage next door is free when participants get their ticket stamped at the Y. If needed, child supervision with activities for little ones is included in the registration fee.

As a bonus, each family will receive a family fun pack filled with goodies to prepare them for this transition. There will be snacks, sweets and some beverages available.

The cost is $10 per adult. To learn more and register, go to FirstThings.org or call the First Things First office at 267-5383.






Two Cleveland State Community College employees received awards at the staff in-service.

Casi Hodges was the recipient of the Rising Star Award. In order to receive this award, the nominee has to have less than three years and a minimum of six months of service to CSCC, display a positive attitude and a spirit of enthusiasm, share innovative ideas and suggestions, take initiative and be eager to learn and seek additional responsibilities. Ms. Hodges serves as the executive assistant to the president of the college.

Sherri Holloway is the recipient of the Excellence Award. In order to receive this award, the nominee has to have three or more years of service to CSCC, volunteer and/or accept additional assignments/projects, show commitment and determination for the betterment of CSCC, realize how he/she may impact students and the image of CSCC, display professionalism and be considerate of peers. Ms. Holloway serves as the director of Service-Learning for the college.
Hundreds of students from a nearby state are joining forces with P52, a local faithbased service organization, on a mission to improve the lives of Walker County residents. Students will arrive in several waves to tackle projects like painting, cutting grass and disposing of garbage and junk.

Chris Robinson, director and founder of P52, coordinated with Walker County Codes Enforcement to identify residents in need of a helping hand to comply with local property standards.

Mr. Robinson said, This provides a conduit where we can build relationships with both believers and unbelievers as we serve them. As a local pastor, Ive participated in overseas mission trips, but mission is right here in our backyard.

In April, Walker County refocused efforts to bring property up to code throughout the county. Codes Enforcement Officers found 219 violations in April and 318 in May, a 974 percent increase over the same two month period a year ago.

Codes Enforcement Director David Brown said, Were taking an open-minded approach to get everyone on the same page. We understand some people didnt know these rules existed, even though theyve been on the books for years. If they can show us theyre willing to make progress, were willing to hold off on issuing fines.

In August, P52 will also coordinate with Covenant College and Walker County on a day of service for incoming freshman.

P52 got its name from Isaiah 52:7, as a way to glorify God through service.




Cindy Cornette Cindy and Earl Cornette Awards Cindy Cornette won Mrs. North Continent in the Mrs. Globe Classic 2017 pageant on Saturday Previous Next

Cindy Cornette, a Chattanooga resident and former Mrs. Tennessee United States 2008, is representing Mrs. North America in the Mrs. Globe Classic this week in Las Vegas, Nev. and last night won the Dr. Tracy Award, named for the founder of the Mrs. Globe system, and along with her husband Earl Cornette, won The Couple of the Year Award. The Mrs. Globe Classic ceremony will take place Saturday.

About Cindy Cornette:

Mrs. Cornette was crowned Mrs. Tennessee United States 2008 where she went on to place in the top 10 nationally at the Mrs. United States Pageant. She was also Mrs. Tennessee Globe Classic 2015, where she placed 1st runner-up in Mrs. USA Globe Classic 2015.

The Mrs. Globe Classic Web site defines, Magic: (n) The internal female energy that creates shift and change. That has certainly been true for Mrs. Cornette in her life and career as she has been a leader in the financial services industry throughout her over 20-year career. Mr. Cornette forged a successful path in a male-dominated industry where she helps people realize their dreams. During her career as a Wealth Management Advisor, she has achieved awards such as the Million Dollar Roundtable, representing the top 1 percent of insurance agents in the world, and the Premier Advisor award at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, which is based on not just production, but continuing education and professionalism. In addition, during her career as a recording artist, she has performed at places such as the Grand Ole Opry and Disney World. She graduated from Samford and has completed a Leadership program at Wharton through the Aresty Instititue of Executive Education. Her work with non-profit organizations such as March of Dimes, Girls Inc., Heart Association, and Erlanger Childrens Foundation has been an important part of her journey.
RICHMOND  Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney's new panel that will study ways to add context to Confederate statues also should consider renaming additional public buildings to more fully tell the city's story, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine said Friday.

"What I would encourage a commission like this to do is not just even look at existing statues - but we have places for other statues," said Kaine, a former Richmond mayor who was in town Friday on an unrelated event about Senate Republicans' health care proposal.

"We have public buildings that aren't named after anybody now that we could name after people to broaden the story that we're telling about the city," Kaine said after a discussion on health care held at the Sun Trust Center on East Main Street.

"I think there's opportunities to take what is existing and figure out how to put it in context - that's what I think the mayor talked about," Kaine said. "But there's also opportunities to tell new parts of our story, to really flesh it out and be more full about it."

Kaine, a former civil rights lawyer, served on the Richmond City Council from 1994 to 2001 and was the city's mayor from July 1998 to September 2001.

As Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016, Kaine spoke of how he and his wife, Anne Holton, chose long ago to focus on racial healing.

"We a long time ago decided - and maybe it was because we live in Richmond - a city with a history, a city with some scar tissue - we decided that our work would be reconciliation," he said on the campaign trail.

In Richmond on Friday, he gave an example of how a city building was named for a civil rights luminary in 1996.

"Used to be the juvenile courts building was the juvenile courts building," Kaine said. "It's the Oliver Hill Building now," he said, referring to the celebrated civil rights lawyer from Richmond who was a key figure in the legal fight for desegregation of public schools.

"You take a building that didn't have a name and you name it after somebody who has a tie to justice, OK, now you're telling a story. I think there's a lot of those opportunities around the city."

Kaine, Virginia's governor from 2006 to 2010, presided in July 2008, when the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial was dedicated on the grounds of the state Capitol. Among others, the memorial highlights Barbara Johns, the 16-year-old African-American girl who in April 1951 led a walkout at Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County to protest substandard facilities in a school for black students in Farmville.

Hill and Spottswood Robinson took on the students' case, which was rolled into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

In January, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that the renovated 9th Street Office Building just outside Capitol Square would be renamed for Barbara Johns.

The federal courthouse on Broad Street in Richmond, which opened in 2008, is named for Robinson and for Robert R. Merhige Jr., both late federal judges with ties to Richmond.

Robinson, a Richmond native, was an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1948 to 1960. In 1964 he became the first African-American appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Two years later he became a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He later became its chief judge.

Merhige, a New York native, was a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for 30 years. His notable rulings included a 1970 order that the University of Virginia admit women, and later rulings backing desegregation in a number of Virginia school districts.

In 2015, Richmond officials named the city's Manchester courthouse for former state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, the city's first black mayor, and for his brother, Harold M. Marsh Sr., a substitute judge who was slain in 1997.
From left, Dr. Cahill Smith, Min Shu Tsai, Ana Yam, Chin-An Lin, Roger Shen, Jimmy Liu, Tzu-Jung Peng, and Dr. Phillip Thomas From left, Dr. Cahill Smith, Dmitri Vorobiev, Pei-Chun Liao, Jonathan Jung, Tsai, Liu, Yam, Thomas, Mirian Conti, and Dr. William Green, dean of Lees School of Music The 2017 International Piano Festival and Competition participants, along with Festival staff and faculty artists Previous Next

Roger Shen took first place in the 13th annual Lee University piano competition for the collegiate division. The award ceremony concluded the International Piano Festival and Competition held June 11-17 on Lees campus.

Third place was awarded to Chin-An Lin, with an honorable mention going to Tzu-Jung Peng. For the pre-collegiate division, rather than traditional first, second, and third place awards, three second prizes were awarded this year to Jimmy Liu, Min Shu Tsai, and Ana Yam.

Finalists were chosen from a field of nine outstanding young pianists, all of whom also participated in the week-long festival. The festivals 19 participants enjoyed performances by world-renowned guest artists Mirian Conti, Dmitri Vorobiev, Pei-Chun Liao, and Jonathan Jung. Participants also worked closely with Lee University's own faculty members Phillip Thomas and Cahill Smith.

This year, participants engaged with the faculty in group lessons and master classes, in addition to classes in chamber music, piano literature, music career skills, and historical performance.

We had a wonderful week of amazing piano music, said Dr. Thomas. Participants and faculty alike expressed anticipation for next year's Festival.

Mr. Shen is a 19-year-old student from Northbrook, Illinois, who recently graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. Mr. Shen was one of the 23 competitors for the First Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition. A first prize winner in Music Teachers National Association competitions in Illinois and New Hampshire, he has been featured on WFMT 98.7, a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, and performed in two recitals at Carnegie Hall. He is the winner of the 2016 Miami International Piano Festival Academy and the 2017 David D. Dubois Piano Competition.

Ms. Lin, 18, began studying piano at age five in her native country, Taiwan. She majors in piano and minors in clarinet at the University of Taipei. She played her first piano recital when she was 12, and since then, has participated in numerous masterclasses, which provided her with diverse ideas and inspiration. Ms. Lin studies with Pei-Chun Liao and aspires to become a professional pianist.

Mr. Peng, 21, was born in Taiwan and began playing piano at the age of five. He currently studies at University of Taipei with Pei-Chun Liao. He has also taken lessons and masterclasses with Hong Xu, Jean-Marc Luisada, Geoffrey Duce, Philip Martin, and Lena Ching.

Mr. Liu, from Johnson City, Tn., is 16 years old and a sophomore at Science Hill High School. He has won many MTNA and Tennessee Music Teachers Association state competitions, and he won the Tennessee Tech University Young Artist Piano Competition in 2016. This year, Mr. Liu and his duet partner Mary Nerren, also a participant in this years piano festival, won the Tennessee State Senior Piano Duet Competition, the Southern Division Competition, and the Weekley and Arganbright National Piano Duet Competition. He currently studies piano from Esther Park and violin with David Kovac at East Tennessee State University.

Ms. Tsai, 17, was born in Taipei, Taiwan. She began her piano studies with Chia-Ho Cheng at the age of six. In 2012, she performed in the Xiamen-Taiwan Suzuki Method Friendship Concert in Xiamen, China. In 2015, she attended the Tenth European Suzuki Convention in Davos, Switzerland. Ms. Tsai has performed in masterclasses with Julian Jacobson and Philip Martin. She currently studies with Pei-Chun Liao.

Ms. Yam is a 14-year-old student from San Francisco, Ca. She began studying piano with her current teacher Larisa Kanevski in 2012. She won the Iowa Music Teachers Association Piano Competition Level A and Level F. She also won the Central Iowa Symphonys Young Artist Competition and has subsequently performed with the orchestra. Later, Ms. Yam took first place at the MTNA Division Junior Competition. At her middle school, she sings in the chorus and plays the viola in the orchestra.

For information on the annual Lee University International Piano Festival and Competition, contact Lees School of Music at 614-8240 or visit www.leeupiano.com.


As a part of Lee Universitys 13th annual International Piano Festival, Dr. Michael Shinn of the Juilliard School in New York taught a live interactive master class for participating students.

Students performed for Dr. Shinn on a Yamaha DCFX Disklavier PRO concert grand piano on Lees campus while a similarly equipped high-tech reproducing instrument at Yamaha Artist Services in New York recreated, in real time, their exact performances. By transmitting performance data over the internet, this unique instrument allowed Dr. Shinn to hear the students exact performanceswith the pianos keys and pedals moving up and down to capture the subtlest nuance.

The remote masterclass is only one of many tools for performance and education that Yamaha technology makes possible, said Dr. Cahill Smith, Lee music professor and festival artistic director. We had talented young pianists from around the world coming together this week to perform and study. It was truly special to witness their surprise and amazement when they understood what was happening, and for them to be able to connect with Michael Shinn in such a real and highly-artistic way.

Communicating over video chat on a big screen TV, Dr. Shinn and the students played back and forth to one another, with each artist playing the others piano, despite the hundreds of miles between them.

This new technology overcomes the challenge of distance, enabling top musicians and educators to conduct live piano master classes with students from anywhere in the world, making it seem as if the instructor and student are sitting on the same piano bench.

The implications of this technology for teaching and performing are virtually endless, said Dr. Smith.

As a pianist and chamber musician, Dr. Shinn regularly appears in concerts, lecture-recitals and workshops in New York City and across the country. He is the co-founder and co-artistic director of pianoSonoma Music Festival and the co-artistic director of the pianoSonoma Summer Workshop. As an advocate for the arts, Dr. Shinn has been a guest speaker at the Pebble Beach Authors & Ideas Festival as well as the SXSWEdu Conference & Festival, appearing with Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi.

The Yamaha DCFX was provided to the Lee University International Piano Festival and Competition by Ellis Pianos (Birmingham, Alabama) and Yamaha Corporation.

For more information about the Festival, visit www.leeupiano.com. For more information about Lees School of Music, call 614-8240.
The Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon takes place this Sunday. As part of a new course, cyclists will be using the center turn lane and left lanes each direction of Amnicola Highway. Vehicles will have one lane in each direction for travel, and Chattanooga Police Department will be at all major intersections to assist with directing traffic. Vehicles in the outside lanes are only to cross the center lanes at the signals where there will be officers determining when they can cross.





The full closure for the event will begin at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

As part of this closure, Riverfront Pkwy. will be closed to all traffic from Molly Lane to Aquarium Way, as well as the closure of the southbound off-ramp from Veterans Bridge to Riverfront Parkway. The center lanes of Amnicola Highway will remain coned off to traffic during the race from Aquarium Way to just past the entrance to Chattanooga State to accommodate the bicycle route.

The Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon tradition began over 25 years ago and has become a staple event for locals and tourists alike. Visit www.team-magic.com/event s/95 to register and for more information.


The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency offers a reminder that the application period for the 2017 Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Big Game Quota Hunts, the regular elk, youth elk, and WMA youth is now underway and will continue through July 26.

Entries must be submitted before midnight (CDT) July 26.

The WMA hunting instruction sheet lists locations and dates for each of the quota hunts along with drawing rules and regulations. Instruction sheets can be obtained and applications made for the hunts at any TWRA license agent, TWRA regional office or online at the TWRA website, www.tnwildlife.org . Mailed applications will not be processed into the drawing system.

There is no fee for current Annual Sportsman License holders, Lifetime Sportsman License holders, or seniors possessing a Type 167 Annual Senior Citizen Sportsman License. For all other applicants, there is a non-refundable $12 permit fee for each drawing entered. There is a $1 agent fee for applications made at a license agent. When applying at a license agent, hunters must remain at the location while the application is processed to verify the information is correct on the receipt.

For applications made on the internet, there is a $2 internet usage fee. If entering multiple quota hunts, a person must pay the permit and agent fee(s) for each quota hunt application submitted.

The WMA (elk hunts excluded) priority point system gives a priority point for each year a hunter participates (this year a maximum of 12 points) without being successfully drawn for a hunt. Applicants drawn for a hunt last year will start over with a priority of zero.

After all the drawings are conducted, leftover permits will be sold on-line, on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning Aug. 23 at 8 a.m. (CDT).

The states ninth gun elk hunt will be held Oct. 14-20, 2017 with seven individuals selected to participate. Six of the participants will be selected through a computer drawing conducted by the TWRA. The seventh participant will be the recipient of a permit that is donated to a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), which will be announced at a later date. That permit will be auctioned with proceeds going to the elk program.

Additionally, this will be the second year for an archery only hunt with seven permits added. Archery hunt dates are Sept. 30-Oct. 6.

For the sixth year, a Young Sportsman Elk Hunt will be held. Previously held on a weekend, the hunting dates have been expanded and is Oct. 7-13. Those applying must be ages 13-16 years old and resident of Tennessee at the time of the hunt.
Mumbai-based airline had placed an order for 72 new A320 neo aircraft valued at about Rs 32,400 crore on list price.

Mumbai: Budget carrier GoAir is likely to convert some of its Airbus A320 neo planes, which are on order, into Airbus 321s amidst its plans to launch international operations by this winter schedule.

"There is a possibility (of converting some of the A320 neos into A321s), but a decision is yet to be arrived at," GoAir Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said.

The Nusli Wadia-promoted no-frills airline has placed order for 144 A320 neo (new engine option) planes with the European aviation major Airbus in two tranches.

"That is a possibility. We see quite a big asset in this aircraft...we can go for a bigger version, that is something we are looking at. But we have not taken a decision," Prock-Schauer said.

In June 2011, the Mumbai-based airline had placed an order for 72 new A320 neo aircraft valued at about Rs 32,400 crore on list price. Then in January this year, the airline firmed an order for another 72 A320 neos worth Rs 52,000 crore.

The airline currently has a fleet of 23 Airbus 320 family planes in the fleet, including five A320 neos. Prock-Schauer also said that GoAir is aiming to have 37 aircraft in the fleet by March next year.

The doubling of the aircraft order to 114 from 72 will help the airline achieve its goal of becoming one of the top three airlines in the country, he said.

According to him, before going international, the airlines first has to strengthen its domestic presence in order to have a meaningful presence on the routes it flies on, adding that going forward it will be a mix of both domestic and international operations.

"International operations will also play an important role. It will be a mix of domestic and international with 70 per cent domestic and 25-30 per cent international," he said.

The airline has received government's approval to fly to nine countries, including Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhastan. Prock-Schauer said the airline has seen increased profitability in the last fiscal and also corned around nine per cent market share. He, however, did not divulge specific numbers.

Earlier, he inaugurated the airline's Aviation Security Training Institute (ASTI), which has the approval from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). ASTI will conduct aviation security training for its security staff, cockpit and cabin crew or personnel of all stakeholders covering security areas at airports as mandated by BCAS.

"ASTI is in line with our efforts to conduct aviation security classroom and e-learning training courses covering a wide range of issues, including safety and facilitation issues," said Prock-Schauer.

This institute is also authorised and equipped to provide training to other airlines for the security requirements as per regulatory guidelines.
New Delhi: In an effort to help customers keep a better track of all their transactions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked commercial banks to provide sufficient details of all transactions in the passbooks.

The central bank said It has come to our notice that many banks still do not provide adequate details of the transactions in the passbooks and/ or statements of account to enable the account holders to cross-check them. To keep a check on the details provided by these banks, the RBI further has decided that banks shall provide a minimum amount of relevant details of account entries.

These are the things one ought to know under RBIs new directive:

The new directive mandates banks to provide information about deposit insurance cover along with details of its coverage limit in the passbooks.

This is applicable to all commercial banks including branches of foreign banks that operate in India that are insured by the deposit insurance and credit guarantee corporation (DICGC).

DICGC protects bank deposits in the event of a failure. Each depositor is insured up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh for both principal and interest amount held by him/her in the same capacity.

The details which bank passbooks should provide are as follows: Payment to third parties: i) Name of the payee (ii) Mode- Transfer, clearing, inter-branch, RTGS/ NEFT, cash, cheque (number) (iii) Name of the transferee bank, if the payment is made through clearing/ inter-branch transaction/ RTGS/ NEFT.

Payment to self: This should indicate Self as payee. The name of the ATM/ branch if the payment is made by ATM/ another branch

Reversal of wrong credits will require the date of the original credit entry reversed and reasons for reversal, in brief.

Cash deposit should be highlighted as a cash deposit. It would require the name of the depositor i.e. self or third party

Interest on deposits: (i) Mention if the interest is being paid on the Savings Account/ Fixed Deposit (ii) Mention the respective Fixed Deposit Account/ Receipt Number if it is interest paid on Fixed Deposit(s).

Bank charges: i) Mention the nature of the charges  fee/ commission/ fine/ penalty etc. (ii) Mention the reasons for the charges, in brief  e.g. return of cheque (number), commission/ fee on draft issued/ remittance (draft number), cheque collection charge (number), issuance of cheque book, SMS alerts, ATM fees, additional cash withdrawals, etc.

Receipt from third parties: (i) Name of the remitter/ transferor (ii) Mode-Transfer, inter-branch, RTGS/ NEFT, cash, etc. (iii) Name of the transferor bank, if the payment is received through inter-branch transaction, RTGS/ NEFT

Maturity proceeds of fixed deposit/ recurring deposit: i) Name of the Fixed Deposit/ Recurring Deposit holder (ii) Fixed Deposit/ Recurring Deposit account/ receipt number (iii) Date of maturity.
London: India is the only country in the world which has maximum opportunity to invest, leading NRI entrepreneur GP Hinduja has said as he sought a tripartite co-operation among China, India and the UK for the investment.

"Chinese have money, British have expertise, competency and consultancy. There could be a tripartite concept which can work China, UK and India," the Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group told a Chinese delegation and representatives of the British government at a reception he hosted at his residence here last night.

Highlighting that India has excellent opportunities for Chinese companies to invest in infrastructure, he said in his view the only country in the world today which has maximum opportunities is India.

"I hope the governments between themselves think of this and take things forward," he said. "Anything you would like to do with the Hinduja Group in India, UK, China or anywhere else, we will welcome you."

The Chinese billionaires present at the event included Yan Bin, who made his money in Red Bull; husband and wife Chen Hongtian and Lily Yao Lini of Xiangqi, who are in real estate and mining; Xu Hang of Mindray Medical, who are in pharmaceuticals and now diversifying into real estate development; and Angel Wang Yunxiao.

Xu Hang boldly predicted: "The GDP of our three countries (China, India and Britain) will account for more than 50 per cent of the worlds GDP in future."

The Indian billionaires who attended the event included Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute and S P Lohia of Indorama, headquartered in Indonesia.

Speaking on behalf of the British administration, Michael Charlton, chief investment officer in the Department of International Trade, said: "There are huge opportunities for both Indian and Chinese companies in the UK. The Department of International Trade and my boss Secretary of International Trade Liam Fox are looking forward to new, heightened levels of foreign direct investment in the post-Brexit environment."

The meeting was organised by Shanghai-based Hurun Report, who publish rich lists on China and India. Its publisher Rupert Hoogewerf said, "Bringing India and China together, two great cultures of 5,000 years history, is great."
Hyderabad: Notwithstanding headwinds, Indian IT export is projected to grow by 7-8 per cent - the same rate as last year - while the domestic infotech industry is expected to expand at 10-11 per cent in 2017-18, Nasscom said in its guidance today.

The IT-BPM industry is expected to add 1.3-1.5 lakh new jobs during 2017-18, Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar told reporters here. In the previous fiscal, the industry's net hiring stood at 1.7 lakh.

Keeping in view the political and economic uncertainties in key overseas markets that impacted decision-making and discretionary spend, and also the performance of IT companies last year, the industry body expects the future outlook to be positive, he said.

"We expect export revenues to grow by 7 to 8 per cent, not hugely different from last year (7.5 per cent), notwithstanding the headwinds we talked about (H1-B visa curbs in US, protectionism and Brexit). The domestic segment is actually growing at slightly faster pace - that is 10 to 11 per cent in dollar terms. We definitely see the industry to be net hirer of as many as 1.3 to 1.5 lakh people in the year ahead. This industry continues to be a substantial hirer and a substantial creator of new jobs. At the same time, there is a churn in the industry too," Chandrashekhar said.

He said as the industry is currently driven by digital revolution, Nasscom has decided to re-skill about 1.5 to 2 million IT professionals to equip them for future requirements. "Nasscom is working with its partners, members to establish a comprehensive digital platform. You will be hearing about this more during the months ahead. We expect 1.5 to 2 million people amongst the workforce to be re-skilled in the next four to five years."

The size of the Indian IT industry is pegged at USD 154 billion, including USD 11 billion incremental revenues added in the previous fiscal, according to Nasscom.

"Uncertainty impacted the businesses. Whether it is BFSI segment or healthcare, all segments confronted by the uncertainty delayed the decision-making in the quest for stability. That translated into low opportunities for IT industry," the Nasscom chief explained.

Chandrashekhar, however, was optimistic about growth of the domestic IT industry, backed by some of the Centre's initiatives such as aiming for one trillion dollar digital economy. Replying to a query, he said the Indian IT industry is all set to move beyond the heavy-dependent markets - the USA and the UK - which account for almost 80 per cent of export - and expand footprints to newer geographies such as Continental Europe, Japan, China and Africa.

For this fiscal, IT major Infosys expects its revenues to rise 6.5-8.5 per cent in constant currency (and 6.1 per cent-8.1 per cent in USD terms), while Cognizant has guided for 8-10 per cent rise in topline in constant currency terms.

Keshab Panda, MD and CEO, L&T Technology Services, said, "Our experience in enabling digital engineering for our clients smart manufacturing, smart products, smart services and operations is in sync with Nasscom's observation of technology being at the forefront of change at organisations."

"While the ER&D (engineering R&D) space is different in multiple aspects as compared to conventional IT companies, we are confident of our double digit growth on financial parameters," he said.
New Delhi: Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha on Thursday vowed to save the debt-laden sector in his meeting with industry leaders, including Sunil Bharti Mittal, as incumbents highlighted the financial stress inflicted on them by Reliance Jio.

"An inter-ministerial group has been constituted to examine the issues affecting repayment capability and viability in the telecom sector. Their report is expected soon," Sinha said after a two-hour meeting with the telecom honchos. "Corrective steps will be taken by the government for ensuring orderly growth in this sector in terms of services to the common man," he added.

Sinha's meeting with the telecom bigwigs comes amid a raging financial crisis in the telecom sector. The industry is reeling under revenue and profitability pressures, and its debt has risen to a colossal Rs 4.6 lakh crore.

Incidentally, officials of State Bank of India were also present at the meeting and are understood to have said that sector is indeed facing financial difficulties with operational profit tanking to Rs 45,000 crore from Rs 75,000 crore just two years back. They also warned that the sector is staring at a deficit of Rs 80,000-90,000 crore after taking into account the interest payments, loan repayments and capex requirements.

During the meeting, Jio is believed to have dubbed the stress in the telecom sector as a misconception. It said the sector's operating profit margins at 30 per cent are among the highest as compared to other industries. Jio reiterated the arguments it had made to the inter-ministerial group last week that large operators should bring in more equity and reduce debt.

Asked about Jio's allegations that operators were not infusing enough equity, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal quipped, "Please go and look at our balancesheet."

In the meeting, Airtel is learnt to have said that the return on capital has come down from 6 per cent to 3.4 per cent in the last quarter of fiscal 2017.

Justifying the revenue dip in telecom sector, Jio is learnt to have said that revenue of state-run operators too had taken a hit in 2002-03 due to the entry of private operators in the long-distance telephony space, and the sector had been affected again in 2008 when new players entered the market. However, it added, the industry revenue grew subsequently.

The incumbent operators and Jio differed sharply over the contentious issue of call connect charges, with the newcomer favouring removal of these rates and incumbents demanding an increase in the current rate of 14 paise/minute.

An official present at the meeting said that incumbent operators also pointed to the asymmetric traffic to justify their demand for an increase in the Interconnection Usage Charges.

SBI, which had last week met the inter-ministerial group, supported deferment of spectrum payment with moratorium of 3-5 years and increase in instalments. It also favoured reduction in levies and taxes from the current level of 33 per cent to 22 per cent in tune with global practices.

Apart from Mittal and Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani, today's meeting was also attended by Idea Cellular Managing Director Himanshu Kapania, Tata Sons Director Ishaat Hussain and Reliance Jio Infocomm Board Member Mahendra Nahata. Telenor CEO Sharad Mehrotra was also present at the meeting.

The meeting comes just days after the inter-ministerial group held a dialogue with all telecom companies on the industry's financial stress and measures that can be taken to ease the situation.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India too had met the telecom companies last week, where Idea Cellular suggested imposition of a minimum floor price for voice and data services.
Mumbai: Benchmark Sensex gave up early gains to end 153 points lower at 31,138.21 today while the Nifty cracked below the 9,600-mark as investors took profit ahead of a long weekend.

On a weekly basis, the Sensex gained 81.81 points, or 0.26 per cent, while the broader Nifty shed 13.10 points, or 0.13 per cent.

Markets will remain closed on Monday on account of 'Id-ul-Fitr' (Ramzan Id).

The 30-share Sensex rose over 75 points in morning trade and shot up to 31,365.39, but quickly lost momentum to hit the day's low of 31,110.39. It finally ended 152.53 points, or 0.49 per cent lower at 31,138.21.

The Sensex had gained 7.10 points in yesterday's session.

The broader NSE Nifty moved between 9,647.65 and 9,565.30, before ending 55.05 points, or 0.57 per cent down at 9,574.95.
Mumbai: After the critically acclaimed Talvar, Meghna Gulzar is flagging off the screen adaptation of Harinder Sikkas book, Calling Sehmat, which has Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles.

The film has been renamed to Raazi from Sehmat, and joining the bandwagon is filmmaker Karan Johar as its producer.

With Karan Johars Dharma Productions Alia is also known for experimenting her roles, be it her role in Highway, Udta Punjab or Dear Zindagi and we have seen Vicky portraying variety of roles from playing a boy next door in Masaan to a top cop in Raman Raghav 2.0.

Excited on signing Raazi, Vicky Kaushal says, I'm honoured to be getting an opportunity to work with Meghana Gulzar and also looking forward to working with Alia, who I feel is one of the finest actresses we have at the moment. Actually, the entire team is so talented and especially to be working with Dharma Productions is rewarding for any young actor. I'll soon wrap up Raju Sir's Film and will begin Shooting for Raazi.

It is a story of a Kashmiri woman, who is married to a Pakistani Army Officer and so Alia and Vicky are training on the dialect and accent as well as the general features of the character. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 war and it is a very real drama and thus the feelings expressed have to be absolutely authentic.

Alia will be seen playing a Kashmiri woman working for the Indian intelligence, spying on her husband, a Pak army man, played by Vicky.

The team has joined for workshops for a couple of weeks before they begin shooting at the end of this month. It will be interesting to see this unique pairing of experimental actors together in this movie.
Bharti Singh thanks her fans for their wishes by sharing this picture from the hospital. (Pic: Instagram/bharti.laughterqueen)

Mumbai: On Thursday, televisions stand-up comedienne Bharti Singh was immediately rushed to Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri, Mumbai, after she complained of a terrible stomachache.

Also a participant of a popular couple dance reality show, Bharti has been diagnosed with gall bladder stones and has been under medication.

Reportedly, the comedienne-host has to now undergo a liver surgery

Thanking fans for their wishes, she posted a picture of herself from the hospital and informed her fans about her health.

She wrote, "Thank you, everyone, for your wishes. I'm feeling a lot better now. #love#wishes #respect."

Thank you everyone for your wishes. I'm feeling a lot better now.#love#wishes #respect  A post shared by Bharti Singh (@bharti.laughterqueen) on Jun 22, 2017 at 11:41pm PDT

Owing to her surgery, Bharti, along with her beau Harsh Limbachiyaa will give the dance reality shows finale episode a miss.

According to a leading portal, Bharti and fiance Harsh' preparation for the finale of Nach Baliye 8 was in full swing, then this episode happened, and the couple will now not attend the finale show of the reality show they had been a part of.

Bharti Singh and her beau Harsh were among the first couples to get eliminated from the dance reality show, and the anchor comedienne's gigs were expected to be an integral part of the finale episode.

A source informed the portal, "Bharti and Harsh performed brilliantly on the show, and they were an important part of the finale episode. However, Bharti was rushed to the hospital around 3 am on Thursday. She will have to undergo a liver surgery and there is no other option for the couple but to miss the finale."

Get well soon Bharti.
Comedienne Jamie Lever has made a mark for herself in the industry based on her own talent, but she admits that the audience has accepted her with a lot of warmth due to the love her father Johnny Lever commands. She declares that her dad is not just her dad but a guru, manager and mentor.

However, initially her father had wanted her to stay away from the limelight, says Jamie. My parents wanted me to do the usual stuff  get an education, pursue graduation, then post graduation and enter into a secure job. And I successfully, obediently and diligently did what they had asked me to do. But, I also used to participate in all sorts of extracurricular activities since a young age. To my happiness, people used to enjoy my acts. However, my parents never acknowledged or encouraged me to think about it seriously. So, I kind of left it as a secondary thought till I went to London, she laughs, adding, That place became my playground to experiment as I used to attend gigs, plays and stand-ups. So, when my father visited London on one of his tours, I sat him down, and told him that I wanted to be an entertainer.

Comedy runs in her blood, but ask her if it is a huge part of their off the camera lives too and she says, Oh, yes. All day, everyday. My dad has a habit of going online and searching for new jokes. Then if he likes a joke, he reads it out loud in front of us and we sit and discuss things like how the writer must have written it, what must have gone through his head at the time of writing, the usage of words, puns, language, whether the joke could have been written in any other way to make it more effective, etc. In short, its like a biology class on the new comedy with Professor Johnny Lever! Jamie, who has shared screen space with actor-comedian Kapil Sharma in his debut film Kis Kisko Pyaar Karun, is currently hosting Sony TVs kids reality show Sabse Bada Kalakar. I am currently also in the ideation stage for my web series, which will be based on my own life, my struggles, my relationship with my family, etc.

Jamie with her dad Johnny Lever.

Coming from a filmy background, Jamie has seen the world of showbiz closely. Talking about comedians place in Bollywood in present times, she shares, Bwood has evolved in the sense that there is no place for comedians separately anymore. Barring a few movies  like lets say Golmaal, wherein a comedian gets to do his own act  if you observe closely, everywhere, the lead actor himself/herself indulges in situational comedy. Thats why I feel there is no space specifically for a comedian. People need an all-rounder these days, which is why I am also preparing myself as an actor more than just a comedienne.
Mumbai: Johnny Depp has asked a crowd at the Glastonbury Festival when was the last time an actor assassinated a president. The remarks came during a segment Thursday in which Depp was speaking about President Donald Trump.

He asked the question at the annual festival that celebrates the performing arts.

The 54-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star followed by saying that he is not an actor, but someone who lies for a living.

However, he said, its been a while, and maybe its time.

Actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

Depp was at the festival to introduce a screening of his 2004 film The Libertine.

He played Trump last year in a Fun or Die video parody of the businessmans 1987 book The Art of the Deal.
Rating:

Director: Kabir Khan

Cast: Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Zhu Zhu, Om Puri, Matin Rey Tangu and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub

Salman Khan is not an actor, he is an emotion. Until he joined hands with director Kabir Khan, who has a flair for making war films in Bollywood, the actor wasn't really a content-driven star. Ek Tha Tiger or Bajrangi Bhaijaan, both the films had a plot, but Tubelight seems to be far away from them. Looks like Salman's massive popularity saves him in every Eid release, but with Tubelight, only hope can save him and his film. Based in Kumaon, the film is an official adaptation of Little Boy, but it is nowhere close to the original one.

Laxman (Salman Khan) loses his parents in early childhood and is left with a younger brother Bharat (Sohail Khan) to take care of. Banne Chacha (Om Puri) raises them in his ashram until the two get settled. One fine day, few jawaans of the Indian Army come to Kumaon in search of soldiers and Banney Chacha insists Bharat to join the force. Laxman doesn't find this idea good, but eventually Bharat leaves to join the force. Unfortunately, the Chinese army attack them and make Bharat their hostage. He tries to escape, but gets killed, while Laxman eagerly awaits his brother Bharat to come back.

Meanwhile, Laxman meets Liling (Zhu Zhu) and her son Gou (Matin) in the city as they shift from Kolkata to Kumaon in order to be safe from the war.

Set in 1962, the worst part of the film is its weak plot and sloppy execution. Tubelight is by far Kabir Khan's weakest film. Though the entire film is about brotherly bond, it hardly touches you. The film has uncountable glitches which makes it an absolute mess. It is certainly not a Kabir Khan film. Wonder how the same director had made films like Kabul Express, New York and Bajrangi Bhaijaan in the past.

Be it Shah Rukh Khan's cameo as Goga Pasha magician or Salman Khan's overt faith of getting his brother back safely, nothing seems relevant to the plot. A person who has a responsibility of his brother won't join Indian Army in the first place under any circumstances. Emotions shown in the film would have been justified if Sohail Khan's character would have been interested in joining the army since childhood or to fulfill Salman's dream of serving the nation at the border. Kabir Khan lost his game this time, no matter he tried to touch upon Indo-China war for a change, but the film falls flat. The film remained unsuccessful in creating a hat-trick with superstar Salman Khan.

The funniest part of Salman Khan films is that he is always shown as a god's man. In Tubelight, he has crossed boundaries of unbelievability. Like how he shakes the city like an earthquake with his faith, really? For instance, a thought would strike in the mind that Shah Rukh Khan must have played a catalyst as a magician in getting Salman's faith to life. Does it make sense?

Writing a review for a Salman Khan film is a sheer waste of time. He is worshiped by zillions of his fans across the globe who are certainly ignorant towards criticism. His larger-than-life image is constant with his films and Tubelight is no less. Salman's constipated face throughout the film is a big hurdle. Imagine, this time Sohail Khan looks much better than him on screen. Om Puri and Zhu Zhu are just about average, but the little boy Matin steals the show with his cute face and dialogue deliveries. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub is quite a treat to watch.

Overall, Tubelight is a major disappointment. It is unlike any Kabir Khan film, and not in a good way. Watch Tubelight since you have no other film to watch over this long weekend as Salman has managed to block 4000 screens for his film.
It is interesting that actresses like Nayan-thara and Anushka are still in demand even though they are above 30. Though younger actresses are also doing multiple projects, the seniors are not just in demand but are taking high remuneration too. According to a source, Nayan is charging a whopping Rs 4 crore for her next with Balakrishna! With this, she is going to be highest paid actresses in South India, as no one comes anywhere close to her except Anushka, says a source. Younger actresses like Rakul, Kajal Aggarwal and Pooja Hegde are charging nearly Rs 1.5 crore, while Anushka charges more than Rs 2 crores. She was paid a high amount for Baahubali, as she allotted bulk dates for the film, adds the source. Nayan hasnt been signing many Telugu films in recent times and her last release was Babu Bangaram opposite Venkatesh, which fared average at the box-office.
K.K.S. Murthy lives in a world unto himself. The owner of Bengalurus iconic Select Book Shop, which is frequented by the likes of Ram Guha and Ruskin Bond, who even mentioned it in his book, Confessions of a Book Lover. He talks about his lifelong passion and lets Aksheev Thakur in on a few of his bookstores most valuable treasures.

Asomewhat run-down, two-storey building tucked into a bylane off Brigade Road, might not, under any other circumstances, merit a second glance. Its appearance, however, vastly belies the iconic status that the bookstore it houses, Select, has come to hold in the heart of every Bengalurean. Today, it enjoys the patronage of some of India's most eminent literary figures - historian Ramachandra Guha has been visiting for over 40 years, playwright Girish Karnad drops by on occasion too and India's best loved author, Ruskin Bond, even mentioned it in his book, Confessions of a Book Lover. Mr Bond wrote a letter to tell me what he was doing, says the store-owner, KKS Murthy, glowingly of an author he considers a favourite, producing it so we can take a look.

We arrive at the store without warning and are greeted at once by KKS Murthy, the sprightly old-timer who, with his warmth and grace puts us instantly at ease. He bears us no ill will for having taken him by surprise; on the contrary, Murthy is a most obliging subject, sitting and standing on command during the photoshoot. (We learned his birthday was coming up in a few days and made sure we returned the next day with a birthday card; a small gesture by which Murthy was visibly moved.

The building on Brigade Road has been the family home since 1989, a big leap from the store's humble beginnings in 1945. KBK Rao, an accomplished lawyer working in Andhra Pradesh, was always an ardent lover of books. Post independence, when the Cohen Book Auctioneers on St. Mark's Road decided to auction off books left behind by British families, Rao was the highest bidder. "The turning point in my father's life came when one Mr. Robertson, retired director of Imperial Bank, Kolkata, started the Select bookshop in a garage on Museum Road. It was a good deed, in the end, that sealed his fate. Rao, who managed to procure a copy of Alice in Wonderland signed by author Lewis Carroll, handed the book over to his friend. In return, Mr Robertson left him the bookstore.

Sir C.V. Raman, R.K. Laxman and U.R. Ananthamurthy are among the celebrities who have walked through its doors, for the store, with its cluttered piles of books reaching from floor to ceiling, is a veritable treasure trove. A first edition print of Nehru's The Discovery fo India and Gandhi's My Experiments with Truth, along with rare manuscripts dating back to 1400 A.D. are among the most prized members of Murthy's collection.

Bookstores across the city now frequently resort to selling toys, stationery and gifts to keep their book business afloat, although Select has, almost miraculously, remained untouched by the tidal wave of digitisation. Murthy replies, not without a hint of pride, "You will be surprised to know that out of the 30-odd people who visit my shop each day, most are youngsters from Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Chennai all searching for rare books. In my continuous pursuit of collecting old books and newspapers, I'm willing to pay big bucks to anyone who approaches me with a valuable collection, too."

Murthy, who graduated from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science with a degree in aeronautical engineering, spent two decades fulfilling his scientific bent. "Having studied at such a prestigious university, I had no choice but to find a job in my field," he said. This he did, spending 18 years as a production engineer with HAL, which involved some years of posting in the U.S. "I was constantly sending my dad books when I was there," he recalled. Wrapping up a successful career as an engineer, he returned to Bengaluru to take on his father's baton.

Today, the books are the only things keeping loneliness at bay proving true friends in times of need. "I lost my wife a year ago," he said, face momentarily contorting with sadness. My son is the only family I have left - he takes care of me and the shop. I have no grandchildren either."

The government is often accused of not maintaining or protecting its archives. Select Book Shop is at odds with this, having played a fundamental role in preserving the city's rich reading culture. "The Archaseological Survey of India is coming next week to buy their own book, an 1834 print," Murthy said, happily, adding, "They're paying me Rs 15,000 for it."

In this fast-paced world, where information is forgotten just as quickly as it is obtained and knowledge is reduced to trifling arguments on social media, Murthy, with his unwavering dedication and his grand love for books is a beacon of hope for the literary-inclined soul. We're glad he's around!
We all know that burning fossil fuels to generate energy is the main cause of global warning that is resulting in climate change and the resulting extreme climate events. (Photo: AFP)

I have a firm belief in clean technologies and an even more firm belief in the clean intentions of all human beings. All of us human beings mean well, but some of us display what seems like deviant behaviour, because of lack of awareness and education. All human beings can be transformed, reformed for the better. No human being steps out in the morning with the intention of doing bad things like trashing the environment. My belief comes from what I have seen in my resort, Our Native Village, here in Bengaluru. Most guests come in not knowing it is an eco resort, but the moment they realise what we are doing to protect the environment, magic happens - they immediately respond by being more mindful of our space. Ok.ok.I can almost hear some of you say, get real, yours is a tiny example, not statistically significant, an anomaly.

Let me prove my point with other examples we are seeing in the real world. Less than three weeks after Donald Trump pulled the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, a new group has emerged to support climate change in general and cutting down of burning of fossil fuels in specific. We all know that burning fossil fuels to generate energy is the main cause of global warning that is resulting in climate change and the resulting extreme climate events.

So who is in the group? ExxonMobil Corp., Total SA, Raymond Dalio, Laurene Powell Jobs, Stephen Hawking, Ratan Tata, and Michael Bloomberg, among others, have signed on as founding members of this group called the Climate Leadership Council (CLC). Note the first name  ExxonMobil  the fossil fuel giant! Magic again!?

The CLC is an attempt to build support for the climate movement, by earning support from groups as diverse as BP Plc, Banco Santander SA, and environmental NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy and Conservation International. The 11 companies included as founding members together have a market capitalization of $1.9 trillion and annual revenue of $1.4 trillion. They operate in all 50 states in the USand employ 1.6 million globally, but the council takes no corporate money. More than $2.5 million has been raised or committed from various philanthropic foundations and individuals.

The organization is the brainchild of Ted Halstead, a serial think-tank entrepreneur, whose mission seems to be to absorb traditionally conservative ideas and transform them in a possible solution for climate change. The Council has developed a draft policy that taxes climate pollution and redirects the money to taxpayers. The idea was first unveiled in February, when former US Treasury Secretaries James Baker and George Shultz presented it to the Trumps top economic adviser, Gary Cohn.

The plan is to introduce a carbon tax on fossil-fuel combustion, which will then cunningly let energy prices reflect the damage done to the climate from carbon dioxide emissions. Money raised by from this tax is refunded monthly to taxpayers, which will make the distant climate benefits into immediate cash. It also includes something that Trump will like  a border tax on goods from countries without a carbon tax , which will then ensure that U.S. companies remain competitive.

While this may seem like a plan for the US, in reality this model can be applied to any country. It is a clever idea to get countries to adopt these principles, because soon all countries will be forced to cutting carbon, as it will affect their exports!

The only thing that keeps the world thriving is hope. We all need to have hope for our own future and for the future of the planet. The moment we see groups with an intention to do some good, we all need to support them. The moment we see with groups or individuals with no empathy for the planet at all, we should attempt to cause a shift in them by raising their awareness and educating them. You will be amazed at the magic that can happen! And God knows we need a lot of magic to save our planet, from all of you magicians out there!
In a horrific incident a man dangled a baby from a 15-floor balcony and threatened do drop him if he did not receive "1,000 likes" on Facebook.

The man, who remains anonymous from Algeria posted a picture on Facebook of himself clutching on to babys shirt. He captioned the image: "1,000 likes or I will drop him."

Police were flooded with complaints by hundreds of social media users who saw the picture and demanded he be arrested for child abuse, the Metro reported.

The man, who media reports say is the child's father was arrested and charged with endangering the baby's safety.

According to Al Arabiya, the man claimed the photograph was altered by people on social media. He also alleged the photo was "taken in a balcony with protective barriers".

The baby's father also insisted to the courts he was playing around and had no intention of putting the child in danger.

However, the judge didn't find anything about the incident funny and sentenced him to two years in prison.
New Delhi: A man chopped off his daughter's ears and claimed that a "ghost" threatened to take her away if he did not follow the orders.

According to the police, the accused identified as Amrit Bahadur, 35, has been arrested.

His family told the police that he has been "mentally disturbed" since the death of his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter a few months ago.

Since then, he has been having hallucinations about a "ghost" who threatened to take away his second child as well.

The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday at GTB Enclave in the national capital.

"Bahadur works in an unorganised sector as a cleaner. He came to his house around 1.30 am and he was drunk. He was having hallucinations. He felt that something is there that was compelling him to do this act and if he does not do that then he may lose his daughter. Therefore, he said that he chopped off the girl's ear. In the meantime, the family woke up and called up the neighbours who informed the police and the girl was rescued," DCP (Shahdra) Nupur Prasad said.

She added that the girl has been referred to AIIMS Hospital.

Bahadur's elder brother had passed away seven years ago.

After his brother's death, he had married his sister-in-law, who had four children.
One of the victim at the platform, surrounded by onlookers. (Photo: Screenshot)

Ballabgarh (Haryana): In a shocking incident of "hate crime", a 16-year-old boy was lynched by fellow passengers in a train on Thursday night.

According to a report in NDTV, the victim and three other men were attacked and subsequently thrown off the train when it pulled into a station at Asavati, just 20 km from Delhi.

According to an FIR filed by one of the survivors, the four victims were identified as Junaid, Hasib, Shakir and Mohsin of which Junaid died.

The victims were initially abused with religious slurs while travelling back to their village in Haryana after shopping in Delhi for Eid.

An altercation over seats escalated to violence as passengers in no time formed a larger mob and started beating up the four men.

One among the survivors, Mohsin, said that his cousins tried pulling the emergency chain, but their distress call went in vain as the train did not stop. He also claimed that the railway policemen did not respond to their requests for help.

More information awaited.
Kochi: The Air Customs officials at the Cochin International Airport on Friday seized gold worth Rs 37 lakh and arrested a Kozhikode native in this connection. The accused was identified as Muhammed Ali (45). According to sleuths, the 1.26-kg gold was crushed and powdered before mixing it with the cake using some chemical. We acted on the basis of a tip-off. We recovered three plastic covers concealed inside his dress and found semi-solid cakes. Upon suspicion we sought the help of goldsmith and after laborious efforts spanning over four hours, the yellow metal was finally segregated, cops said.

Ali flew in by an Air India Express flight from Sharjah on Wednesday. Upon inspection of his passport, it was learnt that he used to travel frequently in the Kochi-Sharjah route. We suspect that he was a carrier of an international gold smuggling racket. Though he was employed in a private firm as a contract worker, he used to travel to Kochi and back at least once in a month. A case was registered under the Customs Act 1961 and further probe is on, they said.
Many star hotels and bar and restaurants in two tier cities will be benefited if the Centre gives node to the state request. Sources said that many states have already taken a decision to denotify both state and national highways in city limits. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: To circumvent a Supreme Court ban on the sale of liquor 500 metres from both state and national highways, the state cabinet on Wednesday decided to denotify 858 km stretch of national highways passing through city limits across the state.

The state cabinet on Wednesday took the decision to denotify national highways and reclassify them as local city roads. This would take nearly 60-70 percent of bar owners and star hotels in the city limits out of the rules ambit. As per the cabinet decision, national highways passing through City Corporations, City Municipalities, Town Municipalities and Town Panchayats, will be excluded from the National Highways tag. According to sources in the government, of the 6,572 km stretch of national highways, 858 km passing through city limits will be excluded from the tag. Many star hotels and bar and restaurants in two tier cities will be benefited if the Centre gives node to the state request. Sources said that many states have already taken a decision to denotify both state and national highways in city limits.
Srinagar: Militants shot dead a civilian in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Saturday night, police said.

Aijaz Ahmad Malik (27) was shot at and critically injured by militants outside his residence at Arrubugh in Pulwama around 10:30 pm, a police official said.

Malik was rushed to a hospital in Srinagar for treatment but succumbed to injuries, the official added.

It was not immediately known why the militants targeted the civilian, he said.
New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday asserted that the Income Tax (I-T) department inquiry in connection of the ownership of Benami properties is a conspiracy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against him.

"This matter is sub judicial; I don't want to make any comment on the same. My family has not done anything wrong. Prime Minister Modi is planning such conspiracies against anyone who is not supporting him," Lalu Yadav said.

He further asserted that no matter what, he is not going to bow down and will give his reply in the court.

Earlier on Thursday, Lalu's son-in-law Shailesh Kumar was quizzed by the I-T department for nine hours as part of an inquiry in connection with charges on ownership of Benami properties.

Kumar was questioned about his Bijwasan Farm house property which is registered on the company name ' Mishail packers and Printers Ltd.,' in which both husband wife (Misa Bharti) are the directors of the company. I-T officials later added that the real beneficiaries are Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar.

In records, the book value of the farm house is Rs 1.4 crore, but the market value of this farm house is more than Rs 40 crore.

On Wednesday, Bharti made an appearance before the I-T department in connection with the same case.

The I-T department had attached a total of 12 plots of Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and ex-chief minister Rabri Devi, and sisters Ragini and Chanda Yadav.

One farmhouse in Delhi and one bungalow in New Friends Colony are also attached.

The market value of the total attached property is worth Rs 175 crore, whereas the book value of the attached property is Rs 9.32 crore.

The I-T department had earlier seized Benami properties of Misa Bharti, Shailesh Kumar and Tejaswi Yadav.

Two summons to Misa were also issued, but after she failed to appear, the I-T department proceeded to seize the properties which were raided in May.

On June 13, the I-T Department summoned Shailesh Kumar, in connection with the Benami assets and tax evasion case registered against him.

On June 7, the I-T department slapped a fine of Rs. 10,000 against Shailesh on account of not appearing for interrogation.
Photo: An Asian Carp Was Just Found Near Lake Michigan, While Trump Looks To Cut Great Lakes Funds

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jun 23, 2017 9:15PM



The silver-carp troublemaker caught on Thursday. Photo via the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

At the same time that President Donald Trump has proposed gargantuan cuts to a fund that in part helps combat invasive species in the Great Lakes, a live, silver Asian carp was discovered on Thursday a mere nine miles from Lake Michigan, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The carp, which in sufficient numbers could cause great harm to non-native habitats, was captured by a commercial fisherman past a barrier system designed to prevent invasive species from reaching the Lakes, about two miles from the T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam in the Calumet River, according to the AP. It measured 28 inches in length and weighed about 8 pounds, according to the IDNR.

Carp are "are voracious eaters, able to consume 5 to 20 percent of their body weight each day," Fisheries and Oceans Canada said, according to NPR. That huge appetite means that plankton, necessary for other aquatic life to survive, becomes in perilously short supply.

The IDNR meanwhile made clear in a statement that the discovery doesn't mean "a reproducing population of Asian carp" has developed beyond the electric barriers, but per a contingency protocol, there will be two weeks of " intense sampling" around the area where the silver carp was found.

Such sightings are apparently uncommon. "In eight consecutive years of intensive monitoring

and fish sampling in the Chicago Area Waterway System, this is the second time a bighead or silver carp has been found above the electric dispersal barriers," the department wrote. The previous occurrence was in 2010.

However, Dan Egan, who has written extensively about Great Lakes preservation, wrote on Friday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the carp breach was "an indication that the [barrier] system, which has a history of power outages and does not operate at a strength high enough to repel small fish, isnt up to the job of keeping the voracious carp from invading the worlds largest freshwater system."

The invasive-carp catch happens at a time when lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, are trying to get Trump to pull back on his proposed cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Fundswhich would slash the initiative by 97 percent. Trump is also sitting on a plan that "involves modifying a navigation lock on Chicago canal system," according to Egan.

That proposed canal system however faces some local opposition from businesses interests here in Illinois. Indeed, Sen. Tammy Duckworth seemed all too aware of that political landscape in a rather noncommittal statement on Friday. "While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service increases its monitoring of the area and conducts a thorough analysis, my office will continue to work closely with Illinois businesses, advocates and communities to identify the most appropriate path forward," she said.

This is one ugly fish! We need to stop any other Asian carp from getting as close to Lake Michigan as this one did. #StopAsianCarpNow pic.twitter.com/lii8fJZFmv  Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) June 23, 2017
New Delhi: After persistent delays, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released the Under-Graduate results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which was taken by 12 lakh students aiming to join medical and dental colleges across the country.

The results can be checked on CBSE's official website http://cbseresults.nic.in/neet17rpx/neetJ17.htm or cbseneet.nic.in.

Earlier, on June 12, the Supreme Court allowed CBSE to declare the NEET 2017 results.

This became possible after the apex court stayed an interim order of the Madras High Court that restrained publication of the results of NEET 2017 for admission to MBBS and BDS courses.

The Madras High Court on May 24 granted interim stay on the publication of NEET results on a batch of petitions. The petitioners alleged that the question papers were not uniform, especially the ones in English and in Tamil and demanded cancellation of the examination.

The NEET examination for admission to MMBS and BDS (dental) courses was conducted on May 7 in English, Hindi and eight vernacular languages.

The CBSE moved the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court order on June June 9 and said the stay of publication of results would jeopardise the interests of lakhs of students.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Maninder Singh, appearing for the CBSE, told the Supreme Court that though the question papers were different but the level of the difficulty was not.

He also told the apex court that questions were set differently to protect the interests of the majority of the students who had given examination in either English or Hindi in the event of a leakage of a set of paper in a vernacular language.

Out of 12 lakh students, around 10.5 lakh had given examination either in English or Hindi.

Apart from the CBSE, two other petitioners also approached the apex court against the Madras High Court interim order.
Srinagar: The Kashmir valley is aghast over the brutal lynching of a police officer by a mob outside Srinagars Grand Mosque on Thursday night. Ironically, the gory incident took place during Lailat-ul-Qadr or Shab-e-Qadr, the night which as per Islamic belief is when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to its Prophet Muhammad.

The police officials said on Friday that two people involved in the murder have been arrested and that a third accused has been identified and he too will be arrested soon. All involved will face law, Jammu and Kashmirs Director General of Police, Shesh Paul Vaid, said.

The victim Muhammad Ayub Pandith, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, was among three police officials on surveillance and anti-sabotage duty and was reportedly clicking pictures of people emerging from the historic Jamia Masjid, with his mobile phone when a mob attacked him.

Reports said that a group of youth chanting pro-freedom slogans confronted the police officials. While two others fled, Pandith argued with the mob. As he failed to explain his presence, the mob caught him and the arguments got into blows. The police officer pulled his service revolver from the holster and fired at the people, injuring three local youth. He was then brutally beaten to death.

The police officials said that he may have opened fire as a last resort in self-defence. They also said that the youth who were injured were all shot in the legs, which showed that even under attack the officer was conscious not to shoot to kill. The officers service weapon is missing.

The police chief said that Pandith was posted outside the mosque for the security of the people so that they could offer prayers without any hindrance. A few people who were standing outside the mosque lynched him. This is very unfortunate. There seems to be a sheer difference between humanity and cruelty. People need to understand what is wrong. Further investigation is underway," Vaid said.

The police had on Thursday night said that none of its officers or men was missing and that the effort was on to ascertain the identity of the person lynched by the mob. Rumours had spread in Srinagar that the person lynched at Nowhatta outside the Grand Mosque was not a local or Muslim as he was not circumcised. Many people also presumed him to be from one of the central intelligence agencies. Since the officer was not in uniform, he was identified only hours later when his family called his mobile phone. His juniors who were also supposed to be with him are being questioned, the police sources said. The Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, while speaking to reporters at a wreath-laying ceremony, indicated that they were allowed by the DySP to offer prayers in the mosque.

The incident has been widely condemned in Jammu and Kashmir and beyond. Chief Minister Mufti condemned the officers killing and warned that police were exercising maximum restraint and that the people must understand. The police officer apparently thought that he would not be harmed as he was in his own area and among his own people. This (lynching) is total breach of trust, she said. She added that the Jammu and Kashmir police personnel were brave people and the force is one of the best in the country. They are exercising restrain because they are dealing with their own people. But it could be very hard if their patience runs out, she warned. She further said that if the vicious elements continued behaving like this then it is possible that the past may return in which security forces used maximum force on people.

Chief Muslim cleric and key separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who was delivering sermon inside the historic place of worship when the incident took place strongly condemned the police officers lynching. It is big tragedy and most unfortunate incident and I strongly condemn it. Neither Islam nor our society permits such brutal acts. He added, No doubt, there is anger particularly among the youth against the police and other security forces but that doesnt mean people will indulge in acts which goes against the basic principles of humanity.

Mirwaiz earlier tweeted, Deeply disturbed & condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta. Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values & religion....We cannot allow state brutality to snatch our humanity & values.

Former Chief Minister and working president of opposition National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah, reacted to the incident terming it as tragedy and a travesty. He wrote on Twitter, His death is a tragedy & the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi while condemning the killing termed it a new low.

He tweeted The brutal lynching of DySP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident. In another tweet, he said, Heartbreaking to see J&K being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP/BJP Govt.

BJP which together with regional PDP rules Jammu and Kashmir that the lynching of the officer is heart rendering.

Its spokesman Khalid Jehangir said, He was killed by the same people whom he protected. He added, Henchmen of a few people derive sadistic pleasure by lynching and killing people just to appease their bosses sitting across the Line of Control (LoC). The BJP spokesman demanded that the government should reconsider the decision of providing Z- security to the Mirwaiz whom the slain DySP was guarding.

Hundreds of mourners attended Pandiths funeral on Friday. His sister asked, My brother too was a Muslim and was among those who prayed at Jamia Masjid. Does Islam permit such a brutal killing?

The officer lived barely three kilometres away he fell to mob frenzy. His cousin and well-known lawyer Muhammad Abdullah Pandith said, We are in a state of shock and disbelief, unable to understand what was his fault that he was killed.

Earlier Pandiths colleagues broke down at a wreath laying ceremony held at Srinagar's district police lines. The Chief Minister who attended the ceremony, said, "There can't be a more shameful incident than this where one policeman who is trying to perform his duty is killed brutally.

A brief statement issued by the police here read Another police officer sacrificed his life in line of duty. DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of (3) Security attacked and beaten to death by a mob at Nowhatta last night.

On June 16, six policemen including a Station House Officer sub-inspector Feroz Ahmed Dar were killed when their vehicles was ambushed by a group of heavily armed militants belonging to Lashkar-e-taiba at Thajiwara, Acchawal area of southern Anantnag district. The police had termed it revenge act as it came hours after a top LeT commander Junaid Matto was along with another militant killed during an encounter with the security forces.

The police sources said that seventeen police officers and men have laid down their lives while discharging duty across Jammu and Kashmir, so far, this year.
Chennai: An integrated textile processing park has been planned to be set up in Ramanathapuram District at a cost of Rs 150 crore with Central grant, the Tamil Nadu government said on Friday.

The facility upon operational would have 30 textile processing units with a capital outlay of Rs 450 crore and create 6,000 jobs, Industries Minister MC Sampath told the state Assembly.

The park would come on a 225 acre land in Manakudi village under Thiruvadanai Taluk, he said.

Besides, a desalination plant to supply water will also be established at the facility.

In order to obtain grant from the Centre, proposals has been sent and approval was "awaited".

To receive the environmental clearance and coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearance for the project, the CRZ maps and study report has been submitted to the CRZ Comittee and project approval was "expected" shortly, it said.
Hyderabad: Human trafficking is on the rise in tribal areas in undivided Adilabad district with hardened criminal gangs luring women with jobs and marriage offers from grooms in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Families that are poor, illiterate and non-nuclear with more girls than boys in the household, are being targeted. In the last two years, 46 women from the area have gone missing and the police has identified several women traffickers in Adilabad who are responsible for most of the cases.

Senior advocate A. Ramya Kumari, founder of Protection for Human Rights Association, said that a majority of the women missing cases in Adilabad district were not even being reported. Many such cases have come to our notice through our field work. In most of them, agents have lured the family members of victims on the pretext of good jobs and marriages. But, majority of victims are being sold in the business of flesh trade in Mumbai and other parts of the country. Only in a handful of such cases, we found that the women did get married to grooms in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, she said.

With the dropping sex ratio in Rajasthan (928:1,000) and Madhya Pradesh (931:1,000), the grooms from these states are seeking brides from other states, including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state. Several women have been rescued from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Telangana State Women Commission chairperson Tripurana Venkataratnam said, Investigation by the police revealed trafficking to Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Illiteracy and poverty in tribal areas in Adilabad are encouraging human trafficking.

She said the traffickers were targeting married and unmarried women from Gondi tandas. To worsen matters, Gondi women know only Gondi language and few can understand Hindi or Telugu. So even communicating for help becomes impossible. We registered a suo motu case after which the police geared up investigation in five cases, she said. After being rescued by the police, some of the girls said it wasnt their families but they themselves who had fallen in love with the agents and run away from home. But the real shocker, said Ms. Ramya Kumari was the large number of women who were willingly handed over to agents by their kin.
Hyderabad: The TS horticulture department and Biodiversity Board have failed to promote Nizam-era mango varieties, leading to a decline of mango agro-biodiversity in the state. For research, though, the germplasm of more than 470 mango cultivars including those of the Nizam era like Azam-Us/samar, Jahangeer, Shakkar Guthli are preserved. Their commercial cultivation has come down to three or four varieties.

Officials say there is a decline in the mango orchard area with farmers moving to other horticulture crops. Mr P. Someshwar Rao, the Sangareddy district horticulture and sericulture cluster level officer, said Benishan (Banaganapalli) and Totapuri (Collector) were the only two major varieties that were being grown in the state on a commercial basis.

Farmers are moving to ginger and potato in Sangareddy and Zaheer-abad areas by converting mango orchards. There is a decline in growth of mango productivity year on year as farmers are not interested due to the income being less. For the sake of research, there are several varieties. Benishan occupies 80 to 90 per cent of the area in the state, he said.

Mr I.C. Mohan of Ganga Nursery in Sangareddy, said, Azam-Us/Samar has teh highest preservation quality. Usually, the ripe mangos after being cut from the tree will be fresh for four days to a week. Azam-Us/Samar will be fresh for 15 to 20 days. This variety also is available till late in July.

Jahangeer is the sweetest variety of all mangoes. Shakkar Guthli is the smallest, weighing just 25 grams. Nazook Badan, is an old delicate variety. Begum Pasand, Nawab Pasand, Noorjahan, Samre Bhaise are some of the varieties which are now not seen in cultivation. We at the nurseries educate some of the mango orchard owners and farmers and have to force them to grow, Mr Mohan said.

Mahmood Vikarabad and Himayat Pasand are some of the old varieties which are seen in commercial cultivation to some extent. Experts suggest that government has to set up processing industries which will help to improve exports to Eur-ope and the Middle East. Mr Mohan said, The government and the horticulture department need to educate farmers and orchard owners and consumers on these Nizam-time cultivars. There is a need to set up mango processing centres. This will help in increase the mango cultivation area.

He said Manjeera was a hybrid of Rumani and Neelum, which is also cultivated to some extent. After the year 2000, there are only few cultivars developed by researchers. Lal Mohan and Sensation, which are reddish and pinkish, were developed recently. Biodiversity experts said there was a need to popularise the old varieties as they add to the agro biodiversity.

National Biodiversity Board member Rajeev Mathew said, The fruit research station at Sangareddy developed several mango varieties with vegetative grafting. He said a Nizam family member had gifted him a variety that was not seen in the market. They grow it in their backyard, he said.

Several Muslims who are farmers and owners of mango orchards also shifted to commercial varieties. A mango farmer, Mr Syed Jaffar, who works in a 15-acre orchard says, We have Dasheri, Kesari, Himayat, Amrapali, Cherukurasalu, Chinnarasalu and Alphonso trees. We sell them in Hyderabad, Gulbarga, Zaheerabad and Sholapur markets,
Hyderabad: Accusing bankers of lacking humanity and social responsibility and being concerned only about profits and losses, finance minister Etala Rajender on Friday lashed out at public sector banks for harassing farmers in the disbursal of crop loans.

Mr Rajender, along with agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, took part in State-Level Bankers Committee meeting here to finalise the annual credit plan for the agriculture sector for 2017-18.

The finance minister took the bankers to task for denying crop loans under one pretext or the other and forcibly collecting interest from farmers even after the government released the crop loan waiver funds.

You should realise that state government is not a private limited company. It has a social responsibility. It cannot default on repayment of loans like private firms or individuals though sometimes, there may be delay sometimes in repayment. Unfortunately, banks are dealing even with the government like they deal with private firms, he said.

Mr Rajender expressed anger at bankers for collecting Rs 271 crore as interest from farmers citing delay in clearing arrears of crop loan waiver scheme.

We paid over Rs 17,000 crore to banks towards crop loan waiver scheme in four instalments as promised. Banks earned over Rs 1,200 crore through this scheme. Just because there was some delay in release of funds, you harassed farmers by denying them loans and forcibly collecting interest, he said.

When bankers tried to explain to him that they collected interest because no GO was released for payment of Rs 271 crore, Mr Rajender showed a copy of the GO and said, Is the government not depositing thousands of crores in your banks every year? Are you not earning profits from it? Are we seeking exemptions for our personal needs? We sought exemptions for farmers which is the social responsibility of all.

He said banks should not cater to the needs of only the rich but also have social responsibility towards the poor and downtrodden.
Hyderabad: Telangana PCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has done injustice to the minorities by supporting the NDAs Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind who opposed reservations for minorities.

Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said that earlier Mr Kovind had rejected the Ranganath Mishra Committee report that had recommended 10 per cent reservations for Muslim minorities and 5 per cent reservations for Christians in government jobs.

Criticising Mr Rao for supporting such a person, the TPCC chief appealed to TRS MPs to vote according to their conscience in the Presidential elections.

Meanwhile, former Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy said that the Presidential election was not a contest between two people, but Opposition candidate Meira Kumar symbolises the pure Constitutional sprit while Mr Kovind is an anonymous person.

He said that he never knew Mr Kovind though the latter was a two-time MP. Mr Jaipal Reddy alleged that Mr Kovind learned political lessons from RSS.

He said it would be dangerous for such a person to be the President. He said Ms Kumar is not just the daughter of Jagjivan Ram but is also personally talented.

Elsewhere, Leader of the Opposition in the TS Legislative Council Mohd. Ali Shabbir said that the time has come for the TRS to express its gratitude for Telangana and redeem its commitment to promoting Dalits in public life by backing the UPAs Presidential candidate.

Mr Shabbir Ali said that Ms Kumar was chosen by 17 parties and appealed to Mr Rao to see through the political game of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP and defeat the designs of the Hindu zealots by withdrawing support to the NDA candidate.
Kannada Activist Vatal Nagaraj told Deccan Chronicle, "Hindi is slowly creeping into Karnataka and nobody approves it. The State Government is supporting this and not raising its voice, especially when authorities like Governor Vajubhai Vala give Hindi speeches in the Assembly."

Bengaluru: What started as a social media outrage, quickly turned into an offline protest with pro-Kannada organisations holding a demonstration in front of the BMRCL office on Friday morning.

The argument over having Hindi signage and direction boards in the Metro rail, led to #NammaMetroHindiBeda, followed by a notice sent from Kannada Development Authority to Metro officials.

Commenting on issue, Kannada Activist Vatal Nagaraj told Deccan Chronicle, "Hindi is slowly creeping into Karnataka and nobody approves it. The State Government is supporting this and not raising its voice, especially when authorities like Governor Vajubhai Vala give Hindi speeches in the Assembly." "Nowhere is there a hard and fast rule that Hindi must be used officially, along with the regional language and English. The Centre can do as they please elsewhere, but in Karnataka our mother tongue is Kannada and it must be used in public services like Metro," Nagaraj declared.

However, Congress MLA Dinesh Gundurao uploaded a document on social media, which included a notification from Ministry of Urban Development dated December 2016.

It stated, "The Joint Hindi Advisory Committee of Urban Development after a meeting held at Kochi, has issued directions that as per the official language policy of the Union Government, it is necessary that at all metro stations located in non-Hindi speaking regions, the signboards, name boards, announcements and publication material, etc for public information shall be in all three languages - regional language, Hindi and English."

Commenting on the issue activist Prakash Belawadi said, "The ministry had a meeting and issued the directive in non-Hindi speaking places, secretively. Where was the discussion with State Governments and public consultation? This is not about anti-Hindi or anti any language."

Belawadi expressed his worry over BMRCL's attitude and said, the department has to be responsive and responsible. "BMRCL has to respond before things take an ugly turn. They must admit they are terrified of the Central Government and are acting under their orders. I am a big fan of Metro and I have nothing against Hindi either. It is about the principle of any language imposition without deliberation." In his tweet Gundurao said, "Why is Modi Government pushing Hindi in this manner. We are a multi-lingual country, all languages should have equal status & respect."
Hyderabad: Karimnagar in Telangana state and Amaravati in AP figure in the new list of 30 smart cities announced on Friday for development under the Central governments Smart City Mission.

Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu announced the new list of smart cities at an event held in Delhi. Under the Smart City Mission, the Centre provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of five years for implementing various projects.

Meanwhile, Telangana state has bagged 6th rank in the country for achieving the reforms milestone mandated for the financial year 2016-17 as per the guidelines of AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation).

Mr Venkaiah Naidu has sanctioned Rs 19.93 crore and handed over the letter sanctioning the amount to municipal administration director T.K. Sreedevi.

Mr Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for the 40 smart city slots but only 30 were selected. He said an investment of Rs 57,393 crore has been proposed for the development of these 30 cities. Of this, Rs 46,879 crore will be for core infrastructure and Rs 10,514 crore for technology-based solutions. Twenty more cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under the smart city mission.

Of the 30 smart cities announced on Friday, 26 have proposed affordable housing projects that benefit the urban poor. While 26 cities will be taking up school and hospital projects, 29 will be taking up redesign and redevelopment of roads.

The Union minister said that these 30 cities will put in place integrated command and control centres that enable coordination among various agencies for better service delivery and effective management of scarce resources such as water and power. The ministry has distributed Rs 500 crore among various states to carry out reforms in the urban sector.

The TS government has received Rs 19.93 crore. The Union minister said for the next three years, incentive funds of Rs 10,000 crore have been approved for recognising the efforts by states in urban transformation.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has been chosen as one of the states eligible for the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) reforms incentive for the second consecutive year. The state, which has satisfied certain reform milestones published by the Ministry of Urban Development, will get more than Rs 16 crore, which it can spend for any aspect of AMRUT implementation, including surveys. Last year, it had received over Rs 15 crore, being one of the 20 states to qualify for the incentive.

The MoUD publishes a toolkit periodically to assess the reforms that a state government has undertaken. No fund will be provided to the city to achieve these reform milestones, some of which are mere policy changes. One of the milestones which helped Kerala bag the incentive was establishing the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). This years reform toolkit says that a state-level financial intermediary is important as there is need to promote borrowing by urban local bodies and help them access private capital market resources.



The state had claimed a total of 74 percent score this time. The score given by the centre after verification cannot be too different as the state needs to get at least 70 percent to qualify. For e-governance, which includes making services like birth and death registration online, the state has given itself 84 percent. One of the parameters for which the state marked 0 score was energy-efficient system. The state had to establish energy efficient pumps in water supply and sewerage. There was not enough time to achieve it.
Home Prices Are Ticking Up In Chicago, & People Are Slow To Buy

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jun 23, 2017 2:50PM



Getty Images; Photo: Joe Raedle

Home sale totals compared to last year in Chicago have stayed largely flateven dipping slightlywhile at the same time prices have jumped up, with potential buyers showing signs of apprehension, according to the latest figures from Illinois Realtors.

The stagnation is reflected in homes sales for May, 2017 (2,973 sales) compared to May, 2016 (2,980)for a small decline of 0.2 percent.

During the same timeframes, the price of homes in the city continued to climb. The median price for a home (which includes single-family homes and condos) rose 5.5 percent in May when compared to the same month last year. The median price in May, 2017 was $306,750; last May it was just $290,750.

The combination seems to have led to a degree of cautiousness on the part of would-be homebuyers.

"The market appears to be in a 'wait and see' mode in both Illinois and Chicago said Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, Director of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory at the University of Illinois, in a news release.

The budget impasse-impaired economy and the much-fretted-over slight population loss may be factors to some degree. The states economy has stuttered and the fiscal cloud hanging over the state has seen enhanced net out-migration that has contributed to a dampening of demand, Hewings said.

A limited amount of housing stock means buyers are either having to make sacrifices off their home wish list or keep waiting it out. "We're in an interesting, sophisticated market at present, wherein inventory is restricting what's available for those who are looking to buy," said Matt Silver, president of the Chicago Association of Realtors, in a release. "Sellers are having to price their properties appropriately, as educated buyers are prepared to be flexible on their wants and needs in a new home or wait for the perfect home to come on the market and pay accordingly."

Statewide, home median prices also rose (8.3 percent). Sale totals meanwhile grew higher on the state level than in Chicago, with home sales climbing 3.8 percent in May, 2017 compared to May of last year.




Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi K Palanisamy left on Thusday to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Palanisamy's visit comes a day after he extended the AIADMK (Amma) faction's support to the NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

Meanwhile rebel AIADMK leader and former chief minister O Panneerselvam is also scheduled to fly to Delhi later tonight.

He is also likely to meet Modi and BJP National President Amit Shah, sources in his camp said.

The Panneerselvam camp has also extended support to the NDA presidential nominee.
Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in securing the release of four Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu allegedly arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday night for straying into its water.

Dashing off a letter to Mr Modi, Mr Palaniswami told him that long periods of impoundment and idling of the fishing boats without care will make them unworthy of sailing and unusable for fishermen.

He also complained that traditional and historical rights of the fishermen are continuously being denied consequent to the unconstitutional ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka and the consequential loss of traditional fishing grounds of the Palk Bay area.
Chennai: A petition has been filed in a Saidapet court seeking a direction to the police to register a case against 186 persons, including former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, general secretary, AIADMK (Amma), V.K. Sasikala, ministers, AIADMK MPs and MLAs in connection with the death of former CM J. Jayalalithaa.

Petitioner, D Selva Vinayagam, 41, of Cuddalore filed the petition before XVIII Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet to direct Teynampet police to register a case against them.

The petitioner D. Selva Vinayagam, an AIADMK cadre, alleged that when Jayalalithaa was undergoing treatment in the Apollo hospital, the hospital management was releasing contradictory statements regarding the treatment. She was declared dead at 11.30 pm. on December 5, 2016.

He suspected former O. Pannerselvam, Sasikala and health minister joined together and caused her death for their political gain.

On May 20, he lodged a complaint with Teynampet police to register a case against 186 persons, including O. Panneerselvam, Sasikala, AIADMK leaders, Ministers, MPs, MLAs and Prathap C. Reddy of Apollo hospital in connection with the death. As there was no response from the police he filed the petition before the XVIII Metropolitan magistrate. When the matter came up for hearing metropolitan magistrate J. Mohana posted it to Friday for orders.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu superstar Rajinikanth has decided to float his own political party marking his entry to politics, reports said on Friday.

The party, whose name is yet to be announced, will reportedly be in alliance with National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Republic reported.

Often known for favouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajinikanth was one among three people who the PM had called upon during his last visit to Tamil Nadu.

On Thursday, Rajinikanth had hinted that he may take a plunge in politics. He also said, the prospects of his actions are still under discussion and he will announce once it is finalised.

"I have not denied it. We are discussing and yet to take a decision. Once I take a decision I will inform you," the actor told reporters at the airport in Mumbai, in response to a question regarding his meeting with political leaders.

Previously, in May, the actor had urged his fans to "prepare for war" possibly implying that he may join politics.

He had said, "When a war comes, they will come to the rescue of their motherland. I have a profession, work, duty and so do you. Go to your places, do your duty, take care of your vocation. Let us face the war when it comes."

He had also said that even though he had no particular intention of getting into politics, he would consider taking the path if that was "God's will". He claimed if he did enter politics, he would be truthful and not host people who want to make money.

Last week, Rajinikanth had met a delegation of 16 farmers, led by P Ayyakannu and supported their request to interlink rivers.

The 66-year-old actor told them that their request would be forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had pledged Rs 1 crore for the same.

Rajinikanth was talking to reporters before he left for Mumbai to resume the shooting of upcoming movie Kaala.
Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday criticised the NDA for choosing Ram Nath Kovind as its Presidential candidate.

Addressing the Youm-ul-Quran gathering at the Macca Masjid after Jumma-tul-Vida prayers, Mr Owaisi reminded that in 2010, Mr Kovind had said that Islam and Christians are alien to the nation.

How can such a person be the President of the country? the MP asked.

He also demanded the Prime Minister rein in gau rakshaks who he said were terrorising innocents restrain them.

You are the Prime Minister of a country and if you give a call, everything will stop. Uou take to twitter to condemn violent incidents across the globe but do not find it necessary to condole the death of Akhlaq (who was lynched on charge of cow slaughter in Bihar) and Zafar Khan of Rajasthan in name of Swaach Bharath, the MP said.

He demanded the Union government earmark a corpus of Rs 1 lakh-crore for cow protection and allocate Rs 5,000 crore to each state for the purpose.
NDAs presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind accepts greetings of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at an NDA meeting at Parliament in New Delhi on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In a show of strength, 15 chief ministers, including two from non-NDA parties, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Union ministers and NDA leaders accompanied the ruling alliances presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, 71, as he filed his nomination papers on Friday for the July 17 election. The Opposition bloc has named former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar against Mr Kovind. With the numbers favouring Mr Kovind, he will be the first BJP leader to occupy the nations highest constitutional post.

President Pranab Mukherjees term ends on July 24. Mr Kovind will also be the second dalit to occupy the office after K.R. Narayanan, who was at Rashtrapati Bhavan from 1997 to 2002.

After filing his nomination, Mr Kovind reached out to the Opposition parties and said that the post of President was above party politics and that he would strive to maintain its dignity. To seek support, Mr Kovind will be visiting almost every state, accompanied by a senior BJP leader. His first visit will be to his home state, Uttar Pradesh, on June 25, where Union minister Nitin Gadkari will be accompanying him.

Ever since I became governor, I dont belong to any political party. The post of President is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support... I will do my best to maintain the dignity of the high office of President, Mr Kovind said.

Interestingly, BJP ally and key NDA constituent Shiv Sena, whose leaders had seconded Mr Kovinds name in the nomination papers, was not represented on the occasion at Parliament House, which the ruling party said was due to some miscommunication. The chief ministers of two non-NDA non-UPA outfits  Tamil Nadus E.K. Palaniswami and his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao  were also present.

Representatives of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP, who are supporting Mr Kovind, were also not present.

Veteran BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi also accompanied the NDA nominee. PDP president and J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is down with viral fever, could not attend the nomination ceremony.
It is a pity that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made it a point to suggest recently that he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif a few times in order to urge them to bilaterally compose their differences on Kashmir. It was decidedly undiplomatic of the UN chief to say this to the media when he had been informed by the Indian PM earlier that the UNs intercession was uncalled for, and that the two nations had agreements between them underlining that Kashmir was a matter to be resolved peacefully through the bilateral process alone and through no other aegis  either that of the United Nations or that of any country.

Alas, it became necessary for the Indian government to reiterate this stand before the press on Thursday as the UN chief had chosen to go public. A few weeks before Mr Guterres brought up the question of Kashmir, the US ambassador to the UN, Ms Nikki Haley, who has Cabinet rank, had been outspoken on the subject. With terrorist activity by Pakistani proxies increasing in the Kashmir Valley this year, she had practically threatened that the US would not stand idly by and hinted that her country could involve itself in settling the Kashmir question. She had also indicated that Washington might work to get the matter discussed before the UN Security Council. In this backdrop, it is logical to ask if the UN Secretary-Generals recent articulation is from the standpoint of a neutral observer or is he becoming someones voice?

Needless to say, US meddling has resolved nothing anywhere. Afghanistan is still a running sore 16 years after the arrival of US troops in that country with the professed aim of dismantling radical extremism and terrorism unleashed on the hapless Afghan people by armed extremists, who find sanctuaries, weapons and training, and cash across the border in Pakistan. Ms Haley and Mr Guterres both seem to pretend that they do not know why Afghanistan remains at war. In the same way, they give the impression of condoning terrorist intervention by Pakistan in many parts of India, especially Kashmir.

Indias ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, did well on Thursday to urge the Security Council to find out why terrorist violence had reached dangerous levels in Afghanistan, threatening the efforts of one of the collective military efforts in the world, meaning the US-led Nato military contingents, and where the sanctuaries and sources of military supply of the terrorists were. Pakistan should be named, shamed and sanctioned by the UN for perpetrating terrorist violence in Afghanistan and in Kashmir. Let the Secretary-General not issue unsought advice. Besides, where has the UN intervened successfully?
Gatka, an ancient form of martial art, is a spiritual as well as a mental and physical exercise. It represents a fine balance between the mind, body and spiritual faculties of a person. Gatka is the perfect rhythm of life. Gatka is a technique that involves a series of combat training systems like duels and the use of weapons. The training progresses from a bare-handed combat to using various weapons such as lathis (sticks), kirpans (swords), khanda (two-edged sword). A shift from bare hands to a use of simple weapon and then to a complex one is very symbolic. It upholds the principle of Sikhism to use weapons only when other means have failed. Gatka can only be used in defence. This martial art teaches a person how to defend oneself and, above all, how to defend others.

The Sikhs were introduced to Gatka by Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru. He propagated the notion of Miri-Piri (temporal power-spiritual power), and founded the akharas (training centres) at Amritsar. It is believed that the Guru would begin the practice by saluting the weapons. And why not? When the weapons were the means to fight oppression, assist the poor and to defend the righteousness. This tradition acquired a full form during the time of Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa. With his army of the nihangs, he established the Gatka as an art that assists the divine laws of the Almighty. A person who is keen to learn Gatka, first and foremost, has to imbibe the spiritual realisation that it is not to be misused but rather its sole purpose is to be beneficial to society. Honesty, integrity, discipline, dedication are all parts of this great art.

Gatka, literally meaning wooden stick starts with a simple four-step technique called the panthra. With a rhythmic movement, panthra trains a person to use hands, feet and body in a complete balance. It is basically a non-stop movement that is the hallmark of co-ordination between the mind and body. While learning to control in a spontaneous way, one also learns to let go all doubts. The first weapon is a stick and a person is taught all the basic physical movements, for which mental alertness is the first requirement. As a person progresses in the training, other weapons like sword, khanda are introduced. Gatka is an integrated method that involves methods like moving, turning, stopping, attacking and defending at the same time.

Although the traditional training hall for Gatka is an akhara, training is also imparted in a gurdwara. When the learners are practising Gatka, Jaap Sahib, the bani of Guru Gobind Singh, is recited. At the same time, a drummer plays a three beat-per-cycle. A rhythmic movement of the body, beats of the drum and the divine bani set the stage for the spiritual elevation of a person. Gatka is the perfect way to achieve the unity of outer and inner elements of life.
Companies hit by ransomware are faced with an ethical dilemma: pay up to save their now-encrypted data, or hold the moral high ground and lose it all.

This is a question many companies may have to face. The recent WannaCry cyber-attack, which targeted the data of organisations including UK hospitals, is part of a growing and lucrative industry.

In most cases, the perpetrators attempt to encrypt a businesss data and then refuse to share the decryption key unless a ransom is paid. WannaCry reportedly demanded that companies pay upwards of US$300 in Bitcoin.

Of course, there are ways to protect yourself. Up-to-date software and effective backups are good controls for ransomware, but many people fail to keep up. For examples, an estimated 7% of computers globally still use Windows XP software, despite Microsoft having ended support for the platform. In the case of WannaCry, this was an important vulnerability.

Paying up may be the rational choice for an individual business, but given that cybercriminals go where the money is, the repercussions for others could be significant.

The case for paying up

Pop-culture morality tells us a ransom should not be paid; movies tell us that paying the ransom means the bad guys win.

In the real world, however, businesses faces a serious dilemma. Paying the ransom could save the business and keep staff employed, but the cybercriminal will probably feel encouraged to continue their attacks.

Ultimately, businesses held to ransom have at least four choices:

- Refuse to pay the ransom and risk the possibility that the criminals will carry out their threats

- Call authorities to launch a criminal investigation, although whether the data will be decrypted is uncertain

- Attempt to use decryption tools to access the data. One such method is brute force  a trial and error computational method to guess all possible variants of the decryption key  but some mathematicans estimate thats beyond the processing power of most computers.

- Pay the ransom and hope you get your data back.

Several factors may affect the decision, including whether the victim expects that the encrypted data will be returned once payment is made, or how embarrassing it will be to inform clients about the incident.

The value of the data is also important. If the data held hostage is not integral, then the business is obviously less likely to pay.

Thinking about others

The victims consideration of the consequences of their choice for others is also important.

Economically, rather like the decision of an individual trawler to over-fish the seas or a factory to pollute the air, paying the ransom creates a negative externality.

That is, paying the ransom may benefit the cybercriminal as well as the business and its survival, but its a sub-optimal choice from the perspective of the wider community. The business that pays the ransom obtains all the benefits of their choice, but much of the cost is borne by others, who may become the victim of emboldened cybercriminals.

The moral dilemma is difficult: paying the ransom saves the business but hurts others. However, not paying the ransom is to feel morally superior while waiting in the unemployment line.

How to fight ransomware

Avoiding such a dilemma entirely requires businesses to prepare for ransomware attacks.

There are several key actions and responses a company can take to blunt the impact of a cyber-attack. Chani Simms, co-founder of Meta Defence Labs, has suggested, among other things:

- Implementing preventive controls to make attacks less successful, such as regularly patching software and training staff in good information security practices.

- Ensuring data is backed up offline and business continuity plans are in place.

- If an attack is still successful, quickly isolating infected computers to limit losses.

Such simple strategies are estimated to mitigate most cyber intrusions as well as ransomware. Yet the risk remains that ransomware creators will find a vulnerability, encrypt important data and leave the business with a sticky choice.

Until someone creates a ransomware-proof software system, some might decide that paying up is the rational choice.

This article is taken from The Conversation.

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The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the review before its completion. (Photo: AP)

Washington: President Donald Trump's administration appears ready to harden its approach toward Pakistan to crack down on Pakistan-based militants launching attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan, US officials said.

Potential Trump administration responses being discussed include expanding US drone strikes, redirecting or withholding some aid to Pakistan and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Some US officials, however, are skeptical of the prospects for success, arguing that years of previous US efforts to curb Pakistan's support for militants groups have failed, and that already strengthening US ties to India undermine chances of a breakthrough with Islamabad.

US officials say they seek greater cooperation with Pakistan, not a rupture in ties, once the administration finishes a regional review of the strategy guiding the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan.

Precise actions have yet to be decided.

The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the review before its completion. Pakistan's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The United States and Pakistan continue to partner on a range of national security issues," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

But the discussions alone suggest a shift toward a more assertive approach to address safe havens in Pakistan that have been blamed for in part helping turn Afghanistan's war into an intractable conflict.

Experts on America's longest war argue that militant safe havens in Pakistan have allowed Taliban-linked insurgents a place to plot deadly strikes in Afghanistan and regroup after ground offensives.

Although long mindful of Pakistan, the Trump administration in recent weeks has put more emphasis on the relationship with Islamabad in discussions as it hammers out a the regional strategy to be presented to Trump by mid-July, nearly six months after he took office, one official said.

"We've never really fully articulated what our strategy towards Pakistan is. The strategy will more clearly say what we want from Pakistan specifically," the U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Other U.S. officials warn of divisions within the government about the right approach and question whether any mix of carrots and sticks can get Islamabad to change its behavior. At the end of the day, Washington needs a partner, even if an imperfect one, in nuclear-armed Pakistan, they say.

The United States is again poised to deploy thousands more troops in Afghanistan, an acknowledgment that U.S.-backed forces are not winning and Taliban militants are resurgent.

Without more pressure on militants within Pakistan who target Afghanistan, experts say additional U.S. troop deployments will fail to meet their ultimate objective: to pressure the Taliban to eventually negotiate peace.

"I believe there will be a much harder U.S. line on Pakistan going forward than there has been in the past," Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan ambassador to the United States, told Reuters, without citing specific measures under review.

Kabul has long been critical of Pakistan's role in Afghanistan.

Pakistan fiercely denies allowing any militants safe haven on its territory. It bristles at U.S. claims that Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, has ties to Haqqani network militants blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan.

"What Pakistan says is that we are already doing a lot and that our plate is already full," a senior Pakistani government source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The source doubted the Trump administration would press too hard, saying: "They don't want to push Pakistan to abandon their war against terrorism."

Pakistani officials point towards the toll militancy has taken on the country. Since 2003, almost 22,000 civilians and nearly 7,000 Pakistani security forces have been killed as a result of militancy, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, which tracks violence.

Experts say Pakistan's policy towards Afghanistan is also driven in part by fears that India will gain influence in Afghanistan.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan won the status as a major non-NATO ally in 2004 from the George Bush administration, in what was at the time seen in part as recognition of its importance in the U.S. battle against al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents.

The status is mainly symbolic, allowing limited benefits such as giving Pakistan faster access to surplus U.S. military hardware.

Some U.S. officials and experts on the region scoff at the title.

"Pakistan is not an ally. It's not North Korea or Iran. But it's not an ally," said Bruce Riedel, a Pakistan expert at the Brookings Institution.

But yanking the title would be seen by Pakistan as a major blow.

"The Pakistanis would take that very seriously because it would be a slap at their honor," said a former U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Lisa Curtis, senior director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council, co-authored a report with Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former ambassador to Washington, in which they recommended the Trump administration warn Pakistan the status could be revoked in six months.

"Thinking of Pakistan as an ally will continue to create problems for the next administration as it did for the last one," said the February report.

It was unclear how seriously the Trump administration was considering the proposal.

The growing danger to Afghanistan from suspected Pakistan-based militants was underscored by a devastating May 31 truck bomb that killed more than 80 people and wounded 460 in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.

Afghanistan's main intelligence agency said the attack - one of the deadliest in memory in Kabul - had been carried out by the Haqqani network with assistance from Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

Washington believes the strikes appeared to be the work of the Haqqani network, U.S. officials told Reuters.

U.S. frustration over the Haqqani's presence in Pakistan has been building for years. The United States designated the Haqqani network as a militant organization in 2012. U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, then the top U.S. military officer, told Congress in 2011 that the Haqqani network was a "veritable arm" of the ISI.

The potential U.S. pivot to a more assertive approach would be sharply different than the approach taken at the start of the Obama administration, when U.S. officials sought to court Pakistani leaders, including Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani.

David Sedney, who served as Obama's deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia from 2009 to 2013, said the attempt to turn Islamabad into a strategic partner was a "disaster."

"It didn't affect Pakistan's behavior one bit. In fact, I would argue it made Pakistan's behavior worse," Sedney said.

Pakistan has received more than $33 billion in U.S. assistance since 2002, including more than $14 billion in so-called Coalition Support Funds (CSF), a U.S. Defense Department program to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-insurgency operations.

It is an important form of foreign currency for the nuclear-armed country and one that is getting particularly close scrutiny during the Trump administration review.

Last year, the Pentagon decided not to pay Pakistan $300 million in CSF funding after then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter declined to sign authorization that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network.

U.S. officials said the Trump administration was discussing withholding at least some assistance to Pakistan.

Curtis' report also singled out the aid as a target.

But U.S. aid cuts could cede even more influence to China, which already has committed nearly $60 billion in investments in Pakistan.

Another option under review is broadening a drone campaign to penetrate deeper into Pakistan to target Haqqani fighters and other militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, U.S. officials and a Pakistan expert said.

"Now the Americans (will be) saying, you aren't taking out our enemies, so therefore we are taking them out ourselves," the Pakistan expert, who declined to be identified, said.

Pakistan's army chief of staff last week criticized "unilateral actions" such as drone strikes as "counterproductive and against (the) spirit of ongoing cooperation and intelligence sharing being diligently undertaken by Pakistan".
June Rent Map Reminds Us That Chicago Rental Prices Are Heating Up For Summer

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jun 23, 2017 6:27PM





The real estate site Zumper ranks Chicago as the 11th most expensive city in the U.S., and its neighborhood breakdown of rents for the month of June hint at why: "One bedroom unit prices grew by 4.8 percent, and two bedrooms by 5.1 percent."

According to the site's numbers, the median price of a Chicago one bedroom is now $1,760, while a two bedroom is about $2,260 a month. Of course, some neighborhoods will get you a better deal than others. Greektown is the priciest 'hood, at $2,200 a month for a one bedroom median price, and River North, the Loop, the Gold Coast and Streeterville are also among the priciest. Once you head south of the city center to Amour Square, west past West Town, or north of Andersonville, you can start to find median one bedroom rents dipping below $1,000 a month.

One surprising piece of data Zumper pulled from its report: Bridgeport and Beverly have some of the fastest growing rents since last quarterboth saw rents rise over 12 percent.
Washington: A bipartisan bill seeking to revoke Pakistan's status as major non-NATO ally (MNNA) to the US has been introduced in the House of Representatives by two top lawmakers, saying the country failed to effectively fight terrorism.

Introduced by Republican Congressman Ted Poe and Democratic lawmaker Rick Nolan, the legislation calls for revoking MNNA status of Pakistan, which was granted to it in 2004 by the then president, George Bush, in an effort to get the country to help the US fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

"Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands," said Poe, who is a member of the foreign affairs committee and serves as chairman of the subcommittee on terrorism, non-proliferation and trade.

"For years, Pakistan has acted as a Benedict Arnold ally of the United States. From harbouring Osama bin laden to backing the Taliban, Pakistan has stubbornly refused to go after, in any meaningful way, terrorists that actively seek to harm opposing ideologies," he said.

"We must make a clean break with Pakistan, but at the very least, we should stop providing them the eligibility to obtain our own sophisticated weaponry in an expedited process granting them a privileged status reserved for our closest allies," Poe said.

Under MNNA, a country is eligible for priority delivery of defence materials, an expedited arms sale process and a US loan guarantee programme, which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports.

It can also stockpile US military hardware, participate in defence research and development programmes and be sold more sophisticated weaponry.

Last August, the then Secretary of Defence, Ash Carter, withheld USD 300 million in military reimbursements because he could not certify that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, as required by the NDAA.

"Time and time again, Pakistan has taken advantage of America's goodwill and demonstrated that they are no friend and ally of the United States," Nolan said.

"The fact is, the billions of dollars we have sent to Pakistan over the last 15 years has done nothing to effectively fight terrorism and make us safer. It is time towake up to the fact that Pakistan has ties to the same terrorist organisations which they claim to be fighting," he said.

The legislation will protect American taxpayer dollars and make the US and the world safer, Nolan said.
Washington: Indian-Americans here are eagerly looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a big way during his visit to the US capital to meet President Donald Trump.

The Indian community in Washington might not be as big the community as in New York/New Jersey area or the Silicon Valley, where the Prime Minister addressed two massive rallies in recent years, but the enthusiasm among the diaspora is at the same level.

The community is planning to welcome Modi at every possible location where he could be available during his three-day stay here. "There is a huge enthusiasm among Indian Americans," said Adapa Prasad, a top leader of the Overseas Friends of BJP USA, who is playing a key role in organising events to welcome the Prime Minister.

Unlike New York and Silicon Valley, Modi is attending a smaller community event on Sunday in a Virginia suburb of Washington DC. The Sunday afternoon reception is invitation only and has been restricted to leaders of the community organisations and eminent Indian-Americans from across the country.

"Despite this people are coming from across the country. They are flying and driving down to Washington DC for several hours to have a glimpse of their popular leader," Prasad said. It is understood that the community reception can accommodate about 600 people.

In addition to the community events, several think-tanks and organisations have planned a series of events coinciding with the US-India Summit on Monday.

The East West Centre in Washington and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with the Senate India Caucus and the House India Caucus will launch 'India Matters for America/America Matters for India', a publication and web resource for credible and nonpartisan information, graphics, analysis, and news at the national and state level on US-India interactions.

The briefing brings together experts from the US Government, business, and academia to assess how the partnership between the United States and India has moved towards greater cooperation in matters of regional security, trade, and cultural exchange, a statement said.

Another American think-tank Hudson Institute has partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to host a discussion on Monday on building stronger trade relations between India and the US.

Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, will offer his perspective on the India-US relationship. A panel discussion to be moderated by Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the US, would include Pratyush Kumar, president of Boeing India; Danny O Brien, government

relations leader for transportation at General Electric Company; James Shapiro, resident director in North America for Tata Sons; and Kapil Sharma, senior vice president at Wipro.

The panelists will explore ways to foster deeper economic bonds through innovation, global supply chain integration, investment, and more, a statement said.

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) is organising a mini-conference on the Indo-US ties and Indian diaspora on June 25, which among others would be addressed by Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge, foreign affairs dept of the Bharatiya Janata Party and an editor of book 'Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India's Foreign Policy'.

Indiaspora is also organising a reception to celebrate India US relationship. Meanwhile, separatist Sikh and Kashmiri groups have announced that they will hold anti-India protest rallies in front of the White House on Monday.
Missiles are paraded across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade on Saturday in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo: AP)

Washington: North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official said on Thursday.

The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile tests this year, could be for the smallest stage of an ICBM rocket engine, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A second US official also confirmed the test but did not provide additional details on the type of rocket component that was being tested or whether it fit into the ICBM program.

One official said he believed the test had taken place within the past 24 hours.

The disclosure of the engine test came a day after the United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington.

US President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although US officials said tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option.

China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, told Trump in a meeting at the White House that Beijing was willing to "maintain communication and coordination" with the United States in an effort to diffuse tension on the Korean peninsula, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry on Friday.

The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress last month that North Korea, if left unchecked, was on an "inevitable" path to obtaining a nuclear-armed missile capable of striking the US mainland.

Still, experts said Pyongyang could still be years away from have a reliable ICBM capability.

The continental United States is around 5,600 miles (9,000 km) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,400 miles (5,500 km), but some are designed to travel 6,200 miles (10,000 km) or farther.

Any military solution to the North Korea crisis would be "tragic on an unbelievable scale", Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said last month.

The United States, meanwhile, is ramping up capabilities to defend against the threat from North Korea, staging its first-ever successful test to intercept an incoming ICBM-type missile in May.

But a test on June 21 of a new capability being developed by the United States and Japan to defend against shorter-range missiles failed to hit its target, the US Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.

It was the second such test of the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor, which is being developed by Raytheon (RTN.N). The previous intercept test, conducted in February, had been successful.
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in their maiden bilateral meeting must focus on establishing new priority areas in the Indo-US cooperation, which is an important for Asia's regional stability, an American expert has said.

"Ahead of the first Trump-Modi summit, US-India relations are on uncertain footing. There is not yet a visible, cabinet-level leader in the US willing to take up this relationship as a priority. Trade concerns on both sides are growing," Richard M Rossow said in an op-ed released ahead of Modi's visit to the US.

"The June 2017 summit must focus on establishing the new priority areas for cooperation. The strength of this relationship is an important component of Asia's regional stability, and both leaders must ensure that recent momentum is maintained," Rossow, senior adviser and Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic International Studies said yesterday.

Rossow said the notion that Trump and Modi's shared political characteristics would ensure continued progress in building ties between the US and India is visibly falling apart.

"Though leaders in both countries reiterate the standard line that they prioritise the other, in a more practical sense, we have seen increased frictions in the last six months. The US is turning up the heat on India on commercial matters, while India expands its vision of "Make in India" and is courting additional global relationships with new vigour," he said.

"The Modi-Trump summit on June 26 is a singular chance to get an early, favourable course correction. At risk is a possible four-year freeze in ties, with increased friction on trade and backsliding on past commitments to cooperation. The meeting will provide more clarity on whether the past six months have been Act 1 in a surprising friendship or Round 1 of a protracted slugging match," Rossow said.

Lindsey Ford, director of Asian Security,Asia Society Policy Institute said, while Trump and Modi may have challenging waters to navigate on the economic front, especially regarding trade deficits and visa issues, a bright spot in their conversation is likely to be the security and defence relationship.

Anubhav Gupta, assistant director,Asia Society Policy Institute, said that Modi is sure to bring up South Asian stability, in particular US policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The administrations recent decision to let the defence department determine troop levels in Afghanistan could result in a short term influx of US troops there, which India might welcome, he said.

"However, India will look for reassurance that the administration is committed for the longer term in Afghanistan and has a true interest in and strategy for maintaining stability," Gupta said.

"Modi will also push the administration for a more stern US policy toward Pakistan, which continues to support militancy in Afghanistan and India. Support on these two fronts would reassure India greatly," he said.

According to Puneet Manchanda, professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business, Modi's visit to the US is best seen as a reset of economic relations between the two countries.

"Given the new regime in the White House, India needs to make sure that US investment in India, especially as related to defence and energy, is not going to change dramatically," he said.

"It also seems that President Trump prefers to build individual relationships with foreign leaders and thus it would help PM Modi to put the building blocks of such a relationship in place during this visit," Manchanda said.

Arun Agrawal, professor of natural resources and environment, at the University of Michigan said India's ambitious moves in the renewable energy sector mark its emergence as a major global player in solar and wind.

"Those who care about climate change and sustainability will be excited about Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US. India's future plans to advance on electric cars and pursue greater sustainability will require digital innovations and partnerships," Agrawal said.
Seoul: North Korea on Friday accused the United States of waging a "smear campaign" over the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and sent back home in a coma.

US President Donald Trump has slammed the incarceration and eventual death of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier as "a total disgrace". "The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the US compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law", the foreign ministry spokesman said in state media.

The North had earlier Friday denied torturing or mistreating Warmbier, in the first official reaction to his death. "Our relevant agencies treat all criminals thoroughly in accordance with domestic laws and international standards and Warmbier was not an exception," a spokesman for the National Reconciliation Council said.

"Those who have absolutely no idea about how well we treated Warmbier under humanitarian conditions dare to utter 'mistreatment' and 'torture'," he said according to the official KCNA news agency.

Warmbier was buried Thursday in Ohio, less than a week after he was sent back home in a mysterious coma. He had been incarcerated for more than a year in North Korea after allegedly stealing a political slogan while on a trip to the capital Pyongyang as a tourist.
The likelihood that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed is close to 100 percent, Interfax news agency quoted the head of the defense committee in Russia's upper parliamentary house.

Russia's defense ministry said a week ago it believed it may have killed Baghdadi when one of its air strikes hit a gathering of senior Islamic State commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa.

But armed groups fighting in the region and U.S. officials say they have no evidence that Baghdadi was killed, and many regional officials have said they are skeptical about the information from Moscow. Committee head Viktor Ozerov was quoted as saying the defense ministry would not have released information about Baghdadi's death if it believed it could be later proved incorrect.

"I think this information is close to 100 percent," Interfax quoted Ozerov. "The fact that Islamic State has still not shown him anywhere also adds to our confidence that al-Baghdadi has been killed."
British PM Theresa May with her Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy at the European Union headquarters in Brussels (Photo: AFP)

Theresa May has played her opening gambit of Brexit negotiations, telling European leaders she will offer some three million EU citizens a new settled status allowing them to stay in Britain if they have lived here five years.

People gaining it would secure rights on healthcare, education and benefits broadly similar to those enjoyed by EU citizens in the UK now. Meanwhile, EU migrants to Britain said that far from being "generous", Prime Minister Theresa May's offer for their post-Brexit future was stingy and would leave them prey to the whims of British lawmakers.

Some migrants worried that the proposals meant their rights would no longer be protected by the European Court of Justice after an EU membership referendum last year in which they had no say.

"There's nothing special in her offer," Spanish nurse Joan Pons, one of 60,000 Europeans working for the National Health Service (NHS) in England alone, said.

"It's not a 'generous' offer. It's rather ridiculous," he said. The offer outlined by the beleaguered May at an EU summit was also condemned by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as woefully insufficient.

"The PM's plan doesn't come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of the 3 million EU nationals living in the UK," Khan tweeted.
222 civilians, including 84 children, were killed in the largely Islamic State group-held province of Deir Ezzor. (Photo: Representational/File)

Beirut: US-led coalition air strikes on two Syrian provinces targeting jihadists have killed 472 civilians over the past month, a monitor said Friday, more than double a previous 30-day toll.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the period between May 23 and June 23 saw the highest civilian death toll in coalition raids for a single month since they began on September 23, 2014.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said 222 civilians, including 84 children, were killed in the largely Islamic State group-held province of Deir Ezzor.

Another 250 civilians, including 53 children, were killed in Raqa province, where US-backed forces are trying to oust ISIS jihadists from their bastion Raqa city.

He said that the new deaths brought the overall civilian toll from the coalition's campaign to 1,953, including 456 children and 333 women.

The previous deadliest 30-day period was between April 23 and May 23 this year that cost 225 civilian lives. The coalition insists it takes every measure to avoid hitting civilians, including by aborting missile strikes at the last moment if a civilian unexpectedly wanders into the target zone.

A total of more than 320,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with anti-government protests, according to the Britain-based Observatory.
Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran, an official of one of the four countries said.

The demands aimed at ending the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years appear designed to quash a two decade-old foreign policy in which Qatar has punched well above its weight, striding the stage as a peace broker, often in conflicts in Muslim lands. Doha's independent-minded approach, including a dovish line on Iran and support for Islamist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, has incensed some of its neighbors who see political Islamism as a threat to their dynastic rule.

The list, compiled by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, which cut economic, diplomatic and travel ties to Doha, also demands the closing of a Turkish military base in Qatar, the official said.

Turkey's Defense Minister Fikri Isik rejected the demand, saying any call for the base to be shut would represent interference in Ankara's relations with Doha. He suggested instead that Turkey might bolster its presence.

"Strengthening the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf's security," he said. "Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda." Qatar must also announce it is severing ties with terrorist, ideological and sectarian organizations including the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly al Qaeda's branch in Syria, the Arab official said, and surrender all designated terrorists on its territory.

The four Arab countries accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional instability and cozying up to revolutionary theocracy Iran. Qatar has denied the accusations.

Qatari officials did not reply immediately to requests for comment. But Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar would not negotiate with unless they lifted their measures against Doha.

The countries give Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes "void", the official said without elaborating, suggesting the offer to end the dispute in return for the 13 steps would no longer be on the table."The demands are so aggressive that it makes it close to impossible to currently see a resolution of that conflict," said Olivier Jakob, a strategist at Switzerland-based oil consultancy Petromatrix.
Peshawar: At least 11 people were killed and 24 wounded when twin blasts tore through a market crowded with shoppers preparing for the Eid holidays in a mainly Shi'ite area of Pakistan's tribal belt.

The first blast came during rush hour in the market in Parachinar, capital of Kurram tribal district, local official Nasrullah Khan said.

"When people rushed to the site... to rescue the wounded, a second blast took place," he said. A second official confirmed the explosions and toll.
China's Sunway TaihuLight [File Photo]

China is developing a third prototype exascale computing machine -- also known as a super supercomputer -- and plans to launch it by June 2018, according to the developers.

The Sunway exascale computer prototype is being developed by the National Research Center of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology (NRCPC) and the National Supercomputing Center in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province.

The NRCPC led the team that developed Sunway TaihuLight, crowned the world's fastest computer two years in a row at both the 2016 and 2017 International Supercomputing Conferences held in Frankfurt, Germany.

An exascale computer is able to execute a quintillion calculations per second, around eight times faster than Sunway TaihuLight. The increase in computational speed will advance research in climate change, space science, medicine and oceanology among others.

China and the United States are currently leading exascale computer development. In China, prototypes are being developed by three teams led by the NRCPC, Dawning Information Industry C. (Sogon), and National University of Defense Technology (NUDT).

The three have been spear-heading China's supercomputer efforts with their respective brands: Sunway, Sogon, and Tianhe.

The NUDT, partnering the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin, announced in January that their prototype will be ready by the end of 2017.

Sogon said it had begun developing the prototype late last year.

After the prototypes have been developed, exascale supercomputers are expected to hit the market by 2020.

Sunway supercomputer's developers said they are eyeing applications in fields such as high performance numerical simulation in marine environments, to be used by State Oceanic Administration's First Institute of Oceanography in Qingdao. The city is at the forefront of China's marine scientific research as the base for the deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong.
Twin border towns of Pathankot and Gurdaspur in Punjab have been put on high alert after intelligence inputs said some Pakistan-trained militants have infiltrated into Punjab to create terror.



The alert issued by the intelligence bureau and other agencies is based on human intelligence gathered from the ground from time to time. This is the second terror alert issued by security agencies in the last one month.



This border zone in Punjab has suffered two terror strikes from Pakistan militia. The Army has been alerted of the developments. Police and security agencies are keeping a close watch on the movement in the area.



Security around the frontier airbase of the Air Force in Pathankot, that withstood terror attack from Pak-militants, as well as the Army cantonment, has been stepped up. The BSF manning the 542-km of the Punjab-Pakistan border has deployed additional armed personnel to thwart any misadventure. The infiltration was made through the Bamial sector in Pathankot. Bulletproof tractors too have been strategically deployed near the border.








India created history on Thursday when NASA launched a satellite made in the country. Only this one was not made by the experienced brains at ISRO. The satellite was a tiny, 64 gram device named KalamSat, after the late President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, and was designed and built by an 18-year-old student and his friends.



Rifath Farook, hailing from Tamil Nadu's Pallapatti, designed and built the tiny satellite by 3D printing the parts. The satellite is built with a carbon fibre frame and Farook said that he wanted to demonstrate the performance of 3D printed carbon.



The satellite was developed as part of Farrok's enrollment in NASA's 'Cubes in Space' program, which encouraged kids raning from 11 to 18 years of age across the world to design and build a satellite that fit in the palm of the hand. Farook's efforts were funded and sponsored by an organisation called 'Space Kids India', whose CEO, Dr. Srimathy Kesan took a personal interest in the project, guiding the students through the design and construction of the satellite.



Kesan called the launch a 'Divine Intervention' in an interview with TOI. "I am calling it divine intervention because the previous Nasa mission from Wallops got postponed because of weather and we were able to launch successfully today." This one-of-its-kind satellite, which can be held in one's palm is a 3.8cm cube and its structure is fully 3-D printed with reinforced carbon fiber polymer. It is equipped with a nano Geiger Muller counter which will measure radiation in space. Added".



"It is the only cube to be converted into a satellite in this mission," she added.
India has voted against the UK to back of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justice's opinion on the decades-long dispute between Britain and Mauritius over an island in the Indian Ocean.



In a diplomatic blow to Britain, the General Assembly voted by 94 to 15 to ask the Hague-based court to examine the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius maintains is part of its territory that has been unlawfully claimed by the UK since 1965.



Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968.



India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution proposed by Mauritius and co-sponsored by the Group of African States.



"As part of our longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in his statement to the General Assembly on the resolution.



Akbaruddin said India supports the draft and votes in favour of it, "continuing with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonisation".



Speaking before the vote, Mauritius Minister Mentor and Minister for Defence Anerood Jugnauth told the 193-member General Assembly that the Chagos Archipelago has been part of his country since at least the 18th century, when France had governed it. He said the entire territory had been ceded to the United Kingdom in 1810, and kept intact until the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago in November 1965. He added that information had come to light about British efforts to manipulate the international community at the time, and to present the United Nations with a fait accompli regarding the separation. Those facts alone should warrant a fresh look at the situation, he emphasised.



He said "a vote for the draft resolution [...] is a vote in support of completing the process of decolonisation, respect for international law and the rule of law."



Akbaruddin said as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonisation, India since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.



He stressed that India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean.



"We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space. On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations," Akbaruddin said.



The archipelago's biggest island Diego Garcia is the site of a major British-American military base that is still in operation and served as a key US base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The US voted against the draft resolution saying it was an attempt to circumvent the ICJ's lack of jurisdiction over a bilateral issue in which one of the parties had not consented to the submission.



It said the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, was critical to regional and global security. The US said the issue was not decolonisation, but a bilateral territorial dispute that would undermine the Courts advisory function.



Britain's envoy to the UN Matthew Rycroft said the UK is opposing the resolution "because referring a bilateral dispute to the ICJ is not the appropriate course of action.



"The request for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the Government of Mauritius to circumvent a vital principle: the principle that a State is not obliged to have its bilateral disputes submitted for judicial settlement without its consent. And let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius," he said.



Rycroft added that UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes, and in 1966, concluded an agreement with the United States of America for joint defence use of the territory. The extensive facilities that have since been established, are primarily used as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships, and they make an essential contribution to regional and global security and stability, he said.



He noted that Britains current agreement with the United States regarding the use of the Archipelago as a military base lasts until 2036.



"We cannot, 19 years away, predict exactly what our defence purposes will require beyond that date. We should not and will not make arbitrary, or ill-informed, or premature decisions. We cannot gamble with the future of regional and global security," he said.



The British envoy asserted that UK stands by its commitment that when it no longer needs the territory for defence purposes, it will pass on the Archipelagos sovereignty.
Reaching out to opposition parties, NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind today said the post of president is above party politics and he will strive to maintain its dignity.



The 71-year-old said after filing his nomination papers that he had ceased to belong to any political party after he became governor of Bihar in 2015.



"Ever since I became governor, I don't belong to any political party. The post of president is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support," he told reporters.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a battery of NDA chief ministers and party leaders accompanied Kovind as he filed his papers for the July 17 presidential election in which his victory appears to be almost certain.



"I will do my best to maintain dignity of the high office of the president," he said. Referring to national security, Kovind said, "The president is also the supreme commander of all three forces. It is our responsibility to keep our border secure."



BJP president Amit Shah and party veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were present on the occasion as were all chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and its allies, except Manohar Parrikar of Goa and Mehbooba Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir.



Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami also attended the event. Besides NDA constituents, which comprise over 48.6 per cent of votes in the electoral college that will elect the next president, regional parties such as the AIADMK, BJD, TRS and JD(U) have also announced their support to the Dalit leader, making his win a foregone conclusion unless there's a drastic change in the situation. With the support of these parties, Kovind is set to get more than 61 per cent of votes in the electoral college.
The Kannada Development Authority has sent a notice to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) seeking explanation for violating the rules by displaying signboards in Hindi. Quoting an article published in Prajavani, the sister publication of DH, the authority cited two circulars and the government notification on nameboards in shops and commercial establishments to note that BMRCL was violating laws. This move shows unwanted imposition of Hindi and the BMRCL should reply to the notice within seven days, the authority said.



Meanwhile, the opposition against Hindi imposition moved from the digital sphere to the world outside with the Kannada Rakshana Vedike calling for a protest at the BMRCL office in Shanthinagar on Friday.
 Flash

The Royal family watches a fly-past on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain on June 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

Queen Elizabeth's bachelor grandson Prince Harry caused a stir Thursday by saying no members of the British royal family want to be the king or queen.

The remarkable comment by the prince was made in an interview with the U.S. magazine Newsweek.

"Is there any one of the Royal Family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so," Harry said in the magazine.

He said the royals were doing it "for the greater good of the people". Prince Harry added in the interview: "We will carry out our duties at the right time."

The prince also spoke about the role he and his older brother Prince William are taking in modernizing the British monarchy. Prince William is second in line to the throne.

Harry in the interview paid tribute to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, for letting the younger royals "do things their own way".

Describing the monarch as remarkable, Harry added: "The Queen has been fantastic in letting us choose. She tells us to take our time and really think things through."

On a more somber note, Harry spoke about the day, when he was aged 12, he walked in the funeral procession for his mother, the late Princess Diana, through the streets of London.

The procession was screened live around the world.

"No child should be asked to do that," said the prince.

On the day of the funeral in 1997, Harry walked alongside his brother Prince William, his father and his grandfather, the Queen's husband Prince Philip and Diana's brother Earl Spencer, in the procession behind his mother's coffin.

In a recent interview, Harry, who has become a mental health champion, revealed he had received counseling to cope with the death in a car crash of his mom.

"My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."

Talking about his role in helping to modernize the royal family, Harry said: "It's a tricky balancing act. We don't want to dilute the magic. The British public and the whole world need institutions like it."

He also revealed he did his own shopping, adding: "I worry someone will snap me with their phone. But I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too.

"Even if I was king, I would do my own shopping," he said.

The anti-monarchy campaign group, Republic, responded to the interview Thursday, saying Harry could always walk away from his job as a British royal.

Republic said if Harry is right, "we need a national debate about ending the monarchy."

Graham Smith, the group's CEO, said: "If this is true, that no royal really wants to be king, then I have some sympathy. But the honest truth is Harry can walk away whenever he likes. If they are reluctant royals then they should walk away -- Britain will be fine without them.

"It seems they're reluctant to do the work, but happy to take the perks and privileges that come with the role. Harry is wrong to think that he should stay on, out of some duty to the country. The country can easily find others to take on the role of head of state," Smith said.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad could end up gaining more in the Opposition's Presidential nominee Meira Kumar, as it could help him in countering Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar.



In Meira Kumar, the RJD president has found an opportunity to blunt the advantage Nitish felt he could garner in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by supporting NDA choice Ram Nath Kovind, a Maha Dalit from the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.



Sources said Lalu was very vocal and adamant in the meeting of Opposition leaders on Thursday that they should choose a candidate and batted for Meira Kumar. This was soon after NCP chief Sharad Pawar said they could delay the decision by a day.



However, Lalu's calculation was that a candidate from Bihar, that too a Dalit, would put pressure on his ally JD(U). The JD(U) on Wednesday chose to support Kovind, a "cross border candidate", with an aim to send a message to Dalit constituency that had alienated them after Jiten Ram Manjhi left the party over differences with Nitish Kumar.



Sources said Lalu has read the JD(U) gameplan very well and wanted to counter it. Lalu is believed to have told some opposition leaders that "a thorn should be dealt with another thorn" and Meira Kumar could expose Nitish to difficulties.



"He wants to neutralise the Dalit card Nitish could play in the future. Lalu is now very vocal. He wants a message to go to the Bihar voters that it is he who is standing by the 'daughter of Bihar', a Dalit, and not Nitish. He is also sending the message that Nitish is pitching for an outsider Dalit," a senior leader said.



By supporting Kovind, JD(U) believes it could send a message to non-Jatav Dalits in Bihar. Manjhi's exit and BJP presence had forced Nitish to go for a grand alliance in Bihar with RJD and Congress.



Lalu, who flew down for the Opposition meeting straight from Ranchi after a court hearing, has also bluntly told media that Nitish has taken a "wrong decision".


Space agency ISRO is all set to launch the GSAT-17 from French Guiana on June 28, the third launch is less than a month.



"GSAT-17 is getting launched on June 28. We will be working on the replacement satellite for IRNSS-1.



Our plan is to have two Mark-II and two Mark-III launches apart from eight to ten PSLV launches per year," a beaming ISRO Chairman A S Kiran told reporters after the successful launch of PSLV-C38.



He was addressing the media after ISRO's workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 40th flight (PSLV-C38), successfully launched the Cartosat-2 series satellite, a dedicated one for the defence forces, along with 30 nano satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here,

ISRO was geared up for the launch of GSAT-17 and lined up more for the future, he said.



On June 5, ISRO had launched its most powerful and heaviest geostationary rocket carrying advanced communication satellite GSAT-19, weighing 3,136 kg, from the spaceport here.



Kumar said, "we have approvals for Chandrayaan-II and Aditya. Meanwhile, we are finalising Mars Orbiter II and Venus mission. Study teams are looking at them. Very soon, we will be finalising our plan of action. Then we will get the necessary approvals from the government and move ahead."



About IRNSS-IA, the ISRO chief said a replacement satellite would be sent as the "clocks have stopped functioning and there is a need to replace them."



Kumar said PSLV has emerged as a credible launch vehicle for anyone across the globe, because of the frequency at which launches are happening and also the access and timeline within which their satellites can be put into orbit.



"With each (PSLV) launch, we are trying to improve our capability in one new area, like multiple restarts, multiple orbits...different capabilities we are building. As we continue to do so, PSLV will be the in-demand vehicle for satellite launches across the world."



"In future, we are planning communication satellites where electric propulsion systems would be used. Currently, we have put on electric propulsion system in GSAT-9 that has been tested out. The primary advantage is that it will reduce the mass of the satellite by replacing chemical propulsion system. We have a lot of plans," he said in response to a question on what lies ahead for ISRO.



He lavished praise on the Cartosat-2 team, which soared into space this morning along with 30 other nano satellites from 14 countries apart from India.



Earlier, the mission director B Jayakumar said all the satellites launched today by PSLV-C38 had been positioned in orbit.



"With today's launch, we have acquired the confidence that we can launch multiple satellites in multiple orbits in a single mission," he said.
Relief for seven DMK MLAs, who created ruckus during the floor test of the House on February 18, as Tamil Nadu assembly speaker pardoned them on Friday.



Though Privilege committee, led by deputy Speaker Pollachi Jayaraman, recommended six months suspension of the seven DMK MLAs such as S Ambeth Kumar, K S Masthan, K S Ravichandran, N Suresh Rajan, K Karthikeiyan, P Murugan and Ku Ka Selvam, Speaker Dhanapal spared them citing that most them were first time legislators.



The report of the committee of privileges, which submitted its report to the Asssembly few days ago, had recommended that the salary and the perks of the seven DMK MLAs should be withheld during their suspension period.



A resolution was moved in this regard by Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan soon after the question hour.



However, Speaker said that all the seven DMK MLAs, who were involved in unruly behavior during the floor test has given their apology letter.



"In their apology letter they expressed regret over the incident during the floor test. Further they also assured that they would not indulge in such type of incident in the future", Speaker pointed out and asked the treasury bench to withdraw the resolution.



Later, the leader of the Opposition and DMK working president MK Stalin thanked the speaker for sparing his party legislators.




Condemning the lynching of a police officer in Srinagar, National Conference working president Omar Abdullah today said the people behind the "travesty" should "burn in hell".



He said the killing of deputy superintendent of police Mohammad Ayub Pandith outside the Jamia Masjid in the downtown area of the city was height of barbarism. "I am personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy. That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking," he said.



"His death is a tragedy & the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins," Omar wrote on Twitter.



Expressing shock and anguish over the "dastardly and barbaric" killing, Omar said the killing was the height of barbarism and should be condemned unequivocally by everyone. "I am personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy. That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking. Such heinous elements are the enemies of Kashmiriyat and humanity and should be given the sternest possible sentence as per the law of the land," he said in a statement.



The former chief minister of the state announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh on behalf of the party and also a month's salary as MLA to the police welfare fund to support families of such martyrs.



"We are all duty-bound to stand with the family of the martyred police officer and also the police department in this hour of mourning and grief," the NC working president said.



He demanded that the culprits be brought to book without delay and given the sternest possible punishment.



On the instructions of the working president, NC's provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani and state spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu attended the wreath-laying ceremony of the police officer on behalf of the party and paid tribute.



Mohammad Ayub Pandith, a deputy superintendent of police, was stripped naked and stoned to death by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in downtown area in the early hours today.
NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that he does not belong to any political party and President post in above all the politics. He filed his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential elections in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior NDA leaders.



Kovind, 71, said he will work hard to main dignity of the President's post which he stressed was above politics. "Ever since I became governor, I don't belong to any political party. The post of president is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support.. I will do my best to maintain dignity of the high office of the president," the Dalit leader of UP told reporters in a breif interaction with media. His "impartiality" as Bihar governor was also ackowledged by state chief minister Nitish Kumar who gave up opposition politics to support the NDA nominee.



With the BJP for the first time heading to install its own partyman in President's House, Kovind confidently took names of several former presidents to praise "great traditions" of the constitutional office. In that context, he insisted "that its supremacy is maintained is very important".



Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Shiromani Akali Dal patron Prakash Singh Badal and TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu seconded Kovind's candidature. With NDA partners pulling off 48.6 percent of votes in the electoral college and regional parties including AIADMK, BJD, JDU, TRS and YSR Congress giving their nod, Kovind is set to become the next president and second Dalit leader after KR Narayanan to warm the highest constitutional position. As per BJP's internal projection, the NDA nominee may get at least 61 per cent votes in the polling on July 17.



The lawyer politician underlined his agenda for the country's "all-round development, fulfilment of youths' aspirations and encouragement to modern education". Echoing Modi's mission, the former Rajya Sabha MP gleaned on a peice of paper and remarked that "I will strive to see to it that the dream to build a new India which is developing continuously when we celebrate 75 years of independence in 2022 is fulfilled".



On the current security scenario, the BJP leader assured that as the president is also the supreme commander of all three forces, " it is our responsibility to keep our border secure".



After the process got over, the AP chief minister stated that Kovind deserves to become the next President of India. "Now everyone has to support his candidature. The opposition will lose" the contest, Naidu commented.



BJP veteran leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, members of the party's margdarshak mandal, also turned up at the event to send message that they are with Modi and Shah on their pick for the president's post. Except for Manohar Parikar and Mehbooba Mufti, chief ministers of different BJP-ruled states and its allies were also present at that time. Interestinlgy, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadus Edappadi K Palaniswami were spotted among the leaders who graced the ocassion.
China today asked India and the US not to disturb peace in the strategic South China Sea and play a "constructive role" in the disputes there, as the issue was likely to be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with President Donald Trump.



Modi will meet Trump on June 26. He will hold talks with Trump on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.



Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said the situation in the disputed region was "cooling down".



"With concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect the efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," Geng said.



China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea.



Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.



Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade.



The US had recently sent a navy warship near an artificial island in the South China Sea as part of the first "freedom of navigation" operation under President Trump, a move China said challenged its sovereignty in the region.



China termed the US' move as "irresponsible" and warned that America's deliberate provocations would have "extremely dangerous consequences" to regional stability.
Army jawan Sandeep Jadhav had promised to come home to celebrate the birthday of his son Shivam tomorrow, but to the utter devastation of his family the jawan will return home in a coffin.



A pall of gloom descends on the jawan's native Kalegao village in Sillod tehsil of Aurangabad district.



The 34-year-old soldier, who belonged to the 15 Maratha Light Infantry, was yesterday killed in an attack by a team of Pakistani special forces, which had sneaked 600 metres across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.



Shravan Mane, a 24-year-old sepoy from Kolhapur, was also killed in the attack. When Jadhav's father Sarjerao learnt about his death, he decided not to play the television at home so that the family does not come to know about the fateful news.



One of the villagers said, "Sandeep had assured his family that he would come home for Shivam's birthday. As the birthday preparations were going on in full swing yesterday evening, Sarjerao decided not to play the television news at home when he learnt about his son's death. He also asked some of his relatives not to talk about it to his family members, including Jadhav's wife, elder daughter and others."



However, by late this afternoon, they were finally briefed about the incident for the conduct of his last rites.



Aurangabad District Collector Naval Kishor Ram said, "Sandeep's body would reach Aurangabad by this evening. But, we have not received any confirmation about the shifting of the body yet."



Meanwhile, in Kolhapur, the family members of Shravan Mane are waiting for his body to arrive.

Kolhapur District Collector Avinash Subhedar told PTI his office was in touch with the Army officials in Jammu.



"We are hopeful of his body reaching Kolhapur by this evening," he said.



Mane, a resident of Gogave village in Shahuwadi tehsil of Kolhapur district, was a bachelor and had joined the Army only a couple of years back.



"All the male members of his family, including the extended ones, are connected with the Army. His father had served in the Army as a jawan. Mane's elder brother and brother-in-law are at present serving in various battalions of the Army," Subhedar said.



Sanjay Shinde, resident district collector of Kolhapur said, "We are in touch with the Army officials in Jammu about shifting of Mane's body. We are told that it should first reach Jammu, as the route from Poonch to Jammu is difficult. Once the body reaches Jammu, the Army will either carry it to Pune or directly take it to Belgaum, closest airport from Kolhapur."
The GJM, spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, adopted a confrontationist stand today with its chief Bimal Gurung threatening to intensify the stir and demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged police firing in the hills on June 17.



Gurung, who resigned as the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive along with other elected members of the body during the day, said, "The agitation for Gorkhaland will continue. We have resigned from the GTA. Our one point demand is Gorkhaland."



The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader, who was not seen in public for the past several days, appeared before the media at Patlebas in Darjeeling, a party stronghold.



"I am not Kishenji (Maoist leader) who can be eliminated in a police encounter. I have not taken up arms against the country. I am fighting for the identity of the Gorkhas and in a democracy I have every right to do that," he said.



"Our fight will continue and I will fight till the end," he said.



Alleging that the police had opened fire in the hills on June 17 in which three GJM activists were killed, Gurung said, "We (the GJM) have the video footage of the incident. I demand a CBI inquiry."



It was the state government which has violated human rights and slapped false cases against the GJM, he claimed.



Asked about the Centre's reponse to the GJM's demand, he said, "Talks are on with the central government and we hope something positive will come up soon."



He said the GTA was a "closed chapter" and that the next all-party meeting will be held on June 29 to decide the next course of action.
The audit committee of Infosys, the second largest IT services company, has given clean chit to its chief executive officer Vishal Sikka and other directors after its investigation revealed that there was no financial impropriety as complained by two anonymous letters written by whistleblowers in February this year.



The two anonymous letters in February this year made serious allegations against the Infosys management which talked about improper payment in the acquisition of two companies  Panaya, Skava and also the excessive expenditure incurred by CEO Vishal Sikka. Both the letters were forwarded to the market regulator SEBI.



Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, a US based law firm and Control Risks, a consulting firm conducted the investigation. We found no evidence whatsoever to support any of the new allegations in the complaints regarding wrongdoing by the company or its directors and employees, and those allegations were rebutted by substantial and credible evidence, Gibson said in a statement.



The anonymous letter had alleged that Infosys had paid excess money for the acquisition of Panaya and Skava in 2015 in return for certain kickbacks with fingers pointing against the top management. Panaya was acquired for $200 million while it paid $120 million for Skava.



As described in detail during our discussion with the Audit Committee, we found no evidence whatsoever to support any of the new allegations in the complaints regarding wrongdoing by the company or its directors and employees, and those allegations were rebutted by substantial and credible evidence, the company said.



The company stated that there is no evidence that the CEO received excessive variable compensation or incurred unreasonable expenses for security, travel and the Palo Alto office. We also concluded that Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) in 2015 and 2016 previous investigations were thorough and that their findings and conclusions were reasonable and credible based on the evidence, the company said.



Besides the international law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, the audit committee sought the expertise of Control Risks, a risk consultancy specialising in expert analysis and in-depth investigations, to come up with the report.



It also appointed the Indian law firm Khaitan & Company to provide legal counsel on Indian law matters. The anonymous whistleblower also wanted an investigation into the CEOs improper deals made with customers. Besides saying the mergers and acquisitions team acted without securing proper approvals, the whistleblower also pointed a finger on the CEO receiving inappropriate compensation and incurred excessive expenses relating to travel, security and the Palo Alto office.



The company states that Gibson Dunn and Control Risks have now completed their detailed and extensive Independent Investigation. Infosys also states that it has also fully cooperated with all requests for information from SEBI regarding the anonymous complaints.



 We found no evidence supporting the whistleblowers allegations regarding the acquisitions  there were no conflicts of interest or kickbacks, required approvals for the acquisitions were obtained, thorough due diligence was conducted, the valuations of the target companies done by an outside financial advisor were reasonable, and the purchase prices were within the range of values determined by that advisor, Infosys said.



The investigating firms also reviewed the two previous investigations completed by Indian law firm CAM in 2015 and 2016 on the allegations relating to the departure of the former CFO.
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Egyptian cabinet decided on Thursday to extend the state of emergency in the country for three more months, state-owned Ahram newspaper reported.

The decision to extend the emergency state was made during a cabinet meeting.

On April 11, Egypt's parliament approved a presidential decision for a three-month state of emergency, days after church bombings killed at least 44 people in the North African country.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian interior ministry announced on Thursday that its forces killed seven terrorists in connections to anti-Christian attacks.

The ministry said the terrorists, who were hiding in a mountainous area in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Assuit, exchanged fire with police forces before they were killed.

Egypt has been fighting a wave of anti-security attacks following the ouster of the Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Those attacks, which were mainly centered in Sinai while rarely happened in Cairo and other governorates, have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen as well as Coptic Christians.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State group in North Sinai province has claimed responsibility of most of the attacks.
At least 10 people were killed and several others injured today in two subsequent blasts at a crowded market in Parachinar area of Pakistan's Kurram tribal district, bordering Afghanistan.



The first explosion occurred in Akbar Khan Market in Parachinar headquarters of Kurram Agency, officials said.



The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.



At least 10 people were killed in the blasts. The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar.



The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight said the aim of his upcoming visit to the US was building of a "forward-looking vision" for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide- ranging ties.



Modi, who will be meeting President Donald Trump for the first time on June 26 in Washington, said he looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views.



Along with the US, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning tomorrow.



"My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted.



In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from June 25 was at the invitation of Trump.



"President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said.



"I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide ranging partnership between India and the United States," the prime minister said.



He noted that India's partnership with the US is multi- layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.



"I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump," he added.



Apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs.



Like in the past, he will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora.

In a personalised email to his supporters in the US, Modi said that he would be holding talks with Trump on ways to boost the bilateral relationship between the two countries.



"I would be coming to Washington DC for a visit starting 24th June. During my visit I would be holding talks with President Trump on ways to boost India-USA ties," he wrote in the mail which was received by his supporters this afternoon.



"On 25th I would be addressing a community programme in Washington DC, where I look forward to interacting with you," the prime minister wrote in the mail which was sent to invitees of the community reception.



Ahead of his interaction with community leaders, who are coming to Washington DC from across the country, Modi sought ideas and inputs from the Indian Diaspora.



"Before we meet in Washington DC, I want to hear from you," he wrote. "Share your ideas and inputs with me on the Narendra Modi Mobile App. I would refer to them during my speech at the community programme on 25th," he said.



In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit tomorrow to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa.



"Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa.



"We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added.



He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest.

"I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said.



He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit.

After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem- Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.



This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.



"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter- terrorism and climate change," he said.



Economic relations form the core of the bilateral relations and the Netherlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally.



"The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said.



"Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies.



He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story.



"There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.


RJD chief Lalu Prasad today again appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not to make a "historic blunder" by extending support to the NDA nominee for the presidential poll.



Describing the combined opposition nominee Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti" (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar to "mend the historic blunder" of supporting NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind.



"We are still treading on the path you had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'...don't know what made Kumar move away and extend support to a RSS man," Prasad told reporters on his arrival at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.



The RJD president, however, made it clear that the divergent paths taken by his party and the JD(U) would have no impact on the Grand Alliance government in Bihar headed by Kumar.



"There will be no impact of this (different views of the RJD and the JD(U)) on the Grand Alliance government in the future," Prasad said.



Bihar JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh repeated the party's decision to support Kovind and made it clear that there was no going back on it.



"Kovind as governor of Bihar walked hand-in-hand with the state government on the path of development... he has displayed attachment with Bihar," Singh said.

His party colleague Shyam Rajak echoed similar views.



"Hum logo ne thok-baja ke faisla liya hain (we have taken a decision after meticulously taking everything into account)," Rajak told PTI.



Rajak is deputy leader in the state assembly and a member of the JD(U) core committee which decided on Tuesday to support Kovind.



Meanwhile, Congress minister Abdul Jalil Mastan described Kovind as "a Shiv Sena man" who harboured hardcore Hinduavta ideology.



"He is a Shiv Sena man harbouring hardcore hinduvta ideology... how can he be a clean man?" Mastan argued.



Later in the evening, Kumar visited Prasad's residence to attend an Iftar party where he was warmly greeted by the host and Deputy Chief Minister Tejawsi Yadav.



"This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects," Prasad told media persons on queries if he had talks with Kumar.



Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member, said talks were held between the two leaders, but refused to divulge the details.



After spending nearly half-an-hour, Kumar left the venue. He embraced Prasad before quietly leaving the place.
The opposition presidential nominee, Meira Kumar, today said the president of India must uphold the values of "inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism" as the supreme representative of the nation.



She said the post was not symbolic and that capability and experience must supersede all other considerations.



Kumar, the joint opposition candidate announced by 17 non-NDA parties yesterday, is likely to file her nomination papers on June 27 or 28, which is the last date for submitting signatures of the endorsers and other documents.



In an appeal to the electorate comprising Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members and legislators in state assemblies, she said the post was responsible for "safeguarding and defending" constitutional principles for future generations.



"The values I hold dear - of inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism - are the values the president must uphold as the supreme representative of our nation," she said.



If the values were eroded, the Constitution would be undermined, the former Lok Sabha Speaker said.



"India can then not hope to achieve the progressive modernity envisioned by its founding fathers and reflected in the collective will of its people," she said in a statement.



Kumar said the post embodied the diversity of India's socio-political culture and the vision of its "composite ideology".



"It transcends the considerations of caste, religion or region," she said.

The post, the former minister stressed, was not symbolic.



"It articulates, in the fullest sense, the basis of our electoral philosophy - that capability and experience must always supersede all other considerations," she said.



In her appeal, she asked members of the collegium to base their decision on "these cherished principles and secure them for our future generations".



Kumar, a dalit who was a Union Minister in the UPA government, said she was honoured to be the joint opposition candidate.



She also expressed her gratitude to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and leaders of 17 political parties for their decision to nominate her.



Kumar also individually spoke to leaders of various opposition parties to thank them for the nomination.



The presidential election will be held on July 17 and it will be a dalit vs dalit contest with Kumar pitted against NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.



The Congress said the the post of the president should be held by someone who would protect the Constitution, "belong to all" and be away from politics.



"Meira Kumar is the ideal candidate," spokesperson RPN Singh told the media.

"We have selected such a candidate who has contributed to the nation and dedicated her life to parliamentary democracy. She has emerged as an example. We are confident that such a person would be elected," he said.



Singh said Kumar was a dalit and "bihar ki beti" (daughter of Bihar), but refused to comment on JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar's decision to support Kovind.

He, however, termed Nitish an "intelligent man".
IT major Infosys has reached a settlement for USD 1 million with the state of New York in a visa-related case, even though the company maintained it committed no wrongdoings and the probe was centred on alleged paperwork errors.



In a statement, New York Attorney General Eric T Schneiderman today said a USD 1-million settlement with the Indian IT firm has been reached to conclude the investigation.



While, the Bengaluru-based company in its statement said, "Infosys' agreement concludes the State of New York's investigation relating to the amount of taxes the company paid in 20102011 without any criminal or civil charges being filed.



"While this investigation centred on alleged paperwork errors, the company committed no wrongdoing and denies all allegations made in this regard."



The software services giant said this settlement relates to legal issues already resolved under the 2013 settlement with the US Department of Justice and was reached by both parties to avoid protracted litigation.



Schneiderman today "announced USD 1 million settlement with Infosys Corporation...that failed to properly compensate hundreds of workers and to pay applicable taxes, by systematically abusing the US visa rules in placing foreign workers at client sites in New York State."



The settlement resolves whistleblower claims that "Infosys Corporation, in the course of providing outsourcing services, routinely brought foreign IT personnel into New York to perform work in violation of the terms of their visas," the New York Attorney General said.



He further said, "We will not permit companies to violate our laws in order to undercut New York workers. My office is committed to ensuring that our state's labor marketplace is fair, competitive and transparent for all."



The investigation of attorney general also found that "in addition to securing employment of foreign workers at a much lower wage than applicable prevailing wage requirements, Infosys also avoided paying applicable payroll taxes".



The announcement has come a day before Infosys' Annual General Meeting.
Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the Congress-led state government will bear Rs 8,165 crore as part of the farm loan waiver privilege.



Speaking after inaugurating the newly built building for Agriculture Diploma College and the hostel at Brahmavar on Friday, the minister said that the governments decision to waive the farm loan will benefit 22 lakh farmers. Though the government initially assured to waive only 50% of the loan, its decision to waive Rs 8,165 crore out of 10,700 crore has resulted in much higher percentage, he added.



He said the state government was always keen to waive the loan of the farmers. But was waiting for the response from the Union government to waive the loan borrowed from nationalised banks. Sadly, the central government has betrayed the farmers by getting away with the responsibility.



The central governments decision made the state government to take immediate decision to waive the farmers loan borrowed from cooperative banks and societies. The central government should not be so inhuman towards farmers. The opposition leaders are all into propaganda to lure the voters, he charged.



He said the budgetary allocation for agriculture sector was Rs 4,700 crore when compared to the earlier Rs 1,800 crore. The budget expenditure has been 111 % in 2016-17.The BJP government has not crossed even 77 % when the amount spent from budgetary allocations is concerned, he claimed.



He added that the farmers are supported by the government by renting out farm machines as mechanised farming is the need of the hour for the sustainability of the agriculture activities. Krishi Yantra Dhare Centres have been set up at hobli level with public private partnership and Rs 75 lakh has been spent on the purchase of farm machines. The rent price is 30% less when compared to the market price, he said.



The government is promoting farming with complete mechanisation. The farmers are being helped out to practise the mechanised farming which will support the idea of 30% less investments, he noted.



He said the Congress government spent Rs 127 crore on the purchase of agriculture farm tools in its first year. In its fourth year, it has earmarked Rs 455 crore for the purpose. It is literally 410 % increase when compared to the previous BJP government, despite having separate agriculture budget, had a hike of just 27 % in the allocations, he criticised.



The minister added that out of 745 Raitha Samparka Kendras, very few were functioning in their own buildings when the Congress took over from BJP. However at present, 400 Raitha Samparka Kendras have own buildings, while the work for another 350 structures are underway. The proposal to start of agriculture colleges at Ankola, Brahmavar, Gangavati, Tumkur and Ballari is before the government.



The tarpaulins that were made available for the farmers was priced at Rs 2,800 during the BJP government. However, the Congress government has ensured it to the farmers at Rs 1,700. Similarly, the amount is also increased from Rs 26,000 to Rs 1.21 lakh, he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah scoffed at Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu for describing the state governments farm loan waiver a fashion and sought to know what term would he attribute to waiver of industrialists loans?



Siddaramaiah told reporters at the airport at Mandakalli near here on Thursday that, The Centre has wri corporate Rs 6 lakh crore availed by industrialists as loans but Naidu has not made a mention of it.



Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has no moral right to speak about farm loan waiver. He should understand that the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the Centre had waived farm loans worth Rs 72,000 crore. Instead of wasting his energy here, Yeddyurappa should exert pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive loans availed by farmers from nationalised banks, he said.



Farmers of Karnataka have availed a total loan amount of Rs 1.16 lakh crore from nationalised banks, cooperative banks and societies. Short-term loans amount to Rs 52,700 crore, of which the states share is Rs 10,736 crore. A decision has to be taken by the Union government about the loans advanced by nationalised banks, he said.



On AHV resignation



Reacting to the resignation of former MP A H Vishwanath from the Congress on Friday, he said it (Congress) is a 132-year-old party where people come and go.

We need not worry about such things, he said.



Smart city



When asked about Bengaluru figuring in the Smart City project list as announced by the Centre, Siddaramaiah said it is fortunate that the Centre has at least woken up to this reality.

The state government has to spend more funds than the Centre for the Smart City project but the Union government takes all the credit, he said.



JD(S) is a casteist party



Responding to former chief minister H D Kumaraswamys criticism that Siddaramaiah is the most casteist politician, Siddaramaiah said, I have never indulged in caste politics throughout my political career. All the credit should go to the JD(S) for strengthening casteism in politics. The JD(S) is a casteist party. Only till I was in that party, it had some principles. Now, it has no principles. It is a family party. I do not take Kumaraswamys comments seriously, he said.






Supreme Court on Friday ordered a medical board, comprising seven doctors from SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, to examine the fitness of a 24-week pregnant woman to undergo an abortion due to foetus abnormality.



A vacation bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul directed the medical board to submit its report by June 29 after ascertaining the health of the mother and the foetus.



During the hearing, the counsel for the West Bengal government said it has been decided to form a team of seven doctors to ascertain the womans medical condition.



The bench noted a report by a doctor which said that a child born with such serious abnormalities may not survive even the first surgery.




A man was killed for protesting against the desecration of a mosque in the communally sensitive Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, triggering tension in the area.



According to police sources, the incident happened in Nasirpur village late on Thursday.

Unidentified people barged into the village mosque and threw a bag inside, which later turned out to be meat, the police said.



Two elderly people living close to the mosque stopped the men and asked what they threw in.



One of the vandals pulled out a pistol in response and shot at the 70-year-old. The victim was taken to a hospital in Varanasi, but succumbed on Friday morning.



As the news of the death spread, a mob gathered at the village and raised slogans against the police and the local administration.



Two suspects were detained, police said, adding that a hunt has been launched to nab the other culprits.



Police said security personnel had been deployed in full strength at the village and senior officials had reached the spot to monitor the situation.




After filing his nomination papers for the Presidential election on Friday, NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind is all set to reach out to his electoral college, beginning from Uttar Pradesh on June 25.



The BJP is keen to exploit Kovinds candidature  he is a Koli (sub-caste of Dalit) from Kanpur  in Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum electorate.



The Kolis are traditionally weavers and also have a presence in Gujarat, Rajasthan,

Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.



Kovind plans to visit a few states, including Gujarat, ahead of the July 17 election.

A party general secretary involved in the poll strategy and preparation said Kovinds tour was being worked out. The finer details would be known after ascertaining the availability of supporting chief ministers and senior leaders in the states he would visit.

At the time of filing the nomination, 20 chief ministers and representatives of 28 parties had come to Parliament to lend their support to Kovind.



However, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik were not present.



A BJP leader attributed Thackerays absence to a miscommunication. Meanwhile, Sena MP Anandrao Adsul had signed papers to exhibit the partys support for Kovind.
RJD president Lalu Prasad on Friday hosted an Iftar party at his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devis official residence.



However, all eyes were on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was meeting Lalu a day after he reprimanded the JD(U) strongman for the historic blunder of backing NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.



The body language of the two regional satraps was enough to provide a clear evidence of cracks appearing within the Grand Alliance in Bihar.



Seated next to the RJD chief, Nitish hardly spoke to Lalu, who earlier made a fresh request to the chief minister to reconsider his decision of backing Kovind as he was a hardcore RSS man.



The party held at 10, Circular Road, which saw Lalus family, including Rabri, parliamentarian daughter Misa Bharti and sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi Yadav in full attendance, was significant as it was hosted amid a growing trust deficit between the three major allies in Bihar.



While Lalu, of late, has been charged by the BJP with amassing huge benami properties, Nitish is believed to be gradually distancing himself from the alliance partner on whose crutches he runs the coalition government in Bihar.



Nitishs stand on Kovind has virtually split the Grand Alliance, with the Congress and RJD on one side backing Opposition nominee Meira Kumar, while the chief minister has steadfastly refused to budge from his stand on backing the NDA candidate.
Opposition Presidential candidate Meira Kumar has joined the battle for the top post against NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind, and highlighted her experience and capability to take on her rival.



In a statement on Friday, Meira appealed to the electoral college, which consists of Members of Parliament and all state legislators, to choose the next President in keeping with the principles of inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism.



A day after she was chosen by 17 Opposition parties as their candidate against Kovind, she said the Presidents post carries the responsibility of safeguarding and defending constitutional principles.



It embodies the diversity of our socio-political culture and the vision of our composite ideology. It transcends the considerations of caste, religion or region, she said.



The post is not symbolic. It articulates, in the fullest sense, the basis of our electoral philosophy  that capability and experience must always supersede all other considerations, she said.



The former Lok Sabha Speaker said, The values I hold dear  inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism  are the values the President must uphold as the supreme representative of our nation.



Meira will file her nomination papers on June 27. She also expressed gratitude to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the esteemed leaders of the 17 political parties for their unanimous decision to nominate me as the Presidential candidate. It is indeed an honour. The Opposition had announced that she will be their joint candidate against Kovind, who has the backing of the BJPs NDA allies and other parties, including JD(U), TDP, TRS and the two factions of AIADMK.
As a follow up to Indias Look East policy introduced in the early 1990s, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Act East a launch pad for his governments more focused engagement with the Asia-Pacific region in the East.



Earlier, Indias Look East policy concentrated on the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) and Japan but it was realised later that Indias outreach to the East cannot be confined merely to Asean and Japan and in the economic sphere only. Consequently, the Modi government decided to put more emphasis on improving Indias relations with Asean and the other East Asian countries by enlarging the core interests of the region to include the immediate requirements of national and regional security.



The regional actors consider India a relatively peripheral player in the region compared to the US, China and Japan. Obviously, these factors appear to act behind the evolution of the Modi Doctrine, which emphasises upon economic resurgence of the East with that of India with a view to arouse their confidence in New Delhi as a genuine regional security provider.





The Modi doctrine emphasises upon enlarging the earlier Indian mindset confined to South Asia to include the entire East spreading up to West Asia and Africa. In fact, the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a strategic link from the Straits of Hormuz to the Straits of Malacca making it a highly volatile maritime zone. Modi understands that India and the Indian Ocean are appropriate half-way points between West Asia and Southeast Asia.



For consolidating Indias maritime strategy and strengthening security in such a vast area requires an ambitious geo-strategic and economic goal as well as an institutional framework for creating an effective mechanism for the economic integration of the wider South Asian region linking India with the Asean economies.



Such economic integration will encompass time-bound connectivity infrastructure projects like Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, production network linkages facilitated by FDI, and the integration of energy and electricity infrastructures.



Mounting tension in the Asia-Pacific due to Chinas hegemonic and aggressive assertions have consequently prompted India to coordinate with super and major powers and also other regional members. Unfortunately, bilateral relations between Myanmar and Bangladesh suffer from bitter acrimony due to the Rohingya issue in Rakhine state.



Similarly, India must become more pro-active to resolve the Teesta river water-sharing issue with Bangladesh since both are working together in BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) as well as the BBIN (Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal) corridor.



The India-Bangladesh cooperation referred to the BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, and Myanmar) Corridor is an important forum of furthering relevant regional cooperation initiatives. Malaysia is another country to which India reached out first when it launched its Look East policy in the 1990s. The Malaysian prime minister put special emphasis on the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) as a free trade arrangement for this region with Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) coming to an end.



India-Oz ties

In the recent past, Australia-India ties have strengthened significantly owing to the China factor. Both countries recognise the importance of freedom of navigation and over-flight and unimpeded lawful commerce in accordance with international laws.



But India must continue forging closer economic integration and greater connectivity with the regional members as that would provide Asean states the means to reduce their over-dependence upon China.

Modi may have to concentrate on Indias long-neglected maritime imperatives as well as to think of Indias strategic future. He needs to concentrate upon safeguarding core Indian interests backed by a more assertive and credible military/maritime power.



Modi envisions that India must also expand its diplomatic, economic and military relations with all powers while pursuing its onward march. Indeed, vikas vaad (developmentalism) and vistar vaad (expansionism) as much as ahimsa and non-alignment are the driving force behind the unfolding of his vision of Indias peaceful ascent in the world. If the Modi Doctrine persists, then about a quarter century of looking East is destined to be substituted by the much required policy of acting East.



Thus, all these developments have prompted India to revitalise its expanding relations with US, Australia, Japan along with other major powers. Indias outreach to the East has witnessed a significant transformation which does not depend solely upon one or two countries or even the Asean. In fact, India needs greater attention to Free Trade Agreements.



Thus, the Act East Policy has a very strong and effective agenda which can ensure peace and progress of the entire East and also the whole world in the true spirit of vasudhaiv kutumbkam.



(The writer is Professor of Political Science, UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Allahabad)
The JD(U) on Friday said it decided to support the NDA candidate for the Presidential poll after the Congress tacitly delayed an announcement to force its candidate on non-NDA parties.



It claimed the situation would not have arisen if the Opposition had announced the name of Mahatma Gandhis grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi before the BJP came up with the candidature of Ram Nath Kovind.



A senior Opposition leader, however, said the reasoning was just an afterthought to justify the JD(U)s decision.



He said the announcement of Gopalkrishnas name before Kovinds would have compounded troubles as parties like the BSP might have switched over following the announcement of a Dalit candidate by the BJP. The leader said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had agreed to the name of Gopalkrishna as early as June 3 when he met CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
In a show of strength, BJP Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind filed his nomination papers on Friday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several top NDA leaders.



Kovind said he will work hard to maintain the dignity of the top constitutional office, which, he stressed, was above politics.



Since I became governor, I dont belong to any political party. The Presidents post is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support. I will do my best to maintain the dignity of the high office of the President, he said.



With the BJP in a position to instal its candidate in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time, Kovind confidently took names of several former Presidents to praise the great traditions of the constitutional office.



Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal and TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu seconded Kovinds candidature.



With the NDA pulling off 48.6% of the votes in the electoral college and regional parties, including AIADMK, BJD, JD(U), TRS and YSR Congress, giving their nod, Kovind looks set for a victory.



According to the BJPs internal projection, the NDA nominee may get at least 61% of the total votes.



The lawyer-turned-politician underlined his agenda for the countrys all-round development, fulfilment of the aspirations of the youth and encouragement to modern education.



Echoing Modis mission, the former Rajya Sabha MP remarked, I will strive to see that the dream to build a new India, which is developing continuously, is fulfilled.

On the prevailing security scenario, Kovind said, It is our responsibility to keep our borders secure.



The President is also the supreme commander of the armed forces.



Veterans message



BJP veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were also present, sending the message that they were with Modi and Shah on the decision to nominate Kovind.

Except for Goas Manohar Parrikar and Jammu and Kashmirs Mehbooba Mufti, the chief ministers of several BJP-ruled states and its allies were present.



Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his Tamil Nadu counterpart Edappadi K Palaniswami also participated.
In a major move, India and Russia today agreed on a roadmap for ramping up bilateral defence cooperation and decided to conclude negotiations for different military platforms soon.



Both the sides signed a protocol for the roadmap to step- up defence engagement during the annual meeting of the Indian- Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC).



The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu.



The roadmap includes specific activities to be concluded by both the sides, and aims to enhance cooperation in the field of political and military dialogue, besides exercises between the armed forces of the two countries.



In the meeting, Jaitley conveyed to the Russian side about the importance of having a robust and reliable after- sales support mechanism with regards to serviceability of Russian-origin equipment, Indian government officials said.



Russia has been one of India's key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. However, it has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country.



Jaitley also talked about the new opportunities for participation of Russian companies in the Indian defence manufacturing sector as pert of the 'Make in India' programme under the new strategic partnership policy for defence production.



The Indian government last month unveiled a "strategic partnership" model under which select private firms will be engaged along with foreign entities to build military platforms like fighter jets, submarines and battle tanks.



Both the sides also agreed to conclude various ongoing negotiations for different platforms as well as restructure the inter-governmental commission to enhance military to military cooperation, the officials said.



During the meeting, both the sides expressed satisfaction at the "concrete progress" that has been made on areas of cooperation since the last meeting of the commission in October 2016.



"The discussions were productive and held in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship," the officials said.



"India's military technical cooperation with Russia is one of the key pillars of our relationship," they said.



"We are determined to go ahead with building up cooperation in order to enhance the combat readiness of both countries' armed forces and to exchange experience in various defence-related matters," Gen. Shoigu said at the meeting.

It was the 17th meeting of the IRIGC-MTC.



The meeting took place nearly three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to "upgrade and intensify" defence ties through joint manufacture and co-production of key military hardware, during their annual summit talks at St Petersburg.



Addressing a leading forum for technological development showcasing India's "path-breaking" initiatives for defence production, Jaitley, who is in Russia on a three-day visit, on Wednesday invited Russian firms to set up joint ventures with Indian firms and manufacture advanced military platforms through technology transfer.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday forwarded Home Minister G Parameshwaras resignation letter to the Governor Vajubhai Vala.



Sources in the Chief Ministers Office said Siddaramaiah will keep the Home portfolio with himself. The chief minister is likely to expand his Cabinet in the first week of next month.



Parameshwara, who is also KPCC president, had submitted the resignation letter to the chief minister on June 1 following a direction from the Congress high command. But, Siddaramaiah had asked him to continue in the post till the end of the monsoon session of the legislature. The session ended on June 21.


Travis Kalanicks final hours as Ubers chief executive played out in a private room in a downtown Chicago hotel Tuesday.



There, Kalanick, who was on a trip to interview executive candidates for Uber, was paid a surprise visit. Two venture capitalists  Matt Cohler and Peter Fenton of the Silicon Valley firm Benchmark, which is one of Ubers biggest shareholders  presented Kalanick with a list of demands, including his resignation before the end of the day. The letter was from five of Ubers major investors, including Benchmark and the mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments.



Kalanick balked, according to people briefed on the meeting who asked to remain anonymous because the details are confidential. Kalanick, who had built Uber into a transportation behemoth in just eight years, quickly called Arianna Huffington, an Uber board member, for advice. Huffington told Kalanick that the suggestions in the letter were worth considering.





That afternoon, Kalanick locked himself in a room with Cohler and Fenton to hash out the best course for Uber. By the end of the day, after hours of haggling and arguing, that course was clear: Kalanick agreed to step down as Ubers chief executive.



The corporate drama that unfolded in the hotel was anything but sudden. It was the culmination of several months in which nearly all of Kalanicks support base turned against him. One by one, executives, board members, investors and even close friends slowly fell away as Uber became embroiled in a seemingly ceaseless series of legal and ethical scandals, according to interviews with more than a dozen Uber insiders, former employees, investors and others, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorised to speak publicly.



Some of these constituencies ultimately decided that Kalanick had become a liability to Uber and moved to protect their own interests at his expense. In the end, that loss of support  coupled with his having to deal with the recent death of his mother  narrowed Kalanicks options for staying on as Ubers leader.



I love Uber more than anything in the world, and at this difficult moment in my personal life, I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight, Kalanick said late Tuesday.



For Kalanick, the resignation represented a fall from grace. He had transformed the global transportation industry with Ubers ride-hailing service and pushed the companys value to nearly $70 billion, making it the most highly valued privately held startup in the world. At times, he had been hailed as a tech visionary.



His exit as chief executive raises many questions about Ubers future, including who will lead the company next. It also faces other urgent tasks, such as replenishing its top ranks, retaining its 14,000 full-time employees, reforming its workplace and repairing its sometimes fractious relationship with its drivers, who are contractors. In addition, Uber must maintain its business, which is growing.



For now, Ubers day-to-day management falls to a committee of executives. Finding a replacement for Kalanick, who built up the company aggressively, is likely to be complicated because he will remain a presence at Uber: he still has a board seat and voting rights.



On Wednesday, Ubers board underwent a fresh round of changes. Bill Gurley, a longtime Uber director and a venture capitalist at Benchmark, will be leaving the board and replaced by Cohler, according to a person familiar with the move. David Trujillo, a partner at the private equity firm TPG Capital, will join the board, according to other people with knowledge of the move; he replaces his colleague David Bonderman, who resigned as an Uber director this month after making a sexist remark at a company presentation. TPG declined to comment.



Just a few months ago, Kalanicks position at Uber seemed impregnable. He had helped found the company in 2009 and had pushed it into markets around the world.



Within Uber, he appeared secure. He had personally recruited many of the top executives and stacked the board with investors like Gurley, a Benchmark venture capitalist whose fortunes were intertwined with Kalanicks success. And Kalanick cemented his clout by being Ubers single biggest shareholder, with influence over the companys voting. But Kalanicks brashness  some would say cockiness  did not always endear him to investors, employees and others.



Then, in February, the former Uber engineer Susan Fowler wrote a public blog post detailing what she said was a history of sexual harassment at the company. That plunged Uber into crisis, opening the door to other complaints and investigations. At the time, Ubers board said it was united behind Kalanick. The board is confident in Travis, Huffington said during a call with reporters in March. Put very simply, change starts at the top.



But behind the scenes, the board started to disagree. Gurley, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, began agitating for change at the top. Bonderman also increasingly clashed with Kalanick at board meetings because he felt Kalanick was dragging his feet on hiring key executives, like a chief operating officer and a chief financial officer.



Series of crises

Last week, right before Uber unveiled some of the results and recommendations of an internal investigation into its culture, Kalanick acceded. He said he would take an indefinite leave of absence to work on himself and reflect on building a world-class leadership team for Uber.



In reality, Kalanick had little intention of staying away from his company. Almost immediately after announcing the leave of absence, he worked the phones to push out Bonderman for making the sexist comment onstage at an Uber employee meeting. With the two increasingly at odds, Kalanick sent out a flurry of texts, phone calls and emails to his allies to pressure Bonderman to step down from Ubers board. Hours later, Bonderman did.



By then, Gurley, one of Kalanicks earliest supporters, saw that Ubers promises of change were not enough if the chief executive stayed on. Over the past week, Gurley and his partners spoke with other Uber investors at venture capital firms. Together, they came up with a letter to Kalanick that listed four demands, the foremost being a request for his resignation.



Gurley and the group sent Cohler and Fenton, who by then had better relationships with Kalanick, to deliver the news in Chicago. They anticipated a fight, with Kalanick often eager to instigate one. For a spell, a battle appeared to be coming. Kalanick sent his own surrogates at Ubers headquarters in San Francisco to begin a whisper campaign among investors and try to work out some sort of compromise in private.



But after hours of negotiations and consultations with confidants, Kalanick decided he had had enough. At around 11:30 pm on Tuesday in Chicago, he drafted a statement about his resignation. Then he agreed to make it public.


Kicking off its innovative financing model, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Embassy Group to build the Kadubeesanahalli Metro station.



Under the agreement, Embassy Group will pay Rs 100 crore to BMRCL in instalments. The group is the first corporate to sign the agreement under the public-private partnership scheme.



The station, to be located just outside the Embassy TechVillage on the Outer Ring Road, will be on the recently approved 17-km North-South Metro corridor linking Silk Board Junction with Krishnarajapuram.



The construction, according to the group, will be done in accordance with the facade designs and specifications approved by BMRCL. The period of concession and permission granted to Embassy Group will be for 30 years starting from the date of commencement of commercial operations and could be extended further on mutual terms.



The agreement mandates that the group will maintain Kadubeesanahalli Metro station, including housekeeping and maintenance, along with all the equipment, according to specifications laid down by the corporation.



This move will help the park users greatly, as there will be a ramp access directly to the Metro station from Embassy TechVillage, and a dedicated access from the exit point of the station, the group said in an official release.



The partnership also means the group will be entitled to utilise the pre-determined spaces for advertisements. Embassy can also use the leasable retail space measuring approximately 3,000 sq.ft at the Metro station. Embassy will also have the advantage of leveraging the linear zone of 250 metres around the Kadubeesanahalli Metro station, the release said.



The new Metro line will run between Central Silk Board in the south and Krishnarajapuram in the north. The Rs 4,202-crore project is being taken up under Phase 2A of the Namma Metro network and will have 13 stations covering the entire ORR IT corridor. To be completed in three years, the project is expected to benefit nearly 4.5 lakh people who work on this stretch. The ridership is projected to eventually grow to six lakh every day. The average speed of road travel on this stretch is currently 10 kmph. This is likely to increase to 34 kmph once the Metro is in place.



BMRCL had identified and invited private entities and companies to sponsor up to 25% of the total project cost. This was to pool funds as well as get corporates to participate in faster funding and completion of transportation projects.



Remove Hindi boards at Metro stations



The use of Hindi language in Namma Metro stations has drawn the ire of various Kannada groups.



Hindi has been used unnecessarily in signboards at Metro stations. If they are not removed in a weeks time, we will stop using Metro trains, said the volunteers of Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV). The volunteers also staged a protest in front of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) office.



We have objected to the use of Hindi earlier as well. We had requested the officials concerned to remove the boards in Hindi. The officials have ignored our request. If they do not remove the boards, we will do it on our own, said the protesters.



It is our duty to give prominence to Kannada as residents of Karnataka. The Union government is imposing Hindi on us, said T A Narayana Gowda, the president of KRV.



Metros in Chennai and Kochi have signboards only in regional languages and English. What is the necessity to use Hindi here?, questioned Gowda. The protesters have urged P S Kharola, managing director, BMRCL, to remove Hindi nameplates and signboards.



Pradeep Singh Kharola, MD, BMRCL: The MoU signed between BMRCL and the Embassy Group is part of the innovative financing push by Namma Metro and we strongly believe that it will encourage corporates to come forward and contribute in developing the urban infrastructure and build a well-equipped modern city.




A senior citizen in Malleswaram is paying the price for lodging a complaint against a commercial building in a residential area. BBMP engineers have moved ahead to demolish his building and have disconnected the water and sewerage line.



Septuagenarian B R Gopal Rao, a national swimmer, had lodged a complaint against a commercial building in the residential area.



Shreyas Garments on 10th Cross, West Park Road in Malleswaram, had come up in the residential area. The shop in the basement of the building was meant for parking. There is no parking space left due to which customers park their vehicles in front of our houses. So, we lodged a complaint with the Upalokayukta, said Rao, who is also the president of Malleswaram Residents Welfare Association.



Rao claimed that assistant executive engineer Govindaraj put pressure on him to withdraw the complaint but he remained firm on his decision.



We had even approached BBMP health officer Lokesh who said he did not issue any trade licence and hence, Govindaraj has to initiate action, said Rao.



When repeated complaints to Govindaraj did not yield any result, Rao complained against him to the Upalokayukta.



Govindaraj has now started targeting my neurologist son Dr Deepak Pawar, who is constructing a house in Patankar Layout on 13th Cross, 6th Main, Malleswaram. My son has demolished the old building and constructing a new one there, said Rao.



When the construction was in progress, Govindaraj issued a notice of building plan violation. Even before Rao and his family could respond, he ordered its demolition. Rao and his family approached the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal and obtained a stay.



Rao said Govindaraj reached Patankar Layout with a team of about 15 gangmen on Wednesday, dug up the road and destroyed the sewerage line. Rao has once again lodged a complaint with the Upalokayukta in this regard against the assistant executive engineer.



When contacted, Govindaraj said Rao had dug up the road for laying the sewerage line without paying the road-cutting charges. He added that he has nothing personal against the Raos. He clarified that checking commercial activities comes under the health division of the BBMP.



Rao trashed his statement saying that there was no need for him to dig up the road to lay a new pipeline as there already existed a pipeline. He also claimed that the health officer had clearly stated in his RTI reply that he has not issued licence to Shreyas Garments and action has to be taken by the ward engineer concerned.


Ante-natal care classes, given to pregnant women, are gaining popularity. The classes that last up to an hour are often conducted in hospitals, where a physiotherapist or Lamaze trainer guides expectant mothers through the process of labour.



A class is usually for 10 to 15 women. They learn strategies to manage labour and complications during labour and birth. Controlled breathing, called the Lamaze technique, and right posture top the list of things to learn.



The techniques teach them how to breathe so there is less strain, said Dr Savitha C, head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.



The ante-natal classes also focus on strengthening back and abdomen muscles, relaxation of pelvic bones, and improvement of lung capacity, as the lungs are pushed upwards during pregnancy. The classes increase womens confidence to give birth in a relaxed manner, said Dr Gayathri Kamath, senior consultant obstetrics and gynaecologist, Fortis Hospitals.



Most women are worried about lactation after pregnancy. These classes help them understand and manage it, according to Dr Shubha Madhusudhan, clinical psychologist, Fortis Hospitals.



We usually ask them to join after their first trimester of pregnancy, said Haripriya P, manager, physical medicine and rehabilitation, child birth educator, Manipal Hospitals.



Women say the classes are helpful. I did not scream and shout during labour because I knew how to breathe and control my pain. If I hadnt gone for the classes, I wouldnt have known that, said Priya (name changed), who underwent training last year. Roshini Harsha, who has a 12-day-old baby, began classes three months before she delivered.



Ante-natal care classes provide a space for women to share their concerns and chat with like-minded people.



Women internalise the atmosphere and the positivity. Where you are and with whom you are matters, said Dr Shubha. The friendships help even after childbirth, when they share problems and find solutions. It was like family, so much of fun, said Priya.



Questions, questions



When women conceive for the first time, they have many questions: Will the delivery be normal? Will the baby be healthy? How should I breathe while giving birth? How should I carry the baby after birth?



In an earlier age, such questions were answered by mothers, grandmothers or aunts.

Physical toil used to help women deliver more easily. But with the advent of nuclear families and white collar work, pregnant women need professional advice, say doctors.






A direct flight may connect Bengaluru with Tokyo, a top Japanese diplomat has hinted, stating that discussions are underway on several fronts, involving the Far East nations two leading carriers  Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA)  one of which could potentially serve the said circuit.



Talking to DH on the sidelines of the Invest Japan Seminar here on Friday, Consul-General of Japan Takayuki Kitagawa said, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Bengaluru is keen on linking Bengaluru to Tokyo by air, and has approached both JAL and ANA. Research and cost benefit analysis about the route are underway. The discussions at the moment are at the CEO level at both airlines, but in my personal opinion, I see it being realised.



Bengaluru is home to 478 Japanese companies, including auto major Toyota, and with the former being the IT capital of India, a direct flight to global tech hub Japan is opportune.



If the projection is that more Japanese companies would be based in Bengaluru in the future, the profitability of course will increase, calling more for a direct flight, Kitagawa asserted.



The Consul-General said that he had spoken with the chairman of JAL (Masaru Onishi) about the direct flight. As far as JALs research is concerned, if the number of Japanese residents at a place is not more than 1,000, a direct flight doesnt make sense. But at the moment, there are 1,300 Japanese residents in Bengaluru, so the flight is worth considering, he informed.



Currently, there are limited direct flights between Japan and India, operated by JAL, ANA and Air India  between Mumbai and Delhi in India and Tokyo-Narita and Osaka in Japan.



Unlike destinations such as the US, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Japan sees fewer Indian travellers, who numbered 1,23,000 last year.
With prisoners adopting novel methods for smuggling contraband material into jails, authorities at the Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara, are leaving no stone unturned to block the routes.



So much so that even the footwear of the prisoners are being thoroughly checked for drugs. Prisoners were found to be smuggling banned substances into jail premises by concealing them in the soles of their footwear.



When taken to court for hearings, the inmates often meet their associates and exchange slippers. The associates stuff the slippers with narcotics. This route had become quite common for sometime. After unearthing this clandestine channel, prison authorities now have begun checking the slippers carefully before allowing them inside the jail.



However, court hearings through video conferencing have helped the jail authorities in curbing this menace.



Most of the local court hearings are through video conferencing. The prisoners are taken to court only to give evidence, a jail official said.



Throwing rubber balls stuffed with ganja from outside the prison is another method followed for smuggling. However, this route has been effectively blocked with the deployment of Karnataka Industrial Security Force personnel around the prison premises.



We are not able to check smuggling completely because of a few black sheep among the jail staff, a senior jail official said.



The Parappana Agrahara police said that in the last six months, they have registered three cases against visitors who tried to smuggle narcotics into the jail by concealing them in food packets.



The jail authoritiessay that agitated by the stringent measures, the prisoners were resorting to protests alleging poor facilities in prison.



Prisoners threaten and intimidate jail officials saying that they will complain to the chief minister, the home minister and the State Human Rights Commission. Almost all such inmates are involved in dacoity and robberies. Some men held for peddling drugs instigate these inmates, the official said.


Students can now look forward to the counselling process. Students from the state who have appeared only for NEET 2017 and have not registered for CET will have to register themselves on the website of the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).



The CBSE has written to the department of medical education to collect the merit list from New Delhi. Once collected, the list will be provided to the KEA, after which a notification will be issued announcing the dates for registration and counselling. Students from outside the state will also have to register themselves with the KEA.



The KEA will conduct centralised counselling for admission to all medical and dental seats, both private and government. Dr S Sacchidanand, director of medical education, said that the medical education minister will hold a meeting with the representatives of private medical colleges on June 28 to discuss seat matrix.


The state government will not conduct the Global Investors Meet (GIM) this year, but would instead give impetus to micro-, small- and medium-scale industries in Karnataka, Large and Medium Industries Minister R V Deshpande has said.



Speaking to journalists at the inauguration of Tata Hitachi Operators Training Centre here on Friday, he said that on Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs suggestion, the MSME Investors Meet would be held in Bengaluru in October.



At Invest Karnataka, the last GIM held in February 2016, there were proposals worth

Rs 1.77 lakh crore, and more than 1,080 new projects were approved by the government. Half of the approved projects have become operational while 46% would become operational in a couple of years. Just 4% of companies have withdrawn their proposals, Deshpande said.



Speaking of the GST, the minister said Karnataka had welcomed the decision to roll out the path-breaking tax legislation from July 1 onwards. Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda would represent Karnataka at a meeting called by the Centre in New Delhi. Karnataka has urged the Centre to reduce the tax on hybrid vehicles, farm equipment and spare parts of tractors to help farmers, he said.



According to Deshpande, tax collection in the state rose by 14% in April and May. The Centre has promised to make good any shortfall in tax receipts once GST comes into force, he added.

DH News Service




A senior police officer was lynched by an irate mob in old city Srinagar on the intervening night of Thursday-Friday after he opened fire on a group of people who caught him taking a video of them near a masjid here.



Police have arrested two persons, while a third one has been identified in connection with the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police (Security) Mohammed Ayub Pandith, outside Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta locality here.



Eyewitnesses told DH that a group of youth caught hold of Pandith, who was in civvies, after spotting him taking video of people outside the Jamia Masjid at around 12:30 am.



They claimed the officer shot at the mob with his service pistol, in which three people were injured.



However, eyewitnesses said, the mob overpowered him and stripped him naked before beating and stoning him to death near Bata Chowk in Nowhatta.

Sources said the officers security guards ran away.



Pandith belonged to neighbouring Nowpora locality and had been at the masjid post for quite some time. State police chief Shesh Pal Vaid, terming the killing sad and unfortunate, said the officer was checking the access control in the area following a congregation.



An officer being lynched by the very people he had gone to protect proves we have reached a stage where very little difference is left between humanity and barbarism, he told reporters.



We have arrested two persons and the third one has been identified, he said, adding, Rest of the guilty will face the law too.



He justified the firearm injuries to three civilians, saying the slain officer had a pistol and had the right to self-defence.



The incident occurred when devotees were engrossed in the special Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power) prayers and supplications inside the mosques and shrines of the Valley.



Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also Kashmirs head priest, condemned the lynching. Mob violence and public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion, he said.



However, he was quick to add that the violence that the state has wreaked on us is largely responsible for this kind of brutalisation, as the police is being used against the people in the most brutal ways which leads to brutal reactions.



Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti termed the lynching a murder of trust, and warned the people of Kashmir that they should not test the patience of the police, who are always exercising utmost restraint.



The state police is one of the best forces in the country and they are exercising utmost restraint because they believe that they are dealing with their own people, she said.




The recommendations of the privileges committee of the Legislative Assembly, sentencing journalists Ravi Belagere and Anil Raj to one-year imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 for breach of privilege, has been forwarded to Advocate General Madhusudhan Naik for an opinion.



The recommendations have been referred to Advocate General (AG) for further procedure.The reports with recommendations have also been sent to the DG and IGP R K Dutta and Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, Praveen Sood.



The police cant immediately arrest the two as warrants have not been issued against them. Based on the AGs opinion, the Bengaluru city police will take an appropriate step, Director General and Inspector General of Police R K Dutta told DH.



Write against a politician, you will be in jail, said Hai Bangalore editor Ravi Belagere in his Facebook post on Friday. Belagere, who is in Dandeli, could not be contacted over phone.



In his Facebook post, he states: message being sent is to stop making comments. Still I am confident and think that democracy is alive in India. Great men, writers, men of chaste history have suffered this. I am personally not disturbed by these judgements as I have been battling. I am 100% sure of the successful fight (sic). Belagere has urged his Facebook friends to support him. Lets teach them, he wrote.



The Legislative Assembly, earlier this week, adopted recommendations made by the privileges committee of the House sentencing Belagere and Yelahanka Voice editor Anil Raj to one-year imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 for breach of privilege.



In 2014, MLAs K B Koliwad (now Speaker) and B M Nagaraju had petitioned the privileges committee taking offence to defamatory articles against them in Hai Bangalore.



The privileges committee report states that derogatory words were used against Koliwad in an article published in Hai Bangalore in the edition dated September 11, 2014.



Further, the report states that the article cast aspersions on the ability of Koliwad to discharge duties as a minister (he was an aspirant for a Cabinet berth).



Further, the article cast aspersions on the health of Koliwad and made baseless allegation against his family, the report states. The panel, after conducting proceedings, made its recommendation. Anil Raj was not available for comment.



Amnesty International opposes action



Amnesty International India has demanded that the recommendations of the privileges committee be withdrawn. Journalists must have the freedom to write critical articles, and politicians must be able to tolerate criticism, said Asmita Basu, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India, reports DHNS from New Delhi.



If individuals feel that their reputations have been affected, they can take recourse to civil defamation remedies in court, a statement from the Amnesty International.




The first leg of Del Mars downtown listening tour is nearly complete, and city officials are molding that input into a grand vision for a facelift of Del Mars aging retail corridor.

City officials and the design firm Spurlock Landscape Architects  which led the corridors overhaul in 1996  did the rounds earlier this month as part of the Downtown Streetscape project, meeting three times with business leaders and hosting a public workshop on June 14.

An online webinar is set for 2 p.m. on June 26. Email citymanager@delmar.ca.us to register.

The mission is two-fold: to gather feedback on which, from a menu of projects, are the highest priority, and to take the communitys temperature on the kinds of decorative flourishes that should be worked into a round of construction along Camino del Mar set to start in January.

The list of have to do projects includes bringing Camino del Mar into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, repaving and restriping the roadway and overhauling the corridors drainage system. A much longer list of nice to do projects includes a new landscaping plan, tree planting, outdoor furniture, public art, crosswalks, new light poles with banners and hanging flower pots, and amenities such as electric car plug-ins and free WiFi.

Most of the focus is on Camino del Mar from 9th to 13th streets. Several of the proposals  sidewalk connectivity, bicycle lanes and streetlights  will include to 14th and 15th streets.

Streetscapes overarching goal is to create continuity without quashing the unique character of the corridors distinct pockets.

The lightly attended meetings have mixed disappointment with frustration and an urgency to move the project forward.

Im a little disappointed that theres no grand design, one business owner said at the June 14 workshop. Weve talked about this for 20 years at least, and it seems like the lines keep changing on the paper.

On my block, theres seven different colors of concrete  and thats just from 14th Street down to the Starbucks, said Jim Jelley. This is a Band-Aid is what this really is. Needing new sidewalks is not something new, its something thats been going on for 20 years.

After so many years of waiting, the city should take on as many of the projects as possible, said Zach Groban, chairman of the citys Business Support Advisory Committee.

Our goal is to move people back and forth to help out the businesses and have people stay downtown, he said. The nice-to-dos, all those should clearly be moved up. If were going to disrupt businesses and start tearing up streets, I think the business community wants something that they feel is going to actually help them.

One of the biggest challenges will be to resolve the inconsistent curb lines, which in some places run ragged from one property to the next, with curb lines in some places overlapping onto private property.

The Streetscape team will meet next month with the citys Business Support Advisory Committee, Traffic and Parking Advisory Committee and the Del Mar Village Association, culminating in one more workshop with the general public.

The team hopes to present a preferred plan to the city council in September so that construction can begin in January and finish by May.
The total number of malware samples targeting smart devices has reached more than 7,000, with over half of these emerging in 2017

Researchers at Kaspersky Labs have announced that the amount of malware targeting smart devices more than doubled in 2017. It was noted that the total number of malware samples targeting smart devices has reached more than 7,000, with over half of these emerging in 2017. These researchers set up honeypot IoT devices to observe malware attempting to attack their virtual devices. The report by the researchers also revealed that China, Vietnam, and Russia were the top three countries with attacked IoT devices.

Read the complete press release below

The total number of malware samples targeting smart devices has reached more than 7,000, with over half of these emerging in 2017, according Kaspersky Labs researchers. With over 6 billion smart devices being used across the globe, people are increasingly being put at risk from malware targeting their connected lives.

Smart devices  such as smartwatches, smart TVs, routers, and cameras  are connecting to each other and building the growing Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon, a network of devices equipped with embedded technology that allows them to interact with each other or the external environment. Because of the large number and variety of devices, the IoT has become an attractive target for cybercriminals. By successfully hacking IoT devices criminals are able to spy on people, blackmail them, and even discreetly make them their partners in crime. Whats worse, botnets such as Mirai and Hajime have indicated that the threat is on the rise.

Kaspersky Labs experts have conducted research into IoT malware to examine how serious the risk is. They have set up honeypots  artificial networks, which simulate the networks of different IoT devices (routers, connected cameras etc.) to observe malware attempting to attack their virtual devices. They did not have to wait long  attacks using known and previously unknown malicious samples started almost immediately after the honeypot was set up.

Most of the attacks registered by the companys experts targeted digital video recorders or IP cameras (63%), and 20% of hits were against network devices, including routers, and DSL modems, etc. About 1% of targets were peoples most common devices, like printers and smart home devices.

China (17%), Vietnam (15%), and Russia (8%) emerged as the top-3 countries with attacked IoT devices, each presenting a large number of the infected machines. Brazil, Turkey and Taiwan  all at 7%, follow.

To date during this ongoing experiment, researchers have been able to collect information about more than seven thousand malware samples designed specifically to hack connected devices.

According to experts, the reason behind the rise is simple: the IoT is fragile and exposed in the face of cybercriminals. The vast majority of smart devices are running operating systems based on Linux, making attacks on them easier because criminals can write generic malicious code that targets a huge number of devices simultaneously.

What makes the issue dangerous is its potential reach. According to industry experts, there are already more than 6 billion smart devices across the globe. Most of them do not even have a security solution and their manufacturers usually do not produce any security updates or new firmware. This means there are millions and millions of potentially vulnerable devices  or maybe even devices that have been already compromised.

The issue of smart device security is serious, and one that we should all be aware of. Last year showed that it is not just possible to target connected devices, but that this is a very real threat. We have seen a huge increase in IoT malware samples, but the potential is even greater. Apparently, high competition in the market of DDoS attacks is pushing attackers to search for new resources that will help them make increasingly powerful attacks. Botnet Mirai demonstrated that smart devices can give cybercriminals what they need, with the number of devices they can target now reaching billions. Various analysts have predicted that by 2020, this could grow to 20-50 billion devices, said Vladimir Kuskov, security expert, Kaspersky Lab.
The Lenovo Legion Y520 can be recommended to anyone who is looking to play games in 1080p. It has some drawbacks, but none of those are real deal breakers.

Lenovo Legion Y520 detailed review

If youve been following Digit for long, you may know that the Lenovo Y700 won our Zero1 award for Best Mainstream Gaming Laptop in 2016. This year the company is pushing the envelope a little further, with the Legion Y520, which is the replacement for the last year's machine. The design has been tweaked, the guts have been upgraded, weight and dimensions lowered, and the machine is now part of Lenovo's Legion sub-brand. On paper, it looks quite interesting and somewhat similar to the Dell inspiron 7567 I reviewed recently, which means there is plenty of 1080p performance to exploit. Exploit I did, the Legion Y520 has been a good gaming partner in the past two weeks. But not everything is up to the mark either.





Tech specs of our test machine:

Display: 15.6-inch, 1080P, IPS Panel

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700HQ

RAM: 16GB GB

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Storage 1: 128GB Samsung NVMe SSD

Storage 2: 1TB Seagate 5400RPM

Battery: 45 Wr

Price: Rs. 1,05,101

Design and Build: New and refined

Like its predecessor, the Legion Y520 continues the red-and-black gaming theme. Its made primarily of plastic, but it is a sturdy machine and easily comparable to entry level Thinkpads. The use of red accents in places gives the machine a more attractive look, and the angular front lip makes it distinctive among a horde of rectangular designs. The orange exhaust at the back and the shoulder mounted speakers not only look appealing, but enhance the aesthetics too.

The Y520 uses a similar middle mounted single-hinge mechanism as the Dell Inspiron 7567 gaming, but here the flex in the display is noticeably lesser, albeit not completely missing. The keyboard deck offers ample space for both hands and the use of matte-ish paint feels good. The laptop is fairly thin and has amply rounded edges, making it easier to reach the keyboard and use it for a longer period.

I/O: All you need

I am pretty satisfied with the I/O selection on the Legion Y520, as it covers all the basics. On the left, you get a USB 2.0 port, a Gigabit ethernet jack, microphone/headphone combo and the proprietary power port taken directly from the Thinkpad lineup. On the right, you have two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, a USB 3.0 Type-C port and an HDMI out.

At this point, I should say that the laptop misses out on a Thunderbolt port, but limited compatibility of third party graphic amplifiers and the lack of 4K gaming performance on the NVIDIA 1050 Ti makes it a moot point. That being said, I would have preferred a third USB 3.0 port with fast charging capabilities.

Display: Good not great

While the 4K capabilities of the 1050 Ti are limited to video playback and some non-graphic intensive games, it does justice to the 1080p display here. The matte 15.6-inch panel, is one of the best I have seen in the category, although it is not as bright as I hoped. Producing 260 lux at the centre, it is definitely better in terms of quality and viewing angles than the Dell Inspiron 7567 and most other laptops, but it leaves me wanting for more. Colour reproduction is decent, but as long as you are not using this machine for Photoshop, it will serve you well.

Keyboard and touchpad: Good enough

The Lenovo Legion Y520 features a similar island style keyboard we have seen from the company in the past. It has large keys, is quite tactile and offers good feedback. The red backlighting on it matches the whole gaming theme of the laptop. Moreover, this time it uses a two step backlighting, which means it has two intensity settings. The addition of dedicated screen record button is also appreciated.

The synaptics touchpad is also quite good and responsive. Compared to the Dell, it certainly feels more smooth, but the precision is almost at par. The two cursor keys are glossy and somewhat raised, which may give the appearance that they might have more depth, but in reality the depression is quite small and both buttons are a little stiff to press.

Performance: At par with competition

The Lenovo Legion Y520 packs a similar hardware setup as the Dell Inspiron 7567 Gaming and the performance is pretty much at par as well. The Intel Core i7-7700HQ is a good performer through and through and offers unthrottled performance whether you are converting a video or playing rigorous games. It was really impressive to see the smallest GTX GPU from Nvidia putting out more than 65fps consistently on Doom, running at Ultra settings.

Graphic intensive titles like Battlefield 1 maintained more than 45fps at ultra settings with occasional screen tearing. I did get better frame rates once I dialled down the graphics quality to high, producing more than 50fps easily. Less graphic intensive tiles like Dota 2 ran comfortably, at over 120fps on ultra settings.

While the gaming performance is fine, I faced an odd issue which prompted me to connect an external keyboard. The thing is, the Lenovo Y520 locks the Windows key when in game, which is actually a good thing, but if you press it accidentally, the keyboard occasionally locks itself in (Windows key + X) format. This means, after you accidently pressed the Windows key, pressing just Q opens Cortana, or if you press E for instance, a new explorer window will open, and so on. It happened to me during Dota 2 and I can tell you it was way more infuriating than the slight heating issue the machine has.

Speaking of heating, I found traces on the right side of the keyboard and felt it only if while gaming in a non-airconditioned room. It is not uncomfortable, nor does it affect performance in any way, but it is there and your palms are bound to get sweaty at least.

The 16GB of RAM on our test machine coped up well on the variety of workloads we threw at it. Moreover, the 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage solution is one of the fastest amongst its peers. Although, I would have preferred a 256GB SSD on this higher variant of the Y520.

Audio quality via the two shoulder mounted speakers is also nothing short of amazing and while audiophiles wont agree with me, the machine does a really good job for its price. Theres little bass to speak of, but it doesnt seem like laptop makers will ever get that right. Still, the speakers try to keep things immersive when youre gaming, but theyre nothing worth writing home about. They are loud though.

Battery Life: Just Enough

As for the battery, the Dell Inspiron 7567 Gaming has set up a new benchmark, which is tough to outperform. The Lenovo Legion Y520 tries, but manages only half of what the Inspiron achieved on the battery test. It lasts for two hours and two minutes on our battery test. You can game on the go, without the GPU and processor being throttled, but just for about an hour or so. Video playback time is still good and you can finish a movie or two on a single charge.

Bottomline

The Lenovo Legion Y520 is a good gaming laptop, with a very severe issue. Although the Windows key issue is not persistent, if you look past that, the design looks good, build is sturdy and performance is impressive. In addition, battery life is dependable and having an IPS display certainly helps enhance the visual experience.

On the other hand, I believe it would have been a more complete package, with a larger SSD option. Overall, I would easily recommend this machine to whomsoever is looking to invest on a sub-one-lakh laptop, capable of 1080p gaming.
For OnePlus, the deed is done. The OnePlus 5( 28999 at amazon) is selling in most of its important markets, and its already out of stock in India. Things are going as planned, or at least we think how OnePlus planned. But, if theres one key takeaway from our review, its that for all its greatness, the OnePlus 5 is not the flagship killer this company has been known for. This is perhaps the first OnePlus smartphone that actually has viable alternative, some already selling and others enroute to India eventually.

Lets begin with what you can buy

Despite its best efforts, there are elements of the OnePlus 5 that many may not like. Moreover, as we explained in our review, though its camera is good, its not as good as advertised. But perhaps most importantly, flagship smartphones cant just be utilitarian and functional devices. Many would argue that flagship phones have to bring innovation and gimmicks that attract consumers.

Moto Z

Theres perhaps no gimmick more innovative than the Moto Zs modular design. Motorola has used the years of experience under its belt to make a phone that still has us interested. It looks nothing like other smartphones, and even if you dont like the design, there are a bunch of style shells you can snap on. Lenovo has also unveiled a bunch of other mods over time, but the fact that one year has gone by and there are only 10 odd mods available is slightly ominous.

On the other hand, for those looking for zoom on a smartphone, the Hasselblad mod may be the best way to do it. And yes, itll cost you extra. In essence, the Moto Z itself is pretty much the same price as the OnePlus 5, and the user experience it provides is more or less the same. That alone makes it a viable replacement, while the mods add value a flagship should have. For those looking for a 2017 flagship, the Moto Z2 should be out soon as well.Buy Moto Z from at Rs 34999 from Amazon.

LG G6( 24999 at amazon)

As far as functional flagship smartphones go, the LG G6 is one of the best. It actually costs just about a thousand bucks more than the OnePlus 5, and brings modern features that its Chinese counterpart ignores. Yes, its behind the OnePlus 5 on the specs front, but a Univisium HDR display, gigabit LTE support, water and dust resistance etc, make the LG G6 a more viable and premium flagship.

Both Motorola and LG have a better update record on their flagships than OnePlus.Buy LG G6 at Rs 34999 from Amazon.

Looking forward

If youre going to spend nearly 40k on a phone, you may as well wait a few months to see how your options pan out, right?

Honor 8 Pro

Huawei just announced that the Honor 8 Pro will be coming to India in the first week of July. So, another 6/128GB option is days away from entering India, and one may argue that Huaweis implementation of the dual-camera has been the best so far amongst the many that have tried. We dont have a pricing for the Honor 8 Pro yet, but the Honor brand is known to keep things competitive. The Honor 8 Pro could turn out to be the bane for the OnePlus 5 this year.

Huawei has also improved on its chipsets this year, utilising the high performance Cortex A73 core on its Kirin 960. Kirin chipsets have historically been behind their Snapdragon competition, but one can expect a reasonably fast processor here, even if its not an outright beast.

Nokia 9 (If thats what its called)

The return of Nokia must be weighing on everyones minds. In a recent interview with Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer for HMD Global, we were told that there may indeed be more Nokia phones this year. That, and rumours of a flagship Nokia 9 could be a great reason to put off buying a smartphone till later this year.

Rumoured specs include a Snapdragon 835 chipset and all the flagship features a phone should have. Moreover, Nokia has made quite a mark with its budget designs right now, so we wonder what it has in store for us in the flagship range. Combine that with its promise of monthly and timely Android updates, and you have a real value proposition in hand.

Xiaomi Mi 6/Mi Note 3/Mi Mix 2

We saw the Xiaomi Mi 6 earlier and first impressions suggest its a decent smartphone to wait for. However, what truly intrigues us is what the Mi Note and Mix will bring this year. The Mi Note 2 received a price cut in China recently, sparking rumours of a Mi Note 3 being on the horizon. One can expect Xiaomi to get the specs right as well.

The Mi Note series hasnt made an appearance in India yet, due to their high pricing. But the pricing OnePlus chose may actually have opened doors for Xiaomi to bring a Mi Note 3 or Mi Mix 2 as its flagship smartphone in India for 2017.

Lenovo Zuk Z3

From leaks and rumours so far, the Lenovo Zuk Z3 seems to have exactly the same specifications as the OnePlus 5. Lenovo has stumped the company before, by selling a Z series smartphone at under Rs. 20,000. If this pans out, the Lenovo Zuk Z3 could be the phone that will eat the OnePlus 5's lunch this year.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Max was launched in June 2017 & runs on Android 7.0 OS. The Smartphone is available in two color options i.e. Black, Gold & has a built in fingerprint sensor as the primary security feature, along with the host of connectivity options in terms of 3G, 4G, GPS, Wifi Bluetooth capabilities. Priced at Rs. 15900 the phone is available with 32 GB of internal storage.

The Smartphone is powered by a Octa core Mediatek MT6757V Helio P20 Processor.
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LAS VEGAS (AP)  Las Vegas property owners interested in renting out their properties for brief periods will have to comply with new rules meant to crack down on a booming short-term rental industry.

The requirements passed Wednesday include proof of liability insurance for $500,000 and placement of letter-size placards outside the properties with contact information and maximum allowed occupancy.





. . .
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US starting Sunday, two senior American Congressmen  a Republican and a Democrat - have introduced a bipartisan bill that seeks to revoke Pakistan's status as major non-NATO ally (MNNA) to the US, saying the country failed to effectively fight terrorism. Republican Ted Poe and Democrat Rick Nolan on Friday introduced the bill for revoking Pakistan's MNNA status and make "a clean break" from the country that they said had "harboured terrorists" and had "little in the way of being accountable for the money given for fighting, eradicating these groups". The proposal came just two days before PM Modi will arrive in Washington for extensive talks with President Donald Trump that could prominently feature terrorism and relations in South Asia as well. "Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands," Poe said in some of the sharpest comments in the Capitol yet against Pakistan. "From harbouring Osama bin laden to backing the Taliban, Pakistan has stubbornly refused to go after, in any meaningful way, terrorists that actively seek to harm opposing ideologies. We must make a clean break with Pakistan, but at the very least, we should stop providing them the eligibility to obtain our own sophisticated weaponry." Pakistan had been granted MNNA status in 2004 by then President George W Bush to get Pakistan to help the United States fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It made Pakistan eligible for priority delivery of defence material, an expedited arms sale process, and a US loan guarantee programme which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports. It can also stockpile US military hardware, participate in defence research and development programmes, and get more sophisticated weaponry. Nolan said, "Time and time again, Pakistan has taken advantage of America's goodwill and demonstrated that they are no friend and ally of the United States ... the fact is, the billions of dollars we have sent to Pakistan over the last 15 years have done nothing to effectively fight terrorism and make us safer. It is time to wake up to the fact that Pakistan has ties to the same terrorist organisations which they claim to be fighting."








The Racing Post has been announced as the new sponsor of the annual 12th July dual race day at Dundalk Stadium.

This unique racing event commences at 2.15pm with a seven-race horse card featuring the Racing Post Handicap. The nights greyhound racing will commence at 7pm with the Racing Post Dundalk International the ace of the card. The Dundalk International is an invitation only race with a total prize fund of 37,000 and is the richest one-off greyhound race in Ireland and the UK.

The winner will pocket a grand total of 20,000 whilst the runner-up will receive 6,000. 3,500 is on offer for third place and the remaining entrants will 2,500 each.

Paul Byrne, Commercial Manager of Racing Post, said: The Dual Race Day is a fantastic initiative by Dundalk Stadium and one that has flourished in recent years. The Racing Post are proud to be partners with Dundalk Stadium for this unique event and will give the occasion the coverage it deserves.

Marshes Shopping Centre Ladies Day will take place in the afternoon with one lucky lady walking away with a prize package valued at 4,000 to include a 1k Marshes Shopping Centre gift card and a 4 star trip to New York! The judging panel for Ladies Day 2017 will feature Irish Fashion Blogger, Lisa McGowan of Lisas Lust List; Marshes newly appointed Personal Stylist, Rebecca McKinney; Neil Cole, NI Gossip Guy; and Rosie Kirk of Rosie Kirk Make-up.



Sean Farrell, Marshes Centre Manager commented, The annual 12th July Dual Race Day meeting has always been a significant and very successful race day and Marshes Shopping Centre are once again delighted to be working in partnership with Dundalk Stadium as the sponsor of the annual Ladies Day. We are offering a fantastic price this year and I am sure we will have a wonderful turn out, to what has always been a great and fun day throughout the years.

Emma Meehan, Sales & Marketing Manager of Dundalk Stadium, said We are delighted to offer a race day experience like no other combining an afternoon of horse racing and an evening of greyhound racing. This event also marks our annual Ladies Day with a super prize of a trip to New York and 1k gift card sponsored by Marshes Shopping Centre. We would like to thank Racing Post and Marshes Shopping Centre for their continued support of Dundalk Stadium and look forward to a very exciting race day.

To book tickets, please contact Dundalk Stadium on +353 (42) 9334438 or email: bookings@dundalkstadium.com
Fianna Fail TD for Louth and East Meath Declan Breathnach has met with members of the Union of Students in Ireland this week.

'I spoke with Annie Hoey, President of USI and with local representative from DKIT Pauraic Renaghan, President of their Students Union and they outlined to me some of their serious concerns said Deputy Breathnach.

'They are looking for a reduction in the student contribution, and they have put forward proposals in relation to increasing the number of mental health counsellors, increasing the threshold and allocation of the SUSI Grant Scheme, among many other requests.

'One of the areas that stood out for me and which I will raise in the Dail is the decision taken in Budget 2011 which increased the distance to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of grant to 45km.

'They want this to be reduced back down to 24km. An example was given of Birr, Co. Offaly which is 40km from its nearest third level institution.

'The earliest a student from Birr can arrive at Athlone IT using public transport is 1.25 pm. Students who dont have their own transport would need to reside in the college town but would not be eligible for the non-adjacent grant.

'Similarly for students in Louth, unless you live in Dundalk you could have considerable commuting costs to DKIT and this is not taken into consideration.

'Accessibility to higher education is crucial and we need proactive measures to assist students in reaching their potential.
St. George has awarded a total of $100,000 in business grants as part of its 2017 Kick Start program, a fast-paced, 60-second pitch competition hosted at TEDxSydney (16 June). In the New Business Idea category, Patchd Medical and GoTerra out-pitched four other start-ups to take home first and second prize (a $40,000 grant and a $10,000 grant), respectively.

Patchd Medical has developed a discrete patch, which enables physicians to remotely monitor a patients vital signs in real-time from their smart phones. Meanwhile, GoTerra is developing a modular, mobile insect farm that will enable users to convert food waste into livestock feed

Dynamic Business caught up with Robert Quinn, the co-founder of Patchd Medical, and Olympia Yarger, the founder GoTerra, to discuss their businesses, their involvement in Kick Start, and pitching to the programs judges  Cathy Yuncken (GM, Business Banking, St.George, Martine Jager (CMO, Westpac); Remo Giuffre (founder and licensee, TEDxSydney) and Taj Pabari (founder & CEO, Fiftysix Creations).

The origin stories

Quinn: Five years ago, I had a liver transplant, which meant I was in and out of hospital. During this time, I noticed a lot of people who were stuck in hospital because they needed their vital sign monitored. Considering the impact on quality of life, which in turn impacts patient outcomes, and the cost of keeping someone in hospital (its $800 night in Australia and nearly $2500 in the US a night), I started thinking, how can I keep people out of hospitals? This sparked the idea for a patch that monitors peoples vital signs in real-time without them needing to be in hospital. At the moment, were focused on three vital signs  heart rate, respiration rate and heart rate variability  but were looking to add the rest as we go.

Yarger: I wanted to start a small to medium sustainable farm; however, when I was writing my business plan, I couldnt get the numbers to create a viable business plan due to the volatility of livestock feed price  its 70% of your production cost. I ended up googling a nutrient analysis of chicken feed and discovering that black solider fly larvae had the exact same components. The rest, as they say, is history.

Addressable pain points

Quinn: Were addressing multiple pain points for multiple people. Were helping patients to live normal lives and theres evidence to show they recover better. Meanwhile, physicians can monitor trends in a patients vital signs to determine if intervention is necessary. From a healthcare perspective, theres huge to keeping people out of hospital. At the moment, hospital spending is outpacing CPI, which is not sustainable. We need solutions like ours to address that.

Yarger: Were not producing enough grain for livestock feed. In fact, by 2050, therell be a 20% shortfall in grain production. Further, food waste is costing the economy $20 billion a year. Using insects to process food waste and farming effluent and turn that into livestock feed is a sustainable solution to this problem. Insect farming today is largely manual whereas weve taken robotic and AI technology and designed the worlds first, commercial capacity mobile insect farm. Being both a food waste management service and a livestock feed production company, we have two revenue streams.

The Kick Start experience

Quinn: Pitching is a great exercise in general for companies. Its an opportunity to take a step back and ask, what are we actually doing? Being required to sum up Patchd Medical in 60 seconds helped us really look at the core of our business and realise what was most important to us. Beyond the value of participating in the pitch competition, the Kick Start also gave us the chance to network with other small business owners. Ive made some great connections that will really help the business, moving forward

Yarger: When you pitch, you can end up relying on the crutch of time  you want more time to tell people more things. Being able to express what your company stands for  and what it is going to deliver  in just 60 seconds is very empowering. Plus, the process of memorising your pitch is almost a process of affirmation  its a chance to really concentrate on your purpose. I feel really confident in who we are after going through the Kick Start program.

Pitching fundamentals

Quinn: A lot of people focus on the cold, hard facts but my reason for starting Patchd Medical was very personal. As such, the most important thing for me is connecting emotionally with the audience while summing up what we do in a nutshell.

Yarger: It comes back down to the fundamentals whats the problem youre solving, why should people care that you are going to solve it, why should they believe that you are going to be the one to solve it and how are you going to solve it? The technical things you could talk about for hours but thats not really the core of what youre doing  its the who, what, when, where.

The Kick Start grants

Quinn: I like to say were Ramen Engineers in that were not living off much right now because we believe in what were doing. So, the $40,000 grant makes a massive difference to us. It extends our runway significantly in that it will help us unlock a 150-person trial with the University of Texas, with whom were having conversations. Were focused on getting Patchd Medical off the ground in the US ahead of Australia. Going through the regulatory process over there first will provide us with a larger addressable market sooner. From there, well bring our product back to Australia to help people here.

Yarger: With the help of the $10,000 runner-up grant, well build our first modular, mobile insect farm and begin turning food waste into livestock feed. Well start growing the enterprise from there  its really exciting.
In July, the legislative committee of Dunn County approved a referendum question that is unprecedented in rural America. The question asked Congress and the U.S. president to nationalize health care.

Its chances of success looked good ahead of the Nov. 8 referendum. Results of this referendum could make waves in Wisconsin.
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will decide in its next term a case brought by Democratic voters in Wisconsin who argue that state legislative districts are unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republicans. In a separate decision, the court put on hold a lower court order that the state draw new boundaries.

The action was announced in a list of orders that the court issued Monday. Arguments would likely be heard in the fall.

The case was initially decided in November by a panel of two federal district court judges and a U.S. Court of Appeals judge, which said in a 2-1 decision that state Assembly boundaries drawn up by Republicans in 2011 constituted a partisan gerrymander.

The case is expected to have an impact nationally, deciding the standard by which courts can determine whether a redistricting plan is drawn unconstitutionally on the basis of the party affiliation of voters.

The Supreme Court had discussed the case at its June 8 and June 15 conferences, according to the courts docket on the case.

A separate order by the court Monday granted a motion by state Attorney General Brad Schimel to stay the lower court panels order that new state Assembly district lines be drawn by November 2017, before the 2018 elections. The stay was opposed by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagen, the courts four liberal-leaning justices.

But Paul Smith, lead attorney for the Democratic voters, said that even with the delay in creating new maps, its possible new maps would be in place before the 2018 fall elections. He said he expects that after briefs are filed in the case over the summer, oral arguments would be heard in November or December, followed by a ruling next spring. He said that leaves plenty of time before a June 2018 filing deadline for state legislative races.

Sachin Chheda, director of the Fair Elections Project, which organized and launched the lawsuit on behalf of Democratic voters in Wisconsin, said later that lawyers for the voters were told that oral arguments would be scheduled for the first week of October.

We feel good that that will help make it more possible that we can get new maps before the 2018 election, Chheda said.

Schimel had asked the Supreme Court to delay the drawing of new boundaries until after the court rules on the merits of the case, arguing that drawing new maps now would be a waste of resources.

The stay is particularly important because it preserves the Legislatures time, effort and resources while this case is pending, Schimel said in a statement Monday applauding the stay.

UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said people shouldnt view the stay as an indication of where the court stands on the case overall. He added, though, that because of the time it will take for the Supreme Court to decide the case, In 2018, were very likely to be using the districts we have today, regardless of how the court rules. He said he doesnt believe the court will rule until possibly the middle of 2018.

Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California-Irvine, who blogs about election law cases, wrote Sunday night that the courts granting a stay would indicate a good possibility that the court is positioned to reverse the lower court panels decision in the case.

So this stay order raises a big question mark for those who think (the) court will use the case to rein in partisan gerrymandering, he added Monday.

Both sides encouraged

Other lawyers who represent Democrats in election cases chimed in on Twitter Monday with some skepticism about success in the case.

The vote on the stay should tamp down some of the excitement about this grant, wrote Ronald Klain, who worked in the White House under Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Marc Elias, who was general counsel for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign, agreed in a short tweet.

In a statement issued later by the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, Elias, an NDRC adviser, called the case the latest sign that the courts remain a strong check on extreme Republican gerrymandering. He said the Wisconsin case, along with others, will halt these illegal maps, now and in the future.

Wisconsin Democratic Party chairwoman Martha Laning said she is confident that the 2011 legislative maps will be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court as well and electoral fairness will be restored to Wisconsin.

Twelve Republican-dominated states are supporting Wisconsin in its defense of the 2011 redistricting plan. In addition, Wisconsin GOP legislative leaders hired a pair of law firms to represent them before the Supreme Court.

Schimel said in a statement that hes thrilled the Supreme Court has taken the case.

As I have said before, our redistricting process was entirely lawful and constitutional, and the district court should be reversed, Schimel said.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a joint statement that they are encouraged by the Supreme Courts decision to take the case and by the stay in the order to re-map Assembly districts.

Wisconsin lawmakers have maintained that our states redistricting process and legislative maps are legal and constitutional, and we look forward to the Courts final decision, which we are confident will affirm our position, Vos and Fitzgerald said.

The U.S. Supreme Court has never struck down a state redistricting plan on the basis of a partisan gerrymander.

In May, the court struck down two North Carolina congressional districts that it said were based too heavily on race and ruled that Republicans who controlled the state legislature and governors office placed too many African-Americans in the two districts. That weakened African-American voting strength elsewhere in the state, the court said.

Taking unfair advantage

In its decision in the Wisconsin case, the majority in the lower court panel decision wrote that the Assembly district map, which was drawn in the office of a Madison law firm that often represents Republican interests, was intended to burden the representational rights of Democratic voters ... by impeding their ability to translate their votes into legislative seats.

U.S. Appeals Court Judge Kenneth Ripple, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, wrote the decision, and was joined by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb, of Madison, a Jimmy Carter appointee. Dissenting was U.S. Chief Judge William Griesbach, a George W. Bush appointee.

In a subsequent ruling, the lower court panel ordered that the Legislature must have new maps in place by Nov. 1, 2017, for the 2018 general election.

The team working on behalf of the Democratic voters contends that it has found a way to measure unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders designed to give a large and durable advantage in elections to one party  a measure that the Supreme Court has said was lacking in previous cases contending a partisan gerrymander.

The measure, called the efficiency gap, shows how cracking (breaking up blocs of Democratic voters) and packing (concentrating Democrats within certain districts) results in wasted votes  excess votes for winners in safe districts and perpetually inadequate votes for the losers.

The Democrats say that the 2011 plan was drawn specifically to disenfranchise Democratic voters. Their lawsuit states that in the first election after the 2011 redistricting, Republican candidates won 60 of the Assemblys 99 seats even though Democratic candidates won a majority of the statewide votes cast for Assembly.

Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center, who has worked on behalf of Republican candidates such as U.S. Sen. John McCain in the past, said partisan gerrymandering is practiced by both parties, thanks to computer software that makes selecting voters for district maps much easier than in the past.

What were seeing is, where possible, the party in power is taking unfair advantage of their official position to benefit their parties and ensure that the will of the voters is not carried out, Potter said. The effect of this is a serious problem for our democracy.

Burden said that if the Supreme Court overturns the lower court panels decision, it could be a long time before another partisan gerrymandering case lands at its doorstep. But if it upholds the lower court, it will be a landmark decision.

Thats a message to other states that they also need to prevent partisanship from going too far, Burden said.

State Journal reporter Mark Sommerhauser contributed to this report.
home World ISIS destroys historic Mosul mosque where terror leader declared caliphate

The Islamic State has blown up the historic Grand al-Nuri Mosque of Mosul, where the terrorist group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared a caliphate in 2014.

The Grand al-Nuri Mosque was blown up by the militants on Wednesday night as Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) units got within 50 meters of the historic structure.

The terror group's Amaq news agency alleged that an American aircraft had destroyed the mosque, but the U.S.-led coalition fighting the militants swiftly denied the accusation.

"This is a crime against the people of Mosul and all of Iraq, and is an example of why this brutal organization must be annihilated," said U.S. Army Major General Joseph Martin.

An Iraqi military spokesman noted that the explosion occurred at 9:35 p.m. (1835 GMT). Earlier on Wednesday, Iraqi forces said that they had started a push toward the mosque.

"This will not prevent us from removing them, no, killing them not removing them, inside the Old City," said Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Assadi, senior CTS commander in Mosul.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that the destruction of the mosque was the terror group's way of admitting that they are losing the fight.

"Blowing up the al-Hadba minaret and the al-Nuri mosque amounts to an official acknowledgement of defeat," the prime minister stated on his website, according to Reuters.

The leaning minaret, which is known as the Al-Hadba or "the hunchback," had stood in Mosul for more than 840 years. Residents in western Mosul are still reeling from the loss of the structure, which was destroyed during the celebration of Laylat al Qadr, which falls within the final 10 days of Ramadan. The event commemorates when Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Mohammed Tariq al-Bayati, who grew up next to the mosque, said that he felt like his childhood had also been demolished after learning of its destruction.

"I was in my grandfather house. I remember we used to play under its shade," he said. "It is the city's icon, I can say that Mosul has died," he added.

Nabeel Nouriddin, a historian and archaeologist specializing in Mosul and its Nineveh region, noted that the minaret was vulnerable to blasts even if it was not directly hit as it had not been renovated since 1970.

Baghdadi declared himself "caliph," or ruler of all Muslims, from the mosque's pulpit on July 4, 2014. His speech at the mosque was the first time he revealed himself to the world, and the footage of his proclamation is the only known recording of him as "caliph" to this day.
I have mentioned it on a recent post for the Cathy Doll 2nd year anniversary event and now the details is here. The Asias Beauty Blogger Contest (ABBC) 2017 is on. Now on its 2nd year and Cathy Doll Philippines level-up the competition with 3 levels to encourage creativity of participants.

Elimination Round  Out of all the entries sent, Cathy Doll Philippines will choose Top 5. Acceptance of entries are ongoing and due by 12:00 mn of July 12, 2017.



National Round  Top 5 will be invited to a whole day event (Studio shoot will be at Diliman QC, Name of Studio To Follow) to undergo two challenges where top 3 winners will be chosen. Grand Prize winner is Php45,000, 1st Runner up is Php30,000 and 2nd Runner up is Php15,000. Consolation prizes will be given Php5,000 each.

*All Top 5 contestants will get a personalized KIT from Cathy Doll Philippines worth Php3,000.

FINAL/Regional Round  The grand winner from the national round will compete and represent Cathy Doll Philippines in Bangkok Thailand with free airfare and accommodation.

Who are eligible:

1. Participants must be 18 years of age.

2. Participants must be willing to represent the Philippines in Bangkok Thailand during the regional level of ABBC 2017 happening around the latter part of the month of August 2017.

3. Contest is open to METRO MANILA residents only.

For detailed contest information, terms and conditions and mechanics visit : https://www.facebook.com/cathydollphils/
Suma Chakrabarti met President Nazarbayev, co-chaired Foreign Investors Council, signed new investment projects

EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti visited Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on 22-23 June to co-chair the meeting of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC). He also held bilateral meetings, and signed a number of new investment projects.

President Chakrabarti began his visit on Thursday 22 June with a meeting with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, with whom the EBRD President traditionally co-chairs the FIC.

President Chakrabarti also met Kazakhstans Prime Minister Bakhytzhan Sagintayev, Minister of Finance Bakhyt Sultanov, who is also the EBRD Governor for his country, other senior officials and representatives of the business community.

He also signed a new investment project, a US$ 140 million loan to Polymetal Group, to develop the world-class Kyzyl gold deposit in eastern Kazakhstan and support technical education and employment of local youth and women.

The signing was followed by the 30th FIC Plenary Session to discuss the topic New Energy. In his opening remarks President Chakrabarti pointed out the importance of green and renewable energy investments, for which the Bank is a recognised leader in its countries of operations, and listed the numerous areas of cooperation between the EBRD and Kazakhstan.

He started the remarks by saying: I want to congratulate President Nazarbayev and the people of Kazakhstan on the great success of Expo 2017, which will also serve to highlight the economic opportunities available for investors in Kazakhstan.

Natalia Khanjenkova, EBRD Managing Director, Central Asia and Russia, and Agris Preimanis, EBRD Director, Head of Kazakhstan, also attended the FIC.

Following the plenary session, President Chakrabarti held meetings with the Chairman of the holding company Baiterek, Erbolat Dossaev, and the Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, Daniyar Akishev.

The following day, Friday 23 June, the EBRD President signed more investment projects, including for street lighting in two eastern cities, Semey and Ust-Kamenogorsk, which will not only be energy efficient but also make the streets safer. New financing will also be provided to small and medium-sized enterprises (with a focus on women-led companies) through new credit lines to Kassa Nova Bank and KazMicroFinance.

In addition, a new, large-scale advisory and training programme, in partnership with Kazkahstans DAMU entrepreneurship fund, was announced. It will be funded initially by the European Union and support private businesses in cooperation with the EBRD.

President Chakrabarti also met with the Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre, Kairat Kelimbetov. They signed a letter of intent about technical cooperation to develop the legal and regulatory framework necessary to establish the planned Astana International Exchange (AIX).

Following the signings, President Chakrabarti delivered a speech at Astanas Nazarbayev University about Kazakhstan and Central Asia: the transition to effective market economies. The keynote address discussed the direction of development for Central Asia and the role of young people.

The Presidents visit concluded two weeks of EBRD participation in events held in parallel with the Astana Expo 2017. The Bank attended the Ministerial Conference on Energy, the Eighth Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development, and the Astana Economic Forum, with delegations led by EBRD Managing Directors Nandita Parshad and Mattia Romani.

During the first three days of Expo 2017 the EBRD signed projects to double the size of the first large-scale solar plant in Kazakhstan, Burnoye Solar-2, and invest in the first project under the new inclusion programme for energy and natural resources, ShalkiyaZinc. The EBRD is the largest financier and a staunch supporter of reform in the area of renewable energy.

To date, the EBRD has invested over 7.3 billion in various sectors of Kazakhstans economy, with a focus on non-oil and gas sectors, where it is the largest institutional investor. Close to 1.65 billion has been invested in sustainable energy and resource projects.
And its really going to happen unless we can raise holy hell

The Senate GOP released its secret Trumpcare bill on Thursday, ending the most secretive and undemocratic process used to craft a large-scale reform in modern American history.

But thats not the story that really matters now.

The story that really matters is this is all a charade.

Mitch McConnell sees the 50 votes necessary to pass this thing lining up, or he wouldnt have released a bill. And all the members of his caucus are merely players in a production designed to give the appearance of a negotiated breakthrough that allows the House to pass the whole thing by July 4.

Yes, they want this entire monstrosity to be law in less than two weeks.

And this is really going to happen unless the outrage against this bill becomes the biggest story in America and stays that way until Trumpcare dies.

When four conservative Senators quickly came forward to say they opposed the bill in its current form, only one was likely serious  Rand Paul. The other three are seeking slight concessions to buck up the right and giving cover to the four Republican Senators who will actually decide if this plot to immiserate much of America happens:

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia  (202) 224-6472

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska  (202) 224-6665

Dean Heller, Nevada  (202) 224-6244

Susan Collins, Maine  (202) 224-2523

If any of these four represent you, please call them and keep calling until you cant any more.

These are the only four Senators whose concerns about this bill that dont involve a GOP primary.

Conservatives complaints about this legislation give them cover and serve their prime political directive  pretending to be moderate. If they represent you, tell them that youre watching to make sure that they arent bought off by a slight concession that will do nothing to change the fundamental design of this crime against freedom.

Its a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America, President Obama wrote on Facebook. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else.

Adding a few billion to fight the Opioid crisis or even removing the provisions that attack Planned Parenthood wont change that. Heres why:

1. Trumpcare chains you to your job.

Job lock, which Obamacare alleviated for many, will be back  big time. Well be paying more for worse insurance. And few of us will have the freedom to start a new venture, especially as you age and premiums rise drastically and subsidies drop off a steep cliff.

2. Trumpcare leaves you at risk of a crisis that could easily bankrupt you.

Yearly and lifetime caps will be gone for millions of Americans who live in states that will seek waivers. This means if you or your kids need just one serious surgery, you could exhaust your entire coverage in just days.



3. Trumpcare threatens the entire insurance market.

Reforming 1/6 of our economy exclusively to benefit rich people in this slapdash manner leaves us with a bill that has all the things Republicans pretended to hate about Obamacare  higher premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs in general  and a formula for an actual death spiral, leaving tens of millions of us priced out of any decent care.



Sure, this could eventually lead to single payer. COULD. EVENTUALLY.

But how many people would die in the meantime?

4. Trumpcare gives the wealthy even more control of our politics.

This bill gives the richest 400 Americans a $7 million tax break EACH YEAR, largely paid for by cutting $880 billion from Medicaid. This $2.8 billion is a key to Republicans believing they can get away with this massive legistlative heist. Thats about how much money was spent on the entire presidential election and the richest Americans will know exactly whom to thank with generous donations  GOP Senators and Members of Congress in vulnerable seats.

5. Trumpcare dooms anyone who has family or loved ones who may get old, disabled or sick and doesnt have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on their care.

Take a look at this chart put together by Margot Sanger-Katz:



These are the people whove depended on Medicaid since 1965, which is why the afflicted suffer greatly in America but kids, the disabled and the elderly are generally not abandoned.

Chances are you know at least one person in one of these groups or you actually are one. This law will change your life forever. Medicaid will be strangled  possibly out of existence.

Republicans believe that the biggest problem in America is that millionaires who earn investment income have to pay a 3.8% tax on income over $250,000. Trumpcare solves that. In exchange, you can expect to drain your 401k taking care of your sick parents or family members  if youre ever able to put any money into it at all.
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Three Vikings Named as HBCU Awards Finalists

The finalists for the HBCU Awards are in, and Elizabeth City State University has three notable Vikings in the running, in three categories.

Sponsored by the HBCU Digest, the annual HBCU Awards ceremony will happen on July 14, in Washington D.C., at 7 p.m. That evening finalists in a number of categories will vie for the top honors.

In the Male Alumnus of the Year category, teacher and ECSU graduate Michael Bonner has a shot at the honors.

Bonner, a native of Perquimans County and a 2013 ECSU graduate, has been a rising star for some time now. Bonner is a teacher in Greenville, North Carolina and through innovative teaching methods has not only raised the achievement level a group of underserved students with an enthusiasm for learning, but also has been caught in the national spotlight since last January.

Because of his innovative teaching methods using music to advance reading in his elementary school students, Bonner was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show more than once, honoring him and his students. He says the key to overcoming poverty is education and with that in mind he is always working on creative ways to reach his students.

To break the cycle of poverty, education is the number one tool, said Bonner in an interview last February.

Since his star began to rise, Bonner has been a featured motivational speaker at a number of events, including at ECSU.

In the Female Student of the Year category is ECSUs 2017-2018 Student Government Association president, and former Miss ECSU and Miss CIAA, Brittney Lamb. Lamb is a senior and a native of Elizabeth City, majoring in biology.

During the 2016-2017 academic year, Lamb served as Miss ECSU. She captured several titles including runner up in the National Black Alumni Hall of Fame 2016 Competition of Black Queens, and the coveted 2017 Miss CIAA title.

Lambs service as Miss ECSU, and her subsequent role as the SGA president, is due to her desire to serve, lead, and make a difference on her campus.

I really wanted to get involved on campus and impact students at once, Lamb said in a 2016 interview.

A faculty member is also being recognized in the HBCU Awards finals. Dr. Linda Hayden is up for top honors in the Female Faculty of the Year category.

For those who know Dr. Hayden, making the finals of HBCU Awards may come as no surprise. She has been an active and important participant in the national scientific community for some time.

Working as part of a collaborative effort, Hayden is currently one of five researchers on a national team that has received a five year, $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is to establish the Science Gateways Community Institute, or SGCI, a multi-institutional group that will focus on expanding the capabilities, number and sustainability of science gateways. The team is based at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California San Diego.

Science gateways are user-friendly web portals that allow scientists of all levels to access research tools like supercomputers. The portal is designed to make advanced research tools accessible to all users.

Elizabeth City State Universitys HBCU Awards finalists were nominated by their Viking peers. The nominations were held campus-wide earlier in the spring, recognizing their significant contributions to the university.
(Photo: Paul Jeffrey / WCC)Syrian refugees walk in the countryside outside Messstetten, Germany on Oct. 24, 2015. They had applied for asylum in Germany and were awaiting word on the government's decision. Meanwhile, they lived in a room in a former army barracks in Messstetten, where church groups and other community members provided a variety of hospitality.

ACT Alliance, together with a range of other ecumenical actors, has issued a joint statement for World Refugee Day 2017 calling the unprecedented global refugee crisis "an opportunity to grow together."

The statement calls on all of us "to build bridges of solidarity rather than walls of division" on the World Refugee Day on June 20.

"Wealthy countries cannot evade their responsibility for the wounds inflicted on our planet  environmental disasters, the arms trade, developmental inequality  that drive forced migration and human trafficking," said ACT Alliance General Secretary Rudelmar Bueno de Faria.

"The current levels of human displacement are unacceptable. States are bound by their commitments under international law," said De Faria whose ACT Alliance includes the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation.

These include the Refugee Convention and commitments outlined in last year's New York Declaration on large movements of refugees and migrants, to fulfill obligations made.

These come as "the world community works towards agreeing on new global compacts on refugees and on migration in 2018."

In their statement the ecumenical groups refer to the story in the Christian Bible that tells the story of two men, Peter and Cornelius, utterly divided by religious belief and culture.

While encountering each other they discovered a truth about God's common will for them that neither had previously grasped.

"They learnt that the Holy Spirit brings down walls and unites those who might think that they have nothing in common.

"All around the world, women, men, and children are forced by violence, persecution, natural and human-caused disasters, famine, and other factors, to leave their homelands," says the statement.

"Their desire to escape suffering is stronger than the barriers erected to block their way. The opposition by some countries to the migration of forcibly displaced people will not keep those who undergo unbearable suffering from leaving their homes."

De Faria said wealthy countries cannot evade their responsibility for the wounds inflicted on our planet  environmental disasters, the arms trade, developmental inequality  that drive forced migration and human trafficking.

"While it is true that the arrival of migrants in more developed countries can present real and significant challenges, it can also be an opportunity for openness and change.

"Pope Francis poses this question to us: 'How can we experience these changes not as obstacles to genuine development, but rather as opportunities for genuine human, social and spiritual growth?'

"Societies that find the courage and the vision to go beyond the fear of foreigners and migrants soon discover the riches that migrants bring with them, and always have," said De Faria.

He said if people insist only seeing refugees as a burden, they deprive ourselves of the opportunities for solidarity that are always opportunities for mutual learning, mutual enrichment, and mutual growth.
home World Majority of Czechs reject belief in God, Pew report reveals

A new report released by the Pew Research Center has found that a majority of Czechs are religiously unaffiliated, and many are rejecting the belief in God.

The findings of the study, published on Monday, indicated that only 29 percent of Czechs believe in God, and 66 percent do not. As many as 72 percent do not identify with a religious group, including 25 percent who say they are "atheist" and 46 percent who describe their religion as "nothing in particular."

Only 27 percent of Czechs say they believe in Heaven, and only 19 percent say they believe in Hell.

The latest figures from the Czech Republic stands in contrast to the statistics in other nations in Eastern and Central Europe where a majority of adults believe in God and still identify with a religious group.

The survey found that a there is still widespread belief in God across 18 countries in the region, with a median of 86 percent.

Over 90 percent of people expressed belief in God in nations such as Georgia, Armenia, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova, and Greece.

Pew noted that the Czech Republic has long had a large unaffiliated population, with 64 percent of adults saying they were raised without religious affiliation.

The research group predicts that the nation will remain largely unaffiliated for the foreseeable future, as the surveys finding indicated that 79 percent of Czech parents are raising their children unaffiliated.

The report further noted that 29 percent of Czech adults who were raised in a religious group are now unaffiliated.

Czechs are much less likely to have conservative social views and participate in religious activities compared to people from neighboring countries. Eighty-four percent of Czechs support legal abortion, while 65 percent approve of same-sex marriage, which was among the highest levels in the region.

The report also noted that Czechs are more likely than others to say that religious institutions focus too much on rules. As much as 55 percent of Czech adults say religious institutions are focused on money and power, while 42 percent say the institutions are too involved in politics.

The survey conducted by Pew in May revealed that the majority of Central and Eastern European nations have embraced religious belief after the fall of the Soviet Union and the atheistic Communist regimes.

Most of the Eastern and Central European countries continue to hold strong Roman Catholic or Orthodox Christian majorities, but the study indicated that a median of only 10 percent of Orthodox Christians regularly attend church.
In the face of soaring college tuitions and skyrocketing educational inequity, many educators and lawmakers are suggesting a way to help low-income students earn degrees: Why not offer in-state students community college for free?

After years in the shadows, the idea is gaining real momentum. Just last month, Tennessee, which already had a free-community-college program for recent high school graduates, announced it will open that program to any adult in the state without a college degree in 2018. Earlier this year, San Francisco became the first city in the country to offer free community college to all of its residents, and lawmakers in California, New York, and Rhode Island introduced similar proposals to cover tuition and other costs for students.

At first glance, its hard to see why free community college (specifically, free tuition for two-year schools that grant associate degrees) would be anything but helpful for students from low-income backgrounds. Students who graduate from community college have lower rates of unemployment and earn $6,600 more a year than those who have a high school diploma. Remove the cost of earning an associates degree, and youll put its benefits within reach of any student who wants oneright?

Its clear that the prospect of free tuition will likely motivate more low-income students to enroll in community college. But those students still face considerable obstacles having nothing to do with money once they arrive on campus. Whats more, free tuition could deter low-income students from pursuing four-year colleges and universities.

Until educators account for these truths, we could be inadvertently pushing large numbers of students away from their best educational path in four-year colleges or universities.

One challenge for low-income community college students is that they are more likely to be needlessly placed in remedial courses than their wealthier peers and those at four-year colleges. Most colleges require that incoming students take standardized placement tests to see if they need remedial reading, writing, and math courses. About 70 percent of low-income community college students are placed in remedial courses, compared with about 50 percent of their wealthier community college peers.

At first glance, its hard to see why free community college is anything but helpful for students from low-income backgrounds."

Despite the good intention, remedial courses are a significant barrier to graduation. A 2012 report from the nonprofit Complete College America found that fewer than one in 10 students who begin in remedial courses graduate from community colleges within three years. This is in part because remedial courses dont count toward a degreea discouraging prospect for many students. Whats more, the standardized tests that typically determine remediation decisions are often not accurateas many as a third of all students are forced to review content they already understand well.

In addition, low-income students, in particular, have a greater chance of being burdened with negative stereotypes about their own academic aptitude. In these situations, its not hard to imagine how remediation could feel like a stigma.

On-campus environments are another sticking point. All college students, including those who come from low-income backgrounds, benefit from a strong on-campus communitywhich can allay fears that they do not belong. However, an estimated 75 percent of community colleges dont offer on-campus housing. This means that students are more likely to leave campus after class, making it a challenge to build a community of supportive peers.

Despite these obstacles, free community college will certainly help some groups of low-income students, such as those who arent academically eligible for four-year colleges or those who are already enrolled in, and paying tuition for, community college.

But in many cases, low-income high school graduates stand a better chance than they expect of attending and affording a four-year college or universitywhere theyre more likely to graduate with a degree.

College tuition is expensive and keeps getting more so. The average in-state price for tuition and fees for four-year public colleges was about $9,400 per year in 2015-16, compared with less than $500 (in todays dollars) in the 1970s. But four-year colleges are often more accessible than they seem. If students know which cost-cutting resources they can accessfinancial aid and tax benefits, for examplethe College Board estimates they could pay less than half the public-university sticker price. Moreover, dozens of schoolsboth private and public, ranging from Stanford to the University of California to Michigan Statedo not charge their lowest-income students tuition.

The problem is that many low-income students never take advantage of these resources. Sometimes they lack access to information about financial-aid options. They might also have heard so much about the high costs of college that they see no reason to dig deeper. Nationally, only about 45 percent of high school seniors complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, by the time they graduate. Its hard to imagine that trend changing when free community college is on the table.

So how can we help high school students parse out their best options?

High school teachers and school leaders should work with local community colleges to make sure students avoid unnecessary remediation. For example, high schools in Long Beach, Calif., share students junior- and senior-year grades with the local community college to better inform remediation decisions. This method not only increased the number of students placed directly into college-level courses, but showed that students were successful in those courses at the same rates as those who had received developmental instruction.

Another important strategy is rethinking how to share college information with students. When counselors and teachers discuss higher ed. options and pathways with their students, they need to describe free community college accurately: not as a panacea ensuring college access, but as one of many available options for higher education. Schools should also invite counselors and students from local community colleges to talk to rising juniors and seniors about the opportunities and academic or social challenges they might find on campus.

With this type of support from educators at every level, proposals for free community college stand a better chance of living up to their purpose, and low-income students stand a better chance of finding an educational path that will support their incredible potential.
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"No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth."



Plato





"This country has shed more blood for the freedom of other people than all the other nations in the history of the world combined, and I'm tired of people feeling like they've got to apologize for America."

Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)







In a time of universal deceit  telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

George Orwell, the author of 1984







"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.""Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.""A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right.
Government still assessing Brexit impact



Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK

The Manx Government says it's still assessing how the UK's withdrawal from the European Union will affect the Island.

A statement from Chief Minister Howard Quayle said there were no surprises in this week's Queen's Speech, which included plans for eight Bills dealing with Brexit.

The Cabinet Office insists it has been planning for Britain leaving the EU since before last year's referendum, but warns there is still more detail to emerge.

Mr Quayle plans to prioritise legislation that deals with the Repeal Bill, immigration and customs, as well as agriculture and fisheries.

More details on the planned legislative changes will be revealed early in the next parliamentary year.
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Company description: CrowdStrike was founded in 2011 to fix sophisticated attacks that were forcing businesses into the headlines and could not be solved with existing malware-based defenses. Co-founders George Kurtz and Dmitri Alperovitch combined the endpoint protection with intelligence to pinpoint adversaries. It is privately held, with funding from the likes of Google Capital, Warburg Pincus, and Accel.

Product description: The CrowdStrike Falcon Insight platform offers cloud-delivered endpoint protection. It delivers and unifies IT hygiene, AV, EDR, managed threat hunting and threat intelligence.

Markets and use cases: Customers include ADP, Rackspace, Shutterstock, The Center for Strategic International Studies, Cardinal Innovation Healthcare and Telstra. CrowdStrike boasts top ten players among the largest global companies, as well as the top ten financial institutions, top ten healthcare providers and top ten energy companies.

Agents: An agent is deployed.

Applicable metrics: Using its cloud-native architecture, the Falcon platform collects and analyzes more than 30 billion endpoint events per day from millions of sensors deployed across 176 countries. Analysis is done of more than 70 adversaries, their tactics, techniques and procedures, and associated campaigns.

Security qualifications: PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST, FFIEC, PCI Forensics, NSA-CIRA, SOC 2, CSA-START, AMTSO

Intelligence: Falcon Intelligence delivers APIs and feeds for integration with SIEM, IDS, and Threat Intelligence platforms. Intelligence can be consumed directly into enterprise systems in real time.

Delivery: CrowdStrike is cloud-delivered endpoint protection.

Pricing: The company uses a subscription pricing model.
See the complete list of top 10 Endpoint Detection and Response solutions.

Company description: RSA provides more than 30,000 customers worldwide with security tools that protect assets from cyber threats. The company was acquired by EMC a few years ago and is now part of Dell EMC, which is privately held.

Product description: RSA NetWitness Endpoint continuously monitors laptops, desktops, servers and virtual machines to provide visibility and analysis of all threats on an organizations endpoints. It includes root cause analysis of threats, and prioritization of threats. It employs continuous endpoint behavioral monitoring and machine learning to isolate threats.

Markets and use cases: Its top five industry verticals tend to be financial institutions, government entities, healthcare, energy, and telcos. However, customers stretch across multiple industries and verticals.

Agents: RSA NetWitness Endpoint installs an agent on an endpoint.

Applicable metrics: Security analysts can customize any of more than 300 behavioral indicators provided by RSA out-of-the-box.

Security qualifications: Aligns with industry standards from NIST, US-CERT, SANS and VERIS. It leverages FIPS-compliant encryption.

Intelligence: A behavioral-based (file and user) analytics engine and machine learning are part of RSA NetWitness Endpoint. It also leverages live memory analysis, whitelisting and blacklisting, certificate validation, endpoint baselining, organization-customized rulesets, and threat intelligence from RSA, third parties, and the RSA NetWitness Suite community.

Delivery: Agents can be deployed on-premises and off-premises across multiple form factors (e.g., laptop or a Linux virtual machine in the cloud). The RSA NetWitness Endpoint management console resides on-premises on the corporate network with an optional Roaming Agents Relay included to allow for off-premises agents to securely communicate with the console.

Pricing: The primary pricing model is on a per endpoint basis, which includes all features as well as a management console and roaming agents relay (for off-premises endpoints to communicate outside the DMZ). Licensing is available on either a perpetual or subscription basis. Pricing can vary based on volume, type of license, etc.
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The new Member of Parliament for Chelmsford Vicky Ford has responded to claims on social media that she lied during an interview with the BBC and Sky News.

The Conservative MP succeeded Simon Burns after he stepped down ahead of the snap general election on June 8.

Mrs Ford was elected to the Commons in a landslide victory, receiving 30,525 votes, 53.7 per cent of ballots cast in the constituency.

On Wednesday (June 21), the Queen's Speech was unveiled and Mrs Ford began her day by conducting an interview with broadcasters outside the House of Commons.

(Image: Twitter)

During that interview, Mrs Ford condemned shadow chancellor John McDonnell's call for a million people to "take to the streets to force Theresa May from power".

Mrs Ford, former Member of European Parliament for the East of England, said the Labour party was "calling for riots on our streets, which is irresponsible".

That protest, which had been entitled a 'Day of Rage', saw hundreds of protesters brandishing banners and placards as they marched through London in reaction to the Government's response following the Grenfell Tower fire.

The mass demonstration, organised by Movement for Justice, saw around 500 people walk from Shepherd's Bush to Downing Street.

Shortly after the interview, commentators on Twitter began to attack Mrs Ford, branding her "a liar" for her remarks which suggested the march was organised by Labour politicians.

One Twitter user wrote: "Oh yeah this is where YOU LIED through your teeth by claiming prominent Labour MPs were calling 4 RIOTS in the streets - DISGUSTING!!"

Another wrote: "You lied on air that Labour people called for riots. Outright lie. Retract."

Speaking to Essex Live this morning (June 23), Mrs Ford clarified and reaffirmed her position in regards to the statements.

She said: "If a million people are asked to partake in a protest entitled a 'day of rage' then that is an appalling thing to do.

"At the time I made the comment we had been warned about issues around our staff safety on that day.

"Many of my colleagues were having to tell their own staff to work from home that day.

"The fact that senior politicians subsequently came out and said that it should be peaceful was not what I was aware of when I made that statement."
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom is pushing to include a chapter on gender equality in a revamped version of the EUs 2003 trade agreement with Chile, which is about to be negotiated soon. When speaking at a forum on the role of women in international commerce, she explained that Chile already includes a chapter on gender in its agreements with Uruguay and Canada, which reinforces the coordination and supervision of womens rights in trade and therefore the EU could see what we can learn from the Chilean experience and added that we can see if this could be a pilot project for us in the European Union that we could take to other trade agreements.

European and Chilean negotiators met in January to agree on the objectives they want to achieve during the update process of the existing agreement. Both parties want to open new chapters including investment and political geography. Brussels and Santiago also seek to eliminate the few remaining tariffs on trade in goods that are still in place as well as address corruption and promote sustainable trade.

The EU is Chiles third biggest trade partner and bilateral trade between the two has been increasing by 9% each year since the trade deal entered into force. The EU is Chiles third import supplier, after China and the US, and is Chiles second largest export market, after China. EU imports from Chile are dominated by crude materials (mainly copper), manufactured goods and food and live animal products. EU exports mostly machinery and transport followed by chemical products. The EU is Chiles biggest foreign investor, accounting for about a quarter of the countrys foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks and FDI flows in the country.
The relationship between the European integration process and the transatlantic alliance has fluctuated over time but has always been crucial for security on both sides of the Atlantic. It is shaped by common values and interests as well as geopolitical and economic factors. Behind the developments in the relationship between the EC/EU and NATO lies a fundamental question: How can the geopolitical, economic and security interests and aspirations of Europe and of the United States be best coordinated and most successfully enforced? The successes or failures of cooperation between the two organisations reflect the underlying changes in the nature and substance of the transatlantic relationship.

It is this relationship which is seriously challenged and may be heading towards its deepest crisis yet. The economic and geopolitical contraction of the West, as a result of great global power shifts, should have been addressed by the West improving its cohesion and resolve. Instead, growing uncertainty, unpredictability and mixed messages, as well as growing mistrust on both sides of the Atlantic risk deepening divisions as well as further disintegration.

Two areas of division, seemingly independent but in reality interdependent and mutually reinforcing, are threatening the alliance. One is the security-related geopolitical divide, and the other is cultural and ideological in nature.

The security issue can be summarized in a simple question: is the concept of mutual defence still unconditional? Statements about defence commitments vary depending on who is making them and when. Uncertainty increases and decreases accordingly. Public opinion grows more confused and mutual apprehensions and recriminations are on the rise. On the European side, some think that the ugly American has returned creating a more serious risk to global security than the adversary the NATO alliance was originally created to defend against. On the American side, anti-European sentiment is growing stronger, albeit frequently disguised as benign concern for Europe and expressed by those predicting the collapse of the European Union.

Both visions border on absurdity but are in reality having an impact. Mutual apprehensions may create a negative spiral of mistrust and animosity with potentially serious geopolitical and security consequences.

The second issue, the cultural divide, is much more complex and more difficult to identify. The nature of the divide itself is often either simplified or exaggerated. Presently, the trendiest line of separation is drawn between the isolationist, nativist, nationalist populists and the internationalist, globalist, progressive liberals. One of the problems with this oversimplified division is that significant numbers of people  who believe in a collective national and European identity rooted in historic legacy, are social conservatives holding traditional values whilst advocating a free market economy, multilateralism and free, fair and rule-based international trade  do not know where they fit in this artificial, pointless divide.

The damage caused by cultural disintegration is twofold. It further reduces the cohesion of what we call the Western world, weakens its economic weight and its geopolitical clout. At the same time, it significantly reduces our cultural attraction. This is an area where the West is still, by far, the strongest in a global game which is increasingly multipolar and decentralized.

In order to move beyond this gloomy prognosis, here are seven recommendations for how to move forward:

First, the NATO alliance and more generally the West should restore its self-confidence. Stop the ongoing self-flagellation, self-defeating language and perennial references to its supposed Untergang. The West has to accept and believe in its cultural heritage, identity and values, and never forget that it is culture that matters.

Second, once individual self-confidence is restored mutual trust can, and must, be re-established. The West must stop blaming and stigmatizing and control excessive language.

Third, recognize and be fully aware of the close interdependence of security, geopolitics, geo-economics, trade, technology and, first and foremost, culture. In the global system, where all subsystems are interrelated, security and trade are particularly intertwined and have immediate impact upon one another. If one entity pulls out from a trade scheme, there will be immediate geopolitical and security consequences for all. In the same way, things are also geographically interconnected. Whatever happens in one continent or region will have immediate repercussions everywhere else.

Fourth, establish strategic autonomy for Europe and, more particularly, for the European Union. While the meaning of this autonomy still needs to be clarified and more precisely defined, the good news is that first steps have now been made in the right direction. The European Commissions Reflection Paper on the Future of European Defence, especially its scenario C, could provide a good basis for further work. If it is the case that Europeans genuinely want to take greater responsibility for their own security, Article 42 of the Treaty on European Union must be fully exploited and a common defence policy, leading to a common defence, will have to be established.

Fifth, the cooperation between EU and NATO should be raised to a qualitatively new level. On the one hand, the protection of Europe would become a mutually reinforcing responsibility of the EU and NATO: on the other hand, cooperation between the two organisations should be substantially improved along the lines of the ELN Group Statement of Support for EU-NATO Collaboration made by 62 European leaders on 17 May 2017. Particular attention should be paid to the suggestion that the goal of collaboration is to achieve real world effect and not simply political effect.

Sixth, NATO should be developed and better adapted to the new security situation and future challenges. What we know about hybrid war, cyber-attacks, terrorism and all kinds of asymmetric threats might be outdated, due to the singularly rapid development of technology and its use by state and non-state actors. Not only are threats becoming increasingly unconventional, but warfare may take on entirely new forms in the future.

Seventh, confronting successfully the traditional as well as the new known and unknown challenges and threats needs a more balanced alliance in respect of burden sharing, defence capabilities and responsibilities. At the same time, obligations of member states of NATO and, in particular, an unconditional commitment to the fundamental principle of mutual defence, must be unambiguously reconfirmed, in order to dispel uncertainties and distrust. This will not be possible without following the above propositions.

Some say history repeats itself, but we do not learn from it. Others say history does not repeat itself, but we learn from it. The European integration process, despite the ups and downs, was successfully developed, deepened and broadened over 60 years. NATO has proved to be the most successful security organisation in world history to date. Now is the time to connect the two pillars of a partnership based upon a cultural heritage and value system of which we should be more proud. In that way, history will not repeat itself, but we will be able to say that we learned from it.

The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network or any of its members. The ELNs aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europes capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security challenges of our time.
Looking at moving back to Missouri after a few years away. My daughter was not in school back then. So am trying to find where the best areas are to live and for school.



We were based in Fenton, but due to family issues do not want to live there again. I have family in Arnold as well. But want to try and find a nice area.



Can anyone help?
UT Health San Antonio has received more than $2.3 million from the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund to study treatments for cancer and heart disease.

Five UT Health researchers were chosen to receive the local funds Young Investigator Award. Each will be awarded $450,000 over the next three years.

UT Health also received $75,000 for a pilot study on the molecular mechanisms of anti-cancer drugs. The Voelcker Fund has now given UT Health San Antonio more than $21 million since 2007, UT Health San Antonio president William L. Henrich said in a statement.

The application process for the Voelcker Fund is often the first grant-writing experience for young researchers, Andrea Giuffrida, the vice president for research at UT Health San Antonio, said in a phone interview.

If you look back at some of the previous awardees, most of them now have secured large grants from NIH (National Institute of Health), from CPRIT (Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas), from federal agencies. So the program works, Giuffrida said.

The Voelcker Fund provides funding for research on several diseases, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease, according to its website. The award was first reported by the San Antonio Business Journal.

UT Health San Antonio researchers are studying cancer and other diseases for which there are few answers, Banks Smith, Voelcker Fund trustee, said in a statement. We want to see these quality research programs flourish and provide the answers society needs.

Four of the researchers  Ann Griffith, Zhijie Jason Liu, Gandadhara Sareddy and Alexei Tumanov  are focusing on cancer research, while Andrew Pickering is looking at heart disease. All the recipients are from the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio.

UT Health San Antonio also received three of the four Young Investigator Awards in 2016. Preference is given to scientists who completed their doctoral degree in the past 15 years, according to application information on the funds website.

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The research focus areas of the Voelcker Fund align with the medical schools strengths, Giuffrida said. He said UT Health had 23 submissions for the awards.

They see this program as a way to promote and facilitate a path to an independent career as an investigator, Giuffrida said.

The other trustees for the fund are David Berndt and Forrester M. Smith, III, according to the funds website.

jpound@express-news.net

@jesserpound
A long-running legal battle over land next to the historic Hays Street Bridge on the near East Side is going to the Supreme Court of Texas.

The Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group, which raised money to revive the landmark, asked the states highest court this week to overturn a ruling that blocked the groups lawsuit against the city of San Antonio over development of the 1.7-acre site at 803 N. Cherry St. land.

The group sued 2012 to prevent the city from selling the land to the Alamo Beer Co. A Bexar County district court jury found in 2014 that the city failed to comply with the terms of a 2002 memorandum of understanding regarding the bridges restoration by not developing the land into a park.

RELATED: 12 things you didn't know about Hays Street Bridge

But the 4th Court of Appeals sided with the city in March and dismissed the case after concluding the city couldnt be sued for breach of contract.

The Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group alleged in its lawsuit that the land had been donated as part of an effort to raise money to restore the bridge, which reopened in 2010 as a bike and pedestrian route over railroad tracks.

Following the jury verdict, state District Judge David Canales issued a ruling that the city interpreted to mean that it could sell the land as long as the proceeds went toward the bridge, the San Antonio Express-News reported in 2015.

The city sold the land to a company headed by Alamo Beer owner Eugene Simor in December 2014.

Amy Kastely, an attorney for the Hay Street Bridge Restoration Group, couldnt be reached for comment Thursday.

We will aggressively defend the decision of the Court of Appeals, which was a complete vindication of the citys position regarding this matter, Debbie Klein, assistant city attorney, said in an emailed statement. In the meantime, well continue working with the community on responsible development around the Hays Street Bridge.

In a petition for review that was filed with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Kastely said the appeals court misinterpreted the local government code in its ruling for the city.

The Court of Appeals held that the city is immune from suit for this breach of contract, essentially because the (Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group) did not seek money damages, Kastely said. The group only sought to hold the city to the terms of the 2002 agreement.

Surely this result  sends a cynical message of disregard to those who generously seek to contribute to their communities, she added in the filing.

The land sale to Alamo Beer was for $295,000 and included a matching grant to the company that was funded by the sale, Kastely wrote.

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From any reasonable perspective, this was a giveaway that breached the citys agreement with the Hays St. Group, she added. A contempt motion filed by the group in Bexar County district court was put on hold pending the citys appeal, she said in her filing with the Supreme Court.

Property records show a company headed by Simor deeded the land to a company headed by San Antonio apartment developer Mitchell Meyer in October. The website for Meyers company, Loopy Ltd., previously showed that The Bridge apartments were planned for the Cherry Street site. A call to Meyer was not returned so its not clear if hes still proceeding with those plans.

pdanner@express-news.net
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UT Health San Antonio announced Friday a landmark licensing deal worth up to

$114 million with a Chinese pharmaceutical company to develop new treatments for spinal cord injuries and breast cancer.

AlaMab Therapeutics, a subsidiary of CSPC Pharmaceutical Group in China, will make an upfront payment of $4.5 million to UT Health San Antonio and UTHealth in Houston to license two antibodies found by local researcher Jean Jiang.

The first antibody inhibits neural inflammatory reactions after spinal cord injury, while the other helps treat breast cancer after it invades the bone. Jiang has partnered with Zhiqiang An of UTHealth in Houston to humanize the antibodies for more trials.

Dr. William Henrich, president of UT Health San Antonio, made the announcement Friday morning with CSPC CEO Weidong Pan at the Greehey Academic and Research Campus. The deal could give the University of Texas health system as much as $114 million over several years with the potential for additional royalty payments, Henrich said.

This is a part of the portfolio in San Antonio that we want to grow, he said. We want to grow our entrepreneurial public-private associations, and this is a tangible step in that direction.

The milestone payments are based on the success of trials in animals and humans, which could take up to 10 years, Henrich said.

Todays news conference represents exactly what our health institutions within the University of Texas System are great at doing, said Rad Weaver, a member of the systems board of regents, adding that the UT System received 162 patents in 2016, including 10 at UT Health San Antonio. Weaver is also chairman of the board for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

AlaMab is a newly created subsidiary of CSPC and will be based in San Antonio, Henrich said.

The creation of AlaMab was UTs idea, said John Gebhard, an assistant vice president in UT Health San Antonios Office of Technology Commercialization. UT told CSPC early in the discussions it would like to work with a local company, and Gebhard said he expects AlaMab and UT to collaborate on other projects going forward.

That makes it very easy for our investigators to stay at the university and be basically pure, not touched, but at the same time be involved in the company, Gebhard said.

Jiang has been working on this project for a decade and will continue the research going forward, Henrich said.

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She didnt take a day off for four or five years to work on the science of the project, Henrich said.

It is the largest upfront licensing agreement in UT Health San Antonios history, Gebhard said. The deal came together more rapidly than any other deal hes ever done, which he attributed to its significance. Gebhard said AlaMab will seek regulatory approval in the United States and in foreign markets.

Speaking through a translator, Pan praised the UT System before a formal signing ceremony.

I believe today is just a new beginning, and we will continue work on opportunities together, and we hope our relationship and friendship will be long-lasting and far-reaching, Pan said.

UT Health San Antonio, previously called the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has seven campuses in San Antonio and Laredo, and an operating budget of $806.6 million.

jpound@express-news.net

Twitter: @jesserpound
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Right out of the gate, Mayor Ron Nirenberg set the pace for his new administration and the City Council with resolutions Thursday affirming support for the Paris climate accord and the International Campaign for Compassionate Cities.

The climate resolution, officially signing on San Antonio to the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, sends a clear message to Washington that this municipality will work with others on the goals of the Paris accord, even if the Trump administration refuses to do so.

The other resolution authorizes San Antonio to register with the compassion campaign and notes that while acts of compassion unfold daily here, the municipality will support groups and initiatives that will make San Antonio a more compassionate city through public, private, community and faith-based organizations.

It is our first council agenda, but there are very important foundations that we lay in our city on issues of resilience, on issues of equity and fairness, Nirenberg said. Two of those items of significance  symbolism but significance  are on our agenda today.

Council just approved a charter for compassion, which recognizes that San Antonio is built on a foundation of compassion toward others, and this is an issue of our place in the world, to make sure were building not just a city thats strong, but thats strong for its future.

Moments later, the council voted 9-1 in support of the Paris resolution, demonstrating that Nirenberg can command an overwhelming majority of the new council despite a Taylor campaign claim that he couldn't do that..

Its pretty easy, when were thinking about it, to support something that tells folks outside of San Antonio  tells our state, tells folks in D.C.  that San Antonio is going to continue to do what weve already been doing in protecting our environment, in investing in new technologies that reduce our greenhouse gases, not only because it is good for our lungs, but because its good for our wallets, Councilman Rey Saldana said.

San Antonio joins more than 300 other cities across the U.S. in the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, a group founded during the Obama presidency to promote cities efforts in combatting greenhouse gas emissions.

Nirenberg reminded supporters whod addressed the council in favor of the resolution that it was just that  the city has resolved to address climate change, but theres much hard work and debate to come.

After he was elected June 10, Nirenberg said joining other American cities in fighting climate change was a priority for his fledgling administration.

Nearly two dozen residents addressed the council, all but one in favor of the resolution. They included college students who implored the council to take action for their future and a former resident of the Mission Trails, a mobile home park along the San Antonio River, who worries not only about San Antonio but the entire world.

You can see when Mother Earth is not cared for, it is us who get sick, said Manuel de La O, who was displaced after Mission Trails was sold to make way for high-end development.

Bob Thompson, the former District 6 councilman, noted the council will face tough issues and that it will need to stand tall in the face of pushback on climate.

I liken the naysayers of climate change to the old Flat Earth Society, he said. They just can't see beyond the coastline.

Council members lined up to back the resolution, including Ana Sandoval, a climate scientist elected to represent District 7. Shes expected to be a leader on environmental issues for this council.

What were discussing today is actually something very personal, and its very local to San Antonio and every single one of us. Climate change is called a global problem, but its impacts are felt locally, wherever you go, she said.

Every person in chambers, Sandoval said, can feel that San Antonio has gotten warmer and that flooding has worsened over the past two decades. Data and studies show it, she said.

Climate change is a big problem, theres no doubt about it, she said, noting that it affects butterflies and other wildlife, causes heat waves and impacts people with asthma. It is not one issue. It is every issue.

Only District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry voted against the resolution. Hed attempted to delay the vote until August, and got support from Councilman Greg Brockhouse to do so, but their push died without support from the balance of council.

Ultimately, Brockhouse supported the measure, but not before voicing significant displeasure at how the item had made the councils first agenda.

He suggested the resolution should have passed through council committees, where individual members might have pushed to change some of the language it contains.

District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez was not present for his first council session. He was testifying as an informant in a federal corruption case.

jbaugh@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh
After spending the entirety of the Obama administration vowing to derail the presidents signature domestic legislation, Republicans finally saw their efforts reach a tipping point Thursday as Senate leadership unveiled their version of the bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

The 142-page bill is largely similar to the one passed in a close 127-123 vote last month in the House of Representatives, but there are some differences in how each affects Medicaid, Planned Parenthood funding, tax credits and other matters.

The San Antonio Express-News interviewed two San Antonio-based health care policy experts, Dr. Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio and Dr. Dana Forgione of the University of Texas at San Antonio, about their thoughts on the new bill.

Question: What happens to Medicaid?

Campbell: About 20 million people were able to afford insurance under Obamacare who were not receiving it prior to that time. This included both the health care marketplaces, the health care exchanges, that were set up by quite a few states and administered by them to subsidize insurance for a large number of individuals. Thats a little different than the Medicaid system, which provides ... no-cost coverage for individuals.

Forgione: The big issue was Medicaid expansion, providing sizable federal subsidies for increasing the number of enrollees by loosening eligibility requirements. Obviously, not every state chose to expand Medicaid. It was very costly to the states because federal support would phase down over time. The eligibility was, I believe, up to four times the federal poverty level, whereas in the Senate bill its 3.5 times, so theyve tightened the eligibility a bit.

Campbell: A lot of that expansion would be rolled back, so the same opportunities to expand Medicaid in all states is reduced at a somewhat slower rate than the House bill. There has not been an estimate yet by the Congressional Budget Office about how many individuals will lose insurance because of that change, but this will probably mean the loss in coverage will be slower but may still result in the same number of individuals in the long-run. There is every reason to believe that most, if not all, the individuals who gained coverage will have difficulty maintaining it under the new proposals.

Forgioni: The Senate bill is very innovative in that it essentially defunds the expansion under the ACA but replaces it with a capitated arrangement, where there is funding provided on a per-capita basis or the states have the option to apply for a block grant, administering funds under that. The goal of that is to really convert Medicaid from being a completely open-ended entitlement that will skyrocket indefinitely into one where there is a global cap on the thing that will try to control expenditures. With every capitated system, theres good points and bad points. The good is you can control the money, but the bad side is you can also control the services.

Q: What about funding for Planned Parenthood?

Campbell (who has chaired the local board of Planned Parenthood): Federal funding is very important for basic services provided by Planned Parenthood to poor individuals, including preventive care. The federal government does not fund abortions. So the defunding would be primarily directed toward preventive services toward low-income patients. This would lead to a reduction in services, and affiliates could end up closing based on the realities of business economics and how much the organization is dependent on federal funding in its budget.

Forgioni: Technically, theres not supposed to be any federal funds going to abortion, but Planned Parenthood does provide abortions, so the money is indirectly offsetting their budget process. They could say, Well use it for contraceptive services, but that allows them to free up money for abortion services.

Q: What about pre-existing conditions?

Campbell: Obamacare allowed individuals to seek insurance at a reasonable cost without regard to potential cost of a pre-existing condition, negating them as a factor in the amount needed to acquire insurance.

Forgioni: This was a big problem before Obamacare. If someone was undergoing cancer treatment and they change jobs, they could be excluded for coverage. The ACA eliminated this and, from a consumer standpoint, thats a very good thing; from a financial standpoint, thats a very expensive thing. So it has its two sides.

Campbell: There may be a debate about whether, in effect, if an individual with a pre-existing condition could afford the kind of requirement for insurance in whats considered a high-risk pool of other like individuals. It seems obvious that will result in a high-risk pool to compete in, which might reduce costs some, but it would still be prohibited for someone who has a pre-existing condition, something thats more expensive for insurers to cover.

Forgioni: The pre-existing conditions provision stays in.

Q: Can young adults stay on their parents plans until they turn 26?

Campbell: Its quite common for people to continue part-time work or part-time education well up until theyre 26, so having the opportunity to avoid the additional cost of health insurance would theoretically allow them to afford an education sooner than otherwise.

Forgioni: This was another popular provision (in the ACA) because it got a lot of young adults through college while they stayed on their parents plans.  I dont see anything that even addresses this in the bill, so Im assuming this stays in place.

Q: What happens to tax credits?

Campbell: There are credits (in the ACA) given to lower-income individuals who are working to allow them to afford health insurance despite their low income.

Forgioni: There were direct subsidies for premiums for low-income people to buy insurance plans, and there were certain tax credits made available.

Campbell: People get sicker as they age, particularly in the 65-plus age group. Age would make more sense to base the credits off of, and it might be better off for the lower-income individual as they age. A tax credit is probably only going to cover a small amount of the out-of-pocket expenses.

Forgioni: The Senate plan would basically phase out the subsidies and replace them with tax credits but at a smaller total value. Its based on a combination of age plus income. You have wealthy and poor old people, just as you have sick and healthy old people. It makes sense to use a combination. The House plan bases tax credits off of age only.

Q: And the individual and employer mandates?

Campbell: These basically said you need to enroll regardless of your age and ability in health insurance  or you will be required to pay a fee on a regular basis into the insurance system. This depends on the income of the individual, from what I understand. That was a very contentious part, which was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States, to make sure everyone pays into the universal health care system. The mandate for employers required a certain number of employees  around 30, and much larger before the ACA  before it kicks in. Under the ACA, it required fewer and fewer employees to be mandatory for employers to cover workers as part of their benefits packages.

Forgioni: For a national-scope health plan to work, everybody has to be in the system. Either youre everybody in or everybody out; a halfway plan doesnt work. Obamacare used incentives to get everybody to join, but for young and healthy people, it was a very tough sell and it wasnt successful in encouraging enrollment. They had a goal of 40 percent young and healthy, but the most they ever got was about 25 percent. Many did the economically rational thing: They looked at the cost of the plan and the penalties, and they found they could buy a modest, noncompliant plan and pay the penalty for the fraction of the cost of buying a compliant plan and avoiding the penalty.  (The House and Senate plans) eliminate both mandates and the penalties for not participating, for all intents and purposes.
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DEL RIO  Until an unusual phone call from James Jonas two years ago, Manny Pelaez had known him for a decade as a friend, a former client and someone who shared his fascination with politics and the law.

But he said the proposal the former Crystal City city manager and city attorney floated that day was no more than an illegal fee kickback scheme that left him stunned and worried.

I was shocked. I was scared. I understood law enforcement was already looking at Crystal City, Pelaez said, testifying as a prosecution witness Thursday in a federal corruption trial of Jonas and former Mayor Ricardo Lopez.

His appearance came one day after Pelaez was sworn in as San Antonios new District 8 city councilman.

Jonas, Lopez, three former Crystal City councilmen and an 8-liner operator were charged in 2016 with crimes including conspiracy, bribery, fraud and theft of services. Some of the offenses carry maximum penalties of 20 years. The other defendants pleaded guilty.

Jonas, 55, a one-time prominent Republican lobbyist whose clients included AT&T and Citibank, was down on his luck and behind on child support when he went to work for Crystal City in 2012.

By summer 2015, when he contacted Pelaez, he still was in desperate need of money, despite an annual salary of $216,000

Mr. Jonas made it very clear he was in financial trouble. He wasnt making enough to cover his child support and other obligations. Hed been trying to settle past due taxes with the IRS, Pelaez said under direct examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Harris.

On recorded conversations played in the courtroom Thursday, Jonas complained of not being able to pay his rent, and of going to a vacation in Galveston without having money for the hotel.

But a solar project proposed for Crystal City held promise of providing some financial relief.

Part of the plan, as Jonas explained it in the recording, was to have Texas Solar Utilities hire Peleaz to represent it in contract negotiations with the city.

But thats not where it ended.

He proposed to me that I take a very large retainer from them, and pay him a third, testified Pelaez, who said Jonas suggested a retainer of $60,000.

He said, Theyve got money. Go heavy on the pencil in the billing, Pelaez recalled.

He also said Jonas had made it very clear to Texas Solar that if it did not hire Pelaez, the City Council votes in support of the project, will vaporize.

Pelaez said the proposal led him to quickly call the ethics hotline of the Texas Bar Association. He then consulted a lawyer who did federal criminal work.

Both advised he was duty-bound to report it to the authorities.

At the time, Pelaez, a lawyer, was representing a client from Crystal City who was being questioned by the FBI in the ongoing investigation, so he contacted the agent, whom he already knew.

Within hours, the FBI was in his office to talk. He agreed to record conversations with Jonas. And while the solar deal never came to pass in Crystal City, the recorded talks led to a charges of bribery.

As he described his plan to Pelaez, Jonas suggested he do sufficient work so that a fee-sharing is appropriate. He also made it clear he did not want his name on any paperwork, or have Texas Solar learn of the fee-splitting.

I was shocked at how brazenly and casually that was worded. It was unreal, Pelaez recalled.

Under cross-examination from Rogelio M. Munoz, whos representing Jonas, Pelaez said he did not have an attorney-client relationship with Jonas in 2015, and that the proposed deal didnt qualify as a legitimate case referral.

He also said he no choice but to go to the FBI.

You could have told your friend, thats unethical, stop it, Munoz said before being silenced by an objection from the federal prosecutors.

During his three hours on the stand, Pelaez appeared to ignore Jonas, who sat hunched across the courtroom with his lawyers, going through legal papers.

After he was finished testifying, Pelaez paused in the hallway and shared his thoughts about the experience.

The nerves and anxiety were at the beginning, he said. My children have been on my mind all day. We teach them, when they see bullies or someone doing something wrong, they are supposed to tell an adult. I practice what I preach.

Pelaez also said he is hopeful the good people of Crystal City will get some closure and healing, and that the case will remind all South Texas officials of their ethical and legal duties.

The trial before U.S. District Judge Alia Moses will continue into next week, when the defense is expected to put on its case. It remains unknown if Jonas or Lopez will take the stand.

jmaccormack@express-news.net
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San Antonio residents are going to be hearing more from their city government over the next year about how to respond locally to a global climate crisis.

After the new City Council passed a resolution Thursday in support of global climate goals, the focus shifts to what cutting fossil fuel emissions means for on-the-ground issues like city codes, utility bills, public transit, parks and community health.

City leaders and environmental advocates say the next step is to allocate funding for a climate action plan, which likely will begin at a 2018 budget goal-setting session 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Convention Center.

The next steps for us in terms of climate really are working with the mayor and council where do you want to go? city Sustainability Director Doug Melnick said.

Some of the planning work already has been done in the form of the SA Tomorrows Sustainability Plan, which set environmental and public health goals for 2040.

In developing that plan, the city hired Texas Tech University climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe to look at how the citys climate has already changed and what might happen in the future.

In short, San Antonio is set to get even hotter. By 2041 through 2070, average temperatures will have increased between 4 and 8 degrees, bringing two to three more weeks per year when the temperature tops 100 degrees, Hayhoe projected.

But for rainfall, trends are less clear, she wrote. Overall, San Antonio is projected to have an average of one more day of extremely wet weather every three to five years in the future, with dry periods lasting an average of one to four days longer per year.

It is not possible to provide any further detail without developing customized projections for San Antonio, Hayhoe wrote.

SA Tomorrow also set specific goals that relate to climate, such as expanding renewable energy to make up 40 percent of CPS Energys generation capacity by 2040.

The city-owned power and natural gas provider says it purchases more wind than any other publicly owned utility of its kind in the U.S. and was ranked seventh in the country last year for installed solar capacity.

In 2016, 43.5 percent of CPS electricity came from fossil-fuel-free sources, but wind, solar and landfill gas made up only 13 percent, CPS data indicate.

The other 30.5 percent was from the South Texas Project, the nuclear plant in Matagorda County in which CPS has a 40 percent stake. That plant caused controversy in 2009 when it was revealed that a contractors cost estimate to add two new reactors had run $4 billion higher than expected. CPS last year wrote off $391.4 million from the reactors, which have not been built.

Coal made up another 27.6 percent, natural gas 24.1 percent, and 4.8 percent came from purchased power. CPS has said it will close its coal-burning Deely Power Plant in 2018.

SA Tomorrows other goals includes increasing urban tree canopy cover from 30 to 40 percent and dramatically upping the number of green buildings in the city.

But a key indicator of how the city will measure its climate success  total greenhouse gas emissions per year  was left blank, with the 2040 goal set as to be determined.

If we want the climate action to be meaningful, its got to have real actions with real reductions in there, said newly elected District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, who has experience working on air pollution in the Bay Area. But for those to be effective, we have to have real participation, real buy-in.

Action on climate also could affect the regions air quality. San Antonios smog levels are slightly higher than federal standard, though the EPA has delayed enforcing it for a year.

The largest single sources of ozone-forming emissions in the region are power plants, cement kilns and other industrial facilities, state data show. Vehicle emissions are another significant source, as is oil and gas production in the Eagle Ford Shale.

Karnes County, in the heart of the Eagle Ford, was second only to Bexar County in emitting ozone-forming volatile organic compounds in 2016, a February report by the Alamo Area Council of Governments states.

Ideally, the city would take about a year to develop the climate plan with citizens advising it every step of the way, said Peter Bella, former natural resources director with AACOG.

Those citizens will be an especially valuable asset to the city as the development of the climate plan moves forward, he said.

San Antonios climate efforts also could work in parallel with multimodal transportation network that includes mass transit, one of Mayor Ron Nirenbergs top priorities.

As the council decides its next step on climate, it will be buoyed by civic groups riding a wave of enthusiasm. Thursday was the first time in memory that hours of full City Council time had been devoted to climate change.

There are high expectations, said Greg Harman, a former journalist turned clean energy organizer for the Lone Star Sierra Club. People today see whats packaged as environmental issues as far beyond the spirit they occupied in the past. This is the civil rights movement, its a global movement, its a climate justice movement.

bgibbons@express-news.net

Twitter: @bgibbs
The administration of President Donald Trump on Friday voiced support for both major provisions in Texas Senate Bill 4, which punishes local governments who prevent police from asking about immigration status and requires jails to honor immigration detainers.

A federal judge in San Antonio on Monday will hold a hearing over whether to block the law, which was signed last month by Gov. Greg Abbott and is set to go into effect on Sept. 1. San Antonio is among the cities challenging the legislation.

In a court filing Friday, the Justice Department said SB 4 is not preempted by federal law, as San Antonio and other challengers to SB 4 have alleged. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit have said The Texas law inserts state and local officials into the federal realm of immigration enforcement and violates the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. The measures in the state law are constitutional, the DOJ responded.

Here, Texas took the moderate step of ensuring that its state and local officials were permittedbut not requiredto inquire about immigration status in appropriate circumstances, and were required to honor federal immigration detainer requests, the filing states. This is lawful and does not conflict with federal law.

The Trump administration had signaled earlier this week it would argue in favor of Texas in a letter to lawyers involved in the litigation.

Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which is representing San Antonio, called the Justice Departments announcement that it will argue in support of the law disappointing.

The important point here is to note that with respect to constitutional claims, even constitutional claims of a violation of Supremacy Clause, an argument that federal law is supreme  neither the president nor the attorney general has any greater authority in the interpretation of those constitutional claims than any other party, Saenz said in a conference call with reporters Thursday.

Citing a federal law that requires law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, the Justice Department wrote, that is precisely what a state or local law enforcement officer does when complying with the federal governments request contained in an immigration detainer or general inquiries concerning immigration status.

The DOJ also voiced support for a provision of the law requiring local law enforcement officials to honor detainers  requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold in jail for 48 hours people they suspect of being eligible for deportation  does not violate the Fourth Amendment, as San Antonio and other challengers to SB 4 have alleged. Under the law, officials who dont honor the detainers can be criminally prosecuted.

Bexar County says it honors ICE detainers at the jail. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia, who will decide on the request for a preliminary injunction against SB 4, earlier this month found that the jail violated the rights of an immigrant from Mexico when he was held on an ICE detainer after his charges were dropped.

In its filing, the Justice Department said ICE has a new policy requiring ICE to accompany detainers with an administrative warrant showing the agency has probable cause that someone can be deported.

Compliance with such detainers does not violate the Fourth Amendment. Speculation that a detainer request might be issued in contravention of federal policies, and might be constitutionally improper, provides no basis for the facial invalidation of a state law that provides for cooperation with a system of warrants authorized by Congress, the Justice Department wrote. SB 4 also provides that a law enforcement agency is not required to comply with a detainer request when the subject of a detainer provides proof of citizenship or lawful immigration status, mitigating any concern that it violates the Fourth Amendment.

ICEs new policy doesnt satisfy anything, said Luis Vera, the lawyer for League of United Latin American Citizens whos representing the border town of El Cenizo. Our position is very simple. When Congress created this detainer issue, its voluntary. Everything that Congress told the locals to do had to be voluntary. The federal government cannot mandate, and does not mandate, to the locals to do this.

jbuch@express-news.net

Twitter: @jlbuch
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Ina Minjarez didnt enter the Texas House under the most ideal circumstances.

Winner of a 2015 special election to fill the District 124 seat vacated when Jose Menendez moved up to the state Senate, Minjarez took her oath of office with only 30 days left in the legislative session. It was too late in the process to author any bills, and just in time to be greeted by a flood of legislation that she had to learn about post-haste.

It was overwhelming, recalled Minjarez, a San Antonio Democrat with a degree from St. Marys University School of Law. I remember my first day: I got there, got sworn in, started voting right away, we finished the floor around 10 at night and then I went straight to my first committee hearing. That day, I must have finished about 1:30 or 2 in the morning.

With a laugh, Minjarez added, I had to really get in there and figure things out quickly, or I was going to drown.

Two years later, the evidence strongly suggests that Minjarez learned to swim.

Minjarez, 42, doesnt call attention to herself or throw rhetorical bombs on the House floor. But her steady, low-key, methodical approach has proven effective and won her recognition this week from Texas Monthly as the Legislatures Rookie of the Year.

She was not only the lone San Antonian acknowledged in TMs Best and Worst legislative recap, she was one of only three Democrats in the Legislature to win unconditional plaudits.

That dearth of Democrats is understandable, given that Republicans control 95 of 150 seats in the Texas House and 20 of 31 in the Senate. Its not an easy environment for any Dem to move legislation, and it requires a bipartisan mindset and a skillful and surgical use of amendments. Thats been Minjarezs approach.

As Texas Monthly pointed out, Minjarez offered more than two dozen substantive amendments to major legislation, including foster care reform bills and the state budget.

In addition, she sponsored Davids Law, a bill crafted by Menendez in response to the January 2016 suicide death of David Molak, a 16-year-old Alamo Heights High School student who had been bullied online by classmates. In an environment dominated by divisive debates over sanctuary cities and the use of public restrooms, Davids Law  which makes the cyberbullying of someone under 18 a Class A misdemeanor  sailed through the Lege with overwhelming bipartisan support.

It was very gratifying, at a time when there was a lot of contentious debate coming toward the end of the session, where people were tired, Minjarez said. It was a moment that we were able to come together as a body, work collaboratively on an issue that was going to be beneficial to children in Texas. Republicans and Democrats coming together; it was a really awesome experience.

Minjarez has a background in childrens issues, going back to her early stint as a prosecutor in the Bexar County District Attorneys office, where she frequently handled child-abuse cases. As a lawmaker, she has applied that interest to the issues of early childhood education and foster care.

Coming off her diving-into-the-deep-end experience in 2015, Minjarez said she approached this session with a clear game plan. She focused on making sure she had a very solid legislative team with experience at the Capitol. She also worked at building positive relationships across the partisan divide and communicating in advance with her colleagues about her amendment ideas.

When I would go in there, I would already have amendments ready and talk to them ahead of time about the importance of the amendment and have that discussion with them, Minjarez said. A lot of times they would agree and accept the amendment or at least they knew it was coming, so they appreciated the heads-up.

State Rep. Justin Rodriguez, whose home base borders Minjarezs West and Southwest side district, said the Texas Monthly recognition for his colleague is very well-deserved. Rodriguez praised Minjarezs work ethic, temperament and commitment to preparation.

Folks who do well (in the Legislature) understand that theres a gravity to the decisions that were making and are able to work well with other folks, Rodriguez said. I think she kind of strikes a good balance there. I knew back in 2015 she was going to be solid, and she came into this session even more prepared.

She exemplifies what anybody would want in a public servant. Being prepared and hard-working gets you over the goal line more times than not.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
There is also the lure of a significant export share of a 7mtpa global market with annual growth of 5 per cent, an international price equivalent of more than $670/t and only three other countries as major producers of SoP from brine  China, the United States and Chile.
Kanye West reportedly wants "five or six" children with Kim Kardashian West.

Kanye West

The 36-year-old reality star was warned by doctors against falling pregnant again after giving birth to the couples two children, four-year-old daughter North, and 18-month-old son Saint, but sources claim Kanye would love to expand their family by at least three.

A source told People: "He would want a family of five or six if it was up to him. After having Saint, Kim was told she couldn't carry another baby - that it would be too dangerous. And she was okay with that."

The news comes after Kim and her 40-year-old husband reportedly hired a surrogate who will carry their third child on behalf of the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star.

It is believed the couple are willing to pay the unnamed woman $45,000 in 10 equal instalments, though if it is a multiple pregnancy she will receive an additional $5,000 per child.

In addition, if the surrogate loses reproductive organs in the process, she receives an additional $4,000.

They're are also required to deposit $68,850 with the agency.

In return, the surrogate must refrain from smoking, drinking and drugs during the pregnancy, and she cannot go in hot tubs or saunas, handle or change cat litter, apply hair dye, drink more than one caffeinated drink per day or eat raw fish.

She has also agreed to restrict sexual activity in the weeks leading up to getting pregnant including foregoing intercourse for three weeks after embryo implantation.

The agreement also states the famous couple "assume the legal and parental responsibilities for any child ... that may possess any congenital or other abnormalities or defects."

Meanwhile, it was previously revealed that the decision to push for a third child came from the 'Famous' rapper.

A source said: "Kim was never going to let herself get pregnant again. It's just too dangerous for her. Kanye was initially the one pushing for baby number three."
Alfredo Grassi, manufacturer of customised protective clothing, workwear and uniforms, has entered into joint development agreement with Directa Plus, to develop graphene-enhanced workwear. The companies will seek to market a range of technical textiles and garments containing the companys graphene-based products to the customers of Alfredo Grassi.

"We are proud to be collaborating with Alfredo Grassi who has a successful track record of producing clothing that leverages their established heritage combined with the technological advances of their partners," said Giulio Cesareo, chief executive officer of Directa Plus. "This agreement represents a further expansion of our textile offering as our graphene plus (G+) will be utilised to enhance the performance of workwear and protective wear for law enforcement and military forces, which we believe represents a significant market opportunity. We look forward to working together to develop and market new product lines, based on our shared commitment to quality, innovation and environmental-sustainability, and to bringing them to the market."

The initial focus under the JDA will be on garments with linings printed with graphene plus combined with waterproof, breathable textiles. The presence of G+, which has been independently certified as non-toxic and non-cytotoxic, produces a technically-advanced fabric with unique properties.

Alfredo Grassi, manufacturer of customised protective clothing, workwear and uniforms, has entered into joint development agreement with Directa Plus, to develop graphene-enhanced workwear. The companies will seek to market a range of technical textiles and garments containing the company's graphene-based products to the customers of Alfredo Grassi. #

"As a company that is continually looking for innovative materials, while paying attention to environmental sustainability, we have found an ideal partner in Directa Plus," added Roberto Grassi, CEO of Alfredo Grassi. "Together, we will seek to improve the level of comfort and protection offered by our products through the use of innovative fabrics made using graphene, and I am sure that we will continue to work on more projects together both in the workwear and the public administration sectors. I am convinced that the collaboration is a strategic milestone for us in terms of product innovation and also because we share the same corporate values, ??such as employee appreciation and recognition, attention to environmental issues and a common long-term vision on future markets." (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Casper, the global sleep company launched three years ago has announced the close of a $170 million Series C investment round. The new investment was led by Target (TGT) and includes Tresalia, IVP, Norwest, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, NEA, and Irving Capital. High-profile entertainers and athletes joined the round bringing the total funding to $240 million.The entertainers and athletes who joined the round include Kevin Spacey, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Carmelo Anthony, Kyrie Irving, Shaun White, and Andre Iguodala.

Casper, the global sleep company launched three years ago has announced the close of a $170 million Series C investment round. The new investment was led by Target (TGT) and includes Tresalia, IVP, Norwest, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, NEA, and Irving Capital. High-profile entertainers and athletes joined the round bringing the total funding to $240 million.#

The new investment will accelerate Casper's industry-leading product innovation. The company will expand its research and development capabilities with the launch of a design lab in San Francisco, a facility and engineering team dedicated to developing new products to complete the Casper ecosystem - from re-designed soft goods to the future of connected sleep. The funding will also enable the digitally-first brand to traverse online and offline distribution at scale.Since launching in April 2014, Casper has become one of the fastest-growing consumer brands. The company earned $1million in revenue in its first 28 days, went on to earn $100 million in 2015, and doubled its annual revenue to more than $200 million in 2016."Innovation has always been our catalyst for growth. As we look ahead to Casper's next chapter, we see the future of sleep driven by unparalleled research and development, and an evolved consumer experience," said Philip Krim, CEO and co-founder of Casper.Following the successful launch of Casper's critically acclaimed mattress in April 2014, the company developed a line of core sleep products, including the Casper pillow, sheets, foundation, bed frame, duvet, and dog mattress. The entire range is designed in-house by an award-winning research and development team in San Francisco, setting a new industry standard for premium products with meticulous design and obsessive engineering. Casper will continue to transform the sleep category with a technology pipeline that stretches far into the future. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Hans-Christian Meyer, former president of Ralph Lauren Corporation, has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Tiger of Sweden. Meyer is expected to take up his new position on September 1, 2017. Meyer has been associated with Ralph Lauren since 2006. Prior to this, he has worked as the international retail director at Sand CPH A/S.

With over 25 years of experience with strong and well-established fashion and apparel brands, Meyer has gained vast knowledge from the industry, especially within retail operations and expansion. He will be a strong character heading Tiger of Sweden in a more international direction in the years to come.

Luxury clothing retailer Tiger of Sweden works in close co-operation with the best fabric mills available, developing its own fabric designs that create the brands uniqueness. Combining materials with a clean cut based on first-class craftsmanship creates the unique and beloved Tiger fit, whether it is a suit, blazer or a pair of jeans. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
critic's rating: 3.0/5

Tubelight



Cast: Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Zhu Zhu

Director: Kabir Khan

Quick Take: Charming but inconsistent drama

Rating: 3 stars







Tubelight Review: Faith can move mountains. Its an old world notion that people in the modern world tend to overlook as romanticism. But truth is, give a human being enough inspiration and even miracles can seem ordinary. That's the thought Kabir Khan's Tubelight tries to convey. But like its title's allegory it keeps flashing and stuttering till in the end it settles down with a soft glow. It's not a bad film, but when you consider the benchmarks of Kabir Khan and Salman Khan (Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan) this does seem a bit low on radiance.







Tubelight's story is layered but its storytelling is definitely not breezy. Salman Khan is introduced as Laxman, a likeable and simple guy who is described as being a bit slow in the head. His learning deficiency earns him the title of Tubelight in a quaint town from India's Kumaon region. The local population is generally friendly but everyone enjoys making fun of Laxman's simpleton nature. Laxman's younger brother Bharat (Sohail Khan) is his emotional and physical anchor. Together the brothers are a cheerful lot who have fun and frolic. Things get dramatic when Bharat enlists in the Indian Army and leaves Laxman behind to go fight in the 1962 Indo-China war. The simple minded Laxman waits for his brothers return. The local wise old man, played by Om Puri, uses Gandhian ideals as a means of distraction for Laxman. But Gandhiji's ideologies inspire Laxman to achieve bigger things. Namely, move mountains.







There's a lot going on with the story of Tubelight. On the surface this film is a straight laced story of a man child who hopes for miracles. But under the surface there are themes of discrimination against India's North East and mountain region populations as well as society's inability to deal with specially abled individuals. But none of the film's underlying motives ever shine out bright. While Salman Khan's and Sohail Khan's characters are detailed and diverse, others like the Chinese mother-son duo, played by Zhu Zhu and Matin Rey Tangu, or even Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub's rabble rouser aren't fleshed out at all. The story never convinces you with the supporting cast's emotions. The story remains simple and sweet, but it never quite assumes the role of a higher meaning, as it did with Bajrangi Bhaijaan. At little over 2 hours, Tubelight feels slow paced and lacks a solid vein of humour as well as dramatic consistency. There are sporadic moments that touch your heart. The camaraderie between the brothers and the chemistry between Salman and young Matin is superlative. But not every situation in the Tubelight narrative turns out special. The excessive crying on Laxman's part does get monotonous. The predictable nature of the story doesn't help matters either.







Salman Khan plays an affable man child with abandon. He's no Forrest Gump, but his simple demeanour and his constant tryst with an open fly is charming. While the actor gets full marks for the effort, he doesn't always look the part. For the role of a slow, child-like man, Salman Khan is too muscular and robust. There are times when the character's illusion just doesnt work out. Sohail Khan as the younger brother with an indomitable spirit has a decent outing too. But perhaps Tubelight would've looked a lot more convincing with a younger set of characters. Chinese actress Zhu Zhu looks beautiful and she performs in all earnestness too. Young Matin teams up with Salman to give Tubelight its best moments. Whether they're chanting Bharat Mata ki jai or slowly grasping the Hindi Chini bhai bhai notion, Salman and Matin form a superb team.







Director Kabir Khan peppers Tubelight with many moments, but they're not all convincing. For most parts his film stays glued to the miracle approach. That the simpleton and his faith will prevail. The Gandhian ideologies help out, and we've seen Rajkumar Hirani work wonders with them before, but with Tubelight they just remain as accessories. Khan crafts a beautiful looking film, but its relevance and themes only appear in flickers. This is a sweet little film alright, but the emotional inconsistencies just dont iron out. Its a classic case of what could've been a great film, settles for much less.
Trishala Dutt

Trishala Dutt looks nothing less than a heroine herself. Doesn't she, folks?

No Bollywood

She has made it clear that she'll never enter the Bollywood film industry.

Poking Fun

She had also taken potshots at actresses for their plastic surgeries.

United States

She currently lives in the United States of America.

Fashionista

Trishala Dutt has a unique sense of fashion and her social media followers love it.

Facetime

Sanjay Dutt and Trishala Dutt keep facetiming each other all the time.

Happy Family!

Both Sanjay and Trishala share the screenshots of their facetime on their respective social media handles.

Brighten Up

Sanjay Dutt's face brightens up whenever he facetimes Trishaha Dutt.

Trishala

Trishala loves it when she facetimes with her father too.

India Soon?

We guess she'll soon visit India for a holiday and stay with her daddy dearest.

Angel

Her father Sanjay Dutt has taken care of her like an angel.

Amazing Bond

Both Sanjay and Trishala share an amazing bond.

Like Buddies

More than father and daughter, the duo are like best friends too.

Happy Girl

She was very happy when he was released by jail last year.

Trishala

We hope she visits India soon and spend time with Sanjay Dutt.

Beauty Queen

She looks like a beauty queen herself, doesn't she folks?
Plot

The film opens with a glimpse into Laxman Kumar Bisht's life (Salman Khan) and how his dim-wittedness earned him the nickname 'Tubelight'. Next, we get to see his endearing camaraderie with his younger brother Bharat (Sohail Khan).

The duo are each other's support system since they lost their parents at a very young age. Life's merry for them until Bharat gets selected to join the Indian army during a recruitment drive in their town. Soon, he is assigned to join the Indo-Sino border where there is a heavy tension mounting between India and China.

While Bharat is busy at war, Laxman's town sees the arrivals of two new people- Le Ling (Zhu Zhu) and her little son Guan (Matin Rey Tangu) who are Indians with Chinese origins. Meanwhile, a war is waged at the Indo-Sino border and Bharat goes missing.

Later, taking a cue from Mahatma Gandhi's principle of having faith in your belief, Laxman befriends Guan and Le Ling and slowly realizes that they too, have lost someone in that same war.

Will Laxman reunite with his brother or will the war shatter his life into pieces with the lose of his loved one?

Direction

'Love conquers all'- Kabir Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan revolved around this theme and his latest outing Tubelight too belongs to a similar territory. Unfortunately this time, his treatment to the film looks superficial and it simply fails to connect on an emotional note.

Tubelight suffers from a painfully slow narrative that just keeps dragging on and on until it meets its fateful end in the form of one of the most cliched climaxes in Bollywood. By the time, the film-maker makes his point, it's a tad late and you find yourself already drowning in the puddles of 'kya tumhe yakeen hai' in almost every character's dialogues.

In a nutshell, Tubelight isn't one of the most memorable films from Kabir's stable!

Performances

Salman Khan is the only flickering ray of hope in this damp squib. It's quite heartening to watch him play a man-child with such innocence and vulnerability.

It takes a lot of guts for an actor who is known to be an epitome of action, to strip off his masochist image and play a complete antithesis. Yes, there is a scene or two where he goes a bit overboard with emotions but then you tend to overlook them as he gives you plenty of moments to rejoice in the film.

Sohail Khan plays what he is in real life- a caring bhai and that's exactly what awaits for you in Tubelight.

Chinese actress Zhu Zhu looks breathtakingly beautiful and delivers her Hindi dialogues with almost perfecto minus any accent! Matin Rey Tangu is a brilliant discover. We so wished he had more screen time!

Late. Om Puri's character has nothing significant about it but yes, it's high on preachiness for sure! Barring a scene or two, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub fails to make a mark.

Even Shahrukh Khan's cameo has nothing much to add to the film.

Technical Aspects

Aseem Merchant's lens have done complete justice to the picturesque locations. Rameshwar. S. Bhagat's editing is decent. Had the narration been pacier with a little more meat in the plot, Tubelight would have been a different film altogether.

Music

Except for the Radio song and Naach Meri Jaan, Pritam fails to deliver a memorable soundtrack. The songs flow seamlessly with the narrative of the film but falters when it comes to being standalone.

Verdict

There's a dialogue in the film which goes like- "Yakeen ek tubelight ki tarah hota hai...der se jalta hai...lekin jab jalta hai, toh full light kar deta hai." Unfortunately, this doesn't hold true for Salman Khan's Eid release. Tubelight takes its own sweet time to flicker, but then barely lasts to shine bright.
The film team of The Villain are busy shooting for the movie in Bangkok, Thailand. Starring Shivarajkumar and Kichcha Sudeep in lead roles, the film's team has been in Bangkok from the last 10 days. Now that Amy Jackson has joined the crew as well, the filming pace has quickened.

Sudeep, who is presently in Bangkok working with the team, has tweeted his shooting experience from there. "This shooting schedule in Bangkok was fantastic. The facilities that were provided and the production work were very good. The whole film crew and the technical team did a wonderful job," read his post on Twitter.

"For the next 10 days, we will be shooting the chasing scenes. I have seen the story board of the movie and it is very thrilling! I can't wait to be a part of the shooting" said Sudeep on Twitter, expressing happiness about the movie.

The Villain is directed by Prem, of Jogi fame. The team is waiting for Shivarajkumar to join them in London, as he is currently busy in shooting for Leader. Shivanna will be joining the team in 10 days, in London.

Along with Shivarajkumar and Sudeep, The Villain also stars Sruthi Hariharan, Shivaraj K R Pete, Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty and Tollywood actor, Srikanth.
Though Baahubali 2 is still running in theatres across the country, Prabhas has already started working on his upcoming movie. Post the mammoth success of Baahubali, Prabhas has now attained the status of a national star and the numbers speak volumes.

Saaho, Prabhas' upcoming action movie is being made on a whopping budget of 150 Cr and it is rumoured that the action episodes of the movie alone is costing bomb for the producer.

The latest development is that the team has roped in popular Bollywood actor, Neil Nithin Mukesh, as the antagonist of the movie. Neil Nithin Mukesh, who is exhilarated with the offer, claimed that his character would have vivid shades much similar to the protagonist's characterization. Neil was last seen in Vijay's Kaththi, as an antagonist.

Neil went on and also added that a Mega Hero requires a Mega Villain to battle it out on-screen, though in a lighter vein.

The movie is being made in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi languages, thanks to the popularity of Prabhas. Sujeeth, who is a long-time friend of the actor will be seen debuting through Saaho.

Rumours are high and ripe that the movie's distribution costs will be sold at an exorbitant price of 350-400 Cr which, if turns out to be a reality, will be the biggest non-Rajini and non-SS Rajamouli movie in terms of pre-sales business.

The teaser of the movie which was released a month ago, was well received by all sections of audience across Telugu, Tamil and Hindi speaking fans.

Interestingly, Prabhas, is said to be learning Hindi as the actor is keen on dubbing by himself for the Hindi version as well. This would give him an added advantage of expanding his roots even further and capture the all-massive north market.

The movie, for now, is slated for release on 11th August 2018. This big-budgeted movie is being co-produced by V. Vamsi Krishna Reddy and Pramod while Sreekar Prasad has been roped in as an editor. R. Madhi will be handling the camera and the music score will be rendered by the famous trio, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
PARIS, FRANCE -- (Marketwired) -- 06/22/17 -- The Amundi Group has obtained all the necessary regulatory authorisations and has fulfilled all the conditions precedent required for the acquisition of Pioneer Investments. Accordingly, Amundi Group is pleased to announce that the acquisition will be finalised on the 3rd of July 2017, which is in line with expectations.

During the work carried out over the past six months, we have reaffirmed the growth strategies of the new Group, defined priorities for its business lines and set up the integration plan. These preparatory efforts have confirmed the strategic and industrial benefits of the acquisition of Pioneer Investments by Amundi and the resulting potential for value creation. The synergies enabled by this integration will be in line with what was announced in December of last year. The projections had pointed to EUR 150 million in cost synergies and EUR 30 million in revenue synergies over a full year, starting upon completion of the integration process, which will take place over the course of the next two years.

To capture this potential in growth and productivity, the Group will adapt its organisational governance in line with the same principles that have prevailed at Amundi since its inception.

The renewed organisational structure will be supported by the following pillars:

1. Two divisions focused on Amundi's two major client segments: a retail clients division and an institutional and corporate clients division.

The retail clients division offers savings solutions fitting the needs of individual clients through the networks of our preferred partners as well as third-party distributors in Europe, Asia and the Americas. It currently serves over 100 million individual clients around the world and represents more than EUR 450 billion in assets under management. This division will be headed by Fathi Jerfel, assisted by Cinzia Tagliabue.





The institutional and corporate clients division develops investment solutions adapted to the various client segments it serves: corporates, insurers, institutional investors, central banks and sovereign wealth funds. It currently manages over EUR 860 billion in assets. This division will be headed by Dominique Carrel-Billiard, assisted by Laurent Bertiau.

2. The investment management platforms, which provide the full range of investment solutions dedicated to each client segment. The contribution of Pioneer Investments will enhance asset class coverage and expand the solutions offered by Amundi. The management platforms will be headed by Pascal Blanque, Group CIO, assisted by Vincent Mortier, Deputy CIO.

The following individuals will be responsible for the alpha platforms: Fixed income: Eric Brard; Equities: jointly headed by Romain Boscher and Diego Franzin; Emerging markets: Mauro Ratto; Multi-Asset: Matteo Germano; US Expertise: Ken Taubes.

These management platforms will be distributed across six primary investment hubs: Paris, Boston, Dublin, London, Tokyo and Milan. Milan will thus become one of Amundi's global investment hubs, particularly in multi-asset investments, and the Italy-based workforce will end up significantly reinforced.

With regard to the business lines, which are operated only by Amundi, the current Amundi heads will remain in their roles: Real and Alternative Assets Division: Pedro Antonio Arias; ETF, Indexing & Smart Beta: Fannie Wurtz; Liquidity Solutions: jointly headed by Thierry Ancona and Thierry Darmon; Structured: Jean-Philippe Bianquis; Employee Savings and Retirement: Xavier Collot.



3. The Operations, Services and Technology Division, consisting primarily of the following functions: IT, Middle Office, Client Servicing, Trading desks and Amundi Services. This division will be headed by Guillaume Lesage, assisted by David Harte.

4. The Business Monitoring and Control Division, composed primarily of the following functions: HR, Communication, Risk Management, Audit, Legal and Compliance. It will operate under the responsibility of Bernard de Wit, who will also be in charge of steering the Amundi-Pioneer integration project.

5. The Finance and Strategy Division, which will fall under the responsibility of Nicolas Calcoen, Group CFO, assisted by Domenico Aiello.

Amundi Group's organisational structure will therefore be both global and local:

global in scope and methods with regard to investment management processes and the management of a shared operational and control infrastructure,

and local to ensure a close relationship with clients.

The new structure will be deployed in more than 30 countries. All of the country heads have been designated. The heads for the major regions will be:

Europe : Italy: Cinzia Tagliabue; Germany: Evi Vogl; Central and Eastern Europe: Werner Kretschmer; United Kingdom: Laurent Guillet; Ireland: Robert Richardson.

USA / Canada and Latin America: Lisa Jones.

Asia: Japan: Julien Fontaine; North Asia: Xiaofeng Zhong; South-East Asia: Jack Lin.

Middle East: Nesreen Srouji.

The company will be steered by an Executive Committee (see Appendix for the committee's composition). This highly experienced team will be composed of the existing key operational managers from both groups.

Giordano Lombardo, Group CEO and CIO of Pioneer Investments, has decided to explore new opportunities for the next stage of his career, and will be leaving the Group after the transaction is finalised. Giordano has made significant contributions to the development and growth of Pioneer Investments over the past 20 years, including helping to stabilise the company's assets over the past several years as the sale of Pioneer Investments was being worked out. He also played a leading role in the process of joining up with Amundi and actively contributed to overseeing the integration preparatory work. We thank him for his contribution and wish him every success in his future endeavours.

The designated heads will now be tasked with:

putting into effect the Group's new organisational structure in each country after consulting with staff representative bodies;

and carrying through the development plans and activities, as well as their associated synergies.

In the words of Yves Perrier, "The acquisition of Pioneer is a major step in the implementation of Amundi's strategy. It enables us to consolidate our position as European leader while enhancing the range of products and services offered to our clients. The management team and key heads are in place. Amundi is fully prepared to make the integration of Pioneer an opportunity to accelerate the growth of Amundi for the benefit of its clients, its employees and its shareholders".

Appendix 1: List of the future members of the Executive Committee of Amundi Group

Yves Perrier, Group CEO, Chairman of the Executive Committee





Fathi Jerfel, Head of the Retail Clients Division





Dominique Carrel-Billiard, Head of the Institutional and Corporate Clients Division





Pascal Blanque, Group CIO





Guillaume Lesage, Head of the Operations, Services and Technology Division





Bernard de Wit, Head of the Business Monitoring and Control Division





Nicolas Calcoen, Group CFO





Valerie Baudson, CEO of CPR AM, Head of ETF, Indexing & Smart Beta





Isabelle Seneterre, Head of Human Resources





Domenico Aiello, Deputy CFO





Pedro Antonio Arias, Head of the Real and Alternative Assets Division





Jean-Jacques Barberis, Co-Head of Institutional Clients Coverage





Alain Berry, Head of Communication





Laurent Bertiau, Deputy Head of the Institutional and Corporate Clients Division





Eric Brard, Head of Fixed Income





Matteo Germano, Head of Multi-Asset, CIO for Italy





David Harte, Deputy Head of the Operations, Services and Technology Division





Lisa Jones, Head of the Americas(1)





Werner Kretschmer, Head of Central and Eastern Europe(2)





Vincent Mortier, Group Deputy CIO





Christian Pellis, Head of Third-Party Distributors





Cinzia Tagliabue, Deputy Head of the Retail Clients Division, CEO Italy





Eric Vandamme, Chief Risk Officer





Laurence Laplane, Executive Committee Secretary

(1) United States, Canada and Latin America

(2) Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and other countries in Eastern Europe

Appendix 2: Biographies

Yves Perrier, Group CEO, Chairman of the Executive Committee

Yves Perrier is Chief Executive Officer of Amundi, Head of Asset Management, Insurance and Real estate at Credit Agricole S.A.

He is a member of Credit Agricole S.A.'s Executive Committee (since 2003) and Head of Asset Management, Insurance and Real estate since September 2015. As such, he is Chief Executive Officer of Amundi Asset Management - the leading European Asset Manager with more than EUR 1,000 billion in assets under management - and also supervises Credit Agricole Insurance and Credit Agricole Immobilier (the real estate division of Credit Agricole). He was previously Head of Asset Management, Securities and Investor Services at Credit Agricole S.A. from September 2007 until August 2015.

Previously (2003-2007), he served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Calyon (CACIB today) with responsibility for structured finance, brokerage, risk, support functions and international network. He began his career in audit and consulting (1977-1987). He then joined Societe Generale where he held a number of positions between 1987 and 1999, namely Chief Financial Officer (1995-1999), before moving to Credit Lyonnais as a member of its Executive Committee with responsibility for finance, risk and audit functions (1999-2003). He was also Chairman of the AFG (Association Francaise de la Gestion financiere) from May 2015 to May 2017.

Yves Perrier is a graduate of the ESSEC business school and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Fathi Jerfel, Head of the Retail Clients Division

Fathi Jerfel is currently responsible for the Retail Clients Division and will keep this position in the new Group.

Since 2008, Fathi Jerfel has been a member of the General Management Committee of Credit Agricole Asset Management, heading up the specialist management division covering structured and guaranteed investment management, alternative investments, real estate management, multi-management and private equity.

In 2005, he became CEO of Credit Agricole Structured Asset Management, the subsidiary dedicated to structured asset management, guaranteed funds, alternative management account platform and Exchange Traded Funds. In 2003, he was appointed as member of CAAM's Executive Committee.

He joined CAAM in 1996 and assumed the role of Head of Structured and Convertible Management and Quantitative Research in 2002.

He started his career at Credit Lyonnais where he held various positions in financial engineering, fixed income management and trading.

Fathi holds an engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique and a specialised engineering degree from the Institut Francais du Petrole. He also holds a post-graduate degree in Economics.

Dominique Carrel-Billiard, Head of the Institutional and Corporate Clients Division

Dominique Carrel-Billiard is currently responsible for coordinating the Amundi-Pioneer integration project, and will be responsible for the Institutional and Corporate Clients Division in the new Group. Prior to joining Amundi last December, Dominique Carrel-Billiard was CEO of La Financiere de l'Echiquier (2014-16). He served as CEO of AXA Investment Managers Group from 2006 to 2013, having worked as Senior Vice President Business Support and Development at the AXA Group between 2004 and 2006. Prior to working at AXA, Dominique Carrel-Billiard worked for 12 years at McKinsey & Company where he specialized in serving financial institutions. He started his career at Credit Commercial de France in Mergers and Acquisitions.

Dominique is a graduate from HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales - Paris) and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Pascal Blanque, Group CIO

Pascal Blanque has been Group Chief Investment Officer since 2005 and Global Head of Institutional Business since the creation of Amundi in 2010. He also led the third party distribution business up until 2016. He will take the position of Group CIO and Head of the investment management platforms in the new Group.

Pascal has been working in the investment industry since 1991 and has been with the Credit Agricole Group since 2000, where he was Chief Economist until 2005.

Prior to joining Credit Agricole, Pascal was Deputy Director of Economic Research at Paribas (1997-2000) following four years in the strategic asset allocation department of Paribas Asset Management in London (1992-1996). He began his career in institutional and private wealth management at Paribas in 1991.

Pascal was awarded European CIO of the Year 2013 by Funds Europe Magazine and received the Institutional Investor Manager Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Pascal studied at the Ecole Normale Superieure. He is a graduate of Institut d'Etudes Politiques and holds a PhD in Finance from Paris-Dauphine University.

Guillaume Lesage, Head of the Operations, Services and Technology Division

Guillaume Lesage is currently Head of Amundi's Operations, Services and Technology Division and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2016 and has been with the Group since 1992.

He will be responsible for support functions within Amundi, including IT, M/O, Clients servicing, Amundi Services, Trading and Operations.

After some years in the industry, in France and the United States, Guillaume held several positions in Finance, Risks, IT and operations at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank. Prior to joining Amundi, he was Deputy CEO of Credit Agricole's Consumer Finance Division.

Guillaume holds a Masters in Engineering from Ecole Centrale Paris and an MBA from INSEAD.

Bernard de Wit, Head of the Business Monitoring and Control Division

Bernard De Wit is currently Head of Amundi's Business Monitoring and Control Division (since February 2017) and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry for seven years. He joined Amundi in 2009, coming from the Credit Agricole Group. He worked initially on the CAAM/SGAM merger process which resulted in the birth of Amundi in 2010.

He will be responsible for all control and support functions (Risk, Compliance, Legal, Communication, Human Resources and Internal Audit). He is particularly involved in the Company's corporate governance and in relationship with the regulatory authorities.

Bernard started his career in banking and has worked in Belgium, Russia and Latin America. After participating in the merger process, he was appointed Chief Risk Officer of Amundi in 2010 before becoming Chief Operating Officer in 2013.

Bernard holds a Master's degree in Economy and an MBA.

Nicolas Calcoen, Group CFO

Nicolas Calcoen is currently Amundi's Chief Financial Officer and is also responsible for Strategy and Public Affairs. He will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2010 and has been with the Group since 2010.

Before joining Amundi in 2010 as Head of Strategy, Nicolas held various positions in the French Ministry of Finance and at the International Monetary Fund (Washington, DC).

Nicolas graduated from the Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA) and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris and holds a DEA post-graduate diploma in Economics and International Finance.

Valerie Baudson, CEO of CPR AM, Head of ETF, Indexing & Smart Beta

Valerie Baudson is currently CEO of CPR Asset Management and has also been in charge of Amundi's ETF, Indexing & Smart Beta business line since 2008. She will keep these positions in the new Group.

Valerie has been working in the finance industry since 1995 and has been with Amundi since 2008.

From 2004 to 2007, Valerie was Marketing Director and Member of the European Management Committee of Credit Agricole Cheuvreux, the European stockbroking subsidiary of Credit Agricole Group. From 2000 to 2004, she held the position of Corporate Secretary and was a Member of the Management Committee. She started her career at Banque Indosuez where she managed international audit missions from 1995 to 1999.

Valerie is a graduate of HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales - Paris) where she majored in Finance.

Isabelle Seneterre, Head of Human Resources

Isabelle Seneterre is currently Amundi's Head of Human Resources and will keep this position in the new Group.

She started her career at Credit Lyonnais in 1989, working in sales positions for the Corporate and Investment Banking Division both in New York and Paris. In the late 1990s, she spent three years in the Czech Republic, in charge of recruitment and multicultural audit missions for Carrefour.

Back in France, she worked in the HR department of CL / LCL, in charge of labour relations during the merger with CA and more recently Head of HR for the Ile de France region.

She joined Amundi in 2010 as Deputy and became Head of Human Resources in September 2011. Isabelle graduated from Institut Superieur du Commerce (Paris) and holds a Master's degree in Human Resources from ESSEC.

Domenico Aiello, Deputy CFO

Domenico Aiello is currently Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Pioneer Investments. He will take the position of deputy CFO in the new Group. He will also be the Responsible for Strategy, Planning, Finance Transformation.

Before joining Pioneer, he had worked for UniCredit since 2002, first as Director in Group M&A and Business Development, focusing on CEE and International Markets and, from 2008, as Head of the team.

Prior to that, Domenico worked for 6 years at investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London, focusing on Financial Institutions.

Domenico graduated at the European Business School in London with a First Class BA (Hons) in International Business Studies.

Pedro Antonio Arias, Head of the Real & Alternative Assets Division

Pedro Antonio Arias is currently Head of Real and Alternative Assets and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 1993 and has been with the Group since 2013. Pedro Antonio joined Amundi in 2013 to create and oversee the business line encompassing private equity, private debt, real estate, infrastructure and private multi-management businesses.

He was previously Deputy CEO in charge of M&A and real estate at French retailing group Casino. He also served as board member of Casino's major subsidiaries in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Thailand, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

He started his career at the Jones Day law firm before moving to corporate and investment banking in various institutions. He was notably involved in mergers and acquisitions across Europe, Latin America and Asia, and worked as co-Head of the restructuring business at Rothschild & Cie for Europe.

Pedro Antonio is graduated in Law and from and holds a master in business from ESSEC business school.

Jean-Jacques Barberis, Co-Head of Institutional Clients Coverage

Jean-Jacques Barberis is Global Head of Central Banks and Sovereign Wealth Funds at Amundi and will take the position of co-Head of the Institutional Clients Coverage.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2016 and has been with the Group since June 2016. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Advisor for Economic and Financial affairs in the cabinet of the French President of the Republic. He started his career in the French Treasury Directorate General from 2008 to 2012. From 2012 to 2013, he was a member of the cabinet of Pierre Moscovici, Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of economy financing issues.

Jean-Jacques is an alumnus of Ecole Nationale Superieure des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, with an advanced degree in history. He is a graduate of Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Paris) and an alumnus of Ecole Nationale d'Administration.

Alain Berry, Head of Communication

Alain Berry is currently Head of Communication at Amundi and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2008 when he joined the Group.

He is responsible for press relations, social media, events, sponsoring, internal communication, advertising, corporate communication, graphic and video studio on a worldwide basis. He is also in charge of Amundi Group's purchasing centre for communication and marketing spending.

He spent more than 10 years at Credit Lyonnais in the Large Corporate Division and managed several portfolios of small, mid and large companies. He moved to Credit Agricole S.A. in 2002 to become Head of Press Relations.

Alain is a graduate of ESLSCA (Business School - Paris).

Laurent Bertiau, Deputy Head of the Institutional and Corporate Clients Division

Laurent Bertiau is currently Global Head of the Institutional Clients Division at Amundi and will take the position of deputy Head of the Institutional and Corporate Clients Division in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 1986 and has been with the Group since 2010.

He previously worked at Societe Generale Group. From 1986 to 1993, he was a trader and fund manager in SGAM's Fixed Income department. From 1993 to 1996, he was the President of Societe Generale FIMAT Trading Management in Chicago. He then served as CEO of SGAM Singapore from 1997 to 2001, SGAM Japan from 2001 to 2004, and was CEO for Asia from

2005 to 2008. He was appointed as Global Sales and Marketing Director from 2008 to 2009 and Deputy CEO of SGAM from 2009 to 2010.

Laurent is a graduate of CESB (Centre d'Etudes Superieures de Banque) and holds a degree in economics from the University of Caen.

Eric Brard, Head of Fixed Income

Eric Brard is currently Head of Fixed Income at Amundi and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 1985 and has been with the Group since 2010.

He is in charge of the Fixed Income business line and responsible for the Fixed Income and Treasury platforms.

Eric graduated in Economics and holds a postgraduate degree in Finance & Banking (Sorbonne University).

Matteo Germano, Head of Multi-Asset, CIO for Italy

Matteo Germano is currently the Global Head of Multi-Asset Investments at Pioneer Investments.

He will take the position of Head of Multi-Asset investment platforms for both Retail and Institutional and Corporates in the new Group.

He has been working in the investments industry since 1996.

He started his career with Eurispes and Furman Selz. He then joined UniCredit, holding different research roles. At Pioneer, he first led the Global Research teams before moving to Multi Asset.

He is a member of the Global Investment Committee and of several supervisory boards (Italy, Germany, Austria).

He is an Economics graduate of the University of Genoa, and completed a MSc in Finance at the University of London.

David Harte, Deputy Head of the Operations, Services and Technology Division

David Harte is currently the Global COO of Pioneer Investments andwill take the position of deputy Head of Operations, Services and Technology Division in the new Group.

He has been working in the Investments industry since 1989. Prior to Pioneer, he was COO at Bear Stearns Bank plc, Dublin. He has also worked at a number of financial institutions in London.

David holds a BA (Honours) Degree in Economics and Geography from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Lisa Jones, Head of the Americas

Lisa Jones is currently Head of the U.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Investment Management USA, Inc. She will take the position of Head of the Americas (Canada, USA, LatAm) in the new Group, in this role Lisa is Head of Group Operations in Americas.

Lisa has been working in the investments industry since 1988 and has been with the Group since August 2014. She has over 25 years of experience in global financial services developing and building asset management businesses. Prior to Pioneer, she was Global Head of Distribution at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and she has had similar positions at MFS and Eaton Vance.

Lisa has a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College.

Werner Kretschmer, Head of Central and Eastern Europe

Werner Kretschmer is currently Head of Austria & CEE, and CEO of Pioneer Austria. He will take the position of Head of Group operations in Central and Eastern Europe (Austria, Czech Republique, Poland, Hungary and other Eastern European countries) in the new Group.

He has been working in the industry for 25 years. Before joining Pioneer, he was a member of the board of Bank Austria responsible for Private Banking and Asset Management.

Werner holds a PHD in Law and Economics from the University of Graz, Austria. He has published articles and books on various Asset Management topics, and for many years was a lecturer on Investments.

He holds an Independent Financial Adviser licence.

Vincent Mortier, Group Deputy CIO

Vincent Mortier is currently Deputy Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Amundi Group. He will keep this position in the new Group. He is also currently Global Head of Multi-Asset.

He has been working in the investment industry since 1996 and has been with the Group since 2015.

Vincent started his career at Societe Generale in 1996. He held several senior positions within the Group, rising to the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Global Banking and Investor Solutions (GBIS) division in 2013. He was previously CFO of Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking (SG CIB), Co- Head of Equity Finance (SG CIB) and Head of Strategy and Development - Global Equities and Derivatives Solutions (SG CIB). He also sat on the SG GBIS Executive Committee.

Vincent holds an MBA from ESCP Europe Business School.

Christian Pellis, Head of Third-Party Distributors

Christian Pellis is currently the Head of Third-Party Distributors at Amundi and will keep this position in the new Group.

Christian has been working in the investment industry for 24 years, since 1993, and has been with the Group since 2013.

Christian has extensive experience in the global distribution segment and has worked in Luxembourg, Frankfurt, London and Switzerland, mostly in British and American asset management firms. He is responsible for the Global Distribution Segment at Amundi and is a member of the Executive board.

Christian studied business administration in the Netherlands.

Cinzia Tagliabue, Deputy Head of the Retail Clients Division, CEO Italy

Cinzia Tagliabue is currently CEO of Italy and Head of Western Europe & Latin America at Pioneer Investments. She will take the position of deputy of the Retail Clients Division in the new Group. She will also become CEO of Italy.

She has been working in the investments industry since 1980.

She has over 30 years of experience in financial services with UniCredit focusing both on the investments and the distribution sides. She has been a member of the Capital Italia SICAV Board and the Aviva Board.

Cinzia has attended various professional training courses including an Executive Management Course at the Boston University School of Management (Oct 2013 - Jan 2015).

Eric Vandamme, Chief Risk Officer

Eric Vandamme has been Amundi's Chief Risk Officer since July 2013 and will keep this position in the new Group.

He is responsible for the entire Risk function within Amundi, covering the risk expert teams, developing methodologies and risk systems to produce and disseminate reliable and appropriate risk indicators and reporting within Amundi's various locations, and the investment risk management teams, interacting closely with all Amundi's fund management teams as part of Amundi's global client protection approach. For the previous ten years, he was in charge of corporate development initiatives for Credit Agricole S.A. in the CASA Finance Division. Prior to 2003, he held various positions in the Finance Division, coordinating the preparation of the CASA IPO. He started his career in 1989 with Arthur Andersen, then moved on to the Risk Division of Banque Paribas for two years.

Eric holds a postgraduate degree from HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales - Paris).

Laurence Laplane, Executive Committee Secretary

Laurence Laplane-Rigal has been chief of staff to the CEO and Secretary of Amundi's Executive Committee since 2010 and will keep this position in the new Group.

She has been working in the investment industry since 2006 when she joined the Group Amundi as Head of the Organisation division. She is responsible for the coordination of Executive Management.

She has worked in investment banking for 20 years: six years as a trader, first at CIBC and then Indosuez (today CACIB), seven years as a senior market risk analyst and two as a senior analyst in securitisation. She then spent five years as General Secretary of the Investment Banking division of CAI (today CACIB).

Laurence holds a master's degree in accounting and international finance.

Thierry Ancona, Co-Head of Liquidity Solutions

Thierry Ancona is Head of Corporate and Corporate Pension Funds as well as co-Head of the Liquidity Solutions business line at Amundi. He will take the position of co-Head of the Liquidity Solutions in the new Group.

He has been working in the finance industry for 29 years and has been with Amundi since 2012. Thierry is in charge of the Corporate and Corporate Pension Funds segment worldwide as well as the development of Amundi's Treasury business line across all client segments and regions. His teams are spread across all the European countries in which Amundi operates.

He started his career as an intelligence officer in the French Navy. In 1989, he joined CA Cheuvreux, the European equity broker of CA Group, in the European equity sales department. He held several positions in sales and became Head of European equity sales in 2000. In 2011, he was appointed Deputy CEO in charge of Global Client Relationships. Thierry holds a business school degree from ESCP.

Jean-Philippe Bianquis, Head of Structured

Jean-Philippe Bianquis is the Head of Amundi's Structured Business Line at Amundi. He will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry for 12 years and has been with the Group for 25 years. The Structured Solutions Business Line has EUR 50 billion in global assets under management. It includes retail solutions (formula products, including notes, protected funds, etc.) and institutional solutions (ESR, Solvency-friendly solutions, etc.).

He joined CACIB in 1992, where he was first Global Head of Structuring of the Equity and Fund Derivatives Business Line before joining the investment management business.

Jean-Philippe holds a post-graduate degree in actuarial science from the University of Paris.

Romain Boscher, Co-Head of Equities

Romain Boscher is currently Head of Equities at Amundi and will take the position of co-Head of Equities, responsible for Equity specialities, in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 1994 and has been with the Group since 2011.

He started his career as a balanced portfolio manager at Financiere Meeschaert, then joined Banque Privee 1818 as Head of Equities before moving to Groupama AM where he was Global CIO and deputy CEO.

Romain is a graduate of Paris IX-Dauphine University, ESSEC and SFAF.

Xavier Collot, Head of Employee Savings and Retirement

Xavier Collot is Head of Employee Savings and Retirement at Amundi. He will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2000 and has been with the Group since 2004.

From 2004 to 2006, he was Head of Management Control before moving to his current position. From January 1998 to January 2000, Xavier was a Financial Functional Consultant with a presales role in Oracle France's Intelligence Business department. Previously, from 1994 to 1998, he was Management Controller at Schneider Electric's Commercial Department for France.

Xavier is a graduate of University of Lyon and holds a Master's degree in Economic Sciences and an MSc in Currencies-Finance-Banking.

Thierry Darmon, Co-Head of Liquidity Solutions

Thierry Darmon is co-Head of the Liquidity Solutions Business Line at Amundi. He will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 1989 and has been with the Group since 1993. He is in charge of defining and implementing the Treasury Business Line's strategy: portfolio management, products, revenue generation.

Thierry holds a Master's Degree in Economics and Statistics from ENSAE (Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Economique, Paris) and a Master's Degree in Actuarial Science from the IAF (French Institute of Actuaries, Paris).

Julien Fontaine, CEO of Amundi Japan

Julien Fontaine is currently CEO of Amundi Japan and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2015 and has been with the Group since that date.

Previously, Julien was Head of Group Strategy at Credit Agricole SA and a member of CASA's executive committee. Before that, he was a partner at McKinsey where he served financial institutions for 11 years. He started his career as a diplomat in the French ministry of foreign affairs.

Julien is a graduate of ENA, ESSEC, and Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Paris).

Diego Franzin, Co-Head of Equities

Diego Franzin is currently EVP, Head of Equities - Europe at Pioneer Investments. He will take the position of co-Head of Equities, responsible for European Equities, in the new Group.

He has been working in the investments industry since 1998.

Diego graduated in Economics from the University of Pavia with specialisation in econometrics. He completed Harvard Business School PLD5 in 2008 as well as executive courses in warrants and convertibles, and risk measurement at London Business School.

Laurent Guillet, CEO of Amundi London Branch

Laurent Guillet has been the CEO of Amundi London Branch since 2013 and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2007.

He was appointed CEO of Amundi Alternative Investments in 2011, supervising alternative multi-management activities for Amundi Group in Paris, London, New York, and Chicago.

In 2007, he joined Amundi Investment Solutions as Deputy CEO, focusing on the development of the Managed Accounts platform & ETF business line and overseeing the newly acquired Amundi US Alternative subsidiary in New York.

He worked at CA CIB, CA Cheuvreux and the former CA Indosuez in capital markets for the first 20 years of his career.

Laurent graduated from HEC Paris. He is an approved Director of numerous mutual funds in various jurisdictions and a member of Amundi Group's Executive Committee.

Jack W. Lin, Head of South-East Asia

Jack W. Lin is currently Head of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at Pioneer Investments. He will take the position of Head of South-East Asia in the new Group.

He has over 22 years' experience in the investments industry and was based in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam at various times in his career. Prior to Pioneer, he was Co-CEO, International and MD, Asia Pacific for Janus. He also spent many years with Franklin Templeton, where he was a core Emerging Markets Investment Team member, set up their China JV and headed their institutional business in Asia.

Jack has a BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a JD and an MBA from UCLA.

Mauro Ratto, Head of Emerging Markets

Mauro Ratto is currently Head of Emerging Markets at Pioneer Investments. He will take the position of Head of Emerging Markets in the new Group.

He has been working in the investments industry since 1993. Prior to that, Mauro was Head of Investment Management Europe and Asia at Pioneer Investments.

Mauro is an Economics graduate of the University of Genoa. He is a guest lecturer at the same University.

Robert Richardson, CEO Ireland

Robert Richardson is currently CEO and Country Head for Pioneer Investments in Ireland. He will take the position of CEO Ireland in the new Group.

He has been working in the investments industry since 1986 and with the Group since 1994.

He is responsible for Pioneer's Irish entities and their foreign presences. Robert oversees governance, regulatory relationships and business activities centred out of Ireland.

Before joining Pioneer, he was a Vice President of The Boston Company where he was responsible for international operations management, systems development and business strategy for the Fund Administration Division.

He has a Bachelor of Art's degree in Economics from Middlebury College in Vermont, USA and a General Course Certificate from the London School of Economics.

Robert is on the Board / governing bodies of a number of industry associations across Europe.

Nesreen Srouji, CEO of Middle East

Nesreen Srouji is currently CEO of Middle East at Amundi and will keep this position in the new Group.

Nesreen has been in the industry for 20 year, starting as a lawyer, then an investment banker and a private equity investor. She started her career in 1997 as a Mergers & Acquisitions lawyer in Toronto and London at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. She moved into investment banking in 2002, joining Goldman Sachs in London. In 2006, she set up the first mezzanine fund in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region for the National Bank of Kuwait. In 2006, Nesreen moved to Standard Chartered Bank to set up their MENA private equity business, investing directly into mid-size companies. Most recently she was Head of Investors and Public Sector at Standard Chartered, covering Sovereign Wealth Funds and other institutional clients across the MENA region. Nesreen joined Amundi in May as CEO for the Middle East and is based in Amundi's Dubai office.

Nesreen holds an MBA from INSEAD and an LLB / JD degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Ken Taubes, CIO of US Investment Management

Ken Taubes is currently EVP, Chief Investment Officer, U.S. with Pioneer Investments. He is chairman of the U.S. Investment Committee, a member of the Global Investment Committee, and a member of the U.S. Management Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Pioneer Funds, which oversees Pioneer's U.S. registered portfolios. He will take the position of Head of US Expertise (Equity, Fixed Income, Research) in the new Group.

Ken has been working in the investments industry since 1983. Prior to joining Pioneer, Ken spent seven years with Putnam Investments in Boston, most recently as Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager.

Ken holds a B.S. in Accounting from Utica College and an M.B.A. from Suffolk University.

Evi Vogl, CEO of Germany

Evi Vogl is currently CEO of Pioneer Investments Germany. She will take the position of CEO of Germany in the new Group.

She has been working in the investments industry since 1981.

She started her career in the HVB group where she held various management positions in asset management. Subsequently Evi headed up the European institutional Sales and Distribution activities of a global asset manager.

Evi holds an MBA from Chicago Booth University.

Fannie Wurtz, Head of ETF, Indexing & Smart Beta

Fannie Wurtz has been Head of ETF, Indexing & Smart Beta at Amundi since April 2016. She will keep this position in the new Group.

Prior to joining Amundi in November 2011, she was responsible for ETF Institutional Sales and Amundi ETF business development at CA Cheuvreux since 2008. She has extensive experience in institutional sales, which she gained as Sales Associate Director at Fidelity Investments (2003-2008) and at Schroders Investment Management, where she managed institutional client relationships.

She started her career at State Street Bank and KPMG Audit.

Fannie holds a Masters from ESC Bordeaux.

Xiaofeng Zhong, CEO of North Asia

Xiaofeng Zhong is currently the CEO of North Asia at Amundi Hong Kong Limited and will keep this position in the new Group.

He has been working in the investment industry since 2011 and has been with the Group since 1996.

He is responsible for promoting Amundi Group's expertise to institutional clients and third-party distributors in North Asia as well as the management of Asian Equity and Asian Balanced expertise for all clients of the Amundi Group.

Prior to joining Amundi, he worked at CA Group from 1996, holding various positions in France and Greater China, mainly within the investment banking arm. His most recent role prior to joining Amundi was Managing Director of CA-CIB Beijing branch.

Xiaofeng has a PhD in Political Studies from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris, a postgraduate degree in Political Studies and International Relations from Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Paris) and an MA (French Language & Literature) from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China.

About Amundi

Publicly traded since November 2015, Amundi is the largest European Asset Manager in terms of AUM(*), with over 1,000 billion euros worldwide. Headquartered in Paris, France, Amundi has seven investment hubs located in the world's key financial centres, and offers a combination of research depth and market experience that has earned the confidence of its clients.

Amundi is the trusted partner of 100 million retail clients, 1,000 institutional clients and 1,000 distributors in more than 30 countries, and designs innovative, high-performing products and services for these types of clients tailored specifically to their needs and risk profile.

Go to amundi.com for more information or to find an Amundi office near you.

Amundi figures as of 31 March 2017. (*) No.1 European asset manager based on global assets under management (AUM) and the main headquarters being based in Continental Europe - Source IPE "Top 400 asset managers" published in June 2016 and based on AUM as at December 2015.

Find us on

https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/732914?pathWildcard=732914

https://twitter.com/Amundi_FR

Forward-looking statements

This press release includes information about the objectives of the Group and forward-looking statements. These statements are sometimes identified by the use of the future or conditional tense, as well as terms such as "estimate", "believe", "have the objective of", "intend to", "expect", "result in", "should" and other similar expressions. It should be noted that the realization of these objectives and forward-looking statements is dependent on the circumstances and facts that arise in the future. Forward-looking statements and information about objectives may be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may significantly alter the future results, performance and accomplishments planned or expected by the Company. These factors may include changes in the economic and commercial situation, regulations and the risk factors described in Amundi's Registration Document (section 5) registered with the AMF under number R.17-006 on March 13, 2017.

Press contacts:

Natacha Andermahr Sharp

Tel. +33 1 76 37 86 05

natacha.andermahr-sharp@amundi.com



Investor contacts:

Anthony Mellor

Tel. +33 1 76 32 17 16

anthony.mellor@amundi.com



Annabelle Wiriath

Tel. +33 1 76 32 59 84

annabelle.wiriath@amundi.com




DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2017 / Dr. Karl Jawhari, D.C., founder of medically-integrated clinic dedicated to chronic back pain, Dallas Spine and Disc Center, has spent his career pursuing treatments for bulging and herniated spinal discs. Often described as being similar to a jelly donut - consisting of a firm outer layer of tough cartilage surrounding a softer layer composed of cartilage fibers suspended in a mucoprotein gel - the purpose of intervertebral discs is to cushion and act as a shock absorber between adjacent vertebrae, as well as to serve as connecting ligaments holding spinal vertebrae together. While tough enough to typically absorb a lifetime of shock and impact, the effects of poor posture, spinal injury, repetitive strain and the normal wear and tear of aging can lead to a bulging disc or a herniated disc and associated pain.

"Intervertebral discs are an amazing bit of engineering," says Dr. Karl Jawhari. "The twenty-three discs help keep the spine in alignment and prevent the vertebra from contacting each other, while also staying soft and pliable. But it is not a flawless system, and bulging discs or herniated discs may occur."

A bulging disc is medically described as "contained," meaning there is no tear or rupture is present within the outer layer of the disc, although it is pushing outward and into the spinal canal. The degree of pain depends on whether the disc impinges a nerve root. It may not be painful at all, or it may produce mild symptoms ranging from numbness, tingling and weakness up to severe pain. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving and bending forward can make the pain worse due to additional pressure put on the nerve by these various activities.

Herniated discs are the second condition that commonly account for chronic back pains and are described as "non-contained," meaning a tear or rupture is present. They often begin as a bulging disc, until long-term extended pressure on the outer wall leads to a herniation. The pain from a herniated disc is frequently much greater than with a bulging disc, as it is caused by both compression of the nerve, in combination with painful inflammation of the nerve root caused by the gel-like nucleus pulposus leaking into the spinal canal.

Dr. Karl Jawhari, D.C., is the founder of Dallas Spine and Disc, an innovative healthcare center with a focus on back pain. He is a nationally recognized speaker for the Health Awareness Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes health and wellness in local companies by educating employees and creating a healthier environment through workshops. Dr. Jawhari has consulted with over 120 doctors in the U.S. on the application of non-surgical healing techniques such as New Life Laser, lumbar decompression, litecure laser and cervical decompression. He and his talented staff have treated hundreds of patients who previously had little expectation of relief from chronic pain.

Dr. Karl Jawhari, D.C. - Founder of Dallas Spine and Disc Center: http://www.DrKarlJawhariNews.com

Dr. Karl Jawhari - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-karl-jawhari-1b84b516

Dr. Karl Jawhari - Relieves Chronic Back Pain with Lumbar Decompression Therapy: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dr-karl-jawhari-relieves-chronic-113000032.html

Contact Information:

DrKarlJawhariNews.com

http://drkarljawharinews.com

contact@drkarljawharinews.com

SOURCE: Dr. Karl Jawhari
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2017 / < a="" href="https://twitter.com/bradnierenberg">Brad Nierenberg is a celebrated executive and business strategist with strong acumen, and demonstrates a perfect example of how positive corporate culture is imperative in companies striving to build stronger employee loyalty and maximize the firm's bottom line. As the founder of an experiential ad agency, Nierenberg has realized that the individual experiences of employees have a much more significant impact on morale than the typical business-offered "morale boosters". The creative marketing expert recently shed light on the three most important aspects of creating a meaningful, productive, and thought provoking work environment.

A 2012 study, which examined the effects a company's atmosphere has on its turnover rates, concluded that employees were 45% more likely to leave a job with poor culture than one that provided positive experiences. The results also showed that employers who cultivate a rich work setting often enjoy retention rates as high as 77%. The first step, Brad Nierenberg states, is to welcome creativity. At RedPeg, Nierenberg takes the open door policy a step further. To his managers he asks, "Is you door really open? Are you truly encouraging fresh thinking?" If ideas are immediately rejected or disregarded by superiors, employees feel their professional growth is being stunted, and the business in turn suffers when they refrain from contributing again. In order to achieve company-wide growth, the creative process demands that new concepts and solutions be embraced and encouraged, not discouraged. Industry powerhouses like Google and 3M are a direct result of innovation from within. Google actually encourages staff to dedicate one day a week to creating new concepts. 3M's most successful product, the Sticky Note, was completely designed by employees.

Managers must be able to accurately identify a person's strengths and weaknesses, and create tasks that allow them to maximize the impact of their talents. A recent poll by Gallup showed that putting these techniques into practice will result in employees being 7.8% more productive and six times more likely to be engaged in their job. When a team is compiled to successfully take advantage of its strengths, its work output is increased by 12.5%. In other words, more is being accomplished and those completing the jobs are also receiving immense satisfaction doing the work.

Finally, and most importantly says Nierenberg, officemates must feel like they are surrounded by a second family. To accomplish this, he curates experiences that build deeper bonds between his employees. Each week he sends three employees from different departments out to lunch. Called the Three Amigos, this helps team members get to know each other in ways that may not happen in the office. Nierenberg has also rented a beach house during the summer and sent different sets of employees there. The resulting bonds are stronger than what could be achieved in the day to day work back at the office. Inevitably, conflicts will occur, but those moments of uncertainty should be used as a chance to work towards something greater, together. High levels of respect, trust, and comfort will make the countless hours of working closely together a rewarding experience. Treating employees as valued contributors helps employers to continually improve and adapt the workplace to best optimize culture and productivity.

Brad Nierenberg is an entrepreneur and the President & CEO of RedPeg Marketing. With over 20 years of industry experience, Nierenberg has won several awards for his contributions to the field of Experiential Marketing. Besides being a nationally sought after speaker, his written works have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine, along with many other prestigious business publications.

Brad Nierenberg - President & CEO of RedPeg Marketing: http://bradnierenbergnews.com

Brad Nierenberg (@bradnierenberg) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradnierenberg

Brad Nierenberg - Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Brad-Nierenberg

Contact Information:

BradNierenbergNews.com

www.BradNierenbergNews.com

brad@bradnierenbergnews.com

SOURCE: Brad Nierenberg
SYDNEY, AUS, June 23, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - Asia Pacific specialist CRO Novotech announced today it has expanded its business offering to include central lab services through a preferred partnership agreement with Sonic Clinical Trials, an affiliate of international healthcare company, Sonic Healthcare.Through this unique partnership, Novotech clients will be able to select from a wide menu of assays or biomarkers, access a trial-specific kit assembly service and use a single clinical trial-dedicated laboratory with a global reach, for priority processing of clinical trial samples.Announcing the new partnership, Novotech CEO Dr. John Moller said, "Novotech has always focused on offering flexible and cost effective clinical trial solutions. Through our partnership with Sonic Clinical Trials, our clients will experience a seamless integration of laboratory services and clinical trial data management by Novotech. From the start to finish, our clients are supported by a team of dedicated project managers."Another key benefit to our clients is the fact that Sonic Clinical Trials is pre-audited and an approved Novotech vendor. This removes our clients' need to undertake their own central lab vendor assurance - providing a further savings in cost and clinical trial time."Sonic Clinical Trials is a registered Research Service Provider (RSP) with AusIndustry, a division of the Australian Government's Department of Industry, Innovation and Science."Sonic Clinical Trials' RSP status assists our eligible international clients when accessing the Australian R&D Tax Incentive Scheme. Research from a recent Frost and Sullivan white paper revealed that eligible companies can conduct early stage clinical trials 60% more cheaply in Australia than the USA," explained Dr. Moller."Novotech's size and Asia Pacific focus allows our clients to enjoy a direct, hands-on approach to accessing some of the largest patient pools in the world, but we balance this with providing global gold-standard central laboratory services and data management platforms."About Australian R&D Tax Incentive SchemeThrough the Australian R&D Tax Incentive Scheme, eligible companies may claim a 43.5% R&D tax refund on eligible R&D expenditure. For more information about this scheme, see the joint Novotech / Frost & Sullivan white paper, "Australia: The preferred destination for early phase clinical trials", Mar. 31, 2017. http://novotech-cro.com/news-events.About Sonic Clinical TrialsSonic Clinical Trials is a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian-owned Sonic Healthcare, one of the world's largest specialist medical diagnostics companies, employing more than 33,000 people in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and the USA. Sonic Clinical Trials is a registered Research Service Provider (RSP) with AusIndustry which allows it to assist international clients to register for the Australian R&D Tax Incentive Scheme. To learn more, please visit www.sonicclinicaltrials.com.au.About NovotechHeadquartered in Sydney, Novotech is internationally recognised as the leading regional full-service contract research organisation (CRO). With a focus on clinical monitoring, Novotech has been instrumental in the success of hundreds of Phase I - IV clinical trials in the Asia Pacific region, while it has worldwide reach through its network of strategic partners.Novotech provides clinical development services across all clinical trial phases and therapeutic areas including: feasibility assessments; ethics committee and regulatory submissions, data management, statistical analysis, medical monitoring, safety services, central lab services, report write-up to ICH requirements, project and vendor management. For more information, please visit www.novotech-cro.com.Media:Digital Mantra GroupSusan Fitzpatrick-NapierAU: +61 2 8218 2144 / USA: +1 650 798 5238Email: susan@dmgpr.comCorporate:NovotechJustine LamondMarketing & Communications ManagerAU: +61 2 8569 1458Email: communications@novotech-cro.comSource: NovotechCopyright 2017 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2017 / Commercial property expert and developer, Jacob Frydman honorably raises breast cancer awareness by donating resources and personal time in support of the Brem Foundation. Frydman has been committed to this worthy cause and continuously assists in championing the Foundation's diligence to empowering women in becoming proactive in this fight year round.

The Brem Foundation is dedicated to the early detection and treatment of breast cancer as it is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer among women - second only to skin cancer. Misinformation and late detection are the two elements allowing this ailment to remain so deadly. One of the most popular misconceptions surrounding this illness is that only those with a family history are in danger of developing breast cancer and while the risk for women who have a first degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with it doubles, statistics show that 85% occurrences are in women with no family history at all. An estimated 246,660 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2016 alone, making it imperative that awareness be brought to this issue. The Brem Foundation, along with its partners and donors, are working to eradicate the lack of knowledge surrounding the matter by educating women on risk factors, screening options, and even providing diagnostics for those without health insurance. A staggering 95 percent of women survive when diagnosed early; while the survival rate plummets to 20 percent when the illness goes undetected until the latter stages. Their message is clear and simple-a breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence nor does it have to equate to a diminished quality of life. In fact, thousands of survivors are living testaments that breast cancer - when caught early - can be conquered.

Jacob Frydman is one of the many advocates supporting the Foundation's important and life changing work. Through his donations, time, resources, and concerted efforts pushing their campaign forward, the Brem Foundation is able to provide community outreach programs and free screenings for underserved communities in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) metropolitan areas. The foundation's mobile mammography program is one of the primary ways in depth diagnostic screenings are provided to neighborhoods where residents have little access to health care services. The idea is to provide a complete view of breast cancer and treatment, through initial screenings, exposure to valuable information concerning risk factors, yearly mammograms, self-examinations and a myriad of viable options if the diagnosis is not positive-in short they are extending hope and a life line where none existed. Frydman understands and underscores the vision of the Brem Foundation and through their partnership, and his generous donations of time and much needed funding; he is determined to help defeat this curable disease.

Throughout his 30 year career, Jacob Frydman has taken on causes such as breast cancer awareness that expose his, compassionate nature and commitment to philanthropic endeavors. As a well-respected and successful real estate tycoon, he has participated in over $2 billion worth of investment and commercial development transactions. He shares his experience and in-depth knowledge of value added investments and the art of configuring, financing and brokering complex real estate agreements on Fox News, CNBC and Bloomberg TV and by also serving as an expert panelist at industry seminars and lecturing at universities across the nation. He earned a degree in finance from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from Case Wesern Reserve University School of Law. To learn more about the Brem Foundation, visit: http://www.bremfoundation.org/

Jacob Frydman - Blog - JacobFrydmanNews.com: http://JacobFrydmanNews.com

Jacob Frydman (@jacobfrydman) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobfrydman

Jacob Frydman -- Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/jacob-frydman

Contact Information:

JacobFrydmanNews.com

contact@jacobfrydmannews.com

www.JacobFrydmanNews.com

SOURCE: Jacob Frydman
Regulatory News:

Eurofins Scientific (Paris:ERF) (EUFI.PA), the global leader in environment testing, announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire Environmental Research Industrial Co-operation ("ERICo"), the leading independent laboratory for environment testing services in Slovenia.

As the largest private environment testing laboratory in the country, ERICo provides a comprehensive portfolio of analytical services for water, air and soil testing. The company also provides research and consultancy as part of its analytical service offering. Founded 25 years ago, the company employs 46 staff at its laboratory in Velenje, northeast Slovenia, and serves primarily the largest industrial companies including power plants and coal mines, as well as public municipalities. In addition, ERICo has GMP capabilities for pharmaceutical products testing, although this represents a small portion of its business at present.

This acquisition therefore represents a solid entry platform, on which Eurofins can deploy its full range of capabilities, rapidly increase penetration and gain market share in Slovenia. Furthermore, with a modestly growing economy1, Slovenia represents good growth opportunities in the medium term as outsourcing to private independent laboratories should also continue to ramp-up.

Comment from Marijan Pensek, Senior Vice President, Gorenje Group: "We believe ERICo will benefit from becoming part of the Eurofins Group, and getting access to its wide range of technical expertise and its network capabilities. We look forward to continued collaboration between Eurofins and ERICo's former shareholders, the Gorenje Group (the largest hardline manufacturing company in the country), Termoelektrarna Sostanj (a regional power plant) and Premogovnik Velenje (a regional coal mine)."

Comment from Dr. Gilles Martin, Eurofins' CEO: "ERICo provides Eurofins a good entry into the analytical testing market in Slovenia and reinforces our footprint in central and eastern Europe. We are looking forward to contributing to, and strengthening ERICo's position in its market, as well as expanding the portfolio of tests it offers to customers by offering the full range of services and capabilities of the Group."

For more information, please visit www.eurofins.com

Notes for the editor:

Eurofins a global leader in bio-analysis

Eurofins Scientific through its subsidiaries (hereinafter sometimes "Eurofins" or "the Group") believes it is the world leader in food, environment and pharmaceutical products testing and that it is also one of the global independent market leaders in certain testing and laboratory services for agroscience, genomics, discovery pharmacology and for supporting clinical studies. In addition, Eurofins is one of the key emerging players in specialty clinical diagnostic testing in Europe and the USA. With over 28,000 staff in 310 laboratories across 39 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 130,000 analytical methods for evaluating the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin and purity of biological substances and products, as well as for innovative clinical diagnostic. The Group objective is to provide its customers with high-quality services, accurate results on time and expert advice by its highly qualified staff.

Eurofins is committed to pursuing its dynamic growth strategy by expanding both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology and analytical chemistry to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods.

As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients' increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the expanding demands of regulatory authorities around the world.

The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN FR0000038259, Reuters EUFI.PA, Bloomberg ERF FP).

Important disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements and estimates contained herein represent the judgement of Eurofins Scientific' management as of the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees for future performance, and the forward-looking events discussed in this release may not occur. Eurofins Scientific disclaims any intent or obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements and estimates. All statements and estimates are made based on the information available to the Company's management as of the date of publication, but no guarantee can be made as to their validity.

1 http://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD/SVN

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170622005734/en/

Contacts:

Eurofins Scientific

Investor Relations

Phone: +32 2 766 1620

E-mail: ir@eurofins.com
Regulatory News:

Quantel (Paris:QUA) is announcing a proposed business combination with the Keopsys Group, based on integrating all the Keopsys Group companies within the Quantel Group. This business combination, driven by the ambition to create a European champion for lasers, is fully aligned with the existing relationships between the two Groups and the successful development of synergies since Esira, the Keopsys Group's holding company, entered Quantel's capital1

The proposed business combination would make it possible to create:

A combined structure with revenues of over 80 million 2 and around 400 employees,

and around 400 employees, A European champion for lasers, offering an extensive range of high-performance lasers covering many different areas for application.

Business combination that will generate growth

Based in Lannion, France, the Keopsys Group is made up primarily of Keopsys, LEA Photonics and Sensup, which are all specialized in designing and marketing fiber lasers and integrated fiber laser systems for scientific, industrial and military applications. With around 100 employees, the Keopsys Group recorded revenues of approximately 17.2 million and net income of around 2.2 million in 2016. At December 31, 2016, the Keopsys Group had around 2.3 million of cash. Taking into account the 5.4 million of financial debt, the Keopsys Group's net debt at end-2016 represented around 3.1 million3

Considering the laser technologies mastered by the two Groups and the effective fit between their product ranges, this proposed business combination would enable the Quantel Group to benefit from technical and industrial leadership on its markets through expertise in diverse laser technologies, from the most common through to the most innovative. This initiative would also make it possible to develop the Quantel Group's critical mass, opening up possibilities for more ambitious contracts, particularly in the defense sector, in which the Quantel Group aims to be a leading supplier at European level.

The integration of the Keopsys Group companies within the Quantel Group would also make it possible to significantly accelerate the development of operational, commercial and financial synergies.

1 Esira is wholly-owned by Mr. Marc Le Flohic, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Quantel (see the press release published by Quantel on October 19, 2016).

2 Based on the 2016 accounts for the companies concerned.

3 Unaudited consolidated financial data. The scope for the Keopsys Group's consolidated accounts comprises Keopsys, Keopsys Inc. (fully-owned subsidiary of Keopsys), LEA Photonics, Sensup and Veldys.

Conditions for the business combination

The business combination operation would be based on Esira contributing all the shares in Keopsys, LEA Photonics and Sensup and 99% of the shares in Veldys ("SCI" real estate company holding the Lannion site's real estate asset) to Quantel.

Within this framework, the relative values between the two Groups would be 56% for the Quantel Group and 44% for the Keopsys Group. Following the contribution, Esira would directly and indirectly hold 54.7% of the capital and 56,1% of the voting rights of Quantel4. Esira would cross the threshold of 30% of the share capital and voting rights of Quantel, falling within the obligation to launch a mandatory tender offer. A waiver application to the obligation to launch a mandatory tender offer will be filed with the French financial markets authority (AMF), pursuant to Article 234-9 3 of the AMF general regulation.

An auditor (commissaire aux apports) will be appointed to prepare a report on the value of the contributions and a report on the remuneration for the contributions (and on the fairness of the exchange ratio).

During its meeting on June 22, 2017, Quantel's Board of Directors unanimously approved the principle for the proposed contribution.

The operation would be subject to the following conditions precedent:

Obtaining an exemption from the requirement to file a public offering for Quantel's shares, which would result from the planned contribution, and

Obtaining approval from the shareholders at Quantel's general meeting (scheduled for end-September 2017).

An information document (Document E) presenting the characteristics of the contribution in kind will also be filed with the AMF for registration and made available to Quantel's shareholders.

With regard to this proposed business combination, Marc Le Flohic declared: "The Quantel and Keopsys Groups have built up expertise in very closely related technologies and market product ranges that will dovetail together perfectly. The proposed industrial combination between the two Groups will create strong value for Quantel's existing shareholders and ultimately lead to the creation of a very solid Group that is a major leader for pulsed and fiber lasers, and that will have outstanding potential for growth in the years ahead."

4 Esira would directly hold 44% of the capital and 41.5% of the voting rights of Quantel and Eurodyne (fully-owned by Esira) would hold 10.7% of the capital and 14.56% of the voting rights, based on the number of shares and voting rights at May 31, 2017 (real number of voting rights, net of treasury shares).

Founded in 1970, Quantel is one of the world's leading specialists in laser technology for scientific (laboratories and universities), industrial (material processing, process analytics, marking) and medical (ophthalmology) markets. With design and manufacturing facilities in France and the US, the Quantel Group achieved in 2015 a turnover of 62 M, with close to 70% worldwide, divided into scientific and industrial laser applications (56%) and medical applications (44%).

Quantel shares are listed on the Euronext Paris C Compartment. FR0000038242 QUA www.quantel.fr

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170622006282/en/

Contacts:

Quantel

Marc Le Flohic, +33(0) 1 69 29 17 00

Chairman and CEO

info@quantel.fr

or

Quantel

Luc Ardon, +33(0) 1 69 29 17 00

CFO

info@quantel.fr

or

Calyptus

Mathieu Calleux, +33(1) 53 65 37 91

Investor Relations

quantel@calyptus.net
6th edition invites students to re-envision the terminal building in the year 2075



Denver, Colorado, 2017-06-23 09:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fentress Architects, based in Denver, Colorado, announces the 2017 Fentress Global Challenge, an international design competition for young and student architects. As in years past, the theme, consistent with the firm's expertise in airport design and aviation, is envisioning an airport of the future.



Participants are encouraged to re-envision the terminal building in the year 2075 using one of 10 existing international airports, taking into consideration local context, technological trends, and project feasibility and passenger experience.



This is the sixth year that Fentress Architects has sponsored and administered the award, which brings a First Prize of $15,000 and a summer internship at Fentress' Denver office; four additional winners will receive smaller cash awards.



Curt Fentress, who founded this program to promote the advancement of innovative design in public architecture, said, "The Fentress Global Challenge is an incredible way for our firm to engage with students from, literally, all over the globe. It's been thrilling to see and evaluate the ideas of the next generation of designers."



The schedule for the competition is:



-- Registration Open June to September -- Design Submission Deadline October 1, 2017 -- Shortlist Announcement October 31, 2017 -- Winners Announcement November 30, 2017 -- Internship at Fentress Architects Summer 2018



This year's judges have not yet been announced.



Details of the competition, including admission requirements, eligibility, design information and evaluation criteria are available on line www.fentressglobalchallenge.com



For more information please contact:



Fentress Architects Julian Fentress 303.722.5000 JFentress@fentressarchitects.com



About Fentress Architects



Fentress Architects has studios in Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Washington, D.C.; and London, U.K.. Founded by Curtis Fentress in 1980, the firm passionately pursues the creation of iconic public architecture; its buildings are visited by more than 450 million people each year. Fentress Architects is internationally known for innovative, award-winning design of airports, museums, convention centers, laboratories, higher education, civic and government buildings. Projects designed by Fentress have been honored with over 500 awards for innovation and excellence.



Attachments:



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae5bce6c-22be-4d7c-bee8-88cf8 550a92d



Attachments:



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b4fb3452-8fed-43f3-9459-31ca9 8a40fb2





Julian Fentress Fentress Architects 303 698 7298 jfentress@fentressarchitects.com

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
CAMBERLEY, England, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Findings show more than a quarter of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patients are managed with watchful waiting at diagnosis, despite one in five (22%) reporting moderate to high symptom burden [ 1]

Survey highlights potential disconnect between perceived symptom severity among UK patients and clinicians [ 2]

Data presented at22nd Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Madrid, Spain

Novartis today announced new data from the MPN Landmark survey, with clinicians reporting more than a quarter of their MPN patients are managed with watchful waiting at diagnosis[1]. Although most patients in the survey reported low symptom burden, more than one in five (22%) reported moderate to high burden, highlighting the need for proactive and standardised symptom assessment at diagnosis and during the course of treatment[1].

The cross-sectional MPN Landmark survey assesses the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET), which are rare and life-threatening blood cancers collectively known as MPNs[1]. Findings from the survey, conducted in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, were presented at 22nd Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Madrid, Spain.

A sub-group analysis of the survey, comparing UK patients and clinicians with the rest of the survey population (rest of surveyed world [ROSW]), highlights higher symptom burden in the UK, as reported by patients in 28 of the 31 symptoms investigated, including fatigue and tiredness (UK - 87% MF and PV, 86% ET; ROSW - 64% MF, 39% PV, 45% ET)[2].UK patients also reported greater overall disease burden, with 35% UK patients in the high symptom burden group, versus 16% ROSW patients[2].

In contrast to the patient findings, UK clinicians did not perceive a greater symptom severity among their patients, revealing a potential disconnect in perceptions. However, with more patients under their care than their ROSW counterparts, UK clinicians felt they have less time to fully discuss symptoms and discuss management plans with their patients[2].

Dr. Claire Harrison, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom said: "MPNs place a significant burden on patients, with symptoms impacting on their quality of life. Findings from the MPN Landmark survey highlight the need for individual patient evaluation and tailored management and treatment according to their specific circumstances. While watchful waiting remains a mainstay of MPN management, wider measures should be considered to detect and mitigate symptom burden amongst these patients."

Findings from the UK sub-group analysis also revealed a greater desire among UK patients to be involved in treatment decisions compared to ROSW patients (mean: UK - 6.25; ROSW - 7.01). UK patients were also more likely to disagree with their clinician on primary treatment recommendations than those in ROSW (16% vs. 7%)[3].

With high symptom burden an important issue for MPN patients, findings from the MPN Landmark survey emphasise the importance and benefit of patient-clinician communication, to improve patient satisfaction with treatment in the UK.

About the International MPN LandmarkSurvey

The international MPN Landmark survey, conducted between May and October 2016, is a cross-sectional, internet-based survey of patients with MPNs (myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET)) and clinicians who treat these conditions across Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and Australia. Patients (699 in total with 286 from the UK) and clinicians were recruited independently[1].

About Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs)

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a group of related and rare blood cancers in which bone marrow cells responsible for the body's blood cells develop and function abnormally. Specific MPN conditions include myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET)[4],[5],[6].

In patients with MF, their bone marrow can no longer produce enough normal blood cells, causing the spleen to enlarge[7]. MF affects approximately one in every 100,000 people and has similar survival rates as other malignancies, such as breast cancer and colon cancer[8]-[12].

PV is associated with an overproduction of blood cells that can cause serious cardiovascular complications if left inadequately controlled, such as blood clots, stroke and heart attack[5],[13]. PV affects up to three per 100,000 people globally each year[5],[8].

ET is characterised by an overproduction of platelets and complications, which commonly include blood clotting and/or bleeding[6].

About Novartis

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visithttp://www.novartis.com.

In the UK, Novartis develops, manufactures and markets innovative medicines, devices and diagnostic tests which help improve patient outcomes. Based on four sites across the north and south of England, we employ approximately 1,500 people to serve healthcare needs across the whole of the UK, as well as supporting the global operations of Novartis by manufacturing the active pharmaceutical ingredients used worldwide in many medicines. In 2015 Novartis in the UK invested over 50million in R&D and is the largest commercial sponsor of clinical trials. For more information, please visithttp://www.novartis.co.uk.

Novartis UK is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @NovartisUK athttps://twitter.com/novartisuk

For Novartis multimedia content, please visithttps://www.novartis.co.uk/news/media-library

References

Koschmieder, S. et al. Treatment and management of patients with MPNs - Findings from the international MPN LANDMARK Survey. Poster presentation. Abstract P706. 2017 European Hematology Association Congress in Madrid, Spain . Harrison, C. et al. Comparisons of symptom burden in myeloproliferative neoplasm patients in the UK vs rest of world: Analysis from the International LANDMARK Survey. Abstract PB2051. 2017 European Hematology Association Congress in Madrid, Spain . Harrison, C. et al. Comparisons of patient management in myeloproliferative neoplasm patients in the UK vs rest of world: Analysis from the International LANDMARK Survey. Abstract PB2045. 2017 European Hematology Association Congress in Madrid, Spain . Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. "Myelofibrosis Facts." Available at:http://www.lls.org/sites/default/files/file_assets/FS14_Myelofibrosis_Fact%20Sheet_Final9.12.pdf. Accessed June 2017 . Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Polycythemia Vera Facts. June 2012 . Available athttp://www.lls.org/content/nationalcontent/resourcecenter/freeeducationmaterials/mpd/pdf/polycythemiavera.pdf. Accessed June 2017 . Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Essential or Primary Thrombocythemia. Available athttps://www.lls.org/myeloproliferative-neoplasms/essential-thrombocythemia. Accessed June 2017 . Cervantes F. How I Treat Splenomegaly in Myelofibrosis.Blood Cancer J. Oct 2011 ; 1(10):e37. Titmarsh G, Duncombe A, McMullin M, et al. How Common are Myeloproliferative Neoplasms? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Am J of Hematol. 2014:1-7. Gangat N, Caramazza D, Vaidya R, et al. DIPSS-plus: A Refined Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS) for Primary Myelofibrosis that Incorporates Prognostic Information from Karyotype, Platelet Count and Transfusion Status.J Clin Oncol. 2011; 29:392-397. American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer. Available at:https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.html. Accessed June 2017 . American Cancer Society. Colorectal Cancer. Available at:https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer.html. Accessed June 2017 . Cervantes F, Dupriez B, Pereira A, et al. New Prognostic Scoring System for Primary Myelofibrosis Based on a Study of the International Working Group for Myelofibrosis Research and Treatment.Blood. 2009; 113(13):2895-2901. Marchioli R, Finazzi G, Specchia G, et al. Cardiovascular Events and Intensity of Treatment in Polycythemia Vera.N Engl J Med.2013; 368:22-33.

Novartis UK Media Relations

Novartis UK Press Office

Tel: +44(0)1276-698-691

E-Mail: press.office@novartis.co.uk



JAK17-E007 Date of preparation: June 2017
LONDON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

72% of young people taking part in Creativity Works, an arts-based employability programme that aims to improve access to employment for young Londoners from disadvantaged backgrounds, have found a job or returned to education or training.

The international cultural and social think-tank, BE OPEN, founded by philanthropist and entrepreneur Yelena Baturina, joined forces with the Mayor's Fund for London in 2015 to support Creativity Works and help young unemployed Londoners play a greater part in the future of the capital.

Creativity Works has worked with young people from 30 London boroughs, with a particular focus on deprived areas. An independent evaluation of the programme showed that 92.5% of them said they had learnt new skills, and 88.7% said the programme increased their confidence levels.

Creativity Works was launched in 2014, and helps to develop transferrable skills learned in the arts sector, by raising confidence and self-belief in young Londoners. Over 12 weeks, participants take part in a range of projects tailored to fashion, film, music, digital multimedia, community arts and product design. The course includes workshops, masterclasses, mentoring and work experience; and culminates in a showcase event.

Yelena Baturina, philanthropist and BE OPEN founder, said: "We are very proud to have partnered with the Mayor's Fund for London on Creativity Works and are delighted to see the positive impact the programme is having on the lives of those who hold the keys to the future. We believe that creativity and innovative thinking is crucial for making positive change and it is clear to see the difference that Creativity Works is making."

Matthew Patten, Chief Executive, Mayor's Fund for London said: "This new research shows that young people, many of whom have fallen out of education and employment, enjoy Creativity Works and regain their confidence. It is fantastic to see such positive outcomes and thanks to the support of the BE OPEN Foundation, London's young people can share the benefits of living in the greatest city in the world."

In previous projects, young Londoners from disadvantaged backgrounds have travelled to Paris to talk to Jean Paul Gaultier and Glastonbury to meet Michael Eavis CBE; discussed career options with Alesha Dixon, received masterclasses at Google and Channel 4 and run a campaign that featured Grayson Perry CBE, Thomas Turgoose and Samantha Morton.

The programme is also supported by the Berkeley Foundation.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 5:00 am ET Monday, Eurostat releases euro area inflation and unemployment figures. The flash inflation is seen at 1.2 percent in July, following 1.3 percent in June. The jobless rate is forecast to fall to 9.2 percent in June from 9.3 percent in May. Ahead of these reports, the euro traded mixed against its major counterparts. While the euro held steady against the franc, yen and the pound, it fell against the greenback. The euro was worth 1.1727 against the greenback, 129.74 against the yen, 0.8947 against the pound and 1.1369 against the franc as of 4:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Reqiva is proud to announce the official launch of its new website and job board www.reqiva.com

The website is a core component of the Reqiva business it's home to our exclusive job board which enables us to attract the best talent, to build upon and maintain our specialist candidate network. It's where we showcase 'the Reqiva difference', highlight our unique service offerings and expertise in the Technology and Engineering sectors.

The new site has been built to provide a streamlined experience, to enable Technology and Engineering professionals to find their next role by niche, specialism and desired location with ease.

Co-Founder and Sales Director, Antony Redmond said, "we're really proud to launch our new website. We think it perfectly reflects our values, vision and specialisms and supports our company's continual growth. We celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2018 we believe this new site will help move us even further forward and grow upon our established presence, as a specialist recruitment consultancy for the UK's Tech and Engineering sectors, and beyond that globally."

Reqiva is also excited to introduce the new Reqiva Media Hub where candidates and clients will find the most recent blogs, news, views and careers guidance, as well as the most recent social media posts, so it's easier than ever to see exactly what the team has been up to! We'll regularly be adding content and updating our social channels follow @Reqiva on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to keep up-to-date.

Importantly, the new site has been developed with GDPR regulation in mind. As a business, Reqiva is committed to ensuring GDPR compliance and considers the privacy and protection of our candidates and client data a key business priority.

If you'd like to know more about Reqiva, or have any hiring requirements, one of our expert consultants would be delighted to speak with you on 01189595552.

About Us

Founded by Jonathan Spragg and Antony Redmond in 2008, Reqiva is a specialist recruitment consultancy for Technology and Engineering businesses and professionals across the UK.

All Reqiva employees embrace our vision, to provide quality-driven, honest and expert recruitment consultancy that enables businesses and professionals to BeMore.

Technology and Engineering expertise is ingrained in Reqiva's DNA. Our consultants cover a range of niche vertical markets to source exceptional talent and opportunities, within our permanent and contract divisions.

We've worked with some of the largest global enterprises, through to the smallest SMEs. Our leading reputation in finding unique candidates has contributed to our expanded service offering and we now consult with existing clients to source talent for Sales, Marketing, HR and Senior Appointments.

Reqiva's HQ is situated in Reading, at the heart of the UK's Silicon Valley, in addition to regional offices in London and Manchester.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171123005016/en/

Contacts:

Reqiva

Vicki Chown, Marketing Manager

Email: info@reqiva.com

Tel: 01189595552
CRETE  A new app created by a Columbus High School graduate takes the license plate game  a popular activity during road trips  to the next level.

Becky (Brewer) Hansmeyer made the app Nebraska93, which allows users to track each of the states 93 counties as they spot the matching license plates or pass through.

The app came out in May and has about 100 downloads so far, according to Hansmeyer, who graduated from CHS in 2005 and currently lives on a farm southeast of Crete.

This is the first app created by Hansmeyer, who is a self-taught developer with a degree in educational technology leadership from George Washington University.

The 29-year-old ventured into app development in 2014 after previously attending Doane College to study music education. Computers were always an interest, so she decided to focus on technology while balancing her other role as a stay-at-home mom.

Her abilities were put to the test while creating the Nebraska93 app.

It thought it was a good way to put my new skills to use. It would really reinforce what Ive learned, she said.

The app is available for free in the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad. Its icon is based on the state's 1940 license plate design.

The release of the app coincides with Nebraskas 150th anniversary of statehood. Hansmeyer said she didnt have that in mind when creating the app, but she did include facts about the state and its counties.

That information pops up when a county is marked on the state map that appears on the app's opening page. Some of the facts include county seat numbers, populations and years of establishment. Details about some Nebraska landmarks are shared when the user taps an unlocked Discovery.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 23, 2017 / Improving quality of spirits, bitcoin cannabis payment system, marijuana business in Nevada, The Recall Movie, hating Trump not sound political platform; this week on MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon. MoneyTV is the internationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's program include:

Cavitation Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: CVAT) COO/CFO Neil Voloshin spoke of fiscal year end and Q4 numbers and discussed their technology's application to improve quality and taste of spirits such as bourbon and vodka.

The Recall Movie Director Mauro Borrelli discussed the film starring Wesley Snipes and the unique 3-screen and VR formats it was filmed in.

Epazz Inc. (OTC PINK: EPAZ) Spokesman Michael Manahan said the company's Zenapay cannabis payments app will be rolling out in the Fall.

Players Network (OTCQB: PNTV) Board Member Brett Pojunis spoke of the pending legalization of recreational marijuana in Nevada and the anticipation within the industry.

Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC PINK: SING) CEO Greg Lambrecht announced a partnership with First Bitcoin Capital Corporation and a $1 million funding.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net.

MoneyTV Executive Producer and Anchor Donald Baillargeon is also the host of MoneyRap Radio, http://www.moneyrap.com and the television program Crowdfund Television, http://www.crowdfundtelevision.com.

MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon television program, Copyright MMXVII, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3 to 4 month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,995.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by Donald Baillargeon, the producer, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

Contact:

Donald Baillargeon

info@moneytv.net

949 388 5267

SOURCE: MoneyTV
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The dollar has spiked sharply to the upside against all of its major rivals after the Federal Reserve revealed its policy decision. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday maintained its benchmark interest rate at a range of 1% to 1.25%.



As expected, the Fed said it will begin shrinking its bloated $4.5 trillion portfolio in October by allowing $10 billion in bonds to mature without replacing them.



The portfolio includes Treasury and mortgage-backed securities that were acquired during and after the 2007-09 financial crisis in a successful program to prop up the economy.



The amount of reductions will gradually rise over the course of the following year to maximums of $30 billion per month for treasuries and $20 billion per month for agency securities, and will remain in place through the process of normalizing the size of the Fed's balance sheet.



Hurricanes are unlikely to materially impact economy in medium term, according to the Fed's statement.



'Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in July indicates that the labor market has continued to strengthen and that economic activity has been rising moderately so far this year. Job gains have remained solid in recent months, and the unemployment rate has stayed low,' the Fed said.



With strained supply levels continuing to subdue overall activity, the National Association of Realtors released a report on Wednesday showing an unexpected decrease in existing home sales in the U.S. in the month of August.



NAR said existing home sales slumped by 1.7 percent to an annual rate of 5.35 million in August after tumbling by 1.3 percent to a rate of 5.44 million in July.



The continued decrease surprised economists, who had expected existing home sales to edge up to an annual rate of 5.46 million.



The dollar slipped to over a 1-week low of $1.2032 against the Euro Wednesday, but has since spiked to around $1.19.



Germany's producer prices increased at the fastest pace in three months in August, Destatis reported Wednesday. Producer prices increased 2.6 percent year-on-year in August, faster than the 2.3 percent rise seen in July.



The buck dropped to a 3-month low of $1.3653 against the pound sterling Wednesday, but has since jumped to around $1.3485.



UK retail sales grew the most in four months in August as consumers spend more despite higher inflation, vindicating a possible stimulus withdrawal in the months ahead.



According to data published by the Office for National Statistics, the retail sales volume including auto fuel advanced 1 percent in August from July, the biggest growth in four months, exceeding the expected rate of 0.2 percent and July's increase of 0.6 percent.



The greenback slid to a low of Y110.997 against the Japanese Yen Wednesday, but has since broken out to around Y112.325.



Japan posted a merchandise trade surplus of 113.642 billion yen in August, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday. That beat forecasts for a surplus of 104.4 billion yen, although it was down from 418.8 billion yen in July.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 23, 2017 / Prophecy Development Corp. ("Prophecy" or the "Company") (TSX: PCY, OTC PINK: PRPCF, Frankfurt: 1P2N) is pleased to announce that it has successfully acquired the Gibellini vanadium project on lease terms described in the Company's news release dated May 8, 2017.

Prophecy is reviewing the Gibellini feasibility study that was prepared for the prior operator, American Vanadium Corp. ("AVC") by AMEC E&C Services, Inc., with an effective date of August 31, 2011, in order to bring the project information current. The Company also plans to try to expedite completion of the Gibellini environmental and mine permitting processes that were previously started by AVC.

With control of the Gibellini and Titan projects, Prophecy is well-positioned to become a leading North American vanadium exploration company. The Company's objectives for these two projects are to:

1. provide exposure and leverage to rising vanadium prices by defining and adding attributable vanadium resources in the ground in politically safe jurisdictions; and

2. build the first vanadium mine in North America by steadily advancing mine permitting, project financing and construction.

The Company's Executive Chairman, John Lee, stated, "Believing the resource market to have bottomed in early 2016, Prophecy is going back to its M&A roots in 2017 by focusing on acquiring and developing vanadium mining projects in North America in what could be the Company's busiest year ever."

Qualified Persons

The technical contents of this news release have been prepared under the supervision of Christopher M. Kravits, CPG, LPG, General Mining Manager of Prophecy. Mr. Kravits is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Kravits is a consultant to the Company and is not independent of the Company since most of his income is derived from the Company.

About Prophecy

Prophecy Development Corp. is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange that is engaged in worldwide mineral and energy exploration and development. Further information on Prophecy can be found at www.prophecydev.com.

PROPHECY DEVELOPMENT CORP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"JOHN LEE"

Executive Chairman

For more information about Prophecy, please contact Investor Relations:

+1.888.513.6286

ir@prophecydev.com

www.prophecydev.com

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding Prophecy's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Prophecy's forward-looking statements. Prophecy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although Prophecy has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Prophecy undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

SOURCE: Prophecy Development Corp.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- Allocadia, leader in Marketing Performance Management technology and creator of the RunMarketing movement was named the winner of the 2017 BC Tech Technology Impact Awards in Community Engagement at a gala event yesterday at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

The Technology Impact Awards are the longest-running and largest technology award program in BC, celebrating the achievements of cutting-edge technology companies, people, and innovation that put the province on the map. These awards celebrate worldwide impact, world-class talent and one tight-knit community. The Community Engagement category recognizes companies that embrace corporate social responsibility.

"We're thrilled to recognize Allocadia as leaders of community engagement in BC," said Rocky Ozaki, VP Community at BC Tech. "The team is setting new standards for organizations to follow in building a corporate culture that engages employees, and has a positive impact on the community in which they live, work, and play."

"We believe BC is the best place to grow a technology company," said Kristine Steuart, CEO and Co-Founder of Allocadia. "With over 150,000 technology workers and a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, the resources of BC have been a cornerstone of our success. Our team is committed to giving back, and fostering a strong, healthy community through corporate social responsibility. We're grateful to the BC Tech organization for recognizing our efforts, and offer congratulations to all the finalists and winners, who we consider part of our extended BC family."

Allocadia is dedicated to supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, strategic giving and employee volunteer activities. Most recently, the company participated in Vancouver's Tech Got Talent lip sync battle, raising money for local Vancouver charities.

As one of many growing tech companies in Vancouver, the company participates in events such as TechPong, raising funds for organizations in Vancouver's Downtown East Side alongside a number of neighboring tech companies. They also organize Quarterly Volunteer events, to give back as a team, with beneficiaries including The Vancouver Food Bank and the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The company empowers girls and women to pursue technology and entrepreneurship by supporting causes including Girls Learning Code, BeLikeAda, and the B.C. Science Fair Fun Run. Recently, Allocadia partnered with Simon Fraser University to send women in the School of Computing Science to attend technology conferences across North America. The company also provides an incubator space for women entrepreneurs, allowing them to use its downtown office space to accelerate growth and enable success.

To foster charitable donations, the company contributes to both local and national efforts through a staff matching fund with the help of Kiva and Chimp. By participating in Movember, a global organization committed to changing the face of men's health, the company has raised thousands for this cause. Finally, employees are encouraging to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle by participating in events such as the Vancouver Sun Run.

For the latest community news and more details about Allocadia's Community Engagement initiatives, visit the company's website.

About Allocadia

Allocadia is the leader in Marketing Performance Management and creators of the RunMarketing movement. The company's award-winning technology empowers marketers with confidence in their plans, investments, and ROI. Founded in 2006 by twin sisters Kristine Steuart and Katherine Berry, Allocadia today serves more than 10,000 marketers worldwide, managing over $20B in marketing investment to-date. Learn how leading marketing organizations at over 150 companies including Microsoft, Juniper Networks, VMware, Red Hat and Charles Schwab run the business of marketing at Allocadia.com.

About BC Tech

The BC Tech Association is guided by our mission to make BC the best place to grow a tech company. For more than 20 years, BC Tech has been providing opportunities for the tech industry to collaborate, learn, and grow together. We are dedicated to connecting companies, developing talent, sharing stories, and advocating on behalf of tech companies to keep our industry thriving.

Contacts:

Katie Martell

Allocadia

(978) 216-2588

Katie.Martell@allocadia.com




NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- Viking Energy Group, Inc. ("Viking") (OTC PINK: VKIN) is pleased to announce that it is in final negotiations to acquire all of the issued and outstanding membership units of a privately-owned company with producing, conventional oil & gas assets with development potential, for the total purchase price of $25 million to be paid as further described below.

According to preliminary due diligence, the features of the target company and/or its assets include the following:

Working interest in approximately 12 oil and gas fields

Current production is ~1,200 BOEPD (25% oil)

Leases to 11,629 gross acres / 9,360 net acres

Targeting conventional oil and gas utilizing 3D seismic data and AVO analysis of the final data

Multiple locations have been high-graded and can be immediately drilled and completed

Estimated value of total proved reserves on a PV9 basis, with NYMEX commodity pricing as of June 1, 2017, was $49.1 million.

A Management team with deep experience in Petroleum Engineering and Geophysics, in addition to a Certified Professional Landman and other personnel. Individuals in each key position have over 40 years' experience in the energy sector.

In addition, the target company has 3D seismic data for the majority of the assets being acquired and has identified and vetted numerous future drilling locations (mainly "infill drilling" and "behind pipe") as part of a 3-year drilling program.

The $25 million purchase price would be paid by Viking paying the seller $10 million at closing and the balance of the purchase price six months from the closing date, with interest to accrue on such balance at a rate of 8% per annum. The balance owing to the seller will be evidenced by a secured promissory note or equivalent debt instrument (which can be prepaid at any time without penalty) and pledge agreement pursuant to which Viking will grant the seller a first-ranking security interest against and pledge of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the target corporation. The security interest would not apply to other assets of Viking, including the shares of Viking's wholly-owned subsidiary, Mid-Con Petroleum, LLC.

Regarding the $10 million due to the seller on closing, Viking has received conditional approval from its existing bank, a commercial bank experienced in the Energy sector with offices in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, to provide such funds at a variable annual contract rate of interest equal to the Wall Street Journal prime rate plus 1%. The loan would be made directly to the target company, subject to Viking being the 100% owner thereof, and secured by a first-ranking security interest against the assets of the target company.

The proposed effective closing date of the potential acquisition transaction is July 1, 2017.

Conditional:

The completion of the entire transaction described above is conditional upon Viking and the seller executing definitive legal documentation on terms and conditions acceptable to both parties on or before June 30, 2017, and the commercial bank approving such legal documentation. There is no guarantee that such conditions will be satisfied or that Viking will be able to close the acquisition.

About Viking:

Viking is an independent exploration and production company focused on the acquisition and development of oil and natural gas properties in North America. The company owns oil and gas leases in Kansas, Missouri and Alberta. Viking targets under-valued assets with realistic appreciation potential.

Viking is not an investment company, as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), including all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the company, its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) the company's financing plans; (ii) trends affecting the company's financial condition or results of operations; (iii) the company's growth strategy and operating strategy; and (iv) the declaration and payment of dividends. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "intend" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's ability to control, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including the risk disclosed in the company's Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the SEC.

For additional information please contact:



James A. Doris

President and C.E.O.

Viking Energy Group, Inc.

1330 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 23A

New York, NY 10019

Email: jdoris@vikingenergygroup.com

www.vikingenergygroup.com




At the Innovation Days on 22 and 23 June 2017, Groupe PSA welcome more than 200 people (journalists, bloggers, investors, institutions and the general public) to the Velizy site in Greater Paris to:

unveil its AVA (Autonomous Vehicle for All) program for the rollout of autonomous vehicles and related technological solutions

test the various autonomous driving functions on its demonstrators

Regulatory News:

Groupe PSA (Paris:UG)is rolling out its Autonomous Vehicle for All (AVA) program starting today, with the aim of offering its customers cars equipped with safe, reliable, intuitive and easily accessible autonomous functions. Early driving assistance functions are already available on the latest Peugeot, Citroen and DS models. Automated driving functions will now be rolled out, starting in 2018. From 2020 onwards, new and progressively autonomous functions will offer drivers the possibility of delegating driving to the vehicle without supervision. They will allow the driver to experience his journey differently, without constraints and fatigue, especially in monotonous driving situations. The technology will be accessible to all thanks to simple and intuitive interfaces.

To meet these challenges, Groupe PSA is developing:

A new electronic architecture (NEA) in short, the car's central nervous system that guarantees safe operation in all situations, passenger safety and data security. The NEA is ingenious thanks to its modularity and scalability.

Perception technologies serving to reconstruct the vehicle's environment, backed up by automatic control algorithms integrating artificial intelligence building blocks.

Groupe PSA is also actively involved in changes to regulations and standards in response to the arrival of autonomous cars, including approvals and harmonisation of infrastructure.

These Innovation Days offer a chance to test level 3 (eyes off) and level 4 (mind off) Groupe PSA's autonomous demonstrators in real traffic conditions.

Participants also test the driving assistance functions that are already fitted to the new Peugeot 3008 and 5008, the Citroen C4 Picasso and SpaceTourer, and which will soon be featured on the DS 7 CROSSBACK.

For more information, please consult the press kit, illustrations and videos on:

https://medialibrary.groupe-psa.com/corporate/identification?token=bBtu71Bt5.

About Groupe PSA

With sales and revenue of 54 billion in 2016, the Groupe PSA designs unique automotive experiences and delivers mobility solutions that provide freedom and enjoyment to customers around the world. The Group has three car brands, Peugeot, Citroen and DS, as well as a wide array of mobility and smart services under its Free2Move brand, to meet the evolving needs and expectations of automobile users. The automobile manufacturer PSA is the European leader in terms of CO 2 emissions, with average emissions of 102.4 grams per kilometre in 2016, and an early innovator in the field of autonomous and connected cars, with 2.3 million such vehicles worldwide. It is also involved in financing activities through Banque PSA Finance and in automotive equipment via Faurecia. Find out more at groupe-psa.com/en.

Media library: https://medialibrary.groupe-psa.com// Twitter: @GroupePSA

Communications Division www.groupe-psa.com - +33 1 40 66 42 00 @GroupePSA

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005305/en/

Contacts:

Groupe PSA

Media contact: (+33) 1 40 66 42 00
Der Bundesgeschaftsfuhrer der Linkspartei, Matthias Hohn, hat angesichts der Lage in der Turkei deutlichere Konsequenzen gefordert: Die Bundesregierung musse "bei der Nato verlangen, dass die Mitgliedschaft der Turkei ausgesetzt wird", schreibt Hohn in einem Gastbeitrag fur die Tageszeitung "neues Deutschland" (Montagsausgabe). Das sei "das Mindeste".

"Eine Beistandspflicht gegenuber Diktaturen darf fur Deutschland und fur jede Bundesregierung nicht akzeptabel sein." Der turkische Prasident Recep Tayyip Erdogan "baut das Land zu einer Diktatur um", so Hohn weiter. Der Linkspolitiker kritisierte aber auch die Berliner Politik. "Noch immer liefert die Bundesregierung Waffen in die Turkei, der Rustungskonzern Rheinmetall plant den Bau einer Panzerfabrik in dem Land. Nach wie vor sind deutsche Soldaten in der Turkei stationiert, die von ihren Abgeordneten nicht besucht werden durfen."

Mit verscharften Reisehinweisen "allein wird man Erdogan nicht beikommen", so Hohn.
DALLAS, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- New home sales numbers and prices are up in all of the four largest new homebuilding markets in Texas, but the pace of new home sales in three of these four markets continued to slow in May, according to the HomesUSA.com New Homes Sales Index released today. Austin was the one surprise -- again -- as Austin, for the second month in a row, was the only major new homes market in Texas to show a slightly faster new home sales pace for May, as its number of Days on Market decreased.

Houston, the largest new homes market in Texas, as well as Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Austin all reported higher new home sales prices in May. The average new home sales price in Houston increased from $369,587 in April, to a rolling 12-month average of $370,008 in May, according to data compiled by HomesUSA.com from the Houston Association of REALTORS (har.com).

The average new price of a new home in Dallas-Ft. Worth increased from $383,681 in April, to a rolling 12-month average of $384,489, according to data compiled by HomesUSA.com from the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems (ntreis.net). San Antonio saw its average new home sales price increase from $294,066 in April, to a rolling 12-month average of $294,206 in May, according to data compiled by HomesUSA.com from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS (sabor.com).

In Austin, the average new home sales price rose to $384,228 in May, up from a rolling 12-month average of $380,759 in April, according to data compiled by HomesUSA.com from the Austin Board of REALTORS (abor.com). According to HomesUSA.com, the number of Days of Market for new homes sold in Austin declined slightly from a rolling annual average of 112.73 in April, to 112.67 in May.

"The Austin economy may not be bulletproof, but being a hub of technology, education and legislation makes it hard to stop," said Caballero. "Job growth is what drives home sales, and that bodes well for Austin," he added.

In Houston, the total Days on Market for new homes increased from 134.86 in April, to 135.28 in May. In Dallas-Ft. Worth, the Days on Market for new homes increased from 121.62 in April, to 122.02 in May. San Antonio showed the biggest slowing in new home sales pace with the largest increase in the Days on Market for new homes for the second month in a row. But once again, even though San Antonio reported 105.98 Days on Market in April and 106.92 Days on Market in May, its total number of Days on Market still remains the lowest among the four biggest new home sales markets in Texas.

Overall, in the combined four largest new home sales markets in Texas, the overall pace of new home sales has been slowing steadily since last October, according to HomesUSA.com, as the average number of Days on Market in the four Texas markets increased from 117.58 days in October 2016, to 123 days last month, May 2017.

Ben Caballero, owner of HomesUSA.com and the number one real estate agent in the U.S., notes that the slight increases in Days on Market for new homes in three of the four biggest Texas home markets aligns with the Commerce Department's announcement today on New Home Sales for May.

"The Texas economy continues to lead the nation in homebuilding," said Caballero. "Job growth will continue to drive home sales, and growing home sale demand -- while its pace may be slowing -- will still continue to put pressure on new home prices," he added.

(See Chart 1: HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Index -- Days on Market -- Rolling 12-month average -- CHART 1)

Understanding the new "Days on Market" Index

The HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Index is a first of its kind index to track the sales activity of new home sales. Created by Caballero, who was named "Most Innovative Real Estate Agent" by real estate news firm Inman News, the index is an analysis by HomesUSA.com of sales of homes listed in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio local Multiple Listing Services (MLS).

Caballero notes that the average Days on Market for New Homes "is about 65 days higher for new homes than for existing or 'pre-owned' homes."

Why? "There's a huge difference between selling a new home and a pre-owned or existing home," Caballero explained. "New homes are often listed for sale during the early stages of construction. This early market exposure gives homebuilders the ability to allow buyers the opportunity to customize the home. Plus, by placing more inventory on the market as soon as it is being built expands the inventory of available homes, and that's especially helpful for buyers in a tight housing market."

Caballero adds, "So there really is no apples-to-apples comparison for the Days on Market for new homes under construction with existing homes."

(See Chart 2: HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Index -- Days on Market -- Rolling 12-month average)

[Please note that the monthly data is based information reported to the MLS that may be incomplete or subject to further revision by the MLS. While licensed real estate professionals are required to report closed sales to their local MLS in Texas within 72 hours of a closed sale, not all sales, unfortunately, are reported promptly and some are reported more than 30 days later. This late reporting causes the prior month's reported index number to change to include newly reported sales. Only the prior month index number is impacted and that number, once adjusted, is the final and correct index number.]

(See Chart 3: HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Prices -- Rolling 12-month average)

About Ben Caballero and HomesUSA.com

Ben Caballero is the #1 ranked real estate professional in the U.S. in two categories: (1) number of real estate sales transactions and (2) cumulative transaction (dollar) volume. In 2016, he completed 3,565 home sales totaling $1.449 billion in volume. Between 2010 and 2015, he had 16,618 home sales totaling $5.765 billion in volume. Ben has been the #1 agent in the nation in these categories for the last 6 years and is the first and only agent in U.S. history ever to exceed the $1 billion mark for residential sales transaction volume in a single year, accomplished in both 2015 and 2016. Caballero is an acclaimed innovator and technological pioneer within the real estate industry. His drive to leverage technology has allowed him to reach unprecedented, historic levels of sales, as he developed a proprietary SaaS platform, HomesUSA.com, to aid him in servicing his clients. His individual record-setting production is only possible due to the efficiencies it enables. He was named a 2017 Inman Influencer and a SP2017 Trendsetter by Swanepoel T3 Group. Caballero received the 2014 Pinnacle Award for Real Estate Entrepreneurship, presented by Keller Williams Realty. He was named the Most Innovative Real Estate Agent by Inman News in 2013 and a finalist in 2016. He is CEO and President of HomesUSA.com, Inc., operating in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Metro MLS, MetroTex Association of Realtors. A lifelong Realtor and former homebuilder, Caballero has been a real estate broker since age 21. Follow Ben on Twitter at @bcaballero and learn more about HomesUSA.com online.

Note: You may contact Ben Caballero directly on his cell at (214) 616-9222 or by email at ben@homesusa.com.

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Kevin Hawkins

(206) 866-1220

kevin@wavgroup.com




BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. existing Home Sales for June will be issued at 10.00 am ET Monday. The consensus is for 5.580 million, compared to 5.620 million in May. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major rivals. While the greenback recovered against the yen, it held steady against the rest of major rivals. The greenback was worth 110.94 against the yen, 0.9466 against the franc, 1.3027 against the pound and 1.1637 against the euro as of 9:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
COLUMBUS  It may cost more money to keep that landline telephone in Columbus.

The city is considering raising the occupation tax for telephone companies from 3 to 5 percent so it matches the tax currently charged to cable companies and provides an additional boost to the general fund.

Finance Director Anne Kinnison said the hike would simplify things by setting the tax rates for telephone and cable companies at the same level. With merging technologies, Kinnison said many companies now offer cable TV, internet and telephone services, making it difficult to categorize the providers.

Revenue from the cable and telephone occupation taxes, which are tacked on to a customers bill, goes to the citys general fund. Kinnison said the city will need additional money in that account next fiscal year to cover expenses associated with hiring a full-time fire chief and taking over senior citizen services at the community center.

It seems like theres always more things to spend money on, Kinnison said during Monday nights city council meeting.

The cable tax, which primarily impacts Spectrum, formerly Time Warner Cable, generated $270,664 last fiscal year.

The telephone tax, which is assessed to more than 40 companies, brought in $228,097, down from $360,874 just five years earlier as people continue to disconnect their landline phones. The proposed hike would generate about $150,000 in additional annual revenue based on the figure from last fiscal year.

Kinnison called the potential boost a generous number while acknowledging that the telephone tax is a declining revenue source.

Councilman Prent Roth backed the increase, calling it a fairness issue between competing companies.

Lets even the playing field. Lets get everybody at the same rate, he said.

Others were less willing to support the proposal.

Mayor Jim Bulkley and Councilman John Lohr said theyd like to know whether the additional general fund money is needed before supporting a tax increase thats ultimately paid by local residents. Bulkley added that hed like to look for ways to cut spending before passing a tax hike.

Councilman Troy Heimer also opposed the increase, preferring instead to charge cable, internet and telephone companies a fee to install infrastructure rather than raising a tax thats directly passed on to customers.

He was the only person to vote against a motion that brings the proposed tax increase back to the city council for future consideration. The council must approve an ordinance change before the occupation tax can be adjusted.
Liebe Leser,

mit dem vorliegenden Zertifikat investieren Anleger in die Differenz zwischen den Wechselkursen zwischen Euro und US-Dollar.

Das vorliegende Zertifikat ist mit einer unbegrenzten Laufzeit und einer Knock-Out-Barriere von 1,3011 US-Dollar ausgestattet. Liegt der Kurs des Basiswertes EUR/US-Dollar SPOT uber dem Basispreis in Hohe von 1,3011 US-Dollar profizieren Anleger mit einem Hebel von 22,68 an der Entwicklung des Basiswertes. Das Knock-Out Produkt verfallt wertlos ... (Robert Sasse)

Den vollstandigen Artikel lesen ...
Hong Kong Stock Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement.

ZHEJIANG EXPRESSWAY CO., LTD.

(A joint stock limited company incorporated in the People's Republic of China with limited liability)

(Stock code: 0576)

CONTINUING CONNECTED TRANSACTIONS

IN RELATION TO

THE PROVISION OF SERVICES BY MAINTENANCE CO AND

ZHEJIANG SHUNCHANG

ROAD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT

On 6 April 2017, the Company organised a public tender in respect of the provision of Maintenance Services to the Group's four expressways, namely, the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, the Shangsan Expressway, Jinhua section of the Ning bo-Jinhua Expressway and the Hanghui Expressway. Maintenance Co succeeded in the tender and was awarded a contract to provide the Maintenance Services.

On 23 June 2017, the Company entered into the Road Maintenance Agreement with Maintenance Co, pursuant to which Maintenance Co agreed to provide the Maintenance Services to the Group's four expressways from 23 June 2017 to 30 November 2017.

ASPHALT ROAD GEOTHERMAL POWER REGENERATION AGREEMENT

On 21 April 2017, the Company organised an invitation to tender in respect of the provision of Regeneration Services to the Group's five expressways, namely, the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, the Shangsan Expressway, Jinhua section of the Ningbo-Jinhua Expressway, the Hanghui Expressway and the Huihang Expressway. Zhejiang Shunchang succeeded in the tender and was awarded a contract to provide the Regeneration Services.

On 23 June 2017, the Company entered into the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement with Zhejiang Shunchang, pursuant to which Zhejiang Shunchang agreed to provide the Regeneration Services to the Group's five expressways from 23 June 2017 to 20 October 2017.

LISTING RULES IMPLICATIONS

As at the date of this announcement, Communications Group holds approximately 67% of the issued share capital of the Company. By virtue of this shareholding interest, Communications Group is a controlling shareholder of the Company. Therefore, Maintenance Co and Zhejiang Shunchang, as subsidiaries of Communications Group, are connected persons of the Company and as a result, the transactions under the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement constitute continuing connected transactions for the Company under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules.

As the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement are entered into by the Group with parties who are connected with one another within a 12-month period and are similar in nature, the continuing connected transactions contemplated under the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement should be aggregated in accordance with Rule 14A.81 of the Listing Rules.

As the applicable percentage ratios in respect of the transactions contemplated under the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement, on an aggregated basis, are more than 0.1% but less than 5%, the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement are subject to the reporting, announcement and annual review requirements but exempt from the independent Shareholders' approval requirement under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules.

ROAD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT

Principal terms of the Road Maintenance Agreement are set out below:

Date: 23 June 2017. Parties: (1) the Company; and (2) Maintenance Co. Term: The term of the Road Maintenance Agreement is from 23 June 2017 to 30 November 2017. Subject matter: Maintenance Co agreed to provide certain maintenance services in respect of the Target Expressways (Maintenance), namely Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, the Shangsan Expressway, Jinhua section of the Ningbo-JinhuaExpressway and the Hanghui Expressway, including road work, roadbed work, bridge work, road safety related work and certain specific maintenance services. Service fees and

basis of the fees: The total service fees payable by the Company to Maintenance Co under the Road Maintenance Agreement shall be RMB244,412,627 (the "Service Fees (Maintenance)"). The Service Fees (Maintenance) were determined as a result of a public tender (the "Public Tender") of the Maintenance Services for the Target Expressways (Maintenance), where Maintenance Co has succeeded in its bid in accordance with the terms of the Public Tender. On 13 March 2017, a tender notice in respect of the Public Tender was published on the website of the Communications Group and www.chinabidding.com.cn. Seven entities expressed their interest and each of them made the relevant payment to the Company to obtain the tender documents for the Public Tender. After their internal consideration, four entities (three of which being independent suppliers) eventually submitted their tender to the Company. Tender evaluation was conducted by a committee consisting of four experts in this industry. The committee evaluated the following factors before deciding to recommend accepting the tender submitted by the Maintenance Co: (1) the working plan proposed by the tenderers and their technical capability; (2) the standard of safety management of the tenderers and their capability of handling emergency events; (3) the quality of work and ability to deliver work on a timely manner; (4) the experience of the tenderers in similar projects and (5) the reputation of tenderers. To ensure that the terms offered by the Maintenance Co are fair, reasonable and no less favourable than those provided by the independent third parties to the Group, the Company has compared the price offered by each of the tenderers for the Maintenance Services and the price offered by each of the independent suppliers is higher than that offered by Maintenance Co. After taking into account the above evaluation criteria, the management of the Company has decided to accept the committee's recommendation and award a contract for the Maintenance Services to Maintenance Co. Terms of payment: The Service Fees (Maintenance) shall be payable by the Group to the Maintenance Co as follows: (i) 95% of the Service Fees (Maintenance) to be payable upon completion of the Maintenance Services; and (ii) 5% of the Service Fees (Maintenance) to be payable within 15 days after the completion acceptance and the finalisation of the completion and settlement report.

ASPHALT ROAD GEOTHERMAL POWER REGENERATION AGREEMENT

Principal terms of the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement are set out below:

Date: 23 June 2017. Parties: (1) the Company; and (2) Zhejiang Shunchang. Term: The term of the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement is from 23 June 2017 to 20 October 2017. Subject matter: Zhejiang Shunchang agreed to provide certain regeneration services in respect of the Target Expressways (Regeneration), namely Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, the Shangsan Expressway, Jinhua section of the Ningbo-Jinhua Expressway, the Hanghui Expressway and the Huihang Expressway, including geothermal power regeneration work and defects repair work. Service fees and

basis of the fees: The total service fees payable by the Company to Zhejiang Shunchang under the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement shall be RMB34,683,906 (the "Service Fees (Regeneration)"). The Service Fees (Regeneration) were determined as a result of an invitation to tender (the "Tender Invitation" ) of t he Regeneration Services for the Target Expressways (Regeneration), where Zhejiang Shunchang has succeeded in its bid in accordance with the terms of the Tender Invitation. The Company sent invitations to tender directly to four entities on 21 April 2017. All of the four entities expressed their interest and each of them made the relevant payment to the Company to obtain the tender documents for the Tender Invitation. After their internal consideration, four entities (three of which being independent suppliers) eventually submitted their tender to the Company. Tender evaluation was conducted by a committee consisting of four experts in this industry. The committee evaluated the following factors before deciding to recommend accepting the tender submitted by Zhejiang Shunchang: (1) the working plan proposed by the tenderers and their technical capability; (2) the s ta nd a r d of safety management of the tenderers and their capability of handling emergency events; (3) the quality of work and ability to deliver work on a timely manner; (4) the experience of the tenderers in similar projects and (5) the reputation of tenderers. To ensure that the terms offered by Zhejiang Shunchang are fair, reasonable and no less favourable than those provided by the independent third parties to the Group, the Company has compared the price offered by each of the tenderers for the Regeneration Services and the price offered by each of the independent suppliers is higher than that offered by Zhejiang Shunchang. After taking into account the above evaluation criteria, the management of the Company has decided to accept the committee's recommendation and award a contract for the Regeneration Services to Zhejiang Shunchang. Terms of payment: The Service Fees (Regeneration) shall be payable by the Group to the Zhejiang Shunchang as follows: (i) 95% of the Service Fees (Regeneration) to be payable upon completion of the Regeneration Services; and (ii) 5% of the Service Fees (Regeneration) to be payable within 15 days after the completion acceptance and the finalisation of the completion and settlement report.

Cap for the Road Maintenance Agreement and Asphalt Road Geothermal Power

Regeneration Agreement

For the purpose of complying with Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules, the Company has set a cap in respect of the aggregate fees payable by the Company (i) to Maintenance Co for the Maintenance Services during the term of the Road Maintenance Agreement and (ii) to Zhejiang Shunchang for the Regeneration Services during the term of the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement, which shall not exceed RMB307,000,000.

The above cap was determined after taking into account (i) the total service fees payable to the Maintenance Co and Zhejiang Shunchang in respect of the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement, respectively and (ii) the additional service fees, being approximately 10% of the service fees that may be payable to the Maintenance Co and Zhejiang Shunchang, respectively, in the event that additional maintenance services or regeneration services not contemplated under the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement are required by the Company.

REASONS FOR AND BENEFITS OF THE TRANSACTION

Specific maintenance services including the Maintenance Services are necessary for the operation of the Target Expressways (Maintenance). Maintenance Co has the relevant qualifications and expertise to provide such services to the Company. In addition, the Company has gone through the Public Tender in accordance with which Maintenance Co was selected as the qualified service provider for the Maintenance Services. On the basis that the price offered by Maintenance Co being the lowest amongst the tenderers, the terms offered by Maintenance Co are no less favourable than those provided by the independent third parties to the Group.

Geothermal regeneration services including the Regeneration Services are necessary for the operation of the Target Expressways (Regeneration). Zhejiang Shunchang has the relevant qualifications and expertise to provide such services to the Company. In addition, the Company has gone through the Tender Invitation in accordance with which Zhejiang Shunchang was selected as the qualified service provider for the Regeneration Services. On the basis that the price offered by Zhejiang Shunchang being the lowest amongst the tenderers, the terms offered by Zhejiang Shunchang are no less favourable than those provided by the independent third parties to the Group.

Given the above, the Directors (including the independent non-executive Directors) are of the view that the terms of each of the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement are on normal commercial terms, in the ordinary and usual course of business of the Company and are fair and reasonable and in the interests of the Company and the Shareholders as a whole.

LISTING RULES IMPLICATIONS

As at the date of this announcement, Communications Group holds approximately 67% of the issued share capital of the Company. By virtue of this shareholding interest, Communications Group is a controlling shareholder of the Company. Therefore, Maintenance Co and Zhejiang Shunchang, as subsidiaries of Communications Group, are connected persons of the Company and as a result, the transactions under the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement constitute continuing connected transactions for the Company under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules.

As the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement are entered into by the Group with parties who are connected with one another within a 12-month period and are similar in nature, the continuing connected transactions contemplated under the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement should be aggregated in accordance with Rule 14A.81 of the Listing Rules.

As the applicable percentage ratios in respect of the transactions contemplated under the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement, on an aggregated basis, are more than 0.1% but less than 5%, the Road Maintenance Agreement and the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement are subject to the reporting, announcement and annual review requirements but exempt from the independent Shareholders' approval requirement under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules.

INFORMATION ON THE PARTIES

The Company is a joint stock company established under the laws of the PRC with limited liability on 1 March 1997, the H Shares of which are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange. It is principally engaged in investing in, developing and operating high-grade roads in the PRC. The Group also carries on certain other businesses such as operation of gas stations, restaurants and shops in service areas, advertising at expressway interchanges and external road maintenance, as well as securities related business.

Maintenance Co is a subsidiary of Communication Group which is incorporated under the laws of the PRC on 28 January 2014. Maintenance Co is principally engaged in the construction of transportation projects and maintenance of toll road.

Zhejiang Shunchang is a subsidiary of Communication Group which is incorporated under the laws of the PRC on 11 November 2003. Zhejiang Shunchang is principally engaged in the construction and maintenance of toll road projects and reforests projects.

DEFINITIONS

In this announcement, unless the context specifies otherwise, the following defined expressions have the following meanings:

"Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement" the Asphalt Road Geothermal Power Regeneration Agreement dated 23 June 2017 entered into between the Company and Zhejiang Shunchang, pursuant to which Zhejiang Shunchang agreed to provide the Regeneration Services to the Target Expressways (Regeneration) "Board" the board of Directors "Communications Group" Zhejiang Communications Investment Group Co., Ltd.*, "Company" Zhejiang Expressway Co., Ltd., "connected person" has the meaning ascribed to it under the Listing Rules "controlling shareholder" has the meaning ascribed to it under the Listing Rules "Director(s)" the directors of the Company "Group" the Company and its subsidiaries "H Shares" overseas listed foreign shares in the share capital of the Company with a nominal value of RMB1 per share, which are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange "Hong Kong" the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC "Listing Rules" Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited "Maintenance Co" Zhejiang Expressway Maintenance Co., Ltd.*, a company incorporated in the PRC and an indirectly-owned subsidiary of Communications Group "Maintenance Services" maintenance services including (i) roadwork such as pavement diseases treatment, bridge deck overlay, pavement overlay; (ii) roadbed work such as slope treatment; (iii) bridge work such as bridge fault maintenance and reinforcement and deck system maintenance; (iv) road safety work such as signs, road markings and fence maintenance and (v) specific maintenance services such as tunnelling and greening "percentage ratio" has the meaning ascribed to it under Rule 14.04(9) of the Listing Rules "PRC" the People's Republic of China (for the purpose of this announcement, excludes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) "Regeneration Services" Regenerationservices including geothermal power regeneration work and defects repair work "RMB" Renminbi, the lawful currency of the PRC "Road Maintenance Agreement" the road maintenance agreement dated 23 June 2017 entered into between the Company and Maintenance Co, pursuant to which Maintenance Co agreed to provide the Maintenance Services to the Target Expressways (Maintenance) "Shareholder(s)" holder(s) of the share(s) of the Company "Stock Exchange" The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited "subsidiary(ies)" has the meaning ascribed to it under the Listing Rules "Target Expressways (Maintenance)" the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, the Shangsan Expressway, Jinhua section of the Ningbo-Jinhua Expressway and the Hanghui Expressway "Target Expressways (Regeneration)" the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, the Shangsan Expressway, Jinghua section of the Ningbo-Jinhua Expressway, the Hanghui Expressway and the Huihang Expressway "Zhejiang Shunchang" Zhejiang Shunchang High-grade Expressway Maintenance Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in the PRC and an indirectly-owned subsidiary of Communications Group "%" per cent. * English names for reference only

On behalf of the Board

ZHEJIANG EXPRESSWAY CO., LTD.

ZHAN Xiaozhang

Chairman

Hangzhou, PRC, 23 June 2017

As at the date of this announcement, the executive directors of the Company are: Mr. ZHAN Xiaozhang, Mr. CHENG Tao and Ms. LUO Jianhu; the non-executive directors of the Company are: Mr. WANG Dongjie, Mr. DAI Benmeng and Mr. ZHOU Jianping; and the independent non-executive directors of the Company are: Mr. ZHOU Jun, Mr. PEI Ker-Wei and Ms. LEE Wai Tsang, Rosa.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- The Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) today welcomed changes to its mandate, which now formally designates CDIC as the resolution authority for Canada's largest banks.

The designation recognizes CDIC's role in handling the failure of its member institutions - in particular Canada's largest banks - in order to protect depositors, maintain the flow of financial services, protect our economy and minimize risk to taxpayers. The amendments, part of Budget Implementation Act 2017, also require Canada's largest banks to submit resolution plans to CDIC.

"These changes recognize the important role CDIC plays in promoting and contributing to the stability of the Canadian financial system, and are in step with international standards," said CDIC President and CEO Michele Bourque.

"Since its creation 50 years ago, CDIC has evolved to meet the demands of Canada's changing financial landscape and to better protect depositors and taxpayers."

For example, following the global financial crisis, CDIC's powers and tools were expanded. These enable CDIC to stabilize a large bank in financial difficulty and distribute losses to banks' shareholders and creditors in the event of failure, rather than depositors and taxpayers. The new tools include the power to create a bridge bank, enhancements to our restructuring ability, and the recent introduction of a bail-in regime to recapitalize a failing large bank.

Since it was created in 1967, CDIC has dealt with 43 member failures affecting some 2 million Canadians. No one has lost a dollar of deposits under CDIC protection.

CDIC is a federal Crown corporation that contributes to the stability of the Canadian financial system by providing deposit insurance against the loss of eligible deposits at member institutions in the event of failure. CDIC protects close to $750 billion of savings held by its member institutions which include banks, federally regulated credit unions as well as loan and trust companies and associations governed by the Cooperative Credit Associations Act that take deposits. CDIC is funded by premiums paid by member institutions and does not receive public funds to operate.

Contacts:

Brad Evenson

Director, Communications and Public Affairs

613.943.4395

media@cdic.ca




BRASILIA (dpa-AFX) - The United States has decided to suspend imports of beef products from Brazil citing safety concerns. It is a major blow to Brazil, which is the world's biggest red meat and poultry exporter. Latin America's largest nation is selling beef worth more than $12 billion a year, mainly to China, the European Union and the United States.. China and the European Union had already stopped importing beef from Brazil. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Thursday announced the suspension of all imports of fresh beef from Brazil because of recurring concerns about the safety of the products intended for the American market. The suspension of shipments will remain in place until the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture takes corrective action, he said in a statement. Several countries banned Brazilian meat in March, while USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been inspecting all meat products arriving in the United States from Brazil since then. FSIS has refused entry to 106 lots of Brazilian beef products due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues. USDA made it clear that none of the rejected lots made it into the U.S. market. As a preliminary step, it blocked five Brazilian facilities from shipping beef to the United States. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


BRASILIA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. has suspended all imports of fresh beef from Brazil due to recurring concerns about the safety of the products.



The suspension of shipments from Brazil, the fifth largest exporter of beef to the U.S., will remain in place until the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture takes corrective action, the U.S. Department of Agriculture or USDA said in a statement.



Brazil exported about 152.7 million pounds of beef to the U.S. in 2016, representing an increase of 2 percent from the prior year. The U.S. imported the most beef from Australia, followed by imports from Canada, New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil.



Since March, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service or FSIS has been inspecting all meat products arriving in the U.S. from Brazil. The FSIS has refused entry to eleven percent of Brazilian fresh beef products, compared to the rejection rate of one percent of shipments from the rest of the world.



Since implementation of the increased inspection in March, the FSIS has refused entry to 106 lots, or about 1.9 million pounds of Brazilian beef products due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues.



According to the USDA, the Brazilian government had pledged to address those concerns, including suspending five facilities from shipping beef to the U.S.



'Although international trade is an important part of what we do at USDA, and Brazil has long been one of our partners, my first priority is to protect American consumers. That's what we've done by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef,' U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said.



Several countries, including Chile, Egypt and China, temporarily stopped imports of Brazilian meat after Brazilian police launched a probe in March, stemming from charges of corruption in the meat industry.



Several meat processing facilities in the Latin American nation have been accused of bribing inspection officials in exchange for allowing expired meats to enter the market.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. (formerly known as Talisman Energy Inc.), a Canadian-based upstream oil and gas company (the "Company"), announced today the early results of its previously announced solicitations of consents (the "Consent Solicitations") from holders of its outstanding

-- 7.75% Senior Notes due 2019 (CUSIP No. 87425E AL7 and ISIN No. US87425EAL74) (the "2019 Notes"), -- 3.75% Senior Notes due 2021 (CUSIP No. 87425E AM5 and ISIN No. US87425EAM57) (the "2021 Notes"), -- 5.85% Senior Notes due 2037 (CUSIP No. 87425E AJ2 and ISIN No. US87425EAJ29) (the "2037 Notes"), -- 6.25% Senior Notes due 2038 (CUSIP No. 87425E AK9 and ISIN No. US87425EAK91) (the "2038 Notes"), -- 5.50% Senior Notes due 2042 (CUSIP No. 87425E AN3 and ISIN No. US87425EAN31) (the "2042 Notes"), -- 5.75% Senior Notes due 2035 (CUSIP No. 87425E AH6 and ISIN No. US87425EAH62) (the "2035 Notes") and -- 7.25% Debentures due 2027 (CUSIP No. 87425E AE3 and ISIN No. US87425EAE32) (the "2027 Debentures" and together with the 2019 Notes, the 2021 Notes, the 2037 Notes, the 2038 Notes, the 2042 Notes and the 2035 Notes, the "Notes"; and each, a "series of Notes")

for proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to certain provisions of the indentures governing the Notes (the "Indentures"), and the early results of its tender offers to purchase for cash (the "Tender Offers" and each a "Tender Offer") any and all of the outstanding Notes.

The following table summarizes, with respect to each series of Notes, (1) the aggregate principal amount of Notes in respect of which consents were validly delivered without tendering the related Notes, (2) the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tendered (and in respect of which a consent was thereby validly delivered) and (3) the total of the aggregate principal amount of Notes in respect of which consents were validly delivered without tendering the related Notes or by validly tendering Notes, in each case as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 22, 2017 (the "Consent/Early Tender Deadline"). In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Consent Solicitations and Tender Offers, revocation rights with respect to the consents and withdrawal rights with respect to the Notes expired on 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 22, 2017. Accordingly, consents and Notes delivered and tendered in the past or future may not be revoked or withdrawn.

Principal Amount of Notes in respect of which Consents were Delivered without Tendering Related Notes (Percentage of Title Security CUSIP Number ISIN Number Series) -------------------------- ------------- ------------- --------------------- 2006 Indenture 7.75% Senior Notes due 87425E AL7 US87425EAL74 U.S.$311,817,000 2019 (85.68%) 3.75% Senior Notes due 87425E AM5 US87425EAM57 U.S.$208,248,000 2021 (86.51%) 5.85% Senior Notes due 87425E AJ2 US87425EAJ29 U.S.$95,894,000 2037 (73.12%) 6.25% Senior Notes due 87425E AK9 US87425EAK91 U.S.$105,350,000 2038 (88.67%) 5.50% Senior Notes due 87425E AN3 US87425EAN31 U.S.$42,927,000 2042 (44.40%) 2005 Indenture 5.75% Senior Notes due 87425E AH6 US87425EAH62 U.S.$80,925,000 2035 (90.43%) 1997 Indenture 7.25% Debentures due 2027 87425E AE3 US87425EAE32 U.S.$47,447,000 (87.12%) Principal Amount of Total Principal Notes Tendered (and Amount of Notes in Consents Thereby respect of which Delivered) Consents were (Percentage of Delivered (Percentage Title Security Series) of Series) -------------------------- --------------------- --------------------- 2006 Indenture 7.75% Senior Notes due U.S.$4,008,000 U.S.$315,825,000 2019 (1.10%) (86.78%) 3.75% Senior Notes due U.S.$4,044,000 U.S.$212,292,000 2021 (1.68%) (88.19%) 5.85% Senior Notes due U.S.$28,876,000 U.S.$124,770,000 2037 (22.02%) (95.14%) 6.25% Senior Notes due U.S.$3,455,000 U.S.$108,805,000 2038 (2.91%) (91.58%) 5.50% Senior Notes due U.S.$39,542,000 U.S.$82,469,000 2042 (40.90%) (85.30%) 2005 Indenture 5.75% Senior Notes due U.S.$1,951,000 U.S.$82,876,000 2035 (2.18%) (92.61%) 1997 Indenture 7.25% Debentures due 2027 U.S.$4,062,000 U.S.$51,509,000 (7.46%) (94.57%)

The consents received from holders of Notes of each series exceed the amount needed to adopt the Proposed Amendments to each of the Indentures. Accordingly, the Company, Repsol S.A., a sociedad anonima organized in Spain, and the relevant trustee under each Indenture will execute a supplemental indenture to each Indenture effecting the Proposed Amendments (each a "Supplemental Indenture" and collectively, the "Supplemental Indentures"). Each Supplemental Indenture will become operative upon payment of the applicable Consent Only Payment (as defined below) or Total Consideration (as defined below). Each Supplemental Indenture will amend the reporting covenant and eliminate the merger covenant in the relevant Indenture, as well as make certain other related changes.

Holders that validly delivered consents at or prior to the Consent/Early Tender Deadline without tendering the related Notes will receive the Consent Only Payment of U.S.$2.50 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes (the "Consent Only Payment") as to which they delivered (and did not revoke) such consents on the initial settlement date, which is expected to be June 27, 2017 (the "Initial Settlement Date").

Holders that validly tendered their Notes and thereby delivered the related consents at or prior to the Consent/Early Tender Deadline will receive in respect of Notes accepted for purchase the applicable Total Consideration of U.S.$1,087.50 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2019 Notes, U.S.$1,000.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2021 Notes, U.S.$1,000.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2037 Notes, U.S.$1,000.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2038 Notes, U.S.$955.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2042 Notes, U.S.$960.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2035 Notes and U.S.$1,135.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2027 Debentures (the "Total Consideration"), plus accrued and unpaid interest from the applicable last interest payment date to, but not including, the applicable settlement date ("Accrued Interest"), on the Initial Settlement Date. Such holders will not receive the Consent Only Payment.

Each Tender Offer remains open and is scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on July 7, 2017, unless such Tender Offer is extended or earlier terminated by the Company in its sole discretion, subject to applicable law (such time and date with respect to each Tender Offer, as the same may be extended or earlier terminated, the "Expiration Time"). For the avoidance of doubt, as used in this press release, midnight on a particular day refers to the time one minute after 11:59 p.m. on such day. Holders that validly tender their Notes after the Consent/Early Tender Deadline but at or prior to the Expiration Time will be eligible to receive in respect of Notes accepted for purchase the applicable Tender Offer Consideration of U.S.$1,057.50 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2019 Notes, U.S.$970.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2021 Notes, U.S.$970.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2037 Notes, U.S.$970.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2038 Notes, U.S.$925.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2042 Notes, U.S.$930.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2035 Notes and U.S.$1,105.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2027 Debentures, plus Accrued Interest, on the final settlement date, which is expected to be July 12, 2017. Such holders will not receive the Consent Only Payment. Holders that tender Notes will be automatically deemed to have delivered consents to the Proposed Amendments in respect of such Notes.

The Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers are being made on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase dated June 9, 2017 (the "Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase"), and related consent and letter of transmittal.

Consummation of the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers are subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase. The Company may amend, extend or terminate the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers with respect to one or more series of Notes in its sole discretion, subject to applicable law.

This press release is not a solicitation of consents with respect to the Proposed Amendments or any Notes. In addition, this press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes. The Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers are being made only pursuant to the Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase and related consent and letter of transmittal, copies of which will be delivered to holders of the Notes. Persons with questions regarding the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers should contact the solicitation agents and dealer managers, Barclays Capital Inc. at (800) 438-3242 (U.S. toll free), (212) 528-7581 (collect) or +44 20 3134 8515 (international) and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated at (888) 292-0070 (U.S. toll free), (980) 387-2907 (collect) or +44 20 7996 5420 (international) or the information agent, tabulation agent and tender agent D.F. King & Co., Inc., at (212) 269-5550 (banks and brokers) or (800) 499-8541 (toll-free) or email at repsol@dfking.com.

About Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc.

Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. is an upstream oil and gas company, incorporated in Canada and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Spanish integrated energy company Repsol, S.A.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains information that constitutes "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking information"). This forward-looking information includes, among others, statements regarding the terms and timing for completion of the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers.

Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of risks which could cause actual results to vary and in some instances to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company and described in the forward-looking information contained in this news release. The material risk factors include, but are not limited to risks related to the successful consummation of the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers.

The above-mentioned risk factors are not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors which could affect the Company's operations or financial results or strategy are included in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form, dated February 23, 2017 (included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F, dated February 23, 2017), and Restated Management's Discussion and Analysis, dated May 12, 2017 (included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F/A, dated May 12, 2017) and Interim Management's Discussion and Analysis dated May 12, 2017 (included in the Company's Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K, dated May 12, 2017). In addition, information is available in the Company's other reports on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-looking information is based on the estimates and opinions of the Company's management at the time the information is presented. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change, except as required by law.

Contacts:

34 917 538 100

34 917 538 000

34 913 489 000 (Fax)

www.repsol.com




Disclosure made according to the requirements of Article 14 of the law of 2 May 2007

Regulatory News:

Ontex Group NV ("Ontex") discloses the notification of significant shareholdings that it has received according to the Belgian Law of 2 May 2007 on the disclosure of significant shareholdings in listed companies.

On 30 June 2017, Black Creek Investment Management Inc. notified Ontex that it holds, as a result of the acquisition of voting securities or voting rights, 2,612,528 shares in Ontex and so had crossed the threshold of 3.00% of the total number of voting rights in Ontex to 3.17%.

According to its obligation Ontex publishes the content of the notifications that it has received.

Date of Notification: 30 June 2017

Date Threshold Crossed: 27 June 2017

Threshold Crossed: 3.00%

Notification by:

Black Creek Investment Management Inc. 123 Front Street, Suite 1200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5J 2M2

Denominator on the date of notification: 82,347,218 shares

Voting rights and assimilated financial instruments:

(A) Voting rights Previous notification After the transaction # voting rights # voting rights % of voting rights Holders of voting rights Linked to securities Not linked to securities Linked to securities Not linked to securities Black Creek Investment Management Inc. 2,612,528 3.17% Total 2,612,528 0 3.17% 0.00%

(B) Equivalent financial instruments After the transaction Holders of equivalent

financial instruments Type of financial instrument Expiration date Exercise period or date # of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised % of voting rights Settlement TOTAL 0 0.00%

# voting rights % of voting rights TOTAL (A B) 2,612,528 3.17%

Full chain of controlled undertakings through which the holding is effectively held

Black Creek Investment Management Inc. is not a controlled entity.

Additional information

Black Creek Investment Management Inc. acts as discretionary investment manager and holds voting rights attached to shares on behalf of its clients. The disclosure obligation arose due to Black Creek Investment Management Inc.'s voting rights going above 3%. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. can exercise the voting rights in its discretion, without any instruction from its clients.

Notifications of significant shareholdings to be made according to the Law of 2 May 2007 should be sent to: investorrelations@ontexglobal.com

This notification will be posted on: http://www.ontexglobal.com/press-room

About Ontex

Ontex is a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions, with expertise in baby care, feminine care and adult care. Ontex's innovative products are distributed in more than 110 countries through Ontex brands such as BBTips, BioBaby, Pompom, Bigfral, Canbebe, Canped, ID and Serenity, as well as leading retailer brands.

Employing 11,000 passionate people all over the world, Ontex has a presence in more than 27 countries, with its headquarters in Aalst, Belgium. Ontex is part of the Bel20 and STOXX Europe 600.

To keep up with the latest news, visit www.ontexglobal.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170703005403/en/

Contacts:

Ontex

INVESTOR ENQUIRIES

Philip Ludwig

+32 53 333 730

investorrelations@ontexglobal.com

or

PRESS ENQUIRIES

Gaelle Vilatte

+32 53 333 708

gaelle.vilatte@ontexglobal.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market ended Friday's session with a small loss, but managed to hold above the 9,000 point level. Investors remained focused on the low price of crude oil at the end of the trading week, following its recent collapse. Despite the slight dip during Friday's session, the market managed to end the overall trading week with an increase. The Swiss Market Index decreased by 0.20 percent Friday and finished at 9,032.89. The SMI ended the trading week with an overall increase of 0.80. The Swiss Leader Index dropped 0.28 percent Friday and the Swiss Performance Index lost 0.20 percent. Index heavyweight Novartis dipped 0.1 percent, after climbing by around 5 percent Thursday due to positive study results. Roche ended the session unchanged. The pharma giant announced that new data for Ocrevus, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, showed a significant slowdown in disease progression. Nestle ended the session with a loss of 0.2 percent. Dufry weakened by 1.4 percent on reports that Chinese shareholder HNA has become the target of the supervisory authorities in China. Givaudan declined 1.1 percent and Lindt & Sprungli fell 1.0 percent. UBS dropped 1.0 percent and Credit Suisse surrendered 0.6 percent. Adecco forfeited 0.9 percent after Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its 'Neutral' rating on the stock. LafargeHolcim gained 0.7 percent after Bernstein confirmed its 'Outperform' rating on the stock. Lonza advanced 0.5 percent and Swisscom rose 0.2 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
HONG KONG, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 --Jacobson Pharma Corporation Limited ("Jacobson Pharma" or the "Group") (HKSE: 2633), a leading company engaged in the research, development, production, marketing and sale of generic drugs and proprietary medicines, has today announced its annual results of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively the "Group") for the year ended 31 March 2017 ( "FY 2017" ). These annual results are the first since the company's listing in Hong Kong in September last year.

During the year under review, the Group's revenue solidly increased by 15.9% to HK$1,256.0 million (FY2016: HK$1,083.9 million). Gross profit rose by 14.2% to HK$556.9 million (FY2016: HK$487.8 million), with gross profit margin at about 44.3%. Excluding the one-off listing expenses of HK$22.6 million, the adjusted profit attributable to the shareholders of the Company would have risen by 30.7% to HK$201.9 million. The profit attributable to the shareholders of the Company rose by 23.1% to HK$179.3 million (FY2016: HK$145.6 million). Basic and diluted earnings per share were HK11.39 cents (FY2016: HK11.13 cents).

The Group maintains a strong financial position with cash and cash equivalents of HK$359.7 million at the end of FY2017. The Board has recommended a payment of a final dividend of HK1.4 cents per share for the year ended 31 March 2017 (FY2016: not applicable). Together with an interim dividend for the six months ended 30 September 2016 of HK0.8 cent per share (30 September 2015: not applicable), total dividend for the year is HK2.2 cents (FY2016: not applicable), representing a payout ratio of approximately 19.3%.

Business Review

Generic Drugs

Revenue of generic drugs, the Group's principal income generator, achieved a solid increase of 16.2% to HK$1,097.6 million, mainly attributable to the expanded sales and customer base in both the public and private sectors and the enhanced production capacity of its new manufacturing plants. Revenue from the public sector registered a steady growth of 13.6% over the previous year to HK$344.7 million whilst the revenue from the private sector posted an even stronger 17.4% growth to HK$752.9 million.

The robust performance of the core Generic Drug Segment was also attributable to the strong sales of respiratory and cardiovascular products which saw a promising growth of 34% and 28% in sales respectively.

The strategic focus on developing premium and difficult-to-make generics helps strengthen the market position of the Group. Leading the way in this strategic direction, a number of clinically-substantiated products under the anti-viral, cardiovascular and gastro-intestinal therapeutic categories have been approved for marketing in FY2017.

As for other operations, manufacturing units were operating effectively with a steady rise in production output. There were over 2,608 million of tablets and capsules, over 2,719 thousand litres of oral liquid and over 217 tonnes of cream product produced, representing a respective increase of 20.4%, 25.6% and 33.8% versus FY2016.

Proprietary Medicines

Revenue from the Proprietary Medicine segment recorded a year-on-year growth of 13.9% to HK$158.4 million. The sales of Po Chai Pills in Hong Kong, in particular, surged 22.3% to HK$74.2 million. The Group is committed to the strategy of building a proprietary medicine portfolio with regional recognition and an expandable sales platform to penetrate further into the over-the-counter ("OTC") drug markets in Hong Kong, China and other strategically selected markets in Asia Pacific.

From January to March 2017, the Group acquired popular household brands Saplingtan, as well as the manufacturer of proprietary medicines under the heritage brand Ho Chai Kung, respectively. As a result, the Group's proprietary medicine portfolio now comprises well-known brands including the iconic Po Chai Pills, Ho Chai Kung Tji Thung San, Tong Tai Chung Woodlok Oil, Flying Eagle Wood Lok Medicated Oil, Saplingtan and Shiling Oil.

Furthermore in March 2017, the Group announced its acquisition of 70% interest in the retail and wholesale operator Hong Ning Hong Group, a strategic move in advancing sales channels for wider distribution of its proprietary medicine brands.

With the newly secured OTC classification status of Puji Pills in China, the Group has entered into strategic distribution agreements with two well-established distributors in China in November 2016. A subsidiary of Yunnan Baiyao Group Co., Limited has been appointed as distributor of Puji Pills in Yunnan province whilst Zhuhai Jinming Medicine Co., Limited has also been engaged as distributor in Guangdong province.

Product Development

The Group has achieved encouraging progress in its product development during FY2017, highlighted by one of its on-going collaboration research project with Nano & Advanced Materials Institute ("NAMI") on innovative nanoparticles for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease winning the prestigious Gold Medal Award at the 45th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. With the additions of 22 newly-selected products during the year, the Group has a total of 91 products in its research and development pipeline.

The Group's commitment to new product development and advancing research and technology continues to deliver promising results. Aiming for the enhancement of product quality and manufacturing process efficiency, the project on real-time monitoring and end-point determination of pharmaceutical powder blending using near infrared spectroscopic ("NIRS") technology has had an encouraging start with approved funding from the Innovation and Technology Fund. Another project on dry powder coating technology has also been progressing steadily. This platform technology aims to use a patented electrostatic coating technique to develop a cost effective solution for sophisticated coating formulation of a number of premium generics as opposed to conventional techniques.

Mr. Derek Sum, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jacobson Pharma said, "Making the fundamentals right is crucial, which includes maintaining a broad portfolio, introducing new and updated products and entering early with off-patent molecules, whilst other steps are imperative. To remain competitive, we must be well geared up to build a portfolio of strong product brands and ramp up the sophistication of our sales and marketing operations.

Cultivating strong brands is a key factor of success in a market in flux. We are poised to leverage our current premier positions of popular brands, realign the marketing resources and create a dedicated brand management team to better share expertise and ensure optimal resources allocation. The ultimate goal is to build a portfolio of proprietary medicine brands that offers a robust sales revenue stream not only in Hong Kong and China but also in other strategic markets in Asia Pacific."

About Jacobson Pharma Corporation Limited (Stock Code: 2633)

Jacobson Pharma is the largest generic drug company in Hong Kong with over 30% share of the total generic drug market for each year since 2012. The Group's proprietary medicines, notably being Po Chai Pills, Tong Tai Chung Woodlok Oil, Ho Chai Kung Tji Thung San, Contractubex Scar Gel Doan's Ointment, Flying Eagle Wood Lok Medicated Oil, Saplingtan, Shiling Oil and Col-gan Tablet have been widely recognized by the market. Jacobson Pharma has been a constituent stock of MSCI Hong Kong Micro Cap Index since 1 June 2017. For more details about Jacobson Pharma, please visit the Group's website: http://www.jacobsonpharma.com

For media enquiries, please contact:

Strategic Financial Relations Limited

Vicky Lee

Tel: (852) 2864 4834

Email: Email Contact



Angel Li

Tel: (852) 2864 4859

Email: Email Contact



Queenie Chan

Tel: (852) 2864 4851

Email: Email Contact




BALA CYNWYD, PA / ACCESSWIRE / June 23, 2017 / Law office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC announces that it is investigating potential claims against the Board of Directors of Patheon N.V. ("Patheon" or "the Company") (NYSE: PTHN) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law in connection with the sale of the Company to Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. ("TMO").

Click here to learn more http://www.brodskysmith.com/cases/patheon-n-v-nyse-pthn/, or call: 877-534-2590. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Under the terms of the transaction, Patheon shareholders will receive only $35.00 in cash for each share of Patheon stock they own. The investigation concerns whether the Board of Patheon breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders and whether TMO is underpaying for the Company. The transaction may undervalue the Company and may not be in the Patheon shareholders' best interests. For example, on June 8, 2017, the Company reported a fiscal second-quarter profit of $27.6 million, results that exceeded Wall Street expectations and had the Company's stock price moving in an upward trajectory.

If you own shares of Patheon stock and wish to discuss the legal ramifications of the investigation, or have any questions, you may e-mail or call the law office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC who will, without obligation or cost to you, attempt to answer your questions. You may contact Jason L. Brodsky, Esquire or Evan J. Smith, Esquire at Brodsky & Smith, LLC, Two Bala Plaza, Suite 510, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, by visiting http://www.brodskysmith.com/cases/patheon-n-v-nyse-pthn/, or calling toll free 877-LEGAL-90.

Brodsky & Smith, LLC is a litigation law firm with extensive expertise representing shareholders throughout the nation in securities and class action lawsuits. The attorneys at Brodsky & Smith, LLC have been appointed by numerous courts throughout the country to serve as Lead Counsel in class actions and have successfully recovered millions of dollars for their clients and shareholders. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact:

Brodsky & Smith, LLC

www.brodskysmith.com

SOURCE: Brodsky & Smith, LLC
COLUMBUS  After 16 years in Columbus, Platte County Extension employees Allan and Mindy Vyhnalek are moving to Lincoln, a sort of homecoming for the couple.

That's where we started, said Mindy. That's where we went to college, that's where we met, and its kind of fun to go back now.

The Vyhnaleks planned on retiring in Lincoln, so when Allan was offered a position working on farm succession through the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln they couldnt pass it up.

We looked at each other and went, This is an opportunity, said Mindy. We felt like we had to take advantage of that.

Before Columbus, Allan was an Extension educator in Grundy County, Iowa, where the couple raised their two children. After the kids graduated from high school, the Vyhnaleks looked for a way to return to the Cornhusker State. They looked for positions at Extension offices in Nebraska, and Columbus had one available.

We've been treated extraordinarily well, said Allan. People have been very nice to us and very accepting and very welcoming.

Allan became interested in farm transition and succession work six or seven years ago when he learned there was a need for this kind of planning in the ag community.

Clearly, when the average age of a farmer is something like 57 or 58 years old and the average age of a rancher is 64, 65, you know that means half of them are higher than that age, he said. Which means that there's a whole bunch of them that need to think about what's going to happen to that farm or that ranch.

In Lincoln, hell focus on those issues from a statewide perspective.

I'm going to try and get a statewide survey going for people to fill out and give us an idea what the statewide trends are, he said. I'm looking to do the research to figure out how bad is it.

Mindy taught nutritional education, funded by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), at school enrichment programs, 4-H, Columbus Public Schools, Platte Valley Literacy Association and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinics. Through her CPS classes alone, shes worked with more than 1,600 children.

Mindy was also one of the founders and chairpersons of the Weekend Backpack Program at First United Methodist Church.

I was there when that first little piece of paper came and said, 'We should start a backpack program, she said. It was a good experience.

Shell continue to teach nutrition in Lincoln, but plans on shifting to part time.

The couple is also looking forward to being closer to Husker games and Lied Center performances.

We'll just be right there, said Mindy. Its going to be fun to take part in all those activities without the drive.

Theyll also be closer to family, including a son in Omaha, Mindys mother and sister and Allans brother, who still operates the family farm.

I can go help my brother maybe a little more easily, Allan said.

Sixteen years is the longest the couple has stayed in one place, so theres a lot theyre going to miss here.

Foremost, the staff at this Extension office, said Mindy. Its one of the best in the whole state and we've just been a family.

We've had two or three people tell us, Youre leaving. Youre breaking up the family, said Allan. The people here in the office have been extraordinary.

But theyre certain good things will continue coming from this community.

With good people, just like here, you know youre leaving everything in good hands, said Mindy. So good work's going to continue after we're gone.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. ("Sabina") or (the "Company") (TSX: SBB) reports that the exhibits and transcripts from the final public hearings run by the Nunavut Impact Review Board ("NIRB") in relation to the Company's 100% owned Back River Project in Nunavut, Canada are now available on the NIRB website.

As part of the NIRB environmental assessment process, Sabina participated in final public hearings during May 31 - June 3 in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. The hearings were comprised of two days of technical presentations and two days of community roundtable.

At the commencement of the hearings the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, the Government of Nunavut, and all federal regulatory departments had no outstanding technical issues with the project.

All seven Kitikmeot communities were represented at the community roundtable and in their closing statements all communities advised the NIRB that they wanted the project to proceed. In addition, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association confirmed in their closing statements that they believed the Project should proceed.

At the end of the hearings, the NIRB indicated that they will issue the Final Hearing Recommendation Report within 45 days, which is anticipated to be on or about July 18th, 2017.

The link to the transcripts can be found at www.nirb.ca on the public registry tab by searching Back River Project and clicking search documents.

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. is a well-financed, emerging precious metals company with district scale, world class undeveloped assets in one of the world's newest, politically stable mining jurisdictions: Nunavut, Canada.

In September, 2015, Sabina released a Feasibility Study on its 100% owned Back River Gold Project which presents a project that has been designed on a fit-for purpose basis, with the potential to produce approx. 200,000 ounces a year for approx. 11 years with a rapid payback of 2.9 years. At a US$1,150 gold price and a 0.80 exchange rate, the Study delivers a potential after tax internal rate of return of approximately 24.2% with an initial CAPEX of $415 million.

The Project is advancing through the environmental assessment process with final public hearings with the Nunavut Impact Review Board completed during May 31 - June 3, 2017 in Cambridge Bay.

In addition to Back River, Sabina also owns a significant silver royalty on Glencore's Hackett River Project. The silver royalty on Hackett River's silver production is comprised of 22.5% of the first 190 million ounces produced and 12.5% of all silver produced thereafter.

The Company had cash and equivalents of C$43m at March 31, 2017.

All news releases and further information can be found on the Company's website at www.sabinagoldsilver.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All technical reports have been filed on www.sedar.com

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (the "forward-looking statements"), including our belief as to the extent, results and timing of permitting submissions and decisions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. This news release has been authorized by the undersigned on behalf of Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.

Bruce McLeod, President & CEO

375-555 Burrard Street, Two Bentall Centre

Vancouver, BC V7X 1M7

Tel 604 998-4175 Fax 604 998-1051

http://www.sabinagoldsilver.com

Contacts:

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.

Nicole Hoeller

Vice-President, Communications

1 888 648-4218

nhoeller@sabinagoldsilver.com




NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - June 23, 2017) - FMW Media Works Corp. announces its upcoming airing for "NEW TO THE STREET," featuring Financial Gravity Companies, Inc. (OTCQB: FGCO), Bigfoot Project Investments (OTC PINK: BGFT), Big Cheese, Inc. d/b/a The Original Grilled Cheese Truck and HealthEHabitats.

The show's broadcast is Saturday, June 24, 2017, at 3:30 PM Eastern/12:30 Pacific airing nationwide on Fox Business Network TV -- Potentially, reaching 95 million homes. Check your local cable provider's channel lineup to find Fox Business Network in your area.

Airing for the first time on "NEW TO THE STREET," John Pollock, CEO of Financial Gravity Companies, Inc. (OTCQB: FGCO), discusses how his company's addresses 'why many people are frustrated that their CPA, Insurance Agent, Financial Advisor, and Attorney. These professional service providers are all giving conflicting advice, and no one seems to be looking out for the small business owner.' He further explains how people are left to gather an exceptionally complex set of moving data and then make decisions without the experience or wisdom needed to decipher it all."

Financial Gravity Companies, Inc's Fractional Family Office solves the dizzying array of options by starting with reducing your taxes with the Tax Blueprint and the Tax Operating System"

Again, returning to the show, Tom Biscardi, CEO of Bigfoot Project Investments, Inc. keeping our viewers informed on their most recent research expedition in upstate New York, The $1,000,000 Bigfoot Bounty and their plans for the Bigfoot Hotel and museum.

Another, first-time appearance on "NEW TO THE STREET," Toomas Niemen, CEO of HealthEHabitas, which is a rapidly growing Indoor "Environmental Wellness Company " specializing in making the indoor quality of life healthier and safer to live, work or play.

Also appearing for the first time on "NEW TO THE STREET," Big Cheese, Inc. d/b/a/ The Original Grilled Cheese Truck's Executive team, A.J. Cervantes, Chairman; Al Hodges, CEO and President and Chief Creative Officer and Founder, Dave Danhi. The Grilled Cheese Truck has been a highly successful Southern California operation since 2009, and the brand is now being rolled-out nationally and internationally. The company is currently conducting a Title III Crowdfunding offering to fund its launch on www.flashfunders.com.

A.J. Cervantes, whose firm Trilogy Capital, recently acquired the brand, stated, "With numerous awards to its credit and the enormous amount of national and regional publicity the Original Grilled Cheese Truck has received, we believe the time is right to bring this gourmet product to all American cities."

"NEW TO THE STREET" just wrapped up its last series taping on June 20, 2017, at their state of the art studio in New York City, New York. This show will feature a variety of clients, both new and old including; DIB Funding, Inc., the creators of DIBCOIN, Agritek Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: AGTK), CannaSaver, and Live Mana Worldwide LLC.

"New to the Street" films once a month at its studio in Manhattan, NYC. If you would like your company to be included in the line-up on upcoming Broadcasts of "New to the Street," please contact the office at 631.465-0284 or email adam.becker@newtothestreet.com to reserve your place. It is optimal to have two weeks' notice to get the best results for Clients; the next studio date is 7.20.17. Please don't put off reserving your time as "New to the Street" wants to have adequate time to prepare for your interview, press releases and social media campaign preparations.

FMW Media Works Corp. ("New To The Street") is a leading provider of business profiles and special corporate programming. FMW Media Works produces "New To The Street" which paves the way to the latest financial issues, offering a blend of business and financial services news reporting and in-depth interviews relating to new products, economic analysis, and public company profiles. "New To The Street" airs as paid TV programming and airs in the United States reaching potentially 100 million homes, in Canada reaching potentially more than 5.3 million homes and viewed on other select International stations. Visit www.NewToTheStreet.com.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "ongoing," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. This press release should be considered in light of all filings of the Company that is contained in the Edgar Archives of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/6/23/11G141730/Images/FMWNTTS-a88728e7d5598d8e84c334d24f5dfd77.jpg

Contact Information:



For "NEW TO THE STREET."

Adam Becker

(631) 465-0284

adam.becker@newtothestreet.com



Financial Gravity Companies

Jennifer Sanford

jennifer@financialgravity.com
KAPSCH TRAFFICCOM NORTH AMERICA'S STATEMENT ON ITC JUDGE'S INITIAL RULING REJECTING NEOLOGY IP CLAIMS AGAINST 6C

Kapsch TrafficCom North America (Kapsch) is pleased to report that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) judge has ruled in favor of Kapsch in a legal action brought by Neology, Inc. seeking to prevent Kapsch from importing certain electronic tolling products using the ISO/IEC 18000-6C communications protocol ("6C Standard"). Kapsch believes that the 6C Standard is a truly open communications protocol, and the ITC's initial determination in this case supports this position, stating that the patents asserted by Neology are invalid.

Chris Murray, President and CEO of Kapsch TrafficCom North America, says of the decision, "Kapsch will continue to advocate for open-communication and RFID standards. This is to the good of the consumers and the entire economy as it facilitates national electronic tolling interoperability."

Kapsch has been a strong proponent of open standards and interoperability within the Electronic Tolling Solutions industry and marketplace. Open standard communication protocols are critical to meeting the goals of the U.S. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), enacted in 2012, which mandates national agreement on tolling technologies and business practices to facilitate national electronic tolling interoperability. In support of this, Kapsch released and published its Open Standard Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) specification to the public in 2013, enabling open and free access to developers seeking to work with and implement the highly reliable and thoroughly tested TDM specification. The TDM protocol is currently utilized by the E-ZPass Group, the largest interoperable tolling network in the country.

Kapsch believes that any protocol utilized in the industry, such as the 6C Standard should remain open. In the face of Neology's various efforts to extract an undeserved multi-million dollar payout, Kapsch held its ground and stood up for the right to practice the 6C Standard in the tolling and RFID industry. Through Kapsch's efforts, the U.S. Patent Office re-reviewed and already invalidated a large portion of the patent claims behind Neology's 6C Standard proprietary assertions.

"Kapsch is a firm believer in open standards to facilitate national electronic tolling interoperability, and determined that ensuring a truly open ISO 18000-6C standard is critical if it is to play a role in achieving the MAP 21 goals," said Chris Murray.

This decision continues Kapsch's string of success against Neology's baseless 6C Standard claims and confirms that the 6C Standard remains open for use by anyone in the tolling and RFID industry. Although Neology may appeal this decision to the full International Trade Commission, the ITC judge's decision is consistent with previous decisions by the Patent Office. Kapsch is confident that outcome in its favor will be upheld by the Commission.

Kapsch TrafficCom is a provider of intelligent transportation systems in the fields of tolling, traffic management, smart urban mobility, traffic safety and security, and connected vehicles. As a one-stop solutions provider, Kapsch TrafficCom offers end-to-end solutions covering the entire value creation chain of its customers, from components and design to the implementation and operation of systems. The mobility solutions supplied by Kapsch TrafficCom help make road traffic safer and more reliable, efficient, and comfortable in urban areas and on highways alike while helping to reduce pollution.

Kapsch TrafficCom is an internationally renowned provider of intelligent transportation systems thanks to the many projects it has brought to successful fruition in more than 50 countries around the globe. The family-owned company is headquartered in Vienna, Austria and in 2017 celebrated 125 years of successfully developing and implementing new technologies for the benefit of its customers. As part of the Kapsch Group, Kapsch TrafficCom has subsidiaries and branches in more than 30 countries. It has been listed in the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange since 2007 (ticker symbol: KTCG). Kapsch TrafficCom currently has more than 4,800 employees, and generated revenue of approximately EUR 526 million in fiscal year 2015/16.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005522/en/

Contacts:

Press Contact:

Kapsch TrafficCom North America

Nicole Busse, 703-203-1028

Manager, Marketing Communications

8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 1002

McLean, VA 22102

nicole.busse@kapsch.net

or

Investor Contact:

Kapsch TrafficCom AG

Hans Lang, +43 50 811 1120

Investor Relations Officer

Am Europlatz 2, 1120 Vienna, Austria

ir.kapschtraffic@kapsch.net


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has indicated he is troubled by the friendship between former FBI Director James Comey and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.



Trump told 'Fox & Friends' in an interview that aired on Friday that Mueller is an 'honorable man' and said he is hopeful the investigation of Russian interference in last year's election will reach an 'honorable conclusion.'



However, Trump also noted that Mueller is 'very, very good friends with Comey,' which he described as 'very bothersome.'



Trump's decision to fire Comey, who worked alongside Mueller before succeeding him as FBI Director in 2013, was partly behind the decision to appoint a special counsel to lead the investigation.



The president also claimed Mueller's team conducting the investigation is being led by supporters of his presidential election opponent Hillary Clinton.



'I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters, some of them worked for Hillary Clinton,' Trump said. 'I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth.'



According to ABC News, federal law and Justice Department policy prohibits assessing potential employees based on their political or ideological affiliations.



The wide-ranging interview also included a discussion of Trump's revelation that he does not have recordings of his conversations with Comey.



Trump argued that his tweet suggesting there may be recordings of the meetings may have led Comey to be more truthful in his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.



'When he found out that there may be tapes out there . . . I think his story may have changed,' Trump said. 'I mean you'll have to take a look at that, because then he has to tell what actually happened at the events.'



'He did admit that what I said was right,' the president added. 'And if you look further back, before he heard about that, I think maybe he wasn't admitting that.'



Trump was seemingly referring to Comey's acknowledgment that he told the president several times that he was not under investigation.



However, Trump has denied Comey's claims that he asked for a pledge of loyalty and directed the then-FBI chief to drop an investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.



(Photo: Gage Skidmore)



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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GATINEAU, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- 22nd Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie

Meeting in Gatineau for the 22nd Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, the provincial and territorial ministers responsible for the Canadian Francophonie discussed French-language services. The ministers in attendance made a commitment to invest in providing more government information and services in French for Francophone minority communities.

"Thanks to great exchanges on promising practices being used in several jurisdictions, we are confident that we can support one another in order to give tangible expression to this commitment," said the Honourable John Streicker, the minister responsible for the French Language Services Directorate for the Yukon Government. Governments will align their priorities with the needs identified in Francophone communities, in accordance with available resources. They anticipate the collaboration of the federal government to ensure that the amounts allocated under bilateral cooperation agreements are increased.

The ministers in attendance agreed to pursue the dialogue and collaboration established with their colleagues responsible for immigration to ensure the implementation of the recommendations from the Forum on Francophone Immigration held in Moncton in March 2017. The ministers also discussed the Francophone Heritage, Culture and Tourism Corridor, a legacy for the country's French-speaking community on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Canadian federation. The Conference, whose mandate is to contribute to the development of the Canadian Francophonie, acted as a catalyst in this innovative project.

The ministers in attendance also discussed the substantial demand for French-speaking education and early childhood personnel. They hope to pursue the dialogue with their respective colleagues responsible for those files.

The next Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie will be held in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, on June 20 and 21, 2018.

The Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, created in 1994, is the only intergovernmental forum that brings together the ministers responsible for the Canadian Francophonie. The Conference works for an open, dynamic, and diverse Francophonie that contributes to, and participates fully in, the growth of Canadian society. For more information, consult the website of the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie at www.cmfc-mccf.ca.

Contacts:

Sylvie Painchaud

Acting National Coordinator

Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie

506-292-3415

sylvie.painchaud@gnb.ca



Nancy Power

Communications and Policy Manager

French Language Services Directorate

Government of the Yukon

867-689-5888

Nancy.power@gov.yk.ca




GATINEAU, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 06/23/17 -- 22nd Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie

The federal, provincial, and territorial ministers responsible for the Canadian Francophonie have wrapped up two days of work during which they discussed important issues for the Francophone and Acadian communities, including access to justice services in French and the enhancement of government services in French.

For the first time since it was established in 1994, this annual meeting was hosted by the Government of Canada. The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, and the Honourable John Streicker, the minister responsible for the French Language Services Directorate for the Yukon government.

"Our two official languages are central to who we are," said the Honourable Melanie Joly. "Celebrating Canada 150 gives us an excellent opportunity to show that the Canadian Francophonie is more dynamic than ever. That is why the Canadian government is proud to be hosting the 2017 Conference right here in the National Capital Region. Also, this conference makes it possible for the different levels of government to get together to highlight the strength of our Francophone communities throughout the country and take steps to ensure their vitality for the next 150 years and beyond."

"I am very pleased with the progress we have made together again this year on major issues," said the Honourable John Streicker. "We have worked enthusiastically on identifying actions we can take to make sure our Francophone and Acadian communities remain dynamic and continue, as they always have done, to contribute to the prosperity of each province and territory."

In this spirit, the ministers in attendance agreed to incrementally offering more government services in French to the general public, a determining factor in the vitality of our Francophone and Acadian communities. The ministers will present their cumulative accomplishments at their 2021 annual meeting.

With respect to access to justice, the ministers agreed to review, with the ministers responsible for justice in their jurisdictions, measures to be taken to allow and facilitate the use of French in family law matters. They wish to share the results of this review at their next annual meeting to develop potential solutions.

The ministers agreed to continue the dialogue and collaboration established with their colleagues responsible for immigration during the Forum on Francophone Immigration in Moncton in March 2017 to ensure the implementation of the recommendations from that Forum, including holding a second intergovernmental forum and a symposium with the community sector.

The ministers also continued their discussions on another initiative that is well under way, the Francophone Heritage, Culture and Tourism Corridor, a legacy of the 150th anniversary that will contribute to the promotion of Francophone and Acadian communities across the country.

This year, the Conference also welcomed author Kim Thuy, who shared her experience as a refugee who adopted French when she came to Canada and then became known internationally through her novels written in her adoptive language.

The Government of Nunavut will host the next Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie on June 20 and 21, 2018, in Iqaluit.

The Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, created in 1994, is the only intergovernmental forum that brings together the ministers responsible for the Canadian Francophonie. The Conference works for an open, dynamic, and diverse Francophonie that contributes to, and participates fully in, the growth of Canadian society. For more information, consult the website of the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie at www.cmfc-mccf.ca.

Contacts:

Sylvie Painchaud

Acting National Coordinator

Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie

506-292-3415

sylvie.painchaud@gnb.ca



Nancy Power

Communications and Policy Manager

French Language Services Directorate

Yukon Government

(867) 689-5888

Nancy.power@gov.yk.ca



Pierre-Olivier Herbert

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage

819-997-7788



Media Relations

Canadian Heritage

819-994-9101

1-866-569-6155

pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca




The global canola oil marketis expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 5% during the forecast period, according to Technavio's latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005622/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global canola oil market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

In this report, Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the global canola oil marketfor 2017-2021. The market is segmented based on application (cooking oil and industrial oil) and end-user (manufacturing, food services, and retail sector).

The global canola oil market was valued at USD 22.23 billion in 2016. The growth is expected to be primarily due to the increasing awareness about healthy lifestyle and the nutritional benefits associated with the oil. Though canola oil is gaining popularity in various developed and developing countries, it is affected by the presence of many other oils that are labeled as healthy in the market. This makes the consumers skeptical about the credibility of these products as players try to position most types of edible oils as healthy.

Technavio's food and beverages research analysts categorize the global canola oil market into the following segments by regions:

APAC

Americas

EMEA

APAC: largest canola oil market

"Increased rate of health issues and chronic diseases, caused due to the consumption of high-fat oil and butter, have increased the demand for healthy oils. Also, a large number of domestic edible oil brands in the region have started selling canola oil, which will propel the market," says Manjunath Reddy, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on food

In APAC, China and India are the largest contributors to canola oil consumption owing to the growing awareness among people about a healthy lifestyle. Other countries, such as Japan, Australia, Thailand, and Pakistan, also contribute to a significant portion of canola oil consumption in the region. It is expected that the awareness among consumers will increase further, which will positively affect the revenue generated by the regional market.

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Canola oil market in Americas

"In the past few years, the US scientists have shown an interest in the properties of canola oil that help in lowering cholesterol. This has made the US consumers to consider the oil as healthy," says Manjunath.

The Americas is witnessing a shift toward healthy oils owing to the increase in demand for healthy food among consumers. Olive oil is considered as a healthy oil; however, many consumers cannot afford it owing to its high price. Therefore, players of canola oil are using this opportunity to position canola oil as healthy and affordable to attract masses.

Canola oil market in EMEA

Compared with APAC, the overall production of canola oil in the EMEA region is low. However, this oil has recently gained popularity among consumers owing to its health benefits and its flavor and versatility (the oil can be used in cooking, baking, and frying, and in dips and salad dressings).

The European Union (EU) is one of the largest markets and producers of canola oil and seeds. Globally, canola exports have increased owing to the increase in exports by the EU. Among the EU nations, France, Germany, the UK, Poland, Hungary, and Romania attribute to the highest canola oil consumption rates. Also, more than half of the demand for canola oil in the EU accounts for biodiesel production, where Germany, France, and Spain are the largest biodiesel-producing countries.

The top vendors in the global canola oil market highlighted in the report are:

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

Associated British Foods (ABF)

Bunge

Cargill's

Wilmar International

Browse Related Reports:

Global Tapioca Market 2017-2021

Global Baking Ingredients Market 2017-2021

Global Meat Substitutes Market 2017-2021

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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 media@technavio.com.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 23, 2017) - China Minerals Mining Corporation (TSXV: CMV) (OTC Pink: HWTHF) ("China Minerals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has retained Paul Cowley, P.Geo, of Buena Tierra Developments Ltd. to prepare a National Instrument 43-101 technical report concerning the Company's Table Mountain and Taurus Properties. The Company anticipates that the technical report will be completed in August 2017.

About China Minerals Mining Corporation

China Minerals Mining Corporation is a Canadian based exploration and development company with offices located in Vancouver, B.C. and Beijing, China. China Minerals' goal is to build an international mining company.

For more information on China Minerals, please contact the Company at (604) 694-2344, or visit the Company's website at www.chinamineralsmining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"signed by Ling Zhu"

Ling Zhu

Executive Chairman

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in China Minerals' periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "appear", "should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.

Although China Minerals has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and China Minerals disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 5, 2017) - Data Deposit Box Inc. (CSE: DDB) (OTC Pink: DDBXF) (FSE: 2DD) ("Data Deposit Box"), a global provider of cloud backup and recovery technology, announces that, further to its press release dated August 30, 2017, effective August 30, 2017 Troy Cheeseman has resigned as a director of Data Deposit Box.

Management and the board of directors would like to thank Mr. Cheeseman for his contributions to the board of Data Deposit Box.

About Data Deposit Box

Data Deposit Box, a pioneer of cloud backup and recovery technology, has set a new industry standard by providing the SMB market with the same level of security and protection that is available to large enterprises. Data Deposit Box patented backup technology, known for its Exabyte scalability, advanced data reduction capabilities and ease-of-use, has won prestigious industry awards and has been featured in many key industry publications.

Data Deposit Box technologies and solutions are currently used daily by SMB customers for online backup and recovery, archiving, disaster readiness, secure file sharing, and remote access.

For More Information Contact:

Tim Jewell, CEO Data Deposit Box Inc.

Telephone: 416-238-7596

Email: tjewell@datadepositbox.com

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
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The mayors from Tripoli and Sirte led a delegation to Trieste in Italy on 13-15 June to assess whether the fishing cooperatives of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region could serve as a model for Libya's fishermen. The visit is the latest example of cooperation between members of the European Committee of the Regions and local authorities in Libya.



The study trip, which included tours of fish farms, a visit to a fish-processing plant and meetings with Italian fishermen, came at the initiative of Franco Iacop (IT/PES), president of the regional council of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). In proposing the visit, Mr Iacop suggested that the experience that cooperatives in Friuli Venezia Giulia have developed over more than a century of fishing could be of use to Libyan fishermen as they seek to develop their industry and market their catch internationally.



The Libyan fisheries industry, which is based on family units, is struggling to meet the requirements set for sale of fish to the European Union. During the study visit, the Libyan politicians and officials also met local business leaders.



The Libyan delegates came from Tobruk and Benghazi as well as from Tripoli and Sirte, site of one of the most important military clashes in the country's ongoing unrest. The group of ten was led by Abdelrauf Beitelmal, mayor of Tripoli, and Mukhtar Bin Khaleefah, mayor of Sirte.



Mr Beitelmal is the principal Libyan initiator of the collaboration between the European Committee of the Regions and Libyan mayors, which dates back to mid-2015, when he led a group of elected mayors to the CoR. In January 2016, Mr Beitelmal wrote to members of the Committee of the Regions on behalf of Libyan mayors, asking if they could find ways of supporting Libyan municipalities in six specific areas: water management, waste management, financial management, primary health care, public administration, and language training.



Members of the Committee of the Regions have already provided initial support in the six areas identified by Mr Beitelmal and discussed in Nicosia at a meeting in 2016 of mayors from the EU and the Mediterranean region. The CoR's collaboration  known internally as the 'Nicosia initiative'  has since expanded beyond the original request, to include support for counter-radicalisation efforts as well as the development of the Libyan fisheries industry.


Its going to be too expensive to be served in India, thanks to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will become a reality on 1 July. This is because the new tax regime is going to increase the tax incidence on many services.

From telecom to banking, most of the services will get costly once the tax regime kicks in. Your monthly telephone bill will increase, as the gains from input tax credit will not be that significant. At present, telecom consumers are charged 15 percent in form of tax plus cess over their phone bills. From 1 July, it will rise to 18 percent.

According to ToI, mobile operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Jio pushed for lowering of GST rates to 5 percent at par with essential services, but the government decided to persist with 18 percent rate.

We are disappointed that there has been no change in the GST rate for telecom, which is an essential service. It will increase the cost to consumers, COAI director-general Rajan S Mathews had told PTI last week. Earlier this month, GST Council had lowered tax rates on 66 of the 133 items demanded by various sections of the industry. Telecom wasnt one of them.

If making calls will become expensive, so will insurance. The tax burden will push the premium paid by consumers. In fact, pure term insurance plans will be hit the most as the tax rises from 15 percent to 18 percent. Ironically, its the best kind of insurance policy from a financial product point of view. In a nation where a major chunk of population is under insured, a move like this will surely impact buying decision.

If you plan to go out for a meal, be ready to shell out more money as well. The tax rate for air-conditioned restaurants, including restaurants in five-star hotels, has been set at 18 percent.

Renting of hotels, inns, guest houses, clubs, campsites or other commercial places meant for residential or lodging purposes having room tariff Rs 1,000 and above but less than Rs 2,500 per room per day has been set at 12 percent.

Further, renting of hotels, inns, guest houses, clubs, campsites or other commercial places meant for residential or lodging purposes where room tariff is Rs 2,500 and above but less than Rs 5,000 per room per day, the GST rate has been fixed at 18 percent.

In the case of accommodation in hotels including 5 star and above rated hotels, inns, guest houses, clubs, campsites or other commercial places meant for residential or lodging purposes, where room rent is Rs 5,000and above per night per room, the rate stands at 28 percent.

"This isnt a move which hotelier have welcomed, The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India President Dilip Datwani recently told PTI.

While neighbouring countries pay 5-12 percent GST or equivalent tax, hotels in India would be levying up to 28 percent GST. This may not augur well with foreign inbound tourists who are lured with significant deals and sops by our neighbours," Datwani said.

In short, brace yourself for 1 July, as GST is coming.

Schedule of GST Rates for Services by Firstpost on Scribd

With inputs from PTI
If Indias mid-night tryst with GST (Goods & Services Tax) on 30 June -- a la Indias awakening to freedom in the wee hours of 15 August seven decades ago -- is a hype that is necessary is a moot question. Well, the GST is an important tax reform in independent India, but to celebrate it on the same scale as Indias freedom appears to be a travesty. But then some place a premium on ceremony over substance.

What is the substance of our GST? It is supposed to create a one nation, one tax system. In reality, it is not. We have created six tax rates, and, still, left several items to the discretion of the states and the Centre. The biggest revenue generating items, such as petroleum and alcohol  that contribute more than 40 percent of the state revenue  are outside the purview of the GST. The states will continue to levy taxes as per their whims.

Why did we then not give up the facade of one nation, one tax and follow the Canada example where the standard federal consumption tax is 5 percent and provinces have been given the leeway to decide their taxation rate? Canada proclaims that it is a federation and it gives the states enough leeway to plan out its revenue and expenditure. We may say that the concept of GST stands on its head in Canada, but that has not made Canada any less attractive a market than nations which boast of a perfect GST model.

Or, take the case of the other north American country, the United States of America, the biggest economy of the world. Here is a country, too vast and too federal for our liking, which has refused to implement a one-nation GST or even a comprehensive VAT (value-added tax) regime spanning the country. It has left to each of its 50 states to decide if it would implement a sales tax on goods and services and the rate to be applied to them. This truly federal nation is an envy of the world market. It has shown that the magic wand of one nation, one tax is not necessary to transform the economy.

The Peoples Republic of China is, of course, a totalitarian country, but it has emerged as a major economic powerhouse today, threatening to displace the US as the biggest economy in the world. China too does not have a comprehensive GST regime. There are two main forms of indirect taxes operational in China  VAT and Consumption Tax. Till April 2016, China also had a business tax (BT) provision that applied to service taxes. It has now been done away with. Though China has a peak VAT rate of 17 percent, the other rates of 3, 6, 11 and 13 percent apply to most of the goods. And there are no surcharges, whatever. Compare this with our GST that we are boasting about: our peak rate is 28 percent and there are huge surcharges over what they call demerit goods.

Whether it is the top democratic economies or the authoritarian ones, a nation-wide GST has not been a precursor of economic transformation. So the unusual hype over its implementation in our country is uncalled for.

What is further misplaced is the unusual emphasis on the deadline. Yes, the countrys decision-making cannot be laidback, but forcing the pace of the implementation of a new tax regime can turn out to be counter-productive as well.

We must remember that New Zealand, the pioneer of the concept of the GST regime in the world in 1986, laid down every detail of the rules, provisions, penalties before the country and then set aside a two-year period for feedback from the business community and consultation and education of the general public. The New Zealand government continually reviewed and revised its policies in the light of the insights received from the practitioners and the lay citizens. The democratic leaders of New Zealand did not believe in the principle of implement first, change later policy.

In a country like New Zealand which introduced a single taxation structure  10 percent  and minimal exemptions, the GST was rather simple to fathom and administer. Still the government allowed a two-year hiatus before formally implementing it.

Australia, another pioneer of the GST movement, had also set in motion the GST debate for more than a decade. The Asprey report called for a broad-based consumption tax in 1975 on the basis of which the then government, after due diligence, published the Reform of the Australian Tax System Draft White Paper in 1985. The National Taxation Summit made drastic changes in these proposals. After intense nation-wide consultations, the GST regime was finally put in place in 2000. That is how a democratic regime should function.

But we, the biggest democracy in the world, believe only in the wisdom of our public representatives. Most of these representatives would themselves be GST-illiterate but they raised hands in their respective legislatures to endorse a taxation system created in the ivory tower by the bureaucracy.

There was little time for the affected parties or the public at large to be part of the debate. The GST Council was busy till late last month finalising the rate structures and fixing various items to different slabs. In fact, several tinkerings went on even this month, when prominent personalities raised some objections.

Only two days ago, the government made public the anti-profiteering rules that provide for cancellation of registration of any business entity which did not pass on the benefit of lower taxes to the consumers. It is good in intent, but are there built-in provisions to ensure that it does not bring in the spectre of license-permit raj, that it does not become the breeding ground of corruption? There was a need for discussion on this matter.

The government might say that the GST Network is ready to roll out 3.5 billion transactions a month. But the government should have listened to the agony of the business groups that find the network mostly under maintenance. The chairman of the GST Network Navin Kumar himself said in an interview on Tuesday that there was little time for doing an audit of the Networks performance and it would be done as the things move in due course.

Is this the way we want to usher in the biggest tax-reform measure and, moreover, put it on the same pedestal as the onset of Indias freedom as a nation?
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India today said it has not issued any instructions restricting the exchange of Qatari riyals in the country.

The central bank came up with the clarification amid reports that certain authorised dealers/persons are not undertaking the sale or purchase of the Qatari currency.

"It is clarified that the Reserve Bank has not issued any instructions restricting the exchange of Qatari Riyals in India," RBI said in a notification.

Under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, Reserve Bank authorises persons to deal in foreign exchange as authorised dealers.

Several countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, among others, cut ties to Qatar this month over allegations that the Persian Gulf country funds terrorism.
New Delhi: Amid rising concerns over the financial stress in the telecom sector, communications minister Manoj Sinha on Thursday assured industry bigwigs Sunil Bharti Mittal and Anil Ambani as well as other telecom players that "corrective steps" will be taken to ensure growth of the telcos.

"The report (of the inter-ministerial group) will come soon...corrective steps will be taken by the government for ensuring orderly growth in this sector in terms of services to the common man," Sinha said after a two-hour meeting with telecom honchos to discuss the financial difficulties being faced by the sector.

The meeting comes just days after an inter-ministerial group held a dialogue with all telecom companies on the industry's financial stress and measures that can be taken to ease the situation.

Apart from Bharti Airtel Chairman Mittal and Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani, today's meeting was also attended by Idea Cellular Managing Director Himanshu Kapania, Tata Sons Director Ishaat Hussain and Reliance Jio Infocomm Board Member Mahendra Nahata. According to a report in the Business Standard, representatives of Vodafone and Aircel were not present at the meeting.

Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan was also present at the meeting.

Jio had last week ascribed the financial stress in the sector to existing operators like Airtel and Idea running businesses on debt and investing heavily in unrelated sectors. Jio alleged that the incumbent operators had been reluctant in infusing equity and hence the financial stress is their own creation.

Asked about Jio's allegations that operators were not infusing enough equity, Mittal quipped, "You can see our balance sheet."

The incumbent operators have been saying that the current call connect charge (or Interconnection Usage Charges) of 14 paise/minute is below cost and needs to be corrected to "prevent predatory voice pricing environment".

India's largest telecom company Bharti Airtel had earlier accused Jio of predatory pricing and demanded that operators be paid more for calls terminating on their networks as also the right to retain customers through incentives.

The large operators have also been asking for reduction of levies like licence fee, spectrum usage charges and GST. They have also sought an extension on deferred spectrum liabilities, meaning that the amount they bid for radiowaves should be payable over a longer period.

Citing Rs 4.6 lakh crore cumulative debt of the sector, the incumbents have made a case for urgent relief measures like extension on payment of deferred spectrum liability and cut in levies.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India too had met the telecom companies last week, where Idea Cellular suggested imposition of a minimum floor price for voice and data services.

(Disclosure - Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd)
New Delhi: The trailer launch of the upcoming film Raagdesh will be taking place at Parliament here.

The film's director Tigmanshu Dhulia says it is to honour the heroes of the Independence struggle.

"To launch the trailer of Raagdesh in the Parliament honours the heroes of the Independence struggle. It is the first time that Parliament has allowed a trailer launch and that in itself is a big honour for our film," Dhulia said in a statement.

Raagdesh is the story of the famous Red Fort trial of the Three INA officers that changed the course of India's freedom movement.

Talking about the film, Dhulia said: "The Red Fort trial is one of the most interesting and relevant parts of our Independence history. And Raagdesh is about that fascinating case."

The film's cast includes Kunal Kapoor, Amit Sadh and Mohit Marwah. It is presented by Rajya Sabha TV and produced by Gurdeep Singh Sappal.

Raagdesh is slated to release on July 28.
"Kya tumhe yakeen hai, partner?" Do you have faith? Confidence? Conviction? Do you believe?

The question is repeated throughout writer-director Kabir Khans Tubelight, in which Salman Khan plays a Kumaoni man waiting for his brother to return from the India-China war of 1962. It has its origins in the 2015 Hollywood venture Little Boy on which this film is based, in which the boy Peppers actions were driven by these words of Jesus Christ in the New Testament of the Bible: For truly I say unto you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say unto this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. And nothing shall be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)

In Tubelight, the child hero of Little Boy who is plagued by insecurities about his small size, becomes a slow-witted adult called Laxman Singh Bisht who is taunted by the local bully Narayan (played by Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub); Jesus and a kindly Christian priest are replaced by Mahatma Gandhi and the elderly Gandhian gentleman Banne Chacha (Om Puri) who is a sort of spiritual guide to the protagonist; and a father away fighting in World War II becomes Laxmans brother Bharat (Sohail Khan) fighting the Chinese. The title of this film, of course, is a reference to the colloquialism (cruel, in this case) that is used by Narayan & Co to equate Laxmans congenitally imperfect intellect with the time it takes for a tubelight to come on.

Laxman and Bharat lost their parents when they were very young, and have been everything to each other ever since. When Bharat leaves their town of Jagatpur for the battlefield, Laxman becomes convinced that his faith can bring back his beloved sibling.

Meanwhile, Liling and her son Guo move into Jagatpur and are tormented by Narayan who assumes that they are Chinese and therefore, the enemy. As it turns out, their origins, his mistreatment of them and Laxmans reaction are a decisive slap in the face of pseudo patriots currently dominating the national discourse in India, demanding that all of us  but especially religious minorities, liberals across faiths and Kashmiri Muslims  wear our patriotism on our sleeve, and constantly asking for proof of our love for Bharat Mata. Like them, in Narayans worldview too, anyone who can be deemed the other  Liling, Guo, even Laxman  is a potential target of suspicion, violence and/or contempt.

Since this is a Kabir Khan film, it goes without saying that it is steeped in political commentary from start to finish. In Kabirs hands, every word, every look, every turn of phrase takes on a special meaning, especially in the context in which the film has been made. There is a passage in which Laxman, initially swayed by prejudice himself, demands that Guo prove his Indianness by shouting Bharat Mata ki jai and, later, by speaking Hindi. The boys differing reactions to the two demands are both hilarious and telling.

This is the sort of material few Bollywood directors would dare to feature in such a massive, big-budget film. Kabir dares. The man who risked giving us Bajrangi Bhaijaan just a year after Narendra Modi won the general election pulls no punches two years later.

For his courage, above all else, he deserves kudos. But good cinema is not about courage alone. Tubelight works in the first half because its messaging is subtle and woven into an endearing story filled with humour and warmth, and because it pointedly tells us not to be as literal in our interpretation of the point it makes as Laxman is with Banne Chachas wisdom. It flounders repeatedly in the second half though, when it begins to stretch itself, loses much of its layering and becomes overtly manipulative.

Dont get me wrong. I love being reduced to tears by a film, and I spent a considerable part of the post-interval portion happily crying, because what was playing out on screen has such stinging resonance when seen in the light of what is happening off screen in the real India. There was no need, therefore, for the insertion of two maudlin songs in the second half. 'Tinka tinka dil mera' was particularly infuriating, and both numbers felt as if they had been put there because the director did not have enough faith in his storys ability to move us and wanted a safety net. You know, just in case.

Even the upbeat 'Radio' felt like an afterthought, as if to compensate any audience member bored by the gravity of the films theme. It is Tubelights equivalent of the loud Punjabi wedding song n dance number that is now a commercial Hindi film cliche. Sure it is fun, but it is also completely incongruous considering the kind of film that this is.

Besides, the screenplay of Bajrangi Bhaijaan (by Kabir, Parveez Shaikh and KV Vijayendra Prasad) was comprehensive and well-rounded, whereas this one (by Kabir and Shaikh) is not as nuanced and well thought out. [Spoiler alert] The writers might want to consider, for instance, why it was necessary to make Liling and Guo Indians of Chinese origin, rather than citizens from any of the sister states of the North-east, and what precious meaning has been lost by making this choice. Elsewhere, Banne Chacha seems confused beyond a point by the effect his words have had on Laxman and fades away. [Spoiler alert ends] This is a pity because the late Om Puri is better utilised in the first half of Tubelight than he has been in the highly acclaimed Death In The Gunj that is also now in theatres, and unlike his somewhat listless performance in that film, here in Tubelight there is enough to remind us of the great actor he once was.

While reams of screen space are given to Laxman, not enough time is spent on developing the supporting characters, especially Liling and Guo. Zhu Zhu is beautiful, Matin Rey Tangu is utterly lovable, and both are clearly gifted actors, but the mother and son they play feel more like props than full-fledged people who we can invest in. In fact, the considerate Major Tokas (played nicely by the always wonderful Yashpal Sharma) is much better written than these two. Frankly, so is the character played by a very sexy-looking (Im-not-trying-to-camouflage-my-age kind of sexy) Shah Rukh Khan in a significant cameo.

Liling and Guo are a far cry from the well-fleshed-out Shahida and Chand Nawab of Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

The two things that remain consistent and commendable throughout Tubelight are the polished cinematography by Kabirs long-time associate Aseem Mishra and (possible spoiler ahead) the writers non-conformist, non-formulaic determination not to force a romance into their storyline.

At the centre of Tubelights balance sheet is Salman Khan. He is both the films biggest asset and its greatest liability. Salmans acting limitations are painfully evident in this film and I kept wondering what Tubelight might have been if Laxman had been played by Irrfan Khan or Nawazuddin Siddiqui, or even Hrithik Roshan under his fathers controlled direction.

In fact, Salman here seems to be drawing on Hrithiks Rohit from Koi Mil Gaya and the contrast between the two stars abilities is embarrassing. That said, it is obvious that the pre-release attention this film has received has been almost entirely due to his megastar presence. I have to also admit to being relieved that at this stage of his career, when he could play it safe with conventional projects, he is at least trying to do something different and is taking on films that many other major stars might consider politically risky.

There is so much to celebrate in Tubelight, that it hurts to point out what is wrong with it. This is a brave film yet so much of its bravery is lost in the over-wrought tone of the second half and the strained acting by its leading man.

Still, with Tubelight, my glass is half full and not half empty. When your head points out several exasperating aspects of a film and you still find yourself weeping with it, there is something to be said about the directors ability to strike an emotional chord. Whatever be my reservations, the big takeaway for me from Tubelight is that Salman Khan and Kabir Khan have once again teamed up in trying times to deliver a resounding snub to bigotry.
By Maya Palit

Its a little ominous when the good-hearted hero taking on an aggro jingoist in a film is big on the phrase 'Bharat mata ki jai'. Its even direr when the hero asks his friend, an Indian-Chinese child, to repeat the phrase to prove he is Hindustani at heart. When the child yells it so loudly and proudly that he scares away the grazing sheep, there isnt much to do except perhaps check your watch and gulp as you realise that the interval is still a good way away.

Kabir Khans new film Tubelight, starring Salman Khan, tries to showcase a friendship between a man with the brain of a child, and a young boy who is apparently from the enemy camp. Its an adaptation of Little Boy, a 2015-war drama, where a child from a small town cultivates a friendship with a Japanese-American man who is ostracised by the rest of the towns inhabitants because World War II is on and tensions are sky-high. Its infused with Christian moralism because it shows the child trying to follow the corporal acts of mercy to persuade God to bring home his soldier father. And making friends with the outcast Japanese man is an instruction from his local priest.

Replace the Catholic god with Gandhi, the setting with the Indo-Sino war, and the young boy with Lakshman (Salman Khan) yearning for Bharat  his soldier brother  to return and you have the set-up of Tubelight. After his benevolent uncle (Om Puri) suggests that following Gandhis tenets about loving your dushman will bring home his brother from the front, Lakshman is adamant to befriend Guo (Matin Rey Tangu) and his mother Lilin (Zhu Zhu).

Kabir and Salman have already done Pakistan and cross-border friendship with Bajrangi Bhaijaan, where a young mute Pakistani Muslim girl makes friends with Salman, a rabid Hanuman supporter and the son of an RSS member, who saves the day (and her) by putting aside political differences. And this film might have had the same transcending state enemies mould, except that it goes to a huge amount of pain to make it gobsmackingly obvious that Lilin and Guo arent dushmans at all. They might look different, sure. But whats a little ethnic difference when you speak impeccable Hindi, estrange yourself from all Chinese family ties, cry copiously at the funerals of slain Indian soldiers, and scatter hungry ewes from their pasture with your patriotic bleats? Hum Hindustanti hai, say Lilin and Guo, and boom, you have a picture-perfect conversion as seamless and non-threatening as the Kumaoni landscape of the film.

Does the film have a more nuanced take on its other friendships? Not really. Bechdel test toh bhul hi jao, because apart from Lilin theres only one other woman character Maya, whose role in the little screen time she gets is to cry often and watch out for Lakshman (shes instructed to do this by his uncle). At the heart of both the film and its public appeal is the unshakeable bromance between Lakshman and Bharat, who adores his brother and patronises him only a little for being slow. (A photo series posted by Salman of the bhaigiri on the sets has gone viral on Twitter.)

This dynamic could have been sweet and genuine, if it didnt look  as this amazing review points out, and my friend bellowed at the screen  like two grown ass men rolling around the countryside in shorts, doing goofy dances to pretty good songs, horse riding, and perfecting a Calvin-and-Hobbesesque jump off a cliff into a river. Thats because Salman Khan is wholly unconvincing in the role hes trying to pull off as someone with developmental disabilities (so much so that this reviewer isnt being ruthless when he says it looked like Salman aimed for a Forrest Gump and ended up with worse than Hrithik in Koi Mil Gaya), and looks and sounds constipated most of the time.

Its only towards the end of this very long film (just shy of 3 hours) though, that you gauge exactly how much of a sham the friendship between Lakshman and the outsiders is, especially when Lilin and Guo accompany him, for no reason at all, to the front where he reunites with his soldier brother (whom they havent even met before). As the camera cuts between them and a jubilant Salman, they cry when he cries, they look elated when he does, after realising his brother isnt paralysed from the war. The actors are great, but they ultimately become flat mirrors to bhais emotions. The bad Chinese soldiers are nowhere in the picture, and the solidarity between the Indians and these Chinese-but-not-really duo who is Hindustani at heart is set in stone.

It would be an understatement to say that we are at a time when engaging with political and communal differences (or indeed with dissent) in India is being trapped inside a cauldron at boiling point. It was already way past the simmer when, last year, Baba Ramdev said that if there wasnt a law restraining him, he would order the beheading of anyone who didnt say, Bharat Mata ki Jai. And a more measured response from him recommended that the Centre put in place an amendment to promote the chant. That was followed by the Bollywood veteran actor Anupam Kher confirming this year that the phrase is the only definition of nationalism in India.

Salman Khans character isnt that bad, you could demur. No, he doesnt want to decapitate lakhs of people for not saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' (the only violent instinct he shows is during a derailed attempt to set Guos house on fire at the beginning of the film). But his unwavering love for the Indian Army (never mind that it conflicts just a little with the pacifist ideology hes also striving to follow) and the fact that he lets Narayan (Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub), the jingoist bully, get off lightly despite his attempts to murder Guos family, say something for a film hinged on clear-cut symbolism. They create an unspoken but apparent feeling that wearing nationalist pride on your sleeve is a precursor to establishing any common ground, and so, set up strange and terrifying prerequisites for friendship.

The small mercy? That theres only one competition in the film about who can yelp Bharat Mata ki Jai, louder. If there had been another, the sheep wouldnt have been the only ones sprinting the scene.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine.
Comedienne Bharti Singh and her beau Harsh Limbachiyaa were among the first few couples to be eliminated from Nach Baliye 8. However, in every finale episode, all contestants usually return for one last performance.

As the couple dance show inches towards its grand finale, Times of India has reported that the couple might have to miss the final episode due to Singh's sudden hospitalisation.

Singh complained of severe stomach pain on 22 June for which she was rushed to Kokilaben Hospital.

Upon reaching the hospital, Singh was diagnosed with gallstones. She has been under heavy medication ever since and will have to undergo a liver surgery as soon as possible.

Singh even took to Instagram to post a picture of herself in the hospital, thanking fans for their wishes.

Thank you everyone for your wishes. I'm feeling a lot better now.#love#wishes #respect  A post shared by Bharti Singh (@bharti.laughterqueen) on Jun 22, 2017 at 11:41pm PDT

The report also says that the couple were supposed to be a significant part of the finale and had been rehearsing for their performance. However, they are left with no other option but to miss it, due to Singh's health conditions.

Singh, who is one of the most well known comedians of the country, had participated with her partner for the first time in a reality show.
Before we get into Okja we need to dive into a kaleidoscope-style flashback with emotional harp strings to emphasise the effect.

Back in the 90s I was a fairly lonely child  the only son of working parents. When my parents realised that I often felt forlorn for not having any sibling to play with at home, they decided to get me a pet. Under any normal circumstances I would have received a dog or a cat. But because my parents, much like me, are non-mainstream renegades they decided to get me something completely ridiculous  a little baby chick.

We named the chick Tilu after Aamir Khan in Andaz Apna Apna. Much like the character in the film, Tilu constantly craved attention from us, and went bonkers every time he saw food.

I became very fond of Tilu, and even though some kids at school made fun of me for having a kombdi at home, I cared for him as a family member. Every time I did my homework Tilu would be there chirping happily around the books, pecking at them. At night Tilu would cozy up against my neck to sleep, his soft feathers nuzzling against me. I couldnt be happier.

A few months pass and one day I come back home from school to see Tilu missing. When I ask my parents they tell me Tilu had grown wings and had flown out the balcony. I felt a wave of sadness, of abandonment  I felt disillusionment at the fact that someone so close to me could just fly away without informing me and never come back.

A year later I get to know that chickens, despite having wings couldnt fly. I then discover that my parents gave away Tilu to the housemaid. I then realise that people who take away chickens dont take them away as pets  they take them away for dinner. After experiencing a series of angry and helpless shockwaves I felt as if everything I knew about the world was a lie. I hated my parents because that was the only emotional reaction a nine year old could process in that situation. I never said anything to them though, and to date they dont know that I knew.

After all these years, Okja brought back memories of Tilu and his fate. In the film the young Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) has grown up with a pet giant pig who doubles as a dumb but lovable surrogate sibling. The pig, named Okja, at the behest of Mijas father is one day taken away by a group of mysterious people  with clear intentions to turn the animal into delicious packaged bacon.

Director Bong Joon Ho, having directed a series of masterpieces already, returns to the realm of The Host in Okja. Much like that film, Okja is an often hilarious, charming, sometimes shocking and emotionally charged adventure that doubles as social commentary on the brutal industrialisation of the world. To find Okja Mija makes her way from her secluded home atop a hill to the urban decay of the capital Seoul, chancing upon a ruthless meat producing organization. The contrast between the two worlds is stunning  reminiscent of some of the scenes in Ron Frickes Baraka.

Joon Ho mixes elements of Spielbergs ET and his own satirical flair into the story, leading to fascinating shifts in tone throughout the film as we meet the crazy characters. Theres Jake Gyllenhaal as a moronic reality TV celeb placed as puppet to sway peoples bias (sounds familiar?), Tilda Swinton as the increasingly nervous head of the meat producing company who is happy to lie to people to sell her products.

The highlight of the film is a gang of animal rights activists whose modus operandi is to act without causing harm to other humans  a coda which leads to a side splitting running gag where they intimidate people but apologize for their actions. They are essentially Gau Rakshaks without the state sponsored mindless lynch mob terrorist proclivities.

The point being  everything in Okja is real, and relevant.

The consumption of beef has become a worldwide cause for concern  not just because eating beef is bad for the environment, but also because of the way animals are handled in meat processing plants. Most of us are happy to look the other way when told about how chickens and other meat sources are treated before they make their way to our dinner plates.

We are content to pour gravy and shove chunks of juicy delicious meat down our throats and were more than happy to pay the middle man  the restaurant  to do all the dirty work to satiate our piggish indulgences. How have we as a species strayed away from our place in nature, and under the garb of civilization become so clinically barbarous.

Okja doesnt have all the answers to these questions, and Joon Hos lack of resolutions within the story reflects the fact that there may never be solutions to these issues. Were on a free fall as a species and whatever measure we take will only slow our eventual downfall. Children will keep being lied to, Tilu will keep getting his neck snapped and ending up in the pressure cooker, and well keep turning the other cheek because it benefits us and everyone around us.

Exploring such complex dynamics needed a strong filmmaking voice and Joon ho, with his incredible flair for both intimate character drama and big screen thrills almost effortlessly succeeds. Despite a moderate budget the special effects are astonishing. Okja is a fully fleshed out character, and the emotional effect the giant CGI pig has on the audience is akin to Caesar in the new Apes trilogy.

A big factor that made all this possible was Netflix and their willingness to give the auteur creative freedom to go the extra mile  I doubt that the film would have been as effective were it made in the confines of a regular Hollywood studio. Even Miramax  once known as the savior of auteurs and indie cinema, tried to sabotage the release of Joon Hos previous film Snowpiercer.

With this investment Netflix has not only cemented their place as the future of cinema, but also have sounded warning signs to the industry. Its clear that in the future even if theaters fall and film festivals become irrelevant, Netflix is playing the long game and theyre here to stay.

They way I discovered the works of Bong Joon Ho on DVDs and torrents, as the years go by more and more people are going to watch films on a tablet at home. Its always nice, however, to get a chance to see any film on the big screen. Much like the overall argument in the film, if enough people in the industry get together, we could still forge a situation that is the best of both worlds and benefits everyone.

If only we were better at getting together at building things than tearing them down.

Okja will be available to stream on Netflix on June 28
By Sanjeev Miglani and David Brunnstrom

| NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON The United States is expected to approve India's purchase of a naval variant of the Predator drone, a source familiar with the situation said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi tries to revitalise relations with Washington when he meets President Donald Trump for the first time.Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme. The deal would still require approval by Congress. California-based General Atomics, the maker of the Guardian drone sought by India, declined to comment. Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in New Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.The Indian navy wants the unarmed surveillance drones to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance."We are trying to move it to the top of the agenda as a deliverable, this is something that can happen before all the other items," said one official tracking the progress of the drone discussions in the run-up to the visit.India, a big buyer of U.S. arms that was recently named by Washington as a major defence ally, wants to protect its 7,500- km (4,700-mile) coastline as Beijing expands its maritime trade routes and Chinese submarines increasingly lurk in regional waters.But sources tracking the discussions say the U.S. State Department has been concerned about the potential destabilising impact of introducing high-tech drones into South Asia, where tensions are simmering between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir, which is divided between them.Other strains have emerged, with the United States vexed by a growing bilateral trade deficit and Trump accusing New Delhi of negotiating unscrupulously at the Paris climate talks to walk away with billions in aid.

U.S. officials expect a relatively low-key visit by Modi, without the fanfare of some of his previous trips to the United States, and one geared to giving the Indian leader the chance to get to know Trump personally and to show that he is doing so.Modi is also not expected to press hard on a U.S. visa programme the Trump administration is reviewing to reduce the flow of skilled foreign workers and save jobs for Americans, seeing limited gains from raising a sensitive issue, they said.FALLING OFF THE RADAR

"There is a palpable fear in New Delhi that the new U.S. president's lack of focus on India, and limited appointment of South Asia focused advisors, has resulted in India falling off the radar in Washington," Eurasia Group's Shailesh Kumar and Sasha Riser-Kositsky said in a note.Defence deals are one area where the two countries could make progress because of bipartisan support, an Indian official involved in the preparations for the visit said.

The two sides have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to get inter-agency clearance for the sale of the Guardian drone. India has raised the issue of the drones with the Pentagon three times since June 2016, officials said. U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner wrote in March to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying the Guardian deal, estimated at more than $2 billion, would advance U.S. national security interests and protect U.S. jobs.An industry official involved in promoting India-U.S. business ties said the drone sale enjoyed support from the White House and Congress, and was awaiting clearance from the State Department.

While the Guardian drones that India is pushing for are unarmed, the Indian military originally asked for missile-firing Predator Avenger aircraft, a request turned down by the Obama administration. Sources say there is some concern in the State Department that if India were to get the surveillance drones, New Delhi would renew its push to acquire armed drones, which its military has eyed ever since they were deployed by U.S. forces against militants in Pakistan. U.S. export laws typically prohibit the transfer of such arms to a country unless it is fighting alongside U.S. forces. FIGHTER JETS

India and the United States will also discuss the sale of U.S. fighter jets during Modi's trip, in what could be the biggest deal since they began deepening defence ties more than a decade ago.On Monday, Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) announced an agreement with India's Tata Advanced Systems to produce F-16 planes in India, provided it won a contract to equip the Indian Air Force with hundreds of new aircraft.Lockheed has offered to shift its ageing F-16 production line from Fort Worth, Texas, as part of Modi's "Make-in-India" drive while it ramps up production of the high-end F-35 aircraft at home.Since Trump's election on an "American First" platform, U.S. and Indian officials have sought to play down any contradiction between his stated desire to protect American jobs and Modi's "Make in India" policy, arguing, for example, that deals in which components made in the United States are shipped to India for assembly benefit workers in both countries. (Additional reporting by Mike Stone, Douglas Busvine and Manoj Kumar; Editing by Alex Richardson and Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
After a recent central government security assessment, the security for 42 politicians and government-appointees  including 15 Congress leaders  has been downgraded by the government.

The security given to former defence minister AK Antony has been downgraded to Y-category, as also the cover the given to Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Shakeel Ahmad, Shashi Tharoor and former MP Vijay Inder Singla, reported The Indian Express.

"The threat perception to VIPs is reviewed periodically by intelligence agencies and other security agencies. Based on their recommendations, the decision was taken to upgrade or downgrade the security cover," the report quoted a source as saying.

In January this year, Kerala Congress had questioned the central government's decision to provide Y-category security to four BJP state leaders and said it was against the principles of federal structure.

Opposition leader in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala had said that providing Y-category security to BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan and three general secretaries, MT Ramesh, K Surendran and PK Krishnadas without consulting the state government was not right and against the principles of federal structure.

With inputs from PTI
Raipur: A 55-year-old tribal farmer allegedly committed suicide in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund district reportedly because of debt burden, officials said on Friday.

Manthir Singh Dhruv hanged himself in his home in Mokha village under Komakhan police station limits on Thursday, a local police official told PTI. No suicide note was found at the spot, he added.

Komakhan, which falls under Bagbahara development block, is located around 110 kilometres from Raipur. While Dhruv's family members insisted he took the extreme step due to mounting debt, the district administration said initial inquiry revealed the farmer was not facing any financial crisis.

"Preliminary inquiry does not indicate that debt forced him to end his life, but a detailed investigation is underway," Mahasamund collector Himshikhar Gupta told PTI.

Dhruv owned around 7.5 hectares of land in the village. He had been paying back his loans, borrowed from a local cooperative society for cultivation, every year, the collector said. The agriculturist had sold paddy worth around Rs 4 lakh in January-February this year, he said.

Dhruv owed Rs 1.25 lakh to the local cooperative society and had another loan of around Rs 2.25 lakh which he had taken for purchasing a tractor last year, Gupta said. Meanwhile, the farmer's son Devi Singh said his father was upset for the last couple of weeks due to financial burden.

"Last year, he took a loan to procure a tractor. He had also borrowed money for farming. He was disturbed for the last couple of weeks and often wondered how he would pay off his loans," Devi Singh told reporters.

"In the last rabi season, we suffered a huge crop loss. All these factors had frustrated my father," he said.

Meanwhile, members of the Chhattisgarh Kisan Mahasangh, an outfit of farmers, visited Dhruv's house on Thursday demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for his family from the state government.
Tehran: Iran is holding anti-Israel rallies across the country, with protesters condemning Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and chanting "Death to Israel".

Marchers in Tehran are heading from various points of the city toward the Friday prayer ceremony at Tehran University. State media say similar demonstrations are underway in other cities and towns in Iran.

Iran also displayed three surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including the Zolfaghar  the type that Iran used this week to target the Islamic State group in Syria.

The anti-Israel rallies are an annual event marking Al-Quds Day, a historic Arabic name for Jerusalem. Iran says it's an occasion to express support for the Palestinians and emphasise the importance of Jerusalem for Muslims.

Iran doesn't recognize Israel and staunchly backs militant groups, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.
Bhind (Madhya Pradesh): BJP leader Gajraj Jatav announced a Rs 10 lakh reward on Thursday for anyone who cuts the tongue of separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who hailed Pakistan's victory over India in the Champions Trophy final.

"If he (Mirwaiz) is so fond of Pakistan, then he along with his family should shift to Pakistan. I announce a reward of Rs 10 lakh to anyone who severs the tongue of Mirwaiz for celebrating Pakistan's victory over India," BJP leader Gajraj Jatav told PTI.

After Pakistan won the match on Sunday, Mirwaiz had congratulated the team. Earlier, he had tweeted a congratulatory message to the Pakistan team on its reaching the finals.

"The act of Mirwaiz has hurt my feelings. He should remember that those Muslims who went to Pakistan after Independence are being treated as second-grade citizens," he said.

"They should remember that they are surviving on Indian rotis and their remains would be buried in this country's soil only. Despite that, they are praising Pakistan and trying to lead their community members' astray," Jatav added.

Aise logon ke khilaf bharat ki sarkaar ko karyawahi karni chahiye aur phansi deni chahiye: BJP leader Gajraj Jatav, in MP's Bhind  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

He added that these people must learn from former President late APJ Abdul Kalam, who always thought for the betterment of India.

Although Jatav himself does not hold any post in the party, his wife, Sanju Jatav, is the chairperson of the Janpad Panchayat.
Thousands of students studying in boarding schools of Darjeeling are being moved to Siliguri and Rongpo after the agitating Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) gave a 12-hour window on Friday to evacuate the schools.

"We have given a 12-hour window from 6 am to 6 pm, so that school authorities can take students to the plains. It is not a relaxation of indefinite shutdown. This is a special arrangement for the students only. Everything will remain shut," GJM's assistant general secretary Binay Tamang told PTI.

Darjeeling's boarding schools have students from many states, some are even from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong.

"We are going home for the summer and monsoon vacation. We were stranded in the schools because of the strike... we are happy," a student from Patna said, reported IANS.

Amid the ongoing shutdown called by the GJM, which is spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state in the North Bengal hills, normal life in the town has been paralysed. Students too have joined the movement.

Speaking to NDTV, Lancy Pradhan said college can wait, "even for a whole year". She is on the streets not because she supports a political party but as a 22-year-old Darjeeling native, she believes Gorkhaland is her right. "We want the government to protect us. We want our rights to be taken into consideration. We want Narendra Modi to pay attention to our condition," she was quoted as saying.

On 17 June, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) declared their support for the Gorkhaland demand and blamed the West Bengal and the Union governments for the present crisis in Darjeeling hills.

Student protests also spread to Kolkata on Tuesday as nearly 300 students gathered in a silent candle march on the Jadavpur University campus supporting the demand for a separate Gorkhaland, Hindustan Times reported. Many Gorkhas from outside the campus also attended the event and carried placards and signs which read "We support #Gorkhaland" among others.

The Darjeeling impasse is likely to continue as the GJM is set to intensify its protests.

In fact, the GJM leaders along with the other hill parties and main Opposition parties including the BJP, CPM and Congress boycotted the state sponsored all party meeting on Thursday.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung and 43 others resigned from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on Friday. Speaking to Firstpost, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, "In the indiscriminate firing on protesters, the troops killed three of our supporters. And then the West Bengal Police levelled police complaints against the GJM, which just does not make sense, and goes to show that the administration is not taking such incidents seriously."

The fresh controversy erupted as the GJM and other political parties complained about "a blackout of news" in the region as the telecast of several national and regional news channels along with internet services was interrupted in Darjeeling and Kalimpong district.

The Opposition parties said the suspension of internet service and of the telecast of all the national, regional news channels in the region was against the right to information.

With inputs from IANS and PTI
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung on Friday stepped down as the chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Gurung also demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged incidents of police firing on GJM supporters over the last week.

#Darjeeling GJM Chief Bimal Gurung resigns from the post of chief executive of GTA, demands CBI inquiry into police firing on GJM supporters  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Speaking to Firstpost on Friday, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, "In the indiscriminate firing on protesters, the troops killed three of our supporters. And then the West Bengal Police levelled police complaints against the GJM, which just does not make sense, and goes to show that the administration is not taking such incidents seriously."

The West Bengal government on Thursday offered talks to defuse the crisis in the restive region, where a case of murder was filed against Bimal Gurung and his wife for the death of a man during last week's clashes.

While putting in his papers as the chief executive on Friday, Gurung also said that the indefinite strike for a separate Gorkhaland state will continue, adding that the all-party meeting that was scheduled to happen on Thursday has now been postponed to 29 June.

Indefinite strike to continue,all-party meeting postponed to 29 June;will burn GTA agreement on 27 June: Bimal Gurung, GJM chief #Darjeeling pic.twitter.com/Tl0J1Tffip  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Earlier, all elected representatives of GJM who were part of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration resigned from the agreement in a bid to step up their stir for a separate state in the Darjeeling hills.

"All 44 of us, including me and Bimal Gurung, have decided to resign from the GTA today. We are doing this in order to cripple the GTA, because it was taking us nowhere," Giri told Firstpost.

GJM leaders' decision to quit from the GTA came three days after the last all-party meeting. In the 20 June meeting, all the 14 influential political parties and public organisations of the hills had unanimously declared their support to the longstanding demand for a separate Gorkhaland state in northern West Bengal.

"We hope to arrive at a resolution in the next all-party meeting. There is no question of sitting down with the Trinamool Congress leaders, as they are all opposed to our needs and demands. We aim to sit with the Central government and come up with a solution," Giri said.

The GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown, which has paralysed normal life in the hills, entered its ninth day on Friday.
Darjeeling: The GJM, spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, adopted a confrontationist stand on Friday with its chief Bimal Gurung threatening to intensify the stir and demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged police firing in the hills on 17 June.

Gurung, who resigned as the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive along with other elected members of the body during the day, said, "The agitation for Gorkhaland will continue. We have resigned from the GTA. Our one point demand is Gorkhaland."

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader, who was not seen in public for the past several days, appeared before the media at Patlebas in Darjeeling, a party stronghold.

"I am not Kishenji (Maoist leader) who can be eliminated in a police encounter. I have not taken up arms against the country. I am fighting for the identity of the Gorkhas and in a democracy I have every right to do that," he said.

"Our fight will continue and I will fight till the end," he said.

Alleging that the police had opened fire in the hills on 17 June in which three GJM activists were killed, Gurung said, "We (the GJM) have video footage of the incident. I demand a CBI inquiry."

It was the state government which has violated human rights and slapped false cases against the GJM, he claimed.

Asked about the Centre's reponse to the GJM's demand, he said, "Talks are on with the central government and we hope something positive will come up soon."

He said the GTA was a "closed chapter" and that the next all-party meeting will be held on 29 June to decide the next course of action.
Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday said that two persons have been arrested and a third one has been identified in connection with the lynching of DSP Ayub Pandith outside Srinagar's Jamia Masjid.

Mohammad Ayub Pandith, who was posted outside the mosque, was stripped naked and stoned to death early on Friday near Nowhatta. Speaking to ANI, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid said, "Logon ko samajhna chahiye achha kya hai bura kya hai. Jo unki hifazat ke liye wahan duty kar raha tha use hi lynch kar diya (People must understand the difference between right and wrong. They lynched the person who was posted there to protect them)."

Logon ko samajhna chahiye achha kya hai bura kya hai, jo unki hifazat ke liye wahan duty kar raha tha use hi lynch kr diya: J&K DGP SP Vaid pic.twitter.com/rzT8EbFAQ1  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Two people have been arrested, third person identified. They will have to face the law: J&K DGP SP Vaid pic.twitter.com/4Ab6bj1CCY  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Meanwhile, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday expressed grief over Pandith's death. "Isse bada sharmnaak vakya koi ho nahin sakta (Nothing compares to this shameless act)," the chief minister was quoted as saying by ANI. Mehbooba lauded the Jammu and Kashmir Police and their efforts in the Valley and said that the state police is extremely courageous but they are exercising a lot of restraint when it comes to the locals because they treat Kashmiris as their own.

Srinagar: Wreath laying ceremony of Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob in J&K's Nowhatta last night pic.twitter.com/gtrmDY0xF0  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Mehbooba, however, warned that the day the police loses patience it will be difficult to control them. "The DSP was at the mosque doing his duty, this was a shameless act," Mehbooba said.

Isse bada sharmnaak vakya koi ho nahin sakta: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti on Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith beaten to death by mob in Nowhatta pic.twitter.com/sOS8NDCQH4  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

#WATCH: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti speaks on death of Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith, says "police exercising max restraint,ppl must understand" pic.twitter.com/M9uOvkaLH5  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Pandith was on duty when the mob attacked him. DGP SP Vaid termed the killing as sad and unfortunate. "The official was killed by the mob while he was performing his duties. It's a very sad and unfortunate incident," the DGP said.

Earlier police sources had said that Pandith was seen moving around by people near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area in the early hours of Friday. A ground report by Firstpost's Sameer Yasir said that the plainclothesmen, according to eyewitnesses, were confronted by an irate mob as they "failed to explain their presence" near the mosque premises. Policemen posted in the security wing of the Kashmir Police do not wear uniform as a matter of service regulation. This led to an argument between the police and the crowd. While one policeman fled the spot, another was captured by the group.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police said deputy superintendent of police Mohammad Ayub Pandith, a resident of Khanyar Nowpara area of Srinagar, four kilometres from the place of the incident, was posted on security duty outside the mosque, when he was attacked. His service revolver was taken away from him.

"The man took his pistol out and opened fire injuring three people. He was overpowered by the mob, stripped, and beaten to death," a resident of Nowhatta area told Firstpost. Pandith's body was taken to police control room for identification and other legal procedures, they said adding the situation in old city has turned tense following the incident.

The mob went on a rampage targeting empty security pickets erected in the area, PTI reported. Police reinforcement were rushed in to restore normalcy in the area.

Muslims across Kashmir are observing Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power) with night-long prayers and supplications being made inside the mosques and shrines of the Valley.

Senior ministers Naeem Akhtar, Altaf Bukhari and Haq Khan were also present at the Police Lines besides senior civil, police and paramilitary officers. Pandith was posted in the security wing of the police and deployed for frisking visitors to the mosque to ensure nobody entered it with weapons. As part of rules, policemen posted in the security wing do not wear uniform.

The death of the officer, who was not deployed in anti-militancy or intelligence gathering, has shocked the Jammu and Kashmir Police. A grim DGP SP Vaid told reporters: "An officer being lynched by the very people he had gone to protect proves we have reached a stage where very little difference is left between humanity and barbarism."

In an unrelated development, authorities imposed restrictions in some areas of Srinagar on Friday after separatists announced post prayer protests in the Kashmir Valley.

The curbs under Section 144 preventing the gathering of five or more people at any place were imposed in areas falling under the jurisdiction of Khanyar, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj, Safakadal and Maisuma police stations, a police officer said.

The separatists have called for protests after the Friday prayers against the killing of a civilian, Touseef Ahmad Wani, in Pulwama district in firing by security forces on Thursday.

Wani was killed when a mob attacked the Kakapora police post on Thursday after three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed in the area by the security forces. 23 June is the last Friday of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. Large gatherings are expected in various mosques in the Kashmir Valley on Friday.

With inputs from agencies
A deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir police was lynched to death by a violent mob on Thursday evening when people were observing Shab-e-Qadr  a night-long congregational prayers at the mosque  outside the Jamia Masjid in old city of Srinagar, when a group of youths found "few people suspiciously" moving outside the premises of the mosque in Nowhatta area of Srinagar.

Nowhatta is the epicenter of anti-India protests and clashes which erupted in Srinagar's downtown area after Friday prayers. In a similar incident a few years ago, a shopkeeper was recently beaten to death in the same area for defying a shut down.

The police, who were in civil clothes, according to eyewitnesses, were confronted by an irate mob as they "failed to explain their presence" near the mosque premises. Policemen posted in the security wing of the Kashmir Police do not wear uniform as a matter of service regulation. This led to an argument between the police and the crowd. While one policeman fled the spot, another was captured by the group.

"The man got his pistol out and opened fire injuring three people. He was overpowered by the mob, undressed, and beaten to death," a resident of Nowhatta area told Firstpost.

The Jammu and Kashmir police said deputy superintendent of police Mohammad Ayub Pandith, a resident of Khanyar Nowpara area of Srinagar, four kilometers from the place of the incident, was posted on security duty outside the mosque, when he was attacked. His service revolver was taken away from him.

A group of young men confronted Pandith outside the main gate of the mosque and when he was surrounded by the irate mob, he happened to fire his pistol and injured three people. "He was on duty that is what I can say at this time," Manoj Pandita, s spokesperson of Kashmir police, told Firstpost.

Sources said the slain policeman was posted on special duty near Jamia Masjid when the incident happened. Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, who is also the head priest of Kashmir, was leading the Friday prayers at the mosque.

Jammu and Kashmir police in a tweet said:

Another officer sacrificed his life in line of duty DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob at #Nowhatta last night.  J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) June 23, 2017

According to eyewitnesses, one youth received a bullet in leg and another in his stomach which infuriated the youth and they captured Pandith. The injured were rushed to SMHS hospital. The mob beat Pandith to death. However, it was not immediately clear whether Pandith was inside the mosque premises or on main Nowhatta Chowk.

The news of his death came to light after Pandith's family members were unable to reach him and the Jammu and Kashmir police sent additional reinforcements to Jamia Masjid. Reportedly, along with police firing teargas was fired as well.
When a beast starts eating its own tail, it is a clear sign of its impending derangement. Kashmir, unfortunately, has reached that point of madness.

The lynching of Mohammed Ayub Pandith, a deputy superintendent of police, at Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta, Srinagar, on Thursday is a warning that Kashmir is turning into a snake pit where the inhabitants are ready to attack each other, creating an environment of fear, anarchy and hysteria  ultimately creating a society that could annihilate itself.

Pandith was killed outside the mosque for allegedly shooting a video of stone pelters. He was stripped naked and stoned to death by an irate mob. It was a ritual reminiscent of the medieval ages, that the so-called Islamic State has made its signature style.

There is just one word to describe Pandith's lynching, barbaric. Murdering a man with Mohammed in his name on Shab-e-Qadr  the night when first Quranic verses were revealed to the Prophet  is not just anti-human but it also defies the very spirit of the occasion the murderers were celebrating. By lynching Pandith, a man performing his duty, the deranged mob of killers has not just shamed humanity and Kashmiriyat but also defiled Islam.

It is evident that something is really wrong in the Valley. Instead of fighting politically with the Indian state, its jihadists and stone-pelters are now turning against their own people in the most violent ways. There seems to be an undeclared Kashmiri vs Kashmiri war that is turning ugly and brutal.

The new trend was visible when militants first abducted and killed Lt Ummer Fayaz, an Indian Army officer, on the eve of his sister's wedding. Much more than the dastardly killing of the officer, the silence of the Kashmiris was more indicative of how they had accepted the violence directed within.

Then, six days ago, militants ambushed and killed six police officers in South Kashmir's Achbal area. Such was the venom inside them that the murderers disfigured the cops after launching a cowardly attack. Before that, on 28 May, five cops and two guards were killed by terrorists in a raid on a van carrying cash.

Pandith's lynching, again an act of cowardice and treachery, is the latest in a trend that indicates how Kashmir's political movement is now claiming its people, like in the famous parable of snakes becoming so used to violence that in the end, after attacking outsiders, they started devouring their own behinds.

Kashmir is a complex case. Though a separatist movement has been raging for decades in the Valley, most of its residents are still confused about their aim. Some of them  and their number is minuscule  want to become a part of Pakistan. Many others want freedom and want to turn the Valley into the Switzerland of Asia  a chimera that is absolutely unviable because of India's geopolitical concerns.

Some want just more azaadi and human rights within the Indian system. And many want to stay with India, join its army, security forces, civil services and the police force.

The point is, Kashmiris have always had many voices, many desires and many aspirations, some of them even contradictory. But, for ages, Kashmiris lived in peace with each other and accepted this diversity of views. This brutal silencing of voices from within that support India is a comparatively new trend.

What does it indicate? One, of course, that Kashmiris known for their syncretic, liberal Islam and tolerance are stepping away from their cultural, religious and moral ethos. In their political fight, they now seem to be ready to embrace violence and tools popularised by barbaric organisations like the Islamic State.

Two, it shows that Kashmir is in the grip of an ascending spiral of bloodshed. Security forces, militants and some of its residents are now engaged in a dangerous game where every violent act begets a bigger act of violence, every encounter leads to a more barbaric revenge. It has now become a place where hatred and vengeance have replaced the defining traits of what Atal Bihari Vajpayee famously described as insaniyat and Kashmiriyat.

Kashmiris need to be careful. So far, their struggle has found many sympathisers because their fight appeared to be for the right to decide their own political destiny, live with dignity and be allowed more human rights.

As long as the average Kashmiri separatist shunned barbarism, eschewed violence and believed in a political solution, he was seen as a victim of oppression and the vagaries of Partition.

But, if its people resort to such dastardly attacks on unarmed people performing their duty, they would lose the sympathy and support they have earned. Their barbarism would only act as justification for a bigger response from the Indian state, an act even their erstwhile sympathisers would find difficult to criticise.

Some years ago, while walking down Srinagar's Boulevard road, I had come across a graffiti asking tourists to be not afraid. ''Darro mat, yahan bhi insaan rehte hain (don't be afraid, humans live here).''

Pandith's lynching is indeed a cataclysmic event. For, it shows the devil has indeed entered some Kashmiri souls, stripping them of their insaniyat.
The lynching of a senior police officer by an irate mob outside the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of Srinagar on Thursday has added to the existing turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir.

Another officer sacrificed his life in line of duty DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob at #Nowhatta last night.  J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) June 23, 2017

There are different versions floating around about the incident, but what is certain at the moment is that this lynching marks a dramatic escalation in recent violence against police personnel in the Valley. The incident comes on the heels of a sustained targeting of policemen over the last few days. In this holy month of Ramadan, eight Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel have lost their lives in various acts of violence.

Recently, a station house officer in South Kashmirs Achabal, Feroz Dar, was killed along with five other policemen in a deadly attack by militants on 16 June. While his family and relatives were mourning his death, many parts of Kashmir were resonating with the bursting of crackers coupled with high-pitched slogans of "jivey jivey Pakistan", marking India's ignominious defeat against its neighbour in the Champions Trophy final on 18 June.

Tariq Ahmad, a resident of Anantnag told Firstpost, "The celebrations were such that it seemed as if Kashmir had got freedom." The next day, youths in the Valley pelted stones at security forces at various places  including the Khanabal-Pahalgam road, that leads to the holy shrine of Amarnath.

These two contrasting incidents demonstrate Kashmir's stark reality today. Three weeks before the first death anniversary of charismatic Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and a week before the Amarnath Yatra begins, anti-India sentiments in the Valley remain at an all-time high, with a strange combination of pro-Azaadi and pan-Islamic ideological underpinnings.

The violence  lynching of the DSP; the Achabal attack; the killing of Lt Umer Fayaz in Shopian on 10 May; the killing of five policemen along with two bank guards in Kulgam on 28 May; the targeting of mainstream political activists  has shaken the security establishment.

"Most of the people, who have an inclination towards the freedom struggle, support the killing of political workers of mainstream parties and the policemen, who play a role in counter-insurgency operations... a portion of the population is of the opinion that the people getting killed on both sides are Kashmiris, so militants should look for tactics other than killing," Rouf Ahmad, a resident of South Kashmir, told Firstpost.

Many locals approached by Firstpost believe that the violence against policemen is a result of the "ruthless force used by the police to suppress the peaceful voice of common masses, which has reduced the image of the forces before society". Naseer Ahmad, a local from Anantnag, said, "Many believe that the killing of policemen at the hands if militants is a result of the torture and other inhuman treatment meted out by them to the militants and their families... so, people justify it on these grounds."

These sentiments are also reflected on social media where, though outrage was seen over the DPSs lynching, Achabal attack and Lt Fayaz's killing, quite a significant portion of Kashmiris blame India for the violence meted out against them. Sheikh Showkat Hussain, who teaches law at the Central University of Kashmir said, "Nobody should perceive that a policeman getting killed in conflict is because of division in society.

They get killed only because of their constraints towards their duty." These killings have also led many in the security establishment to call for revenge.

06 policemen including an SHO Feroz Ahmad martyred in Anantnag terror attack.Promise you Feroz we'll wipe out the whole killer terror gang. pic.twitter.com/nRnDDwHhQ2  Imtiyaz Hussain (@hussain_imtiyaz) June 16, 2017

Many have compared the current security situation in the Valley with that during the 1990s, when an outbreak of armed insurgency had pulled many locals into a vortex of violence  forcing them to cross the border into Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to receive arms training.

Some within the security establishment have also lamented the lack of support from the political establishment in the state, while others worry that this might be the beginning of a civil war which has the potential to not only make the Kashmir conflict gory but even more protracted.

Whatever the description of the current security situation in the region, it is true that the Kashmir conflict  which has persisted for decades  is now staring at a descend into chaos as the binary categorisation of 'tourism or terrorism' determines the response of New Delhi.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Friday condemned the mob lynching of a police officer in Srinagar, describing the incident as a murder of humanity.

A party spokesman said people should not take law into their hands, but rather should make efforts to restore peace and normalcy.

"Whatever happened at the Jamia Masjid area is inhuman and cannot be tolerated. The Congress strongly condemns innocents' killings. JKPCC expresses deep sorrow over this unfortunate incident. It as a murder of humanity," the spokesman said.

"The killing of any innocent person will be treated as a move to vitiate peace, which should not happen in a disciplined society," he said.

The party offered condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for courage to bear the irreparable loss, he said.

DSP Mohammed Ayub Pandit was stripped naked and stoned to death by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in downtown area in the early on Friday.
Shimla: The Niti Aayog on Friday told the Himachal Pradesh government to prepare a plan to double the income of its farmers in five years even as the Virbhadra Singh-led government blamed the think tank for a drastic decline in Central funding to the state.

Increasing the income of farmers is our major focus, said Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand while interacting with senior state ministers and officials of the state government.

He said since the formation of Niti Aayog, its focus has shifted from allocation of funds to providing inputs to the states on strategic issues.

"A slowdown has been noticed in the state's agriculture, manufacturing, market reforms and irrigation and these needed to be addressed," said Chand. However, in other fields the state has been performing better, he added.

Agriculture Minister Sujan Singh Pathania advocated for introducing an income support system for the farmers. He demanded to bring the trout fish farming under a crop insurance scheme.

Communicating his concern over central funding, Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh said the state used to receive central assistance in the ratio 90:10 and was getting the status of special category hill state before the formation of Niti Aayog.

In the post-Niti Aayog era, funds to the state have been reduced drastically in centrally-sponsored schemes and the special industrial package has been stopped, he said.

The Minister said various schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana have been submitted to the central government for approval but there has been no response so for.

He urged the Niti Aayog to provide a bonus to the state in lieu of its commendable role in forest conservation and putting a complete ban on felling.

Singh also requested that villages with population less than 250 be brought under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana of the Ministry of Rural Development to ensure road connectivity there.

In his inaugural address on Friday, Chief Secretary VC Pharka said the state government was in a position to achieve most of the targets by 2022 but added that decline in central funding would definitely come in the way of doubling the income of farmers.
United Nations: Defying London and Washington, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has voted to refer to the world court the dispute between Britain and Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago where the strategic US Indian Ocean military base is located on the Diego Garcia island.

Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said India supported the resolution as "it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations."

The resolution asking for a non-binding advisory opinion from the Hague-based International Court Justice (ICJ) on the dispute received the vote of 94 countries while 15 voted against it and 65 abstained.

Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968.

Britain then leased Diego Garcia to the US, which set up a military base there.

Mauritius maintains that the separation of the archipelago before its independence is illegal and asserts its rights to it.

Since Britain would not agree to the dispute going to the ICJ, which would have made a binding judgment, the UNGA resolution asks for an advisory opinion, which could have moral force affecting public opinion.

The resolution asks the ICJ to provide an advisory opinion if the decolonisation of Mauritius was legally completed because it separated the Chagos Archipelago while giving independence to Mauritius.

It also asks the court about the legal consequences of Britain continuing to administer the archipelago preventing Mauritius from settling its citizens, particularly those of Chagosian origin, on those islands.

While supporting the resolution that was proposed by Congo, India toned down the original opposition to the base that was voiced vehemently in the 1980s by then prime minister Indira Gandhi, who called the base located about 2,000 km away a potential threat to India.

India appeared to acknowledge the changed strategic environment with the rise of China and the piracy threats to navigation in the Indian Ocean, and its own growing defence cooperation with the US.

"India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean," Akbaruddin said. "We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space."

But he added, "On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations."

Both the Organisation of African Unity and the Non Aligned Movement have backed the efforts of Mauritius to gain control of the archipelago.

British Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft reiterated his country's opposition to the dispute going before a court and said it should be settled through bilateral talks.

US Deputy Permanent Representative Michele Sison said that the Diego Garcia base was critical to regional and global security.

The issue was a bilateral dispute and not a matter of decolonisation, she said, and the ICJ intervention would undermine the court's role in giving advisory opinions.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with US president Donald Trump inches closer, the US is expected to approve India's purchase of 22 unarmed drones. While the deal still requires approval by the US Congress, the approval from the executive branch is seen as a big boost to defence ties between the two countries. India-US relations had flourished under former president Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.

The Indian Navy wants the unarmed surveillance drones to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance.

The Guardian drone

The Guardian Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) which India is buying is manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. It is the naval variant of the Predator B drone or to call it by its proper name, the MQ-9 Reaper. The Reaper was the United States Air Force's first hunter-killer UAV. Compared to the old MQ-1 Predator, it is larger and more powerful as it has a 900-horsepower turbo-prop engine, compared to the 119-horsepower Predator engine. It flies at almost three times the Predator's cruise speed.

The Reaper has been acquired by the US Air Force, US Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the Royal Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the French Air Force and the Spanish Air Force among others.

The Reaper is based on the original Predator drone which interestingly was designed by a Iraqi-born Jew, Abraham Karem who is considered the founding father of UAV (drone) technology.

To be clear India is not getting the Reaper, which is an armed aircraft. Instead India is buying the unarmed Guardian Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) which was developed by the US Office of Air and Marine (OAM) in partnership with the US Coast Guard. The Guardian has been modified from a standard Reaper with structural, avionic and communication enhancements and an added Raytheon SeaVue Marine Search Radar. Its Electro-optical/Infrared Sensor is optimized for maritime operations.

As far as the numbers go, it has a wingspan of 20 metres and is powered by the Honeywell TPE331-10 powerplant. With a fuel capacity of 1769 kilogrammes, it can attain a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet (15,240 metres) and can cruise for a maximum of 27 hours.

The remotely piloted Guardian allows for missions to be conducted safely in areas that are difficult to access or otherwise considered too high-risk for manned aircraft. This risk-reducing capability makes it critical to personnel safety and mission success. It can also fly in a completely autonomous mode.

Drones or 'remotely piloted aircraft'?

Incidentally, the operators of the drones prefer to use "remotely piloted aircraft" when discussing these types of aircrafts because it better reflects the presence of a human operator, who sits at a computer control panel thousands of miles away. This change in nomenclature is significant because as a new generation of pilots are being recruited who might spend less time inside a jet plane. As such, the authorities want the world to know that humans have positive control over these vehicles.

The United States has embraced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in a big way as it is now training more pilots for advanced UAVs than for any other single weapons system. As India builds up it's drone capacity, it is certainly taking a step to the future which will have lesser human casualties and more strategic gains in disputed areas.

With inputs from Reuters
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police have initiated a probe over the death of deputy superintendent of police, Mohammed Ayub Pandith after initial investigations revealed that the killing was a major security lapse.

"We are investigating the circumstances in which the police officer lost his life. The police officer had moved out of the Jamia Masjid as people had raised the commotion and were shouting slogans when Mirwaiz Umer had been entering the mosque. It is at that time that the incident took place. We are investigating the matter and appropriate action will be taken in the incident," said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Security, Dilbagh Singh.

According to police officials investigating the case, the DSP was not provided any cover by any of the personnel when he was overpowered by a mob and beaten to death.

The officer was with the 12 people from the security wing who were on duty at the mosque. It was a security team deployed for security duty. He (DSP) just went out to see when the people went out of mosque raising slogans probably to receive Moulvi Umer Farooq. He went out to see what led to this kind of commotion. We are investigating that why people became suspicious and why they suddenly attacked him and killed him. Rest of things is part of the investigation and police is on the job to probe the incident," said Singh.

"It is unfortunate however that the people for whose security he was deployed turned out to be his killers," the ADGP said. "There was also the deployment of armed police inside the mosque for the security and the entire matter is under investigation."

According to police officials investigating the matter, there was no immediate reaction from the other personnel who were deployed on duty to rescue the DSP. A police official said that the situation got tense at the Jamia Masjid late last night after the people raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and the DSP went out and fired few rounds. At least three people are reported to be injured, which infuriated the mob who beat him to death. A police official said that it was a major security lapse as the two policemen who were part of the security duty fled from the place when he was being beaten by the people.

A police official said that there was no immediate reaction either from the armed deployment which is inside the mosque or any of the police personnel deployed from the security wing of the police.

"We are investigating that whether two personnel from our wing deserted the officer. One of the versions is that the police personnel who were part of police officers escort had left him near the mosque in the evening after he had told them that he can walk back home after the duty. He had told them that there were other personnel who would assist him in duty at the mosque. The officer had also returned the official vehicle and had informed the personnel that he can walk down to home after duty," said Singh.

Police officials, however, said that the security personnel deployed on duty had not taken enough measures to ensure that there was no scuffle with the DSP. "The armed guard remains deployed at the mosque who are however not being touched by the people," said a police official. He, however, said that "any sort of suspicious movement" evokes a strong reaction from people. "If the people fear that it is a police raid to arrest local youth then they react and lodge protests," said a police official. The Nowhatta area where the Jamia mosque is located remains the epicenter of protests.

A police official said that nearly three months back while Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, was delivering a Friday sermon at the mosque, a local boy from Kupwara, who is posted with a central paramilitary force had been taking the video of his sermon. As people grew suspicious they tried to thrash him but were dissuaded by Mirwaiz Umer from doing so. The separatist leader has condemned the todays incident. "Mirwaizs security personnel also remain present at the mosque premises, but none harms them," said a police official.
Gangtok: China has refused entry to around 50 Indian pilgrims who were scheduled to travel to Kailash Mansarovar through the Nathu-la pass in Sikkim following which India has taken up the issue with Beijing.

External affairs ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said some difficulties are being experienced in the movement of pilgrims through Nathu La.

"Yes, there are some difficulties being experienced in movement of KMY (Kailash Mansarovar Yatra) yatris via Nathu La. Matter is being discussed with Chinese side," he said replying to a query on the matter.

The development comes amid tensions in bilateral ties between the two countries over a host of issues including the CPEC and India's NSG bid.

Sources said 47 yatris and the liaison officer were stopped as roads in the Chinese side have been washed away by landslides triggered by continuous rainfall.

The Indian pilgrims were informed that they would be allowed to enter China when the weather and the road conditions improve.

The yatris returned to Gangtok today. The first batch of 47 yatris had arrived in Gangtok on June 15. The Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation is the nodal authority for conducting the annual yatra through Nathu La.

Hundreds of Indian pilgrims undertake Kailash Mansarovar yatra in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China every year negotiating the mountainous terrain.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kazakh capital Astana.

In the meeting Modi had said the two sides should tap their potential in cooperation, strengthen communication and coordination in international affairs, respect each other's core concerns and appropriately handle their disputes.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday night said the aim of his upcoming visit to the United States was building of a "forward looking vision" for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide-ranging ties. Modi, who will be meeting President Donald Trump for the first time on 26 June in Washington, said he looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views.

Along with the United States, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning on Saturday. "My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted. In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from 25 June was at the invitation of Trump.

My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world. https://t.co/UaF6lbo1ga  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2017

"President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said. "I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide ranging partnership between India and the United States," the prime minister said. He noted that India's partnership with the United States is multi-layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides. "I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new administration in the United States under President Trump," he added. Apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs. Like in the past, he will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora. In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit on Saturday to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa. "Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa. "We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added. He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest. "I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said. He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit.

Will hold talks with Mr. @antoniocostapm & interact with the Indian community during my Portugal visit tomorrow. https://t.co/5CtVYKPE5K  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2017

After the United States visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on 27 June where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem-Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations. "I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter-terrorism and climate change," he said. Economic relations form the core of the bilateral

relations and the Netherlands is India's sixth largest trading partner in the European Union and fifth largest investment partner globally.

"The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said. "Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies.

My visit to Netherlands seeks to boost bilateral ties & deepen economic cooperation. https://t.co/93n4vjDRxb  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2017

He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story. "There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.
The United States is expected to approve India's purchase of a naval variant of the Predator drone, a source familiar with the situation said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi tries to revitalise relations with Washington when he meets President Donald Trump for the first time.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.

The deal would still require approval by Congress. California-based General Atomics, the maker of the Guardian drone sought by India, declined to comment.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in New Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.

"We are trying to move it to the top of the agenda as a deliverable, this is something that can happen before all the other items," said one official tracking the progress of the drone discussions in the run-up to the visit.

The Indian Navy wants the unarmed surveillance drones to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance.

India, a big buyer of US arms that was recently named by Washington as a major defence ally, wants to protect its 7,500- km (4,700-mile) coastline as Beijing expands its maritime trade routes and Chinese submarines increasingly lurk in regional waters.

But sources tracking the discussions say the US State Department has been concerned about the potential de-stabilising impact of introducing high-tech drones into South Asia, where tensions are simmering between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir, which is divided between them.

Other strains have emerged, with the United States vexed by a growing bilateral trade deficit and Trump accusing New Delhi of negotiating unscrupulously at the Paris climate talks to walk away with billions in aid. US officials expect a relatively low-key visit by Modi, without the fanfare of some of his previous trips to the United States, and one geared to giving the Indian leader the chance to get to know Trump personally and to show that he is doing so.

Modi is also not expected to press hard on a US visa programme the Trump administration is reviewing to reduce the flow of skilled foreign workers and save jobs for Americans, seeing limited gains from raising a sensitive issue, they said.

Falling off the Radar

"There is a palpable fear in New Delhi that the new US president's lack of focus on India, and limited appointment of South Asia focused advisors, has resulted in India falling off the radar in Washington," Eurasia Group's Shailesh Kumar and Sasha Riser-Kositsky said in a note.

Defence deals are one area where the two countries could make progress because of bipartisan support, an Indian official involved in the preparations for the visit said. The two sides have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to get inter-agency clearance for the sale of the Guardian drone.

India has raised the issue of the drones with the Pentagon three times since June 2016, officials said.

US senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner wrote in March to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying the Guardian deal, estimated at more than $2 billion, would advance US national security interests and protect US jobs.

An industry official involved in promoting India-US business ties said the drone sale enjoyed support from the White House and Congress, and was awaiting clearance from the State Department.

While the Guardian drones that India is pushing for are unarmed, the Indian military originally asked for missile-firing Predator Avenger aircraft, a request turned down by the Obama administration.

Sources say there is some concern in the State Department that if India were to get the surveillance drones, New Delhi would renew its push to acquire armed drones, which its military has eyed ever since they were deployed by US forces against militants in Pakistan.

US export laws typically prohibit the transfer of such arms to a country unless it is fighting alongside US forces.

Fighter Jets

India and the United States will also discuss the sale of US fighter jets during Modi's trip, in what could be the biggest deal since they began deepening defence ties more than a decade ago.

On Monday, Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) announced an agreement with India's Tata Advanced Systems to produce F-16 planes in India, provided it won a contract to equip the Indian Air Force with hundreds of new aircraft.

Lockheed has offered to shift its ageing F-16 production line from Fort Worth, Texas, as part of Modi's "Make-in-India" drive while it ramps up production of the high-end F-35 aircraft at home.

Since Trump's election on an "American First" platform, US and Indian officials have sought to play down any contradiction between his stated desire to protect American jobs and Modi's "Make in India" policy, arguing, for example, that deals in which components made in the United States are shipped to India for assembly benefit workers in both countries.
By Phil Stewart

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday.The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile trials this year, could be for the smallest stage of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) rocket engine, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.A second U.S. official also confirmed the test but did not provide additional details on the type of rocket component that was being tested or whether it fit into the ICBM program.One official said he believed the test had taken place within the past 24 hours.North Korea's state media, which is normally quick to publicize successful missile-related developments, did not carry any reports on the engine test. South Korean officials did not have details about the reported test and declined to comment on the possible nature of the engine.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China opposed any action that violated UN Security Council resolutions and called for restraint from all parties.South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was elected last month on a platform of a more moderate approach to Pyongyang including dialogue to ease tension, inspected the test-launch of a ballistic missile on Friday that is being developed by the South's military."I believe in dialogue, but dialogue is possible when it's backed by strong defense and engagement policy is possible only when we have security ability that can overwhelm the North," Moon was quoted by his office as saying at the test site.

Moon's office did not disclose the details of the missile being tested, but South Korea has been working to develop ballistic missiles with a range of 800 km (500 miles), a voluntary cap under an agreement with the United States.The United States has tried for years to discourage South Korea from developing longer-range ballistic missiles in keeping with the Missile Technology Control Regime, a voluntary international arms-control pact.CHINA PRESSED TO EXERT PRESSURE

The disclosure of the North's engine test came a day after the United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington.Moon told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Thursday that strong new sanctions would be needed if the North conducted a new nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile test and that he planned to call on Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a greater role in reining in Pyongyang's arms program.

However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman questioned such calls."When the world says that it hopes China can do even more, I don't know what 'do even more' refers to," Geng told a daily news briefing in Beijing on Friday."We've said many times that China is making unremitting efforts to resolve the Korean peninsula nuclear issue, and plays an active and constructive role," he said. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although U.S. officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option.

China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, told Trump in a meeting at the White House that Beijing was willing to "maintain communication and coordination" with the United States in an effort to defuse tension on the Korean peninsula, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry on Friday.The head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress last month that North Korea, if left unchecked, was on an "inevitable" path to obtaining a nuclear-armed missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland.However, experts say Pyongyang could still be years away from have a reliable ICBM capability.The continental United States is around 5,600 miles (9,000 km) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,400 miles (5,500 km), but some are designed to travel 6,200 miles (10,000 km) or farther.Any military solution to the North Korea crisis would be "tragic on an unbelievable scale", Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said last month. The United States, meanwhile, is ramping up capabilities to defend against the threat from North Korea, staging its first-ever successful test to intercept an incoming ICBM-type missile in May.But a test on June 21 of a new capability being developed by the United States and Japan to defend against shorter-range missiles failed to hit its target, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.It was the second such test of the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor, which is being developed by Raytheon. The previous intercept test, conducted in February, had been successful. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Christine Kim and Jack Kim in SEOUL and Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Lincoln Feast and Paul Tait)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Seoul: North Korea on Friday denied it cruelly treated or tortured an American student who was detained for more than a year and died days after being released in a coma.

The article published by the official Korean Central News Agency was Pyongyang's first reaction to Otto Warmbier's death in a US hospital on Monday after North Korea released him for what it said was humanitarian reasons.

Doctors there said Warmbier had suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause. Relatives say they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to prison in North Korea in March 2016.

His family and others have blamed North Korea for his condition.

He was serving a sentence of hard labour after being accused of stealing a propaganda poster. KCNA said the North dealt with Warmbier according to domestic law and international standards.

The article also criticised South Korea for using Warmbier's case to seek the release of other detainees, including six South Korean nationals. Three Americans also remain in custody in the North.

"Our related institutions are treating criminals who committed crimes against (our) Republic strictly based on domestic law and international standards, and Warmbier was no different," the KCNA said.

The agency accused Seoul of tarnishing Pyongyang's image with its "slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture" while having no knowledge of the "humanitarian" treatment Warmbier received in the North. The agency didn't provide further details on how Warmbier was treated under detention or what might have caused him to lapse into a coma.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions.
Beijing: China on Friday said it will oppose India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) whose plenary session is underway in Bern.

"As for non-NPT countries being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change in China's position," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

At the NSG plenary session in Seoul in 2016, China opposed India's application to enter the 48-member NSG.

The ongoing plenary will conclude on Friday. Beijing's expected move at the session in Bern will keep New Delhi waiting for another year. The NSG, which regulates global nuclear trade, works on the principle of consensus.

"I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on expansion and Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate," Geng said. "As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow the mandate of Seoul plenary and uphold principle of decision upon consensus and continue to discuss various dimensions like technical, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission to the group."

China has made clear in the past that it will not let India join the elite group as it is not a signatory to the Non-Nuclear-Proliferation Treaty. Beijing says if India could be let in, why not its "all weather" ally Pakistan. India applied for membership of the NSG in May 2016.
A deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Ayub Pandith, was lynched to death on Thursday evening by a violent mob, when people were observing Shab-e-Qadr outside the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of Srinagar. The officer in civil clothes was confronted by an irate mob after his movement in the area arose suspicion. This led to an argument between the police and the crowd. While one policeman fled the spot, Pandith was captured by the group. Reports said he took out his pistol out and opened fire injuring three people, but was overpowered by the mob and beaten to death.

The news spread like wildfire across the country, with prominent people taking to Twitter to express their views.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police gave out information about the incident on Twitter

Another officer sacrificed his life in line of duty DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob at #Nowhatta last night.  J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) June 23, 2017

- Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed his anger towards the current government,

His death is a tragedy & the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins. https://t.co/uuddYdbJYc  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) June 23, 2017

He was a Dy SP in the Security Wing of J&K Police & I understand he was there on security duty for access control at Jamia Masjid. https://t.co/uuddYdbJYc  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) June 23, 2017

The ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) said the guilty will be punished.

We condemn the barbaric killing of DySP Mohammad Ayoub Pandith in Nowhatta. The guilty should be identified and punished.  J&K PDP (@jkpdp) June 23, 2017

- Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of Hurriyat Conference, who is said to be present inside the mosque at the time of the incident, said he was "deeply disturbed" by the incident.

Deeply disturbed & condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta.Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values & religion....  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) June 23, 2017

- BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said he was saddled to hear about Pandith's lynching.

Really Sad to know about the lynching of Mohd Ayub Pandit of J&K police. Only cowards of the worst kind would do such a reprehensible act.  Shahnawaz Hussain (@ShahnawazBJP) June 23, 2017

Opposition parties lashed out against the Union and state governments over its failure. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked if the policy was shambolic.

J&K is in complete conflagration.Pak forces cross LOC, kill 2 soldiers & stone pelters lynch our DSP. Is 56" muscular policy just shambolic? pic.twitter.com/mcaLhWds78  Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) June 23, 2017

- Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress spokesperson, criticised the state government.

Our cops in J&K are killed,no government rep pays a visit.The LeT miltants killed,given a 'gun salute' by fellow militants. The GoI mess.  Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) June 17, 2017

- Junaid Mattu, National Conference spokesperson, called those responsible as "barbarians".

Heartbreaking. Those barbarians responsible for this should be swiftly hunted and brought to book. They deserve hell. https://t.co/FCFXOkWIXI  Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) June 23, 2017

Heartbreaking. Those barbarians responsible for this should be swiftly hunted and brought to book. They deserve hell. https://t.co/FCFXOkWIXI  Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) June 23, 2017

Journalist Rahul Pandita, in a series of tweets, blamed Kashmiri separatists for incidents of violence.

2. What was he doing there? Providing security to Mirwaiz Farooq, who is a separatist and breaks bread with people who killed his father  Rahul Pandita (@rahulpandita) June 23, 2017

4. He listened to crowd singing "Musa Musa, Zakir Musa" while his supporters lynched a police officer outside  Rahul Pandita (@rahulpandita) June 23, 2017

6. What will Ayub get? Nothing. The CM will not go to his last rites. Local journos will ignore him. A few men in uniform will go  Rahul Pandita (@rahulpandita) June 23, 2017

7. They will be in a hurry, too. Major protests will break soon and they will have to do bandobast. Bharat ki jai, Bharat sarkar ki jai  Rahul Pandita (@rahulpandita) June 23, 2017

- Prominent Kashmiri journalist Ahmed Fayaz said there is "tremendous anger" in Kashmir.

Tremendous anger in J&K Police Security Wing. Officers asking why should Govt give us such deaths where the mourning can be only in whispers pic.twitter.com/XcH6HjJCDA  Ahmed Ali Fayyaz (@ahmedalifayyaz) June 23, 2017

Fellow journalist Gowhar Geelani linked rising incidents of cow vigilantism across India with rising violence in Kashmir.

Act of stoning DySp Ayub Pandith in Nowhatta is barbaric & ghastly. Unlike India, cow vigilantism & moblynching have no sanctity in Kashmir.  Gowhar Geelani (@gowhargeelani) June 23, 2017

Mediaperson Aarti Tikoo Singh said the government needs to tackle lynch mobs with an iron hand. -

#Kashmir has a problem of murderous lynch mobs, not "innocent" or "alienated" youth. Just like those in Dadri. Will civil society speak up? https://t.co/xeVTIbrqQL  Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) June 23, 2017

Army veteran Gaurva Arya asked why was "India such a soft state".
Chennai: AIADMK (Amma) faction leader TTV Dhinakaran on Friday announced the camp's support to NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the 17 July presidential poll.

Dhinakaran made the announcement as per the "orders" of jailed party chief VK Sasikala and said all the MPs in the faction, as well as MLAs in the Assemblies of both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, will support Kovind in the election.

"As per the orders of AIADMK (Amma) General Secretary VK Sasikala, I announce with joy that MPs from the Amma faction, besides MLAs in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and alliance party MLAs will vote for Ram Nath Kovind, who is contesting the Presidential polls on behalf of BJP," he said in a statement.

Dhinakaran's announcement virtually seals AIADMK's entire support to the NDA candidate, and comes in the wake of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, heading the Amma faction, and rebel leader O Panneerselvam having already extended their support to the former Bihar governor.

Dhinakaran's announcement virtually seals AIADMK's entire support to the NDA candidate, and comes in the wake of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, heading the Amma faction, and rebel leader O Panneerselvam having already extended their support to the former Bihar governor.

Dhinakaran's announcement virtually seals AIADMK's entire support to the NDA candidate, and comes in the wake of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, heading the Amma faction, and rebel leader O Panneerselvam having already extended their support to the former Bihar governor.

Dhinakaran's announcement virtually seals AIADMK's entire support to the NDA candidate, and comes in the wake of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, heading the Amma faction, and rebel leader O Panneerselvam having already extended their support to the former Bihar governor.

The AIADMK has a total of 49 MPs, including 37 in Lok Sabha, while its strength in the Tamil Nadu Assembly is 135.

In the 234-member state Assembly, the Amma faction has 122 MLAs while the Puratchi Thalaivi Amma camp led by Panneerselvam has 12 legislators.

The other one is the Speaker.

The RK Nagar seat lies vacant following the death of former chief minister Jayalalithaa in December last year.

Recently, nearly 30 ruling party MLAs had called on Dhinakaran post his release on bail in the Election Commission bribery case, triggering speculation that one more faction could emerge.
Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar will meet his coalition partner and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday evening, after Yadav warned that Kumar's decision of supporting former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential candidate is a historical mistake, media reports said.

The two leaders will meet at Lalu's iftar party to mark the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan, NDTV reported.

"People of Bihar will never forget Nitish Kumar. Now a daughter of Bihar from Dalit background has been named the presidential candidate. Nitish should have waited and thought about it. He has done a big mistake and will pay price for that," Lalu had said.

On Thursday, 17 Opposition parties, led by the Congress, announced former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as a their presidential candidate.

On Monday, Nitish Kumar announced that he will support the NDA's presidential candidate, Kovind. Soon after the announcement, Yadav said that he will try and convince the chief minister to support the opposition's candidate.

"Nitish had called me and told about his decision. I advised him not to do so... Now everybody knows what he has done. He himself had pitched for opposition unity and backtracked," said Lalu.

Some have suggested that Nitish breaking ranks with Lalu and the Congress to support Ram Nath Kovind could set off political realignment in Bihar.

Meanwhile, Bihar JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh repeated the party's decision to support Kovind and made it clear that there was no going back on it. "Kovind as governor of Bihar walked hand-in-hand with the state government on the path of development...he has displayed attachment with Bihar," Singh said.

His party colleague Shyam Rajak echoed similar views. "Hum logo ne thok-baja ke faisla liya hain (we have taken a decision after meticulously taking everything into account)," Rajak told PTI.

Rajak is deputy leader in the state Assembly and member of the JD(U) core committee which decided on Tuesday to support Kovind.

Meanwhile, Congress minister Abdul Jalil Mastan described Kovind as "a Shiv Sena man" who harboured hardcore Hinduavta ideology, PTI reported. "He is a Shiv Sena man harbouring hardcore hinduvta ideology...how can he be a clean man?" Mastan said.

With inputs from agencies
After Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his cabinet of ministers decided to support the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind as the nomination for the next President of India, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav said he appealed to Nitish to reconsider his support. He termed it as a historical mistake by the Janata Dal (United) leader.

Alok Kumar quotes Lalu as saying in this Firstpost piece, "People of Bihar will never forget Nitish Kumar. Now a daughter of Bihar from Dalit background has been named the presidential candidate. Nitish should have waited and thought about it. He has done a big mistake and will pay price for that."

"Today, I am appealing to Nitish to reconsider his decision and support the daughter of Bihar," Lalu told reporters.

The Opposition leaders also termed it as "unfortunate". "It is unfortunate that the JD(U) took this stand. This was the sense of the house," said a leader present at the Opposition meeting.

However, JD(U) refused to reconsider its decision on Thursday. JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said that they had arrived at the decision to support Kovind after looking at all aspects. "And political decisions are not changed all the time," he added.

After Lalu did not back down from his stand of urging Nitish to change his decision, the chief minister lashed out at his alliance partner on Friday. He even questioned the Opposition's decision to field Meira Kumar against Kovind, reported Alok Kumar. He asked the Opposition why did they field 'Bharat ki Beti' to face defeat in the election.

"The Opposition should analyse their decision and not us. I had told them there was no need of fighting in the presidential election and a decision could have been reached through consensus," Nitish said.

"I respect Meira Kumar and she has worked a lot for our country. However, it is being said that 'Bharat ki Beti' has been made a candidate. Now I ask the Opposition that when you had two terms at the Centre, why didn't you make 'Bharat ki Beti' the president then," he added.

The chief minister further said that his party always makes decisions independently and will not bow to any pressure. "This issue has nothing to do with the Mahagathbandan in Bihar. I will keep it above poliics," Nitish said.

He also lashed out at the Congress and said, "I will not blame anyone but UPA has not taken a practical decision. Instead of thinking about defeating the NDA in the 2019 general election, they have started the process of their own defeat." Nitish said he has conveyed his decision to Lalu, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad reacted to Nitish's statements and said that this is an ideological fight and his party never compromised with ideology.

With inputs from IANS
New Delhi: NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind will start a nationwide tour on 25 June, stopping first in Uttar Pradesh, where he will talk to members of the electoral college that votes for the new president. The former Bihar governor will be accompanied by senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari in the Uttar Pradesh leg of the tour. BJP sources said Kovind, 71, would travel to the bigger states and at some places interact with electoral college members from more than one state.

He would discuss the issue with MPs and MLAs of the parties which have announced their support to him. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members besides MLAs from all state Assemblies comprise the electoral college, totaling 10,98,882 votes. The vote value of a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha is 708, while that of an MLA would depend on the population of the state he or she represents.

They said state BJP leaders may reach out to Opposition parties as well and ask them to attend the meetings to be addressed by Kovind. As there is no provision of party whips in presidential

election, the BJP hopes that it may get the support of people who would like to vote for Kovind, irrespective of their party position.

The complete itinerary of Kovind's travel is still being finalised as it will also depend on the availability of state leaders, including NDA chief ministers and others supporting him, the sources said. After filing his nomination Kovind reached out to the opposition by asserting that the president's office was above party politics and that he did not belong to a party.

"Since I became the governor I do not belong to any political party," the former head of the BJP's Dalit Morcha  who is almost certain to be the next president  said.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly today spared seven DMK MLAs of action, including a six month suspension, for their alleged unruly behaviour during the Palaniswami government's trust vote on 18 February, following an intervention from Speaker P Dhanapal.

The report by the Committee of Privileges, headed by Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman, had suggested six month suspension for the seven DMK members, namely S Ambeth Kumar, KS Masthan, KS Ravichandran, N Suresh Rajan, K Karthikeiyan, P Murugan and Ku Ka Selvam.

The government, represented by Leader of the House KA Sengottaiyan, moved a motion that the Assembly accepted the recommendations, which also included freezing of the legislators' salary and other perks during the six month suspension period.

However, the speaker, who said he was the one "affected" during the ruckus, requested that the recommendations may not be accepted since six of the seven, excluding Suresh Rajan, were first-time legislators.

"Further, all of them have given apology letter and expressed regret for their action, assuring they will not repeat them," Dhanapal said. He then requested the treasury benches not to press on the motion and suggested that it may be withdrawn.

Responding to the speaker's plea, Sengottaiyan, the School Education Minister, said the government would treat the former's request as his "order". He said the ruling benches accepted the speaker's "culture, humanitarian aspect and mercy", promptly moving another resolution to withdraw the original one. The second resolution was adopted by a voice vote.

Responding to the issue, Opposition Leader MK Stalin thanked and praised the speaker for his "generosity", and recalled that he had regretted the DMK members' unruly action, if any, during the trust vote. DMK's allies, Congress and Indian Union Muslim League, also praised the speaker.

Later, Dhanapal said he had made an effort for a healthy debate of opinions and suggested that with such an orderly style, the Tamil Nadu Assembly could set an example on conducting smooth proceedings.
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday slammed the BJP for "not fulfilling promises" they made before municipal corporation elections including cleaning Delhi and paying off due salaries of civic bodies' employees.



The issue of sanitation has been the matter of a slanging match between the civic bodies and the AAP. The MCD has in turn been accusing the party of "politicising" civic issues instead of solving them.

AAP spokesperson Dilip Pandey said even the Delhi High Court had expressed displeasure over the corporations' failing to ensure proper garbage disposal in the national capital.

"In the lead-up to the MCD polls, the BJP had promised to clean up the city in 120 days if it is elected. It has been 60 days since they were elected. Has even half of the national capital been cleaned?" he questioned.

Pandey also asked Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari whether he had sought funds from the Central government to pay the salaries of municipal workers.

Before the polls, the BJP had promised that they would go all out to get funds from the Central government to clear dues of the municipal workers, he said.

"When are they going to do this since the workers are still waiting their dues to be cleared," Pandey added.
Srinagar/New Delhi: The lynching of a police officer outside the Jama Masjid in downtown Srinagar on Friday triggered widespread condemnation from political parties with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah saying those behind the "travesty" should "burn in hell".

In a strong reaction, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti termed the killing of deputy superintendent of police Mohammad Ayub Pandith as "shameful" and warned people of severe backlash if the police loses its patience.

The Congress expressed serious concern over the "worsening situation" in Kashmir and asked the government what policy it was following in the state which saw jawans and policemen dying every other day.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi termed the lynching as "horrific", saying the incident marked a new low in the state.

"The brutal lynching of Deputy SP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident," he said on Twitter.

Union minister Jitendra Singh described the lynching as an unholy act in the pious month of Ramzan and said the tragic death of the officer is yet another eye opener for the innocent masses of Kashmir.

Pandith was stripped naked and stoned to death by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in downtown area in the early hours today.

"What can be more shameful than this (lynching of officer). I want to say that J-K police is one of the best police forces in the country, they are brave but they are showing maximum restraint (while dealing with law and order situation) because they feel that they are dealing with their own people in Jammu and Kashmir.

"But, for how long?" Mehbooba told reporters on the sidelines of the wreath-laying ceremony of the slain officer.

She said the officer had not gone to the mosque for personal work but was there to protect the lives of the people and fulfil his duty.

Calling the lynching height of barbarism, Omar said, "I am personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy. That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking."

"His death is a tragedy & the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched Deputy SP Pandith burn in hell for their sins," Omar wrote on Twitter.

The former chief minister of the state announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh on behalf of the party and also a month's salary as MLA to the police welfare fund to support families of such martyrs.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also condemned the brutal act of killing of Pandith and said it was against Islam and humanity.

"It is a shameful act. Killing a person in the holy month of Ramzan is condemnable. Such thing is against both the Islam and the humanity," he said.

At the AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson RPN Singh said, "There is complete breakdown as far as law and order is concerned, as far as internal security is concerned. It seems that the Government has no policy, has no kind of action plan and seems that it is not moved by what is happening in J&K."

Separatist Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too condemned the lynching of the police officer, saying the "brutal" act was "outside the parameters of our values and religion."
Nitish Kumar created a flutter by sticking to his decision to back Ram Nath Kovind, the NDA nominee in the presidential race, even after Meira Kumar, a Congress leader hailing from Bihar, was named as the 17-party Opposition's choice for the top constitutional position in the country.

Many have described Nitish's decision as a smart political move; at a time when his electoral partners  Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members  are getting increasingly embroiled in corruption charges, Nitish has apparently found ways to rebuild bridges with BJP and Narendra Modi for a possible association in the future, if necessary.

This is, of course, not a one-off instance when Nitish Kumar broke ranks with his alliance partners, RJD and Congress. He wholeheartedly supported the NDA government's claims about surgical strikes against Pakistan, at a time when Sonia Gandhi and Lalu Yadav were picking holes in this claim.

More importantly, when the entire Opposition was up in arms against Narendra Modi's demonetisation plank, Nitish showed his solitary streak by being the only Opposition leader to defend the move.

How does one describe these positions? Some would insist Nitish Kumar is just another ordinary politician, who looks at events through the lenses of political profit and loss and accordingly takes a call. They would argue that his is the classic case of conviction politics  if he is convinced that something is right, he says it, and defends it with all his strength without bothering about its political fall-outs.

In traditional parlance it may be dubbed political madness, but Nitish is ready to brazen it out over his conscience, his supporters would say.

But there is the other view  that there is a method to Nitish's madness  that as a politician, he is not bogged down in the short-term, the immediate; that he has an uncanny eye for the future and he will make his moves with such dexterity that it confounds both his political friends and foes.

The strongest argument to buttress Nitish's conviction politics claim was his support to Pranab Mukherjee as the presidential candidate in 2012, when the latter was propped up by the ruling Congress-led United Progressive alliance (UPA), even as the BJP-led NDA had fielded PA Sangma as their candidate. Nitish was then Bihar chief minister in alliance with BJP. Nitish had claimed that Mukherjee was better suited for the top constitutional position as he had an intimate knowledge of constitutional niceties. But then how was Sangma  a former chief minister of Meghalaya, a nine-term member of Lok Sabha, and Speaker of the 11th Lok Sabha  perceived to be not familiar with the role of president was a question that baffled everybody.

Nitish's position in the 2017 presidential election also raises some questions. He was one of the early backers of the idea of a consensual opposition nominee against the ruling party candidate, as he insisted time and again that BJP was bound to field someone with an RSS background and said it must be opposed to uphold India's secular fabric.

Nitish made repeated visits to New Delhi in the last few months and met leaders of opposition parties like NCP, CPI, CPM, INLD, Congress etc., to forge Opposition unity on a common candidate for post of president.

But when BJP announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind, a man with a deep RSS background, as its presidential choice, Nitish chose to eat his words and extended support to him on the ground that the former had conducted himself well as governor of Bihar and that he had the requisite qualities to be a good president.

The announcement of Meira Kumar's candidature by the opposition conclave on Thursday could have persuaded Nitish to change his mind. After all, she is a former diplomat, a three-term MP and a former Speaker of Lok Sabha with a distinguished record. It is to be expected that Meira has all the credentials to fit the job of president. But Nitish decided to stick to his guns  to support Kovind, ignoring Meira's claims.

Will this have political implications? Many would see it as Nitish distancing himself from Lalu Yadav's RJD and mending his relationship with BJP. Sushil Kumar Modi, BJP's Bihar head, indicated as much when he said at a media meet that he received most of the information about Lalu Yadav's illegal property  which were seized by the Income Tax department  from Nitish Kumar's close associates in the Janata Dal (United). This assertion may or may not be true; it may be Sushil Modi's way of driving a further wedge between Nitish and Lalu, but there are firm indications that Nitish is increasingly finding it difficult to pull on with the Lalu clan in the government, especially after central government agencies like the CBI and Income Tax department appeared to be closing in on establishing corruption charges against the family.

That is possibly the reason why Nitish stuck to his stance on the presidential race, even as Lalu Yadav pointedly presented Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti". Opposing a Dalit candidate from Bihar with impressive political credentials and heritage (daughter of independent India's pre-eminent Dalit leader, Jagjivan Ram) in favour of a Uttar Pradesh-based, RSS-trained, BJP nominee will cost Nitish Kumar loss of political credibility in the short term, but he knows that this move could be the basis for the future realignment of the political forces in Bihar.

To that extent, it is smart politics. Nitish had resorted to similar such moves in the past as well, as and when the situation demanded it. After 17 years of association with the BJP, he broke with the saffron party and chose to lead a minority government in 2013 on the issue of Narendra Modi as BJP's prime ministerial candidate. Questions were then raised that he had no qualms in staying on as Union minister in the BJP-led government even after the infamous Gujarat riots happened in 2002 under the stewardship of the same Narendra Modi.

Nitish rocked the boat in 2013, as by then he had served as chief minister for eight years and had already created a strong Muslim support base with a series of welfare measures. He was afraid that backing Narendra Modi as prime minister would break the Muslims away from his support base. He therefore took the unusually bold decision to terminate the alliance with the BJP, though it cost him politically in the short term. He knew that his long-term political future was secure with the Muslim vote bank firmly backing him.

Nitish Kumar chose to go it alone in 2014 and found that the Muslim support base alone was not enough to prop him to power in identity-based politics in Bihar, especially against a resurgent BJP under Narendra Modi.

That is when he suffered no pangs of conscience in embracing Lalu Yadav, a man he had derided for two decades for presiding over "jungle raj" in Bihar. It was a question of political survival for both. The alliance pulled a miracle; it stopped the Modi juggernaut on the soil of Bihar in the 2015 Assembly election.

Nitish Kumar now realises that in the new dispensation, his Muslim support base has become a spent force; most Muslims have veered away from him to Lalu Yadav, their original benefactor and who is now in a position to ladle out benefits to them, now that his party is in power.

Nitish Kumar, in the last one year, has created an alternative support base among women with his draconian liquor prohibition measures. But he knows that a majority of rural women's support would also not be enough to pitchfork him to power in Bihar. Now that the Muslim votebank issue is out of the way, he sees the distinct possibility of a resurgent political future by collaborating with Narendra Modi, decidedly the most popular political leader in the country today.

Nitish Kumar's stance in the current presidential race has most likely set the stage for the beginning of a new political realignment in Bihar.
Srinagar: National Conference working president Omar Abdullah on Friday condemned the mob lynching of a police officer in Srinagar and announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh and a month's salary as MLA to the police welfare fund to support families of such martyrs.

He said the killing of Mohammad Ayub Pandith outside the Jamia Masjid in the downtown area of the city was height of barbarism. "I am personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy. That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking," he said.

"Such heinous elements are the enemies of Kashmiriyat and humanity and should be given the sternest possible sentence as per the law of the land," he added.

The former chief minister expressed solidarity with the family and the colleagues of the slain officer and demanded that the culprits be brought to book without delay and given the sternest possible punishment.
Despite tall claims of long-lasting socio-political transformation, what has hurt the reputation of the ruling CPM in Kerala the most are the charges that the party is anti-development; but when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sets out to cleanse his party of this stigma, he ends up doing more harm than good.

Early this week, his government came under widespread public criticism, including from leaders of his own party and allies, for police excesses against the residents of Puthuvype  a small island in Kochi  who have been agitating against a massive LPG import terminal that the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is building in their vicinity. The protestors fear that the facility, a few meters away from where they live, is a permanent threat to their lives and properties; but Vijayan says that it's safe and his government cannot allow people to stall "development".

Although he has called on the protesters for conciliatory talks, he was unequivocal that nothing would stop the project. "It would send wrong signals in terms of development in Kerala. If it is abandoned, it would encourage forces that want to halt development activities," he said.

The protesters, on the other hand, say that they are willing to lay down their lives, and have found support from sections within the ruling coalition itself. Political observers and left fellow-travellers fear that Puthuvype might turn out to be CPM's Singur or Nandigram in Kerala. It's a standoff that looks ominous.

Vijayan and IOC may be right that the terminal has adhered to the highest possible safety standards, that it's essential for a 2,200 crore LPG project in South India and could be quite valuable for Kerala; but his intransigence is counterproductive. If he is unable to take the protestors into confidence, the phantoms of Singur and Nandigram are certainly not misplaced.

Puthuvype is just a symptom of a "development" malaise that has affected Vijayan. Ever since he came to power, his message has been loud and clear  that he wants "development" at any cost.

In fact, in his reply to the motion of thanks to the Governor's address in March, he didn't speak like a communist or a left politician, but was categorical about a new "development" policy: "This government doesn't represent any particular section in the society. It's a government for and of all. Though we belong to different political parties, it's the public mandate that brought us all to this assembly. Hence, we all should stand together for programmes and projects aimed at the overall development of the state. At no point will the government succumb to pressure by certain organisations that always raise protest against development projects."

Vijayan, hailed by his supporters as a "double-hearted" man for his supposedly steely resolve, seemingly likes to live by his word and hasn't gone back on what he has said in the assembly or elsewhere. In fact, his intentions were clear when he appointed Harvard professor Gita Gopinath as his economic advisor, a move that was antithetical to left politics.

In the last one year, since he came to power, he hasn't stopped supporting the previous government's Vizhinjam port project being built by Gautam Adani despite damaging findings by the Comptroller and Auditor General; has lifted the restrictions on quarries that are hazardous to the lives of people and the environment, has reiterated that his government would acquire land for wider highways across the state notwithstanding years of public opposition, clamped down on public demonstrations, and has even sided with encroachers of public land.

The problem with Vijayan's hardline development agenda and poster-boyish enthusiasm is that it's uninformed and is devoid of realism. Although the left had indeed been accused of "labour militancy" - including by the erstwhile Planning Commission - that had prevented industrial growth in the state, in the long run, it had turned out be a blessing in disguise. Its uniformly high population density (the third highest among Indian states) doesn't allow for polluting industries, and the early labour reforms and high wages don't make productive activities viable. This apparent adversity and lack of opportunities compelled people to migrate and remit cash that today accounts for about 30 per cent of the state's GDP. This income has been largely distributive and has even led to a second wave of (privately funded) land reforms.

More importantly, it kept the state clean and green with reasonable equality although consumption-led environmental degradation has become a recent challenge. Some limited industrial production, food processing, tourism, IT, services and cash crops accounted for the rest of Kerala's income, which has been good enough to maintain a large State and a comparatively high human development.

For no logical reasons Vijayan wants to change this paradigm and wants to invert the model that has worked. His party could indeed have played a more constructive role in wealth generation and infrastructure improvement when opportunities arose in the past, but they were happy being luddites and obsessive about rights than duties. Now, suddenly waking up to lost opportunities of the past and trying to retrofit the state with an unsuitable development model, that's not commensurate with the times or the state's capacity, will do more harm than good.

Why should Vijayan obsess with an off-key development image and end up being a Budhdeb Bhattacharya? The left has never been known for wealth generation in Kerala, except for the Technopark, the first of its kind in India, in Trivandrum, which incidentally was also nurtured and developed by the Congress-led UDF government. Almost all iconic institutions in the state have been set up by non-left governments, particularly by former chief ministers C. Achutha Menon and K Karunakaran. The left's only positive contribution has been the progressive policies that made Kerala different from the rest of India.

The flip-side of Vijayan's obsession with his notion of "development" is the rapid decline of the state's hard-earned human development gains. Government funded education and health, the pillars of the famed Kerala model of development, have been invaded by private capital. The state's investment on these sectors has rapidly declined over the years and the neglect of the social determinants of health has made the state sick (currently it's under the grip of a dengue epidemic) and morbid. Nearly half of the state's revenue expenditure is spent on salaries and pensions, but corruption and inefficiency have corroded the quality of governance. The influence of an unseemly party infrastructure (the cell-rule in popular parlance) has made people captive to a feudal patron-client ecosystem.

This is the "development" that needs a rejig in Kerala, not what Vijayan has conjured up.
67 years after the makers of India, led by Dr BR Ambedkar, gave this republic its Constitution, India faces a question of great significance. At the moment, it does look like the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has this in its bag. The office of the President of India, though considered a mere pre-retirement gift reserved for devotees of political parties, has the power to act independently (while inviting a party to form the government and in Presidential Pardon). In these times of BJPs Hindu rashtra ambitions, it will be one of even more importance.

Post 2019 general elections, this President, could also play a crucial role in case the Modi-Shah duo does not get the numbers it has set its eyes on.

It is also, of course, a moment to reflect upon the social engineer of independent India, Ambedkars vision, as Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar, from communities that have been oppressed historically by India, compete to be entrusted with the task of protecting its very constitution he helped draft.

Before going into the merits or not of the candidates, the elephant in every Indian room, that is caste, must be addressed. Every election in India is dependent on the math around caste and this time around, the Congress has made that math irrelevant by matching BJP every step of the way, and trying to upstage them as well.

What has been most frustrating about this impending contest for the post of the Constitutional head of India no less, has been the politics of optics and perception.

Our caste bias more obvious than ever when we sit down to write or talk about politicians, especially about the leaders who come from oppressed communities. The quick dubbing of this contest as one of tokenism is as much a problem as the respective political parties using the caste system that they rely on for survival, so blatantly to further their agenda.

Here are two people who have risen through the ranks following decades of work, for causes they clearly believe in, and yet neither has been able to really shed the baggage of their location in (or as in this case outside) the caste system. The question that begs to be asked now, is why is it that when Pranab Mukherjee is nominated, he is not a token but deserving of this plummest of pre-retirement positions, a beacon of meritocracy?

When those of privilege make it to a position, they say it is because of merit, but when those the system oppresses make it there, it is because of tokenism? What then about the agency of Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar who have worked for the (political) causes they believe in all their lives?

They may believe in Hindutva, they may believe in the Congress' idea of a secular India but how will they lose this tag of being a token? That is the problem with the idea of meritocracy in India. The refusal to acknowledge merit when those against whom all odds are stacked rise through the ranks, while harping on the idea of merit only when it comes to reservation. This is a sparkling example of our hypocrisy. This idea that they have made it only because others, more powerful than them, have chosen them and that they themselves had nothing to do with their positions is exactly why caste is harmful.

Moving on to the contest at hand: BJPs candidate Kovind, is not just from the oppressed community, but also believes in its agenda of oppression. He is the current Bihar Governor, a two-term Rajya Sabha MP, a former Supreme Court lawyer, served as the BJP Dalit Morcha President and donated his ancestral home to the RSS. Its Hindu Rashtra mission will need a President who will, apart from believing in the cause, also be seen as a point of deflection, even as Dalits and Muslims, across the country continue to oppose as well as bear the brunt of the BJPs idea of a uniform Hindu India.

Over the last three years, the attack on the very livelihoods and lifestyles of Dalits and Muslims in particular, and anyone who does not toe the Hindu line has been relentless. From Dadri to Alwar and Una to Hyderabad, the marginalized have been made specific targets. Now, with this announcement, it can only be our guess that BJP is signalling to the community that, they are not opposed to Dalits as long as they believe in its cause. Much the same way, Abdul Kalam was used to signal to Muslims. It is unclear if the BJP even realizes that its intended audience does see through this ruse.

The Congress for its part has made the argument of being a Dalit virodhi if you dont support Kovind moot, by sending in a candidate that it thinks is more acceptable. Kumar has had a distinguished career, is well-known not just in political circles, but to the nation at large, was the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the daughter of Babu Jagjivan Ram (who has held various posts including that of the Deputy Prime Minister of India). While her ascent to presidency at this point looks unlikely, she is also a candidate likely to rattle the Nitish Kumar camp, whose support to Kovind, has exposed the fault lines in the united opposition led by Congress narrative.

The Congress has essentially tried to overshadow the BJPs candidate by picking someone who comes close to the other camps candidate. By doing this it has not created a Dalit vs Dalit contest alone (as is being projected by both parties). It is business as usual, BJP vs Congress. Hindutva vs Dynasty.
Hyderabad: Questioning Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's support to NDA's presidential pick Ram Nath Kovind, Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy opined on Friday that it is "dangerous" to make a person with "political education in RSS school" the president.

"He (President) is the custodian of the Constitution. When you elect for that post, it is not only shameful but also dangerous to make the person who only had his political education in the RSS school," he told reporters in Hyderabad.

Reddy, however, hastened to add that the Congress is not opposed to Kovind as an individual.

Reddy, a former Union Minister, dubbed the opposition-sponsored candidate Meira Kumar as an "embodiment of secular and democratic values.

"There is nobody who is more eligible than her," he said.

Alleging that Chandrasekhar Rao had a "clandestine agreement" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he claimed the chief minister had announced support to NDA even before the candidate was known.

"When a decision is taken, the reasons for that decision should be explained. What is your (Rao) clarification? Why are you supporting so unconditionally?" Reddy asked.

Rao and BJP chief Amit Shah criticised each other recently, but the chief minister announced support to NDA in the presidential election, he said.

Reddy reiterated that Rao had pro-BJP leanings.

Countering Jaipal Reddy's statement, TRS MLC Karne Prabhakar said his party is neither in NDA nor in UPA, and sought to know as to why the TRS was not approached by the Opposition for support.

How would Jaipal Reddy explain the support of JD(U), an ally of Congress, to the NDA candidate in the presidential elections, he asked.
Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind filed his nomination papers for the presidential election on Friday afternoon which officially now makes him the presidential candidate of the NDA alliance. Flanked by top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah, and chief ministers of several BJP-ruled states, Kovind filed his papers in Lok Sabha.

Speaking to the media afterwards, he said he was "happy" to be named the alliance's presidential candidate, and said he will try and "support the dignity of the post". He also said the President of India should rise above party politics, and requested unity among all political parties.

I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will try to maintain the dignity of the post:Ram Nath Kovind, NDA's presidential candidate  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Rashtrapati ka padd dalgat rajneeti se upar hona chahiye: Ram Nath Kovind after filing nomination papers for his presidential candidature pic.twitter.com/rRqj3NQtXm  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Reaching out to opposition parties, Kovind also said that the post of President of India is above party politics and he will strive to maintain its dignity. The 71-year-old said after filing his nomination papers that he had ceased to belong to any political party after he became Governor of Bihar in 2015.

"Ever since I became governor, I don't belong to any political party. The post of president is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support," he told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a battery of NDA chief ministers and party leaders accompanied Kovind as he filed his papers for the presidential election in which his victory appears to be almost certain. "I will do my best to maintain dignity of the high office of the president," he said.

Referring to national security, Kovind said, "The president is also the supreme commander of all three forces. It is our responsibility to keep our border secure."

BJP president Amit Shah and party veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were present on the occasion, as were all chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and its allies, except Manohar Parrikar of Goa and Mehbooba Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir. Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy also attended the event.

According to a report on India Today, Kovind filed three sets of nomination papers, and each of them were signed by 60 leaders as "proposers" and another 60 as "seconders". Further, a total of 120 signatures were also added to each set of nomination papers. All of this results in 480 MPs and MLAs already backing Kovind.

The electoral college, comprising all MPs and MLAs of India, will vote in a presidential election. Given the political camps in place, the NDA and its allies have 48.6 percent of this base. This apart, regional parties like AIADMK, BJD, TRS and JD(U) have also decided to back Kovind's candidature as the next president of India, giving him over 60 percent of the electoral college. Considering there are a few parties who haven't yet decided on their choice, Kovind is expected to go well over the majority.

He will be contesting against former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, who will file her nomination papers on 27 June. The election, if it is needed, will be held on 17 July, while counting of votes will take place three days later, on 20 July. Incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee's term will end on 24 July.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: The Opposition said on Friday that it would contest the 17 July presidential election based on ideology and appealed to all secular forces to support its nominee Meira Kumar.

Kumar was picked by 17 non-NDA political parties as their candidate against NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

The 17 July presidential election will see a contest between two Dalits, one hailing from Uttar Pradesh and the other from Bihar.

Thanking the Opposition parties for nominating her as their joint candidate, Kumar said this was a fight between different ideologies.

She appealed to the electorate comprising parliamentarians and members of state legislatures to decide on their support in the best interest of the country based on cherished values of social justice and inclusiveness and on principles and ideologies.

"This election is a fight of ideology. I would appeal to the collegium to take their decision on the best interest of the country, based on the cherished values and principles and ideologies. These are social justice, inclusiveness and values of composite Indian heritage which we hold so sacred," she has said.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who termed Kumar as the best candidate to represent the secular forces, said, "This is a fight of ideologies and there is no midway. People with secular ideology should stand with Meira Kumar."

CPI national secretary D Raja also termed the presidential poll as a battle of ideologies and that the Opposition would fight this contest seriously despite fewer numbers.

"It is true that the numbers are not in favour of the Opposition at this point of time. But it is a contest and must be fought seriously. Some people say it is a token fight, but what is tokenism in a democracy? This contest is to safeguard the Constitution, democracy. It is a battle of ideologies," he said.

Raja also added that they would reach out to the other Opposition parties to join hands and support Kumar's candidature.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said his was an "ideological battle" against Kovind. "(He) is a hardcore RSS man and even if the Congress had asked us to support him, I would have gone against it," he said.

Kovind today sought to reach out to the Opposition by asserting that the president's office was above party politics and that he did not belong to a party.

"Since I became the governor I do not belong to any political party," the 71-year-old former head of the BJP's Dalit Morcha  almost certain to be the next president  said after filing his nomination here for the post.
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that the Opposition parties fielded Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate to divide Dalits to "save their skin". Only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah picked Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit, as the NDA's presidential candidate, the Congress decided to field Kumar, Adityanath told reporters after Kovind filed his nomination papers.

"Intentions of the Opposition are not honest towards Dalits, otherwise they would had fielded Kumar last time," Adityanath said. The Opposition parties have fielded her only to divide Dalits in the country, he added. Echoing the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's views, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said that Opposition parties have made Kumar a "scapegoat" by naming her as the Opposition's presidential candidate.

"They thought about Dalits for the top post only after the BJP announced Kovindji as presidential candidate. And why didn't Congress nominate her last time when it was in a position to get her elected to the highest office," Modi said. Praising the choice of the NDA, Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das expressed confidence that Kovind would be victorious.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar described the BJP's choice for the top constitutional post as a step towards empowering the lower sections of society. Kovind hails from humble background and is a committed person for social cause and his personality suits the stature, Khattar added. Speaking highly about Kovind, Union minister Uma Bharti said Kovind was a successful member of Parliament and a committed worker towards social causes.
New Delhi: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that he could not understand why the Congress was opposing NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"Kovind is a good candidate. He is non-controversial, educated and experienced and has been good as Bihar Governor. He has worked among the weaker sections and the downtrodden. I cannot understand why (the) Congress is opposing him," Naidu said after Kovind filed his nomination.

"They are saying we finalised the Presidential candidate without consulting them. But we had reached out to them and asked for their support. It is their democratic right to contest. But most of the major political parties turned up today at Kovind's nomination," he added.

"We have a comfortable majority. All major political parties are supporting Kovind. The Congress alone knows why it is contesting because they do not have numbers on their side," he said. "I would still ask them to support ... Kovind."

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Congress was not sincere towards the Dalits or the Dalit cause.

"Had it been so, they would have fielded Meira Kumar in the last election itself. Now, after the NDA nominated a Dalit, they have brought in Meira Kumar to pit a Dalit against a Dalit to insult the Dalits."

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi said the Congress was insulting "Bihar ki beti" (Bihar's daughter) by forcing her to take on another Dalit candidate.

"Now that the BJP has named a Dalit candidate, they started seeing all the virtues in Meira Kumar. This is an insult to 'Bihar's daughter'," Sushil Modi said.

Meira Kumar, daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister and Dalit icon Babu Jagjivan Ram, hails from Bihar.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the run-up to the presidential election is how the Congress party has lost its pre-eminence among the UPA allies. The anti-BJP parties, primarily at the behest of CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, have propped up Sonia Gandhi as the convenor of the so-called 'secular' alliance, to take on BJP's choice of Ram Nath Kovind for president.

Sonia's selection was, presumably, partly out of deference to her stature. They hoped she would command the respect of regional parties to rally them around in support of a common Opposition candidate. Particularly tricky was getting Trinamool Congress to side with the Left; something only she would have been capable of. But without West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the table, any understanding would have been a non-starter.

Amateurish attempts to forge a breach within BJP ranks by floating names of its senior party leaders  LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj  came a cropper. Suggestions of a "conscience vote" to the NDA constituents were met with scarcely concealed sniggers.

Everyone knows about the saga that followed. It would suffice to say that Congress and Sonia failed to deliver. Not only did none of the southern warlords come along, even neutral leaders like Naveen Patnaik refused to extend support. Till the time of writing, Samajwadi Party's stand on Kovind was not clear.

Both the Left and Mamata had indicated that their first choice was Gopal Gandhi. Subsequently, the Left proposed an alternative in Prakash Ambedkar  when the search for a 'Dalit' name started. Although Yechury and Mamata may have willy-nilly acquiesced to Congress' choice, it may not have been unqualified support.

It is significant to note Congress and Sonia's inability to come up with a name proactively to pre-empt the BJP. They waited until BJP checkmated them with Kovind, putting them squarely on the back foot. It is a sad commentary that the Grand Old Party went on the defensive and nominated another Dalit face on the rebound, without having the courage or conviction to propose someone on merit  like Gopal or E Sreedharan.

The reason behind Opposition alliance's move to go for another Dalit candidate is not far to seek. They could not risk Mayawati walking out after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumars defection  if one can call it so. But, the fact that Congress cannot stand up to the hugely truncated strength of BSP reflects how weak it has become. The choice of Meira Kumar, who is generally regarded as a dynasty loyalist, over Ambedkar, who has his own lineage to boast of, reveals the insecurity of the Gandhis.

It is, perhaps, unfair to pin the entire blame on Sonia. The failure also shows the loss of clout of Congress' once powerful backroom managers. No one takes Digvijaya Singh seriously anymore. And while Ahmed Patel or Ghulam Nabi Azad were to be reckoned with till recently, even they seem to be losing the old touch  which is also symptomatic of the declining influence of the party.

Significantly, none of the "gen next leaders of Congress has any access to other major parties. This is most certainly not by accident. Many of them are smart enough to develop their own network of friends, cutting across party lines. In all likelihood, they have been kept in check, so as not to outshine the "not so young anymore" party 'prince', Rahul Gandhi. This makes the prospect of Rahul inheriting the mantle from his mother Sonia even more frightening. Without the family minders, he would be a lost soul in the world of realpolitik, surrounded only by a retinue of sycophantic retainers.

As successive state elections (with the sole exception of Punjab) have proven, Congress' ability to win a mandate on its own has been severely impaired.

And going by Rahul's current track record, there is no reason to believe that its stock will increase significantly before the 2019 General Elections. In hindsight, it appears that Rahul made the right decision to stay away from the country during this eventful period.

So far, the Congress provided at least the umbrella, by sheer virtue of its glorious legacy, for other parties to gather under. This presidential election showed that old brolly has developed several holes and is well beyond repair. With the altered number stack up in the Rajya Sabha, the party may still bark in Parliament but it has lost the teeth to bite. It should realise that without real grassroots leaders, it cannot survive on a retinue of unelectable Television talk-show warriors.

Still, as they say, nature abhors a vacuum. But, from the looks of it, a Phoenix is unlikely to rise from the ashes of Congress anytime soon. At least for now, the Congress' status has been reduced to an 'also ran' party, which is fast losing relevance. The saviour, therefore, has to come from outside the charmed zone of Lutyens' Delhi.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy started another controversy on Friday night alleging that Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has committed financial fraud.

Speaking to India Today, Swamy advised the south Indian actor against joining politics while claiming to have "substantial proof" of financial irregularities that would 'knock down' Rajinikanth's political ambitions. Swamy also termed the talks of Rajinikanth joining politics as a 'media hype'.

Rajinikanth is said to have been toying with the idea of taking the political plunge, as the superstar has been making comments about the 'corrupt' state of politics in Tamil Nadu, as he advised his fans to start preparing for a 'war'.

The superstar gave more hints of taking the political plunge on Thursday, saying he is discussing the prospects and would make an announcement once he finalises it.

"I have not denied it. We are discussing and yet to take a decision. Once I take a decision I will inform you", the actor told PTI at Chennai airport in response to a question regarding his meeting with the political leaders.

The actor, who met his fans in May, had asked them to "prepare for war" hinting that he might consider entering politics.

"When a war comes, they will come to the rescue of their motherland. I have a profession, work, duty and so do you. Go to your places, do your duty, take care of your vocation. Let us face the war when it comes," he had said.

Last week, Rajinikanth had met a delegation of 16 farmers, led by P Ayyakannu and supported their request to interlink rivers.

The 66-year-old actor told them that their request would be forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had pledged Rs one crore for the same.

While Swamy's statement seems to have added another twist to the discussion around Rajinikanth's political ambitions, his statement seemed motivated to push Rajinikanth towards BJP. In fact, party president Amit Shah had shown keenness that Rajikanth should BJP.

Even RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy had reportedly said that right now is the best time to join politics. "There is a huge vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics which is inviting for Rajini," had said according to Daily Mail.

With inputs from PTI
Serbia: Serbia's first openly gay and female prime minister is set to take office in the staunchly conservative country next week after the ruling populists mustered majority support for her in parliament.

Officials said on Friday that the assembly will convene on Saturday to start the proceedings for the election of Ana Brnabic and her government. The vote is likely next week.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic proposed the US and UK-educated business and marketing expert Brnabic for the post. Her election was thrown into doubt amid reports that hardliners in the ruling coalition had refused support because of her sexual orientation.

Vucic, who switched from premier to president in April, is hosting a lavish formal inauguration ceremony on Friday. Top regional leaders and representatives of foreign governments, including the U.S. and Russia, are attending.

Serbian media have reported that more than 3,000 guests have been invited. The New Belgrade zone where the ceremony is being held will be closed to traffic.

Most of Serbia's opposition politicians will boycott the ceremony and hold a protest in the Belgrade city center instead. They have accused Vucic of irregularities during the April vote and an autocratic rule in Serbia.

Analysts say Brnabic's nomination is Vucic's tactic to please the West after his recent apparent shift toward Russia. He has formally proclaimed European Union membership a "strategic goal."

Brnabic has said that she "can't wait" to assume the post and start working. She has said her primary goal will be Serbia's economic recovery and modernization.

Vucic is a former extreme nationalist who now says he wants Serbia to reform according to EU standards.

In a meeting Friday with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who came for the inauguration ceremony, Vucic pledged Serbia will not join Western sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine, despite EU suggestions that Serbia must align its foreign policies if it wants to join the bloc.

Serbia's previous, pro-Russian President Tomislav Nikolic also met Rogozin, outlining the country's foreign policy priorities.

"I am no longer president and I can now tell you freely," Nikolic told Rogozin. "We have defined our priorities a long time ago, and that is friendship with Russia while respecting other nations."
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday announced that party representatives at various levels would donate one month's salary towards the farm loan waiver.

This will apply to its ministers, MLAs, MPs, corporators, members of Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats.

Sena has 21 MPs and 63 MLAs in Maharashtra.

Party chief Uddhav Thackeray himself would contribute Rs 10 lakh, Sena leader and senior state minister Diwakar Raote said.

Sena had supported farmers' protest for loan waiver and now wants to contribute in giving relief to farmers through these donations, he said.

"Uddhav-ji has already spent Rs 4.5 crore, earned from his photography, for farmers through various activities like giving help in drought-affected regions or water conservation work. He will now himself contribute Rs 10 lakh," said Raote.

The BJP-led state government  of which Sena is a part  recently announced a loan waiver for farmers.

Earlier in the day, the state government issued a notification appealing its employees to contribute a day's salary to provide financial assistance to families of farmers in the `suicide-prone' regions of the state.
IANS

E-commerce companies Flipkart and Amazon, for the second year in a row topped LinkedIn India's top companies list 2017, a statement said in New Delhi on 18 May 2017. The professional network site on the Internet said the list is fuelled by exclusive LinkedIn data, including job seeker reach, engagement, and retention. LinkedIn has around 500 plus million members.

The statement said the list of 25 top companies in India also saw over 30 percent new entrants like One97 Communications, Tech Mahindra, Swiggy, IDFC Bank, Vodafone, Grofers, McKinsey & Company and Oracle. Among the companies making upward movement are Ola from last year's number 10 to number 5, OYO Rooms from number 16 to number 9, Reliance Industries from number 23 to number 10 and Cisco from number 24 to number 16.

"India Inc is thriving, backed by an increasing business friendly sentiment and a positive economic trajectory. Understanding the pulse of a younger employee base, enterprises in India are working to build an ethos that drives performance and also delivers a rich workplace experience," said Irfan Abdulla, Director Talent Solutions & Learning Solutions, LinkedIn India.

"We analysed India's most attractive employers to understand how their culture and growth opportunities appeal to Indian professionals and interestingly, homegrown companies are leading the list," he added. Offering new possibilities and opportunities for talent within the country, homegrown companies are increasingly being considered by job seekers, the statement said.

"From leading tech multinationals to startups, 13 home grown companies found a place in the list including HCL Technologies and Wipro. The list also saw six start-ups making it to the top 25, including Flipkart, One97 Communications, OYO Rooms and Grofers among others," the statement added.

"All top companies in India have a strong talent brand, powered by culture and purpose. While these factors are the main drivers in attracting talent, the key to retaining employees is to create an environment where employees can grow by working on meaningful projects and contributing to the organisation's success," added Abdulla.
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Massachusetts' bid to become the nation's leader in offshore wind power is ramping up. The state's electric utilities, National Grid, Eversource and Unitil, are slated to release by June 30 their requirements for projects seeking to develop the state's first ocean-based wind farm.That sets in motion an ambitious effort to put Massachusetts ahead of states like New York, New Jersey and Maryland also seeking to establish their presence in the nascent U.S. industry. Here's a primer on where things stand:

That sets in motion an ambitious effort to put Massachusetts ahead of states like New York, New Jersey and Maryland also seeking to establish their presence in the nascent U.S. industry. Here's a primer on where things stand:

New Energy Law

A state law passed last year to boost Massachusetts' use of renewable energy outlines the process for developing offshore wind power. The law calls for generating at least 1,600 megawatts of power, roughly enough electricity to power 750,000 homes annually, from offshore wind by 2027. To accomplish this, the utilities are required to secure long-term contracts with wind farm developers in at least two phases: a bid request this June and another in 2019. The law also calls for generating up to 1,200 additional megawatts from other clean energy sources, including hydropower, onshore wind power and solar power by 2027.

Key players

At least three companies have expressed interest in the bid: Rhode Island's Deepwater Wind, Denmark's DONG Energy and Vineyard Wind of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Those three have already taken the key step of securing federal leases to develop offshore wind farms miles of the coasts of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, where the state is focusing its offshore wind efforts.

Each firm comes with its industry bonafides. Deepwater Wind opened the nation's first offshore wind farm off Block Island last year, a five-turbine project generating 30 MW. DONG Energy has installed hundreds of turbines in waters off Europe and has partnered with Eversource on its Massachusetts venture. And Vineyard Wind is partly owned by Portland, Oregon renewable energy developer Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of Denmark.

Rough Draft

The utilities, in concert with state agencies, have been developing their bid requirements for months. The most recent draft calls for proposals generating between 400 to 800 megawatts of power and outlined key dates, including a December deadline for submitting applications and a May 2018 deadline for picking a winner or winners. But the utilities have also sought input from offshore wind companies and other stakeholders, so it remains to be seen if those specifics are further tweaked.

Size matters?

As the utilities have drafted their bid requirements, there's been some debate about the right size for the wind farms. DONG Energy argues that larger projects generating up to 800 megawatts provide 'efficiencies of scale' that would lead to lower electricity costs for ratepayers. Vineyard Wind believes the more practical approach is developing four projects of 400 megawatts each. And Deepwater Wind has argued for a range of projects of varying sizes.

"We think a more gradual approach makes the most sense," said Jeffrey Grybowski, Deepwater Wind's CEO. "You need to walk before you run."

Too slow?

Timing also has been a concern among some stakeholders. The Conservation Law Foundation, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, has advocated for an accelerated timeline that would allow construction to start as soon as next summer and the wind farm to be operational by 2023.

Vineyard Wind CEO Erich Stephens warns that a prolonged selection process makes it harder for firms to maximize their benefit from federal investment tax credits that are gradually being phased out. That, he said, could ultimately impact costs passed to ratepayers. "Even just a few months makes a huge difference," Stephens said.

The Trump Effect

Offshore wind developers seem united on at least one point: they're not overly concerned about President Donald Trump's policies on renewable energy just yet. Trump was a vocal critic of offshore wind technology as a candidate and businessman.

The companies note that states play a vital role in setting the nation's energy priorities since they regulate utilities, and Massachusetts' Republican Governor Charlie Baker has reaffirmed the state's commitment to its clean energy goals despite the country's withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement. "There's no pause for us," said Thomas Brostrom, president of DONG Energy's North American operations. "We're remain really committed to the market here in Massachusetts and the U.S."

Associated Press
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Rocket Lab, a Silicon Valley-funded space launch company, on Thursday launched the maiden flight of its battery-powered, 3-D printed rocket from New Zealand's remote Mahia Peninsula. "Made it to space. Team delighted," Rocket Lab said on its official Twitter account.

The successful launch of a low-cost, 3D-printed rocket is an important step in the commercial race to bring down financial and logistical barriers to space while also making New Zealand an unlikely space hub. The Los Angeles and New Zealand-based rocket firm has touted its service as a way for companies to get satellites into orbit regularly.

"Our focus with the Electron has been to develop a reliable launch vehicle that can be manufactured in high volumes  our ultimate goal is to make space accessible by providing an unprecedented frequency of launch opportunities," said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and chief executive in a statement.

The firm had spent the past four years preparing for the test launch and last week received the go-ahead from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which is monitoring the flight. Bad weather had delayed the rocket from taking off three times this week. New Zealand has created new rocket legislation and set up a space agency in anticipation of becoming a low-cost space hub.

Ships and planes need re-routing every time a rocket is launched, which limits opportunities in crowded U.S. skies, but New Zealand, a country of 4 million people in the South Pacific, has only Antarctica to its south. The country is also well-positioned to send satellites bound for a north-to-south orbit around the poles.

But many locals in the predominantly Maori community were not happy with access to public areas blocked. "People come to Mahia so they can go to the beach and it's been chopped off now and by the sounds of it one of these rockets are going to be launching one every 30 days so they've taken over our lifestyle," said Mahia farmer Pua Taumata.

But Taumata also said the programme could bring opportunities. "I'm for technology ... a lot of things could come of it through education. It gives our children something different in their careers. Nobody thought to get into the space industry (before now)," he said.

Rocket Lab is one of about 30 companies and agencies worldwide developing small satellite launchers as an alternative to firms jostling for space on larger launches or paying around $50 million for a dedicated service. The company said in a statement it has now received $148 million in funding and is valued in excess of $1 billion.

Rocket Lab's customers include NASA, earth-imaging firm Planet and startups Spire and Moon Express. The firm will carry out two more tests before it starts commercial operations, slated to begin towards the end of this year.

Reuters
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Politically-motivated cyber attacks from Russia pose the biggest threat to Lithuania's financial system, a survey of financial institutions conducted by the Baltic country's central bank showed on Tuesday. The survey comes amid accusations of Russian hacking activity in other countries, including during the presidential elections in the United States and France. Russia denies the accusations.

Lithuania, once ruled by Moscow but now in NATO and the European Union, is on the political frontline of tensions between the West and Russia. Vilnius has regularly accused Moscow of trying to destabilise its institutions through cyber warfare. "In contrast to the civilized world, where cyber threats are mostly criminal in nature and with a commercial intent, the cyber threats we are facing have a geopolitical aspect to them," Lithuanian Central Bank Governor Vitas Vasiliauskas, said, when asked to comment on dangers posed by Russian state-sponsored hacking to the country's banking system.

"In our region these threats are serious." Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that patriotic Russian hackers may have staged cyber attacks against countries that had strained relations with Moscow on their own initiative, but he denied that the Russian state had ever been involved in such hacking.

Earlier this year Lithuania said it had found Russian spyware on three of its government computers and had detected dozens of attempted break-ins. A spokesman for Putin called the claims "nonsense". Lithuania's counter-intelligence chief Darius Jauniskis told Reuters that Russia had attempted to sow chaos in Lithuania by orchestrating a cyber attack in 2012 against the Lithuanian central bank and its top online news website, which brought both down.

Suspected Russia-backed hackers have also launched exploratory cyber attacks against the energy networks of the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, sources have told Reuters, raising security concerns in NATO. Apart from cyber crime, the financial institutions polled by the central bank also rated a sharp increase in risk premiums in global financial markets and the threat of imbalances in the local real estate market as posing a threat to Lithuania's financial stability.

Reuters
London: A year to the day after Britain voted to quit the European Union, the divorce proceedings are only just starting and European leaders are hoping that the decree absolute never comes through.

On 23 June last year, Britons voted by the narrow majority of 52-48 to end the unhappy cross-Channel marriage of four decades.

The referendum result toppled the government of David Cameron but now his successor, Theresa May, is also wobbling after a disastrous showing in an election two weeks ago.

May had called the election in the expectation of improving her party's grip on parliament and so strengthening her hand in the Brexit negotiations with the European Union.

But voters had other ideas, wiping out her Conservatives' majority and plunging the Brexit process into new doubt.

In truth, doubts were apparent as soon as the referendum result came through. Britons had voted to leave the EU, but in what way exactly?

Pollsters said the decision was motivated to a large degree by frustration at uncontrolled immigration from the rest of the EU among austerity-weary Britons and by a desire for greater national sovereignty.

May took that to mean a "hard Brexit"  stopping free movement of people from the EU, at the cost of depriving Britain of membership of the bloc's common trading market.

In March, she filed the annulment papers by invoking Article 50 of the EU treaty, which sets a two-year deadline for the break-up to take effect.

But the formal negotiations only began on Monday, so the timeframe is tight to clinch agreement on the dizzying range of issues confronting both sides.

Dream on

The resurgent Labour opposition and May's own finance minister, Philip Hammond, insist that Britons did not vote to become poorer, so divining the country's true intentions is fully exercising eurocrats in Brussels.

EU president Donald Tusk on Thursday channelled John Lennon when he noted that British friends were asking him if their country could end up staying part of the EU.

"I told them that in fact, the European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve," he told reporters.

"So who knows? You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Tusk's reverie followed comments in a similar vein by the new French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Germany's finance minister.

But a year on from the referendum, the debate in Britain is less about stopping Brexit entirely and more about what form it should take  whether a clean break, or a "soft" option that retains membership of the common market.

Hammond called this week for years-long transitional arrangements to cushion the blow for British businesses once they lose unfettered access to their biggest export market.

"We are leaving the European Union but when you buy a house, you don't necessarily move all your furniture in on the first day you buy it. This is a process," he said.

Breaking up is hard

Opinion polls show a majority in favour of respecting the referendum result  including among those who voted a year ago to remain in the EU.

The Labour party, confounding the pollsters, came out strengthened by the recent election but it too supports pushing on with the process, albeit in a way that emphasises jobs and living standards.

And then there is the constitutional quagmire thrown up by Brexit.

May this week indicated that Scotland's separate parliament would have to be consulted on the shape of the final deal, and Scotland  unlike England and Wales  voted a year ago to remain.

So much remains unclear as the estrangement takes formal shape in the coming months, including even whether May's government can last to see the process through.

Before the election, the rest of the EU at least had some certainty that Britain's proposed terms of divorce encompassed a "hard Brexit".

But the election threw up new alliances among voters that could confound the ardent Brexiteers' plans for a clean break.

"Profound and fundamental political changes have occurred since the referendum and it remains to be seen how durable they prove to be," professor Anand Menon, director of think-tank The UK in a Changing Europe, wrote in a new study.

"It is hard, if not impossible, following the snap election to know how the Brexit negotiations will go. The attitude our fundamentally divided  between and within parties  parliament will take is crucial and impossible to predict," he said.
Quetta: A powerful bomb went off near the office of the provincial police chief in southwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 20 others, police said.

The attack took place Friday morning near the office of the Inspector-General of Police in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, police spokesman Shahzada Farhat said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed the toll which includes four policemen. He said the nature of the blast is yet to be determined.

"CCTV footage of the site will be used to determine the cause and nature of the blast," he said.

The injured were moved to Quetta's Civil Hospital, the police said.

The rescue operation in the area has been completed, Dawn news reported.

Anwarul Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the provincial government, condemned the attack and said that authorities had transported the dead and wounded to hospitals.

The injured were shifted to Quetta's Civil Hospital. Four, including a 10-year-old girl are said to in critical condition.

An eyewitness told The Nation, "I was two minutes away from the scene when I heard a loud explosion. The intensity was so severe that when the dust settled, a victim's leg was near me".

No one has claimed responsibility, but Pakistani Taliban and Islamic militants have previously targeted the province, which for over a decade has been the scene of a low-intensity insurgency by nationalist and separatist groups demanding a bigger share of regional resources.

With inputs from agencies
Beijing: China on Friday said it hopes India and the US will not disturb peace in the South China Sea as the issue is likely to come up between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump when they meet.

"With concerted efforts of China and Asean countries, the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries, especially non-regional countries, can respect efforts by regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

Modi will meet Trump for the first time on 26 June and a range of issues are likely to come up, including H1B visas and terrorism.

Earlier, US press secretary Sean Spicer said cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea will figure in the talks.

China is locked in a dispute with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan over the ownership of energy-rich waters.

China claims almost 90 percent of the sea. The US has sent its warships into the waters, asserting its freedom to navigate in the international waters.
Mauritius and the Chagos Islanders have won a major victory at the United Nations in one of the last remaining issues related to decolonisation. The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of an African Union-backed resolution against the United Kingdom, on the legal status of the disputed Chagos archipelago.

Britain had separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius just before Mauritius was granted independence, and created a new colony it called the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The Chagos Islanders were forcibly expelled from their homes and dumped in Mauritius and Seychelles without any compensation. The dispute acquired a wider dimension once an American military base was established on Deigo Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago.

India has been a firm supporter of the Mauritian claim to the islands and had strongly opposed the establishment of an American naval base just 1,200 kilometres from the Indian coast. The Chagos Islands lie just 500 kilometres west of the Maldives.

Mauritius and the exiled Chagos islanders have fought a long battle for redressal through the past five decades. The UN General Assembly has now referred the issue to the International Court of Justice for an opinion on the legality of British action on separating the Chagos Islands from Mauritius. The resolution received 94 votes in favour with 15 against and 65 abstentions. Though Britain argued that it was a bilateral matter between it and Mauritius and a security issue, the majority of the UN members saw it as a decolonisation issue.

The resolution received 94 votes in favour with 15 against and 65 abstentions. Though Britain argued that it was a bilateral matter between it and Mauritius, and a security issue, the majority of UN members saw it as a decolonisation issue.

What has come as a major embarrassment for the British government is that only four European Union members voted in its favour; some observers have speculated that it is the effect of Brexit. The British government made vigorous efforts to garner support; British foreign secretary Boris Johnson had asked the Indian government to use its influence on Mauritius over the issue, during his last visit to India earlier this year.

Britain leased out the islands to the United States in a secret deal in the late 1960s for building a military base at Deigo Garcia. It became a major American military base to counter Soviet influence in the Indian Ocean region. It remains an important airbase and naval refuelling station that the US used during the Vietnam war and later for bombing missions to Afghanistan and Iraq. It has also been used by the US for its rendition and interrogation operations in the fight against terrorism.

The Chagos dispute has a human rights issue in its fold as well. The Chagossians are descendants of African slaves and Indian workers brought from Mauritius in the 19th century to work on the French coconut plantations. At the time of their expulsion, the British claimed that the islanders were temporary workers brought to work for short periods. The islanders, some of whom have moved to

The islanders, some of whom have moved to the United Kingdom, have been fighting prolonged legal battles in the British courts against their deportation from the islands, but successive British governments used various means to overturn the effects of court verdicts in the Chagossians favour. In 2008 the British Law Lords overturned a verdict of the Appeal Court in favour of the government.

In 2008, the British Law Lords overturned a verdict of the Appeal Court in favour of the government. The Chagossians have continued to appeal to the courts and last year the UK Supreme Court heard an appeal that focused on a feasibility study into how difficult it would be to allow the Chagossians to resettle in the islands.

The Chagos support association in the UK has argued that civilians live in the vicinity of military bases without being security threats and that the islands could be resettled in one of the distant islands.

The Islanders are banned from visiting the islands even for a short visit though Salomon Islands, located about 100 kilometres from Diego Garcia in the Chagos group, remains a favourite halt for yachts sailing across the Indian Ocean.

Mauritius had taken the issue to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. In 2015, the Court had ruled against Britain, holding that Britain had acted illegally in its exercise of territorial control over the Chagos Islands. It was also critical of the way in which Britain had established a marine protection zone around the Chagos Islands that curtailed fishing rights in the region. The marine protection zone next to a major military zone was meant to ensure that the Chagossians did not return to the islands.

Britain had promised to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius when they were no longer required for defence purposes but has not given a date for return. The American lease was renewed last year till 2036.

Following the favourable verdict at The Hague, Mauritius took up a vigorous campaign to gather support for a resolution at the UN General Assembly. The International Court of Justice rulings are not binding, but they carry a moral weight. But the Chagos Islanders still retain the hope that they can return to their island paradise someday.
Brussels: EU leaders gave a distinctly cool response Friday to Britain's plans to protect the rights of European citizens living there after Brexit, after Prime Minister Theresa May set out what she said was a "fair" offer.

"That's a first step but this step is not sufficient," European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters as he arrived for the second day of an EU summit in Brussels.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said the proposal outlined by May over an EU leaders' dinner on Thursday was "particularly vague".

The fate of around three million European citizens living in Britain after Brexit is one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations on Britain's withdrawal from the 28-member bloc, which began on Monday.

Almost exactly one year after Britain voted to leave in the 23 June referendum, May promised that nobody would be forced to leave after Brexit, offering permanent rights over healthcare, education, welfare and pensions to Europeans who arrive before a cut-off date.

But she declined to say when that date would fall, offering only a window between 29 March 2017, when Britain triggered the Brexit process, and its expected departure two years later.

The mood around the table was that May's offer was the "bare minimum", a European source told AFP, while Brussels is also clear that the cut-off date must be the day Britain leaves the EU.

Publicly, leaders said they looked forward to seeing the more technical details when Britain publishes a formal paper on the issue on Monday.

"We don't want to buy a pig in a poke," Michel said, using an old-fashioned expression for agreeing to buy something without inspecting it beforehand. "The rights of European citizens should be guaranteed in the long term."

May has already set up a clash with Brussels by refusing to allow the European Court of Justice to arbitrate any disputes over citizens' rights in Britain.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU's most powerful leader, said late Thursday that May's plan was "a good start. But of course there are still many, many other questions".

No 'families split apart'

"I want to reassure all those EU citizens who are in the UK, who have made their lives and homes in the UK, that no one will have to leave, we won't be seeing families split apart," May said as she arrived for the summit on Friday.

"This is a fair and serious offer" that would give people certainty, she said, adding: "Of course, there will be details of this arrangement which will be part of the negotiation process."

May had previously refused to guarantee the rights of Europeans until the futures of 1 million British expatriates living in the rest of the EU were also secured, and she said her proposal depended on a reciprocal deal.

But it was also probably intended as an olive branch as she struggles to maintain her authority after losing her parliamentary majority in a snap election two weeks ago, leaving her Conservative Party struggling to form a stable government and throwing her entire Brexit strategy into doubt.

May called the election to secure a mandate for pulling Britain out of the EU's single market in order to cut immigration  a key issue in the Brexit vote  but some of her ministers are now warning that jobs and the economy must be the priority.

Juncker was asked if he knew what form of Brexit the government in London was now seeking, to which he replied: "No."

'Much more work'

European leaders had warned there would be no debate at the summit on the plan for citizens' rights, as the Brexit negotiations are being conducted separately.

But both sides have expressed their desire to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

"As citizens are the EU 27's priority number one, it is a positive step that the UK will come with a detailed proposal on how to secure citizens' rights," an EU source said.

"It remains to be seen if the UK offer will be as generous as the one the EU 27 set out in detail in the negotiating directives. At this stage there are, frankly speaking, some doubts."

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said: "It's a good first proposal, which I appreciate, but it's clear that we have to invest much more work."

May's proposal drew a derisory response at home, with a campaign group for EU nationals in Britain, called "the3million", declaring it "pathetic".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a member of the opposition Labour party, said it "does not come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals living in the UK".

"It is unacceptable for the prime minister to be treating EU citizens living here and contributing to our economy and society as bargaining chips," he said.
Washington: President Donald Trump has questioned the impartiality of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the probe into Russia's meddling in the US election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

In an interview with Fox News aired this morning, Trump argued that Mueller, a former FBI director, is "good friends" with James Comey, Mueller's successor at the spy agency whom Trump fired on 9 May.

Trump later acknowledged he took this step with the Russia probe in mind.

When George W. Bush was president, Mueller and Comey worked together  Mueller as FBI director and Comey as deputy attorney general.

Trump also said that some of the staffers that Mueller has hired for his investigation "are all Hillary Clinton supporters." US news reports say some of these staffers have made campaign contributions to Democratic candidates.

Asked point blank if Mueller should recuse himself from the Russia probe, Trump said: "Well, he's very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome. But he's also we're going to have to see."

Trump added: "I mean we're going to have to see in terms look, there has been no obstruction. There has been no collusion. There has been leaking by Comey."

Trump did say, however, that Mueller is an "honorable man."
French President Emmanuel Macron's new government took a tough line on Calais migrants on Friday, with his interior minister saying he does not want the northern port to become an "abscess".

Making his first visit to a city which has for years been a magnet for migrants and refugees hoping to cross to Britain, interior minister Gerard Collomb ruled out building a reception centre for asylum-seekers in Calais, saying it would only encourage more people to come.

"We've seen this before, it starts with a few hundred people and ends with several thousand people who we can't manage," Collomb said as he met with security forces, officials and aid workers in Calais.

"That's why we don't want a centre here."

Instead, Collomb said, "We are going to reinforce security with the arrival of two additional mobile security force units to stop any new camps from forming."

Authorities shut down the notorious "jungle" camp in Calais, which at its height was home to some 10,000 people living in dire conditions, last October.

But hundreds of migrants  mostly Afghans, Sudanese and Eritreans  are still at the port, clashing sporadically with police as they try every night to stow away onto trucks heading to Britain.

This week a Polish driver was killed when his truck burst into flames after hitting a roadblock, set up by migrants hoping to slow the traffic to make it easier to jump onto vehicles.

The roadblocks began reappearing in late May with a new uptick of migrants in the region and a surge for Europe, with Italy registering more than 65,000 arrivals since January.

While the tent city of the Jungle is gone, migrants say conditions in Calais are bleaker than ever.

"There is no tap and we cannot drink, we cannot wash. There is nowhere to sleep. At night I sleep without a tent on the 'mountain'," said Jamal, a 24-year-old Afghan, pointing to a huge rubbish dump.

'They are not dirt'

Collomb pledged Friday to present Macron with a plan for asylum reforms in the next two weeks, vowing in particular to tackle African people-smuggling networks at their root.

Eleven charities went to court on Wednesday demanding the construction of a government refugee centre in Calais, deploring the miserable conditions in which migrants find themselves.

Collomb had angered aid groups with comments Thursday rejecting the proposal, saying that building such a centre would be like creating an artificial festering "abcess" that would keep growing.

"These people are not a disease, they are not dirt. They are men and women who have made a very difficult journey to flee their countries for reasons we all know about," said Hicham Aly, an aid worker at the Secours Catholique charity.

Collomb argued that past experience showed that any official asylum facility in Calais would quickly overflow with arrivals, leaving authorities unable to cope.

"I'm suspicious of centres that are supposedly ready to welcome migrants for only a few days who end up staying for a long time," he said.

He pointed to Sangatte near Calais, where a refugee centre that opened in 1999 quickly ran over its capacity of 800 residents. By the time it closed three years later, some 2,000 people were crammed into it.
EU migrants said on Friday that far from being "generous", Prime Minister Theresa May's offer for their post-Brexit residency was niggardly and left them prey to the whims of British lawmakers.

The offer outlined by the beleaguered May at an EU summit was also condemned by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as woefully insufficient.

"The PM's plan doesn't come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of the 3 million EU nationals living in the UK," Khan tweeted, although British officials said further details would come on Monday.

The PM's plan doesn't come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of the 3 million EU nationals living in the UK. https://t.co/uAhHxOegkv pic.twitter.com/s8Qm2Rmr8F  Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 23, 2017

Over dinner on Thursday with her 27 EU counterparts, May promised EU citizens living in Britain that they could stay after Brexit, with permanent rights to healthcare, education, welfare and pensions equivalent to British nationals.

"The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer and one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK," May told her colleagues.

The prime minister said she expected any offer by Britain to be matched by the EU for the 1.2 million Britons living on the continent, a government source said.

But May, having pledged a "generous" offer heading into the summit, refused to let the EU's top court oversee the process and any resulting disputes.

That led some migrants to worry that they would enjoy fewer rights than the food and wine traded under rules of international arbitration.

"There's nothing special in her offer, it's what anyone wanting the (non-EU) residency permit will go through," Spanish nurse Joan Pons, one of 60,000 Europeans working for the National Health Service (NHS) in England alone, said.

"It's not a 'generous' offer. It's rather ridiculous," he told AFP.

'Bargaining chips'

Frenchman Nicolas Hatton, head of the EU migrant lobby group "the3million", noted it had taken the government almost exactly 12 months to unveil the offer after Britain's Brexit referendum on 23 June last year.

"Twelve months for that! It's pathetic that the UK government is playing with our lives in the most backward proposal for EU citizens we could have imagined," he said.

EU nationals must be able to continue living in Britain on the same terms as British citizens, Hatton said, and any arrangements must be ring-fenced to protect their rights in case Brexit negotiations fall apart.

He said the government was instead proposing "stripping all EU citizens of their EU rights and replace them with rights under the notoriously unfair and difficult UK immigration system with no safeguards".

That would make EU migrants liable to legislative changes in Britain with no recourse to an outside body such as the European Court of Justice.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a cautious welcome to May's offer, saying it was a "good start" but more needed to be done.

"This is a good start. But of course there are still many, many other questions," Merkel said in Brussels, in remarks echoed Friday by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.

May said EU migrants who have been in Britain for five years would receive "settled status" but crucially, she did not specify a cut-off date.

Among other unresolved questions is the fate of partners of EU nationals who come from outside Europe. Another is what will happen to their children.

In the year since the Brexit referendum, British employers have been increasingly sounding the alarm about the impact on their businesses.

Figures in January showed a dive of 90 percent since the referendum in the numbers of EU nurses applying to work in the NHS.

The opposition Labour party, which is riding high after May suffered a disastrous general election two weeks ago, said her offer was "too little, too late".

"Labour has been clear that people should not be bargaining chips in the Brexit negotiations," the party's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said.
A blast on Friday in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, capital of the country's Balochistan province, has killed at least five people, a police official told Reuters.

"The blast took place near the IG office (inspector general of police) and it's possible the assailants were trying to enter the (army) cantonment which is close by," said provincial government spokesman Anwar ul-Haq Kakar.

Television footage showed emergency services rushing to the area which was covered in debris and security officials cordoning off the area.
By Elizabeth Piper and Noah Barkin

| BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS Theresa May offered fellow EU leaders a "fair" deal on Thursday for compatriots living in Britain after Brexit, though her peers sounded sceptical and demanded more detail from a prime minister weakened by an electoral misfire two weeks ago.Given the floor for 10 minutes at the end of a Brussels summit dinner, her first since she launched the two-year withdrawal process in March, May outlined five principles, notably that no EU citizen resident in Britain at a cut-off date would be deported. There are roughly 3 million living there now.That was, she told them, "a fair and serious offer", a British official said. It was "aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives, and contributing so much to our society".Promising details on Monday, May also said those EU citizens who had lived in Britain for five years could stay for life.Those there for less would be allowed to stay until they reach the five-year threshold for "settled status". Red tape for permanent residency would be cut there would be a two-year grace period to avoid "cliff edge" misfortunes.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who earlier said she wanted "far-reaching guarantees", described giving full rights to those in Britain for five years as "a good start" but said many questions remained."It is a first good step which we appreciate," said Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern. "Many details are left open. A lot of European citizens are concerned and not covered by Mays proposal. There is a long, long way to go for negotiations."Other leaders offered few details on their reservations.May's push to set the cut-off date as early as March 29 this year, is unlikely to wash with many in the European Union, whose position is that nothing must change until Britain leaves -- scheduled for March 30, 2019. And there was much missing from an outline offer which the British previously called "generous".

NO DISCUSSION

Another sticking point could be May's rejection of another EU demand that expats be able to enforce their rights in the EU court. The source said they would have to accept British judges. Brussels has been dismissive of May's call for sweeping and quick guarantees for expats, including over a million Britons on the continent, and says only detailed legal texts can reassure and take account of complex, multinational family situations.Leaders had agreed with summit chair Donald Tusk not to open discussions with May and she left immediately afterwards, leaving the other 27 to discuss other Brexit issues without her.

They were briefed by Michel Barnier, who launched the Brexit negotiations for them on Monday, and discussed the move of two EU agencies from London after Britain quits.Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, among others, had made clear that they did not want to be drawn into Brexit talks and wanted to focus on the future of the EU minus Britain.May seemed keen to calm the mood with the continentals after weeks of sniping during her election campaign, stressing that London wanted a "special and deep partnership with our friends and allies in Europe". Merkel also expressed a desire for constructive talks with Britain, but made clear that the EU's priority now was its own future: "We will conduct these talks in a good spirit," she said. "But the clear focus has to be on the future of the 27."France's new president spoke of working with Germany to revive European integration and Macron did not refer at all to Britain during his remarks before talks got under way.

"NOT THE ONLY DREAMER"

Weakened by an election she did not need to call, May has watered down her government's programme to try to get it through parliament and set a softer tone in her approach to Brexit.Yet her aims have held - she wants a clean break from the bloc, leaving the lucrative single market and customs union and so reducing immigration and ending EU courts' jurisdiction.On Thursday, her finance minister, Philip Hammond called for an early agreement on transitional arrangements to ease uncertainty that he said was hurting business. Reflecting confusion on the continent about what kind of Brexit she will ask for, Tusk said ahead of a separate meeting with May: "We can hear different predictions, coming from different people, about the possible outcome of these negotiations: hard Brexit, soft Brexit or no deal."Some Britons had asked him if he could imagine Britain not leaving after all: "The European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve. So, who knows?," the former Polish prime minister said before quoting John Lennon's song "Imagine":"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I am not the only one." (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Robin Emmott, Jan Strupczewski, Elizabeth Miles, Charlotte Steenackers, Philip Blenkinsop, Gabriela Baczynska, Tom Koerkemeier, Andreas Rinke, Jean-Baptiste Vey, Peter Maushagen and Alissa de Carbonnel in Brussels; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Noah Barkin)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: Acting as a mediator, Kuwait has presented Qatar a long-awaited list of demands from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, four Arab nations that cut ties with Qatar in early June. A copy of the list was obtained by The Associated Press and translated from Arabic.

A look at the demands:

1. Curb diplomatic ties with Iran and close some Qatari offices there. Kick members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard out of Qatar and cut off any joint military cooperation with Iran. Only trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US and international sanctions will be permitted.

2. Sever all ties to "terrorist organisations" including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State group, Al-Qaeda, and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Formally declare those entities as terrorist groups.

3. Shut down Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations.

4. Shut down news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Arabiya Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

5. Immediately terminate the Turkish military presence currently in Qatar and end any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside of Qatar.

6. Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the United States, Canada and other countries.

7. Hand over "terrorist figures" and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide any desired information about their residency, movements and finances.

8. End interference in sovereign countries' internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to people who hold citizenship in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals off those four countries if it violates those countries' laws.

9. Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatar's prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups.

10. Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other, financial losses caused by Qatar's policies in recent years. The sum will be determined in coordination with Qatar.

11. Align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014.

12. Agree to all the demands within 10 days of it being submitted to Qatar, or the list becomes invalid. The document doesn't specify what the countries will do if Qatar refuses to comply.

13. Consent to monthly audits for the first year after agreeing to the demands, then once per quarter during the second year. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.
By Maher Chmaytelli

| BAGHDAD

BAGHDAD If Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is confirmed dead, he is likely to be succeeded by one of his top two lieutenants, both of whom were army officers under late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.Experts on Islamist groups see no clear successor but regard Iyad al-Obaidi and Ayad al-Jumaili as the leading contenders, though neither would be likely to assume Baghdadi's title of "caliph" or overall commander of Muslims.Russia's defence ministry said last week Baghdadi may have been killed in an air strike in Syria and Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian parliamentarian on Friday as saying the likelihood that he had been killed was close to 100 percent.But armed groups fighting in the region and U.S. officials say they have no evidence he is dead and many regional officials are sceptical about the reports of his death. Obaidi, who is in his 50s, has been serving as war minister. Jumaili, who is in his late 40s, is head of the group's Amniya security agency. In April Iraqi state TV said Jumaili had been killed, but that was not confirmed.

Both joined the Sunni Salafist insurgency in Iraq in 2003, following the U.S.-led invasion which Saddam and empowered Iraq's Shi'ite majority.They have been Baghdadi's top aides since airstrikes in 2016 killed his then deputy Abu Ali al-Anbari, his Chechen war minister Abu Omar al-Shishani and his Syrian chief propagandist, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani."Jumaili recognises Obaidi as his senior but there is no clear successor and, depending on conditions, it can be either of the two (who succeeds Baghdadi)," said Hisham al-Hashimi, who advises several Middle East governments on IS affairs.

Baghdadi awarded himself the title of caliph -- the chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, regarded as the successor of the Prophet Mohammad -- in 2014. Obaidi or Jumaili would be unlikely to become caliph because they lack religious standing and Islamic State has lost much of its territory. "They don't belong to the Prophet Mohammed's lineage. The group has no longer 'a land to rule' or 'Ardh al-Tamkeen'. And none is well versed in Islamic theology," said Fadhel Abu Ragheef, another Iraqi expert on the extremist group. "A caliph has to have an Ardh al-Tamkeen, which he rules in accordance with Islamic law. Failing that, the successor will just be recognised as the emir," said Hashimi.

Emir is Arabic for prince, and is a title that jihadists often use to describe their leaders. By contrast, Baghdadi, born as Ibrahim Awad al-Samarrai' in 1971, comes from a family of preachers and studied Islamic law in Baghdad. The appointment of the new leader would require the approval of an eight-member shoura council, an advisory body to the caliph. Nut its members would be unlikely to meet for security reasons so would make their opinion known through couriers. Six members of the council are Iraqis, one Jordanian and one Saudi, and all are veterans of the Sunni salafist insurgency. A ninth member, a Bahraini, was killed in an air strike in late May. (Editing by Timothy Heritage)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
If Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is confirmed dead, he is likely to be succeeded by one of his top two lieutenants, both of whom were Iraqi army officers under late dictator Saddam Hussein.

Experts on Islamist groups see no clear successor but regard Iyad al-Obaidi and Ayad al-Jumaili as the leading contenders, though neither would be likely to assume Baghdadi's title of "caliph", or overall commander of Muslims.

Russia's defence ministry said last week Baghdadi may have been killed in an air strike in Syria and Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian parliamentarian on Friday as saying the likelihood that he had been killed was close to 100 percent.

But armed groups fighting in the region and many regional officials are sceptical about the reports.

"We don't have any concrete evidence on whether or not he's dead either," U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the international coalition battling Islamic State, told a Pentagon briefing.

Obaidi, who is in his 50s, has been serving as war minister. Jumaili, in his late 40s, is head of the group's Amniya security agency. In April Iraqi state TV said Jumaili had been killed, but that was not confirmed.

Both joined the Sunni Salafist insurgency in Iraq in 2003, following the U.S.-led invasion which Saddam and empowered Iraq's Shi'ite majority.

They have been Baghdadi's top aides since air strikes in 2016 killed his then deputy Abu Ali al-Anbari, his Chechen war minister Abu Omar al-Shishani and his Syrian chief propagandist, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani.

"Jumaili recognises Obaidi as his senior but there is no clear successor and, depending on conditions, it can be either of the two (who succeeds Baghdadi)," said Hisham al-Hashimi, who advises several Middle East governments on Islamic State affairs.

Baghdadi awarded himself the title of caliph - the chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, regarded as the successor of the Prophet Mohammad - in 2014. Obaidi or Jumaili would be unlikely to become caliph because they lack religious standing and Islamic State has lost much of its territory.

"They don't belong to the Prophet Mohammad's lineage. The group has no longer 'a land to rule' or 'Ardh al-Tamkeen'. And none is well versed in Islamic theology," said Fadhel Abu Ragheef, another Iraqi expert on the extremist group.

"A caliph has to have an Ardh al-Tamkeen, which he rules in accordance with Islamic law. Failing that, the successor will just be recognised as the emir," said Hashimi.

Emir is Arabic for prince, and is a title that jihadists often use to describe their leaders.

By contrast, Baghdadi, born as Ibrahim Awad al-Samarrai' in 1971, comes from a family of preachers and studied Islamic law in Baghdad.

The appointment of the new leader would require the approval of an eight-member shoura council, an advisory body to the caliph. But its members would be unlikely to meet for security reasons so would make their opinion known through couriers.

Six members of the council are Iraqis, one Jordanian and one Saudi, and all are veterans of the Sunni salafist insurgency.

A ninth member, the group's Bahraini chief cleric, Turki al-Binali, was killed in an air strike in Syria on 31 May.

In Washington, two U.S. intelligence officials said they believed Islamic State had moved most of its leaders to al-Mayadin in Syria'a Euphrates Valley, southeast of the group's besieged capital there, Raqqa.

Among the operations moved to al-Mayadin, about 80 km (50 miles) west of the Iraqi border, were its online propaganda operation and its limited command and control of attacks in Europe and elsewhere, they said.
Habbaniyah, Iraq: A suicide bomber blew himself up in a town in western Iraq on Friday, killing at least eight civilians and a soldier, officers said.

He was one of a group of four suicide bombers who infiltrated a neighbourhood of Al-Baghdadi, a town on the Euphrates River in the restive western province of Anbar.

"Army forces were able to kill three suicide bombers after trapping them in a house in the Martyrs neighbourhood by detonating their belts with gunfire", a senior police officer said.

"The fourth managed to hide and later blow himself up in the midst of a group of civilians and soldiers", the officer said.

The police officer and Sharhabil al-Obeidi, a local district official, said eight civilians and a soldier were killed in the blast, while another 11 people were wounded.

Anbar is a sprawling desert province traversed by the Euphrates River and bordering Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

It has long been an insurgent stronghold, and Islamic State already controlled parts of it before it swept through Iraq in 2014 to take over around a third of the country.

Pro-government forces have since retaken most towns and cities in Anbar, but the jihadists still control areas near the Syrian border and have desert hideouts from which they harass federal forces.
Mosul: Iraqi forces battled their way along two streets that meet in the heart of Mosul's Old City on Friday, and said they aimed to open routes for civilians to flee Islamic State's last stand there.

U.S.-trained urban warfare units are leading the fight in the maze of narrow alleyways of the Old City, the last district in the hands of the Sunni Islamist insurgents.

Iraqi authorities are hoping to declare victory in the northern Iraqi city in the Muslim Eid holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, during the next few days.

Military analysts say government troops' advance will gather pace after Islamic State fighters blew up the 850-year-old al-Nuri mosque and its famous leaning minaret on Wednesday.

Islamic State retaliated with a triple bombing on a neighbourhood in east Mosul, the other side the Tigris River.

The attack was carried out by three people who detonated explosive belts, killing and wounding an unspecified number of people, according to a military statement.

Destruction of the mosque gives troops more freedom in attack as they no longer have to worry about damaging the ancient site.

It was in the al-Nuri mosque that Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaimed its "caliphate" over parts of Iraq and Syria three years ago.

A U.S.-led international coalition is providing air and ground support in the 8-month-old offensive to drive the militants from their de facto capital in Iraq.

A map published by the Iraqi forces media office showed the elite Counter Terrorism Service pushing along al-Faruq Street, from north to south, and Nineveh Street, from east to west.

The two roads cross in the centre of the Old City. When the troops reach this point, they will have isolated the remaining Islamic State fighters in four separate pockets.

"The aim is to open ways for civilians to evacuate. We give them indications by lousdspeaker when it's possible," an Iraqi military spokesman told Reuters by phone.

Some 7,000 civilians were brought out of the Old City this week, the Iraqi state news website said. Several street intersections were seized during the day.

Reuters journalists in Mosul saw people reaching safety. Some were injured and some had been carried on army humvees to rear positions where they were given bananas, biscuits and water.

"The army's 16th division evacuated us," said a man who had fled with his wife and 15-day-old baby.

"God bless them," said another man, who was limping.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported an influx of wounded to its trauma clinic in the west of the war-torn city on Friday morning.

"This ... is yet another example of the horrific suffering and indiscriminate violence suffered by civilians, including women and children," said Jonathan Henry, MSF Emergency Coordinator for West Mosul, in a statement.

More than 1,00,000 civilians, of whom half are children, are trapped in the crumbling old houses of the Old City, with little food, water or medical treatment.

Aid organisations say Islamic State has stopped many from leaving, using them as human shields. Hundreds of civilians fleeing the Old City have been killed in the past three weeks.

The Iraqi government once hoped to take Mosul by the end of 2016, but the bloody campaign has dragged on as the militants reinforced positions in civilian areas, launched suicide car and motorbike bombs, laid booby traps and kept up barrages of sniper and mortar fire.

The military said it had defused dozens of booby traps as troops advanced on Friday.

The area still under Islamic State control is about 2 square kilometres (0.77 square miles) in extent, alongside the western bank of the Tigris, which bisects Mosul.

The fall of Mosul would mark the end of the Iraqi half of the militants' "caliphate" as a state structure, but Islamic State would remain in control of large areas of both Iraq and Syria.

Islamic State posted a video online showing the remaining square base of the mosque's leaning minaret amid a mountain of rubble, with wrecked cars nearby.

The destruction caused anger and grief for Mosul's people, who affectionately call the tower al-Hadba, or "the hunchback".

Islamic State's black flag had been flying on the 150-foot (45-metre) minaret since June 2014. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the militants' decision to blow it up was an admission of defeat.

Baghdadi has left the fighting in Mosul to local commanders and has been assumed to be hiding in the Iraqi-Syrian border area. There has been no confirmation of Russian reports over the past week that he has been killed, and officials in the region are sceptical.

"We don't have any concrete evidence on whether or not he's dead either," U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the international coalition battling Islamic State, told a Pentagon briefing.

In Syria, the insurgents' "capital", Raqqa, is nearly encircled by a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition.

"We certainly know that if he is still alive, we expect that he is not being able to influence what is currently happening in Raqqa or Mosul or overall in the ISIS (Islamic State) as they continue to lose their physical caliphate," Dillon said.

U.S. intelligence officials say Islamic State has moved most of its leaders, along with its online propaganda operation and its limited command and control of attacks in Europe and elsewhere, to Al Mayadin in eastern Syria's Deir al Zour province.
By Maher Chmaytelli

| ERBIL, Iraq

ERBIL, Iraq Iraqi forces battled their way along two streets that meet in the heart of Mosul's Old City on Friday, and said they aimed to open routes for civilians to flee Islamic State's last stand there.U.S.-trained urban warfare units are leading the fight in the maze of narrow alleyways of the Old City, the last district in the hands of the Sunni Islamist insurgents.Iraqi authorities are hoping to declare victory in the northern Iraqi city in the Muslim Eid holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, during the next few days.Military analysts say government troops' advance will gather pace after Islamic State fighters blew up the 850-year-old al-Nuri mosque and its famous leaning minaret on Wednesday.Its destruction gives the troops more freedom in attack as they no longer have to worry about damaging the ancient site.It was in the al-Nuri mosque that Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaimed its "caliphate" over parts of Iraq and Syria three years ago. A U.S.-led international coalition is providing air and ground support in the eight-month-old offensive to drive the militants from their de-facto capital in Iraq.

A map published by the Iraqi forces media office showed the elite Counter Terrorism Service pushing along al-Faruq Street, from north to south, and Nineveh Street, from east to west. The two roads cross in the centre of the Old City. When the troops reach this point, they will have isolated the remaining IS fighters in four separate pockets. "The aim is to open ways for civilians to evacuate, we give them indications by lousdspeaker when it's possible," an Iraqi military spokesman told Reuters by phone.More than 100,000 civilians, of whom half are children, are trapped in the crumbling old houses of the district, with little food, water or medical treatment.

Aid organisations say Islamic State has stopped many from leaving, using them as human shields. Hundreds of civilians fleeing the Old City have been killed in the past three weeks.RUBBLE OF "THE HUNCHBACK"

The Iraqi government once hoped to take Mosul by the end of 2016, but the bloody campaign has dragged on as the militants reinforced positions in civilian areas, launched suicide car and motorbike bombs, laid booby traps and kept up barrages of sniper and mortar fire.The area still under IS control is about 2 square kilometers (0.77 square miles), alongside the western bank of the Tigris river which bisects Mosul.

The fall of Mosul would mark the end of the Iraqi half of the militants' "caliphate" as a state structure, but Islamic State would remain in control of large areas of both Iraq and Syria.Islamic State posted a video online showing the remaining square base of the mosque's leaning minaret amid a mountain of rubble, with wrecked cars nearby. The destruction caused anger and grief for Mosul's people, who affectionately call the tower al-Hadba, or "the hunchback".Islamic State's black flag had been flying on the 150-foot (45-metre) minaret since June 2014. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the militants' decision to blow it up was an admission of defeat.Baghdadi has left the fighting in Mosul to local commanders and has been assumed to be hiding in the Iraqi-Syrian border area. There has been no confirmation of Russian reports over the past week that he has been killed.In Syria, the insurgents' "capital", Raqqa, is nearly encircled by a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition. (Editing by Andrew Roche)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Quito: Julian Assange's lawyer accused Britain on Thursday of breaking international law by denying the WikiLeaks founder safe passage out of the country if he leaves Ecuador's embassy in London.

"Britain is... violating all the norms of international law, human rights and humanitarian law," said Baltasar Garzon, a Spanish ex-judge who leads Assange's defense team.

He spoke in the Ecuadoran capital at an event marking the fifth anniversary since Assange sought asylum in the embassy to avoid arrest on Swedish rape charges.

The Australian, 45, has always denied the rape allegations.

Assange feared that if he gave himself up to the Swedish authorities, he would be extradited to the United States and put on trial for WikiLeaks' publishing of hundreds of thousands of leaked secret United States military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010.

Ecuador urged Britain to grant him safe passage to its territory after Swedish prosecutors last month dropped their rape probe against him.

British police said they would still arrest him if he tried to leave the embassy, though British prosecutors have not revealed whether they have received a United States request to extradite him.

"It is a scheme to justify waiting until the United States formally bring charges," Garzon said.

He said his team would take the case to the United Nations committee on torture and other United Nations bodies.
Mexico City: Mexico may have a problem with violence, but its government says it is not the second most violent country in the world, as US President Donald Trump has claimed on Twitter.

The Mexican foreign ministry pointed instead to places like Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil as countries with higher murder rates, in a statement released yesterday.

Trump had posted earlier: "Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!"

Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017

He appeared to be referring to a 9 May report from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, which said that Mexico's 2016 murder rate was second only to Syria's. The IISS pointed to Mexico's heavily militarized war on drugs and its attempts to crush powerful drug cartels. "It is very rare for criminal violence to reach a level akin to armed conflict," the IISS report said.

Mexico's foreign ministry acknowledged that the drug trade was "the most important cause of violence in Mexico." But it described it as "a shared problem that will end only when its root causes are dealt with: the high demand for drugs in the United States and the offer from Mexico (and other countries)."

"We must stop blaming each other," it added.

Mexico had already said in May that the IISS report was based on faulty methodology, saying such comparisons should be based on United Nations crime figures that include central and south American countries.

US-Mexico relations have been testy since Trump took office in January after a campaign in which he vowed to build a wall along the shared border, bashed Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists, and promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

The wall remains a rallying cry among Trump's supporters, but the proposal  estimated to cost anywhere from $8 to $40 billion  has found little support in Congress. Mexican officials have derided Trump's claim that Mexico will pay for the wall's construction.

Talks with Canada and Mexico to overhaul NAFTA are expected to start in August.
The struggle to liberate Mosul from Islamic State is nearing a conclusion, with with Iraq prime minister Haider al-Abadi announcing that it's a "matter of a few days". His announcement comes even as Iraqi soldiers continue their fight against Islamic State fighters in western Mosul. While Iraqi forces are trying to push into the Bab al-Beed neighbourhood in Mosul's Old City  the last Islamic State stronghold  the operation appears perilous because of the presence of so many civilians.

Our forces are in the alleys of Old Mosul and we will soon announce the liberation of the city and our victory over Daesh there  Haider Al-Abadi (@HaiderAlAbadi) June 22, 2017

Islamic State has been offering fierce resistance in the Old City, with barrages of mortar fire and a huge number of booby traps slowing the Iraqi advance. Iraqi forces began storming Mosul on Sunday with the hope that this will be the last in the eight-month campaign to seize the Old City. "This is the final chapter", Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Assadi, commander of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) elite units spearheading the assault, about the offensive to take Mosul.

Iraqi forces invaded the vicinity of Nuri al-Kabeer Mosque in Mosul on Wednesday. The medieval mosque is where the Islamic State declared their caliphate in 2014. Iraqi News quoted Iraqs Defence Ministry's war media cell as saying that the forces destroyed a weapons reservoir and killed ten militants near the mosque, where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi delivered a sermon declaring the establishment of the group's rule in Iraq and Syria.

In an attempt to contain Iraqi troops, the Islamic State blew up the mosque on Wednesday. Officials from Iraq and the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition said the destruction of the site was a sign of the group's imminent loss in Mosul. The prime minister termed it as an "official declaration of defeat". However, the Iraqi army insists that the fight for Mosul is far from over. Although the offensive to retake the city began in 2016, Islamic State fighters have managed to hold onto important parts of the city's west side.

Iraqi forces are trying to minimise civilian casualities and therefore, the offensive has been progressing slowly, according to a report in the The New York Times. IS fighters tend to use human shields, booby traps and suicide bombers. "West Mosul is arguably the most complex and dangerous combat urban environment that any force has seen in decades," said colonel Ryan Dillon, the American coalition spokesman for Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic State's force has also been reduced to only a couple of hundred, while estimates say about 250,000-550,000 civilians remain. The Iraq Army believes that there are only about 300 Islamic State fighters in Mosul, down from nearly 6,000 when the battle started.

The fight for Mosul has displaced more than 850,000 people. While Iraqi forces have had periods of swift gains, combat inside the city has largely been grueling and deadly for both security forces and civilians. About 100,000 residents are believed to still be trapped in the Old City. Islamic State fighters are shooting at families trying to flee on foot or by boat across the Tigris River, as part of a tactic to keep civilians as human shields, the UN said in a statement on Friday. It further said that is targeting children to prevent civilians from fleeing. "This just highlights how indiscriminate and catastrophic this war is," said UNICEF's Iraq representative, Peter Hawkins.

"The operation is now about street fighting, while air and artillery strikes will be limited because the area is heavily populated and the buildings are fragile," CTS spokesman Sabah al-Numan told Al-Hadath TV in Dubai. The group is also retreating in Syria, mainly in the face of a US-backed, Kurdish-led coalition. Its capital there, Raqqa, is being besieged.

With inputs from agencies
Beijing: China on Friday asked India and the US not to disturb peace in the strategic South China Sea and play a "constructive role" in the disputes there, as the issue was likely to be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with President Donald Trump.

Modi will meet Trump on 26 June. He will hold talks with Trump on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said the situation in the disputed region was "cooling down".

"With concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect the efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," Geng said.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea.

Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade.

The US had recently sent a navy warship near an artificial island in the South China Sea as part of the first "freedom of navigation" operation under President Trump, a move China said challenged its sovereignty in the region.

China termed the US' move as "irresponsible" and warned that America's deliberate provocations would have "extremely dangerous consequences" to regional stability.
Gurgaon: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to the US, a village in Mewat region of Haryana was on Friday dedicated to President Donald Trump.

Now onwards, the village will be known as 'Trump Sulabh Village'.

In a symbolic gesture to promote the Indo-US relations, Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak formally launched various projects for the all-round development of Marora panchayat under Mewat region in Haryana, a release said.

The Sulabh Sanitation and Reform Movement leader Pathak, during a programme in Washington a few days ago, had announced to name an Indian village after Trump, as part of his efforts to strengthen relation between the countries, it said.

Sulabh, a non-governmental organisation, provides affordable sanitation and toilets to the masses to end the practice of manual scavenging.

It also works across the country to support the 'Swachh Bharat' mission besides other urban development initiatives, the release said.

Sulabh, which engages over 50,000 people, claims that so far it has constructed nearly 10.5 million household toilets and 8,500 public toilets used by nearly 15 million people daily across the country.
Nope. Nothing yet.

Its the unavoidable beat in the #ModiTrump backroom - constant vigil of the the super thumbs Twitter handle, especially in the early morning hours. Trump is known not to touch alcohol, he wakes up bright and early, and tweets many of his headline-grabbing opinions well before 6 am local time.

Insults, praise, typos and even drollery fired from @realDonaldTrump handle can cause havoc, leave deep gashes or carve new heroes overnight - the US presidents favourite pastime and foreign policy tool that can ping wildly across the political internet before and after bilateral meetings.

On the other side, the Indian prime ministers social media team staffed by an energetic, young team in New Delhi has also sharpened its game ahead of the Modi-Trump meeting.

With insights drawn from 2016s June visit, the PMOs social media war room has made changes to its content strategy and staffing pattern this time to ensure round the clock coverage on key handles of the Narendra Modi SM ecosystem.

Meanwhile, here in the US, whats the master of suspense, distraction and counter attack tweeting on the last working day ahead of meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

Trump seems pleased with himself. Nice!, massive, enjoy  hes congratulating himself for all thats getting done despite the Washington swamp he dislikes.

Will be on @foxandfriends. Enjoy!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2017

I've helped pass and signed 38 Legislative Bills, mostly with no Democratic support, and gotten rid of massive amounts of regulations. Nice!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2017

After having his worst week in Washington, where Trump was said to be yelling at TV screens in the White House, the cloud is lifting  the Republicans have won an important election in Georgia 6th district (which pundits said was too close to call), the Comey tapes saga has ended (with Trump tweeting its demise) and now the Republicans are hoping to push through their blockbuster piece of legislation written behind closed doors by an elite gang.

Local politics is dominating the news cycle in the US. Time is running out for Trump to get US Congress to pass the healthcare bill that replaces Obamacare; theres only 4 days left before the Congress breaks for summer recess. None of the big bang legislations Trump promised have moved forward.

The hysterics inside Americas cable news bubble is all about Obamacare repeal and Trumps domestic troubles so far.

White House press briefings are being done far less frequently of late compared with the four or five times a week during Obamas time. Whether there will be a press briefing after the Modi-Trump meeting will be known only on the day of the meeting, given the way the administration operates now.

The State Department social handles are all about Rex Tillerson on engaging China to deal with North Korea -

So, this is what is consuming Washington DC before the weekend Modi arrives  it's not India. And that's not a negative, it's a plus. Wonks are united in the thought process that India is not a 'problem', it's where stuff is chugging along nicely, the country growing at 7 percent or thereabouts while the rest of the world is lurching towards a 3 percent mark. What's up in the air is Trump's (often) temperamental tweeting.

When Modi and Trump meet, it will be more than a first face-to-face between leaders of the world's two largest democracies, it marks the coming together of the worlds 2 leading social media champs with a combined Twitter base of 63 million follows; two men who have smashed political campaigning (and victory) dogmas riding on the heady network effects of free media.

The Indian PM has 30.7 million followers on his @narendramodi handle, started 2009; he follows a little over 1700 people. Modi has a sub-handle for his personal website @narendramodi_in which has a 1.17 m base as of 14 June. There's also @PMOIndia and a sub-handle for the Narendra Modi app which crowdsources inputs for Modi's radio address, provides an infographics blast with with an official seal and offers content in more languages than any newspaper does.

Trump is at 32.2 million on his personal handle @realDonaldTrump and like Modi, Trumps handle is also 2009 vintage. Trump follows 45 people, mostly family, White House coterie and many of his own gold plated properties. He has a running list of people he keeps blocking. Add to that, his @POTUS Twitter account (18.8 million followers), Facebook pages (22.4 million likes and 1.7 million followers), YouTube subscribers (103,000 and 4.3 million), and Instagram (7 million followers) - it totals ~86.7 million followers.
Seoul: North Korea on Friday called itself the "biggest victim" in the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and died days after being released comatose.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency denied that North Korea cruelly treated or tortured Otto Warmbier and accused the United States and South Korea of a smear campaign that insulted what it called its "humanitarian" treatment of him.

The comments published by KCNA were North Korea's first reaction to Warmbier's death in a US hospital Monday after it released him for what it called humanitarian reasons.

Doctors at the hospital said Warmbier had suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause. Relatives say they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in North Korea in March 2016.

His family and others have blamed North Korea for his condition.

Warmbier was accused of stealing a propaganda poster. Through statements on KCNA, North Korea said it dealt with him according to its domestic laws and international standards.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on humanitarian basis until his return to the US, considering that his health got worse," the agency quoted an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

The spokesman said "groundless" speculation of torture and beatings could be refuted by American doctors who came to North Korea at the time of Warmbier's repatriation and "recognized that his health indicators like pulse, temperature, respiration and the examination result of the heart and lung were all normal." The report did not mention Warmbier's neurological status.

"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the US in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well," the spokesman said.

"To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident and there would be no more foolish judgment than to think we do not know how to calculate gains and losses," he said.

"The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the US compels us to make a firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law," the spokesman added.

A separate KCNA article published hours earlier criticised South Korea for using Warmbier's case to seek the release of other detainees, including six South Korean citizens.

South Korean president Moon Jae-in said in an interview with CBS television earlier this week that it was clear North Korea bears a heavy responsibility for Warmbier's death.

The article said South Korea was tarnishing North Korea's image with "slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture".

It demanded that South Korea return 12 restaurant workers who defected to the South last year. South Korea said the women defected on their own, while North Korea claimed they were deceived and abducted to the South.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. Three Americans remain in custody in the North.
Peshawar/Karachi: Twin blasts tore through a market crowded with Eid shoppers in the mainly Shia town while a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car and militants opened fire on police in separate attacks in Pakistan's three major cities on Friday, killing 42 people and wounding 121 others.

The suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboob's office in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, killing at least 13 people, including seven policemen, and wounding 21 others.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar blamed India for the attack in Quetta.

The blast was claimed by both the local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group and by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter group of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Thirteen people, including seven policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

Hours later, two back-to-back blasts tore through a market crowded with the people shopping for Eid in the Shia-dominated Parachinar city in the Kurram tribal region, killing at least 25 people, mostly Shias, and injuring 100 others.

The first blast occurred during rush hour in Turi Market, where a bus terminal is also located. The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

Medical Superintendent of the District General Hospital, Parachinar, Sabir Hussain, said that at least 25 people have been killed and over 100 others injured in the blasts. More than 20 of the injured were in critical condition.

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. However, Sunni militant groups have claimed responsibility for several attacks in the area in the past.

In the evening, two armed men on a motorcycle, with their faces covered with helmets, opened fire on police officers at a roadside restaurant in Karachi and killed four of them.

An assistant sub-inspector was among those killed in the attack, said Superintendent of Police Asif Ahmad.

In Parachinar, officials said the blasts on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan targeted people shopping in the area and those heading out of the city ahead of Eid.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital in Parachinar. The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.

Pakistan Army contingents and FC personnel reached the site of the attack to aid in rescue efforts.

"Two army aviation helicopters have taken off from Peshawar to Parachinar for the speedy evacuation of the injured to Peshawar," the army said in a statement.

"Rescue operation in progress," it added.

On 31 March, a car bomb blast near an Imambargah of Shia Muslims killed 23 people and injured 70 others in Parachinar.

In January, 25 people were killed and 87 others when a bomb tore through a crowded vegetable market in the same city.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attacks, saying that terrorists involved in the attacks will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor of Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected Quetta bomber tried to break a security perimeter to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by civil defence director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilograms of explosives were used in the Quetta blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Earlier this year, on 13 February, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded.
Islamabad: Fifteen persons were killed and 70 others injured as twin blasts rocked a market on Friday in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram Agency, Geo News reported.

The first explosion took place as people were busy shopping for Iftar and Eid in the Turi Bazaar area of Parachinar.

The second explosion occurred as people rushed to rescue and assist those wounded in the first explosion.

The local administration confirmed that 15 people were killed and as many as 70 injured in the explosions.

"Till now at least 15 people have been confirmed killed in the attack as it is a very busy area," said Shahid Turi, a local lawmaker from the area.

Officials said emergency had been imposed in all hospitals across Parachinar, the capital of Kurram agency.

Rescue services reached the spot of the explosions and started shifting the wounded to hospitals.
By Michael Holden

| LONDON

LONDON Investigators said on Friday they would consider bringing manslaughter charges over the London tower block fire that killed at least 79 people.The outside cladding engulfed by the blaze has since been shown to fail all safety tests, police said. They have already seized material from a number of undisclosed organisations. Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack also said experts had now concluded the fire, the mostly deadly blaze in London since World War Two, had started in a fridge freezer.The blaze has provoked anger and heaped pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May, who is fighting for her political survival after her party lost its parliamentary majority in a snap election at a time when Britain is beginning divorce talks with the European Union.The speed at which the fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower raised questions about the external cladding on the block.Asked if the insulation and aluminium tiles used were acceptable for such buildings, McCormack told reporters: "No they're not.""All I can say at the moment is they don't pass any of the safety tests. So that will form part of what is a manslaughter investigation." As well as possible manslaughter, police will consider health and safety offences and breaches of other building regulations. McCormack said all companies involved in the building and refurbishment of the building would be reviewed.

Britain also ordered an immediate technical examination of the Hotpoint fridge model FF175BP, which had not been subject to any recall to establish whether further action should be taken, but said there was no need for owners to switch off their appliances. Whirlpool Corp's share price had dropped by 4 percent as of 1630 GMT on Friday, wiping almost $500 million off the company's value.Whirlpool owns the Hotpoint brand in the Europe and Asia Pacific regions. In the United States, the Hotpoint brand now belongs to Haier, following the Chinese group's purchase of General Electric Co's appliance business. "We are working with the authorities to obtain access to the appliance so that we can assist with the ongoing investigations," said Whirlpool, the worlds largest maker of Home appliances ."Words cannot express our sorrow at this terrible tragedy," Whirpool said in a statement.

The company said 64,000 such fridge freezers were made by Indesit between 2006 and 2009 when the model was discontinued, some years before Whirlpool acquired Indesit. FOCUS OF ANGER

The fire has acted as a focal point for anger at local authority funding cuts and, if more buildings are deemed unsafe, the government faces the task of rehousing people within existing social housing facilities which are stretched.The government said it was urgently conducting tests on some 600 high-rise buildings in England which have exterior cladding, often added to insulate them or improve the external appearance of ageing blocks. Some councils have begun removing the panels.

Problems have so far been identified in 14 buildings in London, Manchester and elsewhere in England, it added.Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington, west London, had undergone an 8.7 million pound ($11 million) refurbishment which was completed in 2016, but residents of the more than 120 apartments had complained about its fire safety. McCormack said the police investigation would look at the entire facade of the building, how the building was constructed and the refurbishment work. She said it would examine all aspects of the cladding: the aluminium tiles, the insulation behind it, how it was fitted to building and the installation.In addition to the criminal investigation, police and firefighters are continuing painstaking efforts to locate the victims. So far only nine people have been formally identified and police say the remains of some might never be found, the blaze having been so fierce.Some residents believe the official number of those dead or missing presumed dead is lower than the true figure, and McCormack acknowledged they might not know everyone who was in the building as some people might fear coming forward because they were in the country illegally. She said the government had given assurances they were not interested in anyone's immigration status."I remain really concerned though that we do not have a complete picture," she said. "I fear that there are more." (Additional reporting by Alistair Smout, Martinne Geller and David Milliken, writing by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Ralph Boulton and Angus MacSwan)

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New York: India-born former top US federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, fired by President Donald Trump after he refused to quit, is writing a book in which he will talk about "integrity, leadership, decision making and moral reasoning."

The "as-yet-untitled" book by former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York will be published by Alfred A Knopf in early 2019, the leading publishing house said in a statement to PTI.

"This is not a book just about the law. It is a book about integrity, leadership, decision making and moral reasoning. It addresses what it means to do the right thing, how to avoid doing the wrong thing and the role of thoughtfulness in making the best choice," Bharara said in the statement.

Bharara said that the approach he will lay out in the book "applies not only to how federal laws are interpreted and enforced in courts around the country; it also informs how mature, thinking people make decisions in their communities, their workplaces and their homes".

The announcement was made by Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A Knopf, which acquired North American rights (including ebook and audio) from Elyse Cheney Associates, with Editor-at-Large Peter Gethers acting as the editor. The terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

"The law is merely an instrument and without the involvement of human hands, it is as lifeless and uninspiring as a violin kept in its case...People will regard a result as just if they regard the process leading to it as fair and if they believe the people responsible for it are fair-minded. That is the process I want to illuminate in this book," said Bharara.

During Bharara's seven-and-a-half-year tenure as US Attorney, he oversaw the prosecution of significant public corruption cases against New York City and New York State government officials, securing convictions against the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, and the Majority Leader of the State Senate, Dean Skelos.

His office also prosecuted cases involving terrorism, narcotics, arms trafficking, health-care fraud, cybercrime, gang violence, organised crime, and civil rights violations.

They also brought charges against nearly one hundred Wall Street executives for insider trading and other offences; and recorded historic settlements and fines with the four largest banks in the US. Bharara was fired by Trump in March.

"Never has the fair administration of justice felt more urgent in America, and Preet Bharara is ideally suited to explain both what that means and how to achieve it," said Gethers.

"As the one who has spent his life in search of truth and justice, Preet possesses insight and wisdom that has been hard-won. His book, using case studies and analysis, will prove to be an essential compass for all Americans, with application beyond the law, from colleges to corporate boardrooms, for students and parents, and for citizens everywhere," Gethers added.

"Bharara's life experience, coupled with his standing as a US Attorney and the cases he tried as prosecutor, makes him uniquely qualified to write this book. He will be an essential primer on justice for all Americans," said Mehta.

Bharara's firing was met with shock and criticism since then president-elect Trump had asked him in November to stay on in his position during a meeting at the Trump Towers.

In a sudden move, the Trump administration had asked the 46 US Attorneys across the country, who had been appointed by former president Barack Obama, to submit their resignations with immediate effect. Bharara had refused to resign and was fired. In March, he announced he was joining the New York University Law School as a distinguished scholar.

Since his firing, Bharara has become very vocal in his criticism of Trump's positions on various issues and the administration's policies, including the firing of FBI director James Comey and investigations into alleged interference by Russia in the presidential elections.

So @realDonaldTrump called James Comey a "nutjob" (to the Russians, no less). Did he ever call @RealAlexJones a "nutjob"? On the contrary.  Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) June 19, 2017

Bharara is a regular presence on Twitter and uses the microblogging site to air his views about the Trump administration and its decisions.
Moscow: Russia's Defense Ministry says it has fired cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea on positions of the Islamic State group in Syria.

The ministry said in a statement on Friday that two frigates and a submarine launched six cruise missiles on IS installations in the Hama province in Syria, destroying command centers and ammunition depots.

It did not say when the missiles were launched.

Russia is one of the strongest backers of Syrian president Bashar Assad's government and has been carrying airstrikes in the country since September 2015.

Moscow had fired missiles in the past from the Mediterranean at militants' positions in Syria.
DUBAI Saudi Arabia's crown prince has donated $66.7 million to combat a cholera epidemic in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting in a war blamed for causing a humanitarian disaster. The donation by Prince Mohammed bin Salman went to the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Health Organization (WHO), as requested by the organizations, a statement by the Saudi ministry of culture and information said.It would help them "respond effectively to the cholera situation in Yemen, through a combination of water, sanitation and healthcare activities", it said.

The number of suspected cases of the disease, which is caused by the contamination of water or food by faeces, reached 179,548 by June 20, with 1,205 deaths, according to the WHO.U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien has described the cholera outbreak as a "man-made catastrophe" caused by the warring sides in Yemen's civil war and their international backers.

The country has suffered an economic collapse in two years of fighting which has left 19 million people in need of humanitarian aid.

The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than 3 million and ruined much of its infrastructure.As defense minister, Prince Mohammed is regarded by diplomats and analysts as a prime mover behind the Saudi decision to take military action in Yemen.1The exiled Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, is trying to roll back gains made by the Iran-aligned Houthi group which controls most of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; editing by Andrew Roche)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
DUBAI Saudi security forces foiled an attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca on Friday, state television Al-Ekhbariya and Al Arabiya TV reported.

Al Arabiya said security forces had found two groups of terrorists in Mecca and a third group in the city of Jeddah. The foiled attack targetted worshippers at the mosque, it said.

Neither Al Arabiya nor Al-Ekhbariya gave any further details. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy and Rania El Gamal; Editing by Louise Ireland)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Gul Yusufzai and Javed Hussain

| QUETTA/PARACHINAR, Pakistan

QUETTA/PARACHINAR, Pakistan Bombs killed nearly 30 people in Pakistan on Friday, with a suicide car bomber killing at least 13 in the southwestern city of Quetta, and two blasts later killing at least 15 in the northwest town of Parachinar, officials said.Seven police officers were killed in the first attack, in Quetta, which happened when police stopped the car to search it at a checkpoint.Abdul Razzaq Cheema, director general of police in Baluchistan province, of which Quetta is capital, told Reuters the bomber had detonated a car packed with explosives. At least 13 bodies were taken to hospital, along with 19 wounded people, said Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the Civil Hospital in Quetta. Nine security officials were among the wounded, said Fareed Sumalan, a doctor at the hospital.Jamaat ur Ahrar, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to Reuters by its spokesman, Asad Mansur. "Our attacks will continue until a true sharia system is enforced in Pakistan," the spokesman said, referring to Islamic law.Islamic State (IS) also claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to journalists. Jamaat ur Ahrar and IS have jointly claimed responsibility for past attacks in Pakistan.

In the evening, several hundred kilometres to the northeast, two blasts went off in the town of Parachinar killing at least 15 people, a government official told Reuters.The blasts were in a market and went off within three minutes of each other, senior government official Wazir Khan Wazir said. Parachinar is near the border with Afghanistan.Many people were at the market buying food for iftar, the evening meal with which Muslims break the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan ends this weekend.No group claimed responsibility for the Parachinar blasts.

POLICE THE TARGET?

In Baluchistan, provincial government spokesman Anwar ul Haq Kakar said the car-bomb blast happened near the office of the inspector general (IG) of police."It's possible the IG office was the target, or the assailants were trying to enter the cantonment which is close by," he said, referring to an army sector.An official from Baluchistan's bomb disposal unit said the car contained up to 95 kg of explosives.

Television footage showed emergency workers rushing to the scene, which was strewn with debris, as security officials cordoned it off.Quetta is about 100 km (60 miles) east of the border with Afghanistan. Resource-rich Baluchistan province has been plagued by violence for years. Separatist rebels are battling government forces while Taliban and other militant Islamist groups also operate there.Baluchistan is also a main centre of Chinese-backed "Belt and Road" infrastructure and energy projects, worth $57 billion in Pakistan.Militants loyal to the Islamic State group abducted and killed two Chinese nationals in Quetta last month.That attack prompted Pakistan to boost security for Chinese nationals and other foreigners in the province, which is already one of the most militarised regions in the country. (Additional reporting by Saad Sayeed in Islamabad, Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismial Khan, and Jibran Ahmed in Peshawar; Editing by Paul Tait and Robert Birsel)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Belgrade: Serbia's first gay and female prime minister is set to take office in staunchly conservative Serbia next week after ruling populists gathered majority support for her in Parliament.

Officials said on Friday that the assembly will convene on Saturday to start the proceedings for the election of Ana Brnabic and her government. The vote is likely next week.

Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic has proposed US-educated Brnabic for the post. Her election was thrown into doubt amid reports that hardliners in the ruling coalition have refused support because of her sexual orientation.

Vucic, who switched from premier to president in April, is hosting a formal inauguration ceremony on Friday. Top regional leaders and representatives of foreign governments, including the US and Russia, are attending.
Rameswaram: As many as 21 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters on Thursday.

Four fishermen from Pudukottai district and 17 fishermen from Karaikal region in Puducherry were arrested by Sri Lankan navy for allegedly fishing near Neduntheevu on Thursday, the police said.

The fishermen were taken to Kangesanthurai port in the island nation along with their boats, Rameswaram Fishermen Association president P Sesuraja said.

Last night, five fishermen from Rameswaram were taken to Thalaimannar by the Lankan authorities and beaten up, for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line, the police had said.

They were, however, later let off, they had said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday sought the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to secure the release of 20 fishermen from the state and 137 boats, allegedly apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.

In his letter to Modi, Palaniswami said only the retrieval of Katchatheevu islet will ensure restoration of peaceful pursuance of livelihood by the fishermen.
Beirut: China's foreign minister is calling for a political solution to end Syria's six-year crisis saying that once the country's security conditions begin to improve refugees will start returning to their country.

Foreign minister Wang Yi made his comments in Beirut during a news conference on Friday with his Lebanese counterpart Gibran Bassil.

Some 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled their country's conflict are believed to be living in Lebanon, equal to about a third of the Mediterranean country's population of 4.5 million people.

Bassil described the presence of refugees as an "existential threat" to Lebanon calling for a swift return of refugees to their country.

Wang said that China has given Beirut aid in the past "and we will continue to give such assistance to Lebanon in accordance with Lebanon's needs."
Beirut: US-led coalition air strikes on two Syrian provinces targeting jihadists have killed 472 civilians over the past month, more than double a previous 30-day toll, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

The monitor said the period between 23 May and 23 June saw the highest civilian death toll in coalition raids for a single month since they began on 23 September, 2014.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said 222 civilians, including 84 children, were killed in the largely Islamic State group-held province of Deir Ezzor.

Another 250 civilians, including 53 children, were killed in Raqqa province, where US-backed forces are trying to oust Islamic State jihadists from their bastion Raqqa city.

He told AFP that the new deaths brought the overall civilian toll from the coalition's campaign to 1,953, including 456 children and 333 women.

The previous deadliest 30-day period was between 23 April and 23 May this year that cost 225 civilian lives.

The coalition insists it takes every measure to avoid hitting civilians, including by aborting missile strikes at the last moment if a civilian unexpectedly wanders into the target zone.

A total of more than 320,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with anti-government protests, according to the Britain-based Observatory.
Beirut: China's Foreign Minister is calling for a political solution to end Syria's six-year crisis saying that once the country's security conditions begin to improve refugees will start returning to their country.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi made his comments in Beirut during a news conference on Friday with his Lebanese counterpart Gibran Bassil.

Some 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled their country's conflict are believed to be living in Lebanon, equal to about a third of the Mediterranean country's population of 4.5 million people.

Bassil described the presence of refugees as an "existential threat" to Lebanon calling for a swift return of refugees to their country.

Wang said that China has given Beirut aid in the past "and we will continue to give such assistance to Lebanon in accordance with Lebanon's needs."
Kabul: The leader of the Afghan Taliban said on Friday that a planned United States troop surge will not end the protracted war in the country and vowed to fight on until a full withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan.

The remarks by Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah came in a message ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, something the Taliban do every year to rally followers.

In this year's message, the militant leader seemed to harden his stance, saying the Afghan government is too corrupt to stay on and warning of another civil war in Kabul  along the lines of the 1992 fighting when mujahedeen groups threw out the Communist government in Afghanistan and turned their guns on each other. That conflict killed more than 50,000 civilians and gave rise to the Taliban.

Akhunzadah also boasted of allegedly growing international support, saying "the mainstream entities of the world admit (the Taliban) effectiveness, legitimacy and success," an apparent reference to reports of overtures by Russia and China to the Taliban amid concerns of an emerging Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan.

While the Islamic State affiliate's stronghold is in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, the branch has managed also to stage high-profile attacks elsewhere, including in Kabul, and there have been reports of its activity in northern Afghanistan. The presence of battle-hardened Uzbek militants in the ranks also further worries Moscow.

After urging Afghans to embrace holy war, or jihad, to oust foreign troops, Akhunzadah's rambling message went on to touch upon the conflict between Gulf Arab states and Qatar, saying he was "saddened" by the feud.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have accused Qatar of supporting extremists, a charge that Doha denies.
By Ian Simpson

A federal appeals court on Thursday affirmed a decision to overturn the murder conviction of Brendan Dassey, a Wisconsin man serving a life sentence whose case was chronicled in the popular Netflix television documentary "Making a Murderer."A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled 2-1 to uphold a federal judge's ruling last year that overturned Dassey's conviction for a 2005 murder.Magistrate Judge William Duffin had ruled in August that the conviction was based on a coerced confession that Dassey, now 27, gave as a 16-year-old with a learning disability. Duffin ordered Dassey freed in November, but his release was halted while Wisconsin authorities appealed the decision."THIS JUST IN," Dassey's attorney Steven Drizin tweeted on Thursday. "7th Circuit AFFIRMS Judge Duffin in 2-1 decision. This round goes to Brendan Dassey 2-1."The judges' three-sentence judgement ordered Dassey freed unless Wisconsin elected to retry him within 90 days or appealed the ruling.

Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, said his office was evaluating the decision."We anticipate seeking review by the entire 7th Circuit or the United States Supreme Court and hope that todays erroneous decision will be reversed," he said in an email.

Dassey and his uncle, Steven Avery, were convicted in separate trials of killing freelance photographer Teresa Halbach at Avery's home and scrap yard. Her charred remains were found in an incineration barrel and a burn pit on Avery's property, about 80 miles (130 km) north of Milwaukee.A jury in 2007 found Dassey guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, second-degree sexual assault and mutilation of a corpse. Avery was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon. Both were sentenced to life in prison.The case was the subject of the 10-part documentary "Making a Murderer," which questioned the handling of the investigation and the motives of Manitowoc County law enforcement officials.

The documentary recounted how Avery was convicted of an earlier, unrelated rape and sent to prison in 1985, serving 18 years before DNA evidence exonerated him and he was released. He filed a $36 million federal lawsuit against the county, its former sheriff and district attorney in 2004. A year later, he and Dassey were accused of killing Halbach.The Emmy-winning documentary suggested that authorities planted evidence against both defendants, a claim rejected by the current sheriff. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
WASHINGTON The United States is on track to announce plans to supply India with 22 Guardian drones in a deal worth more than $2 billion, a source familiar with the deal said on Thursday.

The approval of the sale of the naval variant of the Predator drone comes ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States as he tries to revitalise relations with Washington. The deal would still require approval by Congress.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under President Donald Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. (Reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Dan Grebler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: A United States defence contractor and former state department security officer was arrested by American counterintelligence officials on Thursday and charged with spying for China.

The justice department said Kevin Mallory of Leesburg, Virginia had sold classified documents to Chinese intelligence agents on trips to Shanghai in March and April.

He could face up to life in prison if found guilty.

The source and content of the documents in question was not divulged, but was characterised as "defence information" for which he received $25,000.

"Your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid," he told the Chinese in a 5 May message, according to an indictment.

Mallory, 60, is a fluent Mandarin speaker who had served in the United States army, then as a special agent for the security service of the state department, before becoming a contractor to various government agencies.

Up until 2012 he had a "top secret" clearance level in positions in China, Taiwan, Iraq and Washington.

The Washington Post said Mallory had worked for the CIA.

The indictment says he made contact via social media in February with a Chinese "recruiter" who helped arrange a trip the next month to Shanghai to meet intelligence officials.

They were working under the guise of scientists with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, according to the indictment.

They trained him in using a special communication device which, when examined by investigators, showed Mallory planning to hand over more documents.

Mallory was charged with delivering defence information to a foreign government and with making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents.
Washington: US Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled legislation that would replace Obamacare with a plan that scales back aid to the poor and kills a tax on the wealthy, but the bill's fate was quickly thrown into question as several senators voiced scepticism.

Four conservative lawmakers said they could not support it in its current form, leaving Republicans short of the votes they need for passage. Democrats are united in opposition.

The 142-page proposal, worked out in secret by a group led Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, aims to deliver on a central campaign promise of President Donald Trump by rolling back former president Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, which has provided coverage to millions of Americans since it was passed in 2010.

Republicans view the law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, as a costly government intrusion into the private marketplace.

Trump welcomed the bill but indicated that changes may be in store.

"I am very supportive of the Senate #Healthcarebill. Look forward to making it really special!" he wrote on Twitter.

Trump urged the House of Representatives to pass a similar bill in May, only to criticise it in private as "mean" once it passed. He said on Wednesday he wanted a health plan "with heart."

Democrats immediately attacked the legislation as a callous giveaway to the rich that would leave millions without coverage.

"The president said the House bill was mean," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. "The Senate bill may be even meaner."

Obama weighed in on Facebook. "If theres a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family  this bill will do you harm," he wrote.



The Senate's most conservative members said the plan did not do enough to scale back the US government's role.

"This current bill does not repeal Obamacare. It does not keep our promises to the American people," said Senator Rand Paul, who along with fellow Republican senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Ron Johnson said they could not support it in its current form.

Shares of hospital companies and health insurers rose on the bill's release, with the overall S&P 500 healthcare sector .SPXHC closing up 1.1 percent at an all-time high.

"The initial proposal I think is more generous and more positive to the industry than expected," said Jeff Jonas, a portfolio manager with Gabelli Funds.

Over months of often bitter debate, Republicans have struggled to craft legislation that lowers costs and reduces government involvement, while minimizing the inevitable disruptions that would come with a revamp of a sector that accounts for one-sixth of the world's largest economy.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the House bill would kick 23 million Americans off their health plans, and the legislation is unpopular with the public. Fewer than one in 3 Americans supports it, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

The Senate measure maintains much of the structure of the House bill, but differs in several key ways.

The Senate bill would phase out Obamacare's expansion of the Medicaid programme for the poor more gradually than the House version, waiting until after the next presidential election in 2020, but would enact deeper cuts starting in 2025. It would also allow states to add work requirements for some of the 70 million Americans who depend on the programme.

The legislation also provides more generous tax subsidies than the House bill to help low-income people buy private insurance.

Those subsidies would be based on income, rather than the age-based subsidies contained in the House bill - a "major improvement," according to Republican senator Susan Collins, a key moderate who has expressed concern over the bill's impact on the poor.

The Senate legislation provides less money, however, for the opioid epidemic, allocating $2 billion in 2018, compared with $45 billion over 10 years in the House version.

Both versions would repeal the 3.8 percent net investment income tax on high earners, a key target for Republicans.

They also would repeal a penalty imposed on large employers that do not provide insurance to their workers, and remove the fine that Obamacare imposes on those who choose to go uninsured.

Policy experts said that would keep more young, healthy people out of the market and likely create a sicker patient pool.

The Senate bill would provide money to stabilise the individual insurance market, allotting $15 billion a year in 2018 and 2019 and $10 billion a year in 2020 and 2021.

It proposes defunding Planned Parenthood for a year, but abortion-related restrictions are less stringent than the House version because of uncertainty over whether they would comply with Senate rules. They could be included in another Senate bill.

McConnell said Democrats chose not to help frame the bill, which Republicans say would fix a collapsing health marketplace.

"Republicans believe we have a responsibility to act, and we are," he said.

Democrats say they offered to help fix Obamacare but were rebuffed.

The bill's real-world impact is not yet known, but the CBO is expected to provide an estimate early next week.

As lawmakers spoke about the legislation on the Senate floor, a protest erupted outside McConnell's personal office, with many people in wheelchairs blocking a hallway, holding signs and chanting: "No cuts to Medicaid." United States Capitol Police said 43 protesters were arrested and charged with obstruction.

Aside from the quartet of conservatives, none of the other 48 Republican senators appeared to reject the bill out of hand. But several said they would check with home-state constituents before taking a position.

"I expect there's going to be a number of changes between now and the final vote," said Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming.
Washington: A top US senator has slammed a Chinese newspaper for "threatening" a University in California and its Indian-origin chancellor for hosting the Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan spiritual leader delivered the commencement address at University California, San Diego on 17 June.

"I find it unconscionable that a reporter for the Global Times, a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, would threaten UC San Diego and its chancellor and students for inviting the Dalai Lama to speak," California senator Dianne Feinstein said.

In a statement released on Thursday, Feinstein demanded that the newspaper should "immediately apologise and retract" the article that not only threatens to withhold visas from Chancellor Pradeep Khosla but also suggests the university would be punished by withholding students.

"The newspaper's portrayal of the Dalai Lama as an anti-China separatist is also patently false," she said.

"I've known the Dalai Lama for more than 25 years and was directly involved in the latest discussions between him and the Chinese government."

"The Dalai Lama doesn't wish to separate Tibet from China."

"Rather, he strives for greater autonomy so Tibetans may freely practice their faith," Feinstein said.

"The Dalai Lama's desire to end religious persecution for his people doesn't make him a separatist, it makes him a peaceful leader who should serve as an inspiration to all students.

The Chinese government and the media outlets it directly controls should recognise this and not threaten Americans or American institutions," said the Senator from California.

In its editorial on 20 June, Global Times threatened the University Chancellor, saying: "Khosla must bear the consequences for this."

It went on to say: "His support for Tibet independence will affect his personal and the university's exchanges with China. Chinese universities will take cooperative programs with it into prudent reconsideration."

"It's suggested that relevant Chinese authorities not issue visas to the chancellor and not recognise diplomas or degree certificates issued by the university in China."

The International Campaign for Tibet has also condemned the Chinese newspaper. It said there is no evidence to suggest that Chancellor Khosla has been involved in any action supporting Tibetan independence.
In what appears to be a departure from United States' staggered policy on Pakistan, that has been strong on rhetoric but mixed on substance, a bipartisan bill introduced now seeks to make "a clean break" from the country that it said had "harboured terrorists".

The bill, seeking to revoke Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally (MNNA) to the United States, was introduced in the House of Representatives by two top lawmakers, saying the country failed to effectively fight terrorism.

Introduced by Republican Congressman Ted Poe and Democratic lawmaker Rick Nolan, the legislation calls for revoking MNNA status of Pakistan, which was granted to it in 2004 by the then president, George Bush, in an effort to get the country to help the US fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

"Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands," said Poe, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade.

But what does this mean for Pakistan?

The MNNA designation signifies that a country is a close ally of the United States government and shares a strategic relationship with the United States Armed Forces, but is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

While Pakistan's status does not automatically translate into a mutual defence pact, it does enable it to enjoy a variety of military and financial advantages  that are not conferred otherwise on a non-NATO country.

Pakistan is currently eligible for priority delivery of defence materials, an expedited arms sale process and a US loan guarantee programme, which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports.

It also allows it to stockpile US military hardware, participate in defence research and development programmes and be sold more sophisticated weaponry.

But now, with this bill, Pakistan's eligibility stands to be revoked.

"Time and time again, Pakistan has taken advantage of America's goodwill and demonstrated that they are no friend and ally of the United States," Nolan said.

"The fact is, the billions of dollars we have sent to Pakistan over the last 15 years has done nothing to effectively fight terrorism and make us safer. It is time to wake up to the fact that Pakistan has ties to the same terrorist organisations which they claim to be fighting," he said.

Balancing act with India

IN 2004, the then US secretary of state Colin Powell had announced the decision of the George W Bush administration to designate Pakistan as an MNNA ally.

According to a Dawn report published that year, US officials had dismissed notions and India's concerns while granting Pakistan with the MNNA status. They argued that the move would not undermine the progress made towards rapprochement between India and Pakistan.

"The United States continues to strongly support the ongoing dialogue between Pakistan and India," the report quoted the officials as saying, adding that the US relationship with Pakistan is independent of its relationship with India.

According to a report in The Hindu, however, India slammed the US on Thursday for its extended military support to Pakistan and sought an end to cross-border terrorism.

"US officials are aware of our view which essentially is that the military aid (to Pakistan) is diverted for use against us. The relationship between Pakistan and the US is a relationship between two sovereign countries but we have conveyed our concerns regarding military assistance to Pakistan," the report quoted official spokesperson of MEA Gopal Baglay as saying, who also explained that problems with Pakistan remain a bilateral issue without the possibility of a third-party intervention.

Now, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit Washington for extensive talks with US president Donald Trump, that are expected to feature terrorism and India's relations in South Asia, Indian policy makers will be closely observing the latest developments.

With inputs from PTI
Washington: Even as the Trump administration is cosying up to the Chinese, the US will need India to counter Beijing's growing influence in the world, a top American think-tank has said.

Describing India as a "key piece in the jigsaw" for the US, the Atlantic Council urged the Trump administration to prioritise its ties with New Delhi.

"Given the advancements that China has made both economically and militarily, the US will need to channel considerable resources to assert its global and regional primacy," Atlantic Council, a top American think-tank said in a policy paper 'Transforming India from a Balancing to Leading Power' released ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.

"To accomplish this, India remains a key piece in the jigsaw for the US. President (Donald) Trump will need to assure India that it is not merely a regional prop to balance Beijing's power in the region, but a top priority for US foreign policy under the Trump administration," said the policy paper authored jointly by the former Union Minister Manish Tewari and Bharat Gopalaswamy, director of the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council.

"While Trump has favoured rapprochement with Beijing so far, there will need to be more initiative and effort from Washington to ensure that India-US relations continue to strengthen. The Asia-Pacific Stability Initiative proposed by Senator John McCain could be one effective way to signal the United States' intent towards India," it said.

The proposed USD 7.5 billion funding, if approved, could be a starting point for further India-US engagement in the years to come, they wrote. Noting that during his campaign, Trump indicated that strengthening US-India ties would be a top priority for his administration, the two authors said Trump went on to woo India by openly vilifying China on a host of issues not limited to the South China Sea.

"However, since he was sworn into office, Trump has displayed an unprecedented degree of warmth in his attitude towards China, leaving Indian observers puzzled," it said.

"In his first few months in office, President Trump has demonstrated that Asia continues to be a major focus of US foreign policy," the policy paper said.

"His administration has addressed a multitude of issues related to China and the Korean Peninsula in a short time frame, reiterating US interests in the region. That being said, a more pressing concern is whether President Trump will work to enhance the stature of the Indo-American relationship in the same vein as his predecessors," Tewari and Gopalaswamy said
The first women settled on this stony slope outside Kabul in the 1990s hoping to escape the stigma those like them endure.

Today it is known as Afghanistan's 'hill of widows', home to a cluster of women who have eeked out independence in a society that shuns and condemns them as immoral.

The rocky summit 15 kilometres south-east of the capital has gradually been swallowed by the city, becoming a distant Kabul suburb. But for its residents, it remains "Zanabad", the city of women.

The matriarch of Zanabad, Bibi ul-Zuqia, known as "Bibikoh", died in 2016. Her eldest daughter, 38-year-old Anissa Azimi, has a husband  but in a rare step for married women in conservative Afghanistan, has taken up the matriarchal torch.

Their house is one of the first when you arrive in Zanabad by a broken track, at the bottom of a passage barred with a tarp to protect privacy.

"My mother arrived here 15 years ago" with her five children, Anissa says, sitting on carpets and assaulted by a swarm of children.

Bibikoh lost her first husband, who was killed by a rocket, before being remarried to a brother-in-law, who then died from an illness.

She was scratching a living doing laundry for others, but found Kabul rents too expensive.

In Zanabad, Anissa says, land was cheap.

The first widows had already begun to lay down their belongings and their grief in the largely deserted suburb to form a tightly-knit community  though no one any longer knows exactly who began it, and when.
By Kawa Omar and Ahmed Rasheed

| MOSUL/BAGHDAD, Iraq

MOSUL/BAGHDAD, Iraq The leaning al-Habda minaret that has towered over Mosul for 850 years lay in ruins on Thursday, demolished by retreating Islamic State militants, but Iraq's prime minister said the act marked their final defeat in the country's second city."In the early morning, I climbed up to my house roof and was stunned to see the Hadba minaret had gone," Nashwan, a day- labourer living in Khazraj neighborhood near the mosque, said by phone. "I felt I had lost a son of mine."His words echoed the shock and anger of many over the destruction of the Grand al-Nuri Mosque along with its famous minaret, known affectionately as "the hunchback" by Iraqis. The demolition came on Wednesday night as Iraqi forces closed on the mosque, which carried enormous symbolic importance for Islamic State. Its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi used it in 2014 to declare a "caliphate" as militants seized swathes of of Syria and Iraq. His black flag had been flying on the 150-foot (45-metre) minaret since June 2014, after Islamic State fighters surged across Iraq, seizing vast swathes of territory. Russia said on Thursday there was high degree of certainty Baghdadi was now dead, according to RIA news agency. Moscow said last week its forces may have killed him, but Washington could not corroborate and Western and Iraqi officials were sceptical.Baghdadi has left the fighting in Mosul to local commanders and is believed to be hiding in the border area between Iraq and Syria.Some analysts said the destruction of the mosque could in fact speed operations to drive Islamic State out of what had been its chief Iraqi stronghold. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi went further."Blowing up the al-Hadba minaret and the al-Nuri mosque amounts to an official acknowledgement of defeat," he said on his website.

The insurgents chose to blow up the mosque rather than see the flag taken down by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces battling through the maze of narrow alleys and streets of the Old City, the last district still under control of Islamic State in Mosul.In the dawn light, all that remained was the base projecting from shattered masonry. A video on social media showed the minaret collapsing vertically, throwing up a pall of sand and dust.Defence analysts agreed the decision to destroy the mosque could indicate that the militants are on the verge of collapse."They had said they would fight until their last breath defending the mosque," Baghdad-based security expert Safaa al-Asam told Reuters. "The fact is that they are no longer capable of standing in the face of Iraqi government forces."The assailants will be freer in their attacks as they don't have to worry about damaging the mosque anymore, he said.

The minaret was built with seven bands of decorative brickwork in complex geometric patterns also found in Persia and Central Asia. Its tilt and the lack of maintenance made it particularly vulnerable to blasts.U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the U.S.-led international coalition assisting in the Iraqi effort to defeat Islamic State, said Iraqi security forces were continuing to push into remaining ISIS-held territory," "There are two square kilometers left in West Mosul before the entire city is liberated," he told Reuters by phone."SYMBOL OF IDENTITY"

The United Nations' education organization UNESCO said the Minaret and mosque "stood as a symbol of identity, resilience and belonging" and deplored their destruction.

Baghdadi proclaimed himself "caliph", or ruler of all Muslims, from the mosque's pulpit on July 4, 2014. The fall of Mosul would in effect mark the end of the Iraqi half of the "caliphate", though Islamic State would still hold territory west and south of the city. U.S.-backed militias are closing on Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa.The mosque was named after Nuruddin al-Zanki, a noble who fought the early crusaders from a fiefdom that covered territory in modern-day Turkey, Syria and Iraq. It was built in 1172-73, shortly before his death, and housed an Islamic school.The mosque's military and religious history embodies the spirit of Mosul, a conservative city which supplied the armed forces with officers since modern Iraq was created, about 100 years ago, and until the fall of Saddam Hussein, after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion which empowered the Shi'ite majority.The Sunni city balked at its loss of influence and some joined the insurgency against the new rulers of the country. When Islamic State swept into Mosul in June 2014, they were welcomed by those who saw the takeover as promising an end to harsh treatment by Shi'ite-led security forces.The Mosque's destruction occurred during the holiest period of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, its final 10 days. The night of Laylat al-Qadr falls during this period, marking when Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to the prophet Mohammed.Islamic State fighters have destroyed many Muslim religious sites, churches and shrines, as well as ancient Assyrian and Roman-era sites in Iraq and in Syria."Many different enemies controlled Mosul over the past 900 years but none of them dared to destroy the Hadba." said Ziad, an arts students. "By bombing the minaret, they proved the are the worst of all barbarian groups in history." (Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Ralph Boulton)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Geneva: A cholera outbreak in war-ravaged Yemen could infect more than 300,000 people by the end of August, up from nearly 193,000 cases at present, the United Nations said Friday.

"Probably at the end of August we will reach 300,000" cases, UN children's agency spokeswoman Meritxell Relano told reporters in Geneva during a conference call.

Since the outbreak was declared in April, an estimated 1,265 people have died, she said.

"The number of cases continue to increase," Relano said, adding that all of Yemen's 21 governorates have been affected.

She said that children had been hit hard by the outbreak, accounting for half of the registered cases to date.

But only a quarter of the people who have died so far were children, she said.

Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection spread through contaminated food or water.

Although the disease is easily treatable, doing so in conflict-torn Yemen has proved particularly difficult.

Two years of war between the Huthi rebels and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab military coalition have killed more than 8,000 people and wounded 45,000 others.

According to the UN human rights agency, civilians account for nearly 5,000 of the recorded deaths and more than 8,500 of the injuries.

The conflict has also devastated the country's infrastructure, leaving more than half of its medical facilities out of service.

Yemen is also on the brink of famine, with about 17 million people  two-thirds of the population  uncertain of where their next meal will come from, according to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).

"This is the largest humanitarian crisis happening in the world at the moment," WFP spokeswoman Bettina Luescher told reporters.

She said the agency was scaling up its response and aimed to provide food aid to 6.8 million people across the country in June alone.

But more than half of those people will receive reduced rations because of a dire funding shortage, she warned.
SwiftKey has extended transliteration support for Tamil language.The popular third party keyboard had added support for Hindi and Gujarati in November last year.

It will still offer next-word predictions and corrections in both Latin characters and Tamil script. This allows users to type in a mixture of English and their native script without changing the keyboard. Tamil transliteration will also support multi-script typing, meaning that users can type in English as well as phonetically, using Latin characters for multiple languages. For instance when a multilingual Tamil speaker who uses Hindi and Tamil interchangeably types the word namaskar, the prediction bar will show the word in English, Tamil, and Hindi simultaneously.

SwiftKey has launched support for Tamil language while Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Odia, Telugu and Kannada are now available in beta and will be released to the wider Indian market later this year. Earlier in April, SwiftKeys competitor Gboard supports 22 Indian languages and supports transliteration for Hindi, Tamil, Telugu.

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Succulent and tender Shrimp & Steak Kebabs glazed with Maple Syrup and Wholegrain Mustard will raise your grilling game. BBQ made easy with the help of frozen food plus my top five tips for successful barbecuing.





When the sun shines everyone loves a BBQ. However as far as British Barbecues are concerned you really do have to grab the chance when the weather plays ball. This is where studious stocking of your freezer can play a part. The #PowerOfFrozen combined with sunshine can make for a perfect BBQ. Since I've been working with Iceland on their Power of Frozen campaign my eyes have really been opened to the quality and variety of frozen food they stock. Yes there are the basics of peas, fish fingers, garlic bread and pizza but I've also discovered specialty meats and fish, convenient fruit and vegetable medleys, rice, grains and superfoods. Oh and plenty of barbecue favourites! A well stocked freezer helps to avoid a last minute dash to the supermarket when barbecue weather beckons (and the disappointment of finding the supermarket shelves bare as everyone else has had the same idea!)









So you've been to Iceland (or used their convenient online ordering and home delivery service for which they've just won a Gold Grocer Award) and now it's time to fire up the BBQ. Whether you are using charcoal, gas or a disposable BBQ here are my top five tips for success...





1. Bin the firelighters and lighter fuel

They will taint the flavour of the food with a nasty chemical taste. Instead get yourself a Chimney Starter and dont ruin a BBQ with lighter fluid flavored steaks.





2. Use a digital thermometer

Charred doesn't mean cooked and just because something looks done on the outside doesn't mean it is on the inside. A thermometer gives you peace of mind and ensures you can cook steaks exactly to personal preference whether that be rare, medium or well done.





3. If you're looking it ain't cooking

Try not to peek and don't keep lifting the lid - keep it closed while you grill. With the lid on heat works on the food from above as well as below. Take the lid off and all the hot air escapes and the food cooks from below only.





4. Practice good food safety

You want your BBQ to be memorable for all the right reasons. Use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food. Keep cold foods below 5C and hot foods above 63C and dont leave food that you would store refrigerated standing around in the warm before serving.





5. Sides should never be an afterthought

Accompaniments served with BBQ are often second rate at best. Don't let this be the case. Get inventive with your vegetables, salads and sauces. Upgrade humble burger buns to brioche and flatbreads. Put as much effort into the sides as you do with the chargrilled protein.









For today's recipe I've used a couple of premium products from Iceland's freezers. I'd previously tried the Extra Lean Belgian Blue Beef Steaks as there was a pack in my bag for the May Mystery Challenge however the Argentinian Red Shrimp were a new product for me. These wild caught Red Shrimp are responsibly sourced in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. They are raw, headless & shell on. The flavour is amazingly sweet and succulent and the shells are pre-split for easy peeling - this is such a good idea and takes away all the hassle associated with eating prawns with no need for asbestos fingers! Whilst the quality of these ingredients mean they'd be perfect cooked 'au natural' I chose to combine them with a piquant glaze made with sweet maple syrup and tangy wholegrain mustard. This works a treat with pretty much anything on the grill so don't be afraid to also give it a try with chicken, sausages or salmon. To accompany I used one of my favourite Iceland products. Cous Cous with Vegetables. This takes only 7 minutes in the microwave to cook. I served it cold with some fresh herbs stirred through.





The sun is out, the BBQ is lit and the heavens open. Fear not you can still make the recipe below indoors under the grill or on a griddle pan. Either way - rain or shine - I'd advise optimism and stocking up your freezer! Fingers crossed for a BBQ summer.









BBQ Steak and Shrimp Kebabs with Maple and Mustard Glaze





1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

1 Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard

Salt & Pepper









Shrimp - Defrost at room temperature for approximately 2-4 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Steak - Defrost in a fridge for 24 hours. Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature before cooking.





Cut the steak into bite sized chunks and thread onto skewers alternating with the red shrimp.

Mix together the maple syrup and mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Brush the glaze onto the steak and shrimp skewers.

Cook on a hot barbecue for 3 minutes on each side or until the steak is to your liking and the shrimp are cooked through.









For further #PowerOfFrozen alfresco BBQ inspiration check out the following recipes from my fellow bloggers and go forth and stock up your freezer so you are ready at the drop of a hat when the sun does put in an appearance.













 Pin me for later...





Disclosure: This is a commissioned recipe for Iceland Foods. As always, all views expressed are my own.

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to continue to share my Edible Scottish Adventures with you. Im super choosy and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.
It can be challenging to meet the daily recommended value of fiber in the typical 2,000-calorie diet, industry flags. However, this is an opportunity for the sector to... Read More
The Pentagon wasted $28 million purchasing uniforms for the Afghan National Army, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, said Thursday the U.S. government was trying to please the Afghans, adding that they didnt think this over very well.

The Army wanted something that looked different than the police, but the police have a uniform that is not proprietary, in other words, owned by one company which costs up to 40 percent more, Schatz said during an interview on FOX Business. It matches the terrain, so they need to change this. If they dont change it they will waste another $ 71 billion dollars over the next 10 years, according to this report.

The camouflage pattern uniforms cost U.S. taxpayers an additional 43 percent compared to other uniforms procured by the Department of Defense for ANA Commandos and several Afghan National Police, and if changed, could save U.S. taxpayers between $68.61 million - $72.21 million over the next 10 years, the report found.

The original intent was to make it harder for the enemy to infiltrate the Army, to copy a uniform from a pattern that might be on the internet, Schatz said. But what theyve done is probably made themselves better targets, because youve got a forest uniform in the desert. So, its pretty easy to see them.
Target (NYSE:TGT) is voluntarily removing all Hampton Creek products, which includes the companys popular Just Mayo brand, from all of its stores amid allegations of food safety concerns.

"Pending a full review, Target today started a market withdrawal of Hampton Creek products, which are being removed from Target stores and Target.com," a Target spokeswoman told Bloomberg News.

The company said the move is a response to allegations of food safety concerns at some of the company's San-Francisco-based manufacturing facilities. Additionally, the spokesman told Bloomberg that they also have concerns involving incorrect labeling of ingredients and whether or not their food includes genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

Andrew Noyes, a spokesperson for Hampton Creek, tells FOX Business that the allegations that our products are mislabeled and unsafe are false.

The Sweet Mustard product complies with all FDA labeling requirements. Our Non-GMO product claims are supported by ingredient supplier documentation. We are confident that our Non-GMO products are properly labeled. We have robust food safety standards, and as such, we remain confident about the safety of all products we sell and distribute. We look forward to working with Target and the FDA to bring this to a quick resolution, Noyes wrote.

After the news broke, many Target consumers took to Twitter, asking the retailer to bring the products back.

@Target bring Hampton Creek back, I don't want to have to shop at Walmart but I will....  Joe Mitchell (@joemitchell2323) June 23, 2017

The recall, however, comes at very challenging time for the vegan startup. Just last month, the company announced a new executive team after a wave of executive departures.

Target is currently Hampton Creeks largest single retail account, representing about 5.5 million in annual sales, according to Bloomberg.
American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) CEO is not happy that Qatar Airways wants in on his airline. In a letter to employees he lays out his concerns.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % AAL AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. 14.93 +0.95 +6.80%

Parker's outreach to employees comes after the company received a notice from Qatar Airways about its intent to make an $808 million investment, or 10% stake, in the U.S. company.

American said in a regulatory filing it did not solicit the investment and that such an action would not change the composition of the companys board, governance, management or strategic direction. Whats more, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said it prohibits any person or company from buying 4.75% or more of its outstanding shares without advance board approval to a written request.

In a statement, Qatar Airways said it had no intent to get involved with American's management, operations, or governance.

"Qatar Airways has long considered American Airlines to be a good oneworld Alliance partner and looks forward to continuing this relationship," the statement read.

Qatar Airways added its investment in the company will not exceed 4.75% without consent from American Airlines' board.

American said it did not receive such a request, but will respond to Qatar Airlines notice in accordance with the Hart-Scott Rodino (HSR) Act, which is required for an acquisition of more than $81 million.

Reporting by Victoria Craig and Matt Kazin.
The proposed merger between Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) and Walgreens Boots Alliance (NYSE:WBA) will come to a vote at the Federal Trade Commission next week and likely faces a lawsuit seeking to block the deal, according to a report.

The Capitol Forum, a D.C.-based firm, reported on Thursday that the acting director of the FTCs Bureau of Competition has recommended a lawsuit, backing staff recommendations. The latest development is a strong signal that FTC acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen, a Republican, and Commissioner Terrell McSweeny, a Democrat, will vote to authorize a lawsuit.

Ohlhausen could still reject the recommendations of the Bureau of Competition head and the FTCs staff lawyers, but those odds are slim, the report added.

Walgreens and Rite Aid declined to comment.

The Rite Aid-Walgreens merger has been seeking the FTCs go-ahead since Walgreens presented its bid in October 2015. The drug-store chains have been forced to postpone the expected closing date multiple times. In May, Walgreens and Rite Aid confirmed that the FTC made a second request for information about the deal, a sign that a merger review is more likely to result in a challenge from regulators.

In hopes of assuaging regulators concerns, Walgreens has said it could sell up to 1,200 stores to Freds (NASDAQ:FRED), a smaller rival. Walgreens has more than 8,000 stores, while Rite Aid has roughly 4,600.

Walgreens also lowered its offer, agreeing to buy Rite Aid for $6.50 to $7 per share. That would give the deals overall value a possible range of $6.83 billion to $7.35 billion. Walgreens and Rite Aid initially agreed to a price of $9 per share.

Rite Aid shares climbed 1.6% to $3.13 in recent trading. Walgreens was down 0.6% at $75.90.
Honda is going public in an effort to debunk claims by lawyers that it knew about the hazards of exploding Takata air bag inflators nearly two decades ago but covered them up.

The automaker issued a statement Friday that outlines its defense against claims that Honda should compensate car owners because the use of Takata air bags caused their vehicles to lose value.

The public escalation of Honda's fight comes just three days before Takata Corp. is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in Japan and the United States. The company's inflators can explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers.

The faulty inflators have killed at least 16 people worldwide and injured another 180. Many are suing Takata as well as Honda and other automakers over deaths and injuries, and for loss of value of their cars. The problem touched off the largest automotive recall in U.S. history involving 42 million vehicles and 69 million inflators.

Unlike other air bag makers, Takata uses the explosive chemical ammonium nitrate to inflate air bags, but it can deteriorate over time and burn too fast.

Honda, which for years was Takata's biggest customer, released an email from a company engineer that seems to show he knew about Takata problems and was afraid to speak up. But Honda says the email is being taken out of context by plaintiffs' lawyers. It also released an affidavit from the engineer saying he had incorrectly concluded that a 1999 Takata inflator explosion was caused by the same problem that plagues the inflators today.

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno in Miami is overseeing pretrial evidence-gathering in the cases.

Honda said it has asked Moreno to admit Takata's criminal plea bargain as evidence, a strategy that other automakers will also pursue. Plea documents say Takata concealed the inflator problems and agreed to pay penalties and restitution. Honda also wants to admit deposition testimony of Takata employees that "establishes that Honda was a victim of Takata's fraud, not a participant."

Attorneys say Honda and at least four other automakers knew the inflators were dangerous, yet continued to use them because they were inexpensive. Automakers have denied the allegations.

Lawyers suing Honda want the Japanese engineer to testify. In the 2013 email, the unidentified engineer wrote to a colleague that he is a "witness in the dark" who knows the truth about Takata inflators. The engineer wrote that if he spoke to government safety regulators "it will cause a complete reversal in the auto industry" on Takata.

In the affidavit, the engineer says a prototype Takata inflator blew apart when he tested it in October 1999. Takata blamed it on a welding problem, but he didn't believe Takata did a thorough investigation. When he wrote the email, the engineer believed that the 1999 rupture was caused by deteriorating ammonium nitrate. But the prototype inflator was too new to have deteriorated, he wrote. "I now understand that I was incorrect and the root cause of the (inflator explosions) is not related to the root cause of the October 1999 prototype rupture," the engineer wrote.

Peter Prieto, lead attorney for the Takata plaintiffs, said in a statement that the engineer's email is one of many that lawyers have uncovered showing that Honda was aware of the safety risks of Takata inflators. "Even after dozens of air bag ruptures killed or seriously injured Honda customers, Honda continued to equip its vehicles with dangerous Takata air bags and waited years to take action to protect consumers," the statement said.
The Latest on a Kansas jury's award of nearly $218 million to Kansas farmers who sued Syngenta over genetically modified corn seed. (all times local):

11:25 a.m.

Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta says it will appeal a Kansas federal jury's awarding of nearly $218 million to Kansas farmers who sued the company over its introduction of a genetically modified corn seed variety.

Syngenta says in a statement that it is "disappointed" by Friday's verdict after a three-week trial in Kansas City, Kansas. That case involves four Kansas farmers representing more than 7,000 growers in the state. Another trial involving about 60,000 cases begins next month in Minnesota.

The lawsuits allege Syngenta introduced the seed variety to the U.S. market before China approved it for imports, wrecking an increasingly important export market for U.S. corn and causing price drops.

The Kansas trial was the first test case. It and the Minnesota trial will provide guidance for how the complex web of litigation in state and federal courts could be resolved

___

11 a.m.

A federal jury in Kansas has awarded nearly $218 million to farmers who sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed variety.

Friday's verdict after a three-week trial in Kansas City, Kansas, involves four Kansas farmers representing more than 7,000 farmers in the state. Another trial involving about 60,000 cases begins next month in Minnesota.

The lawsuits allege Syngenta introduced the seed variety to the U.S. market before China approved it for imports, wrecking an increasingly important export market for U.S. corn and causing price drops.

The Kansas trial was the first test case. It and the Minnesota trial will provide guidance for how the complex web of litigation in state and federal courts could be resolved.
As oil loiters in a bear market, off 21% from its February high, Saudi King Salman made on Wednesday his favorite son and Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, empowering the 31-year-old reformist as next in line to the throne.

The move suggests more hawkish Saudi foreign policy in regional conflicts, but not a rush into altering the Kingdoms current oil policies and strategies. Mohammed bin Salman is replacing his elder cousin and kings nephew, veteran security chief Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. According to analysts briefed by Reuters, the move was expected, but the timing is surprising, and Mohammed bin Salmans rapid rise into power has created some discord within the royal family and has made Saudi policy more unpredictable than in previous years and decades.

Although the new Crown Prince is unlikely to launch sweeping changes in Saudi oil policies, his promotion could make the Kingdoms policy line toward regional archrival Iran and now-isolated Gulf state Qatar, harder, analysts reckon.

The elevation of Mohammad Bin Salman to the Crown Prince will likely mean minimal change to oil production policy but could bring more aggressive foreign policy moves that bring back the political risk premium, RBC Capital Markets said a research note, as quoted by Reuters.

As far as pure oil strategies are concerned, the new crown prince was already overseeing those, and is in charge of the Saudi plan to list a small stake in Aramco, expected to take place some time next year.

According to Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, Saudi Arabia is absolutely committed to sticking to the OPEC deal regardless of the succession shuffle.

They have some time to deal with this downtrend in prices as long as they can get prices on a better path in 2018 so I think they can sit tight, let the cuts play out, let the inventories draw down and I dont think theyre worried about the next couple of weeks. I think theyre playing for 2018, Croft told a U.S. business news network.

This article is provided courtesy of our partners at Oilprice.com.
Struggling department-store retailer Sears on Friday said it will shutter another 20 stores  including 18 Sears stores and two Kmart locations  by mid-September, as it continues to respond to an industry-wide shift in consumer shopping habits thats hitting traditional retailers particularly hard.

The move puts Sears' total store-closure count so far this year at more than 260, leaving it with 1,100 locations, USA Today reported. In a statement, the company said it understands customers may be disappointed when stores close, but encouraged them to look to the Shop Your Way membership platform as well as website and mobile apps. The liquidation process for the newly-announced closures is set to begin by the end of the month.

The Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company said earlier this month its restructuring efforts  which include store consolidation, a reduction in head count, and the recent sale of its Craftsman brand  have resulted in about $1 billion in annualized cost savings and allowed Sears to pay down roughly $418 million in outstanding loans.

The company expects to achieve $1.25 billion in savings by the end of the year.

Sears increased focus on returning to profitability comes after a March filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in which the company said substantial doubt exists about its ability to survive. CEO Eddie Lampert has vowed to fight like hell in what he calls one of the most challenging periods for brick-and-mortar retailers.
Gov. Rick Snyder urged the Republican-led Michigan House on Friday to pass economic development tax incentives when it meets in July, saying there is still time to lure a Taiwanese electronics giant to the state despite the cancellation of a vote on the legislation.

Foxconn, which plans to locate a display panel factory in the U.S. that could cost up to $7 billion, will announce investment plans by early August for at least three states, Chairman Terry Gou said Thursday. He mentioned Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Texas as manufacturing states with which Foxconn hopes to work.

House Speaker Tom Leonard called off a vote on the Senate-approved bills Tuesday night and adjourned until July 12, citing concerns that the Republican governor had cut a deal with House Democrats that would "undermine" other GOP priorities. He did not elaborate.

Snyder, who is on a weeklong trade trip in Europe, told The Associated Press that the proposed tax incentives for large-scale business expansions are "relatively straightforward" and are about "more and better jobs for Michigan." He traveled to Japan in early June to entice Foxconn, which assembles smartphones and other devices for Apple, Sony, Blackberry and other brands  mostly in China.

Asked about Foxconn's decision-making process, Snyder said in a phone interview from Milan, Italy: "We're later in that timeframe but there still is time. ... If we get something done in July, we can still hit that (August) date."

After Snyder took office, Michigan in 2012 stopped issuing new tax credits for companies to add or retain jobs as part of an overhaul that slashed business taxes overall. The state instead awards a smaller pot of cash grants and loans for economic development.

Snyder, senators and economic development officials now say tax incentives should be offered again to help Michigan compete with other states for major projects, but some GOP lawmakers  including the House speaker  are opposed philosophically.

Snyder said he wants to hear Leonard's specific concerns about the negotiations "first person." He did not say if the administration had agreed to scuttle future GOP labor-relations bills in exchange for support from Democrats already upset about a plan to coax newly hired teachers into a 401(k)-only retirement benefit.

The tax incentives, valued at up to $200 million a year for companies adding at least 250 jobs, cleared a House committee Tuesday after six of eight Republicans and three of four Democrats voted yes.

"As a practical matter, you have a situation where a bill's going through the Legislature," Snyder said. "Doesn't it make sense that I should be talking to Republicans and Democrats and trying to work together on getting something done? I thought that's how the legislative process should work. I'm not focused on partisanship. I'm focused on getting good jobs for Michiganders."

But Leonard spokesman Gideon D'Assandro said there is "a lot of confusion" over what agreement may have been cut with Democrats.

"If a deal takes good bills and Republican priorities off the table, then it could be bad policy. ... That is why House Republicans need to get those answers from the governor," he said.

A GOP legislative official and a Snyder administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private meetings, said the agreement included Snyder publicly saying that he saw no need for more labor-relations bills. Exceptions would be made for changes to municipal retiree health care benefits and state civil service rules in his final 18 months in office.

Snyder signed right-to-work laws in 2012. He has opposed, however, GOP bills to repeal a state law that ensures union-level pay on state-financed construction projects after Democrats helped to propose a 2015 ballot initiative to raise taxes for road repairs.

___

Follow David Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/David%20Eggert
Investors pulled $7.7 billion from U.S. equities, the biggest outflows in five weeks, data from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) showed on Friday, reversing the previous week's bumper inflows as bears battled with the bulls.

Globally equities attracted just $500 million in the week to Wednesday as the heavy outflows from U.S. stocks offset $2.1 billion of inflows to emerging markets and $1.1 billion of inflows to European stocks.

Bonds attracted $5 billion globally, with $3.3 billion injected into investment grade bonds, $1.1 billion into high yield and $1.9 billion into emerging market debt funds.

While BAML said "irrational sentiment" was confined to tech stocks, corporate bonds and emerging debt, it is sticking with its view that an Icarus-style climb will be followed by a Humpty Dumpty-like fall in the autumn.

The S&P 500 has climbed to record highs this week with tech stocks rebounding from recent declines, helped by Amazon buying upscale grocer Whole Foods Market.

Inflows to tech funds in 2017 are growing at their fastest annualized rate in 15 years - equivalent to 21 percent of assets under management, the bank's analysts noted.

But some investors are getting cold feet, with $200 million pulled from tech funds in the week to Wednesday, BAML data showed, the first tech outflows in 16 weeks.

BAML cited several signs of Wall Street excess, not least the fact that Facebook's market cap now exceeds the market cap of MSCI India.

The bank also highlighted a record high global issuance of high yield bonds, whilst Argentina has just issued a 100-year bond. This is a country "that has spent 33 percent of the past 200 years in default and has defaulted three times in the past 23 years," BAML said.

In another classic late-cycle signal, global investors are long eurozone equities, it added, with the bank's June fund manager survey showing the third largest overweight on record.

"Central banks, the reason behind high asset prices and low volatility are now in a desperate dilemma," BAML said.

"(It's) politically unacceptable for a bubble on Wall Street, but central banks will be tightening into deflation; the inflection point for volatility is upon us and we recommend investors buy volatility." (Reporting by Claire Milhench; Editing by Toby Davis)
Uber continued to deal with management troubles and accusations of corporate espionage this week.

180 days of change

Uber on Tuesday announced a new initiative dubbed 180 days of change, as the troubled ride-hailing service attempts to restore its image amid multiple controversies. The first step came in the form of a new app feature that allows customers to tip their drivers.

Kalanick ousted as CEO

Uber founder and CEO Travis Kalanick had taken an indefinite leave of absence last week, a move that coincided with the release of former Attorney General Eric Holders investigative report on the corporate culture at Uber. Kalanicks absence became permanent on Wednesday, when Kalanick resigned from his post amid pressure from the companys board of directors. Uber was rumored to be interested in hiring Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) COO Sheryl Sandberg to serve as CEO, although other reports said Sandberg isnt interested in leaving the social network.

According to Recode, employees are sending around a petition to bring Kalanick back.

New twist in Waymo lawsuit

Waymo, the Google self-driving car developer, took Uber to court over allegations that it used stolen trade secrets in creating its own vehicle software. In a filing on Thursday, Uber admitted that Anthony Levandowski, the ex-Google engineer who later worked for Uber, told Kalanick that he had five disks with information he downloaded from his former employer. Uber contends that Levandowski destroyed the disks after Kalanick said Uber didnt want the stolen documents. Levandowski became an executive at Uber after the company acquired his startup, Otto, in 2016.
Omarosa Manigault, the director of communications in the White House Office of Public Liaison, discussed Thursday why the Congressional Black Caucus refused to have a follow-up meeting with President Trump.

Coming to the table over and over again to work through these issues is the only effective way to get where they wanted to go, and instead they are showboating and they are actually shorting out their constituents that they committed to represent by not coming, she told FOX Business Charles Payne.

Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., chair of the CBC, along with other leaders of the organization met with the president in March. On Wednesday, Richmond sent a letter to Trump explaining the decision to decline, citing the lack of response to many of the concerns the CBC has raised with the current White House. The letter also said the millions of people the organization represents have a lot to lose under the current administration.

Despite the CBC declining the request, Manigault said she will continue her push to help the African-American community.

Im not going to be discouraged by the lack of leadership by Cedric Richmond and his decision not to meet with the president. They want to focus on jobs, they want to focus on the economy, on education, on crime, on safety and just because of these antics by the CBC, that doesnt mean they cannot get their issues heard, she said.
Some say former Vice President Joe Biden is too old to run for president in 2020, but he still knows how to throw a verbal punch -- just ask financier Bill Ackman.

The controversial hedge fund manager, known for his losing bets on stocks like Herbalife (HLF) and Valeant (VRX), got into a verbal tussle with Biden at a private dinner during a recent investment conference. The incident, which hasn't been reported, stunned an A-list group of attendees who witnessed Biden verbally scolding Ackman, according to three people who were present.

Some of the people present say Bidens tough demeanor underscores that he hasnt mellowed even at the age of 74, and that he still has the fire to run for public office, including president, which he has long desired.

Biden was in rare form, said one person with direct knowledge of the brouhaha. I cant believe it has never leaked out.

The altercation occurred at this years SkyBridge Alternatives (SALT) Conference, a popular Wall Street confab held in May and started by hedge fund impresario Anthony Scaramucci. Both Biden and Ackman were featured speakers during the event.

Through his long political career as a U.S. senator and as President Barack Obamas vice president, Biden has been known to make blunt, sometimes politically incorrect comments that can ruffle feathers. Ackman, meanwhile, may be best known for his long, public and so far unsuccessful struggle against multi-level marketing outfit Herbalife, which he called a fraud and has shorted the stock, betting he has said the company will implode and fall to zero.

Shares of Herbalife are now trading above $70.

Indeed Biden made news at the conference for his public comments about the loser of the 2016 presidential election, his fellow Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. I never thought she was a great candidate. I thought I was a great candidate, he said, raising speculation that he might himself run for president.

Then during a private VIP dinner that night the question of why Biden didnt run for president in 2016 was raised once again, by former Florida governor and 2016 GOP presidential contender Jeb Bush, who asked Biden why didnt you run?

Biden explained that part of the decision stemmed from the death of his son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015. The room grew quiet as Biden became emotional, and said: Im sorryIve said enough.

Thats when Ackman blurted out Why? Thats never stopped you before.

The formal, and understated dinner conversation suddenly turned tense, according to three people who were present and confirmed both the substance and the wording of Bidens responses.

Biden, these people say, turned to someone seated near him, and asked, who is this asshole?, a reference to Ackman.

Then he turned directly to Ackman and stated: look, I don't know who you are, wiseass, but never disrespect the memory of my dead son! these people say.

Ackman attempted what was described as an apology, to which Biden said, "just shut the hell up."

VIP dinners at the SALT Conference are moderated by Scaramucci, currently an adviser to President Trump and as Fox has reported, a likely appointee to a mid-level post in the administration. Scaramucci instructs the groups that the dinner conversation is private and strictly off the record.

Through a spokesman, Scaramucci had no comment. A spokeswoman for Biden would not dispute the substance or the wording of the comments attributed to the former vice president. The stunned group of attendees also included 60 Minutes reporter Lara Logan, former N.J. governor and Goldman Sachs chief Jon Corzine, comedian and talk show host, Steve Harvey, hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen, former top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, and former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.

A spokesman for Ackman disputed the idea that there was an argument or altercation between Joe Biden and Bill Ackman. The spokesman added: Bill had a great time at the dinner and enjoyed spending time with the former vice president.

The spokesman, however, would not dispute the words people at the dinner attributed to Biden during his interaction with Ackman.

A spokesperson for Ackman later added that the tense moment with Biden was in the context of a discussion about the current administration, not Vice President Bidens son.

Biden, for his part, has privately mused that he may indeed run for president in 2020, which would make him the oldest major presidential candidate in the countrys history.

But people who know him say he is physically fit and still very much living and breathing politics.

"Joe Biden continues to show that he has plenty energy and plenty of fire, said Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. No matter his age, dont count him out to run for president if an opportunity arises."

Ackmans Pershing Square hedge fund has had a difficult three years though his performance is better of late. In 2016 he was down 13.5%, amid losses from his short position of Herbalife and stake in the trouble pharmaceutical company Valeant.

For the first quarter of 2017 Pershing Square is down 2.3%.
While the Senate considers a draft bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, industry groups are divided over whether the legislation would remedy or worsen the current health care environment  particularly for older Americans.

The AARP said Thursday it adamantly opposes what it views as an age tax on older adults that could result in senior citizens paying more for coverage.

[The Age Tax] would allow insurance companies to charge older Americans five times more for coverage than everyone else while reducing tax credits that help make insurance more affordable, the organization said in a statement.

The other sources of resistance for the AARP as it seeks to protect older Americans interests include the Senates plan to slow the expansion of Medicaid and changes in the finance structure of Medicare.

The proposed Medicaid cuts would leave millions, including our most vulnerable seniors, at risk of losing the care they need and erode seniors ability to live in their homes and communities  The Senate bill also cuts funding for Medicare, which weakens the program's ability to pay benefits and leaves the door wide open to benefit cuts and Medicare vouchers.

The American Hospital Association has also urged Senators to vote against the proposal, voicing concerns about the impact of Medicaid cuts on the cost of services for individuals.

The Senate proposal would likely trigger deep cuts to the Medicaid program that covers millions of Americans with chronic conditions such as cancer, along with the elderly and individuals with disabilities who need long-term services and support. Medicaid cuts of this magnitude are unsustainable and will increase costs to individuals with private insurance, American Hospital Association president Rick Pollack said in a statement.

But Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the Senate proposal is built on putting patients first and in charge of their healthcare decisions, bringing down the cost of coverage and expanding choices.

While many have expressed concern over funding cuts to the Medicaid expansion population, one analyst believes they may not even ever happen.

[The bill contains] a harsh cut we don't see as feasible to enact and maintain," writes Sarah James of Piper Jaffray in a research note. Instead, James believes when 2024 arrives, Congress will put off the cut and continue to do so each year.

And on the other side of the spectrum, there are those who simply dont view slowing the Medicaid expansion as a big deal.

It basically means that gradually over time the 10-for-one dollar match rate will be reduced [and brought in line] with what states have for the other sections of Medicaid, said Chris Pope, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, in an interview Thursday with FOX Business. Its not saying states cant cover this group ... it just means states will get the same money for this group that they will get for other groups.
President Donald Trump signed a bill into law Friday that aims to hold employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs more accountable by providing whistleblower protections and making it easier to fire individuals for misconduct.

Since my first day in office, we've taken one action after another to ensure our veterans and make sure  we have to make sure  that they get world-class care, and the kind of care that they've been promised by so many different people for so many years, President Trump said at the White House Friday.

The law, called the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, makes the process by which VA Secretary David Shulkin can fire an employee simpler by affording him more authority to get rid of employees and shortening the review process for said firing. The law also shortens the review period for new hires and offers protections to employees who complain about wrongdoing within the agency.

We want all of American veterans, all of them, every one of them, to experience, and to at least have the opportunity to experience that same gratitude every time they walk in to the V.A. That's what today is all about, keeping our promises to those who have kept us free, kept us happy, saved our lives, and saved our families, the president said while signing the new bill.

Trump promised during the campaign to dismiss VA workers "who let our veterans down."

Trump says the law, which received support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, represents one of the biggest reforms to the VA in a generation or more. He promised future steps to transform the VA "until the job is done."

The measure was prompted by a 2014 scandal at the Phoenix VA medical center, where some veterans died while waiting for care. The VA is the government's second-largest department, providing health care and other services to millions of veterans.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR race weekend took a wrong turn when his crew chief, Chad Knaus, had his laptop stolen from a rental car while he was having dinner in San Francisco.

The computer contained important race notes for this weekend's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Knaus and his wife landed in San Francisco on Wednesday night and headed to Fisherman's Warf for dinner. Knaus told The Associated Press they parked at a meter in a bustling area and were gone approximately 90 minutes.

When the couple returned, the right side passenger rear window was smashed and their briefcases were gone. Their luggage was not stolen.

In one of the briefcases was a laptop with all of Knaus' preparations and details for Sunday's race. Hendrick Motorsports said the information is encrypted.

Knaus said there was also a significant amount of cash in the briefcases, as well as his wife's art supplies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
A world-famous artist whose identity has been a mystery for decades may have just been unmasked, seemingly unwittingly, by a peer.

Goldie, an English musician, DJ and street artist, seems to have let slip the identity of the international artist-of-mystery known as Banksy. It's been rumored for years that Banksy could be a single, prolific street artist, or a conglomerate of creators using a shared moniker. In a recent podcast, however, Goldie seemed to confirm the theories that suggest Banksy is, in fact, a mortal man.

Referring to Banksy, whom he called a "brilliant artist... [who] flipped the world of art over," Goldie dropped the name "Rob." In the past, there has been speculation that Banksy may be a man named Robert Del Naja, a member of the music group Massive Attack. Some theorists believe Del Naja may simply be the leader of a group of artists working under the Banksy label. Others have suggested Banksy is actually a man named Robin Gunningham, a name that was first revealed by British media, and later seemingly supported by "scientists."

The idea of a secret identity has always been a major part of Banksy's appeal, and whoever has been behind the art Banksy creates has certainly reaped the rewards. A pair of Banksy pieces once reportedly sold for some $1 million, and original prints that were sold for a mere $60 apiece on the streets of New York City would later sell for tens of thousands when it was revealed they were authentic works. The artist has attracted a following of Hollywood celebrities, and has been featured in both a variety of art galleries, and on the tables of knock-off vendors looking to cash-in on the Banksy trend.

STREET ARTIST BANKSY TO OPEN HOTEL IN BETHLEHEM

While Banksy's career may have started with graffiti-based endeavors, it has achieved levels of critical and global acclaim. Thats likely due to the artists habit of bringing a guerilla style and likely illegal works to far-flung locations around the world.

In 2015, Banksy was said to have painted a handful of pieces in war-torn areas of Gaza. A few years earlier, he visited the Big Apple for a heavily publicized graffiti spree, even attracting the attention of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg who suggested Banksy's work was "not my definition of art."

Banksy has been known to hang original pieces in famous museums, with or without the approval of curators, and a 2010 documentary that allegedly reveals some of Banksy's in-person antics in Disneyland maintains a formidable 96% rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

While initially achieving acclaim for his politically-charged graffiti, Banksy has since become something of a performance artist.

In 2015, Banksy announced the opening of what he was calling the "Dismaland bemusement park," an actual amusement park" in the UK that the artist converted into a twisted take on Disneyland.

In Banksys first major foray in the U.S. back in 2006, guests at his "Barely Legal" show in Los Angeles were infamously treated to the spectacle of a live elephant that had been spray-painted from head to toe. The show was said to have attracted celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and others, though California officials would later suggest it was illegal to use the paint "the way they had been using it."
The science fiction comedy Spaceballs first premiered in 1987 and now 30 years later, star Bill Pullman revealed some surprising facts about the beloved film.

The 63-year-old actor told The Hollywood Reporter the cast were worried the films blue screen would make them go blind. According to Pullman, they were warned the screen could damage the optic nerve or make them pass out.

They had a belief back in those days that the blue screen was bad for your eyes, he explained. I cant remember if it was Mel [Brooks] or the assistant directors who heard this, but they would call cut and everyone would put their sunglasses. It was so hard to work the comedy in between takes when everyone was wearing sunglasses.

John Candy, who played the Chewbacca-inspired character Barf, also had difficulties of his own. Pullman said the actors mechanical ears and tails caused him serious frustration.

That was a trying day for John, said Pullman. He wanted to play it a certain way, Mel wanted it a different way, and then he had to deal with the mechanical issues of the ears and tail. Johns sense of comedy was so ephemeral, it was these shy, short moments and there was real difficulty delivering that while trusting the ears and him wanting more control over the tail.

Still, Pullman insisted Candy always remained a professional on set.

It was a real testimony to his character that he never yelled, he added. He never got angry. He would sit down, say he needed a break, and everyone would just back off. Then he would get up and say OK, lets try it again.'

Candy died from a heart attack at age 43 in 1994.

One of Pullmans favorite memories from his time filming? Causing makeup artist Bob Mills to get angry. Pullman said Mills didnt feel his beloved 1972 Plymouth Valiant was fit for a Hollywood star.

He said, Dont you know you need to behave like a star?! You come in here with that car like youre a farmer! He was schooling me, Pullman recalled.

However, the actor did get some advice from costume designer Donfeld.

He told me, Dont worry kid, I am going to make you into a star, said Pullman. He would grab the back of my pants and crunch them up and go, See, this is going to be the secret that you carry through your whole career. You gotta get that part tight around your butt, he said.
Johnny Depps recent erratic behavior has many wondering if the actor is in full meltdown mode.

He joked at a Thursday appearance about assassinating Donald Trump asking "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president...maybe it is time." He later apologized in a statement to People magazine on Friday, stating the joke was in poor taste.

It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice," he said.

Meanwhile, legal docs published by Deadline Hollywood that went viral late Thursday claim Depps team was aware he had gotten physical with ex-wife Amber Head.

Heard claimed Depp abused her during their relationship. The two settled their divorce in August 2016, with Heard reportedly receiving $7 million from the actor.

STARS WHO HAVE JOKED ABOUT HARMING TRUMP

The docs, which were from a May 1, 2017 legal filing, detailed how Depps team, led by business manager Joel Mandel, learned of the supposed abuse.

During his recent divorce from Amber Heard, Depp also [publicly] and repeatedly denied having physically abused his former wife and [publicly] accused her of manufacturing the allegations to extend her fifteen minutes of fame. However, [Joel] Mandel was informed well after the fact through communications with various house staff and security that Depp had been extremely volatile and had sometimes gotten physical with Heard. Mandel was also later informed that Depp had violently kicked Heard during an incident that took place in or around 2014.

Depps serious financial woes have also been made public in recent months.

JOHNNY DEPP TALKS ABOUT ASSASSINATING TRUMP

More legal documents, published by Deadline this week, revealed that Depp refused to begin flying commercial after his business manager Mandel pleaded with Depp to take it easy on the holiday spending.

In a 2009 email, Depp wrote regarding the plane situation I dont have all that many options at the moment. A commercial flight with paparazzis in tow would be a f--king nightmare of monumental proportions.

And that's not all. Rumors swirled last month that there were issues on the set of Depps latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Depp was drinking excessively as the flick filmed, constantly late to the set and left hundreds of extras waiting for hours at a time to film scenes with him. A source referred to Depp as a train wreck and charged that he got into a physical fight at one point.

The bad moves by Depp and seemingly damning legal docs have raised eyebrows, and even some of his loyal fans are questioning if the actor is having a breakdown.

JOHNNY DEPP REFUSED TO GIVE UP PRIVATE JET DESPITE FINANCIAL WOES

Twitter user @hazeleyes wrote, used to love Johnny Depp but now I think he's getting totally insane. Another fan chimed in, I love Johnny for his movies , but he is crazy, seriously, crazy!!!

Others called for the actor to be boycotted over the legal documents that mention Heard and his comments about Trump.

The docs claim the actor bullied his publicist into claiming text messages Heard revealed that seemed to prove shed been abused were fake.

They accuse the actor of habitual lying to the public and to public authorities. The documents by his ex-management team also slam Depps efforts to strong arm others to lie on his behalf, when confronted in any way regarding his outrageous conduct or when called upon to accept responsibility for his own behavior and actions.

Meanwhile, his financial trouble may not be coming to an end anytime soon.

JOHNNY DEPP SUES EX-MANAGER ALLEGING MILLIONS IN LOSSES

Depps latest Pirates flick has received a mediocre reaction domestically. The movie will likely bring in some cash overseas, but it brought in just $78 million during its opening over the four-day Memorial Day weekend. Compare that to Wonder Woman, which brought in more than $100 million during its first weekend, the weekend after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales dropped. Depp, who has historically shined in his role as Jack Sparrow, was seemingly blown out of the water by Wonder Woman, which featured relatively unknown leading lady Gal Gadot.

A rep for Depp did not immediately return Fox News request for comment regarding his behavior.
At an appearance in England on Thursday, actor Johnny Depp joked about assassinating President Trump. He apologized on Friday for the shocking remarks.

Depp was at a drive-in movie theater in Glastonbury, where he introduced his 2004 film "The Libertine," when he began talking about the president, according to The Guardian.

I think he needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go, Depp said.

Depp, who noted his comments would be in the press, then began discussing prior assassinations of presidents.

CENTRAL PARK'S 'JULIUS CAESAR' DEPICTS ROMAN DICTATOR AS TRUMP

When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? he asked, referencing John Wilkes Booth assassinating President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

I want to clarify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living, Depp said. However, it has been a while and maybe it is time.

A White House official told Fox News, "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and its sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depps colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a democrat elected official."

A United States Secret Service Official also told Fox News, "The Secret Service is aware of the Mr. Depps comments. For operational security reasons, we do not discuss specifically or in general terms the means and methods of how we conduct our protective responsibilities."

Depp apologized on Friday for his jokes, telling People magazine he meant no harm.

I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump, he said. It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone.

Depps comments come a week after the politically-motivated shooting of Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise.

In recent weeks, a production of Julius Caesar in New York Citys Shakespeare in the Park sparked controversy when the play showed the Roman dictator, seemingly depicted as Trump, being brutally stabbed to death on stage.

Sponsors later pulled out of the event due to the graphic nature of the show.

KATHY GRIFFIN APOLOGIZES FOR PHOTO SHOOT WITH BLOODIED TRUMP MASK, SAYS SHE WENT 'TOO FAR'

Comedian Kathy Griffin also sparked controversy after a photo of her holding a bloodied Donald Trump mask was released to the public.

Fox News' Wes Barrett contributed to this report.
According to a customer in Europe, IKEA sells bowls that will cook your food for you.

Richard Walter of Sweden claims he was sitting on his porch, eating grapes out of IKEAs metal Blanda Blank bowl when he suddenly recognized the smell of smoke in the air, he tells Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.

At first, Walter though the smoke was emanating from a neighbors grill, but he described the smoke as having a sharper scent than that of a barbecue.

Looking down at the grapes, he soon became aware that the stems had begun smoldering.

IKEA PLANNING STAND-ALONE RESTAURANTS FOR ALL YOUR SWEDISH MEATBALL NEEDS

"I saw it was burning in the grape bowl, Walter told Aftonbladet, as translated by Swedens The Local. How is that possible, I thought. Then I saw there was one intense point where (the sun) hit the twigs, and that's where it started.

According to Walter, the shape and reflective surfaces of IKEAs Blanda Blank bowl  which is made from stainless steel and comes in three different sizes  combined to focus the suns energy on the grape stems, causing the smoke.

Walter later took to Facebook to re-enact his experience, and, seemingly, the Blanda Blank appears to burn a scrap of newspaper with nothing more than the power of the sun.

Per Facebook's translator, Walters caption reads, For those who had difficulty believing when it suddenly started burning in my grapes on the balcony, I made a small experiment to clarify how it all went. He also clarified that he used IKEAs 20-centimeter Blanda Blank bowl in the video.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Emil Eriksson, a spokesman for IKEA, has since responded to Walters claims, telling Aftonbladet that the company is planning to carry out their own tests on the Blanda Blank.

"We take this information very seriously and will now investigate what happened," Eriksson said.

IKEAs Blanda Blank bowls currently sell for between $1.99 and $11.99. The companys Blanda bowls are also available in bamboo or glass varieties.
A woman from San Dimas, Calif., tells Fox News she was beyond grossed out after finding a dead frog in a salad she ordered from BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse.

Cepeda and her family were dining at the BJs in West Covina when she claims she noticed something off about her salad  but only after she took several bites and tasted something a little sour, reports the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

I see something kind of rolled up, Covina told the Tribune. I passed it to my husband. I asked, Is that a piece of lettuce?

'HAND SALAD' RECIPE SPARKS EMOTIONAL REACTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA

To Cepedas horror, her husband and daughter surveyed the salad and broke the news that, no, it wasnt lettuce.

Its a frickin frog, Cepedas husband responded.

In her subsequent one-star Yelp review, Cepeda, 40, says she notified the manager about the unwanted fixin, but he only offered to comp her meal.

I told him this frog could contain salmonella and who knows how long it's been sitting in a produce bag, she wrote.

He still made us pay for our drinks which consist[ed] of three beers total! she added.

Cepeda further tells Fox News that the staff appeared to do nothing to prevent fellow diners from similar contamination.

The restaurant did nothing about notifying any other customers there that night [who were] eating salad, says Cepeda. At that point, all the salad is contaminated and people needed to know they had a potential to get sick.

THE WEEK IN PICTURES

Indeed, Cepeda told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that shes felt queasy since the incident. She went to a doctor who told her she wasnt suffering from salmonella poisoning  healthy amphibians can carry salmonella, according to the CDC  but he prescribed antibiotics to treat a possible bacterial infection she may have contracted.

BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse has since reached out to her, but Cepeda claims their response was a little lacking.

I received a phone call from the corporate office with an apology  followed by a $50 gift card, Cepeda tells Fox News. First of all, I'm never eating there again, and second, they thought by sending $50, that was going to say sorry for the dead frog that was missing its guts."

I would have been fine with the I'm sorry, and thats it.

In a statement obtained by Fox News, a representative for BJ's Restaurant claims the company is looking into the situation.

"Guest satisfaction and quality control are our highest priorities," reads the statement. "We take situations like this very seriously and have launched an internal investigation including discussions with our suppliers and distributors to ensure that nothing like this happens in the future."

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

The case has also been referred to the California Department of Public Health, an investigator for the Los Angeles Department of Public Health confirmed to the San Gabriel Valley Times.
Scott Weidle is struggling with the death of his son Daniel, who died from a heroin overdose 18 months ago, one day after Christmas.

Daniel, who was 30 when he died, was a father of three young boys: Dylan, Landon and Gavin.

"I got the call laying on the beach," Weidle, 58, said. "Worst day of my life."

Weidle, a sand and gravel contractor in Montgomery County, Ohio, said he could never have imagined his son becoming a statistic in the United States' growing opioid crisis.

"I have all kinds of emotions," he said. "One day it's outrage, one day I'm infuriated, and one day I'm in disbelief."

Opioid drugs, including prescription painkillers and heroin, killed more than 33,000 people in the United States in 2015, more than any year on record, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An estimated 800 people in Montgomery County will die this year from drug overdose, more than double the 370 overdose deaths the county recorded last year, giving it the unfortunate distinction of logging the most overdose deaths in the country per capita, according to the county's coroner's office.

"If we stay on this pace, we could quadruple our deaths from last year," Mike Brem, captain of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, said.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid pain medication responsible for an epidemic of overdose deaths around the U.S., accounts for a significant number of the county's overdose deaths, Brem said.

Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The agency says illegally manufactured non-pharmaceutical fentanyl, and related overdoses, are a rising problem.

In May, the state of Ohio sued five major drug manufacturers, accusing them of misrepresenting the risks of prescription opioid painkillers.

The county morgue is at "full capacity all the time," Ken Betz, director of the coroner's office, said.

"We can average almost 10 bodies per day in our facility where, historically, five bodies a day was a busy day," Betz said. "Our staff is just plain tired.

"We've never experienced this level of daily drug overdoses in my entire career," he added.

Weidle continues to fight on behalf of Daniel, advocating for stricter laws to curb opioid deaths.

"He always loved to put his arm around you, always had a smile on his face," Weidle said.

"People who looked a little desperate, a little down and out ... he would go friend them. It's something I wish I could do."

(Reporting by Linda So; Editing by Melissa Fares and Leslie Adler)
WASHINGTON  The health care bill unveiled by Senate Republicans on Thursday includes funding to help tackle the nations opioid crisis  but dramatically less than the amount sought by two GOP senators and recovery advocates.

Sens. Rob Portman (Ohio) and Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) at one point had requested $45 billion over the course of a decade to keep the battle against opioids on the nations front burner. The bill instead would allocate only $2 billion, all in 2018.

Well, they did say theres some opioid funding, Capito said as she emerged from the meeting in which GOP leadership walked through the bill with members. But, she added, the number falls far short of what she wanted.

The massive influx of money would have at least partially helped make up for the Senates proposed rollback of Medicaid, which pays for roughly half of addiction treatment in many states. In West Virginia, it funds nearly 45 percent of addiction treatment costs. In Ohio, the figure is 49.5 percent.

Read more: Does the Senate health care plan have more heart? It depends

While the opioid epidemic is not limited to that pairs states, most other Republicans did not join the call for including a major opioid epidemic funding stream through their health bill.

I think its not unreasonable to think carefully about how much money you can add to the system all at once, said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who chairs the Senates health appropriations subcommittee. We tripled the money two years ago, then doubled the tripling. So were in a fairly fast trajectory, and I dont know how much money you can effectively spend here.

Blunt, however, acknowledged Capito and Portmans expertise on the issue and maintained that funding addiction treatment was a priority for his subcommittee and for Congress in general.

Some advocates for the recovery community suggested the proposal for $45 billion in funding overlooked the complicated spiral in health issues that can be brought on by addiction. The additional funding, for instance, wouldnt help cover treatment for conditions that are common among those struggling with addiction and that would otherwise be covered by Medicaid.

Senate drafters of the bill, by not including the new funding, could give either Capito or Portman  both of whom hail from Medicaid expansion states and have shown resistance to major cuts to the program  a sturdier stack of reasons to vote no. They could also use their resistance as leverage with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Or, in the outcome that worries those combating the opioid crisis the most, the issue could simply fizzle.

The proposed $45 billion was not going to come close to being sufficient to address the epidemic thats ravaging our country and taking more lives every day, said Gary Mendell, the CEO of the addiction-focused nonprofit Shatterproof. Shatterproof will continue to pressure senators to vote no on this bill that would have devastating effects for Americans with substance use disorders.

The bills elimination of the Affordable Care Acts essential health benefits provision, which largely mandated that insurers cover mental health and substance abuse treatment, was also cause for concern for stakeholders in combating the crisis.

Eliminating requirements for coverage of key benefits, including mental health and substance use disorders and other patient protections that are part of the Affordable Care Act, will have detrimental impacts for millions, Dr. Altha Stewart, the president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association, said in a statement.

The White House, which has said it sees efforts to address the opioid epidemic as a priority, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
To ease low back pain, you may want try a downward dog: A new study suggests that doing yoga may be as effective as physical therapy for reducing low back pain .

The study looked at a specific yoga routine designed by experts. Some yoga poses could be harmful to the back.

About 10 percent of U.S. adults have chronic low back pain, according to the study, published today (June 19) in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine . And around 80 percent of U.S. adults will experience low back pain at some point in their lives, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Low back pain can have a large effect on people's lives: It's a leading reason why people miss work, the NIH says. In addition, low back pain appears to take a larger toll on people of racial and ethnic minority groups and on poorer people, according to the study.

The most common nondrug treatment for low back pain is physical therapy, which involves individually tailored routines of stretching and strengthening exercises, according to the study. But many patients report that they aren't satisfied with the treatments that health care providers recommend.

In the new study, the researchers at Boston Medical Center wanted to see how yoga stacked up to physical therapy as a treatment for low back pain . Several meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials have found that yoga can be effective for easing low back pain, but yoga had never been directly compared to physical therapy.

More than 300 people with low back pain from low-income, racially diverse neighborhoods were included in the study. The study subjects had all experienced low back pain for at least three months, and in the previous week, had rated their pain at least a 4 on a scale of 0 to 10. In addition, all the people in the study had "nonspecific" low back pain, meaning that it wasn't due to a specific cause, such as a pinched nerve.

The researchers randomly assigned the people in the study to the yoga group , the physical therapy group or the control group. Over a 12-week period, the people in the yoga group attended weekly, 75-minute yoga classes, while those in the physical therapy group went to hour-long physical therapy sessions 15 times. In the control group, patients were given educational materials about how to cope with low back pain, but did not attend any classes.

The researchers noted that the yoga group followed a routine that was devised using input from yoga experts and previous studies looking at yoga and back pain. In other words, it was a specialized type of yoga class. There are yoga poses that could injure the back, studies have shown .

At the end of the 12-week period, the researchers found that the yoga classes were as effective as physical therapy in reducing pain, improving function and lowering people's use of pain medications. For example, yoga patients reported, on average, a 2.1-point decrease in pain on the pain scale, and physical therapy patients reported a 2.6-point decrease. The people in the control group reported a 1.3-point decrease on the pain scale , on average.

In addition, the improvements were maintained in the people who continued with either yoga or physical therapy for a year following the study.

One limitation of the research was that less than half of the people in the study attended at least three-quarters of the assigned yoga or physical therapy sessions. In an editorial published alongside the study in the same journal, Dr. Douglas Chang, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of California, San Diego, and Dr. Stefan Kertesz, an associate professor of preventive medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, said that future studies should investigate why so many of the participants failed to attend all the sessions.

In addition, the authors of the editorial noted that the improvements that the yoga and physical therapy patients reported were small, and only half of the yoga patients and one-third of the physical therapy patients reported improvements.

The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which is a part of the National Institutes of Health.

Originally published on Live Science .
Hundreds turned out to celebrate a special birthday for a California girl who has just weeks left to live after doctors discovered her rare brain cancer that was in remission for nearly a year had returned. Mirella Quintero, who will turn nine in August, was surprised with a princess-themed party by her family, friends and strangers last week, Recordnet.com reported.

The Mable Barron Elementary School student was diagnosed with Primitive Neuroectodernal Tumors of the Central Nervous System (NCS-PNET) in 2015. She underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation at Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital at Stanford University, but a routine scan in February showed a new growth, Recordnet.com reported.

EMERGENCY WORKER SUFFERS HEART ATTACK WHILE RESPONDING TO TEENS' FATAL HEAD-ON COLLISON

When doctors gave Mirellas parents, Tiffanie and Manuel, the grim prognosis earlier this month, they contacted Debbie Carver, an advocate for a childhood cancer awareness group, with an idea for a party, Recordnet.com reported.

I cannot tell you what came over me, Carver told the news outlet via email. I immediately felt I had to do something.

THE WEEK IN PICTURES

Together with Kelley Hale, one of the partys lead organizers, Carver put together a bash complete with balloons, cupcakes, Disney princesses, a photo booth and DJ.

Hardly any money was spent, Hale told Recordnet.com. I had to turn away vendors. When you do something bigger than yourself  were all so thankful to our community for coming together  this says a lot for the people attending here.

Mirella was treated to a special princess chair and rendition of "Happy Birthday" that her mother said shell never forget.

MOM RECEIVES DEVASTATING CANCER DIAGNOSIS AFTER DAD'S ALS DEATH

The time that we do have with her, its been magical, Tiffanie told Recordnet.com. We have been making a lot of good memories.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help family cover medical expenses.
An emergency worker is expected to survive after suffering a heart attack while responding to a head-on collision in Idaho that killed two teen siblings and a 70-year-old man. The unidentified member of the Bannock County search and rescue unit was helping to remove the bodies from the wrecked vehicles when he went into cardiac arrest, KSL reported.

Emergency workers revived him with a portable defibrillator and he was transported to Portneuf Medical Center. While authorities have not released the name of the worker nor of the 70-year-olds injured passenger, they did identify the three victims killed in Sundays horror crash.

NEW HAMPSHIRE STUDENT CREDITED WITH SAVING CLASSMATE'S LIFE ON FIELD TRIP

Authorities said 15-year-old driver Eric Neibaur, and his sister, 13-year-old Lauren Neibaur, were killed when the red 1999 Chevrolet C1500 pickup truck they were traveling in drifted into oncoming traffic and collided with Jay Lanninghams white 2011 Chevrolet Suburban, KSL reported. Lanningham was killed and his female juvenile passenger was critically injured.

The teens family members had been traveling in other vehicles and were among the first on the scene. Emergency workers reportedly arrived to find relatives trying to extract the victims from the vehicles, KSL reported. The Bannock County sheriffs deputy who was the first on the scene was given the day off to emotionally recover from the accident.

The teens are being remembered for their inseparable bond and love of dirt bikes. The family had been camping and riding dirt bikes in Big Springs ahead of the fatal accident, Idaho Statesman reported.

MOM RECEIVES DEVASTATING CANCER DIAGNOSIS AFTER DAD'S ALS DEATH

Everybody can say that they are friends, that they loved their siblings, or whatever they want, but those two were unique, Bobbi Neibaur, the teens mother, told Idaho Statesman. They had a magical connection.

Authorities said they will not release the cause of the accident until the investigation is complete. Mulitple fundraisers are planned to help cover funeral costs for the Neibaur family and two GoFundMe pages have been set up.
Ups and downs are normal in any relationship, but what happens when sexual desire disappears completely? Low libido can strike men and women, but its more common among women. One study found that 36 percent of women between the ages of 30 and 70 had low sexual desire and that 8 percent had hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), a disorder characterized by low desire that causes the patient significant distress.

'MOMMY DEAD AND DEAREST': WHAT IS MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME BY PROXY?

Sexual intimacy is an important part of life for most healthy adults. It helps partners feel closer to each other and is linked to lower blood pressure, better sleep, and even better heart health. But doctors hear often from women, even women in their 20s and 30s, that the desire for sex just isnt there anymore. This lack of desire affects womens quality of life and their relationships. Its common for women with low libido to have sex only to make their partner happy. Many report that they want to want sex, but its like someone flipped off a switch.

For years, there have been prescription medications that help men achieve erections, and now theres a pill that claims to be able to help women with HSDD reclaim their desire for sex. The drug is called flibanserin, and instead of driving blood to the genital area like Viagra, it targets the brain. It claims to change the balance of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine to create an environment thats favorable to sexual arousal.

EYE MAKEUP DANGEROUS FOR YOUR VISION?

Flibanserin is marketed as Addyi. Its been approved by the FDA since the fall of 2015, but this may be the first youre hearing of it. Despite a lot of pre-approval hype, Addyi has been much less popular than anticipated. One reason is that doctors have to undergo a short training in order to prescribe it, and pharmacies have to be certified to carry it. So it can be hard to get your hands on.

But thats not the only reason Addyi hasnt been a success. There are questions about its efficacy. Clinical trials showed that women taking Addyi had about one more sexually satisfying experience per month than those taking a placebo. The FDA has expressed concerns that the side effects of the drug, which can include dizziness, nausea, sleepiness, and trouble sleeping, outweigh the relatively small benefit.

THE WEEK IN PICTURES

Proponents of the drug argue that women should have the right to accept the risks and that some women would try anything to see even small improvements. When the FDA eventually approved the drug, it was with an intimidating black box warning, the most serious warning label that can come with a prescription medication.

There are also practical issues with the drug. The first is that women are strongly advised not to drink any alcohol while taking the drug. Seventeen percent of patients in one study had severely low blood pressure after only two glasses of wine. Since the pill is supposed to be taken every day, women have to give up alcohol entirely in order to undergo treatment with Addyi.

The other practical concern is that Addyi is expensive, sometimes costing more than $800 for a months supply. In fact, lawmakers have accused Addyis manufacturer of predatory pricing, and as of 2016 the firm was still under investigation for price gouging.

TICK-BORNE DISEASES ON THE RISE

Practical and safety concerns aside, Addyi is the only FDA-approved pill claiming to help women with HSDD, and women should know that its available. If you experience low libido, talk to your doctor about HSDD. They can help you rule out other causes of low libido like depression, anxiety, and stress and help you explore your treatment options.

This article first appeared on AskDrManny.com.
The HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest explores the chilling events that led up to the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, mother of Gypsy Rose.

Blanchard was a single mother who raised and supported her daughter through a number of suspected health issues, from epilepsy to muscular dystrophy. She insisted her daughter could not walk, and had a mental handicap.

Except, Gypsy wasnt sick at all. In fact, while never formally diagnosed, Blanchard likely suffered from a mental illness called Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP).

THE WEEK IN PICTURES

MSBP occurs when a person attempts to produce psychological or physical symptoms in another person, usually someone who is dependent on them, Dr. Radu Saveanu, professor of psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told Fox News.

The basic premise is that the individual who is causing these symptoms is experiencing some neurological desire to be taken care of through the child, Saveanu said, noting that while in most cases, the affected individuals are children, they could be older dependent adults as well.

Why Its So Difficult to Spot

Several factors, including who is describing the patient's symptoms, can make MSBP surprisingly tricky to spot and diagnose.

DYING 8-YEAR-OLD GETS SURPRISE PRINCESS-THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY

The major problem is lack of awareness, even among doctors, Dr. Marc D. Feldman, psychiatrist and author of Playing Sick?, told Fox News.

Doctors often want to believe the mother, Saveanu said. They may assume they have a tricky diagnosis on their hand, rather than immediately guess deception.

The consequences of making a false accusation are great: not only for the doctor, who could lose his medical license, but for the family, who may need to be immediately separated, he explained.

How to make a diagnosis

Doctors have a few ways of spotting MSBP. First, they look for children or dependents who keep coming back to the hospital or doctors office with unexplainableand often constantly changingsymptoms, Saveanu said.

EMERGENCY WORKER SUFFERS HEART ATTACK WHILE RESPONDING TO TEENS' FATAL HEAD-ON COLLISION

Another tip-off? Caregivers will often bring their dependents from hospital to hospital, trying to hide the fact that the symptoms are not real conditions, but induced, Saveanu explained.

Another warning sign is if other children in the family have also experienced mysterious illnesses or deaths, Feldman said.

And the most serious warning sign? If, when the caretaker and charge are separated, the charge gets well, Feldman said. For instance, if a child improves in the hospital away from the caregiver, only to worsen once the person returns.
A NASA scientist is criticizing Gwyneth Paltrows lifestyle and wellness website for promoting bogus $120 stickers that allegedly contain materials used in spacesuits.

Body Vibes stickers, according to tech website Gizmodo, are the latest product promoted by the actress's website "Goop" to come under fire. The stickers, sold for $120 for a pack of 24, are said to be made from NASA spacesuit material to rebalance energy frequency in our bodies, according to the website.

KENDRA WILKINSON EXPLAINS HER REALITY TV ADDICTION: I WAS BORN TO DO THIS

Goop posted a blog post praising the product.

Human bodies operate at an ideal energetic frequency, but everyday stresses and anxiety can throw off our internal balance, depleting our energy reserves and weakening our immune systems, Paltrows website said. "Body Vibes stickers come pre-programmed to an ideal frequency, allowing them to target imbalances."

Mark Shelhamer, former chief scientist at NASAs human research division, told Gizmodo of the product: Wow. What a load of BS this is.

Shelhamer said the stickers claim to have carbon material from NASA spacesuits is false. He said the suits contained synthetic polymers, spandex and other materials, not carbon.

Not only is the whole premise like snake oil, the logic doesnt even hold up, Shelhamer said. If they promote healing, why do they leave marks on the skin when they are removed?

Later, Goop pulled the products mention of containing the NASA material from the website and issued a statement to media outlets.

PAMELA DES BARRES ON BEING THE WORLDS MOST FAMOUS GROUPIE: I HAD TO FIGHT FOR MYSELF

As we have always explained, advice and recommendations included on goop are not formal endorsements and the opinions expressed by the experts and companies we profile do not necessarily represent the views of goop," the company said.

"Based on the statement from NASA, weve gone back to the company to inquire about the claim and removed the claim from our site until we get additional verification, the statement concluded.

In a statement to Fox News, Body Vibes said they did not intend to "mislead anyone."

"We apologize to NASA, Goop, our customers and our fans for this communication error. We never intended to mislead anyone. We have learned that our engineer was misinformed by a distributor about the material in question, which was purchased for its unique specifications. We regret not doing our due diligence before including the distributors information in the story of our product. However, the origins of the material do not anyway impact the efficacy of our product. Body Vibes remains committed to offering a holistic lifestyle tool and we stand by the quality and effectiveness of our product.

This is not the first time Paltrows website has come under fire.

Multiple doctors have come out and criticized Goop for promoting jade eggs and vaginal steaming, both of which can be dangerous for women. The jade eggs, which supposedly cleanse and improve a womans sex life, are said to be made with a porous material and can cause bacterial infections, according to the Washington Post.
A Tennessee womans story has gone viral after her fiance claimed she was kicked out of her apartment complex pool for wearing a one-piece swimsuit.

Tyler Newman recounted the incident on his Facebook wall Tuesday. The Knoxville resident claims he and his fiancee, Tori Jenkins, were at the pool when Jenkins was told by a building manager she either needed to change her bathing suit, cover up with shorts or leave the pool they pay a fee to help maintain.

The couple was told there had been complaints about Jenkins thong bathing suit. Jenkins went to the apartment office to take up the matter in private, where she was then confronted by the leasing consultant.

In the office, the leasing consultant (who, for now, I will not name) insisted upon letting Tori take her picture to show 'how inappropriate' her bathing suit was, and instructed her to look into a mirror at her own body, Newman wrote. She was told that the leasing consultant wouldn't want her own kids around Tori.

THIS SWIMSUIT FEATURES HUGE PICTURE OF 'SHOCKED' PRESIDENT TRUMP

He wrote that after Tori explained her swimsuit is not a thong but fits a certain way because she has a larger butt, the consultant allegedly began body shaming Tori, telling her a normal bathing suit covers your entire butt. He also claims she was told that there are a lot of teenage boys in the complex and she doesnt need to excite them.

The apartment complex was not immediately available for comment.

Newman expressed his frustration over Jenkins being called out simply because of how her clothes fit her body type.

Today my fiancee was told that she is less important than how men feel around her. That Tori is less important than a man's urges to be sexual towards her. I think she's the most beautiful woman in the world, but I also respect her. I would never make her or any other woman feel less than what she's worth because of her outfit or her looks.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

This isnt the first time a situation like this has happened. A North Carolina college student was reportedly kicked out of her school gym for wearing a crop top, which sparked debate about whether she was unfairly targeted based on her sex.
The summer reading list for Gene Ponder's AP Government and Economics class at Spanish Fort High School in Alabama is causing some trouble.

Mr. Ponder filled his list with books authored by conservatives -- and libertarians. I know  right? Imagine that - a conservative public school teacher! Sweet mercy, America! Miracles do happen.

Click here for a free subscription to Todds newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!

Mr. Ponders summer reading list was a bonus assignment and included writers like Ann Coulter and Mark Levin and Ronald Reagan and Thomas Sowell.

For the past 10 years, hes instructed the students to spend a portion of their summer reading just one book on the list.

Mr. Ponder was providing the children with an alternative to the liberal propaganda that has saturated public school textbooks.

It was voluntary, not mandatory.

They could choose from books like God & Government, Black Rednecks and White Liberals, Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto, FairTax: The Truth, and 48 Liberal Lies About American History (That You Probably Learned in School).

In other words, Mr. Ponder was providing the children with an alternative to the liberal propaganda that has saturated public school textbooks.

Well, you can probably guess what happened soon after the reading list was posted. The flat-tax hit the fan, as they say.

One local resident actually called the conservative authors terrifying.

Click here for a copy of Todds best-selling book  The Deplorables!

Gulf Coast News Today reports critics complained about what they called the perceived lack of diversity of ideas, as well as whether it met the reading levels required for a 12th grade AP class.

If those kids were reading Mark Levin books, they were more than likely reading well-above the Advanced Placement requirements.

The slant on this list is inappropriate and unbalanced, one person wrote on Facebook  demanding a more rounded reading list for these developing minds.

The Baldwin County Board of Education got wind of the controversy and faster than you can say left wing censorship  Mr. Ponder was ordered to pull his reading list and cancel the assignment.

Mr. Ponders reading list that is going around on social media has not been endorsed by the school system, Supt. Eddie Tyler said in a statement. The list has been removed by the teacher. Baldwin County Public Schools has a process to vet and approve reading lists so that a variety of sources are used. I expect all employees to follow our processes, procedures and policies.

Yeah, right.

Why do I get the feeling the controversy surrounding Mr. Ponders reading list was more about politics instead of procedures?

Next year Mr. Ponder should have the kids read my book  The Deplorables Guide to Making America Great Again. That ought to give the youngsters a jaw-dropping dose of reality.

I'd recommend memorizing the chapter on how public schools have been transformed into left-wing indoctrination centers or in some cases  reeducation camps.
The last few decades have not been good ones for those of us who believe in the rule of law, who subscribe to our countrys proudest boast, that ours is a government of laws, and not men (or persons).

What this means is that we are governed not by arbitrary political power, but that our republic is committed to the values that endure from the founding generation. These core values include an appreciation that there can be no order without law, no law without morality, and, indeed, that there can be no morality without religion. These traditional views have been largely abandoned by our legal and political elites on the left, a trend that Dukes Dean Paul Carrington characterized as legal nihilism, the belief that law doesnt matter and thats its simply all about politics.

Weve seen enough of this in practice to persuade some supporters of President Trump that a nihilistic and lawless legal system, in the person of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, might overturn of the will of the people expressed in President Trumps election. Mueller is a good friend of the dismissed FBI Director, James Comey, and has staffed his team with a group of donors to Democratic candidates.

Traditional views of the rule of law have been largely abandoned by our legal and political elites on the left, a trend that has been characterized as legal nihilism, the belief that law doesnt matter and thats its simply all about politics.

I am actually encouraged by Muellers appointment, however. I think hes going to get to the bottom of things quickly, and I think hell find that theres nothing there. And thats the best and cleanest way to dispose of a false issue.

First, Mueller is a person of the highest integrity, and I can speak to that because I know something about the law firm from which he and many of those he hired came. This is the firm now known as Wilmer, Hale once known as Wilmer, Cutler, & Pickering. I worked for two years at that firm, and I have never been surrounded by more brilliant and principled individuals. There were more Democrats than Republicans at the firm, but unlike the academy, there was a diversity of political views, and there was a commitment to the law itself that was, I think, the real thing.

One of the most zealous former Special Prosecutors, Ken Starr (scourge of Bill Clinton) has expressed his trust in Mueller and the team he has assembled, and that means a lot to me (I have long known and respected Judge Starr, and have had the pleasure of working with him).

Second, I think Mueller will find that, as President Trump claims, he never attempted to obstruct justice, and, indeed, never attempted to stop such an investigation. There is no denying that Trump expressed his hope to Comey that Trumps fired aide, General Michael Flynn, would not be hurt by such an investigation, but Trump apparently gave no direct orders to cease investigating Flynn, and, to the contrary, even Comey admitted that Trump expressed his wish that if any of his satellites  apparently referring to those persons who were connected to his campaign  had colluded with the Russians, he, Trump, wanted to have that revealed.

To obstruct justice in this context would require two things, as the lawyers call them, actus reus and mens rea. The first means evidence of a criminal act and the second refers to the intention to commit it. If Trump is telling the truth, neither occurred here  the investigation was never stopped, and Trump never sought to stop it. Last year the Supreme Court unanimously held that former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was not corrupt because he never ordered his subordinates to aid a donor. What Trump did was so much more benign that that. From what evidence weve seen, Flynn had not done anything out of line with the Russians, and if thats so there was neither an actus reus (wrongful act) nor a mens res (intentional wrong) from which one might infer an obstruction of justice.

If Mueller is an honest man, this is the conclusion he will have to reach, and he will, when he makes his report, have to exonerate the president. And since itll be easy to examine the evidence, we should expect the issue to disappear before very long. In that case, the president will emerge stronger, not weaker, from the investigation. That would be a defeat for the legal nihilists, and a pleasant surprise and a reassurance that the rule of law is returning to this country.
There is no shortage of drama in American politics, but anyone who has been tracking the French elections has witnessed a sea change in history.

In an incredibly short time, and with little initial backing from the political establishment in France, President Emmanuel Macron has sparked a legitimate political revolution and changed the course of his entire country.

Consider this: Before April 6, 2016, Macrons La Republique En Marche! party didnt exist. When he announced his bid for the French presidency in November 16, 2016, Macron had never held elected office. His candidacy was an affront to the establishment Socialist Party and to former French President Francois Hollande, for whom Macron worked as Minister of the Economy, Industry, and Digital Affairs. Macrons opponents in the French government and media called him a novice and dismissed his bid as unserious.

But on May 7, he won the presidency in a runoff with 66 percent of the vote as an ardently centrist, pragmatic candidate. And on June 18, his 14-month-old party (with help from the centrist Democratic Movement) took 350 seats in Frances 577-seat parliament. The establishment Left, led by the Socialist Party, on the other hand, went from having 280 seats after the 2012 election to 44 seats in 2017.

And Macrons majority is unique. Half of its members are new to politics, while the other half are experienced. His coalition is also almost equally divided by gender. Ultimately, there were 223 women elected to the 577-member French parliament on Sunday. This was entirely intentional and led by Macron. In May, when Macrons En Marche! Party announced its candidates for parliamentary elections, they put forward 214 men and 214 women.

Macrons swift rise represents a significant change in French politics  likely the most compelling since General Charles de Gaulle ushered in the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958 after leading the Free French movement during World War II. Further, Macrons election and that of his parliamentary majority could change political narratives throughout Europe because Macron has pledged to return France to the center of attention.

Although they are drastically different politically, Macrons trek is similar to President Donald Trumps historic revolution in 2016.

Both started in the private sector, neither had held elected office before becoming president  although Macron had worked in government. Both ran reformist, anti-establishment campaigns and appealed to broad swaths of their constituencies. Both worked to get non-politicians into the government. Both organized huge nationwide coalitions by using social media and technology to great effect and focusing on policies that promote entrepreneurship.

Macron also pledged to reform the welfare and pension systems in France to make them more fiscally sustainable, to increase defense spending to help fight terrorism, and to hire 10,000 more French police officers to maintain law and order. Does any of this sound familiar? Those who have read my new book, Understanding Trump (now a #1 New York Times Best Seller), might find some parallels between Macron and our nations 45th President.

However, I dont want to overplay this comparison. Macron is a pro-European Union, pro-globalization, centrist and has been described as the anti-Trump, which could be right based on the full scope of his policy goals. President Trump, in contrast, is serious about putting America first and favors focused bilateral agreements over giant multi-country trade deals. However, despite their policy differences, the two leaders have met and both expressed a willingness and interest to work together.

This relationship could be very important, with the underlying reason being very simple: If Macron can build a coalition that can essentially reset the board of French politics in a matter of 14 months, consider what he might be able to accomplish in terms of influencing Europe as a whole.

Without a doubt, Macron is a president worth watching.
A Nebraska Democratic Party official was removed from his post on Thursday after an audio recording surfaced of him saying he's glad House Majority Whip Steve Scalise got shot last week.

Phil Montag, now-former co-chair of the state partys technology committee, was recorded saying he wishes Scalise, R-La., were dead.

His whole job is to get people, convince Republicans to [expletive] kick people off [expletive] health care. Im glad he got shot, Montag said in the audio recording. I wish he was [expletive] dead.

The audio was posted on YouTube. Nebraska Democratic Chairwoman Jane Kleeb confirmed to FOX 42 that the voice on the audio recording was, in fact, Montags.

We obviously condemn any kind of violence whether its comments on Facebook or comments in a meeting, Kleeb said. Our country is better than the political rhetoric that is out there from both the far right and the far left.

Montag, in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald, said his words were taken out of context and he was "horrified" by the shooting.

I did not call for the congressmans death, Montag reportedly said.

Kleeb removed Montag from his post just one week after Nebraska Democratic Black Caucus Chairwoman Chelsey Gentry-Tipton was asked to resign over a Facebook post about Scalise and the attack on Republicans. She did not.

Gentry-Tipton had posted in a thread about the shooting: 'Watching the congressman crying on live tv abt the trauma they experienced. Y is this so funny tho?,' the Omaha World-Herald reported.

Later, in the same thread, she reportedly stated, The very people that push pro NRA legislation in efforts to pad their pockets with complete disregard for human life. Yeah, having a hard time feeling bad for them.
Former President Barack Obama is jumping back into the spotlight, using his social media pulpit to campaign against the latest bid to replace the bulk of his signature health care law.

In a 939-word message to his 53 million Facebook followers, Obama declared the Senates newly unveiled ObamaCare replacement bill is not a health care bill but instead a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America.

He urged Senate Republicans to step back and measure whats really at stake before voting on the bill, which was unveiled Thursday. While blasting the proposal, he urged his allies to speak out against the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation.

The Trump White House, however, shot back Friday that Republicans are acting because the Affordable Care Act has driven up costs and driven out insurers from markets across the country.

The real meanness is allowing the American people to believe that ObamaCare is still alive, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."

He added, ObamaCare has failed. In county after county, they are left with no choices. Rising premiums and skyrocketing deductible. ObamaCare is dead.

Moments after Obama made his Facebook post Thursday, President Trump tweeted his support of the Senate bill.

The high-stakes social media confrontation between a former president and a sitting one is rare and runs counter to Obama's own declarations of wanting to stay on the sidelines following his two terms as commander-in-chief.

During his last few days in office, Obama joked that he was looking forward to not hearing himself "talk so darn much."

"I want to be respectful of the office and give the president-elect an opportunity to put forward his platform and his arguments without somebody popping off," Obama said at a forum in Lima, Peru  but added that if an issue goes to the core questions about our values and our ideals, and if I think that its necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, then Ill examine it when it comes.

In early May, Obama responded to late night host Jimmy Kimmels emotional plea to lawmakers to leave key ObamaCare provisions in place. Kimmel, speaking about his newborn sons heart surgery, asked Congress to expand access to health insurance and to retain protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Obama tweeted, Well said, Jimmy. Thats exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations!

Obamas strong support of the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, shouldnt come as a surprise. Getting the ACA passed was the hallmark of his domestic policy agenda.

Still, GOP critics claim that in an effort to save his legacy, Obama is glossing over some very real problems with the health care bill that have led to health insurers pulling out of exchanges or imposing double-digit premium increases.

Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a draft version of their health care reform bill that cuts Medicaid, ends penalties for people not buying insurance and reshapes subsidies to low-income users.

The 142-page bill, which also prohibits states from opting out of key protections for patients with preexisting conditions, eliminates much of Obamas legislation.

The measure would repeal tax increases Obama's law imposed on higher-income people and medical industry companies to pay for expanded coverage. And it would end the tax penalty Obama's statute imposes on people who don't buy insurance -- in effect, ending the individual mandate.
Nancy Pelosis problem inside the Democratic caucus isnt going away  as a new generation of lawmakers starts to openly question her leadership in the wake of consecutive special election losses.

The long-reigning House Democratic leader remained defiant at a press conference Thursday, saying she thrives on competition and touting her skills as a master legislator and politically astute leader.

But inside the rank-and-file, members are getting restless and the call for Pelosi to depart is louder than ever.

Its as real as it gets, one House Democrat told Fox News. Ive never seen people this torqued. Shed be out if there was a clear plan in place for [succession]. The question is, where does this end?

Therein lies the rub. Pelosi has been in charge of the caucus since 2003, and the current leadership team has been at her side for years. That team includes Pelosi, D-Calif., 77; Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., 78; and Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., 76.

If Pelosi were to step down, its unclear who would fill the void and whether either of her top two deputies would be the right fit. House Democrats also have not elevated younger lawmakers into top leadership positions the way House Republicans have.

'Ive never seen people this torqued.'  House Democrat, discussing complaints about Pelosi

The problem is that you cant replace somebody with nobody, said one senior Democrat close to Pelosi.

While Hoyer may be the natural successor, there are other options  like House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley, D-N.Y.; Vice Caucus Chairwoman Linda Sanchez, D-Calif.; and Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond, D-La.

None of those lawmakers, though, represents the kind of blue-collar Midwestern districts that helped turn the 2016 election for President Trump.

PELOSI'S PARTY BEGINS TO TURN ON HER AFTER DEFEATS, STAGNATION

But the rank-and-file clamor to explore new leadership options is real, especially after Republican Karen Handels victory in this weeks Georgia House special election.

Fox News has learned that Reps. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y.; Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, called a meeting Thursday of Democrats interested in exploring other options besides Pelosi.

Rice and Moulton wouldnt comment on who was there or how many lawmakers attended. Fox News has confirmed about a dozen members attended.

They had geographic, ethnic and political diversity there, one source familiar with the conclave said.

Moulton indicated Thursday that hes not running. Apparently neither is Rice.

Every leader should have the courage of knowing when to step down, Rice said. Were not starting these discussions with a given plan.

In some respects, the loss in Georgia merely underscored the reservations more junior members have with Pelosi.

Given the drumbeat of loss after loss after loss after loss, the drumbeat is much louder, Rice said.

Rice said she and Moulton wont try to stage a coup. That nearly happened to then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich when a group of Republicans came close to shoving him out the door in the summer of 1998.

But it was clear that Gingrichs days were numbered at that point.

Were not going to do something in secret away from the caucus, Rice said.

Some Democrats close to Pelosi indicate she may have to make a choice over the next year: stick around with the hope that Democrats win back the House, returning her to the speakers suite, or decide to leave earlier to give Democrats a better chance to win the House and pass the baton to someone else.

One source close to Pelosi told Fox News she will not do anything to harm the caucus and regularly evaluates those dynamics.

Late last fall, Pelosi faced an internal challenge from Rep. Ryan and prevailed with two-thirds support in her caucus.

Pelosi touted such support on Thursday, saying: I serve at the pleasure of my caucus. My caucus is overwhelmingly supportive of me. She added, I respect any opinion that my members have  My decision about how long I stay is not up to them.

Republicans are openly rooting for Pelosi to stay, under the assumption that her presence helps GOP candidates.

It would be a very, very sad day for Republicans if she steps down, President Trump told Fox & Friends in an interview that aired Friday morning. Id like to keep her right where she is.

If there were to be an effort to challenge Pelosi, it likely would come inside the House Democratic Caucus, as opposed to on the floor.

But one senior Democratic House member who asked to remain anonymous suggested Pelosi can stay as long as she wants: Shes like Trump. She could shoot somebody in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue and nothing would happen.

Fox News Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Another Republican senator came out against the GOP health care plan on Friday, making it nearly impossible for the package to pass the chamber in its current form.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said on Friday that the bill is "simply not the answer," joining Republican Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in opposition.

"My point is this bill currently in front of the United States Senate is not the answer--it is simply not the answer," Heller said at a press conference in Nevada on Friday. "I am announcing today that in this form I will not support it."

Heller and Cruz are both up for re-election in 2018.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who rolled out the legislation on Thursday, needs 50 votes to pass the bill to the House, with Vice President Mike Pence serving as the tie-breaking vote. But without the support of Paul, Cruz, Lee, Johnson, and now Heller, passage of the bill in its current form will be nearly impossible, unless Republicans can manage to draw Democratic votes, which is highly unlikely.

"Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor," the joint statement from Cruz, Paul, Johnson and Lee said on Thursday. "There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system but it does not appear this draft, as written, will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal ObamaCare and lower their health care costs."

Paul told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday that if members who support the bill know they don't have the votes needed, discussion would begin earlier.

"I didn't run on ObamaCare lite," Paul said. "I think we can do better than this --my hope is not to defeat the bill, but to make the bill better."

Paul added: "Now the discussions begin -- I think it could take longer than a week."

Cruz acknowledged that he had not yet had "the opportunity" to fully review the bill in its entirity, but said "there are components that give me encouragement and there are also components that are a cause for deep concern."

I have been clear from day one that I want to get to yes, Cruz told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday. Nobody has fought harder against ObamaCare in the Senate than I have, but we have to actually have legislation that fixes the underlying problem.

Cruz said the current draft doesnt do nearly enough, and would be a disaster politically. Cruz said that key components to get everyone to yes are lowering premiums, and giving the states flexibility.

Senate Republicans released the 142-page draft of their version of a "repeal and replace" health care plan on Thursday titled, Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, which eliminates a majority of ObamaCare provisions, already drawing backlash from Senate Democrats, and even some congressional Republicans.

The bill could go to a vote as early as next week, after the Congressional Budget Office reviews and gives a score to the new plan, but McConnell did not announce a specific timeline for consideration. The Congressional Budget Office expects to have a score for the draft early next week.

The bill repeals key components of ObamaCare, and manages to maintain some "crucial" conservative items congressional Republicans were looking for, like a cut to Planned Parenthood funding.

GOP SENATORS UNVEIL OBAMACARE OVERHAUL

But despite the early GOP-opposition, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said hes glad the process is moving forward.

The Senate discussion draft is available for everyone to review, Grassley said. There will be a full debate before the Senate, with the ability for senators of both parties to offer amendments.

But Democrats, as expected, are slamming the billand most are hanging on comments made by President Trump earlier this week, suggesting the House bill, called the American Health Care Act, was mean.

The President said the Senate bill needs heart, the President says the House bill was mean, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Thursday after the bill was rolled out. The Senate version is meanerthe House bill is a wolf, but this bill is a wolf with sharper teeth -- its a wolf in sheeps clothing.

At the White House, the president remained consistent in his comment from earlier in the week, and said he hoped to get something done with heart.

Wed love to have some Democratic support, but theyre obstructionist, Trump said. Hopefully well get something done and itll be something with heart and very meaningful.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said the bill is even worse than expected and called it by far the most harmful piece of legislation I have seen in my lifetime.

Our job now is to rally millions of Americans against this disastrous bill to make sure it does not pass the Senate, Sanders said.

Despite Sanders, and other Democrats criticisms, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said the bill makes no change in current law when it comes to protecting people with pre-existing conditions.

McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday that Democrats made it clear early on that they did not want to work with us, but Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he had never been asked.

It is not just a fiction, it is a gross fiction, Wyden said.

Still, many members have yet to read the 142-page legislation in its entirety, with some Republicans hesitant to forecast votes, prior to reading the bill in full.

WHAT'S IN THE SENATE PROPOSAL: KEY PROVISIONS OF BETTER CARE RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2017

I dont know, Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., told Fox News. Weve got a lot of work to do.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, already has a number of concerns, according to her spokesperson, and plans to read the bill in full.

She has a number of concerns and will be particularly interested in examining the forthcoming CBO analysis on the impact on insurance coverage, the effect on insurance premiums, and the changes in the Medicaid program, Collins spokeswoman Annie Clark said.

McConnell said that when legislation comes to the floor, it will present Senate Democrats another opportunity to do whats right for the American people.

Fox News' Peter Doocy,Chad Pergram, Mike Emanuel, Jason Donner contributed to this report.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has formally asked ex-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and others to respond to allegations of political interference in the FBIs Hillary Clinton email probe, according to a letter released Friday.

The inquiry was prompted, in part, by a series of media reports raising questions about whether Lynch tried to stifle the investigation into former Secretary of State Clintons use of a private email server. Fired FBI Director James Comey also suggested in recent Senate testimony that Lynch sought to downplay the investigation.

The reports come amidst numerous allegations of political inference in controversial and high-profile investigations spanning the current and previous administrations, Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley's office said in a statement.

While Democrats have questioned whether President Trump tried to interfere in the probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign, Republicans have countered by stepping up scrutiny of Lynch's actions.

The letters released Friday, though, were bipartisan. Grassley, R-Iowa; ranking Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., penned letters to Lynch and others seeking documentation and other details.

Graham already had expressed interest in Lynch testifying before the committee in the wake of Comey's testimony.

In the latest letters, the senators sought information that might determine the veracity of media reports suggesting Lynch may have offered assurances to the Clinton campaign about the probe.

Those articles are based on hacked documents whose authenticity has not been confirmed.

The letter cited an April New York Times article about a batch of hacked files obtained by the FBI, including one reportedly authored by a Democratic operative who voiced confidence Lynch would keep the Clinton probe from going too far.

Lynch and others who received the committee's letters have until July 6 to comply with the request.

The senators also refer to concerns stemming from Comeys testimony about being uncomfortable with Lynchs tarmac meeting last summer with Bill Clinton.

Comey also told Congress "the attorney general directed me not to call it an investigation and call it a matter -- which confused me."
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told Fox News Thursday night that repealing and replacing ObamaCare "has to be done."

"Weve got prices going up, weve got deductibles going up, premiums going up," said Price, a former Republican congressman. "Weve got people who have an insurance card but they dont have any care because they cant afford the deductible. So, where we are right now is in a terrible place in the individual and small group market. Thats what were trying to fix."

Price spoke to Fox News' "Hannity" hours after Senate Republicans released a draft of their bill to undo former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.

"Well make certain that every single American has the opportunity to purchase the kind of coverage that they want," Price vowed. "The American people are going to be appreciative of the fact that theyre going to be the ones in charge, not Washington D.C."

The Senate bill was criticized by four Republican senators who said they would not vote for it in its current form: Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

"Is it everything that everybody wants? Absolutely not," Price said. "But weve got 52 senators and were working to try to make certain that it is able to pass the Senate and then have the House support it."
EXCLUSIVE: President Trump is considering calling a Camp David-style summit to address growing tensions among long-established U.S. allies in the Arab world and renew his call for those nations to confront the crisis of Islamic extremism, Fox News has learned.

The gathering would follow Saudi Arabia, Egypt and five other Muslim countries severing diplomatic and commercial relations with Qatar. The regional powers had accused the tiny Gulf state of funding terrorism  blasting Qatar for allegedly boosting groups like ISIS, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood and working with Iran to destabilize the region.

Fox News has learned that the White House is discussing several options for overcoming the dispute including a broad summit modeled on the 1978 Camp David peace accords that led to the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

Its a Camp David moment. Weve seen nothing like this in 40 years, and now the president wants to follow through, a senior White House official told Fox News.

QATAR'S NEIGHBORS ISSUE DEMANDS

In what might be seen as a warning for many countries in the region, the senior White House official told Fox News that the president is interested in behavior modification, and not just Qatars.

The president now wants to bring all the key players to Washington, he said. They need to disavow groups like the [Muslim] Brotherhood for the stability of the Middle East at large. Its not just about Qatari elements funding the Brotherhood but disavowing support for extremism in general, he said.

Qatar has denied allegations of supporting terrorism.

Discussions over the issue are ongoing. When asked about a date for the possible summit, the senior White House official told Fox News the iron is still hot after the presidents Islamist extremism speech last month in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

That historic speech is where Trump had called on U.S. allies in the region to confront the crisis of Islamic extremism.

Following the diplomatic cut-off with Qatar by the Saudi-led alliance, the country has been criticized for its support of groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, which is outlawed in Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi and the United Arab Emirates (UAE.) According to a report in the Financial Times of London, Qatar recently was given a list of 13 demands by the Arab allies, which included pulling back relations with Iran.

A Middle East expert who is close to the White House and has been briefed on some details of the summit told Fox News that the meeting being discussed would be a move to restore American alliances weakened during the Obama years.

The White House plans are being formulated partly in response to calls in the Middle East for re-invigorated American leadership.

The four major allies within the alliance, Egypt, Saudi, UAE and Bahrain, as well as other moderates, are the ones who have been complaining to Washington for years over the protection and funding the Muslim Brotherhood has been obtaining from Qatar, said Walid Phares, a Fox News national security and foreign affairs expert.

The core allies were certainly encouraged by the clear narrative by President Trump in Riyadh, and thus decided to address the Qatar-Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] problem, he said. The speech changed the narrative.
President Trump on Friday called the investigation into allegations of Russia collusion and claims he obstructed justice ridiculous while saying special counsel Robert Muellers friendship with fired FBI Director James Comey is very bothersome, during a wide-ranging interview on Fox & Friends that also touched on his stalled legislative agenda and the health care debate.

Robert Mueller is an honorable man and hopefully hell come up with an honorable conclusion, Trump said, though he noted that Mueller and Comey were very, very good friends and also criticized the makeup of Muellers growing team of attorneys involved in the investigation.

I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters, some of them worked for Hillary Clinton, Trump said. I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth.

A day earlier, Trump revealed on Twitter that he had not taped conversations between himself and Comey  addressing a question he helped raise in the first place  but on Friday he said his strategy in suggesting possible recordings was all about keeping Comey honest.

NO TAPES: TRUMP SAID HE DIDN'T RECORD COMEY

When he found out that there may be tapes out thereI think his story may have changed, Trump said. I mean youll have to take a look at that because then he has to tell what actually happened at the events.

He added: [The suggestion] wasnt very stupid. He did admit that what I said was right and, if you look further back before he heard about that, maybe he wasnt admitting that.

Comey had been reluctant to say in public what he later revealed he told Trump three times in private  that the president was not the subject of any FBI investigation. But after Trumps tapes tweet, Comey leaked to The New York Times the contents of highly-detailed memos regarding his one-on-one meetings with Trump, a development that eventually spurred congressional testimony and ultimately led Comey to admit he assured Trump multiple times he wasnt the subject of a federal probe.

Trump claimed a victory in getting Comey to confess the personal reassurances hed given him  and also in instigating the testimony during which Comey stunningly revealed he engineered the post-firing leak to The Times.

There has been no obstruction, there has been no collusion  there has been leaking, by Comey, Trump said on Friday.

Of course, Comeys revelations also prompted the eventual appointment of Mueller to oversee the investigation, which reportedly began focusing on if Trump obstructed the Russia investigation by firing Comey on May 9.

GOP SENATORS UNVEIL OBAMACARE OVERHAUL

Turning to the contentious battle to pass a new health care legislation, Trump said the four Republican senators -- Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ron Johnson -- who on Thursday said they weren't yet ready to vote "yes" for the GOP's Senate bill were "four good guys and four friends of mine." He expressed optimism the quartet would eventually drop their opposition.

"I think we're going to get there, we have four very good people..and we'll see if we can take care of them," Trump said.

The president also stressed how quickly the GOP has been able to send a health care overhaul package to the Senate, even if the process has been messy at times.

"I've done in five months what other people haven't done in years," Trump said.

FOUR KEY REPUBLICANS COME OUT AGAINST GOP HEALTH BILL

And though it appeared the bill would eventually have to pass with little or no Democratic support, Trump expressed hope Democrats would eventually decide to work with Republicans on issues ranging from infrastructure funding to tax reform.

They are, right now, obstructionists, Trump said. All they wanna do is obstruct. I think theyd do much better as a party if they tried to get along with us."

He added: I think the American public is tired of obstructionists.

Boy, would the people love to see the two parties getting together and coming up with the perfect health care plan."
President Trump declared at his Iowa rally that if he came up with the greatest health care plan in history, we would not get one Democrat vote.

Well, he probably wont get one Democratic vote for the version that Mitch McConnell unveiled yesterday. And McConnell is having trouble getting enough Republican votes.

The Senate majority leader made the case that the draft measure is better than ObamaCare, and that it preserves such elements as no ban on preexisting conditions while effectively getting rid of the individual mandate to buy coverage.

Chuck Schumer countered that the bill may be meaner than the House versiona reference to Trump privately telling senators he found the House bill meanand he ripped the process that kept the draft secret until yesterday. The minority leader said 10 measly hours of debate is not enough for such important legislation, and that brings shame on this body.

With four GOP senators saying they cant support this version, McConnell is a couple of votes short and has his work cut out for him. Looks like were keeping ObamaCare, not repealing it, Rand Paul complained.

When it comes to the process, both parties are bathed in hypocrisy. Having criticized the way the Democrats rammed through the Obama health bill in 2010, the Republicans are now doing something similar, and unlike the Dems are not holding a single committee hearing. The Democrats, of course, are doing lots of obstructing and slow-walking, having ripped the GOP for doing just that during the Obama years.

The biggest single obstacle is that the bill would greatly reduce Obamas Medicaid expansion, which the right sees as out of control but the left fears would leave millions without coverage. The conservative argument is that the costs are spiraling out of control and eventually have to be picked up by the states; the liberal argument is that the money is being shifted to tax cuts for the wealthy.

Equally contentious are the tax credits to help some people pay their premiums. The House bill pegs the credits to age, which could sock the elderly with huge increases, while the Senate bill adds income and geographyall for a skimpier menu of required services.

And if McConnell can push something through, we all get treated to the excitement of a House-Senate conference.

The outcome of this battle is vital for the health of millions of Americans. But its also crucial for the health of the Republican Party, which would have a hard time explaining why it couldnt replace ObamaCare despite controlling everything in Washington.
A three-fingered mummified body has been reportedly found in Nazca, Peru, with video of the purported body appearing on YouTube. However, researchers have expressed doubt about the discovery, with some calling it a "hoax."

According to website Gaia, the body, which stands 5'6" tall and appears to look like a human, has three long fingers, an elongated skull and does not have ears or a nose. In a Gaia YouTube video, Professor Konstantin Korotkov of Saint Petersburg University in Russia described the body as belonging to "another creature, another humanoid."

"We're going to let you know if it's human, if it's non-human," said a Gaia representative, in the video.

STRANGE 'STONE CIRCLE' SPOTTED ON MARS

Jaime Maussan, an investigative journalist from Mexico, introduced the discovery to Gaia filmmakers, who then investigated it further with a larger team.

Doubts about the credibility of the body popped up immediately. "Respect my opinion, this is FAKE!," wrote one commenter on the YouTube video. "Reported to the MIB," quipped another, referring the famous sci-fi comedy movie "Men in Black."

In an interview with The Express, British UFO author Nigel Watson, described the body as "a plaster cast model," dubbing it "110 perfect fake."

THE WEEK IN PICTURES

Fact-checking and research site Snopes.com also questioned the credibility of the discovery.

Though examples of elongated skulls have been found in Peru, dating back thousands of years, experts attribute this to an ancient practice of artificial cranial deformation, according to Snopes.com.

This body in the Gaia video appears to be covered in a white powder to preserve the remains.

Carbon dating from the body appears to show it being from 245-410 AD, according to the Gaia video, but additional tests are underway, including DNA sequencing, as well as a CAT scan.
A planet-size object may be orbiting the sun in the icy reaches of the solar system beyond Pluto.

Scientists at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) have determined that an unseen object with a mass somewhere between that of Earth and Mars could be lurking in the Kuiper Belt , a region beyond Neptune filled with thousands of icy asteroids, comets and dwarf planets.

In January 2016 , a separate group of scientists predicted the existence of a Neptune-size planet orbiting the sun far, far beyond Pluto  about 25 times farther from the sun than Pluto is. This hypothetical planet was dubbed "Planet Nine," so if both predictions are correct, one of these putative objects could be the solar system's 10th planet.

The so-called "planetary-mass object" described by the scientists from LPL appears to affect the orbits of a population of icy space rocks in the Kuiper Belt. Distant Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) have tilted orbits around the sun. The tilted orbital planes of most KBOs average out to something called the invariable plane of the solar system.

But the orbits of the most distant KBOs tilt away from the invariable plane by an average of 8 degrees, which signals the presence of a more massive object that warps its surroundings with its gravitational field, researchers said in a study due to be published in The Astronomical Journal.

"The most likely explanation for our results is that there is some unseen mass," Kat Volk, a postdoctoral fellow at LPL and the lead author of the study, said in a statement . "According to our calculations, something as massive as Mars would be needed to cause the warp that we measured."

These KBOs act a lot like spinning tops, Renu Malhotra, a professor of planetary sciences at LPL and co-author of the new study, said in the statement.

"Imagine you have lots and lots of fast-spinning tops, and you give each one a slight nudge  If you then take a snapshot of them, you will find that their spin axes will be at different orientations, but on average, they will be pointing to the local gravitational field of Earth," she said. "We expect each of the KBOs' orbital tilt angle to be at a different orientation, but on average, they will be pointing perpendicular to the plane determined by the sun and the big planets."

It may sound a lot like the mysterious Planet Nine , but the researchers say the so-called planetary-mass object is too small, and too close, to be the same thing. Planet Nine lies 500 to 700 astronomical units (AU) from Earth, and its mass is about 10 times that of Earth. (One AU is the average distance at which Earth orbits the sun  93 million miles, or 150 million kilometers. Pluto orbits the sun at a maximum distance of just less than 50 AU.)

"That is too far away to influence these KBOs," Volk said. "It certainly has to be much closer than 100 AU to substantially affect the KBOs in that range."

Though no planet-size objects have been spotted in the Kuiper Belt so far, the researchers are optimistic that the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which is currently under construction in Chile, will help find these hidden worlds. "We expect LSST to bring the number of observed KBOs from currently about 2,000 to 40,000," Malhotra said.

"There are a lot more KBOs out there  we just have not seen them yet," Malhotra added. "Some of them are too far and dim even for LSST to spot, but because the telescope will cover the sky much more comprehensively than current surveys, it should be able to detect this object, if it's out there."

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com .
An astrophysicist has warned that Earth could be hit with a surprise asteroid strike, according to news reports.

Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer at the Queens University Belfast Astrophysics Research Centre highlighted the threat ahead of Asteroid Day on June 30, according to Phys.org.

Fitzsimmons reportedly warned that it is a case of when, rather than if, an asteroid collision will happen.

June 30 marks the 109th anniversary of the Tunguska event in Siberia  the largest-ever recorded explosion of a space object plunging to Earth. The blast, which was later attributed to a comet or asteroid fragment, is generally estimated to have been about 10 megatons. No injuries were reported, but some 80 million trees over 830 square miles were leveled.

NASA WILL TACKLE ASTEROIDS WITH NEW PLANETARY DEFENSE OFFICE

"Astronomers find Near-Earth Asteroids every day and most are harmless, said Fitzsimmons, according to Phys.org. But it is still possible the next Tunguska would take us by surprise, and although we are much better at finding larger asteroids, that does us no good if we are not prepared to do something about them."

The astrophysicist warns that a similar strike could destroy a major city, Phys.org reports, and a large asteroid could prove even more dangerous.

However, Tunguska acknowledged the advances that have been made in locating asteroids. "It is important to know that scientists and engineers have made great strides in detecting Near-Earth Asteroids and understanding the threat posed by them, he said. Over 1,800 potentially hazardous objects have been discovered so far, but there are many more waiting to be found.

PLANET 10? ANOTHER EARTH-SIZE WORLD MAY LURK IN THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM

Last year NASA opened a new office to track asteroids and comets that come too close to Earth. The Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) formalizes the agencys existing program for detecting and tracking near-Earth Objects, known as NEOs. The office is located within NASAs Planetary Science Division, which is in the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, and works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies and departments.

NASA has been working on planetary defense for some time  its Near-Earth Object Observations Program already works with astronomers and scientists around the world to look for asteroids that could harm Earth.

THE WEEK IN PICTURES

An asteroid named (441987) 2010 NY65 will fly past Earth at a safe distance on Saturday. The skyscraper-sized rock is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid by NASA but poses no immediate danger. The asteroid will approach within just over 8 lunar distances, or 8 times the distance between the center of the Earth and the center of the Moon, according to NASA.

The asteroid will continue making yearly close approaches to Earth through 2022, NASA says, with its closest flyby of 7.3 lunar distances occurring next year.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Washington State University sent letters earlier this month to one million people warning that they could be at risk of identity theft after a hard drive was stolen over a month ago.

The university said in the June 9 letter that the hard drive belonged to its Social & Economic Sciences Research Center. The theft occured on April 21. The hard drive contained personal information such as names, Social Security numbers and personal health information, the Seattle Times reported Thursday.

We have no indication that the information on the hard drive has been accessed or misused in any way. However, as a precaution, we are notifying you of this incident and offering you a complimentary one-year membership to Experians ProtectMayID Alert, the university said.

Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communication at the school, told the paper that the hard drive contained data from 1998 to 2013 from school districts, community colleges and other customers. He added that SESRC contracts with state agencies to evaluate the quality of the data that is collected and that it would take a certain computer expertise to interpret the data.

We take this incident very seriously. We are notifying impacted individuals so they can take steps to protect themselves and offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to those individuals whose personal information may have been accessed. We are also notifying the entities that provided SESRC with data that included personal information, the letter said.

Weiler said the school hired a computer-forensics firm to determine what data has been backed up.
An Italian airport is allowing passengers to turn up the volume  making an exception to its liquid limit on airplanes, provided the item is pesto sauce.

Over 500 jars of the basil spread have passed through Genoas Cristoforo Colombo airport in the weeks since it launched its Il pesto e bueno (pesto is good) initiative on June 1.

The initiative allows passengers to hold on to their jars  provided they make a donation to Flying Angels, a foundation that flies sick children to other countries for treatment, according to BBC.

Donations can be as low as $0.55, but the airport says many are donating more, and that 20 days after the initiative started, theyd already received over 500 Euros, or $557, in donations.

Airport representatives said the idea came to them after hundreds of jars that were seized in airport security checks.

This article originally appeared on The New York Post.
Baltimore averaged around two opioid-related overdose deaths a day last year  an inordinately high number for a city of just over 622,000.

City health officials, however, say that number could have been even higher if not for the availability of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug that has been used hundreds of times over the last few years amid the ongoing opioid epidemic plaguing Baltimore and other U.S. communities.

But with an estimated 21,000 active heroin users in Baltimore and only about 4,000 doses of naloxone to last until next May, officials in Marylands largest city are concerned that they will run out of the lifesaving drug by the end of July.

Naloxone is a pure antidote to opioid overdoses, Leana Wen, the Baltimore city health commissioner, told Fox News. Its safe, effective, easy to administer and brings somebody back from overdose literally in seconds.

Wen added: There is plenty of the medicine around. The problem is we simply dont have enough funding to pay for it.

How to pay for the drug has become a major concern for officials in Baltimore and other communities hard-hit by the nations escalating opioid epidemic, especially as the price of naloxone continues to rise.

Naloxone, which works by blocking opioids from interacting with the brain's receptors and counteracts the drugs' dangerous side effects, has been on the market since 1971, and for most of that time an injectable dose of the drug cost less than a dollar. Over the last decade, coinciding with the spike in opioid use, the price has jumped to around $15 a dose, with the cost of an auto-injector version of the drug coming in at more than $2,000 a dose, according to Truven Health Analytics.

While drug users on Medicaid can get a dose of naloxone for only $1, and those with private insurance for between $15 and $40, the price jump has hit hardest local governments and nonprofit organizations that provide naloxone for free to drug users, their family members, and other nonmedical personnel.

We have to ration, which is a horrible word to use in this case, but its what we have to do now, Wen said. The amount of money were allotted to spend on naloxone has not changed, but the scope of this issue has increased tremendously.

To combat the rising costs and looming shortages some health officials in municipalities have issued standing orders and blanket prescriptions for naloxone, which allows anyone to buy the drug from a pharmacy.

The blanket prescription has been implemented in Baltimore and also statewide in Pennsylvania, but the problem is that drugstores are not required to stock naloxone and some pharmacies are unaware of the updated regulations. There is also the concern among some pharmacists that making naloxone freely available could serve as a kind of insurance policy for drug users.

In Philadelphia  a city that saw 900 overdose deaths in 2016  a survey of pharmacies in neighborhoods that suffer the most overdoses found that fewer than one in eight had the opioid antidote available. About half of those drugstores surveyed reported either not knowing about the standing order or not understanding it.

Both health officials and human rights groups have called on state and federal lawmakers to increase the funding to programs and organizations that distribute naloxone to counter rising cost of the drug.

While in 2005 naloxone cost less than $1 per dose, price increases by manufactures in recent years have resulted in prices that now range from $20-$4,500 per dose depending on the format, making it unaffordable to many community organizations, harm reduction programs, and law enforcement agencies without subsidies or additional funding, Human Rights Watch noted in a recent report. Federal officials have expressed concern over these price increases but have not acted to counter them.

Earlier in June, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.,  the Senate Special Committee on Agings chairwoman and ranking member, respectively  pressed five major drugmakers, including Pfizer and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, to explain the rising cost of naloxone.

The healthcare bill currently being debated in the Senate lists an appropriation of $2 billion for fiscal year 2018 to provide grants to states to support treatment and recovery services for opioid abuse.

This number falls far short of the reported $45 billion some Republicans senators had sought over 10 years.

President Trump, who made combating the opioid epidemic one of the cornerstones of his campaign, has asked for $500 million for treatment expansion as part of his budget proposal, and in March tapped New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to head up a new addiction commission.

We want to help those who have become so badly addicted. Drug abuse has become a crippling problem throughout the United States, Trump said. This is a total epidemic and I think its probably, almost un-talked about compared to the severity that were witnessing.

Health officials like Wen, who work in areas suffering the worst from the epidemic, say that there is enough talk about the epidemic, and instead of Senate inquires and presidential commissions whats needed is more funding and more action.

We hear a lot of rhetoric, now we need to need to see the resources, Wen said. Its hard to watch two of our citizens die every day when there is something out there that can save them.
A Detroit federal judge issued a two-week stay Thursday halting the planned deportation of more than 100 Iraqi Christians back to their country of origin.

U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith responded to a habeus corpus petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of 114 immigrants by staying the deportation orders until he decides whether he has jurisdiction to hear the case.

The Justice Department said the detainees must go to immigration court to try to remain in the U.S., not U.S. District Court. But the ACLU said they might be deported before an immigration judge can consider their requests to stay.

Goldsmith, who heard arguments Wednesday, said he needs more time to consider complex legal issues.

Potential physical harm "far outweighs any conceivable interest the government might have in the immediate enforcement of the removal orders before this court can clarify whether it has jurisdiction to grant relief to petitioners on the merits of their claims," Goldsmith said.

BELLWETHER: DEPORTING IRAQI CHRISTIANS ISN'T WHAT TRUMP WANTED

Most of the 114 Iraqis are Chaldean Christians, but some are Shiite Muslims and converts to Christianity. The ACLU says they fear torture or death in Iraq, which agreed to accept them.

"The court took a life-saving action by blocking our clients from being immediately sent back to Iraq," Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said in a release. "They should have a chance to show that their lives are in jeopardy if forced to return."

The immigrants were arrested as part of a sweep of Metro Detroit by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier this month. At the time, ICE said the arrests were "consistent with the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICE's Fugitive Operations Teams on a daily basis."

Goldsmith's order expires July 6. Besides the 114 arrested in the Detroit area, 85 other Iraqi nationals were arrested elsewhere in the country, according to ICE. As of April 17, there were 1,444 Iraqi nationals with final orders of removal from the U.S. Eight already have been returned to Iraq.

The detainees include Louis Akrawi, who served more than 20 years in Michigan prisons for second-degree murder. He was accused of arranging a shooting that killed an innocent bystander in 1993.



"He's 69 years old, he has two artificial knees, and he needs surgery on both eyes. Sending him back to Iraq is unfair," his son, Victor Akrawi, told The Detroit News.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox2Detroit.com.
In the day following what federal officials are investigating as an act of terrorism, new details have emerged about the attacker who allegedly stabbed a police officer at an airport in Flint, Michigan.

In a news conference Thursday, FBI officials released more information about Amor Ftouhi, the 50-year-old Canadian citizen who allegedly stabbed a police officer in the neck at Bishop International Airport.

Officials confirmed that Ftouhi, who has been living in Canada for the past 10 years, was born in Tunisia. He currently holds dual Canadian and Tunisian citizenship.

FLINT AIRPORT ATTACK: MICHIGAN OFFICER STABBED IN 'ACT OF TERRORISM,' FBI SAYS

Ftouhi unsuccessfully tried to purchase a gun while in the U.S., the FBI confirmed. FOX 2 reported that he tried to buy a gun at the Gibraltar Trade Center in Mt. Clemons, just after making it to the U.S. on June 16.

The Gibraltar Trade Center is an indoor marketplace where vendors can sell various items, including knives and guns.

Ftouhi legally entered the United States through Lake Champlain, New York. Officials believe he traveled to Michigan on June 18, days before the attack took place.

It was also confirmed that the attacker is married with three children, and has been working on-and-off as a truck-driver as recently as two weeks ago. He was also a part-time caretaker at the Montreal apartment building he had lived in, and at one time, he studied to sell insurance.

FLINT AIRPORT ATTACK: CANADIAN-TUNISIAN SUSPECT'S BACKGROUND UNDER SCRUTINY

Ftouhi worked to keep the buildings stairwells clean, paid his rent on time, and according to his landlord, never made any trouble.

Authorities are investigating Wednesdays attack as an act of terrorism, but have no indication if Fhouti was a part of a wider plot, according to the FBI.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The New Jersey state education assembly passed a bill Thursday that would require school districts to provide guidance on interacting with law enforcement officials.

The bill, which would begin with the 2018-2019 school year, would mandate that schools teach students about the role police play in public safety, obeying law enforcement officials, and a persons rights while interacting with a police officer.

MANCHESTER ATTACK: KIDS GIVE SPECIAL GIFTS TO 'SUPERHERO' POLICE

The bill requires that the education would be broken into two parts: an age-appropriate curriculum for children in kindergarten through fourth grade, and a more rigorous curriculum for 5th grade through 12th grade students.

The initial bill that was introduced for the 2016 school year, according to NBC, required schools to teach students the role of law enforcement officials, and an individuals responsibilities to comply with a directive from a law enforcement official.

The bill that passed Thursday was amended to require educators to teach about an individuals rights under law in interacting with a law enforcement official.
A California teenage boy was killed on Thursday when a bullet struck him while police were firing at a pit bull charging toward them, police said.

Five deputies were at an apartment complex in Palmdale about 3:40 a.m. when a 3-year-old blue-nosed pit bull came charging toward them, biting one officer in the leg, Los Angeles Times reported. The teenager, who was identified by family members as Armando Garcia-Muro, was at the scene and restrained the pit bull after the first incident.

PIT BULL MAULS 2 KIDS STRAPPED IN CAR SEATS INSIDE MINIVAN

Moments later, however, the aggressive dog came charging toward them again, prompting deputies to open fire. A bullet struck Garcia-Muro in the chest when it ricocheted off the ground. The deputy who was bitten by the dog was also struck in his right leg by a bullet fragment, according to police.

"He may have been struck by one of the skip rounds in what were calling an extremely, extremely unfortunate incident," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau Capt. Christopher Bergner said.

Bergner added that the deputies might not have seen the teen in near the dog.

Garcia-Muro was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead. The injured deputy was also hospitalized and treated. He was later released.

NEVADA PIT BULL MAULS 6-MONTH-OLD BABY TO DEATH

The dog suffered a gunshot wound, but will later be euthanized, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The pit bull was about 60 to 65 pounds and belonged to the teen's neighbor. The owner told the newspaper her dog is well-mannered and that its "not [the dog's] personality" to charge at people.

Garcia-Muro's family members said the teenager was a senior at R. Rex Parris High School and the oldest of four siblings.

"He would give his life for anybody," Alcantar told the newspaper. "He was a very loving person."
Authorities say a former Muslim threatened to blow up a Florida mosque, later telling investigators he was being targeted for converting to Judaism.

A Broward Sheriff's Office report says 38-year-old Shawkat Mzayek was arrested Thursday and charged with making a false bomb threat.

The Islamic Center of South Florida in Pompano Beach received a call Thursday saying the mosque would be blown up that night. Deputies responded and traced the caller ID to Mzayek. No bomb was found.

The report says that when questioned later at his Sunrise home, Mzayek acknowledged calling the mosque, as well as a Muslim-owned convenience store. Mzayek said the Muslim community considers him a dead man because of his conversion.

Mzayek was being held without bail. Jail records didn't list an attorney for him.
Mob boss John Sonny Franzese, the United States federal prisons oldest inmate, was freed on Friday.

Franzese, 100, was released from the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Mass., after being sentenced to eight years in prison in 2011 at age 93, according to Newsday. He was convicted of extorting Manhattan strip clubs and a pizzeria on Long Island. The ailing mobster has been reportedly confined to a wheelchair.

At 100, a former LI mob underboss was released from prison today. He was the oldest inmate in federal prison system https://t.co/PrdkIKmDWr pic.twitter.com/R1eLvBpRWV  Newsday (@Newsday) June 23, 2017

Franzese was involved in a number of financial schemes during his prime. According to Mafia lore, Franzese was a big spender and a regular at the Copacabana nightclub, where he hobnobbed with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.

PORN ACTRESS CLAIMS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL FIRED HER FROM TEACHING JOB BECAUSE OF HER SEX FILMS

The mob boss also once had a stake in the classic porn film "Deep Throat." He made most of his money through extortion and loan sharking. Law enforcement officials suspect Franzese has killed or ordered the slaying of some 50 people.

Hes one of a kind, said Robert Lewicki, a retired FBI agent. Theres never been a guy like Sonny. There will never be another guy like Sonny, the last of a dying breed.

Franzese lived a quiet life on Long Island, N.Y., with his family despite his criminal profession.

Franzese was convicted in 1967 of a bank robbery, sent to prison and paroled in the late 1970s. Though never convicted of another crime, authorities say he rose to second in command of the Colombos, one of New York's five Italian crime families.

STUFFED ANIMAL SAVES MASSACHUSETTS TODDLER IN TWO-STORY FALL

The mobsters family claimed he never took part in the bank robberies.

My father was who he was in my former life, but he was no bank robber, Michael Franzese, the mob leaders son said. He was absolutely framed.

Franzese was sentenced to 50 years for the bank robbery charge. He was offered a reduction if he lent out any information but the mobster did not. He ended up getting parole but went back to prison. The mobster has received parole up to six times but was sent back to prison after every one.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A JetBlue aircraft flying to Florida has touched down safely in South Carolina after making an emergency landing due to reports of smoke coming from the cockpit.

FAA: @JetBlue 913 landed safely at Charleston Int'l Airport after crew reported smoke in cockpit; passengers evacuated via emergency slides. pic.twitter.com/JM4ED1A7Dz  Dan Linden (@DanLinden) June 23, 2017

JetBlue 913, an Embraer E190 aircraft, was en route from Westchester County Airport, NY, to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Fla., according the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane touched down safely at Charleston International Airport Friday morning.

BREAKING:

Problems with A Jet Blue plane at Chas.Aiport. An update on Live 5 News at Noon.#chsnews pic.twitter.com/FsSvieRoXM  Bill Sharpe (@BillSharpelive5) June 23, 2017

Passengers evacuated from the aircraft via emergency chutes will be bused to the terminal, the FAA said in a statement.

There were reportedly 94 passengers on board, according to ABCNews4. The FAA said it was investigating the incident.

JetBlue flight 913 from White Plains to Fort Lauderdale diverted to Charleston out of an abundance of caution following reports of smoke in the cabin, JetBlue told Fox News in an email. The flight landed safely at 10:30 a.m. local time, and all customers and crew have evacuated with no reported injuries at this time.

This is a Fox News developing story. Please check back for updates.
One person was killed and another was injured when a gunman opened fire at a Minnesota storage facility Friday, police said.

The shooting happened at a storage facility in Minnetonka about 11 a.m., according to Fox 9 Minneapolis.

One person died and another was injured. The suspect surrendered to police peacefully. Officers recovered a gun at the scene.

It's unclear what the motive is at this time.

Click here for more from Fox 9.
A missing Texas teenage girl has been found dead in a garbage landfill, and police believe she was murdered, according to reports.

Kaytlynn Cargill, 14, of Bedford, was last seen Monday walking a puppy near her home. Cops werent saying how she was killed. Her body was found Wednesday in the Arlington landfill.

Bedford Police said Friday there are no suspects, Fox 4 Dallas reported.

We are following absolutely every single lead, every tip that comes into this organization, Police Chief Jeff Gibson said, according to the station. Any name that we get we are following through to make sure that interviews take place to give us any information that will take us down the pathway to find the reason for this situation.

Gibson said police dont know how the body ended up at the landfill.

Her parents reported her missing shortly after she disappeared, according to Fox 4. Kaytlynn had left the puppy tied up in a dog park.

Police never issued an Amber Alert when Kaytlynn was reported missing.

Gibson said there was no reason to do so because police had no evidence the girl had been kidnapped or abducted.

I realize this community has several questions as to why the Bedford Police Department did not activate an Amber Alert on June 19, Gibson said, the station reported. The simple answer is there are specific criteria that law enforcement personnel have to follow in terms of initiating an Amber Alert.

An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

Friends said the girl wanted to go to the University of Oklahoma and play softball there, the station reported.

I didnt know her personally, but every time I saw her in the hallway she always had a bright smile on her face, Brooke Kirkland, 15, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

This just breaks my heart, she said. Nobody deserves this. She had her whole life ahead of her. She had prom. She was going to be able to drive in two years. Shell never get to experience any of that. I just want to cry.

There was a candlelight vigil Thursday night for Kaytlynn at her school, Central Junior High School in Euless.
The missing Navy sailor who prompted a massive sea search off Japan and was found in his ships engine room was reportedly moved to a brig this week in San Diego before possible court-martial charges, The Navy Times reported.

Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 3rd Class Peter Mims who worked on the USS Shiloh, was found over a week after he was reported missing, triggering a wide-ranging search-and-rescue effort that stretched over 50 hours.

He was presumed lost at sea near Japan.

Mims was reported missing June 8. The search was suspended on midnight June 11, but the crew of the Shiloh continued their search on board the vessel. The Japanese Coast Guard assisted in the search that combed more than 5,500 square miles of water off Japan.

It's unclear why Mims was hiding in the ship's engine room and how he survived a week there.

We do not know all the details and motivations behind this Sailors week-long disappearance, Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight told The Navy Times. This matter remains under investigation, but early indications are that he had taken steps to avoid being found by other Sailors, who were actively attempting to locate him.

According to information released by the Navy, Mims joined the service in February 2014 and had served aboard the Shiloh since August 2014. His awards included the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

The Navy Times was the first to report.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told Fox News Thursday night that repealing and replacing ObamaCare "has to be done."

"Weve got prices going up, weve got deductibles going up, premiums going up," said Price, a former Republican congressman. "Weve got people who have an insurance card but they dont have any care because they cant afford the deductible. So, where we are right now is in a terrible place in the individual and small group market. Thats what were trying to fix."

NORTH KOREA: WE DIDN'T TORTURE AMERICAN

North Korea on Friday has denied it cruelly treated or tortured an American student who was detained for more than year and died days after being released in a coma.

Warmbier returned to the U.S. last week in a coma. Pyongyangs explanation was that he had contracted botulism. U.S. doctors, however, said he apparently suffered respiratory distress, and the oxygen supply to the brain was cut off.

'LIFE-SAVING ACTION'

A Detroit federal judge issued a two-week stay Thursday halting the planned deportation of more than 100 Iraqi Christians back to their country of origin.

U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith responded to a habeus corpus petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of 114 immigrants by staying the deportation orders until he decides whether he has jurisdiction to hear the case.

COURT-MARTIAL?

The missing Navy sailor who prompted a massive sea search off Japan and was found in his ships engine room was reportedly moved to a brig this week in San Diego before possible court-martial charges, The Navy Times reported.

COMING UP ON FOX NEWS

11:30 ET: President Trump Signs the VA Accountability Act. Watch Live on FoxNews.com
On Friday, June 23, authorities announced the arrest of 56-year-old Dianna Lynn Wills of Whiting, NJ for second degree aggravated arson and second degree manslaughter for a Manchester, NJ structure fire that took place in early April.

On Friday, April 7 around 9:30 p.m., a structure fire was reported on Kingfisher Way in Manchester Township. The Manchester Fire and Police Departments responded to the location, where flames protruded from the roof of the structure.

The homeowner was able to safely exit the structure and summon assistance. Unfortunately, the homeowners five dogs were trapped inside the residence and perished in the fire.

DALLAS OFFICER CHARGED WITH ASSAULT IN DEATH OF WOMAN

The fire ultimately consumed the majority of the structure, resulting in the Manchester Township Building Inspector deeming the dwelling uninhabitable.

The residence next to the structure fire sustained heat damage, and the homeowner, Steve Kundin, had to be transported to Community Medical Center for smoke inhalation.

Click here for more from Fox 29.
An anthropology professor at the University of Delaware is taking heat for comments she made on Wednesday saying that Otto Warmbier got exactly what he deserved.

Katherine Dettwyler, an adjunct professor in the schools anthropology department, made her statement about Warmbier on Facebook and in the comments section of an article about the late college student on the website of conservative magazine, the National Review.

He went to North Korea, for f***'s sake, and then acted like a spoiled, naive, arrogant, US college student who had never had to face the consequences of his actions, Dettwyler wrote. I see him crying at his sentencing hearing and think What did you expect?

Dettwyler added: How about a few moments of thought given to all the other people in North Korea who are suffering under the repressive government there? Just because they are North Koreans, and not US citizens, we shouldn't care about them?

Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, was arrested in 2015 on accusations that he tried to steal a propaganda banner during a visit to North Korea and was later convicted of subversion. His family said they were told that he had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to prison with hard labor in March 2016.

When Warmbier returned to Ohio last week after U.S. officials secured his release, doctors determined that he had suffered a "severe neurological injury" of unknown cause. He died on Monday.

Warmbier's family objected to an autopsy, so the Hamilton County coroner's office conducted only an external examination of his body and is still trying to determine his cause of death.

Dettwylers comments  coming just two days after Warmbiers death -- drew harsh criticism from readers of the National Review, with one commenter saying you are a hate filled twisted person who should not be teaching at all. The hatred you spew at ordinary white college kids proves the point of the article. Please drop dead soon.

The anthropology professor, who did not respond to Fox News multiple requests for comment, fired back at her online critics, saying that while she loves her hard-working, sincere, non-arrogant college students, many of them don't fall into that demographic.

They think nothing of raping drunk girls at frat parties and snorting cocaine, cheating on exams, and threatening professors with physical violence, she added. I would not call them ordinary -- not at all.

Officials at the University of Delaware on Friday distanced themselves from Dettwyler in a statement to Fox News by noting that her comments do not reflect the values or position of the University of Delaware.

We condemn any and all messages that endorse hatred and convey insensitivity toward a tragic event such as the one that Otto Warmbier and his family suffered, the school added. The University of Delaware values respect and civility and we are committed to global education and study abroad; therefore we find these comments particularly distressing and inconsistent with our values. Our sympathies are with the Warmbier family.

Dettwylers page on the popular website RateMyProfessors.com shows that she has a mixed history with her students. While most of the postings on the site acknowledge Dettwylers expertise in her field, almost everyone  both positive and negative  mention how she makes her opinions abundantly clear in the classroom.

Professor Dettwyler is intelligent, but way too opinionated to the point where she becomes unprofessional, one poster noted.
A toddler in New York City died Friday, less than a week after her dad allegedly beat her on Father's Day, reports said.

Nylah Lewis died about 10:40 a.m. Friday, Maimonides Medical Center said in a statement.

"We at Maimonides Medical Center extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, who wish to have their privacy respected at this sad and difficult time," the statement read.

BRONX MAN ARRESTED AT JFK AIRPORT, ACCUSED OF TRYING TO FLY TO ISIS

The 16-month-old was rushed to the hospital on Sunday with a fractured skull after her father, Shaquan Taylor, brutally attacked her in the family's Brooklyn home, The New York Post reported.

Taylor fled the home after beating Lewis' mom for allegedly trying to call 911. Officers were able to catch and arrest Taylor shortly after.

The Brooklyn District Attorney's office said its looking to upgrade the charges against Taylor. He is currently charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Click here for more from The New York Post.
Remnants of Tropical Depression Cindy is threatening to drench and bring possible flooding to parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia on Friday.

Cindy is centered about 75 miles north-northeast of Memphis as of Friday afternoon. Flash flood watches are in effect until early Saturday in the three states.

Cindy made landfall as a tropical storm, and was downgraded on Thursday. The storm is responsible for one death -- a 10-year-old boy from Missouri on vacation in Fort Morgan, Ala. He was killed Wednesday after a log, carried in by a large wave, struck him, according to Baldwin County sheriffs Capt. Stephen Arthur.

TROPICAL STORM CINDYS REMNANTS UNLEASH HEAVY RAINS ON GULF COAST; REPORTS OF A TORNADO IN ALABAMA

The severe weather was arriving on the anniversary of torrential rains and flooding that left 23 people dead in West Virginia last year.

West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee and could all get 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated amounts up to 6 inches, National Weather Service officials said.

Remnant Cindy will continue to threaten the South to the Northeast with a heavy rain threat. Be safe.https://t.co/rvqq6l3DpK pic.twitter.com/MWWyryott9  The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) June 23, 2017

Memphis Light Gas and Water said as many as 10,000 customers were without power on Friday morning. Heavy rain and winds were reportedly causing traffic problems, according to local media. Crews in Memphis, Tenn., worked Thursday to clear storm drains to help prevent street flooding.

The West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management held briefings for emergency managers statewide Thursday, with another scheduled Friday morning, an official said.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a new law on Thursday to coordinate the states flood mitigation and response efforts with a new state resiliency office.

MARRIED MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER, 27, ARRESTED FOR SEX ROMPS WITH HER UNDERAGE BOY STUDENT

A suspected tornado near Birmingham, Ala., damaged some businesses and injured one person on Thursday, while the mayor of the coast Lafitte, La., urged residents to evacuate ahead of a rising tide  two lingering effects of the weakening system that fueled harsh weather across the Southeast.

Meanwhile, the Gulf coast was still suffering from the effects of Cindy that landed ashore early Thursday near the Louisiana-Texas state line. Cindy weakened as it crossed Louisiana toward Arkansas but a broad circulation around the system swept moist Gulf air over the South, fueling severe weather and pushing up coastal tides.

Slow-moving Cindy had formed as a tropical storm on Tuesday in the Gulf, causing widespread coastal highway and street flooding, and several short-lived tornadoes in the Gulf States.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Striking photos released Friday show just how dangerously close a Russian fighter jet came to a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft in a Monday interaction deemed "provocative" by a U.S. official.

The images show the Russian SU-27 coming within five feet of the wing of the U.S. RC-135U -- so close the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit in some images.

Fox News was the first to report the dangerous intercept by the armed Russian jet when it came within a few feet of the U.S. Air Force recon plane.

After it flew alongside, the Russian jet was provocative in its flight maneuvers and flying erratically, an official told Fox News.

U.S. European Command released the stunning photos of the Baltic Sea encounter.

ARMED RUSSIAN JET COMES WITHIN 5 FEET OF US RECON JET

Since June 2 there have been more than 35 interactions in the Baltic Sea region between U.S. and Russian jets and warships. Intercepts are common and usually considered routine, but EUCOM said the June 19 incident was different due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft during the intercept."

"This interaction was determined to be unsafe, EUCOM said.

Two days later, Sweden summoned Russia's ambassador after another SU-27 jet flew close to a Swedish Gulfstream reconnaissance plane over the Baltic.

RUSSIA FIRES MISSILES FROM MEDITERRANEAN AT ISIS IN SYRIA

The incident also followed the Russian Defense Ministrys announcement this week that it would treat any U.S. jet flying west of the Euphrates River in Syria as a potential target following a U.S. Navy jet's shoot-down of a Syrian jet that was targeting U.S.-aligned fighters.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Smoke in the cockpit prompted a JetBlue Airways flight headed for Florida to make an emergency landing in South Carolina.

The Federal Aviation Administration says in a statement that flight 913 was heading from White Plains, New York, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday when the crew reported the smoke. The plane landed at Charleston International Airport at 10:30 a.m.

The FAA said passengers on board the Embraer E190 evacuated the aircraft by emergency chutes and were taken by bus to the terminal. The agency is investigating.

An email from JetBlue's corporate communications department said 98 passengers and four crewmembers were on board, and no injuries were reported.
Members of Congress have laid the groundwork for the U.S Air Force to establish a new branch of the military, known as a Space Corps, by January of 2019.

The proposal came from Congressmen Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Jim Cooper. D-Tenn., the top representatives of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which oversees military space operations. They introduced the legislation into the House Armed Services Committee National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday.

According to a joint statement by Rogers and Cooper, the Space Corps would reorganize the national security space enterprise to ensure prioritization of the space domain by creating a U.S. Space Corps as a separate military service within the Department of the Air Force and under the civilian leadership of the Secretary of the Air Force.

SENATORS ASK MILITARY TO REVIEW AP REPORT ON YEMEN TORTURE

"There is bipartisan acknowledgement that the strategic advantages we derive from our national security space systems are eroding," the statement said, "We are convinced that the Department of Defense is unable to take the measures necessary to address these challenges effectively and decisively, or even recognize the nature and scale of its problems."

Rogers told Space News As Ive been chairing this subcommittee for the last four years, we have seen time and again that our ability to meet new challenges in space is lethargic at best.

Space would fall under the command of its own chief, equal in rank to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who would sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and answer to the Secretary of the Air Force.

But Air Force leaders are rejecting the plan. The Pentagon is complicated enough, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told reporters following her testimony in front of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. This will make it more complex, add more boxes to the organization chart and cost more money. If I had more money, I would put it into lethality, not bureaucracy.

TRUMP SIGNS LAW TO MAKE VA MORE ACCOUNTABLE

An Air Force statement, sent to Fox News on Wilsons behalf, said, "I could not agree more that now is the time to address the threats our nation faces in space, which is why the Air Force has proposed a 20 percent increase in space funding in this year's budget, and announced last week a reorganization that integrates, elevates and normalizes space."

When Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein was asked at a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing, some space advocates these days are calling for space corps, something like the structure of the Marines within the Navy. Do you support that, or do you think we should take a pass? he responded Sir, I do not support it at this time in our history and went on to say Whether there is a time in our future when we want to take a look at this again, I would say that we probably ought to keep that dialogue open. But right now, I think it would actually move us in the wrong direction and slow us down from where we need to go.

Fox News went back to Rogers and Cooper about the Air Force opposition to their legislation. Cooper did not return a request for comment and Rogers sent a statement saying:

My subcommittee has studied this issue for months. Congressman Cooper and I have met with space experts and space leaders and have concluded that Congress must intervene to help address the significant flaws in the organization and management of our national security space. I am outraged by the response from the Air Force leadership  I know creating the Space Corps will take work, but they are completely out of touch if they truly believe the U.S. can keep up with China or Russia if we do not do move forward with Space Corps. In fact, China and Russia are also ahead of us in terms of reorganizing their military space capabilities. The United States will fall further behind because space is the future for warfare.

The Air Force already has a Space Command, but if this new legislation makes it through votes in the House and Senate, and is signed into law by the president, then the U.S. will have a separate military service responsible for national security space programs for which the Air Force is today responsible.
Half a world apart, in a theocratic monarchy and a democracy, a king and a president are relying on their 30-something son and son-in-law to help consolidate power and push their policies.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman this week elevated his son Mohammed bin Salman to crown prince, setting him on course to become the next Saudi king. President Donald Trump relies heavily on son-in-law Jared Kushner to advance his agenda, the closest thing to a royal assist that the U.S. can muster.

Kushner was in the Mideast this week meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in an attempt to restart dormant peace talks. For that effort to succeed, Kushner will need the backing, or at least the quiet support, of Saudi Arabia  now under the reins of the crown prince, also known as MBS.

In this tale of two princes, Trump's son-in-law and Saudi Arabia's new heir to the throne have skyrocketed to power and been entrusted with a wealth of responsibilities and wide-ranging duties, even though neither had the experience that comes with years of government service. The two have been presented to the public as outsiders who bring youthful energy and fresh ideas to sluggish bureaucracies with aging infrastructures.

For Trump, 71, and Salman, 81, the stakes couldn't be higher. Both have promised to deliver dramatic reforms to an antsy public.

Kushner and MBS have built a relationship of increasing importance since Trump took office. Kushner, 36, and MBS, 31, talk on the phone and dined together for several hours during Trump's trip to Riyadh in May, administration officials said. The officials spoke anonymously to discuss the private working relationship.

While in Washington in March, MBS lunched with Trump and Kushner in the State Dining Room. That visit helped ingratiate the young royal to Trump, and Saudi Arabia to the new administration in Washington.

It also laid the groundwork for Trump's maiden voyage overseas as president last month, when Trump became the first U.S. president to make his first official trip to a Muslim nation with a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Trump and Salman also witnessed the signing of a nearly $110 billion defense deal, which administration officials say Kushner helped negotiate. The Obama administration had previously stalled on the deal because of concerns over Saudi aggression in Yemen.

Kushner emerged as a top adviser to Trump in the bruising 2016 presidential race. He spearheaded the campaign's data operation, had a hand in some policy speeches, and was often the last person Trump spoke to before making major decisions. Prior to assuming his role as Trump's adviser, Kushner ran his family's real estate and construction business.

Within hours of King Salman's ascension to the throne in January 2015, the monarch named MBS as defense minister, which helped catapult the young prince into power and sidelined more experienced and older princes. Two months later, MBS led Saudi forces into war in Yemen, becoming the face of a conflict framed in the Saudi media as a battle against Shiite-led Iran's ambitions for regional dominance. The war whipped up nationalist fervor around the new king and his son.

The Saudis paint the Yemen conflict as a fight against terrorism and border security  something that resonates with the new U.S. administration. Trump takes a bullish approach to defeating "radical Islamic terrorism," as he frequently refers to it, and is advocating for a border wall along America's southern border.

In Saudi Arabia last month, Trump conceded that he would only succeed in his goal of fighting terrorism with the partnership of Saudi Arabia and all other Muslim nations.

That's where Kushner and MBS come in.

Kushner's growing duties as White House adviser have seen him serve as a point person for a range of contacts with countries from China to Mexico, develop ideas for infrastructure and criminal justice reform, oversee a new Office of American Innovation and, this week, try to broker Middle East peace  a goal that relies heavily on Saudi support.

MBS' portfolio includes oversight of defense and security, and transforming the kingdom's economy to become less reliant on oil exports for revenue.

His rise to power was accelerated after he visited Washington in March and met Trump. The visit helped reset relations between the two countries after years of strained ties under President Barack Obama over the nuclear accord with Iran, which Saudi Arabia strongly criticized.

Kushner and MBS are expected to collaborate on a more bullish policy on Iran, which both the U.S. administration and the Saudi monarchy view as a threat to regional stability.

The U.S. has also taken a proactive role in helping to pressure fellow Arab Gulf state Qatar to stop financing terrorism.

"Given how close Kushner reportedly is with Saudi and Emirati young leaders, he may also serve as an effective channel for them to the president on the crisis over Qatar negligent behavior in the fight against terrorism," said David Weinberg, a Saudi expert with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

While close family ties are not unusual in U.S. politics, Trump has maintained a tightly knit inner circle that has been influenced significantly by Kushner and his wife, Trump's daughter Ivanka.

The Middle East is no stranger to nepotism, with much of the Arab Gulf boasting hereditary rule and monarchies still ruling over Jordan and Morocco. Syria's President Bashar Assad is also part of a perceived "dynasty."

___

Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

___

Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ayaelb and Vivian Salama at https://twitter.com/vmsalama
Pride parade organizers in Minnesota have apologized for asking local law enforcement officers to limit their participation in a parade scheduled for Sunday.

Parade organizers issued a statement Friday announcing a reversal of their decision after meeting with Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau, the citys first openly gay police chief.

TWIN CITIES PRIDE LIMITS POLICE PARTICIPATION IN PARADE

We recognize this decision has made members of the law enforcement community feel excluded, which is contrary to our mission to foster inclusion," Dot Belstler, the executive director of Twin Cities Pride, said in a statement. "Our intent is and was to respect the pain that the people of color and transgender communities have experienced as of late, but our original approach fell short of our mission."

In a Facebook post earlier this week, Twin Cities Pride said that despite the legal requirement to have a police car lead their parade, they decided to forgo this part of the police participation in the parade for this year.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE? RACE TINGES LGBT CELEBRATIONS

Organizers said they wanted to respect the pain the community is feeling right now following the verdict in the trial of Jeronimo Yanez and Philando Castile. Castile, a black motorist, was fatally shot by former Minnesota police officer Yanez, a Latino. Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter in Castiles death earlier this month.

Now one unmarked police car will clear the way as originally stated, organizers said online. Law enforcement officers are now welcome to participate in the parade by holding the Unity flag or marching alongside the Rainbow, Bisexual, or Transgender flags.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Trump administration has quietly rescinded a reward of up to $5 million for information about a top member of the al-Qaida-allied extremist group al-Shabab in Somalia amid reports he may be in talks with the Somali government to leave the organization.

Sheikh Mukhtar Robow was removed from the "most wanted list" of terrorist suspects run by the State Department's "Rewards for Justice" program in recent days, a U.S. official said Friday. The official, who was not authorized to speak to the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Robow's removal followed consultations with the Somali government but had no additional information about the step.

The official said Robow remains subject to U.S. sanctions imposed against him in 2008 when he was identified as a "specially designated global terrorist," but is no longer a Rewards for Justice target. A cached version of the program's website identifies Robow as an al-Shabab spokesman, military commander and spiritual leader who planned and executed deadly attacks on Somali government troops and African Union peacekeeping forces.

The removal follows reports that the Somali government is in talks with Robow, who fell out with the former al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane. The fallout forced Robow to abandon rebel-held areas to escape an internal purge by Godane in attempt to finish off his rivals in the group. Pro-Godane fighters have since killed several senior militants, including the American-born Omar Hammami and Ibrahim Afghani, one of the group's highest ranking leaders.

Robow, estimated to be in his 50s, is one of al-Shabab's most experienced leaders, having traveled to Afghanistan and trained alongside al-Qaida around 2000 after studies in Sudan.

Al-Shabab last year became the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa, with more than 4,200 people killed in 2016, according to the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

The extremist group has vowed to step up attacks after the recently elected government launched a new military offensive against it. The group also faces a new military push from the United States after President Donald Trump approved expanded operations, including airstrikes. Al-Shabab still controls parts of rural Somalia.

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Associated Press writer Abdi Guled in Mogadishu contributed to this report.
A New Hampshire woman in labor who demanded that a friend inject her with heroin and methamphetamine has pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Police in Concord arrested 29-year-old Felicia Farruggia, of Concord, about six months after her son was born in September. He is in state custody.

WMUR-TV reports Farruggia told the court Wednesday that drug addiction made her lose sight of everything that was important, but she said shes committed to being a better person.

Farruggia can get out earlier if she completes a drug treatment program.

The case against the woman accused of giving Farruggia the injection is ongoing.
Government officials in South Africa have moved to calm fears that a deformed lamb resembling  in some peoples minds -- a human baby was the result of bestiality and the work of the devil.

Photos of the stillborn lamb went viral on social media this week, horrifying villagers in the Eastern Cape settlement of Lady Frere, approximately 200 miles south of Bloemfontein.

Pictures of the deformed fetus started to circulate on social media, leading many to believe that the photos were a hoax.

But the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform confirmed the authenticity of the pictures.

"The elders when they saw it said it was sent by the devil and was born after a coupling between a man and a sheep and then there was panic," said a villager quoted by The Sun. "Many people are afraid and will not be happy until it is burned."

However, Dr. Lubabalo Mrwebi, the province's chief director of veterinary services, said the animal fetus was infected with Rift Valley fever, a viral illness chiefly spread by mosquitoes.

Mrwebi said the animal was likely conceived in December or January, a rainy time of year that would have seen a proliferation of mosquitoes and midges known for spreading Rift Valley Fever.

"We can confirm that this deformed lamb is not a progeny of sheep ovum and a human sperm," Mrwebi said in a statement, pointing out that sheep ovum and human sperm cannot create a viable life form because their chromosome numbers do not match.

"The deformed lamb exhibits signs that are consistent with an early fetal development that went wrong as a result of a viral infection," Mrwebi said to timeslive.co.za. Virus infections in early stages of pregnancy may infect the fetus and lead to the development of malformations in the growing fetus. It is likely that this is what happened to the Lady Frere sheep.

Veterinary officials promised to conduct a full postmortem on the animal and reveal its results to the public.

The lesson we are learning from this experience is that small-stock farmers must keep their animals protected against diseases like the Rift Valley Fever with a correct vaccine which is best given long before the mating season so that by the time the females get pregnant they are already protected against this disease, Mrwebi said.
A top Al-Jazeera official on Friday denounced demands to shut down the network by countries involved in a dispute with its host nation Qatar as an attempt to suppress free expression.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar and restricted access to land, sea and air routes earlier this month over allegations it funds terrorism  an accusation Doha rejects but that President Donald Trump has echoed. The move has left Qatar, whose only land border is shared with Saudi Arabia, under a de facto blockade by its neighbors.

The countries delivered a list of demands to end the embargo Thursday and gave Qatar 10 days to comply with the ultimatum. The 13-point list calls for Al-Jazeera and all its affiliates to be shut down.

"Any call to close down or curtail Al-Jazeera is nothing but an attempt to muzzle a voice of democracy in the region and suppress freedom of expression," Giles Trendle, the acting managing director of Al-Jazeera English, told The Associated Press by phone from its Doha headquarters.

He reiterated the position taken by the Qatari government that shuttering the network is not an item up for negotiation.

"We stand firm in our commitment in providing our usual comprehensive and impartial coverage of events around the world," he said.

Launched in 1996 with financial support from Qatar's rulers, Al-Jazeera has over the years grown into one of the Middle East's most influential and controversial media outlets.

It quickly became one of the most widely watched Arabic channels, but it has long drawn the ire of Mideast governments for airing alternative viewpoints, including hosting Israeli officials.

The network's critics say the Arabic-language services in particular advance Qatar's goals by promoting Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood that pose a populist threat to rulers in other Arab countries.

Qatar supported the calls for change resulting from the 2011 Arab Spring protests that led to upheaval in Egypt, Syria and other Middle East nations, and the network intensively covered those protests.

In Egypt, it was seen as sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president Mohammed Morsi, who came to power in 2012. After the Egyptian military ousted Morsi, Egypt revoked Al Jazeera's press credentials and imprisoned three of its employees for collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera sued Egypt in January 2016, saying many of its journalists were harassed after Morsi's overthrow.

The network's coverage reverberated among regional powers well prior to the Arab Spring uprising. In 2002, its coverage of a Saudi peace plan with Israel led Saudi Arabia to yank its ambassador from Qatar. That diplomatic rift lasted six years.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in March 2014, upset about a perceived interference in their affairs through the network and Qatar's funding of Islamist movements. They returned eight months later after Qatar took some steps against Brotherhood members.

Asked how the newsroom was handling the latest demands for its closure, Trendle said it was "business as usual."

"We remain committed to doing journalism," he said. "Everyone here is at their desk and doing their work and on their normal shifts."

The ultimatum presented to Qatar also includes demands that the natural gas-rich state stop funding a host of other news outlets including Arabi21, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

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Associated Press writer Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report.

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Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at www.twitter.com/adamschreck .
A group of young British boys who sported skirts to school to protest the institution's uniform code have won their battle to change the dress code.

About 30 boys from the Isca Academy in Exeter, made the statement this week after asking school officials if they could wear shorts in the warm weather, according to the BBC. The officials told boys no, citing the school's uniform code which prohibits shorts.

Were not allowed to wear shorts, and Im not sitting in trousers all day, its a bit hot, a protesting student told the BBC.

But the school changed its tune on Friday, announcing that they would start allowing male students to wear shorts during hot days.

LONDON MOSQUE VAN ATTACK: UK MAN CHARGED WITH TERRORISM-RELATED MURDER

As summers are becoming hotter, shorts will be introduced as part of our school uniform next year having first consulted with students and parents. We feel that introducing a change in uniform part way through this year would put undue pressure on some of our families, Isca Academy said in a statement.

LONDON HIGH-RISE FIRE CAUSED BY FAULTY FREEZER; MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES BEING CONSIDERED

The school also said it would not penalize the boys who took part in the protest.

We recognize that the last few days have been exceptionally hot and we are doing our utmost to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible, Aimee Mitchell, the schools headmistress, said in a statement.



The schools uniform code currently states that male students can wear pants and female pupils are allowed to wear skirts or pants.

I feel extremely proud of them all for standing up for their rights, said Claire Reeves, mother to one of the students who protested. People are always talking about equal rights for males and females and school uniform shouldnt be any different.
One person was killed and nine more suffered injuries when fireworks being carried in a pickup truck exploded Friday in central Mexico.

The blast happened during a religious pilgrimage in the town of Cerrito Tixmadeje, the government of the State of Mexico said. Its statement added that the pyrotechnic material was being transported without the proper safety measures.

It said the fatality was a 52-year-old man, and those injured had first-, second- and third-degree burns.

Mexican media outlets published images of the damaged truck and wounded people being taken away by ambulance and helicopter.

Fireworks are a mainstay of Mexican secular and religious celebrations, and deadly accidents happen with some regularity. Last month 14 people were killed when an errant firework touched off a fireworks cache in Puebla state.
Manslaughter charges are being considered in the deadly London fire that was started due to a faulty freezer, killing at least 79 people last week, British police said Friday.

Prime Minister Theresa May's office ordered an immediate examination of refrigerator model that sparked the deadly fire. The fridge, a Hotpoint FF175BP fridge-freezer, had not been subject to any product recall, Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said.

McCormack also said tests showed insulation and tiles recovered from Grenfell Tower in west London failed fire safety tests. Officials have seized documents in the investigation into the fire to look into "every health and safety and fire safety offense."

"We are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower," McCormack told reporters.

PHOTOS: MASSIVE BLAZE IN LONDON HIGH-RISE

"What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests," McCormack added.

The 24-story building was engulfed in flames in less than an hour on June 14. More than 200 firefighters worked to contain the blaze and save residents trapped the inside. Between 400 to 600 people were said to be living in Grenfell Tower. London police said every "complete body" has been removed from the site.

Tests discovered at least 11 high-rise apartment buildings in England have combustible external panels similar to Grenfell Tower, Prime Minister Theresa May's office said. About 600 buildings in the country have "similar cladding," but the number refers to ones that have all types of cladding.

UK SAFETY OPERATION UNDERWAY AFTER LONDON FIRE

The buildings with combustible cladding would not be identified until landlords inform the tenants, the Department for Communities and Local Government said.

May encouraged the owners of both public and private tower blocks around the country to quickly forward samples of any similar material for testing. The government will work with local authorities to make sure any dangerous material is removed and residents are safe, she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
North Korea on Friday has denied it cruelly treated or tortured an American student who was detained for more than year and died days after being released in a coma.

The article published by the official Korean Central News Agency was Pyongyang's first reaction to the death of Warmbier. North Korea released him last week for what it described as humanitarian reasons and he died Monday in a U.S. hospital.

KCNA says the North dealt with Warmbier according to domestic law and international standards. He had been accused of stealing a propaganda poster and was serving a sentence of hard labor.

Warmbier returned to the U.S. last week in a coma. Pyongyangs explanation was that he had contracted botulism. U.S. doctors, however, said he apparently suffered respiratory distress, and the oxygen supply to the brain was cut off.

His neurological condition can best be described as a state of unresponsive wakefulness, a doctor said.

President Trump declared North Korea's treatment of Warmbier "a total disgrace," and called the North Korean government is "a brutal regime."

The U.S. will "be able to handle it," Trump added.

The administration was already wrestling with option for containing an increasingly belligerent North Korea before the shocking return of a mortally wounded Warmbier. As the rogue regime repeatedly threatened the U.S. and its regional allies, testing missiles at least nine times since Trump's election, the administration looked to China to help.

Trump signaled he could be ready for the U.S. to act alone.

"While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out," Trump tweeted.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. will "hold North Korea accountable" for Warmbier's "unjust imprisonment," and is also demanding the release of three other Americans who are being detained.

U.S. lawmakers are also calling for a response to Pyongyang.

"The North Korean regime is mistaken if it believes that its barbaric mistreatment of an American citizen held in depraved captivity for over a year will pass quietly," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Tensions are high on both sides of the Korean Peninsula's DMZ this week.

South Korea launched a medium range missile capable of hitting targets in the North.

This happened as Fox News reported North Korea test-fired an engine that could be used in an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States and added resources at the regimes nuclear testing site.

Reports say North Korea could stage its sixth banned test of a nuclear device as early as this weekend.

North Korea would be able to test a nuclear weapon almost whenever they make a political decision to do so, Korea expert Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told Fox News.

NORTH KOREA'S KIM JONG UN USES TERRIFYINGLY CREATIVE METHODS TO KILL ENEMIES

Pyongyang broke its silence about the death of 22-year-old American college student Otto Warmbier, buried Thursday in his Ohio hometown. He had been held by North Korea for 18 months and was released last week in a coma with brain damage.

A spokesman for the regime called the belief that North Korea tortured him groundless, said that Pyongyang itself was the target of a smear campaign, and that it had acted in a humanitarian fashion and so was the real victim.

Congress is now preparing legislation to ban American travel to North Korea.

I think every American is outraged by the death of Otto Warmbier, Fitzpatrick noted, and there has to be a response to this.

This week also saw some feelers from North Korea regarding talks to end the increasing tension between Pyongyang and Washington.

GEN. KEANE TALKS REMAINING OPTIONS FOR THWARTING NORTH KOREA

One regime official suggested its missile and nuclear testing could be suspended in exchange for a halt in US-South Korea military exercises. While that has been a non-starter for the US, experts say this could be an opening gambit from Pyongyang.

There are some areas to play with, Fitzpatrick believes, if talks would ever ensue.

President Trump has also been tweeting his disappointment that China has not been helping out more to deal with the North Korea.

I think its pretty clear that President Trump has climbed the learning curve when it comes to the complexity of the North Korean situation, Fitzpatrick summed up.

The president will be meeting with the new South Korean President Moon Jae-In at the White House next week, when they will be thinking hard about a way out of this growing global crisis.
From siccing wild dogs on his own uncle to gunning down his enemies with artillery meant for taking out planes, North Korea's Kim Jong Un has built a reputation for dispatching with extreme prejudice all those who cross him.

While some of the terrifying methods of execution have never been confirmed, the mere mention of them is sure to keep his inner circle in line - and any potential rivals quiet, say experts. A confirmed favorite tactic, blowing people away with anti-aircraft guns, leave victims unrecognizable.

"Because there are several guns bound together, it would be hard to find the body after firing it once."  Hong Hyun-ik, Sejong Institute

"Because there are several guns bound together, it would be hard to find the body after firing it once," Hong Hyun-ik, chief researcher at the Sejong Institute, a security think tank based in Seoul, told local broadcaster YTN in 2015. "It's really gruesome."

In late February, South Korean officials revealed that five North Korean officials had been subjected to the particularly grisly form of overkill. Other methods trickle out of the secretive Hermit Kingdom, their unverified status only burnishing the legend of Kim's depravity.

A report that one official was killed by a mortar round has been treated with skepticism. But the tale sent a strong message when coupled with his alleged crime: drinking and carousing during the official mourning period following the death of Kim's father, the equally brutal Kim Jong Il.

Kim's reach extends beyond the pariah nation he never leaves, as demonstrated by the almost certainly sanctioned hit on his half-brother earlier this year. Kim Jong Nam, seen as a successor to Kim should a coup take place, was sprayed in the face with VX nerve agent by two women as he prepared to catch a flight from Kuala Lampur to Macau. North Korea has denied reports that Kim ordered his paternal half-brother's murder.

Perhaps the most frightening method of execution ordered by the 33-year-old, third-generation dictator is allowing a pack of starving dogs to devour enemies. In one notable case, the victim was purportedly Kim's own uncle.

Jang Song-thaek was thought of as a father figure to Kim Jong Un, and served as the second-in-command to the supreme leader. But when he ran afoul of Kim in 2013 for "anti-state acts" and "double-dealing," his familial ties couldn't save him from his nephew's wrath.

How Jang died may never come to light, but a rumor that he was fed to dogs was widely reported. Other reports subsequently claimed that Jang was likely executed by anti-aircraft guns before his body was incinerated by flamethrowers.

The gout-addled Kim also had several of his uncle's cronies killed, and was reportedly "very drunk" when he gave the orders.

According to a report from the Institute for National Security Strategy, a South Korean think tank, Kim has ordered the execution of more than 340 individuals since taking power in 2011. The report also indicates that the number of military and government officials purged by Kim since 2011 has increased every year. Just 3 officials were executed in 2012, compared to about 140 since the beginning of 2016.

Michael Malice, author of "Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il," said Kim's real favored means of murder is simply presiding over what Malice calls "the worst country on earth."

"[Kim] chose to let a million to two million people starve to death in the 90s. So 340 executions," Malice said. "That number is better to focus on than the guy who probably wasn't eaten by dogs."

But when Kim turns executioner, he maximizes the deterrent effect, Malice said.

"If you want to talk about weird methods of killing, the fact that everyone has to watch is horrifically weird," the author told Fox News.

Malice was referring to reports from defectors that North Koreans are forced to watch the many public executions that occur. The claim - and Kim's underlying purpose - were echoed by a 2014 report from the United Nations Human Rights Council.

"Public executions and enforced disappearance to political prison camps serve as the ultimate means to terrorize the population into submission," the report stated.

Americans consider Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old college student sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for stealing a poster, to have effectively been a victim of Kim's bloodlust. It may never be known what killed Warmbier, but he was returned to the U.S. last week, 17 months after beginning his sentence, in a terminal state. He was buried Thursday.

Even if Warmbier's death was not technically an execution, it is a stark reminder of how even minor crimes are dealt with in North Korea. People are publicly executed for such "crimes" as importing South Korean or American music and movies or being caught with a Bible.

"To focus on this carnival aspect [of Kim's allegedly unusual executions] really misses the point about what makes this place so unique and horrible," Malice said. "This is what they have to worry about on a regular basis."
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Norway's prime minister warned Brazil's president on Friday to curb deforestation in the Amazon or Norway will reduce its financial contribution to the project this year.

The announcement comes as the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests are being cut down at the fastest rate in nearly a decade, according to official Brazilian figures.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Norway's more than $1 billion contribution to the so-called Amazon fund is "based on results," Norway's NTB news agency said. Since 2001, Norway has donated billions to encourage the conservation of forests.

"If preliminary figures about deforestation in 2016 are confirmed, it will lead to a reduced payout in 2017," Solberg said after meeting with Brazilian President Michel Temer in Oslo.

Temer praised Norway's contribution to the fund but declined to take questions from media after he and Solberg had made their statements.

"This contribution has enabled us to make a more effective impact to avoiding deforestation," Temer said, according to NTB.

Temer said Monday he had vetoed legislation to reduce the size of protected environmental reserves. However, the apparent victory for environmental groups most likely will be short-lived, as Brazilian Environment Minister Jose Sarney Filho is working on similar legislation.

The legislation passed by Brazil's Congress last month would have converted around 1.4 million acres (566,000 hectares) of protected land into areas open to logging, mining and agricultural use.

However, last week, Filho announced plans to create a new expedited bill that would convert 1.1 million acres of protected land to other uses.

Last year, deforestation in the Amazon jumped 29 percent over the previous year, according to the Brazilian government's satellite monitoring. That was the highest rate since 2008.

Before his meeting with Solberg, Temer was met by protesters holding posters reading "Stop rainforest destruction" and "Respect indigenous peoples' rights" as he arrived at the prime minister's office in Oslo.
A tour bus crashed into a bridge in central Paris on Friday, injuring at least four people, according to multiple media reports.

The double-decker, open roof bus was traveling in the tunnel under the Alexander III bridge when it crashed about 12:30 p.m. local time, BFM-TV reported. The bus, with 20 passengers were onboard, was traveling from the Place de la Concorde, the police headquarters press office said.

At least four people were injured, with one in serious condition, police said.

Dozens of police officers were at the scene assisting the bus as it backed out of the bridge with its windshield smashed. The tent rooftop also appeared to have collapsed.

It's unclear what caused the crash, however, reports said the tunnel only supports vehicles that are fewer than 8.8 feet tall. It wasn't immediately known how tall the bus was.

Big Bus Tours, the bus company, told The Associated Press that the driver took the tunnel because other routes in the city were closed. Officials are looking at Paris as a potential host for the 2024 Olympic games.

Traffic was banned in parts of the city center.
A leading Polish human rights official has come under fire for saying the "Polish nation" took part in the implementation of the Holocaust  a controversial statement in a country that never collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.

Adam Bodnar, the country's human rights commissioner, or ombudsman, apologized for the comment but members of Poland's conservative government say he should resign.

The flap threatens to weaken Bodnar, who heads one of the last state institutions still independent from the ruling conservative Law and Justice party.

After taking power in 2015, the party moved quickly to consolidate its hold over the Constitutional Tribunal, public media and other state bodies in a way that has eroded checks and balances, sparking criticism by the European Union.

Bodnar's office has criticized the government for its steps against the constitutional court and over other human rights issues.

Bodnar, speaking Wednesday on the state-run TVP Info broadcaster, said: "There is no doubt that the Germans were responsible for the Holocaust, but many nations took part in its implementation. Among them  and I say this with regret  the Polish nation."

Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Dziedziczak called Bodnar's comment "scandalous," untrue and added it "disqualifies him from public life."

Bodnar quickly apologized for his choice of words and clarified that he did not mean to say that the entire nation took part in the Holocaust, only that some Poles had committed crimes against Jews.

The behavior of Poles toward Jews during Germany's wartime occupation of Poland remains an extremely sensitive subject.

Poland was subjected to a cruel occupation during the war and was the site of many death camps where the Germans murdered Jews, Roma and many others, among them Polish priests and member of the Polish resistance.

Poles today are hugely offended at suggestions that they somehow took part in the Holocaust. There is a state campaign to fight the term "Polish death camps" which non-Poles, including former President Barack Obama, have sometimes used unwittingly.

There also have been greater efforts in recent years to face the difficult issue of the Poles who did collaborate in violence against Jews for profit or for other motives. However, the subject is anathema to the government, which prefers to speak only of the Poles who risked their lives to save Jews, sparking some criticisms of historical whitewashing.
Pope Francis will preside over a reconciliation ceremony between Colombian victims and former guerrillas during a September visit aimed at consolidating the peace process to end Latin America's longest-running armed conflict.

Francis will also pay homage to the patron saint of slaves, the 16th century Jesuit priest St. Peter Claver, when he travels to the former slave-trading hub of Cartagena.

The Vatican on Friday released details of Francis' Sept. 6-11 trip, his fifth to Latin America and the first papal visit to Colombia since St. John Paul II's pilgrimage in 1986.

Highlights include a Mass in Bogota's Simon Bolivar park that is expected to draw up to a million people. A day later, the pope is scheduled to preside over a prayer for national reconciliation in Villavicencio, a traditional stronghold of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Earlier this week, FARC members began the final handover of individual weapons as part of the nation's historic peace accord, which was inked last year after an initial one was rejected by Colombians in a referendum.

Francis had said he would only come to Colombia once a peace agreement was sealed. He gave a strong push to Colombian negotiators when he visited Cuba in 2015, telling them they didn't have the right to abandon peace efforts.

In addition to the main peace and reconciliation thrust of the trip, Francis is likely to use his time in Colombia to press issues close to his heart. Officials say he is likely to touch on drug trafficking and Colombia's cocaine trade, the environment given Colombia's location in the Amazon rainforest, as well as poverty and social inequality.

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AP writer Christine Armario contributed from Bogota, Colombia.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that have cut ties to Qatar issued a long list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Gulf neighbor shut down Al-Jazeera, scale back ties to Iran and close a Turkish military base in Qatar.

In a 13-point list issued to Qatar, the Arab nations demand the country sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups including Hezbollah, Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Qatar must refuse to naturalize citizens from the four countries and expel those currently in Qatar, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs.

They are also demanding that Qatar hand over all individuals who are wanted by those four countries for terrorism; stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the U.S.; and provide detailed information about opposition figures that Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations. Qatar was given 10 days to comply with the list of demands.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar earlier this month over allegations the nation funds terrorism  an accusation President Trump has echoed.

Qatars neighbors have voiced loud concerns over its ties with Iran and it is echoed with the demands. Qatar is told to shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of the Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with U.S. sanctions.

The demands regarding Al-Jazeera, the Doha-based satellite broadcaster, state that Qatar must also shut down all affiliates. That presumably would mean Qatar would have to close down Al-Jazeera's English-language affiliate. Qatar's neighbors accuse Al-Jazeera of fomenting unrest in the region and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The leader of the Afghan Taliban said on Friday that a planned U.S. troop surge will not end the protracted war in the country and vowed to fight on until a full withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan.

The remarks by Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah came in a message ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr, something the Taliban do every year to rally followers.

In this year's message, the militant leader seemed to harden his stance, saying the Afghan government is too corrupt to stay on and warning of another civil war in Kabul  along the lines of the 1992 fighting when mujahedeen groups threw out the Communist government in Afghanistan and turned their guns on each other. That conflict killed more than 50,000 civilians and gave rise to the Taliban.

Akhunzadah also boasted of allegedly growing international support, saying "the mainstream entities of the world admit (the Taliban) effectiveness, legitimacy and success," an apparent reference to reports of overtures by Russia and China to the Taliban amid concerns of an emerging Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan.

While the IS affiliate's stronghold is in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, the branch has managed also to stage high-profile attacks elsewhere, including in Kabul, and there have been reports of its activity in northern Afghanistan. The presence of battle-hardened Uzbek militants in the ranks also further worries Moscow.

After urging Afghans to embrace holy war, or jihad, to oust foreign troops, Akhunzadah's rambling message went on to touch upon the conflict between Gulf Arab states and Qatar, saying he was "saddened" by the feud.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have accused Qatar of supporting extremists, a charge that Doha denies.
Cornerstone Homes broke ground on Barley Woods in Spotsylvania County in late May, kicking off construction of its 124 homes and community clubhouse. Barley Woods plans to have furnished models open and ready to tour in November and the first homes finished in December.

The University of Mary Washington Center for Economic Development will hold a seminar called DCAA Compliance: Introduction & Accounting System Requirements on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The presentation will provide an overview of the pre-award accounting system design review process. It will be presented by Sherry Kobus, Small Business Program Manager at DCAA Headquarters in Fort Belvoir. Fee is $50. Call 540/654-1383 for more information.

The University of Mary Washington Center for Economic Development will also hold a seminar called Blue Print Business Plan Workshop on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The workshop covers the development of the narrative and financial forecasting portions of the business plan. A workbook will be provided and each participant will receive a comprehensive report on their industry. Participants need to bring a laptop. Fee is $60. Call 540/654-1383 for more information.

This year seven students from Rappahannock Electric Cooperatives service territory had the opportunity to participate in the annual National Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington. The students were: Zuri Hicks of Massaponax High School; Kevin Korkiewicz of St. Michaels the Archangel; Niall Lowrie of Caroline County High School; Matthew Myers of Culpeper County High School; Evan Phaup of Patrick Henry High School; McKenzie Smith of William Monroe High School; and Kaylee Wedding of Massaponax High School.

Community Bank of the Chesapeake will raise funds for local eudcation institutions through its annual Casual for a Cause initiative. Casual for a Cause offers employees a chance to dress business casual for the summer by making a donation. Locally, proceeds will go to Stafford Junction. The event is happening now through Sept. 4.

Lindley Estes
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT (PG-13)

1.5 STARS

More an ongoing assault on your senses than a film, this latest outing in the series based on childrens toys feels like director Michael Bay is just throwing exploding stuff at the screen.

For 2 hours and 29 minutes, no less.

The saddest thing about the film is that it gets traction now and then with a story about how a talisman received by Merlin in medieval times might save the Earth from the evil wing of the Transformers.

But because of a pace thats overly frenetic, too many subplots and constant headache-inspiring action, its all just too, too, too much.

It doesnt help that there are so many sides in this battle that you wish you had a program.

The good military is helping the Autobots, the good Transformers, and still battling or locking up the Decepticons, the bad Transformers.

Then theres another government-backed military force thats hunting down all Transformers, good or bad.

Add to those players the followers of Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), friend of Autobot leader Optimus Prime, Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins), the leader of a sect dedicated to protecting a Transformer talisman, and an assortment of military forces from other countries. It makes it all nearly impossible to understand at any moment just who is fighting whom.

Oh, did I forget to mention the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin and a host of others who start the movie with a bloody battle that will scare the pants off young movie-goers who just like to play with Transformers?

Hopkins is a good example of the uneven nature of the film. One moment, hes lordly and impressive. The next, hes being tasked with silly and demeaning dialogue, ruining all thats come before.

Word is that this will be the last movie in the Transformer franchise directed by Michael Bay and starring Wahlberg.

The fact that Bay is leaving may be enough to save the series from bloated and overdone outings like this one.

The loss of Wahlberg will be difficult, because hes about the only thing holding the franchise together at this point.

Another disturbing aspect of the film: every woman in a serious role cant appear in a scene without half her clothes falling off.

Thats a little less disturbing for Laura Haddock, who plays Merlin heir Vivian Wembley, because shes at least over 30.

But for Isabela Moner, who plays a scrappy orphan named Izabella, its just creepy, because shes not even 16 yet. In Bays world, apparently, all women need to look like strippers to justify their time on screen.

The saddest part of the films epic fail is that there are some really cool snippets scattered about, special effects that are inspired one moment and insanely overdone the next.

Its actually hard to watch after a while, painful instead of exhilarating.

After a thousand of so explosions, you just want it to stop.

If they make many more films like this one, that may take care of itself.

Rated PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of sci-fi action, language, and some innuendo. 149 min. Playing locally at Marquee Southpoint 9, Paragon Village 12 and Regal Fredericksburg 14.
A man who went on a stealing spree in Stafford County last year while he was wanted in Petersburg was ordered Thursday to serve five years in prison.

Michael Wayne Scott Jr., 32, of Petersburg was previously convicted of multiple theft-related charges, including burglary, grand larceny and conspiracy.

Judge Alfred Swerskys sentence was toward the lower end of the recommended state sentencing guidelines, but that didnt appease Scott, who threw a fit after hearing his sentence. Court was disrupted for several minutes while bailiffs got Scott, who was cursing and banging on things, under control.

According to the evidence presented by prosecutor Michael Hardiman, Scott and his girlfriend, Tierra C. Wallace-Branch, were wanted in Petersburg when they came to the Fredericksburg area in July.

After convincing an older Stafford resident to let them stay in his home, Hardiman said, they went on a stealing spree in July and August. Wallace-Branch, 31, acted as the getaway driver when Scott broke into county businesses. She pleaded guilty to three charges last month and was ordered to serve eight months in prison.

Hardiman said the couple stole checks from the man who gave them shelter and stole money from him. They also were involved in thefts and burglaries at several businesses in North Stafford, including Walmart, Shoppers Food Warehouse, Capital One, Dads Deli and Lily Nails and Spa.

At the deli, Hardiman said, Scott stole a tip jar and used the business grill to cook some food. He left the grill on when he left.

They were arrested Aug. 14 after Scott stole five cartons of cigarettes from Shoppers. According to the evidence, he hid in the womens bathroom until the store was closed and used a crowbar to try to break into a cash register. He was unsuccessful and ran out of the store with the cigarettes after being spotted by a night manager.

Police were given the license number of the fleeing vehicle and went to a home on Crater Lane. Scott and Wallace-Branch were both arrested there that same day. Scott told police that while Im running, Ive got to do what Ive got to do.

Defense attorney Cali Lee asked for a sentence of four years and four months, the bottom of the guidelines. She said Scott had a number of factors against him, including a bad upbringing.

Hardiman said he had earned more time, citing his lengthy criminal record that includes three prior burglary convictions.

Hes a career criminal who has gotten enough breaks, Hardiman said. The only way to keep him from stealing is to lock him up.
The 10 people who spoke or offered written remarks made impassioned pleas against King George Countys proposal to condemn 10 acres of farmland for a new fire station, but none offered a more heart-wrenching account than Al Reed.

The 83-year-old leaned on his cane as he hobbled from the front row of the meeting room of the King George Board of Supervisors to the podium. He described how overgrown the rolling hills and pastures were when he bought the farm in 1979 and how much money and energy he invested in its cleanup. He installed 2 miles of fencing on the scenic property so he could tend cattle.

Soon after he purchased the property, which totaled 314 acres, he said he was told a black person wasnt gonna live there. His house was set on fire, and the flames burned a hole from the cellar to the second floor.

On three different occasions, someone shot and killed a cow in his field.

I aint had nothing but trouble, ever since I been up there, Reed said.

And now this.

King George wants to condemn 10 acres of the farmland for its new Dahlgren firehouse. Its existing facility, on Dahlgren Road, is run-down and wasnt designed for round-the-clock operations, said Fire and Rescue Chief David Moody. Emergency vehicles have trouble even getting onto the road when traffic backs up at the Navy base or nearby Potomac Elementary School.

At the end of Tuesdays public hearing on the proposal, supervisors unanimously agreed to defer action on their plan.

Thank you for speaking, Supervisor Jim Howard told the crowd of about 50 people. We listen to what you say.

But they havent taken the property off the table altogether.

Board Chairwoman Ruby Brabo said on Wednesday that the county will continue to negotiate with the property owner for the parcel. She said its the third piece of land the county has tried to buy, and Moody said its the ninth parcel officials have looked into.

We need to proceed with building a new Co. 2 [Dahlgren] fire station within the next 18 months, if possible, Brabo said.

LIFETIME RIGHTS

King George officials say the site where Reed lives, off Windsor Drive and half mile from U.S. 301, is particularly suitable for a new station. Its away from the busy, commercial aspects of Dahlgren, but has easy access to them.

The county doesnt want the house or the farm structures on the farm known as Buena Vista, just the northernmost corner which happens to abut the 18th-century home of late artist Jack Darling. Before his death in 2007, Darling turned his home into a gathering spot for the North Windsor artists, who painted scenic vistas from his sitting room, including the ancient catalpa tree in the back yard.

Some probably looked across the fields and captured images of the beef cattle on Reeds rolling property.

About 20 years ago, the farmer put the bulk of his land into a conservation easement and sold 40.62 acres, at a much-reduced price, Reed said, to his church, First Baptist Church of Marshall Heights in Washington. The gift came with the condition that he could live and farm there the rest of his life.

In his remarks before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night, Reed was perplexed about why his land was chosen.

What I cant understand is, with all the land around here, why you gotta pick this particular place? Unless you just want to get rid of me and I wont be able to farm no more, he said.

Then, Reed seemed spent of both energy and emotion. He said he couldnt talk long because hes in bad healthhe has heart problems and diabetesand had to be helped back to his seat.

TRULY DISTRESSED

Other speakers gave reasons why they believe a firehouse doesnt belong in the area. Lewis Ashton, president of the King George Farm Bureau, said he hated to see good farmland disappear.

While he supports a new fire station, he said the facility should be built on a better road, with shoulders where people could pull off to let emergency vehicles pass.

The stretch of Windsor Drive, or State Route 218, is two-lane, rural and leads to Colonial Beach.

Carrol Morgan, one of the North Windsor artists whod been to the Darling home, was truly distressed by the countys attempt to condemn farmland.

I dont want to imagine this historic farmland turned into the location of a commercial/industrial style site for a fire department with the heavy noise and equipment, she said.

TIME FOR NEGOTIATIONS

In addition to the lifetime rights Reed has to the property, theres another back story with the deed. The two people listed on the deed include a pastor whos no longer associated with the church and a trustee with dementia, said county officials and Reeds daughter, Stephanie.

The church entered an order into the court system on Monday to have new trustees listed on the deed, said Bill Bayliss, a lawyer with the Williams Mullen firm in Richmond.

When King George made an offer to the church last year to buy 10 acres of land, Bayliss said he told County Attorney Eric Gregory the church wasnt interested.

We had no idea it would result in a condemnation, he said during the public hearing on Tuesday.

Likewise, Reed didnt know anything about the plan until he saw surveyors tromping over his clover fields.

Brabo said she and fellow board members were shocked to see the churchs attorneys and trustees at the Tuesday hearing.

It was a little unsettling, she said, because they have not even replied to our offer.

Bayliss also said the church hadnt considered what it might do with the property after Reeds death. He asked the supervisors to give the trustees time to consider plans and to continue the negotiation in hopes of reaching a number.

The lawyer told county officials the trustees believe the offer is not fair market value. The county offered $102,500 for the land, Gregory said.

According to tax records, the 40 acres is valued at $218,600 and the house is worth $225,800, for a total property value of $444,400.

PLANS UNCERTAIN

Sharon and Dean Nathans also are keenly interested in what happens to the Reed property. The land proposed for a fire station is right next to the Darling estate, which they are planning to make their retirement home.

Shes the fourth generation, on her mothers side, who would call the Dahlgren area home, even though she was born in California and lives there. Jack Darling was her great-uncle.

The property where she and her husband, and her parents, Alice and Leonard Ross, will spend their retirement years is a construction zone. The Nathanses are restoring the Darling home and the Rosses are building a new house on the 14-acre property.

At the old Darling home, contractors removed additions to get back to the portion of the house built before the Revolutionary War, and built around it. Theyve kept an open great room with high ceilings and views of the distant Potomac River. They want to have a place where Sharon Nathans can paintand the family can display some of Jack Darlings art.

At least thats been the plan, until the couple heard about the condemnation. She cringes at the thought of fire sirens, as well as a helicopter landing, right outside her window. The county would like to add a helipad as well as some low-impact training facilities.

I dont know what were going to do now, she said. We are not going to live next to a fire station.

Meanwhile, Reed contemplates how much longer hell enjoy the farm that he maintains so diligently despite his failing health.

Born in Westmoreland County, he didnt get the chance for much education, but his natural abilities enabled him to start his own grain business as a teenagerand to pay off his fathers farm.

Hes earned various conservation awards for agricultural practices and was named an outstanding farmer by the Tri-City/County Soil & Water Conservation District in 1981.

There have been plenty of unpleasant memories, too, like the house fire and the dead cattle. Before he ever moved to King George, someone put sand and gravel in the gas tank of a new John Deere tractor he bought and ruined the motor.

He doesnt want to be buried on the farm; hes made arrangements to be cremated and have his ashes spread in Israel where Jesus walked.

And he wants his property to end up in church hands.

Theres so many poor peoples in the world, Reed said, and this church did a tremendous job of outreach. I said, Whatever I own when I come to the end, Im gonna give to the church so they can do some good. 
Carrol L. Rusty Cox Jr. passed away April 22, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. he Was born in Fredericksburg, Va. January 4, 1965 and attended Stafford County schools, Fork Union Military Academy from 1979-1981, and graduated from Stafford high School in 1983. he served in the Army until March 29, 1993 and then worked in the automotive field as a mechanic, in customer service and management. In 2012 be became a Board Certified hearing Instrument Specialist and worked in this field until his death.

He is survived by his wife, Sabrina, of Crawfordville, Fla., Three sons, Michael, Dakota and David, three Daughters, Katie, Carrie and Autumn and Seven Grandchildren, his father Carrol, Sr. of Richmond, Va. his mother, Karen, of Weems, Va. and brother Kevin, of North Carolina.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, June 29, 2017, 11 a.m., at Oak Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Fisher house for the help and care they give to veterans and their families. Checks Should be made out to Gainesville, VA, and note Fisher House in the memo section. mail to Gainesville VAMC-Voluntary Service, 1601 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608.
It would be several more years before that gut feeling led to a diagnosis that explained Andrews symptoms. By third grade, Andrews cyclical illnesses had become routine for the family  and they were getting worse, often resulting in hospitalization.

They came on about once a month, starting with a sudden, high fever, Kristin said. Shed drop him off at school seemingly fine, then get a call a few hours later that he was in the nurses office with a temperature of 105 F. Then, hed develop blisters or ulcers around his mouth. Then searing pain in his stomach. Each episode would last several days, maybe up to a week.

Complicating matters even more was Andrews inability to communicate the nuances of his symptoms or his feelings. His parents received the neurologists letter with Andrews diagnosis of autism when he was 3 years old  the same day he said his first words.

Even without a full description of his symptoms, Andrews pain and the accompanying fevers were clear to his parents. The family and an ever-changing team of doctors muddled through, trying treatment after treatment with no explanation for the illnesses and no way to prevent them.

Finally, at age 9, he received a diagnosis thanks to an immunologist at Seattle Childrens Hospital, Dr. Troy Torgerson, and a team of human genome researchers at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The family learned Andrew had three copies of one of his chromosomes in some of his cells but not others. Known as a mosaic trisomy, Andrews case was especially rare because of the particular chromosome affected in his body, chromosome 8.

Most trisomies  where cells carry three copies of a given chromosome instead of two  are fatal, causing miscarriages very early in pregnancy. (Trisomy 21, which causes Down syndrome, is a notable exception.) And even mosaic cases like Andrews, where some of a babys cells have the normal two copies while some carry three versions of chromosome 8, often lead to miscarriage.

The diagnosis, while definitive, didnt answer many questions for the family. Trisomy 8 mosaicism is incredibly rare and its symptoms are variable. At the time Andrew was diagnosed, there were only 52 other people reported with the disorder in the world. And as far as anyone knew, none of the others had anything resembling Andrews symptoms.

Critical mass

For the most part, the family was left on the same path that it had been on before the diagnosis. For the next several years, Andrew was treated with an escalating series of immune-suppressing drugs to try to quell the crests of fevers and pain. They bounced around from specialist to specialist, department to department in the hospital.

Ultimately, things got worse.

We hit critical mass when he was a sophomore in high school, Kristin said. [The spells] basically overlapped to where it was every single day; it never resolved itself.

Andrew was sick so often that he had to drop out of school  it was supposed to be temporary but his hiatus ended up lasting several years. At 5 feet 10 inches tall, he weighed only 100 pounds. Eating was excruciating  he threw up all the time and the feeding tube hed had placed could only do so much. During one particularly painful spell Kristin describes in her memoir, in which Andrew was vomiting blood and hadnt been able to eat in weeks, she carried her teenage son into the emergency room in her arms. He didnt leave the hospital again for nearly eight months.

Andrew missed Frightful terribly during that time, and even when he was home he often couldnt be in contact with the bird because his immune system was so weak. His younger sister, Hannah, who would go on to be his bone marrow donor, came up with the idea of fixing an iPad to the chicken coop so the boy and chicken could Facetime together.

It wasnt the same, though.

During his long hospital stay, the family reconnected with Torgerson, the immunologist whod originally helped diagnose Andrew years earlier. He went to work on their behalf and, through colleagues, found a young man in Japan with trisomy 8 mosaicism who seemed to share Andrews painful symptoms. That mans doctor had identified certain immune molecules  cytokines  that had gone haywire in his body. Torgerson tested Andrews bone marrow  the birthplace of all his bodys immune cells  and found that it was chock full of cytokines and cells carrying three copies of chromosome 8. Somehow, the genetic abnormality had taken over his marrow entirely. And it was causing the immune cells to viciously attack the cells they perceived as foreign, which amounted to much of Andrews body.

In essence, Andrew was right when hed told Frightful eight years earlier that his body was killing itself.

This was the turning point, Kristin said. The immunologist believed that Andrew needed a reboot in the form of a bone marrow transplant. Kristin and her husband, Jon Adams, agreed.

One among many

With that decision, Andrew and his family entered an even smaller world, a world in which he was the only person on the planet  as far as his family knows  with trisomy 8 mosaicism to receive a bone marrow transplant for the condition.

Because of his young age and the rarity of his disorder, the family connected with a doctor who specializes in rare diseases  Fred Hutch and Seattle Childrens transplantation researcher and physician Dr. Lauri Burroughs. A pediatric oncologist by training, Burroughs now specializes in non-cancer cases  children with non-malignant blood disorders who can be treated or cured by a transplant.
Fredricks, Guthrie, others explore how menopause affects the vaginal microbiome

In the largest study so far of the vaginal microbiome of menopausal women, researchers found that women who reported vaginal itching or pain were more likely to have a particular bad strain of bacteria. However, contrary to expectations, the presence of good bacteria was not associated with fewer genitourinary menopause symptoms.

We were expecting to see that Lactobacillus would be associated with fewer vaginal symptoms, but we didnt see that, said Fred Hutchs Dr. David Fredricks, an expert on the vaginal microbiota and senior author of the paper, published online ahead of print June 19 in the journal Menopause. But we did find that BV-Associated Bacterium 1 is associated with itching and irritation. Thats a completely novel finding and something well need to follow up on in a later study.

If it turns out that the above-mentioned bacterium, BVAB1, plays a role in the symptoms rather than merely serving as a marker of a woman who is prone to pain and itching, then we may be able to intervene, said Fredricks, whose lab was the first to identify the troublesome strain in 2005. The bacterium can be eradicated with a topical antibiotic, he said.

The study used molecular methods to analyze the vaginal bacterial community in 88 menopausal women. It was conducted via MsFLASH, a research network funded by the National Institute on Aging to test various interventions for hot flashes, insomnia, and other menopausal symptoms.

Much of the previous research on the vaginal microbiome has focused on premenopausal women, in large part because of its potential influence on childbirth and other age-related health outcomes. A combination of BV-associated bacteria are behind a sometimes symptomless condition called bacterial vaginosis, or BV, best known for causing local irritation and a foul odor. In premenopausal women, it is also associated with premature delivery and miscarriage, pelvic inflammatory disease, and an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.

Healthy vaginas, at least in premenopausal women, are dominated by a species of the genus Lactobacillus. These bacteria produce lactic acid, and researchers believe that lactic acid makes the vagina inhospitable to the overgrowth of bad-guy species such as BV-associated bacteria.

The food source for lactobacillus is a sugar called glycogen. But here, the new study again challenged the prevailing dogma. Estrogen was long believed to drive the production of glycogen in the vagina, Fredricks said. Yet an earlier, smaller study had found that while all postmenopausal women experience a drop in estrogen as well as a change in the microbiota mix, not all lose vaginal Lactobacilli. The new study, which included women just heading into menopause as well as those several years beyond, with varying estrogen levels, confirmed that there may not be direct links between serum estrogen, glycogen, and Lactobacillus colonization, Fredricks said.

The new study piggybacked on an earlier MsFLASH clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of interventions for hot flashes. The main trial had nothing to do with vaginal symptoms. However, researchers, knowing they wanted to investigate such symptoms in the future, carved out a pilot study in part to see whether we could get women to do vaginal swabbing in the clinic and at home on a regular basis, said Fred Hutchs Dr. Katherine A. Guthrie, a biostatistician who serves as principal investigator of the Fred Hutch-based MsFLASH Data Coordinating Center.

Yes, they could. MsFLASH is now wrapping up a multicenter clinical trial comparing two common treatments  a vaginal hormonal pill (Vagifem) and an over-the-counter gel (Replens) with placebos to evaluate their effects on menopause-related vaginal symptoms. She expects the results to be published in about six months.

The trial, which involved 300 women between the ages of 45 and 70, recruited much more quickly than the researchers expected.

People were clamoring to come in, Guthrie said.

Vaginal symptoms ranging from dryness and atrophy (thinning and shrinking of the tissues) to itching, irritation and painful intercourse occurs in between 40 percent to 77 percent of menopausal women, according to researchers, yet scientists dont really understand why they occur. For women  and their partners  they can cause significant distress.

Im a biostatistician, but working with our clinical investigators, its clear that a lot of women dont realize this is a normal part of aging, Guthrie said. They think theres something wrong with them, or maybe their husbands think they should be able to have sex more easily. Its quite impactful on a marriage or partnership. But its not always easy to bring up to a doctor.

Fredricks agreed.

Theres a huge amount of interest, he said. It reflects that were ignoring this important area in womens health. We need more studies.

 Mary Engel / Fred Hutch News Service
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One year to the day since the EU referendum, agents are reporting little evidence of a leave vote having a significant effect on the UK farmland market.

Supply has neither dropped significantly nor risen sharply, and plenty of deals have been done.

Examples of offers being withdrawn or launches being cancelled are few and far between.

See also: Unpredictable South West land market could perk up this year

However, Farmers Weekly has been told of a number of subtle shifts in behaviour that could be attributed, in part at least, to events last June.

1. Buyers look for diverse income

Will Langmead, farm agent at Strutt & Parker, said major political decisions, economic crashes or falling levels of confidence in farming have historically led to buyers changing what they look for in a unit.

Since last June he has seen evidence of farmers opting for diversity over scale.

Instead of buying large acreages to bolt on to existing units they want something with a bit of let property or a commercial rent roll, perhaps some pasture with the arable land to go into as many markets as they can, he said.

He gave the example of 233-acre Lodge Farm at Kineton, Warwickshire, which exceeded its 4.95m guide price. It offered 26 commercial units, eight let properties and grain storage with a weighbridge.

That is what people are looking for now, but offerings such as Lodge Farm are like hens teeth.

2. Investors seek to spread investments

Its a similar story for significant landowners.

Berrys chartered surveyor Charlotte Rogerson said large investment landholders have been assessing their portfolios and, in some cases, choosing to dispense with off-lying assets.

They are being cautious and looking to spread their risk over diversified portfolios extending beyond agricultural land, she said.

Ben Taylor, partner at Bidwells, said in 2014 investors were pursuing large commercial farms of 500 acres and above.

However, now premiums are being paid for smaller parcels in good locations, large-scale estates in high-value residential areas or units that offer options for future uplift in value.

3. Look for lotting

Stags partner Andrew Ranson says his firm has found demand for whole farms in south-west England has reduced.

Although not a trend identified across the country, Mr Ranson said buyers became nervous about making any significant investment decisions soon after David Cameron announced the referendum.

It has led to fewer relocating bidders, which has played in to the hands of buyers in the immediate vicinity.

Local buyers are less concerned about the uncertainty and more concerned about missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to buy part of, or all of, the farm next door, he said.

Mr Ranson used the example of Leat Farm  a 73-acre holding near Launceston in Devon  which failed to sell when nationally marketed, but quickly went when lotted and advertised locally.

4. Lower pound appealing to international buyers

A weaker sterling has seen a number of international buyers taking advantage of the extra value.

While the exchange rate has not been a key driver, particularly for high-net worth individuals, Andrew Fallows, head of rural agency at Carter Jonas, said he has seen an increase in foreign investors looking at rural assets.

They are buying wherever they are seeing value, he said. European purchasers have been entering the market, purchasing large commercial blocks in Cambridgeshire and Hampshire, demonstrating a confidence in the sector.

5. Uncertainty, but business as usual

It may be the most-used word since 23 June 2016, but uncertainty has unquestionably shrouded agriculture in the past year.

In Scotland, where the future is even more clouded, farms are selling well.

Duncan Barrie, a partner with CKD Galbraith, said his firm has sold more than 60 farms totaling 20,000 acres since the vote.

Excluding any major economic, fiscal or tax changes, we do not anticipate any significant price rises or falls in the coming years, but expect land to return to sustained and steady growth in the longer term, he said.

But H&H Land and Property managing director James Murphy said the referendum result had heightened existing insecurity in the Scottish market, prolonging decision-making among both landowners and tenants.

South of the England-Scotland border, BTF Partnership director Richard Thomas said the leave vote had only contributed in part to one land sale, but there was no sense of panic among farmers who still have time to plan for a working environment with nil or reduced subsidy.

Woolley and Wallis partner Richard Nocton said farmland remains a bolthole for funds, offering security that other investments cant.
Story Highlights 13% in U.S. have favorable opinion of Putin, down from 22% in February

Democrats, those with more education less likely to view Putin favorably

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As investigations into Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election continue, Russian President Vladimir Putin's image in the U.S. has worsened. Thirteen percent of U.S. adults now have a favorable opinion of Putin, down from 22% in February. His 74% unfavorable rating is the highest in Gallup's trend.

These data, from a June 7-11 Gallup poll, suggest that a steady stream of negative reports about Russian hackers potentially influencing the U.S. election are having an effect on how Americans perceive Putin. The Russian leader's favorable rating was higher this past February than it was two years earlier, with the improvement mostly driven by Republicans. The February improvement may have been attributable to President Donald Trump's seeming embrace of Russia amid his presidential campaign and a backlash against Democrats' condemnation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

But with Russia's influence in U.S. affairs a constant fixture in media coverage since February, even Republicans may be rethinking their views of its leader. Twenty-four percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Putin, down from 32%. Democrats' already dismal favorable rating for Putin eroded even further, falling from 10% in February to 4% in June.

Americans' Favorable Ratings of Vladimir Putin, by Party and Education February 2017 June 2017 % % Party ID Republicans 32 24 Independents 23 12 Democrats 10 4 Education Postgraduate 13 6 College graduate 13 7 Some college 23 16 High school or less 28 16 Gallup

Putin's favorable ratings are low across all education levels, but his image tends to be worse among those with more education. Six percent of those with a postgraduate education have a favorable opinion of Putin, while 16% of those with a high school diploma or less share this sentiment.

Bottom Line

Putin, who is the subject of Oliver Stone's "The Putin Interviews" this month, has been a unique figure in American public opinion. While never hugely popular in the U.S., he benefited from more goodwill from U.S. adults in the early part of his first presidential term, following the demise of the Soviet Union.

After term limits forced him to leave the presidency -- though he served as prime minister for the next four years -- he returned to the office in 2012. Then, a shift in public opinion occurred. By 2014, those relatively warm feelings from Americans had evaporated amid the asylum Russia granted to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, as well as tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

In the past four years, Putin has struggled to break 25% favorability in the U.S. As Americans grapple with and are curious about Russia's potential influence on their government, views of that country are not positive either. Putin's drop in favorability since February shows that he has almost no standing with Democrats, and that Republicans' slightly less negative opinions of the Russian president are retreating as well.

The news for Putin continues to get worse, even after the June poll was conducted. This week, former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that Russian hacking happened "at the direction of Vladimir Putin himself."

Recently, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a sanctions bill against Russia for meddling in the U.S. election. With Republicans turning against him on this issue, it may be difficult for Trump to advance his stated policy goal of closer relations with Russia through Congress.

It is possible that if there is some resolution to the 2016 election imbroglio, and relations between the U.S. and Russia grow warmer, Putin's image could improve somewhat. This development would necessitate more positive media coverage for Putin, something that hasn't happened in the U.S. in quite some time. However, given that only 12% of Americans do not have an opinion about Putin, it may be that they have made up their minds about him and that his low favorability will remain the norm.

Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.
Each legislative session thousands of bills and amendments are introduced in the Pennsylvania Legislature. Only a fraction become law, and an even smaller portion receive wide media coverage.

These bills impact the lives of people living in Pennsylvania every day.

Each week The Sentinel will highlight one bill that has not received widespread attention.

About the bill

In 2016, more than 700 criminal cases in Cumberland County included a charge for the possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Of those, the misdemeanor offense was the highest, and in many instances, the only charge in more than 250 cases, according to analysis of court records conducted by The Sentinel.

The county is on pace to eclipse both of those numbers in 2017, according to court records.

Rep. Barry Jozwiak, R-Berks County, has introduced a bill that would reduce the charge from a misdemeanor to a summary offense  making it similar to an underage drinking ticket.

As a former law enforcement officer, I strongly believe in cracking down on drug dealers and those who prey on the young or weak with drugs, Jozwiak wrote in a co-sponsoship letter. But those defendants are addressed elsewhere in the Controlled Substances Act. For individuals who merely possess small amounts of marijuana, I believe this adjusted grading makes sense.

A conviction for the possession of a small amount of marijuana currently carries a possible imprisonment of up to 30 days, a fine of up to $500 and a drivers license suspension.

Jozwiaks bill, HB 928, would reduce the grading of a first or second offense from a misdemeanor to a summary offense with a maximum fine of $300, no possible jail time and no drivers license suspension.

Third and subsequent offenses would be graded as a misdemeanor and carry a possible fine of up to $1,000 and a six month drivers license suspension, but would not include any possible jail time.

Jozwiak wrote in his letter that it cost Berks County more than $1.5 million to prosecute 632 small amount of marijuana cases last year, and the county only brought in $126,000 in fines from those cases.

Reducing the grading of the offense would allow the cases to be handled by lower courts and reduce costs on both the county and the defendant, Jozwiak wrote.

Jozwiak also said the bill would allow law enforcement to focus on more serious offenses.

It would certainly be a great reduction in time and paperwork expended on that effort, Hampden Township Police Chief Steven Junkin said to The Sentinel in December for a story on a rise in cases involving the charge. I dont think you would get too much push back from too many police departments.

Similar bills have been introduced in the legislature in previous legislative sessions, but have garnered little traction.
A Pinch of Salt: The election is over, I think, so what now?
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

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

HIT AND RUN: 4:13 p.m., 300 block of Southwest Fourth Street, Corvallis. Police responded to a reported hit and run and determined a bystander had jumped on the suspects car to prevent him from leaving the scene of the crash. Police arrested Levi Kyle Christian Johnson, 29, of Lebanon, for failure to perform the duties of a driver when property is damaged.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

THEFT: 9 a.m., 300 block of Southwest 10th Street, Corvallis. A man reported someone had broken into his apartment and stolen two iPhones, three pairs of shoes and several personal checks.

METH: 5:13 p.m., 1100 block of Northwest Ninth Street, Corvallis. A police officer arrested Gyula Incze, 41, after Incze reportedly walked away from a traffic stop and stashed methamphetamine in the bathroom at Buffalo Wild Wings. Police seized the methamphetamine and arrested Incze when he reportedly returned to recover the drugs.

DISCHARGE WEAPON: 8:27 p.m., 700 block of Southwest 10th Street, Corvallis. An employee of an apartment complex reported finding a gunshot hole in one of the units. The police cited the resident of the unit, Yiyao Yang, 24, for discharge of a weapon. Yang told police he was practicing his shooting stance in his bathroom about three months ago and accidentally discharged his shotgun.

Benton County Sheriffs Office

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

VEHICLE THEFT: 9:36 a.m., 6300 block of Northeast Wm. R Carr Street, Adair. A man reported that sometime the day before someone had broken his motorcycle handle bar and stolen the seat. No suspects were identified.
Theres a tension so deep in how we think about free expression, it should rightly be called a paradox.

On the one hand, regardless of ideology, artists and writers almost unanimously insist that they do what they do to change minds. But the same artistes, auteurs and opiners recoil in horror when anyone suggests that they might be responsible for inspiring bad deeds.

Hollywood, the music industry, journalism, political ideologies, even the Confederate flag: Each takes its turn in the dock when some madman or fool does something terrible.

The arguments against free speech are stacked and waiting for these moments like weapons in a gladiatorial armory. Theres no philosophical consistency to when they get picked up and deployed, beyond the unimpeachable consistency of opportunism.

Hollywood activists blame the toxic rhetoric of right-wing talk radio or the tea party for this crime, the National Rifle Association blames Hollywood for that atrocity. Liberals decry the toxic rhetoric of the right, conservatives blame the toxic rhetoric of the left.

When attacked  again heedless of ideology or consistency  the gladiators instantly trade weapons. The finger-pointers of five minutes ago suddenly wax righteous in their indignation that mere expression  rather, their expression  should be blamed. Many of the same liberals who pounded soapboxes into pulp at the very thought of labeling record albums with violent-lyrics warnings instantly insisted that Sarah Palin had Rep. Gabby Giffords blood on her hands. Many of the conservatives who spewed hot fire at the suggestion that they had any culpability in an abortion clinic bombing, gleefully insisted that Sen. Bernie Sanders is partially to blame for Rep. Steve Scalises fight with death.

And this is where the paradox starts to come into view: Everyone has a point.

The blame for violent acts lies with the people who commit them, and with those who explicitly and seriously call for violence, Dan McLaughlin, my National Review colleague, wrote in the Los Angeles Times last week. People who just use overheated political rhetoric, or who happen to share the gunmans opinions, should be nowhere on the list.

As a matter of law, I agree with this entirely. But as a matter of culture, its more complicated.

I have always thought it absurd to claim that expression cannot lead people to do bad things, precisely because it is so obvious that expression can lead people to do good things. According to legend, Abraham Lincoln told Harriet Beecher Stowe, So youre the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war. Should we mock Lincoln for saying something ridiculous?

As Irving Kristol once put it, If you believe that no one was ever corrupted by a book, you have also to believe that no one was ever improved by a book. You have to believe, in other words, that art is morally trivial and that education is morally irrelevant.

If words dont matter, then democracy is a joke, because democracy depends entirely on making arguments  not for killing, but for voting. Only a fool would argue that words can move people to vote but not to kill.

Ironically, free speech was born in an attempt to stop killing. It has its roots in freedom of conscience. Before the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the common practice was that the rulers religion determined their subjects faith too. Religious dissent was not only heresy but a kind of treason. After Westphalia, exhaustion with religion-motivated bloodshed created space for toleration. As the historian C.V. Wedgwood put it, the West had begun to understand the essential futility of putting the beliefs of the mind to the judgment of the sword.

This didnt mean that Protestants instantly stopped hating Catholics or vice versa. Nor did it mean that the more ecumenical hatred of Jews vanished. What it did mean is that it was no longer acceptable to kill people simply for what they believed  or said.

But words still mattered. Art still moved people. And the law is not the full and final measure of morality. Hence the paradox: In a free society, people have a moral responsibility for what they say, while at the same time a free society requires legal responsibility only for what they actually do.

Jonah Goldberg is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior editor of National Review. You can email at goldbergcolumn@gmail.com.
Rotary Club Bonn International : New presidency: Keith Castelino to follow Monika Horig

The RCBIs former president, Monika Horig, and her successor, Keith Castelino. Foto: RCBI

BONN The Rotary Club Bonn International (RCBI) - Germanys only anglophone Rotary Club - will see a change of presidency: Keith Castelino follows in founding president Monika Horigs footsteps on July 1.

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The Rotary Club Bonn International (RCBI) - Germanys only anglophone Rotary Club - will see a change of presidency: Keith Castelino follows in founding president Monika Horigs footsteps on July 1. The Kenyan native will lead the Rotary Club into its second year of existence. At first it was a journey into the unknown, said Monika Horig during the transfer of office. But now with 30 members we are well on the way.

The RCBI was officially recognised by Rotary International in February 2016, an event celebrated on June 18, 2016, just before the start of the Rotarian year, which starts on July 1. Sponsoring club is the RC Bonn-Rheinbach, of which Monika Horig was previously a member.

During the first year of the existence of the club the RCBI Rotarians already supported several activities: Two group rooms were renovated at the Kindergarten Winkelsweg, recreational rooms at the refugee accommodation at the Ermekeil barracks buildings got painted. Twice the club members cleaned parts of the river banks at the Rhine between the opera and Tempelstrae, as part of Bonn Picobello. Also, they always help at the central donations storage at the Vorgerbirgsstrae by sorting the stock.

Keith Castelino is an experienced Rotarian, who already led a club in his home country and was committed to several Rotarian programs. Prior to his engagement with the RC Bonn International, he used to be a member of the RC Addis Ababa Bole in Ethiopia.
Dear Editor:

When the legislators diverted $478 million from DCNRs Oil and Gas Fund to the General Fund, they didnt count on the nonprofit PA Environmental Defense Foundation (PEDF) to take them to task.

PEDF counsel John Childe felt the language of Article I  27 of our State Constitution was not just an aspirational statement, but also that the Commonwealth was the public trustee for our natural resources.

The PA Environmental Defense Foundation sued the governor, alleging that revenue from oil and gas leases was being spent on ways that were not related to conservation.

PEDF won the decision on June 20, when the State Supreme Court affirmed Article I  27

The court agreed that Article I  27 clearly states that assets of the public trust are to be used for conservation and maintenance of our public natural resources.

Since every public official in Pennsylvania takes an oath to uphold the Pennsylvania Constitution, every municipality is affected by the Supreme Court decision. All  from the governor to senators, representatives, mayors, township supervisors and borough council members  are sworn to prevent any degradation of our public natural resources.

This decision by the state Supreme Court assures that we return to the original intent of the Oil & Gas Act of 1955, which brought us from 44 to 120 State Parks in Pennsylvania.

We show our appreciation to PEDF counsel John Childe and to Sen.Franklin Kury, the sparkplug who worked both sides of the aisle to ensure that Article I  27 became a constitutional amendment in 1971.

Celebrate the success!

Linda A. Manning

PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
US Approves Sale of UAV Technology to India

Published: June 23, 2017

The United States has cleared the sale of the state-of-the-art Guardian 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India. The deal to sell UAV drones to India is estimated to be worth $2 to $3 billion. Though the deal has been approved by the State Department, an official announcement regarding the deal is yet to be announced.

Contents Significance

Background

Significance

The transfer of the state-of-the-art UAV technology to India will be the first significant progress after Indias entry into the exclusive Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and after the US has designated India as a major defence partner. India became the 35th full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016.

The transfer of Guardian UAV technology is aimed at furthering mutual security interests to protect the Indian Ocean.

The deal would also pave the way for the transfer of other key technology sales from the US to India. The Guardian unmanned aircraft has been classified as Category 1 aircraft with cutting edge technologies.

Background

Last year, the Indian Navy had requested for this intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. The US has designated India as a major defence partner under the Obama Administration. The US considers India as a key player to counter the Chinese threat. However, the Guardian UAV proposal was kept in abeyance under Obama administration.

UAVs operate without a human pilot. UAVs are commonly used in both the military and police forces in situations where the risk of sending a human piloted aircraft is unacceptable, or the situation makes using a manned aircraft impractical.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2017

Category: Defence Current Affairs

Topics: Defence  defence deals  Drones  India-International Relations  India-USA  International  MTCR  UAV  US

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felicilin at 23-06-2017 12:28 PM (5 years ago) (f)

According to Gistmania, a 12-year-old boy, who allegedly robbed and killed his landlady at Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, yesterday, was among those paraded for various offences by the state Police Command, yesterday.

According to Gistmania, a 12-year-old boy, who allegedly robbed and killed his landlady at Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, yesterday, was among those paraded for various offences by the state Police Command, yesterday. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zanna Mohammed, who briefed reporters on the arrest of over 60 kidnappers, robbers, murderers, cultists and ritualists in the last three weeks, said the teenager confessed that he committed the act because a cult group told him that one of the conditions for initiation was that he must have been involved in a criminal act.

Mr. Ibrahim disclosed that one of the kidnap suspects, Saadu Alhaji, a national of Niger Republic, residing at Okpanma community, Oshimili North Local Government Area, was arrested by the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad, SAKCCS, in conjunction with men of Eagle Vigilante groups of Abraka Market, Asaba, over his complicity in most kidnap cases within Asaba and its environs.

He said the suspect was connected to the kidnapping syndicates operated by suspected herdsmen and an ally of Musa Mohammed, alias Musa 1000, earlier arrested by the police. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zanna Mohammed, who briefed reporters on the arrest of over 60 kidnappers, robbers, murderers, cultists and ritualists in the last three weeks, said the teenager confessed that he committed the act because a cult group told him that one of the conditions for initiation was that he must have been involved in a criminal act.Mr. Ibrahim disclosed that one of the kidnap suspects, Saadu Alhaji, a national of Niger Republic, residing at Okpanma community, Oshimili North Local Government Area, was arrested by the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad, SAKCCS, in conjunction with men of Eagle Vigilante groups of Abraka Market, Asaba, over his complicity in most kidnap cases within Asaba and its environs.He said the suspect was connected to the kidnapping syndicates operated by suspected herdsmen and an ally of Musa Mohammed, alias Musa 1000, earlier arrested by the police.

Post Reply Posted: at 23-06-2017 12:28 PM (5 years ago) | Hero
Samsung Galaxy J7 Max with 8-Core CPU now available at Rs 17,900: Threat to mid-range smartphones Features oi -Harish Kumar Galaxy J7 Max is available at Rs. 17,900.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Max was launched in the country in India earlier this month along with the Galaxy J7 Pro. The device is priced at Rs. 17,900 and went on sale via both the offiline and online channels this week.

Talking about the Galaxy J7 Max, the smartphone comes with the support to the mobile payment solution - Samsung Pay.

The highlight is that this is the first smartphone to arrive with the compatibility to Samsung Pay in the mid-range market segment. Notably, it has the Samsung Pay Mini, which misses out on a few features than its higher-end platform. (edited)

Apart from this, the Galaxy J7 Max has the Smart Glow mode that encloses the rear camera. This ring can be customized to provide notifications.

Today, we are here to list out some mid-range smartphones that might face the heat due to the launch of the Galaxy J7 Max. Take a look at these devices from below.

ZTE Nubia Z17 Mini Buy At price of Rs 19,999

Key Specs

5.2-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD 2.5D curved glass display with 1500:1 contrast ratio

Octa Core Snapdragon 652 / 653 processor with Adreno 510 GPU

4GB / 6GB RAM

64GB storage

expandable memory up to 200GB with microSD

Nubia UI 4.0 based on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)

Hybrid Dual SIM (micro + nano/microSD)

13MP (monochrome) + 13MP (RGB) dual rear cameras

16MP front-facing camera

Fingerprint sensor

4G VoLTE

2950mAh battery with fast charging Honor 8 Lite Buy At price of Rs 15,950

Key Specs

5.2-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD 2.5D curved glass display

Octa-core Kirin 655 ( 4 x 2.1GHz + 4 x 1.7GHz) 16nm processor with Mali T830-MP2 GPU

4GB LPDDR3 RAM

64GB storage

expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD

Android 7.0 (Nougat) with EMUI 5.0

Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano/microSD)

12MP rear camera with LED flash

8MP front-facing camera, 77 wide-angle lens

Fingerprint sensor

4G VoLTE

3000mAh battery Vivo V5s Buy At price of Rs 17,498

Key Specs

5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection

Octa-Core MediaTek MT6750 (4 x 1.5GHz A53 + 4 x 1.0GHz A53) processor with Mali T860 GPU

4GB RAM

64GB internal memory

expandable memory up to 256GB

Hybrid Dual SIM (micro + nano/microSD)

Funtouch OS 3.0 based on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)

13MP rear camera with LED Flash, PDAF, f/2.2 aperture

20MP front-facing camera with Moonlight Flash

4G VoLTE

3000mAh battery Samsung Galaxy On Nxt 64GB Buy At price of Rs 15,900

Key Specs 5.5-inch (19201080 pixels) Full HD display with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass protection

1.6GHz Octa-Core Exynos 7870 processor with Mali T830 GPU

3GB RAM

'32GB / 64GB Internal Storage

expandable memory up to 256GB via micro SD card

Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)

Dual SIM

13MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.9 aperture

8MP front camera, f/1.9 aperture

4G VoLTE

3300mAh battery Sony Xperia XA1 Buy At price of Rs 19,380

Key Specs

5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD edge-to-edge borderless display with Image Enhance Technology

2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P20 Octa-Core 64-bit 16nm processor with ARM Mali T880 MP2 GPU

3GB RAM

32GB internal memory

expandable memory up to 256GB via microSD card

Android 7.0 (Nougat)

Dual SIM

23MP rear camera with LED flash

8MP auto focus Sony IMX219 front-facing camera

4G VoLTE

2300mAh battery LG Stylus 3 Buy At price of Rs 16,800

Key Specs

5.7-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) In-cell Touch 2.5D curved glass IPS display

1.5 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6750 64-bit processor with Mali T860 GPU

3GB RAM

16GB Internal memory

expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD

Android 7.0 (Nougat)

13MP rear camera

8MP front-facing camera

Fingerprint sensor

Stylus Pen

4G LTE

3200mAh removable battery Lenovo P2 Buy At price of Rs 14,999

Key Specs

5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD Super AMOLED display, 100% NTSC color gamut

2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 14nm processor with Adreno 506 GPU

3GB / 4GB RAM

32GB internal memory

expandable memory with microSD

Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)

Hybrid Dual SIM (nano+nano/microSD)

13MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash,

5MP front-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture

4G VoLTE

5100mAh built-in battery with fast charging HTC Desire 10 Pro Buy At price of Rs Rs 20,591

Key Specs

5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass Protection

1.8 GHz Octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor with up to 550MHz Mali T860 GPU

3GB/4GB RAM

32GB/64GB internal storage

expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD

Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with HTC Sense UI

Dual Nano SIMs

20MP rear camera with dual LED flash

13MP front-facing camera

4G LTE

3000mAh battery Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC553KL Buy At price of Rs 15,070

Key Specs

5.2-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) 2.5D curved glass display

1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737 64-bit processor with Mali-T720 GPU

3GB LPDDR3 RAM

32GB internal storage

expandable memory with microSD

Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Zen UI 3.0

Hybrid Dual SIM (Micro + nano/microSD)

13MP rear camera with LED flash, 5P Largan lens

5MP front-facing camera

4100mAh (non-removable) battery Xiaomi Mi Max Prime Buy At price of Rs 19,999

Key Specs

6.44-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS 2.5D curved glass display with 1000

Octa Core Snapdragon 652 processor with Adreno 510 GPU

4GB RAM

128GB internal storage

expandable memory with microSD

MIUI based on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)

Hybrid Dual SIM (micro+nano/microSD)

16MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash

5MP front-facing camera

4G LTE with VoLTE

4850mAh (typical) / 4760mAh (minimum) battery

Best Mobiles in India

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Idea Money launches Digi Dhan Lakshmi Initiative in Gujarat News oi -Priyanka This cashless ecosystem will be driven by three key pillars namely Digi Mitra (telco retailer), E-vyapar Mitra (merchant) and Digital Grahak (potential customer/ user)

Idea Money from Idea Cellular, has launched its 'Digi Dhan Lakshmi Initiative' to steer Gujarat's cashless/digital payments journey into the future. As a first phase in this progressive initiative, Idea Money has adopted three regions namely, the city of Anand, the township and villages of Dahej and Thamna, to encourage individuals and families to go cashless.

Idea Money launched its Retailer Assisted Model (RAM), a platform which enables retailers to assist customers using the Idea Money Wallet with myriad of transactions including bill payments, recharges, money transfers, airline and hotel booking, bus ticket, e-commerce etc.

Leveraging this platform, Idea Money has launched a 60-day pilot to on-board retailers, large merchants and create an ecosystem wherein hyperlocal merchants are connected to each retailer in supporting customer acquisition. The campaign aims to replace the customer's dependence on cash by leveraging Idea Money's robust technology. Now cashless transaction for day to day purchases is available to both smartphone and feature-phone users. Idea Money's initiative amplifies the benefits of digital payments in bringing ease and convenience of transactions with the Idea retailer.

Commenting on the launch of this initiative, Sudhakar Ramasubramanian, Designate CEO, Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank, said, "Under the aegis of Digital India, the Indian Government has strengthened its focus on developing a robust fintech ecosystem to make financial inclusion a reality. We believe that a key step to drive this change lies in providing ubiquitous solutions to customers to embrace digital money for daily transactions. Idea Money is delighted to spearhead the Digi Dhan Lakshmi initiative in Gujarat, which is providing an impetus to India's cashless revolution."

This cashless ecosystem will be driven by three key pillars namely 'Digi Mitra' (telco retailer), 'E-vyapar Mitra' (merchant) and 'Digital Grahak' (potential customer/ user) who will become the face of a cashless India. The Idea retailer will be the touchpoint for consumers opting to open a full KYC wallet while the merchants will drive acceptance of cashless payments thereby encouraging and growing the digital payments ecosystem. Customers are therefore invited to visit their closest Idea Money outlet to learn how they too, can experience the ease of cashless transactions.

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NITI Aayog Selects CCMB as Incubation Centre for Biotech Start-ups

Published: June 23, 2017

NITI-Aayog has chosen the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad for hosting the 10-crore Atal Incubation Centre for biotechnology start-ups.

Salient Facts

The centre will identify promising start-ups and create facilities for them to succeed in the field of biotechnology. The CCMB is one of the 10 organisations that have been identified to host the Atal Incubation Centre.

The government will release a Grant-in-aid of Rs 10 crore for a maximum of 5 years. After that, it is expected that the Centre would become self-sustainable.

The CCMB is a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It is the only one in the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to be chosen as an incubation centre under Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

Background

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog is aimed at promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. It aims to create high-class incubation facilities with necessary infrastructure in terms of capital equipment and operating facilities, coupled with the availability of sectoral experts for mentoring the start-ups. The scheme is known as Atal Incubation Centre scheme.

The incubation centres would support and encourage start-ups in the sectors like manufacturing, transport, energy, health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation etc. The scheme focuses on the establishment of incubation centres in underserved and unserved areas to support inclusive growth.

Under the scheme, Atal Incubation Centre can be established either in Publicly funded institutions or Private sector funded institutions or in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2017

Topics: Atal Incubation Centre  Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)  CSIR  NITI Aayog

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Virginia Man Arrested and Charged With Espionage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Kevin Patrick Mallory, 60, of Leesburg, Virginia, made his initial appearance in federal court today on charges that he transmitted Top Secret and Secret documents to an agent of the People's Republic of China. According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Mallory, travelled to Shanghai in March and April 2017 and met with an individual (PRC1), who he believed was working for the People's Republic of China Intelligence Service (PRCIS).

The announcement was made by Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office.

"The conduct alleged in this complaint is serious, and these charges should send a message to anyone who would consider violating the public's trust and compromising our national security by disclosing classified information," said Mr. Boente.

"Kevin Mallory was previously entrusted with Top Secret clearance and therefore had access to classified information, which he allegedly shared and planned to continue sharing with representatives of a foreign government," said Mr. Vale. "Furthermore, he allegedly misled investigators in a voluntary interview about sharing of this classified information. The FBI will continue to investigate those individuals who put our national security at risk through unauthorized disclosures of information."

During a voluntary interview with FBI agents on May 24, Mallory stated that PRC1 represented himself as working for a People's Republic of China think tank, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS). Since at least 2014, the FBI has assessed that Chinese intelligence officers have used SASS affiliation as cover identities.

Mallory told FBI agents he travelled to Shanghai separately in March and April to meet with PRC1 and PRC1's boss. After Mallory consented to a review of a device he had been using to communicate with PRC1, FBI viewed a message from Mallory to PRC1 in which Mallory stated that he had blacked out security classification markings on documents transmitted to PRC1. Analysis of the device also revealed a handwritten index describing eight different documents. Four of the eight documents listed in the index were found stored on the device, with three containing classified information pertaining to the same U.S. government agency. One of those documents was classified TOP SECRET, while the remaining two documents were classified SECRET.

Mallory, a self-employed consultant with GlobalEx LLC, is a U.S. citizen who speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. He has held numerous positions with various government agencies and several defense contractors. As required for his various government positions, Mallory obtained a Top Secret security clearance, which was active during various assignments during his career. Mallory's security clearance was terminated in October 2012 when he left government service.

Mallory was arrested this morning and is charged with gathering or delivering defense information to aid a foreign government, and making material false statements. If convicted, Mallory faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Trial Attorney Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Gibbs for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

Topic(s):

Counterintelligence and Export Control

Component(s):

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - Virginia, Eastern

Press Release Number:

17-692

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Soviet Spymaster Yury Drozdov Dead At 91

June 22, 2017

Yury Drozdov, the Soviet spymaster who oversaw a sprawling network of KGB agents living clandestinely abroad, has died at the age of 91.

The Foreign Intelligence Service, a KGB successor agency known under its Russian acronym SVR, didn't give the cause of Drozdov's death on June 21.

Drozdov took part in the exchange of Soviet undercover agent Rudolf Abel, convicted in the United States, for downed U.S. spy-plane pilot Francis Gary Powers in 1962.

The story was made into Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Bridge Of Spies in 2015 as well as the Soviet movie The Shield And The Sword, a 1968 classic that Russian President Vladimir Putin once said inspired him to join the KGB.

Putin himself offered condolences to Drozdov's wife and two sons in a message published on the Kremlin's website. Drozdov was "a legendary spy" and a "true patriot," Putin said.

Working under diplomatic cover, Drozdov served as the KGB resident in China in 1964-68, and in the United States in 1975-79.

In 1979, he came to head a KGB department overseeing a network of elite undercover agents abroad known as "illegals," the job he held until resigning in 1991.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/soviet-spymaster-yury-drozdov- dead-at-91-rudolf-abel-gary-powers-/28572239.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Indian Naval Officer Files Mercy Petition Before Pak Army Chief

Sputnik News

19:34 22.06.2017

Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Indian naval officer sentenced to death by Pakistan on charges of alleged espionage, has filed a mercy petition to the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan on Thursday.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Earlier, the Military Appellate Court had rejected Jadhav's appeal. Under the Pakistan law, if the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan rejects his clemency, he can appeal for clemency to the President of Pakistan.

"In his plea, Commander Jadhav has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions. Seeking forgiveness for his actions, he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," Inter Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistan armed forces, said.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army has also released a second "confessional video in which he (Jadhav) can be seen accepting his acts of terrorism and espionage".

India filed its request for the indication of provisional measures on May 8, 2017 before the International Court of Justice against Jadhav sentence where the court ordered Pakistan not to execute Jadhav until it hears the case. Jadhav's family members claim that he had quit the Indian Navy and was running a small cargo transport business, ferrying cargo between two ports in Iran. He had an Iranian visa valid up to June 2016. Jadhav, a former officer in the Indian Navy, was arrested in March 2016 in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.

 Sputnik

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List of demands by Saudi Arabia, other Arab nations

23 June 2017

1) Scale down diplomatic ties with Iran and close the Iranian diplomatic missions in Qatar, expel members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and cut off military and intelligence cooperation with Iran. Trade and commerce with Iran must comply with US and international sanctions in a manner that does not jeopardise the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

2) Immediately shut down the Turkish military base, which is currently under construction, and halt military cooperation with Turkey inside of Qatar.

3) Sever ties to all "terrorist, sectarian and ideological organisations," specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIL, al-Qaeda, Fateh Al-Sham (formerly known as the Nusra Front) and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Formally declare these entities as terror groups as per the list announced by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt, and concur with all future updates of this list.

4) Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, US and other countries.

5) Hand over "terrorist figures," fugitives and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide any desired information about their residency, movements and finances.

6) Shut down Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations.

7) End interference in sovereign countries' internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship for nationals where such citizenship violates those countries' laws.

8) Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other financial losses caused by Qatar's policies in recent years. The sum will be determined in coordination with Qatar.

9) Align Qatar's military, political, social and economic policies with the other Gulf and Arab countries, as well as on economic matters, as per the 2014 agreement reached with Saudi Arabia.

10) Cease contact with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over files detailing Qatars prior contact with and support for opposition groups, and submit details of their personal information and the support Qatar has provided them.

11) Shut down all news outlets funded directly and indirectly by Qatar, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye, etc.

12) Agree to all the demands within 10 days of list being submitted to Qatar, or the list will become invalid.

13) Consent to monthly compliance audits in the first year after agreeing to the demands, followed by quarterly audits in the second year, and annual audits in the following 10 years.

SOURCE

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Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 22, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 20 strikes consisting of 112 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 26 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Raqqa, 14 strikes engaged 14 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 16 fighting positions, three vehicles and an ammunition cache.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 86 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and a sniper; destroyed 35 fighting positions, 10 medium machine guns, seven rocket-propelled grenade systems, six heavy machine guns, five vehicles, three vehicle-borne bombs, two command-and-control nodes, a mortar team and an unmanned aerial system launch site; damaged two ISIS supply routes; and suppressed a mortar team.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed a front-end loader.

June 20 Strikes

Additionally, three strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on June 20 that closed within the last 24 hours.

-- Near Raqqa, Syria, two strikes damaged eight fighting positions.

-- Near Mosul, Iraq, a strike suppressed five mortar teams.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

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A local business was presented with a Show-Me Heroes Flag of Freedom Award for dedication to supporting veterans through hiring.

The award was presented to Rob Walt, co-owner of Robs Guns in Leadington on June 15 by Daniel Oliver, veterans employment representative with the Missouri Job Center.

Oliver said the award was meant to show appreciation to employers who regularly hire veterans and to encourage others to do the same.

Its a program thats been in operation for more than eight years, Oliver said. It encourages Missouri employers to hire Missouri veterans. And thats what Robs did  they signed up to be a Show-Me Hero business and then they qualified for the Flag of Freedom plaque.

As a veteran himself, Walt said he takes pride in finding a quality workforce in those who have also served in the military.

Im a vet, Walt said. My wife is a vet. So thats why we kind of tend to go with vets. Most vets are pretty good guys, theyre not just some guy on the street.

Walts employees are members of the Navy Reserve, the Army National Guard, Air Force and the Army. Two of Walts sons are also in the military, continuing the legacy of service in the family. Prospective employees at Robs Guns dont have to be veterans but Walt said being a veteran himself, its natural to want to help out other vets.

We have a bunch of guys here that are in the military, Walt said. They dont have to be. Ive got two or three guys that arent. But its just one of those things  if youre a cop, you hire cops. If you were in the Army, you hire veterans.

The Flag of Freedom Plaque carries with it a special, personal touch of thank you to the employer its awarded to, and that carries special significance with Walt.

It includes signatures by the Director of Veterans Programs in the State of Missouri, and in the middle theres a cloth American flag worn by a Missouri veteran while he was deployed, said Oliver. And on the back is a small quote on a three by five card saying where the veteran served and what kind of unit they were with.

The patch was worn by a soldier in Afghanistan, Walt said. He was over there the same time as my boy. Hes out of Missouri, but I dont know where from.

Walt said the plaque will be the beginning of a collection of items hung on the wall of Robs Guns to honor veterans, including an item of particular importance to his family.

Itll be hung in the front and any vets that want to bring in service pictures and stuff, well hang it up for them, Walt said. I did tours in Iraq, and I took a flag over there and hung it, signed it and dated it. And my oldest boy, when he went to Afghanistan he took it with him and signed it. Im going to hang it out here on the wall. And my middle boy, hes in the Army now. If he ever gets deployed well let him take it. So thats going to go into a big thing out here.

Oliver said the honor is becoming more common, which is a good sign of support for veterans in Missouri communities, but Robs Guns is one of the few in the immediate area.

Theyre common now, Oliver said. I think since the program started, over 4,000 Missouri employers have qualified. But as far as I know, Robs Guns is one of the few in St. Francois County. It is a noteworthy accomplishment and it shows their commitment to hiring qualified Missouri veterans.

According to the program's website, the Show-Me Heroes program was started by then-Governor Jay Nixon in 2010 in cooperation with the Missouri Army National Guard and the Missouri Division of Workforce Development.

The program encourages businesses across the state to take the pledge to support veterans in their hiring practices. Once a business who has taken the pledge hires a veteran, it becomes eligible to receive the Flag of Freedom plaque. Businesses have the opportunity to connect with qualified veterans in search of work through the programs website. For more information or to pledge your business to support the mission of Show-Me Heroes, visit www.showmeheroes.mo.gov.
Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Libya, Fayez al-Sarraj

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

22 Jun. 2017

(As delivered)

Prime Minister al-Sarraj, welcome back to NATO. It's great to see you again and we just finished a very productive and good meeting. You were here in February and I was very pleased to continue our dialogue today.

NATO supports your government as the sole representative of the Libyan people.

Today, we discussed the security situation in Libya and the many challenges you face. I congratulate you on your progress in the fight against radical groups in your country and commend you for your inclusive approach to the political situation in Libya. It is essential that all parties abide by the Libyan Political Agreement in finding a political solution to the crisis I your country.

NATO has agreed to help Libya as you work to stabilise your country. A team of NATO experts recently met with representatives of your government, to discuss what we can do to help you build effective defence and security institutions in Libya. Including a modern ministry of defence, a joint military staff, and intelligence services under civilian control. This will assist you in the fight against terrorism and help create the conditions for sustainable peace.

Off the coast of Libya, NATO's Operation Sea Guardian is supporting the EU's Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea, providing information and logistical support. So this is also an example of how NATO is active in the region and helps to address the security challenges we see in the region.

So once again, Prime Minister al-Sarraj, it's a great honour to have you here and always a great pleasure to meet you and welcome to NATO Headquarters. Thank you.

Al Arabiya: Many times NATO has expressed its availability to assist Libya and it has a lot of expertise. Did you manage to get some concrete steps, a timetable, because Mr. Sarraj expressed his needs as soon as possible?

Secretary General: NATO has long experience and tried and tested structures when it comes to helping to build local capacity, to build defence and security institutions. We have done that in many different countries, under very different circumstances. We have done it in the Balkans, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Kosovo. We have done it in different partner countries in North Africa, including Tunisia. We worked with Jordan in the Middle East. We have of course helped to build defence and security institutions in Afghanistan where we have a significant military presence. So NATO has in many different ways helped over the years to build the local capacity. And therefore we have the experience, we have the knowledge about also how to do it in Libya. And actually some years ago, until after 2011, NATO was engaged in preparing a programme to help build defence institutions in Libya. But the security situation made it impossible to continue. Now we have agreed in a way to restart those efforts. An expert team from NATO met with experts from the Government of National Accord, in Tunisia, some weeks ago. And we spoke on the phone, Prime Minister al-Sarraj and I, and we meet again today. And the main purpose of the meeting today was to make sure our experts will sit down as soon as possible, hopefully within a few weeks, and then go through the specific elements in a defence and capacity building package, addressing issues like how to develop a modern Ministry of Defence, how to build joint Chiefs of Staff, and also to develop intelligence services, and all this under political control. And that's exactly what we now are looking into, how we can make sure that happens as soon as possible. And I hope that our expert teams can meet soon.

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Spotlight: China, U.S. hold 'constructive and fruitful' dialogue on diplomatic, security issues

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 21:04, June 22, 2017

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- China and the United States on Wednesday held a high-level dialogue on diplomatic and security issues, vowing to promote bilateral ties by broadening cooperation and managing differences.

Both sides agreed that the inaugural diplomatic and security dialogue was "constructive" and "fruitful" and pledged to continue with the mechanism to further develop Sino-U.S. relations.

The dialogue is one of the four high-level mechanisms established during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinpingand U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida in April.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi co-chaired the one-day dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

Fang Fenghui, a member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, also participated in the dialogue.

RIGHT DIRECTION FOR BILATERAL TIES

The successful meeting between Xi and Trump set the course for China-U.S. relations in the new era, and bilateral ties between the two countries have since made new and positive progress, Yang said at the dialogue, calling on both sides to maintain the right direction for the bilateral relationship.

At the dialogue, both China and the United States pledged to build on the consensus reached by the two presidents and promote healthy and stable development of the bilateral relationship in the long term.

China and the United States emphasized the importance of high-level interactions between the two sides, anticipating fruitful results at the upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump during the G-20 summit next month and Trump's successful state visit to China later this year.

The relations between the United States and China have undergone a profound transformation over the past 40 years, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said following Wednesday's dialogue, adding that the four dialogue mechanisms "provide an opportunity to consider how we're going to engage and how we're going to live with one another over the next 40 years."

"In furthering this relationship, we need to work to expand areas of cooperation, as we did today, on issues where we have shared security interest," Tillerson said.

"But we also need to address, directly and very frankly, areas where we face threats or areas where we have differences so that we can narrow these differences and solve the problems," he added.

RIGHT ATTITUDES TOWARDS STRATEGIC INTENTIONS

At the dialogue, the Chinese side pointed out that both countries should have the right attitudes towards each other's strategic intentions.

The two countries should respect each other's political system and mode of development, as well as sovereignty, territorial integrity and developmental interests.

The U.S. side said it acknowledged China's rapid development and has no intention of curbing China. It also expressed the willingness to cooperate with China and develop a long-term constructive relationship between the two countries.

On their military-to-military relationship, both sides vowed to follow through annual exchange programs and called for early visits of the two countries' defense chiefs.

The two sides also pledged to deepen cooperation on areas such as humanitarian assistance, anti-piracy and military medical sciences and to implement memorandums of understanding on confidence-building mechanisms.

On Wednesday, the Chinese side reiterated its stance on Taiwan and Tibet-related issues and emphasized the importance that the U.S. side should honor its relevant commitments and handle these issues in a proper manner.

The United States reiterated that it adheres to the one-China Policy and reaffirmed its position that Tibet is part of China and Washington does not support any separatist activities.

RESOLVING KOREAN PENINSULAR ISSUE THROUGH TALKS

At the dialogue, China called for an early resumption of talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue and reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the issue through negotiations.

China reiterated its commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability there, and urged a comprehensive and strict implementation of relevant United NationsSecurity Council resolutions on the issue.

China proposed a "dual-track approach" to promoting denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and establishing a peace mechanism in parallel and a "suspension for suspension" to defuse the looming crisis.

As a first step, Pyongyang may suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale Washington-Seoul military exercises.

On Wednesday, China called on relevant parties to consider and adopt these proposals, in a bid to pull the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back on the right track of peaceful resolution through dialogue and consultation.

At the dialogue, China also reiterated its opposition to the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense system in South Korea, saying such deployment should be halted and revoked.

On the South China Seaissue, China said it exerts indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters and has every right to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime rights.

China and the United States also exchanged views on anti-terrorism. China emphasized that it firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and hopes to enhance anti-terrorism cooperation with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

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Egypt government approves extending state of emergency for another three months

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:58PM

The Egyptian government has approved a presidential proposal extending a national state of emergency for an additional three months across the North African country.

The cabinet said in a statement on Thursday that Egypt would extend the measure for three months after the government approved President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's proposal to do so.

The state of emergency would have expired at the end of June.

Egyptian lawmakers unanimously approved a three-month state of emergency in April, after attacks claimed by Daesh Takfiri terrorists killed at least 45 people.

The emergency law allows police to make arrests and conduct surveillance more easily.

The law also grants the executive branch's sweeping powers, allowing it to close companies, shutter media outlets, halt demonstrations and monitor personal communications without judicial approval.

The measure has raised fears among some Egyptians, who see it as a formal return to the pre-2011 police state under the rule of former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

The Arab Network for Human Rights Information had earlier expressed concern over the emergency law, saying it would not achieve security and was intended to "further suppress freedom of opinion, expression and belief, and to crack down on human rights defenders."

Egypt has been facing violence due to terrorist attacks across the country in the past few years, with Takfiri militants taking advantage of the turmoil after the first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted by the military in July 2013.

Egypt faces a wave of militancy in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed since 2013.

The militants have also extended their campaign to other parts of Egypt, most recently attacking churches in Cairo and other cities with the loss of dozens of lives.

Also on Thursday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that police had killed seven people in connection with the violence against Christians. Security forces found militants hiding in a desert training camp.

They attempted to detain the men, who opened fire, it added.

The statement noted that police returned fire and has so far found seven bodies as well as weapons, a motorcycle, and military uniforms.

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Colombia's ELN rebels plan to free two abducted Dutch TV men

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:10PM

Rebels in Colombia have admitted to abducting two Dutch journalists whom they plan to free as they negotiate peace terms with the government.

The National Liberation Army (ELN) said on Thursday that Derk Johannes Bolt and his cameraman Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender were "in good health and will be released".

The journalists work for a TV program that helps Dutch people trace their biological relatives across the globe. On Monday, they were kidnapped in El Tarra, a region in the Norte de Santander district near the Venezuela border.

ELN rebels abducted a Colombian-Spanish journalist and two Colombian TV reporters in May 2016, also in the El Tarra region, before freeing them a couple of days later after negotiations with the abductors.

A humanitarian commission is currently mediating the Dutchmen's release, said Norte de Santander Governor William Villamizar.

He said the Dutch journalists could be set free as early as Thursday. "We are indeed launching a humanitarian operation to allow the Dutch journalists to be delivered by the ELN in Catatumbo department."

Peace talks with ELN

Governor Villamizar said the ongoing peace talks with ELN rebels would continue despite the abductions. "The release does not affect the dialogue being carried out with the ELN," he said.

Villamizar said the military and the ELN had been asked to reduce their operations in the area "so as not to endanger the lives of the Dutch journalists" and in order for them to be moved and released in safe conditions.

However, the government's chief negotiator with the rebels warned on Tuesday that the latest kidnappings would complicate matters and make the ongoing peace talks difficult.

ELN is the country's second largest rebel group. It began its peace talks with the government in February after the biggest rebel group in the country laid down its arms under UN supervision after following a peace deal with President Juan Manuel Santos.

Colombia's largest rebel group, the 7,000-strong Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), signed the peace deal last year, ending half a century of deadly conflict with government forces.

Under the peace deal, scrap metal from the destroyed FARC weapons are to be transformed into peace monuments.

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Emergency food will run out in drought-hit Ethiopia by next month, warn aid agencies

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 4:19PM

International aid agencies have warned that Ethiopia will run out of emergency food aid by next month for nearly eight million people hit by severe drought.

The agencies said on Thursday that the drought had already forced 7.8 million people across Ethiopia to rely on emergency food handouts to stay alive.

"We're looking at the food pipeline actually breaking, so the food is running out in about a month's time," John Graham, country director for Save the Children, said, adding, "After that, we don't know what's going to happen."

The Somali people of Ethiopia's southeast say the drought has left no person untouched and spared no corner of their arid region.

The ongoing drought has killed livestock, dried up wells and forced thousands into camps. Around 465,000 people have migrated to an estimated 250 camps in the region.

In the drought-ravaged eastern town of Warder, hundreds of displaced families crowding a ramshackle camp said that handouts of rice and sugar were becoming less frequent.

"Skipping meals is common," AFP quoted Halimo Halim, a grandmother living with her children in a shelter made of sticks and pieces of plastic, as saying.

"Skipping is the order of the day," she added.

In Warder, those uprooted by drought are wondering how long they can survive on unreliable food handouts.

"Some support was there, but it cannot substitute for our dependability on our livelihood," said Sanara Ahmed, who was affected by drought.

The settlements are often located near water sources, but that presents its own problems. In Warder, aid workers are present around the clock at nearby wells to make sure people drawing water chlorinate it before they drink it, lest they contract "acute watery diarrhea," which has broken out in the region.

Droughts are common in Ethiopia as a famine in 1984-85 killed hundreds of thousands.

The Addis Ababa government and the international community have mounted impressive efforts to curb starvation in the past years. The government spent an impressive $766 million fighting one of its worst droughts in decades in 2015-16.

This year, however, economic growth has slowed, due in part to a series of violent protests spurred by long-simmering grievances against Ethiopia's one-party state.

Donors have also been distracted by other regional crises.

Ethiopia's western neighbor, South Sudan, has suffered four months of famine and extreme hunger. To the southeast, Somalia is suffering from a severe drought, with warnings it could tip into famine.

Mitiku Kassa, head of Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission, has confirmed that donors aren't responding to the country's emergency as they have in the past.

"They are stressed with the needs, especially from those countries which (have) declared famine," Mitiku said, adding, "That is why it is underfunded."

Mitiku noted that if the international community did not send more money, the government would be "forced" to tap its development budget for drought relief in July.

But the UN says that may be too late with a lead time of about four months required to procure emergency food.

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7 killed in car bomb targeting police station in Somalia's Mogadishu

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 2:18PM

At least seven people have been killed in a car bomb targeting a police station in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Police officer Major Mohamed Hussein said on Thursday that an attacker had driven an explosive-laden car into the wall of the Waberi district station located near Maka al Mukaram road, the busiest street in Mogadishu.

"We carried seven dead people and 12 others injured from the scene," Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the Amin ambulance service, told Reuters on Thursday.

Witnesses saw bodies lying on the ground at the scene while cars were destroyed. Authorities reported damage to the police station, saying the attacker had tried to drive into the gate of the facility but detonated the explosives against the wall instead.

Dozens of soldiers were deployed to the scene of the incident.

Al-Shabab, a Takfiri militant group linked to al-Qaeda which has a history of carrying out attacks in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the bombing, the second this week.

On Tuesday, al-Shabab claimed an attack targeting a government building in the Somali capital. At least 15 people were killed in the car bomb, in which the attacker used a milk delivery van to target a district headquarters in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab opposes the government in Mogadishu, saying it serves Western interests in the region. It has promised to step up attacks in response to an expanded government offensive.

The group has also carried out attacks in neighboring Kenya to compensate for the country's heavy military involvement in a regional drive against militants in Somalia.

Recent estimates suggest al-Shabab has outpaced other militant groups in Africa by killing more than 4,200 people in 2016.

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Indian troops kill 3 militants, one protester in Kashmir

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:35AM

Indian forces have killed three militants and an anti-government Kashmiri protester in separate incidents in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region, officials say.

According to army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia, Indian troops engaged in a nightlong gun battle with the three gunmen, who had been holed up in a house in the cordoned-off southern Kakpora Village, on Thursday.

The army soldiers reportedly also used explosives to target the house and set it ablaze, as hundreds of residents, in defiance of a security lockdown enforced around the village, gathered in the area and clashed with troops in an unsuccessful bid to help the trapped militants escape.

After security forces recovered the charred bodies of the trio and the news of the development spread in the area, thousands of people convened in Kakpora to say funeral prayers for the three.

Furthermore, thousands of other protesters, who had also heard the news, filled the streets in the neighboring town of Awantipora, where they blocked a major highway linking the volatile Kashmir Valley with India, while shouting "Go India, go back!" and "We want freedom."

Security forces then engaged in violent clashes with the stone-throwing protesters in Awantipora, killing a man and wounding at least five others.

S. P. Vaid, the director general of police for the territory, confirmed the killing.

The development came just a day after Indian troops shot dead two suspected militants in a gun battle in northern Sopore area of Kashmir.

Tensions are high in the Indian-administrated Kashmir region, where the Muslim-majority population stages regular protests against Indian rule and demands autonomy from New Delhi.

India regularly accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants and allowing them across the restive frontier in an attempt to launch attacks on Indian forces. Pakistan strongly denies the allegations.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both since the two partitioned and gained independence from Britain in 1947. The two countries have fought three wars over the disputed territory. Despite a ceasefire agreement that was reached in November 2003, sporadic skirmishes continue in Kashmir.

New Delhi has deployed some 500,000 soldiers to the disputed region to further boost the security of the borderline and enforce a crackdown on pro-independence demonstrations in its share of Kashmir, where anti-India sentiments are high.

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At Least 34 Killed As Car Bomb Hits Bank In Southern Afghanistan

RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan June 22, 2017

Thirty-four people have been killed and 58 others wounded in a car bomb outside a bank in the southern province of Helmand, the provincial governor's office said.

Local officials said the bomb was detonated on June 22 outside the New Kabul Bank branch in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, causing casualties among civilians, staff of the New Kabul Bank branch, and members of the security forces.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a suicide bombing.

President Ashraf Ghani called the perpetrators of the attack "enemies of humanity" who have "no respect for any religion or faith."

The attack occurred as Afghan police officers and soldiers had lined up outside the bank to receive their salaries ahead of holidays for Eid, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The bombing was followed by gunfire at the bank, said Mohammad Karim Atal, a provincial council member.

Militant groups, including the Taliban and Islamic State, have in the past targeted banks where police, soldiers, and other government employees collect their pay.

At least three people were killed and many wounded in an attack last month on a bank in the eastern city of Gardez.

Helmand is a Taliban stronghold and the extremist group controls about 80 percent of the province.

The attack in Lashkar Gah came as the United Nations and the Pentagon warned that the situation in Afghanistan keeps deteriorating.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on June 21 published a new report which concluded that the security situation in Afghanistan remains "intensely volatile."

The recent spate of deadly attacks across the country could indicate a much worse and more fragile period ahead, the UN's special envoy to Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told the UN Security Council as he presented the report.

The UN recorded 6,252 security-related incidents between March 1 and May 31, a 2 percent increase on the same period last year, the report said.

The eastern and southern regions are the most dangerous, with a 22 percent increase in incidents compared to the same time span last year.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon warned that Afghanistan was confronted with an increasingly violent insurgency.

"The Afghan government retains control of Kabul, major population centers, most key transit routes, provincial capitals, and a majority of district centers," it said in a new report.

However, it added, "the Taliban continues to contest district centers, threaten provincial capitals, and temporarily seize main lines of communication throughout the country, especially in high-priority areas like Kunduz and Helmand provinces."

Insurgent groups like the Taliban and Islamic State have launched a series of attacks across Afghanistan in recent weeks.

A massive truck bombing and later suicide attacks left hundreds dead and wounded at the end of last month and beginning of June, raising political tensions for the Afghan government, which is struggling to combat rising violence and corruption.

Thousands of international troops remain in the country to train and assist Afghan security forces as well as carry out counterterrorism missions.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said last week that President Donald Trump had given him the authority to establish troop levels in Afghanistan.

U.S. media have reported that Mattis will recommend sending another 3,000-5,000 troops to break what he has called a "stalemate" between government forces and the Taliban.

The United States currently has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, the BBC, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-helmand-lashkar-gah- car-bomb-soldiers-bank/28572871.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Security Situation Worsening In Afghanistan, UN, Pentagon Warn

RFE/RL June 22, 2017

The security situation in Afghanistan remains "intensely volatile," according to a new report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The recent spate of deadly attacks across the country could indicate a much worse and more fragile period ahead, the UN's special envoy to Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told the UN Security Council late on June 21 as he presented the report.

The UN recorded 6,252 security-related incidents between March 1 and May 31, a 2 percent increase on the same period last year, the report says.

The eastern and southern regions are the most dangerous, with a 22 percent increase in incidents compared to the same time span last year.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon warned that Afghanistan was confronted with an increasingly violent insurgency.

"The Afghan government retains control of Kabul, major population centers, most key transit routes, provincial capitals, and a majority of district centers," it said in a new report.

However, it added, "the Taliban continues to contest district centers, threaten provincial capitals, and temporarily seize main lines of communication throughout the country, especially in high-priority areas like Kunduz and Helmand provinces."

Insurgent groups like the Taliban and Islamic State have launched a series of attacks across Afghanistan in recent weeks.

A massive truck bombing and later suicide attacks left hundreds dead and wounded at the end of last month and beginning of June, raising political tensions for the Afghan government, which is struggling to combat rising violence and corruption.

Thousands of international troops remain in the country to train and assist Afghan security forces as well as carry out counterterrorism missions.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said last week that President Donald Trump had given him the authority to establish troop levels in Afghanistan.

U.S. media have reported that Mattis will recommend sending another 3,000-5,000 troops to break what he has called a "stalemate" between government forces and the Taliban.

The United States currently has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-us-un- say-security-worsening/28572652.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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China, Vietnam Cancel High-Level Meeting Over South China Sea Disputes

Sputnik News

02:32 22.06.2017(updated 07:30 22.06.2017)

Not long after Chinese and Vietnamese state-run media announced that senior military officials from Beijing and Hanoi would meet, the arrangements fell through at the last minute.

In a short statement released Tuesday, the Chinese Defense Ministry said that "reasons related to working arrangements" caused the cancellation, with some analysts suggesting that representatives from Beijing cut their Vietnam trip short after a contentious closed-door meeting about South China Sea territorial disputes.

Both Vietnam and China are "very committed to showing the other their own resolve" on territorial issues, Vietnam specialist Alexander L. Vuving, of Hawaii's Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, told the New York Times.

"You can say both sides miscalculated," he added about the sudden cancellation.

Some analysts believe the issue may have arisen this week when Gen. Fan Changlong, vice chair of China's Central Military Commission, visited Vietnam, reportedly angry about Hanoi's efforts to strengthen ties with Japan and the US.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's recent visit to the two countries, along with joint drills conducted last week by the Japanese and Vietnamese coast guards, have signalled warming relations among Hanoi, Washington and Tokyo.

Others say Beijing may have been riled by Vietnam's refusal to end its exploration of oil and gas reserves in the hotly disputed waterway, to which both nations, among several others, lay claim.

A gas-drilling venture by ExxonMobil and state-run PetroVietnam, called the Blue Whale Project, could be a specific point of contention, according to Vuving.

The drilling site lies near the Paracel Islands, an area claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, as well as the "nine dash line" that demarcates China's vast territorial claims. Power and gas generation is expected at the site by 2023.

Vuving suggested that there could be some resentment from China over Vietnam's partnership with a US oil company, which could set a "very damaging precedent for China's strategy in the South China Sea," according to the analyst.

 Sputnik

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A local automotive group presented a donation to an organization serving veterans and service members.

Horsepower for Hope, sponsored by the Auto Plaza Group, raised more than $23,000 for Camp Hope, the 250-acre ranch located near Farmington. The event was held at the Bonne Terre Drag Strip.

According to event coordinator Shawna Pettus  the wife of Joe Pettus from Auto Plaza Group, more than 1,400 racers and spectators were in attendance at the event on June 3 to help raise money for the camp.

On June 15 Shawna and Joe Pettus  along with staff from Auto Plaza Group  presented the proceeds to representatives from Camp Hope.

This was the third year for the automotive group to sponsor the fundraiser.

Camp Hope, located a short distance outside of Farmington on a 250-acre piece of land, has streams, creeks, granite boulders, gravel paths, trees and a variety of wildlife. It was developed by Gold Star parents William "Mike" and Galia White to honor the memory of their son, Pfc. Christopher Neal White. A marine, he was killed in action at the age of 23 on June 20, 2006, in Al Anbar Province in Iraq.

Since its 2007 inception, Camp Hope has served approximately 500 veterans and service members. For the past few years, it has served about 100 people annually. The camp offers its guests the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities that include turkey and deer hunts, fishing trips and an annual float trip for female service members. Cabins comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The camp is staffed by volunteers.

Sponsors for the event included RHR Custom Automotive; Marler's Towing; Travis Coleman Full Throttle Express; Surdyke Harley-Davidson; UltimateZipCode; Chad's Tire and Automotive; First State Community Bank; VP Get N Go DeSoto; American Metal Collision & Restoration; Super 8 in Bonne Terre; Grand Rental Station; Granny Franny's; Joshua Bishop Photography; Perfect 10 Cleaning Services, LLC; Save A Lot Food stores, Bonne Terre; ProBall Cages & Activity Center; StonePark Resort and Ampitheatre; Bluff City Beer Company; Good Earth Montessori Day School; and Boyer's Lumber Potosi.
Car Bombing Kills, Wounds Scores in Afghanistan

By Ayaz Gul June 22, 2017

A massive suicide car bomb blast in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province Thursday killed at least 34 people and wounded more than 60 others.

Witnesses said soldiers and government employees had gathered outside the New Kabul Bank in the provincial capital of Lashkargah to collect their salaries when the bomber struck them.

A provincial government spokesman, Omar Zwak, told VOA some of the wounded "are in critical condition." He added that civilian and military personnel were among the victims.

The deadly bombing came ahead of Sunday's Eid festival, which marks the end of the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it killed more than 80 Afghan forces and intelligence operatives.

A spokesman for the Islamist insurgency, Mohammad Yousaf Ahmadi, said the bombing was carried out on a day when the bank entertains only security forces and civilians are not allowed to enter the facility.

Brig. General Roger Turner, commander of the U.S.-led Task Force Southwest, condemned the bombing. "This cowardly attack targeted innocent people as they lined up to get their salaries in preparation for the Eid al-Fitr celebrations," Turner said.

"Once again, the enemy has shown complete disregard for innocent civilians with an indiscriminate attack, causing death and suffering."

Helmand, a major opium poppy producing center, is the largest Afghan province where most of the territory is controlled or influenced by the Taliban.

Security Council briefing

The attack came a day after the United Nations Security Council in New York was briefed on Afghanistan's security and political situation.

The U.N. representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, said at Wednesday's meeting that the Taliban is gaining ground and stressed the urgency of "a genuine peace process" with the insurgents.

"The path of peace must be pursued through negotiations and not through violence," Yamamoto said.

He urged the Taliban to enter peace talks with Kabul without pre-conditions.

"The [Afghan] government, neighboring countries and other key players should reinforce the message that the Taliban can be a part of Afghanistan's future and its political and social fabric," said Yamamoto.

The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, he noted, has brought underlying political tensions in the government to the surface and "the broad political consensus was fraying."

Government under pressure

President Ashraf Ghani's national unity government is under pressure from coalition partners and opposition politicians to step down in the wake of increasing violence.

"The political fault lines that emerged are increasingly along an ethnic basis, which is particularly worrying at a time when the Islamic State is attempting to provoke sectarian strife in the country through attacks against Shia Muslims," noted Yamamoto.

The latest insurgent attack came on a day when the Afghan election commission announced that long-delayed parliamentary and district council elections will be held in the first week of July, 2018.

The Independent Election Commission chief, Najibullah Ahmadzai, called on the government to provide required finances for the democratic exercise.

A lack of reforms and controversial appointments to the election commission have been among major causes for the delay in the election process.

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Pentagon: Islamic State Problem 'Not Getting Better' in Afghanistan

By Carla Babb June 22, 2017

The United States military has spilled its blood, spent immense amounts of cash and even dropped a munition called the "Mother of All Bombs" in an effort to root out Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan.

But despite these efforts, the Islamic State-Khorasan problem in Afghanistan is "not getting better," Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told VOA Wednesday in her first sit-down, on-camera interview since joining the Pentagon team.

"It's not getting better in Afghanistan in terms of ISIS. We have a problem, and we have to defeat them and we have to be focused on that problem," White said.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is still reviewing what his commanders need on the ground in terms of the types of military forces and the number of those forces, according to White.

She added that Mattis intends to speak with his NATO counterparts in Brussels next week before finalizing his military plan, which some officials have said will likely include additional forces for counterterror operations against al-Qaida and ISIS-K.

"It's very important to remember that that is within the context of a much broader strategy, and also understanding what are our partners willing to do," White said.

So far, the United States has shouldered responsibility for counterterrorism operations against ISIS-K and al-Qaida, while an international coalition has helped with a separate "advise and assist" mission to boost Afghan security force capabilities.

U.S. General John Nicholson, the top commander on the ground in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February that he needs "a few thousand" more troops to complete his mission of supporting Afghan forces.

He said at the time that he felt he had "adequate resources" for the counterterror mission, but that was before ISIS-K's recent expansion into the caves of Tora Bora in Nangahar province and its increase in attacks in northern Afghanistan's Jowzjan province.

President Donald Trump authorized Mattis to increase the military presence in Afghanistan earlier this month. The defense secretary has promised lawmakers a new strategy by mid-July.

Three American service members based in eastern Afghanistan were killed in April during operations targeting Islamic State militants, according to the Pentagon.

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New York Man Arrested for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Saddam Mohamed Raishani, a/k/a "Adam Raishani," 30, of the Bronx was arrested last night at John F. Kennedy International Airport ("JFK Airport") in Queens, New York. Raishani was charged by a criminal Complaint earlier today with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham ("ISIS" or the "Islamic State"), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Raishani is expected to be presented later today before Magistrate Judge James L. Cott in Manhattan federal court.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim for the Southern District of New York, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. of the FBI's New York Field Office, and Commissioner James P. O'Neill of the NYPD made the announcement.

"According to the complaint, Raishani attempted to travel overseas to join ISIS and to provide material support to the designated terrorist organization," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Boente. "The National Security Division's highest priority is countering terrorist threats, and we will continue to work to stem the flow of foreign fighters abroad and bring to justice those who attempt to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. I would like to thank all of the agents, analysts and prosecutors who are responsible for this case."

"As alleged, Saddam Mohamed Raishani, a Bronx man, plotted to travel to Syria to join and train with the terrorist organization ISIS," said Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Kim. "Having already helped another man make that trip to ISIS's heartland, Raishani allegedly acted on his own desire to wage violent jihad, planning to leave his family and life in New York City for the battlefields of the Middle East. Thanks to the excellent work of the FBI and NYPD, Raishani's alleged plan to support this deadly terrorist organization was cut short at the airport and now he will face federal terrorism charges."

"This case is another alleged instance of the nature of the terrorism threat and its reach into communities here at home," said Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney Jr. "It is also a great example of the coordination which exists among local and federal law enforcement partners who work together to stop these alleged threats and interdict individuals allegedly determined on joining a terrorist organization intent on conducting violence around the globe. The FBI's JTTF will continue to work with our partners, both here and abroad, to prevent acts of terrorism."

"As we have seen many times before, allegedly attempting to join a designated terrorist organization usually has one outcome: arrest," said Commissioner O'Neill. "Thank you to the NYPD detectives and FBI agents who, through the original Joint Terrorism Task Force, remain relentless in their focus to keep New York City safe."

As alleged in the criminal Complaint,[1] filed today in Manhattan federal court:

In January 2017, Raishani contacted an individual who was, unbeknownst to Raishani, a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement (the "CS"). During a meeting with the CS, Raishani told the CS that Raishani had a friend ("Person-1"), who had left New York to join the Islamic State some time ago.[2] Raishani told the CS that prior to Person-1's departure, Raishani took Person-1 shopping to buy supplies to bring to the Islamic State. Riashani also said to the CS that, on the day of Person-1's departure, Raishani gave money to Person-1 and drove Person-1 to JFK Airport. In later meetings with the CS, Raishani expressed his regret at not having traveled with Person-1 to join ISIS. Raishani also indicated his desire to wage jihad and his belief that the Quran can be read to justify the violence, including beheadings, engaged in by ISIS.

As part of the investigation, the CS introduced Raishani to an undercover law enforcement officer ("UC-1"), who was posing as an individual who wanted to travel abroad to fight for ISIS. During meetings with the CS and UC-1, Raishani expressed his desire to travel abroad to join ISIS. For example, Raishani stated that he had been in contact with other ISIS supporters and no longer felt comfortable in the United States. He also showed UC-1 a video that appeared to depict ISIS supporters discussing their desire to travel overseas to join ISIS and its ongoing fight. Raishani further showed the CS and UC-1 an ISIS video that appeared to depict ISIS members in Yemen killing civilians who did not support ISIS.

In addition, Raishani advised the CS and UC-1 as to how they could avoid detection by law enforcement. For example, Raishani advised the CS to cover the camera on the CS's computer and turn off the computer's microphone when watching pro-ISIS videos online. Raishani also advised the CS to use a particular Internet browser (the "Browser") to hide their online activity, and explained that he used the Browser to watch ISIS and jihadi videos online. Furthermore, Raishani himself put on gloves when using a laptop and viewing pro-ISIS and pro-jihadi videos online. Moreover, Raishani told UC-1 that if they traveled together to join ISIS, Raishani, a home health aide, could pose as a nurse and UC-1 could pose as a refugee aid worker, in order to cross international borders without being stopped and questioned by authorities. Finally, Raishani told the CS and UC-1 that he (Raishani) had to be careful because he believed that federal authorities were monitoring his activities.

By April 2017, Raishani was actively planning to travel abroad to join ISIS. The CS told Raishani that, through a family acquaintance, the CS might be able to obtain contact information for an ISIS affiliate capable of facilitating travel to join ISIS. In reality, the purported facilitator was an FBI employee acting in an undercover capacity ("UC-2"). In May 2017, Raishani contacted UC-2 and said that he had previously helped another individual travel to join ISIS. Raishani further told UC-2 that he was seeking guidance for his own "hijrah," an Arabic term normally used to refer to migration, but which is also used by ISIS supporters to refer to traveling overseas to join ISIS and engage in jihad. In subsequent conversations with the CS, UC-1, and/or UC-2, Raishani stated that he aspired to travel to Syria to join ISIS and that he aimed to travel before the end of Ramadan, an Islamic holy month that runs from approximately May 26 through June 24 this year. He indicated that he would be in contact with UC-2 about his travel. Raishani also stated that if he is "locked up," he will not care, as "Allah will reward [him] for attempting jihad."

In June 2017, Raishani told the CS that he was making preparations to leave, including paying off his remaining debts. Subsequently, Raishani and UC-1 purchased clothing that they intended to wear for their training with ISIS. Earlier this week, Raishani revealed to UC-2 his (Raishani's) intention to meet an ISIS member in Turkey in the next few days, who would facilitate Raishani's joining the terrorist organization. Raishani also purchased an airline ticket for a flight scheduled to depart on June 21, 2017, from JFK Airport to Istanbul, Turkey, via Lisbon, Portugal. On June 21, 2017, Raishani traveled to JFK Airport, where he was arrested by the FBI after he attempted to board that flight to Lisbon. * * *

Raishani, is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD, and the NYPD's Intelligence Division. Mr. Kim also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice's National Security Division.

This prosecution is being handled by the Office's Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George D. Turner, Sidhardha Kamaraju, and Jane Kim are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Kevin C. Nunnally of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth below are only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

[2] Communications and conversations discussed herein are described in substance and in part.

Component(s):

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - New York, Southern

Press Release Number:

17-691

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India's Search for Home-Made Sniper Rifle Continues; Weapon Not Fit For Firing

Sputnik News

18:26 22.06.2017

The push for indigenous sniper rifles by Narendra Modi government has met with a major setback as the Indian Army has outrightly rejected the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) manufactured 'shoot to kill' rifles after trials.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Excessive recoil, an incompatible sighting system, and safety mechanism not up to the desired level are major reasons behind the rejection. Trials of the 4.5 kg-fully automatic 7.62X51mm rifle were conducted last week and OFB  the maker of the rifle  reported satisfactory response from the Army after the trial.

"The weapon in its present form leaves much to be desired, is unsatisfactory and requires comprehensive design analysis," the Army assessed after it found several faults which go beyond 20 times the maximum permissible limit.

Last year, 7.62x45mm Excalibur developed by the government-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) did not fulfill the requirement of the Indian Army after conducting trials at various locations.

"Obviously, the product developed has failed to meet the qualitative requirement. OFB has structural limitations. The government should stop wasting time with OFB and throw open the competition to the private sector. The private sector can take faster decisions and has flexibility in negotiations. If it can't develop a weapon by itself, it can certainly get a partner from outside," Brigadier Rumel Dahiya (retired), a defense analyst, said.

India's Ministry of Defense is pushing for indigenous equipment for the modernization of armed forces. It will soon float a tender for acquisition of 7.62X51mm rifle after more than a dozen rifle-makers responded to request for information issued by the defense ministry last year for acquisition of 185,000 assault rifles with telescopic sights attached to them. Sources told Sputnik that most of the companies, who had bid in 2011, have responded to the September 2016 request for information which seeks a 7.62mm x 51mm rifle with lethality to achieve the objective of 'Shoot to Kill'.

The Indian Army is trying to replace 5.56x45 mm assault rifle since long but failed in such attempt as the Israel Weapon Industries ACE 1, the Beretta ARX160, the Ceska Zbrojovka CZ 805 BREN, and the Colt's Manufacturing Company did not match the Army's requirements during trials.

Approximately $1 billion contract of 7.62mm x 51mm rifle will replace Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle in the Army which has been in use since 1996.

 Sputnik

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Indian Navy Sets Up First Home-Grown Floating Dock at Andaman Island

Sputnik News

14:37 22.06.2017

In a bid to strengthen naval power on the eastern coastline, the Indian Navy has decided to deploy an additional floating dock at Port Blair, which is very close to the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.

New Delhi (Sputnik) The Navy's decision holds significance in the backdrop of the massive naval presence in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Larsen & Toubro launched the first indigenously built floating dock (FDN-2) for the Indian Navy at Kattupalli in Chennai. After series of harbor trials, the floating dock will be stationed at the strategically important location of Port Blair. Once operationalized, it would enhance the technical repair infrastructure of the Navy for ships based at the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as well as for visiting naval ships.

The dock, 185-meter-long and 40-meter-wide indigenously designed and built platform with state-of-the-art machinery and control systems, is designed for docking Indian naval ships and submarines of up to 8000 ton displacement with droughts of up to 7 meters, during both day and night. Simultaneous docking of multiple ships and off-center docking options are also feasible. It has high capacity ballast pumps, along with advanced automated ballast control system. The vessel has been built at a cost of $70.3 million.

"The floating dock has been designed as a versatile dock that can be installed either along a jetty or moored in calm waters enabling round-the-year operation. It is provided with a hauling-in system to handle a ship's docking and undocking operations. It can also support ships berthed along its side and meet their logistics requirements," L&T said in a statement.

"Launching of the indigenously built floating dock, bears testimony to the capabilities available in India for realizing the 'Make in India' vision," Vice Admiral DM Deshpande, Controller, Warship Production & Acquisition of the Indian Navy, said and commended L&T for their efforts in the design and construction of FDN-2.

Deployment of the floating dock near the world's busiest shipping route will have high strategic value as the Indian Navy has started to deploy naval ships including amphibious ships and warships permanently at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which is an attempt to renew its maritime policy to ensure its dominance cannot be challenged by China in the Indian Ocean Region.

India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also setting up the country's land-based long-range missile facility at South Andaman's Rutland Island which is approximately 200 kilometers from the Strait of Malacca.

"It is an affirmation of the in-house capabilities and track record of L&T that we are launching the FDN-2 for the Indian Navy ahead of schedule today, as a sequel to having already delivered 32 interceptor boats to the Indian Coast Guard," Jayant D Patil, Vice President- Defense, Larsen & Toubro, said.

 Sputnik

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India Plans to Equip Su-30 Fighter Jets With New Longer Range Missiles

Sputnik News

09:58 22.06.2017

Indian authorities are planning to enhance the capabilities of the country's Air Force's Su-30 fighter jets with new weapons, including advanced missiles able to hit targets at longer range, local media reported Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the India Today Group, the Indian Air Force is planning to equip the aircraft with new weapons, including the air-to-air missiles similar to the Meteor that could hit targets within range of 120 kilometers (74 miles).

The media outlet added that New Delhi had already been engaged in talks with Moscow on the issue of modernization of the Russia-designed aircraft.

According to the news outlet, India is also upgrading the aircraft for carrying the Russian-Indian BrahMos cruise missile.

The Indian Air Force currently has a fleet of more than 240 Sukhoi Su-30MKI super-maneuverable fighter jets, which is a version of the Su-30MK developed for India by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. The Indian aircraft built under license by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

 Sputnik

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Iran starts much-awaited gas exports to Iraq

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:46PM

Iran says it has started a much-awaited project to export natural gas to its western neighbor  Iraq.

The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) announced that exports of around 7 million cubic meters per day (bcm/d) to Iraq's capital Baghdad had started from the late hours of Wednesday, June 21.

NIGC Director for International Affairs Hamid-Reza Babazadeh told media that this would proceed on a trial basis.

Babazadeh added that the exports would increase to as high as 35 mcm/d in the near future.

Gas exports to Iraq - which are meant to address the country's acute electricity shortfalls - started after two years of negotiations between Tehran and Baghdad. This was seen by the media as a sign that both sides had overcome disputes over the financial terms of the project  what was so far preventing the project.

Iran and Iraq initially signed an agreement in 2013 based on which the Islamic Republic would export natural gas to power stations around Baghdad through a 270-kilometer pipeline.

Although the related pipeline for the project was constructed, the gas did not flow toward Baghdad in what officials said was a result of disputes over certain financial terms as well as the insecurity in Iraq.

Iran has also signed another contract to export around 50 mcm/d of gas to Iraq's southern port city of Basra.

Once the Basra pipe is made operational, Iraq's total gas imports from Iran would reach around 80 mcm/d.

Iran's biggest gas importer currently is Turkey which is importing around 30 mcm/d under a deal that the two countries signed in 1996.

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Mosul to be liberated in a few days: Iraq's Abadi

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:1PM

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says Iraqi forces will fully recapture the northern city of Mosul, the de facto capital of the Daesh terrorist group in the Arab country, in the coming days.

"It's a matter of a few days and we will announce the total liberation of Mosul," Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network quoted Abadi as saying on Thursday.

The remarks come as fighting is underway between the Iraqi troops and Daesh terrorists in the historic, densely-populated Old City of Mosul.

On Wednesday, Daesh elements blew up the iconic 12th-century Hadba (Hunchback) minaret along with the Grand al-Nuri Mosque, where Daesh ringleader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced a Takfiri "caliphate" back in 2014.

Abadi stressed that the destruction was an admission by the militants that they were losing the fight in Mosul.

"Daesh's bombing of the Hadba minaret and the al-Nuri mosque is a formal declaration of their defeat," he said.

Additionally, Iraqi Brigadier General Falah Fadel al-Obeidi, from the elite Counter Terrorism Service, told AFP that the recent destruction was an attempt by terrorists "to cover up their heavy losses in the media, but the media and the people see the victories and see the collapse of Daesh."

The Iraqi army soldiers and allied volunteer fighters have been leading a major operation to recapture the city since October 2016. They took control of eastern Mosul in January and launched the battle in the west in February.

The Mosul liberation operation has taken longer than planned as Takfiri elements are using bombings, sniper fire, and mortar attacks to slow the advance of the Iraqi forces.

An estimated 800,000 people have already fled Mosul, but over 100,000 civilians are still trapped in harrowing conditions in the city's Daesh-controlled areas.

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Iraqi govt. forces advance into heart of Daesh's last bastion

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 2:57PM

Iraqi government forces have breached the Daesh Takfiri terrorists' defenses to push deeper into the last remaining stronghold of the extremists in the western part of Mosul.

Commander of Federal Police Forces Lieutenant General Shaker Jawdat said in a brief statement on Thursday that security personnel had regained control over the Grand Mosque of al-Hamidin in the Bab al-Baid area of Mosul, and were making progress in an operation to seize back the Church of Simeon.

Separately, an intelligence source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that security forces had killed the official in charge of Daesh bomb attacks.

The source said the extremist, identified by the nom de guerre Abu Furqan al-Mawseli, was killed along with 15 other terrorists as government soldiers raided a house in the al-Shifa district of western Mosul.

'Destruction of iconic Mosul minaret deepens Iraqis' wounds'

Meanwhile, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has strongly condemned the destruction of Mosul's trademark leaning minaret by Daesh extremists in the wake of Iraqi forces' advances, stating that such a move "deepens the wounds" in war-torn Iraq.

"This new destruction deepens the wounds of a society already affected by an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy," the head of the UN's cultural agency, Irina Bokova, said in a statement on Thursday.

Bokova also pledged UNESCO's "renewed solidarity and readiness to support, restore and rehabilitate cultural heritage whenever possible."

Daesh extremists late on Wednesday blew up the 12th-century Hadba (Hunchback) minaret along with the Grand al-Nuri Mosque, where purported Daesh ringleader Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the forming of the group's so-called caliphate back in 2014.

Iraqi authorities and officials from the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh terrorists said the destruction of the site, sometimes referred to as Iraq's Tower of Pisa, is a sign of the extremists' imminent loss of Mosul.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described the destruction an "official declaration of defeat."

Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by their Arabic name, Hashd al-Sha'abi, have made sweeping gains against Daesh since launching the Mosul operation on October 17, 2016.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19.

An estimated 862,000 people have been displaced from Mosul ever since the battle to retake the city began nine months ago. A total of 195,000 civilians have also returned, mainly to the liberated areas of eastern Mosul.

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IS's Destruction Of Iconic Mosul Mosque Called 'Declaration Of Defeat'

RFE/RL June 22, 2017

The extremist group Islamic State (IS) has blown up an ancient mosque in Mosul in what Iraq's prime minister called an admission by the militants that they are losing the fight for the country's second-largest city.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry said the group detonated explosives inside the Grand Al-Nuri Mosque late on June 21 as IS militants battled to stop advancing pro-government forces.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi tweeted early on June 22 that the destruction of the mosque and its iconic leaning minaret nicknamed "the hunchback" was "an official declaration of defeat."

The mosque, built more than 800 years ago, was where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi commanded allegiance in July 2014 following the IS group's declaration of a "caliphate."

Before the mosque's destruction, Iraqi forces had encircled the IS stronghold in the Old City, the last district under the militants' control in Mosul.

Iraq's military said the militants blew up the mosque as Iraqi forces were advancing toward targets deep into the heavily populated area and got to within 50 meters of the mosque. It called the move a "historical crime."

U.S. Army Major General Joseph Martin, a senior U.S. commander in the battle against IS, called the mosque's devastation "a crime against the people of Mosul and all of Iraq" and "an example of why this brutal organization must be annihilated."

"This new destruction deepens the wounds of a society already affected by an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy," UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement.

Work begun by UNESCO to safeguard the 12th-century minaret in 2012 "had to be interrupted due to the conflict," Bokova said, adding that "a comprehensive study for the conservation of the minaret has been completed and could be useful in the future."

The destruction of two of Mosul's best-known landmarks adds to a long list of cultural and religious heritage the militants have destroyed in Iraq and Syria.

IS militants, who seized control of Mosul in June 2014 during their lightning advance in Syria and Iraq, had previously targeted the minaret, but residents of Mosul protected the mosque at that time by creating a human chain around it.

Iraqi officials had privately expressed the hope that the mosque could be captured in time for Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. The first day of Eid falls this year on June 25 or 26 in Iraq.

But because of the mosque's close association with Baghdadi's attempt at establishing a caliphate, Mosul residents told reporters they feared it would be targeted if the group ever were on the verge of losing control over the city.

The IS-affiliated Amaq news site claimed after the blast that the mosque was destroyed by a U.S. air strike, but that claim was quickly denied by the anti-IS coalition, which said no strikes were carried out in the area on June 21.

The mosque was named after Nuruddin al-Zanki, a nobleman who fought the early crusaders from a fiefdom that covered territory in modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.

It was built with seven bands of decorative brickwork in complex geometric patterns ascending in levels towards the top, similar to designs found in Persia and Central Asia.

The minaret started listing centuries ago and was long considered an endangered monument.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-mosul-hunchback-mosqu- destroyed-leaning-minaret/28571687.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Iraqi Miltary: IS Destruction of Mosque Signified End of Group's Power

By Heather Murdock June 22, 2017

Iraqi generals say Islamic State's destruction of the iconic al-Nuri mosque in Mosul is a sign that the militant group's power in the city is coming to an end.

Soldiers in Mosul tell VOA that IS wanted to destroy the mosque in advance of an Iraqi and Coalition victory over the group in Mosul. Iraqi forces have been working to eradicate the terror group from one of its last strongholds in the city.

"As you see, our fighters overcame strong resistance here, and you can see how hard they fought. It is difficult traveling this small city. The roads and the geography are difficult," Lt. Gen. Abdul Ghani al-Assadi of Iraq's special forces said in Mosul.

The medieval mosque, also known as Mosul's Great Mosque, had stood for more than 800 years and is where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014 declared himself caliph over parts of Iraq and Syria.

An Iraq military official said its forces were within 50 meters of the mosque Wednesday night when IS militants "committed another historical crime by blowing up" the building and its leaning minaret, known as al-Hadba, or "the hunchback."

Islamic State's Amaq news agency issued its own statement with a counter narrative, accusing U.S. aircraft of destroying the mosque.

U.S. and coalition officials quickly rejected the terror group's assertions.

"As our Iraqi Security Force partners closed in on the al-Nuri mosque, ISIS destroyed one of Mosul and Iraq's great treasures," Operation Inherent Resolve's Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin said in a statement, using an acronym for the terror group.

"Blowing up the al-Hadba minaret and the al-Nuri mosque amounts to an official acknowledgement of defeat,'' Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proclaimed on his Twitter account late Wednesday.

But fleeing civilians say inside neighborhoods still held by IS, families are starving and mortars, bombs, and IS sniper fire are still killing people as they run.

Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin and reporter Jamie Dettmer contributed to this story

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Daesh leader al-Baghdadi 'highly likely' eliminated: Russian Foreign Ministry

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:39PM

Russia's Foreign Ministry says it is "highly likely" that the leader of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been killed in an airstrike carried out by the Russian Air Force in Syria last month.

"It is highly likely that Daesh [leader Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi was eliminated in an airstrike of the Russian Air Force on a militant command post in a southern suburb of the city of Raqqah in late May," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told Sputnik news agency on Thursday.

Syromolotov added that the information about Baghdadi's death was now being verified through "various channels."

The senior Russian official noted that the death of the terrorist group's leader would likely lead to the disorganization of Daesh, stressing that efforts aimed at inflicting the ultimate defeat on the extremists should continue.

On June 16, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Baghdadi might have been among a group of terrorist leaders attending a so-called Daesh military council, and killed in a Russian strike of Syria's militant-held city of Raqqah, which serves as the terrorists' de facto capital in Syria, on May 28.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later stated that he could not give firm proof that the Baghdadi had indeed been killed.

Baghdadi announced the forming of the group's so-called caliphate at Grand al-Nuri Mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul back in 2014.

Daesh extremists blew up the 12th-century Hadba (Hunchback) minaret along with the Grand al-Nuri Mosque late on Wednesday.

Iraqi authorities and officials from the US-led coalition ostensibly fighting Daesh terrorists said the destruction of the site, sometimes referred to as Iraq's Tower of Pisa, was a sign of the extremists' imminent loss of Mosul.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described the destruction an "official declaration of defeat."

Turkish, Russian forces to be deployed in Syria's militant-held Idlib

Meanwhile, Turkish presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, says military personnel from his country and Russia were going to be deployed in Syria's northern and militant-held province of Idlib under a de-escalation agreement brokered by Russia last month.

"We will probably be most prominent in the Idlib region with the Russians; mostly Russia and Iran around Damascus, and a mechanism involving the Americans and Jordan in the south in the Dara'a region is being worked on," Kalin was quoted as saying by the Turkish-language Haberturk television news network as saying on Thursday.

The senior Turkish official pointed out that Russia had proposed that Kazakh and Kyrgyz military forces be sent to Syria as well.

Kalin went on to say that the establishment of de-escalation zones, brokered by Russia with backing from Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran during ceasefire talks in the Kazakh city of Astana last month, would be further discussed in Kazakhstan early next month.

The de-escalation agreement, which came into effect at midnight on May 5, calls for the cessation of hostilities between militant groups and Syrian government forces.

It covers the northwestern province of Idlib, northeastern areas of the western coastal province of Latakia, western areas of Aleppo Province and northern areas of Hama Province.

The plan also applies to the Rastan and Talbiseh enclave in northern Homs Province, Eastern Ghouta district in the northern Damascus countryside as well as the militant-controlled southern part of the country along the border with Jordan.

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US to take back weapons from Syrian Kurds after Daesh routed, Mattis tells Turkey

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:45PM

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has told Turkey that the Pentagon will take back weapons supplied to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) once the Washington-backed militiamen manage to drive Daesh Takfiri terrorists out of Syria's northern city of Raqqah.

Mattis, in a letter addressed to his Turkish counterpart Fikri Isik on Thursday, stated that the United States has taken intensive and determined measures regarding Turkey's security concerns, and would provide the Ankara government with a monthly list of the weapons and equipment supplied to the YPG.

The US defense chief further noted that the first inventory list was submitted to Turkish officials earlier this month.

Mattis also said that Arab fighters would form 80 percent of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the YPG is a major component of, stressing that Raqqah would be held by Arab forces once the city is liberated from Daesh's clutches.

It is estimated that a population of 300,000 civilians are trapped inside Raqqah, including 80,000 displaced from other parts of Syria. Thousands have fled in recent months, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs believes about 160,000 people remain in the city.

On June 6, the SDF said it had launched an operation aimed at pushing Daesh out of Raqqah.

The city of Raqqah, which lies on the northern bank of the Euphrates River, was overrun by Daesh terrorists in March 2013, and was proclaimed the center for most of the Takfiris' administrative and control tasks the following year.

Turkish officials have frequently voiced strong opposition to the involvement of the Kurdish People's Protection Units in the US-led offensive to retake Raqqah.

Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

Speaking to reporters while on a visit to Montenegro on May 10, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that Washington knows Ankara's position on the YPG very well so it should not take wrong steps in Syria.

The top Turkish diplomat added that the United States needed to distinguish between the YPG and their Arab allies in the SDF, and that the Arabs should be the ones to enter Raqqah.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also set out Turkey's objections at a White House meeting with his counterpart Donald Trump last month.

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Australia resumes aerial missions over Syria

Iran Press TV

Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:29AM

Australia has resumed aerial missions over Syria two days after it suspended them amid rising tensions between a US-led coalition and the Russian military in the Arab country.

Australia's Defense Ministry made the announcement on Thursday, saying the suspension had been "a precautionary measure to allow the coalition to assess the operational risk," adding that, "The suspension has since been lifted."

Australian Defense Force Chief Mark Binskin said a day earlier that the flights had been temporarily halted while officials examined what he described as a "complex piece of airspace" over Syria.

On June 18, a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet shot down a Syrian Sukhoi SU-22 aircraft, which was conducting an operation against Daesh on the outskirts of Syria's northern city of Raqqah.

The downing of the Syrian warplane triggered Russia to threaten that it would treat all coalition flights west of the Euphrates River in Syria as potential "targets" and track them with missile systems. Russia also suspended a military hotline that had been set up to avoid accidental military confrontations between Russia and the coalition forces.

Australia suspended its airstrikes as part of the US-led coalition as those tensions mounted.

There are six Australian aircraft serving with the coalition, which has been leading dozens of US allies in Syria since 2014 in a declared mission to hit Daesh.

The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be the positions of Daesh terrorists inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate. The coalition been largely incapable of fulfilling its declared aim of destroying Daesh.

Russia has been carrying out an aerial bombardment campaign in Syria on a request from Damascus.

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Syrian Opposition, Lavrov Discussed Ceasefire, Geneva, Astana Talks

Sputnik News

16:01 22.06.2017

Members of the Syrian opposition have discussed the implementation of Syria's ceasefire, and continuation of negotiations in both the Geneva and Astana formats with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Syria's Tomorrow Movement leader Ahmad Jarba said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Jarba noted that Moscow's role in the peace process, especially in maintaining the ceasefire, was discussed at the talks.

"We discussed the agreements already made. Besides, we talked about the fight against terrorist organizations Islamic State (Daesh) and al-Qaeda [both banned in Russia], the upcoming meeting in Astana, implementation of ceasefire regime in Syria, and also ways forward for the Geneva political settlement negotiations," Jarba said, summarizing his meeting with the Russian minister.

The opposition leader added that members of his group would take part in negotiations in both Astana and Geneva.

"We will participate in both meetings. Our representatives will be part of the Cairo platform," he said.

The meeting in Moscow was held ahead of the next round of Astana talks on Syria slated for July 4-5. Meanwhile, the Geneva negotiations, held under the aegis of the United Nations, are expected to begin on July 10.

The Syria's Tomorrow group was created in Cairo in March 2016 on a platform of decentralized rule in Syria. It emerged in a new bid to unite liberal opposition forces under one umbrella organization.

 Sputnik

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Missiles veer off course in Pingtung drill; no casualties reported

ROC Central News Agency

2017/06/22 16:31:31

Taipei, June 22 (CNA) Two MIM-23 Hawk missiles veered off course during a military exercise in the southern Taiwan county of Pingtung Thursday, but there were no reported casualties, according to the Air Force.

The two missiles were fired at around 8 a.m. Thursday as part of an annual precision weapon firing drill conducted jointly by the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Due to fuel combustion problems, the missiles veered off course shortly after being launched and exploded within the restricted area, the Air Force said.

It said the purpose of the drill was to examine the results of training for military troops, and the military will review the errors and make improvements.

(By Lo Kuang-jen and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/pc

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Challenges to Taiwan's diplomacy come from China's pressure

ROC Central News Agency

2017/06/22 17:12:31

Taipei, June 22 (CNA) The challenges for Taiwan on its diplomatic fronts come from China's use of its "one China" principle to squeeze Taiwan in the international community, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang () said Thursday.

Huang's words came after Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, who is currently visiting the United States, said that in 2008, former President Ma Ying-jeou () was elected and established a "diplomatic truce" with China, which he described as very successful, with increased cross-Taiwan Strait trade and tourism.

But with the end of the diplomatic truce in 2016 in the wake of the change of Taiwan's administration, he has opted to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, calling it the "right decision," and a positive move for Panama's development.

According to Huang, however, such remarks are far from the perception of the international community.

Regarding Panama's severing of diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the truth is that Taiwan's challenges have come from China's continued insistence on its "one China" principle to squeeze Taiwan, and its continued use of dollar diplomacy to lure away Taiwan's diplomatic allies, Huang said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that since the inauguration of President Tsai Ing-wen () of the Democratic Progressive Party in May 2016, she has advocated the maintenance of the peaceful status quo between the two sides of the strait.

Taiwan has fulfilled its share of responsibility in this regard, but China has continued to resort to all sorts of means to squeeze and threaten Taiwan in the international community.

The ministry said that Taiwan was unable to attend the World Health Assembly or the International Civil Aviation Organization conference because of China's obstruction.

China also lured away Taiwan's diplomatic ally Sao Tome and Principe late last year, as well as Panama last week, which the ministry said has destroyed the peaceful cross-strait status quo and is not conducive to the development of cross-strait ties.

(By Sophia Yeh, Ku Chuan and Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J

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Establishing ties with China 'right decision': Panamanian president

ROC Central News Agency

2017/06/22 12:29:30

Washington, June 21 (CNA) Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said on Wednesday that his country's switch of diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China was "the right decision."

The president, who is visiting the United States this week, explained why he made the policy change in response to reporters' questions at an Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C.

He said he was impressed by the economic changes in China when he was invited to the Special Olympics in Shanghai in 2007 and saw how China was changing its economic system and bringing in foreign investment.

He said he told Beijing then that he would start relations with China if elected president. Varela was sworn in as president of the Central American nation in July 2014 after serving as vice president for five years.

He noted that in 2008, Ma Ying-jeou () of the Kuomintang became Taiwan's president and established a "diplomatic truce" with China, which resulted in increased trade and tourism between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, in what he described as "a success story."

But then there was a change in Taiwan's administration in May 2016, and he said he advised diplomats and high-level officials in Taiwan, and even Taiwan's president during a visit to Panama, that if the "diplomatic truce" is broken, Panama would switch diplomatic recognition.

Varela said that China has an important place in the world economy, and that establishing ties with it is the right thing to do.

He said it is a positive move for his country's development and that he looks forward to "bringing a lot of investment" to his country.

Asked if he told the United States in advance about the decision to switch diplomatic ties, he said that he shared the information with the "important partner," adding that his country is a sovereign state and does not need anyone's permission for its decision.

Varela announced his government's decision to establish official ties with China on June 13, Taipei time. The decision leaves Taiwan with only 20 diplomatic allies in the world, 11 of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(By Rita Cheng and Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J

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Taiwan urges Panama not to become China's tool

ROC Central News Agency

2017/06/22 19:42:32

Taipei, June 22 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday urged Panama not to allow itself to become a tool used by China to isolate Taiwan internationally and said the president of the Central American country had misrepresented the reasons behind the severance of diplomatic links with Taiwan..

The ministry was referring Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela's comments Wednesday in the United States, in which he advised Taiwan officials to stick to the cross-Taiwan Strait "diplomatic truce" established during the administration of former President Ma Ying-jeou ().

Varela said that before Panama severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China on June 13, it had warned Taiwan that it would take that step if the diplomatic truce across the strait was broken.

However, MOFA said Varela's statement was "absolutely not true" and that he was "unilaterally interpreting" the reasons behind the severance of Taiwan-Panama ties.

China has never stopped its diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, the ministry said, urging Panama not to become a tool for China to achieve its purpose.

On June 13, Varela announced his government's decision to establish official ties with China, making Panama the second country to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen () took office in May 2016.

The move left Taiwan with only 20 diplomatic allies in the world, 11 of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(By Ku Chuan and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/pc

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260M job-sustaining contract for advanced identification system

22 June 2017

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a 260 million contract to supply the UK's with the next generation of secure Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) technology. The work will sustain around 150 jobs in Luton, the West of England, Edinburgh and across the UK supply chain.

The system, called Mode-5 and developed for the MOD by UK-based company Leonardo, uses advanced cryptographic techniques and world-leading electronic technology to allow UK land, sea and air units to quickly identify friendly forces and operate safely alongside NATO allies across any battlefield.

Mode-5 IFF has been designed to give UK units a clear and secure view of potential threats and targets, providing a powerful cyber shield against jamming and interference intended to reduce vital situational awareness.

The contract will allow Leonardo to install the system in more than 350 units ranging from Royal Air Force's Sentry aircraft to the Royal Navy's Type 45 anti-air destroyers and the British Army's High Velocity Missile (HVM) multiple launcher system.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

"This 260 million contract for battle-winning technology builds on decades of operational experience to keep UK pilots, soldiers and sailors safe on operations."

"It is yet another example of the jobs and skills-sustaining impact of the Government's 178 billion equipment plan to supply the UK's armed forces with the best possible kit."

Less-advanced IFF systems have been used by nations all over the world since the 1940s. Mode-5 uses the same basic 'call-and-response' method as earlier systems, but significantly improves on them. Crucially, the system can easily interface with allied forces, reducing the risk of 'friendly fire' incidents between UK units and the units of other allies.

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Chief Executive Officer Tony Douglas said:

"Advances in digital and cyber warfare mean that it's never been more important for UK military forces to have the kind of confidence in their situational awareness that Mode-5 IFF instils."

"The installation of this world-leading system will continue to give our fighting men and women a decisive edge on operations."

The new contract will cover the installation of Mode-5 on pieces of equipment that are in service already with the UK. New platforms coming into service in the future, including the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft and the new Apache AH64E Helicopters are being fitted with Mode-5 under separate contracts over the course of their construction.



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The last time Jim Kelly and Greg Gruhala were on a flight for military personnel they were both returning from Vietnam to a country that did not appreciate their service.

Kelly, who served with the 125th Signal Company of the 25th Infantry Division, and Gruhala, who served with the 1st Aviation Division, both returned at a time of turmoil over the country's involvement in Vietnam.

When we got back from Vietnam, we were told it was best we change out of our uniforms, Kelly said. If we did stay in uniform, they told us to stay in groups because of all the protesters. So that was my homecoming - sneak out of the airport and dont let them see you.

But 45 years later, the two veterans were treated to a different reception when the Franklin County Honor Flight brought the two veterans to Washington D.C. on June 10 to tour the nation's capital and visit the various military memorials.

There was about 35 troops, and 20 guardians aboard our flight, Kelly said. We left from St. Louis around 6 a.m. and flew to Baltimore before being bussed to Washington D.C.

One of the first surprises along the days trip occurred early. As the veterans were coming into the Baltimore Airport, they were given a proper welcome - a crowded terminal filled with people clapping for them.

We had a pretty good reception when we got to Baltimore, said Gruhala. They had an honor guard and a bunch of Annapolis sailors decked out and lined up with flags. It was pretty nice.

Once aboard the bus, the group began their trek to the capital to visit several memorials including the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, the Korean War Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Navy Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard, and the Pentagon.

Kelly also said the National Parks Police served as an escort riding into the nation's capital.

The bus ride into D.C. was like riding through Saigon in a deuce and a half, Kelly said. ...they were in front of us and alongside blowing sirens.

According to both men, the trip did offer many different highlights for the veterans on board.

During the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, I was watching the crowd, Kelly said. They gave us directions of what to do, and I noticed everyone was paying attention.

For Kelly, who said he was not of any need of any "emotional cleansing," the trip for him was enjoyable.

Being in Washington D.C. was really a highlight for me, Kelly said. It was the first time I was in (Washington D.C.) and I was really enjoying all of the memorials.

Although both men are veterans, the two are still in awe of the World War II veterans they saw at the memorial. One in particular stood out more than any other. Senator Bob Dole was spotted at the site.

Apparently he comes to the World War II monument frequently, Kelly said. They say he can be found here most weekends.

During the trip, Gruhala experienced a moment that can be best described as almost eerie. While walking around the reflecting pool, he discovered a birds feather.

I found this feather, and I was just playing around with it, Gruhala said. When I got to the (Vietnam Memorial) wall, there was a crack close to a friend of mines name, so I placed the feather in it. Now, that had to be a sign that we were supposed to be there.

As the honor flight arrived back in St. Louis, the veterans were once again given a heros welcome. According to Gruhala, they were treated to applause, music and speeches.

Everyone who was in the military needs to take one of these flights, Gruhala said. It gives you a sense of closure, and it shows that people care about the military.

For more information about the Franklin County Honor Flight contact Rosalie McGaughn by email at mcgaughr@swbell.net.
Charges have just been filed against a local man after police say he made several threats to bomb the police station in March.

James Lee Huskey, 35, of Richwoods, is charged with a class D felony of making a terrorist threat for frightening 10 or more people with bomb threats.

According to a probable cause statement, Huskey called Washington County Central Dispatch on March 5. In the recording Huskey said tell your guys to back the f*** off. Huskey also said he was being serious and they needed to leave him alone. Huskey said he was former marine and he knew martial arts. He told the dispatchers he was a deadly weapon.

Huskey said he could be lying or telling the truth that he might have six sticks of dynamite fire. He said he was in the heart of Potosi and they needed to back off. Central Dispatch asked Huskey who needed to back off and Huskey told them the Washington County police needed to back off. He then hung up.

After that three-and-a-half minute phone call, Central Dispatch called Huskey back and Huskey told them he was going to walk to Caseys and then walk to the police department. He told them to pick either the police department or the sheriffs department.

Huskey told them he had a button ready and he wasnt going to take "anymore sh**." He then stated again that they need to back off or he was going to push the button. The dispatcher asked Huskey what button he was talking about and he said the one for the bomb in his stomach.

That phone call lasted two minutes.

A Potosi police officer found Huskey in the area of Oak and North Missouri Streets.

When the officer pulled up in his patrol car Huskey started walking toward him while throwing his hands in the air and yelling. The officer saw Huskey grab the bottom of his T-shirt and lift it up several times.

The officer gave orders to Huskey to keep his hands out from underneath his shirt. The officer asked his name and Huskey gave a false identity and when asked a second time he gave his true name.

Huskey then told the officer he did not mean what he said. He said he was upset and he doesnt know what he is saying when he is angry. The officer reported that while talking to Huskey he noticed that Huskey was moving around a lot and unable to control his composure. Huskey was also unable to speak clearly to the officer.

Huskey was then taken to the county jail. A warrant was issued for Huskey on June 17 with a $10,000 bond.
CALGARY, June 23, 2017 - TVI Pacific Inc. (TSX-V: TVI) (OTC Pink: TVIPF) ("TVI" or "the Company") announces that shareholders have approved of all resolutions brought before them at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders ("AGM") held on June 22, 2017. A total of 113,860,627 shares were represented in person or by proxy at the meeting, representing approximately 17.37% of the Company's outstanding shares.

Results of Annual General Meeting

The following Board members stood for re-election and were duly re-elected: Clifford M. James, Robert C. Armstrong, C. Brian Cramm, Jan R. Horejsi and David Moscovitz. These directors will hold office until the next TVI annual meeting or until their successors are elected or appointed or a director vacates office in accordance with the by-laws of the Corporation. Of the 113,860,627 votes cast, approximately 97.56% were in favour of the election of the directors, while 2.44% were withheld.

Voting results for individual directors are set out below:

Name of Nominee Votes For Percentage Votes

Withheld Percentage Robert C. Armstrong 94,421,309 97.58% 2,346,258 2.42% C. Brian Cramm 94,421,309 97.58% 2,346,258 2.42% Jan R. Horejsi 94,422,809 97.58% 2,344,758 2.42% Clifford M. James 94,422,809 97.58% 2,344,758 2.42% David Moscovitz 94,347,003 97.50% 2,420,564 2.50%

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was reappointed as the external auditor of TVI and will hold office until the next annual meeting at such remuneration as may be determined by the directors of the Company. Approximately 94.26% of the votes cast supported the appointment of the auditor, while 5.74% were withheld.

Shareholders also approved TVI's Stock Option Plan, through which the total number of common shares reserved for issuance as incentive stock options granted to insiders shall not exceed 10% of the total issued and outstanding common shares from time to time. TVI's Stock Option Plan was previously approved at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders on June 9, 2016, while TVI was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the requirement was for approval every 3 years. Since August 2, 2016, the Company has been listed on the TSX Venture Exchange where approval of a rolling option plan is an annual requirement. The currently approved plan will remain valid until the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Of the 93,939,394 eligible votes cast, 95.98% were in favour of the Stock Option Plan, while 4.02% were against.

About TVI Pacific Inc.

TVI Pacific Inc. is a Canadian resource company focused on the acquisition of resource projects in the Asia Pacific region. TVI currently holds a 30.66% equity interest in TVIRD and a 25.5% equity interest in FOY Group Limited, an Australian company in the process of acquiring and funding the commercialization of plastics to diesel technology in Australia and relisting on the Australian Stock Exchange in H2/2017. TVI's other holdings include a 14.4% equity interest in Mindoro Resources Ltd.; a 10% interest in the Amazon Bay Iron Sands project in Papua New Guinea; and a 100% investment in shares of TG World.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information set out in this News Release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "scheduled", "to be", "will be" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this News Release are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties (known and unknown) that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Various risks to which the Company is exposed in the conduct of its business (including mining activities) are described in detail in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016, which was filed on SEDAR on April 18, 2017 and is available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly revise the forward-looking statements included in this News Release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE TVI Pacific Inc.







Contact



Patrick Hanna, Chief Financial Officer, TVI Pacific Inc., Phone: 403-265-4356, E-mail: Patrick.Hanna@tvipacific.com


TORONTO, June 23, 2017 /CNW/ - U3O8 Corp. (TSX: UWE), (OTCQB: UWEFF) ("U3O8 Corp." or the "Company") reports that all matters brought before its shareholders were approved at the Annual & Special Meeting ("ASM") held yesterday in Toronto, Ontario. A total of 121,790,106 of the Corporation's common shares were voted, representing 35% of its issued and outstanding stock. In addition, 19.3 million warrants expired and 2.85 million warrants were exercised for gross proceeds of $99,750, which together reduce the number of outstanding warrants by approximately 18%.

Warrant Exercise & Expiry

In the press release dated June 7th, 2017, U3O8 Corp. reported that a shareholder had offered to have 19.3 million warrants accelerated at a strike price of over double the current share price. The warrant acceleration term ended at midnight last night, at which time the warrants had not been exercised, and have therefore been cancelled. "The shareholder who made this offer did so in the broader interest of other shareholders in helping the Company achieve a leaner capital structure. I would also like to thank the shareholders who voted, providing a clear mandate to the Board," said Richard Spencer, U3O8 Corp.'s President and CEO.

In addition, Dr. Keith Barron, a director of the Corporation, exercised 2.85 million out-of-the-money warrants for gross proceeds of $99,750 in order to provide the Company with working capital without diluting other shareholders.

Key matters approved at the ASM include:

Consolidation and Deconsolidation of the Corporation's Stock ("Consolidation-Deconsolidation")

The goal of the Consolidation-Deconsolidation is to provide a cost-effective method of paying out, for the value of shares held, accounts of less than 1,000 U3O8 Corp. shares. Most accounts that hold less than 1,000 shares are inactive and removal of these accounts from the shareholder register would result in significant administrative cost savings.

The Company will be offering a simple and cost-effective way for shareholders, irrespective of account size, to purchase additional shares of the Company prior to the Consolidation-Deconsolidation coming into effect. The additional shares will be made available within the next few business days via an "Existing Shareholder Prospectus Exemption" ("ESPE")  and shareholders will have a two- to three-week window in which to participate. General information on the ESPE is available on the Company's homepage at http://www.u3o8corp.com and specific terms of the financing will be press released shortly.

The Consolidation-Deconsolidation was approved by 96% of the shares voted, with 4% against.

Share Consolidation ("Consolidation")

Shareholders approved the proposal to undertake a Consolidation of 20 current U3O8 Corp. shares to one new (post-Consolidation) share. The aim of the Consolidation is to meet the metrics required for larger funds to invest in the stock alongside the Company's current shareholder base. The result of the shareholder ballot was 86% of shares voted in favour and 14% against. The Board intends to undertake the Consolidation after the Consildation-Deconsolidation, described above, has been completed.

Directors

Shareholders voted for the slate of directors proposed by Management as follows:

Director % Votes For % Votes Abstained Keith Barron 98% 2% David Constable 98% 2% David Franklin 98% 2% Pablo Marcet 98% 2% David Marsh 98% 2% Richard Spencer 98% 2%

U3O8 Corp.'s Chairman, Mr David Constable, commented: "I would like to formally thank Darin Milmeister who offered not to stand for re-election as a director, so as to allow David Marsh to be nominated without increasing the size of the board. Darin provided sage advice and counsel during his term on the board, for which I thank him. I welcome David Marsh to the board and look forward to working with him".

Auditors

98% of shares were voted in favour of the appointment of Davidson and Company LLP to be the Company's auditors for 2017.

About U3O8 Corp.

U3O8 Corp. is focused on exploration and development of deposits of uranium and associated commodities in South America. Potential by-products from uranium production include commodities used in the energy storage industry  in the manufacture of batteries - such as nickel, vanadium and phosphate. The Company's mineral resources estimates were made in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, and are contained in three deposits:

Laguna Salada Deposit, Argentina  a PEA shows this near surface, free-digging uranium - vanadium deposit has low production-cost potential;

Berlin Deposit, Colombia  a PEA shows that Berlin also has low-cost uranium production potential due to revenue that would be generated from by-products of phosphate, vanadium, nickel, rare earths (yttrium and neodymium) and other metals that occur within the deposit; and

Kurupung Deposit, Guyana  a uranium resource has been estimated in four veins within a uranium-zirconium vein system. Resources have been estimated on four veins, while consistent mineralization of the same type has been intersected in scout drilling of an additional six veins, while yet other veins require first-time exploration drilling.

Information on U3O8 Corp., its resources and technical reports are available at www.u3o8corp.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Follow U3O8 Corp. on Facebook: www.facebook.com/u3o8corp, Twitter: www.twitter.com/u3o8corp and YouTube: www.youtube.com/u3o8corp.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward looking statements" related with the development plans, economic potential and growth targets of U3O8 Corp.'s projects. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intensions for the future, and include, but not limited to, statements with respect to: (a) the low-cost and near-term development of Laguna Salada, (b) the Laguna Salada and Berlin PEAs, (c) the potential of the Kurupung district in Guyana, (d) impact of the U- pgradeTM process on expected capital and operating expenditures, and (e) the price and market for uranium. These statements are based on assumptions, including that: (i) actual results of our exploration, resource goals, metallurgical testing, economic studies and development activities will continue to be positive and proceed as planned, and assumptions in the Laguna Salada and Berlin PEAs prove to be accurate, (ii) a joint venture will be formed with the provincial petroleum and mining company on the Argentina project, (iii) requisite regulatory and governmental approvals will be received on a timely basis on terms acceptable to U3O8 Corp., (iv) economic, political and industry market conditions will be favourable, and (v) financial markets and the market for uranium will improve for junior resource companies in the short-term. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in such statements, including, but not limited to: (1) changes in general economic and financial market conditions, (2) changes in demand and prices for minerals, (3) the Company's ability to establish appropriate joint venture partnerships, (4) litigation, regulatory, and legislative developments, dependence on regulatory approvals, and changes in environmental compliance requirements, community support and the political and economic climate, (5) the inherent uncertainties and speculative nature associated with exploration results, resource estimates, potential resource growth, future metallurgical test results, changes in project parameters as plans evolve, (6) competitive developments, (7) availability of future financing, (8) exploration risks, and other factors beyond the control of U3O8 Corp. including those factors set out in the "Risk Factors" in our Annual Information Form available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. U3O8 Corp. assumes no obligation to update such information, except as may be required by law. For more information on the above-noted PEAs, refer to the September 18, 2014 technical report titled "Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Laguna Salada Uranium-Vanadium Deposit, Chubut Province, Argentina" and the January 18, 2013 technical report titled "U3O8 Corp. Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Berlin Deposit, Colombia."

SOURCE U3O8 Corp.
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Hackers backed by the Russian government targeted voting systems in 21 states last year in an effort to undermine confidence in the principle of free and fair elections, U.S. security officials testified on Wednesday.While the Russian interference in the 2016 campaign has been known for months, it was the first time U.S. officials have said how many states' electoral systems were targeted.Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the officials said none of the digital intrusions affected the parts of electoral systems that counted votes _ but that they expect Russia to keep trying."I hope the American people will keep in mind Russia's overall aim is to restore its power and prestige by eroding democratic values," said Bill Priestap, assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division.Priestap said the hackers successfully copied data from some states "to understand what it consisted of" and to plan future attacks.He declined to describe the data that was stolen, saying the Russian interference remains the focus of several FBI investigations.U.S. officials first found hacking aimed at state systems last August, he said. By late September the efforts were detected in 21 states.Priestap would not name the states or say which systems lost data, saying the FBI wants to preserve confidential relationships with state and local election officials.The top Democrat on the committee criticized the FBI for withholding that information."I do not believe our country is made safer by holding this information back from the American public," said Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat.One state official also criticized the federal government for not sharing enough information about the hacking.So far, no secretaries of state have been cleared to receive classified details of the Russian operation, said Connie Lawson, secretary of state in Indiana and president-elect of the National Assn. of Secretaries of State.Jeannette Manfra, a cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security, said the decentralized nature of U.S. elections means that an attempt to penetrate state systems and change results would be "virtually impossible" to accomplish without being detected.The House Intelligence Committee also held a hearing Wednesday to examine the Russian interference in the 2016 election. Jeh Johnson, who was U.S. secretary of Homeland Security during the November election, testified.The Justice Department has appointed a special counsel. Former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III also is investigating whether any of President Donald Trump's current or former associates colluded with the Russian effort.During the presidential campaign, Trump said he hoped Russia would be able to uncover missing emails from Hillary Clinton.Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., asked Priestap if he thought Trump had become an "unwitting agent" of Russian interests.Priestap remained silent. "I don't blame you for not answering that question," Heinrich said.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate on Thursday unveiled a bill that would dramatically transform the nations Medicaid program, make significant changes to the federal health laws tax credits that help lower-income people buy insurance and allow states to water down changes to some of the laws coverage guarantees.The bill also repeals the tax mechanism that funded the Affordable Care Acts benefits, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy and health care industry.Most senators got their first look at the bill as it was released Thursday morning, and some immediately voiced concerns. It had been crafted in secret over the past several weeks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is seeking a vote on the bill before Congress leaves next week for its Fourth of July recess.Four conservative Republicans  a number large enough to stop the bill from passage  announced in the afternoon that they were withholding support. Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor, said the statement from Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah). There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs.Senators had promised that their ACA replacement would be very different than the version that passed the House in May, but the bill instead follows the Houses lead in many ways.At lightning speed and with a little over a week for wider review, the Republicans bill could influence health care and health insurance of every American. Reversing course on some of the more popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act, it threatens to leave tens of millions of lower-income Americans without insurance and those with chronic or expensive medical conditions once again financially vulnerable.Like the House measure, the Senate bill, which is being called a discussion draft, would not completely repeal the ACA but would roll back many of the laws key provisions. Both bills would also  for the first time  cap federal funding for the Medicaid program, which covers more than 70 million low-income Americans. Since its inception in 1965, the federal government has matched state spending for Medicaid. The new bill would shift much of that burden back to states.The bill would also reconfigure how Americans with slightly higher incomes who dont qualify for Medicaid would get tax credits to help pay insurance premiums and eliminate penalties for those who fail to obtain insurance and employers who fail to provide it. It also would make it easier for states to waive consumer protections in the ACA that require insurance companies to charge the same premiums to sick and healthy people and to provide a specific set of benefits.We agreed on the need to free Americans from Obamacares mandates, and policies contained in the discussion draft will repeal the individual mandate so Americans are no longer forced to buy insurance they dont need or cant afford; will repeal the employer mandate so Americans no longer see their hours and take-home pay cut by employers because of it, McConnell said on the floor of the Senate after releasing the bill. He also noted that the bill would help stabilize the insurance markets that are collapsing under Obamacare as well.As expected, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) assailed the bill, saying it would strip away health care benefits and protections from Americans who need it most through changes in Medicaid and the ACAs essential health benefits. Even though much of the early reporting says the bill will keep certain protections for Americans with preexisting conditions, he added, the truth is it may well not guarantee them the coverage they need. By allowing states to waive essential health benefits, what the bill is saying to those Americans is: Insurance still has to cover you, but it doesnt have to cover what you may actually need; it doesnt have to cover all or even most of your costs.The White House had no immediate comment, but President Donald Trump has been pressuring Congress to pass a health bill quickly.It is not clear that the bill will make it through the Senate, or that all of it will even make it to the Senate floor. The Senate (like the House) is operating under a special set of budget rules that allow it to pass this measure with only a simple majority vote and block Democrats from dragging out the debate by using a filibuster. But the budget reconciliation process comes with strict rules, including the requirement that every provision of the bill primarily impact the federal budget, either adding to or subtracting from federal spending.For example, the legislation as released includes a one-year ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. That is a key demand of anti-abortion groups and some congressional conservatives, because Planned Parenthood performs abortions with non-federal funding. But it is not yet clear that the Senate parliamentarian will allow that provision to be included in the bill.Also still in question is a provision of the Senate bill that would allow states to waive insurance regulations in the Affordable Care Act. Many budget experts say that runs afoul of Senate budget rules because the federal funding impact is merely incidental to the policy.Drafting the Senate bill has been a delicate dance for McConnell. With only 52 Republicans in the chamber and Democrats united in opposition to the unraveling of the health law, McConnell can afford to lose only two votes and still pass the bill with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told reporters that he is open to moving forward on the bill but expects negotiations will result in more changes. We have a lot of time now, seven days, to figure out what we like, what parts we plan to keep. This is only draft legislation.McConnell has been leading a small working group of senators  all men  but even some of those have complained they were not able to take part in much of the shaping of the measure, which seems to have been largely written by McConnells own staff.So far, McConnell has been fielding complaints from the more moderate and more conservative wings of his party. And the draft that has emerged appears to try to placate both.For example, as sought by moderates, the bill would phase down the Medicaid expansion from 2020 to 2024, somewhat more slowly than the House bill does. But it would still end eventually. The Senate bill also departs from the House bills flat tax credits to help pay for insurance, which would have added thousands of dollars to the premiums of poorer and older people not yet eligible for Medicare.A Congressional Budget Office report estimating the Senate bills impact on individuals and the federal budget is expected early next week. The House bill, according to the CBO, would result in 23 million fewer Americans having health insurance over 10 years.For conservatives, however, the Senate bill would clamp down even harder on Medicaid in later years. The cap imposed by the House would grow more slowly than Medicaid spending has, but the Senates cap would grow even more slowly than the Houses. That would leave states with few options, other than raising taxes, cutting eligibility, or cutting benefits in order to maintain their programs.Defenders of the health law were quick to react.Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) complained about changes to coverage guarantees in the ACA.I also want to make special note of the state waiver provision. Republicans have twisted and abused a part of the Affordable Care Act I wrote to promote state innovation, and theyre using it to give insurance companies the power to run roughshod over individuals, he said in a statement issued shortly after the bill was released. This amounts to hiding an attack on basic health care guarantees behind state waivers, and I will fight it at every turn.The heartless Senate health care repeal bill makes health care worse for everyone  it raises costs, cuts coverage, weakens protections and cuts even more from Medicaid than the mean House bill, said a statement from Protect Our Care, an umbrella advocacy group opposing GOP changes to the health law. They wrote their plan in secret and are rushing forward with a vote next week because they know how much harm their bill does to millions of people.Tony Brooks, 42, from Philadelphia, was one was of the 60 or so people with disabilities who crowded the hallway around McConnells office to lobby the senators to not cut Medicaid funding. Without Medicaid, Brooks, who uses a wheelchair, said he wouldnt be able to afford his medication, his rent and his medical care. Brooks got choked up when he talked about a friend who had to stay in a nursing home until his death because insurance wouldnt cover the care he needed to go home. Without Medicaid, Brooks said he was afraid he would end up in a nursing home or shelter too.We are people with disabilities, we are human beings. Dont look at us as garbage, Brooks said.
Mississippi's Republican leadership praised Thursday's ruling by a three-judge panel of the United States' 5th Circuit Court of Appeals re-instating the state's controversial 2016 legislation that opponents said would lead to discrimination against gays and other groups on religious grounds.The Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act was struck down hours before it was slated to be enacted on July 1, 2016, by U.S. Judge Carlton Reeves of the Southern District of Mississippi.But upon appeal by Gov. Phil Bryant, the three-judge panel overturned Reeves' decision, saying the federal courts could not rule on the law until someone suffered actual harm, such as discrimination, because of the law.While the panel did not rule on the merits of the case, Bryant, Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, and Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who presides over the Senate, hailed Thursday's ruling of the three judge panel."The whole objective was to protect religious freedoms. We are pleased to see that is now in effect," said Gunn, who was the primary author of the legislation.Bryant, who led the appeal, said, "I am pleased the 5th Circuit has ruled to dismiss the case and allow House Bill 1523 to become law. As I have said all along, the legislation is not meant to discriminate against anyone, but simply prevents government interference with the constitutional right to exercise sincerely held religious beliefs."And Reeves said in a statement, "House Bill 1523 simply protected Mississippians from government interference when practicing their deeply held religious beliefs, and I appreciate the 5th Circuit clearing the path for this law to take effect."Groups differed on the practical application of the religious freedom law. The bill said that circuit clerks or their deputies could not be forced to issue marriage licenses to gay couples if they had a religious objection. But the state would be responsible for ensuring the license was issued. Businesses also could not be forced to provide services for gay weddings and for other events on the grounds of religious objections.The 5th Circuit acknowledged the bill identifies and protects three beliefs:* A marriage is between a man and a woman.* Sex is reserved for married couples.* A person's gender is determined at birth.The multiple people challenging the ruling have several options, including trying to prove the law caused injury to a person or appealing the ruling.In overturning the bill just before it became law, Reeves said, it was "the state's attempt to put LGBT citizens back in their place" after the United States Supreme Court approved gay marriage.Rob Hill, state director of the Human Rights Campaign, said during a news conference from his group's Jackson office, that he is "greatly disappointed" with the Appeals Court ruling. "This law is now the most discriminatory law in the nation...We don't want hate in our state."He added, "The fight is far from over" in trying to overturn the law through both the courts and in the judiciary.The office of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood defended the law in front of Reeves, but opted not to pursue an appeal. At the time, Hood, Mississippi's only statewide elected Democrat, said politicians should focus on improving the overall economy of the state and not on costly legal fights.In a statement Thursday, Hood said since the Appeals Court did not rule on the merits of the law "this decision means that new and additional lawsuits will likely be filed against the state, state officials, and county officials resulting in protracted litigation at taxpayer expense."The American Family Association issued a statement applauding the decision."Religious freedom has been under assault in our country, especially against Christians," said AFA President Tim Wildmon. "This decision is another reason to give thanks to the Lord, and AFA also thanks our friends at the Alliance Defending Freedom for taking this case up on behalf of the people of Mississippi."
Secret video

Aaliyah Palmer was at a party when a man pulled her into a bathroom for sex.She was willing.But, she told Fayetteville police, when the sex turned violent, she told the man to stop. He didn't listen.She thought what happened to her was rape, but she found out that under North Carolina law a woman is not allowed to back out of sex once it is underway."It's really stupid," Palmer, 19, said of the law. "If I tell you no and you kept going, that's rape."The Fayetteville Observer does not ordinarily identify victims of sex crimes, but Palmer wanted to go public with her story. The Observer is not naming the man involved in the incident because he has not been charged with a crime.In 1979, the North Carolina Supreme Court, in State v. Way, ruled that women cannot revoke consent after sexual intercourse begins.Jeff Jackson, a Democratic state senator who represents Mecklenburg County, is working to get the law changed. He said many other women have approached him privately about cases in which they withdrew consent for sex, but the law would not permit the men to be charged."Legislators are hearing more and more about women who have been raped and are being denied justice because of this crazy loophole," Jackson said. "North Carolina is the only state in U.S. where no doesn't mean no."Jackson is the sponsor of Senate Bill 553, which would criminalize the failure to stop intercourse when a woman who had originally consented changed her mind. As the end of the current General Assembly session draws near, the bill is stopped in the Senate's Rules Committee. He said it will probably be dead for the rest of the two-year legislative session."There's no reason for this to be partisan," Jackson said. "It's about doing what's obviously right."Palmer is at least the second woman in the last two months to come forward publicly with a story about withdrawing consent for sex only to learn that the man involved would not face a rape charge.In a Wake County case, Amy Guy's estranged husband was initially charged with second-degree rape after he showed up drunk at her apartment and demanded sex, Guy said. She consented at first, but said she told him to stop after the encounter became violent.Because of the 1979 ruling, the rape charge was changed to a misdemeanor assault charge."Amy was the victim of a law in addition to being a victim of rape," her Raleigh lawyer Kristopher Hilscher said. "It's had a chilling effect on prosecutions."Anne Munch, a lawyer with experience as a prosecutor and an advocate for victims of sex crimes, said North Carolina's laws on consent are vague and "ripe for reform.""Prosecutors can only do what the law allows them to do," she said, "so when consent is withdrawn by the victim and the sex act continues by the offender, the current state of your law appears to categorize this as noncriminal."Palmer's story originally came to light because four soldiers, one a captain, have been accused of making or possessing a video of her sexual encounter. Court records do not indicate whether the man she accused of rape was a soldier as well.Palmer said she and a friend met the man and his friend John Nagy, a soldier, on Tinder Social, a mobile app to connect people."You would think I could trust people in the Army," Palmer said.Around 11:45 p.m. on Jan. 21, Palmer went to a party in an apartment complex off Yadkin Road near Fort Bragg."There was tons of girls everywhere in the first apartment," Palmer said, which she said put her at ease.Palmer said she and the man went into a second apartment and the man pulled her into a bathroom. Palmer said she initially consented to have sex with him, but then asked him to stop after he started to pull out hanks of her hair about five minutes into the encounter."I said, 'You're hurting me. Stop,' " Palmer said.She said she asked the man to stop several times, but he didn't. The probable cause affidavits in the case files of the soldiers charged in connection with the videotaping provide some corroborating detail."Ms. Palmer stated that while attending the party, she and (the man) began to engage in consensual sex that turned rough," the affidavits said.During the incident, the affidavits said, Palmer noticed that a cell phone had been placed at the bottom of the door and appeared to be creating a video of the incident.After the man let her go, Palmer called another friend who lived on Fort Bragg and stayed the night with him.The next day, she went back to the apartment complex to retrieve her boots, which she had left behind. Palmer said she discovered that someone had defecated in them.Palmer said she had a panic attack when she went to a plaza on Fort Bragg that day."I didn't know who in this crowd saw the video," Palmer said. "I was bawling my eyes out."About 36 hours after the incident in the apartment, Palmer went to authorities at Fort Bragg and reported what had happened. Fort Bragg officials told her that she needed to go to the Fayetteville Police Department because the incident took place off the military post. After talking with police, she had a rape kit completed at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center."The rape kit took hours," Palmer said. "Having that done was terrible and all for nothing."After Palmer reported the incident, police interviewed Nagy, Anthony Johnson, Jeffrey Creech and Samuel Mazariegos. An 82nd Airborne Division spokesman confirmed that all men are active-duty soldiers in the unit.Court documents said Nagy made two videos and then shared them. He's been charged with two counts of being a peeping Tom and illegal possession of peeping Tom images. Johnson, Mazariegos and Creech have been charged with illegal possession of peeping Tom images."Capt. Jeffrey Creech of Fort Bragg stated during a voluntary polygraph examination that he received a video via 'Snapchat' from Samuel Mazariegos," according to court documents. "Mr. Creech also stated that he got rid of the video after being initially questioned about having the video and providing it, hence further obstructing and delaying the progress of the rape investigation."Creech was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of justice in addition to the peeping charge. Evidence that Mazariegos defecated in Palmer's boots led police to charge him with misdemeanor injury to personal property.Fayetteville Police Lt. Todd Joyce said detectives reviewed several pieces of evidence in the case and determined that they did not have the evidence to support a charge of rape. He said he could not comment on the case further. Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West also declined to comment due to the pending case against the four soldiers.Palmer is trying to get her life back together after the incident. Palmer said she withdrew from her second semester at N.C. State University due to panic attacks. But she is speaking out."I'm not a silent victim," Palmer said.
Millennials

Generation X

Baby Boomers

Silent Generation and Greatest Generation

Data and Methodology

State Post-Millennials Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers Silent + Greatest Generation Florida 3,662,500 5,105,619 4,079,408 5,078,470 2,616,036 Maine 222,805 313,738 262,270 376,979 154,197 West Virginia 331,135 446,110 367,299 480,192 205,351 Pennsylvania 2,354,113 3,339,374 2,505,303 3,189,540 1,389,791 Hawaii 276,370 350,254 270,946 333,192 150,062 Vermont 103,471 162,443 119,754 171,340 66,987 Montana 202,410 267,686 189,012 269,508 110,153 Delaware 180,612 245,582 183,859 238,412 100,069 Arizona 1,445,233 1,866,587 1,338,565 1,538,804 722,700 Iowa 648,101 838,686 590,283 732,871 323,378 Rhode Island 182,626 293,633 208,611 258,989 108,427 Connecticut 656,676 927,674 736,158 887,681 360,676 New Hampshire 227,393 335,852 271,175 365,010 133,882 Arkansas 624,360 789,814 583,179 686,931 298,713 Missouri 1,226,780 1,618,754 1,180,080 1,448,258 603,190 South Dakota 190,779 227,868 154,471 203,238 85,525 Oregon 768,974 1,096,074 831,615 988,422 405,941 Ohio 2,302,114 3,031,087 2,289,005 2,833,655 1,149,346 New Mexico 434,425 553,219 383,623 492,780 204,830 South Carolina 972,046 1,278,704 978,233 1,208,132 484,836 Wisconsin 1,136,214 1,513,680 1,137,453 1,420,502 567,926 Michigan 1,923,244 2,611,813 1,953,955 2,460,351 974,916 Alabama 966,963 1,279,570 970,647 1,159,468 473,002 Massachusetts 1,209,483 1,908,751 1,394,407 1,635,131 658,852 New Jersey 1,747,476 2,295,402 1,919,958 2,121,244 851,194 New York 3,693,781 5,523,330 4,060,620 4,568,583 1,873,943 Tennessee 1,328,591 1,753,254 1,357,284 1,566,985 624,473 Nebraska 422,363 517,630 357,850 424,262 178,224 Kansas 634,885 784,459 542,603 654,017 270,308 North Carolina 2,033,007 2,605,855 2,107,351 2,356,927 935,319 Kentucky 894,380 1,156,102 900,635 1,058,116 411,208 North Dakota 159,004 225,994 132,117 163,704 69,735 Oklahoma 855,695 1,072,032 746,269 868,492 362,376 Minnesota 1,144,817 1,474,830 1,090,945 1,295,703 511,348 Mississippi 637,390 801,799 583,450 680,345 271,310 Indiana 1,391,357 1,789,194 1,320,878 1,527,602 601,403 Idaho 387,878 447,084 319,326 373,622 151,666 Illinois 2,582,767 3,481,010 2,649,126 2,915,294 1,143,590 Virginia 1,657,552 2,229,599 1,738,152 1,938,005 733,322 Maryland 1,193,857 1,597,824 1,254,696 1,412,473 526,311 Wyoming 124,141 157,450 108,830 140,814 51,026 Washington 1,448,306 1,983,637 1,480,950 1,686,672 633,584 Nevada 601,906 785,632 619,641 665,241 256,209 Louisiana 988,567 1,300,913 908,683 1,064,907 400,971 California 8,059,997 11,216,455 8,214,866 8,348,907 3,251,228 Colorado 1,121,505 1,570,868 1,151,939 1,235,837 426,524 Georgia 2,221,481 2,808,254 2,202,765 2,232,542 784,134 Texas 6,491,642 7,964,427 5,768,115 5,532,798 1,989,227 District of Columbia 110,438 255,817 138,919 124,712 47,406 Utah 823,460 933,266 584,286 513,029 192,041 Alaska 166,990 208,863 141,703 162,604 40,035

Millennials have grown to make up the largest generation of Americans. Meanwhile, the number of baby boomers, which once held the title, are starting to shrink.A review of new Census data shows differences in how these population shifts are playing out across states. Estimates published Thursday tally each states 2016 population by age. Weve calculated population totals for millennials, Generation X, baby boomers, and the Silent Generation and the Greatest Generation, showing how their presence in each state has changed from 2010 through last year.Most states are adding millennials, with the demographics total U.S. population increasing by about 2.6 million since 2010.The first half of the decade saw a steady flow of millennials move into the District of Columbia, with their numbers increasing a staggering 30 percent since 2010. North Dakota recorded an increase of 18 percent, which was part of broad population gains the state experienced as a result of the energy sector boom. Colorado (+14 percent) and Washington (+9 percent) similarly saw their millennial populations climb significantly.As a share of the total population, millennials are most prevalent in the District and Utah, the youngest state in the union. Not too far behind are Alaska (29 percent), California (28.7 percent) and Texas (28.7 percent). Gains for these and other states resulted not only from migration across state lines, but also from immigrants establishing residency.The Census estimates suggest Mississippi is headed in the opposite direction, with a nearly 4 percent loss in millennials since 2010. Illinois, Michigan and New Mexico also saw declines exceeding 2 percent.Definitions of the millennial generation vary. One often-cited definition by authors Neil Howe and William Strauss considers the generation to span from those born in 1982 through 2004. Others use endpoints in the mid to late 1990s. Here, we define millennials as those born between 1981 and 2000.Generation X makes up about one-fifth of the total population, making it the third-largest generation.This demographic grew at the fastest rates in North Dakota (+7.7 percent) and Florida (+7.6 percent) between 2010 and 2016. Generally speaking, states that added large numbers of millennials over that period also welcomed the most Gen Xers. Just Idaho and South Carolina saw larger increases of Gen Xers than millennials.Generation X is most concentrated in Georgia and New Jersey, where its accounts for 21.5 percent of the total population. Their numbers are fewer throughout much of the Great Plains, particularly in North Dakota and South Dakota.The state Gen Xers left at the greatest net rate was Illinois (-4.2 percent), one of the few states registering a total population decline over the six-year period. Census estimates depict similar, but slightly smaller, losses for the District of Columbia, Mississippi and New Mexico.Baby boomers, while still a massive bloc of the population, are no longer the nations largest generation. Their numbers dipped by about 3.2 million over the six-year period ending last July.Two retirement destinations have seen the demographic expand at the fastest rates: Floridas baby boomer population climbed 5.3 percent, while Arizonas grew 3.3 percent. Its worth noting, however, that the millennial population still grew at much steeper rates in both states. The oldest baby boomers turned 70 last year, so both deaths and migration are driving population shifts. Delaware, Idaho, Nevada and South Carolina were the only other states where their numbers were still growing.Boomers still make up more than a quarter of the population in seven states. Theyre most prevalent throughout the Northeastern states of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.Meanwhile, Alaska lost nearly 13 percent of its baby boomers, by far the largest decline of any state. Parts of the Mid Atlantic and Midwest also recorded sizable losses over the six-year period, with Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey experiencing the largest percentage losses.The oldest groups of Americans, born before 1946, account for roughly 9 percent of the U.S. population.Their numbers have fallen significantly in all states, with declines most apparent throughout the Midwest. Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania all recorded decreases of about 29 percent so far this decade. The largest recent declines occurred in the District of Columbia and one of the oldest states, West Virginia (-31 percent). Both deaths and migration to other states played a role in pushing down states totals.Declines in this segment of older Americans were smallest in Arizona and Florida as migration to those states offset losses.Calculations shown represent changes in population occurring between July 2010 and July 2016. The Census Bureaus published estimates by single year of age were added for each state. Only aggregate totals are reported for those age 85 and over, so calculations for the Silent Generation and Greatest Generation were grouped together.Reported definitions for each generation vary. Age ranges utilized for this report are similar to those used by the Pew Research Center.Age 16 to 35 (born 1981-2000)Age 36 to 51 (born 1965-1980)Age 52 to 70 (born 1946-1964)Age 71+ (born before 1946)Governing
Description

 GIS - 23 June, 2017: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted on 22 June 2017 in New York that the dispute between the United Kingdom and Mauritius over disputed island territory of Chagos Archipelago be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

By a margin of 94 to 15 countries, delegates supported a resolution of Mauritius to seek an advisory opinion from the ICJ in The Hague on the legal status of Chagos. The Mauritian delegation to the UNGA was headed by the Minister Mentor, Minister of Defence, Minister for Rodrigues, Sir Anerood Jugnauth.

The Chagos Archipelago was excised from the territory of Mauritius prior to independence. This excision was in breach of international law and UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, which called for a speedy and unconditional end to colonialism.

In a statement at the United Nations on 22 June on the draft resolution tabled under item 87 of UNGA agenda, Sir Anerood recalled that the dismemberment of the territory of Mauritius without the freely given consent of Mauritius - in circumstances of patent and obvious duress - and the removal of the inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, with no possibility of return, were acts constituting breaches of peremptory norms of international law, namely the violation of the principle of self-determination and the breach of fundamental principles of human rights.

No amount of monetary compensation and no agreement to that effect can override these general principles of peremptory international law, not the least the right of self-determination, he said.

Speaking about security concerns evoked by the UK, the Minister Mentor stressed that Mauritius is very much concerned about security in the world. Mauritius does not have any problem with the military base, but that instead the decolonisation process should be completed, he said.

We want to assure the United Kingdom and the United States of America that the exercise of effective control by Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago would not, in any way, pose any threat to the military base. Mauritius is committed to the continued operation of the base in Diego Garcia under a long-term framework, which Mauritius stands ready to enter into with the concerned parties, he added.
Description

 GIS - 23 June, 2017: Enterprise Mauritius is participating in the Southern African International Trade Exhibition (Saitex 2017) which is being held from 25 to 27 June 2017 at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa. Saitex is a multi-sectorial annual trade exhibition aiming at facilitating intra Africa trade.

This year, 15 local enterprises from the textile & apparel, agro, chemical and light engineering sectors are participating in Saitex 2017. The objectives are to enhance the visibility of Mauritius as a reliable supplier of a range of quality and competitive products; increase business exchanges; expand networks and business contacts; and consolidate market shar e.

SAITEX

Saitex is one of the biggest business and networking opportunities events in the continent, showcasing a wide range of products that includes nonfood retail products with special sectors featuring tools, equipment and essentials, hardware and building supplies as well as house wares and home wares, decorating items, interior designing items and much more. It showcases over 900 companies from 45 countries worldwide and over 20 000 visitors are expected to attend.

Africa represents a huge opportunity for trade as it approaches a one trillion-dollar annual marketplace with more than a billion consumers and a fast-growing middle class with increasingly diverse tastes. Saitex breaks down barriers and provides direct access to thousands of buyers from across the continent.

Described as the only multisectoral event of its kind in Africa, Saitex is the platform showcasing products for some 600 companies from 30 countries. Visitors profiles include importers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, agents and entrepreneurs.
Code for America Founder and Executive Director Jennifer Pahlka  who worked as U.S. deputy chief technology officer under President Barack Obama  attended a tech meeting at the White House on June 19 with President Donald Trump. And she wrote a piece in The Washington Post to explain why she was doing so.

The meeting was held by the American Technology Council, established by executive order in May , and it sought to address a range of issues, including procurement reform, cloud computing, and user-centered design  all topics that matter deeply, enough to put Pahlka in a room with a president whose agenda and behavior are deeply disturbing, Pahlka wrote.

To elaborate further on her decision, Pahlka described recent ways in which tech progress by government has made differences in real peoples lives, including California going from an online food stamp application that took an hour and required use of a laptop or desktop, to a version one can access with a smartphone and finish in seven minutes.

I am attending on behalf of the thousands of civil servants around this country who continue to improve government digital services to make sure they better serve every single American, Pahlka wrote. I would not be attending this meeting if it were not dedicated to the issues that define Code for America and our mission. To the tech CEOs who are joining me in Washington, I ask that you speak up for the people for whom government works least now. Join me in making the digital services agenda about serving all Americans equally with dignity.

After the meeting, Pahlka tweeted that she would soon write about what transpired. She then went on to retweet information about a lack of transparency in regard to the ongoing health-care bill Trump has endorsed.

Boston Adds Broadband Access to Development Review Process

In a move that seems to put broadband in the same realm of importance as electricity, water and gas, Boston is adding a new questionnaire to its development review process aimed at collecting info on Internet connectivity plans for new construction, according to the nonprofit site Next City

While the questionnaire will have no regulatory power, it does make planning for broadband access an early part of the citys building review process, thereby encouraging all developers to consider Internet provider competition and infrastructure resiliency before designs for construction are approved. Anne Schwieger , Bostons broadband and digital equity advocate, told Next City that this could impact the scale of both the building and the city, because reliable Internet is a valuable enticement for companies looking to launch or expand within the city, especially the tech startups that most economic development officials crave.

Schwieger said until recently, most Bostonians had only one option for Internet providers, a situation that often means high prices and lacking service. The questionnaire could encourage developers to proactively reach out to multiple Internet service providers themselves, thus increasing competition and benefiting residents in the form of price drops. Price competition is widely considered a key part of fostering digital equity, an increasingly prominent issue among cities looking to improve the lives of residents with tech, which in 2017 is basically all cities.

What Works Cities Releases Report About Tangible Ways Local Governments Are Changing Lives

What Works Cities, a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative that pairs government agencies and mayors offices with university and nonprofit partners in the service of innovation, has compiled a 16-page report about the ways that local governments are changing lives.

The report, dubbedshowcases the progress that stakeholders have made working toward the initiative's stated goal of ultimately helping residents thrive and reach their full potentials.

We are proud to showcase here the progress of our cities in driving better outcomes for their residents, What Works Cities Executive Director Simone Brody wrote in the report. They are doing this by using data and analytical thinking to set goals, inform how they make decisions and gather evidence to enable creativity and innovation. What works, and what doesnt? What could work better? These are the questions that our cities are always asking.

The report comes shortly after Michael Bloomberg announced the launch of What Works Cities Certification that provides clarity by identifying and endorsing clear, expert-tested indicators of cities data-driven programs and policies. In total, 200 cities have applied to the program.

The recent report includes a range of info, including how many people live in cities that participate in the initiative  26 million  and how much money the annual budgets of these cities contain  about $92 billion. There is, of course, a good deal more info than that, including resident testimonials, stories about the efforts of individual jurisdictions, and photos of mayors out in the field.

Illinois Department of Agriculture Uses Tech to Improve Services

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, which processes more than 70,000 licenses each year for the states farmers, producers, agribusinesses and others, has begun a pilot program to offer online renewals for licenses granted by its Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare.

In a blog touting this functionality , the department wrote that the bureau, which is the first under its supervision to offer paperless renewals, issues more than 5,200 licenses each year in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act. In an effort to facilitate ease of use among users, developers have included instructions and a tutorial with license reminder notices.

"Businesses these days are looking for ways to be more efficient and effective with their time and resources," said Ag Director Raymond Poe in the blog. "Our goal should be to make doing business in the state of Illinois easier, not more difficult. Utilizing digital technology, we will be able to increase efficiencies for all parties, reduce costs and provide a positive experience for our customers."

The department also wrote that in the coming months, there are plans to extend this online license renewal pilot to other bureaus under its supervision.
(TNS) -- GOSHEN  A change in voting hardware could speed up the check-in process at the polls in Elkhart County.On Wednesday, the Elkhart County Vote Center Study Committee met to discuss the possibility of a hardware upgrade for the devices poll workers use to check voters in to their chosen vote centers, which the county switched to from precincts for the past six elections. A recommendation to upgrade the check-in devices appears likely.According to Jeremy Burton, a representative from the countys current device and software vendor Election Systems and Software, the new technology will look and feel much like the old system minus a few essential upgrades, including reduced setup time for the countys Voter Registration and Election board member Chad Clingerman.Burton said the new system, a touch-screen tablet with fewer wires, can have elections uploaded onto the system with only the use of a USB connection, allowing Clingerman to quickly put each election on each machine.Clingerman said Wednesday that it currently takes him a few hours, as he has to download it all onto individual cards before installing the data onto each machine.The system being offered by Election Systems and Software is currently in use in two counties in Indiana, as well as several other counties around the country, said Burton. Chicago also uses the system, said representatives from Election Systems and Services.Of the 4,400 ExpressPoll system units in use in Chicago, Burton said only three needed replaced before the time polls closed.Another favorable feature of the new units was the upgraded memory. In the past, the committee said, the current voter sign-in machines experienced low-memory issues, which caused delays in the process.The new ExpressPoll reportedly curb that problem by featuring more memory, which in turns allows poll workers to use the machines for longer before being required to archive sign-ins to continue using the machines without issue.The overall cost to upgrade to the new units totals out to roughly $80,000, Burton said, after a trade-in value of another $80,000 for the units the county currently uses.The committee discussed the amount of money that is being saved from the switch vote centers over precincts, saying over $100,000 is saved annually from the move.Elkhart County Clerk Wendy Hudson said the only options as things stand now are either keeping the current system which causes issues, recommending the upgrade or finding another vendor entirely, which would cost much more than making the change to Election Systems and Softwares new model.After discussing, the committee settled on presenting the information received Wednesday to committee members who were absent from the meeting, and making an official recommendation to the County election board that the $80,000 upgrade be included in the 2018 budget, which will soon be presented to the Elkhart County Commissioners.
(TNS) -- TUPELO  An effort to enhance and upgrade internet access across the city is emerging as a major second term priority for Mayor Jason Shelton.Specifically, Shelton has moved in recent weeks to seriously examine the possibility of an expanded fiber optic cable network within Tupelo.Optical fiber cables provide faster internet access than traditional copper wiring. In a fiber optic network, information is transmitted across glass tubes a little thicker than a human hair.These networks are less susceptible to interference than copper wiring.Shelton and key figures from his administration traveled to Florida last week to learn more about fiber optics at a trade association conference.Plans are also underway to form a task force that will coordinate local efforts around the issue.A fiber optic cable loop currently encircles the city. Tupelo Water & Light installed the loop to provide remote access and control over the citys power substations, said TWL Director Johnny Timmons.That fiber loop will also enable automated meter reading, a proposal TWL is still working to implement.At City Hall, however, there is enthusiasm to expand the TWL loop and construct a so-called backbone that can support citywide residential internet access over fiber optic cable.The goal is to have it in place this term, Shelton said.A plethora of options are under examination to accomplish this goal.We are looking at whether the city should bear the expense of building that backbone citywide or if we should use some kind of public/private hybrid, Shelton said.The mayor believes that an expansive fiber optic network in the city will boost Tupelos desirability, particularly for the young professionals he wants to call the city home.We want to provide the incentive for people that need that high speed internet to live here, Shelton said.Once a robust fiber optic network is in place, Sheltons administration has discussed the possibility of a partnership with a private provider who would actually offer the residential access and manage the customer base.A fully-owned city system, comparable in scope to the city-owned water and electrical utilities, is possible but not currently favored by Sheltons administration.Its not likely, the mayor said.According to Chief Finance Officer Kim Hanna, use arrangement with a private provider would involve leasing access to city-owned infrastructure.Over the last decade, the Mississippi Economic Growth Alliance and Point of Presence (MEGAPOP) has helped spearhead efforts to construct over 800 miles of fiber infrastructure in north Mississipi.Tupelo Chief Operations Officer Don Lewis said MEGAPOP will be involved in efforts to expand Tupelos fiber infrastructure.
(TNS) -- Two former Miami-Dade students are suing the School Board after they found their Social Security numbers and test scores online along with the personal information of hundreds of other students.The plaintiffs did a basic online search of their names and discovered that the information was posted on the Miami-Dade school districts website, according to the lawsuit.The carelessness with how the district manages students private information needs to be addressed, lawyer Stephanie Langer said in a statement. The students are asking for both monetary damages and an overhaul of school district policies on the protection of student information.The Miami-Dade school district called it an isolated incident and said that a forensic review was being conducted to determine where the information came from and whether it is authentic.The school district does not comment on threatened or pending litigation, however, Miami-Dade County Public Schools takes seriously any action that breaches student privacy and confidentiality, said spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez-Diego. Every reasonable method is employed to protect student records. As soon as this incident was brought to our attention, the web page was immediately taken down.In an interview in March, the plaintiffs told the Miami Herald that since discovering their personal information online, they both check their credit score and bank account at least once a day to make sure no one has stolen their identity.Honestly, I was upset. I thought that was a violation of privacy and I got worried, said one of the plaintiffs. I know the damage that one person, one mind and one computer can do.Langer said the issue is not just the Social Security numbers, but also the fact that the students standardized test scores were posted online. Many companies Google prospective employees, and having low test scores publicly available could negatively impact the plaintiffs job prospects, she said.The law firm has not notified the other students whose information was posted online or published their names for fear that we would further disseminate the information, Langer said, adding that she hopes any settlement agreement would include the notification of all impacted students. The law firm has also filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects student privacy.Langer added that the list of students the plaintiffs found was discovered just by Googling two names, raising the possibility that the personal information of other former Miami-Dade students is also available online.The lawsuit highlights the vulnerability of school districts to data breaches and cybersecurity threats. Large school districts like Miami-Dade handle the personal information, including Social Security numbers, of hundreds of thousands of current and former students, along with data on thousands of employees and parents. Last fall, Miami-Dade was targeted in an attempted hacking. In addition to hacks, experts say, school districts are also vulnerable to other, less high-tech data breaches because of the number of employees who have access to student information.
(TNS) -- Visitors to the General Motors Futurama pavilion at the New York Worlds Fair of 1939 saw something quite amazing: an automated highway system. It was a dazzling display of thousands of cars and trucks operating without driver assistance, allowing for maximum traffic flow and efficiency.The GM Futurama program was the work of famed industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes, who many credit with conceiving what became the first modern interstate highway system.Today, Bel Geddes, who died in 1958, is being given even more credit  for inspiring a whole new world of automated transportation.While Bel Geddes didnt have the technological solutions back in 1939 to make his system work, he did have a keen vision for the future. Like most visionaries, he left the technology pieces to future generations. And today, his vision is right around the corner.Todays motor vehicles are becoming increasingly able to monitor their surroundings and respond as needed thanks to automated systems that can interpret data from sensors, cameras and radar-based technologies. These technologies are coming to the marketplace swiftly and will lead to vehicles with ever higher levels of automation. Eventually, well have fully autonomous vehicles.Yes, this is going to be a real challenge for much of the driving public, particularly those with a fondness for controlling the speed and steering of their vehicle. But, as younger generations like to remind their elders: Youll just have to deal with it.Ultimately, automated driving systems could usher in a host of benefits, from improved highway safety to reduced emissions and congestion. They might also save money, increase productivity and give more people access to mobility.Government data shows that driver error is a factor in 94 percent of crashes. For example, fatigued drivers are twice as likely to make mistakes behind the wheel. Driver assists like alarms for a drowsy driver, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warnings can help reduce crashes. And most experts believe the most common crash  rear-end collisions  will decline dramatically due to automatic emergency braking.When vehicles achieve full automation, the impacts of risky and dangerous behaviors could be cut dramatically. The greatest promise may be reducing the devastation of impaired driving, which causes a third of road fatalities today. In addition, a fully automated vehicle will not exceed the speed limit, thus reducing speed-related crashes.From an environmental standpoint, automated driving systems are projected to reduce fuel use and, in turn, carbon emissions. Fewer traffic jams will result in lessened fuel use and reduced greenhouse gases from needless idling. Also, fewer crashes translates to fewer roadway backups. Available technology like adaptive cruise control keeps a prescribed distance between vehicles, eliminating stop-and-go waves that produce road congestion for no apparent reason.Of all the benefits of automated vehicles, none will be more welcomed by consumers than those that impact the pocketbook. With this technology, the costs of medical bills, lost work time and vehicle repair will diminish. Insurance costs should also drop. Smoother flowing traffic will reduce fuel costs, and car sharing  which reduces overall vehicle costs  is expected to become more commonplace.For the millions of American commuters, less congestion will mean less commuting time and more productivity.Importantly, fully automated driving systems will provide Americans with more personal freedom. They will allow people with disabilities to travel more easily and independently. They will increase the mobility of the elderly who can no longer drive. And, by reducing the many costs cited above, they will provide more affordable mobility to people at every income level.While it is still many years away, the automated highway system has the potential of advancing broad shifts in American life. Just as the drive-in restaurant and theater changed lifestyles in the 20th century, automated driving will make even greater changes in the years ahead.In a nutshell, people will be sitting in their cars, reading, working, talking on the phone or just watching the scenery go by. Those with a yen for performance driving will have to find a track.As expected, the specter of automated highways has garnered the attention of governments at every level. Federal, state and even local governments are considering the changes coming and how to best regulate them.Overall, I believe the automated driving system will be a good thing when fully developed  good for safety, the environment and our pocketbooks. The change will be enormous, something on the order of when Henry Ford decided a small internal combustion engine would be better than a horse.Whatever the future holds, its coming. Buckle your seat belts.
NEW APPROACHES TO ADDICTION

(TNS) -- A group of innovators seeking to reduce the escalating death toll from highly addictive opioids such as heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers has turned to technology for solutions.Entrepreneurs and addiction specialists met in Portland, Maine, June 21 for a panel discussion on the ways innovation can be used in the fight against opioid-related deaths. Among the panelists were representatives from two tech companies that are tackling the issue in completely different ways.One analyzes human waste to determine where drugs are being abused most in a particular city or town, while the other uses predictive data to help patients cope with their addiction and work toward sobriety goals.Opioids were the cause of 313 overdose deaths in Maine last year. Overall, drug overdose deaths in Maine reached a record 376 in 2016 , and the national death toll was about 59,000.Opioid addiction has such a powerful effect on the brain that attempts at treatment and recovery often fail. In addition, the political will just isnt there in many parts of the country to commit to the methods of treatment that have proven most effective in clinical studies.But companies such as Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biobot Labs and Chicago-based Triggr Health are trying to help reduce the opioid crisis through technology. Representatives of both companies participated in Wednesdays panel at the Maine College of Art in Portland as part of the fourth annual Maine Startup and Create Week conference.Biobot Labs was founded by a team of scientists and designers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, growing out of a research collaboration between the departments of biological engineering and urban studies and planning. Its goal is to transform municipal wastewater systems into cutting-edge public health observatories, using robotics and chemistry to generate geographic data on health-related behavior.So what does that have to do with the opioid crisis?Imagine a group of public health officials attempting to improve drug treatment and prevention efforts in their city or town. How do they figure out where to deploy those resources? Which areas have the highest concentration of drug users, and what types of drug are they using? In many cases, the only real data they have are about drug-related deaths.In steps Biobot Labs. Its technology analyzes human waste flowing through the sewers at various points throughout the system, testing for metabolized traces of various substances to pinpoint where the highest concentrations of opioid users  or cocaine users, or alcohol consumers  are located.The innovative tools available to cities and municipalities are quite limited, said panelist Newsha Ghaeli, co-founder and CEO of Biobot Labs. What were hoping to do is to understand consumption in the city.The goal is to shift data collection and response away from overdose and death, and move it in the direction of early detection and overdose prevention, she said.The opioid crisis affects people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. It is as big a problem in the suburbs as it is in urban centers.Addiction specialist Dr. Andy Mendenhall, regional medical director for CleanSlate Addiction Treatment Centers in Massachusetts, said opioid addiction often starts with the legitimate use of prescription opioids for treating pain. In fact, the highest risk category for fatal opioid overdose is women in their mid-40s who have prescriptions for both opioid painkillers and sleeping pills, he said.U.S. residents make up about 5 percent of the worlds population, but they consume over 85 percent of all opioid drugs prescribed across the globe, Mendenhall said.The addiction problem traces back decades to poorly conducted early opioid studies that incorrectly determined the drugs were not addictive, he said. Of the roughly 15 million Americans who take prescription opioids, an estimated 40 to 50 percent abuse the drugs by not taking them as directed.One way to help reduce opioid-related deaths is to break down the negative stigma associated with addiction and treatment, the panelists said.We have this stigmatized chronic disease state that began with the over-prescriptioon of opioids, Mendenhall said. Its a devastating epidemic thats causing lives to be lost.That stigma works against efforts to encourage drug abusers to seek treatment and receive needed emotional support, said John Haskell, co-founder and CEO of Triggr Health. His company has developed a data-driven, personalized system that helps recovering addicts in part by predicting when they are most likely to suffer a relapse. The company uses a combination of digital tools  including a mobile app  and human interaction to help its patients overcome addiction.Haskell said Triggr Health purposefully avoids using the terms addict and recovery, which make some drug abusers uncomfortable. Instead, its tools encourage patients to set and meet goals for curtailing their drug use.If you can engage people, just around terminology even, you can make significant progress, he said. It reduces the stigma and gets more people to participate in reducing their drug or alcohol intake.Haskell noted that more than 90 percent of drug abusers never seek treatment, and that traditional 28-day drug rehabilitation programs dont have a good track record of achieving long-term results.Portland is in dire need of better solutions for its addicted population, said Margo Walsh, founder of Portland-based employment agency MaineWorks. Founded in 2011, MaineWorks helps recovering substance abusers rebuild their lives through working. Construction companies hire MaineWorks to provide workers for projects across the state.In Portland, 85 percent of all crime is drug- or alcohol-related, Walsh said. The typical cost for an opioid abuser to maintain their habit by purchasing drugs on the street is $200 to $400 a day, she said.You have a lot of people committing crazy crimes  thats why, Walsh said.The panelists said they have seen some positive signs recently. Innovators are putting their minds to work on tackling the crisis, the medical community is starting to pull back on issuing new opioid prescriptions, and people in general are talking more about the problem.Its because people are dying that it has taken on this urgency, Walsh said. And dying in yuppie neighborhoods  not just in the ghetto.
At some level, we all knew that robots might play a big role in the future of space exploration, but using them to teach humans new and distinctly human pastimes may not have seemed so obvious. While NASA is looking at using autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) to delve deeper into remote regions of space, Japanese technologists are using slow-dancing robots to teach humans a move or two on the dance floor. NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) says the practical application of thinking robots could extend the exploratory range on missions. Even with the communications limitations in space  that worsen the farther you get from Earth  autonomous robots could continue exploring while waiting for further instruction.Back on Earth, scientists at Tohoku University have taught a robot to teach humans how to dance. In addition to the general dance steps, the robot also evaluates its partners and tailors lessons to their perceived skill level.
Williams has categorically rejected reports it might become the new works Honda team for 2018.

It is believed McLaren will split with the struggling Japanese manufacturer after three hapless years, potentially leaving backmarker Sauber as the only Honda-powered team next season.

Williams, however, has been linked with taking over the McLaren deal, but deputy chief Claire Williams said: "The rumours about talks with Honda are just wrong.

"We are more than satisfied with our Mercedes power," she told the Swiss newspaper Blick. "So there is no question of a change."

(GMM)
Mercedes has now solved its early-season tyre problems.

That is the view of Pirelli chief Paul Hembery, referring to the way the German team bounced back from Monaco to dominate in Canada two weeks ago.

"The hard work paid off," the Briton told Germany's Auto Bild.

"What they did between Monaco and Canada was impressive -- a dramatic step," Hembery said in Geneva.

He also played down recent speculation that Mercedes' struggle was amplified by an alleged advantage gained by Sebastian Vettel over the winter, as the Ferrari driver participated heavily in Pirelli's 2017 test programme.

"We would have liked more top drivers as committed to work as Sebastian was (to join him)," Hembery said.

"He gave us important feedback from morning to night, pushing us in the direction the drivers wanted, and we have to thank him because it makes a difference whether an inexperienced driver or one of the best tests tyres," he added.

Still, he thinks any advantage Vettel got was fleeting.

"If there was an advantage, it was at the very first winter test this year," said Hembery.

(GMM)
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Based on the strong partnership with the university, NAVYA has decided to manufacture its vehicles in the Ann Arbor area.

NAVYA, a pioneer in developing and manufacturing autonomous vehicles, will establish its first assembly plant outside of Europe in Southeast Michigan. Beginning last year, the French company partnered with Mcity, a public-private partnership led by the University of Michigan to accelerate advanced mobility vehicles and technologies, to bring the NAVYA ARMA, a 100% driverless, completely electric, Level 5 autonomous shuttle vehicle to Mcity.

According to NAVYAs Vice President of Sales, Henri Coron, the company has an immediate objective to build 20 vehicles at the new plant by the end of this year. To achieve that goal, NAVYA plans to hire a team of 15 people at the Michigan facility by the end of 2017. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is currently considering providing an incentive in support of the project.

In 2016, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation that allows driverless vehicles to be tested in the state. In December 2016, the ARMA was introduced to North America at Mcitys one-of-a-kind proving ground for connected and automated vehicles. Since then, the shuttle has been used to support research and to demonstrate automated vehicle technology at the test facility, with NAVYA becoming an affiliate member of Mcity.

NAVYA ARMA. ARMA is a safe, reliable and comfortable 100% autonomous, driverless and electric public transport vehicle that can carry up to 15 people. It has been designed to ensure the specific functions of an autonomous vehicle while optimizing navigation and safety.

The shuttle is equipped with a multitude of sensor technologyLiDAR, GPS RTK, Odometer and camera stereovisionsto provide 3D vision which enables it to map out the environment, detect obstacles in its path and identify traffic and road signs.

The NAVYA ARMA shuttle can reach speeds of 28 mph. However, taking into account the nature of the sites it often serves, this is often limited to 15 mph. The vehicle aims to provide a complement to current public transport systems over distances that are too short to go by car or are too long on foot.

In October 2016, NAVYAs shareholders unanimously d a raise in capital of 30 million. French groups Valeo and Keolis and the Qatari Group8 acquired a stake in the company alongside Gravitation and CAPDECISIF Management, who joined in 2015 and Robolution Capital, the original investor.
Optimus Ride, a MIT spinoff company developing self-driving technology, recently received approval from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to test highly automated vehicles in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

In addition, the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with MassDOT along with the City of Boston to enable testing of self-driving vehicles on roads and public property in the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, beginning in Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park, owned by the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) and located along the South Boston Waterfront.

In 2016, Optimus Ride, an MIT spinoff company that develops self-driving technology, raised a series seed investment of $5.25 million co-led by NextView Ventures and FirstMark Capital.

The Optimus Ride team collectively shares more than 30 years of experience in interdisciplinary research in self-driving technologies, electric vehicles, mobility-on-demand and other transportation systems. The team also includes a decade of industrial and entrepreneurial experience spanning manufacturing robots, medical robots, shared vehicle fleet management and urban design.

Building on this experience, Optimus Ride is working to integrate advances in complex sensor fusion, mapping, computer vision and machine learning to deploy a new form of transportation system that enables safe, sustainable and equitable mobility access.
Peugeot has unveiled the new Peugeot Pick Up. This signals the return of Peugeot to the pick-up market within the African continent to accelerate the internationalization of the brand. The new Peugeot Pick Up goes on sale in September.

With a length of 5.08m, the new Peugeot Pick Up is part of the double cab compact pick-up segment. This segment represents 10% of the target market, including the North African and West Sub-Saharan African countries, which is a volume of about 56,000 units a year. There, diesel engines and 4x4 transmission occupy dominant places in the market with 92% and 77% respectively.

The new Peugeot Pick Up has a drivetrain adapted to the needs of the core market. Its longitudinal 2.5-liter common rail turbo diesel engine develops 115 bhp and 280 Nm, combined with a manual 5-speed gearbox. It is available in 4x4 and 4x2 versions.

The drivetrain of the 4x2 version is linked to the rear wheels via a longitudinal drive shaft and a differential positioned within the rear axle. With the load resting above the rear driven wheels, the more the vehicle is loaded, the better it uses the drivetrain.

The 4x4 version is engaged using a special lever to transmit some of the power to the front drivetrain. This allows the driver to make a selection where needed, whether in normal 4x4 4H (4 High) mode or in the 4L (4 Low) mode at short speeds. Using a reducer, extra torque can be applied at very slow speeds to maneuver out of the most extreme driving situations.

The 4x4 version therefore gives the new Peugeot Pick Up versatility, easy use in every weather condition and over every terrain.

The new Peugeot Pick Up is evidence of the brands ambitions for a return to the pick-up market as part of its international growth. Peugeot is revisiting its history in the pick-up segment, particularly in Africa, dating back to the Peugeot 403 Camionnette-Bachee of 1956, the Peugeot 404 Camionnette-Bachee of 1967, and then the Peugeot 504 Pick-up which succeeded it until 2005, the last year of production in Nigeria.
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Activities

Officers of the Guilford County Na Cara Division 1, Ancient Order of Hibernians, recently presented funds to representatives of Autism Unbound and The Down Syndrome Network from proceeds generated by the divisions annual charity drives.

The AOH is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be Catholic and either born in Ireland or of Irish descent. Friendship, unity and Christian charity is the organizations motto.

Announcements

The Immaculate Chapter 537, Order of the Eastern Star has elected its 2017-2018 officers: Sharain Carter, worthy matron; Colen Craven Jr., worthy patron; Lakeahia Bradby, associate matron; Kevin Bradby, associate patron; Portia Owens, secretary; Anastasha Ervin, treasurer; Melanie Palmer, conductress; Tenisha McLean, associate conductress; Cedric Coley, trustee chair; Myra McDonald, trustee south; and Rachelle Barnes trustee north.

***

The Kernersville Arts and Crafts Guild is accepting applications for its new indoor Autumn Arts and Crafts Show.

The juried event with only handcrafted vendors will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 30 and from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at Kernersville Recreation Center, 125 E. Bodenhamer St. in Kernersville.

No commercial or resale items are permitted.

For information, call 336-587-6837 or visit thekacg.com.

***

The Greensboro Symphony Guild has selected Pam Stearns as this years recipient of the prestigious Golden Note Award. The Golden Note Award was established in 1979 to recognize guild members who have made an outstanding service contribution to the guild and to the community.

Stearns joined the guild in 2007. She has served on the executive board and has supported numerous fundraising events, deb activities, Classics events and Musicale Sundays. She is the guilds past treasurer.

Pam is chief financial officer and a financial advisor at Stearns Financial Group. She is also the director of Financial Focus for Women.

The Greensboro Symphony Guild welcomes new members. For information about joining the Guild, visit gsoguild.org.

Grants

The Rotary Club of High Point has awarded a $1,000 grant to Reading Connections.

This grant will help the literacy agency with its outreach in teaching reading skills from the facility at High Point Public Library.
LEXINGTON  A Salisbury man wanted in connection to an April 2016 double homicide has been extradited back to Davidson County.

On Thursday, the Davidson County sheriff's investigators brought Kareem Jumal Henderson, 34, back to North Carolina from Pennsylvania where he was arrested last week by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to a sheriff's office news release.

Henderson is in Davidson County jail without bail.

A second suspect named in this investigation, David White, also has two warrants for homicide in the murders. He is currently serving a federal prison sentence for unrelated firearms assault charges. He is scheduled to be released in August 2020. Upon his release from federal custody, White will be transferred back to North Carolina.

Kevin Michael Caldwell, of Mooresville, and Joseph Dominique Anderson, of Salisbury, were found shot to death around 5:30 a.m. on April 15, 2016, in a Ford Crown Victoria in the 4000 block of U.S. 64 West.
Bill Ruckelshaus knows White House skulduggery when he sees it.

A former deputy attorney general who is the last prominent survivor among the Watergate investigators who brought down President Richard Nixon, Ruckelshaus has some advice for President Donald Trump.

There is only one person that could shut down all the current speculation and that is Trump, he said the other day in an email from Seattle, where he practices law.

If he would turn over all the information he has and instruct his minions to do the same, and there is no incriminating evidence involving him, the speculation would end.

Oh, and one other thing: Dont even think about firing Robert Mueller, the special counsel looking into Trump connections to Russia and related matters.

Ruckelshaus resigned from Nixons Justice Department in 1973 after refusing to follow the presidents order to fire special counsel Archibald Cox, who was leading the Watergate probe.

That happened only hours after the departure for the same reason of Attorney General Elliott Richardson.

Ruckelshaus, now 84, also had been an acting director of the FBI when it was conducting the early inquiry into the break-in by a team of Republican operatives at the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate complex near the White House. He has an acute sense of how these matters evolve.

In the current scandal, he notes that Trump after all, says he has done nothing wrong.

If thats true, Ruckelshaus says, its a good reason to release everything that might be relevant to the investigation.

There is a time limit on his ability to do this, Ruckelshaus warned, and it is rapidly approaching.

Harking back to his earlier experience, he recalls: Nixon could have done the same thing if he had acted immediately upon learning of the Watergate break-in in June of 1972. Instead he led the coverup.

Ruckelshaus, a Republican then and now, warns that Trump will be in real trouble if he tries to remove Mueller:

The dismissal of Cox in October of 1973 led to the Rodino Committee (the House Impeachment Committee) and then ultimately the resignation of Nixon in August of 1974, Ruckelshaus said.

Ruckelshaus was appointed to four top posts by Nixon. In addition to the Justice Department jobs, he was the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, where he was widely praised for creating an effective new agency. He had an unsurpassed reputation for integrity.

He was considered as President Gerald Fords running mate in 1976; some Ford strategists still think that if he had been chosen, rather than Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, the Republicans could have won the presidential election that year.

If Trump respects experience, one would expect him to heed this Watergate heros advice. Ruckelshaus says he isnt holding his breath:

I do not personally believe, he wrote, that Trump is capable of taking the approach I am suggesting, any more than was Nixon.
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Outgoing General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt completed the sale of his longtime home at 705 West Road in New Canaan, with he and spouse Andrea recording $4 million in the sale, 27 percent below its original listing price of $5.5 million more than a year ago.

Buyer James P. Roddy lists a prior address in Harrison, N.Y., in Westchester County.

In a Wednesday filing with the New Canaan town clerk, the Immelts disclosed they sold the house through the Danbury-based Cartus subsidiary of Realogy, which assists corporate employees with relocation, including the sale of their homes.

In June 2015 after the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the state to amend its tax code to draw revenue from corporate profits attributed to other tax jurisdictions, GE stated its intention to eye other headquarters locales, following through the following January with the choice of Boston.

Immelt would subsequently say the move was driven more by a strategic move to have its nerve center in a digital-savvy city with ample access to new thinking on emerging technologies and trends. The Immelts joined some 200 executives moving north to Boston, with the couple taking an $8 million condominium in the citys Back Bay neighborhood.

As it turns out, Immelt will not have the ringside seat going forward on whether the move pays off for GE  earlier this month, GE announced Immelt would retire in August, with the conglomerate handing the top job to GE Healthcare CEO John Flannery.

Back in New Canaan, the sale of 705 West Road generated real estate conveyance taxes for the state of Connecticut totaling $46,000, about $5,000 short of what the state would have received had the Immelts gotten every penny of their original $5.5 million asking price.

The property joins a dozen others priced between $3 million and $5 million to sell in the town in the past year, as tracked by Stamford-based William Pitt Sothebys International Realty; five sold for more than $5 million.

And the competitive landscape in New Canaan is only intensifying, with an additional 45 listings hitting the market in May for 350 homes listed for sale in all; and about one in every five priced above $3 million.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; www.twitter.com/casoulman
Amazon customers love the e-commerce site for the convenience of having household goods to electronics delivered, and after its proposed acquisition of Whole Foods Markets, it may soon dominate the grocery industry too.

Prior to the $13.7 billion acquisition last Friday, Amazon already sold groceries on its website through its platforms AmazonFresh and Prime Pantry. But even with those options, is it cheaper than Whole Foods?
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After 228 days in space on three space shuttle missions and one long stay at the International Space Station, Connecticuts astronaut has retired.

Rick Mastracchio, 57, a University of Connecticut graduate and Waterbury native, retired from NASA on Friday.

Rick is a classmate and a friend and he has done great work for NASA, both in space and on the ground, Chief Astronaut Pat Forrester said in a release announcing the veteran spacemans retirement.

Forrester, who was selected as an astronaut in the same class as Mastracchio, said his breadth of experience over three decades in human spaceflight will serve him well as he moves on to his next endeavor.

During his four spaceflights, Mastracchio took photos of his native Connecticut from high above. He used social media to post photos and send greetings to Nutmeg State residents on Earth. His most recent mission ended in May 2014 after he spent 188 days aboard the International Space Station.

Some of the photos are so detailed, you can even see Charles Island in Milford, Interstate 95 and major southwest Connecticut cities.

Touched down in Stamford

In 2014, Mastracchio and colleague Steve Swanson did a live question-and-answer session from the space station with children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which had a new building since the December 2012 shooting that killed 26 people.

Last March, Mastracchio visited King School in Stamford where he told students of his time in space.

My first mission, I would float upside down and hang from the ceiling eating my lunch, for no really good reason other than I can float upside down and eat my lunch, Mastracchio said. Its really neat.

Mastracchio, who made nine spacewalks since 1996, told students that weird things happen in space aside from the challenges of simple-on-Earth tasks like showering and shoe-tying.

The lack of gravity causes astronauts to lose the calluses they have on the bottoms of their feet and develop new ones on top. While orbiting Earth, they experience 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours. Six people sharing the same filtered air gives the International Space Station a unique smell.

Weightlessness also causes fluid retention.

You get this puffy head and you feel warm like maybe you have a bit of a fever, Mastracchio said. You see some astronauts and its really, really obvious. Your body goes through a lot of changes in both directions.

But nothing beats floating.

Its really cool, he said. Its like youre Superman.

From UConn to space

In 1982, Mastracchio was awarded a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Connecticut, and two master of science degrees in electrical engineering and physical science, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and University of Houston-Clear Lake, respectively.

In 2014, he delivered the graduation address to UConns school of engineering. His recorded address was shown on the video boards at Gampel Pavilion to about 5,000 people, including more than 400 graduating seniors and their families, and several members of Mastracchios family, including his wife, Candi.

Beginning in 1987, Mastracchio worked first with Hamilton Standard and then with Rockwell Shuttle Operations Co. before coming to NASA in 1990 as an engineer. He worked in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory on space shuttle flight software, and in the Astronaut Office on ascent and abort procedures for crew members. From there, he became a Guidance and Procedures Officer flight controller, working in mission control for space shuttle ascents and entries, before being selected as an astronaut in 1996.

The missions

His first flight, STS-106, came in 2000, on board space shuttle Atlantis, when he and his crewmates worked to prepare the space station for its first expedition crew. He returned aboard space shuttle Endeavour for STS-118 in 2007, when as lead spacewalker, he participated in three spacewalks to install a new truss segment, a new gyroscope and a new spare parts platform on the space stations exterior.

In 2010, Mastracchio was part of the STS-131 crew of space shuttle Discovery. He performed another three spacewalks and helped deliver 27,000 pounds of hardware, including three experiment racks and new sleeping quarters for the space station. He was then able to put the hardware to use in 2014, when he spent 188 days in space as part of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. During that stay, he performed three more spacewalks, leaving him with a total of 53 hours spent outside the space station on nine spacewalks.

Earlier reporting by Liz Skalka was used in this story.
Recently, I watched An American Ascent, a documentary chronicling the first African American expedition to tackle Denali, North America's highest peak. I found the film compelling. Why? Because I love things that people say "you can't do" and because mountains absolutely fascinate me. They represent challenges, aspirations and the spiritual draw of nature.

Related: Climbing a Mountain, Whether Real or Figurative, Requires Calculated Risks

That's why, following the screening, I was delighted to be introduced as a "real mountaineer." My heart leaped -- no, it soared -- because I'd never expected to hear that description of me. But the descrption was accurate: I'd personally experienced the same as those Denali adventurers when I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania -- Africa's highest peak -- with GAdventures. Yep, the girl who shouldn't have, did!!!

I was from an Indian family, after all, and mountaineering wasn't the kind of thing a girl like me was supposed to do (that's another story). An American Ascent was similarly about breaking the rules and the bravery of seriously stepping out of one's comfort zone.

Now doesn't that sound like the life of entrepreneur? As professional mountaineer Adrian Ballinger has said, "Running a business is a lot like climbing a mountain." So, what lessons can we apply from mountaineering to climbing our own "Mount Entrepreneur"? I can think of eight.

1. Ignite your mission.

True entrepreneurs are about more than the pure desire to succeed. It's not just about "reaching the top of the mountain" for them. Their life has a mission: Design the next best technical product! Find a solution to a problem the world faces! As Peter Diamandis of XPRIZE has said, "If the risk is fully aligned with your purpose and mission, then it's worth considering."

Climbing a mountain has always been on my bucket list. Each time I thought of the milestone birthday coming up, I knew I just wanted to be on a mountain. Being there, that day, or in the process of climbing it was what mattered.

I had desperately wanted to do the things that weren't prescribed for kids from my background; that became my mission and driver. In business, it's the same, I'd never fitted in as a kid; I was awkward and different; I wanted to follow my own path. Today, I have a company that "unleashes the crazy" in people.

Image credit: GAdventures

Its mission: to help the world better understand different thinkers. That same kind of innate desire to be bigger, better stronger is what drove me up the mountain, just as it does in my business life.

That's the entrepreneurial spark: As motivational speaker Simon Sinek has said, "Start with why." Be crystal-clear on your why and be able to describe it in a one-to-two sentence elevator pitch that emotionally ignites you.

Related: How a Near-Death Mountain Climb Launched One of the Adventure World's Best-Known Brands

2. Accept the challenge.
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Former President Barack Obama says the Senate's GOP-written health care bill will cause millions of families to lose health care coverage.

The former president issued a statement on his Facebook page as Senate Republicans unveiled a plan to dismantle Obama's signature presidential achievement.

Obama called Senate Republicans' health care bill a "massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America." He also says it "hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else."

The former president says amending the GOP-written bill "cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation."

"Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums and higher deductibles, with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions," Obama writes. "Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again. Millions of families will lose coverage entirely.

"Simply put, if there's a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family  this bill will do you harm."

Obama says he hopes there are "enough Republicans in Congress who remember that public service is not about sport or notching a political win."

Four Republican senators currently say they are not ready to vote for the GOP health care bill, putting the measure in jeopardy.

More News Senate health care bill faces objections from key Republicans

The four are Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky. They say in a statement that they are open to negotiation before the full Senate considers the measure.

The four say there are provisions that are an improvement to the current health care system. But they add that the measure fails to accomplish what they have promised to their constituents, "to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs."

GOP leaders hope to vote on the bill next week and can only afford two defections from the 52 Senate Republicans.
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A group of Senate Republicans released their version of a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, and members of the Senate were quick to weigh in.

Democratic senators called it a "monstrosity" and "intellectually bankrupt."

GOP reactions were mixed, and at least four Republican senators stated that they would not vote for the bill.

The bill was written by 13 Republicans, and was expected to "start from scratch" after the House passed a revised version of the American Health Care Act in May.

No Democrats support the bill, meaning that Republicans can only suffer two no votes from within their own party in order to pass the bill.

Two factions of opposition were emerging in the GOP, one led by Rand Paul of Kentucky, who doesn't believe the bill goes far enough to repeal Obamacare and find a way to lower premiums. Another is led by Susan Collins of Maine who believes the replacement bill should go further to protect funding for Medicaid and other services.

Click through the slideshow above to see senators' reactions to the Senate health care bill.
Hmmm. Photo: Sanderson Farms

Your all-natural breast fillets might be coming from a bird that secretly clubbed all night to EDM. According to a new lawsuit filed by consumer-advocacy groups, ketamine is one of several other pharmaceuticals that recently turned up in USDA tests of Sanderson Farms supposedly 100% Natural chicken. Three consumer groups  the Center for Food Safety, the Organic Consumers Association, and Friends of the Earth  brought the complaint yesterday after obtaining Sandersons Food Safety and Inspection Service tests, which they got ahold of through a Freedom of Information Act request.

According to Bloomberg, they learned a variety of suspicious substances had been detected in the third-largest U.S. poultry companys chicken. From the end of 2015 to the end of 2016, the USDA did 69 inspections at Sandersons facilities. Agents took samples of the products made at each facility and analyzed them for contaminants. The results apparently came back positive for things that werent 100% Natural one third of the time. Among them: chloramphenicol, an antibiotic not approved in animals that will become food because its been shown to have a toxic effect on bone marrow. Also, a form of ciprofloxacin, a common human antibiotic thats started showing signs of bacterial resistance in recent years. Other drugs that shouldnt be in chicken  an opioid analgesic called butorphanol, and the synthetic hormone melengestrol acetate  were found, too, along with some 82 other instances of Special K, pesticides, and additional unconfirmed residues. (The USDA wouldnt say how, or if, it punished Sanderson.)

The consumer groups argue that Sandersons mum about what it does with that ketamine, though the assumption is it probably operates as some sort of sedative before slaughter. Bloomberg says they want the company to admit its 100% Natural claim is more or less hogwash, and pay for a corrective ad campaign.

Sanderson is already somewhat infamous in consumer-advocacy circles for its unapologetically pro-antibiotics stance. Last year, it launched a big ad campaign arguing that the industrywide trend toward removing drugs was a marketing gimmick simply used to overcharge consumers. But in a statement to Bloomberg, it still denied that it puts any of these weird drugs in its chicken. Sanderson Farms does not administer the antibiotics, other chemicals and pesticides, or other pharmaceuticals listed in the complaint with one exception, its statement says. Our veterinarians do from time to time prescribe penicillin in FDA approved doses to treat sick flocks. Its definitely true that all that partying can take a toll on the bodys immune system.
One of the highest anticipated devices of this year might be launching later than expected. No, we're not talking about the iPhone 8 this time around, but Samsung's Galaxy Note8. A new report from Evan Blass (a.k.a @evleaks) claims the handset will only be unveiled in the second half of September, contradicting earlier rumors that talked about a late August intro.

According to "an individual briefed on the company's plans", the Note8 will be Samsung's most expensive smartphone yet, retailing for 999 unlocked in the Eurozone. Since the initial prices of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ started at 799 and 899, respectively, this makes some sense. If you're wondering how this will translate into US dollars, we're guessing the unlocked model will retail for $925 (because the S8 is $725 and the S8+ is $825).

The Note8 is said to come with a 6.3-inch 18.5:9 AMOLED touchscreen which would make it only marginally bigger than the 6.2-inch S8+. So this time around the Note will differentiate itself less through size, and more through features.

It will be the first Samsung device to sport a dual rear camera arrangement, with each of the shooters having 12 MP resolution and optical image stabilization. The lenses are "configured horizontally, situated to the left of the flash and the heart rate sensor". The fingerprint scanner will still be on the back, since Samsung hasn't been able to make it work reliably under the screen. Its position will be on the same plane as the camera lenses, to the right of the flash, but it will be separated from these other elements by more space than what we saw in the S8 and S8+.

At the helm we'll see the same Exynos 8895 or Snapdragon 835 chipsets that power Samsung's current flagships, depending on market of course. The Note8 will sport 6GB of RAM however. The battery capacity will be 3,300 mAh, which is less than what the S8+ has. This is probably because of the space that the built-in S Pen stylus occupies inside the Note8.

Speaking of the S Pen, its feature set will grow ever wider, with full-sentence language translation and currency conversion included somehow, as well as pinning handwritten notes to the always-on display. The Galaxy Note8 will also support Samsung DeX. The phone will be offered in black, blue, and gold at launch.

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Haiti - Politics : Moise receives an UN Security Council Delegation





On Thursday at the National Palace, President Jovenel Moise received a delegation from the UN Security Council, chaired by Bolivian diplomat Sacha Sergio Llorenty Soliz, who discussed among others of implantation conditions for the next mission in Haiti (Minusjusth).



The Head of State took the opportunity to inform the representatives of the United Nations on the different priorities of his Administration, in particular the strategic plan of development of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), the respect of the rule of law and Human rights and the eradication of cholera in Haiti.



He expressed his will to change the discourse and the negative image of the country by committing to leave Haiti of the gear of the assistantship in order to take control of our destiny. The Head of State also expressed his willingness to control surface water to reduce the vulnerability of the country and to promote the rule of law and a smart partnership with the United Nations system.



The President of the Security Council, Sacha Sergio Llorenty Soliz, reiterated the UN's determination to continue to support the efforts of the Haitian government and people to achieve their common goals.



The Bolivian diplomat, who described his meeting with President Moise as uitful, also briefed on the new UN strategies with a view to replenishing the multi-stakeholder fund for the fight against cholera in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20204-haiti-cholera-funding-failure-for-the-$400m-un-funds.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21041-haiti-cholera-un-wants-to-transfer-$40m-to-help-haiti.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : The seat of Guy Philippe vacant in the Senate...





Because he was convicted and sentenced to 9 years detention by the American justice system for money laundering when he was commissioner of police in Haiti in the late 1990s and early 2000s, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21301-haiti-flash-9-years-in-prison-for-guy-philippe.html Guy Philippe, elected senator of Grand'Anse, will never sit in the Senate or will no longer be able to be a candidate in any other Haitian election.



Now the seat of Guy Philippe is technically vacant in the Senate, but it is up to the Executive to formally confirm to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) that there is a vacancy in the Upper House for the department of the Grand'Anse and to give a mandate to the Electoral Council for the organization of elections in this direction.



Without a mandate from the Executive, the CEP is not authorized to proceed with any new elections in Haiti, except indirect elections whose process is currently under way.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21301-haiti-flash-9-years-in-prison-for-guy-philippe.html



TB / HaitiLibre


















Published on 2017/06/23 | Source

Added episode 7 captures for the Korean drama "Queen for 7 Days" (2017)

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Directed by Lee Jung-seob

Written by Choi Jin-yeong

Network : KBS

With Park Min-young, Yeon Woo-jin, Lee Dong-gun, Jang Hyun-sung, Kang Shin-il, Son Eun-seo,...

20 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:00

Synopsis

A period drama about Queen Dangyeong who was on the throne for 7 days before she was disposed.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/05/31

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Published on 2017/06/23 | Source

Added episodes 25 and 26 captures for the Korean drama "Suspicious Partner" (2017)

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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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Published on 2017/06/22 | Source

Yoo Seung-ho chose Kim So-hyun.

Advertisement

He wasn't afraid to risk his life. Everyone tried to stop him but he only thought of Kim So-hyun.

On the latest episode of the MBC drama "Ruler: Master of the Mask", Han Ga-eun (Kim So-hyun) found out who the Prince (Yoo Seung-ho) really was.

Yi Seon (Kim Myung-soo) received an antidote from the prince.

However, the court lady who ate this antidote threw up blood and died. Yi Seon thought the Prince tried to kill him and told Dae Mok (Heo Joon-ho) who the real prince was. Then he bowed his head and said he would do his best if he was made king.

At the same time, Han Ga-eun was trying to escape to meet the prince but Yi Seon caught her.

Yi Seon told her who he was and who the real prince was.

Han Ga-eun clarified the truth with the prince who told her, "I didn't want to lose you if I told you".

Han Ga-eun was devastated and yelled for him to go away. The princess cried.

Meanwhile, Hyeon-seok (Song In-kuk) was Dae Mok's spy. He was the one that poisoned the antidote and he told Dae Mok that Han Ga-eun and the prince were in love.

Dae Mok told Yi Seon to kill the prince and he'd be the real king.

Yi Seon lured the Prince into the palace and said, "I am thinking of not returning the throne to you. I told Dae Mok you're alive and he's going to come and get you".

The prince was trapped but Sang-seon (Lee Dae-ro) saved him.

When things didn't work out like he planned, he kidnapped Han Ga-eun. Dae Mok sent a message to the prince to come find her.

Just as he was about to set out Mae-chang (Lee Chae-young) and Woo Bo (Park Chul-min) stopped him. They tried to tell him he couldn't trade the people's lives for hers.

However, in the following scene, the prince stood in front of Dae Mok.
Spanish group ARAEX adds Priorat and Jerez to portfolio

By Andrew Catchpole

ARAEX Grands Spanish Fine Wines is in the process of adding producers from two further DOs to its country-wide collection of estates, bringing Priorat and Jerez into the fold.

Speaking to Harpers at Vinexpo, ARAEX export director Stanley Moss said: We will be launching two new growers, one from Jerez, one from Priorat, and these will be the last major parts of our portfolio that we believe are missing.

Jerez will be our own project, a joint venture working with one of the top three producers, he added. Jerez is unique - white wine is made all over the world, but Sherry is different and we want people to understand this.

In Priorat the company will be adding an independent estate to its stable, along the model of Luis Canas in Rioja, which retains its own identity but is marketed and distributed by ARAEX, joining the other estates under the broader ARAEX umbrella.

The names of the new additions are likely to be unveiled later this year when the deals are complete.

The Vitoria-based company, which has grown from its Basque roots, initially as a grouping of bodegas in Rioja Alavesa, has since added producers from nine DOs to its portfolio in the past 25 years, including the most recent estate, Gorka Izagirre, in Txakoli country.

With wines ranging from Rueda and Ribera del Duero to Navarra and La Mancha by way of Cava, the addition of Priorat and Jerez aims to complete a spread that takes in the most important quality DOs across Spain.

ARAEX celebrates its 25th anniversary in June 2018, having been founded by entrepreneur Javier Galarreta in 1993, with the involvement of consultant Michel Rolland, initially bringing together a group of winegrowers from Rioja Alavesa, before embarking on an ambitious expansion plan.

The company is now a leading producer and brand owner in Spain, exporting upward of 11 million bottles annually to over 70 markets globally.

Further plans are in the pipeline for an innovative approach to distribution in its key UK market of wines currently not already with importers and distributors, with an announcement expected this autumn.
European launch for first Uruguayan icon wine at Vinexpo

By Andrew Catchpole

Uruguayan producer Bodega Garzon unveiled the first edition of its new Balasto 2015 blend during an event presided over by celebrated asado chef Francis Mallman during Vinexpo.

The wine, which is a 2015 blend of Tannat, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Marselan, born of an ongoing collaboration with leading Italian consultant Alberto Antonini, marks the latest step by the multi-million dollar-backed estate to create a quality benchmark for Uruguay on the international markets.

With Balasto we are looking to create an icon for Uruguay, to lead the way in showing its potential, said Christian Wylie, general manager at Garzon, speaking at the event, hosted at Chateau de Lantic in Martillac, echoing the European-leaning style of the wines.

The Bodega Garzon project is part of entrepreneur Alejandro Bulgheronis growing global collection of Family Vineyards, which includes estates in Bordeaux, Tuscany, Napa, Barossa, Mendoza and Patagonia.

The Uruguayan investment was seeded by Bulgheroni close to the town of Garzon in Maldonado province in 1999, just 11 kilometres from the wealthy coastal retreat of Punte del Este on the cool Atlantic coast, with the express purpose of creating a little Tuscany in South America.

The Bulgheroni family employed Antonini from the outset with a brief to identify a site and then plant vines that would ultimately deliver world-class Uruguayan wines.

2014 marked the first commercially harvested vintage from Garzon, with single varietal and blended wines based on Tannat, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Marselan, Albarino and Viognier, among the foremost grapes.

Balasto will be produced in limited quantities, being offered at around US$100 in the US, with a similar euro price expected in Europe.

We want the price to be accessible so that a wider number of people can try and enjoy the wine, said Wylie. This is a wine that is about Uruguay, its amazing terroirs and culture, not just Garzon.




American citizens are sick and tired of being made into tax-slaves to finance a maternity ward for the poverty stricken populations of other countries who invade Americas borders to give birth.





SEE: Whats in the Senate Republican health-care bill Well, our Republican Party Leadership has been lying all the time. They never intended to repeal Obamacare. In fact, our Republican Party Leadership not only proposes to keep Obamcare alive, but it will continue to use the force of federal taxation to confiscate the earned wages of one group of citizens to finance the health-care needs of another group, not to mention hard working wage earners will also be taxed $BILLIONS which will be transferred into the coffers of the insurance industry.The Senate Bill proposes to confiscate working peoples earned wages [How else can the Senate Bill be paid for?] which will then be transferred to other groups via subsidies, tax credits and the expansion of Medicaid, even though there is no grant of power in the wording of our federal constitution allowing the federal government to enter the States and meddle in the peoples health-care needs and choices.The Senates proposal will in fact create a number of factious groups who are tax getters, and they will, if the Senate Bill becomes law, forever have a vested financial interest which competes with our nations general welfare ___ those matters concerning national security external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. These factious groups interest will also be different from those who are taxed to finance the Senates desire to meddle in the peoples health-care needs and choices.To avoid these kinds of political factions on a national scale ___ tax-payers vs tax-getters ___ our wise founders refused to delegate a power to Congress over those  objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State. See, Federalist No. 45Having violated our Constitution and usurped powers not granted, a number of factious groups have already been created by Congress which now threaten mayhem and destruction should their free government cheese be ended. Have we not witnessed these very groups today protesting around the Capitol complex? And who are some of the actors included in these type of tax-getter protests? Federally subsidized health-care recipients; federally subsidized food stamp recipients; federally subsidized Section Eight Housing recipients; federally funded unemployment benefit recipients; federally funded student loans and grant recipients; and millions of foreigners who have invaded our borders who are also the recipients of free government cheese.To those who are sincerely concerned about the direction our country is headed, I strongly suggest you take the time to study FEDERALIST NUMBER 10 which in part deals with controlling the violence of factious groups.JWK
dst an intense heatwave in the UK, a British man who sought to beat the heat was sent home from work after he decided to come in wearing shorts. He ended up beating his companys dress code.



On Monday, call centre employee Joey Barge posted a photo of himself on Twitter wearing shorts  he said that if women can wear skirts or dresses to work, then maybe shorts should be passable. Not surprisingly, he was sent home less than an hour later to change into appropriate work attire.



But instead of donning trousers, he decided to return to the office in a bright pink dress.



Barge thought he would be immediately sent home. But the company changed its policy instead, and allowed men to wear  length shorts in the office, in light of the extremely warm temperatures.



They said it was a bit too colourful and asked if I wanted to go home and change because they were letting us wear shorts because of my protest  but I said I was happy to stay, the 20-year old told the Daily Mail.



A trade union body has recently called on employers to relax dress codes amidst the heat wave, so that staff can work as comfortably as possible.



While many of us will welcome the sunshine and warm temperatures this week, working in sweltering conditions can be unbearable and dangerous, said Trades Union Congress General Secretary Frances OGrady. Obviously shorts and flip flops wont be the right attire for all workers, but no one should be made to suffer unnecessarily in the heat for the sake of appearances.



The TUC is seeking a change in the law to introduce a new maximum indoor temperature, set at 30C  or 27C for those doing strenuous jobs  with employers obliged to adopt cooling measures when the workplace temperature hits 24C.




Research by the American Psychological Association and the National Opinion Research Centre at the University of Chicago explored the impact of workplace expectations on health.



Their report published in 2013 found that 53% of workers found work left them overtired and overwhelmed.



This comes as no surprise when we look at workplace behaviours of working long hours, taking work home and being contactable 24/7, said Angela Lockwood, occupational therapist and author of Switch Off. How to find calm in a noisy world.



She added that Monash University was awarded the 2016 Global Healthy Workplace in recognition for their Wellbeing at Monash program developed to support staff to adopt healthy work and lifestyle practices.



Their program takes a holistic approach to health through providing programs on mindfulness and stress, quit smoking support and physical activity classes.



Encouraging employees to switch off from work by not taking work home, leaving work at a reasonable hour or not having a work phone with them on holidays benefits the organisation in many ways," she said.



"This includes through reduction in absenteeism, lower injury related insurance claims, less internal workplace conflict, greater work satisfaction creating more loyal employees, higher productivity and quality of work output.



She added that employees are looking at what their leaders and managers are doing themselves as much as what they are saying or what is the policy.



Lockwood said that in order to create a workplace culture where health and wellbeing are a priority, two simple rules need to apply:



Understand the meaning of workplace health and wellness



If health and wellness is to be a priority within the workplace leaders must understand that health and wellness is not just being absence of disease and injury. Employees are looking for ways they can put their best foot forward and have the energy and stamina to get them through their day which is a shift from being strictly injury free or low rates of absenteeism. A productive employee is one who turns up each day and can give their best in all areas of their work.



Lead by example



How hypocritical is it when an obese doctor advises a patient to lose weight to avoid a heart attack? We go to our health professionals for guidance and expertise so we expect they practice what they preach. Employees also look to leaders for guidance and modeling of positive work behavior. There is no point encouraging positive switch off behaviours like taking a lunch break, not taking work home or staying at work late, when the leaders do not do this themselves. To support their teams to adopt healthy switch-off habits, leaders must model and practice positive switch off habits. If leaders are to truly lead they need to be role models to aspire to.




The United Voice Union has today lodged a legal challenge in the Federal Court to the cuts in weekend and public holiday penalty rates on behalf of hospitality workers.



United Voiceis seeking an urgent hearing to stop the penalty rate cuts in the hospitality and restaurants award, which apply from 1 July and will be phased in over three years.



The FWC previously ruled there would be rate cuts of between 25 and 50% in the retail, pharmacy, fast food and hospitality industries. The industrial umpire agreed with employer submissions that reducing rates could boost employment.



However, Jo-anne Schofield, National Secretary of United Voice said that if left unchallenged, this decision would see hardworking hospitality staff suffer a pay cut they cant afford and dont deserve.



In the Commissions own words, the cuts will impact on workers who earn just enough to cover expenses and for whom unexpected expenses already produce considerable financial distress, she said.



This should put employers on notice - we will not accept their attempts to undermine basic working rights and conditions. Hospitality workers, through their union, have been fighting the attempts by employers to cut their pay for over three years and were not about to give up now.



The union will be arguing the cuts unfairly impact people such as Margarita Murray-Stark, a 58-year old hotel cleaner from Melbourne.



Murray-Stark works 30 hours a week as a housekeeper for a cleaning contractor, under the hospitality award.



She said she is scared of the looming financial impact and is delighted to see the appeal lodged.



I earn around $30,000 per year. Its not much and I live week to week, she said.



A cut to our penalty rates means I will earn about $2000 less a year.



For myself and hundreds of thousands of other low-paid workers, our Sunday penalty rates mean the difference between staying afloat, and drowning in bills.



They mean I can afford to retire, rather than have to keep working into my seventies.



This week the government backbencher George Christensen crossed the floor and backed a Labor bill to stop penalty rates cuts.



However, the bill was narrowly defeated 72-73 which involved the Labor opposition trying to reverse the cuts to Sunday penalty rates.




Johnny Depp talks about assassinating TrumpPublished June 23, 2017Fox NewsNow Playing'She's trying to kill me!' Woman clings to car on busy roadAt an appearance in England on Thursday, actor Johnny Depp joked about assassinating President Trump.Depp was at a drive-in movie theater in Glastonbury, where he introduced his 2004 film The Libertine, when he began talking about the president, according to The Guardian.I think he needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go, Depp said.Depp, noting his comments would be in the press, began discussing prior assassinations of presidents.CENTRAL PARK'S 'JULIUS CAESAR' DEPICTS ROMAN DICTATOR AS TRUMPWhen was the last time an actor assassinated a president? he asked, referencing John Wilkes Booth assassinating President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.I want to clarify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living, Depp said. However, it has been a while and maybe it is time.A White House official told Fox News, "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and its sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depps colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a democrat elected official."Depps comments come a week after the politically-motivated shooting of Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise.In recent weeks, a production of Julius Caesar in New York Citys Shakespeare in the Park sparked controversy when the play showed the Roman dictator, seemingly depicted as Trump, being brutally stabbed to death on stage.Sponsors later pulled out of the event due to the graphic nature of the show.
With the dust still setting on a hectic two weeks in Finnish politics, Prime Minister Juha Sipila will have been relieved to receive a vote of confidence in Parliament on Tuesday. As reported by Reuters, the government may also have to be wary of members of the upstart Blue Reform taking Ritva Elomaas lead and rejoining the Finns Party.

Finlands trial of a universal basic income was another talking point in the world press, with features appearing this week in The Independent and The Economist. Other stories focus on developments in Finnish education and an ill-advised trip across the Russian border by a group of British orienteerers.

Sipila survives confidence vote after his coalition shrinks

Bloomberg

Finlands government survived a confidence vote held on Tuesday, capping a week of political brinkmanship rarely seen in a Nordic nation.

The parliament voted 104 to 85 to back the government, with 10 lawmakers absent and none abstaining. The result means Prime Minister Juha Sipila can push ahead with unpopular economic reforms targeting key welfare services and the labour market.

The vote follows an unusual week of political drama in Finland. Sipila narrowly avoided losing his majority last week after a coalition partner, the anti-immigration Finns party, elected as its leader a man convicted for his diatribes against Islam. The move was more than the Prime Minister and his other coalition partner could stomach. They ended their collaboration with the Finns, and prepared to step down.

Original article was published by on 20/06/2017 and can be found here.

Lawmaker rejoins Finns Party, narrows government majority

Reuters

A lawmaker quit Finland's government to rejoin the nationalist Finns on Thursday, and the party leader called on other politicians who had been "swindled" into joining the coalition to follow her lead.

But lawmaker Ritva Elomaa on Thursday left the new group and rejoined the Finns Party, saying she had made a hasty decision.

"I hope her example encourages other parliamentarians, who might have been swindled, to reconsider the situation", Finns Party leader Jussi Halla-aho told reporters in parliament.

Original article was published by on 22/06/2017 and can be found here.

Universal basic income leads to less stress and greater incentive to work

The Independent

Finland has been giving 2,000 of its citizens an unconditional income for the last five months and some are already seeing the benefits, reporting decreased stress, greater incentives to find work and more time to pursue business ideas.

Juha Jarvinen, an unemployed young father in a village near Jurva, western Finland, was picked at random to receive the payment, starting in January this year. He told the Economist that, unlike when he was receiving standard unemployment payments, he is now actively seeking work.

He had previously been offered a few part-time positions but taking them would make no sense, since it would jeopardise his welfare payments. It is crazy, so no one will take a bit of work, he said.

Original article was published by on 22/06/2017 and can be found here.

Finland leads the way in progressive education

The Star

It seems like your average classroom, until a head pops up from behind the stationery station in the corner. With a glare  understandably put out that her happy reading is being interrupted  the young pupil returns to her book in her private pad.

Welcome to school in Finland. Even by Finnish standards, this particular school  the Lauttasaari Primary School in Helsinki  is considered cutting edge, but other schools around the Nordic country are fast catching up with their own alternative learning spaces.

Finland is among the first nations to include in its national education guidelines an explicit requirement for schools to rethink not only how and why students learn but also where.

Original article was published by on 18/06/2017 and can be found here.

Brits held in Finland after crossing Russian border to drink beer

The Guardian

Four British tourists who were detained in Finland after illegally crossing the border into Russia to knock back a few beers are expected to face charges.

The unidentified men, who had been competing in an orienteering event in south-east Finland, were driving back to the nearby town of Joensuu when they decided to take a 46-mile (75km) detour to the border, state broadcaster Yle reported.

The men, who have been allowed to return to Britain, parked their car by the side of the road and made their way on foot across the Finnish border zone and into Russia, where they celebrated their achievement with a beer or two.

Original article was published by on 20/06/2017 and can be found here.

Dan Anderson  HT

Photo: Lehtikuva / Antti Aimo-Koivisto
There can be movement in both directions, he reminded to reporters in Brussels on Thursday, according to Kauppalehti .

Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) has rejected the interpretation that the decision of Ritva Elomaa to re-join the Finns Party Parliamentary Group is the beginning of the end for his coalition government.

Elomaa was one of the 20 legislators who left the Finns Party Parliamentary Group to continue coalition co-operation with the Centre and National Coalition as the New Alternative Parliamentary Group on 13 June, 2017. She announced yesterday she will re-join the Finns Party Parliamentary Group, leaving the ruling parliamentary groups with only 105 of the 200 seats in the Parliament.

One of the seats is held by Speaker of the Parliament Maria Lohela (NA), who is unable to participate in votes.

Sipila, in fact, estimated that Elomaa's decision is understandable in light of the severe time constraints she had to work with after the election of Jussi Halla-aho as the chairperson of the Finns Party. He nevertheless declined to speculate on whether others could follow in her footsteps.

Sipila also admitted that the importance of the chairpersons of the three ruling parliamentary groups will grow the more slender the groups' majority becomes in the Finnish Parliament.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Julien Warnand  AFP/Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
In Yemen's secret prisons, UAE tortures and US interrogates





MUKALLA, Yemen (AP)  Hundreds of men swept up in the hunt for al-Qaida militants have disappeared into a secret network of prisons in southern Yemen where abuse is routine and torture extreme  including the "grill," in which the victim is tied to a spit like a roast and spun in a circle of fire, an Associated Press investigation has found.



Senior American defense officials acknowledged Wednesday that U.S. forces have been involved in interrogations of detainees in Yemen but denied any participation in or knowledge of human rights abuses. Interrogating detainees who have been abused could violate international law, which prohibits complicity in torture.



The AP documented at least 18 clandestine lockups across southern Yemen run by the United Arab Emirates or by Yemeni forces created and trained by the Gulf nation, drawing on accounts from former detainees, families of prisoners, civil rights lawyers and Yemeni military officials. All are either hidden or off limits to Yemen's government, which has been getting Emirati help in its civil war with rebels over the last two years.



The secret prisons are inside military bases, ports, an airport, private villas and even a nightclub. Some detainees have been flown to an Emirati base across the Red Sea in Eritrea, according to Yemen Interior Minister Hussein Arab and others.



Several U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the topic, told AP that American forces do participate in interrogations of detainees at locations in Yemen, provide questions for others to ask, and receive transcripts of interrogations from Emirati allies. They said U.S. senior military leaders were aware of allegations of torture at the prisons in Yemen, looked into them, but were satisfied that there had not been any abuse when U.S. forces were present.



"We always adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct," said chief Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White when presented with AP's findings. "We would not turn a blind eye, because we are obligated to report any violations of human rights."



In a statement to the AP, the UAE's government denied the allegations.



"There are no secret detention centers and no torture of prisoners is done during interrogations."



Inside war-torn Yemen, however, lawyers and families say nearly 2,000 men have disappeared into the clandestine prisons, a number so high that it has triggered near-weekly protests among families seeking information about missing sons, brothers and fathers.



None of the dozens of people interviewed by AP contended that American interrogators were involved in the actual abuses. Nevertheless, obtaining intelligence that may have been extracted by torture inflicted by another party would violate the International Convention Against Torture and could qualify as war crimes, said Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University who served as special counsel to the Defense Department until last year



At one main detention complex at Riyan airport in the southern city of Mukalla, former inmates described being crammed into shipping containers smeared with feces and blindfolded for weeks on end. They said they were beaten, trussed up on the "grill," and sexually assaulted. According to a member of the Hadramawt Elite, a Yemeni security force set up by the UAE, American forces were at times only yards away. He requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.



"We could hear the screams," said a former detainee held for six months at Riyan airport. "The entire place is gripped by fear. Almost everyone is sick, the rest are near death. Anyone who complains heads directly to the torture chamber." He was flogged with wires, part of the frequent beatings inflicted by guards against all the detainees. He also said he was inside a metal shipping container when the guards lit a fire underneath to fill it with smoke.



Like other ex-detainees, he spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being arrested again. The AP interviewed him in person in Yemen after his release from detention.



The AP interviewed 10 former prisoners, as well as a dozen officials in the Yemeni government, military and security services and nearly 20 relatives of detainees. The chief of Riyan prison, who is well known among families and lawyers as Emirati, did not reply to requests for comment.



Laura Pitter, senior national security counsel at Human Rights Watch, said the abuses "show that the US hasn't learned the lesson that cooperating with forces that are torturing detainees and ripping families apart is not an effective way to fight extremist groups." Human Rights Watch issued a report Thursday documenting torture and forced disappearances at the UAE-run prisons and calling on the Emirates to protect detainees' rights.



Amnesty International called for a U.N.-led investigation "into the UAE's and other parties' role in setting up this horrific network of torture" and into allegations the U.S. interrogated detainees or received information possibly obtained from torture. "It would be a stretch to believe the US did not know or could not have known that there was a real risk of torture," said Amnesty's director of research in the Middle East, Lynn Maalouf.



Defense Secretary James Mattis has praised the UAE as "Little Sparta" for its outsized role in fighting against al-Qaida.



U.S. forces send questions to the Emirati forces holding the detainees, which then send files and videos with answers, said Yemeni Brig. Gen. Farag Salem al-Bahsani, commander of the Mukalla-based 2nd Military District, which American officials confirmed to the AP. He also said the United States handed authorities a list of most wanted men, including many who were later arrested.



Al-Bahsani denied detainees were handed over to the Americans and said reports of torture are "exaggerated."



The network of prisons echoes the secret detention facilities set up by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. In 2009, then-President Barack Obama disbanded the so-called "black sites." The UAE network in war-torn Yemen was set up during the Obama administration and continues operating to this day.



"The UAE was one of the countries involved in the CIA's torture and rendition program," said Goodman, the NYU law professor. "These reports are hauntingly familiar and potentially devastating in their legal and policy implications."



The UAE is part of a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition meant to help Yemen's government fight Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who overran the north of the country. At the same time, the coalition is helping the U.S. target al-Qaida's local branch, one of the most dangerous in the world, as well as Islamic State militants.



A small contingent of American forces routinely moves in and out of Yemen, the Pentagon says, operating largely along the southern coast. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. has escalated drone strikes in the country to more than 80 so far this year, up from around 21 in 2016, the U.S. military said. At least two commando raids were ordered against al-Qaida, including one in which a Navy SEAL was killed along with at least 25 civilians.



A U.S. role in questioning detainees in Yemen has not been previously acknowledged.



A Yemeni officer who said he was deployed for a time on a ship off the coast said he saw at least two detainees brought to the vessel for questioning. The detainees were taken below deck, where he was told American "polygraph experts" and "psychological experts" conducted interrogations. He did not have access to the lower decks. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retaliation for discussing the operations.
Six hundred tower blocks in England could be covered in the same or similar combustible cladding to that which has been blamed for the rapid spread of London's Grenfell Tower blaze.

Urgent tests in the wake of the disaster that killed at least 79 people have so far revealed that the flammable material has been found on at least three blocks across the UK, prime minister Theresa May said.

However, Downing Street later disclosed that English councils estimated that 600 high-rise buildings used similar cladding to the tower in west London that was the scene of last week's tragedy.

Addressing questions about whether any of the blocks would be evacuated, a spokeswoman said: "Obviously, nobody will be living in buildings that are unsafe. They will be rehoused if they need to be."

Councils were told on Monday to provide the government with details of the cladding used on high-rises.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said three at-risk buildings so far identified were not being named until the landlords had had the opportunity to inform tenants.

Cladding has been fitted to the exterior of hundreds of 1960s and 1970s residential blocks across Britain to improve their appearance.

However, it emerged that Grenfell contractors used a more flammable type of material for the outer layer.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Mrs May said the local authorities and fire services concerned were taking "all possible steps" to ensure buildings were safe and residents informed.

However, the revelation will raise serious safety questions and put pressure on the prime minister about whether or not enough is being done to protect residents in blocks with "combustible" cladding.

Upmarket

Meanwhile, residents of Kensington's luxury properties were divided after news that survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire would be permanently rehoused in a new 2bn (2.3bn) development in the area.

The Government announced 68 social homes would be made available at Kensington Row to families left homeless in the blaze, but reactions were mixed in the upmarket area.

Many residents were relieved to hear that families who had lost so much were finally receiving some good news, but others were less compassionate.

Anna, who is in her 60s and lives in a flat only a stone's throw from the new development, said she would not be happy to see survivors rehoused in her area.

"North Kensington is not this Kensington. They should be in a place where they are happy, but not here. I don't want them here," she said.

However, one mother-of-two, who did not want to be named, said she was disgusted by the heartless reaction of her neighbours.

"They're saying, 'Have you heard about how they're letting these people who don't work live in luxury apartments?'" she said.

"I just thought, Oh, my God, haven't these people suffered enough?"
Jenna OShea split from her partner and became homeless.

A creche worker turned to heroin when her "normal life" came crashing down in "spectacular fashion," a court heard.

Mother-of-two Jenna O'Shea (31) split from her partner and became homeless in a very short space of time before she began taking the drug.

She was arrested when gardai found her buying heroin on a city street.

O'Shea, of Lakeside Crescent, Newbridge, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to possession of the drug.

Dublin District Court heard gardai stopped the accused at St James's Walk, Dublin 8, on October 7, 2015.

She was with another person and they admitted they were in the area to buy drugs. O'Shea's bag was searched and she was arrested and taken to Kilmainham Garda Station.

She then produced a small wrap of heroin to the gardai and co-operated with them. She had no previous convictions.

O'Shea had only become an addict in recent times, her barrister told Judge Fiona Lydon.

Injecting

Before that she was in a long-term relationship and was living with her partner and two children. O'Shea had been working full-time in a creche and had trained as a hairdresser.

However, everything "fell apart" when she split from her partner and lost her house, ending up homeless.

She largely lost contact with her children.

"She had a very normal life for all intents and purposes and in quite a spectacular fashion it all came crashing down in a very short space of time," O'Shea's barrister said.

That was four years ago and she started smoking heroin, progressing to injecting the drug.

O'Shea was doing better now and was in a "very healthy relationship" with a new partner who was in court to support her.

She was involved in her children's lives again.

However, she still smoked heroin occasionally.

The court heard the accused was a "very anxious person" and not aggressive in any way.

Judge Lydon said the add- iction issue needed to be add-ressed and the probation report should emphasise rehabilitation. She adjourned the case to a date in September.
Pressure is mounting on cartel boss Daniel Kinahan to do something about the heroin-addicted associate

One of the Kinahan cartel's key lieutenants has become addicted to heroin and the crime mob now fears that the out-of-control gangster will become a major liability.

The Herald can reveal that the gangland criminal, aged in his 30s, is now dependant on the highly addictive opiate and is "out of his mind on gear".

As a result, he has become increasingly erratic over the last number of months.

This behaviour is causing huge paranoia within the feared gang, given his knowledge of its internal workings and his major involvement with many of its operations over a significant period of time.

There are now fears within the Kinahan cartel that this individual could disclose key information to gardai investigating the gang, or rival members from the Hutch faction, as he is "liable to say anything to anyone".

Pressure is now mounting on Daniel Kinahan to take out this individual after another criminal, who is facing serious charges, previously linked Kinahan to direct involvement in a murder plot.

The thug now addicted to heroin, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is a long-standing associate of the cartel and is suspected of involvement in at least one murder carried out on behalf of the dangerous mob.

Liability

He is a close business associate and personal friend of a number of high-ranking Kinahan members, and has spent most of his time between Dublin and mainland Europe.

"This lad would be seen as a tier one member of the cartel's Dublin wing and he is now out of his mind almost every day on gear," a source told the Herald.

"It now creates a huge problem for Daniel Kinahan and his gang, as this individual is a liability and could give information on the gang to rival gangs or gardai.

"This guy being on gear means that he is now liable to say anything to anyone. He knows where all the bodies are buried... literally."

The thug has been involved in gangland activity over the last two decades and has been a primary target of national units, including the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB).

Almost 80 gardai are being added to the Garda national units, including the DOCB, in the fight against organised crime.

So far, 50 detective sergeants have been added to the Special Crime Operations (SCO) unit, with a further 30 detective gardai to join at the beginning of July.

They will be added to a number of the national units, including the DOCB, to help gardai combat organised crime.

Kinahan was the primary target in the Regency Hotel shooting last year when five armed men stormed the Dublin venue and opened fire.

He managed to escape the hotel through a back entrance as one of the gunmen shouted: "He's not f**king in there. I can't find him."

The gang boss remains at the top of the Hutch hitlist.

Kinahan target James 'Mago' Gately - who cheated death when he was shot five times last month - has warned gardai that the deadly feud will not be over until Kinahan is killed.

"We will not rest until Daniel Kinahan is dead," Gately warned detectives when they visited his Coolock home in the aftermath of the Regency Hotel attack.

"He caused all of this. It won't end until he's in his grave."

After last month's botched murder attempt by a professional cartel hit team at a busy petrol station, Gately (30) vowed Dublin's gangland feud would continue.

Speaking from his hospital bed with a bullet lodged in his jaw, he told gardai: "I am not going down without a fight."

Yesterday, the Herald revealed that members of Daniel Kinahan's gang are so afraid of him that they refer to the crime boss only by a codename when discussing drug shipments and other crimes.

Fear

Criminals working for the cartel have started calling him 'The Cap' for fear of incriminating the mob leader.

The deadly Hutch/Kinahan feud has so far claimed 12 lives and gardai remain on high alert following the latest murder last month.

The number could have been higher if gardai had not disrupted more than 20 murder attempts in the last two years.

Gardai investigating the crime gangs involved in the ongoing feud say they have saved 25 lives.

Detectives from the DOCB have also seized 90m of drugs in the last two years, as well as 2,500 rounds of ammunition as they combat the "intensive" gang feud.
foundit66 said: Bookworm?

Let's try something simple.

A conversation took place between Trump (President) and Comey (FBI Director).

* It should be obvious that Trump's statements were not intimating Comey taped the conversation.

* WHO ELSE would have possibly recorded these conversations other than Trump (either directly or indirectly) or Comey? Click to expand...

So let's stop with this crap where we pretend it's too much to assume that Trump (if we assume he was not just plain lying) was referencing HIMSELF (either directly or indirectly) taping the conversation... Click to expand...

That's cute.

I never said threat, so the follow-on rambling is taking my apple to you talking about an orange and then orange juice and orange slices...



That Trump was "threatening" Comey with the truth should be understood. (Although it's a bit like an alcoholic threatening a regular person with a beer.)



THE VALIDITY of the threat and the pretense that Trump was taping the conversation is the point that I was making. Click to expand...

I would change "flair for the dramatic" to "propensity to be dishonest". Click to expand...

So Trump being stupidly paranoid (even though the people who would have placed those devices there should have informed Trump they weren't there long time ago) is basically an excuse for him being dishonest?:wacko: Click to expand...

But to put the shoe on the other foot, a bunch of people were resisting Obama too, correct? Click to expand...

So then would it have been just a logical leap for Obama to talk about people wiretapping him with absolutely no proof? Click to expand...

And on another note, does it get tiresome trying to lay down smoke-screens for Trump's idiocy? Click to expand...

The existence of the conversation is established. The assumptions come into play when dealing with what each of the parties were thinking during the conversation. You say it's obvious Trump wasn't intimating Comey taped it. How is that obvious? Trump had earlier accused the FBI of wiretapping during the election. He obviously didn't think the FBI was above wiretapping him. Trump knew that if the FBI WAS taping him, those tapes would prove Comey to be lying.I'm just taking at face value the statements of Trump himself regarding his thoughts while having the conversation. You are making the assumption that Trump must have been thinking something other than what Trump claims he was thinking. How about you stop with THAT crap.The minute you brought up the bomb on the plane, I thought that was an apple to oranges comparison. Earlier, RNG had spoken of the tapes as being a threat, so I thought maybe it was that previous conversation with him which you were referencing. I couldn't see any other connection to the statements I have been making. We've all heard of people who've made jokes about bombs when they didn't actually have one themselves. Saying, "I hope there isn't a bomb on the plane" is NOT normally something said by a person who actually brings a bomb on the plane. A "joke" like that also does not mean that the joker honestly suspects someone else might be bringing the bomb on the plane. The whole plane-bombing analogy has no comparison with the conversation-taping situation, in my opinion, unless you making a comment about the tapes being a threat.Well, I wouldn't. Those statement are two different things. Perhaps with some overlap, but still two different things.Dishonest how? If he truly believes himself to be wiretapped, then he is not being dishonest by wondering if there are tapes.Yeah. I didn't like that either. The Republicans sure set themselves up for some opposition to their president, but it seems to be getting excessiver and excessiver.Oh, he had a different logical leap. Democrats would accuse the Republicans of opposing Obama just because he was black, and they had no proof of that accusation.The tiresome thing is dealing with the liberals attempts to take every. little. thing. the president says or does and make it an issue of lying or idiocy.
BRISTOL, Tenn.  President of Friendship Enterprises Mitch Walters said Thursday he plans to build a state-of-the-art used-car mega center at the old Bristol Auto Auction that will bring the property back to life, create jobs and boost the local economy.

Walters, who recently purchased the abandoned property at 3192 West State St., said he will spend more than $4 million to build the 15,000-square-foot facility.

The old place is an eyesore, he said. Its dark, rundown and an embarrassment to the city. The new facility will be bright and fresh  something Bristol can be proud of.

Dustin Walters, vice president of Friendship Enterprises, said the showroom will be full of technology.

The business model for automotive sales has changed over the years  its more digital now, he said. The new store will be minimalistic. It will have a new, clean feel. There will be iPads in kiosks and big screens on the walls. Ive not seen anything like it in our area.

He explained that customers will be able to look at any of the 150-300 cars expected to be on the lot on the big screen.

They can then either walk out to the lot to see the car or well drive the car into the showroom for them to look at, Dustin Walters said. People will also be able to look at every car from every lot at the new facility  whether its in North Carolina or Johnson City. We can then drive the car here for them to see.

The new business, Friendshipcars.com, is expected to create 25 jobs.

Some of the jobs will be filled by current team members, Mitch Walters said. And some will be new hires  but all of them will need to be comfortable with technology.

He added when the facility first opens they expect to have 15 positions filled and the rest will come after the business has been open for a few years.

In an April 17 letter to City Manager Bill Sorah, Mitch Walters said the average pay for a team member is about $40,000 annually, which exceeds the average compensation for Sullivan County. The letter also said that the estimated retail sales will be between $15 million and $45 million annually.

Mitch Walters is also interested in entering into a development agreement with the city to take advantage of the Border Region Retail Tourism Development District Act that aided the nearby The Pinnacle development for the past few years.

The 2011 act allowed The Pinnacle to temporarily capture  for up to 30 years  the state sales tax revenues to repay the cost of bond debt used for building the center because the area borders Virginia, which has a lower sales tax rate.

Mitch Walters said on Thursday he expects to meet with Sorah to discuss a possible collaboration with the city.

The dealership is expected to open by the spring of 2018.

The plans are drawn up, Mitch Walters said. And we are very excited about the opportunity to give life to a great piece of property that was abandoned 10 years ago. Because our headquarters are in Bristol, and this new facility is coming in, Bristol wins.
BRISTOL, Va.  Bristol, Virginia, officials said Thursday the city plans to file suit against NuLife Glass for claims that the company breached a performance agreement.

NuLife Glass, which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2015 at a site along Gate City Highway near the Bristol Mall, entered into a performance agreement with the Virginia Tobacco Commission and the city.

According to the city, NuLife, which was expected to recycle old cathode ray tube TVs and computer monitors at its Bristol location, was to provide 46 jobs within the city and a quarterly payroll of at least $421,245. In addition, NuLife was required to locate or construct taxable assets within the city in the amount of $7.5 million, city officials said in a news release.

The company had until Jan. 9, 2017, to meet the obligations it promised to the Tobacco Commission, the city and state, the city said in the statement.

Between this January and May, the city said it continued to have discussions concerning the project. On June 14, City Attorney Randall Eads sent a letter to NuLife requesting a meeting so city officials could assist NuLife in meeting its obligations.

In the agreement, certain conditions were imposed which have not yet been met, Eads wrote in the letter to Simon Greer of NuLife. We would like to discuss with you your plan for meeting those conditions and offer you any assistance which would allow you to bring jobs to our area and be successful.

Eads asked Greer to contact him no later than June 30.

On Thursday afternoon, city officials said they learned NuLife terminated the small number of employees at its Bristol location. The city described the action as a breach of the performance agreement.

Its obvious NuLife received my letter dated June 14, 2017, and decided to come to Bristol without attempting to make amends with the city, Eads said Thursday. NuLife has now left several people without jobs in our city.

Eads said the city intends to file suit against NuLife and attempt to recoup everything that is due to the city based upon the breach of the performance agreement.

Mayor Bill Hartley added, The city has tried in good faith to work with NuLife Glass and will seek whatever remedies available to the city.

Greer, in an initial response to the news, noted Thursday that the city attorneys letter asked for a reply by June 30 to arrange a meeting.

Seems someone has already made up their minds of what any meeting may be about, Greer said in an email.
President Trump Using Trump Hotel to Hold Trump Re-Election Fundraiser



President. Candidate. Businessman. Three of President Donald Trump's roles converge next week as he holds his first re-election fundraiser at his hotel in Washington.



Trump can see the Trump International Hotel from the White House lawn, making it a premier and convenient location for the June 28 major-donor event, his campaign director Michael Glassner said.



But the choice also raises ethics questions, according to conflict of interest attorneys who have been critical of Trump's decision not to cut financial ties with his global business empire.



Kathleen Clark, a former ethics lawyer for the District of Columbia, said that while not illegal or even unusual for Trump, it's a bold example of self-dealing that deeply concerns some Americans.



"It's another example of him trying to get a twofer, promoting his brand through his campaign or his government work," she said.



...Trump has commingled business and politics right from the June 2015 day he glided down an escalator at Trump Tower in New York City to announce his candidacy.



Ethics experts say his continued appearances at his own for-profit propertieshe's visited such locations 37 times as president, according to an Associated Press tallydouble as a form of advertising that inappropriately enriches him....



His first re-election campaign fundraiser.... The election is 3-1/2 years off, and DJT can't stop campaigning.Well, he must not have much to do, as president, so he's doing what he does best: Campaign.
Wed never hear his voice again, said Fred Warmbier on Monday on the death of his son, U.Va. student Otto Warmbier, who was returned June 16 in a coma by North Korea after 17 months of no contact. Imagine seeing your child, now a young adult, study abroad to explore and absorb, just to have him returned to you after a year and a half  not of his own volition  in a state of unresponsive wakefulness, only to have him die three days later.

Theres a lot to ask about the unexpected death following a 17-month imprisonment in North Korea. The question with the most ambiguous conclusion is, what happens next?

Three other Americans detained in the reticent country pose a methodical challenge for our response. It was believed that North Korea treated native prisoners more harshly than international detainees, but we now know that theyre capable  and willing  to do a lot more. Brutal and terroristic was how Fred Warmbier described his sons treatment. Too forceful a response and those people could suffer even grimmer fates than Warmbier; too passive and nothing gets accomplished.

Trying to find a middle ground between strength and force will be a much-watched challenge for President Trump and his administration, both as a reflection of the administrations approach to American safety abroad and Trumps political inexperience.

How can we supplement our indignation of and need for accountability for Warmbiers death in a way that might improve future negotiations with North Korea, or least save the lives of three American prisoners?

Some have contemplated imposing more sanctions. This is an option already enacted to some degree and without much success. Now, secondary sanctions on Chinese banks are being discussed  because, for some reason, doing what weve already done will have a greater effect the second time around. How many sanctions can we actually implement before they become meaningless?

Enforcing a travel ban is also a possibility. The ban wouldnt intend to hurt tourism revenue so much as to prevent serving potential bargaining bait a la tour group. An estimated thousand American tourists visit North Korea a year, and restricting travel would give North Korea no human leverage.

A third option pushed by Rep. Tom Garrett, R-Va., is the re-addition of North Korea to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Inclusion on the list, which currently includes Iran, Sudan and Syria, bars the country from receiving U.S. assistance and doing business with certain exports like defense products, along with miscellaneous financial and other restrictions. But if the country was removed after it failed to keep its promise of halting its nuclear weapons development, jotting their name back on the list is futile, as it obviously wasnt taken seriously by North Korea to begin with.

One option that shouldnt be considered involves military occupation or force. Unlike the Syrian missile strike in April, its unwise to use a military response for demonstration purposes only, considering North Koreas unpredictability and expansion of deadly arsenal.

Some experts believe the appropriate response is much of what weve already been doing: conveying our dismay. But think about Secretary of State Rex Tillersons three-sentence statement on Warmbiers death, one of which was, We hold North Korea accountable for Otto Warmbiers unjust imprisonment, and demand the release of three other Americans who have been illegally detained. This is the only sentence calling for action  and it frankly seems so forgettable.

If we want to use the tragedy of Warmbier as a turning point in the bleak outlook with North Korea, weve got to do something more effective than demanding their concession. Otherwise, our administration, in all its criticism of previous administrations, is simply doing more of the same  which, as weve seen, isnt working.

Now, Otto Warmbier, a young, promising student, is another unnecessary victim, and yet again, the U.S. finds itself in a standoff against North Korea. With the more active and somewhat garish approach favored by Trump and the relentless preservation of power by Kim Jong Un, calling a bluff on either side would be shortsighted.
Nearly 80 PA people have been charged for Jan. 6 riot. Three are dead.

news
April 7, 1965  June 14, 2017

Edward David Pond, 52, was born in Lake Tahoe on April 7, 1965, the only child of David and Marvine Pond.

He passed away on June 14, 2017.

Ed lived in Lebanon most of his life. He attended Lebanon schools and graduated from Lebanon High School in 1983.

He later attended LBCC where he majored in theater.

Ed worked in many different jobs in his life; most recently as a fulltime volunteer caregiver for his mom, Marvine. Since his passing, she has moved into Lebanon Rehab. She survives.

Ed had no other close relatives. As he said, Friends are the family you get to CHOOSE. Ed made his friends into his brothers, sisters, moms and cousins.

He was witty and kind, outrageous and sweet, and was a connoisseur of all types of music and film. There wasnt an 80s music trivia question that could stump him.

Ed is gone too soon, but he will be remembered forever.

Eds body was donated to Western University of Health Sciences in Lebanon.

There will be a memorial service for Ed at a later date.
This old picture from the early 1900s was a family enigma for many decades, until the mystery was solved earlier this year. I have stayed in touch throughout the years with cousins who are the son and daughter of Minnie, the girl on the left. My cousins and I knew the picture was of our widowed grandmother, Hinda Schwartzman (with the black bow), along with her widowed daughter, Jennette Bayles (Baylish), and two of Jennette's three daughters-Minnie, left, and Anne, rear. My cousins guessed the young boy and little girl in the picture to be other Schwartzman cousins. It was not known when and where the picture was taken, and why the oldest Bayles daughter, Ida, was not in the picture.

Three years ago a granddaughter of Ida, Cousin Dinny, joined the hunt. Since all four of us now live in Florida, we got together for a family reunion. Dinny was able to provide us with new information, including a photo and an intriguing hint: her bubbe Ida revealed to Dinny many years ago that she (Ida) used to have a brother, but he died! This was shocking information for us-a male heir in the family in that generation was rare. According to the 1910 Cleveland Census, family matriarch Hinda (called Ida in the Census) had given birth to nine children of which only five survived. My father was the second youngest and only boy of the surviving five. The same Census showed Jennette to have had seven births, but only three survived. In that census, only two of those three surviving children-daughters Anne and Minnie-are listed in residence with their mother, grandmother, uncle (my father) and two aunts. Between mother and daughter, a total of eight children had been "lost"!

With leads from Ancestry.com, I found the ship manifest, which showed that Jennette arrived in America in February of 1909 with three children: Anne, Minnie and Froim, age four-boy! Was "Froim" a "typo"? Where is daughter Ida? Comparing the census to the 1909 ship manifest, there is no mention of the child Froim and still no mention of third daughter, Ida.

Another puzzle piece was added when Minnie's daughter found and provided me with this picture postcard of Jennette and her three daughters, Anne, Ida, and Minnie, but no Froim. On the back was their handwritten address with the signature of my father-Jennette's brother.

Following up on a recommendation at one of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) workshops, I reached out to the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland. In short order, I received the following response: "... regarding the child Froim, who immigrated in early 1909 but was not listed with his mother and siblings in the 1910 census. It seems that he died in Cleveland of osteomyelitis on Sept. 19, 1909. His Ohio death certificate from familysearch.org, under the name Fred Bailes, is attached."

Such tragic news-just past six months from arriving in America, eight days after his fifth birthday, and one day after being admitted to City Hospital, Froim died of osteomyelitis of the right femur, a condition easily treated with antibiotics these days, but for this young child, it was fatal. How tragic for this newly arrived, Yiddish speaking family! A ninth child gone.

Jennette's husband/Froim's father had died back in Bessarabia around 1907. At the hospital, that left Froim's uncle, Jacob Schwartz(man) (my father, then 21), to sign the death certificate on behalf of his bereaved, widowed sister.

Events tell us the second picture postcard was taken after 14-year-old Ida arrived in 1910-after that year's census was taken. The picture postcard shows all three sisters finally together, with their mother, Jennette, dressed in black. Such sad faces, it clearly was taken after Froim's death in September of 1909.

My father never ever mentioned this tragedy his family went through. He did, however, name his only son, Frank, after Froim, which we thought was solely after my father's father, Froim Schwartzman. Little Froim's sister, Minnie, also never mentioned having a brother to her two children. Only Froim's sister Ida, who was still back in Bessarabia when Froim died, made the chance mention to her granddaughter, Dinny, of once having a brother. That recollection now enables us to remember this treasured, sweet little boy who never had a chance to realize his potential life in America.

We now know the only extant picture of Froim was taken in America the summer of 1909. As to the little girl in the picture with him, the Cleveland City Directory (accessed through Ancestry.com) shows that a married sister of Jennette lived just two blocks away from her newly arrived mother and three sisters. This blond little girl was no doubt Diane Kolinski, visiting her grandmother, her Aunt Jennette, and three of Jennette's (then) four children.

To complete the puzzle, Cousin Dinny provided us with a very dramatic picture of her Grandmother Ida arriving in America on the ship, the SS Rhein, which sailed from Bremen German in April of 1910. The manifest lists "Chaika Schwartz" as being 14 years old. And, she was travelling alone! Again, we learned from Cousin Dinny that Ida (Chaika in Yiddish) had told her that she was left behind in Bendery, Bessarabia, to take care of Grandmother Bubbe Zipporah-whose daughter, Hinda, and grandchildren had all left for America. It was after Bubbe Zipporah's death that Ida sailed for America, arriving seven months after the death of her little brother.

Jennette (third from left) and her three daughters Anne, Ida and Minnie 1910.

I can't imagine the pain my family went through, newly arrived in America, speaking only Yiddish, and soon afterwards this dear little boy came down with a fatal infection in his leg. While it may have helped them carry on with their lives by "forgetting" Froim (or, at least not talking about him), I am glad that we cousins and great nieces can resurrect his memory and memorialize him in our family histories. Putting all these puzzle pieces together was made possible mostly by reaching out to other family members and using the various tools offered by Ancestry.com. Also, we had the help of another local Jewish Genealogical Society (in Cleveland)-where members are always willing to help with "brick walls".

Find Your Ancestors! For the first time, the upcoming 37th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy will be held in Orlando: July 23-28 at the Disney Swan Resort. More than 300 lectures and workshops and one-on-one consultations will be available. Ancestry.com, Ancestry DNA, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, JewishGen, and FamilyTreeDNA will be there to help you and answer questions. Henry Louis Gates Jr., host of the PBS hit series, Finding Your Roots, will be a featured speaker. More than 1,000 attendees are expected. The conference is well known for helping thousands of individuals discover their ancestors. For more information visit http://www.iajgs2017.org and "like" us at https://www.facebook.com/IAJGSConference/. Questions? Email info@iajgs2017.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. (JTA)The Israeli Embassy marked LGBT Pride Month with a reception for Jewish and Israeli activists and leaders.

About 100 people attended the event, which featured an address by Talleen Abu Hana, an Arab Christian from Nazareth who won the first Miss Trans Israel beauty pageant in 2016.

The embassy also paid tribute to the 49 victims of last years massacre at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida.

Just as the noxious fumes of anti-Semitism ultimately poison all of society, so too hatred towards the LGBT community threatens all of us, Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, said in brief remarks

He also asserted that Israel is the sole country in the Middle East with the values that progressives are supposed to champion, referring to Israels legal and popular support for gay rights.

Abu Hana spoke about her experience as a transgender woman in Israel. After winning the beauty pageant, she was runner-up at the Miss Trans Star International Pageant and a contestant on Israels Big Brother.

As a boy growing up in Nazareth, Abu Hana grappled with an intense internal conflict between body and soul, she said. When she showed an interest in womens clothes and makeup, her father lashed out at her.

Transforming from the most beloved child to the one everyone hated... I was lost and started thinking of killing myself, she said.

Abu Hana moved to Tel Aviv, where the LGBT community is known to be strong and accepting. One evening while hanging out with new friends, a transgender woman was talking about her transition.

I didnt get what she was talking about, Abu Hana recalled.

Another male friend said, Shes transgender, just like you.

Abu Hana was taken aback and insisted she was not. The male friend then took her face in his hands and said, You are going to be a woman and a beautiful one.

In an interview before the Pride event, Talleen emphasized the importance of moving to Tel Aviv, where the support she found as a Christian and an Arab facilitated her transition.

Israels universal health service covers the costs of sex-reassignment surgery.

The law is on your side, Talleen said, referring to the ease of changing ones gender and name on government-issued documents.

After winning Miss Trans in 2016, Abu Hana quickly rose to fame in Israel, where she is often mobbed by fans eager to take a selfie. In addition to modeling, she speaks to transgender youth at shelters in Tel Aviv and most recently at Casa Ruby, an LGBTQ community center in Washington, D.C. She said she is humbled to be an ambassador for peace between ones soul [and] ones body.

Abu Hana now lives with her boyfriend, who she met before her transition on a night of dancing at a Tel Aviv club.

Im lucky to be an Israeli, she said. Being an Israeli means being truly free.
(Kveller via JTA)Being the parent of a child with a disability can be lonely. Being the single parent of a child with a rare disability that is estimated to affect a mere 1 percent of the population can feel like being sentenced to solitary confinement.

Beginning in toddlerhood, my daughter Kate embarked on a lifetime of being poked and prodded, assessed and reassessed, and being escorted to multiple therapy appointments to address both a body and mind that were out of sync with everyone else. I felt helpless, like a failure and utterly alone.

Still, my loneliness doesnt compare to Kates. Now almost 21, she still has no friends and remains misunderstood by peers and adults. As a child, she was constantly described as quirky. Rejecting that label, she now just seems to be invisible and I am resentful of systems and schools and professionals who failed us.

When she was 15 months old, a doctor told me I was an overbearing Jewish mother after I expressed concern about Kates development (or lack thereof). At age 7, I watched with shock when her teacher did nothing after a classmate at our Jewish day school announced in front of everybody, Kate, no one would want to be your friend.

I was told No thank you by another teacher at the school when I offered resources and access to my daughters therapists (on my dime) so they could have a better understanding of her specific needs. Add to the list her middle school experience in public school and at an all-girls Catholic high school (unfortunately, no Jewish options exist in our community beyond sixth grade). And on and on and on...

But thank goodness, one area where Kates light has always managed to shine bright is through her Judaism. Ive always said I could put her on a desert island and she would find a way to be Jewish. In preschool, she learned Hebrew words from a native Israeli who did not speak English and therefore also was ignored by the other kids.

At 8, she read Torah for the first time at that same Jewish day school, and at 11 did so in front of her congregation. When she was 15, Kate participated in a pilgrimage trip to Israel, where she described being the shaliach tzibur, the prayer service leader, atop Masada as the highlight of her month long tour. And by 19, she was serving as gabbai rishon, a volunteer who runs the service, of our shul. Even today, Im sure she is the only one at her state university that lights Shabbat candles in her room.

My daughter loves to be Jewish. For years Ive listened to her mumble the prayer before draping her tallit around her shoulders and observed her as she carefully wrapped its fringes around her fingers before holding them to her forehead while reciting the Shema, or leading the congregation during one of the days services. She likes being counted as part of the minyan. Her presence matters.

Theres another thing that Kate loves: superheroes, from the television show Supernatural to the classic franchises. She holds her own while debating the merits of Marvel vs. DC with her uncle (Marvel, for sure) and writing a college term paper about the anthropological and spiritual undertones of television brothers Dean and Sam Winchester. They, along with Captain America, Spiderman, Super Girl, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and many others are her friends and her inspiration.

My daughter relates to misfit characters who have overcome their stations in life, whether they are from Krypton or Kansas, because that is what she has done for two decades and countingshes overcome.

These stories show her that she can save herself by persevering and continuing to be the resilient young woman that she is. But some days its hard.

I think some days, she feels as if having fictitious superheroes as role models isnt enough. It is on those days that I remind her that she, too, has a special capeher tallit that patiently waited for her in a drawer from the time she was 7 until she took her rightful place as a bat mitzvah. She doesnt need an occasion to wrap it around herself. She can put it on, sit quietly, and be enveloped in her Judaism and the power of faith. She can realize that she is not invisible but an authentic superhero in her own way.

Elissa Einhorn is a freelance writer and the mother of twin daughters.

Kveller is a thriving community of women and parents who convene online to share, celebrate and commiserate their experiences of raising kids through a Jewish lens. Visit Kveller.com.
"This is my town"...

That is the name of the newest BARRY MANILOW album. It refers to New York City, of course. (This is also my town!) Although I have been living here in Central Florida for more than half a century, I still walk, talk and think like a New Yawka. See what I mean?

Oy vay department...

I read this bit of disturbing news in the current issue of the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you in its entirety:

"The Palestinian terror group Hamas, has elected one of the commanders of its armed wing as its leader in the Gaza Strip.

YEHIYA SINWAR from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades replaces Ismail Haniyeh, a former prime minister in the territory's Hamas-run government. Sinwar was convicted and imprisoned in Israel for murder, but freed under a deal when Hamas released an Israeli in 2011. The 55-year-old Sinwar is known to oppose any compromise with the Jewish state.

Hamas rejects Israel's right to exist and the group's charter calls for Israel's destruction. Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the European Union, the United States and other world powers. The U.S. added Sinwar to its terrorism blacklist in September 2015.

The terror group has been in a state of conflict for years with Israel, with whom it has fought three wars since 2008. Hamas, which won the last parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories in 2006, has dominated Gaza since ousting forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President MAHMOUD ABBAS in 2007.

Israeli officials said Sinwar's appointment merely trades "one extremist with another."

COS Seniors...

The last meeting of the COS Seniors season was a few weeks ago and featured the talented clarinetist, ALLAN VACHE.

He had with him the fabulous CHARLIE SILVA on bass (I performed with him years ago at the Citrus Club), MARK McKEE, pianist, WALT HUBBARD, drums, and the very lovely vocalist, ASHLEY LOCHEED, who was not only a pleasure to hear but a pleasure to look at!

(And they had my cookies!)

Terrific Thursdays...

The JCC39ers, presided over by the very capable and wonderful RUTH (BILLIE) GOLDHAR and LILLIAN BERKOWITZ, will hold a "Popcorn Event" on Thursday, June 29th. There will be a special showing of the film "Being Julia."

So why not escape the heat and come for a really "cool" film.

Another terrific film ...

Yehiya Sinwaar

On the JCC39er's Cinema Sundays, the wonderful movie "Manchester by the Sea" featuring CASEY AFFLECK will be featured. WOW! (Who needs cookies?)

The date for the showing is Sunday, June 25th. For further information, phone the JCC at 407-645-5933.

Shout-Out...

AutoNation Toyota of Winter Park is lucky to have NOAH CADWELL as its assistant service manager. I was treated so wonderfully by him, like a son, in fact.

One for the road...

Morris says to his friend Max, "My wife Beckie is two hours late to meet me here."

Max responds, "She's probably been kidnapped or she's been involved in a terrible car crash or she's shopping."

Morris replys,"Oy vay! I hope she's not shopping!"
The arts, sciences, technology, literature, architecture, navigation, mapmaking, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy and art that flourished in Medieval Spain are often credited to Islam but this is a distortion of the role played by adherents of all three religions. The United Visigothic kingdom of Spain prior to the Muslim invasions had inherited five centuries of Roman civilization and had made use of the achievements of the Greeks and earlier Carthaginians as well as the Assyrians in agriculture, irrigation, mathematics, time keeping, the calendar, mining, architecture, road building, mosaic art, pottery, jewelry, law and civic responsibility.

The Muslim conquerors who arrived in 711 had inherited these same arts and sciences on their path of conquest across the Byzantine empire, the Near East and Christian-Roman North Africa. Christian and Jewish artisans and scholars made major contributions enabling the Muslim conquerors to make use of these achievements. The Schools of Translation established in Granada and Toledo by Muslim and Christian rulers respectively relied heavily on Jewish scholarship.

Spanish Civilization is indeed indebted to both its early Iberian-Carthaginian-Roman-Greek-Germanic-Celtic origins and the invaluable contributions of both Jews and Muslims in the Middle Ages. The "Golden Age" was due originally to a wise policy of coexistence but was short-lived and followed by centuries of chaotic condition of fanaticism and fratricidal conflict due to the extremist Berber sects who followed a policy similar to that of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda of today.

The bitter legacy of the expulsion in 1492, making the Sephardim "Spaniards without a country," and the Inquisition dominated Jewish memories of their ancestral homeland in the Iberian Peninsula for centuries. In Spain, the Jews remained on a level with the Moors as infidels in league with the devil. Spain remained Judenrein until shortly after the French revolution. Their presence was unofficially recognized by the constitution of 1868, following the fall of the corrupt regime of Queen Isabel II. Nevertheless, not until the turn of the following century was any Jewish public worship permitted.

Modern times

During that interval, several Spanish intellectuals began to muse and speculate upon what Spain might have lost through the expulsion of the Sephardim who had made outstanding contributions in many walks of life in Northern Europe, principally in the cities of London, Amsterdam, Bordeaux, Hamburg and Copenhagen, as well as in the Balkans, the Caribbean Islands and the USA.

Without a doubt, the most notable of these Philo-Semitic intellectuals was Angel Pulido. He devoted much of his life to working on behalf of improving relations; he visited the leading Sephardic centers in the Ottoman Empire, wrote dozens of articles for the Spanish press and three influential books. Pulido spoke before the Spanish Senate, met with the Chief Rabbi of Turkey and with the King of Spain. He achieved a level of sympathy and understanding for the Sephardim among some Spaniards and a sense of loss and regret for the expulsion.

So great was Pulido's influence that King Alfonso XIII, in an interview with Pulido, declared that he dreamt of a renewed greater Spain and that one of its principal components should be the readmission of the Sephardim and their full civil rights. In 1917, the king used his influence as the head of an important neutral state to demonstrate Spain's image as a progressive modern nation free from the old anti-Semitism of the Inquisition and the Medieval Catholic Church. Spanish diplomats put combined pressure on Germany to force the Turkish authorities in Palestine to rescind their order of expulsion against Tel Aviv and the Jewish agricultural colonies.

Queen Isabel II

In 1922, Spain voted in favor of the British mandate for Palestine and republican leaders expressed support for Zionism during a visit to Spain by Chaim Weizman in 1932 although these moves made the Catholic Church uneasy. It was, however, the Spanish Civil war (1936-1939), that for decades determined the attitude of the Zionist movement, Israeli leaders and worldwide Jewish opinion against Francoist Spain. The opposition took place due to the remarkable and still largely unrecognized role played by Spain under Franco in saving 30,000 Jewish refugees who escaped from occupied France or were provided with Spanish visas in the Balkans and enabled to enter Spain during WWII.

It is estimated that almost 20 percent of all the volunteers in the International Brigades, who came to Spain to fight Fascism were Jews. Their heroism and experiences have been vividly recorded. Their struggle shaped the view of Franco as a close ally of Hitler, but a more objective view would regard Franco as primarily an opportunist, a fervent anti-communist and represented conservative Spanish traditions and aspirations.
NEW YORK (JTA)Eighty percent of Jews live in two countriesIsrael and the United Statesbut Jewish organizations are spending more and more of their money elsewhere.

Jewish aid to the developing worldthe impoverished set of countries your zayde called the third worldhas grown quickly in the past couple of decades. What used to be a handful of groups has grown to become a constellation of organizations working on anything from solar power in Rwanda to agricultural sustainability in Nepal. Together, the groups aid millions of people.

Jewish global service efforts come from across the Jewish world and provide funding and personnel to a range of causes and places. Now, for the first time, a survey has quantified the industrys basics: where it works, how many people it helps and how much money it spends. The survey was conducted in March by Olam, an umbrella organization for Jewish global service groups, and was shared with JTA on Monday.

Here are five indicators that explain this booming sector.

Jewish groups spend at least $125 million in the developing world.

While it doesnt compare to the billions Jews give every year to Israel, the amount Jews give in this sector tops well over $100 million annually. Of the 47 groups Olam covers, 26 reported operating budgets that total $125 million in funding for international development.

Some of those groups are small initiatives, each with a budget of under $100,000all of which goes to the developing world. Others are sprawling organizations like the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which dedicates a small but still sizable portion of its $300 million budget to international development.

The reported budgets range from $60,000 to $45 millionthe median budget is just shy of $1 million. Some of the largest are the American Jewish World Service and the refugee aid group HIAS, each of which has a budget of approximately $40 million.

The groups reach 3 million people...

The Jewish global service world spans a wide range of causes. Many of the groups work on some form of womens empowerment and education, while a handful focus directly on goals like alleviating hunger or expanding access to technology.

Altogether, through seminars, direct aid, education or employment programs, the groups help 3 million people. As with the budget figures, five of the groups dominate the field, accounting for 92 percent of the people reached. Because the individual data of the groups has been kept confidential, the survey does not indicate which five groups these are.

...and enlist nearly 2,000 volunteers.

Much Jewish international aid work is done either by funding local nonprofits or sending professionals to coordinate aid. But some of the nonprofits most visible work is through volunteer programs that send young Jews to work on the ground in the developing world. In total, 19 of the groups surveyed send 1,850 volunteers to do aid work. Of those volunteers, most of them went on short-term programs lasting a week or two, most were college students and nearly all were Jewish. Like the overall Jewish population, nearly four-fifths came from North America or Israel.

The survey found that organizations also use the volunteer trips to reinforce Jewish identity. Eighty-one percent of volunteer experiences had some form of Jewish curriculum, as well as a structured way to observe Shabbat.

The [Diaspora] Jewish organizationsmany of them were started with a Jewish identity experience or a Jewish education piece, said Dyonna Ginsburg, Olams executive director. You have a tendency among the non-Israeli organizations to be more focused on the volunteer aspect, and among the Israeli organizations to be more focused on professional areas of expertise.

The field has expanded rapidly since 2000 and is increasingly centered in Israel.

Some Jewish global service groups are more than a century old. But two-thirds20 of the 30 that responded to the surveywere founded in the 21st century. In addition to helping countries across the globe, the organizations also come from countries the world over. While many are based in the U.S. and Canada, others are found in South Africa, Australia or Mexico.

But the plurality of the groups come from the country thats also the biggest beneficiary of Jewish charity: Israel. The Jewish state is home to 27 of Olams 46 member groups, ranging from Brit Olam, an international volunteering group, to Innovation: Africa, which provides solar and agricultural technology to African villages.

Ginsburg says the Israeli global service world has ballooned in recent years due to Israelis increased affluence. Also, she adds, Israeli groups can focus on specific areas of international development without having to worry about being their countrys Jewish representative in the field, like the American Jewish World Service or Australias StandUp.

Theres this general sense at least among some that Israel is in a place where it can not just think of meeting its own needs, but [can] share some of that with others, she said. Many of those are niche organizations with specific areas of expertise, in agriculture, in clean tech, in health care, education, et cetera, so they dont see themselves as the Israeli or Jewish voice.

South Asia and East Africa attract the most groups

Jewish service efforts span what activists sometimes call the global south, where much of the worlds poverty is found. In total, the groups provide services or aid in 69 countries. But two regions are especially popular aid destinations: South Asia and East Africa.

A dozen groups are active in India, with its vast geography and massive population, while eight are active in Nepal, four in Myanmar and three in Sri Lanka. East Africas countries also attract the attention of a range of groups, from 11 that are active in Uganda to nine in Kenya and six in Rwanda.

Notably, both regions have remote Jewish communities. The Abayudaya Jewish community lives in the hills of central Uganda, and the Bnei Menashe hail from the eastern Indian province of Manipur.
NEW YORK (JTA)-The vast majority of Reform and Conservative rabbis affiliate as Democrats, according to a new study.

The study, published Sunday by Yale University, found that more than 80 percent of Reform rabbis, and about 70 percent of Conservative rabbis, affiliate as Democrats. Both were among the top five most Democratic clergy of the Jewish and Christian denominations in the United States, with Reform rabbis topping the list.

Among Orthodox rabbis, nearly 40 percent identify as Democrats and a quarter as Republicans.

By contrast, Evangelical pastors are almost all Republicans, as are most Baptists. The Black Protestant African Methodist Episcopal clergy, as well as Unitarian ministers, are heavily Democratic. Catholic priests are evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.

Anyone familiar with American Jews won't be surprised by the data. Solid majorities of American Jews consistently vote for Democrats-70 percent voted for Hillary Clinton in the November presidential race-with polls showing that Orthodox Jews are more likely to vote Republican. Reform Jews have been on the front lines of protests against President Donald Trump.

"The overwhelming majority of non-Orthodox Jews look at Jewish values and Jewish tradition, and their understanding of them, and come out in a place that's fairly liberal on the American political spectrum," said Mark Pelavin, chief program officer for the Union for Reform Judaism. "I don't think there's anything new there."

Orthodox Jews make up about 10 percent of the American Jewish population, various studies show. One-third, or 35 percent, of all U.S. Jews identify with the Reform movement, 18 percent identify with Conservative Judaism, 6 percent with other movements and 30 percent with no denomination, according to the Pew Research Center.

The Yale study also shows that rabbis' political views track with congregants' views on policy. For example, 40 percent of Orthodox rabbis are Democrats, and some 40 percent of Orthodox congregants are pro-choice, while about 30 percent of congregants believe gays and lesbians should be legally allowed to marry. Likewise, large majorities of Conservative and Reform rabbis are Democrats, and large majorities of their congregants are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage.

The study noted that clergy tend to be more politically polarized than their respective congregants, which Jewish sociologist Steven M. Cohen said is unsurprising. Leaders, Cohen said, tend to be more involved and more ideological than their followers.

"Clergy in general are more politically active and more likely to take on the distinctive patterns of their followers, more than the followers themselves," said Cohen, a professor at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. "Elites tend toward political poles more than the masses, and clergy are part of the elites."

The split among Orthodox rabbis reflects Orthodox voters' focusing more on individual issues than an overarching political ideology, said Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center. He added that, regardless of the movement's reputation for political conservatism, most of its congregations are still located in "blue" states.

"It's not about parties, it's about issues," Diament said. "In recent years, I would say, from the Orthodox community, there's been a sense that Republicans have positions that are more attractive with regard to policy on Israel. On the other hand, a lot of people in the Orthodox community, including rabbis, believe in supporting social welfare safety-net programs, which is something that would put them more aligned with Democratic political positions."

In total, the data cover 130,000 clergy, including approximately 2,700 rabbis. The data were collected via denominational websites cross-referenced with voter registration records. Some denominations and religions-including Mormons and Muslims-are not included due to lack of reliable clergy lists.

The data also show that the Reform rabbinate is the second-most female of any denominational clergy. Forty-five percent of Reform rabbis are women, as opposed to an average of 16 percent across the denominations surveyed. About a quarter of Conservative rabbis are women; nearly all the Orthodox clergy are men.

"In recent years, the Democrats have been more on the side of rights in regard to women [and] women's health issues," said Rabbi Hara Person, the chief strategic officer for the Reform movement's Central Conference of American Rabbis. "It would seem to me that the more women you have as clergy, the more you're going to lean toward Democrats."

An analysis of the data by The New York Times found that rabbis on average lived in the most affluent neighborhoods of any clergy. The median household income of Conservative rabbis' neighborhoods is nearly $100,000 on average, compared to a national median household income of $53,000. The Times article noted that average neighborhood income does not necessarily reflect pastors' salaries.
(JTA)-Before he threw Sarah Halimi to her death from a window of her third-story apartment in Paris, 27-year-old Kobili Traore called his Jewish neighbor "Satan" and cried out for Allah.

These and other facts about the April 4 incident that shocked French Jewry are known from testimonies and a recording made by a neighbor, according to the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism watchdog.

Years before the attack, Traore called a daughter of his 65-year-old victim, whom he beat savagely before killing, "a dirty Jewess," the daughter said.

Despite these accounts Traore, who reportedly has no history of mental illness, was placed under psychiatric evaluation as per his temporary insanity claim. Prosecutors presented a draft indictment against him for voluntary manslaughter that contains no mention of the aggravated element of a hate crime.

The omission, along with the perceived indifference of authorities and the media in France to a crime that was largely eclipsed by a dramatic elections campaign, has left many members and leaders of the country's traumatized Jewish community feeling marginalized and angry at a society they say is reluctant to confront anti-Semitism head-on.

"The authorities' failure to state the terrorist and anti-Semitic nature of this murder is nothing unusual," Shmuel Trigano, an author of 24 books and a scholar on anti-Semitism, said in an interview on Radio J three weeks after the killing.

Trigano for years has been accusing French authorities of turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism-including at times when leaders of French Jewry praised their government for taking extraordinary measures to protect Jews, particularly for deploying thousands of armed soldiers around Jewish institutions for their protection following the murder of four Jews at a kosher supermarket in Paris in January 2015.

Yet amid silence by authorities and the national media about the April 4 killing, l'affaire Halimi has emerged as a rallying issue for Jewish leaders, activists and prominent thinkers. They say the investigation is indicative of a deeper problem in French society and the community's first major test for the administration of the newly elected president, Emmanuel Macron.

"Everything about this crime suggests there is an ongoing denial of reality" by authorities, 17 French intellectuals wrote this month in an open letter published in Le Figaro. "We demand all the truth be brought to light in the murder of Sarah Halimi," added the authors, including Alain Finkielstein, a Jewish philosopher and member of the Academie Francaise-the guardian of French language and culture.

Amid growing criticism by its constituents CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish communities, substituted its calls for patience for authorities' handling of the investigation with open criticism over its handling and bid to intervene legally.

"A Jewish woman, a physician who ran a kindergarten, was murdered at her home amid cries of 'Allah hu akbar," CRIF Vice President Robert Ejnes wrote in a statement titled "An Increasingly Heavy Silence" nearly two months after the incident. The phrase "Allah hu akbar," which means "God is great" in Arabic, is sometimes linked to terrorist attacks.

The judiciary, Ejnes added, "has not referenced the anti-Semitic character of the murder but it is clear that Ms. Sarah Halimi of blessed memory was killed because she was Jewish by a murderer motivated by Islamism."

And the media "has practically not spoken about this, as though the defenestration of a woman is not unusual in Paris in 2017!" he wrote, giving voice to one of the aspects of the affair that many French Jews say is among its most painful aspects.

But it was the open letter by the 17 intellectuals on June 4 that broke the silence in the national media about that affair, according to Herve Gardette, a journalist for the France Culture state radio station. On June 8, Gardette investigated the case in a program titled "Is There a Denial of Anti-Semitism in France?"

Long before the Halimi case, Jewish leaders and thinkers have been complaining for years of a reluctance in society to face inconvenient truths about crimes when their victims happen to be Jewish.

Gardette, who is not Jewish, acknowledged this on his show.

"Strikingly, this murder immediately brings to mind another older murder, of Ilan Halimi in 2006, 24 days after his abduction, and how long it took back then for the anti-Semitic character of the crime to be admitted by the detectives and journalists. So nothing has changed," he said. "Is there a denial of anti-Semitism in France?"

Ilan Halimi (no relation), a Jewish phone salesman, was abducted, tortured and murdered by a gang led by a career criminal with a history of targeting mostly Jewish victims.

In an open letter addressed to French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, the French-Jewish philosopher and historian Alexandra Laignel-Lavastine suggested the silence around the Sarah Halimi case stems from the establishment's desire not to offend Muslims-and to deprive the anti-Muslim far right, led by the leader of the National Front party Marine Le Pen, of campaign fodder.

"Insisting on not calling a spade a spade, minimizing ('isolated acts' and 'lone wolves'), euphemizing ('children lost to jihad'), justifying, banalizing and playing psychiatrist will get us nowhere," Laignel-Lavastine wrote.

As for Macron, his official platform speaks of "fighting with determination against all radical streams that distort the values" of Islam, and the distrust of institutions, conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism they represent. But Macron has remained vague on solutions, proposing to conduct the fight by "helping French Muslims to achieve the [restructuring] of their institutions."

Those who believe that France, despite its previous government's strong mobilization to protect Jews, has a denial problem cite a long list of cases that they say have been swept under the carpet.

According to Trigano's research, the French government under former President Jacques Chirac suppressed the anti-Semitic characteristics of at least 500 assaults recorded in the years 2000-02, when anti-Jewish incidents grew from a few dozen annually to hundreds of incidents each year.

More recent cases included the omission of an anti-Semitic motive in a draft indictment against the alleged perpetrators of a 2014 rape and robbery of a Jewish family in the Paris suburb of Creteil. The hate crime element was added following a public outcry.

In 2015, a man who stabbed three Jews near a synagogue in Marseille while crying Allah's name was initially labeled mentally ill by police, who revised their indictment to omit any reference to mental health following criticism by Jewish leaders.

The question about denial "needs to be asked, and in those terms," Alain Jakubowicz, president of the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism-the French counterpart of the Anti-Defamation League-said during the June 8 radio broadcast. "There is a denial of reality when it comes to this new form of anti-Semitism, which is as deadly as the previous and which poses a problem particularly in France."

Scholars and watchdogs also worry that anti-Semitic acts are labeled and minimized as "anti-Israel." The scrapping this year of a documentary about this phenomenon-what some call the "new anti-Semitism"-by the Franco-German Arte television channel "shows the specific treatment of this subject in France, as opposed to other countries," said Jakubowicz.

Magali Lafourcade, president of the French government's National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, said she welcomes the debate over whether authorities downplay anti-Semitism and hate crimes. However, referring to the Halimi case during the France Culture broadcast, she said "we need to let the judiciary do its job" and detectives need time to review all aspects of the case.

In March, Lafourcade's commission reported a 50 percent drop in the number of anti-Semitic crimes, which it attributed to the deployment of troops outside synagogues, Jewish schools and other institutions deemed at risk of anti-Semitic attacks. But her report questioned the existence of the "new anti-Semitism" and noted only far-right perpetrators of anti-Semitic crimes, stating that other perpetrators could not be classified one way or another.

Jakubowicz rejected Lafourcade's call to wait for word from the judiciary on the Halimi case.

"The entire reason for this mobilization," he said in the radio program, "is that the judiciary is not doing its job."
There will be a demonstration for the International Day of al-Quds at Lake Eola Park this evening from 6 p.m.-8 p.m., sponsored by the Muslim Congress (muslimcongress.org).

The flier for the International Day of al-Quds says "Let's stand united with all humans of conscience-be they Jews, Christians, or Muslims-for the sake of haqq (truth) and to show support for the innocent civilian victims of global Zionism, false flag operations, imperialism, occupation, neocolonialism, racism, Islamophobia, white supremicism and oppression."

Last weekend, a prominent British Muslim organization encouraged its supporters to carry Hezbollah flags at its anti-Israel demonstration.

Al-Quds Day was initiated by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 following the Islamist seizure of power during the revolution that same year. A recent Anti-Defamation League briefing on the annual event noted that its observation in Iran is "marked by a hateful demonstration of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment, manifest in government organized rallies and other activities."

"Before Al Quds Day in 2016, Iran's leadership rallied the country," the ADL briefing reported. "Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei called its commemoration and support for the oppressed Palestinians an important religious duty."

How should the Orlando Jewish community respond? "Truth" is being turned inside-out. As Americans, we have the privilege of free speech and the right to demonstrate peacefully and responsibly. However, that does not give us the right to speak untruths, which incite people to anger and violence based on lies.

The truth? There are no victims of global Zionism. Israel is not an imperialistic nor neocolonialistic nation. Israel does not practice racism or oppression. These truths must be shared so that people can make well-informed decisions.

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."-Elie Wiesel.
Cocktails. Crowds. And a worthy cause! The Citrus Club Young Executive Board and the Citrus Club of Orlando brought all three together on Tuesday, June 6, hosting its monthly "United for a Purpose" event, benefitting The Jewish Pavilion.

Jewish Pavilion Marketing Director Pam Ruben commented, "We are grateful to The Citrus Club for putting on a 'happy hour with a heart,' and were thrilled to be the chosen charity of the month by its Young Executive Board. Special kudos to Carina Gerscovich, as well as the Gerscovich family, for championing the senior community."

Keynote speaker, Carina Gerscovich, Jewish Pavilion Friends Board Member and member of the Citrus Club's Young Executive Board, commented, "I have been volunteering with the Jewish Pavilion for the past year. You may wonder why a young person like myself is interested in the senior community. I fell in love with the Pavilion's mission to connect elder-care residents with community, with seniors of all faiths enjoying our programs." Gerscovich added, "My own grandmother (abuela) is 103-years-old, and lives in Argentina. It would be very comforting if we could rely on an agency like the Jewish Pavilion to provide her with festive holidays, friendly visits, and musical programs when we can't be there."

The Jewish Pavilion has been bringing community to the doorsteps of elder-care residents since 2001. Residents of all faiths enjoy the Pavilion's programs.

You can personally make a difference. Become a fan. Visit http://www.facebook.com/jewishpavilion or to make a donation or learn more visit http://www.Jewishpavilion.org.
Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, host of the popular PBS television show "Finding Your Roots," will address the IAJGS annual awards banquet with a talk on "Genealogy and Genetics in America.

What do Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alexander Hamilton and Aida have to do with discovering your ancestors? To find out, join other genalogists at the 37th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy from July 2328 at the Disney World Swan Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., host of the PBS hit series "Finding Your Roots," will be the featured speaker on "Genetics and Genealogy in America" on Thursday evening at the conference. Some of the many celebrities that Gates has successfully helped to find their Jewish roots include Barbara Walters, Julianna Margulies, Gloria Steinem, Norman Lear, Tony Kushner, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., Carole King, Alan Dershowitz and Dustin Hoffman.

"This is a one of a kind opportunity for the Greater Orlando Jewish community to trace their ancestors-both for those totally new to family history research and those already experienced in genealogy," said Dr. Diane Jacobs, local host conference co-chair.

EXPO! will be held on Sunday, July 23, the first day of the conference. EXPO! is free and open to the public. EXPO! attendees can visit the Exhibit Hall, SHARE Fair and special lectures. How to use the latest family discovery tools and technologies will be described by top names in the field from Ancestry, FamilySearch, Family Tree DNA, Family Tree Maker, Geni, MyHeritage, RootsMagic, and others. At the SHARE Fair, dozens of organizations specializing in records, maps and other tools for family history research from various areas will have their resources on display. While EXPO! is free, pre-registration is required and there will be a parking charge at the hotel.

Sunday evening will feature "Alexander Hamilton, the Jews, and the American Revolution," presented by Dr. Robert Watson, professor, historian, author, and media commentator.

Wednesday evening, there will be a special showing of the 2016 acclaimed documentary "Aida's Secrets" (sponsored by MyHeritage). This documentary is a story about family secrets, lies, high drama and generations of contemporary history. The international story begins with World War II and concludes with an emotional 21st century family reunion. Izak was born inside the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp in 1945 and sent for adoption in Israel. Utilizing the resources of Yad Vashem and MyHeritage, secret details of his birth mother, an unknown brother in Canada and his father's true identity slowly emerge in this extremely personal investigative film.

Featured Monday evening, acclaimed expert and author on etymology and geographic distribution of Jewish surnames, Alexander Beider and Harry Ostrer will debate "Setting the Record Straight: What Yiddish and DNA Tell Us About Ashkenazi Origins" (sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA).

On Tuesday evening, "1917: A Turning Point in American Jewish History" (sponsored by JGSLA) will be presented by Hasia Diner, author and Paul and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish history at New York University.

Professor Robert Watson, a featured speaker at the IAJGS Florida/Caribbean conference, will talk about our Nevis-born founding father "Alexander Hamilton, the Jews, and the American Revolution."

The conference will include special emphasis on finding ancestors through DNA, finding Converso/Anusim ancestors, Jews in Florida, the Caribbean and the South, and strategies for passing your family legacy on to younger generations. Conference tracks, workshops, and sessions will focus on how to trace your ancestry through the Diaspora: in Poland, Galicia, Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Sub-Carpathia, Czech Republic, North Africa, South Africa, Brazil, Bessarabia/Moldova, and more. The special aspects of tracing Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, and rabbinic family lines will be covered.

More than 100 experts will lecture, hold workshops, and provide one-on-one consultations. Attendees can come for one day or the whole conference or anything in between. Go to http://iajgs2017.org for more information and to register and "like" us at https://www.facebook.com/IAJGSConference/.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett, the architect of a new policy that could ban political opinions in Israeli classrooms, at a Knesset meeting in Jerusalem, June 12, 2017.

JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israel's minister of education says he wants to protect students from political coercion in the classroom. But critics of a new code of academic conduct he is proposing say it's a power play meant to stifle left-wing opinions in higher education.

The code of ethics for institutes of higher education, which would bar the expression of political views in classrooms, was drafted at the request of Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the pro-settler Jewish Home party. It has roiled the Israeli academy and spurred a fierce national debate about the role of politics in the classroom.

The chiefs of Israel's universities have rejected the code. In a statement Sunday, the Committee of University Heads said it "severely and fundamentally violates the concept of academic freedom."

"A careful study of the code shows that although it is defined as an 'ethical code for appropriate behavior in the areas of overlap between academic activity and political activity,' many of its articles deal with general activities in academic research and lectures," the statement said. "As such, this code is a collection of state rules to dictate our conduct as faculty members."

Academics and politicians widely criticized the code, which has yet to be made policy, with some characterizing it as part of a wave of undemocratic actions by the current right-wing government. But a number of right-wing voices on campus praised it as a solution to the politicization of academia, which is widely seen as left-leaning.

At the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, Bennett said the code would help protect students' freedom of speech

"Today, we are working to prevent the silencing of voices in academia, to prevent a situation in which a student can be hurt because of his political opinions and a lecturer who gets wages from taxpayers can put out a call for an academic boycott," he said.

Asa Kasher, an Israel Prize-winning philosopher at Tel Aviv University who wrote the initial version of the Israeli army's code of ethics, drafted the new code at Bennett's request.

The document addresses a variety of topics. But critics have been most troubled by the limitations it would impose on how lecturers talk about politics on the job-prohibiting opining on political candidates, parties or "a recognized public dispute," a broad phrase that could be applied to many issues in Israel.

The code also would prohibit lecturers from calling for or supporting academic boycotts against Israeli educational institutions-a tactic used by pro-Palestinian activists around the world. Academic institutions are encouraged to establish a unit to "monitor political activity on campus" and field complaints about lecturers from students. Lecturers found to be speaking inappropriately about politics could be disciplined.

Bennett plans to bring the code for approval to the Council for Higher Education, the state body for making higher education policy that he heads. But Haaretz reported Monday that the necessary majority did not plan to vote in favor.

As a leading voice of the right, Bennett has been accused of attempting to strengthen right-wing views in education. Israel's current government has sought to reshape various Israeli institutions in its image, leading some to accuse it of undermining democratic values.

At Sunday's Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was considering legislation that would limit the ability of left-wing advocacy groups to appeal to the High Court of Justice-a prominent right-wing bugbear. Earlier this month, Culture Minister Miri Regev threatened to defund a major arts festival for including nudity, which she said threatened Israeli values. And since May, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has held up the appointment of a new Supreme Court president in a reported bid for greater influence over other nominees to the bench.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin may have been referring to any of these developments in his speech Sunday at the Knesset.

"The freedom to express a different opinion, different thought, requires protection," he said. "The voices of the minority are essential to scientific research, to art and the humanities and social sciences."

In an interview Sunday with the Israeli newspaper Yediot Acharonot, Tel Aviv University President Yossi Klafter, the chair of the Committee of University Heads, called the new code of ethics "fundamentally wrong and driven by political interests." Klafter said it would be "used by interest groups to clash with academic faculty members on a daily basis."

Politicians from the left and center-left sought to portray the code as part of a larger anti-democratic trend. In a Facebook post Sunday, Zionist Union lawmaker Erel Margalit said it simply aimed to "silence voices and make lecturers afraid."

"No one believes this document is aimed at improving the academy or benefiting students," he said. "This is a struggle not just for academic freedom but for freedom in general."

Zehava Galon, who heads the left-wing Meretz party, tweeted Sunday that it is a "Bolshevik code that undermines education for democracy and pluralism."

Kasher dismissed much of the criticism that his code is political. He said he was inspired in part by policies of the Association of American University Professors, or AAUP, which has long maintained that teachers "are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject."

However, AAUP is a professional group, not a state one. In addition, it supports political activism by faculty outside the classroom, and discussion of controversial material in the classroom, so long as it fosters "genuine debate and learning that is germane to the subject matter of a course."

One university head who was not included in the statement issued by his eight counterparts is defending the draft code.

Yigal Cohen Orgad, a former Knesset member from the right-wing Herut party and the chancellor of Ariel University in the West Bank, has not been accepted as a member of the Committee of University Heads. The committee publicly opposed Ariel's successful but controversial bid in 2012 to be upgraded from a college to a university.

"By any logical standard, there is a place for such a guiding code of ethics that guides proper behavior," he told JTA on Monday. "You can be in deep dispute about whether Ariel should exist or not, if Hebrew University has the right to exist despite the fact that some of its dormitories are on private [Palestinian] land. But it's not legitimate for an Israeli scholar to go abroad and preach for people to boycott an Israeli university."

Elisha Haas, who runs the biophysics program at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, from which Ariel broke off in 2005, questioned whether many critics had even read the code. He said the proposed policies were reasonable steps to ensure that students felt comfortable and were treated fairly in their classes, especially given Israel's unique circumstances.

"Israel is a small system, and small systems by definition have many more fluctuations and extremes. We need to make sure it doesn't jump from one extreme to another," he told JTA. "Also, Israel is the only country in the world that people think should not exist, that it's existence is not justified, and people teach this concept, which is a problem Israel should not tolerate."

University students are divided, too.

The National Union of Israeli Students threatened to organize a strike if the code was implemented, and already this week, student protests are being held on at least three university campuses. An invitation for protest at Hebrew University read, "Bennett is pushing for silencing of lecturers in academia under the guise of an ethical code. We say no to silencing, yes to academic freedom. We can't allow for a situation in which a lecturer is unable to express his opinion, or the university is subjugated to the whims of politicians."

But the right-wing student group Im Tirtzu said the code would restore "sanity to Israeli academia."

"The ethical code compiled by Professor Asa Kasher is a correct and appropriate step toward the goal of ending politicization in academia," Matan Peleg, the head of the group, said Monday in a statement.
JERUSALEM (JTA)Israels security cabinet agreed to reduce the amount of electricity Israel supplies to the Gaza Strip at the request of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas said he would reduce by 40 percent how much money the P.A. pays Israel to supply the electricity, with a concurrent reduction in the amount of electricity delivered, Haaretz reported. He reportedly made the decision in order to put pressure on Hamas in Gaza.

At the security cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli military officials described a worsening economic and humanitarian situation in Gaza, and said military commanders believe that further reductions in the electricity supply to Gaza are likely to hasten an escalation in violence, Haaretz reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official familiar with the issue who was present at the meeting.

The army officials at the meeting did not advise any leniency for Hamas, the source told Haaretz.
Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt returning to Jerusalem this week

(JTA)Two top advisers to President Donald Trump, including his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner, will return to Jerusalem this week to push for restarted peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The visits to Jerusalem and Ramallah by Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, and national security aide Jason Greenblatt were widely reported on Sunday night, all citing unnamed White House officials. The visits were first reported in The Wall Street Journal.

It will be the first major peace push by the White House since Trump visited the region last month.

Kushner, who reportedly will arrive in Israel on Wednesday, is scheduled to meet in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Greenblatt is scheduled to arrive Monday in Jerusalem.

An unnamed White House official told The Wall Street Journal that no three-way talks are expected during the visits and that no major breakthroughs are anticipated. Reuters reported that the White House has been holding behind-the-scene talks since Trumps visit at the end of May, which reportedly was planned by Kushner.

Unnamed White House officials cited by several news sources reiterated that an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians is a priority for the Trump administration.

Kushner is currently under scrutiny as part of the investigation into whether Trump officials colluded with Russia to sway the outcome of the presidential election.

British Jewish leaders condemn London van attack on Muslim worshippers

(JTA)The deadly van-ramming attack at a mosque in London is a painful illustration of why we must never allow hatred to breed hatred, Britains chief rabbi said.

Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said his thoughts were with those affected by the attack just after midnight Monday in which a van drove into a group of people standing in front of the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London, killing one person and injuring 10. All the victims are Muslims, according to reports.

Some bystanders told reporters that the vans driver said Kill all Muslims and I did it following the attack, and he reportedly smiled and waved at the crowds as he was taken away in a police cruiser.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews condemned the attack in a statement issued shortly after it occurred.

All good people must stand together and join in rejecting hatred and violence from wherever it comes. The way forward is to strengthen the moderate majority and repudiate and marginalize extremism of every type, the statement said.

The statement added: Hatred of people because of their religion has no place in our society.

British police said the incident was being investigated as an act of terrorism, which would make it the fourth such attack in England since March, including two van-ramming and stabbing attacks on and near London Bridge, and a bombing outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

The van driver in the mosque attack was arrested after being seized and prevented from fleeing by bystanders; a Muslim imam reportedly stopped the crowd from injuring the attacker. His mental health reportedly will be assessed.

The European Jewish Congress in a statement called the attack unconscionable.

We condemn this attack and its attempt to escalate tensions in the UK and we stand firmly beside our Muslim brothers and sisters in the aftermath of this attack, EJC President Dr. Moshe Kantor said in the statement. An attack on one religion is an attack on all religions, and all people and faiths must stand together against terror.

Israel reportedly is secretly aiding Syrian rebels along Golan border

(JTA)Israel has been secretly providing aid to Syrian rebels on the border in the Golan Heights for several years, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The aid includes cash, as well as food, fuel and medical supplies, the newspaper reported in an article that first appeared on its website Sunday night. The story cited interviews with about half a dozen Syrian fighters.

The Israeli army is in regular communication with rebel groups and its financial assistance helps pay the salaries of fighters and buy ammunition and weapons, according to the report. In addition, Israel has established a military unit that oversees the support in Syria.

Rebels and the military loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad have been fighting since 2011 in a civil war that at times has spilled over into Israeli territory with errant fire. The Israeli military has responded to the rocket and artillery fire that landed on Israels side of the Golan Heights.

Israel has acknowledged treating thousands of Syrians injured in the war, both on the border and in hospitals in the north of the country, as well as providing some humanitarian aid to civilians living near the border, including food and clothing.

Israels military neither confirmed nor denied The Wall Street Journal report, telling the newspaper that the Israel Defense Forces is committed to securing the borders of Israel and preventing the establishment of terror cells and hostile forces  in addition to providing humanitarian aid to the Syrians living in the area.

The fighters interviewed for the story told Journal reporters that the Quneitra-based group Fursan al-Joulan, which means Knights of the Golan, is the main rebel group coordinating with Israel, which first made contact with the Israeli military in 2013 when Israel cared for some of its fighters. Its spokesman told the Journal that Israel stood by our side in a heroic way, and We wouldnt have survived without Israels assistance.

Israel, which captured and annexed the Golan Heights in 1967, reportedly is concerned about a permanent Iranian and Hezbollah presence at its border under Assad, and that Iran would transport weapons to be used against Israel to Hezbollah military bases in southern Lebanon and the Syrian side of the Golan. Israel in recent years has bombed such arms shipments, leading to accusations that it was involving itself in the civil war.

The BBC story on the attacks was later changed to Israeli police woman stabbed to death in Jerusalem.

The policewoman, Hadas Malka, 23, was stabbed Friday near the Damascus Gate in the Old City Both assailants, including one holding a jammed gun, were shot and killed.

Simultaneously, at least one assailant was killed after attacking passers-by at the nearby Zedekiahs Cave. Two people were injured in the attack.

New Zealand arts festival apologizes for removing word Israel from Joseph lyrics

(JTA)The longtime director of an arts festival in New Zealand has apologized for removing Israel from a song in the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat scheduled to be performed there.

May Pritchard, who has coordinated the Artsplash festival for 30 years, said in a letter to the Wellington Regional Jewish Council and other critics of the change that the original words would be reinstated for the performance that will take place in September, the JWire Jewish news website reported.

The phrase Children of Israel are never alone in the song Close Every Door, which features Joseph and a choir of children, was altered to Children of kindness.

Pritchard said in her letter that she takes full responsibility for this unfortunate and regrettable error.

You have my complete assurance that this was an unintentional and innocent error on the part of one of my team, and I apologize for it, she said. The person concerned, and myself for that matter, are religious people and would never consider intentionally doing anything racist or anti any religion.

Pritchard said the festival has always included children of all sorts of backgrounds, including Jewish.

There has never before been an incident of this sort, and I dont expect there will be again, she wrote, adding: Action has been taken over the weekend to ensure that the original song words are all reinstated, with immediate effect.

A local resident tweeted about the lyric change to Joseph lyricist Tim Rice, who responded in a tweet to the Wellington Local Council that the change was unauthorized. He also tweeted a thank you to the eagle-eyed resident, Kate Dowling, saying it was a totally unauthorized change of lyric... Plus its a terribly drippy and meaningless alteration.

David Zwartz of the Wellington Regional Jewish Council told JWire that since Rice has accepted an apology from the festival, there is no reason why the performance of the song with the correct words shouldnt go ahead. He added that the word change is an attempt to censor without explanation an event in Jewish history that took place about three-and-a-half thousand years ago. It is wrong to indicate to primary school children that something in the Jewish Torah  also included in the Christian Old Testament, and the Koran  needs to be altered, or avoided altogether.

Swartz also said: In the case of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, it is obviously something that inspired Sir Tim Rice and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to create uplifting and enjoyable words and music. Its universal acceptability is shown by the more than 20,000 performances of the work worldwide.

The song was part of a songbook of music by well-known composers that was to be performed by schoolchildren. Close Every Door and two other songs from the Joseph musical were first removed from the songbook altogether and then reinstated after an outcry from Rice and his supporters.

Jewish scholars say Dartmouth prof who signed pro-BDS statement was treated unfairly

(JTA)A group of Jewish academics who oppose the boycott Israel movement decried a campaign against a Dartmouth professor who backed BDS, saying it has negatively impacted academic freedoms.

N. Bruce Duthu, an associate dean and faculty member in Native American studies at Dartmouth College, declined his nomination as dean of faculty earlier this year due to intense controversy over his past statements supporting the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement against Israel.

In response, eight members of the Alliance for Academic Freedom, a proponent of Liberal Zionism, noted Monday in an opinion piece in Inside Higher Education that while Duthu signed a petition supporting academic boycotts of Israel, he embraced Dartmouths official opposition to academic boycotts and pledged to continue to do so as dean of the faculty.

Pro-Israel critics of Duthu, the op-ed writers suggested, treated Duthu unfairly and did a disservice to the cause of Jewish studies [and] Israel studies.

Signers of the op-ed included Deborah Dash Moore, a professor specializing in Jewish history at the University of Michigan, and Cary Nelson, the former president of the American Association of University Professors.

On May 22, Duthu declined the nomination as dean of the faculty of arts and sciences at Dartmouth and decided to step down as associate dean of interdisciplinary studies after concerns were raised over his signature on a statement calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. The statement, by the council of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, or NAISA, calls on its members to boycott Israeli academic institutions because they are imbricated with the Israeli state and we wish to place pressure on that state to change its policies.

Earlier in May, Dartmouth economics professor Alan Gustman authored a faculty-wide letter calling on Duthu to publicly denounce the BDS statement or resign his position as dean, The Dartmouth newspaper reported.

Duthu responded by writing, I continue to believe in the right of private citizens to express criticism of any countrys government policies. At the same time, I do not believe that a boycott of academic institutions is the appropriate response. Instead, I support sustained, open and collegial engagement with fellow academics, including collaborative research and teaching.

Gustman pointed out that Duthus statement did not say he was withdrawing his support for the NAISA letter.

Duthus defenders include Dartmouth faculty member and Jewish studies head Susannah Heschel, who told the Alliance for Academic Freedom that she had never heard anything from him that I would consider even remotely problematic about Israel, and I believe several of my Jewish colleagues who are far more right-wing than I feel the same way.

She noted that Duthu helped her set up visits by faculty at Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University.

Plus, she wrote, Bruce has been invited to lecture at Hebrew University and accepted with enthusiasm. Truth: he is no boycotter.

Duthu said that as of July 1 he will return to the Native American studies department as a faculty member.

Heads of national US teachers unions slam Israels proposed ban on political opinions in classrooms

NEW YORK (JTA)The heads of the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors jointly condemned a law proposed by Israels education minister that would bar the expression of political views in classrooms.

The code of ethics that the government of Israel is considering for the countrys academic institutions is a threat not only to academic freedom in Israel, but to Israels standing as a democracy, said AFT President Randi Weingarten and AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum in a joint statement Monday. Both Weingarten and Fichtenbaum are Jewish.

The proposed code of ethics for institutes of higher education, spearheaded by Israels education minister, Naftali Bennett, has spurred a fierce debate in Israel about the role of politics in the classroom. An organization of Israels university chiefs has rejected the code as governmental overreach.

A careful study of the code shows that although it is defined as an ethical code for appropriate behavior in the areas of overlap between academic activity and political activity, many of its articles deal with general activities in academic research and lectures, the Committee of University Heads, which represents the nations seven universities, said in a statement last week. As such, this code is a collection of state rules to dictate our conduct as faculty members.

The AFT represents over 1.5 million K-12 teachers, while the AAUP represents teachers from more than 500 college campuses.

Weingarten and Fichtenbaums statement noted that they oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel but believe any group has the right to free speech.

While we have opposed efforts to boycott Israeli universities, we also oppose stifling discussion of boycott proposals, they wrote. No one convinces anyone of the merits of their position by preventing free speech.

Moreover, movement to do this violates the norms of intellectual freedom and makes any opposition to boycott proposals significantly more difficult to defend. Either you believe in democracy and the freedom to speak or you dont.

ADL urges hate crime probe in Virginia killing of Muslim girl

WASHINGTON (JTA)The Anti-Defamation League called on authorities to probe the slaying of a Muslim girl in suburban Virginia as a hate crime.

We urge the Fairfax County Police Department to investigate the murder as a possible bias crime, Doron Ezickson, the ADLs Washington, D.C., director, said in a statement Monday. ADL has communicated that to law enforcement and we have reached out to ADAMS to offer any assistance.

ADAMS is the acronym for the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, the mosque that Nabra Hassanen had worshipped at in Washingtons northern Virginia suburbs in the pre-dawn hours Sunday before heading to a restaurant with friends for breakfast. Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan.

A motorist confronted the friends and assaulted the victim as they were walking back to the mosque, according to reports. All but Hassanen fled to the mosque, where worshippers alerted authorities. Hassanens body was found later in a pond.

Police arrested Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, and he was charged with murder, but told the Washington Post they were not investigating the killing as a hate crime. They did not explain why.

Marine Le Pen, Manuel Valls re-elected to French parliament

(JTA)Frances far-right leader Marine Le Pen and former Prime Minister Manuel Valls both secured a seat in a parliamentary election that was dominated by the party of President Emmanuel Macron.

The centrist party, La Republique En Marche, which was created last year, clinched 361 seats out of 577 in the National Assembly, giving it an absolute majority following the final round of the parliamentary elections in France.

This provides Macron and his party, whose name means Republic onwards, a majority in parliament to pass economic reforms that he said during his presidential campaign were necessary to end the countrys financial stagnation.

National Front, Le Pens anti-Muslim and Euroskeptic party, garnered eight seats in the electiontwo fewer than polls predicted for the party.

Macron won the final round of the presidential vote on May 7 with 66 percent of the vote. Le Pen received 34 percent, the best result ever by her party.

Valls, a centrist member of the Socialist Party, narrowly defeated the far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, who has been accused of espousing anti-Semitic rhetoric in speeches, in the Essone region in northern France. Valls won 50.3 percent of the vote there, according to FranceInter.

In a speech last year, Valls called anti-Zionism a form of anti-Semitism. In 2009, he said he has an eternal bond with the Jewish people because of his marriage to a Jewish woman.

Meyer Habib, a lawmaker for the UDI centrist party and a former leader of the CRIF umbrella of French Jewish communities, was re-elected to parliament as the representative of the 8th District.

Israel is home to more than 70,000 French citizens eligible to vote out of 111,736 throughout the district. During his campaign, Meyer was endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is a longtime personal friend.

For the first time in history, turnout in a legislative election slumped to below 50 percent in both rounds. On Sunday, 43 percent of voters cast ballots.

Haredi Orthodox parties propose resolution to cancel Western Wall egalitarian agreement

JERUSALEM (JTA)The haredi Orthodox parties in Israels government have proposed a new resolution that would rescind a government decision to create an official egalitarian section at the Western Wall.

The United Torah Judaism and Shas parties submitted the proposal to the Prime Ministers Office in recent days, Army Radio first reported Sunday. The plan would return the status quo to the Western Wall, keeping in place the egalitarian prayer area erected at Robinsons Arch, Army Radio reported.

The rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, approved the proposal.

In a statement issued Sunday to the media, the Women of the Wall group called it outrageous that the government would consider the proposal more than a year after approving an agreement for an egalitarian section governed by the liberal Jewish movements.

Israels prime minister, who encouraged the various parties to reach an agreement, has yet to harness the courage to enforce it, the statement said. Netanyahu now cowardly continues the discrimination and exclusion of women at the Western Wall. In submitting to the will of the Haredi parties, the PM is sacrificing womens rights to pray as they wish, be it egalitarian or traditional prayers.

An agreement passed in January 2016 by the government for an egalitarian prayer section at the Western Wall was negotiated by the Reform and Conservative movements, the Women of the Wall, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israeli government.

Under the agreement, which was approved by the Cabinet, the egalitarian section of the wall near Robinsons Arch would be expanded and placed under the authority of a pluralist committee. The section would have a common entrance with the rest of the Western Wall plaza. The plan also called for solidifying haredi Orthodox control over the sites traditional Orthodox section.

Haredi Orthodox lawmakers and some from the Jewish Home and Likud parties in December submitted a bill to the Knesset to prevent non-Orthodox public prayer at the Western Wall.
It may very well be that this week was the week that Israel and the U.S. put to rest former president Barack Obamas policies and positions on Israel and the Palestinians. If so, the move was made despite the best efforts of Obamas team to convince the Trump administration to maintain them. The details of Obamas policies and positions have been revealed in recent weeks in a series of articles published in Haaretz regarding Obamas secretary of state John Kerrys failed peacemaking efforts, which ended in 2014.

The articles reported segments of two drafts of a U.S. framework for a final peace treaty between the PLO and Israel. The drafts were created in February and March 2014. The article series is predicated on the assumption that Kerry and his team were on the precipice of a historic breakthrough between PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. But a close reading of the documents shows that the opposite was the case.

There are two reasons that Kerry had no prospects for reaching a deal. First, he, Obama and their advisers were too hostile to Israel and its citizens to ever convince Netanyahu that Israels interests would be secured. A February 2014 draft framework agreement, which was based on conversations Kerry and his team held with Netanyahu and his advisers, makes this clear. The draft includes Netanyahus demand that Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria not annexed to Israel would remain in place after the implementation of a peace deal, and presumably, become towns in the future Palestinian state.

In other words, Netanyahu demanded that the Israelis in Judea and Samaria whose towns would be located in the territory of Palestine would enjoy the same rights and protections as Israels Arab citizens enjoy.

Kerry and his team would have none of it. The February draft agreement notes, [U.S.] negotiators need to check with PM [Netanyahu] on whether he wants to [maintain this position]... They believe that if so, he will push strongly for in place. In place is inconsistent with U.S. policy and therefore unacceptable to us as well as the Palestinians.

In other words, the position of the Obama administration was that all Israelis living in areas that would become part of the Palestinian state must be forcibly removed from their homes and communities.

Haaretz reporters Barak Ravid and Amir Tibon recalled that in previous rounds of negotiations, the Palestiniansunlike the Obama administrationhad not rejected this Israeli position out of hand. That is, in demanding the mass expulsion of Israeli Jews from their homes, the administration adopted a policy more extreme than the PLO.

Then there is the problem with the PLO. Abbas rejected Kerrys February 2014 draft framework agreement, which was based on conversations with Netanyahu and his advisers. But he also rejected Kerrys March 2014 agreement, which was based on the U.S.s conversation with him and his advisers.

The March 2014 draft was presented to Abbas by Obama himself during a meeting between the two in the White House. Not only did Abbas not accept Obamas offer, he refused to respond to it. This should have surprised no one. Abbas did the same thing in 2008 after then-prime minister Ehud Olmert presented Abbas with his peace proposal. Abbass predecessor, Yasser Arafat, responded in the same way in July 2000 to then-prime minister Ehud Baraks peace offer, and in December 2000, to then-president Bill Clintons peace offer. Given the consistent track record, it is beyond foolish to believe that anyoneeven Trumpwill fare differently from his American and Israeli predecessors.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Haaretz series is what they tell us about Netanyahu. Like him or hate him, the Netanyahu revealed in the articles is a brilliant statesman. In difficult diplomatic conditions, with the U.S. openly siding with the PLO against him, Netanyahu managed to parry and duck. Although Haaretz tries to present Netanyahu as weak and compliant, the text shows that the opposite was the case. In the face of massive pressure from Obama, Netanyahu refused to commit to anything. His only recorded position was that all Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria remain in place in perpetuity.

Rather than confront Kerry directly, Netanyahu stood aside and watched as the Americans drafted their anti-Israel proposals. He nodded. He smiled. He refused to commit to anything. And he waited patiently for Abbas to walk away from the table.

Until this week, much to the dismay of many of his supporters, Netanyahu appeared unwilling to move beyond the defensive position he maintained throughout the Obama presidency. This week he took three great big steps forward.

First, Netanyahu announced that he supports amending Israels NGO law to ban foreign governments from funding political nonprofits registered in Israel.

For the past 20 years, Israel has been subjected to ever-escalating subversive campaigns funded and often directed by foreign governments and carried out by Israeli-registered NGOs. The purpose of these campaigns is to legitimize political and economic warfare against the Jewish state by European and other Western governments. The campaigns legitimize political and economic warfare against Israel by demonizing the Jewish state, its citizens and its soldiers.

In recent years, lawmakers have tried repeatedly to block the funding. But due to U.S. pressure, Netanyahu scuttled all their attempts. Proposed reform bills were watered down until they were limited to instituting weak reporting requirements. Foreign government funds continue streaming into the coffers of NGOs whose positions are supported by no significant domestic constituencies.

By announcing that he now supports passing legislation that will bar foreign government funding of nonprofits, Netanyahu is striking a strategic blow at the political and economic war being waged against Israel by the EU and by the international Left. This war, waged in the name of the Palestinians, has harmed Israels relations with the Palestinians by discouraging them from living peacefully with their Israeli neighbors.

Then there is UNRWA. The UNs refugee agency dedicated to the Palestinians is arguably one of the central reasons for the perpetuation of the Palestinian conflict with Israel. Indeed, UNRWA was formed by the Arab governments to specifically block all prospect of peace between Israel and its neighbors. UNRWA prevents the permanent resettlement of the Arabs who left Israel in 1948 and 1949 as well as their descendants. It has doomed five generations of refugees to live in the squalor of its camps, blocked from receiving citizenship in the countries of their birth and prevented from being resettled in other countries.

After Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, then-secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and then-foreign minister Tzipi Livni decided that the best way to respond to the move was by massively increasing UNRWAs budget. They were unmoved by the fact that UNRWA employs Hamas terrorists. They ignored the fact that UNRWA schools in Gaza and elsewhere indoctrinate their students to embrace jihad and the cause of Israels annihilation. Under Obama, the U.S. increased its payments to UNRWA, even as UNRWA schools, clinics and other facilities have been used as missile launching pads and storage depots in Hamass war against Israel.

This week, Netanyahu finally put to rest the dangerous folly that UNRWA is a foil to Hamas and a positive force in the region. He called for UNRWA to be dismantled and for the Palestinians and their descendants to be treated like every other refugee group in the world and be resettled by the UNs high commissioner for refugees. If Netanyahus move against UNRWA is translated into actual Israeli and U.S. policy, it will mark the beginning of the end of one of the primary causes of the Palestinian conflict with Israel.

Finally, there is incitement. Palestinian terrorism would vastly diminish were it not for constant incitement that encourages terrorism and rewards and celebrates terrorists. Since it was established by the Qatari regime in 1996, Al Jazeera has been a central engine of anti-Semitic and jihadist indoctrination of the Palestinians. And yet, Israel has never moved to close Al Jazeeras bureau in Israel. Israel has given the terrorist network a pass largely because it hasnt wanted to deal with the Western outcry that such a move would provoke.

This week, for the first time, Netanyahu, along with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, announced they support Al Jazeeras closure and have directed their staff to consider the best way to do so. In so doing, Netanyahu and Liberman are making the most of the opportunity afforded Israel by the Arab states open cleavage with Qatar. Last week, Saudi Arabia and Jordan closed Al Jazeeras bureaus in Riyadh and Amman. Egypt, which closed Al Jazeeras offices in 2013, blocked its website.

Taken both separately and together, Netanyahus moves this week strike strategic blows at three central components of the Palestinian conflict with Israel. Incitement, political warfare and the eternalization of Palestinian refugee status all render the conflict intractable and prevent peaceful Palestinian leaders from emerging.

Notably, whereas the Obama administration would have subjected Israel to hysterical condemnations if Netanyahu had dared to take the steps he took this week, the Trump administration has taken no position on Netanyahus announcements. The real reason that Trump appears to be burying Obamas legacy is that unlike the ideologically driven Obama, Trump is willing to consider evidence and facts when determining his opinions.

In May, Abbas came to the White House and told Trump that he abjured terrorism. Israel then presented Trump with evidence that Abbas publicly incites terrorism and uses the Palestinian Authority budget to support terrorists and their families. Trump took in the information and upbraided Abbas for lying to him. True, this week Secretary of State Rex Tillerson falsely told Congress that Abbas had cut off the payments. And true, Tillerson doubled down on his assertion after both the Palestinians and Israel said the payments have not been cut off.

True as well that Trump continues to believe that he can make the deal that his predecessors failed to secure. But the fact is that Trump has given Netanyahu support as he has walked away from the failed policy paradigm of the Obama years.

In other words, Netanyahus moves this week, and the fact that the Trump administration has left him alone to make them without being second-guessed or condemned by Washington, indicates that we have finally moved past Obamas legacy.

Where we are going is still unknown. But what is certain is that by going after the sources of the continued malignancy of the conflict and pushing back against the lies that informed Obamas policies, both Israel and the U.S. have abandoned them.

Originally published in The Jerusalem Post.

Caroline Glick is the senior Middle East Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC, the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post and a contributor to the Jewish World Review.
The slippery subject of academic freedom has moved into our headlines with a draft code of ethics for universities and their personnel. It is the work of Professor Asa Kasher, a philosophy professor at Tel Aviv University, and the author of the IDFs code of ethics.

He prepared this code at the request of the right of center Minister of Education Naftali Bennett, known for his support of settlers, increasing the importance of Judaism in the lessons of primary and secondary schools, and a frequent criticism of Jews and others who condemn Israel and support boycotts.

Israeli universities are no strangers to political controversy. Lecturers and students have long contributed to sharp criticism of governmental action or inaction, with some signing on to international campaigns to boycott Israeli universities and other institutions.

The tilt of academics is clearly to the left, as it is on quality campuses throughout the US, Western Europe, and several other countries that permit academic freedom. Leftism is generally strongest, but not uniform, in faculties of literature, art, music, and other humanities. Economics, business administration, law, engineering and the hard sciences are the faculties where one is likely to find rightists, but there, too, without any unanimity.

Universities being what they are, they provide a home for a wide variety of perspectives. One cannot claim them to be free of political bias in what they teach or who they hire and promote, but the better ones are run by committees sufficiently open to criticism so that extremists are likely to be made known if not excluded.

The universities of the Jewish country may be noisier than others, given the cultures historic acceptance of dispute.

Among the delegations that have come to Israeli schools and colleges in search of the secret of Jewish creativity have been officials from China and South Korea.

One of South Koreas television networks broadcast a series of programs that focused on the lack of East Asian discipline in Israeli middle schools. Students are noisy. They ask questions, and even express reservations about what their teachers say.

The political party that Bennett heads, Jewish Home, is arguably the most assertive right of center party in the government coalition. He has called for a more aggressive posture toward Gaza as well as more thorough going policy of settling the West Bank and formally annexing substantial portions of it to Israel. As Minister of Education he has made a point of criticizing what he sees as a strong leftist bias in the countrys universities, claiming that faculty members quash the academic freedom of students who object to the prevailing line in their courses.

A fair reading of Professor Kashers draft code of ethics sees an effort to balance the individual freedom of academics against the actions of those who would use their positions to promote personal political views, especially under the banner of speaking as experts or promoting ideas backed up with the cultural power of their institutions.

His document has been widely, if not universally criticized by the countrys academics and university presidents. The countrys student organization also opposes, and threatens a strike if authorities adopt it. A popular lecturer says that, if adopted, hell violate its provisions in all of his classes.

The heads of faculty associations at the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University, Haifa University, the Technion and the Weizmann Institute (but not, notably, the right- religious- and pro-settler-leaning Bar Ilan or Ariel University) issued a statement of opposition that included

At issue is a recommended code of ethics, that is against what is established practice, was drafted without the participation of senior faculty associations or their members, but would be imposed by the regulator and its representatives... defines forbidden political activity in the widest fashion... we reject totally the recommended ethics code... that stands in opposition to established legal protections for freedom of expression, freedom of thought and criticism... is a danger to academic freedom of distinguished professionals.

The cartoonist of Haaretz portrayed Kasher, Bennett, and a proposal that the duo might embark on a code of ethics for taxi drivers, currently embroiled in a dispute about fares from the airport.

The draft will have to pass muster with the Council for Higher Education. The Minister of Education is chair of the Council, but its membership is largely that of university presidents. Given their reception to Kashers draft, there doesnt seem to be a snowballs chance in hell that itll be accepted as is.

The weakest part of Kashers document is a paragraph within a section where he tries to define political activities:

All activities that directly support a controversial posture currently being considered in the Knesset or public discussion, with a clear connection to the posture advocated by one or more political parties, in the Knesset or outside of it, or an expressed opposition to such a posture.

Kasher would forbid such expression as part of classroom teaching, or in a public pronouncement where an academic does not explicitly distinguish his or her support or opposition from the posture of the university.

The slipperiest aspect of Kashers proposal would come in departments of political science, public policy, public administration, and the full range of social sciences or wherever else issues of public policy are appropriately discussed. Criticism of government policy and the statements of politicians are part of the educational process, with teachers having not only a right but perhaps a professional obligation to indicate who benefits and loses by any policy enactment or proposal, as well as the faults inherent in a policys implementation to date.

Outside of the narrow range of courses that deal explicitly with government policy are the range of courses that touch on policy indirectly. Could a teacher report about violence, criminality, or poor health practices in an ethnic community, without being charged with bias against that group?

A common view expressed by university personnel is that institutions of higher education are better qualified than anything associated with government to deal with academic extremists who use their positions improperly. Against them, critics note that universities have dealt with faculty members who harass students sexually, but not politically.

Current arrangements are not perfect. But universities are not supposed to be smooth running institutions where all agree with one another. Where harmony does prevail, such institutions would have trouble calling themselves universities.

On the edge of credibility are institutions in the US and elsewhere that have adopted, and may actually implement codes of behavior that threaten freedom of expression in the name of protecting students and staff from humiliation, disrespect, or other modes of embarrassment.

Nastiness in the classroom and among student organizations may not be pleasant. The issue may be especially problematic where it coexists with tolerance of those who would boycott Israel and spill over to anti-Semitism against Jewish students and teachers.

Some claim that disrespect is forbidden on campus, except when directed against Jews or Israelis.

Against all this is the point that criticism is the essence of learning, and that learning is impossible without it.

Two of my own lessons about the nature of higher education derived from people who have been colleagues and friends in the political science department (and among its retirees) for more than 40 years. One was introduced to my work by a negative review that I published about one of his books, then acted to recruit me to his department. He felt that students and colleagues would benefit from someone who worked in the same field, but in a manner different from him. Another has written from the far left that Israel is a fascist society. However, we once talked when he picked me up at a bus stop. It was 1982, he was in the dusty uniform of a major in the IDF reserves, on his way home from Lebanon. Most of the way to our neighborhood, he spoke with pride about his activities in the past week as a tank commander. Then he sought to recruit me to join him in the next days demonstration against the war The day after, hed be returning north for another spell of fighting.

What saves the better places in the messy arena of higher education is the right of those who feel criticized to respond in kind, whether they are students, faculty, members of the public or politicians.

Neither Kasher nor Bennett should be surprised that they are being trashed by people they are trying to control.

Comments welcome. Irashark@gmail.com.
Is there a double standard when it comes to derogatory terms for race? Read no further than the writings of June Chu, dean of students of Pierson College, one of the twelve residential colleges for Yale undergraduates.

Chu has written in the Inside Higher Education of the need for cultural sensitivity and the avoidance of micro-aggressions in discussions with minority students. And she describes her job, as a Pierson dean, as supporting students in their holistic and multifaceted identities.

But apparently that sensitivity only extends to certain groups and identities. Thus in one review for Yelp, a site where goods and services are rated, Chu mocked the employees at one local New Haven cinema as barely educated morons trying to manage snack orders for the obese while trying to add $7 plus $7. In a review of a Japanese restaurant, she wrote, If you are white trash, this is the perfect night out for you! Far from being embarrassed by these reviews, Chu sent an email to all Pierson students on January 30 boasting of having been designated a member of the Yelp Elite for her active participation as a reviewer at the website.

When the reviews first came to light in a Yale Daily News article, neither Pierson College nor Yale moved to discipline Chu, on the grounds that there were only two such reviewsi.e., the ones cited above. Only after the discovery of other snarky reviews, did the head of Pierson College ask Chu to take a temporary leave. But both he and Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway emphasized that she had not been asked to resign.

Chus breathtaking contempt and disdain for those less educated and (presumed) less intelligent than herself did not emerge in a vacuum. Only Achan violated the cherem on Jericho, and yet all Israel was punished in the subsequent battle of Ai. The commentators explain that had Achan thought that his act would be viewed with opprobrium by his fellow bnei Yisrael he would never have plundered the riches of Jericho. Similarly, had Chu not thought that her reviews would be thought amusing by those with whom she most frequently conversesYale students and faculty colleaguesshe would not have written as she did.

She is the academic equivalent of comedienne Kathy Griffin, who recently posted a photo of herself holding up, ISIS-style, a model of the bloody, severed head of President Trump. Her familiarity with late-night TV had apparently left Griffin convinced that there is nothing that one could do to mock Donald Trump that would be considered beyond the pale. Both Griffin and Chu discovered that there are still some societal limits on what one can get away with, at least in public.

Chus reviews further reveal the double standards of contemporary identity politics. Imagine that instead of white trash Chu had used a comparably derogatory term to refer to a person or people of color. Or that she had mocked a person or persons of color as syntactically challenged or as being dependent on food stamps.

Does anyone think that it would have mattered if she had done so only twice or that she would have only been put on temporary leave? She would have been fired immediately, and no apologies or references to her learning experience would have availed her.

In short, if you are an uneducated and/or poor white person, you are dismissed as a loser who can expect no sympathy, no matter what your life circumstances. But if you are of a darker-hue, or have adopted a transgressive gender identity, you are a hero whose every personal failing is excused by your status as a victim of white or cis (gender) privilege.

The Chu reviews, however, were not the biggest embarrassment for Yale in recent weeks, or the clearest evidence of the rot that has infected Americas elite universities. At least in Chus case, Yale dissociated itself from her reviews and formally deemed them unsuitable for one in a position counseling students.

But at the recent Yale College graduation, the university put its formal imprimatur on the lunatic behavior of its students. At the graduation, the Nakanishi Prize for enhancing race and/or ethnic relations at Yale College was awarded to two students who physically menaced and harangued in gutter language former Silliman College master (a term no longer in use) Nicolas Christakis.

Clips of that confrontation have long circulated widely via social media much to Yales shame. That confrontation, readers may remember, was triggered by a memo from Yales dean of student engagement, Burgwell Howard, warning students against wearing Halloween costumes that threaten our sense of community.

In response, Erika Christakis, a Yale lecturer in early childhood development and co-master with her husband of Silliman College, sent an email to students in Silliman, in which she expressed the opinion that Yale college students should be mature enough to choose their own Halloween costumes without guidance from academic bureaucrats and to express their objections if offended by the costume of a fellow student, without calling in the college thought police. (As far as I know, there is no record of Halloween costumes being an issue at Yale.)

For urging that Yale undergraduates be treated and act like adults, Christakis was assailed by hundreds of Yale students, fellow faculty members, and off-campus agitators as a white supremacist.

Subsequently, Erikas husband, Nicholas Christakis, a world-renowned sociologist and doctor, sought to engage students in a dialogue in the Silliman courtyard. Christakis advocated for the old-fashioned idea of the university as a place of free inquiry and civilized exchange in the pursuit of knowledge.

At one point, as described by James Kirchik at Tablet, a black male student moved toward Christakis and stood only inches from him in a position of physical intimidation, and demanded of Christakis, Look at me. He proceeded to lecture Christakis on his inability to comprehend racism because he is white.

But the most over-the-top hysterical reaction came from a female black student who launched an obscenity-laced tirade at Christakis, calling him disgusting, and yelling at him to shut up. He and his wife were unfit to serve as masters of the college, she insisted, because they had created a space for violence to happen and stripped people of their humanity.

Those two students were the ones awarded the prize by Yale for advancing race relations on campus. (Head of the selection committee: the aforementioned Dean of Student Engagement.) Behavior that would have likely merited expulsion a few decades back is now not only condoned but officially commended by Yale.

Yales capitulation to bullying only confirms the four rules for campus witch-hunts enunciated by Professor Jonathan Haidt, founder of the Heterodox Academy blog. (Haidt, like Kirchik, is a disillusioned former Yale undergraduate, who has stated publicly that he would never give another penny to his alma mater.)

Haidts four rules of modern campus blasphemy are: (1) Never object to a university diversity policy publicly; (2) Dont think that your progressive bona fides will protect you. (As a Harvard undergraduate, Erika Christakis was one of the first interns at the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations. After graduation, she spent years working on public health projects in Bangladesh and Ghana); (3) If the mob comes for you, there is a good chance that the president of your university will side with the mob and validate its narrative, as Yale President Peter Salovey did; and (4) If a mob comes for you, assume that one or more members is willing to use violence against you, and that many members of the mob feel that violence is morally justifiable.

When these rules apply no less at Yale than at Evergreen State is it any wonder that a large swath, even a majority, of the public has lost faith not only in the competence of traditional elites, but in their basic sanity?

Jonathan Rosenblum is a columnist for the Jerusalem Post and Israeli director of Am Echad.
There is a widespread but false belief that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is finally prepared to accept the two-state solution proposed by the United Nations in November 1947, when it divided Mandatory Palestine into two areas: one for the Jewish people, the other for the Arab people. At the time, the Jews of Palestine accepted the compromise division and declared a nation-state for the Jewish people, to be called by its historic name: Israel. The Arabs of Palestine, on the other hand, rejected the division and declared that they would never accept a state for the Jewish people and one for the Palestinian people. They wanted for there not to be a state for the Jewish people more than for there to be a state for their own people.

Accordingly, they joined the surrounding Arab armies in trying to destroy Israel and drive its Jewish residents into the sea. They failed back then, but over the years and to the current day, they have continued to want no state for the Jewish people more than they want a state for Palestinian Arabs. That is why Abbas refuses to say that he would ever accept the UN principle of two states for two peoples.

I know, because I have personally asked him on several occasions.

U.S. President Donald Trump, for his part, has expressed an eagerness to make the ultimate deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. This has propelled discussions about the dormant peace process back into the spotlight. Shortly before travelling to the Middle East, Trump invited the Palestinian leader to the White House. Abbas was last at the White House in March 2014, shortly before the Obama administrations shuttle diplomacy effortsled by former Secretary of State John Kerryfell apart.

Leading up to his meeting with President Trump in Washington, Abbas said to a German publication: [W]ere ready to collaborate with him and meet the Israeli prime minister under his [Trumps] auspices to build peace. He then went on to voice his support for a two-state solution saying, Its high time to work on the requirements for it. This was interpreted as a willingness on Abbas part to accept the idea of a state for the Jewish people.

Generally speaking, the international community supports the idea of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a state for the Jewish people alongside a state for the Palestinians. Yet, to present Abbas as a supporter of the two-states for two people formulation is to deny truth. The general idea of a two-state solutionwhich Abbas has nominally supporteddoes not specify that one state would be for the Jewish people and the other one for the Arabs. Over the years President Abbas has expressed a commitment to a two-state solutionstating that he supports an Arab state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capitalbut has so far refused to accept the legitimacy of a nation-state for the Jews existing alongside it.

Consider President Abbas own words. In a 2003 interview he said: Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: I will never recognize the Jewishness of the state, or a Jewish state. When asked about Israel being the nation-state of the Jewish people (in the context of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmerts generous peace proposal in 2008) the PA leader said: From a historical perspective, there are two states: Israel and Palestine. In Israel, there are Jews and others living there. This we are willing to recognize, nothing else.

And in a later interview with the Al-Quds newspaper Abbas reiterated this refusal to recognize that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people: Were not talking about a Jewish state and we wont talk about one. For us, there is the State of Israel and we wont recognize Israel as a Jewish state. I told them that this is their business and that they are free to call themselves whatever they want. But [I told them] you cant expect us to accept this.

The list of such pronouncements from the man at the head of the Palestinian Authority goes on and on. Not only has Abbas refused to accept the formulation Jewish state, he adamantly refuses to accept the more descriptive formulation nation-state of the Jewish people.

Abbas is, of course, committed to Palestine being a Muslim state under Sharia Law, despite the reality that Christian Palestinians constitute a significant (if forcibly shrinking) percentage of Palestinian Arabs. Article 4 of the Palestinian Basic Law states that 1. Islam is the official religion in Palestine. Respect and sanctity of all other heavenly religions shall be maintained. 2. The principles of Islamic Sharia shall be the main source of legislation.

Writing for the New York Times on the advent of the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War, Israels former ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, noted: The conflict is not about the territory Israel captured in 1967. It is about whether a Jewish state has a right to exist in the Middle East in the first place. As Mr. Abbas has publicly stated, I will never accept a Jewish state.

Oren argued that until Abbas and other Palestinian leaders can say the words two states for two peoples, no reasonable resolution will be reached.

The Palestinian leaders conditional support for a peaceful resolution is also undermined by his own actions. For years, the Palestinian Authorityfirst under the leadership of the late Yasser Arafat and now under the 82-year-old Abbashas perpetuated a vile policy of making payments to terrorists and their families. According to the official PA budget, in 2016 the Palestinian Authority directed approximately $300 million to the families of so-called martyrs and to terrorists in Israeli prisons. Abbas claims to be a man of peace, yet in reality he incentivizes, rewards and incites terrorism.

It must also be remembered that Israel had offered to end the occupation and settlements in 2000-2001. These generous peace initiatives would have established a demilitarized Palestinian state. In 2008, then-Prime Minister Olmert made an even more generous proposal by offering the Palestinians 97 percent of the West Bank, but Abbas did not respond. For the past several years, the current Israeli government has offered to sit down and negotiate a two-state solution with no pre-conditionsnot even advanced recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Yet no substantive negotiations have taken place.

Some of the blame rests on the shoulders of former U.S. President Barack Obama. By applying pressure only to the Israeli side, not to the Palestinians, Obama consistently disincentivized Abbas from embracing the two states for two peoples paradigm. This came to a head in December 2016 when Obama allowed the U.S. not to veto the inane UN resolution under which the Western Wall and other historically Jewish sites are not recognized as part of Israel. (Recall that UN resolution 181 mandated a special international regime for the city of Jerusalem, and Jordan captured it illegally. Israel liberated Jerusalem in 1967, and allowed everybody to go to the Western Wall.)

It is a tragedy that the international communityheaded by the UNhas encouraged the Palestinian Authoritys rejectionism, rather than pushing it to make the painful compromises that will be needed from both sides in reaching a negotiated two-state outcome. Indeed, just a few days ago the UN, once again demonstrated that it is a barrier to the peace process. In his address at the UN General Assembly marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War and Israels occupation of the West Bank, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said:

In 1947, on the basis of United Nations General Assembly resolution 181, the world recognized the two-state solution and called for the emergence of independent Arab and Jewish states. On 14 May 1948, the State of Israel was born. Almost seven decades later, the world still awaits the birth of an independent Palestinian state.

Guterres failed to acknowledge that the reason the world still awaits the birth of an independent Palestinian state is because the Arabs rejected the UN partition plan, which would have given them their own state, committing instead to seven decades of undermining Israels legitimacy.

When the Palestinian leadership and people want their own state more than they want there not to be a state for the Jewish people, the goal of the 1947 UN resolutiontwo states for two peopleswill be achieved. A good beginning would be for Abbas finally to agree with the UN resolution and say the following words: I accept the 1947 UN resolution that calls for two states for two peoples.

Its not too much to ask from a leader seeking to establish a Palestinian Muslim state.

This article was originally published by the Gatestone Institute.

Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School and author of Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law and Electile Dysfunction: A Guide for the Unaroused Voter. Follow Alan Dershowitz on Twitter: @AlanDersh and Facebook: @AlanMDershowitz.
When was the last time you were in tears listening to a short story? When did a story narration transport you to the world of its characters? Actually, when was the last time someone read a short story by Premchand, Ismat Chugtai or Kamleshwar to you? This Sunday, Impresario Asia, a performing arts group, will organise Nashist Shaam Kahani or dramatised reading of short stories (Hindi) by authors who have written on composite culture, among other themes.

Traditionally, nashist refers to a literary evening. The Awadh region and Delhi have a history of nashist.

Impresario Asia, founded by playwright and director KK Kohli, has been doing one nashist a month since 2004. It did 100 sessions of Ghalib-Ke-Khatoot in which renowned playwright Anis Azmi read Ghalibs letters. The second format of nashist is sham kahani. And in the third format, we invite people from the creative fraternity including writers, film makers, painters and poets to interact with the audiences, said Kohli. We have hosted Kamleshwar, Krishna Sobti, Kailash Bajpeyi, Mujtaba Hussain, Amir Qazalbash, M.S. Sathyu and Zohra Sehgal, he added.

Kohli was part of Hindustani Theatre founded by Begum Zaidi in 1955. He went on to join various theatre groups that were active in Delhi in 1960s such as Delhi Art Theatre, Abhiyaan and Yatrik.

In 1982, he formed Impresario Asia, the first production of which was a Punjabi opera, titled Bichhde Paani. It was followed by plays on Dara Shikoh, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Amrita Pritam and Mahatma Gandhi.

All the while, I was looking for ways to make theatre simple and accessible. That was when the idea of nashist occurred to me, said Kohli.

During Nashist Shaam Kahani, Kohli introduces the artists to the audience; they read stories for around 90 minutes followed by a question and answers session.

Most of the theatre artists who render stories during nashist have worked with Kohli in different productions. Shaam kahani is an extension of theatre. Doing theatre is becoming very difficult in terms of costs and logistics unless you have a sponsor. This is why I find sham kahani a very effective way to connect with the audience, said Maneesh Manoja who has been doing theatre for more than four decades. In this era where one is encouraged not to ask questions, we ensure that we leave the audience with questions pertinent to our rights, he added.

Ekant Kaul, project manager with an IT company, has worked with various theatre groups in Bengaluru and Delhi. The creative liberty he can take while performing sham kahani is what attracts him to the format. It is very flexible in terms of modulation and tone. I can approach a sentence in a story in a certain way and you can treat the same sentence differently, said Kaul.

Priyanka Sharma, former journalist and freelance theatre artist, is a regular in nashist productions. Theatre is an audio-visual medium but here, you just give the audio and the audience creates visuals itself, she said.

What: Nashist Shaam Kahani-- Dramatised readings of modern short stories.

Where: Amaltas Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road.

When: 7pm, June 25.

Entry Fee .
Remember the photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulling the ears of a child in Japan? The photo was taken on Modis visit to a prominent, ancient Buddhist temple in Japans Kyoto region, Kinkaku-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kazuyoshi Miyoshi is a name well known in the Japanese art world. Photos taken by the eminent photographer are being showcased at The Japan Foundation in Lajpat Nagar. It is one of his important works that explores the world heritage sites in Japan such as the Kinkaku-ji.

Kinkaku-ji was built as a villa for the third shogun (hereditary military dictator) of the Ashikaga shogunate who was in power from 1368 to 1394. After his death, the structure was converted into a temple of the Zen sect of Buddhism. The temple that has been burnt down many a time in war  famously during the War of Onin, a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477  and renovated several times, was later granted a world heritage status.

Rakuen (Paradise in Japanese) is the theme that runs through Miyashis collection of over 60 photos on exhibition, with a focus on the sacred sites of pilgrimage. From ancient times, the Japanese have believed nature and all objects contain kami (spirits, gods), says Misako Futsuki, director of the Arts & Cultural Exchange, The Japan Foundation. We hope you will be able to feel the harmony and reverent faith inherent within these carefully preserved sites captured in the beautiful photographs by Kazuyoshi Miyoshi.

The Kumano Nachi-Taisha shrine, one of the sacred Kumano shrines, in Japans Wakayama Prefecture (Courtesy The Japan Foundation)

Another exhibit shows the beautiful Kumano Nachi-taisha shrine (one of the three sacred Kumano shrines) in Japans Wakayama Prefecture. A 15th century picture scroll illustrates the Buddhist origins of the Kumano deities. The scroll, mentions the Asia Society, recounts the genesis of the gods as Indian Buddhist royalty who experience treachery and persecution, fly to Japan, and apotheose as the deities of the Kumano shrines.

The Nikko Toshogu shrine established in 1617 enshrines the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. The present-day shrine complex has 55 buildings, including Yomeimon Gate, designated a National Treasure in Japan. The shrine complex was declared a World Heritage site in December 1999.

I believe people in India are also religious in the sense that the spirits and gods are always there in their daily lives. The way of thinking is different towards them in India and Japan, but I feel there are many things in common, says Futsuki.

What: The World Heritage Sites  Sacred Places and Pilgrimages in Japan

When: 11 am to 7 pm, till July 5

Where: The Japan Foundation, 5-A, Ring Road, Lajpat nagar IV.

Nearest metro station: Moolchand

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One of two people who suffer sudden cardiac incidents does not make it to a hospital as first aid is delayed.

What could help? Making more defibrillators, or devices that help restart the heart, available in the vicinity. Bandra is experimenting with a project, where 50 defibrillators will be set up in public places.

Doctors from the Holy Family Hospital and Medical Research Centre will install the devices at spots across the area where most people can access them.

Sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) can happen to anyone, anytime and anywhere. There is no way to predict when someone will develop it, said cardiologist Dr Brian Lobo, during the launch of the pilot project called i CARE, or cardiac arrest resuscitation for everyone.

Dr Yash Lokhandwala, a cardiologist at the hospital, said 40% to 50% of patients with sudden cardiac arrest die because they do not receive emergency medical aid. With every passing minute, the chances of survival reduce by 10%. Bystanders need to be quick to recognise the symptoms and perform the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, he said.

The process of giving CPR and defibrillation has to go on till medical help arrives, said Dr Khusrav Bajan, head of emergency services at PD Hinduja Hospital, Mahim. Currently, all defibrillators come with pre-recorded instructions in English. The device costs between Rs60,000 and Rs1 lakh.

Lokhandwala said in India, less than 1% who have a sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive. In Mumbai, the delay in reaching a hospital is inevitable. This is another reason why everyone must know CPR and defibrillation, Dr Lokhandwala said.


Actor Aditi Rao Hydari doesnt believe in mincing words and takes a stand for something she feels strongly about, especially when it comes to the film industry. The actor has condemned the attack [earlier this year] on Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali by Karni Sena, on the sets of his next film Padmavati. Bhansali was accused of distorting the facts in his period drama.

I dont know if they are taking it lightly, but this is some kind of misplaced notion. A filmmaker is a storyteller and you cannot curb somebodys desire to tell a story. Thats not fair. We should be proud of filmmakers such as Sanjay sir and Mani (Ratnam) sir and give them chance to make films because they create cinematic history, says Aditi, who is part of Bhansalis Padmavati.

I have been brought up in an environment, where we were given artistic freedom and scope for speaking your mind. I find it difficult to understand the reason behind such violence and curbing freedom of expression, she says.

The 30-year-old actor believes that the only solution to fight a violent mind is to stand together. I think more people should come together, and not let bullies harm us. This way, nothing can come in our way of making good films. There is so much power in believing in the other persons vision and standing by him or her. There is great energy in that and if we do that, hopefully we will stop becoming soft targets, says Aditi, who has worked in films such as Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011), Guddu Rangela (2015) and Wazir (2016).

She also adds that artistsbe it in Bollywood or any other industrywould never resort to violence to give it back to the bullies. Ultimately, we are artists and we dont want to scream and shout at anybody. We also want love. We are creating something [films] with so much passion and we dont want to be subjected to violence, she signs off.

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Going through the pages of Exile, one is amazed by the generosity of India and how this generosity has enabled the Tibetan refugees to re-construct Tibet outside of Tibet. Lobsang Gyatso Sither, the compiler and editor of the photo journal, focuses on four key efforts of the Tibetan refugees in the re-construction of their community in exile. These efforts include the rehabilitation of the refugees in farming settlements, education of the refugee children, strengthening the exile administration and resurrecting the core elements of Tibets cultural heritage.

The early years were the most challenging. Many escaping Tibetans dropped like flies while negotiating the treacherous Himalayan passes. They also succumbed to malnutrition, tuberculosis, and the searing heat. Those who successfully escaped Tibet and safely landed in India felt they had not crossed one country to another but had left the medieval world of old Tibet behind and emerged in the bewildering complexity of the modern world. To them everything was new and strange except the selfsame earth and sky.

The escape routes of Tibetans covered the whole of northern India from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal and Bhutan. We are told that those Tibetans living in south-eastern Tibet adjoining Yunnan escaped to Burma. In all some 87,000 Tibetans followed the Dalai Lama into exile in 1959 and the following years and found sanctuary in Nepal, Bhutan and India. The answer to how the Tibetan refugees scattered across this vast swathe of land was bound together into a cohesive community lies in the inspirational leadership provided by the Dalai Lama and their own tenacity and the hospitality of the governments of India, Nepal and Bhutan. In those days the Dalai Lama re-energized the exile community by providing them with the rallying cry: hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

20 years later, the Tibetan refugees were able to successfully re-establish themselves in exile. With the active assistance of the host governments and guided by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan refugees established separate schools for their children and build compact farming settlements serviced by hospitals and health clinics. The refugees re-constructed in exile monasteries destroyed in Tibet to educate and train future spiritual masters, the torch bearers of Tibets cultural heritage. The Central University of Tibetan Studies, based in Sarnath, educate young Tibetan scholars in Buddhist philosophy and sciences. The traditional Tibetan medical system nurtured in exile has a world-wide clientele. In the 1980s, the Tibetan carpet industry started by Tibetan refugees generated more income and employed more workers for Nepal than the countrys own tourism.

Tibetans at Missamari Transit Camp, 1959 (Courtesy Exile)

Having guided his community to establish itself firmly in exile, the Dalai Lama travelled outside India to engage the world on Tibet. The reach and the diversity of the Dalai Lamas, and by default the Central Tibetan Administrations, engagement with the world was at its peak truly astonishing. Even before he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, the Dalai Lama was the guiding light in some unique international institutions like the Allied Committee that brought Mongols from Inner Mongolia, Manchus, Uighurs and Tibetans to make common cause. The Unrepresented Peoples Organisation (UNPO) brought together people without a seat in the UN to create an international platform to speak up for their collective rights. The Tibet Support Groups, the worldwide Tibet movement, remain the most sustained non-violent movement in the world. All the while, the Dalai Lama was engaged with the Chinese government in his efforts to persuade it to formulate a tolerant policy to the Tibetan people. At the same time, he has reached out to Chinese students and scholars to explain to them the Tibetan peoples struggle is neither anti-China nor anti-Chinese but pro-justice. And they have responded with sympathy and support, amplifying Tibetan voice to the Chinese public.

Some of the first Tibetans arriving at Missamari Transit Camp, May-June 1959. (Courtesy Exile)

Little commented on is how the present Dalai Lama has provided and continues to provide spiritual ministry to the traditional parish of the Dalai Lamas of Tibet. From Mongolia and the republics of Tuva and Buryatia snow-bound deep in the tundra of Siberia to Kalmykia (the only region in Europe where Buddhism is the dominant religion) strung along the Caspian Sea to the whole of the Buddhist Himalayan belt, the Dalai Lama has given guidance, encouragement and hope. In this way, he has sustained Tibets Buddhist civilization and made this ancient heritage of India immediate, relevant and critical to how we lead our lives.

Lobsang Gyatso Sither, who has compiled and edited Exile (Courtesy the author)

Exile is a testimony to the generosity of India and how the Tibetan refugees responded to that generosity. Lobsang Jigme Sithers painstaking re-creation of the early days of the Tibetan refugees is a timely reminder to the new generation of Tibetans born in exile the hard work and dedication that their parents and grandparents put in to create a productive and cohesive community. Exile, in moving photos and concise text, is a wake-up call that this legacy is not to be frittered away. It is an exhortation to fresh generations of Tibetan exiles that this legacy must be sustained with the same energy and hard work of the first generation of Tibetan refugees.

Read more: Book review: The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong is gripping

Thubten Samphel is the director of the Tibet Policy Institute and author of Falling Through the Roof
Indian IT exports will grow by 7-8 %, unchanged from previous years growth, despite protectionist voices in major markets like the US, industry body Nasscom said today.

The $ 156 billion Indian industry -- the biggest job creator in the organised sector -- is also projected to add 1.3-1.5 lakh new jobs during 2017-18 compared to a net hiring of 1.7 lakh in the previous fiscal.

In a first, the industry body had deferred giving the growth forecast in February and had instead postponed the same to April-June quarter.

Speaking to reporters, Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar exuded confidence that the outlook is positive despite the political and economic uncertainties in key overseas markets that may impact client spending.

We expect export revenues to grow by 7-8 %, not hugely different from last year (7.5 %), notwithstanding the headwinds we talked about (H1-B visa curbs in the US, protectionism and Brexit), he added.

The domestic infotech industry is expected to grow at faster pace of 10-11 % (in dollar terms) in 2017-18.

We definitely see the industry to be net hirer of as many as 1.3 to 1.5 lakh people in the year ahead. This industry continues to be a substantial hirer and a substantial creator of new jobs. At the same time, there is a churn in the industry too, Chandrashekhar said.

He said as the industry is currently driven by the digital revolution, Nasscom has decided to re-skill about 1.5 to 2 million IT professionals to equip them for future requirements.

Nasscom is working with its partners, members to establish a comprehensive digital platform. You will be hearing about this more during the months ahead. We expect 1.5 to 2 million people amongst the workforce to be re-skilled in the next 4-5 years.

The size of the Indian IT industry is pegged at $ 154 billion, including $ 11 billion incremental revenues added in the previous fiscal, according to Nasscom.

Uncertainty impacted the businesses. Whether it is BFSI segment or healthcare, all segments confronted by the uncertainty delayed the decision-making in the quest for stability. That translated into low opportunities for IT industry, the Nasscom chief explained.

Chandrashekhar, however, was optimistic about growth of the domestic IT industry, backed by some of the Centres initiatives such as aiming for one trillion dollar digital economy.

Replying to a query, he said the Indian IT industry is all set to move beyond the markets it is heavily dependent on and expand footprints to newer geographies such as Continental Europe, Japan, China and Africa.

The US and the UK account for almost 80 % of the countrys IT export revenues.

Compared to Nasscoms guidance of 7-8 % growth, Infosys expects its revenues to rise 6.5-8.5 % in constant currency (and 6.1-8.1 % in $ terms), while Cognizant has guided for 8-10 % rise in topline in constant currency terms.

Keshab Panda, MD and CEO, L&T Technology Services, said he is confident of double-digit growth.
Tata Steel Ltd said on Friday it sold its stake in Tata Motors Ltd to Tata Sons , the holding company of Indias salt-to-software Tata conglomerate, for 37.83 billion rupees ($586.3 million).

Tata Steel sold about 83.54 million shares at 452.80 rupees apiece, it said in a stock exchange filing.

As of end-March, the steelmaker owned a 2.9% stake or about 83.64 million shares in Tata Motors, according to stock exchange data. Last week, Tata Steel said it would sell the stake to Tata Sons on or after June 23.

Indian media had reported that Tata Sons planned to reduce crossholdings among group companies.
Uber has acknowledged hiring a former Google engineer  now accused of stealing self-driving car technology  despite having received warnings that he was still carrying around some of his former employers property.

The admission, contained in a Thursday court filing, is the latest twist in a high-profile legal fight between the ride-hailing company and a Google spin-off, Waymo. Both companies are battling to build self-driving cars that could reshape the way people travel.

Waymo alleges that Anthony Levandowski, the former Google engineer at the crux of the case, ripped off its trade secrets before departing in January 2016 to found a robotic vehicle startup that Uber acquired seven months later.

The lawsuit maintains that Uber then transplanted the intellectual property allegedly stolen by Levandowski into its own fleet of self-driving vehicles  a charge that Uber has adamantly denied since Waymo filed its complaint in federal court four months ago.

In May, US district judge William Alsup ordered Uber to return the stolen files, writing that evidence indicated the company knew or should have known that he possessed over 14,000 confidential Waymo files.

Now, Uber has for the first time has acknowledged that Levandowski informed its now-departed CEO , Travis Kalanick, that he had five disks filled with Googles information five months before joining Uber. The disclosure, made in March 2016, lends credence to Waymos allegation that Levandowski downloaded 14,000 documents on to a computer before leaving Google.

Uber, though, says Kalanick told Levandowski not to bring any of the Google information with him to Uber. At that time, a deal had been reached for Uber to buy Levandowskis startup, Otto, for $680 million, though the acquisition wasnt completed until August 2016.

The filing asserts that Levandowski destroyed the disks containing Googles material not long after Kalanick told him that Uber didnt want the information on them.

Levandowskis lawyers didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. They have been advising Levandowski to assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination since Waymo filed its lawsuit.

Based on the evidence he has seen so far, Alsup has already referred the case to the Justice Department for a potential criminal investigation.

The scenario sketched by Uber comes a few weeks after the company fired Levandowski for refusing to relinquish his Fifth Amendment rights and cooperate with its efforts to defend itself against Waymos suit.

Kalanick resigned as Ubers CEO Tuesday week after investors demanded he step down. The investors who have financed Ubers growth had concluded Kalanick had to go following revelations of sexual harassment in the companys office, a federal investigation into company tactics used to thwart regulators, and the threat of even more trouble posed by the Waymo lawsuit.
Something unprecedented happened in Britain last week. The Houses of Parliament welcomed their first ever Sikh woman and first ever turbaned Sikh man as MPs. Rishi Sunak, another MP, did his swearing in ceremony with the Bhagwad Gita, only the second time that has happened. Since the national elections two weeks ago, there are now 12 MPs of Indian origin in the UK Parliament  a new high.

Some Indians might dismiss this as irrelevant. Others will say its just vote bank politics. But such opinions miss the point. The UK Parliament now reflects the countrys racial and religious diversity better than most western countries. And this happened without any quotas or reservations.

This is a watershed moment for British politics: The proportion of non-white MPs is now the highest it has ever been. This matters not just because more British Indians are in parliament. It matter because it shows how far Britain has gone in accepting and reflecting the racial and religious diversity of the country.

But so what, you ask? Believe it or not but this makes Britain a stronger country. Democracy isnt just an outcome, an end-point or a state of affairs, it is also a process. It isnt just a vote every few years, it is an exercise in listening to people, reflecting their concerns and representing their voices. The more people feel listened to, the more trust they have in the country and its institutions.

Moreover, Britains new Hindu, Sikh and Muslim MPs can also raise important issues that otherwise get overlooked. For example, many Hindus still have problems getting proper burial facilities for deceased relatives (open air funeral pyres are still banned). The new Sikh MPs are likely to raise concern about rising hate-crime against Sikhs, and so on.

For British Indians, seeing MPs swear on the Gita also means their faith is put on the same level as others. And why not? Why shouldnt the Gita or Guru Granth Sahib be treated equally to the Bible or Quran?

The tragedy of India is that the worlds most diverse nation is among the worlds most unrepresentative parliaments. The number of women MPs, less than 12% of the total, is an international embarrassment: India ranks 103rd out of 140 countries. Even Saudi Arabias parliament has 20% women and they only allowed women to vote in 2015. Yes, Saudi Arabia!

There are 17 Muslim MPs in the British Parliament out of 650, also a new high. There are three times as many Indians Muslims as a proportion of the population, but only 23 Muslim MPs. This is pitifully low.

This is among the most diverse countries in the world. The huge range of languages, cultures, religions and practices that live on in this ancient land are what make it so unique and powerful. The fathers and mothers of the Constitution put quotas and reservations in place precisely because they understood this.

And yet, proportional representation of women, Dalits, Muslims and Christians, is too often treated as annoyance. As a necessary evil. Sometimes even worse. When KR Narayanan became the President of India in 1997, VHP president Ashok Singhal claimed he was a distinctly anti-Hindu Dalit, and his rise was a larger conspiracy of the Church to make Rashtrapati Bhavan a bastion of Christianity. I checked, and it turns out the Rashtrapati Bhavan is still an overwhelmingly Hindu body.

I wont even get into the barriers and patronising attitudes that women face because it would take up a whole book. But as Swati Chaturvedi summed up on The Wire recently, when it comes to politics in India, sexism is the norm.

Im not saying Britain is perfect. Racism still looms large in the national political debate and Britain is yet to come to terms with its violent and unequal past. And women still make up only 32% of MPs. But by embracing its new identity as a multicultural nation, it is at least changing faster than most.

Equal representation isnt just a moral good for society, it is essential to maintain trust and stability. It makes the country more secure. For an ancient, culturally-rich and diverse country like India, this task is even more important.

Sunny Hundal is a writer and lecturer on digital journalism based in London

The views expressed are personal

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Washington this weekend for his maiden tryst with the 45th President of the United States, there is little expectation of a replay of the bromance that had developed with his predecessor Barack Obama.

Shorn of the sideshows that have often featured on Modis foreign itineraries, this foray into the Beltway will necessarily be an attempt at taking the mercurial Donald Trumps temperature when it comes to the bilateral relationship. After all, the current occupant of the Oval Office blows hot and cold.

If while withdrawing America from the Paris climate agreement, Trumps references to India were pointing to a change of climate in Washington, just this week there were plenty of hints thrown out on matters like a harder line towards Pakistan or a softer approach on H1Bs that may have been a warning of warming.

Since Modi is given to acronyms, this agenda for this visit may be encapsulated thus: Making Out the Donalds Intentions (or MODI, but obviously). The encounter will be businesslike: Perhaps somewhat like the Art of the Deal meets the Craft of Dhanda.

While Trump views the world through the lens of his America First vision and will bring that to the negotiating table, Modi will have to counter with hard selling of the Indian opportunity, with a large quotient of soft soap given how the American president is often driven by ego rather than logic. In that sense, he will be a difficult customer.

The problem with Trumps unpredictability is that all manner of persuasion is not necessarily a prescription for future friendliness. Both German chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau have discovered that congenial conferences at the White House havent quite coughed up the returns they may have expected. Even Chinese President Xi Jinping, hosted at Mar-a-Lago, isnt in a comfort zone with Trump. For Modi, therefore, the biggest takeaway will be that the coming rebalance wont upend the gains of the last two decades without quite relying on another mood upswing. That will require savvy marketing of India, a spiel that Trump will buy into, segueing into the latters MAGA mantra. That Indian companies have upped investment in the US, or IT majors are increasingly hiring local workers are selling points.

Observers will pay attention to the body language between the two leaders. Just recently, French President Emmanuel Macron was involved in two episodes that indicated Europe is evolving into a separate bloc and out of the shadow of the US. There was the handshake that shook the world between him and Trump and just about a week separated that from the hug with Modi that embraced that emerging polarity.

It will be interesting to see the body language when Modi and Trump meet  a shake, a hug or just a shrug? Business as usual may not be the worst outcome.

Anirudh Bhattacharyya is a Toronto-based commentator on American affairs

The views expressed are personal

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Taking strong note of the Uttarakhand governments inaction in providing basic facilities to the students in the state-run schools across state, justice Rajeev Sharma of the High Court on Friday told secretary (finance) Amit Negi that if required government can deduct his salary to raise funds for the schools ailing basic amenities. The judge reacted after secretary (finance) briefed court about the financial condition of the state.

While hearing the writ petition of one Deepak Rana, the court on Thursday had categorically told government to curb car and other luxury items for the officials until the basic amenities are provided to the students of the government run schools. Continuing the hearing on Friday, the two-judge bench of Justices Alok Singh and Rajiv Sharma asked advocate general to have a word with the chief minister and come up with a solution.

The court modified its previous order partially, allowing the government to buy the need based items such as water purifiers with the prior approval of chief secretary. However, it was made clear that the state government shall not buy any luxury items till further orders.

Earlier this year, the court had directed the education department to improve the condition of government run schools. Later the matter was referred to finance department, which expressed its helplessness in providing additional funds to the education department.

The court observed it was not acceptable that several schools were running without benches, desks, blackboards etc. The court further said there was an immediate need to construct hygienic separate toilets for boys and girls and also sufficient number of water purifiers for the students. The advocate general was instructed to come back with the compliance report on June 28.

The mandatory directions were given by the High Court on a plea by Deepak Rana.

Parikshit Saini, advocate for the petitioner had said that that the court had earlier directed that basic amenities be provided to government schools. Provisions like sanitary healthcare for both boys and girls, one set of uniform every six months, mid day meals, adequate lighting, seating, heating arrangements, provision for blackboard etc were made mandatory in the order.

Uttarakhand was held personally responsible to comply with the directions, but even after seven months of passing of the judgment the provisions have not been implemented.

Lalit Miglani, advocate who moved the present petition before the court said that, The Secretary, education, State of Uttarakhand was summoned yet the only explanation offered by the secretary was that the matter was taken up with the state finance department in March 2017, but, till date, no response has been received.

Dissatisfied with the excuse offered by the state government, the court implemented a ban on purchase of luxury items such as cars, mobiles and till further orders.
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Two bike-borne assailants shot and injured the security guard of a cash replenishment company van and decamped with a bag containing over Rs 12 lakh from outside a private bank ATM booth in north-west Delhis Bhalswa Dairy on Friday afternoon.

The guard, Manoj, sustained a bullet injury in his abdomen. He was admitted to Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital, from where he was referred to Lok Nayak hospital. The condition of Manoj, who is in his early 50s, is stated to be critical.

A case of attempt to murder and armed robbery was registered at the Bhalswa Dairy police station against unknown robbers.

According to Milind Dumbre, deputy commissioner of police (north-west), the robbery took place around 4 pm, when the cash van staff reached outside an ATM booth in main Bhalswa market to refill the machine. Apart from Manoj, there were three more staff in the van.

The custodians of the cash van, Vipin and Saurabh, came out of the vehicle with a bag containing money. As they moved towards the ATM booth, Manoj, who was carrying a rifle, gave them security cover. As the ATM booth was small and could accommodate only one person, Vipin went inside to refill the machine and pulled down the shutter. Manoj stood outside, while Saurabh returned to the van and sat with driver Rajveer.

Around 4 pm, two men wearing helmets arrived on a Pulsar motorcycle. They parked the bike and went towards the ATM booth outside which Manoj was standing. One of them took out a pistol, pointed it on Manojs head and threatened to shoot him if he moved, said a police officer.

The other robber tried to open the shutter. Manoj tried to stop him, but the first robber shot him in his abdomen. He collapsed after the bullet pierced through his stomach. The assailants then opened the shutter, snatched the cash bag from Vipin on gunpoint and fled on their motorcycle, said the officer.

As the bag was open, some bundles of banknotes fell outside the ATM booth when the assailants were fleeing. After they left, Vipin called the police control room and informed about the crime. A police team arrived and rushed Manoj to the hospital. The entire area was cordoned off and the crime investigation team collected important evidences from the spot.

We are checking footages from CCTV cameras installed at the ATM booth and in the nearby areas. Prime facie, it appears that the robbers were following the vehicle for long, the officer said.

The van had visited seven to eight ATM booths in north-west Delhi before reaching the one in Bhalswa Dairy. It was slated to visit a few more booths from there. Investigators are questioning the three van staff and other employees of the replenishment company for clues.
Until a few decades ago, author and columnist, Mr Smith, contemporary Delhis great chronicler, was in the habit of walking across the streets of Old Delhi every day in search of stories about people and places. An identity card issued to him as a journalist by his employers in 1978 announced to whomever it may concern: Mr R.V. Smith is employed by The Statesman Ltd., as Sub-Editor and his work involves attendance at night.

He showed it to us at his home in west Delhis Mayapuri.

Today, Mr Smith rarely steps outside his second-floor flat in which he lives with his wife and four children. In his late 70s, the citys much-loved storyteller spends most of his time in his drawing room, which is filled with several copies of his half-a- dozen books and with hundreds of his yellowing newspaper articles.

Mr Smith also showed us his family album. The photographs, fished from inside a dusty drawer, were stacked with old letters. He had something to say about each picture. Holding a small black-and-white photograph, he said, This little girl is now 88. Taking out another picture, he said, This man was the Archbishop of Agra. We were waiting for the train to Bombay, where we were going to attend a conference of Anglo-Indians. He is dead now. Coming across a photograph that shows him holding a large box, he says, It was my farewell party in office when I was retiring in December 1996. They gifted me an electric heater.

One framed photograph occupied a place of pride in the drawing room. It shows Mr Smith posing with his brand-new Masters of Arts degree in 1962.
A Delhi Police special cell arrested a 31-year-old Madhya Pradesh-based suspected drug dealer from the capital with five kilograms of heroin worth Rs 20 crore in international market, police said on Friday.

Nand Kishore Joshi, a resident of MPs Mandsaur, was arrested on June 19 from near Hanuman Mandir on Outer Ring Road, said PS Kushwah, deputy commissioner of police (special cell).

A case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered and Joshi was arrested for supplying drugs, said Kushwah.

According to the DCP, the special cell had been working on information about a drug syndicate active in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Punjab for the last three-four months. The members of this syndicate are involved in smuggling high-grade heroin from MP to Delhi and adjoining states in India, said the officer.

On June 19, the police received a tip-off about Joshis arrival in Delhi with a big consignment of heroin, which was to be delivered to one of his contacts near Hanuman Mandir, between 10 pm to 11pm. A trap was laid and Joshi was nabbed. On searching his backpack, the police recovered five kilogram of heroin worth R20 crore in international market.

During the interrogation, Joshi revealed that he was a driver and belonged to a lower middle class family. He came in contact with a person in Mandsaur, who lured him to drug trafficking. Slowly, he learnt preparation of heroin from opium. Joshi has been involved in drug trafficking for the last five years, said the DCP.

The police are interrogating him to identify his associates and the person to whom Joshi had to deliver the consignment of heroin, he added.
The Delhi High Court on Friday remarked that there is more garbage than land for people in the national capital citing photographs in newspapers, showing the accumulation of solid waste in various parts of the city.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said a will to work was needed to clean up the city and not funds as claimed by the three municipal corporations who have blamed the Delhi government for not implementing the 4th Finance Commission recommendations.

The bench told the three corporations, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, that if its orders regarding implementation of the 4th Finance Commission recommendations have not been followed by the Delhi government, then a contempt plea can be filed.

It directed the civic bodies to inform the court in tabulated format, five-yearly progression with regard to the demographic variations; variance/increase in staff strength as well as infrastructure development in the nature of availability and increase in procurements say of number of dhalaos, trucks, cleaning equipments, etc.

The bench also asked them to inform the court about the sewage treatment plants in the city.

The court also took up the issue of the deaths of a ragpicker, who was electrocuted at a garbage heap where a live wire had fallen, and that of a child who fell into a pit allegedly dug up by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) four months ago.

Concerned over the two incidents, the bench sought a status report from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) with regard to the death of the ragpicker and a similar direction was issued to the DDA in connection with the nine-year-old boys death.

While seeking the status reports from the two agencies by June 27, the court said, It was high time that we changed the way we work or should we wait for more people or children to die.

It also told the authorities, You cannot say the crisis was because of the rains. This is happening because you are not doing your job.
Two members a gang that robbed elderly people of their cash and jewellery by impersonating as CBI or Delhi Police officers have been arrested.

Senior police officers said the Nasir Irani gang originally operated from Mumbai. The gang leader Nasir was recently arrested.

Police said the gang was inspired by a Bollywood movie in which the main characters used to cheat innocent people by posing as CBI officials. The imposters used to wear police uniforms and carried fake wireless sets.

Jatin Narwal, deputy commissioner of police (north), said the arrested cheats, identified as Hasan Aziz Sayyed and Amjad Sameer, belonged to Thane in Maharashtra.

Sayyed is one of the most wanted criminals of Mumbai and he was already booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The two were arrested from Lahori Gate when they and their associates were attempting to cheat a Ghaziabad resident, Chanderpal. When Chanderpal raised an alarm, a patrolling team responded and overpowered Sayyed and Sameer. The other two men managed to flee, said the DCP, adding two motorcycles were seized from them and 10 cases were solved.

According to Narwal, the gang has more than 40 members and they operate with a unique modus operandi. The gang members divide themselves in a group of four. Each member of the group has a different role to play.

One of them would impersonate as an inspector in CBI or Delhi Police crime branch while two others will act as his driver and operator. The fourth member will pose as a constable and his job it to accost their target victim, said Narwal, adding the gang mostly targeted elderly women walking alone in a lonely street.

Explaining the modus operandi, a police officer said one gang member would stop an elderly woman after introducing himself as a constable. He would then ask the woman to meet his senior officer for routine searching and frisking. The fake inspector will share a fake snatching or robbery story in the same locality and would ask her to remove his or her jewellery.

The fake inspector will take her jewellery on the pretext of wrapping them in a paper. The cheat would wrap the jewellery in the paper but would replace it with a similar packet and put the replaced packet in her bag. On reaching home, the victim will find her valuables missing, said the officer.
The death of deputy superintendent Mohammed Ayub Pandith at the hands of a lynch mob highlights the dangers to the police in Kashmir today, whether from gun-wielding militants or locals disgruntled with the Indian State. It also serves to remind us that more police personnel of Jammu and Kashmir have lost their lives in the defence of the country than any other state police force since the outbreak of the insurgency almost three decades ago. Till June this year, at least 16 Jammu and Kashmir policemen and women have been killed, the highest for that period in 20 years.

For most part of the insurgency in Kashmir, the Army and other central paramilitary forces have been seen as representing the repressive arm of the State: The Army at the forefront of the fight against the militants and the likes of the CRPF dealing with protesters on the streets demanding Azaadi. By contrast, the police was spared much of the public hatred, given the local roots of the men and women who served it.

But that changed over the past year or so as the states 80,000-odd police force received a wider role in anti-insurgency strategies, especially with the useful intelligence from its small special operations group that proved invaluable for the government forces. It also meant the police no longer enjoyed the cover of nativist sentiment. For the first time, police officers homes were raided, their families threatened and revenge attacks carried out against them. Six policemen were killed in south Kashmir on June 16, some had their faces disfigured. No politician went to their funerals, let alone extol their valour and dedication or hail the forces plural and syncretic character.

In the past three decades, more than 1,600 police personnel have sacrificed their lives in Jammu and Kashmir. As violence spirals once again in the region and Kashmirs police find themselves in the crosshairs of militants and bloodthirsty mobs, the government must decide what it wants their role to be: A force multiplier to complement the efforts of the security and military machinery or a service dedicated to the betterment of the community. At the best of times policing comes under the pulls and pressures of politicians. In armed conflicts such manipulation and misuse can only further demoralise and imperil Kashmirs police force.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has declared the results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which was taken by 12 lakh students aspiring to join medical and dental colleges across the country. Candidates can check their NEET 2017 result now.

CBSE NEET landing page (CBSE)

Steps to check the results:

1) Go on cbseresults.nic.in

1) Click on link for NEET 2017 results to visit the login page

2) Enter required details here.

4) Result will be displayed on the screen

5) Take a printout and download it on your computer for future reference

Enter your roll number and date of birth to get your NEET results (CBSE)

The process of declaring the result was set in motion after the Supreme Court on June 12 gave a go-ahead to the board by staying a May 24 interim order of the Madras high court, which restrained it from publishing the result.

The top court said it was inclined to grant a stay on the high courts order, which was indirectly diluting the schedule for NEET-2017 earlier fixed by the apex court.

A vacation bench comprising justice PC Pant and justice Deepak Gupta directed the authorities to proceed with the process of announcing the results, subsequent counselling and admission as per the schedule fixed by the apex court.

However, the bench said the result declaration, as well as the subsequent counselling and admission through NEET 2017, would be subject to the decision of the apex court in the matter pending before it. It also asked the high courts not to entertain pleas in the matters relating to NEET 2017.

The bench posted the matter for hearings after the summer vacation.

The CBSE moved the Supreme Court on June 9 seeking an immediate stay of the Madras high court order. The board also sought the transfer of petitions on NEET 2017 from various high courts to the apex court.

The petitioners demanded before the high court that NEET 2017 should be cancelled and a fresh exam with a uniform question paper be conducted. They claimed that different sets of question papers were used at various places, though a common syllabus had been announced.

The school board released the answer keys of the examination on June 15 and candidates were given time until 5pm on June 16 to challenge the keys. On June 13, CBSE displayed the images of OMR answer sheets and responses to the questions marked by candidates who appeared in the exam.

(With PTI inputs)
The Delhi Universitys Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Friday announced its cut-offs for B.Com. (Honours) and B.A. (Honours) Economics at 97.75% for the current academic session.

The premier college for commerce brought down the cut-off fractionally for both the courses from last year. Last year, it had set its cut-off at 98% for B.Com (Honours) and 98.25% for B.A. (Honours) Economics.

Other colleges have also announced their cut-offs. The admission process will start on Saturday.

Here are live updates on the cut-off list:

11.05pm: The admission process will be held on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday is a holiday on account of Eid.

11pm: The Delhi Universitys first admission cut-off list has been released.

Humanities:

Science:

10.30pm: Officials compiling cutoff list. Complete list expected by 11pm.

9pm: A university official said the dip in cutoffs could be because of comparatively bad results of state boards, such as Uttar Pradesh Board and Bihar Board.

Some of the state boards such as UP, Bihar and Punjab Board results are not as good as last year. Some of the state boards did not do moderation so there result wasnt good. Our cutoffs are dependent on scores by students who come from state boards and not just CBSE, the official said.

8.20pm:

8.01pm: Lady Shri Ram College for Women:

Economics (hons)- 97.5%

English (hons)- 98%

History (hons)- 96.5%

Political science (hons)-97.5%

BCom (hons)- 97.25%

BA (hons) Sanskrit has the lowest cuoff score at 65%. BA programme cutoff drops by 1.5 percentage point to 95.5%

8pm: Sri Aurobindo College:

Sri Aurobindo College kept its cutoff similar to last year. English (hons) remained same as last year at 92%. B.Com (hons) at 95%. Hindi (hons) saw a dip of 2 percentage points and fell to 74%. BA programme was at 83%.

7.16pm: Kirori Mal College:

Cutoff for Physics (Hons) down from 98% last year to 96%. Political Science up to 97%.

7.15pm: Daulat Ram College:

At Daulat Ram College some subjects reported a rise in cutoff English (hons) is available at 97% as compared to last years 96.25%. BA Programme cutoff increased to 91% from 2016s 89.5%.

But other subjects, including Economics , History and Political Science, B.Com, and B.Com (hons) saw a dip ranging from 0.25-1 percentage points.

B.Com was at 96%, B.Com (hons) at 96.5%, and Economics (hons) at 96.5% at the college.

7pm: Hans Raj College:

The trend of cutoffs going lower continued at Hans Raj College also where most subjects either remained at the same mark as last year or saw a a dip of 0.25-1 percentage points.

The college kept the cutoff for Economics (hons) at 97.25% and B.Com (hons) at 97.5%. For English (hons) the cutoff remained same as last year at 97%.

Only BA Programme saw a rise in cutoff. The subject was available at 97% as compared to last years 96%.

The cutoff for Science subjects remained almost same. Chemistry (hons) was at 97.33% and Physics (hons) was at 97% -- both same as last year.

6.30pm: Maharaja Agrasen:

Courses, other than BA programme, see a dip of 1-3 percentage points in cutoffs. BCom (Hons) down to 95%.

-- Ramjas College 1st cutoff:

At Ramjas College, most of the subjects saw a dip between 0.25-2 percentage points in cutoff compared to last year.

B.Com (hons) was at 97.5%, a dip of 1.75 percentage points from last years 99.25%. Economics (hons) was at 97.5% as compared to last years 98.5%.

English (hons) is at 96.5% and History (hons) at 97%. Science subjects also saw a dip in cutoff with Chemistry (hons) at 96%, going down by 2 percentage points from last years 98%, said Ramjas acting principal PC Tulsian.

Eco: 97.5%; English: 96.5%; B.Com (hons): 97.5%. Dip by 0.25-2 percentage points in most subjects.

-- SRCC 1st cutoff: Economics and B.Com (hons) at 97.75%. Drop of 0.25 percentage point for Commerce and 0.50 percentage point for Economics from 2016.
Harsh Agarwal emerged as the Bihar topper on Friday with an all-India rank 16 in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2017 conducted for admission to medical, dental, AYUSH and veterinary colleges across the country.

Agarwal secured 685 marks to score a percentile of 99.99. He was the sole candidate from Bihar in the list of top 25, which the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released. Navdeep Singh from Punjab topped with a score of 697 marks, a statement from the school board said.

In Patna, around 25,000 students appeared in the NEET at 32 examination centres.

Over 11,38,889 candidates registered for the exam, of which 10,90,085 appeared and 6,11,539 qualified. Of the successful candidates, 2,66,221 were male and 3,45,313 female. Five of the eight from the transgender category cleared the exam.

The NEET exam was dogged by question paper leak. Bihar and Rajasthan police arrested nine people across Patna, Jaipur and New Delhi on May 7 for trying to leak the question papers of the NEET. Five of the arrests were from Patna.

.

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A common pastime for many, excessive television watching has already been linked to a variety of health problems, as well as an increase in behaviours such as snacking. However the new research, led by UQ School of Public Health PhD candidate Natasha Reid, is the first study to look at a link between TV habits and physical function in older adults.

Last year, a research had suggested that kids with TV in their bedroom are at a higher risk of obesity. Placing TV sets in a childs room could put them at significantly higher risk of being overweight in later life. Read the study here. It also kills creativity in children, suggested another study.

For the latest research, Reid used data from 1,938 participants in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Participants were aged from 47 to 85 at the start of the study and followed over a 12-year period.

Subjects were classified into six groups based on their TV watching habits, ranging from consistently low at less than five hours a week (9.7% of participants), low-increasing (22.3%), moderate-decreasing (13.5%), moderate-increasing (30.3%), consistently-high (18.9%), and high-increasing at more than 30 hours of TV watching per week (5.2%).

Almost a third of participants fell into the moderate-increasing range, increasing their weekly TV watching from about 10 hours a week to about 20 hours. The study showed that those who spent less time watching television had significantly better lower-body muscle strength 12 years later.

On a knee extensor strength test, the consistently low TV watchers performed better than most other groups, commented Reid, who said the research suggested that excessive TV watching needed to be addressed earlier rather than later in life, as it could make a difference to independent living as we age.

Future longitudinal studies that examine sitting time and its impact on physical function are also needed, she added.

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Are you seeking steps to keep your brain healthy in old age? There are no proven ways to stave off mental decline or dementia, but a new report says there are hints that exercise, controlling blood pressure and some forms of brain training might offer help.

While it is known that brain cohesion is impacted with old age, there have been certain measures suggested to improve brain function. Earlier research had suggested that lifelong learning can go a long way in staying mentally fit later in life. Subsequent research showed that older adults with busy lifestyles show better cognitive function as well. Even walking has been seen to help keep your brain active and healthy in old age.

Without proof, the government should not begin a public health campaign pushing strategies for aging brain health, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said in a report released Thursday. But the public should be told the evidence is encouraging though inconclusive, the report concluded. That way, people can use the information in deciding whether to invest time and money on different interventions. The three highlighted strategies do no harm, said neuroscientist Alan Leshner, chairman of the National Academies committee. At least two of them are really good for you, even if the brain link doesnt pan out.

Scientists know that risky changes in the brain begin decades before symptoms of Alzheimers and other dementias become apparent, suggesting theres a window when people might bolster their cognitive health. But the report says Americans face a bewildering array of products and strategies promoted for brain health despite little if any rigorous science to back them up.

The National Institute on Aging asked the prestigious National Academies to review the field. The committee said three interventions should be more closely studied to prove if they really can help:

This is not merely brain games on your computer, Leshner said. The committee isnt backing those costly computer-based programs. Indeed, the government fined one brain training company last year for misleading consumers.

Instead, the best study to date included training done in groups, providing social engagement too. And cognitively stimulating activities include such things as learning a new language, the report noted. Since generally keeping intellectually active appears to be good for you, do that, Leshner advised, and if youre considering a commercial program, ask the company to see studies backing it.

The Alzheimers Association had been awaiting the recommendations, and agreed that more research is needed to determine what the optimal interventions should be, said chief medical officer Maria Carrillo. In the meantime, we recommend that people challenge their brains to maintain brain health.

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The district health department has confirmed two more cases of malaria in the city, a month after two children had tested positive for the disease.

Hospitals across the city have been reporting a high number of suspected cases of mosquito-borne diseases, although no dengue or chikungunya case has been confirmed yet.

Health department officials attributed the spike in such patients to the recent spell of pre-monsoon showers that led to waterlogging across the city and assisted in larvae breeding.

The two new malaria patients have been identified as Rekha (28) of Sector 72 and Anita Yadav (27) of Om Nagar.

While Rekha received treatment at the civil hospital, Anita was referred to the government hospital from Medanta - the Medicity.

Both the patients exhibited common symptoms of malaria such as low platelet count, appetite loss, joint pains and high fever. Relevant tests confirmed a positive detection and they have been discharged after receiving treatment. They are being closely monitored by civil hospital doctors, said Dr BK Bajora, chief medical officer (CMO).

The CMO added that after seeing a surge in the number of patients suspected to have mosquito-borne diseases, health department officials are engaged in compiling a list of areas from where a large number of suspected cases are being reported. The list is being forwarded to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to carry out fumigation drives.

Read I Two malaria cases in Gurgaon stirs the health department into action

This development is a change in the health departments stance as they have so far refrained from directing the MCG to carry out fumigation drives due to the adverse effects of fumigation on health.

Four confirmed cases of malaria have been reported this season so far. Last month, a four-year-old girl from Bhondsi and a seven-year-old girl from Mewat had tested positive for the disease.

There was a dip in malaria cases last year and only 38 cases were reported against 67 in 2015, 79 in 2014 and 212 in 2013.

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New Delhi: This week as part of its Wildnet operations,the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau conducted seizures in Noida, following raids over the past two weeks in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Orissa.

Recovered articles included 25 Hatha Jodi, 25 Siyar Singhi, 24 Sea Fan, 1 Trochus, 6 Lambis shell, 91 black cowrie, 130 white cowrie, 27 sea-shells, that are all derived from animals protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The Wildnet operations are conducted on the basis of monitoring of websites and online chat platforms.

Hatha Jodi is a wonder of nature, in which two hands are joined together, as in a prayer. This is actually rooted of a very rare plant in the shape of folded hands, says a product description on Amazon.coms India website. It is very useful in winning favors (sic) or winning trials.

They may resemble joined arms but investigations by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and research funded by London-based World Animal Protection (WAP), revealed that many of the products being sold as the wondrous Hatha Jodi are actually dried Giant Monitor lizard penises. These are available in some of the biggest online retail websites like Amazon, Ebay, Alibaba, Snapdeal and Etsy.

Siyar Singhi refers to a clump of jackal hair that grows on its head. Most of these parts are believed to possess magical properties by tantric practicioners. and are promoted by many godmen. Hatha Jodi is supposed to help people in court cases among other things.

The lizard penises are being sourced from states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka, where the lizards are also eaten by some tribal communities. They reach markets across the country not just through online retailers but also dealers who supply them to local shops.

There is no such thing as Hatha Jodi, Jose Louies, head of enforcement assistance and law, Wildlife Trust of India , who participated in the raids, said, It is only a code word for illegal monitor lizard parts.

Four kinds of monitor lizards are found in India and all of them are Schedule I species under Indias Wildlife Protection Act 1972, which makes it an offence to conduct trade in the lizards or any of its body parts.

Wildlife crimes being taken seriously, criminals will not be spared at any cost,environment minister Harsh Vardhan said praising the WCCB actions. Illegal trade in wildlife parts can lead to three to seven years imprisonment and invite fines.

Even though the raids were successful Tilottama Verma, who heads the WCCB, said that the worrying thing was that the trade was still ongoing. We might have touched less than 1% of the trade in the parts, she said.

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Actor Denzel Washingtons upcoming film with Colin Farrell has been titled Roman Israel, Esq.

The project, written and directed by Dan Gilroy, is a legal thriller, which also features Carmen Ejogo, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film was previously titled Inner City.

Roman Israel, Esq. does not have a release date yet, but Sony Pictures is considering a fourth-quarter release.

The story follows a Los Angeles attorney, played by Washington, who is offered a job at a prestigious law firm after the death of his long-time partner. He takes on a case that has life-altering repercussions.

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Three persons have been arrested and charged in the US in connection with the murder case of a 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner who was gunned down outside his home in South Carolina in March. The incident had sent shockwaves through the Indian-American community in the country.

Harnish Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home.

The three persons are accused of a conspiracy to commit robbery, in what police documents describe as a smash an Indian incident, The Herald newspaper reported.

Police have not charged anyone with murder, it said.

Jaquinton Tradell Blair, 23, LaJames Arteian Ross, 22, and Richard Stewart, 42, had roles in the robbery and conspiracy, according to the arrest warrants released yesterday.

Blair and Ross, charged this month with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, are both jailed under $85,000 bond, the report said, adding that Stewart was charged with conspiracy and accessory to armed robbery before the fact. Stewart is being held without bond.

Stewart allegedly consulted with the suspects, provided ammunition and information for the robbery and did nothing to prevent the incident, arrest warrants said.

The warrants cite the words smash an Indian, as used by the three people arrested, the report said, adding that the phrase is the first indication that the crime could possibly have been a hate crime.

Doug Barfield, spokesman for the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office, said that he was not aware of any hate crime probe launched by federal authorities. Hate crimes are generally considered federal offenses.

We helped the family through this tough time, but this news raises some questions about where we stand and how safe we are in the country, said Sharad Patel, president of the Rock Hill Indian Association. We definitely want justice for the family, Sharad said.

Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said.

Patels death was reported close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling get out of my country.

The shooting had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an environment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country.
A day after Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling expressed full support to the cause of a separate state of Gorkhaland, the Mamata Banerjee government shot off a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh condemning Chamlings move.

In the absence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a tour to the Netherlands, education minister and Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee wrote the letter to the Centre pointing out that the Sikkim chief minister has no business interfering in the matters of West Bengal.

In the letter Partha Chaterjee pointed out that the action of Sikkim chief minister is against the federal structure of the country, where a particular state government cannot interfere in the internal matters of another state, said a state cabinet member aware of the contents of the letter.

Chief minister, Mamata Banerjee would have written the letter herself had she not been out of the country. So, she instructed state education minister to write the letter to the Union home minister on her behalf, said the minister.

On June 20, Chamling wrote a letter to Rajnath Singh supporting the demand for Gorkhaland state. He posted the piece of communication on his Facebook page on June 22.

Chatterjee also mentioned in the letter that nothing but political hooliganism is currently taking place in the hills. The state is trying to combat it and restore normalcy. The letter pointed out in such a situation Chamlings support for the separate Gorkhaland state will just encourage the hooliganism, the minister added.

Partha Chatterjee has reiterated the state governments demand for additional central forces for the hills. Currently six companies of central forces and two columns of the armed forces are deployed in the hills.

The Union home ministry has already declined to send additional forces in the hills, pointing out that according to intelligence inputs deployment of additional forces will aggravate tension in Darjeeling.
Cattle being taken to Kerala in a container lorry allegedly without proper care were seized by police and the driver arrested near Coimbatore on Friday.

Police said a team on a routine vehicle check found the cattle  19 buffaloes and three ox  inside the container at Malumichampatti.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that the animals were being taken to Wayanad in Kerala from Karnataka, they said.

Since there was no proper medical facilities, water and food for the cattle, police seized them and handed them over to a goshala (cow shelter) near Tirupur.

Lorry driver Afsar, hailing form Tumkur in Karnataka, had been arrested and a case registered against the vehicle owner Sadiq Pasha of Bengaluru, police said.

Investigations were on to ascertain the reason for the transportation of the cattle, they added.

The seizure comes weeks after the Centre banned sale of cattle in animal markets for slaughter.
Senior congress leader and former defence minister AK Antony is among 40 opposition politicians and former bureaucrats whose security has been downgraded or totally withdrawn after a threat perception analysis by the intelligence agencies.

Antonys security stands downgraded from Y Plus to Y category.

Prominent among former bureaucrats include three former chiefs of Indian Space Research Organisation  Dr Madhwan Nair, Dr Kasturirangan and Dr K Radhakrishnan  whose security has been downgraded from Y to lowest X category. All three are being protected by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as central protectees.

A home ministry official termed the decision as routine review.

As part of the review, the Centre asked the Bihar government to take care of security of Pappu Yadav, who is a Lok Sabha member from Madhepura. Yadav was being guarded by the CRPF under Y Plus category security till now.

Similarly, the Gujarat government has been asked to provide security detail to former state Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia. He was a Y category protectee of the CRPF till now. Another Congress leader Y category protectee to lose CRPF protection is Bihar minister and state Congress chief Ashok Chaudhary.

Other prominent politicians who have lost their central security cover include former Union minister Beni Prasad Verma (Y category), ex-MP Seema Upadhyay (Y category), ex-MP Saleem Shervani (Y category), two former ministers of home Sriprakash Jaiswal (Y category) and RPN Singh (X category) and DP Singh, who is Congress MLC from Raibareli and had X category protection from the CISF. The X category CRPF protection provided to Kapil Mishra, who is the son of senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra, also stands withdrawn.

The government provides security under five categories  'Z Plus' (around 40 guards with two escort vehicles) , 'Z' (around 24 guards with one escort vehicle), Y Plus (escort vehicle and around 12 guards), 'Y' (around 12 guards) and 'X' (four guards). On the directions of the home ministry, more 450 protectees get security cover.

In the current review, the Y category CRPF protection provided to Aveek Sarkar, who is the former editor-in-chief of English daily The Telegraph, has also been downgraded to X category.

Other Congress leaders whose security stands downgraded from Y Plus category to Y category include Ajay Maken, Shashi Tharoor, Shakeel Ahmad and Vijay Inder Singla.
Smarting under embarrassment as an all-party meeting on the Darjeeling crisis turned into a flop show on Thursday with all major opposition parties abstaining, the West Bengal government reacted by intensifying the clampdown on Gorkhaland agitators in the hills.

The states strategy includes an exhaustive audit of the funds given to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) run by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and extending the suspension of internet and cable services in the hills for an indefinite period. The government also registered FIRs against GJM chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha and some senior members of the party, charging them with murder of the three men who died during clash with the police at Singamari in Darjeeling on June 17.

The all-party meeting was expectedly fruitless. Most opposition parties boycotted the meeting saying it would be a futile exercise given that chief minister Mamata Banerjee out of the country.

What was particularly embarrassing for the government was that representatives of only two out of the 15 hill-based development boards attended the meeting. Till now, it was believed that these boards owed their allegiance to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Despite attending the meeting, representatives of the Kami community and the minority community development boards refused to speak to the media. A member of another development board that did not attend the meeting told HT on condition of anonymity that being residents of the hills it is impossible for them to ignore public sentiment. A member of another development board said that their absence was to a great extent prompted by fear of backlash from the agitators.

The two political parties present at the meeting (other than Trinamool Congress) were the Bahujan Smajwadi Party and Nationalist Congress Party. Neither has any noteworthy organisation in the state nor any MLA in the Assembly.

Read more: All-party meet on Darjeeling crisis a dud with Opposition set to boycott

A senior state finance department official said that the audit team is looking into alleged misappropriation of funds by the GTA. He said utilization certificates for funds spent were missing in most cases and money had been spent on construction works without producing bills.

The 12-member audit team has come across several such misappropriations, following which we have decided to conduct physical audit. As the chief minister said, those found guilty will be identified and prosecuted, he said.

Meanwhile, Darjeeling district magistrate, Joyoshi Dasgupta reportedly sent a confidential report to the home department on Thursday saying that the ongoing strike has resulted in an estimated loss of around Rs 150 crore.

Without naming the GJM, home secretary Malay Kumar De said at the end of the all-party meeting that the government was open to negotiations with the agitators and it wanted peace to be restored.

The onus of restoring peace in the hills lies with everyone. Hill people are suffering. State government has the constitutional duty to restore peace and maintain law and order. For that, the government is seeking cooperation from all, De said.

Education minister and Trinamool secretary general, Partha Chatterjee, referred to Mahatma Gandhi to justify the shortage of political representation at the all-party meeting. When Gandhiji used to convene meetings, only a few attended. But later, millions walked behind him, he said.

Chatterjee refused to give a direct reply on the suspension of internet and cable services in the hills, insisting that the bigger problem in the hills is shortage of food and other essential commodities.
In a first sign of fissure among hill parties that vowed to fight together for a separate Gorkhaland in an all-party meeting 10 days ago, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung on Thursday questioned the commitment of two parties for the movement.

Hitting out at the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), GJM chief said he could not trust a party that allied with the Trinamool Congress just a month ago for the civic polls.

The GNLF was formed in 1980 by Subhash Ghisingh, who first spearheaded the movement for creation of a separate Gorkhaland state comprising Nepali-speaking areas of northern West Bengal.

The front was among the six parties that resolved to jointly push for a separate Gorkhaland in an all-party meeting convened by the GJM in Darjeeling on June 13.

Gurung, speaking to some TV channels, also flayed chief of the Jan Andolan Party (JAP) Harka Bahadur Chettri. He referred to Chettri as the leader of another party who is keen to fulfill his personal interest.

Chettri was a former GJM MLA and a confidant of Gurung, who resigned from the Morcha in September 2015.

There is no guarantee that these two parties would not ditch midway the issue of Gorkhaland, Gurung said, adding We have accepted their demand to resign from the GTA and with this ends the all-party exercise.

Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is a semi-autonomous administrative body headed by Gurung as its chief executive officer.

Now we will shun GTA and fight for the one-point agenda, which is Gorkhaland... GJM members will resign from the GTA on Friday. On June 27, we will burn the copies of GTA Accord, Gurung further said.

There is no need for all-party meetings in the hills, Gurung said in a statement that offended the parties that sunk their differences with the GJM for the Gorkhaland.

On Friday, Gurung said he was misquoted by the media. But the fissures were already visible and GNLF and JAP leaders reacted sharply to his statement.

Bimal Gurung has been sold. This time we wont allow him to sell the dream and aspiration of 1.5 crore Indian Gorkhas, said GNLF spokesperson Niraj Zimba.

The GNLF is the second most powerful political entity in the hills after the GJM.

We are in touch with all the political parties excluding GJM to spearhead the movement collectively, said Bishal Rai, the JAP youth wing president.

Gurungs statement even surprised many GJM leaders.

I dont know about the development and I need to know what Bimal Gurung has said, GJM general secretary, Roshan Giri, who is camping in Delhi to lobby for Gorkhaland with the Centre, told HT on Thursday.

Two all-party meetings were held in the hills on June 13 and June 20, where all the hill parties, including BJP, endorsed a no-hold-barred agitation for Gorkhaland.

Gurungs statement came at a time when the entire hills were seen rallying together to carry on the struggle for Gorkhaland.

Thousands have been hitting the roads even without the presence of any leader. People are organising rallies and meetings using social media platforms too.

Even Indian Gorkhas residing outside the country have been expressing their solidarity to the movement.

Pawan Chamling the Sikkim chief minister on June 20 wrote a letter to the union home minister Rajnath Singh requesting him to create a separate state of Gorkhaland.

The death of three Gorkhaland supporters on June 17 when security forces opened fire have infused new zeal to the Gorkhaland movement.

Never in the past did Gorkhaland movement receive so overwhelming support. Bimal Gurungs statement against this backdrop is unwarranted, said Anupam Moktana, a political observer based in Mirik.
Jhabua superintendent of police Mahesh Jain recently received an unusual SMS from a young tribal girl, Neha Damor.

She urged him to visit her village Torniya in the districts Meghnagar tehsil to explain to the villagers ill effects of social evils besetting the village such as alcoholism, early marriage of girls, school dropouts and dowry.

Responding to Nehas request, Jain visited Torniya in the second week of June to become the first SP to visit the remote village in 70 years. There he exhorted villagers to fight social evils and told them how it would benefit them.

Such an SMS to a police officer and the prompt and positive response from the SP would have been unthinkable even a year ago in the district where police and local populace viewed each other with suspicion.

Jhabua is a backward tribal district in Western Madhya Pradesh around 350 km from Bhopal.

Jains visit to Torniya, however, was not a one-off case. As part of a sustained campaign being run by the Jhabua police in villages and schools for the past six months to fight social evils to curb crimes, such interactions are often taking place in the district.

Its a new role for the police here, but we realised that many of the crimes that take place are actually the fallout of these social evils, Jain pointed out.

Many murders were committed in drunken rages in this tribal area. The dowry is forcing locals to migrate to other places seeking jobs to accumulate the amount. So we have decided to take up these social issues, though it is not exactly our job, he said.

The initiative has broken barriers between the police and tribals. More and more villages want us to come and meet villagers and talk to them. I feel it is a positive development, Jain added.

In the last few months, Jhabua police organised such meetings, christened as Khatla baithak (wooden-cot meet), in over two dozen villages.

The proceedings are simple. The villagers squat in a semi circle in an open space as SP Jain tells them about the social evils and how it affects their lives.

Police are also running a parallel programme in government schools, wherein they exhort girl students to take a pledge to continue their studies till the age of 18.

A catchy slogan Kam se kum 18 varsh ki umra tak pardhna aur parhana hai, jeevan sukhad banana haihas been coined to spread the message against child marriage.

The SP came and told us why we should continue studying and not marry before 18. I am convinced. I will not marry before 18, Says Vimla Damor, a student of Jhabua Girls H S School.

The feedbacks from 20 schools covered so far is similarly encouraging.

Impressed by the success of the campaign, the IG Indore Zone Ajay Sharma said they were now planning to replicate this initiative in other tribal dominated districts of the state.

The initiative also received a thumps up from social workers of the area.

Benedict Damor of the Adivasi Shikshan Seva Kendra says, Its a good initiative. People are now not so apprehensive about police. But whether they follow the advice remains to be seen.

(With inputs from C B Singh)
Sonari Manjhi,18, has passed the Bihar board Class 10 examination in second division. Yet, he is on cloud nine.

He has reasons to be. When the results were announced on Thursday, he became the first to successfully complete matriculation in the more than 100-year-old Dalit hamlet, comprising 50-odd households in Vithalpur village of Maoist-hit Jamui district, 196 kms southeast of Patna,

Vouching for Manjhis unique achievement, 102-year-old Adhiklal Rajhans, who was born in this hamlet, said: By being the first to complete his matriculation from our hamlet, he (Manjhi) has kindled the flame of education among the youth in the hamlet, soaked in abject poverty and deprivation.

Happy with his achievement, Manjhi, said his journey was not easy and full of struggle.

The condition of my house was very bad. I realised that without education nothing will change. People in the hamlet did not have faith in me and called my endeavour a sheer waste of time. As I am short in height, I even had to face nasty comments. But I continued with my studies and today everyone is appreciating my success, he said.

Manjhi credits his teacher Ravindra Mishra for his success.

Without him, it would have remained a dream. He not only encouraged and taught me, but also spread a new kind of awakening in the hamlet. Getting over the Dalit-forward divide, he imparted education, provided books, stationery, food and clothes. He has been a true mentor, guide and everything, he said, recalling how his friends also boosted his morale.

I want to do some government job and will continue my hard work. I want to bring change in my hamlet by encouraging others to study, he added.

The likes of Manjhi have a message for education authorities: The craving for education has increased; all that is required is a true climate to excel.

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Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is set to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis arrival in Washington for a summit meeting with President Donald Trump.

The Jaishankar-Tillerson meeting is likely to give final touches to the Modi-Trump meeting at the White House on Monday. Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet the Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.

Jaishankar, a former Indian ambassador to the US, has been playing a leading role in shaping the India-US relationship under the Modi Government.

At the invitation of the US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Modi will visit Washington DC on June 25-26. The two leaders have spoken over phone for at least three times.

Days before the PMs visit, the State Department has said that United States is looking forward to strengthen its ties with India.

Were looking forward to strengthening ties between the United States and India. We have a lot of areas of mutual cooperation, fighting terrorism, we have a lot of people-to-people ties, strong people-to-people ties; so were looking forward to that visit. We have a lot of visas that get granted - are granted to Indian citizens, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

Further stating that US treasures its relationship with their Indian friends, Nauert expressed the Trump Administrations eagerness in greeting the Indian delegation.

Giving an ample indication of the friendly ties, the US has cleared the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India.

This meeting comes at a time when Trump made critical comments on India while announcing the US decision to pull out of the Paris climate change agreement.

President Trump has accused India and other countries of trying to extract billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from the developed world to sign up for the climate accord.

In spite of the difference on some issues, Prime Minister Modis discussions with Trump are likely to find a common approach on matters related to South Asia, particularly the rise in infiltration from the neighbouring Pakistan, terrorism and Indias case for a seat at the nuclear suppliers group.

The Prime Minister has reiterated Indias support to the Paris agreement and said he is willing to go further than what has been committed under the Paris accord.

Both the leaders will hold discussions on taking the bilateral ties to a new level, convergence of strategic interests in South Asia, joint effort in fighting terrorism, trade and specifically the vexed issue of H-1B temporary visa, the biggest concern for New Delhi,

Moreover, US National Security Adviser (NSA) Lieutenant General HR McMaster has re-affirmed Indias position as the USs major defence partner during talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

McMaster had discussed bilateral ties, situation in the South Asian region including Afghanistan and Pakistan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his April visit.

Under the previous administration, Prime Minister Modi had a record number of eight meetings with former US president Barack Obama.

Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval had met his then counterpart Michael Flynn in December, before the inauguration.

On the US executive order on H1B visas, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reportedly hit back at the US on the H1B visa issue and said that their companies in India will also be affected .She has said that it is not only the Indian companies which will get affected but also the US companies who earn profits which go to their economy.
A villager, trying to wade across waist-deep Gandak river, was killed in a crocodile attack in the interiors of Bihars West Champaran district on Wednesday.

The villagers body could not be retrieved on Friday even as local divers were pressed into service.

Asharfi Yadav, 34, a resident of Bhitaha panchayat, 220 km north-west of Patna, was trying to cross the river to collect grass for his cattlehead when a crocodile attacked him.

Yadav, for the past several years, had waded into the shoal of the river to cut grass for his cattlehead, recollected villagers. But destiny had ordained differently on Wednesday.

According to eyewitnesses, the crocodile held him by his head and thrashed him about in the waters, killing him.

This is the first such reported attack by a crocodile on a human in the district, said Girija Devi, mukhiya of adjoining Chilbaniya panchayat. The incident had made the villagers residing along the embankment cagey, she added.

As the news spread, hundreds of villagers gathered along the river bank. Station house officer of Bhitaha police station, Abdul Mazid, said Asharfis body was yet to be traced. Given that the village was remote, it took a couple of days for the news to reach the district headquarters.

For years together, villagers use to collect grass for their cattlehead by wading across the river. With the number of crocodiles increasing fast, the river has now become dangerous and no one would now dare to wade across it, said Sakim Paswan, a fellow villager.

The Gandak is the third most favourable breeding ground for crocodiles according to the Wildlife Trust of India.

A decade ago, there were a good number of crocodiles, which gradually declined in the river. Six crocodiles from the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park in Patna were released in the river near the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in 2015. Wildlife experts have also been releasing captive-bred crocodiles in the Gandak under the Centres crocodile conservation project.

The Gandak originates from the Dhaulagiri mountain in Nepal. It enters India at Valmikinagar, where two rivulets Sonha and Pachnad join it, forming a holy confluence Triveni. The river flows south-east 300 kms across north Bihar, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali districts and joins the Ganga river at Hajipur.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar faced fresh calls from ally and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and opposition parties to reconsider the JD(U)s support to NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind but he stood his ground.

Describing the Congress-led opposition nominee Meira Kumar as Bihar ki Beti (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar for the second time in two days to mend the historic blunder in extending the JD(U)s backing to Kovind. Meira Kumars candidature was announced on Thursday.

Kovind was the governor of Bihar before being chosen as the NDA nominee for the July 17 presidential polls billed as a Dalit versus Dalit contest.

The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

But Kumar stuck to his stand, saying the presidential election should not become an issue of confrontation.

It is an election for President. It should not become an issue of confrontation, he told reporters after visiting Prasads residence.

There is no doubt about the result. We have lot of respect for Bihar Ki Beti (Meira Kumar). But the question is has Bihar Ki Beti been chosen to lose?

Kumar said the decision to support Kovind was taken at the meeting of JD(U)s core committee.

We have taken this decision after thinking on all aspects. And as far as JD(U) is concerned, it has always taken independent decisions, even when we were a part of NDA. We supported Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA candidate that time.

Stating that the Presidents chair is not for political battle, Kumar said, Had there been consensus, it would have been a good thing but I do not think it should be a matter of debate.

I had met Ram Nath Kovind and then had a word with Sonia ji and Sitaram Yechuri ji and I told them about my emotions that Ram Nath Kovind ji had a praise worthy role in Bihar as the governor. He had worked in Bihar without any bias.

Prasad earlier in the day said that the opposition parties are still treading on the path Nitish Kumar had suggested to make the country Sangh-mukt.

...dont know what made Kumar to move away and extend support to a RSS man, he told reporters on his arrival at the JayAprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

Later in the evening, Prasad when asked if he had talks with Nitish Kumar said, This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects.

The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

We appeal to both the chief ministers of Odisha and Bihar to re-consider their decision and support a secular candidate like Meira Kumar. Above all, both BJD and JD(U) are not part of the BJP-led NDA, CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Reddy, accompanied by CPI national secretary Dr K Narayanana, said they hope both Patnaik and Kumar will have a rethink before casting their vote in favour of Kovind, whom they described as a Sangha Parivar member.

We do not know the reasons behind both Patnaik and Kumar supporting the NDA candidate, Reddy said adding, the CPI will contact the BJD and JD(U) before the presidential polls.

Stating that the country needs a secular person to become the President in the backdrop of attacks on dalits and minorities since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre, Reddy said opposition parties have fielded Meira Kumar keeping her background in consideration.

She (Meira Kumar) has been the Speaker of Lok Sabha, having knowledge on external affairs matters and above all the daughter of Jagjivan Ram, Reddy pointed out.

He said the BJPs three-member committee had asked the CPI about its suggestion for a Presidential candidate.

We had suggested the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi and they (BJP) said about meeting again. But, they announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind without consulting us, Reddy said, criticising the BJP for not going for a consensus candidate for the top post.

Asked why Gandhi was not made a candidate by the opposition for the presidential election, the CPI leader said, We had just suggested the name of Gandhi. Had the BJP agreed on it, we would have supported him.

According to Left sources, it was also surprising that the names they considered were not even discussed and proposed when the Opposition leaders met in Delhi on Thursday to decide their joint candidate

Ahead of the meeting, the Left parties had decided to propose Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhis grandson, and B R Ambedkars grandson Prakash.

They claimed that leaders of the JD(U) -- which had earlier pitched for Opposition unity, but is supporting Kovinds candidature -- are also of the view that a non- Congress contender would have been better, the sources said.

The sources suggested that fielding a Congress candidate is something that will come in the way of bringing the JD(U) back to the Opposition flock notwithstanding her being from Bihar.

There is a feeling that some non-Congress contender should have been considered, the sources said.
The lynching of a police officer outside the Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar on Friday triggered widespread condemnation from political parties with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah saying those behind the travesty should burn in hell.

In a strong reaction, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti termed the killing of deputy superintendent of police Mohammad Ayub Pandith as shameful and warned people of severe backlash if the police loses its patience.

The Congress expressed serious concern over the worsening situation in Kashmir and asked the government what policy it was following in the state which saw jawans and policemen dying every other day.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi termed the lynching as horrific, saying the incident marked a new low in the state.

The brutal lynching of Deputy SP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident, he said on Twitter.

Union minister Jitendra Singh described the lynching as an unholy act in the pious month of Ramzan and said the tragic death of the officer is yet another eye opener for the innocent masses of Kashmir.

Pandith was stripped naked and lynched by a mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in downtown area in the early hours of Friday.

What can be more shameful than this (lynching of officer). I want to say that J-K police is one of the best police forces in the country, they are brave but they are showing maximum restraint (while dealing with law and order situation) because they feel that they are dealing with their own people in J-K.

But, for how long? Mehbooba told reporters on the sidelines of the wreath-laying ceremony of the slain officer.

She said the officer had not gone to the mosque for personal work but was there to protect the lives of the people and fulfil his duty.

Calling the lynching height of barbarism, Omar said, I am personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy. That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking.

His death is a tragedy & the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins, Omar wrote on Twitter.

The former chief minister of the state announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh on behalf of the party and also a months salary as MLA to the police welfare fund to support families of such martyrs.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also condemned the brutal act of killing of Pandith and said it was against Islam and humanity.

It is a shameful act. Killing a person in the holy month of Ramzan is condemnable. Such thing is against both the Islam and the humanity, he said.

At the AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson RPN Singh said, There is complete breakdown as far as law and order is concerned, as far as internal security is concerned. It seems that the Government has no policy, has no kind of action plan and seems that it is not moved by what is happening in J&K.

Separatist Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too condemned the lynching of the police officer, saying the brutal act was outside the parameters of our values and religion.
Hyderabad police on Friday arrested a suspected Islamic State (IS) sympathiser, who was allegedly planning to carry out subversive activities in the country.

Twenty two-year-old Konakalla Subrahmanyam alias Omar was arrested from his room on Friday morning after a special investigation team (SIT) received information about him.

According to D Hari Kumar Yadav, assistant commissioner of police, SIT, Subrahmanyam embraced Islam in 2014, and changed his name to Omar.

He later moved to Gujarat where he trained in religious rituals and scriptures. He subsequently visited Srinagar, Oomrabad, Ambur of Tamil Nadu, and Mumbai.

He has been chatting with ISIS sympathizers through social media network like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. He got in touch with Abu Qahafa Al-Hindi of Mumbai who is ISIS sympathizer and had been in regular conversation with him. Omar wanted to carry out subversive activities in the country with the instigation of Abu Qahafa Al-Hindi, a police official said.

Subrahmanyam, son of K Venkata Narasimha Rao, hails from Challapalli mandal in Andhras Krishna district. In Hyderabad, he was living in a room at Bharatnagar in Tolichowki area.

Police seized a mobile phone which contained incriminating conversation with ISIS sympathisers. A case was registered against Omar under Section 120(B), 121A, 124 A IPC and Sections 10 and 13 ULAP Act, 1967.

The accused is being remanded to judicial custody, Yadav said.

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He owns four acres of land, farms 20 acres more on lease, and has a debt of Rs 10 lakh. Gurmukh Singh, 44, is one of better-to-do farmers of Pandrali, a quiet, well-groomed village in Fatehgarh Sahib district with several newly-built houses, smooth streets and girls on scooters. Its a picture that could well be captioned prosperous Punjab. But the genteel facade hides the struggles of the states farming community.

I am a farmer, have never done anything else, but its not sustainable any longer, Gurmukh clears his throat. A former village head, he is clearly uneasy about sharing his troubles with strangers. The price of potato, the crop he grew on part of the land hes leased, has crashed. It means more debt for he has to pay a rent of Rs 40,000 for an acre though his potato crop has fetched him only Rs 25,000. This is what happens when you diversify, he fumes.

This week, the Punjab government announced a waiver of crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh for small and marginal farmers (up to five acres). Gurmukh is relieved that he falls in this bracket but wishes the government had announced a complete loan waiver. I know the state has limited funds, but the Centre should rescue farmers, he opines.

Like most farmers in the state, this matriculate grows wheat and paddy, the two crops with a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP). Paddy has leached the land of water leading to fears of desertificationthe water table at Pandrali has breached 70 feet, and is falling at the rate of three feet a yearyet farmers refuse to grow other crops. I have tried turmeric, sugarcane, maize and vegetables, but marketing is a problem. The sugarcane mills dont pay us for months and prices of other crops are erratic, explains Gurmukh.

RISING COST OF PRODUCTION

But now even the MSP of the two main crops, he rues, is becoming unviable due to the spiralling cost of inputs. Its simple maths. In 1992, says Gurmukh, diesel cost Rs 4-5 a litre, a sack of diammonium phosphate (DAP) Rs 200, while wheat cost Rs 5 a kilo. Now while diesel is pegged at Rs 58 a litre and DAP is 1100 for a sack, but wheat has failed to keep pace at Rs 16 a kilo. Add to it the cost of boring tubewells every year due to the dipping water level, the steeply priced pesticides scarcely used in the past, and the cost of labour from UP and Bihar in the absence of local helping hands, says Gurmukh, explaining the high cost of production. A bore costs anywhere between Rs 10,000 and 1 lakh.

Watch | Farmers have to borrow money to farm

Groundwater irrigates over 73% of land in the state. This has led to a sharp decline in the water table. According to the Central Ground Water Board, of the 138 administrative blocks in Punjab, 110 blocks are overexploited, four are critical and two are semi-critical. Only 22 blocks are safe, but they have other problems such as arsenic, fluoride and uranium contamination.

One reason for the indiscriminate use of groundwater is free electricity for farmers introduced in 1999. Also, the Punjab government hasnt placed any restriction on the depth of tubewells. Nor does one need any permission to dig up a well.

Inadequate rainfall in the last few years is only increasing the general dependence on groundwater. The year 2014 was very rough on us, so was 2015, recounts Gurmukh. In 2015, Punjab received only 50% of the monsoon rainfall, and the next year it was 36%.

Little wonder then that any mention of digging up Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to provide water to Haryana raises hackles. The Bhakra canal flows 1.5 km from here; the Sirhind feeder and Narwana branch are also close but all the water flows to Haryana and Rajasthan, gripes a friend of Gurmukh.

Haryana, he claims, also has the job advantage as it borders both Chandigarh and Delhi. They have benefited from industrialisation and the Gurgaon boom, says Gurmukh, adding how a working man drawing a salary of 35,000 a month is better off than a farmer who owns 10 acres.

Haryana also offers a better market price for alternative crops such as sunflower. It fetches Rs 25,000 per quintal in Punjab while in Haryana it gets Rs 35,000, says Gurmukh.

Watch | Why are Indias farmers seething with anger?

The crop prices show no signs of increasing but land rental rates are going through the roof and range between 40,000 and 45,000 an acre in the district. With farming becoming unviable, more and more small farmers are leasing out their land instead of toiling on it. These landlords seek a rise of 10% every year regardless of any natural calamity or price crash, grouses Gurmukh. He recalls 2015 when he was forced to sell his export-grade Basmati (PB 1509) to the Food Corporation of India after the prices crashed from Rs 4,500 a quintal in 2014 to 1700 in 2015.

Ask Gurmukh why he takes so much land on lease, and he points to his machinery. I have a tractor, a seed sower, a land leveler, a roller et al. I need land to make the most of them. Also, there is the lure of a good crop and the pressure of repaying the debt.

Demonetisation dealt a heavy blow to Gurmukh who wanted to repay a crop loan. I had just sold my crop and deposited two lakh in my bank but I could only withdraw 5,000 a week. Somehow the little sums of money I took out were spent elsewhere while the interest on my loan piled up.

Gurmukh Singh with daughter Gurpreet Kaur and wife Ranjeet Kaur in his House in Pandriali village in Sirhind district, Punjab. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)

THE DEBT TRAP

In 2007, Gurmukh took a loan of Rs 5 lakh to build his house. While the house loan was from a bank, most of his other loans are from commission agents (arhtiya or the middlemen) who charge a higher rate of interest than banks. But Gurmukh appears resigned to working with them. Here is the reason: In Punjab, a farmer cannot sell his produce in the open market at the prevailing price. He can only sell it to commission agents under the Agriculture Produce Marketing Act, 1961. A few days back, the Congress government passed an amendment to the act, allowing private players to set up mandis to purchase farm produce. But Gurmukh is yet to learn about it.

As of now, the middleman also doubles up as a dealer of seeds, pesticides, and fertilisers. So farmers not only sell their produce to him, but also purchase their inputs from him, often on credit.

FARMER SUICIDES 6,926 No. of suicides between 2000 and 2011* 1,309 Farm suicides in seven districts between April 2013 and Dec 2016

Despite being a farmers daughter and wife, Ranjeet doesnt think highly of farming. No one values the farmer, she says.

The couples only offspring, Gurpreet, who is doing post-graduation in English from a college in Fatehgarh Sahib, is now looking forward to a bank tellers course. The young woman, who stitches her clothes herself, may not be sure about her career path, but she is clear that her husband will not be a farmer. No way, she declares. Its too risky. No matter how hard you work, there is no guarantee of profit.

Youngsters in the village, she claims, want to either get a job or go abroad. Farming is an option only for the uneducated.

Jagtar Singh, Gurmukhs man Friday who works on his land for Rs 1 lakh a year, agrees. In farming, you throw money for six months and then dont know whether you will get it back or not. A salaried job is better.

The only person who appears contented in the fields is Harendra Kumar from Motihari district in Bihar, who is here with his team of 10 labourers. We will sow paddy, he explains as he arranges ladoos for a pooja before they begin work. He explains, We pray for a bumper crop, our wellbeing and that of sardar ji.

Amen to that.
A day after Pakistan armys Border Action Team (BAT) ambushed and killed two Indian soldiers, the Indian Army on Friday retrieved the body of a Pakistani gunman from the conflict area in Khari Karmara of the Krishna Ghati sector in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district.

The border patrol of the Indian Army had killed two BAT gunmen on Thursday afternoon in the retaliatory fire in the Chakan-da-Bagh area of KG sector along the Line of Control, the de facto border between the two nations.

While fleeing the Pakistani gunmen carried one of the two dead bodies of their colleagues, the second one remained in the conflict area, said an intelligence official. It was within the visual reach of the Indian Army and it was retrieved cautiously, he added.

A weapon recovered from the slain gunman in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch. (HT Photo)

The slain gunman, who could be seen wearing Pakistani army fatigues, is suspected to be a commando of the special services group (SSG) of the Pakistani army, he said. The BAT is a rogue force of heavily armed terrorists and army regulars. These teams often sneak into the Indian side of the LoC and ambush patrols.

The BAT killed naik Sandip Jadhav and sepoy Savan Mane, both from Maharashtra, on Thursday around 2pm.

A couple of hours before the attack, 31-member team of Pakistan Rangers and Border Security Personnel (BSF) exchanged gifts and sweets at the Chamliyal Mela in Ramgarh sector of Samba district, 45 km from Jammu.

Thursdays BAT attack was third this year so far. On May 1, India lost junior commissioned officer Paramjit Singh of Amritsar and BSF head constable Prem Sagar of Dewaria in Uttar Pradesh in a similar attack in the KG Basin sector.

Their bodies were mutilated and heads were taken away, an act that triggered international outrage against Pakistan.

The two slain soldiers on Thursday were not mutilated.

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Anger and disbelief was high among the near and dear of Mohammed Ayub Pandith, the Jammu and Kashmir police officer who was lynched by a mob in Srinagar on Thursday, as they tried to make sense of his killing.

What state we have reached that we kill a person outside a mosque on an auspicious night without any reason? Is this what the religion has taught us? asked a close relative of Pandith at their home in old city Nowpora.

Pandith was lynched outside the Jamia mosque in Srinagar on Thursday, which was Shab-e-Qadr, an auspicious night for Muslims when, according to belief, Quran was first revealed to Prophet Mohammed. People across the Valley were praying in mosques and shrines throughout the night.

Is this the azadi (freedom) we are fighting for that we have started lynching people? What shall we do with such Azadi? she asked.

People were perplexed at the manner he was killed.

He was not killed by a militant or some military men. He was killed by a mob. They killed an innocent, a Tahjud Guzar (one who prays during the nights), said one of the sisters-in-law of the slain officer.

She sought to know from the Hurriyat leaders what kind of society Kashmir has become.

Our children are getting orphaned. They (the mob) did not just kill one person, but three more with him, she said, referring to Pandiths wife and two kids.

The slain officer, described as honest and down-to-earth by friends and neighbours, is survived by his wife and two teenage children.

His daughter is studying MBBS in Bangladesh while his son has been ill after completing higher secondary examinations. A cousin of his is a prominent member of the high court bar association in Kashmir.

The sister-in-law said that Pandith was an honest person who had no craze of being a police officer. He would even polish his own shoes, she said.

Pandiths are a prominent family in Nowpora, with many having their own businesses, including the slain officers two brothers. He also has three sisters.

Pandith started his career as a sub-inspector in the 1990s. He was working as a DSP in the security wing of Jammu and Kashmir police and had been at the mosque post for quite some time. Many locals who frequent the area knew him. Policemen posted in the security wing do not wear uniform as a matter of service regulation.

A shocked neighbour, Sajad Madni recalled how Pandith was a source of solace to everybody.

As reports emerged that Pandiths guards had deserted him on seeing the size of the mob, Madni castigated the police for not providing him proper security on duty.

He was left alone. He was left to die, Madni said.

Not much is clear on how things unfolded after he got a call on Thursday evening from office to go to Jamia Masjid.

Director general of police SP Vaid said that Pandith was checking the access control in the area following a congregation.

When he came out after checking, he was surrounded by some miscreants who started manhandling him and asking for his identification. Initial investigation revealed that there was an altercation and the officer fired to get away from the mob. He was, however, overpowered and killed near Bata Chowk in Nowhatta area, Vaid said.

Some reports said that he allegedly pulled out his pistol and fired shots that injured three people. Vaid said two people have been arrested and third identified who are accused in the case.

Elder brother, Farooq Ahmad Pandith said that they got a call from an officer around midnight to check whether Pandith had reached home.

He was not home and his phone was also switched off. We then received a call from SP (north city), saying he has been seriously wounded and is at the police control room. He was actually dead, Farooq said.
Defence minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu signed a roadmap for boosting bilateral military cooperation on Friday, Russias official media reported.

We are determined to go ahead with building up cooperation in order to enhance the combat readiness of both countries armed forces and to exchange experience in various defence-related matters, Gen. Shoigu said at the 17th meeting of the Russian-Indian inter-governmental commission for military-technical cooperation.

He said that the experts of the two countries have drafted a roadmap for the development of military cooperation between Russia and India, which is to become the basic document in planning bilateral contacts.

At the end of the session Shoigu and Jaitley signed a corresponding document, the official Tass news agency reported without providing details of the roadmap.

Ahead of the visit, the Defence Ministry in New Delhi had said the meeting will review the entire range of military and military-technical cooperation issues between India and Russia within the framework of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The meeting took place nearly three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to upgrade and intensify defence ties through joint manufacture and co-production of key military hardware, during their annual summit talks at St Petersburg.

A vision document, issued after the talks between Modi and Putin, said both the countries decided to work towards a qualitatively higher level of military-to-military cooperation.

Russia has been one of Indias key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. However, it has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country.

Jaitley, also the Finance Minister, is in Russia on a three-day visit.

On Wednesday, Jaitley had invited Russian firms to come forward with proposals for technology transfer to Indian companies and facilitate joint manufacturing of advanced military platforms.

I invite Russian companies to come forward with proposals for technology transfer to Indian companies and facilitate manufacturing of more advanced components/parts and sub-systems. This can start with platforms of Russian origin where the requirement is in large numbers and is recurring in nature, he said.

Russian companies, which already have a long experience of working in India and working with India are well placed to take a leading role in this process, he had said while addressing the plenary of TECHNOPROM 2017, a leading forum for technological development.

In a major step towards defence indigenisation, the Indian government last month unveiled a strategic partnership model under which select private firms will be engaged along with foreign entities to build military platforms like fighter jets, submarines and battle tanks.

In the days to come, we hope to fully harness the energies, entrepreneurial spirit and enterprise of the private sector in the area of defence manufacturing.

Here again, Russia as Indias largest, oldest and most trusted partner in defence hardware and equipment, would have a comparative advantage in partnering with Indian companies for realising Make in India potential in defence production, Jaitley had said.
MUZAFFARPUR They wear jeans and tees and take to the highways to prey on lone riders, blocking their way and demanding money. They worked in shifts of five members at a time too.

However, luck ran out for some 30 girls  all in the age group of 19-25 and claiming to be from Gujarat  on Friday, when the Muzaffarpur police swooped down on them when they stood on National Highway nos. 28, 57 and 77  all linking north Bihar towns to Patna  besides their hideout in a hotel in Maripur locality of the town area and took all of them into custody.

They were actually waylaying scooterists and motorcyclists, blocking passage of light vehicles like cars and SUVs and demanding money on the pretext of working for some faraway and unheard of NGO, police said.

If the claims of police officials are to be believed, these girls are part of a well knit, nationally active highway robbers gang which targets young and middle aged males and makes off with their belongings and cash.

Senior superintendent of police Vivek Kumar confirmed the arrest of all the 30 girls in a series of raids, conducted at different locations of the district after getting numerous complaints from victims of snatching and loot of belongings by smartly dressed girls. They mostly wore dark black/blue, or red blue tops and denims, attracting attention too in rural Bihar, where women dare not wear anything but a sari.

I got frequent complaints from many people in the last three or four days. So, I set up a team under Jyoti, station house officer of womens police station. This team first arrested six girls redhanded from Kolhua locality under Kanti police station of the district, some 40 km west of the district headquarters, the SSP said.

Later, another team raided different places, including a hotel in Maripur locality on the information given by these girls. The rest 24 girls were also arrested, he said.

Kumar added that it was an all-woman gang, which had travelled from separate places of Gujrat to Bihar. On being asked about the modus operandi, he said the girls selected young and middle aged bikers and car owners to snatch their money.

They were divided into five groups of six members each and would fan out on various highways and stop bikers by planting themselves in the middle of the road posing as workers of an NGO. First, they asked money to help poor children, or other helpless groups. On refusal, they would virtually take out money from the victims pockets or wallets, said an official of the interrogating team, on condition of anonymity.

Police said the girls have admitted to have carried out similar operations in Saran and Gopalganj in the last one month before deciding to head for Muzaffarpur.

DSP (city) Ashish Anand said he was personally quizzing them on various aspects.

It is interesting that they have travelled more than 2000 kilometres to reach Muzaffarpur. But what beats logic is how they struck upon such a brazen idea to loot people in such a daring fashion and openly. That is still beyond comprehension, he said.

BLURB

The arrested girls are part of a well knit, nationally active highway robbers gang that targets young and middle aged males and makes off with their belongings and cash
A wooden study table worth Rs 600, a Philips juicer mixer worth Rs 1000 and a bank account with a balance of Rs 239 are among the assets the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) unearthed probing a corruption case.

The probe agency included these items in an exhaustive list it has compiled listing over 61 assets or properties that a commissioner of customs department allegedly amassed illegally.

The official Priyanranjan was posted as commissioner of customs in Chennai.

On Thursday, the CBI booked him for allegedly amassing wealth to the tune of Rs 1.11 crore between January 1, 2010 to January 4, 2017. In its FIR, the probe agency said almost 55 lakh were found to be disproportionate to Priyanranjans known sources of income.

The agency in its preliminary probe computes assets acquired by the commissioner between 2010 and 2017 which were found to be disproportionate. The exhaustive list contains items whose worth put by the probe agency ranges between Rs 239 to over Rs 30 lakh.

Among the properties, bank balances and investments allegedly held by the commissioner are a plot of land in Jharkhands Hazaribag worth Rs 2 lakh, a flat in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu worth over Rs 27 lakh, another flat in Jharkhand worth over Rs 21 lakh , an alto car worth Rs 3.17 lakh and a motor-cycle.

While the agency meticulously lists out these major items, a great chunk of assets in the list include items for home usage.

. Priyaranjan, as a public servant, during the period between January, 2010 and January 4, 2014, had acquired properties/pecuniary resources to the extent of Rs 1,11,04,849 out of which Rs 54,97,208, is disproportionate to his known sources of income of Rs 56,07,641 for which he could not satisfactorily account, the FIR reads.

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National Democratic Alliance presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind filed his nomination papers at the Parliament house on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , party president Amit Shah and veteran leader L K Advani and several NDA leaders were present.

The nomination papers were submitted to Anoop Mishra, the secretary general of the Lok Sabha and returning officer for the presidential elections. Among the NDA leaders present were chief ministers Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh and K Chandrashekar Rao of Telangana. Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal was also present.

The opposition candidate Meira Kumar is yet to file her papers the last date for which is June 28.

Following the filing of his nomination, Ram Nath Kovind will travel across India to meet chief ministers of different states to seek support. He is also likely to make appeals to lawmakers. He is pitted in the election, which is planned for next month, against the former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who has been fielded by the Congress and 16 other opposition parties.

Kovind will leave no stone unturned in reaching out to different parties, but the ruling NDA has already secured a comfortable majority.

Backed by parties like AIADMK, BJD, JD(U), TRS and YRS Congress, the NDA has secured 682,722 out of 10,98,903 votes in the electoral college.

Kumar has an uphill task: the Opposition has just 378458 votes, far short of the majority mark of 5,49,452.

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One minor Muslim boy was allegedly stabbed to death and four others were injured on board a Mathura-bound train, police said on Friday, when an argument over a seat turned into religious slurs and triggered a mob attack on family members returning home from Eid shopping.

The incident took place on Thursday evening between Okhla and Asoti in Haryana, a distance of about 60 km.

Police said one person was arrested on Friday and he has confessed to his involvement in the killing of Hafiz Junaid (16), which came amid several incidents of assaults on Muslims across the country over beef and cow slaughter.

Opposition parties accuse the BJP-led government at the Centre of not reigning in fringe groups that are allegedly targeting the minority community over issues considered sacrosanct by the Hindus.

The four injured told Hindustan Times at Khaddawli, a small village in Haryanas Faridabad district, the attackers repeatedly called them anti-nationals and beef eaters, threw their skull caps on the floor, caught their beards and taunted them with terms such as mulla.

Junaid was a student of Islamic studies in Surat, Gujarat along with his brother Hashim (20). The other injured are Md Mausin (16) and Md Moin (18).

Junaids elder brother Md Sakir, who boarded the train at Ballabgarh after being informed over phone by one of them, was also allegedly stabbed and is admitted to AIIMS.

Hashim said trouble started when a group of 15-20 people boarded the train at Okhla and asked the four to vacate the seat, which led to an argument.

One of them pushed my brother Junaid. He initially thought that it was unintentional as the bogie was crowded. But when he did it again, my brother asked them to behave. The man got angry and threw Junaids skull cap on the floor. The man started calling him an anti-national and asked us all to vacate the seat, Hashim said.

He alleged that others in the group joined in and attacked them.

The youth said they deboarded the train at Tughlaquabad station and got up in the adjoining bogie. Meanwhile, Hashim called his brother, Sakir, and narrated the episode, asking him to pick them up from Ballabgarh station.

The men, however, allegedly cornered them again before they could get down at Ballabgarh.

We thought it was over, but they came looking for us again. The train stopped at Ballabgarh and as we were about to get down, a man with a knife blocked the gate, Hashim said.

While Mausin managed to jump down, Junaid, Moin and me got stuck inside. Meanwhile, Sakir, whom I had called also boarded the train to rescue us and got stuck. The men then locked the gate and the train started again, Hashim added.

He alleged that four men then held Junaid by his arms and one of them stabbed him multiple times in his chest.

Three men held me when I tried to intervene and stabbed me thrice in the back and shoulder. One of us even tried to pull the chain to stop the train but it was not working, he added.

He alleged that none of the passengers came to their help. Instead, they asked those men to finish us all, he said.

The attackers then threw them out of the train at the next station, Asoti.

Kamaldeep Goyal, a superintendent of the Government Railway Police (GRP) said they are also probing allegations that one their officers was present at Ballabgarh when the train stopped but did nothing to save the youth.

Junaids last rites were performed on Friday.

(With inputs from Prabhu Razdan)

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The alleged lynching of a senior Jammu and Kashmir police officer outside a popular mosque in Srinagar stirred strong reactions from politicians across party lines on Friday.

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti described the incident as shameful and leader of the opposition National Conference Party, Omar Abdullah, said the manner of deputy superintendent of police Mohammed Ayub Pandiths death was a travesty.

May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins, Abdullah tweeted.

Separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the head of the Hurriyat Conference, also criticised the lynching.

Deeply disturbed & condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta.Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values & religion.... We cannot allow state brutality to snatch our humanity & values, he said.

The alleged lynching comes in the backdrop of mounting tensions in the Valley that has seen violent clashes between police and civilians following several incidents of alleged human rights violations, including tying a Kashmiri man to an army jeep.

Jammu and Kashmir police are showing restraint because they are dealing with their own people. But the day their restraint is breached, it will become difficultI appeal to the people, there is still timeif the police starts giving a befitting replywe hope those days dont come back when people had to run away at the sight of a gypsy, the chief minister told news agency ANI.

National Conference spokesperson Junaid Mattu called the incident heartbreaking and said he went to police lines to pay his respects to the deceased officer. Shocked and deeply saddened by dastardly killing of DySP Ayub Pandith at Jamia Masjid last night, he wrote on Twitter.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will visit the US on Saturday, has said he is looking forward to an in depth exchange of views with President Donald Trump and his cabinet colleagues and forging a forward looking vision for our partnership.

The two leaders have spoken on phone a few times, starting with the morning after Trumps election victory in November 2016, but this will be their first meeting. Modi referred to those calls in a Facebook post: Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people.

I look forward to this opportunity to have an in depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide-ranging partnership between India and the United States.

Terrorism is expected to be a top topic of discussion, with expanding defence ties, trade and the vexatious issue of H-1B visas also on the cards. There has been much speculation whether Modi will raise the obviously thorny visa issue on his first meeting with Trump, but a top Indian grade official has said it is definitely on the table.

Though Modi did not go into the specifics of his upcoming discussions with Trump, he wrote that ties between India and the US were multi-layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.

He added: I look forward to building a forward looking vision for our partnership with the new administration in the United States under President Trump.

Modi meets Trump and his cabinet colleagues only on Monday. He is expected to first meet Trump in a one-on-one, followed by a meeting with their respective delegations. However, neither side has officially announced the schedule yet.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar is already in the US, wrapping up preparations for the visit. He was scheduled to meet secretary of state Rex Tillerson on Friday.

The White House was expected to announce the full schedule of the meetings on Friday evening and, possibly, the range of issues the two leaders could cover. Announcing the visit earlier, the White House had said Trump looks forward to discussing ways to strengthen ties between the United States and India and to advance our common priorities  fighting terrorism, promoting economic growth and reforms, and expanding security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Modi will also meet CEOs of leading American companies and the diaspora. The meeting with the diaspora is among his first publicly announced engagements, and takes place on Sunday in a hotel just outside Washington.

He is expected to leave for the Netherlands, his next destination, shortly after his meetings with Trump and his team on Monday.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said today that the wrong polices of NITI Aayog are creating jobless India and demanded reorganisation of the governments top policy making body.

Wrong policies of NITI Aayog are creating a jobless India, said Saji Narayanan, National president of BMS in a statement.

The statement quoted him as speaking at a meeting organised by Delhi state BMS against wrong policy of NITI Aayog and demand of equal pay for equal work for contract labourers.

Narayanan demanded that the NITI Aayog should be reorganised with inclusion of those who think about Indias real concerns, failing which the BMS will be compelled to go for further agitation.

According to the statement, employment crisis is already Indias major economic issue and the countrys two major employment generating sectors -- agriculture and small scale sector -- are in crisis today.

Agricultural land is being converted into industrial land and industrial land into service land, due to perverted policy. So far, NITI Aayog has not given serious thought to it, it said.

In BMS view, the policies are harming the sectors. The governments efforts to generate jobs do not tally with loss of employment taking place.

NITI Aayog is meant to advise government on job creation, instead, its job displacing paradigm is taking our economy in wrong direction. The reforms it has proposed are labour displacing and not labour intensive, the union said.

The NITI Aayogs proposal to create a new category of fixed term employment in organised sector will destroy quality jobs and create substandard jobs, it said.

A major activity of NITI Aayog is disinvestment. This will adversely effect quality employment in PSUs. In the US, Wal-Mart is called a job killer. NITI Aayogs FDI policy is promoting such companies in India. Bidi sector that employs crores of people is in crisis, it added.
India has initiated discussions with China after a group of pilgrims headed to Manasarovar was denied permission by the neighbouring country to cross over the international border.

Some difficulties are being experienced in the movement of Kailash-Mansarovar yatris via Nathu La. The matter is being discussed with the Chinese side, the ministry of external affairs said.

Earlier, the 47 pilgrims who had been stranded on the Indian side of the border since June 20 after being denied access to cross over the international border, returned to Sikkims capital Gangtok on Friday evening.

Sources in the 17th Mountain Division of the army said that possible landslide on the Chinese side could be a cause for the denial of permission.

The pilgrims who were given accommodation in Gangtok said they were not given any reason for the denial of entry to China.

They said they had been put up at an acclimatisation camp in Sherathang, some 7km south of Nathu La.

Nearly 40,000 pilgrims and tourists, around 80% of them from India, take part in the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra every year, which takes place between May and July.

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The yellow-and-red message in Hindi reads: I am extremely poor and take rations under NFSA.

The governments food subsidy programme comes with an insult for hundreds of poor households in several villages of Rajasthans Dausa.

I was so ashamed  that I refused to get it written. But the painter insisted and said I will not get the BPL benefits if I dont get it painted on my house, said Suresh Meena, a 40-year-old labourer in Sikrai tehsils Hingi village.

The mortified man got the humiliating line painted on the wall of his cowshed, not on the main wall of his home. His village has nearly 100 houses and more than 80% bear the sign.

The villagers dont want to advertise their poverty, which they said is a wretched curse itself.

The message was written on my wall but we removed it. It is very insulting, said Janak Ram, a 28-year-old professional driver in Hingi.

A man stands near the official writing on the wall outside his home at Pilodi in Dausa. (Prabhakar Sharma / HT Photo)

The message on the wall is believed to be a strategy to mark out homes receiving the governments food handout amid allegations of widespread corruption and pilferage in the programme.

The government provides cheap grain to 67% of its population of 1.3 billion under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). India is home to a quarter of the worlds hungry poor, according to United Nations data, despite being one of the biggest food producers and experiencing years of rapid economic growth.

Mamta Meena, the sarpanch of Pilodi panchayat, said the food supply department directed around six months ago to write the line on homes of all beneficiaries, apparently to check fake people on the below poverty line list from getting the benefits.

A family sits near the official writing on the wall outside their home in Dausa. (Prabhakar Sharma / HT Photo)

However, Dausa district supply officer Mahendra Singh denied his department issuing any such order. The zila parishad CEO, RS Kavia, did not respond to calls for his comments.

Additional collector KC Sharma too denied the district administration giving such a directive.

The zila parishad or the gram panchayat could have issued the directive as there were complaints of misuse of the food security act by ineligible people. I will look into this complaint, he said.

The genuinely poor are in a fix  if they remove the slogan, they lose the cheap grain. If they dont, they live with humiliation.

Santra Devi, a woman from Kundera Dungar village in Dausa, said her family swallows the insult for 10kg of wheat. We go around in the village with our head lowered.

In Pilodi, a similar resenting tale was recounted.

Nehru Lal, a 32-year-old farmer from the village of 250 households, was upset as his ration card is of above poverty line category but his house bears the insulting message.

Just by writing on the wall will not make any person rich or poor.

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Rajasthan government has agreed to talk to the members of the Jat community who are leading a protest in Bharatpur demanding benefits of reservation under OBC category, a senior official said Friday.

District collector of Bharatpur, Narendra Kumar Gupta said social justice and empowerment minister Arun Chaturvedi along with senior officials are likely to meet the agitators late in the evening. They will also hand over to the protesters a letter assuring the Jat community of being granted reservation under the OBC category, Gupta said.

This comes after erstwhile royal family member and Congress MLA Vishvendra Singh, who is leading the agitation, said they will not lift the protests until government sets a timeline for implementing the Jat quota.

We dont want assurances. They have proven to be hollow in the past. If government is really willing to provide reservation to Jats in OBC, it should come to Bharatpur and give people in writing when it will be implemented, Singh said, adding Jats in Bharatpur and Dholpur have been demanding reservation since August 2015 but the demand has not been fulfilled yet.

Convener of Bharatpur-Dholpur Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, Nem Singh, leading the blockade of railway track at Bahaj, echoed the MLA. Government should set a timeline for issuing notification on the quota. Only then will we hold discussions with panch patels on lifting the blockade, he said.

Inspector general of police,Bharatpur range, Alok Vashistha said district collector and divisional commissioner of Bharatpur along with officials from Jaipur will hand over the letter to the Jat leaders.

The OBC commission had on Thursday submitted its report to chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Chaturvedi had said that government was positive about providing reservation to Jats in Bharatpur and Dholpur and urged the community members to call off the protest. He had said that the commission has submitted its recommendations and government would consider them with regards to OBC quota demands.

The district administration is trying to convince the protesters to lift the blockade. We are trying to convince the Jat leaders and have urged them to maintain law and order, said district collector Gupta .

Meanwhile, nine trains were cancelled and the road traffic remained affected in Bharatpur and neighbouring areas in Rajasthan due to the protests by the Jat community. Rail and road network connecting Bharatpur were jammed due to the agitation. Three trains were partially cancelled and two were diverted.

Station superintendent, Bharatpur junction, BK Singhal said the rail traffic has been badly affected due to the Jat agitation.

The protesters are sitting on the tracks disrupting the traffic on Alwar-Mathura, Agra-Jaipur, and Bandikui-Agra sections, forcing the North Western Railway authorities to cancel and divert trains.

Jaipur-Allahabad, Ajmer-Agra fort, Agra fort-Ajmer, Mathur-Alwar, Alwar-Mathura, Bandikui-Bareilly, Eidhgarh-Bandikui, Bandikui-Eidhgarh and Agra fort-Jaipur trains have been cancelled.

Allahabad-Jaipur, Mathura-Bhiwani, Bareilly-Bandikui trains have been partially cancelled while Ajmer-Sealdah and Jodhpur-Varanasi trains have been diverted due to the agitation, an NWR spokesperson said. On Thursday, a goods train was stopped by the agitators near Deeg in Bharatpur.

NWRs chief public relations officer Tarun Jain requested the passengers to check the status of trains before planning their trips.

The protesters have also blocked portions of the national highways connecting Bharatpur to Mathura, Agra and Jaipur. They are also staging blockade on state highways at Kanjoli Line, Kumher, Deeg, Bedham, Pasta, Rarah and Delh road in Kaman.

State transport and private buses are being diverted to alternative routes. Market in Bharatpur is closed to avoid any untoward incident, SP Bharatpur Anil Kumar Tank said.
The stage is set for Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US for his first meeting with President Donald Trump, including a dining table somewhere inside the White House with more than a glass of warm water for the Indian leader, who was fasting at the time of his first dinner there.

Modi and Trump will be joined by their respective teams at the dinner  12 a side, according to sources  and they can look forward to a menu in keeping with the presidents free-wheeling eating habits; he is not as careful about his food as his predecessor, President Barack Obama.

Indian officials were still somewhat nervous about the dinner, saying it was on the schedule but not on paper, not in writing. They were probably being cautious as all other governments are when dealing with a White House known for its unpredictability. Its not over till its really done and over.

But the dinner will come after almost half a day of meetings on June 26, starting with a one-on-one between the two leaders. This will be their first meeting, though they have spoken at least three times on phone, starting with the morning after Trumps stunning election victory in November 2016.

These one-on-ones (with aides for translation, if needed) are intended to allow leaders to get to know each other, and can go on longer than scheduled. Trumps first meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Florida in April was to last 15 minutes but, by Trumps own account, it went on for three hours.

Modi and Trump are also expected to address reporters but the format remained unclear. There are two options essentially. One, a joint appearance at which they just make brief remarks, as has been the standard practice for most of Modis White House visits. And, two, a joint news briefing where they take questions.

The leaders one-on-one will be followed by a delegation-level meeting at which the two sides, represented by top officials with influence on the relationship, will raise issues of importance to them, and check their respective talking-point boxes on other lesser matters.

Top issue for both sides is likely to be counter-terrorism, followed by H-1B visa system for India and trade for the United States. The ongoing US review of its policy on Afghanistan is expected to figure prominently as well and India will be keen to know if the Americans are staying there, and for how long.

Pakistan will figure most certainly, as in all talks before, this time more significantly in the context of a review of relations with special focus on aid, as ordered by the president himself. India will align its concerns with those of the US to argue for tougher measures against Pakistan, said an analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The prime minister is also scheduled to interact with business leaders, in continuation with past practices, and will be meeting 15 of them including, according to speculation, Pepsis Indra Nooyi and MasterCard chief Ajay Banga, both Indian Americans.

And as before, Modi will meet the Indian American community at a reception on June 25, the first full day he spends in the US after arriving the night before.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath skipped an iftar party hosted by governor Ram Naik at Raj Bhawan in Lucknow on Friday.

The chief minister informed me over telephone that he will be in New Delhi for filing of nomination of NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind and will not be able to make it, said Naik.

Significantly, unlike his predecessors, Adityanath did not host an iftar, the first meal a Muslim takes after roza (the dawn-to-dusk fasting) during the month of Ramadan.

Yogi, however, organised a kanya poojan and hosted falahari feast at the chief ministers residence during the Navratri fasting recently.

This is for the first time in recent years that a chief minister did not host an iftar party and also refrained from attending one at the Raj Bhawan.

His predecessors, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh, union home minister Rajnath Singh, had hosted iftar parties at the chief ministers residence.

BSP chief Mayawati too had hosted the iftar at a hotel instead of hosting it at the chief ministers residence when she was holding the coveted post.

As chief minister only late Ram Prakash Gupta had stayed away from hosting iftar party in the recent past.

As Prime Minister, Narendra Modi too has not hosted any iftar party so far.

Late Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna had introduced the tradition of chief minister hosting iftar party in 1974. Later many central leaders adopted this.

Late Indira Gandhi too had hosted iftar as Prime Minister so also BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his successor Manmohan Singh.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, who is also the Imam of Lucknow Idgah, said, hosting iftar by heads of the state has been a tradition.

The chief minister should have been courteous to attend the one hosted by the governor, he said.

Khalid Rashid and Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad led the nawaz for their respective sects at the Raj Bhawan.

Former chief ministers Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav too were conspicuous by their absence at the iftar party at the Raj Bhawan. They too informed the governor about their inability to attend the iftar party as they would be away in new Delhi.

Senior ministers of the Yogi government, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, former MP Lalji Tandon and senior Samajwadi Party leader Ahmad Hasan attended the iftar among others.

Incidentally, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) also did not host any iftar party in the last two years.

The UPCC had proposed to host an Iftar this year. It was, however, cancelled at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances, said a senior Congress leader.

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A 70-year-old maulvi, Mohammad Younus, was shot dead by four unidentified persons when he intercepted them after they threw a piece of meat on the premises of the mosque, in Naseerpur village of Mau district (110 km from Varanasi), late on Thursday night.

Younus was the maulvi of the mosque where he was killed, police said.

The murder enraged the locals and sparked tension in the village. They calmed down after police assured them speedy action in the case.

Police said the assailants had come on two motorbikes and threw a piece of meat on the premises of the mosque. Younus and one Mohammad Jabbar, who had just offered prayers, were present there and took on the miscreants. The assailants then opened fire on them. Younus died on the spot but Jabbar escaped unhurt.

Hearing the gunshots, locals rushed to the spot but the miscreants had fled by then. The locals then informed the police.

Circle officer Pankaj Singh, along with a heavy police force, reached the spot and took body the body for post mortem.

Singh said a case had been registered against unidentified assailants and teams had been deployed to arrest them. Heavy police force and provincial armed constabulary (PAC) personnel were deployed in the village to control the situation, Singh said.

District magistrate Rishirendra Kumar and superintendent of police Abhishek Yadav also visited the village and took stock of the situation.

Kumar recommended Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to the family of the deceased from the chief ministers discretionary fund. Appealing to locals to maintain peace, the DM said those involved in the incident will not be spared.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he will hold in-depth discussions with President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States and hoped to build a forward-looking vision for partnership with the new administration.

In a statement before his forthcoming visit to Portugal, the US and the Netherlands, the Prime Minister said the visits were aimed at enhancing bilateral engagement in various areas. Modi will leave for the three-nation tour on Saturday.

Modi said he will visit Washington DC on June 24-26 at the invitation of the US President.

He said Indias partnership with the United States is multi-layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.

I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new administration in the United States under President Trump, Modi said.

Referring to his telephonic conversations with the US President, Modi said these have touched upon the common intent to take forward productive all-round engagements for the mutual benefit of our people.

I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide-ranging partnership between India and the United States, he said.

It will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump became US President earlier this year.

The Prime Minister said that apart from his official meetings with Trump and his Cabinet colleagues, he will meet some prominent American CEOs.

As in the past, I look forward to interacting with the Indian diaspora in the United States as well, Modi said.

Referring to his visit to Portugal on June 24, Modi said he was looking forward to his meeting with Prime Minister Antonio Costa and there was significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties.

The Prime Minister said the historical and friendly ties between the two countries have picked up momentum after Costas visit to India in January 2017.

Modi said the two countries will review the progress of various joint initiatives and discuss ways to further enhance bilateral engagement, specially in areas such as economic cooperation, science and technology, and space collaboration.

We will deliberate on means to intensify our cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest, Modi said, adding that he was keen to interact with the Indian community in Portugal.

Referring to his visit to the Netherlands on June 27, Modi said he will have an official meeting with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and exchange views on important global issues, including counter-terrorism and climate change.

I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations, Modi said.

Modi will also call on King Willem-Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

Modi said the Netherlands is Indias sixth largest trading partner in the European Union and fifth largest investment partner globally.

He said the Dutch expertise in areas like water and waste management, agriculture, food processing, renewable energy, and ports and shipping, matches with Indias development needs.

India-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition. I will discuss with PM Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies, Modi said.

The Prime Minister said he will meet CEOs of major Dutch companies and will encourage them to join the Indian growth story.

Modi said there were strong people-to-people relations between India and the Netherlands due to the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands.

I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands, Modi said.
Throwing a challenge to the West Bengal government, the Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung on Friday said the ongoing protest in the north Bengal hills would intensify, and vowed to fight for the communitys revival till death.

Gurung, who resigned as the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive along with other elected members of the body on Friday, said, The agitation for Gorkhaland will continue. We have resigned from the GTA. Our one point demand is Gorkhaland.

I want to request everyone to participate in the movement for Gorkhaland from their heart. I will fight for the revival of our community till I have the last drop of blood in my body, the GJM chief said amid loud cheers from his followers.

Appearing before media for the first time since a police raid at his residence on June 15, Gurung said, I am not Kishenji (Maoist leader) who can be eliminated in a police encounter. I have not taken up arms against the country. I am fighting for the identity of the Gorkhas and in a democracy I have every right to do that.

The shutdown will continue indefinitely. No one knows when it will end. No relaxations will be given this time, he added.

Alleging that the police had opened fire in the hills on June 17 in which three GJM activists were killed, Gurung said, We (the GJM) have the video footage of the incident. I demand a CBI inquiry.

Taking a swipe at chief minister Mamata Banerjee for claiming involvement of terrorists in the Darjeeling agitation, Gurung said the terrorists and bomb-making factories were in the plains of Bengal, not in the hills

She should be asked where are terrorists and bomb factories found? In south Bengal or here in Darjeeling, Gurung said.

There have been incidents of riots in Howrah and Malda, but not a single incident in the hills. We are a peace-loving people, he said.

Announcing en masse resignation of 43 GJM leaders from the GTA, Gurung said there would be no fresh GTA elections this time and vowed to disrupt the process, if initiated.

Forty-three members of GTA have resigned today (Friday). The chapter of GTA is over now. There will be no fresh GTA election here. We will not let the election happen, he asserted.

The Gorkha leader also vowed to burn the GTA regulation act documents before the public on June 27 as a symbolic protest against the board. He also announced that the GJM-sponsored all-party meeting had been rescheduled for June 29 from June 24.

We will hold an all-party meeting on June 29 to discuss the future course of action. Separate state of Gorkhaland is our one-point agenda, he added.
K Gopal Reddy is serving a life sentence, but for all practical purposes he is a free man during the day. At the crack of dawn every day, he discards his prison uniform and steps out of Hyderabads Chanchalguda jail to work as an attendant at a petrol pump run by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

Reddy is one of the 40 inmates working at the bunk as attendants. I simply forget that I am a prisoner and enjoy the freedom when I am at work. And when I go back into the barracks after duty hours, I take with me a nice feeling that I am able to see the outside world every day, he says.

The pump next to the Chanchalguda prison in the citys Saidabad neighbourhood has been operational since 2013 but no inmate working in shifts has ever attempted to escape. The success of the project aimed at reforming inmates has now prompted the Telangana jail authorities to open another petrol pump in the city, to be exclusively manned by women inmates.

It will open from this Friday, says G Ramakrishna, the senior jailor at Chanchalguda prison.

The prisoners say the petrol pumps have given a new meaning to what would have otherwise been dreary lives behind high walls. Reddy, for one, is looking at years in prison after being convicted of his cousins murder over a property dispute in 2009.

The inmates at the 24/7 pump, located next to the jail in Hyderabads Saidabad area, work in three shifts, from 6am to 3pm, 3pm to 12 midnight, and midnight to 6am. For the work they do, they are paid but money, the prisoner-attendants say, is only incidental. More than the wage, I feel lucky to get the opportunity to enjoy the freedom, says Ch Kathalappa, another life convict.

Everyone involved in the running of the petrol pump say it is a win-win arrangement. As it is run by the prisons department, there is no scope for adulteration of fuel or manipulation of the vending machines. That is why, this pump is one of the busiest in the city with a long line of vehicles, points out an official. The monthly turnover is anywhere around 10 crore rupees and the profit no less than 30 lakh rupees a month.

Besides employing inmates currently serving sentences, the petrol pump also employs 15 others who have completed their jail terms. Pradeep Burman, 24, is one such. He was sentenced for life in a murder case but later acquitted by the Hyderabad high court. During my stay in the jail, I completed by graduation in public administration. But after coming out of jail, I could not get a job and the jail authorities offered me cashier job in this petrol pump, Burman explains. Working at the petrol pump has fuelled his desire to lead a normal life.

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Metroman E Sreedharan on Thursday said that the official launch of Lucknow Metro would be possible in the third week of July.

Earlier, it was scheduled on March 26, 2017 but the deadline was missed because of things beyond our control, said Sreedharan who is also the principal advisor to Lucknow metro project.

METRO IN 6 UP CITIES Uttar Pradesh will be having metro trains in six cities. But, the work is going at a slow pace because the government of India is soon going to bring a metro policy. Other metro projects in the country like in Kozhikode, Trivandrum etc are also affected. In Kanpur, the land for depot has been acquired and work is on while DPR of Varanasi and Gorakhpur is soon going to be approved by the centre and the state.

He said the metro launch would change the lifestyle of the city. It will give wings to the city for progress and change the thinking process of individuals as they will have to be more disciplined and caring for fellow passengers. They will have to form queue to get inside the trains, added Sreedharan.

The Metroman met chief minister Yogi Aditynath at his residence and gave him a brief account of preparations of Lucknow Metro for the start of commercial run.

He also discussed Lucknow metro fares with the chief minister who wanted them to be reasonable and lesser than any other mode of transport.

Sreedharan said fares of Lucknow metro were decided but would be declared at a later date.

The chief minister was concerned about the feeder services with the metro stations. Sreedharan termed his meeting with Yogi Adityanath as fruitful.

LMRC MD Kumar Keshav said the detailed project report of east-west corridor from Charbagh to Basantkunj would be reviewed again as it was based on the situation five years back. Now the area has changed, so a new study will be done and a different DPR will be submitted to the state government within this month, he said, adding: The work on east-west corridor will start as soon as the centre and state give the green signal for the project.

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The state government is all set to launch a 15-day campaign  Khoob Padho Aage Badho  from July 1 to make sure every child goes to school.

In this campaign, the government would also distribute designer dresses to students of classes 1 to 8 in government and government- aided schools.

These dresses have been designed specially to replace the age-old khaki uniform, which is in use till date. Students would also get shoes and text books.

A 15-day campaign Khoob Padho Aage Badho will be launched from July 1 to ensure that every child is enrolled in school, said chief minister Yogi Adityanath, while addressing the gathering at a ceremony to award meritorious students of class 10 and 12 at Lok Bhawan.

The chief minister expressed pleasure that out of 147 meritorious students selected for the Rani Lakshmi Bai Award, 99 were girls.

Girls are leaving behind boys in every field. Even in such a scenario people are indulging in female foeticide and girls are not being allowed to go to school, he said.

I am happy that most of the awardees are girls, added the CM.

On the occasion, Yogi Adityanath also advised students that there was no shortcut to success.

Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma assured that the transfer policy of teachers (of government schools) would be made easy and all their problems would be resolved so that they could concentrate of imparting education.

He also assured that a policy would be formulated to regulate fees in private schools to ease burden on parents.

We will make sure that there are 220 teaching days in schools. Of these, 200 will be for regular classes and 20 days will be reserved for revision, added Sharma.

The deputy chief minister also pointed out that there would soon be 166 new Deen Dayal Upadhyay schools in the state.
Duvvada Jaggandham

Cast: Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, Rao Ramesh, Subbaraju

Director: Harish Shankar

Rating: 2.5/5

Allu Arjuns Duvvada Jaggandham aka DJ falls in the same category of most Telugu commercial films that suffer from predictability and dont quite work wholesomely. However, its the kind of film that impresses with its innovative writing towards the end, making the climax almost the best stretch of the whole film and making up for the all the cringe-worthy first half and nearly passable second.

Arjun is undoubtedly the most promising commercial cinema actor but sadly he is stuck in this whirlpool where he ends up doing films that are so predictable, you can judge their climax even with your eyes closed. Its a shame that a star of his caliber isnt used to his potential.

In DJ, like most of his films, Arjun dances like a dream, delivers dialogues flawlessly and gives an energetic performance. Sadly, we have seen all of it in his earlier films and thats precisely what makes him one who isnt stepping out of his comfort zone. And the one time he tried going against the grain in Vedam, things didnt work in his favor.

Harish Shankar, known for delivering one of the biggest blockbusters, Gabbar Singh, does surprise you with the way he handles the climax, assuring that hes a filmmaker who likes to innovate. The last stretch of DJ, leading to the climax, is probably the reason the film will work with the masses as it packs a solid and thoroughly entertaining punch.

DJ, otherwise, is your regular commercial film that relies on familiar tropes that are usually associated with this kind of cinema. It has Pooja Hegde in her most glamorous avatar and she sets the screen on fire. After a dud like Mohenjo Daro, its a pity she relies on a sleaze fest to draw attention but it works and how.

DJ is what most commercial Telugu films stand for but its still fun, thanks to some degree of creativity in writing.

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Tubelight

Director: Kabir Khan

Cast: Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Zhu Zhu, Matin Rey Tangu

Rating: 3/5

Its been a while since Salman Khan started playing a clumsy yet golden hearted man-child. He has aced this game by now and Tubelight might be his best shot at it.

Laxman Singh Bisht aka Tubelight is the favourite entertainer of Jagatpur in the Kumaon region. He doesnt mind being bullied, mocked or slapped as he believes in humanity in its purest form. It also works as a tactic that will force the audiences, typically fans, to clap later in the film when he will resort to a little action.

With a protective younger brother, Bharat (Sohail Khan), and some Good Samaritans around, he is cruising along in life with a broad smile and a few innocent jokes.

The idea of putting siblings, real and reel, at the helm of affairs works because Kabir Khan successfully establishes a connection with his audiences. Even those who havent seen any of their loved ones going to fight in a war will understand this universal feeling.

Kabir Khan spreads the canvas even wider than his last Eid outing Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The 2015 film was about being a peacemaker between two quarrelling neighbours and this one is about the futility of a hostile war. In short, it moves from the Pakistan border to the Chinese one.

The backdrop of the India-China war of 1962 provides him with a chance to go a step further and put his neck out for making some strong statements. He comes up with a Chinese family that has a scared mother (Zhu Zhu) and her precocious son (Matin Rey Tengu). Such symbols serve the purpose of giving the film a dreamy feel. Its not exactly utopian, but definitely tough to achieve.

Kabir Khan doesnt stop here. In fact, Tubelight is the most outspoken film till date. He makes statements that are needed in todays unidirectional political scenario. What begins with a cue from the dominant Gandhian ideology of the pre-Independence period goes on to become a film about self-belief. Yes, an actor actually plays Mahatma Gandhi in the film.

Tubelights flag-bearer is the child actor Matin, who questions the concept of hyper-nationalism and how shouting slogans cant pass off in the name of patriotism.

Some of these themes needed more screen space and better handling, but Salmans superstardom comes in between and the director is forced to return to his appeal. Which means Salman will play to the gallery with the swagger his fans love to cheer on.

You remember how Bajrangi Bhaijaan ended at the Kashmir border? This one, in a way, picks the baton from there and sends Salman to teach other fellow people a lesson in kindness. In short, Laxman Singh Bisht is Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi in making.

Tubelight doesnt have a used universe appearance - it appears like a new film pretending to be set in the 1960s. Though the supporting cast tries but fails to deliver cute-innocent dialogues. Om Puri is a saving grace here as a wise old man Banney Miyan. Terrific actors like Zeeshan Ayyub and Yashpal Sharma accommodate Salman and his inexplicable on-screen charisma. Unfortunately, they dont get a better playtime like Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Most of the times, Salman mouths dialogues that are in complete contrast with his fellow beings, tone wise, but its the sensible writing that comes to his rescue, every time.

Kabir Khan keeps devising moments to make you cry. Its no Hacksaw Ridge, not at all, but its a film that delivers its message with force. The director emerges from the shadows of a superstar, in fact, two, Shah Rukh Khan is also there, and looks sure about his brand of cinema.

Tubelight isnt a science versus faith kind of a film. At times, it tries to explain the motive behind its theme your faith can achieve anything, by going The Secret (the famous self-help book by Rhonda Byrne) way, but probably it needed something more.

The thing is, you know its Salman and he is doing something thats opposite to his popular public image, but he does it with conviction, a lot of it. On top of it, the film is clear about its core message. I am yet not adding the festive mood to it.

I will leave you with a dialogue from the film that may give you a better idea about Tubelights overall look and feel.

This is how Laxman Singh Bisht explains his life in one sentence: Pitaji ko sharaab ne, maa ko gham ne aur Gandhi Ji ko humne maar diya (Liquor killed father, grief killed mother, and we murdered Gandhi ji). Ironic yet effective.

Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha

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The driver of a Honda city car that allegedly knocked down a 95-year-old woman in Mulund, killing her, on Wednesday is at large as police are trying to trace the registration number of the vehicle.

The woman, Shantabai Joshi, was on Deendayal Road in front of Billeshwar Mahadev temple around 7am when a car knocked her down. Joshi sustained grievous injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead. Owing to her old age, she would move forward slowly in a crouching position. We think the driver did not notice her, said a police officer privy to the investigation.

A 70-year-old man told police that he saw a brown Honda city car, but was not able to see the registration number of the car. The police inspected the CCTV cameras that have captured the car. Efforts are on to zoom in to see the number, said the officer.

The woman was living alone and does not have any relatives, police said. Meanwhile, the woman has still not been cremated. Relatives have approached us in this regard and are out of town, said the officer. Residents in the locality where Joshi lived had themselves approached the Mulund police on Thursday and showed their willingness to cremate her. We were ready to cremate her, but the relatives have established contact, said a local resident. The Mulund police registered a case against relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicle Act.
No new buildings can come up in Punes Baner and Balewadi areas until the civic body solves water problems in these localities, the Bombay high court said on Friday.

A division bench of chief justice Manjula Chellur and justice Nitin Jamdar temporarily restrained the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) from allowing new projects or issuing occupancy certificates for completed construction projects.

You keep on granting occupation certificates and new people come to reside in these areas, but without proper water supply, and the problem (of water scarcity) keeps escalating, the judges said. The bench noticed the PMC has not been able to regularise water supply to these areas, even though they were included under the corporation more than a decade ago.

The judges were hearing a public interest litigation filed by a 29-year-old businessman, Amol Balwadkar, who said the city of Pune had witnessed rapid growth in recent years and an exponential rise in the population. For this, the limits of the municipal corporation were expanded 15 years ago to include Baner and Balewadi. Balwadkar complained that while the civic body granted permissions to hundreds of new constructions in these localities, even basic facilities, such as ensuring adequate water supply to the residents of these buildings, have not been provided.

There is no main supply line to provide water, and despite representations and agitations, nothing has been done by the corporation, his petition said.

The PIL also pointed out that because of the acute shortage, housing societies were compelled to spend large amounts of money  almost half of their monthly maintenance fees  just to get the water.

Senior advocate Prasad Dani, who represented the PMC however said there was no water scarcity in the areas. Dani said the problem was only maintaining the proper pressure to supply the water and claimed that 213 litres of water per person per day was being supplied to the areas  against a maximum requirement of 180 litres a person a day.

But, these claims failed to impress the judges, who wanted feedback from residents of the locality. If this continues to dispute the claims made by the PMC, the court will appoint a commissioner to get the facts, the judges said.
Days after Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray came on board to support the NDAs presidential candidate, Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told Hindustan Times that meeting with BJP president Amit Shah had broken the ice between the warring allies. While few would know that Pradeep Bhalekar  the man who filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the alleged leniency shown by the jail administration towards actor Sanjay Dutt runs a Vada Pav stall in Thane for a living, police have run out of leads in model Kritika Choudharys murder case. The final NEET undergraduate results for this year evoked mixed reactions from students. Also, the state government has appealed to all its employees, ministers, ministers of state, bureaucrats, members of the legislature as well as the police force to donate a days salary in July for the welfare of the wives and children of farmers who have committed suicide.

Here are todays top five picks:

1. HT Exclusive: Things are sorted between BJP-Sena, says Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

Days after Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in a U turn came on board to support the NDAs presidential candidate, Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told Hindustan Times that meeting with BJP president Amit Shah had broken the ice between the warring allies. While the Sena had continued its criticism of the BJP even a day after this meeting, with Thackeray terming selection of a Dalit for the Presidential post as vote bank politics, the chief minister indicated that much of this could be his allys public posturing.

2. Meet Pradeep Bhalekar, the vada-pav seller who challenged Sanjay Dutts release

Few would know that Pradeep Bhalekar  the man who filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the alleged leniency shown by the jail administration towards actor Sanjay Dutt runs a Vada Pav stall in Thane for a living. Still fewer would know that the 30-year-old Kurar resident was twice booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), and served more than four years jail term for various other offences, before he turned an RTI activist following his release.

3. Kritika Chaudhary murder case: Police run out of leads

Police investigating the murder case of 27-year-old actress Kritika Chaudhary, who was found dead last Monday at her Andheri (West) residence, have run out of leads and are now groping in the dark for clues. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police official from Amboli police said, All leads we had have dried up. But we are confident that sooner or later we will nab the accused. We are probing all angles.

4. NEET result 2017: Mixed reaction from students, many say challenges not accepted

The final NEET undergraduate results for this year evoked mixed reactions from students. While some were relieved to finally get hold of their marks, many were upset about the decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to not accept any challenges sent by them in the past week. My score is the same as it was when I calculated it on the basis of the answer key. I had challenged four questions after that but my marks have not changed. So, clearly, CBSE has not accepted the challenges, said Priyanka Vyas, a candidate who scored 580 in NEET.

5. Maharashtra urges employees to donate days salary for farmers cause

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government has appealed to all its employees, ministers, ministers of state, bureaucrats, members of the legislature as well as the police force to donate a days salary in July for the welfare of the wives and children of farmers who have committed suicide. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will also set aside a days salary for the cause.
Few would know that Pradeep Bhalekar  the man who filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the alleged leniency shown by the jail administration towards actor Sanjay Dutt runs a Vada Pav stall in Thane for a living.

Still fewer would know that the 30-year-old Kurar resident was twice booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), and served more than four years jail term for various other offences, before he turned an RTI activist following his release.

It was in response to Bhalekars petition the Bombay high court asked the state government to justify the assessment of good behavior of Dutt that had paved way for his earlier release from jail, apart from the frequent paroles granted to him. Dutt had been awarded five years imprisonment for possession of arms, which was part of the consignment used in the 1993 serial blasts. However, last year, the actor was let off eight months prior to the completion of the term on account of good behavior.

Its my fight for justice for the hundreds of ordinary prisoners languishing in prisons all over the state for years without parole or remittance of sentence. I want to expose the systems bias towards the high and the mighty. Sanjay Dutt is incidental, Bhalekar, who heads the Mahatma Gandhi Manavdhikar Forum and Samajik Karyakarta Sanrakshak Samiti, says. Both my organisations fight for the protection of human rights and spreading Gandhian ideology, he claims.

Read: Sanjay Dutt was out on parole half the time, why did govt still release him early: Bombay HC

Mention his own chequered past, Bhalekar protests. People conspired against me. You know the poor are always helpless, says the man who had his first brush with the law when he was barely out of his teens. He was booked in an extortion case when he was still to appear for his Class 10 exams. I fell in bad company. Though I was no way connected to that crime, I was implicated just because I was part of the group that committed the crime, he reasons. Bhalekar, originally from Ratnagiri district, grew up in the slums at Vakola. He lost his father when he was 6 years old and his mother raised him while working as a maid.

Poverty compelled me to join a local gang. But I suffered a lot for my association, he says.

Following his acquittal in the extortion case, Bhalekars family shifted to Kurar to start life afresh. However, his past continued to haunt him. Between 2005 and 2007, he was booked twice under the MCOCA.

Some local politicians, police and builders conspired against me when I opposed illegal usurping of slum land. While in the first case I was discharged 15 days after the arrest, in the other case too, I was discharged after a while, he says claiming that his that his fight against the abuse of law made him a marked man. I started an Andolan against the wrongful use of MCOCA while in Kalyan jail, which later spread to Arthur Road and Thane jails. A vengeful police, he says, booked him under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous (activities) Act (MPDA) following his release in the MCOCA case. I was taken into custody soon after I stepped out of Arthur Road prisons.

Read: No statement issued on Sanjay Dutts release: Maharashtra prison department

The incident, Bhalekar says, only made him renew his fight against the system. Hundreds of MPDA detenues in jails all over the state joined me on a hunger strike. The strike continued for months and was widely reported in the media, he claims.

Bhalekar is presently writing a book which, he claims, will expose the pitiable living condition in jails across Maharashtra. I was the first to start Gandhigiri in jails, he says while ridiculing Dutts reel life adoption of Gandhian values.

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Investing in tobacco companies indirectly is neither prohibited nor banned by any authority, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) said in an affidavit filed in the Bombay high court.

LIC was replying to a public interest litigation objecting to public sector insurance companies investing in firms manufacturing tobacco products.

Secondary investment in tobacco companies is neither prohibited nor banned by any authority, says the affidavit filed by Vikas Chaturvedi, assistant secretary (investment operations) of LIC. LIC is a corporate body and must function on business principles as far as possible. Ninety-five per cent of its surplus goes to policy vendors, added the affidavit.

It added that the investment was in accordance with the provisions of the LIC Act, the Insurance Act and guidelines laid down by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, and other prevailing rules and regulations. LIC looked at several companies with a good track record for investment options, said the affidavit, adding, ITC is one such company.

The affidavit was filed in response to a PIL by anti-tobacco activist Sumitra Pednekar and doctors attached to Tata Memorial Hospital. Meanwhile, the court allowed Karnataka state branch of Indian Medical Association to assist it by listing the ill-effects of tobacco.

Read: Bombay HC issues notice to LIC for investing in cigarette company
After the Pune civic body successfully tapped the municipal bonds market to raise funds, the state government has found at least 19 more urban local bodies implementing urban rejuvenation schemes are immediately credit-worthy to raise funds from markets.

The state urban department recently got a credit rating done for all 43 civic bodies in Maharashtra that are implementing capital-intensive urban infrastructure projects under the central governments flagship Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). Some of these cities are also implementing multi-crore projects under PM Narendra Modis pet Smart Cities Mission. Chief secretary Sumit Mullick said, The state government wants to encourage more civic bodies to look at innovative ways of raising funds for their projects, such as by way of municipal bonds. This will also help us ease pressure on the state treasury.

With a debt burden of Rs3.71 lakh crore, the Maharashtra government is battling an overall delicate financial situation, further pressurised by the governments recent promise of granting a farm-loan waiver. As the state tightens its purse strings, and civic bodies cope with the introduction of GST that will replace all local levies such as octroi and the local body tax, tapping the municipal bonds market to raise funds for infrastructure projects may become a more common phenomenon.

Of the 43, the state government found that 20, including Pune, have an investment grade rating, which means that these municipal bonds will have a relatively low risk of default. Moreover, nineteen more have a rating that is just one level below investment grade. Rating agencies assign credit ratings based on the assets and liabilities of urban local bodies, their revenue streams, resources available for capital investments, and their accounting practices. As per guidelines of the Union Ministry of Urban Development, of the 20 ratings from AA to D, a rating of BBB or higher is considered to be an investment grade rating.

A senior state government official said municipal corporations such as Thane, Nashik and Nagpur could be a few others that may raise funds for their projects via municipal bonds in the next two years. We will have to phase out the municipal bonds as per the project on shelf. Also, as more municipal bonds across the country hit the market the enthusiasm surrounding them may not remain as strong as it was for the Pune bonds, the official said.

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The Maharashtra government has decided to increase the maximum compensation payable to rape and acid attack survivors from Rs3 to 5 lakh, the Bombay high court was told on Friday.

Additional government pleader Hitendra Venegaonkar informed the division bench of justice RM Savant and justice Sadhana Jadhav that the government has decided to enhance the maximum amount of compensation being paid to rape and acid attack survivors under the Manodhairya Scheme.

Venegaonkar was responding to a petition filed by a 14-year-old rape survivor. The minors petition said that although she was entitled to financial assistance, medical aid and counselling under Manodhairya scheme,she did not get any help.

The victims advocate objected to the cap of Rs5 lakh on the maximum amount of compensation being paid to rape and acid attack survivors on the ground that in a particular case the medical expenditure itself may cross Rs 5 lakh. The lawyer therefore urged the court to direct the government not to keep any cap of the amount of compensation.

The court has now posted the petition for further hearing after two weeks.
One in every five women who had complicated childbirth faced physical abuse during pregnancy, says a study that looked at the connection between domestic violence and difficult pregnancies.

The study by doctors of KEM and Wadia Hospitals suggests direct connection between violence against pregnant woman and the danger to mother and child. The researchers said the statistical evidence is just the tip of the iceberg.

The questionnaire-based observational study was done over a span of one year. A total of 200 antenatal and postnatal patients seeking healthcare were enrolled after an informed consent with approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Participants were then divided in two groups of normal and complicated childbirths.

The study revealed that overall 12.5% of the pregnant women had faced domestic violence. The difference between the two groups was stark, with 7% of women with normal deliveries and 18% of women with complicated deliveries being victims of domestic violence.

Dr Vijyeta Jagtap, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nawrosjee Wadia Maternity Hospital points out in the study that there were a few cases of direct injury due to violence.

One of them had blunt trauma to the abdomen due to hitting and kicking. Two patients presented with incomplete abortion due to direct trauma to the abdomen. In our study, 44% of the women admitted with threatened abortion or threatened preterm labour were also victims of domestic violence with no other aetiology identified, said the researchers.

Dr Padmaja Samant, from KEM hospital, mentions in the study that the major reasons for conflict as stated by the patients were monetary reasons (most common), household work related, not allowing the use of contraception, alcohol addiction, want of a male child, second marriage and suspicion of infidelity.

In 60% of the study population, the husband was illiterate or had not completed schooling. Out of them, 17.5% had faced domestic violence, said Dr Samant in the study.

Also the frequency of incidents was high in the age group of 21-25 years. Almost 20% of the women were facing violence from the first year of marriage itself. Majority of our patients belonged to joint family. Domestic violence was found in 10.56% of pregnant women from joint families and15.58% pregnant women from nuclear families researchers added.

Doctors also found out how many women actually had a support system after the incident of violence or even raised an alarm. Shockingly, 16% of the victims of domestic violence had no coping mechanisms or support system available to them, and only 24% approached a social worker or filed police complaint.

Four women out of twenty-five (16%) who were victims of domestic violence separated from their husband after an episode of severe conflict in current pregnancy, said researchers, pointing out the need for a strong support mechanism for the women.

Creating awareness and sensitivity amongst healthcare professionals and training them to identify and help these woman is the need of the hour. (We can) provide adequate space and privacy to deal with the issues and take help from trained psychologists and social workers of the hospital, researchers said.
All elected representatives of the Shiv Sena have decided to pledge a months gross salary towards the state governments farm loan waiver funds.

Senior Sena minister Diwakar Raote said all Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), corporators and panchayat samiti members will set aside a months salary to be given as relief to farmers in debt.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will also contribute Rs10 lakh, Raote said. We dont know what the amount will total to. But, we wont give this as a contribution to the chief ministers relief fund. We will consult the chief secretary to find out under what budget head our contribution should be aggregated.

The Shiv Sena has 21 MPs  18 in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha  and 63

MLAs. The party backed the recent farmers stir and even took to the streets to protest against its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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The Mahim police recently arrested two chain snatchers, who are part of a larger gang involved in the crime.

Vijay Krishna Kale, 27, and Mustafa Shaikh, 29, revealed upon questioning that their gang comprised a watcher, a rider and a snatcher. The team coordinated seamlessly to snatch chains across the city.

Three incidents of chain-snatching were reported in Sion and Mahim in the last week of May. The police found that the same gang was involved in both the cases.

The police analysed the CCTV footage of the motorcycle involved in the crime, which showed that the vehicle had not left Mahim.

They found it parked in Mahim and after a four-day vigil, caught Kale who came for it.

He led the police to Shaikh. Two more persons, including their mastermind, are still at large.

The team parked the motorcycle in Mahim itself and used another transport to avoid being detected, said Govardhan Girawale, police sub-inspector, Mahim police station.

Kale has 40 cases of chain-snatching registered against him. The mastermind would sit on another motorcycle and give the snatchers information on patrolling police officers, the target and escape routes.

After snatching the chains, the mastermind would go to the spot to see if the police were being called or if any witness was following the motorcycle. He would even mislead witnesses with false directions, in which the chain-snatcher fled. The accused splurged the money in bars and pubs in the city.

READ MORE

2 years of hard work from Mumbai police pays off, chain snatching cases dip to lowest in 5 years

Cops dont go home for 8 days, solve south Mumbai chain snatching case

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The Union civil aviation ministry on Friday discussed the technical issues related to the proposed site for a greenfield international airport in Greater Noidas Jewar area, located along the 165km Yamuna Expressway.

Once all technical issues are discussed and resolved, the aviation ministry will issue a site clearance, paving the way for setting up the international airport.

Once the ministry gives site clearances, we will start our job of acquiring land for the project. We are waiting for the site clearance before we start the acquisition process, said Prabhat Kumar, chairman of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).

On Friday, the Union civil aviation ministry did not give a site clearance as it wanted to look into the technical issues related to the site. The meeting was attended by YEIDA officials, officials from the UP civil aviation department and experts from the Union civil aviation ministry in Delhi.

The Union ministry experts along with officials from the UP discussed an obstacle limitation survey (OLS) report in great length.

In the OLS, details of overhead electricity lines, religious sites, minarets, big old trees, high-rise buildings, ponds, rivers, distance from existing airport and wildlife habitat pertaining to the site for the proposed airport was listed.

There were some technical issues that stopped the ministry from giving a site clearance in Fridays meeting. They have called another meeting in the end of June. If all technical issues are sorted, they will take a final call on site clearances, said an official of the Yamuna Expressway authority, who attended the meeting.

In 2001, then UP chief minister and current Union home minister Rajnath Singh had proposed a greenfield Taj International Airport and Aviation Hub in Jewar. However, the project failed to take off in 16 years due to changes in governments at the Centre and the state.

On April 7, the project got fresh impetus after chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to expedite work on the project.

The union ministry, however, has changed the name of the proposed airport. Now the project has been renamed Noida international airport near Jewar, along Yamuna Expressway.

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Faizul Hasan Qadri, a retired 81-year-old postmaster, sprung to fame in 2015 for his attempts to build a mini Taj for his wife Tajamulli Begum who died in 2011.

Two years later, next to his incomplete Taj in Bulandshahrs Kaser Kalan, a small village nearly 150km from the National Capital, a government girls school is nearing completion.

Reports of Qadris attempts to build a mini Taj had moved the then UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Yadav had offered to help to Qadri, who instead sought help to build a school. Qadri donated his last piece of land for this school even as his dream project came to a standstill due to lack of funds.

Qadris eyesight is now failing and his resources have dried up. He is now saving from his monthly pension of Rs 15,000 to finish his Taj. After 2015, I had saved Rs 1 lakh from my pension. But my niece had some emergency and I gave it to her. The amount is yet to be repaid, Qadri said. Now I have saved Rs 55,000 and I am trying to get marble studded to the building, he added.

Faizul Hasan Qadri at the government school built on the land donated by him. (Sakib Ali / HT Photo)

In 2015, when this reporter spoke to Qadri, he had refused any financial help to build his Taj. That has not changed. I have to get marble work done and need Rs 6-7 lakh. Still, I will not take any financial help from outside. Who knows the money may have come from unfair means. Taking such money will not be good. I will get the work done out of my own savings, he reiterated.

Five months ago, Qadri met with an accident. He was on his way home with a bag of wheat flour when his bicycle overturned. Qadri was injured in his leg and left bed ridden. The incident eroded his savings further. It is now hard for him to walk but Qadri says he will not part with the rickety bicycle which he bought five decades ago for Rs 95.

Qadri has also set aside Rs 1,800 for zakat to be given to the poor. Zakat is a payment made annually under Islamic law for charitable purpose. I have just managed to give Rs 1,700, another Rs 100 is left. Walking is difficult nowadays, he says.

The government school building has come up right next to Qadris Taj. (Sakib Ali / HT Photo)

His decision to donate land for girls school invited objection from many quarters. A maulvi told me to ask government to come up with a school for Muslims and Allah will shower favours on me. I told him that the school will be for children from all communities and any favour for the act will be in hands of Allah, he said.

Authorities say the school building will get complete by end of June this year. The school is part of former CMs announcement. Qadri saheb donated his land for students. We have also written to higher officials for start of classes so that we can start session by July. The fund for the school was also released. The school will hold classes from sixth standard to class twelve for girls, said Veena Yadav, district inspector of schools, Bulandshahr

Meanwhile, Qadris Taj is still incomplete. It requires plaster and marble work but his kindness has already earned him a reputation. After he donated the land for the school building, he also allowed us to store material on land of his Taj. We were moved. I requested him several times that I will get his Taj plastered and finish remaining work, but he declined. He often visits school and keeps asking about the progress of the work, said Deepak Kumar, the school building contractor.

Authorities say the school is set to be opened by the end of June this year. (Sakib Ali / HT Photo)

He comes with a walker but never takes support or help to take the stairs or walk out. The man has certainly lived his life with his head held high, Deepak added.

Qadri has left some space for himself inside the Taj. He wishes to be buried next to his wifes grave. The two did not have any children.

Four months ago, Qadri lost his brother Mezul Hasan. Mezuls wife and a 24 year old son, who is mentally unstable, also live with Qadri now. Earlier, my burial was the responsibility of my brother. But now he is no more. Now, his children will bury me. I wish the marble work is completed before death arrives, he says.

He now lives in a small house where his Taj and the new school building are visible from the window.

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A day after bedlam in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, speaker Rana KP Singh on Friday initiated proceedings against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for contempt of the House, showing disrespect to the chair and calling him a dictator.

This is second privilege motion against the Opposition accepted by the speaker in two days.

While moving the motion, parliamentary affairs minister Brahm Mohindra referred to the Thursday incident when Sukhbir pointed towards the speakers chair and allegedly said: Tussi aithe pagan laun aaye o (You are here to toss turbans)? Sukhbir along with 15 party legislators was leading a protest against use of force for evicting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members. Turbans of three AAP legislators were tossed in the melee.

Supporting the resolution, Congress MLA Khushaldeep Singh Dhillon said the matter was serious as a party chief was involved in it.

The speaker announced in the House that the SAD chiefs actions were intentional, unwarranted and contemptuous.

Accepting the resolution, he referred the matter to the privileges committee of the assembly to decide on the penalty to be imposed on Sukhbir. The resolution was passed when Opposition MLAs had staged a walkout.

The privileges committee can take any action against an erring MLA  from a reprimand to suspension from the House.

Reacting to the proceedings, Sukhbir said he is afraid of nothing when it comes to ensuring respect to the turban.

What kind of a government is this? Turbans are tossed and ladies are molested, he said, referring to the Thursday melee. I dont care about the action they take against me.

Earlier, on Thursday, the speaker had accepted the breach of privilege motion against the AAP and SAD-BJP combine MLAs for ruckus in the House, and against AAP legislator Jai Kishan Rody in particular for allegedly punching a female staffer of the watch-and-ward team.
A powerful car bombing near the office of the provincial police chief in southwestern Pakistan on Friday killed 11 people and wounded 20, officials said.

The explosion near the police chiefs office in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was powerful enough that it was heard across the city, shattering windows of nearby buildings, said police spokesman Shahzada Farhat.

Wasim Beg, a spokesman at a government hospital, said the death toll from the bombing rose to 11. He said some people remained in critical condition.

TV footage showed several badly damaged cars and a road littered with broken glass.

Anwarul Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the provincial government, said the bomb was planted in a moving car, but officers were trying to determine whether it was a suicide attack.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack but Kakar blamed neighboring India for the blast. He offered no evidence.

On Thursday, Pakistan said that an Indian naval officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and sabotage, had petitioned for mercy.

Jadhav, who Pakistan said had crossed into Baluchistan from neighboring Iran, was arrested in March 2016 and sentenced to death in April.

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs insisted Jadhav was sentenced on concocted charges and expressed doubts about the existence of the petition for mercy. It also reiterated that the proceedings against Jadhav have been shrouded in opacity.

Baluchistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists and separatists, who want a bigger share of the regional resources or outright independence, but also other attacks, mostly blamed on the Pakistani Taliban.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab states that have cut ties to Qatar have issued a steep list of 13 demands to end the crisis, insisting that their Persian Gulf neighbor shutter Al-Jazeera television, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.

The list of demands in Arabic  presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis  also demanded the closing of a Turkish military base in Qatar.

Qatar must also announce it is severing ties with terrorist, ideological and sectarian organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly al Qaedas branch in Syria and surrender all designated terrorists on its territory.

The list was compiled by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, which cut economic, diplomatic and travel ties to Doha on June 5.

READ: Al Jazeera: Good, bad, and a little ugly

The countries gave Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes void, an official said without elaborating, suggesting the offer to end the dispute in return for the 13 steps would no longer be on the table.

The demands aimed at ending the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years appear designed to quash a two decade-old foreign policy in which Qatar has punched well above its weight, striding the stage as a peace broker, often in conflicts in Muslim lands.

Dohas independent-minded approach, including a dovish line on Iran and support for Islamist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, has incensed some of its neighbours who see political Islamism as a threat to their dynastic rule.

Turkeys defence minister Fikri Isik rejected the demand to end his countrys military presence in Qatar, saying any call for shutting the base would amount to interference in Ankaras relations with Doha. He suggested instead that Turkey might bolster its presence.

Strengthening the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulfs security, he said. Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.

Isik said no one should be disturbed by the Turkish presence in Qatar as the base aims to train Qatari soldiers and increase the tiny Gulf nations security.

Turkey has sided with Qatar in the dispute and its parliament has ratified legislation allowing the deployment of Turkish troops to the base. The military said a contingent of 23 soldiers reached Doha on Thursday.

Qatar wont negotiate under boycott

The four Arab countries have accused Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional instability and cosying up to revolutionary theocracy Iran. Qatar has denied the accusations.

Qatari officials did not reply immediately to requests for comment. But on Monday, foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they lifted their measures against Doha.

The demands are so aggressive that it makes it close to impossible to currently see a resolution of that conflict, said Olivier Jakob, a strategist at Switzerland-based oil consultancy Petromatrix.

Several Qataris who spoke to Reuters described the demands as unreasonable. Imagine another country demanding that CNN be closed, said 40-year-old Haseeb Mansour, who works for telecom operator Ooredoo.

Abdullah al-Muhanadi, a retired public sector shopping for groceries in Doha on Friday morning, said the boycott must be lifted before negotiations to resolve the dispute could start.

Theres a lot on the list that is simply not true or unreasonable, so how can we comply? he said. There are no IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) elements in Qatar and the agreement with Turkey is a long-standing diplomatic agreement so we cannot ask them to leave.

The demands, handed to Qatar by Kuwait, also require that Qatar stop interfering in the four countries domestic and foreign affairs and stop a practice of giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Qatar must pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies, he added. Any resulting agreement to comply with the demands will be monitored, with monthly reports in the first year, then every three months the next year, then annually for 10 years, the official said without elaborating.

US President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on Qatar, accusing it of being a high level sponsor of terrorism, but he has also offered help to the parties in the dispute to resolve their differences.

Turkey has backed Qatar during the three-week-old crisis. It sent its first ship carrying food aid to Qatar and dispatched a small contingent of soldiers and armoured vehicles on Thursday, while President Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Saudi Arabias leaders on calming tension in the region.
Two US congressman introduced a bipartisan legislation on Thursday to strip Pakistan of the status of a major non-Nato ally (MNNA), which comes with significant defence benefits, saying it has failed to act against terrorists.

The bill was introduced by Ted Poe, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Texas who has long advocated tough measures against Pakistan over its reluctance to combat terrorism, and Rick Nolan, a Democrat from Minnesota.

Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands, Poe said in a statement.

For years, Pakistan has acted as a Benedict Arnold (a general from American civil war who switched sides) ally of the United States. From harbouring Osama bin laden to backing the Taliban, Pakistan has stubbornly refused to go after, in any meaningful way, terrorists that actively seek to harm opposing ideologies.

Nolan said, The fact is, the billions of dollars we have sent to Pakistan over the last 15 years has done nothing to effectively fight terrorism and make us safer. It is time to wake up to the fact that Pakistan has ties to the same terrorist organisations which they claim to be fighting.

We must make a clean break with Pakistan, but at the very least, we should stop providing them the eligibility to obtain our own sophisticated weaponry in an expedited process granting them a privileged status reserved for our closest allies, Poe said.

Pakistan was endowed MNNA status in 2004 by President George W Bush to help the United States combat al Qaeda and the Taliban across its western border with Afghanistan.

A major non-Nato ally gets several defence-related benefits such as priority delivery of supplies, speedy processing of purchases, and government guarantee for loans.

An MNNA can also stockpile US military hardware, participate in defence research and development programmes and be sold more sophisticated weaponry.

Last August, the then secretary of defence Ash Carter withheld $300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan because he could not certify that the country was taking adequate action against the Haqqani terror network.

Time and time again, Pakistan has taken advantage of Americas goodwill and demonstrated that they are no friend and ally of the United States, Nolan said.

The legislation will protect American taxpayer dollars and make the US and the world safer, Nolan said.

(With inputs from agencies)
China on Friday asked India and the US not to disturb peace in the strategic South China Sea and play a constructive role in the disputes there, as the issue was likely to be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with President Donald Trump.

Modi will meet Trump on June 26. He will hold talks with Trump on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said the situation in the disputed region was cooling down.

With concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect the efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard, Geng said.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea.

Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade.

The US had recently sent a navy warship near an artificial island in the South China Sea as part of the first freedom of navigation operation under President Trump, a move China said challenged its sovereignty in the region.

China termed the US move as irresponsible and warned that Americas deliberate provocations would have extremely dangerous consequences to regional stability.
Former Manhattan US attorney Preet Bharara, known for pursuing a series of cases targeting public corruption and crime on Wall Street before President Donald Trump fired him in March, has struck a book deal.

Publisher Alfred A Knopf, a unit of Penguin Random House Inc, announced on Thursday that Bharara would author a book to be published in early 2019 about the search for justice. Financial terms were not disclosed.

In a statement, Bharara said the book will be not just about the law but about integrity, leadership, decision making, and moral reasoning.

It addresses what it means to do the right thing, how to avoid doing the wrong thing, and the role of thoughtfulness in making the best choice, Bharara said.

As the chief federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan, Bharara oversaw several notable corruption and white-collar criminal cases, as well as prosecutions of terrorism suspects.

Bharara, who is now a distinguished scholar in residence at New York Universitys law school, was fired by Trump on March 11 after refusing to step down. He had been among 46 US attorneys who were told a day earlier to submit their resignations.

The firing was a surprise because Bharara, who had been appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2009, had told reporters in November that Trump had asked him to remain in the job.

He told ABC News This Week earlier this month that he received a handful of unusual phone calls from Trump after the November election that made him feel uncomfortable, and said he was fired after declining to take the third call.
Germany is lobbying for German firms to win business revamping Indias creaking railway network, one of several countries attracted by the scale of New Delhis transport needs and which are campaigning to export their technology.

The economy ministry said on Friday it had agreed to finance a government feasibility study into a high-speed rail link between Chennai and Mysore, and had discussed a project to modernise the Chennai-Hyderabad route.

The government is conducting talks...with the Indian government about two railway projects in which German companies are interested, it said in a statement, confirming an earlier report in German business weekly WirtschaftsWoche.

It said the projects had been a topic of conversation during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Berlin in May.

The ministry did not name any companies but industrial group Siemens would be most likely to benefit from any business. Siemens declined to comment.

Under Modi, India has been talking up the appeal of bullet trains as the main rail network, slow and saturated, struggles.

India appointed Chinese, French and Spanish firms in 2015 to conduct studies into building three high-speed rail lines linking its major cities.

However, aside from one line awarded to the Japanese, Modis government has not said how it would pay for high-speed lines if they eventually get the green light.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that a future war waged by Israel against Syria or Lebanon could draw thousands of fighters from countries including Iran and Iraq.

His comments indicated that the same array of Iranian-backed Shiite militias - but not countries - currently fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad could take part in any future conflict with Israel.

Tensions have risen between Hezbollah and its longtime foe Israel in recent months since Donald Trump became U.S. president with his tough talk against Iran. Israels air force chief said his country would use all its strength from the start in any new war with Hezbollah.

The Israeli enemy must know that if an Israeli war is launched against Syria or Lebanon, it is not known that the fighting will remain Lebanese-Israeli, or Syrian-Israeli, Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

This doesnt mean there are states that might intervene directly. But this could open the way for thousands, even hundreds of thousands of fighters from all over the Arab and Islamic world to participate - from Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said.

Nasrallah has repeatedly warned Israel against attacking Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Shiite group is based, and from where it sends fighters to support Assad against insurgents.

Experts on the group say the warnings are part of a policy of deterrence that has also included revealing some of its military capabilities.

Nasrallah said in recent months Hezbollahs rocket arsenal can hit any military target in Israel, which is Lebanons southern neighbour.

He said any Israeli war with Lebanon or the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, would be very costly and that Israel would not be able to win.

Israel has targeted senior Hezbollah commanders in air raids on Syrian soil. But there has been no major confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon since a month-long war between the two sides in 2006.
They call it the grill: The victim is tied to a spit like a roast and spun furiously within a circle of fire. It is just one of the terrors inflicted by interrogators on detainees in Yemen who are routinely beaten with wires, kept in filthy shipping containers, and blindfolded for months  all by one of Americas closest counterterrorism allies.

Abuse and torture are routine in a network of secret prisons across southern Yemen where hundreds are detained in the hunt for al-Qaida militants, an Associated Press investigation has found. The network is run by the United Arab Emirates and by Yemeni forces it created, with at least 18 lock-ups hidden away in military bases, air and seaports, the basements of private villas and even a nightclub, according to accounts from former detainees, families of prisoners, civil rights lawyers and Yemeni military officials.

American defense officials confirmed Wednesday that U.S. forces have interrogated some detainees in Yemen but denied any participation in or knowledge of human rights abuses. The American officials confirmed that the U.S. provides questions to the Emiratis and receives transcripts of their interrogations. A Yemeni witness of American interrogations also told the AP that no torture took place during those sessions where he was present.

Still, the American role raises potential concerns about violations of international law. Obtaining intelligence that may have been extracted by torture inflicted by another party would violate the International Convention Against Torture, which prohibits complicity, said Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University who served as special counsel to the Defense Department until last year.

Some prisoners have also been transported out of Yemen to a remote Emirati base across the Red Sea in Eritrea, according to Yemeni Interior Minister Hussein Arab and others.

Washington has long relied on allies to help it gain intelligence in the fight against al-Qaida, and Yemen is a main theater for that fight, even while the country is mired in a 2-year-old civil war. The UAE has been so critical that Defense Secretary James Mattis praised it as Little Sparta for its outsized role against the militants. The UAE government in a statement to the AP denied that any secret prisons exist or that torture takes place.

Yet at one main detention complex at Riyan airport in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla, former inmates described being crammed into shipping containers smeared with feces and blindfolded for weeks on end. They said they were beaten, rotated on a spit and sexually assaulted, among other abuse. A member of the Hadramawt Elite, a Yemeni security force set up by the UAE, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the workings at the base. He said American forces were at times only yards away.

We could hear the screams, said a former detainee held for six months at Riyan. The entire place is gripped by fear. Almost everyone is sick, the rest are near death. Anyone who complains heads directly to the torture chamber. He was flogged with wires regularly and said he was inside a metal shipping container when the guards lit a fire underneath to fill it with smoke.

One fellow inmate tried to slit his own throat; another tried to hang himself, he said. He was interviewed in person by the AP after his release from detention.

He and the other former detainees spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being arrested again. They said that when they were released, Emirati officers forced them to sign a document not to talk publicly about what they had endured.

When I left the container, it was like escaping death, he said.

The Associated Press interviewed 10 former prisoners, as well as a dozen officials in the Yemeni government, military and security services and nearly 20 relatives of detainees.

Ali Awad Habib, a businessman who was detained in the city of Aden, described how he was given electrical shocks on his neck, back, chin and sensitive parts of his body, after being imprisoned by the Security Belt, another Yemeni force created by the UAE. His father, arrested with him in April 2016, was sent to the Emirati base in the Eritrean port of Assab.

Multiple former detainees said their biggest terror was the Emirati interrogators  like the one known only as the Doctor.

GRILLED ON A SPIT

The guards would bang on the metal doors of the shipping containers, shouting that the Doctor had arrived. The prisoners inside, blindfolded and bound, didnt know his real name: They knew only his Emirati accent as he asked questions and inflicted pain.

One of his torments was to hang weights on an inmates genitals and pull. Another former detainee described being put on the grill: Blindfolded, he was tied to a horizontal pole inside a circle of flame. He said he was spun so fast that he vomited blood.

All six former inmates from Riyan, each interviewed separately by the AP, said they were beaten with wires, often by the Doctor himself. One detainee told of undergoing a fake execution where he was dressed in what he was told was an explosive suicide belt, then a sound grenade was set off near him.

Riyan was once Mukallas commercial airport but has been turned into a coalition base.

There, detainees were initially crammed by the dozens into a hangar and into 3-by-10 meter shipping containers, according to the six former inmates. The detainees were kept blindfolded, their legs and hands bound for months on end.

Imagine having your eyes covered for 100 days, you feel like youre the walking dead, said the ex-inmate who was there for six months. He was allowed to care for his fellow detainees and came to know many.

Food was scarce, diarrhea was rife; access to toilets was limited and the containers reeked, he said. Emirati officers would hold their noses from the stench, he and other detainees said. Emirati officers interrogated the detainees at Riyan, while members of the Hadramawt Elite served as guards.

Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt province, is a major focus in the fight against al-Qaida by the UAE and the Hadramawt Elite.

Overlooking the Arabian Sea, the city was overrun by al-Qaida in 2015. Militants dominated the city for around a year until they fled before a planned assault by the Hadramawt Elite. During the militants rule, many residents worked in service jobs for al-Qaida or otherwise had to deal with the group to get by  and that appears to have made some of them targets for arrest now.

For the past year, the Hadramawt Elite has arrested suspected al-Qaida members in Mukalla and surrounding areas. So far, more than 400 men have been rounded up, according to Sheikh Saleh al-Sharafi, a chief mediator between the Emiratis and the families of the detainees.

A Yemeni who served at Riyan said that men dressed in civilian clothes who his Emirati superiors said were Americans started showing up for the interrogations more than a year ago.

During those sessions, the detainees were not abused, he said. A team of three Americans in civilian clothes came to the base, sometimes multiple times a week, staying for up to three or four hours each time, he said. He asked to remain unnamed because he was not authorized to discuss his work.

The Yemeni said he used to bring detainees to the room where Americans were present. He watched interrogations and saw Emirati officials asking the questions and translating the answers to the Americans.

Several inmates said guards frequently threatened prisoners by saying they would take them to the ships.

Senior U.S. defense officials flatly denied the U.S. military conducts any interrogations of Yemenis on any ships.

We have no comment on these specific claims, added Jonathan Liu, a CIA spokesman.

But a Yemeni officer told AP he had worked on a vessel off the coast where he saw at least two detainees brought for questioning.

He said the detainees were taken below deck, where he was told American polygraph experts and psychological experts conducted interrogations. He did not have access to the lower decks and thus had no first-hand information about what happened there. But he said he saw other Americans in uniforms on the ship. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retaliation for discussing the operations.

A second Yemeni officer said he was involved in moving detainees to a ship, where he said he saw foreigners though he didnt know their nationality. They say these are the important ones. Why are they important? I have no idea, he said of the detainees.

A top official in Hadis Interior Ministry and a senior military official in the 1st Military District, based in Hadramawt, also contended that Americans were conducting interrogations at sea, as did a former senior security official in Hadramawt. The three men spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share military information.

Yemeni Brig. Gen. Farag Salem al-Bahsani, commander of the Mukalla-based 2nd Military District, said reports of torture are exaggerated. He denied any detainees were transferred to the Americans but said the U.S. sent questions to interrogators and received reports on the results. They also gave coalition authorities a list of most wanted men, including many who were later arrested.

Former prisoners said the abuses in Riyan were constant.

Every night, the guards stormed the containers, forced everyone to lie on their bellies and beat them, all six detainees said. The ex-detainee who gave help to other prisoners recalled seeing one whose trousers were drenched in blood. Several told the ex-detainee that they had been sexually assaulted.

Others lost their minds, he said, adding he witnessed two suicide attempts. One tried to strangle himself with his own handcuffs. Another smashed a jelly jar and sliced his own throat. He said a detainee lost his sight because guards intentionally hit him in the face after he told them hed had eye surgery before his arrest.

Another ex-detainee showed the AP how he was bound hand and foot and blindfolded. He said he was held at Riyan for nearly six months and subjected to constant beatings, though he was questioned only once, about a distant relative.

I would die and go to hell rather than go back to this prison, he said. They wouldnt treat animals this way. If it was bin Laden, they wouldnt do this.

LITTLE SPARTA

The small but wealthy Gulf state of the Emirates, a longtime intelligence partner of the U.S., has muscled into a powerful role in Yemen.

The UAE is part of a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition fighting in support of Yemens government against Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who overran the north of the country. The 2-year-old civil war has pushed the already impoverished nation into near famine in some areas.

The coalition is also fighting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the most dangerous extremist groups in the world, as well as Islamic State militants in Yemen. The Pentagon has said it sent a small contingent of U.S. forces in Mukalla last year, largely in an intelligence sharing role, and that forces move in and out routinely.

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. has escalated drone strikes to more than 80 this year, up from 21 in 2016, according to U.S. Central Command. At least two raids were ordered against al-Qaida, including one in which a Navy SEAL was killed along with 25 civilians. On Thursday, CENTCOM reported that three al-Qaida militants had been killed in a U.S. airstrike.

Over the course of the civil war, the UAE has effectively carved out its own state-within-a-state in southern Yemen. It has set up an extensive security apparatus, created its own Yemeni militias and runs military bases. The result has undermined the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Ostensibly, UAE-trained forces like the Hadramawt Elite and Security Belt are under Hadis government, but Hadis officials often complain that those forces answer only to the Emiratis.

The network of Emirati prisons echoes the so-called black sites, secret detention facilities set up by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. In 2009, then-President Barack Obama disbanded the sites. The UAE network in war-torn Yemen was set up during the Obama administration and continues operating to this day.

Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the Defense Department has found no credible evidence to substantiate that the U.S. is participating in any abuse.

We always adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, she said when presented with APs findings. We would not turn a blind eye, because we are obligated to report any violations of human rights.

However, several U.S. defense officials said senior military leaders are aware of the allegations of torture at the prisons in Yemen and have looked into them. In the end, they were satisfied that there has not been any abuse when U.S. forces are present, the officials said. They werent authorized to speak publicly about sensitive military operations and requested anonymity.

The officials said members of the Pentagons Joint Special Operations Command or other military intelligence experts participate in interrogations of detainees at locations in Yemen. They said JSOC troops are trained to look for signs of abuses and are required to report it.

Legal experts said that in the light of alleged Emirati abuses, U.S. interrogations could constitute complicity in torture, which is banned in Article 4 of the U.N. Convention against Torture.

It would therefore be unlawful for the U.S. to receive and/or rely on intelligence where the U.S. knows or should know that there was a real risk of the intelligence being obtained from torture, said Amrit Singh, a senior legal officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative. The U.S. has a positive obligation under international law to prevent torture instead of acquiescing in it.

VANISHED

Families often gathered outside Riyan airport, trying to find news of detained loved ones.

One man in his 60s said his teenage son was seized in August and has not resurfaced since. He was told the teen was in Riyan but whenever he appealed for news from Yemeni officials, they told him, This is in the hands of the Emiratis and the Americans. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals against himself or his son.

In a nearby town, Mohammed al-Saadis brother Hani vanished in January, when 20 masked gunmen descended on his butcher shop in the middle of the day. They grabbed Hani, still wearing his bloody apron and holding pieces of meat, and dragged him away in front of bystanders, Mohammed said  like hes a gangster or leader of al-Qaida.

Mohammed thinks the arrest may be because al-Qaida fighters frequented Hanis shop when they ran the area. He was told that Hani is at Riyan prison by former inmates, but officials wont confirm it.

I asked Yemeni officials. All I was told was, We can do nothing to the Emiratis, he said. As if we are not in a state.

The wave of arrests is also taking place in Aden and other areas.

Sabri al-Shormani, an engineer, said he was arrested a year ago by the UAE-backed Security Belt from his hometown outside Aden. He was held incommunicado for weeks and interrogated by masked men with Emirati accents about his brother, who was suspected of al-Qaida links.

We came to serve you, he said the Emirati interrogators told him.

He was put blindfolded in solitary confinement for a week, and he said the stress caused his face to become partially paralyzed. Eventually, they freed him because of his faltering health.

The Security Belt then arrested another of his brothers, Ali. The family had no idea where he was for five months until he was suddenly released on April 3, appearing on the family doorstep. But shortly after he was welcomed home with tears and hugs, a force of gunmen arrived at the house, brought him outside and shot him to death, said their 60-year-old father, Mohammed Jaafar.

We heard heavy gunfire. We didnt know what was happening, there were armed men lined up, Jaafar said. I saw them, I started to scream. Sabri said that there were bruises and other marks of torture on his brothers body.

Huda al-Sarari, a rights lawyer in Aden who tracks detentions and torture, contended that many innocents are caught up in the arrests. But even al-Qaida suspects should be detained and questioned legally, she said.

His family should know his whereabouts. He should be tried, she said. How long should detainees stay in detention centers where there is no electricity, no care, because they fall outside the authorities control?

Ali Awad Habib, the businessman who was tortured with electric shocks, still doesnt know why he was imprisoned for 6 months.

Shock, shock, shock, he said, pointing to the places where he said interrogators used the electrical prod on him. I was tortured for no reason.

He was detained on April 21, 2016, when masked gunmen from the Security Belt stormed into his office and one of his family businesses, a sponge factory in Aden, Yemens second largest city. They beat up and took away Habib, his brother, father, uncle and cousins along with several workers.

Habib and most of the others were taken to Adens official prison, known as Mansoura, where one section is under control of the Security Belt.

There, during interrogations, he said he was often beaten by heavy wires. The accusations against him varied each time. One says I am an al-Qaida member, a second says Im a drug dealer, and a third said I am an Iranian agent, he said.

Habib was freed only to discover that his father was taken to the Emirati base in Assab, Eritrea, where there has been no word of him.

Naquib al-Yahri, the head of Mansoura prison, said Habibs father was sent to Assab on suspicion of selling weapons to al-Qaida. He said the coalition was taking other prisoners out of Yemen, but did not provide figures.

He denied any torture or illegal detentions at Mansoura, saying that prosecutors are questioning those held or have ordered them kept in custody until courts in the war-torn country are back functioning. He gave the AP a tour of part of the facility, showing newly renovated cells and workshops for prisoners under 18 years old to learn a trade. In front of guards, the AP spoke to five teenaged prisoners who said they were doing well.

Adens security chief, Shalal al-Shaya, dismissed reports of illegal detentions, secret prisons or torture. He said all raids by his forces  which he said were trained by the U.S., Jordan and UAE  are carried out legally.

And hes not worried about where the prisoners wind up.

They terrorized the world and I dont care where they take them, he said.
North Korea on Friday denied it cruelly treated or tortured an American student who was detained for more than year and died days after being released in a coma.

The article published by the official Korean Central News Agency was Pyongyangs first reaction to Otto Warmbiers death in a US hospital on Monday after North Korea released him for what it said was humanitarian reasons.

Doctors there said Warmbier had suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause. Relatives say they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to prison in North Korea in March 2016.

His family and others have blamed North Korea for his condition.

American student Otto Warmbier escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea, after his detention. (AP File Photo)

He was serving a sentence of hard labour after being accused of stealing a propaganda poster. KCNA said the North dealt with Warmbier according to domestic law and international standards.

The article also criticised South Korea for using Warmbiers case to seek the release of other detainees, including six South Korean nationals. Three Americans also remain in custody in the North.

Timeline of events leading to the death of Otto Warmbier. (AFP)

Our related institutions are treating criminals who committed crimes against (our) republic strictly based on domestic law and international standards, and Warmbier was no different, the KCNA said.

The agency accused Seoul of tarnishing Pyongyangs image with its slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture while having no knowledge of the humanitarian treatment Warmbier received in the North. The agency didnt provide further details on how Warmbier was treated under detention or what might have caused him to lapse into a coma.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions.
At least 18 people were killed and more than 100 others injured on Friday in powerful twin blasts at a crowded market in Parachinar area of Pakistans Kurram tribal district, bordering Afghanistan.

The first explosion occurred in Akbar Khan Market in Parachinar headquarters of Kurram Agency when people were busy shopping for Iftar and Eid, officials said.

The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

Officials said that 18 people were killed and at least 100 others injured in the explosions.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar.

The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.

Pakistan Army contingents and FC personnel reached the site of the attack to aid in rescue efforts.
Thirty-eight people were killed and more than 100 injured in two terror attacks in Pakistan on Friday, with suicide bombers targeting the capital of Balochistan province and the Shia-majority Parachinar town days before the end of the holy month of Ramzan.

Thirteen people, including seven policemen, were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car in front of the provincial police chiefs office at Shuhada Chowk in Quettas Gulistan Road area. Twenty others were injured.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar said the blast occurred when police guards stopped the car to search it near a checkpoint. Local officials said the bomber may have been planning to target another site but was forced to detonate when he was stopped by police.

Its possible the assailants were trying to enter the (Army) cantonment which is close by, Kakar told the media.

The blast, which was heard across Quetta, blew out the windows of nearby buildings and damaged several cars. Officials said an estimated 75 kg of explosives was packed into the car.

A soldier covers a body after a blast in Quetta, Pakistan June 23, 2017. (REUTERS)

At least 25 people were killed and 100 others injured when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a densely populated area of Parachinar in the Kurram tribal region in Pakistans restive northwest. The blasts occurred near a bus terminal at Turi Market in the Shia-majority region.

The second explosion targeted people who had rushed to help the victims of the first blast, witnesses said. The area was packed with people shopping for the Eid festival and heading out of Parachinar for the holiday season.

Officials were quoted by the local media as saying that the explosions targeted people who had participated in the Youm-ul-Quds procession.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta in a message sent to the media by spokesperson Asad Mansur.

However, the Khorasan wing of the Islamic State released a photo of a militant identified as Abu Othman and said he had carried out the attack in Quetta.

It is believed the attack in Quetta was aimed at derailing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Hundreds of Chinese nationals are working in Balochistan as part of the project. Militants from the Islamic State group abducted and killed two Chinese nationals in Quetta last month.
A traffic police constable was killed in Quetta city of southwest Pakistan when a provincial lawmaker ran him over while driving a SUV in an apparent state of intoxication.

CCTV footage of the gruesome incident on Tuesday has been widely shared on social media by Pakistanis. There was no other car in front of the SUV of Abdul Majeed Khan Achakzai, a member of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and constable Haji Atta Ullah was clearly visible.

The footage shows Achakzais SUV hitting the constable and ramming him into another vehicle at Shaheed Faraz Sunbel Chowk in the capital of Balochistan province.

Watch | Pakistani provincial lawmakers SUV runs over traffic constable

Quetta Traffic police official Haji Attaullah martyred by #PkMAP MPA Majeed Achakzai, brother of Mehmood Achakzai #Balochistan pic.twitter.com/JGZOD6HIn8  Asfandyar Bhittani (@BhittaniKhannnn) June 23, 2017

The injured constable was taken to Civil Hospital but succumbed to injuries while on the way to the trauma centre, police official Nazeer Kurd told the media.

Kurd added: Achakzai was driving the vehicle himself and we are investigating the incident. However, police have lodged a case against unknown persons.

Achakzai is also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Balochistan assembly.
Qatar Airways, its Middle Eastern business pressured by a diplomatic row with neighbours, is seeking as much as a 10% stake in American Airlines, the US carrier said.

The surprise investment push by Qatar Airways was disclosed by American Airlines in a securities filing on Thursday, saying the Qatari company planned to buy at least $808 million in American shares. In addition, Qatar Airwayss chief executive told his counterpart at American that the carrier sought a stake of about 10%.

The outreach drew a frosty response from the US carrier, which said the intended purchase was not solicited by American Airlines and would in no way change the Companys Board composition, governance, management or strategic direction.

Americans bylaws require board approval to stakes of 4.75% or more. Qatar Airways said it would not exceed this level without board approval and would make all necessary regulatory filings.

Qatar Airways sees a strong investment opportunity in American Airlines, the company said in a statement.

Qatar Airways believes in American Airlines fundamentals and intends to build a passive position in the company with no involvement in management, operations or governance.

The move comes after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed ties with Qatar over its alleged support for extremist groups and Iran. The countries have suspended all flights to and from Qatar.

Qatars government denies the allegations.

Qatar Airways has downplayed the impact of the dispute on its business, saying on June 14 that the vast majority of its network was unaffected. But analysts have warned the profitable carrier could take a hit should the diplomatic crisis drag out.

At the Paris Air Show this week, Qatar Airways was named the worlds top airline for passenger service by Skytrax, a closely-watched industry prize.

American has had its differences with Qatar Airways, among other Middle Eastern carriers, over state subsidies the US air travel industry says violate international agreements.

American chief executive Doug Parker has joined an effort with the leaders of Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to urge a crackdown by President Donald Trump on an alleged $50 billion in state subsidies to Qatar Airways and two other state-backed Middle East carriers that they argue allows the airlines to illegally compete in the US market.

Parker alluded to the controversy in a letter to employees Thursday, which adopted a sceptical tone toward Qatars motives.

While anyone can purchase our shares in the open market, we arent particularly excited about Qatars outreach, and we find it puzzling given our extremely public stance on the illegal subsidies that Qatar, Emirates and Etihad have all received over the years from their governments, Parker said.

If anything, this development strengthens our resolve to ensure the US government enforces its trade agreements regarding fair competition with Gulf carriers, because we must make it crystal clear that no minority investment in American will ever dissuade us from doing what is right for our team members, our customers and all of our shareholders.

Qatar Airways already holds stakes in other foreign carriers, including a large holding in International Consolidated Airlines Group, the parent of British Airways.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has declared his intention to run in next years presidential elections , is ineligible to be a candidate, the countrys central electoral commission said on Friday.

Currently Alexei Navalny is not eligible to stand for office, the commission said in a statement, citing the fact that he is serving a five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement, which falls into the category of a serious crime. Someone who is convicted of a serious crime cannot stand for public office for 10 years after their sentence ends, the panel said.

Navalny and his erstwhile business partner were convicted of embezzlement in 2013.

The European Court of Human Rights last year quashed the verdict, saying the men did not have a fair trial.

But the same Russian court held a retrial this year, issuing the same sentence.

President Vladimir Putin is expected to stand for a fourth Kremlin term in the March 2018 election, but has yet to confirm this. The nomination of candidates will begin this December.

The electoral commission weighed in as Navalny is already opening campaign offices across Russia to register supporters, since a presidential bid would require him to muster 300,000 signatures in the space of 40 days this winter to enter the race.

Navalny is currently serving a 25-day sentence in police cells as the organiser of an unauthorised protest after demonstrations on June 12, in which more than 1,700 people were detained nationwide.

In a legal confusion that Navalny hopes to exploit, the Russian Constitution says anyone who is not in prison can stand for election.The 41-year-old lawyer argues that he is eligible to stand for election because he is serving a suspended sentence and is not a prisoner.
Initial plans set out by Prime Minister Theresa May on the future of 3 million-odd EU citizens in the UK  including thousands of Goans with Portuguese passports  were dismissed on Friday as insufficient and vague, setting the stage for protracted talks in Brussels.

The future of European Union citizens is at the heart of the Brexit talks - EU leaders want Britain to guarantee their stay and rights in perpetuity, including for their current and future family members. These rights are to be overseen by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), not by courts in the UK.

May is unlikely to agree to continuing ECJs jurisdiction after Brexit, since taking back control of laws was one of the key objectives of leaving the EU. More details of Mays offer are to be revealed on Monday, but she has promised settled status to EU citizens and a grace period for new arrivals.

The settled status is intended for EU citizens who have lived in the UK for five years  a provision similar to that currently applicable to Indians and other non-EU citizens. No date or cut-off date has been mentioned so far for this five-year qualifying period.

EU leaders dismissed Mays initial offer, while Labour said it was too little, too late. Labour and Liberal Democrats want EU citizens to be given unconditional guarantees of continued stay in the UK, while May links it to the future of 1.2 million UK citizens in EU countries.

Campaign groups representing EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in EU also criticised Mays offer. Key issues include whether children of EU citizens in the UK living elsewhere in the Europe could continue to get the same financial benefits currently available.

Also, Mays offer is silent on bringing non-EU spouses of EU citizens to the UK, which they are currently able to do. UK not accepting ECJs jurisdiction on issues related to EU citizens in the UK after Brexit is also expected to figure high in the negotiations.

According to May, her offer was fair and generous, while campaigners said there were now more questions than answers. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the offer was "a good start" but European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said it was a "first step but this step is not sufficient".

Since the expected date of Brexit is March 30, 2019, analysts rolled back the five-year qualifying period for EU citizens acquiring settled status to 2014, with EU citizens arriving until March 30, 2019 being able to build up the qualifying period beyond the Brexit date.

The issue is a matter of concern for thousands of people from the erstwhile Portuguese-ruled territory of Goa, Daman and Diu, who opted for Portuguese citizenship and moved to the UK. Their ability to move to the UK is likely to be revoked after the UK formally leaves the EU, expected in March 2019.

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Following Britains 1763 victory in the French and Indian War, Crown authorities earned the ire of tribes previously allied with the French by allowing settlers to occupy Indian lands in violation of treaty terms. Assuming the British intended to drive them out or destroy them, many called for action. The frontier exploded into Pontiacs War, named after the Ottawa chief who helped organize a confederation of disaffected Indians from across the Great Lakes region and Ohio and Mississippi valleys, including a few thousand Ottowas, Ojibwes (Chippewas), Potawatomies, Hurons, Miamis, Kickapoos, Delawares, Shawnees, Mingos, Wyandots and Senecas.

Maj. Gen. Sir Jeffery Amherst, Britains North American commander, sought to establish Crown authority on the frontier and reaffirm claims to the Ohio Valley. He tasked Swiss-born Colonel Henry Bouquet with relieving British forts west of the Allegheny Mountains, the most formidable of which was Fort Pitt, with other key garrisons at Detroit and Niagara.

Indian forces laid siege to Fort Detroit in May, Pitt in June and other British forts on into summer. Fort Pitt commander Captain Simon Ecuyerlike Bouquet, a professional Swiss officerfortified his defenses, but his supply line to the east was problematic, as Forts Bedford and Ligonier were small and difficult to reinforce. In late June Amherst dispatched detachments of Scottish Highlanders from the 42nd and 77th regiments of foot from New York to Carlisle, Pa., to join Bouquet and the 60th (Royal American) regiment in relief of Fort Pitt. Bouquet first reinforced Forts Loudoun, Bedford and Ligonier, but the fate of Pitt was uncertain, given that Forts Presque Isle, Le Boeuf and Venango had all fallen.

The resolute Bouquet had assembled nearly three-dozen wagons, some 340 packhorses and thousands of pounds of flour and gunpowder. Meanwhile, a relief force under Captain James Dalyell had crossed Lake Erie seeking to relieve Fort Detroit, but on July 31 Pontiacs men met and defeated Dalyells column at the Battle of Bloody Run. Fort Pitt remained cut off as Bouquet arrived at Fort Ligonier two days later. Leaving the wagons behind, he set out on August 4 with the packhorses and some 450 soldiers for a rapid march to beleaguered Pitt. Bouquet planned to rest and water the horses at Bushy Run, an outpost roughly midway between Ligonier and Pitt. But the Indians besieging Pitt learned of his approach, and on August 5 they ambushed the column at Edge Hill, a mile east of Bushy Run.

Bouquet consolidated his forces around the supply train, using flour bags to protect the wounded. On the morning of August 6 the Indians renewed their attack. The British repulsed several assaults, but the situation looked bleak. Bouquet then hatched a plan to lure the enemy into a killing zone. Ordering two companies to withdraw in seeming resignation, he prompted the overconfident Indians to advance into the gap. As the latter penetrated the line, two companies positioned out of sight behind a hill struck the enemys right flank. The surprised Indians retreated across the front of two stationary companies, who raked them with fire. The four companies then chased off the survivors. Bouquet later reported British losses as 50 killed, 60 wounded and five missing. Though difficult to determine, contemporaries estimated Indian losses as upward of 50 dead, with an undetermined number of casualties spirited away by surviving braves.

After the battle Bouquet marched his men to water at Bushy Run. After destroying any supplies they could not carry, they proceeded with caution, making the 25-mile march to Fort Pitt in four days. With the road to Fort Pitt reopened, the British evacuated noncombatants and resumed supply convoys. In the autumn of 1764 Bouquet, then in command of Fort Pitt, led nearly 1,500 British soldiers and militiamen more than 100 miles into the Ohio country. At the Muskingum River (near present-day Coshocton) tribal representatives sued for peace and returned more than 200 white captives. Bouquet earned promotion to brigadier general and was given command of British forces in the southern colonies. But in 1765 he died in Floridalikely of yellow feverforever prompting speculation as to what role he might have played in the coming American Revolution.

Now a state historic site, Bushy Run Battlefield [bushy runbattlefield.com] recalls the past with re-enactments, tours and interpretive and educational programs.
The 6-pound round of Confederate solid shot rolled into the fire and exploded. Shrapnel flew throughout the room full of Federal soldiers. Miraculously, no one was killed. A few men incurred minor injuries, and one, Private Harry Chait of Detroit, received burns serious enough to require him to spend several days at Camp Davis Hospital.

Not an uncommon occurrence during the Civil War. But this incident took place on a chilly winters night in 1942and Private Chait didnt wear Union blue but the olive drab of the 1st Battalion, 244th Coast Artillery.

The story behind this most unlikely incident takes place at Fort Macon, N.C., and it begins on December 7, 1941, when America entered World War II. Part of hurriedly preparing the nation for war included establishing a line of air and sea defenses along both coasts. This put Fort Macon on a war footing for the first time in 80 years.

The brick and masonry fort was originally built in 1834 to protect Beaufort Inlet and the city of Beaufort, North Carolinas only major ocean deep-water port. It was one of 38 permanent forts known as the Third System. Designed by Brig. Gen. Simon Bernard of the Army Corps of Engineers in the traditional pentagon configuration, it was only intermittently garrisoned until the outbreak of the Civil War. Captain Robert E. Lee gave the fort a thorough inspection in 1840.

Two days after the fall of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, North Carolina militia forces seized the practically unmanned installation and armed it with 54 heavy cannon. After the city of New Bern, N.C., fell to Union forces on March 4, 1862, a contingent of troops under Brig. Gen. John G. Parke captured nearby Morehead City and Beaufort without resistance. Parke then landed on Bogue Banks and invested Fort Macon. On April 25, Union forces, aided by four Federal warships and floating batteries, bombarded Colonel Moses J. White (West Point, Class of 1858) and his 400 North Carolina troopers for 11 hours. The forts masonry ramparts suffered extensive damage from the Unions rifled cannons, and White surrendered the fort the next day. It would remain in Union hands for the rest of the war and through Reconstruction.

Fort Macon was officially decommissioned in 1877. State troops occupied it briefly during the Spanish-American War. The Army again abandoned the fort in 1903, and it was offered for sale as military surplus in 1923. But an act of Congress ceded the fort and surrounding acres to North Carolina for a state park. The Civilian Conservation Corps restored the masonry walls and interior buildings. The addition of recreational facilities allowed Fort Macon to open as North Carolinas first official state park on May 1, 1936. It remained under state control until the afternoon of December 19, 1941, when Lt. Col. Henry G. Fowler and three other officers knocked on the door of Mrs. Virginia G. Humphrey, the parks caretaker, and informed her that the U.S. Army intended to take over the fort for use as a coastal defense installation.

Men of the 244th Coast Artillery, formerly a New York National Guard unit, soon arrived followed by their 155mm Long Tom guns. Two gun batteries and a 500-man administrative Headquarters Battery brought the forts contingent to nearly 900 men and eight big guns. The guns were test-fired on December 24 and life soon entered into the monotonous routine of garrison duty. That routine was soon disrupted.

Some of the enlisted men were billeted in the same quarters occupied by their Civil War counterparts. Each room had a working fireplace and a chilly evening encouraged the occupants of Casemate 2 to lay a warming fire. Someone thought that two old cannon balls found near the fort would make good andirons. One of them did. The other one exploded in the fire, setting bedding ablaze, blowing one man out the door, and sending Private Henry Chait to the hospital. When the incident was reported in the local newspapers, they humorously characterized it as two more Yankees gotten by a Confederate cannon ball.

After nine months, the men of the 244th were sent to the South Pacific. The Army stayed at Fort Macon until 1946 when it reverted back to the state. Henry Chait remained the only soldier there wounded by enemy fire.
T here are more bicycles than residents in Amsterdam city centre and the deference offered to riders is remarkable.

Cyclists pedal nonchalantly the wrong way down one-way streets, ferrying children in low-level boxes on the front of their bikes  yet tram drivers stop for them and taxi drivers reluctantly give way to them. Cyclists rule in this wonderful, water-filled place.

Amsterdam is a rare city where residents live in the centre and commute to the outskirts, giving a real lived-in buzz to the 17th-century townhouses, cafes and bars on the Unesco-listed canal ring.

The citys popularity is growing. Tourist numbers are up more than five per cent year on year, helped by new five-star hotels, while average property prices have doubled since 2008, says Barbara van der Grijp of Engel & Volkers.

People like Amsterdam because it is essentially seven villages clustered in one human-sized city, she says. Each village has its own charm yet you can cycle everywhere in a short time and that gives a freedom and ease to living here that people really appreciate.

Neighbourhoods especially in demand include Jordaan  a newly gentrified but still characterful and buzzy area beside the main canals  and De Pijp to the south.

Traditionally, the most expensive properties were along the three main concentric canals  Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht  but this year they have been overtaken by the southern Museum District around the upmarket shopping street of PC Hooftstraat.

1.7 million: a newly modernised four-bedroom townhouse on the prime Prinsengracht canal available through Engel & Volkers

Global businesses with headquarters in Amsterdam include Netflix, Nike and booking.com and their staff like being close to the international schools in the south of the city.

RESALE HOMES IN PRIME LOCATIONS

Expect to pay from 430,000 for an 810sq ft two-bedroom unmodernised apartment on the prime canals, and from 900,000 for an entire canal-front townhouse.

450,000: a one-bedroom apartment with courtyard garden in trendy Jordaan through Engel & Volkers

In Jordaan, on the prized Prinsengracht canal and 10 minutes walk from Amsterdam Central Station, a newly modernised five-floor four-bedroom townhouse with a small outside space is on the market for 1.4 million through Engel & Volkers. Agents Broersma have an elegant two-bedroom apartment on a prime stretch of the Keizersgracht canal for 816,000.

West of the centre its a 10-minute walk to highly desirable Oud West, where a newly renovated 1,000sq ft two-bedroom apartment with excellent rental potential looks good value for 500,000, again on the market through Engel & Volkers. The ground-floor apartment faces a canal and has its own front door, pale oak floors, boxy white radiators and extra-tall dark doors and windows.

NEW HOMES AT THE DUTCH HOLLAND PARK

Residents priced out of the historic city centre are snapping up new homes at Holland Park in the south east. This is a greenfield site being converted into a new district with canals, retail units and about 6,000 apartments.

Holland Park: in the south east of Amsterdam, this new district has around 6,000 homes starting from 250,000

Prices start from 217,000 for a two-bedroom apartment and the project is attracting impressive numbers of buyers, according to Engel & Volkers Van der Grijp.

The aim is to create a new live-work area of the city and weve seen buyers reserving 80 homes in a single weekend because it is difficult to find anything at this price in Amsterdam, she says.

Holland Park is convenient, 14 minutes from Central Station and 12 minutes to Vondelpark [the central city public park] and all homes are freehold, an important issue in Amsterdam where 80 per cent of property is leasehold.

Engel & Volkers: engelvoelkers.com/amsterdam

Broersma: broersma.nl

Holland Park: hollandpark.nl
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea have been trading shots since their beef popped off back in2011, but it would appear that that those days are behind them. When Azealia reached out and suggested the two bury the hatchet and record an internet-breaking collaboration, Iggy responded to Banks olive branch via Snapchat:

I just want to say FYI; re A. Banks. Call me crazy but girl; I dont hate you. I dont know you to hate you, Azalea wrote. I believe you may want to meet me in person so you can steal a lock of my hair and cast a spell hoping I die (lol) I dont agree with many of your opinions but honestly, at times I empathize with you as a creative Gemini woman. I wish you had spoken to me before deciding I was out to get you when we first came on the scene, but thats also typical Gemini reaction shit (I get it). As a 27 year old adult woman just know: I wish you well from one human to another and joke collaboration or not as adults we should move past trivial beef with strangers.

After Iggys response, Banks acknowledged the snap via her Instagram. She then reached out to XXl for a statement, elaborating on her own desire for reconciliation:

I think a true reconciliation can happen once there is some acknowledgment of what hip-hop has been trying to tell her. I still dont think she quite understands the effect her racial privilege and the socio-economic leverage that comes with it has on a marginalized group of womens culture, Azealia said. Race aside, this is also a womens issue. I hope that there will be a chance for us to have an open discussion about this, as I feel America and the world could really benefit from some candid discourse between two public figures about the worlds biggest sickness: racism. I wish for women of the future to be able to refer to this moment in womens culture as an example of what can happen when people take time to understand.

So there you have it. For now, the hostility seems to have abated. Perhaps the two emcees will one day be able to have a face to face discussion, and perhaps even a collaboration.

Azalea & Azealia
Both artists shared the track on their Twitter accounts today.

Earlier today, Clean Bandit said on their Twitter account that they first performed the song together two years ago but this is the first studio version to be released.

Check out the track on Spotify below:

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This is the first song Marina has released since she announced she would be taking a break from music in 2016.
The gypsy punk band will be coming to The Academy on 19 December

After spending time in three different continents, Gogol Bordello has announced the release of their 7th album, Seekers and Finders for 25 August. The gypsy punk band will also be coming to The Academy in Dublin on 19 December to unleash their newest work.

The bands time abroad has influenced the sounds of their new album, which use a whole range of instruments  from accordion, to marimba, to rock guitar. Frontman Eugene Hutz explains, I was still bouncing between Latin America and Eastern Europe when songs were emerging, but finally, as soon as I moved back to New York, it all came into focus as it always did for me here.

Gogol Bordello has already released a single from the album, called Saboteur Blues. According to Hutz, the single is about the full commitment to the moment and putting the end to this self-sabotage... and going on a rampage with it. Our lives are royally sabotaged by our thinking being stuck in our past or future. Girls in French mock-flirt the famous crap fuck shot philosophy I think therefore I am of Descartes, while the band is clearly offering the alternative I feel, perceive and experience, therefore I motherfucking rock'.



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The nine-piece group will be joined by brassy funk band, Lucky Chops.


I Love You, Sadie, taken from the bands upcoming album, have been released a week early.

The Wicklow girl group have been working on their upcoming debut album but no official release date has been given yet.

Check out the new track on Spotify here:

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Wyvern Lingo will play on the main stage at the Sea Sessions festival in Donegal on Saturday July 24. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster now.
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DALLAS - State-owned Qatar Airways is attempting to buy 10 percent of American Airlines, a surprising move that would trigger an antitrust review by the U.S. government and carry political and trade-policy implications.

Fort Worth-based American said in a regulatory filing Thursday that the bid was unsolicited.

"We aren't particularly excited about Qatar's outreach," CEO Doug Parker said in a memo to employees. He said the move was "puzzling" given American's ongoing fight with Qatar and other Middle Eastern airlines over government subsidies, which he vowed to keep pursuing.

Qatar Airways, however, said it sees a "strong investment opportunity" in American and plans to be only a passive investor with no role in management or operations.

Qatar said it plans to buy an initial stake of up to 4.75 percent of American's shares. American, the world's biggest airline, said that Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker told Parker that he wanted to acquire about 10 percent of American's stock in all, which would cost $2.4 billion at American's midday stock price.

The CEOs met earlier this month during an airline-industry event in Mexico, according to an American spokesman.

Federal law prohibits foreigners from owning 25 percent or more of the voting shares in a U.S. airline. American said Qatar Airways submitted a filing under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, which is subject to review by the Justice Department's antitrust division.

American Airlines said its policies require approval by its board before anyone can buy 4.75 percent or more of its shares. The company said Thursday that it had not yet received a formal request from Qatar Airways.

American's shares settled Thursday at $48.96, up 1 percent.

Al Baker is known for brash moves and declarations. His company has bought its way into other airlines, including the parent of British Airways, a close partner of American. Still, the timing of the announcement about American caught everyone off guard.

American, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are in a nasty dispute with the three major airlines operating out of the Middle East, which have cut into lucrative international routes for the U.S. and European carriers.

The U.S. airlines accuse Qatar, Emirates and Etihad Airways of receiving massive subsidies from the governments that own them, in violation of so-called open-skies aviation treaties. The U.S. carriers are trying to block the three Gulf airlines from expanding service to the U.S.

Parker said that Qatar's solicitation will not change American's stance on the issue.

"If anything, this development strengthens our resolve to ensure the U.S. government enforces its trade agreements regarding fair competition with Gulf carriers," he said in his memo to employees.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways also is getting squeezed in a dispute between its national government and neighboring countries led by Saudi Arabia, which accuse Qatar of supporting Islamic extremists. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain have barred Qatar Airways flights.

President Donald Trump has tweeted criticism of Qatar, despite the presence of a massive and strategic U.S. military base within its borders. This week, however, the State Department asked Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to detail their complaints about the small Persian Gulf monarchy and urged a speedy end to the diplomatic crisis.

A tie-up with American Airlines Group could help Qatar Airways - Qatar's most recognized global brand - gain influence with both Wall Street and decision-makers in Washington.

U.S. airlines and their labor unions were unable to get the Obama administration to accept their accusations that the Middle East airlines receive illegal subsidies. American and the others are now pressing their case with Trump.

American said its views on the so-called open-skies argument would not change even if Qatar Airways does become a major shareholder, but Qatar's Al Baker might believe differently.

"Part of this is an attempt to squelch American's voice as part of that fair and open skies group and to have American stop talking about the effect of the Middle East airlines," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry analyst.

American's unions, who fear job losses if Middle East carriers expand service to the U.S., reacted with apprehension to the news of Qatar's interest in their company. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, called it "asymmetric financial warfare."

"This is an adversary of ours, and suddenly it has come to the front door with cash that it got from its rich uncle, the country that runs them, and says, 'We're here to buy some property,' " Tajer said.

American said in a filing that Qatar's proposed investment wouldn't change its board makeup, governance, management or strategic direction. The airline declined a request to interview Parker.

American and Qatar are already members of the oneworld alliance of global airlines, which lets passengers earn and redeem points on each other's flights. Doha-based Qatar said it has long considered American to be a good partner "and looks forward to continuing this relationship."

Qatar has been on a global buying spree of late, mirroring a strategy followed by a Gulf rival, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways.
If any single person could stop the oil market's plunge, it would be 31-year-old Mohammad bin Salman.

The new Saudi crown prince, picked this week to succeed his father to the throne of a country that pumps one in every nine oil barrels consumed around the world, has pushed ambitious reforms aimed at unshackling the Saudi economy from fickle oil prices and furnishing new jobs and industries outside oil and government for a young and growing population, racing against time as the world's energy mix evolves.

At the center of the young reformer's plans is next year's $2 trillion public offering of a slice of Saudi Aramco, a bid to raise seed money for new technology and manufacturing industries that would diversify the kingdom's oil-dependent economy. But his agenda could flounder if oil remains cheaper than $50 a barrel.

"He wants to raise as much money as possible from listing Aramco," said Jim Krane, fellow for energy studies at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. "That's crucial for the future of the kingdom and the national transformation he's spearheading. He needs cash and high oil prices to do it."

That means it's more likely Saudi Arabia will keep the pressure on to drain the world's oil glut - and work to convince other oil-producing nations like Russia to join it - despite the market pessimism that has driven prices down 20 percent this year. The kingdom is aiming for $60-a-barrel oil, but prices have dropped under $45 a barrel in recent weeks.

If oil drops into the $30-a-barrel range, Saudi Arabia may lead an effort to make deeper oil production cuts, or once again try to extend the current agreement to keep 1.8 million barrels a day off the market beyond March 2018, ultimately clearing a path for oil companies in Houston to drill U.S. shale plays even faster, analysts said.

Salman's rise comes as shifting global power structures complicate the once-straightforward relationships and dynamics that drove the oil market. The kingdom is fighting a proxy war in Yemen and supports Syrian rebels amid tensions with Iran and Qatar. Salman's hawkish stance on defending Saudi Arabia could propel simmering conflicts in the region.

It has embraced Russia, its longtime rival for influence in the Middle East, even as Qatar has acquired a stake in Russia's state-run Rosneft. And crude exports from the U.S. have pushed further into international markets this year, even as Salman extends friendship to the Trump administration.

"The challenges facing the oil market are as high as they've ever been, and the geopolitics is more complex than it has ever been," said Amy Myers Jaffe, executive director of energy and sustainability at the University of California at Davis.

"Can he manage that on top of two wars and a very tense conflict with Qatar? It's an important time for all the players in Saudi Arabia to come up with a sophisticated strategy, and the question is whether his ascension will facilitate that or not."

Over the past year, Salman has consolidated power within the kingdom's oil industry, elevating a new energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, who believed cuts would help rebalance the oil market, and steered its oil market strategy away from the previous push to hoard market share. Salman has orchestrated pacts with Russia, OPEC and several other countries to stop pumping more oil than the world needs - all in support of his plans to shake up the Saudi economy.

That puts Salman in a difficult position. Knowing the kingdom is motivated to boost oil prices to ensure a successful IPO of Saudi Aramco, other OPEC producers can lean on Saudi Arabia to bear the brunt of the output cuts if it wants to extend or deepen the reductions, analysts said.

So far, it appears Salman has been willing to make that exchange. On Thursday, OPEC said its crop of oil-producing countries conformed to their quotas in record numbers in May, reducing supply more than they promised. Most of that output cut has come from Saudi Arabia.

At the beginning of last year, Salman signaled it wouldn't matter to him if oil prices plummeted. That has changed, analysts said, because Saudi national reforms - including efforts to boost labor-intensive industrial sectors to attract big financial institutions to Riyadh - are at stake.

"He thinks Saudi Arabia has to make up for lost time," said Matt Reed, vice president at Foreign Reports, a Washington consulting firm focused on Mideast oil politics. "To him, these reforms are all overdue by years or decades. There's an urgency about (Mohammed bin Salman) that you don't see elsewhere in the Gulf."
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President Donald Trump's foreign policy is endangering Houston's economy.

As the nation's leading exporting city, our region is particularly vulnerable to blowback from Trump's clumsy and boorish behavior on the world stage. Whether it's Mexico looking for new international suppliers or the leaders of Canada, Germany and France declaring Trump an unreliable ally, our president is alienating the customers for most of our goods.

Trump's International Trade Commission picked a fight with Canada last week by voting to continue an investigation into whether aircraft maker Bombardier's trade practices are hurting Boeing's sales. Trump has also proposed banning imports of Canadian softwood and questioned the national security implications of importing Canadian steel and aluminum.

Canada is our second-largest trading partner after China, with $544 billion in goods and services crossing the border in 2016. Texas accounted for $35 billion of that. Canada, along with Mexico, is part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump wants to begin renegotiating in August.

Trump's actions have shaken the confidence of our northern neighbor.

"International relationships that had seemed immutable for 70 years are being called into question," Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told Canada's House of Commons. "The fact that our friend and ally has come to question the very worth of its mantle of global leadership puts into sharper focus the need for the rest of us to set our own clear and sovereign course."

Freeland said Canada will support multilateral diplomacy and trade agreements, the very type of treaties that key Trump adviser Steve Bannon has sought to shatter. In the face of repeated insults and disrespect, Mexico is also seeking alternatives.

Mexico is the third-largest market for U.S. agricultural goods, buying $18 billion of our exports in 2016. But in the first four months of 2017, Mexican imports of U.S. soybean meal have dropped 15 percent, the first slide in four years, according to the Wall Street Journal. U.S. exports of chicken meat were down 11 percent, and corn was down 6 percent, according to Department of Agriculture data.

The decline is due to the Mexican government sponsoring trade missions to Latin America in search of new suppliers.

"We have to send a signal to policymakers in Washington and emphasize that we are not sitting still," Raul Urteaga Trani, head of international affairs for Mexico's Secretariat of Agriculture, told the Journal. Brazilian chicken sales to Mexico have surged to 52,800 metric tons last year from 387 metric tons in 2013, according to the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council.

That's bad news for Texas, where trade with Mexico brought in $174 billion in 2016. Even Texas conservatives are worried that Trump could hurt Texas' economy by ruining NAFTA.

"Texas needs to take the lead when it comes to NAFTA 2.0," U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a San Antonio Republican, told a conference last week at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. "It's a big issue, and it's a complicated issue, but it starts with us continuing to educate our fellow citizens, and me educating my colleagues."

America's largest trading partner, though, is the European Union, where leaders are even more doubtful about Trump. German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared the beginning of a new trans-Atlantic chapter after her meeting with him last month.

"The times in which we could completely depend on others are, to a certain extent, over," she said. "I've experienced that in the last few days. We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands."

Merkel was speaking at a campaign rally, and based on my conversations with German friends earlier this month, standing up to Trump is boosting her popularity. French President Emmanuel Macron's party won 60 percent of the seats in parliament last week after he mocked our president.

Macron has proposed responding to Trump's "America First" policy with a "Buy European Act," which would make it harder for U.S. companies to bid on EU public contracts. He also wants to restrict foreign companies from taking over EU firms deemed strategically important.

The Trump administration is learning that for every nationalist, protectionist step it takes, foreign leaders have a countermeasure ready. They will not be cowed. Diplomacy is based on courtesy and reciprocity, and without them, relations sour and trade withers.

Texas exported $236 billion in goods in 2016, much more than it imported. Exports supported more than 394,000 Houston jobs in 2016, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.

Keep those workers in mind the next time Trump is snubbing foreign leaders or blowing up international agreements, because they are the ones who will pay the price.
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NEW YORK - Coal company Murray Energy has sued HBO and its Sunday-night host, John Oliver, for what it says was a "false and malicious broadcast" last Sunday evening. It's seeking financial damages and a court order barring rebroadcasts of the segment's "defamatory statements."

Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" coal segment criticized the Trump administration's effort to revive the industry, saying coal jobs have dropped for decades and other energy alternatives are driving the industry's decline.
The main street in Sabinal, a former cow town 60 miles west of San Antonio, looks a lot like other small towns I've driven through in search of the next great barbecue joint. It's mostly deserted, with boarded-up storefronts and the usual collection of barebones services for remaining residents - post office, bank, convenience/liquor store, Family Dollar.

I notice that a few antiques stores have opened recently, perhaps signaling a reinvention as a weekend getaway for big-city professionals, and stop by "R" Bar-B-Que, Sabinal's main barbecue joint. It's a no-frills affair with decidedly average food at a reasonable price.

As I make my way back to San Antonio, I veer off onto County Road 301 and stop in front of a hardscrabble plot of land notable only for a barren slab of concrete among rock-hard dirt and bristly shrubs. This is what's left of the "old home place" where my family lived and raised cattle starting in the early 1900s.

By the time I was born in the 1960s, my grandparents had migrated to a comfortable house in the Alamo Heights area of San Antonio. I only heard stories about the old home place - the winter ice storms that tested the mettle of even the toughest Texas cattle (and cattlemen) and summers spent cooling off in the shaded waters of a bend in the Sabinal River known as the "Ice Cream Hole."

More Information Heavy's Outdoor Bar-B-Que 1301 19th, in Hondo 830-426-4445 See More Collapse

This migration from rural to urban areas is undoubtedly the defining demographic shift in the U.S. in the past 100 years. For every small town like Round Top that has reinvented itself as a destination for antiques stores, bed-and-breakfasts and throwback cafes, there are a dozen others that are clearly struggling to hold on to those residents - especially young people - that remain.

The shift from rural to urban culture weaves into Texas barbecue, too. In the past few decades, the nostalgic image of the roadside barbecue stand serving the farmers and ranchers of a rural community has slowly diminished. Taking its place: "craft" barbecue joints serving expensive, hand-crafted smoked meats to hungry and affluent urban professionals.

In its 2017 list of the top 50 barbecue joints in the state, Texas Monthly magazine notes that 17 are in large urban areas, up from seven in its inaugural 1997 list. If you include the suburbs of large cities, I'd suggest more than half of them are in urban areas.

Recently, though, the pendulum is starting to swing back to rural environs. In 2015, Zimmerhanzel's Bar-B-Que in Smithville, a classic roadhouse and favorite among barbecue day-trippers, closed suddenly. After a public outcry from locals, it reopened a year later.

In Wharton, beloved Hinze's tragically burned down in 2014. This often is the death knell for a rural barbecue joint - but with encouragement from the community, the Hinze family reopened a short time later at a new location in Wharton proper.

Some small towns, especially in the Hill Country, are realizing that barbecue is now as much of a draw to tourists as antiques and bed-and-breakfasts. Hondo, which is just east of Sabinal, is slowly reinventing itself as a bedroom community of San Antonio while retaining its rural roots. McBee's Barbecue was the go-to joint in this farming and ranching center before closing in 2008. In its place, Heavy's Outdoor Bar-B-Que moved in, and pitmaster Darren "Heavy" Bernal makes some of the best barbecue west of San Antonio.

The prosperity that is slowly moving westward from San Antonio hasn't quite reached Sabinal. The antiques stores that are now open are a good sign, though. I suspect a bed-and-breakfast (or two) may open soon. A top-notch barbecue joint may not be far behind.

"Old Home Place Barbecue" has a nice ring to it.
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With a sly half-smile, Collin Quinlan daintily picks up a pink frilly dress for his wife's approval.

"What about this?"

The corner of his mouth is twitching up, but he's not giving anything away as he surveys the table of pastel finery in front of him.

"Get that on my body right now!" Stevie Quinlan squeals in delight, reaching out to admire the oversize bows on the name-brand steal.

"I already bought it," Collin tells her with a giant grin.

Stevie rewards his grin with broad smile of her own.

When the Quinlans met at an Atlanta ice rink in 2013, they bonded through a mutual fascination with an over-the-top Japanese style known as Lolita - which has been described as something akin to "Alice in Wonderland" meets "The Addams Family."

Four years later, that fancy, frilly fashion is still the language of love for the Houston couple.

While Collin enjoys helping plan outfits - known as "coordinates" or "coords" in the Lolita world - Stevie spends upward of 20 hours per week moderating and overseeing events in the local Lolita community.

Greater Houston boasts roughly 500 active Lolitas, by the Quinlans' estimation. But not all of them wear their coords every day to work; it's just the "lifestylers" who do that.

"It's an incredibly diverse community - it's fashion that anyone can get into," Stevie said. "I feel like it's still growing in popularity."

The look is a mash-up of Victorian frills and bright Japanese fashion sensibilities mixed together for an ornate "Alice in Wonderland"-like vibe.

It's an exacting style, requiring exquisitely matched petticoats, legwear, headwear and an elaborate "main piece," or dress. Each outfit has a theme, and some can take months to put together.

The Quinlans have a whole room dedicated to storing their boxes, bags and dressers of Lolita finery. Between them they have more than 100 wigs.

"My closet is worth more than my car," Stevie said.

Sometimes when the Quinlans banter back and forth about their best coords, it's hard to tell if they're speaking a foreign language or Lolita slang - surfing through common vernacular such as "OP" (a one-piece dress) or "JSK" (jumper skirt).

Despite the unwanted literary connotations of the name, Lolita is not a fetish and doesn't bear any relation to the notorious Vladimir Nabokov text.

"It's a lost-in-translation sort of thing," Stevie said of the "Lolita" term. "To people in Japan, it's just a cute name for a girl. It's only in Western society that people attribute it to the book."

Stevie, now 29, got into Lolita through a love of anime, or Japanese animation, which is a fairly common entry to the Japanese fashion scene.

For instance, Amye Cortiaus, a 21-year-old staple of the Houston-area Lolita community, discovered the fantastical fashion world after her father introduced her to anime.

"Many children have dreams of becoming princesses and princes when they are older, and Lolita fashion gives us the ability to fulfill those dreams as adults," Cortiaus said.

It was also a way to bond with her family, especially after her younger sister Emma, now 17, followed in her footsteps toward anime and cosplay culture.

Although it requires a similarly precise attention to detail, Lolita is not a type of cosplay - and calling a coord a "costume" will elicit gasps of horror from certain hardcore Lolita fashionistas. But for many in the local community, cosplay - like anime - is an overlapping interest.

The Quinlans spend most of their fashion time in the realm of Lolita, but cosplay is an important second love. "We got engaged in cosplay," Collin said.

In 2014, they'd already moved from Atlanta to Houston but decided to hop a flight back east for Anime Weekend Atlanta. Collin planned the wardrobe, fashioned after Stevie's favorite anime series, "Slayers." She played Lina Inverse; he played her longtime love interest, Gourry Gabriev.

"We were doing a photo shoot, and all of a sudden he's like, 'Stevie, I've got something to tell you.' "

He whipped out a custom-made heart-shaped pink sapphire ring - designed to match her favorite coords - and got down on one knee.

"I was like, 'What are you doing? You're going to make me cry, and I'm going to ruin my makeup!' "

Although Collin played a male character in their adorable engagement shoot, that hasn't always been his role. A former runway model, the New Jersey native started out his Lolita life in frilly dresses. Later he switched almost exclusively to "boy style," or ouji. And then he came out as transgender and started identifying as a man. About a year ago, he started on testosterone.

"By the time we moved to Texas, I was going by male pronouns so everyone I've met here, they only knew me as a man. And it's funny because one time I put on a dress for a party, and people were like, 'What the hell, Collin?' "

Though the community has offered support, the Quinlans have strived to be part of the backbone - or whalebone corset - for the local Lolita scene.

"As much as the community can be accepting, we want to be good enough for the community," Collin said. "We want all the events we host to be good."

"No, perfect," Stevie cut in. "We want them to be perfect."

There are regular Lolita meet-ups, including berry-picking gatherings, tea parties and swap meets like the one where Collin scored Stevie her pink Angelic Pretty-brand dress.

"I just enjoy promoting my community and getting them out there," Stevie said. "I want the world to be like, 'Oh that Houston community, they're doing such great stuff.' "

Of course, outside conventions and meet-ups, appearing publicly in Lolita fashion can be a fraught endeavor.

"We get harassed by all sorts of people - young teenagers, older men sometimes make inappropriate comments, sometimes even older women," Stevie said. "Sometimes when you're dressed so weird, people don't treat you like a person anymore."

But the hassle is well worth it, and the Lolita world has indelibly shaped the course of their lives.

"It's just a part of who I am," Collin said. But it's also a part of who they are as a couple: the Quinlans. Lolita. Frills, fashion, love.

And just as some people grow out of relationships, some fashionistas age out of Lolita. But the Quinlans don't see that in the readings of their future.

"It gives me a kind of purpose," Stevie said. "I'm going to wear this 'til the day I die."
The headlines kept coming in, like wildfire. "Deadly shooting at Orlando night club," "49 killed and 53 injured."

I woke up the morning after Pulse trying to make sense of what happened. I couldn't believe that this was the world we lived in.It was supposed to be a safe space and fun evening for black and brown queer people. What happened at Pulse would change everything I knew.

The worst U.S. mass shooting was, in fact, a hate crime, and I still can't wrap my mind around that a year later.

So what did I do?

I came out.

COMING OUT is supposed to be this rite of passage for LGBTQ+ people; sometimes it can turn out beautifully, and other times it can become a nightmare  the fear of that keeps people in the closet, unfortunately.

You could say my "I'm not totally straight" moment happened at Houston's Pride Parade in 2015, the year gay marriage was legalized nationwide.

That was the first Pride I attended, and the mood in the air was triumphant. The parade was held just days after the Supreme Court ruling, and being surrounded by so much love and support from complete strangers made me realize that I could be this loving, supportive, happy and empathetic person and still be out  who knew, right?

Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle

One night later that summer, my mom came to Houston for the weekend. We were both staying in the spare bedroom at my aunt's house. Earlier that day, I made plans with someone I met on Tinder, the dating app. I was excited about it; I couldn't stop thinking about what I would wear, what I wanted to talk about, how I wanted to do my makeup  and I wanted to share this with my mom.

But the daunting thought of her rejection kept circling my mind. My mom was having a conversation with me about her bus ride into Houston, but I was too busy thinking about whether I was prepared to pack my overnight bag.

So I casually mentioned I was going on a date that night with a girl. She shrugged and said, "You've always been a weird child, anyway!"

Well, that could have gone way worse.

But even with the support of my immediate family and select friends, I still kept myself in the closet. I was at a point of finding myself while also feeling that I wasn't queer enough to come out to the world.

WHEN I marched in Pride 2016, days after the Pulse shooting, things changed. Looking at the crowd, watching those strangers out and proud even after this horrific event, made me realize that even the worst U.S. mass shooting in history couldn't stop these people from celebrating their unapologetic selves.

It was at that parade that I realized I needed to make my voice count. There are so many Latinx people who have no choice but staying in the closet for one reason or another.

And, while I'm aware I can't speak for an entire population, representation matters. So I came home that night, wrote one "coming out" Facebook post, and the rest is history.

Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle

But some of those Pulse victims were not given the same privilege to come out on their own terms. Some were forced out of the closet as a result of the shooting. In one instance, a father wouldn't claim his son's body because he found out he was gay  the sister did come forward and claim him, thankfully.

Stories like these are painful reminders that homophobia still runs deep in Latinx communities. They help us understand how that kind of hate can radicalize people like Omar Mateen. They're why we need to keep talking about this hate crime and stop using the blanket term "act of terrorism."

They remind us that to date in 2017, nine black trans women have been murdered.

And they tell us we still have a lot of work to do: Violence against queer and trans people of color did not end when gay marriage became legal.

I was lucky to be surrounded by so many loved ones at the anniversary of Pulse held last week at the Montrose Center. I ran into people I don't get to see often, and that told me how deeply this affected our community. An onlooker would have seen different walks of life in one place. But I saw a community that was glued together because of this event. Even almost 1,000 miles away, we were Orlando united.

During the vigil, the victims' names were called out one by one.

"Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old."

"Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old."

"Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old."

With each name came a bigger blow to my heart. I think about Pulse constantly, and it'll impact me the rest of my life.

Steve Gonzales

But we can't show up once a year for change to happen. We need to make sure we're doing everything we can to prevent another Pulse from happening: Stepping in when we see an injustice, becoming politically active, voting and normalizing our voices in spaces if we feel we can be out. We have to hold ourselves and each other accountable.

Before you go out to Pride tomorrow, don't forget it all started by trans women of color, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. Don't forget about Chay Reed, Alphonza Watson and the other black trans women who have been murdered this year. And don't forget about Amanda Alvear, Mercedez M. Flores, Christopher J. Sanfeliz and the other 46 victims who won't be able to celebrate with us.

Bianca Gomez is the communications associate at Families Empowered. She lives in Houston with her dog, Levi.





Bookmark Gray Matters. It can't stop thinking about what it would wear, what it wanted to talk about, how it wants to do its makeup.
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Remember that 60,000-square-foot mansion in Manvel, near Pearland?

Construction started in 2001, according to property records, and the unfinished space could have held up to 55 bedrooms and at least 30 bathrooms. It was listed for $3.6 million at one point, but it never sold.

Earlier this year, the owner agreed to partner with a U.S. Navy veteran who wanted to turn the mansion into a residential facility for at-risk military veterans.

"I want to reach them before they have to lose everything and become a homeless vet," said the eight-year Navy veteran, Christa Mode, 40. "I want to reach them before they ever consider suicide as an option."

BACKGROUND: In April, Mode described her dream for a residential facility for veterans

The U.S. Defense Department closely tracks suicides by active and former servicemembers, and it has started many nationwide programs aimed at preventing such deaths. The department counted more than 475 suicides in 2015 just among active-duty and reserve servicemembers. While veterans made up 8.5 percent of all U.S. adults, they accounted for 18 percent of adult suicides.

Mode moved to Texas this January and laid plans for The Bailey House, named after the WWII veteran in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," which Mode encourages people to watch from a suicide-prevention perspective.

That dream ran into a roadblock last month when the city of Manvel declined to grant the necessary zoning permits.

HOME NEWS: Home of late Houston fashion icon hits the market for $4.75 million

"I really did want to build something beautiful there ... but it's OK," Mode told the Chronicle this week.

Mode and the property owner, Houston real estate investor Jim Youngblood, figured out a Plan B. Youngblood will vacate his current office building near the Texas Medical Center at 4702 Old Spanish Trail. He'll move his offices to the Manvel mansion, at 2354 County Road 59, and open retail space there as well.

Mode said she will open a drop-in peer-support facility at the Old Spanish Trail building. Youngblood said the location is better-suited to the purpose - it's just down the road from the Veterans Affairs hospital complex and accessible by bus routes.

"I will have living space available, but for the most part it's going to be peer-to-peer mentorship," Mode said. She wants to offer a variety of programs - some Christian , some non-religious, some aimed at survivors of sexual trauma.

"Rape happens in the military more than anybody cares to admit," she added.

Mode said she was inspired to support other veterans partly because of her own experience serving as a Navy Seabee equipment operator in both Iraq and Afghanistan, working in convoys targeted by roadside bombs, also known as improvised explosive devices.

"I had a few bad days, and they haunt me," she said. "I experienced IEDs. I had the unfortunate experience of watching a very young Marine die right in front of me."

After leaving the military in December 2014, Mode said she found a new purpose after going through the faith-based Branches of Valor program. Now she wants to use her experience to help other veterans.

She recently founded a non-profit, the Bailey Organization, and organizes volunteers and interested parties through a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pg/TheBaileyHouseVetFacility.

Youngblood said he hopes to move his offices into the Manvel mansion early next year, after six to nine months of work on the still-unfinished building. He also hopes to attract other businesses or retail stores to occupy part of the massive house. Then, the 7,700-square-foot building on Old Spanish Trail would be ready for The Bailey House.
A memorial service has been scheduled for June 28 in Killeen for a former commander of Fort Hood who died Wednesday, Army officials said.

Retired Gen. Robert M. Shoemaker was 93.

"We join the entire Central Texas community and our Army in mourning the loss of a great general, dynamic leader, philanthropist and friend," said Lt. Gen. Paul Funk, the current Fort Hood commander.

Shoemaker, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point shortly after World War II, assumed command of Fort Hood and III Corps in March 1975.

He commanded the post for two years until he was named the deputy commander of U.S. Army Forces Command. A year later, Shoemaker was awarded his fourth star and named commander.

Shoemaker retired from the Army in 1982 and returned to the Fort Hood where he remained active in local affairs. He is survived by Tuke, his wife of nearly seventy years, Army officials said.

The memorial service will be held at the Killeen Civic and Convention Center. He will be buried will full military honors at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.
WASHINGTON - The text of the Senate's 142-page Obamacare repeal bill had been public for just a few hours Thursday when the nation's most influential private citizen weighed in - Barack Obama.

The plan is "not a health care bill," Obama declared in a 939-word message to his nearly 53 million followers on Facebook. "It's a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America."

The 44th president did not mention his successor, Donald Trump, but his scathing criticism and urgent tone - imploring his supporters to speak out against the "fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation" - set up a direct public fight with the current White House occupant over the future of the nation's health care system.

READ ALSO: Senate Obamacare replacement gets mixed reviews from Texas policy makers

"I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill," Trump wrote in a tweet a short while later. "Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead."

The high-stakes confrontation is virtually unprecedented in modern times between a former and current president, and it runs counter to Obama's own professed interest in receding from the limelight. Just days before departing the White House, he joked that he looked forward to not hearing himself "talk so darn much."

Beyond his self-deprecation, Obama explained that he wanted to afford respect to Trump to pursue his own agenda, citing the precedent set by George W. Bush's infrequent public statements after Obama took office in 2009. Instead, since Trump's inauguration, Obama has made clear that he does not intend to stay on the sidelines as Trump, with help from Republican lawmakers, seeks to dismantle his legacy.

READ ALSO: How the Senate health bill compares to House, 'Obamacare'

Obama spoke out in January after Trump implemented a travel ban on citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations, declaring that "American values are at stake" and that he was "heartened" by protests across the country. This month, Obama criticized Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord that his administration signed in 2015, ruing "an absence of American leadership."

But it is on health care that Obama has perhaps the most to lose and, with his lengthy Facebook statement, has signaled his intention to have the most political influence. Though he opened his message with an attempt to elevate the debate - emphasizing the need to listen to those with opposing points of view - he quickly framed Republican motivations as purely partisan.

"I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party," Obama wrote, suggesting that the GOP is acting simply to undo "something that Democrats did." His mention of "meanness" in the Senate bill was a swipe at Trump having called the House version of the repeal legislation "mean" during a private meeting with Republican senators last week.

READ ALSO: House GOP narrowly passes repeal of Obamacare

The fight over the Affordable Care Act, the former president's biggest legislative victory, has sharply divided the two major political parties from the start. The bill was approved by Congress without a single Republican vote, after which the GOP successfully used it as a campaign issue against Democrats in the 2010 midterms that led to Republicans taking control of the House.

Now the tables have turned as Republicans attempt to make good on their years-long pledge to overturn the law. House Republicans needed two attempts before they successfully crafted and approved their own repeal bill without bipartisan support.

In recent weeks, Trump has lambasted Democrats as standing in the way.

At a campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Trump declared that "Obamacare is a disaster" and added that "if we went and got the single greatest health care plan in the history of the world, we would not get one Democrat vote because they're obstructionists."

Democrats defended Obama's decision to wade into the political fight by accusing Trump of leveling personal attacks against him on a regular basis. In March, Trump, with no evidence, erroneously accused Obama of ordering a wiretap on Trump Tower in New York - an Obama spokesman called the accusation "simply false."

And this week, Trump indirectly criticized Obama for not doing more to secure the release of American college student Otto Warmbier, who died in Cincinnati days after returning home after being detained 17 months in North Korea.

"Donald Trump has invited Barack Obama into the arena," said Simon Rosenberg, founder of NDN, a liberal think tank. "No president has trashed a former president more than Trump has trashed Obama - personally and in terms of his legacy. It's been direct, persistent and out of bounds."

Obama is "obligated" to weigh in, Rosenberg said. "I don't think he wanted to play a major role or to get intimately involved. But it's become very personal. There comes a point where you can't stand aside."

Obama's public influence remains undeniable. Within three hours, his Facebook message had garnered more than 300,000 "likes" and 97,000 shares.

At the same time, his prominence in the debate highlights a dilemma for Democrats who are undergoing a painful search for a galvanizing agenda and new party leader in the wake of Hillary Clinton's loss to Trump last November.

After Democrat Jon Ossoff's loss in the Georgia special election for a vacant House seat this week, Republicans, including Trump, gloated that they hoped House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., would remain in their jobs, citing their unpopularity with some moderate voters.

"I certainly hope the Democrats do not force Nancy P out," Trump wrote in a tweet. "That would be very bad for the Republican Party - and please let Cryin' Chuck stay!"

The bad news for Trump is that his own job approval ratings have plunged below 40 percent in some recent polls in the wake of his struggles to move forward with his agenda and an ongoing FBI investigation into his campaign's contact with Russian operatives.

By comparison, Obama's approval ratings this month stood at 63 percent, according to Gallup. For that matter, George W. Bush, who left office with just 35 percent of the public supporting him, was at 59 percent approval in the same Gallup survey.

"My guess is that part of the urgency of him weighing in is that a vote is happening within a week," Rosenberg said of Obama. "Trump and the Republicans are drawing him in and it's to their own detriment in doing so. He's still arguably the most popular and potent political force in either party and he can have a big impact."
WASHINGTON - Early last August, an envelope with extraordinary handling restrictions arrived at the White House. Sent by courier from the CIA, it carried "eyes only" instructions that its contents be shown to just four people: President Barack Obama and three senior aides.

Inside was an intelligence bombshell, a report drawn from sourcing deep inside the Russian government that detailed Russian President Vladimir Putin's direct involvement in a cyber campaign to disrupt and discredit the U.S. presidential race.

But it went further. The intelligence captured Putin's specific instructions on the operation's audacious objectives - defeat or at least damage the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, and help elect her opponent, Donald Trump.

At that point, the outlines of the Russian assault on the U.S. election were increasingly apparent. Hackers with ties to Russian intelligence services had been rummaging through Democratic Party computer networks, as well as some Republican systems, for more than a year. In July, the FBI had opened an investigation of contacts between Russian officials and Trump associates. And on July 22, nearly 20,000 emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee were dumped online by WikiLeaks.

But at the highest levels of government, among those responsible for managing the crisis, the first moment of true foreboding about Russia's intentions arrived with that CIA intelligence.

The material was so sensitive that CIA Director John Brennan kept it out of the President's Daily Brief, concerned that even that restricted report's distribution was too broad. The CIA package came with instructions that it be returned immediately after it was read. To guard against leaks, subsequent meetings in the Situation Room followed the same protocols as planning sessions for the Osama bin Laden raid.

It took time for other parts of the intelligence community to endorse the CIA's view. Only in the administration's final weeks in office did it tell the public, in a declassified report, what officials had learned from Brennan in August - that Putin was working to elect Trump.

Over that five-month interval, the Obama administration secretly debated dozens of options for deterring or punishing Russia, including cyberattacks on Russian infrastructure, the release of CIA-gathered material that might embarrass Putin and sanctions that officials said could "crater" the Russian economy.

But in the end, in late December, Obama approved a modest package combining measures that had been drawn up to punish Russia for other issues - expulsions of 35 diplomats and the closure of two Russian compounds - with economic sanctions so narrowly targeted that even those who helped design them describe their impact as largely symbolic.

Obama also approved a previously undisclosed covert measure that authorized planting cyber weapons in Russia's infrastructure, the digital equivalent of bombs that could be detonated if the United States found itself in an escalating exchange with Moscow. The project, which Obama approved in a covert-action finding, was still in its planning stages when Obama left office. It would be up to President Trump to decide whether to use the capability.

In political terms, Russia's interference was the crime of the century, an unprecedented and largely successful destabilizing attack on American democracy. It was a case that took almost no time to solve, traced to the Kremlin through cyber-forensics and intelligence on Putin's involvement. And yet, because of the divergent ways Obama and Trump have handled the matter, Moscow appears unlikely to face proportionate consequences.

Those closest to Obama defend the administration's response to Russia's meddling. They note that by August it was too late to prevent the transfer to WikiLeaks and other groups of the troves of emails that would spill out in the ensuing months. They believe that a series of warnings - including one that Obama delivered to Putin in September - prompted Moscow to abandon any plans of further aggression, such as sabotage of U.S. voting systems.

Denis McDonough, who served as Obama's chief of staff, said that the administration regarded Russia's interference as an attack on the "heart of our system."

"We set out from a first-order principle that required us to defend the integrity of the vote," McDonough said in an interview. "Importantly, we did that. It's also important to establish what happened and what they attempted to do so as to ensure that we take the steps necessary to stop it from happening again."

But other administration officials look back on the Russia period with remorse.

"It is the hardest thing about my entire time in government to defend," said a former senior Obama administration official involved in White House deliberations on Russia. "I feel like we sort of choked."

The post-election period has been dominated by the overlapping investigations into whether Trump associates colluded with Russia before the election and whether the president sought to obstruct the FBI probe afterward. That spectacle has obscured the magnitude of Moscow's attempt to hijack a precious and now vulnerable-seeming American democratic process.

Beset by allegations of hidden ties between his campaign and Russia, Trump has shown no inclination to revisit the matter and has denied any collusion or obstruction on his part. As a result, the expulsions and modest sanctions announced by Obama on Dec. 29 continue to stand as the United States' most forceful response.

"The punishment did not fit the crime," said Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia for the Obama administration from 2012 to 2014. "Russia violated our sovereignty, meddling in one of our most sacred acts as a democracy - electing our president. The Kremlin should have paid a much higher price for that attack. And U.S. policymakers now - both in the White House and Congress - should consider new actions to deter future Russian interventions."

The Senate this month passed a bill that would impose additional election- and Ukraine-related sanctions on Moscow and limit Trump's ability to lift them. The measure requires House approval, however, and Trump's signature.

This account of the Obama administration's response to Russia's interference is based on interviews with more than three dozen current and former U.S. officials in senior positions in government, including at the White House, the State, Defense and Homeland Security departments, and U.S. intelligence services. Most agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

The White House, the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

- - -

The CIA breakthrough came at a stage of the presidential campaign when Trump had secured the GOP nomination but was still regarded as a distant long shot. Clinton held comfortable leads in major polls, and Obama expected that he would be transferring power to someone who had served in his Cabinet.

The intelligence on Putin was extraordinary on multiple levels, including as a feat of espionage.

For spy agencies, gaining insights into the intentions of foreign leaders is among the highest priorities. But Putin is a remarkably elusive target. A former KGB officer, he takes extreme precautions to guard against surveillance, rarely communicating by phone or computer, always running sensitive state business from deep within the confines of the Kremlin.

The Washington Post is withholding some details of the intelligence at the request of the U.S. government.

The White House/Getty Images

In early August, Brennan alerted senior White House officials to the Putin intelligence, making a call to deputy national security adviser Avril Haines and pulling national security adviser Susan E. Rice aside after a meeting before briefing Obama along with Rice, Haines and McDonough in the Oval Office.

Officials described the president's reaction as grave. Obama "was deeply concerned and wanted as much information as fast as possible," a former official said. "He wanted the entire intelligence community all over this."

Concerns about Russian interference had gathered throughout the summer.

Russia experts had begun to see a troubling pattern of propaganda in which fictitious news stories, assumed to be generated by Moscow, proliferated across social-media platforms.

Officials at the State Department and FBI became alarmed by an unusual spike in requests from Russia for temporary visas for officials with technical skills seeking permission to enter the United States for short-term assignments at Russian facilities. At the FBI's behest, the State Department delayed approving the visas until after the election.

Meanwhile, the FBI was tracking a flurry of hacking activity against U.S. political parties, think tanks and other targets. Russia had gained entry to DNC systems in the summer of 2015 and spring of 2016, but the breaches did not become public until they were disclosed in a June 2016 report by The Post.

Even after the late-July WikiLeaks dump, which came on the eve of the Democratic convention and led to the resignation of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., as the DNC's chairwoman, U.S. intelligence officials continued to express uncertainty about who was behind the hacks or why they were carried out.

At a public security conference in Aspen, Colo., in late July, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper noted that Russia had a long history of meddling in American elections but that U.S. spy agencies were not ready to "make the call on attribution" for what was happening in 2016.

"We don't know enough . . . to ascribe motivation," Clapper said. "Was this just to stir up trouble or was this ultimately to try to influence an election?"

The August intelligence on Putin obtained by the CIA seemed to fill some of those critical gaps.

Brennan convened a secret task force at CIA headquarters composed of several dozen analysts and officers from the CIA, the NSA and the FBI.

The unit functioned as a sealed compartment, its work hidden from the rest of the intelligence community. Those brought in signed new non-disclosure agreements to be granted access to intelligence from all three participating agencies.

They worked exclusively for two groups of "customers," officials said. The first was Obama and fewer than 14 senior officials in government. The second was a team of operations specialists at the CIA, NSA and FBI who took direction from the task force on where to aim their subsequent efforts to collect more intelligence on Russia.

- - -

The secrecy extended into the White House.

Rice, Haines and White House homeland-security adviser Lisa Monaco convened meetings in the Situation Room to weigh the mounting evidence of Russian interference and generate options for how to respond. At first, only four senior security officials were allowed to attend: Brennan, Clapper, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey. Aides ordinarily allowed entry as "plus-ones" were barred.

Gradually, the circle widened to include Vice President Joe Biden and others. Agendas sent to Cabinet secretaries - including John Kerry at the State Department and Ashton Carter at the Pentagon - arrived in envelopes that subordinates were not supposed to open. Sometimes the agendas were withheld until participants had taken their seats in the Situation Room.

Throughout his presidency, Obama's approach to national security challenges was deliberate and cautious. He came into office seeking to end wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was loath to act without support from allies overseas and firm political footing at home. He was drawn only reluctantly into foreign crises, such as the civil war in Syria, that presented no clear exit for the United States.

Obama's approach often seemed reducible to a single imperative: Don't make things worse. As brazen as the Russian attacks on the election seemed, Obama and his top advisers feared that things could get far worse.

The White House/Getty Images

They were concerned that any pre-election response could provoke an escalation from Putin. Moscow's meddling to that point was seen as deeply concerning but unlikely to materially affect the outcome of the election. Far more worrisome to the Obama team was the prospect of a cyber-assault on voting systems before and on Election Day.

They also worried that any action they took would be perceived as political interference in an already volatile campaign. By August, Trump was predicting that the election would be rigged. Obama officials feared providing fuel to such claims, playing into Russia's efforts to discredit the outcome and potentially contaminating the expected Clinton triumph.

Before departing for an August vacation to Martha's Vineyard, Obama instructed aides to pursue ways to deter Moscow and proceed along three main paths: Get a high-confidence assessment from U.S. intelligence agencies on Russia's role and intent; shore up any vulnerabilities in state-run election systems; and seek bipartisan support from congressional leaders for a statement condemning Moscow and urging states to accept federal help.

The administration encountered obstacles at every turn.

Despite the intelligence the CIA had produced, other agencies were slower to endorse a conclusion that Putin was personally directing the operation and wanted to help Trump. "It was definitely compelling, but it was not definitive," said one senior administration official. "We needed more."

Some of the most critical technical intelligence on Russia came from another country, officials said. Because of the source of the material, the NSA was reluctant to view it with high confidence.

Brennan moved swiftly to schedule private briefings with congressional leaders. But getting appointments with certain Republicans proved difficult, officials said, and it was not until after Labor Day that Brennan had reached all members of the "Gang of Eight" - the majority and minority leaders of both houses and the chairmen and ranking Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees.

Jeh Johnson, the homeland-security secretary, was responsible for finding out whether the government could quickly shore up the security of the nation's archaic patchwork of voting systems. He floated the idea of designating state mechanisms "critical infrastructure," a label that would have entitled states to receive priority in federal cybersecurity assistance, putting them on a par with U.S. defense contractors and financial networks.

On Aug. 15, Johnson arranged a conference call with dozens of state officials, hoping to enlist their support. He ran into a wall of resistance.

The reaction "ranged from neutral to negative," Johnson said in congressional testimony Wednesday.

Brian Kemp, the Republican secretary of state of Georgia, used the call to denounce Johnson's proposal as an assault on state rights. "I think it was a politically calculated move by the previous administration," Kemp said in a recent interview, adding that he remains unconvinced that Russia waged a campaign to disrupt the 2016 race. "I don't necessarily believe that," he said.

Stung by the reaction, the White House turned to Congress for help, hoping that a bipartisan appeal to states would be more effective.

In early September, Johnson, Comey and Monaco arrived on Capitol Hill in a caravan of black SUVs for a meeting with 12 key members of Congress, including the leadership of both parties.

The meeting devolved into a partisan squabble.

"The Dems were, 'Hey, we have to tell the public,' " recalled one participant. But Republicans resisted, arguing that to warn the public that the election was under attack would further Russia's aim of sapping confidence in the system.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., went further, officials said, voicing skepticism that the underlying intelligence truly supported the White House's claims. Through a spokeswoman, McConnell declined to comment, citing the secrecy of that meeting.

Key Democrats were stunned by the GOP response and exasperated that the White House seemed willing to let Republican opposition block any pre-election move.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

On Sept. 22, two California Democrats - Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam Schiff - did what they couldn't get the White House to do. They issued a statement making clear that they had learned from intelligence briefings that Russia was directing a campaign to undermine the election, but they stopped short of saying to what end.

A week later, McConnell and other congressional leaders issued a cautious statement that encouraged state election officials to ensure their networks were "secure from attack." The release made no mention of Russia and emphasized that the lawmakers "would oppose any effort by the federal government" to encroach on the states' authorities.

When U.S. spy agencies reached unanimous agreement in late September that the interference was a Russian operation directed by Putin, Obama directed spy chiefs to prepare a public statement summarizing the intelligence in broad strokes.

With Obama still determined to avoid any appearance of politics, the statement would not carry his signature.

On Oct. 7, the administration offered its first public comment on Russia's "active measures," in a three-paragraph statement issued by Johnson and Clapper. Comey had initially agreed to attach his name, as well, officials said, but changed his mind at the last minute, saying that it was too close to the election for the bureau to be involved.

"The U.S. intelligence community is confident that the Russian government directed the recent compromises of emails from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. political organizations," the statement said. "We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities."

Early drafts accused Putin by name, but the reference was removed out of concern that it might endanger intelligence sources and methods.

The statement was issued around 3:30 p.m., timed for maximum media coverage. Instead, it was quickly drowned out. At 4 p.m., The Post published a story about crude comments Trump had made about women that were captured on an "Access Hollywood" tape. Half an hour later, WikiLeaks published its first batch of emails stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

To some, Obama's determination to avoid politicizing the Russia issue had the opposite effect: It meant that he allowed politics to shape his administration's response to what some believed should have been treated purely as a national security threat.

Schiff said that the administration's justifications for inaction often left him with a sense of "cognitive dissonance."

"The administration doesn't need congressional support to issue a statement of attribution or impose sanctions," Schiff said in a recent interview. He said many groups inadvertently abetted Russia's campaign, including Republicans who refused to confront Moscow and media organizations that eagerly mined the troves of hacked emails.

"Where Democrats need to take responsibility," Schiff said, "is that we failed to persuade the country why they should care that a foreign power is meddling in our affairs."

The Situation Room is actually a complex of secure spaces in the basement level of the West Wing. A video feed from the main room courses through some National Security Council offices, allowing senior aides sitting at their desks to see - but not hear - when meetings are underway.

As the Russia-related sessions with Cabinet members began in August, the video feed was shut off. The last time that had happened on a sustained basis, officials said, was in the spring of 2011 during the run-up to the U.S. Special Operations raid on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

The blacked-out screens were seen as an ominous sign among lower-level White House officials who were largely kept in the dark about the Russia deliberations even as they were tasked with generating options for retaliation against Moscow.

Much of that work was led by the Cyber Response Group, an NSC unit with representatives from the CIA, NSA, State Department and Pentagon.

The early options they discussed were ambitious. They looked at sectorwide economic sanctions and cyberattacks that would take Russian networks temporarily offline. One official informally suggested - though never formally proposed - moving a U.S. naval carrier group into the Baltic Sea as a symbol of resolve.

What those lower-level officials did not know was that the principals and their deputies had by late September all but ruled out any pre-election retaliation against Moscow. They feared that any action would be seen as political and that Putin, motivated by a seething resentment of Clinton, was prepared to go beyond fake news and email dumps.

The FBI had detected suspected Russian attempts to penetrate election systems in 21 states, and at least one senior White House official assumed that Moscow would try all 50, officials said. Some officials believed the attempts were meant to be detected to unnerve the Americans. The patchwork nature of the United States' 3,000 or so voting jurisdictions would make it hard for Russia to swing the outcome, but Moscow could still sow chaos.

"We turned to other scenarios" the Russians might attempt, said Michael Daniel, who was cybersecurity coordinator at the White House, "such as disrupting the voter rolls, deleting every 10th voter [from registries] or flipping two digits in everybody's address."

The White House also worried that they had not yet seen the worst of Russia's campaign. WikiLeaks and DCLeaks, a website set up in June 2016 by hackers believed to be Russian operatives, already had troves of emails. But U.S. officials feared that Russia had more explosive material or was willing to fabricate it.

"Our primary interest in August, September and October was to prevent them from doing the max they could do," said a senior administration official. "We made the judgment that we had ample time after the election, regardless of outcome, for punitive measures."

The assumption that Clinton would win contributed to the lack of urgency.

Instead, the administration issued a series of warnings.

Brennan delivered the first on Aug. 4 in a blunt phone call with Alexander Bortnikov, the director of the FSB, Russia's powerful security service.

A month later, Obama confronted Putin directly during a meeting of world leaders in Hangzhou, China. Accompanied only by interpreters, Obama told Putin that "we knew what he was doing and [he] better stop or else," according to a senior aide who subsequently spoke with Obama. Putin responded by demanding proof and accusing the United States of interfering in Russia's internal affairs.

In a subsequent news conference, Obama alluded to the exchange and issued a veiled threat. "We're moving into a new era here where a number of countries have significant capacities," he said. "Frankly, we've got more capacity than anybody both offensively and defensively."

There were at least two other warnings.

On Oct. 7, the day that the Clapper-Johnson statement was released, Rice summoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to the White House and handed him a message to relay to Putin.

Then, on Oct. 31, the administration delivered a final pre-election message via a secure channel to Moscow originally created to avert a nuclear exchange. The message noted that the United States had detected malicious activity, originating from servers in Russia, targeting U.S. election systems and warned that meddling would be regarded as unacceptable interference. Russia confirmed the next day that it had received the message but replied only after the election through the same channel, denying the accusation.

As Election Day approached, proponents of taking action against Russia made final, futile appeals to Obama's top aides: McDonough, Rice and Haines. Because their offices were part of a suite of spaces in the West Wing, securing their support on any national security issue came to be known as "moving the suite."

One of the last to try before the election was Kerry. Often perceived as reluctant to confront Russia, in part to preserve his attempts to negotiate a Syria peace deal, Kerry was at critical moments one of the leading hawks.

In October, Kerry's top aides had produced an "action memo" that included a package of retaliatory measures including economic sanctions. Knowing the White House was not willing to act before the election, the plan called for the measures to be announced almost immediately after votes had been securely cast and counted.

Kerry signed the memo and urged the White House to convene a principals meeting to discuss the plan, officials said. "The response was basically, 'Not now,' " one official said.

Election Day arrived without penalty for Moscow.

- - -

Despite the dire warnings, there were no meltdowns in the United States' voting infrastructure on Nov. 8, no evidence of hacking-related fraud, crashing of electronic ballots or manipulation of vote counts.

The outcome itself, however, was a shock.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Suddenly, Obama faced a successor who had praised WikiLeaks and prodded Moscow to steal even more Clinton emails, while dismissing the idea that Russia was any more responsible for the election assault than "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."

"The White House was mortified and shocked," said a former administration official. "From national security people there was a sense of immediate introspection, of, 'Wow, did we mishandle this.' "

At first, there was no outward sign of new resolve.

After his failed pre-election bid, Kerry returned with a fallback proposal, calling for the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate Russian interference and make recommendations on how to protect future elections.

The panel would be modeled on the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, producing a definitive report and making recommendations that led to the overhaul of U.S. intelligence agencies.

"The idea was that if you think doing something aggressive is too inflammatory, then we shouldn't have a problem getting to the truth about what happened," said an administration official familiar with the Kerry plan. Trump was expected to oppose such a plan, but setting it in motion before he was sworn in would make it "harder and uglier politically" for him to block.

Supporters' confidence was buoyed when McDonough signaled that he planned to "tabledrop" the proposal at the next NSC meeting, one that would be chaired by Obama. Kerry was overseas and participated by videoconference.

To some, the "tabledrop" term has a tactical connotation beyond the obvious. It is sometimes used as a means of securing approval of an idea by introducing it before opponents have a chance to form counterarguments.

"We thought this was a good sign," a former State Department official said.

But as soon as McDonough introduced the proposal for a commission, he began criticizing it, arguing that it would be perceived as partisan and almost certainly blocked by Congress.

Obama then echoed McDonough's critique, effectively killing any chance that a Russia commission would be formed.

McDonough declined to comment on the principals' committee meeting on the commission or any other sensitive matters but acknowledged that he opposed the idea, in part because he believed it would be premature to do so before U.S. intelligence agencies and Congress had conducted their investigations.

- - -

Several officials described the post-election atmosphere at the White House as somber. "It was like a funeral parlor," according to one official who said that work on Russia and other subjects slowed as officials began to anticipate the damage to Obama's policies and legacy.

Others disputed that characterization, saying that the NSC carried on with no interruption or diminution of focus. "Nobody got paralyzed by grief," a high-ranking official said. "We all did our jobs."

Rice declined to comment on White House deliberations or other sensitive matters but said that the administration always planned to respond to Russia, regardless of the outcome of the election. "We felt it was on our watch and that we had to do something about it. It was our responsibility," Rice said.

Whatever the case, work on Russia did not resume in earnest until after Thanksgiving, in part because Obama made his last foreign trip.

Rice again ordered NSC staffers to finalize a "menu" of punitive measures to use against Moscow. The list that took shape was a distillation of ideas that had been circulating for months across three main categories: cyber, economic and diplomatic.

Again, the discussion ran into roadblocks.

Spy agencies wanted to maintain their penetrations of Russian networks, not expose them in a cyber-fusillade.

Treasury Department officials devised plans that would hit entire sectors of Russia's economy. One preliminary suggestion called for targeting technology companies including Kaspersky Lab, the Moscow-based cybersecurity firm. But skeptics worried that the harm could spill into Europe and pointed out that U.S. companies used Kaspersky systems and software.

Several senior administration officials called for imposing sanctions on Putin personally or releasing financial records or other information that would embarrass him. Some objected that the latter proposal would send the wrong message - the United States would be engaging in the same behavior it was condemning. In any case, it was not clear how long it would take U.S. spy agencies to assemble such a Putin dossier.

"By December, those of us working on this for a long time were demoralized," said an administration official involved in the developing punitive options.

Then the tenor began to shift.

On Dec. 9, Obama ordered a comprehensive review by U.S. intelligence agencies of Russian interference in U.S. elections going back to 2008, with a plan to make some of the findings public.

A week later, in one of Obama's final news briefings, he expressed irritation that such a consequential election "came to be dominated by a bunch of these leaks." He scolded news organizations for an "obsession" with titillating material about the Democrats that had dominated coverage.

Then he unloaded on Moscow. "The Russians can't change us or significantly weaken us," he said. "They are a smaller country. They are a weaker country. Their economy doesn't produce anything that anybody wants to buy, except oil and gas and arms."

It was a rare outburst for Obama, one that came amid a wave of internal second-guessing, finger-pointing from members of the defeated Clinton campaign, and the post-election posturing of Putin and Trump.

There was another factor at work, however.

Obama's decision to order a comprehensive report on Moscow's interference from U.S. spy agencies had prompted analysts to go back through their agencies' files, scouring for previously overlooked clues.

The effort led to a flurry of new, disturbing reports - many of them presented in the President's Daily Brief - about Russia's subversion of the 2016 race. The emerging picture enabled policymakers to begin seeing the Russian campaign in broader terms, as a comprehensive plot sweeping in its scope.

Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser, said that the DNC email penetrations were initially thought to be in the same vein as previous Russian hacking efforts against targets including the State Department and White House.

"In many ways . . . we dealt with this as a cyberthreat and focused on protecting our cyber infrastructure," Rhodes said in an interview. "Meanwhile, the Russians were playing this much bigger game, which included elements like released hacked materials, political propaganda and propagating fake news, which they'd pursued in other countries."

"We weren't able to put all of those pieces together in real time," Rhodes said, "and in many ways that complete picture is still being filled in." Rhodes declined to discuss any sensitive information.

Obama's darkened mood, the intelligence findings and the approaching transfer of power gave new urgency to NSC deliberations. In mid-December, as Cabinet members took turns citing drawbacks to various proposals for retaliating against Russia, Rice grew impatient and began cutting them off.

"We're not talking anymore. We're acting," she said, according to one participant.

Rice moved swiftly through a list of proposals that had survived months of debate, a menu that allowed principals to vote for what one participant described as "heavy, medium and light" options.

Among those in the Situation Room were Clapper, Brennan, Kerry and Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe. Rice challenged them go to the "max of their comfort zones," a second participant said.

Economic sanctions, originally aimed only at Russia's military intelligence service, were expanded to include the FSB, a domestic successor to the KGB. Four Russian intelligence officials and three companies with links to those services were also named as targets.

EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images

The FBI had long lobbied to close two Russian compounds in the United States - one in Maryland and another in New York - on the grounds that both were used for espionage and placed an enormous surveillance burden on the bureau.

The FBI was also responsible for generating the list of Russian operatives working under diplomatic cover to expel, drawn from a roster the bureau maintains of suspected Russian intelligence agents in the United States.

Cabinet officials were prompted to vote on whether to close one Russian compound or two, whether to kick out around 10 suspected Russian agents, 20 or 35.

Kerry laid out his department's concerns. The U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Tefft, had sent a cable warning that Moscow would inevitably expel the same number of Americans from Moscow and that departures of that magnitude would impair the embassy's ability to function.

The objections were dismissed, and Rice submitted a plan to Obama calling for the seizure of both Russian facilities and the expulsion of 35 suspected spies. Obama signed off on the package and announced the punitive measures on Dec. 29, while on vacation in Hawaii.

By then, the still-forming Trump administration was becoming entangled by questions about contacts with Moscow. On or around that same day that Obama imposed sanctions, Trump's designated national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, told the Russian ambassador by phone that the sanctions would soon be revisited. Flynn's false statements about that conversation later cost him his job.

The report that Obama had commissioned was released a week later, on Jan. 6. It was based largely on the work done by the task force Brennan had established and made public what the CIA had concluded in August, that "Putin and the Russian government aspired to help President-elect Trump's election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton."

It also carried a note of warning: "We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the U.S. election to future influence efforts worldwide."

The punitive measures got several days of media attention before the spotlight returned to Trump, his still-forming administration and, later, the initial rumblings of the Russia crisis that has become a consuming issue for the Trump White House.

DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

But the package of measures approved by Obama, and the process by which they were selected and implemented, were more complex than initially understood.

The expulsions and compound seizures were originally devised as ways to retaliate against Moscow not for election interference but for an escalating campaign of harassment of American diplomats and intelligence operatives. U.S. officials often endured hostile treatment, but the episodes had become increasingly menacing and violent.

In one previously undisclosed incident on July 6, a Russian military helicopter dropped from the sky to make multiple passes just feet over the hood of a vehicle being driven by the U.S. defense attache, who was accompanied by colleagues, on a stretch of road between Murmansk and Pechenga in northern Russia. The attempt at intimidation was captured on photos the Americans took through the windshield.

An even more harrowing encounter took place the prior month, when a CIA operative returning by taxi to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was tackled and thrown to the ground by a uniformed FSB guard. In a video aired on Russian television, the U.S. operative can be seen struggling to drag himself across the embassy threshold and onto U.S. sovereign territory. He sustained a broken shoulder in the attack.

Though conceived as retaliation for those incidents, the expulsions were adapted and included in the election-related package. The roster of expelled spies included several operatives who were suspected of playing a role in Russia's election interference from within the United States, officials said. They declined to elaborate.

More broadly, the list of 35 names focused heavily on Russians known to have technical skills. Their names and bios were laid out on a dossier delivered to senior White House officials and Cabinet secretaries, although the list was modified at the last minute to reduce the number of expulsions from Russia's U.N. mission in New York and add more names from its facilities in Washington and San Francisco.

- - -

EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images

The compounds were even higher on the FBI's wish list.

At one point in the White House deliberations, intelligence analysts used aerial images of the facilities to show how they had been modified to enhance their espionage capabilities. Slides displayed in the Situation Room showed new chimneys and other features, all presumed to allow for the installation of more-sophisticated eavesdropping equipment aimed at U.S. naval facilities and the NSA headquarters at Fort Meade in Maryland.

Rice pointed to the FBI's McCabe and said: "You guys have been begging to do this for years. Now is your chance."

The administration gave Russia 24 hours to evacuate the sites, and FBI agents watched as fleets of trucks loaded with cargo passed through the compounds' gates.

When FBI agents entered the sites, they found them stripped of antennas, electronics, computers, file cabinets and other gear, officials said, their hasty removal leaving visible markings on floors, tables and walls.

Economic sanctions are widely seen as the United States' most potent lever, short of military force. Russia's economy is dwarfed by that of the United States, and nearly every major Russian institution and oligarch depends to some degree on access to U.S. and Western financial institutions, networks and credit.

Sanctions that the United States and Europe imposed on Russia in 2014 for its actions in Ukraine were damaging. Coinciding with a sharp drop in oil prices, those measures contributed to a 4 percent contraction in the Russian economy and sent its reserves plunging.

The election-related sanctions, by contrast, have had no such impact.

Officials involved in designing them said that the main targets - Russia's foreign and military intelligence services, the GRU and FSB, and senior officials at those agencies - have few known holdings abroad or vulnerable assets to freeze.

"I don't think any of us thought of sanctions as being a primary way of expressing our disapproval" for the election interference, said a senior administration official involved in the decision. "Going after their intelligence services was not about economic impact. It was symbolic."

More than any other measure, that decision has become a source of regret to senior administration officials directly involved in the Russia debate. The outcome has left the impression that Obama saw Russia's military meddling in Ukraine as more deserving of severe punishment than its subversion of a U.S. presidential race.

"What is the greater threat to our system of government?" said a former high-ranking administration official, noting that Obama and his advisers knew from projections formulated by the Treasury Department that the impact of the election-related economic sanctions would be "minimal."

The most difficult measure to evaluate is one that Obama alluded to in only the most oblique fashion when announcing the U.S. response.

"We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicized," he said in a statement released by the White House.

He was referring, in part, to a cyber operation that was designed to be detected by Moscow but not cause significant damage, officials said. The operation, which entailed implanting computer code in sensitive computer systems that Russia was bound to find, served only as a reminder to Moscow of the United States' cyber reach.

But Obama also signed the secret finding, officials said, authorizing a new covert program involving the NSA, CIA and U.S. Cyber Command.

Obama declined to comment for this article, but a spokesman issued a statement: "This situation was taken extremely seriously, as is evident by President Obama raising this issue directly with President Putin; 17 intelligence agencies issuing an extraordinary public statement; our homeland security officials working relentlessly to bolster the cyber defenses of voting infrastructure around the country; the President directing a comprehensive intelligence review, and ultimately issuing a robust response including shutting down two Russian compounds, sanctioning nine Russian entities and individuals, and ejecting 35 Russian diplomats from the country."

The cyber operation is still in its early stages and involves deploying "implants" in Russian networks deemed "important to the adversary and that would cause them pain and discomfort if they were disrupted," a former U.S. official said.

The implants were developed by the NSA and designed so that they could be triggered remotely as part of retaliatory cyber-strike in the face of Russian aggression, whether an attack on a power grid or interference in a future presidential race.

Officials familiar with the measures said that there was concern among some in the administration that the damage caused by the implants could be difficult to contain.

As a result, the administration requested a legal review, which concluded that the devices could be controlled well enough that their deployment would be considered "proportional" in varying scenarios of Russian provocation, a requirement under international law.

The operation was described as long-term, taking months to position the implants and requiring maintenance thereafter. Under the rules of covert action, Obama's signature was all that was necessary to set the operation in motion.

U.S. intelligence agencies do not need further approval from Trump, and officials said that he would have to issue a countermanding order to stop it. The officials said that they have seen no indication that Trump has done so.

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The Washington Post's Karen DeYoung and Julie Tate contributed to this report.

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URL: http://wapo.st/2sxFcFL?tid=hp_mm
Before William Bradford was appointed by the Trump administration to run the Energy Department's Office of Indian Energy, he tweeted a slew of disparaging remarks about the real and imagined ethnic, religious and gender identities of former President Barack Obama, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, TV news host Megan Kelly and Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Bradford was recently appointed as director of DOE's office in charge of assisting Native American and Alaskan tribes and villages with energy development. Before joining the department, he was attorney general of the Chiricahua Apache Nation. He has also been a faculty member at West Point, the National Defense University, the Coast Guard Academy, and the United Arab Emirates National Defense College and, according to his online biography on the department's website, he holds a doctorate, law degree and master's in business administration.

While Bradford has been at the center of controversies in the past, these missives sent from his now-deleted Twitter account have not been previously reported. In an e-mail on Thursday, Bradford acknowledged the Twitter account and apologized for his comments.

"As a minority and member of the Jewish faith, I sincerely apologize for my disrespectful and offensive comments," he wrote to The Washington Post. "These comments are inexcusable and and I do not stand by them. Now, as a public servant, I hold myself to a higher standard, and I will work every day to better the lives of all Americans."

The Department of Energy did not comment on Bradford Thursday evening.

The Trump official's tweets came before he joined the administration and include a response to a story about Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, urging Iowans to vote against Trump ahead of a 2016 presidential caucus there, in which Bradford said: "Who is this little arrogant self-hating Jew to tell anyone for whom to vote?"

Bradford also had some choice words for Obama in December 2016 - one month after Trump beat Hillary Clinton to become president. Referring to an unclear "mission in Tehran," Bradford asked "How else can a Kenyan creampuff get ahead?"

The reference to Obama's Kenyan heritage - his father hailed from the African country - echoes the repeatedly debunked notion behind the so-called "birther movement" once supported by Donald Trump, which stated that Obama wasn't actually born in the United States. (He was - in Hawaii.) Trump finally admitted in September 2016 that Obama was born in the United States but accused Clinton of originally floating the rumor (which is also something rejected by fact checkers).

Bradford, whose Twitter handle at the time was @Brute_Bradford, also seemed concerned Obama might try to stay in office past January 2017 and need to be forced out.

Before joining DOE, he sent tweets more directly relevant to the department's work. In December of last year, after Trump's election, Bradford wrote: "Soon, 'climate change' cultists will be pitied as the nuts they always were."

Under the Obama administration, the Energy Department emphasized developing and promoting relatively carbon-neutral forms of energy, such as nuclear, solar and wind power.

At DOE, Bradford is charged with helping Native Americans and Alaskan tribes and villages obtain electricity and reduce energy costs. But his tweets before joining the Trump administration display a lack of sensitivity to issues of race and gender.

Bradford took aim at Japanese-Americans on the anniversary in 2016 of the opening of internment camps to detain them during World War II, saying "It was necessary."

And in at least two Twitter messages, he wrote that women should not serve in the military and referred to then-Fox News host Megan Kelly as "MeOBgyn Kelly."

This would not be the first time Bradford courted controversy - except that it previously concerned a lengthy, 95-page law journal article rather than several short, 140-character-or-fewer tweets. In 2015, he resigned from West Point after writing an academic paper arguing the United States should threaten to destroy Muslim holy sites in war "even if it means great destruction, innumerable enemy casualties, and civilian collateral damage."

Bradford also called for legal scholars "sympathetic to Islamist aims" to be imprisoned or "attacked." He dubbed such academics "critical law of armed conflict academy," or CLOACA, which is also a term for the orifice out of which some animals defecate. He suggested journalists with whom such scholars speak could also be targeted.

After resigning from his position as an assistant law professor at the U.S. Military Academy in 2015, Bradford told The Washington Post that he left "because I did not want the cadets or West Point to be exposed to any increased risk as a result of the backlash over my article, and I did not wish the institution to be burdened by this or by any other distractions."

He defended his academic work to The Post at the time, saying the "article indicates that only true propagandists inciting attacks could be subjected to the sanctions I mention, and this parallels existing case law I reference as well as emerging customary international law."

In 2005, Inside Higher Ed reported that Bradford resigned from Indiana University's law school after it was revealed that he exaggerated his military service. Bradford denied that accusation, too, in a 2015 interview: "I never exaggerated my military service and any claims to the contrary are false."
WASHINGTON - The words leapt from President Donald Trump's mind to Twitter at 8:26 a.m. on the Friday after he fired FBI Director James Comey, setting off a cascade of activity inside and outside of the federal government to figure out what, exactly, he meant.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump wrote.

With that single tweet, Trump immediately deepened his own legal and political quagmire, evoking comparisons to former President Richard Nixon and prompting congressional committees investigating his campaign's alleged ties with Russia to demand the disclosure of any such recordings. The missive also prompted Comey to release previously undisclosed memos of his conversations with the president, which ultimately led to the appointment of a special counsel now investigating whether Trump obstructed justice.

Far from knocking down the assertion that Trump had recorded conversations in the White House, his aides refused to give a definitive answer for weeks. Trump, ever the reality television host, teased at a press conference: "I'll tell you about it over a very short period of time."

On Thursday, 42 days later, he finally did. As most in Washington had anticipated, Trump said he did not have any such tapes.

The incident highlights a new reality for Washington, which now must spring into action to bolster or refute presidential assertions of dubious origin and with no evidence to back them up. In many cases, the claims have also had the opposite effect than what the president likely intended - feeding into doubts about his credibility, deepening his legal woes and generating unflattering accounts that dominate the news for weeks at a time.

And even when Trump has walked back a questionable comment, he has sometimes planted a new and similarly unsubstantiated claim. In denying Thursday that he had created "tapes" of his conversations with Comey, for example, Trump also suggested that he may have been surveilled.

"With all the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey," Trump wrote in one tweet, before denying that he had created any.

Before the tapes, there was Trump's unfounded claim that former President Barack Obama "wiretapped" him in Trump Tower during the campaign - setting off a flurry of official inquiries from Congress. His oft-repeated campaign promise that the wall along the U.S.'s southern border would be paid for by Mexico is one that lawmakers in Trump's own party believe will never happen -- yet they and others in the government continue to look for some way to help the president save face.

Trump has also repeatedly claimed that millions of illegal immigrants voted in the last election, with no proof. Yet in an effort to validate his comments, the Trump administration has created a commission aimed at investigating his claim of widespread voter fraud.

"What happens with the president is he shoots himself in the foot and soon the gangrene spreads to the entire body politic," said Norm Eisen, a former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic and a former ethics czar in the Obama administration. "This is going to be the new normal: elements of the president's own executive branch openly, or indirectly through leaks, responding to these false tweets."

After Trump raised the prospect of Comey-related tapes, exasperated lawmakers in both parties pledged to find out one way or another. "I don't have the foggiest idea," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said on ABC News the following Sunday morning.

But the most significant consequences were yet to come.

Comey told lawmakers in testimony this month that as he laid awake in his northern Virginia bed a week after he was summarily fired, he decided to act - in large part because of Trump's tweet.

"It didn't dawn on me originally that there might be corroboration for our conversation. There might be a tape," he said, explaining why he leaked memos of his conversations with Trump to the media. He also testified, "Lordy, I hope there are tapes!"

Comey's memos prompted the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, to investigate possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russians who interfered in the election. The Washington Post has also reported that Mueller is investigating whether Trump attempted to obstruct the investigation.

"There's nothing criminal or illegal about bluffing," said Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor who has often defended Trump against various allegations. "I don't think he would have said he had tapes if he had them."

But Dershowitz acknowledged that the tweet may have been a short-sighted attempt to ensure that Comey was careful about his public statements on Trump.

"I don't know whether it was an unforced error or a tactic, but it could have been both: a tactic that turned out to be an unforced error," Dershowitz said. "He should have thought through all of that. I very often keep contemporaneous memos, particularly when I'm dealing with people who have credibility issues.

"Lawyers do that," he added.

A similar dynamic played out in March, when Trump blasted out another shocker of a tweet claiming that Obama had wiretapped him - an implausible assertion that government officials and lawmakers moved quickly to deny.

But among Trump loyalists in the White House and in Congress, there was a spirited effort to validate the claim.

Three White House officials unearthed classified documents that suggested the Obama administration officials may have "unmasked" the names of Trump campaign associates that were contained in classified intelligence reports. Intelligence experts note that unmasking is a legal practice if done properly and completely different from Trump's claim that he was illegally "wire tapped."

But armed with the documents procured by the White House, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of Trump's transition team, set out to defend Trump's tweets. Nunes later told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he felt obligated to brief the president on the unmasking issue because he was "taking a lot of heat in the news media" for his wiretapping tweets.

To intelligence experts, the controversy was an attempt by Trump loyalists to confuse two entirely separate issues - illegal surveillance and legal "unmasking" of the names of American individuals - in order to defend the president.

"The notion that President Obama could instruct the intel community to set up a tap on Mr. Trump's offices is preposterous on its face. He doesn't have that authority," said Robert Deitz, a former general counsel at the National Security Agency and the Defense Department. "One of the things that's interesting about Washington is that it's a little bit of 'Alice in Wonderland:' You hear something or you see something in the press and you try to make sense of it.

The Trump administration has moved to accommodate the president's dubious rhetoric in other ways.

Trump has repeatedly insisted without evidence that he lost the popular vote because of millions of illegal immigrant voters. That in turn led the White House to create a commission to study the issue - an effort widely dismissed as a sham but which nevertheless is slated to produce a report of its findings next year.

A similar phenomenon has taken hold with Trump's proposed border wall. The president, lawmakers and his aides have floated a number of schemes to make his campaign promise come true, including initially financing the wall with solar panels or a border adjustment tax plan. But with Mexico refusing to even entertain the idea of funding - and with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell answering "no," when asked if Mexico would be paying up - Trump hasn't dropped the issue.

"It's not unprecedented for people anywhere in the bureaucracy to have to do clean up or to deal with in other ways statements that are short on veracity from the man at the top," said Paul Pillar, a former CIA officer. "What you're talking about with the current president is a substantial difference of degree in which some of these things happen."

"There's as much eye rolling with respect to our foreign partners. They realize the kind of boat their American counterparts have been put in," he added.

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President Donald Trump tweeted on June 22 that he doesn't possess - and didn't record - tapes of his private conversations with former FBI Director James Comey. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

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VICTORIA - A suspect accused of setting a fire that destroyed the Victoria Islamic Center in January has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a hate crime charge and other allegations.

U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez stood alongside federal, state and Victoria authorities Thursday as he announced that a federal grand jury here had returned a three-count superseding indictment against Marq Vincent Perez, 25. He's charged with one count of a hate crime regarding damage to religious property, one count of using fire to commit a federal felony and another count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.

"We feel safe in that they're working very hard on the case," said Osama Hassan, the imam of the Victoria Islamic Center, referring to the multiple law agencies involved. "From us, and our community, we forgive him, but we believe that the law should take place."

Authorities arrested Perez less than a mile away from the mosque grounds March 3 on a charge of possession of a destructive device; he was accused of taping together several fireworks and setting a car on fire Jan. 15.

Perez was not initially charged with any crime related to the mosque. Shortly after the arrest, court testimony described Perez as an extremist who was having trouble adjusting after he spent several weeks in the U.S. Air Force. He attended high school in Victoria, and he has one son, who was born in January.

Martinez said Thursday that evidence indicating Perez had been in the mosque was found shortly after his arrest. He declined to say exactly what evidence they found, saying that could jeopardize the investigation.

Prosecutors charge Perez burglarized the mosque Jan. 22 and again Jan. 28, when he allegedly started the fire, with the intent of destroying the mosque.

According to testimony, Perez didn't hide his disdain for Muslims and took several steps to carry out his planned actions. Officials said they could not confirm whether Perez acted alone because of the ongoing investigation.

In total, Perez could face up to 40 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines. He is still in custody, officials said.

"This is a pretty major undertaking that requires the help of everyone around here," Victoria Police Chief Jeffrey Craig said at Thursday's news conference. "I think it has taken an awful lot to get here today. It certainly has been an event that was important to us and our community."

Edward Michel, assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, said he hopes the cooperation of law enforcement will encourage victims of hate crime to reach out to authorities for help.

"We want this to be a deterrent to anyone else thinking about doing something like this in the future," he said. "We are here. Don't do it."

He added that officers are still gathering evidence in the case. Anyone with information regarding the burning of the Mosque should call the FBI at (713) 693-5000 or report anonymously online at www.fbi.gov , he said.

"In a large portion of these crimes, someone saw something or heard something," he said. "We welcome the public to help us. We can't do this by ourselves."

Dr. Shahid Hashmi, president of the Victoria Islamic Center, said that indictment is a step in the right direction, and that now they're waiting for the trial. Victoria is about 125 miles southwest of Houston.

Since the fire in January, the mosque has hired a security guard to stand by during larger gatherings. An architect is working on a design for the new mosque.

"We're anxiously waiting. We can't wait to get into the new building," Hashmi said. "But it won't be the same."

Having spent so much time building and creating a community in the previous building, Hashmi said, mosque members won't forget what they lost.

Looking forward, however, Hashmi said cooperation from the city and authorities has bolstered their confidence and security. An online fundraiser for the Victoria Islamic Center quickly raised more than $1 million to rebuild the mosque in the weeks following the fire.

"The support of the community, the openness and discussions with the authorities who have been involved with back and forth dialogues, that has helped," he said.

Express News Staff Writer Fauzeya Rahman contributed to this report.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California's attorney general blocked state-funded travel to Texas and three other states on Thursday in response to what he considers anti-LGBT rights laws enacted this year.

Democratic Attorney General Xavier Becerra added Texas, Alabama, South Dakota and Kentucky to the list of places where state employee travel is restricted. Lawmakers passed legislation last year banning non-essential travel to states with laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee are already on the list.
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans, who for seven years have promised a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, took a major step Thursday toward that goal, unveiling a bill to make deep cuts in Medicaid and end the law's mandate that most Americans have health insurance.

The 142-page bill would create a new system of federal tax credits to help people buy health insurance, while offering states the ability to drop many of the benefits required by the Affordable Care Act, like maternity care, emergency services and mental health treatment.

But the measure landed in rough seas ahead of a vote that Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, wants next week. Four conservative senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, announced that they would oppose it without changes - more than enough to bring it down.

"It does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs," the four wrote in a joint statement.

Other Republican senators, such as Dean Heller of Nevada and Rob Portman of Ohio, expressed their own qualms, as did AARP, the American Hospital Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the Association of American Medical Colleges.

"We are extremely disappointed by the Senate bill released today," the medical colleges association wrote. "Despite promises to the contrary, it will leave millions without health coverage, and others with only bare bones plans that will be insufficient to properly address their needs."

Modest adjustments made

Once promised as a top-to-bottom revamp of the health bill passed by the House last month, the Senate bill instead maintains its structure, with modest adjustments. The Senate version is, in some respects, more moderate than the House bill, offering more financial assistance to some lower-income people to help them defray the rapidly rising cost of private health insurance.

But the Senate bill would make subsidies less generous than under current law. It would also lower the annual income limit for receiving subsidies to cover insurance premiums to 350 percent of the poverty level, or about $42,000 for an individual, from 400 percent.

Older people could be disproportionately hurt because they pay more for insurance in general. Both chambers' bills would allow insurers to charge older people five times as much as younger ones; the limit now is three times.

The Senate measure, like the House bill, would phase out the extra money that the federal government has provided to states as an incentive to expand eligibility for Medicaid. And like the House measure, it would put the entire Medicaid program on a budget, ending the open-ended entitlement that now exists.

It would also repeal most of the tax increases imposed by the Affordable Care Act to help pay for expanded coverage, in effect handing a broad tax cut to the affluent in a measure that would also slice billions of dollars from Medicaid, a program that serves 1 in 5 Americans, not only the poor but also almost two-thirds of people in nursing homes. A capital gains tax cut for the affluent would be retroactive for this year.

The bill, drafted in secret, is likely to come to the Senate floor next week, and could come to a vote after 20 hours of debate. A capital-gains tax cut for the most affluent Americans would be retroactive to the beginning of this year.

It would be a Trump victory

If it passes, President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress will be on the edge of a major overhaul of the American health care system - about one-sixth of the nation's economy.

The premise of the bill, repeated almost daily in some form by its chief author, McConnell, is that "Obamacare is collapsing around us, and the American people are desperately searching for relief."

Trump shares that view, and passage of the Senate bill would move the president much closer to being able to boast about the adoption of a marquee piece of legislation, a feat he has so far been unable to accomplish.

Democrats and some insurers say Trump has sabotaged the Affordable Care Act, in part by threatening to withhold subsidies paid to insurers so they can reduce deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for millions of low-income people.

And former President Barack Obama, who has been hesitant to speak up on political issues since leaving office, waded into the debate Thursday, saying the Senate proposal showed a "fundamental meanness."

"The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill," Obama wrote on his Facebook page. "It's a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else."

In a message to his supporters, Obama urged people to demand compromise from their lawmakers before senators vote on the Republican bill next week.

In the Senate, Democrats are determined to defend a law that has provided coverage to 20 million people and is a pillar of Obama's legacy.

The debate over the repeal bill is shaping up as a titanic political clash, which could have major implications for both parties, affecting their electoral prospects for years to come.
AUSTIN - Gov. Greg Abbott's veto total for the year hit 50 on Thursday as his staff announced a final round of vetoes of bills approved during the recently completed legislative session, including the continuation of a women's health advisory committee and a tree-replacement law.

Abbott also signed into law bills that could fine law enforcement agencies that don't promptly report police shootings to the state, will license specialists who treat children with autism, will allow providers of state child-welfare services to reject placements based on religious preferences, allow "autonomous" or driverless vehicles, as well as changes to laws governing craft-beer breweries.

He also signed a measure that will set a grace period for unpaid school-lunch accounts - the so-called "lunch shaming" bill.

Reasons for rejection

The vetoes are the most since 2007. The reasons for rejection include that they duplicated current law, would create costly and unnecessary new bureaucracy or that they would be too burdensome or unfair to taxpayers.

One bill that would have tweaked the licensing of electrical contractors was killed because it was "the exact same bill" that Abbott said he vetoed two years ago.

Abbott also vetoed:

Senate Bill 1912, which would have established mental-health public defenders to ensure that defendants facing court action had proper representation. Abbott said current law already mandates appointed counsel and called the expanded bureaucracy "unnecessary."

House Bill 2783, which sought to plug a loophole in the state's open-records law that forced some taxpayers to file a suit to get documents from recalcitrant agencies. Abbott said the measure created an incentive for lawsuits.

Senate Bill 667, which would have expanded official monitoring of the state's guardianship programs for elderly Texans. Abbott said he did so because it would have cost taxpayers an additional $5 million, and he already had signed several reform bills that should address problems.

House Bill 3281, which would have extended an Austin program for homestead preservation districts and reinvestment zones. Abbott said it gave "special tax treatment to certain neighborhoods at the expense of other taxpayers."

He also vetoed bills that would have made it a crime to install a tire incorrectly or violate flood-plain rules, would have prohibited state licensing agencies from considering an applicant's past criminal record, would have given preference to Indian tribes to purchase surplus state property and would have allowed elected officials to also serve as county elections administrators - a policy that Abbott said could improperly mix politics with the fair administration of elections.

'Incredibly shortsighted'

Several bills were vetoed that deal with issues Abbott said he wants the Legislature to address in a special session set to begin July 18.

One was a bill extending the life of the women's health panel - a state committee that provides recommendations on women's health issues. It was vetoed because Abbott said it "does nothing more than extend the expiration date of a governmental committee that has already successfully completed its mission."

"Rather than prolong government committees beyond their expiration date, the state should focus on programs that address more clearly identifiable needs, like my call for action to address the maternal mortality rate during the special session," Abbott said.

Advocates for the panel quickly decried the veto. "Dismantling this committee is incredibly shortsighted, especially since the maternal mortality rates are skyrocketing across our state. Texas women deserve better," said state Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, the author of Senate Bill 790.

A second was House Bill 2410, a measure allowing mail-in-only ballots in certain elections in some small counties. He said he wants lawmakers to enact a tougher mail-ballot fraud law during the special session.

Another was Senate Bill 744 , legislation that would have required municipalities to allow residents to plant new trees instead of paying tree-removal fees. Abbott has said he wants the Legislature to pre-empt cities from enforcing local ordinances regulating trees on private property.

The governor also signed into law the Sandra Bland Act, an effort designed to force local jails to ramp up mental-health supervision and training to prevent suicides like one in Waller County two years ago that made national headlines.

The new law, which takes effect Sept. 1, requires that county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, and it mandates that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths.
AUSTIN  The State Board of Education will decide Friday whether to allow three new charter schools to open in the Houston area, including a school with a board member once accused of funneling contracts to her son.

The state board's Committee on School Initiatives voted 3-2 on Thursday to allow the Legacy School of Sport Sciences to go before the full board. The measure won initial approval despite objection by two Democrats concerned that the Varnet School's Interim Superintendent Margaret Stroud was listed as a board member of the proposed school.

"I can't in good conscious say, 'Yes, we're going to entrust you with our students' regardless how outstanding their program looks if they're already off to this bad start," said Ruben Cortez, Jr., a Democratic state board member from Brownsville who voted against chartering the school.

Stroud was accused in helping her son land $63,000 in district consulting contracts in 2005 when she was an administrator at Houston Independent School District, but a Harris County grand jury decided not to indict her, concluding there wasn't enough evidence to justify criminal charges, the Houston Chronicle reported at the time.

She resigned as the district's chief school administrator after officials learned of the contracts, and she agreed to repay the money from her retirement savings. An internal investigation at the district found the contracts violated competitive bidding laws but found no clear evidence the violation was intentional.

Stroud did not return calls for comment Thursday.

Stroud later took the reins in as interim superintendent of the Varnet School in 2014. Prior to her arrival, school leaders there were indicted in on charges of embezzling more than $2.6 million.

"I'm very concerned in terms of the nepotism that took place while at HISD and having been an educator for years in the district, that individual should have known better," said board member Marisa B. Perez-Diaz, a Democrat from San Antonio who voted to veto the application. I think that's where I have a hard time putting my name behind it, and it's just that one piece I can't get past.

Legacy School of Sport Sciences has worked for six years to craft a charter school and applied with the state multiple times. This is the first year Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath has approved its application. One past application was dismissed when state officials discovered the student code of conduct section had been plagiarized.

Legacy's operators hope to take on 550 students in 2018, expanding to a 2,150 sixth-through 12th-grade school between two campuses by 2023. The schools are slated for north and southwest Houston.

"In Houston, in the HISD district, Dr. Stroud is really respected and I think that was one of the things that helped a lot when we're trying to get in doors and learn more about an educational system. If I were to say that Dr. Stroud is on our board, then people are like, 'Oh, OK, then I know you have a good board," Kerrie Patterson-Brown, then a first-time superintendent of the school, told SBOE board members.

"Her body of work for Houston Independent School District is extremely strong," she said, adding that the school has seven total board members. "She's seen the good, the bad, the ugly ... She's a change agent. She came in and she changed the Varnet culture."

SBOE member Barbara Cargill, a Republican from the Woodlands, said she was excited about the new school. She voted to let Legacy and the proposed schools advance to a full board vote, along with Board members Keven Ellis of Lufkin and Marty Rowley of Amarillo.

The charter, which would focus on the business and science of sports, is one of five schools Morath approved this spring. The State Board of Education will weigh in on those schools Friday, and can only veto the commissioner's individual recommendations.

Other schools include Etoile Academy Charter School and Yellowstone College Preparatory in Houston, Bridgeway Preparatory Academy in Dallas and Valor Public Schools in Austin.

The state received 32 applications to open charter schools this cycle. The state considered 27 applications as complete and were graded, nine proposals met the state's benchmarks and the commissioner opted to approve five.
AUSTIN - In eight years as mayor of Amarillo, Republican Kel Seliger was always wary of big-footing from Austin and Washington, with mandates that would cost his constituents money and limit the ability of local officials to decide local issues.

He was elected to the Texas Senate in 2003, joining state government as a staunch champion of local control.

Now, with a special legislative session scheduled to start in less than a month with about a dozen agenda items that could limit or strip local control on a variety of issues, the Republican Party, and its newfound zeal to overrule local governments, is becoming unrecognizable to many, including Seliger.

The controversial agenda was chosen by Texas' top Republican, Gov. Greg Abbott, who insists that state authority is needed to prevent the "California-zation" of Texas in which local officials are becoming their own version of Big Government.

The session promises to be the biggest showdown between state and local officials in years, as Abbott wants lawmakers to set spending caps on local governments, reform property taxes in a way that could force budget cuts, and limit the ability of cities to control annexation, tree-cutting, texting while driving, construction permits, bathroom access, even the collection of union dues in government paychecks.

"We used to be the party of small government. Now, we're looking like we're the party of big government, even though we deny it," said Seliger. "When the Democrats were in control in Austin, they were the big government. They only difference between then and now is they never denied it."

The state already is being sued by three of its largest cities over the so-called "sanctuary cities" law passed by the Legislature this year that will allow police to ask people their immigration status if detained, even for a routine traffic stop, and threatens jail time for sheriffs and police chiefs who refuse to comply with federal requests to hold immigrants in the country illegally for deportation. Houston City Council this week voted to join the lawsuit.

"I haven't said very much up to this point in time, but it seems as though the governmental overreach in Austin is continuing to grow and grow and there comes a point when you have to say enough is enough," Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "I think people need to respect the will of people in different cities to vote on their mayors, to vote on their city council and allow the mayors and city council members to do their jobs as it relates to their respective cities."

Other states acting

Texas is not alone. Legislatures and leaders in more than two dozen other states are moving to limit the ability of local governments to set minimum wages, ban plastic grocery bags, enact anti-discrimination ordinances or levy additional taxes on their citizens.

"This is happening all over the country, and it's about which level of government has the power," said Peverill Squire, a political scientist and expert on state legislatures at the University of Missouri. "What's happening is a significant trend  It's probably going to take a generation to sort this out."

In Texas, the challenge to local control started in earnest in 2015, when Abbott and Republican leaders challenged a ban on fracking passed by the Denton city council, as well as city ordinances elsewhere banning plastic bags and short-term rentals.

Local restrictions on ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft sparked debate, too, but it was not until this year that lawmakers passed a law sweeping away local ordinances in Houston, Austin and other locales in favor of statewide rules.

"Pre-emption of cities, of local control on many issues, is like the Goldilocks rule: Federal control is big and bad. Local control is bad. State control is just right," said Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, an association that represents more than 1,100 cities. "From all appearances, respect for local control is officially a thing of the past in Texas."

For years, Washington was the overreaching oppressor decried by state officials. Two months after Republicans took the White House and both chambers of Congress, city and county officials in Texas say they found themselves in the crosshairs when the Legislature opened in January.

City ordinances targeted

Lawmakers filed numerous bills to block cities' authority to enact ordinances on ride-sharing, tree-trimming and business regulation, even to allow city elections to become partisan races after decades of nonpartisan contests.

Other bills proposed property-tax reform that local officials claimed could trigger budget cuts that would bring layoffs of police and firefighters, constrict funding for local schools and hamper local entities' ability to keep up with booming population growth in many urban areas.

Abbott cut off state grants to the Travis County Sheriff's Office and blasted the sheriff as "Sanctuary Sally" Hernandez for sometimes refusing to keep people in the country illegally behind bars until Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities could take custody of them. He repeatedly complained that Austin and other local governments were "doing everything they can to overregulate."

"It used to be that local control was one of the most important points of discussion, but that appears to be different now," said Dale Craymer, president of the nonpartisan Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, an Austin-based organization that monitors tax and public policy issues.

"Part of that is that the state is different now. Fifty years ago Houston and Dallas might as well have been in different states, compared to what the rest of Texas was like. The distances between our cities has shrunk, and businesses operate now in many places in the state, not just one or two. Businesses don't want a patchwork quilt of local regulations to deal with, so they want the state to have the same regulations statewide."

While state officials point to regulatory uniformity, political scientists insist that party politics also is a big part of it.

"Opposition by Republican states to the Obama administration's policies was seen by cities as an opportunity, because many of the mayors in large cities across the country were and are Democrats," said Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University. "Now that they no longer have an ally in Washington, Republican legislatures are seeing an opportunity to take power from local governments. It's never happened like this before, as stark as it is now."

Wages, guns, refugees

State officials in North Carolina, Missouri and Alabama have blocked cities from setting their own minimum-wage rates. Other states have overruled local restrictions on gun control, blocked multibillion-dollar transportation projects, even on such issues as allowing the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

In South Dakota, lawmakers overturned an ethics law voters had approved last November. Indiana legislators approved a law allowing the governor to appoint judges in Indianapolis, rather than have them elected by voters. Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill to make judicial races nonpartisan, much as the Texas Legislature approved a bill to do away with straight-ticket voting, despite opposition from local officials.

The push for more state control is not confined to GOP-dominated states. The Democratic-controlled California Legislature changed the redistricting process for seats on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and may do the same thing for San Diego this year.

"It's all about power," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist who has been watching the push against local control grow across the country. "It's discordant with the ethos of the Republican Party in the past that stressed local control, but that's when Democrats were in control. You also have to realize that much of the progressive legislation and programs are coming out of the cities, which are run by Democrats. Limiting local control allows the GOP to put limits on the abilities of local governments to innovate and keeps potential challengers at bay."
Parents, neighborhood leaders and Texans of all stripes were shocked last year to learn that the state had secretly and arbitrarily capped the percentage of students who could get special education services in our public schools. Up in Washington, we're seeing another arbitrary cap scheme put into play - but this time it won't take investigative reporting to bring the truth to light. All you need to do is read the Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act, also known as Trumpcare.

That bill, which was made public on Thursday after being crafted in secret, would enact a per-person cap on the amount of money that states receive for Medicaid - the federal health care program that treats 60 percent of children with special needs in the United States, and covers half of all children in Texas who have insurance.

Maybe Republicans just think that kids still learning to tie their shoelaces need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

Whether in our schools or doctors' offices, these sorts of arbitrary caps are wrong and deny kids the resources they need to become happy, healthy adults. It isn't just kids who will be hurt. Almost two-thirds of Texas nursing home residents are covered by Medicaid.

Anyone who hoped that the Senate version of Trumpcare would be less mean and have more heart than the House version will be disappointed.

It still cuts roughly $800 billion from the entire Medicaid program. Low- and middle-income families will still have to spend more money to get less coverage. Americans will still have to deal with byzantine insurance companies and bizarre billing practices to simply afford a basic necessity of life. Millions will still lose insurance.

And all those cuts will just fund a massive tax giveaway for millionaires and billionaires. Perhaps the most egregious is the so-called "CEO sweetener," which cuts taxes on executive pay over $500,000 at insurance companies.

This isn't a health care bill - it is Robin Hood in reverse. Give to the richest and take from everyone else.

Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail that he wouldn't cut Medicaid, and he guaranteed "insurance for everyone." During a speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Trump told Congress to "add some money" to make health care more affordable.

Congress didn't listen, but that hasn't stopped Trump from backing its plans.

The funny thing is that there actually are a few health care bills in Congress that would fulfill Trump's insurance guarantee. More than 100 members of Congress, including Houston's Democratic representatives Al Green, Gene Green and Sheila Jackson Lee have signed onto the United States National Health Care Act (HR 676), which would expand Medicare to everyone.

El Paso Congressman Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic who will challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 election, also is proposing his own Medicare-for-all bill.

Meanwhile, every other developed nation across the globe has crafted its own version of a universal coverage, from Germany to Israel, Singapore to Canada. A series of committee hearings and public debates could help the American people and our representatives sort through all the best practices and truly improve our health care system. Because right now the United States is paying more per capita than any other nation and getting worse outcomes.

However, instead of working toward real improvement, Republicans in Congress are just racing to pass Trumpcare before the summer recess.

"I am concerned that this process is being driven by arbitrary deadlines set mainly for political purposes - deadlines that are forcing a rushed process with too much room for error."

That's what Texas' U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said about the push to pass a health care bill - in 2009. That process involved dozens of committee hearings on Obamacare. How many Senate hearings have there been for Trumpcare? Zero.

How convenient - that's also the number of votes the bill deserves.
Heat and air conditioning

Regarding "Lethal heat" editorial (Page A14, Thursday), the editorial demanding that Texas prisons be air-conditioned states that since 1998, 21 inmates have died of the heat. That is about one inmate per year, and during the 19 years from 1998 to 2017, Texas prisons have held thousands and thousands of prisoners. So the death rate from the heat has been less than one-tenth of 1 percent.

I grew up in south Louisiana in the 1940s and 1950s, with no air conditioning and no fans, and everyone else I knew grew up the same way. The only place in the whole parish that had air conditioning was the movie theater.

If we had thought that we could enjoy air conditioning by going to prison, we would probably have become criminals.

P. J. Bourgeois, Friendswood.

Populist sentiment

Regarding "Everyone must come to the aid of their country" (Page A15, Thursday), Garrison Keillor's column reminded me how both the Democrats and the Republicans have gravitated toward the extremes and left the vast majority of Americans who live in the middle without a voice.

President Trump tapped into this sentiment, but he's not the ideal poster boy for what I'll call the "Populist Party." The problem is that there's evidently no big money pushing a populist agenda, and the people in the middle are too busy making the country work to push a political movement.

So the march toward even more extreme politics with major news organizations picking sides leading to further polarization of our nation continues unabated.

Greg Groh, Spring

Fading objective truths

Regarding "Where did our nation of 'We the People' go? (Page A17, Wednesday), Thomas Friedman is absolutely right when he describes how truth and trust are being actively eroded by people who broadcast their own personal "truth" on the internet, undermining real truths. But it's worse than that; postmodernists in our major colleges and universities actively teach that there are no objective truths - only subjective, personal ones. Ideas have consequences, however, and we may be seeing the first fruits of this one. If people's feelings are the new standard of "truth," it's no wonder people feel entitled to believe anything they want to.

And as Friedman's column says, with no belief in objective truth, "we" the people don't exist anymore; we have no basis for continued union. We may be dismayed to find that the Bible is true when it says that those who sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.

Scott E. Robinson, Houston

Industry influence

Regarding "U.S. right to pull out of Paris plan" (Page A15, Saturday), U.S. Rep. Pete Olson ignores what got us to the Paris Climate Agreement in the first place. The primary goal of the Paris plan, which was mutually developed by 195 countries, is to limit global temperature increases to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels.

Instead Olson heaps praise on the oil, gas and energy industries, which, according to OpenSecrets.org, provided $300,000 in campaign contributions to Olson during the 2016 election cycle.

Does Olson think that these companies and their political action committees, will unilaterally, without regulations or incentives, cause the impending global warming crisis to go away? Does Olson think that "Clean-burning natural gas..." doesn't contribute to global warming? What plan does President Trump have?

While Trump fiddles, the Earth is burning. It sounds like Olson has joined the orchestra.

Winston E. Kile, Houston
Human rights

Regarding "U.S. must reassess OAS over its appalling agenda" (Page A17, Wednesday), U.S. Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas correctly identify the double-standard at the heart of American human rights policy: We do not hold our allies and other countries to the same standards by which we judge ourselves. However, the solution is not, as the senators claim, to weaken our commitment to human rights everywhere. It is to strengthen our resolve to protect them here at home.

Too often, the U.S. has selectively ignored injustices abroad or even committed serious human rights violations at home in the name of national security or economic prosperity. International institutions have provided an essential forum for human rights violations, including many committed against U.S. citizens, to be heard and condemned. Giving up on protecting human rights for Americans because it's difficult is not what makes America great.

Moreover, the senators mischaracterize the purpose of the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as well as the United States' historical engagement. While the senators cherry-pick from Chapter II of the OAS Charter, they seemingly read past Article 1, which in no unclear terms states as a primary goal of the institution "to achieve an order of peace and justice" among other laudable ambitions. Human rights have always been central to the OAS and IACHR, and central to U.S. engagement with both during Republican and Democratic administrations.

As Cruz and Lee suggest, the work to re-focus U.S. engagement with international organizations "can and should start in our own backyard." However, that must involve robust protection of human rights so that we may eliminate any double-standard and serve as a credible international model. Protecting and defending human rights everywhere are what have and will continue to make America great.

Jamil Dakwar, director, Human Rights Program,American Civil Liberties Union, New York

Solutions please

The OAS actions that U.S. Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz find appalling is an effort to encourage poor Latin Americans to think for themselves and not blindly follow Vatican dogma, which forbids them from using modern birth-control methods and, of course, forbids abortion.

As a consequence, the number of poor, desperate people increases dramatically and ultimately leads to catastrophic disintegration of the state as exemplified by Venezuela. Here is another tragic example of where ideology prevents pragmatic solutions to real-world problems. Now that is truly appalling!

David Hartzog, Missouri City
It has been nearly 31 years since President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Congress reformed our nation's tax code, and during those years Congress enacted numerous changes - more than 5,900 since 2001 - that made our tax laws more convoluted and globally uncompetitive. No surprise, then, that opposition to simplifying the code comes from within Congress itself.

Fair and comprehensive tax reform is long overdue, and a growing coalition of elected officials, business leaders and ordinary taxpayers are rallying support for bold action.

President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have outlined plans that would cut taxes and eliminate special-interest loopholes, all while expanding the economy and increasing opportunities for all Americans, especially those hardest hit by the failed economic policies of the Obama years.

Voters are on board, too. According to a recent survey, 73 percent think our tax system should be overhauled this year.

Washington now has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do just that. Unfortunately, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, stands in the way of uniting the pro-tax reform coalition and building consensus around a comprehensive plan.

As chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Brady and his colleagues have drafted a reform agenda that contains many positive proposals that would boost our economy and tame the tax code.

But Brady is relentlessly insisting that tax reform legislation include what he calls a "border adjustment tax."

The Brady Tax is a new 20 percent tax on everything businesses import into the United States, including raw materials, component parts and final products. It is estimated this tax would raise $1.2 trillion over 10 years. And while supporters like to call it an "import tax," we all know the costs would be passed on to consumers, who will pay more for energy, food, clothes, cars, computers and more.

Supporters of the Brady Tax claim it would put American industry on a more competitive footing. But an analysis by Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity found that the measure would hurt the very industries it is designed to help. The manufacturing industry alone could face $67 billion in new taxes on imports. That means higher prices and fewer jobs.

Brady's home state would be among the hardest-hit. Texas imports amounted to more than $302 billion in 2014, or nearly 19 percent of state GDP. Because imports play an outsize role in the overall economy, Texas would be one of the 10 states most sensitive to a tax hike on imports.

Brady's own constituents are among those protesting.

Emmett Kelly, who owns a gun store in Conroe, went to Washington recently to tell members of Congress that the tax could ruin his business. About 80 percent of his inventory is imported. "Everybody that I've talked to has shuddered when they heard what this border adjustment tax is going to cost," Kelly told Reuters.

Randi Sonenshein, senior vice president of strategy and finance for Houston-based Stage Stores, told the Houston Chronicle that "the plan will have a disproportionately negative impact on retailers. It's a tough thing to contemplate." Most of her company's 800 locations are in smaller cities, where the customers would be particularly hurt by the higher prices resulting from the consumer tax.

The Brady Tax is bad policy, it has no chance of passing the U.S. Senate, and it's dividing the pro-tax reform coalition at the precise time unity is desperately needed most.

Comprehensive tax reform is critical to leveling the tax playing field, and expanding prosperity and opportunity. And this can be done without saddling consumers with new burdens like the Brady Tax.

The White House has put forward its own proposal to lower rates for individuals, families, and businesses while excluding new taxes on consumers. That's the right approach.

Brady should follow Trump's lead and abandon his divisive tax - a trillion dollar tax on consumers masquerading as a tax on imports.

He instead should use his leadership position to unite lawmakers and the American people around an achievable tax reform plan that will make the code simple, equitable and efficient, and does not add new burdens on the taxpayer.

Davis is executive vice president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce. Phillips is president of Americans for Prosperity.
Senate Republican leaders on Thursday released the "Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017," legislation that would undermine the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. While we won't know the exact numbers until the Congressional Budget Office analyzes the bill, we do know there will be many disturbing consequences. These include a phase-out of the Medicare expansion beginning in 2021 with millions expected to lose their health insurance coverage. The bill also caps federal Medicaid funding that will ultimately result in shifting responsibility to the states and counties - leaving governors, state legislatures and local governments facing tight budgets with limited choices other than reducing coverage for millions of seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities and children. The bill addresses the opioid epidemic by providing some modest additional funding, but at the same time limitations on Medicaid access would potentially deny substance abuse treatment for 1.3 million people who need it.

The Better Care Act would also allow states to opt out of ACA protections that require insurers cover 10 essential health benefits including maternity care, prescription drugs and mental health and substance use-disorder services. With recent legislative history as a guide, I think we can all agree that Texas is likely to be one of these states cutting benefits. What won't be cut is costs, as lack of insurance forces people to use emergency departments as their health care provider, the most expensive and least effective way to provide medical care for chronic, non-acute conditions. While the bill limits health care coverage for low and middle-income families, it does provide tax cuts to the wealthy.

However, there is another equally disturbing aspect of the Better Care Act of which people may not be aware. Starting next year, it would repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund meant to expand and sustain national investment in public health programs. The Prevention Fund represents one-eighth of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's total budget; this is on top of the cuts proposed in President Donald Trump's budget. The Prevention Fund is absolutely necessary to improve the health of Texans and to slow the rise of health care costs.

Texas faces significant health and fiscal challenges that could be mitigated by a better and more reliably funded public health system. The Prevention Fund is a vital part of the effort to create such a system. Since 2010, the Prevention Fund has provided Texas with more than $150 million ($29 million in 2016 alone) to support a variety of public health activities. Repealing the Prevention Fund would result in a major loss of funding for core public health programs in Texas.

The resources that the Prevention Fund sends to Texas are crucial for improving the health of Texans. It supports programs to reduce tobacco use including the 1-800-QUIT NOW telephone line with tips on quitting from former smokers. A recent study found that the campaign led to more than 1.5 million smokers attempting to quit and prevented more than 17,000 premature deaths. It is worth noting here that tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths. The Prevention Fund also provides funds to help Texans prevent diabetes and obesity as well as heart disease through programs promoting healthy nutrition and physical exercise. Texas receives money to immunize children and low-income adults.

Still not convinced? The Texas Department of State Health Services received almost $1 million to upgrade the laboratories that detect outbreaks of disease and food-borne illnesses and bioterrorism events.

Another program the Prevention Fund supports in Texas is the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant (over $6 million to Texas in 2016 alone). These funds give Texas flexibility to respond rapidly to emerging health issues (think Zika) and to fill funding gaps that are leading causes of death and disability in Texas.

While personal responsibility for health is certainly part of the equation, the Prevention Fund is intended to ensure a coordinated, comprehensive, sustainable and accountable approach to improving our country's health outcomes through the most effective, evidence-based programs. It empowers states and communities to address their most pressing health needs. Loss of the Prevention Fund would make it harder for public health professionals to help protect Texans' health and to respond to public health emergencies.

We are better than this. The inappropriately named "Better Care Act" is a bad bill. Public support for its predecessor, the American Health Care Act, was extremely low, with a Quinnipiac University poll finding only 20 percent of Americans approved of it and vastly preferred the current Obamacare/Affordable Care Act. There is no state - including Texas - in which a majority of its residents approved of the bill. We all - businesses, schools, nonprofits, hospitals and insurers as well as individuals - need to come together to oppose the Better Care Act and support the Prevention Fund and the health of all in our state. Call our Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz before next Tuesday, when a vote on this bill is expected. Ask them why they support a bill that pushes people off insurance plans, may not cover essential health benefits for those who do have insurance and will cost Texans more in taxes. Tell them a bipartisan approach to tweaking the ACA is a better option than this mean, drastic bill. Lastly, remind them we can repeal and replace in the next senatorial election.

Troisi, Ph.D., is a member of the America Public Health Association executive board.
If the Texas political fight of the week was most recently in Austin, it's now moved to Washington.

U.S. Senate. John Cornyn of Texas has pushed ahead on a GOP Senate plan to dump Obamacare, and Democrats have all jumped ship, saying it was hatched in secret and, essentially, sucks.

The Senate's leading Democrat, Charles Schumer of New York, insists that even Republicans aren't thrilled with it. If they were, he insisted during a tense debate with Cornyn, Republicans would be sending "brass bands down every Main Street in America," which they aren't.

Cornyn snapped back by likening Obamacare to a serious car wreck, and accused Democrats of "driving right by" without stopping to render aid to the seriously injured victims of the ill-fated plan passed by Democrats.

Count on this: The fight over this reform in coming days won't be happy time in the U.S. Senate.

Never the supportive player for Cornyn, junior U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has railed to repeal Obamacare for what seems like forever, says he is a 'no' vote for the present on the GOP plan.

Cornyn has not commented on that, but he can't be happy with his Lone Star colleague.

If that's not enough political drama for the week, Houston doc and conservative GOP activist Steve Hotze is publicly calling for House Republicans to give House Speaker Joe Straus the boot when the special session starts on July 18.

Hotze, you see, is a political ally of Gov. Dan Patrick, who is no fan of Straus, who he considers too moderate in his politics compared to his ultra-right views

Then there's Texas Monthly's Best & Worst list, the review of lawmakers from the recently concluded regular session. Lots of Houston senators and reps on both lists this year and, as you would expect, some are unhappy about how they were ranked.

We've got all the lowdown on the political meltdowns in both Washington and Texas in this week's Texas Take, where you get the inside scoop in unvarnished, straight talk that every Texan can understand.

From Mike Ward, the Chronicle's Austin Bureau chief, and Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report, comes Texas' leading online podcast about Lone Star politics.
A Cabool man received moderate injuries in a crash early Thursday in Wright County, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Cpl. Eric Cooper said a southbound 1989 Chevrolet Suburban driven on Highway 95 five miles north of Manes by Jesse T. Foreman, 28, travelled off the left side of the roadway and overturned.

Foreman, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken to Texas County Memorial Hospital by private vehicle following the 4:30 a.m. accident. The vehicle was totaled.
A Houston teenager has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to three felony charges following a 2016 hatchet attack incident in Licking.

Texas County Prosecuting Attorney Parke Stevens Jr. said that during a court proceeding June 19, Corey Z. Smith, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and two counts of assault on a corrections officer. Judge Bill Hickle subsequently sentenced Smith to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections system for each charge. The sentences are to run concurrently.

According to a report by the Licking Police Department Chief Scott Lindsey, the incident began when an officer was dispatched around 1:45 a.m. May 2, 2016, to a residence on South Main Street in reference to a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, the officer discovered a 26-year-old man who lived there with serious injuries  determined to be caused by a hatchet.

Lindsey said the victim had been involved in an altercation with Smith, and said he broke a glass table in the residence and when confronted, struck the victim several times with a hatchet.

After the fight, Smith left the residence on foot. The victim  Smiths stepfather  was transported by ambulance to a landing zone and then taken by helicopter for medical treatment. Stevens said he received 17 staples to his head to repair the hatchet wound.

After being located and apprehended at a home on Highway 137 south of Licking, Smith was taken to the Texas County Jail. On Aug. 27, 2016, he allegedly struck two jailers multiple times in the head with his fist and elbow while they were attempting to move him from one cell to another. He was reportedly being moved after sticking pencils in his ears and then making obscene statements to jailers when they asked for the pencils.

Assaults are serious offenses, especially ones that cause severe injuries or to corrections officers, Stevens said. Seven years is an appropriate sentence under the authorized ranges of punishment, considering Smith had no prior criminal history. He received the maximum sentences allowed by law for the assault on the corrections officers and a fair sentence for the assault on his stepfather.

I want to express sorrow to all the victims and hopes this sentence gives them some relief that justice was served. Further, I want to thank all the law enforcement officers and departments who worked these cases, Judge William Hickle for overseeing the cases, and defense counsel for Mr. Smith. The actions of all these individuals enable the criminal justice system to seek justice.
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Kynaston, who specialises in employment relations, says some employers still dont understand that they not only need to think carefully about their rationale  they also need to explain it thoroughly.

People say; We want to reduce costs so we need to reduce headcount and heres our proposal, and of course cost is a perfectly adequate reason for restructuring but you really need to drill down to that next level, he stresses.

Its fine to cut head count but you need to explain why you are proposing to cut these specific positions and what other things you have considered, he continues. Failing to do that work first and then not explaining it to employees  thats a major mistake.

Another common mistake, according to Kynaston, comes when employers dont dedicate enough attention to redeployment.

A lot of times, the employer might actually encourage people to apply for new roles that have been created even though those people have no chance realistically of getting them, he says,
Muslims are experiencing soaring levels of hate-crime and experiencing targeted, prejudiced attacks across the world. Every day, they are vilified and misrepresented in the press, and not just the tabloids. Don't believe me? Look through some editions of the Daily Mail and substitute "Islam" and "Muslim" with "Judaism" and "Jew", then see if you still feel comfortable.

Despite that, I don't use the term "Islamophobia", a term the dictionary defines as "dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force." Islam, like any religion, is formed of ideas, and as such, should be allowed to be "disliked". No set of ideas should be off-limits from discussion, critique, and even mockery. There are parts of Islam that I think are beautiful and awe-inspiring. But even in mainstream interpretations of Islam, there are also some elements that as a liberal (and a de facto atheist), cause me concern. Concerns that in-depth discussions and debates with my Muslim friends have failed to assuage. I have an open mind that I could be proved wrong about these conceptions in the future and I hope that I will; but this is not the time or place for those discussions.

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Details are still emerging of the incident, but assuming the situation is as it appears to be, the Finsbury Park Mosque attack was both an appalling, prejudiced, hate-crime and a terrorist attack. Contrary to the implications of Theresa May's statement, that does not mean that "disliking" Islam should automatically be considered extremism too. People must be free to dislike ideas, even when those people are wrong. "Islamophobia" is a cumbersome word, understood in different ways by different people. I'm all too aware that the criticism I've made of the term, is one that is also propounded by those on the extreme right. And as such, they bat off such labels without addressing the gravity of anti-Muslim prejudice. As society polarises, there has never been a greater need to find nuance in debate.

The vilification of Muslims potentially poses a much greater threat to liberal society than both acts of terrorism supposedly committed in the name of Islam, and the illiberal parts of mainstream Muslim belief. I've lost more than a bit of sleep over Donald Trump's presidency, a man who has risen to ultimate power partly thanks to his cynical manipulation of anti-Muslim sentiment. And then there's top aide Steve Bannon, founding member of Breitbart, known for its right-wing fake news and widely linked to white nationalist movements. He was able to do this, despite the fact that comprehensive research conducted by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security found that anti-government right-wing extremism is considered by law enforcement agencies to be a more severe threat to security than radicalised Muslims.

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The tragic events of Finsbury Park were far from an isolated incident. Anti-Muslim violence continues to rise worldwide. Less than 24 hours before Finsbury Park, a 17-year-old Muslim girl was murdered on her way home from a Virginia Mosque in an apparent hate-crime. Anti-Muslim prejudice can be quiet as well as loud, reports of vandalism, online bullying, and street intimidation are commonplace. There can be no excuses and no justifications. As always, the brunt of the responsibility needs to fall on the individual in question, but after that, tabloid newspapers profiting from the promotion of bigotry have got some serious questions to answer.
The most basic human right, besides that of life itself, is the freedom to choose, change, practice and share your beliefs. That means the freedom to adopt a religious faith, change your faith, or have no faith. It means the freedom to practice your beliefs, within the rule of law and in a way that is respectful of others, and the freedom to share your beliefs, non-coercively, with others. Faith is an affair of heart, soul and mind, and no government, no law and no other person has any mandate to deny you that right. The only limits for the practice of freedom of religion or belief are those limits that apply to all basic freedoms - to ensure that your freedom does not violate another person's freedom or security.

Yet around the world, freedom of religion or belief, as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is one of the most widely violated yet under-recognised rights. Muslims in Burma and China, for example, are facing widespread and systematic persecution, and in the United States and Europe increasing hostility - as the appalling attack on Finsbury Park Mosque in London illustrates. Although in general Islam is practiced in the West freely, in contrast to the denial of rights to minorities in much of the Muslim-majority world, nonetheless anti-Muslim hatred is rising in an alarming way. Furthermore, various sects of Islam - Shi'a, Sufi, Ahmadiyya - face severe persecution from other Muslims, in places such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Baha'is in Iran, Falun Gong practitioners in China and Tibetan Buddhists all face serious abuse. Anti-Semitism is on the rise everywhere, especially Europe. And Christians throughout the world, from North Korea to Eritrea, Nigeria to India, throughout much of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa to Cuba and Mexico are facing growing persecution. In some places, the persecution is so intense some describe it as crimes against humanity and genocide. Those terms have been applied to the plight of Christians and Yazidis in Iraq and Syria, and Rohingya Muslims in Burma.

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The perpetrators of such violations come from all directions. In Burma, Muslims and Christians face a campaign of hatred led by a militant ultra-nationalist Buddhist movement which has resulted in several outbreaks of violence in the past five years. Restrictions against the construction of non-Buddhist places of worship have been in place since 1962, but in recent years the persecution has intensified. The pattern of anti-Muslim fear-mongering is similar to the hate speech non-Muslims face in many Muslim-majority countries. Several mosques have been burned down and many sealed by the authorities. On 21 April this year, an ultra-nationalist Buddhist mob disrupted a prayer gathering by Muslims at an Islamic school in Rangoon, and a week later demanded that the police force the schools to close. On 29 May, Muslim leaders were summoned by the authorities to be informed that they were forbidden to use their residences for religious purposes. On 2 June, one man was charged for holding Ramadan prayers in the street for between 50-100 Muslims. He could face up to six months in prison.

These grinding restrictions might sound insignificant compared with the far more shocking mass violence unleashed against the Rohingyas and other Muslims throughout the country over the past five years, resulting in thousands of deaths and at least 150,000 displaced - many now facing a severe humanitarian crisis. But they are all part of the same picture - what starts with a mosque closure or an arrest for praying can quickly escalate into mob violence and ultimately mass murder.

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In Indonesia and Malaysia, two Muslim-majority nations with a reputation for pluralism, religious intolerance is also on the rise. Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, concerned about protecting his country's reputation, has initiated the Global Movement of Moderates as a body to tackle extremism, declaring that the real divide is not between Muslims and non-Muslims but between moderates and extremists. We welcome this, but encourage him to go further.

In Malaysia, legislation is being proposed increasing punishments that can be applied by shari'ah courts. Last month a Chinese Malaysian politician, Hannah Yeoh, Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly, faced accusations of proselytising simply because she wrote about her Christian faith in an autobiography called Becoming Hannah. And at least four religious figures - three Christian and one accused of spreading Shi'a Islam - have disappeared. The most high-profile was the kidnapping of Pastor Raymond Koh four months ago. Video footage of his abduction shows black SUVs surrounding his car on a highway and a group of men dressed in black bundling him into a vehicle. The operation was carried out brazenly, but also speedily and professionally. He has not been heard from since. A lack of progress in the police investigation has led to suspicions that the authorities are dragging their feet and fears that some groups may use extrajudicial means to target religious minorities. Malaysia faces a growing threat from extremist terrorism which the authorities are trying to prevent, but to address this fully action is needed to stop the tide of intolerance and the politicisation of religion.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as 'Ahok', was a popular governor respected for fighting corruption and improving public services in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. As a double-minority - ethnic Chinese and Christian - governing the capital of the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, he was a poster-boy for Indonesia's tradition of religious tolerance. Yet he was defeated in elections in April, when his opponents deployed religion as a campaign tool. His victorious rival, Anies Baswedan, went from mosque to mosque urging Muslims not to vote for a non-Muslim. Ahok was charged with blasphemy for refuting his rivals' interpretation of a particular Qu'ranic verse used to justify instructions to Muslims not to vote for him. Ahok was adamant that he had no intention to insult Islam, but he was put on trial. Anies formed a coalition that included some of Indonesia's radical Islamists, particularly the violent Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), and in doing so has given a platform to extremists.

Three weeks after his electoral defeat, Ahok was jailed for two years. His sister, Fify Lety Indra, a lawyer helping to represent him, was warned that if he appealed, she would be charged with blasphemy too, and so he dropped his appeal in order to protect his family. Ahok himself received a specific death threat from Jafar Umar Thalib, a jihadi who fought alongside Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Radicals are now holding Indonesia's justice system hostage.

Indonesia's religious minorities have been shaken by Ahok's imprisonment. If a popular governor, close to the President, known for dramatic improvements in public services, can be brought down and jailed on the grounds of religion, what is the future for Indonesia's ordinary Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Ahmadiyya or Shi'a Muslims, or indeed for the courageous voices of moderation among the Sunni Muslim population? In the past decade an increasing number of churches have been forced to close, Ahmadis and Shi'a have been violently attacked and displaced, and discriminatory laws have been passed. Indonesia's proud tradition of pluralism is in real peril.

This is merely a snapshot of some of the issues in South-East Asia. Meanwhile, we see China's attempt to ban Uighur Muslims from observing Ramadan, and we see Coptic Christians bombed in Egypt. We see teenagers attacked by a suicide bomber as they enjoyed a concert in Manchester, people enjoying a Saturday night out in London slaughtered, and people at a bus station in Jakarta attacked. We hear a 15 year-old Muslim school girl in Indonesia tell her best friend, a Christian, that they can no longer be friends because, in her words, "my God does not allow me to be friends with you", and we hear Buddhists in Burma preaching hatred against their Muslim neighbours. We hear of Rohingya Muslims raped, and children killed in front of their parents. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said about the Rohingyas' plight, "What kind of hatred could make a man stab a baby crying out for his mother's milk. .... The killing of people as they prayed, fished to feed their families, the brutal beating of children as young as two and an elderly woman aged 80--the perpetrators of these violations, and those who ordered them, must be held accountable."
filo via Getty Images

Was Napoleon short? Did a World War Two bomber land on the moon? Whether deliberate propaganda or innocent fun, 'fake news' has been around for some time. However, the explosion of digital content via a widening array of news sources has made it much more difficult to spot. In a world where everyone is constantly online, news can develop a life of its own before there is time to contest it and the speed at which it disseminates means that fake stories can even live on after being comprehensively disproven.

As a result, the media industry is going through a crisis of trust, with many now dubbing authentic journalism as false as a way to discredit news that is unfavourable to them. Unfortunately, the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better, as protagonists begin faking pictures and videos too. To combat this, initiatives such as Wikitribune have been launched to bring legitimacy back to the news cycle. But when did everyone become less than honest?

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The rise of the citizen journalist

While major news agencies have generally embraced the idea of reader participation, free and easy creation of content has damaged the wider industry. As consumers of news increasingly rely on alternative sources, readership of traditional outlets is drained. This means that they are often required to prioritise breaking news quickly and grasp readers' attention through 'clickbait' and sensationalist stories rather than taking the time to fact-check.

In particular, the rise of social media platforms has led to any member of the public becoming a 'journalist' so to speak. And they can say what they want, without obligation to fact-check. This lack of source visibility creates doubts over the reliability of a story. Beyond this, a social media user's 'Code Halo' (the data that accumulates around browsers through their clicks, likes and online habits) can allow these platforms to present a tailored curation of news, meaning that each user is subject to the 'echo chamber' effect and only sees stories aligned to their views.

Is Wikitribune the answer?

The Wikipedia model has proved a tremendous success since its launch in 2001, showing how effective the public can be to share and moderate facts. However, the success of its brother does not mean Wikitribune will be the remedy for the broken news cycle. Crowdfunded sites have struggled most where there is controversy and the new venture is likely to focus on stories that divide opinion. Furthermore, given that news often lives on after its falsehood has been proven, it will be difficult for Wikitribune to halt the legacy left by fake stories.

Despite the intentional differences with traditional media, Wikitribune's limited pool of journalists may prevent it from gaining popularity over mainstream outlets. The longer news curation process that this causes, combined with the speed that news value deteriorates, means that it will be difficult for Wikitribune to publish stories in a timely manner. Lastly, there is no guarantee that the evaluated stories will be visible; for example, consumers using social media as their main source of news may never find out if a story has been discredited.

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Industry leaders must take responsibility

So who else is fighting to fix the news for consumers? Although new initiatives seek to bring reliability back, it will take more of a co-ordinated effort across the news ecosystem to conquer the issue completely. With more information sources than ever, the solution will require buy-in from major technology companies that are acting like news organisations and distributing content to audiences, something particularly important given their influence and accessibility. Recently, Google and Facebook have openly taken action against fake news, by providing new reporting tools and tips for users.

However, mainstream media organisations are also entering the fray, with major outlets such as the BBC, Le Monde and The Washington Post launching their own fake news trackers. In particular, the BBC has committed to addressing these issues by working with social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram via their Reality Check initiative. While this is an encouraging move, it is important that standards are created and that publications do not contradict each other in classifying what news they deem to be 'fake'.

Fixing the news cycle

For media organisations, traditional or disruptive, navigating the rapid industry changes that have given rise to fake news is an ominous prospect. To maintain a reputation as purveyors of quality content, many are working with digital experts to combat the associated challenges. For example, news agencies are prioritising reputational intelligence and working with analytics to mitigate any doubts over their integrity. From monitoring the sentiment of social media discussion to identifying misuse of their content, embracing digital tools allows them to respond accordingly to criticism on the appropriate channel, or issue take down notices.

Beyond this, the industry is teaching consumers to counter new threats, as a way of retaining their trust. For example, companies such as Facebook are attempting to improve the digital literacy of those who consume their content. Helping readers be more aware of the provenance of information and giving them the skills to critically evaluate sources can help fix the news from the consumer perspective.
Numerous people have committed atrocities in the name of Islam recently. However to erase the misconception that all Muslims are susceptible to radicalisation, and thus hate crimes such as at Finsbury Park are fair game, the media must realise and report the true nature of this belief system.

Why did the Finsbury Park attacker, in his madness, specifically target Muslim worshippers outside a mosque? The answer may be obvious, but the lessons and implications of the answer are perhaps more nuanced. Horrific acts of terrorism have been committed by Muslims in recent years, and as such, much of the public has been left wondering whether their faith really sanctions such heinous atrocities, or whether they are a perversion of a peaceful religion.

Certain elements of the popular media, especially the right-wing, have attempted to answer this question on behalf of the population. Headlines such as 'We Need Less Islam,' 'Is ISIS actually the beating heart of Islam?', 'Muslims Tell British: Go to Hell!' and 'Muslims sympathy for Jihadists,' have dominated our front pages over the past few years, and in doing so they have presented a mindset that barbaric acts of terrorism are not simply the fault of the terrorists, but the fault of the entire belief system. Therefore, all those who follow this belief system may potentially condone such acts, and are thus worthy of suspicion, or worse. In short, these elements of the media have implicitly invited us to believe that all Muslims are guilty unless proven otherwise. Due to their power and influence, naturally some will accept this invitation, and from this mindset fear and division grows, eventually bubbling over into abuse and hate crimes.

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We are lucky to have a free and open press, but with that freedom comes responsibility. To make generalised assertions about an entire religion without having properly studied is dishonest, and even dangerous. If the Finsbury Park attacker had known that Islam commands its followers to protect all places of worship and to respect all other belief systems and ways of life, then perhaps he would have thought again before attempting to murder Muslims.

If he had known that serving humanity is not just recommended in Islam, but literally considered a form of worship to a merciful and beneficent God, then maybe the hatred in his heart would not have been so great. If he had known that the concept of Jihad in Islam entails not the slaughter of innocent people, but the personal purification of one's inner thoughts and desires, then perhaps he would not have considered the entire Muslim population guilty for the acts of a few. Of course some men can't be reasoned with, but the fact remains that defining Islam only by the invalid interpretation of terrorists hinders the achieving of social cohesion and harmony, and provides the breeding ground for Islamophobic attacks to occur.
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I woke up feeling alone, a stranger in my own country for the first time on 24 June last year having learned the UK would be leaving the EU. I am the son of a Czech refugee, Jewish and gay; a minority within a minority within a minority. Even though I am British and was born in London I suddenly felt like an outsider. I felt forcibly cut off from the roots I had always been proud of. Being European is also part of my identity and I felt robbed of it. Yet even these feelings, felt from the safety of my own home, are a luxury. The LGTBQ refugees I now support are not so lucky.

I first arrived in Athens the following August to investigate the need for a support group for LGBTQ refugees. I have nearly 15 years of experience of working with homeless people in East London and hoped I could put this to use for asylum seekers and other volunteers. A friend Sumita who I know from this put me in touch with Marina of the NGO called Zaatar, who was already working with a couple of LGBTQ refugees.

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Being gay in a country where it's illegal or culturally unacceptable often means living a life in the shadows, hiding out of fear from family, friends, employers and the authorities. Many people don't even realise they can claim asylum due to sexuality and prejudiced or ignorant lawyers often fail to inform them. Sometimes, people don't even know they've arrived in a country where it's legal to identify as LGBTQ.

I knew this already, but Greece still wasn't what I expected. Few aid workers appreciated this and not a lot was being done to offer any kind of support for the particular needs of LGBTQ refugees. I was astounded by the number of times aid workers who would tell me: "we don't have any LGBTQ refugees here, we'd know," and never had an answer when I asked them how they'd know.

If I thought my newfound feelings of marginalisation were bad, here was another minority within a minority within a minority, in a much worse predicament than me. Not only had they been through what my father had been through fleeing persecution and war, losing everything, being cut off from their family, friends and roots, they were also LGBTQ.

Those who had come out in their home countries - something which required immense courage -still bore the scars of the trauma that followed: enduring or living in fear of arrest, beatings, murder, assassination by extremist groups, ostracism, conscription, physical abuse and forced marriages. Being in a country where homosexuality was legal couldn't erase those horrors overnight. Those who hadn't come out faced that terrifying, excruciating process, alone, scared and in a foreign country. To make matters worse they still lived at risk of assault and abuse in the camps. Little to nothing was in place to protect them and they had no one to turn to.

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I know how my father and his family suffered, how difficult it is to come out, how important your roots are and how it feels to have them torn away from you. I know what it's like to be part of a minority and how much refugees contribute to society (it was 17th Century Portuguese Jews who brought fish and chips to the UK after all). Those refugees needed and deserved dignity. Marina and I were determined to do something to help.

That's how ATLAS was born (Aid To LGBTQ Asylum-Seekers). We run a multilingual helpline for personal safety issues, access to counselling and legal, medical and accommodation advice which has fielded 214 interactions so far and support for refugees from 17 nationalities across 7 countries. To reach as many people as possible, we're even on Grindr. (Yes, refugees use Grindr too.) We work mostly in Greece, where we are also establishing an education and sensitisation program for NGO workers, volunteers and the wider refugee population in the hope we can help create spaces where people feel confident and safe enough to come out and come forward for support.

We are a one-stop shop. If we can't help, we find someone who can. We have built a comprehensive database of LGBTQ specialist and friendly service providers that we can call on and refer on to. From the first contact we act as the liaison for whatever help people need. We pre-empt, we monitor, we don't accept no for an answer and we help at every stage of their asylum process. Above all, we are there to listen. You'd be surprised how much that means to people. Sometimes, it's the difference between life and death.

So far, all of this has been possible with about 100 and plenty of goodwill. But if we can raise enough money we'd like to reach out to the camps of mainland Greece and islands like Lesvos and Samos and provide emergency accommodation for people in immediate danger. Since we became operational, the horrifying evidence of physical and sexual abuse that's emerged from some of the camps left us in no doubt that there are lives to be saved in doing this work.

Around this, the anniversary of the Brexit referendum, we also remember the legacy of Jo Cox, celebrated jointly by Refugee Week and the Great Get Together in celebration of her belief that we have more in common than what divides us. Really all that divides us is a little burgundy book with the words European Union embossed on the front. I know that now, too.

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If you would like to support our work and find out more details about what we do and how we do it, join us on facebook, check out our fundraising page or email us at help@atla-s.org

Dan Steiner is co-founder of ATLAS (Aid To LGBTQ Asylum-Seekers), and an independent humanitarian and activist

Dan is writing as part of Refugee Week (19-25 June), the UK's largest festival celebrating the contribution of refugees to our society. Hundreds of arts, cultural and educational events will be held nationwide in renowned venues, public squares, libraries, schools and places of worship to celebrate our shared future
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Three engineers visit a school to talk about their careers: two men and a woman. One is a burly Yorkshireman, the other is a tall Southerner and the third is a short, blonde woman from the Midlands.

They explain they all work for the same engineering company, and as a warm-up exercise ask the children what areas they thought they worked in.

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The Yorkshireman steps forward and the kids correctly screamed "submarines!"

The Southerner then challenged the students to guess what business unit he worked in - they were a little more unsure but finally they ventured a guess that he built aeroplanes. And they were right.

Finally, the small, blonde woman steps forward, reminding the kids that given she work in the same industry as the two men before.

Without hesitation, they enthusiastically and confidently shouted: "A dancer!"

If you are thinking that the punchline is a little weak, it might be because this isn't a joke. This very scenario happened to me when visiting a primary school to talk about careers in engineering with two of my male colleagues.

While dancing is a fantastic career in its own right, it's safe to assume that most multi-national engineering companies don't tend to have an official Flamenco department.

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However, this reaction got me thinking about how at such a young age these children had arrived at the conclusion that men were engineers and women were not. Put simply: they perceived that there were careers suitable for men and careers suitable for women.

Perhaps I've had a slightly unusual experience when it came to perceptions of women in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and maths): I had always enjoyed science, my mum was a maths teacher, all my friends at university had gone into scientific careers. Throughout my life I had been surrounded by women who loved STEM subjects and had never felt that it "wasn't for them".

Searching for answers, I did what any self-respecting engineer with a Physics degree would do: I Googled it.

When I typed in "engineers", by and large, I was greeted by a sea of images of men wearing yellow hard hats. It occurred to me that for a 14-year-old girl, deciding on GCSE subjects and Googling what careers paths might be open to her, these images may be her first introduction to engineering. Not exactly an inviting first impression for a young woman.

It seems appropriate on Women in Engineering Day to ask how can we create a welcoming space to encourage women into STEM careers?

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I decided there were three options. First off - you could do nothing in the hope that the gender gap in engineering will eventually even out in a few decades. A slow approach to making a change, with no guaranteed results.

Then there is positive discrimination or having a quota of women that companies must employ. With all credit to this option, you would get immediate results. However, I'm not sure how successful this strategy would be in the long term. Imagine feeling like you only got your job because of a diversity programme. How would this affect your confidence in your role? Would male colleagues think less of you because you had a helping hand up the ladder? Let's be realistic: some might.

The third option is something I am passionate about - creating positive role models of women working in STEM careers. I've been lucky to work with some fantastic teams of both men and women during my career so far - and I'm passionate about talking about my experiences and hopefully challenging some of the biases (unconscious or otherwise) that exist out there in the public consciousness.

Certain engineering companies (like my employer) and the likes of the RAF and Royal Navy look to outreach to school children from a young age to try and challenge those opinions before they can be formed. I work as a STEM Ambassador - visiting local schools to show girls and boys first-hand what a career in engineering really looks like.

From a business perspective, the benefits of this are twofold. If you have a diverse workplace, you can pull upon a wealth of experiences and backgrounds, and ultimately create better products for your customers.

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Additionally, in the UK there is a shortfall of engineers. Engineering UK predicts that between 2012 and 2022 there will be demand for 1.82 million engineers, and we need more visible examples of female engineer role models to inspire both genders to consider this fascinating and rewarding career path as an option.
Kevin Coombs / Reuters

We stood in the entrance hall to Grenfell Tower and knew it was an accident waiting to happen.

Electric wiring open to the elements, broken fire extinguishers, insecure fire doors, lifts out of order, a lack of lighting that made crime more likely. Angry, exasperated and bewildered residents pleaded with me - me! - to help them do something about it because they knew that things were on a knife-edge unless more funds weren't spent on health and safety.

That was 27 years ago. And these past few days, after the horrific fire that killed still-unknown scores in Grenfell, I've been thinking about that meeting and many others - with residents' groups, local politicians, Kensington and Chelsea Council housing officials and police officers. Instead of the blackened skeleton that scars West London, in my mind's eye I can picture perfectly the proud concrete pillar that, as a local reporter on and then editor of the local Kensington newspaper, was the focal point of so many stories we would write.

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Not just that it was a fire hazard and that the concerns of local politicians and their constituents were being ignored. But stories of the small community fetes, the first generation immigrant whose four As at A-level propelled them into a top university, the cake-baking children who were trying to raise funds to buy new outfits for that year's Notting Hill Carnival.

I had forgotten about those stories until this week. And I had forgotten about my first week on the Kensington News, when the then leader of the borough's Labour group, Rima Horton walked me round the area and conspiratorially said: 'You can make a real difference here. A story in the local paper, getting their picture in somewhere, won't just lift them, it will give them fuel to fight for what's right.'

Somewhere in the bowels of a newspaper library, my byline will be above all manner of stories about Kensington and Notting Hill. I suspect there will have been one or two about the dangers posed to residents of Grenfell Tower. Amid the howls of rage, these stories - not necessarily about Grenfell - will have included bland statements from the council, the then housing chief Nicholas Pagett-Brown and his memorable colleague Merrick Cockell.

Cockell went on to become leader of K&C council and vigorously pursued efficiency policies that ensured local residents paid the lowest council tax in the country. It was an extraordinary boast for those of us who could see how much help deprived parts of the borough required and how much tax would need to be raised to improve housing, education and security for all those who weren't among the property-owning middle classes.

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Sir Merrick was recently knighted for services to local government and has been a close adviser to London Mayors Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan. Pagett-Brown is now his successor as council leader and a man who is rightly being targeted for leading an appalling response to the Grenfell disaster.

I used to interview them and their colleagues daily, shadowed them in council meetings, analysed their proposals and put concerns of residents directly to them. I wasn't just a reporter. I was a conduit, a campaigner-by-proxy, an accidental member of a fractious, neglected and welcoming community that I knew nothing about until I landed that cub reporter job.

My subsequent newspaper career was spent working on most national newspapers but no job was as meaningful and important to me as that one. The intensity of the relationship between local reporter and subject is unequaled in journalism.

We talk about community and religious leaders as being the lifeblood of neighbourhoods but we forget that local newspapers are too. There are an essential ingredient in the fabric of society, a cornerstone of democracy. Or were. Recent research suggest that up to 80% of UK local newspaper journalism jobs have gone since 2006, and almost 200 titles have closed in the past decade.

Yet all news is local, or at least it starts off that way. Inquests, crimes, court stories, tales of derring-do and extraordinary sacrifice, business and political scandals, campaigns to improve lives. Local papers have always held people in power to account while understanding on an intimate level the pulse of a community. Meeting people daily, listening to their tales of woe (some admittedly far-fetched) and forever trying to look at not just the 'what' of a story but the why, how and who.

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Because 20-odd years ago, local newspapers mattered. They had access to people, information and events that made genuinely important stories. It was why door-stopper council agendas sent in the post were among the most important documents local reporters received. We pored over every single one of them to find potentially interesting leads. Such as committee debates about whether or not to use flammable cladding in tower block renovation works and the suspect backgrounds of companies chosen to carry out those works.

Those stories rarely make it into the public consciousness unless an enthusiastic local reporter, seeking the thrill of bylined fame and fuelled by the hopeful expectations of a local community desperate for their voices to be heard, takes it upon him or herself to get it out there.

I don't know whether a vibrant local newspaper staffed by idealistic young journalists would have prevented the catastrophe all of London has been indelibly scarred by. But it could have. The warning signs were there and the pleas of residents' groups are plentiful, especially online.

We are rightly in awe of our digitised media because of its awesome speed and power - to expose wrongdoings, hold people to account and mobilise people to take action. But these things nearly always occur after the event and their immense impact is often momentary, rather than significant. Plus, the veracity of much that we see, especially on social media channels, is highly debatable and, thus, counter-effective.

I know the days of powerful local newspapers are over but the stories they typically once covered are more plentiful than ever, especially in cities where decisions - not scrutinised - are being taken every day that affect the lives of residents. Local newspapers and their websites are still making valiant efforts to report community stories but staffing levels mean that there's little time for patient, revelatory journalism.

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I think I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to creating your own personalised bubble both online and in life. Decorating your daily life with positivity, freedom and openness makes for a happier space to flourish in. Ignorance is bliss which is why I don't shy away from tough topics, keep in the loop on current affairs and I'm increasingly forcing myself to challenge and fight back certain narratives that slip into my bubble be it on the internet or in the real world.

I've just watched 'Murdered for Being Different' a factual drama looking at the death of 20 year-old Sophie Lancaster who was kicked to death in a park by a gang of kids she didn't know as she was trying to protect her boyfriend Robert Maltby. The pair were randomly attack for simply dressing as Goths. It was a heartbreaking watch. Whilst this vile hate crime took place ten years ago, what shocked me most was the statistic which was included at the end of the film, that in 2016 there was almost 70,000 reported hate crimes in the UK alone. The highest figure since records began.

This made me question deeply the direction the UK is going in. In recent years the political landscape has been shaken up massively. In the year that the UK voted the leave the EU, Donald Trump was also elected president of the United States - this country has rejected his rhetoric so strongly that it's widely reported doesn't want to set a date for his state visit in fear of facing huge protests. In contrast, following the EU referendum result there was a surge in reported hate crime. It just doesn't add up.

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We have seen so much progress on many issues before and during my lifetime. In my quarter of a century on this planet, I've watched the first black president of the United States serve two terms, I've watched same-sex marriage legalised here in the UK and I've just seen the most diverse parliament in British history be elected. Life seems so much more free, accepting and open in so many ways on so many topics from disability to LGBTQ+ and mental health to religion. So why does it seem like the threat to that progress and our freedom to be ourselves be under increasing threat?

I don't have the answer. It's a mind blowing situation. What I do know is that this is the United Kingdom and here we often celebrate difference, being different is beautiful, it makes the world an exciting and interesting place to inhabit. We can dress the way we want, go to an American rock show, eat Japanese food and then go for a pint. We have the right to be ourselves and we will exercise that right in the face of any threat be it terrorism or hate crime. I speak as someone who dresses pretty uniquely, has dyed hair, listens to everything from metal to hip hop, is battling a mental illness, is disabled and is a vegetarian.
Kamil Krzaczynski / Reuters

Over the past four years, our government has spent 3m to help women in developing countries access safe abortion services, stating that "women and adolescent girls must have the right to make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and well-being, and be able to choose whether, when and how many children to have." We couldn't agree more. But it begs the question: why won't our government extend the same rights to women from Northern Ireland?

Currently, abortion is banned in all but the most severe of circumstances. And just last year the Northern Ireland Assembly - of which the DUP are the largest party - voted against allowing abortion in cases of rape and fatal fetal anomaly, where the baby has no chance of life outside the womb.

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As a result, every year hundreds of women from Northern Ireland are forced to travel to England to end a pregnancy they feel unable to continue. And on top of the anxiety and hardship caused by having to fly to another country, often on their own, leaving behind their partners and friends in order to seek a (sadly still) heavily stigmatised medical procedure, these women must not only finance their travel - but also their abortion.

These are UK citizens, paying UK taxes, yet denied the NHS-funded abortion care that is provided for women in every other part of this country. This is deeply unjust - and it's time for the government to act.

Today, a cross-party amendment to the Queen's Speech, lead by the brilliant Stella Creasy MP, has been tabled that, if passed, would end the current ban on NHS-funded abortion care for NI women.

This would be a small change to our government that would make a huge difference to Northern Irish women. It would have cost the government just 350,500 to fund abortion care for the women who travelled to England for abortion care in 2016.

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Indeed, the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, in defending his policy during a Supreme Court case brought by a young NI woman and her mother who travelled to England for abortion care, made it clear that the ban is not due to financial considerations. Instead, the current policy is out of "respect" for the democratic decisions of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Northern Irish women are UK citizens, and we are leaving them in the most desperate of situations - selling their children's Christmas toys, resorting to payday lenders, to finance a medical procedure that is fully-funded for residents in every other part of the UK, due to politics. This isn't good enough.
3million campaign

A year ago my adopted home country decided to leave the European Union. I woke up in the morning and saw my world turned upside down in a way only the fall of the Berlin Wall had done previously. This time an invisible wall was being erected and I was trapped on the wrong side of it. The European Dream was not welcome in Britain anymore - and with it the many European citizens who had embraced life here.

A wave of grief submerged me, soon followed by a sense of betrayal and anger when the anticipated assurances by the new government did not materialise. Instead, the venom of the Leave campaign had seeped into the language of the ruling elite. There was talk of companies having to list foreign workers, "citizens of nowhere" who would be tolerated until Britain could replace them with a native workforce. I turned anger into activism and co-founded the3million to fight for the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.

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Now Theresa May has made a "fair and serious" offer, quickly downgraded from "generous." It is neither of those things. This offer wants to grant those lawfully in the country "settled status", enshrined in UK law. This means that any UK parliament can rescind our rights just by changing the law - is this really effective protection for over three million people? A third of whom do not qualify to be "lawful" under current Home Office rules.

It would be unacceptable to put EU citizens in the UK simply under UK immigration law, which has been called 'Byzantine' by the House of Lords, and is constantly changing. The proposal is vague on this and provides no details on what rights it wants to take away from EU citizens in the UK. In turn, this will affect British citizens living in the EU whose rights are equally at risk.

The outline deal falls woefully short of the comprehensive, reciprocal offer by the EU that includes lifetime guarantees of all existing rights for both groups of citizens. This also means a supranational court to safeguard these rights.

The government has kept us guessing for a year. It has kept employers and landlords guessing too who are wondering whether EU citizens are too risky to employ or house. Lives are on hold. People have lost faith in the government after many u-turns by politicians who promised our lives wouldn't be affected by the referendum outcome.

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A year on from that fateful day millions of people are swept up in an avalanche that was kicked loose by a few highly irresponsible politicians. Some of their moving stories have just been published in a beautiful, must-read, not-for-profit book called In Limbo: Brexit testimonies from EU citizens in the UK.

I believe more than ever that nationalism has not future in Europe and the turmoil in Britain is testament to this. I feel cautiously optimistic that the current deep crisis is the beginning of a new European movement in Britain.
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Tuesday's reports that more than 120 people are feared drowned after a boat sank off the Libyan coast is a stark reminder of the global refugee crisis. A stark reminder that every day people in their tens of thousands are risking their lives in search of safety. Taking these steps because embarking on a perilous journey to a place they have never been to before, often alone with loved ones left behind, with nothing on them but the clothes they are wearing actually holds more hope than staying where they are.

You would be forgiven for not always having this stark truth at the front of your mind. What with the general election; speculation about the relationship between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party; Brexit; pensions and social care; several extreme acts of terrorism, not to mention the tragedy at Grenfell Tower firmly dominating the headlines, there is rather a lot else going on to think about.

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But make no mistake, the refugee crisis is going nowhere. In fact it is only getting more troubling, more deadly. The International Organisation for Migration estimates that nearly two thousand people lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2017. This came just a day before the UNHCR reported that 20 people were forced into displacement every single minute of 2016 and that the number of refugees worldwide has soared to a record high of 65.6 million - 300,000 more than it was the year before. Over half of these are children.

It was therefore welcome news that the proposed legislation and policies for the next session of parliament as set out in Wednesday's Queen's Speech included a new Immigration Bill and a new Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill. These present real opportunities to improve the lives of refugees - and we so hope the government grabs them with both hands.

The forthcoming Immigration Bill is a chance for the UK to expand existing safe and legal routes to refugee protection in the UK, and to create new ones. This would reduce the need for people fleeing war and persecution to turn to smugglers and risk their lives while trying to reach safety. We hope the government decides to take this opportunity.

There is also scope for this legislation to change that relate to refugee family reunion: To expand the definition of "family"so that, for example, elderly parents and children who have already turned 18 can too be granted permission to be reunited with family members, and to give lone refugee children the chance to reunite with their family in safety here. This important issue is the key focus of the Refugee Council's latest campaign. This could be coupled with an expansion of the UK's resettlement schemes beyond 2020, to give more people the chance to build new lives here. Once again, we implore the government to take this opportunity.

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Just before parliament rose before the general election, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees published the report of their Refugees welcome? Inquiry. The report highlighted the problems that newly recognised refugees face in the period after they have been granted status - issues the Refugee Council has been campaigning on for many years. What better time for the government to put these changes in place - changes that could prevent refugees becoming homeless and destitute - than now?

Here at the Refugee Council we support refugee women who have experienced terrible violence - violence before they left their country of origin, while on their journeys to safety and also once they have reached the UK. The way that the asylum support system currently operates makes it very difficult for women seeking asylum who are experiencing domestic violence to escape their abusers. Introducing a new Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill, which aims to protect victims of domestic violence and abuse, is a chance to put this right by recognising the specific issues faced by women in the asylum process and enforcing measures to help them. Once again - let's hope the government sees sense and puts a right to these wrongs.
You're used to hearing dramatic stories about the journey of Syrian refugees to Europe but I was one of the lucky ones. So we wouldn't have to, my father had already made that dangerous journey for our family 15 months earlier. We got a family reunion visa so I flew from Damascus via Turkey to Birmingham on 27 April 2015 to be reunited with him. For me, landing in the UK was just the beginning of the journey that would change me forever.

With a visa on my passport and a dream in my mind, my expectations were high. We'd been through a lot because of the conflict, and sitting on the plane I thought I was flying towards a secure, welcoming environment where where I could go back to school and life could go back to normal. But I didn't feel welcome at first. I was working hard to improve my English but everything else was different, too. We had no idea where to start enrolling me in school or what these GCSEs being taken by other kids my age even were. I was rejected by the first school I applied for, then the second, third and forth rejected me too. I felt like my dream was being taken away from me, one piece at a time.

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With no friends and no school place, as the rest of my family seemed to be moving on I became very isolated from the outside world. My education had always been important to me. As a young girl I always knew it was my ticket to independence and those rejections left me feeling hopeless. Four months went by that way.

Then one day my uncle told me that the Children's Society were hosting an Eid event to celebrate the end of Ramadan at a local youth club. I was invited me to give a small speech and to my surprise I discovered that I wanted to do it. It had been a while since I'd wanted to do anything. The speech was about 'the testimonies', an important part of the Islamic faith. It was something I believed in, so even though my English was bad, I didn't want to let that stop me. This was my chance to get out of my room and meet people. I practised it over and over again all week, willing it to be perfect. Standing up to speak was terrifying but everyone clapped and that was when the world started changing again.

One of the people who came to congratulate me afterwards was from the Children's Society. She asked me if I wanted to volunteer to get involved with their work and receive training as a speaker. Now I knew that profound feeling of being unimportant, ignored and unwanted in a strange place. The joy of escaping and dreaming and the pain of being dragged back to zero when you have no strength left to take another step. This was my chance to do something worthwhile again, to raise awareness about the barriers facing young refugees like me; to be a voice that people could hear for all the refugees that are struggling to speak for themselves. My training and volunteer experience changed me. Before, I was voiceless and had lost all confidence in myself and others. But their support has made me happy and confident talking to anyone. I listen more, too and that pushes me to challenge myself and develop new ways of connecting with other. I'll never leave the Children's Society after all they did for me in the dark times. Volunteering for them feeds my soul and brings me pride in myself.

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All this was possible because I have faith in my message: that refugees are given the support we need to hope for the future, we can contribute to British society. I trust the people of this country so I'm not afraid to campaign and I believe that when enough people understand us, understand the difficulties we face, things will change for the better. And for those who have lost faith, I study hard and campaign to prove that we are worthy of a chance at a better life. For me, hope is everything. It gets me through each day, trying to see the fortunate in the unfortunate. Yes, I had to flee my home, leave everything from my old life behind and start again. But when I found hope it gave me the chance to live again, a life I can be proud of and a chance to be part of showing there is still peace and love in this world. I couldn't ask for more than that.

I will carry on being ambitious. I have secured a place at Brunel University to study Aviation Engineering with Pilot Studies and my dream is to become a pilot one day. I also want to keep campaigning and learning and meeting new people. I've even met Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge in May when I was given the Princess Diana Award. Who would have thought a teenage girl who came here with just a few words of English would have achieved all that? I certainly wouldn't.

Maya shares her story as part of Refugee Week (19-25 June), the UK's largest festival celebrating the contribution of refugees to our society. Hundreds of arts, cultural and educational events will be held nationwide in renowned venues, public squares, libraries, schools and places of worship to celebrate our shared future
Terrorism sows fear across all communities. Here in Tower Hamlets in East London, where we have the biggest Muslim population of any London borough, people of all faiths and also of none are equally afraid of the possibility of future attacks. But also, we are determined that we will all go about our business as usual and not be cowed by a handful of fanatics who have the temerity to claim Islam as their religion. We have a history of good community relations here in our borough and I have personally worked with the police over many years as we continue to make Tower Hamlets a safer, better place to live.

When London was burning in youth riots in 2011, Tower Hamlets remained calm and trouble free because of our careful planning, investment in services, locally visible leadership and excellent community and police relations ensuring our young people understood the right from wrong.

There's no magic money tree or a quick fix but it's about priorities and leadership, when I was the Cabinet Member responsible for community safety, partnerships and policing in Tower Hamlets, we demonstrated how it was possible to achieve results despite terrible austerity cuts because we put our residents and their safety first.

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In 2013, Tower Hamlets Council was committed to tackling crime, with local partnership working, when we undertook the Operation Carbon - largest operation of its kind by Metropolitan Police and Tower Hamlets Council targeting burglary, robbery, theft and drugs crimes across the East London which could lead to more dangerous crimes and be used to fund extreme activities and crimes - with the police making a real difference for local people.

In 2014, an independent survey showed that 81% of local respondents in London Borough of Tower Hamlets believe the 'local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together' - the highest figure since the survey began in 1998. We also received a special London Councils award for our challenging but rewarding work that focused on three difficult topics - preventing violent extremism, homophobic hate crime and the arrival of new communities into the area, with mutually respectable integration.

This was not an accident, all this was achieved because we made our mission to work together with our local police at the local authority level by investing jointly and by creating an environment that enhanced the ability of our local community orientated police to keep our residents safe, gather proactive intelligence about crime and other illegal activities together with a message of reassurance through joined up working with our local community and stakeholders. Our visible and innovative initiatives such as regular public safety walkabouts, backed up by an excellent CCTV network to catch criminals and mobile police surgeries were the key drivers for our success underpinned by relentless focus by the local community, political and police leadership.

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The decision taken by the directly elected Mayor John Biggs locally in Tower Hamlets to cut 34 local partnership police officers funded by the Council is not only absurd but counter-productive and must be reversed. This goes against all of the advice and the warnings we are rightly hearing from the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan and the Police Federation. Community police are at the front-line. They work with local people, building up trust and confidence. These cuts are being made at a time of increased threat by a lone wolf or copy-cat attackers and where having local intelligence is absolutely vital.

But we also now know that nationally there has been a 20% cut in the police budget, with 20,000 fewer police officers since 2010. 2.3 billion has been taken away from the police budget in last 5 years alone. The Government's latest Police funding formula is insufficient and misguided - as it will only move money between rural and urban police forces - which completely misses the point. This, along with 600 fewer firefighters, with 10 less fire stations in London alone, makes a truly depressing state of affairs.

In addition, many thousands of support staff were removed, with 1000 fewer specialist firearms police officers compared to 2010.

Specialist Firearms Officers are being forced to work longer shifts and working on their day off which raises a question whether it is effective or a sensible way to handle the safety of the public as well as the welfare of police officers who have to make life and death decisions.

Our excellent police and emergency services are rightly praised for their bravery and professionalism in crises and emergencies but what they also deserve a dignity of fully funded service without a systematic assault on their living standards, budgets and wellbeing.

The Prime Minister still hasn't woken up to the fact that the cuts in police numbers she presided over while Home Secretary were ultimately her responsibility and that all of these cuts filter back down to street level. Some cuts have been resisted in some places better than others, although unfortunately not in our borough. Instead she has tried to deflect blame by claiming that not enough is being done in our communities to tackle extremism, despite not having any evidence for her claims.

I challenge the Prime Minister to come to Tower Hamlets and I will happily introduce her to our communities and let her come to appreciate the excellent relations we have with the police.
Dan Kitwood via Getty Images

When Theresa May called the general election in April, the Government's flagship Prisons and Courts bill met its end. The then Justice Secretary, Liz Truss, had heralded her plans as the biggest overhaul of prisons in a generation. Conservative cuts have created a crisis in our prisons - violence is spiralling and prisons are overcrowded and awash with drugs. The Conservatives' decision to hold a General Election for (attempted) narrow Party political gain meant that for nearly two months the prisons crisis was left unchecked. Accepted wisdom said that the Queen's Speech on Wednesday would announce that the Bill would be reintroduced in its entirety. Yet when David Lidington, in his role as Lord Chancellor, stepped forward to hand the Queen the speech the Government had written, all his finery and fancy dress could not disguise the complete absence of any measures aimed to tackle the prison crisis.

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Within minutes of the speech concluding, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke issued a statement criticising the Government's inaction. He said: "This is a missed opportunity to forge ahead with prison reform. The law would have required the government to respond to our findings. We will continue to report the harsh reality of what we find in our prisons - all too many of which are dangerous for prisoners and staff alike and are failing in their duty to rehabilitate and reform prisoners". This is a huge embarrassment for the Government. I met with Mr Clarke after the Bill was published and he is serious and committed to doing his bit to sort out the crisis. If only the Government was as determined.

His words take on an extra resonance given in the last two weeks his inspectorate published damning reports on the state of Lincoln, Brixton and Pentonville prisons. In my view, the assessment of Brixton prison in particular encapsulates everything that is wrong in our prisons. The inspectors found rising violence, drugs freely available, understaffing and overcrowding. And this week a joint report by the prison and probation inspectorate found that the support being given to newly released prisoners may as well not exist for all the good it is doing.

In response to Peter Clarke's criticism, the Ministry of Justice quickly rushed out an 'open letter' on behalf of Justice Secretary David Lidington. In it, he set out measures the Government has already taken to try and fix this mess of its own making. But none of it is new and many believe it's not making a difference. Prison officers are demoralised and the Ministry's attempts to recruit and retain more of them isn't working. So something needs to be urgently done to improve their conditions and their pay. Prison Officers I meet are keen for more responsibility and are eager to take a greater role in rehabilitation. Labour in government will end the public sector pay gap. Liz Truss was keener on taking prison officers to court than listening to their concerns. David Lidington needs to urgently reset that damaging approach.

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Peter Clarke is right: this is a missed opportunity. The Conservative cuts agenda has caused this crisis. Today there are over 6,000 fewer prison officers than there were in 2010. That's a cut of a third. We need some admission from Lidington that he understands the roots of his Government's prisons crisis. Cuts have consequences. At present, we have no reason to believe that Lidington grasps the scale of the challenge or has any plans at all to turn things around. But perhaps that is the most revealing part of this Queen's Speech: we have a Prime Minister who has lost her majority and her authority, attempting to lead a Government with no plan. The Conservatives have run out of ideas across the piste - and prisons is no exception. Labour is a Government in waiting - ready to lead and to take decisive action to end the prisons crisis.
Scott Morgan / Reuters

Back in January, I wrote a blog post discussing why President Donald Trump should not have the honour of addressing the Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall, where we have hosted the likes of Nelson Mandela and where our own Winston Churchill lay in state. Judging by the visit's conspicuous absence from the Queen's Speech this week, his State Visit now appears to have been scrapped.

Since January, President Trump has re-affirmed my belief that not only should he be prevented from addressing Parliament in Westminster Hall, but the entire charade of a Trump State Visit should be scrapped. Indeed, over 1.8 million petition signatories on the Parliamentary Petitions website agreed.

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Trump's history of denigrating women, advocating torture, demonising people because of their faith, and generally having no concern for the welfare of anyone outside of his inner circle was well known. Yet in the past months, he has continued to appall.

By pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement early this month, Trump has shown his utter disregard for science and the wellbeing of millions globally and the planet.

Just last week, six members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS quit because the President allegedly "simply does not care". The complete lack of empathy and consideration of anything that is not squarely in his own self interest reflects the exact opposite type of person that we should want to invite to our sacred halls.

Trump has not only indirectly endangered millions through his selfish policy decisions - he directly exploited a horrific act of terror to attack the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, within mere hours of the terrible violence that left seven dead and dozens more wounded. Trump's comments were disrespectful and deeply wrong.

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I have only the utmost respect for the United States of America. I have been lucky enough to visit more than half of the 50 states and meet wonderful people from coast to coast. But this President does not represent the values of, or deserve the same kind of respect I have for, those generous, optimistic, and caring Americans.

We should of course recognise the reality of his presidency and work together professionally whether in meetings, visits, or other international discussions. We clearly can not and should not ban him from the United Kingdom altogether. That is simply impractical and not a desirable situation with a country that is one of our most significant allies and friends.

But, Trump has demonstrated through his actions in recent months that he is not worthy of an official State Visit. Theresa May's judgement in even offering the visit in the first instance was totally wrong; and it is right that it is now scrapped.
Ben Birchall/PA Wire

As a man entering his middle-years, if not with dignity, then certainly with a fuller, more rotund figure - it takes rather a lot to make me fall out of my chair. And yet, perusing the news online earlier this month, and happening across the story that Jeremy Corbyn has appointed Owen Smith as shadow Northern Ireland secretary - I went toppling from my seat much in the way of a giant redwood felled in the middle of the Canadian forest.

You remember Owen Smith right? Yes, that Owen Smith. The Owen Smith who resigned from the shadow cabinet in 2016 alongside a host of other MPs who were trying to sabotage Corbyn's leadership by provoking a coup to force him from power. The same guy who worked as a corporate lobbyist for Pfizer and yet underwent a 'damascene' conversion to Corbyn's politics of anti-austerity. You know - round about the time he challenged Corbyn for the leadership, and wanted to cleave off a good slice of Corbyn's electoral base for himself. Yeah that's the one - the man the press dubbed as 'oily Smith' because he was so well known for telling people what he thought they wanted to hear.

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Now some people have justified Smith's appointment on the grounds that a crafty Corbyn has positioned one of the more significant 'rebels' in a political situation which is beyond Smith's powers to deal with, and will very likely explode in his face. 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer', say Labour aficionados with gleeful, furtive whispers. Smith has been handed 'a poisoned chalice', so the line goes. But consider the implications of this if you will. It means that Corbyn has knowingly promoted Smith to the post of shadow Northern Ireland secretary - merely as a way of neutralising a political enemy. Were it true, this would be Machiavellian in the extreme on Corbyn's part - and also do a great disservice to the population of Northern Ireland itself.

Nothing in Corbyn's political-make up convinces me of this, however. I think Corbyn is someone with a good deal of integrity. I think he believes in second chances, likes to look upon Labour as a 'family' and wants to 'unite' the party. I imagine, given his recent electoral success, he feels that a calm, reasoned and rational approach will pay off in the end. The Labour leader believes Smith is an astute politician who will use the experience he had as an advisor to the Northern Ireland secretary during the Blair years to do a good job. That is why Corbyn is holding out this olive branch.

But he is making a grave mistake. The Labour Party is not a family but an institution which is gripped by the most irreconcilable class forces, especially in the recent period. The majority of the MPs at the top are locked in a visceral hate of Corbyn and the more radical policies he pursues - not because they haven't been sufficiently exposed to rational, gentle arguments about 'unity' - but because they loathe his anti-austerity politique in their very bones as it threatens to empower and give a voice to the millions at the bottom. The very group of people whose lives seem so alien to the interests and aspirations of themselves.

Now I am sure that Owen Smith and the other plotters are not in any kind of position to challenge Corbyn in the near future. After his stratospheric election success, they are - quite simply - in tatters. But we can expect them to shift tactics. In the next period, they will no longer seek to oust Corbyn but instead try to co-opt him and his supporters in the shadow cabinet to their ideological vision. The closer he gets to power, the more they will whisper in his ear how - in the interests of 'unity', in the interests of that devoted labour 'family' - he could do well by watering down his policies, just here or there...of course. Indeed this process has already started - Labour have backtracked over the decision to axe the benefits freeze.

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There is one thing which can militate against that over and again. All of us. We can keep clamouring for the Labour leadership to remain as radical as possible, to stay responsive to the needs and interests of the movement from below - because the Labour leadership itself continues to be a contested terrain. And that means fighting to get as many people who represent genuine anti-austerity into positions of power. Obviously the election result of June 8th was a euphoric moment for many - including this writer - and people want to feel that Corbyn will go from strength to strength.
Perhaps I wouldn't have written this blog had the circumstances been different. Last week was the second anniversary of my mother's passing and Sunday was Father's Day. Even though it's also two years on, I'm still coming to terms with my father's death and the discoveries I made about him after he died. So when an old school friend posted a photo of Goodmayes Hospital in a Facebook group, I mentioned that I had been there for treatment. When prompted, I admitted that I had tried to commit suicide at the age of 18.

This is not common knowledge - my wife is one of the few people who know the truth about this - but if revisiting this event will help someone else then this blog has a good reason.

I have made mention in various other blogs of my childhood - it wasn't a happy one. My frustrated father was physically abusive; my controlling mother, psychologically so. By the time I could have had a relationship with my older brother, he had left home. I spent some years being bullied at school on a daily basis. The result was an awkward youth with few social skills - I certainly didn't know how to make friends or retain the few I had. That came much later. I was also prone to dark moods and outbursts of uncontrollable temper that continued until three years ago when I finally sought professional help.

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I didn't start going to a youth club until I was 16 and a year later I had my first real girlfriend. Eight months on when her younger brother had his bar mitzvah in June 1974, I was invited. What happened that evening is somewhat sketchy but a black mood came over me and I went home early.

To understand what happened next, you have to try to put yourself in my shoes. I had few friends and I had just been a major source of embarrassment to my first girlfriend and her family. In that state of mind it's not surprising that I'd had enough.

With my mother, I'd hardly had a good role model for treasuring life. A few years earlier I'd hauled her out of a gas oven to save her; she suffered from depression and often spoke about taking pills to end it all. She remained that way throughout her life; after she died, I found a large stash of painkillers hidden at the back of a drawer.

I remember mixing painkillers with red wine and trying to swallow it. It was so bitter that I retched. Instead, I swallowed the painkillers, washed them down with the bottle of wine, laid down and passed out.

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Somehow I woke up next morning. I shouldn't have. I'd overdosed on painkillers mixed with alcohol. I really shouldn't have been alive. I remember how disappointed I was at waking up. When I got up, I couldn't balance. It took many hours before I could.

I must have spoken to my girlfriend about this because it got back to my parents. After seeing my GP, an appointment was made for me to be seen at Goodmayes Hospital, a mental hospital in Redbridge, and my father came with me to the first visit. I was intelligent enough to know that if I told the truth there was every likelihood I would be medicated or detained so I lied. I played down the events and said it was just a cry for help. Trust me, it wasn't. After a second visit I was discharged.

Over the years, depression has hit me so hard at times that I have fallen asleep praying that I wouldn't wake up. I'm not sure to whom I would have been praying as I'm an atheist but perhaps that reinforces the mental turmoil and anguish I went through.

It hasn't always been like that. Having learned Reiki and meditation to counter the pain of being weaned off hormone replacement steroids 15 years ago, I tried to follow one of the five Reiki principles: "Just for today, I will not hold on to anger." Sometimes I succeeded, often I didn't.

What finally drove me to seeking the help of a professional counsellor was a typically pointless argument with my son that I had instigated and the realisation that unless I did something I ran the risk of ruining one of the most important relationships in my life. And that was on the back of over 30 years with my wonderful wife who has put up with sheer hell from me at times.

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The three months I spent with the counsellor changed everything. She unpeeled my life like an onion, layer by layer, and got to the root of my continual anger. Although my parents both died within six months of the counselling, and I never really rebuilt my relationships with them, I bear no malice to either of them. My anger towards them has fully subsided.

If you have read this and any aspect rings alarm bells, do these three things:

1. Find a counsellor. It might take a few attempts to find the right one for you but it will certainly change your life for the better.

2. Apologise to those you've hurt. They will appreciate your honesty.
Dan Kitwood via Getty Images

It is encouraging to see in the Justice Secretary's open letter of 21 June 2017 a renewed commitment to the rehabilitation and reform of those going through the prison system. WDP has long advocated this important method of reintegrating people into society after they have served their sentence. It is a welcome and highly positive step to see reference to the intention for prisons to work with communities.

Early intervention in a prisoner's local community promotes building up a strong support network when they are released. Likewise, ensuring that prisoners get support early in their sentence, for issues that contribute to criminal behaviour (such as drug-related problems) substantially reduces reoffending.

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The Justice Secretary notes that reoffending is a drain on the prison system, with 1-in-4 former inmates reoffending. This creates avoidable economic issues, and it causes overcrowding. This is a major issue, with 68% of prisons holding more inmates than their permitted capacity. It has been reliably shown that a focus on rehabilitation reduces reoffending: the Norwegian prison system has a much lower rate of recidivism. The UK rate was 46% in 2015, while certain prisons in Norway were at 16%.

Helping inmates break the cycle of criminal behaviour enhances their future attempts to gain legitimate employment. We hope to see an increased commitment to supporting ex-offenders in this way. All too often the job market is incredibly hostile to former prisoners - driving them back to negative behaviour. This is highlighted in a 2013 report by the Ministry of Justice, reporting that those who served under a year in prison and found formal employment had a reoffending rate of 32%, while those who did not find employment had a reoffending rate of 69%.

Employers have a key role to play providing jobs for ex-offenders: we hope that the Minister engages actively in dialogue with them on this issue. There are models the Minister can turn to for ideas: HACRO's Leaving Prison Behind Programme provides a blueprint for rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders which delivers effective early intervention. This approach has been shown to support ex-offenders' reintegration into the community and importantly provide the skills and support to enter the labour market.

WDP also welcomes the commitment to combatting the use of 'new psychoactive substances' throughout the prison system. It is widely acknowledged that these are an increasing danger to inmates, and we hope that the introduction of specially trained sniffer dogs, along with measures to curtail smuggling using drones, will severely curb the availability of these. However, even if such measures are introduced, the need for comprehensive treatment and care of drug users remains an imperative.

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The commitment of 1.3bn investment in the system is a positive first step: it will create up to 10,000 new places while also phasing out dilapidated prison units. Despite the present political situation, it would still be deeply disappointing to see highly important matters such as these not receive the care and attention they require from our government.
The Micro:bit Educational Foundation has announced that the credit card-sized single board computer, pioneered in the UK by a consortium including the BBC and Microsoft for teaching school children to code, is now available to schools, clubs and families across the U.S. and Canada. Scratch has been added to line up of block-based languages it can be programmed in.

Initially announced in July 2015, the micro:bit was designed as a small versatile computer that would be cheap enough to be given away to roughly 1 million 11-12 year olds (Year 7) in UK schools. The original date for this distribution was Fall 2015 but it a series of delays meant that the first kits were only dispatched to schools in March 2016, too late in the school year to be fully utilized. The idea was that the micro:bits were to be handed over to the children to keep, so even though some schools decided to wait for the next school year to use them, the experiment of a mass coding experience to inspire an entire Year 7 cohort didn't fulfill its expectations.

During 2016 the BBC handed over responsibility for the micro:bit's future and its entry to the wider world to the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, headed by Zach Shelby, former Director of Technology for Internet of Things at ARM. At the launch of the new foundation Shelby said:

"Our goal is to go out and reach 100 million people with Micro Bit, and by reach I mean affect their lives with the technology."

Last December, as we reported in Micro:bit Coming Soon to USA, Adafruit raised expectations that the device would soon be available but it took almost 6 months for this to happen - Adafruit finally announced the BBC micro:bit as a new product on May 31st.

The board which measures 4 cm x 5 cm and doesn't come with a case, keyboard, mouse or display seems unchanged from its original spec:

ARM Cortex M0 with 16MB memory and Flash storage

25 red LEDs arranged in a 5x5 grid on the back

2 programmable buttons

On-board accelerometer

Built-in magnetometer

Bluetooth LE

3 AtoD convertors

3 Input and Output (I/O) "rings" to connect the micro:bit to devices or sensors using crocodile clips or 4 mm banana plugs

The educational focus too seems remains the same. Announcing its launch in the US and Canada, Hal Speed, Head of North America at the Micro:bit Foundation said:

Our goal is to put this device into the hands of 2 million elementary and middle school students in the U.S. and Canada by 2020, in an effort to ensure all children have the opportunity to learn these valuable skills. In the digital age, computer science is a foundational skill vital for every student to learn. Its a skill that applies to many different subjects, including math, science, art and music.



To coincide with the North American launch the micro:bit website has published the Microsoft 14 Week Curriculum targeted at middle school grades 6-8 (ages 11-14 years). This has been written:

for teachers who may not have a Computer Science background, or may be teaching an "Intro to Computer Science" course for the first time.

There have also been improvements with respect to the programming languages available for the micro:bit. There is a new JavaScript Blocks editor powered by Makecode - and here on I Programmer we are putting it through its paces with our Commando Jump game. There's also a Scratch extension to allow you to control your micro:bit wirelessly using Scratch programming blocks. This lets you use the tilt sensor or push buttons to interacting with Scratch projects and use the micro:bit's LED matrix to display information or create light animations.

Although pre-teens were the original target audience for the micro:bit, now it is generally on sale through distributors and retailers to many parts of the world it is expanding its audience to adults. In particular it is very suitable device for IoT (Internet of Things) projects. This is because the micro-bit is built on top of the ARM mbed IoT software for which the supporting C/C++ libraries have been open sourced, see The BBC Micro:bit Is An Mbed Device In C/C++. If you are interested in this potential see Harry Fairhead's book, which presents details of sensors and circuits with several complete programs.

The micro:bit is just too good not to be shared by all ages. Yes, you can use it to learn to code and explore computational thinking, but if you can already code you can use it to get into the world of IoT, embedded devices and electronics. You can get a long way without a soldering iron with the micro:bit, but combine it with some real world sensor and WiFi and you open up a world of possibilities. There is also growing micro:bit developer community with its own Slack channel.

More Information

microbit.org

micro:bit on Adafruit

ScratchX Microbit extension

micro:bit:developer community

Related Articles

Micro:bit Coming Soon to USA

BBC micro:bit Your Next Computer?

BBC Micro:Bit Finally Ships to 1 Million For Free

BBC Micro:Bit Goes Worldwide

Micro:bit IoT In C (I/O Press) in Book Watch

The BBC Micro:bit Is An Mbed Device In C/C++

The BBC Micro:bit Which Language?

Commando Jump Game For The Micro:bit In Python

Commando Jump Game For The Micro:bit In JavaScript

Micro:bit Commando Jump In The Microsoft Block Editor

Commando Jump Game For The Micro:bit In Touch Develop

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Brad Mayes and Robert Belcher from the local Veterans Affairs office were at Thursday's session to provide information on different benefits available to veterans.

New England Veterans Affairs Reconnect With Berkshires



John Collins supports growing partnerships with the private sector. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The local VA medical center is on board with the secretary's plans to engage more with the private sector.

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin is looking to further integrate with private=sector health providers.

For the Central Western Massachusetts Health Care System, that will help provide more convenient service, according to its Medical Director John Collins.

"He is against privatizing veterans' health care. But, he does believe, as do I, that we have to do a much better job at integrating health care with the private-sector partners," Collins said.

"That is so important for VA Central Western Mass because we are a small VA medical organization. I don't have specialty care. I am very dependent on private sector."

Collins was speaking at a town hall forum on Thursday night at Reid Middle School co-hosted by the city's veterans office to discuss health care options, benefits and other veterans issues. Eligible veterans could also apply for VA health care or spot claims.

Collins emphasized that the plan isn't to privatize the health care completely, but rather to create closer partnerships to provide more of a choice to those veterans needing medical procedures. But, it is a new push that the organization hasn't really had in the past.

"Historically the VA has been like a castle with a moat around it. I go around and meet CEOs of hospitals and provider groups and I am amazed at how many still don't know the VA. Some of these places are a mile or two away from the VA. We're doing a lot of work in the community in trying to connect more private sector partners," Collins said.

Collins also said he is looking to get access to the Health Net program, which he hopes will provide more choices.

The VA doesn't have the greatest reputation nationally and Shulkin has been vocal recently about problems ranging from wait times, staffing and the conditions of the buildings, to the accountability of the employees.

In New England, Collins said the issues haven't been as troublesome than in other parts of the country. Since he's taken over 2 1/2 years ago, he has been working to enhance the service and give veterans "the best care, in the quickest amount of time, and the closest location" to where they live. Partnering with more private sector will help ease access to service.

"We're very happy with the progress in the last 2 1/2 years but I know there is more to be done," Collins said.

Pittsfield's Veteran Service Office James Clark said the New England VA has not faced the same problems as elsewhere. Clark is an agent for the state's veterans benefits programs, which is unconnected with the VA. But, Clark still urges veterans to sign up for the VA benefits as well because "you've earned it."

"You are not hurting the VA by not signing up. You are hurting yourself," Clark said.

One of the first things Collins had done when taking over was hiring some 250 people to provide better and faster service. He also focused on renovations to the main facility at Leeds.

"The infrastructure was old. How can you compete with the private sector with buildings that look like that? So we put a lot of money, whatever I could grab in all of New England VA," Collins said.

Pittsfield is a smaller site and hadn't seen those massive renovations. But, Collin said he'll be looking at possibly moving to a different leased space that will improve access and service.

"In the next year or so the lease on the Pittsfield site is expiring. We will be in the process soon of renewing that lease and we always try to look at the best location and the best facility. I know there have been parking issues and maybe some other issues. Together as a staff, we'll be looking at space," Collins said.

Throughout the state, the organization has opened offices and clinics and have partnered with places like Baystate Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts. And when it does come to those private-sector partners, he's also been addressing another concern of the past  actually paying them in a timely manner.

"We've done a much better job paying the private sector partners, which has been a key issue. If they don't get paid, they're not going to stay in our network and take care of us," Collins said.

The work has led to the agency receiving awards for most improved and excellence in financial management recently.

A lot of the focus recently has been on homeless veterans, the opioid crisis, and suicide. Collins said every day 20 veterans commit suicide and on average 14 of them were never connected with the VA.

On the veterans benefits side, a separate branch from the health care side, Director Brad Mayes heads the program for New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts out of the Boston office. He said the organization is providing more than $800 million in compensation per year.

"There are a lot of benefits that are being paid here in New England that a lot of people don't realize," Mayes said.

He is looking to grow capability and improve technology to allow easier access. He noted one change on the national level is in the determinations of qualification for benefits. The requests are being sorted and sent to places all over the country for review, when before Massachusetts handled all of the Massachusetts complaints. Mayes said that's improved timeliness because last year the state had 5,800 applications in total  60 percent of which was for other states  but more than 11,500 Massachusetts veterans received determinations. The state averages 111 days to turn around a benefit request.

He added the organization also has a job training program in which a counselor will help a veteran determine the best path for job placement, which is a step above what the Gi Bill does.

Robert Belcher heads the Massachusetts National Cemetery Administration. He said renovations to that facility is coming in 2019. He said in a recent scoring of the organization, the Massachusetts cemetery scored above a 90.

"We're a model of excellence for burials for the national cemetery and for the private sector as well," Belcher said.

The administration provides the burials for qualified veterans. The graves are marked with medallions and presidential certificates are given to next of kin. It provides the burial flag, a two-person detail for the ceremony with a flag presentation and the playing of Taps. The administration will also be the final point of contact and let all of the other veterans organizations know about the passing.

His staff has also grown to more than 30, most of whom are veterans themselves.

The three from the VA provided the update to about 50 local during a town hall meeting. The VA has been holding a number of town hall meetings to reconnect with communities and this was Collins' first time holding one in the Berkshires. Mayes said his organization has not been out to the Berkshires as much as it should and vowed to increase its connection.
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A White House official has apparently responded to comments made by Johnny Depp at Glastonbury Festival about an actor assassinating a president.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star was introducing his film The Libertine when he said that Trump needed "help" and there were "a lot of dark places he could go".

"I'm not insinuating anything - by the way this will be in the press and it will be horrible," he said to laughter from the crowd, "but when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

Katherine Faulders, a White House reporter for ABC News, tweeted a statement she said was given by an official in response to Depp's remarks.

"President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and its [sic] sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead," it read.

"I hope that some of Mr Depp's colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a democrat elected official."

Glastonbury 2017 Show all 48 1 /48 Glastonbury 2017 Glastonbury 2017 Ed Sheeran woos the crowd during his Pyramid Stage performance on the final day of the festival, 25 June 2017 PA Glastonbury 2017 PC Small wearing a fairy costume sits on top of her horse Sedgemoor who is wearing garlands as she and her colleague interact with the public at Glastonbury, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Barry Gibb performs on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 AFP/Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival-goers queue to charge their mobile phones at the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Rag'n'Bone Man performs on day 4 of the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Jamie Cullum performs on the Pyramid Stage during day 4 of the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Musician Jarvis Cocker plays a DJ set from a wooden tree structure in the Greenpeace are at Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs at the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 One of the 'Lords of Lightning' harnesses high-voltage electricity in a performance during the Metamorphosis Show in the Arcadia area at the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Katy Perry performs on day 3 of the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses the crowd alongside Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis on the Pyramid Stage as he makes a guest appearance at the Glastonbury Festival Site, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets festival goers as he visits the Green Fields at the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Craig David performs on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Gabrielle Aplin performs on the Other Stage during day 3 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Lights illuminate the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm at night in Pilton, 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 The Flaming Lips perform on The Park Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, 23 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 People gather to watch the Arcadia landing show at the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Lorde performs on day 2 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Thom Yorke of Radiohead performs on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival of Music and Performing Arts on Worthy Farm near the village of Pilton in Somerset, South West England, 23 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim of the XX perform on day 2 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 23 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Former Labour MP Ed Balls attends Glastonbury Festival on 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Dua Lipa performs on the John Peel Stage on day 2 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 23, 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Revellers dance as they listen to Circa Waves perform on the Other Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival in Britain, June 23, 2017 Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers at Glastonbury Festival Site on June 21, 2017 in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Festivalgoers watching Blossoms on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset PA Glastonbury 2017 EPA Glastonbury 2017 Actor Johnny Depp poses on a Cadillac before presenting his film The Libertine, at Cinemageddon at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Fans cheer as American actor Johnny Depp makes his entrance at Cinemageddon during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, near Pilton, Somerset EPA Glastonbury 2017 US actor Johnny Depp attends the Cinemageddon event as part of the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts 2017 at Worthy Farm EPA Glastonbury 2017 Cineramageddon ushers Daisy Peters (left), from Shepton Mallet, and Tamsin Walton, from Pilton, before an appearance by Johnny Depp for a screening of The Libertine, during the Glastonbury Festival PA Glastonbury 2017 Festival-goers pose at the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts 2017 at Worthy Farm on 22 June EPA Glastonbury 2017 Revellers sleep in front of a food stand at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival on 22 June, 2017 Reuters Glastonbury 2017 An aerial view of the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset on 22 June, 2017 PA Glastonbury 2017 People gather to watch the sun set as temperatures reach record levels at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton on 21 June, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers enjoy themselves as the gates open at the Glastonbury Festival amid heightened security at Worthy Farm in Pilton Getty Glastonbury 2017 A festival goer arrives at Glastonbury Festival Site on 21 June in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 A festival goer at Glastonbury Festival Site on June 21, 2017 in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers enjoy themselves as the gates open at the Glastonbury Festival amid heightened security at Worthy Farm in Pilton on June 21, 2017 near Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers at Glastonbury Festival Site on June 21, 2017 in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Revellers sing and dance by the Stone Circle at Worthy Farm in Somerset Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Festival founder Michael Eavis arrives to attend a screening of film maker Julian Temple's Glastonbury documentary Getty Glastonbury 2017 People attend a screening of film maker Julian Temple's Glastonbury documentary being shown at the new night time area Cinemaggedon on June 21, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 People attend a screening of film maker Julian Temple's Glastonbury documentary being shown at the new night time area Cinemaggedon on June 21, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 People gather to watch the sun set as temperatures reach record levels at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton on June 21, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 The sun sets at the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm in Pilton on 21 June, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 Fireworks illuminate the night sky at the end of the first day at the Glastonbury Festival on 21 June Getty Glastonbury 2017 A reveller smokes by the Stone Circle at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival on June 22, 2017 Reuters

While the reaction to Depp's comments at Glastonbury seemed mostly positive, others on social media have criticised him for being in poor taste.

The remarks come weeks after a gunman opened fire and injured a Republican congressman, along with four other people, in Virginia in the US.

ABC reported earlier that the US Secret Service is "aware" of Depp's comments.

He is not the first US celebrity to cause controversy by alluding of "assassination attempts" on the US President.

Madonna said she had thought "an awful lot about blowing up the White House" at a rally which took place shortly after Trump's inauguration ceremony.

Snoop Dogg later released a music video where he shot a toy gun at a clown resembling Trump.
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Goldie appears to have let slip subversive graffiti artist Banksy's real identity after he spoke about him in a new interview.

The musician and DJ was ranting about how the art world had cashed in on graffiti, despite the art form still being tarnished with negative associations.

Appearing on Scroobius Pip's weekly Distraction Pieces podcast, Goldie said: "Give me a bubble letter and put it on a T-shirt and write Banksy on it and we're sorted. We can sell it now... No disrespect to Robert, I think he is a brilliant artist. I think he has flipped the world of art over."

After he mentioned Robert, Goldie paused for a few seconds before changing the subject.

Reports claim that this appears to suggest Banksy is Robert Del Naja, a member of Massive Attack. Del Naja, also known as 3D, is a friend of Goldie and they worked as graffiti artists in the same circles during the late 1980s.

Journalist Craig Williams carried out a five-month investigation last year and concluded that Del Naja was behind the movement. He claimed that Banksy was not one person but instead a team of street artists, with Del Naja as the ringleader.

Inside Banksy's Dismaland Show all 13 1 /13 Inside Banksy's Dismaland Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park "Seagull Attack" by Banksy sits near the entrance, proved to be a bit of a photo opportunity, a taxidermied seagull perches on the other side of the bench Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park The Bill Barminski - Cardboard security entrance, visitors must first get through security to enter the park. This can include being searched, emptying bags and even being instructed to touch your toes. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park Dismaland opened to the general public this weekend and everyone seems to be talking about it. Many have speculated whether long queues and website crashing issues are purposeful in order to make Dismaland that little bit more dismal. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland Dismaland19.jpg The Bill Barminski - Cardboard security entrance, visitors must first get through security to enter the park. This can include being searched, emptying bags and even being instructed to touch your toes. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park Visitors are handed their very own guide to the park inside, featuring the names of the installations and show-times. On the front it brands Dismaland "the UK's most disappointing visitor attraction". Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park An overview of the park, set on the former site of Tropicana. Tropicana was closed in the 1990's and since then has had rumours of regeneration. The exhibition will be the first major event on site since its heyday as a seaside attraction. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park "Topple the anvil and win the anvil" - just one of the many disappointing games visitors can try their hand at. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park "What its really like to be a princess" the scene of Cinderella hanging lifeless outside her pumpkin carriage as paparazzi surround it inside the castle in the center of the park. A dark reference to the death of Princess Diana. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park Mushroom Cloud made of Cotton by Artist Dietrich Wegner Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park A twist on theme park boating games the white cliffs of dover provide a backdrop to boats of migrants and faceless bodies float in the black water. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park "Killer Whale jumping from a toilet" a piece by Banksy as a reference to the treatment of orca's in seaworld parks. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park In classic Banksy style he applies his stencilling technique to a mural named "woman showering" when talking about the exhibition Banksy declared that he was aiming for something very different to street art. Reuters Inside Banksy's Dismaland A Look Inside Dismaland Bemusement Park Another piece by banksy looms above a lake referencing Jeffrey Archer Reuters

Del Naja denied this, saying it would be "a good story but sadly not true". "Wishful thinking, I think," he said. "He is a mate as well. He's been to some of the gigs. It's purely a matter of logistics and coincidence, nothing more than that."

However, fans believe that Goldie's apparent slip-up confirms Del Naja's involvement.

Banksy murals have frequently appeared in locations where Massive Attack have recently played.

For instance, in April 2003 Banksy's work appeared in Melbourne, where the band had played a month before. And according to Williams' investigation, six Banksy murals were reported in San Francisco on 1 May 2010. Massive Attack had played two nights in the city that April.

Banksy provided the foreword to Del Naja's book 3D and the Art of Massive Attack, which was released last year.

Update: Goldie is apparently laughing the incident off, tweeting that he and 3D are "pissing [our] pants" at the frenzy his interview caused.
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Johnny Depp appeared at a Q&A at the new Cinemageddon stage at Glastonbury festival, where he appeared to allude to a Trump assassination.

Introducing his 2004 film The Libertine, the actor and musician said that Trump needs help and that there were a lot of dark places he could go.

Im not insinuating anything  by the way this will be in the press and it will be horrible, he said to laughter from the crowd, but when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?

Glastonbury 2017 Show all 48 1 /48 Glastonbury 2017 Glastonbury 2017 Ed Sheeran woos the crowd during his Pyramid Stage performance on the final day of the festival, 25 June 2017 PA Glastonbury 2017 PC Small wearing a fairy costume sits on top of her horse Sedgemoor who is wearing garlands as she and her colleague interact with the public at Glastonbury, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Barry Gibb performs on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 AFP/Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival-goers queue to charge their mobile phones at the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Rag'n'Bone Man performs on day 4 of the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Jamie Cullum performs on the Pyramid Stage during day 4 of the Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Musician Jarvis Cocker plays a DJ set from a wooden tree structure in the Greenpeace are at Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs at the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 One of the 'Lords of Lightning' harnesses high-voltage electricity in a performance during the Metamorphosis Show in the Arcadia area at the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Katy Perry performs on day 3 of the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses the crowd alongside Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis on the Pyramid Stage as he makes a guest appearance at the Glastonbury Festival Site, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets festival goers as he visits the Green Fields at the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Craig David performs on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, 24 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Gabrielle Aplin performs on the Other Stage during day 3 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton, 24 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Lights illuminate the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm at night in Pilton, 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 The Flaming Lips perform on The Park Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, 23 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 People gather to watch the Arcadia landing show at the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Lorde performs on day 2 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Thom Yorke of Radiohead performs on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival of Music and Performing Arts on Worthy Farm near the village of Pilton in Somerset, South West England, 23 June 2017 AFP/Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim of the XX perform on day 2 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 23 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Former Labour MP Ed Balls attends Glastonbury Festival on 23 June 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Dua Lipa performs on the John Peel Stage on day 2 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 23, 2017 Getty Images Glastonbury 2017 Revellers dance as they listen to Circa Waves perform on the Other Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival in Britain, June 23, 2017 Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers at Glastonbury Festival Site on June 21, 2017 in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Festivalgoers watching Blossoms on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset PA Glastonbury 2017 EPA Glastonbury 2017 Actor Johnny Depp poses on a Cadillac before presenting his film The Libertine, at Cinemageddon at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Fans cheer as American actor Johnny Depp makes his entrance at Cinemageddon during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, near Pilton, Somerset EPA Glastonbury 2017 US actor Johnny Depp attends the Cinemageddon event as part of the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts 2017 at Worthy Farm EPA Glastonbury 2017 Cineramageddon ushers Daisy Peters (left), from Shepton Mallet, and Tamsin Walton, from Pilton, before an appearance by Johnny Depp for a screening of The Libertine, during the Glastonbury Festival PA Glastonbury 2017 Festival-goers pose at the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts 2017 at Worthy Farm on 22 June EPA Glastonbury 2017 Revellers sleep in front of a food stand at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival on 22 June, 2017 Reuters Glastonbury 2017 An aerial view of the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset on 22 June, 2017 PA Glastonbury 2017 People gather to watch the sun set as temperatures reach record levels at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton on 21 June, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers enjoy themselves as the gates open at the Glastonbury Festival amid heightened security at Worthy Farm in Pilton Getty Glastonbury 2017 A festival goer arrives at Glastonbury Festival Site on 21 June in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 A festival goer at Glastonbury Festival Site on June 21, 2017 in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers enjoy themselves as the gates open at the Glastonbury Festival amid heightened security at Worthy Farm in Pilton on June 21, 2017 near Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Festival goers at Glastonbury Festival Site on June 21, 2017 in Glastonbury, England Getty Glastonbury 2017 Revellers sing and dance by the Stone Circle at Worthy Farm in Somerset Reuters Glastonbury 2017 Festival founder Michael Eavis arrives to attend a screening of film maker Julian Temple's Glastonbury documentary Getty Glastonbury 2017 People attend a screening of film maker Julian Temple's Glastonbury documentary being shown at the new night time area Cinemaggedon on June 21, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 People attend a screening of film maker Julian Temple's Glastonbury documentary being shown at the new night time area Cinemaggedon on June 21, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 People gather to watch the sun set as temperatures reach record levels at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton on June 21, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 The sun sets at the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm in Pilton on 21 June, 2017 Getty Glastonbury 2017 Fireworks illuminate the night sky at the end of the first day at the Glastonbury Festival on 21 June Getty Glastonbury 2017 A reveller smokes by the Stone Circle at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival on June 22, 2017 Reuters

The 54-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star followed his remarks by saying that he is not an actor, but someone who lies for a living.

He continued: Its been a while, and maybe its time"

John Wilkes Booth, an actor, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

Depp is not the first US celebrity to allude to an assassination attempt on the president.

Madonna caused uproar at a rally in Washington DC after saying that she had thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.

Snoop Dogg released a controversial music video featuring BADBADNOTGOOD where he shot a toy gun at a Donald Trump character.

While his comments drew cheers at the festival, some have criticised Depps comments as they come four days after a gunman shot and injured a Republican congressman and four others in Virginia in the US.

ABC News reports that the US Secret Service is aware of his remarks.
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The American Meteorological Society has told Rick Perry he lacks a fundamental understanding of science after the US Energy Secretary claimed carbon dioxide was not a primary cause of climate change.

The former governor of Texas told CNBC TV that the most likely the primary control knob [for climate change] is the ocean waters and this environment that we live in, rather than greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity.

Becoming the latest of Donald Trumps administration to dispute established science without any attempt at reasoned argument, Mr Perry also said it was quite all right to be a sceptic about climate change, suggesting the trait was one held by any wise, intellectually engaged person.

In a letter, Keith Seitter, executive director of the American Meteorological Society, agreed that scepticism and debate were critically important to the advancement of science.

However he added: In climate science unresolved questions remain  issues that currently lack conclusive evidence.

However, there are also very solid conclusions that are based on decades of research and multiple lines of evidence.

Scepticism that fails to account for evidence is no virtue. As noted above, the role of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as the primary driver for the warming the Earth has experienced over the past several decades is extremely well established.

Scientists discovered that carbon dioxide has a warming effect on the atmosphere in the 1800s with the Nobel-prize winning Swedish scientist Svante Arrenhius predicting the worlds average temperature would rise as a result of human emissions in 1895.

As carbon dioxide has risen from about 280 parts per million at that time to more than 400 parts per million, the worlds average temperature has risen by nearly one degree Celsius. This rise in atmospheric carbon has been directly linked to the burning of fossil fuels because it has a different signature to natural carbon. No other plausible explanation exists for the increasing temperature.

Mr Seitter told Mr Perry: It is critically important that you understand that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are the primary cause [of climate change].

This is a conclusion based on the comprehensive assessment of scientific evidence. It is based on multiple independent lines of evidence that have been affirmed by thousands of independent scientists and numerous scientific institutions around the world.

We are not familiar with any scientific institution with relevant subject matter expertise that has reached a different conclusion.

He added that these indisputable findings were reflected in the societys statement on climate change.

Without this fundamental understanding of the science, it is impossible to discuss potential policy changes in meaningful ways, Mr Seitter said.

Department of Energy programmes have a major role to play in developing and informing the solutions for our nations future energy needs, so it is especially important that the best possible science and understanding is applied to policy issues with respect to Department of Energy programmes.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Mr Perry is not the only Trump official to receive such a letter. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, was accused of "mischaracterising the science" after claiming there was "tremendous disagreement" about climate change and saying he did not believe carbon dioxide was a primary cause.
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Facebook is encouraging users to counter hate speech online, with the UK launch of its Online Civil Courage Initiative (OCCI) in the UK. The social network says it wants to promote the civil courage displayed by organisations and grassroots activists, in order to tackle online extremism.

Technology companies were fiercely criticised by Theresa May in the wake of the London Bridge terror attack, and were accused of providing terrorists with safe spaces online.

Facebook was quick to defend its efforts, but has since tried to step them up.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

Last week, it revealed that it is sharing Instagram and WhatsApp users data, in order to keep content related to terrorism off the site.

It has now partnered with the Jo Cox Foundation, Community Security Trust, Tell MAMA, Imams Online and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

No one should have to live in fear of terrorism  and we all have a part to play in stopping violent extremism from spreading, said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebooks Chief Operating Officer.

Partnerships with others  including tech companies, civil society, researchers and governments  are also a crucial piece of the puzzle. Some of our most important partnerships are focused on counterspeech, which means encouraging people to speak out against violence and extremism.

The UK Online Civil Courage Initiative will support [non-governmental organisations (NGOs)] and community groups who work across the UK to challenge the extremist narratives that cause such harm. We know we have more to do  but through our platform, our partners and our community we will continue to learn to keep violence and extremism off Facebook.

The OCCI will provide financial support to NGOs working to counter online extremism and bring together experts to develop tools and guidance for people to engage in counter speech, Facebook says.

This is a valuable and much needed initiative from Facebook in helping to tackle extremism, said Brendan Cox. Anything that helps push the extremists even further to the margins is greatly welcome. Social media platforms have a particular responsibility to address hate speech that has too often been allowed to flourish online.

It is critical that efforts are taken by all online service providers and social networks to bring our communities closer together and to further crack down on those that spread violence and hatred online.

The OCCI launched in Germany last year and in France in March.

In the UK, the OCCI community of local organisations and activists will share campaigns, experiences, advice and challenges online using Facebook Groups, enabling them to meet and collaborate with like-minded and similarly inspirational people all across the country, said the company.

Its also encouraging users to engage with the hashtag #civilcourage.
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Children must be taught British values in school to help them develop resilience against terror attacks, the new head of school inspectors has announced.

Giving her her first official speech since the General Election, Ofsted chief, Amanda Spielman, said she would carry on her predecessors efforts to counteract extremism by searching for illegal, unregistered schools where children are at risk.

Speaking to school leaders at an education festival in Berkshire, she said: One area where there is room to improve is the active promotion of fundamental British values in our schools.

Recent attacks in Westminster, London Bridge, Manchester and Finsbury Park have brought into stark relief the threats that we face.

In the coming months, I am sure we will see heated debates about how to improve our security without impinging on the liberties that are central to our British way of life.

But just as important as our physical safety is making sure that young people have the knowledge and resilience they need to resist extremism of the sort peddled by those who, as our former prime minister David Cameron said, seek to put hatred in their hearts and poison in their minds.

Ms Spielmans comments follow a Government pledge announced in the Queens Speech to establish a Commission for Countering Extremism, which will support the government in stamping out extremist ideology in all its forms.

Under the Governments current anti-extremism strategy Prevent, organisations such as schools and local councils are asked to develop projects to reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in terrorist activity.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA 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 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Around 42,000 people participated in 142 projects in the 2015/16 academic year, according to government figures.

But in the wake of recent terror attacks, schools must do more to improve their programmes, Ms Spielman suggested.

Teaching the young about British values is critical to developing that resilience, she said.

And by that I do not mean superficial passive displays or tick box exercises... the active promotion of British values means giving young people a real civic education, the sort of education that teaches young people not just what British values are, but how they were formed, how they have been passed down from generation to generation and how they make us a beacon of liberalism, tolerance and fairness to the rest of the world.

 Amber Rudd announces probe into terror attacks response

By judging schools progress through the national curriculum survey, she said Ofsted inspectors hope to find good examples where schools have mastered this teaching, so that others who have struggled with the new requirements can build on their work.

She was unable to give examples of how the promotion of British values might be marked by inspectors when questioned.

In terms of academic standards, Ms Spielman warned teachers should stop placing so much emphasis on league tables and concentrate on giving children a rounded education.

Too many schools in England put their league table results above pupil interests, she said, with the pressure to boost exam grades overtaking important learning values.

I know better than most quite how high-stakes these qualifications are as passports to future success, she told educators at Wellington College, [but] if you are putting more resources into providing exam scribes than in teaching your strugglers to read and write, or scrapping most of your curriculum through Year 6 to focus just on english and maths... then you are probably doing most of your students a disservice.

Ms Spielman blamed pressure on teachers, saying as a nation we should be ashamed that we have let such behaviour persist for so long.

Earlier this year, Ofsted warned an increasing number of schools appeared to be entering pupils for non-academic qualifications regardless of their own skills or interests, in order to boost their performance data.

Pressure to perform highly in national league tables was leading some schools to narrow their curricula and exclude children who might bring down results, the body said.
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Relatives of a 25-year-old man who died in hospital after being detained by police in London say they are campaigning for justice amid conflicting claims over his death.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said Edir Da Costa, known as Edson, became unwell during the operation in Beckton. He had a young son and was expecting his second child.

A car he was travelling in with two friends was stopped in Tollgate Road at around 10pm on 15 June.

Mr Da Costa was detained by police officers, said a spokesperson for the IPCC, which has launched an independent investigation.

During this interaction it is believed police officers used force and deployed CS spray.

Mr Da Costa became unwell, first aid was administered, an ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital. Tragically on Wednesday 21 June, Mr Da Costa died.

A preliminary postmortem conducted the following day did not establish a cause of death, but the pathologist found no injuries to suggest severe force was used.

Edir Da Costa, 25, died in hospital on 21 June

Mr Da Costas father, Ginario da Costa, told the Lusa news agency police stopped the car because they suspected it had been involved in a robbery.

He said that when officers asked to search the occupants his son resisted, saying he had done nothing wrong.

Mr Da Costas father said witnesses told him: He fell to the ground and a policeman put a knee on his throat.

Police officers called the London Ambulance Service to the scene and he was taken to hospital, remaining in a critical condition until he died six days later.

The young fathers family believe he went into cardiac arrest at the scene, although the account has not been officially concerned.

Mr Da Costas cousin, Larissa Dos Santos, claimed a doctor treating him in hospital told families he had injuries including a ruptured bladder, collapsed lungs, and fallen diaphragm and had lost his sight due to damage caused by CS spray.

A crowdfunding page set up for Mr Da Costa, who was known as Edson, additionally claimed he had his neck broken in two places and head injuries, being left on life support.

Edir Da Costa, 25, died in hospital on 21 June (Supplied)

The Justice for Edson page has so far raised more than 2,300 for funeral costs, legal fees and his son.

The IPCC called the claims misinformation and said it had contacted Mr Da Costas family to share the pathologists findings.

The preliminary post-mortem found that Mr Da Costa did not suffer a broken neck, or any other spinal injury during his interaction with the police, a spokesperson said.

It found he did not suffer a broken collarbone or bleeding to the brain.

Rigorous investigations into the cause of Mr Da Costas death are continuing, including into the use of force.

The IPCC said it was releasing the information out of concern at the rapid spread of false and potentially inflammatory information, appealing with people not to share claims that could have very dangerous consequences on social media.

Relatives and friends of Mr Da Costa, who was born in Portugal but had been living in the UK since 1996, have organised a protest at Forest Gate police station on Sunday.

Ms Dos Santos said the entire family was in shock over her cousins sudden death.

The Metropolitan Police referred the incident to the IPCC (Getty)

It doesnt make sense that Edson wound up dead, she told The Independent.

Theres a mixed feeling of anger and great sadness.

We cant do anything - we feel ignored, we feel outraged, we feel hurt. Its indescribable.

Ms Dos Santos, who lives in Liverpool, said she wanted bring police to justice.

Edson was an absolutely beautiful person, he had a heart of goldhe was bubbly and always had people laughing, she added.

I cant describe what a loss he is. He wasnt just my cousin, he was my friend. He was a friend for everyone.

He never let anyone down and nows our time to stand up for him.

Ms Dos Santos claimed that there was a misconception of young black males in British society that contributes to the use of unnecessary force by police in some cases.

Chief Superintendent Ian Larnder, from the Metropolitan Police, said all officers were fully aware that they will be asked to account for their actions.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA 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

Officers are not exempt from the law and we would not wish to be, the Newham Borough Commander added.

I know that Edirs family, friends and the wider community want answers, but it is important that the investigation is allowed to take place to establish the full facts of what happened before any conclusions are made.

As is right, the IPCC are conducting a thorough investigation of what happened. This will take time, but it is important that we all remain calm so that this can be done and so that Edirs family are given the answers that they need and deserve.

Ch Supt Larnder expressed his deepest sympathies to Mr Da Costas family, adding: Whatever the circumstances, the death of a young man and father is always a tragedy and my condolences go out to his loved-ones.

The IPCC has attended the scene where the car was stopped attended interviews with the police officers involved.

Investigators are now carrying out door to door enquiries in the area, while appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward.

Associate Commissioner Tom Milsom said: My thoughts are with the family and friends of this young man and all those affected.

We are committed to conducting a comprehensive investigation and I would urge anyone with information to support our efforts.

Anyone with information is asked to email woodcocksroad@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk or call 0800 096 9073.
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Darren Osborne has been charged with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder related to the Finsbury Park Mosque attack, police have said.

The 47-year-old van driver from Cardiff has been remanded in custody over the crash which left one dead and 11 injured in the early hours of Monday.

Counter-terror officers have been investigating the incident, in which a van hit worshippers leaving evening prayers at a mosque on Seven Sisters Road in north London.

Osborne, who was not previously known to security services, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court this afternoon.

Tributes have been paid to grandfather Makram Ali, 51, who died from multiple injuries in the incident.

Mr Ali, from Haringey, came to the UK from Bangladesh when he was 10 years old and was said to be a well-known face around Finsbury Park through his regular attendance at worship.

His family called him a quiet gentle man who didn't get involved in political or social discussion.

He instead took comfort and enjoyment spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren and he was always ready to make a funny joke when you least expected, they said.

Finsbury Park attack Show all 14 1 /14 Finsbury Park attack Finsbury Park attack Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters Finsbury Park attack The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters Finsbury Park attack Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack PA Finsbury Park attack Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA Finsbury Park attack Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA Finsbury Park attack A forensic tent stands next to a van PA Finsbury Park attack A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images

At around 12.20am on Monday, a speeding white van swerved into people gathered outside the Muslim Welfare House mosque. Nine people were taken to hospital and two were treated at the scene. All the victims were Muslim.

Police said they responded instantly and armed officers were on the scene within ten minutes.

The head of the firm that rented out the vehicle, Pontyclun Van Hire, called the terror attack shocking and cowardly.

Len Evans said: Together with all the staff at Pontyclun Van Hire, I am doing everything I can to assist the Metropolitan Police in their inquiries.

Detectives have released a photo of the van used in the attack, registration number PO54 CSF, while calling on anyone who spoke to the driver in the day leading up to the attack to call on 0800 789 321.

An imam reportedly saved Osborne from being attacked by members of the public in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

One witness said the furious crowd might have injured or killed him were it not for the intervention of Mohammed Mahmoud.

 London residents bring flowers in solidarity with Finsbury Park Mosque after attack

Community groups and charities have condemned the attack, warning against entering a cycle of tit-for-tat violence that is the goal of extremists.

In a statement, the organisation Hope Not Hate said that we must oppose far-right extremism with the same intensity that we oppose Islamist extremism  a plague on both their houses is our call, as we said back in 2013 after the murder of Lee Rigby.

Neil Basu of the National Police Chiefs Council said counter-terror officers have spoken to 28 witnesses so far who were at the scene of the attack, trawled through around 80 hours of CCTV, visited 140 locations and recovered 33 digital devices from properties in Wales.
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A former loyalist paramilitary commander turned supergrass has pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offences, including five murders.

Gary Haggarty, the ex-chief of the Ulster Volunteer Forces north Belfast unit, admitted the litany of crimes as part of his deal with the state to give evidence against fellow terrorists.

As well as the five murders, the 45-year-old, who is currently in protective custody, admitted five attempted murders, including against police officers; 23 counts of conspiracy to murder; directing terrorism; and membership of a proscribed organisation, when he appeared at Belfast Crown Court.

Haggarty, who worked as a police informant during the Troubles, was interviewed more than 1,000 times by detectives in one of the biggest and most complex cases ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

The catalogue of offences stretch over a 16-year period from 1991 to 2007 and include the loyalist murders of John Harbinson, Sean McParland, Gary Convie, Eamon Fox and Sean McDermott.

The lengthy charge sheet also includes aiding and abetting murder, kidnap, possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives as well as hijacking, false imprisonment, arson, intimidation and conspiracy to riot.

Haggarty is expected to receive a heavily reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the authorities.

He could well walk free, given he has already served three years in custody  the equivalent of a six year sentence.

Sentencing is expected to be passed later in the year.

In the interim prosecutors will decide how to proceed with the evidence he has provided.

It is understood Haggarty has made allegations against 14 fellow loyalists, for crimes including four murders.

He has also given evidence in relation to alleged criminality by two former Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch handlers who worked with him when he was an informer.

The content of his interviews amounts to 23,000 pages of transcribed evidence.

There was a significant police presence in and around the court for the high-profile arraignment hearing.

Haggarty, who is believed to be living at a secret location outside Northern Ireland, was escorted into court through a side door by two specialist police officers.

He was initially arrested in 2009 and charged with the murder of Mr Harbinson.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA 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 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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 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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. 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He then indicated his willingness to become a witness for the state and subsequently signed an agreement to become an assisting offender under the terms of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.

The terror boss, whose address was formally recorded on the indictment sheet as care of a Belfast police station, stood in the dock dressed in a grey suit during the hearing.

He said guilty as each charge was put to him.

Relatives of some of his victims watched on from the public gallery of the court.

PA
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Detectives are considering manslaughter charges as part of the investigation into the Grenfell Tower disaster, a spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police has said.

Every criminal offence is being considered, according to Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack, after it emerged police had seized documents and materials from a number of organisations.

Investigators have now confirmed the fire was started by a Hotpoint fridge-freezer before spreading to the buildings combustible cladding.

We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards, we are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offences and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, Ms McCormack said.

It comes as the Government identified a further 14 council-owned high rises that are fitted with similar combustible cladding to that used on Grenfell Tower, as confusion reigned over the true number of blocks that could be affected by the scandal.

Tests revealed blocks in nine local authority areas across the UK were fitted with flammable panels after a "small number" of samples were analysed, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said.

Cladding will also be removed from nine blocks in Salford, that were recently refurbished, after it emerged they have similar cladding. A city council spokesperson said the panels have yet to be tested by DCLG but that they would be removed as a precaution regardless of the result.

A total of 600 council blocks have been fitted with cladding that needs to undergo testing to determine if it is safe, the Government confirmed yesterday, with residents being forced to wait to find out if their homes are safe.

But concerns were growing the 600 figure could be just the tip of the iceberg as it does not account for any private dwellings or commercial properties. The Government has encouraged private landlords to send in samples for testing but they are under no obligation to do so, raising serious concerns for potentially thousands more people who are renting in the private sector.

Hotel chain Premier Inn was also affected. It said it was "concerned" about material used on three of its properties in Maidenhead, Brentford and Tottenham.

Cladding on buildings in Camden and Plymouth was already being removed, after the panelling failed safety tests.

In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 1 /51 In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementis Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

It was unclear whether the same rigorous testing would also apply to other high-rise buildings outside of the housing sector. The Independent contacted the Cabinet office to ask whether hospitals, schools and other publicly-owned high-rise buildings would also be tested but did not receive a response.

Cladding installed on the outside of Grenfell Tower last year, for both insulation and aesthetic purposes, is suspected to have aided the rapid and unprecedented spread of the blaze, trapping dozens of residents inside.

Sam Webb, an architect who investigated 2009s deadly Lakanal House fire, said similar aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding had been found to be flammable elsewhere, being linked to fires in Australia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Ms McCormack said the Hotpoint FF175BP fridge-freezer model had not been subject to any product recall but the Grenfell Tower's cladding, tiles and insulation all failed safety tests carried out as part of the investigation.

She said tests carried out as part of the investigation so far were small scale but, with regards to the tiles and insulation, added: All I can say at the moment is they dont pass any safety tests.

What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests.

In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 1 /51 In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementis Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

Witnesses at the scene of the 24-storey fire on 14 June said a resident told neighbours his fridge had exploded while alerting them to the initial blaze.

Ms McCormack said police were still concerned they did not have a full picture of the number of people inside the building.

At least 79 people were killed in the fire, but police are still appealing for information from members of the public to identify anyone else who might have been in the tower at the time of the tragedy.

What we haven't got is a picture of how many people might have been in there, Ms McCormack said. That's the number Im really worried about, that there might have been other innocent people in there.

The statement echoed concerns from Police Commander Stuart Cundy about the scale of the task in identifying the victims.

Police are still carrying out forensic searches on the block in an attempt to recover all those who may have died inside. But Ms McCormack warned the search may continue until the end of the year, and that not everyone may be able to be identified due to the intense heat.

We have been in Grenfell Tower, from top to bottom, last week. Next week we will be installing a lift to the outside of the building to assist. But our forensic search may not be complete until the end of the year, she said.

There is a terrible reality that we may not find or identify everyone who died due to the intense heat.
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Theresa May's triggering of Article 50, it was an illusion with no legal basis, a leading barrister has claimed.

David Wolchover said that the letter giving notice of the UK's intention to leave the 27 nation bloc had no legal effect and was a non-event, in an article for Counsel Magazine.

He added that the UK never triggered Article 50 because it never made the constitutional decision to leave the EU.

The letter, delivered to European Council President Donald Tusk in March, is a faux trigger, a chimera, an illusion, not the real thing, Mr Wolchover wrote.

Because the referendum result was not ratified by a government Bill, the withdrawal treaty was likely to be unlawful, he added.

The barrister, who has been in practice at the criminal bar since 1971 and is a former Head of Chambers at Bell Yard, said the case brought by Gina Miller established the referendum result was not a constitutionally binding decision to leave the EU. Only an act of Parliament could make that decision, he wrote.

The wording of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 gave Ms May the authority to trigger Article 50 but the act does not explicitly state that Parliament makes the decision to leave the EU following from the referendum result, he added.

As the referendum and Parliament did not make the constitutional decision to leave the EU, no decision was made and therefore there was nothing to notify Brussels about, and in turn, nothing to negotiate, he wrote.

 Advert for 'In Limbo: Our Brexit Testimonies' chronicling EU citizen's experiences since referendum

This was the greatest elephant in the room of all time, he added.

"It is difficult to believe that with so many lawyers in Parliament and with all that breathtaking array of legal glitterati deployed at vast expense in Miller no one in government or Parliament spotted its fundamental deficiency, he wrote.

Questioning the adequacy of the legal advice received by the government, Mr Wolchover added: In short, it may be asked whether this was collective blindness and ineptitude or whether there was method in the madness.

The constitutional importance of the Bill was played down because it was presented as a procedural matter rather than a vote on endorsing the result of the referendum into a parliamentary decision, he wrote.

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 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Ms May gave her assurance that the government took appropriate legal advice at every stage but that this would not be discussed in Parliament.

The article has been sent to Mr Tusks office and to the European Commissions director general of legal services Luis Romero Requena. A spokesman for Mr Requena confirmed to the Independent it has received the article but said it would not comment further.
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Hundreds of sanitary products have been donated to victims of the Grenfell Tower catastrophe which claimed at least 79 lives.

Flow Aid, who campaign to make sanitary products free for homeless women, issued an urgent plea for sanitary wear in the immediate aftermath of the devastating west London inferno.

In the UK, sanitary products are classed as a luxury, non-essential item and taxed at five per cent. On top of this, sanitary wear itself is costly and research recently found the average woman spends over 18,000 on their periods over their lifetime.

For this reason, Hayley Smith, founder of the campaign, told The Independent it was imperative more sanitary wear was donated to survivors of the horrific blaze which destroyed a 24-storey tower block over a week ago.

While I was keen to stick to Flow Aids initial idea of solely giving sanitary products to women who are homeless, I figured these Grenfell residents are homeless now and sanitary and toiletries are of course expensive, she explained.

When you have got no home, food and shelter come first, that is where your priorities and money go, and sanitary stuff is not on your mind.

She said tampons and sanitary pads were often the last thing people thought to donate to people in need.

It is always surprising that sanitary products are something that nobody ever thinks to donate, she noted. Everyone brings food, money, and clothes, but forgets them. Sanitary wear is the type of thing nobody wants to think about. Also because its a womans problem, men dont think about it.

They are products that are needed and needed daily but they are still hard to get people to donate.

Grenfell tower fire Show all 42 1 /42 Grenfell tower fire Grenfell tower fire Local residents watch as Grenfell Tower is engulfed by fire Getty Images Grenfell tower fire London Fire Brigade said there has been a number of fatalities from the blaze Rex Features Grenfell tower fire The fire was first reported in the early hours of Wednesday and continued into the morning Rex Features Grenfell tower fire A local resident sees the fire over the rooftops @Ebajgora Grenfell tower fire A firefighter reacts at the scene of the blaze Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Residents watch as the blaze continues Getty Images Grenfell tower fire More than 200 firefighters have been fighting the blaze PA Grenfell tower fire London Mayor Sadiq Khan has declared the fire a major incident Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Police and fire services attempted to evacuate the concrete block of flats Getty Images Grenfell tower fire A woman runs to assist paramedics working at the fire at the Grenfell Tower Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Smoke rises from the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London in the early hours of Wednesday morning Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Fire fighters tackle the 24-storey building in West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Ambulances are stationed nearby Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Paramedics arrive with oxygen Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Emergency services believe it will take some time to establish the cause of the fire Grenfell tower fire Tens of people have been taken to five different hospitals across London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire A man comforts a boy after the tower block was severely damaged Reuters Grenfell tower fire Firefighters stand amid debris in a childrens playground nearby Reuters Grenfell tower fire Firefighters are stationed at the building Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Smoke engulfs Grenfell tower Rex Features Grenfell tower fire Lots of people donating water, food and clothing to St Clement's church for the residents of Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Samuel Osborne Grenfell tower fire A man speaks to a fire fighter after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters are working to put out the blaze. Residents in the tower were evacuated and a number of people were treated for a range of injuries EPA Grenfell tower fire A resident of Grenfell Tower is trapped as smoke billows from the window after a fire engulfed the building Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Members of the emergency services work at the scene of a huge blaze which engulfed Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in Latimer Road Getty Images Grenfell tower fire According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters are working to put out the blaze EPA Grenfell tower fire Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire The burnt facade of Grenfell Tower, the night after the fire in Latimer Road, West London REUTERS/Neil Hall Grenfell tower fire Local residents gather at a community centre near Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road REUTERS/Toby Melville Grenfell tower fire A resident in a nearby building watches smoke rise from Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London AP Grenfell tower fire Police and rescue services operate near the fire at Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block in Latimer Road EPA Grenfell tower fire A man stands amid debris on the A40 after a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London REUTERS/Toby Melville Grenfell tower fire A view of the empty A40 highway after it was closed in both directions, due to the proximity of the fire at Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road EPA Grenfell tower fire Smoke rises from the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Bodies are removed from the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Rick Findler/PA Wire Grenfell tower fire Bodies are removed from the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Rick Findler/PA Wire Grenfell tower fire Provisions on tables at the Westway Sports Centre close to the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Jack Hardy/PA Grenfell tower fire Beds are laid out in the Westway Sports Centre close to the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Jack Hardy/PA Wire Grenfell tower fire A pile of donated clothes, sleeping bags and water lie next to a police cordon near the burning the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Signs asking for donations are seen outside the Notting Hill methodist Chruch Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Smoke rises from the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire A man is rescued by fire fighters after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty

Ms Smith noted the reluctance to donate such products might be linked to the taboo which still surrounds female menstruation. Whats more, she suggested taboo could also mean many survivors would be apprehensive and anxious to explicitly ask for them to be donated.

Having your period can feel embarrassing  not everybody wants to ask for a pad or tampon - and girls as young as 13 start their periods and they will be even less confident about asking for them, she added. But not having the right products can cause so many health and hygiene problems.

Ms Smith, who launched the campaign around two years ago, said she was inundated with people wanting to help Grenfell survivors after she put a call out on social media. She explained she has received four deliveries of crates of products, adding: I have a spare room full of sanitary products.

She has been then delivering the sanitary wear directly to community centres, shelters and other distribution points in and around the Grenfell Tower area.

But the campaigner said she had received no donations from companies who make sanitary products and had not received one single donation from them since launching the campaign despite trying.

She was adamant that the need for such products for Grenfell residents was not about to disappear or slow down, saying: Im just going to keep going with it. People always need them, this is not going to be something which is solved in a short time, it will be nice for residents to know there is a limitless supply of stuff.

The number of victims confirmed or presumed dead in the deadly blaze still stands at 79 but said efforts to work out who was inside the burning building at the time are still underway and the number is expected to increase further.

Sorrow and shock has rapidly turned into fury as it has become clear the deadliest blaze to shake the capital since the Second World War could have been prevented.
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A Muslim woman is suing her former employers after allegedly being ordered to remove her black headscarf because the garment had terrorist affiliations.

The estate agent, who did not want to be named, had been working for Harvey Dean in Bury for almost a year when she says managers took issue with her hijab.

A complaint filed at the Manchester Employment Tribunal says the woman was told that moving from a back office into public view meant that it would be in the best interest of the business for her to change the colour of her hijab, due to the supposed terrorist affiliation with the colour black.

A colleague allegedly claimed that the predominantly white and non-Muslim community around the companys office would feel intimidated and scared if they saw the claimant.

The woman, who had been wearing a black headscarf that left her face uncovered since starting at Harvey Dean, said she was not prepared to change her attire for the reasons given.

She says she refused again in a phone call and a meeting held the following day with the male manager, who had allegedly brought coloured hijabs into the office for her to change into.

Hours later, the claimant says she was reprimanded for sending a text message to her father.

He then went on a tirade accusing the claimant of not working, read tribunal documents seen by The Independent.

The claimant informed him that she was on her lunch break but he told her that he did not care [and] then proceeded to tell her to: Get the f*** out of here.

Hijabs (pictured) cover the hair and neck but leave the face open (Getty Images) (Getty)

The woman left the office and, after hearing nothing further from the company, submitted a letter of resignation the following week.

She claimed to The Independent that her objections to the order fell on deaf ears and left her feeling unable to remain at the company.

I was shocked at what they were asking and the reasons they were giving, the woman added.

The former housing sales negotiator said she felt singled out as the only Muslim woman in the office and claims the company discriminated against her on the basis of both religion and gender.

The tribunal complaint argues that her treatment created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment, and is seeking a written admission that she was subjected to unlawful discrimination.

The case, which will be considered at a preliminary hearing at the Manchester Employment Tribunal on 20 July, could result in Harvey Dean paying aggravated damages and compensation covering loss of earnings, holiday pay and legal fees.

If I receive anything, that will be of secondary importance, the claimant said.

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What is of primary importance to me over and above anything is that this serves as a warning to employers that such pressure upon employees is absolutely and categorically unacceptable based upon illogical ideas with no evidence.

Young Muslim women, whether they attend schools, colleges or work in professional environments, should never have to feel that they have to compromise their religious beliefs or water down their Muslim identity for fear of intimidating people of other or no faith.

Zillur Rahman, an employment lawyer representing the claimant for Rahman Lowe Solicitors, believes the case is the first of its kind in the UK following a landmark ruling at the European Court of Justice in March.

Judges found that companies could legally ban employees from wearing the Islamic headscarf, but only as part of prohibitions encompassing all religious and political symbols equally.

An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination, the court ruled.

However, in the absence of such a rule, the willingness of an employer to take account of the wishes of a customer no longer to have the employer's services provided by a worker wearing an Islamic headscarf cannot be considered an occupational requirement that could rule out discrimination.

The complaint in Bury alleges that Harvey Dean had no such rule in place, noting that Muslim male employees were allowed to wear beards and the companys staff handbook stated that it does not seek to inhibit individual choice as regards appearance.

The company could not be reached for comment.
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Disgraced former bishop and convicted paedophile Peter Ball tried to used his status of confidant with Prince Charles to boost his position, a damming report has revealed.

A major independent review found the Church of England concealed evidence of child abuse against Ball for more than 20 years.

He was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 after admitting to a string of historical sex offences against teenage boys and young men between the 1970s and the 1990s.

The report, Abuse of Faith, found that Ball, then bishop of Gloucester, suggested on many occasions to the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord George Carey and others that he enjoys the status of confidant of the Prince of Wales.

He "sought to exploit his contact with members of the royal family in order to bolster his position, particularly in the eyes of Lord Carey and others from whom he hoped to receive sympathetic treatment, the report says.

The review into how the Church of England dealt with the case accused Lord Carey and other senior church figures of having concealed reports of Balls offences. It was revealed Lambeth Palace failed to pass on six letters of allegations of sex offences to the police.

Criticising Lord Careys response, the report said he set the tone for the Churchs response to Balls crimes and gave the steer which allowed Ball's assertions that he was innocent to gain credence.

The report found Ball made sure Lord Carey knew about his correspondence with Prince Charles and that he visited Highgrove House, the family residence of the Prince of Wales and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall in Gloucestershire.

Upon his retirement Ball, alongside with his twin brother Michael, who was also a bishop, rented a house from the Duchy of Cornwall.

But the review went on to say it found no evidence that the Prince of Wales or any other member of the royal family sought to intervene at any point in order to protect or promote Ball.

Following the publication of the report, Lord Carey said he accepted the criticisms and apologised to Balls victims saying he gave them too little credence.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who described the report as harrowing reading and decried inexcusable and shocking behaviour, has asked Lord Carey to step down from his role as an honorary assistant bishop in Oxford following the report.

Rev Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, has confirmed Lord Carey has "voluntarily agreed to step back from public ministry".

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA 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

The report notes Balls links with high profile and influential figures were feared by members of the public as the way the Church and other public authorities responded in the face of sex abuse allegations against the former bishop.

Along with Lord Carey, Lord Donald Coggan, the former Archbishop of Canterbury in the late 1970s, a diocesan bishop, two MPs, two public school headmasters, one former headmaster, senior staff members from another public school and Lord Justice Lloyd were among the senior figures, who wrote supportive letters about Ball when he was under investigation in the early 1990s.

Ball was placed under police caution in 1993.

Yet, the report states there was no doubt Ball's supporters were unaware of the evidence leading to the caution in 1993 or they were convinced by his protestations of being hard done by.

It also found there is "no firm evidence that the support of prominent public figures materially affected the way that Ball's situation was handled by the Church".

Additional reporting by agencies
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The borough of Hackney might be routinely cited as one of the plainest examples of gentrification in London but few would say it has reached the stage where you rub shoulders with Rupert Murdoch on an outing to the local cinema.

Nevertheless, it seems the North-East Inner London borough has reached this curious yardstick. The media mogul and his wife Jerry Hall took a trip to Hackney Picturehouse to watch The Forgotten Man  a film about homelessness in contemporary London  in which Hall has a brief cameo.

The irony of Murdochs presence was not lost on fellow cinema-goers, with one spectator reportedly throwing some casual abuse at the billionaire businessman.

 Michael Gove and Rupert Murdoch's relationship should be investigated, says Private Eye editor Ian Hislop

Murdoch and Hall apparently attempted to make a discreet exit just before the question and answer session hosted by East End Film Festival (EEFF) kicked off but had no such luck.

According to local Hackney news site Loving Dalston, the pair were spotted by a young Corbynista who shouted: We are the majority now, you c***!

It goes without saying this was a nod to Jeremy Corbyns success in the recent general election in spite of the unfavourable coverage meted out to him in Murdochs papers. The Sun newspaper featured an election day front page showing the Labour leader residing in a rubbish bin, simply because his name rhymes with "bin".

Addressing his constituents at the count for his West Bromwich East seat, the Labours deputy leader, Tom Watson, argued the British public "saw through the lies of the Murdoch machine" that attempted to "frighten" people into voting for the Tories. Defying party expectations, Mr Corbyns party grew its share of the vote by 9.6 per cent, increasing the Labour vote by the largest margin in any election since 1945.

Arriving at the cinema, which is opposite Hackney Town Hall and next to what is arguably one of Londons most raucous and "colourful" Wetherspoons, the Australian mogul and his fourth wife watched the on-screen black-and-white portrayal of a struggling young actor in a theatre group for homeless people.

The fictional group is based on Cardboard Citizens  Britain's only professional theatre company for homeless people. Adrian Jackson, the artistic director and CEO of Cardboard Citizens, was also in the audience to witness the abuse levied at Murdoch.

Jerry Hall makes a cameo appearance in the film so appeared at Hackney Screening with her husband (a certain Rupert Murdoch), he noted in a Facebook post. As he slid off (slithered?) a cry of C**t went up. I doubt he will come back to Hackney.

East End film festival director, Alison Poltock, told The Independent it was a shame Murdoch had not been able to stay for the Q&A session, saying: It would have been good if he had been there for the debate but at least he saw the film.

She added: "As a festival EEFF is committed to inclusivity, equality and championing the viewpoints of the marginalised. As such, we're fundamentally opposed to voices that preach division, discrimination and prejudice.

"We welcome any opportunity to host debate with people pursuing that agenda. Unfortunately Mr Murdoch left the screening before that debate could begin. The film in question, Forgotten Man addressed the stigma of homelessness so I truly hope it gave him a perspective on how destructive stigma can be."

Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Show all 14 1 /14 Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Suzanne Accosta, Bill Wyman, Jeanne Marine and Bob Geldof AP Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Rupert Murdoch with his sons Lachlan, left and James, right Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Jerry Hall arrives at St Bride's for the ceremony to celebrate her marriage to Rupert Murdoch Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Rebekah Brooks and her husband Charlie Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Andrew Lloyd Webber and Madeleine Gurdon Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Tracey Emin arrive at St Bride's Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Michael Caine arrives for the service Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Barry Humphries and Lizzie Spender Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Justice Secretary Michael Gove Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail AFP/Getty Images Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Mick Jagger's daughter Jade Jagger PA Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Georgia-May Jagger Georgia-May Jagger arrives for her mother Jerry Hall's wedding Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Chloe and Grace Murdoch Bridesmaids Chloe and Grace Helen Murdoch leave the wedding ceremony Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images Murdoch and Hall wedding blessing Bianca Jagger Bianca Jagger leaves St Brides Church Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

Murdoch, who according to Forbes' real-time list of world's billionaires is the 34th richest person in the US, backed Donald Trump during the presidential election. This alliance is reported to have been partially instigated by Mr Trumps son-in-law and senior aide, Jared Kushner, who is friends with Murdoch.

A day after the Brexit result, President Trump dined with Murdoch; the President also tweeted his support for the press baron in January, saying: Rupert Murdoch is a great guy who likes me much better as a very successful candidate than he ever did as a very successful developer!

The pair, who were both media celebrities in New York, have known each other for decades.

Representatives for Hackney Picturehouse and for Murdoch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Theresa May is under intense pressure to improve her plans for EU citizens rights, after her opening offer was dismissed by European leaders as not good enough.

The EU institutions key figures branded them below our expectations, not sufficient and said they failed to ensure EU citizens in the UK would be fully protected after Brexit.

National leaders of European states whom the Prime Minister had hoped to be more amenable also piled in - calling her proposals vague and saying they left thousands of questions unanswered.

She had hoped citizens rights would provide an easy opportunity for a positive agreement early on in talks, but the frosty reaction has brought home just how difficult negotiations on thornier issue may be.

At a European Council summit, the humbled Prime Minister even appeared to take a weaker position on the critical point of ending the European Court of Justices influence after Brexit.

Ms May will publish full details of her proposals on how she wants to deal with EU citizens' rights in a paper on Monday, when she will also have to give a statement to the Commons on the meeting in Brussels.

The start of the summit had been dominated by emollient comments from leaders, suggesting the UK was welcome to return to the bloc if it wished.

But the kinder words gave way to the harsh realities of negotiating from a weakened position, when the Prime Minister used an after dinner speech to broadly outline her plans to grant post-Brexit rights to the three million or so EU citizens living in the UK.

She offered to guarantee the status of almost all of them, but left uncertainty around a group of people who arrived in the UK after Article 50 was triggered. There were also unanswered questions about the rights citizens family members among other issues.

European Council President Donald Tusk said during a press conference at the conclusion of the two-day summit: My first impression is that the UK offer is below our expectations and risks worsening the situation of citizens.

It will be for our negotiating team to analyse the offer line-by-line once we receive it on paper.

Mr Tusk also said that Brexit had taken up very little time in the two-day summit, underlining the EUs desire not to be distracted from what it sees as the more pressing concerns of the bloc.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker described the proposals as a first step, but not sufficient.

The European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said the offer does not fully guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, adding: Hopefully the UK position paper, expected on Monday, will deliver what we are looking for.

Leaders of member states who had listened to the Prime Ministers speech were not any more positive, with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte commenting that there are thousands of questions to ask about Ms May's proposals, and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern described them as a first step which did not cover the situations of many EU citizens in the UK.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called it a particularly vague proposal. Using a Flemish phrase to describe a dubious deal, he said: We don't want a cat in the bag. We want the rights of EU citizens to be permanently guaranteed.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the proposals represented a good start but cautioned there were many, many other issues before Britain could reach agreement on a withdrawal deal.

Ms May's proposals would see anyone who has already lived in the UK for five years given a new settled status, securing their position in the country.

Anyone arriving after the triggering of Article 50, but before a notional cut-off date, yet to be set, would also have the chance to stay for five years and gain the status.

But people arriving after the cut-off date but before Brexit day, will be given a grace period of up to two years to regularise their status in the country, possibly managing to stay for the five years and gain settled status, but potentially not.

Arriving for the second day of the summit on the anniversary of the referendum on June 23 last year, Ms May said EU expats should take reassurance and confidence from the package.

I want to reassure all those EU citizens who are in the UK, who have made their lives and homes in the UK, that no one will have to leave. We won't be seeing families split apart, she said.

But the vagueness around the UKs position on the cut off-date, gives Ms May some leverage that she could use to urge the EU to ditch its call for the ECJ to guarantee the rights of citizens after Brexit - something she has always said she is against.

However, in a press conference at the end of the summit she appeared to suggest her stance would go into negotiations and indicated that protecting EU citizens rights could go beyond the British courts and include an element of international law.

Asked by a Polish journalist to address the issue of ECJ jurisdiction, she said: The question of how we enforce the rights that we would be enshrining, as I say we want to see a reciprocal deal for UK citizens in the EU, but the question of enforcement is of course one that will be taken into the negotiations.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

But from our point of view, these will be enforced, they will be enshrined in UK law, they will be enforced through the highly respected UK courts and of course if this is an aspect of the withdrawal treaty then it will be enshrined in international law as well.

At home her proposals were given an equally frosty reception - dismissed as pathetic by a group campaigning for an estimated three million European expats living in the UK.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: It is a badge of shame that Theresa May blocked attempts to guarantee the rights of EU nationals after the referendum. It shows how cold and heartless she is.

Now that mean-spirited decision is coming back to haunt her as we see an exodus of skilled EU workers, from nurses to academics.

Simply setting out vague assurances without giving a clear guarantee or sufficient resources for the Home Office is not good enough.

Labour's Sir Keir Starmer said the PM's plan was too little too late, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it does not come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals living in the UK.
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Theresa May single-handedly blocked a plan to immediately guarantee the future rights of the 3m EU citizens in the UK last summer, George Osborne has revealed.

The then-Home Secretary was the only member of the Cabinet to oppose David Cameron, who wanted to reassure EU citizens they would be allowed to stay, after Brexit.

All his Cabinet agreed with that unilateral offer, except his Home Secretary, Mrs May, who insisted on blocking it, revealed the Evening Standard, now edited by Mr Osborne.

The proposal was discussed in the days immediately after the referendum exactly one year ago, said the newspaper.

Ms May has denied the accusation and said that "was certainly not my recollection" of events.

But Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman, said: "It is a badge of shame that Theresa May blocked attempts to guarantee the rights of EU nationals after the referendum.

"It shows how cold and heartless she is. "Now that mean-spirited decision is coming back to haunt her as we see an exodus of skilled EU workers, from nurses to academics.

The revelation comes after EU citizens in the UK protested that Ms Mays generous offer  outlined last night - will leave them with less rights after Brexit than British jam.

The Prime Ministers proposals also ran into trouble from other EU leaders who warned of open questions and a long, long way to go before agreement.

Ms May was forced to defend her position and said she wants to give EU citizens in the UK "certainty" but the details of the arrangement would be outlined during the negotiation process.

Since reaching No 10, Ms May has faced down pleas to act unilaterally, insisting she would only offer guarantees to EU citizens if British ex-pats in the EU were given the same protection.

 Jean-Claude Juncker says he has no clear idea of what the UK wants from Brexit

The stance fitted with her hardline approach to immigration, as she vowed tough new controls would be a red line in the Brexit negotiations.

Earlier this year, MPs threw out a Lords amendment requiring Britain to act immediately after the Prime Minister promised worried Tory backbenchers she would do exactly that.

Last night, she told a Brussels summit that she was willing to give the 3m EU citizens in Britain a new settled status, allowing them to stay if they have lived here for five years.

People gaining it would secure rights on healthcare, education and benefits broadly similar to those enjoyed by EU citizens in the UK currently.

But Ms May refused to reveal the cut-off date after which new arrivals will no longer be guaranteed the status, leaving many people uncertain of their UK residency.

And, crucially, she has vowed to fight the EUs demand that future rights must be guaranteed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ)  a certain flashpoint over the months to come.

The 3million group, which represents EU citizens in the UK, described the offer as neither fair or really serious.

We really fear the loss of access to the ECJ, said Anne-Laure Donskoy, a founding member.

Austria's Chancellor, Christian Kern, warned: A lot of citizens of Europe are concerned and are not covered with the proposals of Ms May, so there is a long, long way to go for the negotiations.

In the Standard editorial, Mr Osborne criticised Ms May for continuing to make a threat she could not carry out, by linking EU citizens here to the fate of British residents in the EU.

Once again, this morning, millions of families wake up among us not knowing whether they will be allowed to remain in the country where they have chosen to make their lives, it said.

There has to be a very strong reason of national interest even to contemplate causing such upset. There isnt.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

In the absence of a Tory majority, it seems likely that an opposition motion to grant EU citizens the right to remain unilaterally could be carried.
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Britain's Brexit negotiating position is unclear after a general election which dealt a heavy blow to Theresa May's authority and in which the Tories lost their parliamentary majority, the president of the European Parliament said.

Antonio Tajani suggested the result had empowered supporters of a "softer" Brexit in the Government, such as Chancellor Philip Hammond, and has left the UK with a more "flexible" approach to its divorce with the European Union.

He raised the possibility of Britain staying in the European single market after the two-year Article 50 exit talks, which will end on March 29 2019 or before.

Mr Tajani said an agreement similar to those enjoyed by Switzerland or Norway was "possible to do", adding: "It's possible to decide on this after a negotiation."

Switzerland and Norway are not in the EU but both participate in the single market having signed up to the "four freedoms" required, including the free movement of citizens.

Such a deal could see a key plank of the Prime Minister's strategy - to leave the single market to gain control over immigration - torpedoed.

Mr Hammond remains committed to leaving the single market, despite his calls for a Brexit deal which puts "jobs first".

But Mr Tajani told BBC Newsnight: "The problem is what Mrs May and what the UK Government want to do - (do) they want to leave Europe and nothing more, or (do) they want to have closer cooperation ... the example is the cooperation between Europe and Norway.

"But nobody knows.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA 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

He added: "Before the election the May position was very strong. Now I think in the UK the situation, the opinion is more flexible, (that's) my point of view. During the negotiation it's possible to combine, to decide. "I think we don't have a final position (from) the UK.

"If the UK want to achieve another agreement it's possible to do it but we need to ask the European Union."

Mr Tajani added: "For this I think it's important to know the real position of the UK."
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The European Union has torpedoed Theresa Mays proposals on the rights of three million EU citizens in the UK after Brexit, warning it would make their situation worse.

The UKs offer is below our expectations and risks worsening the situation for our citizens, said Donald Tusk, the European Councils President.

The critical verdict suggests the Prime Minister will have to go back to the drawing board in order to get talks going on future trade after Brexit.

Earlier this week, Britain caved in to the EUs insistence that the fate of citizens in other EU countries must be settled before negotiations on its future relationship can begin.

But, speaking a few moments later, Ms May insisted her offer was fair and serious and would give EU citizens the certainty they needed.

Pointedly, Mr Tusk said the EU would be analysing Britains proposals line by line, when they are published in detail on Monday.

We have made our position clear, he said. We want to ensure the full rights for EU and UK citizens after Brexit.

Mr Tusks criticism comes after EU citizens in the UK protested that Ms Mays so-called generous offer  outlined last night  will leave them with fewer rights than firms trading across borders.

The Prime Minister told a Brussels summit that she was willing to give EU citizens in Britain a new settled status, allowing them to stay if they have lived here for five years.

People gaining it would secure rights on healthcare, education and benefits broadly similar to those enjoyed by EU citizens in the UK currently.

But Ms May refused to reveal the cut-off date after which new arrivals will no longer be guaranteed the status, leaving many people uncertain of their UK residency.

And, crucially, she has vowed to fight the EUs demand that future rights must be guaranteed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ)  a certain flashpoint over the months to come.

The 3million group, which represents EU citizens in the UK, described the offer as neither fair or really serious. We really fear the loss of access to the ECJ, said Anne-Laure Donskoy, a founding member.

Earlier, former Chancellor George Osborne said that Ms May single-handedly blocked a plan to immediately guarantee those future rights last summer.

The then-Home Secretary was the only member of the Cabinet to oppose David Cameron, who wanted to reassure EU citizens they would be allowed to stay.

All his Cabinet agreed with that unilateral offer, except his Home Secretary, Mrs May, who insisted on blocking it, revealed the London Evening Standard, now edited by Mr Osborne.

The proposal was discussed in the days immediately after the referendum exactly one year ago, said the newspaper.
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EU citizens in the UK have protested that Theresa Mays generous offer will leave them with fewer rights after Brexit than British jam.

The Prime Ministers proposals also ran into trouble from other EU leaders who warned of open questions and a long, long way to go before agreement.

The obstacles emerged after Ms May told a Brussels summit that she was willing to give the 3m EU citizens in Britain a new settled status, allowing them to stay if they have lived here for five years.

People gaining it would secure rights on healthcare, education and benefits broadly similar to those enjoyed by EU citizens in the UK currently.

But Ms May refused to reveal the cut-off date after which new arrivals will no longer be guaranteed the status, leaving many people uncertain of their UK residency.

And, crucially, she has vowed to fight the EUs demand that future rights must be guaranteed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ)  a certain flashpoint over the months to come.

The 3million group, which represents EU citizens in the UK, described the offer as neither fair or really serious.

We really fear the loss of access to the ECJ, said Anne-Laure Donskoy, a founding member.

Under any kind of trade deal, there has to be a supranational court to give the people trading protection, so we do not have unilateral future changes.

British jam and the French wine trade will be regulated under this kind of jurisdiction, whereas we will lose this. Why should jam have more rights than a Spanish nurse, or a Polish plumber?

Ms Donskoy also criticised the refusal of the British Government to talk with the group, although it will, finally, meet with Brexit Secretary David Davis next week.

The EU has been much more forthcoming in inviting us to have a conversation with them, she said  including with Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator.

At the summit, Austria's Chancellor, Christian Kern, warned: There are so many details left open.

A lot of citizens of Europe are concerned and are not covered with the proposals of Ms May, so there is a long, long way to go for the negotiations.

Arriving for the second day of the summit, on the anniversary of last years Brexit referendum, Mrs May acknowledged that elements of her plans had put her on a collision course with the EU.

Of course, there will be details of this arrangement which will be part of the negotiation process, she said.

But, she insisted: I want to reassure all those EU citizens who are in the UK, who have made their lives and homes in the UK, that no-one will have to leave, we won't be seeing families split apart.

This is a fair and serious offer. I want to give those EU citizens in the UK certainty about the future of their lives, but I also want to see that certainty given to U citizens who are living in the EU.

EU officials will study the full details when they are published on Monday. There was no discussion in Brussels  because Ms May was required to leave the room after describing her offer.
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The Conservative Party allegedly operated a secret call centre during the general election campaign that breached electoral law, an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News has claimed.

The report said employees at Blue Telecoms in Neath, South Wales, made thousands of cold calls to voters in marginal seats in the run-up to the election.

It claimed callers were told to say they were working for a market research company called Axe Research. No such company is registered in England and Wales.

The programme reported the script given to employees appeared to canvass some voters on behalf of individual candidates  which would be regulated under electoral law  instead of conducting market research, which would not.

According to Channel 4, callers were later told to identify themselves as calling on behalf of Theresa May and the Conservative Party.

Undecided voters were fed key Conservative campaign messages, including references to the Brexit negotiations and warnings about a hung parliament.

On the day that voters went to the polls, undecided voters were told that the election result in your marginal constituency is going to be very close between Theresa Mays Conservatives and Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party.

They were then asked: So does knowing that you live in a marginal constituency that will determine who is prime minister for the Brexit negotiations, does that make you a lot more likely to vote for Theresa Mays Conservative candidate or a little more likely to vote for Theresa Mays Conservative candidate, or are you still unsure, or does it not make a difference?

The broadcasters evidence suggests that on the day of the election, staff called voters in 10 marginal seats, including Bridgend, Gower, Clwyd South and Wrexham.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA 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

Under the Representation of the People Act, it is illegal to employ someone for payment or promise of payment as a canvasser for the purpose of promoting or procuring a candidates election.

A QC specialising in information law told the channel that political parties had to ensure that third parties working on their behalf followed the law.

Its an illegal practice, its prohibited under the legislation and in so far as its something which has tainted the overall result in favour of a political candidate, then it can void that result, said Anya Proops.

A Conservative spokesman said: Political parties of all colours pay for market research and direct marketing calls. All the scripts supplied by the party for these calls are compliant with data protection and information law.

Blue Telecoms is run by Sascha Lopez. He told The Guardian: In relation to the Conservative party project, I am unable to comment on the content of the scripts or calls to TPS [Telephone Preference Service] numbers, as the scripts and lists of who to call and when to call were given to us by Conservative campaign HQ in London and were not influenced by my team.
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The Governments decision to commission a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point  which will receive an estimated subsidy of 30bn  has been condemned as a high cost and risky deal by the head of the National Audit Office (NAO).

In a scathing report, the NAO said ministers had failed to look at alternative ways of funding the power station to get the best deal possible, saying officials expect it will add up to 15 to annual electricity bills up to 2030.

The renewable energy industry accused the Government of ignoring the most cost-effective forms of electricity generation  onshore wind and solar.

Greenpeace pointed out that this years school leavers would still be paying for Hinkley when they approach their pension age, so it is concerning that the National Audit Office is suggesting it may not be worth their money.

Construction of Hinkley Point C, which is being built in Somerset by French power firm EDF and the China General Nuclear Power Group, has just begun amid concerns about whether the type of reactor to be installed will actually work.

Similar projects in France, Finland and China have been best by delays and cost overruns, the report said, and there are no examples of [the] reactor technology working anywhere in the world.

But, assuming such problems can be overcome and the two new reactors start generating, the NAO questioned whether it would prove to be a wise decision.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: The Department [for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy] has committed electricity consumers and taxpayers to a high cost and risky deal in a changing energy marketplace.

Time will tell whether the deal represents value for money, but we cannot say the department has maximised the chances that it will be.

Under the deal, ministers agreed the plant would get a guaranteed price of 92.50 per megawatt-hour of electricity for 35 years. This means that if the market price falls below this level, energy-bill payers will be forced to make up the difference.

The price of renewables, particularly solar and onshore wind, has fallen dramatically in recent years, and, at times, has turned energy prices negative.

In 2015, after an auction for the lowest guaranteed price, a solar power plant came in at 79.23 per megawatt-hour; onshore windfarms have achieved similar rates.

Further reductions are expected; tycoon Sir Richard Branson has even predicted there will be almost ... no energy costs at all within a few decades.

The rapidly decreasing price of renewables, coupled with the guaranteed price over such a long period, threatens to make the Hinkley deal even more expensive than the estimated subsidy of 30bn.

Hinkley Point C: The numbers behind the new nuclear power station

The NAO report criticised the chosen method of subsidising the 18bn plant, which could not have been built without some kind of support because of high upfront costs.

The departments deal for Hinkley Point C has locked consumers into a risky and expensive project with uncertain strategic and economic benefits, it said.

While committing the developer to bearing the construction risks means taxpayers and consumers are protected from costs over-running, consumers could end up paying more for Hinkleys electricity than if the Government had shared these risks.

And the NAO warned that the taxpayer or energy consumer might end up footing the bill anyway if Hinkley hits major problems.

Past experience shows that ultimately these risks could shift back to taxpayers or consumers, the report said.

If the project runs into trouble, the Government may need to fund alternatives to ensure secure supply, or come under pressure to renegotiate its deal. The department did not sufficiently appraise alternative ways to structure the deal.

Richard Black, director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, praised the NAO for highlighting a number of factors that potentially made Hinkley Point C more expensive than it needed to be.

The costs of renewables and smart power technology are changing much faster than the Government predicted, and what might have looked good value 10 years ago looks much less so now, he said.

Arguably new nuclear build isnt compatible with the Governments smart grid ambitions, and the NAO is surely right to recommend reviewing the case for nuclear power once in every parliament.

 Boris calls Hinkley 'a disgrace'

And Nina Schrank, an energy campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said the report was a damning indictment of the Governments decision to go ahead with the deal.

It reveals that by the time the Government had signed off the deal, it was already a busted flush, she said.

This years school leavers will still be paying for Hinkley when they approach their pension age, so it is concerning that the National Audit Office is suggesting it may not be worth their money.

The Government didnt even consider the impacts on bills beyond 2030. Their assumptions about the cost of renewables, especially offshore wind, were wildly inaccurate.

Long before Hinkley is even finished, offshore wind will be producing far cheaper and safer power. The nuclear new-build programme should be halted for better alternatives that will meet our energy needs and provide jobs in the regions.

James Court, head of policy at the Renewable Energy Association, said the Government had spent 10 years pushing for Hinkley Point C to be built, stressing its value for money.

But he said: The Government has recently been ignoring the most cost-effective of all forms of electricity generation available right now  renewables.

Solar and onshore wind are now cheaper than new gas and can be built quickly. New energy storage and flexibility technologies are rapidly developing and can be relied on to manage variability.

Renewable energy and clean tech costs are rapidly falling. Renewables are now providing around a quarter of the UKs power and have composed the overwhelming majority of new generation capacity installed in the past five years.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters

EDF insisted the NAO report showed the power station remains good value for consumers compared with alternative choices.

Consumers wont pay a penny until the power station is operating and it is EDF Energy and CGN who will take the risk and responsibility of delivering it, it said.

The project is having a major impact on the UKs industrial capacity, jobs and skills. Relaunching the UK nuclear new build industry at Hinkley Point C will enable costs for future projects, in particular Sizewell C, to be lower.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said in a statement: Hinkley Point C will be the first new nuclear plant in a generation. This was an important strategic decision to ensure that nuclear is part of a diverse energy mix.

Consumers wont pay a penny until Hinkley is built; it will provide clean, reliable electricity powering six million homes and creating more than 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships in the process.
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An emergency response volunteer went into cardiac arrest while helping to remove bodies from the scene of a horrific car accident in which two teenage siblings and a 70-year-old man were killed.

Eric Neibaur, 15, and his 13-year-old sister Lauren Neibaur died when their pick-up truck collided with Jay Lanninghams vehicle on a major road in the US state of Idaho.

Police said a member of the local search and rescue unit had to be revived with a portable defibrillator after his heart stopped at the scene of the crash, reported the Idaho State Journal.

The emergency responder spent three nights in hospital but was discharged on Wednesday.

Local sheriff Lorin Nielsen told the newspaper the difference between this accident and others he had dealt with was that the damage was so horrific and there werent any skid marks.

All of us have seen death before, but when we have kids that are about the same age it really hits home a bit more than anything else does, he said.

Eric and Lauren were driving a short way behind their mother and stepfather on Sunday  Father's Day  after spending the weekend camping and riding dirt bikes together, according to the Journal.

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. 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The teenagers parents were checking on them in their rear view mirrors, but realised there was a problem when they lost sight of the siblings red Chevrolet truck.

The third victim of the crash, Mr Lanningham, was with a young female passenger who suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital where she was said to be in a critical condition, but expected to survive.

The siblings' father, also called Eric Neibaur, said the pair had "loved to torture each other" but had also "loved each other very much".
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Once a woman agrees to having sex, her partner can legally ignore her if she says she'd like to stop.

At least, thats the case in North Carolina, where the state Supreme Court ruled that women cannot revoke consent after sexual intercourse begins.

According to the 1979 case State v. Way, "if the actual penetration is accomplished with the woman's consent, the accused is not guilty of rape".

Lynn Schafran, senior vice president of Legal Momentum, said she had never seen anything like this ruling before.

It is certainly out of touch with the way these case are being considered today, she told The Independent.

But at least two women have come forward in the last two months alleging that the ruling let their rapists get away with the crime.

Amy Guy told local news station WRAL that her estranged husband showed up at her house one night last year, demanding sex. She consented at first, but begged him to stop when he became violent.

US sexual assault statistics Show all 8 1 /8 US sexual assault statistics US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq

Ms Guys husband, Jonathan Wayne Guy, was initially charged with second-degree rape. Pursuant to State v Way, however, his charges were dropped to misdemeanour assault on a female. He plead guilty and is currently serving out a 10 month prison sentence.

Another North Carolina woman, Aaliyah Palmer, recounted a similar story to the Fay Observer. Ms Palmer says she consented to having sex at a party, but asked her partner to stop when the sex became violent. She says he did not.

Despite the fact that he encounter was caught on video, police said they did not have enough evidence for a rape charge. The man who allegedly recorded the video is charged with two counts of being a peeping Tom and illegal possession of peeping Tom images.

Senator Jeff Jackson, who learned of the loophole while working as criminal prosecutor, wants a different outcome for women in the future. The Senator recently introduced a bill that would allow consent for vaginal intercourse to be withdrawn at any time during the act.

Right now, if a woman tells a man to stop having sex he is under no legal obligation to do so, as long as she initially consented, he said in a statement. ...North Carolina is the only state in the country where no doesnt really mean no.

In fact, at least nine US states explicitly recognise the right to withdraw consent during sex, either via state statutes or court rulings.

In states where the law does not specify either way, says AEquitas CEO Jennifer Long, most courts read the law to mean that consent can be withdrawn.

Realistically, its because its sort of something that should be common sense: that you consent until you dont consent, she said.

Despite this consensus, Mr Jackson has had little luck getting his legislation passed in North Carolina. He has introduced the bill every year since 2015, only to see it get stuck in committee. There is only one week left in the current legislative session, and his bill has yet to move to a vote.

Still, Mr Jefferson remains optimistic.

This really shouldnt be a controversial matter, he said. I believe this bill will inevitably pass, and when it does, my bet is it passes unanimously. No one can seriously defend this loophole in our rape law.
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Americas oldest federal prisoner has been released from prison 50 years after his 1967 conviction.

John Sonny Franzese was released from the Federal Medical Centre in Devens, Massachusetts, in a wheelchair at the end of his sentence for bank robbery.

He plans to head to Brooklyn to live with his daughter, his son Michael said.

Franzese had been paroled at least six times since 1967, but managed to get put back in prison each time. The last time that happened, in 2010, when he was caught shaking down strip clubs and a pizzeria, according to US Bureau of Prisons records show.

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The centenarian was an under boss to the reputed Colombo crime family, which is the youngest of the five families that dominated New York City within the national criminal organisation referred to as the Mafia.

During his time in prison, Franzese was able to put some of his Mafia knowledge to work, and is listed as an associate producer of the 2003 film This Thing of Ours, a crime drama that follows a crew of young gangsters who attempt to pull off the largest heist in the history of the Mafia.

Many of the leaders of the Colombo crime family are currently in prison, and most have been in there for a relatively long period of time. Convictions for the current heads of the familys operations reach back to 1996. More recent ones have occurred after 2011.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The FBI estimates that there are around 3,000 or so members of the Mafia spread throughout the United States, mostly operating around New York and New Jersey. Those organisations are far from their operational heydays in the mid 20th century, when the mob was able to curry influence from national politicians and work with a degree of impunity.

Still, the organisations do still operate to some degree, albeit at a much less visible capacity.

The oldest living prisoner is now Salvatore Sparacio, a mob boss from Philadelphia. He is 95.
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Nearly six years after gay marriage was legalised in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has named the first openly gay judge to the states top court.

Justice Paul G Feinman will take his seat on the New York Court of Appeals after serving two decades in the states lower courts. He fills the seat left by Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaams sudden death in April.

The announcement coincided with New York Citys Pride week, when LGBT community members and their allies gather to celebrate their identities. The significance was not lost on LGBT rights advocates.

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There is something profoundly important about finally having a LGBT person on the bench who brings these life experiences, Susan Sommer of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund told The New York Times. It will certainly enrich the conversation when these issues come before the court.

Mr Cuomo heralded his appointment a major step forward for the state's judicial system.

Mr Feinman, while acknowledging the historical marker of his appointment, was coy, saying: I just hope the governor chose me because he thought I was the best for the job.

Colleagues described the 57-year-old leukemia survivor as a progressive judge. He is perhaps best known for tossing out a 2011 lawsuit that aimed to bar the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero.

State senators, however, said they were impressed by balanced rulings.

When we looked at the cases that Judge Feinman decided over the years, one of the things that impressed me the most was that he always reviewed the law in front of him and to the best of his ability he always tried to apply the law without any bias or prejudice, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman John Bonacic said during his confirmation hearing.

Mr Feinman was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate on Wednesday.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

The Merrick, Long Island native received a degree in French literature from Columbia University in 1981. He attended law school at the University of Minnesota on a full scholarship, and started his career as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society.

Mr Feinman advanced quickly from his role as a court lawyer to a civil court judge, and finally a Supreme Court justice for the New York Appellate Division, First Department. Along the way, he served as a leader of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar Association. and the International Association of LGBT Judges.

Certainly my entire career has been about promoting equal access and equal justice for all, Mr Feinman said during his confirmation hearing, and I hope I add to the diversity of perspectives that the court considers.
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Women in New Hampshire were almost allowed to commit murder with impunity, when Republican legislators failed to read the fine print in their own bill.

New Hampshire Senate Bill 66 is one of dozens of foetal homicide laws across the country that allow foetuses to be considered people in cases of homicide or manslaughter.

The New Hampshire bill defines a foetus as a person in such cases after 20 weeks. Supporters say this allows those who might kill a foetus  in a car crash, or assault, for example  to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

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Womens rights advocates, however, say the laws can also be interpreted to ban abortion. To assuage these fears, New Hampshire legislators added an exemption for women seeking abortions and the doctors providing them.

As originally written, the act exempted any act committed by the pregnant woman or her doctor from cases of second-degree murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, or causing or aiding suicide.

The bill as drafted allows for physician-assisted suicide and allows a pregnant woman to commit homicide without consequences, Republican Representative JR Hoell told the Concord Monitor.

Women on the front line of America's abortion war Show all 3 1 /3 Women on the front line of America's abortion war Women on the front line of America's abortion war IA28-34-Abortion-2.jpg AP Women on the front line of America's abortion war IA34-Janis.jpg Women on the front line of America's abortion war IA28-34-abortion-3.jpg AP

Legislators, however, only caught the error after it had passed both chambers of Congress and was headed to Governor Chris Sununus desk.

Members of Congress quickly voted to change the language through a process normally used to correct spelling and grammar.

No one in this chamber voted to allow anyone to be able to murder anyone, Republican House Majority Leader Dick Hinch said. That was not the intent.

Thirty-eight other states currently have foetal homicide laws on the books. The laws have raised concerns about prosecuting mothers for miscarriages, or for smoking or drinking during pregnancy.

Democrats in New Hampshire protested that the Republican-sponsored bill is redundant, pointing out that women can already pursue felony charges in cases that result in miscarriage or stillbirth.

Senate Bill 66 puts New Hampshire on the dangerous path to recognising fetal personhood in our laws, Senator Martha Hennessey said.

The bill, however, easily passed New Hampshire's Republican legislature. Mr Sununu is expected to sign the revised measure into law.
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A second treasure hunter has died while on a quest to uncover a mystery bronze chest containing gold nuggets, ancient artifacts and jewellery worth around $2m (1.6m) that was hidden by an eccentric art dealer.

Paris Wallace, 52, a pastor from Colorado is thought to be latest person to die seeking the bounty.

Reported missing by his family last week, authorities in New Mexico now believe they have found his body after a hunt involving air support, a police dive team, numerous officers, canine teams and volunteers.

Police have warned that the treasure is putting lives at risk but Forrest Fenn, 86, who hid the treasure, said he has no plans to reveal its location, which is believed to be somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

While New Mexico State Police said the body had not yet been officially identified, they said evidence indicated it was Mr Wallace.

The body was discovered around a year after searchers spent weeks looking for Randy Bilyeu, another Colorado man who disappeared in the New Mexico back country while looking for the loot.

Mr Bilyeus remains were eventually found in the Rio Grande several months later.

State Police Chief Pete Kassetas urged Mr Fenn to retrieve the treasure and stop what he called nonsense and insanity.

"He's putting lives at risk," Mr Kassetas said. He added law enforcement officers, search and rescue volunteers were also being put at risk while looking for missing treasure hunters, which was straining state resources.

But in an email to The New York Times, Mr Fenn said he had no plans to call the hunt off.

He said: It is always tragic when someone dies, and this latest loss hit me very hard. Life is too short to wear both a belt and suspenders.

If someone drowns in the swimming pool we shouldnt drain the pool, we should teach people to swim.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The art dealer, whose gallery in the New Mexico city of Santa Fe attracted frequent visits from celebrities in the 1970s and 1980s, initially planned to bury himself with the treasure when he was diagnosed with cancer several years ago.

But following his recovery, he drew up the treasure hunt and dropped clues to its whereabouts in a poem in his memoir The Thrill of the Chase.

Mr Fenn told the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper that he had been considering how to make the search safer but has not taken any decision yet. He estimated 65,000 people have joined the search for his treasure.

Mitzi Wallace, Mr Wallace's wife and fellow treasure hunter, said it would be a mistake for Mr Fenn to end the hunt.

She said she would continue to search for the treasure with her 19-year-old son, including in the area where authorities believe her husband died.
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The South Carolina Boeing plant where President Donald Trump spoke about saving American jobs is laying off almost 200 workers, the company says.

Boeings South Carolina assembly plant has notified employees that they will be off the company's payrolls from 25 August, company spokeswoman Lori Guntr told The Independent.

The layoffs are part of a larger effort to cut costs at Boeing, where intense competition with rival manufacturer Airbus has forced the company to lower prices and make savings. Orders for the companys signature 777 jet have also slowed, with production down nearly 60 per cent from its peak.

The company told employees in December that it would resort to layoffs as a last resort. But they went on to announce some workers would be made redundant at their Washington plant in March, and the first-ever round of layoffs at the South Carolina plant were declared on Friday.

We have gone through a variety of other ways of improving competitiveness at the South Carolina site, including voluntary layoffs and costs reductions, Ms Guntr said. ...We had exhausted all of those and we still were not at the level that our business requires.

The layoffs come just months after Mr Trump addressed crowds at the South Carolina plant and assured them he would put our great people back to work.

"My focus has been all about jobs. And jobs is one of the primary reasons I'm standing here today as your president," Mr Trump said. "And I will never, ever disappoint you.

In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President-elect Donald Trump acknowledges guests as he arrives on the platform at the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump looks on during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington AP In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President Donald Trump shakes hands with Justice John Roberts after taking the oath at inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President Donald Trump raises his fists after his inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Getty In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets outgoing President Barack Obama before Trump is inaugurated during ceremonies on the Capitol in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump resident-elect Donald Trump arrives on the platform of the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Attendees partake in the inauguration ceremonies to swear in Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump US President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address during ceremonies at the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump waves with wife Melania during the Inaugural Parade in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters registered their rage against the new president Friday in a chaotic confrontation with police who used pepper spray and stun grenades in a melee just blocks from Donald Trump's inaugural parade route. Scores were arrested for trashing property and attacking officers AP In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators protest against US President Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A woman holds a sign before the start of the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Anti-Trump protesters prepare banners for a protest against the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, in Berlin REUTERS In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators shout slogans against US President-elect Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators march, block foot traffic and clash with U.S. Capitol Police at the entry checkpoints for the Inauguration of Donald Trump Alamy Live News In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators display a banner as people arrive for US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A man displays a placard as people lineup to get into the National Mall for the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump raise their hands as they are surrounded by police on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A demonstrator wearing a mask depicting Donald Trump protests outside the US Embassy in London Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators hold placards as they protest outside the US Embassy in London Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Former US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush arrive for the Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden share an umbrella as President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address at the inauguration in Washington DC Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. Vice President Mike Pence takes the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Advisors to President-elect Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon depart from services at St. John's Church during the Presidential Inauguration in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump take cover as they are hit by pepper spray by police on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump An activist demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump is helped after being hit by pepper spray on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A police officer tries to tackle a protester demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump Reuters/Adrees Latif In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Police arrest and detain a protester in the street in Washington DC Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A police officer falls to the ground as another shoots pepper spray at protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters

The President campaigned heavily on creating more jobs for Americans, and has frequently touted the number of jobs he says his administration has created.

The US economy added about 600,000 jobs in the first four months of Mr Trumps presidency, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. In the four month before his election, it added about 840,000.

Last month, the Carrier manufacturing plant where Mr Trump claimed he had saved 1,100 jobs  and promised to create even more  announced it would be cutting more than 600 jobs by the end of the year.

I am appreciative of what took place, Carrier employee Robert James told The Daily Beast. But there are still 500-some people who are going to be unemployed. And he bragged about saving 1,100 jobs.
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Barack Obama has called the Republican replacement for his signature healthcare legislation, Obamacare, a "massive transfer of wealth" from the poor and middle-class to the wealthy.

The former President and namesake for the existing Affordable Care Act healthcare law took to Facebook to express his concern over the replacement bill set to be voted upon in the Senate that would benefit the wealthy with massive tax cuts as well as pharmaceutical and insurance companies.

Mr Obama wrote that "health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did".

Mr Obama said that though repealing and replacing Obamacare has become a core issue for Republicans, "we fought for it because we knew it would save lives, prevent financial misery, and ultimately set this country we love on a better, healthier course."

The bill passed the House in May and until 22 June the Senate draft was kept secret from all but a few select Republican Senators by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

After the unveiling, four of the majority party's Senators made their dissent public.

The current bill does not repeal Obamacare, Rand Paul, one of the four Senators, along with Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Mike Lee of Utah, who have said in a joint statement that they're not ready to vote for this bill.

With no Democrats planning to support the repeal and replacement, Mr McConnell and party can only afford to lose two members of their 52-48 majority in the Senate in order to pass the bill.

Several Democrats have admitted Obamacare needs fixing, but that abandoning it for the Republican replacement - known formally as the American Health Care Act - is not a viable option.

The president said the House bill was mean, said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. The Senate bill may be even meaner.

Even Mr Obama wrote: I was careful to say again and again that while the Affordable Care Act represented a significant step forward for America, it was not perfect, nor could it be the end of our efforts.

He said that if Republicans come up with a plan that is "demonstrably better than the improvements we made to our health care system, that covers as many people at less cost, I would gladly and publicly support it."

Mr McConnell said Democrats chose not to help frame the bill.

I regret that our Democratic friends made clear early on that they did not want to work with us in a serious, bipartisan way to address the Obamacare status quo. But Republicans believe we have a responsibility to act, and we are, Mr McConnell said.

A number of Republicans such as Susan Collins and Maine said it was too soon to judge the bill until they had had a chance to read it. Veteran Senator John McCain said the draft bill was better than Obamacare in "100 ways," but like many Senators wanted to study the bill further and consult with his state's governor.

States with a large population receiving Medicare, health insurance for seniors, or Medicaid, government-subsidised insurance for low-income or disabled people, may be negatively affected by the bill in its current draft.

With a third of the Senate coming up for re-election in 2018, many will have to weigh the state-wide implications before voting for the bill.

Mr Obama also wrote that politics could not get in the way of the "compromise" needed between Republicans and Democrats in order to not "put the American people through [the] pain" of being excluded from benefits while pregnant or sick, expensive bills, or high deductibles "while giving billionaires and corporations a massive tax cut in return".

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the House version of bill would leave 23 million people uninsured. It is expected to run the same calculations on number of insured and cost of premiums for the Senate draft bill early next week.

Mr McConnell is reportedly looking to schedule a vote on the bill sometime before the 4 July Congressional recess, which does not give much time to deliver what Mr Obama called "the kind of leadership that appeals to Americans across party lines."
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A senior US Energy Department official appointed by the Trump administration once described Barack Obama as a Kenyan creampuff, Mark Zuckerberg as an arrogant, self-hating Jew and climate scientists as cultists and nuts, according to a report.

William C Bradford, director of the Departments Office of Indian Energy, also appeared to believe Mr Obama might refuse to step down after his two terms of office, asking what will we do? Is a military coup the only answer?

The messages were posted on a since-deleted Twitter account, @Brute_Bradford, The Washington Post revealed.

Previously Mr Bradford caused controversy when he wrote an article claiming some academics who criticised US foreign policy were Islamist Fifth Columnists who could be treated as unlawful combatants and subjected to coercive interrogation, trial, and imprisonment.

In an email to the Post, Mr Bradford, who previously was the attorney general of the Chiricahua Apache Nation, admitted the account was his and said he regretted the remarks.

As a minority and member of the Jewish faith, I sincerely apologise for my disrespectful and offensive comments, he said.

These comments are inexcusable and I do not stand by them.

Now, as a public servant, I hold myself to a higher standard, and I will work every day to better the lives of all Americans.

Recommended The fabulous life and career of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Mr Obama was a particular target for the messages, which echoed the bogus claims by so-called Birthers, once led by Donald Trump, that the Democrat was not born in the United States and was therefore not entitled to be US President.

I think Obama was given his mission in Tehran long ago, and it suits him just fine. How else can a Kenyan creampuff get ahead, he tweeted in December last year.

Another message that month said: No one listens to the Tehran Candidate any more. He should slink away

In February 2016, after Mark Zuckerberg said people should not vote for Mr Trump, Mr Bradford asked: Who is this little arrogant self-hating Jew to tell anyone for whom to vote.

It also appears Mr Bradford is very much a member of the climate science denial wing of the Trump administration.

Soon, climate change cultists will be pitied as the nuts they always were, he tweeted.

Other messages included one saying the controversial decision to intern Japanese Americans during World War II was necessary.

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 Bradford also rejected the idea that women should be allowed to have frontline roles in the military and gave a lethal warning to anyone who might decide to try to conscript female members of his family.

Women have no business in combat. Period, he tweeted in February. Republicans pandering on this issue. Disgusting. Ill shoot anyone who comes for my daughters.

In 2015, Mr Bradford resigned as an assistant professor at the West Point military academy after writing an article in which he claimed that some American academics critical of US foreign policy were Fifth Columnists for Islamist terrorists engaged in psychological warfare  against their own people.

This radical development  employment of psyops [psycological operations] by American elites against Americans  is celebrated in the Islamic world as a portent of US weakness and the coming triumph of Islamism, he wrote.

That a trahison des professeurs is responsible for the creation of the most important strategic weapon in the Islamist arsenal is a serious charge that must be developed and defended

Bizarrely he referred to these academics as Cloaca, an acronym he appears to have invented meaning critical law of armed conflict academy. It is also a word meaning a sewer or a cavity at the end of some animals digestive tract.

Cloaca scholarship and advocacy that attenuates US arms and undermines American will are psyops, which are combatant acts, he wrote.

Consequently, if these acts are colourable as propaganda inciting others to war crimes, such acts are prosecutable.

Cloaca members are thus combatants who, like all other combatants, can be targeted at any time and place and captured and detained until termination of hostilities.

As unlawful combatants for failure to wear the distinctive insignia of a party, Cloaca propagandists are subject to coercive interrogation, trial, and imprisonment.

Law schools and journalists who helped propagate the academics views were also lawful targets given the causal connection between the content disseminated and Islamist crimes incited.

Shocking and extreme as this option might seem, Cloaca scholars, and the law schools that employ them, are  at least in theory  targetable so long as attacks are proportional, distinguish non-combatants from combatants, employ non-prohibited weapons, and contribute to the defeat of Islamism, the man newly appointed as a senior Energy Department official wrote.

The National Security Law Journal later apologised for publishing the article, which it said was an "egregious breach of professional decorum".
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Germany spied on the US - including the White House - for a number of years, a report claims.

A number of US businesses and government entities were being monitored by the German foreign intelligence agency, according to documents received by the German newspaper Der Spiegel.

Between 1998 and 2006, several White House emails, phone, and fax numbers were reportedly tracked using a set of 4,000 keywords.

Other agencies monitored during the end of Bill Clinton administration and almost the entirety of George W. Bush's term in office were the State and Treasury departments, NASA, US Air Force, Marine Corps, and a number of other defence-related departments.

The rest of Washington was not immune from the spying either, as the documents indicated even organisations like the International Monetary Fund were also being watched.

Large defence contractor Lockheed Martin, nearly 100 embassies in the nation's capital, and even Human Rights Watch, a non-profit, were spied upon as well.

The US and German relationship was improving during President Obama's time in office as he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel seemed to be on good terms.

However, in 2013 US government contractor Edward Snowden leaked classified documents that made public US spying targets, which included the National Security Agency's monitoring of Ms Merkel's mobile phone.

It prompted Ms Merkel to make the comment: "spying between friends, that's just not done".

However, a 2016 report revealed that the German intelligence agency was also spying on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies and other EU countries, more than two-thirds of the agency's 3,300 targets in all.

Until 2013, heads of state and government, ministers, members of their offices, and military institutions were monitored.

Ms Merkel has to-date denied knowledge of the intelligence agency's activities, but the lower house of the Parliament has approved new measures to check them.

The revelation comes amid tense relations between the Germany and US after Ms Merkel was chastised by Donald Trump on her visit to the White House in March 2017 for her refugee and climate policies as well as not spending enough money on defence in their capacity as a Nato ally.

Ms Merkel has publicly criticised Mr Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change, which nearly 200 countries signed in 2015 in order to lower greenhouse gas emissions globally and help poorer countries adjust to an already changing planet.
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Senate Republicans have finally unveiled a draft of their Obamacare replacement bill, which Democrats were quick to condemn.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing for a vote before senators leave Washington, DC for the Fourth of July recess. But with some Republicans already saying they arent ready to support the legislation, there is uncertainty over whether that is possible. To pass the bill, Mr McConnell can only afford to lose two yeas.

What is the new healthcare bill?

Senate Republican leadership released a discussion draft of their healthcare bill on Thursday, saying that there will be ample opportunity for senators to analyse, discuss and provide their thoughts before the legislation goes to the floor for a vote.

The measure aims to repeal and replace Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act. The House of Representatives narrowly passed its own Obamacare repeal and replacement bill in May.

What is in the new healthcare bill?

 The elimination of the individual mandate, which says that all Americans must have health insurance or pay a tax penalty.

 The repeal of the employer mandate, which requires companies with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance or pay a penalty.

 Deeper cuts to Medicaid  a healthcare programme for the poor. Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asserted that the Senate's version would end Medicaid as we know it by decreasing federal support for the programme even more than the House bill, which cut it by more than $800bn, he said.

 A longer phase out of Medicaid expansion. The House bill discontinues the extra federal funds for Medicaid expansion starting in 2020. But the Senate bill begins phasing out this increased funding starting in 2021 and restores it to pre-Obamacare levels by 2024.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

 A cap on the amount states can receive from the federal government for Medicaid for the first time in the programmes history.

 A new system of federal tax credits to help people afford their premiums. Under Obamacare, tax credits are primarily based on income, age and geography, benefitting lower- and moderate-income people who purchase insurance on the exchanges. The Houses bill factors in age, but not income, when determining how much financial assistance to provide people. Meanwhile, the Senates measure considers age, income and geography, but apparently people would need to be lower-income than under the ACA to receive them.

 Defunding of Planned Parenthood for one year. This could be an issue for Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The bill also prohibits people from using tax credits to purchase plans that offer coverage for abortion services.

 An additional $2 billion in fiscal year 2018 for states to confront the opioid crisis.

 Funding to continue cost-sharing reduction payments for health insurers through 2019. The payments help offset costs for insurers in exchange for offering more affordable coverage to low-income Americans.

 More flexibility for states to roll back the ACAs insurance regulations and consumer protections. But in a departure from the House's bill, states can't opt of regulations that currently prevent insurers from charging people with pre-existing conditions more for their medical coverage.

 The ability for insurers to charge older adults five times more than younger people. Obamacare currently lets insurers charge older people only three times more.

 The repeal of almost all of the taxes that were implemented to help the government pay for Obamacare. In both the House and Senate bills, the cuts to spending on Medicaid and other programmes would go toward funding a substantial tax cut for the healthcare industry and the wealthy.

 The suspension of the so-called Cadillac tax, a fee levied on expensive employer health plans, through 2025.

Where can I read it?

You can read the draft of the healthcare bill on several news sites. It is also posted here, on Republican Senator Tom Cotton's website.
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Journalists were ordered not to photograph Jared Kushner while he is in Israel on a quick visit trying to broker a peace deal for father-in-law Donald Trump.

It is unclear at this time who gave the order, but reports indicate that an Associated Press cameraman was prevented from filming Mr Kushner's arrival at the office of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.

Another cameraman was told to delete the memory card in his camera, which reportedly contained images of Mr Kushner's arrival and from Mr Netanyahu's office.

There is no indication this was for security reasons or whether it was US or Israeli authorities gave the order.

The problem extended to the actual meeting as well. Officials would not comment on what the pair would specifically discuss.

The former real estate executive's visit lasted less than a day, but the timing coincided with Mr Netanyahu's announcement that construction had begun on the first new Israeli settlement in 25 years.

Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian official told Reuters that the real question" is whether the Trump administration "will tell Israel that it is enough and they have to stop immediately all settlement activities, or they will accept this Israeli provocation?

Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas visited the White House in May during which the pair discussed settlements and a two-state solution.

The New York Times reported that Mr Kushner's family, who are Orthodox Jewish, are old family friends of Mr Netanyahu and have contributed money in the past to Israeli settlements.

A short video of the video was released in which Mr Netanyahu said the meeting was an "opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace."

I know of your efforts, the presidents efforts, and I look forward to working with you to achieve these common goals," said Mr Netanyahu.

Israel's success 'depends on independent Palestine,' says Barack Obama Show all 2 1 /2 Israel's success 'depends on independent Palestine,' says Barack Obama Israel's success 'depends on independent Palestine,' says Barack Obama israel-obama.jpg AFP Israel's success 'depends on independent Palestine,' says Barack Obama Obama-Abbas-AP.jpg AP

Mr Kushner said that the President "sends his best regards and its an honour to be here with you.

The White House, managing expectations, said that Mr Kushner and envoy Jason Greenblatt will have to make "many visits" because forging a historic peace agreement will take time.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a news conference just ahead of the meeting that part of it is to figure out how to make incremental change that results in a lasting peace...part of this is really to utilise the trust that has been built up, and not have these negotiations out in public".

To date, Mr Kushner has kept a low profile in the White House - only appearing on camera once since his appointment as an adviser - despite being at the centre of the FBI investigation into Trump campaign aides' alleged ties to Russia.

Mr Kushner was reportedly already a person of interest for FBI investigators over his meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergei Kislyak in December - prior to Mr Trump taking office. In that meeting Mr Kushner was said to have suggested setting up a backchannel of communication with Moscow at a Russian diplomatic facility in the US.

He also had a pre-Inauguration meeting with the head of state-owned Russian development bank Vnesheconombank - Sergei Gorkov. The bank had sanctions imposed upon it after Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Mr Kushner was still head of his familys real estate business at the time of the meeting with Mr Gorkov. He only stepped down from the position after Mr Trump took office and he was appointed his father-in-laws senior advisor.
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A former White House official has said that they think the Obama administration mishandled its response to Russias efforts to meddle in the 2016 election.

It is the hardest thing about my entire time in government to defend, the official from Barack Obamas White House told the Washington Post of his role in determining how the White House should handle their knowledge that the Kremlin was trying to undermine the integrity of the US electoral process. I feel like we sort of choked.

The Obama White House was notified about Moscows campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election was on orders from Vladimir Putin in August, but was hesitant to make that knowledge public, according to that investigation by the Washington Post.

Thats at least in part because Donald Trump, then a Republican nominee whom many thought had almost no chance of beating Democrat Hillary Clinton, had repeatedly said that the election was being rigged. With those allegations repeatedly airing on cable news covering the Trump campaign, Mr Obama was hesitant to divulge the Russian influence for fear of giving the appearance that the US government was also interfering.

But the slow response was also a result of confidence in Ms Clintons campaign winning the election. Throughout the fall, as November crept closer, Democrats saw many signs that their candidate would ultimately win: She had three strong debate performances against Mr Trump, polls showed her with an impressive lead most of the time, and Mr Trump appeared to have an incredible capacity for inflicting harm on his campaign just by making controversial remarks on stage.

The Obama administration considered retaliatory measures against Moscow after they learned about the extent of the meddling, including potentially compiling a personal dossier on Vladimir Putin that could be released to embarrass him. They also considered planting cyber weapons in Russian infrastructure that could harm those services. They ultimately landed on modest sanctions, and expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the country in December.

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

The cyber weapons plan was given a green light, but those efforts hadnt come to fruition by the time Mr Obama left office, and Mr Trump took over responsibility for those efforts.

Those measures have been criticised as being weak compared to what the Kremlin did.

The punishment did not fit the crime, Michael McFaul, Mr Obamas ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, told the Washington Post. And US policymakers now  both in the White House and Congress  should consider new actions to deter future Russian interventions.

Mr Obamas former aides say that the threat was taken very seriously by that White House, and note that the President himself brought the issue up during a meeting with Mr Putin. The Russian president denied the allegations, and said that the US didnt have proof that his government was directly involved.

Mr Trumps campaign has been under investigation for potential collusion with Russia in the effort, but the President has adamantly denied any wrongdoing on his part.
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Donald Trump has signalled that he is willing to work with four Republican senators who have said theyre not ready to vote for the Senates Obamacare repeal and replacement bill.

Hours after the measure was unveiled to Congress, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah said in a joint statement that they were not ready to vote in favour of the legislation.

Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor, the senators said.

Republican leadership is aiming to have a vote on the bill next week before senators leave Washington, DC for the Fourth of July recess.

Mr Trump acknowledged in an interview with Fox News that a lack of support from the four Republicans leaves the party's overhaul of former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare policy on a very, very narrow path to victory.

It's not that they're opposed. They'd like to get certain changes. And we'll see if we can take care of that, Mr Trump said, calling the group of conservative senators four very good people.

But despite the President's apparent willingness to negotiate, another Republican  Dean Heller of Nevada  has also come out against the healthcare measure, saying it's simply not the answer and that there isn't anything in the bill that would lower premiums.

I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes insurance away from tens of millions of Americans, he said

Mr Heller, like four other GOP senators, left the door open to negotiations. But he said it's going to be very difficult to get me to a 'yes' on the bill.

Mr Trump's role is expected to become more pronounced in coming days as the vote nears. Senate Republican leaders may rely on the deal-making former businessman to lean on conservative senators who are balking at the bill.

"We're pleasantly surprised with a lot of the support that's already come out and I think we'll continue to work through [it], in particular the four individuals who have expressed some ideas and concerns," White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters at a White House briefing.

The Senate plan significantly scales back Medicaid  a healthcare programme for the poor  and repeals Obamacares taxes on the wealthy. Republicans have called Obamacare  officially known as the Affordable Care Act  unsustainable, citing skyrocketing premiums and the unstable health insurance marketplaces created by the law.

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

With a majority of 52 senators, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can only afford to lose two yea votes on the bill. No Democrats, who have lambasted the healthcare measure as heartless, are expected to support it. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence would cast the deciding vote.

The four Republican holdouts, among the Senate's most conservative members, said the plan did not go far enough in scaling back the federal government's role, highlighting Republicans' struggle to craft legislation to revamp a sector that accounts for one-sixth of the world's largest economy.

Mr Paul said fundamental problems still remain that would leave taxpayers subsidising health insurance companies. I want the bill to look more like a repeal bill, Mr Paul told MSNBC on Friday.

While Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House, the party's efforts to unwind Obamacare has been dogged by internal conflicts between moderate and hard-line members of the party.

Trump publicly celebrated the House bill's passage, only to criticise it in private as mean. This week he called for a health plan with heart.

Responding to the Senate draft, Mr Obama posted on Facebook: If there's a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family this bill will do you harm.

The Senate bill's real-world financial impact is not yet known, but the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to provide an estimate early next week.
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The UK has lost a UN vote on its claim to the Chagos Islands after several EU countries abstained.

The loss is being interpreted as a telling indication of the UK's diminished status on the world stage in the wake of the Brexit referendum.

The dispute between the UK and Mauritius over the sovereignty of the islands will now be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ will consider Mauritius' claim that Britain illegally controls the territory, including Diego Garcia, where the United States has a major military base in the Indian Ocean.

The resolution seeking the opinion of the international court was strongly backed by African and non-aligned nations, winning approval on a vote of 94-15 with 65 abstentions.

Recommended Uk government condemned for refusing to let Chagos islanders go home

There was a lack of support for the UK from the 27 other EU members. Cyprus voted in favour of the court referral, while 22 EU nations, including Germany, France and Italy abstained.

Only Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and Lithuania voted against the measure in support of Britain, which has just entered negotiations to leave the European Union..

Mauritius' defence minister, Anerood Jugnauth, told General Assembly members before the vote that the Chagos archipelago has been part of Mauritius since at least the 18th century and was unlawfully taken by the United Kingdom in 1965, three years before the island nation gained independence from Britain.

He said British Foreign Office memos from 1965 and 1966 reveal shocking truths of how the UK sought to present the United Nations with a fait accompli in the dismemberment of the Chagos islands and the eviction of the people living there.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the United Kingdom remains confident of its sovereignty over the islands, which it renamed the British Indian Ocean Territory after the 1965 agreement with authorities in Mauritius. He said the UK agreed at that time to return sovereignty to Mauritius whenever the archipelago was no longer needed for military purposes.

Recommended Chagos islanders tell Britain they want to resettle their former home

The UK concluded an agreement with the United States in 1966 to use the territory for defence purposes. It is now a forward operating location for aircraft and ships.

The US-UK presence contributes to guaranteeing the security of the Indian Ocean itself, from which all neighbouring states benefit, including Mauritius, Mr Rycroft said.

The facilities play a critical role in combating some of the most difficult and urgent problems of the 21st century, such as terrorism, international criminality, piracy and instability in many forms.

Mr Jugnauth said Mauritius has repeatedly stated that we do not have any problem with the military base, but that our decolonisation process should be completed.

More than five decades have passed, and now is the time to act, he said.

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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. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Rycroft accused Mauritius of circumventing a vital principle that a country is not obliged to have a bilateral dispute submitted for a judicial settlement without its consent - and let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius.

The resolution asks the International Court of Justice two questions: Was the process of decolonisation of Mauritius lawfully completed in 1968. What are the consequences under international law of the UK's continued administration, including with respect to the inability to resettle Chagos residents on the islands?

US deputy ambassador Michele Sison strongly backed the UK, warning that establishing a precedent of going to the court is dangerous for all UN member states.

The International Court of Justice needs to consider whether it would be appropriate for it to respond to this request, Ms Sison said. In our view it would not.

Associated Press contributed to this report
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A Chinese court has rescinded a life sentence handed to man who killed a loan shark who had sexually taunted his mother, in a case that has made national headlines and ignited heated online debate.

The government has promised to redress miscarriages of justice after several high profile cases, including wrongful executions of people later proven to be not guilty.

But the case of Yu Huan, who on Friday had his life sentence cut to five years following a retrial, has also prompted debate about whether widespread public anger over the initial verdict had a bearing on the much more lenient final outcome.

Yu, from Liaocheng in Shandong province, was sentenced to life in jail in February after he used a knife to attack four of his mother's creditors who taunted and exposed themselves to his mother while demanding a 1 million yuan ($146,000) debt be repaid in April last year, according to state media. One of the creditors died.

In demanding repayment, one of the creditors exposed his nether regions and gyrated in front of Yu's mother while flicking cigarette butts at her and forcing her to smell Yu's shoes, the Shandong High Court said in its judgement.

Widely referred in media as the Dishonoured Mother case, the initial sentence evoked widespread sympathy for Yu, whose defence of his mother resonated in a country where filial piety is considered a core value.

The court said that while Yu acted in part to protect his mother, a five-year sentence was appropriate given his actions went beyond reasonable self-defence, and that he later resisted arrest when police arrived.

The verdict was a top-trending topic on the Weibo social media platform. While many users were pleased the court took into account he was protecting his mother, some felt a five-year jail term was too lenient.

Public opinion has to an extent influenced the judiciary, one Weibo user said.

Acknowledging the interest in the case, the court released a statement explaining how it reached its verdict.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The media coverage of the Yu Huan case has ignited widespread attention, it said.

Today, the Shandong High Court handed down its verdict in accordance with the law, and while the retrial process has ended, we will continue to seriously reflect on and sum up the case.

Reuters
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A teenage girl in intensive care at a hospital in India was reportedly raped by a member of staff, leading to clashes between police and protesters outraged by news of the incident.

The 17-year-old was receiving treatment at Jagrati Hospital in Kanpur, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, after falling unconscious at a party in the city, according to local media.

Speaking from her hospital bed, the girl told reporters that a male nursing assistant had made her change her clothes in front of him, then injected her with a sedative and sexually assaulted her.

Following the alleged attack, family members of the girl and angry members of the community took to the streets calling for the hospital to be shut down and strict punishment for the accused, according to Indian news magazine Outlook.

Clashes broke out between police and protesters, who claimed they had been charged at by officers armed with batons, and said women taking part in the protest had also been beaten.

Police clash with protesters after the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl in Kanpur, India (Screenshot from Patrika Uttar Pradesh footage)

The regions police deputy inspector general, Sonia Singh, said three policemen were injured in the commotion, saying demonstrators had started throwing stones at officers, reported the Times of India. Several vehicles were also damaged in the clash.

Ms Singh said the girls family members had been up in arms following the alleged rape and police had reacted because we cannot tolerate lawlessness.

Police clash with protesters after the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl in Kanpur, India (Screenshot from Patrika Uttar Pradesh footage)

However, stringent action against the accused will be taken, she said, reported Outlook.

The alleged assault follows news that Uber has hired a law firm to investigate how it obtained the medical records of a woman who was raped by an Uber driver in New Delhi in 2014.

The attacker was convicted in 2015. Former Uber Asia Chief Eric Alexander told Reuters the files containing the victim's medical records had been obtained through appropriate, legal methods following a meeting with Delhi police.

More than 90 rapes are reported in India every day, according to statistics from the countrys National Crime Records Bureau. Experts and campaigners say the number of assaults that actually take place is likely to be higher.

In 2012, the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old Indian student by six men on a bus in New Delhi, who later died of internal injuries, sparked global outrage and violent public protests.
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A North Korean state-run newspaper has called Donald Trump a "psychopath" and suggested the US President would be willing to launch a nuclear strike against Pyongyang to distract from America's own domestic problems.

The comments, made in an article in the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, came after an American student who had been jailed in North Korea died following a medical evacuation. Mr Trump responded to 22-year-old Otto Warmbier's death by condemning the North as a "brutal regime", and he has himself described dictator Kim Jong-un as a "madman".

Relations were already strained over the dictatorship's nuclear ambitions. The regime has increased missile tests in recent months, drawing international condemnation.

"South Korea must realise that following psychopath Trump ... will only lead to disaster," Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, wrote.

The article suggested the US President was considering launching a strike against the North because he was facing a "tough situation" in the US.

South Korean president Moon Jae-in is set to visit Mr Trump in Washington next week. The meeting  the first since Mr Moon took office in May  will consider the threat posed by the North.

Mr Moon called Pyongyang an "irrational regime" in an interview with CBS.

In pictures: North Korea military drill Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: North Korea military drill In pictures: North Korea military drill North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watches a military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video

Mr Warmbier, a student at the University of West Virginia, died on Monday after returning to the US in a coma. He had spent 17 months in detention in the secretive state.

The 22-year-old was arrested in North Korea in January 2016 while travelling with a tour group. He was arrested for stealing a propaganda sign from a hotel and sentenced to 15 years hard labour.

A spokesman in Pyongyang was quoted by Reuters as saying the death was "a mystery".
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North Korea has called itself the biggest victim over the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and died days after being released in a coma.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) denied that North Korea cruelly treated or tortured Otto Warmbier and accused the United States and South Korea of a smear campaign that insulted what it called its humanitarian treatment of him.

The comments published by the agency were North Korea's first reaction to Mr Warmbier's death in a US hospital on Monday after it released him for what it called humanitarian reasons.

Doctors at the hospital said Mr Warmbier had suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause.

Relatives say they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in North Korea in March 2016.

His family and others have blamed North Korea for his condition.

Mr Warmbier was accused of stealing a propaganda poster.

Through statements on KCNA, North Korea said it dealt with him according to its domestic laws and international standards.

Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on a humanitarian basis until his return to the US ... considering that his health got worse, the agency quoted a spokesman of Pyongyang's foreign ministry as saying.

The spokesman also said that groundless speculation of torture and beatings could be refuted by American doctors who came to the North to examine Mr Warmbier before his release and allegedly acknowledged that North Korean doctors had brought him back alive after his heart nearly stopped.

While Pyongyang accepted US demands for Mr Warmbier's return on humanitarian grounds, Washington totally distorted this truth and dared to clamour about 'retaliation' and 'pressure' on dignified North Korea, the spokesman told KCNA.

To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident and there would be no more foolish judgment than to think we do not know how to calculate gains and losses, the spokesman said.

The smear campaign against DPRK staged in the US compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law, the spokesman added, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The spokesman said it was a mystery as to why Mr Warmbier died days after returning home, but compared his death to the case of another American detainee, Evan Hunziker.

Mr Hunziker was detained in North Korea for months in 1996 for illegally crossing the border and committed suicide less than a month after he returned to the United States later that year.

The spokesman did not describe how Mr Hunziker died, but claimed that the United States then totally ignored his death.

A separate KCNA article published hours earlier also criticised South Korea for using Mr Warmbier's case to seek the release of other detainees, including six South Korean citizens.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in an interview with CBS television earlier this week that it was clear North Korea bears a heavy responsibility for Mr Warmbier's death.

The article said South Korea was tarnishing North Korea's image with slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture.

It demanded that South Korea return 12 restaurant workers who defected to the South last year.

In pictures: North Korea military drill Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: North Korea military drill In pictures: North Korea military drill North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watches a military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video

South Korea said the women defected on their own, while North Korea claimed they were deceived and abducted to the South.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions.

Three Americans remain in custody in the North.

Associated Press
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Guns, weapons and drugs have been seized from a network of right-wing extremists operating paramilitary training camps in German forests amid fears of a potential attack.

Investigators in the state of Thuringia said at least 13 known suspects were part of the group, including some from an internationally active right-wing movement.

The state office of criminal investigation said short and long-range guns, ammunition and other weaponry was uncovered alongside a small amount of drugs.

Police also seized right-wing propaganda, mobile phones and computers in dawn raids at 14 properties in Thuringia, Erfurt and Gottingen, in Lower Saxony.

A spokesperson said the operation targeted a criminal organisation accused of setting up paramilitary training camps in the regions forests, adding: Some of the suspects are believed to be members of an internationally-active right-wing extremist movement, which aims to abolish the social and governmental order of Germany and other European states.

The raids were coordinated by Germanys GSG 9 counter-terror force, supported by police from six states. Authorities did not confirm whether the group was plotting an attack.

Numerous weapons and items with banned Nazi symbols were found in the raids on another far-right group in Germany in 2015 (EPA)

During the searches, a man who was not originally under investigation was arrested for attacking and injuring two officers.

Another suspect was arrested for using symbols of unconstitutional organisations  a phrase frequently used by Germany authorities to refer to Nazi-era memorabilia and symbols including the swastika.

Officials said the suspect found with numerous guns was believed to be a member of the so-called Reichsburger movement, which claims the current German state is illegitimate and is alleged to have neo-Nazi links.

Police are now investigating whether to withdraw his firearms licence.

A Reichsburger shot a police officer dead during a raid in Bavaria in October, shocking Germany and prompting a government crackdown on resurgent far-right groups.

A police officer at a house in Georgensgmund, Germany, where a far-right extremist opened fire on police during a raid on 19 October (DPA/Getty)

Politicians from Germanys Die Linke party claimed the network uncovered on Friday was linked to the far-right Europaische Aktion (European Action) group, which was founded by a Swiss Holocaust denier in 2008.

Europaische Aktions stated aims include creating a European confederation that would abolish the Euro and the EU, force the return of anyone judged to be non-Europeans to their countries of origin, and abolish Germany and Austria in favour of a Reich with pre-Second World War borders.

Its Facebook page, which remains online, propagates neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic and white supremacist ideology claiming the existence of a long-planned campaign to exterminate the indigenous peoples of Europe with an invasion from Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Europaische Aktions members are based in Germany, Switzerland and Austria but active in a far wider set of countries including the UK, France, Hungary, Spain and Sweden.

Die Welt reported that the organisation was intending to dissolve and re-form under a different name to evade investigations by authorities.

Germany has been shaken by a series of Isis-related terror attacks, as well as the Reichsburger murder and foiled plots from both Islamists and the far-right.

Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP

Earlier this year, a Bundeswehr soldier was found posing as a Syrian refugee to plot a false flag shooting attack that prosecutors said aimed to turn Germany against migrants.

A group of extremists from the far-right Oldschool Society group have been put on trial for plotting to attack accommodation for asylum seekers, while a homemade bomb emblazoned with a swastika and symbol of the Nazi SS was discovered earlier this year.

Thousands of attacks on refugee centres have been documented as part of a rise in political violence by both the right and left wing, amid heightened tensions over the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers in Germany and sex attacks in Cologne.

On Thursday, the Bundestag voted to cut off state funding for the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), which narrowly escaped being banned earlier this year.

The party, viewed by Germany's intelligence agency as racist, anti-Semitic and revisionist, has never won a seat in the federal parliament and has lost all its seats in regional assemblies.

But it retains representatives on local councils, and so receives about 1m (880,000) a year from the German government.
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At least four tourists have been injured, one seriously, after an open-top bus hit a low bridge in Paris. Emergency services have closed part of the road under the Pont Alexandre III.

The double-decker tourist bus hit the top of the tunnel under the bridge Alexandre III in the heart of Paris around 12.30pm local time.

According to the fire authorities one person is in a critical condition.

A police source said at least 18 people were "caught up" in the accident, BFM TV reports. All passengers have now been rescued from the bus.

According to French newspaper Le Parisien the bus driver tried to enter the tunnel under the bridge, which is forbidden to vehicles higher than 2.70 metres.

The bus company Big Bus Tours said the bus had taken the tunnel because other routes were closed as Paris shows off its sporting ways as part of its candidacy for the 2024 Olympic Games.

This was not the bus' usual route but traffic has been banned from large areas of the city centre.
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Alexei Navalny, the leader of the opposition in Russia, can not run for presidency because of his criminal conviction, the countrys Central Election Commission said in a statement on Friday.

Navalny does not have passive suffrage, said the statement, meaning he was ineligible to run for office.

Mr Navalny was found guilty of embezzlement in February and given a five-year suspended prison sentence in a court case he says was organised to stop him running for president.

He was also arrested and jailed temporarily for allegedly assaulting a police officer during a protest in March and spent 25 days in prison for staging anti-Putin rallies.

The country has been gripped bya series of mass protests in cities across Russia in recent weeks against the perceived corruption of Vladimir Putins government.

Mr Navalny, who has campaigned against government corruption for years, was attacked with a form of antiseptic green dye which almost blinded him at his offices at the Anti-Corruption Foundation in Moscow in April.

The 41-year-old released a 50-minute documentary in March accusing Russias Prime Minister and ex-President Dmitry Medvedev of amassing a corruption empire of luxury properties, yachts and vineyards using a network of charities run by close associates.

The money allegedly came from donations from the wealthy oligarchs, many of whom control companies with monopolies on key industry such as energy, who make up Mr Putins inner circle.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The protests are the largest since 2012 when thousands took to the streets shortly before Mr Putin was inaugurated for his third term as President.

Mr Putin is expected to run for a fourth term in office in the presidential elections next year and has been cracking down on dissent in the run up.

He briefly stepped down and served as Prime Minister under Mr Medvedev between 2008 and 2012 as, under Russian law, a President can only serve two consecutive terms at a time. There are no rules saying how many terms in total a Russian President can serve, however.

The length of a single term was extended from four to six years by Mr Medvedev.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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Evolution will no longer be taught in Turkish secondary schools after being described as a controversial subject by the government.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has personally approved the change, which will be part of a new national curriculum being published later this month.

The head of the education ministrys curriculum board, Alpaslan Durmus, said a section on Darwinism would be cut from biology classes from 2019.

We have excluded controversial subjects for students at an age unable yet to understand the issues scientific background, he told a seminar in Ankara, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

As the students at ninth grade are not endowed with antecedents to discuss the Origin of Life and Evolution section in biology classes, this section will be delayed until undergraduate study.

Mr Durmus said pupils at elementary schools would still be given an evolutionary point of view and learn evolutionary biology from year five.

Claiming the curriculum was being simplified, he said the government was attempting to educate children in line with local and national values.

 Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Turkish referendum critics: Talk to the hand

Academics from Turkeys most prestigious universities have reportedly criticised the proposals, pointing out the only other country to exclude evolutionary theory from schools was Saudi Arabia.

The omission was first noticed in January, when the Turkish government first announced its new primary and secondary school curricula.

The education ministry said a draft would be discussed and criticism taken into account before the publication of the final version, including a possible replacement chapter entitled Living Beings and the Environment, with all references to Darwinian theory removed.

Other changes included a decrease in the amount of homework and allowing more time for children to play, and the life of Turkeys secularist founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk being given less focus.

Mustafa Akyol, a senior fellow at the Freedom Project at Wellesley College, said the change appeared to arise from advice given by Egitim Bir-Sen, a conservative education union.

Writing in a column for Al Monitor, he said debates about the theory of evolution date back to the late Ottoman Empire and have repeatedly surfaced under the rule of Mr Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Since the early 2000s, religious conservatives have had the upper hand in Turkey, and their distaste for the theory of evolution is well established, Mr Akyol wrote.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

Many of them see the theory as corrosive to religious faith and want to protect young generations from such harmful ideas.

The latest move is part of a wider struggle between secularists and right-wing religious groups in Turkey, which is undergoing constitutional reforms to grant the President dramatically increased powers following a referendum held in April.

The vote, which European monitors found did not meet international standards, resulted in the parliamentary system of government being replaced with an executive presidency that has long been the ambition of Mr Erdogan.

He has been accused of undermining Turkeys democratic and secular foundations with in increasingly autocratic and religious agenda, imposing restrictions on alcohol, building new mosques and reintroducing state religious education.

More than 50,000 people have been arrested since a failed coup against Mr Erdogan in July last year, with many more dismissed or detained.

Journalists, prosecutors, soldiers, civil servants and academics are among those targeted in the ongoing purge, which has seen almost 33,000 teachers sacked.

The government has accused suspects of supporting the Gulenist movement blamed for the attempted coup, but critics say baseless accusations are being used for a wider crackdown on dissent.

Fethullah Gulen, a US-bsed cleric, has denied involvement and foreign governments including the UK have found no evidence to support Ankaras allegations or its designation of his Hizmet movement as a terror organisation.
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The only electricity plant serving the two million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip has partly resumed operations after an unexpected diesel delivery from neighbouring Egypt.

Tankers brought one million litres (220,000 gallons) of fuel into the coastal enclave on Thursday, allowing engineers to partly restart the plant and ease the areas chronic electricity shortage for the next few days.

Hamas, the militant organisation which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, had been using Qatari and Turkish funding to buy diesel to run the plant from Israel - but has repeatedly accused the West Banks Palestinian Authority (PA), which coordinates delivery, of driving up prices through unfair taxation.

 Gaza marks 10 years of Israeli blockade

It announced it could no longer afford the PAs levy in April, leaving schools, hospitals and businesses unable to operate fully with just four hours of power a day.

Since the water supply to most households relies on electric pumps, many people have also had difficulty washing, showering, cooking and doing laundry.

The PAs president, Mahmoud Abbas, has been waging a long term effort to weaken Hamas by gradually strangling its access to electricity.

Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Show all 12 1 /12 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The fire in my heart is beyond my ribs. You left me beloved - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Let me get enough of you, as Im still hungry for your smile my son - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict They besiege me in my homeland so I flew to heaven - Rodaina Al Agha, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict And I am still facing the pain all by myself - Lama Shakshak, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My brother, I watched you go while my heart was tearing - Helen Mo'amar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My new doll is lonely in the rubble - Ayah Sha'ath, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict When a soul hugs another soul they never split, even in death - Ismail Matar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Everyone is gone and I stayed alone to make the world witness the injustice done to me - Hamza Shaheen, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The hand that carries the arms carries roses too - Madeeha Al Majayda, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My eyes tell you about a dream that overcame the fence - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict A childhood caught in an unjust siege - Hadeel Quidh, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict All the details are torn after you - Hamza Shaheen, 17

Israel was still covering around one third of Gazas power needs, but in the last few days the flow had been cut by 40 per cent at Mr Abbas request, the AP reported.

When criticised over the decision, which impacted Gaza's hospitals' ability to care for patients, Israel Electric director Yiftah Ron-Tal responded, "It's our job."

The PA also threatened punitive measures if Hamas accepted the Egyptian delivery, said Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official.

Mr Abbass office has not commented on the successful shipment, which Hamas pushed through with a court order. The delivery will make up for the recent cut in Israeli-supplied electricity - but only for the next three and a half days, the duration of the Eid-al-Fitr festival celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Egypt, too, has been trying to isolate and weaken Hamas, which it believes contributes to violence in the restive Sinai peninsula.

However, other factors appeared to play a role in Thursdays decision, including Egyptian support for Mohammed Dahlan, an exiled Palestinian official with presidential ambitions. The former Gaza strongman bitterly fought against the Hamas takeover a decade ago. He subsequently became one of of Mr Abbas top aides before falling out with the president in 2010.

Earlier this month, Hamas leaders met with Mr Dahlan in Egypt, as part of a series of meditative talks, during which the exiled Palestinian persuaded Egypt to send the badly needed fuel in exchange for an enhanced political presence in Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
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A woman has been struck in the face on an Istanbul bus after a man allegedly asked her if she was "ashamed" to be wearing shorts during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Footage has circulated online of university student Asena Melisa Saglem being slapped by the man as he walked past her.

She chased after him as he was leaving the bus, but he pushed her away and fled the scene.

Recommended Police investigate whether murdered Muslim teen was sexually assaulted

Ms Saglam told the Hurriyet Daily News: "From the moment I sat down he was making these remarks: 'You dress like this during Ramadan? You should feel ashamed to be dressed like that.'"

She said the slap caused her jaw hit the window of the bus.

The man was later detained but released after reportedly claiming he was "provoked".

Following an outcry by women's rights groups, an order to re-arrest the man was given, although it was not immediately clear whether or not this happened.

Ms Saglem told the Turkish daily: "I do not want him to walk around freely because I cannot any more."

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

A man who allegedly kicked a woman in the face for wearing shorts in 2016 is currently standing trial in Turkey.

Abdullah Cakroglu is accused of verbally and physically assaulting a 23-year-old nurse on a public bus in Istanbul.

He reportedly told police he would be "less aroused" if she had worn trousers.
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I had been living in South Korea for a little over a year when it really sunk in just how despicable North Koreas growing tourism industry is.

I was sitting in a crowded room in Seoul, listening to Korean students holding forth from a podium. This was an English competition, something quite common among ESL programmes in South Korea. Each student was dressed up, shuffling their notes nervously, and beginning their introductions with varying tones of nervousness.

Except these werent just normal Korean students. They were North Korean refugees, and they were discussing how to help future refugees better integrate into South Korean society.

As the youngest of the group approached the podium, one of the judges flipped a sign. This was a reminder that no one could take photos or record this young woman. Why?

Because if any of these photos got back to the North Korean government, her entire family  which was still there  would be brutally punished on her behalf.

Tourists like these are supporting the most oppressive regime on the planet, says this writer (Getty)

I thought of this young woman when news first broke of the death of Otto Warmbier, the 21-year-old American student who was sentenced to 15 years hard labour last March. Warmbier had gone on holiday to North Korea and was detained for a hostile act  that supposedly involved him stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel.

Warmbier has paid a heavy price for his curiosity. He was finally released last week with severe brain injuries, and was in a vegetative state back home in America before his death. The way he was treated, of course, is unconscionable. I cannot begin to imagine what he and his family have suffered over the past 18 months, and of course, he didnt deserve whatever mistreatment he underwent. From a Western point of view, the punishment does not in any way fit the alleged crime.

 Otto Warmbier death: Trump condemns 'brutal' North Korea

However, I also think that Otto should have never gone on a tour of North Korea. And I think his terrible end reinforces that nobody should. Im not just talking about safety concerns, either; I mean from an ethical point of view.

While its not normally necessary to base your travel plans on whether or not you agree with the government in power, North Korea is not a normal country. Since the Korean War armistice that split the peninsula in two in 1953, it has gone from communism to the oppressive regime we know it as today. Most cultures are fairly independent of their government. The opposite is very much true here.

As a traveller, you simply cannot separate the two. The government heavily controls (and essentially stages) any tour you go on. You never see or interact with anything or anyone they dont want you to. Youre not discovering anything  youre being fed pure propaganda.

When you choose to go on a tour of North Korea, youre willingly giving money  about 1,000 is the going rate, though Warmbiers was apparently a budget option  to one of the most inauthentic tours on the planet. Youre also helping finance a government with an abuse record as close to that of Nazi Germany as weve got since Hitlers demise.

Thats no exaggeration  North Korea even has its own concentration camps. And unlike an unwitting tourist in 1939 who may have just wanted to see Neuschwanstein Castle and would have had no way of knowing what exactly was happening under Hitler, tourists to North Korea have no excuse, because we have proof. Not only do we have countless accounts from refugees, we can photograph them with current satellite imagery technology. These camps have seen all kinds of abuse from starvation, beatings, public executions, rapes, and more. Many North Korean prisoners dont know why theyre there  and they certainly dont have family and foreign governments lobbying for their freedom. Most of us dont know who they are, and most refugees will never know what has happened to their families left behind.

Lifes not much better for North Koreas everyday citizens, either. All forms of communication  whether what they see, read, or watch  are heavily restricted, and the punishment for being caught with anything foreign is severe.

The real North Korea (glimpsed here from a train carriage) is nothing like what youll see on a tour, says this writer (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

But more pressing than this pervasive censorship is the intense poverty most North Koreans are facing despite what the government would have the world believe. Most refugee stories involve some sort of starvation, and the World Food Programme lists that 70 per cent of the population are food insecure and suffer from chronic malnutrition.

If you travel to North Korea, youre choosing to give money to a country that actively restricts its citizens rights of communication, covers up its own citizens starvation, and has concentration camps filled with the kind of torture and abuse we recognise from history books. Youre helping to fund a country whose refugees cant risk being identified in case their remaining family members are punished on their behalf, one that is considered one of the worst countries for human rights abuses in the world according to the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and a multitude of globally respected organisations.

And while youre flying in, instagramming the cult Koryo burger thats served on the state airline, North Koreans are trying to get out, making the harrowing journey across the Tumen river into China where they might find freedom but are more likely to find more danger and fear.

 North Korean artist Song Byeok: from propaganda painter to political refugee

So, harsh as it may sound, when I consider the larger scale of North Koreas victims, I know where my sympathies lie. And Im appalled that there are still people wishing to travel there, despite what happened to Warmbier. There are still many like him who are eager to give money to this government so they can take pictures and feel like theyve entered and exited no mans land unscathed. Who cares about human rights when it makes for a great Facebook post, right?

You know where that money is better spent? Well, if its really Korean history and culture youre interested in, spend a week in Seoul. South Korea is more than happy to introduce you to every aspect of its culture, from Joseon-era history to the magic of Korean fried chicken. And if its North Korea youre interested in specifically, pick up one of the many books written by refugees and journalists. Better yet, donate some money or time to the many charities and organisations who help refugees escape, resettle and succeed.

However, if you still choose to go one of these state-controlled, propaganda tours, know that your money, at best, is helping fund an oppressive regime and, at worst, is going towards concentration camps.

Alex Moore is a pseudonym
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A week before the unprecedented 16-day strike by some British Airways cabin crew based at Heathrow, the Unite union is bidding to block a plan to fly passengers in aircraft grounded by the Middle East airspace row.

BA plans to draft in nine Airbus A320 and A321 jets from Qatar Airways to cover for the Mixed Fleet strike, which is planned for 1-16 July. The Gulf carrier has plenty of spare aircraft, because its short-haul routes to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other destinations have been grounded as part of a geo-political row.

During previous bouts of industrial action, British Airways has paid other airlines, including Titan and Thomson, to cover for strike-hit flights. The practice is known as wet-leasing, with pilots and crew bought in along with the planes.

To use jets from outside Europe to cover, BA is required to obtain prior approval for the operation from the competent licensing authority, in this case the Civil Aviation Authority.

The application has been made on the grounds of exceptional needs  to enable British Airways to continue passenger operations in light of planned operational disruption by its Mixed Fleet cabin crew.

But Oliver Richardson, National Officer Civil Air Transport for the Unite union, has written to the CAA saying: No evidence has been presented to justify that either there are exceptional circumstances or that there are a lack of adequate aircraft on the community market.

The cited operational disruption is related to industrial action by a particular proportion of Cabin Crew which does not affect the number of aircraft that BA has at its disposal, nor the number of pilots.

The union also claims that Qatar Flight Duty Time limitations and Rest requirements are inferior to the UK.

Qatar Airways has a financial interest in maintaining the operation at Heathrow, because it owns one-fifth of BAs parent company, IAG.

Mr Richardson said: Qatar could stand to be accused of using unfair support to provide such resources and labour in order to break legally compliant industrial action.

The union believes that flying in nine empty aircraft more than 3,200 miles from Doha will lead to breaches in emissions regulations.

The strike is the latest episode in an increasingly bitter pay dispute involving BA's Mixed Fleet cabin crew at Heathrow. It has now broadened to include what the Unite union claims are unfair sanctions applied to 1,400 strikers after previous stoppages.

Mixed Fleet crew comprise about 35 per cent of the airlines total cabin crew, and cover more than 60 routes from Heathrow  about one third of the total.

But BA passengers with bookings to or from Heathrow in the first half of July still do not know if their flights will be affected. A week after the strike was called, the airlines contingency plans have not been finalised.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: Our priority is to fly all our customers to their destinations. We are looking at a range of options and are speaking with a number of airlines. We will publish our contingency plans in the coming days for customers who have bookings on the days of threatened industrial action.
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Israels national airline, El Al, has been told by a court in Jerusalem that it must not ask women to move in order to spare a man from having to sit next to her.

In a case brought by the progressive Israeli Religious Action Centre, Judge Dana Cohen-Lekah said: Under absolutely no circumstances can a crew member ask a passenger to move from their designated seat because the adjacent passenger doesnt want to sit next to them due to their gender.

Some strictly Orthodox Jewish men, known as Haredi, say that the modesty laws of their religion forbids them from sitting beside any woman who is not their wife.

In Haredi communities in the US and Israel, some buses and beaches have been gender-separated. Demands for seats to be reassigned have led to delays on El Al and other airlines flying to and from Israel.

The test case decided by magistrates involved Renee Rabinowitz, an octogenarian who was asked by cabin crew to move after an Orthodox Jew refused to sit next to her. She complied with the request, but later began legal action with the Israel Religious Action Center.

The association has campaigned against gender segregation for a decade, asking female volunteers to ride on segregated bus lines to record discrimination from other passengers or the driver.

In many cases, women or the men who accompanied them were verbally abused, threatened, or even denied entrance to the bus, says the organisation.

The law granting equality for women was passed in Israel in 1951. Its central premise is Women and men shall be equal for purposes of every legal act, and it stipulates: Every woman and every man has an equal right to live in human dignity, and that includes equality in the spheres of work, education, studies, health, housing, quality of the environment and social welfare.

Judge Cohen-Lekah told the airline to ensure its cabin crew know the correct procedures.

In 2009 it was reported that El Al was negotiating with Haredi groups to operate segregated flights for the Passover festival, with male and female passengers separated and only male cabin crew serving men.

The airline does not fly on the Jewish Sabbath, which creates complex scheduling challenges. The policy is listed by El Al as a negative factor "affecting or liable to affect the Company's competitive position".
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A week after send nudes was carved into a mossy hillside, Icelanders are again up in arms about the countrys ever-growing tourist population.

Two French tourists went from door to door asking for a place to stay, according to residents of Bogarnes, a town in the west of the island.

Gurun Helga Arnadottir says she was disturbed by the travellers one evening when they came to her door looking for accommodation. She refused  saying she found the request uncomfortable.

The couple then knocked on every other door in her apartment complex, Iceland Monitor reports. When nobody let them in, they moved on to the next block. A fed-up Arnadottir says she then intervened to explain that their behaviour was not appropriate.

I told them that this was simply not done, they were trespassing on private property, she told Morgunblai  adding that the tourists didnt respond as she would have hoped, and continued to go from door to door. Arnadottir said that they seemed to think this was a normal way to travel.

Fifty miles west of Reykjavik, Borgarnes attracts tourists to the nearby Hafnarfjall mountain and Einkunnir Country Park. Arnadottir says that its not the first time shes encountered tourists expecting to shack up for the night with locals.

Tour guide and bus driver Freyja Thoroddsen Sigurardottir told The Independent that she's never met anyone knocking on doors, but that tourist behaviour leaves a lot to be desired in Iceland.

"One of the biggest problems now is people using our backyards as toilets, especially in rural areas," she said. "Also, we have very strict rules regarding overnight camping, and people break them repeatedly. It's like many people come here and see the country as a huge playground where no rules apply.

"This increase in visitor numbers is so fast, we're trying to keep up with the changes. We just need people to respect the country, respect the dangers and respect the locals. The majority of our guests are amazing, but the small minority makes everybody look bad."

Guide Gunnar Birgisson, who was first to noticed the "send nudes" message carved into the hill, told The Independent:

"I've heard of hikers and bikers getting hit hard by weather knocking on doors of farms to ask for shelter, and I once heard about a couple who pitched their tent in someone's barn to wait out the weather - these people are usually allowed to stay. What strikes me as unusual in this case is that they seemed to be a bit rude about it, and I find that either incredibly rude or hard to believe.

"Only a few years ago it was no problem to visit Iceland without making any accommodation plans, but now you need to arrange it weeks ahead of your arrival - the tourist industry isn't staying ahead of things here, they are learning as they go."

He added: "My advice is to bring a tent, just in case."
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Of the many frustrations of travel, the creeping delay is particularly cruel.

You know the problem: at first, your journey from A to B looks as though it might be a little late. Then a lot behind schedule. Later still, another location  lets call it C  becomes entangled in the journey.

Recommended Passengers stranded for three days after Cityjet flight suffers glitch

Last weekend, around 80 holidaymakers with Inghams encountered a classic creeping delay, with all the stress and upset involved when time flies but you don't.

They were due to fly with CityJet from Innsbruck to Birmingham. They left their hotel at 8.40am on Saturday 17 June, for an 11am flight. They boarded, the plane taxied out to the runway, then taxied back to the terminal, because of a technical issue.

After an hour stuck on board, by which stage they should have been about to commence the descent to Birmingham, they were told they would not be flying to Britain that day. An engineer was flown in to fix the plane.

An extra night in Innsbruck, at the airlines expense, is not entirely disagreeable, especially when everyone was entitled to 250 under passengers rights rules.

The party went back to Innsbruck airport at 6am, but the fault remained and the flight stayed grounded.

CityJet said it would send a fresh plane to take them home. But not to Innsbruck, a tricky airport with special rules on pilot training. Instead the passengers spent Sunday afternoon on a three-hour bus ride to Munich airport, from where they were promised a flight at 9pm that evening.

Once again, the promise was broken. More hotel rooms were found for Sunday night, with a 5am call for transport to the airport. The planned 8am departure came and went, and it was mid-afternoon before they finally departed for Birmingham.

Several of the exasperated passengers contacted me during and after their ordeal. Gary Westwood tweeted: Disgraceful service from @cityjet on WX5393 from Innsbruck to B'ham into 3rd day of travel back with an 89yr old man.

It might look to you like a catalogue of errors and communication failures by the airline and holiday company. But during the week I have contacted both CityJet and Inghams. And their side of the story deserves a hearing.

After the Saturday snarl-up, Inghams, together with CityJets aviation broker, ACS, worked through the night on Saturday to source an alternative aircraft. On Sunday morning, it became clear that no alternative aircraft would be available to land at Innsbruck. So everyone was moved to Munich, with a CityJet plane drafted in from Dublin.

Recommended Passengers stranded for three days after Cityjet flight suffers glitch

Seats on other airlines had been booked, but were released in anticipation of the flight going ahead. But that plane also went technical. By the time engineers had fixed the problem, there was no time to reach Munich before the 10.30pm flight curfew.

Instead, a plane would be flown in for an 8am departure on Monday morning. The weary passengers were told to be ready to leave their hotel for the airport at 5am.

But at 3am, it turned out that no crew was available. Eventually another plane was found at Brussels and flew in to Munich.

Viv Spencer, who kept me informed through the delay, said: We eventually took off at 3.45pm, I must say to the biggest cheer I have ever heard.

"We landed at Birmingham at 4.25pm, but apparently the airport were not expecting us and we had to stay on the plane for another 35 minutes before any ground crew with steps arrived to allow us to disembark.

By this time, everyone was resigned to the fact that another half hour was nothing compared to what we had been through over the three days.

The bill so far for the kerfuffle runs into tens of thousands of pounds. Thats before passengers start claiming for financial damage, such as lost earnings, under the Montreal Convention. Such awards are in addition to the 250 stipulated by European passengers rights rules.

To limit the financial and reputational damage in future, Inghams and CityJet have agreed to try to ensure there is no repeat of the problem by booking passengers on scheduled flights as soon as a significant delay arises.

A new set of guidelines has been agreed," says the company. "If, in future, our airline partner is unable to facilitate their swift return on a rescue flight, scheduled airlines will be used so as not to inconvenience our guests further. In other words, cut the creep.
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On the morning of 24 June last year, I was riveted to the television, nursing the latest of many mugs of black coffee. A longtime German friend who was staying  we might both describe ourselves as of the Europe generation  emerged from her room to ask: What happened? Well, I began, Leave won. The Prime Ministers resigned. Leave leaders look shell-shocked. And no one knows who is in charge. Youre joking, she said.

Alas, it was no joke. Since then, Brexit, in all its degrees  hard, soft, red, white and blue, an ugly construct of a word scarcely heard before  has become so embedded in the vocabulary that it was included in the Queens Speech this week. It would be pleasing to think that her blue and gold outfit, her hat bearing a distinct resemblance to the European flag, was designed to convey a message, or at least balance the reports during the referendum campaign to the effect that the sovereign favoured Leave. We shall never know.

What we do know, however, is that this vote  which seems, one year on, as though it took place only yesterday, while also seeming to belong to another age  has already had consequences. And those consequences are as profound as they have been perverse. In its image of itself and in its relations with the outside world, the UK in many ways already feels like another country.

The divisions exposed by that vote have not gone away. When the PM and others claim in soothing tones that the nation is getting back together and moving on, they deceive themselves. The result was 52:48, and the 52 per cent remain fearful that their victory will be lost, while the 48 per cent still mourn what theyve forfeited. If anything, passions seem as raw as they were on that morning after.

 Brexit voter fails to name a single law he says he voted to take back control of

Earlier this week the heads of the Leave and Remain campaigns, Will Straw and Matthew Elliott respectively, shared a London platform in a debate organised by the think-tank UK in a Changing Europe. The event was packed, as indeed most post-referendum events have been. There was shouting and barracking; muttering and ridicule. Younger participants spoke bitterly of betrayal. This is where some of the seeds of the UKs recent, extraordinary, election campaign were sown.

At best, the continued rehearsing of grievance might be considered therapeutic. My particular preoccupation is with process. Whoever decided that a referendum on the future of the country should be decided by a simple majority? Think about it: it could have been 50.5 to 49.5 per cent, say, and the side with just 50.5 per cent would have won.

How could our political leaders have been so negligent as not to stipulate either a minimum turnout or a threshold for the margin of victory to validate the result? Elsewhere in the world, such conditions are standard for parliamentary votes or referendums on matters of constitutional significance. Were the then Conservative government, fresh from its surprise election win the year before, so confident that that they knowingly risked the future of the country on a four-point margin that could have been even less?

There is no purpose to revisiting the miscalculations of the campaign  though there was plenty of that when Straw and Elliott relived its vicissitudes on Monday night. It is less the causes than the effects we have to deal with now. For the UK, these include sharp social and political divisions which show no sign of going away, and a general election designed to bolster the Prime Minister and her governments negotiating position which achieved nothing of the kind. To make matters worse, the implications of devolution have come back to bite.

If we look across to the Continent, the state of the soon-to-be-27-strong union looks healthier, economically and politically, than it has almost ever been. Most of the doom-laden forecasts about the fallout from Brexit have turned out, in the short term at least, to be wrong.

 In 90 seconds: Philip Hammond on Brexit talks

One was that a vote by the UK to leave would set a precedent that would have others rushing for the door. Instead, successive opinion polls, the latest from the US-based Pew organisation, have found EU citizens more appreciative of the union and less inclined to leave it than before. When presented with Eurosceptic electoral candidates, voters in Austria, the Netherlands and France have all turned them down.

What is more, having accepted the inevitability of Brexit (even as we continue to agonise), they knuckled down, agreed preliminary negotiating positions, and then returned to projects  such as joint defence and strengthening the euro  which the UK had done its best to block.

The EU 27 still do not agree on everything. Migration continues to divide old Europe from new, drawing a faultline that could eventually produce a two-speed Europe. But the immediate effect of the UKs Brexit vote seems actually to have strengthened the union, and revived the European idea that inspired it. In so doing it might be seen as confirming, more than half a century on, the wisdom of Charles de Gaulles hostility to UK accession.

As it happened, there was a reminder of the original European project  and of the gap that is now growing again between ourselves and the rest of Europe  when the death was announced last week of the former German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl. The one-time patron of Angela Merkel, Kohl has an assured place in history as the father of Germanys peaceful reunification and one of those who helped shepherd Europe safely through the perilous Soviet collapse.

 Advert for 'In Limbo: Our Brexit Testimonies' chronicling EU citizen's experiences since referendum

Yet as old Europe marked his passing  and prepared for a commemorative gathering next month  the UK, its politicians and its media were strangely silent.

Of course, we had other things on our mind, including the fire disaster at Grenfell Tower. But there is the short term and the longer term and history. And our inattention to the legacy of Helmut Kohl reflects an inattention to the history of the continent of which we are a part.

Sixty years after the Treaty of Rome established the Common Market, could it be that the idea which now finds its expression in the European Union is on the verge of flourishing again, albeit in a new age and in a new way? If it is, it will be without the UK, and the loss  it hardly needs to be said  will be ours.
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My mother, Patricia Cockburn, joined the Air-Raid Precautions (ARP) in 1939 and worked at the Northern Control Centre in a large cellar deep under Praed Street in Paddington through the early months of the Blitz. This is about two and a half miles from where Grenfell Tower was to be built 35 years later. She recalled later in a memoir that 60 of us sat in a large underground room, each at a narrow desk on which were four telephones coloured white, red, green and black.

The black phone was for the Chief Warden of a district to call in to say where bombs had fallen and ask for assistance proportionate to the level of destruction and the number of casualties. Patricia would immediately pick up her white phone to send ambulances, the red one for fire engines and the green for heavy rescue vehicles. The skill of the controllers lay in matching the rescue effort to the needs of the victims of the bombing. You never gave the warden all the machines he asked for, wrote Patricia. If you did, you would run out of ambulances and fire engines, long before the raid was over.

Overall, she found the system well organised and effective. There were glitches, such as an instruction to wear gas masks at all times which briefly made it impossible for the controllers to hear what the wardens were telling them. She was overawed by the dedication of the rescue crews. One night during a heavy raid she got a call on her white phone and heard a girls voice calmly asking: My ambulance is on fire, do I have permission to abandon it? Patricia asked if she had any patients in the ambulance. The girl said she did not because the crew had been on the way to a bombing. Patricia asked if this meant they had a full tank of petrol and, when told that it did, replied: Dont ask any more questions, get out and run like blazes.

 Police consider manslaughter charges over Grenfell fire amid failed safety tests

My mother left the job because she was pregnant and was therefore not in the cellar when a bomb fell through an airshaft and killed everybody on duty at the time.

I was thinking about my mothers time in the ARP during the Blitz, comparing her experiences with events surrounding the Grenfell Tower fire. The fire, ambulance and police services behaved with comparable courage and efficiency to their predecessors in World War Two. But the response of central and local government 77 years after the Blitz was miserably inadequate, and continued to be so long after the unexpectedness of the calamity provided any excuse. They failed at every level and their failure is being rightly pilloried as a grotesque example of cavalier irresponsibility on the part of the state.

It is nauseating to think of the burned bodies of people trapped in Grenfell Tower as the flames engulfed them and then read government boasts on an official website about how businesses with good records have had fire safety inspections reduced from six hours to 45 minutes, allowing managers to quickly get back to their day jobs. Dangerous drivel like this sends the clear message that the authorities do not care much about fire safety. Of course, under a regime of cursory 45-minute inspections every business will have a good record until the day it burns to the ground.

The Government approach is to imply with a sort of gloating superiority that concern for health and safety is a frivolous diversion from the real business of life which is making money. It is disgusting but revealing that in the wake of Grenfell Tower the Government has still not withdrawn a press release dated 3 March 2016 which is entitled Government going further to cut red tape by 10 billion. Signed among others by the communities and local government secretary, Sajid Javid, its lauds the infamous One-in, Three-out policy under which three regulations must be removed every time one new one is introduced. If some PhD student ever writes a thesis on Gimmicks that kill, they should try to trace how this mindless slogan turned into policy.

In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 1 /51 In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementis Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

Sneers directed over the decades by governments and media against Health and Safety as the apogee of unnecessary and intrusive bureaucratic meddling, set the stage for the Grenfell Tower tragedy. One does not have to be particularly cynical about human nature to realise that some businesses, noting the dismissive attitude of the state to its own regulations, will conclude that nobody who matters will mind if it breaks a few of them.

But there is an even more destructive aspect to this contempt for state supervision that marks a big difference between government attitudes today and in 1940. For centuries after the end of the 17th century, Britain had a more efficient and better organised state than its rivals in the rest of Europe. This was the outcome of decades of civil conflict in Britain and Ireland, though not all parts of the state apparatus were equally effective, the navy being much better run than the army. It was state power as much as free trade and the industrial revolution sustained the British role in the world.

It is a tradition that has taken a long time to die. Britain was never going to retain its imperial status after 1945, but neoliberal rhetoric about shrinking the state has been deeply damaging in a country that was never big or strong enough to afford too many mistakes. I was periodically stationed in the Middle East, Russia and the US in the years after 1980 and in all these places one could sense the decay of British state institutions. Visiting British politicians were astonishingly ignorant of the local political landscape. British embassies abandoned diplomacy and turned into trading posts. Britains reliance on its relationships with the US and the EU became ever more pronounced. This may not have mattered too much until British voters decided to discard the European crutch and President Trump devalued the US crutch by retracting the US role in the world.

Some of this decline was inevitable and some was self-inflicted. The political and media elite often compensated for these failings by disappearing into a world of comforting fantasies, as in the failed British military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. It became the norm to blame all the disasters on Tony Blair, but in both these wars, and later in Libya and Syria, there was a pervasive lack of interest in what was going wrong and how it might be put right.

For a nation that so often is mocked and mocks itself for being too absorbed in its triumphs in the First and Second World Wars, the British are surprisingly ignorant of the causes of their past success. Whatever its military fortunes, the British state machine used to be better organised and more effective than its allies and opponents and its ability to create powerful alliances useful to itself was unmatched. Self-interested denigration of the state as a sort of super-parasite over the past 30 years has helped dissipate these strengths. The well-organised calm of my mothers ARP control room under Paddington in 1940 was incomparably better than the chaotic state response to Grenfell Tower.
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Today, the High Court ruled that the benefits cap, one of the Tories flagship welfare policies, is unlawful, because it amounts to illegal discrimination against single parents with small children. Its likely that the Government will be forced to alter or completely scrap their benefits cap, a policy that limits the total amount a household can receive in benefits to 23,000 in London and 20,000 elsewhere in the UK.

High Court judge Justice Collins described the benefit cap as causing real damage to single parent families and said real misery is being caused to no good purpose. This is the fundamental truth at the heart of Tory welfare policy  misery without progress or reason.

Welfare reform as part of the coalition governments austerity measures has driven thousands more people into poverty and in many tragic cases, some deaths occurred after individuals were declared fit to work. Austerity was not inevitable. It was an ideologically-motivated programme designed to force the poorest and most vulnerable in our society to shoulder the burden of a financial crisis that they had less than nothing to do with creating.

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Four claimants brought this case to court. Two of them had been made homeless as a result of domestic violence, and were trying to work as many hours as possible while taking care of children under the age of two.

Imagine fleeing an abusive partner, seeking support from a domestic violence service thats had its funding brutally slashed by the Tory government, trying to work and look after a small child, then having your benefits cut, again by the Tory government, until the situation you find yourself in is so bleak and awful that you can hardly face another day.

The claimants are not alone. The benefits cap has inflicted a massive amount of suffering, with 200,000 children from the very lowest income families affected, as their parents income has fallen drastically.

In real terms, this means that these childrens lives have become even more difficult, and they werent easy to begin with. This means a colder house, less food to eat, more shame at school due to unwashed clothes, uniforms that are too small, worn-through shoes. It means stressed, unhappy and increasingly desperate parents, and in family, children cant fail to pick up on this mood of misery.

It becomes out of the question to invite friends round for dinner or to play. Invitations to other childrens houses are declined, because its embarrassing not to be able to return the courtesy. Holidays are out of the question. School performance falters and declines.

In this wealthy, highly developed country, poverty is the single biggest threat to the wellbeing of children and families. Poverty affects a quarter of all children in Britain, a massive, disgraceful, inexcusable proportion. one in five parents are struggling to feed their children, and 50 per cent of all parents living in food poverty have gone without meals in order to give their children more to eat.

 Theresa May criticised for 'inhuman' Newsnight interview

If this sounds Victorian to you, thats because it is. Despite the Conservative Partys claims that Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour manifesto would take Britain back to the 1970s, its abundantly clear that were currently mired in the 1800s. The seventies seem progressive in comparison, and Corbyn has consistently called for the scrapping of the benefits cap.

Todays ruling is welcome, but Tory ministers, far from pleading mea culpa and consigning this cruel policy to the rubbish heap, are reportedly preparing to appeal the High Courts decision, calling it disappointing.

This Government is so flagrantly uncaring about the wellbeing of its citizens that it hears the testimony of those lone parents living in poverty, turning to food banks, suffering due to the Tory benefits cap, and decides no that was a pretty good policy, lets appeal to keep it.

There is no progress in austerity. It brings nothing good, only pain and degradation. It is a sustained attack on the most vulnerable families in Britain, punishing the poor by inflicting further poverty and humiliation on them.

The Conservative Government is a shambles, lacking leadership, floundering towards a deal with a bigoted party of climate change deniers, and yet cracking on with their agenda of fiscal absurdity and rampant social cruelty. The ruling on the benefits cap should only be the beginning. They have twisted and gouged at this country for long enough. They have to go.
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When Theresa May makes you a "big generous offer", you probably want to check the small print. That certainly applies to EU citizens resident in the UK  after all, she claimed repeatedly that the only thing stopping the UK from guaranteeing their rights was the failure of the EU27 to promise to do the same for Brits living elsewhere in the EU. But when, in April, the EU called her bluff and published its own offer  which does precisely that  it was met with a deafening silence from the UK side.

That silence was finally broken in Brussels on Thursday when the PM said the UK would offer a settled status for EU citizens living in the UK for five years, aiming to give access equivalent to UK citizens for health care, pensions, education and benefits. That sounds, on the face of it, as if it goes most, if not all, the way to matching the EU position.

However, the actual text of the UK proposal will only be published on Monday. And given that some of the issues are technically complex and politically charged  as well as likely to be an administrative nightmare  we will only know whether the UK's offer is actually a generous one when we see the detail. Even todays headlines talking about giving EU citizens the same rights as UK citizens need close examination: in fact the Prime Minister said only that the UK is aiming to treat EU citizens equally with UK citizens.

 Theresa May in 'Maybot' mode on arrival at the EU Summit

Here are the key questions to ask, in order of increasing difficulty as far as the negotiations are concerned.

What will be the cut-off date for resident EU citizens to qualify for this new settled status?

The EU27 have proposed Brexit Day; while the UK may have originally wanted the date of notification of Article 50 (29 March 2017), this now seems implausible, for practical reasons and for legal reasons (using the Article 50 date might breach EU law by deterring EU citizens from exercising their free movement rights before Brexit Day when the UK is still a Member State). Mays proposal leaves the cut-off date open, but it seems likely the UK will concede on this. Perhaps more importantly, how does the UK proposal treat the many hundreds of thousands of people whose case will be more complex, because they are out of the country on the cut-off date or have interrupted periods of residence?

What about those EU nationals who have not satisfied the five year period?

Will the UK talks about a planned grace period after Brexit work for those EU citizens who dont already qualify for the proposed settled status? What criteria will they have to meet? Does the UK have the administrative capacity to process all their applications?

Will the UK try to enforce the rules in the same complex way it does at present with applications for recognition of permanent residence?

This applies in particular to its application of the requirement for "comprehensive sickness insurance" currently applied to some EU nationals who have not been continuously employed. Or will the UK promise to rip up the current system and start again with a simple, streamlined system, using the data the government already has on EU nationals (tax and NI payments, for example) and where the burden of proof is on the Home Office to show the applicant is ineligible, rather than the reverse.

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

Will the UK guarantee the (indefinite or at least prolonged) continuation of all rights?

This was promised by Boris Johnson, Daniel Hannan and the like, and applies not just residence, but to benefits, public services, and, perhaps most difficult, "family rights". In other words, will it preserve indefinitely the current position where EU citizens living here have, in some respects, more rights than us Brits, in particular to marry and live in the UK with their spouse without passing the income test that Theresa May introduced when she was Home Secretary?

Similar issues arise for Brits abroad. Again, they get extra rights in some respects compared to locals. This is particularly relevant in countries with contributory welfare systems. For example, Spain requires Spanish pensioners accessing the health system to have either a contribution record, an income-tested minimum pension, or private health insurance. What would happen to Brits  who might not qualify under any of these headings  if Mays proposals were accepted? Would Brits now be subject to the less generous rules on admission of family members, or acquisition of long-term residence, that apply to non-EU citizens? And for both groups, will the EU rules on cross-border social security contributions and recognition of qualifications gained in other countries continue to apply and for how long?

What role will the Court of Justice of the European Union play?

The Prime Minister didn't say anything about this on Thursday night, but if anything is likely to be a deal breaker this is it. Both sides agree that whatever the deal is, it should be incorporated into UK law, just as EU Directives on free movement are now. But at the moment, the ultimate say on how that law is interpreted is the CJEU. The EU wants this to continue after Brexit and for the lifetime of EU nationals covered by these provisions  as they see it, what were talking about here is the continuation, post Brexit, of rights established under EU law, and only the CJEU can ultimately decide on what EU law means. For the UK, Brexit means Brexit means an end to the jurisdiction of European judges. Can these two positions be reconciled, perhaps by means of some new court or dispute settlement process? Maybe  but it wont be easy and both sides will need to back down.

Stepping back, then, will Mays offer, generous or otherwise, get the negotiations off to a good start? Ironically, if the UK had made this offer 9 months ago, when this issue first came to the fore, and before stories began to emerge of the absurd and offensive treatment of some EU nationals applying for permanent residence, it would probably have been seen as very positive and constructive.

Made now, after the EU27 have already set out in some detail a considerably more expansive approach, it probably just about passes the adequacy test, but no more. That is, it wont be regarded as insulting by other EU governments or the Commission, and will be accepted as the UKs opening position, but its certainly not enough to secure a quick deal. This should have been the easy part of the Brexit negotiation  lets hope our side does a better job with the rest.

Professor Jonathan Portes, Professor Catherine Barnard and Professor Steve Peers from The UK in a Changing Europe
Colin Moreland, FIBI chairman, speaking at the The Federation of International Banks in Ireland conference. Picture: Naoise Culhane

Regulators need to get the balance right, combining "pragmatism with appropriate rigour", when dealing with Brexit, Gerry Cross of the Central Bank has said.

He warned that any lowering of standards in order to attract banks and insurers to relocate here would "lead us down a road of regret".

Mr Cross was speaking at the Federation of International Banks in Ireland conference in Dublin yesterday.

Yesterday, Ireland lost out as Japanese banking giant Nomura settled on Frankfurt as the headquarters for its European Union operations post- Brexit, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Frankfurt, helped by its hosting of the European Central Bank, has emerged as one of the favoured options for global banks seeking to relocate jobs from London. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are scouting for office space in the city, which could serve as their new trading hub inside the EU, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier this month.

Ireland has had fewer high profile wins from firms exiting London as a result of Brexit. US giant JPMorgan is understood to be scouting for offices here after already committing to an Irish expansion, but insurers Lloyds of London and American International Group (AIG) opted for Brussels and Luxembourg over Dublin.

Ireland's so far slim haul of finance jobs leaving the UK because of Brexit has raised concerns, including from Minister Eoghan Murphy, that slacker regulation elsewhere in the EU is being used as a carrot.

Privately, some finance sources say the Irish Central Bank's relatively stand-offish approach to potential investment has been an issue.

Gerry Cross said a key issue for regulators here is that any incoming bank or insurer seeking a licence is really planning to set up here.

"One of the major issues that has come to the fore over the recent period is the question of "substantive presence".

"This is the question of how much of its activities a firm needs to carry on from a particular jurisdiction in order to be able to ask to be authorised there," he told the conference.

He admitted that while there have been "considerable concerns" that different jurisdictions would take different approaches, good progress had been made on setting standards, with more on the way.

Meanwhile, the IDA's head of international financial services, Kieran Donoghue, said the agancy was "aggressively" looking to attract firms from the UK to Ireland.

"I'm confident that there will be a flow of announcements," he said.

Japan's biggest brokerage, Nomura, has around 3,000 employees in Europe, mostly in London. It's set to move around 100 roles to Frankfurt as a result of Brexit.

Its rival Daiwa, is looking at Frankfurt and Dublin for its EU operations.
ELKO  Hula hoops, an old-fashioned malt shop and cool cars are just part of the fun at the Nifty Fifties Family Fun Day Carnival 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Terrace at Ruby View.

The 1950s-themed event is in its fourth year, with carnival games, contests and prizes for the whole family.

In addition to the car show, vehicles and equipment from the Elko Fire Department, Nevada Highway Patrol and Cashman Equipment will be in the parking lot, along with PACE Coalitions DUI simulator.

Game card can be purchased for $10, which can be used to play up to 20 games or order from the malt shop-styled menu, said Executive Director Kerry Aguirre.

Aguirre hopes through the event, the community will learn more about the Terrace and the Elko Senior and Active Lifestyles Center, as some people may assume it is for seniors only.

All ages are welcome here, Aguirre said. We have been promoting the fact that we are a community center with senior benefits.

While the proceeds go toward supporting the Elko Senior Activities Programs, Nifty Fifties could not have been done without the support of their sponsors, mainly Northeastern Nevada Hospital and Genesis Home Health, said Aguirre.

Other sponsors included Bonanza Produce; Elko Lions Club; Family Dental Care; Gateway RV Center; Steven Glaser, DDS; Helen Hankins; Tim and Cadie Hatch; Maggie Creek Ranch, LP; McMullen McPhee & Company, LLC; Ormaza Construction; PACE Coalition; Pizza Barn; Dr. Stephen Price, Raleys; Read & Powell, LLP; Red Lion; and Total Eye Care.

It also couldnt be done without volunteers, said Char Gustafson, adding that they are still in need of someone for the face painting booth.

The Terrace are located at 1795 Ruby View Drive. For information on the event or the Elko Senior Center, call 738-3030.
'Whose pockets could be hardest hit by Britain's move to leave the EU - and what can you do to shield your finances from Brexit?'

Brexit is set to send wages plummeting by up to 10pc, an economist with a leading think-tank warns.

But Edgar Morgenroth, of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), predicted that workers in Dublin would be cushioned from the ravages of the UK's decision to leave the EU, which took place on this day last year.

It has also been revealed that more than 200 jobs have been lost in the food industry as the impending exit has already begun to take its toll.

Exports of goods and services to the UK are worth 39bn and make up 17pc of Irish exports, although this is well below levels in the early 1970s when the UK accounted for more than 50pc of our exports.

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Prof Morgenroth has conducted a study that predicts pay will fall by an average 2.2pc if there is a 'soft' fallout with a high-tech unseen Border.

Average wages will fall by 3.6pc if it is a hard border and there are tough tariffs on exports. But he forecast workers in the most vulnerable sectors, including agri-food's beef and dairy industries, may face deeper wage cuts of between 5pc and 10pc.

"Wages will drop by 3.6pc across the economy if we have a hard Brexit, with the imposition of World Trade Organisation tariffs," he said.

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"That's the average effect. Nobody knows how quickly this will come true. It could come in with a bang or gradually.

"The hit that is going to be taken is going to have a much bigger proportional impact on those regions that are already weaker like Cavan and Monaghan compared with Dublin, and a hard Brexit with tariffs will heighten regional difference."

He said Brexit can generate a big panic where people think they will all lose their jobs, but even in agri-food that won't apply to everyone. However, he said the average worker should still be worried about Brexit.

"If you think about the last crash, if you were sitting in Facebook or Google, or LinkedIn, wages were not cut but taxes went up. So workers are not insulated from all of this.

"If a sector gets hit and there is less money around the economy, less taxes will be collected and fiscal constraints are tighter and ultimately it effects everyone."

In addition, the estimated average wage reduction is not trivial. "If you took 3.6pc from your salary, you'd notice it," he said.

Union officials are more convinced that workers will suffer job rather than wage cuts if the economic climate worsens.

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Siptu sector organiser in agriculture, ingredients, food and drink, Michael Browne, said Brexit would be a production rather than a cost-base issue, which is a scenario employers usually respond to with job cuts.

"Job cuts are probably more likely," said Siptu's manufacturing division organiser Gerry McCormack. "If you don't have the market, you reduce the size of your production. Cutting wages is not going to solve the problem."

Although separation talks between London and the EU Commission in Brussels have just begun, he estimates that more than 200 jobs have already been lost.
Nutritional animal feed company, Connollys Red Mills, has today announced 20 new jobs for Kilkenny. The jobs boost is created by the official opening of a new equestrian and agri super store in Kilkenny by the Connolly family.

Responsible for feeding over one third of the worlds top racehorses in Europe and Asia, Connollys Red Mills now export to 74 countries.

The opening was attended by European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan and Australian Ambassador to Ireland, Richard Andrews.

Since 2015, the global workforce of Connollys Red Mills has increased by 100 jobs. Todays announcement brings the total employed by the family run business to 320.

Run by the fifth generation of the Connolly family, Connollys Red Mills sources up to 50 per cent of its grains locally from local South East farmers who they say grow some of the best oats, barley and wheat in the world.

The products are manufactured from the companys purpose built headquarters in Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny.

CEO of Connollys Red Mills, Joe Connolly says We remain heavily invested and committed to our home county of Kilkenny. We are delighted our new store is bringing 20 more new jobs to our local area.

This store will not only fly the flag for our business but for Kilkenny, the South East and the equine industry in Ireland as we will be welcoming some of the worlds leading trainers and equine managers here Mr Connolly concludes.

Speaking at the event, Phil Hogan, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development said Since 1908, Connollys Red Mills has been fostering rural development and job creation in the South East of Ireland. Connollys continue to support local farmers, generate employment and of course fuel winning race horses all over the world.

As EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, I love to see successful rural based businesses who continue to grow their presence both domestically and internationally in action, and especially so when it's on home turf."

Connollys Red Mills precision nutrition products are also available in over 400 other outlets across Ireland. The new equestrian, agri, pet and outdoor fashion store will stock a selection of premier brands such as Dubarry, Baleno, Musto, Jack Murphy and Horseware Ireland, many of which are exclusive to Connollys Red Mills.
A Tyrone farmer has gone on trial accused of causing the death by dangerous driving of his 69-year-old father.

In what was described as a "particularly tragic" in which only the heartless would have no sympathy," the Belfast Telegraph reports.

Pensioner Phelim Alexander Brady suffered multiple injuries when a cattle lorry driven by his son Paul crashed into the rear of the tractor and trailer in June 2014.

This Sunday will mark the third anniversary of the tragic event.

Sitting it the dock of Dungannon Crown Court yesterday, sometimes with his head buried in his hands, Paul Alexander Brady listened as the prosecution claimed he was guilty because he allowed his father to travel on the draw bar between the tractor and trailer.

The 46-year-old from Minterburn road, in Caledon, is also accused of causing his father's "untimely death" by driving whilst disqualified and without insurance, on the Woodlough A4 dual carriageway Road between Dungannon and Caledon.

In the dock beside him, also denying the death by dangerous driving charge, was 53-year-old lorry driver William Mark Murphy, from Prospect Road, Ballyward in Co Down. Murphy pleaded guilty to causing Mr Brady's death by careless driving, a plea which was not accepted by the prosecution.

In his opening to the jury of seven men and five women Peter Irvine QC appealed to them to put aside any feelings of sympathy or prejudice, but admitted what they would hear was a "particularly tragic case, a case where you will have a heart of stone if you were not to have a sympathetic disposal to the facts".

The lawyer for the prosecution said that when later interviewed by police, the younger Brady said he had not wanted to drive the tractor, but only agreed after his father, who rode on the draw bar, asked him to help take cattle to the Dungannon market.

The court heard that immediately after the accident he told police: "I told him he shouldn't be on the draw bar".

Mr Irvine said while it was "quite clear Mr Brady Jr... clearly did not wish his father to be transported in this manner, it is also clear, that is what happened, and his father rode upon this draw bar as the trailer was being driven along and did so for a distance of ten miles from the Brady farm to where the collision occurred".

The lawyer said that by allowing his father to ride on the draw bar his driving fell "far below" what would have been expected from a careful and competent driver, and that it would have been "obvious" to such a driver this was "inherently dangerous".

Turning to Murphy, the lawyer said that he told police that as he approached the tractor-trailer he slowed and was about to overtake it when he was forced to abandon the move by a speeding car overtaking him.

Mr Irvine claimed that Murphy, whose speed was estimated to be around 56mph, had driven into the back of the trailer at "significant speed".

The lawyer added that "whether or not he had abandoned an overtaking manoeuvre" he had failed to "alter his speed to accommodate the slower driven tractor".

The lawyer said this driving fell "far below the standard of a careful and competent driver, and we say that amounts to dangerous driving".

The trial, expected to last until next week, continues on Friday.
The Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has said that no decision has yet been taken to totally outlaw the use of splash plate slurry spreading on Irish farms.

His comments comes after proposals have been outlined the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) Clean Air Strategy paper.

Its analysis indicates that much of the ammonia reduction will require the use of modern low emission slurry spreading techniques such as trailing shoe/hose instead of the traditional broadcast splash-plate technique.

Also, it says the use of urea stabilisers for fertilisers and the covering of slurry storage in the pig and dairy sectors can also help reduce ammonia emissions.

Responding to questioning on the issue this week, Minister Creed said his Department is aware of recent media coverage and at the outset, said it is important to note that the lead on this issue is the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment as it relates to the National Clean Air Strategy consultation which was open during March and April this year.

Minister Creed said that it recognised that the spreading of slurry can, depending on the timing of the application and the weather conditions, result in nitrogen loss from slurry to the atmosphere through ammonia volatilisation.

That Department will conduct a thorough examination of all submissions received as part of its consultation phase.

He said no decision has been taken on a total ban on splash plates and said his Department continues to liase closely with colleagues in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment on this matter.

On foot of farmer demand to improve the utilisation of slurry as a fertiliser, my Department is assisting farmers under TAMS in the purchase of Low Emission Slurry Spreading equipment.

This is being driven by farmers themselves wanting to maximise the value of the slurry on their own farms, rather than as a regulatory requirement. Recently, the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors of Ireland also identified their support for this technology.

However, I fully understand that this technology is not suitable for all farms, he said.
As the head of the Women's Executive Network, diversity has been my focus for the last two years. I've asked large professional firms, management consultancies, MNCs, SMEs and startups their views on diversity.

Across international markets - Canada, the US, the UK and Ireland - the response is the same. Everyone knows that diversity on boards is better than group think to drive the financial performance of a company.

However, getting there is a whole other story. In fact it seems to be quite the stumbling block.

In Ireland, only 12pc of ISEQ board directors are women. Twenty of the 50 listed ISEQ companies have no female board representation. There are no available figures on LGBTQ, minority of disability representation.

Depending on which survey you read, the gender pay gap in Ireland is between 14pc and 20pc.

So despite the proliferation of professional women-focused events for the last few years in Ireland, what has actually changed?

I have experience in trying to improve the ratios in Canada. As well as WXN, I head up the Canadian Board Diversity Council.

This is a government-supported organisation focused on advancing diversity on the boards of Canada's Top 500 companies.

We particularly focus on representation of gender, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, people with disabilities and the LGBTQ community.

While progress is being made, it is too slow. Diverse representation on the boards of Canada's Top 500 companies has increased, but only 1-2pc per year.

Last year's figures showed a decrease in the pace of change from the year before. Currently women hold 21.6pc of the board seats in FP500 organisations (Financial Post premier ranking for Corporate Canada). However, at this rate we will not meet the 30pc target set for 2020 any time soon.

So if progress is slow in Canada, a country with government support for diversity, what will be achieved in Ireland without it?

There is a grave danger that all the events held to promote and highlight the success of female leaders will in time become nothing more than enjoyable distractions, or talking shops, achieving little.

Ireland's diversity credentials couldn't be higher globally at the moment. The Marriage Equality referendum result reverberated around the world. The new Taoiseach is an impeccable example of diversity. Ireland is on the diversity map for sure.

That said, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's oft-used description of a special place in hell for women who don't help others might also apply to gay leaders with multicultural backgrounds who consider pulling up the ladder behind them.

Business needs a little assistance in achieving its diversity targets. Our own experience in Canada shows that unless something is an obligation it won't be done, and even at that, it will be done slowly.

In the interim, awards such as WXN's Most Powerful Women: Top 25 are valuable as a platform for women to showcase their talents. Every year we see more and more women showing their achievements because, not only is it okay to be successful, but it's important for that success to be seen.

A little clout from Government would make all the difference. A Minister with responsibility for achievement of targets would give momentum and validation to the cause. It would help for the business community to develop a widely held expectation of companies to build diverse boards or explain why they haven't.

Business organisations need to nurture a viewpoint that diverse companies are those that are the right - if not only - companies to do business with.

Otherwise we'll be looking to the next generation for the courage to tackle the challenge.

Sherri Stevens is owner and ceo of WXN (Women's Executive Network
Exclusive Dublin members' club The Residence more than halved its pre-tax losses in 2015 to 150,030.

That is according to new accounts for Molana Ltd which reveal that the company is targeting the business community and "fine diners" to increase revenues.

The company's 2015 loss followed pre-tax losses of 348,208 in 2014.

The business - which houses the award-winning Restaurant FortyOne - sharply reduced its losses after revenues decreased marginally from 3.2m to 3.183m. The business was purchased from a receiver by businesswoman Olivia Gaynor Long in 2010.

However, Mr Gaynor Long recently sold on the business to her brother, Peter Gaynor, and his business partner, John Collins.

The accounts disclose that as a result of the deal selling on the business, the shareholders' loan of 2.5m to the business was waived.

The directors' report states that the 3pc drop in revenues for 2015 was largely offset by a decrease in operating costs of 10pc "to ensure that net losses were greatly reduced".

The directors said that a special focus on targeting the corporate sector has resulted in a significant increase in membership from the business community.

The directors also show that the Restaurant FortyOne has shown significant growth in the past 18 months.

As a result, the directors said they have decided to increase the restaurant capacity by extending it to the second floor of the building.

Numbers employed at the business, based on St Stephen's Green, fell from 47 to 45 with staff costs reducing from 1.6m to 1.48m in 2014.
ELKO  Elko residents had a chance to share their concerns with Attorney General Adam Laxalt and his staff Thursday when he stopped in Elko for his second AG for a Day tour.

Laxalt said his office has many issues it deals with, but he highlighted four big things that have been pertinent to Elko County  financial fraud including guardianship issues, formation of the Office of Military Legal Assistance, working with local law enforcement agencies to assist with investigations and prosecutions, and public land issues with the formation of the Office of the Solicitor General.

He said he added a solicitor generals office to his staff so Nevada is protected from federal overreach.

Deputy solicitor general Joseph Tartakovsky went through some of the public land issues the state has dealt with, including sage grouse. He said the office is monitoring the federal governments range-wide review of the plan to protect the birds habitat. The solicitor general is awaiting the outcome of the 60-day review, he said.

Tartakovsky said the AGs office thinks the Nevada plan to protect sage grouse struck a better balance between the interests of the industry and the population, and we also believe it better protects the sage grouse.

The AGs staff visited with attendees to answer questions.

Some attendees had specific questions for the AGs office and others just wanted to hear what the staff had to say.

Lidia Cortes of Elko attended because she had questions about domestic violence issues. Her daughter, Stephanie Gonzalez, was murdered in 2011 by her estranged husband, Eduardo Estrada-Puentes.

Cortes was seeking guidance on temporary protection orders and what legal advice is available to victims.

Another question I want to ask them is what do they do for the batterers? What kind of help? Where do they seek help for them to stop the cycle of domestic violence? she said.

Cortes was able to speak with Patricia Cafferata, the special assistant attorney general for law enforcement, counties and municipalities, after the presentation.

Cafferata is on the Domestic Violence Prevention Council. She had two handouts  a flyer with contacts for all the agencies in the state that help victims and a pamphlet on the AGs VINE program. VINE is an app for cellphones that allows victims to register to receive automated notifications of changes to an offenders custody status, Cafferata said. The state is pioneering the app, she said.

Elko Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Billie Crapo said she didnt have any questions for Laxalt and his staff.

Im just interested in hearing what they have to say, she said.

The Chamber doesnt pick sides in politics, but it is important for the organization to get information to its members.

Its nice that he is traveling around to the rural communities and so our main focus for the chamber is getting the information out to the Chamber members and being part of it, she said. Im very interested into hearing the different topics that theyre going to be covering.

Lee Hoffman attended as an Elko resident, rather than as the chairman of the Elko County Republican Party.

Im just always interested in events in Elko when we get our state and national political leaders here, he said. There was nothing specific that I was interested in, I just wanted to hear what was said today.
Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave is bringing his conference roadshow back to the RDS.

Mr Cosgrave confirmed that the financial technology conference Moneyconf will relocate from Madrid to Dublin, back to the venue that caused so much friction between Mr Cosgrave and proprietors of Dublin's biggest conference venue.

However, with numbers at Moneyconf not expected to exceed 6,000, the issue of overburdened wifi is unlikely to play the same contentious role as when the Web Summit was held at the venue in 2015.

"Contrary to what you might think, I'm good friends with them in the RDS," he told a press conference in Dublin. "Relationships are very good. Moneyconf is here for the forseeable future."

Mr Cosgrave also said that he wants to become an anti-corruption campaigner in Ireland, claiming that Ireland sits "at the bottom of the table" in tackling white collar crime.

"Ireland has a very real problem with corruption," he said. "If you are serving in public office in any other western country and are found to have accepted a bribe, you're obligated to leave public office," he said. "This is not the case in Ireland. It can be established as a fact that you have accepted a bribe as a public representative and there is no requirement to leave public office."

Mr Cosgrave said that he plans to get several executives to co-sign a letter urging the Government to pass anti-corruption legislation in September.

"I'm in a position to be able to pick the phone and ask the CEOs of global companies to support this," he told a press conference in Dublin this morning.

Mr Cosgrave also said that he intends to set up some workshops for locally-focused trainee journalists in a new civic initiative.

Asked whether this activity signalled an entry into Irish politics, he replied: "No. Selling tickets is much easier."
Under EU law, roaming fees between operators must keep reducing until they settle at 2.50 per gigabyte of data in 2022 (down from 7.70 now). Stock picture

It seems like sod's law. Just as we get a break on mobile roaming fees, they might come back after Brexit.

As the UK is by far our most-visited neighbour, this could eliminate up to half the value we gain from this month's pan-EU roaming cost reductions.

The good news is that this looks unlikely to happen for a number of reasons.

First, the UK arm of Ireland's second-largest operator, Three, has publicly stated it will not revert to traditional roaming charges after Brexit. A similar gesture from Three Ireland doesn't seem far-fetched. It's the same company, after all.

Similarly, Vodafone has operations in 12 EU countries, including the UK. Brexit or no Brexit, it can simply treat calls, texts and data between its offspring units as roaming-free if it wants to.

Representatives from both Vodafone and Three have not committed to such a scenario at this stage. But if Vodafone or Three keeps roaming fees from re-entering, Meteor and smaller operators such as Tesco Mobile will find it very difficult to reintroduce them and hold on to their customers.

And the Irish mobile market is very competitive.

Another reason why Brexit may not herald the return of steep roaming charges when in the UK is the length of time Brexit will actually take to kick in.

It isn't happening this year or next, and it may not be concluded by 2022, a significant year in EU telecoms law.

Under EU law, roaming fees between operators must keep reducing until they settle at 2.50 per gigabyte of data in 2022 (down from 7.70 now).

Assuming Brexit isn't concluded by then, mobile operators will have become used to a trading environment with little or no roaming charges among each other. There simply won't be the same commercial momentum to jack them up again, as might happen now if things somehow disintegrated.

The bottom line is that anyone signing a 24-month contract with an Irish operator today is very unlikely to see a change in roaming conditions before the lifetime of that contract is up.
Irelands two biggest mobile operators have agreed not to reintroduce roaming rates for Irish customers travelling to Britain after Brexit.

Vodafone and Three have both informed Independent.ie that they will keep the new EU rules for Irish users even though Britain will no longer be part of the EU.

Its a bit of good news for phone users here wondering what the cost of Brexit might be.

Last week, roaming fees for calls and texts across the EU were abolished, while the cost of accessing data was reduced.

But with Britain the most-visited country for people from Ireland, there has been confusion over whether mobile charges will return once the UK exits European laws.

A spokeswoman for Vodafone said that the operator has no current plans to make any changes to [the new roaming structure] post Brexit. She said that this will mean worry free roaming for its customers.

A spokeswoman for Three also said that the operator would not revert to pre-ban roaming charges.

We plan to maintain the new EU roaming standard after Brexit for our customers when roaming in the UK, said the spokeswoman.

Together, Vodafone and Three represent over 70pc of the Irish mobile market.

The news will come as a relief to those living in border counties as well as frequent travellers to the UK.

It will also put pressure on rivals such as Meteor and Tesco Mobile, Irelands third and fourth largest operators, respectively.

A spokeswoman for Tesco Mobile said today that the operator was unable to follow Vodafone and Three on not reintroducing post-Brexit roaming charges.

Tesco Mobile Ireland will continue to maintain a watching brief regarding Brexit as negotiations continue, said a spokeswoman for the operator.

A spokeswoman for Meteor said that no decision has been made on the issue.

However, neither owns a network in the UK as Vodafone and Three do. This could make it more costly for them to promise no return to roaming if UK-based operators impose steep fees on them.

Under the new EU roaming law, operators are entitled to limit the amount of data accessible when travelling to ease operators into a roaming-free era.

The arrangement means that a typical prepay user that gets 20GB or all you can eat data for 20 is only entitled to around 5GB of that data when travelling across the EU. After that, roaming charges of 9.50 per GB kick in.

The UK arm of Irelands second-largest operator, Three, has publicly stated that it will not revert to traditional roaming charges after Brexit.

The bottom line is that customers considering new 24-month contracts now know that they wont get stung with post-Brexit roaming fees.

To be fair, Brexit-related roaming charges are unlikely to materialise anytime soon. A deal between the EU and the UK is expected to take years to finalise. Under EU law, roaming fees between operators must keep reducing until they settle at 2.50 per gigabyte of data in 2022 (down from 7.70 now).

By then, mobile operators will have been used to a trading environment with little or no roaming charges amongst each other. If Brexit does not occur until closer to that date, there may not be significant commercial pressure on Irish operators to introduce new roaming fees for travellers to the UK.
Boeing secured twice as much in order value at the Paris Air Show as rival Airbus, marking the US planemakers first victory in five years at the aviation industrys annual showcase.

Boeing won orders and expressions of interest for about 420 planes worth as much as $58bn (52bn) based on a Bloomberg count, getting a boost from demand for the Max 10, the biggest version of its 737 workhorse.

Airbus, which posted a tally of 229 airliners valued at about $25bn (22.4bn), dismissed the setback and said it was focusing on meeting delivery targets to make up for production snags rather than seeking purchasers.

The haul of about $83bn (74bn) in deals easily surpassed the $50bn (44bn) signed at last years show in Farnborough, England, which was the lowest figure since 2010.

Asian lessors and airlines were particularly active as they girded for an accelerating travel boom.

The order binge reflected customer support for a new Boeing 737 model, and quietened concerns that demand is fading for new jetliners.

Maybe people came to the show with muted expectations, but the order activity is positive on the backdrop of relatively strong air-traffic growth, said Kelly Ortberg, chief executive officer of aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins Inc.

New narrow-body introductions are exciting. I think well all leave going, The show was a little better than expected.

The biggest buyer at the Paris expo was General Electric Cos GE Capital Aviation Services, which ordered 100 Airbus planes valued at $10.8bn (9.7bn) and converted 20 Boeing production slots from earlier purchases to the planned 737 Max 10. That model, rolled out to combat Airbuss hot-selling A321neo, secured 336 commitments, including customers shifting to it from the 737s other Max versions.

The boost from the Max 10 should help Boeings order flow come close to matching deliveries this year, Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said.

Slumped

The measure, known as book-to-bill, fell below one during 2015 and 2016 as sales slumped for the Chicago-based manufacturer amid falling oil prices.

Demand had jumped earlier in the decade as high fuel prices spurred airlines to stockpile orders of more efficient planes such as Boeings upgraded 737 Max and Airbuss A320neo.

That order flurry caused

Airbuss backlog to more than double, surpassing 6,700 airliners.

Airbus is now focusing on speeding up deliveries following delays on the A320neo series and wide-body A350, chief operating officer Fabrice Bregier said.

The Toulouse, France-based manufacturer still plans to hand over about 30 more planes to customers this year than in 2016, which means the company will need to accelerate work in the second half, he said.
Only weeks after President Donald Trump accused Qatar of funding terrorism, the nation's flagship airline has made a surprise overture to acquire a major stake in American Airlines.

The move, disclosed yesterday by American, represents a startling turn in a running battle between US carriers and their Persian Gulf rivals, which US airline executives say have unfair advantages because of deep government subsidies. It also comes against the backdrop of renewed efforts by the Trump administration to mediate the simmering crisis between Qatar and the US's closest regional allies, notably Saudi Arabia.

Qatar Airways is seeking to acquire about 10pc of American, a stake that would put the state-owned company on par with Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway among shareholders of the world's largest carrier. That would require approval by American's board - a step that is by no means guaranteed given American's vocal efforts to level the playing field in global aviation under so-called Open Skies agreements designed to promote fair competition.

Texas-based American Airlines said in a stock market filing that it believes the US government will continue to defend against "massive carrier subsidies that threaten the US aviation industry and that threaten American jobs". The company declined to comment beyond the filing. Qatar Airways didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Shares in American rose 3.5pc to $50.14 in New York after climbing as much as 4.4pc for the biggest intraday gain in six weeks, on the news. (Bloomberg)
Brendan Gleeson has said he hopes to work again with his sons, fellow actors Brian and Domhnall, later this year as they have been too busy to get together.

The trio starred together in a production of The Walworth Farce in 2014, and Brendan is hoping they can reunite in the coming months to work on a short film that has been written by his youngest son, Rory.

"I'm hoping to do a short with the lads soon, with Brian and Domhnall if I can, but it's hard to get everyone in the one room" Brendan said.

"I want to test the water myself a little bit."

Expand Close The Gleeson clan: From left, Domhnall, Brian and Brendan in The Walworth Farce by Enda Walsh / Facebook

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Brian (29) most recently starred in blockbuster Assassin's Creed opposite Michael Fassbender while Domhnall (34) will next be seen in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He also voices a character in animated film Peter Rabbit.

Brendan's latest film, Hampstead, a romantic drama which also stars Diane Keaton, is released today, with the 62-year-old describing his co-star as "brilliant" and "completely herself".

Speaking about the recent appointment of Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach, the Harry Potter star said he was glad to see some change happening.

"I just think it's really important that we pass the baton on," he said.

"I grew up in a time -apart from the North which hopefully won't re-emerge as a place of violence - but in terms of being lucky, my generation was. I was born 10 years after World War Two. I feel really lucky."

Brendan hopes the political climate is beginning to change following Emmanuel Macron's election as president of France, in contrast to more controversial decisions such as Brexit and Donald Trump winning the American presidential election.

"The way people are being ostracised and the divide between rich and poor, it has to stop," he told Ian Dempsey on Today FM.

Brendan praised young people getting involved in politics and cited 2015's marriage equality referendum.

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"It's brilliant so many young people got out and got involved," he said. "We had the referendum here where (for) the first time people felt if they went out and voted they could actually change things."
Brendan Dassey being escorted out of a Manitowoc County Circuit courtroom in Wisconsin (AP)

Lawyers will fight for the release of Brendan Dassey, a prisoner featured in the Making A Murderer series, after judges backed a ruling that he was coerced into confessing.

But the 27-year-old, one of two men serving life sentences featured in the Netflix series, could face a re-trial after a panel of three judges on Thursday ruled against the US prosecutors appeal.

Dassey was 16 and mentally impaired when he told police under interrogation that he helped his uncle Steven Avery rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach.

The 25-year-old womans charred remains were found at the Avery familys scrapyard in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, in 2005.

Dasseys lawyers, Professors Steven Drizin and Laura Nirider of the Centre on Wrongful Convictions of Youth, celebrated the judges majority decision.

We are overjoyed for Brendan and his family, and we look forward to working to secure his release from prison as soon as possible, they said in a joint statement.

As of todays date, Brendan Dassey has lost 4,132 days of his life to prison.

The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals, agreeing with a judges decision in August, said that no reasonable court could find his confession was voluntary.

Investigators subjected him to death by a thousand cuts by using coercive techniques such as fact-feeding, false promises, manipulation and leading him through the interview, the judges said.

The panel was split, with judges Ilana Rovner and Ann Williams supporting the ruling and David Hamilton disagreeing.

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Judge Hamilton said the decision breaks new ground and poses troubling questions for police and prosecutors.

Dassey and Averys cases found international attention after they were featured in the documentary series in 2015.
Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis has become the first person to visit the events most luxurious toilet  featuring a throne, disco balls and its own soundtrack.

The Toilet Of Dreams has been created by international development charity WaterAid to raise awareness of the lack of basic facilities around the world.

Festival-goers are welcome to use the toilet, which has a silver throne, disco-themed purple seat, disco balls, music and mirrors.

Globally, one in three schools does not have clear water or decent toilets.

Marcus Missen, of WaterAid, said: Without access to basic toilets children around the world are denied the healthy childhood they deserve, the education they need, and the chance to turn their dreams into reality.

Our luxurious Toilet Of Dreams is helping WaterAid raise awareness that the humble loo really can make dreams come true.

The Toilet Of Dreams uses pure frivolity to deliver our deadly serious message and encourages festival-goers to lend their support to WaterAids #TheWaterFight petition.

Almost 500 WaterAid volunteers will be campaigning at the festival and collecting signatures for the #TheWaterFight petition.

This calls on the UK Government to make sure that all government plans for schools globally include taps and toilets for every child.
WELLSIf they build a bridge, the wildlife will come.

Two overpasses are under construction over Interstate 80 on the Pequop Summit between Wells and West Wendover to funnel wildlife over the highway and out of the way of traffic.

The roughly $14 million project that began in the spring of 2016 is expected to be completed by the end of the current construction season, according to Meg Ragonese, a public information officer for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Ragonese said the project is aimed at enhancing safety for drivers and wildlife by reducing vehicle-animal collisions.

Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Joe Doucette, who works out of the Elko office, agreed safety is the main goal of the overpasses that are a joint project of NDOT and NDOW.

Its a win-win for everybody: wildlife, drivers, insurance companies and hunters, he said.

Almost 50 percent of accidents involving wildlife along I-80 in Nevada happen at Pequop, said Nova Simpson, northern Nevada biological supervisor for NDOT. She said mule deer cross the freeway on their spring and fall migrations.

Pequop is an area weve wanted to do for a long time, Doucette said.

He said the lower 70 mph speed limit on the summit is there because of the deer migration routes.

One motorist has been killed, 12 people injured and there have been more than 200 wildlife-vehicle collisions in the Pequop area in recent years, according to NDOT.

NDOT is the primary funding source for the Pequop safety crossings, while NDOW provided a $500,000 grant through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and works closely with NDOT on wildlife issues, Simpson said.

Dealing with NDOT is a great example of interagency cooperation in the state. Its been a very good partnership, Doucette said.

NDOW used GPS signals from collars on mule deer to determine the best sites for the latest overpasses. Doucette said that by collaring a couple hundred deer over a couple years we can have a very good idea where the deer are traveling.

The collars fall off the deer after a year.

The overpasses are roughly 200 feet in length and width. They will be covered with native soil and vegetation to replicate the natural environment and attract the animals.

Wadsworth Brothers Construction Co. is doing the work on Pequop Summit. One wildlife bridge is at the west end of the summit, and the other is at the east end.

The two safety crossings at Pequop will join an earlier overpass for wildlife built at Silver Zone Pass on I-80 in Elko County. There also are three such bridges over U.S. 93 in the effort to reduce vehicle accidents and wildlife deaths.

We started back in 2010, and the first crossings were completed on U.S. 93, Simpson said. We had 35,000 crossings during migrations within the first four years.

The figures also show that from 3,500 to 5,000 deer use the overpasses for each migration period in the spring and fall.

Simpson said there were 80 percent fewer documented wildlife carcasses in the first two years of the bridges, and that was just during the migrations.

Now we get zero to one hits per migration as far as the reports we are getting in, she said.

The monitoring is done only during the mule deer migrations, but Simpson said there also was monitoring one summer that showed that elk, pronghorns, red foxes, badgers, cattle and horses used the U.S. 93 overpasses.

All the overpass projects over U.S. 93 and I-80 feature eight-foot fencing that funnels the wildlife to the safe crossing locations, Simpson said.

The first overpasses included two at HD Summit roughly 20 miles north of Wells and one at 10 Mile Summit, all on U.S. 93, and then the Silver Zone Pass overpass over I-80 between Oasis and West Wendover was done in 2013.

Simpson said there are no usage numbers for the Silver Zone Pass overpass yet, but a University of Nevada, Reno group is working on a report. Data has already been collected on deer deaths on Pequop to use for future comparisons of before and after the crossings, she said.

Along with the overpasses, there are four underpasses for wildlife along U.S. 93. The most recent one was completed last year, Ragonese said.

The big ones are the overpasses. They are much more useable and easier for wildlife. Going underground is against their instincts, Doucette said.

The deer do use the underground routes, however, when they follow a leader under the highway, he said.

During the construction on I-80 at Pequop travel speeds are reduced to 55 mph and travel lanes are down to one lane each way.
A convicted killer who threatened to burn down the home of a man doing a soup run for homeless people in Dublin city centre has avoided jail.

Mark Bissett (31), who served a six year sentence for manslaughter, was angry that the You're not alone organisation run by Michael Maher was assisting a relative he had fallen out with.

He told Mr Maher that he knew where he lived and threatened to burn down his house.

Bissett, of Swords Road, Dublin 9, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making a threat to Mr Maher to damage his house intending him to believe it would be carried out at Central Bank Plaza, Dame Street on May 27, 2016.

Bissett has 60 previous convictions including manslaughter, assault and public order offences.

Karl Monahan BL, defending, said that Bissett never intended to carry out the threat, had no difficulties with Mr Maher and wished to apologise in the strongest possible terms. He submitted Bissett had been intoxicated at the time but had significantly turned himself around during the last year.

Judge Karen O'Connor imposed a two year sentence which she suspended on strict conditions.

She told Bissett: What you did to Mr Maher was absolutely disgraceful, horrible and despicable. You are very lucky not to be going back to prison.

She said it was deplorable and unacceptable behaviour towards a man carrying out charitable work.

Judge O'Connor noted Bissett was at high risk of re-offending and ordered he be brought back before her if he gets into any further trouble. She warned him he faced two years in prison.

She confirmed with the prosecution that there were other similar organisations Bissett could avail of and ordered him to stay away from the charity, Mr Maher and Mr Maher's home.

Garda Sinead Gorman told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that Mr Maher was at the soup run organised for the homeless on Dame Street when he was approached by Bissett.

A brother of Bissett was being helped by the charity at a second soup run in Bray and Bissett was of the view that they should not be helping him. He said his brother had gotten him thrown out of a house and told Mr Maher: All the homeless in Bray are scumbags.

He told Mr Maher I know where you live and you will be sorry before later returning and threatening to burn down his house.

Mr Maher, who also organises a spectacular Christmas lights display at his home for charity, believed Bissett knew where he lived and was nervous for his family. He went to Pearse Street garda station and reported the threats.

Mr Maher recalled Bissett coming to be fed by the charity on at least two occasions but said he had no previous history with him. He said he could smell alcohol off him that night.

Mr Maher said he suffered sleepless nights as a result of the threats. He said he felt uneasy and scared in his own home where he should feel safe.

Mr Monaghan said Bissett had suffered significant issues with substance misuse in the past but was now in a stable relationship which, along with his own three children, provided him with a focus.

Counsel noted Bissett had been assessed last year as at high risk of re-offending but submitted he significantly turned his life around during the past year and had addressed many of the risk factors.
THE High Court has ordered that a Dublin property - described as a potential fire safety risk - be vacated by July 9.

Mr Justice Paul Gilligan made the orders in relation to 24 Mountjoy Square which was subject of a fire safety notice since August of last year.

The order was made after he heard objections from a Polish family of 12 who wanted to remain and did not want to end up in B&B accommodation.

However, the judge said while he sympathised with the family, who were "innocent parties", the court "could not sit idly by" in regards to a fire safety issue.

The judge said the family, and up to a dozen students who had been living in a windowless basement, had to vacate the premises.

Last March, Anne O'Dwyer of Duff & Phelps,was appointed receiver over the property which is owned by Christopher Singh of Lisnacree, Castleknock Road, Castleknock, Dublin, and is used by his company, TWI Textile Machinery and Fabric Company Ltd.

She brought proceedings aimed at securing vacant possession of the property, on grounds including that the fire safety notice has not been complied with and the property poses a fire safety risk.

The matter had been before the court on a number of occasions.

On Friday, Nevan Powell Bl said the receiver was prepared on a humanitarian basis to make money available to aid the family secure alternative accommodation.

Karen Denning Bl , for the city council, said that following a recent inspection by a fire safety officer, her client's positions remains that the building is not suitable for use as accommodation.

Counsel also confirmed the family living at the premises were not tenants of council, but were on its housing list.

Gerard Murphy Bl, representing the Piela family who lived in an apartment on the third floor, said the Polish family have been living there for the last number of years.

Counsel said the family were concerned about the disruption any move would have on them especially as they have two children in local schools and are settled in the area.

The were also concerned from media reports about being put in emergency B&B accommodation.

Vincent P Martin Bl, for Mr Singh, said substantial works had been carried out on the property by a fire safety expert hired by his client.

It was accepted the council was not satisfied with what had been done, counsel said

Mr Justice Gilligan said that in light of the fire safety notice remaining in place, the building had to be vacated and could not be used as accommodation.

He was placing a stay on the order requiring the residents to vacate the property till July 9.

The businesses could continue to operate from the building until the matter returns before the court, he said.

Fire wardens which were put in place by the court last week to monitor the building 24 hours a day are to remain on site until July 9, he said.

The judge also adjourned the balance of the receiver's proceedings, in which she seeks an order for possession of the entire building, to a date in July.

Mr Singh is opposing that application and argues that her appointment is invalid.

The court also heard that Mr Singh hopes to raise funds which he will use to pay off what is owed to the Kenmare Property Finance which appointed the receiver over a 489,000 debt.
The anguished husband of Malak Thawley, who died from severe loss of blood during surgery at the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street, said he has not lived a single minute of his life since she passed.

Heartbroken Alan Thawley said he is bereft since the sudden death of his "soul-mate" and the love of his life in May last year.

"It is utterly devastating how much a single event can destroy a person... there is no present moment," he said in sadness.

Mr Thawley's enduring grief was revealed after an inquest recorded a verdict of medical misadventure yesterday after hearing two days of evidence on the final tragic hours of Mrs Thawley.

The 34-year-old was living in Blackrock, Dublin, with her American husband at the time of her death.

He was in such mental distress he was unable to attend the inquest, but his moving statement was read out by his solicitor Caoimhe Haughey on the steps of the court.

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Ms Thawley, who was seven weeks pregnant, was undergoing emergency surgery in Holles Street for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy on May 8, 2016.

Within minutes of the keyhole surgery starting a 4.48pm that Sunday afternoon, one of her main blood vessels was accidentally pierced by a sharp surgical instrument and the haemorrhage which would lead to her death was triggered.

But there was confusion over the cause.

The surgeon David Crosby, a senior registrar, was unclear if it was due to a rupture or a cut blood vessel. Twelve minutes into surgery, her condition was critical and her blood pressure unrecordable.

Dr Crosby had carried out five keyhole surgeries for ectopic pregnancy on his own previously.

He used a bladed surgical instrument rather than an unbladed version.

Under new guidelines, only unbladed instruments will be allowed and all keyhole surgery for ectopic surgery performed by a senior consultant.

The accident happened as the hospital operated on reduced Sunday staffing levels.

Evidence was given to the inquest that a nurse bleeped the hospital lab three times for blood before getting an answer.

A blood sample was taken from the patient more than half an hour before surgery but was not typed because it was Sunday. When Ms Thawley began haemorrhaging it took 40 minutes to type it, although she was given emergency supplies in the meantime.

The lab had no blood from 5.42pm to 6.20pm.

The obstetrician on call, Dr Declan Keane, rushed to the hospital along with St Vincent's Hospital vascular surgeon Mary Barry, who identified the source of bleeding by 5.44pm.

Questioned by Esther Earley, barrister for the Thawley family, she said her first priority was to re-establish a heartbeat.

Vascular clamps had to be obtained from St Vincent's and they were available when she needed them, she added.

Dr Keane said he believed blood units were delivered to the patient in a timely manner. He described the frantic efforts to stop the bleeding, including physically compressing the aorta, the main artery of the body.

The resuscitation efforts failed and Ms Thawley was pronounced dead four hours after what was to be low-risk surgery began.

Hospital master Dr Rhona Mahony broke the shattering news to waiting Mr Thawley and drove him home.
A 64-year-old man has been accused of claiming almost 30,000 in illness benefits payments while working.

Edward Doherty, of Belgard Crescent, Belgard Heights, Tallaght, Dublin faces charges under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act.

Dublin District Court heard that prosecution was in relation to an alleged 29,000 illness benefit fraud in 2011 and the previous year.

Judge John Brennan noted he had no legal representation and ordered him to appear again next month to allow him time to consult a solicitor. He has not yet indicated how he will plead.

In the district court the offence can result in a fine of up to 2,500 and a possible six-month sentence in addition to having to repay the social welfare authorities.

The court can only consider leaving defendants accused of benefit fraud without a criminal record if all the money has been repaid.

The social welfare authorities also have a mechanism to continue to recoup found owed money even after a case has been finalised.
A motorist involved in a road crash lashed the other driver over the head with a metal chain after the man asked to exchange insurance details, it has been alleged.

David White (54) is accused of attacking the other man with a chain following the accident, leaving him with lacerations to his head.

The case against him was adjourned when he appeared at Blanchardstown District Court.

Mr White, of Gleann na hEorna, Cookstown Way, Tallaght, is charged with assault causing harm to a man.

He is also charged with producing a chain while committing an assault in the course of a dispute.

The offences are alleged to have happened on the Leixlip Road, Lucan, on May 17, 2016.

Garda Sergeant Maria Callaghan said the DPP was directing summary disposal of the case at district court level subject to the judge accepting jurisdiction.

Outlining the prosecution's case, she said the alleged victim pulled his car over to the side of the road after being involved in an accident with a Mazda driven by the defendant.

It was alleged the man was driving behind the defendant's vehicle, when he crashed into it after it "braked suddenly".

The alleged victim wanted to exchange insurance details with Mr White, who "became aggressive" toward him, Sgt Callaghan saud.

A struggle ensued, during which Mr White allegedly produced a metal chain and struck the man across the head a number of times.

The victim suffered two lacerations which needed to be cleaned and glued in hospital.

It was further alleged that a woman was in the car with Mr White and that a wallet was taken from the other man's car.

Asked if there were any repercussions to the injuries, Sgt Callaghan said the medical report was not available.

A file was sent to the DPP, which had issued directions.

Judge McHugh said that, taking the "hard evidence", it appeared the two lacerations were "of a small nature."

He accepted jurisdiction to deal with the case and made an order for disclosure of prosecution documents to the defence.

He adjourned the case to a date next month. The defendant has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charges.
The trial of of 33-year-old man, accused of murder with a shotgun, has heard that he tried to urinate on his hands before gardai tested them for firearms residue.

Gda Aaron Hoey was giving evidence to the Central Criminal Court this morning in the trial of Sean Ducque, who is charged with murdering Kieran Farrelly in Dublin City.

The father of one, of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the 33-year-old on 26th October 2014 at Killarney Court, Killarney Street.

However, he has admitted through his barrister that he "fired two shots from a shotgun, later found on Mabbot Lane, which killed Kieran Farrelly".

Gda Hoey told Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, that authorisation was given to take forensic samples from the accused during his detention the following day.

I believe there were bags placed on his hands, he said, explaining that this was to preserve any firearms residue, which can be removed by friction, including hand washing.

I was informed that Sean Ducque had tried to urinate on his hands, remove the bags and remove the residue from his hands, he testified.

He said he decided that the quicker the samples could be taken, the better.

Mr Ducque was very uncooperative at the time. Four members had to restrain him while I carried it out, he said. He kicked, spat, physically broke a table in the interview room.

However, he managed to obtain the samples.

The garda agreed with Hugh OKeeffe SC that this was during a period of time when his client had been deemed medically unfit for interview. He also agreed that the accused was cooperative when he took other samples from him a number of hours later.

Forensic scientist Dr John OShaughnessy examined the jacket Sean Ducque was wearing when arrested that morning.

I found firearms residue, he testified.

He said it was similar to the residue from the discharged shotgun cartridge found at the scene.

The jacket provides strong support for the view that Sean Ducque discharged the shotgun in this instance, he said.

Gda Catherine McAteer played the jury CCTV footage taken from the area that night.

It showed four people walking together at 11.30pm. She said she believed these to be the accused, the deceased and the women who the jury heard were their partners.

The same garda camera captured three of these people walking in the opposite direction 10 minutes later. The deceased was no longer with them.

John Berry BL, defending, then stood up and said it was admitted that the accused had possession of the shotgun, later found on Mabbot Lane, in a Skoda on Terrace Place at 7 oclock that evening.

The prosecution has now closed its case and the trial will continue on Monday before Mr Justice Paul Butler and a jury of six men and six women.
A pigeon racing enthusiast allegedly shot dead by a man in drag outside a pigeon club drove his friends car over to the club because his friend was banned from driving at the time, a jury has heard.

Keith Walker brought his friend Jason OConnors pigeons over to Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club in Clonsilla because the birds were taking part in a race the next day.

He and Mr OConnor loaded the birds into Mr OConnors partners car  a black Toyota Avensis  and Mr Walker drove over to the club.

Christopher McDonald (34), from the East Wall area in Dublin 1, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 36-year-old Keith Walker on June 12, 2015.

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It is the prosecution case that Mr McDonald disguised himself as a woman and shot Mr Walker 18 times with a sub machine gun. Mr Walker died at the scene as a result of multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body.

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Jason OConnors statement to gardai was read into evidence by prosecution lawyer Denis Vaughan Buckley SC this morning.

Mr OConnor said he had known Keith Walker for two years, and the pair had become close as they both had a big interest in pigeons.

He said hed become friends because hed loaned Mr Walker a female pigeon, or hen, and hed successfully bred off that bird and the chicks had gone very well for him.

Mr OConnor said he had been living in Clondalkin, but had moved back to Blanchardstown with his partner the previous year.

He said he kept up his friendship with Mr Walker, and Keith would regularly come to his house and help him with his birds.

Mr OConnor said there was a pigeon race in Mallow in Cork and a second one in Penzance in Cornwall that weekend, and Keith had come over to help him with his birds.

He said Mr Walker wasnt racing any birds that weekend.

The pair had planned to travel to Manchester on the Saturday to see a man about buying pigeons.

Mr OConnor told gardai that Keith and his son arrived at his house and he helped him to load the birds into his (Mr OConnor) partners car.

Keith then drove the car, a black Toyota Avensis, over to the pigeon club.

Mr OConnor said he couldnt drive because he was banned for 10 years at the time.

He also told gardai he didnt go to the pigeon club with Mr Walker because he was bo**ix tired. He said hed gotten no sleep the previous night because he had been fighting with me mott, who was on holidays in Spain.

Mr OConnor said he rang Keith and then text him to tell him what birds to enter into the competitions. However, there was no response from him and when he heard an ambulance he started to get worried.

He rang another friend who told him Mr Walker was dead.

Mr OConnor described Keith as a decent fella, saying his only interest was in his pigeons.

He told gardai he was still in shock and totally devastated.

Mr OConnor also told gardai they could download any CCTV footage they needed from his home.

The jury has also been hearing evidence of the first responders at the scene.

Ian Duffy was the station officer at Blanchardstown Fire Station on the evening in question. He said the fire tender was dispatched to Shelerin Road shortly after 6pm. He said there was a gentleman on the ground, and there was a traumatic injury to his head.

Mr Duffy said his colleagues did an initial examination of the patient, and the assessment was that his condition was not compatible with life.

Emergency responder Alan Murphy said he opened up the defibrillator to see if there were signs of life, but there were none.

The jury heard there were a lot of people around, and the members of Dublin Fire Brigade tried to keep people back.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy.
Marek Krol at the Court of Appeal in Dublin, where he was given a seven-and-a-half month jail term for the sex assault following an appeal by the DPP. Photo: Collins Courts

A man who sexually assaulting a 'comatose' woman who had parted company from her friends while out socialising will be sent to jail on Monday after his original suspended sentence was found to be "unduly lenient".

Polish national Marek Krol (54), with an address at Clarence Apartments, St Luke's, Co Cork, had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the 25-year-old woman in Cork city centre on February 1, 2016.

He was given a suspended two-year sentence by Judge David Riordan at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on November 2.

The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully sought a review of Krol's sentence on grounds that it was unduly lenient and he was given a seven-and-a-half-month jail term.

The three-judge Court of Appeal stated that any invasive sexual assault on a 'comatose' person required a custodial sentence save in wholly exceptional circumstances.

Mr Justice George Birmingham said the victim had been out socialising with friends but parted company from them.

At around 1.20am, gardai were contacted by a member of the public. Garda John Twomey arrived to find a female in the arms of a male. She appeared to be passed out. The male was caressing her and kissing her neck. When she woke she indicated she did not know the man.

Gardai made sure she got home safely, Mr Justice Birmingham said. The following evening, Garda Twomey viewed CCTV footage and found it was more serious. Krol had opened the woman's pants, had his hand inside her clothing and was touching her. The woman said she was horrified.

Krol must present himself to Anglesea Street garda station in Cork on Monday to begin serving his sentence.
A woman has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully claiming almost 30,000 in dole payments after allegedly failing to disclose she got married.

Marie Moynihan (44) of Farmers Bridge, Tralee, Co Kerry, but formerly of Mount Prospect Grove, Clontarf, Dublin is being prosecuted by the Department of Social Protection.

She has pleaded not guilty to charges under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act and will go on trial at Dublin District Court on September.

In an outline of the allegations, Judge John Brennan was told that it was alleged she obtained 29,986 and repaid about 2,000 to the social welfare office via a direct debit. At current rate of repayment it would take 11 years, prosecution solicitor Joseph Maguire said.

It was alleged that she was claiming the Jobseekers Allowance. She got married in 2012 and her husband was working as a probation officer and that would have disentitled her to the payments. It was allegedly over a three-year period, the court heard.

Judge Brennan accept jurisdiction for the case to remain in the district court where the offence can result in a fine of up to 2,500 and a possible six-month sentence in addition to having to repay the social welfare authorities.

The court can only consider leaving defendants accused of benefit fraud without a criminal record if all the money has been repaid.

The social welfare authorities also have a mechanism to continue to recoup found owed money even after a case has been finalised.
The garda Armed Support Unit (ASU) was called on to deal with an incident in North Dublin on Thursday night.

A video has emerged of the heavily armed officers in Hampton Wood, Finglas.

The clip, broadcast by a web user on Facebook Live, shows members with their weapons aimed at a property in the area. A number of regular garda officers were also seen in the clip.

A garda spokeswoman confirmed that the ASU were joined at the location by trained negotiators at around 9pm.

She added: "There has been a successful conclusion to the incident."

A source said gardai had arrested a man and a weapon, believed to be an imitation, was seized.

One female resident said she couldn't believe it when she saw the heavy police presence in the area.

"You could tell they were taking this situation very seriously as the guards were equipped with Ak47s, Uzis and handguns.

"There were also a few sniffer dogs at the scene."

She said one garda was using a megaphone to try and speak to the suspect.

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"He said things like 'step towards the window' and 'we dont want anyone to get hurt'.

About 15 minutes later he came out with his shirt off and hands behind his head. The guards then arrested him and put him into a car.

Thank God no one was injured because something like this could have turned ugly very fast, she said.

One man who lives in the area said he came home at around 9pm and saw guards "literally everywhere".

"There were so many people around and it was very frightening.

The guards were telling everyone to get back into their homes. I had no problem taking their advice because I heard the man in the house had a gun.

It was like a scene from The Negotiator.

I never heard of anything like this happening around here before, but thankfully no one was hurt.
Losses at the college bar catering business at one of the country's largest universities total almost 700,000 since 2013.

NUI Galway Student Union Commercial Services Ltd operates the bar and catering services at NUI Galway and the Labour Court heard the business "has undergone dramatic changes to ensure its survival".

It was also told the firm continues to exist because its cost base has been drastically cut.

The firm is owned by the NUI Galway Students Union Board of Trustees and extensive cost-saving measures were explored, including redundancies. Positions identified were duty manager of the College Bar/catering services; the supervisor of Smokey's Cafe; and sous chef at the College Bar.

Sous chef Alan Traynor brought an unfair dismissal action. The Labour Court has now found in his favour and has ordered the NUIG catering firm to pay him 12,000.
Fiona OSullivan (17) and Ceire Nolan (17) from Our Ladys College, Greenhills, Drogheda, after their music exam. Picture: Ciara Wilkinson

There was no excuse for melancholy among Leaving Certificate Music students as they left exam halls yesterday, as all composition questions were in a major key, according to teacher Siofra Cox.

She said the papers at both higher and ordinary level were "very clear and straightforward" and the exams constituted "a just and balanced assessment of students' knowledge and skill".

In the listening exam, the main question featured excerpts from the A and C sections of Irish composer Gerald Barry's 'Piano Quartet No.1' and she said students should have found it "manageable".

Ms Cox, a subject representative for the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, said higher level students would have been "reasonably challenged" by some sections of questions 2 and 4, where they were required to compare excerpts of music with music which was not played in the exam, testing their familiarity and aural memory of the overall works.

She said higher level students' melodic and rhythmic dictation skills were also put to the test in relation to the vocal line of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in question 2.

But, according to Ms Cox, of Convent of Mercy, Roscommon town, there were no surprises in the Irish music question, with what should have been "very approachable topics for the well-prepared student".

Candidates were also treated to excerpts from the symphonic suite 'Scheherazade' by the romantic Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, as the previously unheard piece, with a focus on descriptions of musical features of what she described as "a popular piece of programme music".

She said students should have had no problem with the composition papers.
Ellen Murray (17), of Our Ladys College Drogheda, with mum Audrey after her last exam. Picture: Ciara Wilkinson

A "bit too much emphasis" on biology in the Leaving Certificate ordinary level Agricultural Science paper raised some concerns among teachers.

Willie White, of the Irish Agricultural Science Teachers Association (IASTA), said students at this level prefer the agricultural-type questions, but "all in all they were happy".

James Hynes, of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) and Clarin College, Athenry, Co Galway, agreed that the leaning towards biology would have made it "pretty difficult".

So did Peter Keaney, of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Wilson's Hospital School, Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, although he liked the "good illustrations" on the paper.

There was also a general consensus that the higher level exam was "very fair", with, what Mr Keaney described as, a "good mix of scientific and practical".

He also liked the experiments and genetics questions: "In recent years a lot of kids have drifted away from them but they were very straightforward this year."

Mr White said that in recent years there had been a few surprises on the higher level paper but there were none this year.

However, a number of teachers regarded the question on soil as "tricky".

Mr Hynes said that students also pointed out to him that "two of their favourite topics, beef and barley, came up as options in the same question and they could only answer one".

In contrast with ordinary level, there was little biology at higher level.
The father of a young boy who attended a popular music festival has described his disappointment and shock when he saw his son struggling to survive in hospital.

On Monday night, Simon Lindsay received news from his sons friends and a doctor at the Royal Victoria Hospital that his son had been hospitalised after attending the Belsonic music festival in Belfast.

In a Facebook post he said his son Jamie made "the worst mistake he has ever made and almost paid for it with his life".

Mr Lindsay rushed to the hospital and initially we couldn't get to see Jamie, until it was proven he was Jamie and we were in fact his parents. We thought at the time that this delay was because we had lost Jamie, he explained.

When we did get to his bedside we were shocked at the sight."

Their sons condition was so bad after taking substances that he was unresponsive and could not breathe.

He warned young people that one pill can lead to death.

Don't take drugs - Simple - they kill you. One pill can kill.

"Don't drink to excess - you are in danger of making yourself ill and will also lead to bad decision making and the final one being stop carrying these ID's belonging to others. The implications of this are now so clear to us and the other family of the boy it belonged too.

Jamie had used another boy's ID and we regret that the other boys family received that awful devastating news and we apologised to his parents for this. Jamie got this ID of a friend who bought it from the owner last year.

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Next time it might not turn out so lucky as Jamie fortunately was. Make sure your kids are not carrying these IDs please, and also make sure your 18 year old are not losing or renting them out, Mr Lindsay warns.

In his heartbreaking post, he thanked everyone who came to his son's aid.

We cannot thank enough the medical staff at both hospitals and the medics who attended.

We had Jamie's phone while he was on life support and we saw messages, posts etc - we know how Jamie got what he had and from who.

Drugs, Drinking and Using ID's will happen every weekend in every town. Don't think my kids won't do this - I thought that. It can happen to anyone at anytime unfortunately, he warns parents of young people.

Their son is now back at home recovering and where he now has a second chance at life.

He finished the post by saying that their son will face whatever consequences or punishments that may come his way.
Pressure is mounting on cartel boss Daniel Kinahan to do something about the heroin-addicted associate

One of the Kinahan cartels key lieutenants has become addicted to heroin and the crime gang now fears that the out-of-control gangster will become a major liability.

The gangland criminal, aged in his 30s, is now dependant on the highly addictive opiate and sources say he is out of his mind on gear.

As a result, he has become increasingly erratic over the last number of months.

This behaviour is causing huge paranoia within the feared gang, given his knowledge of its internal workings and his major involvement with many of its operations over a significant period of time.

There are fears within the Kinahan cartel that this individual could disclose key information to gardai investigating the gang, or rival members from the Hutch faction, as he is liable to say anything to anyone.

Pressure is now mounting on Daniel Kinahan to take out this individual after another criminal, who is facing serious charges, previously linked Kinahan to direct involvement in a murder plot.

The thug now addicted to heroin, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is a long-standing associate of the cartel and is suspected of involvement in at least one murder carried out on behalf of the dangerous mob.

He is a close business associate and personal friend of a number of high-ranking Kinahan members, and has spent most of his time between Dublin and mainland Europe.

This lad would be seen as a tier one member of the cartels Dublin wing and he is now out of his mind almost every day on gear, a source told the Herald.

It now creates a huge problem for Daniel Kinahan and his gang, as this individual is a liability and could give information on the gang to rival gangs or gardai.

This guy being on gear means that he is now liable to say anything to anyone. He knows where all the bodies are buried... literally.

The thug has been involved in gangland activity over the last two decades and has been a primary target of national units, including the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB).

Almost 80 gardai are being added to the Garda national units, including the DOCB, in the fight against organised crime.

So far, 50 detective sergeants have been added to the Special Crime Operations (SCO) unit, with a further 30 detective gardai to join at the beginning of July.

They will be added to a number of the national units, including the DOCB, to help gardai combat organised crime.

Kinahan was the primary target in the Regency Hotel shooting last year when five armed men stormed the Dublin venue and opened fire.

He managed to escape the hotel through a back entrance as one of the gunmen shouted: Hes not f**king in there. I cant find him.

The gang boss remains at the top of the Hutch hitlist.

Kinahan target James Mago Gately  who cheated death when he was shot five times last month  has warned gardai that the deadly feud will not be over until Kinahan is killed.

We will not rest until Daniel Kinahan is dead, Gately warned detectives when they visited his Coolock home in the aftermath of the Regency Hotel attack.

He caused all of this. It wont end until hes in his grave.

After last months botched murder attempt by a professional cartel hit team at a busy petrol station, Gately (30) vowed Dublins gangland feud would continue.

Speaking from his hospital bed with a bullet lodged in his jaw, he told gardai: I am not going down without a fight.

Yesterday, the Herald revealed that members of Daniel Kinahans gang are so afraid of him that they refer to the crime boss only by a codename when discussing drug shipments and other crimes.

Criminals working for the cartel have started calling him The Cap for fear of incriminating the mob leader.

The deadly Hutch/Kinahan feud has so far claimed 12 lives and gardai remain on high alert following the latest murder last month.

The number could have been higher if gardai had not disrupted more than 20 murder attempts in the last two years.

Gardai investigating the crime gangs involved in the ongoing feud say they have saved 25 lives.

Detectives from the DOCB have also seized 90m of drugs in the last two years, as well as 2,500 rounds of ammunition as they combat the intensive gang feud.
A former loyalist paramilitary commander turned supergrass has pleaded guilty to 200 terrorist offences, including five murders.

Gary Haggarty, the ex-chief of the Ulster Volunteer Force's notorious north Belfast unit, admitted the litany of crimes as part of his deal with the State to give evidence against fellow terrorists.

As well as the five murders, the 45-year-old, who is currently in protective custody, admitted five attempted murders, including against police officers; 23 counts of conspiracy to murder; directing terrorism; and membership of a proscribed organisation, when he appeared before a judge at Belfast Crown Court.

Haggarty, who worked as a police informant during the Troubles, was interviewed more than 1,000 times by detectives in one of the biggest and most complex cases ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

The catalogue of offences stretch over a 16-year period from 1991 to 2007 and include the loyalist murders of John Harbinson, Sean McParland, Gary Convie, Eamon Fox and Sean McDermott.

The lengthy charge sheet also includes aiding and abetting murder, kidnap, possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives as well as hijacking, false imprisonment, arson, intimidation and conspiracy to riot.

Haggarty is expected to receive a heavily reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the authorities.

He could well walk free, given he has already served three years in custody - the equivalent of a six year sentence.

Sentence is expected to be passed later in the year.

In the interim prosecutors will decide how to proceed with the evidence he has provided.

It is understood Haggarty has made allegations against 14 fellow loyalists, for crimes including four murders.

He has also given evidence in relation to alleged criminality by two former Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch handlers who worked with him when he was an informer.

The content of his interviews amounts to 23,000 pages of transcribed evidence.

There was a significant police presence in and around the court for the high-profile arraignment hearing.

Haggarty, who is believed to be living at a secret location outside Northern Ireland, was escorted into court through a side door by two specialist police officers.

He was initially arrested in 2009 and charged with the murder of Mr Harbinson.

He then indicated his willingness to turn state's witness and subsequently signed an agreement to become an assisting offender under the terms of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (Socpa).

The terror boss, whose address was formally recorded on the indictment sheet as care of a Belfast police station, stood in the dock dressed in a grey suit during the hearing before judge Mr Justice Treacy.

He said 'guilty' as each charge was put to him, the majority in short form summary.

Relatives of some of his victims watched on from the public gallery of the court.

Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Serious Crime Branch, said the guilty pleas marked a "milestone" for the victims and their families.

"Our thoughts today are first and foremost with the victims and their families especially those murdered by Gary Haggarty; namely Sean McParland who was shot in front of his young grandchildren in February 1994 and died as a result 8 days later; Eamon Fox and Gary Convie who were shot dead as they ate their lunch in their car in May 1994, Sean McDermott who was shot dead in August 1994 and John Harbinson who was attacked on May 18, 1997," he said.

"Gary Haggarty has also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the murder of Peter McTasney, who was shot dead in his home in front of his three-year-old daughter in February 1991.

"It has been a very long, arduous and painful process for these families and I hope today's proceedings have made a significant contribution to the process of ultimately bringing closure to all the families of the victims of Mount Vernon (North Belfast estate) UVF during that time.

"The PSNI remains committed to moving forward and working with the PPS (Public Prosecution Service) in relation to the next stages of the investigation into Mount Vernon UVF and others who were involved with committing these offences.

"My detectives have worked hard over the last seven years to bring justice. I understand the frustrations of the families over the length of time this has taken but I have always said that it was important to take the time to get it right."
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has inherited a number of thorny problems. One of the thorniest is the management of our nations wild horses.

Many ranchers who graze cattle on public land view wild horses as competition and support roundups that inhumanely remove horses from the range. The American public wants the herds preserved and treated more fairly. Navigating any middle ground between these two sides is difficult.

One thing that would help is a thoughtful, research-based approach to federal land management. The amount of acreage available to wild horses over the past few decades has dwindled. based on land-use allocations made by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. However, two district courts recently ruled that the BLMs allocations are completely arbitrary and not based on science. We must do the research to determine, truly, how many cattle, horses and other species can share the range.

This is a long-term project. In the short term, we must find an alternative to wild horse roundups and removals, which are cruel to horses and costly to taxpayers.

Fortunately, a solution already exists, in Zinkes home state of Montana.

PZP contraceptive vaccine, which is manufactured by the nonprofit Science and Conservation Center in Billings, allows for safe, effective, inexpensive, and humane management of wild horses on the range. Its used by the BLM in several herd management areas and has reduced and even ended roundups. We need to use it more.

By the BLMs own admission, the current roundup and removal system is unsustainable. Research published by the National Academy of Sciences shows that roundups dont work. Removing mustangs from the range merely prompts those that remain to breed more. The NAS, in its 2013 report Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program, advises increased use of PZP.

A dose of PZP costs around $27, compared to $49,000 that U.S. taxpayers spend on every mustang removed from the range and placed in BLM short-term holding corrals for its natural lifespan. Currently, there are more than 18,000 horses in short-term holding and 25,000 in long-term pastures.

Volunteers from our organization, The Cloud Foundation, have worked with the BLM and the Science and Conservation Center to vaccinate mares with PZP. The last removal in the Pryors was in 2015. Eighteen wild horses were adopted. They may be some of the last to be removed, as mortality and reproduction are now virtually equal thanks to PZP. Weve found a way to manage the herd successfully and humanely at little cost to taxpayers.

Nearly 40 groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, have called on BLM to increase appropriate use of fertility control, yet President Trumps budget would allow wild horses to be euthanized and shipped to foreign kill plants.Yet, the American public does not support this approach.

Last year, the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory group, of which I am a member, suggested euthanizing all the wild horses currently in holding. I objected to this idea. When the board voiced its proposal, the public backlash made headlines around the world, and the BLM quickly distanced itself from the idea. Polls show that the great majority of Americans oppose horse slaughter and want to see wild horses preserved.

Why go down a path thats cruel to horses and unpopular with the public? We can save money and spare horses by using a solution found in Zinkes own backyard.
Separate investigations are underway after a man was crushed by an articulated trailer at Dublin Port.

The man, aged in his 60s, was helping to load the trailer onto a ferry at 1.30pm on Thursday when he became trapped, Independent.ie understands.

The victim was taken to the Mater Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Gardai from Store Street station are investigating the incident.

A separate investigation is being carried out by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

A HSA spokesman said: "We are investigating a fatal accident that occurred around 1.30pm in Dublin Port yesterday.

"The victim was a male in his 60s. It appears that he was crushed by an articulated trailer that was being loaded onto a ship."
Sarsfield barracks and inset many soldiers are posting an image of the defence forces logo with a black band through it.

Tributes have been paid to a soldier who died after falling ill during physical training at an Irish army barracks..

The soldier, named locally as Private Daniel Donougher (23) from Mallow, Co Cork, was found at approximately 1.20pm on Thursday in his bed at Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick.

He was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick where he later died.

Independent.ie has learned that Mr Donougher had recently completed his two-star training course.

He was stationed with the 12th battalion in Limerick city.

The death is not being treated as suspicious. An investigation will be carried out for the purposes of the coroner.

In a statement, released this afternoon, the Defence Forces said:

"Yesterday afternoon, a serving soldier (23), sadly passed away having fallen ill while at work in Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick.

"The soldier fell ill during the units Organised Recreational Physical Training and was found in an unresponsive state by his colleagues a short time later.

"The units medics were called on-scene and administered CPR, he was then transferred to University Hospital Limerick. Despite the best efforts of the Defence Forces Medics and hospital staff he passed away."

The Defence Forces confirmed that they are providing a liaison officer to "offer any assistance to his family during this difficult time".

This evening tributes were paid to Pte Donougher online with many of his friends changing their profile pictures to an image of the Defence Forces logo with a black band across it.

One colleague said: You were a real hero, Daniel Donougher, we will all miss you."

A family member said they were in shock and were deeply upset by the tragedy.

"It is very hard really," she said.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Authority said they are not aware of the case.

"We would only investigate if it was due to work activity and even then we may not. Military on active duty or manoeuvres are exempt from health and safety legislation.

He will be buried with full military honours.
Outspoken Des Hanafin was never far from controversy with his trenchant views on issues such as homosexuality, divorce and abortion.

He accused campaigners in the marriage equality referendum of spreading a "palpable climate of fear", was co-founder and chairman of the Pro-Life Campaign and went to the Supreme Court to try to overturn the legalisation of divorce.

The former Fianna Fail politician and member of Seanad Eireann for over 30 years was at the heart of a political dynasty which included his father and his two children.

His father had been a Sinn Fein councillor before Independence. His daughter Mary is a former Fianna Fail education minister and his son John a former Fianna Fail senator.

Des Hanafin was a chief fundraiser for Fianna Fail for many years. He was appointed to the position by former party leader and Taoiseach Jack Lynch in the late 1960s.

Desmond A Hanafin was born on September 9, 1930, in Thurles, Co Tipperary. His father, a draper and newsagent, was a Fianna Fail councillor for North Tipperary County Council.

His father was the greatest influence on Des's early life and when Johnny Hanafin died in 1953, Des sought to be co-opted on to North Tipperary Council.

The councillors, however, voted in Labour Party nominee Michael Treacy instead. Undaunted, he tried again in 1955 and polled 934 first preferences. He became chairman of the council the following year with the support of Clann na Poblachta.He was re-elected to the council in 1960 and the following year sided with Clann na Poblachta on the vote for council chairman. He held his council seat until 1985.

In the meantime he was elected to the Seanad in 1965 and retained that seat until 1993, when he lost it by one vote. Ever the fighter, he regained the seat in 1997 and finally retired from politics in 2002. He was unsuccessful in two Dail elections for Tipperary North in 1977 and 1981.

During his political career Mr Hanafin was a strong opponent of social change, and deeply conservative. He promoted the amendment that enshrined the legal ban on abortion in the Constitution.

In 1996, five Supreme Court judges decided unanimously to reject Mr Hanafin's challenge to the divorce referendum. The court, however, decided to allow his costs "in view of the importance of the case and the fact that Mr Hanafin had succeeded to a substantial extent".

As a businessman, he initially made a lot of money from heavy machinery and the oil business.

He then ran the Anner Hotel in Thurles in the 1960s. Big groups like The Dubliners regularly attracted hundreds of people to the ballroom, but the Anner failed a few years later because of Mr Hanafin's drinking.

His daughter Mary, in a revealing interview, told how her father had "drunk it out [the hotel] by the time I was 10. If someone is drinking, then there's no money to spare. When the hotel was lost my mother went to work in the tourist office".

Mr Hanafin stopped drinking after a car accident in which he broke both legs. He was quite open about how alcohol had almost ruined his business and political career.

"I have a flair for making money," he said. "But I have no control over money. I have always regarded poverty as a state of mind but being broke is a temporary situation."

In later years Mr Hanafin was more successful as one of the pioneers of Irish oil exploration. In the 1970s he founded Transnational Oil with Richard Conroy and the company was subsequently bought by Aran Energy. Mr Hanafin served on the board of Aran for 12 years before it was bought by Statoil.

Mr Hanafin married Mona Brady in Clonmel, Tipperary, on August 28, 1958. When Mona developed cancer she went to see Padre Pio at San Giovanni Rotondo and was convinced that the Italian priest with the stigmata cured her. When her husband's drinking got out of hand she wrote to Padre Pio for help.

Mr Hanafin left politics in 2002, departing from the Seanad as leader of the house. His daughter Mary was education minister at the time.

Despite his battles on social issues, Mr Hanafin never fell out with long-standing friends.
Fine Gaels candidate to become the next mayor of Limerick may face unexpected opposition to his appointment after making "racist" remarks towards Eastern Europeans.

Fine Gael councillor Stephen Keary suggested that people from Eastern Europe see Ireland as having easy pickings when referring to a rise in the numbers on social housing lists.

The influx of non-nationals into the country is a major drain on the State. People have come here from Eastern Europe for the handouts, Cllr. Keary said at an Adare-Rathkeale district meeting.

It has become a huge problem here. We are known as home for the handouts.

Since making these comments, a petition calling on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to remove Cllr Keary as a mayoral candidate has been signed by over 600 people.

It's time to propose a new Fine Gael candidate for Mayor of Limerick, Taoiseach, the petition says.

Limerick is a vibrant, welcoming, fast-changing, multicultural place. It needs a mayor who reflects its' people and its' outlook.

It looks like FG's candidate for Limerick Mayor is a throw-back to the Fine Gael of the 1930's. For the people of Limerick, wherever they're from, that's just not good enough.

Some 23 out of the 40 Limerick councillors come from Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, who have agreed to share top jobs in the council evenly this term.

However, the Limerick Leader has reported that a number of Fianna Fail councillors are considering putting forward an alternative candidate in the midst of Cllr Kearys controversial comments

Speaking to Independent.ie, outgoing Mayor Cllr. Michael Hourigan has said that Fine Gael still fully supports Cllr Keary, and that he expects his appointment to go ahead without issue.

Within the Fine Gael party, Cllr Keary is our candidate full stop and we are all one hundred percent behind him, Cllr Hourigan said.

We have a pact with Fianna Fail and our information from them is that they will be also behind Cllr. Keary. That is from the point of view of Fine Gael, and I believe Fianna Fail will honour the pact.

Cllr Keary has since apologised for his comments.

A small minority abuse the system and some of my constituents in the Adare/Rathkeale municipal area have relayed their feelings to me on that. That is all I was attempting to say, Cllr Keary said to the Limerick Leader.

It is expected that Labour Councillor and Moldovan national Elena Secas will be put forward by opposition groupings as a candidate to challenge Cllr Keary.

Cllr Secas previously made an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of the Metropolitan District of Limerick last year.

In response to Clll Kearys recent comments, she has since said in a statement that she does not deem her Fine Gael counterpart fit to be mayor.

The Mayor should be inclusive and representative of all and every person in Limerick and should promote a positive image of Limerick locally, nationally and internationally, Cllr Secas said.

I strongly condemn these racist comments and believe that all immigrant communities in Limerick and across Ireland are owed an apology.
Ireland's long-standing military neutrality is no obstacle to maximum co-operation with the EU and others in fighting international terrorism, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

Speaking at his first EU leaders' summit in Brussels, the Taoiseach insisted that Ireland would not change military neutrality and would continue to remain apart from military alliances such as Nato.

But he said the nature of international co-operation on both security and defence was rapidly changing and Ireland was conscious of these changes.

EU leaders endorsed moves for more co-operation in the fight against terrorism, putting increased pressure on internet providers to actively fight the use of networks to distribute hate material. The leaders also agreed for the first time to allow smaller groups of EU states to increase defence co-operation under limited conditions.

"The threats that we face in the world are less about wars between countries, and more about threats created by terrorism, by extremism, and by cyberattacks for example," Mr Varadkar said.

"Those areas are not areas in which we should be neutral. We should be very much involved in working with European partners to prevent cyberattacks to manage migration and to stand against terrorism."

Mr Varadkar stressed there would be no change in Ireland's military neutrality.

"Ireland's position on neutrality is long-standing. We believe that by being a country that is neutral, but not being part of any military alliance, that it actually makes us stronger in the world," he said.

The Taoiseach's comments were echoed by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, also in Brussels for a meeting of leaders of European Liberal Alliance.

While pointing out that Nato was the "powerhouse" of European defence, he said that Ireland "should not be cut off from the advancements that may be made in terms of data sharing and intelligence".

The EU leaders condemned recent terror outrages in Europe and pledged maximum co-operation to counter violent extremism. In a clear warning to internet providers, it added: "The European Council expects industry to develop new technology and tools to improve the automatic detection and removal of content that incites violence."

European Council President Donald Tusk said the EU would legislate if the internet companies did not act.

The EU leaders also agreed to free up groups of member states to co-operate on specific defence projects, extending the principle of "enhanced co-operation" provided for in the 2009 EU Lisbon Treaty.

Ireland will not be in any way obligated to participate in such projects, which must be cleared by the other member states.
Nevadas school system has the lowest scores nationally and is ranked last in education by Education Week in 2017, while Massachusetts schools are rated best of all the states.

Last November, both Nevada and Massachusetts voters passed marijuana industry-written initiatives legalizing commercial pot. In both states, a one-year period was provided for state government to develop their recreational marijuana program, including drafting comprehensive regulations.

In the name of educational funding, Nevada politicians and the marijuana industry last December entered into an unholy alliance to heedlessly rush the process. An Early Start program was conceived by political insiders to advance the first sale date to July 1, 2017. This Early Start program was never the subject of any public hearings, state legislative approval or Nevada Tax Commission action prior to the announcement.

Governor Sandoval proposed a 10 percent retail sales tax on recreational marijuana for education. His rosy two-year forecast of $60 million in revenue runs counter to initial experiences in Colorado (revenue one-third of forecast) and Alaska (one-fifth of forecast). Our new state motto: Light one up for the kids.

In dramatic contrast, the Massachusetts state legislature, citing the myriad complexities of legalization, including fundamental conflict with federal law, passed legislation last December, signed by Governor Baker, extending their first sale deadline to 18 months. Massachusetts will have sales begin July 1, 2018  a full year after the Nevada start date. Massachusetts legislators were not impressed with the new money for education argument and vowed to get it right on prudent implementation.

The Early Start program beginning July 1 is without adequate preparation. Nevada has hired only four new employees to run a complicated seed to sale recreational marijuana program that required Colorado to add more than 50 additional employees in 2014.

On June 20, Early Start was thrown into legal turmoil by the granting of a preliminary injunction by Carson City District Judge James Wilson against the Nevada Tax Commission. The commission was enjoined from licensing any retail marijuana distribution other than by wholesale alcohol distributors. The judge found the tax commission to have adopted invalid temporary regulations and having engaged in improper ad hoc rulemaking in his findings for the Independent Alcohol Distributors of Nevada.

Both Colorado and Nevada governors appointed a Task Force on implementation of the marijuana initiatives passed in their states. Due to delay in appointment of members by Governor Sandoval , the Nevada Task Force report was not completed until May 30  only one month before July 1 Early Start. In contrast, Colorado had their Task Force report finished 9 months prior to first sale on January 1, 2014.

Nevadas attempted linking of educational funding to legalized recreational marijuana use seems a strange anomaly. Because of the uncertainties, the legislatures last-minute decision to apply retail marijuana taxes to a rainy day account rather than to education was wise.

As Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong cautioned: Were coming in too fast, too high, too hard, and we dont really know what were doing. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and California followed a one-year policy on first sale. Nevada stands alone in its wild ride to Early Start.
The interior layout at The Paddocks Drive apartments is quite unusual with an angular kitchen/dining/living area kicked out to the side

The concept of a planned village at Adamstown to ease Dublin's housing crisis may have gotten off to a shaky start because of the recession. But it's certainly taking off in full throttle now, with two separate schemes launching there this month.

The west Dublin land near Lucan was chosen in 2003 as the site of Ireland's first strategic development zone - enabling it to benefit from fast-track planning - because of its proximity to national and suburban road and rail. A railway station opened in 2007 that brings residents to Heuston Station in 20 minutes, but plans for thousands of homes ground to a halt during the crash.

When Alderlie was released at Adamstown in October, it was the first new housing scheme of any significance in a decade. Forty more homes were added to Alderlie for a second phase in February, and a new section, a scheme of three and four-bed townhouses called St Helens, is expected to be unveiled next weekend.

The Paddocks Drive, a scheme of apartments being sold this week, may not be of the same scale as its competition - it's a block of just six three-bed units - but it is tapping into demand from first-time buyers seeking an affordable home within the environs of Co Dublin.

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The Paddocks Drive, a three-storey building located off the Newcastle Road, is a phase of a larger scheme built at Adamstown by Kingscroft, a veteran developer of residential estates across the greater Dublin area. Last year it released a mix of houses and apartment types called The Paddocks Crescent.

Prices at The Paddocks Drive start at 255,000 for a 990 sq ft ground floor unit, rising to 275,000 for a top-floor apartment measuring 1,313 sq ft. However, both of these units are amongst the three apartments that have been snapped up; remaining are a 990 sq ft apartment on the first floor that's priced from 260,000, a 1,097 sq ft ground-floor apartment selling for 268,000, and a top-floor unit with 1,183 sq ft of living space that costs 270,000.

The apartment block may have a traditional edge to its exterior, with brick and render finishes and uPVC frames to the double-glazed windows. But the interior layout is quite unusual, with an angular kitchen/dining/living area kicked out to the side. Each floor is home to just two apartments, all of which have balconies, storage space, as well as wall tiling and sanitary ware in the main bathroom, the master ensuite and guest lavatory.

Each apartment has an A3 energy rating, courtesy of energy-efficient features such as PV panels on the roof that harness the sun's energy to generate electricity and windows fitted with argon-filled glass. The central heating from an A-rated gas-condensing boiler can be controlled at two separate zones, thereby reducing energy waste.

The Paddocks Drive is close to a slew of local schools, such as Adamstown Educate Together, St John the Evangelist and Adamstown VEC Secondary School. The development is also within walking distance of Lucan and close to Griffeen Valley Park and Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. As well as a rail service, the No 25 bus links Adamstown with the city centre.

The show apartment at The Paddocks Drive is on view from 2pm to 4pm tomorrow and Sunday.
"This place won't call you to come," says Con Doherty. "It remains humble in all its beauty. It's a place to be discovered. Where I come to be alive."

Doherty, a Mayo-born triathlete bidding to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic, should know. He uses Mayo as his training grounds.

From the mutinous waters of Achill's Keem Bay to the stony slopes of Croagh Patrick, a new short film leaves one in no doubt as to the arduousness of his regime.

Nor the rugged beauty of the landscape in which he trains.

Transitions is the third tourism short to be released in recent weeks by Mayo.ie. In total, a series of five Wild Mayo videos aims to raise visitor awareness of the county.

The productions, shot and edited by Glasgow-based creative agency Cut Media, are being released throughout 2017 on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

The first film featured kite-surfer Francois Colussi, with the second focusing on local GAA heroes Lee Keegan, Aidan O'Shea and Colm Boyle.

The latest instalment follows former world junior medallist Doherty as he narrates a sparse and poetic script - which he wrote himself.

The funny thing is that I never really grasped how incredible a place Mayo is before I left home," the triathlete says, commenting on the film.

"It wasnt until I began travelling the world with sport that I realised how unique Mayo is. Ive been fortunate to have already seen more of the world than most do, but of all the places Ive been to so far theres nowhere that makes me feel so alive.

"When you watch the video you feel inspired to get out and explore a county with so much to be discovered, adds Padraig Judge of Mayo.ie.

302,000 overseas visitors came to Mayo in 2015, an increase of 16pc on 2014 according to Mayo County Council's tourism and diaspora initiative.

For more, see mayo.ie/visit or #WildMayo.
Trust means everything when it comes to news, and the past year in particular has been challenging in this regard.

The deluge of false news circulating online, particularly during the US presidential election battle, has left consumers less certain than ever before as to what information they can rely upon, and what could well turn out to be demonstrably false.

Stanford University has estimated that there were 115 pro-Donald Trump fake stories shared on Facebook 30 million times, and 41 pro-Hillary Clinton fake stories shared a total of 7.6 million times.

Since then, Mr Trump's habit of denouncing reports as "fake news" whenever a media outlet displeases him has helped muddy the waters further.

The Edelman Trust Barometer 2017 duly found that trust in media had hit an all-time low (and it also dropped for government, business and NGOs).

Against this backdrop, it's cheering to see that Irish media enjoys higher trust levels than media in other countries, albeit by a small margin.

The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2017 has found that 72pc of Irish news consumers trust most of the news they consume, above the international average of 71pc.

On a more general note, 47pc of Irish people trust news media overall, compared to 41pc globally.

The report also showed a high level of interest in news in Ireland, with 70pc of people declaring themselves extremely or very interested in news.

The level of interest increases with age, as does interest in traditional media.

And 70pc of those questioned also said that news media did a good job of helping them distinguish fact from fiction - which is quite the tribute.

Apart from what we in the media like to think of the excellence of our own work - this probably partly reflects the lack of perceived political bias in news here.

The perception in Ireland that news media are largely free from political interference was relatively high at 47pc, considerably ahead of the international average of 37pc.

Distrust was a lot higher in countries with high levels of political polarisation like the United States, Italy, and Hungary.

There are reasons for concern as well; 68pc of Irish people gave reasons as to why they distrust social media, which has a knock-on effect on all media.

There's no sign that this trend is on the wane.

While Facebook and Twitter lost some traction for news consumption in Ireland since 2015, increasing numbers of Irish people are consuming news through closed messenger apps.

And there's no doubt that the immediacy of social media holds an appeal in the first minutes and hours of evolving and confusing stories, such as the London Bridge terror attack or the tower block fire.

The survey threw up interesting insights into the changing way people access news, finding for instance that 46pc of people read news on their phones in bed, 42pc check mobile phones for news on public transport, and 32pc are using phones to check news while on the toilet.

The ongoing challenge for mainstream news brands is to prove to consumers that the service they provide is solid, authentic and truly does have the edge, whatever age consumers are and however they want to access it. Trust is everything.
Mao Zedong, the Chinese revolutionary leader, is reported to have said that "every journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step". After the general election result in the United Kingdom, the Brexit journey is likely to be long and winding as the island of Ireland takes centre stage again in shaping the future of the UK and its other European neighbours.

The UK government will now seek to rely on the support of the DUP to undertake and manage its political programme. Alongside the loss of seats by the SNP, the potential break-up of Britain is on hold.

Negotiations with the EU are beginning, but the elephant in the room will be the size of the budgetary repayments after the UK formally leaves the EU.

Compensation for the loss of EU funding to sustain economic activities and social programmes in the North will then be the central narrative of the DUP as it seeks to benefit from any confidence and supply arrangements.

The mainstream English media lamentably demonstrated its ignorance and indifference about Irish affairs during and immediately after the general election. The other ignorance shared by most British commentators is about modern international trade. The latter is pertinent to addressing the Irish Border question where complex issues come together beyond simple questions about Border posts and uniformed customs officials.

Modern international trade is based upon Global Value Chains (GVCs) - the full range of activities that are required to bring a product from its conception, production and distribution to the final consumer. Underlying GVCs are a set of supply chains within particular firms that crisscross national boundaries. As a result, about 60pc of EU trade is within, and not between, firms.

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In regard to the Border question, the effects of uncoupling of GVCs in the crucial agri-food sector will be doubly felt. The North's largest trade export partner is the EU, followed by the UK and then Ireland.

An example of a GVC is that of a well-known brand of Irish cheese. Unpasteurised milk is produced in the North and transported across the Border where it is processed into cheese. This product is then sent to a plant in Liverpool where it is cut and brand-packaged. The packaged cheese is finally dispatched to Ireland where it is sold in retail outlets.

There is a high degree of cross-Border co-operation that creates significant spillovers in terms of demand for machinery, seed and fertilisers, business and financial services, research and development, alongside attracting significant Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The impact of Brexit on this sector will be significant, especially in two essentially rural economies where the Border question is fundamentally irrelevant. As a senior figure from Agri-food Strategy Board stated: "Irish cows don't respect borders".

Agri-food in the North receives about 365m (415m) a year of support from EU funding programmes, a third of the estimated annual EU support to the North that would be lost beyond Brexit.

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Given the crucial role of GVCs linked to the EU, the damage to the North and Ireland economies would be significant. The obvious conclusion is that in the world beyond Brexit, a special deal for the North and Ireland will be needed - an argument made in the recent book 'The Political Economy of Brexit' edited by David Bailey and myself. Moreover, if devolved corporation tax from 2018 is not to have damaging economic effects, then a much larger compensatory Barnett Formula funding settlement for the North will be needed and demanded by the DUP. The can of worms is if there is a special deal for the North, then why not for Scotland?

More importantly, the restoration of power sharing in the North is under threat if the DUP's position is strengthened by its deal with the UK government.

We seem to be back in the realm of unknown unknowns, as we were the day after the UK Referendum. It is becoming apparent that the North is better off remaining in the EU, with the result that we may be entering a world beyond Brexit with no Brexit, given the crucial relationship with Ireland.

There is also the possibility of new constitutional and territorial settlement for the whole of the island of Ireland.

These complex issues will be explored in detail in a debate called 'Brexit and beyond', organised by The Open University in Ireland, taking place at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin on June 27.

Register at Ireland-events@open.ac.uk.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with his new junior ministerial team at Government Buildings in Dublin. Photo: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

The issue of the under-representation of women is receiving some attention following the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

In her article of June 21, Catherine O'Mahony is critical of what she describes as "the gender diversity getting worse".

The actual situation is as follows: 22pc of TDs, 21pc of ministers, and 22pc of the main Government party are women.

Women, because they live longer, are a majority in the electorate in this so-called representative democracy.

Despite that they have, during all the years since independence, comprised a much lower proportion of representatives than even the present 22pc.

The case can be made for more women, therefore, if our representative democracy is to become more representative of the fact that women are the majority.

However, as the example of the last General Election in Ireland, and more spectacularly the election of Donald Trump to the American presidency, has shown, that is not going to change anytime soon.

Some 30pc of candidates were women in the last Irish election. And 22pc were elected. Female candidates, therefore, got fewer votes.

In the US, more than 50pc of white American women voted for Mr Trump against a competent and experienced woman candidate for the most powerful political post in the world.

Unless and until women use their majority in the electorate to elect women more in proportion to their number in that electorate, then they are going to continue to be under-represented, as they have been for the last 100 years or so since women were allowed to vote.

A Leavy

Shielmartin Drive, Sutton, Dublin 13

Cleaning up a tangled Brexit mess

May I offer a solution to the tangled mess that is Brexit, the EU and the island of Ireland?

Britain has done the dirty work in questioning the European project - with a very dramatic outcome which was not desired by many. But it was important that it was questioned.

Now Ireland and Britain could collaborate in proposing a special joint membership status with the EU as "large island nations".

With our common language, shared history, cultural similarities and island geography this makes sense.

As joint "large island members" the Border in Northern Ireland could be managed internally.

As part of the new membership deal Ireland and Britain could renegotiate with the EU on a number of fronts.

Regarding fishing rights on the British and Irish coastlines, this would particularly help Ireland's indigenous fishing industry on the western seaboard, which has all but died due to the straitjacket of the EU's fishing rights.

On immigration control (from non-EU countries) into Europe, a quota system is needed for refugees. No single country should disproportionately have to take the burden. The problems that had built up in Calais (for Britain) were very real.

The EU must put in place budgetary measures to support countries where there is an inward flow of migration (within the EU) and an associated demand on social services.

A dignified solution can be found. Britain and the EU could hold their heads high after a fractious period in their relationship. No divorce (for now).

Alison Hackett

Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin

No confidence in Micheal Martin

Given Micheal Martin's disparaging comments in the Dail regarding the competence of an attorney general to be a judge, would it be possible for someone in the Dail to propose a motion of no confidence in Micheal Martin as leader of the Opposition?

Jason Fitzharris

Rivervalley, Swords, Co Dublin

Nuclear and renewables win-win

I read in Paul Melia's piece on June 21 that the ESRI is urging us to reduce our dependence on gas supplies that reach us from the UK.

It is ironic that Ireland is moving to a position where we will be buying fracked gas from the US and at the same time protesting against America's energy policies and its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

If we want to fight climate change and ensure an energy-rich future for Ireland we need to consider nuclear power, which is the only low-carbon energy source capable of levelling out the supply that we get from renewables.

A recent report by JP Morgan analysing the energy transitions in Germany and California highlights the excessive costs associated with trying to use a very high percentage of renewables and natural gas.

The other option, nuclear and renewables, offers much cheaper energy and an easier path to decarbonisation. A win-win. This is something we should examine.

Dr Pat Morrissey

Adare, Co Limerick

Mary's a 'Super Trouper'

Mary Mitchell O'Connor TD should adopt the party piece song 'Super Trouper' by Abba to celebrate her appointment as a super junior minister.

Given her salary of 124,439 - and all the furore over a possible allowance of 16,288 - she has a lot to sing about.

Anne Coffey Moran

Newbridge, Co Kildare

Don't touch our bulletins

So Darragh McManus would be much happier with less news bulletins on Radio Eireann (Irish Independent, June 17)? Perhaps he should realise that many people, and especially those of a certain vintage, look forward to those news items and love to keep abreast of happenings throughout the world and particularly in Ireland.

Should Darragh not try to be more objective in his criticisms and leave his own prejudices out of the reckoning?

PJ McGuire

Athlone, Co Westmeath

Media's Church-bashing

A friend of mine who is a non-national has been living in this country for the past few years.

He said that the thing that surprised him most after he came was the level of hatred for the Catholic Church displayed in the media.

That hatred seems to be on the increase.

Oliver McCormack

Nenagh, Co Tipperary
This letter originally was written in 2006 to a childhood friend  at the time of the letter a senior engineer working for a federal agency. He was surprised that I did not subscribe to the notion of anthropomorphic global warming, or its doublespeak offspring  climate change.

Though much of the letter remains essentially as originally written, I have brought into this revision new data and events. The reading list from which it was written is available upon request. As a natural resource professional (geologist and engineer), much of what I present is within the fabric of my education and career experience. The letter is presented in five sections.

1. Background

Long before the scandals of East Anglia and Penn State University researchers implicated in subterfuge a significant portion of the bureau-scientific complex, I stood rightfully accused of having jaded views of anthropomorphic global warming. My take is that weather is in large cyclical and climate is in large geological, solar and galactic. After all, the sun warms us, and our solar position seems to be significant to our life-sustaining climates. Oh, yeah, there is punctuated catastrophism as in Chicxulub in Yucatan, and a number of other massive impacts mucking things up for days and days when they ripped new holes in the planet. Would have been real fun being around for the Sudbury event, right? Hundreds (thousands?) of years of ash, sulfur, and more-or-less exhaust fumes never would have passed Clean Air Act opacity tests.

Can humanity do this stuff, even the miniscule fractions of degrees per year which terrify the Inquisitor (Intergovernmental) Panel on Climate Change? Not on a planetary scale. Can we foul our own nests? Yes, historic pollution and contamination taught us to be better stewards. Typically, the strongest economies and most free political societies provide the highest incentives and greatest abilities to sustain significant environmental controls and benefits. Id rather see hydrocarbon-powered high-tech mini-mills than backyard pig-iron furnaces any day. The latter have been almost universally eliminated, thanks to the march of civilization. Predominately, that march means energy and concomitant food, municipal hygiene, and health development.

Regarding the man-made debate, I find it difficult to envision humanity working up the energy to significantly affect the climate. We basically sit on a thin crust riding on molten iron and nickel. Our affecting that mass and energy may be analogous to lichen affecting mountain building. Can we/it?  yes. Are there other, probably much more significant agents?  yes. Considering the miniscule amount of the atmosphere comprised of CO 2 , (0.037% or 370ppm), identifying it as a driving factor in climate change is a stretch at best, poor science at face value, and a redefinition of political science at worst. Our even lesser contribution to either CO 2 or climate change then really becomes vacuous, pun intended.

The tectonic cycle and volcanism have a greater impact on climate than will life forms in any configuration. Continental drift affects ocean depth and currents and planetary wind patterns  just dont hold your breath waiting for noticeable change. And magnetic inversions, which logically should impact wind patterns, and climate by extension. Those events apparently occur over hundreds of years, and humanity has never caused one. Then there is the overwhelming evidence that the planets climate is driven singularly by the sun. Third one out and all that. Humanity apparently cant much affect human nature, let alone solar flares and solar wind. Our impact on planetary weather apparently is minimal because if we really impacted it, we could predict same with reliability. Among the few things we can predict reliably are the sunrise and sunset, ironically taking us back to the significance of solar activity

2. Modeling

Can the world climate be expressed by a massive set of simultaneous linear equations with massive unknowns? Or are there massive + 1 unknowns? Should they be dynamic equations and things get hairy, or is it fuzzy? Can fuzz drive the fundamental model? Does the model reflect reality or simply the assumptions used to build the model? Will CO 2 be a significant factor or coefficient, and for what variables or components? And who exactly determined that 1961 to 1990 should be the planetary baseline and not some weekend in the Ordovician? Isnt that an anthro-biased decision, with carbon-dioxide-dependent plants and sulfur-dependent bacteria unfairly eliminated from deliberation?

There have been at least five major die-offs or extinctions in earths history. The first was not caused by Bethlehem Steel furnaces. The second was not caused by Ford Motor Company lathes and welding. The third was not due to Intel Corporation baking silicon. The fourth not due to Starbucks roasting coffee around the globe. And as much as it may seem possible, the fifth was not caused by the hot air emanating from the interminable and ignorant climate change fanatics.

The geologist in me says we need to first describe a digital model of the physics, and then introduce the chemistry. If results actually count for anything, we are a long way from having a robust physics model, so I dont think we should get too a-twitter over what the atmosphere and climate see as a minor molecule. Are the molten planetary core and heat transfer rates via convection/conduction/radiation in the model? And are the effects of volcanism and subduction appropriately considered and weighed against anthropogenic factors? Again, since plant life needs that minor molecule, do plants get a vote on reducing carbon dioxide? Environmentally sensitive vegans may go hungry if CO 2 is reduced, but I digress.

Whatever the IPCC enviro-fanatics have put in their models evidently has little to do with reality. And they run a lot of models, being intergovernmental and all.

As the attached figure shows, the average of 102 of the IPCC global models has consistently risen above actual global data from 1979 on. The actual data is from balloon and satellite data sets. The IPCC models evidently are from modeling assumptions rather than facts. More ominously, from perspectives both of political viability and scientific integrity, is that the models evidently are refined to reach pre-ordained conclusions.

That observation is supported by the concerted response of the bureau-scientific complex which declares that the reality versus model departure is due to a pause in anthropogenic global warming. The modelers insist reality will soon surge to conform to the IPCC mandate, or model. That seems to be a mass delusion of true believers rather than a calculated certainty developed through rigorous scientific evaluation. Interesting that the beginning of the pause reasonably coincides with the beginning of the greatest recent surge in economic activity, commonly known as the Reagan Revolution. After all, among the IPCC arguments heated economic activity heats the globe 

3. What man can affect

Do we affect micro-climates?  yes. As we know, cities are notorious for heat due to building and pavement surfaces. The more we understand, the better we become at handling the problems. Consider that greening of cities is characteristic of the developed world, not the un- and underdeveloped. That includes waste management and energy consumption. Beyond micro-climates, affecting the planet is another matter.

Simply put, the man-made crisis appears man-contrived to generate research and intergovernmental funds.

Part of the way I figure the entire issue is that I will stack my geology against Al Gores theology any day. You know, that divinity degree that he failed to achieve. Rather interesting that he initiated the global warming road show after he established the carbon offset brokering licenses as internationally viable legal and fungible entities. Seemingly a Ponzi approach on the emotions of environmentalism, with many returns to the first one in on the scheme. Funded by Hollywood and governments. Oh, along the follow-the-money line, did you ever see the hiring wave which made the rounds in the mining and tunneling journals a few years back? Central Tennessee zinc mines. Im told you can see one of Gores mansions from some of them, and vice versa. What zinc properties were not already in the Gore family years ago, Armand Hammer arranged to end up in the Gore family . An interesting collusion, not sure whether divinity is involved.

Should we continue to minimize pollution and such?  of course. Should we go modern-day Luddite and minimize carbon-based fuels? Well, Im a carbon-based life form, and I get a bit annoyed when regulators say I should reduce my carbon footprint. I do think it is philosophically criminal to be putting food stocks into fuel tanks. Obviously the Gang of 435 and the Gaggle of 100 have decided that warnings of unintended consequences were of lesser weight than the demands of big-oil opponents and big-agriculture advocates. Thus we have bio-fuels all over the place. And since in politics perception is reality, actual and perceived food shortages have led to the reality of food riots around the world, predictably occurring with price spikes and shortages while wealthy developed world enviro-gliteratti drive their morally and ecologically bankrupt taxpayer-subsidized designer green-energy vehicles.

We will remain with carbon-based fuels for a long, long time. They continue to provide astonishing efficiencies, and may provide the bridge to real breakthroughs in alternative energy production. Right now, pursuing those breakthroughs continues to lead to partial solutions in energy-from-seawater and wave-energy, solar, and wind power. Even the latter two, which actually work, can make economic sense only in very specific circumstances, with relative inefficiency. These require high-tech (thus high-energy) materials to even begin working with any hope of productivity. Some folks evidently dont understand its hard to make photovoltaic membranes out of mud and sticks or rare earth sealed bearings out of charcoal-smelted cast iron.

4. What man can affect redux

The enviro-fanatics should consider that political fiat eventually loses when it contradicts natural science. Galileo eventually was proven correct, despite the threats and official refutations from his Inquisitors. So it will be with signatories of the Global Warming Petition Project and all others who counsel and practice strict adherence to the scientific method.

As tragic examples of consequence of poor science, what of the thousands of birds and bats dying in wind farms every year? The bureau-scientific response consistently is that through climate change, conventional power ultimately will wreak much greater damage than the turbines now cause. Government scientists present numbers indicating buildings and powerline collisions eliminate millions more birds and bats than windfarms. What? Even given the relatively large number of buildings and bridges, that amount of deaths from impacting stationary structures would indicate perhaps government behaviorists should be teaching birds how to fly, and land. Then again, this is the same government alleging that birds such as sage grouse are dying all across the land in collisions with fences. Though birds can detect insects in flight, apparently they cannot detect wire strands. It is more likely that though government scientists can detect the value of their retirement fund and conclusions demanded by superiors, they cannot detect common sense and scientific integrity.

Solar arrays present their own concerns. Whether photovoltaic or reflective, they require extensive real estate. Incremental technology advances are driving costs down, but replacing conventional energy with solar is currently unrealistic without significant reduction in energy available to society. And the relatively efficient reflective setups inflict astonishing damage on over-flying wildlife. Employees call them smokers. Meanwhile, reliable incremental development of hydro-fracturing and directional drilling technology provides astonishing economic and environmental gains in hydrocarbon energy production.

I do agree we should reduce our dependence on carbon-based fuels, but lets emphasize the carrot  not the stick. Present technology does not seem to allow significant carbon reduction without massive reduction of lifestyle and health. And that would entail an ironic and concomitant reduction in environmental stewardship. In lifestyle Im not talking I-pods, but surgical steel and clean rooms for processing antibiotics and anti-viral drugs.

Throw in sewage handling infrastructure, as that remains a reliable measure of civilization. Lets not induce more food riots over nearly criminal and self-aggrandizing energy policy. Even the enviro-nazis should be able to learn that one, though over recent decades they have been disappointingly slow at learning societal and economic basics. Sadly they never may consider the scientific method, being blindly committed to the political method.

It looks like any significant reduction in carbon-based fuels will come about through a massive paradigm shift, perhaps in nano-technology (ironically carbon-based) or other surface chemistry techniques which are only figments in the minds of their perhaps unborn creators. Right now, we need to keep life-flight choppers airborne on real fuel in real time. Im more than proud having done my part in that. Adam Smith did not predict my pride, but he illustrated and predicted my participation and efficiency.

5. Controlling the climate of government

Fundamentally, the climate change partisans show their intent in government control rather than scientific integrity. One of the persistent concerns of the IPCC is that we are going to drive ourselves and/or other species to extinction. The Panel maintains that if they could control human activity affecting the climate, they could save humanity from extinction. Choosing control through wealth, IPCC-sanctioned carbon taxes and other confiscatory schemes are either in place or being developed across the globe. These are not wealth-generation concepts, but wealth-transfer schemes. In the private sector such practices are called theft. In the government sector, they are called revenue enhancement. The money wasted on solar and wind schemes is astonishing. In the US, the Solyndra failure is a classic example of government-selected business leading to bad results. The Obama administration reductions in conventional energy production and transmission, in the face of increasing population and energy needs, were sheer societal lunacy.

Previously the EPA mandated a thirty-percent reduction in coal-generated power under a timeframe where there will be no replacement nor substitution. This would have left nearly 60 million people without power, all to assuage the enviro-gliteratti who would have slept better knowing their lessers were using less electricity.

The fact that a government-favored enterprise is intended for environmental benefit does not sanctify the essential model of government favoring firms in an unaccountable and intransigent way. That model is fascism. Read up on Mussolini and Hitler. When government suppresses facts, oppresses researchers and uses the media to eliminate rather than encourage information dissemination and discussion, it simply is following the procedures codified by Mr. Goebbels.

It is instructive that one of the worlds great scientists fled Hitlers totalitarian regime and came here for academic and personal freedom. What would Einstein say about how far we have fallen? Now independent thinking is damned, facts are suppressed, and reason itself oppressed.

Progressives in general disbelieve that human progress results from individual initiative. They hold that good comes primarily from collective control wielded by societal leaders. Belief in man-made climate change is a sect based upon politicized science promulgated and mandated by central planners bent on control of that collective.

In years past, I would have thought these statements far afield and off on the emotional fringe of reason. But todays inquisitors have pushed that envelope and continue in every available venue. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse called for a RICO investigation of fossil fuel corporations and their supporters. A group of government-favored scientists supporting Sen. Whitehouse has petitioned for criminal investigations to be brought against those who question government-approved science. Earlier, Representative Raul Grijalva convened a congressional investigation of seven independent scientists who have cautioned about misinterpreting climate change and related policy solutions. Their work was peer-reviewed and unimpeachable, but there have been career setbacks due to the investigation. The message to all, including the reviewers, is that one must not question the Inquisitors.

From an involved artist-scientist-engineer signatory of the Petition Project, continuing to question the Inquisitors. Be well my friend.
Holly Willoughby attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 23, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Holly Willoughby attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 23, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Holly Willoughby attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 23, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is seen in the Parade Ring as she attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 20, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Zara Philllips attend Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 20, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Holly Willoughby attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 23, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Holly Willoughby attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 23, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Holly Willoughby poses during day four of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse

As racing season is in full swing, Irish milliner Philip Treacy is busier than ever.

After the drunken antics of Ladies Day at Royal Ascot on Thursday, British tv presenter injected some needed understated glamour to the event, showcasing her new toned figure.

The This Morning host (36) opted for a black and white midi dress with pleat detail and a peter pan collar from Topshop, finishing off the striking look with a dramatic headpiece by Treacy, who originally hails from Galway.

Expand Close Holly Willoughby attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 23, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Holly Willoughby attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 23, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

His designs have always been a favourite among the British royal family and on Tuesday, for the opening day of the racing festival, Kate Middleton wore a custom cream fascinator of his, as she often does at high profile events.

New London 'it' girl Kitty Spencer, who is Princess Diana's niece, recruited Treacy to visit her home with a selection of pieces in order to look picture perfect for Ladies Day.

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Exactly one year ago the UKs decision to leave the EU was confirmed.

Since then weve had a prime minister resign, leadership contests for both Labour and the Conservatives, a new Prime Minister, the triggering of Article 50, local elections and a General Election which threw up a result few people expected.

But what actually happens next? Negotiations have begun, and heres how theyre expected to progress.

The UK Government had wanted trade talks to take place in parallel with discussing the terms of withdrawal, but has now accepted the timetable set out by the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

Officials are hoping early progress can be made on the issues of citizens rights, the UKs financial settlement  the so-called divorce bill  and other issues to do with separation  with trade talks not beginning until October at the earliest.

Britain is due to leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (11pm in the UK) on March 29 2019  unless an extension is agreed by all 27 remaining member states  with or without an agreement.
Jon Platt arrives at the Supreme Court in central London with his wife Sally

A father who fought a long-running legal battle over taking his child on a term-time holiday was on Friday found guilty over the unauthorised trip.

Jon Platt was convicted of failing to secure his daughter's regular attendance at school in a hearing at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court.

Giving the judgment, magistrate Jeannie Walker said: "The circumstances of this case fall squarely into that breach of school rules."

Platt was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay 2,000 (2,273) costs plus a 20 (22.73) surcharge.

He said afterwards he was "relieved that's it's over".

"This has gone on far too long and far to much money has been spent on it by me and the taxpayer," he said.

Platt said he has spent close to 30,000 (34,106) on fighting the case, with additional funds covered by legal aid.

Figures disclosed to the Press Association under Freedom of Information laws have shown, as of May 10, the Department for Education had spent close to 140,000 (159,164) pursuing the legal action.

Platt said the case will have implications for parents around the country.

"There were around 8.5 million unauthorised absences around the country in a single term.

"Every single one of those is, if the headteacher decided that's what the school rules should be, an unauthorised breach, all 8.5 million of those are criminal offences."

The case returned to Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court, where it began almost two years ago, after Mr Platt lost a landmark legal battle at the Supreme Court, the UK's highest court, earlier this year over taking his daughter to Disney World in April 2015 during school time.
Two girls have reportedly been expelled from a school in the UK after they took ecstasy during a parents' evening on the premises.

Somerset Live is reporting that the girls - both aged 12 - were spotted "behaving oddly" at Churchill Academy in north Somerset earlier this month.

The school told the website that it is "reviewing an incident" but did not confirm the allegations that the youngsters had taken drugs on school grounds.

Parents took to social media to express their concern at the allegations.

One wrote: "The girls have been expelled according to my son, who has been friends with one of the girls since he was tiny."

Another added: "It's a scary world we live in nowadays."

In a statement to the website, Churchill Academy said it "does not and will not comment on the cases of individual students at the academy".

They added the school has a "zero tolerance policy to drugs" and staff are "completely committed" to ensuring the school is a safe place.

The statement concluded: "Any student who has brought an illegal substance to school or is caught in possession of an illegal substance in school or during a school-organised activity or at any other time when the authority of the school pertains, will be permanently excluded."
Police in the UK are making a fresh appeal for information after a 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted

The incident took place in Blackburn on Wednesday, June 14.

Newly released CCTV footage shows the teenager walking down the road and being followed by a young man who tries to engage her in conversation.

As the young girl tries to run away, the man chases her before grabbing her from behind.

The girl was able to break her attackers grip by punching him before running away. Police are now looking with anybody with information regarding the man in question to come forward.

Detective Constable Lisa Bennett said: This is a shocking incident where a 13-year-old girl has been sexually assaulted by a man who caught up with her as she walked along the pavement and began to talk to her before grabbing her from behind.

Thankfully she was able to fight the man off and run away.

Detective Bennet said that the investigation remains ongoing and they are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time or recognises the man from the footage.

"It is vital that we trace this man and if you can help us with our enquiries then please get in touch with us as soon as possible.

The man is described as Asian, approximately 20-years-old, of slim build with black hair and black rimmed glasses.

Anyone with information is being urged to contact police on (UK number) 101, or Crimestoppers on (0044) 800 555 111.
The best way for government to encourage development

Editor:

Thursdays Opinion page displayed quite a contrast in economic thinking: John Patrick Rice versus Lee Hamilton, on seemingly unrelated topics. I doubt that many economists would argue that Hamilton is correct in stating that Americas economic problems are more related to spending than to the specific debt ceiling. Rice, on the other hand, apparently believes spending has little to do with the economy.

Forgive me for having to say so, but I have rarely read an editorial containing more non sequiturs than this renewable energy one. Budgets do not reflect priorities; spending reflects priorities. Budgets are meant to strike a balance between what we have and what we want. To accuse the President of horrible things like discouraging growth, jeopardizing new jobs, discouraging new investment, to say nothing of destroying our clean air and water is simply absurd.

If solar panels and wind turbines are to be a benefit to our economy, and to mankind in general, then they must not rely on gifts from the taxpayer. I have no doubt that wind and solar will pay their own way at some point. I own a number of solar panels myself; each is tasked to specific jobs such as opening and closing gates, charging batteries, and running a large fan. I made the decision to purchase these panels based on what I calculated the pay-back to be, to me personally. I didnt ask the governor to make the taxpayers subsidize my purchases.

I also believe that Nevadans set the bar for independent spirit, but begging for money from other taxpayers doesnt seem very independent to me. I have personally put pen to paper in order to calculate whether or not buying X-numbers of solar panels could be made to pay for their purchase. They do not. Specific uses, as mentioned above, can pay (e.g. to keep batteries charged). Others do not pay (gate openers) but are worth it to me personally as a convenience that I can afford.

If Mr. Rice can show me how to make solar panels pay, I will be right there alongside him in the investment that I know he will be making. The best way for the government to encourage development in solar, wind, geothermal energy is to stay out of our way, and out of our pockets.

Ken Snyder, Elko
Window cleaners work on a tower block on the Chalcots Estate in Camden which has aluminium cladding which the local council has decided to remove. Photo: Reuters

Dangerous tower blocks housing thousands of people could be evacuated over the weekend, the British government admitted last night, after tests showed at least 11 other buildings have combustible cladding similar to that blamed for the Grenfell Tower fire.

An estimated 600 high-rise blocks have been covered in cladding in England alone, all of which are now undergoing urgent tests to discover whether the panels contain the flammable material that made Grenfell a death trap.

Three of the buildings that failed the tests were refurbished by the same firm that fitted cladding to Grenfell, using the same highly flammable material.

Councils have been told in a letter from the Department for Communities and Local Government to "move all residents out of the block" if buildings are deemed by fire brigades to be unsafe.

It could lead to the first mass evacuation since the Second World War, with local authorities already scrambling to find hotel rooms and other temporary accommodation should it be needed.

Downing Street insisted that "nobody will stay in a building that is unsafe", but Prime Minister Theresa May faced criticism over the government's response to the fire after it emerged that councils were only told to send cladding samples for testing on Monday - five days after the Grenfell Tower fire.

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Around 200,000 people are thought to live in the 600 blocks covered in cladding that has been sent for testing at the Building Research Establishment in London.

Although 11 cladding samples have failed combustibility tests, at least three other buildings in the same council areas are known to have identical cladding that has not yet been tested.

The 11 samples came from buildings in eight council areas, including the five-block Chalcots estate in Camden, north London, and the three-block Mount Wise estate in Plymouth. Tower blocks in Manchester also failed the tests.

Camden Council said the cladding panels at the Chalcots estate - which will now be removed - were of the same design as those at Grenfell: highly flammable polyethelene between layers of aluminium.

The council hired the construction firm Rydon to carry out the work, and has now discovered that "the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned". It is now considering legal action.

Mrs May said "no stone will be left unturned" in the inquiry she has ordered into the Grenfell inferno. She added: "For any guilty parties there will be nowhere to hide."

In Camden and in Plymouth - where the 16-storey Lynher, Tamar and Tavy buildings are affected - residents have been told they will not be evacuated because increased safety precautions, including round-the-clock fire patrols, have been put in place.

Other councils, however, may take a different view after it emerged that London Fire Brigade could not prevent the Grenfell Tower fire spreading to upper floors even though it was already on the scene, having tackled the fridge fire in a fourth-floor flat that started the blaze.

It is feared that the buildings that have failed the tests could also become a target for terrorists or arsonists.

Downing Street stressed that buildings clad in materials that prove to be flammable could still be declared safe because several factors were thought to have combined to cause the Grenfell fire on June 14, in which at least 79 people are thought to have died.

Mrs May told the Commons that "all possible steps" were being taken to ensure buildings are safe.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "Obviously nobody will be living in buildings that are unsafe, they will be rehoused if they need to be and landlords will be asked to provide alternative accommodation where that's possible.

"It is landlords' responsibility to make sure that buildings people live in are safe. If they are proved to be unsafe they will be rehoused and re-accommodated." ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Botswana has announced three days of mourning after the death of 91-year-old Ketumile Masire, a former president who led the country for nearly two decades.

Mr Masire died "peacefully" and surrounded by family members at a hospital in the capital Gaborone on Thursday night, his family said in a statement. He had been critically ill.

Botswana will officially mourn Mr Masire until Sunday, and information about his funeral will be released in coming days, President Ian Khama said.

The president's father, Seretse Khama, was Botswana's first president after independence from Britain in 1966.

Mr Masire was Botswana's second president and was in office from 1980 to 1998.

He presided over the southern African country's economic growth and record of clean governance on a continent frequently buffeted by turmoil.

The diamond trade and wildlife tourism are major sources of revenue for the country of two million people, which nevertheless faces poverty, a high HIV/Aids rate and other problems.

In neighbouring South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Foundation cited comments by Mr Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, at a state banquet for Mr Masire in 1996.

"Our country has much to learn from Botswana - both from your towering successes and your efforts to deal with the difficulties," said Mr Mandela, adding that Mr Masire was "a natural and capable leader of the region's collective efforts towards growth and development".

After his presidency, Mr Masire became involved in reconciliation efforts and election monitoring in other African countries.

In 2007, he started a foundation that seeks to promote development in Botswana and the region.

AP
A mother spent "18 minutes on Facebook" while her daughter drowned in the bath, according to police in the US.

Cheyenne Summer Stuckly (21) told police that she left her six-month-old daughter unsupervised in the bathtub for "only a couple of minutes".

It's reported that she left little Zayla Hernandez in the bathtub at their home in Reno, Texas, with the water running while she left the room.

Stuckey later found her daughter unresponsive, face-down in the bath.

The young mother told police that she tried to resuscitate Zayla but "did not know how," CBS Dallas reports.

Stuckey said she became "distracted" by another child when she left the bathroom and then logged on to Facebook, while a television blared in the background.

At that point, police say, she had forgotten about her daughter.

A further investigation found that Stuckey had been on Facebook for at least 18 minutes, messing with two people while her daughter was alone in the bathtub.

The girl was rushed to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

A preliminary autopsy report confirmed that she had died by drowning.

Dallas News reports that the other children in the home, two four-year-old girls and a two-year-old boy, were placed in foster care.

Stuckey, whose bond has not yet been set, was charged with injury to a child.
The United States has announced the immediate suspension of all imports of beef products from Brazil because of safety concerns.

The decision by US agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue came three months after a major scandal into allegations of bribed meat inspectors shook Brazil's meat industry and prompted several countries to temporarily halt imports.

In a statement, Mr Perdue said that since March, US inspectors have refused entry to 11% of Brazilian fresh beef products.

"That figure is substantially higher than the rejection rate of one percent of shipments from the rest of the world," the statement said.

It said the suspension will remain in place until Brazil's agricultural ministry takes corrective action. The statement did not detail what those actions should be.

The statement noted that Brazil had already addressed concerns of American inspectors by prohibiting five facilities from shipping beef to the US, but said that did not go far enough.

"Today's action to suspend all fresh beef shipments from Brazil supersedes the self-suspension," said the statement.

The office of Brazil's presidency said on Thursday that it had no comment. JBS, a Brazilian company that is the world's largest meat packer, declined to comment.

In March, Brazilian authorities said they were investigating inspectors who allegedly allowed expired meats to enter the market in exchange for bribes.

Several countries, including major importer China, temporarily stopped buying Brazilian meats. After assurances from Brazilian officials, most began buying again within a few weeks.

Still, the episode proved a major embarrassment for a nation that prides itself on its beef and it had a large financial impact at a time when Latin America's biggest economy is struggling to emerge from its worst recession in a generation.

For several weeks, the usual tens of millions of dollars in daily exports slowed to less than 100,000 US dollars, according to Brazilian authorities.

Brazil was the world's largest producer of beef and veal in 2016 and one of the top exporters, according to the US Agriculture Department. The country is also a major exporter of chicken and pork products.

The US is not a major importer of Brazilian beef, since it produces a considerable amount for internal consumption and export, but the decision will create fresh scrutiny on Brazil's meat industry and is sure to be closely watched by European and Asian nations that are major customers.

It is also sure to put added pressure on Brazil's President Michel Temer, who is facing several allegations of corruption and has been battered with calls to resign. Mr Temer, who has strenuously denied any wrongdoing, is currently on a trip to Russia and Norway aimed in part at expanding Brazilian markets, including meat exports.

AP
LAS VEGAS -- Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt on Wednesday announced the indictment of a Nevada and California resident on multiple felony charges involving an alleged immigration fraud scam out of Las Vegas.

Ernesto Gerardo Fernandez-Carranza, 33, of Las Vegas, and Alicia Herrera, formerly known as Alicia Alvarado Lopez, 53, of Oakland, California, were indicted by the Clark County Grand Jury. Charges include three counts of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more, three counts of possession or sale of document or personal identifying information to establish false status or identity, and one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation.

The alleged scam occurred from January 2014 through July 2014.

According to the indictment, Fernandez-Carranza and Herrera falsely promised to provide their clients with lawful United States visas. They are accused of collecting thousands of dollars from their clients and providing them with fraudulent immigration documents.

Our immigrant community should be protected from exploitation by unscrupulous fraudsters, said Laxalt. My office will continue to safeguard the integrity of the legal immigration system and prosecute those seeking to undermine it.

Individuals seeking information or assistance with residency and citizenship are urged to use licensed attorneys that are confirmed by the State Bar or accredited representatives and recognized organizations authorized by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with assistance from the Attorney Generals Fraud Unit. The Office of the Nevada Attorney Generals Fraud Unit is prosecuting.
New Delhi/Islambabad, June 23 (IBNS): Responding to the Pakistan claim of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav's clemency petition, the Ministry of External Affairs has described it as 'farcical.'

The reaction from India follows Islambad's claim that Jadhav, a former Indian naval officer arrested allegedly for spying, has reportedly filed a mercy petition before the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in Pakistan and has allegedly "admitted his involvement in espionage".

However, India dismissed the Pak claim on Thursday night and said that it expects Pakistan to desist from attempting to influence the proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case through false propaganda.

The developments bring out once again the lack of transparency and farcical nature of proceedings against Jadhav on concocted charges, continued violation of his legal and consular rights and an attempt to introduce prejudice in the proceedings in the ICJ, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

Manufactured facts cannot alter the reality, and do not detract from the fact that Pakistan is in violation of its international obligation to India and Jadhav. We expect Pakistan to abide by the order of ICJ staying Jadhavs execution and desist from attempting to influence the ICJ proceedings through false propaganda, Baglay said.

India says it is still being denied consular access to Jadhav-an issue it raised with the international court, while fighting against his death penalty.

Earlier, a statement by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), media wing of Pakistan Army had said Jadhavs earlier plea to the military appellate court was rejected, forcing him to appeal before the COAS.

"Commander Jadhav has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions. Seeking forgiveness for his actions, he has requested the COAS to spare his life on compassionate grounds," reads the mercy plea, according to the ISPR statement.

If Jadhav's mercy plea is rejected by Pakistani COAS, then the last resort available to him would be to appeal to the President of Pakistan.

The press release says it is the second confessional video of Jadhav, where he is seen "accepting his acts of terrorism and espionage."




Guwahati, June 23 (IBNS) : Security forces on Friday morning apprehended six hardcore militants, including a ULFA (I) member, from the area along Meghalaya-Bangladesh border.

Assam police ADGP (Special Branch) Pallav Bhattacharya said following intelligence input, Assam police with the help of Meghalaya police and other security agencies, jointly launched operation along the international border with Bangladesh near Dawki and nabbed the militants.

"Intelligence Bureau (IB) informed us about movement of a militant group comprising by ULFA (I) and NDFB (S) at International bordering area. Following IB input, a team of Assam police had camped at the area to vigil the militants movement," Bhattacharya said.

The top Assam cops said security personnel apprehended six militants of the group from the area on Friday morning.

Among the nabbed militants, five are belonging to NDFB (S) and rest one to ULFA (I).

Meanwhile, a top source said that, huge cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered in possession from them.

he source said two top leaders of the outfit groups are included among them.

Several militants groups of North East India including ULFA (I), NDFB (S), Garo outfit GNLA are active along the bordering areas with Bangladesh and these outlawed groups set up few camps on the soil of the neighbouring county.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
New York, Jun 23 (JEN): The past three years of intensifying conflict in Iraq have left the country's children trapped in a grinding cycle of violence and poverty, an assessment out on Thursday by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned, calling on the warring parties to immediately end hostilities.

Across Iraq, children continue to witness sheer horror and unimaginable violence, said Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Representative in the country, in a statement on the launch of the new assessment.

Entitled Nowhere to Go, the assessment underscores that more than five million children in the country are in need of urgent humanitarian aid.

They have been killed, injured, abducted and forced to shoot and kill in one of the most brutal wars in recent history, Mr. Hawkins emphasized.

In west Mosul, children are being deliberately targeted and killed to punish families and deter them from fleeing the violence. In less than two months, at least 23 children have been killed and 123 have been injured in that part of the city alone, according to UNICEF.

Among others, the assessment on Iraq outlines that since 2014:

1,075 children have been killed, 152 in the first six months of this year;

1,130 have been maimed and injured, 255 in the first six months of 2017; and

More than 4,650 have been separated from their families.

In addition, over the same three-year period, there have been 138 attacks on schools and 58 on hospitals; over three million children miss school on a regular basis while 1.2 million are out of school; and one in every four children comes from a poor household.

For nearly four decades, Iraq has faced violence, war, sanctions and instability. But in the last three years alone, conflict has displaced three million people  half of them children. Many parts of the country were turned into war zones with civilian infrastructure severely damaged or destroyed. Half of all schools in Iraq are now in need of repairs.

As life opportunities for children dwindle, UNICEF continues to respond to their growing needs and those of their families.

Pointing out that all warring parties owe it to the children of Iraq to end the violence, UNICEF is appealing for an immediate end to the conflict. The agency is also calling for all children affected by the crisis to have access to unimpeded and sustained humanitarian assistance and basic services; and for children in detention to have access to legal protection and services in line with international standards of juvenile detention.

UNICEF also requesting an end to all grave violations against children  including killing, maiming and recruitment  and an end to attacks on civilian infrastructure; freedom for all families to move, should they wish to flee or return to home; and increased investments to improve the quality of education, healthcare and protection services for all children.

Finally, the agency called for sustained humanitarian contributions, noting its funding gap of $100 million for lifesaving emergency operations in Iraq and to support children returning home to resume their lives.



Image: UNICEF/Khuzaie
Islamabad, June 23 (IBNS): Twin blasts rocked Pakistan's densely populated area of Kurram Agency's Parachinar city on Friday, killing at least 25 people, media reports said.

At least 25 people are feared dead and over 100 injured after two subsequent explosions hit a densely populated area of Kurram Agency's Parachinar city Friday evening, local political administration officials told DawnNews.

A suicide blast that shook Shuhada Chowk in Quetta's Gulistan Road area earlier in the dame day which left at least 13 people killed.

Meanwhile, rescue operation is currently going on in Parachinar.

The injured people were rushed to hospital for treatment.

The two blasts reportedly hit Turi Market near Tal Adda.

The nature of the explosions are not known so far.

The area was supposedly crowded during the blasts as people were busy marketing for Ramzan and Eid.

The area has been cordoned off.
Image: Screen Grab from www.twitter.com

Toronto, June 22 (IBNS): Sunrise ceremony and the permanent installation of indigenous flags on Nathan Phillips Square at Toronto City Hall were part of The City of Toronto (which includes Toronto and its adjoining cities)as celebration of the 22nd annual National Aboriginal Day on Wednesday.



In 2009, June was declared National Aboriginal History Month following the passing of a unanimous motion in the House of Commons.

During the month of June and on June 21 every year, many indigenous people and communities celebrate their culture and heritage to recognize the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.

Wednesday's ceremony, which started at 5:30 am on Nathan Phillips Square, was attended by approximately 200 people includingindigenous leaders and community members, members of City Council the public and City staff.

The Sunrise Ceremony was inaugurated by Steve Teekens, Executive Director of NaMeRes and his helper Oshkaabewis.

This was followed by a permanent commemorative installation of indigenous flags including Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Six Nations, Huron-Wendat, Metis and Inuit.

Today, Toronto joins cities across Canada in celebrating National Aboriginal Day, said Toronto Mayor John Tory. "As part of our recognition of the unique history, culture and significant contributions of Indigenous Peoples, we are proud to unfurl five permanent Indigenous flags here at Nathan Phillips Square."

During the breakfast reception following the ceremony, Andrea Chrisjohn, Executive Director of Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, delivered his presentation called Restoration of Identity, which is part of the Residential School Survivor Legacy Project.

The Restoration of Identity included an installation of a commemorative statue of a Turtle, as specified in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action (Call to Action #82, available at http://bit.ly/1ETcJ8g).

Proclamation for National Aboriginal Day in Toronto was then read by Mayor John Tory and presented it to Chrisjohn.

It was followed by an addition of a stencilled chalk drawing to the Moccasin Identifier Project by the participants, on the podium roof ramp leading onto Nathan Phillips Square.

The moccasin markers are a reminder of Toronto City Halls pledge to follow traditional territory of indigenous people.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Officials ordered more evacuations in Utah communities near a wildfire thats burned 13 homes and eight outbuildings.

Fire spokeswoman Erin Darboven said residents and visitors in two communities and a campground were told to leave Friday after the fire burning near the ski town of Brian Head doubled in size overnight.

Darboven said Brian Head along with half a dozen small mountain communities and several campgrounds are all under evacuation orders.

Darboven did not know how many homes were evacuated or the number of residents who fled.

Fire officials say hundreds of people have been out of their homes since the fire ignited Saturday.

Authorities say one home was burned on Saturday when the fire was started by someone using a torch to burn weeds.

The fire has quickly spread toward Panguitch Lake in the past two days amid high winds and hot temperatures. It has charred 43 square miles.

In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency to get additional funds to fight wildfires.

In the past two months, Arizona has had more than a dozen large wildfires.

Fridays declaration issues a state of emergency until additional funds are made available at the start of the new fiscal year beginning July 1.

It authorizes $200,000 of emergency funds and requests that the State Emergency Council, made up of state and legislative officials, provide the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management additional resources as needed.

Meanwhile, increasing fire danger has prompted officials to impose fire restrictions on the nations largest American Indian reservation.

Navajo Nation leaders and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs announced the restrictions this week, prohibiting fireworks as well as campfires outside of developed sites. The Navajo Nation spans more than 27,400 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) in parts of New Mexico, Arizona and southeastern Utah.

Navajo President Russell Begaye says his executive order is not meant to restrict residents but to prevent human-caused fires and protect people and their property.

Officials said ceremonial fires will be permitted as long a tribal burn registration is obtained.

The tribe is the latest in the Southwest to impose restrictions as forests around the region have already done so as wildfires burn and hot, dry conditions persist.

Navajo officials say they will reconsider the restrictions once conditions improve.
The good thing about this film is that it brings forward the ugly face of bullying. One, when developmentally challenged Laxman (Salman Khan) is targeted by his classmates and others, and another in the form of a racist attack on Chinese born Indian Lou Ling (played by chinese actress Zhu Zhu) and her family.

youtube/screen grab

But that's about it. Sadly, this could have been a poignant story of an 'abnormal', bullied lead man finding his foothold with 'miracles' that he creates through his strong belief. Instead, we get a crushingly boring narrative that seems to go nowhere, even when trying too hard to take off.

youtube/screen grab

In a role meant to be played by a ten-year-old boy, Salman Khan is terribly miscast. Moreover, not using any of Khan's roguish charm, the director (Kabir Khan) tries eking out an impossible performance out of him. And that doesn't work. Khan is endearing at points, but for the most part, his antics are unbearable and exhausting. Some scenes are clearly designed to melt your hearts, but they end up making you want to yawn.

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Laxman is pining for his soldier brother Bharat (Sohail Khan), who's been sent off to fight the Indo-China war. Laxman is not so bright, (hence nicknamed Tubelight), but there is one lesson that for some reason that for some reason everyone he comes across wants to drill into him. 'Yakeen rakho'. His faith is what is expected to move mountains and it kind of manages to do it too. In the meanwhile, Laxman gets close to a boy of Chinese origins, Guava (Matin Rey Tengu).

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The rest of the cast is terrific. Zhu Zhu does the best of the limited scope that she has. One wishes to see more of the angelic faced naturally talented Matin. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub is so good that one can't take eyes off him, even in scenes where he's standing next to Salman Khan. Om Puri's performance as the kind old man of the village reiterates what a loss his demise is to the industry.

One expected far better from this team which gave us the delightful and touching Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the last time it came together.
On June 5, Indias space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), successfully launched its most powerful homegrown rocket  a spacecraft the country hopes will carry humans to space.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III rocket lifted off from the Sriharikota space launch centre, an island off the coast of south-east Andhra Pradesh state, and placed GSAT-19, the heaviest communications satellite weighing 3,136-kg, into orbit around 16 minutes after its launch.

When GSLV-Mk III pierced through the sky after its launch, the rocket finally broke ISROs malediction of failing to achieve success in maiden rocket launches.

With this feat, India entered the global market of heavy payload launches. India had so far relied on European space agencies to send heavy satellites into space.

The foreign media has been chronicling Indias success in space for over the years. The launch of the heaviest rocket which also paved the way to carry humans into space was also celebrated across global media outlets.

AFP

BBC hailed the launch calling it a Monster rocket. Highlighting the importance of rocket launch for India, the BBC report said, The launch has been euphoric, and often colourful, with websites comparing the rocket to the weight of 200 elephants, or five jumbo jets.

It further read, Such comparisons highlight the importance of the launch for the country, which is aggressively competing to get a bigger share of the global commercial satellite launch market.

In the spirit of finding fun facts, the BBC also did some research on the height of the rocket and found that it's taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The rocket is 43m (141ft) tall, while the statue stands at 33.83m, minus the pedestal foundation.

The New York Times ran a simple agency copy from the Associated Press headlined - India Hopes New Rocket Can Carry Humans Into Space.

NYT, in the past, has mocked India at many occasions. In 2014, when India stormed into the elite space club with Mangalyaan mission, the NYT published this cartoon:

The New York Times

The cartoon garnered heavy criticism and the publication was forced to issue an apology.

In February 2016, when India launched record 104 satellites into space, The Times Of India published this epic cartoon:

The Times Of India

Chinese publishing house Global Times applauded Indias master stroke in space calling it a milestone for the homegrown space program.

Pakistans leading newspaper The Dawn also covered the launch of the heaviest satellite by India.

ISRO had faced several setbacks since 1970s when it started developing technology to launch satellites.

The successful launch of GSLV Mk III, which cost 300 crores, ISRO has set the stage for a manned mission. With the development and launch of this advanced homegrown engine, India has joined the elite club of nations -US, European Space Agency, Russia, China and Japan, which have mastered the cryogenic engine technology'.
For the second time in a decade, Kawal Tiger Reserve, one of the two such sanctuaries in Telangana, has gone "tigerless" with forest department officials having no clue about what happened to the two big cats that had migrated from the forests in Maharashtra in 2015.

ap/representational image

After barely a year in the reserve, the tigers  a male and a female  went missing around November last year.

The two migrant Tigers had raised hopes for the reserve which had last recorded the presence of big cats in 2012. There were, however, some unconfirmed reports of the presence of a tiger in 2013.

bccl/representational image

A large portion of the 2,015 sq km Kawal Tiger Reserve falls in Adilabad, forest minister Jogu Ramanna's Assembly constituency. Despite this, several tracts of the forest have been encroached upon with the government not taking any steps to clear them, said sources. It is also reliably learnt that the reserve is one of the areas where people continue to lay electrified wire traps to kill wild animals.

The reserve's field director, C Saravanan, when asked about the missing tigers, said it was possible that the tigers returned to where they came from due to cattle and human disturbances. However, conservationists working in the area for the past many years were dismissive of the "tigers returned home" theory.

bccl/representational image

"They are not like some species of birds that migrate every year. Tigers move in search of new territories.. they come into Telangana because of overcrowding in the tiger reserves in Maharashtra," one of them said.

This is not the first time that tigers have gone missing from the erstwhile unified Adilabad district. Since 1996, 18 tigers disappeared from the district, sources said.
Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) attacked Army's patrol party along LoC in Poonch, on Tuesday resulting in the death of two soldiers. One of the attackers was injured in the Indian retaliatory action and his body was extricated under the cover of heavy firing by the Pakistani troops from their posts across the LoC, an Army official said.

The slain soldiers have been identified as 34-year-old Naik Sandip Sarjerao Jadhav and 24-year-old Sepoy Savan Balku Mane, both from Maharashtra, and serving with the 15 Maratha Light Infantry.

"The attempt to intrude was foiled today at 14:00 hrs by our vigilant jawans. This was BAT's third attempt this year in the area," Jammu-based defence spokesperson said, adding, "Unfortunately, our two brave jawans were martyred during a heavy exchange of fire."

He also said that one armed intruder has been gunned down by the Army patrol team.

PTI

The Border Action Team (BAT), which generally comprises special forces of the Pakistan Army and some terrorists have in the past too carried out attacks on Indian troops along the LoC.

They have also been blamed for mutilating and beheading Indian soldiers.
Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced government's plan to develop 100 Indian cities into 'smart cities', there has been much anticipation about what the future of these cities will look like. People are looking towards various international cities and hoping their neigbhourhoods, financial hubs and chilling places will look like them. So, what does a "smart city mean? Is it just a stretch of imagination or a realistic future for the Indian cities?

Flickr

The concept of a smart city stems from rural to urban migration  as more and more people find their way to a few select metropolitan cities, more need to be built and developed because cities like London, New Delhi, San Francisco, Paris, and Madrid among other, wont soon be able to take the load of large number of people.

The major world cities that exist today werent built with such a huge population in mind and are crumbling under an overload of people.

According to Allianz, in 1951, the urban population in India was 62 million people, 17% of the total population. By 2011, the urban population was 377 million, or 31%. By 2025, 42.5% of the population will be urban.

Metropolitan cities are facing numerous massive challenges such as traffic congestion, clean water, electricity, overcrowding and pollution so smart cities are being developed to meet these challenges head on.

Unsplash

Renato de Castro, Senior consultant for smart cities projects and internationalisation strategies, says, Smart city is a place where you experience broad conspiracy that seems deliberately articulated to make your life better.

What Renato is trying to say in this rather abstract sentence is that smartness of a city derives its meaning from making the life of an average citizen better.

Another definition offered is by The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) who have together developed an international definition for Smart Sustainable Cities (SSC) as: A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental as well as cultural aspects.

Unsplash

Indias Ministry of Urban Development has defined smart cities and admitted that Indias concept of a smart city will greatly differ from that of a European city, for example because the challenges are vastly different.

The ministry states on the website, The conceptualisation of Smart City varies from city to city and country to country, depending on the level of development, willingness to change and reform, resources and aspirations of the city residents.

And while it also states that arriving at a definition of a smart city is a challenge task in itself, it does give some guidelines on the purpose of smart cities as:

to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local area development and harnessing technology, especially technology that leads to smart outcomes. Area based development will transform existing areas (retrofit and redevelop), including slums, into better planned ones, thereby improving liveability of the whole City. New areas (greenfield) will be developed around cities in order to accommodate the expanding population in urban areas. Application of smart solutions will enable cities to use technology, information and data to improve infrastructure and services. Comprehensive development in this way will improve quality of life, create employment and enhance incomes for all, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, leading to inclusive cities.

Unsplash

On the surface, the concept seems to just promote infrastructural changes but a smart city extends beyond the boundaries of WiFi, modern building and swanky roads. A city will truly become smart when it has the following elements:

1. Adequate water supply

2. Assured electricity supply

3. Sanitation, including solid waste management

4. Efficient urban mobility and public transport

5. Affordable housing, especially for the poor

6. Robust IT connectivity and digitisation

7. Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation

8. Sustainable environment

9. Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly

10. Health and education

Juniper Research, a UK marketing research firm, gave its ranking of the top five smart cities in the world based on some factors such as, including their adoption of smart grid technologies, intelligent lighting, the use of information technology to improve traffic, Wi-Fi access points, smartphone penetration, and the app landscape and crowned Singapore with the number one spot.

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Steffen Sorrell, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research, said Singapore won number one place because of its smart mobility policies and technology, smart parking spaces and ease of traffic among other reason. He said, Singapore is undoubtedly the world leader when we look at transport network. Wall Street Journal also attributed Singapores smartness to cleanliness of public spaces. Others on Juniper Researchs list included Spain Barcelona, UKs London, Americas San Francisco and Norways Oslo.

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Indias Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has a list of 100 cities in his ambitious smart city mission, which he wants to develop over the next five years. Some of the cities on the list are Pune, Nagpur, Benares Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Visakhapatnam and the rest.

The First Sm@rt Cities Council curated a list of the Top 20 most promising smart cities in India based on a few variables: Dr Amit Agrawal, Municipal Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Faridabad pegged a citys promise on the citys location and connectivity, while opportunity for recreation, employment and education make a good city according to Vikas Gupta, Municipal Commissioner, Gurgaon Municipal Corporation. Visakhapatnam, Surat, Faridabad and Thane are some of the cities that proved most promising for the council.

Unsplash

In order to implement its smart city vision, India is collaborating with a number of countries such as Sweden, UK, China, Japan and Australia for both funding as well as to learn lessons on smart city processes. Sweden will be offering its expertise on waste management, optimum usage of energy, digital urban land management and urban transportation. It will also work with India on women empowerment and self-sustainable living.

From Japan, India is going to understand how to make its cities modern while holding on to its heritage and cultural identity.

Creating smart cities is definitely an ambitious project, more so, if PM Modi wants to accomplish it in five years.

But its the only way forward as population increases as does rural to urban migration. The hope is that down the line, more and more Indian cities will be able to integrate people with technology and infrastructure and create equal work opportunities for all in a safe and inclusive environment.
University student Asena Melisa Saglam boarded a local bus in Turkey only to become a victim of religious fanaticism. Saglam who was wearing mini shorts, enocuntered a stanger in the bus who fumbled something under his breath, but chose to ignore him.

Twitter Sceenshot

When the bus halted to a stop, the man seated behind, suddenly attacked Saglam in the face. He slapped her so the side of her jaw hit the bus window.

Shocked by the assault, she tried to retaliate, only to get pushed, dailyshoved and beaten again, before the man, hopped off the bus and escaped.

According to AFP, Saglam said that throughout the journey the man had been verbally harassing her by saying she should not be wearing shorts during Ramadan.

In the video that has now gone viral, one co-passenger got up to help the woman, visibly shaken by what had happened.

Istanbul Pendik'te sort giydigi icin 21 yasndaki Asena Melisa Saglam' minibuste darp eden saldrgann goruntuleri ortaya ckt. pic.twitter.com/7rn7BWDVlK  Haberler (@Haberler) 21 June 2017

Saglam, 21, was quoted by the HurrDailyas saying, "From the moment, I sat down he was making these remarks 'you dress like this during Ramadan? You should feel ashamed to be dressed like that'."

Twitter/@KadinCinayeti

Reports state that the man, while being questioned, simply said that, Saglam's shorts 'provoked' him as he considered it an insult to the holy month of Ramadan.

The man was then let free, causing an uproar among women rights activists across Turkey. "The release of the attacker is a threat to all women," the women's rights organisation We Will Stop Femicide Platform wrote on Twitter.

Yet another woman was attacked in Turkey for wearing short shorts!!!! https://t.co/Ba6aLed8sa  FEMEN Turkey (@FEMEN_Turkey) 21 June 2017

"We will wear whatever we want outside. We will not give up our freedoms," it read.

Following the outcry, an order was given to re-arrest the man. It later emerged that he had been held in jail since Sunday on separate accusations of committing a tax crime and is also wanted for drugs offences.

According to AFP, violence against women in Turkey has touched new levels, 173 women were murdered in the first five months of 2017 and 328 for the whole of 2016. The statistics are apalling to say the least. Where is humanity headed to?
In the end, Zuckerberg's just another nerd that wants the world to be happy through the power of technology.

Over the past six months, Mark Zuckerberg has been touring the United States, visiting with various community and industry leaders outside of tech. Its even sparked rumours that the Facebook CEO was preparing to run for office, but that turns out to be not the case.

Just yesterday, the company unveiled its new mission statement at a Facebook Community Summit in Chicago. Where the original motto was Making the world more open and connected, now Facebook says its mission is to To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.

The new mission statement is a result of Zuckerbergs recent introspection into not only the companys future, but also how it affects the real world around it as a content and connection medium. For a while now, Facebook has moved away from its image as a place for status updates and photos, instead gaining more ground as a source of news, community outreach, and online discussions.

Part of this new avatar is influenced by last years debacle during the US presidential elections. Many criticised Facebook for not cracking down effectively on fake news, which may have aligned voters in one candidates camp. Still others pointed fingers at the social networks algorithm, that tends to trap users in their own social bubble, by surfacing content that already agrees with their views, instead of promoting counterpoints equally. Then of course theres also the recent spate of violence and suicides being livestreamed on the platform, raising questions regarding its censorship efforts.

Zuckerberg now believes Facebooks task is not to just connect people, but help them build an effective social infrastructure in the digital sphere. Part of those efforts are directed at Facebooks Groups feature as the first step in community-building. More than 1 billion people around the world use Groups, and more than 100 million people are members of meaningful groups, the company said in a blog post. These are groups that quickly become the most important part of someones experience on Facebook. Today were setting a goal to help 1 billion people join meaningful communities like these.

Facebooks first task is to work to help group admins be more effective on the social network. The company is now offering them access to real-time metrics around growth, engagement and membership, as well as more ways to sort and filter membership requests on common categories like gender and location, to make the job go quicker. Admins also now have an easier way to remove trolls from a group, as well as any content they may have created. Another feature being tested is group to group linking; which allows group admins to recommend similar or related groups to their members, to help bring sub-communities closer together.
We all feel proud whenever ISRO successfully launches a rocket into space -- like it did recently -- the GSLV Mk3, Indian space agency's heaviest rocket till date.

ISRO

But once the spectacle of rocket launch is over, we all forget about the real deal  the payload. Launched into space in an orbit around the earth, it goes about its job silently. But what we dont realise is how important these payloads really are.

So heres a handy illustration of the most important recent ISRO missions, where they are and what they are doing.
Our understanding or robots is either they're cute toys, like Wall-e, or monsters of mayhem, like in Transformers. But researchers in South Korea are developing a new kind of soft robot, that redefines what robotics means and how robots will look like.

Wei Wang/Royal Society of Chemistry

A team comprised of engineers from Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University, led by Wei Wang are trying to perfect the DeployBots as theyre called to eventually deploy them on space missions.

The key difference here is that motorised robots have more endurance and durability, being constructed of metal and 3D printed parts, and are capable of lifting and moving somewhat heavy loads. Soft robots, meanwhile have better maneuverability owing to their construction.

DeployBot is a modular robot that use a unique shape memory alloy to move instead of motors. Not only does this mean the robot can be compressed and folded, but when an electric current is applied the body reshapes itself in such a way as to mimic how legs move, thus propelling itself forward.

The DeployBot also has a low mass, making it easier to transport, and is relatively cheap to build and operate. The materials used also make it less susceptible to complications a hard robot might face while exploring in space, or even underwater  a goal thats actually easier to reach.
This years guest nation at Vinexpo, one of the worlds leading wine fairs, was Spain. In the French city of Bordeaux, around 100 Spanish wineries attended the four-day biannual event  which ended on Wednesday  along with more than 2,300 other producers from 40 countries around the world.

Being such close neighbors, Spain has always had an important presence here, says Guillaume Deglise, the trade fairs general director, adding: But this year we wanted to focus more in-depth on Spanish wines.

In Spain the link between wine and gastronomy is even stronger than in France Trade fair director Guillaume Deglise

Deglise highlights the diversity, tradition and contemporary language of Spains wineries: There is a lot of creativity, in terms of wine-making and marketing and labeling. Whats more, in Spain there is an intimate link between wine and gastronomy that is even stronger than in France.

One of the highlights of Vinexpo was A Taste of Spain, organized on Monday in conjunction with the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine: it was the largest ever tasting of Spanish wines outside Spain.

Spanish chefs Jose Andres and Ferran Adria at 'A taste of Spain.' Joanna Margan

Along with many of the countrys finest wines, a team of 12 chefs, led by Spanish celebrities Ferran Adria and Jose Andres, was on hand to prepare dishes to accompany the tasting. In the 1970s, France was the role model to follow, it was an inspiration. Now, after many years of hard work, Spain has improved in all aspects: it has positioned itself as a global gastronomic benchmark. And wines are closely linked to food, says Jose Andres, who owns a restaurant chain in the US.

In the last five years, Spanish wine exports have increased by 43% in terms of volume, and have seen a 21% rise in sales. Spain exports more than anybody else, but it is third in terms of earnings, says Rafael Rey, who heads Spains Wine Market Observatory. He explains that the country sells huge amounts of wine wholesale. This is one of Spains strong points, but at the same time, one of its weak spots: wines are cheap, giving the country an unbeatable price-quality ratio.

We dont produce enough wines that sell at good prices, says Pedro Ballesteros, Spains only Master of Wine, belonging to an institute made up of 340 members from 28 countries. At the same time, he says the country should do more to promote the many different types of wines it produces: Spain has a huge variety that has been overshadowed by the regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Rioja.

A wine tasting at this year's Vinexpo in Bordeaux. REGIS DUVIGNAU (REUTERS)

Lafou Celler is a winery from Tarragona, in Spains northeastern Catalonia region, that attended Vinexpo this week. This is not the first time the company has come here. We have returned because we were here in 2015 and we did a lot of business, says the winerys manager, Ramon Roquetas. Whats more, this was a special year, he adds, noting: We cant always rely on the support that being from the guest country provides.

English version by Nick Lyne.
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German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was the target of sharp opposition criticism in theon Thursday during debate over the Greek issue , with the Christian Democrats, on their part, making timid statements over the prospect of debt relief for the country.
At FBI, Mueller Oversaw Post-9/11 Abuses



The U.S. mainstream media gushes over Russia-gate special prosecutor Robert Mueller as an upright man of the Establishment, ignoring how he oversaw abuses of innocent Arabs after 9/11, reports Jonathan Marshall.



By Jonathan Marshall

June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Robert Mueller III, the former FBI director who now heads the wide-ranging investigation into alleged misdeeds by President Trump and his associates, just dodged a major legal bullet himself. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court gave him and other former senior Bush administration officials legal immunity for the vicious abuses committed against more than 700 foreigners who were rounded up with little or no cause after the 9/11 attacks.

The court ruled 4-2, nearly 16 years after the fact, that national security trumps civil liberties and that however unfounded the arrests, or intolerable their treatment, the detainees had no right to sue senior federal officials for damages.

Punting to Congress, a branch of government rarely known for its defense of individual rights, the court declared, The proper balance in situations like this, between deterring constitutional violations and freeing high officials to make the lawful decisions necessary to protect the Nation in times of great peril, is one for the Congress to undertake, not the Judiciary.

Although the climate of fear that followed 9/11 has eased a bit, the decision is highly relevant in the Trump era because the abused victims were all immigrants who had overstayed their visas. If the FBI had any question about the arrestees, it designated them of interest and ordered them held until cleared  in other words, guilty until proven innocent.

Dozens of the hapless victims were held at the Administrative Maximum Special Housing Unit in Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), which was the subject of two scathing reports by the Bush Justice Departments own Inspector General in 2003. Besides documenting a wide range of abuses, the reports concluded that staff members brazenly lied about the rough treatment they meted out.

Appalling Abuses

News accounts of the Supreme Court decision made only brief reference to that treatment. Yet the appalling story can be glimpsed from this summary of facts provided in 2013 by U.S. District Judge John Gleeson:

The harsh confinement policy was expressly directed at Arab and Muslim noncitizens who had violated immigration laws . . . In other words, it was discriminatory on its face. . .

They were confined in tiny cells for over 23 hours a day, provided with meager and barely edible food, and prohibited from moving around the unit . . . (or) keeping any property, including personal hygiene items like toilet paper and soap, in their cells. Whenever they left their cells, they were handcuffed and shackled. . . (D)etainees . . . were often physically abused along the way, and were sometimes left for hours in the cold recreation cell, over their protests, as a form of punishment. . . .

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Detainees also were denied sleep. Bright lights were kept on . . . for 24 hours a day . . . and staff at the MDC made a practice of banging on the MDC Detainees cell doors and engaging in other conduct designed to keep them from sleeping. They also conducted inmate counts at midnight, 3:00 a.m., and 5:00 a.m. . . . One of the officers walked by about every 15 minutes throughout the night, kicked the doors to wake up the detainees, and yelled things such as, Motherfuckers, Assholes, and Welcome to America.

The MDC Detainees also were subjected to frequent physical and verbal abuse . . . The physical abuse included slamming the MDC Detainees into walls; bending or twisting their arms, hands, wrists, and fingers; lifting them off the ground by their arms; pulling on their arms and handcuffs; stepping on their leg restraints; restraining them with handcuffs and/or shackles even while in their cells; and handling them in other rough and inappropriate ways. The use of such force was unnecessary because the MDC Detainees were always fully compliant with orders . . . The verbal abuse included referring to the MDC Detainees as terrorists and other offensive names, threatening them with violence, cursing at them, (and) insulting their religion . . .

(Detainees) . . . were subjected to unreasonable and punitive strip-searches. . . Female officers were often present during the strip-searches; the strip-searches were regularly videotaped in their entirety . . . and MDC officers routinely laughed and made inappropriate sexual comments during the strip-searches.

Officers at the MDC . . . also interfered with the Detainees ability to practice and observe their Muslim faith. . . In addition, most of the MDC Detainees were held incommunicado during the first weeks of their detention. MDC staff repeatedly turned away everyone, including lawyers and relatives, who came to the MDC looking for the MDC Detainees, and thus the MDC Detainees had neither legal nor social visits during this period.

An Abu Ghraib in Brooklyn

Though not at the level of brutality of water boarding and some of the beatings associated with secret CIA detention centers, these MDC abuses had some similarities to the humiliation and mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq  and the abuses were taking place right in the heart of New York City. Plus, unlike some of the CIAs torture victims, these detainees had nothing to do with terrorist plots; some were never even questioned by the FBI after their arrest.

Yet senior FBI and Justice Department officials were complicit in the abuse. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2015 ruling that the lawsuit could proceed, cited evidence that two of the defendants, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Mueller, met regularly with a small group of government officials in Washington, D.C., and mapped out ways to exert maximum pressure on the individuals arrested in connection with the terrorism investigation.

They discussed and decided upon a strategy to restrict the 9/11 detainees ability to contact the outside world and delay their immigration hearings. The group also decided to spread the word among law enforcement personnel that the 9/11 detainees were suspected terrorists[] . . . and that they needed to be encouraged in any way possible to cooperate. And it was the FBI that recommended housing the detainees in the maximum security facility where their rights were sure to be abused.

Such official misconduct and brutality constitutes a stain on this nations honor. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, said Nothing in this opinion should be read to condone the treatment to which the (plaintiffs) contend they were subjected.

A Terrible Precedent

But the courts decision to protect high-level federal officials who made that treatment possible sets a terrible precedent. As the American Civil Liberties Union warned , it would effectively immunize tens of thousands of federal officers . . . from damages, no matter how egregious the officers conduct. Indeed, [it] would effectively immunize federal officers from damages liability even for torture, so long as the torture arises in a context involving national security or noncitizens.

Citing such egregious precedents as the Alien and Sedition Acts, the wholesale suppression of civil liberties during World War I, and the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II, a dissenting Justice Stephen Breyer insisted that the Court had an obligation to defend fundamental constitutional rights.

History tells us of far too many instances where the Executive or Legislative Branch took actions during time of war that, on later examination, turned out unnecessarily and unreasonably to have deprived American citizens of basic constitutional rights, he wrote. With the latest court ruling, that dark history is sure to be repeated.

[For more on the real Robert Mueller, see Consortiumnews.coms  Russia-gates Mythical Heroes. ]

See also - Psychologists Open a Window on Brutal C.I.A. Interrogations: NYT
An amazing expensive hotel

Les Cols Pavellons (Olot, Girona). Double room: 340

It is categorized as a boarding house, but Les Cols Pavellons (Avenida de les Cols, s/n; +34 699 81 38 17), in Olot, Girona (a province in the northeastern region of Catalonia), is an establishment that boasts among the highest average prices in Spain. And this year, it received the top international distinction for its design: the Pritzker, which is considered to be the Nobel Prize of architecture. The award was accepted by RCR Arquitectes, which comprises the talents of architects Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta.

Mattresses appear and disappear. They are opened and closed. The guest decides

When Judit Planella started the project, she never imagined that it would reach such heights in these beautiful glass structures that now constitute not just her home, but the home of hundreds of travelers arriving from all parts of the world. But still, it was clear in her mind that hospitality is not limited to the physical necessities of lodging, but to a psychological experience of the senses. She pursued a unique objective, an approach to the concept of the nowhere place. And she obtained from the now award-winning architects an ethereal fantasy of beauty between glass. Judit describes it with these poetic words: To be alone before the night and the emptiness, a refugee between walls, where opacity and the reflections of glass blend in a dialogue of lights and water, so that you regain a sense of nature that we believed to have been forgotten.

Location

One of the peculiarities of this accommodation is its paradoxical placement: inside the industrial complex of Olot  because it is considerably easier to build a luxury hotel against magnificent scenery like the Volcanic Zone of La Garrotxa, for example. But to do it between factories, as Judit and her collaborators have done, requires tremendous talent.

Beds

They do not exist. Les Cols is a nowhere place. Over the surface of transparent glass float emerald-colored mattresses that can be transformed into sofas, carpets, or beds. They appear and disappear. They are opened and closed. The guest decides. And at night, they can be folded back up so that you can lie back and gaze at the moon.

Breakfast

Nor is there a breakfast room in this nowhere place. The guests are not directed to the first meal of the day, but rather, the meal comes to them. The hostess serves them in the glass rooms at the agreed hour. Local products are made especially for the hotel, treating guests to aromas and flavors in a concert of the senses with a soul of glass.

The Venta de Ulzama, in Navarre.

And a charming, affordable hotel

Venta de Ulzama (Ulzama, Navarre). Double room: 70

Many readers will remember that winding road across the Belate mountain pass, between the cities of Pamplona and San Sebastian, which used to be packed with trucks. The trip took so long that no one could avoid a stop at the Venta de Ulzama.

On such a journey, the asphalt would give way to the lush, green landscape of Navarre, where awaiting the traveler was the hospitality of the Diez de Ulzurrun family, which is now represented by its fourth generation, Felisa Goni and her daughter-in-law Inma Berberena.

The highway tunnel now avoids the ascent through the mountain, and with it, the inn has been left isolated in a forest of beech trees. But homeliness, attention to detail and good food still captivate the traveler in search of solitude. The hostesses ensure it with elegant discretion. Remnants of the old inn permeate the air as one walks up the stairs. A first floor, then another. Room 206 is perhaps the most charming, with its wooden headboards, exposed beams, and small windows. If the weather permits, there is nothing like engrossing yourself on the porch with some Patxaran liquor. As soon as it gets quiet, a herd of 20 deer owned by the inn will leave the thicket to seek amusement in the field.

Location

To spend the night in the middle of snowfall like that which regularly falls on this mountainous area in Navarre is an unforgettable experience. And in the summer, the facade exhibits balconies lined with geraniums.

Beds

The continued refurbishments have left the inn in a current condition that cannot be criticized. Especially satisfactory is the double bed of Room 103, from which one can admire the forest of trees that enshrine this rustic home.

Breakfast

In the basement of the inn, one can find an authentic factory of milk curds. This cuajada, a typical dish on many Basque tables, is the star of the menu here and will be served at dessert and breakfast. Made with the same hot stones that were used more than a century ago, the artisanal curd is famed for being the best in Navarre. Especially if Mrs Goni is putting the pot on your table.

English version by Henry Hahn.
Memo to America: You Should Be Terrified of World War III

By Ryan Cooper

June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Open conflict between Russia and the United States is heating up in Syria . After American forces shot down a Syrian fighter jet, Russia suspended use of an Obama-era communications line used to prevent collisions and conflict, and threatened to shoot down American planes.

America's Syria policy was and continues to be absolutely moronic. But this alarming development is also a reminder that there is simply no alternative to diplomatic engagement with Russia, the world's only other nuclear superpower. That's something both the American military, and liberals fired up over Trump's Russia scandal, would do well to remember.

In the discussion about climate change risk management , I have argued that somewhat unlikely disaster scenarios deserve serious consideration, because it's worth a substantial cost to avoid even a small chance of a huge harm. (It's basic insurance reasoning.) The same is true of nuclear war.

An all-out nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia is one of the few things that could threaten human extinction. Hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, would be killed in the immediate attack , blowing the world economic system apart, and beginning what would probably be several years of nuclear winter, devastating agriculture. People might survive in remote locations  perhaps Australia and New Zealand  but it's not at all guaranteed in such an extreme scenario. It would be the worst disaster in history, by several orders of magnitude.

Such a possibility gets less attention than climate change these days, I think, because we don't have to do anything to avoid it  merely preserve the mutually assured destruction framework that carried us through the Cold War, despite a few close calls. Ultimately a nuclear conflict would be the worst imaginable strategic outcome for both nations, and so both nations ought to be able to avoid it.

But, as we saw during the Cuban Missile Crisis, sometimes an escalating, high-stakes conflict can bring the worst-case scenario closer and closer. As Robert McNamara said regarding his experience as secretary of defense during the crisis:

At the end, we lucked out. It was luck that prevented nuclear war. We came that close to nuclear war at the end. Rational individuals  Kennedy was rational, Castro was rational, Khrushchev was rational  came that close to total destruction of their societies. And that danger exists today. The major lesson of the Cuban Missile Crisis is this: The indefinite combination of human fallibility and nuclear weapons will destroy nations. [ The Fog of War ]

Ultimately what defused the crisis was a diplomatic contact between Khrushchev and JFK (in particular a remarkably candid and vivid letter from the Russian premier), and a bargain that if the Soviets took the missiles out of Cuba, the U.S. would promise not to invade Cuba, as well as a secret promise to take similar missiles out of Turkey.

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So what are we doing in Syria to justify ratcheting up tensions with Russia? The prospect of nuclear warheads a mere few dozen miles off the American coast was at least a comprehensible strategic threat. In Syria there is not only no strategic threat , there is not even a realistic American objective of any kind.

Russia has a clear goal: Prop up the Assad regime, but avoid being drawn too far into the conflict. America is, as far as anyone can tell, fighting ISIS, attempting regime change without invasion, arming some rebels but fighting others, and trying to help Kurdish militia without annoying Turkey too much. Both Trump and the foreign policy establishment (a.k.a. " The Blob ") childishly refuse to admit that most of these goals are incompatible with one another.

In reality, I don't think any of the actual actions really suffice to explain why America won't stop meddling in Syria. We're there because The Blob has a hysterical obsession with the Middle East, because interventions are a lot harder to stop than they are to start, because President Trump is an absolute chump, and above all because of the almost universal article of faith that the American military can do no wrong.

There's not much that can be done about this in the short term. Remarkably, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson does seem to grasp the need for diplomacy, with the construction of a new diplomatic framework for handling tensions with Russia, as BuzzFeed News reports . But there is little sign Trump is even capable of paying attention to such things, and less that Tillerson's badly understaffed agency will be able to implement it in a systematic fashion.
The report ranks Colombia as the worlds second-largest producer of refugees, with 7.7 million Colombians displaced in 2016. Like Syria, the U.S. has not directly invaded Colombia, but is known to have extensively funded paramilitary groups , also known as death squads, in the country since the 1980s, when then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan declared a war on drugs in Colombia.

U.S. efforts have long helped fuel the civil war between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and pro-government, U.S.-funded paramilitary groups. This conflict has lasted for more than half a century.

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In 2000, then-President Bill Clintons administration funded the disastrous Plan Colombia with $4 billion in U.S. taxpayer funds, ostensibly to fight drug trafficking and insurgents. Almost all of this money was used to fund the Colombian military and its weapon purchases. Plan Colombia ultimately intensified armed violence, military deployments, human rights abuses by the Colombian military, and  of course  the internal displacement of Colombians. The legacy of U.S. policy in Colombia and its continuing support of the nations right-wing, neo-liberal regime have ensured that the chaos continues into the present.

In a destructive decades-long war that has been fueled & prolonged by billions of dollars from the US' Plan Colombia https://t.co/50Wmy1eqGP  Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) March 10, 2017

In addition to the above, U.S foreign policy is also to blame for the conflict in South Sudan, where the UN report found was home to the fastest-growing displacement of people in the world. In 2011, the U.S. pushed South Sudan to secede from Sudan, as South Sudan holds the vast majority of Sudans oil reserves  the largest oil reserves in all of Africa. The U.S. push for the creation of an independent South Sudan dislodged Chinese claims to Sudanese oil, as the Chinese had previously signed oil contracts with the (now Northern) Sudanese government.

But when nation-building efforts went awry and civil war broke out just two years later, some analysts suggested that the conflict only started when South Sudans president began to cozy up to China. According to the UN report, approximately 3.3 million people in South Sudan have fled their homes since the war began.

Grandi has called on the worlds nations to help prevent and resolve the global refugee crisis. But he would also do well to point out the common cause uniting many of the worlds worst conflicts  the U.S. military-industrial complexs insatiable lust for conquest, power and profit.

Read the full UNHCR report:

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

This article was first published by Mint Press -
Iran Preparing to Publish Evidence US Supporting ISIS



US seeks to milk terrorism sponsor Saudi Arabia  Iran's Revolutionary Guard



By RT

June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - As the US influence in the Middle East wanes, it increasingly associates itself with dictatorships like Saudi Arabia, whose dark face and role in supporting terrorism is known to everyone in the region, a high ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guard official told RT.

The United States and President Trump in particular consider only one dimension of convergence with Saudi Arabia, ignoring the ideological and intellectual challenges and costs such ties entail, media adviser to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Commander-in-Chief Hamid Reza Moghadam Far told RT in an exclusive interview.

That was one of Trumps senseless moves. He was just seeking to milk this cow and thinking about only business, Moghadam Far said.

The first challenge is that Trump goes to such a country as his first trip after being elected That is the behavior shown towards a dictatorial regime in which democracy is meaningless and no elections take place and the people have no presence on the scene. The next challenge is that they claim that they are combatting terrorism. It is no secret that Saudi Arabia has provided the most support for terrorism.

The recent naming of Mohammed bin Salman as Saudi Arabias new crown prince might be another outcome of Trumps visit amidst internal disputes among Saudi princes and with other Arab countries.

This replacement is one of the internal political impacts of the [Trumps] visit on Saudi Arabia. I mean the replacement of the crown prince. But Saudi Arabia is facing certain conditions today that I think the development would create further problems for the country, Moghadam Far said, pointing out that this decision would hardly be beneficial for the Saudi people.

While the appointment might push Saudi Arabia into further radicalization, it would unlikely lead to an armed conflict with Iran, Moghadam Far believes, as the Saudi army is not fit for military action.

There is no possibly of conflict. Today many Arab countries are complaining about Saudi Arabias inexperienced and radical moves. They consider Saudi Arabia as callow, Moghadam Far told RT.

A number of inexperienced people who are ruling Saudi Arabia lack the resolve and determination to initiate a war on Iran. They lack the courage and power. I do not think they will come up with such conclusion, even if all global powers support them.

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Saudi Arabias policies in the Middle East only bring instability to the region and its alliance with the US only diminishes the already dwindling American power and influence, Moghadam Far believes.

[The US policies] definitely have a negative effect. What matters more, however, is that the US is not as influential a player as it used to be and it can no longer manipulate regional equations. Today, it does not enjoy such a sway at all and its influence in the region has waned, Moghadam Far said.

It now has to associate with countries like Saudi Arabia whose negative role in supporting terrorism, whose dictatorship, and whose dark face is known to everyone in the region.

Tehrans recent Iranian missile attack on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in Syria should have weakened the resolve of the Saudis and other powers to go to war with Iran. A key message of the attack was to clearly demonstrate Iranian military capabilities to those who doubted them, Moghadam Far said.

In the past, when these missiles were test-fired in Iran, the US and certain western countries used to usually announce that Iran was lying that its launches had been successful and tried to create this impression that Iranians do not have such a capability and their missiles cannot strike their targets with precision, he said.

The strike also demonstrated Irans resolve to fight terrorism, rubbishing usual US accusations that Tehran supports terrorist elements.

As in the past, whenever Americans want to mount pressure on Iran, impose new sanctions and proceed with an issue in the region and beyond, [the US] accuse Iran of backing terrorism, Moghadam Far said.
Eager for World War III on MSNBC



By Eoin Higgins June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - If were heading toward World War III, lets hope that some episodes of MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell Reports survive the nuclear winter to provide future civilizations with some clues as to how we got there. Mitchells June 19 show was a typical example of the current mentality of the US security state. A short segment in the show featured Jeremy Bash, currently a military consultant and formerly the chief of staff for both the Department of Defense and the CIA under Leon Panetta in the Obama administration. In just over four-and-a-half minutes, Bash recited an alarming number of pro-war propaganda talking points that went unchallenged (and were even egged on) by Mitchell. Bash and Mitchell began their conversation by addressing Mondays escalation of the Syrian War, when US forces shot down a Syrian government warplane. Mitchell wondered if taking the action was basically getting us into a conflict with Russia, while Bash blamed the whole thing on the Russians refusing to tell Assad to stand down. Presenting military conflict in a way that shows the US to be the hard-luck victim of good intentions is of course not unique to MSNBC, or even cable news. As FAIRs Adam Johnson pointed out on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, the US shooting down an Iranian drone in southern Syria was blamed on the unmanned robots apparent display of hostile intent reasoning that was then uncritically repeated in the headline of British newspaper the Independent. man this drone has a lot of agency, it's for Assad and has malicious intent pic.twitter.com/9mLl3wDORl  Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) June 20, 2017

Mitchell asked Bash if the dispute could result in all-out war. From there, the conversation devolved into Bash and Mitchell doing everything short of calling for war between the US and Russia, countries with stockpiles of around 7,000 nuclear weapons each.

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The US hasnt done a very good job pushing Russia out of the way, said Bash, implying it would be a good idea to target a country that only months ago was reported by Newsweek to have a bomb that could flatten Texas. Bash added that weve let Russia have too free a hand, in my view, in the skies over Syria.

That the US should have full control over the skies in Syria is not a position unique to Bash. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton expressed support for no-fly-zones over the country during the presidential campaign. But to hear it stated so openly in the context of pushing a major nuclear power out of the way is still startling.

Mitchell replied that the criticism is that the president is reluctant to go after Russia. Of course, thats largely in line with the marching orders from her colleagues at MSNBC, who see Russian conspiracies and machinations everywhere , presenting the imperial rival as an existential threat.

Bash agreed, telling Mitchell that the big issue here has been an inexplicable lack of resolve regarding Russia, lamenting that we have not been willing to take them on.

It wasnt all Russia and Syria; other Mideast conflicts were topics of discussion as well during the segment. Mitchell and Bash placed resolving the Israeli/Palestinian way down the list of things for US diplomacy to do in the region, far below the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and the latters perceived closeness to Iran.

Solving that crisis, Bash said, was a top priority, tying all the continuing conflicts in the Middle East together in one neat packagewith Russia in the middle, naturally.

If you look at the regional dynamics, said Bash, Russia has been providing cover for Syria, for the Assad regime and for their friends in Iran, and that is a dangerous development.

Jeremy Bash, Mitchell said as the show cut to commercial. Not a reassuring Monday message.

A lot to worry about, Bash agreed.

A lot to worry about indeed, if Bash and Mitchell are indicative of corporate medias enthusiasm for going to war with another nuclear-armed nation.

This article was first published by FAIR -

In case you missed it: Russia's New Nuclear Weapon Could Wipe Out Texas or France, But Testing is Behind Schedule
U.S. Torture, A Saudi Coup And ISIS Crimes - "By, With And Through Allies"

By Moon Of Alabama

June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The U.S. military and/or the CIA outsourced parts of their ongoing torture campaign in Yemen to the United Arab Emirates, reports AP . Some "interrogations" are done in the presence of U.S. personal and on U.S. ships:

MUKALLA, Yemen (AP)  Hundreds of men swept up in the hunt for al-Qaida militants have disappeared into a secret network of prisons in southern Yemen where abuse is routine and torture extreme  including the grill, in which the victim is tied to a spit like a roast and spun in a circle of fire, an Associated Press investigation has found. Senior American defense officials acknowledged Wednesday that U.S. forces have been involved in interrogations of detainees in Yemen but denied any participation in or knowledge of human rights abuses.

...

At one main detention complex at Riyan airport in the southern city of Mukalla, former inmates described being crammed into shipping containers smeared with feces and blindfolded for weeks on end. They said they were beaten, trussed up on the grill, and sexually assaulted. According to a member of the Hadramawt Elite, a Yemeni security force set up by the UAE, American forces were at times only yards away.

There have long been rumors in Yemen that detainees were transported to U.S. ships off the coast for intense "interrogations":

@BaFana3 - 3:42am  6 May 2016

All on #Yemen now : US aircraft carrier, 2 naval destroyers, amphibious ready group & Marine expeditionary unit. That's near 15,000 troops

Now I know whose ships the captured AQAP militants are being ferried to from Al Mukalla, Hadhramaut.

AP now:

A Yemeni officer who said he was deployed for a time on a ship off the coast said he saw at least two detainees brought to the vessel for questioning. The detainees were taken below deck, where he was told American polygraph experts and psychological experts conducted interrogations.

...

Two senior Yemen officials, one in Hadis Interior Ministry and another in the 1st Military District, based in Hadramawt province where Mukalla is located, also said Americans were conducting interrogations at sea, as did a former senior security official in Hadramawt.

...

Former detainees and one Yemen official provided the AP with the names of five suspects held at black sites who were interrogated by Americans.

The UAE had been part of the CIA's "black sites" torture apparatus. Its agents are thereby well trained. The U.S. military and/or the CIA now seem to have outsourced (vid) most of the "dirty" stuff to them. That does not make them less culpable.

The Obama administration has called this acting "by, with and through" allies. The Trump administration continues with the scheme.

The tortured "militants" were most likely not al-Qaeda chaps. Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula held the harbor city of Mukalla in Yemen. The UAE "liberated" the city in April 2016 by making a deal with AQAP and letting them go. It is allied with the group while fighting the Yemeni Houthi. If the U.S. torture crews believe that they are "interrogating" real "al-Qaeda" they are hoodwinked by the UAE operators.

The U.S. military is, of course, denying all torture accusations and the CIA is, of course, not commenting, but denigrating the accusers. We have heard such denials before .

---

Yesterday an al-Saud family clown prince replaced another al-Saud family clown prince to replace the old al-Saud family king who will be offed soon. This in a country named after the al-Saud family. It is change you can believe in. The soon to be dictator-king Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the guy who has debt-to-GDP , is fawned over in U.S. media. That is no wonder. He has lot of money and no idea of its value. He paid 500 million for a used ship that had cost only 300 million when it was build six years earlier. Some of his money will drop here or there when a journalist writes a pretty piece about him. If the journo is really good at it s/he will get payed off in some CIA endorsed weapon deal with the Gulf sheiks. Bin Salman is not very bright. He visited Israel and is in constant contact with Israeli officials. His development program for Saudi Arabia, based on austerity, was written by McKinsey consultants and is thereby likely to fail. With his extreme anti-Iranian stand he looks like a mere U.S.-Israeli puppet.





The 26 million people he rules over will not like either. Many Arab peninsula citizens will want to see his head on a pike. The House of Saud is now a house of cards destined to fall.

The rise and installation of Muhammad bin Salman as Saudi King is, in part, a project of his mentor, the Emirati clown prince Mohammed bin Zayed. Bin Zayed rules the UAE. "By, with and through" allies comes to mind.

---

The Saudi rulers sponsored , together with Qatar, the ISIS takeover of Iraq and parts of Syria. They also helped finance the Clinton campaign. The Islamic State terrorists just blew up the 845 year old al-Nuri mosque in Mosul. ISIS leader Baghdadi had declared himself Caliph in that mosque and the Iraqi military was on the verge of re-taking it.

The NYT report of the mosque destruction calls the the ISIS nihilists "militants":

Almost from the beginning of its rule, the Islamic State systematically destroyed or damaged one important monument or shrine after another[...] In Mosuls library, militants burned thousands of old books and manuscripts.

Another NYT report recently called Bernie Sanders followers "militant":

The growing tension between the partys ascendant militant wing and Democrats competing in conservative-leaning terrain, was on vivid, split-screen display over the weekend. In Chicago, Senator Bernie Sanders led ...

Demanding single-payer health care is obviously comparable to the sectarian massacring of thousands or to blowing up century old places of worship. Only "militants" do such. But don't you dare to compare Saudi sponsoring of ISIS and of Hillary Clinton. Even when the Saudis are doing both.

Drawing connections from the UAE/CIA torture in Yemen, the UAE mentoring of the coming Saudi king, Saudi sponsoring of the CIA endorsed Clinton campaign, the U.S./Saudi caused famine , as well as the terror of ISIS in not kosher - even when there are direct lines between all of these. Trump is, by the way, no better than Clinton in this. His endorsement of the aggressive new Saudi ruler while a U.S. jet shoots down a Syrian plane which is attacking ISIS is likely not just a coincidence.
Why I Reject Western Courts And Justice



By Andre Vltchek

June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - There is a small courthouse from the British era, standing right in the center of Hong Kong. It is neat, well-built, remarkably organized and some would even say  elegant.

Earlier this year I visited there with an Afghan-British lawyer, who had been touring East Asia for several months. Hong Kong was her last destination; afterwards she was planning to return home to London. The Orient clearly confused and overwhelmed her, and no matter how anti-imperialist she tried to look, most of her references were clearly going back to the adoptive homeland  the United Kingdom.

It looks like England, she exclaimed when standing in the middle of Hong Kong. There was clearly excitement and nostalgia in her voice.

To cheer her up even more, I took her to the courthouse. My good intentions backfired: as we were leaving, she uttered words that I expected but also feared for quite some time:

 You know, there are actually many good things that can be said about the British legal system.

*

I thought about that short episode in Hong Kong now, as I drove all around her devastated country of childhood, Afghanistan. As always, I worked without protection, with no bulletproof vests, armored vehicles or military escorts, just with my Afghan driver who doubled as my interpreter and also as my friend. It was Ramadan and to let him rest, I periodically got behind the wheel. We were facing countless detentions, arrests and interrogations by police, military and who knows what security forces, but we were moving forward, always forward, despite all obstacles.

From that great distance, from the heights of the mountains of Afghanistan, the courthouse in Hong Kong kept falling into proportion and meaningful perspective.

It was surrounded by an enormous city, once usurped and sodomized by the British Crown. A city where unruly locals were being killed, tortured, flogged and regularly imprisoned.

And it was not only Hong Kong that has suffered: the entire enormous country of China with one of the oldest and greatest cultures on Earth had been brutally ransacked, including its splendid capital  Beijing  that was invaded and almost totally destroyed by the French and British troops. For a long period, China was divided, humiliated, impoverished and tormented.

But the courthouse, a little neat temple of colonialist justice, now stood in the middle of the once occupied city, whispering about the days when it offered certainty and pride to all those who came to Hong Kong as colonizers, as well as to all those who served and licked the boots of their British masters.

The courthouse was providing confidence to people who were longing for one, just as they did during the grotesque and perverse days, as well as now.

Behind its walls ruled clearly defined and meticulously obeyed spirit of fairness: if ones chicken got slaughtered, or if ones tricycle god smashed by a hammer of a mad shopkeeper, the legendary British justice was administered promptly and properly.

Some people would argue, of course, that the entire colonialism was unjust, that the killing of tens of millions of people in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere was much more noteworthy than settling fairly and justly some domestic or real estate dispute. Such voices, however, have been always quickly silenced, or bought (with money, diplomas, or other means).

Certainly, the British Crown has been busy subjugating entire countries and continents, murdering innocent people, freely plundering and enslaving men, women and children. Tens of millions died in the British-triggered famines alone, on the Sub-Continent and elsewhere. But that was done outside the legal framework, and it was never fit to be discussed publicly in a polite society, by both the English people as well as by the emigre elites.

Now the UK has been absorbed by the great Western Empire, governed by its offspring. Global genocides continue to murder millions. For those, no one gets punished, while the fines for speeding or not wearing seat belts are getting transparently dispersed among the servile citizens of the British Isles.

You kick your dog in public, and you could get arrested, then fined, or perhaps even thrown into jail. You shout at your girlfriend, she runs to police, and they open a criminal investigation against you.

You shoot a few missiles at some independent country, killing dozens of innocent people, and it is business as usual. You overthrow some unruly African government, and no court of justice, local or international, would even bother to hear the case against you, properly and seriously.

Alexander Thomson from UK Column News in the UK, commented for this essay:

"British justice is fine for peer-to-peer disputes such as breakages and traffic accidents. You'll most likely get a fair hearing. But at the macro level? The British and their offspring have pillaged entire continents. Where's the justice there? If there's none but "victors' justice", should that legal system be honoured by the nations of the world?"

I often wonder whether even the British citizens themselves should honor such a charade?

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The renowned Canadian international lawyer, Christopher Black, has doubts about the entire international legal system which is literally dictated by Western countries, predominantly by the US and UK. He wrote for this essay:

 Instead of peaceful and mutually respectful relations between nations, adherence to the fundamental principles of the peaceful resolution of conflicts and disagreements between nations set out in the UN Charter, of the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement, the world is faced with ultimatums, bribes, threats and assault. Their brutality would be unimaginable if it was not so routine.

The question is: should the legal system, which coerces dozens of countries all over the world, be taken seriously, even respected? Isnt it ridiculous, even debauched, to honor the US and British courts, considering that they are serving the most aggressive and morally defunct system in the world?

Christopher Black continues:

 The most important question that arises from the discussion of how to establish a just world in which every nation has equal rights and status, in which national sovereignty is respected and the peaceful resolution of international issues as a matter of course is what type of legal mechanisms and structures need to be established in order to achieve and maintain this equilibrium.

It is not a simple matter since laws and legal structures reflect the socio-economic structure of a society. This necessarily creates a conflict between different socio-economic and legal systems that is difficult to resolve. The legal systems of socialist societies with their emphasis on socio-economic protection and support of the workers, are completely different from those of the capitalist societies, in which the central role of law is to protect private property and ease the flow of capital, in opposition to the interests of the workers. This creates conflict between nations with different socio-economic systems

It is a well known fact that those systems that are antagonistic to the Western dictates get routinely attacked, even destroyed. Right now several countries are under direct attack from the West: from Venezuela to Syria, to name just two victims out of dozens.

On closer examination, it is all nothing more than a mafia justice, or call it a terror.

*

I refuse to respect such a system, including its courts and its entire farce called justice. To me, it is all illegal and corrupt. If confronted, Id refuse to accept the authority of the Western legal system; Id just laugh in the faces of its judges.

Lawyers serving such a system are, at least from my personal point of view, nothing more than collaborators or at least  spineless gold-diggers.

During the Nazi era in Germany, family or real estate disputes were resolved fairly and briskly. However, that doesnt mean that Slavs, Roma, Jews, or non-white people should have had any respect for the German justice of these years.

Certainly, your goat could be avenged if slaughtered illegally, but the next day, no one would save you from going up in smoke from the chimney of a concentration camp crematorium.

From the heights of totally destroyed and miserable mountain villages in Afghanistan, all this is suddenly clear and obvious.

It is also very clear when observed from Syria or Latin America, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, where of course almost no Westerner would bother to travel.

Christopher Black concludes:

 Attempts to establish a world order in which a dialogue of civilizations is the norm instead of conflict between civilizations are foundering on a crude return to a might makes right attitude against which any attempt to insist on adherence to international law and norms, even common morality, is viewed as a weakness to be exploited.

The question therefore arises as to how nations and peoples can establish the necessary legal mechanisms to survive and flourish when there exist those who oppose any such mechanisms being established and act to destroy the mechanisms that do exist. The answer is to take the power from those who want this unjust world order, this world for the criminals. We know what is to be done. But that is not good enough. We have to determine how it is to be done.

The first step is, surely, to refuse this criminal justice system, even to mock it, and ridicule it.

To serve criminals is a crime itself. To legitimize this illegitimate system by pretending that justice could be served inside its frame is itself immoral.

A courthouse in Hong Kong is not a temple of fairness. To pretend that it is would be a cynical mockery, a spit in the face to millions of those who lost their lives in China and all over the world, at the hands of the British and Western colonizers.

And one more comment about Western justice: if just slightly exaggerating, one could easily arrive to the conclusion that in a world ruled by brutal and unbridled imperialism, the only honorable place to dwell in is jail!

Kabul  New Delhi - June 2017
Russia-gate Flops as Democrats Golden Ticket





The national Democrats saw Russia-gate and the drive to impeach President Trump as their golden ticket back to power, but so far the ticket seems to be made of fools gold, writes Robert Parry.



By Robert Parry

June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The national Democratic Party and many liberals have bet heavily on the Russia-gate investigation as a way to oust President Trump from office and to catapult Democrats to victories this year and in 2018, but the gamble appears not to be paying off.

The Democrats disappointing loss in a special election to fill a congressional seat in an affluent Atlanta suburb is just the latest indication that the strategy of demonizing Trump and blaming Russia for Hillary Clintons 2016 defeat may not be the golden ticket that some Democrats had hoped.

Though its still early to draw conclusive lessons from Karen Handels victory over Jon Ossoff  despite his raising $25 million  one lesson may be that a Middle America backlash is forming against the over-the-top quality of the Trump-accusations and the Russia-bashing, with Republicans rallying against the image of Official Washingtons deep state collaborating with Democrats and the mainstream news media to reverse a presidential election.

Indeed, the Democrats may be digging a deeper hole for themselves in terms of reaching out to white working-class voters who abandoned the party in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to put Trump over the top in the Electoral College even though Clintons landslide win in California gave her almost three million more votes nationwide.

Clintons popular-vote plurality and the #Resistance, which manifested itself in massive protests against Trumps presidency, gave hope to the Democrats that they didnt need to undertake a serious self-examination into why the party is in decline across the nations heartland. Instead, they decided to stoke the hysteria over alleged Russian meddling in the election as the short-cut to bring down Trump and his populist movement.

A Party of Snobs?

From conversations that Ive had with some Trump voters in recent weeks, I was struck by how they viewed the Democratic Party as snobbish, elitist and looking down its nose at average Americans. And in conversations with some Clinton voters, I found confirmation for that view in the open disdain that the Clinton backers expressed toward the stupidity of anyone who voted for Trump. In other words, the Trump voters were not wrong to feel dissed.

It seems the Republicans  and Trump in particular  have done a better job in presenting themselves to these Middle Americans as respecting their opinions and representing their fears, even though the policies being pushed by Trump and the GOP still favor the rich and will do little good  and significant harm  to the middle and working classes.

By contrast, many of Hillary Clintons domestic proposals might well have benefited average Americans but she alienated many of them by telling a group of her supporters that half of Trumps backers belonged in a basket of deplorables. Although she later reduced the percentage, she had committed a cardinal political sin: she had put the liberal disdain for millions of Americans into words  and easily remembered words at that.

By insisting that Hillary Clinton be the Democratic nominee  after leftist populist Bernie Sanders was pushed aside  the party also ignored the fact that many Americans, including many Democrats, viewed Clinton as the perfectly imperfect candidate for an anti-Establishment year with many Americans still fuming over the Wall Street bailouts and amid the growing sense that the system was rigged for the well-connected and against the average guy or gal.

In the face of those sentiments, the Democrats nominated a candidate who personified how a relatively small number of lucky Americans can play the system and make tons of money while the masses have seen their dreams crushed and their bank accounts drained. And Clinton apparently still hasnt learned that lesson.

Citing Womens Rights

Last month, when asked why she accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking to Goldman Sachs, Clinton rationalized her greed as a womens rights issue, saying: you know, men got paid for the speeches they made. I got paid for the speeches I made.

Her excuse captured much of what has gone wrong with the Democratic Party as it moved from its working-class roots and New Deal traditions to becoming a party that places identity politics ahead of a duty to fight for the common men and women of America.

Demonstrating her political cluelessness, Clinton used the serious issue of women not getting fair treatment in the workplace to justify taking her turn at the Wall Street money trough, gobbling up in one half-hour speech what it would take many American families a decade to earn.

While its a bit unfair to personalize the Democratic Partys problems, Hillary and Bill Clinton have come to represent how the party is viewed by many Americans. Instead of the FDR Democrats, we have the Davos Democrats, the Wall Street Democrats, the Hollywood Democrats, the Silicon Valley Democrats, and now increasingly the Military-Industrial Complex Democrats.

To many Americans struggling to make ends meet, the national Democrats seem committed to the interests of the worldwide elites: global trade, financialization of the economy, robotization of the workplace, and endless war against endless enemies.

Now, the national Democrats are clambering onto the bandwagon for a costly and dangerous New Cold War with nuclear-armed Russia. Indeed, it is hard to distinguish their foreign policy from that of neoconservatives, although these Democrats view themselves as liberal interventionists citing humanitarian impulses to justify the endless slaughter.

Earlier this year, a Washington Post/ABC News poll found only 28 percent of Americans saying that the Democrats were in touch with the concerns of most people  an astounding result given the Democrats long tradition as the party of the American working class and the partys post-Vietnam War reputation as favoring butter over guns.

Yet rather than rethink the recent policies, the Democrats prefer to fantasize about impeaching President Trump and continuing a blame-game about who  other than Hillary Clinton, her campaign and the Democratic National Committee  is responsible for Trumps election. Of course, its the Russians, Russians, Russians!

A Problems Deep Roots

Without doubt, some of the partys problems have deep roots that correspond to the shrinking of the labor movement since the 1970s and the growing reliance on big-money donors to finance expensive television-ad-driven campaigns. Over the years, the Democrats also got pounded for being weak on national security.

Further, faced with Republican weaponization of attack ads in the 1980s, many old-time Democrats lost out to the Reagan Revolution, clearing the way for a new breed of Democrats who realized that they could compete for a slice of the big money by cultivating the emerging coastal elites: Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Hollywood and even elements of the National Security State.

By the 1990s, President Bill Clinton and the Democratic Leadership Council defined this New Democrat, politicians who reflected the interests of well-heeled coastal elites, especially on free trade; streamlined financial regulations; commitment to technology; and an activist foreign policy built around spreading liberal values across the globe.

Mixed in was a commitment to the rights of various identity groups, a worthy goal although this tolerance paradoxically contributed to a new form of prejudice among some liberals who came to view many white working-class people as fat, stupid and bigoted, societys losers.

So, while President Clinton hobnobbed with the modern economys winners  with sleepovers in the Lincoln bedroom and parties in the Hamptons  much of Middle America felt neglected if not disdained. The losers were left to rot in flyover America with towns and cities that had lost their manufacturing base and, with it, their vitality and even their purpose for existing.

Republican Fraud

It wasnt as if the Republicans were offering anything better. True, they were more comfortable talking to these forgotten Americans  advocating gun rights and traditional values and playing on white resentments over racial integration and civil rights  but, in office, the Republicans aggressively favored the interests of the rich, cutting their taxes and slashing regulations even more than the Democrats.

The Republicans paid lip service to the struggling blue-collar workers but control of GOP policies was left in the hands of corporations and their lobbyists.

Though the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American president, raised hopes that the nation might finally bind its deep racial wounds, it turned out to have a nearly opposite effect. Tea Party Republicans rallied many white working-class Americans to resist Obama and the hip urban future that he represented. They found an unlikely champion in real-estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump, who sensed how to tap into their fears and anger with his demagogic appeals and false populism.

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Meanwhile, the national Democrats were falling in love with data predicting that demographics would magically turn Republican red states blue. So the party blithely ignored the warning signs of a cataclysmic break with the Democrats old-time base.

Despite all the data on opioid addiction and declining life expectancy among the white working class, Hillary Clinton was politically tone-deaf to the rumbles of discontent echoing across the Rust Belt. She assumed the traditionally Democratic white working-class precincts would stick with her and she tried to appeal to the security moms in typically Republican suburbs by touting her neoconservative foreign policy thinking. And she ran a relentlessly negative campaign against Trump while offering voters few positive reasons to vote for her.

Ignoring Reality

When her stunning loss became clear on Election Night  as the crude and unqualified Trump pocketed the electoral votes of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin  the Democrats refused to recognize what the elections results were telling them, that they had lost touch with a still important voting bloc, working-class whites.

Rather than face these facts, the national Democrats  led by President Obama and his intelligence chiefs  decided on a different approach, to seek to reverse the election by blaming the result on the Russians. Obama, his intelligence chiefs and a collaborative mainstream media insisted without presenting any real evidence that the Russians had hacked into Democratic emails and released them to the devastating advantage of Trump, as if the minor controversies from leaked emails of the Democratic National Committee and Clintons campaign chairman John Podesta explained Trumps surprising victory.

As part of this strategy, any Trump link to Russia  no matter how inconsequential, whether from his businesses or through his advisers  became the focus of Woodward-and-Bernstein/Watergate-style investigations. The obvious goal was to impeach Trump and ride the wave of Trump-hating enthusiasm to a Democratic political revival.

In other words, there was no reason to look in the mirror and rethink how the Democratic Party might begin rebuilding its relationships with the white working-class, just hold hearings featuring Obamas intelligence chieftains and leak damaging Russia-gate stuff to the media.

But the result of this strategy has been to deepen the Democratic Partys reliance on the elites, particularly the self-reverential mavens of the mainstream media and the denizens of the so-called deep state. From my conversations with Trump voters, they get whats going on, how the powers-that-be are trying to negate the 63 million Americans who voted for Trump by reversing a presidential election carried out under the U.S. constitutional process.

A Letter from Deplorable Land

Some Trump supporters are even making this point publicly. Earlier this month, a proud deplorable named Kenton Woodhead from Brunswick, Ohio, wrote to The New York Times informing the newspaper of record that he and other deplorables were onto the scheme.

I wanted to provide you with an unsophisticated synopsis of The New York Times and the medias quest for the implosion of Donald Trumps presidency from out here in the real world, in deplorable country.  Every time you and your brethren at other news organizations dream up a new scheme to get Mr. Trump, we out here in deplorable land increase our support for him. 

Regardless of what you dream up every day, we refuse to be sucked into your narrative. And even more humorously, there isnt anything you can do about it! And I love it that you are having the exact opposite effect on those of us you are trying to persuade to think otherwise.

I mean it is seriously an enjoyable part of my day knowing you are failing. And badly! I havent had this much fun watching the media stumble, bumble and fumble in years. I wonder what will happen on the day you wake up and realize how disconnected youve become.

So, despite Trumps narcissism and incompetence  and despite how his policies will surely hurt many of his working-class supporters  the national Democrats are further driving a wedge between themselves and this crucial voting bloc. By whipping up a New Cold War with Russia and hurling McCarthistic slurs at people who wont join in the Russia-bashing, the Democratic Partys tactics also are alienating many peace voters who view both the Republicans and Democrats as warmongers of almost equal measures of guilt.

While its certainly not my job to give advice to the Democrats  or any other political group  I cant help but thinking that this Russia-gate scandal is not only lacking in logic and evidence, but it doesnt even make any long-term political sense.

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 ).
Understanding Russia: The Continuum of History

B y Yameen Khan

June 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The United States is actively committed to bring Russia into submission via encirclement and a two pronged attack.

NATOs expansion of bases in vassal states right up to Russias borders, coupled with an attempt at encroachment in Syria, should allow The Hegemon to undermine Russias underbelly from the Caucasus to Central Asia.

To understand how Russians usually respond to Western power a little time travel, starting 1219 AD, is more than useful.

This was a time when a cataclysmic event left deep scars on the Russian character; an abiding fear of encirclement, whether by nomadic hordes then or by nuclear missile bases today.

Russia then was not a single state but consisted of a dozen principalities frequently at war with each other. Between 1219 and 1240 all these fell to the Genghis Khan hurricane, whose lightning-speed cavalry with his horse-borne archers, employing brilliant tactics unfamiliar to Europeans, caught army after army off guard and forced them into submission.

For more than 200 years Russians suffered under the Golden Horde of the Mongol  named after their great tent with golden poles. They left the Russian economy in ruins, brought commerce and industry to a halt, and reduced Russians to serfdom. Asiatic ways of administration and customs were superimposed on the existing Byzantine system.

Taking full advantage of its military weakness and of its reduced circumstances, Russias European neighbors started to help themselves to its territory, starting with German principalities, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. The Mongols couldnt care less so long as they received their tribute. They were more concerned with their Asiatic dominions.

Still, European cities did not match the riches of Samarkand and Bukhara, Herat and Baghdad, whose incomparable wealth and splendor outshone wooden-built Russian cities.

Russias greatest fear begins here  crushed between their European foes to the West and the Mongols to the East. Russians were to develop a paranoid dread of invasion and encirclement which has tormented their foreign relations ever since. Hardly ever has an experience left such deep and ever-lasting scars on a nations psyche as this cataclysm did on Russians. This explains, among other things, their stoical acceptance of harsh rule at home.

And then came Ivan III  the man who freed the Russians from the Golden Horde.

Muscovy then was a small provincial town overshadowed by and subservient to its powerful neighbors. In return for allegiance and subservience locals were gradually entrusted with more power and freedom by the unsuspecting Mongols. Over time the Principality of Muscovy grew in strength and size, eventually to dominate all its neighbors.

In 1476 Ivan refused to pay the customary tribute to the grand Khan Ahmed. In a fit of rage Ivan trampled the portrait of Ahmed and put several of his envoys to death.

The showdown came in autumn 1480 when the Khan marched with his army to teach a vassal a lesson, but was astonished to find a large well-equipped force awaiting him on the far bank of the River Ugra, 150 miles from Moscow. For weeks the two armies glowered at one another, neither side wanting to make the first move.

The stakes were clear. Ivan did not need to cross the river. He would change the course of history if he did not lose. A stalemate could become a turning point in history.

For Ahmed Khan there is no choice. He must cross the river and engage. Win or die like Tariq ibin Ziyad in 711 AD, another age and time, when a brilliant Arab general landed on the rock of Hercules subsequently called by Arab Historians Jabal Tariq, meaning the mountain of Tariq and later anglicized as Gibraltar.

Tariq, by one master stratagem, with a much smaller force (12,000 against 90,000 Spaniards) at the Battle of Guadalete defeated Roderic and thus opened the road for the subsequent Arab commanders to march all the way to Tours in France.

With the arrival of winter, the river began to freeze. A ferocious battle appeared inevitable. And then something extraordinary happened. Perhaps a miracle. Without warning both sides turned and fled in panic. Despite their inglorious act, the Russians knew that their long subservience was over.

The Khan had lost his stomach for a fight. The once invincible Mongol might had evaporated. Their centralized authority in the West had now collapsed, leaving three widely separated khanates (Kazan, Astrakhan and Crimea) as their last remnants of the once mighty and the largest contiguous land empire in history.

It was in 1553 when Ivan the Terrible, a successor of Ivan III, thirsting for revenge, stormed the fortress of Kazan on the upper Volga, slaughtered its defenders and thus ended the Mongol rule. Two years later the Khanate of Astrakhan, where the Volga flows into the Caspian met with similar fate.

Starving Napoleons army

Fast forward to June 1812, and the fateful day, the 24th , when Napoleons Grande Armee crossed the Neman River in an attempt to engage and defeat the Russian army.

Napoleons aim was to compel Tsar Alexander I of Russia to stop trading with British merchants through proxies and bring about pressure on the United Kingdom to sue for peace. The overt political aim of the campaign was to liberate Poland from the threat of Russia (as the US claims of Eastern Europe today). Thus the campaign was named the Second Polish War to gain favor with the Poles and provide a political pretense for his actions.

The real aim was domination of Russia.

The Grande Armee was massive; 680,000 soldiers. Through a series of marches Napoleon rushed the army rapidly through Western Russia in an attempt to bring the Russian army to battle, and in August of that year winning a number of minor engagements and a major battle at Smolensk.

Any invading army must consider war in Russia as a war at sea. It is futile to occupy land or city or cities. The aim of an invading force must be to destroy the military machine of Russia. The aim of Russian commanders has always been to survive and use its vast land mass to exhaust its enemy, learn from him and defeat and annihilate him with his own tactics and stratagems, only better executed.

Napoleon engaged the Russian army for a decisive battle at Maloyaroslavets. The Russians would not commit themselves to a pitched battle. His troops exhausted, with few rations, no winter clothing, and his remaining horses in poor condition, Napoleon was forced to retreat.

He hoped to reach supplies at Smolensk and later at Vilnius. In the weeks that followed the Grande Armee starved and suffered from the onset of General Winter. Lack of food and fodder for the horses, hypothermia from the bitter cold and persistent attacks upon isolated troops from Russian peasants and Cossacks led to great losses in men, and a general loss of discipline and cohesion in the army.

When Napoleons army crossed the Berezina River in November, only 27,000 fit soldiers remained. The Grand Armee had lost some 380,000 men dead and 100,000 captured. A riveting defeat.

All those Afghan overt  and covert  wars

Four centuries after the cataclysm of the Mongol invasion, the Russian Empire had been steadily expanding at the rate of 55 square miles a day  or 20,000 square miles a year. At the dawn of the 19th century only 2,000 miles separated the British and the Russian empires in Asia.

Both the Russians and the East India Company (as in the British Indian Empire) sent their officers, businessmen in disguise, as Buddhist priests or Muslim holy men, to survey uncharted Central Asia.

One such chap was Captain Arthur Connolly of the 6th Bengal Light Cavalry in the service of the British East India Company. The East India Company was the British version of Americas Halliburton.

Connolly ended up beheaded as a spy by the orders of Alim Khan, the Emir of Bukhara. It was Connolly who coined the expression The Great Game, which Kipling immortalized in his novel Kim.

By the end of the 19th century the Tsars armies had swallowed one Khanate after another and only a few hundred miles separated the two empires. In some places the distance was only twenty miles.

The British feared that they would lose their Indian possessions  the Jewel in the Crown  to the Tsar; and two theories emerged to defend the frontiers of British India.

The forward policy and its proponents (hawks, todays US neocons) argued to stop the Russians beyond Indias frontiers by getting there first, either by invasion, or by creating compliant buffer states, or satellites, astride the likely invasion route.

But there were those who did not buy this proposition and did not believe that the Russians would invade India. The opponents of the forward policy argued that Indias best defense lay in its unique geographical setting  bordered by impassable mountain ranges, mighty rivers, waterless deserts, and above all warlike tribes.

A Russian force which reached India surmounting all these obstacles would be so weakened by then that it would be no match for the waiting British Army. Therefore, it was more sensible to force an invader to overextend his lines of communications than for the British to risk theirs. And above all this policy was cheaper.

NATO today has a forward policy of deploying troops all over Eastern Europe and creating bases around Russia in an effort to encircle it. The final straw for the Russian Federation has been the occupation of Ukraine, by proxy, by Washington.

Guess who won the policy debate in 19th century Britain? The hawks (the US neocons of today), of course.

In 1838 Lord Auckland decides to replace the current Emir of Afghanistan, Dost Muhammad Khan with Shuja-ul-Mulk.

One could easily replace Dost Muhammad of Afghanistan in 1838 with todays Gaddafi of Libya or Saddam Hussein of Iraq or Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Or Putin of Russia. Or anyone who becomes an obstacle to the Wests geopolitical, geoeconomic domination.

And yet the British suffered a massive defeat after a years occupation of Afghanistan. The only soldier who eventually reached Jalalabad was William Brydon. The Afghans may have spared him so he would be able to tell the tale of this horrific defeat.

You would think the British would have learned from history. Not at all. They did it again.

Tension between Russia and Britain in Europe ended in June 1878 with the Congress of Berlin. Russia then turned its attention to Central Asia, promptly sending an uninvited diplomatic mission to Kabul.

Sher Ali Khan, the Emir of Afghanistan (the son of Emir Dost Muhammad Khan) tried unsuccessfully to keep them out. Russian envoys arrived in Kabul on July 22, 1878, and on August 14, the British demanded that Sher Ali accept a British mission too.

The Emir not only refused to receive a British mission under Neville Bowles Chamberlain, but threatened to stop it if it were dispatched. Lord Lytton, the viceroy, ordered a diplomatic mission to set out for Kabul in September 1878 but the mission was turned back as it approached the eastern entrance of the Khyber Pass, triggering the Second AngloAfghan War.

After several defeats in various battles except one, and thus abandoning the provocative policy of maintaining a British resident in Kabul, the British were forced to withdraw.

One would think the British would have enough sense to cease with the stupid policy of occupying Afghanistan. Not at all. They tried it for the third time.

The Third Afghan War began on May 6, 1919 and ended with an armistice on August 8, 1919. An Afghan victory, again.

The British finally abandoned their forward policy. It had failed  just as the American neocons policy is failing.

And yet, roughly 60 years later the Russians would don the madmans (British) hat and on December 25th, 1979, launched a vertical envelopment and occupied Kabul.

Their main aim was the airbase at Shindand, about 200 miles as the crow flies from the Straits of Hormuz, the choke point of the Persian Gulf, through which at the time 90% of the worlds oil was flowing.

They placed 200 Bear Bombers  the equivalent of the US B-52s  as if sending a message to President Carter: Checkmate. A certain game was over  and a covert war was about to begin.

As our historical trip takes us from The Great Game to the Cold War, by now its more than established that the United States took on the mantle of the British Empire and filled in the power vacuum left by the British. If Connolly were to come back during the Cold War he would be right at home  as the Cold War was a continuation of the Great Game.

In between, of course, there was a guy named Hitler.

After Napoleon, it was Hitler who considered the Russians as barbarians and despite a nonaggression pact invaded Russia.

The Second Great European War (GEW II) was in fact fought between Germany and the USSR. Germany deployed 80% of its economic and military resources on its Eastern Front compared to 20% against the rest of the allies on the Western Front, where it was merely a fire brigade operation (Hitlers words).

Paul Carell describes the moment when, at 0315 on June 22nd 1941, the massive Operation Barbarossa over a 900-mile front went under way.

As though a switch had been thrown a gigantic flash of lightening rent the night. Guns of all calibres simultaneously belched fire. The tracks of tracer shells streaked across the sky. As far as the eye could see the front on the Bug was a sea of flames and flashes. A moment later the deep thunder of the guns swept over the tower of Volka Dobrynska like a steamroller. The whine of the mortar batteries mingled eerily with the rumble of the guns. Beyond the Bug a sea of fire and smoke was raging. The narrow sickle of the moon was hidden by a veil of cloud. Peace was dead.

Bagration revisited

Russians are masters of Sun Tzu: All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

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These principles were recently applied in Ukraine and Crimea. For background, one just needs to study the battle of Kursk as well as Operation Bagration.

The Soviet military doctrine of maskirovka was developed in the 1920s, and used by Zhukov in the 1939 Battles of Khalkhin Gol against Japan.

The Field Regulations of the Red Army (1929) stated that:

Surprise has a stunning effect on the enemy. For this reason all troop operations must be accomplished with the greatest concealment and speed.

Concealment was to be attained by confusing the enemy with movements, camouflage and use of terrain, speed, use of night and fog, and secrecy.

Operation Bagration  the Soviet destruction of the German Army Group Centre  was, arguably, the single most successful military action of the entire war. This vital Soviet offensive is symptomatic of the lack of public knowledge in the West about the war in the East. Whilst almost everyone has heard of D-Day, few people other than specialist historians know much about Operation Bagration.

Yet the sheer size of Bagration dwarfs that of D-Day.

Army Group Centre was really the anchor of that whole German front, writes Professor Geoffrey Wawro, blocking the shortest path to Berlin; and the Russians annihilated it at the same time as we were landing on D-Day and marching on, liberating Paris and then heading towards Germany. But the scope of the fighting was much bigger in the East.

You had ten times as many Russians fighting in Bagration as you had Anglo/American/Canadian troops landing on the Normandy beaches.

And you had three times as many Germans in action fighting trying to hold up the Russian advance as you had defending the Atlantic Wall.

So, its a perfect encapsulation of the problem (of lack of appreciation of the scale of fighting on the Eastern Front). I mean, think about it, when D-Day and Bagration jumped off, the allied armies in Normandy and the Russian armies on the Eastern Front were equidistant from Berlin, and in the German view they were sort of equal threats.

After Operation Bagration, Russia is seen as being the principal threat because they just kicked down the door altogether and reoccupied all the ground that was lost in 1941. They take most of Poland and they move into East Prussia and theyre at the very gates of Berlin while were still slogging our way through Normandy and towards Paris.

Operation Bagration was a colossal victory for the Red Army. By the 3rd of July Soviet forces had recaptured Minsk, capital of Belorussia, a city which had been in German hands for three years. And by the end of July the Red Army had pushed into what had been, before the war, Polish territory, and had taken Lwow, the major cultural center of eastern Poland.

Before Operation Barbarossa, the German High Command masked the creation of the massive force arrayed to invade the USSR and heightened their diplomatic efforts to convince Joseph Stalin that they were about to launch a major attack on Britain.

Maskirovka (deception) was put into practice on a large scale in the Battle of Kursk, especially on the Steppe Front commanded by Ivan Konev.

The result was that the Germans attacked Russian forces four times stronger than they were expecting.

The German general Friedrich von Mellenthin wrote, The horrible counter-attacks, in which huge masses of manpower and equipment took part, were an unpleasant surprise for us The most clever camouflage of the Russians should be emphasized again. We did not .. detect even one minefield or anti-tank area until .. the first tank was blown up by a mine or the first Russian anti-tank guns opened fire.

Broadly, military deception may take both strategic and tactical forms. Deception across a strategic battlefield was uncommon until the modern age (particularly in the world wars of the 20th century), but tactical deception (on individual battlefields) dates back to early history.

In a practical sense military deception employs visual misdirection, misinformation (for example, via double agents) and psychology to make the enemy believe something that is untrue. The use of military camouflage, especially on a large scale, is a form of deception.

The Russian loanword maskirovka (literally: masking) is used to describe the Soviet Union and Russias military doctrine of surprise through deception, in which camouflage plays a significant role.

There are numerous examples of deception activities employed throughout the history of warfare, such as: feigned retreat leading the enemy, through a false sense of security, into a pre-positioned ambush; fictional units creating entirely fictional forces or exaggerating the size of an army; smoke screen  a tactical deception involving smoke, fog, or other forms of cover to hide battlefield movements; Trojan Horse  gaining admittance to a fortified area under false pretenses, to later admit a larger attacking force; strategic envelopment  where a small force distracts the enemy while a much larger force moves to attack from the rear (that was a favored tactic of Napoleons).

And that brings us to Syria, and its importance to Russia.

The deep state in Washington wants to keep the entire spectrum from the Levant to the Indian sub-continent destabilized  shaping it as the platform to send sparks of terrorism North to Russia and East to China. At the same time the US military will keep a physical presence (if China, India and Russia will allow it) in Afghanistan, from where it can survey the Eurasian land mass. As a master geopolitical chess player, Putin is very much aware of all this.

Syria is right at the underbelly of Russia and would be strategically important if it were in the hands of remote-controlled thugs like Ukraine is today. It has the potential to destabilize Russia from the Caucasus to Central Asia  generating as many Salafi-jihadi terrorists as possible. The region from the Caucasus to Central Asia holds about 80 million Muslims. Russia has enough reasons to stop US advances in Syria and Ukraine. Not to mention that in Iraqi Kurdistan the Pentagon is aiming to build a mega base, a springboard to create mischief in Central Asia for both Russia and China, in the form, for instance, of an Uyghur uprising in Western China, like it has done in Ukraine for Russia.

Once again; it may be helpful to look back to the continuum of history. It tells us these current efforts to encircle and destabilize Russia are destined to fail. (edited by Pepe Escobar)

Selected bibliography:

Carell, Paul: Hitlers War on Russia (George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., London, 1964).

Fraser-Tytler, W.K.: Afghanistan: A Study of Political Developments in Central Asia (Oxford University Press, London, 1950).

Hopkirk, Peter: Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia (First Published by John Murry (Publisher), 1980; First issued as an Oxford University Press, paperback 1980, Oxford).

Tzu, Sun: The Art of War (Edited with an introduction by Dallas Galvin; Translated from Chinese by Lionel Giles, First Published in 1910, Produced by Fine Creative Media, Inc. New Yor

Gibbon, Edward: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume III (Random House Inc. Manufactured in the United States by H. Wolf).

Weatherford, Jack: Genghis Khan and the making of the Modern World (Three Rivers Press, New York).
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on Friday gave reasons why Nigeria needed to recruit 30,000 police personnel in a bid to meet UN recommendation.

Speaking while dialoguing with civil society organisations under the umbrella of Situation Room on Friday in Abuja, Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, said Nigeria needed to recruit 30,000 police personnel annually for five years to meet UN recommendation.

The police boss who spoke as he turned one year in office, said that when compared to other countries with over one million police personnel, Nigeria was under-policed because it had not attained the UN ratio of one-policeman-to-four-citizens ratio.

One of the challenges facing the police force is that of personnel. We are just about 380,000 personnel. Even though we are the largest in Africa, we are not enough.

If we are to follow the UN ratio of 1: 4 of police-to-citizens of the country, the Nigeria police force would be put at almost 700, 000; so, we are still operating below the UN ratio.

Last year, we recruited 10,000 police officers, but it is not enough. So, in my own calculations, we are to recruit at least 30, 000 police officers annually in the next five years before we can get close to 700,000.

These are areas we want addressed by the present government and definitely we will get there so that we can recruit 30,000 Nigerians every year into the police force, he said.

Idris explained that the deficit in the number of policemen in the country arose between 2010 and 2016 when there was no recruitment of rank and file officers, adding that the force was working on addressing the gaps to ensure that it could secure the nation effectively.

The police boss added that a major challenge of the force was funding, saying that the police could do better with proper funding, not the envelope budget it currently gets.

He said that the situation informed the desire of the force to seek an Act to establish the Nigeria Police Reform Trust Fund to provide for the training and retraining of personnel, adding that the fund would also equip the police, improve their welfare, among others, adding that there would be public hearing on the Bill on July 11.

Idris reiterated commitment of the police to curbing crimes, especially during elections. He said that some police officers and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff had been arrested over allegations of electoral malpractice, adding that some had been taken to court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Corruption ( EFCC ) has rewarded 25 Nigerians youths with Net book laptops with Bribe Buster application for joining the Commission in the anti-corruption campaign through their art works.

Mr Osita Nwajah, the Director, Public Affairs of the commission, presented the gifts to the youths during the launch of the Creative Youth Community Development Initiative (CYCDI), an NGO, in Lagos.

Nwajah, who represented the commissions Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, said that the commission had been in a partnership with the Creative Youth Initiative against Corruption (CYIAC) sponsored by Prof. Wole Soyinka.

According to him, the 25 recipients emerged from the three-month intensive creative programme organised by the commission to curb corruption through creative development.

The director noted that the students, aged between nine and 14 years, showcased their talents in painting, drama, poetry and singing.

The Net Book, a mini laptop, is packaged with educational materials and Bribe Buster application; an animated video series for children and youth developed by TRACE International, USA, for the purpose of advancing commercial transparency worldwide.

Nwajah said that the commission was very delighted to be identified with the CYIAC, stressing that its involvement in the project was a deliberate effort at achieving a corrupt-free Nigeria.

Corruption is fighting back and it is easy to be discouraged; but the EFCC will do all it can within its powers to ensure that corruption is fought to the barest minimum.

One of the ways to achieve the preventive mandate of the commission is to support this initiative. The CYIAC is a corruption preventive initiative of the EFCC.

It kicked off in October 2016 and is committed to lead change in children and youth by eradicating corruption through character (attitude) and skill (aptitude) development for the positive advancement of Nigeria, he said.

Earlier, Mr Foluke Michael, the Project Director of the CYIAC, said that the project was aimed at creating corruption awareness in children and youths, adding that the objective had been achieved through various forms of art.

The Chairperson of CYCDI, Chief Oyenike Okundaye, in her remark, said that her organization would provide the necessary support and platform to ensure that CYCDI delivered its objectives of building a new Nigeria.

She said that the platform would engage children, youths, women and the creative community for the advancement of the nation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CYCDI is an NGO that aims to empower children, youths and women through creative development, to support the creative industry.

It also seeks to support other community development projects by promoting creativity, entrepreneurial skills, empowerment programmes and wealth creation in children, youths and women in Africa.

Source: ( PM News )
A woman in Barcelona has been forced to illegally occupy her own apartment after the tenant she had rented it to listed the property without her knowledge on the vacation rental website Airbnb. Montse Perez only managed to seize control of her property, located in the citys popular seaside Barceloneta neighborhood, after booking it on the online platform, moving in, and then changing the locks, according to Catalan regional daily La Vanguardia.

A protest against Airbnb in the Barceloneta suburb of Barcelona. MASSIMILIANO MINOCRI

The problems started when Perezs family signed a lease renting the apartment to a 26-year-old man. That contract included a clause forbidding the tenant from subletting the property as tourist accommodation. But after the document was signed, the family was unable to contact the tenant, only later discovering their property was now listed on Airbnb.

According to Perezs daughter, the tenant belongs to an organization specializing in this type of fraud. The group has rented other apartments in Barcelona with the same aim, paying 950 a month and then listing properties rented on Airbnb for 200 a night, she said.

City Hall says Airbnb is the only rental site still listing unlicensed properties

The San Francisco-based portal was quick to react to news of the case, taking the offending apartment off its books and laying the blame at the feet of the tenant who had offered it via their site. The company has also asked all hosts, as people who list accommodation on the portal are known, to certify that they have permission to list a property and check and ensure they are following local laws.

These provisions are very clear in our terms of service and on our page about being a responsible host, the company said.

But Airbnbs response has not gone down well with City Hall in Barcelona, which is engaged in a long-running battle with the company over the issue of unlicensed vacation rentals, even fining the company 600,000 for running such listings.

On Wednesday, Barcelonas councilor for city planning, Janet Sanz, said she planned to visit Montse Perez and stated that Airbnb was the only platform that continues to post adverts for properties without the relevant paperwork.

The message to Airbnb is clear: enough is enough. The question is no longer who is right or wrong: the problem is Airbnb is hurting locals by not wishing to comply with the law and [hurting] small property owners. Those who dont comply [with the law] are going to come up against an administration that is on the side of the locals and defending their rights, said Sanz.

Perezs daughter says the family have been a victim of a scam affecting other properties in Barcelona

As of Thursday, Perez was still in her apartment in Barceloneta, according to La Vanguardia. The paper said its coverage of the story had revealed the existence of other cases, with readers writing in to say they had been the victims of similar fraud.

Vacation rentals are big business in Spain, where they now offer more beds than hotels, according to a recent study by Exceltur, the industry business association. But the sectors growth in Barcelona, which is closely linked to the citys tourism boom, has led to friction between companies like Airbnb and city authorities as well as locals. Many residents complain they have been priced out of the local rental market by people engaged in property speculation.

English version by George Mills.
The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has ordered the Nigerian Police Force, along side other security forces ordered police reinforcement, deployment of extra military battalion and personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to the troubled areas of Taraba.

Osinbajo gave the order in Abuja while commiserating with victims of the recent violent attacks in a number of communities in the state where deaths were reported.

A statement issued by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, said that Osinbajo condemned the attacks in the communities.

He promised that the perpetrators would be brought to book.

He commiserated with the people of the affected communities as well as the government and people of Taraba.

On Wednesday, the Acting President summoned and held emergency meeting with top security officials and Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba.

Osinbajo also ordered the provision and delivery of relief materials to the affected communities in Toffi, Mayo Daga, Mayo Sina, Tamiya, Kwara-Kwara, Tungan Lugere, Timjire, Nguroje and other villages in the hinterland of Mambilla Plateau.

The Federal Government has also intensified mediation efforts in its bid to reconcile opposing groups in the communal conflict.

Source: ( PM News )
Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe seems to have landed herself in a social media war that seems not to be ending anytime soon!

The Edo born actress shared a photo of her stepping out for an event with the captioned
66 officials of the Royal Air Force have been deployed to Nigeria, this was confirmed by the British Government on Thursday.

The deployment, according to a statement made available to our correspondent, was requested for by Nigerias Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

Abubakar stated that the request was necessary to forestall possible attacks on the countrys airbases.

The British government stated that a 66-person Short Term Training Team from No 5 Royal Air Force (RAF) Force Protection Wing was deployed from RAF Lossiemouth to Nigeria for a six-week period to train the Nigerian Air Force Regiment.

The detachment, the third undertaken by 5 Force Protection Wing in a five-year programme, comes after a request from Abubakar to assist in capacity building for the NAF Regiment.

Abubakar said, Given the importance of bases in the airpower delivery matrix, it is not inconceivable to expect our adversaries to target our airbases. As a matter of fact, we have had an attack on one of our airbases in the recent past, and current intelligence reports keep highlighting the possibility of attacks on our bases.

All these reinforce the need to emplace a robust base defence concept that is capable of providing guidance for responding to a wide range of situations that may threaten our bases.

Similarly, the Officer Commanding 5 Force Protection Wing, Commander John Rees, expressed the British governments readiness to support Nigeria.

We are delighted to be here again and, as always, humbled by the warmth of the Nigerian welcome. We are proud of our Royal Air Force heritage and the opportunity to represent our service in the Defence Engagement arena, Rees stated.

The STTT is expected to deliver a training package which enables students to operate effectively in the Complex Air Ground Environment by understanding their role to provide security and Force Protection operations both inside and outside an air base.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
A Rivers state NYSC member, Ugwoke Peace Udoka has helped a little boy she saw hawking vegetables on the streets of Port Harcourt secure a scholarship.

According to her, she saw him hawking, took a picture with him and someone who saw the photo on social media reached out to help him. She wrote;

You never know how far one thing could lead to another.

Few weeks ago, I saw him hawking vegetables on the streets of Port Harcourt, apparently, he does that to assist his single mother.

He ran to me immediately and thanked me for visiting his school the previous week to speak with them and for giving them free writing materials, including mathematical sets.

We took a picture which caught social media attention and today, hes got a scholarship support from someone who has never met him but only seen his hawking pictures.

This boy has given me the vibe to keep going. He inspires me everyday. God bless my service year.

#Kittheekids # Scholarshipfund
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Friday said his administration would host Muslims in 20 centres across the state for the Eid-el-Fitri celebration as part of its strategy to bring about bonding among the people and enhance community participation in governance.

Speaking at the Lagos House where he received members of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs on a courtesy visit, Ambode said he had observed that people travel from far and near to celebrate with the First Family during festivities.

The decision to host Muslims in various centres across the State was basically to address such trend on one hand, he said; and also to give the greater number of people the sense of participation in governance, on the other hand.

He said: Like you are aware, we intend to celebrate the Ramadan in the various communities and I need to make some explanations here.

Before now, any time we are having festivities  maybe Ramadan, Christmas, New Year and so on people converge at the State House to greet the First Family.

I found out that sometimes, they might spend N3,000 to get here and go home with maybe N500. So, in my own little wisdom, I think they should remain in their communities and celebrate.

The traditional rulers, chief imams and every other person will celebrate the Ramadan and recital of Quran in their communities.

We must practice community governance, using our different platforms to celebrate ourselves, Ambode explained.

He promised to visist some of the centres to celebrate with the people and urged the traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, among others, to also join in the celebration.

Responding to a request to intervene in the crisis rocking the Lagos State Polytechnic, Governor Ambode said it was gratifying to announce that academic activities would resume in the institution immediately after the Eid-el-Fitri holiday.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
A 40-year-old father is believed to have murdered his young son and daughter then hanged himself on Fathers Day during a custody battle with his estranged wife.

Deputies from the Sonoma County Sheriffs Department arrived at the Santa Rosa, California, home of Alvaro Camara, 40, on Monday morning to a horrifying scene as they responded to a welfare check.

He was supposed to drop his six-year-old daughter and 18-month-old son off at their mothers house Sunday night, but never showed up.

The estranged wife and mother of the two deceased children released a statement Tuesday I sit swaddled in my daughters blanket and drinking tea from a cup that reads I love you mom, fighting back the tears and struggling to make sense of this horrific situation

I sought help on numerous occasions and said many many many times my children were in danger in their fathers care and I didnt receive the urgent help I needed to save them the statement concludes.

Deputies found Camara and his children dead inside the home. Camara hanged himself in a bedroom, the bodies of his daughter and son were nearby.

Camaras two children, six-year-old daughter Juliana and 18-month-old son, Julian, spent Fathers Day with him. He was married, but had been separated from his wife for six months.

Neighbors say he lived in the complex only a few months but the arguments between him and his wife were intense on several occasions.

Source: DailyMail
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has urged Nigerians, especially politicians, not to compromise the unity of Nigeria by sticking to political and other affiliations.

Obaseki made the call while talking with newsmen shortly after the inauguration of Bridge 98.7 FM, a new radio station, in Asaba, Delta, on Friday.

He said that political affiliations should not be considered more important than the unity shared by the citizenry.

On collaboration between Edo and Delta in spite of different political parties being in government in both states, the governor said that the states shared the same heritage and had remained one.

According to him, Edo and Delta people are one; we used to be one state (Bendel), so, political affiliation cannot divide us.

He commended the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the radio station, Dr Henry Nzekwu, for the state-of-the-art facilities and level of professionalism employed in setting up the station.

The governor said that his administration would draw inspiration from the initiative to develop broadcast stations in Edo.

Earlier, Nzekwu had said that the station was established to promote national unity, family values and economic development.

Nzekwu expressed optimism that the best of technologies would be leveraged on to deliver quality services to the populace.

Source: (NAN)
The Queen has been reported to the police for not wearing a seatbelt while driving to the State Opening of Parliament.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed in a tweet someone had called 999 saying the monarch was not strapped in.

The Queen travelled to Westminster alongside Prince Charles to deliver the Queens Speech.

The law regarding seatbelts says: You must wear a seatbelt if one is fitted in the seat you are using.

Those found flouting the law can be fined 500 for not wearing a seatbelt.
Armenian musician is a concertmaster of one of the orchestra's of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 5 companies

Stepan Khalatyan, a musician who resides in the USA, and has performed at the most prestigious concert halls all over the world, has been working as a concertmaster of one of the orchestra's of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 5 companies, as well as the principal of the second violins of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. ''In 2013 my friend Karen Khachatryan (trombone) told me about Shen Yun Performing Arts company in New York. It is an organization comprised of 5 companies and it presents Chinese art via dances and 3D animations, as well as with live performance of the orchestra, performing all over the world. In 2014 I took part in the auditions and became a concertmaster of one of the orchestra's of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 5 companies, as well as the principal of the second violins of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. So I appeared in the USA!'',- violinist says. During the last 4 years Stepan Khalatyan has performed at the best concert halls at 37 out of 51 states of the USA: Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Boston Symphony Hall, John F. Kennedy Center, etc. He had concerts at the prestigious halls in the Mexico, Colombia, Argentina. The orchestra he is part of had 77 concerts in 4,5 months! ''There are many Armenian musicians at the other orchestra's of the Shen Yun Performing Arts: Karen Khachatryan (trombone), Mher Mnatsakanyan (clarinet), Ashot Dumanyan and Arsen Ketikyan (violin), Tigran Voskanyan (double bass). Last year Vardan Hakobyan (conductor, double bass) joined us. I am very proud that Chinese orchestra performs headed by Armenian musician. I hope that together we will be able to perform for the Armenian audience'',-he says. Stepan Khalatyan has been playing violin since he was 6. His father Hakob Khalatyan is playing kamancha, he is also painter, and mother Anna Khalatyan is a cellist. He studied at Alexander Spendiaryan Music School (the class of Eduard Margaryan, then the class of Armen Jenterejyan). In 2004 he was appointed at Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, where he was a student of Shahen Shahinyan, current rector of the Conservatory. He has got his master's degree here. Despite the age his professional biography is very rich. He performed at Martiros Saryan and Avetik Isahakyan House Museums as a part of a quartet. In 2006 Stepan performed (as trio, quartet, quintet) with his father during the concert dedicated to his 50th anniversary. A very important period of his life was connected with the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, where Stepan has worked as the principal of the second violins. In 2007-20014 he performed with concerts in different parts of the world: France, Germany, Belgium, UAE with the Principal Conductor of the orchestra Sergey Smbatyan. During the same period, the orchestra and Stepan took part in the Moscow Easter festival founded by Valery Gergiev. In 2009 as a part of Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Stepan performed Symphony by E. Mirzoyan, headed by Gergiev. With the SYOA Stepan participated in famous Musica Riva Festival in Italy. It should be noted that besides working at Shen Yun Stepan manages to perform at international stages and presenting pieces by Armenian composers.
South Sudans leaders have been ordered by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to end the civil war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

Guterres, who made the remarks when he visited South Sudanese refugees in Uganda on the sidelines of the Solidarity Summit to raise 2.2 billion dollars for the refugees emergency, urged world to show solidarity.

It is time for the war to end. It is time for all the leaders of South Sudan to understand that they need to stop this war.

Peace in South Sudan is a must for these people to be able to have a future, the Secretary-General said.

The UN chief expressed gratitude for the efforts made by the Heads of State of the region, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and by the UN to help create the conditions for peace to be re-established.

At the same time, I cannot forget that twelve years ago I was here, in June, in this same place.

I was marking World Refugee Day with South Sudanese refugees that were singing with joy because they were going back home soon, Guterres, who was then UN High Commissioner for Refugees, regretted.

He said he had later accompanied many of the refugees across the border with the hope that the their new country would live in peace.

Unfortunately, that had not been the case. South Sudans leaders do not deserve the people of their country, Guterres said, stressing that the South Sudanese people have been suffering enormously in an endless war.

He lauded Ugandas hosting almost one million South Sudanese refugees as sisters and brothers and sharing with them their land and everything they have.

He urged the international community to show solidarity with those that had fled their homes, as well as with the Ugandan Government and people.

In a world where so many people are selfishly closing their doors, closing their borders, not allowing refugees to come, this example deserves praise and admiration from the whole international community, Guterres said.

The UN chief visited the Imvepi Refugee Reception Centre in the Arua district of northern Uganda, the first stop for many South Sudanese refugees once they crossed the border into Uganda.

The camp, which opened in February this year, is already filling up, hosting some 120,000 refugees, mostly women and children, fleeing violence and instability in the neighbouring country.

In just the past year, the overall refugee population in Uganda has more than doubled from 500,000 to more than 1.25 million, making the East African country host to the worlds fastest growing refugee emergency.

The UN chief pointed out that at the Solidarity Summit on Friday, the international community would have the opportunity to express its solidarity, responding to our appeal for massive financial support, both for humanitarian aid for the refugees.

But also for the investments necessary for the education system, the health system, the infrastructure, the [local] environment, to be able to cope with this enormous challenge.

The Solidarity Summit, which opened on Thursday in the Ugandan capital,let if Kampala, and is expected to wrap up on Friday.

It was co-hosted by Uganda and the UN to rally international support for refugees and host communities in the form of donations, investments and innovative programmes.

Source: ( PM News )
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Land that was once earmarked for retail development in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., could soon become a mixed-use property that would include self-storage, a boat dealership and a fast-food restaurant. The Lake Havasu Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment to the citys design for the Anderson Autoplex Planned Development on the north side of town. The proposal will now go to the city council, according to the source.

If approved, the facility would include indoor, temperature-controlled units for boat and RV storage. They would be outfitted as mini man caves, said George Sharma, owner of Desert Resort Properties Inc., who served as the buyers representative during the commission meeting. I recently did an experiment on London Bridge Road. We built 198 units, and we did one phase completely [with] mini man caves. They all sold like hotcakes, Sharma said. I still have people coming to me looking for those places.

Another party is interested in opening a boat dealership on a nearby lot, and theres space for a fast-food restaurant. Traffic to the storage facility and boat dealership could stimulate more business to the area, Sharma said.

The original plan for the Anderson Autoplex, a hub for car dealerships or retail, was drafted by the city more than a decade ago, the source reported. However, the land owner said the property has failed to attract any vehicle dealerships or retailers. We have been to car dealerships everywhere. They do not want to move to Lake Havasu City. We have entertained and worked with this for the last 10 years. Ive wanted to sell the property. I bought it initially because it was a good place for our dealership, I felt, said Richard Anderson, owner of the Anderson Auto Group, which operates three Arizona dealerships. Now, after 10 years and several million dollars invested$4 million, which was infrastructurenobody wants it.

Dean Baker, owner of real estate firm Lake Havasu City Properties, launched a marketing campaign to attract big-box retailers, including Costco and Target, but also received no interest. The property has been sitting there for 10 years. It could be another 10 years because retail obviously isnt working out there as we look at the mall with so many vacancies, he said.

Prior to the vote, some commission members were wary of straying from the original plan for the area. I dont have a problem with storage units, but this appears to be cannibalizing the original intent of that development out there to accommodate more storage units, said chairman Jim Harris.

Commissioners Dan McGowan and John Kendig also voiced concerns that changing the intent for the land could open it up to a hodgepodge of unintended uses or more storage, the source reported.

Following the testimonies from Anderson, Baker and Sharma, the commission voted to approve the amendment. Kendig abstained from the vote.
Neiybor Inc., a Provo, Utah-based startup, has launched a peer-to-peer marketplace for self-storage and parking services in Utah and Salt Lake Counties. Similar to other shared-economy networks, the company provides an online platform where people in need of storage can find local hosts willing to rent available space.

Those in need of storage can peruse the Neiybor website in search of local storage options. Users can filter their search by available cities, expected dates of storage duration, indoor or outdoor spaces, and monthly price. The pricing filter ranges from $0 to $250. Hosts can post free listings that include a description of their available storage space, including size/configuration and the monthly rental fee. They can also post multiple photos and reveal other details, such as whether the space is climate-controlled, pet-free or smoke-free, or offers a private entrance.

Hosts are allowed to set their own prices based on location, size and features. Neiybor collects a 15 percent processing fee, according to the company website, which states hosts are not legally responsible for stored items. Hosts and renters are verified through the Neiybor platform.

Co-founder Preston Alder told the source the idea for the company came from an experience he and his wife had as Brigham Young University (BYU) students. The couple had difficulty finding affordable storage when they were leaving the country for an overseas internship. They wound up using extra space in a friends garage.

We are trying to help [people] by building an online community where people can rent out their underutilized space and earn a supplemental income, Alder said. Were also trying to provide rentersespecially transient student populationswith more affordable and convenient storage options in their own neighborhood.

Neiybor has participated in multiple college-business and entrepreneurial contests, garnering office space on the BYU campus for its placement in the universitys Miller Competition Series New Venture Challenge, according to the source. The company expects to move into its own office space soon in Salt Lake County.

Alder founded the company with Colton Gardner and Joseph Woodbury. The Neiybor team presented on the companys business model earlier this month during the Street Fight Summit business conference in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Neiybor launched service in Utah County in March and expanded to Salt Lake County last week. The company intends to offer service throughout Utah before expanding to other states, the source reported.
Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc., which operates more than 1,300 self-storage locations across North America, will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 1 to celebrate the addition of 667 self-storage units to U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Anchorage in Alaska. Free to the public, the event will include property tours, food and childrens activities. Itll take place noon to 3 p.m.

The facility at 5700 Boundary Ave. is on the site of the former E.A. Patson Parts & Equipment store, which supplied surplus military equipment, vehicles and parts. Its also near the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military facility.

Since acquiring the 5-acre property in 2013, U-Haul has operated out of a temporary showroom, offering moving and packing supplies as well as truck and trailer rentals. Following the acquisition, it took the company a year to remove 23 tons of metal and old equipment from the site. The new, three-story building was finished in 2015, and the first units were available for rent in early 2016. The facility wasnt fully complete until recently, according to a press release.

The resulting 75,687-square-foot structure contains 55,550 net rentable square feet of storage space. Property features include 24-hour access, temperature-controlled units and covered loading/unloading areas. It also offers propane sales, hitch installation and U-Box portable-storage containers. Covered vehicle-storage spaces will soon be added, the release stated.

U-Haul preserved several U.S. military relics and other 1940s memorabilia for display in the facilitys showroom. The items include a standard-issue World War II helmet and pieces of a Willys MB U.S. Army jeep.

U-Haul opened its first facility in the state at 4751 Old Seward Highway in 1982. Today, the sites 434 units are nearly full, said John Norris, president of the U-Haul Co. of Alaska. "The Old Seward store is one of our busiest for transactions in the northwestern United States. We expanded to meet public demand, he said. It's convenient to have the Boundary Avenue store so customers don't have to spend their hard-earned dollars driving across town for U-Haul equipment and self-storage."

Established in 1945, U-Haul owns more than 44 million square feet of storage space. The companys corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, has led to dozens of conversion projects in recent years.
Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts

Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum

Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights

Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh

Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

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I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments
The International Insurance Law Association (AIDA) has announced its inaugural Asia Pacific Insurance Conference will be held later this year.The conference, which will be held in Singapore on October 18-20, will be organised with support from the Australian Insurance Law Association ( AILA ), as well as similar associations in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.The conference program will cover a wide range of issues including regional initiatives for insurance regulatory integration, the duty of utmost good faith, cyberattacks and supply chain risks.AIDA uniquely draws together regional and international experience and expertise to host an insurance industry conference that will provide a singular opportunity to focus attention on insurance issues relevant to the Asia Pacific region specifically and others of broader interest, Angus Kench, AILA national president said.Kench noted that that AIDA, the conference and its member organisations are not just for insurance lawyers.As an organisation, Kench noted that AIDA has a strong focus on the development of young professionals as the first regional conference will look to boost personal development and network opportunities for the industry.
Plenty of insurance firms have made the case for diversity  but now one has shown how serious its push for inclusion is by backing the Pride in London 2017 event. AXA has announced that it will sponsor the capitals LGBT+ community event which runs from June 24 to July 09 and includes the world famous Pride in London Parade.The insurer will be the sole insurance sponsor of Pride in London 2017 and around 100 AXA staff are expected to be part of the Pride in London Parade this year from AXA Insurance, PPP healthcare, AXA Investment Managers and AXA Partners. Last year around 40,000 people in total took part in the parade.We are very proud to sponsor Pride in London this year and applaud the excellent work that Pride in London has done to date, said Darrell Samson, chief marketing officer at AXA UK. We wholeheartedly agree with their ethos that everyone should be comfortable being themselves at work or at home, regardless of their background.There is a long history of promoting inclusion at AXA, whether that is among staff or our business partners. We look forward to working with Pride in London in the future and marching in the parade next month.Were delighted that AXA are supporting Pride in London this year, added Polly Shute, director of fundraising and sponsorship, Pride in London. We could not deliver such an incredible event without such support from the business community.
Clients in the construction industry face a number of emerging risks which are forcing businesses to face up to a new reality, an expert has said.As one of the most important industries in Australia, construction plays a key part in many brokers businesses and Angela Vella, practice leader of construction at Arthur J. Gallagher , said that two emerging risks stand out for construction clients.Some of the top, key risks and emerging risks for clients tend to focus around economic liquidity and technology, Vella told Insurance Business.Clients are finding themselves having to adapt rather quickly to what is a new reality for a lot of organisations.Vella noted that, from a technology perspective, all industries are being impacted by cyber threats - and construction is no different.As technology and economic liquidity become top of mind for construction clients, Vella added that brokers play an increasingly important role.While a lot of these are outside of a brokers control, we can certainly assist by helping clients understand what those risks mean for their business, Vella continued. Helping them with things like managing cash flow - so from a cost perspective the impact those risks can have a on a business - is really important.Vella said that, to help clients appreciate the risks that their businesses face, brokers can look to use risk profiling exercises to highlight potential impacts of traditional and emerging risks.While risks will vary from client to client, risk profiling will give brokers an opportunity to explain new risks to clients and the balance sheet exposure of construction clients.
Insurance Made Easy Insurance Brokers has been announced as the sole preferred insurance broker for members of the Small Business Association of Australia (SBAA).The Steadfast member brokerage, which was established in 1992, has worked with small businesses extensively throughout its history and has many aligned values with the SBAA.James Gillard, founder and managing director of Insurance Made Easy, said that the deal represents a big step for the brokerage.Gillard noted that Insurance Made Easy will look to work alongside the association and its members on other key issues for SMEs such as tax relief, new financing models and access to free advice services.Our endorsement from the SBAA means we will be able to leverage our own SME experience and knowledge for the benefit of SBAA members, Gillard said. Mapping members risk profiles and aligning these with a range of tailor-made and competitive general insurance solutions are what we are very good at.Anne Nalder, CEO of the SBAA, said that the deal comes after several months of discussions with the association.Insurance Made Easy recently supported the SBAAs inaugural summit where the brokerage discussed with association members the potential risks a small business faces.
New solution allows a more efficient work process for clients
Greater availability is one of the biggest benefits brokers will see following Afirms entrance into Quebec on Monday - thats according to Afirm president, Jon Kovach.The real benefit to the brokers in Quebec is the physical presence that we have, he said. Were much more accessible, we bring that bilingual service to the province, which is clearly very important. We have some Canadian national companies that have always given us work in the area but not to the extent we can receive it now, because of having presence in the area.Afirm, a subsidiary of Michigan-based H.W. Kaufman Financial Group, does physical inspections of properties and interviews principles of firms for commercial as well as personal underwriters. The H.W. Kaufman Financial Groups eventual aim is to expand its other subsidiaries, one being a wholesale brokerage, into Quebec and the rest of Canada.Thats always the objective of the Kaufman group, its to continually expand. Afim wants to have a presence in every province, Kovach said.Weve found as weve done business in our Canadian marketplace, Quebec is a unique environment and to be able to effectively expand our brand in Canada we absolutely had to have a presence in Quebec.Kovach explained Afirms business was the eyes and ears on the ground to assess risk on behalf of carriers and underwriters.Our services are tied into the underwriting process and we work with both the commercial and residential side of the industry. Our clients and carriers and underwriters within those spaces, Kovach explained. We provide these reports which are generated based on physical observations on site visits, interviews with principles, to help them make an appropriate underwriting decision.The new office is opening in Beloeil, Quebec, between Montreal and Drummond along the Richelieu River.
Two local judges have made the unconventional move of denying Dr. Derek Duke, a Las Vegas neurosurgeon who earns about $1 million annually by serving second opinions in lawsuits, the chance to testify as an expert witness in two cases.On March 20, after 11 days of hearings, Timothy Williams, District Judge, ordered that Duke cannot testify in Mitch Wilsons personal injury case as a 35-page opinion mentioned that Dr. Dukes medical opinions are personal and his methodology unreliable. The Court further finds that Dr. Dukes medical opinions rely heavily on speculation and other irrelevant factors.Williams added that Duke could not testify due to a history of personal bias as to some treating physicians and extreme bias resulting in prejudice against personal injury plaintiffs, as reported by a Las Vegas Review-Journal website.It is unorthodox for a judge to take 11 days to publish a full record about an expert witnesss credentials.Joining Williams, a former personal injury attorney, in declaring that Dukes testimony is biased was Mark Denton, District Judge, who disqualified the neurosurgeon from testifying in a 2015 case.Williams opinion detailed an evaluation of 371 of Dukes reports which showed that the latter disagreed with the treating doctor about 95% of the time and that 86% of the time he found that there was neither injury nor sprain when the treating doctor diagnosed otherwise.The case notes also reported that Duke would bad-mouth other doctors and blame plaintiffs injuries on mental or psychological conditions, despite not being a psychologist.The Court notes that on the very first day of his testimony, Dr. Duke informed the Court of his ability to diagnose and treat depression and anxiety without the need for neuropsychological testing, and often merely by talking with him, the opinion stated.Sometimes, Duke will tell the plaintiffs that they must resort to other treatment plans and would ask about litigation and comments on the cases weakness, which is beyond the scope of his role as a supposedly independent examiner, Williams opinion added.The record showed that Duke, in a certain case, described a doctor as overtly unethical and unprofessional.Duke once wrote that, The reputation of Las Vegas spine surgeons nationally is quite poor and that the treating doctor was blatantly pandering to those seeking to inflate the economic value of litigation.The FBI and the US attorneys office devoted years seeking to prove what Duke said, yet it yielded little success. The investigation became public nine years ago.Convictions or pleas from an attorney, a neurosurgeon and a medical consultant have been claimed, but failed to prove that a massive conspiracy involving lawyers and doctors, who are seeking to run up injury costs and drive up settlement costs, exists.Duke believed that the conspiracy existed, but federal officials could prove a Medical Mafias existence with the absence of proof.In a third personal injury case involving Richard Greene, attorney Dennis Prince is taking the unconventional approach of suing Duke by alleging that he has a role in a civil conspiracy with Allstate Insurance and that he interfered on purpose with the insurance contract due to his extreme bias.
Uber executives have a challenging road ahead to mend the ride-sharing apps tainted image, says a reputational insurance expert.The company is reeling after CEO and company founder Travis Kalanick resigned Tuesday night, under pressure from Ubers board and investors. Kalanicks resignation was brought on, in part, by allegations of stealing technology to a vile outburst caught on film by one of his Uber drivers.This month, at least 20 people were fired as part of an external probe into sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and other HR complaints within the company, and the Board also recently ousted one of Kalanicks friends at Uber over his mishandling of an Uber drivers rape case in India.Nir Kossovsky, CEO of Pittsburgh-based Steel City Re, which specializes in reputation insurance, said the company needs to now focus its attention on fixing its wrongs amid a media and public flogging.The ferocity and velocity of attacks in this era of weaponized social media often leads companies to try to satisfy the blood lust with human sacrifice  in the form of resignations, terminations and compensation claw-backs, said Kossovsky, of what we have already witnessed at Uber.But as weve seen in multiple other cases where corporate reputation was under siege, these sacrifices are rarely enough  and individuals in leadership have few tools to fend off or recover from attacks when corporate reputational crises turn personal.These company leaders have a lot to lose if they become personal targets and their reputations are damaged  not only may their current jobs be short-lived, but they may find their reputations tainted for years to come.The individuals who now find themselves running the company  including anyone who might be brought in to steady the ship  have their work cut out to fix the companys reputation. They will also, Kossovsky said, have work ahead of them to keep their own corporate reputations intact.Many of the individuals who have taken on new leadership positions  are people who have worked at Uber and led divisions of the company for some time, he said. They have a double challenge  first, making a convincing case that they can, indeed, lead the company in a different direction and, second, protecting themselves from attacks on their reputation as Ubers business practices continue to be dissected.The company itself needs to demonstrate that it understands its shortcomings and is willing to take responsibility for them. As venture capitalist Bill Gurley, who recently resigned from Ubers board, said: Were in a reputational deficit, and its going to take us a while to get out of this.[The company] needs to show its stakeholders, from investors to employees, from drivers to customers, that it is serious about changing its culture, is taking tangible steps in a different direction and is implementing policies and practices that will prevent past behaviors from continuing to poison the corporate environment.
Beecher Carlson Insurance Services LLC (Beecher Carlson), a specialized large account insurance broker, has expanded the northeast operations of its energy practice.

Sara Kane has been appointed senior vice president. She will be responsible for developing and managing energy risk management accounts and leveraging Beecher Carlsons service offerings. She will work out of the New York office and report to Erin Lynch, president of Beecher Carlsons energy practice.

Previously, Kane spent nearly a decade working on the carrier side of the insurance industry, holding underwriter and product development positions at AXIS Capital, GCube Insurance Services and AIG. She joins Beecher Carlson from SunEdison where she was director of insurance risk. Kane has spent the majority of her career focused on the renewable energy sector.

Additionally, Megan Miller is taking on a larger role within the global energy practice. She currently works as managing director out of Beecher Carlsons New York office.

Megan brings a technical background to the team, having worked at both FM Global and Swiss Re prior to joining Beecher Carlson, Lynch said in a company press release.

Beecher Carlson Insurance Services LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brown & Brown Inc., which, through its subsidiaries, offers a range of insurance and reinsurance products and services, as well as risk management, third-party administration and managed health care programs.

Source: Beecher Carlson Insurance Services LLC
A bill that would repeal and replace the recreational marijuana law approved by Massachusetts voters in November cleared the House late Wednesday. Critics who lashed out at the proposal accused lawmakers of ignoring the will of the electorate and taking a hostile approach to the legal cannabis industry.

The Senate was poised to take up its own version of the bill, one calling for more modest revisions in the current law, setting the stage for negotiations between the chambers over a final version lawmakers hope to send to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker by July 1.

The House bill, approved on a 126-28 vote, would raise the tax on retail marijuana sales from 12 percent to 28 percent.

Other provisions include stringent background checks and fingerprinting for all people who own or work in licensed marijuana-related businesses. The bill would create two new enforcement agencies, one within the Cannabis Control Commission, a five-member board that will regulate recreational and medical marijuana, and another within the state attorney generals office. It also would establish standards for the testing, packaging and labeling of marijuana products, including edible ones, to assure those products are safe.

The bill would keep intact many elements of the current law such as those allowing adults to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana and grow up to 12 pot plants per household. Retail marijuana stores could begin opening in cities and towns in the second half of 2018, but local governing bodies could move to ban or limit pot shops without first asking voters.

Rep. Mark Cusack, the House chairman of the Marijuana Policy Committee, argued at the outset of Wednesdays session the bill makes sensible and practical improvements to the ballot question.

What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular, said Cusack, a Braintree Democrat. This legislation gets it right. Right for the consumer, right for the industry and, above all, it gets it right for the people of (Massachusetts).

The Senate proposal would keep the marijuana tax at 12 percent and maintain the current requirement of a vote by residents of a community before marijuana stores can be barred.

Hours before the House debated, several dozen pro-marijuana activists gathered outside the Statehouse to urge defeat of the bill.

The message it sends is, `The will of the people be damned, said Will Luzier, who headed the November ballot question campaign.

Andy Gaus, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, said under the House bill anyone working for a marijuana business is presumed to be a criminal and will be treated that way.

House leaders maneuvered behind the scenes during the day to avoid a contentious debate and win over wavering members.

An amendment was added to address concerns of black and Latino lawmakers who argued the bill weakened provisions designed to help minority-owned businesses gain a foothold in the cannabis industry. The amendment requires regulators to develop diversity licensing goals, and programs to recruit and train minorities and women to own or work in marijuana-related businesses.

Another amendment boosted from $30 million to $50 million the amount of marijuana tax revenues that would be directed toward substance abuse treatment programs.

Many lawmakers had argued the ballot question was written with the interests of the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry foremost in mind and paid too little attention to broader public safety and consumer-related issues.

Supporters of a higher marijuana tax say the revenue is needed to pay for regulating marijuana and enforcing the law.

Those advocating a lower tax say it would encourage consumers to buy the drug legally and hasten the demise of the underground market.

A 28 percent tax rate, Cusack said, would put Massachusetts in about the middle of the pack among the eight states that have legalized recreational marijuana and below what is paid by consumers in Washington and much of Colorado.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Cannabis Massachusetts
Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings Ltd. announced it has reached agreement to sell the entire share capital of its Lloyds managing agency, R&Q Managing Agency Ltd. (RQMA), to Coverys, a provider of medical professional liability insurance based in Boston, Mass.

The sale remains subject to regulatory change of control approval by Lloyds and the UKs Prudential Regulation Authority, anticipated to be received in late 2017, said Bermuda-based R&Q in a statement.

The agreement entails a cash payment by Coverys to R&Q of $22.6 million, which after costs and related incentive payments, will result in estimated net proceeds to R&Q of 13.9 million ($17.6 million).

This is expected to generate a gain of approximately 12.6 million ($14.3 million) over the carrying cost of RQMA in the groups 2016 audited accounts. The profits attributable to RQMA in the last audited accounts at Dec. 31, 2016 were 300,000 ($380,049) and the value of the RQMA related assets was 1.3 million ($1.7 million).

The sale of RQMA will be materially accretive to earnings per share (EPS) and net tangible assets (NTA) for R&Q in the current year, the company continued. In addition, the group expects to make cost savings in other parts of the company which supported RQMA. These savings are likely to offset the loss of an estimated RQMA profit in 2018, R&Q said.

RQMAs 2 Syndicates

In a statement, Coverys described RQMA as a turnkey managing agency, which assists new syndicates in launching their underwriting businesses at Lloyds of London while delivering operating services necessary for the underwriting and maintenance of existing syndicates, including RQMAs Syndicate 1991 and Syndicate 3330.

Syndicate 1991 has capacity of circa 127 million ($160.9 million), writing niche property and casualty business for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), mostly through delegated underwriting authorities, R&Q said, explaining that the syndicate benefits from a wide range of primarily third-party industry and private capital support.

RQMA also manages Syndicate 3330, which provides reinsurance-to-close and other reinsurance solutions for legacy business within Lloyds, said R&Q, noting that the syndicates capital support is provided entirely by the group. After the sale of RQMA, R&Q said it intends to continue to support and grow this legacy focused syndicate through a proposed separate management agreement with the new Coverys-owned agency. RQMA also provides back office support to Syndicate 2088, the syndicate managed by XL Catlin and backed by China Re.

R&Q said the sale follows its previously announced decision to focus on core, high growth activities, which include: 1) the acquisition/assumption of run-off portfolios; and 2) the use of its licensed companies in the U.S. and EU as conduits for niche and profitable books of P&C business, primarily to highly rated reinsurers.

The company said net proceeds of the sale will be deployed to help finance the companys growing legacy transaction pipeline, especially in the U.S. and Lloyds.

The proposed sale of our Lloyds managing agency is a significant milestone in the groups decision to simplify its operations and focus on our core areas of legacy acquisitions and management and the provision of services to our live underwriting partners, said Ken Randall, R&Q chairman and CEO.

R&Q Managing Agency Ltd. is a well-developed and scalable platform and we are confident it will prosper under the stewardship of Coverys, he said, noting that good cultural fit between the two organizations.

Through the acquisition, Coverys will inherit the continued responsibility to support the syndicates currently under management with RQMA, says Gregg L Hanson, CEO and president of Coverys.

The acquisition additionally allows Coverys to assist new underwriting syndicates that seek to launch their business at Lloyds, while also maintaining business operations for existing syndicates, Hanson added. We are excited to enter the London marketplace and will look to RQMAs industry knowledge and expertise to guide us in this prestigious market.

Hanson said the company seized this opportunity to expand our non-insurance services in addition to leveraging the knowledge and experience of RQMAs leadership team.

Coverys will acquire RQMAs full staff and business operations, including its turnkey business for new syndicates, and the continued responsibility to support the syndicates under management.

Source: R&Q Investment Holdings

Topics Carriers Excess Surplus Lloyd's Medical Professional Liability Human Resources
JLT Re, the global provider of reinsurance broking and consultancy, has appointed Deanna Williams as a partner in JLT Res Bermuda operation.

She will report to Charles Withers-Clarke, partner, JLT Re in Bermuda, who said that Williams will focus on specialty lines, working closely with myself and our teams in London.

Previously Williams was at Chubb (ACE) Tempest Re where she was a vice president underwriter, focused on international property catastrophe XL. Prior to that she held key roles at Ace Tempest Re, XL Reinsurance and XL Capital.

Source: JLT Re

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Chubb
It can be pretty tough keeping an independent insurance agency up and running successfully long-term if youre just in it for the money, according to the leader of a Chicago-based agency that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Youve got to do what you love. Youve got to be passionate about the people youre servicing, said Chris DeCaigny, president of Union Insurance Group (UIG).

As its name suggests, UIG specializes providing insurance products and services to labor unions; 98 percent of the agencys revenue comes from labor union insurance programs.

With 25 employees who are all members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 1 in Chicago  the oldest local labor local organization in the United States  UIGs reach is nationwide. It is licensed in all 50 states, concentrating on commercial insurance coverages for the unions it serves. In addition to its Chicago headquarters, the agency has offices in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

DeCaigny said he realized about 25 years ago that unions were being underserved in the insurance market.

I was asked by one of my contractor customers to help out their union hall. They could not get any insurance when I met with them. I got to understand what they actually did. The insurance product was not that complicated other than when you got into the professional liability and understanding the not-for-profit structure that the labor unions have; we identified that there was a hole in the market, DeCaigny said.

So, in 1997 he started Union Insurance Group with the mission of serving only labor unions. Our job is to protect the assets of the organization, he said. That includes protecting the assets of union members as well as the organizations leadership.

From an insurance perspective, the needs and requirements of labor organizations are significantly different from the general commercial market, DeCaigny said. With the labor unions, because youre dealing with 50 different state departments of labor plus the federal department of labor rules and laws, fair labor standards, etc., we have to be very cognizant of what the rules and laws are in each of these areas.

The agency has staff dedicated to keeping up to date with local, state and federal rules regarding labor unions, and to developing products to serve the needs of unions wherever they operate.

Union Membership

The Washington Post reported in August 2016 that in terms of membership in organized labor, the United States ranks near the bottom among developed nations, with only about 10 percent of U.S. workers belonging to unions. Thats down from an approximate 20 percent membership in 1983, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. By comparison, union membership in Scandinavian countries is nearly 70 percent, the Washington Post reported.

And in recent years some U.S. states, such as Wisconsin, have been actively discouraging worker involvement in collective bargaining. But the fact that the current political climate in the U.S. is not especially favorable for organized labor has not diminished UIGs business prospects, DeCaigny said.

We focus on doing our job, which is making sure that the change in the political environment doesnt put [our union clients] at risk and protecting them from any litigation that may come as a result, whether its justified or not.  If the states going to go to right to work, we identify what that could mean from a legal, litigation standpoint. We just focus on making sure that the unions are protected, he said.

Twenty years ago, it would have been easy to take the general agency route, taking any account that came into the office, DeCaigny said. But belief in the progressive approach of labor kept the agency on track.

We believe in labor. We believe in what they stand for. We fight for them every day, and represent what they need, and protect them, he said.

A Commitment to Service

That commitment to union values has led to the agencys support of organizations that labor sponsors. UIG has pledged $1 million to support three national programs in particular  Helmets to Hardhats, which sponsors apprenticeships for military veterans; Union Sportsmens Alliance, an environmental conservation organization; and Labor of Love, which supports diabetes research.

In addition to ongoing support for those programs, to honor its two decades of service to unions the agency and its employees are participating in local projects, with different volunteer opportunities each quarter, according to Alicia Fidler, UIGs vice president of marketing communications.

Each quarter is sort of a different theme. The first quarter, we worked with Fisher House, which is an affiliation of the Hines Veterans Hospital here in Chicagoland, Fidler said. Relatives of veterans who are being treated at Hines may stay at Fisher House free of charge while their family member is in the hospital. For its first quarter project, UIG employees provided food and volunteered their time to serve and visit with the families staying at Fisher House.

The second quarter volunteer theme is environmental, Fidler said. Employees will be volunteering at a local wetlands initiative, as well as at an organic farm in the Chicagoland area that has educational programs for children.

In coming quarters, volunteer opportunities will include raising money for prostate cancer research and funds for Easter Seals.

The idea is to allow employees to participate in a variety of events in different capacities during the anniversary year of service, Fidler said. I think that its going so well, well definitely implement it moving forward.

The agency also will be celebrating its anniversary with one of the programs it supports, the Union Sportsmens Alliance, which is commemorating its 10-year anniversary this year.

Were doing a co-celebration with them at their annual gala, which takes place at the AFLCIO headquarters this summer, Fidler said.

Topics USA Washington
Missouri on June 21 became the third U.S. state to accuse major drug manufacturers of fraudulently misrepresenting the risks of opioid painkillers now at the center of a national addiction epidemic.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said his office filed a lawsuit in a state court in St. Louis against Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson and units of Endo International Plc.

Hawley said the three companies knew their opioid products were addictive and potentially life-threatening, but engaged in a deliberate campaign of fraud to convince Missouri doctors and consumers otherwise.

They used bogus front organizations and fake research; they used fraudulent advertising and deceptive trade practices, Hawley said in remarks prepared for a news conference. And they repeatedly lied about the true risks of the drugs they sold.

Hawley said the lawsuit accuses the companies of violating Missouris consumer protection laws and its Medicaid statutes and seeks hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and civil penalties.

The case made Missouri the third state to sue drug manufacturers over their opioid marketing and sales practices. Last week a bipartisan group of state attorneys general announced an investigation.

Purdue, J&J and Endo were previously sued in similar lawsuits by the Ohio and Mississippi attorneys general, who also targeted Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Allergan Plc.

Opioids, including prescription painkillers and heroin, killed more than 33,000 people in the United States in 2015, more than any year on record, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

J&Js Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit said in a statement it acted appropriately and responsibly, adding that its opioid pain medications were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and carry mandated warnings about their known risks.

Purdue, which manufactures OxyContin, said it denied the allegations but shared Hawleys concerns about the opioid crisis and was committed to working collaboratively to find solutions.

Endo declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said its top priorities include patient safety and ensuring that patients with chronic pain have access to safe and effective therapeutic options.

The FDA this month asked Endo to withdraw its long-lasting opioid painkiller Opana ER from the market.

Beyond the states cases, similar lawsuits have been filed by local governments, including two California counties; the cities of Chicago and Dayton, Ohio; three Tennessee district attorneys; and nine New York counties.

Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Tom Brown

Related:

Topics Lawsuits USA Missouri Manufacturing Drugs
Partners Specialty Group Inc., an AmWINS Group Co., has added Michael Coelho to its property team. He is based in Kansas City, Mo.

With almost 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, Coelho specializes in protection for challenging property risks, including wind and flood in the Southeast and the Gulf South. Coelho began his career as an underwriter for domestic admitted and excess and surplus carriers, as well as domestic and Latin American facultative reinsurance before becoming a property broker.

Prior to joining Partners, Coelho served as a senior vice president/property broker for Swett & Crawford/CRC Swett. Prior to his tenure at Swett & Crawford, he was a senior vice president/property broker for Westrope & Associates.

Source: Partners Specialty Group

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Property Kansas
Legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Oregon and Washington has resulted in collision claim frequencies that are about three percent higher overall than would have been expected without legalization, a new insurance report has found.

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) report says that more drivers admit to using marijuana, and the substance is showing up more frequently among people involved in crashes.

The HLDI report authors note that although there is evidence from simulator and on-road studies that marijuana can degrade some aspects of driving performance, researchers havent been able to definitively connect marijuana use with more frequent real-world crashes. Some studies have found that using the drug could more than double crash risk, while others, including a large-scale federal case-control study, have failed to find a link between marijuana use and crashes. Studies on the effects of legalizing marijuana for medical use also have been inconclusive.

Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana for adults age 21 and older with voter approval in November 2012. Retail sales began in January 2014 in Colorado and in July 2014 in Washington. Oregon voters approved legalized recreational marijuana in November 2014, and sales started in October 2015.

HLDI conducted a combined analysis using neighboring states as additional controls to examine the collision claims experience of Colorado, Oregon and Washington before and after law changes. Control states included Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, plus Colorado, Oregon and Washington prior to legalization of recreational use. During the study period, Nevada and Montana permitted medical use of marijuana, Wyoming and Utah allowed only limited use for medical purposes, and Idaho didnt permit any use. Oregon and Washington authorized medical marijuana use in 1998, and Colorado authorized it in 2000.

HLDI also looked at loss results for each state individually compared with loss results for adjacent states without legalized recreational marijuana use prior to November 2016.

The combined-state analysis shows that the first three states to legalize recreational marijuana have experienced more crashes, says Matt Moore, senior vice president of HLDI. The individual state analyses suggest that the size of the effect varies by state.

Colorado saw the biggest estimated increase in claim frequency compared with its control states. After retail marijuana sales began in Colorado, the increase in collision claim frequency was 14 percent higher than in nearby Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. Washingtons estimated increase in claim frequency was 6 percent higher than in Montana and Idaho, and Oregons estimated increase in claim frequency was 4 percent higher than in Idaho, Montana and Nevada.

The combined effect for the three states was smaller but still significant at 3 percent, Moore says. The combined analysis uses a bigger control group and is a good representation of the effect of marijuana legalization overall. The single-state analyses show how the effect differs by state.

Each of the individual state analyses also showed that the estimated effect of legalizing recreational use of marijuana varies depending on the comparison state examined. For example, results for Colorado vary from a 3 percent increase in claim frequency when compared with Wyoming to a 21 percent increase when compared with Utah.

Data spanned collision claims filed between January 2012 and October 2016 for 1981 to 2017 model vehicles. Analysts controlled for differences in the rated driver population, insured vehicle fleet, the mix of urban versus rural exposure, unemployment, weather and seasonality.

Collision claims are the most frequent kind of claims insurers receive. Collision coverage insures against physical damage to a drivers vehicle in a crash with an object or other vehicle, generally when the driver is at fault. Collision claim frequency is the number of collision claims divided by the number of insured vehicle years.

HLDI said it will continue to examine insurance claims in states that allow recreational use of marijuana. Meanwhile, IIHS has begun a large-scale case-control study in Oregon to assess how legalized marijuana use may be changing the risk of crashes with injuries. Preliminary results are expected in 2020.

In addition to Colorado, Oregon and Washington, five other states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for all uses, and 21 states have comprehensive medical marijuana programs as of June. An additional 17 states permit limited access for medical use. Marijuana is still an illegal controlled substance under federal law.

Worry that legalized marijuana is increasing crash rates isnt misplaced, says David Zuby, executive vice president and chief research officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. HLDIs findings on the early experience of Colorado, Oregon and Washington should give other states eyeing legalization pause.

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) conducts studies of insurance data on vehicle losses and by publishes insurance loss results by vehicle make and model. Its sister research organization, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), is focused reducing the losses from motor vehicle crashes. Both organizations are wholly supported by auto insurers and insurance associations.

State Efforts

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has urged states to equip themselves with the latest research and recommends that they increase drug testing, bolster laboratory resources, track alcohol (DUI) and drugged (DUID) related driving data separately in state records, use surveys to gauge public attitudes, and evaluate the effects of any law or program changes.

The group has issued a guide, Drug Impaired Driving: A Guide for States, for states. Chief among the reports recommendations is increased training for law enforcement officers to help them identify and arrest drugged drivers.

As states across the country continue to struggle with drug-impaired driving, its critical that we help them understand the current landscape and provide examples of best practices so they can craft the most effective countermeasures, said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of GHSA.

GHSA said this year five states are getting grants totaling $100,000 to implement Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) training and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) programs. The states are Illinois, Montana, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Related Research

The HLDI authors cite other research into drugs and driving including a 2016 IIHS survey that found that drivers in Colorado, Oregon and Washington were more likely to view marijuana as a highway safety problem than drivers in states without legalized use (Drivers say alcohol is bigger threat than pot).

A 2016 Columbia University study looked at traffic fatalities in 19 states before and after they enacted legalized medical marijuana laws. On average there was an 11 percent reduction in fatality rates, although the results varied across states. Seven states saw a reduction, while two had an increase, and the other 10 didnt change.

Researchers using the National Advanced Driving Simulator found that while drivers under the influence of marijuana had trouble maintaining constant lane position, they drove more slowly and with more headway than drivers not under the influence.

About 1 in 5 weekend night-time drivers tested positive for at least one legal or illegal drug in the 2013-14 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (More drivers use marijuana, but link to crashes is murky).

A 2016 AAA Foundation study in Washington since legalization estimated that the prevalence of drivers in fatal crashes with marijuana in their blood roughly doubled from 8.3 percent in 2013 to 17 percent in 2014.

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examined the crash risk associated with driver drug use and found that drivers who tested positive for marijuana were overrepresented in the crash-involved population (More drivers use marijuana, but link to crashes is murky). However, they found no link between marijuana use and driver crash risk. The study, published in 2016, included 2011-12 data on police-reported crashes in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is illegal to use marijuana.

Topics Auto Claims Washington Cannabis Colorado Virginia Oregon Drugs
A California state judge said that San Francisco can demand from Uber records containing the ridesharing companys driver contact information, the city attorney said.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera last month sought a court order compelling Uber Technologies Inc. to comply with the citys demands for information about the companys drivers. The city Treasurer and Tax Collectors Office wants the names, addresses and drivers license numbers of Ubers drivers.

Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer in San Francisco said in court that he will rule that the tax office has the authority to subpoena Uber for the information, Herrera said in a statement.

Uber had provided the city with the driver information for more than two years, but stopped in December. The company argues that the request violates driver privacy and could endanger driverssafety.

Ulmer said Uber had failed to show that the information requested constitutes a protected trade secret or that its disclosure would violate drivers privacy. The city says the driver data provided through the subpoena would be protected and treated as confidential taxpayer information and not posted publicly.

However, the city says it would use the subpoenaed information to contact Uber drivers and request they fill out a business registration. Information provided on the registration, which may include a business name and address such as a post office box, would be posted on a public website.

The case does not involve Lyft Inc., Ubers ridesharing competitor also based in San Francisco. Lyft does provide driver data to the city.

The judge directed Uber and the city to confer and report back to him by July 3.

In a separate case, San Francisco earlier this month issued subpoenas to Uber and Lyft for a broad scope of records on driving and business practices as part of an investigation to determine whether the companies have become a public nuisance. That case is ongoing.

(Reporting by Somerville; Editing by Leslie Adler and Dan Grebler)

Topics California Legislation Personal Auto
The California Workers Compensation Institute, the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Coalition of Workers Compensation have filed a joint amicus brief in Stevens v. WCAB, the long-running court case that challenged the constitutionality of the utilization review/independent medical review process used to resolve workers comp medical disputes.

In the Stevens case, the applicant argued that the UR/IMR process used to deny her request for a home health aide violated her due process protections under the U.S. Constitution, so the denial should be overturned.

In 2015, the First District Court of Appeal ruled that the UR/IMR process was a valid exercise of the state Legislatures plenary power over the workers comp system, and thus did not violate constitutional due process protections.

Subsequent appeals filed by the applicant were denied by the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016. In its ruling, however, the appeals court had remanded the case to the Workers Compensation Appeals Board to consider whether the applicants request for a home health aide had been denied without authority, and the board finally issued a decision after remittitur last month.

In that decision, rather than remanding the case for a new IMR, the WCAB invalidated the 2009 Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule guidelines applicable to the case. Being newly aggrieved, State Fund, the defendant in the case, filed a petition for reconsideration on June 13.

In their joint amicus brief filed on Thursday, CWCI, the CalChamber and the CCWC, contend that:

There was no legal basis for the WCAB to have invalidated the MTUS;

WCAB exceeded its authority when it invalidated the MTUS as the binding 2015 court of appeal decision did not include an option for the board to engage in a wholesale nullification of the MTUS guidelines that are presumptively correct on the issue of extent and scope of medical treatment;

The Board should have simply followed the explicit instructions from the court of appeal to conclude that the IMR determination had been adopted without authority, and then remanded the case for the proper remedy of a new Independent Medical Review.

A link to the amicus brief has been posted in the Whats New section of the CWCI website.

Topics California Workers' Compensation
Jeremy D. Morley concentrates on International Family Law. The firm works with clients around the world from its New York office, with a global network of local counsel. Mr Morley is the author of "International Family Law Practice", the leading treatise on international family law in the U.S., and "The Hague Abduction Convention", published by the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and a former law professor.
A 403(b) plan is a tax-sheltered retirement plan for people who work for nonprofit companies, including charities, schools, and qualified religious organizations. The 403(b) plan is comparable to its private-sector counterpart, the 401(k) plan, with important differences.

If you're considering enrolling in a 403(b) plan, check out the benefits below.

Key Takeaways The 403(b) plan is similar to the 401(k) plan; available for private-sector employees.

If your employer offers it as an option, you may have a choice of traditional or Roth.

A feature unique to 403(b) plans allows some employees with 15 years of service at the same employer to make extra contributions.

1:52 Top 9 Benefits Of A 403(b) Plan

Tax-Deductible and Tax-Free

Contributions to a traditional 403(b) plan are deductible on your federal income taxes. The money comes out of your gross salary and goes directly into the 403(b) plan, untaxed.

This cuts down on the income tax you owe for that year based on your top marginal tax rate. For example, if the last $10,000 of your adjusted gross income is taxed in the 22% tax bracket, placing $10,000 into a 403(b) would save you $2,200 in taxes.

If you opt for a traditional 403(b) plan, you don't pay taxes on the money you pay until you begin making withdrawals after you retire. And remember, most people fall into a lower tax bracket after retirement.

It's important to note that you won't owe taxes on the investment growth in your account until after you retire. The money will grow tax-free until you begin making withdrawals.

You will be able to change your investment choices without losing much, except for some trading fees. And because the tax efficiency of your mutual funds isn't a concern, you can concentrate your portfolio on investments that offer high returns and low expenses.

The Roth Alternative

Since 2006, participants have also had the ability to choose a Roth rather than a traditional 403(b) plan. If you opt for a Roth, you'll pay the income taxes upfront in the year in which you contribute the money. But you'll owe no taxes on your contribution or the profits it earns when you take the money out after retiring.

If you can take the hit to your current income, this may be your best bet for building a rich retirement.

Employer Match

Your employer might make matching contributions to your 403(b). Some employers kick in as much as 50 cents to $1 for every dollar you contribute. Others contribute nothing.

Many financial advisors caution against borrowing from your 403(b) account because it leaves less money invested for your retirement. Even though you repay it, you've lost time in which your money could have been compounding.

In any case, a 403(b) plan can also get you a good deal on investments; often better than you could get on your own. Financial institutions have even been known to waive their minimum investment requirements, helping employees invest in low-expense institutional funds.

Contribution and Income Limits

You can set aside up to $20,500 in a 403(b) in 2022 (increasing to $22,500 in 2023). Those 50 or older can make an additional catch-up contribution of $6,500 in 2022 and $7,500 in 2023.

Notably, some 403(b) plans allow certain individuals with 15 or more years working at the same company to make additional contributionsup to $3,000, depending on the particular plan. Check with IRS Publication 571 for a closer look at the 15-year rule and how to calculate allowable contributions.

The total combined contribution limit for 403(b) plans between both the employee and employer is $61,000 or $67,500 including catch-up contributions in 2022. For 2023, the amount is $66,000, or $73,500 with the contribution limit.

For those who want to participate in a 403(b), your income cannot be more than the annual limit set by the IRS. The annual income limit in 2022 is $305,000 (increasing to $330,000 in 2023).

Sometimes it's even possible to take out a loan from your account, depending on the rules of your particular 403(b) plan. However, keep in mind that you can trigger heavy IRS penalties for early withdrawal and for missing loan payments.

How Much Can I Contribute to My 401(b) Plan in 2021? The contribution limit for a 401(b) plan in 2022 is $20,500. This amount increases to $22,500 for 2023. Individuals who are age 50 and older have the ability to contribute an additional $6,500 in 2022 and $7,500 in 2023.

What Is the Difference Between a 401(k) Plan and a 403(b) Plan? 401(k) and 403(b) plans are both similar retirement plans for employees in that they are funded with pre-tax dollars. Both have the same annual contribution limits. The primary difference between the two is that 401(k) plans are for for-profit companies whereas 403(b) plans are for nonprofit companies.

Can You Lose Your Money in Your 403(b) Plan? The money that you contribute to your 403(b) plan as well as the matching amounts made by your employer are yours and cannot be withheld from you. Additionally, the risk of you losing your money due to market movements is low as investments are typically made in safe mutual funds. That being said, your account can witness swings given the market; however, losing the entire value of your account is almost impossible.

The Bottom Line

A 403(b) plan is a great retirement plan for individuals working for nonprofit organizations. It operates similarly to a 401(k) plan and comes with many benefits, such as being tax-deductible and tax-free, having the option of a Roth IRA, an employer match, and various catch-up contribution limits.


The Social Security Act became law with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signature on Aug. 14, 1935. But it would take more time for the Social Security program to turn into the mainstay of the U.S. social safety net.

Created as a contributory old-age insurance scheme with limited and phased-in benefits for retirees, Social Security extended benefits to survivors of beneficiaries by 1939, to farm and domestic workers as well as the self-employed in 1950, and to the disabled in 1957. Meanwhile, Congress postponed planned payroll tax increases during the program's early years.

The pattern favoring political expediency over the system's long-term solvency persists. With payroll taxes no longer fully covering the benefits paid out, Social Security's cash reserves are projected to run out by 2034, subjecting recipients at that time to a reduction in benefits of more than 20% without a legislative fix.



Key Takeaways Social Security benefits are funded by a dedicated payroll tax paid by employees and employers.

Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system in which receipts and any accumulated surplus fund everyone's benefits; payroll tax contributions are not reserved for future payouts to the particular taxpayer.

As Baby Boomers retire and the U.S. population ages, fewer workers are left to contribute toward the benefits of each retiree.

Social Security's retirement benefits trust fund is projected to deplete reserves in 2034, leaving it reliant on tax receipts covering 77% of scheduled benefits.

Members of Congress continue to put forth proposals to address the shortfall in the Social Security program.

Understanding Social Security

The Social Security program is funded through the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax, a dedicated payroll tax. Social Security taxes amount to 12.4% of wages up to a cap on taxable annual income set at $147,000 for 2022 and $160,200 for 2023. Employees and employers split the tax contributions 50/50, with employees paying 6.2% of their wages and employers paying the other 6.2%.

If you are self-employed, you pay the entire 12.4%, though you can deduct half of that from taxable income as a business expense. Receipts go into the Social Security trust funds, which use them to pay benefits. The funds invest any surplus in U.S. government debt.

The payroll taxes you contribute to the Social Security system are not set aside to pay your benefits once you are eligible. Rather, it funds payouts for current beneficiaries or is saved as part of the system's surplus. This means that everyone's future benefits depend on the solvency of the entire Social Security system rather than on their own contributions.



2034 The year the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund used to pay Social Security retirement benefits will be depleted, according to the latest projections by Social Security trustees. At that point, ongoing payroll receipts will cover 77% of scheduled benefits.

The Problem With Social Security

Americans have fewer children and live longer, trends that contribute to an aging population. The outsized generation of Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) is retiring at a record pace, further lowering the proportion of the population in the workforce.

As of 2020, 17% of the population was age 65 and over; that share is expected to increase to 24% by 2060. Meanwhile, the proportion of the working-age population is due to shrink from about 62% in 2020 to 57% in 2060.

As a result, there will be fewer workers to support each retiree in the future. The ratio of workers paying Social Security taxes per beneficiary is projected to decline from 2.8 in 2021 to 2.3 by 2035. Social Security's trust fund for retirement benefits is projected to deplete its reserves in 2034 when tax receipts are expected to cover 77% of the scheduled benefits.

67 The age at which Americans born in 1960 or later qualify for the largest available benefit from Social Security.

Possible Solutions

Fortunately, a large, across-the-board benefits cut is only the worst-case scenario, for now. Congress has more than a decade to act to shore up Social Security's finances, and lawmakers continue to generate proposals for doing so. The Social Security Administration routinely publishes estimates of such plans' projected effects on the Social Security trust funds.

The growing population of retirees is likely to become an even more politically powerful constituency, one with a direct financial incentive to defend Social Security benefits and assure the system's future. Despite its reluctance to increase Social Security payroll taxes in the program's early years, Congress has subsequently approved numerous such hikes to preserve the program. Proposals to means-test benefits and eliminate the annual cap on income subject to Social Security taxes have fewer historical precedents but may enjoy more popular support.

Social Security's projected long-term funding shortfall of 1.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) is manageable, but the longer the fix takes the more painful it is likely to prove for all concerned.
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Press Release

The IPU applauds UN Human Rights Council move to boost cooperation with parliaments

Geneva, 23 June 2017

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in support of stronger cooperation with parliaments.  Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

On 23 June, the UN Human Rights Council adopted without a vote a resolution in support of stronger cooperation with parliaments.

The resolution encourages States to involve parliaments in all stages of the Councils Universal Periodic Review (UPR), under which the Council examines the human rights situation of each UN Member State.

The resolution requests the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to prepare a study, in close cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), on how to promote and enhance synergies between the parliaments and the work of the Human Rights Council and its UPR. The results of the study will be presented to the Council in 2018.

The adoption of the resolution is the culmination of a series of efforts, spearheaded by a core group of countries in the Council and the IPU, to bring parliaments and the Council closer together.

The IPU deeply appreciates the unwavering support from the core group to promote stronger engagement with parliaments. The IPU looks forward to working ever more closely with the Council and OHCHR in support of stronger ties between the Council and parliaments.

The Council is ever more interested in ensuring that its work leads to concrete impact on the ground. Teaming up with parliaments makes good sense if we want people to really benefit from what happens in Geneva, explained IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It works to safeguard peace and drives positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action.


Officials of the NCRI reported that Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, ordered the acceleration of missile expansion from relevant institutions after the nuclear agreement went into effect last year, in January.

Iranian ballistic missile testing has caused an ongoing dispute among those who are attempting to keep the nuclear deal enforced. These tests are alleged to be in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that call on the Islamic Republic to avoid work on weapons that are nuclear capable. However, several tests of such missiles have taken place since negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 concluded in July 2015.

According to the NCRI, statements that seem to underscore the defiant policies, attributed to Khamenei, accompany these tests.

NCRIUS press conference on Iran missile program 20June2017

Watch this video on YouTube

Although Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is described as a moderate by Western media, he has stated that the ballistic missile program will continue to grow because the Iranian nation has decided to be powerful.

At the press conference, the NCRI stated that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has been given the task of executing Khameneis mandate for accelerated missile work. Members of the IRGC have gone so far as to paint the words Israel must be wiped out in Hebrew on two of the pre-test missiles.

Intelligence gathered from sources inside of Iran by the NCRIs main constituent group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), has identified 42 centers for the development, manufacture, and testing of missiles by the IRGC. It also found that one of these centers, located in Semnan Province, was actively collaborating with the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (Persian abbreviation: SPND), previously identified as the institution in charge of nuclear weapons-related work in the Islamic Republic.

The existence of SPND was revealed by the NCRI in 2011, three years before the United States placed the institution on its sanctions list. SPNDs involvement in ongoing weapons development casts doubt in regards to Tehrans commitment to the nuclear agreement.

These new revelations from the NCRI come while the US Congress and President Donald Trump are reviewing policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Trump administrations response to a ballistic missile test that occurred early in Trumps presidency, was to issue a statement putting Tehran on notice.. Following that occurrence, the White House imposed new sanctions on entities with alleged ties to the Iranian ballistic missile program. The American legislature has done so as well, and has moved to extend terrorism-related sanctions to the entirety of the IRGC.

In a move that met with praise from the NCRI and other opponents of the Iranian regime, President Trump ordered the State Department to review the possibility of designating the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. During Tuesdays press conference, NCRI officials also called for the expulsion of IRGC forces and proxies from Syria and Iraq, and stressed the value of unrelenting sanctions.
The water supply for up to 35,000 people in Cork city will be shut down from 11pm on Tuesday, June 27, until approximately 7am on Wednesday, June 28, it has emerged tonight.

Irish Water and Cork City Council have announced that they plan to carry out essential maintenance and repair work on the water network supplying Cork city centre and surrounding areas which means the water supply for parts of the city supplied from the Cork Lower Reservoir will be shut down.

The supply interruption will affect parts of the city centre, Douglas Road, South Douglas Road, Boreenmanna Road, Blackrock Road, Ballinlough Road, Barrack Street, Bandon Road, Sundays Well, Leitrim Street, Gerald Griffin Street, Great William OBrien Street and surrounding areas in Cork City.

In a statement tonight the council and Irish water said the work is necessary in order to carry out urgent repairs on a section of old water main which has been identified as being in poor condition and at risk of bursting.

A similar burst on a different section of pipe last week resulting in water outages for the city centre and surrounding areas for a number of hours.

By carrying out this work Irish Water aims to minimise inconvenience to homes and businesses, while also preventing a situation similar to that which occurred last week.

Jim Fitzgerald, Irish Waters Operations Lead for Cork apologised to customers in Cork for any inconvenience that may be caused.

"Our priority in carrying out this essential work is to keep any disruption to residents and businesses to an absolute minimum. However, due to the nature of the repairs, it will be necessary to shut off the water supply from the lower reservoir while the repair work is taking place. We expect that the water supply should be fully restored to all residents by 7am in the morning.

Addressing the poor condition of much of Corks aging water network is a key priority for Irish Water. We are investing over 15 million to replace more than 27km of water mains in the city and we will continue to invest in the network to bring it up to modern standards, thereby providing a much more secure and reliable water supply for all our customers in the city.

Irish Water and Cork County Council will be liaising with all vulnerable customers, hospitals and other large water users to ensure that the impact on them can be managed and minimised.

It is expected that water supply will be restored to all areas by 7am. However, some customers may continue to experience low or intermittent pressure for a period of time on Wednesday morning as flows return to normal throughout the system.

Some customers may also notice changes in the colour of their water, such as a dirty or cloudy appearance. If this occurs they are advised to run the cold tap until it runs clear. Customers should also check the clarity of the water before operating washing machines, dishwashers and other appliances.

Irish Waters 24-hour customer care line (1850 278 278) will be available to answer any customer queries.
A decision on whether the trial against a veteran republican charged in connection with the murder of Jean McConville will proceed has been delayed to the autumn.

Ivor Bell (aged 80) faces two counts of soliciting the IRA abduction and killing of the mother-of-10 in 1972, but Belfast Crown Court has heard evidence he is suffering from dementia and would not be able to participate fully in proceedings.

Prosecutors had been expected to announce the outcome of their review of the case on Friday, but instead asked for further time to consider additional evidence submitted by Bell's defence team on Thursday morning.

Prosecuting barrister Ciaran Muphy QC told judge Mr Justice Treacy that the defence submission touched on legal, factual and medical issues.

"It will now be considered in detail," he said. "I anticipate that will take a few weeks."

The judge agreed to list the case for another pre-trial hearing after the summer recess on September 8.

Bell, from Ramoan Gardens in west Belfast, denies the charges.

Mrs McConville, a 37-year-old mother, was dragged from her home in Belfast's Divis flats complex by an IRA gang of up to 12 men and women, accused of passing information to the British Army - an allegation later discredited by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman.

She was shot in the back of the head and secretly buried 50 miles from her home, becoming one of the "Disappeared" victims of the Troubles.

It was not until 1999 that the IRA admitted the murder when information was passed to police in the Irish Republic.

Her remains were eventually found on Shelling Hill beach in Co Louth by a member of the public in August 2003.

Nobody has been convicted of her murder.

The case against Bell is based on the content of tapes police secured from an oral history archive collated by Boston College in the United States.

Academics interviewed a series of former republican and loyalist paramilitaries for their Belfast Project on the understanding that the accounts of the Troubles would remain unpublished until their deaths.

But that undertaking was rendered meaningless when Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) detectives investigating Mrs McConville's death won a court battle in the US to secure the recordings.

It is alleged that one of the interviews was given by Bell, a claim the defendant denies.
A large crowd have gathered outside University Hospital Waterford this evening following the death of local man Tom Power last weekend while being transferred to a hospital in Cork.

Protestors are holding a vigil calling for a 24/7 Cath Lab for the region as a matter of urgency.

Crowds pictured at a vigil protest calling for improved cardiac services at University Hospital Waterford. Picture: Patrick Browne

Theyre calling for 24 hour cardiac care at the local regional hospital and say election promises have not been delivered.

The organisers, the Still Waiting Health Campaign, claim the community is being ignored.

Tom Power was buried on Wednesday in Ballygunner on the edge of Waterford city three days after a death which shocked the nation when it emerged that he was transferred from hospital in Waterford because its catheterisation lab was closed for the weekend.

Mr Power, who got married just last year to his beloved Bernadette, died about 35 minutes into the ambulance journey from Waterford to Cork and his death came amid ongoing controversy about the lack of round-the-clock cath lab services for heart attack patients in the south-east.

Bernadette Power told hundreds of mourners at his funeral Mass that Tom was her best friend, soulmate and the couple were like two peas in a pod, always a good team.
Sixteen people are suing for injuries arising out of the prescribing of the drug Thalidomide to their mothers during pregnancy in the 1950s/60s, the High Court has heard, writes Ann OLoughlin.

The cases, which started in 2013, arose out of new information and technological advances which enabled people who suffered disabilities or deformities as a result of their mothers taking the drug to bring the actions, the court heard.

However, the German manufacturers of the drug, the Irish distributors and the State, who are all being sued, claim the cases are barred from proceeding as a result of the statute of limitations. This places a time limit of generally between two and six years depending on the type of case and the time of a persons knowledge of an alleged wrong.

Manufacturers Grunenthal GmbH, distributors TP Whelehan Son & Co, and the Ministers for Health and Environment all deny the claims.

Grunenthal applied to Mr Justice Seamus Noonan for directions over whether the issue of the cases being statute-barred should be determined first. It also sought a determination as to whether the proceedings against the German company should be dismissed for want of prosecution and/or because of inordinate and inexcusable delay.

Lawyers for one of the 16, whose case is being dealt with first, also applied for directions on how the case should proceed.

Mr Justice Noonan is to give his decision on the matter tomorrow.

The court heard the plaintiffs are in their 50s and some may require urgent hearings because of their medical conditions.
British Labout Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has said each of the Grenfell Tower fire deaths "could and should have been avoided", as it emerged combustible cladding has been found on at least 11 other tower blocks.

Mr Corbyn compared the tragedy with the Hillsborough disaster and child abuse scandals, saying: "The pattern is consistent: working-class people's voices are ignored, their concerns dismissed by those in power."

And he said thousands of people living in tower blocks around the country needed urgent assurances about their own safety.

Downing Street has since confirmed that 11 blocks of flats in eight local authority areas in England have been found to have flammable facades, with tests being conducted urgently to see if many more could have the same material, which is suspected of helping the Grenfell blaze spread.

Updating MPs on the tragedy earlier on Thursday, the country's Prime Minister Theresa May said: "The relevant local authorities and local fire services have been informed, and, as I speak, they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe and to inform affected residents."

Mrs May also said the tragedy will not be used to carry out immigration checks on those affected or on those providing "vital" information to identify victims or to assist the criminal investigation into the fire.

She said "no stone will be left unturned" in the inquiry into the tragedy, adding: "For any guilty parties there will be nowhere to hide."

Mrs May told the Commons she expected the judge leading the public inquiry to bring out an interim report, and said: "What I think we very much want to ensure is that when the judge takes charge of this inquiry that people feel, as I said earlier, that they can have full confidence in the inquiry and so we are taking steps to ensure that that's the case."

In reply, Mr Corbyn said the residents of Grenfell Tower were "let down both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand" and that the public inquiry "must establish the extent and by who".

Mr Corbyn told MPs: "At least 79 people are dead. It is both a tragedy and an outrage because every single one of those deaths could and should have been avoided."

Two of the 11 buildings so far confirmed by the British government to have flammable facades are the Chalcots Estate in north London, which is removing the cladding, and the Mount Wise Tower in Plymouth.

A third building is in the Manchester area.

But while the samples taken from the 11 buildings failed Government tests it did not mean the tower blocks were unsafe, with that to be determined after more checks by the fire and rescue services, Mrs May's deputy spokeswoman said.

Separately, Newlon Housing Trust confirmed the 22-storey tower block Rivers Apartments, in Tottenham, north London, was clad with Reynobond PE - which Grenfell tower was reportedly covered with.

A spokesman said the London Fire Brigade had carried out a safety audit and were satisfied it was a "low-risk fire building", adding that they would comply with any further instructions.

The housing association was awaiting recommendations from experts to determine whether the cladding should be replaced, he added.

Grenfell Response Team said almost 1 million had been distributed to affected families as of Thursday afternoon, with 354 households within the cordon area placed into emergency accommodation.

Some 140 hotel placements have been made for people living in Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk while there are 109 households now in hotels from the wider affected area.

There remain 21 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk who have been contacted but have not had their housing needs assessed yet.

Earlier on Thursday, Kensington and Chelsea council's chief executive Nicholas Holgate was forced to quit by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid after the local authority's handling of the crisis came under intense criticism.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for more heads to roll, while campaigners urged Mr Javid to ratchet up pressure on the Conservative leader of the council, Nicholas Paget-Brown.

Mr Khan said the entire leadership of Kensington and Chelsea council should be considering their positions and that there was "not a chance in hell" that residents "will have the semblance of confidence in that council until they see a change in leadership".

In the Commons, Mr Corbyn questioned why the political leaders of the council were not "taking responsibility" as well as the chief executive.

Mr Paget-Brown later issued a statement apologising for a "failing in our collective response" to the fire, admitting co-ordination on the ground could have been better and re-homing people was not "as fast as we would have liked".

In other key developments:

:: It emerged that as well as being combustible, the insulation in the Grenfell cladding released highly toxic gas and some victims were treated with the hydrogen cyanide antidote Cyanokit.

:: The renovation work carried out on the tower before the fire was inspected 16 times by the council.

:: NHS England said that 10 patients were still receiving care across four London hospitals. Five of these are in critical care.

:: The Government announced that victims have had their outstanding energy bills written off by power companies.

:: Residents living in high-rise buildings spoke of their fears after learning their homes are covered in combustible cladding

:: Leader of Birmingham city council John Clancy said all 213 blocks in the authority's area would be fitted with a sprinkler system regardless of whether the Government will pay.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Newby accused the PM of hypocrisy in her statement, in which she said the fire had underlined the plight of poorer families and pledged to "stand up for them".

Lord Newby argued the Conservatives had fought the election on a platform of cuts to school funding, benefits and local government.

He said: "This hypocrisy makes me very, very angry."

He called on the Lords leader to suggest to Mrs May "that if she really does wish to stand up for people like the tenants of Grenfell Tower she starts to adopt policies that actually follow her words".

The Archbishop of Canterbury sought assurances from the British government that there would be "no budgetary constraints" on providing support for those emergency workers who risked their lives in facing the "absolute horror" of dealing with the fire and recent terrorist atrocities.

The Most Rev Justin Welby called for those welfare services to be "adequately funded above and beyond their normal provision".

He also said in the aftermath of the fire, faith communities had worked together in a way "that put a complete lie to the divisions that had sought to be created by the terrorist attacks", adding that it was "the most powerful visual image" of "unity around suffering".
A Canadian sniper has broken a world record after reportedly shooting dead an Islamic State fighter in Iraq from more than two miles away.

The record, previously held by a British shooter, was created when the Canadian special forces sniper fired from the top of a building with a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle  from 2.19 miles away.

Such was the distance, it took the bullet 10 seconds to strike the militant.

The sniper team had spotted Islamic State fighters approaching Iraqi security forces, who were unaware that they were about to be ambushed.

A source told Torontos Globe and Mail newspaper: The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh (Islamic State) attack on Iraqi security forces.

Instead of dropping a bomb that could potentially kill civilians in the area, it is a very precise application of force and because it was so far way, the bad guys didnt have a clue what was happening.

British Army sniper Craig Harrison, the previous record holder, shot two fighters in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, from 2,475 metres (1.53 miles) in November 2009.

While Canadian Special Operations Command confirmed that a member of its Joint Task Force 2 successfully hit a target, it refused to say when the shooting occurred.

It said: For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place.

Canadian major general Michael Rouleau described the incident as unprecedented.

In this case, there was a digital record from another observation post, actually unknown to the sniper in question, he said.

I have reviewed (video) and it has been reviewed by some of our allies as well. This is an irrefutable act.

He added: There is an element of art involved where the sniper actually has to estimate where the Daesh fighter is going to be, because when he pulls the trigger, there is just under 10 seconds of time of flight for the round.

There is a lot of science involved in terms of the ballistic calculations but there is a subjective element of assessing what the winds are doing and whatnot.
Brent crude futures were up 70c at $45.52 a barrel, after falling as low as $44.53. Brent fell 2.6% the previous session to $44.35, its lowest level since November. US crude futures were up 55c at $43.08 a barrel. On Wednesday, they fell as low as $42.05, their lowest intraday level since August 2016.

Prices were pushed a bit too low, said Hans van Cleef, senior energy economist with ABN Amro. The people who believe in higher prices are stepping in.

Since peaking in late February, crude has dropped around 20%, erasing gains made at the end of last year after OPEC and other countries agreed to cut crude output 1.8m barrels per day for the first six months of 2017.

Last month, OPEC members and other producers extended the output cut deal for nine months. But the global crude glut has persisted, with output rising in Libya and Nigeria, OPEC members exempt from the cuts.

The decline has tested OPECs pledge to do whatever it takes to support oil prices.

In the US, heavy oversupply in petrol stocks has caused demand on the key Colonial pipeline to hit a six-year low.

There is nothing fundamentally different about supply and demand to be bullish about. The sentiment is rightfully bearish, said Sarp Ozkan, analyst at Drillinginfo.com in Denver.

Crude output is still increasing in the US, where some shale producers can produce profitably even if oil prices drop below $40 a barrel.

Oil stocks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub hit 64.2m barrels in the week to June 16, the highest in a year, and some 24% above the January low, according to data from industry monitor Genscape.

The question is whether OPEC will respond with further cuts or whether it needs to look again at its macro strategy for addressing low prices, said Michael Burns, oil and gas partner at law firm Ashurst.

Tropical storm Cindy disrupted some operations in the Gulf of Mexico, home to about 17% of US crude and 5% of dry natural gas output, supporting markets modestly.

However, the storm is on the wane and has been downgraded to a tropical depression.

World stock markets edged higher yesterday, buoyed by the slight rebound in oil prices, while the US dollar weakened for a second consecutive session.

Reuters
The potential investment comes against a background of diplomatic and competitive turbulence for Qatar Airways, its home country and US airlines. Operations at Qatar Airways were disrupted after four Arab nations cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar this month in the worst diplomatic crisis in the region in years.

Separately, American, United Continental and Delta have pressed the US government to take action to curb American flights by Qatar and rival Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad. The US carriers charge that their Gulf rivals have received billions of dollars in unfair state subsidies, allegations the Gulf carriers deny.
A successful settlement would save former RBS chief executive Fred Goodwin from facing scrutiny in the courts over his decision-making and leadership at the time the lender almost collapsed. RBS  which also owns Ulster Bank  has doubled its offer to the remaining claimants as it seeks to settle the case, according to sources.

The civil trial brought by thousands of RBS investors was due to open at the high court in London on Monday but was adjourned for a day to allow the settlement talks to continue. The plaintiffs allege former executives gave a misleading picture of the banks financial health ahead of a 12 billion (14bn) cash call in 2008. Months after the cash call, RBS had to be rescued by the UK government with a 45.8bn (53bn) bailout.
The tribunal has been provided with a statement which alleges Mr Barrett was told before the commencement of OHiggins in 2015 that we are going after Maurice at the commission.

The tribunal, among other issues, is examining whether there was an attempt to smear the whistleblower at the OHiggins Commission, which was set up to examine complaints about malpractice within the force.

In the days following the publication of the OHiggins commission report in 2016, the Irish Examiner reported that there had been an attempt to impugn Sgt McCabes character by suggesting his complaints had been motivated by a grudge against a superintendent.

Following the production by Sgt McCabe of a tape recording of a meeting where he was alleged to have expressed the grudge, the matter was not pursued. The matter did not feature in the final commission report.

The suggestion that Sgt McCabe was motivated by a grudge came from the legal team acting for Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan.

Once the matter became public, Ms OSullivan issued a statement saying she never instructed her legal team to impugn Sgt McCabes character, or to make a case that he was acting maliciously.

The Charleton Tribunal, which is examining the extent, if any, that Sgt McCabes character was smeared is due to hold public hearings on the issues around the OHiggins Commission next year.

Mr Barrett is expected to give evidence to the effect that he was briefed about going after Sgt McCabe.

Mr Barrett is already a central figure in the controversy about the misuse of funds at the Garda college in Templemore. His internal investigation into the issue led ultimately to an audit being conducted and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearings on the matter.

Hearings at the Charleton Tribunal are due to begin on July 4. The tribunals first module will examine how a completely false allegation of child sexual abuse against Sgt McCabe was generated in the child and family agency Tusla, and what, if any, role members of An Garda Siochana had in the matter.

Other modules to be heard over the rest of the year include one concerning allegations of harassment by another garda, Kieth Harrison, and whether there was a campaign by garda HQ to smear Sgt McCabe in the media.

Meanwhile, the PAC is to meet privately next Thursday to begin drawing up its report in the Garda college financial scandal.

The report, which is expected to be based heavily on Mr Barretts investigations and the PACs own public meetings with key officials in recent weeks, is likely to be heavily critical of Ms OSullivan among others.
In a joint statement, they said failure to progress with the necessary local government reforms in Cork is now the biggest single threat to the wellbeing and growth of the entire region.

The statement is signed by Mayor Tony Fitzgerald and his predecessors, councillors Des Cahill, Chris OLeary, and Mary Shields, who have worn the chain of office since the review of Corks local government arrangements was ordered in 2015.

The 2015 Smiddy report was split three-to-two in favour of the creation of one super-council for Cork.

Its controversial recommendations led to it being shelved and reviewed.

That review, chaired by former chief planner for Scotland, Jim Mackinnon, rejected the Smiddy report, and recommended a city boundary extension to include Ballincollig, Blarney, Glanmire, Carrigtwohill, and areas around Cork Airport.

It is the fourth report since 2015 to back a boundary extension.

The review recommends the city pay the county an annual 40m compensation package for the next decade, to be reviewed at that point, to compensate for the loss of revenue.

The county council has rejected the findings and warned it will result in a massive reduction in funding,threatening service delivery.

However, in their statement, the mayors said the citys boundary was last extended in 1965, and that by the 1980s the de facto city had outgrown this boundary and spilled into the county jurisdiction.

They said the need for an extension was recognised by government in the 2012 Putting People First policy document, and by former environment minister Alan Kelly, who set up the Smiddy review in January 2015, and who saw a clear case for extending the Cork City boundary to encompass a wider metropolitan area.

The mayors said the Smiddy report also acknowledged the increasing footprint of the city and that following his review of the Smiddy report, Prof Tony Bovaird also recommended a boundary extension.

We stand at the cusp of opportunity. But our failure to now grasp the nettle would represent a setback for the entire region, and would represent a failure by Cork to play its national role as second city, the mayoral statement said.

The Mackinnon report signals the opportunity to turn the rhetoric around Corks growth ambitions into reality. And thats the challenge for us all.

They said Mackinnon warns of the dangers of complacency as other city-regions position themselves for growth which could potentially challenge Corks place as the natural counter-balance to Dublin. And it is against this background that we call for the brave political decisions to be made quickly and decisively, they said.

We are calling on the Government to finally bring certainty to the reform of local government arrangements in Cork. Cork needs these brave decisions to be made now.
The company said the issue of discounts or refunds does not arise in this case because a boil water notice was not imposed and supply was restored to all customers within 12 hours.

The utility was responding to calls from the Cork Business Association (CBA) following the major interruption in supply across the city on Wednesday, which forced many businesses to close for several hours.

A mains supply pipe near the Lee Road waterworks site burst unexpectedly on Wednesday morning, causing local flooding on the Lee Road and a significant and sudden disruption to water supply for estimated 40,000 people across vast swathes of the city.

Irish Water said the burst pipe was located and identified within a relatively short period, which allowed repair crews working on behalf of Irish Water and Cork City Council to restore water supply to many of the affected areas, including the city centre business district, by early afternoon and to fully restore a normal supply to all areas once repairs were completed by 9pm.

The disruption forced dozens of businesses, including pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, and hairdressers, to close for several hours.

Many reported damage to expensive mains-plumbed coffee machines and kitchen equipment as water pressure dropped and dirty water filtered through.

They also expressed concern about having to run taps for some time on Wednesday night, as advised by Irish Water, to ensure the restored supply was usable.

The CBA led calls for Irish Water to arrange discounts for affected businesses who were left counting the cost of the disruption.

We know these things happen but it is only reasonable for Irish Water to consider the impact this outage has had on business, CBA chief executive Lawrence Owens said. They are paying for a service and reliability. There has to be some balance if they cant run their business, through no fault of their own. The service provider needs to take account of that.

Irish Water told the Irish Examineryesterday that, in relation to water charges applied to its customers, including refunds, it is regulated by the Commission for Energy Regulation.

A spokesman said: There has been no change to the non-domestic tariff arrangements since Irish Water took over responsibility for the administration of business water accounts from the local authority.

Under this framework, discounts or refunds are provided to customers only where water is unfit for human consumption  where a boil water notice is imposed by the HSE  for a period of more than 24 hours.

Where a meter is in place, as is the case in the vast majority of businesses, no metered charge applies where no water is supplied.

No drinking water restriction was imposed in this case and the water supply was returned to all customers within 12 hours and, in many cases, in a much shorter period time. The issue of a refund does not therefore apply in this case.

The CBA estimates some traders lost up to 30% in business during the day, and the issue also caused reputational damage to the city, as tourists staying in city hotels were also affected.

They have called for a back-up water supply plan to be devised to ensure such wide-scale disruption does not happen again.
Although homosexuality was legalised in 1993, the youth wing of the main government party has pointed out that many people still carry convictions on their records for what was previously considered a crime.

It has launched a petition calling on Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to establish a scheme to officially call for a pardon for those who were convicted of the abolished offence of homosexuality.

It is also calling for a formal apology from Mr Flanagan, on behalf of the Irish State, to anyone charged with the offence since 1922.

The petition follows the precedent of the Defence Forces Act 2013, which granted an amnesty to members of the Irish Defence Forces who absented themselves from the forces and fought for the Allies during the Second World War. They were formally pardoned.

As part of the process, Mr Flanagan is being asked to offer a formal apology on behalf of the State.

President of YFG Marian ODonnell said that although Ireland has made huge strides towards equality in recent years, there is still a way to go.

She said: Many people today still carry criminal prosecutions on their records in relation to homosexuality.

Until their abolition in 1993, these laws were a breach of the right to privacy and personal autonomy.

Those convicted should receive a pardon by law and these offences should be removed and disregarded from their criminal record.

In advance of this years Dublin Pride, YFG  in cooperation with Fine Gael LGBT  would like as many people as possible to sign our petition, calling on the minister for justice and equality to establish a process to grant pardons for these convictions and also to offer a State apology.
SALLY ROONEY, author of the much-lauded Conversations with Friends, will be among a group of some of Irelands finest writers taking part in Crosstown Drift as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival.

Over two days, audiences will traverse the city, to attend readings in interesting locations. Rooney is well placed to join the likes of Sara Baume, Lisa McInerney and Kevin Barry on this literary trail given the critical acclaim that her debut novel has received.

It sold in a seven-way auction last year with Rooney receiving a two-book deal from Faber.

Rooneys editor at Faber described her as Salinger for the Snapchat generation.

While 26-year-old Rooney says shes flattered to be compared with one of her favourite authors, she points out that she has never used Snapchat and nor do the characters in her book. They favour email and dont even take selfies. But apart from their technological conservatism, the characters are the voice of a forthright generation, intent on exploring their creativity and their sexuality.

While Rooney writes about her own milieu that takes in Trinity (from which she has a masters degree in American literature), the west of Ireland (she is from Castlebar) and northern France (where she spends time) she says her novel is not autobiographical.

What is particularly noteworthy about it is its smart, witty and insightful dialogue as well as its grappling with ideas.

The main character is twenty-one year old Frances, a Trinity student from the west of Ireland, who is bisexual and a communist. Frances, who performs her spoken word poetry with her former female lover, Bobbi, has an intense affair with Nick, an older married man. Nick is married to photographic journalist, Melissa, who insinuates herself into the lives of Frances and Bobbi, photographing them for a profile and inviting them to stay in a villa in northern France.

Rooney has a fairly minimalist approach to prose. I try to keep my sentences quite pared back, she says. What I really want to do is observe peoples relationships and interactions. I dont want language to get in the way of that. Its quite a difficult process to achieve that, for the language to feel clear. Im kind of a perfectionist. I delayed for a long time when writing the novel because I didnt think it was finished. Looking back, I was right. I did a first draft very quickly and then spent about a year editing, cutting, revising, changing the structure and changing the ending completely.

Rooney explains that the book is about power and how conceptual forms of power like gender, money and class play out within intimate relationships. Im interested in that. The question is, how do you exercise power in a way thats not harmful or oppressive?

While Rooney agrees that Frances is a difficult character, she finds it strange that people say shes not likeable and suggests that such a charge is rarely made at male writers about their dark characters.

I dont even know what people mean when they say likeable. I dont know what relationship it has to their experience of the text. Male writers who create characters who do truly atrocious things like murder and rape dont necessarily get asked questions about whether their character is likeable or not.

When I read interviews with people like Kevin Barry or Colin Barrett, who I hugely admire, they dont really seem to come up against the question of likeability even though their characters in some instances are really horrible. I think my characters are all fairly fundamentally decent, even if they have negative characteristics.

Asked why there is such a boom in Irish writing, Rooney says her generation was promised the world, only to find itself having to emigrate or exist on social welfare. She says the economic crisis and the subsequent recession created a climate scepticism which allowed people to express ideas that before had been repressed.

It really felt like my generation was deprived of a future that we believed was ours. I dont mean some hugely privileged future where we all have gigantic houses. I mean having a job.

So now, maybe theres a sense of wanting to speak back to the narrative we were sold. But I just want to observe and write honestly about what I see. I wasnt trying to write a polemic.

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney is out now

Word up for Crosstown Drift

Tomorrow, meet at 12.45pm at Henchys Bar, St Lukes, for a trail across the city on foot. Readings take place at Griffith College, St Angelas, Nano Nagle Place and Elizabeth Fort from writers including Mary Morrissy, Billy OCallaghan, Conal Creedon and Rory Gleeson. (Free but ticketed.)

Tomorrow, from 7pm-9.30pm, the Farmgate at the English Market has an evening of music and merriment hosted by Sinead Gleeson with readings from the likes of Doireann Ni Ghriofa, Eimear Ryan and Gerry Murphy. (The ticket price of 45 includes a prosecco cocktail, a main course and tea/ coffee.)

On Sunday, theres a mystery bus tour starting at 12.30pm outside the Cork City Library, Grand Parade. A double decker bus will drift around the city with readings from writers including Kevin Barry, Lisa McInerney, Sally Rooney, Alan McMonagle and Sara Baume. Ticket: 20.

On Sunday from 5pm-7pm, explore the grounds of the newly re-opened Nano Nagle Place as O Bheal presents poets including Cal Doyle, Mary OConnell, Jennifer Matthews and Afric McGlinchey. There will also be storytelling featuring Pat Speight, Sharon ONeill and Paddy O Brien. (Free but ticketed.)

On Sunday from 8.30pm, the venue is the River Lee Hotel where Crosstown Drift concludes with a multi-room extravaganza. There will be over two hours of events with readings from Kevin Barry, Sarah Griffin, Sinead Gleeson, Sara Baume, Billy OCallaghan, Rory Gleeson and Sally Rooney. Eoghan OSullivan, from the Irish Examiner, will host a Q&A session with literary magazine editors Eimear Ryan (Banshee), Marc OConnell (Penny Dreadful) and Thomas Moore (Stinging Fly.) There will also be a showcase of new Cork writing feature Rachel Andrews, Danny Denton and Catherine Kirwan. DJ Stevie G will host Spitting Rhymes while Lisa McInerney will host Swearathon. Ticket: 15.
ITS the little independent Irish film thats making a big impression on filmgoers  and a Cork producer is central to its success.

A romantic drama based around the issue of abortion, Twice Shy was made for under 100,000  a tiny figure by film budget standards  but has been getting extremely strong reviews ahead of its Irish release.

An intimate, subtle drama about a young couple (Iseult Casey and Shane Murray-Corcoran) who fall in love towards the end of their schooldays, they face challenges on a road trip to London, where she intends to terminate an unplanned pregnancy.

Part of its success is down to the talents of producer Fionn Greger, who went from studying at UCC to working on the set of a Bond movie as he pursued a career in cinema.

He worked closely with writer/ director Tom Ryan to get the film made against many odds.

It was when they met through film circles that Greger and Ryan first mooted the idea of working together almost three years ago.

Id watched Toms first feature, Trampoline, and thought it was an incredible achievement, he tells me.

He asked if Id be interested in producing Twice Shy, even though we didnt have a script or funding. The issue of abortion is a big issue in Ireland, yet nobodys making a film about it.

Tom wrote the script within two months and when I read the first draft, I knew it was a film I had to make.

He wasnt the only one impressed with Ryans script  actors Pat Shortt and Ardal OHanlon both came on board in supporting roles after seeing the films quiet storytelling power.

Twice Shys great victory is that it manages to tell these characters story by taking a broader view  its primarily an examination of young love and the challenges it faces.

As filmmakers youve sometimes got to strip away the noise and make a film that moves you, Gregor says. Well leave the film do the talking.

The producer who grew up in Whites Cross in Upper Glanmire has had an interesting and varied career path. While studying economics at UCC, he set up a business producing short films and music videos.

I ended up making videos for the likes of Damien Rice and The Frames. I started focusing more on producing and that drove me to go to London, because I wanted to work on big movies, to work my way up.

He did just that, working as a production assistant in such big-budget blockbusters as Sweeney Todd and the Bond movie Quantum of Solace in Londons iconic Pinewood Studios.

It really helped me learn and focus my attention on how a film production works, he said. It was a fascinating time because you get to see two or three hundred people, all working towards the same goal.

More recently, he has been working with Amazon UK, where he works as a full-time producer across the companys various video production facilities, based in London.

Its the perfect job, he says, allowing him to continue to hone his filmmaking craft in a secure and creative job environment. In his free time, he continues to work on developing independent film projects.

Its a brand new role and I count myself privileged to be doing it, he says.

Im working full-time as a producer and its a fabulous place to work, very forward thinking. Theyve very much supported the film and I feel like one of the luckiest guys.

Greger, Ryan and the films team are excited to finally see it opening in Irish cinemas today, two and a half years after they first worked to get it made.

Interestingly, it will launch on Irish film streaming website, Volta, on the same day, meaning those who dont have access to the cinema can watch it at home. It offers an avenue for films when publicity is at its most high, he says. Otherwise films can sometimes get lost in the ether.

Twice Shy opens today in cinemas, including the Gate in Cork
We have a problem in this country with telling the truth. So says the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (Isme), which yesterday proposed a perjury act to prosecute those who make false claims of personal injury.

Pat McDonagh, the founder of Supermacs, has found himself at the sharp end of that culture. At yesterdays event, he showed a video in which two men quite obviously staged an accident at a Supermacs outlet in Mallow, Co Cork. They went on to make a claim that only ran into trouble when the video footage was produced.

Would they have thought twice about the ruse if the possibility of a criminal prosecution hung over them? Maybe, but perjury is not easy to prosecute.

Mr McDonagh also touched on a relatively new try-on, that of defamation. He told of a case in which a man walked into an off-licence with a bottle of wine and placed it on a rack. He left and returned a while later, lifted the bottle as if for the first time, and headed for the door. When he was stopped by security staff, he said he had bought it elsewhere and they were now accusing him of a crime. The insurance company settled the defamation claim rather than take the risk of defending it with no prospect of recouping costs in the event of a successful defence.

Isme chairman Ciaran Murtagh noted that his pre-cast concrete business has plants of a near-identical profile in Ireland and in the UK.

The insurance for the UK plant is about half what we pay here, he told the Irish Examiner. Some of this he ascribes to the lack of a proper statute for perjury in this State.

Isme is proposing that such an act would ensure those who make an initial claim under an affidavit of verification would be subject to the possibility of up to five years in prison if they are lying.

The proposal has some merit. Insurance costs, in both motor and public liability, are going through the roof. Frequently, we read of a court case where a spurious claim is thrown out, sometimes with an accompanying comment from a judge about a failure to tell the truth under oath. Rarely do any of these instances lead to a prosecution for perjury. The common law offence of perjury, designed to act as a deterrent to lying in court, is not working in this country.

According to Isme, some, if not much, of this is down to a cultural tolerance among the judiciary and some members of the public for telling lies for cash. Maybe so, but its also the case that some judges might baulk at the prospect of vigorously encouraging the pursuit of somebody trying it on with a claim while having to largely ignore lying among a better-dressed class of litigant.

For lying on oath is not confined to the socioeconomic bracket from which the bogus personal injury claimant is drawn.

Anybody who regularly attended tribunals in the 2000s would be well- acquainted with the sight of captains of industry and paragons of politics lying without compunction in order to avoid the consequences of telling the truth. This applied even when the consequence might have amounted to little more than a few sour headlines of small personal embarrassment.

It was quite obvious that the average tribunal witness who had awkward questions to answer always knew that there would be no comeback from spewing out a few porkies.

This was alluded to by Judge Peter Charleton at the opening of the disclosures tribunal last February.

This tribunal is a drain on the resources of the Irish people and it is paid for by their submission to the democratic structures of which taxation has been a central part in our tradition, he said. Every lie told to this tribunal will be a waste of what ordinary men and women have paid for through their unremitting efforts.

How much more effective might be the judges warnings if they were accompanied by a law that could be expected to have some effect on those disposed to transgressing?

Ismes proposal, that an affidavit of verification signed at the outset of a claim be subject to a new act, has merit.

If it comes to pass, it should also include the signing of affidavits in the commercial court.

Frequently, after various submissions go back and forth in this particular branch of law reserved for the moneyed, it turns out that some earlier affidavits werent worth the paper written on.

As such, court time, which is paid for by the citizens, is wasted and chancers given another chance to chance their arm.

Practically every section of society would welcome a new perjury act.

Businesses might get some leverage in their battles with insurers.

The public could be assured that money in courts and tribunal would not be wasted by having to wade through the lies.

And the judiciary might feel more confident that when they spot a porkie there is some prospect of action being taken to deter others from doing likewise.

Ironically, the only section of society that might be a little reluctant about a new act would be a cohort drawn from the legal business.

The solicitors and lawyers for whom personal injuries is money for old rope might be discommoded at the prospect of a depletion of business.

Still, telling the truth is never easy on everybody.
These talks are of vital interest to Ireland and it is incumbent on Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with Special Responsibility for Brexit Simon Coveney, in particular, to exert as much pressure and influence as possible over the whole process over the next couple of years. Giving him responsibility for Brexit was a good move by the new Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, particularly given his experience in  and intimate knowledge of  the sector of the Irish economy that is most vulnerable to a bad Brexit outcome, namely the agri-food sector.

The EUs chief negotiator began the week by stating categorically that he was not in a frame of mind to make concessions to or ask for concessions from the UK. He also said there would be substantial consequences from Brexit, which is pretty much stating the blindingly obvious.

What is less obvious is the stance being taken by Ms May. She fought the election campaign on a hard Brexit platform and this was roundly rejected by the electorate, but the UK Government is sticking to its guns and is so far adopting a hard Brexit stance.

However, it has backed down on its demand that the trade negotiations should go hand-in-hand with the divorce negotiations, which will initially concentrate on the size of the bill the UK owes the EU, along with the rights of UK citizens in the EU and vice-versa.

Only once the terms of the divorce are agreed will the trade negotiations get underway.

This represents the first backdown by the UK and it is symbolic of the power that lies on the EU side in this potentially difficult negotiation process.

The official UK position is that it will leave the EU and does not want to be part of the customs union, but in a speech this week Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said his priority would be to ensure the economy and business interests would be front and centre of the negotiations.

He suggested that the UK would leave the customs union, but that he wants a Brexit deal that would put jobs and prosperity first, and one that reassures employers they would have access to the human talent they need and that keeps the market for goods, capital, and services open.

He is alluding to some form of transitional arrangements that would allow the UK be part of the customs union. It is all a bit confusing, but Hammonds position has strengthened following the Mays awful election performance.

On the surface, the prime minister and the chancellor would appear to be singing from different hymn sheets and it remains to be seen whose view will prevail.

The other intriguing political issue concerns the role of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party.

His popularity has been on the rise following a good election performance, helped by his sympathetic response to the London fire tragedy, compared to the pathetic handling by the prime minister.

If Corbyn was of a mind to push for a soft Brexit or, indeed, a revisiting of the referendum result, then he probably would be in a sufficient position of strength to push that agenda.

The most accurate interpretation of the general election result is that it was a rejection of the hard Brexit stance adopted by May, but, true to form, she is ignoring that fact.

However, the problem is that Corbyn was always a strong opponent of the form of capitalism enshrined in the whole EU process.

In his own mind, he would probably desire nothing better than taking the UK out of the evil EU.

That, however, is not how much of the electorate views the world and perhaps Corbyn will have a change of heart.

Hammond has already commented that people did not vote for Brexit to be poorer, so perhaps the battle has started in the Tory Party.

This could ultimately work to Irelands advantage.
Friday, June 23rd, 2017 (1:09 am) - Score 14,943

Openreach (BT) has confirmed that theyre testing a new Fibre-to-the-distribution-point (FTTdp) style of G.fast broadband technology that mounts hardware from NetComm Wireless on top of telegraph poles, which shows that the operator hasnt given up on FTTdp.

Some readers will readily recall that many of Openreachs earliest trials were deployed using smaller G.fast nodes (distribution points), which were fixed on top of telegraph poles or under manholes and fed by a fibre optic cable. A small box would often then be built nearby in order to supply this kit with power.

The advantage of an FTTdp model like the one described above is that you could build the G.fast kit much closer to homes (e.g. within 100 metres), which would in theory make it possible to deliver Gigabit speeds to end users (results from an early trial). The disadvantage was that small G.fast dp units could only handle a few ports and this sort of deployment is generally more expensive.

However, improvements in the technology have since made it possible for Openreach to run G.fast over longer runs of copper cable (up to about 500 metres but you need to be under 350m for speeds of 300Mbps), which in turn has made it feasible for the operator to deploy the service by building an extension pod on to the side of existing PCP street cabinets (see new pod pictures). This is cheaper and the pods can handle up to 48 ports (rising to 96 this summer).

We expect all or most of the operators initial roll-out of G.fast (targeted to cover 10 million UK premises by 2020) to adopt the PCP cabinet + pod approach, while the previous FTTdp method has taken a back-seat. However this week Openreach revealed that they were testing a new FTTdp based approach using G.fast dp kit from NetComm Wireless.

The hardware in these pictures is experimental and remains very similar to the VDSL2 (FTTC) based NDD-4100 that is depicted on the NetComm Wireless website, albeit using G.fast. The NDD-4100 was only able to deal with 4 end-user ports + 1 for the GPON (fibre optic) supply and the G.fast dp above has the same limit. Several dps would thus be needed to serve a busy street.

The new G.fast kit is also reverse powered (i.e. that small cream coloured box next to the cable reel is the Reverse Power Feed Unit), which means that Openreach could significantly cut their costs and thus make it easier / quicker to deploy the service by asking end-users to power the local dp (weve talked about this before).

Naturally reverse power may throw up some questions about regulation, safety, backup power and end-users electricity costs. On the other hand it would be a very low power service (only a small impact on bills  depending on how many lines are used) and we suspect that many people in rural areas would gladly sacrifice a bit of their electricity if it meant being able to get ultrafast broadband.

Openreach also informed ISPreview.co.uk that the new NetComm Wireless G.fast kit is able to harness the full spectrum frequency available to the technology (i.e. it can use up to 212MHz instead of the 106MHz of initial deployments). As such the operator claims to have been testing it with downstream speeds of up to 1Gbps and uploads of up to 300Mbps, which is a fair bit faster than their earliest FTTdp + G.fast proof of concept trials.

Apparently the above speeds are being achieved at a distance of around 40 metres (copper run from the G.fast dp and into your home). By comparison the original G.fast Proof of Concept trials, which occurred a few years ago, were able to deliver an aggregate (download + upload) speed of around 600-700Mbps at the same distance.

Clearly Openreach are still developing the FTTdp + G.fast option for future deployments but for now we still dont know how much of a role it might play, particularly with the new aspiration to roll-out much more FTTP than currently planned (here).
Friday, June 23rd, 2017 (12:02 pm) - Score 2,000

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has published its first annual report to the European Commission on their monitoring of the EUs new rules for protecting Net Neutrality (open internet access). The report finds that there are no major concerns regarding the openness of the internet in the UK.

Last year the EU introduced new regulation to protect the open internet from abuse (here), which essentially means that broadband ISPs and Mobile Network Operators cannot impose excessive restrictions against Internet traffic (e.g. no serious blocking or slowing of access to legal websites or Internet services). However there are some exceptions to this, such as for general Traffic Management and security reasons etc.

The rules are applied via a self-regulatory approach in the United Kingdom, which is governed by the Broadband Stakeholder Group and their 2016 Open Internet Code. This code commits signatory ISPs to neutrality and transparency in traffic management on their networks (details).

Ofcoms first report is fairly short and thats because the regulator only found a few contentious packages or offers from Mobile operators, which might have fallen outside of the rules, although these were too brief or small to have any real impact. For example, in November 2016 an unnamed Mobile operator launched a 4G product including zero-rated use of certain messaging services but the offer was limited and the operator itself was tiny.

However, Ofcom did identify some areas where internet providers should improve their compliance with the Regulation, not least in terms of the rule that says end-users have the right to use terminal equipment of their choice. By terminal equipment they mean devices like broadband routers etc.

Ofcoms Statement on End-User Terminal Equipment Article 3 (1) establishes the rights of end users to access the internet using the terminal equipment of their choice. During the first year of operation of the Regulation we identified a practice of concern through our own engagement with ISPs and independent monitoring. We have opened an initial enquiry into the matter. The purpose of an enquiry is to determine whether there is a case to answer, and if there is, whether it would be consistent with Ofcoms administrative priorities to carry out a formal investigation. If we decide to investigate, we will, in accordance with our normal process, publish the details on our website.

We did wonder whether this one might crop up. Ofcom doesnt name the ISP, although as an example we know of several providers that make it difficult for their broadband subscribers to use a third-party router (e.g. Sky Broadband), such as by withholding the customers password. Such limitations can often be circumvented (Google and Wireshark are your friends) but its still an annoyance.

At this stage Ofcom isnt giving too much away about the who, what, when or where of their initial enquiry but well keep an eye on it and report back if anything interesting happens.
Lenovo had a huge event this week where it showcased the power of not only an impressive multi-national manufacturing capability but the benefit of hiring one of the most experienced Intel executives in this segment, Kirk Skaugen, president of the Data Center Group. His movement into Lenovo was in itself fascinating because, given his pedigree, Skaugen likely could have gone to any one of the major players, a VC, or even started his own firm. He chose Lenovo which was, at the time, struggling to consume the old IBM x86 server business and step away from its image as a PC only vendor. He clearly saw something amazing in the potential for the firm and, to a certain extent, showcased that this week.

While it is easy to get lost in the sheer massive number of products Lenovo announced and lose track of the strategic aspect of the announcement, Lenovo appears to be offering something targeting the needs of the 2020 enterprise rather than the 2017 enterprise which, given the time it takes to complete evaluations and deployments, makes a non-intuitive amount of sense.

Why You Want a Future Defined Data Center

We are undergoing what I think is an unprecedented amount of change at the moment, and it isnt going to be getting any better. Our needs are changing on multiple vectors at the same time. We have the advancement of data analytics, which comes with the need not only to capture more data, but to assure the quality of that data, feed it to the decision makers in a timely fashion, and in a way that doesnt require an intermediate data scientist.

Every company is basically in an arms race with its competitors, ranging from customer, investor and employee acquisition to assuring the firm is able to respond tactically and strategically to an ever-wider number of problems and opportunities. We used to just talk about agility and complain that our systems werent agile. Now we increasingly have to worry that our executives are so poorly informed that they may not only make horrid decisions but that we in the IT space are increasingly responsible and that these executives will figure that out.

The only possible way to get ahead of this is to make a rolling bet on what may be needed in three to five years, and not only constantly update that view but have a bifurcated focus on current and future executive needs and proficiencies. This probably is now number one on the list of why I personally have no desire whatsoever to be a CIO.

Lenovos Advantage

If you think that the CIO has a nightmare of a problem, think of the poor vendor who mostly has to focus on an aging customer base, largely operating five to 10 years behind the technology curve, but increasingly being asked to operate three to five years out. The majority of your business is in servicing legacy, but the vast majority of your growth and opportunity is in anticipating the future.

This is likely where Lenovo has its greatest advantage. Because it is relatively new to the space, it doesnt have the distractions associated with legacy, which tends to bifurcate the effort and force focus in the wrong direction for the future, looking back at legacy, which is where the money often is but not where IT needs it to be.

This lack of conflict allows Lenovo, as it showcased, to offer a more consistently forward-looking set of lines rather than the more typical mix of legacy and hybrid.

Wrapping Up: Managing Change

Overall, every market is going through massive change. Technology is driving that change but it is also one of the best defenses for it. Whether you like Lenovo or not, the idea of a future-defined data center is far closer to what we need than what we typically see in the market. The reason for this is that most vendors are torn between supporting legacy and driving the future. Whether we are talking technology OEM or any other industry, figuring out how to get away from the legacy and focus more on the needs the firm will need will likely play a major role in regard to which companies do well or even survive and those that dont. In the end, change isnt slowing down anyplace. Being able to better respond to it will remain perhaps the most critical skill in technology for sellers, buyers and users.

Rob Enderle is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. With over 30 years experience in emerging technologies, he has provided regional and global companies with guidance in how to better target customer needs; create new business opportunities; anticipate technology changes; select vendors and products; and present their products in the best possible light. Rob covers the technology industry broadly. Before founding the Enderle Group, Rob was the Senior Research Fellow for Forrester Research and the Giga Information Group, and held senior positions at IBM and ROLM. Follow Rob on Twitter @enderle, on Facebook and on Google+
There have been quite a number of speculations as to who is making the Google Pixel 2. One of those prominently rumored is HTC which happens to be responsible for the original Pixel smartphones. It seems like there is more to that rumor as a blogger recently discovered possible hints in the HTC U11 that the company is indeed making the Pixel 2.

The discovery was made by a Japanese blog which translates to "HTC Soku" in English. The said blog analyzed the HTC U11's system files and saw references to a couple of devices codenamed S2 and M2. Based on the fact that the Google Pixel and Pixel XL were known as S1 and M1, the author of the blog assumed that the S2 and M2 referred to the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2. 9to5Google noted that the two codenames likely correspond to the Walleye and Muskie devices.

Google was actually working on three devices - codenamed Walleye, Muskie, and Taimen - before recent developments forced the company to ditch the Muskie device. The rumor is that the Muskie could not progress because of issues with its battery. It is also believed that the Muskie will not be cost-effective. Google then turned its focus on the larger Tiamen device which is being created by LG Electronics, according to some rumors.

The blogger was also intrigued by the fact that the S2 and M2 devices were in a data file connected to the HTC U11. This also suggests that the devices will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor. It's also notable that the actual use of the S2 and M2 was not revealed and that there were no entries specific to particular carriers. XDA-Developers noted that this may indicate a unified model across all carriers.

It was previously rumored that at least four companies were in the running to be the manufacturer of choice for the Google Pixel 3. HTC and LG were the most prominent of the list of candidates which also includes TCL and Coolpad. If HTC is indeed working on the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 then it stands a better chance of winning the rights for next year's Google Pixel 3.
Surface Book, Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are all Microsoft laptop devices that boasted in a really great set of specs and features. The Surface Book has a removable display, the Surface Pro has a kickstand capability, and now the newest Surface Laptop has is considered as the most traditional laptop of the company.

If someone is thinking of buying one of Microsofts Surface laptop devices, heres a quick guide to consider. Remember that all three machines are expensive on their own and each has their own strengths and weaknesses.

The Surface Book

Microsoft Surface Book is about two years old today and its far from perfection, according to Tom Warren of The Verge. The American multinational technology company created the Surface Book with a detachable display so that the machine can transform into a large tablet. Unless the user of this laptop is an illustrator, its feature is not something really regular

A review said that using the Surface Book as a tablet isnt ideal because its battery life when detached from the keyboard is only around three hours. As of now, Windows 10 still lacks on tablet apps, which makes the users of the Surface Book forced to do basic browsing and watching only. Its price is $1,499 to $3,199 for the standard version and its best compared to the Apple's MacBook Pro.

The Surface Pro

The MacBook Air and the iPad Pro are the comparable Apple products with the Surface Pro. In fact, it is the flagship of the Surface family and Microsoft used to sell it as a tablet "that can replace your laptop," according to Business Insider. However, after almost a year, Microsoft now considered it as "the most versatile laptop in the world."

The Surface Pro uses a kickstand to stay straight, which is fine on a table or desk but makes it extremely difficult to use on using the user's lap. It can run a desktop-class operating system such as Windows 10 in just a price of $799 to $2,699.

The Surface Laptop

Microsofts brand-new Surface laptop is an actual machine as most people think of them. Its build, especially the wedge-like design is very comparable to Apple's MacBook Air. The Surface Laptop comes in various colors unlike the Surface Book and Surface Pro. This is the tech firm's technique in order to set apart the laptop from the rivals on the market.

It comes with the new version of Windows 10, which is the Windows 10 S. The price of the Surface laptop starts from $999 to $2,199. Its target users are the college students, but it is worth saying that the Surface Laptop is a great all-around laptop.
March 28, 2001 14:30: A WILDLIFE group run by Bromley Council has appealed for the public's help in protecting the borough's rare and endangered wetland creatures.

Bromley Wetland Action Group is asking people who spot species such as voles, toads, kingfishers, herons and newts to let it know about it.

It hopes this information will help it to identify where certain creatures live in Bromley's wetlands, and enable the group to protect those species at risk in the borough.

Ewa Prokop, countryside projects officer, said: "We are asking everyone to keep an eye out for these vulnerable species in Bromley." Those with information should call 020 8313 4665.
THE father who fought a long legal battle over taking his daughter on a term time holiday has today been found guilty by Isle of Wight magistrates for the unauthorised absence from school.

Jon Platt, who took his daughter out of school to go on a holiday to Florida in April 2015, lost a legal challenge in the Supreme Court, after judgements on the case in both the original magistrates hearing and a High Court hearing were appealed by the Isle of Wight Council.

The argument was over what was considered regular attendance at school and the Supreme Court ruled in a landmark hearing that regular meant in accordance with the school's rules.

Therefore, because the holiday to Florida was unauthorised absence, magistrates today ruled that Mr Platt had failed to ensure his child regularly attended school, bringing a criminal conviction against him.

Representing Mr Platt, Paul Greatorex, said that there had been 8.5 million unauthorised absences in a single term in the UK last year, and since the Supreme Court ruling, the parents of those students could now potentially be branded criminals.

I can't think of any offence that is committed so regularly, Mr Greatorex said.

Giving evidence, Mr Platt said that an application for absence form from his daughter's school had said that satisfactory attendance was 90 to 95 per cent and Mr Platt calculated that his daughter's attendance would still fall above 90 per cent if they took the holiday.

However, Ben Rich, prosecuting on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council, said that because permission was not granted for the term time holiday, Mr Platt had been in breach of the school rules and should therefore be prosecuted.

Mr Platt was given a 12 month conditional discharge, but was ordered to pay 2,000 court costs.

The case has cost the tax payer 140,000 and Mr Platt personally almost 30,000.

Speaking after the trial, Mr Platt said: I feel relieved it is over. I am not going to appeal this decision.

I am going to do what the Isle of Wight Council should have done in the first place and respect what the magistrates have said.

It is critical now that parents call up schools and ask what their school's rules state.
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SAN ANTONIO  A former Texas nurse who prosecutors say may be responsible for the deaths of up to 60 young children was indicted Wednesday on a murder charge for the second time in recent weeks.

The Bexar County district attorney's office said in a statement that Genene Jones was charged in the September 1981 death of 2-year-old Rosemary Vega.

She was charged with a separate count of murder last month in the death of an 11-month-old boy.

Jones, 66, is serving concurrent 99-year and 60-year sentences in state prison for the 1982 killing of another toddler and the sickening of a 4-week-old boy who survived. But she was scheduled to be released in March under a mandatory release law in place when she was convicted.

During Jones' time working at a San Antonio hospital and elsewhere in Texas, children died of unexplained seizures and other complications.

District Attorney Nico LaHood previously said investigators believe Jones may have killed some or all of those children because they died under unusual circumstances during or shortly after her shifts.

The 11-month-old boy died of a fatal overdose of an anti-seizure drug, Dilantin, and prosecutors at Jones' 1984 murder trial said the nurse lethally injected children at a clinic in Kerrville, northwest of San Antonio, to demonstrate the need for a pediatric intensive care unit at a nearby hospital.

Other prosecutors theorized that Jones' tactic was to take swift medical action and save some of her victims, making herself appear to be a sort of miracle worker.

It's not clear why Jones' actions, involving so many suspected victims, were not detected earlier. But Sam Millsap, a previous district attorney in Bexar County, told KSAT-TV in 2013 that medical records at the San Antonio hospital at one point were accidently destroyed, hampering efforts by investigators to prove their suspicions.

She received a letter of recommendation in 1982 from the hospital that described her as "loyal, dependable and trustworthy," according to a report jointly published by Texas Monthly and ProPublica.

Jones, whose case has been chronicled in two books, a TV movie and numerous articles, has maintained her innocence. It's not clear if she has an attorney to address the most recent allegations against her.

LaHood told The Associated Press after Jones was charged with murder in May that the charge was based on fresh evidence that came to light and a review of old evidence. He also said the deaths of some of the other children were being re-examined and that additional charges could be coming.

At a news conference Wednesday, LaHood said he continues investigating Jones in the hope of obtaining more indictments.
The 2016 presidential contest was awash with charges that the fix was in: Republican Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that the election was rigged against him, while Democrats have accused the Russians of stacking the odds in Trump's favor.

Less attention was paid to manipulation that occurred not during the presidential race, but before it  in the drawing of lines for hundreds of U.S. and state legislative seats. The result, according to an Associated Press analysis: Republicans had a real advantage.

The AP scrutinized the outcomes of all 435 U.S. House races and about 4,700 state House and Assembly seats up for election last year using a new statistical method of calculating partisan advantage. It's designed to detect cases in which one party may have won, widened or retained its grip on power through political gerrymandering.

The analysis found four times as many states with Republican-skewed state House or Assembly districts than Democratic ones. Among the two dozen most populated states that determine the vast majority of Congress, there were nearly three times as many with Republican-tilted U.S. House districts.

Traditional battlegrounds such as Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida and Virginia were among those with significant Republican advantages in their U.S. or state House races. All had districts drawn by Republicans after the last Census in 2010.

The AP analysis also found that Republicans won as many as 22 additional U.S. House seats over what would have been expected based on the average vote share in congressional districts across the country. That helped provide the GOP with a comfortable majority over Democrats instead of a narrow one.

Republicans held several advantages heading into the 2016 election. They had more incumbents, which carried weight even in a year of "outsider" candidates. Republicans also had a geographical advantage because their voters were spread more widely across suburban and rural America instead of being highly concentrated, as Democrats generally are, in big cities.

Yet the data suggest that even if Democrats had turned out in larger numbers, their chances of substantial legislative gains were limited by gerrymandering.

"The outcome was already cooked in, if you will, because of the way the districts were drawn," said John McGlennon, a longtime professor of government and public policy at the College of William & Mary in Virginia who ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Democrat in the 1980s.

A separate statistical analysis conducted for AP by the Princeton University Gerrymandering Project found that the extreme Republican advantages in some states were no fluke. The Republican edge in Michigan's state House districts had only a 1-in-16,000 probability of occurring by chance; in Wisconsin's Assembly districts, there was a mere 1-in-60,000 likelihood of it happening randomly, the analysis found.

The AP's findings are similar to recent ones from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, which used three statistical tests to analyze the 2012-2016 congressional elections. Its report found a persistent Republican advantage and "clear evidence that aggressive gerrymandering is distorting the nation's congressional maps," posing a "threat to democracy." The Brennan Center did not analyze state legislative elections.

The AP's analysis was based on a formula developed by University of Chicago law professor Nick Stephanopoulos and Eric McGhee, a researcher at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Their mathematical model was cited last fall as "corroborative evidence" by a federal appeals court panel that struck down Wisconsin's state Assembly districts as an intentional partisan gerrymander in violation of Democratic voters' rights to representation.

A dissenting judge ridiculed the Wisconsin ruling for creating a "phantom constitutional right" of proportional political representation. Wisconsin's attorney general has argued on appeal that the ruling could "throw states across the country into chaos."

Although judges have commonly struck down districts because of unequal populations or racial gerrymandering, the courts until now have been reluctant to define exactly when partisan map manipulation crosses the line and becomes unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on the Wisconsin case this fall. If upheld, it could dramatically change the way legislative districts are drawn across the U.S.  just in advance of the next round of redistricting after the 2020 Census.

But if partisan gerrymandering "goes unchecked, it's going to be worse  no matter who's in charge," said Sam Wang, director of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.

___

'PACKING' AND 'CRACKING'

Throughout U.S. history, Democrats and Republicans alike have been accused of drawing political districts in ways that favored their own interests.

It typically occurs in one of two ways:

"Packing" a large number of voters from the opposing party into a few districts to concentrate their votes.

"Cracking," in which the majority party spreads the opposing party's supporters among multiple districts to dilute their influence.

Another way of explaining it: When the party controlling the redistricting process sets out to draw lines, it has detailed information about the number of supporters the opposing party has, and where they reside. It sets out to shape districts so its opponents' votes are wasted  spreading them out in some places so they are unlikely to win, and compacting them in others so they have far more votes than they need for victory. Both methods allow the party already in power to translate its votes into a greater share of victories  or, put another way, to be more efficient with its votes.

The "efficiency gap" formula developed by Stephanopoulos and McGhee creates a way to measure whether gerrymandering has helped a political party enlarge its power.

The formula compares the statewide average share of the vote a party receives in each district with the statewide percentage of seats it wins, taking into account a common political expectation: For each 1 percentage point gain in its statewide vote share, a party normally increases its seat share by 2 percentage points. So a party that receives 55 percent of the statewide vote could expect to win 60 percent of the legislative seats.

Michigan provides a good example of how the formula works.

Last fall, voters statewide split their ballots essentially 50-50 between Republican and Democratic state House candidates. Yet Republicans won 57 percent of the House seats, claiming 63 seats to the Democrats' 47. That amounted to an efficiency gap of 10.3 percent in favor of Michigan's Republicans, one of the highest advantages among all states.

That also marked the third straight Michigan House election since redistricting with double-digit efficiency gaps favoring Republicans. Stephanopoulos said such a trend is "virtually unprecedented" and indicative of a durable Republican advantage.

Republicans controlled both chambers of the Michigan Legislature, as well as the governor's office, when the maps were redrawn in 2011.

As lawmakers prepared to vote on those maps, former Democratic state Rep. Lisa Brown recalls being summoned into a private room near the back of the House chamber. She says a top Republican lawmaker showed her two potential maps. One kept her home in the same district while the other shifted her neighborhood into a predominantly Republican district to the east.

Brown said she was offered a deal: Vote with Republicans or get stuck with the less-favorable map. She declined.

As a result, Brown said, "I was gerrymandered out of my district."

Instead of opting for a re-election campaign, she decided the next year to run for Oakland County clerk, a position she still holds.

The Michigan House redistricting effort was led in 2011 by then-state Rep. Pete Lund, a Republican who now is the Michigan director of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative interest group backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. Lund told the AP that he doesn't remember the details of his redistricting conversation with Brown and doesn't recall trying to draw anyone out of a district.

He said if Michigan's House districts appear to have any "distortion," it's because Democrats are naturally concentrated in the state's urban areas and because Republicans tried to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act by ensuring racial minorities have large enough concentrations to elect a representative of their choice.

Lund denied gerrymandering districts to favor Republicans, instead blaming Democrats for their own losses.

"The Democrats don't know how to run campaigns; they're horrible at it. We beat them right and left," he said.

State House Minority Leader Tim Greimel stepped down from his leadership post after his party failed to cut into the Republican majority in 2016.

"Is it truly impossible for Democrats to win a majority in the statehouse with the districts drawn the way they are? I don't know," he said. "But it certainly makes it far more difficult  and that's the purpose of gerrymandering."

Experts agree with parts of both Lund's explanation and Greimel's. The clustering of Democrats in urban areas creates some "unintentional gerrymandering" that works against them, said Jowei Chen, an associate political science professor at the University of Michigan.

"But overt partisan gerrymandering is certainly a big part of the explanation, as well," both in Michigan and elsewhere, Chen said.

___

GOP IN CONTROL

The current Republican supremacy in many states traces to the 2010 elections, when a GOP wave two years after Democrat Barack Obama was elected president allowed the party to grasp full control of 25 state legislatures and 29 governorships. That was just in time to carry out the mandatory duty of redistricting based on the 2010 Census.

Since then, the Republican dominance has grown to 33 legislatures and 33 governorships  doubling the totals for Democrats  as well as both chambers of Congress and the presidency.

Acknowledging Republican dominance in many states, Democrats recently launched an initiative led by former Attorney General Eric Holder and aided by Obama that is intended to better position the party for the redistricting process after the 2020 Census.

Their three-pronged approach will target key state races, support legal challenges to current maps and pursue ballot initiatives to change the redistricting methods in some states.

Holder says the goal is "to get to a more fair, more democratic system" than what he calls the current "rigged political process."

Stephanopoulos and McGhee computed efficiency gaps for four decades of congressional and state House races starting in 1972, finding that the pro-Republican maps enacted after the 2010 Census resulted in "the most extreme gerrymanders in modern history."

The AP used their method to calculate the efficiency gaps for all states that held partisan House or Assembly elections for all of their districts in 2016. North Dakota was excluded because it elected only half its House members, and Nebraska was left out because its legislative elections are officially nonpartisan.

In addition to Michigan, the analysis found a significant Republican tilt in South Dakota, Wisconsin and Florida, all of which had a Republican-controlled redistricting process after the 2010 Census.

The presidential swing states of Ohio and North Carolina were among others that had 2016 state House efficiency gaps favoring Republicans, the third straight such result since Republicans led the last round of redistricting in those states.

Democrats had high efficiency gap scores in Colorado and Nevada, two states where they won state House majorities in 2016 even though Republican candidates received more total statewide votes. Colorado's map was drawn by a Democratic-dominated commission that Republicans criticized as "politically vindictive." Nevada's districts were decided by a court, but Republicans complained at the time that they appeared more favorable to Democrats.

Despite criticism of the process from minority parties, control of redistricting doesn't always guarantee success. Democrats led the redistricting efforts in Arkansas and West Virginia in 2011, and some Republicans grumbled at the time about partisan line-drawing. Yet Republicans subsequently swept to victory in both states, just as they had elsewhere in the South and through much of Appalachia.

The AP also calculated efficiency gap scores for the U.S. House elections, although experts caution that those measurements are less statistically meaningful in states with few districts.

Among the more than two dozen states with at least six congressional districts, the AP's analysis showed a significant Republican advantage in such places as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Michigan and Virginia, all states where Republicans were in charge of redrawing the boundaries after the 2010 Census.

The largest Democratic congressional advantage was in Maryland, where redistricting was controlled by a Democratic governor and legislature. Former Gov. Martin O'Malley recently acknowledged during testimony in a gerrymandering lawsuit that his intent was to "create a district where people would be more likely to elect a Democrat than a Republican."

___

ARTFUL LINE DRAWING

In Pennsylvania, Republicans won 13 of the 18 congressional seats last year, three more than would be expected based on the party's vote share, according to the AP analysis.

"There's one answer for that, one word: gerrymander," said Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "In 2011, the gerrymander was the most artful that I've seen."

Pennsylvania's congressional delegation already had a 12-7 Republican advantage over Democrats heading into the last round of redistricting, when the state lost a congressional seat because of lagging population growth. Top Republicans who drew the new boundaries sought to diminish Democrats' overall electoral chances by shifting the borders of numerous districts.

For example, a Republican-held district near Philadelphia that had been trending toward Democrats was stretched westward to take in more conservative voters. And Democratic-leaning voters in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre were shifted out of a Republican-held seat into a Democratic-led district to help protect the GOP incumbent.

Both changes were cited in a lawsuit filed this month by Democratic voters alleging Pennsylvania's congressional districts are "the product of naked partisan gerrymandering" and should be struck down.

In Texas, Republicans gained nearly four excess congressional seats in 2016 compared to the projections from a typical votes-to-seats ratio, according to the AP's analysis. The efficiency gap scores show Republicans picked up at least two excess seats each in Michigan, North Carolina and New York, although the latter might stem from high concentrations of Democrats in New York City rather than partisan gerrymandering. The analysis showed at least one excess Republican seat in Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

That helped pad a Republican congressional majority that stood at 241-194 over Democrats after the 2016 elections. That represents a 10 percentage point margin in congressional seats, even though Republican candidates last fall received just 1 percentage point more total votes nationwide.

"There are significantly more pro-Republican maps at the moment than there are pro-Democratic maps," Stephanopoulos said. "To me, the most important driver of that fact is that Republicans controlled redistricting in a whole lot more states than Democrats" after the last census.

The national Republican State Leadership Committee, the force behind the party's surge in state legislative elections, attributes its victories to candidates who better represent the values and issues important to their communities.

For Democrats to complain of gerrymandering is "pure nonsense," said Matt Walter, the Republican committee's president.

"That's just a baseless supposition to blame that all on line-drawing," he said.

___

Associated Press data journalist Meghan Hoyer contributed to this report.

___

Follow David A. Lieb at: http://twitter.com/DavidALieb
[JURIST] A panel consisting of three judges from the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit [official website] affirmed [opinion, PDF] all but one conviction of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who was convicted [JURIST report] in 2015 for disclosing classified information to a journalist. The information was about national defense strategy in Iran. The panel reversed one of the convictions on the grounds of improper venue. Sterling argued that some of the evidence had been improperly admitted by the lower court, but the appeals panel ruled that the admission was proper. Sterling still denies [WP report] that he was the one who passed along the classified information. The panel also affirmed his 42-month sentence, saying that since the sentence would have been fair for any one of the convictions, it is irrelevant that one of the convictions was dropped. A previous panel of the same court ruled [opinion] in 2013, regarding the same case, that there are no First Amendment protections to prevent journalists from being compelled to reveal their sources in criminal proceedings.

Thursdays decision is the latest in a long line of prosecutions for the prevention of national security leaks. In 2015 a former military contractor was sentenced [JURIST report] for stealing classified files. In August 2013 Army Pfc. Chelsea Manning was sentenced [JURIST report] to 35 years in prison for her disclosure of classified information to the anti-secrecy organization Wikileaks, and she has since been released. In June 2013 Edward Snowden, a former government employee and contractor, was charged [JURIST report] with disclosing to newspaper reporters information about US intelligence activities that he obtained during the course of his work, raising significant First Amendment concerns [JURIST op-ed] over the Espionage Act.
[JURIST] Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] on Thursday accused [press release] the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of backing Yemeni forces that have arbitrarily detained, forcibly disappeared, tortured, and abused dozens of people during security operations. According to HRW, the UAE claims that the it provides financial and military aid to the Yemeni troops under the guise of fighting ISIS. However, HRW has traced the disappearance or arbitrary detention of 38 individuals to Yemeni troops backed by the UAE. The UAE also runs two secret prisons in Yemen, according to HRW. In a report [AP report] also released on Thursday, the Associated Press found at least 18 secret prisons run by either the UAE or by troops receiving the nations support.

The UAE has drawn controversy from the international community for its justice system. In November a new law [JURIST report] was issued in Dubai to establish an independent judiciary branch. That same month the international community raised issues [CNN report] with the Dubai justice system following the arrest of a UK woman for extramarital affairs after she had reported that she had been raped to Dubai authorities. In 2013 a coalition of international human rights groups criticized [JURIST report] the trial of more than 60 activists in the UAE who had attempted to overthrow the current government.
The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] unanimously Thursday that naturalized citizens may not be stripped of their citizenship status based on false statements that were immaterial to becoming a citizen. The court held that in order to secure a conviction for violating 18 USC 1015(a) [text], the statute governing unlawful procurement of citizenship, the government must show that the alleged illegal act actually contributed to the obtaining of citizenship. In the case at hand, Diana Maslenjukan, an ethnic Serbian refugee from Bosnia, stated that her husband had evaded service in the Bosnian Serb Army when in fact he had served as an officer in the army in an application for entry into the US. Later when applying for citizenship, Maslenjukan stated that she had not given false information to authorities upon her entry into the US. In cases involving false statements, the court held that the government must prove that a defendant lied about facts that could warrant a denial of naturalization or lead to the discovery of facts that would lead to a denial of naturalization. In this case, the government found that the false statements would not have warranted such a denial.

The court heard oral argument [JURIST report] for this case in April. Prior to the oral argument, the US District Court for the District of Columbia stripped [JURIST report] an Egyptian-born man with ties to al Qaeda of his naturalized US citizenship for lying during his naturalization process. In that case, the false statements were found to be material to the granting of citizenship. Deprivation of citizenship has also affected countries abroad, where in March the European Court of Human Rights found against [JURIST report] a Sudanese man who was challenging the deprivation of his UK citizenship. The man in that case had his citizenship revoked after he was suspected to have made affiliations with Al-Shabaab and to have engaged in terror-related activities. In July 2016 the Supreme Court of Canada rejected [JURIST report] the appeal of a former Nazi after his Canadian citizenship was revoked numerous times.
Senate Republicans unveiled their version of a health care bill [text, PDF] Thursday, proposing numerous changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) [text]. The bill will repeal many of the ACAs measures [WP report] including the tax increases it enforced to pay for itself and Medicaid [official website], essentially giving tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. The fines imposed by the individual mandate [NYT report] will also be eliminated. The 142-page bill is expected to be voted on next week. Many Senators have expressed reluctance [TIME report] to vote affirmatively on the bill with so little time to review all of its provisions. Amassing enough votes to pass the bill in the Senate will be a challenge, as Democrats have unanimously criticized the small committee who put the bill together behind closed doors and have openly opposed its passing. Without support from any Democrats, the bill will fail if just three Republican senators vote against it.

Repealing the ACA has been a significant priority for President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. Last month the US House of Representatives voted 217-213 to repeal portions of the ACA and replace them [JURIST report]. Also in May more than a dozen Democratic attorneys general filed a motion to intervene [JURIST report] in a lawsuit that threatens key parts of the ACA. In March an earlier version of the proposed American Health Care Act was withdrawn from consideration [JURIST report] after failing to get enough support to pass. Earlier that month, Republican lawmakers released two amendments [JURIST report] to the AHCA in an effort to appeal to both conservative and liberal critics. Senators proposed [JURIST report] the initial ACA replacement bill at the end of January. This came after Trump signed an executive order [JURIST report] aimed at repealing the ACA, shortly after being sworn in. The Senate had prepared for the repealing of the ACA earlier that month when it voted 51-48 [JURIST report] to prevent the process from being subject to a filibuster.
The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Thursday that where there is a public-trial violation during jury selection the defendant must demonstrate prejudice to secure a new trial if the issue is raised as an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim. Members of the public were not permitted to enter the courtroom during two days of jury selection for Weaver v. Massachusetts [SCOTUSblog] materials because the room could not accommodate all the potential jurors. The petitioners lawyer failed to object to a closed courtroom, a constitutional violation which the court has previously viewed as a structural error. Counsel for petitioner did not know that a closed courtroom was unconstitutional and therefore did not discuss it with his client because the events had transpired before Presley v. Georgia [opinion, PDF], a case that made it clear that the public-trial right extends to jury selection as well as to other portions of the trial. The court concluded, petitioner has not shown a reasonable probability of a different outcome but for counsels failure to object, and he has not shown that counsels shortcomings led to a fundamentally unfair trial. He is not entitled to a new trial. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito concurred the opinion. Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan dissented, stating, If courts do not presume prejudice when counsels deficient performance leads to a structural error, then defendants may well be unable to obtain relief for incompetence that deprived them of basic protections without which a criminal trial cannot reliably serve its function as a vehicle for determination of guilt or innocence. The dissent concluded, A showing that an attorneys constitutionally deficient performance produced a structural error should consequently be enough to entitle a defendant to relief.

The Supreme Court granted certiorari in Weaver in January and heard oral arguments [JURIST reports] in April.
The US Supreme Court [official website] on Thursday upheld the convictions [opinion, PDF] of several men who robbed, raped, kidnapped Catherine Fuller in the District of Columbia in 1984. Twenty-five years after being convicted in Turner, et al. v. United States [opinion, PDF], Turner and several other defendants moved to have their sentences vacated on the assertion that the government violated the rule of law from Brady v. Maryland [opinion, PDF] by withholding exculpatory evidence. The case was decided on the testimonies given by several members of the group, some of whom pleaded guilty and agreed to testify for the government. The testimonies corroborated each other with minor inconsistencies. Each of the defendants who testified attempted a not me, maybe them defense, namely, that he was not part of the group that attacked Fuller. Approximately 11 weeks before the trial, a prosecutor learned of notes that concerned the murder, which were taken during two interviews with Ammie Davis who had been arrested a few weeks after Fullers murder. In an interview with the prosecutor, Davis stated she only saw one person in the vicinity where Fullers murder took place around the time she was purportedly attacked. The prosecutor admitted to not disclosing the interview because Davis was playful and not serious and that he found her to be totally incredible. The court found that the new evidence was not material and held that it would not have changed the verdict. Considering the withheld evidence in the context of the entire record, however, we conclude that it is too little, too weak, or too distant from the main evidentiary points to meet Bradys standards. Justices Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented stating, Had the defendants offered a unified counternarrative, based on the withheld evidence, one or more jurors could well have concluded that the Government had not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court agreed to hear the consolidated cases of Turner, et al. v. United States and Overton v. United States [docket files] in December and heard arguments [JURIST reports] in March.
Thailands parliament unanimously approved national strategy legislation on Thursday which will provide the military with political influence for at least 20 years. The National Strategy Act will create a committee [Reuters report], led by coup leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha [BBC profile], that will collaborate with future cabinet members to revise national strategy plans every five years. The committee will also consist of military leaders, business and industries representatives, and other experts. Critics of the legislation say it is a way for the military to maintain influence over future governments. The military seized power in May 2014 through a coup, which it declared necessary to end the months of civil protests and an unstable government.

Human rights groups worldwide have expressed growing concern over violations in Thailand since the military junta came to power in May 2014. In April Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn [BBC profile] signed a military-backed constitution [JURIST report] into law. In January Thailands National Reform Steering Committee proposed a new law that Thai officials convicted of corruption involving more than 1 billion baht would be eligible for the death penalty [JURIST report]. The Thailand Parliament unanimously approved [JURIST report] a controversial amendment to its Computer Crime Act of 2007 (CCA) in December, which rights groups fear will give the government unrestricted power to police the web and suppress criticism. In September Amnesty International released a report [JURIST report] detailing the prevalence of torture employed by Thai authorities and claiming the military government has led to a culture of torture. In May Thai human right lawyer Prawet Prapanukul was charged with allegedly insulting members of the royal family [JURIST report].
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona [official website] signed an order [text] on Thursday accepting major revisions to Arizonas death penalty procedures. The order provides such changes like eliminating paralytic drugs for lethal injections, providing witnesses with more access to watch prisoners inside the death chamber, limitations on the department directors authority to change drugs, and time allotted to prisoners to challenge any drug changes. The changes are the result of a settlement reached in a 2014 lawsuit [Reuters report] brought by seven death row inmates who argued Arizonas policies were experimental and caused unnecessary suffering. The deal is the first time any state has agreed to major changes in death penalty procedures due to prisoners complaints.

The death penalty has been a pressing issue across the country. In December a report by the Death Penalty Information Center [advocacy website] found that the use of capital punishment in the US is at a 20-year low [JURIST report]. In May the Delaware House of Representatives [official website] passed a bill[JURIST report] that would reinstate the death penalty. In March Florida governor signed a new bill [JURIST report] declaring that the death penalty may only be imposed by a judge upon unanimous recommendation from the jury. In January Ohios lethal injection protocol was deemed [JURIST report] unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment. That same month, the US Supreme Court refused [JURIST report] to consider a challenge to Alabamas death penalty system. In June the US Supreme Court ruled[JURIST report] that psychiatric assistance must be provided for indigent defendants sentenced to the death penalty.
Dallas, 06/23/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was aggressive in introducing several proposals that could help to lower the number of truck accidents. Therefore, its important for the public to understand some of the pending truck regulations that could make a difference in truck driver and passenger driver safety.

The FMCSA was very active in 2016 in trying to develop regulations that could have a direct effect on the number of truck wrecks, stated Dallas Truck Wreck attorney Amy Witherite of -1800-Truck-Wreck  . What we have to wait for now is how many of these pending truck regulations will actually become law, and the potential impact these regulations would have on truck safety.

Recent Truck Accident Fatality Statistics

There were 3,598 truck accident fatalities in 2015, and another 83,000 injuries resulting from these truck wrecks, according to the FMCSAs Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2015, and the number of truck wrecks that caused fatalities increased by eight percent from 2014 to 2015. (1)

These statistics show that truck wrecks are not trending downward, a stark reminder that without more stringent safety regulations, these numbers will continue to increase.

Over the past few years, the FMCSA has pushed several safety proposals in an effort to lower truck accident rates, and two of those pending truck regulations may or may not be approved into law in 2017.

Electronic Log Devices Mandate and Speed Limiters

For years, the FMCSA has required commercial truck drivers to keep track of their driving hours and the hours they spend resting, in manual logbooks. This was to ensure that drivers were complying with the FMCSAs hours-of-service (HOS) regulations that govern how many consecutive hours they can operate their vehicles before taking a rest break.

But the issue with manual logbooks is that it is quite easy for truck drivers to lie on their reports, which allows them to go around FMCSA rules and drive even when they are exhausted.

Because fatigued truck drivers have a much higher likelihood of causing a wreck than drivers who are well-rested, this can have devastating consequences.

Recently, a commercial truck driver based in Philadelphia was sentenced to 18 months in prison for falsifying a logbook in the months prior to causing an accident that killed another driver and seriously injured several others. (2)

The driver in that deadly truck wreck wrote in his logbook that he had been sleeping per FMCSA regulations, when in fact he was still driving. Fatigue was named as one of the major contributing factors in that accident.

Because of this incident, the FMCSA pushed through a proposal that would require all truck carriers to install electronic logging devices (ELDs) in all new vehicles by December 18, 2017.

According to the FMCSA, an ELD synchronizes with a vehicle engine to automatically record driving time, for easier, more accurate hours of service (HOS) recording. (3)

This will not only prevent truck drivers from falsifying their logbooks, it will also give truck carriers real-time information about their drivers adherence to the proper protocols regarding rest and driving time.

Although there were some fears that the presidential transition would delay the ELD mandate, the Trump administration has shown no signs that it will overrule the proposal, making it highly likely that the pending regulation will go into effect on December 18th. (4)

The speed limiter proposal is a little different, however, because it is still in the discussion phase.

Speed limiters are devices that prevent a vehicle from exceeding a preset speed limit. The FMCSA believes that installing speed limiters in commercial trucks would lower the number of truck wrecks, especially because speed is one of the major contributing factors in these crashes.

However, not everyone is on board with this proposal, and the FMCSA has weakened its position by not establishing a maximum speed limit, proposing limits of 60, 65 and 68 miles per hour. (5)

But some truck organizations believe that the devices would create speed differentials that would endanger all motorists.

Speed differentials refer to differences in speeds traveled by vehicles on a roadway that can create conditions for accidents.

This pending truck regulation is scheduled for public debate in 2017, and is far from being approved as law.

Keeping Your Life Running

At 1-800-Truck-Wreck  we have a team that is concerned with keeping your life running after a truck wreck brings things to a stop.

OUR FOCUS IS ON OUR CLIENT, NOT THE SETTLEMENT CHECK. WE CAN HANDLE THE FINANCIAL ASPECT FOR OUR CLIENTS, BUT RESTORING THEIR CONFIDENCE, PEACE OF MIND AND SECURITY IS WHATS MOST IMPORTANT.

AMY WITHERITE

Media Contact

Lucy Tiseo

Eberstein Witherite, LLP

Phone: 800-878-2597

Email: [email protected]

www.1800truckwreck.com

Connect with Eberstein Witherite on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

SOURCE

1. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/data-and-statistics/large-truck-and-bus-crash-facts-2015

2. http://www.overdriveonline.com/logbook-falsifying-leads-to-18-month-prison-sentence/

3. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/electronic-logging-devices

4. https://fleettrax.net/will-trumps-presidency-affect-eld-mandate/

5. http://www.dat.com/blog/post/5-New-Regulations-that-Could-Change-Trucking

source: http://www.1800truckwreck.com/pending-truck-regulations-lower-number-accidents.html

Social Media Tags:Pending truck regulations, truck accidents, Truck Regulations, Truck wrecks

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Dallas, Texas, 06/23/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

In May 2017, Texas lawmakers in the state senate passed a bill that would make attacks on police officers a hate crime under state law. The legislation makes it a second degree felony to restrain or assault a police officer  with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Under the bill, a crime that results in death or bodily injury to a police officer would be a first degree felony with a possible sentence of life in prison.

The proposed bill, House Bill 2908, passed both the state house and the senate. If signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, it will become state law.

According to one media report, the bill was proposed in response to two attacks on police officers and law enforcement officials in Texas. In 2016, six police officers were killed in Dallas. In 2015, Judge Julie Kocurek was injured outside her home in Austin.

If Governor Abbott signs the bill, it will go into effect on September 1, 2017.

What Is a Hate Crime?

Hate crimes arent always easy to define, as there are a number of federal laws that make it illegal to commit certain offenses against individuals or entities based on a definitive characteristic  regardless of whether the individual actually possesses that characteristic, or the offender simply believes they do.

Under the Shepard Byrd Act of 2009, its a hate crime under federal law to cause bodily injury, or to attempt to injure someone with a dangerous weapon, due to the persons actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation.

Many states also have their own specific hate crime laws. As the New York Times reports, a wave of hateful crimes in recent months has led a half-dozen states to introduce anti-hate legislation aimed at beefing up penalties and expanding definitions of what constitutes hate.

Although its difficult to determine just how many hate crimes occur in the U.S. annually, experts believe the number of hate crimes has increased in recent years. A study of data from law enforcement and government agencies across 25 metro areas reveals that hate crimes jumped approximately six percent between 2015 and 2016.

The report goes on to state that the definition of hate crime varies from state to state. In five states  Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Wyoming, and Indiana  there are no state hate crime laws. However, that would not stop an individual from being prosecuted for a hate crime under federal law.

Speak to a Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

If youve been charged with a hate crime, its important to get experienced legal help from a knowledgeable Texas criminal defense lawyer. The penalties for a conviction are severe. Protect your rights by speaking to a lawyer today.

Sources:

Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer

http://www.brodenmickelsen.com/

Broden & Mickelsen, LLP

2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204

Main Phone: (214) 720-9552

source: http://www.brodenmickelsen.com/blog/texas-lawmakers-pass-bill-makes-attacks-police-hate-crime/

Social Media Tags:Attacks on Police a Hate Crime, Attacks on Police Hate Crime, Hate Crime Laws, Texas criminal defense lawyer

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Best return on investment: Study finds Kansas State University is top value in Kansas



Friday, June 23, 2017

A study by SmartAsset finds that Kansas State University provides the best bang for the education buck in Kansas. | Download this photo.





MANHATTAN  For the third year in row, a national study finds Kansas State University is the best education value in Kansas.



K-State again tops SmartAsset's study of which schools provide the best bang for the educational buck in the Sunflower State. The study measures tuition, living costs, average scholarships and grants, starting salary upon graduation and retention rates at 10 Kansas schools to determine its best value schools. SmartAsset is a financial data and technology company.



Among the factors keeping K-State at the top of the list include having the highest average starting salary for new graduates and the highest student retention rate in the state  both by wide margins over other Kansas schools.



"K-State students and our graduates are directly benefiting from a remarkable return on their investment," said Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students. "A high-paying job in your area of interest  and most often in the state of Kansas  is the immediate goal of many of the students we serve. Students, family members and employers  everybody wins by choosing to attend K-State and by hiring K-Staters. This index value is huge and no one is even close to matching the return in investment K-Staters have enjoyed for the past three years."

The average starting salary for a new K-State graduate is $48,300, which is up $400 from last year's study and is $1,400 higher than the average for a new graduate of the University of Kansas, the second-place school in this category. K-State's student retention rate of 83 percent was 3 percent higher than second-place KU's.



The good news, Bosco said, is that K-State's retention rate is continuing to climb, with the freshman-to-sophomore rate at 85.11 percent. He credits K-State's first-year retention programs, called K-State First, for increasing student retention. The university also is ensuring college is affordable by awarding $230 million in financial aid, including $29 million in scholarships, each year. With more than 250 degrees and options and student services such as free tutoring, financial counseling and career placement, Bosco said the university is committed to helping students graduate and find good jobs.

"Progress toward graduation, jobs and affordability are K-State priorities because they are so important to our students and prospective students," Bosco said. "This study shows we are succeeding."



Along with K-State and KU, the schools in the study included Baker University, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Friends University, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Pittsburg State University, Washburn University and Wichita State University.
At the 2017 Venice Biennale, the Polish Pavilion is represented by the American artist Sharon Lockharts Little Review, a project inspired by Janusz Korczaks approach to childrens rights. The exhibition is the culmination of a long-term work that Lockhart has undertaken with young girls from in Rudzienko.

Janusz Korczak (18781942) was a PolishJewish pedagogue who initiated, a newspaper created entirely by children and young people from an orphanage in the pre-war Warsaw. The title of Lockharts project refers to this newspaper, which had the same title (May Przeglad in Polish) and was published as a weekly insert in the Jewish daily Our Review.

The artist first came to Poland in 2009 for her film Podworka. During that time she met Milena, a nine year old girl who became an important figure in both Lockharts personal life and artistic practice. When Milena was placed in the Youth Centre for Socio-Therapy in Rudzienko, the artist followed her there. The long-term partnership (over the period of the last 4 years, which included workshops, the production of the film Rudzienko and several photographic works) that Lockhart has undertaken with the girls of the Centre in Rudzienko resulted in this exhibition comprised of a new film, photographs and an English translation of the original Little Review newspapers all set within an installation designed by Lockhart and with the architectural firm of Escher GuneWardena.

Jakub Gawkowski: What kind of workshops did you organize with the girls from Rudzienko?

Sharon Lockhart: The first one, organized in 2014 with the educator and philosopher Bartosz Przyby-Oowski, addressed the exercise of their personal voice. I wanted the girls to realize that they have something interesting and important to say and that they have power through their ability to use speech. They are living in an institution where they have no say in where they live, in what time they wake up or other aspects of their daily activities  they live by the clock of the institution. We wanted to encourage them to use their voices but also for them to learn how to listen to one another and respect where each other are coming from. After that first summer I realized there were many more skills and tools we could provide and so we organized instructors in movement therapy, mindfulness practices, feminism, comedy improvisation, and writing. Since the girls live in the countryside, each summer since that first year I have rented a farm nearby and organized workshops there, with each workshop focusing on some different aspect of their lives or tools for living.

What are you currently working on?

Right now we are focused on a set of workshops organized around knowing your body. It is a ubiquitous fact of life that teenagers are really coming to terms with their bodies, how they function, and what the possibilities are. We are working on developing the power of inhabiting your body and the many ways your body can be a powerful tool for generating happiness. Of course, this has been an aspect of what we have been doing for the last few years; dance, choreography, meditation, yoga, song, and theater are all avenues for this. Now, we are really focusing on it.

On a wider front, I would love to try to establish some kind of internship program and other programming to help them as they age out of Rudzienko or get moved to other institutions.

How did the figure and work of Janusz Korczak influence your project for the Polish Pavilion?

The fact that he established a newspaper written entirely by children, issued weekly for thirteen years is something I dont think had ever happened anywhere before and hasnt happened since. Immediately when I found out about it in 2013 I knew I wanted to see it translated. The fact that he had a childrens parliament in the orphanage is another thing that continues to be remarkable almost 100 years later.

This project is about giving voice to contemporary young women as well as young people who lived 80 years ago.

At the beginning of the project we wanted the girls to read May Przeglad. Everyone said that the girls would not be interested in reading the newspaper because it was 80 years old, had archaic language, and involved journalism, a form that they never engaged with. Yet, they were inspired and found things similar to what they are confronted with today. The fact that May Przeglad had never been translated and was little-known even in Poland was startling to me and I thought it would be great to use the opportunity to make this important cultural artifact and forum for youth more widely known. This project is, hence, both about giving voice to contemporary young women as well as young people who lived 80 years ago.

As a figure, Korczak is well-known among educators in Poland and Israel, due his extraordinary commitment to the children under his care in the orphanage and his courageous decision to accompany them to Treblinka. But he is not really known elsewhere. His books, The Childs Right to Respect and How to Love a Child, led me into researching him further. I found he is very well-known in Poland for his book King Matt, which was widely read by young people. I identify with the non-hierarchical way he worked with young people and I emulate it in the way I teach. I wanted to celebrate the life he gave to children, to concentrate on some of his radical modes of teaching and the power of believing something is possible.

What did you want the girls to learn?

I wanted them to learn  and they have learned  how to debate, how to negotiate, and how to collaborate. Those are big things when you live in an institution where you are always on your own. You need to survive; you can be moved the next day to a new institution. You are always on your own, and these workshops gave them something to do together. A center for young women who are all working together can be a really powerful, positive place.

A Polish critic wrote in reference to my project that, anyone could have played those girls in the film, which shows a complete misunderstanding of the project. Conceptually, there is a specificity to who is depicted and what they do on camera. Yes, it is possible for anyone to perform in this way, but it isnt anyone, it is somebody with a specific history who has developed that performance. They transformed their ideas through writing, edited them for clarity and developed them through performance to come up with self-representations that were meaningful to them.

They feel misunderstood and ignored so it was important to all of us to give them the stage. And this is what the project is about: to tell them that you are unique, you are special, you have talent, you are generous, loving, a kind person, and you have power. You can do something. Our work means that we believed in them and their power to create and perform at a world-class level representing their country.

We also wanted them to learn something about words and meaning and how gestures  both physical and conceptual  are communication tools. We taught that in workshops but they were also part of the film production and construction.

One example is the use of English in the opening scene. We worked with the girls to develop words that were important to them and then talked to them about reaching an international audience. They understood how important a gesture it was that the words came directly from them, were their words.

You seem to be very positive, but it must have been hard in the beginning.

Doing the project was extremely difficult on so many levels but, at the same time, it was always also a cathartic experience for all. Many of these young women have experienced hardships but they all have inside of them a remarkable ability for connection. Being part of that has kept us all going and has made this project a joyful endeavor for everyone.

The viewer isnt able to get to know the stories of the girls, the reasons why they are in Rudzienko.

We didnt want to focus on hardships. We were always focused on moving forward, it was about being here, now, asking the girls what they need at the moment. They are acutely aware of how society sees them and much of that has to do with their hardships. One reason they loved taking part in all the work Ive done in Rudzienko over the years is that we offered the opportunity for them to rebut the stereotypical view of who they are and, rather than live in the past, live in the present. As we constructed this project together, we talked about the film, and the entire project, as a kind of manifesto and an opportunity for them to say who they are much in the same way as Korczaks children in Little Review.

Adult prejudice or judgments are pushed all the time. I hope my work will make people question their judgments.

Over my entire career I have been trying to undermine viewers preconceptions and get them to think past obvious questions and documentary approaches. While I have spent a lot of time working with ethnographic and documentary film ever since I first encountered them in graduate school over 25 years ago, and many of my films have been shown in that context, I have tried to question the underlying precepts of those practices. I didnt have any interest in labeling the girls the way other people do. Adult prejudice or judgments are pushed all the time. I hope my work will make people question their judgments.

With you being a well-known American artist, you were not on equal level to the girls. Yet you were still able to bond with them.

When I first came to Rudzienko it was just to visit a friend who was living there, so it really grew out of friendship. I didnt come there with the intention to make a project for the Venice Biennale. In the beginning many of them just knew me as the friend of Milena. We were able to develop a great bond. Maybe they perceived me as different from the adults in their lives, and in many ways they see their difference as the reason they have wound up in this center that no one really knows about or thinks about. In a way we share an outsider status. They immediately understood that I did not have any of the preconceptions they saw other people brought to their interactions with them. And from my end, I really didnt know anything about them other than that they lived with Milena, so I took them at face value. Our bond was forged on our ability to not bring any baggage to our relationship.

I am not hierarchical in my approach and, although I talk a lot about teaching and education, I dont think of myself as the bearer of knowledge that must be communicated. I am as interested in what I can learn from them as what they can learn from me. I felt Korczak was a kindred spirit in this respect and thats why I think I identified so much with him.









You emphasize the fact that the project is the result of a collaborative effort, but all in all it is your name that will be recognized for this project, not theirs.

Ultimately, I am responsible for the look, construction of, and meaning of this work. If it fails as artwork, that is on me. Ive worked very hard in everything Ive done at Rudzienko to produce artworks that are accomplished and relevant. The final objects are not inconsequential.

Nevertheless, the girls, and everyone else who worked on this project, brought their own voices to it. I wanted the girls to own and form their own representation of themselves, and for them to be in control of it. Many of the prompts and instructions we provided were intentionally open-ended to allow for them to construct something that was personal to them.

There is one scene in the film thats 12 minutes long  the girls determined this duration, I didnt. They stare at the audience in this scene, making gestures that they chose, saying very powerful words, words that they chose and that have meaning for them. They were proud of their performance and they should be. I think it is something remarkable and something I never could have come up with on my own. I think it is important to acknowledge their contributions and thats why I emphasize the collaborative nature of the project.

The project speaks about the girls from Rudzienko, but also raises the question of what does it mean to be a girl.

Yes, I feel there is a certain universalism to these representations. Women face shared challenges and approaches to the world around them. Many of our discussions over the years have involved questions of gender and the girls have been drivers of that conversation. When you walk into the Polish Pavilion, the first image you see is an androgynous one. It was something very important to the girl in those photographs. She was aware of the construction and wanted to make a statement. In one image from Our Review, a girl named Ola engages the gaze of the viewer. The question of womens role in Polish society is at a point of conflict and the girls are just now learning about its context and womens struggles in history.

Feminism is slowly filtering in through many talented Polish partners; it is women who are representing Poland in Venice this year, and this is very important.

Did the struggle of women in todays Poland and protests against the abortion ban influence your collaboration?

Yes, but, like many people their age, they were fairly unaware of the wider political situation. I would have loved to take them to the protests, but I cant do that. So I really play a fine line; I am working with an institution so I have to respect that institutions rules and procedures. However, feminism and its political role is slowly filtering in through the many talented Polish partners Ive been fortunate to work with, people like Magorzata Wisniewska, Marta Zioek and Joanna Pawluskiewicz among others.

I have found the girls to be natural feminists who really respond to strong women and the challenging ideas they bring about womens place in the world. It is women who are representing Poland in Venice this year, and this is something very important.

What have you learned from the girls in Rudzienko?

Among the many things Ive learned from them is that we can all do much more than we think we can for each other. The selfishness of modern culture, the me, me, me! of contemporary capitalism, is so hurtful. Life can be very cruel and difficult, and everyone needs some help at times. These young women really look out for each other and theyve extended that welcoming, loving kindness to me. Its a great reminder of our responsibility for one another and the power of trust and respect. Ive learned a lot from these girls, they are powerful young women who have seen a lot. They are wiser than many adults.

Was there anything you wanted to accomplish during the project that you were unable to?

Failures are very easy for me to talk about, because I always wish I could do so much more. As I mentioned previously, I am trying to use the Polish Pavilion and Zacheta (National Gallery of Art) to create awareness in Poland, develop internship programs, and start helping these girls with the issue of housing they will face once they leave the institution. I am faced with my own limitations to accomplish that. I can find talented people to inspire the girls, but I dont know how to get them housing and job security. A lot of times they are told they are only capable of work in retail or food service, but I know they are capable of much more than that. There is a certain fatalism that I wish I could overcome.

How would you like to see this project continue?

One immediate goal is the wider translation and distribution of Korczaks Little Review. I am working with Zacheta on expanding our translations from the 29 we did for the Biennale to the entire run of 677 issues. I would love to see more scholarship on Korczak worldwide. In addition, the girls of Rudzienko are in the process of creating their own editorial room and launching their own publication inspired by Korczaks.

However, because of the education reform, the Youth Socio-Therapy Center in Rudzienko will likely cease to exist in two years in its current form. My hopes for this project are that the next few years can be devoted to developing a support structure for their post-Rudzienko lives. Before it was always about now, and now I am worried about the girls when they leave. Many of them are eighteen and, if they havent already, will leave the Center soon.

I cant do workshops with many of them anymore  they are spread all over Poland  but I am still in contact with them. I am trying to develop a kind of foundation, but this is very hard when you dont have a lot of money and are working halfway around the world. On the other hand, I have been very fortunate to be able to develop partnerships with individuals and institutions in Poland that I hope can step in and take over some of the social aspects of what Ive been doing.

Due to their participation in the Pavilion, the girls have been invited to the Baltic Arts Center in Sweden next summer. Soon they are going to Venice, and hopefully will visit Vienna next year. They are going to see the world and experience it; it doesnt have to be with me all the time.

In a way, this Pavilion is a culmination of everything Ive done in Poland. It has a sense of finality to it, but the girls are threads that keep pulling me back to this country. I will always be in touch with them.

Do you think of your work as a type of social practice?

Mark Bradford  the artist representing the United States  said: Replace the phrase social practice and insert in its place need and access. My work is not a social practice, it is art to be viewed and contemplated. I dont like this label in part because I have always been resistant to labels in general. I see in them limits to how the work (or a person) is perceived. I also am resistant to this term because I think it tells viewers that the work is to be judged on qualities outside of the ones there in the exhibition space.

Its not that there arent tendrils that lead out from the artwork to the structures and narratives that formed it, but I want viewers to take the time in the exhibition to look at each work and the installation itself and take the time to consider them. I see this work as visual, spatial and durational. I think social practice focuses on the story, or narrative, over many of the qualities that are actually present in the work.

For example, I put a lot of work into the installation and architectural alteration of the space. I wanted separation of the space into black and white elements to be palpable and relate back to the black and white of ink on a page. I brought in the black modernist benches from the National Library in Warsaw (the location of the archive of May Przeglad) to break up the space and give people a place to sit and read the newspaper. The large black volume that separates the two parts of the Pavilion somewhat mirrors those benches and acts as yet another sculptural form.

In the film as well, I had to think about the duration of shots and the total length in light of the Biennale and exhibition context. All of these things were constructed to give viewers the physical and mental space to engage with the content. In the film and photographs I wanted viewers to consider the history of portraiture, to think about the discourses of dance and theater and performance art.

How did you use the institution to make your work more widespread outside of the gallery space?

My initial idea was simply to continue our work with the girls, but, as I mentioned, I also wanted to use the power of an institution to translate all 677 issues of the Little Review. In the end, we are only able to translate the selected 29 and we have limited funds set in the budget for the number of copies we can print for each issue. Still, I am very happy with the increased awareness of Korczak the Pavilion has fostered. I wanted to foreground a history that is unknown to many people and empower the girls. Zacheta is now sponsoring conferences on Korczak and looking for partnerships with government and private agencies to expand the translation of the Little Review and publish more copies of existing translations.

Thanks to the exhibition I was able to develop a program of workshops. Before that I was doing it by myself with the help of some great people, but with an institutions assistance it was much easier. Now all these institutions, including Zacheta and Polin, Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, the Center for Contemporary Art at Ujazdowski Castle, and the Nowy Theater will continue with a workshop program and I am lobbying for their help in developing my internship ideas.

This article is republished as a part of an editorial cooperation with PoliticalCritique.org.
FRANKLIN  The city of Franklin is one of 10 finalists in the first-ever Readers Digest Nicest Places in America contest.

The contest is a national crowd-sourced hunt for exceptional places whose people exemplify ways of life the country needs more of today, according to a press release from Nextdoor, a social network application for neighborhoods.

Franklin was chosen from hundreds of submissions from across the country because its community members recently banded together to raise huge amounts of money for a family fighting cancer.

To vote for Franklin as the friendliest city in the nation, visit www.rd.com/nicest. The winning place will be announced online this fall and will be featured on the cover of Readers Digests November issue.
LEXINGTON  Home financing opportunities will be featured at a noon town hall meeting Thursday at Central Community Colleges Dawson County Opportunity Center at 1501 Plum Creek Parkway in Lexington.

Lunch will be provided by Homestead Bank.

Program participants will include representatives of USDA Rural Development, which has about $120 million available in Nebraska to help with housing needs in rural communities, plus community and state officials, lenders, realtors, major employers and home builders.

The focus will be on low-interest home loan programs offering up to 100 percent financing for purchases and on home repair loans and grants for low-income households and elderly homeowners.

Lunch RSVPs are required to Lexington Assistant City Manager Dennis Burnside at dburnside@cityoflex.com or 308-324-2341.
ORD  A Nance County farmer wont be allowed to irrigate in 2018 through 2021 as a penalty for ongoing violations of the Lower Loup Natural Resources Districts rules.

LLNRD Assistant General Manager Russell Callan said the board voted Thursday to impose the penalty because of multiple failures by Robert Prokop to turn in water use reports required by district rules for land in a water quality management area.

Callan said Prokop took the case to Nance County District Court where the judge ruled in favor of the LLNRDs authority to require the reports. Prokop then continued to violate the reporting rules.

That is what led to the board action to impose the penalties, Callan said.

In other business Thursday, the board approved a request from Mason City village officials to help fund a study of the communitys drainage system. LLNRD will pay 25 percent, or up to $5,000, for a study that is estimated to cost $20,000 and is being done by Jacob Reiter of Miller & Associates in Kearney.

Callan said the issue is managing general runoff that is being managed with a patchwork of culverts and ditches in Mason City. He said those structures were added over the years with no plan to determine the sizes and locations to best drain the water into Mud Creek, a South Loup River tributary.

Also, the LLNRD board set a public hearing at 4 p.m. July 27 ahead of its regular meeting in Ord as a required step for district officials to consider applying with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources for an instream flow appropriation.

It would be just to protect the base flow in the Loup River, Callan said.
HOLDREGE  The YMCA at R7 Early Learning Center in Holdrege will close Aug. 4 because of low revenue.

According to a Don Sjogren Community YMCA news release, the center did not generate enough revenue for long-term sustainability. It currently serves 46 children.

It was a big decision to make. ... Because we are a not-for-profit, we have to use our money very wisely. This wasnt a good use of our community resources, YMCA CEO Ginger Cowne said in an interview.

The early learning center opened in September as part of a mission to serve children and families in the area. Full-time child care and preschool classes were offered at the center. However, it did not attract enough children to sustain operations.

The YMCA informed staff and parents of the closure on June 21 and has provided them with a list of other day-care providers in Holdrege.

In order to be viable, the center needed to care for 20 to 30 more children, Cowne said.

According to the press release, the YMCA will retain ownership of the R7 property and will continue to offer youth and adult programs there to ease overcrowding at the main location at 1415 Broadway.

This is going to be a huge thing for us having this extra gym. Its going to help us stretch out more, she said.

The early learning center employs 16 staff, including teachers and kitchen help, according to the press release. The Y will work to place some of the employees in other positions within the Y, if possible.

Weve appreciated all the families that were part of our child care. This was not a decision made lightly, Cowne said.
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My hospitalist medical group consists of as great collection of atheists, agnostics, and skeptics as you will ever find. But we all agree that quality is our religion. We believe to our last breath that patient care is sacred and an invaluable gift. And so, as with all faith, there is no halfway. You believe, or you stand around scratching your head asking what those other fools are worshipping. Just so with quality; there is no 50 percent attempt. You either believe that providing the best quality care is what you devoted your life to, or you are left adding up check boxes in the EMR to calculate your quality incentive.

Hospital administrators increasingly want to align their payer reimbursement to physician pay, calling it pay-for-performance, or variable compensation. Payers tie reimbursement to metrics such as readmissions, DVT prophylaxis, and many, many others through programs such as MIPS, MACRA and IPPS. Why shouldnt doctors be reimbursed along the same lines? they ask.

Payers devised incentive payments because of the business case for them: Improvement on these metrics means globally better health and less cost, whether that be through private insurance or Medicare. By focusing on these population measures, we are surely improving the global health of Americans. But lost in this headlong rush towards alignment is the recognition that physicians, the best physicians at least, the ones that you want caring for you, took an ethical oath to care for their patients and that means quality is an ethical issue, not financial. Doctors harbor a secret golden spark, deep inside, which is our religion: adherence to the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship with its own inherent quality.

Clinicians increasingly are employed within a business structure, and are not insensitive to business concerns. Doctors respond to financial incentives, as do all humans. Capitalism works better than communism. But, the administrators job is to translate a clinical service into a profitable business strategy. Nothing in that job description says incentives must be aligned. Administration negotiates reimbursement rates with insurance companies, yet doctors are not aligned by preferentially admitting only those with the highest reimbursement. The hospital is paid more by documenting every single little patient comorbidity, thereby boosting the case mix index; yet doctors are not paid more for a note that includes more comorbidities. God forbid the day all our incentives are aligned! The business aspect of medicine follows many dictates that the clinical side does not; alignment is not a given. The best leadership creates a transparent environment that allows clinicians freedom to operate based on the best ethical concern for the patient. Aligning incentives is actually only code for we have failed to create a business plan that supports a practice environment and so are asking you to do it for us.

Clearly, American medicine is far from perfect, and even faith requires cultivation. Good medical leadership can help groups improve their quality. Medical directors should continuously review quality issues, groups can have mechanisms for internal review, and some groups even transparently publish various metrics. The mechanisms for quality improvement are as varied as the types of religious faith. But no religious faith requires payment.

Paying for faith via indulgences was tried by the medieval church. The result was Martin Luthers Ninety-Five Theses and the Protestant Reformation. Well, let these be my theses posted on the All Saints Church door: Do not try to pay me for quality! I will rebel and take back my ethical practice of medicine. Join me in the Medical Reformation. Doctors, find practices that value you for your faith! Administrators, rip up those compensation plans, and hire a team that believes. The next time I myself need a doctor, the first thing I will ask is, Are you helping me because of your Hippocratic Oath, or because of your incentive plan? I simply wont go see the robotic box-checkers anymore.

The Church no longer allows payment for indulgences, lets not start doing it in medicine.

Kjell Benson is a hospitalist who blogs at The Consolation of Philosophy.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
A 7,000 square-metre planning application for a church, retreat centre, accommodation and lecture facilities in a rural part of North Kilkenny has been lodged with Kilkenny County Council.

The application by The Irish Friends of the Foyer of Charity also includes an oratory, lecture facilities, kitchen and dining facilities, a library, a sitting room and recreational spaces for retreatants, ensuite bedroom accommodation, a boiler house, a campanile, an access road and carparking.

The proposed multi-million euro project is on a 20 acre site at Rathlogan, Johnstown.

It will require the demolition of farm outbuilding at the entrance to the retreat centre.

The Foyer of Charity is a Catholic organisation. On its website it states: A Foyer of Charity is a community of laypersons working together under the leadership of a priest, the Father of the Foyer, at the service of those who come to the Foyer on retreat.

The landowners of the site have given written consent to the charity to apply for planning and this is included on the application.

They are John Joe Cullinan, Srahbawn, Rathdowney, Co Laois and James McEvoy, Rathlogan, Johnstown, Co Kilkenny.
SHANGHAI, June 23 (Reuters) - China's Ministry of Finance auctioned 10 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) of 3-month bills in the interbank market on Friday at average yields of 3.3757 percent, traders said.

The auction yield came in below Thursday's benchmark secondary market yield of 3.4804 percent for 3-month government bonds .

For stories on Chinese debt issues, click on . ($1 = 6.8429 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
By Liana B. Baker and Lauren Hirsch

June 22 (Reuters) - U.S. meal kit company Home Chef is exploring options including a potential sale, people familiar with the matter said, as its biggest competitor, Blue Apron Holdings Inc , prepares to go public and Amazon.com Inc circles its turf.

Home Chef could fetch more than $600 million based on expected 2017 revenue of more than $300 million, the sources said on Thursday. Such an outcome would show that Amazon's $13.7 billion deal this month to buy Whole Foods Market Inc is not perceived as a major threat to companies such as Home Chef.

Home Chef is working with Deutsche Bank AG to review its options, the sources said. While a sale of the company is the most likely path, Home Chef is also open to receiving a minority investment, the sources added.

Home Chef has been approached by grocery store companies and consumer packaged goods companies looking to acquire it or invest in a minority stake, according to the sources.

The sources asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. Home Chef could not be reached for comment. Deutsche Bank declined to comment.

Meal kit delivery companies, which operate on a subscription service to deliver ingredients and recipes that allow customers to easily prepare meals, have grown in popularity in the last few years.

With its initial public offering next week, Blue Apron is seeking to convince stock market investors that its business forms the basis of a sustainable industry and is not just a fad.

HelloFresh, Chefs Plate and Chef'd are among other meal kit delivery companies. The increasingly crowded industry has already seen some casualties. Startups Sprig and Maple shut down this year after struggling to cover their costs.

Home Chef, founded in 2013 in Chicago by Pat Vihtelic, seeks to stand out from the pack by offering family-friendly food and recipes that are straightforward to prepare. The approach has helped the company retain customers and avoid high customer churn, making it profitable.

Blue Apron, on the other hand, posted a net loss of $54.9 million last year, driven by spending on logistics and marketing, even as its revenue more than doubled to $795.4 million.

Several consumer packaged goods companies have shown an interest in meal kit companies in recent months. Unilever Plc's venture arm led a $9.2 million fundraising round into organic-focused Sun Basket last month. Consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton invested $40 million in Home Chef last year.

(Reporting by Liana B. Baker in San Francisco and Lauren Hirsch in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)
(Repeats with no changes. John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

* Chart 1: * Chart 2: * Chart 3: By John Kemp

LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Oil traders have become increasingly doubtful that OPEC will manage to cut crude stocks down to the five-year average in 2018 and keep them there.

Calendar spreads for Brent futures throughout the rest of 2017 and 2018 have weakened significantly since OPEC agreed to roll over its production allocations at the end of May.

Calendar spreads (price differences between futures contracts for delivery in different months) are closely linked to the expected level of oil inventories.

Physical traders and refiners use spreads to hedge oil stored at tank farms and refineries as well as onboard ships in transit or acting as floating storage.

But spreads can also be used by traders and specialist hedge funds to speculate on the level of global oil stocks in future.

High and/or rising inventories are normally associated with a contango structure, where the price for oil delivered in future is higher than for immediate delivery.

Low and/or declining global inventories are normally associated with a backwardation, where the price for future deliveries is below the spot price.

The theoretical relationship between stocks and spreads was formulated by economist Holbrook Working in the 1930s in relation to U.S. grain futures.

But the same relationship has been visible in oil, where the shift in Brent spreads between contango and backwardation has mirrored the build up and draw down in inventories since the 1990s.

Brent spreads have therefore become one of the favourite ways for speculative traders to express a view on the outlook for oil production, consumption and stocks.

Spreads for the remaining months of 2017 have moved into an increasingly wide contango since May 25 ( ).

Spreads for 2018 have seen an even more startling move from a small backwardation into a broad contango over the same period ( ).

On May 24, the day before OPEC last meeting, Brent futures for December 2017 were trading at a premium of 99 cents per barrel over contracts for December 2018.

By June 21, December 2017 futures were trading at a discount of $2.69, a shift in the spread of more than $3.50 per barrel in less than a month ( ).

PLENTIFUL STOCKS

Calendar spreads are not an infallible guide to future stock levels especially beyond the next few months. Spread traders are often proved wrong.

But the emergence of a large contango implies many hedgers and speculators now expect stocks to remain higher than before.

OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, and its non-OPEC allies, led by Russia, have pledged to do "whatever it takes" to bring OECD inventories down to the five-year average.

But many analysts and traders are sceptical the current level of cuts will be enough to bring stocks down to the target this year or prevent them rising again next year.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts global inventories will fall by an average of 0.2 million barrels per day in 2017 before increasing by an average of 0.1 million bpd in 2018.

EIA forecasts OECD commercial stocks will still stand at 2,989 million barrels at the end of 2017, almost 230 million barrels higher than the year-end average for 2012-2016.

The agency also predicts OECD stocks will rise to 3,020 million barrels at the end of 2018, which would be almost 260 million barrels over the 2012-2016 average.

The forecasts assume OPEC's output agreement is extended beyond March 2018 but compliance deteriorates ("Short-Term Energy Outlook", EIA, June 2017).

If these forecasts prove correct, OPEC will only have made limited progress towards its goal of rebalancing the market even by the end of 2018.

STORAGE AND SHALE

The recent drop in oil prices has been concentrated in near-term futures contracts.

Brent for delivery in October 2017 has fallen by $9.50 since May 23, while Brent for delivery in December 2018 is down by only $5.50 per barrel.

Sharp falls in the cost of crude for delivery in the near future provide an enhanced incentive to buy and store excess oil, helping the market carry a higher level of inventories than anticipated before.

Near-term price declines also send a strong, urgent signal to U.S. shale producers to curb their drilling to avert an even bigger build up of inventories in future.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Chart 1 Chart 2 Chart 3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by David Evans)
(Kitco News) - A 3,400-year-old ancient tomb of a gold worker was discovered on Sai Island, located along the Nile River in northern Sudan. Researchers believe the buried individual was linked to the ancient gold mine on the island.

Inscriptions on the tomb revealed that it belonged to a master gold worker, according to media reports.

Inside the tomb, there were at least eleven other individuals, including possibly the gold workers wife.

Researchers are hoping to get a better understanding of the culture on the island at the time when it was controlled by Ancient Egyptians.

The location, known as Sai Island, had a settlement and an operational gold mine at the time.

The discovery of the tomb was first made in 2015 by Julia Budka, professor of Egyptian archaeology and art history at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. It took her team two years to excavate the site.

The team found that the tomb belonged to a man who worked in the gold industry and was named Khnummose.

The remains of Khnummose (which may have been mummified) were found next to those of a woman who may have been his wife. Some of the other people found in tomb may have been relatives of Khnummose, the researchers said in the Across Borders blog.

Other items found in the tomb included a gold ring, gold funerary masks, ceramic vessels, scarabs, and a small shabti sculpture, which was used to accompany the deceased in the afterlife.

The tomb was continuously reused and plundered a number of times but it wasn't until this year that we were able to identify the earliest, original burial, that of Khnummose, Budka told IBTimes UK.
By Claire Milhench

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Investors pulled $7.7 billion from U.S. equities, the biggest outflows in five weeks, data from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) showed on Friday, reversing the previous week's bumper inflows as bears battled with the bulls.

Globally equities attracted just $500 million in the week to Wednesday as the heavy outflows from U.S. stocks offset $2.1 billion of inflows to emerging markets and $1.1 billion of inflows to European stocks.

Bonds attracted $5 billion globally, with $3.3 billion injected into investment grade bonds, $1.1 billion into high yield and $1.9 billion into emerging market debt funds.

While BAML said "irrational sentiment" was confined to tech stocks, corporate bonds and emerging debt, it is sticking with its view that an Icarus-style climb will be followed by a Humpty Dumpty-like fall in the autumn.

The S&P 500 has climbed to record highs this week with tech stocks rebounding from recent declines, helped by Amazon buying upscale grocer Whole Foods Market .

Inflows to tech funds in 2017 are growing at their fastest annualised rate in 15 years - equivalent to 21 percent of assets under management, the bank's analysts noted.

But some investors are getting cold feet, with $200 million pulled from tech funds in the week to Wednesday, BAML data showed, the first tech outflows in 16 weeks.

BAML cited several signs of Wall Street excess, not least the fact that Facebook's market cap now exceeds the market cap of MSCI India.

The bank also highlighted a record high global issuance of high yield bonds, whilst Argentina has just issued a 100-year bond. This is a country "that has spent 33 percent of the past 200 years in default and has defaulted three times in the past 23 years," BAML said.

In another classic late-cycle signal, global investors are long eurozone equities, it added, with the bank's June fund manager survey showing the third largest overweight on record. "Central banks, the reason behind high asset prices and low volatility are now in a desperate dilemma," BAML said.

"(It's) politically unacceptable for a bubble on Wall Street, but central banks will be tightening into deflation; the inflection point for volatility is upon us and we recommend investors buy volatility."

(Reporting by Claire Milhench; Editing by Toby Davis)
SAO PAULO, June 23 (Reuters) - Brazilian steelmaker Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA said on Friday it had suspended a planned debt swap due to unfavorable market conditions and was negotiating with creditors to cancel the operation. Brazilian banks have agreed on a preliminary basis to waive the exchange offer involving debt expiring in 2018 that was issued by the subsidiary Usiminas Commercial Ltd, according to a securities filing. The steelmaker said it is negotiating with Japanese banks and other bondholders to waive the operation, which was a condition of a debt renegotiation in September.

(Reporting by Brad Haynes; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
BEIJING, June 23 (Reuters) - China raised its imports of iron ore from North Korea in May from a year earlier but bought no coal for a third month after Beijing halted coal shipments from its increasingly isolated neighbour, data showed on Friday.

Iron ore arrivals hit 233,508 tonnes, compared with 217,897 tonnes last year. Imports were down 18.2 percent from April, when they hit their highest since August 2014.

The table below gives a breakdown of imports and exports of major commodities between the two nations:

May m-on-m yr-on-yr April May

2017 % change % change 2017 2016 Imports Coal - - - - 1.55 mln Iron ore 233,508 -18.2 +7.2 285,490 217,897

Exports Ethanol 3,310 +56.9 +395.5 2,109 668 Gasoline 5,219 -61.3 -7.5 13,496 5,643 Diesel 10 -99.6 -99.6 2,606 2,719 Jet fuel 265 +38.7 +109.2 191 127 Other fuel 150 - - - - oil Fuel No. 310 -68.8 - 995 - 5-7 LPG 65 +4.4 +50.9 68 43 In tonnes except for ethanol in cubic metres

(Reporting by Josephine Mason; Editing by Richard Pullin)
FRANKFURT, June 23 (Reuters) - Commerzbank warned on Friday it would post a second-quarter loss due to higher than expected restructuring costs. The German bank, which is shedding staff, expects to book restructuring charges of about 810 million euros ($904 million) in the second quarter, it said in a statement. "Despite the higher restructuring charges, from today's perspective Commerzbank does not expect to report a negative net result for financial year 2017," it said. ($1 = 0.8957 euros)

(Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Maria Sheahan)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
Novagold Resources Inc.(NYSE, TSX: NG)and partner Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE, TSX: ABX) announce an $8 million budget for a 2017 drill program at the Donlin gold project in Alaska. The Donlin project has 39 million ounces of measured and indicated gold resources with a grade averaging 2.2 grams of gold per tonne, making it one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in the world. Donlin management also remains focused on ongoing permit efforts. We are encouraged by the prospects to further optimize the Donlin gold project, which has the potential to be the largest pure gold mine in the world in one of the safest jurisdictions of the world, says Kelvin Dushnisky, president of Barrick. Greg Lang, Novagolds president and CEO, says Donlins size, grade, production profile, exploration potential, mine life, community support and jurisdictional safety render it a unique asset in the gold industry.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Tahoe: Police Reopen Road Near Escobal Mine





Guatemalan authorities have disbursed protestors to reopen the road that connects Guatemala City to San Rafael las Flores near the Escobal Mine, says Tahoe Resources Inc. (TSX: THO, NYSE: TAHO). The company says police used tear gas to clear the road, with the action coming after a blockade had lasted for days. Tahoe says it will continue to work with the government, community leaders and others to resolve any ongoing concerns by the protestors. At this time, the company has no reason to believe that its guidance will be affected by this situation, Tahoe says.
HONG KONG, June 23 (Reuters) - Stanley Ho, Macau gambling king and one of Asia's richest men, has stepped down as chairman of Hong Kong conglomerate Shun Tak Holdings Ltd , with his daughter Pansy Ho taking over the position.

The elder Ho, 95, who founded Shun Tak - with business spanning from property to transportation - and served the board for 44 years, will take on the title of chairman emeritus, the company said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday.

Ho, who heads one of the world's most lucrative gaming businesses through his flagship firm, SJM Holdings , would also cease to be a director or officer at Shun Tak, the company said.

The flamboyant tycoon is one of Hong Kong's best known businessmen. Shielded from challengers by a four-decade monopoly on gambling, Ho helped transform Macau from a sleepy peninsula dotted with seedy, windowless gambling dens into the world's biggest casino centre.

(Reporting by Meg Shen in Hong Kong and Lee Chyen Yee in Singapore, editing by David Evans)
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Friday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

JSW Poland's JSW holds annual shareholders meeting at 1000 GMT.

MORTGAGE BANK

Several medium-sized lenders want to jointly create a mortgage bank. Owners would transfer their best zloty-denominated mortgages to the institution, so the bank could issue mortgage bonds, Rzeczpospolita daily said.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX

Consumer confidence index rose by 11.3 points year-on-year in June to 4.8 points, according to statistics office. This was the biggest rise of the index since August 2015, Rzeczpospolita said.

GAS SUPPLIES

Poland said in a statement that it resumed receiving gas from Russia on Friday at 0400 after a technical issue related to gas poor quality caused a break in supplies.

BUDGET GAP

Poland's central budget deficit reached 200 million zlotys ($52.72 million) in the first five months of 2017, or 0.3 percent of the full-year plan, the finance ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. ****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****

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(Reporting by Warsaw Bureau)
BUCHAREST, June 23 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Friday.

FINMIN

Romania's finance ministry may release consolidated budget data for May. The budget ran a surplus of 0.2 percent of gross dometic product at the end of April.

DEBT STRATEGY

Romania may tap bonds worth 4 billion euros ($4.46 billion) from foreign markets in 2018 and 3.5 billion euros in 2019, while its gross funding needs are seen falling, the finance ministry's 2017-2019 debt management strategy paper showed on Thursday. DAIMLER/UBER

Mytaxi, the ride hailing app owned by German carmaker Daimler , has agreed to buy a Romanian rival as part of efforts to create a pan-European service to take on Uber.

Mytaxi Chief Executive Andrew Pinnington said the company was paying an "eight figure" sum to buy Romanian market leader Clever Taxi, which operates in 20 cities across the country. DEBT TENDER

Romania sold a planned 800 million lei ($194.69 million) worth of Feb. 2019 treasury bonds on Thursday, with the average accepted yield at 1.18 percent, central bank data showed. CEE MARKETS

The Romanian leu held steady on Thursday despite the political uncertainty over who will succeed ousted Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu. WHEAT

Egypt's state grain buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), said on Thursday it bought 175,000 tonnes of Romanian and Ukraine wheat in a tender. CEC BANK

Romanian state-owned CEC Bank sold a package of non-performing loans with a gorss value of 541.4 million lei for 94 million lei, daily Ziarul Financiar said quoting the bank's annual financial statement. Market sources said the buyer was Poland's largest debt collector Kruk . Ziarul Financiar

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on For other related news, double click on: --------------------------------------------------------------- Romanian equities RO-E E.Europe equities .CEE Romanian money RO-M Romanian debt RO-D Eastern Europe EEU All emerging markets EMRG Hot stocks HOT Stock markets STX Market debt news DBT Forex news FRX For real-time index quotes, double click on: Bucharest BETI Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ----------------------------------------------------------------
HANOI, June 23 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0409 GMT.

June 23 USD/VND mid-point 22,432 USD/VND interbank 22,691/22,754 USD/VND unofficial 22,710/22,730 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.20/36.42

Interbank offered rates Overnight 2.3-2.9

1 week 2.6-3.1

1 month 3.5-3.9

3 months 4.2-4.5

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
JOHANNESBURG, June 23 (Reuters) - South Africa sold 2.555 billion rand ($198 million) worth of three-month Treasury bills on Thursday, at an average yield of 7.46 percent, unchanged from last week, central bank data showed. The bid-to-cover ratio fell to 1.6 from 2.1. Auction date: 23/06/2017 Settlement date: 28/06/2017 Days 91 182 274 364 Amount received (R'bln) 4.042 6.018 4.976 4.487 Amount on offer (R'bln) 2.555 2.26 2.1 2.0 Amount allotted (R'bln) 2.555 2.26 2.1 2.0 Bid-to-cover ratio 1.6 2.7 2.4 2.2 Avg discount rate (pct) 7.32 7.2 7.1 6.97 Average yield (pct) 7.46 7.47 7.5 7.49 ($1 = 12.9270 rand)

(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala

DAR ES SALAAM, June 23 (Reuters) - Tanzanian security forces have arrested at least 66 people this week after hundreds of villagers invaded Acacia Mining Plc's North Mara gold mine following an escalating dispute in the east African country's mining sector.

Officials said on Friday more than 500 residents of villages surrounding the mine in northwestern Tanzania invaded the mine on several days this week in an attempt to steal gold ore after a presidential committee accused London-listed Acacia of large-scale tax evasion, which the company denies.

"This week different groups of over 500 people armed with traditional weapons such as machetes and spears invaded the premises of the Acacia mine ... they even went to the gold processing plant," local area police chief Morris Okinda told reporters.

"Among those arrested, 34 were women who were used as human shields by groups of armed men who invaded the mine."

Several police officers were injured in the raids, which took place on at least three different days. Security forces said they fired teargas to disperse the crowds.

Tanzania is Africa's fourth-largest gold producer, and Acacia is its largest miner with three gold-producing mines.

Two of Acacia's gold mines - Bulyanhulu and Buzwagi - have been hit by an export ban on copper and gold concentrates announced by the government in March.

North Mara gold mine does not produce gold and copper concentrates and is not affected by the ban, but has a long history of strained relations with surrounding communities.

Acacia has been caught up in President John Magufuli's campaign to reform the mining industry, a key source of foreign exchange for the East African country. The sector accounts for 4 percent of Tanzania's gross domestic product.

Officials said villagers surrounding the North Mara gold mine were demanding compensation for their land and payment for alleged pollution caused by the mine.

Acacia Mining did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the security situation at the North Mara gold mine.

(Reporting by Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala; Editing by George Obulutsa and Mark Potter)
June 23 (Reuters) - Tata Steel Ltd said on Friday it sold its stake in Tata Motors Ltd to Tata Sons , the holding company of India's salt-to-software Tata conglomerate, for 37.83 billion rupees ($586.3 million).

Tata Steel sold about 83.54 million shares at 452.80 rupees apiece, it said in a stock exchange filing. ( )

As of end-March, the steelmaker owned a 2.9 percent stake or about 83.64 million shares in Tata Motors, according to stock exchange data. Last week, Tata Steel said it would sell the stake to Tata Sons on or after June 23.

Indian media had reported that Tata Sons planned to reduce crossholdings among group companies. ($1 = 64.5200 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Krishna V Kurup in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
ISTANBUL, June 23 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Friday.

The lira stood at 3.5095 against the U.S. dollar at 0500 GMT, easing from 3.5070 at Thursday's close.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 10.41 percent in spot trade on Thursday and was at the same level in Friday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index rose 0.69 percent to 100,072.15 points on Thursday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares flatlined on Friday but remained on track for a weekly gain, while crude oil prices pulled away from this week's 10-month lows. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was nearly unchanged on the day, and was up 0.4 percent for the week. Japan's Nikkei stock index added 0.1 percent, on track to log a rise of 1 percent for a week in which it touched its highest levels since August 2015. QATAR

Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands including the closing of a Turkish military base in Qatar and a halt to military cooperation with Turkey in Qatar, an official of one of the four countries said. The list compiled by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain also demands closing Al Jazeera television, reducing ties to Iran and the handing over of all designated terrorists on its territory, the official told Reuters. SYRIA

Turkish and Russian personnel will be deployed in Syria's northern Idlib region as part of a de-escalation agreement brokered by Russia last month, Turkish broadcasters quoted President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman as saying on Thursday. YILDIRIM

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will meet the northern Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci (0700 GMT). In the evening, he will host a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner in the western city of Izmir for the families of those killed in conflict (1747 GMT).

CAPACITY UTILISATION The central bank will release June data on the capacity utilisation rate for manufacturing industry (1130 GMT).

MANUFACTURING CONFIDENCE The central bank will release manufacturing confidence data for June (1130 GMT).

For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics Turkish equities Turkish money Turkish debt Turkish hot stocks Forex news All emerging market news All Turkish news For real-time quotes, double click on:

Istanbul National-100 stock index , interbank lira trading , lira bond trading (Writing by Daren Butler)
(Adds details, comments from Bank of Spain deputy governor, lawyer)

MADRID, June 23 (Reuters) - The Bank of Spain said on Friday Banco Popular did not present all the collateral it had available to get the liquidity it needed to avoid being wound down by European authorities, which could pave the way for potential legal action by shareholders.

Popular was taken over by Spain's largest bank Santander in early June for the symbolic price of one euro after European authorities stepped in to prevent its collapse. Popular's rescue wiped out shareholders, including retail investors, and some of them have already begun filing lawsuits to determine who was responsible. "This emphasises that there are contradicting versions in the comments made by different authorities of what has happened," Javier Cremades, lawyer of the Spanish Association of Minority Shareholders, told Reuters. He said there was a need for the judiciary to act in order to clear up the facts.

Spanish and European authorities said Spain's sixth biggest bank needed to be rescued because of its weak liquidity situation after a bank run.

During a parliamentary hearing in mid-June, Spain's Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said that Popular ran out of liquidity, and was not in a position to ask for more, because it lacked collateral. But deputy governor of the Bank of Spain Javier Alonso said during a conference in Santander on Friday that the bank had had more collateral than was presented.

"But, given it didn't present it, we haven't seen it and thus I can't certify it," Alonso also said.

The Bank of Spain's deputy governor also acknowledged that it would have been very complicated for Popular to present the last lines of collateral.

"If you want to mobilise assets in other countries, you have to mobilise them in a way that is legally accessible to the Spanish central bank here (the provider of emergency liquidity), that is not a simple thing, it is not that easy," he said.

Asked by reporters if the Bank of Spain had not requested more collateral, he said: "How could you think that we didn't ask the lender?"

Alonso said Popular's response to a request for further capital was: "Maybe tonight." He also said that due to the run on the bank, any additional collateral might not have changed the outcome.

The deputy governor said it was Banco Popular itself that said it was not viable due to stressed liquidity.

Alonso did not want to establish a link between potential claims of shareholders and the liquidity situation of Banco Popular. He said that responsibilities would have to determined by legal authorities.

(Reporting by Jesus Aguado; Editing by Paul E. Day and Jane Merriman)
(Adds analyst quote in paragraph 6 and data throughout)

BEIJING, June 23 (Reuters) - China's coal imports in May from Indonesia, Mongolia and Russia jumped in the strongest sign yet that foreign providers are filling the supply gap following China's ban on coal from North Korea.

Shipments from Indonesia rose 25 percent from a year ago to 3.86 million tonnes in May, the highest monthly volume since July 2012, as utilities looked for cheaper foreign supplies ahead of the peak power demand season in summer and steel mills sought coking coal.

Mongolian coal exports to China last month surged 42 percent from a year ago to 3.16 million tonnes.

Mongolia is a large supplier of anthracite coal that can be used as coking coal by the steel industry. The country's overall coal exports surged nearly fivefold in the first five months of the year as it benefited from China's ban on North Korean anthracite supplies. Supplies from Australia, China's largest coal supplier, fell 5 percent from a year ago, the data showed.

"The drop in Australian supply reflected the rising cost of shipping coal from Australia to China's major ports versus the shipping cost of transporting coal domestically. Traders don't take any profits importing Australian coal, but are taking more coal from countries such as Mongolia and Russia which have better import margins," said Wang Fei, coal analyst with Hua'an Futures.

Anthracite supplies from Russia in May more than doubled from a year ago to 497,379 tonnes, data showed.

China did not import coal from North Korea in May.

(Reporting by Meng Meng and Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
(Adds details, background)

By Silvia Aloisi and Balazs Koranyi

MILAN/FRANKFURT, June 23 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Friday gave preliminary approval for an Italian plan to wind down two ailing Veneto-based regional lenders with state money in a move that may allow Rome to solve its latest banking crisis on its own terms.

Italy plans to start liquidation proceedings for Banca Popolare di Vicenza and Veneto Banca on Saturday, a source close to the matter said, issuing an emergency decree that will effectively remove one its biggest banking headaches by splitting the two lenders' assets into "good" and "bad" banks.

The country's top retail bank Intesa Sanpaolo is set to buy the good assets for one euro, leaving the state to foot the bulk of the bill for losses stemming from the banks' bad loans, legal risks and restructuring costs.

"EU state aid rules allow for the possibility of granting state support in these kind of situations," the European Commission, which must rule on the use of state money, said in a statement.

It added it was in constructive discussions with Italian authorities.

"Good progress is being made to find a solution very soon."

The Italian government has been scrambling to prevent the two lenders from being wound down under European banking rules designed to stop the use of state money in banking crises.

Rome feared that under those rules losses could have been imposed on senior bondholders and large depositors, a politically unpalatable prospect in the run-up to elections next year.

Instead, under the Italian plan only junior bondholders and shareholders will be hit, but the cost for taxpayers is likely to be hefty.

With the two banks' soured or risky debts totalling more than 20 billion euros ($22.4 billion), one banker said the government would put in 5 billion euros, while some Italian media reports on Friday said the final bill could be as high as 12 billion euros.

The emergency decree to be approved on Saturday will "create the conditions" for a sale of the banks' good assets to Intesa, the source said.

"The sale will allow the regular functioning of the banks' branches on Monday morning," it said, adding the terms of the transaction will be made public in coming days.

Earlier the European Central Bank said the two banks, which have a capital shortfall of 6.4 billion euros and are bleeding deposits, were failing or likely to fail, setting in motion the process that will lead to them being wound down.

"The ECB had given the banks time to present capital plans, but the banks had been unable to offer credible solutions going forward," it said in a statement.

Pressure on Rome to find a solution for the two Veneto lenders had increased since Spain's Banco Popular was rescued by Santander this month in a deal orchestrated by European authorities.

In Popular's case, no state money was used and Santander is seeking around 7 billion euros of capital from shareholders to help it take on Popular.

The Italian plan instead takes advantage of an exception to EU bank rules that allows the use of routine insolvency proceedings with banks not considered systemically important, allowing the process to be handled by the member state.

The plan has sparked criticism from some European officials who said Italy was being allowed to cut corners, while at home, opposition politicians have also criticised the scheme put forward by the government.

"Intesa gets a free gift, the state takes on all the bad stuff and the taxpayer pays," Renato Brunetta, parliamentary leader for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party said on Thursday.

"Did we really need to take so much time to come up with such a rubbish solution?" ($1 = 0.8936 euros)

(Additional reporting by Francesca Piscioneri and Giuseppe Fonte in Rome, Agnieszka Flak in Milan and Foo Yun Chee in Brussels)
(Recasts with Mubadala's exit from Etisalat Nigeria)

By Camillus Eboh and Chijioke Ohuocha

ABUJA/LAGOS, June 23 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi state investment fund Mubadala has pulled out of Etisalat Nigeria after the telecoms firm failed to renegotiate a $1.2 billion loan taken out four years ago with 13 Nigerian banks, the central bank said on Friday.

It gave no details on what it meant by "pulled out" but said it had intervened in the loan renegotiation talks to prevent job losses and asset stripping.

Etisalat Nigeria had repaid $500 million of the loan before it defaulted in February due to a currency devaluation and its only remaining investors are its Nigerian partners, led by company chairman Hakeem Belo-Osagie. On Tuesday, parent company United Arab Emirates' Etisalat, said it was carrying its 45-percent stake at nil value, and that the Nigerian lenders had ordered it to transfer its shares to a loan trustee by June 23 after the renegotiation failed.

Neither Etisalat nor Mubadala, which owns 40 percent of Etisalat Nigeria, could be reached for comment.

"Given the inability of Etisalat (Nigeria) to come to an acceptable agreement with the banks, the largest shareholder in the company, Dubai-based Mubadala Development Company of the United Arab Emirates, has now pulled out of the company as well as the ongoing negotiations," the central bank said.

"It was based on the attempt of the banks to takeover the company that the financial and telecommunications regulators have moved in to intervene and forestall down-sizing and asset stripping," it said.

In March, the central bank, which is also the banking watchdog, and the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC)regulator tried to prevent lenders placing the firm in receivership to avoid a wider debt crisis and agreed with banks to pursue a default deal.

But lenders, under pressure to avoid loan-loss provisions, have been pushing to finalise a restructuring before half-yearly audits this month.

Central bank spokesman Isaac Okorafor said representatives from the central bank and the telecoms regulator would hold talks in the next few days with lenders and IHS Towers, the mobile phone tower managers, as well as "equipment suppliers".

The original loan was a seven-year facility to refinance a $650 million loan and fund expansion of Etisalat Nigeria's network. The company missed payments in February after sharp falls in the Nigerian naira bloated the loan's value, making repayments difficult.

Etisalat is Nigeria's fourth biggest mobile operator with a 14-percent market share. South Africa's MTN has 47 percent, Globacom 20 percent and Airtel - a subsidiary of India's Bharti Airtel - 19 percent of Nigeria's mobile phone market.

(Additional reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos and Stanley Carvalho in Abu Dhabi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
* Commission recommends fund should become separate entity

* Also recommends reforms of central bank's management

* Final decision to be made by parliament

(Adds quotes, background, detail, bullets)

By Joachim Dagenborg

OSLO, June 23 (Reuters) - Norway's $960 billion wealth fund, the world's largest, should be split from the country's central bank, which has managed the fund since its launch in 1996, a government-appointed commission said on Friday.

Norwegians have built up the fund with revenues from the country's vast offshore oil and gas sector and it is regarded as an insurance policy for when those reserves run out, meaning any changes will be subject to close political and public scrutiny.

In the future, the fund should be managed by a new state investment company with a government-appointed board and an investment mandate set by the finance ministry, the commission said.

"Both central banking and investment management place greater demands on the (central bank's) board, senior management and the organisation than earlier," said commission head Svein Gjedrem, himself a former governor.

"Moreover, the activities differ in nature, and the scope of the tasks involved is substantial. With two separate entities, the professional competence and the governing bodies can more easily be tailored to the task at hand," he added.

The recommendations will be closely examined by Norwegian politicians, who had said ahead of the publication they were waiting for the report's conclusions before deciding what new assets, if any, the fund could invest in.

The fund, which is managed by a unit of the central bank, invests in bonds, stocks and real estate abroad, but is seeking to add new higher-yielding investments such as unlisted equity or infrastructure.

Norway's central bank, or Norges Bank, welcomed the report.

"Norges Bank has built a professional investment management organisation that is well equipped to perform its task ahead, irrespective of the organisational structure," it said.

CENTRAL BANK MANAGEMENT REFORM

Currently the bank's board is responsible for running the bank, supervising the wealth fund and setting monetary policy, but this should change, said the commission, which also made proposals for the future organisation of Norges Bank.

Those proposals envisage a monetary policy committee chaired by the governor and also consisting of the deputy governor, two part-time external members and one member who is also a full-time employee of the central bank.

The proposals will be subject to public hearings, and any changes will ultimately be decided by parliament.

Terje Breivik, a lawmaker from Norway's Liberal Party, a key external backer of the right-wing minority government, said he was pleased with the proposal to split the fund from the bank.

"This was our suggestion last year. The chances are of course very big that it will happen now," he told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord, Lefteris Karagiannopoulos and Nerijus Adomaitis, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Toby Chopra and Gareth Jones)
(Kitco News) - Gold has resumed a bullish trajectory, and so have respondents in the weekly Kitco News gold survey.

Wall Street Bullish Bearish Neutral VS Main Street Bullish Bearish Neutral

Comex August gold has been in a downdraft since the June 6 high of $1,298.80 an ounce, bottoming Wednesday at $1,241.70. As the metals fortunes waned, so did the spirits of bulls, as Main Street and Wall Street both voted lower in last weeks Kitco News gold survey.

They were right as of the middle of this week, but the metal has recovered since and is now trading back up to where it left off last Friday. Against that backdrop, a slight majority of Wall Street voters in the Kitco survey see gold higher over the next week, while the largest block of Main Street voters (50%) also see further gains.

Seventeen traders and analysts took part in a Kitco News Wall Street survey. Nine voters, or 53%, see gold prices rising by the end of next week. There were four votes each, or 24%, for lower and sideways.

Meanwhile, 1,138 readers submitted votes in an online Main Street poll. A total of 566 voters, or 50%, are bullish. Another 326, or 29%, say that gold will fall, while 246, or 22%, are neutral.

In last Friday's survey for the current week, the largest bloc of Wall Street voters (48%) and Main Street (57%) expected gold to weaken this week. As of 11 a.m. EDT, Comex August gold was right where it finished off last week  at $1,256.50 an ounce.

So far in 2017 but not counting the current week, Wall Street forecasters collectively were right 15 of 23 times for a winning percentage of 65%. Main Street was right 13 of 22 times for 59%.

Gold has been quite resilient to pullbacks this year, with higher and higher lows, said Adrian Day, chairman and chief executive officer of Adrian Day Asset Management. So following the correction this month, gold is now due to move up. With some political uncertainty in the U.S., Brexit negotiations off to a rocky start and geopolitical tensions--particularly over Syria and North Korearatcheting up, gold has support

Mark Leibovit, editor of the VR Gold Letter, commented that gold found support around $1,240 an ounce and now could break out above the $1,300 level.

Daniel Pavilonis, senior commodities brokers with RJO Futures, looks for a corrective bounce in a market that he says is still in a downtrend.

I think well see some continuation to the upside really because it had a nice selloff, he said.

However, Ralph Preston, principal with Heritage West Financial, figures the bounce could end.

Technically, the market appears vulnerable to a sell-off given the bounce off of last years low, which was a multi-year low, Preston said.

Richard Baker, editor of the Eureka Miner Report, sees another pullback.

Although dramatic, this week's price action reveals no major fundamental changes to the global picture and I would expect gold to return to $1,250 next week, he said. It is critically important to stay above $1,230 per ounce. The yellow metal needs to break the $1,265-$1,270 next week to break the bearish decline that started earlier this month. However, ongoing political and geopolitical uncertainty should reinstate strong support at the $1,250 level.

Kevin Grady, president of Phoenix Futures and Options LLC, said he is now neutral on the short-term outlook after he was bearish a week ago.

A lot of the longs that I was referencing last week have liquidated, he said. The market seems to have found support at $1,240.
The Campaign for Change announced on 17 June:

The Campaign for Change will channel the energy and passion of New Zealanders who want to see a change of Government this election. says Director Matt McCarten. This non-partisan campaign is being created in order to get people engaged and involved. The disconnect between a million citizens and political participation is a threat to our democracy.

We now know this was a lie. McCarten set up Campaign for Change as a taxpayer funded staffer for Little. It was run by two Labour Party paid staff and two Labour Party officials. They recruited unpaid foreign workers for it under the guise of Labour Party fellowships. We also know that some of these foreign workers were being assigned to campaign for specific Labour candidates.

So why was this Labour Party campaign pretending to be independent of Labour?

Presumably as a way to get around the electoral laws that restrict how much you can spend on a campaign.

If Campaign for Change phones 100,000 people to persuade them to vote Labour, then that is invisible advertising. It is not like a billboard or pamphlet which you can see has an authorization statement.

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Beautiful! I have 7 Panama hats in front of me right now to deliver to our County Hospital gift shop. These and my baby booties are their hottest selling items. They are so fun to make, aren't they vitalina?
Refugees crowd aboard fishing boats to escape Hungnam, North Korea, in December 1950. They transferred to U.S. warships and LSTs for evacuation. About 100,000 North Korean civilians fled to the South aboard military transports and merchant ships during the evacuation. / Korea Times file



Dr. Helen Kim started publishing The Korea Times during war

By Hwang Kyong-choon





It was a sunny, serene Sunday. Everything looked peaceful. We were on an office picnic playing outdoor games on the beautiful beach of Haeundae.

Unlike today, Haeundae then was a rather remote village, almost an hour by car from the heart of Busan, where I worked as a translator at the Busan Cultural Center of the U.S. Embassy.

Shortly before noon, when we  about 30 in number  became a little tired with somewhat hard games under the warm sun and were ready for the picnic lunch prepared by some of the female employees, a police patrolman approached us and started talking with our group's leader.

The leader then shouted, asking us to return to the bus that brought us to the picnic site that morning. We all wondered what had happened and began to leave, some grumbling while others wondered if we had done something wrong.

It soon became clear when we returned to the bus why we had to give up the rest of our long-awaited picnic. Our leader solemnly informed us that earlier in the morning (June 25, 1950) North Korea launched a full-scale armed invasion of South Korea across the 38th parallel, which had divided the peninsula since August 1945.

We all understood the situation and began talking about what would happen if the armed conflict dragged on. There had been frequent small-scale clashes between the two confronting forces across the parallel since the Republic of Korea was established in August 1948, in addition to a few serious Communist-inspired armed rebellions.

Despite our hopes, the Sunday clashes developed into a full-scale war between the two Koreas, and ill-prepared South Korean forces started withdrawing further south.

U.S. President Harry S. Truman quickly responded to an urgent appeal from the South Korean government and helped establish a United Nations Command, under which the U.S. and 15 other countries sent combat forces to help repel North Korean forces from the South.

Before the Allied forces were fully combat ready, however, the North Korean invaders occupied about two-thirds of South Korean territory within less than three months of the initial clashes.

What turned the tide of war in favor of the Allied forces was the now historic Incheon landing on Sept. 15, 1950. Seoul was recovered on Sept. 28, with President Syngman Rhee and Allied Commander-in-Chief Gen. Douglas MacArthur celebrating the day at a mass rally on the Capitol Ground.

Soon after the war started, U.S. Ambassador John Muccio moved the embassy to the wartime capital of Busan.

The town was soon overcrowded with tens of thousands of refugees from Seoul and other North-occupied areas.

Unrest and confusion raged, with rumors flying due to the lack of proper information. Some Seoul-based national news media outlets also fled to Busan but they were still poorly functioning due to a lack of employees, facilities and funds.

The embassy launched the Daily Bulletin with a couple of mimeographs. Published in English and Korean, the stencil-cut news sheet carrying war news and the latest information from within and outside the country was popular with news-thirsty citizens.

It was still the age of wireless communication and all news media depended on news disseminated by wireless means. We hired three radio operators to monitor news dispatches sent via Morse code.

According to office seniority, I was put in charge of the Korean manpower. Two American officers, one a career diplomat and the other a journalism-school graduate veteran, supervised the operation.

Due to atmospherics, the radio-received news items often carried garbled portions, which the two Americans and I had to correct into proper English sentences for translators.

It was a very hard but interesting operation and I learned a lot about journalism. I had had neither journalism education nor any experience and the journalist-turned-press officer was a good teacher.

On Nov. 1, 1950, when the Allied forces were marching north across the 38th parallel after the Incheon landing, Dr. Helen Kim, former President of Ewha Womans University, started publishing an English daily, The Korea Times, in Seoul.

Under a special arrangement between The Korea Times management and the embassy, I had the privilege of working on the editorial staff of The Korea Times for about two years  1951-53.

Henry Chang, a Shanghai-educated repatriate, was the managing editor. Chang, who succumbed to lung disease later in Seoul, made a notable contribution to Korea's English-language journalism.

Besides Chang, there were only three reporters, including myself. We mostly depended on Korean news agency stories rather than spot coverage because of the manpower shortage.

Bill Shinn, an AP correspondent, frequently visited our newsroom and became a good friend. Nicknamed "Scoop Shinn," he was known among the newsmen for his historic nine-hour beat on the Incheon landing.

Although there was some controversy about his cronyism and some unethical behavior as a newsman, he was a great newspaperman after all, and my journalism mentor. Leaving AP-Seoul in January 1957 for his own business, he made me his numerical replacement in the Seoul office.

Shinn personally knew many Korean and American dignitaries, including President Syngman Rhee, who naturally became good news sources. These people had gotten to know Shinn when he worked as assistant manager of the Chosun Hotel, which was once used as quarters for the U.S. Army.

President Rhee liked Shinn and often invited him to his news conferences. He took Shinn with him when he visited Pyongyang in October 1950 while Allied forces briefly occupied the North Korean capital.

In his later years, Shinn moved to Tokyo to resume his journalist life and became an active member of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ), serving on its board many times.

He wrote several books on the Korean War in English, Korean and Japanese. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he died some years ago.

During those turbulent war days, I experienced many valuable lessons and met many people who had much influence on my life.

Many of my friends have either died or left the country to live abroad. I deeply regret that I can no longer share the hard memories of the war days with them.

Hwang Kyong-choon is a veteran journalist. He worked as a reporter at The Korea Times in 1951-53 while serving as a translator in the Busan Cultural Center of the U.S. Embassy. He was then a Seoul correspondent for the Associated Press from 1957 until 1987. He was the first president of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club. Now he is a columnist for the Free Column Group.
By Kim Ji-soo



A recent series of incidents is raising a red flag about the rising tide of rage in South Korea, a country where some 51 million live under hyper-competition in all aspects of life, including education and housing.

On Sunday, police in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, said they were questioning a 55-year-old man for stabbing an internet services repair man multiple times June 16 over his slow internet speed.

The incident follows the shocking death of a 46-year-old man surnamed Kim in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, who died while he painted a 15-story-high apartment building June 8. A 41-year-old resident surnamed Seo said he was annoyed by the loud music Kim was playing and used an industrial cutter to cut the rope anchored to the roof of the apartment building. Seo later apologized, saying he committed the crime after drinking. Kim left behind a family of five children, his wife and his mother.

"There were seven lives hanging on that rope," said Kwak Keum-joo, professor of psychology at Seoul National University. "Korean society has gotten too materialistic, where everything is measured by economic success or material things, and the sense of relative depravity is making people feel left behind."

Stress and rage are mounting in this environment, she said.

Individuals may suffer from the inability to control their anger, but she sees it as a spreading of anger throughout society, where a growing number of people easily get angry, irritated by a deepening sense of victimization.

"It is the after-effect of Korea's compressed growth to get to where we are now," Kwak said.

"Individuals have made personal sacrifices to obtain the current level of prosperity through excessive competition, including lacking personality, character and mental maturity. Thus, every situation seems like a confrontation or a battle between generations, between men and women, between the old and young," Kwak said. "We need a shift in how we measure success and the middle class."

She pointed out how France's 1962-68 President Georges Pompidou described the middle class as having the ability to speak one foreign language, play one musical instrument, invite a guest over for a meal and do services for the community.

Korea used to be famous for its personal safety. But now, many people believe rage seems prevalent on the streets, between neighbors and just toward one another.

Yoon Dae-hyun, a professor of psychiatry at Seoul National University, explained the series of rage-prompted crimes as frustration leading to aggression through displacement, meaning people may target others. "When life doesn't go as planned and one is feeling frustrated and aggressive, some people tend to lash out toward another," he said.

He also added that the feeling of aggression can turn inward.

"If you find yourself angry, watch the sense of anger for a day," Yoon said. If a person must express anger, one should be specific about what they are angry about, he explained.

On a related note, more people are taking to coloring books or playing mobile games that are specifically about bashing their bosses. Also, a "Seoul Rage Room" has opened near Hongik University area where clients can break things in the room set up with dishes or electronic gadgets.

Kim Jong-woo, a professor of Oriental medicine at the Department of Psychiatry at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, said the incident in Yangsan had specific features  the assailant had a history of mental illness and was under the influence of alcohol at the time he committed the crime. Police said the man in Chungju may be suffering from delusional disorder. But Kim said by pointing out individual cases, society may be shying away from its responsibility.

"Our society needs to grow to a point where people will no longer feel other people are earning money easily, for example through the money or other forms of assets they already have," Kim said. Kim added there is a tendency worldwide where people are feeling left behind, as economic and social growth is being fueled mostly by capital, rather than labor, but Korean society needs to ease its hierarchical structure and winner-take-all culture.

"We need to let go of our tendency to hold on to what we have, instead of sharing or donating," Kim said.

Kwak said people are also vulnerable to the "positivity" effect. "Look at how people are driving the donations online for the family of the victim in the Yangsan incident. We need to remind and recall this (collective) empathy in our society," she said. Kwak also said that degrees of differing treatment are also possible for those dealing with overwhelming stress or rage.
By Lee Han-soo





If the latest legislation passes both the House and the Senate, it would drastically increase the number of high-skilled South Koreans admitted to the U.S. / Courtesy of Pixabay

A U.S. senator introduced legislation Wednesday that would grant more high-skilled nonimmigrant visas for South Koreans.

Republican Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, along with Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, submitted legislation S.1399 titled: "A bill to provide high-skilled nonimmigrant visas for nationals of the Republic of Korea, and for other purposes."

Isakson introduced similar legislation called the "Partner with Korea Act" in 2015, which aimed to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to create an E-4 treaty trader visa category for up to 15,000 Koreans.

However, the bill was scrapped that year.

If the latest legislation passes both the House and the Senate, it would drastically increase the number of high-skilled South Koreans admitted to the U.S.

The bill is believed to be similar to the Partner with Korea Act and will provide additional H1-B visas.

This competitive working visa enables talented foreigners to live and work in the U.S. for up to six years and to apply for permanent residency.

But some people believe the bill will not pass while Donald Trump is president..

On Apr. 19, he signed an executive order seeking to change the H1-B temporary visa program and directed four federal agencies to suggest changes to the program.

According to U.S. State Department data, South Koreans claimed 1.3 percent (2,337) of 180,057 H1-B visas issued last year.

The South Korean government has in the past sought to increase the number to match the surge in Korean students studying in the U.S.
President Moon Jae-in speaks to government and military officials after observing the test-firing of a new home-grown ballistic missile at the Anheung test site of the Agency for Defense Development in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, Friday. Moon's spokesman said the President's visit to the site is to send a strong message to North Korea over its repeated provocations. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae



By Jun Ji-hye

President Moon Jae-in observed the test-firing of the nation's new ballistic missile with a maximum range of 800 kilometers, Friday, sending a strong warning to North Korea over its provocations.

The test of a Hyunmoo-type ballistic missile, which puts the whole of North Korea within striking distance, took place at the Anheung test site of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) under the wing of the Ministry of National Defense in Taean, South Chungcheong Province.

"The missile fell precisely onto a designated target after flying a prearranged distance," presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said at a media briefing.





A Hyunmoo-type ballistic missile with a maximum range of 800 kilometers is launched from a mobile launch vehicle during a test-firing observed by President Moon Jae-in at the Anheung test site of the Agency for Defense Development in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, Friday. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

As core assets forming the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike system, the new strategic weapons will be used to attack the North's nuclear and missile facilities in the event of war, Park noted.

The military plans to complete the development of the new missile and deploy it by the end of the year.

Spokesman Park said the latest test was the fourth of its kind. "The new missile will be operationally deployed after two more test-firings," he said.

President Moon said his visit to the test site was meaningful in that the people as well as the President could affirm the nation's missile capabilities amid the North's evolving missile threats.

"The people are now convinced South Korea is not behind the North in missile capabilities," Park quoted Moon as saying. "I am an advocate of dialogue with the North, but pushing for such dialogue and engaging Pyongyang will be only possible when the nation has strong national defense, which overwhelms that of the North."

Park said there had been some concerns over Moon's visit to the test site as it could provoke the Kim Jong-un regime and complicate the situation ahead of the South Korea-U.S. summit scheduled for next week.

"The first vice chief of the National Security Office was originally planning to supervise the test-firing, but after receiving a report, Moon showed willingness to observe it in person," Park said.

If the new missile is fired from the southern resort island of Jeju, it is theoretically capable of reaching Sinuiju, a North Korean city bordering China. If fired from Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, the missile can reach anywhere in North Korea.

The military has been developing ballistic missiles with extended firing ranges since Seoul and Washington revised the guidelines on such weapons for the South in October 2012. The revision allowed Seoul to extend the maximum range of its missiles to 800 kilometers from the previous limit of 300 kilometers.

South Korea is currently operating Hyunmoo 2A and 2B short-range ballistic missiles with maximum ranges of 300 and 500 kilometers, respectively; and Hyunmoo 3 cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometers.

Observers expect the new missile to be named the Hyunmoo 2C.

The North has conducted five missile provocations since Moon was sworn in, May 10, including a test-firing of a new type of anti-ship cruise missile, June 8.

Before this, Pyongyang fired a Scud-type ballistic missile from Wonsan, May 29, which was later assessed as an anti-ship ballistic missile. At the time, the North claimed the missile featured a new high-precision guidance system and a faster launch process.

The Kim Jong-un regime also fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile on May 14, a medium-range ballistic missile May 21 and a KN-06 surface-to-air guided missile May 27.
By Lee Kyung-min



State-run expressways will be toll-free during national holiday seasons, starting with the Chuseok vacation period in fall, the de-facto presidential transition team said Friday.



The State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee spokesman Park Kwang-on said at a media briefing that the measure is expected to benefit the public, many of whom drive for hours to visit their parents in provincial regions on holidays. Chuseok in autumn and Lunar New Year in winter are the two major holidays here.



Tolls will be free for three days between Oct. 3 and 5, saving drivers 45 billion won ($39 million) in total.



"We considered that over 70 percent of the traffic volume peaks during three days _ the holiday itself and the preceding and following days _ during the holiday season," Park said. "We would encourage private road operators to follow suit in reducing tolls."



Starting September, the government will halve expressway toll fees for environmentally friendly vehicles.



Toll fees will be free in February through late March on Yeongdong Expressway connecting Incheon Metropolitan City and Gangneung in Gangwon Province. The eastern province will hold the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games between Feb. 9 and March 25.



The measures are part of President Moon Jae-in's efforts to deliver on his campaign pledge to make state-run expressways toll-free.



President Moon said in April he would increase rapid transit transportation connecting Seoul and metropolitan cities, and enable a single card pay system to use public transportation connecting different regions at a discounted price.



Moon also said he would set up traffic administrations in metropolitan areas, reduce toll fees for expressways and designate part of them as toll-free sections and come up with measures to help guarantee residents in remote regions access to public transportation.



Limiting the toll-free period to three days reflected assessment by the debt-ridden Korea Expressway Corporation, the operator of expressways here, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry concluded that realizing the move would be untenable due to budget shortfall.



"We concluded that exempting tolls for the full holiday period including those exceeding four days would pose too much of a burden on the expressway operators," Park said.



The policy advisory team also said they plan to lower tolls on expressways around Seoul for two hours before the morning rush hour. The measure aims to encourage drivers to leave home early which in turn would reduce the traffic volume during morning rush hour.



Starting September, express toll fees will be halved for drivers of electric-powered and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The measure to incentivize eco-friendly car drivers is expected to help save the environment, the team added.



The government will reduce toll fees on private-run expressways in Seoul and surrounding areas June next year, seeking to apply the measure gradually to other parts of the country.




Candidates for chairmanship of the minor opposition Bareun Party hold hands during a policy debate at the Veritas Center on the Catholic University of Pusan in Busan, Friday. From left are Ha Tae-keung, Jeong Woon-chun, Lee Hye-hoon, and Kim Young-woo. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin



The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and the minor opposition Bareun Party are looking for new leaders for their realignment following their defeat in the presidential election.



They will elect new leaders and members of the Supreme Council, a decision-making body, at their national conventions, the LKP's on July 3 and Bareun's on June 26.



New leaders will play a critical role in regaining public support and mapping out strategies for next year's local elections.



At the LKP, three senior members  Reps. Shin Sang-jin and Won Yoo-chul and former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Hong Joon-pyo  are jockeying for the top position.

Hong, the party's presidential candidate, is a frontrunner, party officials say. During the election campaign, he criticized those loyal to former President Park Geun-hye, but has recently embraced them in an apparent move to draw their votes.



Asked at a candidate debate session on Tuesday how he planned to clear out Park loyalists, he replied, "First, we need to separate those who were involved in irregularities that disrupted state management from those who simply supported the Park government as ruling party members."



He is expected to highlight the party's right-wing stance further should he take power. At the first debate among chairman hopefuls Monday, he stressed the need to toughen the party's ideological agenda, calling the Moon Jae-in administration "a group of North Korea sympathizers."



Eight candidates are running for four Supreme Council member posts. Except Rep. Lee Cheol-woo, the rest are categorized as pro-Park figures, including Reps. Bak Maeng-woo and Kim Tae-heum.



Although they may join the leadership, it is doubtful they can help the Park loyalists. The faction has already disintegrated since Park was ousted and imprisoned over the corruption scandal.



At the Bareun Party, the contest has become a four-way competition. Three-term lawmakers Kim Young-woo and Lee Hye-hoon, two-termer Ha Tae-keung and first-termer Jeong Woon-chun are jostling for the leadership.



The one who gains the most votes will be chairperson and the others will become members of the Supreme Council.

The candidates all agree on the need for a new conservative approach to the needs of the weak and the poor.

During a policy debate on June 17, they all pointed out the conservative bloc lost the presidential election because it represented the interests of those with vested rights.



The four contenders are not showing any distinctive political vision from one other  whoever earns the backing of Rep. Yoo Seong-min, the party's former presidential candidate, is likely to secure the chairman post, according to party officials.



Eyes are on the choice of about 10,000 party members, mostly Yoo's fans who joined the party during the presidential campaign. Yoo has remained neutral without supporting anyone, although Rep. Lee Hye-hoon is labeled as a Yoo follower.
By Kim Hyo-jin



The Moon Jae-in government may set up a taskforce to look into the deal with Japan over its sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, according to a senior government official, Friday.



This would be in line with President Moon's plan to review the controversial agreement reached between the previous Park Geun-hye government and the Japanese government in late 2015.



Moon has told Japanese officials many Koreans "do not accept" the deal, although he has not mentioned renegotiation.



"The government is considering setting up a taskforce in the foreign ministry soon regarding the sex slavery deal," the official said. "The taskforce will look into the agreement in a comprehensive manner."



The two governments agreed to end the dispute "finally and irreversibly" under the deal, under which Tokyo offered 1 billion yen in compensation.



But the remaining sexual slavery victims, along with their supporters and many citizens, say that under the agreement, Japan does not recognize its legal responsibility for running military brothels.



They denounced the Seoul government for putting the issue to rest permanently without seeking their opinions.

The official said the envisioned taskforce would look into whether the Park government followed due procedure. This should have included getting the victims' opinions before signing the deal.



Opponents of the deal say the negotiations, which had repeatedly faced stalemate due to differences of opinion, were rushed.



The taskforce will review diplomatic documents on the Korea-Japan director-level negotiations held between April 2014 and December 2015 and testimony from relevant government officials.



Another focus is how the agreement came to be "final and reversible" and why it referred to the possible removal of the statue of a girl symbolizing sex slaves, established in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.



The countries have been poles apart in interpreting the phrase that says the Korean government would try to deal with the statue issue.



After the taskforce review, Moon may decide whether to revoke or respect the agreement.



The Moon government has yet to take an official position on the deal, although the President has expressed his skepticism on the deal since taking office, repeatedly mentioning many South Koreans did not accept it.



He said this to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during their first phone conversation after Moon's election victory.



Moon said in a recent Reuters interview, "Japan does not make full efforts to resolve issues of history between our two countries, including the comfort women issue."



The foreign ministry also said earlier, "South Korea and Japan should make efforts to settle the deal in recognition of the reality that the majority of South Korean people and the victims don't approve of the deal."




By Kim Rahn

Hong Seok-hyun

Former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Hong Joon-pyo and former JoongAng Media Network Chairman Hong Seok-hyun have entered a legal battle over the former's alleged defamation of the latter.

The media group said Friday that JoongAng Ilbo and JTBC, its newspaper and broadcasting units, and its former chairman filed a complaint with the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office against Hong Joon-pyo the previous day for defaming them via false information.

The lawsuit was in response to the remark by Hong Joon-pyo, former presidential candidate of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, during a press briefing on June 18.

Criticizing media coverage over the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and the presidential election, he said, "One media group (head) used his newspaper and broadcaster as offerings and had his nephew arrested, and managed to get a presidential adviser position."

The head apparently referred to Hong Seok-hyun: JTBC played a decisive role in finding evidence for the presidential corruption scandal involving Park's confidant Choi Soon-sil late last year; his nephew, Samsung Group Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, was arrested for his involvement in the scandal; and he himself was named as President Moon Jae-in's adviser for unification, security and foreign affairs, although he refused the offer immediately.

"Cheong Wa Dae appointed Hong Seok-hyun to the adviser position without prior consultation with him, and he did not accept the offer and has not played that role. So Hong Joon-pyo's claim that Hong Seok-hyun got the position by offering JoongAng Ilbo and JTBC is false from the beginning," the group said.





Hong Joon-pyo

"Also, for Lee, Hong's nephew, a court is deliberating whether the allegations against him are true or not. Hong never exercised his influence on any investigative body or courts."

Hong Joon-pyo said he would file a counter-suit.

"I criticized an emperor-like media owner, then the media went against the trend and responded with a lawsuit to gag the criticizer," he said on his Facebook page. "For the suit, I have to react with another suit."

He did not mention exactly what charges he would file against the media group.

He also said the group showed the dangerous power of media attempting to prevent criticism, adding he would hold a national campaign against conglomerate-like media.
Alternative maritime power system at the Port of Los Angeles / Courtesy of the Port of Los Angeles website



By Ko Dong-hwan

Four Korean port authorities have agreed to introduce a power supply system for ships at berth to reduce air pollution, a measure already in practice in advanced countries like the U.S.

Authorities in Incheon, Busan, Ulsan and Yeosu Gwangyang will install "alternative maritime power" (AMP), at their wharves, where ships can connect power plugs and run on-board systems on electricity.

This will enable ships to conserve fuel and reduce engine noise pollution.

Until now, ships have had to burn fuels to run generators to stay operative, producing air pollutants like carbon dioxide, fine dust, nitrogen oxides and sulfide oxides.

At a meeting at Incheon Port Authority on Jun 22, participants agreed to work on an electricity rate standard, investment budget, and estimated operation costs to develop the system.

"Green port policies are becoming important in port authorities around the world," an Incheon Port Authority official said.

"It is also one of the core elements to strengthen our port authorities' global competitiveness."

The world's first AMP was introduced at West Basin Container Terminal Berth 100 in Los Angeles in June 2004.

China Shipping's Xin Yang Zhou was the first containership to plug in to AMP at the port.
By Kwon Yule-jung





The most tragic incident in Korean history must be the Korean war which broke out in 1950. The war is still going on even after the fighting ended a long time ago. Some injured veterans still apply for registration for honoree status and benefits. No one knows when these compatriots' war came to an end. The conflict resulted in unimaginable pain to all Koreans forever.

There are very meaningful lessons from the Korean conflict.

The war started at approximately four a.m. on Sunday, June 25th as North Korea invaded the South. It is an incontrovertible fact.

Contrary to this clear and transparent history, some side with the North Korean story claiming that South Korea invaded the North. If that was true, that the South intruded into the North, South Korea's armed forces could occupy the North's territories far beyond the 38th Parallel. Such an assumption is absolutely false. Once the war was finished, North Korean forces kept invading the South without resistance at all for nearly one month. "Who initiated the War" is a very significant question. In that sense, the North should be brought to justice for war crimes and crimes against humanity in a unified Korea.

The second lesson is in regards to the President's escape from the capital of Seoul. The 75 year old commander-in-chief left Seoul at four a.m. on June 27, 48 hours after the war began. He was accused of leaving many Seoul residents behind. One day later, the main bridge linking the south and north of Seoul across the River Han was demolished leaving many civilians exposed to merciless killings. If the President had stayed at the presidential mansion, he and the first lady would have been captured the next day and been taken advantage of by the invading North. This means we would have been deprived of a free democracy and become ruled over by the ruthless dictator Kim. If this had taken place, the tyrant Kim Jong-un's dictatorship would prevail over the entire peninsula at the present. It would be the very worst case scenario. The President's decision to keep away from the North Korean armed forces reflected his guardian role in defending free democracy.

The last lesson  the poorly organized South Korean armed forces which finally defeated the hostile enemy forces should be taken very seriously.

Many army commanders were about 30 years old in contrast to the average age of the soldiers at around 20. Only a 10 year age gap was also quite different from that of the age gap of the United States' commanders and service members. The supreme commander, Douglas MacArthur was 70 years old; the late 8th Army commander Walton Walker, 61; and others around 55. All of them were trained and educated at the United States Military Academy known as West Point or at ROTC programs at various universities and then commissioned and promoted in a systematic procedure. Unlike United States commanders, very young Korean commanders were poorly trained, educated and equipped just after basic military education during colonial times, and then only for short periods of time. The final and eventual defeat of the communist North was due to the U.S.-led allied forces. All Koreans should be grateful to the combat troops who dedicated themselves to a free democracy.





The writer is chief director of the Daejeon National Cemetery. Write to england6227@hanmail.net.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who came to power in a military coup d'etat, appears to be digging himself deeper into a hole of unpopularity among the Egyptian people. He is desperate to find money to fix a deepening fiscal mess, brought about in part by his own policies.



Sissi overthrew elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, locking him up. After having himself promoted to field marshal, Sissi was then elected president in 2014 in a staged 96 percent victory. Unrest in Egypt, which preceded Morsi's election and Sissi's succession, cut a big hole in the country's tourist revenues, important to its subsistence. In the meantime, trouble with Islamic State forces in the Sinai peninsula and simmering among Egypt's Brotherhood and other opposition to Sissi and some anti-Coptic Christian violence, has not made for a healthy economy or overall society.



Sissi has sought financing from other of the Sunni Muslim-dominated states of the region, most notably Saudi Arabia. One ploy, which may in the end hurt him more than help him, was to cede to Saudi Arabia two small Red Sea islands, Sanafir and Tiran, located at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. The two uninhabited islands were considered by most Egyptians to be Egyptian territory.



Saudi Arabia has provided Sissi's government some $25 billion in aid and investment since 2014, when Sissi took power.



Obviously presented with the bill by Riyadh, Sissi's party shut down parliamentary debate on the islands and also signed on with Saudi Arabia in condemning fellow Sunni state Qatar for its independent posture on a range of issues, including contact with the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar's bold broadcast media, Al-Jazeera. President Donald Trump has sided with Saudi Arabia and Egypt on the subject of Qatar, in spite of voluminous, long-term American military assets in the emirate. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has now picked up the task of trying to make peace between Saudi Arabia and its clients and Qatar.



The fate of the two islands is the sort of nationalist issue that can continue to be a burr under the saddle of a ruler like Sissi. The Egyptians, the 21st-century edition of a culture that goes back thousands of years, tend to look down on the Saudis, their current kingdom the successor of relatively new-on-the-scene desert sheikhdoms, as unworthy of buying Egyptian territory in return for oil money. Sissi, in preparation for elections next year, has also cracked down hard on the opposition and the media in Egypt, including Al-Jazeera.



The question is whether tightening the lid will result in an explosion in Egypt, like that of the Tahrir Square, Arab Spring 2011 phenomenon, or whether Sissi will get away with selling off Egyptian territory to the Saudis for cash.





This editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




At the eighth plenary session of the National Committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum (Photo: VNA)



He made the request at the committees eighth plenary session held in Hanoi on June 22nd.

President Quang hailed ministries, relevant departments and localities for preparing the APEC Year 2017 in a synchronous, active and prompt manner, which contributed to the successful organisation of three ministerial-level and four senior official meetings in the first half of this year.

In the context of regional and global complicated developments, it is necessary to recognise and seize active trends and huge opportunities to implement the targets set by the Party and State in hosting APEC 2017, he said.

Vietnam needs to promote the active and proactive role as the host of APEC 2017 - an important economic forum in the region that plays a crucial role in terms of strategy, economics, politics and security, he added.

Particularly, activities held during the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting slated for November in the central coastal city of Da Nang are intended to increase Vietnams prestige and boost regional economic connectivity as well as further deepen the relations among APEC member economies, he stressed.

It is necessary to take this occasion to promote the national strength, potential and economic cooperation, he noted.

In addition to speeding up infrastructure preparation and increasing communications to popularise the land, people and culture of Vietnam, it is important to ensure absolute safety and security for the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, he said.

The President ordered to boost the participation of people and businesses in preparation work for and organisation of APEC activities, including the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who is also Chairman of the APEC National Committee, said the committee will do its utmost to ensure the pace and quality of the preparation for the APEC Year 2017.

The ninth plenary session of the APEC National Committee is scheduled to take place in September 2017.

Vietnam is hosting the APEC Year 2017 under the theme Creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future. The country has selected four priorities for APEC cooperation as promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth; deepening regional economic integration; strengthening micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMS)s competitiveness and innovation in the digital age; and enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change.

Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam./.
By Tom Plate



How sad is the ongoing family quarrel in otherwise brilliant Singapore?



On my first trip to Singapore, as a Los Angeles Times columnist, which featured my first interview with Lee Kuan Yew, then titled senior minister, I returned home feeling I had seen something special and had met someone special. This was in 1996. Remember: Back then the average American thought of the place as no more than a "canning and chewing gum" circus. How silly and uninformed that view was.



My fondness for Singapore was never to wane during subsequent trips and interviews, not only with LKY but also with other huge talents such as diplomat Tommy Koh, foreign minister George Yeo, global thinker Kishore Mahbubani, former PM Goh Chok Tong, newspaper editor Cheong Yip Seng (swimming against strict laws) and others. I feel gratitude for their time and mentoring even today.



Many years later, I related this to Theodore Sorensen, the iconic policy adviser for John F. Kennedy, months before he left us at the age of 82. Ever sharp until the end, Ted, a mentor in graduate school, tried playfully to curb my enthusiasm. The occasion was a 2010 party at Singapore's UN Mission in New York for my book Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew'. Chuckling, Sorensen related that after his first visit to Singapore, LKY asked for an assessment. "Minister Mentor," Ted reportedly said (and knowing well the sharpness of his needle, I m sure he did say this). "I now feel my life is complete. I have been to Utopia."



To be sure, modern-founder Lee never remotely claimed to have created utopia in the actual  but in ambitious thrust he tried, as did so many hard-working Singaporeans he carried with him to transform a Third World backwater into a First World city-state. Yet about this we would joke  relaxed, he was very witty  with my once suggesting that if Singapore were utopia, then its citizens had to be Martians, not human beings. This remark somehow got to him, but then he smilingly acknowledged: "That's right, we're not Martians!"



Judging from the Lee family rift that has now just surfaced, it looks as if the Singapore elite is more earth-bound than ever suspected. From the prime minister  LKY's son, in office since 2004  to his thoughtful daughter, a brilliant neurologist, this near-utopia today looks creepy-swampy with back-stabbing and name-calling. On the surface the unseemly divisiveness focuses mainly over the late founder's last will, and his wish for the modest home of his last 70 years demolished, not glorified into some Chinese Mount Rushmore (Singapore itself being the monument). I believe that this was in fact his last wish, and feel as does a former colleague and current lady resident of Hong Kong who is also a devoted Singapore-watcher: "I'm shocked. I feel sorry for LKY."



Sure, this unseemly family falling-out is not of global import: but for those who sincerely care about the LKY legacy, as the "old man" himself certainly did, it is very sad to witness. I recall that it would be joked back in the Lion City that LKY's power of will was so strong that, if from the grave he sensed his Singapore veering off-track, he'd reach out and knock the place back into shape. Alas, it's too bad that option is not actually available. "So very sad," emailed a friend from Singapore who knew "the old man" well. Emailed another, from Hong Kong: "A Shakespearean tragedy for some, but a tragi-comedy for others  and not only HK-ers."



Modern Singapore's global as well as regional image reached near Olympian, due not only to its economic success but also to the founder's talents as the city-state's public face. He was a skilled orator (though the late Nelson Mandela, in my view, retires the Gold Medal), and a serious thinker (though more in deft, concise formulation than pure origination). In some ways he could be modest: Regarding contemporary China, for instance, he'd say that, because of his historic relationship with Deng Xiaoping, his insights might be overestimated. "I visit China maybe once a year," he said. "What do I know?" Yet some scholars, who once shunned him like a civil-rights felony, now regard him almost as if he were an Old Testament prophet.



Though sometimes wrong, of course, on the big things he had an uncanny knack for being right. Regarding the Clash of Civilizations' thesis, he was only wary of Islamicism (" because of that Book," he'd say, referring to overly literal adherences to tiny parts of the Koran), and his fervor for one-citizen one-vote democracy no warmer than Plato's (it can produce "erratic results," he'd say, a view many Americans would today accept). Though leader of such a tiny state (but more populous than Ireland or New Zealand) LKY was viewed a giant not just in Asia.



His surviving children and their inner circle need to consider whether their public quarrel behooves their founding father. Having inherited a magnificent mantle, they should be ashamed for permitting the dirty family laundry of jealousy and ego from entering the otherwise commendably clean public domain of their Singapore. Once, at the end of an exhausting day, LKY was asked whether the political system might finally loosen up, as many have conjectured', after he had gone to Marx', as is sometimes put the atheist's option: "It is for the present and future generations of leader to modify and adjust the system." That time has come for the present generation to do just that. If it cannot handle what has been given, they should humbly hand it off to others who might preserve it with more class.





Columnist and University Professor Tom Plate is author of Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew' (2010, 2013, 2015) in the Giants of Asia' series.




Combine the three latest developments involving North Korea and its intentions would be crystal clear_ first seeking the status of a nuclear weapon state armed with intercontinental missiles and second conducting dialogue from a position of strength.



For South Korea, the United States, China and Japan, stakeholders in the region, the challenge would be to create consensus about when to deal with the North _ before or after it achieves such a status.



First, reports had it Friday that the North was testing a rocket engine, possibly the smallest among the three for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).



It has test-fired missiles multiple times this year alone to develop related technology. President Moon Jae-in also stated during an interview Thursday that the North is expected to deploy a nuclear-tipped ICBM "in the not-too-distant future." The North is said to be ready to conduct a sixth nuclear test, which could further hone the North's payload miniaturization and re-entry knowhow.



If there had been any chance for dialogue, it was dashed by the death of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. college student who was detained a year and a half in the North. It will likely take considerable time for the public antipathy toward the North to calm down so the Trump administration will be able to push for dialogue, even if it accepts Seoul's proposal for dialogue.



Finally, Pyongyang criticized President Moon without naming him for his conflicting stances _ proposing talks, while calling the prospective dialogue partner provocative. This means Pyongyang doesn't have enough trust in Moon and building trust will prove to be a time-consuming process.



With no immediate breakthrough on the horizon, time is running out to stop the North from completing its weapons of mass destruction program. If the before-scenario is not feasible, perhaps the realistic alternative is to prepare for a nuclear-armed North Korea.








President re-questions accelerated THAAD deployment



President Moon Jae-in wants to know what caused the accelerated deployment of the U.S. missile interceptor Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.



The United States should come forward.



"For a reason I don't know, the THAAD deployment was accelerated," President Moon said during an interview with Reuters news agency Thursday. He said only one launcher was due for deployment this year with the remaining five scheduled for 2018. Now, two have been deployed with four in U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) storage.



Moon has obviously been seeking an explanation without success.



Right after his inauguration early May, the presidential office found that four launchers were brought into the country for deployment without its knowledge. Moon called it "shocking."



An investigation was launched, questioning outgoing Defense Minister Han Min-koo and the previous government's top presidential national security chief Kim Kwan-jin. A three-star general who was in charge at the working level was sacked.



The full story behind it has not come out apparently, as Moon talked about the mystery that shrouded the accelerated deployment.



The U.S. has not explained its role. Chung Ei-yong, Moon's national security adviser, traveled to the United States but obviously failed to get their side of the story. Chung said he gained the U.S. "understanding" about Seoul's readjustment on the deployment schedule.



U.S. officially said the deployment was conducted in full consultation with the Korean government. It said it expected the deployment would be implemented as agreed. This issue reached Trump, who had reportedly called in his top aides, leading his government to repeat the same statements. However, the U.S. is eager for deployment as, for one, USFK commander Gen. Vincent Brooks in November spoke publicly about a plan to finish the full battery deployment within eight to nine months.



Two months earlier, Daniel Russel, then assistant secretary of state, stressed the need to advance the deployment, considering the rapidly growing North Korean missile threat.



Reflecting Moon's reluctance, the Seoul government hit the brakes hard, saying the deployment plan needed a proper environmental impact assessment. It said the previous one sacrificed thoroughness for speed. The assessment may take up to one year, making its prompt deployment out of the question.



Now, Moon denied Korea is trying to back out of the deployment or delay it but his latest remark shows he remains puzzled despite the probe. U.S. cooperation is pivotal in letting Seoul know what has caused the "inexplicable acceleration" Moon referred to.



If Moon can't get a full explanation, it is likely the Moon-Trump summit may go in circles over this issue of growing importance with the two leaders distrusting each other. Already, there are signs of a tough summit with the U.S. believing Korea is getting closer to China at the cost of the Korea-U.S. alliance. Korea is feeling piqued by Trump who deals with North Korea exclusively with China.



If trust-building between the two leaders is a top priority for the summit, the U.S. should feel obligated to shed light on Moon's mystery.








By Park Jae-hyuk





POSCO Chairman Kwon Oh-joon KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu

The Moon Jae-in administration is facing criticism from the country's business circle for excluding POSCO and KT chiefs from a business delegation which will accompany him on a visit to the United States next week.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) announced the list of 52 entrepreneurs Friday, which had gained Cheong Wa dae approval.

In addition to KCCI Chairman Park Yong-maan, the representatives include 10 conglomerate leaders, 37 small-and medium-sized company heads, two public enterprise leaders and two U.S.-based firm CEOs.

POSCO Chairman Kwon Oh-joon and KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu failed to make it to the list, while SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun are included.

As Kwon and Hwang submitted applications earlier, they were expected to join Moon's U.S. visit.

"The KCCI asked me to join the business delegation," Kwon said in a press conference earlier this month. "I'm positively considering the offer to find ways to solve various problems for the country's development."

Many economic organizations recommended Hwang to join. The chairman himself reportedly wanted to be part of the delegation as well.

As the KCCI said it prioritized companies with investment plans and projects in the U.S., critics pointed out that the President bring along the two chairmen who are facing challenges in the world's largest economy.

Kwon, who is also in charge of Korea Iron & Steel Association chairman, would be able to discuss issues regarding the Donald Trump administration's protectionist policies against the steel industry, observers said.

After the U.S. Department of Commerce slapped anti-dumping duties on products of Korean steelmakers, POSCO, Hyundai Steel and Dongkuk Steel's exports to the country have almost been halted.

KT also plans to launch its GiGa Wire service in Boston, after signing a memorandum of understanding with U.S. internet firm netBlazr and the city of Boston. The Korean mobile carrier seeks to participate in the Boston Digital Equity Project to improve the city's internet environment.

Against this backdrop, doubts have sprouted that the new government may strive to force the two chairmen to resign from their positions although terms of both will finish in 2020.

Previous administrations tended to make heads of formerly state-owned companies like POSCO and KT step down to fill the vacant places with their sponsors or supporters.

Those firms have repeatedly been embroiled in controversies as well, over the appointment of top executives who many believe were selected by top presidential aides.

Former POSCO Chairman Chung Joon-yang took office in 2009 and attained his second term in 2012. But Chung's rein prematurely ended in 2014 after the launch of the Park Geun-hye administration.

Former KT Chairman Nam Joong-soo stepped down after former President Lee Myung-bak's inauguration. Lee Seok-chae, who led KT after Nam, also retired dishonorably just after the start of the Park administration.

On top of the two firms, Lotte Group also failed make it to the list, despite its continuous investments in the U.S. market. The exclusion was reportedly because of Chairman Shin Dong-bin's alleged corruptions and family disputes over control of the nation's fifth-largest group.
By Park Jae-hyuk





Militant trade unions in Korea have been under fire for caring just about their own interests, regardless of their companies' endangered management and marginalized irregular workers.

The union members of Hyundai Motor Group, the public sector and construction companies appear to be desperate to seize hegemony, taking advantage of the new administration's worker-friendly stance.

The Korea Metal Workers' Union, which includes Hyundai Motor Group's labor union, has recently come under public criticisms over a crafty trick to secure its vested rights.

Earlier this week, the umbrella union proposed to the carmaker to jointly raise a 500 billion won ($438 million) job-creating fund to hire 12,000 more regular employees. The union said it can pay 250 billion won, if the company pays back overdue wages to union members.

However, Hyundai has already won against the union in two previous trials regarding the wage case. If the Supreme Court declines to overturn the previous judgments, the unionists will not have any money to pay for the fund.

Critics pointed out the Hyundai union is acting like it considers marginalized people's interests, even though it is actually pressing management to turn the wage dispute in favor of the union.












By Park Jae-hyuk





Lotte Duty Free and KB Kookmin Card employees have been recognized for their self-sacrifice to help their companies in trouble and social minorities.

Lotte Duty Free said 40 executives decided to return 10 percent of their annual salaries to the company to overcome the recent difficulties caused by Beijing's retaliations against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system here.

Those who made the decision have worked for the firm for over 15 years. Most of them worked through crises including the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015.

Such a voluntary return, however, has never happened before, according to a company spokesman.

"The crises were temporary during the SARS and the MERS outbreaks, but the THAAD row is feared to become a long-term dispute," he said. "The executives took the initiative in addressing the recent problems."

Korea Tourism Organization data showed the number of foreign tourists this April dropped 26.8 percent year-on-year. In particular, the number of foreigners visiting duty free stores fell 46 percent from a year earlier.












President of the Cambodian National Assembly Heng Samrin (Source: VNA)



During the visit, Heng Samrin is scheduled to take part in activities marking the 50th anniversary of the two countries diplomatic ties.

He is also expected to participate in a meeting of the Presidents of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Lao Front for National Construction and the Solidarity Front for Development of the Cambodian Motherland.

Vietnam and Cambodia set up their diplomatic ties on June 24th, 1967.

Two-way trade reached nearly USD3 billion in 2016. The two countries leaders determined to raise the figure to USD5 billion in the time ahead.

There are around 1 million Vietnamese visiting Cambodia each year, ranking first in terms of the number of foreign tourists to the country in recent eight years./.
A 4-year-old child fell from a third-story window on Wednesday night around 8:51 p.m.

According to a press release, The Aberdeen Police Department responded to the 2000 block of 3rd Ave SE.

The child was transported to the Aberdeen Sanford Emergency Room and flown to Sioux Falls to be assessed by a pediatric trauma team. The extent of the child's injuries are unknown.

The incident is currently under investigation. The Brown COunty States Attorney will review after the investigation is complete.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomes Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (Source: VNA)



The two leaders exchanged opinions on cooperation in the fields of economics, defence, culture and education, and agreed to facilitate investment and the trading of goods and services between Vietnam and Cambodia.

They also pledged to foster coordination at regional and international forums, while proposing specific measures to prevent terrorism, trans-national crime, and smuggling and deal with issues related to security in order to ensure peace and stability in the region and in each nation.

PM Phuc spoke highly of the two countries defence cooperation and asked Cambodia to help speed up the search for and repatriation of remains of voluntary Vietnamese soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia.

Applauding the completion of 84 percent of land border demarcation and border marker planting work, he urged both sides to boost negotiations to seek solutions to existing border-related matters and cooperate closely in border management so as to build a shared border line of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development.

He also asked Cambodia to speed up the process of granting legal documents for Vietnamese people in the country.

PM Hun Sen agreed with his Vietnamese counterparts proposals, affirming that he will steer Cambodian offices to implement issues relating to repatriation of soldiers remains, border and the overseas Vietnamese community.

He again expressed his profound gratitude for the support Vietnam made to help Cambodia escape from the Pol Pot genocidal regime, as well as for the contributions made by Vietnamese businesses and investors for the countrys socio-economic development.

At the working session, the two sides reached consensus on all discussion issues, thus helping intensify bilateral friendship and cooperation in the time ahead.

The same day, the Cambodian Government leader returned home, concluding his trip to Vietnam./.
Ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the FIA has increased its efforts to restrict teams from attempting to generate a power boost by using oil as fuel.

A subtle oil-as-fuel ploy came to light before the 2017 season kicked off when Red Bull Racing suspected rival teams were using the stratagem.

The governing body subsequently took a keen interest into the matter, monitoring oil usage and chemical composition to ensure that everyone was running within the regulations.

But with potential ways of getting around the rules the FIA has now explicitly informed teams the use of chemicals to improve internal combustion is strictly forbidden.

Marcin Budkowski, head of the F1 technical department at the FIA issued the following note:

"We wish to remind you that, as previously stated in various meetings and re-emphasised in TD/004-17, we consider the use of oil as fuel to be prohibited by the Technical Regulations.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the only fuel that may be used for combustion is petrol, and the only permitted characteristics of that petrol are clearly set out in Article 19 of the Technical Regulations.

"Even though the Technical Regulations do not directly specify the permitted characteristics of engine oil used in F1, we would consider any attempt to use additional components or substances in oil for the purpose of enhancing combustion as a breach of the Technical Regulations."

In a bid to permanently put the problem to rest, the governing body will introduce next year a specific rule addressing the oil-as-fuel issue.

It will call for teams to supply the measurement of the oil level of the main tank to the FIA at all times of an event, that active control valves between the power unit and engine air intake be banned and that teams be limited to a single specification of oil per engine at a Grand Prix.

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PRESS RELEASE

Japans Abe Backs Away from Re-Militarization Plan

June 22, 2017 (EIRNS)A meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan yesterday to discuss the reform of the Constitution, resulted in a new proposal from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which reverses his call for removing the constitutional mandate against war, written into the post-war Constitution.

Abe, according to Asahi Shimbun today, no longer wants to scrap Article 9 of the Constitution, but calls for "maintaining the current two paragraphs of the article, which renounce war and prohibit Japan from maintaining land, sea and air forces," while only adding a paragraph recognizing the legal existence of the Self-Defense Forces, which are only authorized to defend against an invasion.

This has caused a fight with the hard-liners in the LDP, who want to revive a draft constitutional revision plan from 2012, which was never approved. That draft proposed removing the words: "land, sea and air forces ... will never be maintained and the right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized," while adding words to legitimize a standing military.

Sources in Japan have suggested to EIR that Abes intention in his earlier support for dropping Article 9 was to establish sovereignty from the United States, which still maintains a huge military presence in Japan and has historically imposed a defacto veto power over strategic matters. The sources say that Abes establishment of strong ties with Russia over the past two years, explicitly against the counter-demand by President Obama, served to establish Japans sovereignty from Washington, so that the militarization push is no longer needed.
PRESS RELEASE

Chinese, U.S. Presidents To Meet in Hamburg, Germany

June 22, 2017 (EIRNS)China Central Television (CCTV) reported that a meeting will be held between Chinas President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit. The announcement follows the 2+2 meeting in Washington of the two countries foreign and defense ministers to address such issues as the situation in the South China Sea, North Koreas actions, and counter-terrorism efforts.
PRESS RELEASE

A Picture of U.S.-Russian Cooperation at D.C. Conference on the Arctic

June 22, 2017 (EIRNS)The Wilson Center and the Arctic Circle, a non-governmental organization of scientific, political, and business people involved in the development of the Arctic, sponsored a two-day forum ending today at the Wilson Center, offering powerful insights from multiple perspectives on the urgency of maintaining the close cooperation between the United States and Russia in the Arctic, including calls for this cooperation to serve as a model to bring about a restoration of ties more broadly.

Arctic Circles initiator Olafur Grimsson, the former President of Iceland (who stood up to the Anglo-Dutch banks and won in 2012), Wilson President Jane Harman, and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski gave opening presentations, making clear that the intent of the event was not only to advance cooperation in the Arctic, but to bring the United States and Russia together for international peace and development. While there were some objections to this, most speakers added their own support for this broader urgent necessity.

Grimsson praised the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council over the past two years (Finland is now taking the chair), noting that the United States had "significant help from Russia," demonstrating that the two countries "can have a very constructive and successful relationship." Jane Harman added that it was important that this conference was being held in Washington, since "most members of Congress know nothing about the Arctic." She said that the close cooperation with Russia in the Arctic "builds a bridge" between the two nations. Sen. Murkowski, who serves also on the "Standing Committee of Arctic Parliamentarians," called for "taking this positive relationship here [in the Arctic] to impact broader U.S.-Russia relations." She said that cooperation between Secretary Tillerson and Foreign Minister Lavrov at the May Arctic Council meeting in Fairbanks facilitated an agreement on scientific cooperation in the Arctic. She also noted that Russia is far ahead of the U.S. in building the necessary infrastructure for Arctic development and the facilitation of the Northern Passage, which is now far more important due to the dramatic recession of the ice cap. Sheand many othersnoted that the U.S. once had seven icebreakers, and now have one. (The South Korean Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, Kim Young-jun, who spoke later, said that his country had recently presented the first of 15 Korean (Daewoo)-built liquid natural gas tanker/ice breakers to Russia.)

One panel included the former Lt. Gov. of Alaska Mead Treadwell (a close associate of former Governor Walter J. Hickel), together with Russian Senator Igor Chernyshenko, who represents the Murmansk Oblast on the Arctic. Chernyshenko praised the work of the Arctic Council under U.S. chairmanship over the past two years, pointing out that there was no potential for conflict now in the Arctic. He said the bad relations between the United States and Russia at this time was "due to the moods in the Congress." He described some of the 140 projects underway in the Arctic, including the huge Yamal gas, oil, port and rail development, and others, noting the significant Chinese involvement (there were no Chinese participants in the event). He encouraged the U.S. and other foreign investment in the Russian projects, noting that the opening of the Northwest passage facilitates partcipation of all nations, not just the Arctic nations, adding that the current tensions are forcing U.S. companies to lose out on great potentials.

Treadwell also noted the necessity of U.S. cooperation with Russia to fully take advantage of the opening of the Northern passage, proposing a "League of Arctic Ports," to, among other things, facilitate new container traffic through the passage. He noted Chinas New Silk Road projects and their huge investments, calling on the U.S. government to engage in funding for U.S. engagement in the region.

In the question-and-answer period, EIR referenced the 2006 Moscow forum on building a tunnel under the Bering Strait, LaRouches presentation there, Putins description of the project as a "war avoidance" policy, and the support from Governor Hickel, asking if it were not now even more urgent to proceed with this. Treadwell answered that his friend Governor Hickel had said about the Bering Strait Tunnel: "It will not happen in my lifetime, but we must keep talking about it every day." Treadwell said that every project, big or small, to drive cooperation with Russia was extremely important, and described a joint ship-monitoring system now being developed for the Bering Sea. He also pointed to a recent agreement to pursue the building of a rail connection from the lower 48 states through Canada to Alaska, and noted that such a rail line could eventually reach the Strait and proceed on to Russia via a tunnel.

Senator Chernyshenko tried to add his response, but was cut off by the chair, who then closed the panel.

Alaskan Rep. Don Young also spoke, decrying the fact that "our media peddles the idea that Russia is our enemy there is no reason." He said that the Arctic is our future.

Georgy Karlov, the Deputy Chairman of the Duma representing Sakhalin, said that developing the Arctic is like developing space, both because the technological problems are similar in many respects, but also because the harsh condition mean that no country can do it alone, that all nations need to cooperate. "The U.S. and the Russian went to space separately, but now they work closely together."

Kathleen Crane, the coordinator of RU.S.ALCA (Russia-American Long-term Census of the Arctic-Rusalca means mermaid in Russian), spoke on the both the close cooperation of Russian and American scientists on mapping the Arctic since the founding of RU.S.ALCA in 2003, but also her sorrow that the sanctions have largely undermined their mission.

Other issues of note from the forum:
The Affordable Care Act repeal bill unveiled Thursday by Senate Republicans has aptly drawn universal scorn from healthcare experts, hospital and physician groups and advocates for patients and the needy. Thats because the bill is a poorly-disguised massive tax cut for the wealthy, paid for by cutting Medicaid  which serves the middle class and the poor  to the bone.

Yet some of the measures most egregious, harshest provisions are well-disguised. Theyre hidden deep in its underbrush or in the maze of legislative verbiage. Weve ferreted out some of them and present them here in all their malevolent glory. In this effort weve built on ace detective work by Adrianna McIntyre, Nicholas Bagley of the University of Michigan, David Anderson of Duke University and balloon-juice.com, Andy Slavitt, the former head of Medicare and Medicaid in the Obama administration, and others.

For the record: In an earlier version of this article, Adrianna McIntyres first name was misspelled as Adriana.

Some of these provisions match those in the House Republicans repeal bill passed May 4, and some are even harsher  more mean, to use a term President Trump himself applied to the House bill. That bill, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would cost some 23 million Americans their health coverage by 2026. The Senate bill wouldnt do much better, and might do worse.

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States will have more authority to reimpose lifetime and annual benefit caps and eliminate essential health benefits. This may be the most insidious provision of the repeal bill, and certainly is the most deeply hidden.

The Senate bill will open the door to states forcing people with preexisting conditions ... to pay far, far higher costs than everyone else.  Gene Sperling and Michael Shapiro

Its buried in changes made to the ACAs so-called Section 1332 waivers, which are designed to allow states to try innovative approaches to healthcare, especially through their Medicaid programs. Under the ACA, states can only seek waivers under certain conditions. The innovative changes cant lead to fewer people insured, or subject them to higher out-of-pocket expenses.

The Senate bill repeals those limitations  and removes the flexibility of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to approve them. Under the measure, the secretary must approve a waiver request as long as it wont increase the federal deficit. As a result, states would be able to eliminate the essential health benefits that all health plans must provide under the ACA  including hospitalization, prescription coverage, maternity care and substance abuse and mental health treatment. Since only essential health benefits are subject to the ban on lifetime and annual benefit limits, high-cost patients such as cancer victims and sufferers from chronic diseases could permanently lose their benefits in the course of their treatment.

Would states roll back these protections? By some reckonings, theyd have no choice. The overall impact of the Senate bill would be to shrink the individual health insurance market and leave sicker customers in the insurance pool, says Jeanne Lambrew of the Century Foundation, in part because the measure eliminates the individual mandate that keeps younger and healthier buyers in the market. As a result, she says, insurers will put enormous pressure on state governments to loosen their regulations to lower the insurance companies risk.

States would also be authorized to waive rules requiring that almost all customers be charged the same premium. Thats an invitation to preferential pricing that would effectively remove protections for people with preexisting conditions  they could be priced out of the individual market in a return to the dysfunctional system that denied them insurance in the pre-ACA era.

Under the repeal bill, waivers would be in place at least for eight years, compared with five under the ACA. That means that the rollbacks of consumer protections would be inoculated against repeals by new state or federal administrations.

Protection for people with preexisting conditions is destroyed. Senate Republicans claim in their talking points that the measure protects people with preexisting conditions from being denied coverage or priced out of the market. Dont believe them. As Gene Sperling, a former economist for the Clinton and Obama administrations, and Michael Shapiro observe, the Republican plan may not allow insurers to discriminate  through the front door, but theyve created a backdoor way in.

The key is that same Secton 1332 waiver provision. If states allow insurers to offer plans without those essential health benefits, theyll offer skinny plans that dont serve the needs of those with serious conditions. Plans that dont cover cancer drugs or hospitalization, perhaps. Those patients will have no choice but to opt for more comprehensive plans, which will end up with an overabundance of expensive enrollees and therefore much higher premiums.

The Senate bill will open the door to states forcing people with preexisting conditions into segregated markets that will lead them to pay far, far higher costs than everyone else, Sperling and Shapiro say. This bill will bring the country back to a system in which insurance only works for the healthy, and the sick cant afford the coverage they need.

Older Americans would get socked with much higher premiums and costs. The Senate bill changes the ACAs premium subsidies in ways that severely hurt older customers. The bill expands the permissible range of premiums for older buyers compared to younger from a ratio of 3 to 1 in the ACA to 5 to 1. In other words, older buyers could be charged much more. It reduces subsidies for older buyers in other ways. The ACAs subsidies are based entirely on income, and are provided to households with income up to 400% of the federal poverty line. That ceiling is $48,240 for an individual.

The Senate bill cuts the maximum income to be eligible for subsidies to 350% of the poverty line  $42,210 for an individual. The measure also pegs subsidies partially to age, with older buyers entitled to smaller subsidies. Under existing law, the most that anyone within 400% of the poverty line can pay for a qualified health plan is 9.5% of their income. Under the Senate bill, buyers age 60 or older within 350% of the poverty line would pay as much as 16.2% of income  and those over 350% of poverty would get no help at all.

In other words, an insurance buyer today earning $48,240 would pay a maximum premium of $4,583; anything over that would be paid by the government. Under the Senate plan, a 60-year-old earning up to $42,210 would pay a maximum premium of $6,838. And anyone earning more than $42,210 would have to pay whatever the insurer charged, with no subsidy.

The biggest tax cut for the rich is retroactive. As weve reported before, the repeal measure delivers an estimated $346 billion in tax cuts over 10 years, all of it going to households with income over $250,000. But the biggest component of the cut  repeal of a 3.8% surcharge on capital gains and dividends for those taxpayers  would be retroactive to the beginning of this year. That turns it into more of a free handout for wealthy people who already had sold securities or collected dividends since Jan. 1.

Even the Wall Street Journal is aghast. Retroactive tax cuts like this dont create an incentive and can yield windfall gains for people who already made decisions, the paper observed. A millionaire who already had booked a $1-million gain on a stock sale, for example, would collect a $38,000 benefit.

This provision in particular is heavily loaded toward the richest of the rich. According to the Tax Policy Center, 90% of the cut goes to the top 1% (those with income of $699,000 or more); theyd get an average tax benefit of about $25,000. And almost two-thirds goes to the top 0.1% (with income exceeding $3.8 million); theyd get an average $165,000.

In fact, all the measures tax cuts taken together, valued at about $700 billion over 10 years, would be almost entirely paid for by the bills elimination of Medicaid expansion in the 30 states and the District of Columbia that accepted itthats similar to the House version. Medicaid expansion, which covers households earning 138% of the federal poverty line or less, will cost about $702 billion in that period. Theres no clearer illustration of how the Republican repeal bills transfer wealth from the poor to the rich.

The fight against opioid addiction is crippled. Opioid addiction has emerged as perhaps the worst public health crisis in America. But as much as 40% of the cost of treatment of addicts has been paid by Medicaid. The harsh cuts in that program imposed by the Senate bill would force more of that expense onto states that simply cant afford it. Meanwhile, the projected loss of medical coverage by as many as 23 million Americans under repeal will keep many victims of the epidemic from finding treatment.

The Senate measure substitutes a frayed Band-Aid to cover that loss. Despite estimates of as much as $183 billion over 10 years to fight the epidemic and treat its victims  and a request from GOP Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia that $45 billion be added to the Senate measure for the purpose  the bill offers only a risible one-year appropriation of $2 billion.

Salaries for health insurance chief executives can go through the roof. This provision matches one that was buried in the House bill, and is similarly obscured in the Senate version. It removes a limit on the deductibility of CEO pay in the health insurance industry written into the ACA.

Most public companies cant deduct more than $1 million in pay for their top executives, but theres a big loophole: Performance-based compensation, such as stock options or restricted stock grants, is exempt from the limit. The Affordable Care Act cut the limit on the deductibility for health insurers to $500,000 in pay per executive and eliminated the performance-pay loophole for them entirely. The Senate would repeal that provision, restoring the higher deductibility and the loophole for health insurers.

As we reported earlier this year, according to calculations by the progressive Institute for Policy Studies based on the pay of top executives at the five biggest publicly traded insurers in 2015, the deduction constraint saved taxpayers about $92 million that year. The figure would undoubtedly be higher now: The CEOs alone of the top five health insurers (Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana, and United Health) collected nearly $88 million in compensation last year.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.
If theres one thing that many anti-poverty activists and free-market advocates agree on, its that our existing social safety net isnt capable of dealing with the challenges presented by the evolution of the economy and of the very definition of work.

That may explain why an idea that dates as far back as Thomas Paine (in 1797) and has enthralled figures as diverse as Huey Long, Milton Friedman, Martin Luther King and Richard Nixon, is getting a very close look today. Its known as universal basic income.

The basics of universal basic income are simple. A check goes to everyone, guaranteed  whether theyre employed or not. No strings attached. No means test. No bureaucrats examining your personal lifestyle or looking for hidden income. No politicians demanding that you seek out even a menial job or leave the children in the hands of caretakers before getting the money. No drug testing.

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Poor people and the middle class know best how to spend their money. They just dont have it.  Natalie Foster, UBI advocate

Its unconditional cash, says Natalie Foster, co-founder and co-chair of the Economic Security Project, a coalition of technologists, investors and economic activists planning to spend $10 million to investigate and support pilot programs in UBI.

The Bay Area is a hotbed of UBI thinking, in part due to the socially-active members of the tech elite. Under its president, Sam Altman, the technology incubator Y Combinator has launched a pilot program aiming to provide as many as 1,000 residents of Oakland with a guaranteed income so its effects on their work experience, education, child-raising and other lifestyle factors can be studied.

High-tech entrepreneurs see UBI as a relief valve for the economic changes that could result from their own innovations; Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, told CNBC interviewers last year, I think that theres a pretty good chance we end up with universal basic income or something like that due to automation. Guaranteed income would give people time to do other things and more complex things, more interesting things with their lives, he said.

San Franciscos Office of Financial Empowerment is exploring whether to launch a demonstration program, according to its director, Sean Kline. So far, the city has joined in a $100-million grant proposal to the MacArthur Foundation and started planning for a conference of UBI experts this fall.

Other programs are further along. Finland this year launched a three-year test providing monthly checks worth 560 euros, or about $625, to 2,000 unemployed workers aged 25 to 58. Theyll give up their existing government benefits in return, but will still receive the checks if they get jobs. The Dutch city of Utrecht has started a two-year pilot plan awarding 250 residents the equivalent of about $1,100 a month. The Canadian province of Ontario is about to launch a project giving 4,000 randomly chosen residents in three cities the equivalent of $13,000 U.S. annually.

Starting slow seems to be important. In Switzerland, a referendum on a plan to guarantee every adult about $30,600 a year failed miserably last summer, 23%-77%.

The main challenge for UBI advocates is defining just what such a program would look like on a large scale. UBI proposals tend not to be fully baked, observed liberal economist Max Sawicky. That was in 2013. Some four years later, its still true. Some projects are operating under the radar, including the Oakland project, on which Y Combinators Altman declined to comment.

Indeed, one reason UBI attracts adherents across the ideological spectrum is that it can be so variously conceived. Its a bit like the story of the blind men and the elephant, with every promoter visualizing the totality based on the features he or she considers most important.

Conservatives like UBI because they think it can replace the web of social assistance programs we have now, presumably at a lower cost. Political scientist Charles Murray, for example, has asserted that a guaranteed income of $10,000 a year would be enough to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare programs, social service programs, agricultural subsidies, and corporate welfare, while leaving in place public funding of education, the transportation infrastructure, the courts and a few other services.

Progressives tend to think in terms of using UBI to modernize the social safety net to accommodate the modern workplace, including the growth of contingent work such as driving for Uber or Lyft, says Foster. A universal guaranteed income gives people the flexibility to deal with changes in the labor market.

Of course, people on both sides also find plenty not to like. Sawicky expressed a common liberal concern that the universal basic income movement was a pipe dream that would distract from more achievable efforts to improve, not replace, existing programs. Conservatives blanch at the moral hazard of just handing out money, regardless of need.

To the extent theres a consensus in the U.S., its that a guaranteed income program should provide at least $12,000 a year. The ideal program would be truly universal to remove the stigma attached to means-tested programs such as food stamps. Nor would the payments phase out with rising income to eliminate what conservatives decry as the poverty trap  when more income means the loss of benefits, they posit, recipients are encouraged to stay out of the labor pool.

UBI would force Americans to reconsider their assumptions about the behavior of people receiving no-strings-attached income. We need a little paternalism, says Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute, expressing a view of the poor as incorrigible slouches wanting a firm hand. If we take money from John to give to Matthew, who would starve without it, then we owe it to John to make sure that his money is appropriately spent on Matthews food and shelter, not on Matthews alcohol and gambling.

But experience with guaranteed income programs contradicts that view. Among them are Alaskas Permanent Fund Dividend, which has distributed money from the states oil boom since 1982, a casino dividend paid to members of North Carolinas Eastern Cherokee Band of Indians starting in 1997, and experiments in negative income tax in the U.S. and Canada in the 1970s, which provided low-income families with a guaranteed income via tax credits.

The effects of unconditional cash transfers included a significant increase in  quality of life benefits, Ioana Marinescu of the University of Chicago noted in a recent report. Those included improvements in mental and physical health, education outcomes, parenting [and] reduced criminal activity. Studies found either no impact or a slight decrease in labor participation, but some of that may have been due to recipients leaving workplace jobs to care for family members, including children, at home.

Those results show that poor people and the middle class know best how to spend their money, says Foster. They just dont have it.

Whats driving interest in the U.S. is increasing disquiet about the dearth of ideas for stemming increasing wealth inequality in this land of plenty, along with disquiet about how automation could eliminate employment across the industrial sector.

Theres a convergence of current anxiety about economic instability with an underlying fear of the future of work and jobs, says Andrew Stern, the former president of the Service Employees International Union whose 2016 book Raising the Floor is a manifesto for a universal basic income. By some reckonings, these anxieties helped elect Donald Trump, whose inchoate promises of easy solutions to complicated problems appealed to voters feeling cast aside by globalization and technological change. Trump may not have had the answers, but he was at least articulating familiar questions.

With the election, says Rakeen Mabud of the Roosevelt Institute, people started to realize that its time to stop thinking around the edges. Theres enough cash in the system to provide economic security for all, but its all going to the 1%.

Its still too early to say if the proponents of universal income can exploit the economic disruptions of today to disrupt conventional thinking about the social safety net. Its either a bubble or a movement, Stern says. The question is whether it sticks, and whether anyone has a better idea.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.
If you have noticed that prices at the gas station seem a little bit lower this month, youre not imagining things.

The battle between OPEC and U.S. shale oil drillers has led to another slump in the price of crude and, as a result, the price of gasoline has been on the decline, even as Californias summer driving season goes into full swing.

Gas prices in the state have dropped for four consecutive weeks, according to numbers compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and on Monday the average price of regular gasoline fell below $3 a gallon.

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Nationally, the price of regular has dropped nearly 10 cents a gallon in the last two weeks, to $2.32 on Monday.

And David Hackett, president of Stillwater Associates, a transportation energy consulting company in Irvine, thinks the chances are good that the low-price environment will stick around for the next couple of months.

Theres more room for gas prices to come down, Hackett said.

Thats good news for California drivers, who as late as April 2014 paid an average of $4.25 a gallon for regular gas. Prices run higher in California than most states due to the states boutique fuel blend requirements, as well as taxes and environmental mandates.

Since gasoline comes from oil, the price of crude affects prices at the pump, and oil has been on a losing streak of late.

On Wednesday, the price of West Texas Intermediate  the benchmark price for crude in the U.S.  dropped 98 cents to $42.53 a barrel, the lowest level in 10 months and more than 20% lower than where it stood in February. It ended the week at $43.01.

Thats not where the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cartel want prices. Less than a month ago, OPEC agreed to extend production restrictions in the hopes of boosting oil prices. But after a very fleeting rally, prices have nose-dived.

In what has developed into a familiar pattern, U.S. producers have more than made up for reductions in supply. Using techniques such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling, companies have ramped up production in shale oil formations such as the Permian Basin in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

Oil inventories have remained high and U.S. refineries averaged a record-high 17.7 million barrels per day last month, with utilization rates reaching 95%.

Were aflush with oil and gasoline right now, said Brian Youngberg, senior energy analyst for St. Louis-based Edward Jones. Not just here in the U.S. but globally.

Hackett said a power outage in early May at the Valero refinery in the Bay Area caused gasoline prices in California to tick up last month, but the problem has been cleared up, adding another factor for lower gasoline prices.

As a rule of thumb, changes in oil prices take about six weeks to be fully absorbed into the price of retail gasoline so, with the current slump continuing, Hackett thinks motorists can expect to see lower prices well into the rest of the summer.

I wouldnt be at all surprised if [the price of oil] goes back down and tests the recent lows of around $27 [a barrel], Hackett said. Thats entirely possible.

As recently as three years ago, the price of global crude exceeded $100 a barrel. But rapidly rising production in North America put downward pressure on prices and in November 2014, OPEC refused to cut production.

Though OPEC ministers denied it, the move was widely interpreted as a way to oust U.S. shale producers. Prices around the globe plummeted.

Although more than 200 U.S. producers and oilfield-service companies have filed for bankruptcy since the start of 2015, those who have survived had proven to be remarkably resilient, finding ways to reduce costs so that many of them can make money with oil at $50 a barrel.

Motorists have been the beneficiaries of this undeclared war between OPEC and the shale producers, Youngberg said.

But at the same time, industry analysts believe the glut will come to an end, inventories will flatten and oil prices will eventually move back up, although many think the days of $100 a barrel oil may be over.

We think oil will get back up toward $60 [a barrel], probably in the first half of 2018, Youngberg said. Originally we thought it would be more toward the end of this year but it will probably leak into next year.

Another indication of higher prices for consumers came earlier this week.

On Tuesday, a group that included physicist Stephen Hawking and Republican elder statesmen James Baker, George Shultz and Henry Paulson unveiled a plan to tax carbon emissions, starting at $40 per ton of carbon dioxide produced by industry, which is estimated to add 36 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline.

The plan is designed to dampen demand for fossil fuels and is being promoted as a free-market, limited government response to fight global warming while replacing government programs such as the Clean Power Plan and protecting companies from climate change-related lawsuits.

Oil giants Exxon Mobil, BP and Shell have come out in support of the plan.

A carbon tax is a difficult thing to get your hands around, Youngberg said. I will say, at the end of the day who pays for a carbon tax? Its the consumer and it will eventually flow into gasoline prices at the pump.

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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @robnikolewski

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SpaceX has a busy weekend ahead. And its outcome could signal whether the company is closing in on a crucial milestone.

Starting Friday morning, the Hawthorne space company is planning two satellite launches from opposite coasts with only about 48 hours in between. If the launches come off as planned, they will mark SpaceXs fastest turnaround so far and could be an early indicator of whether the company can increase launch rates.

Proving that they can launch at a faster pace and launch regularly is going to be the most important for customers, said Bill Ostrove, an aerospace and defense analyst at Forecast International.

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They have a really large launch manifest, so if somebody goes to you, and you say you cant get a launch slot for a few years, they could go to one of your competitors, he said.

SpaceX is set to launch a Bulgarian commercial communications satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket with a reused first-stage booster at 12:10 p.m. Pacific time Friday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That marks the second time the company has launched with a previously used booster. The launch was scheduled for 11:10 a.m., but SpaceX pushed it back an hour to conduct additional ground system checks.

On Sunday afternoon, attention will turn to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where SpaceX intends to launch 10 satellites for communications firm Iridium on a new Falcon 9 rocket.

If both missions are successful, SpaceX will have launched nine times so far this year. In 2016, SpaceX completed eight launches before a September launch pad explosion grounded the company for the last few months of the year.

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceXs vice president of build and flight reliability, said in a news conference this month that this years quicker flight rate had been helped by turning things into routine.

A rapid pace of launches, together with a reusable rocket system, are integral to SpaceXs eventual Mars colonization plans.

Those plans anticipate reusable spaceships that will be launched by massive rocket boosters into a so-called parking orbit around Earth. The boosters will return to Earth and pick up propellant tankers to top off the ships reserves before they make the long journey to the Red Planet.

Thats still years away. For now, more frequent launches mean that the company can work through its backlog of customers and take on more missions. Last year, SpaceX said it had about 70 missions on its launch manifest worth a total of more than $10 billion.

After SpaceX launched a satellite on a recycled first-stage booster for the first time this year, Chief Executive Elon Musk said the companys goal would be having landed boosters ready for re-flight within 24 hours. Eventually, SpaceX will be able to launch from two pads in Florida, one at Vandenberg and one in south Texas.

Hes looking at this business from the long term as how can he drive costs down, how can he become more efficient and still make money without taking a lot of additional risk, said Ramon Lugo, director of the University of Central Floridas Florida Space Institute and former director of NASAs Glenn Research Center in Ohio.

But increasing the pace of rocket launches is more complicated than, say, speeding turnaround times for airliners.

Just look at NASAs space shuttle orbiters. Each was designed to fly at least 100 missions. The aim was to lower the cost per flight and make spaceflight routine.

But the shuttle ended up launching, at most, nine times in one year because of the unexpectedly time-consuming process of hardware inspection after each vehicle returned to Earth, said Lugo, who is a former deputy program manager of the Launch Services Program at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle program was retired after a total of 135 flights.

That was a human being putting eyes on the hardware, taking measurements ... and saying, OK, everything is still within design specifications,  he said. The old-school way is you do a lot of data review and you do testing, and then you fly.

SpaceX will review the data from Fridays launch before Sundays mission, as it has with previous launches, said Phil Larson, assistant dean at the University of Colorado Boulders College of Engineering. Larson formerly worked at SpaceX and was a senior advisor for space and innovation in the Obama administration.

But todays launch systems are starting to incorporate the types of data monitoring systems similar to those already used in commercial airplanes and cars to tell ground technicians where problems might be located, Lugo said.

In that way, increasing the launch rates can be a little more risky since theres less human inspection. Lugo said SpaceX is probably using computer software and technology to examine the flight data in the same way that humans used to on the shuttle.

SpaceX declined to comment for this story.

Hes willing to take a little more risk, Lugo said of Musk. He also recognizes that  he cant just take a huge amount of risk because if it doesnt pay off for him, that impacts his reputation.

Analysts said a faster launch pace could also take a toll on workers. On the ground, people are needed to manage launch operations and other technical elements of the process. To manage that, SpaceX has two distinct teams at each site for the upcoming launches, Ostrove said.

People think of this as a major milestone weekend, but really, this is part of the beginning of what theyre trying to do.  Phil Larson

SpaceXs launch pads have also been designed or upgraded to accommodate rapid launches. The goal is that launch will eventually be a turnkey operation, Larson said.

Fridays launch was delayed almost a week so the company could replace a fairing valve. Musk called the part dual redundant, but said it was not worth taking a chance.

In the future, Ostrove said, SpaceX will need to speed up its inspection and evaluation process for landed first-stage boosters so there are few to no technical issues to modify and boosters can re-fly sooner.

People think of this as a major milestone weekend, but really, this is part of the beginning of what theyre trying to do, Larson said. Theyre still in the early stages of the goals they want to accomplish.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunaga

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UPDATES:

10:20 a.m.: This article was updated with the new time for Fridays launch.

This article was originally published at 6 a.m.
Ukraine uses 100% of quotas to supply agricultural products to EU for seven items

Ukraine as of June 9, 2017 used 100% tariff quotas on supply of honey, corn, sugar, barley cereal, wheat, preserved tomatoes, grape and apple juices to the European Union (EU).

According to a posting on the website of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry, 97.69% of quotas on supply of malt to the European Union, 91.5% of barley quota, 50% of butter quota, 50% of poultry quota, 28.44% of oats quota, 28.02% of other sugar-contained products quota and 23.18% of starch quota were used.

In addition, 18.42% of additional poultry quota, 13.64% of milk powder quota, 7.25% of egg quota, 1.18% of ethanol quota and 0.27% of milk, cream and condensed milk quota were used.

As reported, the European Parliament has supported the proposal of the European Commission to increase tariff quotas for honey, corn, barley, oats, cereals and processed grain, grape juice from Ukraine. At the same time, the European Commission's proposal to raise quotas for Ukrainian wheat, tomatoes and urea was not supported by the deputies.

In September 2016, the European Commission proposed to increase the annual tariff rate quotas for some goods from Ukraine: maize by 650,000 tonnes, wheat by 100,000 tonnes, barley by 350,000 tonnes, cereal and processed grain by 7,800 tonnes, oats by 4,000 tonnes, honey by 3,000 tonnes, grape juice by 500 tonnes and preserved tomatoes by 5,000 tonnes.

According to the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, Ukraine can supply 36 goods to the EU without tariffs within the limits of the approved volumes of tariff quotas. In particular, the quotas for beef supplies amount to 12,000 tonnes, pork  40,000 tonnes, milk, yoghurts, fermented milk products  8,000 tonnes, milk powder - 1,500 tonnes, butter - 1,500 tonnes, egg products - 1,500 tonnes, eggs  3,000 tonnes. For wheat, quotas were determined at a rate of 950,000 tonnes, barley  250,000 tonnes, maize  400,000 tonnes, sugar  20,000 tonnes, honey  5,000 tonnes, processed tomatoes  10,000 tonnes, grape and apple juice  10,000 tonnes, oats  4,000 tonnes, garlic - 500 tonnes.
Actor Zachary Levi of Chuck fame is ready to part with his home in Studio City, listing the charming two-story for sale at $1.399 million.

Built in 1952, the remodeled house looks like new with such upgrades as stained hardwood floors, recessed lighting and contemporary hardware and fixtures. In the master suite, which is wired for surround sound, sliding doors lead to a deck with a retractable awning. The galley-style kitchen and four bathrooms have been modernized.

White-painted beams top a living room with a fireplace and the breakfast nook. There are four bedrooms, as well as a library/office, in 2,235 square feet of interior space.

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Outdoors, cantilevered decking creates a covered patio space. A brick-lined spa and fire pit sit in the rear of the yard. The finished garage features two levels of flex space.

Levi, 36, is known for his lead role as Chuck Bartowski on the spy-comedy series Chuck, which wrapped up its five-season run in 2012. More recently his credits include the miniseries Heroes Reborn and the show Telenovela.

This year the actor lent his voice to the animated show Tangled: The Series.

He bought the property in 2004 for $875,000, records show.

Michael Okun of Wish Sothebys International Realty holds the listing.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATHotProperty

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It may not be enough for the electric car company Tesla to take on the giants of Detroit, like General Motors and Ford. The Palo Alto-based automaker is said to be exploring its very own music streaming service too, a move that would pit the company against market leader Spotify, and the aggressive efforts by Apple to conquer the world of on-demand music.

As part of its souped-up dashboard, Tesla is considering the idea of offering drivers a personalized listening experience, and has had talks with major record labels to develop an in-house music platform, according to Recode.

The rush to bring Internet music not only to peoples phones, but to their connected homes and cars is lucrative territory with even more potential, experts say. And Teslas tight control over the look and feel of its cars might lend itself to an improved music experience  with high-definition audio and an intuitive dashboard  thats better designed than add-on services.

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One thing to watch will be the degree to which other car manufacturers follow Teslas lead and start trying to control the in-car experience, said Mark Mulligan, a digital music market analyst. There have already been some efforts in this direction, but so far partnerships and integrations have been the norm.

As Tesla considers a dive into the battle royale already playing out in the streaming market, it confronts the loyalties and habits of music subscribers, whose time and effort spent curating playlists and radio stations might make them harder to convert. Not only will Tesla need to focus on what a great in-car experience looks like, it will have to build a multiplatform user experience that competes with the best-in-class mobile experiences like Spotifys, Mulligan said. Tesla users will have little interest in having to use one streaming service in the car and one everywhere else, having to build two sets of playlists and cloud libraries etc.

Compounding this challenge is the question of Teslas limited scale and the viability of building a new streaming product from scratch. Tesla counts about 100,000 customers compared with Spotifys 50 million subscribers. About 27 million users have used car systems integrated with the music service Pandora, for instance. And more than 200 car models allow drivers to control Pandora right from the dashboard, a company representative said.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a representative told Recode, We believe its important to have an exceptional in-car experience so our customers can listen to the music they want from whatever source they choose.

As challenging as Teslas move might appear, Jessica Caldwell, the director of industry analysis with the auto research website Edmunds.com said it could play into Teslas allure as a top-tier, innovative brand. Tesla has a certain amount of cachet they have built up over time, they have this cool factor that no other car company has, she said. A personalized music service also bolsters Teslas mission of controlling the customer experience, and could further differentiate the company as competition for high-end electric cars intensifies.

But ultimately, even for Tesla, Caldwell is skeptical, given the level of difficulty of breaking into the music market. For someone who is trying to do so many things, this seems like a bit of a stretch.
Recent scandals have put Uber on such shaky ground that a lawyer representing aggrieved drivers has filed a lawsuit against Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp  the ride-hailing firms co-founders  in case the company doesnt survive long enough to defend itself.

Describing the lawsuit filed Thursday in the Superior Court for the State of California in Los Angeles County as a precaution in the event Uber goes bust, attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan acknowledged that her new filing shares many similarities with a 2013 class-action suit she filed alleging Uber wrongly classified drivers as independent contractors.

I filed this as a precaution to ensure that if we are successful, and Uber is not around to see the end of this case, Travis Kalanick and others will be personally liable for that debt to the drivers, Liss-Riordan said.

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Last year it looked like Uber was unstoppable, and its only trajectory was up, and now it looks like the opposite. I wanted to take measures to protect drivers if things do turn south.

The suit, filed on behalf of plaintiffs Christopher James of Arcadia, Calif., and Christine Beatleston of San Francisco in the Superior Court for the State of California in Los Angeles County, alleges that Kalanick, Ubers chief executive until he resigned earlier this week and currently a board member, and Camp, board chairman, advised the company to misclassify drivers.

The lawsuit alleges that this misclassification cheated drivers out of expense reimbursements. The lawsuit also alleges that the co-founders advised Uber to cheat drivers out of gratuities.

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case shares many similarities with the 2013 lawsuit, which Liss-Riordan filed in Federal court and is ongoing. Both lawsuits seek reimbursement for expenses such as gas and mileage. Both want the defendants to pay tips to drivers that were collected but never paid out. (In its early days of operation, Uber marketed that tips were included in the passengers fare; this week the company added tipping to its app).

Liss-Riordan has filed more than a dozen lawsuits against Silicon Valley technology companies, alleging that many have misclassified drivers and delivery workers as independent contractors. As independent contractors, workers are not entitled to expense reimbursements or benefits such as health insurance, social security or paid time off. Unlike employees, independent contractors are also not guaranteed a minimum wage.

The most high-profile of Liss-Riordans cases is her class-action against Uber. In San Franciscos Federal Court, Judge Edward Chen certified the class in 2015, which at the time numbered some 240,000 Uber drivers in California (the number of drivers in California is likely much higher now). Uber, however, appealed the certification, arguing that the majority of its drivers had signed an arbitration agreement, which forbids them from taking part in class-action suits against the company. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will be hearing arguments in September.

If the appeals court rules to exclude drivers who signed Ubers arbitration agreement from participating, then the class size could drop to between 8,000 and 10,000 drivers.

Uber also tried to settle that particular case with Liss-Riordan last year for $100 million, but Judge Chen threw out the settlement because he believed the amount was too low.

There have been no further discussions about a settlement, Liss-Riordan said.

While Ubers arbitration agreements are broad, legal experts said a lawsuit brought against individuals instead of the company could potentially get around such an agreement.

You may recall that Gretchen Carlson tried the same thing against Fox News when she was bound by an arbitration agreement with Fox, said Richard J. Reibstein, a lawyer who specializes in employment law at Pepper Hamilton. She claimed her lawsuit against Roger Ailes was not governed by the Fox arbitration agreement because Mr. Ailes was not a party to the arbitration provisions.

Fox settled the lawsuit with Carlson last year for $20 million.

This isnt the first time Kalanick and other Uber executives have been the subject of lawsuits. The 40-year-old co-founder was sued last week by a woman who had been raped by an Uber driver in India, alleging that Kalanick and other Uber executives later violated her privacy by obtaining her medical records and attempting to discredit her.

Uber itself has faced a litany of lawsuits over its seven-year history, including wrongful-death lawsuits and an ongoing case involving the alleged theft of trade secrets from Waymo, Googles self-driving vehicle project.

tracey.lien@latimes.com

Twitter: @traceylien
Classical music may be the art of the sublime, liquid architecture and all the rest, but it has nonetheless always been a long-suffering kingdom of kvetching. Born to serve the church, Western music became in the Middle Ages an ideal medium of sacrilege, and the art form has continued over the centuries to bite the hands that have fed it, be they the aristocracy, ruling powers, philanthropists or the public. However high-minded, the history of classical music is riddled with worry and an obsessive desire for reinvention.

Music Academy of the West  the summer training program for young musicians on an elegant campus nestled among Montecito mansions and overlooking a scenic stretch of shoreline  held a two-day conference this week called Classical Evolution/Revolution. Eighteen movers and shakers, young and seasoned, working in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, New York and London, took part in six panels surveying the state of the field.

The curriculum for such symposiums is expected to ask all the pressing questions. What horrors will disruptive digital unleash next? How can we develop new audiences without teaching music in schools? Can classical music, that sliver of a sliver of the modern zeitgeist, possibly matter? Where, everyone in the business desperately wants to know, will the next dollar come from?

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If anyone should be anxious, its Graham Parker. Last July he was appointed president of the U.S. division of Universal Music Classics, which includes such fabled classical record labels as Deutsche Grammophon and Decca. The classical market has long been expected to die on the vine. Classical buyers still want CDs but cant readily find them. To top the charts, a new classical release once needed to sell tens of thousands. Now a few hundred units makes for a coveted bestseller.

But that doesnt mean the classical music baby need be thrown out with the the CD bathwater. A cheerfully upbeat Parker ended the conference raising eyebrows with the claim that in any given month an extraordinary 30% of the U.S. population listens to classical music on some device. That translates to 100 million people in our country alone! Another happy number he threw out is that more than 40 million Americans sing in a chorus (an estimate that includes church choirs).

Of course, how you best reach these millions is another matter. There are also millions more who dont know what they are missing. Classical music might just supply the spiritual nourishment they seek.

Technology is ever the elephant in the room. The history of sharks out to cheat musicians is long and dishonorable. Today its Silicon Valleys ability to redirect profits from the creators and producers to the likes of Apple, Amazon and Spotify. Equally troubling is the power of technology in the form of virtual reality, holograms and things we may not yet know about, to suck the life out of live music making.

Again, such dire predictions are nothing new in classical music. And yet so much classical has been around for so long that it would be hard to get rid of it all. Live performance has lasted, furthermore, because, as Los Angeles Opera head Christopher Koelsch said Tuesday, The human creature craves the communal.

For his part, Sam Bodkin asked what the world needs and rapidly answered his own question: It needs more substance, beauty and intimacy, and classical music checks all those boxes.

So Bodkin founded Groupmuse, which uses social media to build audiences for intimate concerts in homes, breaking down the barrier between listener and performer. People are looking to go places they cant find in contemporary commercial society, he said. Beethoven in your living room or grungy basement  as far as Bodkin is concerned, any place can provide a newbies aha moment.

The human creature craves the communal.  Christopher Koelsch, Los Angeles Opera president and chief executive

What is maybe new to our time is the necessity for everyone  the creators, the practitioners, the producers and the audience  to become determinedly flexible. The ways to make and consume classical music keep expanding. The technological wonders of the modern world take, but they also give. It is not just good but essential to be adaptable and open. And wary.

The idea of putting faith in the artists was another central point. Luke Ritchie and Toby Coffey, who respectively head digital innovation and development departments for the Philharmonia Orchestra and the neighboring National Theatre at the Southbank Centre in London, are working at the cutting edge of virtual reality and did a fairly convincing job of making that seem a less scary reality. Both demonstrated concern with enhancing content and disdain for digital trickery.

Ritchie has the advantage of the orchestras tech-savvy principal conductor and artistic advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen. He takes viewers hooked up to those clumsy VR masks on an illuminating tour of the orchestra that you really could never get any other way. The National Theatre is more radical, with its immersive storytelling. An audience member can wear VR goggles that create a 360-degree spatial environment that feels completely interior and dreamlike, and at the same time interact with live actors, resulting in intense situations, where the theatrical confusion between reality and dream state weaken emotional defenses. The implication for opera is terrifying and thrilling.

However encouraging the fact that artists may have a chance to help mold VR technology, which is still in its infancy, that is a future as yet out of reach. And it is coming up against what is a much bigger trend of reviving, as Bodkin is doing, the physical connection between performer and audience.

The value of discovery in an audience is diminishing, lamented Kristy Edmunds, executive and artistic director of the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. But her solution is simply listen to and support the artist. She said that her guiding principle is something that the French director Ariane Mnouchkine once told her: For somebody in the audience, this will be their first experience with theater, and for somebody it will be their last.

One of the great contributions of Mnouchkines avant-garde company, Le Theatre du Soleil, has been the understanding of the importance of space as the place. She took over former munitions factory in eastern Paris where she could create a uniquely communal environment for a revelatory new ritualistic theater. Yuval Sharon, founder of the Los Angeles opera company the Industry, described how masterminding operas in Union Station or in limousines driving through downtown L.A. offered a unique engagement between city and artists, allowing audiences to find all kinds of unexpected resonances.

Though Sharon may be a paradigm shifter, he distinguished his approach as a director from that of a disruptor. The dictates of the work is everything, he said, and, no, Wagner should not be done in Union Station, although his next project will be the creation of a play-opera hybrid of Brechts Galileo, with music by Andy Akiho, to be staged in September around a bonfire on the beach in San Pedro.

How to improve the world without making matters worse? Would a holograph of Yuja Wang playing at Walt Disney Concert Hall broadcast to audiences in Kansas  yes that was suggested  provide people access to something they would not otherwise have, or would it make classical music creepy?

Few students turned up for the conference. They were busy with lessons and practicing. Their duty is to become artists we can trust. Our duty is to create a world in which they can be trusted. That is not out of the question.

The news from picture-perfect Montecito is that however great the challenges may be for classical music, the possibilities are greater. And there are a lot of people who care.

mark.swed@latimes.com

OUR SUNDAY PACKAGE:

An assassination 2,061 years in the making: Trump, Julius Caesar and the politics of theater

Mozart in Trump Tower, and the art of getting political onstage

Shakespeare and the politics of our age: Julius Caesar and now Richard II
He was in Downton Abbey, she was on Big Love and Once Upon a Time. Now Ginnifer Goodwin and Allen Leech have taken to the stage, starring in English playwright Nick Paynes Constellations at the Geffen Playhouse.

The acclaimed play follows Marianne, a physicist, and Roland, a beekeeper, as they meet by chance, fall in love, break up and run into each other again  or do they?  across multiple realities. Paynes nonlinear narrative is inspired by quantum physics: the idea that the past, present and future all exist simultaneously, and that there are infinite versions of the universe in which infinite versions of us live out the consequences of the choices we didnt make.

Goodwin, who is from Tennessee, and Leech, who is Irish, hadnt met before Constellations, although they admired one anothers work from afar, but as they spoke to The Times during preview week for this edited conversation, they seemed like lifelong friends. It made sense for two people who live through infinite eternities together onstage each night.

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I hope it wont bore you both to tell the story, again, of how you came to do this play?

Goodwin: Im so pleasantly surprised that theres been so much press coverage. It indicates to me that people want to come see the show, that theyre interested in the theater. And theater has existed for thousands of years. Since like, what? 534 BC? 536?

Leech: That was the first time I saw it, anyway.

Goodwin: The first actor, Thespis, stepped out of the chorus in, what was it? 534 BC?

Leech: You actually are asking me like I was there. I dont have my phone on me!

Goodwin: Anyway, the fact that shows still sell out and that there is still this kind of excitement about going to see them. In this age of using a device for everything, theres no substitute for live theater.

Leech: Its that shared experience that you cant get anywhere else.

Goodwin: And you cant get away with nearly as much on the stage.

Leech: You cant get away with anything! Ive tried to leave loads of times!

So how did you both get involved in Constellations?

Leech: Youd better go first because youre the instigator. Youre the stalker.

Goodwin: I was obsessing over a homesickness for theater. I have not done a professional show for 10 years. I love participating in television series, I love making movies, but theater is home for probably most of us in this business. I was talking to a theater director friend of mine, and he said, Well, what are you looking to do? Like, what plays do you love? What characters are you itching to play? Are there kinds of stories you want to tell?

And I realized, when I had zero answers, that I was completely out of touch with the contemporary theater scene. So I called the Drama Book Shop in New York and ordered boxes of plays and had them shipped up to Vancouver, Canada, where I was filming Once Upon a Time, so I could just pleasure-read plays and educate myself a bit. And I fell very hard for Constellations. And then I happened to be reading the L.A. Times  while in Canada!  and saw the announcement that they were putting it up at the Geffen. I immediately, in the middle of the night, called my manager and was like, How can I get in a room with the director, Giovanna Sardelli? They found out when she was going to be in Los Angeles, and I happened to have the day off, and I flew here and acted like I just happened to be in L.A., because I didnt want to seem desperate, but I was super desperate to play Marianne. And that was a long time ago! And they called me at Thanksgiving and offered me the role, and I screamed and cried, and there were a lot of expletives in front of my children.

And then I was sitting with Jennifer Morrison in a trailer on the set of Once Upon a Time, and we were talking about these truly incredible actors that I knew the Geffen was considering, and Jen said, What about my friend Allen Leech, who has just moved to L.A.? I freaked out equally over that idea, and you can pick it up from here 

Leech: So Jen was saying what people were going on to once they finished Once Upon a Time, and she said that Ginny was doing Constellations. I said, I saw it in the West End, its unbelievable. And she said, Well actually they havent cast the lead guy, the costar. I was, What! I already was a massive fan of Ginnys work, so the opportunity to do a play with her, and the fact that its such an intense piece and you have to put a lot of trust in your costar 

Goodwin: Which now hes questioning ...

Leech: Not at all! There is a weird alignment of stars, that this happened. It was bashert, which is Yiddish for meant to be.

Goodwin. I love that Im Jewish and I didnt know that, and an Irish Catholic did.

What do you think it is about Constellations that exerted such a pull on you?

Goodwin: Im usually drawn to characters I have a knee-jerk reaction to in terms of understanding them and what makes them tick. And this was the opposite. I find playing this character to be the challenge of my life. I come away with more questions than answers, and that terrifies me, and I was looking to be terrified.

What aspects of the role make it so challenging?

Leech: Dont say me!

Goodwin: In that case I dont have an answer. No, a lot of people have asked me if I had to do any research into quantum mechanics. Because not only is that Mariannes specialty, but the play is told in string theory; the very structure of the play is quantum mechanics. But that happens to be a passion of mine. I love reading about that branch of science. I did have to learn a lot about  not to blow anything. Allen, how do I not blow it? I had to learn a lot about 

Leech: The challenges the character faces?

Goodwin: Thank you! I had to learn a lot about the challenges the character faces, by not only doing a lot of reading and watching every documentary I could find but getting firsthand accounts from certain friends, and also sitting down with a specialist in the field.

And then trying to create a character whose story is not linear is almost impossible. Usually we can dissect our characters down to  well, its kind of a cliche, especially coming out of theater school, but what we do is decide what this character had for breakfast. But every single one of our scenes involves these same exact characters, but they must have different histories leading up to these moments that are inevitably varying, and therefore you really cant find consistencies in the back story. Im telling people I feel like a gymnast.

Leech: Were emotional gymnasts.

Goodwin: Not just emotional. I mean, Im sweaty and disgusting by the end of every run.

Leech: Im sweaty and disgusting at the start.

The two of you and your director, Giovanna, have been alone with this play for weeks now. Does a live audience change the dynamic?

Goodwin: We found at a point in rehearsals that we desperately needed an audience. We couldnt go any further without being given something by our 500 extra cast members.

Leech: Its a fairly intimate play. There is a voyeuristic element, and we needed to feel that energy, that we werent alone. And also Gio [the director] just stopped laughing at us.

Goodwin: She found us unfunny at a point.

Leech: And we are egocentric humans, actors. So were like, Im hilarious here! But an audience can be unpredictable. At the first preview, when I said, Im a beekeeper, someone went, Bah! For the next four minutes onstage Im like, Now, is he a beekeeper? And he just finds it hilarious that Im a beekeeper? Does he know a hilarious beekeeper? Does he not believe that its a profession? And then you have to deal with the audience laughing at that reaction. Its a funny thing. But were getting there. We have the luxury of nine previews, which is unheard of in the U.K.

Goodwin: Is it really? This has been a cushy job anyway.

Leech: Shh! Were trying to pretend weve been working really hard.

Ginny: Well, we have been working hard. Ask my 3-year-old how hard Mommys been working.

Thats right, youre a working mom, with two little boys. Theyre 3 and what?

Three and 1. And its hard. Theres no, like, balance. Im mostly at the theater. I guess things will equalize in that inevitably there will be massive periods of time where I dont work at all. This is such a bonkers career choice that Ive made. But I have the best husband [Josh Dallas, who plays Prince Charming to her Snow White in Once Upon a Time] on the planet.

Leech: Im jealous. I want Josh.

Allen, do you have kids?

Leech: No, not that Im aware of. Stop! Dont print that. Id like to someday. I come from four so Id like to have four. And if I could emulate what Ginny and Josh have done. Theyre great parents.

This play reminded me that the tiniest choices can have huge repercussions. Is that a scary thought as a parent, Ginny?

Goodwin: I find it comforting. Somebody asked me the other day if I believe in those theories, specifically string theory. I was like, You dont have to believe in it. Its scientifically sound. Its a thing that exists in the world. I find it to be a great relief, because, on a very shallow level, for instance, I told Giovanna when I was stalking her, Im totally cool if I dont get this role, because in some universe I totally do. But on a serious level, anyone youve ever lost is always here. Because theres no such thing as a past, present and future, because everything is always happening at once.

Leech: Im going to be confident forever, because somewhere, in some universe, Ive just given the greatest Hamlet. Fantastic! Youre welcome.

Do you believe in the multiverse too, Allen?

Leech: I do, actually.

Goodwin: But you dont have to believe it or not believe it. It exists. It is. Theres no believing. Its not like Santa Claus. And in some universe theres a Santa Claus, by the way.

Leech: What are you talking about? Thats this one.

         

Constellations

Where: Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., L.A.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays; ends July 16

Tickets: $32-$90 (subject to change)

Information: (310) 208-5454 or www.geffenplayhouse.org

Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

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The review: Constellations, the astrophysicists rom-com

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Frida Kahlo in opera. Beyond the Julius Caesar controversy. And 24 hours of song. Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, lover of hot coffee and burritos, with the weeks essential culture news:

An operatic Frida

If she hadnt existed, opera would have had to invent her, writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed of 20th century Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. So look no further than Robert Xavier Rodriguezs Frida, which had its premiere in 1991 and is currently being staged by the Long Beach Opera at the Museum of Latin American Art through Sunday. The show, which was groundbreaking when it debuted, has a strong book and compelling performances. But in 2017, writes Swed, Frida feels a little old-fashioned in its dramatic approach. Los Angeles Times

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Swed also reports on another opera with a powerful story about women: Kamala Sankarams Thumbprint, part of the Los Angeles Opera Off Grand series at REDCAT, which serves as a vibrant call for womens rights in Pakistan. Los Angeles Times

The most unkindest cut of all

The Public Theaters Julius Caesar has already closed, but the sociopolitical carnage remains, writes The Times Jessica Gelt, who examines the fallout over the staging of a Trump-like Caesar in New York. Citing director Oskar Eustis, she notes: The controversy resulted from a political base being riled up to believe something that wasnt true: that the Public Theater was advocating the assassination of a sitting president. Los Angeles Times

Times theater critic Charles McNulty weighs in on the subject (with a nod to a production of Richard II at the Old Globe in San Diego): Julius Caesar seems to me especially timely because it forces us to question the political certainties that can entice citizens to take the law into their own hands. The critical consensus was that [the] production did justice to the plays complexity, but it should come as no shock that the inflammatory theatrical imagery ignited the media mob. Los Angeles Times

The cast of Peter Sellars production of Mozarts Le Nozze di Figaro at Trump Tower in the 80s. (Elena Seibert / For The Times)

Mark Swed examines the daring 1980s productions by director Peter Sellars that also serve as comment on Trump and democracy  including a version of Handels Giulio Cesare, which featured a press conference at a fancy hotel led by a cocksure president, and the time he set Mozarts The Marriage of Figaro in an apartment in Trump Tower. Writes Swed: This is the world, to quote Sellars plot synopsis of an old libretto again, of beautiful people for whom perjury, loss of happiness and absence of consciousness can be compensated for by the feel of money. Los Angeles Times

Lastly, a profile of Laura Loomer, the woman who disrupted the Publics production of Julius Caesar. New Yorker

A bit of candy, a bit of avant-garde

Charles McNulty took in the new production of the Jimmy Buffet-inspired musical Escape to Margaritaville at the La Jolla Playhouse. The show, he writes, is pure escapism  the equivalent to watching four or five Two and a Half Men reruns back to back. But, with some regret, he couldnt help enjoying himself, due to music and lyrics that could get Falstaff karaoke-ing. Los Angeles Times

Plus: McNulty also saw a rare staging of Maria Irene Fornes play The Conduct of Life at Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles, a playful, poetic and political work set in an unnamed Latin American autocracy. It is, he writes, an irresistible chance to see a work that appears more often on theater syllabi than on season brochures. You still have time to catch it: Conduct is on view through Sunday. Los Angeles Times

24 hours of song

Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac, at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, is at work on staging A 24-Decade History of Popular Music for its L.A. run. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jessica Gelt reports on an epic undertaking in song that is in the works courtesy of Taylor Mac and UCLAs Center for the Art of Performance: a deliriously experimental production of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music that consists of four six-hour chapters that amount to 24 hours of song. This is theater of the unexpected; it is theater of calamity; it is theater according to the gospel of Taylor Mac, she writes. Los Angeles Times

Making Cake

Debra Jo Rupp stars in the Echo Theater Companys production of The Cake. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Stage and television actress Debra Jo Rupp, best known for her role as Kitty Forman in That 70s Show, is starring in Bekah Brunstetters new drama, The Cake, debuting at the Echo Theater Company. She speaks with The Times Deborah Vankin about taking on the role of a Baptist baker who has to confront her beliefs when she makes a cake for a same-sex wedding. I find that playing parts that are really close to who I am are really hard for me, says Rupp. The further they are away from me, the easier they are to play. Los Angeles Times

Architectures identity crisis

Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne toured the new Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. He says the building offers a narrow view of our national identity  one rooted in British colonial tradition. A better embodiment of who we are, he says, can be found across town at a 1960s home designed by architect Robert Venturi, a building where Benjamin Franklin, the Shakers, Gertrude Stein and Andy Warhol are all squeezed in together. Los Angeles Times

Russian ballet in L.A.

The Russian contemporary ensemble the Eifman Ballet is on a 40th anniversary tour around the U.S., with stops in Orange County, followed by shows this weekend of Tchaikovsky at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Contributing reviewer Laura Bleiberg reports on the production of Red Giselle. Los Angeles Times

Rethinking a sculpture in Minneapolis

Last month, a controversial sculpture by Los Angeles artist Sam Durant raised an outcry in Minneapolis for employing a gallows that referenced the execution of 38 Dakota men in the late 19th century. The installation, which was organized by the Walker Art Center, has since been removed. I sat down with Durant to discuss the controversy  and why he doesnt feel censored. The work, he said, no longer fulfilled my intentions. Los Angeles Times

Since were on the subject of the Walker: A retrospective of work by Jimmie Durham organized by the Hammer Museum has drawn criticism in Minneapolis over questions related to the artists heritage, reports Alicia Eler. Durham, who was on the board of the American Indian Movement in the 1970s, claims to be of Cherokee descent. Some indigenous cultural figures arent convinced. Minneapolis Star Tribune

Sort of related: Novelist Zadie Smith weaves together a critical look at Jordan Peeles Get Out with Dana Schutzs controversial painting Open Casket to look at how we set boundaries for addressing issues of race in art. Nuanced and wildly smart. Harpers

A 101 for I Love Dick

Priscilla Frank has put together an essential guide to all of the feminist films, performances and video art referenced in Jill Soloways television series I Love Dick, which is based on the artsy novel by Chris Kraus. Warning: This post contains arty nudity. Huffington Post

Plus: Tulsa Kinney sits down for a conversation with L.A.-based Kraus. Artillery

In other news

A mermaid sculpture by the art duo Bohemia Incorporated on the 10 Freeway. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

 I get to the bottom of that mysterious mermaid sculpture installed on the 10 Freeway. Los Angeles Times

 Did a DJ let slip Banksys true identity? Metro

 The Getty has received a major gift of photography. Los Angeles Times

 How Scarlett Coten rethinks how we see Arab men in her pictures. Africa Is a Country

 A priceless codex returns to Peru after an outcry, but the Spanish government will not let go of ownership rights. Throwback to the days of the colony? Artnet

 In Iraq, an iconic 12th century mosque was destroyed during a battle in Mosul. Hyperallergic

 How Lisa Bielawas Vireo, a partnership between Santa Anas Grand Central Art Center and KCET, made opera episodic. San Francisco Classical Voice

 A revitalized Opera Comique in Paris comes with specially commissioned cake. Bon appetit. New York Times

 Why the LGBTQ districts dubbed gayborhoods are disappearing. Financial Times, New York Times

 From the annals of art and gentrification: How a downtown L.A. developer is using art to attract tenants. KCRW Design & Architecture

 Related: The Santa Fe Art Colony is hoping to remain in the citys now-booming Arts District. KCET Artbound

 At a time of anti-Mexico rhetoric, MXLA, a two-day summit at REDCAT, seeks to establish greater connection between L.A. and Mexico City. Los Angeles Times

And last but not least

Trumps Tweets are now an art installation. Artnet

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carolina.miranda@latimes.com

@cmonstah

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Allen Leech and Ginnifer Goodwin on shifting to the stage, and the mind-bend that is Constellations

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Political relations between the U.S. and Mexico may be fractious, but cultural institutions on both sides of the border continue to connect with each other in interesting ways  and the California Institute of the Arts, as part of its Latin American Initiative, wants to improve the connections further.

The art school, based in Valencia, has teamed up with the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles, to organize the MXLA Creative Economy Forum, a two-day summit set to take place next week at REDCAT in downtown Los Angeles. It is to explore cultural exchange between Mexico City and L.A.

There is much moving back and forth across the border, said former CalArts president Steven Lavine, who helped organize the forum. In light of the anti-Mexican rhetoric, my hope is to make more visible the huge scale of what is going on.

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If you take the top filmmakers in Hollywood, you end up with Mexican filmmakers like [Alfonso] Cuaron, [Alejandro] Inarritu and [Guillermo] Del Toro, Lavine added. There is a long history of connection between the film industry in Mexico and the United States.

Fashion designer Carla Fernandez, deejay Camilo Lara, Museo Jumex chief curator Julieta Gonzalez, artist Eduardo Abaroa and filmmaker Jonas Cuaron (son of Alfonso Cuaron, of Gravity fame) are some of the noted Mexican cultural figures set to speak at MXLA..

Participating from the U.S. side will be Tomas Cookman, the founder and CEO of Latin indie label Nacional Records, Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman, former MOCA curator Alma Ruiz, author and MacArthur Fellow Josh Kun and artist Harry Gamboa.

And there will be figures who straddle the border, such as artist Ruben Ortiz-Torres, a CalArts alum who was born in Mexico and is now based in Southern California.

The hope is that in connecting people from disparate areas of culture, there can be an opportunity to find new ways to cross-pollinate and perhaps pool resources.

Nacionals Cookman, Lavine noted, has been adept at bringing together small record labels and indie artists in ways that allow them to work independently while sharing distribution and other commercial infrastructure. Perhaps there is an element in that model that could be employed by book publishing, for example.

A lot of culture turns on distribution, how stuff gets where it needs to go, Lavine said. One of the questions we want to address is how can you make processes of distribution function better?

The government looks at the big-ticket items, but some of that might stifle culture in the process.

By putting everyone together in a single room, Lavine is hoping to spur some of those conversations  and perhaps some new relationships.

But it wont all be talk. In addition to the various speakers, a special, surprise performance is also scheduled.

MXLA Creative Economy Forum

When: June 26, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and June 27, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown Los Angeles

Admission: Free with RSVP

Info: mxla2017.calarts.edu and redcat.org

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@cmonstah

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Celebrating #HarryPotter20: How Harry Potter and his blockbuster films came of age on screen

The Boy Who Lived has cast his spell on the box office since Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, the first film in Warner Bros. blockbuster franchise, hit theaters in 2001.

The bestselling, seven-book series was adapted into eight record-breaking films -- and a two-part play -- as the boy wizard ventured through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the wizarding world with his pals Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, taking on the enigmatic Lord Voldemort and his magical henchmen each school year.

As J.K. Rowlings debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone -- the first of the books from which the decade-spanning films were adapted -- marks its 20th anniversary, heres a reminder of how Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviewed the Harry Potter films. (Spoiler alert: He didnt always like them.)

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone film is imaginative and faithful but shuns any risk-taking (2001)

As his 11th birthday approaches, orphan Harry Potter learns that hes a wizard and enrolls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where his reputation as the Boy Who Lived precedes him during his magical training.

The result is a remarkably faithful copy of the book that treats the text like holy writ (hence its 2-hour-and-33-minute length), wrote The Times film critic Kenneth Turan. From the gold in Gringotts, the safe-as-houses goblin-run bank, to the centaur lurking in the forbidden forest that adjoins Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so much is presented just as written that Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone starts to resemble one of those fiendishly exact replicas of great works of art that Sunday painters can be seen working on in galleries of museums.

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets doesnt capture the well-balanced tone of the book (2002)

In their second year at Hogwarts, Harry and his pals Ron and Hermione contend with a celebrity author professor and a well-meaning house elf named Dobby who thwart the trio in unexpected ways.

The darkness that invades Chamber of Secrets underlines how well the books managed to exactly balance good and evil, dark and light, so that within their pages you seemed to be experiencing both at the same time. Not so here, Turan wrote. Because Chamber of Secrets cant seem to get the balance right, it ends up broadly overdoing things on both ends of the spectrum. The films scary moments are too monstrous and its happy times have too much idiotic beaming, making the film feel like the illegitimate offspring of Alien and The Absent-Minded Professor.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film comes close to capturing the essence of the books (2004)

The wizarding world gets markedly darker as convicted murderer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who is believed to have killed Harrys parents, escapes from the Azkaban prison and the soul-sucking Dementors are loosed to chase him down. Director Alfonso Cuaron takes the helm from Chris Columbus, who directed the two previous films.

"[T]he final hour of the two-hour-and-21-minute Azkaban is the closest any of the films has gotten to capturing the enormously pleasing essence of the Potter books, wrote Turan, adding, Those three leads (Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, Rupert Grint as Ron) play characters who are now 13, an age when anger and frustration are more publicly expressed. One of the benefits of Cuarons direction, his expertise with younger actors, means that the constant determination and occasional fury exhibited by the characters, especially Harry and Hermione, are completely convincing.

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire finally gets Harry Potter right (2005)

Harrys surprising inclusion in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament, as a fourth-year student, raises concerns and brings danger to the Hogwarts castle.

Its taken them long enough, but the movies have finally gotten Harry Potter right, wrote Turan. It has fallen to the veteran [director] Mike Newell, eager, in his own words, to break out of this goody-two-shoes feel, to make the first Harry Potter film to be wire-to-wire satisfying.

Though memorable acting is neither called for nor delivered on the part of Goblets collection of juveniles, Radcliffes Harry does get one thing exactly right. Watching him face myriad challenges, were convinced that Harrys heart will lead him to do the right thing. He does good in the most natural way and, like so much of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, thats just how it should be.

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix cant shake an episodic feeling (2007)

With the Ministry of Magic refusing to acknowledge Lord Voldemorts (Ralph Fiennes) return, fifth-year Harry is brooding at school as he contends with spooky visions and Ministry transplant Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton). His knowledge of the dark magic-fighting organization, the Order of the Phoenix, and a prophecy further complicate matters.

"[Director David] Yates and his team handle the films visuals well, including the impressive sets for the atrium of the Ministry of Magic and its Hall of Prophecy, as well as fine flying sequences involving either broomsticks or equine creatures called Thestrals, Turan wrote. The director also works well with the films juvenile leads, which is important, because these are the raging hormone years at Hogwarts School, and that is especially true where Harry is concerned. Looking so disgruntled in his gray hoodie that you fear he might start rapping, Harry comes off as more Grumpy Potter than the bright light of the wizarding world.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is well-crafted but sometimes hard to endure (2009)

As dark magic spills into the Muggle world, Harrys mentor, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), tasks him with bringing down Lord Voldemort. But Harrys discovery of an old textbook teaches him more than he expected about his past.

Now in its sixth episode shot over an eight-year span, with two more features still to come, this one-of-a-kind film cycle has become as comfortable and reliable as an old shoe, providing a degree of dependability thats becoming increasingly rare, Turan wrote. As directed by David Yates, who did the previous film and is on tap for the final two, Half-Blood Prince demonstrates the ways that the Potter pictures have become the modern exemplars of establishment moviemaking. We dont turn to these films for thrilling or original cinema, we look for a level of craft, consistency and, most of all, fidelity to the originals -- all of which we get.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1" (2010)

The penultimate film sees Harry, Hermione and Ron venturing out into the real world to locate and destroy Lord Voldemorts soul-encapsulating Horcruxes as Hogwarts and the wizarding world fall to He Who Must Not Be Named.

Much of the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows involves the attempt to find and destroy a series of Horcruxes, and if you havent a clue about what they are or why theyre important, you might as well stay home, Turan wrote. There is something different, however, about this Potter movie, and that is the words Part 1' that end the title. Understandably distraught about Hallows being the last of the phenomenally popular J.K. Rowling novels, Warner Bros. has split the final effort into two films and is likely kicking itself for not having thought of that with the earlier books.

(It should be noted that the studio reboots the wizarding world with the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series. The first film hit theaters in 2016.)

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" (2011)

Harry goes wand-to-wand with Lord Voldemort, concluding Harrys final year at the wizarding school with the epic Battle of Hogwarts.

In a classic storybook finish, however, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2' turns out to be more than the last of its kind. Almost magically, it ends up being one of the best of the series as well, Turan wrote. The Harry Potter films, like the boy wizard himself, have had their creative ups and downs, so its especially satisfying that this final film, ungainly title and all, has been worth the wait. Though no expense has been spared in its production, it succeeds because it brings us back to the combination of magic, adventure and emotion that created the books popularity in the first place.

For more of The Times Harry Potter anniversary coverage, go here.
Pharmacy sales in Ukraine up 18% in five months

Pharmacy sales in Ukraine in January-May 2017 increased by 18% in monetary terms compared to the same period in 2016, to UAH 26.573 billion.

Pharmacy sales in physical terms grew by 11% in January-May 2017, to 620.2 million packages, the Business Credit company told Interfax-Ukraine.

In particular, retail sales of medicines in January-May 2017 increased by 17% in monetary terms, to UAH 21.659 billion and by 10% in physical terms, to 384.389 million packages.

Pharmacy sales in May 2017 compared to May 2016 rose in monetary terms by 24% to UAH 5.238 billion and in physical terms by 16% - to 122.535 million packs, Business Credit said. Retail drugs sales in May 2017 increased in money terms by 24% to UAH 4.267 billion and in physical terms by 16% to 75.324 million packs.

The average weighted price of goods in the pharmacy basket in May 2017 was UAH 43, and average price per package was UAH 56.65.
As the audience was settling into the theater before the world premiere of Baby Driver earlier this year at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, the energy level was stoked higher by a pre-show playlist of songs with Baby in the title curated by writer-director Edgar Wright himself. That sort of attention to detail, a sense of bespoke fun, encapsulates what has made the British-born Wright a favorite of discerning fans and critics alike.

Wright is known for the cult favorite trilogy of films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End plus Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, making him an ultimate example of a geek made good, but his latest film may be the one to finally push his distinctive appeal to broader, mainstream audiences. With its exuberance, wit, antic precision and idiosyncratic mix of action, music and romance, Baby Driver is in many respects Maximum Edgar.

MORE: Baby Driver fever: More movies with cars, action and music 

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I think at heart theyre all works of passion, Wright said during a recent interview in Los Angeles. Im never doing a movie because I think I ought to; Im doing movies because I want to. And Im also creating the stories I want to see.

He added, Baby Driver in a way is a lot of different passions colliding in one movie  to do a full-on action movie, but its also about music at the same time. So to kind of tackle my twin passions in one movie, its a dream come true.

The movie, which opens June 28, follows a young man who goes by Baby (Ansel Elgort) and works as an ace getaway driver for criminal enterprises planned by the powerful Doc (Kevin Spacey). Baby always listens to music on his headphones, even while driving, as a way to both soundtrack his life and drown out the ringing tinnitus in his ears. After Baby meets a waitress named Debora (Lily James), he wants out of the criminal life, but not before a final heist with a crew that includes live-wire outlaws Buddy (Jon Hamm), Darling (Eiza Gonzalez) and Bats (Jamie Foxx).

Im never doing a movie because I think I ought to; Im doing movies because I want to.  Edgar Wright

Baby Driver director Edgar Wright is photographed in Beverly Hills. (Christina House / For The Times)

The origins of Baby Driver go back some 22 years, when Wright was in a modest apartment in North London listening to a cassette tape of the skittish blues-rock of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion song Bellbottoms over and over, lost in the car chase it evoked in his head.

While Wright would use some of those ideas in a 2003 music video he directed for the group Mint Royale, the dazzling opening heist and car chase sequence of Baby Driver, set to Bellbottoms, is more or less what Wright pictured in his head all those years ago.

From there he eventually built out a story to go along with that nascent imagery, assembling a growing want list of songs, including old soul and R&B, vintage British rock and more of a wide and varied taste. And the story of Baby the driver itself took on the air of a cautionary workplace fable.

I did like the idea of starting the film with the fantasy of being a getaway driver and ending it with the nightmare of being a criminal, Wright said.

Originally from Somerset, England, Wright made his feature debut with the ultra-low-budget A Fistful of Fingers when he was barely 20, then moved on to the British TV comedy Spaced before launching to international acclaim with Shaun of the Dead.

Wright, 43, is in a rarefied field of directors with a core following and critical cachet. Perhaps emblematic of his standing in the filmmaking field, he recently participated in an impromptu Twitter round table with directors Christopher McQuarrie, Ava DuVernay, Guillermo del Toro, James Mangold, Rian Johnson and William Friedkin.

But Wrights rise has not been without bumps in the road. It has been four years since the release of his previous film, the apocalyptic comedy The Worlds End. In that time Wright went through a high-profile departure in 2014 shortly before production was to begin on Marvels Ant-Man, a project he had been working on since 2006. Though Wright still received a writing credit on the finished project, he has never watched the film.

I dont want to go into too much detail, and I cant go into too much detail, but the simple, hard facts of it is that there was a point right before, about eight weeks before were supposed to start shooting, where they wanted to do a draft with somebody else, Wright said. Once youve been a writer-director on a movie for eight years, its kind of tough to take.

So it was a really tough decision that ultimately was a binary decision. If I do something like that I want to be a writer-director on it, I dont want to just be a director-for-hire, thats not what I signed up for. The positive thing that came out of it is I came into doing this film next.

Wrights longtime producer Nira Park doesnt think the experience of Ant-Man changed Wright at all as a filmmaker, though she could see he had extra determination once they decided that the long-gestating Baby Driver was the movie he would make next.

Edgar is an eternally optimistic person, and that was obviously very tough, but he remained very positive and then he threw himself into Baby Driver, said Park of how Ant-Man affected Wright. I think what it did was, once we decided Baby Driver was the next thing, there was no way Edgar wasnt making that movie.

As for whether the experience has turned him off to the possibility of franchise filmmaking in contemporary Hollywood, Wright answered with a mixture of diplomatic caution and hard-earned wisdom.

I would be a fool to say no, so I will definitely say never say never, he said. He leaned in close to a reporters recorder to add with a smile, I will say on the record that Ill do a Bond movie.

Wrights intense preparation for Baby Driver, with a budget estimated at $34 million, made itself apparent even before the production assembled in Atlanta, where the film was shot and its story set. Actors and key crew were sent a tablet set up so that certain songs and sound effects could be heard while reading the script, giving a sense of the movies sensory overload. As Gonzalez put it, When I read the script, my brain melted through my ear.

Having made meticulous storyboards before shooting, Wright works with an editor on set during production, putting together the movie as it is in progress piece by piece. Yet he remains open to collaboration and the sort of creative invention that can happen on set.

He does really let you let rip, James said. You can hear him giggling behind the camera, Yes, yes do that again. It feels like there is a real freedom to the whole thing, and when you are working with someone who is so deeply passionate about what hes created, its the most infectious energy.

Hamm met Wright at the after-party when the actor first hosted Saturday Night Live in 2008 and the two became friends. During shooting on Baby Driver, Hamm said he often felt the need to remind Wright to simply sleep and eat.

He genuinely loves this. He loves talking about movies, he loves talking about music, he loves listening to music, he loves watching movies, he loves the whole process, said Hamm. And when we were down in Atlanta, there was no one person who worked harder than Edgar. Period. By a factor of, like, five.

In many ways Wright is perhaps still not so far removed from that young man in a shabby apartment with a head full of images and dreams. He recalled a recent 10th anniversary screening in Los Angeles of his police comedy Hot Fuzz (which boasted a Q&A moderated by Get Out director Jordan Peele).

Thats my hometown in Hot Fuzz, Ill never get over how trippy it is sitting in Hollywood watching my hometown, Wright said. Because thats how I started, sitting in quiet, rural Somerset, watching Hollywood movies on the big screen, and cut to 2017 and Im in Hollywood watching my hometown on the big screen. And I think that is something, that twist of irony is probably my proudest achievement.

I sort of feel like making these movies is like lassoing a unicorn.  Edgar Wright

Wright isnt certain what his next film will be. He has adaptions of Neil Gaimans book Fortunately, the Milk and Andrew A. Smiths novel Grasshopper Jungle in development as well as some ideas for original projects. There have also been offers for what Wright calls bigger, sillier things as well.

Now on the other side of both Ant-Man and Baby Driver, Wright hopes to continue to follow his creative passions with a fans unbridled enthusiasm.

In this day and age, stating the obvious, its difficult to get original movies made, so if I have the chance to do an original film with a studio, I should do it. For the sake of film history, apart from anything else. I think its vitally important that studios keep making original movies as well as all of the franchises. So when you get an opportunity to do that, youve got to go for it.

He added, I sort of feel like making these movies is like lassoing a unicorn.

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Edgar Wright is a filmmaker who unabashedly loves movies. Having put together programs in the past in L.A., Wright recently curated a series of chase movies for the BFI in London and a series of heist movies for the BAMcinematek in Brooklyn. (Including some of the titles below.) For anyone taken with the action-musical-heist-romance ride of Baby Driver, here are a few additional titles to check out.

To Live and Die in L.A.

A riveting mixture of crime, cars, tension, music and action, the 1985 movie To Live and Die in L.A. features early performances from the likes of William Petersen, Willem Dafoe and John Turturro. Though director William Friedkins earlier The French Connection is rightly hailed for its own breakneck car scene, To Live and Die in L.A. features a grab-your-seat sequence with cars going against the flow of traffic during a wild freeway chase.

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MORE: Edgar Wright accelerates toward the mainstream with Baby Driver 

The Driver

Though a critical and commercial bust on its original release in 1978, Walter Hills moody crime drama The Driver, starring Ryan ONeal, Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani, has gone on to become a cult favorite for the way it drains its gritty genre storytelling down to an elemental, existential core. The Driver was also a reference point for Nicolas Winding Refns stylish action-romance Drive and Hill himself makes a voice-over cameo in Baby Driver.

Vanishing Point

Music, cars and the counterculture collide in Richard C. Sarafians 1971 movie about a pill-addled loner speeding West who becomes locked into musical communication with a blind disc jockey. The movie has had a surprising pop-cultural afterlife, with English music group Primal Scream naming an album after it and Quentin Tarantino explicitly referencing it in his own Death Proof. The film will be playing at L.A.s Billy Wilder Theater on Aug. 12 as part of UCLAs series on the shadow cinema of the 1970s.

Triple 9

Though not directly related to Baby Driver, John Hillcoats 2016 release Triple 9 was likewise shot in Atlanta and also pointedly set its story there too. A gritty crime drama with an ensemble of serious talents  including Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Gal Gadot  the film is a treat for location nerds as it uses some of the same overpasses and roadways that also appear in Wrights movie.

Bugsy Malone

Talk about tonally ambitious: Alan Parkers 1976 film Bugsy Malone is a Prohibition-era musical-comedy with a cast of children that includes Scott Baio and Jodie Foster. Wright is an acknowledged fan of the film, which features music by Paul Williams, who has a small role in Baby Driver

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Movie recommendations from critics Kenneth Turan, Justin Chang and other reviewers.

Beatriz at Dinner Salma Hayek gives perhaps the best performance of her career as an empathetic holistic healer who comes face-to-face with a rotten billionaire real-estate mogul (a marvelous John Lithgow) in this queasily funny and suspenseful dark comedy from director Miguel Arteta and screenwriter Mike White. (Justin Chang) R.

The Beguiled Superbly acted by an ensemble that includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell, Sofia Coppolas Southern gothic chamber piece brings artful precision and a deft, distinctive feminist reading to a Civil War-era story previously adapted in 1971 by Don Siegel. (Justin Chang) R.

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The Big Sick Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan are terrific as a young couple navigating the challenges of interracial romance and Muslim immigrant identity in director Michael Showalters delightful, serious-minded comedy, which also features powerhouse supporting turns from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano. (Justin Chang) R.

Churchill Brian Cox, in a towering, Oscar-caliber performance, proves the literal beating heart of this superb look at iconic statesman Winston Churchills torturous days leading up to the pivotal D-day landings of June 6, 1944. (Gary Goldstein) PG.

Dawson City: Frozen Time An aesthetic knockout thats crammed with amazing facts, a documentary thats also a detective story, a history of a particular place that turns into an examination of an entire art form, this Bill Morrison documentary inspired by the Klondike gold rush and a legendary cache of silent films will make you swoon. (Kenneth Turan) NR.

It Comes at Night Confirming the filmmaking skill of writer-director Trey Edward Shults (Krisha), this nightmarish post-apocalyptic thriller about two families seeking refuge in the wilderness is a tour de force of narrative economy, etched in dim light and implacable shadows. (Justin Chang) R.

The Lost City of Z Based on David Granns nonfiction bestseller about British explorer Percy Fawcett (well played by Charlie Hunnam), James Grays rich, meditative and deeply transporting adventure epic is the sort of classical filmmaking that feels positively radical. (Justin Chang) PG-13.

My Cousin Rachel Daphne du Mauriers melodramatic thriller of a novel is turned into a triumphant exercise in dark and delicious romantic ambiguity courtesy of an extremely persuasive performance by Rachel Weisz. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13.

My Journey Through French Cinema A passionate, opinionated, drop dead fascinating documentary essay about key decades in that countrys film history put together by clear-eyed enthusiast Bertrand Tavernier. (Kenneth Turan) NR.

Norman: The Modern Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer Subtle, unsettling, slyly amusing, Israeli director Joseph Cedars first English-language film provides Richard Gere with a splendid role as a hustler forever on the make in Manhattan. (Kenneth Turan) R.

Wonder Woman With forthright emotion, spirited humor and a surprisingly purposeful sense of spectacle, director Patty Jenkins and her superb star, Gal Gadot, have made a thrilling new superhero saga that might just save the typically nonthrilling DC Extended Universe. (Justin Chang) PG-13.

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Monique Lhuillier dresses all sorts of brides and now she will help decorate their homes too through a deal with Pottery Barn. Through a multiseason collaboration, the designer will be serving up bedding, bath, tabletop, entertaining and decor products starting for the holidays and carrying through to next spring and beyond. It will debut in the chains stores and its site in October. The partnership builds on her Pottery Barn Kids collaboration. Both brands are part of the Williams-Sonoma portfolio. Pottery Barn currently has stores in the U.S., Canada and Australia and unaffiliated franchisees with outposts in Mexico, the Middle East and the Philippines.

Originally a bridal designer, Lhuillier has branched out into all sorts of categories and licenses during her more than 21 years in the fashion industry. The Pottery Barn items will include feminine references like rose gold accents, romantic prints and traditional embroidery. The Los Angeles resident has said on more than one occasion how much she enjoys spending time at home with her family. Lhuilliers husband, Tom Bugbee, is also her business partner.

Lhuillier said, Partnering with Pottery Barn to create a lifestyle collection couldnt have been more natural or rewarding. They are experts in creating relaxed environments that lend themselves to celebrating lifes everyday moments.

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Monica Bhargava, executive vice president of product development and design at Pottery Barn, said the design process involved drawing inspiration from the designers gowns and translating her use of color, prints and texture for the home.

Lhuillier recently revealed plans for a second home of sorts. The designer will soon be trooping off to Paris to show her ready-to-wear collection there for the first time. Following in the footsteps of Proenza Schouler and Rodarte, who are Paris-bound next month, she will be showing her spring collection on July 3 at Hotel dEvreux with an 11:30 a.m. start time. There will be 275 guests, a more intimate group than the crowds of 750 that are invited to her New York Fashion Week shows. It will be like sharing the magic in a different platform, she said. It will be my ready-to-wear but slightly elevated and more intricate.

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Charter schools remain a subject of intense debate in Los Angeles, especially with the arrival soon of two new school board members who were supported by charter backers.

While research on charters often is inconclusive and partisan, a study released this week has ammunition for both their enthusiasts and their critics.

The research commissioned by a coalition of educational and philanthropic organizations focused on charter schools in Oakland. It determined that they have received less public funding than Oaklands traditional public schools, but that traditional schools have had a more challenging student population to educate.

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Charters are privately operated public schools that are exempt from some rules that govern traditional campuses. Most are non-union, and in California most are run by nonprofits. L.A. Unified has more charter students than any other school system, about 16% of total enrollment. Oakland is a much smaller district, and 30% of its students are in charters.

A central finding of the study supports charter operators longtime claim that they get less money. Despite serving similar percentages of low-income students and students learning English, Oakland charters received about $2,800 less in public funding per student.

Charter critics, however, can point to other study conclusions:

Oakland Unified district schools served nearly twice as high a percentage of students with disabilities, and their students were more likely to have disabilities requiring intensive and expensive services.

Adjusting for special education trimmed the funding difference to $1,400 per student, according to estimates by researchers, while additional factors such as family transiency, if fully accounted for, might eliminate the funding disparity entirely or even reverse it.

Students entering charters in sixth and ninth grades, key transition years, had higher test scores than students who entered traditional public schools. In sixth grade, about 40% of students entering charters were academically proficient based on state learning goals, compared with about 27% of students entering district-run schools.

Traditional schools had a higher percentage of students who enrolled after Oct. 1: about 7%, compared with 2%. High turnover, with students who arrive and leave after the start of the year, often makes teaching and learning more challenging.

The study also found that:



Charter schools had 14% more contractually required teacher time per day, on average, than district-run schools.

District-run schools spent 18% more per teacher on compensation than the average charter school  mostly due to higher average costs for benefits.

These are deeply complicated problems and we dont expect easy answers, said Ash Solar, executive director of GO Public Schools Oakland, a nonprofit education advocacy group that is part of the Oakland Achieves Partnership coalition, which commissioned the $330,000 study.

Other members of the coalition include Alameda First 5, Educate 78, GO Public Schools Oakland, the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, the Oakland Public Education Fund, the Rogers Family Foundation, the Urban Strategies Council, and United Way of the Bay Area.

The analysis was conducted by Education Resource Strategies, based in Massachusetts, using data from the 2014-15 school year.

Charters representing 88% of Oakland charter students cooperated with researchers as did the Oakland Unified School District.

howard.blume@latimes.com

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A U.S. Border Patrol agent pleaded guilty Thursday to smuggling backpacks he believed contained drugs across the border.

Appearing in a federal courtroom in San Diego, Noe Lopez pleaded guilty to attempted distribution of methamphetamine and attempted distribution of cocaine.

He faces a possible minimum sentence of 10 years for each of the two counts and a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

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His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8 before U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw.

Lopez, a 10-year Border Patrol veteran who worked out of the Imperial Beach station, was arrested Dec. 14 as a result of a two-month undercover sting.

According to court documents, Lopez struck up a friendship with a man he met at a party and later began communicating with through an online messaging app. During their conversations, Lopez bragged about how he could smuggle drugs left at strategic points along the border fence and told the man he would do it for a fee.

The man relayed this information to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and became a confidential source. He cooperated with authorities to help carry out two transactions with Lopez.

In October, Lopez took the man on a driving tour of the border fence to show the best locations where the drugs could be dropped, authorities said.

About a month later, Lopez told the confidential source that he would accept $500 per kilogram of methamphetamine and $1,000 per kilogram of cocaine he helped pick up and deliver into the United States, according to the FBI.

On Dec. 6 and 8, Lopez agreed to pick up backpacks at sites along the border fence while on duty, according to the complaint. Undercover agents placed the backpacks  loaded with fake drugs  at the sites.

Lopez then picked them up, transported them in his personal vehicle, and delivered them to the source after work, authorities said.

Littlefield writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield

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South Bay commuters looking to avoid the 405 Freeway have long taken an alternate route through Playa del Rey, passing the coastline and the Ballona Wetlands to reach Santa Monica.

The route is popular  with more than 24,000 vehicles per day  but some residents complained that harried commuters speeding through the neighborhood put pedestrians and children at risk.



For the record: A headline on an earlier version of this article referred to narrowed streets in Playa Vista. That neighborhoods streets did not have lanes of traffic removed.

The friction came to a head this month, when Los Angeles officials eliminated 9.4 miles of traffic lanes and added 4.3 miles of bike lanes in an effort to reduce collisions.

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The restriping led to bumper-to-bumper traffic, sending drive times and tempers soaring. Opponents have drafted an online petition calling on City Councilman Mike Bonin to reverse the one-lane madness, as well as a fundraising campaign for a formal appeal to the City Council  and a lawsuit to reverse the project, if it comes to that, organizers say.

The fight offers a glimpse of future battles as Los Angeles officials roll out dozens of similar projects over the next decade. Two sweeping initiatives  Vision Zero and Mobility Plan 2035  call for reducing traffic deaths and improving transit and bike infrastructure across the city, changes that will frequently come at the expense of travel lanes on major thoroughfares.

Change is hard, and peoples first reaction to change is the most negative, said Seleta Reynolds, the Transportation Departments general manager. It helps, she says, if the public is involved in the process.

That was not the case for Vista del Mar, one of the few major streets that bypasses Los Angeles International Airport and connects the South Bay and the Westside. Last month, with little warning, the city narrowed the beachfront street to one lane in each direction in an effort to reduce liability for fatal traffic collisions.

The other lane reductions  on Pershing Drive and Culver, Jefferson and Venice boulevards  were advertised for months through meetings, social media and Bonins newsletters to constituents, officials say.

The traffic should calm down in a few weeks, city officials say. The narrower streets are expected to spare about 16 people each year from severe injuries in car crashes.

Change is hard, and peoples first reaction to change is the most negative.  Transportation Department general manager Seleta Reynolds

More than 5,800 people from Los Angeles and several South Bay cities have signed the petition, and the fundraising campaign, Fight L.A. Gridlock, has generated nearly $16,000.

We support street safety, said John Russo, a 43-year-old Playa del Rey resident who started the fundraiser. We just want to be brought to the table. And we want to try to find a solution that doesnt punish people in cars who want to go home and have dinner with their families.

Frustrated commuters have vented about delays on social media. Others have flooded Bonins phone lines and Facebook page with complaints, insults and threats to recall him from office.

The changes, Bonin said, have sparked some very ugly reactions.

We want to try to find a solution that doesnt punish people in cars who want to go home and have dinner with their families.  John Russo, Playa del Rey resident

The Vista del Mar redesign followed the Los Angeles City Councils decision in April to pay $9.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the parents of a 16-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a taxi driver as she crossed the street.

At the advice of City Atty. Mike Feuer, transportation employees rushed to redesign the street before summer crowds began descending on Dockweiler Beach, Reynolds said. (A Feuer spokesman said he could not comment on confidential advice that may or may not have been given to our client.)

To speed up the project, the city truncated the public outreach process. That was a mistake, Reynolds said, because people were caught by surprise.

Vista del Mar was by far the largest restriping project that the department has ever done, she said. The city shifted all parking to the west side of the street, to discourage people from darting across traffic, and narrowed the route to one lane in each direction.

Removing parking entirely, as some commuters have suggested, would have put the city at odds with the California Coastal Commission, which has traditionally held that removing parking in the coastal zone is a form of denying access to public beaches, Reynolds said.

Tom Krenzke, 35, commutes to work through Playa del Rey on Thursday. I used to ride elbow-to-elbow with cars, he said. Now I have a whole lane to myself. (Christian K. Lee / Los Angeles Times)

The changes to Culver, Pershing and Jefferson began with a group of Playa del Rey residents who approached Bonins office with concerns about safety more than two years ago.

One was Ryan Wewers, a 35-year-old drone pilot, who said he stopped crossing the street as he walked his dog because commuters drove recklessly.

One of the first things I noticed here was not feeling safe walking around, said Wewers, who moved to California from Kansas. Everybody wants to be able to walk their dogs and give their kids a safe place to play in the yard without traffic flying through.

Still, he said, he would be open to modifying the projects, provided the changes can keep drivers, pedestrians and cyclists safe.

Everybody in Southern California wants to go as quickly as possible from Point A to Point B, Bonin said. But by the same token, nobody wants people speeding through their neighborhood. Playa del Rey is also somebodys neighborhood.

Nobody wants people speeding through their neighborhood. Playa del Rey is also somebodys neighborhood.  Westside Councilman Mike Bonin

Advocates have filed an administrative appeal against the Vista del Mar project with the City Council. If that fails, a lawsuit will likely follow, alleging that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act while implementing the project, said Ed McPherson of Manhattan Beach, another member of the fundraising group.

Were ultimately going to try to reverse this horrible situation, McPherson said.

The changes to Vista del Mar have sparked outrage among some movers and shakers in L.A.s tech community, which has a growing presence in Playa Vista.

There are thousands of people who drive that way every day, but were not their constituents, and were not their voters, said Peter Pham, the co-founder of a venture capital firm and business incubator, who lives in Manhattan Beach. We dont understand how this decision can be made without thinking of the impact that it will have on the region.

Bonin pushed back against that idea, saying other cities, including Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach, have narrowed their roads without consulting Los Angeles.

More regional is better, but lets not make the argument that Playa del Rey is the only community that has the burden of working with others, Bonin said.

The narrowed streets are mostly lines of paint and changes to signals, and can still be modified, Reynolds said. But removing the projects entirely would be problematic and unusual.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

For more transportation news, follow @laura_nelson on Twitter.

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Fresno County prosecutors have charged two men in a series of beehive thefts that targeted Central Valley almond orchards.

Pavel Tveretinov, 51, and Vitaliy Yeroshenko, 48, are each facing nine felony counts of receiving stolen property and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property, with the allegation saying the stolen beehives were worth more than $200,000, according to the Fresno County district attorneys office.

Tveretinov is being held in the Fresno County Jail. An arrest warrant has been issued for Yeroshenko.

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For more than a year, beekeepers throughout the Central Valley had been reporting hive thefts to local authorities. The thefts triggered concerns throughout the apiary industry, and an advisory went out to beekeepers, bee brokers and almond growers urging them to stay vigilant.

Authorities had been investigating the thefts for months, and then they finally got a break in the case on April 28.

When detectives visited an orchard in Fresno to follow up on a theft report, they spotted Tveretinov in a beekeeper suit tending to more than 100 beehives.

The beehives had been stolen from a Madera County orchard in March, according to the Madera County Sheriffs Office.

Tveretinov was arrested, and investigators said they later discovered that he was behind a nearly $1-million beehive theft operation, according to the Fresno County Sheriffs Office.

According to prosecutors, Tveretinov, a Sacramento resident, and Yeroshenko, an Antelope resident, had accumulated more than 1,200 beehives.

The beehives were stolen from 10 beekeepers over two years, prosecutors said. According to sheriffs officials, most of the stolen hives belonged to out-of-state beekeepers, who rented out their colonies to California almond tree growers looking to pollinate their crops.

Sheriffs investigators said Tveretinov stole the hives at night, when bees are dormant, and moved them on flatbed trailers around California and to other states. Tveretinov likely rented the hives out for cash, authorities said.

If convicted Tveretinov and Yeroshenko face more than 10 years in county jail, prosecutors said.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA

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One man is dead and a police investigation is underway after up to nine Los Angeles police officers fired on a tenant armed with a gun inside his Hollywood Hills West apartment, officials said.

Witness video broadcast by local media recorded dozens of gunshots thundering through the neighborhood in the 7200 block of Hillside Avenue about 11 p.m. Thursday after police say a tenant in the building pulled a gun on officers.

Police had gone to the apartment in response to a reported battery and found the man arguing with his roommate, said Officer Irma Mota.

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While the police were there, the suspect at some point produces a handgun and at that point an officer-involved shooting occurred, Sgt. Frank Preciado said.

At some point after that, the man stepped out onto his fourth floor balcony and a second officer-involved shooting occurred. The man was struck and killed in the second shooting, Preciado said. Up to nine officers fired their weapons during the incident, he said.

We have witnesses accounts saying that they heard officers say, Drop the gun, drop the gun! Preciado said.

An investigation is underway in the 7000 block of Hillside Ave. in Hollywood following a fatal officer-involved shooting. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

No officers were injured.

Detectives are speaking with the mans roommate to see if he knows why the man pulled out a gun.

Dont know if he was under the influence, why he would arm himself, Preciado said.

The mans body remained at the scene and has not yet been identified as of 6 a.m., the coroner said.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
Public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on June 22 signed the agreement on preliminary conditions of financing purchase of new freight wagons.

Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Wojciech Balczun wrote on his Facebook page that the total estimated cost of the project is $260 million, including a $150 million loan from the EBRD and $110 million using other sources of financing of Ukrzaliznytsia.

The agreement envisages the possibility of financing in the national currency.

"The project is evidence of growth of investment attractiveness and financial stability of Ukrzaliznytsia. This is confirmed by respected creditors. Today Ukrzaliznytsia has seven projects of financing with international financial institutions (IFIs) and foreign banks in the amount of $1.05 billion. Thanks to internal resources and raised funds we will continue investing in the renewal of rolling stock of our company in line with the development strategy for 2017-2021," he said.

He reminded that total investment for these years will be UAH 130-150 billion.
The parents of a gun-wielding 14-year-old whom Los Angeles police shot and killed in Boyle Heights last year have filed suit against the city and an officer, alleging that police violated their sons civil rights, used excessive force and denied him timely medical care.

By not disciplining police officers when they use excessive force, [the city has] fostered a culture of allowing officers to shoot people and get away with it, said the familys attorney, Humberto Guizar, at a Friday press conference.

Police have said Jesse Romero was with two others behind an apartment complex near Chicago Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue on Aug. 9, 2016, tagging gang-type graffiti when gang officers approached. The three bolted, the LAPD said, with Romero grabbing his front waistband.

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As they approached Breed Street, officers heard a gunshot, police have said, adding that a witness saw Romero fire a handgun in the direction of the officers.

One of the officers then saw Romero crouched on the sidewalk with his arm extended, police said in a statement. Fearing Romero was going to shoot at them, the officer fired two shots.

That officer, Eden Medina, fatally shot a man in Boyle Heights just 12 days before he shot and killed Romero.

In the lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday, the family said Medina should not have been allowed to return to the field so soon after his first shooting.

At Fridays press conference, Guizar also disputed police accounts that a witness saw Jesse fire a handgun, and that he was pointing a handgun at officers when he was shot. Witnesses saw Jesse throw the gun and a video shows the gun on the other side of a wrought-iron fence, Guizar said.

It would have been impossible for Jesse to have a gun in his hand, aiming it at the officers at the time they shot him, Guizar said.

Officer Liliana Preciado, an LAPD spokesperson, said the department does not comment on pending litigation. On Friday, L.A. City Attorneys office spokesman Rob Wilcox said the office had not yet received and reviewed the lawsuit.

The boys parents said Jesses death has taken a toll on the family. Their second son, who is now 14, is very, very depressed, said Jesses father, Jesus Romero Garcia. We only want justice.

Jesses mother, Teresa Dominguez, held up a framed photo of Jesse throughout the press conference. He was a very good boy and a good student, she said. He had many dreams.

In October the parents filed a legal claim against the city, a precursor to a lawsuit, alleging excessive force. The city has not responded, Guizar said, which allows the parents to file a lawsuit.

Times reporter Kate Mather contributed to this article.

Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli.
More than 100 firearms, including modified assault rifles, were recovered Thursday at the home of the Los Angeles police officer accused of having sex with an underage member of the departments cadet program, deepening concerns about the embattled youth initiative, law enforcement sources said.

The weapons were recovered during a search of Officer Robert Cains Rancho Cucamonga home that took place hours after he was arrested on suspicion of having unlawful sex with a 15-year-old cadet, according to three law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

Some of the weapons were described as assault rifles, the sources said. Two of the sources said a grenade launcher and grenades were recovered, but the devices were either dysfunctional or inert.

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A neighbor, who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions, told The Times that Cain has an extensive gun collection and likes to build and modify his own AR-15 semiautomatic rifles. Cain would sometimes invite others to participate in the weapons projects, including fellow law enforcement officers, the neighbor said.

He moved in three years ago. He threw a party. He is a very friendly guy, the neighbor said.

Officer Aareon Jefferson, an LAPD spokesman, confirmed that the department took weapons from Cains home while executing a search warrant Thursday night, adding that investigators are working to determine if the firearms are legal in California. He would not comment on the number or types of weapons recovered.

The department has also initiated a personnel complaint against Cain that could result in discipline or termination, a source told The Times on Friday.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck personally arrested Cain on Thursday morning. The sexual misconduct allegations surfaced as the department continues to investigate the theft of several LAPD cruisers, stun guns, police radios and other equipment that as many as seven cadets are suspected of carrying out in recent weeks.

The 15-year-old victim was one of the cadets arrested in connection with the thefts, Beck said. Investigators uncovered text messages between Cain and the 15-year-old that suggested inappropriate behavior and also revealed Cain probably knew the cadets were stealing cruisers and equipment, Beck said.

Cain, 31, a 10-year veteran of the department, had been assigned to the equipment room at 77th Street Division in South L.A. Six of the seven cadets arrested in connection with the thefts were assigned to the same division.

Police are trying to determine if there are other victims. Beck said he does not believe any other sworn LAPD officers committed wrongdoing in connection with the cadet program.

After a week spent responding to the allegations, Beck will address the programs more than 2,000 teens and young adults during a graduation ceremony at USC on Saturday. Graduating cadets are also scheduled to speak about their positive experiences with the initiative, in the face of the growing scandal.

Cain was freed on $75,000 bail around 5 a.m. Friday, and his first court appearance is scheduled for July 21, according to Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department records.

Charges have yet to be filed against Cain or any of the cadets arrested in the last week.

A swarm of LAPD officers arrived at Cains home Thursday to execute a search warrant and warned residents there may have been explosives inside the home, said the neighbor, who added that Cain lived there with his mother.

Cain would often host barbecues that were frequented by other law enforcement officers, the neighbor said. No one answered the door at Cains home Friday morning.

The son of an LAPD officer who died in 2012, Cain was previously assigned to the departments Van Nuys Division, his personal Facebook page said. He transferred to the 77th Street Division in 2015, one post said. The LAPD said it is barred by state law from discussing an officers employment history.

In the few public posts on his page, Cain presents himself as a gun and car enthusiast. He also often posted about work, once talking about meeting actor Shia LaBeouf while responding to a call at his Los Angeles home in 2014.

This was an officer that was in a station, in a kit room, and somehow developed a relationship with these kids?  City Councilman Mitchell Englander

The unfolding scandal has drawn angry reactions from city leaders, Mayor Eric Garcetti and the union that represents rank-and-file officers. On Friday, City Councilman Mitchell Englander introduced a motion calling for an audit of all of the LAPDs youth initiatives, including the cadet program.

Were not only looking at this particular incident or division, or the cadet program, but all the youth programs within LAPD and all of the financials, he said. Its a good opportunity during a crisis to take advantage of change, and there is certainly needed change.

Beck has already ordered a top-to-bottom review of the cadet program and suspended the initiative at the 77th Street and Pacific divisions, but Englander said Friday his motion would invite public input and discussion about issues facing the program.

Englander praised the program as a haven for at-risk teens but also expressed concern about how well cadets are supervised.

This was an officer that was in a station, in a kit room, and somehow developed a relationship with these kids? Englander asked. That means theres definitely flaws in the system as far as supervision and oversight.

Beck has said that Cain was not assigned to any of the departments youth programs.

The department assigns a male and a female youth services officer to each division to prevent situations in which adults and teens of different genders might be alone together, said Josh Rubenstein, the LAPDs chief spokesman.

But the LAPD does not have a written policy, he said, that expressly forbids officers from being alone with cadets or other minors enrolled in department youth programs.

james.queally@latimes.com

richard.winton@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT and @LACrimes for crime and police news in California.

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UPDATES:

6:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the cadet program from an LAPD spokesman.

3:35 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about a personnel complaint against Cain, details from Cains public posts on social media and comments from City Councilman Mitchell Englander.

This article was originally published at 12:40 p.m.
A Mongols motorcycle gang member is accused of fatally shooting a member of the Hells Angels biker gang last month in Riverside as part of an ongoing rivalry, authorities said.

Joshua Ryan Herbert, a 27-year-old Corona resident, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, according to the Riverside County district attorneys office. Prosecutors allege the offenses were committed for the benefit of the Mongols gang.

Authorities say Herbert opened fire on five Hells Angels members on May 21, including 21-year-old James Duty, who died at the scene.

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The group had stopped just before 10:30 p.m. to fuel up at a Shell gas station in the 3500 block of Adams Street, Riverside police Lt. Charles Payne said at a news conference this week. Clad in Hells Angels attire, the group stood in the parking lot and chatted.

As the group was talking, he said, someone exited a vehicle and began spraying gunfire.

When officers arrived, they found the bikers next to a set of fuel pumps.

Duty had been shot multiple times. Gunfire also struck the helmet of a second Hells Angels member, but he was not injured.

This shooting was the result of an ongoing rival feud between the Hells Angels and Mongols outlaw motorcycle gangs, Deputy Chief Larry Gonzalez said at a news conference.

Detectives, with the assistance of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, launched an investigation into the gangs activities.

Detectives gathered surveillance camera footage and talked to witnesses who helped identify Herbert as the shooter, Payne said.

Authorities searched seven locations throughout Orange and Riverside counties associated with the Mongols gang. Investigators also seized illegal weapons as well as Mongols gang paraphernalia at Herberts home, authorities said.

The motorcycle gangs have a long history of animosity toward one another, which includes committing crimes against each other, including murder, Payne said.

Members are looking to expand their territory and increase their gangs presence, he added.

The Mongols gang formed in Southern California in the 1970s. Hells Angels was established in 1948 in Fontana.

For decades, federal and local authorities have arrested and charged dozens of members from both gangs on racketeering, murder, drug sales and other charges.

The ongoing turf battle between the rival motorcycle gangs hit a boiling point in 2002, when a shootout erupted at Harrahs Casino & Hotel in Nevada during the Laughlin River Run, the annual biker rally.

During the melee, three people were killed and at least 16 people were injured.

In the last six to eight months, the rivalry between the Mongols and the Hells Angels has intensified in Orange and Los Angeles counties, resulting in attempted murders and shootings, Det. Jim Simons said.

We believe its retaliation, he said.

Authorities hope Herberts arrest doesnt lead to more bloodshed.

We hope that this will be the end of it but we always fear ongoing retaliation and feuds between both of these gangs, Simons said.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA
The Montebello Unified School District raised eyebrows last year when it awarded a $2.5-million painting contract to a firm even though a competitor offered to do the same work for less than half the price.

School leaders defended the decision, saying the lower-bidding contractor didnt have its paperwork in order.

An internal document obtained by The Times shows that a district finance manager had become alarmed by what he saw as pressure to reward certain companies in the contract bidding. Kevin Lee wrote in notes of a meeting with other officials that he told them they were very close to breaking the law as they discussed ways to structure the bid so Castlerock Environmental Inc. and another company would get the work.

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Castlerock was not bidding directly for the job but would be a subcontractor to GDL Best Contractors Inc. GDL was not mentioned in the notes, but it ended up giving Castlerock a $706,000 job as subcontractor, according to contract records.

In the notes  which describe a Feb. 3, 2016, meeting with other staff  Lee expresses unease about the process.

I warned that we were getting very close to breaking the law and operating in a very gray area and that I wasnt comfortable doing that, Lee wrote.

The deal had become a heated political issue at Montebello Unified and sparked a lawsuit by the losing bidder, A.J. Fistes Corp., which claimed the district violated public contract laws in awarding the contract. Fistes suit centered on whether the district improperly required Fistes to submit a financial statement and corporate seal at the time of its bid, not on the issues mentioned in Lees notes.

A judge dismissed the suit earlier this month over lack of standing, according to Fistes attorney Kevin Carlin, who added that they plan to appeal the ruling.

GDLs bid was $1.4 million more than Fistes bid, bidding records show. Lees notes include only statements about district officials and make no claims about the conduct of GDL, Castlerock or any other firm.

Marty Gonzales, a partner with Castlerock, said his company got the job in a legitimate bidding process that included a site walk with other potential bidders and said there was no favorable treatment given.

Its news to me, and basically absurd, Gonzales said.

GDL could not be reached for comment.

Montebello Unified said in a statement that Lees notes describe a totally fabricated conversation.

The district said it reviewed schedules, interviewed a majority of those named as having attended the meeting and concluded that there was no manager or project meeting that day and that a meeting on those topics did not occur.

This is clearly a false and dishonest accounting, the statement said.

A chain of emails involving district officials indicates that a meeting about the painting contract did occur on Feb. 3. The emails support parts of Lees account  including that the district was looking to do business with Castlerock and that officials were considering structuring the bid as described in Lees notes.

In an interview with The Times, Lee stood by the account he described in his notes but declined to comment further.

Two other district officials listed as having attended the meeting spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity and said that the meeting occurred as Lee described.

Carlin said he also obtained a copy of Lees notes through a document request he made to the district as part of the lawsuit. He said the districts lawyer at the time, David Kenney, gave him the notes last November.

Kenney confirmed to The Times that he obtained the notes in the course of litigation and gave them to Carlin.

The Montebello Unified School District has been mired in controversy over a major budget shortfall, potential layoffs and allegations of mismanagement and corruption. A state legislative committee in March approved an audit of the district.

According to Lees account, during the meeting it was mentioned that Ruben Rojas, a former chief business officer, and school board members wanted to reward companies that previously worked with the district on an asbestos cleanup, including Castlerock and another company, Argus, which the district said did not end up bidding for the contract.

Mike Weaver, a facilities project coordinator, argued that might not be possible because the public contracting code requires the district to award the contract to the lowest bidder, according to Lees account.

Rojas told The Times that he could not comment because he was not present at the meeting.

District officials then discussed changing the contract award from a painting one to an environmental consulting job because such a contract did not have to adhere to the lowest-bidder rule. Lee agreed that hiring an environmental consultant could be based on who we wanted, not necessarily the lowest bidder, according to his note.

Eventually, according to Lees account, someone suggested awarding the consulting contract after the bid, in case Castlerock or Argus was not the lowest bidder. Thats when he told them we were getting very close to breaking the law, Lee wrote.

The Montebello school districts board ended up approving the Exterior Environmental Remediation and Painting contract with GDL, with Castlerock as the subcontractor, on April 7 of last year. The district disqualified the less-than-half-price bid submitted by A.J. Fistes because the proposal didnt include a corporate seal and financial statement.

Art Revueltas, a former deputy superintendent with the district, said it was common for the district to reissue the bid if another bidder had a much better price and was only disqualified because of paperwork.

Revueltas also said Lee was an honest person who was a stickler for rules and that he did not believe the districts statement that Lee had fabricated the conversation.

The district in a statement said that allowing A.J. Fistes to rebid to fix its paperwork, no matter how minor the issue, would have been an exploitation and corruption of the system designed to protect the public trust.

Adam.Elmahrek@latimes.com

@adamelmahrek
A former Mexican legislator who has been linked to notorious cartel leader Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was charged Thursday in San Diego federal court with conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The U.S. attorneys office in San Diego said Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez was detained Wednesday at the Otay Mesa Cross Border Xpress, a bridge that connects Tijuanas A.L. Rodriguez International Airport with San Diego.

According to the complaint, wiretaps from 2013 and 2014 show Sanchez communicating with cartel operatives about laundering drug money and coordinating delivery of drug money proceeds.

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It also said she admitted to being Guzmans girlfriend  and even was with him when he famously escaped arrest in 2014 by accessing a tunnel in his home in Sinaloa concealed under a bathtub and then fleeing through the citys sewer tunnels.

Sanchez is a former legislator in the state of Sinaloa, home base for Guzman and his powerful drug-trafficking organization.

And while court documents said she was under investigation for her role in the cartel for several years, her lawyer said in an interview Thursday that she apparently was coming to the U.S. to seek asylum after receiving death threats in Mexico.

Sanchez left her two sons behind with family members when she flew to Tijuana with intentions to cross to the United States and investigate the possibility of obtaining protection for all three from the U.S. government, lawyer Francisco Verdugo said.

Neither she nor we had any idea that she was under investigation, in the U.S., Verdugo said. If she had, she wouldnt have gone there.

Sanchez has denied reports she was Guzmans girlfriend. However, in a probable-cause affidavit supporting her arrest and attached to the federal criminal complaint, a cartel member who was secretly cooperating with U.S. investigators said he met in Mexico with a woman using the name Tere.

She told the informant she also was known as Maico  another alias that the complaint said Sanchez used.

Sanchez told the informant that she was Guzmans girlfriend, and told the informant of the tunnel escape in 2014.

The complaint said that Sanchezs claim of being with Guzman when he fled was confirmed by Homeland Security agents in Nogales, Ariz., who had intercepted communications corroborating this.

Sanchez, who was known in the Mexican media as the Chapodiputada or the Chapo legislator, previously represented the Cosala district in the Sinaloa legislature.

At the hearing Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Major, Sanchez was wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit and swallowed nervously, bit her lip often, and at one time wiped tears from her eyes.

She was ordered held without bail because she posed a flight risk.

According to the complaint, Sanchez was arrested when she tried to enter the U.S. and a Customs and Border Protection officer checked her name in a database and found her visa had been canceled by the State Department.

The complaint detailed two separate series of communications  apparently text messages  captured under court-approved wiretaps of Sinaloa cartel members cellphones as part of the investigation of the organization by U.S. authorities.

The first from Sept. 24, 2013, allegedly showed Sanchez  using the code name Piedra  coordinating with a top cartel lieutenant the payment of $500,000 to another cartel drug trafficker. At the time, she was a legislator-elect in Sinaloa, having won election to a three-year term in July. She was not sworn in until Dec. 1, 2013.

In a second transaction on Jan. 20, 2014, Sanchez  this time using the code name Maico  allegedly communicated with an unidentified Guzman lieutenant to coordinate delivery of $380,000 in laundered Mexican pesos that were the proceeds from drug trafficking.

Guzman was extradited to the U.S. in January and is awaiting trial in New York City under a sweeping indictment charging him with leading a continuing criminal enterprise.

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

Moran and Dibble write for the San Diego Union-Tribune
The graduates wore traditional caps and gowns, but they didn't sit quietly awaiting their diplomas or form a solemn processional to the strains of Pomp and Circumstance.

They strutted, showcasing dance moves to a rap beat. They cheered Nigerian and Abyssinian dance troupes. They got to their feet for a rousing spoken word performance. They whooped as speaker after speaker reminded them of what theyd just accomplished.

The statistics were against you, but you prevailed and I am so, so proud of you, Sharee Hughes of the schools African Student Programs told them.

The 76 participants in the recent Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside exemplified a striking achievement: The campus has one of the smallest racial achievement gaps in the nation. African Americans at Riverside graduate at rates similar to those of whites and Latinos and just below Asian Americans.

The six-year graduation rate in 2015 for students who started and finished at UC Riverside was 73% for blacks, 71% for whites, 69% for Latinos and 77% for Asian Americans, according to campus data.

Other UC campuses have higher black graduation rates. But in a study this year of 676 public and private campuses, UC Riverside ranked first in California and sixth in the nation in outperforming universities with similar student populations. The Education Trust, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, said UC Riverside showed consistent success, with a 69.5% graduation rate averaged over three years (2012-2014), compared with an average of 48.4% at comparable universities, such as the University of Illinois at Chicago , the University of North Carolina and Virginia Commonwealth University .

Left: Graduate Marjau Sauve, center, applies lipstick on Kayla Ross before the Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside on June 11. Right: Students take selfies before graduation at UC Riverside. (Ringo Chiu / For The Times)

The University of Illinois at Chicago, the study noted, accepted similar students and more African Americans. But the black graduation rate at the Illinois campus was about 30 percentage points lower than Riversides, and the gap between black and white students in graduating from the school was nearly 20 percentage points higher.

Their performance is amazing, said the Education Trusts Andrew H. Nichols, the study's co-author. Other university presidents and provosts should look to Riverside to see what theyre doing to promote such success.

Graduates react to a speaker during the Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside. (Video by Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Chancellor Kim Wilcox said there was no secret formula, but he ticked off several key approaches. Adequate financial aid helps ease anxiety and frees students to be students, he said. Diversity fosters a welcoming environment. Early interventions can arrest academic slides. And leadership opportunities help students feel empowered and connected to the campus.

This is not magic, Wilcox said. This is about a deeper ethos of respecting people of all stripes and giving everybody who has the interest, aptitude and energy the opportunity to come and study and learn.

Relatives and friends show their support during the Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Los Angeles Times) Graduates Namuna Tefera, left, and Bilen Teclemariam react to a speaker during the Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times) Top: Relatives and friends show their support during the Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside. Bottom left: Graduates Namuna Tefera, left, and Bilen Teclemariam react to a speaker during the Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside. Right: Marrisa Simmons wears a graduation cap she decorated at the Black Graduation ceremony at UC Riverside. (Ringo Chiu / For The Times)

Several black students said they chose UC Riverside because of its generous financial aid and its large and active African American population. The campus provides financial aid to 82% of undergraduates  and it sealed the deal for many students who at first planned to head to a historically black college.

UC Riverside enrolled about 1,200 black undergraduates last fall, making up 6% of the student body. Of the UC campuses, thats a percentage second only to UC Merced, according to UC data. And though the proportion of black students at Riverside has declined over the last decade, administrators say one reason is that competition for high-achieving black students has intensified.

Since he took the helm in 2013, Wilcox has added 15 African American faculty members, with two more arriving this fall. Hes stepped up efforts to get faculty to mentor students of color and reached out to black community organizations.

In my 37 years here, I have never seen this kind of effort to diversify the faculty, said psychology professor Carolyn B. Murray, who is African American. Its actually electrifying.

Angel Robinson, a freshman majoring in sociology, said UC Riversides diversity was a key attraction  especially after her experience with racist incidents at Berkeley High School, including an online lynching threat and a noose hanging from a tree.

Coming here is a breath of fresh air because nobody cares if youre black and there are so many people like you, she said.

Students mingle outside the African Student Programs office at UC Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Students in the lounge at the African Student Programs office at UC Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Left: Students mingle outside the African Student Programs office at UC Riverside. Right: Students at the lounge at the African Student Programs office at UC Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

When Robinsons grades plunged from a 3.8 grade-point average in high school to 2.3 in her first quarter at UC Riverside, she said, she connected with mentors, tutors and study buddies through the African Student Programs office. When her best friend died, program director Ken Simons helped her through her trauma. She developed leadership skills by organizing a forum on body positivity.

Even though we have our fun, grades and education are super important and we all push each other to make it, said Robinson, who has a black father and a Mexican mother.

The African Student Programs office, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, also spreads word about scholarships, internships, research opportunities, graduate schools and jobs. The office sponsors academic mentorships and connects students to such role models as acclaimed ballet dancer Misty Copeland and state appellate court Judge Richard T. Fields, the first African American judge in Riverside County. Simons and his team promote cultural events, co-sponsor the Black Graduation and oversee the Pan African residence hall, which is open to all students.

Tiffany Isichei, 18, sitting, gets her photo taken at one of the most photographed spots on the UC Riverside campus on Highlander Day. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Families and friends of incoming freshmen take a tour of UC Riverside on Highlander Day. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Tiffany Isichei, 18, left, gets her photo taken with Scotty at UC Riverside on Highlander Day. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Top: Tiffany Isichei, 18, sitting, gets her photo taken at one of the most photographed spots on the UC Riverside campus on Highlander Day. Bottom left: Families and friends of incoming freshmen take a tour of UC Riverside on Highlander Day. Bottom right: Tiffany Isichei, 18, left, gets her photo taken with "Scotty" at UC Riverside on Highlander Day. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

We challenge students to be the best they can be and believe in them even when they dont, said Simons, who began working for the office in 1986, three years after he graduated from UC Riverside. Whether this has anything to do with graduation rates, I dont know. But it has a lot to do with them feeling empowered and inspired with a new sense of purpose.

On a recent day at the office, several students sprawled on sofas or worked at tables, snacking, joking, laughing and chatting. One fretted about his C in an English class, while another beamed about acing an essay (I got everything, not to be a smartass).

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. looked out from a mural on the wall, near postings about internships and jobs.

Its home away from home, said Nathifa Rose, who just graduated in media and cultural studies. She said she originally wanted to transfer to San Diego State but changed her mind after taking part in the African Student Programs mentorship endeavor, joining a black sorority and making friends as a campus orientation leader.

Admissions counselor DeVon Walker, left, speaks to young students visiting UC Riverside through the Council of African American Parents program on Highlander Day. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Dagem Befikadu, who just graduated in business administration, said UC Riverside helped him blossom from a quiet high schooler to a campus leader and an emcee for the Black Graduation.The son of Ethiopian immigrants, he is active in his black fraternity, and he pressed for improvements in African American admission and retention rates as a member of the UC Afrikan Black Coalition.

Some students said they hear the occasional racist comment. Others said the campus should do more aggressive recruiting.

But Alexander Wilson Jr., who in his commencement address urged his fellow graduates to use their education to lift the black community, said administrators have been responsive to concerns. When he and other students in 2015 led a march through campus to protest racism at the University of Missouri, he said, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs James Sandoval agreed to biweekly meetings.

Those regular discussions led to a series of campus workshops on cultural awareness and support for four internships for UC Riverside students to recruit more African Americans and other underrepresented minorities at local high schools.

Our administration is open to listening, open to discourse, said Wilson, the son of Ethiopian and Curacao immigrants who majored in history/administrative studies. UCR  is definitely acknowledging the changing tide of America in the 21st century with its focus on so many types of different people with all kinds of lived experiences who bring so much to the table.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @teresawatanabe

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When Sue Krentz was growing up in southern Arizona, about 30 miles from the Mexican border, migrants would wander into the front yard of her parents modest ranch house and ask to sweep the steps or mow the lawn.

Nobody asked about their immigration status. It was the 1960s, long before the area became a transit zone for drugs and weapons. Long before farm trucks and cattle started being stolen.

Long before police found her husband slumped in his ATV, shot dead.

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No incident has hardened feelings about illegal immigration in Arizona more than the unsolved 2010 killing of 58-year-old Rob Krentz, head of one of the oldest ranch families in southeast Arizona.

It was the impetus less than a month later for the passage of the show your papers law, which required police to ascertain the immigration status of anybody suspected of being in the U.S. illegally and helped cement Arizonas reputation as the countrys toughest state on immigration.

Seven years later, the slaying still resonates, often invoked in local arguments for the massive wall that President Trump has proposed along the border with Mexico.

Usually lost in conversations about Krentz is that its far from certain that his killer or killers were in the U.S. illegally. The investigation has identified suspects from both sides of the border.

In recent months, as southern Arizona is again embroiled in the debate over stepped-up border security and stronger measures against illegal immigration, Sue Krentz has reemerged on the public scene, this time as a vocal advocate of an expanded border wall.

We asked for help, and no one came. We requested a secure border, and were told security was not to be expected. When we asked for safety, we were described as racist, she complained at a forum on border security last year.

As for her husbands death, Krentz says that despite the more than 30 people in the U.S. and Mexico identified as persons of interest  including at least one permanent U.S. resident  she has no doubt he was killed by one or more people who stole across the border from Mexico.

It wasnt a U.S. resident who shot him, she said in an interview. You show me which U.S. resident it was. Give me their name and address. Because theres nothing down there. Theres not a house for seven miles.

Forty miles east of Douglas, Ariz., not far from the property of rancher Sue Krentz, a warning sign. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Krentzs farm borders an 8-mile-wide corridor between two mountain ranges, the Chiricahuas to the west in Arizona and the Animas to the east in New Mexico. The ranges force pedestrians to stay within a fairly narrow area as they walk north or south, making the territory dicey for migrants seeking to avoid the Border Patrol.

The Krentz family was accustomed to undocumented migrants crossing their 35,000 acres, though the migrants had a habit of cutting ranch water lines instead of walking to a spigot. Each line break allowed thousands of gallons to drain away. Rob Krentz rode out to the site of a break one day on his red Polaris ATV with his dog, a blue heeler.

After back surgery in 2009 and a hip replacement in 2010, Krentz wasnt going anywhere fast on March 27, 2010, Sue Krentz said.

Krentz radioed to his brother, Phil, to say he had spotted a migrant in distress. It was 10 a.m. A nearby rancher heard the same call. Minutes passed, but Krentzs radio was silent.

Krentzs son, Frank, tried his cellphone every half-hour. It would ring and then go to voicemail. Neighbors began to walk the property. By 6 p.m., they called the police. When ground searches failed, a police helicopter was called in.

Police found Krentzs body on a knobby wash six miles east of Arizona Highway 80. His body was cold, but thermal imaging helped locate his dog, Blue, who was shot, shivering and barely alive. Blue would not allow rescuers to reach Krentzs body, barking and growling whenever someone approached the ATV. The dog was euthanized by an animal control officer.

Krentz had three gunshot wounds: to his left side, upper back and inside his right arm, from 9-millimeter rounds. In his ATV, police found a rifle, still in its scabbard. Police marked as evidence an empty Jimmy Dean sausage case nearby and traced it to a fridge that was raided in a break-in earlier in the week in Portal, Ariz., about 20 miles north of the shooting site.

Footprints in the mud near a water tank showed what police believe to be a mans stride as he approached it to drink. From there, the footprints led south, toward the ranches on the border.

Another clue came to police over the phone, just days after the shooting:

Caller: Hey, look, I have some information. A man came out; I dont know if he got into a fight with a dog  I dont know what.

Dispatcher: What are you calling me about?

Caller: A homicide that took place over there.... These people are apparently the responsible ones.

Dispatcher: OK, but who are they?

Caller: Well, they arent from here.... Can you hurry?

The call to the Douglas Police Department cut off after less than two minutes.

The caller said he was in Agua Prieta, Mexico, across the border from Douglas. He said he had seen men who came out of the desert with cuts and bruises, and possibly dog bites.

The only hard evidence was a vague outline of a suspect, caught on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife camera, walking south from the shooting site, and a footprint. The suspect had a long stride when walking, and an estimated height of 6 feet.

The investigation slowed to a trickle by early October 2010, six months after the shooting.

Then they found Cachibombo.

Rancher Sue Krentz keeps a small shrine to her late husband, Rob Krentz. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Notorious in the area as a suspected drug mule and coyote, Cachibombos real name is Horacio Barraza-Parra. He was picked up by the Border Patrol allegedly leading eight people into the U.S. illegally on Oct. 6, 2010. The pollos, or human cargo, in his party told police they were terrified of him.

Barraza-Parra told police he had been in the area near Krentzs ranch in March 2010, but was stung by a scorpion on the way back to Mexico. He went to Krentz for help. Police confirmed hospital and immigration records showing Barraza-Parra was treated, detained and deported nearly one month before Krentzs shooting. What happened to him when he returned to Mexico was far more interesting.

Authorities in the U.S. brought in Barraza-Parras family for questioning, and learned that after Krentzs slaying, Mexican drug cartels were just as keen to find the perpetrators.

Members of a cartel kidnapped Barraza-Parra in front of his family and searched his body extensively for evidence of dog bites.

Sicarios took him for 10 days, Barraza-Parras wife, Alma Pacheco Santos, told U.S. authorities, referring to assassins for the cartels. According to a Cochise County Sheriffs Office report on the interview, she added: The [cartels] were upset over all the heat the murder brought to the border.

Apparently satisfied that her husband was not responsible, she said, the cartel let him go.

For years, occasional hits have briefly revived the case  usually computer alerts flagging a Border Patrol detainee as a potential person of interest. They are invariably transported to the Sheriffs Office, questioned by deputies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, then released back to Border Patrol custody.

Such interviews have turned up suspect after suspect, usually vaguely described as tall men with violent reputations. Some have earned nicknames. El Grande, or the Big One; La Ormiga, the Ant.

None has yet been linked directly to the slaying. The trail of the tall man appears to have gone cold.

Follow Nigel Duara on Twitter: @nigelduara

nigel.duara@latimes.com

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Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions has vowed to crack down on crime by sending more criminals to prison for longer periods of time.

Every one of our citizens, no matter who they are or where they live, has the right to be safe in their homes and communities from the scourge of criminal gangs, rapists, carjackers and drug dealers, Sessions said in an address to law enforcement officials in Memphis, Tenn., last month.

In his view, imprisoning more criminals would make families safer, and fewer people would break the law if there were more severe punishments for crimes such as drug offenses.

In a recent memo to federal prosecutors, Sessions instructed them to pursue the harshest punishments legally allowed, a reversal of an Obama-era move giving federal lawyers more leeway to reserve such prosecutions for repeat offenders and people who had committed the worst of crimes.

Department of Justice officials hope the changes at the federal level  where a sliver of crimes across the country is prosecuted  will trickle down to a similar approach to crime in states.

But civil rights groups have contested the approach, many legislators have said it goes against trends in criminal justice reform, and dozens of state prosecutors and judges have protested the attorney generals move.

Sessions, meanwhile, contends that his critics are misrepresenting his efforts. We are not talking about low-level offenders or recreational drug users here, he said in Memphis.

Here are some of the challenges Sessions faces:

Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer is among several prosecutors who signed a letter against Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions criminal sentencing priorities. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Dozens of local prosecutors have spoken out

Denver Dist. Atty. Beth McCann is one of dozens of local prosecutors who have expressed disappointment at the new direction for federal prosecution of drug crimes. The former Democratic state lawmaker said Sessions has no direct impact on her office.

I dont particularly care for mandatory sentences. I dont think weve seen that that has worked, McCann said. I think with a different approach we can actually provide more public safety through a more enlightened view on prevention as well as prosecution.

McCann said she aims to prevent recidivism rates with lower-level drug offenders through prevention and treatment programs. We try to focus on other kinds of options rather than just putting people in jail, she said.

In May, she joined a bipartisan group of more than two dozen current attorneys general and district attorneys to write an open letter castigating Sessions new directive.

Although there are no certain benefits to the newly announced policy, there are definitive and significant costs. The increased use of mandatory minimum sentences will necessarily expand the federal prison population and inflate federal spending on incarceration, they wrote in the letter.

The group included Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer, District of Columbia Atty. Gen. Karl Racine and Manhattan Dist. Atty. Cyrus R. Vance Jr.

Theres a push for this charge-and-pursue-whatever-you-can-prove approach federally now, said Miriam Krinsky, a former federal prosecutor who is the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution.

But, she said, there are still questions about what prosecuting guidelines there will be, for example, regarding crack cocaine  whose use and sale is treated more harshly than powder cocaine  or marijuana cases. Do we return to the 80s and 90s when the tough-on-crime rhetoric filled our prisons to the brim?

At least one federal judge has also taken a stand

U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett said that Sessions is well within his rights to change sentencing instructions but that I personally think its a terrible idea.

What well see is more addicts going to prison, and Im not sure that solves anything, he said.

Bennett, who has been a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa for more than 20 years, said he frequently hears cases involving people caught with methamphetamines. Possession of a sugar-packet-size bag of the drug could land a user in prison for a mandatory minimum of five years.

The typical offender I see is a nonviolent drug addict, using methamphetamine to supply their addiction, he said. To impose a mandatory minimum on something like that I think does not serve any legitimate penological purpose whatsoever.

Larry Krasner, a defense lawyer who is running for Philadelphia district attorney. (Matt Rourke / Associated Press) (Matt Rourke / AP)

Civil rights advocates are fighting Sessions effort

Launched last year with a $50-million grant from George Soros Open Society Foundations , an American Civil Liberties Union campaign known as Smart Justice aims to file 10 lawsuits against what it sees as wrongs in the criminal justice system, push for 10 new state laws and help secure 10 wins in district attorney races across the U.S.

One candidate getting support is Larry Krasner, who won the Democratic primary for district attorney in Philadelphia this spring on a platform that called for helping drug addicts find treatment instead of prosecuting them.

Our focus is not on the federal level because a very small percentage of people serving time in prison do it under federal sentences, said Bill Cobb, the deputy director of the ACLU campaign.

The best way to create change is on the state level.

The ACLU and other civil rights groups have criticized the Trump administrations use of data to describe soaring crime in the U.S. Theyve pointed to the data showing that violent crime in the United States has been on the decline over the last two decades.

From 1993 to 2015, the violent crime rate fell 50%, according to FBI data. Even so, from 2014 to 2015 violent crime increased 3%. When the Major Cities Chiefs Assn. analyzed crime data from 61 metropolitan police agencies, it found an 11% increase in homicides in 2016 when compared with the previous year.

Civil rights leaders and groups have also criticized sentencing patterns in which blacks and Latinos are often subjected to longer sentences when compared with whites found guilty of the same crimes.

Mandatory minimums are draining resources that would go toward things like early childhood education  things that reduce crime as oppose to punitive discriminatory policies, said Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Steve Cook, an assistant U.S. attorney in Tennessee and former president of the Assn. of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, with then-Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2015. (Facebook)

But Sessions also has plenty of supporters

Among Sessions supporters are about 1,500 federal prosecutors (of 5,700 total) who make up the National Assn. of Assistant U.S. Attorneys. The conservative group has long opposed efforts to promote lighter sentencing, including a 2013 memo from then-Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. that encouraged prosecutors to avoid seeking mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug crimes by people who were not violent, not members of larger criminal groups and not repeat offenders.

The group has called Sessions a man of unquestionable integrity and unparalleled experience.

Weve simply gone back to a policy and practice thats been effective for the past 30 years, the organizations president, Lawrence Leiser, an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia, said in a recent call with reporters. Leiser believes strong criminal sentencing in the 80s and 90s led to drops in crime.

Unfortunately were beginning to see crime rates rise in the country at the same time prison populations are starting to decline, he said. I dont believe the increase in crime rate is a coincidence.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards with Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome last month. (Patrick Dennis / Associated Press) (Patrick Dennis / AP)

Meanwhile, state legislatures have moved forward with criminal justice reforms

This month, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a series of criminal justice bills that could help Louisiana relinquish its status as the incarceration capital of the world.

The laws, which passed with bipartisan support, include providing more chances for nonviolent criminals to receive probation and parole and cutting back on court fees, fines and restitution for felons leaving prison.

Edwards said he hopes they will allow the state to scale back on its $700-million annual spending on the corrections system and slash the portion of the state population behind bars from its current level of 0.81%.

Theres substantial justice reform, especially in red states like Louisiana, said Udi Ofer, the ACLUs deputy national political director. States and municipalities have been on the forefront of the movement to end mass incarceration before the election of Trump and even more so after his election.

He also pointed to Oklahoma, where voters approved a measure last fall calling on lawmakers to lower the prison population and reduce several property and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors.

Youre seeing the most work on the state and local levels to reduce incarceration, Ofer said.

jaweed.kaleem@latimes.com

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

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An Ohio judge declared a mistrial Friday in the hearing of former University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing, who in 2015 shot and killed Samuel DuBose, an incident that was captured on body camera video and ignited increased debate over police interactions with African Americans.

The mistrial, which came after five days of jury deliberations, left Tensing in tears and for now ended nearly two years of anticipation in the case.

In November, a previous court hearing also ended in a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked. Prosecutors said theyll announce a decision next week as to whether they will try Tensing a third time.

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In body-camera video from July 2015, DuBose, who is black, is repeatedly asked by Tensing for his drivers license during a traffic stop. DuBose does not produce it.

Tensing asks DuBose to unbuckle his seat belt, and the officer pulls on the door handle. But DuBose, with the window down, puts his hand on the door to keep it closed. Suddenly a gunshot is heard, and DuBose, 43, appears to be slumped to his right. The car rolls away, coming to stop at a nearby corner.

At the time, Tensing said he was dragged by the car and forced to shoot at DuBose.

Shortly after the shooting, Tensing was indicted on a murder charge and fired from the University of Cincinnati police department. Officials in Cincinnati released the body camera video not long after the shooting.

Following the shooting, the University of Cincinnati restructured its public safety department and made other policing reforms. The university reached a $5.3-million settlement with DuBoses family, including free undergraduate tuition for his children.

The ruling on Friday was the latest in a series of high-profile trials of police officers who have gunned down black men.

On Wednesday, a Milwaukee jury said an officer was justified when he shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith after a brief foot chase following a traffic stop last August. Smith had a gun when he ran, but the case hinged on whether he was a threat when Dominique Heaggan-Brown fired the shot that killed him.

Body-camera video showed Heaggan-Brown shooting Smith once in the arm as he appeared to be throwing the gun over a fence. The video showed the second shot  1.69 seconds later  hit Smith in the chest as he lay on the ground. Heaggan-Brown was fired from the department.

Earlier this month, a jury found a 29-year-old Minnesota police officer, Jeronimo Yanez, not guilty in the fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile during a traffic stop near St. Paul.

Castiles death last July garnered national attention when Castiles girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, began broadcasting on Facebook Live shortly after he was shot. The video quickly went viral and prompted days-long demonstrations in Minnesota.

In May, a white Oklahoma police officer, who says she fired out of fear last year when she killed an unarmed black man with his hands held above his head, was acquitted of first-degree manslaughter charges.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

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UPDATES:

1:55 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details, and new information from the district attorney that a decision on whether to try the police officer for a third time will be announced next week.

This article was originally published at 11:40 a.m.
The $1.5 million awarded this week to the parents of Michael Brown is the latest of several large settlements involving black suspects who were killed by police, but its far from the largest.

A federal judge in St. Louis on Tuesday approved the settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Michael Brown Sr. and Lezley McSpadden. Their 18-year-old son was unarmed on Aug. 9, 2014, when he was fatally shot by white officer Darren Wilson during a street confrontation in Ferguson, Mo.

The shooting launched months of protests and led to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that found racial bias in Fergusons police and court system. But a St. Louis County grand jury and the Justice Department declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014.

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Browns parents sued the city, former Police Chief Tom Jackson and Wilson in 2015, citing a police culture hostile to black residents and claiming Wilson used excessive force. Ferguson, Jackson and Wilson denied the allegations.

The case is among many in which huge settlements have been reached out of court, including many in which officers, like Wilson, were cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber did not release the amount of the settlement, citing unspecified safety concerns. But Ferguson City Attorney Apollo Carey said in an email Friday in response to an open records request from the Associated Press that the citys insurance company paid out $1.5 million.

While settlements are expensive, cities facing lawsuits in wrongful death cases are aware of the danger of going to trial, said James Cohen, a professor at Fordham University School of Law. He said the settlement amount could be dwarfed by an award granted by a jury sympathetic to the family.

The city is afraid that someone on that jury is a member of Black Lives Matter, even if the juror is Caucasian, Cohen said.

Settlements in some other recent high-profile cases have been much higher than the amount awarded to Browns parents.

In 2015, the city of North Charleston, S.C., paid $6.5 million to the family of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man who was killed by a white police officer while running from a traffic stop. The officer, Michael T. Slager, pleaded guilty in May to a civil rights violation.

A month earlier, Baltimore paid $6.4 million to the family of Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal injury in police custody. No officers were convicted.

New York City reached a $5.9-million settlement in July 2015 with the family of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died after being put in a chokehold by a white police officer. The officer was cleared by a grand jury.

Cleveland agreed to pay $6 million last year to the family of Tamir Rice. The 12-year-old had an airsoft gun that shoots nonlethal plastic pellets when a white officer shot him in 2014. A grand jury did not charge the officer.

Also last year, Pleasantville, N.Y., paid $6 million to the family of Danroy Henry Jr., a 20-year-old black college student shot to death by a white officer in 2010. No charges were filed against the officer.

Some award amounts this year have been lower. Madison, Wis., agreed to pay $3.35 million to relatives of 19-year-old Tony Robinson Jr., who was unarmed when he was fatally shot. Milwaukee reached a $2.3-million tentative settlement with the family of Dontre Hamilton, a man with schizophrenia who was shot by police. Arlington, Texas, reached an $850,000 settlement with the family of 19-year-old Christian Taylor, who was shot by an officer while allegedly vandalizing cars at a dealership. Police were not charged in any of those cases.

Peter Joy, a professor at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, said the evidence of a case is a big factor in determining the settlement amount. While some of the other cases had video evidence, there was no video of the confrontation between Brown and Wilson in Ferguson  a potential factor in the lower payment.

Cohen said the allegations against Brown may have reduced leverage for his attorneys. Brown was accused of stealing from a store on the same day he died, and he was accused of reaching into Wilsons police vehicle and attacking him, leading up to the shooting.

You can see the story the defense attorney would tell at trial, Cohen said.

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Eurowings low cost airline, part of the Lufthansa Group, seeks to start flying to Ukraine from 2018, Head of the Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv) Pavlo Riabikin has said.

"We had a fruitful meeting with representatives of Lufthansa Group. With the permit of our partners from Lufthansa Group I'm going to let you in on a little secret: next year low cost airline Eurowings plans to start flying on the Kyiv-Berlin route and later launch flights to Dusseldorf," he wrote on his Facebook page.
The Flint, Mich., airport police officer stabbed in the neck during what authorities are investigating as a terrorist act is recovering well from a 12-inch slash that caused significant bleeding but spared major arteries and a nerve by millimeters, one of his doctors said Friday.

Hurley Medical Center doctors said during a news conference that Bishop International Airport police Lt. Jeff Neville could be released from the hospital within a couple days. Dr. Donald Scholten said Neville was making good progress after being cuton right side of his neck from beside his Adams apple to the angle of his jaw.

This was a matter of millimeters, Scholten said. The slash was probably very, very close to severing his major arteries and nerve  perhaps even his windpipe and digestive systems . This was not a shaving nick, if you will. This was significant force.

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Neville was stabbed Wednesday at the airport in Flint, about 50 miles northwest of Detroit. Amor Ftouhi, 49, a Canadian from Tunisia, is charged in the attack. Detroit FBI head David Gelios said Ftouhi unsuccessfully tried to buy a gun after entering the U.S. but instead managed to acquire a large knife.

Authorities say Ftouhi stabbed Neville after yelling, Allahu akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great. According to the FBI, Ftouhi said something similar to, You have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die.

Ftouhi was immediately taken into custody and charged with committing violence at an airport. Acting U.S. Atty. Dan Lemisch said more charges would be filed in the days ahead. Ftouhi is in custody and has a bond hearing scheduled next week.

Neville fought him to the end, managing to stop the attack and take Ftouhi to the ground as other officers arrived to help, according to Chris Miller, the airport police chief. Scholten also credited first responders, saying their efforts to control Nevilles bleeding were absolutely life-saving.

Investigators are working to learn more about Ftouhi, whom they describe as a lone-wolf attacker who made his way to the seemingly random destination of Flint, a struggling city once known for its sprawling General Motors factories but now better known for lead-tainted water.

He was a part-time caretaker at the Montreal apartment building where he lived and had once studied to sell insurance, a landlord and an insurance company spokesman said. Ftouhi indicated to court officials that he has lived in Canada for 10 years and has three children. A pretrial services officer told a judge that he had worked on and off as a truck driver. He indicated no mental or physical health problems and no drug or alcohol use, the officer, Linsey Carson, said.

Police in Canada were searching Ftouhis Montreal apartment. Montreal police spokesman Benoit Boiselle said officers were assisting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the search on behalf of an FBI request. Three people staying at the residence had been taken in for questioning, Boiselle said.

Ftouhi legally entered the U.S. at Champlain, N.Y., on June 16 and was in Michigan by at least June 18, said Gellios, who would not say whether Ftouhi entered the U.S. under a so-called trusted traveler program.

He spent some time in public, unsecured areas of the airport before going to a restroom where he dropped two bags before attacking the officer with a 12-inch knife that had an eight-inch serrated blade, Gelios said.

Ftouhi asked an officer who subdued him why he did not kill him, according to the criminal complaint. Police described the man as cooperative and said he was talking to investigators.

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Kudos to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia for offering ambitious plans to bring zero-emissions trucks to their ports. Yet in the pursuit of cleaner air and lower carbon, policymakers cant ignore how the costs and burdens of past pollution-cutting programs have fallen disproportionately on those least able to afford them: the truck drivers who haul goods between the ports and warehouses around the region.

Garcetti and Garcia pledged last week to wean their publicly owned ports off dirty diesel and other fossil fuels and switch to zero-emission equipment by 2035. This aggressive plan to cut emissions is vital both to protect residents living near the single-largest source of pollution in the region and to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are fueling climate change.

The question is how to achieve that goal without exacerbating the inequities of the logistics industry that have turned many port truckers into modern day indentured servants.

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Many drivers say the Clean Trucks Program worsened the already poverty-level wages they earned as independent contractors.

A decade ago, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach enacted the Clean Trucks Program that banned older model trucks from entering the port complex. The program was necessary because the ports were often the last stop for the oldest, dirtiest trucks that could be bought cheaply by drivers, who work as independent contractors serving trucking companies. And it was successful  toxic diesel soot dropped by 97%.

The rules mandated newer, cleaner models that often cost well over $100,000 to buy and required pricey maintenance. That expense was simply unaffordable for most drivers, who worked an average of 50 hours a week and took home less than $30,000 a year after expenses, according to a 2007 report.

The original program pushed by then-L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attempted to address the affordability gap by requiring trucking companies working at the ports to hire the drivers as employees, rather than treating them as independent contractors. The trucking companies would then be responsible for buying and maintaining the new rigs; drivers would paid by the hour, not by the trip, and would be eligible for benefits.

The labor and environmental groups behind Villaraigosas plan argued that the mandate was the only way to ensure that already low-paid truckers didnt get stuck with the huge expense of clean-truck transition. Critics derided Villaraigosas plan as a Teamster-backed attempt to force march the industry from independent contractors to unionized employees. The American Trucking Assn. sued, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the requirement.

A decade later, many drivers say the Clean Trucks Program worsened the already poverty-level wages they earned as independent contractors. Because many drivers couldnt afford to buy their own trucks, they entered into lease-to-own arrangements with trucking companies that bought new vehicles. In some cases, the leases heavily favored the trucking companies. In an investigation published last week, USA Today found that the arrangements often left drivers with little money after paying for the truck lease, fuel and other expenses. The newspaper uncovered contracts that allowed companies to fire truckers at will, keeping both the truck and the payments that had been made.

Many drivers will eventually pay off the leases and own their trucks, but they worry that theyll soon be back in debt as the ports require ever-cleaner vehicles.

The ports should not back off their clean-air goals. But leaders in L.A. and Long Beach also cannot proceed without finding a way to help drivers manage the transition to zero-emissions vehicles  for example, by offering grants or low-cost loans to help drivers buy clean trucks. The Teamsters union, which launched its 15th strike in four years of trucking companies and warehouses this week, is pushing the ports to deny access to trucking companies that have labor violations. (The California Labor Commissioners office has ruled in 376 cases that drivers were misclassified as independent contractors and owed more than $40 million in back pay and penalties, according to the Teamsters.)

The labor strife and pollution problems at the port are complex, made all the more challenging by the fact that L.A. and Long Beach are competing for trade customers with ports across the country. So far, however, there are few signs that city leaders are taking truckers concerns seriously or thinking about how the next generation of clean-air goals will impact their livelihood.

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After years of panicked and excessively punitive lawmaking against sex offenders, cooler heads are beginning to prevail. The U.S. Supreme Court, for example, on Monday struck down a North Carolina law that effectively banned registered sex offenders from using any social media that is also accessible by children.

Lester Packingham did indeed commit a sex crime: He pleaded guilty in 2002 to having taken indecent liberties at age 21 with a 13-year-old girl. Years later, he had a traffic ticket dismissed and posted a celebratory message on Facebook  and was arrested for violating his states Internet restriction against sex offenders.

Defenders of the North Carolina law argued that the ban was much like the ban many states have on sex offenders entering or even approaching playgrounds. They are gathering places, the argument goes, for children. Because the perpetrator has already shown his willingness to commit crimes against a child, the state should block his access in order to protect other children from being victimized.

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Many offenders need not be on a registry at all, and others need not be there for what would be the new 10-year minimum.

But as the Supreme Court properly noted in striking down the North Carolina law, barring access to all social media also bars access to what for many are the principal sources for knowing current events, checking ads for employment, speaking and listening in the modern public square, and otherwise exploring the vast realms of human thought and knowledge. The law, in effect, stripped Packingham of his 1st Amendment rights. The courts ruling wisely invalidated the state law while leaving room for a law more carefully tailored to protect children.

Elsewhere, states are grappling with what to do with sex offenders (unlike Packingham) whose crimes were committed against adults rather than children. For example, what if an offender is convicted of sexual battery against an adult, or he gets drunk, relieves himself in public and then is arrested and convicted of indecent exposure  a registerable offense in some states. Should such a person be kept away from playgrounds, schools and social media, and required to register for the rest of his life if he has no history of targeting children?

Many lawmakers and voters have in effect said yes in the emotion-charged but factually unsupportable belief that any person who has committed any variety of sex offense is automatically a heightened risk to commit any other kind of sex offense, and against anyone. It is not uncommon for lawmakers to conflate sex offenders with child molesters  or pedophiles, sexually violent predators, mentally disordered sex offenders or any of a variety of other categories of criminal that are not, in fact, interchangeable.

If the purpose of post-sentence restrictions is to protect children, it makes little sense to restrict low-risk, non-violent sex offenders who have never victimized children nor shown any likelihood of doing so. It makes sense instead to distinguish among offenses and offenders, to ensure that laws protect the public without unnecessarily restricting the perpetrators ability to return to normal life after punishment.

Some states do distinguish  by dividing their sex offender registries into tiers. One kind of offense may require registration for only five or 10 years, another kind for longer.

In California, bills to divide the current one-size-fits-all, lifetime sex offender registry into sensible tiers have failed in one session after another as lawmakers surrendered their clear thinking to their inner revulsion (or their fear of headlines branding them as soft on sex crimes). This year, finally, sense may prevail. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey is helping to lead the effort to adopt SB 421, which would create three tiers and eliminate much needless paperwork currently devoted to keeping tabs on people whose crimes were non-violent and who pose little or no risk. The bill has cleared the state Senate and is now before the Assembly.

As written, it is still too inflexible. Many offenders need not be on a registry at all, and others need not be there for what would be the new 10-year minimum. But the law is a step away from the lifetime registry that now applies the same way to all offenders regardless of the severity of the crime or the risk to re-offend, and is therefore a step forward. The time has come for California to take that step.

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Democrat Jon Ossoffs loss in the Georgia special congressional election has demoralized progressives who hoped it would signal an anti-Trump wave that could turn the House from red to blue in 2018.

The left is fractured, with disagreements between the Bernie and Hillary wings of the Democratic Party threatening to undercut its ability to turn out the base, appeal to independents and win over disillusioned GOP voters. The question remains whether the so-called resistance can transform itself from a throng of angry voices into a majority capable of creating lasting progressive change.

As activists take up this challenge, they should study the playbook of one of the most successful social justice movements in history: the fight for LGBTQ equality. In short order, our movement beat back the AIDS epidemic, ended sodomy bans, won access to military service and marriage and ultimately more than doubled public approval of gay identity.

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Success came when LGBTQ advocates learned to speak the language of those they most needed to enlist rather than those who already agreed with them.

There were several keys to the movements victories. But one lesson in particular applies to todays deeply divided politics: Success came when LGBTQ advocates learned to speak the language of those they most needed to enlist rather than those who already agreed with them.

Striving to see our cause through the eyes of folks we didnt know well, who were indifferent and sometimes actively opposed to our goals, meant adopting a principle from the world of social work: Changing peoples hearts and minds requires meeting them where they are. To some, framing our goals in terms aimed at more conservative audiences was tantamount to selling out. Yet we learned that such pragmatism could achieve more  and more durable  social change than ideological purity.

The battle for marriage equality is a case in point. For years, LGBTQ activists, who were largely (but not exclusively) creatures of the left, avoided making marriage a priority. Many considered it conformist, even retrograde, at odds with the most radical, passionately held ideals of gay liberation.

When activists did include marriage on their agenda, they tended to speak of it in legalistic terms that stressed entitlement to equal rights; they emphasized the deprivations  lack of insurance and tax benefits, for instance  associated with being denied a license to wed. Those tactics werent ineffective; they helped create domestic partnership protections in many towns and states, and by 2004 notched one all-out victory: Same-sex couples gained the right to wed in Massachusetts in a state Supreme Court decision.

Yet social conservatives were stirring a backlash and also racking up wins, proactively passing same-sex marriage bans in dozens of states. As troubling, public approval of marriage equality, which had been rising throughout the 1990s, plateaued at around 34% in 2000. LGBTQ advocates had the support of staunch liberals, but they were failing to win over the next batch of supporters needed to build a majority coalition: the moderates of the moveable middle.

So marriage advocates scrutinized their message. Backed by donors dedicated to winning the battle, gay rights organizations hired pollsters to conduct focus groups of moderate liberals and conservatives who supported gay rights but not gay marriage. The results hit strategists like lightning. When straight people were asked why they cared about marriage, they mentioned love, commitment and family; yet they thought gay people wanted to marry for different reasons: the rights and benefits. The moveable middle wasnt moving because its members didnt recognize same-sex couples wish to wed as similar to their own.

In response, several gay groups created new campaigns that framed the issue in starkly personal terms. What if you couldnt marry the person you love? asked one ad field-tested in Santa Barbara to counter Californias infamous Proposition 8. Although most Southern Californians voted in favor of the anti-gay-marriage ballot measure, in Santa Barbara County it lost by 10 points.

We quit talking about legal benefits, talking from the head, said Tim Sweeney, a longtime gay activist. Instead, the marriage equality battle would turn on core values. The trick was to appeal to human empathy rather than to merely emphasize demands or appear to be subversive.

By 2011, a slim majority of Americans were telling pollsters they supported same-sex marriage. It was no coincidence when, the next year, President Obama announced his support as well. When he did, he adopted the movements language of common values, saying that incredibly committed  monogamous same-sex relationships among White House staffers had changed his mind. Likewise, three years later, when Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy penned his majority opinion in Obergefell vs. Hodges, he referenced the emotional resonance of marriage, citing its nobility and worthiness, in guaranteeing it to same-sex couples. Marriage equality, now supported by 60% of Americans, was the law of the land.

Some on todays left act as though the only way to achieve their goals is by catering to the most liberal leanings of the group. A very progressive manifesto is how Bernie Sanders recently characterized what Democrats need to win back power. Yet its far from clear that a to the barricades image is the best way to advance progressive aims. Indeed, it was a positive message based not on outrage but common human values that took gay marriage from fringe to respectable to just plain normal.

Pragmatic engagement with those who werent the natural supporters of LGBTQ rights made lives tangibly better for gay people  and inched us all closer to realizing a truly progressive vision.

Nathaniel Frank is author of Awakening: How Gays and Lesbians Brought Marriage Equality to America and director of the What We Know project at Columbia Law School.

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Next week, Republicans want the United States Senate to vote on a bill that would restructure our nations entire healthcare system  a system that makes up one-sixth of the American economy. This bill would affect the lives of nearly every American, from our parents or grandparents in need of caregiving, to our children struggling with asthma or opioid addiction, to our spouses battling cancer.

And we only just received the full text on Thursday, a week before the vote on the bill.

Many will recall Republicans complaining about the Affordable Care Act being rushed through Congress. In fact, the ACA went through 106 public hearings and incorporated more than 170 Republican amendments. The whole process took an entire year.

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Republicans are trying to ram their healthcare proposal through the Senate with little to no transparency. There have been no hearings, no debate, and hardly any time to examine the details of the proposal. We are being asked to vote blindly on a bill that has life-or-death consequences for those we represent.

The American people deserve better. The American people deserve greater transparency.

We need Californians to make themselves heard.

But while the authors of this proposal have tried to conceal the details of their plan by working in secret until the last minute, its clear that this bill would be nothing short of a disaster. Its just as bad  and in some cases worse  than the bill that narrowly passed the House of Representatives in May. That bill was so catastrophic that even the president of the United States, who once praised its passage, now calls it mean.

Heres what we know: The Senate Republican plan would throw millions of Americans off their insurance, including potentially up to 5 million Californians. It would raise costs for middle-class families and seniors. It would put Americans with preexisting conditions at risk and cut hundreds of billions from Medicaid and Medi-Cal, which pays for everything from substance abuse treatment to support for children with special needs. Thats unacceptable.

This bill is being written along strictly partisan lines, but healthcare is not a partisan issue. Your health isnt dictated by your party affiliation. Supporting or opposing this healthcare plan is not about being a Democrat or a Republican  it is about right and wrong. Instead of wreaking havoc on our healthcare system, we owe it to the American people to come together and solve real problems.

Im home this weekend, and like my Democratic colleagues, Ill be working hard to ensure that people on the ground understand how this bill will affect them. But we cant do it alone. We need Californians to make themselves heard.

Because we wont give up trying to protect and strengthen our healthcare. I recently co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a number of my Democratic colleagues. Our bill would make it easier for middle-class Americans to buy insurance if they currently dont qualify for any help paying their premiums. Thats the kind of innovation that Democrats and Republicans should both be able to support. Thats the kind of innovation that would help  not hurt  the people we represent.

One of those people is Rhett, a 9-year-old in Marin County, Calif., who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was only 2 years old. Rhett endured more than 1,000 chemotherapy doses to, in his words, get the bad guys out of his body.

Thankfully, Rhett is now in remission. Because of the ACA, he doesnt have to worry about being denied insurance coverage one day because of his preexisting condition. His family doesnt have to worry about how they will pay for his treatment if his cancer returns. Rhett wants to be a doctor when he grows up, and thanks to the ACA, he can stay on his parents health insurance when he goes to college and medical school.

We should listen to Rhett when he tells us, Dont repeal the Affordable Care Act, improve it! The ACA isnt perfect. And Im ready to work with anyone who really wants to make it work better. So lets stop playing politics with public health and peoples lives. Lets reject this hasty and harmful legislation and work together to actually strengthen our healthcare system.

Kamala D. Harris is Californias junior senator.

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The Supreme Court struck a blow for common sense today in a decision that will let a non-citizen back out of a plea deal his lawyer persuaded him to take even though it set him up for deportation  the one thing he was trying to avoid.

Jae Lee was born in South Korea and moved with his family to the United States in 1982 at age 13, eventually gaining lawful permanent resident status that gave him permission to live and work here. And work he did, forging a career as a successful restaurateur in Tennessee. Despite living here for more than three decades, Lee never got around to applying for U.S. citizenship.

Lee was arrested in 2008 on felony charges that he possessed and intended to sell the party drug ecstasy. He immediately worried that the charge could lead to his deportation, and repeatedly told his lawyer he wanted to avoid getting kicked out of the country.

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Immigration law is complex and usually requires special legal training to understand the various nuances, but Lees lawyer wasnt trained in immigration law. Even at the moment Lee was sentenced, the lawyer assured him that pleading guilty not only meant less prison time  a year and a day instead of up to five years if convicted at trial  but that it would not affect his immigration status.

The lawyer couldnt have been more wrong, and Lee didnt learn the cold, hard truth until he arrived at a prison designated for inmates who were to be kicked out of the country once their sentences were served.

Lee filed a legal challenge, arguing that his lawyers incompetence led him to take the plea bargain, a decision he otherwise would not have made since remaining in the country was his paramount interest. In fact, his lawyer later said that if he himself had properly understood the immigration laws, and that the plea would make Lee ineligible to remain in the country, he would have advised Lee to take his chances at trial.

At heart, the case is about everyones right to adequate and effective counsel in a criminal proceeding.

But the government argued, and lower courts agreed, that given the evidence against Lee, including 88 ecstasy pills they found at his house, he was going to get convicted anyway so the outcome didnt harm him (so much for innocent until proven guilty). In fact, Lee wound up with less prison time out of the deal  and taking the deal would have been the rational decision because of that. But Lee had made clear to his lawyer, and later to the courts, that he was less concerned with a longer prison sentence than he was with the prospect of getting sent back to a country in which he had not set foot since 1982.

The Times editorial board sided with Lee earlier this year when the case went before the Supreme Court for oral arguments. The issue for us was a matter of basic fairness:

The [lower court] decisions hinge on speculation about what would have happened at trial if Lee had rejected the plea bargain. Lee rightly argues that anything can happen in court  evidence could be suppressed, witnesses could change stories, fickle juries may not believe a prosecutors narrative. Lee, fearing deportation more than a few additional years of prison, argued that if he had understood the certainty that his guilty plea would lead to a deportation order, he would have either held out for a better plea bargain that wouldnt have affected his legal status or rolled the dice at trial. His lawyers lack of legal knowledge meant Lee was unable to make the best decision for his defense, as is his right in a criminal proceeding.

The Supreme Court agreed:

Common sense (not to mention our precedent) recognizes that there is more to consider than simply the likelihood of success at trial. The decision whether to plead guilty also involves assessing the respective consequences of a conviction after trial and by plea. When those consequences are, from the defendants perspective, similarly dire, even the smallest chance of success at trial may look attractive. For example, a defendant with no realistic defense to a charge carrying a 20-year sentence may nevertheless choose trial, if the prosecutions plea offer is 18 years. Here Lee alleges that avoiding deportation was the determinative factor for him; deportation after some time in prison was not meaningfully different from deportation after somewhat less time. He says he accordingly would have rejected any plea leading to deportation  even if it shaved off prison time  in favor of throwing a Hail Mary at trial.

We cannot agree that it would be irrational for a defendant in Lees position to reject the plea offer in favor of trial. But for his attorneys incompetence, Lee would have known that accepting the plea agreement would certainly lead to deportation. Going to trial? Almost certainly.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision, and Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a dissent, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, arguing that letting Lee withdraw his plea based on his lawyers ignorance would open the door to future appeals by defendants unhappy with their lawyers, and their plea bargains. That could be the result, but so what? When a defendant can prove that he entered into a plea bargain under errant advice by his lawyer, and suffers a consequence he expressly intended to avoid, he should be able to withdraw the plea.

The court reached the right decision here. This case might have arisen from a deportation issue, but at heart, the case is about everyones right to adequate and effective counsel in a criminal proceeding.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

Scott.Martelle@LATimes.com

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To the editor: After campaigning as a defender of ratepayers, Mayor Eric Garcetti is now supporting a contract that gives 9,000 workers in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power pay increases of up to 22.3% by 2021. The agreement sets the stage for similar raises for other municipal employees unions. (The DWPs biggest union is in line to get six raises by 2021, June 20)

Garcetti previously advocated contributions to healthcare costs by DWP workers, but the contract includes not one penny of such contributions. DWP Commission President Mel Levine is quoted in this article as saying, Hopefully well do better next time.

Now it comes down to the City Council, whose members get substantial campaign contributions from the unions. If they cannot show they have the spines and the sense to stop this madness, ratepayers and voters must throw the bums out.

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Shelley Wagers, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Its official: Garcetti, the guy everyone thought would be the savior for this city, has joined the the illustrious club of leaders who cave in to unions. Whats next, additional DWP rate increases to pay for these raises?

Garcetti should stop trying to please the unions and stop focusing on luring the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles. Instead, he ought to put his future political aspirations on the back burner and serve the residents who elected him.

Richard Whorton, Studio City

..

To the editor: I remember not long ago reading an article or two in The Times about the high pay at the DWP. The story about Garcetti backing raises for DWP workers forced me to check my memory.

Sure enough, I found a quote from an op-ed article by Robert Fellner on March 30, 2015:

As detailed in a recent paper by TransparentCalifornia.com, DWP employee pay is up to three times greater than that of its private-sector counterparts. The average full-time, year-round DWP employee made $114,941 in 2013. This is despite providing a level of service that in 2011 had it ranked the 13th most hated company in the nation in one survey.

My only question: When will Garcetti announce his candidacy for higher office?

Kathleen Flanagan, Los Angeles

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Gov. Jerry Brown doubles down on California measure changing recall process, calling it eminently reasonable By Christine Mai-Duc State Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Compton), left, and Gov. Jerry Brown talk about funding for projects under the state transportation bill, SB1, at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson. (Christian K. Lee/ Los Angeles Times) The partisan volleys have continued this week in the effort to recall state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) over his vote to pass an increase in the gas tax. Those seeking to recall Newman submitted more than enough signatures needed to qualify the measure for the ballot, if theyre all deemed valid. Newman supporters looking to halt the recall filed a lawsuit Thursday, claiming signature gatherers had misled voters. And Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that makes changes to long-standing recall rules, an effort that Republicans have decried as an attempt by Democrats to rig the system to protect one of their own. Brown seemed to double down on that measure Friday at a press conference at Cal State Dominguez Hills, where he discussed the new gas tax, calling the new recall process eminently reasonable. The measure allows voters up to 30 days to remove their signature from a recall petition and creates a new process to review costs associated with a recall election. Brown said the bill provides an opportunity for people who have been hoodwinked to change their mind. Its all about truth and giving people the opportunity to make sure that their vote and their signature is knowingly given, Brown. The only people who would be against that are people who wanted to fool people and dont want to test it in court or in the light of day. .@JerryBrownGov responds to GOP criticism of budget trailer he signed that could make Newman recall harder. Calls it "eminently reasonable." pic.twitter.com/hSsmIPiHtP  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) June 30, 2017 Browns comments came after a roundtable discussion in which he and state Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Compton) spoke about the importance of directing transportation dollars raised by the gas tax increase to businesses owned by women, minorities and people who are disabled. Brown cast it as part of a larger question of equality and opportunity in America. But the discussion took place even as Brown mused about efforts to repeal the controversial tax package, which is expected to raise $52 billion over 10 years for road repairs and other transportation projects. If people want to not fund the roads, then they can put something on the ballot and maybe change things, Brown said. But I think most people in California want to fix the roads. Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach), who is running for governor, has filed a ballot measure to repeal the gas tax. Brown dismissed a recent poll by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley, which said that a majority of registered voters oppose the gas tax increases Brown and legislators recently approved. That was a poll that said, Do you want to raise a tax? Brown said. Of course people are going to say no. Brown added that when voters are given concrete situations like education and roads, theyre more likely to support tax increases. I think Californians are always leery of taxes. Im leery of taxes, Brown said. You want to drive around on gravel roads? Ive got a gravel road out in front of my house in the country. Its not bad. But I dont think thats what people want. I think they want real, paved roads  and to have paved roads youve got to spend real money. Times staff writer Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report. Facebook

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San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer says he wont run for governor, dashing hopes of GOP leaders By Phil Willon San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer speaks during a news conference about the San Diego Chargers in 2015. (Gregory Bull / AP) Republican San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who has been lobbied intensely by GOP leaders to run for California governor, on Friday rejected the idea and vowed to serve out his second term at city hall. Both House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and state Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte had urged Faulconer to run. A fiscal conservative and social moderate who has demonstrated crossover appeal by winning over Democrats, Faulconer has been seen as the GOPs strongest potential gubernatorial candidate, and one who could help Republicans in down-ballot races if he was at the top of the ticket in 2018. But Falconer nixed the idea of a gubernatorial bid in a Facebook post Friday afternoon, saying he was deeply honored by so many encouraging him to run. Its a testament to the people of San Diego, and the progress weve made to create a fiscally responsible, prosperous city that is moving in the right direction. I made a pledge last year to serve out my second term as mayor, and thats exactly what Im going to do, Faulconer said in the post. He was facing pressure to enter the race and GOP insiders who were familiar with his thinking believed he was leaning toward running. Faulconer ultimately decided not to run because he did not see a certain path to victory, according to a top state party official who did not want to be identified because they were not authorized to speak for the San Diego mayor. The last time a GOP candidate won a statewide race was in 2006. The governors race already has attracted a handful of Republican candidates, but none with Faulconers political stature. They include conservative Orange County Assemblyman Travis Allen and Rancho Santa Fe venture capitalist John Cox. Speculation is mounting that former state Assemblyman David Hadley plans to announce a run. The Democratic heavyweights in the race include Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang. A strong GOP top-of-the-ticket candidate would be expected to increase Republican turnout next fall. Faulconers decision not to run could impact some hotly contested congressional races in California, and potentially affect Republican efforts to retain control of the House of Representatives. If a Republican gubernatorial candidate fails to make the general election, creating a Democrat-on-Democrat race in November 2018, that could depress GOP turnout and affect those targeted congressional races. It leaves the Republicans without an obvious front-runner that the donors would have confidence in, said GOP strategist Rob Stutzman, who previously advised former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and 2010 GOP nominee Meg Whitman. But it still depends on the nature of the race next November. Its too early to say. Update 4:21 p.m.: This story was updated with reaction about Faulconers decision and more information about the 2018 election. This story was originally published at 3:30 p.m. Facebook

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Assembly Democrats denounce threats made after single-payer healthcare bill was sidelined Facebook

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Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom blasts National Rifle Assn. recruitment video, saying it could lead to violence By Seema Mehta (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom called on the National Rifle Assn. to take down a controversial new video that he argued villanizes political rivals and could lead to violence. Come after politicians. Come after policy makers. Come after ME, Newsom wrote on his Facebook page Thursday. But do not implicitly call for demonstrations of force against your fellow Americans in a country that is already reeling. You are powerful. People are listening to you. And your message could lead to tragedy. The NRA video, which urges people to join the organization, was posted earlier this month and features conservative commentator Dana Loesch talking about political rivals who she argues use the media, schools and Hollywood for sinister purposes. The video features footage of police clashing with protesters and a bloodied Trump supporter, and flashes images such as the Hollywood sign, Disney Hall and the Los Angeles Times building as Loesch repeatedly invokes an unnamed opponent she refers to as they. Loeschs concluding remarks in the minute-long video have drawn the most ire. The only way we stop this, the only way we save our country and our freedom, is to fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth, Loesch said. Im the National Rifle Assn. of America, and Im freedoms safest place. Newsom is a longtime foe of the NRA. He was a primary sponsor of Proposition 63, a ballot measure voters approved in November that requires background checks to purchase ammunition, bans possession of high-capacity magazines and other gun-safety efforts. On Thursday, the NRA claimed victory when a federal judge, at their attorneys request, granted a preliminary injunction blocking a related law that would have required Californians to get rid of large-capacity magazines by Saturday or face fines and potential jail time. Newsom, the states lieutenant governor, wrote that he felt a chill down my spine when he watched the video. He said while he and the NRA have long disagreed, the video crosses the line of appropriate political debate. He described it as dangerous because it tells viewers that our fellow Americans are to be feared  and even worse. How does this video advance debate? How does it bring people together for common ideals? How does it do anything but cast Americans as enemies to be defeated in a cynical ploy to sell as many weapons as possible? he wrote. Facebook

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Tired of exporting campaign cash, these politicos are putting California first By Mark Z. Barabak Air Force One leaves California after another fundraising foray. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) California feeds the world with its bounty, fuels the economy with its innovation, fires the imagination with its creativity. There is one export, though, that is far less celebrated: the unceasing torrent of outbound campaign cash. For political fundraisers, California has long been the Big Rock Candy Mountain, excavated, mined and, ultimately, shafted by candidates of both parties who use the boodle to run for president in Iowa or New Hampshire, or Congress in East Podunk. Now, Democratic efforts are underway to put California first, directing more campaign cash from whence it came by focusing on seven targeted House districts in the Central Valley and southern part of the state. Read More Facebook

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Federal judge blocks California gun law By Patrick McGreevy A handgun is displayed with 10- and 15-shot magazines. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A federal judge Thursday granted a request by attorneys for the National Rifle Assn. to block a law that requires Californians to dispose of large-capacity ammunition magazines by Saturday or face fines and possible jail time. U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez wrote in San Diego that the rights of voters who approved Proposition 63 in November have to be balanced against the rights of gun owners. If this injunction does not issue, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of otherwise law-abiding citizens will have an untenable choice: become an outlaw or dispossess ones self of lawfully acquired property, Benitez wrote. That is a choice they should not have to make. C.D. Michel, an attorney for the NRA and state gun owners, welcomed the decision, which allows a lawsuit to be decided on its merits before the law takes effect. My clients are pleased the Court affirmed that the Second Amendment is not a second class right, and that law abiding gun owners have a right to choose to have these magazines to help them defend themselves and their families, Michel said in a statement. Read More Facebook

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Two California Democrats join with House Republicans to vote for Kates Law By Sarah D. Wire There would be tougher penalties for people repeatedly caught crossing the border illegally, and millions of dollars less in federal funds for so-called sanctuary jurisdictions such as Los Angeles under two House immigration bills approved Thursday. Both bills would fulfill President Trumps campaign promises if they became law, but the Senate has killed similar legislation and is unlikely to be able to reach the 60-vote requirement to pass the bills. The House voted 257 to 167, with 24 Democrats crossing party lines, to pass Kates Law, which would create harsher mandatory minimum prison sentences for people who repeatedly enter the U.S. illegally. It is named after Kathryn Steinle, who allegedly was shot and killed in San Francisco in 2015 by Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, a Mexican immigrant who had repeatedly entered the country illegally and was released from jail by sheriffs officials despite a request by immigration officials to keep him behind bars. Two California Democrats, Reps. Jackie Speier of Hillsborough and Eric Swalwell of Dublin, joined Republicans in voting for the bill. Swalwell grew up with Steinle and is still in touch with her family, he said. This bill is not perfect, and its shameful that the Republicans did not allow any debate. But it does improve our ability to punish individuals who repeatedly break the law and to deter those who may do so, he Swalwell said in a statement. Read More Facebook

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Committee unexpectedly opens door to Rep. Barbara Lees push to end military force authorization By Sarah D. Wire (Paul Morigi/Getty Images) In September 2001, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) was the only member of Congress to object to an Authorization for the Use of Military Force, a resolution in response to the terrorist attacks that paved the way for the war in Afghanistan. In the 16 years since, the resolution has been used by President George W. Bush, President Obama and now President Trump as justification for more than 35 military actions in nearly 20 countries around the world -- which means those presidents have not gone back to Congress for new permission to send troops into harms way. On Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee opened the door to ending that 2001 authorization when it added Lees amendment to a Defense Department measure. Congress would have 240 days to debate a new authorization. At the end of that time the 2001 authorization would be repealed. Lee has lobbied hard just to get to this first step, which was approved by a voice vote in the Republican led committee. Ive been working on this for years and years and years. Im just really pleased that Republicans and Democrats today really understood what Ive been saying and Ive been explaining for the last 16 years, and that is, this resolution is a blank check for perpetual war, Lee said. Committee members broke into applause after the unexpected vote. Lee said Thursday she plans to personally call Speaker Paul Ryan and make the case for keeping her amendment in the bill when it gets to the House floor. The public wants to see a debate, Lee said. Our young men and women in harms way need to know their Congress is supporting them and backing them up, or not. Facebook

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Volkswagen submits revised plan for installing charging stations as part of emission-cheating settlement By Chris Megerian (Markus Schreiber / Associated Press) Volkswagen would build more electric vehicle charging stations in disadvantaged communities under an updated plan being submitted to state regulators on Thursday. The companys subsidiary, Electrify America, revised its proposal after an earlier version was rejected as inadequate by the California Air Resources Board. The proposal is the first phase of an $800-million investment in the state, one piece of a much larger settlement over Volkswagens cheating on vehicle emission rules. Although the money is expected to yield hundreds of new charging stations and boost Californias efforts to foster the market for electric cars, its also been a source of controversy. State regulators want 35% of the money to be spent in disadvantaged communities, a target endorsed by the Legislature as well. Electrify America CEO Mark McNabb said, We will strive hard to hit it. The updated plan adds Fresno to the list of metropolitan areas, which already included Los Angeles and Sacramento, where charging stations would be installed. It made sense to get out into the Central Valley, McNabb said. We thought that was an improvement we could make to the plan. Facebook

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Californias top elections officer to Trumps voting fraud panel: No By John Myers (Dylan Stewart / HS Insider) President Trumps voter fraud commission will not be getting the names and addresses of Californias registered voters. The panels request was denied on Thursday by Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who said it would only legitimize false claims of massive election cheating last fall. Padilla refused to hand over data, including the names, addresses, political party and voting history of Californias 19.4 million voters. Kris Kobach, the secretary of state of Kansas who serves as vice chairman of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, sent letters to all 50 states on Wednesday for information he said would help the group examine rules that either enhance or undermine the American peoples confidence in the integrity of federal elections processes. Padilla, though, suggested the effort is little more than a ruse. I will not provide sensitive voter information to a commission that has already inaccurately passed judgment that millions of Californians voted illegally, he said in a written statement. Californias participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud made by the President, the Vice President, and Mr. Kobach. Last November, Trump tweeted that California was one of three states where serious voter fraud took place in the general election. No state or local elections official has found any evidence to back up the presidents assertion. Kobachs request says the panel seeks only publicly available information. Basic information about California voters is routinely shared with journalists, political campaigns and researchers after a written request and payment of a fee. The letter asks for data including information regarding any felony convictions, information regarding voter registration in another state, information regarding military status, and overseas citizen information. Padilla also criticized the selection of Kobach to help lead Trumps commission, accusing the Kansas official of past efforts at racial profiling and suppressing voter turnout. His role as vice chair is proof that the ultimate goal of the commission is to enact policies that will result in the disenfranchisement of American citizens, Padilla said. The presidential commissions first meeting is scheduled for July 19. Facebook

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Supporters of state Sen. Josh Newman sue to stop effort to recall him, alleging voters have been misled By Patrick McGreevy Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) faces a recall. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Supporters of state Sen. Josh Newman filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to stop a recall campaign against the lawmaker, alleging that signature gatherers have misled voters and the petition contains false information. The Democratic legislator from Fullerton faces a recall funded by the California Republican Party for voting with other lawmakers to increase the states gas tax and vehicle fees to raise $5.2 billion annually for road repairs. On Tuesday, the state party announced it had submitted 84,988 signatures to election officials, some 20,000 more signatures than would be needed if officials determine they are valid. The lawsuit against Secretary of State Alex Padilla was filed in Sacramento Superior Court by three residents of Newmans Senate district and paid for by the campaign against the recall. It alleges that signature gatherers misled voters to sign the petitions by saying they would repeal the car tax. The petition gathering campaign has misrepresented the nature of the petition by informing voters that it will Stop the Gas Tax when it will not, the lawsuit says. These statements are intentionally misleading statements of fact that are false beyond dispute and mislead voters The legal complaint, which also names several signature gatherers, alleges that the notice of intent to file the petition is inaccurate in saying that the tax bill provides billions of dollars for mass transit in Northern California without Newmans district benefiting from the revenue. The bill itself does not earmark where money will go, but the intent of lawmakers was that Newmans district would benefit, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit asks that the circulation of the petition be stopped and the recall effort, using the petition as drafted, be halted. This suit is about nothing less than the integrity of our election process; a recall election simply should not be certified when signatures were gathered based on lies to voters, said James Harrison, an attorney who filed the lawsuit. Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio, an organizer of the recall, said the lawsuit is without merit. Josh Newman refuses to accept accountability for his disastrous vote to raise the car and gas tax and instead has chosen to blame others for the recall against him with lies and frivolous lawsuits, DeMaio said. Facebook

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State to pay $2.9 million to three men wrongfully convicted in Los Angeles cases By Patrick McGreevy Kash Delano Register outside a Los Angeles restaurant in November 2013 after his release from prison. (Christina House / For The Times) The state Senate has approved payment of $2.96 million to settle three claims by men who were wrongly convicted for crimes in Los Angeles and served time in prison before they were exonerated. The approval of the payments, amounting to $140 for each day served behind bars, next goes to Gov. Jerry Brown. The largest payment  $1.7 million  goes to Kash Delano Register, who said he was wrongfully convicted of a 1979 murder because of a flawed LAPD investigation. He served 34 years in prison. In 2013, the Los Angeles County Superior Court ordered that Register be released from prison after it found he had been denied due process of law and a fair trial because material exculpatory information and evidence was not disclosed. The court acted after lawyers and students from Loyola Law School cast doubt on the testimony of a key prosecution witness. The Los Angeles County district attorneys office later dismissed the charges, and Register was found by the court to be factually innocent. The Senate payment for 12,427 days served in custody is in addition to a $16.7-million settlement paid to Register by the city of Los Angeles. The Senate also voted Thursday to pay $886,760 to Luis Vargas, who spent more than 17 years in custody before a court ruled him factually innocent of a 1998 rape. In 2012, DNA evidence from one of the victims showed that a suspect known as the Teardrop Rapist, not Vargas, was the perpetrator of the rape. The third payment, $340,620, goes to Reggie Cole, who was found factually innocent after serving time in prison for the shooting death of a man outside a South Los Angeles house of prostitution in 1995. Facebook

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Public affairs strategist Fiona Hutton hosts fundraiser for Antonio Villaraigosa By Phil Willon Antonio Villaraigosa in July (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles public affairs strategist Fiona Hutton is hosting a San Fernando Valley fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa in July. Hutton, who has worked on a number of statewide campaigns, also raised money for Villaraigosa during his successful campaign for mayor of Los Angeles in 2005. The July 25 fundraiser is being held at Huttons office in Studio City. Tickets run $1,000 apiece. To be a co-host, itll cost $10,000. Along with serving as president of her company, Fiona Hutton & Associates, Hutton sits on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. Facebook

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California joins other states asking the Trump administration for information on how its enforcing immigration law By Patrick McGreevy Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra wants more information on federal enforcement of immigration laws. ( Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) A group of nine state attorneys general, including California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday seeking records that would clarify how the Trump administration is enforcing federal immigration law. The request seeks the number of immigration detentions, deportations and detainer requests, and the rationale for each, as well as clarifying information on whether Trump is following through on comments that he will not target young people who were brought to the country illegally by their parents. The attorneys general also want to know whether immigrants in the country illegally have been detained at schools, hospitals and places of worship, which the state officials feel should be off-limits for enforcement. Mixed messages from the Trump Administration on immigration enforcement are sowing confusion and increasing anxiety among immigrants, Becerra said in a statement. Today we ask the Administration to tell us what it is doing in this area. The data could be used in a barrage of legal challenges the states have filed against federal immigration policies. Becerra noted that immigration-related arrests have increased nearly 40% since Trump became president, and there is concern that some of the arrests have included young people who were given a deferral from deportation under the Obama administration. The Presidents Executive Orders, and the steps taken by the Department of Homeland Security to implement those orders, have generated new fears and uncertainties in immigrant communities across the country, the attorneys general wrote in the request for information. The other states represented in the request are New York, Illinois, Washington, Massachusetts, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon and Hawaii. Facebook

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This is why Californias Legislature cant fix the states housing problems By Liam Dillon An apartment complex in Hollywood (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) For 50 years, California has had a law that aims to encourage developers to build housing. But the law has failed at helping stem the statewide shortage of homes that drives Californias affordability problems. The reason? The law requires cities and counties to produce prodigious reports to plan for housing  but it doesnt hold them accountable for any resulting home building. Cities and counties resent the law. To avoid complying, theyve asked the state to let prison beds count toward their low-income housing goals, among other things. And despite knowing about the laws weaknesses for decades, state lawmakers have provided no incentive, such as a greater share of tax dollars, for cities and counties to meet their housing goals. Read More Facebook

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Californias attorney general joins the fight against President Trumps sanctuary city order By Patrick McGreevy Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra led a group of 10 states Wednesday in filing an court brief supporting San Francisco and other California communities that challenged President Trumps executive order to withhold federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions. After the local governments won a preliminary injunction against the order, the Trump administration asked the courts to dismiss the cities lawsuit. The brief filed by Becerra argues that public safety is improved when local law enforcement agencies focus on crime prevention instead of helping federal authorities enforce immigration laws. The Trump Administration does not have the right to coerce states, counties or municipalities to do the federal governments job, Becerra said in a statement. Californias state and local law enforcement officials are in the business of public safety, not of deportation. Threatening public safety funding to compel localities to do immigration work is a dangerous game that undermines public safety. Facebook

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California Supreme Court leaves in place decision upholding cap-and-trade system By Chris Megerian Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the Air Resources Board, oversees the cap-and-trade program. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) After more than four years, a legal challenge to Californias cap-and-trade program has reached an unsuccessful conclusion. The end came on Wednesday when the California Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal from business groups who consider the program to be an unconstitutional tax. The program requires companies to buy permits to release greenhouse gases, a system intended to provide a financial incentive to reduce emissions. The law that provided the programs foundation was not passed with a two-thirds vote in the Legislature, the legal threshold for new taxes, sparking lawsuits from the California Chamber of Commerce and the Pacific Legal Foundation. A state appeals court rejected their arguments in April, but they appealed. Business groups were also concerned the decision was too broad and could open the door to additional taxes. Despite the states victory in court, there are other legal questions around cap and trade. Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing lawmakers to extend the program past 2020 with new legislation. With this Supreme Court victory, now its up to us to take action extending Californias cap-and-trade system on a more permanent basis, Brown said in a statement. This story has been updated with a statement from the governor. Facebook

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Rohrabacher on meeting with Manafort while he was a foreign agent: It was a nice little dinner By Sarah D. Wire (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) When former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort belatedly filed as a foreign agent on behalf of a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party this week, he listed a meeting with just one U.S. politician  Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Huntington Beach. Manaforts years-late filing with the Justice Department details $17 million in political consulting work he did between 2012 and 2014 for the Party of Regions, a Ukrainian party considered friendly with the Kremlin. Rohrabacher told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that the March 2013 meeting happened over dinner at the Capitol Hill Club, a popular Washington Republican social club. He said Manafort billed it as a chance to get reacquainted decades after they worked together in the 1970s on President Reagans campaign. Still, he assumed Manafort had an agenda. I assume when old friends call me up and are wanting to get reacquainted and stuff I always assume they are in some way under contract with somebody, Rohrabacher said. Rohrabacher, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats, has long been known for encouraging improved relations with Russia, something thats made him an outlier in the Republican Party. He said Russia and the Baltic states probably came up during dinner, but it wasnt the focus of their conversation. We discussed a myriad of things, a lot of personal stuff, a lot of different analysis of the politics of the day, Rohrabacher said. It was a nice little dinner. Three days later, Manafort contributed $1,000 to Rohrabachers reelection campaign. Manaforts modest donation didnt stand out, Rohrabacher said. Ongoing FBI and congressional investigations into Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election, and how the Trump campaign may have been involved, have heightened interest in any connections American politicians may have had with the Russian government or its proxies. Rohrabachers opponents immediately began fundraising off the revelation that Manafort met with the congressman while serving as a foreign agent. Democrat Harley Rouda, whos running for Rohrabachers seat in 2018, called it embarrassing in a solicitation email Tuesday. We need someone who cares more about Orange County and America than supporting Russia and Putin, Roudas email stated. Facebook

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Democrats block Republican legislators proposal for forensic audit of UC Office of President By Patrick McGreevy Two months after a state audit found mismanagement at the University of California, Democratic state lawmakers on Wednesday blocked a Republican legislators proposal to have auditors go back in and look deeper at spending, this time with an eye for possible criminal activity. Assemblyman Dante Acosta (R-Santa Clarita) said the follow-up examination was justified after an audit in April found the UC Office of the President had failed to disclose a $175-million budget surplus to the Board of Regents and the public, was paying excessive salaries and expenses and had inadequate financial safeguards in place to prevent abuse. The lack of controls, the audit concluded, was putting millions of dollars at risk of abuse. I am fighting to return trust in the institution of the UC Office of the President for students, parents, faculty and staff, Acosta said. Only complete transparency can accomplish that goal. However, no Democratic lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted to authorize a new audit, so the motion failed. Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) said the university administration should be given time to address the recommendations of its recent audit. I believe this request is premature, he said. State Auditor Elaine Howle said Wednesday in response to a legislators question that she did not find any evidence of misuse of funds. We didnt see anything nefarious, Howle told the panel. UC President Janet Napolitano said funds were not hidden, but she has agreed to adopt policies to make the budget process more transparent. Monica Lozano, chairwoman of the UC Board of Regents, told the legislative committee Wednesday that a new audit is unnecessary and may interfere with the systems implementation of recommendations from the last audit, including the hiring of an accountant to look at UC spending. Facebook

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Single-payer healthcare advocates protest at Capitol with a message for Californias Assembly speaker: Shame on you! By Melanie Mason View Twitter post Backers of a measure to establish a single-payer healthcare system in California rallied at the Capitol on Wednesday to renounce Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), who shelved the bill last week. Several hundred demonstrators, many affiliated with the California Nurses Assn., the legislations sponsor, convened in the Capitol rotunda, where they unfurled a banner that blared Inaction = Death, before handing off signs with written complaints to a member of Rendons staff. The rally, on the heels of a smaller demonstration at Rendons district office on Tuesday, is a sign of how single-payer backers continue to seethe after the bill, SB 562, stalled on Friday. Patty Estefes, a retired nurse from San Jose, said the campaign for single-payer heathcare, in which the government would cover all residents healthcare costs, was her passion. Rendon sabotaged SB 562 and we want to take the knife out, said Estefes, explaining her sign, which had an image of the California grizzly bear stabbed in the back with a blade labeled Rendon. The image has become popular among supporters of the bill, although other Democrats have said the violence of the image makes them uneasy. View Twitter post A depiction of violence in any form is unacceptable and inappropriate. #StandwithRendon #StrongerTogether #DeathThreatsUnacceptable pic.twitter.com/KLF8nNvxdZ  Rudy Salas Jr (@rudysalasjr) June 27, 2017 Meanwhile, another union leader, Robbie Hunter of the powerful State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, chimed in Wednesday with support for the state Assembly speaker. Working people have real fights, and they are not with a labor champion like Anthony Rendon, said Hunter, who denounced the criticism from single-payer advocates as unfair and unwarranted attacks. Facebook

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Garcetti and Schwarzenegger urge cities and states to lead fight against climate change in Trump era By Michael Finnegan Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday called on cities and states to lead the nations fight against global warming as the federal government begins to reverse its climate change policies. The Republican former film star  who signed a landmark 2006 law to reduce Californias carbon emissions  and the Democratic mayor spoke out against President Trumps denial of climate science at a forum at Creative Artists Agency in Century City. Both argued that steps taken by cities and states to promote renewable energy could largely make up for the Trump administrations withdrawal from the worldwide Paris agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Facebook

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California voters could decide in 2020 whether to remove mandatory punishment for falsifying U.S. citizenship records By Jazmine Ulloa A proposed California law would let state voters decide in November 2020 whether to remove the mandatory punishment for a person who falsifies citizenship documents. The legislation by Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) would make the crime a wobbler, meaning prosecutors would have the discretion to charge suspects in such cases with either felony offenses or lower-level misdemeanors. That, supporters say, would bring the penalties in line with those for similar crimes committed by legal residents who falsify government records, such as drivers licenses. Assembly Bill 222 moved out of the Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday with a 5-2 vote along party lines. An amendment added Tuesday places the issue on the ballot in November 2020. Bocangera said the measure was introduced as a response to President Trumps hard-line stance on immigration and would reverse part of Proposition 187, a 1994 California ballot measure to deny public services to immigrants in the country illegally. The bill would repeal provisions in the penal code that require a person to serve an automatic five-year mandatory prison sentence or pay a $75,000 fine if they are convicted on charges of manufacturing, distributing or selling false documents to conceal someone elses citizenship or residency status. It has the support of the Los Angeles County district attorneys office, which says there are far more serious crimes that carry substantially lower penalties. Today, if an underage college student uses a fake ID to purchase a six-pack of beer, he or she can be charged with a misdemeanor, Bocanegra said in a statement. However, if an immigrant is caught using that same fake ID, he or she is automatically charged with a felony and is subject to five years in prison. Facebook

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Its all good: Gov. Jerry Brown (again) signs a budget without any vetoed spending By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown, signs bills in his Capitol office on Oct. 9, 2015. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown holds two unique records when it comes to state budgets. No governor has signed more of them, and none in modern times have been as hesitant to veto items they dont like. In the budget he signed on Monday, Brown made no changes. Its not the first time. This was Browns second consecutive budget in which he took no veto actions, and his third veto-free budget since 1982. Governors have line-item veto power to erase budget expenditures, decisions that arent subject to review by the Legislature. Previous chief executives have used their unilateral power far more often, a way to trim spending from a variety of state budget-related programs. State documents show former Gov. George Deukmejian holds the modern record for the most budget changes, issuing 367 line-item vetoes on July 21, 1983. In total amount of spending, the record belongs to former Gov. Pete Wilson, whose budget vetoes in 1998 added up to more than $1.9 million. Brown also has the distinction of issuing fewer vetoes of stand-alone legislation of any governor in the last half-century, suggesting its a sign of respect for the legislative branch of government. The governors signature on the latest state budget sets in place $183.2-billion in spending, covering a wide range of programs and services while setting aside more in cash reserves than ever before. Read More Facebook

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Campaign to recall freshman state senator submits more than enough signatures to qualify for the ballot By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) at the Capitol on April 20. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The campaign against state Sen. Josh Newman has turned in more than enough signatures to force the freshman Democrat from Fullerton into a recall election. Republican Carl DeMaio, a lead organizer of the effort, said the group submitted 84,988 signatures on Tuesday. More signatures are being collected but only 63,500 registered voters in the 29th Senate District are needed to put the recall question on the ballot. It shows that there is an unbelievable grass roots movement to fire Josh Newman for his disasterous vote to support an increase in the gas tax, said DeMaio, a conservative radio talk show host from San Diego. The recall drive was complicated by recently enacted legislation that allows voters to ask that their signatures not be included in the recall petitions if they felt they were misled. Elections officials in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties must now determine whether there are sufficient valid signatures to qualify the recall. Mike Roth, a spokesman for the campaign against the recall, said special interests including Chevron have helped fuel a misleading petition drive. The recall petition is a costly power grab by out-of-district special interests that wont save taxpayers a dime and wont solve any problem voters care about, Roth said. What it will do is cost up to $3 million in tax dollars that would be better spent on our schools and public safety. Facebook

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In massive shake-up, Gov. Jerry Brown breaks up Californias scandal-plagued tax collection agency By Patrick McGreevy In a move that triggers the most dramatic shake-up of the California Board of Equalization in its 138-year history, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday that strips the embattled state tax collection agency of most of its powers and duties as officials scramble to create an entirely new department by July 1. The board is the target of an investigation by the state Department of Justice, and its employees and members have been accused by auditors of mismanagement, including putting $350 million in sales taxes in the wrong accounts and improperly interfering with decisions to open field offices and transfer staff. The governor signed a bill that pares the state board from an agency with 4,800 workers to one of 400 employees, shifting the other staff engaged in the collection of sales and excise taxes to a new California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. The elected, five-member Board of Equalization will also give up its role hearing taxpayer appeals to a new Office of Tax Appeals, leaving the board to advocate for taxpayers and continue setting rates for gas taxes and pipeline levies, and making sure counties fairly assess property taxes. Anticipating the governors action, officials had already started work to create a new state department by July 1. Its a short period, acknowledged Marybel Batjer, secretary of the California Government Operations Agency, who is coordinating the changes. The new department will be headed by a director appointed by the governor and requiring state Senate approval. Brown will also appoint a chief deputy and chief counsel. The recruitment is underway for those positions, Batjer said, adding that the transition will continue after July 1, obviously. Not every i will be dotted and t crossed between now and July 1. We will do our mighty best to do the most important things before July 1. Learn more on the history of the state board and whats next. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown approves a $183-billion state budget, though a few details are unfinished By John Myers (Justin Sullivan/Getty) Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed into law a $183.2-billion budget, a spending plan with significant boosts for public schools and a variety of programs to help Californias most needy residents. While the blueprint depends on a series of other related bills that havent reached his desk, Browns action largely ratifies the plan approved by the Legislature and ensures the state will have a budget in place for the new fiscal year that begins Saturday. This budget provides money to repair our roads and bridges, pay down debt, invest in schools, fund the earned income tax credit and provide Medi-Cal health care for millions of Californians, Brown said in a written statement released by his office. The budget boosts total state and local spending on K-12 education and community colleges to $74.5 billion, roughly $11,000 per pupil in the coming school year. It also increases funding for the University of California and Cal State University systems, and provides additional money for preschool and child care programs. Brown and lawmakers agreed to devote a portion of new tobacco tax dollars to higher payments for doctors and dentists that treat patients in Medi-Cal, the states healthcare program for the poor. Divvying up the dollars generated by last falls Proposition 56 was among one of the most contentious issues during spring budget negotiations. The budget sets aside additional money in the states rainy-day reserve fund, growing the contingency account to $8.5 billion. Brown, who rarely uses his line-item veto power in trimming budgets, left entirely intact the plan ratified by the Legislature on June 15. While the governor signed 15 budget-related bills Tuesday, a handful of other related bills have yet to make their way to his desk. Those include a plan to make an extra $6-billion payment to the California Public Employees Retirement System, or CalPERS, borrowing the money from surplus state revenues. The plan was approved by the state Senate on Monday. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown says GOP healthcare bill cuts right into the heart of what is already a divided nation By Sarah D. Wire Californias senators, Kamala Harris, left, and Dianne Feinstein. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) One in three California residents are covered by Medicaid, and California is thought to have the most to lose if Republicans gather enough votes to roll back major aspects of the Affordable Care Act. California would see the nations biggest increase in uninsured people by next year and face a $24-billion budget shortfall by 2026 because of reduced Medicaid funding, Californias Democratic senators and Gov. Jerry Brown warned during a call with reporters on Tuesday. The Californians call was just one of dozens of events House and Senate Democrats held Tuesday to try to stir up anger over the bill. Brown called the bill divisive, saying it puts tax cuts for the wealthy above healthcare for the poor. This is such a political bill, he said. This bill will be the most divisive maneuver, cutting right into the heart of what is already a divided nation. The bill would increase the number of people without health coverage by 22 million and push up medical costs for millions of other poor and sick Americans, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. After pledging to pass the bill this week, Senate Republicans abruptly delayed a vote until after the July Fourth recess. A handful of Republicans have announced they are leery of the bill, saying it either goes too far or doesnt go far enough, and the White House is lobbying them to get on board. Every major medical association has come out against the bill, which was written by a small group of senators behind closed doors. Sen. Kamala Harris said the bill is being rushed to the Senate floor without hearings, debate or much time for senators to review it. Its absolutely wrong, it is harmful and it is unconscionable. The bill would restructure our nations entire health care system, she said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said its not enough to amend the existing GOP bill, and Congress needs to start over instead. She said 10 or 12 Republican senators need to defect so the bill is not revived after a few changes, as a similar bill was in the House. I am optimistic that it is doable to kill it, Feinstein said. Its the most indefensible bill Ive actually seen in 24 years in the Senate. Facebook

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National Republicans target California water needs in new ads against House Democrats By Sarah D. Wire The National Republican Congressional Committee is going after five California Democrats for votes on a water issue. The online ads are identical except for one line tailored to target each Democrat: Reps. John Garamendi of Walnut Grove, Ami Bera of Elk Grove, Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara, Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert and Scott Peters of San Diego. They specifically are about the Democrats voting against a bill to funnel dam permits through a single federal agency in an effort to speed up new water storage projects. Tell Congressman Garamendi to stop letting politics get in the way of our water, one ad says. Sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove), the bill passed the House last week, with a 233-180 largely partisan vote. Democrats need 24 seats to regain control of the House, and are expected to focus their attention in the midterms on tying Republicans to President Trump. Their list of seats they need to flip includes 9 of the 14 California seats held by Republicans. The ads, which will run online for the next week, could be the first glimpse of an NRCC strategy of trying to keep the focus on local issues in the 2018 election. California Democrats want to help radical environmentalists more than their drought-stricken constituents. If Democrats continue to sit on their hands and let this chance to capture much-needed water float on by, the NRCC will hold them accountable, said spokesman Jack Pandol. Facebook

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Only a few California counties may use the new state law for sending every voter a ballot in the mail By John Myers A broad effort to close thousands of California neighborhood polling places in favor of absentee ballots and multi-purpose vote centers has yet to find traction beyond a handful of counties. Data collected by Secretary of State Alex Padillas office concludes only two counties have a plan in place to implement the sweeping change in state election law enacted last year. As many as 14 counties can do so in 2018, with Los Angeles County and others able to switch to the system in 2020. Change is hard, said Jill LaVine, registrar of voters in Sacramento County, one of the counties that has already approved adoption of the system to swap polling places for a limited number of vote centers offering several different election services. Meanwhile, leaders in the county that has done the most planning to move toward changing its election system -- Orange County -- have rejected the new law for 2018. Read More Facebook

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Nurses union uses the image of a California bear stabbed in the back after single-payer bill is blocked Facebook

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Rep. Grace Napolitano to miss House votes for several weeks while husband receives cancer treatment By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk) will miss House votes while her husband, Frank Napolitano, undergoes chemotherapy and radiation to treat esophageal cancer, her spokesman said. The congresswoman, 80, easily beat out former Democratic state Assemblyman Roger Hernandez of West Covina in the November election. She said in April that she would seek reelection in 2018, and her husbands health does not change her plan to seek an 11th term, spokesman Jerry ODonnell said. Napolitano has missed the last two weeks of House votes, though shes working some from the district, and is expected to remain in California for several more weeks to care for her husband during the treatment, ODonnell said. He did not know for sure how long Napolitano would be gone, but it is possible she might make it back for some votes during the seven-week-long treatment, he said. Napolitano said by phone she will try to return if the House votes again on the GOP health care bill. I intend to be back at work soon, Napolitano said. The House leaves Friday for a one-week break and leaves again at the end of July for the August recess. Napolitano suffered a minor stroke in 2016 that affected her ability to write and slightly slowed her walk. For the record, 8:47 a.m.: An earlier version of this post identified the type of cancer Napolitanos husband has as lung cancer. It is esophageal cancer. 8:47 a.m., June 27: This post has been updated with a quote from Napolitano. 2:45 p.m. This post has been updated to correct how many terms the congresswoman has served. 2:26 p.m. This post has been updated with more details about when Napolitano might return. This post was originally published at 2:06 p.m. Facebook

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After a career in the majority, Jimmy Gomez prepares for life in the minority in Washington By Sarah D. Wire (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Congressman-elect Jimmy Gomez has spent his entire political career as a member of the majority party. When hes sworn in as central and northeast Los Angeles newest member of Congress in the coming weeks, hell be the most junior Democrat  194th out of 194  in Congress. Hell have to find a path forward in a Congress dominated by the opposing party. Even if Democrats win back control, hell have hundreds of more senior and just as eager colleagues ahead of him in line. Read More Facebook

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Rep. Maxine Waters focuses on GOP healthcare bill at packed town hall By Andrea Castillo (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) Rep. Maxine Waters, who spoke Saturday at a packed town hall meeting in Gardena, said she worries some Americans will be forced to do what her family did if the Republican healthcare bill passes. Senate Republicans have pledged to pass a bill before the July Fourth holiday. To illustrate why she believes everyone should have access to comprehensive healthcare, the Los Angeles Democrat said she and her 12 siblings never saw a physician or a dentist their entire childhood. I was born at home in St. Louis back in the day when it was hard for minorities to get into hospitals, she said. Read More Facebook

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This former Jeff Denham challenger wont run again, but hes launching a committee to elect Democrats By Christine Mai-Duc Two-time congressional challenger Michael Eggman says he wont try for a third campaign against Republican Rep. Jeff Denham (Turlock), but hes hoping to help Democrats running against the him. Eggman, a beekeeper and farmer, announced Monday that hes starting a political action committee to help oust Republicans in seven seats, including Denhams in the Central Valley, which Democrats have targeted for 2018. The committee, Red to Blue California, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission in March but so far hasnt reported raising any money. Andrew Feldman, a spokesman for the PAC, said the group has taken in about $50,000 and its goal is to raise at least $7 million in the 2018 cycle. Eggman will serve as chair of the committee. In a statement, Eggman said that while he lost last year, I learned a heck of a lot on the way. Now as Donald Trump threatens to upend the very fabric of what makes our country great, Im doing my part to join the resistance. In addition to Denhams seat, the committee will target Republican Reps. Steve Knight (Palmdale), David Valadao (Hanford), Ed Royce (Fullerton), Mimi Walters (Irvine), Dana Rohrabacher (Huntington Beach) and Darrell Issa (Vista). All seven were reelected in districts won by Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. The committee also plans to use some of the money to promote down-ballot candidates in each of the districts as a way of building a base of Democratic candidates. Eggman, a beekeeper and farmer who received a rare endorsement from Barack Obama in the Democrats unsuccessful quest to take back the House last year, lost to Denham by 5% in November. Spending in that race topped $14 million. Six Democrats have already filed to run in Denhams 10th Congressional District, including Josh Harder, a venture capital executive whose campaign manager worked for Eggman in 2016. Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: Theres a powerful new ally of those who support a sanctuary state By John Myers Supporters of an ambitious California effort to limit law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities begin the week with a prominent new ally. On this weeks California Politics Podcast, we take a look at the impact of Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck endorsing the sanctuary state bill thats now under consideration in Sacramento. We also discuss the decision by Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) to run for governor, and how his conservative politics could have a big effect on how Republican voters view their choices in 2018. Im joined by Times staff writer Melanie Mason and Marisa Lagos of KQED News. Facebook

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California wont be passing a single-payer healthcare system any time soon  the plan is dead for this year By Melanie Mason View Twitter post A high-profile effort to establish a single-payer healthcare system in California sputtered on Friday when Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) decided to shelve the proposal. Rendon announced late Friday afternoon that the bill, SB 562 by state Sens. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), would not advance to a policy hearing in his house, dampening the measures prospect for swift passage this year. SB 562 was sent to the Assembly woefully incomplete, Rendon said in a statement. Even senators who voted for SB 562 noted there are potentially fatal flaws in the bill, including the fact it does not address many serious issues, such as financing, delivery of care, cost controls, or the realities of needed action by the Trump Administration and voters to make SB 562 a genuine piece of legislation. Rendon took pains to note that his action does not kill the bill entirely  because it is the first year of a two-year session, it could be revived next year. But the move is nonetheless a major setback for legislation that has electrified the Democratic partys progressive flank. The California Nurses Assn., the bills sponsors and the states most vocal advocates for single-payer, blasted Rendons decision as cowardly. Acting in secret in the interests of the profiteering insurance companies late Friday afternoon abandons all those people already threatened by Congress and the Trump administration, Deborah Burger, the unions co-president, said in a statement. Burger continued: The people of California are counting on the Legislature to protect them now, not sometime next year, and as polls have shown Californians support this proposal by a wide majority. A solution to this health care emergency could be at hand; Speaker Rendon is standing in opposition. In a joint statement, Lara and Atkins, the measures authors, said they were disappointed the robust debate about healthcare for all that started in the California Senate will not continue in the Assembly this year. This issue is not going away, they added. Gov. Jerry Brown, who had signaled wariness about the proposals costs, said in a statement that Rendon made the case that theres clearly more work to do before anyone is in a position to vote on revamping Californias healthcare system. I recognize the tremendous excitement behind the measure, but basic and fundamental questions remain unanswered, Brown said. Updated at 6:44 p.m.: This article was updated with a comment from Gov. Jerry Brown. Updated at 5:38 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from the California Nurses Assn. and the measures authors. This article was originally published at 4:38 p.m. Times staff writer Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report. Read More Facebook

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California politicians are in Dallas despite new ban on state employees traveling to Texas By Patrick McGreevy Sen. Ricardo Lara (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A day after California banned state employees from going to Texas on official business, a group of politicians from the Golden State was in Dallas on Friday for a major conference. California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Thursday announced he was prohibiting state employees from traveling at state expense to Texas and three other states that he determined have approved laws that discriminate against gay and transgender people. Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), who is openly gay, is among those attending the annual gathering of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). A spokesman said he is using his own money, not taxpayer funds. Lara voted for the bill that enacted the travel ban. Lara felt participating in a panel discussion on immigration was important amid debate over Gov. Greg Abbotts signage of a controversial immigration law that bans sanctuary cities for immigrants in the country illegally, spokesman Michael Soller said. Texas just passed one of the nations most anti-immigrant laws with Senate Bill 4, and California went down this road with Proposition 187 more than 20 years ago, Lara said in a statement. With LGBT and immigrant rights under assault across the country, I thought it was important to join other Latino leaders and show Californias example. Like Lara, West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John Duran made plans to attend the Dallas convention well before Becerra announced the travel ban, which does not apply to non-state employees. Duran is the national chairman of NALEO and said the conference was scheduled for Dallas three years ago. I dont know about the LGBT laws in Texas or AG Becerras call for a boycott -- I am not only LGBT but also Latino, Duran said in an email, adding he is very angry over Texas SB 4, which requires law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials in enforcing immigration laws. I am here supporting my elected official colleagues in Texas from Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas who are joining together to sue the state of Texas, Duran said. Being a Californian who worked against Gov. Pete Wilsons Prop 187 -- I have experiences and strategies to share with them. Facebook

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Texas responds to California LGBT travel ban, saying Golden State firms fleeing over taxation and regulation By Patrick McGreevy A day after California officials said they are banning state workers from traveling to Texas on official business, an aide to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott returned a verbal volley claiming mistreatment of businesses. On Thursday, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said Texas and three other states were being put on a list of states that had adopted laws seen by Becerra as discriminatory to the LGBT community and therefore were off-limits for state-sponsored travel. That drew a response Friday from John Wittman, Abbotts press secretary. California may be able to stop their state employees, but they cant stop all the businesses that are fleeing over taxation and regulation and relocating to Texas, Wittman said. Becerra put Texas on the travel-ban list after the governor signed HB 3859 last week. The new law allows foster care agencies to deny adoptions and services to children and parents based on sincerely held religious beliefs. Becerra said the measure allows agencies to discriminate against children in foster care and potentially disqualify LGBT families from the states foster and adoption system. A spokesman for Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin also criticized California officials. It is fascinating that the very same West Coast liberals who rail against the Presidents executive order, that protects our nation from foreign terrorists, have now contrived their own travel ban aimed at punishing states who dont fall in lockstep with their far-left political ideology, said Woody Maglinger, Bevins press secretary. Updated at 1:35 pm to include comment from Woody Maglinger. Facebook

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Rep. Tom McClintocks bill to streamline dam permits passes House largely on party lines By Sarah D. Wire Dam permits would be funneled through a single federal agency in an effort to speed up new water storage projects under a bill that passed the House on Thursday. Sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove), the 233-180 vote was largely along partisan lines. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Fresno), Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) and six other Democrats joined with Republicans to pass the bill. McClintock said the various local, state and federal agencies that must sign off on new projects dont have to communicate or set deadlines, and often require redundant information from permit applicants, which can make the application process drag on for years and drive up costs. Dam applications can go on endlessly, McClintock said after the vote. A lot of these projects become cost prohibitive. He pointed to a dam project proposed by the town of Foresthill in his district as an example. Conflicting demands from several federal agencies about a plan to install a spillway gate on the dam at the Sugar Pine Reservoir have driven up the cost, he said. The project application is still under review. So a $2-million project that was a heavy lift for a little community, but within reach, becomes an $11-million cost-prohibitive boondoggle, McClintock said. Under the bill, the Bureau of Reclamation would coordinate with other federal agencies on all aspects of a dam application and set deadlines for deciding whether to approve a project. Democrats who voted against the bill said the bureau would be able to set arbitrary deadlines for the at-times lengthy environmental reviews required for water projects, which could undermine reviews required by laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. Fixing the process isnt just about saving some headaches or a few hours of time. This is about making sure millions of people in California and across America have the water they need and deserve, said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield). Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) has filed similar legislation in the Senate, and McClintock said he is cautiously optimistic it will pass. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown says Senate healthcare bill has same stench as House version Facebook

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Travis Allen, a conservative and controversial Orange County lawmaker, jumps into California governors race By Phil Willon Conservative Orange County Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) is jumping into Californias 2018 race for governor, a move that could splinter the GOP vote in what promises to be a crowded and competitive race. Travis, elected to the Legislature in 2012, said he decided to run because of the years of wasteful spending and dictatorial policies pushed by Jerry Brown and the Sacramento Democrats. I am running to be the next governor of California to take back our state for the forgotten ordinary citizens of California, who will no longer tolerate the squandering of our incredible natural abundance of people, economy, and resources by limousine liberals beholden to ravenous public sector union bosses and extremist environmentalists, Travis said in a statement announcing his campaign. Outspoken and controversial, Travis has filed a ballot measure to repeal the recently approved gas tax and sponsored legislation requiring voters to show photo ID. Allen has faced criticism for claiming that a new law that barred police from arresting people under 18 for soliciting sex or loitering with intent to commit prostitution was an effort to legalize child prostitution. The purpose of the law was to treat minors as victims of sex trafficking rather than offenders. Allen, 43, worked as a certified financial planner before he ran for the Legislature. His Assembly district includes all or portions of Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Garden Grove. Allen will face stiff competition from fellow Republican John Cox, a Rancho Santa Fe venture capitalist who already has put $3 million of his own money into his campaign. Former GOP Assemblyman David Hadley of Manhattan Beach also is exploring a run, and former Los Angeles Rams football player Rosey Grier announced plans to jump into the race but thus far has not established an official campaign. The race also has attracted a cadre of Democratic heavyweights, including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang. Delaine Eastin, a former state legislator and state schools chief, is also running. In California, Democrats hold a 19-percentage point advantage over Republicans in voter registration, a strong head wind against GOP candidates running for statewide office. Because of the large field of Democrats in the race, a Republican could have a good shot of finishing in the top two in the June 2018 primary if they can put together GOP support. But Allens entry into the race could divide Republican voters, reducing the odds of a GOP candidate making it to the November general election. The first- and second-place finishers in the primary advance to the general election regardless of their party. Facebook

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Coastal panel spawned by 1930s oil scandal now a player in governors race By Michael Finnegan (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) When John Chiang joined the State Lands Commission, it quickly became a platform to showcase his environmental record, starting with his 2007 vote to block construction of a shipping terminal for liquefied natural gas in Ventura County. The commission has served the same purpose for Gavin Newsom, who often uses his seat on the panel to remind Californians that he opposes offshore oil drilling. Now that both Chiang and Newsom are running for governor, they are drawing rare attention to the little-known but powerful State Lands Commission, which oversees 4 million acres of land beneath California waters. Read More Facebook

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Ballot measure to expand L.A. County Board of Supervisors advances By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, wants to expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five to seven members. Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press ( Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors would be expanded from five to seven members and an elected chief executive post would be created under a measure recommended Wednesday by a state Senate panel despite opposition from the county. Two members of the countys 2015-16 civil grand jury testified that the group felt the current government is inadequate for a county of more than 10 million residents. They said that if the county was a state, it would be the eighth-largest state in the country based on population. The board is too small to adequately serve the diverse needs of county residents, grand jury member Molly Milligan told the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, before its 5-1 vote to recommend Senate Constitutional Amendment 12. The proposed statewide ballot measure was introduced by Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia). The proposal was opposed by Phyllis Marshall, the chief legislative representative for Los Angeles County, who noted that the proposal would allow voters statewide to decide the governance structure for one county. Voters in other counties do not have sufficient knowledge to vote on a constitutional amendment to change the governing structure of Los Angeles County, Marshall told the panel before the measure was sent to another policy panel on its way to a possible full Senate vote. Facebook

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Kimberly Ellis blames Democratic Party hacks for losses in Tuesdays congressional races By Phil Willon Kimberly Ellis (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Kimberly Ellis, who has challenged the results of the California Democratic Party leadership election she lost, blamed party establishment hacks who are the worst in the biz for losses in congressional races in Georgia and South Carolina on Tuesday. Ellis, a progressive Bay Area Democrat who tapped into a wellspring of disaffected Bernie Sanders backers, on Tuesday night sent a tweet saying that it was time for a new coalition. That drew a sharp rebuke from veteran Democratic operative Bob Mulholland, who has criticized Ellis for not conceding. Ellis blamed her narrow May loss to Eric Bauman for state Democratic Party chairperson on voting irregularities. Ellis, who lost the race by 62 votes,has called on the party to conduct an independent audit of the election. Bauman rejected that request, saying the party already has a process in place to review contested elections. The partys compliance review commission, made up of six members who were appointed during former chairman John Burtons tenure, is currently reviewing the election. On Friday, Bauman announced that the party hired the law firm of Olson Hagel & Fishburn LLC to oversee, advise and counsel the commission during the inquiry. Let's thank Jon Ossoff, his staff and the thousands of volunteers for their effort. Let's ignore Trump and Kimberly Ellis attacks on Ossoff.  Bob Mulholland (@Chico_Bob) June 21, 2017 Facebook

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These legislators are trying to make sure Jimmy Gomezs replacement in the Assembly is a woman By Christine Mai-Duc As soon as Congressman-elect Jimmy Gomez announced he was running for Congress, his Assembly colleague Cristina Garcia got to work. Garcia, a legislator from Bell Gardens who became chair of the Womens Legislative Caucus in December, called Gomez, other Assembly members, and labor and environmental groups to make it clear: If Gomez won the 34th Congressional District and vacated his Assembly seat, her priority would be electing a woman in his place. With Gomez headed to Washington after his June 6 win, Garcia said its time to put her groups plan into action. Its simple, said Garcia in a recent interview. As long as we dont have parity, were going to fight at every opportunity to try to get another woman in office. Women hold 17 out of 80 seats in the state Assembly and nine of 40 of the state Senate seats. On Wednesday morning, the Democratic arm of the womens legislative caucus announced it was endorsing Wendy Carrillo, a Democrat who ran in the 34th District primary against Gomez, and who is the only woman running to replace him so far. I am impressed by her ongoing activism for environmental justice, womens rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrants and social justice movements that are the bedrocks of a progressive democracy and welcome the tenacity she will bring to further promote these issues in the state Legislature with a womans perspective, Garcia said in a statement. Eight other candidates have filed to run for or have announced campaigns for Gomezs 51st Assembly District. The election date and its accompanying filing deadlines have not yet been set, mainly because Gomez has not stepped down, so another woman could still jump in. But Garcia is hoping her caucus announcement will head that off. If the 34th Congressional District race is going to teach us any lessons, its that we dont have the luxury of having multiple women split the field, Garcia said. More than a dozen women ran in the crowded primary to replace Xavier Becerra in the central Los Angeles District. None of them won more than 10% of the vote. So Garcia and her colleagues havent just been talking about their mission; theyve been trying to shape the field of candidates, too. Garcia said she reached out to former 34th District hopefuls to gauge their interest, solicited names of potential female candidates from interest groups, and had conversations with half a dozen women who were considering jumping in. Garcia said she didnt discourage any women, but was up front with them about the challenges each might face. Shes also encouraged women who expressed interest to work it out among themselves in hopes that they could unite behind one female candidate. Its a somewhat new tactic for the womens caucus, which has struggled to unite on political endorsements in the past and is hoping to flex more muscle in Sacramento. We are being more strategic now, Garcia said. It cant just be like, I like you and you have a great heart. Thats not good enough. You have to put in the work and be able to build a coalition and win. Carrillo said it was unfortunate that none of the women in the 34th District race made it past the primary. But, she added: Men dont get asked the question of whether theyre worried about splitting the vote. The outcome in the congressional primary, Carrillo said, had more to do with a lack of money flowing to many of the womens campaigns, something she hopes to remedy. Ive learned a lot ... [about] just what it takes to build coalitions and how best to move forward in terms of having a strategy to win, Carrillo said. Ultimately, the voters are going to decide based on issues, Carrillo said. I think that I bring a very unique perspective, having grown up in the district, in terms of advocating for labor and for education and for healthcare and all the issues that residents care for. ------------ FOR THE RECORD June 21, 2:53 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Cristina Garcia became chair of the Womens Legislative Caucus in January. She took over the position in December. ------------ Facebook

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Prompted by San Bernardino shooting, House passes bill to require reports to Congress after terrorist attacks By Sarah D. Wire Evacuated workers pray on the fairway of the San Bernardino Golf Club shortly after the 2015 mass shooting at the nearby Inland Regional Center. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Intelligence agencies would have to make recommendations to Congress on how to stop the next domestic terrorist attack under a bill inspired by the 2015 San Bernardino shooting. The bill, which passed the House on Tuesday without opposition, requires the Homeland Security secretary to submit a report to Congress within one year of a terrorist attack in the U.S. The report, which would be unclassified, must include details of what happened and recommendations for laws or policies that can be changed to prevent a similar attack. It would also include input from the attorney general, FBI director and the head of the National Counterterrorism Center. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands), who represents San Bernardino, filed the bill about a year after the Dec. 2, 2015, shooting in which 14 people were killed and 22 were wounded by a married couple at the Inland Regional Center. Aguilar told The Times that individual members of Congress shouldnt have to press agencies for details about what happened after an attack. By nature every terrorist event is unique, and so we need something to prod the agencies to tell us why its unique and what we can do better, Aguilar said. There is no current requirement for the agencies to submit a report to Congress after a terrorist event. We think that it makes sense to do that and that it will help us learn from these events and become smarter about it. After the San Bernardino attack, the Justice Department worked with the Police Foundation, a Washington-based research group, to create a report, but it was aimed at training law enforcement on responding to an attack. We think there are more lessons to be learned, but that only happens when those agencies work with Congress on what we can change, Aguilar said. The bipartisan bill was backed by nine other Californians: Reps. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley), Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro), David Valadao (R-Hanford), Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), Steve Knight (R-Palmdale), Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine). Aguilar said he is still working to line up a sponsor for the bill in the Senate. Facebook

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New super PAC targets seven California Republicans By Phil Willon Former Northern California Rep. Ellen Tauscher has launched a new super PAC targeting seven vulnerable Republicans in the states congressional delegation, hoping to aid the Democratic effort to win control of the House of Representatives in 2018. Each Republican represents a district that backed Hillary Clinton in the November election. On the Fight Back California PACs list are Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock; David Valadao of Hanford; Steve Knight of Palmdale; Ed Royce of Fullerton; Mimi Walters of Irvine; Dana Rohrabacher of Huntington Beach and Darrell Issa of Vista. Of those, the former congresswoman served with Issa, Royce and Rohrabacher. This isnt personal, Tauscher said. But the fact is that Im a Californian, and they dont vote in the interest of my state. Tauscher represented Northern Californias 10th Congressional District for 14 years before becoming undersecretary of State during the Obama administration in 2009. Katie Merrill, the PACs political strategist, said the campaign will target the Republicans records on issues that directly affect voters in the district, such as the GOPs efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. We intend to soften the ground. So when the Democratic nominee emerges ... they are facing a significantly weakened incumbent, Merrill said. Updated at 4:02 p.m.: This story was updated to include a comment from Tauscher. Facebook

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Overhaul of Californias state tax board plagued by confusion, members say By Patrick McGreevy Board of Equalization Chairwoman Diane Harkey says there is confusion around the reorganization of the board. (Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times) State tax board members on Tuesday said there remain a lot of unanswered questions about how their agency will transfer many of its duties to two new offices, a reorganization approved last week by the state Legislature in response to problems with the panel. About 4,400 of the state Board of Equalizations 4,800 employees will be transferred to a new California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, which will take over collection of sales and excise taxes, and an office of administrative law judges who will take over taxpayer appeals. The change was outlined by the boards executive director, David Gau, at a meeting with the panel Tuesday. I dont think anything is easy, Board Chairwoman Diane Harkey said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. I think its going to be expensive. There is a lot of confusion. Board member George Runner said there are questions about whether he can continue to hold educational events for taxpayers, while board member Jerome Horton said he wants to know whether he can continue to advocate for taxpayers. There are still some issues they need to work out, Horton said. Harkey said new bills will have to be approved with clarifying language on some issues. For instance, the newly approved legislation takes away the boards power to hear appeals after July 1 even though lawmakers want the board to continue handling the hearings until the new administrative law judges are operating Jan. 1. In addition, the board employs civil service workers who are trained for jobs that will no longer exist with the board, she said, adding that the new department is supposed to begin operating July 1. This is all still in flux. Its a huge step to take in a couple of weeks, Harkey said. Marybel Batjer, secretary of the California Government Operations Agency, has addressed the board employees, assuring them that they will be able to shift to jobs in the new department. She told The Times on Tuesday that planning has already begun for the new department, including the early stages of recruitment of its administrative staff. Meanwhile, board representatives, including Harkey, confirmed that investigators from the state attorney generals office have begun interviewing agency employees after Gov. Jerry Brown called for a probe into whether staff and resources were mishandled by the agency. Were just hearing that they are around, Harkey said of investigators. I think it scares everybody. Facebook

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Californias Clean Air Act waiver should be yanked, Trumps former environmental advisor says By Chris Megerian (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) The head of President Trumps Environmental Protection Agency may not be prepared to battle California over air regulations, but the man who led Trumps transition team for the department is ready. Myron Ebell, who works at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington and helped devise Trumps environmental agenda, said California should not be allowed to set its own standards for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle tailpipes. The state has that authority under a Clean Air Act waiver granted by President Obama, one of dozens that have been issued over the years. The waiver has to go, in my view, Ebell told journalists on Monday at a training program organized by the National Press Foundation. The problem, he said, is that the California regulations are a backdoor attempt to regulate fuel economy, a power thats reserved for the federal government. California said it would push forward on greenhouse gas rules earlier this year even though the Trump administration has opened the door to rolling them back on the federal level. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt had previously suggested that the Trump administration could try to revoke Californias waiver, but during a recent Capitol Hill hearing he said it wasnt currently under review. Ebell has denied mainstream science on global warming. But apart from the waiver he wants to see revoked, he told journalists that he didnt have a problem with California trying to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions. I believe in competitive federalism, he said. The only problem, Ebell said, is whether Gov. Jerry Brown tries to conduct his own foreign policy and sign international treaties. Facebook

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A new audit says some California agencies sidestepped competitive bidding rules on contracts By Patrick McGreevy Two California agencies in charge of high-tech projects failed to provide proper oversight for billions of dollars in contracts awarded without competitive bidding, according to a state audit released Tuesday. State law requires the Department of General Services and the California Department of Technology (CDT) to use the competitive bidding process whenever possible to ensure fair competition and eliminate favoritism, fraud, and corruption, State Auditor Elaine Howle wrote in a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown. The investigation examined a sample of those contracts and found nine noncompetitive requests valued at almost $1 billion that agencies likely could have avoided had they engaged in sufficient planning, Howle wrote. The auditors cited approval of a request by the California High-Speed Rail Authority for a $3-million noncompetitive contract amendment to provide financial consulting services. The proposal was submitted 17 days before the existing contract was set to expire. When justifying its noncompetitive request, High-Speed Rail stated that the financial consulting services were critical to its mission and that the vendors skills were specialized and not widely available. However, it did not provide a valid reason why this vendor alone could meet the states needs, as financial consulting services are not unique, the audit found. In all, auditors estimated that the state awarded at least $44 billion in noncompetitive contracts of more than $1 million each during the five fiscal years ending June 30, 2016. The two agencies have the power to enforce contract rules but they rarely employed them, allowing agencies to continue inappropriately using noncompetitive requests, the audit concluded. State workers also allegedly wrote reports in ways that misled about which projects were competitively bid. In one case, a $3-million contract was identified as competitively bid, to which an additional $31 million in noncompetitive contracts was added through nine amendments. Amy Tong, director of the California Deptartment of Technology, agreed with the auditors recommendations, saying the agency believes that the recommendations will strengthen CDTs oversight of information technology and telecommunication procurements, especially those acquired through the noncompetitive request process. Daniel C. Kim, director of the Department of General Services, also agreed to improve the process, writing to auditors that his agency will take appropriate action to address the issues presented in the report. Facebook

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Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer has a big decision to make By Phil Willon Tom Steyer at a Los Angeles high school in 2014. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) For months, billionaire Democratic donor and environmental activist Tom Steyer has been acting like a candidate running for governor  hobnobbing with Democratic loyalists, putting out a position paper on income inequality and continuing his aggressive efforts to combat climate change. Steyer says hes still considering jumping into the race. But he may have another target on his radar. Steyer has starting mounting his own challenge to President Trump, going so far as to call for impeachment and use his nonprofit, NextGen Climate, to encourage citizens to lobby their congressional representatives for it. Read More Facebook

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Lobbying firm fined $4,000 for violating gift limit buying dinner for former state Sen. Ronald Calderon By Patrick McGreevy Ron Calderon, shown in while still in the senate in 2014, was treated to a dinner by a lobbying firm that violated a gift limit. ( (Rich Pedroncelli / AP)) Mercury Public Affairs has agreed to pay $4,000 in fines to Californias ethics watchdog agency for violating the $10 gift limit on lobbying firms when it provided dinners worth $200 to former state Sen. Ronald Calderon and his wife. In October, Calderon was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty in a public corruption case unrelated to the Mercury dinner. The fines proposed against Mercury by the enforcement staff of the state Fair Political Practices Commission stem from violating the $10 gift limit and failing to report that Calderons wife also received a dinner, according to the investigative report. Calderon and his wife attended an April 2013 dinner paid for by Mercury at Mastros in Beverly Hills. Also present was former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a non-lobbyist partner of Mercury, and four other unidentified people. The violation of the state Political Reform Act was found by a random audit by the state Franchise Tax Board. Mercurys $200 gift to Sen. Calderon, while not extravagant, significantly exceeded the gift limit, the investigative report said. A central purpose of the act is to prevent improper influence by lobbyists and the acts strict gift limit on lobbying firms is intended to effectuate that purpose. The commission will vote on the fines on June 29. Facebook

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California bill aims to revive broadband privacy rules that were killed by Trump and Congress By Melanie Mason A woman works on her laptop in the Rose Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library. ( Mark Lennihan / Associated Press) Several months ago, President Trump signed into law a repeal of sweeping privacy regulations limiting what broadband providers can do with customer data. Now, an Assembly Democrat is trying to resuscitate those rules for Californians. Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) unveiled a measure on Monday that would largely enshrine the sputtered federal regulations into California state law. The bill would require Internet service providers, such as Verizon, Comcast and AT&T, to get permission from customers before using, selling or permitting access to data about their browsing history. Such restrictions were crafted by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration. But the FCC under Trump sought to roll back those rules before they went into effect. Congress approved the repeal in March, and the president signed it. Congress and the administration went against the will of the vast majority of Americans when they revoked the FCC rules, Chau said at a news conference, adding that with his measure, AB 375, California is goi
When one of the countrys largest accounting firms destroyed thousands of files and emails after the Enron energy giant collapsed in a massive fraud in 2001, federal prosecutors were sure the shredding was a clear case of obstruction of justice.

This case was really about a simple principle, Andrew Weissmann, the lead prosecutor on the Arthur Andersen accounting scandal, said at the time. Which is, when you expect the police, dont destroy evidence.

After the company appealed its conviction, saying prosecutors had bent the law in an overzealous pursuit of a culprit, Deputy Solicitor Gen. Michael Dreeben told the Supreme Court that the governments aggressive approach was justified.

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Its the corporate equivalent of seeing something that looks like a crime scene and sending somebody in before the police can get the yellow tape up, to wipe down the fingerprints, Dreeben argued.

The court unanimously disagreed in 2005, tossing the conviction out due to improper instruction of the jury. By then, Arthur Andersen had given up its U.S. accounting licenses and 85,000 people had lost their jobs.

Dreeben and Weissmann will bring that searing experience to their new jobs working for Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating any links or coordination between President Trumps associates and the Russian government  an inquiry that has expanded to include whether the president sought to obstruct an FBI investigation.

These are guys that have a particular skill set that seems uncomfortably close to a potential case against Donald Trump.  Jonathan Turley, George Washington University law professor

Mueller has made no public comments since he was appointed May 17, but his first 13 hires speak volumes: They include veteran prosecutors who have spent years unraveling complicated conspiracies in high-pressure cases. Some legal experts say that may be bad news for the president.

These are guys that have a particular skill set that seems uncomfortably close to a potential case against Donald Trump, said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, who says he is skeptical of the publicly available evidence so far.

This is a team with prosecutors who have not been timid in stretching the criminal code when it comes to prosecutions, he added.

Trump, who has repeatedly denied collusion with Moscow or obstruction of justice, on Friday denounced Muellers team for what he said was partisan bias.

I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters; some of them worked for Hillary Clinton, Trump said in an interview on Fox News Fox & Friends. I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth.

He also criticized Muellers friendship with James B. Comey as very bothersome. Comey succeeded Mueller as FBI director until Trump fired him May 9, apparently out of anger at the FBIs investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Robert Mueller is an honorable man and hopefully hell come up with an honorable conclusion, Trump added.

For his staff, Mueller  a registered Republican  first turned to WilmerHale, the Washington-based law firm he joined after leaving the FBI in 2013.

WilmerHale also represents Trumps daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, as well as Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in the Russia investigation. After an ethics review, the Justice Department determined that Mueller did not have a conflict of interest.

Mueller picked two trusted colleagues from the firm: James Quarles III and Aaron Zebley, in his first round of hires.

Quarles helped bring down a president in the 1970s as a member of the Watergate special prosecutors team investigating Richard Nixon. He later focused his practice on civil litigation.

Zebley, who was Muellers longtime chief of staff at the FBI, is a national security expert: He worked in the Justice Departments national security division and as an FBI counter-terrorism agent. He also served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Alexandria, Va.

A federal grand jury there appears to be part of the FBI investigation: It has issued subpoenas to associates of Michael Flynn, who was ousted in February as Trumps national security advisor for lying about his Russian contacts.

Mueller also hired Jeannie Rhee, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department, where she advised the Obama White House and other departments on criminal law, executive privilege and national security.

He also brought on Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer who specializes in money laundering and organized crime, and Elizabeth Prelogar, a former Supreme Court clerk who speaks Russian. She joined Mueller from the solicitor generals office.

Peter Carr, Muellers spokesman, said additional hires were in the pipeline. None of the lawyers hired so far were giving interviews.

Despite Trumps complaints of political bias, only a few in the group are known to have contributed to Democrats.

Mueller is a longtime Republican. President George W. Bush appointed him as FBI director a week before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. President Obama asked him to stay in the post for two years beyond the normal 10-year term.

Four members of Muellers team  Quarles, Weissmann, Rhee and Prelogar  have given a total of about $50,000 to Democrats since 1990, campaign finance records show. Rhee also has done legal work for the Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit worldwide charity. Others known members of the team do not appear in campaign finance reports.

Quarles gave the most  more than $34,000, including the maximum of $2,700 to Clintons presidential campaign last year. He mostly backed Democrats, but also gave $2,500 to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and $250 to Sen. George Allen (R-Va.).

Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who appointed Mueller, told Congress on June 13 that he didnt think campaign contributions by lawyers on the team amounted to an ethical conflict.

Richard J. Davis, who worked on the Watergate task force, said Nixon and his aides leveled the same charges of bias against prosecutors during the Watergate scandal.

People are going to yell and scream and its going to be this and that in terms of publicity, he said. We tended to get used to it and to some extent ignore it.

As a deputy solicitor general, Dreeben has argued more than 100 cases before the Supreme Court, mostly on questions of criminal law. His knowledge of federal statutes will be invaluable as Mueller considers what conduct might justify filing criminal charges, legal experts say.

Literally, Ive seen him give an argument to the Supreme Court without a single note. He does it routinely, said Paul Rosenzweig, a lawyer who served as a deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.

You and I read those cases and try to interpret them from a cold record. Dreeben litigated all of them, Rosenzweig said. Thats the difference between watching the movie, and acting in it. Its like having a good criminal law encyclopedia.

Weissmann is expected to play a key management role on Muellers team. They worked together at the FBI for several years, where Weissman served as special counsel and later as general counsel.

[Weissmann] is Trumps worst nightmare if we believe that Trump, or anyone else, has done anything wrong.  Dan Cogdell, a Houston defense lawyer

In 2015, Weissmann was named head of the criminal fraud division. He oversaw high-profile FBI investigations into Volkswagen AG over diesel cheating, global banks over market manipulation and Brazils state-owned oil company Petrobras over corrupt payments.

Weissmann also launch-ed a pilot program offering incentives for companies to self-report possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits bribing foreign officials. Several years earlier, during a stint in private practice, he cited corruption in Russia as he argued for rewriting federal standards.

The statute should take into account the realities that confront businesses that operate in countries with endemic corruption (e.g., Russia, which is consistently ranked by Transparency International as among the most corrupt in the world), he wrote in prepared testimony for a Senate subcommittee in 2010.

In the 1990s, Weissmann was a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, where he tried more than two dozen cases that systematically took apart the leadership of New Yorks powerful Mafia families.

Among them: Vincent the Chin Gigante, accused boss of the Genovese crime family, who wandered streets in a bathrobe and whose lawyers said was mentally unfit to stand trial. Weissmann convinced a judge that Gigante was faking; he was convicted in 1997 and died in prison.

Samuel Buell, who worked on the Enron task force with Weissmann, said he typifies the relentless, hard-core prosecutors bred in the U.S. attorneys offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Its not swagger, said Buell, now a law professor at Duke University. Its a confidence that after six or eight or 10 years, Im not going to see a problem I cant handle. Theres no case thats going to be over my head.

Buell said Muellers first hires should not be seen as a road map for where he will take his investigation. He said Mueller appeared focused on hiring talented lawyers whom he knows and trusts.

Still, the hires suggest a legal strategy that was key to prosecutions in the Enron fraud and mob cases. In both, convictions depended largely on witnesses who agreed to testify to escape long prison terms.

No one has been charged in the Russia case. But lower-level figures ultimately may face pressure to cooperate with Muellers team, especially if it will lead to higher-ups.

You dont get all dressed up for some special counsel party and just come out of it with a well-thumbed report, said Turley, the legal scholar. Weissmann is trained to find a weak link and break it.

Dan Cogdell, a Houston defense lawyer who had a cooperating client in the Enron case, said Weissmann may be the most aggressive prosecutor he ever faced in a white-collar criminal case.

Once he believes he understands the facts, he is very difficult to move either way, Cogdell said. Hes very self-righteous in his belief system.

He is Trumps worst nightmare if we believe that Trump, or anyone else, has done anything wrong, he said. Hes the very last guy you want coming at you.

joseph.tanfani@latimes.com

Twitter: @jtanfani

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Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom defended the states lawsuit seeking to overturn a San Francisco ballot measure limiting waterfront development on Thursday, rejecting arguments that the legal action threatens efforts statewide to restrain coastal development and oil drilling.

Newsom, a Democrat running for governor, chairs the State Lands Commission, which has sued to nullify the 2014 San Francisco ballot measure that requires voter approval for any waterfront project that exceeds the citys height limit.

The Sierra Club, San Francisco and other opponents say the State Lands Commission could block voters around the state from passing measures to control coastal development, such as the Santa Monica and Hermosa Beach bans on offshore oil drilling.

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Newsom, however, said the State Lands Commission has largely prevented overdevelopment and oil drilling on the coast. To let local voters neuter its power through measures approving bad coastal projects could have real consequence, he said.

Some parts of the state are very different than San Francisco, Newsom said after a commission meeting in Los Angeles. Theyre actually very pro-development, not anti-development.

Newsom is a longtime ally of San Francisco real estate developers, who have been major contributors to his campaigns.

We didnt act against San Francisco, Newsom, a former mayor of the city, said of the lawsuit. We acted on behalf of an entire state, and I think its a really important point.

A final ruling in the case could come as soon as next week.

Newsom also called for more transparency at the commission.

The Times reported Thursday that former Sen. Barbara Boxer lobbied Newsom and another commissioner on behalf of Poseidon Water LLC, which is seeking the panels approval of a seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach. Newsom and Commissioner Betty Yee, the state controller, disclosed their meetings with Boxer only in response to questions from The Times.

Nobody should be hiding anything, so we should do more to disclose lobbying, Newsom said.

Poseidon Water says Boxer was not legally required to report her lobbying.

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

@finneganLAT

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Ukraine's Ministry of Finance has announced that it lodged the necessary papers with the English Court of Appeal on Friday to launch its appeal against the Judgment of the English Court on March 29, 2017, in the litigation concerning the $3 billion eurobonds.

"The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine has today, on behalf of Ukraine, filed with the English Court of Appeal the necessary papers to launch its appeal against the Judgment of the English Court handed down by Mr Justice Blair on March 29, 2017 in the litigation concerning the $3 billion eurobonds (the so-called "Russian debt")," the ministry wrote on its website.

"Ukraine is confident of its arguments on appeal and of prevailing before the Court of Appeal in due course. The appeal hearing has provisionally been scheduled to take place in the second half of January 2018," it said.
The end of annual budget negotiations usually brings a sense of calm to the Capitol, but behind the scenes Gov. Jerry Brown has intensified his efforts to reach a deal with lobbyists and lawmakers on a blueprint for Californias future climate change policies.

An agreement to extend the states landmark cap-and-trade program, which requires companies to buy permits to release greenhouse gas emissions, may not be possible before the end of next week  the governors original goal for resolving its fate. However, Browns advisers believe they can seal the deal in July, and negotiations escalated this month after a previous effort stalled in the Assembly.

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The governors office has hosted a steady stream of meetings this week with advocates from environmental and industry groups, as well as various factions of legislators. Brown made a rare visit to the offices of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) and Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) in an attempt to overcome their reluctance to push the issue on the heels of another contentious vote to raise the states gas tax.

At the same time, legislators, particularly those in the Assembly, have held their own confabs to stake out negotiating positions. Even some Republicans are involved, working with moderate Democrats on a series of business-friendly priorities such as using state funding to help the agriculture industry reduce emissions with cleaner equipment. Meanwhile, a progressive cadre of Democrats have pushed the governor to address the states affordable housing shortage.

We are not close, De Leon said Wednesday. We still have to do a lot of hard work.

The governors office has been developing draft proposals and circulating them in the Capitol, and several have been reviewed by The Times. Although the documents have not been publicly released and details remain in flux, theyve provided the foundation for negotiations among environmentalists, labor leaders, industry groups and utilities  all of which have a stake in Californias climate policies.

Provisions favored by oil companies have been particularly divisive, including one idea that would limit regulations on refineries.

After a Wednesday meeting with Rendon, Brown demurred when asked about the proposals floated by his administration.

Cant talk about it, he said.

The governor is eager to finalize a deal as he contrasts Californias environmental leadership with President Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris accord on fighting global warming. Brown has also ramped up his efforts on the international stage, gaining a role as a special advisor at the next United Nations conference on climate change later this year. He recently traveled to China, where he met with President Xi Jinping to discuss increased cooperation.

Since the governor returned from his trip to China, hes exerted his leadership directly, said Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable. Thats dramatically helped the conversations move forward.

Nancy McFadden, a top aide to the governor, said its going to take a bit longer than we would have liked to reach a deal and that theyre aiming for a vote on extending cap and trade in early July.

Follow live coverage from the Capitol on Essential Politics 

The ongoing talks are aimed at reaching a two-thirds vote in each house of the Legislature, a high threshold intended to insulate cap and trade from future legal challenges.

Much of the debate is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, but slashing pollution in disadvantaged communities has also been an essential part of the negotiations.

A draft of the governors proposal would boost monitoring of air pollution to better determine where issues need to be addressed. The California Air Resources Board and local air districts would be responsible for developing neighborhood-level plans to mitigate the problems, a more localized approach than regulators currently employ.

The plan is geared toward addressing the concerns of environmental justice advocates, who are focused on alleviating pollution to improve public health. Amy Vanderwarker, co-director of the California Environmental Justice Alliance, said her organization has been encouraged by the conversations, but wants to make sure that any measure includes real teeth.

Oil refineries, like this one in Wilmington, could be spared some new regulations under proposals circulated in the Capitol. ((Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times) )

The governors draft proposal would extend the cap-and-trade program  the only one of its kind in the country  until 2030 and modify its operations.

Among the changes would be a cap on the price of emission permits, although the exact level is still being debated. The idea has concerned some advocates who fear the states focus on managing prices would detract from its ability to ensure emission reductions.

Were very concerned about some of the discussions in the Capitol, said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, an organization thats been among cap and trades most vocal promoters.

During a recent panel discussion in Sacramento, McFadden said the administration was dedicated to making sure that cap and trade remained environmentally effective.

Another controversial part of the talks is a provision that would benefit oil companies by limiting the Air Resources Boards ability to regulate refineries. The board had proposed requiring refineries to slash their greenhouse gas emissions by 20%.

Local air districts would also be prevented from creating another level of rules on greenhouse gases from refineries and other industrial facilities, a step that Bay Area regulators have considered.

Finding the right balance between environmental and industry goals will be an ongoing challenge for negotiators.

We still want to land this plane, but right now the runway looks a little too oily, said Alex Jackson, a San Francisco-based lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Hanging in the balance is revenue from the cap-and-trade program, which has ranged from several million dollars to more than $1 billion in recent years.

Negotiations havent yet centered on how the state would spend the money  some of which Brown is counting on for building the bullet train, the largest infrastructure project in the country.

Money has also been spent on projects intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as mass transit and electric car rebates.

Lawmakers leave for their summer recess on July 21.

chris.megerian@latimes.com, melanie.mason@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian, @melmason

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Trumps latest tweet in media war is a literal show of mock pugilism By Laura King President Trump on Sunday circulated a doctored video clip on Twitter that showed him physically attacking a crudely rendered stand-in for CNN, a post that drew rebukes from critics as an incitement to violence, but prompted renewed expressions of support from backers. In doing so, Trump also ignored pleas to stop tweeting or at least take a more presidential tone -- from lawmakers in his own party -- after he took his war against news media to new heights last week with a coarse post on the appearance and intellect of cable television host Mika Brzezinski. On Saturday he also posted several anti-media messages as Americans began their Fourth of July celebration. Sundays tweet, which used an edited version of a years-old promotional video for professional wrestling, showed Trump, clad in a business suit and tie, administering a choreographed beat-down to a figure whose face was obscured by CNNs logo. #FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017 CNN, which has been a particular target of the president since the network was forced to retract a story relating to an element of the sprawling investigation into possible collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign, quickly condemned the tweet. It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters, the network said in statement. It also tweeted a recent assertion by White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders that Trump had never engaged in such incitement. "The President in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. If anything, quite the contrary." - @SHSanders45 6/29/17  CNN Communications (@CNNPR) July 2, 2017 As is often the case, the presidents surrogates were left scrambling to explain or justify an inflammatory Twitter outburst. Homeland security advisor Thomas Bossert, who was shown the clip while appearing on ABCs This Week, watched it stone-faced and then declared: No one would perceive that as a threat. I hope they dont. The night before, Trump had used a celebration of veterans at Washingtons Kennedy Center to again denounce the news media. The president, who had briefly broken a weekend golf getaway to appear at the rally, pounded away at the theme that he is being treated unfairly. The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, he told the raucous crowd. But Im president, and theyre not. Facebook

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Increasing number of states reject request for personal information on voters from Trump commission By Colleen Shalby (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) A growing number of states have rejected a request for personal information about voters from a presidential commission on vote fraud led by Kansas controversial Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Kobach, the vice chairman of the commission, sent letters to each state and Washington, D.C., asking for voters personal information. The request asked for names, addresses, voting history and the last four digits of voters Social Security numbers. The commission was set up to look into voter fraud after President Trump alleged that he lost the popular vote in 2016 only because millions of people voted illegally -- a claim that numerous states election officials from both parties and outside experts have dismissed as groundless. As of Friday afternoon, at least 13 states had outright rejected the request from the Presidential Advisory Committee on Election Integrity. Officials in several other states either said they would not supply all the information or needed more information before making a decision. Some officials did not mince words in their nos. They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi is a great State to launch from, Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann wrote in a statement. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement that strongly criticized Kobach that he would continue to defend the rights of all eligible voters to cast their ballots free from discrimination, intimidation or unnecessary roadblocks. Secretary Padilla's response to the Election Commission's request for personal data of CA voters: pic.twitter.com/UdUt55HSim  CA SOS Vote (@CASOSvote) June 29, 2017 As a Kansas official, Kobach has been a leading backer of immigration restrictions and of measures to put new requirements on who is allowed to vote. His opponents note that he was fined last week for misleading a federal court in a voting rights case. Democratic elected officials in several states criticized the commission, itself, not just the information request. The president created his election commission based on the false notion that voter fraud is a widespread issue  it is not, Kentucky Secretary of State Allison Grimes wrote. "I do not intend to release Kentuckians' sensitive personal data to the fed. gov't."  Sec. Grimes



Statement on Pres. Commission request: pic.twitter.com/9Js05x99eF  Alison L. Grimes (@KySecofState) June 30, 2017 In an odd contradiction, Kobach said that Kansas, like some other states, will partially reject at least one aspect of the request. In Kansas, the Social Security number is not publicly available.  Every state receives the same letter, but were not asking for it if its not publicly available, he told the Kansas City Star. The states that have fully rejected the request include California, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Dakota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi and Minnesota. Others, including Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Missouri, Kansas, Utah and Texas will turn over some of the requested information. Vermont has requested an affidavit from the commission. And Wisconsin has suggested that the commission could purchase the publicly available information, just as political campaigns do. Officials in Washington state said they were reviewing the request. Facebook

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Look at possible conflicts of interest in Trump teams OneWest Bank probes, 2 Democrats urge By Jim Puzzanghera Protesters gather outside a OneWest Bank in Pasadena in 2014. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Two House Democrats want Congress to look into possible conflicts of interest in the Trump administrations handling of investigations into Pasadenas OneWest Bank  a bank formerly headed by now-Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Al Green (D-Texas) said Friday that there was room for considerable doubt as to the impartiality and the adequacy of this administrations investigations into OneWest and a subsidiary, Financial Freedom. Mnuchin was the banks chairman from 2009 to 2015. President Trump has nominated Joseph Otting, the former chief executive of OneWest, to be comptroller of the currency, a key bank regulator who is part of the Treasury Department. And Brian Brooks, who was OneWests vice chairman, reportedly will be tapped to be deputy Treasury secretary. Read More Facebook

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Healthcare issue delivers nothing but pain for Nevadas embattled Sen. Dean Heller By David Montero Dean Heller is Stephanie Diaz-Gonzalezs problem now. Shes never met Nevadas Republican senator and hadnt had much time to familiarize herself. How could she? The 25-year-old is holding down a full-time job and ra+ising a 7-year-old son, who keeps her busy with soccer games, math homework and those too-often terrifying moments when he cant breathe. When President Trump was elected and congressional Republicans moved on their top priority to dismantle Obamacare, Diaz-Gonzalez got to know Heller a whole lot better. Given his back-and-forth on the issue, she came to distrust him. I dont know if I could vote for him or support him, the Democrat said. He seems very contradictory. Which is why Heller is also Karen Steelmons problem. Steelmon, a 48-year-old Republican who grew up in northern Nevada, isnt happy with the lawmaker, who is considered the most vulnerable GOP senator in the country when he comes up for reelection next year. Obamacare has always been an abomination to Steelmon, an ardent supporter of repeal. To her, deeply held principles are at stake. Heller has never acted in favor of what I would consider conservative, constitutional principles as a general rule, said Steelmon, who would like to see the incumbent taken out in a GOP primary. And on the very few times he has, its always come as a surprise. This is Hellers dilemma. Read More Facebook

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Trump will meet face-to-face with Putin in Germany next week By Brian Bennett (Alexei Nikolsky / Associated Press) President Trump has governed five months under a cloud of questions about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, yet the two men will meet next week for the first time, on the sidelines of the G20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg, Germany. White House officials on Thursday confirmed plans for the private meeting but said no decisions had been made about the topics Trump will raise. So its unclear whether the men will discuss Russias election-year cyberattacks that are the focus of criminal and congressional investigations. Our relationship with Russia is not different from any other country in terms of us communicating with them, really, what our concerns are, where we see problems in the relationship but also opportunities, said Trumps national security advisor, H.R. McMaster. McMaster said he expected the two men to have a broad, wide-ranging discussion about problems in the relationship but also about where the U.S. and Russia have common interests. Theres no specific agenda, McMaster said. Its really going to be whatever the president wants to talk about, he added. The White House has refused to say whether Trump would sign legislation with new sanctions on Russia for meddling in the elections by hacking, including into some states voting systems, and by spreading false news stories. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicated the existing restrictions against Russia were sufficient. Weve got plenty of those as well, Mnuchin said. Trump will also meet with the leaders of China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore and other countries during the summit of 20 major world economies. Trumps director of the White House National Economic Council, Gary Cohn, said the meeting would fall short of a typical bilateral discussion between the American president and the head of another country, but would be more than whats known in diplomacy-speak as a pull aside  a quick, informal get-together on the edge of a conference. Trumps scheduled meeting with Putin in Hamburg places added significance on his stop in Poland next Wednesday. In Warsaw, McMaster said, Trump intends to bolster U.S. relationships with Poland and other central European and Baltic states that were once in Moscows orbit under the Soviet Union, but now rely on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S. to counter pressure from Russia. Trumps meetings there seem designed to strengthen his hand with Putin. McMaster called Poland a front-line NATO nation with regards to the eastern flank, noting that it sent troops to fight alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq and has exceeded its pledge on NATO defense spending. As a candidate and president, Trump has criticized other NATO countries that have not yet met those pledges for military spending equal to at least 2% of the size of their respective economies. Facebook

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Travel ban seen a win by at least one conservative; Breitbart focuses on upcoming votes in Congress By Kurtis Lee After it stalled for several months in federal courts, a portion of President Trumps travel ban is set to take effect Thursday evening and will bar individuals from six majority-Muslim countries. Some in conservative media are viewing it as a much-needed political victory for Trump. Here are some of Thursdays headlines: Two wins for Trump (Washington Times) Trump has seen setbacks in his fledgling administration  probes into possible collusion with Russia, infighting among his party over a healthcare overhaul, federal courts halting his travel ban. But now, the president gets a W. The Supreme Courts decision to allow portions of President Trumps travel ban to proceed is a much-needed victory for the administration, Cal Thompson writes. In doing so the unanimous court affirmed  at least temporarily, pending a full hearing on the case in the fall  a presidents constitutional authority to determine whether people seeking admittance to the U.S. pose a threat to our safety and security. Thompson also highlights the Supreme Court decision this week that churches have the same right as other charitable groups to seek state money for new playground surfaces and other non-religious needs. Thompson called the ruling in the case, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia Inc. v. Comer, a victory for religious institutions and Trump, who at times has touched on the issue of religious freedom. Breitbart prods GOP leaders to pass pro-American immigration reforms (Breitbart) For Trump, Breitbart hasnt always delivered the most approving headlines for his administration  particularly on immigration. Some right-wing bloggers and pundits dont think Trump has done enough on immigration, a key pillar of his campaign platform. This piece turns the attention to members of Congress, where two bills  focused primarily on detaining people in the country illegally  could come up for a vote . The GOP-run House is expected to vote for two modest immigration-reform bills as soon as this week, but pro-American reformers are using the two votes to build loud and energetic public pressure for major reform legislation, notes the right-wing website. Trump attacks Psycho Joe Scarborough, Crazy Mika Brzezinski in Twitter tear (Fox News) At first, they were friends; now, perhaps, enemies?

Trump used Twitter early Thursday to jab Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who the president in past has said he admires. The tweets have drawn the ire of Republicans. Heres what the president wrote: I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017 ...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017 And the response? pic.twitter.com/8YhzcCUwM1  Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) June 29, 2017 Facebook

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Trump plans to nominate Brendan Carr to fill final FCC seat and provide crucial vote on net neutrality rules By Jim Puzzanghera President Trump intends to nominate Brendan Carr, a former aide to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, to fill the final open seat at the agency and provide a crucial vote on the future of tough net neutrality rules. Carr, the FCCs general counsel, would fill a Republican slot on the commission and would be expected to support Pais push to roll back the regulations for online traffic. Carrs intended nomination was announced by the White House on Wednesday night. It comes after Trump nominated Jessica Rosenworcel, a former FCC commissioner, on June 14 to fill a Democratic seat. If the Senate confirms both nominees, as expected, the FCC would have its full complement of five commissioners and a 3-2 Republican majority. Read More Facebook

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Gorsuch is already pushing Supreme Court to the right on religion, guns and gays By David Savage Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) When Judge Neil M. Gorsuch went before the Senate in March as President Trumps first nominee to the Supreme Court, he sought to assure senators he would be independent and above the political fray. There is no such thing as a Republican judge or Democratic judge, he said more than once. We just have judges. But in just his first few weeks on the high court, Justice Gorsuch has shown himself to be a confident conservative activist, urging his colleagues to move the law to the right on religion, gun rights, gay rights and campaign funding. He dissented along with Justice Clarence Thomas when the court rejected a gun-rights challenge to Californias law that strictly regulates who may carry a concealed weapon. The 2nd Amendments core purpose, they said, shows the right to bear arms extends to public carry. He wrote a dissent, joined by Thomas and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., when the court struck down part of an Arkansas law that gave opposite sex-couples, but not same-sex couples, the right to have both spouses listed on a childs birth certificate. The court said it had already decided that same-sex couples deserve fully equal rights under state law. And when Trumps travel ban came before the court this week, Gorsuch dissented from the majoritys middle-ground approach, which allowed the ban to take effect except for foreign travelers who had a relationship with this country, such as a close relative or a student enrolled in a university. Read More Facebook

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When he meets South Koreas president, Trump will be asking for trade concessions and help confronting North Korea By Brian Bennett (Nicholas Kamm / AFP Photo) President Trump plans to pressure South Korean President Moon Jae-in to make trade concessions when they meet Friday, while at the same time seeking closer cooperation against North Koreas accelerating nuclear program. Both aims, outlined Wednesday by a senior administration official, could make for some difficult discussions, especially since the newly elected Moon campaigned for a softer approach to the government in Pyongyang. Moon, who arrived Wednesday in Washington, began his four-day visit by laying a wreath at a memorial at Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia to the U.S. Marines who died during the Korean War in the battle at Chosin Reservoir. Trump will host Moon and his wife, Kim Joon-suk, for dinner at the White House on Thursday before the two leaders meet one-on-one in the Oval Office on Friday morning. Having criticized the two countries trade agreement when he was running for president, Trump will argue for a more balanced trade relationship, the administration official said in a background briefing. In particular, Trump will cite the large amount of Chinese steel that is sometimes processed in South Korea before being sold cheaply in the U.S. market. The two leaders will have a friendly, frank discussion about the trade imbalance between South Korea and the United States, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Seouls trade surplus is shrinking, the official added, but there is still a large gap. The visit will mark the first time the two leaders have met since the liberal Moon took office last month after the ouster of President Park Geun-hye, a scandal-tarred conservative who had taken a hard line against North Korea. Trump and Moon share precisely the same goal, the Trump aide said -- the complete dismantlement of North Koreas nuclear program. But the approach of the two leaders is starkly different. Trump has called for maximum pressure against North Korea, seeking additional economic sanctions and demanding that China, North Koreas main ally and patron, do more to shut off assistance to Pyongyang. Moon has risen through the ranks of his countrys politics advocating for closer ties between the Koreas, which technically are still at war. Already he has taken steps to delay the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as THAAD, an anti-missile system intended to counter any North Korean strikes. The anti-missile system is a divisive issue in South Korea; it prompted protests last weekend at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. China has objected to installation of the powerful radar defense as well, but the White House believes the U.S. system will ultimately be fully operative. The delay should not be equated as a reversal of the decision to deploy THAAD, the official said, and suggested that the topic would not be central to the two presidents discussions. As important as anything [will be] building a rapport and getting to know each other, the official said. Facebook

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Senate Republicans aim for new healthcare bill by Friday, but skeptics remain By Lisa Mascaro (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) Senate Republicans reconvened behind closed doors Wednesday trying to break the impasse on their healthcare overhaul but emerged with no apparent strategy for resolving differences by an end-of-week deadline. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky vowed to try again for a vote after the Fourth of July recess, despite having abruptly delayed action this week. Senators were aiming for a revised bill by Friday, the Republican whip, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, told reporters, so it could be assessed by the Congressional Budget Office during the break. But senators remained skeptical after the lengthy lunchtime huddle that appeared to run long on ideas but short on consensus. I think its going to be very difficult, said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). McConnell surprised senators by delaying this weeks expected votes once it became clear he did not have a majority for passage  or possibly to even open the debate. As many as 10 Republican senators now publicly oppose the bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, and leaders are scrambling to win them over with an estimated $200 billion in savings from the bill that can be applied to their particular states needs. But even with that fund of resources, it is not clear McConnell will be able to satisfactorily improve the legislation, which now threatens to cut 22 million Americans off health insurance. He can only afford to lose two Republican votes in the face of Democratic opposition. Its going to be very difficult to get me to a yes... have to make us an offer we cant refuse, Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) said on a telephone town hall late Tuesday, according to journalist Jon Ralston, who monitored the call. Fresh polling Wednesday showed paltry support for the Republican approach to overhauling the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, which has enjoyed a surge in popularity now that Republicans are closer than ever to repealing it. A USA Today poll put approval of the Senate GOP bill at 12%. Republicans, though, are under enormous pressure from their most conservative supporters  and big dollar donors, including the powerful Koch network  to deliver on their promised to end Obamacare. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, suggested that President Trump convene all 100 senators  much the way then-President Obama did during his first days in office for a session at Blair House  to see how they might be able to work together to improve, rather than repeal, the Affordable Care Act. Id make my friends on the Republican side and President Trump an offer: Lets turn over a new leaf. Lets start over, said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). President Trump, I challenge you to invite us  all 100 of us, Republican and Democrat  to Blair House to discuss a new bipartisan way forward on healthcare in front of all the American people. No such invitation, however, seemed forthcoming. Trump dismissed Schumers proposal  he just doesnt seem like a serious person, the president said  and instead promised his own big surprise on healthcare. Healthcare is working along very well, Trump told reporters at the White House. We could have a big surprise, with a great healthcare package. Asked what he meant by a big surprise, Trump simply repeated: A great, great surprise. The Republican bill, like its counterpart passed by House Republicans, does not fully gut Obamacare, but rescinds the new taxes imposed on high-income individuals and healthcare companies to pay for expanding coverage through Medicaid and subsidies for private insurance on the ACA marketplace. Senators said the private talks Wednesday focused mainly on changes to the Obamacare marketplace that could bring down the cost of insurance premiums. One idea from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to allow insurers to offer policies that do not meet the Obamacare benchmarks for what insurance needs to cover met with mixed reaction, senators said. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, warned that such changes would alter the risk pool, keeping insurance costs high. You end up with policies that, for example, dont cover maternity, Cassidy said. Do you want a policy that doesnt have maternity, which would be principally appealing to young men, when obviously typically men have had a role in that pregnancy? Other senators were floating new ideas, but McConnell gave no indication whether those proposals would be included in the final revised product. Michael A. Memoli contributed to this report. Facebook

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No new laptop bans, but air travelers to the U.S. will face tighter screening all over the globe By Joseph Tanfani Homeland Security officials said Wednesday they will order stricter passenger screening and other new security measures for all flights entering the United States but will not bar laptop computers in carry-on luggage as airlines and passenger groups had feared. The new order will cover about 2,000 flights a day from 280 airports in 105 countries, a move that could make international flying even more onerous just as the busy summer travel season starts. Security officials would not detail the new measures but said passengers headed to the United States will face more intensive screening at airports, and probably more security dogs. They gave no date for when the new procedures will start. If carriers dont implement the measures effectively, Homeland Security still may ban laptops, e-readers and other electronic devices larger than cell phones from cargo holds as well as passenger cabins. The decision follows intelligence, reportedly gathered from Islamic State in Syria by Israeli spy services, suggesting a lethal new threat from bombs that could be concealed in digital devices and that could evade detection by airport screening devices. In March, U.S. and British authorities banned laptops in cabins on flights from eight Muslim-majority countries in North Africa and the Middle East, saying terrorists were seeking innovative methods to bring down commercial jetliners. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly told a security conference in Washington on Wednesday that the new security measures will be both seen and unseen and will be phased in over time. He said they will include tougher screening, particularly of electronic devices, plus new technology and procedures to protect planes from so--called insider attacks by airline employees. It is time that we raise the global baseline of aviation security, Kelly said. We cannot play international whack-a-mole with every new threat. He said terrorists still see commercial aircraft as the crown jewel target for attacks, and that intelligence has shown renewed interest by terrorists to attack airlines. Kelly told a House committee several weeks ago that the department was considering extending the laptop ban to 71 more airports overseas. But Kelly ultimately decided to tighten screening across the board, instead of focusing on laptops or chasing after each item that might be used to bring down a jetliner, senior Homeland Security officials said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief reporters, said Kelly worked with airlines to find ways to improve screening without unduly inconveniencing passengers. Intensive doesnt always mean slower, said one official. In some cases, airlines have been doing these things at international airports for some time. The officials said more security dogs, which sniff for explosives, may be used. And they said airlines and airports may institute pre-check programs like those approved by the Transportation Security Administration for use in U.S. airports. The officials said restrictions on the first 10 airports will be lifted once airlines in those countries satisfy the new security protocols, officials said. Airport authorities in the eight countries affected by that ban  Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates  have been told about the new security measures and will put them in place so the ban is lifted, the officials said. In recent weeks, Kelly and his aides have huddled with their counterparts overseas, as well as with representatives of major airlines, to discuss whether to expand the ban around the globe. Airlines protested that a laptop ban would inconvenience passengers and not remove the threat. Aviation experts and European security officials warned that putting laptops in cargo holds would pose other dangers because the lithium batteries could start fires. In 1988, a bomb hidden in a radio cassette player exploded aboard a Pan Am jet flying over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers and crew. The plot was blamed on then-Libyan strongman Moammar Kadafi. In 2010, powerful bombs hidden in printer ink cartridges were found aboard two cargo jets headed from Yemen to Chicago. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula later claimed responsibility for the plot. Facebook

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Its crunch time for McConnell after Senate GOP is forced to delay vote on healthcare bill By Lisa Mascaro ( (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)) The abrupt decision Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to temporarily shelve a vote on the Republican Obamacare overhaul gives him a few extra weeks to build support for a revised bill before it risks becoming hopelessly stalled by the opposition. The seasoned GOP leader will be aided by what amounts to a $200-billion piggy bank to push Republican holdouts into line. Thats the bills extra cost savings, compared with the House version, that McConnell can tap to provide perks to individual senators, from more opioid assistance to expanded tax-free health savings accounts. A similar strategy  delay and enticements  worked well in the House, where Republicans last month passed their healthcare bill on the third try. But prolonging the debate also gives Democrats and other critics time to mobilize, and ensures that senators will be exposed to an onslaught of opposition as they head home for the weeklong holiday break to defend a bill that has estimated would leave tens of millions of Americans without insurance. After the delay was announced, President Trump hosted a White House gathering of all GOP senators. But rather than rally them around the bill with the power of the presidential bully pulpit, he struck a surprisingly detached tone. This will be great if we get it done, Trump told senators in the East Room. And if we dont get it done, its just going to be something that were not going to like. And thats OK. Read More Facebook

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As vote looms, concerns over Medicaid cuts rise from some in conservative media By Kurtis Lee Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press ) The vote  for now  is delayed. As President Trump has urged Senate Republicans to pass a bill that would overhaul the Affordable Care Act, some, including Sens. Dean Heller of Nevada and Rob Portman of Ohio, have expressed concerns over cuts to Medicaid. Both represent states that, under Obamacare, expanded Medicaid coverage to low-income adults. The current Senate healthcare bill would deliver deep cuts to Medicaid, leaving millions uninsured. While Trump awaits a vote in the coming weeks  originally scheduled for this week, but pushed back until after the July 4 recess  its on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to gather enough support from within his GOP caucus to secure the bills passage. Some in the conservative media are questioning the current bill. Here is an overview of todays headlines on this and other issues: Republicans have a Medicaid problem (Weekly Standard) The Republican healthcare bill would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion over the next decade. Chris Deaton writes that Republicans aim to offset the consequences of these Medicaid changes by offering tax credits for private insurance to people under the poverty line. In this piece, Deaton raises the question of whether low-income earners would be better off with Medicaid coverage or obtaining insurance through a GOP tax credit? He answers by noting, Its long been a contention of conservative thinkers that healthcare outcomes improve with private insurance rather than Medicaid. Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chairman, registers as foreign agent (Associated Press) Hes among those facing scrutiny in an FBI investigation into Russian meddling in last years election. Now, Paul Manafort, who at one time served as Trumps campaign chairman, has registered with the Department of Justice as a foreign agent. In a filing with the department, Manafort notes that his consulting firm received nearly $17 million between 2012 and 2014 from a Ukrainian political party with links to Russia, according to the Associated Press. Last spring, former national security advisor Michael T. Flynn, who resigned from his position in February after misleading administration officials about contacts with Russians, also registered as a foreign agent, for consulting work he did for a Turkish businessman. A Democratic road to recovery (American Spectator) The party is attempting a reboot. After Hillary Clintons 2016 loss and defeats in several special elections this year, Democrats are in search of a new face for the party. Even so, liberals are in lock-step in their opposition to Trump. This piece offers Democrats some advice  from the right  on how to recover. Leftists: You have been lied to and taken advantage of. When you eventually come out of this haze you are in, you will realize that it was done not by the president, but by the snake oil salesmen and charlatans, who took advantage of your sickness and weakness, simply for money and power, writes Judah Friedman. Ask yourselves this: What is the Democratic Party, right now, without this rage, and hate, with which it is fueling your addictions? The answer is nothing. Facebook

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Sarah Palin sues the New York Times for tying her PAC ad to mass shooting By Associated Press Former vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is accusing the New York Times of defamation over an editorial that linked one of her political action committee ads to the mass shooting that severely wounded then-Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. In the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Tuesday, Palins lawyers say the Times violated the law and its own policies when it accused her of inciting the 2011 attack that killed six people. The lawsuit refers to a June editorial in the Times on the recent shooting of Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise. The editorial later was corrected. Palin is seeking damages to be determined by a jury. A spokeswoman for the Times, Danielle Rhoades Ha, says the company hasnt seen the lawsuit but will defend against any claim vigorously. Facebook

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Trump succeeds where Obama failed  spawning a new wave of liberal activism By Mark Z. Barabak Amanda Litman and Ross Morales Rocketto launched the Democratic activist group Run For Something, which encourages people under 35 to seek elected office. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) The night Hillary Clinton lost the White House, Amanda Litman cried so hard she threw up. In Atlanta, as the returns rolled in, Traci Feit Love faced a question from her anguished 8-year-old daughter: Now what do we do? Across the country, in the heart of Silicon Valley, Rita Bosworth wondered the same thing. The three never met, never spoke, never communicated in any fashion. But in the days and weeks that followed, they became common threads in a sprawling patchwork: the angry and politically aggrieved who  with no help from politicians, political parties or any formal campaign structure  have joined to fight President Trump and his policies. Read More Facebook

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Trump on healthcare bill: If we dont get it done ... thats OK By Associated Press (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump said that if the healthcare bill fails to pass in the Senate, he wont like it  but thats OK. Trump spoke Tuesday at a gathering of Senate Republicans after their leaders delayed a vote on their healthcare bill until at least next month. Trump said, This will be great if we get it done and if we dont get it done its going to be something that were not going to like and thats OK and I can understand that. He added, I think we have a chance to do something very, very important for the public, very, very important for the people of our country. Facebook

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Watch live: Press briefing with Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Energy Secretary Rick Perry Facebook

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Senate GOP leaders abruptly delay vote on healthcare bill until after July 4th recess By Lisa Mascaro Facing resistance from their own party, Senate Republican leaders said Tuesday they would postpone a vote on their healthcare bill until after the July 4th recess. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to provide more time to make changes to the bill to try to convince reluctant GOP senators to vote for the measure. Were going to press on,' McConnell said, adding he remains optimistic. Were continuing to talk. Since the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the bill would leave 22 million more Americans without insurance after 10 years, several Republicans senators had said they would not even support allowing the bill to be brought to the Senate floor for a vote. Meanwhile, President Trump invited all GOP senators to the White House for a meeting Tuesday afternoon. But Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate who has expressed serious doubts about the bill, questioned whether revisions would make a difference. I have so many fundamental problems with the bill, that have been confirmed by the CBO report, that its difficult to see how any tinkering is going to satisfy my fundamental and deep concerns about the bill,' Collins said on CNN. McConnell is struggling to appease two factions in his party. Centrists like Collins want to lessen the impact of proposed cuts to Medicaid, while conservatives want to go further in repealing benefits provided under Obamacare. Senate leaders hope to continue talks this week, with an eye toward moving quickly when Congress returns after the holiday. McConnell plans to wait for the CBO to review any changes and reissue a score. He can only afford to lose two Republicans given the partys 52-seat majority in the Senate. Theres more work that needs to be done, its pretty obvious, said Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho as he was leaving a Senate lunch with Vice President Mike Pence. Pence ignored reporters questions about the decision. If more work needs to be done, you shouldnt try to light the fire. But the delay in a vote will give Democrats and other opponents of the repeal bill more time to mobilize, particularly as Republicans return to their home districts during the holiday. We know the fight is not over,' said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York. Facebook

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Trump administration warns of Syrian chemical attack, but with damaged credibility By Noah Bierman The Trump administration Monday night sent the kind of dire warning -- of the Syrian regimes apparent preparation for another chemical weapons attack, and a threat of U.S. retaliation -- that requires credibility to have a receptive national and foreign audience. Yet the initial bafflement about the warning among U.S. defense officials, and the simultaneous distraction of President Trumps unrelated tweets, seemed to undercut the seriousness of the moment. More broadly, the episode is testing the damage Trump has done to his and his administrations trustworthiness by his assaults on the intelligence community as well as other perceived enemies. Trump has spent months attacking the credibility of the intelligence community, at one point comparing their tactics to Nazis and repeatedly calling its findings of Russian meddling in the election a hoax and witch hunt, even as foreign policy experts cautioned that he was diminishing the reputation of a community he would need in times of crisis to rally public support. At a moment of crisis when U.S. decisions and actions rest upon information coming from the intelligence community, [Trump] may have diminished the credibility of that information in the eyes of the public and the eyes of the international community, said Daryl G. Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Assn. Kimball called the White House statement unusual and said such messages would normally be sent through private diplomatic channels. He added that the public allegation should be followed by a formal presentation of the evidence to the United Nations Security Council, to build international support against suspected Syrian violations of the chemical weapons ban. The four-line statement on Syria from the White House Press Secretary came just after 9:44 p.m. EDT Monday. The United States has identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children, the statement read. The activities are similar to preparations the regime made before its April 4, 2017 chemical weapons attack. If Syrian President Bashar Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price, it concluded, citing a U.S. missile strike after the previous chemical attack to reinforce the new threat. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed Tuesday that preparations for a chemical attack were observed at the same base in Syria from which its military launched a sarin nerve gas attack that killed 86 people, including children, in April. We have observed activities at Shayrat Air Base that suggest possible intent by the Syrian regime to use chemical weapons again, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway said in a statement. These activities are similar to what we observed prior to the regime chemical weapons attack against Khan Sheikhoun in April. But some senior U.S. defense and intelligence officials reached late Monday and early Tuesday were caught off guard by the White House statement. Some knew, some didnt, said a U.S. official who sought anonymity to discuss the intelligence matter. The official described the release of the nighttime statement as ungraceful, but said the assessment that Syria was preparing for an attack is sound. Such official statements are typically distributed widely across an administration for internal vetting before theyre publicly released. The White House said the relevant agencies were informed before the statement was published. Yet Trump lent further confusion about the urgency of the matter and his own level of concern by sending out a tweet about domestic politics only minutes later. He cited a Fox news report about the FBIs Russia investigation, writing as he often does about the probe, Witch Hunt! From @FoxNews "Bombshell: In 2016, Obama dismissed idea that anyone could rig an American election." Check out his statement - Witch Hunt!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2017 Indeed, Trump continued through the next morning to demonstrate his frustration with the Russia investigation and what he calls the American medias fake news with posts on his Twitter feed. Many tweets quoted supportive conservative commentators and Fox News reports. Trump was eager to go after CNN, one of his top media targets, after it retracted a Russia-related story and three journalists involved resigned. So they caught Fake News CNN cold, but what about NBC, CBS & ABC? What about the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost? They are all Fake News!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2017 Trumps willingness to mix politics and his administrations ominous red line to Syria opened him up to criticism that he was trying to divert attention from other unfavorable news Monday. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office had found that the Republican plan to replace Obamacare would strip 22 million people of health insurance coverage over the next decade. The Syria statement also prompted a sharp backlash from the Kremlin, which is Assads military ally in his nations civil war. Russian officials denied there is evidence of an imminent chemical attack and called the White House threat unacceptable. The tensions have heightened as Trump is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week at the G20 Summit of industrialized nations in Germany. Mondays statement may be seen as a warning not just to Syria but to Russia, which is widely seen as enabling Assads harsh tactics by bolstering his military as he has tried to retain power. Facebook

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Kremlin calls White House warning to Syria unacceptable, denies any Assad chemical attack in the works By Sabra Ayres The Kremlin is calling unacceptable a White House warning to Syrias government that it would pay a heavy price if it carries out another poison gas attack against its own people. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, also declared Tuesday that there is no indication that a chemical weapons strike is in the works. The White House said late Monday night that activity had been detected similar to that preceding a nerve gas attack on April 4 that killed dozens of civilians, including children, in rebel-held Idlib province. President Trump responded by launching nearly 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian military airfield that U.S. officials said was used for the chemical attack. It was the first U.S. attack on Syrian forces in the six-year civil war. Russia continues to deny that Assads forces carried out the April 4 gas attack and Peskov criticized the White House for saying there were signs of preparation for another such strike. Peskov said the Kremlin does not think it is possible to lay the blame on the Syrian armed forces for the April strike on the village of Khan Sheikhoun, which the U.S. and its allies said involved sarin, a banned nerve agent. Despite all the demands from the Russian side, an impartial international inquiry into a previous tragedy using chemical agents has not been carried out, the spokesman told Russian news agencies. Peskov criticized the White House warning to Assad, saying such threats to Syrias legitimate leaders are unacceptable. Read More Facebook

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Senate healthcare overhaul hits trouble as Republicans hesitant to proceed to vote By Lisa Mascaro The Senate Republican healthcare bill ran into serious trouble late Monday when key GOP senators indicated they may block the Obamacare overhaul from proceeding to a vote this week. Political turmoil has been building over the bill for days. But GOP tension burst open after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that 22 million more Americans would lose insurance coverage under the plan and that out-of-pocket costs for many of those buying policies on the Affordable Care Act marketplace would rise. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped to start procedural votes by Wednesday, and President Trump called key senators over the weekend as support splintered. Its the same political dynamic that stalled the House Republican bill last month, as conservative and centrist factions wrestle for dominance. Conservatives want a more complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which they hope will lower premium costs, while centrists are trying to avoid leaving millions of Americans without health coverage. Senate bill doesnt fix ACA problems for rural Maine, tweeted Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). I will vote no on mtp, she said, referring to the motion to proceed to the bill. Conservative Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is also working to change the bill so that he can vote yes on the procedural motion. We are not there yet, Lees spokesman said. Senators have bristled at what they viewed as McConnells secretive and rushed process, and several other senators said they wanted more time before voting. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was among those Republicans who shared concerns in weekend calls with Trump. We continue to make progress, Cruz told reporters Monday, as Democrats, who oppose the bill, planned an almost-all-night protest session. Cruz is part of the gang of four conservatives -- including Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky -- who have said they cannot vote for the bill as is. Among the changes being pursued is one provision that would allow insurers to offer cheaper policies that do not meet ACAs requirements and another to let consumers sock more money into health savings accounts We can get there and Im hopeful we will get there, Cruz said. However, he declined to say whether he would agree to Wednesdays procedural vote. Also hesitant to proceed was Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, who has strongly criticized undoing Obamacares Medicaid expansion that has enabled about 200,000 people to gain coverage in his state. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, for example, wanted changes to help residents in her geographically far-flung state where healthcare costs are particularly high. Some senators, though, dismissed the budget analysis and said keeping the ACA would be worse. Its clear the CBO cannot predict the purchasing patterns for millions of Americans, said Georgia Sen. David Perdue, a Trump ally, in a statement. This bureaucratic analysis will do nothing to prevent Obamacare from failing. Others are weighing their votes. Republican Sen. Bob Corker, whose office is receiving thousands of daily calls, spent part of Monday on the phone with health officials in Tennessee as he assesses the fallout in his state of 22 million more people in the country without healthcare. I kind of figured it was going to be a pretty big number, said Corker, who remains undecided. Theres a lot of incoming. CBO says 22 million people lose insurance; Medicaid cuts hurt most vulnerable Americans; access to healthcare in rural areas threatened. 2/3  Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 26, 2017 Facebook

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Supreme Court puts off decision in three pending cases about borders and immigration By David Savage ((Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Amid its flurry of decisions Monday about Trumps travel ban and cases involving religious liberties and guns, the Supreme Court put off final rulings on three pending cases involving immigration and the U.S. border. In Hernandez vs. Mesa, the court in an unsigned opinion told the U.S. appeals court in New Orleans to take a second look at a border shooting case. The parents of a 15-year-old Mexican boy sued a U.S. border patrol agent who shot and killed the teenager when he was standing a few feet from the border on the Mexican side. The 5th Circuit had thrown out the parents suit. The facts alleged in the complaint depict a disturbing incident resulting in a heartbreaking loss of life, the court said in sending the case back for a further hearing. The court said it would rehear in the fall a Los Angeles case involving whether immigrants awaiting deportation can be jailed indefinitely, or instead have a right to a bond hearing after six months. The courts action suggests the eight justices were evenly split in Jennings vs. Rodriguez. The court also said it will rehear the case of Sessions vs. Dimaya to decide whether non-citizens can be deported for an offense like breaking into an empty home because it may be deemed a crime of violence. Facebook

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Refugee advocates says even partial reinstatement of travel ban will cause hardship By Laura King Immigration and refugee advocates expressed disappointment Monday with the Supreme Courts partial reinstatement of President Trumps travel ban, saying even limited implementation could cause hardship to refugees and others seeking to travel to the United States from six affected Muslim-majority countries. However, organizations taking part in the months-long legal fight against the revised travel ban expressed hopes that the high court ultimately will reject the restrictions after arguments are heard in October. And they welcomed what they described as an implicit rebuke of the White Houses assertion that Trump has unfettered powers to exclude arrivals based on purported national security concerns. The initial rollout of the ban, days after Trump took office in January, caused pandemonium at airports across the United States and overseas as tens of thousands of visa-holders arriving from seven affected countries were turned away without warning or detained. After courts blocked that order, Trump issued a revised travel ban that took Iraq off the list. A replay of Januarys travel chaos was unlikely Monday because the courts action will allow visa-holders with bona fide ties to people or entities in the U.S. to enter, meaning students, employees and family members can still get in. But refugee advocates said the courts limited ruling, which the administration can move to implement on Thursday, could leave many would-be arrivals in limbo pending the finalizing of new vetting procedures. The administration had originally said a three-month travel ban was needed in part to review the checks to which would-be entrants are subjected. David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, said the partial reinstatement of the ban particularly threatens vulnerable people waiting to come to the U.S., including those with urgent medical conditions. We urge the administration to begin its long-delayed review of the vetting process and restart a program which changes lives for the better, said Miliband. The National Immigration Law Center, one of the groups that challenged the ban, said that as of this week, approximately 50,500 refugees from the six affected countries had been approved for travel and resettlement in the United States  all having already undergone intensive checks. The Middle East Studies Assn., one the groups contesting the ban in the lower courts, said many students and academics were ensnared by the original order. Even though Mondays court move should allow entry to those studying or working at American academic institutions, many from the affected countries remained wary of leaving and then attempting to re-enter the United States, the group said. Iran  along with Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya  is one of the affected countries, and Southern California is home to a large Iranian American community that was hit hard by the original ban. Some advocates said even with Mondays limited action, there has already been a chilling effect on movement. Todays Supreme Court decision immediately places the status of many Americans families into question again, said Shayan Modarres, legal counsel for the National Iranian American Council. The group said that visas issued to Iranian passport-holders had fallen by nearly half since the legal battle over the ban began, and that obtaining a U.S. visa was becoming so onerous that many would not even try to get one. The Trump administrations new idea is to make it so hard on Iranians and Muslims to get a visa that visa officers will have the unrestricted discretion to reject visa applications, Modarres said. He added that grounds for rejection could be social media postings critical of Trump or not being able to produce airline boarding passes that could have been issued and used more than a decade ago. Advocacy groups reiterated their position  which was argued in a number of the lower court cases that propelled the issue to the high court  that the travel restrictions run counter to core American traditions and values. Mark Hetfield, president of the refugee resettlement agency HIAS, said the group considered the courts move an affirmation that the president does not have unfettered, unchecked authority to bar refugees from the U.S. without evidence to justify such action. But he added that the executive orders partial resurrection would once again cause irreparable damage to refugees, immigrants, and Americas reputation as a welcoming country. The initial ban prompted large nationwide protests, and advocates suggested they would again seek to marshal popular opposition to the restrictions. When the first order went into effect, tens of thousands of Americans showed the world that this is not who we are and not what we want, said Becca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project, another of the groups involved in the legal challenge. We will never give up defending the rights of those who are affected by this discriminatory executive order. Facebook

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Trump says Supreme Court action on travel ban gives him important tool By Michael A. Memoli .@POTUS statement says SCOTUS action allows him to "use an important tool for protecting our Nation's homeland." Will admin press further? pic.twitter.com/gxBJO5aYYZ  Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) June 26, 2017 President Trump celebrated the Supreme Courts decision Monday to allow a curtailed version of his travel ban to take effect, calling it a clear victory for our national security. In an official White House statement, the president said he was particularly gratified that at least part of the ruling was 9-0; three conservative justices said they would have let the presidents revised executive order take effect completely. My number one responsibility as Commander in Chief is to keep the American people safe. Todays ruling allows me to use an important tool for protecting our Nations homeland, he said. The White House has long maintained that the president was acting within his authority in seeking to temporarily restrict travel to the United States. They most often point to a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that states a president can suspend or limit entry of individuals whenever the president finds that the entry ... would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. Facebook

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Rival Senate factions push competing agendas as healthcare bill hangs in balance By Laura King Heading into a week of intense jockeying and arm-twisting over the Senates polarizing healthcare plan, the rift appeared to widen Sunday between moderates who consider the measure too punitive and conservatives who want to see the sweeping bill toughened up before agreeing to back it. President Trump, who made the repeal of his predecessors signature Affordable Care Act a campaign centerpiece, expressed optimism about chances for Senate passage, but declared again that he wanted to see a plan with heart  suggesting he might undercut Republican efforts to bring recalcitrant conservatives on board. With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) seeking to push ahead with a vote this week, the bills prospects hung in the balance. Five GOP senators have said publicly they oppose the measure as written; the defection of only three Republicans would be enough to sink it. Read More Facebook

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Analysis: Atop 2017 losses, a sobering challenge for Democrats aiming at Trump next year By Cathleen Decker Republican Karen Handel, winner of last weeks special House election in Georgia. ( (Bob Andres / Atlanta Journal-Constitution)) Democrats have hoped that President Trumps deep unpopularity would propel them to gains in next years midterm election as they fight to take control of the House and improve their position in the Senate. But last years contests and this years special elections suggest a complication: Trump is so distinctive a politician that its hard to persuade voters that other Republican candidates are carbon copies of the president. Trumps outsized persona makes even those Republicans who share his views seem more moderate, an important attribute to swing voters. That presents a problem for the party out of power. Midterm elections traditionally serve as referendums on the president, but voters complicated views of Trump may give Republicans more running room than his popularity figures suggest. The votes cast by individual Republican incumbents may be more important to their survival than any linkage with the president. Read More Facebook

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Conservatives at Koch summit outline changes to Senate healthcare bill to win their support By Lisa Mascaro Tim Phillips, who heads Americans for Prosperity, the largest of the Koch networks advocacy groups, speaks to the media at the White House in Washington on March 8. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) Conservatives floated two amendments for toughening up the Senates Obamacare overhaul this weekend at the influential Koch networks confab of wealthy donors, as Republicans seek ways to win over detractors and tip enough GOP votes for passage. That the Koch network quickly panned the Senate bill is no surprise. The organization of deep-pocketed conservative advocacy groups similarly rejected the House GOP bill this spring until party leaders tacked on tough amendments to appease right-leaning Republicans. Weve been disappointed that movements not been more dramatic toward a full repeal or a broader rollback of this onerous law Obamacare, said Tim Phillips, who heads Americans for Prosperity, the largest of the Koch networks advocacy groups. But we are not walking away, he said. We worked to make the House bill better and it did get better. Were doing the same thing on the Senate front. One key lawmaker attending the weekend summit at the luxurious Broadmoor Hotel, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a chief negotiator on the House bill, outlined two key changes to the bill that he said could likely win enough conservative support for passage. One amendment from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) would allow companies that offer insurance policies on the Obamacare marketplace to also offer plans that do not meet the ACAs strict requirements. Such a change would in essence allow insurers to offer cheaper, though skimpier, policies that may help achieve the GOPs goal of lowering premiums for consumers. Another amendment would broaden the ability of those who buy insurance on the marketplace to sock away more money in tax-free Health Savings Accounts to help them pay for their premiums. Cruz is one of four Senate conservatives who have said they would not support the bill unless changes are made, positioning them for negotiations in the days ahead. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) needs to win back some of their votes to pass the bill with his slim 52-seat Republican majority. One of the conservatives, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), was among those feted Saturday night at a reception with Charles Koch, the billionaire industrialist who funds the conservative network. Koch told those gathered for an outdoor cocktail reception on a breezy Colorado Springs evening about how far his team has come over the years at promoting what is a libertarian-leaning conservative agenda. Now when I look at where we are, at the size and effectiveness of this network, Im blown away, he told donors. Koch met Friday with Vice President Mike Pence. But the politics in the Senate remain difficult as McConnell continues to negotiate behind closed doors and rushes the bill to a vote expected this week. On Sunday, one key centrist, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, doubted a swift resolution. Its hard for me to see the bill passing this week, she said on ABCs This Week. Another crucial vote, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who had offered his own proposal, also criticized the rush. I frankly would like a few more days to consider this, Cassidy said on CBSs Face the Nation. But Republicans are anxious to resolve the healthcare debate, which has created a logjam in their legislative agenda. Meadows also told reporters if the Senate passes the bill this week, the House could quickly follow with a weekend session -- ahead of a Fourth of July bill signing by the president. Facebook

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Schiff: Obama should have acted on Russian interference, but Trump shouldnt complain By Laura King A top House Democrat says President Obama should have reacted more forcefully upon learning of Russian election-meddling, but also asserted that it was illogical for President Trump to levy such criticism against his predecessor. I think the [Obama] administration needed to call out Russia earlier, needed to act to deter and punish Russia earlier, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), said in an interview aired Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. Failure to do so, he said, had been a very serious mistake. But Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Trumps criticism of Obama made little sense in light of the current presidents own inaction in the face of decisive U.S. intelligence conclusions about Kremlin efforts to tip the 2016 race to Trump. Trump, Schiff said, is in no position to complain here in light of the fact that as a candidate, he openly urged the Russians to hack Clintons emails. To criticize Obama is now a bit like someone knowingly receiving stolen property blaming the police for not stopping the theft, said Schiff, a former prosecutor. On Saturday, Trump issued a statement on Twitter referencing a Washington Post report a day earlier detailing the previous administrations wrestling with how, when and whether to make public the degree of Russian interference. Since the Obama Administration was told way before the 2016 Election that the Russians were meddling, why no action? Focus on them, not T! the president tweeted. The Post report said Obama was worried about the appearance of improperly using mounting intelligence reports about Russian activities to aid Clintons candidacy. The subject was particularly inflammatory because at that point in the race, Trump had complained repeatedly about the rigged political process and even suggested he might not respect the election outcome. Facebook

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Trump says hes optimistic about Senate approval of GOP healthcare measure By Laura King President Trump says he believes that backers of a sweeping GOP healthcare measure are going to get there and pass the measure despite the refusal of five Republican senators to endorse the bill as written. Healthcare is a very, very tough thing to get, but I think were going to get it, Trump said on Fox and Friends in an interview aired Sunday that he had touted beforehand on Twitter. We dont have too much of a choice because the alternative is the dead carcass of Obamacare, the president said, referring to the Affordable Care Act, his predecessors signature piece of legislation. Opinion polls have indicated low public support for the version of the healthcare bill passed earlier by the House of Representatives. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), wants to bring the Senate version, unveiled days ago, to a vote this week. In addition to the five Republican senators who have publicly aired their opposition, several others have declined to explicitly endorse the bill, which would overhaul the U.S. healthcare system and set the stage for massive tax breaks that would primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans. With a 52-seat Republican advantage in the 100-member chamber, only three GOP defections would be sufficient to derail the measure, since Vice President Mike Pence could cast a tie-breaking vote. Facebook

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Pro-Trump group launches new attack ad against special counsel Robert Mueller By Lisa Mascaro A Southern California group backing President Trump is out with a new ad attacking special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, criticizing the investigation into the Trump campaigns possible cooperation with Russian interference in the 2016 election. The ad, called Witch Hunt, features conservative favorite Tomi Lahren reflecting Trumps own language to complain about the probe. The more than $400,000 ad buy is expected to start running Sunday. Only in Washington could a rigged game like this be called independent, Lahren says, using air quotes in the ad to emphasize her point. She is now a senior advisor to Great America Alliance, which backs Trump. The ads chief complaint echoes Trumps criticism that Muellers team has ties to Democrats, because some of the lawyers have given campaign contributions to the party. Trump has also complained of the relationship between fired FBI Director James B. Comey and Mueller, who was once his boss. Mueller is a registered Republican. Among the members of the legal team he is assembling for the Russia probe -- which is also looking into whether the president obstructed the federal investigation by firing Comey -- four have donated to Democrats. One who gave the maximum donation to Trump rival Hillary Clinton also donated to Republicans. Both Republicans and Democrats have praised Muellers credentials and ability to handle the Russia probe as an independent investigation. The group, which ran a similar attack against Comey ahead of his testimony earlier this month on Capitol Hill, has emerged as a key pro-Trump organization. Facebook

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Koch brothers political network says Senate GOP healthcare bill is insufficiently conservative By Associated Press ( (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)) Chief lieutenants in the Koch brothers political network lashed out at the Senate Republican healthcare bill on Saturday, becoming a powerful outside critic as GOP leaders try to rally support for their plan among rank-and-file Republicans. This Senate bill needs to get better, said Tim Phillips, who leads Americans For Prosperity, the Koch networks political arm. It has to get better. Phillips called the Senates plans for Medicaid a slight nip and tuck over President Obamas healthcare law, a modest change he described as immoral. The comments came on the first day of a three-day private donor retreat at a luxury resort in the Rocky Mountains. Invitations were extended only to donors who promise to give at least $100,000 each year to the various groups backed by the Koch brothers Freedom Partners  a network of education, policy and political entities that aim to promote small government. No outside group has been move aggressive over the years-long push to repeal Obamas healthcare law than the Kochs, which vowed on Saturday to spend another 10 years fighting to change the healthcare system if necessary. The Koch network has often displayed a willingness to take on Republicans  including President Trump  when their policies arent deemed conservative enough. Read More Facebook

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Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions wants to get tough on crime. These people think hes got it all wrong By Jaweed Kaleem Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions has vowed to crack down on crime by sending more criminals to prison for longer periods of time. Every one of our citizens, no matter who they are or where they live, has the right to be safe in their homes and communities from the scourge of criminal gangs, rapists, carjackers and drug dealers, Sessions said in an address to law enforcement officials in Memphis, Tenn., last month. In his view, imprisoning more criminals would make families safer, and fewer people would break the law if there were more severe punishments for crimes such as drug offenses. In a recent memo to federal prosecutors, Sessions instructed them to pursue the harshest punishments legally allowed, a reversal of an Obama-era move giving federal lawyers more leeway to reserve such prosecutions for repeat offenders and people who had committed the worst of crimes. Department of Justice officials hope the changes at the federal level  where a sliver of crimes across the country is prosecuted  will trickle down to a similar approach to crime in states. Read More Facebook

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Vice President Mike Pence stops in for an unscheduled chat with billionaire Charles Koch By Lisa Mascaro Vice President Mike Pence popped in for a visit this weekend with Charles Koch, the billionaire GOP donor hosting his semi-annual confab of like-minded business leaders assessing their priorities for the White House and Congress. The meeting was not listed on Pences official schedule for the day. President Trump never much enjoyed backing from Koch s sprawling, secretive, political enterprise, which has emerged as a libertarian-leaning power center, sometimes overshadowing the traditional Republican Party apparatus with its high-dollar donors and vast operations. Kochs group did not endorse the GOP presidential nominee. But the network has always had close ties with Pence. The vice president had previously attended the exclusive gathering of donors, held this weekend at the luxurious Broadmoor hotel. And his top staff was plucked from a key Koch organization, Freedom Partners. Pence and Koch and their top aides spoke for nearly an hour late Friday, according to a Koch spokesman. They discussed tax reform, the GOPs healthcare overhaul and other heavy legislative lifts that have run into resistance in the Republican-controlled Congress. The aide described the talks as casual. Pence was in the area making other stops, including at the Air Force Academy and an evening fundraiser for GOP Sen. Cory Gardner. Even without investing in Trump, the Koch network has made impressive strides in advancing its agenda this year. Congress swiftly rolled back more than a dozen regulations, including some intended to protect the environment, that Koch-backed groups complained were too rigorous and invasive in industry operations. The Koch network groups, including Freedom Partners, a free market-oriented, chamber of commerce-type organization, is pushing the Trump administration and Congress to pass tax reform and overhaul healthcare. Both those efforts have stalled in Congress amid Republican infighting, but the Koch groups is able to put their army of resources  money, staff and volunteers in the states  to pressure lawmakers to act. Facebook

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Kris Kobach fined for misleading court and refusing to produce previously exposed Trump memo By Colleen Shalby (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has been fined $1,000 for misleading a federal court in an effort to keep two documents private. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit last year against Kobach arguing that his states proof of citizenship law violates the National Voter Registration Act. ACLU lawyers asked Kobach to produce two documents they said pertained to the case. One of those documents was a draft of a proposed amendment to the National Voter Registration Act. The second was a document that had been photographed and widely shared in late November after Kobach met with then-President-elect Donald Trump. The power of a zoom lens exposed certain details of his proposal to Trump to deport potential terrorists. In a 24-page ruling made public Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge James OHara wrote that Kobach did not accurately represent the contents of the documents when he argued against producing them. Defendant refused to produce these documents, asserting that they are beyond the scope of reopened discovery, do not seek relevant information, and are protected by the attorney-client, deliberative-process, and executive privileges, the judge wrote. The court took Kobach at his word, OHara wrote, but upon review of the documents  produced under a court order  found that they did relate to the voting rights case. The judge wrote that while the court could not say that Kobach flat-out lied, the defendants statements can be construed as wordplay meant to present a materially inaccurate picture of the documents. For now, the documents will remain classified, as Kobach designated them. But, OHara wrote, that status could change. Trump tapped Kobach last month to serve as vice chairman of a presidential commission that would oversee a voter fraud investigation. Facebook

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Number of refugees admitted to U.S. drops by almost half By Tracy Wilkinson (Patrick T. Fallon / For the Los Angeles Times) The number of refugees admitted to the United States was cut by nearly half in the first three months of the Trump administration compared with the final three months of the Obama presidency, reflecting the new presidents skepticism toward immigration. Government statistics released Friday showed that more than 25,000 refugees were permitted to enter and reside in the United States at the end of the Obama administration. In the initial months under President Trump, the number fell to 13,000. The statistics were released by the Department of Homeland Security, based on information supplied by the State Department. Countries of origin were largely unchanged. In both periods, two-thirds of the arrivals came from five countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Myanmar. Refugees from two of those countries  Syria and Somalia  would have been banned under Trumps executive order against entries from certain Muslim-majority nations, but federal courts have blocked the order. Trumps original order covered Iraqis as well, but he omitted Iraq from his revised order. The data suggest that the Obama administration, as it was about to turn over power to Trump, significantly stepped up the number of refugees admitted. Arrivals in its final three months reflected an 86% year-over-year increase compared to the same period the previous year. In Trumps first three months, arrivals were 12% lower than for the same period in the previous year. Trump has sought to limit the number of refugees to 50,000 this year. But adverse rulings in the courts could work against him. The United States already has one of the lowest quotas of refugee admissions among major receiving countries. Nations closer to conflict zones such as Syria have taken in millions of refugees. More people have been displaced from their home nations, because of violence and poverty, than at any time since World War II. Facebook

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Trump nominates former Dodgers co-owner Jamie McCourt as ambassador to Belgium By Lauren Rosenblatt Trump nominated Jamie McCourt, former co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as ambassador to Belgium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) President Trump nominated Jamie McCourt, former co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be the ambassador to Belgium on Thursday night. McCourt, who co-owned the Dodgers with her husband, Frank, until their messy 2011 divorce, has donated money to several Republican organizations, including funds for Trumps campaign and his transition to the White House. McCourt was among many business leaders who signed their support for Trump early on in his campaign, praising his plan for economic development and growth. In the months leading up to Trumps victory, McCourt gave more than $400,000 to the Trump victory fund, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. She signed a letter in October 2016 with 100 other business executives and CEOs championing Trumps plan and criticizing opponent Hillary Clinton for having thrown in the towel on strong economic growth. McCourt was listed as a 2016 State Victory Finance Chair for Trumps campaign in July, according to a report from the GOP. Robert Wood Johnson, chairman and CEO of the New York Jets and Trumps nominee for ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was also on the list as Trump Victory vice chair. After Trump won the election, McCourt continued to financially support his transition to office. In December, she helped host a fundraiser breakfast for the incoming president where tickets sold for $5,000 a piece. Prior to her support for Trump, McCourt also donated to the campaigns of several other Republican presidential candidates, including John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina, although in much smaller amounts. In the past, she has also supported former President Obama, contributing to his campaign and victory funds in 2011 and donating $50,000 to the inauguration in 2009. She donated about $2,000 to Hillary Clinton for her presidential campaign in 2007, according to the FEC. McCourts ex-husband said his former wife had political aspirations of her own, with an end goal of ending up in the White House, according to a March 2010 Los Angeles Times article. Her high-profile divorce gathered a lot of public attention and ended in dispute over finances and assets. McCourt has founded and directed entrepreneurial enterprises in Los Angeles and Boston throughout her career as a entrepreneur and attorney. Her investment firm, Jamie Enterprises, invests in real estate and technology start-ups. She has degrees from Georgetown University, the University of Maryland School of Law and from MIT/ Sloan School of Management. The Senate must confirm McCourts nomination for ambassador. Facebook

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Nevada Sen. Heller -- a key swing vote -- says he opposes Senate healthcare bill By David Lauter (Andrew Harnik / AP) Nevada Sen. Dean Heller said Friday that he planned to vote against the Republican healthcare bill, a potentially key defection. Although the White House and Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky have said they plan further negotiations over the bill, its going to be very difficult to get me to a yes, Heller said at a news conference in Nevada with Gov. Brian Sandoval (R). The bill unveiled Thursday by McConnell is simply not the answer, he said. In this form, I will not support it. Given the unified Democratic opposition to the bill, McConnell can afford to lose only two Senate Republicans, so Hellers announcement is significant. A no vote by Heller would not seal the fate of the bill, however. Heller is widely viewed as the most vulnerable Republican senator up for reelection in 2018 -- the only one running in a state that Hillary Clinton carried last year -- and Republican leaders have been hoping to avoid having to count on his vote. Heller cited several reasons for opposing the bill, but the chief one was its deep reductions in federal support for Medicaid. This bill will mean a loss of coverage for millions of Americans and many Nevadans, he said. Nevada, under Sandoval, has used its authority under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid, which has given health coverage to more than 210,000 additional state residents, Sandoval said. These are folks who are worth fighting for, he added. The cutbacks the Senate bill, which would end Medicaid expansion, would cost the state $120 million a year by 2022, with the cost rising sharply after that the governor said. Thats a cost that the state cannot sustain. Heller also cited the bills impact on treatment for opioid addiction and the likelihood that the plan would fail to reduce premiums. There isnt anything in this piece of legislation that will lower your premiums, he said, contradicting one of the main arguments that supporters of the bill have made. Hellers announcement increases the pressure on McConnell to find ways of persuading several other reluctant senators to support the bill. Four conservatives, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said Thursday they were opposed to the bill in its current form because it does not go far enough to roll back the Affordable Care Act. Several more centrist senators, including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, have voiced concerns similar to Hellers about the depth of the bills Medicaid cutbacks and its impact on opioid treatment. Collins and Portman have both said they want to review the analysis of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office before making up their minds. The budget office has said it will release that assessment early next week. Facebook

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Trump signs VA reform bill to make it easier to discipline and fire employees By Lauren Rosenblatt President Trump signed into law Friday a bill that will ease restrictions on the discipline and termination of employees from the troubled veterans affairs department. The Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 is designed to speed up the process to discipline an employee for misconduct and put more decision-making power in the hands of Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin. The act is in response to the 2014 VA scandals involving long wait times for medical care and attempts by VA employees to cover up the delays. Trump, who promised to improve healthcare for veterans during his campaign, said the bill was one of the largest reforms to the VA in its history and is essential to making sure our veterans are treated with respect. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support June 13 and the Senate on June 6. Although the bill is widely supported by veterans advocacy groups, civil servant unions condemn the legislation as a way to get around long-standing protections for government employees and whistle-blowers. The reform, Shulkin said, will not be used as a tool for mass firings, but rather a way to raise morale throughout the department and attract new employees. Slow, steady, incremental change isnt what this organization needs, Shulkin said. Right now, I believe this is progress. Facebook

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Mexico pushes back against Trumps tweet calling it the second deadliest country in the world By Kate Linthicum Mexicos Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray speaks during a news conference in Cancun, Mexico, on June 19. (PEDRO PARDO/AFP/Getty Images) After President Trump incorrectly tweeted that Mexico is the second deadliest country in the world after Syria, the Mexican government responded quickly. No, Mexico isnt the second deadliest place on the globe, said a tersely worded statement issued by Mexicos secretary of foreign relations, pointing to a host of other Latin American countries that have higher per capita murder rates. And while homicides have been rising in Mexico in recent years, rising violence in Mexico is inextricably linked to demand for drugs in the United States, the statement said. Illicit drug trade is indeed the most important cause of violence in Mexico and drug trafficking is costing thousands of lives both in Mexico and the U.S., the foreign ministry said Thursday. However, as has been repeatedly stated by the U.S. government itself, drug trafficking is a shared problem that will end only by addressing its root causes: high demand for drugs in the U.S. and supply from Mexico and other countries. In order to be effective, we must be able to move beyond finger-pointing, the statement said. The Mexican government issued the response after Trump tweeted a reference to a controversial recent study that ranked Mexico as the worlds second most-dangerous conflict zone after Syria. Trump misrepresented the study in his tweet, saying Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world. He also neglected the considerable debate about the studys accuracy. The annual Armed Conflict Survey, released this year by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, has been called into question by the Mexican government and others who say it wrongly points to the existence of an armed conflict in Mexico. The existence of criminal groups is not sufficient criteria to speak of a non-international armed conflict, said a joint statement issued by Mexicos secretaries of governance and foreign relations in May, adding that drug-war violence is part of a bigger regional problem. Although Mexicos homicide rate has soared  the first two months of 2017 were the most violent since the government started releasing such statistics in 1997  other countries are experiencing higher homicide rates. In January, Mexico had a homicide rate of 20 deaths per 100,000 people, according to a Times analysis of Mexican crime statistics. By comparison, El Salvadors homicide rate was 81 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016, according to InSight Crime, a think tank that studies organized crime in Latin America. Venezuela had a homicide rate of 59 deaths per 100,000 people. Trump ended his tweet with a frequent campaign mantra: We will BUILD THE WALL! Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017 Facebook

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Supreme Court says final decisions of term will come on Monday By David Savage The Supreme Court is shown at sunset on Feb. 13, 2016. (Jon Elswick / Associated Press) (Jon Elswick / Associated Press) The Supreme Court announced it will hand down its final rulings for this term on Monday. But that does not mean the justices will actually decide the six cases that remain, which include three significant disputes involving immigration and the U.S. borders. Heres a look at the notable decisions so far. On Nov. 30, with one seat on the court still vacant, the eight justices heard arguments in a Los Angeles case on whether noncitizens who face possible deportation can be held in jail indefinitely or instead have a right to a bond hearing after six months. The case, Jennings vs. Rodriguez, has taken on added importance in the Trump era, but the long delay may signal that the justices are split 4-4. If so, the court may announce Monday that the case will be reheard in the fall, leaving it to new Justice Neil M. Gorsuch to cast the tie-breaking vote. Also still pending, since January, is a California case that will decide whether a crime such as breaking into an empty home qualifies as a crime of violence, triggering automatic deportation, even for an immigrant who is a longtime legal resident. A ruling in Sessions vs. Dimaya could affect thousands of deportations The third case, pending since February, is a closely watched border shooting. At issue in Hernandez vs. Mesa is whether a U.S. agent can be sued for fatally shooting a 15-year-old who was standing on the Mexican side of the border. On Friday, the justices gave a second chance to a Korean restaurant owner from Memphis who faces deportation for selling Ecstasy pills. Based on his lawyers advice, he pleaded guilty to the drug charge, having been assured it would not trigger his deportation. The lawyer was wrong. By a 6-2 vote in Lee vs. United States, the court said the Korean man may withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial. But for his attorneys incompetence, he would not have accepted a plea, said Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.. Dissenting were Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr.. The justices, including Gorsuch, are likely to rule in a significant case on religion and funding for church schools. In Trinity Lutheran vs.Comer, the justices will decide whether states may exclude church schools from receiving public funds. Also still pending, but on a different track, is the Trump administrations appeal over his blocked foreign travel ban. The court may act on that appeal at any time. Facebook

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Trump backs L.A. Olympic bid in meeting with IOC officials By Michael A. Memoli The opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times) President Trump pledged his full support for the Los Angeles bid to host a future Summer Olympics, the White House said Friday after an Oval Office meeting with the head of the International Olympic Committee. Trump met Thursday with IOC President Thomas Bach and three U.S. members of the IOC -- Larry Probst, Anita DeFrantz and Angela Ruggiero. A White House official called it a very constructive conversation in which Trump backed a potential third Summer Games in Los Angeles. With only L.A. and Paris bidding to host the 2024 games, the IOC is moving to reward both cities, giving one hosting duties in 2024 and the other in 2028. The United States hasnt hosted a Summer Olympics since the Centennial games in Atlanta in 1996. Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he discussed the citys Olympic bid during a post-election conversation with Trump last November and that the then-president elect pledged his backing. Facebook

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Trump says he tweeted about tapes to influence Comeys account of their private conversations By Michael A. Memoli .@POTUS on why he wanted former FBI Dir. James Comey to believe there were tapes of their conversations pic.twitter.com/pCuibM5Z6k  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) June 23, 2017 President Trump called it bothersome that the special counsel now overseeing the Russia probe was good friends with fired FBI Director James B. Comey, and said he hinted at having tapes of his private conversations  apparently falsely  to try to influence Comeys eventual testimony. The president made his remarks during an interview that aired Friday morning on Fox & Friends, but was recorded on Thursday just hours after he tweeted that he did not, in fact, have tapes. Trump said that floating the possibility they did exist might have forced Comey to tell what actually took place at the events. When he found out that, I, you know, that there may be tapes out there, whether its governmental tapes or anything else, and who knows, I think his story may have changed, Trump said. My story didnt change. My story was always a straight story. Foxs Ainsley Earhardt followed up: So it was a smart way to make sure he stayed honest in those hearings? It wasnt very stupid, I can tell you that, Trump answered. Many disagree, including Republicans. Comey testified that Trumps tweet is what prompted him to as
All Burbank resident Mickey DePalo wants to do is make sure that no veteran feels they are being forgotten.

Whether it is a small pat on the back, or care packages sent overseas, DePalo has made it his mission to support the servicemen and women defending the country, like he did many years ago.

As long as the good Lords willing, Im going to do this for as long as I can, DePalo said. Being a veteran myself, its a real part of me and I enjoy working with all the individuals. Theres no political ax to grind. All we want to do is be there for the men and women that serve their country  and be there for their families.

All we want to do is be there for the men and women that serve their country  and be there for their families.  Mickey DePalo

Because of his continued work to help veterans living in and around Burbank, Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) named DePalo, 70, the 43rd Districts Veteran of the Year.

DePalo, chairman of the Burbank Veterans Committee, was honored Wednesday during a luncheon in Sacramento, where he had the chance to meet Friedman and tour the area.

Doing what we do here in the city of Burbank for our veterans and their families is all thanks to the support that I get here, he said. My colleagues from the Veterans Committee, city staff and City Council, they make it so easy for us to do what we can for the veterans and their families.

It is not the first time DePalo has been commended for his work. In 2011, the Burbank Assn. of Realtors named him Citizen of the Year and in 2009, then-Assemblyman Paul Krekorian chose DePalo to be his pick for Veteran of the Year.

The lifelong Burbank resident served in the Army during the Vietnam War for two years and became a military police sergeant at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas after being discharged by the Army.

After the war, DePalo had a 42-year career with the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department and retired in 2008. However, DePalo said that he has been volunteering and helping veterans since 1988.

While most volunteering time is spent with the Burbank Veterans Committee, DePalo is also active with several other groups, such as the Burbank Elks Lodge, Glendale Wellness Works and La Crescenta Veterans Coalition.

The great thing about veterans is that we served our country, but we continue to serve our community, he said. There are so many veterans out there that do this and go unnoticed. I do this because I want to and I feel that Im, in some small way, contributing to not only the older veterans but also the younger veterans that are just trying to come back to the civilian life.

DePalo has a soft spot in his heart for servicemen and women who are trying to readjust to post-duty life, saying that it is not easy for someone to make that transition.

Understanding that the pressure may be too much for veterans, DePalo assists Glendale Wellness Works with its Not on Our Watch ceremony, which brings awareness to the community about veterans who commit suicide.

An effort that means a lot to DePalo is the Burbank Veterans Committees Hands Across the Battlefield program, for which numerous volunteers fill boxes with comfort items  a new pair of socks, books, toiletries and thank-you letters  to active servicemen and women stationed all over the world.

Last year, we packaged over 800 boxes with items to send to troops overseas, he said. We send all of those packages right before Christmas, just in time for them to get care packages from our city and letting them know that theyre not being forgotten and we support their mission.

The next major project DePalo will be taking part in is the citys renovation to the war memorial at McCambridge Park, which was installed on Veterans Day in 1988. Construction is expected to be completed by Memorial Day 2018.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
A UFC Gym in Costa Mesa is having its grand opening Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The 18,000-square-foot facility is at 2860 Harbor Blvd. It replaces a Mitsubishi dealership that has moved to another site along Harbor.

The gyms offerings include strength training, cardio machines, battle ropes and agility ladders.

The company recently opened another gym in Huntington Beach, at 17091 Beach Blvd.

Figge Photography wins state award

Figge Photography in Newport Beach was recently awarded with a 2017 Small Business of the Year Award in Sacramento.

Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach) presented the award on behalf of his 74th Assembly District.

The Figge familys dedication to the local community, enhancing the quality of life for community residents, makes them the perfect choice, Harper said in a news release.

We strive to continue the tradition of photography and community involvement that our late parents started with this business, Leslie Figge Chatillon said in a statement. It is an honor to be recognized by the assemblyman. We hope to continue working closely with our community to photograph and preserve their memories.

Figge Photography was founded in Glendale in 1945. Its Newport studio opened in 1976.

Shorepoint celebrates 55 years

Shorepoint Insurance Services, based in Costa Mesa, recently celebrated its 55th anniversary with the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

The company, established in 1962, has also been located in Huntington Beach, according to its marketing director, Katelyn Santos. The company is now based at 1120 Bristol St.

Shorepoint offers various commercial and personal insurances, as well as employee benefits programs.

Pressed opens third location in Newport

Pressed Juicery is set to open by the end of June in the Crystal Cove Shopping Center in Newport Beach, according to the Irvine Co.

The chain also has locations at Fashion Island and the Westcliff Plaza Shopping Center.

Stationery store to open in Lido

Sugar Paper, a stationery company, is opening in Newport Beach in mid-July, according to a news release.

The store, founded by Chelsea Shukov and Jamie Grobecker , is coming to the Lido Marina Village.

Irvine Co. re-brands buildings near JWA

The Newport Beach-based Irvine Co. is re-branding and renovating some commercial properties near John Wayne Airport in Irvine.

The Airport Business Center, which includes two four-story buildings at 18662 and 18552 MacArthur Blvd., will become The Launch.

After conducting significant customer research, weve learned that growth companies view real estate as an asset and extension of their brands, a critical and valuable tool to help them recruit and retain talent in todays tight job market, Steve Case, executive vice president of Irvine Co. Office Properties, said in a statement.
Two out-of-state men were charged Thursday with pimping out of a Costa Mesa motel, authorities said.

Tyshawn Johnson, 30, of Buffalo, N.Y., and Marco Marcellus Mowry, 34, of Honolulu are facing felony counts of pimping and pandering, according to the Orange County district attorneys office.

If convicted, they could face a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months in state prison.

According to prosecutors, Johnson and Mowry met in Las Vegas before taking three women  ages 19, 21 and 25  to Orange County.

On Monday, members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force found an advertisement soliciting sex with the 19-year-old, authorities said.

Investigators set up a meeting with her in the Vagabond Inn on Harbor Boulevard, where Johnson and Mowry were staying.

The two were arrested Tuesday, according to Orange County Jail records.

Prosecutors said Johnson and Mowry used money the women made from sex for gas, travel, food and lodging.

Johnson listed his occupation as a roofer, according to the Orange County Sheriffs Department. He remained in custody Thursday. His bail amount was unavailable.

Mowry, who listed his occupation as party planner, was being held with bail set at $500,970, according to jail records.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint
George Hess is a familiar face at Loyola Marymount Universitys College of Business Administration.

The 82-year-old Newport Beach resident has commuted to the Los Angeles-based campus for the past 42 years where he has served as associate dean and as a professor of management.

Hess will retire this week, marking the end of a four-decade-long tenure with the private university.

Its been a good trip  a pleasant and enjoyable 42 years, Hess said earlier this week.

Before becoming a management professor Hess served in the Army as a reserve officer and worked at the Financial Management School in Indiana in 1957. He also taught management courses at Indiana University while in the Army.

He worked for General Electric with plans to become an executive for the company but his stints in teaching made him realize his true passion was in education. He later earned his PhD in management in 1974 at Arizona State University.

I almost stayed in the Army, he said. I was very tempted but I realized I changed my mind because I really liked teaching. I was like a kid in a candy store.

When Hess began working for Loyola Marymount in 1975, he brought a plethora of experience to his students.

He said he instantly became involved with the college by helping to develop curriculum, coordinating study abroad trips to Germany and serving on the faculty senate.

Hess said his favorite part of teaching was leading his strategic management course, a capstone class preparing students on how to strategically and conceptually think and plan for the unknown.

Hess will continue with his volunteer work with Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach and Worknet, an outreach program he established at the parish.

Nonprofit Share Our Selves CEO Karen McGlinn said Hess is an extraordinary man you only meet once in a lifetime.

McGlinn, who is also a parishioner at the Newport Beach church, said Hess has applied his academic skills to the community with Worknet where he helps people create resumes, find jobs and hosts guest speakers.

When someone would come in to work on resumes, hed tap us for resources they may need, she said. Its a comprehensive program he took on with extraordinary effort.

Even as a professor at the university, McGlinn said Hess acknowledged the importance of helping the community and identifying areas in which he wanted to make a difference.

And now with more free time, Hess plans to see what he can do to help reduce homelessness in Orange County.

Ive been going to meetings on this for 15 years, Hess said. Id like to try and speed that up a bit.

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella
A Newport Beach man who orchestrated a drug operation that produced spice, or synthetic marijuana, was sentenced Thursday to 120 months in federal prison, authorities said.

Sean Libbert, 41, orchestrated a wide-reaching conspiracy that smuggled, manufactured and distributed millions of dollars worth of analogue drugs, federal prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in November to charges related to distributing spice, which is widely considered much more dangerous than normal marijuana and has been linked to overdoses, serious injuries and deaths nationwide, according to the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California.

In 2011 and 2012, Libberts organization smuggled more than 200 pounds of chemicals from China to the United States to make spice, which was marketed as Da Kine Blend, prosecutors said. The operation involved several companies, bank accounts and private mailboxes and sold more than $5 million worth of product nationwide, authorities said Thursday.

In July 2012, investigators seized luxury vehicles, firearms and about 700 rounds of ammunition in connection with the case. Libbert was prohibited from possessing the weapons as a result of three previous felony convictions, one of which was for drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

Officials also seized Libberts assets, including real estate in San Juan Capistrano and Ohio. He was arrested in 2014.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov will be on a working visit to Poltava and Kharkiv regions on June 23-24.

Turchynov together with Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov will take part in the ceremony of transfer of new cars for the Main Police Department of the Poltava Region, the press service of the National Security and Defense Council reported on Friday.

In the Kharkiv region, the NSDC Secretary will visit the state-owned Malyshev Machine-Building Plant, the Kharkiv-based Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau and take part in the expanded session of the Military Council of the National Guard of Ukraine.

On Saturday, June 24, the NSDC Secretary will take part in the graduation ceremony of officers of the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine, as well as in the opening of the updated department of the border guard service 'Topol' of the Kharkiv Frontier Detachment.
Newport Beach residents recently gathered signatures and petitioned the City Council to stop the Museum House development project.

The City Council, in a 5-2 vote, reversed preliminary approval on the construction of the luxury high-rise condominium building rather than placing the project on a ballot as required by the petitions submitted by local citizens.

The controversial issue divided the community over matters of growth and density.

There were other issues, including the future of the Orange County Museum of Art, which is presently located in Fashion Island on land granted to the museum by developer Donald Bren and the Irvine Co.

The land was to be the sight of the Museum House project, which has now been tabled. Proceeds from the sale of the property to developers would have been used to fund construction of a new, state-of-the-art museum to be built on land set aside for the Art Museum as part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

Another underlying conflict in this entire puzzle was the desire of Bren and the Irvine Co. The donated land would remain for use as the Orange County Museum of Art and not be sold to private developers.

With all of this significant back story in mind, the Orange County Museum of Art held its 30th celebration of Art of Dining on May 20 on the Costa Mesa land earmarked eventually for the new museum.

Throughout the evening celebration, veiled comments, innuendo and double entendre referred to the lost opportunity over the sale of the Fashion Island property.

Many in the crowd expressed frustration over the political infighting in the community.

However, optimism in the black-tie dinner crowd prevailed in spite of the setback.

Over and over again, conversations shared the fact that funds would be raised over time to move forward and create a 21st century facility that Orange County citizens would be proud to call their own art museum.

Support for the museum, both present and future, is widespread and generous.

Art of Dining remains an annual gathering of the dedicated who make it known that the exhibition  study as well as the evolution of visual art  is an integral part of a civilized community.

To this end, citizens from all over Orange County and beyond who support the effort came together donating from $2,500 to more than $50,000 to raise funds to support museum programs.

The executive committee for Art of Dining 2017 was a whos who listing of women, including Marsha Anderson, Toni Berlinger, Sally Crockett, Debra Gunn Downing, Susan Etchandy, JoAnn Fanticola, Teri Kennady, Jassel Lizardi, Twyla Reed Martin, Tracy Schroeder, Jennifer Segerstrom and Jennifer Van Bergh.

In grand tradition, Art of Dining continues to be one of the premiere events on the Orange Coast.

It began 30 seasons ago with a formal and elegant multi-course dinner held in the ballroom of the former Four Seasons Hotel, now Island Hotel at Fashion Island.

The evening featured a celebrity guest chef going to ultimate extremes to create the most fabulous dinner possible before such events became commonplace on the social calendar.

In early years, Art of Dining  which always was an expensive ticket  attracted the senior elite in the community.

It was the ticket of the year; a must-attend for the socially and culturally prominent citizens. In addition to the lavish formal dinner, the evening was built around a most distinguished special guest that over the years included some of Americas most noted artists as well as many of the leading arts patrons supporting the visual arts.

With many changes, not only in the world of contemporary art but also in the leadership of the Orange County Museum of Art, the tone of Art of Dining in recent seasons has become much less formal and more modern.

Over the last several years, organizers have abandoned the hotel ballroom concept, instead erecting a tent on the vacant land earmarked for the new museum to be built at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

The Art of Dining crowd now is more diverse, with a much younger generation mixing with the old guard, and there is a great sense of positive energy for future growth.

The handsome crowd arrived at sunset for the Saturday night festivities, mingling in a cocktail reception al fresco prior to entering the white tent for dinner, an auction and a presentation from guest of honor and celebrated artist Sun Xun.

As the dinner crowd was seated and served the first of four courses, chairman of the museum board of trustees, Craig Wells, thanked the crowd and expressed the continuing theme of optimism for the future.

Museum director and CEO Todd Smith echoed the sentiments.

Well-known arts advocate and nationally recognized journalist Barbara Pollack came to the microphone center tent and introduced the remarkable life story of Xun vis-a-vis her own perspective based on interaction with him over recent years of following his course.

The artists journey is the stuff of a serious historical novel.

Born in the Chinese village of Fuxin, his family was subjected to horrific persecution, torture and banishment following the cultural Chinese revolution.

Xun, from an early age, would exhibit a passion for fine art.

The political climate in which he was raised would impact this artists path and find reflection in all of his work, which today encompasses a range of multi-media including painting, drawings, printmaking, sculpture, film, video, animation and much more.

He explores themes of global history including and beyond his own Chinese background, politics, culture and the human condition.

He has been called activist as well as artist and does not shy away from such labels, in fact he embraces them.

Pollack introduced the artist and he joined her on stage briefly telling the Art of Dining assemblage in his very quiet manner that he was so honored to be in their presence and grateful for the recognition.

How can an artist not be an activist? How can art not be influenced by politics and by the human events of our time? he asked the crowd.

Xuns work has been featured at the Orange County Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, The Hammer and Shanghai Biennale, among other notable houses of art.

His video and film creations have graced international festivals worldwide.

Presenting sponsor of Art of Dining 2017 was the House of Louis Vuitton, with additional major support from South Coast Plaza celebrating its 50th anniversary. Among other significant corporate sponsors included Southern California BMW dealers, City National Bank, Room & Board Home Furnishings, and Schroeder Investment Partners.

A short and classy auction brought in significant dollars as the crowd enjoyed a dinner of seared scallops and beef tenderloin catered by the Kitchen for Exploring Foods.

In the crowd were Sally and Randy Crockett, Twyla and Alan True, Barbara and Alex Bowie, Eve and Mike Ruffatto, Marta and Raj Bhathal, Stephanie and Ken Grody, Karen and Don Evarts, Allison Olmstead, Lilly and Paul Merage, Carol and Marshall Lee, and Pam and Sam Goldstein, the original founder and creator of Art of Dining 30 years ago.

B.W. COOK is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
A nonprofit run by two brothers has delivered more than 250 bicycles to orphans across the globe and on Wednesday brought their efforts home with the donation of bikes, helmets and locks to 17 local foster youth.

Bikes 4 Orphans, created by brothers Shawnt and Sebouh Bazikian while attending St. Francis High School in 2012, was founded on the wish to raise enough money to purchase and deliver new bicycles to orphans in six different countries, including Kenya and Armenia.

When a supporting member associated with the All Saints Church Foster Care Project in Pasadena suggested the brothers direct their work toward American foster youth  who often struggle with basic transportation daily  Shawnt Bazikian said he had to act.

We thought that this was kind of a similar situation with the orphans in the other countries [that weve previously helped] and there is a real problem here, Shawnt Bazkian said. The more research we did, the more we wanted to help out these foster students.

According to the Alliance for Childrens Rights, there are 28,000 foster children in Los Angeles County and only about 58% make it out of high school. Of those, just 3% graduate from college.

The brothers were referred to CSU Northridges Resilient Scholars program, which helps emancipated foster youth succeed during their enrollment at the school. Seventeen students there were identified as in need of the wheeled transportation and given new bicycles, helmets and locks.

The kids were unbelievably grateful and appreciative, you could really see the smiles on their faces, Shawnt Bazikian said. One of the students birthdays was the day before, so it was like a special treat for him.

There were 15 students at the event and the remaining two who could not attend were later delivered their bikes.

Kevin Taylor, representing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettis office, awarded the nonprofit group with a certificate of appreciation at the delivery event.

The money for the bicycles came from year-round fundraising during events such as a bike-a-thon, as well as from general donations. Bikes were purchased at cost from Velo Pasadena Bicycle Shop, which helped with delivery and also donated funds to the nonprofit. Bike manufacturer Felt Bicycles also sold the group some bikes at a discounted cost.

The nonprofit Focus on Children Now, based in Reseda, donated locks and helmets.

We think the bikes can really help with a means of transportation and give them the motivation and independence they might need to continue with their education, Shawnt Bazkian said. Not too many of these students have much and we think that if they really own something and they can really care for it, it becomes a part of their daily lives.

For more information and to learn about future events the nonprofit plans, visit bikes4orphans.com.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
Six people are wanted in connection with the robbery of a Glendale jewelry store last week, police say.

According to the Glendale Police Department, Honolulu Jewelers on 2250 Honolulu Ave. in the Montrose Shopping Park was robbed on June 14 as a result of a distraction grand theft. Tahnee Lightfoot, a spokeswoman with the department, said two people approached the store owner around 6:15 p.m. as the business was closing and asked to make a quick purchase.

The owner agreed, and six people, five women and one man, entered the store. One of the women bought jewelry while the others asked store employees if they could look at or try on merchandise.

While the employees were distracted, another woman in the group went behind the counter at the store and took jewelry from an open safe. Lightfoot said the woman hid the jewelry in the pocket of her skirt.

Security cameras captured the theft.

The suspect left when confronted by an employee and was quickly followed out by the remaining suspects, she said. The suspects were last seen running southbound on Market Street and then eastbound in the alley south of Honolulu.

Lightfoot said all six spoke with an unknown accent.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information can contact Glendale Police at (818) 548-4911. Anonymous tips can be sent to (800) 222-8477.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
Neighbors of La Canadas Paradise Canyon area were drawn to a chaotic scene early Thursday evening, as undercover officers from the Los Angeles Police Department arrested a female robbery suspect on the 5000 block of Gould Avenue.

Lt. Mark Slater, watch commander from the Crescenta Valley Sheriffs Station, said Friday the station was contacted by LAPD with a request for sheriffs presence.

LAPD was surveilling a car, a robbery suspect, and for some reason it necessitated them stopping the car in our area, Slater said. They requested our presence because they were an outside agency in our area.

A lone detective was following the vehicle, a silver SUV, but shortly after the stop was initiated on Gould, just before 6 p.m., several LAPD undercover officers and sheriffs units arrived. One woman was handcuffed and led away, while the female driver of the vehicle and a baby heard crying inside were allowed to leave the scene.

A spokeswoman with LAPDs Media Relations Department was unable to provide further details Friday on the incident, the alleged robbery or the woman taken into custody.

sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine
Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani and writer Emily V. Gordon didnt just collaborate on the screenplay for The Big Sick, the Judd Apatow -produced charmer that stole hearts at Sundance: The pair put their own real-life romance on-screen for all the world to see in the semi-autobiographical comedy, which Amazon acquired for $12 million and opens in limited release this weekend.

Directed by Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer, Hello, My Name Is Doris), The Big Sick stars Nanjiani as a slightly fictionalized version of himself opposite Zoe Kazan as Emily, a Chicago grad student who meets cute with the struggling stand-up comedian one night when she heckles him onstage.

Nakedly honest dating ups and downs ensue as she navigates her own priorities and he fields pressure from the Pakistani parents determined to rope him into an arranged marriage, until an unexpected medical crisis forces Kumail to spend time with Emilys parents (Ray Romano and Holly Hunter).

So what advice do Nanjiani and Gordon have for staying happy while putting their own real-life relationship on-screen, warts and all? After 11 years together  or 10, depending on who you ask  the Big Sick couple shared their secrets via phone from New York.

Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjiani in The Big Sick. (Nicole Rivelli / Sundance Institute) (Nicole Rivelli / Sundance Institute)

1. Agree to disagree on the details when youre mining your shared history for a compelling screen story.

Its a fictionalized version of what happened, said Gordon, a writer, comedy producer, and onetime therapist. So whenever we were talking through a scene and had disagreements about what happened, we decided that needed to be incorporated into the movie itself. Thats part of what a relationship is; you dont experience things in the same way.

We literally had different emotional experiences of the same events in our lives. Sometimes he would remember more details and sometimes I would remember more because they were more salient to me. But it was always the emotional radius of events that wed agree or disagree about.

And how we experienced them, added Nanjiani. Some things, Id be like, That was such a great memory! and shed say, No  I was miserable! There was a lot of that.

The Big Sick gang at Sundance: From left, producer Barry Mendel, actress Holly Hunter, director Michael Showalter, actress Zoe Karan, writer Emily V. Gordon, writer and star Kumail Nanjiani and producer Judd Apatow. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

2. Have Judd Apatow produce the (fictionalized) story of your lives.

He was fantastic, said Gordon of comedy superproducer Apatow, who worked with the pair from the script stage. What he wanted us to do first was to literally write down everything that happened, make it messy  it didnt matter how long it was. Thats a movie that no one should ever see. It would be very long and not a fun movie.

When on-screen Emily succumbs to a mystery illness and is hospitalized (a true story), Kumail awkwardly bonds with her visiting parents shortly after breaking things off with her (which didnt exactly happen).

The challenge for us was conveying all of the turmoil that me and Emilys parents were going through, Nanjiani explained of the dramatic license they took. If you want other people to feel the weight of it, you kind of have to make it external.

Were sitting in a waiting room feeling like the world is going to end  but thats not very cinematic. For people to actually feel that you have to heighten certain things, move them around, take some stuff out. Our goal was always to get at the emotional core of that experience, and the changes we made were to serve that goal.

Zoe Kazan, left, starring with Kumail Nanjiani in The Big Sick. (Amazon Studios) (Amazon Studios)

3. Cast for the movie versions of yourselves (and dont make it weird).

Kazan landed the role of Emily after an audition process that Gordon opted not to attend because I thought that might be weird for those actresses, she said. But when we watched the tapes, Zoe was just the right fit for the part. She created this version of Emily that was somewhat similar to me but also her own creation.

It was quite easy, quite frankly. She clearly did the best job. I just had to put on my grown-up lady pants and say, This is my job, to watch all these ladies flirt with my husband and figure out which one does it the best!

Holly Hunter, from left, Ray Romano and Kumail Nanjiani in a scene from, The Big Sick. (Nicole Rivelli / AP) (Nicole Rivelli / Associated Press)

4. Prepare your relatives for the creative liberties youve taken with their on-screen counterparts before they see the film.

Gordon and Nanjiani talked their parents through the scripting process so that they were prepared to see very different versions of themselves in the final film.

We didnt want them to be surprised by anything in it, said Gordon. They were pretty well informed! All sets of parents had seen the movie at home and all of them came to the premiere in New York. Theyre parents! They love it, and theyre proud, and theyre weirded out and confused by the whole thing.

For Nanjiani, writing about his relationship with his parents and his resistance to the traditional life they wanted for him brought him a better understanding of their motivations.

The pressures were very, very intense, and around that time I was feeling like [my parents] were really pushing me to make a decision, he said. Writing my parents perspective, writing dialogue for them, gave me a new understanding. Just writing what they would say to me made me understand why they would say it to me. It was a challenge for them to be from such a completely different world and to try to bring a piece of that world here with them. I really understood their struggle much more than I had before.

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, who co-wrote The Big Sick based on their own romance, premiered the film at Sundance. (Jay Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) (Jay Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

5. Remember that relationships take work  especially when youre making a movie together  about your own lives.

We touch on this in the movie and its also true of our marriage: No relationship is ever done  like, Well, thats good, I dont have to worry about that now, said Gordon. Its a living thing that you kind of have to prune and take care of and address and realize that its always going to be growing on its own, whether or not youre feeding and nurturing it. Its a living thing.

Nanjiani concurred: It changes as you change. You evolve, and the relationship has to evolve too. For me thats been the big epiphany of being with Emily for the last 11 years. And for us making this movie has been very exciting, but its also been a challenge so weve had to evolve our relationship to accommodate for it.

I think its always good to get into your partners mindset, Gordon said, or put yourself in their shoes and empathize with how things are for them, and we had the thrill and joy of having to do that professionally. I do highly recommend this as a form of couples therapy.

Husband and wife Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon relay a fictionalized version of their lives in "The Big Sick."

Review: Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan brave the hurdles of interracial romance in the delightful 'The Big Sick' 

Justin Chang reviews 'The Big Sick', directed by Michael Showalter, starring Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano, Holly Hunter, Adeel Akhtar, Anupam Kher, Aidy Bryant, Bo Burnham, Kurt Braunohler. Video by Jason H. Neubert.

jen.yamato@latimes.com

@jenyamato

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When President Trump hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Monday, the two leaders will share much in common.

Both are political outsiders who champion a muscular, country-first nationalism. They enjoy feverish support from their vote bases while their governments assail critics and ignore  or encourage  hostility toward minority groups.

A senior White House official briefing reporters ahead of the visit on Friday said that Trump has visited Mumbai in his business career and noted that the two men have more social media followers than any world leaders on earth, making sure to point out that Trump is slightly ahead of Modi.

But beyond the personalities, there are signs that the U.S.-India partnership  which grew closer under the Obama administration on issues such as climate change  could be headed for rougher waters.

When Trump withdrew from the Paris climate change agreement, he lashed out at India directly, accusing it of exploiting the deal to secure billions and billions of dollars of foreign aid.

Trump has vowed to curb trade deficits, a direct threat to Indias $150-billion outsourcing industry. And he has railed against the visa program that brings tens of thousands of Indian workers to the U.S. every year, saying companies should hire more Americans.

On the major priorities on the Trump agenda, the things that he assumes his voters put him in office for, theres not a lot of overlap with what India considers its tier-one interests, said Richard Rossow, the Wadhwani chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

All this could make for a tepid first encounter between the two leaders during a visit that includes an afternoon meeting, a cocktail hour and a working dinner at the White House. Here are some of the issues that could arise, and some more difficult topics that both men might try to skirt:

1. Immigration

India is not in Trumps crosshairs like Mexico. But in April, Trump fired a warning shot by announcing a review of the H-1B visa program under which up to 65,000 skilled workers  many of them computer engineers from India  enter the U.S. annually.

Leading members of the Trump administration  including Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and chief strategist Steve Bannon  argue that the visas allow companies to hire lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans.

In Congress, lawmakers from both parties are considering raising minimum salaries for H-1B workers and imposing other measures to protect American jobs. That has contributed to severe layoffs in the Indian outsourcing industry, adding to signs that Indias economic growth  Modis signature issue  is slackening.

Indians who have long viewed the U.S. as a destination for jobs and higher education worry that racial intolerance is growing under Trump. The February shooting death of an Indian man in suburban Kansas City by a white man who reportedly shouted Get out of my country prompted wall-to-wall media coverage here.

Still, analysts dont expect Modi  a notorious glad-hander who famously bear-hugged Obama  to confront Trump over immigration.

It would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull, said Dhruva Jaishankar, a fellow at the Brookings India think tank in New Delhi.

White House officials do not expect a confrontation either. The official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity Friday said the administration is still reviewing the H-1B program, making any discussions of specific changes premature.

2. Terrorism and regional security

While India has been targeted by fundamentalist Islamist groups, it views rival Pakistan, not transnational terrorist networks like Islamic State , as its main threat. New Delhi accuses Pakistan-backed jihadist groups of attacking Indian military targets in the disputed Kashmir territory and fomenting growing civil unrest there.

Trump has made fighting Islamic State a priority, but India has not participated in the global military effort against the group. A few dozen Indians are reported to have joined the extremist network in Iraq and Syria, out of a Muslim population of more than 170 million.

As Trump weighs sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan, in part to battle Islamic State militants there, analysts say there is room for greater cooperation with India, which has helped train Afghan forces and provided development assistance while not deploying soldiers.

The Trump administration official speaking Friday praised Indias efforts in rebuilding Afghanistans institutions and promoting democracy, noting a $3-billion pledge of assistance to the country which the official said has generated good will among Afghan people.

The official said the White House expects to broaden other anti-terrorism initiatives during the visit, increasing existing cooperation in screening, Internet security, intelligence sharing and the designation of terrorist groups.

But Indian officials have long argued that the U.S. must end its financial support for Pakistans military  widely blamed for supporting Afghan insurgents  and Trump has shown little sign of abandoning that troublesome ally.

3. China

The U.S. outreach to India over the past two decades was based in part on an attempt to support a counterweight to Chinese influence in Asia. India has been alarmed to see China expand investments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives and other traditional allies.

But Trumps flip-flops on China  first accusing Beijing of currency manipulation before seeking its help to contain North Korea  offer little comfort to India.

While India has sought to maintain cordial ties and expand trade with its much bigger neighbor, it has taken some more aggressive steps in recent months.

It boycotted a major summit Beijing hosted on its transnational Belt and Road Initiative, which includes building roads across Pakistani territory that India considers its own.

And it invited the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, to the northern state of Arunachal Pradesh in April over strong Chinese objections.

These were major moves from the Indian perspective, but analysts say they didnt look that big from Washington.

In D.C. they see that as small ball, Rossow said. It doesnt get people that excited about India being a player on the field.

4. Trade and defense

This week, Lockheed Martin signed a deal with the Indian conglomerate Tata to produce F-16 fighter planes in India. If Lockheed wins the Indian military contract, it would move its aging Fort Worth production facility to India as its U.S. plants produce other aircraft.

U.S. officials also appear close to selling Indias navy 22 unarmed Guardian drones, manufactured by San Diego-based General Atomics, the first such purchase by a non-NATO country.

The White House would not confirm the drone sale Friday, citing a requirement that Congress be notified first. But the official called Indias defense modernization a major strategic goal, also calling such deals important to increasing domestic defense jobs. A strong India is good for the U.S. she said.

Despite Trumps rhetoric, analysts say trade and defense ties with India  a major arms buyer  could continue to expand because of support from Congress and business leaders. U.S. and Indian officials say that deals such as the one struck by Lockheed Martin can benefit workers in both countries.

There is an inherent tension between Trumps vision of America First and Prime Minister Modis idea of Make in India, which aims to transform India into a global manufacturing hub, said Milan Vaishnav, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Enlightened leadership  if it materializes  can take this tension and turn it into a win-win proposition.

Bengali reported from Mumbai and Bierman reported from Washington.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

UPDATES:
Senate leaders have released their Obamacare repeal bill, which would slash federal funding for healthcare and could leave millions of Americans uninsured.

Though the plan has not yet been analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office, it isnt too different from the one passed by the House last month. The CBO projected the House bill would save the federal government $119 billion over the next decade, raise insurance deductibles and leave 23 million fewer Americans with health coverage.

Both bills would also undo several taxes on high-income Americans that are used to fund Obamacare.

The Affordable Care Act has had a huge impact on California, where roughly 4 million people have gained insurance and the percentage of uninsured residents has dropped more than half.

Below is a breakdown of some of the ways the Senate bill could affect healthcare coverage in California if it becomes law.

If youre on Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal would arguably be the most affected. Medi-Cal, a joint program between the state and federal governments, was expanded under the Affordable Care Act in 2014.

The program has since grown to cover 13.5 million Californians, which is more than 1 out of every 3 people in the state.

For those who gained Medi-Cal coverage through the Affordable Care Act: Now anyone in California can sign up for Medi-Cal if their annual income is low enough: $16,395 or less for a single person or $22,108 or less for a couple. Medi-Cal is free for participants.

The Senate bill recommends slowly undoing the Medi-Cal expansion starting in three years, which could ultimately leave 3.9 million Californians without insurance.

Its a move that would save the federal government roughly $13 billion annually, according to the state Legislative Analysts Office.

Lowell Brown, a healthcare attorney in Los Angeles, said the coverage rollback may not end up being quite as drastic, because federal legislators have said they plan to replace coverage cuts with other options.

Will those people have some other kind of coverage, and what would it be? Brown said. I think thats what everybodys going to be looking at.

For those who were part of Medi-Cal before Obamacare: Currently, the federal government reimburses states for Medicaid expenses, regardless of size. Critics of this funding model say its too open-ended and leads to out-of-control costs.

The Senate bill would cap Medicaid funding, instead giving states fixed pools of money to pay for their program. Experts say this would force California and other states to make tough decisions about how to maintain their programs. Enrollees could receive fewer benefits, take on some cost-sharing or be fully pushed out  though its unclear exactly how many Medi-Cal patients might be affected.

Dylan Roby, assistant professor of health services administration at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, said California has historically been generous with eligibility and benefits but less so with how much medical providers are paid.

This will just create further pressure, he said. Were going to have to juggle all of those things.

David Lazarus: How not to cook up healthcare reform 

If you have private insurance

Private health plans could also provide fewer benefits. The Affordable Care Act requires that all insurance plans include certain benefits, such as maternity care and substance abuse services, but the Senate bill allow states to opt out of that requirement. That could mean lower premiums for people who buy less generous plans.

The bill also would allow insurance companies to charge older Americans more for their healthcare than they can under the Affordable Care Act.

Through your employer: Under the bill, some employers would no longer have to provide health insurance to their employees, because the plan would effectively repeal the part of the law that mandates that large employers do so.

Through Covered California: Currently, Californians who make less than 400% of the federal poverty level receive subsidies to help pay for their insurance premiums purchased through Covered California, the state health exchange. The Senate bill would provide subsidies only for people who make up to 350% of the poverty level, or about an annual income of $42,210.

The plan would continue through 2019 a contentious part of Obamacare that pays insurance companies to reduce deductibles for low-income Americans. After that, deductibles would probably increase significantly for those consumers, experts say.

Through your parents: The Senate bill still allows people under 26 to stay on their parents insurance plans.

If youre uninsured

The bill repeals the mandate requiring every American to have insurance, so people who are uninsured would no longer have to pay the annual penalty.

Though Trump tweeted that he supported the Senate bill Thursday, experts say the plan is bound to change on its way to becoming a law.

Theres a lot more road between here and there, Brown said.

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Just for when the warm summer weather breaks  at least a little  American Airlines is offering a round-trip fare from LAX to Daytona Beach, Fla., for $251.

The deal, which runs from Sept. 12 to Oct. 31, includes all taxes and fees.

A limited number of seats will be offered at this price. Tuesday departure is required, and return flights must be taken from Tuesday through Thursday. Other restrictions may apply.

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Info: American, (800) 433-7300

Source: Airfarewatchdog

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travel@latimes.com
May the Force be with you, and you and you.

And if Star Wars heroes arent exciting enough to make your day, throw in Marvels superheroes and supervillains, who will fight battles of epic proportions while you stand at the sidelines watching  or maybe youll even participate.

Its all part of the new scene on Disney Cruise Lines ship Fantasy, which came out of dry dock last month with a host of enhancements, including the addition of Star Wars and Marvel activity centers.

Star Wars Day at Sea includes a deck party, encounters with the movies characters and Star Wars"-themed family and youth activities.

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Star Wars movie fans will be able to become part of the resistance at Command Post, a hidden base where they can train with Star Wars heroes.

Kids can connect to holographic models of the Millennium Falcon, an X-wing starfighter or the Death Star via the interactive, high-tech control hub. But if you make a mistake, beware: Youll have to combat First Order Stormtroopers.

At Marvel Super Hero Academy, kids can learn the mystic arts from Doctor Strange, polishing their hero skills while learning how to battle villains in the Marvel Universe. Gaming and interactive portals help beginners become Avengers.

Fantasy, the newest ship in Disneys fleet, also will be the location for Star Wars Day at Sea, which will begin Jan. 6, 2018, and be held on seven-night Caribbean sailings from Port Canaveral, Fla., through April.

Star Wars Day at Sea includes a deck party, encounters with the movies characters and Star Wars-themed family and youth activities.

In addition, Marvel Day at Sea will debut this fall aboard the Disney Magic and run on New York sailings to the Bahamas and Canada throughout October and November. It will then be offered on Caribbean sailings from Miami beginning on Jan. 7, 2018, through April.

Marvel Day at Sea includes a deck party, interactions with characters and Marvel-themed activities and games.

Disney also offers a day of Frozen fun aboard the Disney Wonder on Alaska sailings through September. Activities include a deck party and character interactions with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf.

Travel@latimes.com

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Over the past day, the militants have carried out 29 shelling of the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) area, as a result of which two Ukrainian servicemen have been injured, the press centre of the ATO headquarters has reported.

"The operational situation in the area of conducting the ATO remains almost the same without dramatic changes. Over the past day, the armed formations, organized by the Russian authorities in the east of Ukraine, continued using weapons against Ukrainian defenders along the entire contact line. For example, over the past day the enemy opened fire on our strongholds 29 times and once - on residential areas of the front-line settlement. The invaders fired three times, using mortars forbidden by the Minsk accords," a message posted on the ATO's press centre official Facebook page, says.
When it comes to accusations that Russia hacked or otherwise interfered in last years U.S. presidential election, the Kremlin has consistently denied any involvement.

Now, some Russian officials are pointing the finger at Washington, saying its America that is meddling in Moscows domestic affairs. In fact, Kremlin officials say, the U.S. has been doing it for years.

Hacking? The Kremlins website receives daily attacks initiated from within U.S. territories, Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putins spokesman, told reporters earlier this month.

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Information warfare and fake news? Washington-funded media outlets like Radio Free Europe and the Voice of America have long run what the Kremlin sees as an anti-Putin propaganda campaign aimed at supporting the Russian opposition.

This week, the Russian parliaments upper chamber scheduled a hearing to examine the impact of alleged foreign meddling in Russias domestic affairs. A new commission was set to focus on protecting state sovereignty and preventing interference in Russias domestic affairs.

A special report prepared by a parliament committee said American media outlets engaged in biased and anti-Russia coverage of Russian parliamentary elections in 2016. Radio Free Europe, Voice of America and CNN in particular were criticized for their stories, which the report claimed unfairly questioned the democratic nature of the electoral system in Russia.

It is difficult to deny that during last years parliamentary election campaign, these radio stations that are being financed from the United States were using journalism as a cover to spread one-sided propaganda and disinformation on the Russian electoral process, said Leonid Levin, a parliamentary deputy who presented the report to the parliament, known as the Duma, in May.

Russian officials say what is at stake now are Russias 2018 presidential and national elections. They said the government must act swiftly to counter any attempts by the United States and its allies to interfere.

There is no doubt that in the time that is left before the Russian presidential elections due next March, we will face very active and consistent attempts by the USA and its NATO allies to influence the course of this election campaign, Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Federation Councils Committee for International Relations, told reporters.

Russia has long contended that the U.S. and its allies have improperly sought to influence the politics in those former Soviet and East Bloc nations that Moscow regards as properly within its own perceived sphere of influence, including Ukraine, Georgia, Poland and the Baltic countries.

In particular, Kremlin officials have pointed to the activities of U.S.-funded organizations such as the National Democratic Institute, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Republican Institute.

The U.S. and other Western nations have spent billions of dollars over the last 25 years, since the breakup of the Soviet Union, supporting democracy-building programs to support civil society, strengthen election processes, build political parties and promote independent media. While the West sees this as fostering democracy, Moscow has watched as these programs have indirectly given birth to anti-Kremlin movements in Russias traditional sphere of influence.

The Kremlin, and in particular, an increasingly authoritarian Putin, viewed the pro-Western, color revolutions in the former Soviet republics of Georgia in 2003 and Ukraine in 2004 as U.S.-funded and organized street protests. Many of the groups which took to the streets during those revolutions were born out of Western-funded civil society, pro-democracy programs.

In 2014, when hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian protestors in Kievs central streets led to the ouster of a Moscow-friendly government, the Kremlin saw its closest neighbor and former ally sever its ties with Russia and turn toward Europe. Washington and European capitals threw their support behind the Ukrainian revolt against President Viktor Yanukovych, a strong Russia ally who was accused of bilking billions of dollars from the countrys coffers.

The Kremlin labeled Ukraines 2014 Maidan revolution a Western-backed coup. It retaliated by annexing Crimea and backing an armed separatist movement in eastern Ukraine.

One of Putins current fears, analysts say, is that the West, and particular the U.S., now intends to quietly promote the same kind of street protests to overthrow the Kremlin in favor of a Washington-friendly Russian leader.

Now there is one clear aggressor in Russia and it is the U.S., and the one clear defender is Russia, said Sergei Markov, a political analyst who is seen as sympathetic to the Kremlin. Russia is not interested to propose its own puppet in the United Sates government, but the U.S. wants to repeat exactly what they did in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has accused the U.S. of supporting opposition politicians such as Alexei Navalny, whose Anti-corruption Foundation has organized two mass street protests this year. The protests were the largest social unrest Russia has seen since 2012, when hundreds of thousands, claiming ballot rigging and other election improprieties, demonstrated against Putins reelection to an unprecedented third term.

Putin has directly blamed the U.S. for its support of the 2012 anti-government protests, and in particular aimed his ire at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose election as president Russia was said to be attempting to thwart in hacking efforts last year that targeted the Democratic National Committee and other entities.

The Kremlin has reacted by cracking down on Western-funded non-governmental organizations in Russia. The U.S. Agency for International Development was asked to leave in 2012 after spending nearly $3 billion on aid and democracy programs during two decades. Groups receiving funding from outside Russia must now register as foreign agents, a title that garners instant distrust in todays Russia.

Independent media has been systematically shuttered, often through government pressure on landlords, or advertisers who risk losing their businesses if they continue to advertise with unsanctioned media.

In the latest move, Roskomnadzor, Russias telecom and information technology watchdog agency, announced on Friday that it would block the messaging social media app Telegram if the company did not comply with a Russian law requiring IT companies that collect data on Russian citizens to register within the country.

Russia passed a law last year requiring social networks to store six months of user data on Russian servers, allowing the government access to any information contained there. Russia claims the law is a counterterrorism tactic. Human rights groups assailed the law, calling it draconian.

Telegrams developer, Pavel Durov, has so far refused the demands, prompting the Kremlin to accuse him of being indifferent to terrorists and criminals. Durov is also the creator of VKontakte, Russias version of Facebook. He fled the country in 2014 after clashing with the Kremlin over control of his internet company.

There might a small element of tit-for-tat in the Dumas decision to create a commission to hold hearings on foreign meddling in Russian affairs, said Maxim V. Bratersky, a professor of international relations at Moscows Higher School of Economics.

Russians, for the most part, are not paying much attention to the ongoing U.S. hearing and investigations. Opinion polls have shown that few Russians believe the Kremlin was behind the alleged interference, either because they dont believe their government is capable of exerting such influence in the U.S., or because there is a sense that all countries try to influence their rivals politics, so why should Russia not be involved?

sabra.ayres@latimes.com

Twitter: @sabraayres
European Union leaders Friday were not impressed with British Prime Minister Theresa Mays initial proposal to protect the rights of millions of citizens from different countries when Britain exits the bloc.

Mays offer to agree to residency, healthcare and other social benefits to citizens from the other 27 EU countries who have lived in Britain for five years or more fell far short, according to several EU leaders at a summit in Brussels.

My first impression is that the UKs offer is below our expectations, and that it risks worsening the situation of citizens, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, told reporters Friday.

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About 3 million EU citizens live in Britain and more than 1 million Britons live elsewhere in Europe.

Members of the EUs 27 remaining nations said they wanted more details from Britain after May made her pitch Thursday, on the eve of the first anniversary of the so-called Brexit referendum.

Last year, British voters favored leaving the EU by 52% to 48%. Formal negotiations over the exit started this week.

Officials working at the EU institutions in Brussels have complained that Mays government is disorganized and does not have a grasp on what kind of divorce deal it is aiming for.

May has argued in favor of a hard Brexit, meaning Britain would leave the bloc and an EU customs arrangement, forcing the two sides to redraw their trade relationship and end EU citizens right to live in the UK without a visa.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker answered no when asked Friday if he had a clearer idea of what kind of exit the British government wants.

Citizens rights is a major issue in the negotiations, which are expected to last until early 2019. EU leaders want a guarantee that their citizens living in Britain will have legal rights including residency after the breakup.

May said Friday that her offer was fair and serious. She is expected to present more details Monday when she addresses Parliament in London.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Mays proposal a good beginning.

But it was  Im trying to word this very carefully  it was not a breakthrough. We have said we want to pursue this matter through good cooperation but I think what came out yesterday is that we have a very long way to go, Merkel said.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said, There are a lot of details left open.

Citizens from all 28 EU nations currently have the right to live in any of the countries without a visa. That is expected to change for people who move to Britain, and for British citizens in the rest of Europe, after the UK leaves the bloc.

The EU leaders have set two other priorities for the negotiations. They argue that the UK must pay a sum estimated to be as high as $100 billion in budget obligations before it leaves.

They also want the UK to guarantee that Brexit will not endanger peace between Ireland, an EU member, and Northern Ireland, which is part of Britain. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement put a stop to decades of violence between sectarian groups in the two countries.

Stupp is a special correspondent.
It was 6 a.m. on a Sunday when Rafael Matos da Silva was jolted awake by the repeated crashes of a battering ram against his front door. When he looked out the second-story window, police in riot gear yelled at him to come downstairs.

He opened the door, and officers stormed inside, shoving Silva onto the sidewalk with other neighbors in their pajamas. The search turned up nothing, but the police told him to leave the door open because they might return.

The operation last month was part of an effort by the new mayor of Sao Paulo to clean up the downtown neighborhood of Nova Luz, better known as Cracolandia for the easy availability of crack cocaine and what the federal government had concluded was the highest concentration of addicts in the world.

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But the sweep, which was aimed at arresting traffickers and seizing drugs and guns, won Mayor Joao Doria little support in the neighborhood from either the displaced addicts or the ordinary working-class residents living in the boarding houses.

There are hard-working people and families living here, not just traffickers, said Silva, who works two jobs as a doorman. They didnt tell anyone ahead of time what was going to happen.

Rafael Matos da Silva works as a doorman at a boarding house. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times)

The neighborhood felt like a combat zone as police descended on it with tear gas, pepper spray and dogs. The wall of a building being demolished by the municipal government crashed into the adjacent boarding house, injuring three people who were sleeping there.

Investigators from the National Council on Human Rights visited the neighborhood a week later and concluded that residents had been treated inhumanely.

The neighborhood had long been plagued by drugs, but the problem had been getting worse. In the year leading up to the raid, the number of crack users living there grew from 709 to 1,861, according to a government study. Dino Bueno Avenue had become an open-air drug market, with dealers setting up stalls to sell rocks of crack for about $1.50 each.

Doria, who took office in January and launched a program called Beautiful City, has portrayed the sweep a success.

Cracolandia is over, he declared.

The downtown Sao Paulo neighborhood of Nova Luz, better known as Cracolandia, after an operation last month to clean up the area. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times)

But the human rights investigators said that it was still very much in existence.

Many drug users resettled two blocks away in Princesa Isabel Square, where the municipal government estimates some 900 people are now living. Residents call it the new Cracolandia.

Most of the rest are dispersed and afraid to return to the neighborhood because the streets remain full of police.

Cracolandia is a cancer without a cure, said an addict named Bel, who was forced to move his tent. When the cancer was just starting, nobody wanted to cure it. Now its pitiful. There is no cure. There is no chance. It will never end.

For an addict, there is no right place, he said. Hell use anywhere.

The scattering of the addicts means that many no longer have access to drug treatment and other social services that were concentrated around the original Cracolandia.

1 / 15 People crowd onto Princess Isabel Square after a police operation removed them from a nearby area of the Nova Luz neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Its known as Cracolandia, the land of crack, for the many drug users living on its streets. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 2 / 15 A crowd gathers in Princess Isabel Square after a police operation removed people from an area in the Nova Luz neighborhood, known as Cracolandia, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 3 / 15 Rafael Matos da Silva works as a doorman at a boarding house in Nova Luz. There are hard-working people and families living here, not just traffickers, he says of the neighborhood. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 4 / 15 The downtown Sao Paulo neighborhood of Nova Luz, known as Cracolandia, has a large concentration of crack users living on its streets. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 5 / 15 An addict lights up in Nova Luzs Princess Isabel Square in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 6 / 15 Authorities stand guard near Nova Luzs Princess Isabel Square after a police operation removed people from Helvetia and Dino Bueno streets. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 7 / 15 Milton Custodia de Souza owns a boarding house in the Nova Luz neighborhood near Cracolandia. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 8 / 15 Princess Isabel Square has come to be known as the new Cracolandia after a police operation removed drug users from Helvetia and Dino Bueno streets in the Sao Paulo neighborhood Nova Luz. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 9 / 15 A man bathes in the crowded Princess Isabel Square. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 10 / 15 An aerial view of Helvetia and Dino Bueno streets in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where authorities expelled a large concentration of drug users. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 11 / 15 Many drug users who had scattered from one part of the Nova Luz neighborhood after a police crackdown have regrouped at Princess Isabel Square. (Victor Moriyama / For The Times) 12 / 15 Brazilian police sweep through the Sao Paulo area known as Cracolandia in May. More than 500 police officers were involved in an operation to crack down on drug use and trafficking to help revitalize the downtown. (Fernando Bizerra Jr. / EPA) 13 / 15 Brazilian police conduct sweeps of homes in the Nova Luz neighborhood of Sao Paulo. (Fernando Bizerra Jr. / EPA) 14 / 15 Brazilian police sweep through an area known as Cracolandia in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Fernando Bizerra Jr. / EPA) 15 / 15 The operation in Nova Luz by Brazilian police drew criticism from some residents. (Fernando Bizerra Jr. / EPA)

The situation is very bad, said Leonardo Pinho, who led the human rights mission to Cracolandia. Theyve lost the ability to get to public services that they have the right to and that they need.

In 2014, then-Mayor Fernando Haddad had implemented a program called Open Arms, which provided drug users in Cracolandia with jobs, access to treatment and vocational training, three meals a day and hotel rooms.

Data released last August by the municipal government showed that 88% of those who participated in the program said they were using crack with less frequency, 83% said they had entered treatment, 64% had returned to the workforce and 53% had regained contact with their families.

When Doria took office, he said that he would dismantle the program in favor of a state program called Restart that emphasized in-patient treatment, sometimes against the will of the addicts. Then he changed course and announced his own program, called Redemption.

It too sought to force crack users into rehabilitation facilities, but then Sao Paulo courts banned compulsory treatment.

Pinho said that while the program has produced statistics suggesting a decline in traffickers and addicts, the effort is haphazard.

Dorias press team said he would no longer comment on the situation in the Nova Luz neighborhood. Other city officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Recently, his government opened a temporary shelter made of metal shipping containers to house the addicts who had been living in hotels as part of the Open Arms program. It sits next to the new Cracolandia on Princesa Isabel Square.

Three week after the first sweep, police moved to shut down drug use in the square.

They didnt use the same physical force, but addicts were forced to take down their tents and hand over their blankets on what was the coldest night of the year.

Langlois is a special correspondent.
Thousands of Iranians participated Friday in annual anti-Israel rallies, a heavily stage-managed show of support for the Palestinian territories that included displays of ballistic missiles.

The rallies on Quds Day, after an ancient Arabic name for Jerusalem, included the usual signs condemning Israel and the United States  along with placards denouncing Saudi Arabia, its Sunni Muslim rival.

Protesters were bused into Tehran, the capital, or rode on subway trains whose fares were temporarily lifted. Demonstrators burned Israeli and American flags while others posed for selfies in front of yellow-painted missiles  including the Zolfaghar, the type Iran fired this week at alleged Islamic State targets in Syria.

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Irans Revolutionary Guard paramilitary force said it fired six Zolfaghar missiles on Sunday on the city of Deir el-Zour, one of Islamic States last remaining strongholds in Syria. Iran supports Syrian President Bashar Assad and is in an escalating confrontation with Saudi Arabia, which backs anti-Assad rebels.

The missile strikes were Irans first in more than a decade, according to reports, and came in response to attacks this month on the parliament building and a shrine in Tehran that were blamed on Islamic State militants.

Speaking at the Friday prayer ceremony at Tehran University following the march, firebrand clergyman Ahmad Khatami said that Iran would continue its missile program despite warnings from the Trump administration.

The missiles shot at Daesh were mid-range  you can imagine the power of our long-range missile, Khatami said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Ballistic missiles are displayed during a rally marking Quds Day in Tehran. (AFP/Getty Images)

The annual protests held on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan are organized by Irans hard-line Shiite Muslim establishment as a show of support for the Palestinian people. Iran does not recognize Israel and backs militant groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, that oppose the Jewish state.

President Hassan Rouhani and other top officials attended the rallies while state television repeatedly played a song whose lyrics proclaimed that Israel will be wiped out.

Standing in the shade on a warm morning, Zia Zahedi, a white-turbaned clergyman, said protesters were showing their support as Muslims for any oppressed people, wherever they live.

We are here to express our hatred against Saudi Arabia, Israel and America, said Zahedi, 57. The Saudi Arabian regime is not Muslim  they are allies of Israel.

Sadegh Sofiyani ,a retired teacher, said protesters were soldiers of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said in 2015 that Israel would cease to exist in 25 years.

We are ready to shed our last drop of blood in any war against Israel, or in defending holy shrines in Syria and Iraq against Daesh, no matter the cost, Sofiyani said.

Special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter
Four Arab countries locked in a blockade of Qatar since June 5 have issued a list of 13 demands posted online by Doha-based Al Jazeera that the Persian Gulf nation is unlikely to accept:

1) Scale back diplomatic ties with Iran; close Iranian diplomatic missions in Qatar; expel members of Irans Revolutionary Guard; cut military and intelligence cooperation with Iran. Trade and commerce with Iran must meet U.S. and international sanctions and not jeopardize security of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

2) Immediately shut down the Turkish military base being built in Qatar and halt military cooperation with Turkey in Qatar. (Turkey rejected this on Friday, saying it has no plans to go along with this demand).

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3) Sever ties to all terrorist, sectarian and ideological organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, Al Qaeda, Fateh Al-Sham (formerly known as Nusra Front) and Lebanons Hezbollah. Formally declare them terrorist groups based on the terror list created by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt, and agree to recognize all future updates of that list.

4) Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organizations designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the U.S. and other countries.

5) Hand over terrorist figures, fugitives and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets and provide information about their residency, movements and finances.

6) Shut down Al Jazeera Network and affiliated stations.

7) End interference in sovereign countries internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship where it violates those countries laws.

8) Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other financial losses caused by Qatars recent policies. The sum will be determined in coordination with Qatar.

9) Qatar must align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014.

10) Submit all personal details of all the opposition members that Qatar supported and detail all support that Qatar has provided them in the past. Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatars contacts with and support for opposition groups.

11) Shut down all news outlets that it funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye, etc.

12) Agree to all demands within 10 days, or the list becomes invalid.

13) Consent to monthly compliance audits for the first year; once per quarter during the second year; annually for the following decade.

Qatar has 10 days to comply, but is not expected to agree, likely prolonging the Gulfs worst diplomatic crisis in recent memory.

It is a matter of national sovereignty. Anything that is presented to the Qataris which it considers to be interference in its internal affairs is going to be dismissed, Al Jazeera correspondent Hashem Ahelbarra reported, insisting the list is definitely going to be rejected by Qatar.

There will be further escalation, mounting tension because of these demands, he told Al Jazeera once the news network posted the 13-point list online Friday after it was presented to Qatari officials by counterparts in Kuwait mediating the crisis.

Qatars allies were also quick to dismiss the demands.

Turkeys Defense Minister Fikri Isik told broadcaster NTV his country had no plans to review the military base in Qatar, which is both a Turkish base and one that will preserve the security of Qatar and the region.

The crisis began June 5 when Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates jointly severed ties, alleging Qatar funds terrorism. Qatar denied funding or supporting extremism, although officials have acknowledged admitting members of some extremist groups such as Hamas to allow for negotiations.

Qatar is a valuable U.S. ally in the region in part because it has played that role as intermediary. Its also home to a strategically significant U.S. air base that houses 10,000 American troops outside Doha. U.S. officials have urged the countries to reach an agreement in the interest of regional security, but President Donald Trump has cheered the blockade.

We cannot let these incredibly rich nations fund radical Islamic terror or terrorism of any kind, he said at a rally in Iowa last week, noting that after his visit to Riyadh last month to meet with Saudi King Salman and urge an end to terror funding, He has taken it to heart. And now theyre fighting with other countries that have been funding terrorism. And I think we had a huge impact.

But on Thursday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  who has urged the countries to unite and focus on fighting Islamic State  warned any list of demands for Qatar must be reasonable and actionable.

Instead, the list appears fanciful, with few terms Qatari officials are likely to accept.

Qatars foreign minister told The Times earlier this week during an interview in Doha that his government wont even negotiate with the Arab nations until they lift their blockade, which they see as a violation of their sovereignty.

They havent provided any proof, of the allegations against Qatar, said Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Thani. No one has talked to us except the Kuwaitis. They just throw their allegations in the media.

The Arab nations released a list after the blockade of 59 people and a dozen groups they alleged were extremists with ties to Qatar. But the foreign minister said the list was inaccurate, that it included legitimate charities, groups Qatar had sanctioned, extremists who had died or were no longer living in the country.

The new list of demands includes the requirement that Qatar refuse to naturalize citizens from the four countries involved in the blockade and expel those currently in Qatar. All of the countries except Egypt required their citizens to return within two weeks of the blockade. Earlier this week, Bahrain invalidated the passports of those who stayed in Qatar.

The foreign minister said Qatari officials were still trying to find a legal solution for foreign nationals from the blockade countries who chose to stay, but insisted, We will not make anyone leave the country.

The list specifies that Qatar turn over to the four countries individuals wanted for terrorism; stop funding groups designated as terrorist by the U.S. and provide information about those Qatar has funded.

The list also demands Qatar align itself economically and politically with the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional alliance seeking to curb Irans influence; shut diplomatic posts in Iran, expel members of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade with Iran according to U.S. sanctions.

Qatar shares a massive, lucrative offshore natural gas field with Iran and severing ties would be both financially painful and difficult.

Even if Qatar agreed to the list, it would also have to agree to be audited for compliance once a month for the first year; once per quarter the second year, then annually for the following decade.

Sheikh Saif al-Thani, a Qatari government spokesman, said the list of demands confirms what Qatar has said from the beginning  the illegal blockade has nothing to do with combating terrorism, it is about limiting Qatars sovereignty, and outsourcing our foreign policy.

We are reviewing these demands out of respect for our brothers in Kuwait and the regional security, he said, but indicated approval was unlikely.

The U.S. secretary of state recently called upon the blockading nations to produce a list of grievances that was reasonable and actionable. The British foreign secretary asked that the demands be measured and realistic. This list does not satisfy that criteria.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

UPDATES:

June 24: This article was updated with reaction from a Qatari government spokesman.

This article was originally published on June 23, 2017, at 7:10 a.m.
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
Latinos and Muslims are breaking bread and boundaries over delicious tacos in a loving act of communal unity and friendship.

Food trucks parked near the Islamic Center of Santa Ana in Southern California have kicked off the first of what is sure to be a traditional, month-long occasion where halal tacos are served at mosques all over Orange County.

During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, 1.8 billion Muslims around the world commemorate the special time to fast from morning to night. At sunset, the day's fast ends with a meal known as the iftar.

#TacoTrucksAtEveryMosque tomorrow night at 7pm ISOC:

9752 13th St. Garden Grove Ca 92844 Free Halal Tacos for Everyone! Tacos para todos! pic.twitter.com/zy8jDxC84E  Rida Hamida (@RidaHamida) June 22, 2017

The "Taco Trucks at Every Mosque" campaign is organized by members of the Latino Muslim Unity movement to facilitate observers breaking their fast as well as bring attention to the rise of hate crimes against Muslims and Latinos throughout the country.



The birth of the movement started as a play-on-words originating from Latinos for Trump co-founder, Marco Gutierrez.

During an MSNBC interview, Gutierrez said that if something is not done about his own "imposing" Mexican culture, "you're going to have taco trucks on every corner."

Activists, like Rida Hamida, a community organizer and former Senior Advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives, found the comments offensive and decided to act.

Hamida said, "It's really important to raise awareness about our struggles and the injustices that we both experience, but also to get to know one another and to defend one another."

Free halal tacos 4 everyone! Fight hate one halal at a time! @ #TacoTrucksAtEveryMosque June 22, 7pm ISOC: 9752 13th St. GG, Ca 92844 pic.twitter.com/gWd2GGTxDd  Rida Hamida (@RidaHamida) June 19, 2017

Ben Vazquez, a Santa Ana school teacher and one of the founders of the program, said "We have a saying - la cultura cura - the culture cures. There's nothing better than two sides coming together to cure evil thoughts about each other."

The act of solidarity has been embraced by members of the LGBT community, as well as Jews, Christians, and others wanting to partake in the effort.
The Sejm of Poland on Thursday passed a new bill related to popularization of employment and labor market institutions, amending the law on temporary employment of foreigners, the Polish Radio has reported.

According to the publication, the legislative amendments introduce the fee (PLN 30) for the registration of applications of employers who want to hire foreigners.

The bill concerns foreigners who are carrying out long-term works in Poland. These are citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia who will be able to use the relaxed labor market access rules.

According to the amendments to the law, along with job permits issued by governors of regions for the period of up to three years, the permits for seasonal work will be issued by district heads (for the period of up to eight months during a calendar year).

The register of hired foreigners will be created.
Co-chairman of the parliamentary faction Opposition bloc Oleksandr Vilkul has announced his readiness to vouch for Ihor Huzhva , the arrested editor-in-chief of the Internet publication Strana.ua. "I've just learned Huzhva, has been detained. Friends, I think that all decent people should unite in defense not only of Ihor and Strana.ua, but also freedom of speech, the ability to live in a normal state ... I am ready, if necessary, to vouch for his release [from pretrial confinement]," Vilkul wrote on his Facebook page on Friday night. As Yuriy Lutsenko (Prosecutor General of Ukraine) reported on June 22, editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Strana.ua Ihor Huzhva was detained in Kyiv on Thursday evening. "Huzhva who demanded and received $10,000 for not publishing compromising materials about an incumbent politician has been detained as part of an investigation by the State Fiscal Service and the Kyiv Prosecutor's Office," Lutsenko wrote on Facebook on Thursday evening. The investigators have footage and photo evidence of this offense, he said. Huzhva earlier reported about a raid that was under way in the Strana.ua office on Thursday. "A raid is under way in our editorial office on trumped-up charges," he wrote on Facebook. Strana.ua Deputy Editor-in-chief Svitlana Kriukova first wrote that the raid was being conducted by 15-20 SBU security service officers. Later, she updated that they were investigators from the National Police. "The entrance of the business center is blocked," she wrote on Facebook. According to her, Huzhva was in the office at that moment.
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the Radical Party faction Dmytro Lynko has confimed that Kyiv-based Strana.ua online newspaper Editor-in-chief Ihor Huzhva demanded payment from him. "I can say Huzvhva personally asked me for money. I can't divulge all the details. I began to receive threats at the end of March. Attempts were made to blackmail me, to get me to pay money so they would not publish compromising materials against me when they were following me. I asked law-enforcement agencies for help and can say that what has happened is the right thing and logical," Lynko told journalists in the Rada in Kyiv on Friday. Lynko said, "In addition, these people are engaged in bribery. They make their money illegally and are financed from Russia. There is proof of this," Lynko said. As earlier reported, Huzhva was arrested in Kyiv on Thursday, June 22, 2017. According to head of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yuriy Lutsenko, Huzhva demanded $10,000 in exchange for not publishing compromising material about him. According to the PGO, photographic and video evidence backs up charges of impropriety.
Jun 23, 2017, 1:26pm ET

Judge suspicious of Uber employment contract in Waymo suit

Anthony Levandowski was promised compensation for litigation involving any data or information he retained in his memory.

The employment contract Uber offered to former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski could become a powerful piece of evidence in Waymo's lawsuit over alleged theft of trade secrets.

A document related to possible litigation pursued by Levandowski's former employers includes a list of "Bad Acts" for which Uber would not promise indemnity. In the section covering "IP/Trade Secrets Misappropriation" the list provides an explicit exemption for "retaining data solely in the memory of an employee" as long as it was not "memorized for the purpose of retaining."

In a May 11 ruling, US District Judge William Alsup suggested the wording raises concerns.

"It remains entirely possible that Uber knowingly left Levandowski free to keep that treasure trove of files as handy as he wished (so long as he kept it on his own personal devices), and that Uber willfully refused to tell Levandowski to return the treasure trove to its rightful owner," he said.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Uber spokesman Matt Kallman framed the broader Bad Acts clause as evidence that the company was serious about protecting any Waymo trade secrets, and the exception is simply in line with California law.

"We explicitly did not want any Otto employee using any such information, whatever its source," he said. "The law in California recognizes that while it is of course not possible to erase people's memories, that does not prevent employees from changing jobs, even between competitors. The law permits those employees to use their expertise to do their jobs."

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned earlier this week amid investor pressure. The announcement coincided with news that he may have known that Levandowski retained data from Waymo, but told him not to bring the information to Uber. Waymo has argued that Uber improperly withheld the revelation and should be considered in contempt of court.
The Verkhovna Rada has passed at second reading the bill on the energy efficiency for buildings (No. 4941-d).

A total of 259 lawmakers backed the decision.

Deputy Head of the parliamentary committee for construction, town planning and utilities Olena Babak said that a total of 202 remarks were sent to prepare the bill for second reading, and 159 of them were taken into account and 43  rejected.

Babak said that the notion of the energy auditor was improved, and the notions "energy auditor" and "network inspector" were divided. The minimum requirements to energy efficiency of buildings were reviewed and the list of buildings for which the certification of energy efficiency is mandatory has been improved.

The document was expanded by an article related to self-regulating organizations in the energy efficiency sphere, as the European Union directives require the presence of independent institutions in the sphere.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Services Hennadiy Zubko said that the bill would allow creating transparent conditions for the operation of the energy audit market in Ukraine.
A Pakistani national caught in Emo in a stolen BMW has been sentenced to eight months in jail, with his wife, who was a passenger in the car, receiving the benefit of the probation act.

Before last weeks sitting of Portlaoise District Court were Tehmina Ejaz (39) and Ejaz Mussarat (40), Blessington Street, Dublin.

Garda Foy gave evidence that on June 10 this year, in the car park at the Gandon Inn, Emo, a black BMW was discovered which had been stolen from Dublin.

The two accused were in the vehicle, Ejaz Mussarat in the driver's seat and Tehmina Ejaz in the passenger seat.

When arrested, the woman, Tehmina Ejaz, gave a false name and date of birth, and could not produce a passport to the gardai.

She had no previous convictions.

Garda Daryl Rigney gave evidence that the car had been stolen on June 8 and the vehicle had no tax, insurance or NCT.

Ejaz Mussarat cooperated with the gardai and admitted the unauthorised taking of the vehicle.

Garda Rigney said Ejaz Mussarat had a huge number of previous convictions, 61 from the UK and five in Ireland. Among his previous convictions were charges of the unauthorised taking of a vehicle, and driving while disqualified.

Defence, Ms Josephine Fitzpatrick said that in relation to Tehmina Ejaz, she was Pakistani-born and living in Ireland two years with her husband,

She hadn't been with the co-accused when the car was stolen, but had been travelling in the car.

Defence said that the accused's in-laws had travelled from the UK to support them, and the accused would return to the UK with them.

In relation to Ejaz Mussarat, Ms Fitzpatrick accepted that he had a very poor record.

He had spent a good deal of his life in and out of trouble, said defence.

A Pakistani national, he set up a shop in Dublin a year and a half ago, but sold that business.

Ms Fitzpatrick said that cash found on him by the gardai had been a result of selling the business.

Garda Rigney confirmed that 2,950 was found on the accused, but the State was satisfied this had come from the sale of the leash of the Dublin shop.

The accused had borrowed the money from his brothers and the money was given back to them.

In sentencing, Judge Catherine Staines noted that Ejaz Mussarat had numerous previous convictions for stealing vehicles.

The judge imposed eight months in prison and disqualified him from driving for six years. For no insurance, he received another driving disqualification of six years.

Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal. Judge Staines fixed recognisance at 3,000, as she described the accused as a possible flight risk.

In relation to Tehmina Ejaz, the judge said she had no previous convictions and as she was reliant on her husband, she had found herself in these circumstances.

Judge Staines gave the accused the benefit of the probation act.

saying she was giving the accused an opportunity to pursue her own life in the UK.
The US Government approval of the unique, high quality of Irish beef is great news for beef farmers here in Co. Kildare, according to Kildare South TD Martin Heydon (FG).

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given a seal of approval to advertise the unique qualities of Irish beef in the United States.

The announcement came following a meeting involving the USDA, Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine Michael Creed and Tara Mc Carthy, CEO, Bord Bia on day one of the trade mission to the United States.

This decision by the US Government is a real boost to our beef farmers here in Kildare. The Quality Assurance and animal movement systems we have in Ireland are among the finest in the world, enabling the collection of a vast amount of information in our farm audits, said Dep Heydon.

This is key to backing up our claims and demonstrating the quality of our product. This decision will accelerate their activities with beef buyers and retailers and bring this message closer to the US consumer.

He concluded; We have always known that the quality of Irish beef is world class and this decision backs that up and has the potential to add significant value to our beef offering in the US accessing the Premium US Beef market.
A Monasterevin broadcaster has won a top national media award as part of RTE's Nationwide team.

Broadcast last April, the programme on access to the legal profession scooped the overall award in the Justice Media awards presented by the Law Society at Blackhall Place last night.

Monasterevin based journalist, Mary Fanning produced the programme, which was based on the street Law programme facilitated by trainee solicitors worked through with twelve Deis schools in Dublin.

Nationwide followed the latter end of the module with Tallaght Community School, culminating in a mock trial overseen by retired District Court Judge, Patrick McMahon. This segment was reported on by journalist, Mary Fanning.

Nationwide then explored the wider area of access to becoming a solicitor through the Law Societys Access programme and reporter Ms Fanning went to the practice of Liam Fitzgerald in Lusk, Co. Dublin to hear this story. Liam gave his background, how he went from fishmonger, to barman in London to running his own law firm.

North Eastern correspondent, Eileen Magnier travelled to Belmullet in Co. Mayo to meet Kathleen Doocey and how the Law Society helped her along her professional path.

Presenter, Mary Kennedy went to Blackhall Place to meet T.P. Kennedy, director of education, at the Law Society and she also did a tour of the building with Director General, Ken Murphy.
'Normandy Four' leaders' meeting not being planned for now, phone call will take place

The leaders of the 'Normandy Four' countries (France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia) will hold a telephone conversation in the near future, but they are not expected to meet in the short term, Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said.

"The information available to us indicates that what was meant is exactly a telephone conversation. And the French side has clarified to all those taking part in this that it is exactly a telephone conversation that was meant," he told reporters in Kyiv on Friday.

Any meeting of the 'Normandy Four' leaders is not being planned in the short term, the diplomat said.

"There will be no 'Normandy Four' [meeting] for now, but a Ukraine-France meeting will be held," Prystaiko said.

Ukraine has been holding meetings with all of the partners in these negotiations, except for Russia, he said.
An extension is on the way for Churchtown Graveyard near Athy.

Cllr Mark Wall (Lab) has welcomed the unanimous decision by local councillors to pass the planning permission for the extension at last Mondays Athy Municipal District meeting.

This is very good news for the Churchtown/Castlemitchell Community and the Community of Athy in general, he said.

The extension of Churchtown Graveyard will see 119 new plots built in a lawn style cemetery. The extension will include new footpaths, entrance gates and an altar, the design of which will be decided in consultation with the local community.

He pointed out there will also be a 33 new car parking spaces, which will be built between the new graveyard and the primary school, for use by both.

Additional landscaping and a new stone wall will complete the design.

The permission also includes a new footpath to the community creche and community playground.

This is a project I have worked closely on with the local Community Development Association, he added.

I want to thank Kildare County Council under the leadership of Director of Services, Mr Joe Boland. The community would also like to thank Mr and Mrs Thomas Fennelly for the sale of the land for this important project . I look forward to the completion of these much needed community facilities for this important area of South Kildare.
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A man who told Naas District Court that the speed operator must have recorded a different car speeding has got the benefit of the Probation Act.

Hugh Mooney, with an address at Clyde Lane, Ballsbridge, was prosecuted for speeding on the N7 at Greenhills, Kill on March 29 2016.

He appeared at the Thursday, June 22, sitting of the court and Judge Desmond Zaidan was told by the Go Safe official that he was recorded as travelling at 114 kph in the 100kph zone, and the records would show that the calibration certificate would show that the speed check machine was maintained in accordance with the rules.

But Mr Mooney told the court that he was at the point where the road changes from a 120kph to a 100kph zone.

He said he you hit three lanes at 100kph and he was in the middle lane.

He told the court that he was travelling at 100kph (in his 2004 registered Mercedes Benz) and that two cars were passing him at the time. The speed (recorded) is from cars passing me out, said Mr Mooney.

Judge Desmond Zaidan asked if it is possible for cars to be mistakenly identified. I have asked this question before, said the judge.

The Go Safe official told the court from the witness box that the technology pinpoints the actual car.

Mr Mooney said that he had been told that it can make mistakes and pick up the wrong car.

Mr Mooney, who said he was 72 years old, said he had been told by Gatso people, that mistakes could be made. The Go Safe officials said Go Safe did not use Gatso.

Mr Mooney continued: I am convinced I was doing 100kph.

Judge Zaidan asked him if his speedometer measured miles or kilometers. Both replied, Mr Mooney.

Judge Zaidan said he had raised the question before and was told that the chances of an error were so so remote.

He told Mr Mooney he had no doubt his car was doing 114 kph but because of his personal circumstances and age he said he would apply Probation Act so that Mr Mooney could keep a clean slate.
From July 20 to 22, the Abbey Theatre will present a major production of Jimmys Hall in Leitrim.

This project is the first of its kind in our history as the Abbey premiere a play outside of Dublin, ahead of its run on the Abbey Stage.

Jimmys Hall is a new stage adaptation of the critically acclaimed Ken Loach film. It tells the true story of Leitrim farmer Jimmy Gralton, the only Irishman deported from his own country. His crime was to build a dance hall where he encouraged the local community to learn, to argue and to dream, but above all to dance and have fun. As the hall grew in popularity its free-spirited reputation brought it to the attention of the church and politicians who forced Jimmy to flee and the hall to close.

A decade later, at the height of the Depression, Jimmy returns from the US. The hall stands abandoned but as Jimmy sees the poverty and growing oppression in the village, the leader and activist within him is stirred. He decides to reopen the hall, and so takes on the established authorities of the church and the government.

The production marks Director of the Abbey Theatre Graham McLarens directorial debut at the theatre. Graham has been co-Director of the Abbey, along with Neil Murray, since September 2016. Grahams productions of European classics have been seen in Londons West End, ancient Greek amphitheatres, black box studios and on the main stages of national theatres and major festivals across the world.

Graham McLaren said, "It was important to me that this would be the first play Id direct at the Abbey Theatre. Jimmy Gralton had a vision of Ireland as a fair and equal society, with peoples needs put in front of profit, at the heart of its culture. He wanted to create a space for people to come and break bread, to sing the old songs, to fall in love, argue about politics and to be a community. This act was such a threat to the people in power, that they vilified Jimmy. They burned down the hall and he was deported.

"It is a great honour to play a part in telling Jimmys story. Our production is a celebration of his ideals  full of live music, singing and dancing. This is a story about the people of Leitrim, told for the people of Leitrim. As Irelands national theatre it is imperative for us, that they are the first to see it."

With Richard Clements playing Jimmy, the talented cast includes Lisa Lambe, Bosco Hogan, Brid Ni Neachtain, Ruth McGill, Donal OKelly and Muiris Crowley.

Jimmys Hall will open in Carrick-on-Shannon Community School on July 20 ahead of a three week run on the Abbey Stage. Booking is now open for all dates at abbeytheatre.ie
Fine Gael TD Tony McLoughlins fracking Bill will go to Committee Stage in the Seanad this week (beginning June 26), bringing it one step closer to becoming law.

Deputy McLoughlins Bill was the first Private Members Bill to be passed by the current Dail last month.

Deputy McLoughlin, who represents Sligo-Leitrim, said his Bill - which was debated at second stage in the Seanad last week (June 21) - will protect hundreds of thousands of people from the harmful and damaging effects of hydraulic fracking.

Deputy McLoughlin said, "I am delighted that my Bill will now go to the Committee Stage in the Seanad this week.

"It was very well received in the Seanad last week and I received very positive feedback from my colleagues there.

"This next stage brings us another step closer to this important environmental Bill becoming law, meaning communities in the West and North West of Ireland will be safeguarded from the negative effects of hydraulic fracking.

"If this practice was allowed to take place in Ireland and Northern Ireland it would pose significant threats to the air, water and the health and safety of individuals and communities here.

"Counties such as Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Clare would be subject to negative effects like those seen in cities and towns in the United States, where many locations have now decided to implemented similar bans to the one before us.

"Since I introduced my Bill to this House on June 8, 2016 at the First Stage, it has progressed at a rapid pace. This is a very necessary law that has been heavily scrutinised and continually improved throughout its passage through the Dail.

"The progress of this Bill this year shows the concept of new politics can work quite well, if all sides of the house engage pro-actively together.

"I now eagerly await its passage through the Seanad and the final signature of the President."
Ireland West Airport today welcomed the announcement of funding to the amount of 1,109,430 from the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport.

The funding is provided at 90% grant aid level to support Safety and Security Projects under the Regional Airports Programme 2015-2019.

The Programme provides for Exchequer support for various safety and security projects to be carried out at the airport in 2017.

Joe Kennedy, Chairman, Ireland West Airport said, "We welcome today's announcement of funding by the Minister for Transport, Tourism, and Sport, Shane Ross, TD, which will assist the airport in undertaking important safety and security related projects such as Airfield Navigational Aid Maintenance and the provision of new Covered Aircraft Boarding Steps and new De-icer Vehicles.

"The funding also supports major upgrade works to our Runway Instrument Landing System, Immigration Facilities and Airport Servers.

"We acknowledge the continued support from Government and look forward to continuing to work closely with Minister Ross, his department and the new Minister for Community and Rural Affairs, Michael Ring, TD, on a long term commitment and investment to support the Airports growth and development plans."
Speaking in the Dail today, Sinn Fein TD for Sligo-Leitrim Martin Kenny criticised the criteria restricting school transport and the application of the nearest school rule and expressed his anger over the failure of the Minister to recognise the special situation impacting counties like Leitrim.

Deputy Kenny said: It has a particular impact on families living in rural parishes. The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy John Halligan, established a group to deal with the issue, but nothing has come of it.

The parish of Gortletteragh is quite large, with 47 townlands. The school is smack in the middle. A number of families live on the periphery and are entitled to a school bus service but not to the school in the parish in which they live. They must travel to the next parish. In fact, some of them have to travel to Drumlish in the next county of Longford, which is totally inappropriate.

When the rule was introduced, there was no consideration given to the impact it would have on people living in rural areas.

My understanding is that it resulted from a directive or circular from the Department. Everybody knows that people living in rural Ireland have a particular affinity with their parish."

Deputy Kenny said the school in Gortletteragh, is holding a meeting next Saturday to discuss the issue.

"It is a serious problem throughout the country," he said.

Deputy Kenny said he was disappointed with Minister Richard Bruton's response that any scheme had to be applied uniformly around the country and that a special scheme could not be designed for Leitrim.

That was not what I was looking for from the Minister. This is a problem in rural areas all over the country and I hoped that some flexibility could be introduced to the matter," said Deputy Kenny.
The Leitrim weather might have taken a turn for the worse (but fingers crossed the good weather will make a re-appearance) but there is no doubt the hot spell had many of us flocking to Glencar.

Hopefully those that did visit had the opportunity to sample the fare at the Teashed.

Website lovin.ie has listed it at number three of the 'Top nine restaurants with insanely stunning views that will make you want to visit'.

They have compiled a list of the "best places for some grub, amazing views across Ireland to allow people to plan that road trip with maximum Instagram potential."

And talking about Glencar Teashed they write "Hands down one of the cutest cafes in the country, the Teashed has an amazing view of Glencar Lake. Nature why you so pretty?"

The Teashed is located beside the 50ft high Glencar Waterfall, approximately 11km west of Manorhamiton, and 12km east of Sligo. While not the highest waterfall in the area, Glencar Waterfall is generally considered highly romantic and impressive.

The Teashed can comfortably seat over 50 people. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
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The most-read independent website by and for Lib Dem supporters. Not paid for by trade unions or millionaires.
A lot can change in a year.

On 23rd June 2016, I was left heartbroken after a tough and exhausting referendum campaign saw a victory for an insular nationalist vision of Britain.

The vote to Leave has divided our country in a way even Project Fear could never have imagined.

After the referendum, we were told that the populist right was on an unstoppable rise. Geert Wilders, Netherlands answer to Donald Trump, would storm to victory in the Dutch general election; Marine Le Pen would triumph over the established political consensus in the French Presidential election; and the Liberal Democrats fight to keep Britain in Europe was laughed off.

But a lot can change in a year.

Our ALDE sister Party, VVD, secured victory in the Netherlands with a lead of over 8 points. Voters in France chose a pro-European liberal vision of hope as Emmanuel Macron overwhelmingly won the Presidency and obtained an absolute majority in the French Parliament.

And in the UK, its still all to fight for. Theresa May called a general election to ask the electorate to force through her destructive Brexit and the public refused to give her the mandate.

The latest polling on Brexit shows big movement  53 per cent of people now back the Lib Dem position for a final say on the Brexit deal.

Opposition to hard Brexit is increasing as the lies of the Leave campaign unravel and the reality of Brexit begins to bite.

This opposition to Brexit is being led by the Liberal Democrats and there is still all to fight for.

Together, we must fight to keep Britain in the Single Market and Customs Union. We must fight to give European citizens the right to stay. We must fight to protect our science, research and education programmes, such as ERASMUS, and we absolutely must remain a full member of the Euratom Treaty.

And when all the deal making has been done, before the signatures go on the paper, we must give the people the final say over the deal in another referendum vote.

A lot can change in a year. Lets make sure its for the better

* Catherine Bearder is a Liberal Democrat MEP for the South East and Leader of the European Parliament Liberal Democrat Group.
There is no alternative to the non-working Minsk format (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE) negotiations for the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, and a complete ceasefire in Donbas can hardly be expected, political expert Yevhen Mahda has said.

"In Kyiv, Moscow, Paris and Berlin they understand that the Minsk format does not work. But we need to find a substitute in order to abolish it. None of the leaders of the Normandy format countries [Germany, France, Ukraine, Russia] can afford to slam the door and leave, except Putin [Russian President Vladimir Putin]. But no one will allow it, as this will be regarded as unwillingness to settle the situation in Donbas," Mahda told Kyiv-based news agency Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

At the same time, the political expert did not rule out that the United States can offer a new idea in the matter of resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"I have the impression that the U.S. intends to exhaust all the participants to the process, and then offer some idea. But I would not make this idea absolute, because the U.S. is accustomed to solve the problem at the expense of the weakest, and in this situation, Ukraine is the weakest," he said.

Commenting on the next announcement of the ceasefire regime from June 24, the political expert expressed the opinion that "there will be no complete ceasefire."

"After all, there are tens of thousands of people with weapons [in the occupied territories of the Donbas], thousands of which are only able to fight. Do you think they will return to peaceful labor or return to Russia? Russia is least interested in taking back so many people who can do nothing, but fight. This does not meet any of its interests," he said.
London MP, with a constituency only 28 minutes away by Tube from Parliament, claims 12,041 for a second home. Sounds a straight-forward case in the long line of London MPs who had their expense claims widely publicised and heavily criticised during earlier this year? Except this time, theres one difference.

The expense claim was published back in October 2004, got a bit of local media coverage and that was that.

Lucky man, that David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham.

From the Haringey Advertiser, 27 October 2004:
Ive seen people talking about the need for a leader who will be untainted by Coalition.

I couldnt disagree more.

We have a strong story to tell, and the Coalition is a crucial part of it. We will never thrive by being the party of protest and pure tactical voting. As Mark Pack and others have said, we need to create a core vote of our own. The Coalition makes this more plausible.

Despite being naturally liberal, I didnt support the Lib Dems before the Coalition because I perceived them as a protest party. I thought they were opportunists, tactical vote recipients, defined by who they were not rather than who they were. Then the 2010 General Election happened, and the Lib Dems went into Coalition and started making hard choices. They started governing. Either I had been completely wrong about the Lib Dems, or they had risen to the situation amazingly. Or quite possibly, it was a bit of both. They proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were a true and plausible political party of Government with their own agenda and ethos, which I very much liked.

The Lib Dems achieved so much in Coalition, outpunching their weight by a huge amount. The rise in the income tax threshold made a massive difference for the just-about-managing (note how the Tories have tried to take the credit for this). The Quad  with Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander  adjusted the austerity regime to boost growth and protect the poorest and most vulnerable. Take a look at the distributional analyses of tax and benefit changes under the Coalition and compare them to those under the Tory majority rule since  its a horrifying change.

Mental health changes, pushed through by Norman Lamb, transformed the ground for sufferers. Its no hyperbole to say that there are many child sufferers of mental health issues alive today solely because of those changes.

The Lib Dem Pupil Premium raised attainment amongst the poorest children, intervening and opening prospects at the most valuable time in life.

And thats just a handful of the achievements.

The Lib Dems proved that they could govern and govern well. Yes, there were costs and damages, tuition fees above all, but the biggest reason not to ever vote Lib Dem was removed: that the Lib Dems would never be in a position to carry out their promises.

In 2015, there was no Conservative majority Government to contrast the Coalition with. There is now, and the contrast will get starker and starker. The next few years could be, for the Tories, a rerun of 1992-1997.

Next time around, if we have an articulate and credible leader, they can make the case for us as a real option as a party of Government. We could peel off whole swathes of voters, especially Tory voters, many of whom simply want competent and realistic government and currently see no real option other than the Blues. This could be an amazing opportunity, if we can tell our story well enough.

Those who were ministers last time could do it. One of the reasons behind Labours 1945 shock landslide was that they had major figures who were proven ministers. For the first time in a very long time, so do we.

* Andy Cooke is an ex-RAF Engineer and analyst who joined the Lib Dems after the Coalition. He has campaigned in the Richmond Park by-election, and in OxWAb and Bath in the 2017 General Election
THE celebration party has been booked, the champagne is on ice  but racist remarks by mayor-in-waiting Stephen Keary could yet jeapordise his chances of the top job.

Comments by the Croagh councillor  an engineer by trade  have sparked a petition to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar calling for his removal as mayoral candidate. Hundreds have signed the petition in the last number of days.

It came after he suggested people from Eastern Europe see Ireland as easy pickings  and this is why there has been a rise in the numbers on social housing lists.

His Fine Gael party nationally has already said his comments do not represent its policy  and there is now a doubt whether he will get the support of enough councillors to get him over the line with the election set for Monday at 3pm.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have a pact agreed to share the top jobs in council this term.

Of the 40 members on council, 23 come from the two big parties to give them control of the authority.

But its understood many Fianna Fail and Fine Gael members are uncomfortable backing Cllr Keary for the mayoralty after his remarks. With both parties meeting over the weekend, Fianna Fail could yet insist on an alternative candidate being put forward in return for their support.

And the Leader has learned the opposition groupings are considering putting Labour councillor and Moldovan national Elena Secas forward as an opponent to Cllr Keary following his comments.

If they can unite behind the Castletroy-based member, there could yet be a major surprise at County Hall.

After he initially defended the remarks, Cllr Keary  the father in law of Junior Minister Patrick ODonovan  apologised if his comments hurt anyone, adding: A small minority abuse the system and some of my constituents in the Adare/Rathkeale municipal area have relayed their feelings to me on that. That is all I was attempting to say.

Despite this, a petition to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar launched this Wednesday calling on him to veto Cllr Kearys nomination had garnered hundreds of signatures.

An open letter from a number of East Europeans based in Limerick and sent to all local councillors has called on them to reject his mayoral bid following the uninformed and divisive comments.

Limerick citizens from overseas are expected to be at County Hall on Monday to show their opposition to Cllr Kearys election.

A number of members of the councillors own party have already rejected his comments, with outgoing metropolitan mayor Michael Hourigan saying: His comments wouldnt be my comments, and I dont think they should be associated with Fine Gael. I dont agree with him at all.

Cllr Michael Sheahan also spoke out against racism in general at Monday's metropolitan meeting.

A number of other Fine Gael members have said they are shocked and appalled at the remarks.

Willie ODea said: These remarks are populist and unhelpful. I find it very uncomfortable wed be supporting a person who has these views and expresses them publicly.

Maurice Quinlivan described the comments as far right, and said he does not see Cllr Keary as a credible mayor.

Despite this, Fine Gaels leader at County Hall, Cllr John Sheahan insists they will support their man.

He is very forthright at times in what he says, but his heart is in the right place. He is a guy who says what he means, the Glin councillor said.

Fianna Fail leader Cllr Michael Collins says as of now, his party will hold up its end of the bargain.

But he added he disagreed with the comments, saying: We have a large Eastern European community in our district, and Im proud to represent them.

Raheen man Derek ODwyer, who started the online petition, which as of this Wednesday afternoon had almost 300 signatures, said: The whole thing [about his mayoralty] just doesnt sit well with me. You have to remember come March next year, he will not just represent Limerick on the national stage, he will represent Limerick on the international stage. Do I want him to go to New York and speak on my behalf? I dont, and I do not think hes fit to.

Cllr Secas  who criticised Cllr Keary in the immediate wake of his remarks  was not available for comment.

Cllr Keary said this Wednesday he will not be making any further comment.
MAYOR of Limerick Cllr Kieran OHanlon has defended his St Patricks Day trip to the USA which saw a delegation run up a bill of 28,000.

A six-person delegation from Limerick City and County Council travelled Stateside in March.

Made up of four councillors and two officials, 12,000 was spent on hotels, with the local authority also paying 3,700 to stage a series of receptions and meetings in New York.

That included a 956 bill from New Yorks Empire Steak House, 443 at Blooms Tavern, and two bills of 1,415 and 505 each to Rosie OGradys pub.

However, the outgoing mayor says the trip was worthwhile in building relationships with Limerick, and said: Id prefer to go on a family holiday.

He said the extra cost may also have been due to the fact the trip had to be extended due to a snowstorm.

"We were due to go out on Tuesday night before St Patrick's Day. Then we got word that there was a snowstorm coming in. If we had not gone out there on Monday, we wouldn't possibly have made it. We had to extend it, he said.

Mayor OHanlon visited New York, Boston and Washington during his eight day trip.

There was a lot of meetings which businesses and officialdom would have attended. Then we had the New York parade. The Grand Marshal was from Limerick and was out the front. He is over a business of 25,000 people in North America. He is a Limerick man, so it was important we were there, he said.

But he insisted there was no time to relax, adding: I was exhausted. I was leaving home at 6am and not coming back until midnight. I'd prefer to go on a family holiday.

And, the mayor added: The price of a hotel in New York is not cheap!

According to the figures which were released to the Sunday Times under Freedom of Information legislation, Limerick City and County Council ran up the largest bill.

Across Ireland, almost 200,000 was spent sending 60 councillors and local authority staff on St Patricks Day trips.

New York City was the most popular destination.
SO, the waiting is over. The council's design teams preferred plans for #LiveableLimerick are here.

Credit where credit is due. It is better than the present, a motorway cutting our historic city in two.

Credit also to the team for bravely reaching out to listen to peoples views. Credit for the new elements introduced to take these into account.

But Limerick deserves the BEST design as it moves to being one of Europes best mid-size cities  not just a good enough option.

To reach our new ambition, we want everyone in Europe and beyond saying Wow! How amazing is that!

I have to confess a sense of a missed opportunity for our city. The plans do not go boldly where no one has gone before  which many of our councillors were so admirably publicly exhorting.

Our city as we learned this past week despite all of the recovery still tops the unemployment hotspots league. That is not acceptable.

Only real visionary new thinking will dislodge us to the other end of that table.

On his way to see the plans, Paul OConnell who knows what brave looks like, hoped the designers dont play it safe.

Make sure the decision makers don't play it safe. Please get to this Public Consultation today, Tues 4pm-7.30pm City Hall #liveablelimerick pic.twitter.com/QzULBQGUCN  Paul O'Connell (@Paul_OConnell) June 20, 2017

I myself had hoped to look at the plans and see  exciting  bold  daring  fun  visionary  inspiring. A real destination all along the central main spine of our city.

What I see is functional - underwhelming  indeed much of what you could call safe.

Walking around superb transformed public spaces in Copenhagen on Tuesday night, after looking at Limericks plans, I feared no one in Europe will be writing about the bold innovative new plans for Limericks main street.

In the improvements there is a little bit of trying to help everyone but there is a but for most too! Is that much compromise the right direction?

Theres a bit and a but for public transport advocates, cyclists, pedestrians, those who fear the rain and even the cars still demanding the right to use the street or its cross junctions as a shortcut to get to their destination.

The final plan could do more to remove some obvious buts.

I heard references to needing to spend the resources mainly at one end. I couldnt disagree. We all said do some very well, rather than all badly. And much of the improvement in the retail area moves in the right direction.

But for me the disappointment really hits in when I get towards Roches Street.

The very image produced is the William Street Mark 2 we so dearly wanted to avoid. The Crescent too is far from the desirable public space we wanted to bookend the street.

Did the lack of budget also force a reduced lack of imagination and vision?

Could the team not propose an ambitious proposition behind which we could gather momentum for increased funding?

A two lane highway still cutting through the middle of our street will do little for the so badly needed reigniting of our Georgian core?

Will the desirability of that historic quarter be aided by loading bays and two lanes of traffic driving outside its main cultural amenity  the Belltable  rather than perhaps a public gathering space for outdoor performances all along that block?

The opportunity is still there to create an urban playground  so that residents and visitors see before their eyes a public space where culture, sport, fun, family, sustainability, values we hold dearly, are available to all not just those who can pay.

We are missing that opportunity.

But all is not lost. The councillors and the team want to hear our views for a final time before they make their decision.

The principles were to put people first.

If we have to, well loan some bits back to cars but for only limited amounts of time. This plan is still the other way around.

We owe it to our kids and grandchildren to whom we will be giving back the city after our time here and to our friends and neighbours still hoping to secure that job which will create their own new future life in our city to give it one last go.

As the Rubberbandits tweeted this week, We need to start making a bit of noise.

Use the #liveablelimerick tag. Let's not be complaining when it's too late. This is one of a few steps to move the city into a better place  Rubber Bandits (@Rubberbandits) June 21, 2017

The #Liveablelimerick moment is still a bit away. It is better but I do not think this is yet our preferred solution.

Stay engaged and stay tuned in.
I HAVE enjoyed my year. It was nice and relaxed, and I did what I felt I needed to do in the communities I am a part of. I was able to bring something to these communities.

The outgoing metropolitan mayor Cllr Michael Hourigan as he prepares to hand over his chain of office this weekend. The veteran Fine Gael councillor was elected the third leader of Limericks metropolitan district last summer, and has been a regular sight at various city events since.

Despite his year in office, the bigger picture is what matters to the four-times elected City North councillor, of the North Circular Road.

For example, this week when  as metropolitan mayor  he opened autism charity Dochas newly refurbished centre at Parnell Street, a charity he has been involved in since his first election in 1999.

Or next week, when he will be present at the St Munchins Community Centre in Kileely to witness its next expansion, a place where he serves as vice-chair.

These are the things which make it worthwhile being a local councillor. You can look back and say you had a little input into it. St Munchins was a greenfield site when I got involved. But now it serves 1,000 people. Youre only a little cog in the wheel. But it means a lot, he said.

For the first time in the newly merged council, both the overall mayor and the metropolitan mayor hailed from the city area, with Cllr Hourigan understudying the overall mayor Kieran OHanlon.

The long-term political experience of the pair meant they did not have a cross word between them, Cllr Hourigan said.

This is unlike previous years, where there has been visible tension between both mayors.

From day one, we understood what both our roles are. Kieran is the mayor of the full authority. We both respected each others position. I think our experience in the council stood to us, Cllr Hourigan said.

One occasion where Cllr Hourigan did represent the city was on St Patricks Day, as Cllr O'Hanlon was in America.

But he was disappointed at the lack of special designation in the viewing stand for council dignitaries.

The people of Limerick have great pride in their city on a day like this, so it was very important the metropolitan mayor should be there. But something that disappointed me happened when people asked me where the other councillors were. They were in the viewing stand, but there was nothing to make them stand out. There was no recognition, he said, For the general public standing at the other side of the barrier, there was no recognition of the councillors. And people like to know where their councillors are.

Despite criticism from some quarters, Cllr Hourigan still feels it is worthwhile having a metropolitan mayor  in addition to the main overall first citizen.

City people are very proud. I have heard them appreciate the role of the metropolitan mayor time and again. If I had my way, the mayor of the metropolitan area would be drawn from the natural suburbs of the city to give them a city affiliation, he explains.

Under a grand coalition deal struck at the start of this council, the pendulum of power will swing to Fianna Fail in the city, with its candidate, Cllr Sean Lynch set to become the metropolitan mayor.

Cllr Lynch, a former detective garda attached to Roxboro station, hails from the village of Patrickswell.

When asked where his argument leaves his likely successor, Cllr Hourigan diplomatically answers: Patrickswell is part of the city under the new structures!

Asked what he has learnt about himself during his year in office, he laughs: That Im getting a bit older!
Head of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yuriy Lutsenko has directed his agency to monitor 1st category forests, which include reserve and protection forest, and prevent them from being cut down.

"Unfortunately, despite protests of the state forestry agency of Ukraine, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers acting on the advice of the acting head of the agency recently decided to scupper resolution No. 610, according to which it was possible only with the Cabinet's permission to reclassify 1st category forests. Now regional forestry offices will be empowered to do so," Lutsenko said during a meeting in Zhytomyr on Friday with the region's prosecutors.

Lutsenko said, "[Ukraine's] most valuable forests may be decimated." He said he would personally appeal to the prime minister and president of Ukraine to rectify the situation.

"I am demanding that regional prosecutor offices take under their control the safeguard of 1st category forests in the meantime," Lutsenko told his subordinates.

"If people cut down the forests, you will answer for it," Lutsenko said.
There were emotional scenes at Shannon Airport this Friday evening as almost 150 children arrived from Belarus as part of the Chernobyl Children Internationals (CCI) Rest and Recuperation Programme.

The programme sees children being taken out of the Chernobyl-affected regions for much needed respite care in Ireland with an extensive network of host families.

You can feel the love at Shannon today - here's a hug compilation as the @Chernobyl Children arrive for a month-long stay @Limerick_Leader pic.twitter.com/1JTNaW9J3l  Maria Flannery (@mariaflan) June 23, 2017

Several of the children who arrived this Friday will be staying with host families in County Limerick over the summer.

Since the disaster in 1986, more than 25,000 children from Belarus and Western Russia have come to Ireland on Rest and Recuperation programmes.

This is the manifestation of real love and action and the power of Irish generosity and compassion to keep going 31 years after Chernobyl. These (children) are the living embodiment of that disaster which happened in 1986 and in a sense they are the ones that show us that Chernobyl remains an unfolding disaster, said Adi Roche, founder of CCI.

Mikhail, who is going to Mayo, is ready with his cap pic.twitter.com/kZP7OmBUsN  Maria Flannery (@mariaflan) June 23, 2017

Host families from 13 counties all over Ireland welcomed the children at Shannon Airport for the start of their month-long, life-prolonging respite holiday, during which time radiation levels in the children drop by nearly 50 per cent and up to two years is added to their life expectancy.
Jun 23, 2017, 6 AM

A stamp collector told Linn's Stamp News that he bought a pane of the upright $2 Jenny Invert stamp variety in a Marcy, N.Y., post office.

By Michael Baadke

A stamp collector reports that he purchased one of the scarce upright $2 Jenny Invert panes in a post office in Marcy, N.Y.

The purchase was made in early April by Joe Kalynycz, who describes himself as a pretty avid stamp collector.

The self-adhesive $2 Jenny Invert stamp pane (Scott 4806) was issued Sept. 22, 2013, as a commemoration of the 1918 24 Jenny Invert airmail stamp error (C3a) that shows the blue Curtiss Jenny airplane flying upside down within the red stamp frame. The normal 1918 airmail stamp (C3) has the airplane flying right side up.

As a promotional scheme, the Postal Service intentionally created 100 panes of an upright variety of the $2 stamp. Like the millions of normal $2 stamps that show the plane flying upside down, these rare variety panes, which show the plane flying upright, are hidden within sealed blind packaging which, from the outside, cannot be distinguished from the regular issue.

The variety panes were then mixed in with the normal stamps. Stamp customers who come upon the variety in their purchases have found they can make a substantial profit selling the pane at auction or to a stamp dealer or collector.

The 100 upright variety panes were packaged with a card printed with a phone number the finder could call to receive a certificate signed by the U.S. postmaster general, and to register the purchase and discovery.

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In response to an inquiry from Linns Stamp News, the Postal Service revealed in mid-June that it has now received 32 calls from finders of the rare variety.

Figures released by the Postal Service in November 2016 indicated that roughly 75 percent of the 2.2 million-pane print run had been sold, but only 30 percent of the 100 panes of the upright variety had been reported.

It is likely that some finders of the upright variety have chosen not to report their find to the Postal Service or to Linns Stamp News.

Postal Service spokesman Mark Saunders told Linns last fall, Keep in mind, we only know what has been reported/registered.

The number of $2 Jenny Invert stamp panes available for purchase continues to dwindle, as does the number of post offices where they can be purchased.

The stamp was taken off sale at USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services because of dwindling inventory (Linns, Nov. 28, 2016, page 10), but some post offices still have limited quantities available.

Kalynycz told Linns that he plans to keep his recent find in his collection for now.

He said he purchased quite a few panes before finding the upright variety, and used many of the normal $2 stamps for postage, keeping a few of the better quality regular-issue stamps for his collection.

He added that he got a nice round of congratulations on his find from other members of his local stamp club.

Can you still buy the $2 Jenny Invert stamp?

The $2 Jenny Invert stamp issued in 2013 was taken off sale at USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services in November 2016 because of declining stocks. It officially remains on sale at post offices, but many post offices have sold out of the limited stock they originally had on hand.

A philatelic office at the Los Angeles main post office reported in mid-June that it has a few hundred panes of six left, still sealed.

Collectors unable to find the panes locally can call the Los Angeles office at 323-586-1476 and ask for Brenda Coronado, or e-mail brenda.l.coronado@usps.gov to confirm availability before ordering. The stamps are $12 for a pane of six $2 stamps.

After the office confirms the order, payment can be mailed to Los Angeles Special Events, Attn: Retail-Inverted Jenny, 7001 S. Central Ave. RM 337, Los Angeles, CA 90052-9601. Personal checks or money orders made payable to United States Postal Service are accepted for payment.

When payment is received the stamps are sent by priority mail with tracking for domestic orders.
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Head of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yuriy Lutsenko has said there is no criminal case against Verkhovna Rada Batkivschyna faction head and former prime minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko for her role in signing natural gas supply contracts with Russia in 2009. Lutsenko said even opening such a case would be impossible.

"I understand how Tymoshenko reacted to criticism [of the deal] and said the Lutsenko-Poroshenko clan is mounting a political repression campaign against her. As a member of the clan, as someone who is personally involving in repressing Tymoshenko, let me inform you that trying someone twice for the same crime is impossible in Ukraine," Lutsenko said during a briefing in Zhytomyr on Friday.

Lutsenko said it would be impossible to open a criminal case against Tymoshenko for signing the gas contract.
PGO to ask Rada to strip another lawmaker of parliamentary immunity soon

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said that he will ask the Verkhovna Rada to strip one more lawmaker of immunity from prosecution soon.

"In the coming days you will hear another report, and we'll wait and see who of the deputies will still hold their seats in fall," Lutsenko said at a briefing in Zhytomyr on Friday.

In his words, there is sufficient evidence to bring to justice the five lawmakers, the consent to whose prosecution has already been requested from the Verkhovna Rada.

"Will there be enough [evidence] for announcing suspicion against them? I think so. Will it be enough for indictment? It is highly probable. But there is still a pre-trial investigation which should be completed within reasonable time. I believe this will happen somewhere within six months," the Prosecutor General said.

On June 21, the Verkhovna Rada received requests for removal of parliamentary immunity from prosecution from five lawmakers: Andriy Lozovy (the Radical Party faction), Oles Dovhy (the People's Will group), Yevhen Deidei and Maksym Poliakov (both of the People's Front faction) and Boryslav Rozenblat (the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction).
Boumbouras Foundation announces a competition to select young Ukrainians to attend one-week long executive leadership program at Harvard Kennedy School in November 2017. Description of the program: Emerging Leaders This program is designed for the next generation of leaders who are serving in developed, developing, newly industrialized, and transitional countries around the world. The curriculum is suited for rising political leaders, policy makers, government managers, military officers, and professionals from nonprofit organizations, public interest groups, and the corporate sector. Dates and venue: November 5-10, 2017, Cambridge, MA, United States Eligibility: Candidates should have 5-15 years of experience. Knowledge of English language is mandatory. Application link: https://hkseeportal.hks.harvard.edu/custom%20login/customlogin.aspx?pname=EL Program brochure: https://exed.hks.harvard.edu/forms/brochure.aspx?programCode=el Application deadline: August 31, 2017. The selected candidates will receive a scholarship that pays all the expenses including the tuition, hotel, meals and airfare from Kyiv to Boston. The announcement of winners will be on September 20, 2017. For questions, please contact Dr. Sergei Konoplyov, Program Director at sergei_konoplyov@hks.harvard.edu
Nokia 9 To Arrive Soon; Will Be Power-Packed With High-End Specs

HMD-Global backed Nokia took the market by a storm earlier this year when the Finnish tech giant revived its classic Nokia 3310 feature phone along with a bunch of other Android smartphones. The company in an effort to enter the smartphone market in its full glory is trying all it can in order to compete and challenge other smartphone makers such as Apple and Samsung. With Nokia 3, 5 and 6 smartphones already out in the market; the company is now being speculated to be working on launching its high-end device, the Nokia 9 to the public.

The firm hasn't revealed any details of the upcoming Nokia 9 smartphone yet. However, timely leaks and previews keep emerging online thereby giving its fans something to live by. The on-going rumors regarding the Nokia 9 smartphone suggest that the device is going to come packed with high-end specifications and is going to fall directly in competition with current leading brands such as Samsung and Apple. Notably, it was only recently reported that HMD Global had actually already filed for certification of a TA-1004 model. This is believed to be Nokia 9. It is interesting to note how almost immediately, bench-marking reports of the apparent Nokia 9 smartphone surfaced online. With this arrived a complete set of leaked specifications regarding the smartphone.

According to the report that surfaced online, the upcoming Nokia 9 smartphone is going to come packed with powerful updates. Moreover, the Nokia 9 device is expected to fall in three different storage capacities. The device might either come in 4GB, 6GB or 8GB RAM version. It appears like Nokia is exploring each user's interests by offering them flexibility through their smartphones. Apart from that, the Nokia 9 smartphone is also believed to be powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 SoC - which is same as what is going to come in Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 and Google Pixel 2. In fact, even the recently-launched OnePlus 5 smartphone is going to arrive with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.

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Hue 196: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam

By Mark Bowden

Atlantic. 610 pp. $30

---

The plan was nothing if not audacious. On Jan. 31, 1968, after months of meticulous preparation, North Vietnamese leaders launched a series of closely coordinated attacks throughout South Vietnam, timed with the start of the Lunar New Year, or Tet to the Vietnamese. Their aim: to deliver a debilitating military blow to U.S. and South Vietnamese forces and incite the southern populace to rise up and overthrow the Saigon-based government of Nguyen Van Thieu. For 21 / 2 years, large-scale fighting had raged in Vietnam, and Hanoi officials hoped in one bold campaign to change the equation and secure victory in the war.

The Tet Offensive did not succeed in this core objective: The general uprising did not occur, and the coordinated attacks were beaten back by American and ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) forces. But the endeavor nevertheless represented a political victory for Hanoi, as it called into question U.S. military leaders' confident - and, as we now know, disingenuous - predictions in earlier months that the war would soon be won. The heavy fighting inflamed American domestic opinion and indirectly caused an embattled President Lyndon Johnson to reject a further increase in the U.S. troop presence and to rule out (publicly at least) a run for re-election. In May, peace talks began in Paris.

Small wonder that Tet looms large in our collective understanding of the war or that it should be the focus of Mark Bowden's vivid and absorbing, if not entirely convincing, new book, "Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam." Hue (pronounced Hway), Vietnam's cultural capital and its third-largest city, was the setting for the most ferocious battle during the offensive. Not since the early days of the French struggle against Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh, in 1946-47, had Vietnam seen this kind of urban warfare, as North Vietnamese army and Viet Cong troops went up against American and ARVN units, often block by block.

By the time the battle ended, on Feb. 25, the U.S./ARVN side had prevailed, but the city lay in ruins. Almost 6,000 civilians had been killed in the fighting, not including several hundred South Vietnamese civil servants who were executed by communist soldiers. The Americans lost 250 Marines and soldiers, and 1,554 more were wounded. ARVN casualties ran approximately twice as high. Deaths incurred by what Bowden refers to as "The Front" (short for the National Liberation Front, but confusing here in that the NLF would typically refer to the Viet Cong alone, not the combined communist forces) totaled between 2,400 and 5,000, depending on which account one trusts.

A veteran journalist and the author of "Black Hawk Down," a gripping account of the brief and disastrous U.S. military campaign in Somalia in 1993, Bowden opts here for the same narrative approach that worked well in the earlier book: a day-by-day, sometimes hour-by-hour, reconstruction of events. There is a potent immediacy to his narrative, an almost cinematic vividness, and the momentum seldom flags, even over more than 500 pages. Given especially the multiple armed forces involved in the battle and the sprawling cast of characters, this is no small feat.

Not the least of the book's virtues is its author's staunch refusal to speak in terms of heroes and villains, at least as far as the fighters and their local commanders are concerned (the respective senior civilian and military leaderships come in for harsher treatment, depicted as arrogant and mostly out of touch). Both sides, the author shows, were capable of acts of courage and of ruthlessness; neither had a monopoly on dedication or self-doubt. The Vietnamese, so often cardboard figures in histories of the war, here emerge as flesh-and-blood players with their own hopes and ambitions and fears - even if the ARVN mostly recedes from view as the story progresses.

As he did in "Black Hawk Down," Bowden relies heavily on interviews to bring the events to life. The recollections of Americans as well as Vietnamese form a core part of his research and a core part of his narrative. At times these individuals evidently were able to recapitulate for him verbatim dialogue from half a century ago - either that, or Bowden has a worryingly casual attitude toward the use of quotation marks. More broadly, the author's minimalist approach to source citation makes it hard to know where he gets a lot of his information. Many chapters have barely any endnotes.

(More minimalism: I've been reading serious nonfiction history books for a long time, and never before have I flipped to the back for the index only to be directed to a website.)

As befitting a battle history of this kind, the book has relatively little to say about the broader political and military context in which the encounter in Hue occurred. When Bowden does venture into this terrain, he is not always sure-footed. For him, as for many authors on the war, a principal problem for the United States in Vietnam was that its leaders supposedly did not understand the environment they had entered, did not comprehend the Vietnamese, did not appreciate the nature of the task before them. He approvingly quotes one American veteran of the battle: "I do not think we really understood much. ... Our policy makers, I do not think really had any grasp at all on what was going to happen."

Color me skeptical. As Bowden's own evidence shows, senior U.S. officials knew long before the Tet Offensive that the obstacles in the way of lasting success in the war were formidable and growing; many of them indeed knew it even before they initiated the air war and sent the first combat troops in early 1965. Although largely ignorant of Vietnamese history and culture, they understood full well that the odds were against them.

For this reason one can question Bowden's assertion that Tet, and the Battle of Hue, was "the pivot point" in the war, after which "the debate was never again about how to win but about how to leave." Discontent in elite and general American opinion had been rising for many months before the offensive; almost certainly, it would have continued to grow even without Hanoi's bold gambit. Militarily, both sides pursued aggressive battlefield operations after Hue, and both drove a hard bargain when the Paris talks commenced in the spring. President Johnson, though no longer officially a candidate for reelection, stuck to a firm bargaining position and quietly hoped that whoever succeeded him would wage the military effort with vigor - as indeed Richard Nixon did. Ten thousand Americans would be killed in Southeast Asia in 1969, as many as in 1967. Not until early 1973 would the negotiators in Paris at long last sign a peace deal.

But fine: If some of Bowden's broader claims are questionable, what remains is still impressive. In "Hue 1968" he has given us an engrossing, fair-minded, up-close account of one of the great battles in the long struggle for Vietnam.

---

Logevall, a historian at Harvard University, is the author most recently of "Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam," which won the Pulitzer Prize for history.
There was a moment in the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings last week that made thriller writers like me sit up and take notice. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions if he liked spy novels. The implication was that the motives for the alleged activities of the Trump administration and campaign were outstripping even the most extravagant plotlines one might find in a Washington conspiracy thriller.

But this raises the inevitable question: In an age of the surpassingly strange - possible election meddling and business favor-peddling and the firing of a real-life director of the FBI - how can a writer like me hope to compete? What are we supposed to write when we're living in a thriller?

Spy novels, and suspense novels in general, start with a tear in the fabric of our usual lives, and often, by story's end, deliver the promise of a restoration of the normal. An assassination plot is averted, a traitor is exposed. Terrorists have stolen a nuclear device and the hero takes the necessary measures, impeded by a timorous bureaucracy. An apocalyptic threat is averted and the status quo is restored.

But what if you're living in a non-normal time, the age of the strange?

Take one of the old standby plots of the Cold War thriller: the mole, the sleeper agent who attains high rank - perhaps even the Oval Office itself! When the president's campaign is suspected of collusion with the Kremlin, that no longer seems quite so shocking a premise. We've grown accustomed to conspiratorial and counter-conspiratorial claims.

Since the birth of the thriller, spy novelists have prided themselves on their ability to presage disaster. An 1871 story "The Battle of Dorking," which anticipated an invasion of England by a German power, inspired hundreds of invasion novels, including the first literary thrillers, "The Riddle of the Sands" by Erskine Childers and later "The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan.

Then came the First World War. As the spy novel developed, its specialty, it turned out, was an uncanny knack for capturing the ambient anxieties of the moment. In the years that led to the next war, great spy fiction like Eric Ambler's "A Coffin for Dimitrios" and Graham Greene's "The Ministry of Fear" dealt with shadowy business interests agitating for armed conflict.

During the Cold War, spy fiction tended to echo the widespread paranoia about Soviet communism. Washington and London were seen as imperiled fortresses doing battle with the Kremlin, under threat from without or within. In Ian Fleming's thrillers, James Bond fends off assassination plots by SMERSH, the Soviet counterintelligence agency. In John le Carre's novels, George Smiley searches for a Soviet mole inside the Circus, the British secret service, MI6.

But along with anti-communism came anti-anti-communism, the fear of homegrown despotism. We worried not just about Stalinism but also about McCarthyism. So we had novels about Soviet conspiracies as well as ones where the real villains exploited Cold War anxiety to seize power themselves. Le Carre's ambivalent spies persevered in a slow simmering corrupt reality, always with a sense of gentle futility. Then there was Allen Drury's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Advise and Consent," with a bad guy who's secretly a communist agent. In Richard Condon's satirical "The Manchurian Candidate," the scion of a prominent political family is brainwashed into becoming a communist assassin.

Watergate and related scandals of the 1970s gave rise to a slew of thrillers of paranoia and disenchantment - paranoia, that is, about the U.S. government, which was portrayed as deeply, irredeemably corrupt. From James Grady's sly novel that became the Robert Redford movie "Three Days of the Condor," to Robert Ludlum's playgrounds of paranoia ("The Bourne Identity," "The Matarese Circle"), the most terrifying enemy wasn't the man in Moscow, but the one who infiltrated our ranks and lurked within. Distrust of government ran rampant; elements in Washington secretly plotted against the interests of the citizenry.

The age of Reagan gave us Tom Clancy's techno-thrillers and his fantasies of a re-heroized America (albeit fettered by the timid pencil-pushers of the Deep State). Sept. 11 begot an age of suspense fiction dealing with the threat of terrorism; the Pentagon even convened some thriller writers to come up with out-of-the-box plots, figuring that we could predict what's next, or at least hazard a respectable guess.

The keynote of the Trump administration is the wrangling over truth. Conspiracy theories, once the novelist's stock in trade, emanate from the Internet like methane from a marsh. The battle is over the truth itself - what it is, who gets to authorize it, which institutions are deemed credible, what's fake and what isn't.

Chances are, the tensions over truth are going to play out in fiction, too. The strangeness of these times have given novelists all kinds of new material for thrillers. You're gonna love it, believe me.

---

Finder is the author of 14 novels, including, most recently, "The Switch."
Johnny Depp apologized Friday for making flip remarks about assassinating the president. In a statement to People, the actor said, "I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump. It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone."

Depp was Glastonbury Festival's inaugural guest at its new Cineramageddon drive-in movie theater in Britain Thursday night, and he certainly gave the place a memorable launch. While introducing a screening of his 2004 movie "The Libertine," he made inflammatory statements about President Donald Trump.

"I think he needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go," Depp said, according to the Guardian.

He then asked the crowd, "When was the last time an actor assassinated the president?"

The answer is 1865, when John Wilkes Booth shot and killed Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre.

"It is just a question - I'm not insinuating anything," he assured the crowd. "By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it."

He also claimed that he wasn't referring to himself, since he's not really an actor.

"I lie for a living," he clarified. "However, it has been a while and maybe it is time."

White House officials were not amused.

"The joke is no laughing matter," Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, told The Washington Post in a phone interview. "These things are real."

Conway called Depp a "nut job" and said his statement was "not a slip of the tongue" but rather a deliberate attempt to spread "vile" ideas that could "easily inflame lunatics who wish to bring harm."

A Secret Service spokesman told The Post that the agency is "aware of the comment in question. For security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities."

Depp is hardly the first celebrity to target Trump.

Madonna came under fire in January, after she said she'd "thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House."

Comedian Kathy Griffin was roundly criticized - and fired from CNN - after she was photographed holding a mask of what looked like President Trump's bloody severed head.

"We expect actors and musicians and others to continue to spew hateful rhetoric," Conway said Friday.

How, she wondered, will people react to Depp's remarks?

"Will people chide him, discipline him or drop him?" she asked.

In a sharply worded statement to The Post, deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it's sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depp's colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a Democrat elected official."

This isn't the first time Depp has aired his feelings about Trump; he played the then-candidate in Funny or Die's "The Art of the Deal: The Movie" in early 2016. But that was mere parody - not something the Secret Service might need to investigate.

Depp has been the subject of plenty of bad press in the past year. First there was the very public implosion of his short marriage to Amber Heard, who claimed the actor had physically abused her. Photos of her bruised face circulated on the Internet.

Meanwhile, Depp sued his business managers, who in turn countersued, going public with some very unsavory accusations about the actor, saying that he has compulsive spending disorder and had squandered hundreds of millions of dollars with an outrageously extravagant lifestyle that included spending $30,000 every month on wine. According to a Hollywood Reporter story about Depp's recent troubles, he was also difficult on the set of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," where he routinely showed up late for work, leaving the cast and crew waiting around for hours.

And now there are his statements at Glastonbury.

If Kathy Griffin's experience joking about Trump's death - by holding up a fake severed head that resembled the president - is any indication, there could be some serious blowback. Griffin ended up making a tearful apology but still lost her New Year's Eve gig with CNN.

This isn't Depp's first public apology. He had to do so on videotape when he and Heard illegally smuggled their dogs into Australia. The formal apology the pair made was stilted and stiff but at least seemed genuine. Later, Depp told Jimmy Kimmel that there had been a few takes of the mea culpa, since it was hard for him to keep his composure.

So much for saying sorry. But Depp said it himself: He lies for a living.
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Schenectady

Lakeesha Scruggs has her sights set on continuing her education at one of the historically black colleges in the Atlanta area.

That wasn't always the case for this feisty Schenectady High School student who admits she had anger problems.

In October, Lakeesha faced the prospect of a months-long suspension that would have cost her most of her senior year after a fight with a female schoolmate over a boy.

A week later during her disciplinary hearing, Scruggs was offered the chance to participate in the 10- to 12-week diversion program at Washington Irving Adult and Continuing Education Center. She had been suspended before.

"I didn't want to go to college before this, but after I did the diversion program and I did the counseling, then I wanted to go," said Lakeesha, 17, who will graduate Friday.

As part of the program, Lakeesha said, probation officers spoke with the teens about making positive choices and the long-term consequences of their behavior, an experience that led her to look at law enforcement officers more positively.

"It felt good to know you could talk with them about your problems and they could help you, and talk you out of things you really shouldn't be doing," she said.

The teen also worked with a therapist who she credited with helping her manage her anger issues.

"She let me know that everything I go through is not always that bad and don't retaliate when things go on because there's a bigger outcome," said Lakeesha.

Lakeesha also benefited from a smaller classroom setting and less nonsense.

"When I was at the high school, my head was cloudy. You got to deal with a lot of drama, so I wasn't really thinking about it, but when I got to Washington Irving doing the diversion program, I think my head got clear so I could think, and I was like, 'What am I going to do as a career after high school?'" she said.

Superintendent Larry Spring said the diversion program, which the district implemented in September, keeps students, particularly African- Americans, out of the criminal justice system.

"In a district where we already wrestle with too many black kids getting arrested, we're looking to decrease, not increase that issue," said Spring, adding that eight out of 10 students who face disciplinary action and have to attend what's called a superintendent's hearings exhibit some behavioral health problems. "We know that suspension and/or the juvenile justice system are really bad prescriptions for behavioral health issues. They do not fix behavioral health issues."

He said that the students who choose the program are separately screened for mental health issues and to determine if they are prone to violent behavior.

An emergency response team that includes the school principal, case manager, parent, probation representative among others then selects the appropriate treatment based on the results of the screening.

For example, a youngster who has a propensity for violence might be required to take three to six weeks of aggression-replacement therapy, said Spring.

On the whole, the superintendent said, students who participate in the program are generally miss less school and tend to stay out of trouble.

To date, 142 students have opted for the diversion program, which is available to students from grades six to 12, according to a school district spokeswoman.

She said of that number, 78 have completed their "prescribed treatment," 26 didn't, and 38 are still working their way through it.

Once she returned to Schenectady High School, Lakeesha recalled the time a group of girls tried to goad her into fighting.

Lakeesha said she argued with them but didn't fight, remembering what her counselor at the diversion program had told her. She walked away and called her mother.

While Patricia 'Pat' Scruggs doesn't remember the incident, she said Lakeesha was doing so well in the diversion program that she had some anxieties when it was time for her to go back to the high school.

"She was doing much better in school, there wasn't no more conflict, and I think the diversion program really did help," Pat Scruggs said.

Her once moody and angry daughter had become more pleasant and serious about her future.

"She was smiling more, and then she started saying what she wanted to go to school for, so now she wants to continue her education and go to college," said Scruggs. "It's boosted her up and made her feel better."

Scruggs said her daughter even began encouraging other students to avoid trouble.

Lakeesha is considering majoring in communications and journalism in college.

"If I didn't do the diversion program, as soon I got back to the high school, I probably would have gotten into another fight because I didn't have the help that I did when I was at the high school before," said Lakeesha.

pnelson@timesunion.com  518-454-5347  @apaulnelson
On this date in ...

1917: Reliable sources in Washington estimated that at least 5,000 men from Albany County would be headed to the war in Europe, adding that the number was likely a conservative estimate. It was expected that nearly 2,000 of those men would be through conscription. And this amount was on top of the men currently in uniform as part of the state or federal services.

1967: Lightning struck a Girl Scout camp on Juanita Island in Lake George, sending 10 girls to Glens Falls Hospital for treatment. The girls were treated for minor burns and shock. All were released. Bolton Landing Police Chief George Phinney said the girls were in their tents when the lightning struck a tree above them during a storm, ripping clothing off of five of them and tearing their shoes off.

1992: The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors voted to resign its seat on the Adirondack Planning Commission, charging that the body no longer spoke to the interests of those it should represent. With the state Legislature likely to vote by the July 4 close of its session on Gov. Mario M. Cuomo's proposed Adirondack Park bill, a majority of county board members felt now was the time to "send a message" to Albany that there was growing discontent.

See http://blog.timesunion.com/history/
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A Webb County Sheriffs Office deputy has resigned after he allegedly used his personal Facebook account to post racial slurs, authorities said.

Romel Salinas resigned Thursday, according to the Sheriffs Office. He had worked there for about five years.

As soon as I heard about these racial slurs, I took immediate action and started an investigation. Based on the immediate investigation findings of which I learned about, I requested termination, said Sheriff Martin Cuellar in a statement released Friday.

READ MORE: Used car dealership owner allegedly involved in Melendez drug ring learns fate in court

Cuellar added that within 45 minutes, Salinas submitted his letter of resignation.

The action by this officer was committed off duty and was an isolated incident. This behavior is not indicative of the men and women of my office, Cuellar stated.

The post

A Texas family notified the Laredo Morning Times about the post earlier this week.

The video was just something shared on our news feed so we watched it," Kayla Donner said. "My husband was glancing at comments before he was going to comment and saw a few of these types of comments. I'm not sure what should be done but this can't be acceptable especially with everything that's going on around America with cops and their brutality."

The post, which was in reference to a video on a group called "Savage Memes," allegedly shows Salinas refer to a person in the video as a racial slur.

RELATED: Local gynecologist arrested on child pornography charges, police say

"I believe, when you take a job such as law enforcement, you have to be held to a certain standard. Outside of his job, he represents that department," Donner said. "It really hurts my heart to see that people still act this way. It's not just adults. It's starting to affect the youth.

"Everyone is going to feel the way they feel but when you have such a public job where you're dealing with different people things like this should not be okay. I've had jobs less important than police where I've had to sign agreements about social media and the things I will and won't post."

jray@LMTonline.com
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A local gynecologist was arrested on possession of child pornography charges, according to Laredo police.

Police identified the doctor as Antonio Salinas, 63, and said he turned himself in this morning with his attorney at police headquarters.

READ MORE: 61-year-old inappropriately touched Laredo-area elementary student multiple times, documents say

Salinas is the co-founder of The OBGYN Specialists of Laredo, according to the clinic's website. He was born in Laredo, attended Martin High School and then served in the United States Air Force and the reserves.

"In 1988, Dr. Salinas relocated to Laredo, Texas and started his private practice," the website states. "In 1994, Dr. Carlos Cruz, Jr., joined him in the business where they both currently work today."

RELATED: Used car dealership owner allegedly involved in Melendez drug ring learns fate in court

The investigation continues. Check back with LMTonline.com for more information as it comes in.
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CORRECTION: A Google Maps Street View image originally published with this story showed a business that was not in fact Lone Star Autoplex. The business that was pictured, Kingsville Trading, a used truck and trailer dealership owned by Homero Vela, has no relation to Lone Star Autoplex and the defendant, Robert Daniel Perez, that are mentioned in the story below.

The owner of a used car dealership who helped a local drug trafficking organization launder money was sentenced to prison Thursday in state court after pleading guilty to using his business to defraud vehicle buyers and sellers.

Robert Daniel Perez, owner of Lone Star Autoplex, entered a guilty plea to theft in the 406th District Court. He was sentenced to five years in prison. His plea came just a day before he was scheduled to surrender himself to prison to begin serving an 18-month sentence that he received in a Laredo federal court in March.

Click through the gallery above to see mugshots of those arrested in connection with the Melendez drug ring.

The plea came as part of an agreement reached with the prosecution to dismiss five other open cases against Perez, 39.

Three cases included thefts of vehicles. Another case deals with a theft charge dating back to May 2013, when Perez allegedly failed to pay back money to the Tex Mex Credit Union, which had cut him a cashiers check for $135,000.

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He was also accused of stealing more than $900,000 from an associate.

Perez entered a guilty plea to a second-degree felony charge of theft for a case in which he unlawfully acquired more than $200,000 worth of vehicles and checks between April 29, 2011 and Jan. 21, 2014.

406th District Court Judge Oscar. J. Hale Jr. sentenced Perez to serve 60 months in prison and granted him credit for time served, which attorneys estimated to be approximately 310 days.

Before being sentenced, Perez apologized to the court for his actions.

Drug trafficking operation

Federal court records indicate Perez used Lone Star Autoplex to assist the Melendez drug trafficking operation, headed by Laredoan Adan 12 Melendez.

Melendez and his two sons ran an organization that distributed cocaine, crack and marijuana in south Laredo from at least 2012 until they were arrested in the summer of 2014.

The organization laundered the proceeds of its drug operations by purchasing motor vehicles and real property, court records state.

Some of these transactions took place at Lone Star Autoplex, where the members of the organization could buy a vehicle for cash and expect Lone Star to falsify the paperwork and conceal the cash purchase.

On Nov. 21, 2014, Perez pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of money laundering conspiracy. He was sentenced in late March to serve 18 months in prison for his involvement in the organization.

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Records state between Feb. 2, 2012 and Nov. 20, 2012, Melendez paid approximately $84,117.92 in down payments and monthly payments to Lone Star Autoplex. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, Melendez did not report any employment income since 2000.

During the same time period, Rafael Lito Andres Melendez paid approximately $32,743.11 in payments. There is no reported employment or income for Melendez, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Adan Melendez is currently serving a life sentence for 32 charges related to drug and money laundering.

Rafael Melendez, who plead guilty in March 2015 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, has not yet been sentenced. He faces up to 40 years in prison.

He is one of nine defendants convicted in the case who await sentencing.
It's not just children and the uninsured who fare poorly under Texas' health care services. The state also isn't great for the elderly and people with disabilities, according to a new AARP report.

Texas ranks 35th in the organization's scorecard of the long-term care services and support that states provide older adults and the disabled, specific benchmarks that reflect a commitment to keeping seniors out of nursing homes. Texas ranked 30th in 2014 and 28th in 2011.

"Millions of baby boomers will be facing greater health needs over the next few decades and this scorecard shows we're still falling short of where need to be to address those needs," said Dr. David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund, which provided funding. "We need to begin now to make care for elders and people with disabilities more available in homes and communities  where many people prefer to be  instead of in institutions like nursing homes."

Texas ranked in the nation's third quartile in 10 categories and the bottom quartile in seven. It ranked in the top two in eight categories.

If Texas improves its performance to the level of the average of the top five performing states, says the report, 347,492 more people would receive Medicaid long-term support services; 43,520 more health and personal care aides would be available for care; 72,349 more low- and moderate-income adults with disabilities would gain Medicaid coverage; and $463 million more would go to home- and community-based services instead of nursing homes.

More than 3.3 million Texas residents provide assistance to help their aging parents, spouses and other loved ones stay at home, said the report. The value of such unpaid care totals about $35.5 billion a year.

The report warned that states must step up the pace of expanding long-term services for the aged because the demand will soar in coming years. Some 10,000 people a day turn 65, and the elder baby boomers will begin to turn 80 in 2028.

The report singled out Texas' high percentage of high-risk nursing home residents with pressure sores and the high percentage of nursing home residents inappropriately receiving anti-psychotic medications. It added that Texas needs to do more to improve and system support for working family caregivers.

You can read a report summary here and the Texas snapshot here.
1 Leak conviction: A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a 3 year prison sentence for a former CIA officer found guilty of leaking government secrets to a reporter. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., affirmed all but one of Jeffrey Sterlings convictions and said there was no need for the man to be resentenced. Sterling was convicted under the Espionage Act in 2015 after being accused of divulging details to New York Times journalist James Risen of a CIA mission aimed at stalling Iranian ambitions to build a nuclear weapon. The operation involved the delivery of flawed nuclear blueprints to Iran in the hopes that they would spend years trying to develop a product that would never work.

2 Ricochet fatality: Deputies in Palmdale (Los Angeles County) opened fire at a charging pit bull. and one bullet apparently ricocheted off the ground and killed a 17-year-old boy who had been helping restrain the dog, authorities said Thursday. The dog, which belonged to the boys neighbor, had bitten one of the deputies and the teen had restrained it behind the apartment complex when it broke loose and charged again, Los Angeles County sheriffs officials said. Deputies said they wounded the dog, but the boy, who was about 40 feet away, was hit by a bullet that had ricocheted off the pavement. He died at a hospital about an hour later.
Kenya's main opposition coalition lodged a High Court challenge seeking to overturn a decision by the electoral body to award a ballot-paper printing contract to a Dubai-based company.

Lawyers for the National Super Alliance expect a decision on the hearing of the case on Friday, the coalition said in an emailed statement. While the Independent Electoral & Boundaries Commission has warned that challenging the contract in court might result in the postponement of the Aug. 8 vote, the country's chief justice has said there won't be a delay.

Opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga has said awarding the deal to Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing Ltd. may compromise the credibility of the Aug. 8 vote because the company has had contact with senior members of the ruling Jubilee Party for at least three years and has links to President Uhuru Kenyatta's family. Kenyatta's office denied the allegations. Al Ghurair denied any links to the president's family, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper said.

The credibility of Kenya's past two elections has been questioned, and a dispute over the outcome of a vote in December 2007 triggered two months of ethnic violence left at least 1,100 people dead. The opposition held protests last year that forced the electoral commission to restructure its board and obtained this year a court's permission to tally ballots in a bid to counter any vote rigging.

The IEBC awarded the contract to Al Ghurair even after the court ruled in February that a previous award to the company failed to comply with electoral laws. IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said Wednesday that the printing of 120 million ballot papers for the vote would start June 23.

The opposition considers Al Ghurair to be "a non-impartial contractor having deep-seated relationships with persons who are actively involved in a partisan manner in the electoral process," Kathleen Openda, the opposition's spokeswoman, said in the statement. The case was filed by NASA's lawyer, Jackson Awele.

The opposition wants to "sabotage the elections" and should present any evidence it has of links between Al Ghurair and the presidency to court, Kenyatta's spokesman, Manoah Esipisu, said by phone on Friday.

"There is no link to the presidency," he said.

The IEBC faces "insurmountable pressure" to organize the vote and its decision to re-award the contract to Al Ghurair may cost it the public's confidence, according to Ahmed Salim, an analyst with Dubai-based Teneo Strategy.

"What is still peculiar is the IEBC's decision to go ahead with Al Ghurair despite all the controversy surrounding the process as well as suspicions expressed by the opposition," Salim said in an emailed response to questions. "Moving ahead with Al Ghurair via single-sourcing does not instill confidence in the IEBC."

The judiciary will handle court cases related to the election quickly so it isn't delayed, Chief Justice David Maraga said in an emailed statement.

---

Njini is based in Nairobi.
Saudi Arabia and its allies presented Qatar with a list of steep demands to end the crisis that has roiled the Gulf for almost three weeks, as diplomats predicted the tiny Gulf state would likely refuse to comply.

The 13 requirements include shutting the Al-Jazeera TV network, cutting back diplomatic ties with Iran, severing relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and ending Turkey's military presence in Qatar, according to two western diplomats in the region familiar with the document, who asked not to be named because they're not authorized to speak publicly. Kuwait, which is mediating the dispute, handed the list to the Qatari government, they said.

Pressure had been mounting on the Saudi-led bloc, which includes Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, to finalize what it wants from Qatar to end the crisis, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on June 21 he hoped the demands "will be reasonable and actionable." One of the diplomats said the list clearly falls short of that, while the other said it was meant to be the basis of secret negotiations rather than being published.

"The demands are severe and and show resolve and determination when it comes to what's at stake," said Sami Nader, head of the Beirut-based Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs. "This is a bargaining position to start talks. That is why they upped the stakes."

The list of demands was first reported by the Associated Press.

The Saudi alliance severed diplomatic and transport links with Qatar on June 5, accusing their fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member of supporting terrorism. The move split families apart, disrupted trade, and threatens to alter long-standing geopolitical alliances. Qatar, which views the action as an illegal siege, has denied the charges.

Qatar's foreign minister on June 19 said his country wouldn't bargain away what it sees as its sovereign rights and called on the Saudi alliance to conduct negotiations in a "civilized way," after first lifting the blockade. He said Qataris were united behind their emir, and called Al-Jazeera and foreign policy as internal affairs not open to negotiation.

The boycotting nations demanded that Qatar stop all funding for individuals, groups or organizations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the U.S. and other countries, and hand over any individuals wanted in these countries.

Qatar gas wealth enabled it to develop foreign policies that came to irritate its neighbors. It backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and armed factions opposed by the UAE or Saudi Arabia in Libya and Syria. Gas also paid for Al-Jazeera, which at various times has embarrassed or angered most Middle Eastern governments.

The channel has supported dissidents against Arab dictators. Over the years, it enraged Saudi, Emirati and Egyptian leaders who have often stopped its transmissions and kicked out its staff.

"Qatar may not fully comply with the list, but it has to take these demands into consideration and finally make a move toward reviewing its foreign policy and the editorial line of the main media outlet, Al-Jazeera," Nader said.

The details of the demands emerged just over a day after Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has led the effort to isolate Qatar, was named as heir to throne, adding to his already sweeping powers.

The move suggests a harder foreign policy line for the key U.S. ally in a region fraught with instability.
ISTANBUL - New tensions erupted Friday in a feud between Qatar and a group of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia after the leak of an onerous list of demands to be met by Qatar, including the shuttering of the Al Jazeera news channel.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar earlier this month, portraying the action as stemming from Qatar's support for extremist groups. The increasingly poisonous rift has split much of the region, elicited confused responses from the United States, a close ally to every party in the dispute, and revealed divides within the Trump administration.

A list of demands by the Saudi-led bloc - first revealed by the Associated Press on Friday - included requirements that Qatar scale back its diplomatic relations with Iran, close down a Turkish military base in Qatar and sever ties with "terrorist organizations," including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State militant group and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Some of the 13 demands addressed long-standing concerns over Qatari support for extremist groups, in Syria, Libya and elsewhere. But others, including a vague requirement that Qatar pay compensation for its "policies" and shut down all news outlets the country operates, appeared designed to punish Qatar for its independence from the Saudi-led bloc.

It was unclear whether the list represented a draft for discussion or a formal demand. Qatar's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the contents of the list, and there were no immediate, official announcements of the submission from any of the states involved.

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, writing on Twitter, blamed the leak on Qatar and called it either an "attempt to undermine serious mediation or yet another sign of callous policy."

The four countries severed ties with Qatar soon after a visit by President Trump to Saudi Arabia. His visit was intended to rally Persian Gulf allies of the United States to take a common stand against extremism and Iranian influence.

Trump appeared to support the move. "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!" he wrote on Twitter.

Other American officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have favored a less confrontational approach and called for mediation with Qatar, which hosts the regional headquarters of the U.S. Central command, the base of air operations for the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier this week, the State Department issued an unusually scalding rebuke of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying they have taken too long to publicly lay out their complaints.

Qatar appeared likely to dismiss many of the demands, including the shuttering of the landmark Al Jazeera television as well as its affiliates. Since its founding in 1996, the Qatari-owned channel has attracted praise and controversy for its frank discussions of delicate topics, its wide coverage of the U.S.-led military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its reporting on the Arab uprisings that started in late 2010.

In recent years especially, the Arabic-language channel has become closely associated with Qatar's promotion of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Sunni Islamists around the region, including those who have advanced extremist or sectarian views on the channel.

The network's highly regarded English-language channel is seen as far more independent than its Arabic counterpart.

The list of demands heavily reflected its sponsors' preoccupation with any challenges to their rule. "Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain," the list said, according to drafts that were circulated.

"Hand over all files detailing Qatar's prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups."

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The Washington Post's Heba Farouk Mahfouz in Cairo and Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - The health-care proposal unveiled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday came under immediate attack from conservative and centrist Republican senators as well as industry officials, casting the bill's viability into doubt even as GOP leaders plan to bring it to a final vote next week.

The 142-page bill, which McConnell, R-Ky., released after weeks of drafting it in secrecy, drew swift criticism from hard-right senators who argued it does not go far enough in undoing Barack Obama's signature health-care law - the Affordable Care Act. It also prompted an outcry from centrist senators and medical organizations worried that it takes on the law, known as Obamacare, too aggressively and would lead to million losing their health care or receiving fewer benefits.

These critics effectively delivered their opening bids in what is expected to be a contentious week of negotiations. McConnell is trying to pass the bill before the July 4 recess, with Republican leaders seeking to quickly learn whether they will be able to fulfill years of promises to roll back the law or whether it's time to turn to other items on their legislative agenda, such as overhauling the tax code.

No Republican senators definitively said they would vote against the bill, instead focusing attention on the provisions that would need to be changed to earn their vote. President Donald Trump predicted the final product is "going to be great" - but only after some more negotiations take place.

The next big showdown will come early next week when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office releases its analysis of the bill. Congress' scorekeeper is expected to release a comprehensive estimate of how many people could lose their insurance coverage under the proposal and what impact it may have on premiums, as well as on the federal budget deficit - numbers many Republican senators said they need to see before making a final decision.

It is unclear what a bill capable of attracting the 50 out of 52 Republicans needed for passage would look like - or whether such a compromise is possible. What is clear is that the bill McConnell released will need to change to survive.

"This current draft doesn't get the job done," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. "But I believe we can get to yes."

Cruz joined forces with three other Republicans - Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah - to issue a statement saying that while they cannot support the bill as written, they are open to negotiating changes that could ultimately win their backing. Cruz, Lee and Paul are pushing for the bill to more fully repeal the ACA, while Johnson has worried that the legislation is being rushed.

On the other end of the GOP spectrum, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she also has "concerns about some of the provisions." She opposes blocking federal funding for Planned Parenthood, as the Senate bill would, and said she was unsettled by the changes to Medicaid that would result in long-term federal spending cuts to the program.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who is up for reelection in 2018 in a purple state that expanded Medicaid under the ACA, said he has "serious concerns" about the Medicaid provisions.

Like the bill that passed the House in May, the Senate measure would cut off expanded Medicaid funding for states - but at a more gradual rate, by phasing out the higher federal spending between 2020 and 2024. But it would enact deeper long-term cuts to the program, which provides health-care coverage for 74 million Americans.

Rick Pollack, president and chief executive of the American Hospital Association, said in a statement that the plan "moves in the opposite direction" in terms of providing health coverage and that "Medicaid cuts of this magnitude are unsustainable and will increase costs to individuals with private insurance."

In a nod to centrist senators, the Senate bill would preserve two of the ACA's most popular provisions: Insurers could not deny coverage based on preexisting conditions, and children could stay on their parents' plans until the age of 26 - though critics said people with past illnesses might not be able to afford plans under the revamped rules.

But the bill would allow states to use an existing ACA program, known as 1332, in which they can file for waivers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that allow them to scale back the requirements for plans offered by insurers.

Some argued the complaints about McConnell's proposal - particularly from the GOP senators who came out quickly and forcefully against it - amounted to little more than posturing that would allow critics to eventually claim credit for reshaping the final version of the bill.

"If anyone actually believes Ted Cruz isn't going to vote for final passage of this bill, well, I have some rainforest in Arizona to sell you," John Weaver, a Republican strategist, wrote on Twitter.

Cruz, who is up for reelection in 2018, helped start a health-care working group that has been huddling for months. Allies have said that Cruz wants and needs to support a repeal bill, leading many to conclude that he will eventually come around.

The Senate bill would abolish the penalties for two of the ACA's central mandates - that individuals must show proof of insurance when filing their taxes and that firms with 50 workers or more must provide health coverage - while providing less money for moderate- and low-income Americans buying insurance on the individual market.

Cruz said he wants to eliminate even more regulations so that insurers can offer cheap plans with bare-bones coverage. He also wants to allow people to buy plans across state lines, expand health savings accounts and cap the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.

McConnell introduced his draft text - which he spent weeks crafting with only a small circle of aides - in a private meeting with Republican senators Thursday morning before showing it to the public.

"Republicans believe we have a responsibility to act - and we are," McConnell said on theSenate floor.

McConnell is privately threatening to bring the bill to a vote next week, even if he does not have the necessary votes, according to two Republicans in close contact with Senate GOP leadership who were granted anonymity to describe private conversations.

But that message may be more of an attempt to pressure Republicans to support the bill rather than an ultimatum,and some aides and outside observers speculated McConnell would pull the bill rather than have it go down in defeat. A McConnell spokeswoman declined to comment.

There is still a dispute over whether Senate rules will allow the bill to include language in McConnell's draft that would deny Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood's services for one year. Federal law already prevents taxpayer funding to pay for abortions, except to save the life of the mother or in the case of rape or incest. But some Republicans want to ban all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which also provides health services such as birth control and preventive screening.

While the House legislation would peg federal insurance subsidies to consumers' age, the Senate bill would factor in income as well, as the ACA does. But younger people would still get more generous subsidies than they do now, and the bill would allow insurers to charge older consumers based on a 5-to-1 ratio, rather than the current 3-to-1 ratio.

"It needs to look more like a repeal of Obamacare rather than that we're keeping Obamacare," Paul said. He expressed displeasure that GOP leaders had not done more to undo the insurance subsides created under Obamacare.

Some medical experts warned that while the adjustments to the tax credits in the Senate proposal are better than the House bill, they would probably still fall short of what is needed.

Sharad Lakhanpal, president of the American College of Rheumatology, said in a statement that they "do not go far enough in ensuring individuals living with rheumatic disease will be able to maintain their current level of coverage."

The bill is being moved under arcane budget rules that allow it to be passed with a simple majority. McConnell has little margin for error in a chamber where Republicans hold a 52-to-48 advantage and Democrats are firmly united against the legislation.

Senate Democrats swiftly protested the bill Thursday, criticizing Republicans for crafting it under secretive conditions and asking for more time to debate and vet the measure. Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republicans were "turning truth upside down" with their promises of an open amendment process next week.

Obama, who has weighed in sparingly on public policy since leaving office, posted a scathing critique of the Senate bill Thursday on Facebook, urging voters from both parties to lobby senators to slow down and renegotiate the measure. "Simply put, if there's a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family - this bill will do you harm," he wrote.

Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (S.D.) made it clear that party leaders are well aware of the challenge they face in marshaling sufficient GOP votes for their proposal.

"Forty-eight. That's not enough to pass," Thune said, counting out the four GOP senators who declared their opposition in a joint statement.

But, he added, "we're not voting yet."

- - -

The Washington Post's Paige Winfield Cunningham, Elise Viebeck, Amy Goldstein and David Weigel contributed to this report.

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Video: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., intends to present the legislation that would reshape a big piece of the U.S. health-care system on Thursday, June 22. Here's what we know about the discussion draft of the bill. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

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Video: Protesters block hallway outside McConnell's office

A group of protesters blocked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) office on June 22nd to oppose the GOP health-care bill and cuts to Medicaid.

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WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday gave a second chance to a U.S. permanent resident who pleaded guilty to a drug charge and faces deportation because his lawyer gave him bad advice.

Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. said Jae Lee's lawyer was "dead wrong" when he advised his client that accepting a plea deal would get him a shorter sentence in jail but not affect his immigration status. After pleading guilty and receiving a one-year sentence, Lee was transferred to a detention center he learned was for those awaiting deportation.

The decision came as the court began winding down its 2016-17 term. Roberts said the court will dispense with six remaining cases Monday, its scheduled final day. There's a possibility that the justices deadlocked on some of them before Justice Neil Gorsuch filled the ninth seat on the court, and they will be scheduled for reargument.

And the court still must decide on President Donald Trump's request that it lift the injunctions imposed by two appeals courts and allow his executive order temporarily barring travelers from six mostly Muslim countries and freezing refugee entries.

In the deportation case, the question for the Supreme Court was whether Lee should be able to withdraw the plea and take his chances at trial, even though he had no defense to the drug charge and faced almost certain conviction. That would result in the same deportation status as the guilty plea, the government argued.

But the court ruled 6 to 2 that the "almost" in the equation meant Lee's right to effective legal counsel was violated.

"But for his attorney's incompetence, Lee would have known that accepting the plea agreement would certainly lead to deportation. Going to trial? Almost certainly," Roberts wrote.

"If deportation were the 'determinative issue' for an individual in plea discussions, as it was for Lee; if that individual had strong connections to this country and no other, as did Lee; and if the consequences of taking a chance at trial were not markedly harsher than pleading, as in this case, that 'almost' could make all the difference," he wrote.

Roberts was joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito Jr. dissented, and the case was argued before Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the court.

Thomas repeated his belief that the Sixth Amendment "does not require counsel to provide accurate advice concerning the potential removal consequences of a guilty plea," repeating the words of an earlier dissent on the subject.

But he, joined by Alito, also said the decision will have "pernicious consequences for the criminal justice system." The decision "provides no assurance that plea deals negotiated in good faith with guilty defendants will remain final."

But Roberts said there will be few cases like Lee's.

He has lived his adult life in the United States, brought to Brooklyn by his parents in 1982 when he was 13, and he has maintained no ties to his native South Korea. He moved to Tennessee, and he's worked in restaurants in the Memphis area. Roberts noted that Lee is the only family member in the United States who could care for his elderly parents.

Lee began to use the drug ecstasy recreationally, and the government says he became a dealer. When police executed a search warrant in 2009, they found 88 ecstasy pills, over $32,000 in cash and a loaded rifle.

When lawyer Larry Fitzgerald began to negotiate a plea deal, Lee told him his top priority was not to be deported. Fitzgerald told him he should not worry each time Lee inquired about his status. But deportation proceedings began immediately upon his guilty plea.

His lawyer at the Supreme Court, John Bursch, said Lee has been in a state jail for close to 7 1/2 years as his case has advanced through the courts.

It is Lee v. United States.

- - -

The court ruled for a federal employee who claims his forced retirement was discriminatory, in a case notable because it drew the first dissent authored by Gorsuch, who joined the court in April.

The 7-to-2 decision, written by Ginsburg, did not address the merits of Anthony Perry's claim that he was forced out at the U.S. Census Bureau. After Perry received notice in 2011 he would be terminated for what Ginsburg called "spotty attendance," he agreed to a 30-day suspension and early retirement. He later filed a complaint.

The question for the court was where Perry could seek judicial review when an employee's case asserts rights under both civil service law and federal anti-discrimination law. Such a claim is called a "mixed case."

Ginsburg cut through a thicket of federal law, procedural rules and court precedents to declare that the answer is federal district court, not the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as a lower court had held.

In objecting, Gorsuch showed the tight allegiance he pledged during his confirmation hearings to meticulously following the words of the law. To find in Perry's favor would require a "tweak" in the law, he wrote.

"If a statute needs repair, there's a constitutionally prescribed way to do it," Gorsuch wrote. "It's called legislation."

That may be harder than going to court, he said, but requiring a legislative fix "isn't some bug in the constitutional design: it's the point of the design, the better to preserve liberty."

Ginsburg responded: "Perry asks us not to 'tweak' the statute but to read it sensibly."

All except Thomas agreed with Ginsburg's reading.

The case is Perry v. Merit Systems Protection Board.

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The court split 5 to 3 on a long-pending case involving private property rights and whether owners in Wisconsin should have been compensated for a local regulation they said reduced the value of their land.

The case was a fact-specific one brought by the Murr family, who claimed the way local regulators analyzed their holdings decreased its value to such an extent that they were owed compensation. The decision, the family said, stopped them from selling part of the land to raise money to pay for improvements to a cabin on another part.

Kennedy, joined by the court's liberals, said the value of the land had not really decreased much and proposed a multipart test judges should look to in future cases.

Conservative legal groups objected to the decision, especially the test. It involves, among other things, "the treatment of the land under state and local law; the physical characteristics of the land; and the prospective value of the regulated land."

Roberts dissented from the opinion, along with Alito and Thomas. He said the result "does not trouble me" because he thought the Murrs could still make good use of the land, which had been two lots the local officials said should be classified as one.

But he said the majority made a complicated formula when a "traditional approach" would do: "State law defines the boundaries of distinct parcels of land, and those boundaries should determine the 'private property' at issue in regulatory takings cases."

The case is Murr v. Wisconsin.
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday that the Trump administration "fully supports" Texas' harsh new ban on sanctuary cities and the Department of Justice will help defend it against a federal court challenge next week.

Lawyers for the tiny border city of El Cenizo, the League of United Latin American Citizens and major cities such as Dallas and Austin say the law requiring them to detain immigrants for federal deportation agents is "patently unconstitutional." On Monday, they will urge U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio to block the law from taking effect Sept. 1.

The state of Texas argues that the government is within its rights to bar localities from interfering with immigration enforcement. Under the law, elected officials could lose their jobs, police chiefs could go to jail, and governments could face fines of up to $25,500 a day if they adopt or enforce policies that prevent law enforcement officers from asking about a person's immigration status or complying with requests to detain immigrants, a job that has been chiefly the responsibility of federal agents.

"President Trump has made a commitment to keep America safe and to ensure cooperation with federal immigration laws," Sessions said in a statement. "Texas has admirably followed his lead by mandating state-wide cooperation with federal immigration laws that require the removal of illegal aliens who have committed crimes."

Luis Roberto Vera, Jr. the national general counsel for the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is a plaintiff in the case, said the Texas law is discriminatory because it primarily targets Hispanics, one of the state's largest groups.

"It's a continuation of Donald Trump's war on Mexicanos," Vera said. "That's the sad part about this."

The faceoff comes amid rising tensions nationwide over the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, and its relentless march forward despite a string of losses in federal courts.

On Friday, congressional aides said House Republicans are advancing two bills that would withhold some federal grant money from so-called sanctuary cities; give greater legal weight to immigration detainers, which are requests from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to local jails to hold immigrants who are being targeted for deportation; and shield local governments from lawsuits related to detainers. A second bill would increase penalties against deported immigrants who return illegally.

Sponsor Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, said bills, which could be voted on as early as Wednesday, "crack down on dangerous sanctuary policies that needlessly put innocent lives at risk."

But advocates say ICE is arresting many immigrants who do not pose a threat to public safety, such as a Falls Church woman deported to El Salvador last week. Some members of Congress have raised concerns about spending limited federal dollars to deport otherwise law-abiding immigrants, who are often parents of U.S. citizens.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, D-New York, criticized the GOP-led House for "conjuring up red meat partisan political bills - like deporting immigrants - despite the major issues facing this country at this time."

Hundreds of local jurisdictions, from county sheriffs to major cities such as New York, have adopted sanctuary policies that limit their cooperation with ICE, the agency that detains and deports immigrants.

Sanctuary cities say aiding immigration agents deters immigrants from reporting crime and could lead to racial profiling and the deportations for minor offenses. In Houston, which sought to join the El Cenizo lawsuit Friday, police noted a sharp decline in reports by Hispanics of sexual assault and violent crime in the first three months of 2017, compared to the same period last year.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says the law would enhance public safety by ensuring that sanctuary cities turn over immigrants who have been arrested for crimes. He and others have cited cases in which immigrants have been released and reoffended.

As a candidate, Trump campaigned against sanctuary cities. On Jan. 25, days after he took office, he issued an executive order vowing to strip federal funding from those that refuse to enforce immigration law.

In April, a federal judge in San Francisco temporarily halted that order after the city and Santa Clara County filed a lawsuit and the Trump administration acknowledged that its crackdown was far narrower than the president and his aides had indicated.

Ten states - including Texas - have backed the Trump administration in the San Francisco case.
WASHINGTON - The White House is becoming increasingly frustrated with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and a close-knit circle of aides over the slow pace of hiring and a chokehold on information and access to Tillerson, according to senior Trump administration officials and others familiar with the rift.

Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil chief executive with no prior government experience, gets some of the blame from White House officials and political advisers anxious to place Republican political appointees in numerous vacant positions at the State Department.

They said Tillerson's deliberate approach to reviewing candidates and his insistence on a detailed department management review and reorganization, informed by his corporate background, has slowed down an already slow process.

Tillerson told Congress last week that dozens of candidates are moving through the system and that the biggest holdup is usually the onerous background paperwork required of new government hires.

But Tillerson also sketched a lengthy timeline for his internal review that would include a period of study and planning through 2017 and changes to the department's structure and staffing next year. In some cases, senior jobs will remain vacant until then, if they are filled at all.

Aides say Tillerson is more concerned about setting the State Department on what he considers a more solid course in the long term than he is in satisfying the demands of political Washington to fill the employment roster.

"I'm listening to what my people tell me are the challenges facing them and how we can produce a more efficient, effective State Department and USAID," Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

For now, Tillerson is surrounded by a core group of about a half-dozen top aides who are responsible for a vast menu of decisions about policy, priorities, staffing and more.

At the center of that small group is State Department chief of staff Margaret Peterlin, a little-known political aide. Although Tillerson's CEO leadership style dictates much of how his front office works, Peterlin's growing number of critics complain that she has built a fortress around her boss that ensures information and decisions flow through her.

"And only her," said one administration official.

The internal Trump administration complaints about Peterlin's role boil down to a tussle over who calls the shots about access to Tillerson and the filling of political jobs.

Peterlin has even tried to limit direct access to Tillerson by White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and other top officials, one outside adviser to the White House said, leaving White House officials to "sneak around" or call Tillerson on his cellphone, that person and administration officials said.

"It is stove-piped," one senior administration official said. "Calls aren't getting returned. It's that kind of crap."

Critics of the Tillerson front office, and of Peterlin in particular, spoke on the condition of anonymity to express frustration with what they said is a closed-ranks approach that could hurt the department's effectiveness.

The director of the White House personnel office, Johnny DeStefano, did not respond to a request for comment.

Others involved in the process, however, said Tillerson aides have sat on or ignored White House requests for action on personnel.

Tillerson is not a politician, and his step-by-step approach to evaluating job candidates may not always fit the expected tempo or political imperatives of Washington, senior aide R.C. Hammond said.

Hammond said Tillerson wants to interview two candidates for most department jobs, such as the numerous assistant secretaries who oversee State Department activities in particular regions of the world.

"The measuring stick he's sort of putting people up against is, is this person qualified to help, are their skills and leadership going to help us achieve the mission?" Hammond said.

"A desire for political patronage does not help a candidate overcome a lack of competence," he said.

The alleged logjam includes what the outside adviser characterized as White House picks for a dozen or more ambassadorships.

Tillerson's team has so far refused to act on the recommendations, the adviser said.

"Not a word back from State," this person said.

Peterlin declined to comment, but Hammond dismissed the notion that she or other Tillerson aides are slow-walking staffing decisions or preventing access to White House officials.

"She is the chief of staff. Her job is to implement what the secretary wants her to do. She leads the staff to be the implementers of what the secretary wants to get done," Hammond said. "Margaret doesn't freelance."

A chief of staff is a gatekeeper by necessity, ensuring that the boss is not inundated with requests and decisions that could be made by others, and that time is used wisely. Previous State Department chiefs of staff, including Hillary Clinton aide Cheryl Mills, were also accused of insularity.

But Peterlin's concentrated power and perceived resistance to White House priorities is puzzling to several administration officials interviewed. Peterlin had been selected by the Trump transition team to prepare Tillerson for his Senate confirmation hearing in January, and became one of the first Trump administration political appointees at the department. She and Tillerson did not know each other well before the confirmation hearing prep sessions.

Peterlin's defenders suggest people might be making her a scapegoat to save face for the White House or Republican advisers when a favored candidate doesn't make the cut.

And Hammond said she is not directly responsible for deciding which White House job recommendations make it to Tillerson's desk. Tillerson is spending about 45 minutes to one hour each week working down lists of candidates for ambassadorships and some other senior positions directly with President Trump or others at the White House, Hammond said.

Any senior figure who needs to talk to Tillerson can do so, Hammond added, citing the frequent back-and-forth between Tillerson's office and the secretaries of defense and treasury, as well as Tillerson's near-daily calls and visits with Trump.

Peterlin's counterpart at the Treasury Department, chief of staff Eli Miller, said he has experienced no holdup or problem in getting information or arranging phone calls through Peterlin and her staff.

"She is very accessible. Really at any time," Miller said. "I work very closely with them and I've never had a problem - early in the morning or late at night."

The allegation of roadblocks can go both ways. One former senior government official who has met with Tillerson for a job said that Tillerson had made the hiring recommendation to the White House, but what followed was "radio silence."

Under somewhat skeptical questioning from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers last week, Tillerson said his goal is a modest reduction in the overall size of the State Department staff and a strategic rethinking of priorities and resources. He defended the Trump administration's proposed budget cut of about 30 percent, although lawmakers of both parties told him the cuts were unreasonable and would not stand.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is planning to step up its lobbying against parts of a bipartisan Senate bill slapping new sanctions on Russian and Iran, a senior official said - an effort that comes as Congress works to clear up an unexpected roadblock to the measure that could give the White House more time to air its concerns to sympathetic House Republicans.

The White House opposes provisions that could be seen as pre-empting the president's powers, the official said. Of particular concern is a congressional review process that would allow the House and Senate to block the president from lifting sanctions.

The House blocked progress on the Senate-passed Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act earlier this week, arguing that it flouted the constitutional provision requiring revenue-raising bills to originate in the House. That prompted accusations from Democrats that the House Republican leaders were trying to stall the bill at Trump's request.

While the procedural snag could be cleared as soon as next week, it remains unclear when the House will take final action.

The Trump administration has publicly warned against impeding presidential prerogatives to relieve sanctions. "We would ask for the flexibility to turn the heat up when we need to, but also to ensure that we have the ability to maintain a constructive dialogue," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week.

The White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk more freely, said the administration's concern is one of separation of powers and not policy toward Russia. The official said the White House expects to see previous officials from Democratic administrations voicing the same concern as the debate plays out in the House.

For Trump, however, the issue is politically fraught because his relationship with Russia and whether Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election have become central themes of his presidency and is the subject of investigations by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and congressional committees. The sanctions bill was passed by the Senate in response to Russia's continued involvement in the wars in Ukraine and Syria and for its alleged meddling in the election.

The president continues to express anger and annoyance at the focus on Russia's role in the election even as his public comments on the matter, such as calling it "all big Dem HOAX!" in a series of tweets earlier this week, have kept the issue in the news.

White House aides this week said the president isn't denying Russia tried to meddle in the election.

"I think he's made it clear and been consistent that while everyone agrees the result of the election wasn't influenced, he think that it probably was Russia," deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Thursday.

House aides said Thursday a solution was being crafted in coordination with the Senate to address the constitutional issue, which dealt with possible revenue from fines that could be levied under the bill.

"Absent Senate action to return the bill and cure the Origination Clause issue, the House will act to preserve its Constitutional rights and 'blue slip' the Senate-passed bill," a Ways and Means Committee aide said, using Capitol Hill lingo for the constitutional objection.

Senate leaders have not said whether they will accept the House's proposed fix, and House leaders have not committed to schedule the bill for a floor vote. But if senators sign off on the proposed changes - which one House GOP aide described as "technical, not substantive" - the bill could be on the floor in July. While the four House committees with jurisdiction over sanctions have not committed to whether they will formally review the legislation a course of action, at least some, including the Foreign Affairs Committee, are expected to waive their right to hold hearings to expedite its passage.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce, R-Calif., told reporters this week that he was prepared to move the bill. "One way or the other, we have to do it very quickly," he said Wednesday, according to the Hill.

If the House takes up the measure, it could set up a veto fight with the White House that Congress is likely to win. A veto-proof majority of senators already voted in favor of the measure. But a showdown between Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress over Russia sanctions would be politically problematic for the party.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Thursday that he personally supports the new sanctions and that Royce is "very eager to move this bill."

"So we want to get this bill cleaned up. We need Foreign Affairs to do their scrub of this legislation, which is what we do every time a bill comes over from the Senate," he said. "But Chairman Royce has indicated he wants to get moving on this quickly, and we want to honor that."

Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report.
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A man arrested last week in San Angelo may be connected to the deaths of two teens killed 29 years ago, according to new details provided by court and police officials.

Tom Green County Lt. Terry Lowe confirmed that San Angelo resident John Cyrus Gilbreath, 47, was arrested on June 12 on charges of possession of marijuana, felon in possession of a firearm and felon in possession of body armor.

A search warrant was issued for his home that same day, and police allegedly found items that make Gilbreath a person of interest in the 1988 slayings of Sally McNelly and Shane Stewart, according to the San Angelo Standard-Times.

RELATED: Governor, DPS offering bigger rewards to help solve South, Central Texas cold cases

The two teens went missing on July 4, 1988, while going to a fireworks display at Lake Nasworthy. Their skeletal remains were found in November near Twin Buttes Reservoir, with their autopsies showing they both died from gunshot wounds, the San Angelo paper reported.

During the search of Gilbreaths home, authorities found three audio tapes that had SS written on them, according to WFMY. Police also found handwritten notes and ledgers that mention the victims, as well as a lock of hair and a fingernail, the station reported.

Authorities also found handwritten notes mentioning the two teens and what they believe to be blood, according to the TV station.

READ ALSO: With $55K reward, family pleads for break in cold case murder of 20-year-old near college campus

Days after Gilbreaths arrest, the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office announced they were teaming up with the FBI to further investigate the new evidence found in the case.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office at 325-655-8111.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
Tesla confirmed on June 22 that it is in talks with Shanghai's government about the possibility of opening the former's first factory in the worlds largest auto market. The electric-car manufacturer said in an emailed statement that it expects to more clearly define its plans for producing electric vehicles in China by the end of the year.

Under the current regulations, a local partner is required for Tesla to establish a manufacturing center in China.

Tesla is deeply committed to the Chinese market, and we continue to evaluate potential manufacturing sites around the globe to serve the local markets, Tesla said in the statement.

Tesla didnt mention with whom it will partner, and speculation lingers after two rumored candidates officially denied that they had any contact with Tesla. Shanghai Lingang Holdings Co. Ltd. dismissed previous media reports late on June 22, saying that the Lingang development zone will not be home to the upcoming China factory, since it has neither been in contact with Tesla nor reached a deal on a factory. Shanghai Electric Group followed with a similar statement.

Teslas announcement came days after U.S. automaker Ford announced plans to shift some production of its Focus model to China starting in 2019, a move that was deemed an act of defiance against the Trump administration's America first doctrine.

U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer said on June 22 that he was troubled by Fords move, and vowed to take countermeasures if the shift was planned for non-economic reasons. Tesla, meanwhile, promised that most of its production will stay in the United States, its most important market which provided $4.2 billion of the company's $7 billion 2016 revenue. China narrowed the gap last year after sluggish sales throughout 2015.

In a document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Tesla recognized that the Chinese market contributed over $1 billion in 2016, with at least 11,000 vehicles ordered. The new factory would theoretically boost Tesla's China sales by eliminating a 25 percent import tariff that made its vehicles pricier in China than in U.S. markets.
AUSTIN -- President Donald Trump's administration on Friday sided with Texas in the lawsuit against the state's new sanctuary cities law.

In a statement, the Department of Justice voiced support for the major provisions of Senate Bill 4, which requires Texas cities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officials. In an accompanying statement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions applauded the bill and said it concurred with President Trump's views on immigration.

"The Department of Justice fully supports Texas's effort and is participating in this lawsuit because of the strong federal interest in facilitating the state and local cooperation that is critical in enforcing our nation's immigration laws," Sessions said.

On Wednesday, the Houston City Council voted to join Austin, San Antonio and Dallas in the lawsuit against the State of Texas in an attempt to block SB4. This move now puts Houston at odds with the federal government.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he is grateful for the DOJ's assistance in defending SB4 against the lawsuit.

"Enforcing immigration law helps prevent dangerous criminals from being released into our communities," Paxton said. "We look forward to working with DOJ lawyers to see that Senate Bill 4 is fully honored in Texas."

Houston City Councilman Larry Green, who voted in favor of joining the lawsuit against SB4, said there are major flaws with the bill, regardless of the DOJ position.

"Obviously our objective is to make sure cities have the right to make decisions in the best interest of cities and not be subjected to laws that don't allow that," Green said.

Over the last eight years, Texas and the federal government have clashed repeatedly in court on a multitude of issues. But the DOJ's support in the lawsuit is another example of the changing relationship between the state and the federal government under President Donald Trump.
San Antonio Rep. Lyle Larson has offered an awfully good explanation why Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed his water legislation this session. He said it was payback for Larsons ethics legislation that would limit pay-to-play politics.

The governor? Neither he nor his office has said much of anything. But his vetoes of good legislation speak for themselves. Abbott nixed five of six Larson bills, and notably six other Larson measures died in the Texas Senate.

Among the casualties, a bill for brackish water development; another bill on using a state fund for desalination and aquifer storage facilities; and others extending ground water permits and promoting conservation easements. Abbott also vetoed a bill from Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, which had the misfortune of featuring a Larson provision to further study aquifer storage and recovery.

Either Abbott has a real problem with water resources, or he has a problem with Larson.

The hunch here is its the latter. Larson told Express-News journalist Peggy Fikac the vetoes were retribution for an ethics bill that would have stopped the governor of Texas from performing traditional pay-to-play politics. In this case, Larsons legislation would have prevented the governor from appointing anyone who made a campaign donation of at least $2,500 in the past year to a board or commission. It would have also restricted existing appointees to donating no more than $2,500 a year.

Sounds reasonable. The bill died in the Senate.

The stated reasoning was a crush of House legislation near the end of the session, but Larson has said Patrick told him his ethics bill ruffled the wrong feathers. A Patrick spokesman disagreed with Larsons account.

Whatever the case  and we are inclined to believe Larson, who put his name to the story  the upshot here is that Abbott vetoed good legislation and lawmakers resisted a meaningful ethics bill.

As Fikac has previously reported, Abbotts appointees have donated more than $8.6 million to his campaigns since 2000, and about a quarter of his appointees were donors last year. Larsons legislation would have limited this kind of practice.

As for the water bills, it was only a few years ago that Texas suffered through a crushing drought. Aquifer levels have recovered  until the next drought comes. Texas must conserve and diversify its water resources. Any decision to sideline legislative efforts in this regard is, at best, regrettable.

Perhaps Abbott should explain his reasoning.
For the cost of a new car, San Antonians can get their hands on a new home with a look that rivals even some of the nicest listings in the Alamo City.

Using neutral colors that "everybody would love" and modern design elements, TRU Homes aims to reverse the notion that manufactured homes can seem "dated," David Eitrem, vice president of marketing of Titan Factory Direct, told mySA.com.
1 Paris attacker: The man killed when he drove his car packed with arms and explosives into a police convoy had pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State and asked his family to remember him not as a suicide bomber but as a martyr, Frances antiterrorism prosecutor said Thursday. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins, citing a letter written in the form of a will dated the day before the Monday attack on the French capitals famed Champs-Elysees Avenue, said the man, born in a Paris suburb, had pledged his allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and practiced shooting to prepare for jihad. Molins said the attacker, whom he identified only as Adam D., had a huge cache of weapons both at home and in the vehicle he drove. The attack was aborted when the car exploded after the driver rammed the lead car in the police convoy, killing himself, Molins said.

2 London fire: An estimated 600 buildings across England could have flammable exterior panels similar to those believed linked to the deadly fire that quickly engulfed a London apartment tower last week, a Downing Street spokeswoman said Thursday. The findings are part of an investigation into the fast-moving inferno at the Grenfell Tower, which claimed at least 79 lives and raised questions about whether the buildings outside coverings, known as cladding, could have contributed to the blaze. British Prime Minister Theresa May said that as a precaution, the cladding in similar tower blocks was being tested. Britain has around 4,000 similar high-rise apartment blocks across the country.
4

Condenan a un filosofo de 80 anos por robar un movil en un pub de Gijon en el que nunca estuvo
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Local News, Crime, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 23 2017

Quincy Adams Gets Extraordinarily Rare 25-Year Sentence For Systematically Trafficking Guns From Florida Gun Shows To NYC.

New York, NY - June 23, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the trial verdict and sentencing of Quincy Adams for his role as one of the leaders of a high-volume gun trafficking ring that funneled firearms from Florida to New York City, often beneath Chinatown buses. Adams received an extraordinarily rare sentence of 25 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, by the Honorable Danny Chun in Kings County Supreme Court. After a month-long jury trial, Adams was found guilty of two counts each of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree (Class B violent felonies) and Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree (Class C felony).

In October 2016, Attorney General Schneiderman released a first-of-its-kind analysis showing that 74 percent of all crime guns recovered by law enforcement originated out of state; nearly nine out of ten (86 percent) of recovered handguns come from out of state. The Attorney Generals report also found that 70 percent of likely-trafficked guns recovered in New York originated from just seven states with weak gun laws  with eight percent coming from Florida alone. The trafficking ring led by Adams was assisted by loopholes in federal law that allow private sales of firearms without a background check; unlike New York, Florida has not closed this so-called gun-show loophole.

Gun trafficking rings drive the gun violence epidemic that is destroying lives in New York and across the country, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Even as we work to make our own communities safer, our efforts are undermined by illegal guns that pour in from other states with weak laws. If you traffic deadly, illegal weapons into New York, we will catch you  and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.

The investigation , dubbed Operation Midnight Run and led by the Attorney Generals Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the NYPDs Firearms Investigation Unit, began in the spring of 2014. The investigation involved a high-volume gun trafficking ring that systematically funneled firearms from Florida to New York City, often beneath Chinatown buses. The Attorney Generals office and the NYPD seized more than 70 illegal guns  including semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, and more  purchased from gun shows in Florida, many of which were then resold in New York for up to four times their original price. As the 196-count felony indictment detailed, Adams helped finance the rings purchases and personally transported a number of the weapons back to New York City.

Prior to Adams trial, the following co-defendants pleaded guilty and received the following sentences:

Natasha Harris  15 years prison with 5 years post-release supervision

Octavio Batista - 12 years prison with five years post-release supervision

Michelle Cantres - 7 years prison with five years post-release supervision

Draxel Clarke - 5 years in prison with five years post-release supervision

Deryl Springs  1-1/3  4 years prison

The trial was prosecuted by OCTF Deputy Chief Diego Hernandez. Deputy Attorney General Peri Alyse Kadanoff runs the Attorney Generals Statewide Organized Crime Task Force, and Jason Brown is the Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice.
Tech & Science, Nature & Weather, Local News, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 23 2017

Clean Energy Initiatives Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions  Equivalent of Removing 50,000-70,000 Cars from New York Roads for 20 Years.

Albany, NY - June 23, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that during fiscal year 2016-2017, NY Green Bank generated $2.7 million in positive net income as a result of $291.6 million in investments in clean energy transactions across New York. Achieved one year ahead of schedule, this positive net income surpassed expectations and NY Green Banks overall portfolio is expected to reduce between 4.3 and 6.4 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is the equivalent of taking between 50,000 and 70,000 cars off the road for 20 years.

"New York is taking aggressive action to reduce our carbon footprint, and through the nation's largest green bank, we continue to invest in smart growth strategies that will help make our communities cleaner, greener and stronger than ever before," Governor Cuomo said. "As the federal government continues to sidestep funding and support of critical clean energy programs, New York will continue to lead the fight against climate change, while working with communities across the state to ensure sustainable initiatives support future generations of New Yorkers."

By generating revenue in excess of expenses, NY Green Bank's positive net income will be re-invested for future transactions, ensuring New York customers are receiving greater clean energy benefits for every public dollar put to use. Additionally, NY Green Bank has demonstrated its ability to support the states transition to a more sustainable, clean energy economy by surpassing the organizations goal of committing $200 million, and ultimately investing $291.6 million in a variety of clean energy transactions in fiscal year 2016-2017.

In addition to achieving positive net income, the organizations investment portfolio reached $346.1 million as of March 31, 2017, as outlined in the NY Green Bank's Annual Business Plan . This achievement is expected to catalyze a total investment of $1 - $1.4 billion into New Yorks clean energy marketplace over the lifetime of the projects.

NY Green Bank is one part of the states 10-year, $5 billion Clean Energy Fund, which is jump-starting clean tech innovation and mobilizing private investment in New York State. The Clean Energy Fund has already experienced successes beyond NY Green Bank  including its NY-Sun initiative that has helped facilitate an 800 percent increase in solar deployment over five years  while reducing customer collections by $1.5 billion by 2025. As a key component of the Clean Energy Fund, NY Green Bank has been garnering strong interest from the private sector  evidenced by the extensive and growing number of submissions received for financing.

"Today's announcement represents a major accomplishment for NY Green Bank and demonstrates the market transformation that is already underway as a result of its investment activities," New York State Chairman of Energy and Finance Richard Kauffman said. "The strong private sector interest in working with NY Green Bank, demonstrated by the $2 billion in requests for their capital received since inception, confirms that NY Green Bank is fulfilling its mission to identify and fill financing gaps in New Yorks expanding clean energy economy."

"Were pleased by the accomplishments weve achieved as an organization, and the positive net income and transaction execution milestones send a strong signal to the marketplace that sustainable infrastructure provides attractive investment opportunities," said Alfred Griffin, NY Green Bank President. "We have built a high-quality organization with a dedicated team of experts in their respective fields, industry-leading sustainable infrastructure finance capabilities, and deep technical knowledge, all of which have enabled us to achieve these milestones today."

"NY Green Bank is driving greater use of clean energy technologies to benefit New Yorkers across the State," said Janet Joseph, Acting President and CEO, NYSERDA. "The significant milestones NY Green Bank has achieved demonstrate that innovative clean energy financing solutions are more important than ever in achieving Governor Cuomo's ambitious energy goals as part of the State's fight on climate change."

Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications Joseph Griffo said, "By investing in transformative clean energy projects that further enhance New York's efforts to become a more sustainable state, we are helping to create the promising foundation for a better future for the next generation of New Yorkers."

Chair of the Assembly Committee on Energy Amy Paulin said, "The Governor's efforts in advancing this state as a leader in clean energy has helped every community become more aware of greenhouse gas emissions and how everyone can reduce their carbon footprint. The results of NY Green Bank are exactly the kind of progress we need to continue taking steps toward a healthier, stronger environment, and I commend our partners at all levels of government for making the future of this state a priority."

NY Green Bank's current active portfolio includes numerous proposed transactions in various clean energy sectors including community solar; residential energy efficiency; residential solar, commercial and industrial solar; municipal, university, school and hospital energy efficiency; and microgrids.

Since its launch in 2014, NY Green Bank has helped nine New York-based companies expand their operations within the state, and seven non-New York-based companies grow their existing footprint within the state. In addition to this progress, two new transactions have closed since March 31, 2017:

Sunrun Inc.  a national solar provider that has accelerated the deployment of over 5,000 solar systems on homes across New York, with support from NY Green Banks financing.

Motivate International Inc.  the largest bike share operator in North America and operator of New York's Citi Bike program, received nearly $50 million in two separate loan products from NY Green Bank. This financing will help fund the completion of the New York Citys Citi Bike program Phase II expansion, which includes the installation of 2,000 new bikes in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods.

This announcement complements Governor Cuomo's leadership in establishing the U.S. Climate Alliance with California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., and Washington State Governor Jay Inslee. The three states formed the alliance in response to the federal governments decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord. The alliance is convening U.S. states committed to achieving the U.S. goal of reducing emissions 26-28 percent from 2005 levels and meeting or exceeding the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan. Announced by New York, California and Washington State on June 1, the alliance now includes 13 members. With input from all participants, the U.S. Climate Alliance will also act as a forum to sustain and strengthen existing climate programs, promote the sharing of information and best practices, and implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy.

About Reforming the Energy Vision
Nature & Weather, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 23 2017

Conflicting Reports Pose Dangers of Radioactive Contaminants on LI.

Long Island, NY - June 23, 2017 - Today Senator John E. Brooks called on the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct an independent investigation into the potentially radioactive contamination of the former Northrop Grumman site in Today Senator John E. Brooks called on the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct an independent investigation into the potentially radioactive contamination of the former Northrop Grumman site in Bethpage

The Senator emphasized that a newly opened investigation is urgently needed and must be independent of any investigations being conducted by the Navy and Northrop Grumman.

Senator Brooks said, We can no longer delay addressing a possibly contaminated site that has the potential to poison our drinking water and our population. We need honest, accurate answers and we need them quickly to protect our water quality and ensure the safety of all Long Island residents. Water is a precious commodity and we will not wait any longer wondering if radioactive contamination is endangering our children.

Senator Brooks also asked for the public release of Grumman-generated reports provided to the DEC office in October 2016 indicating that the company handled radium, uranium, tritium and polonium, among other radioactive materials, during its tenure at the facility. That report directly contradicts previously released statements which assured the public that there was no evidence of the use of radioactive material at the site.
School & Education, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 23 2017

The scouts demonstrated that they have learned to be leaders and completed the tasks necessary to become an Eagle Scout.

Smithtown, NY - June 23, 2017 - Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta attended the Eagle Court of Honor for Boy Scout Troop 301 of St. James at the St. James Lutheran Church, which hosts the troop. The scouts earned their required merit badges, demonstrated that they have learned to be leaders and completed the tasks necessary to become an Eagle Scout.

For his community service project, Erik Stickevers did some work at the Animal Shelter in Smithtown . He built an arbor to mark the entrance to the dog path and created a safety barrier between the exercise yards for the dogs at the shelter. Erics work will enhance the dog walking trail at the site.

Peter Panagiotopoulos decided to do his project to benefit the St. James Lutheran Church as a thank you for hosting the Troops meetings. He removed everything from the basement and then installed a waterproof floor in the recreation area and the office at the Church. He also built a plywood platform to fix an uneven area of the floor. In addition, he added plywood underneath the riser to the staircase to make it look more attractive.

Michael Panagiotopoulos did his community service project for the American Legion Hall in St. James. He renovated the storage area by waterproofing the walls and installed cabinets and a counter top to provide a better working environment for the veterans. His project was done as a thank you to the veterans for all they have done and continue to do for our country.

For his Eagle Scout project, Joseph Madonia built six tables for the Guide Dog Foundation to be used for training and exercising the guide dogs. Prior to Joseph taking on this task, the Foundation had only one table which they could use for this purpose.

At the ceremony, Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta said, Thank you for inviting me as I find attending the Eagle Court of Honor to be an enjoyable part of my job and it makes me proud to know how many Eagle Scouts I have in my legislative district. I am very impressed by how many past Eagle Scouts also attend these ceremonies. Achieving the rank of Eagle Scout is a great accomplishment and one that will be with you for the rest of your lives. You should all be an inspiration to your younger scouts and the other teenagers of this great county."
On June 8, the Department of Justice (DOJ) made an announcement that deserves more attention. Two alleged Hizballah operatives had been arrested inside the United States after carrying out various missions on behalf of the Iranian-sponsored terrorist organization. The plots took the men around the globe, from Thailand to Panama and even into the heart of New York City.

Both men are naturalized U.S. citizens. And they are both accused of performing surveillance on prospective targets for Hizballahs highly secretive external operations wing, known as the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO).

Ali Kourani, a 32-year-old who was living in the Bronx, New York (pictured on the right*), allegedly gathered information regarding operations and security at airports in the U.S. and elsewhere, while also surveilling U.S. military and law enforcement facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Hizballah asked Kourani to identify individuals affiliated with the Israeli Defense Force inside the U.S. and locate weapons suppliers in the U.S. who could provide firearms to support IJO operations as well. Kourani allegedly conducted all of these missions on behalf of his IJO handler, who was safely ensconced back home in Lebanon.

Samer el Debek, a 37-year-old resident of Dearborn, Michigan, is charged with casing security procedures at the Panama Canal and the Israeli Embassy in Panama, identifying areas of weakness and construction at the Panama Canal, and determining for Hizballah how close someone could get to a ship passing through the Canal. His IJO handlers also asked him for photographs of the U.S. Embassy in Panama, as well as details concerning its security procedures. (El Debek told authorities he did not provide Hizballah with the information requested on the American embassy.)

The charges brought against Kourani and El Debek have not been proven in a court of law. They remain allegations that have yet to be weighed by the criminal justice system. Still, the legal filings in both cases provide a unique window into how the FBI and the U.S. government are tracking Hizballahs international terror network, including inside America.

Hizballahs Islamic Jihad Organization first gained infamy in the 1980s, when it orchestrated various attacks on Americans and Europeans in Lebanon and elsewhere. In some ways, the IJO could be credited with launching the modern jihadist war against the U.S., pioneering the use of near-simultaneous suicide bombings. Such tactics would later be adopted by Sunni jihadists, including al Qaeda, with devastating effects.

The IJO has avoided public scrutiny at times. The publics attention has been mainly focused on the Islamic State of late. This is understandable as the so-called caliphate inspires, directs and guides terrorist operations around the globe.

But the U.S. governments recent filings, including the sworn affidavits of two FBI agents responsible for tracking Hizballah, make it clear that the IJO continues to manage a sophisticated, clandestine web of operatives who are trained to carry out Irans bidding.

The IJO uses multiple aliases, including External Security Organization and 910. The government describes it as a component of Hizballah responsible for the planning and coordination of intelligence, counterintelligence, and terrorist activities on behalf of the terror group outside of Lebanon. The IJOs operatives are usually assigned a Lebanon-based handler, sometimes referred to as a mentor, and this person is responsible for providing taskings, debriefing operatives, and arranging training.

The IJO often compartmentalizes its operations, conducting them in stages and sending waves of one or more operatives with separate taskings such as surveillance, obtaining and storing necessary components and equipment, and attack execution. Indeed, the government explains that the IJOs handlers keep the procurement of ammonium nitrate-based products used for bomb-making separate from other terror-related tasks so as to avoid generating additional scrutiny.

Neither Kourani, nor El Debek is accused of conspiring to commit an imminent attack. But US officials think their work was part of longer-term planning.

Pre-operational surveillance is one of the hallmarks of [Hizballah] in planning for future attacks, Commissioner James P. ONeill of the New York Police Department (NYPD) explained in a statement.

The surveillance performed in New York City was done in support of anticipated IJO terrorist attacks, according to the complaint against Kourani.

Reading through the extensive legal paperwork, totaling dozens of pages, one is left to wonder who else Hizballah may have stationed here inside the U.S. as part of its patient plotting.

The sections that follow below are based on the U.S. governments complaints and affidavits. In many cases, these same filings say the details cited were originally provided, in whole or in part, by Kourani and El Debek themselves during interviews with the FBI.

Kourani allegedly admitted he was an IJO sleeper operative

Ali Kourani (also known as Jacob Lewis and Daniel) was born near Bint Jbeil, Lebanon in 1984 and relocated to the U.S. as a young man in 2003. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering in 2009 and a MBA in 2013.

Kourani sat for multiple voluntary interviews with the FBI in 2016 and 2017, and much of the evidence cited in the complaint against him is sourced to his own admissions during these sessions. At one point, he apparently said he hoped to exchange information for financial support and immigration benefits for certain relatives, but the FBI says it didnt agree to this quid pro quo proposal.

Kourani allegedly compared his family to the Bin Ladens of Lebanon, describing one brother as the face of Hizballah in one area of Lebanon. He was first trained at a 45-day Hizballah boot camp in the year 2000. He was just 16 years old at the time, but claimed that his familys connections to a high-ranking Hizballah official named Haider Kourani allowed him to attend the camp. Kourani was allegedly taught to fire AK-47 assault rifles and rocket launchers, as well as basic military tactics.

His familys home was destroyed by an Israeli bombing during the 2006 Lebanon War. Approximately two years later, according to Kourani, he was recruited by Hizballahs Sheikh Hussein Kourani to serve in the IJO.

Kourani described the IJO as being responsible for black ops carried out by Hizballah and the Iranians. Kourani also explained that the IJO is operated by Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who reports directly to Ali Khamenei, the Iranian Supreme Leader.

Kourani told the FBI that he was recruited to join the IJO in light of his education and residence in the United States. But there was another sinister motive for Hizballahs interest in him. The IJO was developing a network of sleepers who maintained ostensibly normal lies but could be activated and tasked with conducting IJO operations, Kourani purportedly said.

Indeed, Kourani identified himself as one of these IJO sleeper operatives, working undercover in the United States and covertly conducting IJO intelligence-gathering and surveillance missions given to him by his handlers in Lebanon.

Kourani identified one IJO handler as Fadi (also known as Hajj) and explained the elaborate security protocols Hizballah took. In addition to be questioned about his own background, Kourani was trained on conducting interrogations, resisting interrogations, and surveillance techniques.

Fadi typically wore a mask during their meetings, explaining that the IJOs golden rule is the less you know the better it is. Fadi acted as Kouranis handler until about Sept. 2015, when Kourani claims he was deactivated by the IJO.

Fadi told Kourani to obtain a U.S. citizenship, a passport and related documents, thereby making it easier for him to travel around the world on behalf of Hizballah. The IJOs man also instructed Kourani on how they could communicate securely, using code words and other basic tradecraft.

IJO surveillance in New York City, including at John F. Kennedy International Airport

The most striking allegations against Kourani involve his surveillance of potential targets in New York City on behalf of Hizballah.

Fadi directed Kourani to surveil and collect information regarding military and intelligence targets in the New York City area, the FBI found. Kourani then conducted physical surveillance on three locations in Manhattan and another in Brooklyn. The buildings he surveilled include: a U.S. government facility, which includes FBI offices; a U.S. Army National Guard facility; a U.S. Secret Service facility; and a U.S. Army Armory facility. Kourani transferred his video surveillance on at least one of these targets to Fadi and other IJO personnel in Lebanon.

According to the complaint, Fadi had Kourani surveil airports in the New York area. In response, Kourani provided detailed information to Fadi regarding specific security protocols; baggage-screening and collection practices; and the locations of surveillance cameras, security personnel, law enforcement officers, and magnetometers at JFK and an international airport in another country.

Fadi tasked Kourani with other missions as well. He told Kourani to obtain surveillance equipment in the United States  including drones, night-vision goggles, and high-powered cameras  so that the underlying technology could be studied and replicated by the IJO. He also had Kourani cultivate contacts who could provide firearms for use in potential future IJO operations in the United States (Fadi allegedly deemed these contacts unsuitable for arms purchases), while also collecting intelligence regarding individualsaffiliated with the Israeli Defense Forces.

El Debeks alleged admissions during interviews with the FBI

As with Kourani, the FBIs case against Samer el Debek is based in no small part on his interviews with the Bureau. El Debek was interviewed in person a total of five times between Sept. 8, 2016 and May 23, 2017, as well as by phone on a number of occasions. His testimony was supplemented with evidence culled from his social media, emails and travel documents.

According to the complaint in his case, El Debek allegedly admitted that: he was first recruited by Hizballah in late 2007 or 2008 and eventually received a salary of $1,000 per month plus medical expenses; he received military training from Hizballah in Lebanon, including how to use assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and other weapons; he was trained on at least four occasions between 2009 and 2013 in surveillance and counter-surveillance techniques; he attended Hizballah religious training, during which a sheikh taught religious rules and topics including martyrdom ideology; he was trained on the handling of explosives and the creation of explosive devices, including landmines, improvised explosive devices and how to remotely detonate such bombs; and he was taught how specifically to target people and buildings.

An FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician discussed the bomb-making techniques Hizballah imparted to El Debek and found that he had a high degree of technical sophistication in this area.

Indirect ties to Irans worldwide terror campaign in 2012

Several of the allegations against Kourani and El Debek connect them  albeit indirectly  to an IJO network responsible for orchestrating a wave of terrorist plots on behalf of the Iranian regime in 2012.

That year witnessed a marked resurgence of Irans state sponsorship of terrorism, through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps  Qods Force (IRGC-QF), its Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), and Tehrans ally Hizballah, the State Department said in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2012. Iran and Hizballahs terrorist activityreached a tempo unseen since the 1990s, with attacks plotted in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Foggy Bottom went on to cite plots and attacks in Cyprus, Georgia, India, Kenya, and Thailand as evidence of Irans worldwide campaign of terror in 2012. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, State Department highlights Irans marked resurgence of state-sponsored terrorism.]

Some of these same plots  all carried out under the direction of Hizballahs Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO)  are referenced in the complaints filed against Kourani and El Debek.

On July 18, 2012, Hizballah bombed a tour bus carrying Israelis at the Burgas Airport in Bulgaria. Five Israelis and one Bulgarian were killed. The Bulgarian government publicly fingered Hizballah as the culprit.

The FBI discussed the Burgas attack with El Debek, who explained that the bomber, Mohamad Husseini, was connected to his family. Husseini was the nephew of El Debeks aunt. El Debek also identified a photograph of Husseini, explaining that he knew of Husseinis membership in Hizballahs External Security unit  meaning the IJO, El Debeks own parent organization.

The complaint does not cite any evidence directly tying El Debek to the Burgas bombing. But the FBI assessed that El Debeks training would allow him to build an explosive device similar to the one that killed several Israelis.

The techniques and methods in which Hizballah trained El Debek to build an improvised explosive device are substantially similar to those used to construct the IED used in the Burgas bombing, FBI Special Agent Daniel M. Ganci wrote in an affidavit. Ganci relied on his conversations with another FBI bomb expert in formulating his assessment.

The complaints cite the IJOs activities in Thailand, pointing to the Jan. 2012 arrest of Hussein Atris, who was detained as he tried to board a flight at Bangkok airport. Atris subsequently led law enforcement personnel to a commercial building near Bangkok that housed a cache of nearly 10,000 pounds of urea-based fertilizer and 10 gallons of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to construct explosives.

Atris wasnt the only Iranian-sponsored operative in Thailand at the time. In Feb. 2012, two Iranian men were arrested by Thai police and a third by Malaysian authorities after the group accidentally set off explosives that were allegedly intended to target Israeli diplomats, according to the State Department. The explosives were similar to bombs targeting Israeli diplomats in Georgia and India during that same timeframe. Still other Iranian agents successfully fled Thailand. All of the operatives traveled through Malaysia to Bangkok.

In 2009, years before the high-profile arrests, El Debek himself traveled to Bangkok, apparently slipping in and out of Thailand unnoticed. According to the complaint, it was El Debeks first mission abroad on behalf Hizballah. El Debek allegedly told the FBI that he was supposed to clean up the explosive precursors left behind at a house in Bangkok by other Hizballah members who were forced to flee because they were under surveillance.

Like his Hizballah compatriots who followed him, El Debek traveled through Malaysia en route to Thailand. While in Malaysia, he met his IJO handler, who provided him with a cover story to use in Bangkok.

El Debek was to hire a sex worker to draw out any surveillance on the house. El Debek told the FBI that he did as his handler instructed him, hiring a female escort to probe for any suspicious activity around the home. While El Debek watched, she entered the home without any problems. Now confident that authorities werent watching the home, El Debek later returned and found approximately 50 boxes containing materials sealed in plastic. He told the FBI that the majority, if not all of the boxes contained ammonium nitrate. He removed as many as he could in his rented vehicle and dumped the rest. Curiously, however, he was instructed a day or two later to return the explosive precursors to the house and pay rent to the landlord. He complied before returning to Lebanon via Malaysia.

The complaint does not explicitly connect the explosive precursors El Debek handled in 2009 to Hizballahs plots three years later. But the charges, assuming they are true, confirm that the Iranian proxy was laying the groundwork for operations in Thailand years in advance.

In May 2009, Kourani made his own suspicious trip, which also may be tied to the events that unfolded in 2012. Kourani traveled to Guangzhou, China, where the manufacturer of ammonium nitrate-based First Aid ice packs was located. The FBI found that these same types of ice packs, from the same manufacturer, were seized in connection with the thwarted IJO plot in Thailand in 2012, as well as a separate foiled operation in Cyprus.

In 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned a number of Hizballah front companies and agents used for procurement around the world. One of these, Stars International, Ltd., has a subsidiary in Guangzhou.

El Debeks surveillance in Panama

Another one of El Debeks alleged missions for Hizballah took him to Panama. He visited the tiny Central American nation twice, with his first trip coming in 2011. El Debek explained that his operational taskings included learning to drive in Panama, determining the cost of opening a business, locating the U.S. and Israeli Embassies, and determining how to get to the Panama Canal. He was instructed to case and identify security procedures at the Canal and the Israeli Embassy, but said his purpose for locating the U.S. Embassy was simply to know its location. According to the complaint, the IJO operative also located hardware stores and other places where acetone and battery acid, both explosive precursors, could be acquired.

El Debeks second alleged mission to Panama came in 2012. This time it was more focused on the Panama Canal, he explained. Hizballah asked him to identify areas of weakness and construction at the Canal, and provide information about Canal security and how close someone could get to a ship. He took a lot of photographs of the Canal, which he later provided to the IJO.

His IJO handlers were keenly interested in the U.S. Embassy, including details about its security procedures, as well as periods of heavy traffic into and out of the U.S. Embassy, and the locations of houses and apartments in close vicinity to it. El Debek claimed he didnt go into the embassy, nor did he take photographs of it, so he did not have a significant understanding of the Americans security procedures. He claimed that he merely informed his IJO handlers that people waiting for a visa appointment entered the Embassy and then waited for their appointment inside.

After returning from Panama to Lebanon, he met with his IJO handler and the handlers superior, providing them with maps, notes, pictures, and the camera he used in Panama.

El Debek said that after performing these missions, however, Hizballah turned on him, accusing him of spying for the United States. He allegedly offered a false confession after repeated interrogations, telling Hizballah that he worked for the FBI, CIA, and police. He supposedly named his American handlers as Jeff and Michael (names he made up) and said he was paid $500,000 for his services to the U.S. government.

It is not clear why Hizballah would think that El Debek had doubled-crossed them.

The cult of martyrdom has become a prominent feature of Sunni jihadism, but El Debeks case includes important reminders that it is still a powerful concept within Iranian-sponsored Shiite jihadism as well. According to the complaint, he performed multiple searches on Facebook using terms such as martyrs of the holy defense, martyrs of Islamic resistance, Hizballah martyrs, and martyrs of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.

Background on Hizballahs Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO)

The world first heard of Hizballahs Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO) in the early 1980s, when Irans terrorist proxy struck American and European targets in Lebanon. The IJO was poorly understood at the time. So when the group claimed responsibility for several operations, and threatened to execute more, there was confusion over which party was the real culprit. Some reporting still reflects the initial uncertainty to this day.

In reality, the IJO was one of Irans and Hizballahs early fronts for waging jihad against the West. Western forces were deployed to Lebanon as peacekeepers in the wake of Israels invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982. The Iranian regime and its surrogates went to work. The CIA found that hundreds of members of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were deployed to Lebanon, where they built terror networks and began spreading Ayatollah Khomeinis radical ideology. The IRGC was based in Baalbek and Iran coordinated the IRGCs activities via its embassy in Damascus, often with the support of Assad regime. The IJO was a key part of these early Iranian plans.

The IJO claimed responsibility for the Apr. 18, 1983 US Embassy bombing in Beirut, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans. According to Langley, the bombing was the deadliest attack in CIA history, as some of the Americans killed were Agency personnel.

After the Embassy bombing, the CIAs William F. Buckley volunteered to serve as Station Chief in Lebanon. In March 1984, the IJO kidnapped Buckley. He died in the terrorists custody in June 1985. The IJO claimed that it executed Buckley in Oct. 1985, months after US officials say he perished.

US officials also identified the IJO as the Iranian arm behind the Oct. 23, 1983 suicide bombs targeting peacekeepers in the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF). Twin vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices rocked the barracks for U.S. Marines and French peacekeepers, killing 241 Americans and 58 French service members. The fingerprints of Hizballahs IJO and its terror master, Imad Mughniyah (pictured on the right), were all over the attacks.

A Sept. 27, 1984 analysis by the CIAs Directorate of Intelligence found that the IJO almost certainly carried out the Apr. 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing, as well as the Oct. 1983 attacks on the Marines and French paratroopers. The CIA referred to Islamic Jihad (or the IJO) as Hizballahs terrorist component, explaining that it operated with Iranian assistance and was determined to drive the US and Israel out of Lebanon and to establish an Islamic state there.

That same CIA analysis pointed to an overwhelming body of circumstantial evidence showing that Hizballah operated with Iranian support under the cover name of Islamic Jihad. Another now declassified CIA assessment concluded that the IJO was not a distinct organization with identifiable leaders, but instead an umbrella name used by a number of Iranian-dominated Shia extremist groups in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East.

An observation in the CIAs Sept. 1984 assessment proved to be a harbinger of things to come. Radical leaders almost certainly viewed the withdrawal of the Marine contingent from Beirut last winter as proof of the effectiveness of terrorist tactics, the Agencys analysts wrote in reference to the aftermath of the IJOs Oct. 1983 bombing.

Iranian-backed Shiite jihadists were not the only ones who held this view. At the time, a certain young extremist named Osama bin Laden was watching as events unfolded in Lebanon. Bin Laden believed that the American withdrawal signaled weakness. While stationed in Sudan in the early 1990s, bin Laden and al Qaeda even turned to Hizballah, Mughniyah and Iran for assistance in learning how to conduct simultaneous suicide attacks. Bin Laden reportedly showed particular interest in learning how to use truck bombs such as the one that had killed 241 U.S. Marines in Lebanon in 1983, the 9/11 Commission later found. Al Qaeda cadres were trained by Hizballah in Lebanon, as well as in Iran.

Hizballahs terrorist innovation would become al Qaedas modus operandi. Bin Ladens men directly modeled the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania after Hizballahs 1983 attacks. As a U.S. court later found, Iran and Hizballah provided al Qaeda with the technical expertise necessary to carry out the 1998 Embassy bombings. Bin Laden believed he could drive the U.S. out of the Middle East if his men replicated Mughniyahs early operations. However, the al Qaeda founder was proven wrong on that score.

Hizballahs IJO was the spearhead for a series of other Iranian-backed, anti-Western operations in Lebanon and elsewhere. Bombings, kidnappings, assassinations  all were tied to the IJO in the 1980s. A car bombing outside of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait in 1983 and the assassination of a Saudi government official in Spain were both claimed by the IJO, according to the CIA.

The 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 was another instance of IJO-orchestrated terror.

Callers claiming to be affiliated with the group phoned in additional threats around the globe, promising more terror if all Western and Israeli forces didnt evacuate Lebanon.

In 1987, on the fourth anniversary of the Marine barracks and French paratroopers bombings, a statement attributed to the IJO was sent to the press. America failed to do anything. It just collected the limbs of its dead and fled from the Muslims fists in Lebanon, the statement read, according to an account in UPI at the time. The group threatened more attacks against American interests. And this, with Gods backing, will occur in other Muslim countries soon at the hands of the students of our blessed martyrs. Photos of two men held hostage by the IJO  American journalist Terry Anderson and French journalist Jean-Paul Kauffman  were attached to the message, along with images the buildings bombed in Oct. 1983. Luckily, both Anderson and Kauffman were subsequently released.

This early campaign of Iranian terror has had lasting effects throughout the region. Some of its participants have continued to push the regimes agenda decades after the fact.

One such figure is commonly known as Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis (also identified as Jamal Jafaar Mohammed Ali Ebrahimi), the deputy commander of Iraqs Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which is currently fighting the Islamic State inside Iraq. Muhandis, a close confidant of IRGC-Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani, was designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist in 2009. The Treasury Department noted that he had participated in the bombing of Western embassies in Kuwait and the attempted assassination of the Emir of Kuwait in the early 1980s. Muhandis was subsequently convicted in absentia by the Kuwaiti government for his role in the bombing and attempted assassination.

Like so many plots during this timeframe, some sources identified Imad Mughniyah as the chief architect of the 1983 embassy bombings in Kuwait  the same attacks Muhandis was later convicted of participating in. One of Mughniyahs family members, Mustafa Youssef Badreddin, was among the 17 people arrested in Kuwait and convicted of carrying out the attacks on the U.S. and French embassies, among other targets. In the years that followed, Irans terrorist proxies repeatedly demanded that members of this group (dubbed the Dawa 17) be released from custody in exchange for Western hostages.

Hizballahs IJO wasnt finished in the 1980s. And its operational reach extended into Central and South America. For instance, the IJO claimed responsibility for the Mar. 17, 1992 suicide truck bombing at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A little over two years later, on July 18, 1994, another Hizballah suicide terrorist drove a bomb-laden vehicle into a Jewish community center (Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina, or AMIA) in Buenos Aires. INTERPOL subsequently issued Red Notices for Mughiyah and several others for their role in the devastating explosions.

Hizballahs IJO allegedly wanted revenge for the death of Mughniyah

In Feb. 2008, Mughniyah was assassinated in a highly professional operation in Damascus, Syria. The hit was likely carried out by the Israelis, possibly with the assistance of their American allies. The recently released court filings indicate that Hizballah has been seeking revenge, including inside the U.S., since then. Those same documents identify Mughniyah as the IJOs leader until his death.

Fadi, the IJO handler, allegedly directed Ali Kourani to identify and collect intelligence regarding individuals in the United States affiliated with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). According to the complaint, Kourani believed that the IJO gave this tasking to facilitate, among other things, assassinations of IDF personnel in retaliation for Mughniyahs death. Kourani used a social media account to identify members or associates [of the IDF] in the New York City area, and he described his search methodology to Fadi.

The cases against Kourani and El Debek suggest that the U.S. government will be forced to contend with Hizballahs international network for the foreseeable future. Just this past week, in fact, the State Department amended its terrorist designation of Hizballah to include additional aliases for the group.

Hizballahs IJO arguably began the current jihadists war against the West in the early 1980s. And it is still plotting more than three decades later.

*The photo of Ali Kourani was first used during a segment broadcast by NY1. A similar image was also used by NBC New York.

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.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced today that Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi, a facilitator who handled millions of dollars for the Islamic State, was killed in a June 16 airstrike in Abu Kamal, Syria.

Al-Rawi is the latest senior Islamic State figure to be taken out in eastern Syria, which has become an especially important stronghold for the jihadists. The US has conducted a series of airstrikes and other operations targeting key personnel in Deir Ezzor province.

Al-Rawis importance was demonstrated in Dec. 2016, when the US and Iraqi governments jointly targeted his financial network. He was designated as a terrorist in what American officials described as the first US actions specifically targeting Islamic State-affiliated money services businesses.

The US Treasury Department also designated two companies involved in moving money for the self-declared caliphate: the Selselat al Thahab Money Exchange, based in Iraq, and the Hanifa Currency Exchange in Abu Kamal. Hanifa was owned and operated by al-Rawi.

In addition to work he did through Hanifa, al-Rawi leveraged his network of global financial contacts to move money into and out of ISIS-controlled territory and across borders on behalf of the group, according to CENTCOM.

He helped pay foreign terrorist fighters and conduct weapons and ammunition deals at a time when the terrorist group was seizing land and committing atrocities across Syria and Iraq. In 2015, his farm was used for weekly meetings attended by senior jihadists and commanders.

Al-Rawi rose through the so-called caliphates ranks and was considered a finance emir as of mid-2016, the US military says.

Treasury described the extensive money handling al-Rawi oversaw on behalf of the Islamic States operations.

He established Hanifa in approximately 2010, years before Abu Bakr al Baghdadis men rose to power. At the time, he used it to exchange currency between exchange houses in Abu Kamal and Turkey. After joining Baghdadis enterprise, however, Hanifa was used exclusively for the Islamic States transactions. Al-Rawi stored large amounts of cash, controlled the value of US dollars in Abu Kamal, facilitated [Islamic State] financial operations and oversaw money exchanges, money storage, and facilitation of payments for the groups fighters.

Al-Rawi pledged bayah (oath of allegiance) to the Islamic State in 2014. And the group considered his fealty important due to his contacts outside of Syria, according to Treasury.

Abu Bakr al Baghdadis operation took control of much of eastern Syria in 2014, winning the loyalty of key commanders who had been previously associated with Al Nusrah Front. Other Al Nusrah officials who refused to bend a knee to Baghdadi were either killed or vanquished to elsewhere in Syria.

Islamic State hub in eastern Syria

While the jihadists have had a base of operations in eastern Syria for several years, the area has become especially significant as the group has lost ground elsewhere. The US militarys campaign of targeted operations has taken out several noteworthy leaders in recent months. The territory in and around Mayadin is a base of operations for the so-called caliphate, as evidenced by the personnel stationed there.

CENTCOM describes three veteran jihadist personalities as al-Rawis close terrorist associates. They are Samir Idris, Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, and Abd al-Basit al-Iraqi. Two of them  Idris and Uzbeki  were hunted down near Mayadin.

Idris, a key ISIS financial facilitator for external terror attacks and an international money launderer, was killed on June 7. CENTCOM says Idris was trusted by senior ISIS leadership to move funds across borders to pay for external terror attacks.

Uzbeki, a close associate of Baghdadi, was also involved in facilitating international terrorist attacks, including the New Years massacre at the Reina night club in Istanbul, Turkey. He was killed on Apr. 6.

Al-Iraqi, the emir of the Islamic States Middle East external networks, was killed on Nov. 12, 2016 in Raqqa, Syria. He was responsible for attacks across the Middle East, including against American, Turkish, and other European targets of interest, and was also involved in assassination plots, hostage situations, convoy reconnaissance, and helped arm, fund and move terrorist fighters, according to CENTCOM.

Still another jihadist killed near Mayadin was Abu Asim al-Jazaeri, who perished in an airstrike on May 11. The US military says that al-Jazaeri, a French-Algerian man, was an ISIS external operations planner and also a trainer in the organizations Cubs of the Caliphate program, which is responsible for indoctrinating a new generation of youths.

Earlier today, the Islamic State released several images (seen below) of young boys attending Cubs of the Caliphate classes in Mayadin. While al-Jazaeri is believed to be dead and the jihadists are under increasing pressure from most sides, the pictures are intended to convey a sense that the caliphate goes on.

For more on the senior Islamic State figures mentioned above, as well as others killed during recent strikes in or near Mayadin, see FDDs Long War Journal reports:

US-led coalition killed emir of Islamic States Middle East external networks

US: Abu Bakr al Baghdadis close associate killed in special operations raid

CENTCOM: Three senior Islamic State foreign fighters killed

CENTCOM confirms Islamic States Grand Mufti killed in airstrike

Images released by the Islamic State today from the Cubs of the Caliphate classes in Mayadin, Syria:

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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KATHMANDU, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A week-long exhibition on China Intangible Culture kicked off here on Thursday, offering Nepalese an opportunity to gain an insight into the rich and abundant Chinese history and culture.

The event hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture has brought the wonderful and profound Chinese culture closer to the Nepalese people, deepening cultural exchanges and promoting cooperation between the two countries.

The event co-organized by the Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and Television of Tianjin and China Culture Center in Nepal has brought over more than 10 artists from China's eastern port city of Tianjin.

"Preservation of cultural heritages is very important and Nepal and China can work together in this field. Through this exhibition, Nepali people will be able to understand more about Chinese culture and heritages," Chinese Ambassador Yu Hong said after inaugurating the exhibition.

The event includes Tianjin Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition, Tianjin Cultural and Innovative Products Show and Weifang Kite making and flying activities.

The exhibition comprises display of wood engraving, painted clay figures, dough molding, straw collage, paper cutting and embroidery products among others.

Since Nepal is enriched with cultural diversity and ancient heritages, authorities said the Chinese way of promoting and protecting heritages can be a practical lesson for Nepal.

Newly-appointed Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Bidhya Sundar Shakya said, "Nepal is rich in culture, language and festivals which should be preserved for future generations. Chinese experience on preservation and development of cultural heritages can be very useful for us."

Appreciating the Chinese support in reconstruction of quake-damaged cultural heritages of the country, he said that such event promoted culture exchange and enhance friendship between the two countries.

Addressing the opening ceremony, representative from the Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and Television of Tianjin said that cultural cooperation between two neighbors could be boosted under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative.

People from various walks of life including school students visited the exhibition and appreciated the unique Chinese intangible culture. The viewers were amazed by the way artisans used various techniques to create beautiful piece of arts.
Jackson Owens follows up his hit single Cant Make It Right, with a new track from his debut EP, For The Better
India's population is expected to surpass China's in about seven years and Nigeria is projected to overtake the United States and become the world's third-most-populous country shortly before 2050, according to a UN report issued on Wednesday.

The report, The World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Population Division, forecasts that the current world population of nearly 7.6 billion will increase to 8.6 billion by 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100.

About 83 million people a year are added to the world population and the trend is expected to continue despite falling fertility rates since the 1960s.

"The population in Africa is notable for its rapid rate of growth, and it is anticipated that over half of global population growth between now and 2050 will take place in that region," said John Wilmoth, director of the population division. At the other extreme, he said, Europe's population will decline somewhat in the coming decades.

The report forecasts that until 2050 half the world's population growth will be concentrated in nine countries: India, Nigeria, Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the United States, Uganda and Indonesia  listed in the order of their "expected contribution to total growth".

Twenty-six African countries are expected to at least double their population.

Nigeria, the world's seventh-largest country, has the fastest growing population of the 10 most populous countries and is projected to surpass the US shortly before mid-century.

China, which has 1.4 billion inhabitants, is expected to be replaced by India as the world's most populous country around 2024. India now has 1.3 billion inhabitants.

The report said fertility has been declining in nearly all regions in recent years.

Between 2010 and 2015, Wilmoth said, "the world's women had 2.5 births per woman over a lifetime  but this number varies widely around the world."

"Europe has the lowest fertility level, estimated at 1.6 births per woman in the most recent period, while Africa has the highest fertility, with around 4.7 births per woman," he said.
COLLINSVILLEA defendant who claimed that he stabbed a man multiple times in self-defense saw his request for bail denied Thursday in Henry County.

Defendant Terry Lewis Dillard, 53, faces charges of malicious wounding in the case. The investigation started after a man arrived at Memorial Hospital on June 11 with multiple stab wounds. According to the criminal complaint, before he was airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, the victim told police he had been stabbed at a home on Fellowship Drive and claimed Terry Dillard committed the crime.

While looking for Dillard and speaking to family members, an investigator was advised that Dillard was also going to the hospital to get checked out. The investigator went back to the emergency department at Memorial Hospital, where he spoke with Dillard. According to the criminal complaint, the Martinsville resident said he stabbed the victim in self-defense.

At the bond hearing Thursday, Dillards father, mother and daughter spoke on his behalf. His daughter said she feels Dillard has an alcohol problem and she is trying to get help for him.

Public Defender Sandra Haley, Dillards lawyer, argued that her client should be granted bail and that conditions could be set. Haley said Dillard is a lifelong member of the community, has family support and that he has a body shop business. Haley reiterated that Dillard says he acted in self-defense. As for what would make the stabbing necessary in self-defense, that's still unclear. Haley didn't present any further statements about what happened on June 11.

Henry County Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Wayne Withers opposed bail being set. He brought up Dillards criminal record and the fact that Dillard was on bond facing two other charges when he was charged with malicious wounding. One is a misdemeanor and the other is a felony count of cocaine possession, for which he has a scheduled trial date of Aug. 7.

Judge Marcus Brinks said Dillards criminal record is not good, adding that it includes a number of crimes of violence, including a rape conviction. That rape conviction was from 2001 and Dillard also faced unlawful wounding charges in 2014, but that was dismissed.

I do not feel comfortable giving him a bond, Judge Brinks said.

HENRY COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

In another bond hearing Wednesday, Brinks set $10,000 secured bond for Shannon Hagee Bowers, 40, of Bassett on a charge of unlawful wounding.

According to a criminal complaint, the victim stated that on May 7, she and Bowers had gotten into an argument at their residence on Irvin Seay Road. The victim claimed that Bowers entered her room, grabbed her by the hair and spit in her face.

The victim stated Bowers left the room, returned with a beer can, and standing about four feet from her, slung a half-full 32-ounce beer can, striking her in the left eye. The victim was transported to the emergency department in Martinsville, where she was advised that she had a fracture to the left side of her nasal bone.

At the bond hearing Thursday, Bowers fiance testified, saying he was at the home during the incident and that the victim was actually the one who attacked.

Judge Brinks set a $10,000 secured bond with several conditions: that Bowers not leave Virginia, have no contact with the alleged victim, refrain from use of alcohol and illegal drugs, and not possess firearms.

Also Thursday in Henry County General District Court, Georgia Jane Flowers, 43, of Ridgeway waived her preliminary hearing on a charge of buying or receiving stolen goods. Judge Brinks sent the case to Circuit Court.

A criminal complaint alleged that between Feb. 12 and Feb. 18, Wright Sawmill on Mill Creek Road was broken into and multiple items were taken. One of the items, a jockey grinder belonging to Wright Sawmill, was recovered on Feb. 28 from a vehicle owned and operated by Flowers. Flowers allegedly stated that she received the grinder from someone on Feb. 27, the complaint said. It added that Flowers allegedly stated she receives and sells items from persons and is allowed a portion of the profit obtained and she knew the item to be stolen.

In another case Thursday, John Taylor Motley, 30, of Martinsville waived his preliminary hearing on a charge of feloniously eluding police. That case was sent to Circuit Court.

On June 1, a deputy was working a traffic-checking detail on Stones Dairy Road (Sanville School) when he observed a white Chevrolet Cavalier turn around in a driveway trying to avoid the traffic detail. The deputy initiated his lights and siren and the Cavalier accelerated as it passed the deputy. According to the criminal complaint, the deputy began pursuit just past Stones Dairy Fire Department.

The Cavalier turned on Crestridge Road, entering several blind curves on the opposite side of the road. Several times during the pursuit, the criminal complaint claimed, the Cavalier was traveling above the posted speed limit. That chase ended as the vehicles engine failed and it came to rest in the 2600 block of Wingfield Orchard Road. At that point, the driver, identified by police as John T. Motley, got out and was taken into custody.

Motley had a suspended license in Virginia with multiple convictions.
MARTINSVILLE  Tropical Storm Cindys remnants could bring the area less rain than forecasters originally thought.

It keeps getting dryer and dryer with every (computerized forecast) model that comes out, James Morrow, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, said Thursday night.

But the storm will not miss Martinsville-Henry County entirely, he said.

After making landfall near the Louisiana-Texas line Thursday morning, Cindy weakened to a tropical depression as it moved toward Arkansas. Original projections by the National Hurricane Center took the storm more toward Southwest Virginia, but later projections took it more toward Kentucky.

Meteorologists at Blacksburg originally anticipated that Cindy would drop at least an inch of rain on Martinsville-Henry County. With the track further west, Morrow said they generally have lowered their expectations to a minimum of a half-inch to -of-an-inch.

Heavier rainfall could occur if the storm spawns a thunderstorm over the area, he said.

Rain was expected to begin Thursday night.

The heaviest rainfall is expected tonight and into Saturday, Morrow said. Flooding is possible because the ground already is saturated from recent heavy rains.

An advisory on the weather services website Thursday night stated that severe thunderstorms are possible today, with the main threat being damaging winds. An earlier advisory mentioned there was a potential for a tornado, but that statement was discontinued later in the day.

A tornado is not out of the question, Morrow said.

He said, however, it will be extremely cloudy today, and that will limit heating from the sun, which in turn will limit the potential for atmospheric instability and shear in high-level winds. Instability and shear are two key ingredients for violent storms such as tornadoes.

After the storm came ashore, tornado warnings were issues in Alabama and Georgia.

Authorities say a suspected tornado near Birmingham, Alabama, crumpled businesses including a fast-food restaurant and a liquor store  and injured one person in the western suburb of Fairfield.

Ten-year-old Nolan McCabe of St. Louis, Missouri. was killed on an Alabama beach when he was hit by debris from the storm, according to the Baldwin County Sheriffs Office. While vacationing with his family, the boy was hit by a log that was picked up and driven by a wave, the sheriffs office reported.

In the low-lying Louisiana town of Lafitte, south of New Orleans, Mayor Tim Kerner urged residents in and around the town to seek higher ground because of rising water.

The tide's rolling in. It's getting to a dangerous level, Kerner said. Streets and yards in the town were covered and Kerner worried that homes, even those in parts of town protected by levees, might be flooded. I'm hoping not, he added.

Certainly it's not been as bad as we feared. That's the good news, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in Baton Rouge. The bad news is it's not over yet."

Edwards said two fishermen reported missing in a coastal area were located and rescued Thursday. A day earlier off Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard helped the four-member crew of a shrimp trawler limp to shore at Freeport after the crew radioed in distress amid fears of sinking.

Weather service statistics show roughly 12 inches of rain had fallen in some spots along the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coasts since Tuesday.

In southwest Louisiana, not far from where Cindy came ashore before dawn, trucks navigated knee-high water in the streets of Cameron Parish  but there was no serious flooding.

We haven't heard of water getting into homes, said Ashley Buller, an assistant in the parish emergency office. Mostly a few downed trees, power outages.

In Gulfport, Mississippi, Kathleen Bertucci said about 10 inches of rain water found its way into her business selling granite countertops.

It's pretty disgusting, but I don't have flood insurance because they took me out of the flood zone, Bertucci said.

Some threats could be lurking in the flood waters, including floating colonies of fire ants that Alabama officials warned about in a statement.

And in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, there was another worry in a neighborhood where streets and some homes flooded Thursday.

One of our safety concerns is alligators, said local neighborhood watch organizer Erin West. We have several alligators in the nearby ponds, and it's springtime and they like to move around during springtime and everything.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao (R) meets with Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in Beijing, capital of China, June 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Vice President Li Yuanchao met with Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in Beijing Thursday, and both sides pledged to increase mutually beneficial cooperation.

Hailing the traditional friendship between China and Ghana, Li said China is willing to take the Belt and Road Initiative and the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as opportunities to deepen bilateral friendly ties.

Li called on the two countries to strengthen political trust, advance people-to-people exchanges and cooperate more in finance, infrastructure, industry capacity, equipment manufacturing, energy and mineral resources, agriculture and fisheries.

Bawumia said Ghana attached great importance to its ties with China and is willing to increase cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the framework of FOCAC.

Prior to the talks, Li held a red-carpet ceremony to welcome the visiting vice president.
MARTINSVILLEResidents who own property seem pleased with the citys revised zoning ordinance, an official maintains.

Roughly 120 property owners contacted the Community Development Department recently with inquiries about the ordinance, Zoning Administrator/Community Planner Susan McCulloch told the Martinsville Planning Commission on Thursday. That number was surprisingly few, she said.

Most of their inquiries were about how the revisions affect specific properties, she said, adding that their concerns were quickly resolved.

The revised ordinance grandfathers existing land uses.

In the end, everybody was like, I dont have anything to worry about, McCulloch said.

The planning commission, which advises Martinsville City Council on land-use matters, voted 3-1 to recommend that the council adopt the ordinance.

Commission member Ural Harris was the dissenter. He voiced concern about how variances from zoning rules will be handled in the future, particularly in regards to setback requirements.

Chairman Tim Martin reminded Harris that the Martinsville Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA)  not the planning commission  is responsible for considering and granting variance requests.

We cant speak for that board, Martin said, referring to commission members.

From my experience with the BZA, Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director Wayne Knox said, the chances are pretty good that youll get a variance if a person has a legitimate need for one. He added that the BZA members seem to be fair-minded, intelligent people.

Harris was not swayed from his viewpoint, but he apparently had no hard feelings. Leaving the council chambers, where the commissions meeting was held, he patted Martin on the back and apologized for casting the dissenting vote, but he said he believed he had to cast it.

Commission members Sarah Krauss and Ellen Wood were not at the meeting.

The council will consider adopting the revised ordinance on first reading Tuesday night. Most city ordinances must be adopted on two readings.

A public hearing on the ordinance held by the council on June 13 was continued until Tuesday nights meeting to give community development staff time to consider public remarks and make any last-minute changes to the document that they thought were needed.

Before giving its approval to the ordinance, the commission made some minor changes to it, such as corrections to grammatical and typographical errors.

Also, some zoning district designations for specific properties were changed on the citys zoning map, based on requests from property owners that city staff members determined were appropriate.

Despite some modifications in 2003, the ordinance has not had a complete overhaul in about 20 years.

The revised ordinance uses charts and graphics in addition to text to help developers and the general public better understand rules and development concepts. For example, it contains a check list for site plans to help people understand what the city needs from them to consider approving plans.

Zoning districts have been renamed to make it easier to understand the types of development they are designed to allow. Some districts are to accommodate newer, as well as future, types of development that stem from economic needs and technological advancements.

Overall, Martin said, the revised ordinance aims to make it easier  not harder for developers and property owners to create developments that will boost Martinsvilles economy, including by helping people start new businesses and bring existing ones to the city.
TODAYS WORD is untenable (uhn-ten-uh-buh l). Example: The arguments offered by the Flat Earth Society were untenable, to say the least.

THURSDAYS WORD was pedantic. It means ostentatious in ones learning; overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching. Example: I dont know, CAN you be excused? replied the annoyingly pedantic teacher.

Fish Fry

A fish fry will be held Saturday at Spirit Led Temple Holiness Church, located at 780 Stony Mill School Road in the Brosville area. The meal will last from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

TODAY IS: National Take Your Dog to Work Day

If your employer allows it, today is a great day to bring mans best friend along to work. If you dont have a dog, you might consider visiting the SPCA of Martinsville-Henry County to adopt a deserving furry friend.

Book Bingo

Its Book Bingo time again. Henry County Parks and Recreation will partner with the Collinsville Library, over at 2540 Virginia Avenue, to hold their monthly event next Tuesday. Itll run from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Theres no cost, but if youd like to donate some books, the library will gladly accept them.

Hospice shaws

Do we have any people out there who like to knit or crochet? Mountain Valley Hospice is looking for folks to join their Prayer Shawl Ministry. Members of the group make shawls and throws for military veterans, as well as for hospice patients and their family members.

Each shawl is unique, and includes a personal prayer from the person who made it. The shawls also receive a blessing from a hospice chaplain when they are brought in at the group gathering.

The group meets on the second Thursday of every month from 10 a.m. until noon at the Martinsville office, over at 730 E. Church Street, Suite 12. The first meeting takes place on August 10. Theres no cost to attend, and everyone is welcome, regardless of skill level.

TRIVIA QUESTION: The hippopotamus is native to Africa. However, an estimated 40 hippos are living in the wild in Colombia, and their numbers are only increasing. How did hippos wind up in Colombia?

THURSDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: There is only one highway in the U.S. that prohibits automotive traffic. In what state would you find it? The answer: Michigan. The highway is known as M-185, and it circles Mackinac Island, a popular tourist destination on Lake Huron. Cars have been banned on Mackinac Island since the 1890s; they spooked the carriage horses, and the good people of Mackinac couldnt abide that. The scenic highway circling the island has remained almost entirely car-free ever since. Theres just one exception to the rule: Emergency vehicles are allowed on the highway. In fact, the only motor vehicle accident in the islands history occurred in 2005 when two emergency vehicles had a minor collision. M-185 has another distinction: Its the only highway in America that has only had a single car accident.
Capitalism is in its deepest crisis in its history. It is an economic, social and political crisis, which is now expressing itself in political turmoil and growing class struggle across the globe. While the ruling class attempts to bury Marxism, it has in fact never been so relevant as it is today. In this updated article Alan Woods explains the essence of Marxism and its role today.

In 1992 Francis Fukuyama published a book entitled The End of History and the Last Man, which became an instant best-seller. In it he loudly proclaimed the demise of socialism, communism and Marxism and the definitive triumph of market economics and bourgeois democracy. The fall of the Soviet Union meant that henceforth only one system was possible: the capitalist market economy, and in that sense, history had ended.

[If you agree with the ideas presented here, join the International Marxist Tendency and help build a revolutionary movement to overthrow capitalism!]

This idea seemed to be confirmed by the apparent success of the market economy, marked by successive years of soaring profits and virtually uninterrupted economic growth. Politicians, central bankers and Wall Street managers were convinced that they had finally tamed the cyclical nature of capitalist development. Everything was for the best in the best of all capitalist worlds.

But history is not so easily disposed of. Since then the wheel of history has turned 180 degrees. Only sixteen years after the appearance of Fukuyamas book the crisis of 2008 brought the entire edifice of global capitalism to the point of collapse, plunging the world into the deepest crisis since the 1930s. And it is still struggling to extricate itself from the abyss.

Every one of the confident predictions of Fukuyama has been falsified by events. Before the collapse of 2008 the bourgeois economists boasted that there would be no more boom and slump, that the cycle had been abolished. They had worked out a wonderful new theory called the efficient market hypothesis, according to which, left to itself, the market would solve everything.

Actually, there is nothing new about this idea. It is merely a repetition of the old idea contained in Says Law, that in a market economy supply and demand will balance each other, thus rendering impossible a crisis of overproduction. Marx demolished that nonsense over a century ago. To the assertion that sooner or later market forces will sort everything out, John Maynard Keynes issued the celebrated reply, In the long run were all dead.

Today not one stone upon another remains of the old illusions. The bourgeoisie and its strategists are in a state of the deepest depression. In the 1930s, Trotsky said that the bourgeoisie was tobogganing to disaster with its eyes closed. These words are precisely applicable to the present situation. They could have been written yesterday.

It is becoming increasingly clear that capitalism has exhausted its progressive potential. Instead of developing industry, science and technology, it is steadily undermining them. Nobody any more believes the constant assurances that we are on the verge of an economic recovery. The productive forces stagnate or decline, factories are closed as if they were matchboxes, and millions are thrown out of work.

All these are symptoms that show that the development of the productive forces on a world scale has gone beyond the narrow limits of private property and the nation state. That is the most fundamental reason for the present crisis, which has exposed the bankruptcy of capitalism in the most literal sense of the word.

Everywhere the symptoms of crisis are manifesting themselves, economically, socially and politically. The huge Chinese economy, which played an important role in boosting world trade and economic growth, is slowing sharply, while Japan is stagnant. The so-called emerging economies are all in crisis to one extent or another. The USA is passing through a social and political crisis that has no precedent in modern times.

On the other side of the Atlantic European capitalism is in a critical state. The plight of Greece provides graphic confirmation of the diseased state of European capitalism. But Portugal and Spain are not much better. And France and Italy are not far behind them. Following its decision to withdraw from the EU, Britain, which used to be seen as one of the most stable countries in Europe has entered a downward spiral of economic crisis, a falling pound and chronic political instability.

The bourgeois economists and politicians, and, above all, all the reformists, are desperately seeking signs of revival to get out of this crisis. They look to the recovery of the business cycle as salvation. The leaders of the working class, the trade union leaders and the Social Democratic leaders believe that this crisis is something temporary. They imagine it can be solved by making some adjustments to the existing system, that all that is needed is more control and regulation, and that we can return to the previous conditions.

But this crisis is not a normal crisis, it is not temporary. It marks a fundamental turning point in the process, the point at which capitalism has reached a historical dead end. The best that can be expected is a weak recovery, accompanied by high unemployment and a long period of austerity, cuts and falling living standards.

The crisis of bourgeois ideology

Marxism is in the first place a philosophy and a world outlook. In the philosophical writings of Marx and Engels we do not find a closed philosophical system, but a series of brilliant insights and pointers, which, if they were developed, would provide a valuable addition to the methodological armoury of science.

Nowhere is the crisis of bourgeois ideology clearer than in the realm of philosophy. In its early stages, when the bourgeoisie stood for progress, it was capable of producing great thinkers: Hobbes and Locke, Kant and Hegel. But in the epoch of its senile decay, the bourgeoisie is incapable of producing great ideas. In fact, it is not capable of producing any new ideas at all.

Since the modern bourgeoisie is incapable of bold generalisations, it denies the very concept of ideology. That is why the post-modernists talk of the end of ideology. They deny the concept of progress simply because under capitalism no further progress is possible. Engels once wrote: Philosophy and the study of the actual world have the same relation to one another as onanism and sexual love. Modern bourgeois philosophy prefers the former to the latter. In its obsession to combat Marxism, it has dragged philosophy back to the worst period of its old, outworn and sterile past.

Dialectical materialism is a dynamic view of understanding the workings of nature, society and thought. Far from being an outmoded idea of the 19th century, it is a strikingly modern view of nature and society. Dialectics does away with the fixed, rigid, lifeless way of looking at things that was characteristic of the old mechanical school of classical physics. It shows that under certain circumstances things can turn into their opposite.

The dialectical notion that gradual accumulation of small changes can at a critical point become transformed into a gigantic leap received a striking confirmation in modern chaos theory and its derivatives. Chaos theory put an end to the kind of narrow mechanical reductive determinism that dominated science for over a hundred years. Already in the 19th century Marxist dialectics was an anticipation of what chaos theory now expresses mathematically: the inter-relatedness of things, the organic nature of relations between different entities and processes.

The study of phase transitions constitutes one of the most important areas of contemporary physics. There are an infinite number of examples of the same phenomenon. The transformation of quantity into quality is a universal law. In his book Ubiquity the North American scientist Mark Buchanan shows this in phenomena as diverse as heart attacks, avalanches, forest fires, the rise and fall of animal populations, stock exchange crises, wars, and even changes in fashion and schools of art. Even more astonishing, these events can be expressed as a mathematical formula known as a power law.

These remarkable discoveries were anticipated long ago by Marx and Engels, who put the dialectical philosophy of Hegel on a rational (that is, materialist) basis. In his Logic (1813) Hegel wrote: It has become a common jest in history to let great effects arise from small causes. This was long before the butterfly effect was ever heard of. Like volcano eruptions and earthquakes, revolutions are the result of a slow accumulation of contradictions over a long period. The process eventually reaches a critical point at which a sudden leap occurs.

Historical materialism

Friedrich EngelsEvery social system believes that it represents the only possible form of existence for human beings, that its institutions, its religion, its morality are the last word that can be spoken. That is what the cannibals, the Egyptian priests, Marie Antoinette and Tsar Nicolas all fervently believed. And that is what Francis Fukuyama wished to demonstrate when he assured us, without the slightest basis, that the so-called system of free enterprise is the only possible systemjust when it is beginning to sink.

Just as Charles Darwin explains that species are not immutable, and that they possess a past, a present and a future, changing and evolving, so Marx and Engels explain that a given social system is not something eternally fixed. The analogy between society and nature is, of course, only approximate. But even the most superficial examination of history shows that the gradualist interpretation is baseless. Society, like nature, knows long periods of slow and gradual change, but also here the line is interrupted by explosive developments - wars and revolutions, in which the process of change is enormously accelerated. In fact, it is these events that act as the main motor force of historical development.

The root cause of revolutionary changes is the fact that a particular socio-economic system has reached its limits and is unable to develop the productive forces as before. Marxism analyses the hidden mainsprings that lie behind the development of human society from the earliest tribal societies up to the modern day. The materialist conception of history enables us to understand history, not as a series of unconnected and unforeseen incidents, but rather as part of a clearly understood and interrelated process. It is a series of actions and reactions which cover politics, economics and the whole spectrum of social development.

The relationship between all these phenomena is a complex dialectical relationship. Very often attempts are made to discredit Marxism by resorting to a caricature of its method of historical analysis. The usual distortion is that Marx and Engels reduced everything to economics. This patent absurdity was answered many times by Marx and Engels, as in the following extract to Engels letter to Bloch:

According to the materialist conception of history, the ultimate determining element in history is the production and reproduction of life. More than this neither Marx nor myself have asserted. Hence, if somebody twists this into saying that the economic element is the only determining one, he transforms that proposition into a meaningless, abstract and senseless phrase.

The Communist Manifesto

The most modern book that one can read today is the Communist Manifesto, written in 1848. True, this or that detail would have to be changed, but in all the fundamentals, the ideas of the Communist Manifesto are as relevant and true today as when they were first written. By contrast, the immense majority of the books written one and a half centuries ago are today merely of historical interest. By contrast, our modern experts would be ashamed to read today what they wrote only yesterday.

What is most striking about the Manifesto is the way in which it anticipates the most fundamental phenomena which occupy our attention on a world scale at the present time. Let us consider one example. At the time when Marx and Engels were writing, the world of the big multinational companies was still the music of a very distant future. Despite this, they explained how free enterprise and competition would inevitably lead to the concentration of capital and the monopolisation of the productive forces.

It is frankly comical to read the statements made by the defenders of the market concerning Marxs alleged mistake on this question, when in reality it was precisely one of his most brilliant and accurate predictions. Today it is an absolutely indisputable fact that the process of concentration of capital foreseen by Marx has occurred, is occurring, and indeed has reached unprecedented levels in the course of the last few decades.

For decades the bourgeois sociologists attempted to disprove these assertions and prove that society was becoming more equal and that, consequently, the class struggle was as antiquated as the handloom and the wooden plough. The working class had disappeared, they said, and we were all middle class. As for the concentration of capital, the future was with small businesses, and small is beautiful.

How ironic these claims sound today! The entire world economy is now dominated by no more than 200 giant companies, the great majority of which are based in the USA. The process of monopolisation has reached unprecedented proportions. The worlds biggest corporations have wealth that far exceeds that of many nation states  a striking illustration of the growing power of big business. A study by the anti-poverty charity Global Justice Now found that the number of businesses in the top 100 economic entities jumped to 69 in 2015 from 63 in the previous year.

Just 147 corporations which form a super entity have control of 40% of the worlds wealth. These mega-corporations are the real rulers of the global economy. The 10 biggest corporations  including Walmart, Apple and Shell  make more money than most countries in the world combined. The value of the top 10 corporations was $285tn (215tn), which is greater than the $280tn worth of the bottom 180 countries, including Ireland, Indonesia, Israel, Colombia, Greece, South Africa, Iraq and Vietnam.

Lenin pointed out that in the imperialist (monopoly-capitalist) stage of development, economic power is concentrated in the hands of the big banks. That analysis is completely confirmed by the present situation. The world economy is dominated by finance capital. The Swiss Federal Institute (SFI) in Zurich released a study entitled The Network of Global Corporate Control that proves a small consortium of corporations  mainly banks  runs the world.

The most powerful banks include:

 Barclays  Goldman Sachs  JPMorgan Chase & Co  Vanguard Group  UBS  Deutsche Bank  Bank of New York Mellon Corp  Morgan Stanley  Bank of America Corp  Societe Generale

The speculative activities of these powerful financial institutions, which are closely connected by a complex web of investment schemes, derivatives and the like, was the catalyst for global financial collapse. James Glattfelder, complex systems theorist at the SFI, explains: In effect, less than one per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network.

The concentration of capital is accompanied by a constant increase in inequality. In all countries the share of profits in the national income is at a record high level, while the share of wages is at a record low. Global inequality is growing, with half the worlds wealth now in the hands of just 1% of the population.

Like a band of voracious cannibals, these gigantic companies are continually devouring each other in mergers and take-overs, where billions of dollars are squandered in a frantic attempt to increase the size and profitability of the big monopolies. This feverish activity does not signify a real development of the productive forces, but the opposite. This corporate cannibalism is inevitably followed by asset-stripping, factory closures and sackings  that is, by the wholesale and wanton destruction of means of production and the sacrifice of thousands of jobs on the altar of Profit.

While preaching the need for austerity, the bankers and capitalists are continuously enriching themselves, extracting record amounts of surplus value from the working class. In the USA the workers are producing on average a third more than ten years ago, yet real wages stagnate or fall in real terms. Profits have been booming and the wealthy are becoming ever wealthier at the expense of the working class.

Globalisation

The Second Congress of the Communist International - Fair useLet us take another, even more striking example: globalisation. The crushing domination of the world market is the most important manifestation of our epoch, and this is supposed to be a recent discovery. In fact, globalisation was predicted and explained by Marx and Engels over 150 years ago. In the Preamble to this remarkable document we read the following:

The bourgeoisie has through its exploitation of the world market given a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country. To the great chagrin of Reactionists, it has drawn from under the feet of industry the national ground on which it stood. All old-established national industries have been destroyed or are daily being destroyed. They are dislodged by new industries, whose introduction becomes a life and death question for all civilised nations, by industries that no longer work up indigenous raw material, but raw material drawn from the remotest zones; industries whose products are consumed, not only at home, but in every quarter of the globe. In place of the old wants, satisfied by the production of the country, we find new wants, requiring for their satisfaction the products of distant lands and climes. In place of the old local and national seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have intercourse in every direction, universal inter-dependence of nations. And as in material, so also in intellectual production. The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible, and from the numerous national and local literatures, there arises a world literature.

Today this analysis has been brilliantly confirmed. Yet when the Manifesto was written, there was practically no empirical data to support such a hypothesis. The only really developed capitalist economy was England. The infant industries of France and Germany (the latter did not even exist as a united entity) still sheltered behind high tariff walls - a fact which is conveniently forgotten today, as Western governments and economists deliver stern lectures to the rest of the world on the need to open up their economies.

So-called globalization is an expression of the inevitable tendency of capitalism to go beyond the narrow limits of the national market and develop and intensify an international division of labour. This opens up a dazzling perspective of future prosperity and co-operation between al the peoples of the world. But under capitalism, this marvellous potential for human development is forced into the straitjacket of production for profit. Far from enhancing the prospects for economic and social advancement, it becomes a finished recipe for the plunder of the entire planet in the interests of giant corporations. Far from lessening the contradictions and reducing the risk of wars and conflicts, it has intensified them, causing one war after another.

On a world scale the results of globalised market economics are horrifying. According to the figures of the UN, 1.2 billion people are living on less than two dollars a day. Of these, eight million men, women and children die every year because they do not have enough money to survive. Everybody agrees that the murder of six million people in the Nazi Holocaust was a terrible crime against humanity, but here we have a silent Holocaust that kills eight million innocent people every year and nobody has anything to say on the subject.

Alongside the most appalling misery and human suffering there is an orgy of obscene money-making and ostentatious wealth. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index the wealthiest 30 people in the world control a staggering portion of the world economy: $1.23 trillion. That is more than the annual GDP of Spain, Mexico, or Turkey.

Eighteen from this group are from the USA. The worlds eight richest billionaires control the same wealth between them as the poorest half of the globes population, the most striking symptom of an ever-increasing and dangerous concentration of wealth. The charity Oxfam, which published the figures, said it was beyond grotesque that a handful of rich men headed by the Microsoft founder Bill Gates are worth $426bn (350bn), equivalent to the wealth of the 3.6 billion poorest people in the world.

Apart from Gates, Amancio Ortega, the founder of the Spanish fashion chain Zara, and Warren Buffet, the big-time investor and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway make up the group.

Others on the list are Carlos Slim Helu, the Mexican telecoms tycoon and owner of conglomerate Grupo Carso; Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon; Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook; Larry Ellison, chief executive of US tech firm Oracle; and Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York and founder and owner of the Bloomberg news and financial information service.

For a rational plan of production

The need to harmonise the vast resources of our planet through a rational plan of production has become an absolute necessity. The capitalist system is an anarchic system, based on greed and the constant search for new ways of exploiting and raping the planet in order to increase the wealth and power of a few. The big corporations have shown a reckless disregard for the environment. In their frantic search for profit they have destroyed the rain forests, poisoned the seas, exterminated species of plants and animals and contaminated the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. The continuation of the capitalist system constitutes a deadly threat to the planet we live in and the very future existence of the human race.

Objectively speaking, all the conditions exist for solving every one of the problems that face us. The human race holds in its hands all the necessary technological and scientific means for eradicating poverty, disease, unemployment, hunger, homelessness and all the other evils that cause endless misery, wars and conflict. If this is not done, it is not because it cannot be done, but because we have run up against the limitations of an economic system based purely on profit.

The needs of humanity do not enter into the serious calculations of the bankers and capitalists who rule the planet. This is the central question, the answer to which will determine the future of the human race. The charity Oxfam calls for a new economic model to reverse the inexorable trend towards inequality. But what is needed is not tinkering with the system but its complete overthrow.

It was the historic task of the bourgeoisie to sweep away all the barriers that prevented the development of the productive forces under feudalism: the local taxes, currencies and tariff barriers, the endless tolls that hindered the free development of trade, the parochial narrowness and the idiocy of rural life. The great conquest of the bourgeoisie was the establishment of the national market and, on that basis, the nation state in the modern sense of the word.

But the development of the productive forces under capitalism has long ago transcended the narrow limits of the national market, which now has become transformed into a barrier to economic development, just as the old local particularisms of feudalism were in the past. The advent of globalization is merely an expression of the fact that the nation state has outlived its usefulness and become an obstacle in the path of human progress.

The two main barriers to the development of humankind are: on the one hand, private ownership of the means of production and on the other hand, that obsolete remnant of barbarism, the nation state. It is the historic task of the proletariat to tear down these barriers to the progress of civilization. Private ownership will be replaced by a democratic plan of production. And the nation state will be consigned to a lumber-room in the museum of historical antiquities.

The socialist revolution will sweep aside all national barriers and free the vast potential for the development of the productive forces by creating a World Socialist Federation that will pool the limitless resources of our planet in a planned and harmonious manner to satisfy the needs of all humanity, not the greed of a few super-rich parasites.

Class struggle

Historical materialism teaches us that conditions determine consciousness. Idealists have always presented consciousness as the motor force of all human progress. But even the most superficial study of history shows that human consciousness always tends to lag behind events. Far from being revolutionary, it is innately and profoundly conservative.

Most people do not like the idea of change and still less of a violent upheaval that transforms existing conditions. They tend to cling to the familiar ideas, the well-known institutions, the traditional morality, religion and values of the existing social order. But dialectically, things change into their opposite. Sooner or later, consciousness will be brought into line with reality in an explosive manner. That is precisely what a revolution is.

Marxism explains that in the final analysis, the key to all social development is the development of the productive forces. As long as society is going forward, that is to say, as long as it is capable of developing industry, agriculture, science and technology, it is seen to be viable by the great majority of people. Under such conditions, men and women do not generally question the existing society, its morality and laws. On the contrary, they are seen as something natural and inevitable: as natural and inevitable as the rising and setting of the sun.

Great events are necessary to permit the masses to throw off the heavy burden of tradition, habit and routine and to embrace new ideas. Such is the position taken by the materialist conception of history, which was brilliantly expressed by Karl Marx in the celebrated phrase social being determines consciousness. It takes great events to expose the unsoundness of the old order and convince the masses of the need for its complete overthrow. This process is not automatic and takes time.

In the past period it appeared that the class struggle in Europe was a thing of the past. But now all the accumulated contradictions are coming to the surface, preparing the way for an explosion of the class struggle everywhere. Everywhere, including in the United States, stormy events are being prepared. Sharp and sudden changes are implicit in the situation.

When Marx and Engels wrote the Manifesto, they were two young men, 29 and 27 years old respectively. They were writing in a period of black reaction. The working class was apparently immobile. The Manifesto itself was written in Brussels, where its authors had been forced to flee as political refugees. And yet at the very moment when the Communist Manifesto first saw the light of day in February 1848, revolution had already erupted onto the streets of Paris, and over the following months had spread like wildfire through virtually the whole of Europe.

We are entering into a most convulsive period which will last for some years, similar to the period in Spain from 1930 to 1937. There will be defeats and setbacks, but under these conditions the masses will learn very fast. Of course, we must not exaggerate: we are still in the early beginnings of a process of radicalisation. But it is very clear here that we are witnessing the beginning of a change of consciousness of the masses. A growing number of people are questioning capitalism. They are open to the ideas of Marxism in a way that was not the case before. In the coming period ideas that were confined to small groups of revolutionaries will be eagerly followed by millions.

We can therefore answer Mr. Fukuyama as follows: history has not ended. In fact, it has hardly begun. When future generations look back at our present civilisation, they will have approximately the same attitude that we adopt towards cannibalism. The prior condition for attaining a higher level of human development is the ending of capitalist anarchy and the establishment of a rational and democratic plan of production in which men and women can take their lives and destinies into their own hands.

This is an impossible Utopia! we will be told by self-styled realists. But what is utterly unrealistic is to imagine that the problems facing humanity can be solved on the basis of the present system that has brought the world to its present sorry state. To say that humanity is incapable of finding a better alternative to the laws of the jungle is a monstrous libel on the human race.

By harnessing the colossal potential of science and technology, freeing them from the abominable shackles of private ownership and the nation state, it will be possible to solve all the problems that oppress our world and threaten it with destruction. Real human history will only commence when men and women have put an end to capitalist slavery and taken the first steps towards the realm of freedom.

London, June 16, 2017
Each week, MassLive showcases pets available for adoption at shelters at rescue organizations across Massachusetts. With the participation of the shelters listed below, many animals should be able to find a permanent home. We also provide some pet-related news items that we hope you will enjoy.

Pet of the Week:Kitty Perry, Dakin Humane Society, Springfield

Kitty Perry is available for adoption at the Dakin Humane Society, Springfield. (Submitted photo)

The Republican Newsroom

Kitty Perry is an 11-year-old cat who has been at the Dakin Humane Society for several months now and is ready for her new home.

Staff describe her as a warm, affectionate gal who is a highly experienced lap cat.

While she prefers to live in an adult home, she has lived with people of all ages, even tiny tots and has lived with a dog, but not with other cats.

To meet Kitty Perry contact a counselor at Dakin at 413-781-4000 to set up an appointment.

MASSACHUSETTS SHELTERS:

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Address: 163 Montague Road, Leverett

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 548-9898



Address: 171 Union St., Springfield

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-4000

Website: www.dakinhumane.org

Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center

Address: 627 Cottage St., Springfield

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Thursday, noon-7 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-1484

Website: tjoconnoradoptioncenter.com

Westfield Homeless Cat Project

Address: 1124 East Mountain Road, Westfield

Hours: Adoption clinics, Thursday, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Website: http://www.whcp.petfinder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westfieldhomelesscatprojectadoptions

Westfield Regional Animal Shelter

Address: 178 Apremont Way, Westfield

Hours: Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 564-3129

Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ma70.html

Franklin County Sheriff's Office Regional Dog Shelter and Adoption Center

Address: 10 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 676-9182

Website: http://fcrdogkennel.org/contact.html

Polverari/Southwick Animal Control Facility

Address: 11 Depot St., Southwick

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 569-5348, ext. 649

Website: http://southwickpolice.com/chief-david-a-ricardis-welcome/animal-control/

Berkshire Humane Society Address: 214 Barker Road, Pittsfield

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 447-7878

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/

Purradise Feline Adoption

Address: 301 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington

Hours: Monday and Tuesday: Closed; Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Friday,10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 717-4244

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/contact-us/

Greyhound Options, Inc.

Address: 43 Sygiel Rd., Ware, MA. 01082

Telephone: 413-967-9088

Website: greyhoundadoptions.org

Animal Rescue League of Boston

Address: 10 Chandler Street, Boston, MA 02116

Telephone: (617) 426-9170 Fax: (617) 426-3028

Website: adoption@arlboston.org

Worcester Animal Rescue League

Address: 139 Holden St., Worcester, MA 01606

Telephone: (508) 853-0030 Hours: Open 7 days a week from noon to 4 p.m.

Website: www.worcesterarl.org
The Massachusetts Senate passed its marijuana bill on Thursday, a revised version that sticks closer to the original provisions laid out in the referendum voters supported last November.

Compared to the House bill passed on Wednesday, the Senate's version makes less severe changes, specifically to the rate at which marijuana would be taxed: the Senators voted 30-5 in favor of the bill, which keeps an original 12 percent tax rate that would vary by local communities.

The House's version of revised pot legislation repealed what voters approved of last fall, taxing the legal substance at a total of 28 percent. Legalization advocates said the high tax rate would keep the black market of marijuana sales thriving.

MA voters told us that they want a safe, accessible, & legal #marijuana marketplace. We can't just repeal & replace what they voted for.  Sen. Pat Jehlen (@senjehlen) June 22, 2017

Sen. Patricia Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat and co-chair of the Legislature's Marijuana Policy Committee, said the Senate's legislation aims to maintain the will of the voters, reduce marijuana use by youths and restore "people and communities who have been damaged by the drug war," according to State House News.

The legislation also includes an amendment by Sen. Joseph Boncore, of Winthrop, which erases past marijuana possession records.

The @MA_Senate adopted my expungement amendment. No person should face collateral consequences for legal activity. #marijuana #mapoli  Senator Joe Boncore (@joeboncore) June 23, 2017

The Senate bill requires town referendums in order to build marijuana shops and facilities. That requirement is yet another contrast to the House legislation, which removed the will of towns to vote on individual marijuana bans in their municipalities.

The revised marijuana legislation cleared by the Senate on Thursday was well-received by "Yes on 4" activists, including spokesperson Jim Borghesani, who wrote the original provisions passed by voters.

"The last two days featured two vastly different legislative approaches to voters' judgment," Borghesani said in an email. "The Senate respected their judgment and tweaked it. The House rejected their judgment and rewrote it."

The next step is three lawmakers from the House and the Senate hashing out a final bill before sending a compromise to Gov. Charlie Baker.
File photo / The Republican

By Peter Goonan

Springfield is using state funds from the Massachusetts School Building Authority as well as city money to tackle a slate of school improvements and repairs this year, primarily during the summer months.

MSBA projects totaling $13.7 million primarily involve major work such as new roofs, windows and doors. The projects are 80 percent state funded and 20 percent city funded.

Another $3.5 million involves various other repairs and improvements funded by the city and its school department. The projects range from painting to a new fire alarm system.

"This is a summer blitz we are doing," Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said in announcing the projects. "You don't have to have a Taj Mahal to have a great school but it does help for a good physical environment for our teachers, our students, our staff and our families."

Above: Left to right, Buildings and Facilities Director Patrick Sullivan, Mayor Domenic Sarno and Schools Superintendent Daniel Warwick, in a prior year inspection of school conditions.

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Dave Roback / The Republican

The "Big 7" school improvement projects

Seven schools are slated for major improvements including some receiving roofs, windors and doors. City and school officials said the average age of schools in Springfield is 55 years old, making it imperative to secure roofs and the building envelopes.

Officials praised the Massachusetts Schoool Building Authority for its major investment over the past decade. New schools annd major school renovations have totaled $650 million over the past decade, exceeding any other school system in the state, officials said.

Projects aided by the MSBA this summer are as follows:

$2,662,470 | Daniel B. BruntonSchool: New windows and doors, Americans With Disabilities (ADA) upgrades

$2,646,869 | Mary M. Walsh: New windows and doors, ADA upgrades

$2,117,130 | Thomas M. Balliet school: New roof and ADA upgrades

$2,103,396 | STEM Middle Academy: Structural upgrades and new roofing system

$1,690,807 | Public Day High School: New windows and doors and ADA upgrades

$1,488,913 | Kensington: New roof and ADA upgrades

$990,659 | Lynch: New roof and ADA upgrades

Above: The Kensington School, which is slated to receive a new roof this summer.

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Submitted photo

Duggan School gets gym floor, multiple upgrades

Summer work at John J. Duggan Middle School includes:

Auditorium finish improvements, $233,451

Fire alarm, $437,025

Flooring installation, $103,238

Gym floor replacement, $201,856

Restroom upgrades, $40971

Underground storage tank removal, $28,398

Duggan VAT abatement, $209.000

Above: Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, left front, and Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick, center, are joined by other city officials at the Duggan School gymnasium to announce various school improvement projects this summer including a new gym floor.

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Chilling at the High School of Commerce

Upcoming work at the High School of Commerce includes:

Pumps/Chiller Tower Replacement, $296,564

Flooring upgrades, $93,497

Lockdown Hardware Upgrade, $47,000

Painting, $32,000

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File photo / The Republican

Early Childhood Center needs work

The Early Childhood Center on Catharine Street will see the following work done:

Boilers, $159,000

New roof, $259,000

Above: Early Education and Care Commissioner Tom Weber along with Mayor Domenic Sarno are seen touring the Early Childhood Center.

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File photo / The Republican

Paving improvements

Paving projects totaling $198,000 will include work on:

Glenwood School, parking lot

Margret C. Ells school, improvements

Mary M. Lynch school, improvements

STEM Middle Acadmey, resurfacing basketball courts

Frank H. Freedman school, dump bin pad/area install

Above: The Glenwood School is among those targeted for paving improvements.

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File photo / The Republican

Summer break allows installation of new fire alarm systems

Fire alarm work is scheduled for:

Hiram L. Dorman School, $108,300

Frank H. Freedman school, $101,000

John J. Duggan Academy, 437,025

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File photo / The Republican

Walsh school gets more attention

While the Mary M. Walsh School was among schools getting new windows and doors, aided by a state grant, the city also is funding other work this summer:

Crawlspace TSI abatement, $69,000

Lockdown hardware upgrade, $34,000

Steam trap/line repair, $34,000

Above: A kindergarten student at the Mary M. Walsh School enjoys green eggs and ham in early 2017 during a Dr. Seuss celebration.

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File photo / The Republican

Other planned improvements

$152,969 | Central High School: Lighting upgrade, press box repair

$139,000 | Chestnut Accelerated Middle School: Cooling tower

$129,000 | STEM Middle Academy: Field installation

$109,000 | German Gerena Community School: Central pump replacement

$75,570 | Glenwood School: Paint entire school, remove oil tank

$44,230 | Sci-tech High School: Chillers control upgrade

$30,000 | Berkshire School: Restroom upgrades

$37,000 | Mary O. Pottenger School: Boiler room sump pump

$73,050 | Various locations: Old TV removal

$105,240 | Design and monitoring of abatements

$39,000 | Moving services for projects
HOLYOKE -- Some call him a terrorist, others a freedom fighter.

Children and adults waited in line Thursday at Carlos Vega Park to pose for photos with the 74-year-old man convicted on charges of transporting weapons and explosives with intent to kill.

But Oscar Lopez Rivera said he rejects labels and he walked out of prison recently after over 35 years with his honor and dignity strong as ever.

"People have their own opinons. They can say whatever they please. As as I'm concerned, I chose to serve a just and noble cause and there's plenty of evidence that shows that's what I did all my life," Lopez Rivera said in remarks to reporters.

"And for me, labels don't matter. People can label me anything they want to label me with. The only thing that I'm concerned with is what I do, what I did and what I'll be doing in the future.

"And all my actions have been actions of love, love for my people, love for the future of my people, love for humanity. So I don't have any problems with people and their labels. People who know me would never say that about me."

Lopez Rivera was celebrated at a gathering at the park on Hamilton Street in the afternoon and scheduled events included a fundraiser to benefit the Oscar Lopez Rivera Foundation and a "community conversation" about the Puerto Rican diaspora.

Nelson R. Roman, the Ward 2 representative on the City Council, organized the events for Lopez Rivera after succeeding last year in having the Council approve a resolution calling for his freedom.

Lopez Rivera had his prison sentence commuted in January by former President Barack Obama. He had served over 35 years of an over 70-year sentence after having been sent to prison for "seditious conspiracy" related to his participation in a Puerto Rican nationalist group. He was held at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Lopez Rivera was sentenced to prison for transportation of firearms with the intent to commit violent crimes, and transportation of explosives with intent to kill and injure people and to destroy government property. He was never charged with carrying out acts of violence.

The New York Times reported that Lopez Rivera was associated with the militant group F.A.L.N., which is the Spanish acronym for the Armed Forces of National Liberation. The group tried to win independence for Puerto Rico, which became a territory of the United States in 1898 after it was acquired from Spain following the Spanish-American War.

In 1975, F.A.L.N. committed a bombing at Fraunces Tavern in Lower Manhattan that killed four men and injured dozens.

With music and cheers in Spanish and seemingly everyone snapping photos with their phones, the praise for Lopez Rivera, a Vietnam War veteran, was lavish.

"Our freedom fighter, our Mandela, he's our phoenix, our guiding star" said Roman.

"This guy, he's a national hero. They should have let him go many years ago," said Jose Bou, owner of Salsarengue Resturant and Bar, 392 High St.

"For the young ones that are here, I need you to think about how historic this moment is, OK?" Ward 4 Councilor Jossie M. Valentin said. "We have a freedom fighter right here in the city of Holyoke in the name of Oscar Lopez Rivera."

"Thank you all for being here and in support of this," Ward 1 Councilor Gladys Lebron-Martinez said.

Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse read a proclamation honoring Lopez Rivera. He also praised Roman's work and said the city is poised to learn from Lopez Rivera in fighting for criminal justice reform and ensuring the city is accepting.

"As mayor I couldn't be more proud of the people here in the city," Morse said.

In visits to Chicago and New York City, Lopez Rivera was feted but also derided as a terrorist for his work with F.A.L.N. The New York Post front page was "Terror on Parade" and "Shame of the city" after Lopez Rivera marched in the Big Apple's Puerto Rican Day parade.

But New York Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez wrote of Lopez Rivera after the parade on June 4:

"He was never charged, however, with setting those bombs, but convicted instead of seditious conspiracy.

"Still, terrorism directed at innocent people can never be justified, and Lopez Rivera spent nearly half his life in prison as a result.

"Some powerful people in this country seem bent on bullying Puerto Rican leaders in New York into submission. Into choosing only those heroes they approve.

"Well, it's not going to happen. Not while this old-timer and other Boricuas proud of their heritage can still walk."

In remarks to the crowd here, Lopez Rivera said the City Council's approval of the resolution on his behalf in April 2016 warmed his heart as he sat in prison.

"With a heart full of gratitude and also full of humbleness, I thank, I thank every single one of you. I want you to know that this city brought one day a tremendous amount of joy and tremendous amount of hope and a tremendous amount of strength" to him, he said.

"When a person is in prison, it is very difficult to know, very difficult to know when it is that his day will come, to come home," he said.

He urged young people especially to play roles to help the community. That includes fighting big corporations responsible for infusing the excess of plastics harming the environment in Puerto Rico, he said.

"You can do great things, great things, for yourself, for your city, for the United States and for the whole world....," he said. "We must never look at ourselves just as individuals. We must look at ourselves as part of the other."

Take pride in heritage but avoid judging based on skin color, he said.

"If you, every day, fill your hearts with love and compassion, you will never allow, never allow your hearts to be poisoned by hatred and fear. Do not allow your hearts to be poisoned by hatred and fear," he said.
SPRINGFIELD - At least two buildings on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College are being evacuated due to a gas leak Friday morning.

Springfield firefighters are on the scene, and Springfield police are blocking traffic on roads on Federal Street leading to the college.

Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said a contractor doing work at the college struck a gas main.

Areas affected include Deliso Hall and Sciebelli Hall.

Columbia Gas has dispatched a crew to the scene.

This is a developing story and more information will be added as it is known.
SPRINGFIELD - The grand reopening of Springfield's Union Station will be celebrated with a series of festivities throughout the coming weekend.

Originally built in 1926, the structure saw decline and eventually became unused in the late 1970s after the popularity of rail travel declined. Now, after years of development and $94 million in floor-to-ceiling renovations, the station has been resurrected.

The new station is an intermodal transit hub that will offer service from Amtrak and Connecticut's commuter rail system to New Haven and New York City, as well as local bus service from the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, and long-distance service from Peter Pan Bus Lines and Greyhound.

The station will also feature an array of retail and food outlets. A deal has already been established with The Whistle Stop, a 1,107-square-foot sit-down Italian restaurant that will serve stromboli, calzones, pizza, as well as beer and wine.

This weekend's celebrations will feature a diverse array of activities.

Friday

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, who announced his first candidacy for public office -- the Springfield City Council -- at the station in 1977, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of that announcement at the station Friday. The event will feature music, hors d'oeuvres and refreshments.

The event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Saturday

A black-tie gala will Saturday will feature dinner, dancing and a celebratory cake-cutting. The gala will also feature a host of special guests, including Gov. Charlie Baker, former Gov. Deval Patrick.

The event is scheduled to take place from 6 to 11 p.m.

Sunday

A reception will be held Sunday for the hundreds of contractors who worked to restore Union Station to its "original glory," along with their families. The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon.

The station will be open to the public from noon until 2 p.m., with a slew of free, family-friendly activities.

Activities during this portion of the opening will include:

A model train exhibit by Amherst Rail Society

Interactive programs hosted by the Springfield Museums

"Saving Union Station" book signing

Guided explanations of the newly installed murals by designer Ed Pessolano of Design & Advertising Associates

Additionally, Walk/Bike Springfield will set off from five locations in Springfield to arrive at noon for Union Station's open house.
HOLYOKE--- The process to resurrect an abandoned theater is no small task. And when that theater was neglected and vacant for nearly 40 years, the time and cost necessary to do it grows with each passing year.

With that in mind, the nonprofit Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts is seeking historic federal tax credits to aid the estimated $28 million restoration of the Victory Theatre, located at 81-89 Suffolk St. in Holyoke.

On Friday, MIFA removed the plywood on the storefronts of the building to take photos for the National Parks Service and for the application for federal tax credits.

The old vaudeville house opened in 1919 and closed in 1979. Then in 2009, MIFA purchased the building from the city for $1,500.

But a condition of the sale included a "reverter clause," a step that lets the city resume control of the property for a nominal fee if adequate progress has not been achieved by a certain date. Given the complicated nature of the project, city officials have granted extensions of the deadline, although as recently as April, the city council was looking for an official project update.
Farfetch collection (file photo)

JD.com Inc, China's second-largest e-commerce player, said it will invest $397 million in London-based online fashion retailer Farfetch UK Ltd to further penetrate the luxury sector, amid fierce competition with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

JD will become one of the largest shareholders of the UK firm following the transaction, and its founder and CEO Liu Qiangdong will join Farfetch's board, JD said in a statement.

Farfetch will leverage JD's existing logistics, internet finance, technology capabilities and social media resources, including its WeChat partnership, to expand its sales channels in China, as well as allow Chinese consumers to access luxury brands online.

The announcement comes as JD attaches greater importance to high-end luxury and fashion to meet the huge demand among its upwardly mobile customers.

"As part of our major luxury push, we could not have found a stronger online partner than Farfetch," said JD CEO Liu Qiangdong. "We have always believed that the long-term trend of Chinese e-commerce is toward quality over price."

Liu said JD is looking forward to deepening its relationships with Farfetch and luxury brands in the future.

The cooperation will benefit 700 global brands and boutiques on Farfetch's platform, enabling them to take advantage of JD's vast resources and tap into China's luxury market.

"China is the world's second-largest luxury market, and we are delighted to have such a respected partner. This partnership addresses the market's challenges by combining the Farfetch brand and curation with the scale and influence of the foremost Chinese e-commerce giant," said Jose Neves, CEO of Farfetch, which raised $110 million in 2016 in a Series F round of funding.

Alibaba, JD's largest domestic rival, has expanded heavily into luxury goods with its online marketplace Tmall.

Lu Zhenwang, chief executive officer of Shanghai-based Wanqing Consultancy, said JD has an upper hand in selling electronic devices and home appliances, and it is making efforts to introduce clothing and luxury products to attract more affluent Chinese consumers.

"JD currently has a weakness in the luxury supply chain. Through its cooperation with Farfetch, JD will enhance its presence in the luxury sector and expand its luxury offerings," said Lu.

Since the beginning of the year, JD has hired Winston Cheng as president of international to lead its international business development with global partners and overseas investments, and created a new business unit, JD Fashion.
"Every tech company that can start in Montana and be maintained in Montana is in Montanas interest. Perhaps [the] biggest impact locally, changing the story from we make wheat to we make wheat and a bunch of cool science stuff."

When Chris Arrasmith moved back to Bozeman, Montana to start a company with his former engineering professor, he wanted to help researchers solve big medical problems, like dementia and Alzheimers. So, the pair started building mirrors.

Arrasmith founded Revibro Optics http://www.revibrooptics.com/ in 2015 with David Dickensheets. Their work focuses on optical instruments with mirrors, like microscopes and telescopes. The team at Revibro manufacturers a unique, flexible mirror that can fit into many of these optical systems. Think of this mirror as the kind of lens you have in your point-and-shoot camera. The function of that lens is to focus on whatever you want to photograph, but theres a noticeable delay when you use the autofocus feature as the mechanical parts of the camera work to make the image clear.

What Arrasmiths team found was astonishing. By bending the mirror with an electrical signal, taking out the mechanical element, you can focus on something much more quickly. And those fractions of a second really make a difference.

Full Story: http://commerce.mt.gov/News/PressReleases/why-tech-company-revibro-chose-montana
German company Ubitricity has developed a convenient way to charge electric vehicles with a minimal amount of fuss. Ubitricity turns existing city street lamps into charging stations by simply installing a socket (called the SimpleSocket). When used together with the SmartCable and plugged into an electric vehicle, the setup allows for immediate chargingand billing.

by Lauren [email protected]

Full Story: https://www.curbed.com/2017/6/22/15855130/ubitricity-electric-car-charging-lamp-posts
City commissioners forged ahead Thursday evening with an effort to regulate Airbnb-style short-term rentals in Bozeman, endorsing language that would forbid new vacation rentals in homes in residential zones where owners dont live at least half-time.

By Eric Dietrich Chronicle Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/city/bozeman-commission-plans-to-ban-new-full-time-vacation-rentals/article_4bd31f05-a767-53e7-91fe-d554ae2d4946.html
The challenge of providing affordable, high-quality health care for all Americans is the subject of furious debate in the nations capital. University of Pennsylvanias Ezekiel Emanuel, chair of the medical ethics and health policy department and a health care management professor at Wharton, helped craft the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration. He puts forward some ideas for improving the system in his book, Prescription for the Future: The Twelve Transformational Practices of Highly Effective Medical Organizations.

Full Story: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/prescription-health-cares-future/
The innovative spirit runs strong here in Montana. From inventing life-saving vaccines to life-changing adventures, Montanans are known for turning ideas into opportunities.

We are currently ranked number one in the U.S. for startup activity, and our wages are growing faster than most places in the country.

Governor Steve Bullock just announced that June 27 will be recognized as Innovate Day as a reminder of the pioneering work and big ideas being turned into unique ventures by industrious Montanans.

On Innovate Day, we urge you to share your story of success, hard work, and even heartache that helped Montana become known as an entrepreneurial hotbed. Use the hashtag #InnovateDayMT on social media to spread the word!

Innovate Day precedes this years Innovate Montana Symposium July 12-13. These two days are designed to promote communication among business leaders and provide tools and networking opportunities for participants. Last-minute tickets for the Symposium are also 30% off on Innovate Day!

REGISTER https://whova.com/portal/registration/innov_201707/

Check out the full conference agenda, here http://innovatemontana.com/Symposium2017 . Dont forget  tickets are 30% off on Innovate Day, June 27!

See you July 12-13 in Billings!

https://t.e2ma.net/message/imbmp/qk7jif

http://www.commerce.mt.gov

http://www.innovatemontana.com
Her Excellency Mrs. K. Nandini Singla, High Commissioner of India paid a courtesy call to the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, The honorable Stephan Toussaint on the 08th March 2021.

During the consultation, the High Commissioner uttered her appreciation for the cordial and mutual relations between Mauritius and India. She also expressed great interest in increased collaboration between the high commission of India in Mauritius and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports, and Recreation.

The discussions focused on the avenues of cooperation that can be further developed in the sports sector, youth development, and recreational activities.

In this context, 10 Mauritian youngsters will be invited to participate in next years national day celebration of India.

The cost and accommodation will be borne by the government of India.

Finally, both sides have also expressed the willingness to review the existing MoU between the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation and the High Commission of India signed in 2012.

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Women and physicians do not put enough emphasis on cardiovascular disease in women, and a social stigma regarding body weight may be a primary barrier to these important discussions, according to research publishing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, accounting for nearly 400,000 deaths and killing more women than all types of cancer combined. Although there has been a decline in overall mortality from heart disease, this decrease has been smaller for women compared to men and the death rate in women younger than 55 years old has increased.

"Increasing awareness of cardiovascular disease in women has stalled with no major progress in almost 10 years, and little progress has been made in the last decade in increasing physician awareness or use of evidence-based guidelines to care for female patients," said Bairey Merz, director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center in the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the study's lead author.

For this study, researchers from the Women's Heart Alliance interviewed 1,011 U.S. women aged 25-60 years and collected physician survey data from 200 primary care physicians and 100 cardiologists. The goal of the surveys was to determine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding heart disease in women.

The researchers found that 45 percent of women were unaware that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. Awareness level was lower in women with lower levels of education and income and in ethnic minorities. Nearly 71 percent of women almost never brought up the issue of heart health with their physician, assuming their doctor would raise the issue if there was a problem. However, physicians were more likely to discuss cardiovascular health if prompted by the patient or due to the presence of a risk factor.

Physicians often did not discuss cardiovascular disease because the patient had a more immediate health issue or did not fully report their symptoms, indicating that prevention prior to symptoms was not a priority. Women who knew someone with heart disease were more likely to express concern and bring this issue up with their physician or to discuss heart disease with a friend thought to be at risk for having or developing heart disease.

While a majority of women reported having a routine physical or wellness exam in the past year, only 40 percent reported having a heart health assessment. While 74 percent reported having at least one risk factor for heart disease, just 16 percent were told by their doctor that they were at risk. Sixty-three percent of women admitted to putting off going to the doctor at least sometimes and 45 percent of women canceled or postponed an appointment until they lost weight. Many women reported being embarrassed or overwhelmed by their heart disease and many also cited difficulties in losing weight or finding time to exercise.

Only 22 percent of primary care physicians and 42 percent of cardiologists felt well prepared to assess cardiovascular risk in women. Additionally, only 16 percent of primary care physicians and 22 percent of cardiologists fully implemented guidelines for risk assessment.

"These findings suggest a need to destigmatize cardiovascular disease for women and counteract stereotypes with increased objective risk factor evaluation education to improve treatment by physicians," Bairey Merz said. "National action campaigns should work to make cardiovascular disease 'real' to American women and destigmatize the disease by promoting the use of cardiovascular risk assessment to counter stereotypes with facts and valid assessments."

In an editorial comment published with the paper, Jennifer G. Robinson, MD, MPH, from the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa discusses the importance of developing healthy lifestyle habits early in life to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.

"Helping women overcome barriers to increasing physical activity and healthier eating habits may help to avoid the stigma of focusing on weight loss," she said. "Women are often the gate-keepers for family meals, activities and health care, and a focus on healthy lifestyle habits may also encourage early prevention in the family as a whole."
China willing to maintain coordination with U.S. on Korean Peninsular issue

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to maintain contact and coordination with the United States on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue in an effort to diffuse tension and push for resolution of the issue, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said Thursday.

Yang made the remark during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

The United States looks forward to enhancing cooperation with China on the issue to realize a denuclearized Korean Peninsular, Trump said.

At the meeting, Yang extended Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere wishes to Trump and noted that the two countries have made new and important progress on bilateral ties following the leaders' meeting in Florida in April.

China is willing to work with the United States to stick to the overall direction of cooperation, maintain high-level interactions, broaden mutually beneficial cooperation and properly manage differences on the basis of mutual respect, in a bid to further bilateral ties, Yang said.

On Wednesday, China and the United States held the inaugural diplomatic and security dialogue at the U.S. State Department. It is one of four high-level mechanisms established during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Xi and Trump.

At the meeting with Trump, Yang said the dialogue is an important step to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries. Both sides agreed that the dialogue was "constructive" and "fruitful," Yang added.

Yang said Xi looked forward to meeting with Trump during the G20 summit in Hamburg next month and to hosting the U.S. president for a state visit to China later this year.

Conveying his sincere wishes to Xi, Trump said he and Xi held a successful meeting at Mar-a-Lago and reached a lot of important consensus, and he was pleased to see the positive progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas following the meeting.

Trump said he looked forward to meeting with Xi during the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg and paying a state visit to China at Xi's invitation later this year. He also hoped that these high-level interactions will further promote the development of U.S.-China relations.

During the meeting, Yang expressed China's appreciation of Trump sending representatives to participate in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation last month, as well as China's willingness to work with the United States under the initiative.

Trump said the United States is willing to cooperate with China on relevant projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.

On Thursday, Yang also met with U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner at the White House.

Fang Fenghui, a member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, participated in the meetings.
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The review paper, published this week in the journal Neuron, looks at the literature on remembering, known as persistence, and the newer body of research on forgetting, or transience. The recent increase in research into the brain mechanisms that promote forgetting is revealing that forgetting is just as important a component of our memory system as remembering."We find plenty of evidence from recent research that there are mechanisms that promote memory loss, and that these are distinct from those involved in storing information," says Frankland.One of these mechanisms is the weakening or elimination of synaptic connections between neurons in which memories are encoded. Another mechanism, supported by evidence from Frankland's own lab, is the generation of new neurons from stem cells. As new neurons integrate into the hippocampus, the new connections remodel hippocampal circuits and overwrite memories stored in those circuits, making them harder to access. This may explain why children, whose hippocampi are producing more new neurons, forget so much information.It may seem counterintuitive that the brain would expend so much energy creating new neurons at the detriment of memory. Richards, whose research applies artificial intelligence (AI) theories to understanding the brain, looked to principles of learning from AI for answers.It does so in two ways. First, forgetting allows us to adapt to new situations by letting go of outdated and potentially misleading information that can no longer help us maneuver changing environments."If you're trying to navigate the world and your brain is constantly bringing up multiple conflicting memories, that makes it harder for you to make an informed decision," says Richards.The second way forgetting facilitates decision making is by allowing us to generalize past events to new ones. In artificial intelligence this principle is called regularization and it works by creating simple computer models that prioritize core information but eliminate specific details, allowing for wider application.Memories in the brain work in a similar way. When we only remember the gist of an encounter as opposed to every detail, this controlled forgetting of insignificant details creates simple memories which are more effective at predicting new experiences.Ultimately, these mechanisms are cued by the environment we are in. A constantly changing environment may require that we remember less. For example, a cashier who meets many new people every day will only remember the names of her customers for a short period of time, whereas a designer that meets with her clients regularly will retain that information longer."One of the things that distinguishes an environment where you're going to want to remember stuff versus an environment where you want to forget stuff is this question of how consistent the environment is and how likely things are to come back into your life, " says Richards.Similarly, research shows that episodic memories of things that happen to us are forgotten more quickly than general knowledge that we access on a daily basis, supporting the old adage that if you don't use it, you lose it. But in the context of making better memory-based decisions, you may be better off for it.Source: Eurekalert
If you know about art, street art and the international movement, you know about Banksy and the fact that he is one of the prominent faces of the movement; albeit the fact that he doesn't really have a face to put to the name. Just like closer home, we have our very own prized street artist, Daku, Banksy is the bearer of that torch, internationally.

 Independent UK

And what adds to the artist's image is the fact that Banksy is a pseudonym; it's a guise. It's a name without a face. An artist without any physical identity. Banksy is like the Batman of the street art culture today. He's the vigilante of modern day street art. And a phenomenal part of his legacy rests on the absence of a face. And by the way, you should watch the documentary on the artist, available on Netflix, on an unrelated note.

 CNN

And today, in what could be phenomenal news for the art world, Banksy's true identity may have just been revealed; courtesy of renowned DJ, Goldie who, in an interview with Scroobius Pip's weekly Distraction Pieces podcast, let slip the artist's real name while ranting about how graffiti seems to have been the golden goose for the art world. Give me a bubble letter and put it on a T-shirt and write Banksy on it and we're sorted. We can sell it now..., the DJ said during his conversation. No disrespect to Robert, I think he is a brilliant artist. I think he has flipped the world of art over. At the utterance of the name Robert', Goldie knew instantly what he had just done and then quickly tried to change the topic.

 Crack Magazine

According to reports and news on Independent UK, it would seem that the Robert' referred to by Goldie is none other than popular band, Massive Attack's Robert De Naja, also a friend of the DJ's and is fondly known as 3D. The Independent went on to write that apparently the two of them worked together as graffiti artists along the same circles, back in the late 80s.

 Massive Attack

Journalist Craig Williams from the Independent is said to have conducted a five-month long investigation some time last year and concluded that De Naja was indeed Banksy. This, in correlation with Goldie's tiny slip up could really turn things around; what with giving the artist a name. Back then, Williams claimed that Banksy wasn't just one person; but, was an entire team, with De Naja at the head of it. Williams backed up his findings by stating that, on 01st May 2010, six Banksy murals were reported in San Francisco; right after Massive Attack had played two gigs in the city right before the appearances. And if that's not all, then, Banksy even provided the foreword for the book 3D and the Art of Massive Attack which released last year. Back then, Del Naja went on to refute this claim, saying that while it was a good story, it was unfortunately not true. Wishful thinking, I think. He is a mate as well. He's been to some of the gigs. It's purely a matter of logistics and coincidence, nothing more than that, the musician said.
The second trailer of the Sridevi starrer Mom'is out and this suspense-thriller just got more interesting. Sridevi is back with vengeance and she makes sure that all your eyes are on her. The latest trailer for the film professes, Nobody knows what a mother is feeling'.

This one minute video introduces us to a very brave and courageous side of Devki (Sridevi) who is ready to go to any length to save her daughter, Arya (Pakistani actress, Sajal Ali). However, just like the previous trailer, we still don't know that what exactly has happened to her daughter, which does really pique our curiosity.

 YouTube

It is well established that the film is about a fight is for a daughter who refuses to call Devki her mother and addresses her as maam'. But Sridevi being a genuine mother will go out of her way to take revenge for her daughter, ruthlessly.

The second trailer has all the potential to give you chills. The highlight of the video is the dialogue interaction between mysterious Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sridevi. Nothing much about Nawaz's role has been revealed but the film makers are cleverly using this character as an asset in all the promos. Akshaye Khanna makes a small appearance too. But it is Nawaz who definitely steals the show.

 YouTube

Brace yourself and get ready for some goosebumps. After watching the second trailer, it wouldn't be wrong to say that it is one of the best trailers we have seen in a while. In short, it looks like a film that gets made just once a year.

Directed by Ravi Udyawar, the film is set to hit theatres on July 7.
According to a report by Reuters, Samsung is planning to introduce a brand new Note series smartphone sometime in late August. It is rumoured that the Note 8 will have a similar design language as the Galaxy S8 and will be a little larger as the screen size would be around 6.2-inches.

 YouTube

According to previous leaks, the Galaxy Note 8 is expected to have a dual-camera setup similar to the iPhone 7 Plus and the OnePlus 5 and will also offer top of the line specs to compete with their counterparts.

 MensXP

The Galaxy S8 was touted for having a beautiful screen that stretches across the entire front. The Infinity Display is expected to make a return for the Note 8 and could come with a glass front and back.

The Note series of smartphones are one of the most successful and important products for Samsung. Considering the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones were recalled or never launched (like in India) due to a faulty battery, one can expect the next smartphone in line to make up for the debacle.

 The Leaker

Having said that, the South Korean company has brought back refurbished Note 7 models earlier this year in select countries. A recent leak by The Leaker, shows that a working Galaxy Note 8 unit looks identical to the Galaxy S8 from the front but has a vertical dual camera setup on the back.

 The Leaker

The Leaker also reports that Samsung has "developed advanced pressure-sensitive technology for its OLED displays so we can expect something like [the iPhone's] Force Touch in [the] Galaxy Note 8."

Source: Reuters
The silver sewing needle is not typically used to prick and pierce human skin, which is far more resilient than cloth. You Ling (pseudonym) had to push harder, yet still gently, to make the needle break through his skin, with a red thread following behind it. As he continued stitching, the thread silently crawled across his hand, forming a string of arrows.

You Ling posted the photos of his embroidered hand on Sina Weibo. The date was Feb. 10, 2015.

Ive found something interesting and I just cant stop, wrote You Ling, hashtagging his post human-body embroidery.

Two years passed, and You Ling remained the same comic-drawing teenager, still prone to dozing off in class. Judging from his Sina Weibo, his passions turned to baking, but the dark art of human-body embroidery continues to lure young people in China.

Real flesh, rebellious minds

The so called human-body embroidery game is nothing new to many cosplayers and manga lovers. It allegedly originated from the character Juzo Suzuya from the Japanese dark fantasy "Tokyo Ghoul." In the manga, Suzuya engages in this self-stitching habit using red thread, which he explains is a form of "body modification.

Some cosplayers use red marker to draw stitches on their bodies, but many have gone to the extreme length of piercing their bodies with real needle and thread, exactly as the non-human Suzuya does in "Tokyo Ghoul."

Teenagers are very suggestible - more open than others to extreme behavior like human-body embroidery. It is unknown who first started the trend among non-cosplayers, yet thousands have gathered in online forums and chat rooms to discuss the habit.

Tens of thousands of posts can be found in online forums, some apparently teaching newcomers how to sew and tie knots in their skin while minimizing pain. Many carefully record the creation process, complete with photos to illustrate their posts. This exhibition is praised and encouraged by other members of the forum.

It is so heart-warming, commented one user on a photo of a wrist embroidered with black thread.

In one QQ chat room about human-body embroidery, chat statistics indicate that 41 percent of the 96 members were born after 2000.

On Sina Weibo, many photos like You Lings are also available, as the Weibo users  mostly born after 1995  proudly show off embroidery on their hands and forearms. Some even sew on their mouths. In response to questions about whether or not it hurts, they all claim it's not painful at all.

If you find the right place to prick your needle," they promise, it will not hurt. But "it will be painful if you do it the wrong way. You Ling assured one curious Weibo user who commented in his post that, The key is to be patient. If you are in a hurry, your shaky hands will mess it up. It will be ugly.

Almost all the human-body embroidery enthusiasts contacted by the People's Daily Online for this story turned down interview requests. QQ chat rooms rejected requests to join. As for online forums on Baidu, all have been shut down by Baidu for containing harmful information.

The only one enthusiast, who was willing to talk in anonymity, told Peoples Daily Online that she sees the human-body embroidery as an ordinary hobby and that she would sew on her hands when she is "in the right mood." She added that the embroidery would soon fall off the skin after a few days.

Dangerous for body and soul

The so-called human body embroidery is an extension of traditional tattoos, which carry more distinctive characteristics. Some may be simply imitating the trend for the sake of fashion, while the so-called game may be sexually suggestive to some, as it can imply sadomasochism, sexologist Peng Xiaohui told the Peoples Daily Online.

Peng noted that almost all teenagers go through some form of rebellion during puberty, and often imagine that weird and dangerous behaviors will win them recognition from their peers.

From a global perspective, many young people are having a hard time adjusting to the rapid development of society. A new wave of decadence is on its way, and it will have a greater impact on society than almost any other ideological issue, Zhang Kan, former president of the Chinese Psychological Society, commented on his Sina Weibo.

However, even tattoos can jeopardize ones health if the equipment is not hygienic. The prognosis is undoubtedly even worse for human-body embroidery, Peng added. Doctors warn that unsterilized needles can introduce bacteria into the body, and can even result in sepsis in the worst cases.

In one post, a netizen simply used toilet paper to wipe the needle clean, but even this is better than many tutorials, as few of the posts mention hygiene at all, focusing wholly on the delicate needlework.

This is not about showing off or trying to be cool. I hope people who do not understand or like what we are doing can stop criticizing us. You can look away if you dont like what you see, noted the 20-year-old enthusiast.
QINGDAO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese submersible Jiaolong returned to the national deep sea center at east China's Qingdao on Friday, ending a four-month expedition.

The submersible made 30 dives during the country's 38th oceanic scientific expedition and descended to nearly 6,700 meters in the Yap Trench in the west Pacific, close to its record depth of 7,062 meters in 2012.

Scientists have gained a lot of precious samples and data in this expedition, including samples of rocks, large marine life, two lion fish and two unknown species.

They also reached a better understanding of deep sea hydrothermal movement in the Indian Ocean, and conducted surveys in the South China Sea that will help multi-metal nodule mining tests.

The expedition started in February and its completion also marks the end of the submersible's four-year trial phase.
LONDON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- London's Metropolitan Police said Friday the cladding attached to the 24-floor Grenfell tower block destroyed by fire has failed safety tests.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack of the Metropolitan Police, who is overseeing the investigation, said in a briefing that both the insulation and tiles at the Grenfell Tower had failed safety tests, with the insulation proving more flammable than the cladding.

She also said police have established the initial cause of the fire was a fridge-freezer in a flat at the fourth level, and that the fire was not started deliberately.

McCormack said the police are considering manslaughter charges as well as health and safety breaches against companies, organisations or individuals in relation to the fire, the worse fire in London since World War II. The investigation will probe whether the use of the cladding material at Grenfell Tower had been illegal.

She said the Met had already shared its findings with the government's Department for Communities and Local Government, recommending they immediately share the findings with town and city councils across the country.

McCormack said she feared more people could have been killed in the fire amid concerns some of the people living there had been in the country illegally. She issued a plea for information saying the police and the national immigration department had promised the legal status of victims of the fire would not be questioned.

So far 79 people have died or are missing presumed dead in the tragedy.

The way the fire spread, and the rapid speed of its spread through the building, leading to whole families being incinerated by the flames, is forming part of what was described as one of the biggest and most complex investigations by the Met.

An estimated 600 tower blocks across the country have facia cladding similar to that used in Grenfell Tower. Some local authorities have already started to remove cladding from buildings as a safety precaution, and to assure residents afraid to live in high rise towers.
PYONGYANG, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday the death of American student Otto Warmbier days after his release was a "mystery," as his health indicators and examination results were all normal when he left DPRK.

A spokesman the country's foreign ministry said the DPRK gave Warmbier all available medical treatment and care on a humanitarian basis until his return to the United States, and that Warmbier was not mistreated or tortured during his 18-month detention in DPRK.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatment and care with all sincerity on a humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S.," the Korean Central News Agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

Warmbier, 22, was released on June 13 and died on June 19 after arriving home in a coma, according to earlier foreign media reports.

He was sentenced by DPRK court to 15 years of hard labor in March last year for anti-DPRK activities at the order of an American religious group and the Central Intelligence Agency during stay in Pyongyang. Warmbier claimed to be a tourist.

"As for groundless public opinion now circulating in the U.S. that he died of torture and beating during his reform through labor, the American doctors who came to the DPRK for repatriation of Warmbier will have something to say about it," said the DPRK spokesman.

The U.S. doctors "examined Warmbier and exchanged medical observations about him with" DPRK doctors, and "recognized that his health indicators like his pulse, temperature, respiration and the examination results of the heart and lung were all normal," said the spokesman.

"We provided him with medical treatment and brought him back to life when his heart nearly stopped" beating, the spokesman added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

The recent violations of ceasefire on the front line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region are a stark reminder that the status quo is unsustainable, EU Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said in a June 22 statement.

The EU expects deescalation and restraint in deeds as well as in words, added Kocijancic.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

The OSCE monitoring held along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops passed without incidents on June 23, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry.

The monitoring was held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative near the Tapgaragoyunlu village of Azerbaijans Goranboy district.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., believes the Air Force is getting in its own way when it comes to advancing space operations.

During the House Armed Services Committee markup hearing of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, Rogers lamented that the service doesn't expect to stand up a U.S. Space Corps to better prepare against space threats from Russia and China.

"When I see arguments that we are actually going to set back efforts to respond to adversaries and space threats -- well, I'm outraged," he said.

Within the bill, under "Management and Organization of Space Programs," lawmakers included a section that "would authorize the creation of a Space Corps within the Department of the Air Force and require the Secretary of the Air Force to certify its establishment by January 1, 2019," according to the budget document.

But the service maintains it will not stand up a separate branch for space, mainly because of limited resources.

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"We think right now it's important to take the capabilities and the resources that we have and focus on implementation and integration with the broader force, versus creating a separate service," Air Force spokesman Col. Patrick Ryder said Thursday.

Ryder's comments follow similar ones Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson made Wednesday after a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. Wilson pushed her agenda to "simplify space, not make it more complicated and bureaucratic," according to reports.

And Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein agrees. Last month, he said it makes no sense to break off a new space domain right now.

"I don't support it at this time in our history, based on where we are in this transition from a benign environment to a warfighting domain," Goldfein said during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing.

"I will tell you that my sense is that we have an opportunity being placed in front of us right now to take a look at what is the way we fight in the air, on land, at sea, and we know how to do this business," he said. "And now, how do we take those processes, procedures, tactics, techniques, and actually apply them across the space domain?

"And so right now, to get focused on a large organizational change would actually slow us down," Goldfein said.

Though the Air Force has no current plan to stand up a "Space Corps," Ryder said that does not mean the service isn't leading the space effort for the Defense Department.

"The fact that the Air Force has since 1954 essentially been the predominant military leader in terms of space operations, we think applying that -- and getting the resources necessary to enable those forces -- is really where we need to be right now," he said.

The service last week announced it has officially created a senior military role to directly oversee space missions, giving the position an equal footing on the Air Staff at the Pentagon.

Over the next two months, officials will begin delegating staff to the A-11, as the new position is known, establishing operations and identifying additional senior leaders who will work within the new staff.

While the service has not named the first person to fill the role, Ryder said the Air Force is poised to delegate 10 people for the staff.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Amid the threat of North Korea possibly launching a missile, the latest U.S. effort to test its shoot-down capability failed Wednesday night, according to a statement from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

A medium-range ballistic missile was launched from a test range in Hawaii at 7:20 p.m. local time, but the interceptor missile fired at sea from USS John Paul Jones, a guided-missile destroyer, missed the target.

"A planned intercept was not achieved," the statement said.

A U.S. defense official told Fox News both the ballistic missile and the SM-3 interceptor missile fired from the American warship landed in the ocean, but neither was recovered after both missiles broke up when impacting the water.

Related content:

Wednesday's launch was the second attempt to shoot down a ballistic missile from a U.S. Navy warship since February. The first test was successful, but this latest attempt failed after missing the target for reasons not explained in the statement.

Late last month in a first of its kind test, the U.S. military successfully shot down an intercontinental ballistic missile target in outer space using an interceptor missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The Pentagon will now also have to defend against the potential North Korean missile threat without the use of one of its premier ballistic missile defense ships, after USS Fitzgerald, a guided-missile destroyer, struck a 700-foot cargo ship off the coast of Japan last week.

-- Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel.
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...
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

It is with immense pleasure that I extend, on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, my cordial congratulations to you and through you to all the people of Luxembourg on the occasion of the national holiday of your country  birthday of Grand Duke, Ilham Aliyev said in his letter.

On this remarkable day, I wish you robust health and happiness, and the friendly people of Luxembourg ever lasting peace and prosperity, President Aliyev added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Successfully pursuing an independent policy in its recent history, Baku chose the right course of developing bilateral relations with various countries long ago.

The strengthening relations between Azerbaijan and Costa Rica have become a striking example of a strategy of establishing mutually beneficial relations with a number of Latin American countries.

The number of high-level visits testifies to strengthening relations between Azerbaijan and Costa Rica.

Costa Ricas Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Manuel Gonzalez Sanzs official visit to Azerbaijan on October 20, 2015 was an important milestone in strengthening bilateral relations.

A number of documents on strengthening cooperation were signed during Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarovs visit to the capital of Costa Rica - San Jose in June 2017.

During the visit, the ministers organized an extended meeting and held political consultations in accordance with the memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a mechanism of political consultations between the Azerbaijani foreign ministry and the ministry of foreign affairs and worship of Costa Rica signed in New York on September 16, 2002.

Less than a month has passed since Manuel Gonzalez Sanz paid an official visit to Azerbaijan again.

The two countries do have many common areas of cooperation. It is especially important that Azerbaijan continues to intensify relations with Costa Rica in the international arena within the interaction with each other on the sidelines of various international organizations.

During the meeting in San Jose in June, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Costa Rica discussed the meetings on the sidelines of big international events and appreciated the cooperation and consistent practice of mutual support within the international organizations.

Moreover, the potential of trade turnover between the two countries is not fully used and today both sides can make efforts to bring the trade turnover to the required level.

Over 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Costa Rica and Azerbaijan, the two countries have systematically developed relations and a political dialogue, which facilitated the intensification of mutual visits, playing a huge role in strengthening the friendly relations and cooperation between Costa Rica and Azerbaijan.

The most important point for strengthening the relations between the two countries is Costa Ricas decision of establishing an embassy in Baku, which must give an additional impetus to the strengthening of mutual cooperation and contribute to an increase in the tourist flow from Azerbaijan to the Latin America.

During Mammadyarovs visit to Latin America in June, the ministers of the two countries also signed an agreement on issuing visas to those having diplomatic, official passports and also agreed to continue to make efforts to further strengthen the legal framework between the two countries, especially in the economic and humanitarian spheres.

A very important point in the bilateral agenda is a sensitive issue of influence of the Armenian diaspora in Latin America, which has been recently weakening due to Bakus diplomatic efforts.

Mammadyarovs recent visit to Colombia and Costa Rica and the statements made there confirmed the thesis that the Armenian lobbyists are losing again.

The joint statement of the two ministers, signed in Costa Rica in June, contains a very clear position on Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia.

In particular, the support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries and the importance of fulfilling UN resolutions on the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan have been stressed in the statement.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Elmira Tariverdiyeva is the head of Trend Agencys Russian news service, follow her on Twitter: @EmmaTariver
Tyrunn Walker was a key member of the Detroit Lions defensive line rotation the past two seasons. Then he left in free agency to join the Los Angeles Rams.

Now, he's been released by Los Angeles amid an investigation into allegations that he sexually assaulted two women in Louisiana.

Authorities in Lafayette, Louisiana, are wrapping up the investigation into Walker, which was first reported Thursday by the New Orleans Advocate. The investigation started in March, the same month he signed with the Rams.

Walker and another man are accused of forcing themselves onto an unconscious woman at a hotel following a night out drinking for Mardi Gras in Lafayette, the Advocate reported from court filings for restraining orders against the two. According to the filings, the alleged sexual assault ended when one of the women in question regained consciousness and forced one of the men off the other woman.

The two women were ages 18 and 19 and were college students at the time.

Walker is 27. He spent the past two seasons in Detroit, where he started into his second season before he was benched in November. After 19 games with 12 starts over two seasons with the Lions, he left to play for the Rams. He was cut by L.A. mere hours after news of the investigation went public.

Walker is originally from New Iberia, Louisiana, which is around 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. He played his college ball at Tulsa and then spent his first three seasons with the New Orleans Saints before departing for Detroit.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

Costa Rica is opening an embassy in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said June 23.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, who is on an official visit in Azerbaijan, today introduced the head of the diplomatic mission to Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

The two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction with development of Azerbaijan-Costa Rica ties and the level of political dialogue and understanding between the countries.

Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mammadyarov noted that his visit to Costa Rica in early June 2017 and the political consultations held then will contribute to the development of cooperation between the two countries.

He also hailed the decision of Costa Ricas government to establish an embassy in Baku.

The foreign ministers reiterated support of Azerbaijan and Costa Rica for territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of the two countries, and noted the inadmissibility of changing the internationally recognized borders through the use of military force.

The sides also mulled the prospects of Azerbaijan-Costa Rica cooperation in trade, tourism, logistics and other fields.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of a plant that will produce ammunition for rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPG) in the city of Shirvan.

The plant of Sharg Production Union of the Ministry of Defense Industry will produce four types of ammunition for RPG-7V2.

Minister of Defense Industry Yavar Jamalov informed the president about the plant. President Aliyev pressed the button to launch the plant.

The plant has 10 production units, including automated mechanical processing, thermal processing, chemical grinding, explosives pressing, assembly sites, and an express laboratory.

The plant features 45 types of modern equipment made in Germany, the USA, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, Turkey, Ukraine and Taiwan.

The factory created 170 new jobs, with all employees trained by foreign specialists.

The staff members dealing with explosives attended special training to receive certificates. The production capacity of the plant in a single shift mode is 20,000 units of ammunition, which is enough to meet the demand of security and military services.

The president wished the staff of the plant success.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Manuel Gonzalez Sanz.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel Gonzalez Sanz conveyed greetings of President of the Republic of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solis to the head of state. Manuel Gonzalez Sanz described Formula 1 races held in Baku as a remarkable sporting event, adding that this Grand Prix is a good opportunity for tourists to visit Azerbaijan.

The Costa Rican minister said last time he visited Azerbaijan two years ago, expressing his admiration for the ongoing development processes in Baku.

President Ilham Aliyev stressed the importance of Formula 1 competition, saying it provides an opportunity for many tourists from different countries to see ongoing development processes in Baku and also contributes to the development of tourism in the country.

They emphasized the existence of good opportunities for developing bilateral relations between the two countries.

The sides exchanged views over the issues relating to cooperation in a number of areas, including economy, trade, investment making, and implementation of joint projects.

The head of state thanked for the greetings of Luis Guillermo Solis and asked the foreign minister to communicate his greetings to the president of Costa Rica.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

Azerbaijans Embassy will demand explanations from the Czech Foreign Ministry regarding the anti-Azerbaijan statements made by the Czech Republics ambassador to Armenia, says Hikmat Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministrys spokesman.

The ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan will also be summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Hajiyev told Trend June 23.

Earlier, the Czech ambassador to Armenia made anti-Azerbaijan statements in connection with Azerbaijans declaring several MEPs, including the Czech politician, internationally wanted.

If the Czech ambassador has made such statements, it contradicts the law, the norms and principles of international law, Hajiyev said. With such statements the Czech ambassador politicizes legal issues of criminal nature.

According to the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, a criminal case is filed against individuals who illegally visit the occupied Azerbaijani territories, make open calls against the countrys territorial integrity, sovereignty and constitutional foundations, collude with illegal criminal regime, and create discord on ethnic and religious grounds, Hajiyev said.

Hajiyev added that one of those individuals is Czech citizen Jaromir Stetina.

Abusing the MEP status, Stetina visited the occupied Azerbaijani territories and carried out such illegal activity, he said.

Hajiyev added that the similar articles of the Criminal Code of the Czech Republic envisage 10 to 18 years of imprisonment.

That is, if Jaromir Stetina had committed such illegal activity in the Czech Republic, he would have been severely punished, he added. However, the Czech authorities do nothing to prevent Stetinas criminal actions in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of a revolver-type grenade launcher ammunition plant in the city of Shirvan.

The plant of Sharg Production Union of the Ministry of Defense Industry will produce different types of ammunition for 40x46 mm MSGL 40 revolver-type grenade launcher.

Minister of Defense Industry Yavar Jamalov informed the head of state about the plant.

President Ilham Aliyev pressed the button to launch the plant, which has seven production units. The annual production capacity of the plant in a single shift mode is 15,000 units of ammunition.

After viewing the plant, the head of state met with a group of employees of the Ministry of Defense Industry and servicemen of the Ministry of Defense.

President Ilham Aliyev made a speech at the meeting.
[June 23, 2017] UnaBiz Receives License to Operate Global Internet of Things Network in Taiwan

Awarded by the "National Communications Commission" (NCC), the network operator will deploy Sigfox's Low-Power Wide-Area Network across Taiwan TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UnaBiz, Asia's first IoT-dedicated network operator, has been awarded the license to operate an IoT network in Taiwan by the "National Communication Commission" (NCC). As the first of its kind to receive an IoT network operator license from the NCC since Taiwan's announcement of the use of the unlicensed spectrum, UnaBiz is on track to become a nationwide network operator in Taiwan. As the world's leading provider of a dedicated communications service for the Internet of Things, the Sigfox Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) is currently present in 32 countries worldwide and target to reach 60 countries by 2018. The roll out of the commercial grade global network is in line with Taiwan's "Asian Silicon Valley" initiative, a vision to transform Taiwan from an ICT specialist to an IoT specialist. UnaBiz's vision is to empower massive IoT in Asia. The network operator will actively engage and collaborate with industry partners, academic institutions and government agencies to help Taiwan address the global IoT market potential. Mr Philippe Chiu, Managing Director and co-founder of UnaBiz shared, "This is a milestone for UnaBiz but also for Taiwan industry which henceforth can boldly step into the Sigfox global IoT market and ecosystem. I would also like to thank the early supporters of our vision for Taiwan and who kindly and efficiently made this possible, especially Legislator Karen Yu, Minister CK Lee and Mr Benoit Guidee, Director of the French Office in Taipei." In 2017, UnaBiz will focus on deploying the IoT network in the six main municipalities, namely Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, effectively bringing Sigfox service coverage to more than 80% of the population in Taiwan. Not only will the deployment be in the metropolitan area but throughout the rural area of Taiwan, which brings significant benefits to the rural farmers, schools, businesses and local government including greater efficiencies and productivity. The LPWAN network will be extended and cover 95% of the population in Taiwan in 2018. Along with the fast-paced deployment of the network across Taiwan, the local IoT ecosystem and stakeholders can already evaluate and start developing products and solutions using the royalties-free Sigfox technology. This happens at an excellent timing for Taiwan's industry looking for transformation and new business opportunities, especially at a global scale. The global IoT sensors market is expected to reach USD17.81 billion by 2020, and although Taiwan is big in semiconductor manufacturing (60% of global market), it only accounts for 15% of the global sensor manufacturing. Given the predominant impact of Taiwan in the conception, production and integration of smart sensors into electronic hardware in the global IoT market, Taiwan joining the Sigfox ecosystem represents a significant milestone. Philippe Chiu notes, "To significantly build up the IoT industry, we need a sound ecosystem of highly-engaged players from semiconductors to device manufacturers and all the way up to cloud platforms. That is why, on top of providing Sigfox communication service, UnaBiz is also acting to catalyse IoT opportunities by establishing partnerships and providing keys to address the Sigfox global IoT market." "According to studies, the explosion of the global IoT market will create the largest device market in the world. The number will double of that of the current market of personal PC, tablets and wearable technology combined. The growth of this ecosystem not only creates more jobs in Taiwan's manufacturing industry but will eventually spur a paradigm shift in Taiwan's entire workforce to that of a more innovative and creative economy, one that engages higher skilled and hence higher-paying workers. By leveraging on Taiwan's IoT manufacturing strengths and the French engineering and creative capacity, we hope to bridge the best of western and eastern worlds," comments Henri Bong, CEO & Founder of UnaBiz. ABOUT UNABIZ UnaBiz is an end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) solutions company dedicated to accelerating the adoption of IoT worldwide. As the exclusive network operator of Sigfox's low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) in Singapore and Taiwan, UnaBiz is the leading company in Asia to roll out a nationwide IoT network. UnaBiz wants to shape the future by providing cost-effective and energy-efficient IoT solutions, that include wireless infrastructure, device and beyond. This ubiquitous network will allow businesses to connect millions of devices simply, affordably and globally. UnaBiz helps businesses collect and analyse data from millions of devices allowing businesses to maximise the efficiency of their resources, increase productivity, detect and controlling anomalies and accelerate resolution or even prevent them entirely. Our objective is to help businesses realise the true value and full potential of IoT that was previously too costly to deploy. For more information, see www.unabiz.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. ABOUT SIGFOX Sigfox is the world's leading provider of connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT). The company has built a global network to connect billions of devices to the Internet while consuming as little energy as possible, as simply as possible. Sigfox's unique approach to device-to-cloud communications addresses the three greatest barriers to global IoT adoption: cost, energy consumption, and global scalability. Today, the network is present in 32 countries and on track to cover 60 by 2018 -- covering a population of 486 million people. With millions of objects connected and a rapidly growing partner ecosystem, Sigfox empowers companies to move their business model towards more digital services. Founded in 2010 by Ludovic Le Moan and Christophe Fourtet, the company is headquartered in Labege near Toulouse, France's "IoT Valley". Sigfox also has offices in Paris, Madrid, Munich, Boston, San Francisco, Dubai and Singapore. For more information, see www.sigfox.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.







Media Contact





TAIWAN SINGAPORE



Philippe Tzou Fu Shuhui Ecosystem Manager | www.unabiz.com Field Marketing Manager | www.unabiz.com 7F, No. 136, Section 1, Neihu Road, 114 Lavender Street Neihu District, Taipei City, Taiwan, R.O.C. 114 #10-85, CT Hub 2 (Lobby 1) M: +886(0)908 219372 Singapore 338729 O: +886(0)2 2657 7123 M: +65 9336 6452 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

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Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23



Trend:



The Azerbaijan Automobile Federation wishes success to the participants of the 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, hoping that the race will interesting and held in healthy atmosphere, said President of the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation Anar Alakbarov in an interview with Trend.



He went on to say that of course there are teams that went through the preparations during winter, and they stand out as favorites in the upcoming race.



"But, as with every sports competition, it is impossible to give an accurate prediction," he said.



Despite the Formula 1 Grand Prix was held in our country for the first time in 2016, the racing competition once again demonstrated Azerbaijans high organizational capabilities to the world, he said. Naturally, this is the result of our countrys experience gained from organizing various international events over the past few years.



The International Automobile Federation, the Formula 1 teams and drivers, independent experts and journalists highly appreciated the excellent preparatory work and security measures, the professionalism of the team involved in organizational work, and the hospitality of the city residents, said the Federations president.



This is a great achievement of our people attained under the leadership of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, he added.



The Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, organized on the eve of holy Ramadan holiday, has endowed special mood to our city. It is pleasing that our people, especially the people of Baku, are eagerly waiting for this event and are trying to contribute to holding this racing competition at the highest level, noted Alakbarov.



I am sure the atmosphere of tolerance in our country, the hospitality, sincerity and peacefulness of our people will, as always, have good impressions on all the visitors coming here. I wish all the participants the joy of victory. I congratulate the people of Azerbaijan on the upcoming Ramadan holiday, he added.
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Dear Sir/Madam,Notice is hereby given that:i.Fourth Annual General Meeting (4th AGM) of the Company will be held on Wednesday, 19th July, 2017 at 2.30 p.m. at Sunville Banquet, 9 Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai - 400018, to transact the Ordinary and Special Business as set out in the Notice of the 4th AGM ('Notice').ii.Electronic copies of the Notice and Annual Report for the financial year year 31st March, 2017 have been sent to all the members whose email IDs are registered with the Company/Depository Participant (s) and physical copies of the same have been sent to all other members at their registered address in the permitted mode. Date of completion of sending of Notice and Annual Report is 23rd June, 2017. Notice and the Annual Report are available on the Company's website www.bpml.in. Notice is also available on National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) website 'https://www.evoting.nsdl.com'.iii.The Company has fixed 12th July, 2017 as cut-off date for the purpose of voting on the business set out in the Notice. Only those Members holding shares of the Company as on the cut-off date, shall be entitled to cast their vote on the business as set out in the Notice, through electronic voting system of NSDL from a place other than venue of AGM ('remote e-voting');iv.Any person who becomes member of the Company after dispatch of the Notice of AGM and hold shares as of the cut-off date i.e. 12th July, 2017, may obtain the login ID and password by sending a request at evoting@nsdl.co.in. However, if a person is already registered with NSDL for e-voting then existing user ID and password can be used for casting vote;v.The remote e-voting shall commence on 14th July, 2017 at 9.00 am and shall end on 18th July, 2017 at 5.00 pm. The remote e-voting module shall be disabled by NSDL after the aforesaid date and time for voting and once the vote on a resolution is cast, the member is not allowed to change it subsequently;vi.For the process and manner of electronic voting, members may go through the instructions in the Notice of 4th AGM or visit NSDL's website https://evoting.nsdl.com and in case of queries, members may refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for members and e-voting user manual for members at the Downloads section of https://www.evoting.nsdl.com or call on toll free no. 1800-222-990 or contact Mr. Rajiv Ranjan, Assistant Manager, NSDL at the designated email IDs: evoting@nsdl.co.in or RajivR@nsdl.co.in or at telephone nos. 022-24994600/022-24994738;vii.The facility for voting through Ballot Paper shall be made available at the AGM and the members attending the meeting who have not cast their vote by remote e-voting shall be able to exercise their right at the meeting through ballot paper;viii.The Register of Members and Share Transfer books of the Company will remain closed from Friday, 14th July, 2017 to Tuesday, 18th July, 2017 (both days inclusive) for the purpose of AGM.Kindly take the above on record.Source : BSE
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Pursuant to Regulation 30 read with Schedule III of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the 35th Annual General Meeting of the Company was held on Thursday, June 22, 2017 at Ahmedabad Management Association, H.T. Parekh Hall, AMA Complex, ATRA. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Marg, Ahmedabad 380015 at 11.00 a.m. In this regard, please find enclosed the Summary of the Proceedings of the 35th Annual General Meeting of the Company.Source : BSE
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Notice of the 76th Annual General Meeting of the Company scheduled to be held at 10.30 a.m. on Monday, the 17th June, 2017 at the Auditorium, 3rd Floor, Piramal Tower Annexe, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400 013 is attached herewith.You are requested to take the same on your records.Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400 013.Source : BSE
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Debt-ridden Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar has shelved the plan to sell power business to group firm Lalitpur Power Generation Company for about Rs 1,200 crore, even as its lenders have initiated resolution process under S4A to restructure loans.

The company had announced plans in December to sell its co-generation power business, having 449 MW capacity at 14 locations in Uttar Pradesh, to LPGCL for about Rs 1,800 crore.

Later the deal size was reduced to Rs 1,227 crore.

Bajaj Hindusthan has a debt of around Rs 6,000 crore.

In a BSE filing, the company informed that "Joint Lender Forum of the company has taken a decision that the loan account of the company will be taken up for consideration under the 'Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A Scheme) introduced by the RBI.'

Bankers will evaluate and formulate the Resolution Plan as envisaged in the Scheme for implementation, it added.

The company also informed that the proposal for sale of co-generation power business "has been consequently shelved".

The entire amount of cash consideration from this deal was proposed to be utilised by the company towards advance repayment of its existing term debt.

Bajaj Hindusthan has 14 sugar mills with cane crushing capacity of 1.36 lakh tonnes per day and alcohol distillation capacity of 800 kilo litres per day.

Besides sugar, Shishir Bajaj-led Bajaj group has interests in power, ethanol, real estate, personal care products and infrastructure.

The group's power venture includes Bajaj Energy Pvt Ltd, with 450 MW thermal power generation commissioned in 2012 and the Lalitpur Power Generation Co Ltd with a total of 1,980 MW thermal power generation capacity.
Answer: Kochi Metro

Onsite solar energy provider CleanMax Solar has bagged the order to power Chennai Metro Rail Ltd.

CleanMax has bagged six MW Solar Rooftop Turnkey contract on RESCO model (Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model) that would be used to power metro stations, depots and administration buildings, a company statement said.

"The venture will involve the installation of rooftop and ground mounted solar PV plants at 12 metro stations and at the maintenance depot in Koyambedu," it said.

The move was also in line with the Centre's vision of moving towards renewable energy by 2022.

With the use of renewable energy, the company said it would reduce the carbon dioxide emission by 7,438 tonnes per year and save Rs 1.50 crore annually to Chennai Metro.

"Once fully operational, the total capacity of rooftops and ground mounted power systems in CMRL's facilities will be six MW, which will make it one of the largest onsite solar projects in India," it said.

Chennai Metro project represents a significant step in CleanMax Solar's mission of also helping public infrastructure projects become sustainable through solar poewer.

"We are delighted that CleanMax has been awarded the prestigious Chennai Metro contract. Coming soon on the heels of our successful rooftop projects at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, Chennai Metro project is an affirmation of CleanMax's leadership position...," CleanMax Solar Co-founder Andrew Hines said.

"We look forward to work with civic authorities and the Chennai Metro technical teams to roll out this large and complex onsite solar project," he added.
An independent investigation into whistleblower complaints against Infosys found no evidence of wrongdoing by the company.

Infosys had been the subject of two anonymous complaints relating to acquisitions, CEO compensation and expenditures.

One whistleblower had alleged that the software major's USD 200 million acquisition of Israeli firm Panaya in 2015 was overvalued and the deal had benefitted some employees.

The complaints were placed before an audit committee that employed Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, an international law firm specialising in internal investigations, and Control Risks, a global risk consultancy specialising in expert analysis and in-depth investigations.

Gibson Dunn and Control Risks have now completed their detailed and extensive Independent Investigation and as they have described in the attached document, they did not find any evidence whatsoever of wrongdoing, Infosys said in a statement on Friday.

The clearance comes just a day before Infosys Annual General meeting.

Gibson Dunn, in its letter to Infosys audit committee, said that the complaints by the whistleblowers included issues of improprieties in connection with the companys acquisitions of Panaya, Inc. and Skava Systems Private Ltd. in 2015.

As described in detail during our discussion with the Audit Committee, we found no evidence whatsoever to support any of the new allegations in the Complaints regarding wrongdoing by the company or its directors and employees, and those allegations were rebutted by substantial and credible evidence, the law firm said.

It also said that two previous investigations conducted by law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas into allegations relating to the departure of the former CFO Rajiv Bansal were thorough, and that their findings and conclusions were reasonable and credible based on the evidence.

In February this year, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had received two separate complaints from whistleblowers alleging irregularities in Infosyss Panaya deal.

The letters said that the deal was overvalued and some employees had personal interests in it.

At that time, Infosys had denied the allegation saying they were false and defamatory. It had also said that Deutsche Bank had done a third-party valuation before the final price for the deal was decided.

Another whistleblower complaint had raised several concerns over the excessive severance pay that was given to the former Chief Financial Officer Rajiv Bansal. A connection between the deal and severance pay was alleged.

Earlier this month, the regulator said it found no evidence of irregularities in the deal during its own preliminary probe and thereby closed the matter.
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The countrys largest lender State Bank of India has taken three indebted steel makers to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to recover dues under the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. A change of management, merger or asset sale are some of the options that SBI can push for under the bankruptcy law.

While there are plenty of foreign funds eyeing distressed assets, not many are likely to put in bids to acquire these assets, say experts.

For starters, there are no bidding guidelines that have been put in place. Also, the risk of litigation is high as some of these large corporate groups would not be willing to relinquish control even if the new bidder is stronger and able to bring in more equity. Also, the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is yet an untested law, which is why not too many new bidders would come forward and risk acquiring these assets in the face of strong opposition.

Domestic steel companies in India, which had earlier expressed interest in some of these assets, also do not expect a change in management in these three companies, even though the government has put in place an enabling framework that could result in such a transition. Industry players, lawyers and bankers, believe that a change in management could be the best possible solution, but that may not happen since the companies that have been taken to NCLT are large corporate houses and the risk of litigation is strong if the creditors committee decides to accept the bid of other entities or funds.

Says Kumar Saurabh Singh, Banking Partner at Khaitan and Company: The process is laid out under IBC (Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code). The committee of creditors, which will be formed, is open to receiving resolution proposals. How many people are interested in distressed [assets] is a commercial question. The process is objective and third-party bids will also be considered. Also, currently, there is no basis to say that what used to happen under S4A will continue because NCLT has been given wider powers. Having said that, it is not easy to change management anywhere in the world.

Karthik Srinivasan, Senior Vice President at ICRA, told Moneycontrol: The framework is in place and it is directionally positive as far as arriving at a resolution is concerned. To get a new management may be challenging and again it depends on the haircuts banks are willing to take. The only fear is that these are large groups and they can take the legal route to delay and that is where the government has to deal with things effectively.

Bankers fear that incumbent managements will want the creditors committee to consider their own restructuring plans, which had been approved before the IBC came into existence. Given that there are instances like that of HCC, which was able to get its restructuring plan approved under the S4A (Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets), other managements will put up a strong resistance against any move to bring in new managements, which could put in more equity capital.

In such a situation, industry observers claim that some of the managements are asking banks to allow them to park the unsustainable debt in the form of optionally convertible bonds with a promise to service the debt after 20 years, when operations revive. So, in effect, these steel makers would get up to 2055 to service the unsustainable debt. Incumbent managements would cite the instance of HCC, where the company was given a chance to revive operations under the S4A.

However, it would be incorrect to compare HCCs restructuring case with that of the existing steel companies  Bhushan, Essar Steel and Electrosteel  as HCCs operations were generating sufficient cash to sustain 52 percent of its debt. Under the S4A scheme of the Reserve Bank of India, 52.5 percent of HCCs debt was sustainable (as defined by a techno viability study done by a third-party) and 45.5 percent was unsustainable. HCC converted the unsustainable part of the debt into optionally convertible debentures with a coupon interest of 0.1 percent, which was to be paid over a period of 10 years. But for the first five years, there would be no repayment.

As per RBI norms, a portion of the unsustainable was to be converted into equity. The unsustainable debt was divided into two parts  one part converted into OCD and balance converted into equity of company. Explains Pravin Sood, CFO of HCC, HCC has strong operations and receivables backlog that could service more than 50 percent of the debt at existing operations. The same had been certified by the TEV study by an independent party. The balance unsustainable debt also had visibility of getting paid off out of large receivables in the form of arbitration awards against PSUs.

The next few months will be very interesting, as State Bank of India has taken the three steel makers to NCLT. While the framework is in place to enable resolution, there are many ifs and buts in the process, believe experts. A key risk to the process is litigation.
business Is the auto sector GST-ready? Varying rates on different cars worry dealers Cars and most of the bikes will attract the highest GST rate at 28 percent with a cess between 1-15 percent. We spoke to a few automobile dealers in Delhi and they say the registration process has not been hassle free and a higher tax rate will hurt their sales in the first quarter. CNBC-TV18's Ashpreet Sethi gave us this report.
business Looking forward to PM Modi's visit to USA: Rohit Khanna, US Congressman As the countdown begins for the much anticipated meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump in Washington on June 26, earlier this week, CNBC-TV18's Ronojoy Banerjee caught up with US congressman Rohit Khanna.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Samir Ali  Trend:

An appeal against the Baku Grave Crimes Courts verdict on Russian citizen of Armenian origin Marat Ueldanov, accused of drug trafficking, was considered in the Baku Court of Appeal June 23.

Ueldanov took part in the trial, which was held under the chairmanship of Judge Aflatun Gasymov.

The case was returned to the Baku Grave Crimes Court upon the judges decision.

The judge said that the criminal case was not translated into the Russian language and therefore it can not be considered in the Baku Court of Appeal.

According to the court's decision, the criminal case must be sent to the Baku Court of Appeal after it is translated in the court of first instance.

Russian citizen Marat Ueldanov was arrested July 28, 2016 in Azerbaijan on charges under Article 234 of the Criminal Code (illegal fabrication, production, acquisition, storing, transportation, transfer or sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or precursors).

The Baku Grave Crimes Court held a hearing on the criminal case regarding Ueldanov. Following the proceedings, Ueldanov was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.
An illustration photo shows Whatsapp App logos on a mobile phone in Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 16, 2015. A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered telecommunications providers to block all access to the WhatsApp phone-messaging application for 48 hours throughout Brazil, Latin America's largest country, the court said in a statement. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo - RTX2D4HO

Facebook-owned messaging application WhatsApp is in discussion with banks to facilitate instant payments via Unified Payment Interface (UPI) for users within its platform.

WhatsApp is believed to have kick-started discussions with State Bank of India (SBI), the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI) and a few other financial institutions for the same.

Due to the complexity of the architecture, WhatsApp is in discussions with the State Bank of India, NPCI and few other banks to devise ways to integrate their systems with the bank and with NPCI, a senior SBI official said on condition of anonymity reported The Economic Times.

UPI, launched by Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan in 2016, facilitates instant fund transfer between two bank accounts on the mobile platform.

We are currently at the proof of concept stage, looking at ways to integrate it with our back-end, the SBI official added.

To allow UPI on WhatsApp all banks need to integrate their systems with the messaging app so that the app can identify the correct recipient and UPI layer allow the fund transfer between two parties.

A messenger works in a manner of identifying an address box where the messages travel to instantly. Similarly, UPI instantly settles funds between one account holder and the other, said a senior executive, who manages payments at a private sector bank told The Economic Times.

Similar method have been adopted by other applications like Truecaller and Hike Messenger who have UPI-based payments tie-up with ICICI Bank and Yes Banks, respectively.

However, such tie-ups require a wallet licence from the RBI.

According to The Economic Times, since messaging applications can allow instant and easy transfer of funds, banks are concerned over security of data in the process involved.



The current discussions also include concerns regarding the manner in which consumers will be able to access the payment method. That is, whether it will be done through WhatsApp or appear as a payment mode in the payment gateway page.



UPI plays an important role in India's drive towards digital payment. After demonetisation, UPI clocked 17.8 million transactions amounting to about Rs 7,000 crore in 2016-17, reported The Economic Times.

Some security protocols will need to be implemented around payments through WhatsApp. If it decides to use Aadhaar, then we will have to enable biometric authentication, another executive told The Economic Times.
India Economy

The Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Portugal on cooperation in the field of public administration and governance reforms.

The MoU will help in understanding the system of customer oriented public service delivery in Portugal with reference to rapidly changing environments in the area of public service management and processes in the Indian public service delivery system, leading to improved delivery in the country.

The MoU will be signed between Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), and Ministry of the Presidency and of Administrative Modernisation, Government of Portuguese Republic, an official release said.

The areas of co-operation under this MoU will include digital transformation of government, administrative simplification and process re-engineering, public service delivery, building and developing staff capability, sharing good governance practices in public administration and public grievance redress mechanism.

The forms of cooperation will include organisation of a senior consultative body and working sessions for ongoing discussions regarding cooperation and collaboration. As part of its efforts in seeking international collaboration for initiatives in good governance and administrative reforms, DARPG has so far entered into bilateral MoUs with China, Malaysia, Singapore, France and United Kingdom and a trilateral MoU with Brazil and South Africa.

The recent MoU with Portugal is a step in this direction.

Similar MOUs with China and Singapore are under renewal or consideration in consultation with ministry of external affairs.
Noted farm activist Kishor Tiwari today said loan waivers and providing higher minimum support prices (MSPs) for agri products are no solution to agrarian crisis.

There is now an unhealthy competition among states to announce farm loan waivers after the one declared by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh soon after coming to power in the country's most populous state, he said.

Tiwari's comments are significant as he is also the chairman of a special taskforce appointed by the Maharashtra government to address the prevailing agrarian crisis in the state. The BJP-ruled Maharashtra is among a clutch of state who have announced debt relief for farmers.

In a statement issued here, Tiwari said loan waivers and higher MSPs for farm products are no solution for the agrarian crisis in the age of globalisation.

"Loan waiver will certainly hamper the ongoing development works in Maharashtra," said Tiwari, whose NGO Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) has been highlighting agrarian distress in Vidarbha and also tracking farmer suicides in the region.

Regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra have a large area under rain-fed condition. Erratic monsoon causes drought in these regions, resulting in crop failure and leading to farmer suicides, he said.

"This could be addressed permanently by involving new crop patterns and encouraging farmers to undertake organic farming by using indigenous seeds," Tiwari suggested.

A farm loan waiver does not provide condition for secure credit system in the long term. The loan waiver implies banks will have to be compensated by the government for the amount involved, the activist said.

This, in turn, will hamper activities like strengthening agricultural infrastructure in irrigation and secondary support business in rural economy, he said.
The product structures of pension products sold by insurance companies may see some tweaking. In the industry-regulator meeting held on Friday, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) raised concerns on the low sales of the pension products.

With a tough regime and little opportunity to innovate, the regulator may bring out some changes in the product structure.

At one point, pension products used to constitute about 25 percent of the business of life insurers. This has now dropped to a single digit and is a matter of concern. We will see if any enabling structures can be brought, said a regulatory source.

During the annual review meeting of the insurance companies held in Hyderabad, IRDAI acknowledged the concerns of life insurers in this space. The product faces tough competition from the National Pension Scheme (NPS), which has better tax incentives and investment opportunities.

A senior life insurance executive explained that the current regime has been tough and therefore, insurers are able to offer only a basic guarantee product in the pension space.

Five years ago, there were changes in the pension segment regulations that had made it mandatory for insurance companies to offer a non-zero return on the products that they offer. This was on account of the fact that the maturity fund from these policies would be used as a retirement corpus by policyholders.

The regulator has insisted that annuity should be brought from the same insurer. Also, no partial withdrawals are allowed which has made it difficult to sell them, said the chief executive of a mid-size private life insurance company.

Further, several insurers have stayed away from investing heavily in the equity markets for fear of returns getting impacted if the product is surrendered in the short-term.

NPS invests in equity and does not bear service tax while the pension products have service tax attached to them.

With the goods and services tax (GST) regime, the pension products may also get slightly expensive since insurance sector has been put under 18 percent tax bracket as against 15 percent earlier.

On one hand, pension products are unable to compete with NPS, on the other taxes are high. We have sought a better structure that gives us more flexibility in terms of investments out of pension funds, said the chief investment officer of a bank promoted insurance company.

Life insurers had sought a further tax exemption for investment into pension products. But, no such provision was made by the finance minister in his budget announcements.
Asserting that goods and services tax will be implemented on July 1 itself, junior finance minister Arjun Meghwal today said the indirect taxation reform will help government widen tax base and increase revenue.

"Tax base will definitely widen, we cannot give you a calculation at present. After demonetisation, we had done no calculation but today we can tell you that 91 lakh new tax payers have come in since then. Similarly, after GST also the tax base will grow, definitely," he told at an IMC event here.

The minister added a GST introduction, which he repeatedly asserted will happen on schedule on July 1 despite concerns in some quarters, and will also help increase the revenue.

He said the revenue collections have grown 9.4 percent, 16 percent and 17 percent in the first three years of the Modi regime and GST will help the trend continue.

The minister said 2017 will go down as the year of economic reforms, with path-breaking changes like the GST, digitalisation due to the note-ban, merger of finance and rail budgets, preponing of finance budget to get the finance bill cleared by April 1, among others.

Meanwhile, replying to a question on growth, he said the country is moving towards reclaiming its position as the biggest GDP contributor to world economy like the 37 percent it did during the 17th and 18th centuries.

"Someone had asked Swami Vivekananda in London about what does he see? He replied saying India, which was not even independent, will be the global economic leader. That time, people doubted him. He just shut his eyes, meditated and said this. I think Vivekananda's comments will come true," the IAS officer-turned-politician said.
You can now complain against banks for fraudulent or wrong transactions on the internet and mobile banking or in case of mis-selling of products from banks.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday widened the scope of its Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006, to include, inter alia, deficiencies arising out of sale of insurance/ mutual fund/ other third party investment products by banks, the central bank said in a statement on its website.

The amended Banking Ombudsman Scheme shall come into force from July 1, 2017.

Under the amended Scheme, a customer would also be able to lodge a complaint against the bank for its non-adherence to RBI instructions with regard to Mobile Banking/ Electronic Banking services in India.

The monetary compensation has been increased from existing Rs 1 million to Rs 2 million (Rs 10-20 lakh).

"Compensation up to Rs 1 lakh can also be awarded by the BankingOmbudsman to the complainant for loss of time, expenses incurred as also, harassment and mental anguish suffered by the complainant," the central bank said.

Further, customers can now also appeal against the complaints which are closed relating to rejection.
A visitor is seen at India's Brahmos' booth at the Maritime Air Systems and Technologies Asia (MAST) show in Chiba, Japan June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai - RTS16N97

Moneycontrol Research

In 2016, India surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the country with the fourth highest defence budget globally. With defence spending expected to accelerate in the next couple of years, the ranking could rise to number three by 2018.

Source: IHS Markit

Why defence now?

India has the third largest military in the world and is one of the largest importer of conventional defence equipment. It spends around 30 percent of its Rs 2.75 trillion defence budget on capital acquisition. At present, 60 percent of the defence requirements are met through imports. But this mix could change dramatically as the government looks to step up indigenous sourcing to 70 percent over the next decade.

Convinced that indigenous weapons production can provide jobs, result in savings and transfer of technological know-how, defence is at the core of Make in India.

As per governments own projections, contractual offset obligationsthe orders required to be sourced locally--worth approximately USD 4.53 billion, are likely to come up in the next 5-6 years. The offset policy in capital purchase contracts with foreign defence OEMs, stipulates a mandatory offset requirement of a minimum of 30 percent for defence contracts. The minimum contract value for which offsets are mandatory stands at Rs 2,000 crore.

Indias defence spending has increased at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent in the last 15 years. In budget 2017-18, the allocation for defence capital outlay stood at Rs 86,488 crore out of the Rs 2,74,114 crore allotted to defence expenditure. The preferential treatment given to defence PSUs in excise/customs duty has been discontinued to create a level-playing field and customs duty exemption on import of defence equipment has been removed to incentivize domestic manufacturing.

Quantifying the opportunity  Rs 15 lakh crore in 15 years?

According to industry sources, the capital acquisition of defence hardware in the next 15 years is expected to be Rs 1.5 lakh crore (USD 225 billion), divided under- i) Land systems (Rs 6 lakh crore) - focused on small arms, ammunition, artillery and air defence guns, combat vehicles and anti-tank missiles., ii) Aerospace  Rs 5.2 lakh crore, iii) Naval  Rs 3.5 lakh crore, and iv) Security (Rs 0.3 lakh crore)  catering to all segments with Radars, electro-optics, C4I system, underwater systems, missiles and guided weapons, avionics, and communications and electronic warfare.

The Cabinet has also recently cleared a new strategic policy (SP) for private sector participation in equipment manufacturing in India. A pool of top six Indian companies will be made based upon three main criteria- Financial (Rs 40 billion turnover for 3-years and Crisil A rating), technical capability and existing infrastructure, and could bid for approximately USD 20 billion worth of projects.

Source: Deutsche Bank

How to participate in this opportunity  The Moneycontrol Defence Portfolio

While this opportunity size is significant and will run for the next eight to ten years, we suggest investors adopt a portfolio approach to ride on this theme. Moneycontrol Research has created a portfolio for the long-term buy & hold investors to capitalise on the opportunity that Make in India in Defence is likely to offer.

The portfolio with 15 stocks has an eclectic mix of stocks from the large and mid-cap universe. We have judiciously created a cash cushion of 20 percent to capture the opportunities, should markets turn a tad jittery post GST implementation in the near term.

The defence portfolio is unique in many ways because the companies in the fray need not just have the requisite financial muscle, but should possess the right technical capabilities and pre-qualification to capture this opportunity. Thus, investors got to be selective as this is a high entry barrier business and companies that manage to get qualified stands to enjoy the exclusivity premium for a while.

We envisage this portfolio to deliver decent outperformance over the medium term as India pushes the pedal on Make in India through defence indigenisation.
Answer: Air Odisha.

Low-cost carrier GoAir will introduce a new flight between Bengaluru and New Delhi this week, taking the total daily direct flights on the route to three.

The additional flight will come into effect from June 24.

"The new additional service has been introduced in response to a growing demand in this sector, particularly from corporate travellers," GoAir said in a statement.

The flight will depart from Bengaluru at 11.35 am and land in Delhi at 2.20 pm.

On the return leg, the plane will depart from Indira Gandhi International airport here at 3.05 pm and will land in Bengaluru at 6 pm.

With this addition, GoAir will operate 1,225 weekly flights to 23 destinations.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) may have led entrepreneurs running from pillar to post trying to understand its implication but for employees of tax consultancy and accounting firms GST has brought a mid-year bonanza.

People who are able to provide solutions over GST have been much in demand over the last 6-8 months. Sources say that separate teams working only on GST have been given promotions and sizeable increments even without the normal appraisal process.

Teams working on GST have been the busiest since the past several months. The management decided to reward all of them at one go with promotions and chunky hikes along with 2-3 times the normal bonuses, said a source from one of the consultancy firms.

This has also led to a heightened level of poaching amongst the Big Four  EY, KPMG, PwC and Deloitte  as requirement for such talent far outpaces supply at the moment.

Jagjit Singh, Chief People Officer, PwC India, said that in PwC, increments and promotions happen as per the annual review cycle, which just concluded. He added that this year, too, they have rewarded our staff on the basis of high performance benchmarks.

Bonuses for the GST teams in particular acknowledge the incremental effort made by each and every one of them, Singh said.

With GST rollout round the corner, it has become imperative for companies to stop talent from leaving as they fear losing high-value clients.

Firms are offering double promotions and increments to the tune of 30-50 percent to employees of rival organisations to join them, said another senior employee who is working with one of the Big Four companies.

Sachin Menon, Partner and Head, Indirect Tax, KPMG said that there is an increasing demand from clients for supporting them in transition to GST and, therefore, there is a need for increasing the strength of skilled people.

Hence, all consulting firms are hiring resources and also moving people internally. Incentivizing people when you have a good year is nothing new and GST is one such instance, said Menon.

According to accounting regulator Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) GST will bring in an additional USD 2.3 billion (Rs 15,000 crore) in consulting fees.

There is a mad rush to acquire talents like never before who can handle GST. The HR department is under severe pressure to retain manpower, said the source mentioned above.

A senior human resource official at one of the big four firms said that since GST team consultants have been working over-time as well also on some of the weekends, additional incentives will be paid.

There is a risk of consultants being poached since all firms are rushing to meet the last minute deadlines and compliance hiccups. We are hopeful that incentives will be helpful in retaining the team members, he explained.

Deloitte refused to share any comments on the email sent by Moneycontrol, while EY did not respond.

The switch-over to GST, which itself has several tax slabs, is not going to be easy. Even in developed economies GST rollout has not been smooth. With the deadline only seven days away, tax consultants are toiling night and day to get companies GST-ready.
A box with vacuum-sealed beef meat is pictured at the Biernacki Meat Plant slaughterhouse in Golina near Jarocin, western Poland July 17, 2013. The abattoir in this small town in western Poland has a special dormitory to house the more than 30 Jewish men designated by Israel's chief rabbi to oversee the production of kosher beef there. Poland exports 90 percent of its beef, a third of which was kosher or halal worth some 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion). But this booming industry has ground to a halt because, after a campaign by animal rights activists who say the method of slaughter is cruel, Poland's constitutional court banned the practice and this month its parliament rejected an amendment that would have allowed the slaughter to resume. Picture taken July 17, 2013. Photo: REUTERS.

In a major blow to Brazil, the United States has announced the immediate suspension of all imports of beef products from Latin America's largest nation because of safety concerns.

The decision by US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue yesterday came three months after a major scandal into allegations of bribed meat inspectors shook Brazil's meat industry and prompted several countries to temporarily halt imports.

In a statement, Perdue said that since March, US inspectors have refused entry to 11 percent of Brazilian fresh beef products, about 1.9 million pounds.

"That figure is substantially higher than the rejection rate of one percent of shipments from the rest of the world," the statement said.

It said the suspension will remain in place until Brazil's agricultural ministry takes corrective action. The statement did not detail what those actions should be.

The office of Brazil's presidency said late yesterday that it had no comment. After-hours messages left with the Agricultural ministry were not immediately returned. JBS, a Brazilian company that is the world's largest meat packer, declined to comment.

In March, Brazilian authorities said they were investigating inspectors who allegedly allowed expired meats enter the market in exchange for bribes.

Several countries, including major importer China, temporarily stopped buying Brazilian meats. After assurances from Brazilian officials, most began buying again within a few weeks.

Still, the episode proved a major embarrassment for a nation that prides itself on its beef and it had a large financial impact at a time when Latin America's biggest economy is struggling to emerge from its worst recession in a generation.

For several weeks, the usual tens of millions of dollars in daily exports slowed to less than USD 100,000, according to Brazilian authorities.

Brazil was the world's largest producer of beef and veal in 2016 and one of the top exporters, according to U.S. Agriculture Department. The country is also a major exporter of chicken and pork products.

The US decision is sure to put added pressure on President Michel Temer, who is facing several allegations of corruption and has been battered with calls to resign. Temer, who has strenuously denied any wrongdoing, is currently on a trip to Russia and Norway.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Automobile Federation (AFA) Anar Alakbarov and Vice-President of AFA Madat Guliyev visited the F1 Paddock on the first day of the Formula 1 races in Baku, inquired about preparations for the competition, and examined the participating teams garages.

At the same time, they got familiar with the work of international judges and the team which manages the competitions.

Chase Carey, chief executive of the Formula One Group, at the meeting with the AFA officials noted the high level of organization of the competitions in Baku and thanked for the created conditions.

Afterwards, Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who was on an official visit in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijans Minister of Youth and Sport Azad Rahimov, Anar Alakbarov, and Madat Guliyev watched the first free practice session of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
India is the only country in the world which has maximum opportunity to invest, leading NRI entrepreneur GP Hinduja has said as he sought a tripartite co-operation among China, India and the UK for the investment.

"Chinese have money, British have the expertise, competency, and consultancy. There could be a tripartite concept which can work  China, UK, and India," the Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group told a Chinese delegation and representatives of the British government at a reception he hosted at his residence here last night.

Highlighting that India has excellent opportunities for Chinese companies to invest in infrastructure, he said in his view the only country in the world today which has maximum opportunities is India.

"I hope the governments between themselves think of this and take things forward," he said.

"Anything you would like to do with the Hinduja Group in India, UK, China or anywhere else, we will welcome you."

The Chinese billionaires present at the event included Yan Bin, who made his money in Red Bull; husband and wife Chen Hongtian and Lily Yao Lini of Xiangqi, who are in real estate and mining; Xu Hang of Mindray Medical, who are in pharmaceuticals and now diversifying into real estate development; and Angel Wang Yunxiao.

Xu Hang boldly predicted: "The GDP of our three countries (China, India, and Britain) will account for more than 50 percent of the worlds GDP in future."

The Indian billionaires who attended the event included Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute and S P Lohia of Indorama, headquartered in Indonesia.

Speaking on behalf of the British administration, Michael Charlton, chief investment officer in the Department of International Trade, said, "There are huge opportunities for both Indian and Chinese companies in the UK.

The Department of International Trade and my boss Secretary of International Trade Liam Fox are looking forward to new, heightened levels of foreign direct investment in the post-Brexit environment."

The meeting was organised by Shanghai-based Hurun Report, who publish rich lists on China and India.

Its publisher Rupert Hoogewerf said, "Bringing India and China together, two great cultures of 5,000 years history, is great.
Intellectual Property protection is a key issue for India-US relationship and the next week's meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump is expected to benefit the innovators on both sides, says an American industry body.

Prime Minister Modi's US visit represents an opportunity for the Indian government to renew its commitment as a good- faith economic partner and to embrace pro-growth policies that will mutually benefit American and Indian innovators alike, it said.

"This visit represents an opportunity for the Indian government to renew its commitment as a good-faith economic partner and to embrace pro-growth policies that will mutually benefit American and Indian innovators alike," Patrick Kilbride, vice president of International Intellectual Property of the US Chambers of Commerce told PTI.

"Empowering innovators through recourse to strong intellectual property laws has long been a key issue within the US- India relationship, he said in response to a question.

"In the past, India has cast doubt on its commitment to innovation with restrictive patentability criteria affecting life sciences and computer-related inventions, generally weak enforcement of IP laws, and an administrative bureaucracy marked by red tape," Kilbride said.

"The Trump administration has placed particular emphasis on ensuring our international partners respect the rights of American innovators," he said.

In an article published this year, Kilbride had said that a strong intellectual property system must provide legal certainty that empowers innovators and artists to invest their time, money, and personal energy in creative and inventive works.

Too many exceptions  too many holes in the bucket  jeopardise that reliability and result in a lot of spilled opportunities, he wrote in Business World.

"Indian policymakers have some choices before them: they can choose to keep discouraging innovation or they can plug the holes in India's current 'bucket'  exceptions such as limiting the patentability of software innovations, or facilitating access to pirated movies and music online," Kilbride said.

"India must also choose whether they will continue down its current path or give innovators a bigger bucket  robust IP laws based on 21st century standards  to take more ideas to market.

We certainly hope that India chooses fully embrace its full innovative potential to carry a wealth of ideas to market," he wrote.
Laurence Balanco of CLSA said many of momentum, breadth, headline indices as well as credit spreads are flashing their strongest warning signals since early 2015. This is not the time to be adding risk, he feels.

In best-case scenario, this corrective period takes the shape of a trading range over the summer as the market rotates out of the 'overbought' outperforming growth and yield sectors like technology, utilities and staples into reflation themes, in particular, small caps and financials, he said.

According to him, a break below 2.12-2.16 percent in the US 10-year yield or Brent oil below USD 41.51-43.57 a barrel would likely lead to a steeper corrective decline over the coming three months.

For India, Balanco said recent divergence suggests the market is due a pause/correction in the short term.

However, due to the bullish long-term profile for the Nifty, any short-term weakness back towards the 8,989-9,191 area should be seen as an attractive buying opportunity in anticipation of further gains towards next target areas at 10,350, 11,547 and 12,000, he feels.
IRB Infrastructure Developers | In 2020 so far, the share price has moved up 76 percent to Rs 131.20. It's trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E was 6.40 multiple while 5-year average P/E was 8.30 multiple.

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh followed by Rajkot in Gujarat have topped the list of 30 smart cities announced by Minister for Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, M Venkaiah Naidu today. The third list announced today takes the total number of cities identified under the Smart Cities Mission to 90.

Marking the second anniversary of the launch of the Smart Cities Mission, Naidu said that the 30 cities announced today proposed a total investment of Rs 57,393 crore under respective smart city plans. This includes Rs 46,879 crore for ensuring core infrastructure in the areas identified by citizens for area-based development and Rs. 10,514 crore for technology-based solutions for improving governance, service delivery and utilisation of infrastructure. With this, the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to Rs 1,91,155 crore.

The Minister said that 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure workable plans.

"Of the 30 cities announced today, 26 of them have proposed affordable housing projects that benefit the urban poor, 26 cities will be taking up school and hospital projects, 29 will be taking up redesign and redevelopment of roads, he added.

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala has topped the list in this round of selection of smart cities. Next is Naya Raipur (Chhattisgarh) followed by Rajkot (Gujarat), Patna and Muzaffarpur (Bihar) have also made it to the list.

The Minister said that 20 cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under smart city mission. These include Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Biharsharif (Bihar), Diu (Daman & Diu), Silvassa (Dadra and Nager Haveli), Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), Navi Mumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra), Imphal (Manipur), Shillong (Meghalaya), Dindigul and Erode(Tamil Nadu), Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal), Meerut, Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Sharanpur and Rampur (UP).

MOUD also launched the Livability Index. 60 cities of over 1 million population to be covered under liveability index.As many as 79 indicators have been combined to arrive at City Liveability index. Weightage has been given to different parameters - governance, health, safety, open spaces. The first ranking will be released in 2018.
Mitessh Thakkar of miteshthacker.com told CNBC-TV18, "I have a mix of buy and sell calls. For the time being we will maintain a mixed bias but if we break 9,580 on the downside then maybe more of shorting can be done. Bharat Forge is a short. Sell with a stop loss at Rs 1,167, look for target of Rs 1,125."

"Grasim Industries on the other hand is a buy call, yesterday also in a weak market, this stock showed continuation signals on the upside. So I would buy with a stop loss at Rs 1,144 for target of Rs 1,230. State Bank of India (SBI) is a buy as well, good intraday set up, buy with a stop loss at Rs 288, target of Rs 305," he said.

"A midcap stock Caplin Point is a buy, keep a stop loss at Rs 562, look for target of Rs 610 and sell on Exide Industries where some of the indicators have crossed on the negative side suggesting momentum is on the downside. I would sell with a stop loss at Rs 225 and look for targets close to about Rs 205," he added.
Practo, a Bangalore-headquartered healthcare startup, is under the scanner of Department of Income Tax for tax evasion through cross-border corporate restructuring.

According to a notice by the Bangalore office of the Department of Income Tax obtained by Nikkei Asian Review, Practo used lower valuations to calculate capital gains tax owed on the transfer of assets to an offshore affiliate in Singapore.

The Income Tax Department obtained multiple valuation reports by two different Bangalore accounting firms in 2014 during a raid of Practos offices.

The July valuation, a month before the Singapore asset sale, put the company's worth at USD 71.5 million, while the August valuation from a different firm valued Practo at USD 600,000.

Practos assets were sold to Practo Pte Ltd. for USD 600,000 in August 2014, the report said.

In August 2015, Practo raised USD 90 million in Series C funding with a company valuation of almost USD 500 million from Tencent, Sofina, Sequoia Capital, Altimeter Capital, Matrix Partners India and CapitalG.

The disparity between the value of Practo's intellectual property in 2014 and the company itself a year later caught the attention of the tax department, an official told Asian Review.

Companies currently have to pay a corporate tax of 34.6 percent in India. The corporate tax rate in Singapore is 17 percent.

Practo raised USD 55 million based on a company valuation of around USD 600 million in its latest fundraising round in January, led by Chinas Tencent Holdings.

It has raised USD 179.5 million to date from investors including Alphabet, Google's parent company.
Source: Twitter: @D_Roopa_IPS

A Bengaluru-based start-up MyPetrolPump delivers diesel at the doorsteps of residents who order or pre-book refueling at any time.



Door delivery of petrol for the first time in Bengaluru - pic.twitter.com/mXZ6iOYjym

 D Roopa IPS (@D_Roopa_IPS) June 20, 2017

The consumer can place an order online on their website www.mypetrolpump.com or call them at 7880504050 from anywhere and get the diesel delivered at the requested time.

A few months ago, oil marketing companies were mulling over the possibility of home delivery of fuel to reduce congestion at fuel pumps, and thus save on peoples time.

Currently, the service is available at select locations in Bengaluru but the aim to expand across the city. However, consumers can write/call them in case of emergency delivery.

A pick up truck mounted with a 950-litre tankfabricated as per the specifications issued by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO)buys diesel from the nearest retail fuel outlet and delivers at the provided address.

Source: MyPetrolPump

Fuel is delivered at same cost as available in the nearest fuel station with a minimal delivery charge of Rs 99 for delivery upto 100 litres. For quantity above 100 litres, Pay only Rs 1 per litre on top of fuel price.

MyPetrolpump is a consumer brand of ANB Fuels Private Limited, which addresses the problems of safety, adulteration and pilferage in fuel handling.

"We have developed and follow strict quality assurance program to ensure every drop of fuel is checked for right quality before it gets loaded into refueller for delivery. We do not purchase or stock fuel prior to delivery. Fuel is sourced only upon receiving the pre booking from customers," MyPetrolPump said.

The start-up, which came into existence in July 2016, is recognized by government of India under Startup India policy for innovation in technology and processes adopted in the doorstep delivery of fuel in April 2017.

"We've been in touch with the petroleum ministry since September 2016. After having convinced the officials, we had two meetings with the minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, who appreciated our innovation," Ashish Kumar Gupta, the 32-year-old founder of Mypetrolpump and an alumnus of IIT-Dhanbad told Times of India.

According to Financial Express, the startup uses the space within the Petroleum Rules, 1976, which says no licence is needed for transport or storage of petroleum class B (non-bulk) in quantity not exceeding 2,500 litres and in receptacle not exceeding 1,000 litres. Petroleum class B includes diesel, but not petrol.

However, several safety concerns were raised regarding the safety especially while dispensing by the petroleum ministry, oil marketing companies, department of consumer affairs and the department of industry policy and promotion.

Gupta claimed that the mini fuel refueler vehicles used to deliver the fuel have approved valves and are earthed as they carry non-conductive fuel. They are equipped with metres and filtration systems and also come with an anti-siphoning system to prevent fuel theft and adulteration .

The firm is also looking at delivering petrol in future.
The fee hike is set to be implemented from October 2, 2020

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi readies to go to the United States this weekend, the Indian information technology industry hopes that he will talk tough on visa issues plaguing the sector, as well as highlight the contributions India is making towards hiring locals in the US.

The H-1B work visas, which allow highly skilled foreign workers to travel to the US, have been at the centre of a storm since US President Donald Trumps presidential campaign.

The over USD 155 billion Indian IT outsourcing industry has been a beneficiary of the H-1B visa programme, the most favored route to send Indian engineers to the US, and has for long been accused of misusing the current system to send more people to the US.

A total of 13 Bills are pending in the US Congress related to the larger issue of immigration, out of which four Bills are about H-1B, six Bills are about outsourcing and three are about immigration.

In April this year, Trump signed an executive order named Buy American and Hire American in which he tasked the US Secretary of State, Attorney General, Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of Homeland Security to suggest reforms to help ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid beneficiaries.

Our request to the (US) administration is to be mindful of the unintended consequences of implementing such requirements, Shivendra Singh, vice president and head of global trade development at industry body National Association of Software and services Companies told Moneycontrol.

At present, the US has a cap of 65,000 visas for the general category under H-1B visas. It allows a further 20,000 people who have a US master's degree from an accredited institution to also apply. The visas are awarded on a lottery-based system, to randomly select the petitions.

'Bureaucrats can't assess IT skills'

Singh said that skills are an evolving space, and even the companies recruiting candidates find it a challenge to find the right people. How would a bureaucrat be able to understand and evaluate those skills, because there is so much dynamism in the skills space, he added.

Awarding visas based on the highest wage also suffers from its own issues, such as the huge pay difference between Silicon Valley and other regions in the US and India, Singh said.

Nasscom has said earlier that in fiscal year 2015, only six of the top 20 H-1B visa recipients were Indian companies, and that the average pay for H-1B visa holders was a little over USD 82,000, apart from a fixed cost of about USD 15,000 incurred for each visa issued.

Also read: Trump amends H1B rules, entry level techies to be hit hardest

H-1B visas are also used extensively by US-based technology companies for transfer of skilled techies to US-based locations. The most common argument against the use of these visas is that they have helped Indian IT services firms to keep costs low and gain an advantage over global competitors.

However, there is also a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills gap which necessitates the transfer of skilled manpower to the US.

Its a major issue for US based companies too, said a Washington-based source aware of the thinking of US-based companies, and did not wish to be identified.

He added that the conversation around work visas between PM Modi and President Trump is expected to be largely positive. What I am hearing is that on the Hill, nothing will move this year on H-1B, if anything you could see some movement next year, he said.

Nasscom also hopes that PM Modi would highlight the Indian IT services companies efforts to create local jobs.

This is an ongoing process, and we will continue to do it, as long as we continue to find skilled people. We are now increasingly working with US States where our companies have presence, work with universities and community colleges to work on reskilling programmes to try and get the right skillset. We are doing it on an ongoing basis, said Singh.

neha.alawadhi@nw18.com
Law professionals | Corporate lawyer- Rs 6,10,000 | Senior attorney- Rs 9,50,000 | Interpreting and using the rule of the law to win arguments in favour of the client is a lucrative profession. The best lawyers earn several lakhs, even crores for a case. So much so that lawyers give up offers to become a judge so that they can maintain their incomes as lawyers! Being a lawyer requires a high level of patience, education and communication skills.

After a series of meetings on Thursday, lenders led by the State Bank of India (SBI) decided to begin insolvency proceedings against Bhushan Steel, Essar Steel and Electrosteel Steels by referring them to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for recovery under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Bhushan Steel owes Rs 44,500 crore to banks, while Essar Steel has a debt now at Rs 37,300 crore and Electrosteel Steels at Rs 10,280 crore. These three borrowers are among the 12 accounts identified by the Reserve Bank earlier this month for immediate reference to NCLT under the IBC.

"Most likely, we will be filing the case at the NCLT soon," a banker aware of the development said. We know all the cases by now. The meetings are largely to finalise the application which banks will be filing to NCLT given that there is more legal backing, said another senior banker.

Meanwhile, a consortium of bankers, led by Punjab National Bank, will meet on Friday to discuss on Bhushan Power and Steel, which has defaulted on about Rs 37,250 crore to the lenders.

Besides these three accounts, the other stressed borrowers likely include Amtek Auto, which is in default of Rs 14,074 crore, Alok Industries (Rs 22,075 crore), Monnet Ispat (Rs 12,115 crore) and Lanco Infra (Rs 44,364.6 crore). Era Infra (Rs 10,065.4 crore), Jaypee Infratech (Rs 9,635 crore), ABG Shipyard (Rs 6,953 crore) and Jyoti Structures (Rs 5,165 crore) were also among the identified stressed accounts.

The RBI has identified 12 accounts with debt above Rs 5,000 crore with at least 60 percent of it declared as NPAs or non-performing assets as on March 2016. Cumulatively, the 12 accounts constitute a quarter of the total stressed loans in the system at over Rs 10 lakh crore.

On Saturday, Lanco Infratech informed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed its lead banker IDBI Bank to initiate insolvency procedure for the company. Once a case is referred to NCLT, there is a 180-day time line further extendable by further 90 days to decide on a resolution plan. If a plan is not decided, then the company will go into liquidation.

The internal advisory committee (IAC) formed under the RBI after its first meeting on June 13 had recommended 12 accounts totalling about 25 percent of the gross NPAs of the banking system for immediate reference under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

On Thursday, RBI also announced the five members of the Oversight Committee expanding its ambit to help resolve bad loans beyond the S4A (scheme for sustainable structuring of stressed assets) mechanism.
BHEL | Company reported loss at Rs 893.1 crore in Q1FY21 against loss Rs 218.9 crore, revenue fell to Rs 1,990.9 crore versus Rs 4,532.5 crore YoY. (Image: Reuters)

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BHEL shares declined more than 3 percent intraday Friday after JP Morgan slashed 12-month target price to Rs 128 (from Rs 128 earlier) despite stock's underperformance to Sensex.

The research house cut its earnings estimates for FY18 / FY19 to 6 percent / 10 percent as it feels the replacement of old thermal plants is not as big a catalyst as it is made out to be.

The state-run power equipment maker has underperformed Sensex by around 25 percent over the last three months. FY17 order inflows/backlog were down 46/5 percent and March quarter topline growth (negative 2.2 percent) disappointed.

JP Morgan feels staff costs are likely to increase around 20 percent in FY18 following the wage settlement exercise, solar tariffs appear to have become more cost competitive relative to thermal, the capex opportunity by thermal plays for emissions reduction has seen pushback, and BHEL's diversification efforts have not produced very significant results over the last few years.

Assuming seamless execution and a green signal for implementing the around Rs 18,000 crore Yadadri (5x800MW) project near-term, BHEL may be able to deliver 8-9 percent topline growth in FY18 and EPS of around Rs 5 (around 9 percent below consensus), according to the research firm.

BHEL is L1 on the same 2.64GW tenders for some time now. Thermal tenders of another 3.72GW (all NTPC) are in the market currently. BHEL will have to win a very large share to sustain 8-9 percent growth in FY19, JP Morgan said.

BHEL's key management meeting takeaways:

1> Not more than 10 percent of order value may be booked for Bangladesh (Rs 10,000 crore) and Yadadri (Rs 18,000 crore) orders in Year 1. Assuming a two-year execution cycle for the balance of the executable order book, the research firm arrived at around Rs 31,000 crore in FY18 revenue (including excise duty).

2> Thermal prospects where BHEL is L1 are 4x660MW. NTPC has floated a notice inviting tender (NIT) for two projects, 3x800MW Patratu and 2x660MW Talcher. BHEL expects them to be awarded in FY18.

3> Gross margin may improve a bit, as a joint deed of undertaking (JDU) clause can be diluted in future.

4> Non-power businesses are still sub-scale, particularly solar (Rs 700 crore in FY17 revenue) and defence (Rs 530 crore).

According to the research house, BHEL does not have a significant competitive advantage against. peers in these areas. Orders from the government on a nomination basis can provide support to growth in future.

At 15:03 hours IST, the stock price was quoting at Rs 135.25, down Rs 1.60, or 1.17 percent on the BSE.

Posted by Sunil Shankar Matkar
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is organized at the highest level, Alain Prost, four-time F1 world champion, special advisor with the Renault Sport F1 team, said at a press conference in Baku June 23.

He said that it is a great honor for him to attend the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

Prost said he paid special attention to the configuration of the Baku City Circuit. The circuit is very interesting, and it has long straight parts and complex narrow turns, he said.

He noted that the current round is one of the most difficult in the F1 calendar, and therefore one of the most interesting.

The complexity of the circuit has been proved by numerous accidents during the free practice sessions, he added.

Prost voiced hope that in the next two days the F1 drivers will be able to avoid mistakes.
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Shares of Fortis Healthcare fell about 14 percent intraday on Friday on reports of Malaysia-based Integrated Healthcare Holdings (IHH) pulling out of controlling stake purchase talks from Fortis Healthcare, Malar Hospitals and SRL Diagnostics.

IHH, according to a report in The Economic Times, had been in exclusive negotiations with the Singh brothers, Malvinder and Shivinder, to acquire a controlling interest in Fortis Healthcare and Fortis Malar and SRL Diagnostics.

Interestingly, business daily Mint had earlier reported that IHH is close to finalizing the deal by paying around Rs 3,600 crore for a 26 percent stake in Fortis.

The company last week said in a filing to stock exchanges that it is still evaluating the best possible ways to raise funds and no firm decision in this regard has been approved by the board till date.

Fortis board had approved enabling of fund-raising options up to Rs 5,000 crore including but not limited to qualified institutional placement, foreign currency convertible bonds or any other method.

The stake sale is facing hurdles from Daiichi Sankyo, as the Japanese drug maker says that the Singh brothers' exit from Fortis Healthcare would hamper recovery of damages of Rs 2,562 crore awarded by a Singapore tribunal to the drugmaker.

In April, Daiichi moved Delhi High Court to block a sale in Religare Health Insurance Company Limited by the Singh brothers to investors affiliated with the equity firm True North. This caused the High Court to furnish details of all their unencumbered assets for future compensation.

The stock has fallen 11 percent in the past one month, while its three-day loss stood at 14 percent. At 15:15 hrs Fortis Healthcare was quoting at Rs 171.50, down Rs 26.45, or 13.36 percent on the BSE. It touched an intraday high of Rs 187.60 and an intraday low of Rs 170.90.
business Remain optimistic on OMCs; continue to buy midcaps: G Chokkalingam In an interview to CNBC-TV18, G Chokkalingam, Founder & Managing Director, Equinomics Research & Advisory shared his reading and outlook on the market and also gave recommendations on various stocks and sectors.
CNBC-TV18 learns that Asia's largest private healthcare group IHH has terminated exclusive talks to buy a stake in Fortis Healthcare.

In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Rakesh Arora, Managing Partner of Go India Advisors discuss these and more stocks.

Delhi High Court (HC) has given Fortis a go ahead to sell the stake is a positive thing, he said. He expects to see interest from other bidders post this nod.

Fortis management have more incentive now to look at various other bidders and up the price rather the IHH being able to push the price lower, he added.

New bidder coming in would resolve the corporate governance issue, he further said.

Arora sees a re-rating of Fortis Health's stock post a potential deal.

Things are moving in the positive direction, he said.

Speaking about Aditya Birla Nuvo and Grasim Industries merger, he advised all shareholders to hold on to stocks be it AB Nuvo or Grasim because he believes there will be value unlocking in the near future. Grasim shareholders would benefit once the demerger of financial services happen because there will be some unlocking of value, he mentioned.

Equity value is zero for Bhushan Steel and lenders will have to take a big haircut, so investors should not look to buy Bhushan in any case, said Arora.
Anantnag : Army jawans stand guard during an encounter with militants at Arwani village of Anantnag district of South Kashmir on Friday. Two youth were killed and nearly a dozen others injured as security forces opened firing to chase away stone-pelting protesters who tried to obstruct an anti-militancy operation in the village where three militants were holed up in a house. PTI Photo by S Irfan (PTI6_16_2017_000199B)

Deputy SP (Security) Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched by a mob last night after he opened fire on the group which caught him clicking pictures of Jama Masjid near Nowhatta area in Srinagar.

The police officer in civilian clothes opened fire injuring three people which infuriated the group.

According to a PTI report, the mob then stripped him and pelted stones at the cop which led to his death. After the body was taken to the police, the mob charged towards the empty security pickets of the area.

He was deployed for duty at the mosque where people were to offer prayers and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was to deliver an address, a top police officer told CNN-News18.

Many people were present at 12:30 am last night due to Laylatul Qadr/ Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power)  a practice involving night-long prayers.

The authorities announced restrictions on movement of people in seven police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure, the report said.

The restrictions are to maintain law and order and prevent protests which the separatists had called for yesterday at Kakapora area of Pulwama District.
Ram_nath_Kovind

NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind today sought to reach out to the opposition by asserting that the president's office was above party politics and that he did not belong to a party.

"Since I became the governor I do not belong to any political party," the 71-year-old former head of the BJP's Dalit Morcha -- almost certain to be the next president -- said after filing his nomination here for the post.

Kovind was accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states as well as of Telangana and Tamil Nadu, union ministers and other senior leaders of the ruling bloc.

"It is my belief that the post of the president is above party politics and I will strive to keep it so," he said in a brief address to the media.

The former Rajya Sabha MP said he would do "everything possible" to maintain the dignity of the highest office.

"I appeal to all members of the electoral college for support," Kovind said.

He named several former presidents to cite the "great traditions" of the office and stressed the Constitution was supreme in the country.

"That its supremacy is maintained is very important," he added.

Underlining his agenda, he said he would work for the country's "all-round development, fulfilment of youths' aspirations and encouragement to modern education".

"I will strive to see to it that the dream to build a new India which is developing continuously when we celebrate 75 years of independence in 2022 is fulfilled," he said, reading out from a prepared text.

In a reference to the country's security, he noted that the president was the supreme commander of the armed forces.

"The security of our country's borders should be our top priority," he said.

India is the "largest and greatest" democracy, he said as he thanked parties that had supported his candidature.

With more than 60 per cent of the members of the president's electoral college backing Kovind, his election as the next president is virtually certain. Opposition parties have fielded Meira Kumar, also a Dalit leader, against him.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today faced fresh calls from ally and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and opposition parties to reconsider the JD(U)'s support to NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind but he stood his ground.

Describing the Congress-led opposition nominee Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti" (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar for the second time in two days to "mend the historic blunder" in extending the JD(U)'s backing to Kovind. Meira Kumar's candidature was announced yesterday.

Kovind was the Governor of Bihar before being chosen as the NDA nominee for the July 17 presidential polls billed as a 'dalit versus dalit' contest. The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind. But Kumar stuck to his stand, saying the Presidential elections should not become an issue of confrontation.

"It is an election for President. It should not become an issue of confrontation," he told reporters after visiting Prasad's residence in the evening to attend an Iftar party where he was warmly greeted by the host and Deputy Chief Minister Tejawsi Yadav.

"There is no doubt about the result. We have lot of respect for 'Bihar Ki Beti' (Meira Kumar). But the question is has Bihar Ki Beti been chosen to lose?" Kumar said the decision to support Kovind was taken at the meeting of JD(U)'s core committee.

"We have taken this decision after thinking on all aspects. And as far as JD(U) is concerned, it has always taken independent decisions, even when we were a part of NDA. We supported Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA candidate that time." Stating that President's chair is not for political battle, Kumar said, "Had there been consensus, it would have been a good thing but I do not think it should be a matter of debate."

"I had met Ram Bath Kovind and then had a word with Sonia ji and Sitaram Yechuri ji and I told them about my emotions that Ramnath Kovind ji had a praise worthy role in Bihar as the governor. He had worked in Bihar without any bias."

Prasad earlier in the day said that the opposition parties are still treading on the path Nitish Kumar had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'. "...don't know what made Kumar to move away and extend support to a RSS man," he told reporters on his arrival at the JayAprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

Later in the evening, Prasad when asked if he had talks with Nitish Kumar said, "This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects." The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

"We appeal to both the chief ministers of Odisha and Bihar to re-consider their decision and support a secular candidate like Meira Kumar. Above all, both BJD and JD(U) are not part of the BJP-led NDA," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Reddy, accompanied by CPI national secretary Dr K Narayanana, said they hope both Patnaik and Kumar will have a rethink before casting their vote in favour of Kovind, whom they described as a "Sangha Parivar member."

"We do not know the reasons behind both Patnaik and Kumar supporting the NDA candidate," Reddy said adding, the CPI will contact the BJD and JD(U) before the presidential polls.

Stating that the country needs a secular person to become the President in the backdrop of attacks on dalits and minorities since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre, Reddy said opposition parties have fielded Meira Kumar keeping her background in consideration.

"She (Meira Kumar) has been the Speaker of Lok Sabha, having knowledge on external affairs matters and above all the daughter of Jagjivan Ram," Reddy pointed out.

He said the BJP's three-member committee had asked the CPI about its suggestion for a Presidential candidate.

"We had suggested the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi and they (BJP) said about meeting again. But, they announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind without consulting us," Reddy said, criticising the BJP for not going for a consensus candidate for the top post.

Asked why Gandhi was not made a candidate by the opposition for the presidential election, the CPI leader said, "We had just suggested the name of Gandhi. Had the BJP agreed on it, we would have supported him."

According to Left sources, it was also surprising that the names they considered were "not even discussed and proposed" when the Opposition leaders met in Delhi yesterday to decide their joint candidate

Ahead of the meeting, the Left parties had decided to propose Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, and B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash.

They claimed that leaders of the JD(U) -- which had earlier pitched for Opposition unity, but is supporting Kovind's candidature -- are also of the view that a non- Congress contender "would have been better," the sources said.

The sources suggested that fielding a Congress candidate is something that will come in the way of bringing the JD(U) back to the Opposition flock notwithstanding her being from Bihar.

"There is a feeling that some non-Congress contender should have been considered," the sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet top global CEOs in Washington on June 25 to hard sell the India story, as he seeks to refresh the Indo-US relationship with the Trump administration in a rapidly changing geo-political calculus.

The brainstorming with CEOs will take place a day before the Modis meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House on June 26 where a few thorny issues including H1B visa and climate change could come up for discussion.

Top sources told Moneycontrol that the meeting with CEOs will take place at Washingtons Willard Intercontinental Hotel, close to the White House.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, American Tower Corporation Chairman Jim Taiclet, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Adobe Chairman and CEO Shantanu Narayen, Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Lockheed Martin Chairman Marillyn A Hewson, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon, Warburg Pincus co-CEO Charles Kaye, Cisco Executive Chairman John Chambers, and Deloitte Global CEO Punit Renjen are among the 19 CEOs that Modi will meet during a one-and-a half hour meeting scheduled to begin at 11 am.

Modi will likely showcase the structural reforms India has undertaken over the last three years to hasten fund flow, ease procedures, remove red-tape and turn the country into a more business friendly destination.

Modis three-day overseas schedule begins on Saturday with a stopover in Portugal on June 24 and a Netherlands visit on June 27 on way back from the US.

The majority of the CEOs who will attend Sundays meeting are from services, technology and private equity giants, a tad different from past business leaders meetings that had significant manufacturing sector representation.

Emerson Chairman and CEO David Farr, EY CEO Mark Weinberger, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky, Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson, Mastercard President and CEO Ajay Banga, Mondelez Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld, and The Carlyle Group co-Founder and co-CEO David Rubenstein will also attend the meeting.

The meeting comes in backdrop of a big churn in Indias information technology industry, which has fuelled aspirations of millions of middle class Indians for more than two decades. Hemmed in by growing automation, and tightening visa rules, IT firms are witnessing their slowest growth in a decade.

The Trump administration has imposed stricter rules for H1B visas affecting Indian software companies.

Job creation has been the Modi-administrations biggest challenge that stormed to power three years ago, promising to usher in `Aachchen din (Good days). Critics have spared no punches in pinning down the government for failing to create enough opportunities for millions of young people who join the queue of hopefuls every month.

The Prime Minister will likely highlight the NDA governments reforms record including the goods and services tax (GST) that will kick-in from July 1, ending more than 11 years of hectic confabulations withstanding testy relations often marked by political brinkmanship.

Modi is also likely to talk about `Digital Indiaa signature initiative to bridge the countrys digital divide, make governance more technology-enabled and public services easily accessible. He may also allude to `demonetisation  the worlds largest currency withdrawal exercise that he had announced in November, and how India is attempting to curb corruption and discourage cash transactions through tech-enabled tools.

The Prime Minister is likely to make a strong pitch for Indias competitive advantage as potential global innovation hub backed by an enabling policy environment and a strong human resource base.
Smart City

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh and Rajkot in Gujarat figured in the new list of 30 cities announced today for development under the Centre's Smart City Mission.

The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities selected for part financing of projects by the Centre under the scheme.

Thiruvananthapuram took the first slot, followed Naya Raipur, Rajkot, Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati, and Bihar capital Patna.

Announcing the new list at an event here, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for the 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure their feasibility and workable plans.

Four cities in Tamil Nadu -- Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tiruchirappalli, and three in Uttar Pradesh -- Jhansi, Allahabad and Aligarh -- also made it to the list.

An investment of Rs 57,393 crore has been proposed for development of these 30 cities. Of the planned expenditure, Rs 46,879 crore will be for core infrastructure and Rs 10,514 crore for technology-based solutions.

With this, the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to Rs 1,91,155 crore, Naidu said.

The minister said that 20 more cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under the Smart City Mission.

These included Biharsharif (Bihar); Navimumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra); Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal); and Meerut, Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Rampur (Uttar Pradesh).

Of the 30 cities announced today, 26 have proposed affordable housing projects that benefit the urban poor, 26 cities will be taking up school and hospital projects, 29 will be taking up redesign and redevelopment of roads.

All 30 cities will put in place integrated command and control centres that enable coordination among various agencies for better service delivery and effective management of scarce resources such as water and power, Naidu said.

Referring to reports that maximum funds are being allocated to a small part of a city areas under the plan, Naidu said the citizens and city governments proposed the projects for fixing the infrastructure deficit in their respective cities.

"That is how urban development has been approached in countries such as the US. Nowhere in the world a city has been made smart overnight in one go," he said.

Naidu also launched the City Liveability Index which will help a city to know where it stands in ensuring the quality of life to its citizens.

This exercise will be taken up in 116 cities -- covering all smart cities, capitals and cities with over one million population each, he said, adding the first ranking will be out next year.

The minister also distributed Rs 500 crore among various states for carrying out reforms in the urban sector. Last year, Rs 400 crore were given to the states.

For the next three years, incentive funds of Rs 10,000 crore are approved for recognising the efforts by states in urban transformation, Naidu said.

Other cities that figured in the latest smart city list included Karimnagar (Telangana), Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Puducherry, Gandhinagar and Dahod (Gujarat), Srinagar and Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir), Sagar and Satna (Madhya Pradesh) and Karnal (Haryana).

Bengaluru (Karnataka), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Pimpri-Chinchwad (Maharashtra), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Aizawl (Mizoram) and Gangtok (Sikkim) were also selected.

Under the Smart City Mission, the Centre provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of five years for implementing various projects. Launched on June 15, 2015, the government proposes to develop 100 smart cities under the mission.
FILE PHOTO: A worker checks the valve of an oil pipe at the Lukoil owned Imilorskoye oil field near Kogalym, Russia, January 25, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

Crude oil has entered a bear market even as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries has been trying its best to put a floor under the prices by curtailing supply.

Last month OPEC members had agreed to extend production cuts of about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) until March 2018.

The move has not helped, and crude prices are now below the levels of November 2016 when OPEC members had first agreed on a production.

Before peaking in January 2017, crude had rallied over 18 percent after the November 2016 output cut decision on expectations that reduced production would lift oil prices.

US WTI crude oil contract for July fell to a session low on USD 42.75 a barrel on Tuesday, the weakest level since November 2014. It closed Tuesday's session at USD 43.23, the lowest since September 2016. This was more than 20 percent below WTI's 52-week closing high in February, putting the commodity in bear market territory, CNBC says.

Both benchmark indices, Brent and WTI, have dropped over 15 percent in a months period.

To compete with the sudden boom in the US shale industry, OPEC, in 2014, flooded the market with excess oil causing a supply glut. However, the move backfired with prices plunging steeply to almost USD 25 in early 2016 from more than USD 100 per barrel in 2014 and encouraged US shale produces to increase drilling.

Rising US crude output has undermined OPEC output cuts, and production is up more than 10 percent in the past one year.

Quick rebound? Experts dont think so

An analyst poll by Reuters said that oil experts have grown more downbeat about the outlook for crude and expect prices to average around USD 55 a barrel in 2017 even after OPEC and its partners agreed to restrain production into 2018.

The survey of 34 economists and analysts predicted Brent crude would average USD 55.57 per barrel in 2017, lower than last month's forecast of USD 57.04.

OPEC, as an oil cartel has dominated the global energy market for decades but in recent years new challengers have emerged to topple this monopoly.

The US shale industry has emerged as a tough rival and OPEC's decision to extend the same level of cuts till 2018, rather than reducing output further could prove insufficient to draw out the surplus despite OPEC's strict compliance with the curbs.

Analysts believe that the oil cartel is at risk of losing further market share to US shale oil producers, which could cause compliance with the deal to slip in the second half of the year.

Further to add to OPECs pain, despite the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showing US crude inventories fell by 2.5 million barrel in the week ending June 16, crude oil price dipped further.

Oil prices have been in bear territory in recent weeks and no data has supported prices, brokerage firm Motilal Oswal says.

US crude production inched up again and has touched 9.35 million bpd, nearing levels of top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia. We expect broader price weakness to continue given lack of positive triggers but US rig count data today will provide further triggers, the firm said.

"Crude output is still increasing in the United States, where some shale producers can profit even if oil prices drop below USD 40 a barrel. We expect crude oil prices to trade negative on the back of increased supply from several key producers," says brokerage firm Sushil Finance.

An output cut combined with a drop in US inventories have not worked out even marginally in OPECs favour, this shows that the bearish sentiment against crude is not dying any time soon.

Renewables  Enter sun and wind

After US shale, growing popularity of renewable energy is seen hurting the crude and fossil fuel industry in general. Some even say that with solar and wind energy steadily gaining market share, crude oil might become obsolete in the coming decades.

Bloombergs New Energy Outlook report lists a scenario where wind and solar will account for 48 percent of installed capacity and 34 percent of electricity generation world-wide by 2040.

This, compared with just 12 percent and 5 percent today.

We anticipate renewable energy reaching 74 percent penetration in Germany, 38 percent in the US, 55 percent in China and 49 percent in India by 2040 as batteries and new sources of flexibility bolster the reach of renewables, the report says.

Countries also plan to gradually shift to electric vehicles and completely take out fossil fuel powered automobiles from the market. This will significantly hurt global crude oil demand.

With the US shale boom not dying anytime soon, persisting geopolitical tensions and the entry of disruptive technology, the worlds dependency on OPEC to fulfill growing energy needs is slowly fading.

It is highly unlikely that oil will completely go obsolete but it is gradually going out of fashion which makes it hard for the commodity to crawl out of the bear trap it has now entered.
Extensive damage is seen to the tower block that was destroyed in a fire disaster, in north Kensington, West London, Britain June 15, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls - RTS177HD

A faulty fridge freezer sparked the huge fire that gutted a 24-storey residential tower in west London last week, Scotland Yard said on Friday as it mulled slapping manslaughter charges against those responsible for the tragedy that killed at least 79 people.

The cladding on the outside of the Grenfell Tower, as well as the insulation used in the tower block both, failed safety checks, the Metropolitan Police said, nine days after the blaze ripped through the building within minutes.

The force will consider manslaughter charges on those involved as part of its ongoing criminal investigation into the tragedy that claimed at least 79 lives and displaced hundreds.

The police said it will consider manslaughter, health and safety and fire safety charges.

The government has ordered immediate testing of the Hotpoint fridge freezer that was involved.

Whirlpool, which owns Hotpoint, said, "We offer our most profound condolences to the victims, those who have lost loved ones, homes, and possessions, and to their friends and families."

The police report confirms the fire had not been started deliberately and manufacturers of the fridge-freezer which triggered the fire, Hotpoint, have been contacted.

The specific FF175BP model that burst was not found to be on any previous product recall list or classified as dangerous in any way.

Nine of those who died on 14 June has been formally identified so far. Nine people remain in hospital, with three people still in critical care.

"Preliminary tests show the insulation samples collected from Grenfell Tower combusted soon after the tests started. The initial tests on equivalent aluminium composite tiles failed also," said Met Police Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack, who is overseeing the investigation.

She said the insulation proved "more flammable than the cladding" and investigators will now seek to establish whether the use of any of these materials was illegal in the UK.

Documents and materials have been seized from a number of organisations as part of this process, the police said.

"We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards, we are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offences and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower," McCormack said.

The blaze on June 14 had destroyed 150 homes in the North Kensington tower block and has since triggered safety checks on hundreds of tower blocks around the UK.

As many as 11 residential high-rise buildings in eight local authority areas of the country have been found with cladding which raises safety concerns.

The UK's Department for Communities and Local Government has written to all local authority and housing association chief executives to advise them on steps to take if tower blocks in their area are found to be covered in cladding they are concerned about.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has also written to all MPs saying landlords of the 11 affected buildings have been told to inform their tenants, after which the areas could be identified to the public.

The letter says that the Army will be assisting with building repairs.

Cladding is typically fitted to the outside of high-rise buildings to improve insulation and tidy up the appearance of the exterior.

A Downing Street spokesperson said no-one would be left to live in unsafe buildings with cladding found to be flammable.

"They will be rehoused if they need to be and landlords will be asked to provide alternative accommodation where that's possible," the spokesperson said.

The Scottish government and Welsh ministers have said that none of their council high-rise blocks has a cladding of the type said to have been used in the Grenfell Tower.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Azad Hasanli, Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

The revision of Azerbaijans state budget for 2017 is needed to ensure the stability of the banking and financial systems, said the countrys Finance Minister Samir Sharifov.

He made the remarks during the discussion of the relevant draft law at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on economic policy, industry and entrepreneurship.

Sharifov noted that the need to regulate Azerbaijans external and internal obligations is among other reasons.

Revenues of the revised state budget are projected at 16.766 billion manats that is by 511 million manats or 3.1 percent more than the initial forecast for 2017. Meanwhile, expenditures of the revised state budget are expected at 17.941 billion manats, that is by 1.041 billion manats or 6.2 percent more than that initial forecast. The state budgets deficit will amount to 1.175 billion manats (an increase by 530 million manats), which will account for 1.8 percent of Azerbaijans GDP expected for 2017.

As part of the state budgets revision, continued Sharifov, it is planned to increase the upper limit on external loan from 4 to 4.5 billion manats for the issue of Eurobonds by the International Bank of Azerbaijan.

Another reason for the increase in expenditures of the state budget is the regulation of expenditures to maintain kindergartens owned by the state, as well as the creation of financial support for new kindergartens in the countrys cities and districts.

At the end of the meeting, the draft law on revision of the state budget for 2017 was recommended for discussion at a plenary session of the Azerbaijani parliament.

A source in the countrys parliament told Trend that the increase in expenditures is also related to the allocation of additional funds for the Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) and the state oil company SOCAR. Moreover, the Azerbaijani state will allocate four billion manats for restructuring of foreign obligations of the International Bank of Azerbaijan.

According to the source, revenues of the state budget totaled 3.591 billion manats in the 1Q17 while the forecast was 3.473 billion manats, which means the overfulfilment of forecast by 3.4 percent.

According to the current law On the State Budget of Azerbaijan for 2017, revenues of the state budget are approved in the amount of 16.255 billion manats, expenses  in the amount of 16.9 billion manats. Budget forecasts are formed on the basis of the price of oil at $40 per barrel.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, the Chinese media said on Friday that any gains made by him in his talks with President Donald Trump, on immigration and climate change will also benefit China.

"It will be interesting to see how Modi's visit to the US will influence the two countries' bilateral economic ties," an article in the state-run Global Times said. "Chinese people will take a close look at the summit because some of the issues also concern China's inGains PM Modi makes on H1-B visa, Paris climate change deal at Trump summit to benefit China too: Reportterests," it said.

"For instance, Trump is reforming US immigration policies, including the H1B visa, a type of visa whose biggest and second-biggest recipients are India and China, respectively."

H1B visa programme is the most sought-after by Indian IT firms and professionals.

"The curb on H1B visas is bad news not only for the Indian IT sector but also Chinese students studying in US universities. China will most likely be willing to express support for India's stance over the H1B visa, and hopefully the problem can get solved during Modi's summit with Trump," it said.

Also in the backdrop of Trump withdrawing from the Paris climate deal, any gains made by Modi on climate issues will benefit China, it said.

"The dispute over climate issues will perhaps continue to evolve during the upcoming (Modi-Trump) summit. Will Modi use the opportunity to pressure the US to undertake its obligations?," it said as a China too announced its adherence to the Paris deal.

"Against this background, some key issues such as the H1B visa programme and Paris agreement are likely to have a much greater impact on the whole picture of the bilateral ties, and thus the two countries may have more motivation to solve these problems. If the Modi-Trump meeting can make achievements in this regard, other countries like China are also expected to benefit from it," the article said.

"China is glad to see India and the US strengthening their economic ties. However, New Delhi's bargaining power in negotiations with Washington is limited, so it is unrealistic for Modi to totally change Trump's attitude toward the H1B visa and Paris agreement. China needs to have a clear anticipation of the summit and be prepared for any eventualities," it said.
American Airlines Group Inc said that Qatar Airways, the Gulf country's state-owned airline, had expressed interest in buying as much as a 10 percent stake worth at least $808 million in the U.S. airline.

The potential investment comes against a background of diplomatic and competitive turbulence for Qatar Airways, its home country and U.S. airlines. Operations at Qatar Airways were disrupted after four Arab nations cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar this month in the worst diplomatic crisis in the region in years.

Separately, American, United Continental Holdings Inc, and Delta Air Lines have pressed the U.S. government to take action to curb U.S. flights by Qatar Airways and rival Gulf carrier's Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways. The U.S. carriers charge that their Gulf rivals have received billions of dollars in unfair state subsidies, allegations the Gulf carriers deny.

Investors cheered news of Qatar's potential investment in American, sending shares of the U.S. carrier up more than five percent in pre-market trading. American shares were up about 2 percent in regular morning trade.

Qatar Airways indicated its interest in buying a stake in American on the open market, American said in a regulatory filing. (http://bit.ly/2tRVFlK)

Qatar Airways said in a statement that it sees a "strong investment opportunity" in American and that it "intends to build a passive position in the company with no involvement in management, operations or governance."

"Qatar Airways plans to make an initial investment of up to 4.75 percent. Qatar Airways will not exceed 4.75 percent without prior consent of the American Airlines board. Qatar Airways will make all necessary regulatory filings at the appropriate time."

American Airlines declined comment and it was not clear how American's board or management would respond to Qatar's potential investment.

American, in its filing, noted potential obstacles to Qatar's plan to acquire the stake. American said its rules prohibit "anyone from acquiring 4.75 percent or more of the companys outstanding stock without advance approval from the board," and said it had received no request from Qatar for such approval. Further, American said, "there are foreign ownership laws that limit the total percentage of foreign voting interest to 24.9 percent."

Qatar Airways, the Middle East's second biggest airline, also owns 20 percent of British Airways-owner International Airlines Group (IAG) and 10 percent of South America's LATAM.

Qatar Airways, American Airlines, IAG's British Airways, Iberia and LATAM, are all members of the oneworld airline alliance.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker has said the investments so far were purely financial, though he has looked for opportunities to cut costs or expand service with the oneworld alliance airlines in which it owns stakes.

Qatar Airways and British Airways have a revenue sharing partnership between their respective hubs in Doha and London, and Qatar Airways plans to launch flights to LATAM's base in Santiago, Chile.

The crisis has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt close their airspace to Qatar Airways, forcing it to cut flights to those countries, fly longer routes and thereby adding costs.

Al-Baker, who has been highly critical of the blocking of airspace, has said Qatar Airways would use the aircraft used to fly to those countries for fast-track expansion plans elsewhere.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, a time  as noted in a recent proclamation by President Biden  we pay homage to the unrelenting bravery and dedication of all who wear the uniform and to the unwavering...
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The EU will support the reforms regarding the pension provision in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Salim Muslumov told reporters in Baku.

He made the remarks June 23 at the presentation of a new twinning project.

The project consists of four components  creation of electronic audit to enhance supervision over the receipt of social payments, the use of European techniques in forming the budget of the State Social Protection Fund [of Azerbaijan], strategic planning and strengthening of workforce capacity, Muslumov noted.

He also said that in September, Azerbaijan and the EU will start the implementation of another twinning project, which will strengthen the capacity of Azerbaijani employment agencies.

The project for the support of reforms in the Azerbaijani pension system will be implemented within two years.

It will be carried out by the EU, together with Frances Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Vocational Training and Social Dialogue, as well as the French agency Expertise France.

The project cost is estimated at 1.2 million euros.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The Baku methanol plant, operated by SOCAR Methanol LLC of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR, expects to reach the annual capacity of 500,000 tons of methanol by 2019, Elnur Mustafayev, the companys CEO, said.

He made the remarks during the Methanol 2017 Conference in Moscow, Plastinfo portal reported.

Since October 2016, when SOCAR acquired the methanol plant, the enterprise has manufactured 80,000 tons of products, and it is planned to produce 250,000 tons this year, Mustafayev said. In general, the design capacity of the plant is 650,000-700,000 tons per year.

Mustafayev named restrictions on raw materials and demand the main reasons restraining the growth of production volumes.

The expected increase of gas production in Azerbaijan in 2019 will make it possible to significantly increase the volume of output, he noted. To this end, the enterprise will be overhauled in 2017.

The methanol plant was built by AzMeCo company and is one of the largest investments in the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan. The plant, which is the only one in the South Caucasus and Central Asia region, started selling products in January 2014.

AzMeCo for the debts was handed over to Aqrarkredit CJSC non-bank credit institution in accordance with a decision of Azerbaijans Cabinet of Ministers. (Aqrarkredit CJSC manages the distressed assets of the International Bank of Azerbaijan).

SOCAR acquired the plant from Aqrarkredit CJSC.

The need to transfer AzMeCo to SOCAR arose due to AzMeCos debts to the International Bank of Azerbaijan.

The cost of the plant was estimated at $520 million.
June 23, 2017 The Saudi-Qatar Spat - An Offer To Be Refused (Updated last graphs on June 24 9:00am est) Today the Saudi ruler issued an ultimatum to Qatar that was written to be rejected. Such has happened before and one should not forget the lessons to be learned from it. After the crown prince of the Austria-Hungary monarchy, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was shot and killed in Sarajevo, the government of Austria waited three weeks to issue a 10 point ultimatum to Serbia which it held responsible for the incident. At least three of those points concerned the suppression of "propaganda against Austria-Hungary" and the Austrian Monarchy by Serbian private and state entities. It demanded a response within two days: Sir Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, commented that he had "never before seen one State address to another independent State a document of so formidable a character." The Austrian ultimatum was an offer to be refused. But Serbia did not fall into that trap. It conceded everything but two minor points. This was to no avail. The issues and plans Austria had were not about the assassination of [the disliked] Franz Ferdinand or the demands issued in the ultimatum. Two days later Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia. Allies jumped to either side. World War I had started.

bigger The now official demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and some minor Gulf sheikdoms against Qatar have a similar smell to them. They are also "an offer to be refused." The demands come late, three weeks after Saudi Arabia first accused Qatar of "supporting terrorism", three weeks after it closed the border and laid siege on the country. (Qatar is surly "supporting terrorism". So is the U.S. - the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service just rejected an asylum request because the person in question has relations with the Free Syrian Army which the C&I-Service considers to be an "undesignated terrorist organization". The CIA built and supports the FSA. According to the U.S. government the U.S. government is a state sponsor of terrorism. But the biggest terrorist sponsor of all are and have been the Saudis.) Spats between member of the Gulf Cooperation Council are usually mediated by the U.S. government. But without any official demands issued against Qatar there was nothing to mediate about. Three day ago U.S. Department of State finally issued a rather angry statement towards Saudi Arabia: "We are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the public, nor to the Qataris, the details about the claims that they are making toward Qatar," explained State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert on Tuesday.

...

"At this point, we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns about Qatar's alleged support for terrorism, or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries?" Nauert asked. The real issue for Saudi Arabia is the support for the Muslim Brotherhood by Qatar. The MB provides an alternative model of Islamic government to the hereditary kingdoms of the Gulf sheiks. They are a danger to the Saudi ruling family. A second point are Qatar's relative good relations with Iran, the external enemy the Saudis (and Israeli) rulers need to keep their people in line. The "terrorism" accusation was never the real issue. What the Saudis demand is subjugation. A summary of the thirteen point ultimatum: In effect, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain are asking Qatar to hand over control of its foreign policy to them. It will not be allowed to have diplomatic relations with Iran and its contact with Iran will be limited to trade and commerce that complies with US and international sanctions. Qatar will not be allowed contact with political opposition figures in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain  even though other countries (including western countries) do so routinely. In addition, Qatar is being asked to hand over all its files on those opposition groups.

...

Qatar is also being asked to end interference in sovereign countries internal affairs while allowing Saudi Arabia, the UAE, etc, apparently unlimited interference in Qatars own affairs. Qatar, according to the list of demands, must align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically. Then theres the closure of Qatars TV station, al-Jazeera. Obviously, the Saudis, Emiratis, etc, dont like it. ... Qatar is also told to stop funding several other news organisations, including Middle East Eye and al-Arabi al-Jadeed (also available in English as The New Arab).

...

Finally, Qatar is being asked to sign blank cheque covering reparations and compensation for loss of life and other, financial losses caused by Qatars policies in recent years. The Saudi ultimatum ends on July 3, the anniversary of the Saudi sponsored military coup against the Qatari backed Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt. One demand in the ultimatum is for Qatar to end all support for the Brotherhood. The ultimatum will likely be rejected. Qatar will simply not respond until the Saudis and others lift their blockade of the country. If the Saudis want war they should launch it right away, the Qatari ruler thinks. Doha is sure that the U.S. will not allow that. Ten-thousand U.S. troops are stationed in Qatar. It hosts a major U.S. air base and the important Central Command, which leads the war against ISIS and Syria. Qatar just bought U.S. fighter jets for $12 billion and is offering to take a 10% share of American Airlines. Turkish troops have arrived to protect the sheikdom. One unexpected Saudi demand is that all Turkish troops leave Qatar. The Erdogan government, a Muslim Brotherhood branch, responded with a snippy "Make me do so": Turkeys Defense Minister Fikri Isk rejected the demand, saying any call for the base to be shut would represent interference in Ankaras relations with Doha. He suggested instead that Turkey might bolster its presence. There is no "or else" in the Saudi ultimatum. The Saudi ruler, the clown prince Mohammad bin Salman, is not a strategist. He likely has not thought through what he could do would if Qatar says "no" to him. The Trump administration is considering a Camp David-style summit to solve the conflict: The president now wants to bring all the key players to Washington, he said. They need to disavow groups like the [Muslim] Brotherhood for the stability of the Middle East at large. Its not just about Qatari elements funding the Brotherhood but disavowing support for extremism in general, [a senior White House official] said. The real issue for the Trump administration is to unite the GCC behind its plans against Iran. There is only a small chance that such can be achieved. Iran is an important commercial partner for Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Oman. Those countries have nothing to win from any war with it. So far Iran is the sole winner of the GCC spat. Should the Saudi blockade of Qatar continue Iran's farmers will sell over 400,000 tons of food per year to Qatar. Steel and concrete are other potential exports products for Iran. Lucrative air traffic in Iranian air space has increased by 17% since the Saudis blocked Qatar Airlines flights through their airspace. Iran will sell more natural gas should Qatar's gas exports be damaged. Saudi Arabia as well as Qatar are Wahhabi extremist states. They both spend their huge resources to spread their deadly sectarian and racist believes. Qatar's ideological export is handled by Al-Jazeerah Arabic know for vile sectarianism and support of ISIS and al-Qaeda. The Saudis finance extremist mosques and madrassas all over the world. Let them fight each other and spend their resources against each other. The world can only win from that. But there is also danger in such a fight. As the historic example of Serbia demonstrates, allies jumping in on either side, each with their own agenda, may spread the fire way beyond the local conflict. What if Pakistan takes the Saudi sides and India, which receives some 90% of its gas imports from Qatar, joins the Qatari one? The Saudis and Emiratis surely did not think of this when they launched their belligerent plans. They had hoped that Qatar would fold within a day or two. They never though about real fighting or of a possible escalation beyond the local conflict. As both sides have now taken hardened positions it will be difficult for each to climb down. It will now take a year or two, if not longer, for this conflict to end. Posted by b on June 23, 2017 at 17:15 UTC | Permalink Comments
Did you miss out on the Pop Quiz this week? It's time to catch up and get ready for next week!
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 24

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Russia starts laying of deep-water part of the Turkish Stream pipeline in the Black Sea.

The Turkish Stream is an alternative route for Russian gas supplies to Turkey and further to Europe.

Russian Vladimir Putin gave a symbolic start to the process of joining the shallow and deep-water parts of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline from Pioneering Spirit pipe-laying vessel, , Kremlins press-service said in a message.

Pioneering Spirit is one of the largest vessels in the world, capable of laying up to five kilometers of gas pipeline per day at a depth of up to two kilometers. It will lay the deep-water part of the Turkish Stream.

Russia and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on the implementation of the Turkish Stream project in October 2016. The agreement envisages construction of two branches of the main gas pipeline through the Black Sea, the capacity of each branch being 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas.

One branch is meant to supply gas directly to the Turkish market and the other for the supply of gas by transit through Turkey to Europe. Initially, Russia and Turkey planned to build four branches of the pipeline. Russian Gazprom began laying pipes for the Turkish Stream pipeline off the Russian Black Sea coast in early May 2017.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 23

By Demir Azizov  Trend:

The Consular Department of Uzbekistans Foreign Ministry and the countrys Embassy in Kazakhstan are taking measures to establish the identity and provide the necessary assistance to the victims of the road accident in Kazakhstan, the Foreign Ministrys press service said in a message.

The accident occurred in the Akmola Region of Kazakhstan on June 22. A bus heading from Shymkent to Volgograd overturned and as a result of the accident, nine citizens of Uzbekistan were killed.

In total, the bus was transporting 52 people, including 50 citizens of Uzbekistan. Eighteen out of 17 citizens of Uzbekistan and a citizen of Kazakhstan were hospitalized.
A decade ago, in June 2007, the FTSE 100 reached 6,732. This was to be the peak level before the global financial crisis destroyed value for shareholders across the world. Fast forward, 10 years later and today it is trading at 7,570, up 12% from the level a decade ago.

FTSE 250, the index that tracks the 101st to the 250th largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, is up nearly 70% to 20,026 today while FTSE small-cap index is up around 40% to 5,664.

But these rallies have hardly been smooth sailing. Along the way there have been significant bumps in the road  by March 2008 the FTSE 100 had bottomed out at 3,531, losing 48% of its value.

How have UK equity fund managers navigated this volatility and recovered from the crisis? We look at top performers during over the last decade, and we found that UK equity funds with a small and mid-cap focus performed best over the past 10 years.

Data from Morningstar Direct showed that there are 1,225 funds investing in UK-listed companies  with significant variations in their fortunes. Below we look at the three funds that top the chart for annualised return over the last decade from the large cap, flex cap and UK equity income categories.

It is worth noting that two of the three top performing funds over a 10-year period have a bias towards small and mid-cap equities. Many funds within these two sectors topped the best performance chart over a 10 year period. The Silver Rated Old Mutual UK Mid Cap, Marlborough UK Micro Cap Growth and the Bronze Rated River & Mercantile UK Equity Small Companies all have 13% annualised returns over a 10-year period.

The MFM Slater Growth fund has annualised returns of 13.5% over a 10-year period, making it the best performing fund since the FTSE 100 high a decade ago.

The fund is managed by Mark Slater who is CIO, chairman, and co-founder of Slater Investments. The fund is Bronze Rated by Morningstar analysts.

Samuel Meakin, Morningstar fund analyst said that Mark Slater and his team are highly experienced, with a long and varied range of backgrounds.

The process is focused on finding companies with strong competitive positions, alongside sturdy balance sheets, good free cash flow generation, and a high rate of conversion of profits into cash, said Meakin.

There was a mandate change in October 2009 to an unconstrained, growth-orientated approach by the fund manager, which has led the fund to have most of its exposure in small- and mid-cap stocks. Since then, the fund has produced very strong cumulative returns, said Meakin.

Investors should be aware that the portfolio contains several large active positions in small-cap stocks where the manager has high conviction, and that the performance of this small number of names may lead the fund's performance to diverge meaningfully from that of the index and category average, said Meakin.

Looking at recent performance, the MFM Slater Growth fund did not have a good year in 2016, losing 2.4%. However, prior to 2016, the fund delivered positive gains every single year, except the year of 2008 financial crisis.

The CF Lindsell Train UK Equity fund is managed by Nick Train, a seasoned and talented UK equity manager who has demonstrated a consistent approach, said Morningstar fund analyst Simon Dorricott. The fund has a 12% annualised return over a 10-year period.

Train's process is differentiated and has proved successful over a number of market cycles. He looks for unique and high-quality companies that offer a high and sustainable return on equity and low capital intensity and are cash-generative, said Dorricott.

This process has led to strong absolute returns and, given the strategy has clear biases and risks, unusually consistent relative returns over the medium to longer term.

Trains emphasis on quality companies has led to particularly strong performance in weaker markets, as evidenced by the funds strong outperformance in years such as 2008 and 2011 when it protected capital better than most, said Dorricott. Recent performance remained strong, as the fund gained 11.5% and 11.3% in 2015 and 2016. The fund has a Morningstar analyst rating of Gold.

In third place is Liontrust Special Situations, a Morningstar analyst Bronze Rated fund, with a 11.7% annualised return over a 10-year period. The fund has been managed by Anthony Cross since 2006. He was joined by Julian Fosh in May 2008.

The managers skill sets complement each other: Fosh brings experience in large-cap UK stocks, while most of Cross career has centred on small- and mid-cap stocks, said Meakin.

The fund invests in a blend of companies across the FTSE All-Share Index, with a bias towards small- and mid-cap stocks. The managers have placed bets on the less capital-intensive businesses, such as support services, technology and media.

The fund helped protect investors capital better than peers in weaker market environments such as 2011, but it can sometimes fail to keep up in strong market rallies such as in 2013, Meakin added. Looking at performance in 2015 and 2016, the fund gained 13.6% and 15.5% respectively.

Which Funds Have Lost Your Cash Since 2007?

Only two funds have lost investors money over the past 10 years across all the UK-focused sectors. Over a 10-year period the actively managed Aviva Investors UK equity MOM and HSBC GIF UK Equity have annualised returns of -2% and -1.8%.
UK equity income funds used to be the most popular sector among individual investors  pulling in billions of pounds, managed by household names and forming the core of millions of investors portfolios.

In 2014, UK equity income funds attracted 2.7 billion of cash. In 2015, the funds pulled in 677 million. But last year saw an about turn in popularity for the sector; investors pulled 3 billion out of UK equity income funds in 2016. And  despite good performance  the negative trend has continued this year. UK equity income funds have been the least popular sector in 2017, according to data from Morningstar Direct.

Investors in the UK have pulled 1.9 billion out of UK equity income year to date. This outflow has extended their longest monthly outflow streak since May last year  totalling a whopping 6 billion. UK equity income funds have 85 billion under management in May 2017.

Within the sector, worst hit was Invesco Perpetual High Income, with outflows of 491 million. Mark Barnett manages the fund, and his two other funds Invesco Perpetual Income and Invesco Perpetual UK Strategic Income also saw withdrawals, 281 million and 130 million, over the same period. All three funds are Bronze Rated by Morningstar analysts.

The second least popular fund in the sector is the Bronze Rated Artemis Income fund with 374 outflows in the first five months of the year while Scottish Widows Multi-Manager UK Equity Income came the third with 351 million outflows.

Why Have Investors Shunned Funds?

Year-to-date fund flows out of the UK equity income category may reflect concerns over the current uncertainty about the economy. Following on from the EU referendum in 2016, investors worries will have undoubtedly been compounded by the outcome of the recent snap election, where no party attained a majority, said Peter Brunt, senior equity analyst with Morningstar.

Poor performance in 2016 may also be the reason why investors withdrew their money out of UK equity income funds, as the average performance of the category significantly underperformed the FTSE All Shares 16.75% gain in 2016, Brunt said.

In 2017 to the end of May, however, the category average has actually marginally outperformed the index, returning 9.11% against 8.16%. A lot of this relative performance can be attributed to fund managers underweight to giant-caps and overweight allocation to mid-cap stocks. The FTSE 250 ex Investment Trusts gave a return of 5.08% against the FTSE 100s 19.07% in 2016, and gained 11.94% against the FTSE 100s 7.30% return in 2017 to the end of May 2017. The UK equity income category still provides a positive absolute return of 8.61%, said Brunt.

Domestic stocks in general have proved unpopular; UK flex-cap equity funds and UK large-cap blend saw 610 million and 475 million outflows respectively in 2017.

IP Income Suffers Post Woodford

In October 2013, Invesco Perpetual High Incomes then fund manager Neil Woodford who had worked at Invesco Perpetual for 25 years announced his departure from the firm. Over the following 12 months, many investors cashed in the High Income and Income funds which had each delivered a total return of more than 10% a year for the last decade.

Total assets of IP High Income have gone from 13 billion in October 2013 down to 11 billion in May this year. However, the fund remained the largest fund in the UK equity income category, in terms of fund size. Assets of IP Income have gone from 10 billion in October 2013 to 5 billion in May 2017.

Despite these losses, the High Income fund gained 9.6% and 9.3% in 2014 and 2015 respectively, both outperforming its FTSE All-Share Index by 8%.

Morningstars Brunt believes that Mark Barnett has so far proved a worthy successor to Woodford over the past two years. He has done a good job managing an asset transfer on what was an unprecedented scale and has continued to produce strong relative returns on this fund. We continue to monitor his success in making macro calls in the new setup and his ability to successfully manage the strategy given the level of assets. For now, the fund comfortably retains a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze, said Brunt.

Woodford Fund Sees Small Outflows

Woodford Equity Income has accumulated assets of 10 billion since launch in June 2014. The fund is Silver Rated by Morningstar analysts.

The fund saw some outflows in first five months of the year of 101 million. Morningstars Brunt said the fund manager Neil Woodford applies the same investment approach with which he created an impressively strong and consistent track record during his near three decades at Invesco Perpetual.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 22

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:A recent UN report suggests that Iran is among the ten most aging populous countries in the world."More and more countries now have fertility rates below the level required for the replacement of successive generations (roughly 2.1 births per woman), and some have been in this situation for several decades," the report by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Population Division said.During 2010-2015, fertility was below the replacement level in 83 countries comprising 46 percent of the worlds population."The ten most populous countries in this group are China, the United States of America, Brazil, the Russian Federation, Japan, Viet Nam, Germany, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Thailand, and the United Kingdom (in order of population size)," the report added.In recent years, fertility has declined in nearly all regions of the world. Even in Africa, where fertility levels are the highest of any region, total fertility has fallen from 5.1 births per woman in 2000-2005 to 4.7 in 2010-2015.The report highlights that a reduction in the fertility level results not only in a slower pace of population growth but also in an older population.Compared to 2017, the number of persons aged 60 or above is expected to more than double by 2050 and to more than triple by 2100, rising from 962 million globally in 2017 to 2.1 billion in 2050 and 3.1 billion in 2100.
Tehran, Iran, June 23



By Emil Ilgar - Trend:



Irans President Hassan Rouhani has expressed dissatisfaction with the status of privatization in the country, calling for real privatization, IRNA news agency reported June 23.

In a meeting with economic figures, Rouhani pointed out to the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration, saying that at the time, government's assets were given to bodies that were not really private.



He said that in the Ahmadinejad administration, real privatization counted for just 13 percent of transfer of government assets.



He expressed regret that the private sector in Iran is really weak and has not been able to find markets in regional countries such as Russia over the past couple of years, despite good grounds.

The privatization of government-owned assets in Iran has increased by 2.5 times during the Rouhanis first round (May 2013 to May 2017) administration.

Since the Privatization Organization was formed in 2001, worth 1.14 quadrillion rials ($35.2 billion, each USD 32,262 rials) assets have been privatized, 40 percent of which fell in the time of the Rouhani administration, the organizations head Jafar Sobhani said, IRNA news agency reported February 3.

Prior to the Rouhani administration, only 18 percent of the privatized assets would go to private owners, while 39 percent of them went to semi-governmental entities, he said.

This is while during the first three years of the current administration, 45 of the privatized assets went to private entities, resulting in a 2.5 times increase.
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Tehran, Iran, June 23

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

A US-Arab lobby is working to convince the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) against its will to put a notice on Iran on halt, a source familiar with Irans negotiations with the FATF told ISNA news agency June 23.

The Trump administration, backed by some Arab countries, has started an extensive campaign to re-impose some reciprocal actions against Iran via the FATF, the unnamed source was quoted as having said.

However, on the same day IRNA news agency quoted yet again an unnamed source as having said that there is unprecedented international support for Iran in a FATF summit underway in Spain.

Iranian financial policy makers seek to join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is a global standard setting body for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).

Irans banking system needs to cooperate with the FATF in order to reintegrate into the global financial system following the implementation of its nuclear deal with world powers and an ensuing removal of economic sanctions.

The Iranian government has said it is intent upon continuing cooperation with the FATF on anti-terrorism and money laundering actions despite pressure from domestic critics.

On June 24, 2016, the FATF decided to keep Iran on its blacklist of high-risk countries but welcomed Iranian promises to improve and called for a one-year suspension of some restrictions on Tehran.

The FATF therefore has suspended counter-measures for 12 months in order to monitor Iran's progress in implementing the Action Plan, the international body announced then.

The governments decision to improve the countrys financial transparency in cooperation with the FATF has found critics as strong as Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on September 4 said, We are not bound to implement whatever international organizations unjustly decide for Iran, adding the move is a plot to restrict Irans access to financial resources.
Fannie Mae announced the winning bidders for two tranches of its Community Impact Pools of non-performing loans (NPLs).These two batches represent Fannies seventh and eighth community pool sales. The transaction will close on August 15this year and covers 123 loans worth $32 million in unpaid principal balance (UPBs). The loans are concentrated in the New York and New Jersey areas.Matawin Ventures XX secured Pool 1, while Community Development Fund IV won Pool 2.Pool 1 is worth $19.3m with an average delinquency of 53 months. The average loan size is $290,000 with a weighted average note rate of 5.34%.Meanwhile, Pool 2 is worth $12.6m with an average loan size of $220,000. The average note rate is 4.48%. Average delinquency is 30 months.Fannie Mae worked with Wells Fargo Securities and The Williams Capital Group to start marketing these loans last May 10.Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac enhanced its requirements for nonperforming loan sales, which built on previous regulation.These added enhancements encourage sustainable modifications that have the potential to give more borrowers the opportunity for home retention by requiring evaluation of underwater borrowers for modifications that may include principal and/or arrearage forgiveness; forbidding walking away from vacant homes; and establishing more specific proprietary loan modification standards, Fannie Mae said in a statement.
The two-week period for fireworks sales ahead of the Fourth of July holiday begins Saturday.

According to the state, fireworks can be sold from June 24-July 4.

Around the region, this July Fourth isnt as dry as some previous years. There is no burn ban, but the U.S. Drought Monitor reports patches of abnormally dry areas around Midland. The Climate Prediction Center is calling for typical rainfall for this time of year for the next eight to 14 days. The National Weather Service has at least a chance of rain in its forecast four of the next five days.

The city of Midland reminds residents that:

- Possession and discharge of fireworks within the city limits or within 5,000 feet of the city limits is prohibited by law;

- Any firework that must be ignited by a heat source is illegal to possess or discharge. Small items such as poppers are not prohibited. Individuals are subject to confiscation of all fireworks found in their possession and a fine up to $2,000, plus court costs;

- Fireworks also may not be discharged on federal, state or county roadways. If individuals plan to discharge fireworks on private property not belonging to them, they must have a written letter of permission from the property owner.

Last year, there was one prohibited fireworks ordinance violation filed between July 1 and July 10, according to city spokeswoman Sara Bustilloz.

The Midland Fire Department also reminds residents to use caution when discharging fireworks. Eye and burn injuries are common among children, who should be supervised by an adult. Devices such as sparklers may reach temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees.

Grass fires are another potential risk during fireworks season, according to the city. City officials ask those shooting fireworks to have at least one of the following extinguishing agents available: water, sand or dirt, or a portable fire extinguisher.

At a recent city council meeting, a resident asked for the city to increase its patrol on July 4. This person said illegal shooting of fireworks in his neighborhood created a tough environment for his family. Officials have also said the shooting of fireworks can be tough on pets.

There will be community celebrations involving fireworks, including Fireworks Fandango in Odessa on July 1, the Star-Spangled Salute in Midland on July 4 and post-game fireworks after the Midland RockHounds games on July 1, 3 and 4.

Other periods for fireworks sales in the state of Texas revolve around New Years Day, Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day and Memorial Day.
The room was somber midway through the Permian Road Safety Coalition summer forum.

The focus Thursday was on the dangers of texting while driving and other distractions, and after viewing several public service announcement videos  which started lightheartedly but increasingly grew sadder and more tragic  attendees were still and quiet as steering committee Vice Chairman Scott Scheffler talked about how a loss of focus while driving, even lasting 1 second, can be tragic.

The culprit for distracted-driving accidents isnt necessarily the single distracted incident that happens before a wreck occurs. Rather, its the culmination of times that a driver was distracted and nothing bad happened.

More formally defined as normalization of deviance, its the tendency to want to take a safety shortcut, and its a decision often made under pressure. Drivers think the absence of something bad happening means the action was safe. Eventually, the shortcut becomes the norm and leads to predictable surprises, which can be deadly.

Attendees were asked to come up with examples: eating and drinking, glare from dirty windshields, fiddling with and depending on GPS, tobacco use, changing the radio station, having to discipline kids, and arguments and debate, among others.

Scheffler warned not to rely solely on safety programs employers might have in place. Dont let a safety culture lull you into thinking youre safe. Ultimately, Were all responsible for our own safety behind the wheel, which includes removing distractions.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

 This past state legislative session, the Legislature passed and Gov. Greg Abbott signed Rep. Tom Craddicks bill calling for a statewide ban on texting while driving. While the Department of Public Safety will be getting new tools in their effort to enforce the law in September, Lt. Bart Teeter told an audience member that when a driver sees another driver texting while driving, their best course of action is to get out of the way.

Calling 911 or the non-emergency number are options, and DPS might respond to the call, but its often difficult for troopers to catch the driver in the act.

Teeter said the number of texting-while-driving wrecks likely are drastically underreported because it can be hard to determine whether using an electronic device was a factor, particularly in one-vehicle, one-victim crashes. Being able to access a drivers phone requires a warrant, and troopers might not request one, especially when only one vehicle and one victim was involved. Unless theres a witness, DPS might not ever know texting-while-driving was a factor.

 Teeter presented several years worth of crash and fatality statistics, and a troubling trend is emerging. Numbers since 2016 are matching those of 2014, the height of the past oil boom, yet oil and gas activity isnt nearly the same today as it was at that time.

There were 21 fatalities in May in Texas Highway Patrol District 4A, which encompasses much of the Permian Basin. A good week is only two fatal crashes in the district, Teeter said, though he would prefer to see zero.

 Another troubling trend is finding truck drivers without commercial drivers licenses. We find drivers without CDLs every day, Teeter said. DPS is also finding that commercial vehicles have bad brakes and that drivers lack medical cards. Troopers also seeing a high incidence of false logging to conceal hours of service.

 Texas Department of Transportation Odessa District public information officer Gene Powell said that while seatbelt compliance in the area is in the high 90th percentile as a whole, 85 percent of pickup drivers dont buckle up. He added that theres an ejection rollover every month.

 There was good news Thursday: TxDOT Odessa District Engineer John Speed said funding for Permian Basin roads is not only increasing, but projects that were slated to start in six to eight years are being moved earlier to about three to five years. About a $500 million is going to be used in the Permian in addition to what already was budgeted.

 TxDOT is also putting together a process to allow the agency to partner with people and companies who need to have better entrances to their facilities. TxDOT is working on contracts that will allow private parties to hire engineers, inspectors and others to let businesses take the bull by the horns and lead the installation of turn-in and turn-out facilities.

Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes.
Nielsen and Trax Launch Shelf Intelligence Suite

In the US, Nielsen has partnered with retail vision technology specialist Trax to jointly create a new tool called the Shelf Intelligence Suite. The firms aim to help FMCG companies better understand how shelf performance directly impacts product sales.



Headquartered in Singapore, Trax has developed technology using retail shelf photographs to generate insights and improve in-store execution strategies. The new Shelf Intelligence Suite includes a syndicated offering that digitizes the shelf to enable brands to measure how their products are represented in-store and how this influences their sales.



The suite comprises two tools: Shelf Pulse, which provides FMCG firms with ongoing digitized measurement of in-store shelving conditions; and Shelf Blueprint, which provides predictive analytics to help FMCG manufacturers establish the best strategy for store merchandising - including facings, adjacencies, shelf placement and so on. A new category benchmark called the Shelf Quality Index will also be introduced, enabling brands to measure their own shelf performance relative to shelf share, observed promotions, observed shelf pricing, and other KPIs against a category.



The new service taps in to Nielsen's FMCG point-of-sale database, which includes purchase data and offers information on market shares, competitive sales and volumes, plus insights into distribution, pricing, merchandising and promotion. Doug Bennett (pictured), EVP of US Buy, comments: 'The powerful visualization of sales and detailed store conditions will enable faster activation that yields greater financial outcomes for manufacturer and retail clients. This alliance is a natural fit - we are thrilled to bring our clients a holistic solution with greater analytical depth and measurement frequency for local action'.



Web sites: www.nielsen.com and www.traxretail.com .




Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Following 18 days of political and economic isolation of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE, these countries, through the mediation of Kuwait, sent their requirements to Doha, consisting of 13 points.

The main points of the requirements are to break diplomatic relations with Iran, shut down Al-Jazeera TV channel which has been recently criticizing the position of those Arab countries in the region, close Turkeys Al-Rayyanmilitary base and break off all relations with Ankara.

Commenting on the requirements of the Arab countries, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said today that the Turkish military base in Qatar is exclusively an internal issue of Ankara and Doha.

The armed forces of Qatar and Turkey plan to conduct joint military exercises at the end of June. The Turkish military instructors left for Qatar June 19. The military agreement between Qatar and Turkey came into force on June 9. The document was signed in Ankara on November 10, 2016.

Al-Rayyan military base is not the first Turkish military facility outside the country. In general, the number of Turkish servicemen outside the country exceeds 6,000.

Turkey already built a military base worth $50 million in Somalia in early 2015. There are three military schools at the Turkish military base in the territory of Somalia. Although Western media reports that there are two secret US military bases in Somalia, this information has not yet been confirmed.

Turkey has also military bases in Northern Cyprus and in Iraqs town of Bashiqa.

After the Turkish forces with tanks entered the Iraqi province of Nineveh December 4, 2015 with the aim of training of Kurdish militants fighting against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, the foreign ministers of the League of Arab States (LAS) held an emergency meeting to discuss the presence of the Turkish military contingent in Iraq.

Thus, the Arab rulers have been concerned for a long time about the presence of the Turkish military contingent in Arab countries.

However, if Iraq openly opposed the presence of the Turkish servicemen, then Qatar itself called Turkey for establishing a military base in its territory.

Nevertheless, Qatar has 10 days to fulfill all the requirements and it is difficult to predict "surprises" which are being prepared by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain for Doha and Ankara. However, one thing is obvious. The Arab countries began to oust Turkey from the region.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
A powerful blast outside the office of police inspector general in the city of Quetta in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least five people and injured 14, Geo TV reported.

Police immediately cordoned off the area on the Gulistan Road. There are teams of rescue workers attending to those affected on the spot. Four injured have been taken to hospital in critical condition.
'The big truck is still on ...
A White House spokesman did not rule out a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin when he was asked about reports the two leaders may hold talks on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Germany next month, Reuters reported.

"To the extent that we can work with Russia to solve some problems and to cooperate, if we can find that willingness then we'd like to do it," spokesman Sean Spicer said at a news briefing.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Qatar praises Turkeys position on resolving the crisis around the country, Qatars media outlets quoted the countrys Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani as saying.

Turkey from the very beginning stands for dialogue in resolving the crisis between a number of Arab countries and Qatar, he said.

The foreign minister noted that Qatar should know the reasons of the current crisis in order to solve it.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have not yet filed any official claims against Qatar, said the minister.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE announced about breaking their diplomatic relations with Qatar June 5, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

Later, the authorities of Libya, Yemen, as well as the Maldives and Mauritius also announced about severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
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TurkStream Natural Gas Project is a beautiful symbol of our foreign policy and win-win approach, in which we suggest that energy should not be a cause of conflict in international relations but a unifying instrument for peace, said Turkeys President Erdogan on Friday, Anadolu reported.

President Erdogan spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was reviewing the Pioneering Spirit vessel that will undertake the construction in Russia's Anapa city, on the northern coast of the Black Sea.

Construction works for TurkStream's offshore section began in the deep waters of the Black Sea, according to Gazprom's statement released Friday.

Russia is an important energy actor in the region with its extensive natural gas resources and strong infrastructure. At the same time, Russia is a reliable and stable partner of our country in the field of energy, Erdogan said.

With large-scale projects such as Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant and TurkStream, we hope to develop our friendship, he added.

Praising the project, Erdogan said, These kinds of large energy projects have an exceptional place in establishing interdependence in terms of our economic and political bilateral relations.

Energy projects between Turkey and Russia, especially natural gas projects, have been an important and reliable part of the energy supply security for nearly 30 years, he added.

TurkStream will ensure that the Russian natural gas is transmitted directly to Turkey without being dependent on the transmission system of any other country, Erdogan said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the cooperation of both countries.

He pointed out that the business cooperation between Turkey and Russia is above the level of business association conducted with many other countries.

Putin emphasized that the coordination process with other countries took years, but with Turkey it has quickly resolved within a short period of time.

The intergovernmental agreement on TurkStream Project was signed 7 months ago. Construction began on the project within a few months, he said.

The first line will be completed within the scope of the project next year and the second line will be completed in 2019, Putin informed.
On Sunday, the Rev. Steve Brooks, new pastor of First Methodist Midland, will deliver his first sermon. He, his wife and six children are settling in fast to their new Midland home since their arrival on Monday. And Brooks is looking forward to saying hello to his new congregation.

Brooks spoke about what he plans to talk about on Sunday as well as his vision for the church and how his appointment here is something of a homecoming.

MRT: How are you settling into your new home?

More Information Sunday traditional worship services at 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. First Methodist Midland is located at 300 N. Main St. firstmethodistmidland.com See More Collapse

Brooks: There has been lots of anticipation for my family and me. Weve had the news since March. Were coming in from Abilene where I was pastor of Aldersgate.

MRT: Can you offer a preview of what youll be saying to your new congregation for the first time as senior pastor?

Brooks: You know, I just want to say hello. And Ill talk about grace and peace. Grace is the heartbeat of our movement, and sharing that leads to transformation in our own lives. And it may be peace in the midst of the storm right now, but its still peace.

MRT: Your congregation is about double from your time in Abilene. Does that change things for you?

Brooks: So wed average about 385 in Aldersgate, and here its about 700 on a Sunday, but once youre over 200, theres not much difference Its really business as usual, though.

MRT: Perhaps its early but what is your vision for the church during your tenure?

Brooks: During this summer Im going to be listening to our congregation. I have about 20 different meetings over the summer with members, and I want to see how God has worked in their lives and catch Gods vision for our community. James 1:19 says My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak. So, Im going to listen and wait on sharing those things.

MRT: Can you talk about where you came from?

Brooks: I was raised on a farm in Tulia, Texas. I went to Texas Tech for my undergrad and then received my masters of divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary in 1998. Ive served churches since then in Crowell, Denver City and even this church as associate pastor. So this is somewhat of a homecoming. Im excited to be back here.

MRT: Has that made some of the transition easier?

Brooks: Yeah. I come in knowing a lot of people, even though I was first here seven years ago.

MRT: You just got here this week.

Brooks: We drove in on Monday. Thats how it works actually when the bishop appoints you. I delivered my last sermon in Abilene on Sunday and headed here. The new pastor at Aldersgate drove in on Monday as well .

MRT: What do you do in your spare time?

Brooks: Well, I have no hobbies. Or I say I raise kids and pastor a church. But in my downtime I love the Cowboys, the Rangers and the Red Raiders.

MRT: How has your family handled the change?

Brooks: Were all in transition. We are also foster parents of 13 month-old twins but were in the final months of adopting them. My eldest is 17 and hell be starting his senior year here.

MRT: What do you look forward to here?

Brooks: Im really looking forward to getting to know the people of the church and Midland. I look forward to sharing the grace of God with others and watch how he can change peoples lives. My goal is to be transformed into the likeness of Christ and help others be transformed as well. West Texas is in my blood, so I love it out there and I love the people.
During the past several months, the Plainview City Council has worked with city staff to update and adopt various uniform codes relating to such things as residential and commercial construction as well as such components as fire protection, plumbing, electrical and restoration/historical preservation. On Tuesday, they will take up a final round of code updates when they consider adopting the 2015 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.

Reviewing the code at Thursdays council work session, Community Development Manager Cris Valverde explained that the ISPSC is a comprehensive code that coordinates the provisions of the various other codes related to the design, installation and inspection of public and private aquatic facilities into one code book.

The coverage includes public swimming pools, public spas, permanently installed residential spas, above-ground residential swimming pools, residential in-ground swimming pools, aquatic recreational facilities, barriers for all residential pools and spas, and suction entrapment avoidance for these facilities.

This is the last one to be done, he told the council, while cautioning them that they probably have already started printing the 2018 editions.

While the codes and local ordinances dont regulate shallow wading pools, other above-ground pools that are 18 inches or deeper are regulated, as are in-ground pools. People need to check with us to make sure they have any necessary permits and that they meet all the requirements relating to covers and barriers which are necessary to prevent drowning situations, Valverde said.

Tuesdays regular session will include special recognition of City Attorney Leslie Schmidt, who is leaving Plainview City Hall after a dozen years for a position with the City of Amarillo.

Other action items on Tuesdays agenda include:

--Approval of street closures related to the Bar-None Rodeo Parade on Saturday, July 15, and the Hale on Wheels Bike Race on Sept. 16.

--Approve the reassignment of McGavock Motors lease of property at 501 Denver to Kelvin Tipton. Located on the west side of Denver Street, the structure was previously used by Johnston Motor Co. Tipton reportedly plans to use the property for storage and as a facility for the repair and restoration of vehicles.

--Approve a professional service agreement with Kendig Keast Collaborative for updating the citys zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. The consulting firm is based at Sugar Land.

--Authorized the mayor to sign the Airport Management Study Agreement between the city, county and Parkhill Smith and Cooper.

--Meet in two closed sessions, related to the search for a new city attorney and real estate.

Council member John Gatica was absent Thursday. All other council members were present.
The Hale County grand jury on June 19 indicted 29 individuals on 35 felony charges. The report was released by District Attorney Wally Hatchs office.

Following are the individuals indicted, charges, level of offense and bond as set by the presiding district judge:

--Jeramie Johnson, 38, 7765 Terrace, Live Oak, Florida, driving while intoxicated third or more, third degree felony, $10,000

--Gilbert Perez, 39, 302 SE Sixth St., Plainview, driving while intoxicated with child under 15 years of age, state jail felony, $5,000

--William McFarland, 36, 1919 34th St. Apt. 10, Lubbock, theft over $15,000 and under $300,000, second degree felony, $20,000

--Joe Peralez III, 22, 1977 CR 105, Plainview, indecency with child sexual contact, second degree felony, $20,000

--Julian Shoopman, 38, 3609 Grandview, Plainview, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, second degree felony, $20,000

--Bisente Ybarra Jr., 39, 300 Fir, Plainview, deadly conduct discharge firearm, third degree felony, $10,000

--Christopher Lozano, 22, 1105 W. Service Rd., Abernathy, unauthorized use of vehicle, state jail felony, $5,000

--Dustin Perry, 28, 201 SE Sixth St., Plainview, aggravated assault causes serious bodily injury, second degree felony, $20,000

--John Gonzalez, 23, 212 E. Roselawn, Plainview, credit card or debit card abuse, state jail felony, $5,000

--Michael Lopez, 36, 808 W. 15th St., Plainview, credit card or debit card abuse, state jail felony, $5,000

--Marty Rangel, 52, 501 E. 17th, Littlefield, possession of controlled substance Penalty Group 1 under 1 gram, state jail felony, $5,000

--Daniel Schulte, 40, 2601 W. Fifth, Apt. B, Plainview, possession of a controlled substance Penalty Group 1 over 4 grams but less than 200 grams, second degree felony, $20,000

--Lorina Rodriguez, 45, 10305 S. Douglas Ave., Oklahoma City, Okla., possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver Penalty Group 1 more than 4 grams but less than 200 grams, first degree felony, $25,000

--Lorina Rodriguez, 45, 10305 S. Douglas Ave., Oklahoma City, Okla., abandon endanger child criminal negligence, state jail felony, $5,000

--Regina Medina, 40, 1112 Denver, Plainview, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver Penalty Group 1 more than 4 grams but less than 200 grams, first degree felony, $25,000

--Regina Medina, 40, 1112 Denver, Plainview, abandon endanger child criminal negligence, state jail felony, $5,000

--Daffrean Jenkins, 35, 1206 W. 21st Apt. B, Plainview, possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver Penalty Group 1 more than 4 grams but less than 200 grams, first degree felony, $25,000

--Daffrean Jenkins, 35, 1206 W. 21st Apt. B, Plainview, tamper fabricate physical evident with intent to impair, third degree felony, $10,000

--Hector Castillo, 21, 112 SE Ninth St., Plainview, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, second degree felony, $20,000

--Gabriel Martinez, 17, P.O. Box 312, Cotton Center, unauthorized use of vehicle, state jail felony, $5,000

--Gabriel Martinez, 17, P.O. Box 312, Cotton Center, burglary of habitation, second degree felony, $25,000

--Gabriel Martinez, 17, P.O. Box 312, Cotton Center, burglary of habitation, second degree felony, $25,000

--Nicholas Castro, 36, 215 W. Poplar, Lockney, burglary of habitation, second degree felony, $20,000

--Robert Villa, 26, 1022 Austin, Plainview, possession of controlled substance Penalty Group 1 under 1 gram, state jail felony, $5,000

--Taylor Williams, 17, 1608 Lexington, Plainview, unauthorized use of vehicle, state jail felony, $5,000

--Taylor Williams, 17, 1608 Lexington, Plainview, burglary of building, state jail felony, $5,000

--Elizabeth Hernandez, 41, 2213 Houston, Plainview, possession of controlled substance Penalty Group 1 more than 1 gram but less than 4 grams, third degree felony, $10,000

--Ricky Garcia, 46, 504 Oakland, Plainview, possession of controlled substance Penalty Group 1 more than 1 gram but less than 4 grams, third degree felony, $10,000

--Daniel Schulte, 40, 2601 W. Fifth, Apt. B, Plainview, possession of controlled substance Penalty Group 1 more than 1 gram but less than 4 grams, third degree felony, $10,000

--Avery Alvarez, 17, 1606 Houston, Plainview, prohibited substance in correctional facility alcohol/drug/phone/tobacco, third degree felony, $10,000

--Huberto Guerrero, 29, 17501 E. Dickenson Place, Aurora, Colo., possession of controlled substance Penalty Group 2 under 1 gram, state jail felony, $5,000

--Alexandro Apodaca, 21, 1315 Houston St., Plainview, unlawful restraint less than 17 years of age, state jail felony, $5,000

--Pedro Diaz, 70, 1009 Ave. E, Olton, driving while intoxicated third or more, third degree felony, $10,000

--Michael Weige, 51, 1307 Ave. D., Abernathy, theft of firearm, state jail felony, $5,000

--Timothy Valdez, 19, 1118 46th St., Lubbock, burglary of building, state jail felony, $5,000
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In recent years, Bulgari watches have entered a whole new dimension. Spearheading this new status as a brand that matters in the field of Fine Watchmaking, the Octo has become an iconic collection by asserting its own distinctive personality. No trace of aesthetic inspiration merely borrowed from other brands ; a new daring and elegant style paying tribute to the masterpieces of Italian architecture ; a subtle blend of finesse and masculinity; an alliance between the distinctive aesthetic of Rome and the indispensable technical content required for competing in the big leagues Bulgari now firmly belongs to the closed (but not octagonal) circle of watch brands that regularly create a buzz at Baselworld. This year, the Octo Finissimo Automatique set a much-coveted title as the worlds thinnest self-winding watch : its 2.23mm thick movement is snugly fitted inside an ultra-thin (Finissimo !) case measuring just 5.15mm thick. This is the third world record after those set by the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon in 2014 and the splendid Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater which was a finalist in last years Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Geneve.





Ultra-thinness is a horological complication in its own right. As Guido Terreni, CEO Bulgari watches points out, each element, even the tiniest, must be imagined and developed right fro the start so as to participate in the extreme overall slimness of this exceptional timepiece. Not only the components of the self-winding movement, but also the entire set of elements composing the case and dial. As one would expect at this level of watchmaking quality, this 2017 new model available as of this summer is driven by in-house Manufacture movement equipped with a platinum micro-rotor that is sufficiently powerful  despite its slenderness  to ensure 60 hours of operating autonomy. The decoration of this caliber can be admired through the sapphire crystal back of the titanium case, featuring a harmonious blend of volumes and shapes representing a key asset of this major example of contemporary watchmaking design.

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MERIDEN  Police Capt. Patrick Gaynor is accused of committing 63 department policy violations, including falsifying records, being untruthful and retaliatory conduct, according to an internal affairs investigation.



A decision on discipline against Gaynor, who has been on paid administrative leave since December, is expected by the end of the week, City Manager Guy Scaife previously told the Record-Journal. As of Thursday afternoon, Scaife said he is still waiting on the report from Charles Reynolds, a retired New Hampshire police chief who is serving as hearing officer.



Gaynor, on the advice of his attorney, declined to comment.



A copy of the 89-page internal affairs investigation conducted by Sgt. Christopher Fry was obtained by the Record-Journal Thursday, in addition to a 254-page transcript of Gaynors May 19 hearing with Reynolds. The internal affairs report and transcript can be found online at myrecordjournal.com.



The investigation was initiated in December by Scaife after law firm Berchem, Moses & Devlins $51,724 investigation failed to substantiate Gaynors complaint that Police Chief Jeffry Cossette engaged in a pattern of retaliatory behavior since the federal conviction of his son, former police officer Evan Cossette, who served 14 months in federal prison. It is the sixth investigation opened into Gaynor since September, although no discipline has been levied to date against the police captain.



The investigation conducted by Fry explored several topics relating to Gaynor, including the background leading up to the investigation, Gaynors denial of advanced training, his removal from snow tow duty, his 2014 performance evaluation and alleged untruthfulness to Scaife, in addition to Gaynors claims regarding the termination of the D.A.R.E. program.



Fry bases his query in part on the Berchem, Moses & Devlin investigation conducted by attorney Paula Anthony. During the course of her investigation, Anthony recorded over 10 hours of interviews with city officials, including approximately seven hours with Gaynor.



Attorney Anthonys report is highly pertinent as it discusses, in detail, the areas in which Captain Gaynor has charged the Chief of Police with improprieties, Fry writes. In her findings, the lack of substantive information supporting each of the proposed allegations is of concern.



Fry goes on to state that the way Gaynor filed his retaliation complaint is unique in the sense that he contends multiple issues simultaneously.



Some of the instances in which he refers span over the course of several years, he wrote.



In regards to Gaynors allegations against Cossette, Fry states, in its totality, I find that Captain Gaynor may not have properly prepared supporting information that would have substantiated his complaint, and that further investigations have failed to substantiate Gaynors claims. Citing an interview done by Anthony, Fry notes that when given explanations for Cossettes actions contrary to his belief they were evidence of retaliation, Gaynor admits that he only has a sense or feeling, that is the case.



As professionals in the field of investigations, to levy such accusations should not be simply based on a feeling, but more of a factual and substantiated basis, Fry states in the report.



He also notes in the report that Gaynor disputes the investigation conducted by Bercham, Moses & Devlin and believes they were never truly hired to research his claims of retaliation into Chief Cossette but, instead, they were hired to validate the Chiefs claims.



Fry concludes Gaynor may have committed 14 counts of conduct unbecoming of an officer, nine counts of violating the accountability, responsibility and discipline policy, 13 counts of violating the departments dishonesty and untruthfulness policy, 10 counts of falsifying records, 14 counts of retaliatory conduct and three counts of violating the chain of command.



Cossette could not be reached for comment Thursday.



ltauss@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @LeighTaussRJ






HARTFORD  The State Elections Enforcement Commission Wednesday unanimously adopted a declaratory ruling that bars Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim from receiving public financing should he run for governor.



Ganim, who is ineligible for the funds because of a 2003 conviction on corruption charges, said in a statement that he is reviewing the decision and is likely to lodge a court challenge.



The commission accepted, without change, the ruling from SEEC legal staff that a 2013 law bars anyone from participating in the Citizens Election Program if they have ever been convicted of a felony related to the individuals public office.



Ganim, a Democrat, who was Bridgeport mayor from 1991 to 2003, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after he was convicted of racketeering, extortion, bribery, mail fraud, filing false tax returns, and other charges stemming from his conduct while in office.



He was released from prison in 2010, and defeated incumbent and fellow Democrat Bill Fitch in 2014 to regain his seat as mayor. Ganim formed an exploratory committee this past April to consider a run for governor in 2018.



The state implemented CEP in 2005 in response to a series of so-called pay-to-play scandals involving elected officials, most notably Ganim and former Republican Gov. John G. Rowland. The program gives out grants to candidates who meet fundraising thresholds with donations of $100 or less, with a prohibition on contributions from state contractors.



The legislature approved the ban for those who previously committed felonies while in public office after Ernest Newton II, who pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme in 2005, qualified for a grant in 2012. Whistleblowers later alerted the SEEC to efforts by Newton and his campaign to fraudulently accept contributions from contractors.



SEEC staff attorney Shannon Kief said the legislature had many well-considered reasons for passing the law in her brief remarks to the commission, which approved the ruling with comment.



Ganim said in his statement, though, that the prohibition is patently unfair and most likely unconstitutional, saying that denying only some candidates access violates protections for equal access and free speech.



Those like me with a felony conviction long ago in their past have the legal ability in our state to restore their voting rights, run for and serve in elected office, he said in a statement. There is simply no rational justification for denying equal access to public financing for all candidates who qualify for the ballot.



SEEC staff received responses from five residents during a public comment period, all of them supporting the ruling.



msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino






HARTFORD  With just a week until they plan to convene a special session, Democrats emerged from budget caucuses Thursday still looking for a plan.



House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said rank-and-file members voiced principles theyd like to see in a final budget, but he and other Democratic leaders now have a compressed timeframe to put something together.



We dont have a product in front to even ask members where they stand, he said.



Time is ticking for the legislature, even as leaders from both sides agree they want to avoid entering the next fiscal year without a budget, which would force Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to run the state through executive orders.



Democratic leaders from both the House and Senate, which also held a caucus Thursday, plan to meet Friday to continue talks. Democrats and Republicans have another meeting with Malloy Monday afternoon.



Legislative leaders have targeted June 29 for a special session. A budget agreement would need to be reached by Tuesday for it to be ready for a vote on that date, as legislative staff needs at least two days to write and review the actual bill.



If an agreement is not in place, Aresimowicz said its his hope that the legislature could adopt a continuing resolution on spending that would allow lawmakers to assert some control on spending.



House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Debry, said Malloy has threatened to veto such a measure, though, and was skeptical leaders could get the two-thirds majority needed in each chamber to override the governor.



I would guess that in a room full of leaders and the governor, believing we have the best interests of the state in mind, we would all pick different things that we may or may not fund, she said, adding its the same reason the state still doesnt have a budget.



A spokeswoman for Malloy also issued a statement discouraging lawmakers from settling for any short-term budget fixes.



As the governor made clear yesterday, he will not consider any budget, short or long-term, that adds to our fiscal challenges in the coming biennium, Kelly Donnelly said in a statement, If members of the General Assembly choose to exacerbate our difficulties and kick the can down the road, they should be prepared to justify that fiscally irresponsible choice to their constituents.



Aresimowicz said Democrats will continue to work through the weekend in hopes of reaching an agreement that their members will support in time for Mondays meeting.



Among the things Aresimowicz said House Democrats discussed was the possibility of increasing the sales tax as a way to bolster municipal aid.



All current budget proposals have called for cuts to local aid, and Malloy has also maintained his pitch that municipalities contribute a combined $400 million to the teachers retirement system.



Aresimowicz and House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said raising the sales tax to 6.99 percent, up from the current 6.35 percent, would generate a projected $460 million. The plan would be for the funds to go to municipalities.



Ritter, though, said municipalities be could required to vote on resolutions supporting the increase, with a rejection also meaning those towns would forgo their share of the funds.



The bottom line is this  local legislative bodies, if theyre going to see an increase in state aid, theyre going to have to vote locally to ratify the actions that we take, Ritter said. Aresimowicz and Ritter have voiced frustration with municipalities collectively criticizing the legislature but still demanding no cuts to aid.



One proposal that appears to be off the table is tolls, with Aresimowicz saying the issue will likely have to come up again next year. The House debated the issue near the end of session because it could be included in the budget, but ended debate because the bill didnt have the votes to pass.



msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino






DURHAM - Katie Hughes-Nelson, owner of Perk on Main, has started the long process of finding a new location for the Durham restaurant.



In an informal discussion with Durhams Planning & Zoning Commission on Wednesday, June 21, Hughes-Nelson discussed the possibility of moving the coffee and crepe restaurant from 6 Main St. to 216 Main St.



Perk on Main opened in 2002, and has been at its current location since 2007. The landlord refused to renew Hughes-Nelsons lease, however.



Retaining Perk on Main is unequivocally in the best interest of the town, Hughes-Nelson told the commission.



We have been contacted by other municipalities  who would like us to move to their town or city, she said. We have taken great pride in having our flagship store in Durham. And in Durham we would like to remain.



At 3,400 square feet, the 216 Main St. property would be larger than the current Perk on Main location, which has 50 seats in 1,800 square feet. Hughes-Nelson told P&Z that she had not completely laid out the interior, and wanted to see if exploring the property made financial sense.



The issue is larger than moving a restaurant, as complicated as that would be on its own.



Durham Town Planner Geoff Colegrove said that involving the Town Sanitarian and discovering if the septic system would be adequate was critical to determine if the property would truly be a potential restaurant site. The septic is key to how much time to invest, Colegrove said.



According to George Jacobs, a civil engineer who helped Hughes-Nelson with some site plans, the septic system dates back to 1985. While the system is unlikely to have the capacity for commercial use, there may be an opportunity to expand or replace it.



The proposed property is also zoned Main Street residential and is in the Historic District.



While the property is near businesses that have effectively been grandfathered in as what is called non-conforming use, such as Durham Manufacturing, Durham Family Opticians, and a nearby small office building, the site is zoned residential.



No question this is a complicated situation, said Colegrove, explaining that P&Z cannot spot zone, or make exceptions for one property. You have to craft something [in the regulations] that applies to more than one building.



A large crowd of about 60 people filled the library meeting room Wednesday after Hughes-Nelson had asked for support on social media. Many spoke during the session in support of the restaurant and its owner.



Lainey Melvin said, I think Katie represents the type of business we want to see in the community. Perk on Main is known for being community-minded and environmentally-conscious.



Jacob Mattison told the commission that if they wrote regulations that worked for Perk on Main, other businesses that fit those regulations would be accepted by the community.



Other residents said that the town was losing businesses because of the limited number of business properties and that no one wanted another vacant structure on Main Street.



Several employees from Perk, which also has locations in Guilford and Middletown, spoke in support of the restaurant and Hughes-Nelson.



Liz Cippolina noted that town officials have repeatedly said that they would like to attract millennials to Durham. Ive never seen so many young people at a Planning & Zoning Meeting, Cipollina said.



Of the public, only Duncan Milne spoke with much skepticism of the idea. Milne said, If you open this door, it stays open.



Although the voices were largely absent from Wednesdays session, many Durham residents spoke in strong opposition to expanding business zones on Main Street during the towns update of the Plan of Conservation and Development.






WALLINGFORD  A local author came full circle when she presented her new book at the Wallingford Public Library, the place where she did much of her research and writing.



Sarah Prager spoke Wednesday at the library about her young adult book, Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World.



HarperCollins published the anthology of historical LGBT stories last month, and the library chose to host Pragers event in June, which is Pride Month in the LGBT community.



Prager said she utilized the librarys resources to research her book and took advantage of the quiet workspace.



She said she was able to request books from around Connecticut to aid in her research.



Growing up, she said she knew few other LGBT people, and learning LGBT history helped her find her community.



It let me know that I wasnt the first one to feel this way, she said. I also felt so loved by these activists from the past who had given so much so that I could live so safely and openly today.



Writing a book for young adults, she hoped to pass along that understanding to LGBT youth, and educate straight youth on the LGBT communitys contributions to the world.



You hear sometimes that were making up new pronouns and genders today, she said. Its really not that new when you look at the full history.



In 2013, Prager created an app called Quist, short for queer history, that presents events in LGBT history on the date of their anniversary. The library currently has a pride display to let teens and adults know the library is a supportive space, said Julie Rio, community programs librarian.



This is a place you can come and talk to somebody and get information that you need, she said. Positive information.



LTakores@record-journal.com 203-317-2212 Twitter: @LCTakores






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,...
The Egyptian prosecution is questioning prominent leftist and labour activist Kamal Khalil on charges of inciting illegal protest, spreading false news and insulting the president, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Khalil was arrested early on Thursday from his home.

Prosecutors interrogated Khalil over posts on his Facebook account and files on his personal laptop, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali.

The 67-year-old activist had participated in a sit-in last week at the press syndicate in Cairo to protest against the Egypt-Saudi Red Sea island deal.

The deal was approved by parliament in a majority vote on 14 June.

Small protests against the parliament decision were dispersed by police, with a number of people arrested. Many of those arrested were later released on bail.

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Bernard Madoff has had eight years in prison to think about what went wrong. Hes concluded that a few of his investors were partially to blame for his fall from a legitimate securities trader to the biggest Ponzi schemer in U.S. history.

He blames the Big Four, his earliest and richest clients. They were Norman Levy, a New York real estate broker, Jeffry Picower, a Florida accountant, Stanley Chais, a Beverly Hills money manager, and Carl Shapiro, a Boston philanthropist. Shapiro, 104, is the only one still alive.

In April, Madoff was questioned for three days as part of a lawsuit that seeks to force his investors to return their profit to his firms receiver. Madoff went into great detail about his rise and fall and his relationship with The Big Four. The deposition testimony, a transcript of which is in court records, shows how Madoff sees things now:

On his relationship with the Big Four:

I had a...very special relationship with the Big Four clients, all right, particularly, you know, with Carl Shapiro and Norman Levy and Stan Chais. Picower was a little bit different...And all of these clients, I was like a son to them and they were like surrogate fathers to me.

I was a little guy with nothing...Carl Shapiro always tells this story famously. When he gave me $100,000, people thought he was crazy. I was this little kid from Brooklyn, didnt go to Harvard.

He risked $1 billion covering the Big Fours shorts:

Im not proud that I did what I did, you know. I spent a lot of hours with a psychologist here trying to analyze why I did what I did.

They didnt want to give up their returns and I made the mistake. What I should have said to them was look, this is the agreements you have.

In hindsight now it looks like a stupid thing to do and it was ... I always wanted to please everybody.

On whether the Big Four knew his secretary backdated trades:

They were aware of it. They instructed her to do it.

On whether it was fraud not to report short positions:

Well, depends upon how you define fraud.

On whether he sought victims to cover redemptions:

No. The firm was in a position that we were always turning away investors. We never  never solicited, you know, new monies coming in. As a matter of fact, we tried to return monies at times but met resistance with clients.

On his lack of concern for European investors:

...first of all, they really werent my customers. They were customers of hedge funds.

On convertible bonds trade windfalls during 87 crash:

So the guys that were doing convertible bonds, they thought I was a goddamned codified genius.

On the Big Fours offer to indemnify him:

They didnt want to screw me either, generally, because number one, we had a close, family-type relationship. And also I made them a lot of money. They didnt want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

On losses in Big Four trading accounts from 1987 to 1992:

I dont know how many billions of dollars it was at the time, but you have to take that into consideration, you know.

So when the crash came in 87 and these guys panicked on me, which is not a surprise in hindsight because the one thing every one of them was, which is everybody in the industry is, theyre greedy. All right. So they all panicked.

On honesty in the securities industry:

I know it sounds strange coming from me, all right, but when I went into business the first thing I learned from both Cy Lewis (former Managing Partner of Bear, Stearns & Co.) and Gus Levy (former senior partner at Goldman Sachs) is they said to me, Bernie, whatever you do, you know, in this business, never break your word because there was no such thing as written contracts in the securities industry.

In 50 years that I was in business, I never, ever had anyone not honor their contract. You never thought about it. It was something that, you know, if youre in this industry, your word was your bond literally, and that was it. You trusted everybody. And thats the way the industry operated and for the most part still operates that way today, but not as much.

On why should anyone believe he was honest till 1992:

I have nothing to lose now.

William Zabel, the Picower familys lawyer, said Madoff wasnt truthful, offering up one more self-serving lie about someone who passed away eight years ago and cannot defend himself. Attorneys for the other three didnt return calls.

The Big Four, or their estates, paid settlements to a trustee for Madoffs firm ranging from Levys $220 million to Picowers $7.2 billion. None of the four were accused of criminal wrongdoing.
A deadly fire that killed at least 79 people in a London tower block started in a Whirlpool Corp. fridge and spread at unexpected speed through the buildings exterior cladding, police said, indicating theyll pursue charges if criminal offenses are identified.

We are looking at every criminal offense from manslaughter onwards, Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said on Friday in a press briefing. That includes health and safety and fire safety offenses, and we are looking at every company involved in the refurbishment of the building, she said.

The fire gutted Grenfell Tower, a block of mainly social housing in the U.K. capitals most affluent district of Kensington, in the west of the city. Its led to anger and street protests at the local and national governments response to the disaster and questions over whether spending cuts compromised safety.

Police identified the fridge model as a Hotpoint FF175BP, and the Department for Business issued a statement saying the device is being examined by technical experts to establish whether any further action is required, such as a product recall. At this stage there is no specific reason for consumers to switch off their fridge freezer pending further investigation, the department said.

Whirlpool shares fell the most intraday since May 18, and were down more than 3 percent at 11:30 a.m. in New York trading. The company said in a statement that 64,000 of the fridges were manufactured by Indesit between 2006 and 2009, when the model was discontinued, several years before Whirlpool acquired the company.

We are working with the authorities to obtain access to the appliance so that we can assist with the ongoing investigations, the company said in a statement. We are addressing this as a matter of utmost urgency and assisting the authorities in any way we can.

Inspections are being carried out on about 600 social housing tower blocks in England and 11 have so far failed initial safety tests. Checks are also being offered to owners of privately held tower blocks as well as schools, hospitals and other public buildings, Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokeswoman, Alison Donnelly, told reporters on Friday.

Police are seizing relevant material from a number of organizations, McCormack told reporters, without naming the companies or authorities involved. Media attention has focused on a unit of Rydon Group, which refurbished the building last summer. The company issued a statement last week saying its work met all required building regulations  as well as fire regulation and health and safety standards.
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Wall Street appears to have lost its taste for the resurgent U.S. shale industry as oil prices tumble and energy share prices fall.

Oil companies have only raised $3 million this month through selling new shares to investors, a dramatic drop in the public equity offerings that have helped fuel the return of drilling rigs across the nation this year.

It's a stark shift in investor sentiment after last month, when producers like Kosmos Energy and RSP Permian collected a combined $1 billion from stock-market investors. That was before U.S. oil prices took a month-long tumble of around 20 percent to $43.15 a barrel on Friday.

Some investor groups have said "they had little-to-no interest in providing a second lifeline to the industry," Houston investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. said in a note to clients on Friday.

"It's like you're having a party, and it's awesome, and then the parents come home, and the party's done," said David Pursell, head of macro research at Tudor Pickering. "There's no appetite to fund further growth. Oil prices went from the mid-$50s to the low $40s. It's a big change and it happened quickly."

Related: The one man who could stop oil market's plunge

The once-vibrant public equity markets had poured $8 billion into U.S. shale drillers in the three months after OPEC announced it would cut oil production, and the number of active U.S. drilling rigs boring has more than doubled since last summer.

But the in wake of the recent slump in oil prices, the oil companies that raised billions of dollars this year have seen their shares drop by 22 percent this year. If investors keep pulling back, the surge in drilling could slow sharply, Pursell said. And why wouldn't they? Other industries are performing much better than energy.

"The Dow's at record levels and energy isn't working," Pursell said. "It's just maximum indifference. You have to get the oil price up for investors to care."

In the note, Tudor Pickering analysts said some oil companies "will need to change course on capital plans sooner rather than later if crude continues to drift lower."

Related: Falling oil prices could drag on Houston's economy, again
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UT Health San Antonio announced Friday a landmark licensing deal worth up to

$114 million with a Chinese pharmaceutical company to develop new treatments for spinal cord injuries and breast cancer.

AlaMab Therapeutics, a subsidiary of CSPC Pharmaceutical Group in China, will make an upfront payment of $4.5 million to UT Health San Antonio and UTHealth in Houston to license two antibodies found by local researcher Jean Jiang.

The first antibody inhibits neural inflammatory reactions after spinal cord injury, while the other helps treat breast cancer after it invades the bone. Jiang has partnered with Zhiqiang An of UTHealth in Houston to humanize the antibodies for more trials.

Dr. William Henrich, president of UT Health San Antonio, made the announcement Friday morning with CSPC CEO Weidong Pan at the Greehey Academic and Research Campus. The deal could give the University of Texas health system as much as $114 million over several years with the potential for additional royalty payments, Henrich said.

This is a part of the portfolio in San Antonio that we want to grow, he said. We want to grow our entrepreneurial public-private associations, and this is a tangible step in that direction.

The milestone payments are based on the success of trials in animals and humans, which could take up to 10 years, Henrich said.

Todays news conference represents exactly what our health institutions within the University of Texas System are great at doing, said Rad Weaver, a member of the systems board of regents, adding that the UT System received 162 patents in 2016, including 10 at UT Health San Antonio. Weaver is also chairman of the board for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

AlaMab is a newly created subsidiary of CSPC and will be based in San Antonio, Henrich said.

The creation of AlaMab was UTs idea, said John Gebhard, an assistant vice president in UT Health San Antonios Office of Technology Commercialization. UT told CSPC early in the discussions it would like to work with a local company, and Gebhard said he expects AlaMab and UT to collaborate on other projects going forward.

That makes it very easy for our investigators to stay at the university and be basically pure, not touched, but at the same time be involved in the company, Gebhard said.

Jiang has been working on this project for a decade and will continue the research going forward, Henrich said.

She didnt take a day off for four or five years to work on the science of the project, Henrich said.

It is the largest upfront licensing agreement in UT Health San Antonios history, Gebhard said. The deal came together more rapidly than any other deal hes ever done, which he attributed to its significance. Gebhard said AlaMab will seek regulatory approval in the United States and in foreign markets.

Speaking through a translator, Pan praised the UT System before a formal signing ceremony.

I believe today is just a new beginning, and we will continue work on opportunities together, and we hope our relationship and friendship will be long-lasting and far-reaching, Pan said.

UT Health San Antonio, previously called the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has seven campuses in San Antonio and Laredo, and an operating budget of $806.6 million.

jpound@express-news.net

Twitter: @jesserpound
BRIDGEPORT  After incidents of shots fired Thursday night, one victim turned up at a local hospital with a single gunshot wound.

The unidentified male victim suffered a gunshot wound to the right knee, Bridgeport spokeswoman Rowena White said. He told police he was walking in the area of East Washington Avenue and Harriet Street earlier in the evening when he was shot.
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STAMFORD  When Yelena Klompus emigrated from Russia in 1993, she was given the opportunity early on to volunteer at the Ferguson Library.

A few years later, the graduate of a Moscow library school was hired part-time. In 2003, Klompus became the world languages and literacy librarian, helping immigrants and non-native English speakers access information and services.

We try to accommodate people of all needs and all walks of life, Klompus said.

Last month, Klompus was recognized by Building One Community, an organization formerly known as Neighbors Link Stamford that provides resources to immigrants, for representing what the immigrant journey is all about. She is the groups third recipient of its Land of Opportunity Award.

Catalina Horak, executive director of Building One Community, said her organization was eager to recognize someone who has a compelling story who has made such a big difference, but who also had obstacles as an immigrant.

Shes very committed to supporting immigrants of all backgrounds, so its sort of an immigrant-helping-immigrants story.

This year marks the first time Building One Community opened the nominating process to anyone in the community, Horak said. Klompus was suggested for the award by Ferguson Library Director Alice Knapp.

When we interviewed Yelena for the position of world languages librarian, it became clear that Yelena was going to take the position from one focused on the collection to one focused on the immigrant community, Knapp said. Over the past 10 years, she has done exactly that by adding new services and programs such as Lets Talk and citizenship classes. Just as important, and the reason why I nominated Yelena, is that her passion, warmth and empathy went beyond the programs and created a culture of inclusion.

Besides overseeing the world languages book collection, Klompus hires teachers for the librarys ESL classes and determines the curriculum for the Lets Talk English conversation group, which she says is a comfortable way for immigrants to test their language skills. The program attracts more than 40 participants a week hailing from as many different countries. They speak Indian, Bengali, Tagalog, French, Haitian Creole, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and Spanish.

Klompus also helps immigrants navigate the challenging process of becoming citizens, particularly the test that comes with the application. Ferguson, in partnership with Hartford Public Library, recently wrapped up a 14-week citizenship course focused on the naturalization test.

The immigrant experience and the concerns of people who seek her help has been impacted by the current political environment, Klompus said.

People are more frightened, she said. But in a lot of ways, people who have no reason to be frightened  they are perfectly legal residents and have lived here for many years  theyre now all interested in getting citizenship. They want to feel more comfortable and have the same rights as every American citizen.

Klompus, who moved to downtown Stamford from Moscow, said the transition wasnt easy. She and her husband came here to be close to her sister-in-law.

It was very strange because the city is very small and Moscow is much more urban, she said. At 9 oclock, there were no people on the street and everything was dark.

She found a community at the library and says shes honored to receive the Land of Opportunity Award because of her work there.

The had a lot of competition and people to consider, and at the end of the day, they chose me, she said. Im sure they could have chosen anyone else and that person probably would have been as committed and successful.

eskalka@stamfordadvocate.com
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Astronomers say they've found hints that an unseen planetary-mass object may lurk in the outer reaches of our solar system. And no, they're not talking about Planet Nine, Planet X, Nibiru or any of the other previously hypothesized worlds out there.

Kat Volk and Renu Malhotra of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory say their analysis points to an eight-degree tilt in the average planes of orbits for the most distant objects in the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy mini-worlds that lie beyond the orbit of Neptune.

"The most likely explanation for our results is that there is some unseen mass," Volk said in a news release. "According to our calculations, something as massive as Mars would be needed to cause the warp that we measured."

In a paper to be published by the Astronomical Journal, Volk and Malhotra say the gravitational influence of a Mars-size object at a distance of 60 astronomical units, or 60 AU, could explain the orbital warp. In comparison, Earth is 1 AU from the sun, and the Kuiper Belt extends from roughly 30 to 80 AU.

The warp was detected only for objects at distances from 50 to 80 AU, which fits the model proposed in the paper.

Last year, a separate team of astronomers proposed the existence of a world they call Planet Nine, on the basis of a different type of analysis looking at distant objects with oddball orbits. That object would have to be farther out, coming no closer than about 200 AU.

Astronomers have been looking for Planet Nine ever since its existence was proposed but have not yet detected it.

Volk and Malhotra say their mystery object (Planet Ten?) may have eluded detection if it lies in the galactic plane, which is so densely packed with stars that sky surveys could easily miss it.

"The chance that we have not found such an object of the right brightness and distance simply because of the limitations of the surveys is estimated to be about 30 percent," Volk said.

It's also possible that the warp was caused by a different phenomenon  for example, the gravitational disruption caused by a passing star.

"That would have required an extremely close passage at about 100 AU, and the warp would be erased within 10 million years, so we don't consider this a likely scenario," Malhotra said.

The next best opportunity to catch a glimpse of the mystery object should come with the completion of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile. Scheduled for first light in 2020, that instrument will take unprecedented real-time surveys of the sky, night after night.

"We expect LSST to bring the number of observed KBOs from currently about 2,000 to 40,000," Malhotra said. "There are a lot more KBOs out there  we just have not seen them yet. Some of them are too far and dim even for LSST to spot, but because the telescope will cover the sky much more comprehensively than current surveys, it should be able to detect this object, if it's out there."
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued an official pardon for 502 prisoners in a number of cases including some in protest-related jail-sentences, the Egyptian presidency announced on Friday.

According to the presidency's statement, the prisoners include 25 women and 175 young men under the age of 30, as well as eight university professors, three lawyers and five engineers.

The pardon includes prisoners suffering from health problems who have already served three quarters of their jail sentences.

The names of pardonned prisoners were published in the Official Gazette.

A security source told the official state news agency that those pardoned were released from Torah and other prisons on Friday.

The presidency added that El-Sisi called on the Ministry of Interior to release the prisoners before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which begins on Sunday in Egypt.

Article 155 of the Egyptian constitution stipulates that the president has the power to issue a pardon or mitigate a final sentence after consulting with the cabinet.

Businessman Hisham Talaat Mostapha is one of the prisoners included in the pardon.

Mostapha was serving 15 years jail sentence for his role in the murder case of artist Suzan Tamim in Dubai in 2008.

The Egyptian president had issued two previous pardons for youth imprisoned mostly for violating the 2013 Protest Law; the first pardon decree in November 2016 included 82 prisoners and the second in March 2017 included 203 prisoners.

The Protest Law mandates 1-3 years in jail for violators.

Tarek El-Khouly, a member of the presidential committee to pardon youth prisoners, told Ahram Arabic news website that those pardoned by the president included 175 prisoners under the age of 30 who were serving time in protest cases and were recommended by the committee to El-Sisi for a pardon.

El-Khouly said that while preparing its recommendation to the presidency the committee took into consideration requests from the teachers, lawyers and engineers syndicate for pardons for some of their jailed members.

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The Waller County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday afternoon that deputies are investigating a complaint that the mayor of Brookshire assaulted another city official on Thursday using a door.

Dana Lewis, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, gave this statement:

"As requested by the Brookshire Police Department, our Criminal Investigation Division is investigating an allegation of assault as a result of a door slamming between the mayor and city secretary. The investigation will be completed and turned over to the Waller County District Attorney's Office."

The mayor, Eric Scott, has not yet responded to a request for comment. Brookshire is a city of 5,200 in rural Waller County, west of Houston.

Scott writes on the city website that "residents know my door is open."

The city secretary, Claudia Harrison, has not yet responded to a message left with her office. City Council members could not be reached for comment. The Brookshire Police Department chief has not yet responded to a voicemail.

This is not the first time Scott was involved in a law enforcement investigation in the area.

About 4 a.m. one morning in December 2013, he walked barefoot into a Whataburger in Sealy, about 12 miles west of Brookshire, according to a 2014 investigation by KPRC-TV. He identified himself as the mayor of Brookshire, said he was robbed and asked a restaurant employee to call the police.

A Sealy police officer noted in a report that Scott became "uncooperative" and "would not disclose any information about the incident," according to KPRC. In addition, the officer "smelled the odor of alcohol coming from his (Scott's) breath and person."

Scott then called the Brookshire Police Department directly, telling the dispatcher he needed a ride back to Brookshire, according to audio obtained by KPRC.

"This is a secret," he told the dispatcher.
A former CEO from Spring will spend the next two years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

John David Upchurch, 54, of Spring, pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to the felony charges and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake on Thursday. A two-year supervised release will immediately follow his sentence.
There is no denying the appearance. Former FBI director James Comey was photographed entering and leaving The New York Times building in Manhattan on Thursday by the Daily Mail, suggesting he might have provided journalists with additional - and possibly damaging - information about President Donald Trump.

Recall that Comey testified earlier this month that he directed a friend to share with the Times a memo in which he documented Trump's desire for the FBI to drop an investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Comey also said that he thought publication of his memo might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.

Indeed, Comey's predecessor at the FBI, Robert S. Mueller III, was named special counsel a short time later and is now investigating the president for possibly attempting to obstruct justice.

However! It turns out that Comey, accompanied by his wife, Patrice Failor, visited one of the 25 floors in the building that is not occupied by the Times to attend an event for Court Appointed Special Advocates, a nonprofit that trains volunteers to represent abused and neglected children.

This was not some new cause adopted as a cover story. Comey and Failor, who have five children of their own, were foster parents during Comey's first stint in Washington, at the Justice Department under George W. Bush, and when they lived in Connecticut, during Comey's time at a hedge fund.

Failor volunteered as a court-appointed special advocate in Bridgewater, Connecticut. She testified about her experience before the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut state legislature last March. Comey was there. You can read all about it in a contemporaneous report by the Connecticut Mirror.

Yet the hosts of "Fox & Friends" on Friday repeatedly suggested that the true purpose of Comey's visit to 620 8th Ave. was to meet with reporters, despite the Times saying no such meeting occurred.

"The New York Times gets a special visitor," Jillian Mele told viewers during a news break. "The Daily Mail got these pictures of former FBI director James Comey stopping by their office in Manhattan. He reportedly spent three hours inside. The visit comes after he admitted leaking private conversations he had with the president to the Times."

"Wonder what James Comey was doing at the New York Times," Ed Henry chimed in. "It's so odd."

"Just doesn't look good," Ainsley Earhardt added later in the show, when the hosts returned to the subject of Comey's visit.

Then came this bit of innuendo, thinly disguised as a disclaimer, from Henry: "Now, there are reporters for the New York Times, we should say, who were tweeting last night and this morning that there may be a law firm in that building that had some sort of event for abused children and that James Comey and his wife may have been visiting them as a charitable thing."

This was a rather transparent attempt to create doubt where there is none. There is a law firm in the building, Covington & Burling, which did host a Court Appointed Special Advocates event that Comey did attend.

Maggie Haberman from the Times tweeted photos "from a person close to Comey" of Comey attending the event.

There is simply no evidence to indicate that Comey talked to Times reporters on Thursday. To suggest that the event for special advocates was an invented alibi is strikingly cynical.
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You may not have heard, so under the radar have things been thus far, but the Bay Area got its newest museum this week. Situated in Oaklands Jack London Square, at the intersection of Politics and Art, the Museum of Capitalism opened Sunday, June 18.

The culmination of several years of planning, the startup cultural institution is a formidable effort. Featuring more than 80 artists and artist teams, the first exhibition at the 10,000-square-foot museum is supported by a $215,000 grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.
The threat of high tides, flooded roadways and scarce fuel supplies was not enough to get Bolivar Peninsula residents to flee ahead of Tropical Storm Cindy, which was blamed for at least one death on Wednesday in Alabama and widespread flooding along the Gulf Coast as far east as Florida.

"I have my generator, my grill and my liquor. I'm set," said Tricia Hayes, who lives on the peninsula, just four blocks from the beach.

Hayes, who said she had her Jeep all gassed up in case Cindy strengthened into a full-blown hurricane, said she intended to spend Wednesday night partying with neighbors.

Tropical Storm Cindy was projected to make landfall at the Texas-Louisiana border sometime after midnight.

Hours before the storm's first rain bands hit the upper Texas Gulf Coast, a 10-year-old St. Louis, Missouri boy vacationing with his family in Alabama was struck and killed by a log washed ashore by storm surge.

Baldwin County Sheriff's Capt. Stephen Arthur said witnesses reported the boy was standing outside a condominium in Fort Morgan when the log, carried in by a large wave, struck him. Arthur said relatives and emergency workers tried to revive him. He wasn't immediately identified.

It was the first known fatality from Cindy.

Big Store runs out of gas

The storm was centered late Wednesday afternoon about 160 miles off the Texas coast and had top sustained winds of 50 mph. A tropical storm warning was in effect along the coast from San Luis Pass, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

A voluntary evacuation order was called on Bolivar Peninsula for those with health issues.

Galveston County Deputy Dona Bouse said most of the people who left the peninsula on Wednesday were tourists.

Houston brothers Daniel and Dennis Douglas cut their Wednesday fishing trip short, even though they traveled to the peninsula's Rollover Pass knowing that Tropical Storm Cindy was churning less than 200 miles offshore.

"I kept getting alerts on my phone, but I told myself I'd throw my line five more times and then head out," Dennis Douglas said.

The first of Cindy's rain bands arrived around lunchtime.

Higher than usual tides started rolling in earlier in the day. By early afternoon, water and debris covered portions of Texas 87 between High Island and Crystal Beach.

Fishing in the same spot since they were 11, the Douglas brothers said they had never seen the water hit the roadway as roughly as it did on Wednesday morning.

"If there was any word of a hurricane, we wouldn't be out here," Daniel Douglas said.

Like thousands of other Southeast Texans on Wednesday, Deputy Bouse made a stop for storm supplies, just in case Cindy knocked out power and water.

"I'm not a weatherman, and we don't know what Mother Nature has in store," Bouse said as she walked out of The Big Store with food and water for the sheriff's office. "It's whatever Cindy's heart desires."

The Big Store ran out of gas on Wednesday morning, but Bouse said other fuel stations along Texas 87 were still stocked.

"Because of the weather, I don't know if the gas stations have called for a transport of fuel," she said. "At a certain point, it's too dangerous for the rigs to be down here."

Piling up sandbags

In low-lying areas of Orange County, residents on Wednesday were clamoring for sandbags.

Ronnie LeJeune, an employee with the Orange County Road and Bridge Department, said he was at a sandbag distribution center until late Tuesday night. The location ran out of materials about 10 p.m. but was restocked for the wave of people collecting sandbags on Wednesday morning.

LeJeune started making preparations at his own home days ago.

"I lost my house in Rita and nothing could be that bad again except death," LeJeune said of the 2005 hurricane. "Rita and Ike taught me a very valuable lesson."

Christina Bradley, who was collecting sandbags for her house, said her home barely survived the historic flooding last March that devastated Deweyville in Newton County and parts of Orange County.

RELATED: Southeast Texas braces for Cindy

"We're still living there, but the floors are literally falling out from under us," Bradley said. "Most of my neighbors just said: 'Screw it. If it takes another hit, we're leaving.'"

While many were preparing for the worst-case scenario, plenty of other Southeast Texans believed Cindy wasn't going to do much more than deliver a good amount of rain.

"I always have a tote with towels, water and candles," said Diane Oquinn, who was buying cases of water bottles at an Orange County grocery store. "They always put water on sale though whenever there's a storm warning, so I buy it just to drink it like normal."

States at the ready

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the State Operations Center to raise its readiness level in advance of Cindy. He also activated four Texas Task Force 1 boat squads and two Texas Military Department vehicles squads of five vehicles each to respond to any weather-related emergencies.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, like his Alabama counterpart a day earlier, declared a state of emergency Wednesday. He was among authorities stressing that the storm's danger wasn't limited to the coast.

On the Mississippi coast, a waterspout came ashore in Biloxi even as heavy rains slackened early Wednesday. Harrison County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy said there were no injuries but fences, trees and power lines were damaged. In coastal Missisippi, some areas received up to 9 inches of rain.

There were widespread reports of street and road flooding Wednesday along the Gulf Coast as far east as Florida, where the National Park Service reported the bridge between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach was closed. One emergency official reported downed trees and other damage in the Fort Walton Beach area in the Florida Panhandle from a severe storm cell.

"There's still a long stretch of tropical moisture coming across the Gulf of Mexico," said Alek Krautmann of the National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana. "We still think there's a heavy rain potential really through Thursday night and early Friday."

Forecasters expected rain totals of 3 to 6 inches in Southeast Texas, with up to 12 inches possible in some spots in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle.

The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed on the storm Wednesday by Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert.

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An infant and two adults, including Michael A. Villalobos, 26, of Tulia, Texas, died early Wednesday in a crash on Interstate 57 in southwest Illinois.

According to information released to the media by Illinois State Police, the two-vehicle collision occurred at 2:14 a.m. Wednesday, June 22, in Union County, leaving three dead and one with critical injuries.

Pronounced dead at the scene by the Union County Coroners Office were Villalobos; Taylor D. Garza, 24, of Adrian, Michigan; and a 3-month-old girl who has not been publically identified. They were passengers in a 2002 GMC Yukon driven by Eric M. Barnett, 25, of Adrian, Michigan. He was airlifted to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Illinois State Police reported that Barnett was wearing a seatbelt and the child was restrained in a child safety seat. Neither Villalobos nor Garza were wearing seatbelts. Although the four were traveling together, police did not provide information on how they might be connected.

The driver of the other vehicle, a semi truck-trailer, refused medical treatment at the scene. He was not identified by state police.

According to preliminary investigative details from state police, the semi driver was southbound on I-57 approaching mile marker 32.5  between the Illinois 146 exit and the Lick Cred Road exit, when it collided with the GMC Yukon which reportedly was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes after crossing the median. Both vehicles left the roadway after colliding head-on.

The crash is being investigated by the ISP Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit with the assistance of Zone 7 investigations. I-57 was closed for seven hours for crash investigation and clean-up. All lanes of I-57 were reopened to traffic later Wednesday.
LONDON -- London police said Friday that a deadly fire last week that killed at least 79 people began in a refrigerator freezer - the first official confirmation of the cause of the blaze.

The fridge freezer, a Hotpoint FF175BP, was not subject to a product recall, police said, adding that a key concern in their investigation is how a fire that originated in the kitchen of one apartment spread so rapidly though a 24-story high-rise. The fire was not started deliberately, they said.

The police also said they are considering manslaughter charges after the insulation and tiles used in the building's exterior cladding failed fire-safety tests.

"Preliminary tests on the insulation samples collected from Grenfell Tower showed that they combusted soon after the test started," Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack told reporters. She added that the cladding tiles also failed safety tests.

Hotpoint issued a "product notice" on Friday for the appliance identified as the source of the June 14 blaze. "We have been made aware of a possible incident involving a Hotpoint branded Fridge Freezer, manufactured between March 2006 and July 2009, model numbers FF175BP (white) and FF175BG (graphite)," the notice said.

There has been widespread attention on the building's exterior cladding. Combustible cladding has been blamed for fast-moving fires at high-rise buildings in places including Dubai and Melbourne, Australia.

Investigators said they are looking into various aspects of the facade of Grenfell Tower, including the aluminum tiles, the insulation behind them and how the tiles were affixed.

The British government is also conducting tests at hundreds of high-rise apartments to see if they have potentially flammable exterior tiles. So far, 14 buildings have been found with cladding similar to that used at Grenfell Tower.

McCormack said that manslaughter charges are among those police are considering in relation to the fire.

"We are looking at every criminal offense, from manslaughter onwards. We are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offenses, and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower," she said.

McCormack said that every intact body has been removed from the building and that nine of the dead have been formally identified. She added that the fire was so intense officials may never be able to identify everyone who died.

Officials have said they don't know who, exactly, was in the tower on the night of the blaze. They have stressed they will not check the immigration status of anyone who was involved in the fire or who has information about victims, in view of concerns that some people may have been staying in the building illegally.

Police have reviewed more than 600 calls made to Britain's universal emergency number on the night of the fire to try to piece together events. "Some of these calls are over an hour long and truly harrowing," McCormack said.

Many local residents say they doubt the official death toll. On the streets around Grenfell Tower, now a blackened hulk, missing-person photos are attached to railings, buildings and bus stops. One girl, Amaya Ahmedin, who turned 3 in February, is pictured in a gold party hat next to her smiling parents.

On one of the many walls of condolences, one person wrote that community sources and "info from police and ambulance" indicate there are 160 dead.

Police say that 79 people are dead or presumed dead but have suggested that the number could rise.

"I fear that there are more. I do not know who they are at the moment," McCormack said as she appealed for those with information to come forward.

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"Smoke is getting into the house": Witnesses, family describe London inferno

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Related Iraqi forces advance on Mosul mosque where IS declared caliphate

Egypt condemned on Thursday the destruction of the medieval Al-Nuri mosque in Mosul by Daesh militant group, the Egyptian foreign ministry announced.

"This barbaric act is considered a crime against the whole of humanity and not against the Iraqi people only," said the statement.

Egypt fully supports Iraq as it takes steps to protect its historical heritage from destruction by terrorist organisations, the statement read.

Daesh destroyed the 12th-century mosque and its famous leaning minaret, known as the al-Hadba minaret, when fighters detonated explosives inside the structures on Wednesday night according to the Iraqi defence ministry.

The mosque, which is also known as Mosul's Great Mosque, is where Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared a so-called Islamic caliphate in 2014 shortly after Mosul was overrun by the militants.

The minaret had stood for more than 850 years.



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Mosul, Iraq

With their control of Mosul slipping away, Islamic State militants decided to send a message of defiance: They blew up the 12th century al-Nuri Mosque, along with its famous leaning minaret.

The mosque, destroyed Wednesday night, would have been a symbolic prize in the fight for Iraq's second-largest city. It was from a pulpit in that mosque that the extremists' leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared a caliphate in the lands they had seized in Iraq and Syria in July 2014.

According to Iraqi officials, the destruction of the landmarks indicated that IS defenses are crumbling and the campaign to retake Mosul  launched more than eight months ago  is in its final stages.

"They knew that the battle had been decided in favor of the Iraqi forces and they knew that we were going to enter the mosque in only a few hours," said Iraqi special forces Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, adding that his troops were only 50 meters (yards) from the mosque site.

"That's why they exploded it," he said.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi tweeted early Thursday that the mosque's destruction was an admission by the militants that they are losing the fight, calling it a "formal declaration of their defeat."

Inside western Mosul, residents were still reeling from the loss of the iconic structure that was blown up during the celebration of Laylat al Qadr, the holiest night of the year for Muslims.

The "Night of Power" commemorates when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during the holy month of Ramadan, which is in its waning days. The minaret that leaned like Italy's Tower of Pisa had stood in Mosul for more than 840 years and was known as al-Hadba.

"It is a shock, a real big shock," Amir al-Jumaili, a professor at the Archaeology College in Mosul, told The Associated Press.

Mohammed Tariq al-Bayati recalled growing up next to the mosque.

"I was in my grandfather house. I remember we used to play under its shade," al-Bayati said. After learning of its destruction, he said he felt like his childhood had also been demolished.

"It is the city's icon, I can say that Mosul has died," the longtime resident added.

An IS statement posted online shortly after the destruction of the landmarks was reported by the Ministry of Defense blamed a U.S. airstrike.
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WASHINGTON - The text of the Senate's 142-page Obamacare repeal bill had been public for just a few hours Thursday when the nation's most influential private citizen weighed in - Barack Obama.

The plan is "not a health care bill," Obama declared in a 939-word message to his nearly 53 million followers on Facebook. "It's a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America."

The 44th president did not mention his successor, Donald Trump, but his scathing criticism and urgent tone - imploring his supporters to speak out against the "fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation" - set up a direct public fight with the current White House occupant over the future of the nation's health care system.

READ ALSO: Senate Obamacare replacement gets mixed reviews from Texas policy makers

"I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill," Trump wrote in a tweet a short while later. "Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead."

The high-stakes confrontation is virtually unprecedented in modern times between a former and current president, and it runs counter to Obama's own professed interest in receding from the limelight. Just days before departing the White House, he joked that he looked forward to not hearing himself "talk so darn much."

Beyond his self-deprecation, Obama explained that he wanted to afford respect to Trump to pursue his own agenda, citing the precedent set by George W. Bush's infrequent public statements after Obama took office in 2009. Instead, since Trump's inauguration, Obama has made clear that he does not intend to stay on the sidelines as Trump, with help from Republican lawmakers, seeks to dismantle his legacy.

READ ALSO: How the Senate health bill compares to House, 'Obamacare'

Obama spoke out in January after Trump implemented a travel ban on citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations, declaring that "American values are at stake" and that he was "heartened" by protests across the country. This month, Obama criticized Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord that his administration signed in 2015, ruing "an absence of American leadership."

But it is on health care that Obama has perhaps the most to lose and, with his lengthy Facebook statement, has signaled his intention to have the most political influence. Though he opened his message with an attempt to elevate the debate - emphasizing the need to listen to those with opposing points of view - he quickly framed Republican motivations as purely partisan.

"I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party," Obama wrote, suggesting that the GOP is acting simply to undo "something that Democrats did." His mention of "meanness" in the Senate bill was a swipe at Trump having called the House version of the repeal legislation "mean" during a private meeting with Republican senators last week.

READ ALSO: House GOP narrowly passes repeal of Obamacare

The fight over the Affordable Care Act, the former president's biggest legislative victory, has sharply divided the two major political parties from the start. The bill was approved by Congress without a single Republican vote, after which the GOP successfully used it as a campaign issue against Democrats in the 2010 midterms that led to Republicans taking control of the House.

Now the tables have turned as Republicans attempt to make good on their years-long pledge to overturn the law. House Republicans needed two attempts before they successfully crafted and approved their own repeal bill without bipartisan support.

In recent weeks, Trump has lambasted Democrats as standing in the way.

At a campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Trump declared that "Obamacare is a disaster" and added that "if we went and got the single greatest health care plan in the history of the world, we would not get one Democrat vote because they're obstructionists."

Democrats defended Obama's decision to wade into the political fight by accusing Trump of leveling personal attacks against him on a regular basis. In March, Trump, with no evidence, erroneously accused Obama of ordering a wiretap on Trump Tower in New York - an Obama spokesman called the accusation "simply false."

And this week, Trump indirectly criticized Obama for not doing more to secure the release of American college student Otto Warmbier, who died in Cincinnati days after returning home after being detained 17 months in North Korea.

"Donald Trump has invited Barack Obama into the arena," said Simon Rosenberg, founder of NDN, a liberal think tank. "No president has trashed a former president more than Trump has trashed Obama - personally and in terms of his legacy. It's been direct, persistent and out of bounds."

Obama is "obligated" to weigh in, Rosenberg said. "I don't think he wanted to play a major role or to get intimately involved. But it's become very personal. There comes a point where you can't stand aside."

Obama's public influence remains undeniable. Within three hours, his Facebook message had garnered more than 300,000 "likes" and 97,000 shares.

At the same time, his prominence in the debate highlights a dilemma for Democrats who are undergoing a painful search for a galvanizing agenda and new party leader in the wake of Hillary Clinton's loss to Trump last November.

After Democrat Jon Ossoff's loss in the Georgia special election for a vacant House seat this week, Republicans, including Trump, gloated that they hoped House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., would remain in their jobs, citing their unpopularity with some moderate voters.

"I certainly hope the Democrats do not force Nancy P out," Trump wrote in a tweet. "That would be very bad for the Republican Party - and please let Cryin' Chuck stay!"

The bad news for Trump is that his own job approval ratings have plunged below 40 percent in some recent polls in the wake of his struggles to move forward with his agenda and an ongoing FBI investigation into his campaign's contact with Russian operatives.

By comparison, Obama's approval ratings this month stood at 63 percent, according to Gallup. For that matter, George W. Bush, who left office with just 35 percent of the public supporting him, was at 59 percent approval in the same Gallup survey.

"My guess is that part of the urgency of him weighing in is that a vote is happening within a week," Rosenberg said of Obama. "Trump and the Republicans are drawing him in and it's to their own detriment in doing so. He's still arguably the most popular and potent political force in either party and he can have a big impact."
President Donald Trump fashions himself as a fighter on behalf of America's veterans - so much so that he pantomimed firing his veterans affairs secretary should he fail to successfully implement new reforms at the long-plagued Department of Veterans Affairs.

At a ceremony in the East Room of the White House where he signed the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, Trump said, "I have no doubt it will be properly implemented."

Turning to VA Secretary David Shulkin, who stood on stage to Trump's right, the president said, "Right, David?"

"Absolutely," Shulkin replied.

Smiling, Trump responded, "Better be, David, or..." He then made a pistol with his right hand, aimed it at Shulkin and mouthed his signature words: "You're fired!"

The audience of administration officials, lawmakers and veterans and their families laughed at the president's joke.

"All, we'll never have to use those words," Trump said. "We'll never have to use those words on our David."

Trump was being playful, of course, though it is hardly the first time he has joked in public about firing one of his subordinates.

The law Trump signed is one of the first legislative victories for the Trump administration and is designed to bring a new level of accountability to the department after some veterans died in 2014 while waiting for care at a VA medical center in Phoenix. The new law allows the department to take swift action to fire and discipline problem employees, among other measures.

"What happened was a national disgrace, and yet some of the employees involved in these scandals remained on the payrolls," Trump said. "Outdated laws kept the government from holding those who failed our veterans accountable. Today we are finally changing those laws."

Trump added, "It's a reform that I campaigned on, and now I am thrilled to be able to sign that promise into law. VA accountability is essential to making sure that our veterans are treated with the respect they have so richly earned through their blood, sweat and tears."
A judge declared a mistrial Friday after a jury deadlocked in the case of a former University of Cincinnati police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man during a 2015 traffic stop, the latest in a series of high-profile law enforcement shootings that spurred charges but not convictions.

The mistrial was the third time in a week that jurors weighing a fatal shooting by a police officer did not convict the officer involved. It was also the second deadlocked jury to consider this particular shooting.

Judge Leslie E. Ghiz, speaking from the bench, read from a note sent by the jurors who said they were "almost evenly split regarding our votes toward a final verdict" and unable to reach a unanimous decision.

The outcome came just days after officers were acquitted of deadly shootings in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and it concluded the second trial of Raymond Tensing, who was charged with murder after fatally shooting Samuel DuBose during a routine traffic stop in July 2015.

While Ghiz declared a mistrial, Tensing - seated at the defense table in front of her - initially stared straight ahead without responding, and then put his head down, rubbing his eyes with his left hand.

A jury deadlocked in Tensing's first trial last November, and Hamilton County prosecutor Joseph T. Deters quickly vowed to retry him, saying he hoped that another jury would "be able to reach a decision to bring justice in this case for the victim's family and our community."

Deters had assailed Tensing for what he called a "senseless, asinine shooting," which occurred not far from the University of Cincinnati campus where Tensing worked as an officer.

Tensing, who was later fired by the university, stopped DuBose on the evening of July 19. According to the initial police report, Tensing had described being forced to shoot DuBose because he was being dragged by the car and nearly run over, which Deters said was untrue.

Like the cases in Wisconsin and Minnesota that recently ended with acquittals, DuBose's death was captured on video. Footage from Tensing's body camera, released the day he was arrested and charged, showed that the fatal encounter unfolded in less than two minutes.

During the stop, Tensing asked DuBose, 43, to take off his seat belt, and DuBose is seen turning on the ignition. Tensing is then seen reaching toward the door, yelling "Stop!" and shoving his gun into the car window, firing a single round into DuBose's head.

The graphic body camera footage joined a macabre library of other videos showing fatal police shootings across the country. While many other recordings that spread widely on social media were captured by bystanders or police dash-board cameras, some of them recorded from a distance, the Tensing case was unusual in that the footage effectively showed the officer's perspective.

As the traffic stop began, Tensing greeted DuBose: "Hey, how's it going, man?" The officer explained that DuBose was stopped for not displaying a front license plate on his green Honda Accord, and asked multiple times for DuBose's license. DuBose eventually said he did not have it with him.

Tensing then asked DuBose to take off his seat belt. DuBose said he had not done anything wrong and appeared to turn the car back on, at which point Tensing drew his gun. After Tensing fired the fatal shot, the car lurched forward and eventually came to a stop down the street, while Tensing ran after it, shouting to a dispatcher that medical attention was needed.

Announcing the charge against Tensing during a news conference 10 days later, Deters said that his office had reviewed more than 100 police shootings and "this is the first time that we've thought, 'This is without question a murder.'"

An attorney for Tensing had dismissed the murder charge as "unwarranted" and said he felt charges were likely due to "the political climate here and nationally." The attorney also said Tensing "was in fear of his life" when he opened fire.

A spokeswoman for Deters, the prosecutor, said he would not comment on the trial's outcome until next week.

After the second hung jury was announced Friday, Cincinnati city officials said they were disappointed with the decision but called on anyone who protests to do so peacefully.

"I, like so many others, share in the disappointment in the outcome from today's jury," Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said at a news briefing.

DuBose was one of 991 people fatally shot by a police officer in 2015, a number that was essentially unchanged last year, according to an ongoing Washington Post database tracking such shootings.

Police officers are rarely charged for fatal shootings or other uses of deadly force, and convictions are less common.

Since the beginning of 2005, 82 non-federal law enforcement officers have been arrested for murder or manslaughter following a fatal on-duty shooting, said Philip M. Stinson, a criminologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, who studies arrests of officers and has kept data since that year.

From that count, 29 have been convicted of a crime, mostly on lesser offenses, Stinson said. More officers - 34 - were not convicted, largely due to acquittals. Tensing was among 19 officers with cases still pending.

The heightened scrutiny on police shootings and other uses of force has flared up after deaths of black men, women and boys in places such as Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore, New York, Baton Rouge, Cleveland, Seattle and San Francisco. In recent years, the number of officers prosecuted in fatal shootings has increased, which experts attribute to a combination of more video evidence as well as political pressure.

Prosecutions following these high-profile incidents have largely ended without convictions. In South Carolina, former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was charged with murder after being recorded shooting a fleeing Walter Scott. A jury in that case deadlocked and a mistrial was declared; Slager later pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge stemming from the shooting, resolving both cases. Betty Shelby, an Oklahoma police officer who shot Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man, in another traffic stop caught on camera, was acquitted by a jury last month.

Tensing's is the third trial involving a fatal shooting following a traffic stop that concluded in the last week. On Wednesday, a jury acquitted Dominique Heaggan-Brown, a former Milwaukee police officer, on a count of homicide for his fatal shooting of Sylville Smith last year, which set off intense protests.

Five days earlier, former Minnesota police officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted of fatally shooting Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year that was partially streamed online. The aftermath of that shooting was broadcast on Facebook Live, drawing international attention.

Authorities earlier this week released dashboard camera video footage showing the officer shooting Castile, a recording that was shown during Yanez's trial but had not been released publicly.

Experts caution that even though video footage can be horrifying, such recordings may be incomplete, and noted that the legal standard still remains whether an officer's actions were "objectively reasonable" at the time.

"Video may give us some insight on that, but it doesn't change the fundamental standard by which police actions using force are judged," said David A. Harris, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh and an expert on police use of force. "Whether you think it's right or wrong, that standard is favorable to the police. It tends to support their actions in the great run of cases."

Harris also said that juries tend to come in giving officers "the benefit of the doubt" in most cases.

"Video is not a magic solution to this," he said. "Sometimes, it will be very helpful. and sometimes it will put certain facts, even if not all the facts, but certain facts beyond dispute. But many times, it does not put enough of the facts beyond dispute . . . You add that to the favorable nature of the law and the fact that jurors tend to, as a group, start with sympathy for the police position and what you have is a situation where it's really tough for prosecutors to win those criminal cases."
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Tropical Storm Cindy, which could bring a possible deluge and wind gusts of more than 60 mph ahead of its Thursday landfall, prompted local officials on Tuesday to cancel summer school, postpone celebrations and threaten bridge closures.

The disorganized system that stirred in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend finally got a name early Tuesday afternoon as it continued to slowly make its way toward the Texas-Louisiana border at 9 mph.

Following the upgrade to a named storm, a tropical storm warning was issued for Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Galveston, Jasper, Newton and Tyler counties. The National Weather Service said the storm is expected to strengthen this afternoon.

Jefferson County Emergency Management Coordinator Greg Fountain said "we're not expecting (the storm) to become a hurricane, but we had the same case with Humberto in 2007."

Humberto, which formed in the Gulf and was predicted to make landfall as tropical storm, came ashore at High Island as a Category 1 hurricane on Sept. 12, 2007.

"Residents need to make sure they have enough supplies," Fountain said. "When Humberto hit, we were out of power for five days."

While wind is a concern, both local officials and forecasters said Tuesday that flooding is the greater risk with Tropical Storm Cindy.

NWS forecasters predict the storm could dump anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of rain between now and Thursday as rain bands swirl north.

"Street flooding will be a problem with these rain bands, and water could get into some homes and businesses," said Roger Erickson, warning coordination meteorologist with the NWS office in Lake Charles. "This flooding will be made worse due to the above normal tides, causing rain water to be ineffective in normal draining conditions."

Erickson said tides will be running 1 to 3 feet above normal today and Thursday.

"During high tide, around midnight and noon each day, vulnerable locations to tidal flooding will include Sabine Pass and Texas 87 going towards Port Arthur and low-lying areas near Bridge City," Erickson said.

"This is not going to be a hurricane," he said. "The storyline is the potential for heavy rainfall with above higher than normal tides."

On Tuesday afternoon, residents with homes in flood-prone areas in Jefferson and Orange counties filled sandbags provided by county officials.

Galveston County officials called for a voluntary evacuation on the Bolivar Peninsula.

Lamar University, area colleges and Beaumont ISD announced campus closures for today and hinted that classes might again be canceled on Thursday.

Entergy warned customers that power outages are likely and urged residents to call authorities if a downed power line is found on their property.

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick recommended residents "turn off unnecessary appliances and make every effort to conserve energy," since power outages are a likely possibility.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said troopers could close the Rainbow and Veterans bridges connecting Jefferson and Orange counties if sustained wind speeds reach 44 mph or higher.

Gov. Greg Abbott "ordered the State Operations Center elevate its readiness from level four (normal conditions) to level three (increased readiness) starting at noon" today.

Fountain, who said he does not anticipate the need for an evacuation order, said all local residents should be "mindful of the storm," but cautioned Sabine Pass residents in particular to monitor landfall forecasts.

"They might not be able to get out if this gets more serious," he said.

Anna Bonura, a life-long Sabine Pass resident, said she'll start to worry when the storm is about 100 miles off the coast.

"You don't get used to hurricanes," Bonura said as Tropical Storm Cindy stirred 250 miles off the coast Tuesday afternoon. "You just gotta eyeball it."

Nathan Londenberg, superintendent of Sea Rim State Park, which is just outside Sabine Pass, said he was encouraging campers to leave and is cancelling reservations.

"When people are in RVs, they're light and are likely to rock easily in hard winds," Londenberg said. On Tuesday, only one RV was still at the park.

Reporters Margaret Kadifa and John D. Harden contributed to this article.

SFlores@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/_saraeflores
Cairo prosecution ordered on Friday the release of prominent labour activist Kamal Khalil on EGP 2,000 bail, one of his lawyers, Mokhtar Mounir, told Ahram Online.

Khalil was arrested on Thursday at his home, after he participated in a sit-in last week at the press syndicate in Cairo to protest the Egypt-Saudi Red Sea islands deal.

Khalil was questioned by Nozha prosecution on charges of inciting illegal protests, spreading false news and insulting the president, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Prosecutors interrogated the 67-year-old leftist activist over posts on his Facebook account and files on his personal laptop, according to his lawyer, Khaled Ali.

Small protests against the parliament's decision on 14 June to approve the deal were dispersed by police, with a number of people arrested. Many of those arrested were later released on bail.

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Egypts Ministry of Interior said on Friday that police have killed one of the leaders of Hasm islamist group in 6 October city during a shootout.

A statement on the ministry's Facebook page said that the National Security Agency received information that a meeting of Hasm, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the state, was set to be held in the area of Wahat Road.

According to the statement, after securing the prosecution's permission police combed the area, and when they approached two parked cars those inside shot at officers. The officers fired back, killing 38-year-old Mohamed Abdel-Moneim Zaki Abo Tabikh, who is wanted in a terror-related case.

On Sunday, Hasm claimed responsibility for an attack on a police checkpoint earlier that day in Maadi, Cairo which killed one policeman and injured four others.

Hasm has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Egyptian security personnel, mostly at security checkpoints.

Egyptian security forces have arrested dozens of suspected Hasm members in the past few months.

According to interior ministry officials, the group is linked to the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organisation.

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With a $13,000 price tag, the 2016 Dodge Charger seemed like quite the steal.

It was.

The $40,000 car was stolen Jan. 2 from Alamo Rental Car in Texas and sold over the internet to an unsuspecting buyer  one of 33 vehicles worth more than $1 million taken by what federal authorities say was a sophisticated theft ring run across five states by a Houston-area street gang.

The men  all from Houston or Missouri City and believed to be members of a Bloods gang offshoot  sold the cars for cash on CraigsList or OfferUp, then bragged about their exploits on Instagram and Twitter, according to federal prosecutors.

A federal indictment unsealed this week in Nevada accuses the men of conspiracy, fraud and selling stolen goods across state lines. Of the 11 men in custody, seven were arrested in Houston, two in Atlanta and two were already in the Harris County Jail on unrelated charges. Five remain at large.

The scope of the operation reflects a "high level of sophistication" for a typical Houston street gang, said Maryanne Denner, a gang expert who formerly worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

"I'd love to sit down with these guys and say, 'Who schooled you?'" Denner said, surprised at the young defendants, who range in age from 18 to 28.

Prosecutors say the men operated from July 2015 to April this year, using fake IDs to rent the vehicles, driving some to other states for sale and then pocketing the cash.

The vehicles  including a $57,000 GMC Yukon XL, a $50,000 Chevrolet Tahoe and a $40,000 Ford F-150 pickup  were stolen in Texas, Nevada, California, Tennessee and Florida. Fraudulent car titles, bills of sale and vehicle inspection reports were delivered with the vehicles, according to the indictment.

Seven of the vehicles were stolen in Texas from car rental agencies, including Hertz, Budget, Alamo and Avis, and one was stolen from an individual. The Dodge Charger  valued at nearly $40,000  was sold over the internet to a customer identified only as "T.N." in court records.

The indictment accuses the men of being members or associates of the Yung Money/Yung Gunz Bloods street gang. The gang is not included among a list of well-known Houston gangs at stophoustongangs.org, but appears to be an offshoot of the notorious Bloods.

Six of the defendants have served time in Texas prisons for crimes ranging from felony possession of a weapon to aggravated robbery, according to TDCJ. Eight others have been charged or convicted of other crimes in Harris County, court records show.

The federal indictment accuses all 16 with conspiracy to possess and transport stolen motor vehicles across state lines under fraudulent pretenses. Individual charges are also filed over two out-of-state vehicles sold in Nevada, and for fraudulent online advertising of all the stolen vehicles sold in Nevada.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of assets valued at nearly $1.05 million.

Mike Knox, a Houston City Council member and gang expert who served as a Houston Police Department Officer for 15 years, said the geographical expanse of the scheme demonstrates the strength of connections that the Bloods gang has across the country.

"If you're a Bloods gang member you can travel to any state, and after you prove your bonafides, you have access to the resources, means and capabilities of the group in that area," Knox said.

Named in the indictment are nine men from Missouri City: Channing Williams, 27; Keenan St. Hillaire, 26; Maurice Lewis, 22; Kaleb Louis, 23; Cody Williams-Jackson, 18; Keith Bell, 24; Dominique Washington, 24; Trevaughn James, 21; and Daniel Wilson, 24.

Those from Houston include: Everly James, 27; Korregan Washington, 28; Torren James, 25; Demani Dancy, 21; Trevionne Williams, 21; Casey Walters Jr., 25; and Denzel Campbell, 26.
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A San Antonio attorney accused of having sex with his clients  at least one of them a minor  will have his criminal cases heard in Wilson County.

Visiting Judge Dick Alcala granted a motion for a change of venue from Monica Guerrero, who is representing attorney Mark Henry Benavides, 47. He was arrested in November 2015, and since then has been named in a multiple-count indictment  having sex with a child under 17, inducing a child under 18 to engage in a sexual performance, and compelling prostitution from at least nine of his clients, all female.

The judge also ordered Benavides to get an HIV test.

Three women told a San Antonio police detective that they had sex with Benavides from 2009 to 2012 while he was their attorney in prostitution cases, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed before the indictment. The encounters are alleged to have occurred at his law office, at motels, his car, and at the courthouse.

The women told authorities that Benavides coerced them into having sex to help lessen their legal problems or get their cases dismissed, the affidavit stated.

Benavides also is charged with possession of child pornography from images contained in a mini DVD that a police affidavit indicated was labeled 137 of 276 and had images of a person under 18 engaged in sex acts.

Guerrero told Alcala at a hearing Thursday that she sought to move only one of the cases, but later amended her motion to include all. She told the court she wanted the change because of news coverage, and also because some clients alleged Benavides had sex with them in at least two rooms in the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center that are used by jurors, and she did not want jurors to do their own investigating.

The main issue is to not allow any juror to fact-find in the case, she said.

Benavides, who is out on bond, was slated to go to trial July 31 in Bexar County, however, with the change of venue, it is unclear when the trial will be set.

This story contains material from the Express-News archives.
Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

Space will be limited and security will be tight during Mondays federal court hearing over Senate Bill 4, the states law banning so-called sanctuary cities, as a large protest is expected outside.

The hearing on a preliminary injunction request is before U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia and will be held in the federal courthouses largest courtroom. No laptops or other electronics are allowed. Although cellphones may be permitted, no audio-recording or videotaping will be allowed, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Odessa police said early this morning that alcohol was a factor in a crash that killed three people Thursday night.

OPD reports that around 9:30 p.m., police and fire departments responded to a major crash in the area of Yukon Road and Toboso Avenue.
San Antonio police arrested a man Friday morning they say is linked to several robberies on the East and Northeast sides.

Marques Jackson, 31, has been charged with robbery for a May 26 incident on the 100 block of Baxter Avenue.
President Emmanuel Macron says France is no longer pushing for the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a shift in French policy throughout the Syrian war.

Macron said in an interview with eight European newspapers published on Thursday that he wants to work more closely with Russia for a solution in Syria and says foreign powers were too focused on Assad as a person.

Macron says: "The new outlook I have on this issue is that I haven't stated that Bashar Assad's departure is a necessary condition for everything. Because no one has shown me a legitimate successor."

Macron's predecessors were among the most vocal Assad opponents.

However, Macron warned France would attack Syria if the government uses chemical weapons. French warplanes are already targeting Islamic State extremists in Syria.

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A suicide bomber blew himself up in a town in western Iraq on Friday, killing at least eight civilians and a soldier, officers said.

He was one of a group of four suicide bombers who infiltrated a neighbourhood of Al-Baghdadi, a town on the Euphrates River in the restive western province of Anbar.

"Army forces were able to kill three suicide bombers after trapping them in a house in the Martyrs neighbourhood by detonating their belts with gunfire," a senior police officer said.

"The fourth managed to hide and later blow himself up in the midst of a group of civilians and soldiers," the officer said.

The police officer and Sharhabil al-Obeidi, a local district official, said eight civilians and a soldier were killed in the blast, while another 11 people were wounded.

Anbar is a sprawling desert province traversed by the Euphrates River and bordering Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

It has long been an insurgent stronghold, and IS already controlled parts of it before it swept through Iraq in 2014 to take over around a third of the country.

Pro-government forces have since retaken most towns and cities in Anbar, but the Islamist militants still control areas near the Syrian border and have desert hideouts from which they harass federal forces.

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Its time for my annual commencement speech where I offer nuggets of advice mined through a half-century of failures and foul-ups.

Ive recently asked friends, relatives and acquaintances what guidance they would offer younger versions of themselves.

They gave me this: Look up from your screens, remove the earbuds, and engage those around you. And this: Instead of fame and money, aim for empathy and gratitude. I would add: Learn to see other people as more interesting than you are.

But this years commencement takes on special significance. The Class of 2017 is the first crop of Trump graduates who are leaving college  and either going to graduate school or into the workforce  in the shadow of our 45th president.

There are important lessons to be learned from these times.

This batch of post-millennials should also take a good look at the man in the White House. They should spurn some of his traits, but they should try to emulate others.

They should not be like Donald Trump when it comes to attacking, bullying, humiliating or trying to demagogue individuals or groups of people. But they could learn from Trumps profound understanding of human nature and his uncanny ability to predict how others will respond to what he says and does.

Finally, the graduates of today should follow the lead of previous generations and dedicate themselves to a cause much larger than themselves.

The World War II generation set out to defeat fascism. The baby boomers who fueled the civil rights movement tried to eradicate racism. The post-millennials could make it their lives mission to stomp out another -ism: elitism.

This scourge isnt exactly new.

In 1787, when the framers gathered in Philadelphia to spell out the code of conduct for their newborn country, admission wasnt just limited to white men but white men with property.

In 1845, newspaper editor John OSullivan coined the term manifest destiny to describe the belief that settlers were entitled to expand across North America because of the special virtues of the American people and their institutions.

In 1903, the African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, a graduate of Harvard, advanced the idea that the Talented Tenth of the Negro race must be made leaders of thought and missionaries of culture among their people.

From the robber-baron industrialists of the 19th century, to the flak that Franklin D. Roosevelt caught from his upper-crust cohort because of the New Deal, to John F. Kennedys Camelot, to then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albrights description of the United States as the worlds one indispensable nation, elitism has always been part of America.

Nevertheless, the 2016 election put the concept front and center. Thanks to the great reporting that Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes put into their best-selling book, Shattered: Inside Hillary Clintons Doomed Campaign, political observers now have a pretty clear idea of why Clinton lost. And its not because of sexism, Russia or then-FBI Director James Comey.

Its because of this: Clinton and her inner circle were so clever that they ignored the advice  of both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton (who together only won four presidential elections)  to address working-class white Democrats in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton focused on coastal elites and lost those four states. Now the country is paying for her arrogance with the sideshow known as the Trump presidency.

So this is where we are. Half of America thinks theyre better than the other half. And its not clear which is which. The folks in the blue states think theyre more enlightened and sophisticated; those in red states think theyre more patriotic and have more common sense.

Abraham Lincoln had it right so long ago. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Listen up, youngsters. You have reason to wince at your inheritance from generations that preceded you. We broke the country. Apologies for that. But unifying this divided house, thats on you.

Do away with elitism, and youll take a giant step toward bringing us together.

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
Nearly 150 days into the Trump era, no non-delusional conservative can be happy with the direction of events or pleased with the options going forward.

President Donald Trump is remarkably unpopular, particularly with the young. And the reasons have little to do with elitism or media bias.

Trump has been ruled by compulsions, obsessions and vindictiveness, expressed nearly daily on Twitter. He has demonstrated an egotism that borders on solipsism. His political skills as president have been close to nonexistent. His White House is divided, incompetent and chaotic, and key administration jobs remain unfilled. His legislative agenda has gone nowhere. He has told constant, childish, refuted, uncorrected lies, and demanded and habituated deception among his underlings. He has humiliated and undercut his staff while requiring and rewarding flattery. He has promoted self-serving conspiracy theories. He has displayed pathetic, even frightening, ignorance on policy matters foreign and domestic. He has inflicted his ethically challenged associates on the nation.

Trump has made consistent appeals to prejudice based on religion and ethnicity, and associated the Republican Party with bias. He has stoked tribal hostilities. He has carelessly fractured our national unity. He has attempted to undermine respect for any institution that opposes or limits him  be it the responsible press, the courts or the intelligence community. He has invited criminal investigation through his secrecy and carelessness. He has publicly attempted to intimidate law enforcement. He has systematically alarmed our allies and given comfort to authoritarians.

For many Republicans and conservatives, there is apparently no last straw. The argument goes: Trump is still superior to Democratic rule  which would deliver apocalyptic harm  and thus anything that hurts Trump is bad for the republic.

This is the recommendation of sycophancy based on hysteria. At some point hope for a new and improved Trump deteriorates into unreason. The idea that an alliance with Trump will end anywhere but disaster is a delusion. The endgame of accommodation is to be morally and politically discredited.

So what is the proper objective for Republicans and conservatives? It is the defeat of Trumpism, preferably without the destruction of the GOP itself. And how does that happen?

Creating a conservative third party  as some have proposed  would have the effect of delivering national victories to a uniformly liberal and unreformed Democratic Party. A bad idea.

A primary challenge to Trump in the 2020 presidential election is more attractive, but very much an outside shot. An unlikely idea.

It is possible that  if Democrats take the House in 2018  that impeachment will ripen into a serious movement, which thoughtful Republicans might join (as they eventually did against Richard Nixon). But this depends on matters of fact and law that are currently hidden from view. A theoretical idea.

A Democratic victory in the 2020 election would represent the defeat of Trumpism and might be a prelude to Republican reform. But Democrats seem to be viewing Trumps troubles as an opportunity to plunge leftward with a more frankly socialistic and culturally liberal message. That is hardly attractive to Republican reformers. A heretical idea.

Or Republicans and conservatives could just try to outlast Trump  closing the shutters and waiting for the hurricane to pass  while rooting for the success of a strong bench of rising 40-something leaders (Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Nikki Haley, Tom Cotton, Ben Sasse). This may be the most practical approach, but risks eight years of ideological entrenchment by Trumpism, along with massive damage to the Republican brand. A complacent idea.

Whatever option is chosen, it will not be easy or pretty. And any comfort for Republicans will be cold because they brought this fate on themselves and the country.

michaelgerson@washpost.com
Texas has a lot riding on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on partisan gerrymandering, which is defined as the act of unfairly redistricting to keep a party in power.

If youre one of the gerrymanderers, your continuing control of the state House and Senate is at serious risk. If you are one of the many victims of Texas gerrymanders  Democrats and minorities, mainly  you could gain a competitive chance of electing the representatives you want.

At the moment, legislators get to choose their voters rather than the other way around.

There were at least three bills in the regular session this year for a constitutional amendment to form a bipartisan redistricting commission  drawing state House and Senate and U.S. congressional districts in Texas.

All failed to win approval.

But a special session to address redistricting reform? Of course, it wasnt even considered, though Texas will likely experience a return in the special session of a transgender bathroom bill, an anti-annexation measure and property tax reform that does not reform property taxes, among other legislative travesties.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in agreeing Monday to hear a Wisconsin case on partisan gerrymandering, might force some hands wherever state legislators craft lines with the overriding purpose of keeping their parties in power. Looking at you, Texas. The court will consider whether partisan gerrymandering can be unconstitutional.

In Wisconsin, a divided panel of three federal judges ruled in November that the states 2011 Assembly maps were unfairly drawn to favor Republicans, less than half the statewide vote but  because of this gerrymandering  holding 60 of the Assemblys 90 seats. The maps were drawn to divide Democratic neighborhoods to prevent Democratic majorities in some districts and cramming Democrats into others where they were sure to be outnumbered.

Racial gerrymandering, where found, has always been illegal (as has happened in Texas). In Texas, however, racial and partisan gerrymandering are essentially the same thing. To get what Texas Republicans want in redistricting, they have to dilute minority voting strength in various districts because Texas minorities are overwhelmingly Democrat.

So, just as in Wisconsin with Democrats generally, the Texas Legislature has to pack minorities into a few districts and thin them out elsewhere to maintain GOP control.

The eyes of Texas will surely be on the Wisconsin case. In our book, however, there has always been little difference between racial and partisan gerrymandering  they are both intended to reward a political party at the expense of voters.
Re: Nirenberg is painting the big picture, front page, Sunday:

One of Mayor Ron Nirenbergs goals is to propose a 21st-century transportation plan for San Antonio. I think he is looking for a major project that will set him apart from previous mayors. I got one: Bandera Road.

We have basically five major arteries, I-10, U.S. 281, I-37, Texas 151 and U.S. 90. Drivers wishing to get to Loop 410 or downtown must use these arteries.

On the Northwest Side, this is costing the city time and money. Drivers who live between Texas 151 and I-10 must decide which road to take. I can tell you they are not taking Texas 151. I know because I go that way every day. Many of these drivers are trying to go east on Loop 1604 to get to I-10. Traffic in the morning is a nightmare.

Solution? Revisit the idea of turning Bandera into an expressway. It will help alleviate the heavy flow of traffic going east on Loop 1604. Its expensive but necessary. This is one major transportation project that makes sense and would put me in Nirenbergs corner.

Good luck, mayor.

James Young

Calling the Lorax

Re: Tree protection rules facing ax; Abbott wants action on issue in special session, State, Sunday:

The story about Gov. Greg Abbotts veto of SB 744 should have been on the front page.

What else will the governor see as socialistic when a city attempts to protect the public good? If he is so fond of limited government, why has he interfered with the more than 50 cities whose citizens appreciate their tree ordinances?

Judith Dunn

Act like newspaper

Re: Before America First, front page, June 6:

Did I miss the announcement? You know, the one that states you moved your editorial page to Page 1. Thats the feeling I had when I read your headline about the celebration of D-Day in France. Not only was that an inappropriate and obvious political statement, it was incorrect.

Surely, you are not naive enough to believe we entered World War II for purely altruistic reasons. We knew that if Hitler succeeded in Europe, we would be facing an extremely dangerous and demented enemy alone. If the dead could speak, those buried at the American cemetery near Caen would testify that they fought for their country, not France. I would call that America First.

Of course, applying the same editorial prejudice you now live by, you would have objected to our participation in that war.

As someone with some longstanding journalistic credentials, I can only say shame on you for replacing your journalistic integrity and responsibility with a cheap, one-sided, inaccurate political statement. Grow up. Become a real paper again.

Keith S. Mirrer

Politicizing tragedy

Re: Before America First, front page, June 6:

The Express-News chooses to memorialize the sacrifice of Americans on the beaches of Normandy with an attack on Donald Trump. What a shameful attempt to politicize the deaths of thousands of our troops. This is a new low for a paper that all-too-obviously suffers from Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Arthur Sullivan

Rethink gun laws

Our do-nothing Congress has earned a 20 percent approval rating but recently did something for the betterment of the country. It passed a requirement to prevent Donald Trump from easing sanctions on Russia; maybe they do not trust him, either.

Congress also dropped from consideration a law that prohibits gun silencer sales. Now that one of their fellow congressman has been shot, maybe they will reconsider background checks, ease of internet and gun shows sales, and disallowing mentally unstable individuals from buying a automatic weapon.

Dick Cheney, anti-gay for years, changed his attitude when his daughter came out. Will some Republicans now see the injustice to the public by passing laws to reduce the 100,000 shootings every year? Maybe its time to make progress on gun safety to improve their approval rating.

Adam Castillo

Presidential passes

Re: Mahers racist comment no laughing matter, Ruben Navarrette, Other Views, June 9:

I thought Ruben Navarrette made some valid points about Bill Maher right up until the last three paragraphs. Then he asserts that well-intentioned people on the left, like Maher, are given extreme latitude  on matters having to do with race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation and other characteristics. He thinks Maher should be fired, because decency counts.

Are you kidding, Ruben? I cant even count the number of times the president of the United States has insulted people based on all of the above, and even physically assaulted people based on their gender. Republicans not only have given him pass after pass, they have defended his conduct and even went so far as to make him role model in chief. If decency counts, we should fire the man.

Julie Love, Rio Medina

ARC supporter

Re: This ARC resident happy to be there, Susan Sabino, Another View, June 9:

Hear, hear, Susan Sabino. I, too, am a happy (eight-year) resident of the Army Residence Community. When my husband died last fall, Col. Mary Garr was totally supportive of the way my children and I planned his memorial service. When I decided to downsize and move to a smaller apartment, she continuously inquired about how my move was going. Her staff could not have been more caring and supportive.

Col. Garr has announced her departure; perhaps that is best for her as well as the community. And, please, lets hope it stops the ugly, vicious and frequent emails from unknown, unsigned Concerned Citizens appearing in my inbox.

Mary Karges
Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar issued a list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Persian Gulf neighbor shutter Al-Jazeera, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the list in Arabic from one of the countries involved in the dispute.

In a 13-point list  presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis  the countries also demand an end to Turkey's military presence in Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar this month over allegations the Gulf country funds terrorism  an accusation that President Donald Trump has echoed.

Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands, which include paying an unspecified sum in compensation.

Qatari officials in Doha did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP. But the list included conditions that the gas-rich nation had already insisted would never be met, including shutting down Al-Jazeera. Qatar's government has said it won't negotiate until Arab nations lift their blockade.

Only a day earlier, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had warned the demands must be "reasonable and actionable." The U.S. issued that litmus test amid frustration at how long it was taking Saudi Arabia and others to formalize a list of demands, complicating U.S. efforts to bring about a resolution to the worst Gulf diplomatic crisis in years.

According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalize citizens from the four countries and expel those currently in Qatar, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs.

They are also demanding that Qatar hand over all individuals who are wanted by those four countries for terrorism; stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the U.S.; and provide detailed information about opposition figures that Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations.

Qatar vehemently denies funding or supporting extremism. But the country acknowledges that it allows members of some groups such as Hamas to reside in Qatar, arguing that fostering dialogue with those groups is key to resolving global conflicts.

Qatar's neighbors have also accused it of backing al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) militant group's ideology throughout the Middle East. Those umbrella groups also appear on the list of entities whose ties with Qatar must be extinguished, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah and the al-Qaeda branch in Syria, once known as the Nusra Front.

More broadly, the list demands that Qatar align itself politically, economically and otherwise with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led nations have accused Qatar of inappropriately close ties to Iran, a Shia-led country and Saudi Arabia's regional foe.

The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with U.S. sanctions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were eased but other sanctions remain in place.

Not only must Qatar shut down the Doha-based satellite broadcaster, the list says, but also all of its affiliates. That presumably would mean Qatar would have to close down Al-Jazeera's English-language sister network.

The list also demands that Qatar stop funding a host of other news outlets including Arabi21 and Middle East Eye.

If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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By Peter Temin, Elisha Gray II Professor Emeritus of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website

Mass incarceration in the United States has mushroomed to the point where we look more like the authoritarian regimes of Eastern Europe and the Middle East than the democracies of Western Europe. Yet it vanished from political discussions in campaigns in the 2016 election. In a new INET Working Paper, I describe in detail how the US arrived at this point. Drawing on a new model that synthesizes recent research, I demonstrate how the recent stability in the number of American prisoners indicates that we have settled into a new equilibrium of mass incarceration. I explain why it will hard to dislodge ourselves from this damaging and shameful status quo.

Mass incarceration started from Nixons War on Drugs, in a process described vividly by John Ehrlichman, Nixons domestic-policy adviser, in 1994:

The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what Im saying? We knew we couldnt make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.

This was the origin of mass incarceration in the United States, which has been directed at African Americans from Nixons time to today, when one third of black men go to prison (Bonczar, 2003; Baum, 2016; Alexander, 2010).

Federal laws were expanded in state laws that ranged from three-strike laws to harsh penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. The laws also shifted the judicial process from judges to prosecutors, from the courtroom to offices where prosecutors pressure accused people to plea-bargain. The threat of harsh minimum sentences gives prosecutors the option of reducing the charge to a lesser one if the accused is reluctant to languish in jail awaiting trialif he or she is unable to make bailand then face the possibility of long years in prison. And the shift of power was eased by the pattern of financing. Prosecutors are paid by localities, while the costs of prisons are borne by states. The trip to the penitentiary does not cost prosecutor at all. Instead of juries and trial judges deciding whether this or that defendant merits punishing, prosecutors decide who deserves a trip to the nearest penitentiary (Stuntz, 2011, 286; Pfaff, 2017, 127).

In a recent book, Pfaff minimized the role of drug laws in mass incarceration on the grounds that most state prisoners were convicted of violent crimes; only federal prisoners were predominantly convicted of drug violations. But the importance of public prosecutors and plea bargains contaminates this inference because the listed crimes in state prisons were produced in plea bargains. Since drug laws contain so many minimum sentences, plea bargains were driven toward lesser charges that did not fall under the drug laws. The results of the plea bargains do not indicate why prisoners were originally arrested and charged (Pfaff, 2017).

Both political parties were engaged at different times in legislation that gave rise to mass incarceration. It would seem likely that they could get together to try to reduce the rate of incarceration, but the prospects are not good in our current political impasse. The reduction of incarceration always has some risks, and political figures are very risk averse. Some people want to reduce the cost of prisons to help fund other government programs, but they have not produced many proposals to accomplish this goal or how to allocate the gains.

As Todd Clear stated in his 2007 book, Imprisoning Communities: How Mass Incarceration Makes Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Worse:

Imprisonment in America is concentrated among young, poordominantly minoritymen and (to a lesser extent) women who come from impoverished communities. The way these young people cycle through our system of prisons and jails, then back into the community, leaves considerable collateral damage in its wake. Families are disrupted, social networks and other forms of social support are weakened, health is endangered, labor markets are thinned, andmore important than anything elsechildren are put at risk of the depleted human and social capital that promotes delinquency. After a certain point, the collateral effects of these high rates of incarceration seem to contribute to more crime in these places. Crime fuels a public call for ever-tougher responses to crime. The increasing way in which the face of criminality is the face of person of color contributes to an unarticulated public sense that race and crime are closely linked. The politics of race and justice coexist malignantly, sustaining an ever-growing policy base that guarantees new supplies of penal subjects in a self-sustaining and self-justifying manner (Clear, 2007, 175).

We seem to be in a new equilibrium. It took forty years to get to this point, and it may take at least that long to get back to what we can consider a normal incarceration rate typical of advanced economies. We have not yet started down that road.

See original post for references
Bacterial organizational complexities revealed (Nanowerk News) For the first time, scientists have visualized the fine details of bacterial microcompartment shells - the organisms' submicroscopic nanoreactors, which are comprised completely of protein.

The results, led by Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, are featured in the current issue of Science ("Assembly principles and structure of a 6.5-MDa bacterial microcompartment shell").

Michigan State University scientist provides first detailed snapshot of bacteria's building blocks. Revealing this near-universal structure could lead to new medicines and bio-engineered bacteria for fuels, new fertilizers and more. (Image: MSU)

They show how the architectural principles of bacterial microcompartments, or BMCs, apply to both "good" and "bad" bacteria that use these nanoreactors to provide energy for infections. The findings open the door to identifying vulnerable targets to combat pathogenic bacteria as well as to bioengineer new kinds of designer nanoreactors in beneficial bacteria to enhance their performance.

"We've produced a detailed snapshot - at atomic-level resolution - of the membrane of bacterial organelles," said Cheryl Kerfeld, the Hannah Distinguished Professor of Structural Bioengineering in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Lab and co-lead author. "By seeing the intact bacterial organelle shell, we now understand how the basic building blocks are put together to construct the organelle membrane."

In human and animal cells, organelles are lipid-based. In contrast, these BMCs are composed of hundreds of copies of several types of proteins - hexamers, pentamers and trimers.

"What allows things through a membrane is pores," said Markus Sutter, MSU senior research associate, Berkeley Lab affiliate scientist and co-lead author. "For lipid-based membranes, there are membrane proteins that get molecules across. For BMCs, the shell is already made of proteins, so the shell proteins of BMCs not only have a structural role, they are also responsible for selective substrate transfer across the protein membrane."

The structure's appearance is reminiscent of buckyballs, a class of molecules that resemble Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes, whose discovery earned a Nobel Prize in chemistry.

"Our results provide the structural basis to design experiments to explain how molecules cross the organelle shell, how specific enzymes are targeted to the inside and how the shells self-assemble," said Kerfeld, who's also an affiliate of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "This work also provides the foundation for the development of therapeutics to disrupt the assembly and function of the BMCs found in pathogens or enhance those that play a role in CO 2 fixation."

The structures are comparatively large - 6.5 megadaltons and can contain approximately 300 average sized proteins. In comparison, one megadalton is comparable to the mass of 1 million hydrogen atoms. Viewing the structures required patience in coaxing the BMCs to form crystals and a large quantity of computational power due to the number of atoms involved.

To image the BMCs, Kerfeld's team used Berkeley Lab's powerful Advanced Light Source and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, both of which utilize X-rays to visualize crystallized proteins.

It took the team about two years to finally see this structure, and there were challenges at every step of the way because the shell is so large and unusual. The structure described is likely to become the textbook model of the membrane of primitive bacterial organelles, Kerfeld said.
New form of carbon discovered that is harder than diamond but flexible as rubber (Nanowerk News) Scientists have found a way to make carbon both very hard and very stretchy by heating it under high pressure. This compressed glassy carbon, developed by researchers in China and the US, is also lightweight and could potentially be made in very large quantities (Science Advances, "Compressed glassy carbon: An ultrastrong and elastic interpenetrating graphene network"). This means it might be a good fit for several sorts of applications, from bulletproof vests to new kinds of electronic devices.

Carbon is a special element because of the way its atoms can form different types of bonds with each other and so form different structures. For example, carbon atoms joined entirely by sp 3 bonds produce diamond, and those joined entirely by sp 2 bonds produce graphite, which can also be separated into single layers of atoms known as graphene. Another form of carbon, known as glassy carbon, is also made from sp and has properties of both graphite and ceramics.

But the new compressed glassy carbon has a mix of sp and sp bonds, which is what gives it its unusual properties. To make atomic bonds you need some additional energy. When the researchers squeezed several sheets of graphene together at high temperatures, they found certain carbon atoms were exactly in the right position to form sp 3 bonds between the layers.

Bond, sp 3 bond. Timothy Strobel

By studying the new material in detail, they found that just over one in five of all its bonds were sp 3 . This means that most of the atoms are still arranged in a graphene-like structure, but the new bonds make it look more like a large, interconnected network and give it greater strength. Over the small scale of individual graphene sheets, the atoms are arranged in an orderly, hexagonal pattern. But on a larger scale, the sheets are arranged in a disorderly fashion. This is probably what gives it the combined properties of hardness and flexibility.

The researchers made the compressed glassy carbon using a relatively simple method that could be reproduced on a large scale easily and cheaply. In simple terms, they used a sort of machine press that applies high-pressure loads to the carbon. But this must have involved several tricks to control the pressure and temperature in exactly the right way. This would have been a time-consuming process but should still be achievable for other people replicate the results.

New surprises

Carbon materials are continually surprising us  and the emphasis of research has been to find or cook things in between its natural forms of diamond and graphite. This new form is the latest of what seem like limitless ways you can bond carbon atoms, following on from the discovery of graphene, cylindrical carbon nanotubes and spherical buckminsterfullerene molecules.

A material like this  that is strong, hard, lightweight and flexible  will be in high demand and could be used for all sorts of applications. For example, military uses could involve shields for jets and helicopters. In electronics, lightweight, cheaply manufactured materials with similar properties to silicon that could also have new abilities could provide a way to overcome the limitations of existing microchips.
Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Ex-Soviet Central Asia countries Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Friday downplayed reported proposals from Moscow to send their troops to assist in peacemaking efforts in Syria.

Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdyrakmanov said the oil-rich Central Asian country was "not negotiating with anybody" on sending soldiers to Syria to police de-escalation zones.

Abdyrakmanov's comments came after Vladimir Shamanov, head of Russia's lower house of parliament's defence committee, told RIA Novosti news agency that Moscow had made "proposals to our colleagues from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan" on the subject.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also said Thursday: "There is even a suggestion from the Russians: maybe Kyrgyz, the Kazakhs could send a certain number of forces."

Kazakhstan said diplomats would "discuss this and other questions" on July 4-5 at upcoming Syria peace talks spearheaded by Russia in the country's capital of Astana.

But he stressed that the United Nations Security Council would need to approve such a move.

"A crucially important condition for our country to consider the possibility of sending its peacekeepers to any conflict zone... is a UN Security Council resolution and the necessary mandate," he said.

The secretary of Kyrygzstan's national security commitee Temir Djumakadyrov said "the question had been raised" within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a Russia-led security bloc, but that there were "no negotiations" at present.

"We have received no official proposals from Russia concerning the transfer of our troops to Syria," Djumakadyrov told AFP by telephone.

The country's Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev told Russia's Interfax news agency that the question was not discussed when Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev met Russia's Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week.

The Islamic State (IS) militants and other militant groups have gained thousands of recruits from the mainly Muslim ex-Soviet Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

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A Tipperary garda with a string of commendations convicted of assaulting two women in a row over a lift in a car has been given a six-month suspended sentence.

Father-of-two Brian Hanrahan (33) of Ballintotty, Nenagh, was convicted earlier this year of two offences of assault causing harm. He had denied the charges which involved punching and kicking one woman and hitting the other victim.

The assaults occurred when a row broke out over payment for a lift home after a night out in Nenagh.

At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Judge Elizabeth MacGrath described the assault on one of the victims, Emer Kelly, who was punched in the jaw and kicked, as a serious assault and said that the other victim, Aisling King, had been acting as a good Samaritan by coming to her friends aid when she was slapped on the face.

Sentencing had been adjourned in February to allow for the preparation of probation and psychological reports relating to Hanrahan. He had no previous convictions.

Mr Hanrahan was in the news in 2015 when he was shot in the back and leg during a botched robbery at an ATM machine during a holiday in New Orleans. He was hospitalised in the United States and underwent emergency surgery before being allowed to return home and eventually back to garda duty.

His solicitor Daniel OGorman said Brian Hanrahan was a garda with a string of commendations, and an excellent work record and was a great colleague and very popular. He lives in a small community and does charity work, voluntary work and community work, the solicitor said, and had a previously unblemished record. He is married with two children, aged 10 months and three years, and has a mortgage.

Alcohol was certainly a factor in the events on the night of the offences, Mr OGorman said, but Dr OKeeffe who carried out a psychological report signposts the incident in early 2015 in New Orleans. My client was a victim of an horrific, unprovoked attack where he was mugged while making his way back to a hotel, as could happen to anybody in any place in the world these days. He was shot twice, an unarmed man on his way back to an hotel Theres no doubt he was at the edge of his life on that occasion.

Dr OKeeffe said Mr Hanrahan had been left with a sense of heightened tension and this was probably what led to what occurred on the night of the offences.

The defendant was left in a precarious situation by this court case and it would have ramifications beyond the walls of the courtroom, Mr OGorman said. He had admitted that he shouldnt have hit the lady when speaking to Dr OKeeffe. The solicitor asked for leniency and to give Mr Hanrahan time to pay compensation to the victims.

The court heard there were witness expenses totalling 1,206.10, including 510 for dental treatment needed by Emer Kelly as a result of being punched in the face.

Judge MacGrath said she had ordered a psychological report because of the serious incident suffered by Brian Hanrahan in New Orleans and it came to her mind that he might have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

However, Dr OKeeffes report noted that the defendant wasnt suffering from PTSD, before the assaults in Nenagh.

The assault, in particular on Ms Kelly, was a serious assault on the night in question, the Judge said. Mr Hanrahan, with his background, ought to have been able to deal with that matter, she said.

These matters are deserving of a custodial sentence.

She decided that in view of the matters outlined by Mr OGorman, and the fact Brian Hanrahan had no previous convictions, she would suspend the prison sentences.

She imposed a six-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the assault on Emer Kelly and a concurrent three-month sentence, suspended for a year, for the assault on Aisling King.

Recognaisances in the event of an appeal were fixed at the defendants own bond of 1,000 in each case. There was no comment afterwards from his solicitor on whether or not there will be an appeal.
The North Atlantic Council chaired by NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller, visited the Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise (CWIX) held in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Thursday (22 June 2017). More than 1000 engineers, scientists, technicians and operators from 26 nations participate in the event at the Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC). CWIX aims to test and improve the ability of Allies to operate together, and the exercise includes land, sea and cyber components.

The Deputy Secretary General held a joint press conference with the Undersecretary of State in the Polish Defence Ministry, Mr Tomasz Szatkowski, the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Denis Mercier, the Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee, Lieutenant General Steven M. Shepro, and NATO Commander Joint Force Training Centre, Major General Wilhelm Grun.

Ms Gottemoeller said the exercise provided NATO with the chance to test out new innovations and capabilities. The Deputy Secretary General also highlighted that one of NATOs greatest strengths has always been its ability to adapt, and CWIX is part of that long tradition.
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (CMC), General Petr Pavel and the NATO Military Committee visited Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) on 22 Jun 2017.

The delegation took part in a variety of roundtable discussions, hosted by SHAPEs military leadership, which included Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander (DSACEUR), General Sir James Everard as well as Chief of Staff (COS), General Werner Freers.

The NATO Military Committee discussed the importance of the NATO Command Structure Adaptation with General Scaparrotti and the role it plays in NATOs readiness and responsiveness. Other topics of discussion included Contingency Planning and Force Readiness.

During the comprehensive briefing on exercises, General Pavel highlighted the importance of exercises in building interoperability, speed and resilience amongst NATO forces and with Partners.

The NATO Military Representatives also visited the NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) Allied Centre for Medical Education (ACME) where they received comprehensive briefings on the role and responsibilities of ACME.

The visit to SHAPE by NATOs Military Committee marks a first for NATOs newest member, Montenegro. The 29th Ally was represented at the table by Captain Dragoslav Pumpalovic, Montenegros Deputy Military Representative.

Upon departure, General Petr Pavel thanked General Curtis M. Scaparrotti for taking the time to host the Military Committee. The Chairman added that it was an excellent opportunity for the 29 Military Representatives to meet the staff at SHAPE and acknowledge the work that they do in support of the NATO Military Committee and NATO in general.
Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller underlined that NATO remains committed to the Western Balkans and to building a strong partnership with Serbia during a visit to Belgrade on Friday (23 June 2017). Ms. Gottemoeller is visiting Serbia for the inauguration ceremony of President Aleksander Vucic.

Meeting with President Vucic, the Deputy Secretary General highlighted that Serbia is key for regional stability in the Western Balkans. The two leaders also discussed cooperation between the Alliance and Serbia, as well as the security challenges facing the Western Balkans. The Deputy Secretary General welcomed Serbias offer to host NATOs Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) exercise in 2018. She stressed that Serbia is making important contributions to regional and international security.

The Deputy Secretary General will also meet with the Prime Minister-designate, Ana Brnabic, and Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic.
(Natural News) The late actress Carrie Fisher may have taken a cocktail of hard drugs only a few days before her death. A toxicology report released six months after Fishers sudden death revealed that she had traces of cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy in her system when she died, TheGuardian.com reported. The report showed that the cocaine may have been taken just three days before she suffered the heart attack that resulted in her death.

However, officials could not determine whether these substances had a hand in the Star Wars stars death, which has recently been attributed to sleep apnea and other factors. Based on the available toxicological information, we cannot establish the significance of the multiple substances that were detected in Ms. Fishers blood and tissue, with regard to the cause of death, the report said.

The coroner also found fatty buildup in Fishers arteries, which is a cause of cardiac arrest.

The 60-year old Fisher passed away in late December 2016. She was on a flight from London to Los Angeles when she suffered a massive heart attack followed by vomiting, DailyMail.co.uk said in a report. She received emergency care and CPR on the plane, and was rushed to the hospital when the flight landed in Los Angeles. She was then admitted to the intensive care unit at the UCLA Medical Center, where she remained in a stable but critical condition before dying a few days later, on December 27.

Following the release of the toxicology report, Fishers daughter, Billie Lourd spoke out about her mothers lifelong battle with addiction, Today.com reported.

My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life, Lourd said. She ultimately died of itShe talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. I know my Mom, shed want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure.

Fisher, who rose to fame playing Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise, had a high-profile struggle with drug addiction throughout her life. The star began to smoke marijuana at age 13, and was taking cocaine while filming The Empire Strikes Back. She also grappled with mental illness, taking various medications and undergoing electroconvulsive therapy to deal with bipolar disorder.

As Lourd said, Fisher spoke openly about her experiences in an effort to end the social stigma surrounding her conditions. In fact, Fisher wrote in detail about her substance abuse and mental illness in several memoirs.

One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls, Fisher wrote in her autobiography, Wishful Drinking.

At times being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if youre living with this illness and functioning at all, its something to be proud of, not ashamed of. They should issue medals along with the steady stream of medication, she wrote.

Those with mental illness are at higher risk of drug and alcohol abuse, which are also considered to be mental illnesses, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The institute said that people with mental illnesses may end up abusing drugs or alcohol to self-medicate, leading to the high rate of comorbidity between substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders.

Get more news like this on Psychiatry.news.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

DailyMail.co.uk

Today.com

GoodReads.com

DrugAbuse.gov
(Natural News) Johnson & Johnson is set to dole out up to $33 million in settlement with 42 states over allegations that a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical drug giant sold nonprescription medicines that did not pass federal quality standards. The settlement agreement required the company to pay the amount, which would then be distributed to the District of Columbia and the 42 states that filed the case. The states that that did not participate in the case include Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.

The agreement has also required Johnson & Johnsons McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit to follow appropriate procedures in addressing any manufacturing issues with its nonprescription drugs. The company was also barred from advertising on its website any products that were recalled within the past year. However, the company took the deal in a more positive light, stating that it was pleased to have finally reached a settlement with the states. The company has also stressed that the recalls were precautionary in measure. As part of the agreement, McNeil-PPC did not admit to any wrongdoing.

Those recalls were precautionary and not undertaken on the basis of any health or safety risks to consumers, and we remain committed to providing consumers with safe and effective over-the-counter medicines, a company statement reads.

Details of the previous drug recalls

The settlement deal, announced by attorneys general for 42 states and the District of Columbia, was in line with the voluntary recall of popular over-the-counter drugs for children and adults such as Tylenol, Motrin, and Benadryl between 2009 and 2011. Other drugs included in the recall were: St. Joseph Aspirin, Sudafed, Pepcid, Mylanta, Rolaids, Zyrtec, and Zyrtec Eye Drops. The states filed a complaint against Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the company subsidiary McNeil-PPC committed consumer fraud by selling sub-par medications under the impression that they were manufactured following government safety standards.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigans office noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that some facilities did not follow these safety practices during their operations between 2009 and 2011. In 2015, the companys McNeil-PPC subsidiary pleaded guilty to selling liquid medicine contaminated with metal and agreed to a settlement deal of $25 million in order to resolve an inquiry conducted by the U.S. Justice Department.

The voluntary recalls of drug products made at J&J factories in Puerto Rico and suburban Philadelphia were prompted by reports of an unpleasant odor that nauseated some customers, tiny metal shards in liquid medicines, and unreliable ingredient levels. Many of these products have been unavailable for years. The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company has since demolished these two failing facilities and reconstructed another huge consumer medicine factory in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

Amid the voluntary recalls between 2009 and 2011, Johnson & Johnson was embroiled in yet another controversy back in 2009 when the company was implicated in a stealth recall of Motrin. The pharmaceutical giant was found to pay secret shoppers to quietly purchase Motrin packages from convenience stores and other retail stores without identifying themselves. The secret shoppers were also discouraged from acknowledging that some Motrin tablets do not dissolve properly.

States get their share of the J&J penalty money

Under the settlement agreement, the $33 million compensation is to be divided between the participating states and the District of Columbia. California is set to receive the largest chunk of the amount at $2.3 million. However, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra noted that final agreement is subject to court approval. On the other hand, Illinois is set to receive more than $1 million in compensation. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the money will go to the state.

Sources include:

ABCNews.go.com

Reuters.com

ChicagoTribune.com

SFGate.com
(Natural News) Neil deGrasse Tyson, the TV astrophysicist perhaps best known for lecturing the world about a man-made climate change consensus, is the narrator of a new film that is being described as rank propaganda for Big GMO.

Food Evolution premieres in theaters across America on Jun 23 and purports to be an objective explication of the genetically engineered or modified food controversy, which is an issue that clean food advocates understandably take very seriously.

Although more reviews will be popping up in the coming weeks, more than 40 scholars and researchers who screened the film at the University of California, Berkeley, have signed a letter calling out Food Evolution as a piece of propaganda.

Partially funded by a biotech industry trade group called the Institute for Food Technologists (IFT), which, in turn, receives some of its funding from large food corporations, Food Evolution apparently goes full Monsanto in its presentation.

U.S. Right to Know (USRTK) co-director Stacy Malkan explains that the film has a pronounced agenda:

The films credibility suffers from their choice to embrace only the science and scientists who side with the chemical industry players who profit from GMOs and the chemicals used on them, while ignoring science and data that doesnt fit that agenda. 

Instead of an objective look at the evidence, Food Evolution gives viewers the full Monsanto science treatment: any science that raises concerns about the possible health risks of agrichemical products should be ignored, while studies that put those products in a favorable light is the only science worth discussing.

Perhaps the most vivid example of the documentarys scientific dishonesty, as Malkan contends, is its portrayal of the toxic and lucrative weed killer glyphosate, as safe, and stating that there should be no concerns about the increased use of the herbicide for GMO crops. What the film failed to mention is that Monsanto makes a fortune on glyphosate sales. (RELATED: Read more about this latest example of corporate propaganda at FoodEvolution.news).

As Natural News founder Mike Adams noted last year, however, the industry reassurance about glyphosate is about as credible as Big Tobaccos insistence that cigarette smoking doesnt cause cancer or heart disease.

The film also seems to contain the seal of approval of an organization called American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), which apparently is joined at the hip with Monsanto, according to Malkan.

In a scene that is supposed to convey scientific credibility, Food Evolution flashes the logo of the American Council on Science and Health at the very moment Neil deGrasse Tyson says there is a global consensus on the safety of GMOs. Its a fitting slip. ASCH is a corporate front group closely aligned with Monsanto.

This is not the first time Neil deGrasse Tyson has gone to bat for GMOs. A 2014 YouTube video, for example, shows Tyson attempting to convince an audience that GMOs are nothing new and equates them with traditional selective breeding and artificial selection by farmers. His frame of reference overlooks the fact that tinkering with the germs of unrelated organisms is a completely different and unnatural process. The global warming champions message to those who object to GMO foods is to chill out. (RELATED: Read more about Dr. Tysons brand of science totalitarianism at NeilTyson.news.)

Do you think that Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is functioning like a consigliere for the Monsanto Mafia?

Sources:

USRTK.org

FoodFirst.org
After losing its race with thirst on the very handle of a water pump, an Indian chameleon has been mummified in the hot Indian sun.

Chameleon Mummified Alive by the Tropical Sun pic.twitter.com/BRPieQtHyl  Romina Jakki (@ThursthylpSumpl) June 21, 2017

The startling image was snapped by National Geographic filmmaker Romini Jakki and uploaded to Twitter.

The eyes were holes where the ants entered and cleaned out the insides, leaving a perfect mummified carcass. Nature seems to be giving us the "canary in the coal mine" sign that the extreme heat affecting tropical climates will be more of a factor in survival there in the coming years.

The chameleon was gripping on to a water faucet that had been turned off. It never turned on for this unfortunate reptile who died waiting for a drink of water.

"All animals can handle temperatures up to a certain limit," says Jeanine Refsnider, a herpetologist at The University of Toledo "and if the temperatures get beyond that, your proteins actually start to unfold. At the cellular level, your cells start to fall apart, and once that happens you can't really reverse it."

Heat waves are on the rise and can be expected to get longer and hotter over the next century. Scientists blame climate change. Reptiles may be especially hard hot by extreme warming trends. Because reptiles are ectotherms, they cannot regulate their own body temperature. If they get hot, they can't sweat like a human or pant like a dog. Their temperature is based on what is around them.

"A lot of these reptiles who live in the desert or tropics, they're in areas that are already almost as hot as they can survive, so even a small increase in temperature beyond that could push them into pretty severe heat stress," says Refsnider.

The heat brings other problems for the reptiles as well. Reptiles lay eggs and temperature is a large factor in the sex of the babies inside those eggs. The temperature at which eggs are incubated determines the sex. If it becomes too warm, all the eggs will end up being male.

An example of this is already being seen in Australia where a tuatara population has been affected by extreme heat so much that most of the offspring are now male.

According to Refsnider, some animals, like the painted turtle, have shown signs of being able to adapt to this change in temperature and have been laying eggs in cooler shadier places during hotter months.
A Syrian national accused of operating one of the largest sex trafficking rings in Lebanon has been released on bail, a judicial source told AFP on Friday.

"The Mount Lebanon Criminal Court, headed by Judge Faisal Haidar, decided to release Imad Rihawi on bail for 20 million Lebanese pounds," or just over $13,000, the source said.

The source specified that Rihawi was released on Thursday and that the charges against him were still being upheld.

For years, Rihawi had managed Chez Maurice and Silver, two of the most infamous brothels in Maameltein, a coastal town known as Lebanon's red light district.

Prostitution is illegal in Lebanon, and police shuttered both locations in April 2016 in one of the most high-profile busts the country has seen.

At least 75 women -- mostly Syrian -- were freed.

People in Lebanon were shocked by the horrifying ordeal, as well as by accusations that police forces were complicit and that a gynaecologist had carried out at least 200 abortions on the trapped women.

At the time of the bust, security forces only identified Rihawi by his initials and said that he fled to Syria after his operation was broken up.

But he dramatically handed himself in to Lebanese security forces on live television in May 2016.

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Coal company Murray Energy has sued HBO and its Sunday-night host, John Oliver, for what it says was a "false and malicious broadcast" last Sunday evening. It's seeking financial damages and a court order barring rebroadcasts of the segment's "defamatory statements."

Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" coal segment criticized the Trump administration's effort to revive the industry, saying coal jobs have dropped for decades and other energy alternatives are driving the industry's decline.

He ribbed Murray Energy's CEO Robert Murray, who blames regulatory efforts by the Obama administration for damaging the coal industry. He said the 77-year-old looked like a "geriatric Dr. Evil" and noted that the company had fought against coal safety regulations.

The Ohio company sued the comedian Wednesday afternoon in circuit court in West Virginia, saying that he tried to embarrass Murray by making fun of his age and appearance and made false statements about a 2007 collapse of a Utah mine, when nine miners died. The company said Oliver ignored information it sent the show that it says showed an earthquake caused the mine's collapse and that the show made no mention of "the efforts Mr. Murray personally made to save the trapped miners."

An HBO spokesman says the show didn't violate Murray Energy's rights or those of Murray. Oliver noted on the show that Murray Energy has a litigious past, and last month sued the New York Times for libel.

Murray Energy employs about 5,400 people, about half of those in West Virginia.
Controversy is brewing with the Trans March in San Francisco even before activists hit the streets Friday.

A guideline for the march that instructs people not to talk to or thank police officers along the route was posted then removed Thursday.

The posting said "law enforcement is generally hostile towards trans people, particularly those who are black and brown. From harassment and abuse to violence and outright murder, law enforcement has not been a friend to our communities and many of our allies. Do not talk to them. Do not take selfies with them. Do not high-five them. Do not thank them."

Thousands of people are expected to participate in or watch the Trans March, which begins at 6 p.m. The route will be lined with police officers to ensure safety.

Transgender pastor Meghan Rohrer has volunteered with the Trans March and is a chaplain with the San Francisco Police Department. Rohrer wants the community to know it has support in the department.

"For the officers who volunteer at the Trans March because they are LGBTQ, because they want to support their own community, it means the world to them," Rohrer said.

The board of directors for the march posted the guidelines for the event. They said they were too busy Thursday night setting up for the event to comment on the guidelines, which were removed because of the level of backlash in response.

While the community marches for equal rights for all on Friday, Rohrer is hoping everyone can embrace a guideline of mutual respect.

"We need all the colors of the rainbow at our Pride celebrations, even the blue," Rohrer said.

March attendees are expected to start gathering at Dolores Park in the afternoon, hours before the march kicks off.
BART's board of directors on Thursday passed a measure that forbids agency employees and officers from questioning riders about their citizenship status or independently enforcing immigration laws.

But the BART leadership was quick to say it's not a sanctuary policy. That idea worried the board members because the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from agencies designated them self as sanctuaries.

BART hopes what's being dubbed a "safe transit policy" will allow them to protect their funding and their riders, even as it vows not to actively help federal immigration authorities enforce new immigration policies, as sanctuary organizations are doing.

"Basically, what we said today is that we're not ICE; we're BART," Director Lateefah Simon said.

Simon co-authoured the policy, which says BART will help enforce immigration laws when it is ordered to by a court or compelled by federal law.

"This isn't political," Simon said. "It's about a basic function of our BART system and our police to worry about matters at hand."

On Thursday, a few critics spoke out against the policy shift, saying it does nothing more than make a promise to immigrants that BART can't keep.

"Sure it would give them a sense of peace," rider Sidney Gamble said. "But I would argue that it's a false sense of peace."

"It's just virtual signalling for people who want to feel good about themselves because they supported the undocumented immigrants," David Hein added.

But numerous supporters, including riders groups, unions and migrant service providers praised BARTs decision.

"BART needs to be a safe space where individuals don't have to worry about facing deportation based just on using public transportation," said Raha Jorjani, an Alameda County immigration attorney.

Malena Mayorga, of Mujeres Unidas Activas, said without the policy, "people would be afraid to ride public transit. I hear about this very, very frequently from people who are afraid to ride BART because of this very situation."

Only one BART director voted against the "safe transit" policy, questioning whether it actually changes what BART is already doing.
The president of the Los Angeles City Council hopes to rename a street in his district for former President Barack Obama.

Councilman Herb J. Wesson Jr. on Tuesday introduced a motion to change the name of Rodeo Road to Obama Boulevard.

Wesson notes that his district already has boulevards named Washington, Adams and Jefferson, and the new name would recognize the legacy of the nation's 44th president.

As a senator, Obama held his first Los Angeles presidential campaign rally at Rancho Cienega Park on Rodeo Road. Located southwest of downtown Los Angeles and running parallel to the 10 Freeway, Rodeo Road is unrelated to Beverly Hills' famous Rodeo Drive luxury shopping district.

The name change would be displayed along a section of the major corridor between Arlington Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard. The segment passes Rancho Cienega Park and through the Crenshaw district west toward the Culver City area.

A vote earlier this year by the California State Senate paved the way for a section of the 134 Freeway to be renamed in his honor. Obama was a student at Occidental College in Eagle Rock in the late 1970s before transferring to Columbia University in New York. The proposed Obama Freeway would be a part of the 134 Freeway between the 210 and 2 freeways.
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday signed a stronger gun bill that has been repeatedly pushed for by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Supt. Eddie Johnson as well as former Mayor Richard M. Daley.



Rauner announced the signing, which he described as a "very important bipartisan effort to keep our communities safe," with Johnson by his side.



"This is a very important day, a good day for the people of Illinois," Rauner said, "a very important step forward in criminal justice reform to keep our neighborhoods safer but also to create an opportunity for non-violent offenders to have a second chance and be productive citizens as well."



"Today is a monumental win in the name of the safety and security of those that we serve," Johnson said, noting he firmly believes "this bill is the first step to creating a real culture of accountability in Chicago among gun offenders that will make someone think twice about picking up a gun before they ever use it."

Johnson testified twice in Springfield, personally lobbying for a stronger gun sentencing bill and calling on lawmakers to keep repeat gun felons off city streets and in prison longer.

The bill changes the current gun sentencing from three to 14 years, giving the judges discretion to sentence offenders from seven to 14 years.



Johnson said the "cycle of violence just continues in our city" and believes stronger sentences will send a message.



"Improving public safety is everyones responsibility," Emanuel said in a statement, "and this law will help make neighborhoods across Illinois stronger, safer and more secure.



Critics claim the measure would lock up more minorities when the state should concentrate on creating jobs and opportunity for impoverished neighborhoods.



"Im not seeking to mass-incarcerate minorities or establish additional mandatory minimums, or take guns out of the hands of people who hold them legally," Johnson said when he testified in May. "This legislation gives judges the guidelines to sentence repeat gun offenders at the higher end of the already existing sentencing range."



One of the sponsors of SB1722, State Sen. Kwame Raoul, testified at the same hearing, saying, "This bill is not a cure-all to the violence in Chicago or outside of Chicago, but I do believe it is something that will help."

GOP House Leader Jim Durkin is proposing an amendment to provide a break for first-time offenders, to address those who are concerned that the tougher sentences will send more minorities to prison.

Johnson has long been pushing the passage of the bill, which would create tougher sentences for gun offenders. He told a Senate committee in March that criminals tell him they don't fear the state's judicial system.

"The gang members know that when it comes to judges, the courts and sentencing its a joke. And that should not exist," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

Chicago recorded more homicides last year than New York City and Los Angeles combined.

The signing of the law comes days after the beginning of a special session calling lawmakers to Springfield.

The special session has seen little work being done so far and is costing taxpayers $40,000 a day.
The FBI says a Canadian man accused of stabbing a police officer at the Flint, Michigan, airport tried unsuccessfully to buy a gun while in the United States for five days.

David Gelios, head of the FBI in Detroit, made the disclosure Thursday during a news conference. He did not elaborate.

Acting U.S. Attorney Dan Lemisch says more charges are coming in the days ahead. Ftouhi is in custody until a bond hearing Wednesfday.

Amor Ftouhi managed to purchase a knife. He is a dual citizen of Canada and Tunisia. He's accused of stabbing airport police Lt. Jeff Neville after yelling "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great."

According to the FBI, Ftouhi said something similar to "you have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die."

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Nearly a dozen children suffered injuries after visiting a northwest Indiana water park this month, health department officials said.

Eleven kids had either chemical burns or breathing problems following a trip to the Seven Peaks Waterpark Duneland in Porter two weeks ago, the Porter County Health Department confirmed.

The Northwest Indiana Times reported the Porter County Health Department shut down the park for not having proper permits and inspections.

The health department told the publication the park opened without necessary permits, proper inspections and water samples, adding that it had no chlorine feeder in operation at the time.

The Porter Fire Department said it was contacted last week for reports of a possible issue with high levels of chemicals at the water park that may have caused injuries.

To check for any immediate danger to the public a spot check was conducted, the fire department wrote in Facebook post.

The department said it referred the matter to the Porter County Health Department.

Health Department Administrator Keith Letta said the park was closed until it can pass an inspection and get equipment up and running.

Seven Peaks Resort, which also has three parks in Utah, could not immediately be reached for comment on the matter.

A message at Seven Peaks Waterpark Duneland, however, notes the park is temporarily closed for maintenance.
What to Know Gabe Pressman, a pioneering local broadcast reporter who called NBC 4 New York home for half a century, has died at the age of 93

He is recognized in the broadcast journalism community as the "reporter's reporter" and credited with being the first TV reporter in NY

Born in the Bronx, Pressman attended Morris High School and worked as a cub reporter for the Peekskill Evening Star during summer vacations

NBC 4 New York senior correspondent Gabe Pressman, a New York icon and pioneering reporter whose local broadcast career spanned more than six decades, died Friday at the age of 93.

Credited with being the first television reporter in New York, Pressman called NBC 4 New York home for more than half a century. He is survived by his wife, four children, eight grandchildren and his great grandson.



Chuck Scarborough worked with Gabe Pressman for 37 years. He remembers what Pressman meant to him as a colleague and a pioneering journalist in the field. Ive lost a friend and mentor, Scarborough said. But Im part of his legacy, as are so many others who benefited from knowing Gabe. He taught us well. New York is a better city...

"This is an incredibly sad day for the WNBC family. Gabe Pressman was a television icon who served our viewers for more than 50 years," Eric Lerner, WNBC president and general manager, said in a statement. "He was truly one of a kind and represented the very best in television news reporting. Gabe was still coming to work and thinking about the next story. He was a treasured colleague and friend to all of us and he will be missed. We extend our deepest condolences to the Pressman family during this difficult time."



Colleagues remember a legend of New York journalism, Gabe Pressman. Roseanne Colletti reports.

New Yorkers embraced Pressman over his 60-plus years on television, and the public outpouring of memories and condolences was immediate and heartfelt. Mayor de Blasio tweeted condolences, calling Pressman "a New York City treasure" who mentored "countless reporters."

During his time with NBC 4 New York, Pressman compiled a peerless record of investigative reporting in politics and social issues. Having invented the craft of street reporting, Pressman is recognized by the viewing audience, political and community leaders, and his NBC colleagues, as one of New York's most respected journalists.



Legendary journalist Gabe Pressman was also a mentor to a number of young interns starting out in news. Past interns share some of the impressions Pressman left on them.

Steve Scott, president of the New York Press Club, issued a statement calling Pressman "a tenacious seeker of truth" who fought "ferociously for journalists' rights" and tirelessly defended the First Amendment of the Constitution.

"Gabe's contributions to the field of journalism extended far beyond what his viewers saw on television. It was his hard work behind the scenes that kept the cameras rolling when some would have preferred they be turn off; he kept public meetings open, when some would have preferred they be closed," Scott said. "When he delivered his annual Freedom of the Press message at the Press Club's Journalism Awards dinner on June 5, he was crystal clear: The First Amendment is under attack, and we can't let our guard down. We can't give up. We have to keep fighting for our rights as journalists."

Pressman dedicated his life to it. In 1947, upon graduating from the Columbia School of Journalism, Pressman worked briefly as a reporter for the Newark Evening News. He was then awarded a Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship from Columbia, which enabled him to travel throughout Europe for 15 months and to freelance feature stories for the Overseas News Agency.

Gabe Pressman touched countless lives, and even at 93 years old, he never stopped working. Sue Simmons joins Stefan Holt and Natalie Pasquarella to pay tribute to the legendary New York journalist  who, up until last week, was showing up in the NBC New York newsroom.

While in Hungary, he covered the famous trial of Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty for The New York Times and for Edward R. Murrow's radio news program. The trial marked the first time that a Primate of the Roman Catholic Church had been tried for treason in modern times.

In 1949, Pressman joined the staff of the New York World Telegram and Sun as a City Hall reporter. During his years at the paper, he covered the administrations of William O'Dwyer, Vincent Impellitteri and Robert Wagner.

[NATL-NY]In Memoriam: A Look at the Life and Iconic Career of Gabe Pressman

He covered major stories including the sinking of the Andrea Doria and the Weinberger kidnapping on Long Island. During that year, Pressman also anchored WRCA-TV's "The Shell Oil News," a five-minute local evening newscast in which he provided the metropolitan area's first major television news reporting.

The program subsequently expanded to a 10-minute format when Bill Ryan and Ray Owen were added as reporters. As a reaction to the great newspaper strike of 1963, the station expanded to a full half-hour evening newscast titled "The Pressman-Ryan Report."

Broadcasting icon Gabe Pressman produced a series exploring the diverse neighborhoods of his beloved New York City. Here's a collection of those stories.

Amid the tumult of the late 60s, Pressman covered major stories like the New York City blackout, the riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968, civil strife in Newark and New York, the mayoral campaigns for Abraham Beame, William F. Buckley, John Lindsay, and the entrance of Robert F. Kennedy into New York politics.

In July 1972, Pressman moved to WNEW-TV (now WNYW-TV) as a general assignment reporter. During his eight years there he wrote and hosted many specials and series, including "The War On Cancer" (an investigation of the activities of the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society focusing on the politics of cancer), and "The Mood of America" (a report on the 1976 presidential election).

NBC 4 New York senior correspondent Gabe Pressman talks about the neighborhood he grew up in the Bronx.

Since rejoining NBC 4 New York in 1980, Pressman had been responsible for numerous award-winning programs and multi-part series including: The Homeless: Shame Of A City; The Hungry; Asylum In The Streets; To Bear Witness (a half-hour special on the gathering of holocaust survivors in Jerusalem in the summer of 1981); A Crisis Of Conscience (chronicled the 1982 turmoil within Israel over the massacre in the Lebanese refugee camps); the 1985 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate; Ask The Governors (an open forum with Cuomo, Kean and O'Neill telecast live in July 1983); the New Jersey and Long Island Town Meetings; multiple overseas reports from Israel; and timely coverage of key political issues on "News Forum."

WNBC Senior Correspondent Gabe Pressman remembers Freedom Summer, when America was shaken by civil rights abuses in the South.

Pressman was a combat naval officer in WWII and served as a communications officer on the submarine chaser "PC 470" in the South Pacific, which participated in two invasions of the Philippines. After the war, he was a public relations officer under Admiral John Towers, Commander-In-Chief of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Pressman won many major awards throughout his career including: 11 Emmy Awards; the 1989 Edward R. Murrow Award; the New York Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 1986 Governors' Award; a 1985 Olive Award for Excellence in Broadcasting; a Peabody Award in 1984 for Asylum In The Streets; a Unity award from Lincoln University in 1981 for "Blacks And The Mayor: How Far Apart?"; the New York Press Club's Feature Award for "The Homeless" in 1982; the UPI New York State Broadcasters' Award for Best Feature News Story "The Homeless" in 1982; the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association Award for Excellence in Individual Reporting in 1982; the New York Chapter Of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi's Deadline Club Award for "The Hungry" in 1983; and two New York area Emmy Awards in 1983 for "The Homeless."

Born in the Bronx, Pressman attended Morris High School, worked as a cub reporter for the Peekskill Evening Star during summer vacations and graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in history and government.



In a statement, Gov. Cuomo said Pressman spent his career asking tough questions that New Yorkers wanted answered.

"As people increasingly turned to TV for news, it was Gabe who became the most important and trusted face on New York City airwaves. Gabe was the first TV reporter to bring a film crew into the street to cover news where it was happening," Cuomo said. "I am deeply saddened by Gabe's passing, but know all New Yorkers will continue to benefit from the contributions he made over a lifetime that spoke truth to power."

In the summer of 1969, hundreds of thousands of young people gathered in a cow pasture in Bethel for a rock festival known as Woodstock. Our senior correspondent Gabe Pressman was there. And this year, on the festivals 45th anniversary, we take a look back at the legendary event.
North Korea on Friday called itself the "biggest victim" in the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and died days after being released in a coma.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency denied that North Korea cruelly treated or tortured Otto Warmbier and accused the United States and South Korea of a smear campaign that insulted what it called its "humanitarian" treatment of him.

The comments published by KCNA were North Korea's first reaction to Otto Warmbier's death in a U.S. hospital Monday after it released him for what it called humanitarian reasons.

Doctors at the hospital said Warmbier had suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause. Relatives say they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016.

His family and others have blamed North Korea for his condition.

Warmbier was accused of stealing a propaganda poster. Through statements on KCNA, North Korea said it dealt with him according to its domestic laws and international standards.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S., considering that his health got worse," the agency quoted an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

The spokesman said "groundless" speculation of torture and beatings could be refuted by American doctors who came to North Korea at the time of Warmbier's repatriation and "recognized that his health indicators like pulse, temperature, respiration and the examination result of the heart and lung were all normal." The report did not mention Warmbier's neurological status.

"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the U.S. in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well," the spokesman said.

"To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident and there would be no more foolish judgment than to think we do not know how to calculate gains and losses," he said.

"The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the U.S. compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law," the spokesman added.

A separate KCNA article published hours earlier criticized South Korea for using Warmbier's case to seek the release of other detainees, including six South Korean citizens. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in an interview with CBS television earlier this week that it was clear North Korea bears a heavy responsibility for Warmbier's death.

The article said South Korea was tarnishing North Korea's image with "slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture."

It demanded that South Korea return 12 restaurant workers who defected to the South last year. South Korea said the women defected on their own, while North Korea claimed they were deceived and abducted to the South.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. Three Americans remain in custody in the North.
President Donald Trump says the idea of putting solar panels on the wall he wants to build along the Mexico border sprang from his imagination. Actually, others proposed it, back when he was criticizing solar power as too expensive.

Trump's speech in Iowa on Wednesday night was rife with misstatements. He claimed beneficial effects to the economy from actions he has not yet taken. He declared that the "time has come" for a welfare moratorium for immigrants that has been in place for two decades. He juiced up the tax burden on Americans beyond reality.

A look at some of his claims:

TRUMP: "We're thinking about building the wall as a solar wall so it creates energy and pays for itself. And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money. And that's good right? ... Pretty good imagination, right? Good? My idea."

THE FACTS: His idea was to run with the idea of others.

The notion of adding solar panels to the border wall was explored in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in March. Vasilis Fthenakis, director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis at Columbia University, and Ken Zweibel, former director of the Solar Istitute at George Washington University, concluded it was "not only technically and economically feasible, it might even be more practical than a traditional wall."

They said a 2,000-mile solar wall could cost less than $1 billion, instead of tens of billions for a traditional border wall, and possibly become "wildly profitable." The writers were studying a concept laid out by Homero Aridjis and James Ramey in the online World Post in December.

The idea also was proposed by one of the companies that submitted its design to the government as a border wall prototype. Las Vegas-based Gleason Partners proposed covering some sections of the wall with solar panels and said that selling electricity from it could eventually cover the cost of construction.

Trump repeatedly described solar power in the campaign as "very, very expensive" and "not working so good."

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TRUMP: "The time has come for new immigration rules which say that those seeking admission into our country must be able to support themselves financially and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years. And we'll be putting in legislation to that effect very shortly."

THE FACTS: A federal law passed in 1996 already has that effect. It bars most foreigners who enter the country on immigrant visas from being eligible for federal benefits like Social Security and food stamps for the first five years. States typically have the authority to determine eligibility for local programs. As for people in the country illegally, they are generally prohibited from those benefits altogether. Same with foreigners who are in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas.

White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney defended President Donald Trump's proposed budget cuts to social welfare programs and disability assistance, saying at a Houe hearing that the cuts were made to consider "taxpayers first."

TRUMP: "You see what we've already done. Homebuilders are starting to build again. We're not confiscating their land with ridiculous rules and regulations that don't make sense."

THE FACTS: Housing starts as tracked by the Census Bureau have actually fallen over the past three months. Trump seems a bit mixed up on deregulation. Some of the biggest constraints on homebuilders come from local governments, rather than federal rules.

TRUMP: "Farmers are able to plow their field. If they have a puddle in the middle of their field, a little puddle the size of this, it's considered a lake and you can't touch it. And if you touch it, bad, bad things happen to you and your family. We got rid of that one, too, OK?"

THE FACTS: Trump appears to be referring to an executive order he signed in February that the Environmental Protection Agency review its rule on regulations to protect clean water. The rule can stop some farmers from using pesticides and herbicides. But Trump hasn't overturned the rule at this stage as his remarks suggest.

TRUMP: "Unemployment is at a 16-year low."

THE FACTS: Unemployment is indeed that low, at 4.3 percent.

TRUMP: "We're working really hard on massive tax cuts. It would be, if I get it the way I want it, the largest tax cut in the history of the United States of America. Because right now, we are one of the highest-taxed nations in the world. Really on a large-scale basis, we are the highest tax nation in the world. ... And I think it's going to happen."

THE FACTS: The overall U.S. tax burden is actually one of the lowest among the 32 developed and large emerging-market economies tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Taxes made up 26.4 percent of the total U.S. economy in 2015, according to the OECD. That's far below Denmark's tax burden of 46.6 percent, Britain's 32.5 percent or Germany's 36.9 percent. Just four OECD countries had a lower tax bite than the U.S.: South Korea, Ireland, Chile and Mexico.

It's not clear Trump will sign the largest tax cut in U.S. history. His administration has yet to settle on enough details of any planned overhaul to make that claim. To put the claim in context, Ronald Reagan essentially cut taxes during his first term by slightly more than 2 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. For Trump to surpass that, his tax cut would essentially have to be more than $400 billion a year.

President Donald Trump told supporters at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday that after Obamacare is repealed and replaced, he can focus on tax cuts and cutting prescription drug prices.

TRUMP: "We have Gary Cohn, who's the president of Goldman Sachs. That's somebody. He's the president of Goldman Sachs. He had to pay over $200 million in taxes to take the job, right? ... This is the president of Goldman Sachs, smart. Having him represent us. He went from massive paydays to peanuts. ... But these are people that are great, brilliant business minds. And that's what we need."

THE FACTS: Trump appears to be confusing taxes paid with stocks sold. Cohn and his family members held about $220 million in Goldman stock, which he had to divest in order to resolve possible conflicts of interest before becoming White House economic adviser. He would have had to pay taxes on any capital gains from the sale, but that sum would only be a fraction of the figure cited by Trump. Moreover, Cohn had to divest the stock in pieces, so the final tally from his sales is unclear, as the stock has declined from highs in March.

It's also worth noting the president's about-face praise for Wall Street. His campaign routinely criticized Goldman Sachs and its ties to Hillary Clinton, even using it as a villain in a political ad that included video of the bank's chairman and CEO.

Peeps, the delicious marshmallow treats, are an Easter holiday staple. Learn how the colorful chicks and bunnies are made.

TRUMP: "You have a gang called MS-13. ... They do things that nobody can believe. These are true animals. We are moving them out of the country by the thousands, by the thousands. ... We're getting them out, MS-13."

THE FACTS: There is no publicly available evidence to support this claim about the violent gang. In recent weeks, federal authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected MS-13 gang members. Many of those arrested have been identified by the government as immigrants, but it is unclear if they have yet been deported. Any suspected gang members who are U.S. citizens cannot be kicked out of the country. The gang was formed decades ago in Los Angeles and has spread.

Overall arrests of immigrants in the country illegally have increased in recent months, but deportations have declined slightly, according to the most recently available government data.

TRUMP: "Since I was elected, illegal border crossings  and this is without the wall, before the wall  have decreased by more than 75 percent, a historic and unprecedented achievement."

THE FACTS: That's overblown, according to government figures about the Mexico border. The decrease in his first four full months in office is about 59 percent, still substantial but not more than 75 percent.

More than 56,600 foreigners have been caught crossing from Mexico illegally between February and May, up from 137,800 people in the same period during President Barack Obama's last year in office.

The number of illegal crossings is not known because some people slip in undetected. Officials consider the number arrested to be representative of the broader trend of attempts to cross illegally.
NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, of Waterbury, has retired from NASA. His last day with the agency was June 16.

Rick is a classmate and a friend and he has done great work for NASA, both in space and on the ground, Chief Astronaut Pat Forrester, who was selected as an astronaut in the same class as Mastracchio, said in a statement posted on the NASA website. His breadth of experience over three decades in human spaceflight will serve him well as he moves on to his next endeavor.

Mastracchio, a UConn graduate, joined NASA in 1990 as an engineer, was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and went on three space shuttle missions and one long-duration stay at the International Space Station.

The next phase of his career is with Orbital ATK, an aerospace and defense technologies company based in Dulles, Virginia.

He joined the companys Space Systems Group as the senior director of operations for the Commercial Resupply Services program. A news release from the company says the program relies on commercial providers to deliver vital cargo to the International Space Station.

Mastracchio will be responsible for managing the CRS Mission and Cargo Operations teams and will support other Human Space Systems programs.
John Podesta will answer questions next week in a closed session from the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating the Russian meddling in last year's election, NBC News reported.

Podesta was Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign manager. The committee will likely focus on the emails from his Gmail account published by WikiLeaks during the closing months of the campaign.

That time period is a key part of the hacking attack that U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded was carried out by Russians.
A man has been indicted on a hate crime charge for a January fire that destroyed a Texas mosque, authorities announced on Thursday.

Marq Vincent Perez is accused by federal prosecutors of starting a Jan. 28 fire that destroyed the Islamic center in his hometown of Victoria, located 125 miles southwest of Houston.

Perez, 25, was indicted on two counts on Thursday: hate crime-damage to religious property and use of a fire to commit a federal felony.

He had previously been indicted for possession of an unregistered destructive device for an unrelated incident in which he is accused of trying to set fire to a former friend's car on Jan. 15.

If convicted of the hate crime charge, the most serious count, Perez could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Perez's attorney, Mark Di Carlo, didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

Perez has remained jailed without bond since being arrested in March on the charge unrelated to the mosque fire.

During a court hearing in that case, prosecutors went into details about the mosque fire, alleging Perez believed the mosque's worshippers were terrorists and may have been looking for other mosques to target.

At that hearing, Rick Miller, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified an informant told authorities that he took part in burglarizing the mosque with Perez on Jan. 22 and 28.

The informant said Perez "hated" Muslims and that Perez had claimed they broke into the mosque to see if its members were hiding weapons there, Miller testified.

The Texas office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it welcomed the hate crime charge against Perez.

The organization hopes "it sends a strong message to anyone contemplating attacking a house of worship. We thank state and federal law enforcement authorities for their diligence in investigating and prosecuting this case," said Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of CAIR's Houston office.
It seems the popular band U2 loves Whataburger as much as any other Texan.

After their concert in Houston on Wednesday night, the band loaded up on the bus and had one request... take us to Whataburger.

Once they arrived, members of the band posed for a few photos in the parking lot with some police officers.

You can see Adam Clayton, who is wearing the kimono and Larry Mullen Jr. in one photo.

In the other photo, Bono is seen sitting on a police motorcycle.

The band has the next week off, with the next show scheduled in Chicago on Saturday June 3.


Workers at a South Carolina Boeing factory are bracing themselves for layoffs just five months after President Donald Trump visited the plant "to celebrate jobs."

Boeing confirmed on Thursday that up to 200 employees would be let go from the North Charleston location. Also this week, CNBC reported reported that Carrier will make cuts at its factory in Indianapolis.

Both plants were important backdrops in the president's push to preserve American jobs.



In South Carolina, part of the assembly line that produces the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft, Trump promised to "fight for every last American job" during a campaign-style rally in February.

And Trump vowed that "companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences" at the Carrier plant in Indiana less than a month after winning the election.

But Boeing said in a statement that it was cutting jobs, part of a plan announced in December, citing "relentless" competition.

"That has made clear our need as a company to reduce cost to be more competitive," Boeing said. "We are offering resources to those affected by layoffs to help them in finding other employment and ease their transition as much as possible."

Boeing has already eliminated more than 13,000 jobs in the past year.

In December, Carrier announced it received a $7 million tax break from Indiana, where Vice President Mike Pence was governor, on the same day Trump took a tour. The tax break was an incentive to keep jobs on American soil, contingent on meeting certain employment, job retention and investment goals.



But CNBC reports that the company will layoff 600 employees. At the time, 1,400 workers were slated to be laid off. But the deal only seemed to save 800 union workers.


The United States is expected to authorize India's purchase of a naval variant of the Predator drone, two sources familiar with the situation said, ahead of a visit next week by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try to revitalize ties in his first meeting with President Donald Trump.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones, worth more than $2 billion, is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defense ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear program.

The deal would still require approval by Congress. California-based General Atomics, the maker of the Guardian drone sought by India, declined to comment.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in New Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.

The Indian navy wants the unarmed surveillance drones to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance.

"We are trying to move it to the top of the agenda as a deliverable, this is something that can happen before all the other items," said an Indian official tracking the progress of the drone discussions in the run-up to the visit.

India, a big buyer of U.S. arms that was recently named by Washington as a major defense ally, wants to protect its 7,500- km (4,700-mile) coastline as Beijing expands its maritime trade routes and Chinese submarines increasingly lurk in regional waters.

India already uses dozens of Israeli Heron and Searcher unarmed aerial vehicles (UAVs), but the Guardian operates at higher altitudes and can carry far heavier payloads, offering the navy greater reach.

A source tracking the discussions said the U.S. State Department had dropped its objections to the sale of the Guardian drones to India.

It had been concerned about the potential destabilizing impact of introducing high-tech drones into South Asia, where tensions are simmering between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir, which is divided between them.

Such a sale of sensitive military hardware must be authorized by the State Department before being sent to Congress for review. A congressional source said no notification of a planned sale has yet been sent to Congress, but this could come next week. The State Department declined comment ahead of any notification.

Other strains have emerged in U.S.-India relations, with the United States vexed by a growing bilateral trade deficit and Trump accusing New Delhi of negotiating unscrupulously at the Paris climate talks to walk away with billions in aid.

U.S. officials expect a relatively low-key visit by Modi, without the fanfare of some of his previous trips to the United States, and one geared to giving the Indian leader the chance to get to know Trump personally and to show that he is doing so.

Modi is also not expected to press hard on a U.S. visa program the Trump administration is reviewing to reduce the flow of skilled foreign workers and save jobs for Americans, seeing limited gains from raising a sensitive issue, they said.

FIGHTER JETS

"There is a palpable fear in New Delhi that the new U.S. president's lack of focus on India, and limited appointment of South Asia focused advisors, has resulted in India falling off the radar in Washington," Eurasia Group's Shailesh Kumar and Sasha Riser-Kositsky said in a note.

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At least one potential case of E. coli-related illness has been reported at Clover Flat Elementary in Boulevard, confirmed health officials.

While it remains unclear whether E. coli in the water caused the illness, several other parents at the school have told NBC 7 their kids have had to be hospitalized as a result of vomiting and diarrhea.

A water sample tested positive for E. coli on June 16, the last day of school before students were released for summer vacation. The Environmental Health Department conducted an inspection of the system Thursday, and the school is actively working to fix any issues with the water system.

The Department of Public Health has investigated links to E. coli at Clover Flat Elementary. Health officials were not able to conclusively link the symptoms to the water at the school.

They could not rule out other food or drinks the sick student could have consumed during the same period, said a county spokeswoman from the Department of Public Health. Since the school has closed for summer, health officials can't investigate the cafeteria for food poisoning.

The school tests the water quality for issues every month.



Dr. Rita Feghali, Chief of Pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente, explained how an E. coli exposure can put children's health at further risk.

"Yes and you may not know. The symptoms are going to be what leads your doctor to treat you," said Feghali. "You look sick, you have high fevers. You're having pretty bad diarrhea that [makes] you look dehydrated and especially, you may have diarrhea with blood in it."

"It can be life threatening. It can be fatal. It can affect your kidneys, [so] that you need dialysis, so it can be life threatening," added Feghali.

E. coli is especially dangerous for young children and the elderly. When it is discovered in public water systems like parks, campgrounds or small communities, county officials usually send out an alert. That didn't happen in this case.

Instead, county officials say the school was able to handle the issue on its own by sending a voice mail to all parents.

County and school officials confirmed Thursday the water at Clover Flat Elementary in Boulevard is contaminated with E. coli, in response to questions posed by NBC 7 Investigates.

Mountain Empire School District officials are working with County Environmental Health officials to address any health concerns with the water.

Parents were very alarmed about a potential E. coli contamination.

Jacari Cousins, a father of a five-year-old student at the school, told NBC 7 he feared the worst. He asked his doctor to test if his son's recent stomach illness may have been related to the contamination in the water.

He says he has pressed the health department to take action.

"Scared not only for mine but others...I started calling parents. I called the health department, and the health department said they would do an investigation on the whole matter which is very important to me, that they get to the bottom of it. Because E. coli shouldn't be in our school at all," Cousins said.

"For the last five days, he just has not eaten. He has not been able to keep down water. The doctor gave him two popsicles yesterday. He didn't want them," Cousins said.

Five-year-old Jeremiah first experienced violent stomach flu-like symptoms on Friday night. He was hospitalized twice with high fevers, and doctors discovered blood in his urine.

"We were notified by the school Tuesday that the water was contaminated with E. coli," Cousins said.

The family is awaiting test results on whether the school's tainted water caused their son's illness.

The Assistant Superintendent for the Mountain Empire School District said officials are not aware of any illnesses caused by the E. coli, but the district is very concerned.

A county spokeswoman said an order is in effect in Boulevard to boil water.

The district and county officials said they were working together to fix the problem.

The contaminated water in Boulevard highlights a larger issue facing water officials and residents across the state.

Families living in the most rural parts of the county have been more heavily impacted by the drought--not just by water shortages but also by increased exposure to carcinogenic water contamination. Often, they are also in communities too isolated for officials to help with current water infrastructure.

"The impacts of the drought were more widespread than people realize," said Laura Feinstein of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based think tank focused on advancing solutions to water challenges. "We found that the majority of those drought-impacted public water systems were serving disadvantaged communities."

Five years ago, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation making California the first state in the nation to declare access to clean safe drinking water a fundamental human right.

But NBC 7 Investigates' months-long investigation has found that is a broken promise to more than 18,000 school children, and 3,000 San Diegans living in mostly rural communities like Boulevard, Potrero and Borrego Springs.

NBC 7 Investigates has been at the forefront of examining the water quality in public schools. We have uncovered arsenic, toxic levels of lead, bacteria, and copper all coming from school drinking fountains.

Most of the coverage can be found on our "Safe to Drink" page.
National Intelligence Director Dan Coats told House investigators Thursday that President Donald Trump seemed obsessed with the Russia probe and repeatedly asked him to publicly assert there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

Coats account is not an entirely new revelation, as NBC News and other outlets have previously reported similar accounts of this interaction. This is according to a U.S. official familiar with the conversation who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Trumps requests of both Coats and National Security Adviser Mike Rogers as part of an investigation into whether the president obstructed justice.
The man accused of calling in a bomb threat to a South Florida Islamic Center during the holy month of Ramadan made an appearance in court on Friday.

Police arrested 38-year-old Shawkat Mzayek Thursday, and charged with making a bomb threat.

Broward Sheriff's Office investigators say Mzayek called the Islamic Center of South Florida in Pompano Beach, claiming he would bomb the mosque and kill everyone inside.

The center was evacuated and the bomb squad did a sweep of the building, according to BSO. Within a few hours, the bomb squad cleared the building allowing worshippers back in.

The executive director, who answered the troubling call, took down the suspect's number on caller ID and detectives traced it back to Mzayek.

"I picked up and immediately he said your mosque is going to be blown f- something tonight. We are going to kill you and Isis in America," explained Nihad Sakallah.

NBC 6 caught up with Mzayek's wife Friday morning. She says he converted to Judaism and has no reason to threaten this mosque.

"I don't think, he doesn't know Pompano mosque. I never went there, he's never been there either," Ngwa Mzayek said.

According to the police report, Mzayek admitted to making the threats.

Muslims are currently observing Ramadan, which ends Saturday.
An accused drug dealer is behind bars after police found him in possession of 2.5 kilograms of heroin and the synthetic opioid known as Fentanyl, according to the state attorneys office and the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The arrest of Luis Manuel Charchabal, 53, is the result of a long-term narcotics investigation from both departments. Charchabal is a convicted felon and was booked into the Miami-Dade County jail at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. He is being charged with three counts of illegal trafficking in heroin and three counts of possession of Fentanyl with intent to deliver.

Fentanyl is estimated to be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The synthetic opioid was originally created as an intravenous anesthetic for hospital use in the 1960s. The drug is cheap to produce and is often mixed with heroin (or sold as heroin) when sold on the streets.

Selling Fentanyl is selling death by a different name, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. The opioid epidemic that America, Florida and Dade County are all experiencing is made possible by those individuals who see illegal profits as more important than human life.

In May, Gov. Rick Scott declared opioid abuse a public health emergency in the state of Florida. In 2015, 2,538 Floridians died as a direct result of opioid use.

This case serves as just one example of the ongoing efforts of Narcotics Bureau detectives who will continue to work diligently, together with our law enforcement partners, to prevent additional overdose tragedies related to this poison, said Miami-Dade Police Department Director Juan J. Perez. Working with our community, we will overcome the Opioid epidemic that has plagued the entire country."

Charchabal is being held on bond and will have to prove the money is legal -- not from his alleged drug deals.


Federal agents arrested an employee at a Hallandale Beach business that helps Russian women give birth in the U.S., NBC 6 exclusively learned Thursday.

Evgeny Kovtunenko was taken into federal custody Wednesday during an FBI raid at Miami Mama. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit offense against the United States and six counts of making false statements on federal applications, according to a six-page indictment obtained by NBC 6.

On Wednesday, NBC 6 was the only news station there as federal officials raided the business, which assists Russian mothers obtain visas for childbirth in the United States and engages in paperwork to get U.S. citizenship for their newborns, according to the Miami Mama website.

The indictment against Kovtunenko, who is listed as a Logistics Manager at the business, alleges between March 2013 and August 2015, he made false statements on federal application to get passports for children, falsely and fraudulently claiming to have witnessed non-applying parents sign the statement of consent. Kovtunenko is also accused of committing the crimes in both Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Kenneth Hasset is the defense attorney for Miami Mama. The owner of the business has not been charged with a crime.

"I do not represent that employee but I went to the hearing to see what was going to happen and that person is in the process of bonding out," said Hasset. The attorney offered no comment when asked whether his client knew about the alleged crime citing an active criminal investigation.

The company, which has been operating locally since 2009, is legally registered in Florida. Miami Mama charges up to $50,000 for its services, according to its website.

While lying on a passport application is illegal, birth tourism is not, according to U.S. immigration laws. The maximum penalty for one count of making a false statement on a passport application is 15 years.
A popular South Florida chef was air lifted back to a Miami hospital after an explosion inside his new restaurant in the Bahamas.

Ralph Pagano was in Bimini to open the newest branch of his Naked Taco restaurant inside the Resorts World complex when an explosion occurred, his wife Buffy told NBC 6.

"I got the phone call yesterday afternoon that there was an explosion in Bimini. I know that I kissed him goodbye yesterday to go to Bimini with all of his skin on and I expected that he come home with all of his skin but apparently there was an explosion and that's all I know," Buffy explained.



Pagano pushed a cook out of the way following an explosion around 3 p.m. Thursday inside the kitchen, suffering third degree burns to over 40 percent of his body  mainly his arms and legs, his wife said.

"He's got third-degree burns over most of his body and that's all we really know right now it's gonna be a long road to recovery for him definitely," Buffy noted. "He's breathing, he's talking he's doing as well as can be expected."

Pagano was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where his condition is unknown. A source to the Miami New Times the chef was given the okay to turn on gas burners inside the kitchen when the explosion occurred.

His wife is trying to stay positive throughout the recovery. She said her husband's sense of humor is helping them get through this ordeal.

"If you know my husband he's always in good spirits. He's always cracking jokes, you know so he's the best he can. He's a little doped up right now but he's not angry or anything," said Buffy.



Paul Castronovo, the morning host on Big 105.9, was one of the first to tweet the news of his friend who regularly appears on his show.

The Resorts World Bimini released a statement regarding the incident:

While overseeing the construction of a new Naked Taco restaurant at Resorts World Bimini, Ralph Pagano was seriously injured in an accidental gas fire. No guests or other staff were injured in the incident. The company is fully cooperating with local fire officials and thoroughly investigating the incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Pagano and his family.



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Pagano has become one of the most well-known chefs from South Florida, opening up locations under his Naked brand from Miami Beach to the campus of the University of Miami.
A South Florida woman is warning others about the dangers of traveling abroad for cosmetic procedures after being hospitalized with a nasty bacterial infection from an operation in Colombia.

The woman, who didn't want to be identified but agreed to share her story with NBC 6, said she's a breast cancer survivor and was cleared by her doctor in the U.S. to have breast reconstruction surgery.

"Since I had implants prior to that -- that were done in Colombia, they told me they would not open me here and I would have to go over there," she said.

Pain followed the surgery, completed in the Colombian city of Cali, but it never went away.

"I thought I was in good hands," she said.

The woman is now recovering from a bacterial infection after being treated once in Colombia and again at a hospital in Tamarac when she returned. She spent more than a month in the hospital.

"The pain," she said "My left breast [burst] open from the infection."

She is one of nearly a dozen women, eight in New York and two in Connecticut, who have recently come down with infections from cosmetic surgeries in countries like Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

It has prompted officials up north to issue a health alert and warn against so-called "loop tourism" -- attractive to some because of hefty savings.

"Some of it is because they don't clean," the woman said "It's not well sanitized."

This woman said the surgery has forever changed her life.

"I have to live with the scars," she said. She now has a warning for other women.

"Don't do it," she said. "Just because it's less money, because...it's not worth it."

Officials say procedures abroad can not only be dangerous but leave women with little legal recourse for a malpractice claim.
If you're looking for the best place to watch fireworks this year, you won't run out of options.

The "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular" will once again return to the East River, making for great viewing spots across three of New York City's five boroughs. But there will also be some pretty great displays in other parts of the city and throughout the tri-state.

Despite all the options, revelers will face crowds as tens of thousands look to the skies. Here are some of the area's best places to see various fireworks displays:

Brooklyn

Grand Ferry Park, Williamsburg: The waterfront park in Williamsburg may be a little far away from the top viewing locations for the Macy's fireworks, but you should still be able to see them from a distance away from the crowds.

Manhattan

FDR Drive: How often can you say you got to walk on the FDR? Public viewing will be set up along elevated portions of the FDR Drive. The lanes will be opened to the public around 7 p.m. with access at Houston, 23rd, 34th and 42nd streets.

East River Park, Lower East Side: The large park should be another great place to see the display.

Queens

Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City: One of the few places in Queens to catch the fireworks, so get there early.

New Jersey


Nine people were injured, including eight firefighters, when a fire consumed multiple buildings in the Bronx, officials said.

The most seriously injured firefighter was in stable condition Thursday night, hours after the fire spread to six apartment buildings shortly after it broke out around 3:30 p.m.

More than 160 firefighters responded to the smoky inferno at three two-and-a-half story homes on the 1100 block of Olmstead Avenue in Soundview, officials said.

Heavy flames and black smoke were billowing from the buildings, Chopper 4 video shows. The flames got so intense at one point that part of a roof collapsed.

It wasn't immediately known what type of injuries the seriously injured firefighter incurred, but he was stable and talking Thursday evening as crews continued to put out hot spots. He was later able to be released from the hospital, firefighters said.

Seven other firefighters suffered smoke inhalation, and a civilian had minor injuries, according to officials.

Firefighters are eyeing fireworks as the cause of the blaze, but the investigation is ongoing. There were reports from witnesses who said they saw children playing with fireworks behind the same buildings that later caught fire.

Families wiped away tears as they watched firefighters battle the inferno. Lyza Rodriguez said, "We lost everything."

The Red Cross said that it's providing emergency assistance to nine households, including 20 adults and five children.

A mother and her 13-year-old son told News 4 New York that they ran from their home without the shoes on their feet after they saw smoke. The witnesses also said they heard pops.

Christian DeJesus, 13, said he went to his mom and his brother after seeing thick smoke outside of his apartment.



"I was in the room watching TV and just saw, out of the window, some smoke come out," 13-year-old Christian DeJesus said. "I went closer to the window and all I saw was black smoke rise."
The driver for a bus company is accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old an intellectually-disabled girl on the bus.

State police said they received a report on Feb. 28 about sexual contact between an 11-year-old girl and a bus driver for Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC.

State police charged 39-year-old Luis Cruz, of Bridgeport, with fourth-degree sexual assault. Cruz worked as a bus driver for Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC, which transports those with special needs, but has been terminated.

The arrest warrant reveals that Connecticut State Police Troop G in Bridgeport received a report from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in late February and began investigating.

Documents reveal the incident took place about a month before in January. State police said the 11-year-old victim was picked up at her biological parents place to be transported back to her foster home in Bridgeport. Normally, transports occur on Tuesday and Thursday, not Wednesday, but this time they did, according to the arrest warrant. The paperwork also reveals that Cruz was not her regular bus driver.

Police said GPS data showed that Cruz's bus made an unscheduled stop at a parking lot in Newtown along Mile Hill Road for less than two minutes.

During the first interview with Cruz, police reported that the suspect did not mention the unscheduled stop but when presented with the GPS data he, "claimed he had pulled off the road to check that the victim was still wearing her seat belt."

Detectives questioned why the car was stopped for nearly two minutes.

"Detectives asked Cruz repeatedly if he had done anything else while in the lot to account for the additional time, and Cruz could provide no explanation other than to say he 'lost track of time'," the affidavit said.

Cruz said when the victim made it home to her foster mother, she turned back around to point at him and said that he had touched her. He told police, "he was 'shocked' but gave no verbal response to the victim's claim." He said that the foster mother said, "'Don't worry about it', while making a spiral hand gesture to indicate the victim 'was not all there'," according to police documents.

In the arrest warrant, police spoke to the foster mother who "described the victim as 'a sweet, loving, kind, non-aggressive child' with the mental capacity of a two-year-old."

The foster mother told police that the victim told her that Cruz had touched her private parts and that "Cruz reportedly responded by saying, 'She's lying. I don't know what she's talking about'."

The report said the foster mother "denied ever telling Cruz 'not to worry' about such a serious allegation. She also told detectives she would never diminish one of her foster children by referring to them as 'not all there'."

The foster mom went on to say that when she went back into the house, the victim again said, without prompting, that Cruz had touched her inappropriately.

The foster mom immediately began making calls to DCF.

During a second interview with Cruz, detectives said the suspect told them that during the unscheduled stop in the parking lot in Newtown he had been texting a friend. The arrest warrant said "when Cruz showed detectives the text thread which he considered his alibi, there was no active texting taking place at the time of the crime."

Eventually, the arrest warrant states that Cruz provided a recorded verbal statement that he pulled into the parking lot "with the sole intent of touching the victim's (private part). Cruz indicated that he believed the victim was sleeping and would be unaware of the contact."

Cruz also said he did not manage to reach the victim's private part, "he stated that he was only able to reach the victim's inner thighs."

The bus company, Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC released a statement saying that they fired Cruz when they found out about the allegation.

Here is their full statement from Chet Doheny, president and CEO of Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC:

Connecticut Transportation Solutions takes the safety of the students and passengers utilizing our transport services very seriously. We ensure all of our drivers go through an extensive background check satisfying all the credentialing requirements of the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Children and Families.

The driver in this case met all mandated requirements and when concerns were brought to our attention we took immediate action, including contacting police and other appropriate state agencies as well as terminating employment. We have and will continue to support the Connecticut State Police in this investigation.

We know the level of trust and confidence parents and guardians place in us. This is not something we take lightly. This company will continue to put student and passenger safety first.

Any questions regarding details of the investigation should be directed toward the State Police.
The death toll from twin blasts that tore through a crowded market on Friday in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt has risen to 37, officials said.

Both blasts came during rush hour in Parachinar on the last Friday of Ramadan, Islam's holiest month, wounding more than 150 people, senior official Basir Khan Wazir told AFP.

"The death toll has now risen to 37, the number of injured people is more than 150," he said.

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A New York City street vendor who was loading items into his van in Queens had both his legs crushed when a person trying to park a car hit him, police say.

Police say just before 11 p.m. Thursday night in the area of Drew Street and 101st Avenue in Ozone Park, a man driving the sedan was trying to parallel park behind the van when he quickly sped up and hit the victim who was standing behind the van and in front of the sedan.

The driver of the sedan sped off, but quickly returned to the scene, where police arrested him, officials said.

A witness said it appeared to be an accident.

I guess he changed the gear to drive, Maz Islam said. Instead of hitting the brake, he hit the gas and rammed into the other guy.



The street vendor was taken to an area hospital, where he is in critical condition, according to police.

Mustafa Rahman, a friend of the vendor who was hit told NBC 4 New York that he is a 52-year year-old man who is married. He owns a fruit stand on 101st Avenue, the friend said. They both came to America from Bangladesh.

Ive known him for 15 years, Rahman said. "He is a very hard worker.



The charges the driver of the seden is facing were not immediately known.
Nearly 100 passengers deplaned via emergency chutes after a Florida-bound JetBlue flight out of Westchester County Airport had to land suddenly in South Carolina following a report of smoke in the cockpit, officials said.



No one was hurt when JetBlue flight 913 was evacuated upon landing at Charleston International Airport around 10:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.



Officials at the Charleston airport say about 97 passengers were aboard the plane, which had been headed to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.



Passengers were bused from the tarmac to the terminal and were to be accommodated on other flights. The FAA says its investigation is ongoing.



JetBlue didn't immediately release a statement on the emergency landing.
What to Know Witnesses described hearing at least three shots as chaos erupted at the New Jersey State Fair at the Meadowlands

No one was hurt, and though several people are being questioned, no charges have been filed at this time

Thursday was the first day of the fair, which runs through July 9

Shots rang out at a popular New Jersey fair outside MetLife Stadium late Thursday, sparking a panicked stampede, police say.

New Jersey State Police said troopers rushed to the scene at the State Fair Meadowlands in East Rutherford around 11:30 p.m. after gunshots were heard.

At least three shots were heard, witnesses and fair workers said. Video from the scene shows people panicking and running for the exits.

"We heard what sounded like a loud gunshot... I looked around and thought maybe it was a balloon going off, but when we saw all of these people running in our direction, that's when we realized this was something other than a balloon going off," said fairgoer Michael Rosero of Secaucus.

"There was mass chaos," he said. "My wife had to jump off the ride with my daughter. Everyone started running."

"It was like everyone just knew they had to run. I don't remember a lot of screams, but 'let's get out of here,'" said Taylor Moon, who at first thought she'd heard a firecracker.

There were no reports of any injuries, according to police.

The fair was quickly shut down as authorities interviewed witnesses, police said



One witness said the violence started when a fight broke out between a group of men. Video showed a man was being led away by officers in handcuffs.

State police said Friday three men have been arrested in the gunfire scare on aggravated assault charges after they allegedly beat another man: 33-year-old Matthew Smart, 24-year-old Lamir Bradley and 23-year-old Robert Terry, all of Jersey City.

Terry is facing additional charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and obstruction, according to police.

Attorney information for the men wasn't immediately clear.

Thursday was the first day of the fair, which runs through July 9. The fair opened Friday night with tighter security. Some fans said they didn't mind the extra protection.

"With all the stuff that's going on, it didn't bother me," John Jermal Frazier said. "It's like going to the airport."

"If anything, it's probably safer tonight than ever before," Dan Moran said.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the name of the fair.
A 23-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were found shot to death in an SUV in Brooklyn Friday, authorities say.

Christina Stubbs, who is from Florida, was in the passenger's seat of the red Dodge Durango when police arrived at the Cleveland Street scene in East New York shortly before 5 a.m. Devon Hannibal, of Brooklyn, was in the driver's seat.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene, apparently with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.



Photos and video from the scene show bullet holes in the windshield of the vehicle. One witness who heard the gunfire said it sounded like a "war scene."



No arrests have been made. NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said authorities are looking at surveillance video and investigating whether the shooting may have stemmed from an argument at a nearby club.
Nearly 40 years ago, when the first gay pride flag was unfurled at San Franciscos Gay Freedom Day Parade, the rainbow of colors became an instant symbol of a community.

But the recent addition of two colors in a Philadelphia celebration has sparked controversy within the LGBTQ community.

The six colors of the flag, as designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker, were intended to inspire unity. During festivities in Philadelphia, a pride flag was unveiled that included the colors black and brown. And that has people talking.

"The gay flag is supposed to be a rainbow of inclusiveness," Marina Coleridge said. "Theres not a white band on it, so why do we need a black and brown band on it?"

"When it comes to our own community, were in these bubbles and these boxes, and we dont want to, I think, confront that issue," added Darrell McElvana.

The flag was first commissioned by San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk.

Baker died just a few months ago, so the controversy comes at an interesting time for some of his close friends, including activist and author Cleve Jones, who addressed the issue by tweeting an alternative design for an even more defiant flag.

"I wish they would have created something more beautiful that honors our history and the black and Chicano power movements of the '70s," Jones said by phone.

Jones said Baker originally designed the flag with more colors, and he welcomed all kinds of variations.

"He started the flag with more than just the six colors that we have now so, you know, the idea was to put even more colors out there," said Nichole Ostrowski.

For many, inclusion within the gay community is a conversation thats long overdue. Adding two colors to a flag may not be a solution to that problem, but it might be a start.
A little girl amid a pile of bodies was rescued by an American aid worker sprinting out from behind a tank in the besieged city of Mosul despite the threat of ISIS sniper fire this month. The moment, captured on video, shows the devastation of Iraq's struggle to end the ISIS insurgency.

The video shows veteran Dave Eubank rush through a cloud of smoke toward the corpses as two other men from his group provide covering fire from behind a tank. Seconds later, he reemerges with the girl scooped in his right arm and passes her off to another volunteer from his group, a Syrian refugee who speaks to the girl in Arabic.

"I just prayed to God and told her I'd knew we'd save her," Eubank said. "I told her in English, as we're running through the gunfire, 'If no one will have you, if there's nowhere out there for you, don't worry. I'll adopt you.'"

The footage captures the harrowing reality that civilians face amid the battle for Mosul, and it's been shared widely online. One tweet showing the incident has more than 16,000 retweets, and he's earned praise from Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., among others.

Street-by-street fighting has left much of Mosul in northern Iraq crumbling, and ISIS has increasingly been killing civilians as it struggles to maintain control, according to Eubank and the United Nations, whose human rights division found credible reports that it slaughtered at least 204 people over three days  including at the gutted Pepsi factory where Eubank's rescue took place.

On Tuesday in the city, ISIS destroyed the iconic mosque where it announced its caliphate in 2014 as Iraqi forces approached, according to the Iraqi government.

Eubank, who served in the U.S. Army Special Forces and is from Southern California, told NBC that his rescue was part of a coordinated effort on June 2 to save the few people who survived a mass attack.

Thirteen-year-old Amna Mahmoud Alo cannot sleep and spends her days in a tranquilizer-induced calm, as fighting in her home of Mosul, Iraq, has left her emotionally shattered.

A crowd of 30 to 40 civilians had been gunned down outside the former Pepsi factory while trying to flee their neighborhood in the northwest part of the city.

"We see ISIS shooting people daily, but not in those numbers," he said. "They're just sweeping the highway with fire, killing anyone trying to flee, and there were a couple of living people among the dead."

Eubank and his aid organization, the Free Burma Rangers, had been called in by Iraqi forces the day before to provide medical aid to wounded civilians. After hearing from victims that there were still survivors, the group hatched a plan with the U.S. military to rescue them, including the young girl.

The video begins just after U.S. forces had dropped smoke canisters in order to conceal Eubank  who is wearing only a helmet and bulletproof vest  and a team of American and Iraqi soldiers conducting the rescue, he said.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

Other videos from the rescue that he provided to NBC show Eubank and his team rescuing a young man from the same pile of bodies moments later, then carrying the pair to safety.



Eubank said he founded the Free Burma Rangers, which is currently embedded in the Iraqi army's 9th division, after leaving his army post in order to "serve God in a different way" and "help people, with the freedom to do it."

Besides medics and aid workers, every team includes a videographer to capture and spread news about the atrocities of the war zones where they work.

"We video everything: refugees getting fed, people having fun, people getting shot," Eubank said. "I've been doing this for 20 years, and many of the people I meet say, 'Please tell the Americans about us, please tell the Americans we need help.'"

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He added, "We want people to know the Iraqis are wonderful people and worthy of being helped."

The little girl he rescued was taken to the hospital "terrified, devastated and dehydrated," Eubank said, and is now in the care of an Iraqi general. Though calls have been put out on social media in search of any surviving relatives, the general is filing adoption papers in the increasingly likely case that no one is found.
A college student visiting San Diego from Ireland is fighting for his life after he was severely beaten and found unconscious in an alley in Pacific Beach.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said Evan White, a student at Ireland's University College Cork, was found unresponsive in the early morning hours of June 16 in an alley between Law and Chalcedony streets.

White had been out in Pacific Beach celebrating his 21st birthday with friends the night before the brutal beating, police said.

PB resident Bryan Goldfinger told NBC 7 White was found in the alley in front of his apartment. Goldfinger said only his girlfriend was home at the time police said White was attacked.

"She said she went to bed at 2:30 in the morning after work and was up at 7 a.m. She didn't hear anything," Goldfinger said.

Police said investigators have little to no information about what happened to White; at this point, no witnesses have come forward either.

Since White is in a coma, detectives have not been able to speak to him about what happened.

The only thing I could think of is, if something had happened elsewhere and then the person [White] was walking this way and either fell or collapsed here, Goldfinger said.



One week later, White remains critical condition, in a medically-induced coma at a San Diego-area hospital, police said.

The incident is making headlines in Ireland, where many of the reports describe him as a quiet and shy young man.

"Its scary obviously. We don't like to hear something like that happening in our neighborhood," Goldfinger said.

SDPD is asking anyone who may have information on this case to contact investigators.
A Facebook page for local active and retired military service members has raised red flags over its lewd and inappropriate content.

The page, dubbed "Mendleton," has more than 37,000 followers.

On it are numerous disturbing comments that include mocking a disabled woman and making sexually explicit comments about a 14-year-old girl.

Under new guidelines, a Marine who posts defamatory, discriminatory or threatening content can be punished in military court.

One woman, Nikita Mitchell, told NBC 7 that her father served in the military for 20 years. She came across the page a couple of days ago when a friend shared it online.

"I was angry, I was disgusted," said Mitchell. "It was very hard to read, and it makes me want to cry just thinking about it again."

Other sexually suggestive comments on the Facebook page include this remark about a minor: "I can't wait until she starts doing porn."

"If you're going to make comments like that about children, it says a lot about where your moral compass is," said Mitchell.

In light of the "Marines United" Facebook page, which was used for the nonconsensual posting of photos of female U.S. military members, this new Facebook page is getting a lot of attention.

"They feel like, it's okay if people know that they said these disgusting, heinous things because they are not going to get in trouble for them," said Mitchell.

Back in March, an investigation was launched into the Marines United Facebook group. Since then, the U.S. Marine Corps has updated its social media guidelines to crackdown down on service members guilty of online misconduct. When the social media scandal become a national controversy, the highest levels of the Marine Corps publicly condemned the behavior.

Some social media users have pointed out the lewd comments on "Mendleton," but Mitchell says it's not enough.



"That needs to be addressed. It needs to be talked about and worked on and fixed," said Mitchell.

Carls Redding, a spokesperson for Camp Pendleton, sent NBC 7 a statement Friday in response to the comments on the Facebook page, saying they are investigating the page. But, since it's a closed group, they need "additional law enforcement techniques" to investigate further.

"At our level, it is impossible to know the members or if some of the participants are active duty Marines," the statement read, in part.

Redding stated anyone with a complaint about certain websites could report them to NCIS and the inspector general.

According to the statement, there are guidelines should active-duty service members engage in inappropriate behavior.

"Any active duty Marine found to be engaging in inappropriate activity will be investigated and held accountable by their commands if found guilty. If active duty Marines are participating in derogatory behavior online, they are violating the UCMJ and what it means to be a Marine and a good citizen of this county. We have no ability to punish those not on active duty. Potential violations of Local, State and Federal laws by non-active duty individuals online must be reporte[d] to and investigated by civilian authorities."

NBC 7 spoke to one of the moderators of the "Mendleton" page Friday who said the page is a source of great support for military members and an outlet where they can connect and help each other.
A former Mexican government official once romantically linked to drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was arrested in San Diego on suspicion of conspiracy to distribute drugs, a federal complaint confirms.

Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez was detained Wednesday at around 9:30 a.m. at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry as she tried to enter the United States from Mexico using her visa.

According to a complaint filed in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer working the inspections booth at the border crossing used a database to check the status of Lopezs visa and discovered it had been canceled by the U.S. State Department.

Additional checks of the database revealed Lopez is believed to have been involved in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering activities linked to Guzman.

The federal complaint accuses Lopez of conspiring with others to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine in the U.S. between January 2013 and June 21, 2017. Lopez was arrested Wednesday on drug conspiracy charges and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

She made her first appearance in a federal courtroom in San Diego Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major. Lopez did not enter a plea, Kelly Thornton of the Office of the U.S. Attorney Southern District of California told NBC 7.

Thornton said there was a question in court about whether Lopez was truthful on a financial document that judges use to determine if a defendant is eligible for court-appointed counsel. That matter will be the subject of a hearing set for June 29.

For now, Judge Major appointed federal defenders to represent Lopez temporarily. She is considered a flight risk, so the government moved to detain her, Thornton said. Lopezs preliminary hearing is set for July 6.

Lopez made headlines in 2014 after Mexican authorities accused her of meeting secretly with Guzman while he was imprisoned in Mexico. Officials claimed Lopez had a romantic relationship with the drug kingpin.

The federal complaint filed against Lopez this week details some of her alleged involvement in an elaborate drug trafficking conspiracy for Guzman and other leaders of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel. She is one of many suspects under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in a case out of Nogales, Arizona, targeting an El Chapo-led drug ring known as DTO.

The federal investigation has found that DTO transports large quantities of cocaine and other illegal drugs into the U.S., including via Southern California. This is done through a complex, "tiered," secret communications system between Sinaloa Cartel leaders and lower-level members.

According to the complaint, Lopez communicated with Guzman's operatives via cell phones, at times using cryptic messages. She also went by several aliases during those communications.

Many messages detailed in the complaint were about delivering drug proceeds  between $100,000 and $500,000  to certain people in Guzmans network.

The complaint also details encounters Lopez allegedly had with an informant who told federal investigators that Lopez claimed she was with El Chapo on Feb. 16, 2014  the day the cartel leader famously escaped through a tunnel hidden under a bathtub as Mexican authorities raided his house.

Per the informant, Lopez allegedly told Guzman to go to Cosala, Sinaloa, with her because she worked there as a government official. To read the full complaint, click here.

While Lopez will be back in court next week, El Chapos trial is slated for April 2018.

He faces charges for allegedly overseeing the multibillion-dollar international drug trafficking operation responsible for murders and kidnappings. He has pleaded not guilty.

El Chapo is famous for twice escaping from prison in Mexico.

He was recaptured in early January and extradited to the U.S. and has since remained in solitary confinement, in a 20-by-12-foot cell for 23 hours a day. The U.S. government has said severe restrictions are necessary for El Chapo, as he has used coded messages, bribes and other means to continue operating his drug empire from behind bars.
Eid will fall on Sunday and last for three days, while Thursday will mark the 30 June holiday

Next Thursday, the 29 June, will be an official holiday for both the public and private sector in Egypt, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail announced on Thursday.

The day off will mark the 30 June Revolution holiday, which this year falls on a Friday.

Employees in ministries, governmental authorities, the public sector and other state-owned institutions, as well as in the private sector, will take the day off.

"This leave does not apply to all examinations in schools, institutes and universities, as those will continue in accordance with the previously announced deadlines," the prime ministerial decision reads. 

The 30 June was made a public holiday in 2014, marking the day in 2013 when massive protests took place against then-president Mohamed Morsi, who was subsequently ousted.

This Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr which marks the end of the month of Ramadan will start on Sunday 25 June and last for three days; all three days are holidays for the public sector, while banks and the private sector will be off for the first two days only.



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The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and its military service member returned to San Diego Friday morning after a nearly 6-month deployment in the Western Pacific.

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), along with Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), embarked Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1 arrived at Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Base San Diego just before 10 a.m.

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Deployed since Jan. 5, the group has been part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of the U.S. 3rd Fleet into the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. During the deployment, the strike group conducted operations with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. This included a variety of drills and air, surface, and anti-submarine warfare training, according to the U.S. Navy.

The strike group also patrolled the Korean Peninsula after North Korea began testing ballistic missiles. North Korea called the dispatch of the U.S. aircraft carrier toward its waters "outrageous."

The 7,500 sailors and Marines in the strike group also made port visits to Fiji, Guam, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Saipan, Singapore and Solomon Islands. At each port, the service members took part in community events including volunteer service at schools, animal shelters, and food banks.
Rats are nothing new to the D.C. area. You've probably seen more than a few of the rodents roaming the streets in the summer sniffing for food.

But new data from the D.C. government shows the city's rat problem is on the rise. Rat complaints have jumped 65 percent in D.C., from 2,300 complaints in 2015 to 3,500 complaints in 2016.

Residents Janet Shenk and Stephen Albrecht say the rat population has exploded in an alley near their Northwest home.

"This is where the rats feast, among other places, and...I've never seen it cleaned," Shenk said of a dumpster in the alley.

Shenk's small, but landscaped yard has been infested with rats.

"We can put all the bait boxes we want, we're told, but they don't do anything because the rats prefer restaurant food," she said.

D.C. Mayor Bowser vowed Thursday to step up sanitation and rat enforcement citywide.

Through the summer, the city is offering commercial companies grants up to $13,500 to buy better rat-resistent trash equipment, such as trash compactors.

Hundreds of "smart" trash cans installed throughout the city also use censors to notify city maintenance when trash cans are full.

But Shenk believes tougher enforcement of the rules is key to curbing the rat problem.

"There's just been no enforcement of the regulations that do exist," Shenk said.
A small town in Virginia is campaigning the U.S. Postal Service to give it its own ZIP code.

The town of Hillsboro in Loudoun County is so small, it lost its ZIP code 13 years ago.

Two minutes is all the time you need to pass right by, but then youd miss the 130 people who call it home  people quick to share a smile and a hand.

Theyre the type of people where you can borrow a cup of sugar, resident Ronda Powell said.

Were all just trying to make sure were helping each other out, 868 Vineyards owner Chris Charron said.

But they dont like sharing ZIP code with neighboring Purcellville.

This whole area is Hillsboro, and we do not like the name Purcellville, resident Belle Ware said.

Theres a point of pride in having your identity, Mayor Roger Vance said.

He is leading the ZIP code campaign and sending a petition to the U.S. Postal Service.

Not having five unique causes a number of problems, residents say.

Its frustrating, in the age of GPS, that they can get misdirected to Purcellville, resident Claudia Forbes said.

Fire trucks get lost from time to time, residents say. So do potential customers for local stores.

At the 868 Vineyards, its been a problem for years.

Having to give the Purcellville address, people dont know where we are, Charron said.

The same year Hillsboro lost its ZIP code, its beloved post office closed its doors.

It was a place to get the news and to meet your neighbors and talk, Vance said.

While it may be easier to just pop outside to get the mail instead of trekking all the way to the post office, the people of Hillsboro prefer to go the extra mile.

It just makes you feel more a part of the town, said Powell, who owns a Hillsboro brewery.

At the elementary school, working together is something they teach their youngest.

We learn in first grade about communities and the town we live in, Hillsboro Charter Academy teacher Tiffany Miller said. We all work together to not only make the school a success, but also what we have going on in town.

USPS has the final say on a Hillsboro ZIP code, but if the answer is no, the town can always appeal and try again.

Hillsboro holds its Independence Day the Hillsboro Way parade July 1. Route 9 will be closed from 8:30 to 10 a.m. for the event.
A woman was found dead inside a burning car in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Saturday, and the investigation into her mysterious death continues.

The body of Andrea Hawvermale, 56, was found in the back cargo space of a Honda Pilot near her own home on Excaliber Lane in Sandy Spring, Montgomery County police said. The case is classified as a suspicious death.

Police Capt. Paul Starks said investigators are reviewing evidence.

"Detectives are holding many details to themselves during this investigation. They don't want to hurt the investigation or taint it in any way," he said.

As to whether there is any threat to the community, Starks said: "Detectives are holding open many possibilities in this case."

Hawvermale was the mother of four children in their 20s, according to her obituary, published Thursday in The Washington Post. She was raised in Potomac, Maryland, attended University of Maryland and was a property manager, the obituary says.

"She was a woman of strength and integrity and is already sorely missed," it says.

Distraught relatives declined to speak with News4 on Thursday, asking for privacy. Hawvermale's funeral is set to be held Saturday.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 240-773-5070.
One person has been transported to the hospital after a shooting Quincy, Massachusetts.

Police say the shooting occured at Faxon Commons Apartments around 3:16 a.m.

The victim was transported to Boston Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.

Police say that the attack appears to be a drug deal gone wrong and are focusing their investigation on a car that was in the front driveway.
Prosecutors have filed an appeal seeking to reinstate former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez's 2015 murder conviction after it was thrown out following his prison suicide.

Hernandez was convicted in April 2015 for the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, and sentenced to life in prison. But Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell on April 19, 2017 while his appeal was still pending.

Under a long-standing Massachusetts doctrine, courts customarily vacate the convictions of defendants who die before their appeals are heard. A Fall River Superior Court judge abated his conviction on May 9.

"Abatement has been practiced in federal and state courts for more than a century," Judge E. Susan Garsh said in issuing her ruling, adding that there is no proof that Hernandez killed himself knowing it could lead to his conviction being tossed.

His suicide came just five days after he was acquitted in a separate double slaying in 2012.



Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III's office filed an appeal of the judge's ruling on Friday.

"This is an archaic rule not based on the Constitution, and it should be changed," Quinn said in a statement. "A defendant who commits suicide should not be able to manipulate the outcome of his post-conviction proceedings to achieve in death what he would not be able to achieve in life."

Hernandez's appellate lawyers have argued that his conviction in the Lloyd case was not considered final because the automatic appeal he was entitled to had not been heard at the time of his death.



Since Hernandez's death, a bill has been filed with the Massachusetts Legislature seeking to end the practice of automatically dismissing convictions when a defendant dies before appeal.


Police are searching for the driver who crashed into a Vermont business and drove away on Thursday.

State police say the driver crashed his vehicle into Favreaus Storage at 975 Swamp Road in Franklin around 4 p.m.

The suspects vehicle is an older model Chevrolet with major damage to the front end and drivers side door.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Anderson at 524-5993.
On a beautiful summer day in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a pesky problem lurks just beneath the surface of the ocean.

"This is 12 hours worth of crabs," said Roger Warner as he pulled a trap onto his boat.

Dozens of green crabs spill out, along with the skeletons of several fish used as bait.

"You can see these suckers will strip a fish in no time flat," he added, throwing what was left of the fish overboard.

"They pose a threat to the clamming industry," Warner explained.

That's because the crabs dine on baby clams, spoiling future harvests.

But Warner is one of several people now fighting back.

He's part of the non-profit Green Crab R & D, a group studying the invasive crustaceans menacing the North Shore.

The green crabs likely arrived here in the 1800s on ships, but just in the past few years have the numbers really sky rocketed.

An estimated 77,000 pounds were pulled from town waters just last year.

That explosion is fueled by warming oceans and over fishing of predators.

This year, so far, is another big haul, motivating Warner to find a solution.

"We're trying to figure out how to turn green crabs into a source of excellent, excellent seafood," he said from his boat.

The goal is to drive up consumer demand, making it attractive for fishermen to catch them.

So far, fishermen have been enticed to catch them by way of state subsidies, but there's an indication those may go away in the future.

"We think the food industry is the way to go," Warner added.

At Woodman's of Essex, there's total support for the plan.

Just this spring, the iconic restaurant tested out new green crab dishes.

"You can fry them, you can saute them," noted owner Steve Woodman.

So far, so good.

"Actually, I was a little surprised. They seem to be a little sweeter or something, a little better flavor," Woodman said, comparing the green crab to other soft shell crabs he's had in other parts of the country.

But this is just the start.

Plans are underway to serve up even more dishes this fall, including green crab soups.

"We want to get a market for these things, we want people to start finding a way to eat them because we dont want the green crabs down in the clam flats eating our clams, Woodman said.
In Augusta, Lewiston, and Portland, Maine, small groups of protesters have been standing outside Senator Susan Collins offices, urging her to vote against the Senate GOP Health Care bill.

They plan to gather again in Augusta Friday night, to stage a protest outside of a hotel where the Senator will attend a private event.

We want better health care, not worse, said Leah Postman, who organized a protest outside of Sen. Collins office in Augusta.

The moderate Republican has voiced her concerns about the health care bill, but has stopped short of announcing opposition.

I want to see the CBO analysis because I dont know the exact impact yet, Sen. Collins told NBCs Chuck Todd, during an appearance on Meet the Press Daily on Thursday.

I cannot support a bill that will greatly increase premiums for older Americansor result in tens of millions of people losing their health insurance, she said.

There are a handful of Republican Senators who have announced their opposition to the bill, and if Senator Collins joins them, it would greatly increase the bills chances of defeat.

Campaigns on social media have been directing people to call Senator Collins offices about health care, and calls have been coming in from around the country.

Average Americans need to speak out, and now is the time to do it, said Ray Richardson, a conservative commentator on WLOB radio in Portland.

Richardson say Collins is facing pressure from both the left and the right. He would like her to strongly state her position.

Senator Collins, Id love to see you come out, and define your principles and then argue for them  whether I agree with them or not, said Richardson. But sort of sitting back, getting the attention you apparently want, without saying much, isnt helping anyone.

Richardson said he doesnt believe the Senate GOP health care plan is perfect, but thinks its a step in the right direction.

No logical mind in America can say the Affordable Care Act is sustainable, he said.

But protesters calling on Senator Collins to save the ACA say it has made a difference for millions of Americans  and they say she can make a difference in the health care debate in the Senate.

Id like her to come out strongly in support of improving health care and improving access for all Mainers, said Postman.
Authorities in Maine are investigating after a threatening letter was sent to a Portland mosque.

Portland police said the Islamic Society of Portland, a mosque and a community center, received a letter threatening the local Muslim community on Tuesday.

Investigators said they're working with postal officials and the state attorney general's office, and that the letter may have originated overseas.

In addition to working closely with members of the local Muslim community, Portland police said officers are providing additional patrol around mosques and other gathering places during Ramadan.

"We will continue to provide this support to the Muslim community in hopes of instilling a sense of security and to deter further threats," the department said in a statement. "This type of conduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our community."

Anyone with information about the threatening letter is asked to call Portland police at 207-874-8575.
Norwich Foodbank gave out 4,793 emergency food parcels to people across Norwich in the last year  with 1,790 of these going to children.

Norwich Foodbank gave out 4,793 emergency food parcels to people across Norwich in the last year  with 1,790 of these going to children.

Poppies cascading in Sheringham church A fall of poppies cascades from the pulpit in St Andrews Methodist Church in Sheringham, and anyone is welcome to come and see them. Read more

Bishop Graham's prayers for COP27 climate conference Bishop Graham is publishing daily prayers on social media for the current COP27 climate conference, and is asking all to join. Read more

Discovering the Orange in your life The vibrant colours of autumn have been inspiring regular contributor Jane Walters to focus on the positive. Read more

YMCA annual celebration set to inspire YMCA Norfolk is set to hold its much anticipated 2022 annual celebration and awards ceremony on November 17, after almost 3 years since the last event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Hub manager vacancy at community shop Earlham Community Shop Community Interest Company is looking to appoint a manager for this new venture being developed in the heart of NR5 Norwich. Read more

Abbey Days brings Christmas Magic to Wymondham Visitors to Wymondham Abbeys Christmas fair will be able to treat their children to a magic show and fun baking workshop while they browse more than 60 stalls. Read more

Salvation Armys new Christmas Appeal in Norfolk The Salvation Army has launched their new Christmas appeal across Norfolk which, this year, has evolved from the much-loved Toys and Tins appeal. Read more

Are we storing up treasures on earth? Rising prices affect us all, and Anna Heydon urges us to spare a thought for those who will be struggling with the cost of living this winter. Read more

Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more

Covid leaf memorial at Norwich church St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19 Read more

Community Chaplaincy Norfolk begins a new chapter Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) celebrated the beginning of a new chapter this week, as the new chair of trustees Chris Tomlinson led his first annual meeting. Read more

Lowestoft Christians launch on-line bible helps app The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth branch of Good News for Everyone (GNFE), formerly the Gideons, have introduced a new mobile phone app called On-line Bible Helps. Read more

Addicts' rehabilitation centre plan for Drayton Hall Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust. Read more

The power of positive protest Philip Young encourages us to take a stand for what we believe, and has just written to Therese Coffey regarding climate change and the forthcoming COP 27. He explains why we should be prepared to protest. Read more

Norwich church celebrates with cribs and trees Rosebery Road Methodist Church in Norwich will be holding its annual Cribs and Trees Festival in December. Read more

Transforming Norwich lunch offers ministry tips Ex-Brighton vicar, Rev Phil Moon, will offer tips on how to keep going in ministry to the Transforming Norwich leaders lunch on Wednesday November 16. Read more

Quiet Waters in Bungay offers healing retreat Quiet Waters Christian Retreat in Bungay is holding a gentle day retreat exploring healing in the Kingdom of God. Read more
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To state the obvious, enterprises are moving their applications to the cloud, and this movement is happening at an accelerating pace. Many technology chiefs are working under a cloud-first policy, which means that if an application can be deployed as a service, then that should be the first choice for the way to go.

While the applications themselves are moving to the cloud, the application delivery infrastructure is still stuck in the enterprise data center. Under the existing network architecture that most enterprises still have today, all traffic comes back to the enterprise data center before going out to the cloud. The on-premises data center is where the switching and routing, security, and application delivery controllers reside. This infrastructure is architected for a bygone era when applications were all in the data center.

I talked with Mark Casey, president and CEO of Apcela, to get his perspective on what enterprises can do to increase the security and performance of their hybrid IT environments.

I would venture to say that most enterprises are wrestling with the challenges of their hybrid IT environments today, says Casey. Everyone has cloud applications, but their WAN just isnt built to accommodate them efficiently. He offers up the following example to illustrate the problem.

Lets say a company has its headquarters and its data center in Chicago and a regional office in Los Angeles. The LA workers need to access a SaaS application that physically resides in a cloud data center in Silicon Valley. The way the network is architected today, the people in the Los Angeles office are connected to their corporate data center via an MPLS network. The traffic comes from Los Angeles back to the data center in Chicago where it can go through the firewall and then out to the public internet to access the SaaS application in a data center in San Francisco. Instead of the traffic going directly to the public internet, or better yet directly to the application from Los Angeles to San Francisco, its going from Los Angeles to Chicago over a private network, and then back out over the public Internet from Chicago to San Francisco.

Obviously, this is very inefficient and the traffic movement impacts both the bandwidth and the application performance. The reason for the performance issue is the need to go through the security at the enterprise firewall. This scenario is extremely common today, and the problem is magnified when there are numerous branch locations that must backhaul their traffic through the enterprise data center before sending it to the cloud, says Casey.

He says that enterprises usually fall into one of two camps. One is where they have a centralized DMZ, like the example above, where all the security is in the data center and all traffic goes through there before going out to the public Internet. Alternatively, they run a fully distributed environment where there is a firewall at every branch location. The latter scenario gets quite complicated and expensive when there are hundreds or thousands of locations, like a bank or a retailer would have.

Neither of these architectures works well for a hybrid IT environment. A new approach is needed to improve both security and performance.

Today the application infrastructure is in the data center, says Casey. We need to get it out of the data center and closer to the applications and the users. We are moving away from this paradigm of a centralized IT model and shifting the architecture to put more of a focus on the edge. We need an architecture that bridges the hybrid IT environment from on-premises data centers to cloud data centers, inclusive of SaaS and IaaS. The basic premise is to distribute application hubs in a high-performance core.

The recipe for a more cloud-ready architecture is to build a core network anchored on carrier neutral commercial data centers, and then connect those data centers with 1G to 10G links, depending on bandwidth requirements. When we talk about a high-performance core, we are talking about putting network nodes in a number of distributed commercial data centers and connecting those with high-capacity, low latency links, says Casey. That high-performance core then interconnects to the network edge, which can be the enterprise locations themselves, such as branches, manufacturing facilities, regional headquarters, data centers, and so on. This core also interconnects with the cloud, connecting to the public Internet, or directly peering with cloud data centers.

The architecture of this model is shown in Figure 1.

Apcela Figure 1: Network Transformation: The Modern WAN

On the orange ring in the illustration are the commercial data centers; companies like Equinix, for example. These data centers can be located all around the world, and they form the high-performance core of the new architecture. Everything gateways through these data centers, either to the cloud or to enterprise locations.

Hanging off the ring are the enterprise locations, connected via Ethernet private lines or broadband IP. On top of this, an SD-WAN overlay enables a secure encrypted tunnel over the public internet back to the commercial data centers. SD-WAN just makes it easier to manage these edge locations into the core, and location to location, says Casey. You could deploy VPNs, but they are too complicated. SD-WAN gives you a lot of capabilities and facilitates rapid failover if theres ever a problem with a connection.

A full security stack can now be deployed to these commercial data centers, which Apcela calls application hubs, or AppHUBs. By distributing security and moving it out of the enterprise data center into these distributed nodes, now a branch office simply goes to the nearest AppHUB to clear security there, and from there it can go to the Internet or to whatever SaaS applications these branches need to use, rather than having to go all the way back through the enterprise data center before they get out to the cloud, says Casey.

A security stack can include a firewall, secure web gateway, email gatewaybasically anything that protects a companys users from the Internet, according to Casey.

For an enterprise, this new architecture essentially puts the cloud data centers on its network, or at least it enables close peering with them. This platform is better positioned to manage a hybrid IT environment, where parts of the applications are in an on-premises data center, and other parts are in the cloud.

Apcela has built this type of network on a global scale. Enterprises can leverage the Apcela WAN with a fully distributed security service to improve the security and performance of their hybrid applications without having to integrate anything themselves.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Municipal bodies should raise funds locally instead of expecting financial support from centre and states, said Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

Speaking at the listing for the Rs 200 crore bond by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on BSE, in Mumbai on Thursday, Naidu said there was enough money in the system and local bodies need to tap them efficiently through various modes of funding.

The listing of the PMC bonds marks urban revival in the country. This event is going to have a wider impact on urban development. The time has come when cities (local bodies) start looking inward and raise money, he said.

PMC raised Rs 200 crore selling 10-year bonds at a coupon of 7.59 per cent and the proceeds will be used for a Rs 2,300-crore water project.

According to Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that at least 10 cities should issue municipal bonds within a year.

SEBI Chairman, Ajay Tyagi emphasised that local bodies need to be more disciplined in maintaining their accounts and system to make the bonds issued by them trade-worthy. They should have a proper credit system in place to ensure investor confidence in repayment of bonds, he added.

Meanwhile, Naidu said seeking loan waiver has become a fashion but should be considered only in extreme situations. Recently, several state governments, despite precarious finances have announced waivers and more are expected to follow suit.

Seeking loan waiver has become a fashion these days. But waiving off loans is not the final solution and it should be considered in extreme situations, he added.

MUMBAI: Municipal bodies should raise funds locally instead of expecting financial support from centre and states, said Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. Speaking at the listing for the Rs 200 crore bond by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on BSE, in Mumbai on Thursday, Naidu said there was enough money in the system and local bodies need to tap them efficiently through various modes of funding. The listing of the PMC bonds marks urban revival in the country. This event is going to have a wider impact on urban development. The time has come when cities (local bodies) start looking inward and raise money, he said. PMC raised Rs 200 crore selling 10-year bonds at a coupon of 7.59 per cent and the proceeds will be used for a Rs 2,300-crore water project. According to Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that at least 10 cities should issue municipal bonds within a year. SEBI Chairman, Ajay Tyagi emphasised that local bodies need to be more disciplined in maintaining their accounts and system to make the bonds issued by them trade-worthy. They should have a proper credit system in place to ensure investor confidence in repayment of bonds, he added. Meanwhile, Naidu said seeking loan waiver has become a fashion but should be considered only in extreme situations. Recently, several state governments, despite precarious finances have announced waivers and more are expected to follow suit. Seeking loan waiver has become a fashion these days. But waiving off loans is not the final solution and it should be considered in extreme situations, he added.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Startups got a thumbs up from none other than RBI Governor Urjit Patel, who believes that the cult of entrepreneurship is positively compensating for the slack in growth (read job losses) in the IT industry.

The low-key and reticent Patel also attempted to allay fears about the $160-billion IT industry slowdown as he wasnt overly pessimistic about fewer software jobs.

I think we dont have to be overly pessimistic at this stage. While there could be pressure on employment in some of the IT sectors, it is not necessarily in terms of literally a job destruction, but may be the growth rate is affected by what is happening, he said.

Speaking at an IMC event here, he said the number of startups in that same space is almost compensating for most of the slowdown or job losses. Patels remarks come amid trade body Nasscoms guidance that pegged export revenue growth to contract at 7-8 per cent in 2017-18 as against 8.6 per cent achieved last fiscal. He said there was a contradiction between what the reports say and what he hears from the industry. When you talk to businesses themselves, I rarely hear about jobs destruction, he said.

This is in stark contrast to whats happening on the ground. In the past few months, a slew of IT firms including Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and IBM have either announced or are reportedly mulling job cuts, aggregating to a massive reduction. Currently, the sector employs over four million directly.

Meanwhile, Patel also defended Indias open trade policies on external trade relations and advocated continuing with them, saying the country has benefited from those.

Unequivocally, Indias position should be for an open trading system, he said adding that we should stick to it despite the changes adopted in a few countries.

As a $2.3 trillion economy at market exchange rates, our voice does count an for the most part, we have benefited from an open trading system, he said.

MUMBAI: Startups got a thumbs up from none other than RBI Governor Urjit Patel, who believes that the cult of entrepreneurship is positively compensating for the slack in growth (read job losses) in the IT industry. The low-key and reticent Patel also attempted to allay fears about the $160-billion IT industry slowdown as he wasnt overly pessimistic about fewer software jobs. I think we dont have to be overly pessimistic at this stage. While there could be pressure on employment in some of the IT sectors, it is not necessarily in terms of literally a job destruction, but may be the growth rate is affected by what is happening, he said. Speaking at an IMC event here, he said the number of startups in that same space is almost compensating for most of the slowdown or job losses. Patels remarks come amid trade body Nasscoms guidance that pegged export revenue growth to contract at 7-8 per cent in 2017-18 as against 8.6 per cent achieved last fiscal. He said there was a contradiction between what the reports say and what he hears from the industry. When you talk to businesses themselves, I rarely hear about jobs destruction, he said. This is in stark contrast to whats happening on the ground. In the past few months, a slew of IT firms including Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and IBM have either announced or are reportedly mulling job cuts, aggregating to a massive reduction. Currently, the sector employs over four million directly. Meanwhile, Patel also defended Indias open trade policies on external trade relations and advocated continuing with them, saying the country has benefited from those. Unequivocally, Indias position should be for an open trading system, he said adding that we should stick to it despite the changes adopted in a few countries. As a $2.3 trillion economy at market exchange rates, our voice does count an for the most part, we have benefited from an open trading system, he said.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a bid to tide over financial crisis, Tata Power has approached the power ministry offering to sell 51 per cent stake in its 4,000 megawatt Mundra power project for Rs 1. The Centre wants the states and companies to sort out the issue, while it promises play the role of a facilitator.

The firm has offered to sell the stake through Coastal Gujarat Power (CGPL), the Tata Power unit which operates the Mundra project, to states like Gujarat that buy electricity from it. It expects to get relief for the project in the hope that the buyer would purchase power at a higher rate to fully address the under-recovery of fuel costs.

The company claimed that the project is on the verge of being rendered unviable and eventually turning into a non-performing asset.

CGPL CEO Krishna Kumar Sharma has written to the power secretary and senior officials in the Prime Ministers Office, saying that the companys financial position has deteriorated.

I have also received a representation. It is a matter for the states and companies to sort out. As a responsible government, we are ready to play the role of a facilitator, Piyush Goyal, power minister, told reporters.

Mundra has accumulated losses of Rs 6,457 crore compared to a paid-up equity of Rs 6,083 crore. It has an outstanding loan of Rs 10,159 crore and lenders have stopped further disbursal due to non-viability of the project, the company said in the letter.

The Mundra project, comprising five units of 800 MW each, was commissioned between 2012 and 2013. It has signed a 25-year agreements to sell electricity to utilities in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra,

Haryana and Punjab.

Gujarat is the lead buyer.

The Tatas had in February 2006 won the bid for 4,000 MW Mundra project in Gujarat, quoting a price of Rs 2.26 for every unit of electricity generated. It had intended to fire the plant with coal imported from mines owned by the Tata Group in Indonesia.

In 2010, the Indonesian government said that any export of coal could be done only at prices linked to international rates.

No power tariff hike after GST rollout

Power Minister Piyush Goyal sees no possibility of increase in power tariff across the country post GST, saying industry associations have not sought its deferment. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is set for July 1 kick-off, will usher in a new system under which there will be one tax on commodities and services across the country. Goyal added that there are a couple of issues raised, which will be put forth at the next meeting of the GST Council.

One of them pertains to the issue of tax on product made up of fly ash, a by-product at coal-based thermal power plants. In another development, a $240 million loan agreement to support the Andhra Pradesh Governments 24x7 power for all scheme was inked by the Governments of India and Andhra Pradesh and the World Bank. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) also signed a $140 million loan agreement for this project, which is first such in India being co-financed by the AIIB.

NEW DELHI: In a bid to tide over financial crisis, Tata Power has approached the power ministry offering to sell 51 per cent stake in its 4,000 megawatt Mundra power project for Rs 1. The Centre wants the states and companies to sort out the issue, while it promises play the role of a facilitator. The firm has offered to sell the stake through Coastal Gujarat Power (CGPL), the Tata Power unit which operates the Mundra project, to states like Gujarat that buy electricity from it. It expects to get relief for the project in the hope that the buyer would purchase power at a higher rate to fully address the under-recovery of fuel costs. The company claimed that the project is on the verge of being rendered unviable and eventually turning into a non-performing asset. CGPL CEO Krishna Kumar Sharma has written to the power secretary and senior officials in the Prime Ministers Office, saying that the companys financial position has deteriorated. I have also received a representation. It is a matter for the states and companies to sort out. As a responsible government, we are ready to play the role of a facilitator, Piyush Goyal, power minister, told reporters. Mundra has accumulated losses of Rs 6,457 crore compared to a paid-up equity of Rs 6,083 crore. It has an outstanding loan of Rs 10,159 crore and lenders have stopped further disbursal due to non-viability of the project, the company said in the letter. The Mundra project, comprising five units of 800 MW each, was commissioned between 2012 and 2013. It has signed a 25-year agreements to sell electricity to utilities in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab. Gujarat is the lead buyer. The Tatas had in February 2006 won the bid for 4,000 MW Mundra project in Gujarat, quoting a price of Rs 2.26 for every unit of electricity generated. It had intended to fire the plant with coal imported from mines owned by the Tata Group in Indonesia. In 2010, the Indonesian government said that any export of coal could be done only at prices linked to international rates. No power tariff hike after GST rollout Power Minister Piyush Goyal sees no possibility of increase in power tariff across the country post GST, saying industry associations have not sought its deferment. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is set for July 1 kick-off, will usher in a new system under which there will be one tax on commodities and services across the country. Goyal added that there are a couple of issues raised, which will be put forth at the next meeting of the GST Council. One of them pertains to the issue of tax on product made up of fly ash, a by-product at coal-based thermal power plants. In another development, a $240 million loan agreement to support the Andhra Pradesh Governments 24x7 power for all scheme was inked by the Governments of India and Andhra Pradesh and the World Bank. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) also signed a $140 million loan agreement for this project, which is first such in India being co-financed by the AIIB.
Gayathri Mani By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A slight dip was observed in the first cutoff announced by the Delhi University on Friday list in the top colleges compared to last year. Many popular courses such as B.Com (Hon), B.A. English saw a drop in minimum marks required to get admission from 0.25 to two percent.



The highest cut-off in the field of Science is off Guru Tegh Bhadur Khalsa College B.Sc (Hons) Electronics which is 99.66 percent and in the field of Arts at LSR college in the subject of psychology 98.50 percent.



Premier colleges like Ramjas, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Atma Ram Sanathan Dharma(ARSD), Kirori Mal College(KMC), Lady Shri Ram college for women(LSR), Daulat Ram College(DRC) and Sri Venketeswara College among all the others have put the details on their respective websites.



SRCC known for the commerce courses such as B.com (Hon) which witnessed a marginal dip of 0.25 Economics(Hon) witnessed cut off went down by .5 percent compared to last year.



Popular among South Campus colleges Sri Venketeswara College has asked for a minimum of 97.5 in general category in Economics (Hons), English (Hons) 96.5 , which is same for the subject of Hons in Political Science.



Similarly Ramjas college B.Com hons also saw a drop in the cut off of around two percent at 97.25 % while last year it was 99.25.Students wanting to get admission in English Hons and Journalism at LSR must have 98 percent and highest pass percentage is for Pshycology 98.5 same as last year.



Students looking to get admission in Hansraj College have to get 97.25% in Economics (hons) which is a drop of .75 % from last year 97.5% in B.Com (hons). For English (hons) the cutoff remained same as last year at 97%.



KMC cut off for Economics (Hons) 97.5 % which is .95 percent less than last year, B.Com (Hons) 97.5 percent. For Physics (Hns) the cut off has dropped from 98 percent last year to 96 this year.



There are going to be a total five such lists released by the university with in a gap of three days, around 2.2 lakh students. This year, around 73,000 students have scored above 90 per cent in the CBSE exam and Delhi University has only 58,000 seats to offer to the students.



The admission process will start from 24 June and will continue till 28. The second cut-off will be released on July 1, and the third cut-off on July 7.

NEW DELHI: A slight dip was observed in the first cutoff announced by the Delhi University on Friday list in the top colleges compared to last year. Many popular courses such as B.Com (Hon), B.A. English saw a drop in minimum marks required to get admission from 0.25 to two percent. The highest cut-off in the field of Science is off Guru Tegh Bhadur Khalsa College B.Sc (Hons) Electronics which is 99.66 percent and in the field of Arts at LSR college in the subject of psychology 98.50 percent. Premier colleges like Ramjas, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Atma Ram Sanathan Dharma(ARSD), Kirori Mal College(KMC), Lady Shri Ram college for women(LSR), Daulat Ram College(DRC) and Sri Venketeswara College among all the others have put the details on their respective websites. SRCC known for the commerce courses such as B.com (Hon) which witnessed a marginal dip of 0.25 Economics(Hon) witnessed cut off went down by .5 percent compared to last year. Popular among South Campus colleges Sri Venketeswara College has asked for a minimum of 97.5 in general category in Economics (Hons), English (Hons) 96.5 , which is same for the subject of Hons in Political Science. Similarly Ramjas college B.Com hons also saw a drop in the cut off of around two percent at 97.25 % while last year it was 99.25.Students wanting to get admission in English Hons and Journalism at LSR must have 98 percent and highest pass percentage is for Pshycology 98.5 same as last year. Students looking to get admission in Hansraj College have to get 97.25% in Economics (hons) which is a drop of .75 % from last year 97.5% in B.Com (hons). For English (hons) the cutoff remained same as last year at 97%. KMC cut off for Economics (Hons) 97.5 % which is .95 percent less than last year, B.Com (Hons) 97.5 percent. For Physics (Hns) the cut off has dropped from 98 percent last year to 96 this year. There are going to be a total five such lists released by the university with in a gap of three days, around 2.2 lakh students. This year, around 73,000 students have scored above 90 per cent in the CBSE exam and Delhi University has only 58,000 seats to offer to the students. The admission process will start from 24 June and will continue till 28. The second cut-off will be released on July 1, and the third cut-off on July 7.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A digital marketing executive was arrested here on Thursday for allegedly livestreaming intimate moments with his wife to a friend in Chennai through Skype.

The accused and his friend, both shared intimate moments with each other through the online application without the knowledge of their wives, police said. The incident came to light after the accuseds wife found her semi-nude and nude pictures and videos in her husbands phone which were shared with the Chennai man.

The couple have been married for a year. She said that her husband used to take her pictures and videos without her consent by using his mobile phone handset, police said. The woman suspected that something was amiss and forcibly took possession of her husbands handset around four days back. Besides vulgar messages, she found her pictures with abusive chats with a stranger. She also found that private videos shot during their intimate moments were shared with one Sriman Deepak of Chennai through the handset, police said. The man used to livestream intimate moments from his laptop through Skype.

Disturbed over this, the woman lodged a complaint, Cyberabad DCP (Crime) Janaki Sharmila said. She further said that the accused met a person Sriman in chatroom: http://chat.2yu.in and they exchanged their Skype account details. After exchanging their personal information, they both exchanged their wives semi-nude and nude photos through Skype. They both livestreamed intimate moments without their wives knowledge. Besides his wifes pictures, the man also captured photos of his sister-in-law, she said.

The accused has been arrested and sent to judicial remand. The DCP said a team would be visiting Chennai to apprehend Sriman.

HYDERABAD: A digital marketing executive was arrested here on Thursday for allegedly livestreaming intimate moments with his wife to a friend in Chennai through Skype. The accused and his friend, both shared intimate moments with each other through the online application without the knowledge of their wives, police said. The incident came to light after the accuseds wife found her semi-nude and nude pictures and videos in her husbands phone which were shared with the Chennai man. The couple have been married for a year. She said that her husband used to take her pictures and videos without her consent by using his mobile phone handset, police said. The woman suspected that something was amiss and forcibly took possession of her husbands handset around four days back. Besides vulgar messages, she found her pictures with abusive chats with a stranger. She also found that private videos shot during their intimate moments were shared with one Sriman Deepak of Chennai through the handset, police said. The man used to livestream intimate moments from his laptop through Skype. Disturbed over this, the woman lodged a complaint, Cyberabad DCP (Crime) Janaki Sharmila said. She further said that the accused met a person Sriman in chatroom: http://chat.2yu.in and they exchanged their Skype account details. After exchanging their personal information, they both exchanged their wives semi-nude and nude photos through Skype. They both livestreamed intimate moments without their wives knowledge. Besides his wifes pictures, the man also captured photos of his sister-in-law, she said. The accused has been arrested and sent to judicial remand. The DCP said a team would be visiting Chennai to apprehend Sriman.
Zumbish By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: It feels I have returned home after spending a year-and-half in hell, says Zabeena Begum, who was repatriated from Abha City in Saudi Arabia with the interference of Union Ministry of External Affairs. Zabeena (43) was allegedly being harassed at the hands of her employers, a nurse and her husband, in Saudi Arabia where she used to work as a domestic help.

Recounting her ordeal, She says: I had left my husbands house and was living at my brothers place in Yakutpura. I didnt want to be a burden on him financially, so when one Nuzath who runs a beauty parlor in his neighbourhood told me that a family in Saudi Arabia is looking for a domestic help, I went for it.

At the house of my employers Ajjoos and Wala, I was nothing less than a slave. They paid me only for two months, which was 2,200 Saudi Riyals. I used to work for them day and night. I was hardly allowed to sleep and was not even given a proper meal, adds Zabeena. She goes ahead to add that when help finally reached her in the form of Indian Embassy in Riyadh calling her employers to free her, she was threatened of dire consequences if she opened up in front of Police about atrocities she had suffered.

While I was recording my statement with the police, my Kafil was standing behind me and pressing my hand signaling me not to speak much. Before I left for India, they paid me only 2,000 Saudi Riyals and kept my belongings. They also made me put my thumb impression on a paper which stated that there is nothing they owe me, Zabeena says. Zabeenas case was brought to light by Express on June 8 when it was reported with Fazil Khan of Society for Integrated Progress and Human Empowerment (SIPAHE) by her brother Hamid Khan. On June 9, Sushma Swaraj tweeted the story published in Express and asked the Indian Embassy in Riyadh to help her.

Another woman complains of torture

Meanwhile, one Shaik Shalu, husband of another woman Haseen Begum complained that she is being physically tortured at her Kafils house in Dammam. She was trafficked from Hyderabad.

HYDERABAD: It feels I have returned home after spending a year-and-half in hell, says Zabeena Begum, who was repatriated from Abha City in Saudi Arabia with the interference of Union Ministry of External Affairs. Zabeena (43) was allegedly being harassed at the hands of her employers, a nurse and her husband, in Saudi Arabia where she used to work as a domestic help. Recounting her ordeal, She says: I had left my husbands house and was living at my brothers place in Yakutpura. I didnt want to be a burden on him financially, so when one Nuzath who runs a beauty parlor in his neighbourhood told me that a family in Saudi Arabia is looking for a domestic help, I went for it. At the house of my employers Ajjoos and Wala, I was nothing less than a slave. They paid me only for two months, which was 2,200 Saudi Riyals. I used to work for them day and night. I was hardly allowed to sleep and was not even given a proper meal, adds Zabeena. She goes ahead to add that when help finally reached her in the form of Indian Embassy in Riyadh calling her employers to free her, she was threatened of dire consequences if she opened up in front of Police about atrocities she had suffered. While I was recording my statement with the police, my Kafil was standing behind me and pressing my hand signaling me not to speak much. Before I left for India, they paid me only 2,000 Saudi Riyals and kept my belongings. They also made me put my thumb impression on a paper which stated that there is nothing they owe me, Zabeena says. Zabeenas case was brought to light by Express on June 8 when it was reported with Fazil Khan of Society for Integrated Progress and Human Empowerment (SIPAHE) by her brother Hamid Khan. On June 9, Sushma Swaraj tweeted the story published in Express and asked the Indian Embassy in Riyadh to help her. Another woman complains of torture Meanwhile, one Shaik Shalu, husband of another woman Haseen Begum complained that she is being physically tortured at her Kafils house in Dammam. She was trafficked from Hyderabad.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday directed States medical and health department to submit a report to the court in a week explaining the steps taken for protection of the 48 surrogate mothers found at an infertility centre.

The Court expressed concern at the fate of the unborn babies of 48 surrogate mothers after an infertility centre in Banjara Hills was sealed by the police. Under no circumstances, the identity of the poor surrogate mothers should be revealed. If their privacy is affected, the state will be held accountable for the same, the bench warned.

The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice T Rajani was dealing with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case which was taken up suo moto based on news reports published in English dailies on June 19.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait of the HC asked the Registrar (Judicial) to treat the issue as a PIL and list the same before the bench after taking permission from the ACJ. When it was brought to the notice of the ACJ, he said that the matter is of great public importance. These poor women should not face any problem for their health, shelter and well being even if the childless couples who commissioned them as surrogate mothers disappear or if the state seals the centre in which they were put up, the bench said.

In reply, Staes counsel for medical and health BS Prasad submitted that the state was ready to take care of the above poor women. While posting the case to next Thursday, the bench sought report from the authorities explaining the steps taken for safety and protection of the said surrogate mothers

Raids a tricky matter: Health department

It is learnt from top sources in the Telangana Health department that chances for taking up the checks for irregularities in relation to surogacy on immediate basis are less. Sources said that general instructions were received to check all infertility centres in TS. To take up the medical checks, entire staff needs to be pushed into it. There are some other works that are underway, Health dept officials said. A key official in the department said that they may approach Union govt to know rules for infertility clinics.

Medical team including DMHO to check on women

The 48 surrogate mothers at Sai Kiran Hospital will be checked by a medical team on Saturday. Earlier, the surrogate mothers said that raids on the centre had caused them stress. A team of gynecologists, general physician, a specialist in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), and assistant professors from govt hospitals would check them. Hyderabads District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr Padmaja, who was part of the team who raided the Hospital on Saturday, would also be present. Health dept officials said that instructions about the check up were received from TS special chief secretary Rajeshwar Tiwari

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday directed States medical and health department to submit a report to the court in a week explaining the steps taken for protection of the 48 surrogate mothers found at an infertility centre. The Court expressed concern at the fate of the unborn babies of 48 surrogate mothers after an infertility centre in Banjara Hills was sealed by the police. Under no circumstances, the identity of the poor surrogate mothers should be revealed. If their privacy is affected, the state will be held accountable for the same, the bench warned. The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice T Rajani was dealing with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case which was taken up suo moto based on news reports published in English dailies on June 19. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait of the HC asked the Registrar (Judicial) to treat the issue as a PIL and list the same before the bench after taking permission from the ACJ. When it was brought to the notice of the ACJ, he said that the matter is of great public importance. These poor women should not face any problem for their health, shelter and well being even if the childless couples who commissioned them as surrogate mothers disappear or if the state seals the centre in which they were put up, the bench said. In reply, Staes counsel for medical and health BS Prasad submitted that the state was ready to take care of the above poor women. While posting the case to next Thursday, the bench sought report from the authorities explaining the steps taken for safety and protection of the said surrogate mothers Raids a tricky matter: Health department It is learnt from top sources in the Telangana Health department that chances for taking up the checks for irregularities in relation to surogacy on immediate basis are less. Sources said that general instructions were received to check all infertility centres in TS. To take up the medical checks, entire staff needs to be pushed into it. There are some other works that are underway, Health dept officials said. A key official in the department said that they may approach Union govt to know rules for infertility clinics. Medical team including DMHO to check on women The 48 surrogate mothers at Sai Kiran Hospital will be checked by a medical team on Saturday. Earlier, the surrogate mothers said that raids on the centre had caused them stress. A team of gynecologists, general physician, a specialist in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), and assistant professors from govt hospitals would check them. Hyderabads District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr Padmaja, who was part of the team who raided the Hospital on Saturday, would also be present. Health dept officials said that instructions about the check up were received from TS special chief secretary Rajeshwar Tiwari
By IANS

NEW DELHI: Do you think your Apple iPhone and iPad devices are safe from spyware? Wait. There actually is a malware in the wild that targets Apple iOS users too, a study warned on Friday.

Apple iPhone and iPad users believe they are safe as iOS has additional encryption and data protection features to safeguard user data.

But according to Moscow-based cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab, "Pegasus" spyware is capable of hacking any iPad or iPhone devices.

"Pegasus" harvests data about the victim and establish surveillance on them. It was discovered by Ahmed Mansoor, a UAE-based human rights activist who happened to be one of its targets.

The spyware has been attributed to the NSO Group, an Israeli company which develops spyware.

"When news of the iOS version of 'Pegasus' got out, Apple was quick to react. The company issued an iOS security update (9.3.5) that patched the vulnerabilities," said Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab (South Asia).

"Google, which helped investigate the case with the Android version, took another path and notified potential 'Pegasus' targets directly. If you've updated your iOS gadgets to the latest software version and haven't received a warning message from Google, you are probably safe and not under surveillance by Pegasus," Halde added.

In a spear-phishing attack, Mansoor received several messages that contained malicious links so he sent those messages to security experts from Citizen Lab and they brought another cybersecurity firm, Lookout, to the investigation.

The malware was dubbed "Pegasus" and Lookout researchers called it the most sophisticated attack they'd ever seen on any endpoint.

At Kaspersky Lab's Security Analyst Summit, researchers from Lookout revealed that Pegasus exists not only for iOS but for Android as well.

The Android version is very similar to its iOS sister in terms of its capabilities but different in terms of the techniques it uses to penetrate the device.

"Pegasus" for Android does not rely on zero-day vulnerabilities. Instead, it uses a well-known rooting method called "Framaroot".

NEW DELHI: Do you think your Apple iPhone and iPad devices are safe from spyware? Wait. There actually is a malware in the wild that targets Apple iOS users too, a study warned on Friday. Apple iPhone and iPad users believe they are safe as iOS has additional encryption and data protection features to safeguard user data. But according to Moscow-based cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab, "Pegasus" spyware is capable of hacking any iPad or iPhone devices. "Pegasus" harvests data about the victim and establish surveillance on them. It was discovered by Ahmed Mansoor, a UAE-based human rights activist who happened to be one of its targets. The spyware has been attributed to the NSO Group, an Israeli company which develops spyware. "When news of the iOS version of 'Pegasus' got out, Apple was quick to react. The company issued an iOS security update (9.3.5) that patched the vulnerabilities," said Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab (South Asia). "Google, which helped investigate the case with the Android version, took another path and notified potential 'Pegasus' targets directly. If you've updated your iOS gadgets to the latest software version and haven't received a warning message from Google, you are probably safe and not under surveillance by Pegasus," Halde added. In a spear-phishing attack, Mansoor received several messages that contained malicious links so he sent those messages to security experts from Citizen Lab and they brought another cybersecurity firm, Lookout, to the investigation. The malware was dubbed "Pegasus" and Lookout researchers called it the most sophisticated attack they'd ever seen on any endpoint. At Kaspersky Lab's Security Analyst Summit, researchers from Lookout revealed that Pegasus exists not only for iOS but for Android as well. The Android version is very similar to its iOS sister in terms of its capabilities but different in terms of the techniques it uses to penetrate the device. "Pegasus" for Android does not rely on zero-day vulnerabilities. Instead, it uses a well-known rooting method called "Framaroot".
By IANS

CHANDIGARH: Upset over the treatment meted out to legislators by assembly staff on Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal members on Friday walked out of the Punjab assembly on the last day of the budget session.

The AAP and Akali Dal legislators sought an apology from assembly Speaker Rana K.P. Singh for Thursday's incidents in which turbans of Sikh legislators were tossed and some legislators were injured.

Carrying placards, the AAP MLAs, along with ally Lok Insaaf Party legislators, started a mock assembly outside the assembly building.

The ruling Congress, which has 77 legislators in the 117-member assembly, had earlier issued a whip to its legislators to be present in the house on Friday as important bills are to be tabled.

The ongoing budget session has been a noisy one in the first eight days.

Two AAP legislators, including a woman, were injured and the turbans of two others were allegedly tossed amid commotion when the watch and ward staff of the assembly physically removed them from the house on the Speaker's orders.

MLAs Sarabjit Kaur Manuka and Manjit Singh were taken out of the assembly building on stretchers and rushed to hospital.

Manuka fell unconscious after she was allegedly hit on the head during a scuffle with the marshals. Manjit Singh was also injured in the melee.

The Shiromani Akali Dal supported the AAP on this issue.

The Akali Dal legislators, led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, wore black cloaks on top of their clothes as a mark of protest against Thursday's incidents of manhandling of legislators.

The Akali Dal shouted slogans against the Speaker and the Congress government.

CHANDIGARH: Upset over the treatment meted out to legislators by assembly staff on Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal members on Friday walked out of the Punjab assembly on the last day of the budget session. The AAP and Akali Dal legislators sought an apology from assembly Speaker Rana K.P. Singh for Thursday's incidents in which turbans of Sikh legislators were tossed and some legislators were injured. Carrying placards, the AAP MLAs, along with ally Lok Insaaf Party legislators, started a mock assembly outside the assembly building. The ruling Congress, which has 77 legislators in the 117-member assembly, had earlier issued a whip to its legislators to be present in the house on Friday as important bills are to be tabled. The ongoing budget session has been a noisy one in the first eight days. Two AAP legislators, including a woman, were injured and the turbans of two others were allegedly tossed amid commotion when the watch and ward staff of the assembly physically removed them from the house on the Speaker's orders. MLAs Sarabjit Kaur Manuka and Manjit Singh were taken out of the assembly building on stretchers and rushed to hospital. Manuka fell unconscious after she was allegedly hit on the head during a scuffle with the marshals. Manjit Singh was also injured in the melee. The Shiromani Akali Dal supported the AAP on this issue. The Akali Dal legislators, led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, wore black cloaks on top of their clothes as a mark of protest against Thursday's incidents of manhandling of legislators. The Akali Dal shouted slogans against the Speaker and the Congress government.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: The widening gulf between Bihars two political stalwarts and allies  chief minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and RJD boss Lalu Prasad Yadav  was visible on Friday as the duo sat side by side for an hour and relished iftaar delicacies together, but did not exchange even a single word.

All eyes were on the iftaar party hosted by Yadav at his residence, and Nitish Kumars presence there, and JD(U)s allies  RJD and Congress  were expecting Kumar to indicate a rethink of his decision to support NDAs Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Lalu Yadav had appealed to Kumar to change his decision and back UPAs Presidential candidate Meira Kumar.

After exiting Lalu Yadavs residence, Nitish Kumar not only made it clear that there was no going back on JD(U)s avowed support for Kovind, but also spoke of the Opposition parties in jeering tones. At the same time, Nitish Kumar, who is JD(U)s national president, called for Opposition unity to make a strategy for victory in the 2019 general elections.

The rift between Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav was apparent, though the two leaders sat next to each other there was no exchange of words, or smiles as they sat through the iftaar party for an hour. At the end, when they hugged each other for the media, a clear lack of warmth was noticeable.

The iftaar party was attended by ministers and senior leaders of Bihars three ruling parties  JD(U), RJD and Congress.

This decision is well thought out. I have nothing to say to other peoples views, said Nitish, apparently alluding to Yadavs appeals, his stress on the ideological battle and his description of Meira Kumar as Bihars daughter.

Nitish said he had informed Lalu Yadav, Sonia Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury of his views on Ramnath Kovind. My thinking is clear. Kovinds tenure as Bihar Governor has been very clean and impartial. His elevation is a matter of pride for Bihar I told them this person was not linked to RSS. He is more aligned to Morarjee Desai, he told journalists.

It is not proper to make the Presidential poll an issue of political confrontation. We should rather make a strategy for 2019. I do not think this (Presidential poll) is a step in that direction, said Nitish.

While he praised Meira Kumar as a remarkable personality, he pointedlyasked, She is being described as Bihars daughter, but was Bihars daughter nominated for defeat? Bihars daughter should be nominated when there are chances of victory. There were two lost occasions.

If there is so much concern for Bihars daughter, then we should make a strong strategy for 2019 and make Bihars daughter President in 2022. This time she is only a candidate, and she is destined to be defeated, added Nitish.

He denied that his support to Ramnath Kovind was weakening the Oppositions unity and said it would not impact Bihars alliance government.

PATNA: The widening gulf between Bihars two political stalwarts and allies  chief minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and RJD boss Lalu Prasad Yadav  was visible on Friday as the duo sat side by side for an hour and relished iftaar delicacies together, but did not exchange even a single word. All eyes were on the iftaar party hosted by Yadav at his residence, and Nitish Kumars presence there, and JD(U)s allies  RJD and Congress  were expecting Kumar to indicate a rethink of his decision to support NDAs Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind. Lalu Yadav had appealed to Kumar to change his decision and back UPAs Presidential candidate Meira Kumar. After exiting Lalu Yadavs residence, Nitish Kumar not only made it clear that there was no going back on JD(U)s avowed support for Kovind, but also spoke of the Opposition parties in jeering tones. At the same time, Nitish Kumar, who is JD(U)s national president, called for Opposition unity to make a strategy for victory in the 2019 general elections. The rift between Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav was apparent, though the two leaders sat next to each other there was no exchange of words, or smiles as they sat through the iftaar party for an hour. At the end, when they hugged each other for the media, a clear lack of warmth was noticeable. The iftaar party was attended by ministers and senior leaders of Bihars three ruling parties  JD(U), RJD and Congress. This decision is well thought out. I have nothing to say to other peoples views, said Nitish, apparently alluding to Yadavs appeals, his stress on the ideological battle and his description of Meira Kumar as Bihars daughter. Nitish said he had informed Lalu Yadav, Sonia Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury of his views on Ramnath Kovind. My thinking is clear. Kovinds tenure as Bihar Governor has been very clean and impartial. His elevation is a matter of pride for Bihar I told them this person was not linked to RSS. He is more aligned to Morarjee Desai, he told journalists. It is not proper to make the Presidential poll an issue of political confrontation. We should rather make a strategy for 2019. I do not think this (Presidential poll) is a step in that direction, said Nitish. While he praised Meira Kumar as a remarkable personality, he pointedlyasked, She is being described as Bihars daughter, but was Bihars daughter nominated for defeat? Bihars daughter should be nominated when there are chances of victory. There were two lost occasions. If there is so much concern for Bihars daughter, then we should make a strong strategy for 2019 and make Bihars daughter President in 2022. This time she is only a candidate, and she is destined to be defeated, added Nitish. He denied that his support to Ramnath Kovind was weakening the Oppositions unity and said it would not impact Bihars alliance government.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Hundreds of young men on Friday laid siege to a railway station and destroyed property in Bihars Nalanda district demanding jobs in the Indian Railways.Twenty-five protesters were arrested and police were looking for the rest, said officials

Bihar Sharif railway station, located in chief minister Nitish Kumars home district, suffered severe losses as protesters, many of whom were allegedly RJD supporters, set part of the station building afire and uprooted tracks at several places. The Shramajeevi Express train was stranded for several hours while a few trains running on the route were diverted.

Police had a tough time controlling the situation. As the protesters, many of whom claimed to be preparing for competitive examinations for jobs, grew violent and set a police vehicle afire, the cops fired two rounds in the air to disperse the mob.

At least five policemen were injured as protesters pelted stones at policemen. They were not ready for talks and even attacked some journalists who were covering their vandalism, said Kamlesh Razak, SHO of the GRP station, who was also injured in the attack.

The protesters removed fish plates from the tracks at several places and put thick logs on the tracks before they entered the offices and damaged the electronics and computerised signal systems, said officials. According to one estimate, the Railways lost properties worth at least Rs 3 crore. The protesters also allegedly looted cash worth Rs 2 lakh from the ticket counter.

It could take weeks before the entire technical systems at the station are repaired and brought back to normalcy, said Bihar Sharif station master Shyamu Chaudhary.

The protesters, who staged pitched battles with policemen for over two hours, were finally dispersed when Nalanda SP Thyagarajan MM deployed a company of RAF, said sources.

PATNA: Hundreds of young men on Friday laid siege to a railway station and destroyed property in Bihars Nalanda district demanding jobs in the Indian Railways.Twenty-five protesters were arrested and police were looking for the rest, said officials Bihar Sharif railway station, located in chief minister Nitish Kumars home district, suffered severe losses as protesters, many of whom were allegedly RJD supporters, set part of the station building afire and uprooted tracks at several places. The Shramajeevi Express train was stranded for several hours while a few trains running on the route were diverted. Police had a tough time controlling the situation. As the protesters, many of whom claimed to be preparing for competitive examinations for jobs, grew violent and set a police vehicle afire, the cops fired two rounds in the air to disperse the mob. At least five policemen were injured as protesters pelted stones at policemen. They were not ready for talks and even attacked some journalists who were covering their vandalism, said Kamlesh Razak, SHO of the GRP station, who was also injured in the attack. The protesters removed fish plates from the tracks at several places and put thick logs on the tracks before they entered the offices and damaged the electronics and computerised signal systems, said officials. According to one estimate, the Railways lost properties worth at least Rs 3 crore. The protesters also allegedly looted cash worth Rs 2 lakh from the ticket counter. It could take weeks before the entire technical systems at the station are repaired and brought back to normalcy, said Bihar Sharif station master Shyamu Chaudhary. The protesters, who staged pitched battles with policemen for over two hours, were finally dispersed when Nalanda SP Thyagarajan MM deployed a company of RAF, said sources.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: The BJPs juggernaut continues in Assam. The party, which heads the States ruling coalition, decimated Opposition Congress to win the tribal Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) elections.

The BJP grabbed 24 of the 26 seats while the Congress drew a blank, as did the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). The remaining two seats went to Karbi Anglong Democratic Forum (KADF). The KADF was formed ahead of the June 17 elections by some disgruntled BJP leaders who were denied party tickets. It had backed 13 independent candidates.

It was the BJPs maiden poll foray into KAAC although the party has been in power in the council for nearly a year. In 2016, most of the elected members of the then Congress-ruled council led by chief executive member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang, had worn saffron, thereby making it a BJP-led council.

The BJP and the Congress, besides the local Hill State Demand Council (HSDC), had contested all seats. The AGP, which is an ally of the BJP and constituent of the Sarbananda Sonowal government, contested 14 seats.

Back in 1989, the Congress met with a similar fate when the Left-wing Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) had won 22 seats. The Congress had ruled the council from 2001 to 2015. During the period, the party had also ruled the State under three-time former chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

Gogoi on Friday alleged that the BJP had won the polls by shelling out money to voters. The BJP rubbished his charge.

Sonowal lauded people for reposing their trust and faith in the BJP.

The results evidently reflected the mood of people who believe that only the BJP can deliver, he said.

The partys poll strategist and minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national chief Amit Shah continued to resonate in Assam.

My sincere thanks go to the people and our party workers for the resounding victory. We will ensure all-round development in Karbi Anglong, Sarma said.



GUWAHATI: The BJPs juggernaut continues in Assam. The party, which heads the States ruling coalition, decimated Opposition Congress to win the tribal Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) elections. The BJP grabbed 24 of the 26 seats while the Congress drew a blank, as did the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). The remaining two seats went to Karbi Anglong Democratic Forum (KADF). The KADF was formed ahead of the June 17 elections by some disgruntled BJP leaders who were denied party tickets. It had backed 13 independent candidates. It was the BJPs maiden poll foray into KAAC although the party has been in power in the council for nearly a year. In 2016, most of the elected members of the then Congress-ruled council led by chief executive member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang, had worn saffron, thereby making it a BJP-led council. The BJP and the Congress, besides the local Hill State Demand Council (HSDC), had contested all seats. The AGP, which is an ally of the BJP and constituent of the Sarbananda Sonowal government, contested 14 seats. Back in 1989, the Congress met with a similar fate when the Left-wing Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) had won 22 seats. The Congress had ruled the council from 2001 to 2015. During the period, the party had also ruled the State under three-time former chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Gogoi on Friday alleged that the BJP had won the polls by shelling out money to voters. The BJP rubbished his charge. Sonowal lauded people for reposing their trust and faith in the BJP. The results evidently reflected the mood of people who believe that only the BJP can deliver, he said. The partys poll strategist and minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national chief Amit Shah continued to resonate in Assam. My sincere thanks go to the people and our party workers for the resounding victory. We will ensure all-round development in Karbi Anglong, Sarma said.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: In a blow to the Adityanath government, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad

High Court on Friday quashed the order of removal of six members of the Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board. The court reinstated all the six members who were sacked by the UP government earlier in June on charges of corruption and irregularities in Waqf land and Waqf funds.

Allowing a writ petition moved by sacked member Aalima Zaidi and others, a Vacation Bench comprising justices Ranjan Roy and S N Agnihotri, however, granted liberty to the government to proceed afresh in the matter in accordance with law. The Bench quashed the government order on technical grounds. The State government had passed orders to dissolve the UP Shia and Sunni Waqf boards over alleged rampant corruption on June 16. It proceeded with its action and removed six of 10 members of the Shia Waqf Board on June 17 on charges of graft.

The members, who were sacked by the State government included former Rajya Sabha member Akhtar Hassan, Moradabad's Sayyed Wali Haider, Afsha Zaidi of Muzaffarnagar, Sayyed Azim Hussain, Nazmul Hassan Rizwi and Alima Zaidi of Bareilly. All the dismissed members were nominated to the board by the previous Samjawadi Party government.

Challenging the process of removal adopted by the UP government, petitioners advocate Gaurav Mehrotra had submitted in the court that the chairman and nominated members of the board could be removed only following provisions of Section 20 and 20 (A) of Waqf Act 1995 which provided for a chance to be given to members to present their side. The State government did not comply with the said sections of the Act, Mehrotra claimed. He also charged the State government with passing the removal order in a whimsical manner on the basis of an order issued by the chief secretary on March 20, 2017. It was also argued that the appointment of the nominated members was a term-bound provision and as such the members could not be removed before expiry of the term.

The UP government had decided to dissolve both the Shia and Sunni Waqf boards on the recommendations of the Central Waqf Council (CWC) which was assigned to probe the corruption charges and irregularities in the boards immediately after the BJP government assumed power in the State. After a probe, the CWC, in its report, substantiated the allegations of corruption in the bodies.

However, additional advocate general Ramesh Kumar Singh opposed the plea on behalf of the State government and admitted that the petitioners were not given an opportunity to present their side,

though he insisted that there were serious allegations and material on record against them and the State government should be given liberty to act afresh as per law.

As the new government was formed, complaints regarding corruption, swindling of Waqf funds and irregularities in Waqf properties started pouring in. So a CWC probe was ordered, said a senior official

of the Waqf department.

While hearing the petition of Zaidi and others, the High Court had on Thursday asked the State government to produce the original report on the basis of which the members were removed. While granting 24 hours time to Ramesh Kumar Singh to make the government's stand clear on the issue, the court had expressed concerns over the removal of nominated board members.

However, chairman of UP Shia Waqf Board Waseem Rizvi said justice was done and the victory has come on auspicious Alvida, the last Friday of Ramzan.

LUCKNOW: In a blow to the Adityanath government, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday quashed the order of removal of six members of the Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board. The court reinstated all the six members who were sacked by the UP government earlier in June on charges of corruption and irregularities in Waqf land and Waqf funds. Allowing a writ petition moved by sacked member Aalima Zaidi and others, a Vacation Bench comprising justices Ranjan Roy and S N Agnihotri, however, granted liberty to the government to proceed afresh in the matter in accordance with law. The Bench quashed the government order on technical grounds. The State government had passed orders to dissolve the UP Shia and Sunni Waqf boards over alleged rampant corruption on June 16. It proceeded with its action and removed six of 10 members of the Shia Waqf Board on June 17 on charges of graft. The members, who were sacked by the State government included former Rajya Sabha member Akhtar Hassan, Moradabad's Sayyed Wali Haider, Afsha Zaidi of Muzaffarnagar, Sayyed Azim Hussain, Nazmul Hassan Rizwi and Alima Zaidi of Bareilly. All the dismissed members were nominated to the board by the previous Samjawadi Party government. Challenging the process of removal adopted by the UP government, petitioners advocate Gaurav Mehrotra had submitted in the court that the chairman and nominated members of the board could be removed only following provisions of Section 20 and 20 (A) of Waqf Act 1995 which provided for a chance to be given to members to present their side. The State government did not comply with the said sections of the Act, Mehrotra claimed. He also charged the State government with passing the removal order in a whimsical manner on the basis of an order issued by the chief secretary on March 20, 2017. It was also argued that the appointment of the nominated members was a term-bound provision and as such the members could not be removed before expiry of the term. The UP government had decided to dissolve both the Shia and Sunni Waqf boards on the recommendations of the Central Waqf Council (CWC) which was assigned to probe the corruption charges and irregularities in the boards immediately after the BJP government assumed power in the State. After a probe, the CWC, in its report, substantiated the allegations of corruption in the bodies. However, additional advocate general Ramesh Kumar Singh opposed the plea on behalf of the State government and admitted that the petitioners were not given an opportunity to present their side, though he insisted that there were serious allegations and material on record against them and the State government should be given liberty to act afresh as per law. As the new government was formed, complaints regarding corruption, swindling of Waqf funds and irregularities in Waqf properties started pouring in. So a CWC probe was ordered, said a senior official of the Waqf department. While hearing the petition of Zaidi and others, the High Court had on Thursday asked the State government to produce the original report on the basis of which the members were removed. While granting 24 hours time to Ramesh Kumar Singh to make the government's stand clear on the issue, the court had expressed concerns over the removal of nominated board members. However, chairman of UP Shia Waqf Board Waseem Rizvi said justice was done and the victory has come on auspicious Alvida, the last Friday of Ramzan.
SV Krishna Chaitanya By

Express News Service

SRIHARIKOTA: Though PSLV-C38 mission don't match up to the pomp and gaiety of recently launched GSLV MkIII or its predecessor C37 mission that lobbed 104 satellites in the orbit shattering world record, the primary payload Cartosat-2 series satellite is an important asset up there which would come in handy for strategic and surveillance operations. Also, the national space agency has conducted complex manoeuvres reigniting the rocket for 3 times after successfully deploying all the 31 satellites on-board in a bid to master the art of putting placing different satellites in different orbits.

In its 40th flight, India's most trusted launch vehicle PSLV has blasted-off from Sriharikota coast from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawn Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in its usual poise at 9.29 am.

IN PICS | India's eye in the skies to get better after successful launch of ISRO PSLV-C38

Sixteen minutes into the flight, 712 kg Cartosat satellite was first deployed into the designated 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). In next seven minutes, all the remaining 30 co-passenger nano satellites were separated at an altitude of 520 km.

The co-passenger satellites comprise of 29 nano-satellites from 14 countries including Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, United Kingdom and United States as well as one nano satellite designed and conceived by Noorul Islam University in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.

Though ISRO's 104 satellites feat in February eclipses this mission, it is still the third biggest launch in the world number of satellites launched in one mission. Russian in 2014 has launched 37 satellites in single mission and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rocket carried 29 satellites in 2013. The total weight of all the 31 satellites combined is about 955 kg.

ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar has credited the success to the entire team.

SRIHARIKOTA: Though PSLV-C38 mission don't match up to the pomp and gaiety of recently launched GSLV MkIII or its predecessor C37 mission that lobbed 104 satellites in the orbit shattering world record, the primary payload Cartosat-2 series satellite is an important asset up there which would come in handy for strategic and surveillance operations. Also, the national space agency has conducted complex manoeuvres reigniting the rocket for 3 times after successfully deploying all the 31 satellites on-board in a bid to master the art of putting placing different satellites in different orbits. In its 40th flight, India's most trusted launch vehicle PSLV has blasted-off from Sriharikota coast from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawn Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in its usual poise at 9.29 am. IN PICS | India's eye in the skies to get better after successful launch of ISRO PSLV-C38 Sixteen minutes into the flight, 712 kg Cartosat satellite was first deployed into the designated 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). In next seven minutes, all the remaining 30 co-passenger nano satellites were separated at an altitude of 520 km. The co-passenger satellites comprise of 29 nano-satellites from 14 countries including Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, United Kingdom and United States as well as one nano satellite designed and conceived by Noorul Islam University in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. Though ISRO's 104 satellites feat in February eclipses this mission, it is still the third biggest launch in the world number of satellites launched in one mission. Russian in 2014 has launched 37 satellites in single mission and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rocket carried 29 satellites in 2013. The total weight of all the 31 satellites combined is about 955 kg. ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar has credited the success to the entire team.
Santwana Bhattacharya By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: No matter BJP has the majority, but #MeiraKumar is also a strong candidate; we will support her. Ram Gopal Yadavs comment on Twitter, expressing the Samajwadi Partys support to the UPA candidate for the presidential elections, actually sums it all up for the polls, slated on July 17.

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi was credited for springing a surprise on Monday with the name of Ram Nath Kovind, stumping the Oppositions unity efforts, Sonia Gandhi tried to match the move on Thursday.

Leading an informal 17-party bunch, she sought to turn what was to be just an ideological contest for the top office on the Raisina Hills, a contest for contests sake, into a Your Dalit vs My Dalit chess-game.

Meira Kumar, who holds the distinction of being the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha, not to mention her IFS and law background, is no token candidate. As a far more recognisable political face  five-time MP, once from Bijnor, UP, she could have easily paled the low-key Kovinds candidature, but for the sheer numerical strength of the BJP/NDA camp. Had Kumars name been announced earlier, even a day before Kovinds, it cannot be said how the contest would have played out, is how a senior Congress politician put it.

Meira Kumars candidature is not just a challenge thrown to the Prime Minister/NDA nominee Kovind, but also to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who broke ranks with the Opposition. In this battle of perceptions, Kovind now has to contest against a fellow Dalit and a woman leader of some repute. But Nitish Kumar may now have to seriously guard against his flock from cross-voting for Bihar ki Beti, legendary Babu Jagjivan Rams daughter. Theres no whip in the presidential elections.

By all indications, Kovind would be the winner but its Nitish Kumar and not Meira Kumar who may end up being the bigger loser, unless hes preparing for a ghar wapsi as his former ally and ex-deputy from the BJP, Sushil Modi, seemed to suggest. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav comment  that Nitish has committed a historic mistake  was an indicator, though the Yadav chieftain did add that he would try persuade the Bihar CM to recant. Nitishs party colleague K C Tyagi, however, said that unlike Mayawati, the JD(U) would not change its stance to support Meira Kumar.

But that Nitish has put his own political architecture, the Mahagathbandhan, and his coalition government with RJD and Congress under stress, not to talk of the Opposition unity call, is clear. He may have also walked out of the possibility of being projected against Modi as the united oppositions prime ministerial candidate in 2019.

There were other embarrassing jitters in the Opposition camp in the run-up to the meeting. Congresss Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel and CPI-Ms Sitaram Yechury had to rush to NCP chief Sharad Pawars residence to stop him from bolting from the UPA stable much like Nitish Kumar. The situation was saved thanks to the divide within the NCP camp. Pawar ended up proposing Meira Kumars name and the speculation that he has been won over by the NDA, with the timely concession to the demonetisation-hit cooperative banks, proved to be wrong.

At the end of the day, if the opposition lost a prominent member in Nitish, the NDA too could not get the support from its alliance partner PDP, which has declined to back Kovind. There may not be much surprise when the votes of the electoral college are counted on July 20, but that wont make the contest any less colourful.

NEW DELHI: No matter BJP has the majority, but #MeiraKumar is also a strong candidate; we will support her. Ram Gopal Yadavs comment on Twitter, expressing the Samajwadi Partys support to the UPA candidate for the presidential elections, actually sums it all up for the polls, slated on July 17. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi was credited for springing a surprise on Monday with the name of Ram Nath Kovind, stumping the Oppositions unity efforts, Sonia Gandhi tried to match the move on Thursday. Leading an informal 17-party bunch, she sought to turn what was to be just an ideological contest for the top office on the Raisina Hills, a contest for contests sake, into a Your Dalit vs My Dalit chess-game. Meira Kumar, who holds the distinction of being the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha, not to mention her IFS and law background, is no token candidate. As a far more recognisable political face  five-time MP, once from Bijnor, UP, she could have easily paled the low-key Kovinds candidature, but for the sheer numerical strength of the BJP/NDA camp. Had Kumars name been announced earlier, even a day before Kovinds, it cannot be said how the contest would have played out, is how a senior Congress politician put it. Meira Kumars candidature is not just a challenge thrown to the Prime Minister/NDA nominee Kovind, but also to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who broke ranks with the Opposition. In this battle of perceptions, Kovind now has to contest against a fellow Dalit and a woman leader of some repute. But Nitish Kumar may now have to seriously guard against his flock from cross-voting for Bihar ki Beti, legendary Babu Jagjivan Rams daughter. Theres no whip in the presidential elections. By all indications, Kovind would be the winner but its Nitish Kumar and not Meira Kumar who may end up being the bigger loser, unless hes preparing for a ghar wapsi as his former ally and ex-deputy from the BJP, Sushil Modi, seemed to suggest. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav comment  that Nitish has committed a historic mistake  was an indicator, though the Yadav chieftain did add that he would try persuade the Bihar CM to recant. Nitishs party colleague K C Tyagi, however, said that unlike Mayawati, the JD(U) would not change its stance to support Meira Kumar. But that Nitish has put his own political architecture, the Mahagathbandhan, and his coalition government with RJD and Congress under stress, not to talk of the Opposition unity call, is clear. He may have also walked out of the possibility of being projected against Modi as the united oppositions prime ministerial candidate in 2019. There were other embarrassing jitters in the Opposition camp in the run-up to the meeting. Congresss Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel and CPI-Ms Sitaram Yechury had to rush to NCP chief Sharad Pawars residence to stop him from bolting from the UPA stable much like Nitish Kumar. The situation was saved thanks to the divide within the NCP camp. Pawar ended up proposing Meira Kumars name and the speculation that he has been won over by the NDA, with the timely concession to the demonetisation-hit cooperative banks, proved to be wrong. At the end of the day, if the opposition lost a prominent member in Nitish, the NDA too could not get the support from its alliance partner PDP, which has declined to back Kovind. There may not be much surprise when the votes of the electoral college are counted on July 20, but that wont make the contest any less colourful.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: A deputy superintendent of police was stripped naked and stoned to death by a mob outside the historic Jamia Masjid here in a bizarre incident which drew all-round condemnation, including from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and separatist Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Describing the incident as "shameful", the Chief Minister wondered how long the police would show restraint as she warned that there could be a backlash if the force loses patience.

Mirwaiz, who delivers sermons at the historic mosque in old Srinagar city's Nowhatta area every Friday after prayers, condemned the incident, saying it was "outside the parameters of our values and religion".

DSP Mohammad Ayoub Pandith was stripped and stoned to death by the mob at around 12.30 AM today when he was caught allegedly clicking pictures of the people coming out of the mosque after 'Shab-e-qadr' prayers, police sources said.

When the mob attacked him, Pandith opened fire from his pistol, injuring three persons.

"The DSP was posted at the access control of the mosque to prevent miscreants from vitiating the atmosphere so that people could offer prayers in peace. But a few among those, for the security of whom he had been deployed there, lynched him," Director General of Police S P Vaid said terming the incident as "very unfortunate".

Quoting preliminary investigation, the police chief said the mob attacked the DSP when he was coming out of the mosque after checking the access control.

"When the DSP was coming out after checking the access control of the mosque, some miscreants caught hold of him while raising slogans and started beating him up," he said.

The mob then went on a rampage, targeting empty security pickets in the area. Police reinforcements were rushed to restore normalcy in the area.

Vaid said two persons have been arrested so far and a third has been identified.

"All of them (involved in the lynching) will face the law," the DGP told reporters on the sidelines of the wreathlaying ceremony for the slain officer at district police lines here.

He said an investigation into the case is on.

Asked whether the slain officer was there for the security of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference, the DGP said, "Mirwaiz does come there. It was a sacred occasion yesterday and thousands of people were expected at the mosque and security was made for them."

Defending the firing by the officer in which three persons were injured, Vaid said, "The DSP was carrying a pistol and he had the right to self-defence."

The incident took place when Muslims across Kashmir were observing 'Shab-e-Qadr' (the night of power) involving nightlong prayers and supplications in the mosques and shrines.

The Chief Minister said the Jammu and Kashmir Police was one of the best police forces in the country and was showing maximum restraint in dealing with law and order situation.

"What can be more shameful than this? I want to say that J-K police is one of the best police forces in the country. They are brave but are showing maximum restraint because they feel that they are dealing with their own people. But for how long? The day their patience wanes, then, I believe, things will be difficult," she said.

Mehbooba was speaking to reporters after attending the wreath-laying ceremony for the slain officer.

"I appeal to the people that there is still time and we should understand. The police force is our own force, they are our children and such a treatment is shameful," she added.

Mehbooba said the officer had not gone to the mosque for personal work but was there to protect the lives of the people and fulfil his duty.

"A SHO along with five cops was killed some days back and now this DSP... I appeal to the people that this is a shameful incident. Those who protect you, show patience while dealing with you...but if you behave like this with them, then if they lose their patience, then God forbid, such a time will come when people have to flee after seeing a (police) gypsy on the road," she said.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq tweeted, "Deeply disturbed and condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta."

In another tweet, he added, "Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion. We cannot allow state brutality to snatch our humanity and values."

Later, in a statement, he said, "The incident that happened in Nowhatta outside the historic Jamia Masjid which has always been a centre of spiritual and moral upliftment, is most unfortunate."

"I am deeply disturbed by this brutal act. Mob violence and public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion."

He went on to add, "it is very important and imperative for us that we do not allow our social fabric to be brutalised and keep our basic values intact."

Former chief minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah, while condemning the killing, said his death was a tragedy and its manner a travesty.

"May the people who lynched DSP Pandith burn in hell for their sins," he posted on Twitter.

Expressing shock and anguish over the dastardly killing, Omar in a statement said the killing was the height of barbarism and should be condemned unequivocally.

"I'm personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy. That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking."

"Such heinous elements are the enemies of Kashmiriyat and humanity and should be given the sternest possible sentence as per law of the land. We are all duty-bound to stand with the family of the martyred police officer and also the Police Department in this hour of mourning and grief," he said.

Omar expressed solidarity with the family and the colleagues of the slain officer and demanded that the culprits be brought to book without any delay and should be given the sternest possible punishment.

He announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh to the police welfare fund on behalf of the party and also a donation of one-month's salary as MLA to the fund as a contribution to support families of such brave martyrs.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi termed the lynching incident as "horrific" and said it marked a new low in the state.

"The brutal lynching of Deputy SP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident," tweeted Gandhi, who is on vacations in Italy.

"Heartbreaking to see J&K being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP/BJP government," he tweeted.

SRINAGAR: A deputy superintendent of police was stripped naked and stoned to death by a mob outside the historic Jamia Masjid here in a bizarre incident which drew all-round condemnation, including from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and separatist Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Describing the incident as "shameful", the Chief Minister wondered how long the police would show restraint as she warned that there could be a backlash if the force loses patience. Mirwaiz, who delivers sermons at the historic mosque in old Srinagar city's Nowhatta area every Friday after prayers, condemned the incident, saying it was "outside the parameters of our values and religion". DSP Mohammad Ayoub Pandith was stripped and stoned to death by the mob at around 12.30 AM today when he was caught allegedly clicking pictures of the people coming out of the mosque after 'Shab-e-qadr' prayers, police sources said. When the mob attacked him, Pandith opened fire from his pistol, injuring three persons. "The DSP was posted at the access control of the mosque to prevent miscreants from vitiating the atmosphere so that people could offer prayers in peace. But a few among those, for the security of whom he had been deployed there, lynched him," Director General of Police S P Vaid said terming the incident as "very unfortunate". Quoting preliminary investigation, the police chief said the mob attacked the DSP when he was coming out of the mosque after checking the access control. "When the DSP was coming out after checking the access control of the mosque, some miscreants caught hold of him while raising slogans and started beating him up," he said. The mob then went on a rampage, targeting empty security pickets in the area. Police reinforcements were rushed to restore normalcy in the area. Vaid said two persons have been arrested so far and a third has been identified. "All of them (involved in the lynching) will face the law," the DGP told reporters on the sidelines of the wreathlaying ceremony for the slain officer at district police lines here. He said an investigation into the case is on. Asked whether the slain officer was there for the security of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference, the DGP said, "Mirwaiz does come there. It was a sacred occasion yesterday and thousands of people were expected at the mosque and security was made for them." Defending the firing by the officer in which three persons were injured, Vaid said, "The DSP was carrying a pistol and he had the right to self-defence." The incident took place when Muslims across Kashmir were observing 'Shab-e-Qadr' (the night of power) involving nightlong prayers and supplications in the mosques and shrines. The Chief Minister said the Jammu and Kashmir Police was one of the best police forces in the country and was showing maximum restraint in dealing with law and order situation. "What can be more shameful than this? I want to say that J-K police is one of the best police forces in the country. They are brave but are showing maximum restraint because they feel that they are dealing with their own people. But for how long? The day their patience wanes, then, I believe, things will be difficult," she said. Mehbooba was speaking to reporters after attending the wreath-laying ceremony for the slain officer. "I appeal to the people that there is still time and we should understand. The police force is our own force, they are our children and such a treatment is shameful," she added. Mehbooba said the officer had not gone to the mosque for personal work but was there to protect the lives of the people and fulfil his duty. "A SHO along with five cops was killed some days back and now this DSP... I appeal to the people that this is a shameful incident. Those who protect you, show patience while dealing with you...but if you behave like this with them, then if they lose their patience, then God forbid, such a time will come when people have to flee after seeing a (police) gypsy on the road," she said. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq tweeted, "Deeply disturbed and condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta." In another tweet, he added, "Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion. We cannot allow state brutality to snatch our humanity and values." Later, in a statement, he said, "The incident that happened in Nowhatta outside the historic Jamia Masjid which has always been a centre of spiritual and moral upliftment, is most unfortunate." "I am deeply disturbed by this brutal act. Mob violence and public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion." He went on to add, "it is very important and imperative for us that we do not allow our social fabric to be brutalised and keep our basic values intact." Former chief minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah, while condemning the killing, said his death was a tragedy and its manner a travesty. "May the people who lynched DSP Pandith burn in hell for their sins," he posted on Twitter. Expressing shock and anguish over the dastardly killing, Omar in a statement said the killing was the height of barbarism and should be condemned unequivocally. "I'm personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy. That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking." "Such heinous elements are the enemies of Kashmiriyat and humanity and should be given the sternest possible sentence as per law of the land. We are all duty-bound to stand with the family of the martyred police officer and also the Police Department in this hour of mourning and grief," he said. Omar expressed solidarity with the family and the colleagues of the slain officer and demanded that the culprits be brought to book without any delay and should be given the sternest possible punishment. He announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh to the police welfare fund on behalf of the party and also a donation of one-month's salary as MLA to the fund as a contribution to support families of such brave martyrs. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi termed the lynching incident as "horrific" and said it marked a new low in the state. "The brutal lynching of Deputy SP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident," tweeted Gandhi, who is on vacations in Italy. "Heartbreaking to see J&K being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP/BJP government," he tweeted.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Assembly braved the Supreme Courts ban by passing a Bill on Friday that allows hotels, restaurants, marriage venues and clubs near national and State highways to serve liquor. However, it has specified that it can only be served within the premises and for consumption only.

The Bill that was tabled and passed in the State assembly states that, The judicial pronouncement is aimed at checking drunken driving and the resultant losses. However, there are a large number of hotels, restaurants and other enclosed notified places where liquor is sold for in situ consumption. These are part of the hospitality and tourism industry which generate substantial employment in the State. Absence of liquor in hotels, restaurants, clubs etc has seriously affected them, and partial closure may create substantial unemployment.

It further adds that notwithstanding anything contained in any judgment, decree or order of any court, tribunal or authority, any of the above mentioned places with a licence near highways shall be entitled to serve liquor within their premises.

A senior government functionary said, We have gone in detail of the Supreme Court order and also taken an opinion from the advocate general of Punjab before tabling this Bill in the State assembly. We are not violating any order of the apex court.

The court in its initial order stated that no liquor can be sold within 500 meters of highways or be carried from liquor vends. Here we are serving liquor within the premises so that the person cannot carry the bottle out. A person here will buy and drink it here while in a marriage venue he will be served liquor, he added.

However, restrictions on opening liquor vends within 500 metres of highways will remain as per the Apex courts directions issued in December, 2016.

Thus around 1,200 liquor vends in the State will continue to remain closed.

The official said that the government has also decided to increase checking near all these places, and action will be taken against violators.

The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved amendment to Section 26-A of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, allowing all these institutions to serve liquor within 500 meters of highways. However, restrictions will remain the same as per the Supreme Court order for all other retail vends.

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Assembly braved the Supreme Courts ban by passing a Bill on Friday that allows hotels, restaurants, marriage venues and clubs near national and State highways to serve liquor. However, it has specified that it can only be served within the premises and for consumption only. The Bill that was tabled and passed in the State assembly states that, The judicial pronouncement is aimed at checking drunken driving and the resultant losses. However, there are a large number of hotels, restaurants and other enclosed notified places where liquor is sold for in situ consumption. These are part of the hospitality and tourism industry which generate substantial employment in the State. Absence of liquor in hotels, restaurants, clubs etc has seriously affected them, and partial closure may create substantial unemployment. It further adds that notwithstanding anything contained in any judgment, decree or order of any court, tribunal or authority, any of the above mentioned places with a licence near highways shall be entitled to serve liquor within their premises. A senior government functionary said, We have gone in detail of the Supreme Court order and also taken an opinion from the advocate general of Punjab before tabling this Bill in the State assembly. We are not violating any order of the apex court. The court in its initial order stated that no liquor can be sold within 500 meters of highways or be carried from liquor vends. Here we are serving liquor within the premises so that the person cannot carry the bottle out. A person here will buy and drink it here while in a marriage venue he will be served liquor, he added. However, restrictions on opening liquor vends within 500 metres of highways will remain as per the Apex courts directions issued in December, 2016. Thus around 1,200 liquor vends in the State will continue to remain closed. The official said that the government has also decided to increase checking near all these places, and action will be taken against violators. The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved amendment to Section 26-A of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, allowing all these institutions to serve liquor within 500 meters of highways. However, restrictions will remain the same as per the Supreme Court order for all other retail vends.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With more than 65 per cent votes in the kitty, NDAs Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind on Friday filed three sets of nomination papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP veterans  L K Advani and M M Joshi, besides a strong battery of chief ministers. With a clear sense of history in the making, as Kovind, a first political functionary from the saffron stable, being posed to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the NDA projected a perfect NDA family though the Shiv Sena stayed out of the function at the Parliament House.

While the Shiv Sena claimed that the party was not invited, the BJP stated that there is a communication gap. The BJP maintained that the Union Minister for Parliamentary affairs Ananth Kumar had spoken to the Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul, who was among the proposer in one of the nomination sets.

While the BJP claimed that the NDA nominee is enjoying support of 28 political parties who have votes in the electoral college, Kovind sought to reach out to the Opposition parties, saying that the post of President is above politics and he ceased to belong to a political party the day he had become Governor. He vowed to protect the dignity of the post.

With apparent competitive Dalit politics playing out in the Presidential election after the nomination of former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar by the Opposition, the BJP sought to turn the table saying, that the ploy was to divide the Dalits. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters that the Opposition is seeking to divide the Dalits. The intentions of the Opposition does not seem to be honest, as they hastened to field a Dalit candidate against the NDA nominee, Adityanath told reporters.

The three sets of nomination papers filed by Kovind were proposed by the Prime Minister, Advani, BJP chief Amit Shah, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandra Babu Naidu and former Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal. The nomination papers were seconded by Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitely, and Adityanath. Kovind may file one more set of nomination paper if there is a need, a senior BJP leader said.

Kovind is launching his Presidential campaign from June 25. He will be launching the campaign from UP. He will be accompanied by senior BJP leaders. He will cover all states during his campaign, sources said.

Fifteen chief ministers accompanied Kovind in filing the nomination papers.

While the Telangana and Tamil Nadu chief ministers K Chandrashekhar Rao and Palaniswamy attended the ecent, the BJD was represented by a state minister while JD (U) had no representation, with the party leaders saying that it was essentially an NDA function so none were sent.

NEW DELHI: With more than 65 per cent votes in the kitty, NDAs Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind on Friday filed three sets of nomination papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP veterans  L K Advani and M M Joshi, besides a strong battery of chief ministers. With a clear sense of history in the making, as Kovind, a first political functionary from the saffron stable, being posed to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the NDA projected a perfect NDA family though the Shiv Sena stayed out of the function at the Parliament House. While the Shiv Sena claimed that the party was not invited, the BJP stated that there is a communication gap. The BJP maintained that the Union Minister for Parliamentary affairs Ananth Kumar had spoken to the Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul, who was among the proposer in one of the nomination sets. While the BJP claimed that the NDA nominee is enjoying support of 28 political parties who have votes in the electoral college, Kovind sought to reach out to the Opposition parties, saying that the post of President is above politics and he ceased to belong to a political party the day he had become Governor. He vowed to protect the dignity of the post. With apparent competitive Dalit politics playing out in the Presidential election after the nomination of former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar by the Opposition, the BJP sought to turn the table saying, that the ploy was to divide the Dalits. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters that the Opposition is seeking to divide the Dalits. The intentions of the Opposition does not seem to be honest, as they hastened to field a Dalit candidate against the NDA nominee, Adityanath told reporters. The three sets of nomination papers filed by Kovind were proposed by the Prime Minister, Advani, BJP chief Amit Shah, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandra Babu Naidu and former Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal. The nomination papers were seconded by Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitely, and Adityanath. Kovind may file one more set of nomination paper if there is a need, a senior BJP leader said. Kovind is launching his Presidential campaign from June 25. He will be launching the campaign from UP. He will be accompanied by senior BJP leaders. He will cover all states during his campaign, sources said. Fifteen chief ministers accompanied Kovind in filing the nomination papers. While the Telangana and Tamil Nadu chief ministers K Chandrashekhar Rao and Palaniswamy attended the ecent, the BJD was represented by a state minister while JD (U) had no representation, with the party leaders saying that it was essentially an NDA function so none were sent.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

DARJEELING: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) went into further antagonism with West Bengal government on Friday after 43 Gorkha Territorial Administration executive members including chief executive Bimal Gurung resigned en masse from their posts on Friday morning and vowed not to let GTA elections happen, which was slated in July.



All the agitating Gorkha parties have fixed June 29 as the date of next all-party meeting and will burn the GTA accord on June 27 as a symbolic protest against the state government.



Speaking to media at GJM party office in Patlebas here on Friday, the GJM supremo dared the police to arrest him. "I am not Kishenji. Come and arrest me if you can. I am here. We will go for one point agenda and that is Gorkhaland. We won't let elections happen. I will die but not let the indefinite strike stop. There will be dharnas and fast-unto-death from now on," he said.



Kishenji alias Maloujula Koteswara Rao was the Maoist leader who was killed in an encounter in 2011 after ascendance of Mamata Banerjee to power, thus bringing down the curtains on 3 years of Maoist insurgency in Jangalmahal area in western West Bengal.



The GJM supremo also demanded CBI inquiry into the alleged police firing that killed 3 GJM activists on June 17. "No shots were fired from our side. Police killed three of our supporters. There must be CBI enquiry and SP has to be accountable," he added.



The move came a day after it came to light that West Bengal police had booked Gurung, his wife Asha Gurung and 24 mid-level GJM leaders in murder case for death of 3 GJM activists in police firing on June 17.



Responding to Gurung's statement, North Bengal development minister Goutam Deb said: "We know Bimal Gurung is not Kishenji. But the strike he is carrying on is unconstitutional. There is scope for discussion but the anarchism unleashed by GJM is not acceptable. We will isolate them both politically and by means of administration."



Meanwhile, the complete shutdown since June 15 was relaxed on Friday for 12 hours only for students of boarding schools who were allowed to leave for Siliguri in school buses. However, parents were not allowed to come and pick up their children from the hills and commoners were not allowed to board the school buses to leave for Siliguri. An estimated 2,000 students from around 56 boarding schools in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts went down to Siliguri as their monsoon vacation started on Friday. The vacation is slated to end on July 3 but holidays are likely to extend if the agitation continues.



On the other hand, Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) spokesperson Neeraj Zimba Tamang upheld the leadership of Bimal Gurung in the current phase of Gorkhaland agitation. Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, he said:"We accept his leadership because he has the mandate of the people. The next all-party meeting will be held on June 29 and GTA Accord would be burnt on June 27," he said.



Meanwhile, West Bengal Secretariat Nabanna has sent a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh protesting against Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling supporting the Gorkhaland statehood movement. "Chief minister of a state supporting secessionist movement of a neighbouring state is unconstitutional and undermines the federal structure of our country. We are keeping all our efforts to keep National Highway 10 from Siliguri to Gangtok open so that essential supplies continue reaching Sikkim despite complete shutdown of Darjeeling hills," the letter read.



On the other hand, angry tourists and locals staged a dharna at Sikkim National Transport (SNT) bus terminus in Siliguri against a notice asking tourists not to visit Sikkim due to ongoing shutdown of Darjeeling hills.



Responding to the ongoing cauldron in Darjeeling hills, Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP national general secretary and observer of West Bengal said: "Only Mamata Banerjee is responsible for the situation in Darjeeling hills by curbing the rights of GTA. However, we are not in support of Gorkhaland but we respect the rights and culture of the people."

DARJEELING: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) went into further antagonism with West Bengal government on Friday after 43 Gorkha Territorial Administration executive members including chief executive Bimal Gurung resigned en masse from their posts on Friday morning and vowed not to let GTA elections happen, which was slated in July. All the agitating Gorkha parties have fixed June 29 as the date of next all-party meeting and will burn the GTA accord on June 27 as a symbolic protest against the state government. Speaking to media at GJM party office in Patlebas here on Friday, the GJM supremo dared the police to arrest him. "I am not Kishenji. Come and arrest me if you can. I am here. We will go for one point agenda and that is Gorkhaland. We won't let elections happen. I will die but not let the indefinite strike stop. There will be dharnas and fast-unto-death from now on," he said. Kishenji alias Maloujula Koteswara Rao was the Maoist leader who was killed in an encounter in 2011 after ascendance of Mamata Banerjee to power, thus bringing down the curtains on 3 years of Maoist insurgency in Jangalmahal area in western West Bengal. The GJM supremo also demanded CBI inquiry into the alleged police firing that killed 3 GJM activists on June 17. "No shots were fired from our side. Police killed three of our supporters. There must be CBI enquiry and SP has to be accountable," he added. The move came a day after it came to light that West Bengal police had booked Gurung, his wife Asha Gurung and 24 mid-level GJM leaders in murder case for death of 3 GJM activists in police firing on June 17. Responding to Gurung's statement, North Bengal development minister Goutam Deb said: "We know Bimal Gurung is not Kishenji. But the strike he is carrying on is unconstitutional. There is scope for discussion but the anarchism unleashed by GJM is not acceptable. We will isolate them both politically and by means of administration." Meanwhile, the complete shutdown since June 15 was relaxed on Friday for 12 hours only for students of boarding schools who were allowed to leave for Siliguri in school buses. However, parents were not allowed to come and pick up their children from the hills and commoners were not allowed to board the school buses to leave for Siliguri. An estimated 2,000 students from around 56 boarding schools in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts went down to Siliguri as their monsoon vacation started on Friday. The vacation is slated to end on July 3 but holidays are likely to extend if the agitation continues. On the other hand, Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) spokesperson Neeraj Zimba Tamang upheld the leadership of Bimal Gurung in the current phase of Gorkhaland agitation. Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, he said:"We accept his leadership because he has the mandate of the people. The next all-party meeting will be held on June 29 and GTA Accord would be burnt on June 27," he said. Meanwhile, West Bengal Secretariat Nabanna has sent a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh protesting against Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling supporting the Gorkhaland statehood movement. "Chief minister of a state supporting secessionist movement of a neighbouring state is unconstitutional and undermines the federal structure of our country. We are keeping all our efforts to keep National Highway 10 from Siliguri to Gangtok open so that essential supplies continue reaching Sikkim despite complete shutdown of Darjeeling hills," the letter read. On the other hand, angry tourists and locals staged a dharna at Sikkim National Transport (SNT) bus terminus in Siliguri against a notice asking tourists not to visit Sikkim due to ongoing shutdown of Darjeeling hills. Responding to the ongoing cauldron in Darjeeling hills, Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP national general secretary and observer of West Bengal said: "Only Mamata Banerjee is responsible for the situation in Darjeeling hills by curbing the rights of GTA. However, we are not in support of Gorkhaland but we respect the rights and culture of the people."
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

DARJEELING: With non-bailable murder, rioting and arson charges being pressed against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha and 24 other GJM leaders, holding them responsible for death of 3 GJM leaders and burning of police vehicles and the GJM supremo retorting by daring the police to arrest him after resigning from Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) along with 42 executive members on Friday, the showdown between Mamata Banerjee and her bete noire Bimal Gurung is likely to increase in the hills of West Bengal.



With arrest of Bimal Gurung, who is a wanted man now, likely on the cards after return of Mamata Banerjee from The Hague in Netherlands, the hills may boil soon again after a relative period of lull.



Asked about possibility of Gurung's arrest after return of Mamata Banerjee, Darjeeling SP Akhilesh Chaturvedi told New Indian Express: "We will take legal action very soon. I won't answer question about his arrest after return of the chief minister."

WATCH VIDEO:

However, the youth of Darjeeling hills, who are the foot-soldiers of the current phase of Gorkhaland statehood agitation, are ready for any development that may increase tension in the hills. "If Bimal daaju (big brother in Nepali) is arrested, we will not keep quite and do Gandhigiri. The hills will burn more," said youth agitator Shailendra Yonzon.



With even parties such as Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and Jan Andolan Party (JAP), who were former allies of Trinamool Congress, accepting Bimal Gurung as leader of the movement and shunning their flags to come together, the GJM supremo has emerged as the most influential Gorkha leader since Subhash Ghising.



"All the Gorkhas have united under the leadership of Bimal daaju. This was never witnessed since the 1986-88 movement led by Subhash Ghising. Mamata Banerjee's policy of dividing us through formation of ethnic deelopment boards has fallen flat on the face as many members of ethnic development boards have resigned from their posts. It's now or never for us now," said another agitator Rachna Pokhrel.



Despite having 2 columns of Maratha Light Infantry engaged in area domination route marches throughout the serpentine roads of the hills and around 10 companies of central paramilitary forces posted in four major towns Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik, who are completely in control of the situation, the state government is asking for more forces from Centre indicates towards possibility of worsening of situation and West Bengal's likely push to arrest Bimal Gurung.



On the other hand, with BJP not coming strongly in support of the statehood movement, many in the hills feel that the saffron party doesn't want to mar it's political prospects in the plains, where it is slowly growing in strength.



"At most Gorkhaland agitators have 2 MPs and 12 MLAs throughout the entire proposed Gorkhaland state. On the other hand, there are 40 other MPs throughout the plains of West Bengal. BJP doesn't want to support Gorkhaland precisely because of that but it comes in support of Vidarbha statehood," said political analyst Upendra Pradhan.



Others feel that Centre is hesitating to support Gorkhaland statehood fearing that other statehood demands may grow stronger. "BJP is in power in Assam and can't afford to give Bodoland, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao statehood demands. In Tripura, BJP is slowing growing in strength so can't afford to give away Twipraland statehood demand. In Manipur, it recently came to power riding on the mandate from the Meiteis of the plains so can't afford to give Kukiland demand. In the end, Gorkhaland is suffering due to these equations," said agitator Pema Lama.



With internet ban in effect till June 26 and likely to increase with another government notification and no signs of military boots going off the hills, the agitation days are far from over in the Darjeeling hills.

DARJEELING: With non-bailable murder, rioting and arson charges being pressed against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha and 24 other GJM leaders, holding them responsible for death of 3 GJM leaders and burning of police vehicles and the GJM supremo retorting by daring the police to arrest him after resigning from Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) along with 42 executive members on Friday, the showdown between Mamata Banerjee and her bete noire Bimal Gurung is likely to increase in the hills of West Bengal. With arrest of Bimal Gurung, who is a wanted man now, likely on the cards after return of Mamata Banerjee from The Hague in Netherlands, the hills may boil soon again after a relative period of lull. Asked about possibility of Gurung's arrest after return of Mamata Banerjee, Darjeeling SP Akhilesh Chaturvedi told New Indian Express: "We will take legal action very soon. I won't answer question about his arrest after return of the chief minister." WATCH VIDEO: window.__ventunoplayer = window.__ventunoplayer||[];window.__ventunoplayer.push({video_key: 'OTU2NDA2fHw4fHw2fHwxLDIsMQ==', holder_id: 'vt-video-player', player_type: 'vp', width:'100%', ratio:'4:3'});However, the youth of Darjeeling hills, who are the foot-soldiers of the current phase of Gorkhaland statehood agitation, are ready for any development that may increase tension in the hills. "If Bimal daaju (big brother in Nepali) is arrested, we will not keep quite and do Gandhigiri. The hills will burn more," said youth agitator Shailendra Yonzon. With even parties such as Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and Jan Andolan Party (JAP), who were former allies of Trinamool Congress, accepting Bimal Gurung as leader of the movement and shunning their flags to come together, the GJM supremo has emerged as the most influential Gorkha leader since Subhash Ghising. "All the Gorkhas have united under the leadership of Bimal daaju. This was never witnessed since the 1986-88 movement led by Subhash Ghising. Mamata Banerjee's policy of dividing us through formation of ethnic deelopment boards has fallen flat on the face as many members of ethnic development boards have resigned from their posts. It's now or never for us now," said another agitator Rachna Pokhrel. Despite having 2 columns of Maratha Light Infantry engaged in area domination route marches throughout the serpentine roads of the hills and around 10 companies of central paramilitary forces posted in four major towns Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik, who are completely in control of the situation, the state government is asking for more forces from Centre indicates towards possibility of worsening of situation and West Bengal's likely push to arrest Bimal Gurung. On the other hand, with BJP not coming strongly in support of the statehood movement, many in the hills feel that the saffron party doesn't want to mar it's political prospects in the plains, where it is slowly growing in strength. "At most Gorkhaland agitators have 2 MPs and 12 MLAs throughout the entire proposed Gorkhaland state. On the other hand, there are 40 other MPs throughout the plains of West Bengal. BJP doesn't want to support Gorkhaland precisely because of that but it comes in support of Vidarbha statehood," said political analyst Upendra Pradhan. Others feel that Centre is hesitating to support Gorkhaland statehood fearing that other statehood demands may grow stronger. "BJP is in power in Assam and can't afford to give Bodoland, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao statehood demands. In Tripura, BJP is slowing growing in strength so can't afford to give away Twipraland statehood demand. In Manipur, it recently came to power riding on the mandate from the Meiteis of the plains so can't afford to give Kukiland demand. In the end, Gorkhaland is suffering due to these equations," said agitator Pema Lama. With internet ban in effect till June 26 and likely to increase with another government notification and no signs of military boots going off the hills, the agitation days are far from over in the Darjeeling hills.
A recent White House press release about Trumps trip to Israel listed lasting peach in the Middle East as one of the US presidents top priorities

Typos galore in Trumps White House

The American administration of course wasnt concerned about the availability of the round stone fruit with juicy yellow flesh. It was a typo in a press release riddled with typos. Spelling errors also littered a list of global terror attacks provided by the White House; the list contained such words as Attaker and Denmakr

The unpresidented president

Trumps spelling errors on Twitter are well known. The US president, who once said he went to an Ivy League school and therefore has the best words, misspelled unprecedented in a tweet

Symptom of a deeper malaise?

But the other mistakes are not Trumps; they are typos by the White House, supposed to be a highly professional organisation. They might point to a deeper malaise inside the White House, claims political scientist Seth Masket in the magazine Pacific Standards website

Even for relatively minor letters, at least four sets of eyes typically saw the document before it got the presidents signature, writes Masket, who worked as a writer at the White House in the 1990s

A recent White House press release about Trumps trip to Israel listed lasting peach in the Middle East as one of the US presidents top priorities Typos galore in Trumps White House The American administration of course wasnt concerned about the availability of the round stone fruit with juicy yellow flesh. It was a typo in a press release riddled with typos. Spelling errors also littered a list of global terror attacks provided by the White House; the list contained such words as Attaker and Denmakr The unpresidented president Trumps spelling errors on Twitter are well known. The US president, who once said he went to an Ivy League school and therefore has the best words, misspelled unprecedented in a tweet Symptom of a deeper malaise? But the other mistakes are not Trumps; they are typos by the White House, supposed to be a highly professional organisation. They might point to a deeper malaise inside the White House, claims political scientist Seth Masket in the magazine Pacific Standards website Even for relatively minor letters, at least four sets of eyes typically saw the document before it got the presidents signature, writes Masket, who worked as a writer at the White House in the 1990s
By Express News Service

BAGALKOT: A 26-year-old old engineer from Bagalkot has been missing from Hamburg in Germany since Sunday. Manjunath Choori was pursuing his Masters in the German city and is suspected to have been washed away in a river, according to sources in Delhi. But the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is yet to confirm it.

Manjunath Choori

Chooris friend Anil Deshpande, who lives in Hamburg, lodged a missing complaint with Hamburg Police. Sources apparently said Manjunath may have committed suicide by jumping into a river.

His bicycle, shoes and clothes were found on the river bank and search for him is under way. As the river currents are too strong, the search has been called off. However, we are waiting for further confirmation. Police have found a letter in the mail box of Manjunath but not much is known of the letter and its contents, the sources said.

Family members living in Simikeri village in Bagalkot are in a state of shock and unable to believe the information coming from New Delhi. Manjunath had come to Bagalkot in November when his father had expired. He was depressed, but we cant believe he took such an extreme step over the incident. We hope the police conducts a thorough investigation into the matter and traces Manjunath, said a relative of Manjunath.

A 26-year-old engineer from Bagalkot has been missing from Hamburg in Germany since Sunday. Manjunath Choori was pursuing his Masters in the German city. On Wednesday, the family members approached Bagalkot MP P C Gaddigoudar, seeking to expedite the search operation with the help of MEA. We hope God will help us bring our brother back safely, said Kavita, elder sister of Manjunath. He used to call us daily. But since Sunday afternoon we did not receive any call. One of his friends in Germany informed that he is missing. We also heard a letter was found in his room, but there is no clarity on it, Kavita said.

BAGALKOT: A 26-year-old old engineer from Bagalkot has been missing from Hamburg in Germany since Sunday. Manjunath Choori was pursuing his Masters in the German city and is suspected to have been washed away in a river, according to sources in Delhi. But the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is yet to confirm it. Manjunath ChooriChooris friend Anil Deshpande, who lives in Hamburg, lodged a missing complaint with Hamburg Police. Sources apparently said Manjunath may have committed suicide by jumping into a river. His bicycle, shoes and clothes were found on the river bank and search for him is under way. As the river currents are too strong, the search has been called off. However, we are waiting for further confirmation. Police have found a letter in the mail box of Manjunath but not much is known of the letter and its contents, the sources said. Family members living in Simikeri village in Bagalkot are in a state of shock and unable to believe the information coming from New Delhi. Manjunath had come to Bagalkot in November when his father had expired. He was depressed, but we cant believe he took such an extreme step over the incident. We hope the police conducts a thorough investigation into the matter and traces Manjunath, said a relative of Manjunath. A 26-year-old engineer from Bagalkot has been missing from Hamburg in Germany since Sunday. Manjunath Choori was pursuing his Masters in the German city. On Wednesday, the family members approached Bagalkot MP P C Gaddigoudar, seeking to expedite the search operation with the help of MEA. We hope God will help us bring our brother back safely, said Kavita, elder sister of Manjunath. He used to call us daily. But since Sunday afternoon we did not receive any call. One of his friends in Germany informed that he is missing. We also heard a letter was found in his room, but there is no clarity on it, Kavita said.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Denying the reports that all milk samples from private players, which were subjected to lab tests, were found to be free from adulteration and safe, Dairy Development Minister KT Rajenthra Bhalaji told the State Assembly on Thursday that many samples subjected to lab tests between August 5, 2011 and May 31, 2017 were found to be substandard and even fines were imposed on those who supplied them.

No one can escape just by moving the courts and by paying the fine for adulteration. Whoever indulges in adulteration of milk, they would be brought to book and will be punished.

Responding to the issues raised by many members including Leader of Opposition MK Stalin during zero hour, the minister said 886 milk samples were subjected to lab tests between August 5, 2011 and May 31, 2017 across the State and though there was no sample which could be termed as unsafe, 187 samples were found sub-standard.

Regarding this, 143 cases were registered and in 81 cases, courts imposed a total fine of `10.26 lakh. Similarly, 338 milk product samples were also subjected to lab tests and 132 samples found substandard and the courts had imposed a fine of `six lakh. On January 4, 20 milk samples were put to lab tests and one of them was found unsafe as well as substandard. Many milk samples had been sent to labs at Pune, Mysore and Guindy. The district-level committees would continue to monitor the milk supplied across the State.

CHENNAI: Denying the reports that all milk samples from private players, which were subjected to lab tests, were found to be free from adulteration and safe, Dairy Development Minister KT Rajenthra Bhalaji told the State Assembly on Thursday that many samples subjected to lab tests between August 5, 2011 and May 31, 2017 were found to be substandard and even fines were imposed on those who supplied them. No one can escape just by moving the courts and by paying the fine for adulteration. Whoever indulges in adulteration of milk, they would be brought to book and will be punished. Responding to the issues raised by many members including Leader of Opposition MK Stalin during zero hour, the minister said 886 milk samples were subjected to lab tests between August 5, 2011 and May 31, 2017 across the State and though there was no sample which could be termed as unsafe, 187 samples were found sub-standard. Regarding this, 143 cases were registered and in 81 cases, courts imposed a total fine of `10.26 lakh. Similarly, 338 milk product samples were also subjected to lab tests and 132 samples found substandard and the courts had imposed a fine of `six lakh. On January 4, 20 milk samples were put to lab tests and one of them was found unsafe as well as substandard. Many milk samples had been sent to labs at Pune, Mysore and Guindy. The district-level committees would continue to monitor the milk supplied across the State.
Debjani Dutta By

Express News Service

PUDUCHERRY: After the Narendra Modi government banned red beacons atop VVIP cars across the country, a local minister who lost the privilege, has just found a workaround.

While West Bengal is beating the ban by replacing red beacons with flags, Puducherry Agriculture Minister R Kamalakkannan has put up a name plate on the front and back of his official car that specifies his portfolio.

The West Bengal government on Monday notified different types of flags that will replace the beacons on the vehicles of officials.

On April 19, the Centre issued a directive banning the use of lal battis (beacons) on non-emergency vehicles with effect from May 1. The rule applies evenly to all VVIPs, including the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India and Lok Sabha Speaker. Only fire brigade vehicles and ambulances are exempted.

Days after the announcement, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and ministers A Namassivayam, Malladi Krishna Rao, M Kandasamy and R Kamalakannan removed the red beacons from their cars.

It did not make a difference for the CM as he has escort vehicles, but ministers dont enjoy that luxury. While most of the ministers travel within Puducherry where they are recognised, Kamalakkannan, who represents Thirunallar constituency in Karaikal had to face uncomfortable situations.

He has to travel from Puducherry to Karaikal and back by passing through various districts of Tamil Nadu. Though he can take the security officer along, he does not do so when he travels to Karaikal. Since my security officer hails from Puducherry region, I allow him to remain in Puducherry even when I travel, said Kamalakannan.

While once travelling to Thiruvananthapuram, the toll staff refused to accept his ministerial status and asked for proof. It was very embarrassing for me and thereafter I advised my driver to pay the toll and not disclose my ministerial status, he said.

That was when he hit upon the idea of the name plate. In fact such name plates are there on the vehicles of several officials of Puducherry, including the Chief Secretary.

PUDUCHERRY: After the Narendra Modi government banned red beacons atop VVIP cars across the country, a local minister who lost the privilege, has just found a workaround. While West Bengal is beating the ban by replacing red beacons with flags, Puducherry Agriculture Minister R Kamalakkannan has put up a name plate on the front and back of his official car that specifies his portfolio. The West Bengal government on Monday notified different types of flags that will replace the beacons on the vehicles of officials. On April 19, the Centre issued a directive banning the use of lal battis (beacons) on non-emergency vehicles with effect from May 1. The rule applies evenly to all VVIPs, including the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India and Lok Sabha Speaker. Only fire brigade vehicles and ambulances are exempted. Days after the announcement, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and ministers A Namassivayam, Malladi Krishna Rao, M Kandasamy and R Kamalakannan removed the red beacons from their cars. It did not make a difference for the CM as he has escort vehicles, but ministers dont enjoy that luxury. While most of the ministers travel within Puducherry where they are recognised, Kamalakkannan, who represents Thirunallar constituency in Karaikal had to face uncomfortable situations. He has to travel from Puducherry to Karaikal and back by passing through various districts of Tamil Nadu. Though he can take the security officer along, he does not do so when he travels to Karaikal. Since my security officer hails from Puducherry region, I allow him to remain in Puducherry even when I travel, said Kamalakannan. While once travelling to Thiruvananthapuram, the toll staff refused to accept his ministerial status and asked for proof. It was very embarrassing for me and thereafter I advised my driver to pay the toll and not disclose my ministerial status, he said. That was when he hit upon the idea of the name plate. In fact such name plates are there on the vehicles of several officials of Puducherry, including the Chief Secretary.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight said the aim of his upcoming visit to the US was building of a "forward-looking vision" for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide-ranging ties.

Modi, who will be meeting President Donald Trump for the first time on June 26 in Washington, said he looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views.

Along with the US, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning tomorrow.

"My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted.

In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from June 25 was at the invitation of Trump.

"President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said.

"I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide-ranging partnership between India and the United States," the prime minister said.

He noted that India's partnership with the US is multilayered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.

"I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump," he added.

Apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs.

Like in the past, he will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora.

In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit tomorrow to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

"Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa.

"We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added.

He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest.

"I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said.

He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit.

After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King WillemAlexander and meet Queen Maxima.

This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.

"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counterterrorism and climate change," he said.

Economic relations form the core of the bilateral relations and the Netherlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally.

"The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said.

"Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies.

He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story.

"There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight said the aim of his upcoming visit to the US was building of a "forward-looking vision" for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide-ranging ties. Modi, who will be meeting President Donald Trump for the first time on June 26 in Washington, said he looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views. Along with the US, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning tomorrow. "My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted. In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from June 25 was at the invitation of Trump. "President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said. "I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide-ranging partnership between India and the United States," the prime minister said. He noted that India's partnership with the US is multilayered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides. "I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump," he added. Apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs. Like in the past, he will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora. In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit tomorrow to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa. "Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa. "We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added. He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest. "I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said. He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit. After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King WillemAlexander and meet Queen Maxima. This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations. "I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counterterrorism and climate change," he said. Economic relations form the core of the bilateral relations and the Netherlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally. "The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said. "Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies. He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story. "There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.
By PTI

UNITED NATIONS: India has voted against the UK to back of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justice's opinion on the decades-long dispute between Britain and Mauritius over a strategic island in the Indian Ocean.

In a diplomatic blow to Britain, the General Assembly yesterday voted by 94 to 15 to ask the Hague-based court to examine the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius maintains is part of its territory that has been unlawfully claimed by the UK since 1965.

Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968.

India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution proposed by Mauritius and co-sponsored by the Group of African States.

"As part of our longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in his statement to the General Assembly on the resolution.

Akbaruddin said India supports the draft and votes in favour of it, "continuing with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonisation".

Speaking before the vote, Mauritius Minister Mentor and Minister for Defence Anerood Jugnauth told the 193-member General Assembly that the Chagos Archipelago has been part of his country since at least the 18th century, when France had governed it. He said the entire territory had been ceded to the United Kingdom in 1810, and kept intact until the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago in November 1965. He added that information had come to light about British efforts to manipulate the international community at the time, and to present the United Nations with a fait accompli regarding the separation. Those facts alone should warrant a fresh look at the situation, he emphasised.

He said "a vote for the draft resolution [...] is a vote in support of completing the process of decolonisation, respect for international law and the rule of law."

Akbaruddin said as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonisation, India since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.

He stressed that India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean.

"We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space. On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations," Akbaruddin said.

The archipelago's biggest island Diego Garcia is the site of a major British-American military base that is still in operation and served as a key US base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The US voted against the draft resolution saying it was an attempt to circumvent the ICJ's lack of jurisdiction over a bilateral issue in which one of the parties had not consented to the submission.

It said the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, was critical to regional and global security. The US said the issue was not decolonisation, but a bilateral territorial dispute that would undermine the Courts advisory function.

Britain's envoy to the UN Matthew Rycroft said the UK is opposing the resolution "because referring a bilateral dispute to the ICJ is not the appropriate course of action.

"The request for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the Government of Mauritius to circumvent a vital principle: the principle that a State is not obliged to have its bilateral disputes submitted for judicial settlement without its consent. And let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius," he said.

Rycroft added that UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes, and in 1966, concluded an agreement with the United States of America for joint defence use of the territory.

"The extensive facilities that have since been established, are primarily used as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships, and they make an essential contribution to regional and global security and stability," he said.

He noted that Britains current agreement with the United States regarding the use of the Archipelago as a military base lasts until 2036.

"We cannot, 19 years away, predict exactly what our defence purposes will require beyond that date. We should not and will not make arbitrary, or ill-informed, or premature decisions. We cannot gamble with the future of regional and global security," he said.

The British envoy asserted that UK stands by its commitment that when it no longer needs the territory for defence purposes, it will pass on the Archipelagos sovereignty.

UNITED NATIONS: India has voted against the UK to back of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justice's opinion on the decades-long dispute between Britain and Mauritius over a strategic island in the Indian Ocean. In a diplomatic blow to Britain, the General Assembly yesterday voted by 94 to 15 to ask the Hague-based court to examine the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius maintains is part of its territory that has been unlawfully claimed by the UK since 1965. Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968. India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution proposed by Mauritius and co-sponsored by the Group of African States. "As part of our longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in his statement to the General Assembly on the resolution. Akbaruddin said India supports the draft and votes in favour of it, "continuing with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonisation". Speaking before the vote, Mauritius Minister Mentor and Minister for Defence Anerood Jugnauth told the 193-member General Assembly that the Chagos Archipelago has been part of his country since at least the 18th century, when France had governed it. He said the entire territory had been ceded to the United Kingdom in 1810, and kept intact until the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago in November 1965. He added that information had come to light about British efforts to manipulate the international community at the time, and to present the United Nations with a fait accompli regarding the separation. Those facts alone should warrant a fresh look at the situation, he emphasised. He said "a vote for the draft resolution [...] is a vote in support of completing the process of decolonisation, respect for international law and the rule of law." Akbaruddin said as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonisation, India since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid. He stressed that India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean. "We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space. On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations," Akbaruddin said. The archipelago's biggest island Diego Garcia is the site of a major British-American military base that is still in operation and served as a key US base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The US voted against the draft resolution saying it was an attempt to circumvent the ICJ's lack of jurisdiction over a bilateral issue in which one of the parties had not consented to the submission. It said the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, was critical to regional and global security. The US said the issue was not decolonisation, but a bilateral territorial dispute that would undermine the Courts advisory function. Britain's envoy to the UN Matthew Rycroft said the UK is opposing the resolution "because referring a bilateral dispute to the ICJ is not the appropriate course of action. "The request for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the Government of Mauritius to circumvent a vital principle: the principle that a State is not obliged to have its bilateral disputes submitted for judicial settlement without its consent. And let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius," he said. Rycroft added that UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes, and in 1966, concluded an agreement with the United States of America for joint defence use of the territory. "The extensive facilities that have since been established, are primarily used as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships, and they make an essential contribution to regional and global security and stability," he said. He noted that Britains current agreement with the United States regarding the use of the Archipelago as a military base lasts until 2036. "We cannot, 19 years away, predict exactly what our defence purposes will require beyond that date. We should not and will not make arbitrary, or ill-informed, or premature decisions. We cannot gamble with the future of regional and global security," he said. The British envoy asserted that UK stands by its commitment that when it no longer needs the territory for defence purposes, it will pass on the Archipelagos sovereignty.
By AFP

MEXICO CITY: Mexico may have a problem with violence, but its government says it is not the second most violent country in the world, as US President Donald Trump has claimed on Twitter.

The Mexican foreign ministry pointed instead to places like Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil as countries with higher murder rates, in a statement released late Thursday.

Trump had posted earlier: "Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!"

He appeared to be referring to a May 9 report from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, which said that Mexico's 2016 murder rate was second only to Syria's.

The IISS pointed to Mexico's heavily militarized war on drugs and its attempts to crush powerful drug cartels.

"It is very rare for criminal violence to reach a level akin to armed conflict," the IISS report said.

Mexico's foreign ministry acknowledged that the drug trade was "the most important cause of violence in Mexico."

But it described it as "a shared problem that will end only when its root causes are dealt with: the high demand for drugs in the United States and the offer from Mexico (and other countries)."

"We must stop blaming each other," it added.

Mexico had already said in May that the IISS report was based on faulty methodology, saying such comparisons should be based on United Nations crime figures that include central and south American countries.

US-Mexico relations have been testy since Trump took office in January after a campaign in which he vowed to build a wall along the shared border, bashed Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists, and promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

The wall remains a rallying cry among Trump's supporters, but the proposal -- estimated to cost anywhere from $8 to $40 billion -- has found little support in Congress.

Mexican officials have derided Trump's claim that Mexico will pay for the wall's construction.

Talks with Canada and Mexico to overhaul NAFTA are expected to start in August.

MEXICO CITY: Mexico may have a problem with violence, but its government says it is not the second most violent country in the world, as US President Donald Trump has claimed on Twitter. The Mexican foreign ministry pointed instead to places like Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil as countries with higher murder rates, in a statement released late Thursday. Trump had posted earlier: "Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!" He appeared to be referring to a May 9 report from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, which said that Mexico's 2016 murder rate was second only to Syria's. The IISS pointed to Mexico's heavily militarized war on drugs and its attempts to crush powerful drug cartels. "It is very rare for criminal violence to reach a level akin to armed conflict," the IISS report said. Mexico's foreign ministry acknowledged that the drug trade was "the most important cause of violence in Mexico." But it described it as "a shared problem that will end only when its root causes are dealt with: the high demand for drugs in the United States and the offer from Mexico (and other countries)." "We must stop blaming each other," it added. Mexico had already said in May that the IISS report was based on faulty methodology, saying such comparisons should be based on United Nations crime figures that include central and south American countries. US-Mexico relations have been testy since Trump took office in January after a campaign in which he vowed to build a wall along the shared border, bashed Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists, and promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada. The wall remains a rallying cry among Trump's supporters, but the proposal -- estimated to cost anywhere from $8 to $40 billion -- has found little support in Congress. Mexican officials have derided Trump's claim that Mexico will pay for the wall's construction. Talks with Canada and Mexico to overhaul NAFTA are expected to start in August.
By AFP

MOSCOW: Two Russian warships and a submarine in the Mediterranean have fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in Syria, the defence ministry said Friday.

It said that Turkish and Israeli military "were informed in a timely manner of the missile launches through communication channels," but it did not mention the United States.

Russia suspended its communication channel with the US about military operations in Syria from Monday after a US jet shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday, with Moscow accusing Washington of failing to issue a warning.

The defence ministry said in a statement that Russia's Admiral Essen and Admiral Grigorovich warships and the Krasnodar submarine in the eastern Mediterranean fired six Kalibr missiles at command centres and weapons stores in Syria's Hama region.

"As a result of the surprise mass missile strike, command points were destroyed and also large stores of weapons and ammunition of the IS terrorists in the area of Aqirbat in the Hama province," it said.

The ministry added that Russian planes then carried out aerial strikes that "destroyed the remainder of the IS fighters and their facilities."

The most recent such strikes were announced by the ministry on May 31, aimed at targets around Palmyra.

The defence ministry on Friday said that IS this week has been moving forces into Hama province under cover of night and using large buildings there as command points and weapons stores. It said this was part of attempts to move out from Raqa towards Palmyra

MOSCOW: Two Russian warships and a submarine in the Mediterranean have fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in Syria, the defence ministry said Friday. It said that Turkish and Israeli military "were informed in a timely manner of the missile launches through communication channels," but it did not mention the United States. Russia suspended its communication channel with the US about military operations in Syria from Monday after a US jet shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday, with Moscow accusing Washington of failing to issue a warning. The defence ministry said in a statement that Russia's Admiral Essen and Admiral Grigorovich warships and the Krasnodar submarine in the eastern Mediterranean fired six Kalibr missiles at command centres and weapons stores in Syria's Hama region. "As a result of the surprise mass missile strike, command points were destroyed and also large stores of weapons and ammunition of the IS terrorists in the area of Aqirbat in the Hama province," it said. The ministry added that Russian planes then carried out aerial strikes that "destroyed the remainder of the IS fighters and their facilities." The most recent such strikes were announced by the ministry on May 31, aimed at targets around Palmyra. The defence ministry on Friday said that IS this week has been moving forces into Hama province under cover of night and using large buildings there as command points and weapons stores. It said this was part of attempts to move out from Raqa towards Palmyra
By AFP

HABBANIYAH: A suicide bomber blew himself up in a town in western Iraq on Friday, killing at least eight civilians and a soldier, officers said.

He was one of a group of four suicide bombers who infiltrated a neighbourhood of Al-Baghdadi, a town on the Euphrates River in the restive western province of Anbar.

"Army forces were able to kill three suicide bombers after trapping them in a house in the Martyrs neighbourhood by detonating their belts with gunfire," a senior police officer said.

"The fourth managed to hide and later blow himself up in the midst of a group of civilians and soldiers," the officer said.

The police officer and Sharhabil al-Obeidi, a local district official, said eight civilians and a soldier were killed in the blast, while another 11 people were wounded.

Anbar is a sprawling desert province traversed by the Euphrates River and bordering Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

It has long been an insurgent stronghold, and IS already controlled parts of it before it swept through Iraq in 2014 to take over around a third of the country.

Pro-government forces have since retaken most towns and cities in Anbar, but the jihadists still control areas near the Syrian border and have desert hideouts from which they harass federal forces.



HABBANIYAH: A suicide bomber blew himself up in a town in western Iraq on Friday, killing at least eight civilians and a soldier, officers said. He was one of a group of four suicide bombers who infiltrated a neighbourhood of Al-Baghdadi, a town on the Euphrates River in the restive western province of Anbar. "Army forces were able to kill three suicide bombers after trapping them in a house in the Martyrs neighbourhood by detonating their belts with gunfire," a senior police officer said. "The fourth managed to hide and later blow himself up in the midst of a group of civilians and soldiers," the officer said. The police officer and Sharhabil al-Obeidi, a local district official, said eight civilians and a soldier were killed in the blast, while another 11 people were wounded. Anbar is a sprawling desert province traversed by the Euphrates River and bordering Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It has long been an insurgent stronghold, and IS already controlled parts of it before it swept through Iraq in 2014 to take over around a third of the country. Pro-government forces have since retaken most towns and cities in Anbar, but the jihadists still control areas near the Syrian border and have desert hideouts from which they harass federal forces.
Trinity Church honors veterans buried as far back as 1731

The flags will be on display until Nov. 13, and the church graveyard, which is adjacent to the park at Queen Annes Square, is open to the public.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy. Morning high of 50F with temps falling to near 40. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 28F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Scientists used human pluripotent stem cells to generate human embryonic colons in a laboratory that function much like natural human tissues when transplanted into mice, according to research published June 22 in Cell Stem Cell.

The study is believed to be the first time human colon organoids have been successfully tissue engineered in this manner, according to researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center who led the project.

The technology allows diseases of the colon to be studied in unprecedented detail in a human modeling system. It also comes with the potential to one day generate human gastrointestinal (GI) tract tissues for transplant into patients, according to James Wells, PhD, senior study investigator and director of the Cincinnati Children's Pluripotent Stem Cell Center.

"Diseases affecting this region of the GI tract are quite prevalent and include ailments like colitis, colon cancer, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Hirschsprung's disease and polyposis syndromes," Wells said. "We've been limited in how we can study these diseases, including the fact that animal models like mice don't precisely recreate human disease processes in the gastrointestinal tract. This system allows us to very effectively model human diseases and human development."

Building the GI Tract

In a series of studies published since 2009, researchers in Wells' laboratory used human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to grow embryonic-stage small intestines with a functioning nervous system, and the antrum and fundus regions of the human stomach.

The researchers  including Jorge Munera, PhD, first author and postdoctoral fellow in the Wells laboratory  note in their current paper the colon has been more difficult to generate than other parts of the GI tract.

Part of the challenge to identifying the correct genetic and molecular programming to coax hPSCs in to colonic organoids has been a lack of data about embryonic development of the organ, according to the authors. They addressed this by conducting a series of molecular and genetic screens of developing hindgut tissues in animal models. The hindgut is the portion of the developing gut that gives rise to the entire large intestine  which includes the cecum, colon and rectum.

They also mined public databases (GNCPro, TiGER, Human Protein Atlas) to identify molecular markers of the hindgut in the adult colon.

Frogs and Mice at Forefront

To develop a model for generating the human colon, scientists first identified SATB2 (special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2) as a definitive molecular marker for hindgut in frogs, mice and in humans.

SATB2 is a DNA-binding protein that facilitates structural organization of chromosomes in the nucleus of cells.

The protein sequence of SATB2 is remarkably similar between frogs, mice and humans. This led the authors to the hypothesis that molecular signals regulating SATB2 in frogs and mice could be used to make human colon organoids that express the protein.

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The authors also noticed that signaling from the growth factor BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) was highly active in the SATB2-expressing region of the gut tube. The researchers learned during their analysis of frog, mouse and human stem-cell derived intestine that signaling by BMP is needed to establish SATB2 in the developing hindgut. With SABT2 as a marker, the researchers show BMP signaling is required for development of tissues specific to the posterior gut region of frogs and mice where the colon develops.

When BMP protein was added for three days in human pluripotent stem cell-derived gut tube cultures, it induced a posterior HOX code. HOX includes a critical set of genes that help control the embryo's development plan from head to toe. Researchers report the posterior HOX helps control the formation of SATB2-expressing human colon organoids.

Testing Translational Potential

To see how human GI tissues perform in a living organism  and to test their future therapeutic potential  the research team included collaborators from the Division of Surgery, led by Michael Helmrath, MD, a pediatric surgeon and director of the Surgical Research program.

The tissue-engineered colonic organoids were transplanted into the kidney capsules of immunocompromised mice for six to 10 weeks. During observation and analysis of the now in vivo organoids, study authors looked for signs of posterior region enteroendocrine cells, which make hormones found in naturally developed human colon.

Researchers report that following transplant, the human colonic organoids assumed the form, different structures and molecular and cell properties of the human colon.

Munera, study first author, pointed to a number of new ways that human colon organoids could be used study disease.

"By exposing human colonic organoids to inflammatory triggers, we can now learn how the cell lining of the colon and the supporting cells beneath cooperate to respond to inflammation," Munera said. "This could be very relevant for patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. And because the microbiome, the organisms that live in our guts, are most concentrated in the colon, the organoids potentially could be used to model the human microbiome in health and disease."

Like other parts of the GI tract grown by the researchers, the human colon organoids also create a potential new platform for testing new drugs before the start of clinical trials. Most oral drugs are absorbed by the body through the gut.
A pair of scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso is one step closer to developing the first ever clinical Chagas disease vaccine.

Researchers Rosa Maldonado, Ph.D., and Igor Almeida, Ph.D., both faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences, recently were granted a patent for "Mucin-Associated Surface Protein As Vaccine Against Chagas Disease."

"We dream of this [a vaccine for Chagas disease], but we don't know it is going to happen," Almeida said. "You dream to get something to help the people and you expect to make at least a small contribution," Maldonado shared.

The preventive vaccine had been in development since 2008 and most recently was tested at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute (TBRI) in San Antonio on nonhuman primates in collaboration with John VandeBerg, Ph.D. Results are promising and may lead to clinical trials in the coming years.

A second vaccine, based on synthetic parasite sugars, in collaboration with Katja Michael, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at UTEP, also was tested in nonhuman primates at TBRI and yielded very promising results. Almeida started work on that vaccine 27 years ago and is currently awaiting patent approval. The vaccine studies were funded by the Kleberg Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

"The big problem with Chagas disease is heart failure," Maldonado explained. "We have determined the inflammation in the heart and the parasitic load significantly decreased, and this vaccine is protecting the animals from the disease. These are the first synthetic vaccines tested in a non-human primate model ever."

The UTEP scientists said that 6 million to 8 million people are chronically infected with the potentially life-threatening Chagas disease. Chagas is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and people by insect vectors known as kissing bugs. The disease has been endemic in Latin America, but is rapidly spreading through the U.S., Europe and other nonendemic regions as a result of globalization. Yet, there is no clinical vaccine, although there have been several experimental efforts throughout the years.

Both UTEP researchers confirm kissing bugs are in the Paso del Norte region that includes El Paso, have been caught and tested, and many turn out positive with Trypanosoma cruzi. The number of people infected, though, is underreported because symptoms may take decades to turn up and doctors don't regularly test for this tropical disease.

"It is not like a viral infection; you don't see it, you feel like you have the flu," Almeida said. "After several years is when you start having problems. Seventy to 80 percent of those infected don't feel anything until they start having cardiac problems or gastrointestinal issues or both. That can take over 10-20 years."

Getting it from a kissing bug isn't the only way to contract the disease. Once a human is infected, the parasite can be transmitted to others via organ transplants, blood transfusions and from a mother to a fetus. In addition, the parasite can be spread through foods and juices tainted by the contaminated bug feces.

To prevent parasite transmission by the kissing bug, the scientists say it's important to be aware of the presence of the bugs in the house and yard.

"If you see kissing bugs, do not touch them. You can collect them using gloves and a jar. To prevent them from coming into your home, plug any cracks in your home, keep screens on your windows and doors and make sure there are no tears," the pair advised.

If you catch a kissing bug, call 915-747-6891 or 915-747-6086 or email [email protected] or [email protected] so their team can pick up the specimen and test it.

Efforts are under way now to increase community awareness locally and seek funding for future studies.

"We feel good but would feel better if these vaccines went on to clinical trials," Almeida said.

"The anxiety to go to the next step is unbearable," Maldonado added. "Every step is a very hard fight."
Today, Abbott announced that the Sekisui CP3000 coagulation system, a fully automated analyzer that tests bleeding and clotting function in blood, is now available in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Abbott is the exclusive global distributor of the CP3000 coagulation system in the U.S., Europe and other countries that recognize CE Mark and has non-exclusive distribution rights with Sekisui in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Macau.

"The launch of the CP3000 coagulation system is an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to improve care for people around the world. For many of our customers, quickly obtaining reliable test results is critical to their clinical decision making," said Luis de Luzuriaga, divisional vice president and general manager for Abbotts hematology business. "Abbott is committed to offering testing solutions, like the CP3000 system, to healthcare providers who provide accurate results and improve the operational performance of their laboratories."

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The CP3000 coagulation system seamlessly integrates with Abbotts suite of informatics solutions, which help accelerate efficiency in high test volume laboratories where resources may be limited and space and time is at a premium. Capabilities like Abbotts AlinIQ informatics and service offerings streamline operations and provide intelligent laboratory insights through common reporting and dashboard views, make it easy for healthcare providers to read and interpret patient results. The system also connects to the ACCELERATOR a3600 automation track, which provides additional flexibility to meet the needs of the laboratory.

Coagulation tests measure the bloods ability to clot. Clotting disorders may be a sign of liver disease, thrombophilia (excessive clotting), or hemophilia (inability to clot normally). These tests aid physicians in assessing the patients risk of excessive bleeding or clotting and in determining the patient care pathway. Coagulation tests are also performed to monitor patients who are taking medications that can affect clotting.

Delays in coagulation testing are often related to sample errors and manual errors in the testing process. CP3000 coagulation system provides automated, standardized sample management, and can flag unsuitable samples at the start of testing. The system offers an expanded menu of barcoded reagents to reduce data entry errors. With a unique ability to visualize and automate Mixing Studies, the CP3000 coagulation system can help clinicians quickly interpret results.

"The CP3000 coagulation system has been a great addition to our lab. It does not occupy a lot of space, and its automated processes and user-friendly design have reduced the burden on our lab staff and pathologists. We have been pleased with how quickly the system produces accurate results that are used to guide treatment decisions for our patients," said Dr. Chandra Poonam, Laboratory Director at Gulf Diagnostic Center Hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
This study investigated whether children whose mothers had an alcohol-related disorder would be at risk of early-life contact with the justice system, which can lead to many negative outcomes across an individual's life span. Such outcomes can include repeated contact with the justice system, social disadvantages and marginalization, and mental-health and substance-use issues.

The study made use of linked administrative data from Western Australia. It used records of women who had a birth recorded on the Midwives Notification System between 1983 and 2007. The exposed cohort included mothers with an alcohol-related diagnosis, which served as a proxy for heavy drinking. A comparison group of mothers with no alcohol-related diagnoses was randomly selected, matching on maternal age within race and the year of the child's birth. The study cohort included 10,211 exposed mothers and 47,688 comparison mothers. Child contact with the justice system was identified from Department of Corrective Services data  including those 10 years or older with a justice-system record for juveniles (10 - 17 years) and/or adults (18 years and older) from 1985 to 2011.

Children whose mothers had a maternal alcohol-related diagnosis had almost twice the odds of contact with the justice system as children whose mothers had no alcohol-related diagnosis. Additional risk was associated with being Indigenous and with markers of social disadvantage such as low socioeconomic status. Significant child-level factors associated with greater odds of justice-system contact included being male, having a mental-health diagnosis or child-protection contact, and academic failure. The authors suggest that these factors be considered in the development of targeted prevention programs.

Source: http://www.rsoa.org/
Scientists from the University of Birmingham have discovered the link between increased male hormones and metabolic complications such as diabetes and fatty liver disease in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, shows that an enzyme that activates male hormones in the fat tissue of PCOS women drives their risk to develop other metabolic health complications.

A common condition, believed to affect at least one in ten women in the UK, PCOS has significant impact on the life of affected women.

In addition to irregular periods and often impaired fertility, PCOS women regularly have high levels of male hormones, also termed androgens, circulating in their blood. These are known to cause problems with increased male-pattern body hair growth and acne.

The study has shown, for the first time, that abdominal fat tissue is a major source of increased male hormones in women with PCOS, and that the levels of male hormones within the fat tissue of women with PCOS far exceeds those measured in their blood.

Furthermore, the researchers could show that male hormones are a major driver of metabolic changes that make women with PCOS more prone to develop diabetes and fatty liver disease.

Professor Wiebke Arlt, Director of the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research at the University of Birmingham, said: "We could show that the enzyme AKR1C3 is much increased in fat tissue of PCOS women.

"This causes increased activation of male hormones, which we observed to lead to increased build-up of lipid droplets in the fat cells and, eventually, to fatty acid overspill into the circulation.

"This overspill changes how the cells respond to the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin: fat cells become less responsive to insulin, which causes the body to produce more insulin and these increased insulin levels then lead to even higher levels of AKR1C3."

"This vicious circle drives complications like fatty liver disease, which recently have been shown to be more common in women with PCOS."

Dr Michael O'Reilly, also from the University of Birmingham, said: "This study is particularly exciting because it highlights the role that body fat plays in generating excess male hormones in PCOS women, which then act locally to disrupt the ability of the body's fat to store lipid effectively.

"Our research opens up new avenues for treatment of PCOS and the University of Birmingham is now set to test whether blocking the AKR1C3 enzyme will lead to a decrease in metabolic complications in PCOS.

"Finding a new treatment that reduces the risk of diabetes and fatty liver disease in women with PCOS would bring relief to millions of patients."
An exercise program comprised of gentle exercises and taught by home care aides can help frail older adults perform basic daily activities, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago published in The Gerontologist.

"Despite evidence proving the benefits of regular physical activity for all people, regardless of age and ability, our health care system and long-term care norms encourage dependent behavior in older adults," said corresponding author Naoko Muramatsu, associate professor of community health sciences in the UIC School of Public Health and fellow of the UIC Institute for Health Research and Policy.

"This study challenges our passive care model and is one of the first to test an intervention for frail seniors using home care aides," she said.

The program, called Healthy Moves for Aging Well, includes three low-risk, gentle exercises: a seated step-in-place, arm curls and an ankle point-and-flex. Aides remind clients of their health goals and provide motivation to complete the exercises daily during regular visits.

For the study, Muramatsu and colleagues looked at the outcomes of 54 clients aged 63 to 101 living in Chicago who participated in Healthy Moves for Aging Well in a Medicaid and state-funded home care setting for four months. The researchers saw improvement in the ability to perform basic activities, such as getting to the toilet and pouring a drink from a carton, and light daily tasks, such as preparing meals and doing laundry.

"Improvement in these small tasks makes a large difference when it comes to quality of life, especially in a society that has not yet caught up to the needs of its aging population," Muramatsu said. "Few physical activity programs target older adults who have difficulty with basic activities, such as standing and walking. Programs that do so effectively- through physical or occupational therapy, for example- are often too expensive for wide dissemination among this group of people."

"We are excited to see function and health outcomes improve, and we are also very excited to see that participation and satisfaction with the program was high," Muramatsu said. "This tells us that the program is sustainable for wider dissemination."

Ninety-eight percent of clients reported high levels of satisfaction with the program and 80 percent reported the program was "just right."

And, clients are not the only ones who benefit from this program. The research also found the program empowered and benefited home care aides- one of the fastest growing occupations is the U.S.- who often lack access to wellness initiatives provided in more traditional workplaces. These secondary findings are published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Muramatsu plans to enroll approximately 300 home-care aides and their clients, in future studies. The goal, she says, is to develop a sustainable health promotion program that can be used widely by all kinds of people and organizations in community-settings.
Senate Republicans praised the Affordable Care Act replacement bill they presented Thursday as preserving coverage for people with cancer, mental illness and other chronic illness.

But the legislation may do no such thing, according to health law experts who have read it closely.

Built into the bill are loopholes for states to bypass those protections and erode coverage for preexisting conditions. That could lead to perverse situations in which insurers are required to cover chronically ill people but not the diseases they suffer from.

Depending on what states do, plans sold to individuals might exclude coverage for prescription drugs, mental health, addiction and other expensive benefits, lawyers said. Maternity coverage might also be dropped.

Somebody with cancer might be able to buy insurance but find it doesn't cover expensive chemotherapy. A plan might pay for opioids to control pain but not recovery if a patient became addicted. People planning families might find it hard to get childbirth coverage.

"The protection your insurance provides could depend a lot on where you live," said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute. In some states, "over time, [patients with chronic illness] might find it increasingly difficult to find insurance companies that will offer plans that cover their needs."

The Senate provisions aren't expected to affect job-based health plans or Medicare for seniors. It would mainly affect the kind of insurance sold to individuals through the Affordable Care Act's online exchanges, which cover about 10 million people.

Obamacare overhauls in both the House and Senate would also limit spending on Medicaid for low-income people, which analysts say would cause coverage losses for millions.

The Senate legislation, expected to be voted on next week, follows a widely criticized House bill that would also overhaul the Affordable Care Act, in its case giving states the option of denying coverage or raising premiums for those with preexisting illness.

On Thursday Republican Senators touted their bill as avoiding those features.

"I feel comfortable that no one is going to be denied coverage because they've been sick before," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) The bill "doesn't change [protections for] preexisting illnesses, which is good," he said.

Not explicitly. But it still gives insurers a potential way to shrink coverage for the chronically ill, albeit less obviously, said health law scholars.

"There's nothing in the Senate bill that specifically would allow withdrawal of coverage for a person with a preexisting condition," said Timothy Jost, emeritus law professor at Washington and Lee University in Virginia and an expert on health reform. "What it does do is allow states to get waivers" allowing exceptions to rules requiring comprehensive coverage, he said.

The Affordable Care Act required carriers to offer "essential health benefits" covering a wide range of services including hospitalization, maternity, prescription drugs and mental health.

Both the Republican House bill and the Senate bill would let states change that rule. Under those measures, states could set their own standards that might not be as generous, allowing insurers to exclude benefits for those with preexisting illness.

"The Senate bill guarantees people with preexisting conditions access to insurance at the same rate as healthy people, but there is not a guarantee that the benefits they need will be covered by insurance," said Larry Levitt, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

Obamacare, too, allows states to make exceptions for essential health benefits  but with strict limits. Coverage must be at least as comprehensive as the federal standard, for one thing. The Senate bill contains no such safeguard.

"As long as they can show that it's budget neutral, states would have a lot of latitude" to cut essential benefits, said Christopher Koller, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund and a former Rhode Island insurance commissioner.

Insurance plans for individuals might again start to look as they did in the days before Obamacare, when they typically excluded coverage for maternity, mental health and substance abuse, the health policy expert said.

For their part, insurers may heavily pressure states to make such changes, analysts said.

Unlike the Affordable Care Act and the House bill, the Senate bill contains no incentives or inducements for healthy people to maintain medical coverage. That could result in a disproportionately sick group of people buying individual insurance, driving up carriers' costs and prompting them to seek ways to trim coverage and cut claims.

"If the only people motivated to buy insurance are going to be the ones who really need it, insurers are really going to have a strong incentive to use their benefit design to deter enrollment for the sickest people," said Corlette.
An international team that just conducted the largest study of Tourette Syndrome has identified genetic abnormalities that are the first definitive risk genes for the disorder.

Although Tourette has long been thought to have a genetic basis -- because the syndrome tends to appear in families -- before now no definitive risk genes had been found.

The breakthrough came when researchers focused on a relatively new area of genomics research that takes a broader look at the entire genome, rather than searching for a particular gene, says Peristera Paschou, Purdue University associate biology professor.

"Most times we focus on a mutation of a single base pair, which are the building blocks of DNA, and look for a mutation. But in recent years we've realized that there is another type of variation of the human genome," Paschou says.

Scientists have been exploring how often short sections of genes are repeated through the entire genome, how these repetitions might vary among individuals, and whether these repetitions, which are called copy number variants, have an effect on health.

"These variations may involve a large part of the DNA sequence and may even include whole genes. We have only very recently begun to understand how copy number variation may relate to disease," she says. "In the case of this research on Tourette Syndrome, we scanned the entire genome, and through physical analysis, we were able to identify where this variation lies.

"We rarely find variants that are associated at such a high level. This is why this is such a big breakthrough."

Dr. Jeremiah Scharf, of the Psychiatric & Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit in the Massachusetts General Hospital Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology and the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Genomic Medicine, co-senior author of the report, says this is a significant finding.

"The challenge of recognizing that Tourette Syndrome is not a single gene disorder, and that a stringent statistical certainty is required in order to declare a gene to be significantly associated with it, has been our long-term aim," he says. "We believe that what sets our study apart from prior studies is that the two genes we have identified both surpassed the stringent threshold of 'genome-wide significance,' and so, represent the first two definitive Tourette Syndrome susceptibility genes."

The research was published this week in the journal Neuron.

In addition to Paschou and Scharf, other co-senior authors on the paper were Dr. Giovanni Coppola, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles; and Dr. Carol Mathews, of the Genetics Institute at the University of Florida.

The international research team that made the discovery comprised 57 researchers based in 11 countries.

About one in 100 people have Tourette Syndrome, which is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder. Although the syndrome is often sensationalized with reports of individuals saying vulgar words or inappropriate comments, this behavior actually occurs in a small percentage of people with Tourette Syndrome.

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A person with the disorder will typically have one or more physical tics, such as throat clearing, coughing, eye blinking, or facial movements, along with at least one involuntary phonic or verbal tic. The symptoms are usually mild and develop in early childhood. People with Tourette Syndrome also are more likely to have additional neuropsychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity or obsessive compulsive disorder, and appear to be at higher risk for anxiety, major depression or autism spectrum disorders.

Because of the large variety of symptoms and related conditions, Tourette Syndrome is often a difficult condition to identify and track, Paschou says.

"Because it is so very diverse, we need to study a large number of patients," Paschou says. "Before this study, Tourette Syndrome genome-wide studies on copy number variants had been very limited. Our study brought together a sample group of 2,400 TS patients and 4,000 subjects in the control group."

Paschou says that the research will help speed new and more effective treatments for the disorder.

"It's not obsessive scientific curiosity that drives this research. We are in great need of new drugs for Tourette Syndrome; current treatments often have unwanted side effects," she says. "By understanding the pathways that underlie the disorder, we hope to point to molecules that will be targets for new therapies."

Additionally, Scharf says the benefits of this study will extend to disorders other than Tourette's.

"Tourette Syndrome has long been considered a model disorder to study the parts of the brain that function at the intersection of our traditional concepts of neurology and psychiatry," Scharf says. "These first two definitive genes for Tourette Syndrome give us strong footholds in our efforts to understand the biology of this disease, and future studies of how these genes work both in health and disease may lead to discoveries that are more broadly relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders in general."

Although this research was the largest ever conducted on Tourette Syndrome, Paschou says a much larger study is already being planned.

"We are hopeful that in the next two years we will put together a sample of 12,000 patients, which is something that those of us who work in this field could not have imagined before," she said.

Paschou says that the success of the collaboration is due not just to the researchers, but also to the patients and their families.

"It was such a great contribution for the patients and their families to participate in this study. Without them studies like this could not exist."
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit created the Golden Week program to improve outcomes for infants born prematurely at 28 weeks' gestation or earlier. The program has resulted in a 30 percent relative risk reduction in infant mortality or severe intraventricular hemorrhage within the first week of life.

"Our goal is to provide the best care for each of our patients," said Vivek Lal, M.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama Division of Neonatology and director of the Golden Week program. "Through the Golden Week program, we have standardized care that infants receive during their first week of life, ultimately improving their survival rates. The program provides guidance for physicians and nurses on clinical and nonclinical aspects of caring for an extremely preterm newborn."

The Golden Week core committee at UAB developed a standardized set of orders to establish consistency among care for premature infants born at 28 weeks' gestation or less. The program includes clinical guidance on respiratory support, thermoregulation, nutrition and fluid management, infection prevention, and neurological status. Standardized orders were set for nonclinical practices, including parent support and satisfaction, as well as staff and team building.

Recently, UAB's Golden Week program was recognized by the Gage Awards for Innovation and Excellence, which honors the outstanding work of members of America's Essential Hospitals. The strategic priorities of America's Essential Hospitals include identifying and disseminating evidence-based best practices that enhance the quality of care for all -; especially vulnerable people.

"Recognition from the Gage Awards solidifies the work that we are doing with the Golden Week program," Lal said. "We hope practitioners across the nation recognize that the caregiving during the first week of a preemie's life is crucial."

Over a 50-day span, physicians and nurses participated in phased educational programs with monthly follow-up classes to continue training on the Golden Week program and its protocols to follow while caring for preterm infants in the UAB RNICU.

"Knowing and following these guidelines decrease morbidity rates in preterm infants and could ultimately save a young life," Lal said.

The Golden Week core committee is composed of a multidisciplinary staff, who meet monthly to discuss staff feedback, review data and make needed improvements. The UAB RNICU and core committee are currently looking at short-term and long-term outcomes of the program in relation to an infant's health in order to continue the advancement of care for preterm infants.
The Honda CLIQ comes with good-looking graphics. (Photo: Manav Sinha/News18,com)

When it comes to scooters then there is no one who does it better than Honda, be it with the Activa or the ever so popular Navi. Now, they have come out with the Cliq, but is it worth your money? Lets find out.To understand the Cliq and whether it Cliqs with what you are looking for, lets get to the big question right away.What are you likely to look for in a scooter in this segment?Watch the video below to find out.I would say that the first thing that you would want to know is the price. The Cliq will cost you 42 and a half thousand rupees and if you wish to get the graphics as seen on our test unit, then you would have to shell out 500 bucks extra. Is this a good price? Well yes, certainly, because this makes the Cliq one of the most affordable 110cc gearless scooter in the market right now.The next question that you might ask then is what kind of a mileage does it deliver? There is no particular efficiency figure that Honda quotes with the Cliq but they say that the scooter should give you somewhere around 60 km/l.When it comes to the looks, though, then you would pretty much make up your mind on whether you like it or not in the first glance. For us, the Cliq is a job well done and its clear that Honda has spent time designing it as it does not seem like a derivative of any other scooter in Hondas lineup despite sharing quite a few parts from its siblings. And, the nicely integrated wind deflector up top gives the Cliq its own identity within the already crowded 110cc scooter segment.But theres a bit more to it than what meets the eye and once you start noticing them, you will appreciate the effort Honda has put into this.Lets start with the tyres. They arent particularly big but they are very helpful, especially if you are riding on dirt or broken tarmac thanks to the big block tyres that it comes fitted with.The under seat storage capacity is decent and it also comes with an optional accessory of a USB charging port. The floorboard is wide and flat and the handlebars are close enough to give you a relaxed upright stance while riding this scooter.Powering the Cliq is an 110cc engine that produces 8 horsepower and 9 nm of torque. When you couple this with the light weight of the Honda at just 102 kilos, it makes it a fun and peppy scooter. It also comes with electric start and boasts a top speed of 83 km/h.The seat is also comfortable and will sit two riders on it with ease. Interestingly, the seat is just 743 mm. This is lower than the Honda Activa or the Navi which means that even short riders will be able to ride it comfortably.But there were a few things that we wished were a bit better. Like the rear view mirrors. They have a good glass area and can offer good visibility too but sadly they are not tall enough and end up giving you a good view of your forearms. Thats not it, the small 3.5-litre litre fuel tank is well, small and you have to lift the seat up to access it. Thankfully, though, the neat and clean instrument cluster comes fitted with a fuel gauge which will make it easy to judge the range on offer.And then, one of the best things about it is the Combi-brake system on board. What it does, in simple words, is that it applies both the front and rear brakes in a definitive ratio which makes the Cliq a lot more safer as it reduces the braking distance and to an extent, prevents the tyres from locking up under intense braking.So at the end of the day, the Honda Cliq pretty much delivers on almost all expectations. Yes, its not perfect. But when you consider the price tag that it comes with, the Cliq becomes a great value for money package. And hence, you simply cannot miss out on this one.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the aim of his upcoming visit to the US was building of a "forward-looking vision" for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide- ranging ties.



Modi, who will be meeting President Donald Trump for the first time on June 26 in Washington, said he looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views.



Along with the US, he will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit beginning on Saturday.



"My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted.



In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from June 25 was at the invitation of Trump.



"President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said.



"I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide ranging partnership between India and the United States," the prime minister said.



He noted that India's partnership with the US is multi- layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.



"I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump," he added.



Apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs.



Like in the past, he will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora.



In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit on Saturday to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa.



"Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa.



"We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added.



He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest.



"I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said.



He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit.



After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem- Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.



This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.



"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter- terrorism and climate change," he said.



Economic relations form the core of the bilateral relations and the Netherlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally.



"The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said.



"Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies.



He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story.



"There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.


Bengaluru: MG Road and Brigade Road, two of Bengaluru's most happening places located in the heart of the city, are set to go dry from next week. The reason? Ancient records dug up by the city municipality categorise the two as national highways.



So most of the malls, hip pubs, lounge bars and even fine-dining restaurants that serve liquor along MG Road and Brigade Road now fall foul of the 500-metre rule imposed by the Supreme Court.



The establishments have been told they cannot renew their liquor licences that end on June 30 as authorities are just waking up to this anomaly in the city map. Officials at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike confirmed that both roads are categorised as national highway according to their records.



According to estimates, at least 200 outlets - including pubs and fine dine restaurants  will have to shut shop here due to Supreme Courts recent order banning liquor outlets within a 500-metre radius of highways. These two roads are frequent haunts of the young and thirsty - housing pubs like Pecos that are over two decades old, and have earned Bengaluru the tag of Pub City.



On realizing the peculiar illegality, the National Restaurant Association of Indias (NRAI) Bengaluru Branch, has approached the state government to get them out of the crisis.



Last week, the Karnataka Cabinet had decided to de-notify all stretches of highways that pass through urban areas. However, this wont help the pubs on these two roads. The Karnataka Public Works Departments told the association that they cannot de-notify the two roads as the state doesn't have the authority to de-notify national highways.



The State PWD ministry has written to the Centre asking it to de-notify both these roads.



Manu Chandra, Chapter Head of NRAI told News18 that there is a lot of ambiguity on what roads are national highways.



According to BBMP and the National Highways Authority of India survey records, both MG and Brigade are considered NH. Technically we cant serve alcohol post June 30 if they dont de-notify these roads," said Chandra.



The Karnataka Excise year runs from July 1 to June 30, thus the license renewal process of all pubs has just begun. In the case of these two roads, however, it has come to a complete standstill as the state government too is not sure about how to classify them in the future.



Helpless, bar owners are hoping the Centre will pitch in and help, so they can go on with business as usual.



But how long this will take is anybody's guess.



Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan, who is from the BJP, was caught unawares of the problem. When contacted by News18, Mohan said, "I am away from Bangalore. I am in Bagepalli attending a function. Call me tomorrow.



For Bangaloreans, here's a small piece of advice: we are headed into a long weekend, so drink up all you want. It may well be the last weekend you fill up to the brink on MG Road! At least for some time.
Kolkata: Charles Sobhraj, notorious as the Bikini Killer, is in critical condition in a hospital in Kathmandu, his lawyer and mother-in-law Shakuntala Thapa told News18.



The 73-year-old underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) on June 12 and his condition has been deteriorating since. He is presently admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) amid tight security with multiple heath issues and both his kidneys have stopped functioning properly, she said.



Sobhraj, of Vietnamese and Indian origin, has been accused of killing between 15 to 20 Western tourists across southeast Asia during the 1970s. He also held a French passport which has now been confiscated.



Speaking to News18 over telephone from Kathmandu, Shakuntala Thapa, a lawyer, said, I meet him in the hospital every day. My daughter Nihita also went to meet him. His condition is serious as he suffering from multiple ailments.



His heart, kidneys and lungs are not functioning properly. He is suffering from chronic kidney infection and should be given bail immediately on humanitarian grounds. Its a matter of life and death, she said.



His legs have swollen up due to infection and he cant even walk. He is finding it difficult to breathe as he has developed severe respiratory infection.



I hope the new Prime Minister of France, Edouard Philippe, will intervene in the matter for his bail. Several appeals for his bail were made at the international level, but nothing has been done. I think now the concerned governments should release him on humanitarian grounds. The Nepal government is obligated to follow the international rule to release him.



Sobhraj, whose real name is Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh, has spent almost 21 years in Indian jails. In 1986, he escaped from Tihar Jail after offering the security guards drug-laced sweets. He was re-arrested and in 1997 was released from Tihar and returned to France.



In 2003, he was seen in Nepal and was immediately arrested from a Kathmandu hotel for the 1975 murders of Connie Jo Bronzich and Laurent Carriere.



He was awarded life imprisonment by a court in Kathmandu and since then has been lodged in Kathmandu Central Jail. During the trial, he got engaged to his lawyer Thapas daughter, Nihita Biswas.



On October 9, 2008, they reportedly married in jail, a claim disputed by the Nepal government. Nihita even appeared on Indian reality show Big Boss in 2011.



Sobhraj grew up on the streets of Saigon in Vietnam and spent his early years in juvenile prisons in France. He allegedly used to befriend woman, mostly foreigners, and drugged, looted and killed them. His first victim is believed to be an American tourist named Teresa Knowlton, who was found dead in a pool in Thailand in October 1975.
New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday told the Delhi High Court that if any student who wrote the class XII exams feels that his or her answer sheets were not correctly evaluated, he or she can now approach the board under its verification scheme.



The submission was made by the CBSE before a vacation bench of justices Manmohan and Yogesh Khanna, who accepted the board's submission and asked the students to approach the authority.



On the submission made by the CBSE, the bench disposed of the petitions.



Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain submitted in the court that if any of the students feels that their answer sheets were not correctly evaluated as per the marking scheme they can approach the CBSE.



"Within the limit of our verification scheme we will look into the students grievances," the ASG, who was representing the CBSE, submitted.



The ASG further said that though the CBSE has done away with re-evaluation, however, under the verification policy the students marking issues will be looked into.



The law officer also told the court that no undertaking will be taken from students that the "photocopy of an evaluated answer book shall not be challenged by any examinee in the court of law or make any claim on this account in any forum".



He further said that the marking schemes of the CBSE for respective subjects shall be uploaded on its website soon.



The ASG told the court that outcome of the verification will be communicated to the students on first come first serve basis.



The ASG's submission came during hearing of petitions by students, who gave the board exams this year, against the CBSE's decision to scrap its re-evaluation policy.



Some of the students represented by senior advocate Kirti Uppal and advocate Virag Gupta have challenged the CBSE's May 29 notification which lays down the process and fees for re-verification of the marks and for obtaining the photocopies of the evaluated answer sheets.



Majority of the petitions filed were of students who have scored extremely well in their exams running up to the boards in which they have scored poorly or much below their expectations.
New Delhi: China has refused entry to around 80 Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims through Sikkims Nathu-la pass. The Indian government raised the issue with Chinese authorities.



Some difficulties have been experienced in movement of Kailash Mansarovar Yatris via Nathu La. The matter is being discussed with the Chinese side," said Gopal Baglay, spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry.



According to sources, the situation in Nathu-la evolved after an incident of skirmish at Dokala area of Sikkim. The sources said Chinese PLA troops destroyed a newly repaired bunker of India around 10 days ago. This has led to a tense border situation between the two sides. A recent flag meeting also failed to resolve the situation.



The first batch of yatris reached Nathu-la on June 20.



The sources added that the stand off situation still persists and around 80 pilgrims are stuck.



The Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation is the nodal authority for conducting the annual yatra through Nathu La.



Hundreds of Indian pilgrims undertake Kailash Mansarovar yatra in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China every year negotiating the mountainous terrain.



The development comes amid tensions in bilateral ties between the two countries over a host of issues including the CPEC and India's NSG bid.










New Delhi: Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested in February 2016 and charged with sedition by the Delhi Police for allegedly raising anti-India slogans, caught national imagination after his release.



While many saw an emerging politician in Kumar, he seems to have some other plans, at least for time being.



In an interview with CNN-News18, Kumar said, he would like to submit his PhD and find a job.



When asked if he would consider electoral politics, Kumar said, I came to JNU to study. My first task is to submit my PhD. Electoral politics has an established design If you are the son of a minister, you can pay someone to manage your Twitter handle and become a minsterthe social experience and how we can deliver in politics is important to me.



He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed in creating two crore jobs as promised before 2014 polls, and controversies are being stoked to divert the countrys attention from the failure on economic level.



People working in companies like Cognizant and earning a lakh a month, living in 3BHK flats in Gurgaon have lost their jobs the government is trying to shift focus from this reality, he said.



Calling the JNU controversy a planned conspiracy to create a pseudo enemy, he said, JNU is the most nationalistic institute as it provides opportunity to the most unprivileged.



Kumar said India needs non-electoral political intervention as the country lacks a social movement.



FTII students couldnt remove Gajendra Singh but the message is clear: This government wants to curb institutions. We could not get the Rohit Act passed but a message was circulated that theres caste-based discrimination in top institutes these incidents could culminate into a movement.



Kumar said Indias response to colonialism was based on truth and non-violence. But today, the violent instincts are being instigated.



Issues like building the Ram Mandir, who should love whom, and what to eat are being made important, he said.




New Delhi: The Uttarakhand High Court on Friday junked the state governments plea to lift the restriction on buying luxury cars and air conditioners.



Pulling up the Uttarakhand government over the lack of minimum facilities in the schools, the HC said students have fundamental rights to get basic amenities in government schools.



The court allowed the state government to buy only water purifiers but departments will need the Chief Secretary's approval for every purchase.



The Advocate General of the state sought four days to come back with a definite timeline on providing basic amenities in schools and said the matter will be discussed "at the highest level."



The HC said the government is obligated to provide qualified teachers, well-lit and duly ventilated class rooms, benches, desks, blackboards, water purifiers and hygienic toilets in government-run schools.



The focus of the state government should be to provide education by providing basic infrastructure, wherewithal and amenities in government-run schools, the HC said.



Pointing out that lack of educational facilities have even led to migration of people from the state, the court said, In case, we are able to provide the infrastructure at the grassroots level, the issue of migration can be adequately addressed.



The next date of hearing of the case is June 28.
New Delhi: After Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, rural Uttarakhand and rural Haryana have on Friday declared themselves as the open defecation free (ODF) states under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G).



Nationally, the sanitation coverage has increased from 42% to over 64% in just two-and-a-half years since the launch of SBM.



Uttarakhand has 13 districts, 95 blocks, 7,256 gram panchayats and 15,751 villages while Haryana has 21 districts, 124 blocks, and 6,083 gram panchayats  all of which have declared themselves as ODF in formal declarations in Dehradun and Chandigarh, respectively.



"On October 2, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the Swachh Bharat Mission. Today, it has become a true people's movement. People of Uttarakhand and Haryana, the government officials and representatives of other institutions have contributed towards this milestone," said



Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation speaking at an event in Dehradun.



Commenting on Uttarakhand achieving this milestone, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, said "collaborative community participation has led Uttarakhand to achieve this ODF status".



With the total number of ODF states now rising to five, more than 2 lakh villages and 147 districts have also been declared ODF across the country.



The mission launched by Modi, with its urban and rural component handled by the respective ministries, aims to make the country ODF by 2019.



(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: When a mob attacked and lynched Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith at Srinagars Jamia mosque on Thursday night, it didnt matter that he was a local boy. Like Lt Ummer Fayaz or Feroz Dar before him, Pandit was hunted down and killed.



It was another incident that proved Kashmirs insurgency is increasingly claiming its own. When will this spiral of violence end? Speaking to CNN-News18s Marya Shakil, Union Minister Jitendra Singh answers the burning question.



Q: A Deputy Superintendent of Police has been stripped, dragged and lynched by a mob in Srinagar. How is the Centre viewing it?



A: I certainly think its a matter of concern and its not only the government that holds this view. Any right thinking citizen, any patriotic citizen, would feel disturbed by it. But at the same time, let us reassure that the Centre and the Ministry of Home Affairs is taking cognizance of the entire sequence of events. You would have realised that in the last few weeks, certain decisive steps have been taken both against separatists as well as perpetrators of terrorism in Kashmir valley.



Certain investigations and exercises have also been initiated, the results of which have begun to show. The fact is that this kind of decisive action through combat operations as well as tough measures against separatists and the terror lobby has not been taken together before this.



Q: There is a view within the security establishment that what happened in Srinagar was not a spontaneous mob action, it was a pre-meditated and pre-planned murder.



A: I am not privy to that type of confidential information. Whether it was planned or otherwise, the act was so dastardly, so inhuman and so cowardly. If it was planned, it is all the more condemnable. At the same time, I think this also disrobes and unmasks the so-called self-styled protagonists of Kashmir who wage a war in the holy name of jihad, in the holy name of so-called freedom struggle.



If this is the kind of war they want to fight in the name of religion, then I think there couldn't have been a more irreligious act. I think this is possibly the most unholy act committed in the holy month of Ramzan. So, I think it will be an eye-opener for the masses, and hopefully, the youth of Kashmir.



These agents of unrest have made sure that their own children are law abiding citizens in some of the best metros abroad, but they also ensure their neighbours children become stone pelters and sacrifice their lives.



I am more disappointed by some of those so-called Kashmir-centric mainstream politicians. When they are in power they swear by Kashmir being a part of India, they swear by India, but when they are not in power, they find it convenient to speak the language of separatists.



Q: Why is the government giving Z security to these separatists? You spend crores every year protecting separatists who encourage the killing of policemen. Dont you think the security should be withdrawn from Mirwaiz and others like him?



A: Yes, you have a relevant point. This must be the sentiment of every right thinking patriotic Indian at this point of time. Let me assure you that the present government is doing more than what has ever been done and is actively pursuing this issue.



Investigations and inquiries have been initiated against such kinds of privileges made available to them by the erstwhile government. I can say with full confidence that this process of investigation and placing a check on them is going to be carried forward to a logical conclusion in my command.



Q: Talking about the politics, questions are being raised by the Opposition about what your government is doing in the state. Rahul Gandhi has just tweeted to say that PDP-BJP government has been a complete failure.



A: Unfortunately, what is being said by the Congress party or its leadership is very selective and motivated. Motivated because they are yet to digest the fact that they are out of power and it is a BJP coalition.



But let me remind you that what is being witnessed in Kashmir today is actually a consequence of the various follies, pitfalls and blunders committed by the Congress party, which was in power in both the Centre and J&K for almost half a century.



These pitfalls, follies and experiments began with what is now historically described as Nehruvian blunders. I dont know whether Mr. Rahul Gandhi has read the history of his great grandfather.



Q: Your government has publicly said the Kashmir unrest is limited to three and a half districts of south Kashmir, but this lynching took place in heart of Kashmir. Dont you think your own assessment of Kashmir is also wrong?



A: Not precisely, because these are intricate security related matters. Sometimes, things that appear true to us may not actually be true. Security agencies have access to certain inputs not available publicly and it should not be made available publicly.



What is being witnessed today and what we have been given to understand by security agencies is that militants and terrorists are under tremendous pressure. They are on the run, and therefore, they are trying different strategies to keep themselves relevant. You must have seen the number of terrorists being killed every day.



A virtual hit list of terrorists is prepared by forces, and as a fallout some occasional spill over may happen, but we should not draw final conclusions based on it.



Q: 2017 has been the deadliest year for cops in Kashmir. Till date, 17 policemen have been martyred. Are you not worried that there is a new trend emerging that Kashmir insurgency is consuming its own people now?



A: Certainly. A soldier is precious to the nation and one cant make up for the loss of a soldier. The nation is eternally indebted to its security forces. It is because of them that you and I can conduct this conversation in a peaceful environment.



They spend sleepless nights, they stay hungry when we go about with our daily routine. So there is no redemption for the supreme sacrifice of our brave soldiers.



This trend of consuming its own would be yet another eye opener for the innocent masses of Kashmir, who have been for generations held to ransom by these handful of self-styled Kashmiri protagonists who have ruled over the state one after the other. In order to keep their dynastic succession, they indulge in this kind of politicking at the cost of the innocent lives of Kashmiris.



Q: Cops in J&K say they are now becoming cannon fodder as there seems to be a clear instruction from the state government to go slow on the big fish and just arrest the young stone pelters.



A: I am not in a position to respond to that because thats a very technical question. Only a person concerned with these security operations would be able to answer.



But as a rule, and on principle, I think when a war has been waged against terrorism, there cannot be discrimination in dealing with terrorists or perpetrators of terrorism.



Q: Why is the Centre and the state government in denial about the mess that Kashmir has become? Dont you think the spiraling violence which started with Burhan Wanis killing last year has failed to cease?



A: No. If you look at it that way, you will have to go back 25-28 years. There is a long history of militancy in the state. Over the last three decades, there have been phases when there were upsurges and then a calm. There have phases of violence in the 90s, and very recently in 2008, 2010 and 2011.



Unfortunately, the Congress and other parties resort to blaming us. I dont want to go into statistics because two wrongs do not make one right. Therefore, we should not justify killings happening during our government by comparing it to what happened under Congress rule. But if you look at statistics, there were more killings under the Congress government.



Therefore, what is happening today is in fact the cumulative baggage that we inherited.



Q: You are calling it a cumulative baggage that you inherited. Since it is a baggage of history and a baggage of past, do you really have a plan for Kashmir?



A: At the outset, this question does not qualify to be a question because J&K is a state of India just like any other state, whether it is Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, we should not have a plan separate from any other state. As far as foreign instigated militancy, which is perpetuated and encouraged by certain vested-interests locally, is concerned, I think the government of India and its might is capable of dealing with it.



More than 65% of the population wishes to come out of this phase of militancy. They want to be a part of the development journey led by Prime Minister Modi. This is a well-connected global world and they see the enormous new opportunities and avenues available to the youth in the other states and they do not wish to be left out.



Therefore, for J&K, we have the same plans as we have for any other state of India. The plan is that of vikas, vikas and vikas (development, development and development).
Chandigarh: A teenager was stabbed to death, and his two brothers were injured, by a group of people who also allegedly passed communal slurs against them after an alleged dispute over a seat on a train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana.



The deceased has been identified as Junaid (17) while his brothers Hasim (21) and Sakir (23) were injured, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Faridabad Government Railway Police (GRP), Mohinder Singh said.



Sakir is serious, the DSP told PTI, adding that the railway police has registered a case of murder. Singh said the incident happened on Thursday night on board the Delhi-Mathura passenger train between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations.



An altercation took place between the three brothers and some 10 passengers over a seat. The passengers allegedly passed some remarks on the three brothers, who are Muslims, and residents of Khandawali village in Faridabad, he said.



He said a passenger used a knife to stab one of the brothers to death. No arrests have been made so far, the officer said.



They called us Pakistanis and accused us of eating beef, Sakirs brother told CNN-News 18.



The DSP said three police teams have been formed to investigate the incident and no context regarding beef has risen so far.



(With PTI inputs)
Five days after three people died in clashes between pro-Gorkhaland supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and security forces, the serene Darjeeling hills, weighed down by a heavy blanket of mist, are seething with rage against the Mamata Banerjee government.Anjana, the 32-year-old wife of Bimal Sashankar, one of the three people who were shot and killed on June 18, puts it bluntly: What does Mamata Banerjee think? She will give orders to shoot, kill our people, and the hills will cower in fear? She doesnt know these hills or the people who are fighting for Gorkhaland.The way to the village where the Sashankars live  a difficult 30-minute downhill walk from the tiny hamlet of Goke, a 90-minute drive from Darjeeling town  is a chilling initiation into the emotion that is currently driving the Gorkhaland movement on the ground.They say Didi is sending more CRP (a local term for central paramilitary forces) to the hills, says a 70-year-old woman in Jamune, a deserted tourist spot halfway between Darjeeling and Goke, and laughs. Bhai le gayera bhandeu, hamilai chai kunai training chainda ni (Son, go and tell her that we dont need any kind of training.) Let them come with guns. By the time they load their bullets, they will be hit with stones that they will fail to count. We can live in the jungles if we have to (we challenge Mamata openly, so there). For Gorkhaland, anything.In Bimal Sashankars home, his fathers face betrays a volatile truck between anguish and anger  much like the sentiment on the streets that are littered with large rocks and, in places, tree trunks to slow down any unwanted advance into the heart of the queen of hills.My son wanted to join the army, you know. He couldnt because he injured his arm in a road accident, SB Sashankar says. But he took bullets to his chest. He wasnt among the ones to stay behind. He would always be at the front in any fight. His death will not go waste. The Gorkhas are now united. Even the trees, the stones and the air of Darjeeling are demanding Gorkhaland.Back in Darjeelings Singamari neighborhood, where Bimal was shot, locals talk about how they carried the dead and the wounded down narrow mountain paths, hiding from security forces, leaving behind a trail of blood. They returned later with detergent powder to wash all that blood away. We were scared the CRP will follow the blood and raid our homes, says the father of a three-year-old girl.Its true that the police were thrashed the way we Gorkhas can thrash when we get angry, but it was unfair on their part to start shooting, his friend joins in. The state government called us terrorists. Can you believe that? A procession was heading to Patlebas when the police stopped us and began to lathicharge. How could we take it lying down? Thats when some of the boys started throwing stones. They say we had guns. Imagine the irony.In Goke, Bimals wife Anjana says she too is willing to die for Gorkhaland. We may be poor but we are not cowards, she says. Asked if there was anything she wanted to tell the chief minister, she uses words that she might regret in the future. As relatives calm her down, she says: Why should I keep quiet? My husband was killed because he was demanding his birthright. Our feelings should reach Mamata Banerjee. We have more guts than her.The rickety house of an old woman was caught between the flurry of stones and a hail of bullets. Nani (Son), I trembled in fear all through the violence, she says. When the army finally came in, I was relieved. But what happened that day was wrong. Why did they have to use guns? What did they want? If they try something like this again, they will not have anywhere to run. Singamari may look very calm right now but all it will take is one small instigation, even a misunderstanding, for a really bloody battle to resume.The author is a Darjeeling-based journalist.
Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Om Puri, Zeeshan Ayub, Zhu Zhu, Matin Rey TanguKabir KhanThere's a whiff of a promising idea at the heart of Tubelight, a film built on good intentions and a flimsy conceit. It's intended as an uplifting tale about the "taakat of yakeen" (or the power of self-belief), but it's weighed down by a wafer-thin plot, cloying sentimentality, and a central performance so labored, so contrived it's painful to watch.Salman Khan has made a career and achieved dizzying heights of success playing parts that have barely required him to break a sweat. Ironically, one of Bollywood's most controversial stars found his groove playing various iterations of the mild-mannered, pure-hearted simpleton, most notably in Kabir Khan's entertaining and emotionally impactful Bajrangi Bhaijaan.Tubelight, which Kabir has officially adapted from the American film Little Boy, about a tiny-built eight-year-old who becomes convinced that he can bring his father home from the trenches of World War II through the sheer strength of his faith, remodels the central role to accommodate the 51-year-old superstar.Salman plays Laxman Singh Bisht, a slow-witted but endearing fellow in the mould of Forrest Gump. He's a child trapped in a man's body; naive enough to cheerily embrace the idea that faith can move mountains - literally. Laxman lives happily with his protective younger brother Bharat (Sohail Khan) in a small town up in the hills in North India. Frequently mocked by the local bullies for his lack of sharpness, Laxman is nevertheless loved by the townspeoplemuch in the same way that we tend to love the three-legged stray that has wandered into our street.The film is set in 1962, although the only effort by way of attention to detail seems to be ensuring that there are no mobile phones in sight. When Bharat enlists in the army to fight in the war between India and China, Laxman is heartbroken. As the war rages on and uncertainty looms over his brother's fate, Laxman must put his faith to the test.These are bold ideas and they rest completely on Salman's ability to portray the character without a hint of artifice. And he tries. Which is the kindest thing I can say about his performance. Far from pulling off naive and innocent, Salman comes off sounding and behaving like a patronizing adult goo-goo-gaa-gaa-ing to a baby. In the more intense, emotional scenes, he's clearly out of his depth, and you watch transfixed as he struggles like a non-swimmer, flailing arms and all, who's been thrown into the deep end.On the upside, there's a charming subplot about the friendship between Laxman and a little boy named Guo (Matin Rey Tanga); their scenes together are the film's best moments. Guo and his mother Liling (Chinese actress Zhu Zhu) are Indians of Chinese origin, and their arrival in town during the Sino-Indian war is met with anger and violence. Kabir, who has co-written the film's screenplay, seizes the opportunity to address racism and question our notions of patriotism and nationalism.The director surrounds his leading man with an ensemble of dependable actors who don't disappoint. The late Om Puri, Brijendra Kala, Yashpal Sharma, and particularly Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub are all in good form. To be fair, poor Sohail Khan has very little to do but he delivers without any major hiccups.A film like Tubelight which espouses the power of faith and belief through the uncorrupted eyes of a man-child needed a lightness of touch that is conspicuous by its absence here. Tubelight is well intentioned but overtly manipulative and doesn't so much tug at your heartstrings as it punches you in the face demanding that you care. It's also over-long at nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes, and excruciatingly slow and boring in parts.It's a crushing disappointment on all counts. I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five.
After the critically acclaimed Talvar, Meghna Gulzar is flagging off the screen adaptation of Harinder Sikka's book, Calling Sehmat, which has Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles. The film, titled Raazi , will see both the actors sharing the screen space for the first time.The film is being produced by Karan Johar under his banner Dharma Productions.Expressing his excitement on working with Meghna Gulzar and Alia Bhatt, Vicky said, "I'm honoured to be getting an opportunity to work with Meghana Gulzar and also looking forward to working with Alia, who I feel is one of the finest actresses we have at the moment. Actually, the entire team is so talented and especially to be working with Dharma Productions is rewarding for any young actor. I'll soon wrap up Raju Sir's Film and will begin shooting for Raazi.The production house tweeted the announcement of the film, which will be an espionage drama set in the 70s.Alia is known for experimenting with her choices, be it Highway, Udta Punjab or Dear Zindagi, we have seen Vicky portraying a variety of roles from a boy next door in Masaan to a bad cop in Raman Raghav. This will be the first-period film for both of them.Raazi is about a Kashmiri woman married to an Army officer across the border who provides Indian intelligence with invaluable information during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.The actors have already got a sense of their characters in the workshops conducted by Meghna earlier this week. The shooting is expected to begin by the end of this month.
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the alleged scam related to purchase of land in district Fatehgarh Sahib in which crores of Rupees was embezzled.



He said the matter would be thoroughly probed. He was intervening on a calling attention notice raised by Mohali MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu regarding bungling of crores of rupees in the purchase of the land at exorbitant rates - almost double the prevailing market rate, reported PTI.



Sidhu, in his calling attention notice during the budget session, informed the House that officers of the department did not seek sanction from the competent authority before purchasing this land.



He further said the crores that had been withdrawn were spent only on paper instead of being utilised for actual development works. He sought a vigilance enquiry into the matter to ascertain the factual position.



The MLA drew the attention of Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa towards the issue, in response to which the minister provided details of the acquisition done during the SAD-BJP rule.



In a statement, the minister apprised the House that the previous government had acquired land of Gram Panchayat, Jheurheri village, for the construction of airport and the compensation was awarded at the rate of Rs 1.50 crore per acre.



On account of this, a sum of Rs 80.46 crore was placed at the disposal of Director, Rural Development and Panchayats and the said amount was released by him from time to time. Out of this compensation, a sum to the tune of Rs 54.17 crore was received in lieu of Gram Panchayat, Deh and an amount of Rs 26.31 crore was received in lieu of Shamlat Deh.



An amount of Rs 49.16 crore out of Rs 54.17 crore was released to Gram Panchayat, Jheurheri. The Gram Panchayat utilised Rs 23.73 crore on purchase of land out of the amount of Rs 49.16 crore released to it.



Moreover, the Gram Panchayat did not seek prior approval of the government before purchasing this land as per the provisions of Section 85 (1) of Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.



It also spent Rs 13.77 crore on development and miscellaneous works while Rs 11.52 crore is still lying in the account of gram panchayat. The minister also informed the House that an enquiry was being conducted by the Joint Director of the department regarding the amount spent on the purchase of land, its market rate and amount spent on the development works, which would become clear on completion of the probe.



(With PTI inputs)
Bengaluru: The Karnataka governments latest brahmastra in wooing the voter  its farm loan waiver of Rs 8,165 crores  has proved to be embarrassing for the Opposition BJP: not just because it was stopped in its tracks while planning a massive farmers rally, but also because the BJPs national leaders are singing a totally different tune that left many in the State leadership red-faced.



It all began with Union Minister Venkaiah Naidus statement on Thursday that loan waivers have become a fashion statement.



Loans should be waived only in extreme situations. It is not a final solution. You need to take care of the system along with the farmer, Naidu had said at an event in New Delhi, a day after the Congress government in Karnataka announced a waiver for all loans from state cooperative banks.



The previous day, the BJP had been gloating. Just an hour after Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs announcement on Wednesday, the BJPs Karnataka president B S Yeddyurappa had welcomed the waiver ecstatically, even claiming credit for it.



Yeddyurappa, who had been threatening to lead a farmers rally in early July if loan waivers werent announced, said it was the BJPs persistent demands that had led to the Congress regime bending.



And like many others in his party, the party president was left wondering what their stand should be when their party. A confused General Secretary C T Ravi was forced to defend his bosses at the Centre and the State  saying the context in which Naidu made these statements is different.



For the BJP, that Naidu was, until recently, a Rajya Sabha MP from Bengaluru and even a voter here, must have doubly hurt.



It certainly gave the Congress ground to ridicule the BJP, at least for a day.



They (BJP) call themselves sons of farmers. They say they wanted to make me waive loans even if they have to hold me by the scruff of the neck to do so. Will they go hold the PM by the scruff of his neck and get the Centre to waive loans from nationalised banks? Siddaramaiah thundered at a press conference on Friday, calling Yeddyurappa a dhongi (pretend/ fraud) farmer leader.



It was an easy dare  the state government has waived loans of cooperative banks  which constitute just 20 per cent of all farm loans. Loans of nationalised banks are estimated at over 42,000 crores  nearly 80 per cent of the lot. The Centre wouldnt do this on a whim, and certainly not when five other States have also sought loan waivers. It just cannot afford to.



The Janata Dal (Secular) too had a field day over the wishy-washy statements of the BJP. JDS State president H D Kumaraswamy, who also attempted to appropriate credit for the loan waiver, questioned how the BJP found only farm loan waivers sarcastically fashionable, and not waiver of loans by corporate entities. Does he not know what the impact of those waivers will be, on the economy, he asked.



It isn't as if these netas don't entirely agree with Naidu. Both the Congress and the JDS realises that loan waivers are bad economicsagriculture experts have time and again talked of better crop insurance systems and the importance of making farmers self-reliant, by ensuring good incomes. There have even been instances of farmers who take loans, just to wait for waivers during election time. Siddaramaiah himself had, just two months ago, said there was no question of waiving loans.



Yet, he did just that, and the Congress wants to live in the glory of the moment, well aware of the financial setback.



The BJP, belatedly, is trying to shrug itself off from the issue.



This controversy only serves to help other parties make a political point for a couple of days. Today people may think about this. Tomorrow, we will make some other speech and people will think about that, said Ravi.



They are, of course, hoping that this would be far from public memory by April 2018, when people will go out to vote. There are 285 days more to go.


Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday questioned the oppositions decision to field 'Bihar Ki Beti' Meira Kumar against Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential elections and said her defeat is almost certain.



It is being said that Bihar ki Beti (Meira Kumar) has been made the candidate. I respect Meira Kumar but when they (UPA) had two terms at the Centre they should have made Bihar ki Beti the President. Now, you can only pitch her as candidate whose defeat is written on the wall.



The JD (U) leader said the opposition parties should analyse their decision and not his party.



I had said there is no reason to make the presidential elections a matter of dispute and there is need for consensus. JD (U) always takes decisions independently. I will not bow to pressure from anyone. Neither will I speak about what Lalu has said about me.



Kumar said everybody is free to speak about this issue and it has nothing to do with Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. I am keeping it above politics, he said.



The Bihar CM said Congress general secretary CP Joshi himself said there is no such Mahagathbandhan outside Bihar and it is only for Bihar.



Opposition could have started the strategy for victory in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But what kind of strategy is this. Their strategy is for defeat. I will not blame anyone, but UPA has not taken practical stance. Instead of keeping in mind defeating the BJP in 2019, they have started the process of their own defeat, he added.



Kumar said the JD (U) will not reverse its decision. We have taken this decision after consulting our core committee. If anybody has reservations about it, we cant do anything. I had conveyed my decision to Lalu ji, Sonia ji and even Sitaram Yechury.
New Delhi: Flanked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind on Friday filed the nomination papers for the presidential elections.



The former Bihar governor was also accompanied by party patriarchs LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi and a battery of NDA chief ministers, including Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadus Edappadi K Palaniswami.



After filing the nomination, Kovind thanked the PM and other NDA leaders for supporting him. In my opinion, the Presidents post should be above all politics. Ever since I became Governor, I don't belong to any political party.... I will try to maintain the dignity of the post, he said.



Referring to national security, Kovind said, "The president is also the supreme commander of all three forces. It is our responsibility to keep our border secure."



Kovind will be going up against Congress nominee Meira Kumar, making the July 17 vote a Dalit vs Dalit battle.







Kovinds win is a foregone conclusion with NDA having 48.6 per cent of votes in the electoral college, that will elect the next president. Regional parties such as the AIADMK, BJD, TRS and JD(U) have announced their support to Kovind.



The Congress could have announced Meira Kumar as the presidential candidate last year, but they didnt. Uttar Pradesh is proud that Kovind is the NDA nominee, Yogi Adityanath told reporters on Friday.



The presidential election is scheduled for July 17 and the counting of votes will take place on July 20. The term of President Pranab Mukherjee ends on July 24.



Once elected, Kovind will be the second Dalit to occupy the highest constitutional office. The first was KR Narayanan, who was in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1997-2002. A low profile Dalit leader who held various organisational positions in the BJP, Kovind, 71, was made the Bihar Governor in 2015 after the NDA came to power in May 2014.



The name of the two-term Rajya Sabha member did not figure among the probables but his nomination by the BJP is now being seen as a "political masterstroke".



He enjoys a clean reputation and has steered clear of any controversy in his over 26-year-old political career. His Dalit background makes him a sound political choice for the saffron party working overtime to woo Dalits.




NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind will on Friday file the nomination papers for the upcoming election, a day after the former Bihar governor was given 'Z+' and NSG security cover by the Centre.Kovind will be going up against Congress nominee Meira Kumar, making the July 17 vote a Dalit vs Dalit battle. Kumar, former Lok Sabha speaker, is likely to file her nomination papers on July 28, the last date.Kovind, will file the nomination papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and most BJP-led NDA Chief Ministers, besides the heads of some other parties supporting his candidature, PTI reported.Besides the NDA's constituents, which comprise over 48.6 per cent of votes in the electoral college that will elect the next president, regional parties such as the the AIADMK, BJD, TRS and JD(U) have announced their support to the Dalit leader, making his win an almost foregone conclusion.BJP chief Amit Shah will also be present when Kovind files his papers, as will the Telangana and Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers, two leaders from non-NDA parties supporting Kovind, sources in the southern parties told PTI.Kovind is guaranteed to get more than 61 per cent of the vote, and the finally tally may increase depending on how some still-undecided regional parties vote, PTI quoted a BJP source as saying.The election is scheduled for July 17 and the counting of votes will take place on July 20.The term of President Pranab Mukherjee ends on July 24. Once elected, Kovind will be the second Dalit to occupy the highest constitutional office. The first was KR Narayanan, who was in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1997-2002.A low profile Dalit leader who held various organisational positions in the BJP, Kovind, 71, was made the Bihar Governor in 2015 after the NDA came to power in May 2014.The name of the two-term Rajya Sabha member did not figure among the probables but his nomination by the BJP is now being seen as a "political masterstroke".He enjoys a clean reputation and has steered clear of any controversy in his over 26-year-old political career. His Dalit background makes him a sound political choice for the saffron party working overtime to woo Dalits.On Thursday, Kovind was given Z+ security cover. The commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG) and security agencies have also done security audit of Kovind's temporary residence  10, Akbar Road, which is allocated to Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma."A Z+ and NSG security cover has been given to Ram Nath Kovind," a home ministry spokesperson said. A security and threat analysis carried out by central security agencies favoured the armed security cover for the presidential candidate.A squad of 10-12 armed NSG commandos will be with Kovind, along with escort and pilot vehicles.It is expected that the elite force will guard him till he takes over the office of the first citizen of India, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces.The NSG commandos will move around with Kovind who is expected to travel across the country extensively to meet legislators and leaders of political parties to seek support for his candidature.(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: It was a show of strength by the ruling NDA as Ram Nath Kovind, flanked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, filed his nomination for the presidential election. But missing among the big group that turned up along with them at Parliament House Bhavan was oldest ally Shiv Sena.



Sources say Sena leaders Sanjay Raut and Anand Rao Adsul came to Delhi and returned after signing as proposers without being present at the time of filing of nominations.



The former Bihar governor was also accompanied by BJP patriarchs LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi and a battery of NDA chief ministers, including Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadus Edappadi K Palaniswami. All NDA leaders, including the Chief Ministers, had flown to Delhi to accompany Kovind during the filing of papers before the Lok Sabha Secretary General.



BJP leaders, however, tried to downplay the absence of Shiv Sena leaders saying it was due to "some miscommunication" regarding the timing of the event.



Unlike other NDA allies, Shiv Sena had not given a carte blanche to the alliance leader to pick the presidential nominee. Sena had earlier proposed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat or agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan for the top constitutional post, but after BJP went ahead with Kovind waited for a day before finally coming on board.



After filing the nomination, Kovind thanked the PM and other NDA leaders for supporting him. In my opinion, the Presidents post should be above all politics. Ever since I became Governor, I don't belong to any political party.... I will try to maintain the dignity of the post, he said.



Referring to national security, Kovind said, "The President is also the supreme commander of all three forces. It is our responsibility to keep our border secure."



Kovind will start his election campaign from June 25, and is likely to visit nearly all states. BJP leaders claim they are confident of securing more than two thirds majority in the electoral college.



Kovind will be fighting against Congress nominee Meira Kumar, making the July 17 vote a Dalit vs Dalit battle. Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, is likely to file her nomination papers on July 28, the last date.






Global IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was among the top two job creators, recruiting more than 12,500 US employees from 2012-2016, a recent study by The Cambridge Group said.TCS ranked number one in terms of US employee growth during that period, the study said, according to a release issued by TCS. The Chicago-based Cambridge Group calls itself a growth strategy expert."Our industry-leading US recruitment, advanced digital training of employees, and academic and STEM partnership programmes act as a key contributor to the US innovation economy, while also preparing the current and upcoming workforce with foundational skills needed for 21st century careers," said Surya Kant, President of North America, UK and Europe of TCS. STEM is a US-government supported programme to help absorb science, technology, engineering and math students in companies.The company said in a statement that it expects recruitment of IT Services professionals in the US in 2017 to remain on par or exceed prior years' levels.The company has invested nearly $3 billion in the US over the past three years, in terms of employment, new innovation labs, extensive nationwide STEM education programmes and academic partnerships and endowments, it said."It regularly has approximately 800-900 open positions -- quarter to quarter -- in locations from Texas, California and Ohio to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York," the statement said.Over the past five years, TCS has steadily increased its relationships and recruitment from more than 75 US college campuses, for both undergraduate and Master's students, it added."Recognising the challenge of finding enough qualified US talent, TCS has been a leading STEM education proponent for the past decade, creating highly scalable initiatives that will engage more than two million US students by 2022. It is a founding partner and the platform provider of Million Women Mentors, which so far has 1,856,000 pledges to mentor young women to succeed in STEM careers," the statement said.Other TCS investments in US business and academic arenas include the April 2017 groundbreaking of TCS Hall' on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), following a $35 million grant to the academic institution 18 months ago.The new facility will enable TCS and CMU to conduct advanced joint research regarding cognitive computing and autonomous vehicles.
Beijing: China asked India and the US not to disturb peace in the strategic South China Sea and play a "constructive role" in the disputes there, as the issue was likely to be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with President Donald Trump.



Modi will meet Trump on June 26. He will hold talks with Trump on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.



Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said the situation in the disputed region was "cooling down".



"With concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect the efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," Geng said.



China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.



China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.



Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade.



The US had recently sent a navy warship near an artificial island in the South China Sea as part of the first "freedom of navigation" operation under President Trump, a move China said challenged its sovereignty in the region.



China termed the US' move as "irresponsible" and warned that America's deliberate provocations would have "extremely dangerous consequences" to regional stability.
Karachi: A top court in Pakistan's Sindh province on Friday allowed a Hindu teen to live with her Muslim husband, days after her family alleged that she was abducted, forcibly converted and married off.



A single-judge bench of the Sindh High Court's Hyderabad circuit allowed Gulnaz Shah formerly known as Ravita Meghwar to live with her husband.



The Hindu community along with the girl's family had reported to the police that Gulnaz Shah, 16, had been kidnapped and forced to undergo a religious conversion.



According to Advocate Ali Palh, the counsel for the intervener in the case, Justice Panhwar heard Gulnaz Shah, who had converted to Islam from Hinduism and married Nawaz Ali Shah in Samaro this month, in his chamber before passing the judgement.



Justice Panhwar had heard Gulnaz, her father Satram Meghwar's counsels and Palh in an open court before adjourning the matter briefly, the Dawn newspaper reported.



Gulnaz Shah had a day earlier been sent to the Darul Aman shelter by the court after Palh insisted that she be kept in some state institution before the recording of her statement.



Palh had contended that though the Child Marriage Restraint Act is silent over nullity/validity of marriage or otherwise in case an underage girl is married by her parents, a previous case heard by a division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah had sent a minor, Anjali, to a shelter on the grounds that she was underage.



Palh said that the bench had held that the law would be frustrated if the minor was allowed to go with her husband. He had also stated that the primary school certificate submitted before the court proves that she was less than 18 years of age and thus could not be married.



Zahoor A Baloch, the lawyer representing the couple, argued that the girl had attained the age of puberty and as per Islamic law, a girl who is either 16 years of age or has reached puberty, is an adult.



Bhagwandas Bheel, the counsel for Meghwar, argued that the girl was under the influence of her husband.



Gulnaz, however, had told the judge yesterday that she had embraced Islam of her own free will and consent, the report said.


New York: The United States announced Thursday a halt to all imports of fresh beef from Brazil, the world's second-largest producer, citing "recurring" food safety concerns.



The ban will remain in place until satisfactory "corrective actions" are taken, the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement.



"Although international trade is an important part of what we do at USDA, and Brazil has long been one of our partners, my first priority is to protect American consumers," US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.



"That's what we've done by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef."



The statement said all meat imports from Brazil had been inspected since March, when some of the country's top meat producers became embroiled in a tainted-meat scandal.



During that time, the Department of Agriculture's food safety and inspection service rejected 11 percent of Brazilian fresh beef imports, compared with only one percent of shipments from other nations, it added.



Since implementation of the increased inspection measures, 106 lots  approximately 1.9 million pounds (861,825 kilograms)  of Brazilian beef products were refused entry to the US "due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues."



"It is important to note that none of the rejected lots made it into the US market," the statement added, noting that the "Brazilian government had pledged to address those concerns, including by self-suspending five facilities from shipping beef to the US."



"Today's action to suspend all fresh beef shipments from Brazil supersedes the self-suspension," it added.

Brazil's beef production is second only to that of the United States, according to USDA data.
Piney Mountain Supervisor Sara Carter will not seek a second term on the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors. She has served since 2014.

Carter, who currently works as the planning director and zoning administrator for Cumberland County, said she based her decision on career concerns.

I dont have a conflict with my current job, but it can be difficult to move up in public service if youre still holding on to an elected position, she said.

According to Appomattox County Assistant Registrar Wayne Burlingame, no candidates stepped forward to run for the seat before the required June 13 deadline, so the campaign will be decided by a write-in race.

Carter said she is proud of the community projects the county has undertaken such as infrastructure improvements, planned improvements to parks and increased funding for public schools.

Theres good things happening in Appomattox, she said. I am delighted about the refocus that Appomattox has had on taking care of its existing infrastructure. We have focused in on taking care of our facilities, replacing roofs and doing what we need to do. Those are real accomplishments that come from the community coming together to work on things that matter.

Appomattox Courthouse Supervisor Samuel Carter and Wreck Island Supervisor Bryan Moody would not comment Friday on Carters announcement. Appomattox River Supervisor William Hogan and Falling River Supervisor Chad Millner could not be reached for comment by press time.
Megan Huffman leaned forward, using her body weight to urge a whirling drill bit into a short fat wooden post Thursday.

With a giddy grin, she eased the drill back out.

Im getting myself one of these. I feel so powerful, she said as she offered the drill to Lynchburgs Kristen ONeill, who declined. I just want to give you the opportunity to feel like Wonder Woman.

Nearby, their handmade Little Free Pantry awaited its perch.

Come Monday the pale-colored, pint-sized pantry will become home to staples such as pasta, paper towels and diapers  and those in an emergency will have a place to turn, while others with excess will have a new way to share.

Take what you need, Leave what you can, reads the note on the glass front door of the pantry, which was built over the course of nearly a dozen hours by 13 Lynchburg women who had to learn about everything from roofing to drilling to pull it off.

Little Free Pantries, or Blessing Boxes as some communities have dubbed them, are nothing new. In fact Tracey Dixon executive director of Lynchburg Daily Bread, an agency that provides about 60,000 free meals annually to the community, has been asking for one for more than a year now. In 2016 on the Lynchburg Daily Breads Facebook page Dixon asked someone to build one for her.

The boxes are located in public spaces and, similar to Little Free Libraries, they allow residents to take what they need and leave what they dont.

ONeill, Huffman, both volunteers at Daily Bread, said they attended Lynchburgs Poverty to Progress meeting with a group of friends and walked away with a better understanding of hunger in the community and the need for the box.

ONeill said she was saddened to learn so much food is available in the community but many residents cant access it because of a lack of transportation or timing issues.

The women connected with Elise Spontarelli, executive director of Vector Space, a nonprofit that gives people a place, the tools and help they need to create things in exchange for a small membership fee.

Spontarelli was all in, ready to donate items and teach the women everything they needed to build the tiny pantry.

On Thursday, they called the effort therapeutic and empowering.

Its helped them teach their young children about hunger and how they can help.

This is something I can do from my minivan, ONeill said, explaining that her kids can help take stock of the pantry and go shopping with her. They can do it with us.

The women hope it will empower those who partake of it, too.

More than 40 pantries in this area, run by churches and other nonprofits, generously provide residents with boxes chock-full of supplies that can range from beans and rice to fresh produce and milk. Its not uncommon, though, for recipients to sometimes not need, or want, everything given.

At the Little Free Pantry, guests take what they need, and leave what they dont.

Its tremendously important to me to have this level of empowerment where a person can not only get help but help another person, Dixon said on Thursday, explaining she anticipates some users may share their pantry excess. I think it would have a tremendous impact on anyones self-esteem to not only get help, but give help.

Kristi West, partner services coordinator for the Lynchburg branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, works directly with pantries, summer feeding programs and more.

The need in the community cant be overstated.

The Lynchburg branch alone provides food to more than 16,000 individuals monthly, through 44 partner agencies in Lynchburg and its surrounding counties.

Dixon said Daily Bread provides a free hot lunch 365 days a year, but guests regularly come by after lunch in need of food.

She said donors regularly leave behind items for the agency after it has closed. The pantry gives them a place to leave the food for distribution.

I just love the idea of food being available at Daily Bread at any time, Dixon said.

Dixon, ONeill, Huffman and Spontarelli, hope the box is the first of many.

To that end, Dixons team will monitor the pantry, helping keep it stocked and tracking donations and usage to determine what needs to be done to make future Little Free Pantries even more successful.

ONeill, Huffman and Spontarelli have agreed to help others that want to build a pantry and said some groups already have expressed interest.

They estimate it cost them about $60 to build but that doesnt include the cost of their Vector Space memberships. Spontarelli said shell assist those who need help but dont have memberships.

Now ONeill and Huffman are creating a calendar and asking friends to adopt the pantry for one day each month.

Because its never been done in Lynchburg, at least that they know of, the women dont know how much it will cost to fill the pantry  they estimate $30 to $50  or how long it will stay stocked. For now the hope is that if everyone takes just one day to fill it, there is no risk of an empty pantry.

Despite the known need, no one is quite sure how many people will use it or if it will be taken advantage of.

Its a risk worth taking.

For those who want to give and are unsure of whats best Huffman and ONeill are posting a list of recommended items inside the pantry.

West said there are dozens of items the food bank doesnt get enough of and residents need including baby food, formula, paper products, personal care products and any item that might take away from a food purchase. She said protein, whether in the form of a stew, canned tuna or chicken or peanut butter, is a good idea as well as pop-tops because there are those who dont have items like can openers.

Having that available right there at Daily Bread where there are so many that walk there, that is a great opportunity for their clients, West said. I would love to see it expand  that would be great even in the counties.

At 12:30 p.m. on Monday, the Little Free Pantry will formally be unveiled at its permanent home in front of Daily Bread on Clay Street.

The entire community is invited to the event.

Im just so deeply appreciative that this group of ladies can make this vision a reality and I think there is tremendous potential for it to be repeated, Dixon said. They are setting the stage for a very successful initiative.

ONeill and Huffman said the pantry wont solve the hunger problem, but it can help.

West said it should serve as a reminder that hunger cant be fixed by one person alone.

There are a lot of really caring people in Lynchburg and I think it is going to take everyone working together to put a dent in the issue in Lynchburg.

I applaud anyone who is trying to do something innovative or different.
Celebrating all things Latin

Six Latin American countries and their respective embassies will participate in six days of culture, art, film and cuisine.

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba and El Salvador are the six participating countries. The six-night event begins on June 27 and runs until July 3. All events will take place at the National Library, Hart and Abercromby Streets, Port-of-Spain.

The opening night will feature a documentary film from Argentina which focuses on the life and work of renowned 20th-century, Argentine tango musician and composer, Astor Piazzolla.

Debbie Goodman, the NALISs manager, corporate communications said this was the authoritys attempt at bridging the cultural divide between Latin America and TT as more Latin Americans enter the country.

A release issued by the NALIS said: In an effort to bridge cultural divides, create a greater understanding among communities and promote multiculturalism, the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) will host a celebration of Latin American culture, arts, films, poetry and cuisineThis programme is intended to provide the public with an insight into the culture of our Latin American neighbours and to create a renewed interest in the learning of Spanish as our first foreign language. Goodman said to Newsday that the event has been in planning since last year. The library then sent out invites to the various embassies, many of which responded, and were very excited. Some were unable to participate this year, she said, but have already indicted their willingness to participate next year. Latin Nights was initially scheduled to take place in March but did not happen due to other events the library already had on its schedule.

With the influx of Latin American nationals to TT , the library has seen an increase in requests for the teaching of Spanish as well as Latin American literature at the library. This, Goodman said, is also another reason for Latin Nights. The national library has had a series of such events, providing an intimate look into the lives of other cultures to the wider TT public. The increased requests as well as having more Latin American visitors to the library indicates its success.

An exhibition showcasing Latin American artefacts will run concurrently to Latin Nights.

Dennis Moses, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister; Maxie Cuffie, Public Administration and Communications Minister as well as NALIS executive director are expected to deliver remarks at the events opening night.
Govt sets up $25M flood fund

Young said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley put a proposal for the fund to Finance Minister Colm Imbert. Today (yesterday) at Cabinet, the Prime Minister requested of the Minister of Finance with concurrence of the rest of Cabinet, that we move to establish immediately, a relief fund for the flooding and other off-shoots of what has taken place as a result of Tropical Storm Bret, over the past 48 hours, of $25 million, Young said.

The money will be disbursed among the Ministries of Social Development and Family Services; Local Development and Rural Development; and Works and Transport.

It is envisaged this fund will be disbursed through the various programmes to assist those who have been adversely affected by the effects of Tropical Storm Bret, Young said.

To minimise the possibility of fraud, Young said Cabinet decided to utilise, already-in-place procedures at the three ministries with respect to dispensation of monies.

It is going to be a fluid situation.

There are procedures in place to access various grants (within these ministries) and once you go and get through these processes and procedures, the money will be provided from the Ministry of Finance, Young said.

Young revealed that on Tuesday, after Brets passage, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance reached out to him saying funds could be made available for emergency situations.

Minister of Social Development and Family Services Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, one of four ministers who addressed the briefing yesterday, said her ministry offers a range of benefits to distressed citizens, moreso those affected by natural disasters. She said in cases where people have lost food supplies, a temporary food card will be issued.

In instances where the roof of houses have been blown off, Critchlow-Cockburn said a sum of $20,000 will be provided per applicant.

In addition, a $10,000 grant can be accessed to replace furniture such as refrigerators, stoves, beds and dining tables. Crichlow-Cockburn said individuals must submit their claims to the ministry.

The ministry is currently working on the basis of individuals submitting applications and we are also partnering with the ODPM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management) and regional corporations so that where they would have conducted assessments, we would then process the applications, she said.

But in instances where individuals may not have been able to interact with the ODPM or the regional corporations, they can submit an application directly to one of our regional offices. (See Page 5)
Jailed for sex attacks on daughter

The man was charged with of grievous sexual assault, indecent assault and attempted incest. His daughter, was a Form Four pupil at the time of the attacks. The first offence occurred in 2008, when the girl was 15. Attorneys Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal and Sarah De Silva prosecuted. They said the teenager was in the living room of the family home in East Trinidad watching television when her father sexually assaulted her.

The court heard that the incident occurred minutes after he came home from work. At the time, her three sisters were asleep in their bedrooms.

The acts of grievous sexual assault were committed in August 2008.

The court heard that the teenager was in her bedroom when her father entered the room and sexually assaulted her on a bed.

In the months of October and September 2009, the teenager was also home alone and in her bedroom when her father indecently assaulted her on a bed.

During these times, her sisters were asleep in their bedrooms.

During the trial, the victim who is now 24, was brought as a witness but refused to speak.

Her statements to police along with other evidential documents were read to the jury and Justice David during the trial. The victims mother, who lives elsewhere, also testified during the trial.

In passing sentence yesterday, Justice Harris said the court must send a message to other potential offenders.

But he took into consideration certain mitigating factors when considering the sentence. Justice David said the accused had no previous convictions or pending court matters. On two charges of grievous sexual assault, the man was sentenced to 16 years in prison per charge. On the charges of indecent assault, he was sentenced to five years per charge. On the charge of attempted incest, he was jailed for 20 years. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently thus the accused will serve 20 years in prison.
Place of worship desecrated

That is where I do my prayers every day, said an irate Iris Sookoo, 57, of Seukeran Trace, Siparia Old Road, Fyzabad.

How could they do that? The desecration, Sookoo said, is an attempt by certain people to get her off the land she has occupied for several years. She said that on Monday evening, she returned home to find the flagpoles strewn in the mud on the ground and items from the hut broken and scattered. Sookoo said those behind the vandalism are trying to get to her by attacking her religion.

Showing documents, Sookoo explained that in 2015, a dispute over a parcel of land she occupied for several years had been settled in court and she was given the right to live on the land until she can purchase.

My flags cannot be removed just like that.

There must be prayers, she explained. My spiritual father must be there before those flags can be taken out.

They even mash up my prayer vessels and other items and scatter the pieces on the ground. Sookoo said the latest persecution began two Sundays ago, when she left home to go to the Siparia Health facility and while there, was told a demolition crew was in her yard.

Sookoo said they used a backhoe to break down her gate and totally demolish her house, which was under construction.

The damage has been estimated around $90,000. She reported the matter to the Siparia police, but so far no one has been held. Sookoo, a contractor, said it was the second time in two years that she has lost her home and she is living in fear for her life.

In February 2015, her house on the same piece of land was fire-bombed and she suffered extensive losses, including vehicles. No one was charged.

The land matter went to court and was settled. I now start rebuilding and this is what happen again. I want the police to intervene before the worse happens. She is now staying with relatives. A senior officer at the Siparia police station said the matter was being investigated.
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A 17-year-old in Palmdale, Calif., was shot dead early Thursday after he tried to stop somebody else's pit bull from attacking police officers. Los Angeles County officials say Armando Garcia-Muro was hit by a "skip round" that ricocheted off the ground when deputies fired at the charging animal, the Los Angeles Times reports. Police say the animal bit deputies responding to a complaint about a loud party at around 3:40am. Armando restrained the animal and brought it to the back of the apartment complex, but he was shot when it broke free and charged at police again.

Sheriff's Capt. Christopher Bergner says it was an "extremely, extremely unfortunate incident," the AP reports. He says deputies, who fired when the dog was around 10 feet away, apparently didn't see the teenager in the darkness. The bitten deputy was also hit by a bullet but received only minor injuries. The dog's owner tells the LAT that it was off the leash when police turned up, but the animal was "well-mannered" and she finds it hard to believe it attacked deputies. Armando's mother says her son, the oldest of four siblings, was a "very loving person" who liked dogs and planned to go into construction after finishing high school. The dog was shot but survived. Police say they plan to have it euthanized. (Read more police shooting stories.)
Johnny Depp is in England, but the Secret Service might want to chat with him when he returns to the US: The actor joked about assassinating President Trump to a crowd at the Glastonbury festival Thursday night, the Guardian reports. Depp starting discussing the president while taking questions from the audience after introducing his 2004 movie The Libertine at the festival's on-site drive-in cinema. "I think he needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go," Depp said. "This is going to be in the press and it'll be horrible. But I like that you are all part of it," he told the cheering crowd. "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

"I want to clarify: I'm not an actor," Depp added. "I lie for a living. However, it's been a while. Maybe it's about time." The Los Angeles Times notes that an actor last assassinated a president 152 years ago, when John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln. ABC reports that the Secret Service says it is aware of Depp's comments, though there has been no comment yet from either the White House or Depp's publicist. (Depp, who played the president in a "Funny or Die" biopic last year, has suggested that he could be Saturday Night Live's next Trump.)
Despite the hottest June temperatures in more than 40 years, the head teacher at Isca Academy in Devon, England, told boys shorts were not an acceptable part of the school uniformbut she didn't ban skirts. To keep cool and protest the ban, dozens of boys at the secondary school turned up Thursday in skirts that had been borrowed from friends or siblings, CNN reports. One teen described the feeling as a "nice breeze" amid the sweltering temperatures. The mother of a 14-year-old boy tells Devon Live that head teacher Aimee Mitchell sarcastically told boys protesting the shorts ban that they could wear skirts if they likedbut "children tend to take you literally."

"Children also dont like injustice," another mother says. "The boys see the female teachers in sandals and nice cool skirts and tops while they are wearing long trousers and shoes and the older boys have to wear blazers." Boys who wore the school's regulation tartan skirts did not get into troubleapart from one who wore his too short. With the protest now spreading to other schools with shorts bans, Mitchell has signalled that she is ready to reconsider. "Shorts are not currently part of our uniform for boys," she said Thursday, per the Guardian. "However, with hotter weather becoming more normal, I would be happy to consider a change for the future." (This London school is considering gender-neutral uniforms.)
North Koreawhich handed back Otto Warmbier in a coma after imprisoning him for 17 monthsis denying that it tortured the young American. In Pyongyang's first comment since Warmbier's death on Monday, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Friday that the 22-year-old was treated "strictly based on domestic law and international standards," the AP reports. The statement slammed South Korea for "slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture" despite the "humanitarian" treatment Warmbier was given. Warmbier was buried Thursday after thousands of people gathered at his old high school in Wyoming, Ohio, for a funeral service, the BBC reports.

High school friend Andrew Kraner tells CNN the service mixed the serious and the light-hearted, reflecting Warmbier's character. "He was the nicest kid," he says. "It's tough, and my heart's very heavy for him." Ohio Sen. Rob Portman spoke to reporters before the funeral, accusing Pyongyang of showing a disregard for "basic human dignity" and denying Warmbier basic medical care. A day earlier, Portman spoke on the Senate floor, denouncing the "unnecessary and appalling detainment and barbaric treatment of Warmbier," his office says. After the service, thousands of supporters lined the road between the high school and the cemetery. (Warmbier's parents decided against having an autopsy.)
Two years after the Supreme Court made gay marriage legal, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Ill., has issued a decree instructing his priests to not only refuse to perform gay marriage services but to deny Holy Communion, last rites, and funeral services to members of same-sex couples who dont express "repentance before death." In the decree, Bishop Thomas Paprocki calls marriage a "covenant between one man and one woman" and the Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell vs. Hodges decision a "reversal of millennia of legal and judicial recognition of the marital union." When Illinois made gay marriage legal four years ago, Paprocki performed a public exorcism in response, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Paprocki's decree instructs that children of same-sex couples can be baptized and may receive first communion and the Sacrament of Confirmation but that the child's parents will not be allowed to serve as sponsors in those rites. The Washington Post reports Paprocki emailed his decree to clergy and staff last week, sparking anger among some church officials and Catholic LGBTQ activists hoping to build on the more liberal teachings of Pope Francis, who wrote last summer that while the church would continue to prohibit gay marriage, the clergy should not use "moral laws" like a weapon, reported the Post at the time. Paprocki completed his decree by saying that "while being clear and direct about what the Church teachers, our pastoral ministry must always be respectful, compassionate, and sensitive." (Read more gay marriage stories.)
The medieval sword, at just over three pounds, wouldn't have weighed down its owner. But the bog where it was found might have. That's what researchers are saying after a remarkably well-preserved sword from the 14th century was found in a bog in Poland. A worker was using an excavator to drain the peat-filled bog in Hrubieszow late last month when the 4-foot-long sword surfaced, reports National Geographic. The worker then donated it to the local Stanislaw Staszic Museum. The museum's director tells Polish public science website PAP "it is possible that a knight was sucked into the marsh after a string of unfortunate circumstances, or that [the sword] was simply lost."

According to the History Blog, knights might've worked at a castle built in Hrubieszow in the late 14th century. Keeping that in mind, researchers now hope to discover the identity of the sword's owner. They plan to look for an engraving at the top of the blade that might relate to a specific knight or family, and will analyze a blacksmith's mark"an isosceles cross inside an heraldic shield," per the History Blogthat's present and that would've once been covered by a wood, bone, or antler hilt. The sword has been sent to Warsaw to be studied and restored and is expected to be returned to the Stanislaw Staszic Museum by November. In the meantime, archaeologists plan to search the bog for other artifacts. (A hiker once found a Viking sword.)
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Shares of American Airlines stock may have jumped after news that Qatar Airways was interested in buying a 10% stake in the company, but American CEO Doug Parker threw cold water on any shareholder celebration. The announcement of interest from the airline to buy American stock worth about $808 million prompted Parker to write a letter to employees denouncing the bid, reports CNBC. "[W]e aren't particularly excited about Qatar's outreach," Parker writes, "and we find it puzzling given our extremely public stance on the illegal subsidies that Qatar, Emirates and Etihad have all received over the years from their governments," he writes, referring to two other Gulf carriers.

The actual investment hasn't happened yet: Anyone trying to buy 4.75% or more of American's stock must submit a written request to the board, and that hasn't happened yet, reports Business Insider. Qatar Airways' motives were unclear, telling American only that its investment would be "passive." Quartz notes that the airline is small in comparison to US airlines and has been purchasing stakes in foreign airlines recently to beef up. In his letter Parker, attempts to allay any fear that the potential new investor could influence the airline. "Do not worry," he writes, citing a law that prohibits any foreign entity from owning 25% of a US airline. "There is no possibility that Qatar will be able to purchase enough of American to control or influence our Board, management or our strategy." (Read more American Airlines stories.)
Megan Rondini was a 20-year-old honors student with a 3.8 GPA at the University of Alabama when she was allegedly raped by a 34-year-old businessman, a member of a prominent Tuscaloosa family. After escaping from his home in the wee hours of July 2, 2015, she went immediately to the hospital and then the sheriff's department to report what had happened. What followed, as detailed in an extensive BuzzFeed look at the case by Katie JM Baker, ultimately led to Rondini's withdrawal from the university and her suicide in February 2016. Police seemed to doubt Rondini's story from the get-go, and to this day they maintain she did not "earnestly" resist her alleged rapist, TJ Bunn Jr., as Alabama's legal definition of rape requires. And authorities were soon turning things around on Rondini, who ultimately found herself the subject of investigation.

While trying to find her keys in her flight from Bunn's home, Rondini took $3 from his car in case she needed to take a cab. She also initially took a pistol she found in his car "for safety" and accidentally fired it while handling it. Police seized on those details, and after the district attorney initially decided not to bring Rondini's allegations against Bunn to a grand jury, that decision was later reversed in what BuzzFeed calls a "package deal"the grand jury would also rule on felony charges against Rondini related to the money and the gun, which investigators said may have been fired into Bunn's residence. That's when Rondini dropped the civil suit she had started, withdrew from school, and moved back home to Texas, ultimately hanging herself months later. There's much more, from a university therapist's refusal to treat Rondini to investigators' failure to test Rondini to see if she had been drugged, in BuzzFeed's full article. (Read more Longform stories.)
A fifth GOP senator has come out against the Senate Republicans' health care bill, which can only afford to have two GOP senators vote against it. CNN reports Nevada Sen. Dean Heller says he "simply will not support" the bill, which he says is "not the answer." I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes away insurance from tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Nevadans, the Washington Post quotes Heller as saying. He says the idea that the bill would lower health care premiums is a "lie." He's particularly concerned about spending cuts to Medicaid included in the bill. USA Today reports Heller is considered the most vulnerable senator in 2018, as he's the only Republican senator running for re-election in a state won by Hillary Clinton.

The other four GOP senators to oppose the health care bill in its current formTed Cruz, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, and Mike Leeessentially did so from a more conservative position, arguing it doesn't go far enough in repealing the ACA. In addition to those four and Heller, USA Today identifies four other Republican senators to keep an eye on. Rob Portman and Shelley Moore Capito are concerned cuts to Medicaid would hurt the fight against opioid addiction by limiting low-income people's access to addiction treatment. Meanwhile Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are opposed to the bill cutting Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood for a year. (Read more Dean Heller stories.)
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Faridabad:

In a shocking incident, the lover of a woman allegedly banged the head of her six-year-old daughter against a wall after she peed on the mattress, resulting in her death.

Parul, who had separated from her husband, Sunny, three years ago, has been living with her lover, Saurabh, in Faridabad's Parvatiya Colony since then, the police said.

Saurabh allegedly never considered Parul and Sunny's daughter Rabi his own and would beat her up over petty issues.

On Monday night, Rabi peed on the mattress. When he got to know about it, an enraged Saurabh banged Rabi's head against a wall due to which she fell unconscious.

After some time, he rushed her to a hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

Hospital staff also informed police about the incident, following which Saurabh was arrested and a murder case registered against him at Parvatiya police station.
New Delhi:

Delhi Police conducted a mock drill in Sarojini Nagar market on Tuesday to check the preparedness in handling a London-style attack.

The drill started at 9 PM and went on for close to an hour, said police.

Ramming a vehicle into pedestrians has become the most common form of terror attack. We keep receiving inputs about terror outfits planning to target Delhi. Mock drills are a way to check the preparedness levels of various stakeholders, said a senior police officer referring to the recent terror attacks in London.

The police had received a specific input about a London-style attack being planned to disrupt the International Day of Yoga in Connaught Place and a three-tier security cover was thrown around the place.

ALSO READ: Delhi: Sarojini Nagar, Baba Kharag Singh Marg declared no parking zone

In April, a hijacked beer truck rammed pedestrians at a central Stockholm department store, killing four people, wounding 15 others and sending screaming shoppers fleeing in panic.
New Delhi:

After a month of fasting and prayers, Muslims is all set to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. The market is also geared with best outfits for the joyous occasion or shopping for food items for special dishes on Eid and gift shops.

This year, Ramadan began on May 27 and will last until Saturday, June 24, in accordance with the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia.

During Eid, Muslims wear new clothes, takes part in the early morning prayers held at mosque or outdoor prayer venue.

This year, Eid will start on Sunday June 25 and marks the start of a month of celebration. They also exchange gifts and cards among family and friends.

The dates can be adjusted slightly nearer the time due to lunar sightings and changes each year.

This is because the Islamic calendar  known as the Umm al-Qura calendar  is based on the moons cycle, whereas the Gregorian one is determined by the sun.

As the two dont align, the Islamic dates move back by 11 days each year.

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Srinagar:

A man was lynched by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in the downtown area of Srinagar late on Thursday night. The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday morning revealed that the man lynched was a Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammed Ayub Pandith, who 'sacrificed his life in the line of duty.'

Srinagar: Wreath laying ceremony of Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob in J&K's Nowhatta last night pic.twitter.com/gtrmDY0xF0  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Isse bada sharmnaak vakya koi ho nahin sakta: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti on Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith beaten to death by mob in Nowhatta pic.twitter.com/sOS8NDCQH4  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Our police is one of the best police force in country, showing maximum restraint because they feel they're dealing with their own ppl:J&K CM  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

#JKPolice claims that Office sacrificed his life in line of dutyhttps://t.co/u1MVQmkW5r pic.twitter.com/FRcQYtkofq  News Nation (@NewsNationTV) June 23, 2017

According to an earlier police report, the mob spotted a man moving in suspicious circumstances by some people near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area at 0030 hours. He was reportedly clicking pictures of people while they were coming out of the mosque.

They said people tried to catch the man who allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three persons. The irate mob then caught hold of him and stripped him naked before stoning him to death, the sources said.

Read | Security forces kill two terrorists in Baramulla district's Rafiabad



His body was taken to police control room for identification and other legal procedures, they said adding the situation in old city has turned tense following the incident.



The identity of the deceased could not be immediately established as the angry mob went on a rampage targeting empty security pickets erected in the area.



Police reinforcement was rushed in to restore normalcy in the area. Muslims across Kashmir are observing Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power) with night-long prayers and supplications being made inside the mosques and shrines of the valley.



The authorities have already announced restrictions on the movement of people in seven police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure.



The restrictions, which would come into force at dawn, were announced to maintain law and order as separatists had called for protests after Friday prayers against the killing of a civilian during protests in Kakapora area of Pulwama District on Thursday.

Read | UN holds 'responsibility' to resolve Kashmir issue: Pakistan

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Chandigarh:

Security agencies in border districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur in Punjab were on high alert on Thursday following inputs that Pakistan-backed terrorists were planning to carry out an attack.

We are on alert following an input which was received today, Gurdaspur SSP Bhupinderjit Singh Virk said over phone.

Security has also been tightened in Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts.

We have been checking vehicles. Besides, checking is also being conducted at railways station and bus stands, the SSP said.

ALSO READ: London style attack suspected in Delhi, Police conduct mock drill

Pathankot SSP Vivek Sheel Soni said the police was fully alert to thwart any attempt of anti-national elements.

Punjab police has already provided nine bulletproof tractors to Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts to deal with any such threat.

Last month, an alert was issued by Jammu Police, claiming that some footprints of intruders were spotted in Kathua.

Dinanagar in Gurdaspur and the Air Force base in Pathankot were attacked by terrorists in July, 2015 and January, 2016, respectively.

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New Delhi:

The Indian Navy on Thursday beefed up security at its Karwar Naval Base after it sighted three trespassers inside the Base. When Navy personnel tried to apprehend them, the intruders ran away.

After the incident, Navy and the Police carried out a joint security exercise inside the Base.

"When security personnel went to apprehend them, they ran away. A thorough search was carried out, but no unauthorised person was found hiding in the area. Local police and a dog squad assisted in the search," said a Navy press release.

The expansion of National Highway 66 by a private company has been causing breaches in the boundary wall of the Naval Base at many places.

Whenever such breach is noticed, a thorough search is carried out in the area by the security personnel from the base and they also repair the breach.

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New Delhi:

Twitter is buzzing with news alerts from India and rest of the world. Here are the latest updates from the micro-blogging site in one scroll:

#8:43 PM

The BCCI extends deadline for inviting applications for the Indian team's chief coach's post till July 9- PTI

#8:34 PM

Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh turns 83, celebrates day with family at Holley Lodge, his personal residence in Shimla- PTI

#8:34 PM

Wife of Hyderabad Additional CP Shiva Prasad commits suicide: Sources- ANI

#7:57 PM

Opposition leader Navalny 'not eligible to stand' for Kremlin: elections panel- AFP

#7:55 PM

Petitions challenging CBSE decision to disallow re-evaluation of sheets: Delhi HC allows re-verification of answer sheets to 12th students- ANI



#7:53 PM

Call to shut Al-Jazeera 'attempt to silence freedom of expression': broadcaster- AFP

#7:50 PM

ED registers money laundering case against terror groups and separatist organisation operating in Kashmir- PTI



#7:32 PM

Bihar: RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav & CM Nitish Kumar at RJD's iftaar party held in Patna.- ANI



#7:15 PM

West Bengal: Clash between teachers of a school & guardians over issues related to mid day meal & school uniform in Baharampur- ANI

#7:14 PM

Tunnelling under Hooghly river for Howrah-Kolkata metro done; at 13m beneath riverbed & 30m from ground, it's country's 1st such proj- PTI



#7:11 PM

Rajasthan: Meeting between Govt officials and Jat protesters begins in Bharatpur- ANI

#7:03 PM

There continue to be UNSCR 1267 designated entities in Pak that receive &disperse funds without controls applied by authorities:Sources- ANI

#7:01 PM

Operative parts of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report slam Pakistans continued complicity in financing terror entities:Sources- ANI

#6:57 PM

Haryana: One accused arrested in Palwal lynching incident- ANI

#6:49 PM

Bihar: RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav & CM Nitish Kumar at RJD's iftaar party held in Patna.- ANI

#6:39 PM

ED registers PMLA case against Hafiz Saeed & members of Hurriyat Conference, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba.- ANI

#6:29 PM

10 dead, 50 injured in twin explosions in Pakistan's Parachinar in Kurram Agency: Pak Media- ANI

#6:23 PM

Tusk says UK offer 'risks worsening situation of EU citizens'- AFP



#6:16 PM

If Cong & other oppn party cared for cause of Dalits they should've nominated Meira Kumar earlier, now they did so to insult Dalits: UP CM- ANI

#6:07 PM

West Indies win the toss, elect to field against India in 1st ODI at Port of Spain- ANI

#6:00 PM

ISIS sympathiser, who wanted to carry out subversive activities in India, arrested in Hyderabad: Police.- PTI

#6:00 PM

5 students from transgender category have cleared NEET 2017, 8 had taken the test; last year, 9 wrote the exam and 3 cleared- PTI

#5:57 PM

After PSLV-C38, ISRO to launch GSAT17 from French Guiana on June 28, the third launch in less than a month: ISRO chief A S Kiran Kumar- PTI

#5:33 PM

Tourist bus hits Paris bridge, at least four injured: fire service- AFP

#5:32 PM

Leading intergovernmental financial watchdog, Financial Action Task Force, slams Pak for continued complicity in financing terror entities- PTI



#5:23 PM

Goa govt issues circular barring MLAs, except ministers, from summoning govt officials to their residences/personal offices for meetings- PTI

#5:18 PM

Infosys says investigation firm found no evidence supporting whistleblower's allegations of improprieties in Panaya deal.- PTI



#5:11 PM

Bihar: Protesters vandalised Bihar Sharif railway station over demand of employment in Indian Railways- ANI

#5:04 PM

NGT asks HP govt to ensure illegal mining is stopped in state on a plea alleging unauthorised excavation on govt land in Kangra- PTI

#4:56 PM

Saina Nehwal out of Australian Open Super Series, loses to Sun Yu of China in the quarter finals- ANI

#4:44 PM

1993 Mumbai blasts case: Argument on quantum of sentence in special TADA court adjourned till June 27th- ANI

#4:26 PM

London mosque driver charged with 'terrorism-related murder': prosecutors- AFP



#3:54 PM

Punjab Assembly passes amendment to allow serving liquor in hotels, restaurants and clubs on the highway- ANI

#3:54 PM

11 killed in bomb blast in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province- PTI

#3:44 PM

Jat protests spread to Agra-Bharatpur, Bharatpur-Bandikui & Bharatpur-Mathura sections today; trains affected: Anil Saxena, DGPRO,Railways- ANI



#3:40 PM

Sensex ends 152.53 pts down at 31,138.21; Nifty falls 55.05 pts to 9,574.95- PTI

#3:16 PM

MP has witnessed a 20% agricultural growth, it was possible because of farmers' hard work & govt's schemes: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan- ANI

#2:44 PM

What happens in change room is something sacred & private to all of us, something that I wouldn't express in detail in public: Virat Kohli-ANI

#2:43 PM

Created a culture over last 3-4 years, tried to maintain sanctity of change room through out, that is what the whole team believes in: Kohli-ANI

#2:39 PM

Anil Kumble has expressed his views and has taken a decision to step out, we all respect that decision: Virat Kohli-ANI

#2:30 PM

EAM Sushma Swaraj announces 10% reduction in passport fee for applicants under 8 years of age and over 60 years - ANI

#2:22 PM

Irreligious act in name of religion.Most unholy act in holy month of Ramzan. Lynching a fellow being-MoS J.Singh on cop lynching in Kashmir - ANI



#2:08 PM

Rose valley scam case: Former ED officer Manoj Kumar gets bail from Kolkata's Bankshall Court on a bail bond of Rs 40,000. - ANI

#2:05 PM

Hyderabad ISIS Module Case: NIA Hyderabad has filed supplementary charge sheet before NIA Special Court against accused Mohammed Irfan. - ANI

#1:56 PM

2 arrested for # lynching police officer outside # JamiaMasjid in downtown area. - PTI

#1:53 PM

# India backs # UNGA resolution to refer Britain-Mauritius dispute to # ICJ. - PTI

#1:49 PM

All passports will be in English and Hindi languages from now on and not just English: EAM Sushma Swaraj in Delhi - ANI

#1:46 PM

Lucknow bench of Allahabad HC stays UP govt's decision removing 6 members of Shia Waqf Board from their positions; reinstates all 6 members - ANI

#1:38 PM

Spain prosecutors propose replacing Messi jail term with fine - AFP

#1:33 PM

This is a fight of ideologies, no midway here. People with secular ideology should stand with Meira ji:Ghulam Nabi Azad,Congress - ANI

#1:30 PM

Australian Open Super Series: India's PV Sindhu lost to Chinese Taipei shuttler Tai Tzu Ying by 21-10,20-22,16-21 in Quarter Finals - ANI

#1:29 PM

Palwal (Haryana): 3 people attacked, 1 person killed allegedly by a group of men after a scuffle over seating in train - ANI

#1:26 PM

Kovind deserves to become the next President of India, now everyone has to support his candidature. Opposition will lose: Andhra Pradesh CM - ANI

#1:20 PM

GJM Chief Bimal Gurung resigns from the post of chief executive of GTA, demands CBI inquiry into police firing on GJM supporters - ANI

#1:08 PM

Few spells of rain/thundershowers accompanied with squally winds exceeding 50 kmph to commence over Delhi/NCR from June 26 for 3-4 days: IMD - ANI

#12:57 PM

# Darjeeling 43 Gorkha Janmukti Morcha members to resign from Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) - ANI

#12:55 PM

# Srinagar: Family mourns the death of Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith, beaten to death by mob in J&K's Nowhatta last night - ANI

#12:37 PM

I am happy that I was unanimously selected as Opposition's Presidential nominee by 17 political parties: Meira Kumar - ANI

#12:27 PM

I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will try to maintain the dignity of the post:Ram Nath Kovind, NDA's presidential candidate - ANI (read more)

#12:13 PM

MP: People hv not died because of oxygen supply failure,but due to illness- Indore Commissioner on reports of 17 ppl dead at Indore hospital - ANI

#12:10 PM

Rohtas (Bihar): Engine of a passenger train derailed at Dehri Railway Station, rail route affected - ANI

#11:58 AM

Two people have been arrested, third person identified. They will have to face the law: J&K DGP SP Vaid - ANI

#11:53 AM

PM Modi reaches Parliament; NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind will file his nomination papers in presence of PM shortly. - ANI

#11:36 AM

30 new smart cities selected under 3rd round of Smart City Mission, taking total number of smart cities to 90: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu - ANI

#11:28 AM

Our police is one of the best police force in country, showing maximum restraint because they feel they're dealing with their own ppl:J&K CM - ANI

#11:26 AM

Kolkata woman who sought permission to abort her 23-week foetus suffering from serious abnormalities case: Next date of hearing on June 29 - ANI #11:24 AM SC orders constitution of 7 member medical board to examine condition of Kolkata woman who sought permission to abort her 23-week foetus. - ANI #11:20 AM Australian Open Super Series: Kidambi Srikanth defeats Sai Praneeth 25-23, 21-17 to enter men's singles semis - ANI #11:17 AM Three dead and one injured after two bikes rammed into each other, in Barwani's Pansemal in Madhya Pradesh. - ANI

#10:47 AM

I will ask Nitish ji to reconsider his decision,Meira Kumar will win: Lalu Yadav on JDU's support to NDA presidential candidate Ram N Kovind - ANI

#10:46 AM

Bill tabled in US House to revoke Pakistan's major non- NATO ally status. - PTI

#10:41 AM

We must make a clean break with Pak, but at very least stop providing them with privileged status reserved for our closest allies: Ted Poe - ANI

Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands: American Congressman Ted Poe - ANI

#10:32 AM

With each PSLV launch we are trying to improve our capability: ISRO Chief Kiran Kumar - ANI (read more)

#10:31 AM

American Congressman Ted Poe and Rick Nolan (D-MN) introduced a bipartisan bill revoking Pakistans major non-NATO ally (MNNA) status. - ANI

#10:29 AM

Arms, ammunition and paraphernalia recovered from terrorist who was killed by security forces in Poonch yesterday - ANI

#10:19 AM

Delhi Police Special Cell arrests a person with 5 kg heroin. More details awaited. - ANI

#10:14 AM

NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind has left from North Avenue, will file his nomination papers today in the presence of PM - ANI

#10:14 AM

Rajasthan: Jat protesters block railway track in Bharatpur, demanding reservation - ANI

#10:12 AM

Agra-Bandikui rail route affected due to ongoing Jat protest demanding reservation - ANI

#10:00 AM

5 dead, 13 injured in explosion near IGP office in Quetta; police cordon off area & injured shifted to hospital: Pak media - ANI

#9:58 AM

# DarjeelingUnrest : Students being evacuated during GJM's 12-hour window, which will continue till 6 pm today. - ANI

#9:45 AM:

Explosion heard near IGP office in Quetta, says Police: Pak Media - ANI

#9:15 AM

BJP leader Bandi Ramesh hacked to death in Karnataka's Ballari, last night. - ANI

#8:55AM

Line of Control is very active right now, there are ceasefire violations everyday; our soldiers are ready to face any situation: DG BSF - ANI

Army was in a position to shoot down members of Pak BAT action team but in the process 2 of our soldiers lost their lives:KK Sharma,DG BSF - ANI

#8:41 AM

Kerala: Forest officials seized a pair of elephant tusks & sandalwood logs from a trader's house at Kadavanthara in Kochi, case registered. - ANI

#8:35 AM

J&K police:Officer sacrificed his life in line of duty DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob at Nowhatta last night - ANI

#8:33 AM

One person arrested from Assam's Dibrugarh yesterday with suspected fake currency of Rs 2000 notes worth Rs 6,02,000 says Police - ANI

#8:32 AM

Madhya Pradesh: Debt ridden farmer named Babulal Malviya committed suicide after consuming poison in Sehore - ANI

#8:12 AM

Looking forward to visit,strengthening US-India ties. Have lot of areas of mutual coop'n,fighting terrorism:US State Dept on PM Modi's visit - ANI

#7:57 AM

A case has been registered, father arrested. Child has been referred to AIIMS: DCP, Shahdara, Nupur Prasad - ANI

Delhi: Man in GTB Nagar chopped off daughters ears after "hallucinations", claimed that a supernatural power asked him to do so; arrested - ANI

#7:42 AM

India to play against WestIndies in first ODI of the tour today, at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. - ANI

#7:38 AM

Andhra: Indian Space Research Organisation to launch PSLV-C38 rocket on a mission to put 31 satellites into orbit from Sriharikota, today. - ANI

#7:31 AM

Telangana: Rescue ops continue for 18-months-old girl who fell into a 40-feet open borewell in Vikarabad yesterday, NDRF team at the spot - ANI

#7:17 AM

Uttarakhand: Gas cylinder explosions in an Indane Gas truck on Rishikesh-Badrinath NH 58 in Khankra, Chardham Yatra affected - ANI

#5:18 AM

Venezuelan troops fire on protesters; one killed - Reuters

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday termed the police officer lynching incident as shameful. J&K Police Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security was beaten to death by a mob on Thursday night for shooting at crowd after they stopped him from taking pictures outside a mosque.A



Attended the wreath laying ceremony for the officer, J&K CM Mufti said, "Our police is one of the best police force in country, showing maximum restraint because they feel they're dealing with their own people."



"Agar ye suluk karenge inka, agar inka (police) sabar jawab dega to phir shayad purana waqt na aaye road pe gypsy dekhke logon ko bhagna pade (If people will continue this attitude, police will lose its patience and then they will have to run at the sight of police van)," warned Mufti.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested two people and a third person has been identified.

LIVE UPDATESA

#12:13 PM: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq tweets, "Deeply disturbed & condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta.Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values & religion...."

Two people have been arrested, third person identified. They will have to face the law: J&K DGP SP Vaid pic.twitter.com/4Ab6bj1CCY a ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Srinagar: Wreath laying ceremony of Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob in J&K's Nowhatta last night pic.twitter.com/gtrmDY0xF0 a ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Isse bada sharmnaak vakya koi ho nahin sakta: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti on Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith beaten to death by mob in Nowhatta pic.twitter.com/sOS8NDCQH4 a ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Our police is one of the best police force in country, showing maximum restraint because they feel they're dealing with their own ppl:J&K CM a ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

The deputy superintendent of police was stripped naked and stoned to death by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in dow the town area in the early hours on Friday.



The police officer identified as Mohammed Ayoub Pandit was on duty when the mob attacked him, a police spokesman said.



DGP S P Vaid termed the killing as sad and unfortunate. aThe official was killed by the mob while he was performing his duties. Itas a very sad and unfortunate incident,a the DGP said.



Earlier police sources had said that Pandit was seen moving around by people near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area at 0030 hours.



He was allegedly clicking pictures of people while they were coming out of the mosque.A They said people tried to catch Pandit who allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three persons.



The irate mob then caught hold of him and stripped him naked before stoning him to death, the sources said.A His body was taken to police control room for identification and other legal procedures, they said adding the situation in old city has turned tense following the incident.



The mob went on a rampage targeting empty security pickets erected in the area.Police reinforcement were rushed in to restore normalcy in the area.



Muslims across Kashmir are observing Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power) with night-long prayers and supplications being made inside the mosques and shrines of the valley.



Authorities have already announced restrictions on movement of people in seven police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure.



The restrictions were announced to maintain law and order as separatists had called for protests after Friday prayers against killing of a civilian during protests in Kakapora area of Pulwama District yesterday.

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New Delhi:

In a historic and proud moment for India, US space agency NASA on Thursday launched the worlds lightest and smallest satellite which was designed and developed by an 18-year-old student from Tamil Nadu. With this launch, India broke a global space record.



Surprisingly, the satellite was not built by any professional scientist or engineer, but by a student named Rifath Sharook and his team.



As the name suggests, KalamSat has been named after late Abdul Kalam. NASAs sounding rocket carried the KalamSat and it was launched from NASAs Wallop Island facility around 3pm (IST) on Thursday. In his 60s, Kalam took a training in the sounding rocket programme at Wallops Island.



In the US mission, KalamSat was the only Indian payload. Mission director Srimathy Kesan told TOI that the total flight time was 240 minutes. The satellite was assembled at her residence in T Nagar, Chennai. The satellite separated from the rocket 125 minutes after it was launched from the ground.



"Kalamsat fell into the sea. It will be recovered and Nasa will be sending it back to us for decoding the data,'' she told TOI while pointing out in an emotion-choked voice that the flight was "out of the world and it was a divine intervention."



"I am calling it divine intervention because the previous Nasa mission from Wallops got postponed because of weather and we were able to launch successfully today," Kesan said.

ALSO READ | Meet Tamil Nadu's Rifath Sharook who made worlds smallest satellite KalamSat



This tiny satellite can be held in palm and is a 3.8 cm cube. Its structure is fully 3-D printed with reinforced carbon fiber polymer. The satellite has a nano Geiger Muller counter which will measure radiation in space.



"It is the only cube to be converted into a satellite in this mission," she added.

ALSO READ | KalamSat: Proud moment for India as NASA launches worlds smallest satellite built by Indian student Rifath Sharook

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Washington:

A bipartisan bill seeking to revoke Pakistans status as major non-NATO ally (MNNA) to the US has been introduced in the House of Representatives by two top lawmakers, claiming the country failed to effectively fight terrorism.

Introduced by Republican Congressman Ted Poe and Democratic lawmaker Rick Nolan, the legislation calls for revoking MNNA status of Pakistan, which was granted to it in 2004 by the then president, George Bush, in an effort to get the country to help the US fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands, said Poe, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-proliferation and Trade.

ALSO READ: Modi-Trump meeting: H-1B, defence partnership to be India's priority

For years, Pakistan has acted as a Benedict Arnold ally of the United States. From harbouring Osama bin laden to backing the Taliban, Pakistan has stubbornly refused to go after, in any meaningful way, terrorists that actively seek to harm opposing ideologies, he said.

Benedict Arnold is a byword in the US for treason or betrayal. Benedict Arnold was a general during the American Revolutionary War who originally fought for the American Continental Army but defected to the British Army.

We must make a clean break with Pakistan, but at the very least, we should stop providing them the eligibility to obtain our own sophisticated weaponry in an expedited process granting them a privileged status reserved for our closest allies, Poe said.

Under MNNA, a country is eligible for priority delivery of defence materials, an expedited arms sale process and a US loan guarantee programme, which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports.

It can also stockpile US military hardware, participate in defence research and development programmes and be sold more sophisticated weaponry.

Last August, the then Secretary of Defence, Ash Carter, withheld USD 300 million in military reimbursements because he could not certify that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, as required by the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA).

Time and time again, Pakistan has taken advantage of Americas goodwill and demonstrated that they are no friend and ally of the United States, Nolan said.

The fact is, the billions of dollars we have sent to Pakistan over the last 15 years has done nothing to effectively fight terrorism and make us safer. It is time to wake up to the fact that Pakistan has ties to the same terrorist organisations which they claim to be fighting, he said.

The legislation will protect American taxpayer dollars and make the US and the world safer, Nolan said.

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New Delhi:

A Canadian special operations sniper showcased his pedigree as an ace marksman and created a name for himself in the shooting record books after he successfully hit an ISIS fighter from a whopping distance of more than two miles away while assisting Iraqi forces in the push to retake Mosul, according to Canadian Special Operations Command.

The marksman whose identity has not been revealed was part of Canada's elite Joint Task Force 2 special operations unit that has been deployed in an "advise and assist" capacity to aid Iraqi security forces battle ISIS from behind the front line in Mosul.

"The Canadian Special Operations Command can confirm that a member of the Joint Task Force 2 successfully hit a target from 3,540 meters. For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners, we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place," the unit said in a written statement.

Due to the distance of the shot, some voices in the military community expressed scepticism at the Canadian government's report. The reported shot from 3,540 meters, or about 2.2 miles, would eclipse the previous sniper world record of 2,474 meters or 1.54 miles set by the United Kingdom's Craig Harrison when he killed two Taliban insurgents in November 2009.

The Globe and Mail first reported the shot's success and said it disrupted an ISIS attack on Iraqi forces, citing unnamed sources. "The elite sniper was using a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle while firing from a high-rise during an operation that took place within the last month in Iraq. It took under 10 seconds to hit the target," the paper said.

The Canadian military unit confirmed the distance of shot shortly after the Globe and Mail story was published, but the shot has yet to be formally confirmed a third party agency.

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Beijing:

China on Friday asked India and the US not to disturb peace in the strategic South China Sea and play a constructive role in the disputes there, as the issue was likely to be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with President Donald Trump.

Modi is going to meet Trump on June 26. He will hold talks with Trump on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said the situation in the disputed region was cooling down.

With concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect the efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard, Geng said.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

Also Read | South China Sea row: Beijing fumes as US sends navy warship near disputed region

Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade.

The US had recently sent a navy warship near an artificial island in the South China Sea as part of the first freedom of navigation operation under President Trump, a move China said challenged its sovereignty in the region.

China termed the US move as irresponsible and warned that Americas deliberate provocations would have extremely dangerous consequences to regional stability.

Also Read | China not to militarise dispute islands in South China Sea, claims Chinese Premier Li

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New Delhi:

At least 38 persons were killed and 121 injured in twin explosions in Pakistan's Parachinar in Kurram Agency on Friday, according to AP reports.

The explosions took place near a bus stand. It is said that the people were leaving the city ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

According to Dawn news, the twin blasts occurred near Tal Adda area where a market and bus stand are located. The rescue operations are underway. The security personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search operation.

#FLASH 10 dead, 50 injured in twin explosions in Pakistan's Parachinar in Kurram Agency: Pak Media pic.twitter.com/Ptuk2NwWnG  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Earlier in the day, at least five people were killed in a blast in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, capital of the country's Baluchistan province, a police official told Reuters.

"The blast took place near the IG office (inspector general of police) and it's possible the assailants were trying to enter the (army) cantonment which is close by," said provincial government spokesman Anwar ul-Haq Kakar.

Also Read | Pakistan: Quetta blast kills 5, injures several other near IGP office

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Washington:

The United States is looking forward to strengthening ties with India, the Trump Administration has said, ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump next week.



Were looking forward to strengthening ties between the United States and India, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference.



We have a lot of areas of mutual cooperation, fighting terrorism, we have a lot of people-to-people ties, strong people-to-people ties; so were looking forward to that visit, she said.

Read | PM Modi thanks Swedish PM for supporting 'Make in India' program



Modi and Trump are scheduled to meet at the White House on Monday. This would be the first meeting between the two leaders.



After Trump won the presidential elections last November, the two leaders have spoken over phone three times, the last being Trumps congratulatory phone calls after Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Read | PM Modis US visit: Job creation in India will be key agenda in American CEOs meeting, says govt official

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New Delhi:

At least five people were killed in a blast in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, capital of the country's Baluchistan province, a police official told Reuters.



"The blast took place near the IG office (inspector general of police) and it's possible the assailants were trying to enter the (army) cantonment which is close by," said provincial government spokesman Anwar ul-Haq Kakar.



According to reports, the police has cordoned off the area and the injured people are being shifted to hospitals. Police spokesman Shahzada Farhat told news agency AP that the attack took place Friday morning in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province. No one has yet taken responsibility for the attack.



Television footage showed emergency services rushing to the area which was covered in debris and security officials cordoning off the area.

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Washington:

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US capital to meet President Donald Trump, Indian-Americans are eagerly looking forward to welcoming him.



The Indian community in Washington might not be as big the community as in New York/New Jersey area or the Silicon Valley, where the Prime Minister addressed two massive rallies in recent years, but the enthusiasm among the diaspora is at the same level.



The community is planning to welcome Modi at every possible location where he could be available during his three-day stay here. There is a huge enthusiasm among Indian Americans, said Adapa Prasad, a top leader of the Overseas Friends of BJP USA, who is playing a key role in organising events to welcome the Prime Minister.



Unlike New York and Silicon Valley, Modi is attending a smaller community event on Sunday in a Virginia suburb of Washington DC. The Sunday afternoon reception is invitation only and has been restricted to leaders of the community organisations and eminent Indian-Americans from across the country.

ALSO READ | Modi-Trump meeting: H-1B visa, counter-terrorism and defence partnership to be India's priority



Despite this people are coming from across the country. They are flying and driving down to Washington DC for several hours to have a glimpse of their popular leader, Prasad said.



It is understood that the community reception can accommodate about 600 people. In addition to the community events, several think-tanks and organisations have planned a series of events coinciding with the US-India Summit on Monday.



The East West Centre in Washington and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with the Senate India Caucus and the House India Caucus will launch India Matters for America/America Matters for India, a publication and web resource for credible and nonpartisan information, graphics, analysis, and news at the national and state level on US-India interactions.



The briefing brings together experts from the US Government, business, and academia to assess how the partnership between the United States and India has moved towards greater cooperation in matters of regional security, trade, and cultural exchange, a statement said.



Another American think-tank Hudson Institute has partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to host a discussion on Monday on building stronger trade relations between India and the US.



Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, will offer his perspective on the India-US relationship. A panel discussion to be moderated by Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the US, would include Pratyush Kumar, president of Boeing India; Danny O?Brien, government relations leader for transportation at General Electric Company; James Shapiro, resident director in North America for Tata Sons; and Kapil Sharma, senior vice president at Wipro. The panelists will explore ways to foster deeper economic bonds through innovation, global supply chain integration, investment, and more, a statement said.



The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) is organising a mini-conference on the Indo-US ties and Indian diaspora on June 25, which among others would be addressed by Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge, foreign affairs dept of the Bharatiya Janata Party and an editor of book Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in Indias Foreign Policy.



Indiaspora is also organising a reception to celebrate India US relationship. Meanwhile, separatist Sikh and Kashmiri groups have announced that they will hold anti-India protest rallies in front of the White House on Monday.

ALSO READ | Modi-Trump meeting: White House looking forward to strengthening Indo-US ties

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Moscow:

Telegram messaging app has been threatend with a ban by Russia's state communications watchdog on Friday because the company behind the service had failed to submit company details for registration.

In a message on its website, the Roskomnadzor agency warned that "time is running out" for Telegram to comply with the law.

Otherwise "Telegram must be blocked in Russia", it said. The free instant messaging app lets people exchange messages, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000 people. It has attracted about 100 million users since its launch in 2013.

In an unusual move, the agency's chief, Alexander Zharov, addressed Telegram's secretive Russian chief executive, Pavel Durov.

"I publicly call on the Telegram team and personally Pavel Durov: carry out the Russian law!" Zharov wrote, adding: "The choice is yours."

Read more: Arun Jaitley seeks Russian firms' support in defence production

The watchdog said it had been sending messages to the company "practically every day" asking it to send company information for Roskomnadzor's register.

Durov has not responded on his social media accounts. The 32-year-old had previously created Russia's popular VKontakte social media site, before founding Telegram in the United States.

Durov said in April that the app had "consistently defended our users' privacy" and "never made any deals with governments."

But the service has drawn the ire of critics who say it can let criminals and terrorists communicate without fear of being tracked by police, pointing in particular to its use by Islamic State jihadists.

The app is one of several targeted in a legal crackdown by Russian authorities on the internet and on social media sites in particular.

Since January 1, Internet companies are required to store all users' personal data at data centres in Russia and provide it to the authorities on demand.

And draft legislation that has already secured initial backing in parliament would make it illegal for messaging services to have anonymous users.

Read more: WhatsApp rises as force to reckon with in news media domain

A bill set for its first reading Friday would also ban the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy servers to bypass Russian internet controls.

But Russia's internet ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev said the VPN bill was "going against common sense", speaking to RBK independent news site this month.

The Kommersant business daily criticised the slew of legislation this month, saying: "The Russian internet needs protection against laws."

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After dominating Zymurgy Magazine's annual survey of the Best Beers in America for eight of the 15 years it has existed, Russian River Brewing Co.'s elusive double IPA Pliny the Elder has been usurped.

Zymurgy, which is the official publication of the American Homebrewers Association, found that following a survey of over 4,000 of its members, that title now belongs to Two Hearted Ale, an IPA brewed by Bell's Brewery in Galesburg, Michigan.

"This is an incredible honor for us," said Laura Bell, CEO of Bell's Brewery. "We got our start as homebrewers  that's how my dad got going  so we really identify with the homebrewing community. We take a lot of that spirit into what we do today."

Zymurgy asked voters to select 20 of their favorite commercial beers available across the United States in an online poll, tallied them up, and with those votes found both state and national winners. Pliny came in at second place nationwide (though first in California), with Founders' Breakfast Stout (Grand Rapids, Michigan) at third, Three Floyds' Zombie Dust pale ale (Hammond, Indiana) at fourth, and another of Bell's, the imperial IPA Hopslam, rounding out the top five.

The Homebrewers Association's list of top breweries in the United States looked similar to its top-ranked brews. Bell's Brewery landed at first, with Founders Brewing coming in at second. Russian River ranked third, with fellow Northern California brewery Sierra Nevada at fourth. Fifth place went to Escondido's Stone Brewing, and sixth to Firestone Walker.

For Russian River loyalists, the results may not come as a shock. Bell's began distributing to California in early 2015, and has steadily been adding more customers in its growing list of distribution territories, including Texas, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South and Central Florida.

Russian River's distribution of Pliny, meanwhile, remains limited; currently, just beer drinkers in California, Oregon, Colorado, and Philadelphia can buy it  if it doesn't sell out immediately. Those who can't get the beer to taste are, naturally, less inclined to vote for it as a favorite.

See the full list of winners at the Homebrewers Association's website.

This article has been updated with data provided by the AHA.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


The child actor who played Baby Oscar in "Ghostbusters II" has died, according to family members. He was 28 years old.

He was found dead in his San Diego apartment on June 14 by his twin brother, William. The official cause of death was hanging, according to E! Online.

Henry "Hank" Deutschendorf played the expressive child of Dana Barrett, played by Sigourney Weaver, in the 1989 hit sequel to the even bigger 1984 original film. He was also the real-life nephew of musician John Denver.

PREVIOUS: Dan Aykroyd slams director over 'Ghostbusters' remake costs

According to a statement from his family, Deutschendorf had suffered from severe mental illness for the better part of the past decade. He had been diagnosed in August 2008 with schizoaffective disorder, which is a mixture of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

He was able to function and thrive as an instructor at the West Coast Martial Arts Academy he helped run with his brother.

The man's family had created a web page titled "Hank's Hope For A Cure" to raise awareness of his condition and also fund raise for the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

"Our parents will always remember him as a loving son. His family will remember him as someone who was always there when they needed him. His nieces and nephews will remember him as the funnest uncle who was always ready to play, his brother William wrote on the site. "His close friends will remember how he always helped them look for the silver lining."

TASTY WAVES: Then and Now - 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High's' cast and crew

Hank also leaves behind a girlfriend that he shared an apartment with.

"His girlfriend will remember him as someone who made her feel like the most important person in the world," his brother continued. "I will remember him as my best friend, my partner, my brother, and the bravest man I have ever known."
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NEWTOWN - When General Electric donated $15 million to Newtown after the Sandy Hook massacre, the company specified it was to be spent on a place where all ages could come together.

GE didnt specify what such a building would look like.

Four years later, that building is taking shape in architectural renderings: a combined community center and senior center on a single level, with two pools and a large outdoor green, plus an amphitheater and links to the extensive trail system at the towns 185-acre Fairfield Hills campus.

We like the intergenerational aspect of it, says Anna Wiedemann, the chairman of the towns Commission on the Aging. There are some families in Newtown that dont have grandparents in town, and we think it is important to have the wisdom of all three generations in one place.

An advisory group overseeing construction the new center has planned an outreach meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Booth Library on Main Street. The idea is to get feedback from residents before final designs are drawn.

We are not going to redesign the whole building (based on public comments) but if there is room for improvement the architects can pick up on that, said George Guidera, a member of the advisory group. The design is looking very good, but someone might say, Hey, you forgot this or that.

The 46,000-square-foot building would be built behind the Newtown Municipal Center on property that once housed the hulking Canaan House - an empty remnant of the former state psychiatric hospital that the town bought in 2004.

The building comprises two centers, both of which were approved by voters. The largest part of the building is the $15 million community center and pool complex, paid for in large part by the GE gift. The $3 million senior center would occupy about 9,500 square-feet and contain its own kitchen, wellness facility and multipurpose rooms.

I am just so proud of the people of Newtown for approving the community center and the senior center,Guidera said. I am also proud that we were able to overcome a lot of misinformation early on.

Guidera was referring to disagreement two years ago about the shape the community center should take. Some critics said early designs resembled a senior center more than a gathering place for all ages.

First Selectman Pat Llodra responded by starting the planning process over. The result was passage of the plan at a referendum in 2016, when voters agreed to pair $5 million of town money with $10 million of the GE gift to build the community center, and to spend the remaining $5 million of the GE gift on community center operations for five years.

Earlier this year voters also approved a $3 million senior center. The town decided to combine the buildings to save money.

The towns planning director said the most important features of the building will become evident once its built, and people interact in it.

The programing is the most important thing, said George Benson. The goal is to start construction in September.

The process of finding community agreement on the center has been similar to the unity in Newtown that was cultivated for the construction of the new $50 million Sandy Hook School.

That school, which was paid for with state money, replaced the building that was razed after the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook School in 2012.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
A fire department in New Milford was one of several departments to receive grants Friday through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Water Witch Hose Company #2 received $45,455 for an air refill compressor system.

Fairfield, Ledyard, Gales Ferry and West Hartford also received grants, totaling nearly $940,000 in federal funding to the state.

The announcement was made by most of Connecticuts federal delegation.

Day in and day out, firefighters selflessly and heroically put their lives on the line in order to save others. First responders must have access to the best equipment and training necessary to do their jobs safely and effectively, the delegation said in a press release. These federal dollars will go a long way in ensuring fire departments in Fairfield, Ledyard, New Milford, and West Hartford can continue to do what they do bestsave lives and protect our communities.

Since 2001, FEMAs Assistance to Firefighter grant program has helped firefighters and other first responders get needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards, according to the release.
In 2014, Kings Hawaiian overtook Bimbo as the leading U.S. vendor in all other fresh rolls/buns/croissants. In 2016, the bakery increased sales of fresh rolls and buns by 12.2 percent and hamburger and hotdog buns by 23.9 percent, outperforming competitors by a large margin. No matter what your business is, thats success you want to emulate.

I had the chance to speak with Erick Dickens, CMO at Kings Hawaiian, on how he was able to double his revenue in a declining market overall. Here are six keys to capturing the market share.

1. Have an awesome product.

Sales arent going anywhere if you dont have a brand worth selling. Enough said.

Related: I Use My Personal Brand to Drive Revenue. You Can Too.

2. Get world-class creative on a budget by building your own team.

Dickens quickly realized that outsourcing to a traditional ad agency wasnt going to work. For one thing, Kings Hawaiian was a relatively small brand with a proportional budget. Larger agencies dont give smaller businesses their best talent, he says. Kings Hawaiian had never really communicated with consumers before, so their first attempt had to be just right. Since he wasnt going to get that from the big agencies, Dickens decided he would have to build his own world-class marketing as a hybrid of in-house talent and highly talented contractors.

Dickens began reaching out to personal contacts hed built over the years. One contact, Steve Levit, had previously run a major creative shop in Los Angeles. I presented him with an opportunity to work directly on the business, Dickens explained. I got to pay him a fraction of the cost I would pay a creative agency, and I got a better result. The new creative director hired a few more full-time employees along with freelancers, according to need.

Kings Hawaiian isnt the only brand to develop in-house talent. Many have recognized that the traditional agency model is no longer working for them. Adweek reports that in 2008, 42 percent of member companies in the Association of National Advertisers had in-house agencies. Five years later, that figure rose to nearly 60 percent.

3. Be the first and the best.

This year, Kings Hawaiian debuted its Super Bowl ad, which also featured its new line of BBQ sauces. During the 2015 Academy Awards and Peoples Choice Awards, they aired another ad positioning themselves as the Official Snack of the Awards Season. The venue and message have succeeded in setting Kings Hawaiian apart from other breads; often, Kings Hawaiian rolls arent even sold in the same part of the store as other breads.Nobody in the bread category is doing what were doing, Dickens said. Most bread companies are not interested in marketing. Theyve cut cost and price and commoditized the category.

Related: 7 Factors That Make a Brand Stand Out

4. Stand out.

Whatever you do, the last thing you want is to blend in with your competition. Look for the deals that no one else is making, especially if your product is a so-called everyday commodity. For example, in 2013, Kings Hawaiian partnered with Arbys to create the Kings Hawaiian Roast Beef and Kings Hawaiian Roast Beef & Swiss, two limited-time-only sandwiches sold at all Arbys locations. They continue to strike similar partnerships, if on a smaller scale. Our distribution is achieved directly through relationships with deli and bakery department or buyers, Dickens said. Separate yourself from the competition. Things we do that are different make us better.

5. Dont compromise on talent.

Your efforts to revitalize your brand will fail if the talent you bring on doesnt measure up to the task. Speaking to Adweek, industry expert Marta Stiglin explained, What's essential when staffing any type of organization, internal or external, is that you hire the best and brightest people you can. If you hire B players, you'll end up with a B team.

Dickens agrees. I made a commitment to the owner that I wouldnt build a good enough brand team, he said. That meant looking for individuals, not an agency, that valued quality of work over quantity or time. I never have to hear the words out of scope. For a lot of marketers, this pains them. The traditional agencys model is of managing time instead of quality. When we give an assignment, you keep working until it is ready. We dont get out-of-scope fees.

Related: What Makes a Good Brand Ambassador for Your Business

6. Own your business.

In too many instances, brand team members are more concerned with building their careers over building the business. These members lack what Dickens refers to as ownership. Ownership is focused on long-term health of business, he said. Were able to make decisions and manage in a way that will benefit us in the long term instead of making short-term decisions. Fortunately -- and contrary to popular belief -- the average employee is now spending more time with a single employer than 25 years ago. Employees want to find a company that they can commit to and where they feel appreciated. By fostering an environment of ownership, you can not only help your business grow but also keep your employees engaged and working.

We all want to have a business thats strong enough to pull ahead when others fall behind. Recognize your products worth. Build your own team. Establishing yourself as the best. Stand out. Accept only the best talent. Own your work. Do all this, and your business is sure to take the cake.

Related:



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This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


- Reservations are now accepted -

MONTREAL, June 22, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel reopens on July 10th. Reservations are now accepted online and by phone at 1 866 540 4483.

The reopening of the largest hotel in Eastern Canada is much anticipated after a year of transformation that required its complete closure. As planned, common areas, meeting rooms, the majority of the food & beverage outlets as well as 500 rooms will be ready for opening.

The details of the July 10th opening will be communicated soon.

For more information, please visit fairmont.com or fairmontmontreal.com

About Fairmont

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts connects guests to the very best of its destinations worldwide, providing travelers with memorable travel experiences, thoughtful and attentive service and luxury hotels that are truly unforgettable. Each Fairmont property reflects the locale's energy, culture and history through locally inspired cuisine, spirited bars and lounges and distinctive design and decor. With more than 70 hotels globally, and many more in development, the Fairmont collection boasts some of the most iconic and distinctive hotels in the world. This extraordinary collection includes The Plaza in New York, The Savoy in London, Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Dubai's Fairmont The Palm, Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, Fairmont San Francisco and Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. Fairmont is part of AccorHotels, a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,100 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 3000 of the finest private homes around the globe. For more information or reservations, please visit fairmont.com.

About Ivanhoe Cambridge

Ivanhoe Cambridge, a global real estate industry leader, invests in high-quality properties and real estate companies in select cities around the world. It does so prudently, with a long-term view to generate optimal, risk-adjusted returns. Founded in Quebec in 1953, Ivanhoe Cambridge has built a vertically integrated business across Canada. Internationally, the Company invests alongside key partners and major real estate funds that are leaders in their respective markets.

Through subsidiaries and partnerships, Ivanhoe Cambridge holds interests in nearly 800 buildings, primarily in the residential, office, retail and logistics real estate sectors. Ivanhoe Cambridge held approximately C$56 billion in assets as at December 31, 2016. The Company is a real estate subsidiary of the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (cdpq.com), one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers. For more information: ivanhoecambridge.com.

SOURCE Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth

For further information: Ivanhoe Cambridge Public Affairs: Medias : +1 866 456-3342, [email protected]; Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Joanne Papineau, Regional Director, Public Relations, Eastern Canada, +1 514-954-2208, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.fairmont.com/queen-elizabeth-montreal/


TORONTO, June 23, 2017 /CNW/ - The Ontario Dementia Advisory Group (ODAG) is delighted that the Canadian government has answered calls for a response to the growing dementia crisis with the passage of Bill C-233, An Act respecting a national strategy for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. After years of continuous advocacy by ODAG and many other organizations, Canada will now become the 30th government out of 194 World Health Organization members to develop a plan on dementia.

ODAG commends the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology and the Bill's co-sponsors, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, MP Niagara Falls, and Rob Oliphant, MP Don Valley West, for their leadership and collaboration to make a national dementia strategy a reality.

"A national dementia strategy presents a significant opportunity to address the human rights of people with dementia," says Mary Beth Wighton, Chair of ODAG. "There is an international movement to recognize dementia as a disability and afford people with dementia certain rights under the United Nations' Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This framework must underpin Canada's dementia strategy."

Now that the federal government has committed to action on dementia, work begins on developing and implementing the strategy.

"The government's commitment is a critical step, but now the real work begins," says Wighton. "We look forward to the inclusion of people with dementia in the creation and implementation of Canada's national dementia strategy."

About the Ontario Dementia Advisory Group

The Ontario Dementia Advisory Group was formed in 2014 and comprises of individuals from all walks of life who are living with dementia and who work together to influence policies and practices and ensure their voices are heard. For more about ODAG, visit www.odag.ca.

SOURCE Ontario Dementia Advisory Group

For further information: Media contact: Mary Beth Wighton, Chair, Ontario Dementia Advisory Group, [email protected]
OTTAWA, June 23, 2017 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.



The Honourable P. Andras Schreck, a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Toronto. He replaces Madam Justice N.L. Backhouse, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective April 6, 2017.

Markus Koehnen, a partner at McMillan LLP, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Toronto. He replaces Mr. Justice F.J.C. Newbould, who resigned effective June 1, 2017.

Darlene L. Summers, a sole practitioner with Thompson Summers Family Law, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario and a member of the Family Court in Ottawa. She replaces Madam Justice V.J. MacKinnon, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective September 5, 2016.

Cynthia Petersen, a partner at Goldblatt Partners LLP, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Brampton. She replaces Madam Justice M. Donohue, whom the Chief Justice has transferred to Hamilton.

Sally A. Gomery, a senior partner at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Ottawa, effective July 1, 2017. She replaces Mr. Justice R.J. Smith, who will become a supernumerary judge effective July 1, 2017.

Biographies

Justice P. Andras Schreck graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 1994. Prior to his appointment to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2014, he practised law for 18 years and was a partner in the law firms of Schreck Presser LLP and Schreck & Greene, where he acted for clients at all levels of court, primarily in the areas of criminal and constitutional law. He has argued more than 100 appeals in the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, including a number of significant constitutional cases. Justice Schreck has been an adjunct professor in the law of evidence at both the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a frequent lecturer in continuing legal education programs for lawyers and judges on topics such as criminal and constitutional law and the law of evidence, both in Canada and internationally. He was a Director and Vice-President of the Ontario Criminal Lawyers' Association.

Justice Schreck has been a member of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children's Family-Centred Care Advisory Council, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network legal strategy committee, and the Board of Directors of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted. He was also a member of the Ontario Court of Appeal Duty Counsel Program, assisting unrepresented individuals in the Court of Appeal. He is currently a member of the board of trustees of a small independent girls' school.

Excerpts from Justice Schreck's judicial application will be available shortly.

Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Markus Koehnen practised complex commercial litigation at McMillan LLP for 29 years, during which he appeared before courts of all levels, securities commissions, and international arbitration tribunals. His practice led him to work with a wide variety of legal and social cultures, including those of China, Iran, and Nigeria. He was active in the International Bar Association, where he served as chair of the Litigation Committee. Justice Koehnen is the author of Oppression and Related Remedies, which has been cited frequently by courts throughout Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada. In addition, he has contributed to various books dealing with director and officer liability, privilege, and arbitration.

Justice Koehnen was born to immigrant parents and grew up in modest circumstances in Toronto. He was the first of his extended family to attend university, earning a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Toronto and a diplome d'etudes approfondies in international economic law from the Universite Paris 1 (Pantheon-Sorbonne). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a long-time contributor to the director education program run by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Management. Justice Koehnen's wife came to Canada as an Ismaili refugee from Uganda. They have two children and live outside Toronto.

Excerpts from Justice Koehnen's judicial application will be available shortly.

After working in the insurance industry in Ottawa and Edmonton, Justice Darlene L. Summers received her undergraduate degree (1985) and law degree (1988) from Queen's University in Kingston. From the beginning of her legal career with Burke-Robertson in Ottawa, where she became a managing partner, she practised exclusively family law. In 2002, she joined Steinberg Thompson d'Artios Rockman Summers, and ten years ago, co-founded the firm of Thompson Summers, Family Law. Her practice touched all aspects of family law, and she handled files in Nunavut as well as Ontario.

Justice Summers' contribution to legal education includes teaching, judging student moot and negotiation competitions, conference presentations, and panel discussions on family law and professionalism issues. In the community, she volunteered for a number of years as a board member and member of the executive committee of Family Services Ottawa (previously the Family Service Centre of Ottawa-Carleton) and worked on a fundraising committee for the Ottawa chapter of Dress for Success, a charitable organization that assists women in their return to paid employment by providing work attire and a network of support.

Born and raised in the small community of Winchester, Ontario, with two sisters, Justice Summers is proud of her rural heritage.

Excerpts from Justice Summers's judicial application will be available shortly.

Justice Cynthia Petersen was born and raised in a bilingual home in Chateauguay, Quebec. After obtaining an LL.M. from Harvard University (1990), she began her legal career as a professor at the University of Ottawa. Her early scholarship on systemic racism in the jury-selection process was cited in Ontario court decisions that led to changes in the criminal justice system.

After five years in academia, Justice Petersen shifted gears, moved to Toronto and joined Goldblatt Partners LLP, where she practised labour law, human rights law, and Charter litigation for 22 years. Widely regarded as one of the country's leading constitutional litigators, she appeared before the Supreme Court and numerous courts of appeal in landmark Charter cases that helped to shape Canada's equality jurisprudence. She is renowned for her work in combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and is a prominent figure within Canada's LGBT communities. She has received numerous honours throughout her career and is an inductee of Canada's Queer Hall of Fame (2011).

In addition to her advocacy, Justice Petersen has extensive experience in roles that require impartiality. She has conducted investigations into harassment complaints, acted as a mediator, and sat on the Canadian Judicial Council's Committee of Inquiry into the conduct of Justice Robin Camp (2016). As Discrimination and Harassment Counsel for the Law Society of Upper Canada (2002-2017), she provided dispute resolution services to parties involved in complaints about lawyers' and paralegals' conduct. Throughout her career, Justice Petersen has remained committed to education. This has included leading anti-homophobia workshops for the National Judicial Institute, lecturing and teaching in faculties of law, and mentoring young lawyers and articling students.

Excerpts from Justice Petersen's judicial application will be available shortly.

After receiving degrees in common law and civil law from McGill University, Justice Sally A. Gomery articled at the Supreme Court of Canada, first with the Honourable Frank Iacobucci and then with the Honourable Claire L'Heureux-Dube. She began her practice at McCarthy Tetrault in Montreal. Moving to Ottawa a few years later, she became a partner at Ogilvy Renault (now Norton Rose Fulbright) in 2000.

Raised within a family that loved to debate, Justice Gomery gravitated naturally to litigation. She was recognized for her exceptional written and oral advocacy skills, representing clients in English and in French before courts in Ontario and Quebec and across Canada. A mentor to many young lawyers and students, she acted as a skills instructor for the Advocates' Society.

During 26 years as a civil litigator, Justice Gomery handled a wide array of disputes, but was particularly active in the areas of insurance, medical malpractice and health sector regulation, and class action defence. She also advised on procurement and led investigations of potential wrongdoing within organizations and companies. She was the head of her firm's Business Ethics and Anti-Corruption team.

Justice Gomery has a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, and led efforts within her firm and the legal profession to promote equality of opportunity for all individuals. As a director on a variety of not-for-profit boards, she advocated for women, persons with disabilities, the homeless, refugees, and youth. She has also served as Vice-Chancellor of the Anglican diocese of Ottawa.

Excerpts from Justice Gomery's judicial application will be available shortly.

Quick Facts

Budget 2017 includes additional funding of $55 million over five years beginning in 2017-2018 and $15.5 million per year thereafter for 28 new federally appointed judges. Of these new positions, 12 will be allotted to Alberta and one to the Yukon , with the remaining 15 being assigned to a pool for needs in other jurisdictions.

To ensure a judiciary that is responsive, ethical and sensitive to the evolving needs of Canadian society, the Canadian Judicial Council will receive $2 .7 million over five years and $0.5 million ongoing thereafter. This will support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct, including in relation to gender and cultural sensitivity.

Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.

The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.

Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016 .

The Judicial Advisory Committees in ten jurisdictions have been reconstituted. Most recently, Minister Wilson-Raybould announced the composition of three new Judicial Advisory Committees on April 13, 2017 .

This process is separate from the Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointment process announced on August 2, 2016 . Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada are selected by the Prime Minister from a thoroughly vetted list of candidates.

SOURCE Justice Canada, Department of

For further information: media may contact: Kathleen Davis, Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-4621; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.justice.gc.ca/


TORONTO, June 22, 2017 /CNW/ - School's almost out, but the last bell doesn't mean putting the brakes on learning. Stop the summer brain drain before it starts with a visit to the Ontario Science Centre, your source for summertime science fun. With new hands-on experiences, larger-than-life IMAX films and engaging programs, the Science Centre has something to keep inquisitive minds of all ages sharp this summer from July 1 to September 4.

"Science extends far beyond biology, chemistry and physics classes. It underpins every aspect of our lives," said Catherine Paisley, Vice-President, Science Education and Science Experience, Ontario Science Centre. "This summer, take education beyond the classroom with fun, interactive, free-choice learning at the Science Centre. As we celebrate Canada and Ontario 150, and look ahead to the next 15 decades, this is the perfect time to encourage the next generation of leaders and engaged citizens to embrace scientific thinking  to ask questions, seek answers and stay curious  for a better future."

Top seven ways to turn summer brain drain into summer brain gain at the Ontario Science Centre from July 1 to September 4:

1. Play. Create. Connect.

Put your creativity to the test at Inventorium, a dynamic, curiosity-driven space that encourages ingenuity through engaging, interactive experiences for aspiring innovators of all ages. Build a kinetic sculpture, make a simple circuit, or create an insect. Let your imagination soar in our evolving, hands-on learning space and see where your curiosity takes you! Inventorium is supported by Ontario150 funding from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Here's a look at the making of Inventorium: bit.ly/2rGGStt

2. Take in Toronto's history by way of a tree trunk.

Marvel at The Maple Leaf Forever Tree, a sculpture created by the Ontario Wood Carvers Association from part of the silver maple tree that inspired Alexander Muir's 1867 song "Maple Leaf Forever." Featuring 35 hand-carved leaves, each depicting a historically-significant person, place or event in Toronto's history, the sculpture is the result of more than 10,000 volunteer carving hours. The finished artwork will be formally handed over to the Science Centre on July 19 in celebration of Ontario 150.

3. Put a human face on climate change.

Experience the human dimension of climate change with Portraits of Resilience. A compilation of photographs and texts from youth in regions most affected by climate change, including Nunavut, this installation gives a human face and personal stories to the consequences of climate change. Portraits of Resilience is a Many Strong Voices initiative to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on vulnerable regions among the general public and decision-makers.

4. Celebrate the power of human understanding and ingenuity  from quantum to cosmos.

Explore the incredible ability of the human mind to question, make and innovate when Power of Ideas stops at the Ontario Science Centre on its way across the country from August 18 - 31, 2017. Designed and developed by the Science Centre for the Perimeter Institute, this immersive travelling exhibition highlights cutting edge science, technology and engineering.

5. Feed a hungry baby California condor.

Step into the rescue and recovery efforts of people who dedicate their lives to saving animals at Wildlife Rescue. From seabirds to turtles and elephants to orangutans, this wildly interactive exhibition explores the innovative ways used to capture, raise and release endangered species back to the wild.

6. Take pride in Canadian scientific achievements.

Celebrate Canadian ingenuity in science that spans from pre-Confederation to present day. What do the G-suit, the disposable garbage bag and snow goggles have in common? They're homegrown inventions! From the far reaches of space to common household items, learn about notable Canadian scientific discovery and achievement at Canada 150: Discovery Way.

7. Celebrate the human creativity behind engineering marvels.

Immerse yourself in engineering marvels big and small at IMAX film Dream Big: Engineering Our World. From the Great Wall of China and the world's tallest buildings to underwater robots, solar cars and smart, sustainable cities, this larger-than-life film reveals the compassion and creativity that drive engineers to create better lives for people and a more sustainable future for us all.

From July 1, 2017, hours of operation will be extended from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday to Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information about the Centre's summer line-up and to purchase tickets, please visit OntarioScienceCentre.ca.

The Ontario Science Centre, a Centennial project, has welcomed more than 51 million visitors since it opened in 1969, implementing an interactive approach now adopted by science centres around the world. Today, the Science Centre is an international leader in free-choice science learning and a key contributor to Ontario's education and innovation ecosystems, offering lifelong learning through hands-on, engaging experiences. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government of Ontario funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. As a publicly assisted organization, the Science Centre relies on generous individuals, corporations and foundations who share a commitment to science and education for additional operating support. For more information about the Ontario Science Centre, please visit OntarioScienceCentre.ca.

SOURCE Ontario Science Centre

For further information: Media contacts: Anna Relyea, Director, Strategic Communications, 416-696-3273 | c: 416-668-1967, [email protected]; Jefferson Darrell, Media Relations Officer, 416-696-3154, [email protected]; Andrea Mus, Media Relations Officer, 416-696-3191 | c: 416-895-5482, [email protected]

Related Links

https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca


OTTAWA, June 22, 2017 /CNW/ - Monday morning, residents of Tewegan Housing for Aboriginal Youth hosted a bannock and tea conversation with the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Kate Gilmore. Sharing the unique life experiences faced daily by young Aboriginal women living in Ottawa, residents discussed the difficult issues of racism, discrimination, and human trafficking, and spoke of the supports and solutions needs to address them.

"Meeting with the Deputy High Commissioner was empowering and inspirational," said one of the residents after the visit. "She made us feel comfortable and safe to share our experiences and we are very honored that she started her day with us." Another resident spoke about recent issues related to identity, child welfare and provincial jurisdictional challenges, and added that "today, Kate reminded me that my voice as a mother and Indigenous woman matters, she made me realize that I am a human rights activist." Residents felt encouraged that their experiences would help inform human rights work at the international level.

"Conversations such as the one we had this morning are very encouraging and serve to highlight the realities our young women face in this community." stated Irene Goodwin, Executive Director of Tewegan. After a tour of Tewegan, Ms. Gilmore was presented with a gift of sage and shell on behalf of residents, staff, and Board of Directors of Tewegan to honour her visit.

"The opportunity for young Aboriginal women to meet, to share, to have their voices heard, and to know that their individual rights are important resonated deeply today," said Kristine Neglia, President of Tewegan. "While there is still work to be done to address human rights for Aboriginal people in Canada, it's important to acknowledge the good work and support available within the Ottawa Aboriginal community." Residents of Tewegan spoke highly of several community service organizations including the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and Minwaashin Lodge.

Tewegan Housing for Aboriginal Youth operates the only transition house in the Nation's Capital region for young First Nation, Inuit, and Metis women, ages 16 to 29 that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

http://www.teweganhousing.ca/

SOURCE Tewegan Housing for Aboriginal Women

For further information: Irene Goodwin, Executive Director, Tewegan Housing for Aboriginal Youth, 65 Harvey Street, Ottawa, ON., K1S 0A8, Tel: 613-233-0672, Email: [email protected]
The Delta Government has signed a $20 million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Norsworthy Investment, a private firm, for the cultivation of 3,000 acres of oil palm and processing plant project.The project which would be sited at Akwukwu-Igbo in Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state, was signed in Asaba on Thursday by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Festus Agas.Agas reiterated the commitment of the state government to provide the needed support for investment towards developing every sector of the state economy.Upon the inception of this present administration in the state, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, expressed his commitment to create an enabling environment for investement to thrive.The governor is committed to creating jobs and as such ensure a massive investment drive to grow our economy.He pointed out that Okowas administration placed priority on agriculture, saying that agriculture remains the mainstay of the state economy.He lauded the management of Norsworthy Investment for its interest in developing the state, assuring the firm that the state government would provide every necessary support to make the project a success.In my opinion, I think this is most strategic MoU we have signed with a private firm so far.I want to say here that it is a laudable move that will not only create jobs, but also bring development to the area.Agas called on other investors both local and foreign to emulate Norsworthy and take advantage of the enabling investment environment in the state to help grow the state economy.Also, the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Mr Kingsley Emu, said the signing of the agreement marked the high point of a business plan hatched over eight months ago by both parties.According to him, what we are witnessing today is the high point of a meeting held about eight months ago between the state government and Norsworthy Limited.Sometime ago, the company approached the Delta state government requesting for three thousand acres of land to enable them grow oil palm plantation for agricultural value chain development.Emu said following the request, the state government approached the people of Akwukwu-Igbo community and the community volunteered to provide the needed land.According to Emu, the people of Akwukwu-Igbo, led by their monarch, Chief Obi David Azuka, have provided the three thousand acres of land, which have been inspected and ready for the take of the project.The commissioner said that the land provided was highly productive considering its richness in agricultural production, and expressed the hope that the investment would be of mutual benefit to the state and the company.It is our believe that this strategic move by Norsworthy will open up the area and create jobs for our people, Emu said.Earlier, the Chairman of Norsworthy Investment Limited, Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, expressed the determination of the company to contribute its quota in the development of Delta.Ogbechie said: We are very passionate when it comes to investment, not only in Delta but elsewhere because investment brings development to the people and grows the economy of its area of operation.I want to commend Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa for his vision and commitment to bring development to the state, and we are ready to bring our own contribution to growing the Delta economy.Ogbechie, who is also the chairman of Rainoil Nigeria Limited, a leading player in the nations petroleum industry, said Nigeria was blessed with veritableagricultural land that should be utilised to improve the fortunes of the nation.He said with the signing of the MoU, the company would be moving to site as early as possible to commence clearing work so that the project could start in the shortest possible time.As a company, we are going to inject an initial 20 million dollars into the project to take off, and as we move on, more funds will be inject to expand and grow the investment.Also, I see this project creating over five thousand jobs for our people. I can assure the people of this state that this project is going to improve the economy of Delta state, Ogbechie said.(NAN)
Happy New Month Nigeria! Welcome to the month of June. As the world searches for a respite from all its troubles since 2020 began, one can ...
Falana said Proof Abdullahi's utterances sparked off the nationwide students protest. He said, The recently concluded election in the UK, two weeks ago, seven Nigerians emerged as Legislators, can we repeat that, can we look at the challenges before us and stop following those ones trying to divide us?

This information is very crucial to all of us and I want to say this publicly. The man who is giving quit notice (to the Igbos to leave north) does not live in the North, he lives in Lagos, he is a Lagos man. So to stay in Lagos and be giving quit notices is not the answer.

On May 23, 1986, young people, four of them were killed in the Ahmadu Bello University because somebody had said we are against coup Ango Abdullahi was the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University when these students were killed by the Police, he came out and said only four students were killed.

That angered Nigerians particularly the Nigerian students and there were protests. One of the universities where that protest was very successful was the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Please listen to me, the man who led the protest was late Chima Ubani, what happened? The state did not like the case that it was a national protest against the killing in ABU.

What did they do? They didnt arrest the students who were protesting in the North. They didnt arrest the students who were protesting in the West, (Ibrahim) Babangida regime went for Chima Ubani and arraigned him and eight of his colleagues under a military rule that required that they be sentenced to death. I left Lagos to go to Enugu to defend those men. We got them freed when they returned to campus, the Vice Chancellor expelled them. Again, I went to court and got them freed. Please this story is very important. 

A Hausa Vice Chancellor invited the police and they killed young Hausa students, four of them. Nigerian students protested and an Igbo young man led that protest in the East against injustice, a Yoruba man in the West to free them. So we must look at those things that the elites are using to divide our people. Injustice is injustice, so there no nation without challenges.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana who is the legal adviser to the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Thursday revealed that the person behind the quit notice given to the Igbos in 19 states in the Northern part of the country, does not even live in the north. Falana revealed that the person actually lives in Lagos. Speaking at a media briefing organized by the NLC on the current agitations by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and the quit notice given to the Igbos to vacate the 19 states of the north before 1st October by 16 northern youth groups, Falana said the ultimatum had the backing of Prof. Abdullahi.Prof. Ango Abdullahi was a former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, who made some inciteful untternaces during Gen. Ibrahim Babangida's regime over the brutal killings of four ABU students, which led to disruptive protests by the students of the school.Source: Vanguard
Lujiazui Forum: opening-up welcomed in domestic financial sector

By:Jiang Wenran | From:english.eastday.com | 2017-06-22 11:19

Shanghai, June 20- With the theme of Financial Reform and Steady Development from a Global Perspective, the two-day Lujiazui Forum opens today, gathering central bank governors, financial regulators and experts from home and abroad to discuss regulatory reforms and financial support for the economy.

Chinas central bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan attended the forum and gave opening remarks.

He emphasized that Chinas building a socialist market economy is to optimize the allocation of resources and realize economic and social progress and prosperity through market competition.

In the process, opening-up has played an important role.

Opening-up in manufacturing industry has made China grow into a world factory; while opening-up in service industry also follow the similar rule. The opening to the outside world brings about competition, which is beneficial to the improvement of operating efficiency and service quality.

Opening-up also drives reform of domestic policies. Successful trials of special economic zones, free trade zones and other regional pilot innovations give us much confidence, said Zhou. In his view, financial services industry is also full of competitiveness. The opening-up and the Belt and Road initiative provides new opportunities for Chinas financial sector.

Zhou said that looking back to the reform process at home and abroad, we should raise awareness, strengthen confidence and unswervingly follow the path of opening-up, which is also applicable to the domestic financial sector.

To be specific, the financial services industry, in the process of opening up, will develop better due to pressure and impetus from the competition mechanism. Zhou believes that Chinas opening to the outside world will reach a new level under the vigorous support and joint efforts of all parties.
Bukola Zoffun, who emerged One-Day Governor yesterday in Lagos state, has said that her tenure will be use to champion the course for girl ...

Bukola Zoffun, who emerged One-Day Governor yesterday in Lagos state, has said that her tenure will be use to champion the course for girl child education in the state.



Miss Zoffun, a senior secondary school pupil of Awodi-Ora Secondary High School Ajegunle, yesterday, won the grand finale of this years Spelling Bee competition, organised by the Ministry of Education.

The One-Day Governor, who desires to be a lawyer, said the exposure she has gotten from the competition will help realise her dream.





"As the winner of the competition, I will have the opportunity to be the One-Day Governor, and I will equally use this platform to promote the need for girl child education, because what I have learnt so far is that every child has a right to education," she said

While the winner of the competition will be crown One-Day Governor as well as a cheque of N250,000, the first and second runners-up  Miss Rosemary Ogidan of Methodist Senior High School, Badagry and Master Philip Daniel of Yewa Senior High school, Agege  got cash prizes of N150,000 and N100,000 respectively.
Thirty-four Nigerians were yesterday deported from six European countries for committing immigration-related offences.

Thirty-four Nigerians were yesterday deported from six European countries for committing immigration-related offences.The deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos at about 6.30am.The deportees from Switzerland, Germany, Iceland, Austria, Belgium and Hungary comprised 32 men and two women.They were brought back in a chartered Airblue Panorama aircraft.Spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command DSP Joseph Alabi confirmed the development.Alabi said: This morning, we received 34 Nigerians who were brought back from Europe. They were made up of 32 males and two females.He said the deportees were alleged to have committed immigration-related offences in their host countries.Alabi confirmed that the deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.On ground to receive them were officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).The deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and were allowed to depart to their destinations.
A 42-year old man, Aminu Umar, who allegedly raped two underaged girls (aged between 4 and 7), in Lagos, reportedly infected the victims wi...

A 42-year old man, Aminu Umar, who allegedly raped two underaged girls (aged between 4 and 7), in Lagos, reportedly infected the victims with Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), Pm express reports.

Police sources said that Kano state-born Umar, who is a butcher, usually returns home early, after killing cows at the abattoir.





While at home, he would lure the victims into his apartment with Bobo drinks when their parents were not around and defile them. This had been going on without the victims informing their parents until the recent incident.



The act was exposed when their mother took one of them to the bathroom to bath her. It was gathered that when the mother attempted to wash her private part, she started crying and complained that it was paining her since Umar put his "thing" inside it.





According to the 7-year old victim, Umar lured us into his room and gave us Bobo.

Thereafter, he removed his clothes, our pants and clothes too and carried us to his bed where he was putting his penis into our vagina.



When the mother checked the victims' private parts, there were bruises showing forceful penetration. The matter was then reported to the Police and Umar was arrested and charged to court.



He pleaded not guilty. The presiding Magistrate, Mrs Davis Abegunde, granted him bail in the sum of N1m with two sureties in like sum. Umar was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition. The matter was adjourned till June, 26, 2017.

The victim's' parents raised the alarm and claimed that the victims' private parts were decaying and they have been discharging consistently from their private parts since the incident happened at 5 Salako street in Oko-Oba.
Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, has called for love and peaceful co-existence among the citizenry, during and after the Ramadan.She made the call during the evening prayer and fast-breaking (Iftar) by Muslim faithful, at Lagos House, Ikeja.Mrs. Ambode said that the Ramadan period represented love, forgiveness, peaceful co-existence and the need to extend a helping hand to the less privileged in the society.The Governors wife said that Nigeria needed love and peaceful co-existence to strengthen and surmount all challenges confronting her as a nation.According to her, For any country to thrive, she needs love and peaceful co-existence to strengthen the social bond, and overcome any challenge confronting it as a nation. It is only when we allow love to grow in our hearts irrespective of religion, language and tribe barrier that we can collectively as a nation surmount any challenge confronting us.Speaking further, she said that fasting during this period of Ramadan should not just consist of refraining from eating and drinking, but from every kind of selfish desire and wrong-doing.She said, Fasting during this Ramadan period does not just consist of refraining from eating and drinking, but from every kind of selfish desire and wrong-doing. The fast is not merely of the body, but essentially that of the spirit as well.The Governors wife urged the gathering to develop and strengthen the powers of self control, attain nearness and closeness to God, so as to intensify the consciousness of God in our hearts, resulting in a higher spiritual experience and to continue to give to the less privileged, not at Ramadan alone but at all times.Mrs. Ambode thanked them for the prayer offered for the state, the first family, cabinet members and the nation at large, just as she urged them to continue to intercede with their prayers and prayed that they would all live to witness many more Ramadan on earth.
Barely 24 hours after a chairman of a political group, Northern Youth Leaders Forum, Elliot Afiyo, said the group has screened former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and four others to run for the 2019 presidential race, the Adamawa State branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC), declared its support for President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajos second term in 2019 and described the groups position as a child play.While speaking to journalists yesterday in Yola, the National President of Buhari/Osibanjo Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Yahaya Hamajulde, said the 2019 ticket of the duo has been sealed by God and that those looking for political jobs through the next presidential election should turn to other ventures, noting that the contest for the presidency is over.According to him, God has already nominated Buhari and Osinbanjo for the 2019 presidency, so it is better for those that have the intention to contest for the office to turn their ambitions to other profitable ventures instead of wasting their resources, time and energy on an issue that God has settled.Hamajulde who reminded Atiku that the APC primaries defeat he suffered in the hands of Buhari in 2014 in Lagos will repeat itself come 2018 and that with the success the Buharis administration has exhibited within two years in office will make the presidential poll an easy fight to return the duo.He advised members of the political group to channel their energies on ventures that can generate self-reliant jobs for them instead of promoting products that are without manufacturing and expiring dates at the detriment of their future.Everybody or any group recognized or unrecognized has the right to say what they want, but the fundamental question is of what political value is the group or the person speaking. What political influence did he have in his polling unit? It is not the day of the market that is important, but do you have anything to take to market on that market day?Stressing that the major concern of APC Buhari/Osinbajo supporters now is to support government to do more in developing the economy, Hamajulde pointed out that the issue of presidential election has been closed by God himself and that no other creature has the power to revisit Gods ruling.
The Action Congress of Nigerias candidate for the Plateau governorship seat in 2011, Mr Chris Giwa, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.Giwa, the proprietor of Giwa FC of Jos, who was received at the partys secretariat in Jos on Thursday, said that he opted for the PDP because he was convinced that it held the key to a better Nigeria.Nigerians have tested and tasted the PDP and the APC; from experience, the average Nigerian believes that PDP is a better option. I have opted to go with the majority, he said.Giwa, who said that he had no immediate ambition, promised to work for the return of Sen. Jonah Jang (PDP, Plateau North), to the Senate in 2019.In an address to welcome Giwa, Jang said that the PDP in Plateau was intact and ready to regain power in 2019.We had a setback in 2015 but we have put that behind and moved on. The defeat was a temporary setback that has made up stronger after realising our mistakes, he said.Jang cautioned PDP members against the temptation to jump ship simply because the party was out of power, and declared that those doing so would regret very soon.He stressed the need for the PDP to remain united, saying that a divided opposition had no chance against an incumbent government.As your leaders, we will do everything within our powers to ensure that the PDP remains a strong and united entity.It is good to have an ambition, but no ambition is more than the PDP because it is the platform through which we can achieve such ambitions, he said.Jang assured PDP members that there would be no imposition of candidates, and advised those interested in seeking elective positions to reach out to the people.Plateau PDP Chairman Damishi Sango in his remarks said that the party was stronger with Giwa in its fold.Sango tasked members on discipline, noting that nothing would be achieved if members were not focused and discipline toward achieving set goals.The party is supreme; every member must respect it, he said.Other top PDP members that welcomed Giwa included Sen. Jeremiah Useni (PDP, Plateau South), national and state assembly members, as well as former ministers and commissioners.
The Department of State Services said it had uncovered a plan by suspected terrorists to stage series of coordinated attacks using explosives on different cities across the country during the Eid-el-Fitr.It said the aim of the suspected terrorists was to hit on soft targets such as markets, public parks, public processions, recreation centres, as well worship areas during the Sallah celebration.The agency said that the plan by the suspected terrorists was to unleash mayhem on Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna and Maiduguri.A director with the agency, Mr. Nnana Nnochiri, who briefed journalists in Abuja on Friday, however, said Nigerians should not worry about the planned attacks, saying that they had been nipped in the bud.Nnochiri said, In the past few weeks, this service has uncovered a sinister plot by terrorist elements to stage series of coordinated attacks using explosives on different cities across the country.Their aim was to hit on soft targets such as markets, public parks, public processions, recreation centres, as well as worship centres especially the Eid Praying grounds and other densely populated areas during the forthcoming Eid-el-Fitr Sallah celebrations.Consequently, Nnochiri said that the service had arrested two suspects in connection with the foiled planned attacks.He mentioned the names of the suspects as Yusuf Adamu and Abdumuminu Haladu, who he said were arrested in the early hours of Friday, in Sokoto.He said that Adamu and his accomplice were to command the operation in Kano.However, he said that the service had earlier arrested the suspected facilitator of the Kano attack, Bashir Mohammed.Nnochiri, who described the suspect as an explosive expert, said that he (Mohammed) was arrested at Unguwar Barnawa, Shekar Madaki, Kumbatso Local Government Area of Kano State on Tuesday.Their plan, together with others now at large, was to assemble the explosives and use them on select targets during the Eid-el-Fitr Celebrations, Nnochiri added.He said when the service conducted a search at the residence of Mohammed in Kano, different ammunitions and weapons were found.He listed the items as eight AK-47 rifles, 20 fully loaded AK-A7 magazines, 27 hand grenades, 793) rounds of live ammunition, one gas cylinder and three laptops.Others are one phone, one Lifan motorcycle, one Honda Civic Car and one printer.Nnochiri said that the service had also uncovered plans by the terrorist elements to infiltrate the ranks of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, a. k.a. Shiites.He said this was an attempt to assume a formidable cover to unleash violence and evoke a complete state of chaos in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja during the groups Qudus Day Procession/Rally scheduled for Friday in and several states in the northern parts of the country.He called on the members of the set to desist from staging any form of procession or demonstration as the terrorists will seize the opportunity to unleash mayhem.He also called on the members of the public to disregard the antics of these terrorist extremists to cause a breakdown of law and order and instil fear in the populace. Nnochiri assured the public that the DSS was working, in concert with other security agencies, to ensure that no section of the country is attacked during and after the Sallah celebrations. He called on law abiding citizens and residents to go about their normal businesses without fear of attack, adding that the service would engage all stakeholders to ensure a hitch-free Eid-el-Fitr festival across the country.He, nevertheless, called on the members the public to remain very vigilant before, during and after the Sallah celebrations.He equally appealed to people with useful information regarding suspicious movements and faces as well as unusual activities of criminals and terrorists around their neighbourhoods, to immediately avail same to the service or the nearest security agency.
Ekiti State pensions have decried their neglect by the state government.

Ekiti State pensions have decried their neglect by the state government.They said this had caused untold post-retirement hardship and led to untimely deaths among their members.The retirees urged Governor Ayo Fayose to pay their salary arrears as well as gratuities and monthly pensions totalling about N20 billion.They called for the review of their pensions in conformity with Section 210, sub-section 3 of the 1999 Constitution.Addressing a monthly meeting of pensioners yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the states Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Elder Ayo Kumapayi, urged the governor to focus on the welfare of civil servants and pensioners and stop giving priority to capital projects.He also urged the government to set up an Advisory Committee on the disbursement of Paris Club refund, as done in other states.Giving a breakdown of the amount owed pensioners as at September 2015, Kumapayi said local government pensioners were owed N10.8 billion while the states civil service pensioners were owed N8.9 billion, totalling N19.7 billion in pensions and benefits.He said: We want our government to focus more attention on suffering workers and pensioners rather than focus on capital projects. No matter how many roads, bridges or flyovers you build, history will tell you that you are doing it on the blood of senior citizens.If you pave the streets with gold and if I am sick, will I be able walk on that road? If you want to make a name  through projects  it should not be during a recession like this. If you have nothing to eat, will your wife tell you to buy clothes?Therefore, we wish to suggest that Ekiti State government should, between now and October 2018, focus attention on workers emoluments to enable them perform their statutory duties effectively.Similarly, the state government should pay pensioners their pensions and gratuities regularly in order to make them enjoy the fruits of their labour.Our pride as senior citizens who have faithfully, laboriously and dutifully served this nation is being rubbished daily. We are crying and justifiably so in view of our agonies; our suffering is an unprecedented assault on the psyches of our members in Ekiti State.
Members of the Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) will observe their annual Quds Day march across the countr...

Members of the Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) will observe their annual Quds Day march across the country today.The Shiites, during the event in 2014, clashed with the Army, leading to the death of over 30 members of the movement, including El-Zakzakys three sons.The 2014 clash is the genesis of the Shiites/Army crisis, before that of December 2015, which led to the arrest and detention of El-Zakzaky and his wife.The movement, in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa said the march is a peaceful demonstration in support of victims of Zionism, and against illegal occupation of Palestine by Israeli.The statement reads: The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, has been in the forefront in observing the Quds Day, which is well attended by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, on the last Friday of Ramadan. This years event is set to hold tomorrow Friday (today), 28 Ramadan, 1437, equivalent to June 23, 2017.The IMN, hereby, call on all people of conscience to join in commemorating this annual event, by lending a voice to the oppressed people of Palestine, while condemning the Israeli atrocities on them. The march will hold in over 24 cities across the country, and everyone is invited to attend.The day is commemorated based on conscience, and not only on religious consideration, as victims of Zionism and illegal occupation of Palestine include Muslims and Christians alike. Moreover, pro-Palestinian protest marches such as this are organised in all parts of the world, including Europe and America, to mark the International Quds Day.We also seize this opportunity to call on the Nigerian government to release Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, who has been most active in this cause of struggle for humanity and lost his children for it. Today marks his 588th day in detention, despite a substantive court order for his release.
Ace comedian and entrepreneur, Ali Baba, has condemned calls for release of kidnap kingpin, Chikwudubem Onwuamadike, aka, Evans.

Ace comedian and entrepreneur, Ali Baba, has condemned calls for release of kidnap kingpin, Chikwudubem Onwuamadike, aka, Evans.

He said it was unbelievable that people were being emotional for Evans, who made lives of many innocent people and their families miserable.

In the post he shared on Instagram, Ali Baba also spoke on some issues facing the nation.

Ali Baba wrote: I said it before, that we got here, where our country now stagnates, as a consequence of what we failed to do, what we allowed and a combination of all we did individually and collectively.

But most assuredly, as a result of letting evils in our society go unpunished. Someone goes into government, owning only a bungalow, comes out after a term in office with several properties, serious balances in their domiciliary accounts, several cars yet there is no way, that officials salaries and allowances can fund all those. And when questions are asked, its witch hunting.

How much was your paid tax since you are the owner of all these wealth indicators? How did you make the money? Can you imagine some idiots are asking that a confessed kidnapper be freed?

We are not talking petty thieves, who steal food to feed his family. Someone who caused families pain. Made the lives of their victims hell. And even got some killed. How do you people sleep at night?

I have a friend, a commissioner in Ogun State, whose father-in-law was kidnapped, the ransom was demanded and paid. Yet, over 5 or 6 years on, the body of the man has not been found. Did you see the robbers in the Zenith bank video that went viral? How can you listen to such heartless criminals and say its ok to forgive.

How would the family of the police officer take it? Now you know why corruption is fighting back. All those who have survived through lawlessness and illicit businesses are the ones fighting back on behalf of corruption. Same goes for so-called unknown soldiers.

There is a disagreement, next thing a bunch of soldiers will hop on a vehicle raze down a police station, burn down a BRT bus, shoot and maim And this happens every now and then. Yet no heads roll. Thats why they will do it again. Herdsmen enter someones farmland. Trample on planted crops, an on going business concern. Even schools. No consequences.

A legislator opens a colleagues head with a mace. No punishment. Someone kidnaps a sitting governor and brags about it. Nothing happens to him. You embezzle pensions of elders who served Nigeria. And walk free. You burst pipelines. And get Amnesty of 1.3m monthly. What do I know
The commercial pension care insurance, similar to social security fund, comes from peoples pocket. All insurance organs must ensure its security, Premier Li said during the State Council executive meeting on June 21.

The meeting decided to speed up measures in the development of commercial pension care insurance to improve the social insurance system and provide basic health care for the elderly.

To make people purchase the insurance, the government should regard safety as a priority while lowering their expectations on payback and following the rules of operation, said the Premier.

Premier Li added that the development of such an industry should stick to market principles while providing individualized and differentiated health care services, in order to attract people to voluntarily purchase the products.

For a nation with over 1.3 billion people and annual labor increase of over 15 million people, employment is becoming more flexible as new modes spring up.

Along with this development is the aging population. Data shows China has more than 200 million elderly over 60 years old.

To adapt to the aging population and new employment trend while satisfying peoples increasing demands for pension insurance, efforts should be made to improve the social pension system. Commercial pension insurance is an important part of such system, the Premier said.

According to the Premier, government organs should implement financial and taxation policies to support insurance and the elderly care service industry, accelerate commercial pension insurance trials, encourage commercial pension insurance institutions in basic pension insurance fund and investment management, and offer commercial pension insurance capital with quick and convenient service.

Efforts should also be made to enhance supervision, improve insurance institutions services and protect consumers legal rights, he added.

Commercial pension insurance is significant to peoples lives and the nations development. All government departments should work together to support the development of commercial pension insurance, according to the Premier.
The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old Italian man identified as Blessing Fernando, who specializes in kidnapping people...

The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old Italian man identified as Blessing Fernando, who specializes in kidnapping people in the State.





The kidnap kingpin was arrested at Ogbe-Isoko community when he went to collect an additional ransom of N50,000 from the victims relatives, having collected N250,000 initially.

Prior to his arrest, the suspect was residing at Evowe Quarters of Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area.





The Delta state Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, paraded the suspect alongside 22 suspected kidnappers at the command headquarters in Asaba yesterday.

Ibrahim said the kidnapping syndicate had terrorised Ozoro and its environs for years.





The CP said, He was arrested at a scene where he came to collect ransom of additional sum of N50,000 from the victims relatives having robbed the victim the sum of N250,000. Effort to arrest other fleeing gang members is on course as case will be charged to court soon.

However, the Italian suspect who confessed to be a member of the kidnapping syndicate on interrogation added that he was co-opted under duress after he was duped of N600,000.

He said, They forced me to become their member, if I must get back my money. My desperation to recover my money from them has landed me in this mess.

They told me to go and wait at the scene where I was arrested for somebody who will bring some money from which they will offset what they had defrauded me.

Fernando has a Nigerian mother from Isoko while his father was an Italian.




Acting President YemiOsinbajo yesterday ordered troops reinforcement in some Taraba communities following attacks.

Acting President YemiOsinbajo yesterday ordered troops reinforcement in some Taraba communities following attacks.He condoled with the victims of the violent attacks in a number of communities in the Northeast, where deaths were reported.He condemned the acts of violence and assured that perpetrators of the attacks would be brought to book.A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, LaoluAkande, said the Acting President had held an emergency meeting with top security officials and Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku.He ordered the deployment of an extra military battalion, police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to the areas affected.The Acting President also approved the provision of relief materials to be delivered to the affected communities in Toffi, Mayo Daga, Mayo Sina, Tamiya, Kwara-Kwara, Tungan Lugere, Timjire, Nguroje and other villages in the hinterlands of Mambilla Plateau.The Federal Government has also put in motion long time solutions including mediation between opposing groups in the communal conflict, it stated.
The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has continued with his series of consultations over the quit notice issued to the Igbos by so...

The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has continued with his series of consultations over the quit notice issued to the Igbos by some northern youths.





Osinbajo, yesterday, met with members of the fourth estate of the realm to seek their cooperation in spreading the gospel of Nigerias cherished unity.

The meeting was attended by newspaper publishers and members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.

The Acting President told the media practitioners that they owed the public a duty to ensure that proponents of hate speeches and divisiveness were not allowed to have a field day.





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Paris Saint-Germain have stepped up their pursuit of Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe and have made an offer of over 135 million, Goal unde...

Paris Saint-Germain have stepped up their pursuit of Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe and have made an offer of over 135 million, Goal understands.The 18-year-old striker caught the eye last season when he scored 26 times for the Ligue 1 champions in 44 outings, leading to interest from many of the worlds biggest clubs, including Arsenal and Real Madrid.Initially, PSG were not interested in a mammoth offer for the France international, but since Antero Henrique became their sporting director earlier this month, their priorities have changed. He has even met twice with Mbappes father.The Paris native, who remains very attached to his hometown, sees the Parc des Princes side as the ideal springboard to achieve his dream of playing for Real Madrid, despite all this could choose to remain at the club that gave him his breakMonaco are well placed financially after selling Bernardo Silva to Manchester City, and with two years left on the youngsters contract are under no obligation to allow him to leave. Indeed, they are ready to prolong his contract and offer him a huge wage upgrade.Mbappe will make his decision when he returns from his holiday.
The Arab States have counselled Qatar to shut down Al Jazeera Televison for good if it wants to remain a part of the influential Middle East body.This is one of the 13-point agenda handed down to Qatar, which is currently facing diplomatic row with many countries, including its brother Arab states.The Saudi Arabia-led alliance regards Al Jazeera, the most widely watched broadcaster in the Arab world, as a propaganda tool for Islamists, which they believe also undermines support for their governments.The coalition warns that Qatars emir must realise that the solution to his crisis is not with Tehran, Beirut or Ankara, or Western capitals and the media, but [a solution] is through the return of confidence in him by his neighbours, UAEs minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, wrote on Twitter.Obviously, the demands were expected to be a private discussion between Qatar and the Arab states, but having made it public, the states rebuked Qatar for leaking the demands and concerns of its neighbours to the press and the western world.Kuwait has handed Qatar a list of demands by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, the Qatari broadcaster, Al Jazeera, reported earlier Friday.Kuwait said the list has not been sanctioned by either Qatar or Kuwait, which has been trying to mediate between the two sides.Gargash argued that the crisis is real and is being ignited by the confused administration of Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.Sometimes, divorce is better, Gargash wrote.The Qatari emirs role in providing funding, a media and political platform to serve the agenda of extremism cannot be accepted, he said.Al-Jazeera Media Network is owned and funded by the Qatari royal family.The network, especially the Arabic-language channel, has repeatedly angered Arab leaders since its establishment in 1996, shaking up a broadcasting world until then dominated by government mouthpieces.One of the biggest disputes was in 2002, when Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador to Doha to protest at Al Jazeeras negative coverage of Saudi politics.In recent years, critics have argued that it is strongly supportive of Islamists, especially Egypts now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.On June 5, the four countries severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.Doha has repeatedly denied the accusations. The four countries have not made their demands public yet.Later in June, several African countries cut relations with Qatar and others downgraded ties.On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Arab countries involved in a diplomatic spat with Qatar to present their demands.Our role has been to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table, clearly articulated, so that those issues can be addressed and some resolution process can get underway to bring this to a conclusion, he said.Our desire is for unity within the Gulf, he added.Several Qataris who spoke to Reuters described the demands as unreasonable. Imagine another country demanding that CNN be closed, said 40-year-old Haseeb Mansour, who works for telecom operator Ooredoo.
The Senate of the University of Ibadan, UI, at its special meeting held Friday announced a new date for the resumption of undergraduate students.The institution in a statement entitled, Notice of Resumption of undergraduate academic activities for the suspended 2016/2017 session, stated: The Senate received and considered the interim report of the committee set-up to look at the remote and immediate causes of the May 29, 2017 students crisis which led to the suspension of undergraduate academic activities in the university.The statement which was signed by the University Registrar, Olujimi Olukoya, said the Senate after extensive deliberations of the report decided that undergraduate students should return to campus on Sunday, July 2, 2017, to continue the suspended first semester 2016/17 academic session.The statement advised students to report to their respective halls of residence from Sunday 2 July to Monday 3 July 2017 as the 2016/17 first semester examination would commence on Tuesday 4 July 2017 at the various faculties.Students would be allowed into examination halls upon presentation of their first semester registration printouts, among other measures put in place, it added.The school authority enjoined all students to be law abiding and be conscious of the content of their matriculation oaths during the examination and throughout their stay in the university.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria, Friday ordered Alhaji Sani Abubakar Danladi to vacate his seat at the Senate and refund to the National Assembly ( NASS ) within 90 days all monies he has so far collected by way of salary and allowances.The apex Court also ordered INEC to issue certificate of return to Isah Shuaibu, the appellant as the Senator representing Taraba North Senatorial District of Taraba State.In a lead judgment delivered by Justice Amina Adamu Augie, the apex court warned political parties saying that they must play by the rules in the nomination of candidates.In another judgment, the Chief Justice of Nigeria ( CJN ) Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen declared that Mrs. Dorathy Mato was the winner of primary election of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) with respect to Vandeikya/ Konshisha Federal Constituency of Benue State held from 7th - 10th December, 2014 and the winner of the General election of 28 March 2015.The CJN then ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Herman Hembe immediately and issue same to Mrs. Dorathy Mato, the appellant.The CJN also ordered the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the Clerk of the House to swear in Mrs. Dorathy Mato as a member representing Vandeikya/ Konshisha Federal Constituency of Benue State forthwith.Herman Hembe was also ordered to refund to the National Assembly ( NASS ) within 90 days all monies he has so far collected by way of salary and allowances or emoluments.Herman was further ordered to pay cost of N200, 000 to Mrs. Dorathy Mato as well as another N500, 000.In yet another judgment the CJN set aside the judgment of the court of Appeal , Markurdi and held that Mr. Ire Matthew Owuru was the rightful winner of the PDP primary election held on November 2014 having scored the highest number of votes cast at the primary for the House of Assembly election in Oju 11 State constituency of Benue State.According to the CJN, forwarding Mr. Ire Owuru's name to INEC by the PDP for House of Assembly election in Oju 11 State constituency of Benue State was proper and valid.
WASHINGTON  With thousands of south Louisiana homeowners receiving startling increases in the cost of their flood insurance, members of the Louisiana congressional delegation said Thursday they have run out of patience waiting for FEMA to explain what went into calculating the new rates.
Welcome to non league daily news now - your number one spot for all things relating to the National League System. Our dedicated reporters have come straight from the sidelines to bring you news fresh from the dugout - but not before theyve stopped off at the burger van first!

We know that non league football fans are full of heart, passion, and belief. You trust the manager, you believe in the team, and, for some strange reason, you trust those rickety stands, too! Here at Non League Daily, we hope we can become your trusted non league news resource - a platform thats just as passionate about non league daily news now as you.

Come rain or shine, well be out reporting on the latest non league fixtures. Well also be scouring the news, refreshing social media, and sourcing information from team websites in the hopes of finding the latest breaking non league daily news for our readers.

As youll soon see, weve got exclusive match reports on the Vanarama National League, weve got transfer speculation thatll affect the National League South, weve found great stories thatll spice up the National League North, and weve even got news on the latest giant killers of the FA Cup.

We may not be able to agree on who is going up this year, but we can all agree that any news on the NLS worth knowing will be published here, at Non League Daily.
CARTER LAKE  Its been many years since Carter Lake has had a police dog on its force, according to Police Chief Shawn Kannedy, but that changed last weekend when Delta came on board.

Delta, a 23-month-old German Shepherd, came to the department from a dog training school in Kansas. Officer Matt Owens, Deltas handler, recently returned with Delta after spending two weeks for his own training there, he said. More training is set for the fall.

Kannedy said Delta is the first dog he has worked with since he became chief about 10 years ago, though there was a police dog on the force going back some 12 or 13 years ago. That dog eventually retired and to find a replacement was put off, Kannedy said.

We were starting to get more officers, he said. It just wasnt a priority.

From time to time, though, his officers would inquire about a dog, according to Kannedy, and the City Council earlier this year gave the go-ahead. Between $12,000 to $13,000 in donations was raised for the dogs purchase and for Owens training at that school. Approximately $4,500 from his budget went toward modifications in a patrol car for the dog, Kannedy said.

Kannedy described Delta as being a multi-purpose dog, trained for drug detection, apprehension and tracking of suspects from their scent.

Though any dog can have bad days when it comes to interaction with people, Owens said, Delta has a good disposition.

He interacts well with everyone, Owens said.

The department plans to take Delta in the future to various events and to the schools so that the public can see the K-9 unit in person.

Yet, Delta seems to know his main purpose.

When its time to work, hes ready to go, Kannedy said.

Owens added, Hopefully, hell make a good impact.

The dog will live with Owens, Kannedy said.
The letters were allegedly written by Mayor Arya Rajendran and Corporation parliamentary party secretary D R Anil to CPMs Thiruvananthapuram district secretary Anavoor Nagappan.
Three suspects have pleaded guilty to being part of a burglary of a Walnut house where they allegedly stole a washer and dryer before being spotted by the landlord with the appliances in the back of their truck.

Cody Varnes, 20, of Walnut, was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree theft related to a break-in earlier this month, according to authorities.

On Thursday, Varnes pleaded guilty to an amended charge of trespassing and was sentenced to 30 days in jail with credit for time served.

A second suspect, Jacob Jens, 24, of Walnut, pleaded guilty to trespassing on Tuesday and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. He was given credit for time served and faced similar burglary and theft charges before pleading guilty to the amended charges.

Daniel Rosse, 23, of Avoca, the third suspect, also pleaded guilty to trespassing and will be sentenced Friday.

A fourth suspect  Phillip Houston, 31, of Walnut  faces burglary and theft charges in the same incident. Houston posted $10,000 bond Wednesday.

According to the Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office, deputies were dispatched to a house near Country and Hopley Streets for a possible burglary at 3 p.m. on June 9.

The landlord met with authorities and said someone had broken into the house without using force. Several items were missing, including a white hutch, washer, dryer and table saw.

The man said while he was having coffee at 5 a.m. that day, he saw a red Chevy pickup truck drive down Atlantic Street with the same washer and dryer in the back, and he knew the driver was usually at Houstons house nearby.

Deputies went to Houstons home and found the red truck, along with the four suspects. The stolen items were found and returned, investigators reported.
ST. MARTINVILLE, La.  Espinola Quinn views her quaint Louisiana town with a mix of love and loathing. Its the place her parents  a bar owner and a soybean farmer  raised her; the place where nearly every face is familiar; the spot where she and her husband built their own sprawling house on the edge of the bayou and raised their three girls.

But St. Martinville is also disturbingly segregated: The town still holds separate white and black proms. And Quinn, who is black, hopes her daughters will make their own lives somewhere else.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act has not come here yet, said Quinn, who opted to bus her older daughters out of the parish for school and is now home-schooling her youngest, a 15-year-old.

The community is still physically separated, and that, she said, has an effect on your thinking.

A new nationwide Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted this spring finds that although rural Americans are more likely to see their communities as neighborly, safer and having better public schools than people in large cities, those opinions come with wide racial disparities.

Black rural Americans  most of whom live in the South  are far less likely than their white neighbors to feel positively about their communities, the poll finds.

Sixty percent of blacks say their area is an excellent or good place to raise children, compared with 80 percent of whites.

Rural blacks are 25 percentage points less likely than rural whites to give their community positive marks on safety and are 29 points less likely to say their area is a place where people look out for one another. Rural Hispanics tend to fall in between whites and blacks in rating their communities.

Past surveys have found sharp racial divisions among urban and suburban residents on similar questions, but the Post-Kaiser poll of about 1,700 adults provides a rare look at views of African-Americans and Hispanics in rural communities where they account for less than 2 in 10 residents.

A few blocks north of Quinns neighborhood off Main Street, the town seems to cut in half, transitioning from predominantly black to predominantly white.

There, Logan Verret and his friends said most of the people they know in St. Martinville send their children to private school, vote Republican and work hard. Thousands of Louisianans have lost their jobs over the past few years of falling oil prices, but while times are tough, St. Martinville still has a very strong middle-class society, said Verret, 23.

But Verret and his buddies, who were having lunch at the towns Kajun King restaurant on a recent afternoon, acknowledged that not everyone in St. Martinville shares their views and experience.

Walk out the doors of the Cajun eatery, and theres a newly renovated church across the street, its walls a clean yellow and buttercream and its lawn neatly trimmed.

City Hall, the police department and the white-pillared courthouse are nearby, and the sidewalks recently received a $1 million repair.

When you pass the courthouse, it seems sloppier, Verret said, referring to the predominantly black side of town.

The segregation creates vastly different experiences for white and black residents in this town of 6,100, even amid shared economic pitfalls, a shared fondness for small-town familiarity, and a shared school system. The poll finds that divide reflected across the rural South.

Economics play a big role in rural Americas racial divide. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 1 in 4 rural black Americans lives in poverty; for whites, its just more than 1 in 10.

Small towns and farming communities that residents describe as close-knit can be starkly split.

In order for an African American to get an opportunity, someone has to give them an opportunity, said Yulanda Haddix, 54, who recently moved from Philadelphia back to Starkville, Mississippi, where she was raised. We dont get jobs based on credentials alone, not in Mississippi.

In St. Martinville, an old plantation town set amid the sugar cane fields and bayous of southern Louisiana, the disparity is palpable.

The town is 63 percent black and about 35 percent white, and more than 1 in 5 households rely on food stamps, according to census data. But the poverty rate among black residents is more than double what it is among whites.

While many of the white residents said in interviews that they view poverty as deriving from an unwillingness to work, many of the black residents said the areas declining economy made them feel as if the deck was irreversibly stacked against them.

Our town used to be lively. There used to be places to work, and now its dying, said Franca Francis, 52, who makes $7 an hour working at a day-care center and runs a carryout restaurant at night. Now you have to have two jobs to make a living.

Its been years since the local Fruit of the Loom factory and two of the nearby sugar mills shut down; the Walmart folded up and left. Only a few of the towns smaller businesses remain, including the rickety trailer where Francis sells hot links po boys.

Although its wide French-style balconies and Cajun culture once attracted a stream of tourists, St. Martinville is perhaps best known in history as the place where a black teenager, Willie Francis, survived an attempted execution in the electric chair in 1946. Francis had been convicted by an all-white jury for murdering a white man based on a confession given without a lawyer present.

An appeal of his case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where a defense attorney argued that subjecting a prisoner to multiple execution attempts constituted cruel and unusual punishment. The defense lost, and Francis later was executed.

Local legend says that St. Martinville is cursed as the result of its history of racial injustice. In 1891  before the failed execution of Willie Francis  the town saw another failed execution when the noose fashioned for Louis Michel, a black political activist, turned out to be too long.

Michel, who had been convicted of two murders but said he was innocent, survived long enough to utter a curse before he was hanged a second time.

Until justice is done, the town will not prosper, he said, according to an account of the story in the Daily Iberian, a newspaper based in nearby New Iberia. Grass will grow in the streets, and nothing will thrive.

The racial power dynamic that his case symbolized lives on, many say.

Ku Klux Klan membership has declined across the country, but it maintains an active recruiting wing in St. Martinville, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization that tracks hate groups. And parish schools have been the subject of a decades-long desegregation lawsuit.

The black prom is the one the school hosts, but the whites have their own, Verret said.

The nationwide Post-Kaiser poll finds 66 percent of rural white residents saying their local schools are excellent or good, compared with 50 percent of rural black residents.

When it comes to views on race, white rural Americans diverge significantly from the rest of the country.

In the Post-Kaiser poll, white rural Americans are one of few demographic groups more likely to say whites losing out due to preferences for blacks and Hispanics is a bigger problem than vice versa, 39 to 30 percent. Among rural whites in the South, 45 percent say whites losing out is the bigger problem.

White Americans attitudes on this question are tightly connected to partisanship. In rural areas, a 55 percent majority of white Democrats say blacks and Hispanics losing out is the bigger problem, compared with 14 percent of white Republicans.

The divide is similar among urban and suburban whites: 61 percent of Democrats say racial minorities losing out is a bigger concern, compared with 20 percent of Republicans.

To the public, St. Martinville authorities tout progress on the issue of race. Twelve years ago, the town elected its first black mayor: Thomas Nelson, now 80.

But some black residents said Nelson, whose light skin and straight hair make his race visually ambiguous, has helped perpetuate racial divisions in the interest of capturing the white vote.

The most recent source of tension came last year, when St. Martinville officials shut down the towns decades-old annual Mardi Gras parade - a move viewed negatively by many black residents and positively by many whites.

The parade participants were mostly black, as were the out-of-town fans the celebration drew, and it was growing.

Quinn felt Nelsons decision to shut down the parade pandered to white voters: He promised the whites he was going to shut the n----- parade down if they voted for him.

But Nelson said the decision was about safety.

The sheriff couldnt give us enough deputies, he said. He couldnt afford to participate.

 Guskin reported from Washington. The Washington Posts Scott Clement in Washington contributed to this report.
Hats off to the members of the Iowa Supreme Court for their Tuesday order banning weapons in courthouses statewide.

The order signed by Chief Justice Mark Cady does not apply to peace officers, but it prohibits other visitors from carrying weapons into courthouses in all 99 counties.

Cadys order, noting the states top court has a duty to promote safety in the courts, says the Iowa Constitution vests the Iowa Supreme Court with the power to exercise supervisory and administrative control over the district courts.

In announcing the ban, Cady said  and rightly so  current policies have failed to provide uniform protection across the state. A look at the numbers tells the tale that resulted in Tuesdays announcement.

Currently 72 counties prohibit weapons in the courthouse by county ordinance or order of the chief judge in the judicial district. Ten counties have airport-like metal detectors at entrances. Pottawattamie County is, wisely, one of the 10.

But the court noted that 27 of Iowas 99 counties  more than a quarter of the states total  have no known courthouse prohibition on weapons.

Further underscoring the need for the Supreme Court decision, Bill Peterson, the executive director of the Iowa State Association of Counties, told the Associated Press many counties that ban weapons have no formal inspection for visitors entering the courthouse. In most cases public notices are posted declaring the building off limits for weapons and violators could face charges if caught.

Iowa Firearms Coalition Executive Director Barry Snell condemned the court order as judicial overreach that may require legislative action. He said the courts jurisdiction to control guns does not go beyond the courtroom, judges chambers or other court-related spaces.

In most Iowa counties, courthouses include county offices that handle drivers licenses, property taxes and other local government functions. While it will be up to the courts to determine the validity of Snells argument, should he decide to pursue the issue, there are recent precedents supporting the need for the ban.

In September 2014, a 71-year-old man became upset at his homes tax assessment and took a gun from a briefcase and shot at the county assessor during a meeting  not a court issue  at the Jackson County Courthouse. The shot missed, but the irate man was shot and killed when the gun went off as the assailant was subdued by being wrestled to the floor.

Although it does not specify any one solution, the order requires the chief judge in each judicial district to work with local officials to carry out the ban.

While those solutions may be costly in terms of equipment and manpower, as they were for the Pottawattamie County Courthouse, heightened security has become an unfortunate necessity in todays world.

Cadys order was long overdue.
Tonchita Chita Palmisano celebrated her 100th birthday Thursday.

She said she has outlived all her friends, but there were several residents of Centennial Park Independent and Assisted Living Village, as well as fellow Episcopal Church of Our Savior parishioners in attendance at the celebration.

She is the oldest member of our parish, so we decided to have a big shindig for her, said the Rev. Jeffrey Nelson.

Chitas only family is a brother who lives in Omaha. He was not able to attend, but Nelson said the church members have become her family.

We visit her pretty regularly, Nelson said.

Chita was born in

Lincoln.

I grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Chita said. Then I lived in Oregon for 30 years and then I came here.

Her husband, Benjamin, was a conductor for Union Pacific and they were married for 30 years.

I had a good childhood, Chita said. My dad worked for the UP.

She said her health is good.

Im not too bad for 100 and Im happy, Chita said.

For those who would like to send a card, Chitas address is 510 Centennial Circle, Room 210, North Platte, NE 69101.
A jury trial began this week in Dawson County District Court in which a Lexington landlord is accused of violating the Fair Housing Act of Nebraska.

According to court records, Gerald Rich, the owner of Cottonwood Apartments in Lexington, is accused of discriminating against tenants on the basis of race, religion and/or place of origin. Laurie Reinick, a property manager, was also named as a defendant.

Both Rich and Reinick are represented by lawyer Bradley Holbrook of Kearney. The case was brought by Nebraska Attorney General Douglas Peterson, with Assistant Attorney General Timothy Ertz also named as a prosecutor.

According to court documents, Cottonwood Apartments leased to Somalian, African-American and/or Muslim tenants.

Among the allegations, court documents say Rich and Reinick entered tenants homes without permission and at unreasonable hours. Court documents also allege that the defendants violated tenants privacy, walked on their sacred prayer rugs, charged tenants for damage that they didnt cause, charged tenants additional rent when guests visited, penalized tenants for false claims of littering, and charged an unlawful parking fee for parking on the sidewalk.

A defense attorney said in opening remarks Monday that there was no discrimination, that landlord-tenant disputes are common and that the allegations against Rich and Reinick have been blown out of proportion.

Court documents list 11 witnesses to testify at the trial, which is expected to take about two weeks.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.
HOBART  Todays most successful companies understand the business value of a diverse workforce, creating an environment where employees can bring their authentic selves to work every day.

For people looking for employment with companies that find strength from people of different races, genders, sexual orientation and more, the 10th Annual Diversity Career Fair & Business Symposium held Thursday at Avalon Manor was the place to be.

Hosted by The Times Media Co., The Times IN BusINess magazine and Monster.com, about 300 people stopped by throughout the day to pitch their skills and experience to prospective employers from across Northwest Indiana and learn about in-demand careers.

The day kicked off with the business symposium where Bridget Harrison, clinical director of innovations for Learning PC in Merrillville, presented Autism in the Workplace: Removing Barriers, Making Opportunities. Guest speaker Aiden Powell, the LGBTQ competency educator from Purdue University, discussed strategies for improving inclusion among hiring managers.

For attendees like Chastity Jackson of Merrillville, the current employment landscape is largely devoid of discriminatory practices that in a different era may have limited her opportunities. She busied herself speaking with company representatives offering administrative or teaching positions.

In most cases, the higher your level of education the more chance you have of getting the position, Jackson said.

Portages Eleshia Cheek took aim at finding a job in a field that is inherently diverse  social work.

Its always better when you make face-to-face contact, she said.

A historically diverse employer, the Indiana National Guard had a booth at the career fair. Already a National Guardsman, Jordan Adams ,of Griffith, only stopped by the booth to say hello. He was intent on making connections with companies to supplement to his part-time role with the National Guard.

Of all the career fairs Ive been to, this is one of the best, he said. Im looking for employment in maintenance or construction.

Although traditionally male-dominated, the railroad industry was represented by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore commuter and freight train service.

Bjarne R. Henderson, NICTDs director of human resources and labor relations, said more and more women are seeking careers in the railroad industry, and noticed a fair amount of inquiries from women throughout the day. He was watching out for people with experience as a signal engineer, which will be in demand for the railroads upcoming double tracking and West Lake Corridor projects.

Were hiring to replace a current generation of employees who are retiring, Henderson said. The turnover began five years ago, and we expect will continue for the next five.

Rebecca Martinez, human resources director for Franciscan Health, regards a diverse workforce as especially important in the healthcare industry.

We have a mission and values of helping anyone, and that extends to our workforce, she said. Ive seen a lot of diversity come through the door today. Our region is a melting pot of diversity, and our organization should reflect that.

That concept extends to one of the regions largest employers, NIPSCO and NiSource.

Its a very diverse group today and one thats very eager to gain employment, said Valparaisos Denise Conlon, manager of billing and payments for NiSource. Were seeing many qualified applicants.
INDIANAPOLIS  The fact that a person was carrying a handgun while committing a crime can be introduced as evidence at trial, even when the gun was not used in the crime, if it is in any way relevant to the case and does not prejudice the jury.

In 4-0 decisions, the Indiana Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the separate convictions of Summer Snow and Reginald Harris, both of Gary, who attacked a police officer outside Snow's house while she was carrying a concealed handgun.

Snow and Harris both argued that the gun should not have been mentioned at their joint trial because neither was charged with a gun-related crime.

However, the state's high court found that Lake Superior Judge Salvador Vasquez properly admitted the gun as evidence since it demonstrated Snow's "aggressive state of mind" while committing battery against a police officer and resisting arrest.

The court said Vasquez also correctly balanced the explanatory benefit of the gun against its prejudicial effect by instructing the jury that it's not illegal in Indiana to carry a handgun without a license on your owned or rented property.

"The trial court was within its discretion in deciding that Snow's handgun was relevant to her aggressiveness, and that the danger of unfair prejudice did not substantially outweigh its probative value," Chief Justice Loretta Rush said. "We affirm the trial court."

The Supreme Court upheld Harris' convictions on the same charges, even though he was sitting handcuffed in a police car when Snow's gun was discovered, because he never took any steps to distance himself from Snow's case or her gun, such as requesting a separate trial.
GRIFFITH  Lake Superior Court Judge John R. Pera has accepted a plea from Calumet Township to ask an appeals court to move its lawsuit against Griffith's secession effort from the Indiana Tax Court back to Superior Court.

Attorneys from both sides presented arguments during a hearing Thursday morning.

"He granted their petition," Griffith Town Attorney Bob Schwerd said of Pera's ruling on the township's interlocutory appeal.

Schwerd, of Schwerd, Fryman & Torrenga in Valparaiso, added the judge will sign the order on Monday.

The ruling means the township can take its plea to the Court of Appeals of Indiana in Indianapolis.

"The township has 30 days to ask the Court of Appeals to accept jurisdiction," Schwerd said. "We then have 15 days to respond."

The appellate court will then decide whether to hear the township's request or deny a hearing.

If this court agrees to hear the request, it can rule against the township's plea and let the case remain in the tax court.

Or it can rule in favor of the township and return the case to Superior Court.

If the appellate court refuses to hear the plea, it would remain in the tax court, Schwerd said.

"The Court of Appeals will probably take 45 days to rule," Schwerd said.

The lawsuit, filed last year by Township Trustee Kimberly Robinson, originally was filed in Superior Court, but Pera said the jurisdiction over such a case lies with the tax court.

He then transferred the case to the tax court, which agreed to take it.

This triggered the township's plea to return the suit to Superior Court.

While Thursday's decision went in favor of the township, it might be helpful, said Griffith Town Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd.

"We respect Judge Para's ruling and understand that, in the long run, this may actually help prevent any future delays regarding the question of proper jurisdiction for this case."

Ryfa said the town will review Pera's written order, after it is released, to determine a plan of future action.

"In any case, we will continue to fight for the taxpayers of Griffith and act in their best interests while keeping them informed as this matter proceeds."

The township's attorney, Tony Walker of The Walker Law Group in Gary, said he was pleased with the judge's ruling.

"We appreciate Judge Pera's sensitivity to the importance of what's at stake in this case and for ruling in our favor today on the motion," Walker said. "We look forward to the Court of Appeals deciding whether Judge Pera or the Tax Court should determine the outcome of this lawsuit. We still strongly believe that the Lake Superior Court is the proper venue."

Schwerd also noted that, if the lawsuit ultimately ends up back in Superior Court, both sides have the right to request a different judge to hear the case.
VALPARAISO  Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa will end more than 30 years of public service on Oct. 3 when he steps down from the bench with just more than a year left on his term.

"It's just time," he said Friday morning.

News of Alexa's retirement comes on the heels of word that Porter Superior Court Judge Julia Jent is also stepping down after more than 20 years and with five years or more left on her term.

Alexa, 76, said his decision is based in large part on his wife Joyce's decision to retire after 40 years with the Visiting Nurse Association of Porter County. She had most recently served as its interim chief executive officer.

"We want to travel a little bit," he said.

As is the case with fellow Democrat Jent, Alexa's successor will be appointed by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, and there is no requirement that the successors be of the same party.

Alexa said his successor will be taking a professional gamble, considering they will have to give up their legal practice to take over as judge and yet can expect to face challengers in next year's primary and general elections in an attempt to hold on to the seat.

Alexa said he was appointed to the bench on Dec. 2, 2002, by then-Gov. Frank O'Bannon to replace retiring Judge Thomas Webber.

He had served up until that time as a state senator since 1988, had worked as chief deputy and deputy prosecutor for Porter County from 1975 through 1978 and maintained a private legal practice up until being chosen as judge.

"What a thoroughly experienced lawyer this guy is," said defense attorney Bob Harper, who served as Porter County prosecutor while Alexa worked in the office.

"He's going to be a big loss to this community, but has also been a good servant to the community," Harper said.

As judge, Alexa has overseen many high-profile civil and criminal cases, including the February 2013 trial of Union Township resident Dustin McCowan, who was convicted of murdering his 19-year-old former girlfriend Amanda Bach, of Portage.

Alexa said he has also presided over a couple of hearings where he would interrupt attorneys arguing over the intentions of the Indiana General Assembly.

"I would say, 'Stop, I was the author of the bill,'" he said, laughing.

Alexa, who is originally from Berwin, Illinois, but has lived in Valparaiso with his wife for 52 years, said he was selling fabricated steel products when he happened to notice a light on early one morning at the Valparaiso University School of Law. He said he ventured inside, questioned the dean about the school and found himself a student a couple months later at age 29.

Alexa said he is sad about the prospect of his long career coming to an end and will miss the people he has come to know, particularly his judicial staff, whom he fondly refers to as his "work family."

"I enjoy the work," he said. "I enjoy people."
EAST CHICAGO  A low-income, minority community says it's fed up with carrying the burden of legacy toxic waste.

East Chicago residents gave state and federal environmental officials an earful at an informational meeting Thursday night, pushing back against U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plans to store more toxic sediment dredged from the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal at a disposal facility at 3500 Indianapolis Blvd.

State and federal officials said they have yet to sign off on the permit and are still reviewing public comments received on the project earlier this year, though the public comment period is over.

We are absolutely, vehemently opposed to any higher levels of any contaminants. We are fed up with the assault of toxic contamination on our city, our neighborhoods and our people, shouted the Rev. Cheryl Rivera, with the Northwest Indiana Federation of Interfaith Organizations.

Take it somewhere else. It is absolutely environmental racism. Thats exactly what it is  The answer is no. N-O," she said.

The 30 or so community members sitting in the East Chicago Public Library meeting room met Riveras comments with applause.

Cancer-causing chemicals

Since 2012, dredged sediment from the harbor and canal containing toxic polychlorinated biphenyls  or PCBs  and other pollutants has been placed in an existing confined disposal facility at 3500 Indianapolis Blvd. Prior to 2012, the waterway had not been dredged since 1972.

But now the Army Corps is seeking special permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to permanently store more of the toxic PCB-containing sediment.

EPA Project Manager Jean Greensley said contaminated toxic sediment is now sitting in an uncontained, open waterway. The goal is to prevent the sediment from flowing into Lake Michigan and to make commercial navigation more safe and efficient in the Indiana Harbor Canal, she said.

Army Corps officials are seeking approval to store an estimated maximum volume of 60,000 cubic yards of sediment that contains a PCB concentration greater than 50 parts per million at 3500 Indianapolis Blvd.

Representatives from the U.S. EPA and IDEM at Thursday nights information meeting outlined many of the projects protective measures containment walls, air and water monitoring and more. But residents werent having it, arguing someone should find a way to properly remove and clean the sediment.

What Im hearing tonight is people getting up and saying its all hunky-dory, safe and good to go, exclaimed Larry Davis, a local environmental activist with a long history of fighting pollution and industry in the city. "Stop telling us half-truths."

William ONeal, of the 600 block of West 140th Street and who lives about a half mile from the site, asked whether airborne contaminants were a concern.

Greensley said a decant structure, along with extraction wells, will allow the Army Corps to pump or extract water levels from two separate 45-acre cells on site to ensure the contaminants are properly covered with enough water.

'Live where we live'

Many in the room Thursday expressed frustration, pointing to an erosion of trust with state and federal environmental officials. They cited the decades-long delay in cleaning up the citys lead- and arsenic-contaminated USS Lead Superfund site  located about 3 miles southeast of this facility.

Students from the former Carrie Gosch Elementary School have been attending school at a building not far from the disposal facility since last summer. Families were evacuated due to high levels of lead and arsenic found in the soil at the nearby West Calumet public housing complex.

Tara Adams, one of the more than 1,000 individuals forced to leave West Calumet, repeatedly questioned if EPA and IDEM officials would personally live or allow their children to live near the facility.

Would you put this in your town? This has been going through for too long. I understand the legacy (of pollution) left here, where my children have to go to school. You dont live where we live, sleep where we sleep, Adams said.

The facility site property is owned by the East Chicago Waterway Management District, but the facility would be operated and managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, said George Ritchotte, environmental manager for industrial waste with IDEMs Office of Land Quality.

Pat Rodriguez, board member for the citys waterway management district, pleaded with EPA officials to protect residents from harm.

'Protect us'

EPA stands for Environmental Protection Agency. And we have a bunch of citizens here asking you to protect us, protecting us by denying the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. Thats what were asking for. We dont have to pay for the sins of our fathers, Rodriguez said.

After the meeting, Rodriguez said he was speaking as a private citizen at the meeting and not on behalf of the board.

EPA spokesman Rafael Gonzalez said the public comment period has already ended for the facility but that he would take residents message back to the agency staff. It will not be part of the official public record.

Thomas Frank, environmental activist and former director of the Indiana Harbor Shipping Canal, said EPA must consider the city's status as an environmental justice community  meaning a predominantly low-income, minority community disproportionately affected by industry pollution.

"It has to be part of their framework," he said.
Kate Nierengarten would often get her hair cut and donate the locks to people who needed it because of a medical condition.

So when chemotherapy caused her to lose her hair, which she then donated, it wasn't out of the ordinary to her 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

"That was common vocabulary in our house," said Nierengarten, 33, of Munster. "My kids were excited. They thought I would get a red wig like Ariel. My son thought I was going to get a wig like Captain Hook. They helped cut my hair and shave my head when we got to that point."

Nierengarten was diagnosed in February with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a disease that usually affects kids and accounts for less than 1 percent of cancer cases.

She has since been undergoing aggressive chemotherapy at a downtown Chicago hospital. Her disease is now in remission.

But a potential cure lies in a stem cell transplant. However, through her family and a national database, she hasn't been able to find a perfect donor match.

So her friends have planned a stem cell donor drive in her honor Monday in Munster. Only 2 percent of the U.S. population is on the donor registry.

Stem cell donor drive When: Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: Community Hospital cafeteria, 901 Macarthur Blvd. in Munster. How: Donors fill out a form with personal information and take a cheek swab. If you can't make it, register online at dkms.org/en/register.

"My greatest hope for this is we find a match for her. That would be amazing and a miracle," said Katie Huray, a friend of Nierengarten's who lives in St. John. "But hopefully we find a match for somebody. It would be pretty awesome if we could save a life out of this."

Huray described Nierengarten as a kind person, a loving mother, who would do the same thing for any of her friends if the situation was reversed.

"When her daughter started kindergarten, she put a necklace on her that said 'kindness' and told her to find a kid who isn't sitting by anybody," Huray said, stopping to cry before composing herself, "and make sure you sit next to them."

Nierengarten's friends raised money for her by making T-shirts that said "Kindness for Kate" on the front and on the back: "Have courage and be kind."

Dr. Olga Frankfurt, a hematologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said Nierengarten's medical team is still deciding whether a stem cell transplant is in her best interests, since her disease is in remission and the transplant comes with a risk of complications. Having a perfect donor match would make that decision a little easier, though, she noted.

"She has had a great response and tolerated therapy well. At the moment, she's great," Frankfurt said. "We're just trying to figure out the best way to transition her from remission to cure."

In January, Nierengarten started feeling fatigued. She could only handle about 20 minutes of her regular hour-long workout. Eventually, she could only walk for a few minutes before she had to sit down.

A doctor found she had an enlarged spleen. She was sent to the emergency room, where she got a biopsy because her lymph nodes were swollen. She got the diagnosis of leukemia.

She was initially at Northwestern for five weeks. Since then, she's been traveling back and forth to the hospital, sometimes staying there for days while the medical staff monitors her condition.

"During that five-week stretch, my daughter got sad. My son got sad and acted out," she said. "They would stand in front of the door and not let my husband go to work. If I was leaving for treatment, they would try to keep me at home."

Nierengarten and her husband, Michael, say the support of their friends and family have gotten them through a challenging time.

"It's been tough for all of us because you never want to see loved ones go through this, especially at this point in our life, especially with little kids," he said.

"But as time has gone on and she's responded well to treatment, you feel like you're moving forward. We've had so much support and help from the community and both sets of family live nearby. Even though it's been an unfortunate situation, I think we're as situated as well as anyone could be."
Brandi Silvonek-Durko remembers taking a tick off the back of her head in 2004. She flushed it down the toilet and didn't think anything of it.

When she was diagnosed with Lyme disease 10 years later, she wondered if that was the tick that infected her.

After struggling for a decade with an illness she couldn't classify, the Chesterton woman now warns others to watch out for tick-borne infections like Lyme, which has been on the rise in Indiana.

"The disease is very smart and tricky," said Silvonek-Durko, 33, who is on medical leave from work as she is treated for the illness. "You can get bit and show symptoms immediately or weeks, months, years later. I always look back to that first tick bite."

Health officials have warned that the tick season, which typically occurs in the late spring and early summer, could be particularly severe in Indiana this year because of the mild, wet weather. Indiana's health commissioner advised doctors around the state to be on the lookout for signs of tick-borne diseases in patients. That advisory followed the death of a 2-year-old central Indiana girl in June from Rocky Mountain spotted fever, another infection spread by ticks.

Reported cases of Lyme disease have increased in Indiana each of the past three years. That infection is spread by deer, or black-legged ticks, which experts say are most prevalent in this part of Indiana. Northwest Indiana has the largest cluster of Lyme disease cases, according to maps created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"That area of the state has been recognized for a long time for being the worst part of the state for Lyme diseases and black-legged ticks," said Keith Clay, a distinguished professor of biology at Indiana University in Bloomington. "They're extremely abundant in the dunes, fish and wildlife areas, state parks."

He said deer ticks are plentiful in areas with sandy, acidic soil, pine and oak trees, and blueberry-type plants.

"The northwest quadrant of the state is really the most under siege," said Robert Pinger, professor emeritus of health science at Ball State University.

Years ago, he and his students would check deer brought to the hunting check station at the Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area. "They all had deer ticks," he said. "Some of the very first counties where we found infected ticks were Newton, Jasper, Pulaski, Porter."

He believes hunters  and their dogs  brought their bugs back from hunting trips to Wisconsin and Minnesota, causing the ticks to spread here.

"We see more cases of Lyme disease in the northwest corner of the state," said Taryn Stevens, vector-borne disease epidemiologist with the Indiana State Department of Health.

She said the rise in tick-borne infections in Indiana, consistent with national trends, is due to one or more of three potential factors: increased incidence, enhanced surveillance and heightened awareness among health care providers and the general public.

Pinger said this part of the year is generally the most risky for Lyme disease. Ticks are now in their nymph stage, which is when they usually transmit the infection.

The insects also don't like the extreme heat that often comes later in the summer, Clay said. But deer tick numbers tend to increase again in the fall, he noted.

Lyme disease, often indicated by a bullseye rash followed by flu-like symptoms, can be treated with antibiotics if caught early. However, if the disease festers the symptoms can include fatigue, muscle and joint pain and neurological deficiencies. At that point, treatment becomes more intensive and less effective.

"Usually what happens is a person goes to multiple physicians trying to figure out what's wrong with them," said Dr. Jeffery Smith, a general practitioner in Griffith and Valparaiso. "Lyme disease encompasses multiple symptoms in different areas: the muscles, nervous system, skin."

This is what Silvonek-Durko experienced. She went from doctor to doctor, getting misdiagnosed several times. She finally found a rheumatologist who, after doing a battery of tests, told her she had Lyme disease. She has had to undergo years of intravenous antibiotics and other treatments but is still not completely healed.

Now she's trying to be an advocate for others with the disease. She started a website  missiontoremission.com  with Lyme disease information and support services. She starred in a video, on YouTube, about her battle with the illness.

She wants to correct inaccuracies about the disease: that a tick has to be on you for days to be infected, that ticks can be safely removed with matches or essential oils, that an infection is always accompanied by an immediate, perfect-circle rash.

"Over the last couple of years, I've had to be my own advocate and learn the ins and outs of the disease," she said. "It's so upsetting to talk about, because I've been dealing with this for so many years. And there are so many people out there like me."
Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised to close down the jail complex at Rikers Island, and Thursday laid out his ideas to make it happen.

With a goal of shutting down Rikers in 10 years, the mayor wants to reduce the jail's population to 5,000 from its current historic low of 9,400.

Strategies include changes to the bail system and supervised release programs that would direct more people out of the jail.

While Rikers is still operating, the plan would also move to improve safety with more than $1 billion in upgrades  including surveillance cameras and housing for mentally ill inmates.

Mayor de Blasio first announced his support for closing Rikers earlier this year.

He says it will be extremely difficult but result in a safer and more fair criminal justice system.



"We are going to accomplish this by significant bail reform, by ensuring that we're able to get people out who are not risky, so these are diversion programs," said Elizabeth Glazer of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice.

The mayor's proposal comes out more than two months after an independent commission released its own plan to shutter Rikers Island.

That commission, spearheaded by the city council speaker, proposed putting smaller jails in each borough.

The mayor's plan does not discuss where new facilities would go; in fact, for now he isn't discussing it either.

"We need to see a commitment from the city council members in the districts that have been initially proposed to specifically start the land-use process to achieve it," de Blasio said Thursday on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show."

De Blasio encourages New Yorkers to track the plan's progress on a new city website.
An arrest has been made in connection with a shooting near Barclays Center last week.

Jonathan Cordoba of Brooklyn faces a long list of charges, including assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Police say Cordoba got into an argument last Wednesday afternoon at the busy intersection of Atlantic Avenue near Flatbush Avenue.

According to police, he took out a gun and fired several shots, hitting a man in the ankle.

It's not clear if that man was involved in the argument, according to police.

The victim was treated at a nearby hospital.
Rainbows of all shapes and sizes are popping up across the city ahead of this weekend's annual Pride March.

A large stream of colorful balloons was constructed Friday outside website company Squarespace's headquarters in Manhattan's West Village.



The installation is one of dozens of events happening around the city leading up to Sunday's Pride March.

The march is the centerpiece of the annual Pride Week celebration. This year's theme is "We are Proud."



Organizers said they hope it inspires the LGBT community to stand strong during what they call a hostile political time.



In addition, city bridges along with 1 World Trade will be bathed in color this weekend to honor the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.

The trade center's spire Friday night will light up in pink, blue and white, colors to honor the Trans Day of Action.

Then, they will be illuminated in the color of the rainbow.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the lighting is meant to show that "no matter your race, creed, color, gender identity or expression that New York will fight for your right to live free from persecution and prejudice."

The Pride March is scheduled to step off Sunday at noon.

The route starts at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue and heads south, ending at Christopher Street and Greenwich Avenue.
NEW YORK - Sometimes you never know who or what you'll run into on the subway.

Twitter user @badhairspray posted a video from onboard an E train heading for Queens on Wednesday.

A few frightened passengers climbed on top of their seats after a mouse was spotted taking a ride.

It happened around 6:30 p.m. as the train left the Queens Plaza stop.

New Yorkers how they would react in a situation like this.

"It's New York City, what do you expect?" noted one New Yorker.

"They're just animals. You know, squirrels, pigeons, mice. They're here, we're here," added another New Yorker.

It's not clear at which station the mouse got off.
Three people from Georgia were arrested Thursday on charges of bringing a stolen van into the state.

Heidi F. Carter, 29; Wendy N. Holloway, 42; and Jacob K. Slaton, 28, all from LaGrange, were arrested by the Auburn Police Division after an officer noticed a suspicious vehicle.

At about 4:20 p.m. Thursday, an officer on routine patrol in the area of Bent Creek Road observed a suspicious vehicle parked outside a convenience store. The officer initiated an investigation and quickly discovered that the vehicle, a 1995 Chevrolet panel van, was reported stolen by the LaGrange, Georgia Police Department, according to an APD news release.

Officers immediately contacted and detained Holloway, who was occupying the van. Carter and Slaton were contacted moments later when they returned to the vehicle, according to the release.

Further investigation into the incident revealed the van had been stolen earlier in the day from a business in LaGrange.

Arrest warrants were obtained charging all three suspects with bringing stolen property into the State of Alabama. They were transported to the Lee County Jail and each remains in custody on a $5,000 bond.
Hello Kitty was designed to appeal to young girls, but its biggest fan may just be an adult Japanese man. 67-year-old Masao Gunji has been collecting Hello Kitty memorabilia for the last 30 years, and he was recently acknowledged by Guinness Records as the owner of the largest Hello Kitty collection in the world.

Gunji, a retired police officer from Yotsukaido, in Japans Chiba Prefecture, bought his first Hello Kitty item over thee decades ago, at a sightseeing spot. He just thought it looked really cute, and it ended up making his stressful job a bit easier. Whenever he would take a look at the cute character, it put a smile on his face and helped him push through whatever hardships he faced. Masao soon became a Hello Kitty fan and started buying all kinds of items featuring Sanrios popular creation. But his obsession really kicked in after he retired from the police force.

With plenty of time on his hands, Masao Gunji started buying all the Hello Kitty memorabilia he could get his hands on. He found them at department stores, in supermarkets, discount stores, and even visited the Sanrio Puroland, a Hello Kitty amusement park, in Tama City, to get some unique items. Before he knew it, Masaos collection got so big that he hardly had any room to move in his home. So he did what any respectable Hello Kitty collector would in this situation  he built a pink Hello Kitty house and decorated it with his thousands of themed items.

Not only is Gunjis pink house full of Hello Kitty memorabilia, but the interior is also decked in Hello Kitty wallpaper and the ceiling is embossed with a kitty pattern. Built in 2013, it has become a local attraction in Masaos neighborhood, and neighbors often come by to see what hes added to his collection, and relax.

Masao Gunjis Hello Kitty collection was officially recognized as the largest in the world in November of last year, after a very detailed appraisal. The 67-year-old says that he currently has over 10,000 Hello Kitty items, but that for the certification by Guinness Records, he was asked to select a number of them that could be counted in an 8-hour period. He settled on 5250 of his Hello Kitty-themed things, and transported them to the agreed-upon meeting place in Yotsukaido.

The Japanese collector claims that Guinness representative had very strict rules when counting his memorabilia, such as only accepting items that featured Hello Kittys iconic pink ribbon. 81 of the presented items were rejected, but even with 5169 items, he was still able to beat the previous record of 4,519 Hello Kitty memorabilia, held by Asako Kanda.

Masaos wife says that she is not a fan of Sanrios massively popular character, but that shes always been very supportive of her husband, helping him buy new stuff and decorate his pink house.

After getting featured in the Guinness Book of Records, Masao Gunji has been constantly receiving visits from both the neighborhood children and Hello Kitty fans from all around the world.

This collection is not mine alone, Masao says. I would like to share the charm of Hello Kitty with everyone.
Dave Ashton

If the FCCs Mike ORielly is justified in his enthusiasm for Wi-Fi and other wireless transmissions, then 225 scientists are wrong.

They signed the International EMF Scientist Appeal. Their peer-reviewed papers would also be wrong. The link opens to 105 groups worldwide that want abuses in wireless transmissions to be curbed.

ORielly earlier this week, commenting on the inaugural Wi-Fi World Day June 20, said the sudden, nearly worldwide deployment of Wi-Fi is an engineering and technical marvel of staggering proportions.

His enthusiasm, if not downright evangelism, appears to be genuine. He is obviously on a mission to open new Wi-Fi frequencies, improve the speed that data can be communicated, and ensure the ubiquitous penetration of the technology.

According to ORielly, we must all have instant access to lightning-fast Wi-Fi wherever we should find ourselves, at whatever time we want. It's our right, as citizens in a dynamic, competitive, free world to have fast and cheap Wi-Fi.

If this was a technological issue alone, the mass acceptance of Wi-Fi truly would be something to celebrate, and the champagne corks would rightly be popping in recognition of "World Wi-Fi Day.

More than Technology Involved

However, Wi-Fi and other technologies using pulsed microwave radiation to communicate, such as "smart wireless utility meters", cell towers, smartphones, cordless phones, and even wireless baby monitors, come with a hidden cost that the FCC and other business-friendly organizations and even governments, would prefer that we didn't know.

In May 2015, 190 international experts on the biological effects of exposure to this radiation, warned the UN, all UN member states, and the World Health Organization of the risks, calling on them to "...address the emerging public health crisis related to cell phones, wireless devices, wireless utility meters and wireless infrastructure in neighborhoods."

They noted that:

"Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines.

Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life."

Also, in a recent paper ("Wi-Fi as a Very Substantial Threat to Human Health"), Dr. Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at Washington State University, said:

"Neither Wi-Fi nor other devices putting out such EMFs are ever tested biologically for safety, not even one of them, not even once, before they are put out to irradiate the unsuspecting public. Such biological safety testing is the only way to say anything about their biological impacts.

Industry View Based on Old Data



"All assurances of safety that you will see in industry propaganda are based on the belief that radiation that does not raise body temperatures is harmless. That theory has been shown to be false and should have discarded, in my opinion, over 40 years ago."

Professor Trevor Marshall, a Director of the Autoimmunity Research Foundation said this in a recent paper entitled "Electrosmog and autoimmune disease":

"...it seems likely that signals a million times lower than those currently being used in research may be sufficient to elicit a tangible change in human biology.

There are many other scientific experts who are concerned about the health effects of exposure to Wi-Fi radiation, and especially to children, who are often exposed to industrial grade Wi-Fi routers all day long while at school.

O'Rielly and others like him ignore the biological effects of the radiation in their zealous quest to ensure the domination of this technology. We can question what motivates these people, but one thing is absolutely clear.

For him to be right, the 225 scientists who signed the International EMF Scientist Appeal would have to be wrong and so would their scientific papers.

Also in error would be the World Health Organization's own body, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which in 2011 classified the radiation emitted by Wi-Fi and other wireless technologies as a possible carcinogen.

Does anybody really believe this to be the case...?

***

Dave Ashton was an IT consultant in the UK and Europe until 2010, when he was forced to retire due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). He now spends his time advocating for safe technology, and the formal recognition of electrosensitivity as a bona-fide pathophysiological condition which, despite industry claims, is directly caused by the harmful electrosmog in our environment.
AT&T ($3.3B in ads), Comcast ($3B), and Verizon ($2.5B) are blocking press coverage of the dangers of Wi-Fi and other forms of radiation, says Jerry Flynn, retired Canadian Army officer.

The three are among the top five advertisers. The only company with a bigger ad budget is Procter & Gamble at $4.6B. Ford also spends $2.5B in ads.

Jerry Flynn

Flynn, who spent 22 years in Electronic Warfare and Signals Intelligence for the Canadian Army, made his charge June 9 in an email to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

North Americas mainstream news media are controlled by just a handful of multinational corporations who control what we see on TV, what we hear on the radio and what we read in newspapers, said Flynn.

Consequently, few people know the corruption that has taken place over the past 50 years  and is ongoing  which now literally threatens life on earth as we know it! he said.

Justin Trudeau

Like all North Americans, Canadians are unaware that the wireless and telecommunications, and electric power industries control virtually all levels of government in North America. Only the Internet reveals that cancer clusters are not uncommon in jurisdictions around the world that have allowed cell phone towers!

Cancer Clusters Blamed on Radiation

Flynn notes that in Brazils third largest city, Belo Horizonte, there were 7,191 cancer deaths between 1996 and 2006 which occurred within 1,000 meters of a cell phone tower. http://whyfry.org/brazilian-study-cancer-associated-with-radiation-from-cellular-antennas/

Vatican Radio was ordered by the Italian Supreme Court in 2011 to compensate the small town of Cesano, near Rome, whose population experienced an incidence of Leukemia six-times the normal rate, allegedly caused by Vatican Radio towers. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/17/vatican-radio-is-told-to-pay-out-over-transmitter-cancer-risk.aspx

Flynn Opposes Cell Tower

The current radiation issue that attracted Flynns attention was the proposal for a 40-meter tall cell tower in Central Saanich, Canada.

He told the officials of the community that the truth about pulsed radiation can only be found by searching the internet.

He asked that they check Lloyds of London and Swiss RE, two of the worlds largest insurance underwriters say about man-made electromagnetic radiation. http://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/lloyds-of-london-excludes-liability-coverage-for-harm-from-wireless-radiationrf-emf/ and https://www.defendershield.com/swiss-insurance-company-warns-significant-losses-result-emf-radiation/
5W Public Relations is providing media support for the the foundation of the son of President Trump, Eric.

The Eric Trump Foundation has recently undergone a managment overhaul.

Forbes reported June 22:

"The presidents son Eric is no longer on the board of the organization that he cofounded with two close friends in 2007, nor is his wife Lara or six virtually full-time employees of the Trump Organization."

The nonprofit's revamp included a name change to Curetivity.

5W also represents the interest of another member of Team Trump, Jay Sekulow. The PR firm has worked for American Center for Law and Justice for more than 10 years.

During the early 1990s, Sekulow, a respected constitutional lawyer, joined forces with televangelist Pat Robertson to establish the ACLJ.

5W CEO Ronn Torossian would not comment to O'Dwyer's for this article.
Agricultural News

Fresh Beef From Brazil Into the US Banned by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the suspension of all imports of fresh beef from Brazil because of recurring concerns about the safety of the products intended for the American market. The suspension of shipments will remain in place until the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture takes corrective action which the USDA finds satisfactory.





Since March, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been inspecting 100 percent of all meat products arriving in the United States from Brazil. FSIS has refused entry to 11 percent of Brazilian fresh beef products. That figure is substantially higher than the rejection rate of one percent of shipments from the rest of the world. Since implementation of the increased inspection, FSIS has refused entry to 106 lots (approximately 1.9 million pounds) of Brazilian beef products due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues. It is important to note that none of the rejected lots made it into the U.S. market.





The Brazilian government had pledged to address those concerns, including by self-suspending five facilities from shipping beef to the United States. Today's action to suspend all fresh beef shipments from Brazil supersedes the self-suspension.





Secretary Perdue issued the following statement:





"Ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply is one of our critical missions, and it's one we undertake with great seriousness. Although international trade is an important part of what we do at USDA, and Brazil has long been one of our partners, my first priority is to protect American consumers. That's what we've done by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef. I commend the work of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service for painstakingly safeguarding the food we serve our families."





Following U.S. Sec. of Agriculture Sonny Perdue's announcement that the U.S. is indefinitely suspending all imports of fresh beef from Brazil, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) made the below remarks:





"U.S. consumers enjoy the safest food supply in the world and, like Sec. Perdue, I am committed to keeping it that way. Halting imports of fresh beef from Brazil is an appropriate and necessary measure as Brazilian officials work to assess and correct the situation, and gives U.S. officials time to develop a better understanding of the magnitude of the problem and acceptable solutions. I am thankful for the secretary's swift response and for the continued work of the folks at USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service to protect the food we eat."











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Top Agricultural News
In 2013, Steven Hanes visited his urologist, complaining of persistent pain in his right testicle.

An ultrasound revealed that the testicle had atrophied, with scarring and damage from a previous injury, according to court documents. And so the doctor scheduled an orchiectomy  or surgical removal of the testicle  to help alleviate Hanes's pain.

The good news? The orchiectomy was successful.

The bad news? The doctor removed the wrong testicle during the surgery.

"At this point it appeared that the left testicle and cord may actually have been removed instead of the right one," the surgeon, Valley Spencer Long, wrote in a postoperative report, according to court records.

The mistake prompted Hanes in 2014 to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against Long and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in central Pennsylvania, citing negligence on the part of both.

Four years after the surgical mistake, a Pennsylvania jury reached a verdict last week, awarding Hanes $870,000, including $250,000 in punitive damages, according to Hanes's attorney, Braden Lepisto.

"This case, I understand why it kind of went viral just because of what is involved, but the reality is, it's a condition that has affected my client significantly," Lepisto told The Washington Post. "Although some people may see it as kind of laughing matter initially, the award was completely justified based on the evidence and the toll that it's taken on Steve."

To this day, he added, "it's still not totally clear" how the mistake occurred in the operating room.

"The doctor gave an explanation that really made no anatomical or medical sense," Lepisto said. "He claimed that he removed the testicle that was on the right side of the scrotum and the testicle had a spermatic cord that led to the left side of the body.

"Essentially, the doctor claimed that the testicles had switched sides at some point."

Lepisto said the jury  which comprised 11 women and one man  deliberated for about 1 hour 20 minutes before siding with the plaintiff.

Reached by email Saturday, a spokeswoman for J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital did not offer further comment on the case but confirmed Long was no longer working for the hospital.

Although horrifying, cases in which doctors operate on the wrong body part are extremely rare. A 2006 study supported by the public Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality analyzed nearly 3 million operations over nearly two decades, and found that wrong-site surgery occurred in only about 1 in 112,994 cases.

Still, it does happen. A 2011 Post roundup of such cases included doctors in Minneapolis removing a healthy kidney from a man with kidney cancer and an ophthalmologist in Portland, Oregon, operating on the wrong eye of a 4-year-old boy.

"Few medical errors are as vivid and terrifying as those that involve patients who have undergone surgery on the wrong body part, undergone the incorrect procedure, or had a procedure intended for another patient," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says.

In the medical community, "wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient errors" are known as WSPEs, and they are so egregious and usually preventable that the federal health department deems them "never events" - "errors that should never occur and indicate serious underlying safety problems."

In a 2011 report, the nonprofit Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare recommended a number of ways to prevent wrong site surgery, from marking the incision sites with something consistent (like the surgeon's initials) before the operation to reducing noise and other possible distractions in the operating room.

In Hanes' case, Lepisto said the surgeon could have taken steps to confirm he was operating on the correct testicle.

"If he had just tracked that spermatic cord up into the body, that would have told him which side he was on," he said. "It's just extremely unlikely because there are structures in the body that prevent the testicles from moving freely from one side to the other. There was just no evidence that those structures had been compromised."

Lepisto said Hanes continues to suffer pain in his right testicle  the one that was supposed to have been removed  but has avoided seeking further medical treatment. Even if Hanes does have the remaining testicle removed, he would then need lifelong testosterone replacement therapy, he added.

"He really is just extremely fearful of trying to get any sort of treatment for it at this point because of what happened," Lepisto said.
Greg Bahati once attempted to shoot in the head a person he believed provided information about him to rival Omaha gang members, federal law enforcement authorities have alleged.

He sold crack cocaine, he admits.

And, he and other members of the closely aligned 40th and 44th Avenue Crips formed the Murk Squad, to carry out retaliatory shootings against rival gang members and others.

Bahati, 22, was sentenced on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Omaha to eight years in prison for participating in a racketeering conspiracy that involved attempted murder, assault and crack sales.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon sentenced Bahati, who is known also as Pooh Bear and Murk 2x, after he pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, threatening violence in aid of racketeering and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Bahati also was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Bahati was among six members of Omahas 40th and 44th Avenue Crips gangs who were indicted in January 2016 on RICO statutes. RICO is an acronym for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Omaha police.

Bahati admitted he conspired to participate in the affairs of the Crips chapters through a pattern of racketeering activity. He acknowledged he personally committed acts of violence and distributed cocaine for the gang. And he admitted that he assaulted a person who made statements disrespecting the gang and threatened another person with violence with a gun.

His brother, Malik Bahati, 17, was arrested in March and charged with three counts of being an accessory to a felony in an northeast Omaha homicide case.

Walter Griffin, who was slain, was shot at the same time two other people who survived.
A favorite summer pastime soon will light up the skies on both sides of the Missouri River.

For the first time in nearly 80 years, Iowans, like their Nebraska neighbors, will be able to purchase and set off fireworks for the Fourth of July.

Omahans can begin buying and lighting firecrackers in town today, but some fireworks businesses have been open awhile in Iowa.

Fireworks could be sold in permanent structures and used in Iowa starting June 1, weeks before Nebraska sales begin. Fireworks sales in temporary structures such as tents were allowed to begin June 13 in Iowa.

Dan Williams, owner of Wild Willys Fireworks, said he has had several locations in Iowa running since last week.

We see it as a new market, he said of the Springfield, Nebraska-based business.

But expansion into Iowa hasnt been as easy for Bellino Fireworks.

The Papillion-based company is pursuing an injunction in federal court to bar four central Iowa cities from enforcing fireworks restrictions.

According to state law, cities cant restrict the sale of fireworks, but many cities have passed regulations on their use, such as reducing the dates or times they can be shot off. Several communities have banned firecrackers from being shot off within city limits.

Vince Bellino, manager of Bellino Fireworks, said the lawsuit came about because of the conflict between the state fireworks law and what some cities have forbidden in their regulations.

It seems to be contradictory, he said.

Bellino said the company would be opening about 45 locations in the Iowa market this year. Setting up shop in some communities, he said, has gone much more smoothly than in others.

Were pretty excited about the opportunity to open up there, but its been a process, he said.

Two destructive blazes started by fireworks led Iowa officials to ban the explosives in the 1930s. Until this year, the state permitted only novelty firecrackers, such as snakes and sparklers.

The new law allowing consumer-grade fireworks in Iowa was signed in May, leaving many cities scrambling to adjust their ordinances in time for the Fourth of July.

Iowas always been a state of very limited items that you could sell, said Marv Kohler with the Nebraska Fireworks Retailers Association. To go from minute to extreme was quite a variance there.

Iowas law permits a few types of fireworks that are banned in Nebraska, such as wire sparklers and bottle rockets. Kohler said this might encourage some Nebraskans to cross over to Iowa for their fireworks, but the selections offered at stands in the two states shouldnt vary much.

The Council Bluffs City Council voted unanimously to allow residents to shoot off firecrackers from July 1 to 4.

Theres concern across the state about how the first year with fireworks will go, Council Bluffs City Clerk Jodi Quakenbush said. City officials have said they are worried about the threat fireworks pose to public safety and how swiftly the state law passed.

It came so quickly, so were just waiting to see what happens ourselves, she said.

Quakenbush said she estimated that the city would approve about seven or eight tent permits for fireworks sales.

On Thursday afternoon, sisters Ashley Rhoades, 13, and Taylor Rhoades, 16, were taking a break from setting up in a fireworks tent in the Walmart parking lot on Manawa Center Drive.

Theyre trying to raise money with the Midwest Family Worship Center for a trip to a youth conference in Branson, Missouri, and were excited when their pastor asked them to help with a fireworks stand.

Now that were doing it, its not as much fun as we thought, Taylor Rhoades said.

Youve got to get it perfect, Ashley Rhoades said of setting up the stand. And then the inspectors have to look at it, and if its not right with them, you have to redo most of it.

The idea of raising thousands of dollars selling fireworks like Crazy Eyeballs and High in the Sky makes it worth it, though, Taylor Rhoades said. Their stand opened Friday.

In the Omaha area, more than 100 fireworks stands have permits to sell for Independence Day this year.

In 2010, when the Nebraska Legislature was looking to expand the types of fireworks that could be sold, fireworks retailers estimated their sales generated at least $500,000 in sales tax revenue, Kohler said.

The Iowa Legislative Services Agency estimated that the states first year of fireworks sales would bring in about $1.1 million in sales tax revenue.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.

Tips for fireworks safety

 Buy fireworks only from a licensed seller, not from someone on the street or from someones house.

 Read and follow the instructions on the fireworks before lighting them.

 Have water handy in case of an emergency.

 Use fireworks only in an open, outdoor area.

 Light the fireworks on a hard surface and be cautious of wind.

 Do not alter or combine fireworks.

 Aim the fireworks device away from houses, dry leaves, flammable materials and people.

 Light one device at a time.

 Never relight a dud device.

 Wait 20 minutes after setting off a fireworks device to approach it, then soak it in water.

Source: Omaha Professional Firefighters Association

What's legal, what's not

Nebraskans and Iowans are allowed to buy consumer fireworks, which include items such as sparklers, Roman candles, fountains and traditional firecrackers.

Nebraska prohibits wire sparklers, nighttime parachutes and rockets that project into the air from a stick or wire. Larger fireworks meant for public displays and ground firecrackers with more than 50 milligrams of explosive composition also are banned for personal use in Nebraska.

Iowas law permits missile-type rockets and wire sparklers.

Sky lanterns are banned in Nebraska. They are allowed in Iowa but must be tethered.

In Nebraska, fireworks can be sold in the summer June 24 through July 5. Cities may have their own restrictions on fireworks as well.

In Omaha, fireworks may be sold and used between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. June 24 through July 4.

Also in Omaha, children as young as 12 may use fireworks under the supervision of an adult. Those older than 16 can light fireworks by themselves.

In Iowa, summer fireworks season is June 1 through July 8. State law says fireworks may be used only between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. The exception is July 4th and the weekend immediately following the holiday, when the hours are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Only people 18 and older can purchase fireworks.

Many Iowa cities have their own restrictions on fireworks, and several still have bans on their use.

Council Bluffs permits the use of fireworks from July 1 to 3 from noon until 10 p.m. On July 4th, the hours for fireworks are extended until 11 p.m.

Area fireworks stands
A cool, high-pressure system that has moved into the central Plains states has ushered in pleasant weather, including dry conditions, to the Omaha area through the weekend.

Temperatures in the 70s will dominate eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa today, Sunday and Monday before highs begin to climb back into the 80s by Tuesday, the National Weather Service office in Valley said.

Normal late-June highs in Omaha are in the mid-80s and normal overnight lows are the lower to mid-60s.

In the Omaha area, expect mostly sunny skies and highs in the lower to upper 70s today through Monday. Overnight lows will be in the lower to mid-50s.

North-northwest winds could gust up to 25 mph today, forecasters said.

There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms for Monday through Thursday of next week, the weather service said.

Highs on Tuesday through Thursday are forecast to be in the lower to upper 80s and overnight lows should be in the upper 50s to mid-60s.

Some locations in the region reported rain Thursday night into Friday, including Offutt Air Force Base, which recorded .71 inches.

Other area rainfall totals for the 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. Friday: Beatrice, .08; Falls City, .11; Lincoln, trace; Nebraska City, .59; Eppley Airfield, trace; Millard, trace; Plattsmouth, .82; Valley, trace; Harlan, trace, Red Oak, trace; Shenandoah, trace.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Military chiefs will seek a six-month delay before letting transgender people enlist in their services, officials said Friday.

After meetings this week, the service leaders hammered out an agreement that rejected Army and Air Force requests for a two-year wait and reflected broader concerns that a longer delay would trigger criticism on Capitol Hill, officials familiar with the talks told the Associated Press.

The new request for a delay will go to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for a final decision, said the officials, who weren't authorized to discuss the internal deliberations publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Transgender servicemembers have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban, declaring it the right thing to do. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon's personnel system.

But Carter also gave the services until July 1 to develop policies to allow people already identifying as transgender to newly join the military, if they meet physical, medical and other standards, and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months. The military chiefs had said they needed time to study the issue and its effects on the readiness of the force before taking that step.

Officials said Friday that the chiefs believe the extra half-year would give the four military services time to gauge if currently serving transgender troops are facing problems and what necessary changes the military bases might have to make.

The chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps discussed the matter with Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work on Thursday, officials said.

Stephen Peters, spokesman for Human Rights Campaign, said the group is disappointed with the delay request.

"Each day that passes without implementing the final piece of this important policy harms our military readiness and restricts the Armed Forces' ability to recruit the best and the brightest," said Peters, a Marine veteran. "There are thousands of transgender service members openly and proudly serving our nation today, and as they've proven time and time again, what matters is the ability to get the job done  not their gender identity."

Already, there are as many as 250 servicemembers in the process of transitioning to their preferred genders or who have been approved to formally change gender within the Pentagon's personnel system, according to several defense officials.

According to several officials familiar with the matter, three of the four services wanted more time. In recent weeks, Navy officials suggested they would be ready to begin enlistment in July but asked for a one-year delay, largely to accommodate a request from the Marine Corps for more time, officials said. The Navy secretary also oversees the Marine Corps.

The Army and Air Force wanted a two-year delay to further study the issue, said the officials, who were not authorized to talk about the internal discussion publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Officials said there was a broad recognition that allowing transgender individuals to enlist affects each service differently. They described the biggest challenge as the infantry. They said the discussions aimed at a solution that would give recruits the best chance of succeeding, while ensuring the services maintain the best standards for entry into the military.

Service chiefs will also require that transgender recruits be stable in their preferred genders for at least two years, an increase from Carter's earlier plan to allow 18 months, the officials said. The chiefs also want to review the policy in a year to see how things are working, the officials said.

Key concerns are whether currently enlisted troops have had medical or other issues that cause delays or problems with their ability to deploy or meet physical or other standards for their jobs. Military leaders also want to review how transgender troops are treated, if they're discriminated against or have had disciplinary problems, the officials said.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee last week there have been some issues identified with recruiting transgender individuals that "some of the service chiefs believe need to be resolved before we move forward." He said Mattis is reviewing the matter.

The military services have various ways of counting the number of transgender troops currently serving. The Pentagon has refused to release any data. But officials said there are 42 servicemembers across the Army, including the National Guard and Reserve, who have been approved to change their gender identities in the personnel system. At least 40 more are in the process of transitioning, they said.

Officials said there are about 160 sailors in the Navy who are somewhere in the process of gender transition. That could include counseling, hormone treatment or gender reassignment surgery. And about "a handful" of Marines have come forward to seek medical care involving gender transition, and there are possibly others going through the process with their commanders, officials said.

The Air Force refused to release any numbers, and other officials did not know those details.

A RAND study found that there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender service members in the active duty military, and another 1,500 to 4,000 in the reserves.
Last weeks EF1 tornado knocked out half of the Pentagons fleet of four E-4B Nightwatch aircraft  popularly known as the Doomsday plane  when the twister hopscotched through Offutt Air Force Base, Air Force officials said Friday.

The June 16 tornado also damaged eight of the 55th Wings fleet of 29 RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, which fly critical surveillance missions in the Middle East, the western Pacific and the Far East. Seven of the RC-135s sustained only minor damage, said Drew Nystrom, a 55th Wing spokesman, and six have been repaired and returned to mission-capable status.

Inspectors have not yet determined the cost of the repairs to the aircraft, Nystrom said.

55th Wings combat capability was not affected by the storm, he said. We have and will continue to meet any and all higher-headquarters requirements.

In what Nystrom described as a very preliminary estimate, the storm caused between $7 million and $10 million worth of damage to other Offutt facilities. Most of that is for roof repairs, tree removal, heating and air-conditioning repairs, fencing replacement and the associated manpower costs, he said.

The tornado struck a base housing area and an Air Force golf course west of Highway 75 just after 8 p.m. June 16, uprooting trees and toppling fences. It crossed the highway and rumbled across the base just south of the runway, packing winds of up to 110 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said.

A second tornado  an EF2, south and west of Offutt  damaged homes and knocked down hundreds of utility poles.

Retired Brig. Gen. Reg Urschler of Bellevue, a former 55th Wing commander who has flown both RC-135s and E-4Bs, said its rare for so many aircraft to sustain storm damage.

I cant recall ever a situation of this magnitude, Urschler said. Its unheard of.

The two E-4Bs and at least one of the RC-135s were parked during the storm in hangars, but with their tails exposed to the strong winds. During a media tour of Offutt storm damage on Monday, the tails of one E-4B and one RC-135 seemed to be slightly askew in the hangars, but base officials declined to discuss the aircraft or permit photos.

The RC-135s are surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft used primarily as airborne listening posts. All are based at Offutt, but the jets are frequently deployed to bases in Japan, Qatar, Great Britain and Greece. They have been operating continuously in the Middle East since August 1990.

Because of the small fleet and crucial mission of the E-4Bs, the loss of two is considered the most critical impact. Their crews have the grim but essential task of continuing national communications in the event of nuclear war, earning them the Doomsday moniker.

The jets  built in the 1970s and adapted from civilian Boeing 747-200 airframes  would serve as the National Airborne Operations Center for the president, defense secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff following such a catastrophe.

The Air Force has spent at least $2 billion on upgrades since 2005 to extend their life. Besides their primary mission, they are sometimes used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency during natural disasters and by the defense secretary for overseas trips.

About 20 members of each jets battle staff are drawn from the Offutt-based U.S. Strategic Command, said Lt. Col. Marty ODonnell, a StratCom spokesman. Each can carry a crew of up to 112.

For years the E-4Bs had been part of the Offutt-based 55th Wing. Last year their command was restructured into the new 595th Command and Control Group, which reports to the Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

A team of inspectors from Barksdale has flown to Offutt to assess the damage, said Capt. Michele Rollins, a spokeswoman at the Louisiana base.

Global Strike has people on the ground, she said. We want to be sure theyre able to do their assessment.

Rollins said its not yet known how long repairs to the two jets will take or how much they will cost.

She said on the night of the storm, a third E-4B  the primary aircraft that night  was at another, undisclosed location. She didnt discuss the fourth jet, but typically one of the aircraft is being overhauled at any given time and is unavailable for missions, 55th Wing maintenance records show.

Al Buckles, a former director of operations and logistics at StratCom who still advises his former command, said other military aircraft can carry out the work of Nightwatch if necessary.

There is a plan, Buckles said. This is not the first time this situation has occurred.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump is crediting himself with the idea of building a Mexico border wall of solar panels. But that looks to be a borrowed brainwave; others pitched a solar wall back when he was a skeptic of tapping power from the sun.

Trumps speech in Iowa on Wednesday night was rife with misstatements. He claimed beneficial effects to the economy from actions he has not yet taken. He declared that the time has come for a welfare moratorium for immigrants that has been in place for two decades. He juiced up the tax burden on Americans beyond reality.

A look at some of his claims:

TRUMP: Were thinking about building the wall as a solar wall so it creates energy and pays for itself. And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money. And thats good right? ... Pretty good imagination, right? Good? My idea.

THE FACTS: His idea was to run with the idea of others.

The notion of adding solar panels to the border wall was explored in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in March. Vasilis Fthenakis, director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis at Columbia University, and Ken Zweibel, former director of the Solar Institute at George Washington University, concluded it was not only technically and economically feasible, it might even be more practical than a traditional wall.

They said a 2,000-mile solar wall could cost less than $1 billion, instead of tens of billions for a traditional border wall, and possibly become wildly profitable. The writers were studying a concept laid out by Homero Aridjis and James Ramey in the online World Post in December.

The idea also was proposed by one of the companies that submitted its design to the government as a border wall prototype. Las Vegas-based Gleason Partners proposed covering some sections of the wall with solar panels and said that selling electricity from it could eventually cover the cost of construction.

Trump repeatedly described solar power in the campaign as very, very expensive and not working so good.



TRUMP: The time has come for new immigration rules which say that those seeking admission into our country must be able to support themselves financially and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years. And well be putting in legislation to that effect very shortly.

THE FACTS: A federal law passed in 1996 already has that effect. It bars most foreigners who enter the country on immigrant visas from being eligible for federal benefits like Social Security and food stamps for the first five years. States typically have the authority to determine eligibility for local programs. As for people in the country illegally, they are generally prohibited from those benefits altogether. Same with foreigners who are in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas.



TRUMP: You see what weve already done. Homebuilders are starting to build again. Were not confiscating their land with ridiculous rules and regulations that dont make sense.

THE FACTS: Housing starts as tracked by the Census Bureau have actually fallen over the past three months. Trump seems a bit mixed up on deregulation. Some of the biggest constraints on homebuilders come from local governments, rather than federal rules.



TRUMP: Farmers are able to plow their field. If they have a puddle in the middle of their field, a little puddle the size of this, its considered a lake and you cant touch it. And if you touch it, bad, bad things happen to you and your family. We got rid of that one, too, OK?

THE FACTS: Trump appears to be referring to an executive order he signed in February that the Environmental Protection Agency review its rule on regulations to protect clean water. The rule can stop some farmers from using pesticides and herbicides. But Trump hasnt overturned the rule at this stage as his remarks suggest.



TRUMP: Unemployment is at a 16-year low.

THE FACTS: Unemployment is indeed that low, at 4.3 percent.



TRUMP: Were working really hard on massive tax cuts. It would be, if I get it the way I want it, the largest tax cut in the history of the United States of America. Because right now, we are one of the highest-taxed nations in the world. Really on a large-scale basis, we are the highest tax nation in the world. ... And I think its going to happen.

THE FACTS: The overall U.S. tax burden is actually one of the lowest among the 32 developed and large emerging-market economies tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Taxes made up 26.4 percent of the total U.S. economy in 2015, according to the OECD. Thats far below Denmarks tax burden of 46.6 percent, Britains 32.5 percent or Germanys 36.9 percent. Just four OECD countries had a lower tax bite than the U.S.: South Korea, Ireland, Chile and Mexico.

Its not clear Trump will sign the largest tax cut in U.S. history. His administration has yet to settle on enough details of any planned overhaul to make that claim. To put the claim in context, Ronald Reagan essentially cut taxes during his first term by slightly more than 2 percent of the nations gross domestic product. For Trump to surpass that, his tax cut would essentially have to be more than $400 billion a year.



TRUMP: We have Gary Cohn, whos the president of Goldman Sachs. Thats somebody. Hes the president of Goldman Sachs. He had to pay over $200 million in taxes to take the job, right? ... This is the president of Goldman Sachs, smart. Having him represent us. He went from massive paydays to peanuts. ... But these are people that are great, brilliant business minds. And thats what we need.

THE FACTS: Trump appears to be confusing taxes paid with stocks sold. Cohn and his family members held about $220 million in Goldman stock, which he had to divest in order to resolve possible conflicts of interest before becoming White House economic adviser. He would have had to pay taxes on any capital gains from the sale, but that sum would only be a fraction of the figure cited by Trump. Moreover, Cohn had to divest the stock in pieces, so the final tally from his sales is unclear, as the stock has declined from highs in March.

Its also worth noting the presidents about-face praise for Wall Street. His campaign routinely criticized Goldman Sachs and its ties to Hillary Clinton, even using it as a villain in a political ad that included video of the banks chairman and CEO.



TRUMP: You have a gang called MS-13. ... They do things that nobody can believe. These are true animals. We are moving them out of the country by the thousands, by the thousands. ... Were getting them out, MS-13.

THE FACTS: There is no publicly available evidence to support this claim about the violent gang. In recent weeks, federal authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected MS-13 gang members. Many of those arrested have been identified by the government as immigrants, but it is unclear if they have yet been deported. Any suspected gang members who are U.S. citizens cannot be kicked out of the country. The gang was formed decades ago in Los Angeles and has spread.

Overall arrests of immigrants in the country illegally have increased in recent months, but deportations have declined slightly, according to the most recently available government data.



TRUMP: Since I was elected, illegal border crossings  and this is without the wall, before the wall  have decreased by more than 75 percent, a historic and unprecedented achievement.

THE FACTS: Thats overblown, according to government figures about the Mexico border. The decrease in his first four full months in office is about 59 percent, still substantial but not more than 75 percent.

More than 56,600 foreigners have been caught crossing from Mexico illegally between February and May, up from 137,800 people in the same period during President Barack Obamas last year in office.

The number of illegal crossings is not known because some people slip in undetected. Officials consider the number arrested to be representative of the broader trend of attempts to cross illegally.

Copyright 2017, the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
State health officials have issued health alerts over toxic blue-green algae at two southeast Nebraska lakes.

Officials said Iron Horse Trail Lake in Pawnee County and Pawnee Lake in Lancaster County were placed on alert Friday over high levels of the toxic algae, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

Samples taken earlier this week at both lakes were above the states health alert threshold of 20 parts per billion of a toxin released by certain strains of blue-green algae, officials said.

The health alerts are the first issued in the 2017 recreational season, officials said. Weekly samplings have been conducted at 50 public lakes since the beginning of May.

The alerts will continue at the southeast Nebraska lakes for at least two more weeks, the department said, because lakes that are on alert must have two consecutive weeks of readings below the threshold before the alert is discontinued.

When a health alert is issued, signs are posted to advise the public to use caution, and designated swimming beaches are closed. Recreational boating and fishing are permitted, but the public is advised to use caution and avoid exposure to the water.

Campers still can use the public areas for hiking, picnics and other outdoor activities.
The destructive storm that spawned tornadoes, ushered in hurricane-force winds and left tens of thousands of area residents and businesses without power last weekend and into this week left approximately $12 million worth of damage in its wake, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.

That toll, albeit just a snapshot of preliminary damage assessments completed thus far, takes Nebraska well beyond the $2.8 million damage threshold required to request a federal disaster declaration, said Bryan Tuma, assistant director of the state emergency agency.

The vast majority of damage costs have been incurred by electric utilities whose power lines, poles and other transmission structures were felled by devastating winds and windblown debris.

State and federal money is available for publicly owned utilities like those in Nebraska, but officials said its still too early to determine how much will cover damage costs from last weekends weather. Nebraska officials have yet to ask for federal assistance.

The Omaha Public Power District was hit especially hard, and the damage total could climb as utility crews throughout eastern and southeastern Nebraska file time sheets and expenses tied to days that have stretched beyond daylight hours.

Omaha Public Power District crews have routinely put in 16-hour days, said OPPD spokeswoman Jodi Baker, and the Omaha electric utility estimated that it had already incurred $500,000 worth of overtime by Wednesday afternoon.

Thats part of an estimated $10 million in costs tied to the storm that knocked down about 400 of OPPDs transmission and distribution poles. OPPD will bear some of those costs, but just how much is unclear.

The Nebraska Public Power District, meanwhile, said its too early to peg an estimate for storm damage that knocked out power for almost 3,400 customers in towns like Plattsmouth, Murray, Union, Sterling and Crab Orchard.

Beatrice City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer said more than 4,000 residents there, or 80 percent of all electric customers, lost power late Friday. Early damage estimates peg costs for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at about $55,000, about 70 percent of which is for damage to the city-owned electric system.

Our linemen got called in Friday night at about 10 oclock as the storm came through and they worked until about 5 oclock on Saturday evening, said Tempelmeyer, who is also general manager of Beatrice Public Works, which includes the city electric system.

Meanwhile, about 76,500 OPPD customers were without power  more than 20 percent of the utilitys entire rate base  at the storms peak late last Friday. The lights were still out for about 100 of them at noon Thursday.

Although power has been restored to nearly all customers, the effects of last weeks storm will linger well into the summer.

Were still looking at a lot of broken trees ... with broken branches still hanging on. Well see an enhanced amount of trouble for months as those branches fall and take power lines down with them, OPPD storm manager Ryan Mayberry said.

In addition to the widespread damage that ranked officially as the No. 4 worst storm in OPPD history, heat-related outages complicated recovery efforts early in the week for the Omaha utility.

As for a federal disaster declaration, Tuma, with the state office, said NEMA has sent a formal request for regional officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help conduct preliminary damage assessments. Federal help with those assessments could come as early as next week, pending FEMA approval of the Nebraska request.

Federal law requires such requests to be submitted by state governors.

Early estimates from NEMA indicate that 17 of 30 Nebraska counties affected by last weeks storms would be eligible for federal assistance if a federal disaster declaration were made.

As for the states part, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Tuesday declared a state of emergency and followed that up with a disaster declaration on Wednesday.

So far, the repairs havent been easy: Because high-voltage transmission lines and low-voltage distribution lines were knocked out, OPPD crews were stretched even more thin and had to contend with a variety of repairs and replacements.

Transmission poles carry higher voltages and include the hulking steel structures that can be spotted crisscrossing cornfields south of Offutt Air Force Base, for example. More than 100 such lines went down in the Plattsmouth area, in and near Bellevue, north of Springfield and west of Papillion.

To help, OPPD enlisted outside crews from nearby utilities, including the Loup River Public Power District, the Southern Power District, NPPD and the Lincoln Electric System. It also called on private contractors.

NPPD dispatched crews for repairs on its lines in Plattsmouth from as far away as Lexington and Bloomfield, and crews supporting OPPD came from North Platte, York and Lincoln.

In the last year, mutual aid programs have sent Nebraska line workers to places like the East Coast to help restore electric service after Hurricane Matthew, which made landfall in early October 2016 and caused billions of dollars in damage. Organizers of such programs include the American Public Power Association, of which OPPD, NPPD and Lincoln Electric are members.

Such assistance, paid for by OPPD and other utilities in need of extra help, is critical to getting the job done, utilities officials say, but local communities also played their part.

On Saturday, a local Hy-Vee store gave free meals to NPPD crews helping to restore power in the Omaha area, and the Plattsmouth High School volleyball team served up lunch to NPPD crews that were working there on Monday.

On Tuesday, local diners at DJs Dugout in Plattsmouth passed the hat to cover lunch for linemen.

It came up a little short at the end for some hungry linemen, NPPD spokesman Mark Becker said, but the restaurant covered the remaining amount.
20 including 8 children die during 12-hour blackout in Kurnool hospital

India

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Twenty patients including 8 children died in the Kurnool Government General Hospital during a 12-hour blackout on Thursday. Negligence at every level cost 20 lives at this government hospital that registers 10 deaths on an average every day. The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The power supply that snapped at 7 PM on Wednesday was not restored till Thursday morning. No senior duty doctors, including the Resident Medical Officer, was present at the hospital when patients were undergoing a harrowing time due to the outage. 20 patients including 8 children and 2 women, all poor patients, lost their lives during the outage. While an inquiry has been ordered, local reports suggested that the outage was a result of Police Outpost staff drawing electricity illegally. The power is said to have snapped when the staff of the Police Outpost on hospital premises hooked electric cables to high tension wires to draw electricity illegally.

The hospital staff claim that they had contacted linemen from the electricity board but none were available to set things right.

"We made frantic efforts to get the power fixed, but no lineman was available until morning. I managed to get in touch with a few linemen, but they refused to climb electric poles at night," said Hospital superintendent Dr J Veeraswamy. Soon after reports of the tragedy emerged the blame game began. Hospital authorities blamed the police outpost staff for the tragedy.

Andhra Pradesh health minister Kamineni Srinivas sought a report on the matter from the hospital. In the meanwhile, alternate arrangements are being made to ensure that the hospital does not face similar situations. An inquiry has also been ordered into the absence of the Resident Medical Officer.

OneIndia News
BSNL cannot afford hike

There is a lot of manpower in companies such as the BSNL, Air India, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). As these companies are suffering a huge financial loss, they cannot increase the salary of their employees. The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) formed PRC last year in July. That was the same time when Union Cabinet had approved 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

Pay hike for CPSE officers

The pay hike for CPSE officers would cost these units Rs 7,000 crore in 2017-18. A pay revision of the same proportion would follow for the CPSE workers (non-officer staff), who constitute more than two-third of the total CPSE manpower. The PRC, had suggested a maximum of 15% pay hike (on sum of basic pay, stagnation increments and industrial dearness allowance) subject to the ability of the firms concerned to bear the consequent financial burden.

What PRC had recommended

The PRC has recommended a minimum pay of Rs 30,000/month, from Rs 12,600/month now, for executives and a maximum of Rs 3.7 lakh for CMDs, from Rs 1.25 lakh, for Schedule A CPSEs (Depending on profits, the CPSEs are categorised into different schedules, with highest being Schedule A, followed by B, C and D).

Negotiations

A Financial Express report while quoting sources said the DPE has already circulated a draft cabinet note on the CPSE pay revision for inter-ministerial consultations. After pay revision of officers are implemented, the CPSEs, individually, would negotiate with the respective employee unions on the pay hike for workers.
Why is the DMK continuing to oppose the imposition of Hindi? - 50 years of struggle and the truth!

AIADMK MLA bribery row: DMK knocks on Election Commission doors

India

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The primary opposition party in the Tamil Nadu assembly, DMK, approached the election commission over AIADMK MLAs bribery row. DMK MP Kanimozhi met Chief Election Commission Nasim Zaidi on Friday and sought appropriate action.

Kanimozhi who met the CEC claimed that the party sought a police probe into the income tax report on alleged bribery during R K Nagar bypolls. The election commission was also appraised of AIADMK MLAs bribery row.

After being denied the opportunity to raise the issue in the Assembly, the opposition parties led by M K Stalin had approached Governor of Tamil Nadu Vidyasagar Rao. Opposition parties demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter after a sting operation showed AIADMK MLAs admitted that gold and money was offered to them to support Sasikala faction of the AIADMK. The opposition also demanded a fresh vote of confidence in the assembly and prayed that trust vote that sustained Edappadi Palanisamy camp is termed null.

The Governor had simply washed his hands off the petition by asking the assembly speaker and Chief Secretary to initiate 'apt action'. A release from the Governor's office said that the issue was already before the Madras High Court indicating that no action will be initiated from the Governor's side.

OneIndia News
Allahabad HC stays Yogi govt order, reinstates six Shia Waqf Board members

India

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The Lucknow bench of the Uttar Pradesh High Court On Friday reinstated members of the Shia Waqf Board. The court stayed the Yogi Adityanath government's order removing six members of the Shia Waqf Board from their positions.

On June 16, the Uttar Pradesh government had passed orders to dissolve UP Shia and Sunni Waqf Boards on charges of rampant corruption. A day later, six members of the Shia Wakf board were removed from their positions. The court on Friday reinstated the members and stayed the government order.

The government had decided to dissolve both the boards on the recommendations of the Central Waqf Council. After a probe, the council had claimed that the bodies were in the grip of corruption. The government had ordered for the removal of Shia Waqf Board members including former Rajya Sabha member Akhtar Hassan, Moradabad's Sayyed Wali Haider, Afsha Zaidi of Muzaffarnagar, Sayyed Azim Hussain, Nazmul Hassan Rizwi and Alima Zaidi of Bareilly.

All six were nominated by the previous Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party government.

On Thursday, the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court issued directives to the state asking it to produce the original report on the basis of which members were removed. While granting 24 hours time to additional Advocate General Ramesh Kumar Singh to make the government's stand clear on the issue, the court expressed concerns over the removal of nominated board members.

The committee that carried out the probe and claimed that the boards were corrupt had recommended that a CBI probe be conducted into alleged financial and land irregularities that officials of both the boards had allegedly been involved in.

OneIndia News
BJP breaketh and BJP maketh: How two factions of the AIADMK finally came together

India

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For the first time after the AIADMK split into factions, leaders of either camp have agreed upon something. Full credit of the mutual agreement goes to the BJP.

Despite being a divided house, the AIADMK has decided to support NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind's candidature for the Presidential election. Two factions of the AIADMK led by Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palanisamy have agreed on an issue for the first time ever since its split. This decision is, however, said to have been taken after the BJP and its leaders intervened.

Despite a few MLAs supporting TTV Dinakaran claiming that they would support anyone that Sasikala Natarajan decides on, a major chunk of MLAs and MPs from the AIADMK under Panneerselvam, as well as Edappadi Palanisamy, have extended support to Kovind. The BJP was held responsible for the split in the party and management of the crisis ultimately united the camps on a common issue, the Presidential election.

The BJP is accused of splitting AIADMK

Despite being held responsible for the split in the AIADMK time and again, BJP has maintained that the crisis was an internal issue of the party. On February 8 earlier this year when Panneerselvam visited Jayalalithaa memorial, journalists were informed of a rebellion in the making by people sitting in Delhi. The message was clear that the rebellion had the backing of political strongmen at the centre.

Following the rebellion Panneerselvam and well as Edappadi Palanisamy, who was made the Chief Minister, took extra steps to remain close to the BJP. Not just did they make a beeline to meet BJP leaders but also ensured that they were in the good books of the BJP. While Panneerselvam is said to have kept in constant touch with BJP leadership, Palanisamy asked his ministers to refrain from criticising the BJP and took initiatives to hail projects introduced by the Narendra Modi government.

Both camps, in the absence of TTV Dinakaran and Sasikala Natarajan, strived to keep the BJP happy.

BJP leaders at the state and centre level, however, maintained that they had no control over the AIADMK and rubbished allegations of 'managing' the camps.

BJP managed to bring about consensus in both camps

With Dinakaran's return from Tihar jail, further split in the AIADMK became imminent, especially after he announced his intentions to return to party affairs after 60 days. An insecure Palanisamy is said to have gained confidence thanks to the BJP's backing. The AIADMK is crucial for the BJP in the Presidential elections and a split AIADMK is not what NDA could afford to settle for.

Both factions of the AIADMK decided to support the BJP after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Edappadi Palanisamy and Amit Shah spoke to Panneerselvam. While senior leaders of both factions maintain that the support was but natural since Jayalalithaa had also supported the NDA candidate last time, the dynamics of extending support has changed this time around. The BJP that is accused of widening the split in the AIADMK managed to bring about consensus. Both factions praising the BJP and its choice of Presidential candidate, as well as the attempts to send out a message that their camp was close to the BJP, did not go unnoticed.

Despite claiming to have nothing to do with the split, the BJP has managed to get what it set out to, AIADMK's 5.36 percent vote share in the Presidential Electoral College.

OneIndia News
Canara Bank wrongly attaches senior citizen's property, draws Delhi high court ire

India

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The Delhi High Court on Friday lambasted officials of Canara Bank for attaching properties of another person, a senior citizen at that, instead of the loan defaulter's. In a case of supposed mistaken identity, the bank ended up attaching properties of V K Bhatnagar, a resident of Sainik Farm, New Delhi instead of V K Bhatnagar a resident of Lucknow.

A bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Acting Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anil Kumar Chawla came down heavily upon Canara bank officials for relying completely on information offered by a private detective agency. A branch of the Canara Bank situated at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh had extended financial facilities to four persons including one, VK Bhatnagar from Lucknow. When the borrower defaulted loans, the bank began its recovery process including property attachment.

The bank relied on a private detective agency for information and passed on the same information to the recovery officer. DRT Lucknow issued a notice of attachment to the wrong the VK Bhatnagar. Upon receiving the notice, the petition contended that it was a case of mistaken identity and that he had never been involved in any transactions with the Canara Bank. Turning a deaf ear to his pleas, the bank not only moved to attach properties but made announcements of the attachment on loudspeakers causing humiliation to the petitioner.

When his petition to DRT Lucknow brought no relief, the petition approached the Delhi High Court. While the bank defended its actions in the DRT, it admitted that a 'mistake' had been committed before the Delhi High Court. The court ordered the discharge of the property while asking Canara bank authorities to probe why title documents of the property were not scrutinised before initiating attachment.

"The acts of the bank cannot be touted as a mistake but is a deliberate act which they have stood by even after they were put to notice that they had illegally attached the petitioner's property," the court held. The bank was asked to pay a compensation of Rs 2.6 lakh to the petitioner.

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 18:48 [IST]
GJM ally BJP mulls an alternative arrangement for the Darjeeling Hills

India

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By Oneindia Staff Writer

Darjeeling, June 23: While Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Chief Bimal Gurung has shut doors to the West Bengal Government and is banking on the Centre for the creation of a separate state, the BJP made it's stand clear that it does not support the creation of a separate state but a different model can be worked out through the process of dialogue.

Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP national general secretary and observer for West Bengal, stated "We do not support the separate state demand. However India is a land of diversity. The Gorkhas have every right to demand for an arrangement to preserve their culture and tradition. In a border state internal security is very important. A different model can be worked out. For that the process of dialogue should be initiated."

Interestingly in 2009 and 2014 the BJP candidates had won from the Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency backed by the GJM, riding piggyback on the Gorkhaland demand. During both the elections addendums in the BJP election manifestos had stated that the party would sympathetically consider the long pending demands of the Gorkhas.

Regarding the ongoing unrest the BJP General Secretary blamed the Mamata Banerjee led State Government. "The powers and functions of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration were not transferred by the State. This led to the mistrust of the Gorkhas on the State Government resulting in the unrest" alleged Vijayvargiya.

Meanwhile in Darjeeling Bimal Gurung along with other GJM elected and nominated members tendered resignations en masse from the GTA on Friday. The 5 year tenure of the GTA ends on June 30th. The GJM will be burning the GTA Accord as a symbolic protest on June 27 in the Hills.

In a press conference, Gurung stated that the ongoing agitation would be further beefed up with rallies, dharnas and fast unto death with the one point demand of Gorkhaland. "We have resigned from the GTA. There is no looking back now. The bandh will not be lifted. The agitation will be further intensified" warned Gurung.

Gurung stated that there will be no relaxation in the ongoing indefinite bandh that was clamped by the GJM in the Darjeeling Hills since June 15. When questioned on the fate of the festival of Eid, which is just round the corner, Gurung stated "Festivals will come. People are not in the mood for festivals. We are in the midst of an agitation."

Gurung has also called an all party meeting with pro Gorkhaland forces in Darjeeling on June 29to chalk out future programmes for a collective movement for Gorkhaland.

Meanwhile locals demonstrated in front of the Sikkim National Transport depot in Siliguri in North Bengal and blocked the National Highway10, the link road to the Sikkim capital Gangtok from the plains of Siliguri. This comes on the heels of Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling writing a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in support of Gorkhaland.

Partha Chatterjee, Minister of Education, Government of West Bengal also rushed a letter to the Union Home Minister, complaining that Sikkim is interfering in the internal matters of West Bengal. "What CM Pawan Chamling has done is against the federal structure of the country" stated the letter.

Chatterjee reiterated the State Government's request for 8 more companies of Central forces. The Centre had earlier negated the request citing that Central intelligence reports point out that additional Central force will further aggravate the situation in the Hills.

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 20:21 [IST]
Pre-election raids should be neutral, says EC after IT raids in MP

Good news, Nasscom predicts 1.3-1.5 lakh new jobs for IT-BPM industry

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Hyderabad, June 23: At a time when the Information Technology (IT) industry is going through a "low" phase because of the number of jobs being lost by techies, the industry body, National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), has predicted that around 1.3-1.5 lakh new jobs will be added in the IT-BPM (Business Process Management) sector during 2017-18.

The Nasscom, a not-for-profit industry association, is the apex body for the 154 billion dollar Indian IT-BPM industry.

The news has come at a time when reports indicated that close to 7,000 people have been terminated from their jobs from various top-notch IT firms like Tech Mahindra, Cognizant and other companies in Hyderabad itself. The all-India figure is not yet available.

The Indian IT export is also projected to grow by 7-8 per cent in 2017-18, the Nasscom said in its guidance on Thursday in Hyderabad. The domestic market is expected to grow 10-11 per cent, it added.

"The IT-BPM industry is expected to add 1.3-1.5 lakh new jobs during 2017-18," Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar told reporters. In the previous fiscal, the industry's net hiring stood at 1.7 lakh.

Keeping in view the political and economic uncertainties in key overseas markets that impacted decision-making and discretionary spend, and also the performance of IT companies last year, Nasscom expects the future outlook to be positive, he said.

"India's share in the global IT sector is not only steady, but also growing," Chandrashekhar said.

The size of the Indian IT industry is pegged at $154 billion, including $11 billion incremental revenues added in the previous fiscal, according to Nasscom.

OneIndia News
GST: Telecom, insurance set to get costly

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

With the GST set for a roll out on July 1 one several service providers have already started sending out mails to customers indicating a price hike. Mails from providers from the banking sectors have already started warning customers about a GST driven hike in prices.

Banks have informed consumers that the tax burden on credit card bills will increase from 15% to 18% from July. Telecom companies have said that monthly bills will rise as the gains from input tax credit will not be be significant. However the BSNL customers would not be hit by a price rice.

Telecom companies such as Airtel have told an inter-ministerial group that their sector should be treated as essential services. Hence they should face a lower GST of 5 or 12 per cent instead of the current 18 per cent.

For insurance policy holders the tax burden will push up the premium and the maximum impact would be on pure term insurance plans, where the levy will rise from 15% to 18%.

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 6:44 [IST]
Binay Tamang asks BJP to clear their stand on Gorkhaland

Police recover large cache of sophisticated arms in the Darjeeling Hills

District Administration seal and take possession of GJM party office in Darjeeling

GJM chief Bimal Gurung fails to appear in Darjeeling court

Gorkhaland agitation: Gurung says he is ready for dialogue with Mamata Banerjee

GTA chief Bimal Gurung, 43 GJM members resign from Gorkhaland Territorial Administration

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

In a bid to step up their stir for a separate state, GJM Chief Bimal Gurung resigned as chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration on Friday.

Along with Gurung, 43 members of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha also resigned from GTA.

After the resignation, GJM chief Bimal Gurung said that 'Indefinite strike will continue in hill city, the members will burn GTA agreement on 27 June.'

The GJM members resignations came after an all party meeting was held and where the members decided that the party will withdraw from the tripartite GTA Accord.

In the June 20 meeting, all the 14 influential political parties and public organizations of the hills had unanimously declared their support to the longstanding demand for a separate Gorkhaland state in North Bengal.

The GJM has been ruling GTA since 2012 and its five-year term is set to expire this year.

(With agency inputs)
My life is 1%, dear death: The spooky diary of the accused in J&K DGPs killing

Haryana: Mother's lover kills minor girl for peeing on mattress

India

pti-PTI

Faridabad, Jun 22: In a shocking incident, the lover of a woman allegedly banged the head of her six-year-old daughter against a wall after she peed on the mattress, resulting in her death.

Parul, who had separated from her husband, Sunny, three years ago, has been living with her lover, Saurabh, in Parvatiya Colony since then, the police said.

Saurabh allegedly never considered Parul and Sunnys daughter Rabi his own and would beat her up over petty issues.

On Monday night, Rabi peed on the mattress. When he got to know about it, an enraged Saurabh banged Rabis head against a wall due to which she fell unconscious.

After some time, he rushed her to a hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

Hospital staff also informed police about the incident, following which Saurabh was arrested and a murder case registered against him at Parvatiya police station.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 9:48 [IST]
In Darjeeling, Gorkhas fight against Gorkhas over Gorkhaland

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Darjeeling, June 23: In restive Darjeeling in West Bengal, the residents are witnessing a peculiar situation. In the last few days, as the Gorkhaland agitation gained momentum in the hills, the Gorkhas (the natives of Darjeeling and adjoining hill areas) have been pitted against each other.

On one hand are the supporters of the Gorkhaland, who since early June, are on the streets of Darjeeling shouting slogans and demanding their homeland, on the other, are the local police personnel, mostly Gorkhas, patrolling the hill station with an iron fist.

In this tug-of-war, often Gorkha protesters are seen confronting their own Gorkha men/women in khaki uniform. The worst "battle" between the protesters and security personnel took place last Saturday.

In the scuffle that ensued, three protesters were allegedly killed in police firing and several police personnel sustained serious injuries. According to reports out of the 22 injured security personnel, most of them are Gorkhas only.

The story of Kiran Tamang, assistant commandant of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) who sustained grave injuries on Saturday, got a lot of attention. The protesters hit Tamang, a native of Darjeeling, with a khukri (the traditional knife of the Gorkhas).

The attack left his spine and lungs damaged. Now, he is undergoing treatment at a hospital. Because of the grevious injuries sustained by him, many thought that Tamang was dead before he was taken to a hospital in neighbouring Siliguri.

His colleagues in the IRB say that Tamang is alive only because he is a Gorkha and has an unbelievable stamina. Gorkhas, since pre-independence days, are known for their valour and loyalty.

Rajni, Tamang's wife, who is busy nursing her husband, told The Economic Times that she too passionately support the Gorkhaland agitation.

"It is one thing to be loyal to one's duty and another to cherish the dream of a homeland. I do not see a clash between the two. But I of course want to appeal to all Gorkhas not to resort to such violence means in which you kill your own brother," said Rajni.

On Friday, the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is spearheading the latest Gorkhaland movement, entered the 12th day.

Because of the ongoing turmoil in the hills, residents are facing several problems, including lack of food and fuel supplies. The educational institutions are closed and have postponed their examinations.

The tourism industry, one of the main sources of livelihood for the locals, has been completely shut down because of the ongoing unrest.

OneIndia News
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J&K: Security, law and order breakdown, says Congress

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, June 23: Slamming the PDP-BJP -led government in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Friday said "there was complete breakdown as far as law and order and internal security is concerned" and there was no "policy" to handle the situation.

"A DSP is lynched in the heart of Srinagar which is extremely frightening. Is there any government? ls there any rule of law," Congress spokesperson R.P.N. Singh asked.

"It seems that the government has no policy, has no kind of action plan and the government is not moved by what is happening in the state," he added.

Singh said: "How many more jawans and policemen are going to be martyred. We just saw in the last one month that over 17 policemen have been martyred in the state."

The Congress also said that more than 208 army personnel have been killed in the state over the past three years.

"Does this government feel that Jammu and Kashmir exists and needs attention? We see no urgency, no movement, no political will as far as this government is concerned," said Singh.

IANS
Police from three states hunt for Justice C S Karnan with no luck

Justice Karnan still in hospital after complaints of chest pain

India

pti-PTI

Kolkata, June 23: Former Calcutta High Court judge C S Karnan, arrested for committing contempt of the Supreme Court, on Friday remained admitted to a hospital with the doctors describing him as "not fit" to be discharged.

"He is a bit better but not in a state to be released from the hospital. Doctors are keeping an eye on him," a senior officer at the Presidency correctional home (jail) told PTI. Sixty two-year-old Karnan was admitted to state-run SSKM hospital last evening after he complained of "uneasiness" and chest pain.

It was learnt that the doctors at the hospital conducted a few medical tests on the former judge today too and the results are being awaited.

Karnan, who had been evading arrest since May 9 after the Supreme Court awarded him a six-month jail term, was arrested on the June 20 night by a team of West Bengal CID from a private resort at Malumichampatti, about six km from Coimbatore, where he was hiding for a few days.

He was brought from Chennai to Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon and was taken to the Presidency correctional home. Karnan, who has earned the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court, retired from service on June 12 as a fugitive.

PTI
In UP 166 criminals killed in encounters in past five years: Yogi

Khoob Padho Aage Badho, Yogi govts campaign to ensure 100% enrollment in schools

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Lucknow, June 23: In order to provide education to all the children in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state is all set to start its latest campaign-- 'Khoob Padho Aage Badho' (Study Well March Ahead).

The campaign will start from July 1 and will end on July 15. As a part of the campaign, students up to Class VIII will be given free uniforms, shoes, socks, school bags and books.

Announcing about the latest initiative, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said, "No child in UP should be deprived from going to school. The government will undertake this massive exercise in the form of a campaign where all children will be enrolled in our schools."

The CM made the announcement during the felicitation ceremony of Class X and XII toppers in Lucknow.

Adityanath said, "All government students will get free uniform, shoes, socks, books and bags in July. I believe there is no one who lacks talent. If anyone is unfit to do anything, it means there is no proper guidance. And it is here that teachers and parents play a major role."

He added that the government was working towards creating a positive academic environment in the state.

"Under the campaign, basic education officials in each district have been asked to motivate the community in general, and parents, in specific, to ensure each enrolled child in the village attends the school. The project committee constituted at district level should meet immediately and chalk out a detailed plan to ensure every child is enrolled.

Basic education officials and district officers should seek support of their local MP, MLA, president of zila panchayat and its members in spreading awareness on importance of attending school," reads the advisory.

Across the state, rallies, fests, 'prabhat-pheris' and cultural events, will be hosted to focus on the need for sending children to schools. The shiksha mitras (education friends) will launch door-to-door campaigns convincing families to send their kids to school every day.

The entire campaign will end on July 15.

As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), UP has the highest number of children--5.3 per cent--who are out of school in India.

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 9:45 [IST]
Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again

Lalu again appeals to Nitish to reconsider decision on Kovind

India

pti-PTI

Patna, Jun 23: RJD chief Lalu Prasad again appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not to make a "historic blunder" by extending support to the NDA nominee for the presidential poll.

Describing the combined opposition nominee Meira Kumar as "Bihar ki Beti" (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar to "mend the historic blunder" of supporting NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind. "We are still treading on the path you had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'...don't know what made Kumar move away and extend support to a RSS man," Prasad told reporters on his arrival at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

The RJD president, however, made it clear that the divergent paths taken by his party and the JD(U) would have no impact on the Grand Alliance government in Bihar headed by Kumar. "There will be no impact of this (different views of the RJD and the JD(U)) on the Grand Alliance government in the future," Prasad said. Bihar JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh repeated the party's decision to support Kovind and made it clear that there was no going back on it.

"Kovind as governor of Bihar walked hand-in-hand with the state government on the path of development... he has displayed attachment with Bihar," Singh said. His party colleague Shyam Rajak echoed similar views. "Hum logo ne thok-baja ke faisla liya hain (we have taken a decision after meticulously taking everything into account)," Rajak told PTI. Rajak is deputy leader in the state assembly and a member of the JD(U) core committee which decided on Tuesday to support Kovind.

Meanwhile, Congress minister Abdul Jalil Mastan described Kovind as "a Shiv Sena man" who harboured hardcore Hinduavta ideology. "He is a Shiv Sena man harbouring hardcore hinduvta ideology... how can he be a clean man?" Mastan argued.

Later in the evening, Kumar visited Prasad's residence to attend an Iftar party where he was warmly greeted by the host and Deputy Chief Minister Tejawsi Yadav. "This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects," Prasad told media persons on queries if he had talks with Kumar.

Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member, said talks were held between the two leaders, but refused to divulge the details. After spending nearly half-an-hour, Kumar left the venue. He embraced Prasad before quietly leaving the place.

PTI
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

J&K Police officer lynched: Two arrested, CM Mufti pays tribute

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Srinagar, June 23: Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested two men in connection with lynching of Srinagar's Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith.

Condemning the murder of a police officer in the state, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday denounced the lynching of a senior police officer here and said the crime was a "murder of trust". Paying tributes to Deputy Superintendent Mohammad Ayub Pandith, lynched outside a mosque, she said: "The murder is actually a murder of trust. The officer had allowed his guards to go home.

"Jammu and Kashmir has one of the finest police forces in the country who exercise maximum restraint while dealing with law and order situation," she added.

Earlier, Srinagar's Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in downtown area of Srinagar. Pandith was seen moving in suspicious circumstances by some people near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area at 12.30 am, police sources said.

Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob in J&K's Nowhatta last night pic.twitter.com/TGIfIQIsFx  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in his tweet took strong objection against the mob who lynched the police officer.

His death is a tragedy & the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins. https://t.co/uuddYdbJYc  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) June 23, 2017

Chief Minister Mehabooba Mufti laid wreath on the body of DySP Pandit on Friday morning. Mufti said the state police is showing maximum restraint as they are dealing with their own people. She hailed the J&K police as one of the best in the country.

Srinagar: Wreath laying ceremony of Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob in J&K's Nowhatta last night pic.twitter.com/gtrmDY0xF0  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

DGP S P Vaid termed the killing as sad and unfortunate. "The official was killed by the mob while he was performing his duties. It's a very sad and unfortunate incident," the DGP said. People tried to catch Pandith who allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three persons.

The irate mob then caught hold of him and stripped him naked before stoning him to death, the sources said. Pandith's body was taken to police control room for identification and other legal procedures, they said adding the situation in old city has turned tense following the incident.

The mob went on a rampage targeting empty security pickets erected in the area. Police reinforcement were rushed in to restore normalcy in the area.

"The officer was on frisking duty at the Jamia Masjid. He was carrying out his duties as usual when the miscreants attacked him," informed sources said.

"He tried to free himself and even fired in self-defence, injuring three. But the mob managed to lynch him," the sources said. Reports said Pandith's security guards ran away after they found the mob too large to be handle.

Pandith belonged to Khanyar area which is adjacent to Nowhatta where he was killed.

Muslims across Kashmir are observing Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power) with night-long prayers and supplications being made inside the mosques and shrines of the valley. Authorities have already announced restrictions on movement of people in seven police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure. The restrictions were announced to maintain law and order as separatists had called for protests after Friday prayers against killing of a civilian during protests in Kakapora area of Pulwama District yesterday.

Oneindia News (with Agency inputs)
Mob thrashes four men on train in Haryana, 1 dead

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

In a shocking incident group of men allegedly thrashed four men in a moving train when they while they were returning to their village in Haryana after Eid shopping in Delhi. A 16-year-old has died in the incident.

Reasons are not clear for the attack on the men as some reports say it is a case of hate crime, another report said men were attacked for allegedly consuming beef in the train.

The four victims were identified as Junaid, Hasib, Shakir, and Mohsin - were abused with religious slurs, according to the FIR or police complaint filed by one of the survivors, Hasib. His brother Junaid died of injuries after being hospitalized.

Indiatoday reports said that they were later thrown out of the train at Asavati railway station as train left for Mathura. They were taken to Palwal hospital where Junaid was declared brought dead. Two others are still in the hospital. The railway policemen refused to intervene even after the victims sought their help.

OneIndia News
Modi govt to check anti-India activities on social media

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, June 23: The government on Thursday said that steps will be taken to check misuse of social media platforms to disrupt communal harmony and national security.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is in the process of finalising a policy which aims to check if social media is being misused to spread anti-national propaganda and conspire against India.

A meeting was held on Thursday among representatives of central security agencies and the home ministry to discuss various issues related to security on social media.

It's a two-pronged approach. One is to keep an eye on the social media activity of those who might be the target of terror propaganda. At the same time, the efforts should be made to bring them into the mainstream through welfare and employment schemes.

At present, there is only a set of "do's and don'ts" for the social media which needs to be graduated to a full-fledged guidelines that should be adopted on such a network.

The government is also mulling to remove objectionable contents with hate messages, especially those having communal overtones, c from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

The move assumes significance as there have been instances where terrorists were found to be using social media to conspire against the country or to propagate anti-India materials.

There have also been instances where rumours spread on the social media had resulted in violence and tense situation in different parts of the country.

The stake holders are discussing ways to finalise a policy to help intelligence agencies and security forces effectively deal with any propaganda, the sources said.

The infrastructure requirements like manpower and technological needs for monitoring of the social media are also being finalised, they said.

PTI
More garbage than land for people in Delhi: High Court

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, June 23:There is more garbage than land for people in the national capital, the Delhi High Court said today, citing photographs in newspapers showing the accumulation of solid waste in various parts of the city.

The court said, 'a will to work was needed to clean up the city and not funds as claimed by the three municipal corporations who have blamed the Delhi government for not implementing the 4th Finance Commission recommendations.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said the court's orders need to be read first "before we talk of implementation". This was said in reference to the hearing held on June 21 when the bench had noted that its orders appeared to have been not read by the commissioners of the three civic bodies.

The bench told the three corporations, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, that if its orders regarding implementation of the 4th Finance Commission recommendations have not been followed by the Delhi government, then a contempt plea can be filed. The commission was set up in 2009 to review the financial position of the civic agencies and make recommendations on sharing net proceeds of taxes, duties, tolls and fees levied by the Delhi government.

The court also said the rate at which the corporations were legalising the unauthorised constructions, it would soon that all of them would be "financially bust". It directed the civic bodies to give a tabulation of the last five years' progression with regard to the demographic trend, variation in their staff strength and the development of infrastructure.

The bench also asked them to inform the court about the the fate of the sewage treatment plants in the city. The court also took up the issue of the deaths of a rag- picker, who was electrocuted at a garbage heap where a live wire had fallen, and that of a child who fell into a pit allegedly dug up by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) four months ago.

Concerned over the two incidents, the bench sought a status report from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) with regard to the death of the rag-picker and a similar direction was issued to the DDA in connection with the nine-year-old boy's death.

While seeking the status reports from the two agencies by June 27, the court said, "It was high time that we changed the way we work or should we wait for more people or children to die." It also told the authorities, "You cannot say the crisis was because of the rains. This is happening because you are not doing your job."

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 18:26 [IST]
NEET 2017 results declared, here is how you check

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The NEET 2017 results have been declared. The students can check the results on the official website of the board.

The result process was set in motion by the CBSE after it was permitted to declare the results by the Supreme Court last week. The CBSE had said recently that it would need two weeks to declare the results. The results are available on cbseneet.nic.in

There was much delay in the announcement of the results.

The OMR challenge and the answer keys were made available on the board's website last week. Two days back, the official result portal of the Government of India flashed that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be out on June 22. However, in the noon, the message was withdrawn, causing a major confusion among the candidates who showered their anger on social networking sites.

How to check NEET 2017 results:

Log on to cbseneet.nic.in

Click on results link

View result

Download

Take a printout

OneIndia News
Next President of India: Meira Kumar says Prez must uphold values of pluralism

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jun 23: The opposition presidential nominee, Meira Kumar, today said the president of India must uphold the values of inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism as the supreme representative of the nation. She said the post was not symbolic and that capability and experience must supersede all other considerations.

In an appeal to the electorate comprising Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members and legislators in state assemblies, she said the post was responsible for "safeguarding and defending" constitutional principles. "The values I hold dear - of inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism - are the values the president must uphold as the supreme representative of our nation," she said.

If the values were undermined, so would the Constitution, the former Lok Sabha Speaker said. "India can then not hope to achieve the progressive modernity envisioned by its founding fathers and reflected in the collective will of its people," she said in a statement. Kumar said the post embodied the diversity of India's socio-political culture and the vision of its "composite ideology". "It transcends the considerations of caste, religion or region," she said.

The post, the former minister stressed, was not symbolic. "It articulates, in the fullest sense, the basis of our electoral philosophy - that capability and experience must always supersede all other considerations," she said. In her appeal, she asked members of the collegium to base their decision on "these cherished principles and secure them for our future generations".

Kumar, a dalit who was a Union Minister in the UPA government, said she was honoured to be the joint opposition candidate. She also expressed her gratitude to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and leaders of 17 political parties for their decision to nominate her. Kumar also individually spoke to leaders of various opposition parties to thank them for the nomination.

The presidential election will be held on July 17 and it will be a dalit vs dalit contest with Kumar pitted against NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

PTI
Next President of India: Kovind files nomination papers in presence of Modi, Advani

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Ram Nath Kovind has filed his nomination papers for the next President of India elections. The NDA's candidate Kovind filed his nomination papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He was accompanies by Modi, L K Advani, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath among others. Several other NDA allies too were present.

Electoral College: Here is how the next President of India will be elected

Chief Ministers of UP, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu were also present at the Parliament library.

Kovind was chosen by the BJP led NDA for the presidential elections. The elections became necessary after the opposition fielded its own candidate thus ruling out a consensus. On Thursday, the opposition selected Meira Kumar as its presidential candidate.

Going by the numbers in the electoral college, it appears as though Kovind is heading for an easy win. With 63.1 per cent of the electoral college votes with the NDA in the elections for the next President of India is already a foregone conclusion.

48.9% of the votes are NDA's own, and the support of several non-NDA regional parties has taken the figure beyond 63%. The non-NDA parties that are supporting Kovind are JD(U) with 1.91 per cent of the votes, AIADMK, 5.39 per cent, BJD with 2.99%, TRS,2%, YSRCP, 1.53% and INLD with 0.38%.

The NDA has also ensured that the Shiv Sena with 2.34 per cent of the votes is backing Kovind. This took the NDA's tally to an impressive 63.1 per cent, way ahead of the half way mark.

OneIndia News
Next President of India: Lalu v/s Nitish is getting bigger than Congress v/s BJP

India

oi-Anusha

All were murmurs so far but for the very first time one of the alliance partners has come out in open to slam the other for their choice. The July 17 Presidential election is all set to be a showdown between the BJP and the Congress but a parallel tension between Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is increasingly becoming bigger.

Nitish Kumar announced his decision to support NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind even before the opposition chose a nominee. His alliance partner in Bihar termed it 'a historic blunder'. Nitish has maintained a dignified silence not just over Lalu Prasad's remarks over his choice for President but also on CBI and IT raids on the Yadav clan.

Will Friday's Iftar make a difference?

The alliance partners are set to dine together in an Iftar event on Friday hosted by Lalu Prasad Yadav. "I don't know why Nitish Kumar took this decision. I will tell him that he has made a mistake and appeal to him to rethink his decision to support Kovind," said Lalu Prasad Yadav after the opposition meeting on Thursday. 17 opposition parties have extended support to Meira Kumar while Nitish's JDU was not part of the meeting.

Electoral College: Here is how the next President of India will be elected

While Lalu maintained that JD(U)'s decision to support NDA candidate Kovind won't affect RJD's alliance with the party, Nitish's move has only widened the rift between the alliance partners. Nitish's appreciation for demonetisation marked the first instance of alliance partners disagreeing on issues. While Lalu continues to attack the BJP unabashedly Nitish has been careful about his comments about the BJP as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Allies don't seem to agree

Nitish Kumar enjoys a clean, corruption-free image while the same cannot be said of his alliance partner in Bihar. From a man who was deemed fit to emerge as a united opposition's counter to Modi wave, Nitish Kumar has gone to praising Modi and his initiatives, much to the disappointment of Lalu Yadav. Nitish Kumar risked everything at stake when he decided on the coalition with RJD. CBI and Income Tax raids on Lalu Yadav's kin has only come as an embarrassment to Nitish Kumar. Bihar Chief Minister's constant camaraderie with his former ally, NDA and distance from key opposition meets have come as an embarrassment to Lalu Yadav as well.

The first time when allegations of benami land deals emerged against Lalu Prasad Yadav's family, he was seen visiting Nitish Kumar to give an explanation. While Nitish Kumar has not defended Lalu he has neither criticised the raids while Lalu continues to call it witch hunt and vendetta politics. Nitish's silence irked Lalu so much at one point in time that he took to Twitter to congratulate Modi on a 'new alliance partner'. As news of a possible crack in the alliance emerged with due credit to his tweet, Lalu posted another tweet to clear the air.

Nitish was missing from the first unofficial opposition parties meet un the garb of a luncheon hosted by Sonia Gandhi. Lalu Yadav was missing from DMK supremo Karunanidhi's birthday gala where Nitish was present along with a host of UPA allies. Yet again, on Thursday, Nitish Kumar gave the opposition parties' meet a miss since JD(U) had already extended support to Kovind.

For Nitish Kumar and his clean image, allegations against Lalu Prasad Yadav's family is becoming a liability. For Lalu Prasad Yadav, who has been accusing the government of using central agencies to target him, Nitish Kumar's support to NDA, especially on the Presidential election front, has come as a disappointment. With the allies disagreeing on multiple fronts, the tug of war around the Presidential election is more between Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar than between the Congress and the BJP.

OneIndia News
Next President of India: Why the opposition selected Meira Kumar

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The opposition made a pretty predictable decision when it chose Meira Kumar as its candidate for the next President of India. The decision was made to woo back the JD(U) and also ensure that the BSP did not break away from the opposition.

While the JD(U) has maintained that it would back the candidature of Ram Nath Kovind, the BSP which was on the fence until Wednesday said that it would now support the candidature of Meira.

Electoral College: Here is how the next President of India will be elected

At a 17-party opposition meeting on Thursday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar proposed the names of three people -- Kumar, ex-home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and former Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar.

It was RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who pitched for Kumar. Two things went in her favour. One that she belongs to the Congress and was selected by its chief Sonia Gandhi."

The fact that she was "the daughter of Bihar" would "impel Nitish Kumar to re-think his decision to support Kovind who comes from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh."

The opposition also took into account that she was a dalit, with an impressive political background. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Yadav appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to change his mind on the issue, and said he would discuss this with the CM in Patna.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 5:52 [IST]
Mehbooba Mufti gets notice to vacate official bungalow 'meant for J&K CMs'

Accession Day: Valley lights up on this day when J&K became part of India

AAP "merely a party of UT Delhi", only Cong can challenge BJP in Gujarat, HP: Azad

Sever Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's tongue; take Rs 10 Lakh, says BJP leader

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh on Friday announced Rs 10 lakh reward for severing separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's tongue.

Gajraj Jatav, BJP leader from Bhind district, announced the reward after the alleged involvement of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police in Srinagar.

Bhind (MP): Mirwaiz Umar Farooq ki jo zubaan kaat kar laayega, usko Rs 10 lakh ka inaam diya jaayega- Gajraj Jatav, BJP leader pic.twitter.com/Yl1rIJ4aWQ  ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017

DSP Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people who caught him clicking pictures near Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.

J&K DGP S P Vaid termed the killing as sad and unfortunate. So far two people have been arrested and a third suspect is being identified by the police. A private TV channel reported the DGP saying that separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's men were behind the attack on DySP.

OneIndia News
Darjeeling seems to be the new 'Kashmir'

India

oi-Maitreyee

By Maitreyee

Kashmir and Darjeeling share a lot of commonalities. The first thing that comes to mind is the scenic beauty, high mountains, green lush meadows and world famous water bodies of these two popular tourist destinations.

Like Kashmir, Darjeeling is also geographically far away from Delhi. Thus the policy makers have unwittingly developed the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome for both Kashmir and Darjeeling which clearly explains the apathy of successive Central governments towards these beautiful parts of the country.

Why only Kashmir and Darjeeling, the entire northeast region also faces similar indifference from mainland India because of its distance from the national capital.

These days, Kashmir and Darjeeling, which are miles apart from each other--one in the northern tip of the country and the second in the eastern region--are unfortunately joined by the tragic cycle of bandh, violence, stone pelting and death.

Since the summers of 2016, after the killing of Burhan Wani, a militant commander of the Kashmir-based Hizbul Mujahideen, by the Indian security forces on July 8 last year, the Valley was on the boil with a brief period of lull which again was interrupted in April this year.

During the Srinagar Lok Sabha bypolls, a few months ago, on April 9, eight civilians were killed after security personnel opened fire on protesters. The Srinagar bypolls witnessed only seven per cent of voting--worst turnout in the Valley in decades.

According to reports, the protests and violence that rocked 10 districts of Kashmir last year registered the death of around 100 civilians and two security personnel. The number of injured persons was also huge--an estimated 15,000 Kashmiris and 4,000 security men sustained serious wounds.

Apart from the death toll, the most striking aspect of last year's protests was the large-scale participation of youngsters in stone pelting. This led to the excessive use of pellet guns by security forces which left many dead, injured and blinded for a lifetime. In order to quell the protest, the government banned internet services on several occasions in the Valley.

The cycle of violence got repeated this year too. It followed almost a similar pattern; however, the army has stopped the use of pellet guns against stone pelters, after it received strong criticism from various international human rights groups, including the Amnesty International.

The Kashmir problem is always unique in India as the Valley is a favourite hunting ground for terrorists, sponsored by neighbouring Pakistan, whose main targets are security forces.

The border skirmishes have increased manifold in the last few months in Kashmir. On Thursday, reports suggested that three terrorists were gunned down by army men during an encounter in Pulwama.

During the six-hour long operation against Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, jawans had to also fight against fierce stone pelting by the locals.

Like Kashmir, Darjeeling too is under the shroud of massive violence and protests as the Gorkhaland agitation is back with a bang in the hills of West Bengal, this summer.

On Thursday, the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the political outfit which is leading the protest, entered the 11th day in the hills. On Saturday, the protest took an ugly turn leading to the death of three GJM supporters.

In Darjeeling too, we saw men and women resorting to stone pelting against jawans during the ongoing protests. Like Kashmir, Darjeeling too has no access to internet all these days.

The worst hit in both Darjeeling and Kashmir are the children who are unable to attend their schools because of the crisis like situation in their respective homelands.

The children of Kashmir are so unfortunate that many of their schools have been set on fire by miscreants. Thus instead of schools, stand charred and mangled pieces of doors, windows, benches and boards.

On Wednesday, the GJM gave a 12-hour 'window' to Darjeeling boarding schools to evacuate students from their campuses to neighbouring places on Friday. Similarly, last year, students in Kashmir hardly went to schools and most of them were promoted to the next level without any examinations. This time too, schools mostly remained closed in the Valley.

If in Kashmir, the locals are fighting for their "self-determination", in the hills the strenuous cry for a separate state is once again reverberating with great passion.

OneIndia News
Fact Check: PM Modi did not take pleasure in peoples suffering post demonetisation

When PM Modi stopped by on Bengaluru street to greet crowd | VIDEO

Strong India-USA ties will bring peace, prosperity to both: Modi

India

oi-Madhuri

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with Donald Trump on June 26 will highlight a 3 day overseas schedule that begins with a stopover in Portugal on June 24 and ends with a Netherlands visit on June 27.

On Friday, Modi took to Facebook to write about his impending visit to the United States. He said he looked forward to the visit and hoped for 'all-round engagement' for mutual benefit, and consolidating 'robust and wide-raging partnership between India and US'.

Read his Facebook post below:

Modi also said,''My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world.''

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will call on US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to give final touches to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with President Donald Trump which the State Department said would strengthen bilateral ties in areas like counter-terrorism.

Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.

OneIndia News
TNEA 2017: Stop admission to Anna University's 15 constituent colleges, Madras HC told

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The TNEA 2017 rank list was released yesterday. Now there is a petition in the Madras High Court to stop admission to the 15 of 16 constituent colleges of the Anna University, Chennai in the current academic year.

The PIL filed by Madurai-based advocate S Umar Farouq came up for admission before the division bench of justices A Selvam and N Authinathan on Thurday. The bench ordered notice to the secretary to the ministry of human resource, AICTE chairman, state's higher education secretary, principal secretary to the governor, commissioner of technical education, Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission secretary and registrar of Anna University.

The petitioner said that the university constituent colleges situated in Kancheepuram, Arani, Villupram, Tindivanam, Pattukottai, Thirukkuvalai, Ariyalur, Panruti, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Nagercoil, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore and Madurai are functioning without approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which is mandatory to offer courses and admit students.

The petitioner contended that the institution's AICTE approval number is essential for students seeking job. Banks also seek such approval number. But the fifteen colleges are admitting students without the AICTE approval, which will ultimately affect the future of the students.

Hence it would be necessary to restrain the 15 colleges from taking part in the TNEA 2017 counselling process till they get the AICTE approval. It was also necessary to transfer students who are studying in those colleges to government engineering colleges, the petitioner further contended.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 8:18 [IST]
Trump likely to announce bid for presidency next week

Ahead of PM Modi's visit, 'US approves sale of 22 Guardian drones to India'

International

oi-PTI

Washington, June 23: Just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets President Donald Trump for the first time in Washington, the US has cleared the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India, news agency PTI reported on Thursday.

According to the informed government sources, the decision was communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer by the State Department on Wednesday. The deal is estimated to be worth $2-3 billion.

"This is the first very significant sign of the Trump administration being more result oriented in its relationship with India compared to Obama administration," a source told PTI.

The sources, who requested anonymity as the deal has not been formally announced, said the sale of 22 predator drones being manufactured by General Atomics is "a game changer" for US-India relations as it operationalises the status of "major defence partner".

The designation of India being a major defence partner was decided by the previous Obama Administration, and formally approved by the Congress.

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to the questions in this regard. An official announcement is expected soon.

US Aerospace expert Dr Vivek Lall of General Atomics, who was pivotal in India acquiring Boeing P8 ISR technology, is believed to have played a key role in fast tracking the decision-making process of the Trump administration.

PM Modi, who will be going to only Washington DC during his US trip, will hold talks with President Donald Trump on regional security situation as also ways to enhance cooperation in bilateral areas of strategic importance.

In the US, he will attend a community event as well as a meeting with the business leaders.

Looking forward to Trump-Modi first meeting: White House

The United States is looking forward to strengthen ties with India, the Trump Administration has said, ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump next week.

"We're looking forward to strengthening ties between the United States and India," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference.

"We have a lot of areas of mutual cooperation, fighting terrorism, we have a lot of people-to-people ties, strong people-to-people ties; so we re looking forward to that visit," she said.

PTI
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

Suicide attack targeting IGP office in Quetta claims 12 lives

International

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Islamabad, June 23: At least twelve people were killed and 20 others injured on Friday in the explosion near IGP office in Quetta, Pakistan. Police cordon off an area and injured have been shifted to hospital, reports Pakistan media.

The injured were moved to Quetta's Civil Hospital, while a rescue operation is still underway.

Twelve people have died and at least 20 others are injured," Fareed Ahmed, medical superintendent at Civil Hospital told AFP, saying the death toll had increased from five earlier in the morning.

According to the sources, key government offices are located in the area where the explosion took place. However, police are yet to assertain the nature of the explosion.

Quetta,the capital of Baluchistan is at the centre of Chinese-backed "Belt and Road" development projects worth $57 billion that first focused on Chinese firms building roads and power stations but is now expanding to include setting up industries.

Television footage showed emergency services rushing to the area which was covered in debris and security officials cordoning off the area.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)
Godavari sets its foot in Columbus, OH

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Ohio, USA: Godavari, the leading and the fastest-expanding South Indian restaurant giant in America, has set its foot in the city of Columbus, OH.

"Godavari" is now opening its new location in the city of Columbus, OH this weekend with great location and grand buffet.

Located on the Polaris Parkway and at a walking distance from the Chase Corporate Office that employees more than 6000 Workforce, Godavari Columbus can boast of a location enviable and strategic.

Apart from the grand location easily accessible for Indian diaspora in the vicinity, Godavari Columbus will have a huge seating capacity of around 150. The icing on the cake will be Godavari's fledging full bar, "The Kallu Compund" that will serve authentic drinks such as "Kallu beer", "Chirala Special Champagne", "Rani Gari Rum-rita" and a lot more.

As a signature offering of the Group, Godavari Columbus too will let gourmets indulge in unlimited affair, thanks to the specialty buffet on the opening weekend with items not just limited to mouthwatering stuff such as "Velluli Kodi Biryani", "Pesara Garelu", "Kanchipuram Kadai Idly", "4G Annam" and "Bongulo Mamsam Vepudu".

"Team" Godavari is also opening new locations across the globe this year. "We have signed up to open at fine locations in Poland, Denmark and Sweden this year with a young team of entrepreneurs".

"Apart from the authentic restaurants, we also ventured into the South Indian food truck - Spicy Salaa which is now gaining a lot of attention across the food lovers." says Koushik Koganti.

Murahari Paladagu, owner of Godavari Columbus says he is very excited to join the team and amused for the turnaround time for the opening this location by "Team" Godavari.

"We are also venturing into many sectors of South Indian food like vegetarian restaurants which will excite the south Indian food lovers. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank all Godavari food lovers for making this chain one of the most wanted brands," said Teja Chekuri, Co-founder of Godavari.

The fastest growing chain is all set to cast its spell in Europe besides making its mark mobile with Spicy Salaa food truck.

For more details:

Murahari Paladugu

614-971-1463

Columbus@GodavariUS.com

It's time to enjoy the lavish Godavari Lunch Buffet @

Location:

Godavari Columbus

1025 Polaris Parkway,

Columbus, OH 43240.

Ph: 614-854-0775.

Thanks again.... Hope you all enjoy our cooking....

www.GodavariUS.com

Press note released by: Indian Clicks, LLC

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 17:00 [IST]
Are you encouraging your kids to play this game to overcome gender inequality?

How British boys skirted ban on shorts by wearing skirts

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

London, June 23: Tired of "ban culture"? India can definitely learn a lot from a group of teenagers from the United Kingdom as to how to evade a ban. The British boys' gang adopted the mantra of skirting a ban by wearing a skirt.

Yes, you heard it right. When a school in England "banned" boys from wearing shorts this summer, the boys decided to come in girls' uniform, skirts, as a mark of protest.

According to The Daily Telegraph, around 50 pupils at ISCA Academy in Exeter in southwest England took part in a protest on Thursday after school authorities imposed the latest ban.

The protest was first started in a small manner when a group of five boys came to school wearing skirts on Wednesday-- declared the hottest day of the year in the country.

"My son wanted to wear shorts but was told he would be put in the isolation room for the rest of the week," the mother of one 14-year-old told the news portal, Devon Live.

"The head teacher told them 'Well you can wear a skirt if you like' but I think she was being sarcastic.

"However, children tend to take you literally and so five boys turned up in skirts today --and because she told them it was OK, there was nothing she could do as long as they are school skirts."

One of the young 'protesters' got in trouble because his dress was too short. Another boy, Josh Baxter, told reporters he had been told to change back to trousers as he "had hairy legs".

Another mother told Devon Live: "(The school) told me that if I send my son to school in shorts, then he will be sent to the isolation room all day and if I keep him off school, then it'll be an unauthorised absence.

"The girls are allowed to wear skirts all year round. So, I think it's completely unfair that the boys can't wear shorts. Boys just don't have the option and I am just really concerned about how the heat is going to affect him."

Reacting to the entire episode, the school said it would consider changing its uniform policy in the future.

"We recognise that the last few days have been exceptionally hot and we are doing our utmost to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible," said head teacher Aimee Mitchell.

"Shorts are not currently part of our uniform for boys and I would not want to make any changes without consulting both students and their families. However, with hotter weather becoming more normal, I would be happy to consider a change for the future."

In a country like India, where ban culture is at its peak, as every day something or other is declared illegal by the government or powerful bodies, we can definitely learn a few lessons from these 'young men' from the UK as to how to fight for our rights in a hilarious 'fashion'.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 13:27 [IST]
'IP protection a key issue for India-US relationship'

International

oi-PTI

Washington, June 23: Intellectual Property protection is a key issue for India-US relationship and the next week's meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump is expected to benefit the innovators on both sides, says an American industry body.

Prime Minister Modi's US visit represents an opportunity for the Indian government to renew its commitment as a good- faith economic partner and to embrace pro-growth policies that will mutually benefit American and Indian innovators alike, it said.

"This visit represents an opportunity for the Indian government to renew its commitment as a good-faith economic partner and to embrace pro-growth policies that will mutually benefit American and Indian innovators alike," Patrick Kilbride, vice president of International Intellectual Property of the US Chambers of Commerce told PTI.

"Empowering innovators through recourse to strong intellectual property laws has long been a key issue within the US- India relationship, he said in response to a question. "In the past, India has cast doubt on its commitment to innovation with restrictive patentability criteria affecting life sciences and computer-related inventions, generally weak enforcement of IP laws, and an administrative bureaucracy marked by red tape," Kilbride said.

"The Trump administration has placed particular emphasis on ensuring our international partners respect the rights of American innovators," he said. In an article published this year, Kilbride had said that a strong intellectual property system must provide legal certainty that empowers innovators and artists to invest their time, money, and personal energy in creative and inventive works. Too many exceptions too many holes in the bucket jeopardise that reliability and result in a lot of spilled opportunities, he wrote in Business World.

"Indian policymakers have some choices before them: they can choose to keep discouraging innovation or they can plug the holes in India's current 'bucket' exceptions such as limiting the patentability of software innovations, or facilitating access to pirated movies and music online," Kilbride said.

"India must also choose whether they will continue down its current path or give innovators a bigger bucket robust IP laws based on 21st century standards to take more ideas to market. We certainly hope that India chooses fully embrace its full innovative potential to carry a wealth of ideas to market," he wrote.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 11:02 [IST]
'Will resign as MLA if proven wrong': Defiant Jarkiholi defends 'Hindu' remark even as Cong slams him

Minority Hindus facing persecution in 10 nations: Hindu America Foundation

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Jun 23: A report published by Hindu America Foundation, a top Hindu-American body, finds that Hindus are facing violence, social persecution, and marginalisation in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh where they are in minority.

In its annual report on 'Hindus in South Asia and The Diaspora', it said Hindu minorities living in countries throughout South Asia and other parts of the world are subject to varying degrees of legal and institutional discrimination, restrictions on their religious freedom, social prejudice, violence, social persecution and economic and political marginalisation.

"Hindu women are especially vulnerable and face kidnappings and forced conversions in countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. In several countries where Hindus are minorities, non-state actors advance a discriminatory and exclusivist agenda, often with the tacit or explicit support of the state, said the report released early this week at the US Capitol. In the report, HAF lists Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan as "egregious violators" of human rights of Hindu minorities.

Bhutan and Sri Lanka have been identified as countries of serious concern. The report also placed Jammu and Kashmir state in the same category. Fiji, Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago have been placed in the category of monitored countries. "Persecution by state and non-state actors alike has led a growing number of Hindus to flee their country of origin and live as refugees, the report said.

The twelfth annual report documents the challenges facing Hindu minorities in ten nations and regions throughout the world and makes policy recommendations to improve conditions for these populations as well steps the US can take to assist with this.

Hindus, numbering over one billion (1.03 billion), constitute the third largest religious group in the world. The HAF at its 14th annual Capitol Hill Reception honoured Charles Haynes, vice president of the Newseum Institute and Director of the Religious Freedom Center, with the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the advancement of religious pluralism.

HAF executive director Suhag Shukla described Haynes "as accomplished as he is humble" and noted that religious liberty in the US and awareness about the First Amendment has been profoundly shaped by his deeply committed and principled leadership.

Prominent US lawmaker, namely, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Michael Coffman, Eric Swalwell, Pete Olson, Judy Chu, Sheila Jackson Lee and Darren Soto attended the HAFs Capitol Hill Reception early this week.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 16:44 [IST]
Modi meets Trump: Will there be an Obama like bromance?

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

They both have pro-business bonafides and rely heavily on the social media. The much anticipated June 26 meeting between Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump needs to focus on a few key areas. This would be the first meeting of the two leaders and a lot of focus would be on their chemisty.

There is a lot that India and US will have to work on. Key areas such as terrorism and China could be the large part of the focus when the two leaders meet. While issues such as Afghanistan and strategic partnership will be brought up at the meeting, it is to be seen how Modi would raise the H-1B visa issue considering Trump follows the America First policy.

All eyes would be on the the chord that the two leaders strike. Trump is without doubt one of the most unpredictable Presidents in the history of America and hence it would be all the more interesting see what kind of chord the two leaders would hit.

H-1B: Modi is most certainly going to raise this issue. However many see this as a futile exercise. Donald Trump would not stand in the way of dismantling a programme that Americans believe is taking away their jobs.

Strategic Partnership: This is an area that needs focus. Both countries have time and again spoken about a strategic partnership, but the term has never been properly defined. Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director, and Senior Associate for South Asia Asia Program, Wilson Centre says that one of the constraints in U.S.-India relations has been an inability to agree on the meaning of this term as it applies to the bilateral relationship. This is problematic, given that both countries in a general sense tend to conceive of the term quite differently.

For India, strategic partnership entails close cooperation on technological transfers and arms sales. For the United States, it entails those things but also joint military operations and even a willingness to fight wars together, Kugelman also adds.

China: Both leaders have been worried about the rising clout of China. This is an issue that both countries would handle carefully as the two leaders would not want provoke China. Kugelman says that this dynamic could well change; the ever-fickle Trump began his presidency with a flurry of bellicose anti-China rhetoric before walking back his threat to label Beijing a currency manipulator and embracing China as an essential mediator to deal with North Korea. But for now, with the two men in general agreement about China, Modi should seize the moment and highlight another area of convergence.

Will India join the coalition: On the war on terror, America may ask India to be part of the coalition against the Islamic State. India has in the past refused to be part of the coalition. This time around too if such an offer is made, India is likely to back off. However Modi would seek more participation from the US in handling the Jihadis of Pakistan.

Attacks on Indians: The big question is whether Modi will raise the issue relating to the attack on Indians in the US. The recent murder of Srinivasa Kuchibhotla in Kansas had created an outrage. Trump had been slow to react to these incidents, but did make a statement on the same almost a week after the murder during a joint address to the Congress.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 12:13 [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

Pakistan: 25 dead, 100 injured in twin explosions in Parachinar

International

oi-Madhuri

At least 25 people are feared dead and over 100 injured as two subsequent explosions hit in Parachinar in Kurram Agency.

The attack took place at about 5.30 p.m., when a hand-grenade was hurled into the crowd of people busy with shopping at a downtown market in Parachinar city for the coming Eid, a holiday which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The second blast happened a few minutes after people gathered at the first blast site for rescue, local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying.

An emergency has been imposed in the hospitals in the area, and the injured are being taken to the District General Hospital, Parachinar.

Security forces have cordoned off the affected site and are conducting a search operation.

Earlier today, at least twelve people were killed and 20 others injured on Friday in the explosion near IGP office in Quetta, Pakistan. Police cordon off an area and injured have been shifted to hospital, reports Pakistan media.

The injured were moved to Quetta's Civil Hospital, while a rescue operation is still underway.

OneIndia News
Trump admits he has no tapes of conversation with Comey

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, June 23: US President Donald Trump has said, he has no recordings of his controversial conversations with former FBI Director James Comey, but has left open the possibility that such an audio record may exist.

"I have no idea whether there are tapes or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have any such recordings," Trump tweeted on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The tweet was an effort to quell questions whether he recorded his private conversations with Comey in the White House and by phone before firing Comey.

Trump has tweeted on May 12, days after firing Comey, that "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" prompting widespread speculation that such recordings existed.

Neither Trump nor the White House gave out recordings since then, and were reluctant to confirm if such recordings did exist.

Trump told the press on June 9 that "I'll tell you about that maybe sometime in the near future" and that the press "are going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer".

White House Spokesperson Sarah Sanders refuted speculations from the press that Trump was playing "game" in order to make sure that Comey tell the truth.

"I certainly think that the president would hope that the former director would tell the truth. I think that it was more about raising the question of doubt in general," she told an off-camera news briefing on Thursday.

Trump allegedly asked Comey for his loyalty and for the FBI to stop investigating former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn as part of an ongoing probe into alleged collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government, according to Comey's testimony to Congress early this month.

IANS
Some 237,000 people have been displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo since March, says the United Nations, since clashes..

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FG Reacts To Involvement Of Nigerian In Leaked Sx Tape Of South African Politican, Zanele Sifuba

Webby - November 10, 2022

The Consulate General of Nigeria, based in Johannesburg, has called on the media to refrain from hasty conclusions on the
Global Bioadhesive Market 2017 Major Players - Ashland, Dow, Henkel, EcoSynthetix, Paramelt

https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/62178/request-sample

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Global Bioadhesive Market 2017Report studies Bioadhesive in Global market that focuses on the top Manufacturers, Market Segment by Countries, Split by Product Types (with sales, revenue, price, market share of each type), Split by applications this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Bioadhesive in each application.Download Free Sample Report @In this report, the global Bioadhesive market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Bioadhesive in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Bioadhesive market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingHenkelDowDaniMer ScientificParameltAshlandAdhesives ResearchEcoSynthetix3MYparexAdhbioAccess Full Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPlant Based BioadhesiveAnimal Based BioadhesiveOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Bioadhesive for each application, includingPackaging & PaperConstructionWoodPersonal CareMedicalOthersIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerOffice-108, Sanskriti AspirationsBaner Road, Pune,MH 411045IndiaPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring & Safety Market Worth US$ 1.215 Billion by 2022

https://www.marketresearchengine.com/medical-radiation-detection-market

https://www.marketresearchengine.com/

The Medical Radiation detection, Monitoring & Safety Market is segmented on the lines of its detector, monitoring product, safety product, end user and regional. Based on detector segmentation it covers gas-filled detectors, scintillators, solid-state detectors. Based on monitoring product segmentation it covers personal dosimeters, area process monitors, environmental radiation monitors, surface contamination monitors, radioactive material monitors, other products. Based on safety product segmentation it covers full-body protection, face protection, hand protection, others. Based on end user segmentation it covers hospitals, non- hospitals.Browse Full Report:How Big is the Global Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring & Safety MarketThe Medical Radiation detection, Monitoring & Safety Market is expected to exceed more than US$ 1.215 Billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 6.5% in the given forecast period.The Medical Radiation detection, Monitoring & Safety Market on geographic segmentation covers various regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. Each geographic market is further segmented to provide market revenue for select countries such as the U.S., Canada, U.K. Germany, China, Japan, India, Brazil, and GCC countries.Table of Contents1 INTRODUCTION2 Research Methodology3 Executive Summary4 Premium Insights5 Market Overview6 Medical Radiation Detection and Monitoring Market, By Detector7 Medical Radiation Detection and Monitoring Market, By Product8 Medical Radiation Safety Market, By Product9 Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring, and Safety Market, By End User10 Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring and Safety Market, By Region11 Competitive Landscape12 Company Profiles12.1 Landauer, Inc.12.2 Mirion Technologies, Inc.12.3 IBA Worldwide12.4 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.12.5 Sun Nuclear Corporation12.6 Ludlum Measurements, Inc.12.7 Radiation Detection Company Inc.12.8 Biodex Medical Systems, Inc.12.9 Arrow-Tech, Inc.12.10 Fluke Biomedical12.11 Amray Medical12.12 Infab Corporation12.13 Ptw Freiburg GmbHAbout MarketResearchEngine.comMarket Research Engine is a global market research and consulting organization. We provide market intelligence in emerging, niche technologies and markets. Our market analysis powered by rigorous methodology and quality metrics provide information and forecasts across emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models. Our deep focus on industry verticals and country reports help our clients to identify opportunities and develop business strategies.Media ContactCompany Name: Market Research EngineContact Person: John BayEmail: john@marketresearchengine.comPhone: +1-855-984-1862Country: United StatesWebsite:Address: 3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8942, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, United States
Dried Meats Market Size 2017-2022: Cargill, BHJ, Nassau Foods, SARIA, Nikken Foods, Knauss Foods

Dried Meats

http://bit.ly/2rHoy3i

http://www.depthmarketresearch.com/global-dried-meats-market-2017-insights-analysis-key-players-segment-and-forecast-to-2022/

Global Dried Meats Market Research ReportA market study  Global Dried Meats Market  examines the performance of the Dried Meats market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Dried Meats market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Dried Meats market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Inquiry For Sample Report, Click Here:The Global Dried Meats Market 2017 report includes Dried Meats market Revenue, market Share, Dried Meats industry volume, market Trends, Dried Meats Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Dried Meats Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Dried Meats Market 2017:CargillBHJNassau FoodsSARIANikken FoodsKnauss FoodsHormel Foods CorporationHabbersettHerbsmithOhanyansVital EssentialsBraaitimeNatmadeFirstly, the report covers the top Dried Meats manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Dried Meats report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Dried Meats industry, Dried Meats industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Dried Meats Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Complete Report:The Dried Meats research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Dried Meats market revenue worldwide.Finally, Dried Meats market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Depth Market Research" is a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.United States
Sand Making Machine Market Share 2017-2022: Caterpillar, Shanghai Clirik Machinery, Henan Yuhui, Zenith

Sand Making Machine

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http://www.depthmarketresearch.com/global-sand-making-machine-market-2017-insights-analysis-key-players-segment-and-forecast-to-2022/

Global Sand Making Machine Market Research ReportA market study  Global Sand Making Machine Market  examines the performance of the Sand Making Machine market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Sand Making Machine market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Sand Making Machine market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Inquiry For Sample Report, Click Here:The Global Sand Making Machine Market 2017 report includes Sand Making Machine market Revenue, market Share, Sand Making Machine industry volume, market Trends, Sand Making Machine Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Sand Making Machine Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Sand Making Machine Market 2017:BHSKotobukiCaterpillarShanghai Clirik MachineryShakti Mining EquipmentHenan YuhuiZenithShanghai Tigers MiningHitechVipeak-ChinaDeepa CrushersDhiman EngineeringFirstly, the report covers the top Sand Making Machine manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Sand Making Machine report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Sand Making Machine industry, Sand Making Machine industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Sand Making Machine Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Complete Report:The Sand Making Machine research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Sand Making Machine market revenue worldwide.Finally, Sand Making Machine market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Depth Market Research" is a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.United States
Public Safety LTE Devices Market Size 2017-2022: Cisco Systems, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Airbus

Public Safety LTE Devices

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http://www.depthmarketresearch.com/global-public-safety-lte-devices-market-2017-insights-analysis-key-players-segment-and-forecast-to-2022/

Global Public Safety LTE Devices Market Research ReportA market study  Global Public Safety LTE Devices Market  examines the performance of the Public Safety LTE Devices market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Public Safety LTE Devices market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Public Safety LTE Devices market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Inquiry For Sample Report, Click Here:The Global Public Safety LTE Devices Market 2017 report includes Public Safety LTE Devices market Revenue, market Share, Public Safety LTE Devices industry volume, market Trends, Public Safety LTE Devices Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Public Safety LTE Devices Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Public Safety LTE Devices Market 2017:HarrisGeneral DynamicsRaytheonZebra TechnologiesCisco SystemsAlcatel-LucentEricssonAirbusAirspanHuawei TechnologiesZTEMotorola SolutionsSamsung BusinessFirstly, the report covers the top Public Safety LTE Devices manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Public Safety LTE Devices report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Public Safety LTE Devices industry, Public Safety LTE Devices industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Public Safety LTE Devices Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Complete Report:The Public Safety LTE Devices research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Public Safety LTE Devices market revenue worldwide.Finally, Public Safety LTE Devices market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Depth Market Research" is a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.United States
RedmineUp expand to new markets and offers Redmine hosting in SaaS model

Following the rebranding leading commercial and free Redmine plugins developer RedmineUP recently enters into new markets and Introduced broader offer. It added fully-featured Redmine environment hosted in the cloud and provided for a monthly fee in Software-as-a-Service model.Going forward towards rising demand for a software allowing for a complete management of all business processes, RedmineUP introduced a new product in offer - Redmine Hosting. It is offered in SaaS model (Software as a service) and is an application that includes Redmine platform with additional extensions, hosted in the cloud. It is available for a convenient monthly fee, starting at $29/month.It let companies optimize their spendings on IT infrastructure, and manage business process and projects faster. As the cloud app does not require time and resources for installation and configuration, it can generate on average $2000 of savings. Data is stored on advanced and safe server infrastructure and backed up daily. Plugins allow for convenient Agile project management, as well as managing billing, CRM, helpdesk, and other processes.Moreover, the company expands into offer markets in Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Poland and Japan to meet rising demand from local customers. RedmineUp offered localised version of the website and are actively starting cooperation with new partners. Apart from the regular presence, it already has partners in primary markets of US, Spain, and Japan.For more informations: redmineup.comRedmineUP started in 2010, being the first commercial developer of plugins for open source IT platform Redmine. The platform is growing in popularity as a bug tracker and solution to manage tasks, IT teams and projects. The company serves customers from over 100 countries and very diverse industries. Company and its products are well recognizable in Redmine environment. They are used by over 40.000 registered users and have been downloaded over 300.000 times.Among clients, there are 25 companies from Fortune 500 lists, and such well-known organizations like NASA, Samsung, Toshiba, France Telekom, Ikea, Fujitsu, Schneider Electrics and Cisco.Apart from companies, there are also NGO and universities, among which are prestigious Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Australian National University, University of Florida or the University of Arizona.RedmineUPMyasnitskaya str., 1315101000 Moscow, Russiagreg @ redmineup.com+7 98 5 971 972 0
Buying Buddy IDX CRM Suite Introduces IDX Plugin Featuring SSL Security Support

https://MyBuyingBuddy.com

Littleton, Colorado, June XX, 2017--- Blue Fire Group, an innovative Real Estate IDX / CRM based marketing solutions provider, today announced that their IDX plugin now provides complete Secure Socket Layer (SSL) support for customers who have or will make the move from HTTP to HTTPS.The Buying Buddy (MBB) IDX plugin is an integral part of the MBB IDX CRM suite, a solution designed specifically for the Real Estate industry and its special requirements. This latest version of the IDX plugin is now fully SSL and is fully integrated to the Leads & Contacts CRM system which is also fully secured with SSL.This development of the secure IDX plugin comes as a result of the massive push by industry leaders like Google to make the Internet safer through encrypted communication over HTTPS. This update allows Real Estate Professionals to have completely secured IDX websites to help with lead capture and SEO rankings.You cannot earn the security symbol without making all parts of your website secure, said Paul Eastwood president at Blue Fire Group, the parent company of the Buying Buddy IDX CRM suite. Recently we have seen a big push towards hyper-local marketing in the Real Estate industry, and this strategy really relies on a good page ranking from search algorithms. Also, the majority of our customers are collecting what is, or will soon be, considered sensitive information from website visitors. Our SSL IDX Plugin makes it possible for Real Estate Professionals to offer the most advanced - and now secure - home search services to their leads and clients.Currently, the Buying Buddy IDX CRM solution offers an SSL secure IDX plugin for WordPress, PHP, Squarespace and almost every other CMS System For more information about the MBB suite and the secure IDX plugin visitAbout My Buying Buddy IDX CRM suite (MBB)The My Buying Buddy IDX CRM Suite has been continually developed and enhanced since its initial launch, and today is based on the most up-to-date technologies for web applications design making it extremely flexible, fast to change and very scale able.Our vision is to use the extraordinary power of the internet to help Real Estate Professionals achieve their sales, marketing and relationship building goals.About Blue Fire GroupThe Blue Fire Group creates innovative Web-based Marketing Solutions for the Real Estate and other Service industries.We have been helping Real Estate professionals since 2002.We are a Denver, Colorado based company. With 25 years of experience selling and marketing high-value services, the founder's vision is to use the extraordinary power of the internet to help you achieve your marketing and relationship building goals.Helping our clients achieve a return on investment is our primary goal.Paul Eastwoodpress@bluefiregroup.com303 225 7600PO BOX 630738 Littleton CO, 80163-0738
Global Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022

Global Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022

http://www.qyresearcheurope.com/

http://www.qyresearchglobal.com/

This report studies the Freight Forwarders market status and outlook of global and major regions, from angles of players, regions, product and end Application/industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and major regions, and splits the Freight Forwarders market by product and Application/end industries.The global Freight Forwarders market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.United States will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Freight Forwarders.EU also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.The major players in global market include American Export Lines (AEL), Farrow, Ferguson, Crowley, Freight Forwarders Tanzania, Approved Freight Forwarders, Damco, DHL Supply Chain & Global, Kuehne + Nagel, DB Schenker, Nippon Express, Sinotrans, Expeditors, Panalpina, UPS Supply Chain Solutions, DSV, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, CEVA Logistics, Bollore Logistics, GEODIS, DACHSER, Agility, Yusen Logistics, Kerry Logistics, Kintetsu World Express, C.H. Robinson, UTi Worldwide, Toll Group, Hitachi Transport System and Logwin.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Freight Forwarders for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast)United StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaOn the basis of product, the Freight Forwarders market is primarily split intoFreight ForwardingCargo InsuranceWarehousingOn the basis on the end users/Application, this report coversConsumer GoodsIndustrialFood, GroceriesAutomotiveAsk a complete & professional report sample, please send message to tinaning@qyresearch.com or visit atTable of contents:1 Industry Overview2 Global Freight Forwarders Competition Analysis by Players3 Company (Top Players) Profiles and Key Data4 Global Freight Forwarders Market Size by Product and Application (2012-2017)5 United States Freight Forwarders Development Status and Outlook6 EU Freight Forwarders Development Status and Outlook7 Japan Freight Forwarders Development Status and Outlook8 China Freight Forwarders Development Status and Outlook9 India Freight Forwarders Development Status and Outlook10 Southeast Asia Freight Forwarders Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions, Product and Application (2017-2022)12 Freight Forwarders Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Research Finding /Conclusion15 Methodology and Data SourceRelated Reports:Global Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022Europe Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022China Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022India Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022Japan Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022UAS Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022Korea Freight Forwarders Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022Contact Details:Company Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITED | focus on Market Survey and ResearchTina| Sales ManagersEmail: tinaning@qyresearch.com Tel: 0086-20-22093278(CN)Web:QYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business.Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe District
Global Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry Market Research Report 2017

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http://qyresearchglobal.com

http://qyresearcheurope.com

SummaryThe Global Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Ask a sample or any question, please email to:hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comThe players list(Partly, Players you are interested can also be added):AbbVie Inc.Pfizer Inc.Merck & Co., Inc.Johnson & JohnsonGlaxoSmithKline plcAstraZeneca PLCAmgen IncNovartis AGF. Hoffmann-La Roche AGEli Lily and CompanyKey Topics Covered:Chapter One Industry Overview of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Four Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Five Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Six Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Sale Price Analysis of Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics by Regions, Types and ApplicationsChapter Seven Supply, Import, Export and Consumption Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Eight Major Manufacturers Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Nine Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Ten Industry Chain Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Eleven Development Trend of Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Twelve New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Anti-inflammatory TherapeuticsChapter Thirteen Conclusion of the Global Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry 2017 Market Research ReportRelated Reports:US Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry Market Research Report 2017Europe Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry Market Research Report 2017India Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry Market Research Report 2017China Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry Market Research Report 2017Korea Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry Market Research Report 2017Japan Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Industry Market Research Report 2017If you need a report or have any question, please feel free to contact meHebe | Sr. Manager  Global SalesProfessional Market Research Report PublisherQYResearch Co.LtdQYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchPhone: +86 20 2209 3278Email: hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comWeb:About QYResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, database and seminar services. the company owned a large basic database (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business. Through the companys years of effort and a lot of customer support, QYResearch consulting group creative design method of many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch brand has become the consulting industry with quality assurance consulting brand. The company has 2500 global well-known customers, covering energy automobile pharmaceutical chemical agriculture more than 30 industries, services from the data analysis and recommendations-Consulting landing one-stop solution, and research regions cover China,US,EU,Asia,Middle East and Africa,South America,Australia,etc Global all regions,and also built research or marketing center in China USA UK France Hongkong etc regions. currently, QYResearch has become the first choice and worth trusted consulting brand in Global and China business consulting services.Media ContactCompany Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITEDContact Person: HebeEmail: hebe@qyresearchglobal.comPhone: +86-20 2209 3278Address: Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe DistrictCity: GuangzhouCountry: ChinaWebsite:(US) |(EU)
Global Driveline Additives Industry Market Research Report 2017

http://qyresearchglobal.com/

http://qyresearchglobal.com

http://qyresearcheurope.com

SummaryThe Global Driveline Additives Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Driveline Additives industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Driveline Additives market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Driveline Additives industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Ask a sample or any question, please email to:hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comThe players list(Partly, Players you are interested can also be added):Lubrizol CorporationBASF SEAfton Chemical CorporationVanderbilt Chemicals, LLCBRB International B.VChevron Oronite Company, LLCThe Lubrizol CorporationInfineum International Ltd.AB Petrochem Pvt. Ltd.Evonik IndustriesKey Topics Covered:Chapter One Industry Overview of Driveline AdditivesChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Four Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Driveline Additives by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Five Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Driveline Additives by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Six Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Sale Price Analysis of Driveline Additives by Regions, Types and ApplicationsChapter Seven Supply, Import, Export and Consumption Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Eight Major Manufacturers Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Nine Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Ten Industry Chain Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Eleven Development Trend of Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Twelve New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Driveline AdditivesChapter Thirteen Conclusion of the Global Driveline Additives Industry 2017 Market Research ReportRelated Reports:US Driveline Additives Industry Market Research Report 2017Europe Driveline Additives Industry Market Research Report 2017India Driveline Additives Industry Market Research Report 2017China Driveline Additives Industry Market Research Report 2017Korea Driveline Additives Industry Market Research Report 2017Japan Driveline Additives Industry Market Research Report 2017If you need a report or have any question, please feel free to contact meHebe | Sr. Manager  Global SalesProfessional Market Research Report PublisherQYResearch Co.LtdQYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchPhone: +86 20 2209 3278Email: hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comWeb:About QYResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, database and seminar services. the company owned a large basic database (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business. Through the companys years of effort and a lot of customer support, QYResearch consulting group creative design method of many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch brand has become the consulting industry with quality assurance consulting brand. The company has 2500 global well-known customers, covering energy automobile pharmaceutical chemical agriculture more than 30 industries, services from the data analysis and recommendations-Consulting landing one-stop solution, and research regions cover China,US,EU,Asia,Middle East and Africa,South America,Australia,etc Global all regions,and also built research or marketing center in China USA UK France Hongkong etc regions. currently, QYResearch has become the first choice and worth trusted consulting brand in Global and China business consulting services.Media ContactCompany Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITEDContact Person: HebeEmail: hebe@qyresearchglobal.comPhone: +86-20 2209 3278Address: Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe DistrictCity: GuangzhouCountry: ChinaWebsite:(US) |(EU)
Global Wind Turbine Control System Market Outlook 2017-2022 Emerson Electric, AMSC, Mita Teknik, DEIF, Dongfang Electric

Wind Turbine Control System Market

http://bit.ly/2rX1mCA

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-wind-turbine-control-system-market-outlook-2016-2021/

Wind turbine control systems comprise a master control station, cabin station, and HMI. The master control station is located at the bottom of the tower, which communicates with the HMI, cabin station, pitch, converter system, and remote monitoring system, which monitors the overall turbine units operations. The cabin station is located in the cabin, which is used to collect and process the turbines equipment and instrument data. The HMI is used for the systems operation control, real-time display, parameter settings, and the recording and storing of failures. The Ethernet can be used to remotely monitor turbine operations from the central control room.Ask For Sample Copy of Report :This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Wind Turbine Control System from 2011-2015 and provides extensive market forecasts 2017-2022 by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Wind Turbine Control System market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Wind Turbine Control System, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.GCCs report, Global Wind Turbine Control System Market Outlook 2017-2022, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Wind Turbine Control System market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Wind Turbine Control System market are Emerson Electric (USA), AMSC (USA), Mita Teknik (Denmark), DEIF (Denmark), Dongfang Electric (China), Shiyou Electric (China), Beijing Etechwin (China), Beijing Corona (China), Chengdu Forward (China), Chongqing kk-Qianwei (China), REsource Electric Tianjin (China), among others.Browse full Report here:The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Wind Turbine Control System industry has been provided.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices Batteries Market Research Report by Geographical Analysis and Forecast to 2024

Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market

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Transparency Market Research states that the competitive landscape in the global cardiac rhythm management devices batteries market is mildly fragmented. The leading players such as Medtronic, Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, Inc., Greatbatch, Inc. (Integer), and EaglePicher Technologies, LLC are focusing on developing unmatched quality of batteries through state-of-art technological development. Furthermore, companies are also expected to strengthen their position across the globe through geographical expansion. In the coming years, these players are expected to increase their investments to develop products that are aimed toward increasing streamlining clinical workflow, therapy efficacy, and improving quality of life, states the lead author of this research report.According to the research report, the global CRM devices batteries market is expected to worth US$518.4 mn by the end of 2024 as compared to US$397.3 mn in 2015. During the forecast years of 2016 and 2024, the global market is estimated to progress at a CAGR of 3.0%.This 154 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices Batteries Market. Browse through 31 data tables and 42 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:The various products available in the global CRM devices batteries market are implantable cardiac pacemakers (ICPs), implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICDs), and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices (CRT-Ds). Of these, the CRT-Ds are expected to show the maximum growth in the forecast period as the segment surges at a CAGR of 4.1%. The ability of these devices to manage heart failure cases and reduce the number of risks associated with irregular heartbeats are expected to boost their demand in the forecast period. Analysts projected that ICD will also be a lucrative segment for the global market in the coming years.In terms geography, the global CRM devices batteries market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Of these, North America is the most attractive market for CRM batteries as the region is slated to acquire a share of 38.2% by the end of 2024. Analysts estimate that Asia Pacific is also expected to gain a significant share in the overall market due to high prevalence of health conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension that have spiked the number of cardiovascular disease cases in recent years.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices Batteries Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market:The demand for CRM devices batteries has grown to a significantly in the past few decades as power sources have graduated from nickel-cadmium batteries to lithium ones. These sophisticated batteries are capable of powering complicated pacing devices such as CRT devices and ICDs. These batteries are known to be light weight, highly predictable and reliable, high energy density, small in size, and come with a long service life. Owing to these regions, several CRM devices manufacturers are using them in ICD, CRT devices, and pacemakers. The demand for CRM devices batteries is also being fueled by the increasing need for data logging, biventricular pacing, and telemetry.The report indicates that growing pool of geriatrics is also likely to boost the demand for ICD, CRT devices, and pacemakers, which, in turn, is expected to reflect positively on the sales of CRM devices batteries. These devices will be extensively used for managing diseases such as bradycardia, tachycardia, and congestive heart failure amongst the ageing population.Though the batteries have gained popularity and demand over the past few years, the growing number of product recalls have resulted in decline of sales of these devices. Failure of device batteries have been the predominant reason for recalls in recent past. The market is also likely to suffer due to the changes in purchasing patterns. These are attributable to the declining reimbursements, lower patient volumes, and a significant drop in capital expenditure since the economic recession of 2008.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cleanroom Consumables Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023

Cleanroom Consumables Market

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A fragmented cleanroom consumables market awaits all new entrants who wish to stake their claim here. The top three companies - Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Texwipe, and Nitritex Ltd. - had a collective share of 36% in the value of the global cleanroom consumables market in 2014.The existence of a large number of key global players as well as regional ones has kept the threat of new entrants at a low level, according to a recent publication by Transparency Market Research. New entrants will also have to face high investment capital and stringent regulatory restrictions, further lowering their threat to the current market.The global market for cleanroom consumables is expected to progress at a CAGR of 4.76% within a forecast period from 2015 to 2023. By the end of 2016, this market is expected to reach a valuation of US$2.21 bn and by the end of 2023, a valuation of US$3.04 bn.This 90 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Cleanroom Consumables Market. Browse through 12 data tables and 17 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:By the end of 2023, North America is expected to take up 34% of the cleanroom consumables market in terms of value. Europe follows suit and both regions show a very similar hold over the market when compared to their 2014 shares. This is because both regions have already had many advancements in cleanroom consumables and the regional markets as of now are matured. Their growth rate is sluggish and the demand is steadily stagnating.As opposed to that, Asia Pacific is showing a highly robust growth rate till 2023, owing to a fast developing healthcare industry, the growing geriatric population, and the rising prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases.Gloves are expected to not only be the leading product segment in cleanroom consumables in the near future, but also leading in growth rate. Between 2015 and 2023, the revenue generation from gloves in cleanroom consumables is expected to progress at a CAGR of 5.65%.The biotechnology industry is expected to be the leading application segment for cleanroom consumables, reaching just over US$1 bn by the end of 2023.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Cleanroom Consumables Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market:The introduction of sustainable nanotechnology to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries has certainly sped things up over the past few years, states a TMR analyst. He adds, Manufacturers of medical devices and CMOs have sprung up in numbers over the past decade to supplement the giant growth in demand for these advanced devices. Consequently, their demand for cleanrooms to manufacture the said devices has increased considerably.This has been a key driver for the increase in production of cleanroom consumables and is expected to continue being one for the coming years. Similar increase in demands have also been witnessed from the biological drugs industry, where the growing popularity of biological drugs to treat chronic illnesses is creating a greater demand for cleanrooms from biological drug makers.While the presence of high regulatory standards is pushing manufacturers to create top quality cleanroom consumables, the high level of differentiation of regulations and mandatory functions between regions is severely hindering the trading of cleanroom consumables on an international level.To mitigate the massive drop in trade quality and trade cost of cleanroom consumables, manufacturers have to enter long term contracts to maintain profits.When it comes to future prospects, the answer that globally prominent cleanroom consumables makers seek will lie in Asia Pacific. Setting up manufacturing plants in this region is easier for players with a global reach, adds the TMR analyst. The focus shift from developed economies to developing ones, especially towards the key countries in Asia Pacific, is therefore a major driver for the producers of cleanroom consumables.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cater Insight: Foodservice Market : Potential and Niche Segments, Geographical regions and Trends 2027

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ReportBazzar has released its latest research-based report entitled Cater Insight: Foodservice market.' This comprehensive report provides a holistic approach to the market growth with a detailed and precise analysis of the overall competitive scenario of the Cater Insight: Foodservice market worldwide along with the key trends and latest technologies, playing a prominent role in the Cater Insight: Foodservice market growth over the next eight years.It also takes into account the market trends, aspects such as drivers, constraints, challenges, and opportunities that impact the market and presents statistical and analytical account on it. This research report features a comprehensive discussion about the current scenario to estimate trends and prospects of the Cater Insight: Foodservice market. Moreover, it provides dynamic and statistical insights pertaining to the market at both regional as well as global level.Get Free Sample Copy of this Report @:Application segments such as demolition and construction as well as products used in the manufacturing of engineering equipment come under heavy industries. In addition, heavy industries also include ancillary industries that have their relation with these applications. These industries are mostly capital intensive in nature, have huge barriers to entry and low transportability. The industry mostly includes heavy electrical, huge buildings and machine tools. Rising construction of high rise buildings is one of the primary growth factors of Cater Insight: Foodservice market.Recognizing the rising prevalence of Cater Insight: Foodservice market, this research report proves to be a primary source of guidance and detailed data on the market at global scale. The report evaluates the present scenario and status as well as changing trends in the market to project its outlook and prospects. This report is a systematic research study based on the market and analyzes the competitive framework of the global Cater Insight: Foodservice industry. A holistic report covers exhaustive information obtained from reliable industrial sources and through proven research methodologies. The data thus obtained is then combined with relevant tables and graphs to support the information revealed. Thus the report features graphs, figures, and data and provides a high-level blueprint of the global market.Browse full report with Table of Content @:Various competent analytical tools have been used to offer a comprehensive assessment of the market. The report comprises of each aspect of the global market for Cater Insight: Foodservice. Here, the market is basically segmented by its product type, application and region. It starts with the basic information and then advances to the market classification and segmentation based on different criteria. It analyses the key segments and the regional subdivision of the market and helps determine the future of the market in the global arena.Major regions, countries, and sub-segments have been analyzed for providing the better understanding of the market scope worldwide. The report studies the market by evaluating the manufacturers, manufacturing chain, contribution in the industry, regulations, prevalent policies and cost structures. The regional markets for the Cater Insight: Foodservice market are analyzed by evaluating the raw material price trend analysis, logistics, demand, and supply, production capacity, as well as the historical performance of the market in the given region.The report also provides insights on the competitive landscape of the global Cater Insight: Foodservice industry with the leading players profiled in the report. The company profiles, trends, tactics, merger & acquisitions, business strategies, financial metrics of the major participants operating in the global Cater Insight: Foodservice market have been reviewed in this study.Ask for Discount @:Some Points Of Table Of Content:IntroductionReport GuideExecutive SummaryMacroeconomic ContextGDP and Consumer Price IndexPopulation and demographic highlightsAnnual household income distributionIntroducing the Consumer SegmentsConsumer segment profiles and key identification metricsSegment engagement overview in four key profit sector channelsProfit Sector MetricsKey metric highlightsValue share and growth by channelOutlets and transactions growth by channelOperator buying volumes and growth by channelChannel historic and future growth dynamicsOutlet type and type of ownership growth dynamicsProfit Sector by ChannelQuick Service Restaurants (QSR)Summary and key take-outMetricsKey playersKey consumersWhy?What?Where?What next?Full Service Restaurants (FSR)Summary and key take-outMetricsKey playersKey consumersWhy?What?Where?What next?Coffee and Tea ShopsSummary and key take-outMetricsKey playersKey consumersWhy?What?Where?What next?Pubs, Clubs and BarsSummary and key take-outMetricsKey playersKey consumersWhy?What?Where?What next?Cost Sector MetricsCost operator trends - historic and future growthData and channel share breakdownEducationMetrics - growth dynamics and driversTenders trackerWhat next?HealthcareMetrics - growth dynamics and driversTenders trackerWhat next?Military and Civil DefenseMetrics - growth dynamics and driversTenders trackerWhat next?Welfare and ServicesMetrics - growth dynamics and driversTenders trackerWhat next?About us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors. Our intelligence database comprises of vast arrays of strategically analyzed and high-level market research reports that encompass all major industries worldwide. All the specialized research reports available at Reportbazzar.com are tailor-made to suit your every business need, no matter how diverse or demanding it is.Contact for more details:Report BazzarUnited States30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.US: +1 (212) 389-6363Email: sales@reportbazzar.comWeb -
Global Audio Editing Software Market 2017- NCH Software, Adobe, Acon Digital, AVS4You, Magix Audio

Global Audio Editing Software Market 2017

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The Global Audio Editing Software Market 2017 examines the performance of the Audio Editing Software market. It encloses an in-depth judgment of the Audio Editing Software market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Audio Editing Software market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Audio Editing Software Market 2017 report includes Audio Editing Software industry volume, market Share, market Trends, Audio Editing Software Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Audio Editing Software Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Audio Editing Software Market 2017:1 NCH Software2 Adobe3 Acon Digital4 AVS4You5 Magix Audio6 Steinberg7 GoldWave8 Audacity9 Ardour10 FreemakeAudio Editing Software Market Analysis: By ProductPaiedFreeAudio Editing Software Market Analysis: By ApplicationProfessionalAmateurAt the beginning, the report covers the top Audio Editing Software manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on topographical regions.Further, the Audio Editing Software report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Audio Editing Software industry, Audio Editing Software industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Audio Editing Software Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Buy Complete Report Click Here:The Audio Editing Software research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Audio Editing Software market revenue worldwide.Finally, Audio Editing Software market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News-
Global Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market 2017- JATCO, Aisin AW , Bosch, TOYOTA, Honda

Global Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market 2017

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The Global Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market 2017 examines the performance of the Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) market. It encloses an in-depth judgment of the Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market 2017 report includes Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) industry volume, market Share, market Trends, Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market 2017:1 JATCO2 Aisin AW3 Bosch4 TOYOTA5 Honda6 Hunan Jianglu & Rongda Vehicle Transmission7 Chery8 Beijing Automotive IndustryAutomotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market Analysis: By ProductVariable-diameter Pulley (VDP) or Reeves DriveToroidal or Roller-based CVT (Extroid CVT)Magnetic CVTRatcheting CVTHydrostatic CVTPlanetary CVTAutomotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market Analysis: By ApplicationPassenger VehiclesLight Commercial VehiclesHeavy Commercial VehiclesAt the beginning, the report covers the top Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on topographical regions.Further, the Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) industry, Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Buy Complete Report Click Here:The Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) market revenue worldwide.Finally, Automotive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News-
Global Automotive Reversing Radar Market 2017- Texas Instruments , DENSO , Bosch, NXP Semiconductors, Valeo , Black Cat Security

Global Automotive Reversing Radar Market 2017

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The Global Automotive Reversing Radar Market 2017 examines the performance of the Automotive Reversing Radar market. It encloses an in-depth judgment of the Automotive Reversing Radar market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Automotive Reversing Radar market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Automotive Reversing Radar Market 2017 report includes Automotive Reversing Radar industry volume, market Share, market Trends, Automotive Reversing Radar Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Automotive Reversing Radar Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Automotive Reversing Radar Market 2017:1 Texas Instruments2 DENSO3 Bosch4 NXP Semiconductors5 Valeo6 Black Cat Security7 Nippon Audiotronix8 Parking Dynamics9 ProxelAutomotive Reversing Radar Market Analysis: By ProductUltrasonicElectromagneticAutomotive Reversing Radar Market Analysis: By ApplicationPassenger VehicleCommercial VehicleOthersAt the beginning, the report covers the top Automotive Reversing Radar manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on topographical regions.Further, the Automotive Reversing Radar report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Automotive Reversing Radar industry, Automotive Reversing Radar industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Automotive Reversing Radar Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Buy Complete Report Click Here:The Automotive Reversing Radar research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Automotive Reversing Radar market revenue worldwide.Finally, Automotive Reversing Radar market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News-
Global Automotive Suspension Market 2017- Benteler International, KYB Corporation, Thyssenkrupp, Tenneco, Mando

Global Automotive Suspension Market 2017

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The Global Automotive Suspension Market 2017 examines the performance of the Automotive Suspension market. It encloses an in-depth judgment of the Automotive Suspension market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Automotive Suspension market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Automotive Suspension Market 2017 report includes Automotive Suspension industry volume, market Share, market Trends, Automotive Suspension Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Automotive Suspension Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Automotive Suspension Market 2017:1 Benteler International2 KYB Corporation3 Thyssenkrupp4 Tenneco5 Mando6 Continental7 Wabco Holdings8 Magneti Marelli9 Mubea Fahrwerkstechnologien10 Hendrickson International11 Jamna Auto Industries12 NHK Spring13 Rassini14 Sogefi15 ZF FriedrichshafenAutomotive Suspension Market Analysis: By ProductPassive SuspensionSemi-Active SuspensionActive SuspensionAir SuspensionAutomotive Suspension Market Analysis: By ApplicationPassenger CarLight Commercial VehicleMedium & Heavy Commercial VehicleAt the beginning, the report covers the top Automotive Suspension manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on topographical regions.Further, the Automotive Suspension report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Automotive Suspension industry, Automotive Suspension industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Automotive Suspension Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Buy Complete Report Click Here:The Automotive Suspension research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Automotive Suspension market revenue worldwide.Finally, Automotive Suspension market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News-
Global Baby Bath Products Market 2017- Chicco, Johnson & Johnson, Mamas and Papas, Pigeon, Unilever

Global Baby Bath Products Market 2017

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The Global Baby Bath Products Market 2017 examines the performance of the Baby Bath Products market. It encloses an in-depth judgment of the Baby Bath Products market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Baby Bath Products market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Baby Bath Products Market 2017 report includes Baby Bath Products industry volume, market Share, market Trends, Baby Bath Products Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Baby Bath Products Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Baby Bath Products Market 2017:1 Beiersdorf2 Chicco3 Johnson & Johnson4 Mamas and Papas5 Pigeon6 Unilever7 4moms8 Baby Trends9 Brevi10 Burt's Bees11 California Baby12 Earth Mama Baby Angel13 Fisher-Price14 Galderma15 Himalaya16 Mothercare17 Mustela18 Noodle and Boo19 PZ Cussons20 Sebapharma21 WeledaBaby Bath Products Market Analysis: By ProductBaby Bath Soaps/WashesBaby Shampoos and ConditionersBaby Bath AccessoriesBaby Bath Products Market Analysis: By ApplicationOnline SalesOffline SalesAt the beginning, the report covers the top Baby Bath Products manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on topographical regions.Further, the Baby Bath Products report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Baby Bath Products industry, Baby Bath Products industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Baby Bath Products Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Buy Complete Report Click Here:The Baby Bath Products research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Baby Bath Products market revenue worldwide.Finally, Baby Bath Products market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News-
Emergency Lighting Market worth 6.68 Billion USD by 2022

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The report "Emergency Lighting Market by Power System (Self-Contained, Central, and Hybrid), Battery Type (Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, LiFePO4, and Lead-Acid), Light Source (Fluorescent, LED, Incandescent, Induction), Offering, Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022", The emergency lighting market is expected to be valued at USD 6.68 Billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.83% between 2017 and 2022. The growth of this market is driven by the combination of emergency lighting with esthetic lighting, booming construction industry globally and the continuous advancements in the upcoming products. Download Informational PDF Brochure :-Browse 61 market data tables and 79 figures spread through 162 pages and in-depth TOC on "Emergency Lighting Market - Global Forecast to 2022"Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports.Market for LiFePO4 battery in emergency lighting expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast periodLiFePO4 stands for lithium-iron phosphate battery. It is a kind of lithium-ion battery which has long life, high temperature resistance and have small volume and light weight. LiFeP04 is becoming the preferred choice for emergency lighting not only because the batteries are physically smaller but also they draw far less power when they are charging. LiFeP04 can also last twice as long as traditional emergency lighting batteries such as nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride. Therefore, they are largely deployed for emergency lighting systems.Emergency lighting market for LED light source expected to grow at the highest rate between 2017 and 2022LEDs are energy-efficient and their price has been declining since the last few years. Therefore, they are largely used for emergency lighting systems. The market for incandescent light is declining because these are often considered as the least energy-efficient type of lighting commonly found in residential buildings. The old-generation light sources are being slowly phased out and LEDs are preferred as they offer a longer working life and also consume less energy.Emergency lighting market in APAC expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast periodThe emergency lighting market is rapidly expanding in APAC. The focus on real estate projects where lighting is a basic requisite is a major driver for the growth of this market. The countries such as India and China within Asia Pacific are still seeing rapid urbanization. Hence, the overall growth and demand for infrastructure is higher compared to Europe and North America.Some of the major players operating in the emergency lighting market are Philips Lighting Holding B.V. (Netherlands), Hubbell Lighting Inc. (US), Cooper Industries (Ireland), Schneider Electric SE (France), Emerson (US), Legrand S.A. (France), Acuity Brands (U.S.), Beghelli S.p.A. (Italy), Daisalux (Spain), Zumtobel Group (Austria), OSRAM Licht AG (Germany), Digital Lumens (US), Fulham Co. Inc. (US), Arrow Emergency Lighting Limited (Ireland), Arts Energy (France), and Taurac (US).About MarketsandMarketsMarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.MarketsandMarketss flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.Contact:Mr. RohanMarketsandMarketsUNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZMagarpatta city, HadapsarPune, Maharashtra 411013, India1-888-600-6441Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com
Business Feasibility Study Report (BFSR)

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Get customized Business Feasibility Study Report (BFSR)  For your selected Business Idea/s.This report will give current business/industrial overview of the market, business and market feasibility, technical, legal, sales, marketing, etc. feasibilities; which helps in the decision making process of selecting the profitable and potential business idea. Also comprises the Market Position, Demand, Market Size, Statistics, Market dynamics and Trends. Helps in the identification of problems & opportunities related to that/those idea/s. BFSR helps in determining objectives, describing situations, defining successful outcomes and assessing the range of cost and benefits associated with several alternatives. The feasibility study is conducted during the deliberation phase of business development cycle prior to the commencement of a formal business plan. It is an analytical tool that includes recommendation & limitation, which are utilized to assist the decision makers when determining if the business concept is viable.The Business Feasibility Study is performed on the basis of Industrial Overview, Market Feasibility, Technical Feasibility, Legal feasibility, Sales Feasibility, Infrastructure Feasibility etc. It emphases on Market Position, Demand, Market Size, Statistics, Market dynamics and Trends. This report provides a comprehensive business feasibility analysis and help you to take decision of starting up business.What I will get from this report? It will give you brief idea about the business. It will give you knowledge on technical, commercial aspects of the business. It will give you information required budget, daily expenses and profitability. It will provide you market related information.Key questions answered in this report:- What is the feasibility of starting the business? What are the most important affecting factors? Which are the high growth market segments? What are the requirements for starting the business? What are the market forecasts and estimates for next 5 years? What are the major drivers, trends, restrains, threats, and opportunities?All these and many more question will be answered in these reports with detailed information.Why one should get this innovative report? This is the most innovative format of the report which helps you take the decision about business idea on the basis of information provided in. Most systematically researched and constructed report. Prepared by the experts and professionals from the industry.How I can order this report? You can ask for all business planning reports related to subject. Drop a line about your interest to info@meticulousbizsol.com OR fill up the inquiry form.About Meticulous Business Solutions Private LimitedMeticulous Business Solutions is founded in 2013 and incorporated as Meticulous Business Solutions Private Limited in 2016 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 2013. Since its incorporation, the company has become the provider of premium Start-Up Consultations in India.MBSPLs is having very conscientious team of business experts. With the meticulous techniques and, analyzing capability, we have built a great reputation in analyzing the current market needs and feasibility of a business, potential & profitable business variants & the actual process from start to end, to start a business. We at MBSPL, work with you closely to understand your dream business, right from its conceptualization to its commercialization. We help you to setup your dream business and help you to bridge the gaps in the process of making it reality with our meticulously designed and uniquely crafted solutions. We are dedicated to nurture and promote entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurship challenges, which we face, are complex, but our understanding of its intricacies has grown and continues to grow considerably.Today, business needs are constantly evolving due to the quickened pace of development in our society. Thus, it is essential to meet customer requirements continually and that should be reliable, beneficial and inspirational to society. So, we are here to Shape Your Ideas.We understand the initial decision-making process of starting a new business and, would like to assure you that we do have all the expertise and capabilities for planning your business venture. If you need any further information, clarification or guidance then please feel free to revert. We will be happy to consult you.Meticulous Business Solutions Private Limited.Call to : +91 992 167 1578Connect at: info@meticulousbizsol.comSearch to :Visit at : Office 402, Fourth Floor, Pushpak Business Hub,Near Bhumkar Chowk, Wakad, Pune - 411057
Global Touch Screen Switches Market, Research Report Forecast upto 2022

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Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence announces publication of a new report: Global Touch Screen Switches Market- Forecasts from 2017 to 2022.This research report segments the Global Touch Screen Switches Market By Type (Electromotion Curtains Switches, Light Switches, Wall Switch, Integration Switches, Audio Switch, Intelligent Air-conditioning Control Switch), Application ( Commercial, Residential), Geography (Americas, Europe Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific). The report provides in-depth and most accurately anticipated forecasts in a quantitative manner.Some of the major Global Touch Screen Switches companies covered in the report are Legrand, YIL Electronic, Deriq, Oulu, AVE s.p.a, and Gira.Sample request or complete report can be purchased through the link below:This 90 pages report contains a wide range of figures and data tables for the forecasted period based on the segmentations listed above.Brief TOC is as below: Market Dynamics Segmentation By Type Electromotion Curtains Switches Light Switches Wall Switch Integration Switches Audio Switch Intelligent Air-conditioning Control Switch By Application Commercial Residential By Geography AmericasO North AmericaO South America Europe Middle East and AfricaO EuropeO Middle East and Africa Asia Pacific Competitive Intelligence Profiles of key companiesKnowledge Sourcing Intelligence is a market research and consulting firm based out of India. Driven by industry experts, the company provides syndicated reports, custom research, and consulting services. Our proprietary data analytics model blended with quality primary and secondary research data assists in generating quality reports providing crucial insights to managers and decision makers. The services offered by us help companies to gain required competitive edge. Our expertise across 10 industries such as ICT, Chemicals, Semiconductors, Healthcare among others caters to diverse client needsKnowledge Sourcing IntelligenceAscent Business CenterH-38, Sector 63NOIDA, IndiaContact: +1-866-714-4587
Building Information Modeling Market : Key Trends and Forecast Research Report 2025

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Global Building Information Modeling Market: OverviewBuilding information modeling (BIM) is a process based on intelligent 3D modeling that helps in the more efficient management, construction, designing, and planning of infrastructure and buildings. BIM allows construction, engineering, and architecture professionals to gain a decisive insight and get equipped with powerful tools for streamlining their projects. BIM is considered effective in upgrading a projects work quality and productivity and complying with commercial and government BIM mandates.Global Building Information Modeling Market: Key TrendsThe adoption of BIM is expected to have a positive impact on the construction sector and eventually on the world BIM market owing to some desirable advantages. These could be related to improvement in the coordination and communication practiced all through the asset lifecycle management process. The world BIM market is also expected to win traction on account of mandates regarding the application of BIM imposed by governments in developed nations. Other factors that could raise the growth bar for the world BIM market include the benefits of enhanced productivity and optimized project performance promised on the back of the adoption of BIM.Request Sample Copy of the Report @For the forecast period 20172025, the industrial application is prognosticated to expand at a telling rate in the world BIM market. The industrial sector could draw lucrative growth opportunities for the world BIM market because of the adoption of BIM making possible digital prototyping simulation and analysis which help shorten the construction period. This allows construction projects to reduce risks and regularly upgrade productivity. BIM software pampering construction projects with the benefits of design modeling and fulfillment of their demand for economical processes are anticipated to set the tone for a powerful growth in the world BIM market.Global Building Information Modeling Market: Market PotentialThe gargantuan data center worth US$1.0 bn of Facebook, Inc. is expected to implement the technological merger of BIM software and real-time drone photos making a 3D collage by DPR Construction. This is envisaged to add value to the building procedure, according to the technology integration manager of the construction company. The company will employ licensed pilots to fly drones for calculating dirt levels and other progress in the construction process. The drone technology will also be implemented to construct the second phase of the campus.Request TOC of the Report @Global Building Information Modeling Market: Regional OutlookDuring the forecast period, the leading share in the international BIM market is predicted to be earned by North America. The key factors empowering the rise of the North America BIM market could be the ballooning awareness about the advantages of BIM among contractors and constructors and steadfast residential and commercial constructions. Industrial, civil infrastructure, and building applications in the international BIM market could showcase dominance while helping Europe to grab a larger share following North America.The high cost of BIM software and tools increasing the overall cost of projects could bruise the demand of the international BIM market. However, participants are foreseen to achieve profits against the odds in the international BIM market through strategic partnerships and robust distribution network. Autodesk, Inc., a U.S. company, is a ruling provider of software solutions in the international BIM market which serves the real estate, industrial, construction management, and architecture sectors.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Building Information Modeling Market: Competitive LandscapeBesides strategic collaborations, companies operating the worldwide BIM market are prophesied to focus on the development of advanced technologies such as next-gen platforms and continued expansion in emerging regions. Lately, Autodesk, Inc. has partnered with Qatar Rail, Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd., and NASA Ames Research Center and is looking to stride forward while riding on technological advancements in 3D modeling. Some of the top companies in the worldwide BIM market are Asite Ltd., Bentley System, Inc., Trimble Navigation Limited, and Nemetschek SE.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Neousys Launches Nuvis-5306RT Series, A Machine Vision Controller with Intel 6th Gen. Core i7/i5 Processor Featuring Vision-Specific I/O, Real-Time Control and GPU-Computing

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Neousys Technology, a leader in machine vision controller, today launched Nuvis-5306RT series featuring Intel 6th Gen Core i7/i5 processor paired with Intel Q170 Platform Controller Hub. It is the worlds first fully featured machine vision controller in a compact footprint that integrates exceptional computing power, built-in camera interfaces and real-time vision-specific I/O controls.Nuvis-5306RT provides a powerful machine vision platform with integrated LED lighting controller, camera trigger, encoder input, pulse width modulation (PWM) output and digital I/O, to simultaneously connect and control all vision devices. With Neousys patented technologies, Deterministic Trigger I/O (DTIO) and NuMCU (based on MCU-based architecture), they manage all vision-specific I/Os and allow users to program a deterministic timing correlation between input and output signals in microsecond scale. In addition, the innovative NuMCU technology grants users full control of MCU by integrating programming environment, run-time download/debug capability, to achieve comprehensive I/O control.Nuvis-5306RT features rich I/Os that include four IEEE 802.3at PoE, four USB 3.0, four USB 2.0, one VGA, two DisplayPorts, three serial COM, one mic-in and one speaker-out ports. In addition, Nuvis-5306RT can also accommodate an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950/ 1050 to leverage CPU-accelerated vision library or deep-learning vision applications. Combining built-in PoE+, USB 3.0 interfaces and the expandability for Camera Link and CoaXPress, Nuvis-5306RT is the ideal platform for demanding machine vision controller applications.In 2017, Nuvis-5306RT won the bronze award for Vision Systems Design Innovators Award. For more information, please visitBased in Taiwan, Neousys Technology is a provider of fanless embedded computers. We offer high performance and reliable products with innovative design. With an experienced engineering team, application-oriented features are integrated into our embedded systems. Our products serve as ideal solutions for automation, machine vision, in-vehicle, transportation, GPU computing, surveillance and video analytics.Neousys Technology Inc.15F., No.868-3, Zhongzheng Rd.Zhonghe Dist., New Taipei City 23586, Taiwan ( R.O.C.)
Electronic Toll Collection Market : Comprehensive Analysis and Future Estimations 2025

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Global Electronic Toll Collection Market: OverviewElectronic toll collection (TEC) systems are devices that enable the central management of toll operations via a single integrated solution. Eliminating delay on highways and roadways, the system ensures that toll payment is made electronically in a hassle-free manner.The global electronic toll collection system market can be segmented by application, region, product type, and technology. By product type, the global market for electronic toll collection can be segmented into antennae, treadles, transponders, weigh-in-motion devices, film storage devices, cameras, communication systems, and scanning devices. By technology, the market can be categorized into global positioning system (GPS), dedicated short range communications (DSRC), radio-frequency identification, and global navigation satellite system (GNSS).Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Electronic Toll Collection Market: Key TrendsAs these systems eliminate manual operations by toll receivers and payers, the demand for electronic toll collection is likely to witness an upsurge. Cashless transactions offered by electronic toll collection systems do not only save travel time, but also minimizes traffic congestion near toll collection booths across roads and highways. Electronic toll collection systems offer cost-efficient solutions that are faster too. The need for multiple toll plazas is ruled out owing to the installation of electronic toll collection systems, saving additional costs. However, high dependence on government funding and high installation costs of these devices might restrain the growth of the market.Global Electronic Toll Collection Market: Market PotentialA number of emerging economies are increasingly addressing the need to adopt time and cost efficient electronic toll collection systems throughout the major cities. For instance, in India, the National Payments Corporation of India has been encouraging several highways to install electronic toll collection systems with a view to increase digital payments across the country, supporting the cashless economy initiative of the government.Request TOC of the Report @Nearly 14-16% of the toll collection in the country has been converted into electronic mediums, with the transaction number rising up to 7 million per month, reported the National Electronic Toll Collection in April 2017. The availability of advanced, easy, and convenient digital platforms for payment such as BharatQR and Samsung Pay has eliminated the waiting time required for card swipes.Similarly, in April 2017, the Transport Minister of Vietnam ordered swift installations of electronic toll collection equipment across the major highways of the country. Malaysia is another nation which has been promoting the adoption of electronic toll collection systems via its PLUS highways that offer cashless, fully electronic payments. Features such as Touch n Go Card, PlusMiles Card, and SmartTag have enabled smooth transactions, ensuring that 600 vehicles can pass through a TnG lane per hour, compared to 180 vehicles per hour that previously paid manually.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Electronic Toll Collection Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global market for electronic toll collection market can be segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to advance at a rapid pace due to the growing demand for safe, efficient, and secure toll collection infrastructure. The growing demand for electronic toll collection systems in Asia Pacific can be attributed to favorable government policies, growing investments in infrastructural development, and increasing adoption of automation across several regions. Singapore, India, Malaysia, China, and Thailand are expected to represent a large slice of revenue of the overall market.Global Electronic Toll Collection Market: Competitive AnalysisCubic Transportation Systems, Inc., 3M, EFKON AG, Kapsch TrafficCom, Xerox Corporation, Q-Free, Toll Collect GmbH, TransCore, Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co., Ltd., Transurban Limited, VaaaN, Raytheon Company, and Schneider Electric SE are some of the leading companies operating in the global electronic toll collection market.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Veterinary Diagnostics Market : Market Trends and Key Developments 2017 - 2025

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Global Veterinary Diagnostics Market: OverviewProvision of diagnostic medical testing to detect the presence of toxins, infectious agents, and causes of diseases is crucial in the control and prevention of infectious diseases. Advanced diagnostic capabilities are especially of high importance, partially because animals cannot express what is wrong with them. A wide range of tests on urine, blood, sampled tissue, and feces are made available by veterinary diagnostics centers.The global veterinary diagnostics market can be segmented by technology, region, product, animal type, and end user. By technology, the market can be categorized into immunodiagnostics, molecular diagnostics, clinical biochemistry, hematology, and urinalysis.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Veterinary Diagnostics Market: Key TrendsAs the number of pet owners worldwide has been multiplying rapidly, the demand for veterinary diagnostics is expected to soar. Veterinary diagnostics is used in the diagnosis and treatment of different medical conditions such as allergies, bacteria, fertility issues, diabetes, and viruses that affect cats, dogs, and other pets as well as cows, pigs, bullocks, sheep, poultry, and goats.Cancer, anemia, rabies, canine adenovirus type-1, tapeworm, heartworm, roundworm, and diseases of the endocrine function are also tested using veterinary diagnostics. Recent advancements in technology offer low cost, speedy, and highly sensitive testing capacities. Easy usage, handling, transportation, and storage, and elimination of the need for refrigeration promises considerable growth of the market.Global Veterinary Diagnostics Market: Market PotentialOutbreak of cattle diseases worldwide has been necessitating the adoption of veterinary diagnostics on a global scale. For instance, in April 2017, the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory reported that five beef cattle herds across three counties were tested positive for Trichomoniasis, an extremely contagious, sexually transmitted disease.Request TOC of the Report @Similarly, Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries (MALF) has undertaken a program to control and prevent livestock diseases in the region. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (FAO) funded consumables and equipment to Tanzania for the same.Furthermore, a number of organizations and agencies have been addressing the issue of zoonotic diseases and the threat posed by them to human health. For instance, The Asean Sectoral Working Group on Livestock (ASWGL), in a meeting conducted on 27 April, 2017, stated its initiatives addressing the socio-economic impact of animal diseases. It has been formulating, developing, and implementing strategic mechanism and frameworks both at the regional and national levels.The market for veterinary diagnostics has been witnessing a number of product launches, acquisitions, collaborations, and mergers. For instance, in April 2017, Calbiotech group of companies, a prominent manufacturer and developer of immunoassays was acquired by Erba Diagnostics Mannheim.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Veterinary Diagnostics Market: Regional OutlookBy geography, the global veterinary diagnostics market can be segmented into Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, North America, and Europe. Of these, North America emerged as the leading segment of the global veterinary diagnostics market, thanks to the augmenting demand for animal-derived food products such as diary and meat. The veterinary diagnostics market in Asia Pacific is also advancing at a steady pace. The growing spending on animal healthcare, increasing animal population, and rising concerns and awareness pertaining to zoonotic diseases has been fuelling the market for veterinary diagnostics in Asia Pacific.Global Veterinary Diagnostics Market: Competitive LandscapeThe global market for veterinary diagnostics is highly fragmented in terms of competition. Neogen Corporation, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc, Heska Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., URIT Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., Abaxis, Inc., Randox Laboratories Ltd., IDVet, QIAGEN N.V., Mindray Medical International Limited, Eurolyser Diagnostica GmbH, BPC Biosed srl, Zoetis, Inc., and Virbac are some of the leading companies operating in the global market for veterinary diagnostics.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Banasthali Vidyapith among top ranking in India Today Best Universities Survey

Banasthali Vidyapith among top ranking in India Today Best Universities Survey

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Every year during June, temperatures keep rising not only due to heat but also due to best Universities and college surveys / rankings released by four decades old India Today magazine whose circulation and readership run into millions.Over the years, the India Today Groups annual Best Universities survey has emerged as the most authoritative commentary on higher education in the country and according to Aroon Purie Editor India Today Our rankings have become the benchmark for academic standards in India".The Best Universities Survey conducted by leading market research group Nielsen, generated a list of 500 universities and put 600 experts across the country to rank the universities by distributing 100 points across various parameters. The expert opinions determined the perceptual rank of the university. The factual rank was generated by aggregating the actual data on various parameters provided by the universities. By giving 50 percent weight to the perceptual rank and factual rank, the final rankings were arrived and the overall score was indexed to 100.In the recently released Best Universities Survey by India Today, based on Reputation, Quality of academic input, Faculty, Research Publications & Projects, Student care, Infrastructure, Innovation and Governance, Admission Procedure, Placement prospects, Global exposure and students security. Banasthali Vidyapith features in 17th position and is the only womens University in the top 30. It is indeed a matter of pride that Banasthali also is in 4th position in this survey among private universities.Every educational institution in India today has a name but it is undisputable that only very few like Banasthali have a legacy. The humble Vidyapith which started on 06 October 1935 with 5 students today stands with 15000 students drawn from various parts of India and abroad as the largest fully residential womens university in the world offering a variety of programmes The Undergraduate / Post Graduate / Doctoral programmes offered at Banasthali University include Humanities & Social Sciences, Education, Science & Technology, Fine Arts, Design, Management, Mathematics & Applied Computer Technology, Home Science, Earth Science, Legal Studies and Pharmacy. Banasthalis daughters who are indeed alumni with a difference can be found in all latitudes, longitudes and altitudes across the globe in public life, sports, social work, corporate, civil services, aviation, health care, fine arts, ICT, Cinema, Mass media & journalism, classical music etc.For more details including admissions, seeAbout Banasthali: The Institution has played a big role in revolutionizing womens education in the country for the last eight decades with a belief that there is a tremendous role of higher education in empowering the women. Banasthali has scripted numerous success stories in a wide range of fields, and stands tall among the citadels of learning in India today. Team Banasthali with Vice Chancellor J C Bose Memorial Award for eminent scientist recipient Prof Aditya Shastri a highly acclaimed alumnus of BITS Pilani, SUNY State University of New York Stony Brook and MIT USA is indeed racing forward to be the very best among global women universities.Banasthali UniversityP.O. Banasthali VidyapithRajasthan  304022Phone 91 1438 228456 / 228341Email: info@banasthali.ac.inWebsite:Facebook:
Global Baby Toiletries Market Overview

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According to a new report Global Baby Toiletries Market (2016-2022), published by KBV Research, the global Baby Toiletries Market is expected to attain a market size of $90.8 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period.The Europe market would attain market value of $1,832.4 million by 2022 in Global Hair Care Products Market by Region. The LAMEA market is expected to witness a CAGR of 8.3% during (2016  2022). Additionally, The North America market is expected to witness a CAGR of 8.1% during (2016  2022).The Offline Sale market dominated the Global Baby Toiletries Market by Mode of Sale in 2015, and would continue to be a dominant market till 2022. The Online Sale market is expected to witness a CAGR of 11.2% during (2016  2022).The Disposable Diapers market dominated the Global Baby Toiletries Market by Diapers Type in 2015, and would continue to be a dominant market till 2022. The Swim Pants market is expected to witness a CAGR of 7.6% during (2016  2022).The report has exhaustive quantitative insights providing a clear picture of the market potential in various segments across the globe with country wise analysis in each discussed region. The key influencing factors of the global Baby Toiletries have been discussed in the report along with the elaborated company profiles of The Clorox Company, California Baby, Inc., Cotton Babies, Inc., Artsana Group, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble Co., Kimberly- Clark Corporation, and Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget Company.Full report Global Baby Toiletries SegmentationBy TypeDiapersDisposable DiapersCloth DiapersSwim PantsOthersSkin Care ProductsHair Care ProductsBaby Bath ProductsBaby WipesOthersBy Mode of SaleOnline SaleOffline SaleBy GeographyNorth America Baby Toiletries MarketUS Baby Toiletries MarketCanada Baby Toiletries MarketMexico Baby Toiletries MarketRest of North America Baby Toiletries MarketEurope Baby Toiletries MarketGermany Baby Toiletries MarketUK. Baby Toiletries MarketFrance Baby Toiletries MarketRussia Baby Toiletries MarketSpain Baby Toiletries MarketItaly Baby Toiletries MarketRest of Europe Baby Toiletries MarketAsia-Pacific Baby Toiletries MarketChina Baby Toiletries MarketJapan Baby Toiletries MarketIndia Baby Toiletries MarketSouth Korea Baby Toiletries MarketSingapore Baby Toiletries MarketAustralia Baby Toiletries MarketRest of Asia-Pacific Baby Toiletries MarketLAMEA Baby Toiletries MarketBrazil Baby Toiletries MarketArgentina Baby Toiletries MarketUAE Baby Toiletries MarketSaudi Arabia Baby Toiletries MarketSouth Africa Baby Toiletries MarketNigeria Baby Toiletries MarketRest of LAMEA Baby Toiletries MarketCompanies ProfiledThe Clorox CompanyCalifornia BabyCotton Babies, Inc.Artsana GroupJohnson & JohnsonProcter & Gamble Co.Kimberly- Clark CorporationSvenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget CompanyUnique Offerings from KBV ResearchExhaustive coverage of Global Baby Toiletries MarketHighest number of market tables and figuresUnique Market Research & Analytics Tool to provide instant comparative analysis within the reportSubscription based model availableFree of cost quarterly updatesGuaranteed best priceAssured post sales research support with 10% customization freeRelated Reports-North America Baby Toiletries Market (2016-2022)Latin America, Middle East and Africa Baby Toiletries Market (2016-2022)Europe Baby Toiletries Market (2016-2022)Asia-Pacific Baby Toiletries Market (2016-2022)Contact us:4F - CS - 27, Ansal PlazaSector - 1, Vaishali - 201010Delhi NCR, Ghaziabad, IndiaTel: 0120-4968631 / +91-9990696033Email : info@kbvresearch.comLike us:Tweet us:Pin us:Like:Knowledge Based Value Research is a global brand and consulting firm serving all kinds of business verticals, government and non-governmental organizations, and not-for-profit organizations.Our motto is to extend our services that will have a lasting impact on our clients who trust us with their business goals.4F - CS - 27, Ansal PlazaSector - 1, Vaishali - 201010Delhi NCR, Ghaziabad, India
Integrated Passive Devices Market: Industry Analysis, Opportunity Assessment and Forecast upto 2025

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Global Integrated Passive Devices Market: OverviewIntegrated passive devices are gaining popularity due to soaring needs for further reduction in size and cost and increment in functionality in handheld devices. These devices enable miniaturization of devices by combining different functional blocks, including couplers, impedance matching devices, harmonic filters, and baluns, and integrating them into one semiconductor chip. There are primarily three types of integrated passive devices, which are electrostatic discharge (ESD), electromagnetic interference (EMI), and radio frequency (RF). They find application in LED lighting, data converters, and EMI/RFI filtering. The report provides a 360-degree view of the global integrated passive devices market.Global Integrated Passive Devices Market: Key TrendsThe rising adoption of integrated passive devices in consumer electronics is one of the primary forces behind the remarkable growth of the global integrated passive devices market. Integrated passive devices are being increasingly acknowledged due to their ability to reduce costs and interconnection complexities in electronic devices and enhancing yield, reliability, and tolerance. The increasing integration of these devices with RF modules is also working in favor of the market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @On the flip side, the higher cost of these devices as compared to discrete component is restricting the global integrated passive devices market from realizing its utmost potential. Moreover, the longer product design cycle due to the RF tuning of these devices is negatively impacting the growth of the market.Global Integrated Passive Devices Market: Market PotentialA raft of players are bonking on mergers and acquisitions to strengthen their product portfolio and enhance their visibility in the global integrated passive devices market. A case in point is Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., (Murata), which in October 2016 announced the acquisition of IPDiA. The acquisition will help the former in stepping up its game in the market and also strengthen its business within the sectors such as automotive, communication, and medical. Moreover, it will facilitate them in manufacturing leading edge integrated passive devices. The introduction of such devices is likely to revolutionize the global integrated passive devices market.Request TOC of the Report @Global Integrated Passive Devices Market: Geographical SegmentationThe key regions reviewed in the report are North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Europe will represent a substantial share in the global arena. A large number of integrated passive devices manufacturers are headquartered in the region. Moreover, the early adoption of novel technologies and strong demand for wearable devices and consumer electronics are creating fertile ground for the growth of the integrated passive devices market in the region.Asia Pacific is a highly promising market. The rapid development in the telecommunication infrastructure and rising demand for consumer electronics and communication devices are supplementing the growth of the region. Emerging countries such as South Korea, India, and China will be the sights of high growth rate in the region.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Integrated Passive Devices Market: Competitive LandscapeThe majority of large players in the global integrated passive devices market are investing sizeable funds in research and development activities to introduce advanced and innovative products, which will help them in staying ahead in the market. Companies are also focusing towards mergers and acquisitions to expand and diversify their product portfolio. Some of the prominent global participants in the market are On Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies AG, Stats ChipPAC, Amkor Technology Inc., Murata-IPDiA, STMicroelectronics, Onchip Devices, and AFSC.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Europe and North America to Dominate Global Baby Diapers Market

Global Baby Diapers Market - Strategic Assessment and Forecast 2017-2022

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Baby diapers are underwear that are used by babies who are not unable to use/sit on potty seats. They are usually used for the babies in the age group of 04 years. They are made up of cloth, synthetic, organic materials, and absorbent chemicals. There are five basic types of baby diapers: disposable, cloth, training, swim, and bio-degradable.The diapers market has the highest penetration rate with more than 95% in some developed countries such as North America and Europe. According to a recent report published by Beige Market Intelligence on the global baby diapers market, Europe and North America together account for approximately 57% and 51% of the global market in terms of revenue and unit sales.Why are developed markets of North America and Europe dominating the market? What are the driving factors? What is the scenario in other regions?View details:Global Baby Diapers Market  Strategic Assessment and Forecast 20172022The global baby diapers market  strategic assessment and forecast 20172022 provides a detailed study of the market and includes comprehensive answers to the above-mentioned questions.Order a Free Sample:Baby Diapers Market Growth in North AmericaThe baby diapers market in North America has been experiencing stagnation over the past few years due to decrease in birth rates and maturity in the market. The vendors in the market generate revenue from growing young immigrant population. However, there are non-profit organizations such as the National Diaper Bank in the US, which aids in filling the gap of insufficient supply to the low-income group. The US is the largest market in North America and is expected to grow faster than the overall diapers market in North America. Also, the penetration and usage rate in the US is much higher than APAC and Latin America.Major DriversIncreasing health awareness, declining infant mortality rate, and growing women participation in workforce are driving the demand in the US as well as in North America.Major Vendors in the regionThe diapers market in North America is dominated by Kimberly-Clark and P&G. These two companies together captured almost three-fourths of the market share.Key Countries US CanadaView details: Global Baby Diapers Market  Strategic Assessment and Forecast 20172022Baby Diapers Market in EuropeThe diapers market in Europe is competitive and almost saturated. Declining birth rate, decreasing fertility rates and lack of product innovation will make the market competitive. The European market will be dominated by single-use disposable diapers, and this segment will constitute more than 70% of the total expenditure.Major DriversIncreasing literacy rate among women and booming online baby specialty store are the major factors driving the market in the region.Major Vendors in the RegionKimberly-Clark has a manufacturing unit in Russia. SCA, another major player, sells its product under the brand name, Libero, and has a manufacturing plant in Russia.Key Countries UK RussiaThe report also includes the market analysis of different regions such as APAC, Europe, Latin America, MEA, and North America. The report also profiles all major companies in the global baby diapers market and provides the competitive landscape and market shares of key players. It covers the entire market outlook regarding the value chain operating within the market.Following are key vendors in the global monitors market: Kimberly-Clark Procter & Gamble (P&G) SCA UnicharmOther Prominent vendors mentioned in the report are Cotton Babies, Medtronic, Drylock Technologies, First Quality, The Natural Baby Company, Medline Industries, Ontex International, Wipro Consumer Care (WCCLG), Lodestone Brands, Hain Celestial Group, Kao, INDEVCO, Hayat Kimya, First Quality Enterprises, DSG International, Abdullah Shamsan Group,Related Report: Sanitary Protection Market in China  Strategic Assessment and Forecast 2017-2022Global Vape Market (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer)  Strategic Assessment and Forecast  Till 2021Source Link:Beige Market Intelligence: We are a new-age provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry. Beige Market Intelligence is a quality driven high end Market Research organization. Our team of experts ensure the analysis you receive is not just analyzed and smartly presented, but is completely customized based on the clients requirement. Our deliverables guarantee our current global client base does not look beyond Beige when it comes to any kind of industry and market analysis.Beige Market IntelligenceBTM, Bangalore-560076Mail: contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473
RECORDER REPORT



KARACHI: The local cotton market on Thursday remained sluggish. Market sources told that trading volume remained very low because textile sector is not taking interest in buying of cotton amid increasing threats of lock down during the third wave of coronavirus



Cotton Analyst Naseem Usman told Business Recorder ICE cotton futures fell by over 1% on Wednesday, tracking a retreat in core grains markets from multi-year highs, with focus turning to a weekly export sales report.



Cotton contracts for July were down 1.34 cents, or 1.5%, to 90.08 cents per lb by 12:22 EDT (1622 GMT). Prices touched their highest since March 1 on Tuesday.



US corn, soybeans, and wheat had a huge correction yesterday and into last night, and said Keith Brown, principal at cotton brokers Keith Brown and Co in Georgia.



Further, unexpected deliveries received against the May cotton contract amid the current perceived strength in demand was a negative, Brown added.



Prices of key grains fell on Wednesday, retreating from eight-year highs struck a day earlier as the market assessed the extent of weather risks that had fanned the recent run-up in prices.



They had already ended lower on Tuesday as the rally lost momentum following the intraday peaks. Market participants await a weekly export sales report from the US Department of Agriculture on Thursday. As long as we do 100,000 bales, were going to be in good shape, Brown said.



Vice President Pakistan Central Cotton Committee Dr Muhammad Ali Talpur in its statement said that government has started considering fixing of support price of cotton and farmer will very soon listen good news regarding this. He also said that recently announced package of Rs 10 billion by the government for cotton farmers will be beneficial for the revival of cotton crop in the country.



Pakistan Cotton Ginners Forum Chairmans Dr Jassu Mals Cotton Task Force along with Colonel Baqir (progressive farmer), agriculture department team of Lodhran and team of Agriculture Development Bank Lodhran hold awareness seminar for the farmers regarding increase in the production of cotton. Cotton crop will be cultivated on four thousand acres.



Meanwhile, Indias second wave may drag down new cotton crop planting. The second wave of coronavirus pandemic spreads in India and the major cotton producing areas are also affected. The high infection rate may directly limit the number of people engaged in cotton-related work in the future, and the expansion of the lock-down may affect the supply of materials, such as seed, pesticides, fertilizers and fuels. Under the condition, Indian cotton planting areas and progress may be dragged down this year.



Malik Talat Sohail, Convener of the Regional Standing Committee on Cotton and Textiles of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (FPCCI) lauded the issuance of Kisan Card and appreciated the Prime Ministers announcement of Rs.1000 per sack subsidy on DAP fertilizer during his maiden visit to Multan.



Talat Sohail said that the Prime Minister had disappointed us by not announcing any relief package for cotton. He said that multinational foreign exchange depended on white gold cotton which was also ignored in the Prime Ministers Rs 300 billion agricultural package. Now, even on the occasion of the Prime Ministers visit to Multan, there were hopes from Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding a package to increase cotton production, which were not fulfilled. Once again the policy of increasing cotton production was ignored which is a gross excess and it is beyond comprehension to ignore the crop which is essential for the development of the country, he added.



He said that Provincial Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahanian Gardezi was the only minister who mentioned the importance of cotton in the Prime Ministers ceremony in Multan. We are deeply grateful to him. He further said that Pakistan which used to export its cotton to the world and has become one of the top cotton importing countries in the world which is causing loss of valuable foreign exchange. It is important for the government to realize that an increase in cotton production alone can reduce the countrys debt and create countless jobs at the local level. Malik Sohail once again demanded that the subsidy price of cotton be fixed at Rs 5,000 per quintal immediately so as to create an atmosphere of confidence among the cotton growers. The spot rate remained unchanged at Rs 11300 per maund. The Polyester Fiber was available at Rs 200 per kg.




Pharmacy Automation Market- Industry Analysis by Geography, Components, Competitive Landscape 2017 - 2025

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Global Pharmacy Automation Market: OverviewPharmacy automation is gaining steady traction as it has enabled seamless operations of innumerable tasks in pharmacies and healthcare industry. Introduction of automation has ensured lesser number of errors in medication management, thereby ensuring patient safety. Analysts predict that the global pharmacy automation market is likely to grow at a handsome CAGR in the near future institutions and organizations are increasingly focused toward offering patients quality healthcare. Products such as automated medication dispensing systems are likely to be popular due to their accuracy and timely dispensing of medications of patients seeking treatment. These systems have significantly reduced the chances of human errors in prescribing dosages and medications.Global Pharmacy Automation Market: Key TrendsThe shifting interest in technology due to growing awareness about its benefits are expected to propel the growth of the global pharmacy automation market in the near future. The pharmacy automation market will be driven by adoption on automation systems such as medication dispensing systems, packaging and labeling systems, table-top counters and compounding systems, and storage and retrieval systems among others in the healthcare industry. The increasing understanding about benefits of using these systems such as better productivity and efficiency and lower rate of errors has led to higher investments in automation of pharmacies.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The improving healthcare infrastructure in developing countries of China, India, and Brazil has opened up a plethora of growth opportunities for the global market. The rise of the medical tourism industry in developing countries and massive untapped medical needs have offered the pharmacy automation market a significant scope for growth in these regions.Global Pharmacy Automation Market: Market PotentialProduct innovation and upgradation are the key strategies being adopted by players in the global pharmacy automation market to stay ahead of the intensifying competition. Recently, Omnicell, Inc. announced that users of its AcuDose-Rx Automated Dispensing Cabinets will now be able to upgrade the product to XT Series, while using the installed software. The new improvements will allow users to have better security, capacity, and speed for its dispensing cabinets. The customers will be able to enjoy added benefits such as Guiding Lights that help the user reach the exact locations of medications in the cabinet and smart drawer designs that will have metal locking lids for better security and capacity. The company plans to continue adding products to its portfolio that will increase operational efficiency in the long-run to retain and expand their consumer base.Request TOC of the Report @Global Pharmacy Automation Market: Regional OutlookFrom a geographic point of view, the global pharmacy automation market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. According to the research report, North America held the largest share in the global market and is expected to dominate the global market dynamics in the coming years. The well-established healthcare infrastructure that has upped the number of prescriptions in the region are fuelling the growth of the North America pharmacy automation market. The regional market is also being driven by the growing pool of geriatrics and focus toward improving efficiency in healthcare management. Emerging economies in Latin America and Asia Pacific are also expected to show a steady growth in the global pharmacy automation market in the near future. The increasing investments in healthcare, widening patient pool, and growing demand for quality care are expected to fuel the growth of the pharmacy automation market in the developing regions.Key Players Mentioned in this Report are:The leading players operating in the global pharmacy automation market are Becton, Dickinson, and Company, Cerner Corporation, Omnicell, Inc., Capsa Healthcare, Parata Systems LLC, ScriptPro LLC, Baxter International, Inc., KUKA AG, TCGRx Pharmacy Workflow Solutions, ARxIUM Inc., Talyst systems LLC, and RxSafe, LLC.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Smart Meters Market : Industry Analysis, Future Growth, Business Prospects and Global Forecast to 2025

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Global Smart Meters Market: OverviewSmart meters are electronic devices that keep track of electric energy, gas, and water consumption in uniform time intervals and sends the information digitally to utility for monitoring and billing. They have been designed to better understand energy usage and ensure accurate energy bills. Besides this, they are also effective in controlling the levels of radioactive emissions in the eco-system. Smart meters are used for electricity, gas, and water and can be deployed across residential, industrial, and commercial sectors. These meters use technologies such as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and automatic meter reading (AMR).Global Smart Meters Market: Key TrendsGovernment policies are playing a vital role in the growth of the global smart meters market. The ever-rising demand for energy in form of electricity is compelling governments worldwide to pay attention to not just its production and transmission but also keep a check on losses due to theft and leakage. This is promoting the installations of smart meters across the globe. In addition, the growing emphasis on energy and water conservation is augmenting the market. The global smart meters market is also supported by the increasing deployment of smart grid. Furthermore, the rising awareness regarding environment conservation is stoking the growth of the global market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @On the flip side, the lack of awareness among consumers is limiting the widespread adoption of smart meters. Moreover, the high cost of installation makes end users less willing to switch to these meters from traditional meters, thereby hampering the growth prospects of the market.Global Smart Meters Market: Market PotentialThe majority of key players in the global smart meters market are enjoying the encouraging policies by governments in several parts of the world to set up smart meters. For instance, with the digitization of the Energy Turnaround Act in July 2016 in Germany, the legislation established guidelines for initial smart meter rollout, which is set to begin in 2017. These guidelines lay the foundation for a new phase in Energiewende. Similarly, in the U.K. in July 2016, British Gas decided to offer free daytime electricity for one day per weekend to over 2 million customers who had smart meters deployed. Such initiatives encourage people around the world to deploy smart meters, thereby boosting the sales.Request TOC of the Report @Global Smart Meters Market: Geographical SegmentationThe North America market for smart meters is a highly lucrative marketplace for global participants. Continuous efforts by governments to improve the infrastructure pertaining to electricity, water, and gas supply along with deployment of devices that monitor and prevent their leakage are escalating the growth of the region. Governments in several parts of the U.S., and Mexico are rolling out smart meters at subsidized prices, which in turn is encouraging the growth of the market in North America.Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is an emerging market. The robust growth of the industrial sector and the pressing need for reliable systems to address growing electricity and water scarcity are driving the region. Besides this, the increasing investments in repairing and upgrading aging infrastructure and the booming concept of smart city are supplementing the growth of APAC.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Smart Meters Market: Competition ScenarioThe high capital investment and technical acumen required for the manufacturing and distribution of smart meters is restricting new players from venturing into the global smart meters market. However, government regulations and strategic partnerships could help new players in overcoming high entry barriers. To deal with the high competitive rivalry, players are resorting to strategies such as product innovation and mergers and acquisitions. Some of the key companies operating in the global smart meters market are Itron Inc., Kamstrup A/S, Holley Metering Ltd., Landis+Gyr, Honeywell International Inc., and Toshiba Corporation.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Surgical Sutures Market By Drivers & Strains, Size and Share, Technology, New Innovations, Future Roadmap

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Global Surgical Sutures Market: OverviewSurgical sutures are medical tools used to stitch open wounds and close the surgical incision. The growing awareness regarding healthcare, especially in low- and middle-income countries is impacting the global market for surgical sutures. On the basis of product, the global surgical sutures market can be bifurcated into non-automated sutures and automated suturing devices. Non-automated sutures can be absorbable and non-absorbable. Similarly, automated devices are disposable and reusable. Based on applications, the market can be segmented into general surgeries, cardiovascular surgeries, orthopedic surgeries, gynecology surgeries, and ophthalmic surgeries.Global Surgical Sutures Market: Key TrendsThe growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and diabetes is leading to the rising number of surgical procedures worldwide. This factor is, thereby, creating a staggering volume of demand for surgical sutures. The increasing focus on research and development activities is facilitating the launch of advanced sutures, which in turn is also working in favor of the market. Besides this, expenditure on the majority of surgical sutures is covered under insurance policies, therefore, the presence of favorable reimbursement scenario is stoking the growth of the market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @On the flip side, the growing preference for minimally invasive surgical procedures is creating a dent in the global demand for surgical sutures. Moreover, the lack of proper sterilization systems in healthcare organizations and presence of a number of substitute wound care management products are impeding the growth of the market.Global Surgical Sutures Market: Market PotentialTo ensure maximum profit, market players are focusing towards the development of innovative and safe sutures. For instance, in September 2016, Mellon Medical unveiled a precision-suturing instrument, Switch, which allows surgeons to suture tubular and layered structures about twice as fast as the traditional technique at reduced risk of complications. This is expected to allow enhanced patient outcome and reduced costs. The international market launch of this instrument is anticipated to happen by 2018. The advent of such suturing devices is likely to work in favor of the global surgical sutures market. The adoption in robotics in suturing procedures is also poised to open new avenues for market players.Request TOC of the Report @Global Surgical Sutures Market: Geographical SegmentationGeographically, North America will account for a large chunk in the revenue pie of the global surgical sutures market. The expanding pool of patients suffering from lifestyle disorders, rapidly growing geriatric population, and conducive healthcare reforms are contributing to the growth of the region. The domicile of a large number of key players also provides a competitive edge to North America over other regions.Asia Pacific is expected to witness healthy growth during the forecast period. Large population base, rising consumer spending on healthcare, and booming medical tourism sector are rendering the region highly opportunistic. The growth of the region can also be attributed to the growing number of people undergoing surgical procedures and improving healthcare infrastructure.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Surgical Sutures Market: Competitive ScenarioKey companies are primarily focusing towards developing absorbable and anti-bacterial sutures, which will help them in enhancing their visibility in the global surgical sutures market. Several players are looking upon mergers and acquisitions as key growth strategies to expand their product portfolio. The market features high competitive rivalry among players in terms of pricing. Some of the prominent participants in the global market are Lotus Surgicals Pvt. Ltd., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Ethicon Inc., DemeTECH Corporation, Medtronic Plc., Smith & Nephew Plc., Sutures India Pvt. Ltd., CP Medical, Boston Scientific Corporation, and Teleflex Medical OEM.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
CFRTP Market trends research and projections for 2017-2024

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Global Market Insights has a new study based report titled "CFRTP Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Germany, UK, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Application Development Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024".Order This Report by calling Global Market Insights, Inc. at 1-888-689-0688 (Toll Free) or 1-302-846-7766.CFRTP Market size is mainly driven by the major construction applications including commercial, industrial, residential and office buildings. Innovations and modern technologies have created a new space for durable and high-performance cladding systems.Request for Detailed Table of Contents of this report@CFRTP Market size is expected to soar at high CAGR during the forecast period. Carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite has wide range of applications in various industries including automotive, aerospace and consumer durables owing to its excellent properties such as strong impact strength, smoke & toxicity and lower weight.Reasons to Buy This Report1. CFRTP Market size & forecast by product & application2. Growth drivers, pitfalls & industry challenges3. Key CFRTP Market growth opportunities & emerging business models4. Competitive benchmarking with market share analysis and company profilesOffice buildings dominated the CFRTP Market size over the forecast timeframe. Stainless steel, anodized aluminum, terracotta, fiber cement, composite and glass materials are used in these systems to protect the buildings. Steel & glass facades and glazed walling systems are often used in multi-storied office buildings to provide natural lightning & shading, weather-tightness and thermal insulation which may drive the industry growth.Prominent drivers of CFRTP market is increasing demand of the product in automotive industry. Growing need for lightweight material in various industries including construction, marine and turbine industry will reinforce the product usage in forecast timeframe.Inquire About to purchase this research report@The CFRTP market Market Report Consists of,1. Methodology and Scope2. Executive Summary3. CFRTP market Industry Insights3.1 Industry segmentation3.2. Industry size, forecast and growth expectations, 2012 - 20233.3. Industry ecosystem analysis3.4. Raw material insights3.5. Technology insights3.6. Regulatory framework3.7. Industry dynamics3.8. Key growth opportunities3.9. Porter's analysis3.10. Company market share, 20153.11. PESTEL analysis3.14. Regional price trends4. CFRTP market Market Product Insights5. CFRTP market Market Application Insights6. CFRTP market Market Regional Insights7. Competitor ProfilesOn the basis of resin type CFRTP market is segmented into, polyamide, polyphenylene sulphide, polycarbonate and polyether ether ketone. It can also be divided on the basis of its manufacturing process into, RTM, compression molding, pultrusion, filament winding, injection molding and layup.Browse CFRTP market report summary@Asia-Pacific is fastest growing in CFRTP market during the expected timeframe owing to its rapid transformation and urbanization.The region is embodied by its fast growing and high-tech construction and automobile industries. Strict government regulations by European government regarding automotive emissions will increase the demand for such products in this industry, in turn, fostering the CFRTP market. The presence of giant manufacturers in automobile industries which include Audi, Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen in the region will propel the compound usage.Asia-Pacific is fastest growing in CFRTP market during the expected timeframe owing to its rapid transformation and urbanization. Various countries in the region including China, Japan and India are witnessing growing automobile industries which will substantially drive the product market.About Global Market Insights, Inc.:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Global Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices Market Trends & Industry Forecast by 2017 - 2025

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Ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) are used in cataract surgery as a viscoelastic solution to create and maintain space in the anterior chamber of the eye. OVDs have generally been used during phacoemulsification, implantation of intraocular lens, to protect corneal endothelium, and as a coating to surgical instruments. OVDs are transparent, gel like viscous substances having elastic properties. OVDs have properties of both fluids and solids. The differentiating feature in OVDs can be because of viscosity, pseudoplasticity, viscoelasticity, and coatability.Obtain Report Details @Rising geriatric population is a major factor driving the global ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market. The global geriatric population has increased from 9.2% in 1990 to 11.7% in 2013 and is expected to increase to 21% in 2050. Moreover, rising diabetic population and growing awareness regarding complications associated with diabetes are likely to fuel the growth of the global ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market. Diabetic people are affected with complications such as diabetic retinopathy and blindness. According to IDF, global prevalence of diabetes is projected to increase from 360 million in 2011 to 550 million by 2030. This is anticipated to propel the ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market. Additionally, high life expectancy and shift toward older average age has led to increased incidence of cataract cases and is expected to contribute to the growth of the global ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market. Along with cataract, increasing incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma are factors driving the market. According to the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research & National Eye Institute, an estimated 0.2 million individuals are affected with AMD in the U.S. and the number of affected individuals is expected to double during the forecast period. However, lack of awareness among people about visual health, shortage of skilled ophthalmologists, and limited availability of screening equipment in the undeveloped countries are factors likely to hamper the growth of global ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market.The global ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market has been segmented based on product type, material used, end-user, and region. In terms of product type, the market has been segmented into cohesive OVD, dispersive OVD, and combined OVD. Cohesive OVDs are long chain, high weight, and high viscosity substance. Dispersive OVDs are short chain, low molecular weight, and have low viscosity. In terms of material used, the ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market has been segmented into sodium hyaluronate, chondroitin sulfate, and methyl cellulose. Based on end-user, the ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market has been segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and eye specialty clinics.In terms of region, the global ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominated the global ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market due to increased awareness and availability of wider treatment options in the region. The U.S. held the largest market share in North America in terms of revenue, followed by Canada. Europe is the second largest market in terms of revenue, with the U.K. and Germany accounting for major share of the market. Asia Pacific is a highly potential market, with emerging countries such as India and China. The market in the region is expected to expand at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Increasing awareness regarding treatment options and rising diabetic population with complications are likely to boost the growth of the market. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are expected to contribute to the growth of the market due to improving economy and rising awareness regarding the disorder.Key players operating in the ophthalmic viscosurgical devices market are Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Carl-Zeiss AG, Novartis International AG (Alcon Inc.), Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Pfizer, Inc., Allergan, Inc., Hyaltech Ltd., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (Bausch + Lomb, Inc.), CIMA Technology, Inc., and Rayner, among others.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:
Well Intervention Market : Industry Analysis, Opportunity Assessment and Forecast upto 2025

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Global Well Intervention Market: OverviewWell intervention refers to assessing the potential of the well towards the end of its lifecycle. Well intervention operations provide an exact and an accurate analysis and diagnostics of the well to better the production levels through repairs and maintenance. The global well intervention market has been growing at a rapid pace due to the skyrocketing demand for energy. The unstoppable pace of urbanization and industrialization has instigated an unending demand for well maintenance, which necessitates timely interventions. The soaring demand for oil and gas is expected to be the key growth driver for the global well intervention market over the forecast period.Global Well Intervention Market: Key TrendsThe report suggests that the global well intervention market is likely to grow at a healthy CAGR due to rising number of deeper water activities as the subsea well count increases. The need for servicing is likely to soar due to increasing number of subsea wells. Rapid technological advancements have enabled production and exploration of oil and gas in extreme weather conditions and in toughest of terrains. This has resulted in depleting shallow water resources, thereby creating a need for well intervention.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Discoveries of newer oil fields and gas reserves have also triggered significant demand for well intervention. Analysts indicate that the demand for better recovery rates will also compel end users to opt for frequent well interventions in developed fields. Factors such as increased water or sand production, scaling in wells, and reduced pressure have been assessed to bolster the growth of the overall market.Global Well Intervention Market: Market PotentialThe fluctuating oil and gas prices across the globe has drastically affected the well intervention companies. To combat the fallout of volatile political conditions that are negatively impacting business, players in the global well intervention market are focusing on mergers and acquisitions to stay strong against the headwinds. For instance, GE Oil & Gas and Baker Hughes' joined hands in 2016 to add value to their product portfolio. The collaboration will be able to offer better intervention services to the aging oilfields. The companies are looking enable consumers to extract more hydrocarbons from current fields instead of developing new fields. This move is aimed at catering to consumers to are looking at making opex-driven decisions.Request TOC of the Report @Global Well Intervention Market: Regional OutlookFrom a geographic point of view, the global well intervention market is segmented into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Of these regional markets, North America well intervention market is expected to lead the pack. Currently, the U.S. holds a dominant share in the regional due to ongoing activities in the shale gas industry. Analysts project that the increasing investments in shale gas in the U.S. are likely to drive the North America well intervention market throughout the forecast period.Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa market is also likely to experience a robust growth rate. Emerging economies of India and China are also likely to offer the global market a plethora of options to grow in the region of Asia Pacific. The burgeoning demand for oil and gas in these developing countries is expected to propel the Asia Pacific well intervention market over the forecast period.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Key Players Mentioned in this Report are:Some of the key players operating in the global well intervention market are Baker Hughes Incorporated, GE Oil & Gas, Schlumberger Limited, Halliburton Company, Weatherford International plc, Archer Limited, Expro International Group Holdings Ltd., Welltec International ApS, Trican Well Service Ltd., TechnipFMC plc, Basic Energy Services, Inc., Key Energy Services, Inc., Superior Energy Services, Inc., and Lupatech SA , among others.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Cellulose Derivative Market Analysis and Value Forecast Snapshot by End-use Industry 2016-2026

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Cellulose is natural polymer present in plants, and cellulose derivative is produced from the pulp. The pulp is basically a fibrous material yielded after separation of cellulose fibres from fibre crops, waste paper or from wood. Naturally, the cellulose derivatives are water insoluble but with chemical process and alterations of the molecules, they are modified into water-insoluble cellulose derivatives. These water-insoluble cellulose derivatives find various applications such as in ceramics. Methylcellulose, cellulose derivative offers uniform thickness, better flow properties, and thermal gelation. Also, Cellulose ethers and cellulose esters which are also cellulose derivatives are widely used in pharmaceutical industries for formulations of health care products. Other pharmaceutical uses of cellulose derivatives include coating processes, mucoadhesive and bioadhesive drug delivery systems, osmotic drug delivery systems etc. Cellulose derivatives are also used in concrete mixtures as an additive, thus protects the water quality throughout construction. The cellulose derivatives are manufactured by various grades depending on the use such as, food grade, pharmaceutical grades, constructions grades etc. Cellulose derivative finds applications even in soaps and shampoos for producing long lasting foam. The cellulose derivatives market is expected to expand significantly during the forecast period due to increasing consumption in the diverse application.Global Cellulose Derivative Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global cellulose derivative market is primarily driven by the increasing demand from pharmaceutical, personal care, and cosmetic industries. Cellulose derivatives offer wide properties such as stabilization, emulsification, reversible thermal gelation etc. These properties are enormously required in the food industry and increasing demand for these functional additive properties propels the global cellulose derivatives market.Request For Report Sample@However, the stringent regulations for cellulose derivative might impact the growth of cellulose derivative market.Global Cellulose Derivative Market: SegmentationOn the basis of cellulose derivative type, cellulose derivative market is segmented into:-Methyl cellulose derivativeCarboxymethyl cellulose derivativeHydroxyethyl cellulose derivativesEthyl cellulose derivativesOthersOn the basis of cellulose derivatives grades, cellulose derivative market is segmented into:-Food gradePharmaceutical gradeIndustrial gradeOn the basis of end use, cellulose derivative market is segmented into:-Food IndustryPharmaceutical IndustryPersonal CareConstructionPaint IndustryOthersGlobal Cellulose derivative Market: Region wise OutlookThe global cellulose derivative market is divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA). APEJ holds the major share in the global cellulose derivative market due increasing consumption in various application such as food industry, construction and pharmaceutical industries. Followed by APEJ is North America and Europe and are expected to grow relatively at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. The global cellulose derivative market is anticipated to expand at a double digit CAGR growth due to expansion of end use industries during the forecast period.Request For TOC@Global Cellulose Derivative Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the global cellulose derivative market includes:Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., LtdLOTTE Fine ChemicalSamsung Fine ChemicalsDaicel Corporation.Akzo Nobel N.V. (Performance additives)Ashland Inc.SE Tylose GmbH & Co. KGCP KelcoShandong Head Europe BVSichuan Nitrocell Co LtdABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Entity Photographic  Introducing Wedding Photography Trends 2017

Entity Photographic has embraced both conventional and latest wedding photography trends beautifully. Using cutting-edge technologies and equipment, the photographers have perfectly toned up the happy occasions. Wedding photography has evolved from just a pose-up portrait to adventurous photo-shoots (underwater, mid-air, highest cliff etc.) Entity has mastered such trends and come up with latest styles to woo the couples. Here introducing are latest 2017 trends which have become the crowds favorite:Drone ShotsDrones and weddings are the perfect combination! They actually help to take overhead pictures of locations, destinations, arrangements or gathering. It helps to create a stunning landscape infused within the essence of modernity. Southampton based Wedding Photographers at Entity are well-aware of such style and executes the whole process effortlessly.Smoke BombsSparklers, smoke bombs or firing crackers are the latest wedding exit trends. Create an impressive trail of photos by lighting off smoke bombs and saying good-bye to your old-bachelor life. The lighting must be magnificent and colors must be vibrant.Boudoir ShootsCouples these days are bold enough to get up-close-and-personal in front of the camera. Boudoir shoots is perfect for such occasion, although offered as per the requirement and comfortable factor. The pictures are stunning and really add a dramatic touch. Collaborating with our smart Wedding Photography expert from Hampshire seems like a convenient deal!Squad-Goals PhotosAs everyone is all dressed up for the evening, why not catching up with your boys gang and capturing all that fun! This gives a break to boring old, cliche portraits and adds a modernized touch. An e.g.? Kardashian-style shoot is something to look up to! Our Southampton based Wedding Photographer is highly skilled and updated with such styles, and smoothly carries out a nice shoot.Wedding Mug ShotsHow cool it would be if you get wedding mug shots done with slates or sign-boards instead of boring poses. Add a personalized twist by customizing the slate and writing some awesome taglines, words or images. Best wedding album ever!Mannequin ChallengesOne of the most trends which gained major attention is Mannequin-styled wedding photo-shoots. Mannequin challenge on Instagram is something which has taken over 2017 big time. Entity has a team of experienced Wedding Photography experts from Hampshire, who knows how to handle and deliver what is expected.Professional Photographers Colin and Kate lead Entity Photographic, and treat every wedding as a special affair. They use their creative flair to decorate every moment within a single frame. A rare combination of conventionalism and modernity is used while approaching every emotion and crafted beautifully to cherish.51B Upton Crescent, NurslingSouthampton, Hampshire, SO16 8AA, UK
Global Magnesium Market  Share, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017-2025

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IndexBox has just published a new report "World: Magnesium - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025". (This report has been designed to provide an in-depth survey of the global magnesium market. It presents the latest data sets of quantitative medium-term projections, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices. The report also includes a comparative analysis of the major consuming countries, revealing opportunities opened for producers and exporters across the globe. The outlook covers market projections to 2025.Countries coverage: Worldwide - the report contains statistical data for 200 countries and includes detailed profiles of the 50 largest consuming countries (United States, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Italy, Russian Federation, India, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Mexico, Indonesia, Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Sweden, Nigeria, Poland, Belgium, Argentina, Norway, Austria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Denmark, South Africa, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Egypt, Philippines, Finland, Chile, Ireland, Pakistan, Greece, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Czech Republic, Qatar, Peru, Romania, Vietnam) + the largest producing countries.Product coverage: MagnesiumData coverage:- Magnesium market size and volume;- Magnesium market trends and prospects;- Global magnesium production and its dynamics;- Per capita consumption;- Breakdown of production by region and country;- Medium term outlook;- Magnesium trade (exports/imports);- Prices for magnesium;- Profiles of the main manufacturers.The report will help you:- Get a bigger picture of the market;- Rewire your business around market trends;- Devise your marketing strategy;- Operate with increased effectiveness.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20254. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. COUNTRY PROFILES8. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERSDownload a free sample of the report now!Browse Related Reports:World: Tantalum - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025EU: Quartz Crystal (Natural) - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025Germany: Magnesite - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.With IndexBox, simply take the data from our Box and think outside it.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QWWebsite:
Forecast On Aircraft Ground Support Equipment Market Global Industry Analysis and Trends till 2027

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Aircraft ground support equipment and vehicles are used to transport passengers, freight & baggage and support repair & maintenance functions. In airports, equipment fall into two broader categories, i.e. land side (passenger entry side of airport) and air side (boarding/departure side). Ground support equipment includes vehicles used for fueling on the air-side and airplane maintenance. Aircraft ground support equipment doesnt include aircraft engine maintenance.In California, most airports have internal combustion engines (ICE) powered aircraft ground support equipment. Owing to stringent emission norms in North America and Europe, electric aircraft ground support equipment is made available by most of its manufacturers. There are many airports in various countries with a high percentage of aircraft ground support equipment (electric). For example, the Denver International Airport was designed for all electric ground support equipment. Similarly, Logan International Airport (Boston) progressed and switched from ICE to electric aircraft ground support equipment.Aircraft ground support equipment could be owned by cargo handlers, airports, airlines, management companies or parcel & mail companies. Airports usually own stationary infrastructure and lease equipment with airlines.Owing to an increase in passenger and cargo traffic, terminal infrastructure plays a vital role in airports as it affects the turnaround time and flight delay. In order to run their operations on time, existing airports have started undergoing modernization and expansion with new technologies. Increase in modernization and terminal expansions are expected to generate significant demand for the aircraft ground support equipment market. Additionally, modernization of aircraft ground support equipment are also expected to enhance safety measures and efficiency of airline operations.Request For Report Sample@Aircraft ground support equipment: DynamicsThe increased use of storage systems and warehouse operations at airports will have a positive impact on the aircraft ground support equipment market. Also, rising number of airports and airlines will drive demand for aircraft ground support equipment products. However, there are a few market players who are expected to dominate the market owing to their advanced technology.Aircraft ground support equipment: SegmentationBroadly, the aircraft ground support equipment market is segmented on the basis of handling as: aircraft handling, passenger handling, cargo handling.The global ground support system market is dominated by the aircraft handling segment, which accounted for more than forty percent of the total market share. Constantly growing passenger traffic and increase in aircraft movement are forecasted to fuel demand for the aircraft ground support equipment market.Additionally, the global ground support equipment market can be segmented by type as: hybrid, electric, non-electric. The electric segment is estimated to dominate the market owing to the increase in expenditure by aviation authorities and ecofriendly aircraft ground support equipment, which conforms to latest emission norms. Furthermore, the market for airports is larger in Western Europe, Asia Pacific and North America, owing to the increasing number of airport expansions and rise in the number of airports.Request For TOC@Aircraft ground support equipment: OutlookOver the forecast period, the global ground support equipment market is expected to grow at a high rate with the increase in demand for airports. Recently, EMEA has seen rapid growth in numbers with respect to cargo and passenger traffic. That, along with the burgeoning number of new aircrafts and expansions are anticipated to boost demand for the global aircraft ground support equipment market.Owing to the increase in emission norms, the U.S. currently represents the largest ground support equipment market. In 2015, foreign and domestic airlines in the U.S. approximately carried 895.5 million passengers system wide. However, the increasing demand for cargo shipments and air travel in countries such as Brazil, India and China is expected to represent a massive potential growth opportunity.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
United States Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market Analysis Report

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United States Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market Research Report provides insights of the industry over past 5 years and a forecast until 2022. The Report studies, the Market status and future trend in the United States market, splits by type and by applications, to fully and deeply researched and reveal the market situation and future forecast.The Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market report would come in handy to understand your competitors and give you an insight about sales; volumes, revenues in the industry, assists in making strategic decisions. It reduces the risks involved in making decisions as well as strategies for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Both established and new players in the industry can use the report to understand the market.Get Full Access of United States Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market Research Study @Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market: Type wise segment: - Liftgate Switches Road Grip Sensors Windscreen Sensors OthersLight-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market: Applications wise segment: - Passenger Car Light Commercial VehicleType wise and application wise consumption figures are given. With the help of supply and consumption data, the gap between these two is also explained.Get a Sample PDF of United States Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market Research report @This Market report contains proven analysis by regions, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focusing top manufacturers in the United States market, with Production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering following top players Bosch Continental CTS Delphi and many more.On competitive landscape, this report includes complete profiles of the Market key players. For each player contact information is given. Their product details, capacity, price, cost, gross and revenue numbers are provided for better understanding.Some key points of United States Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market research report: -1. What is the status of the Market? This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, Prospect, Growth trend, Sales by regions, manufacturers, types and applications.2. What Is the Market Competition considering Manufacturers, Types and Application?3. Who Are the Market Key Manufacturers?4. The Manufacturing Cost Analysis - Analysis done by considering prime elements5. The Market Effect Factor Analysisa) Technology Process/Risk Considering Substitute Threat and Technology Progress In the Industryb) Consumer Needs or What Change Is Observed in Preference of Customer of the Market6. What is the Market forecast (2017-2022) Considering Sales, Revenue, Growth rate, Price and Trends for Regions, Types and Applications?With Experts Interview, Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation, Primary & Secondary Sources and Research Center data, the United States Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market research report guides you towards exponential growth.Get Full Access of United States Light-Vehicle Body Applications Sensors Market Research Study @About Reports MonitorReports Monitor is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. The prime focus is to get reliable data, Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Contact UsINDIA OFFICE:008, Mihir Co-operative,Above Bharat Suzuki showroom,Fatima Nagar,Pune - 411013,Maharashtra,IndiaJay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Global UPS Services Sales Market Report 2017 - Active Power, Eaton, Emerson Electric, Schneider Electric, Toshiba, GE

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Latest Research Report titled " Global UPS Services Sales Market Report 2017 " features Key Market Players, Segments, Applications. Report Presents Global Market Survey, Growth, Challenges and Forecast.In this report, the global UPS Services 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 Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of UPS Services for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering- United States- China- Europe- Japan- Southeast Asia- IndiaGet a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Global UPS Services market competition by top manufacturers/players, with UPS Services sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including- Active Power- Eaton- Emerson Electric- Schneider Electric- Toshiba- GE...On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into- Global- AreaOn 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 UPS Services for each application, including- Courier- Transport- OtherTable of Contents:2 Global UPS Services Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global UPS Services Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global UPS Services Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global UPS Services Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global UPS Services (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global UPS Services Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global UPS Services Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global UPS Services (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global UPS Services Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global UPS Services Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global UPS Services (Volume) by Application3 United States UPS Services (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States UPS Services Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States UPS Services Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States UPS Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States UPS Services Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationBrowse more details at:4 China UPS Services (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China UPS Services Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China UPS Services Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China UPS Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China UPS Services Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by Players4.3 China UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.4 China UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by Application5 Europe UPS Services (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 Europe UPS Services Sales and Value (2012-2017)5.1.1 Europe UPS Services Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.2 Europe UPS Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.3 Europe UPS Services Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)5.2 Europe UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by Players5.3 Europe UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by Type5.4 Europe UPS Services Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationAbout UsResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
TechiesTown Changes Its Business Name To XongoLab

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TechiesTown, now XongoLab, has embraced constant innovation in the true sense. It has recently changed its business name to XongoLab. According the company, the name Xongo refers to a developer or a programmer who is equipped with all the knowledge, skills, and talent. Xongo is the one who can perform any task with utmost ease and perfection.XongoLab, yes thats what we should call it now, is a software development company which offers website development, IT consulting, mobile apps development, CMS development, software development, and framework development services to clients across the world. Along with this it also provides IT consulting services which help businesses in employing the right IT solution to take their business to the next level and survive in this era of cut-throat competition.Founder of XongoLab, Himanshu Mistry, says, We were thinking from a long time to bring in this change as our business has grown a lot since its inception. Exploring new territories, we have expanded the list of services we provide. So, this change was in store and here we are with a new name and logo. Im sure our clients will love this change. With its long stint in the IT industry, the company has attained more than sustainable growth, and let us hope that the new name brings in more prosperity for it.XongoLab is a number one web and mobile apps development company which offers a variety of digital solutions to businesses from different industry segments. It has experience in providing ecommerce development services to launch businesses on the online platform.1st Floor,10-Kalpana Soc,B/h Municipal Market,Navrangpura,Ahmedabad 380009IndiaTel: (IND) +91-990-926-2648Email ID: ankit@xongolab.comWebsite:
Global Microbiome Drugs Industry Market Research Report 2017

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SummaryThe Global Microbiome Drugs Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Microbiome Drugs industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Microbiome Drugs market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Microbiome Drugs industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Ask a sample or any question, please email to:hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comThe players list(Partly, Players you are interested can also be added):PfizerSecond GenomeSeres TherapeuticsMaaT PharmaEnterome BioscienceMicroBiome TherapeuticsRitter PharmaceuticalsRebiotixOpenBiomeKey Topics Covered:Chapter One Industry Overview of Microbiome DrugsChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Four Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Microbiome Drugs by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Five Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Microbiome Drugs by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Six Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Sale Price Analysis of Microbiome Drugs by Regions, Types and ApplicationsChapter Seven Supply, Import, Export and Consumption Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Eight Major Manufacturers Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Nine Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Ten Industry Chain Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Eleven Development Trend of Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Twelve New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Microbiome DrugsChapter Thirteen Conclusion of the Global Microbiome Drugs Industry 2017 Market Research ReportRelated Reports:US Microbiome Drugs Industry Market Research Report 2017Europe Microbiome Drugs Industry Market Research Report 2017India Microbiome Drugs Industry Market Research Report 2017China Microbiome Drugs Industry Market Research Report 2017Korea Microbiome Drugs Industry Market Research Report 2017Japan Microbiome Drugs Industry Market Research Report 2017If you need a report or have any question, please feel free to contact meHebe | Sr. Manager  Global SalesProfessional Market Research Report PublisherQYResearch Co.LtdQYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchPhone: +86 20 2209 3278Email: hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comWeb:About QYResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, database and seminar services. the company owned a large basic database (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business. Through the companys years of effort and a lot of customer support, QYResearch consulting group creative design method of many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch brand has become the consulting industry with quality assurance consulting brand. The company has 2500 global well-known customers, covering energy automobile pharmaceutical chemical agriculture more than 30 industries, services from the data analysis and recommendations-Consulting landing one-stop solution, and research regions cover China,US,EU,Asia,Middle East and Africa,South America,Australia,etc Global all regions,and also built research or marketing center in China USA UK France Hongkong etc regions. currently, QYResearch has become the first choice and worth trusted consulting brand in Global and China business consulting services.Media ContactCompany Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITEDContact Person: HebeEmail: hebe@qyresearchglobal.comPhone: +86-20 2209 3278Address: Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe DistrictCity: GuangzhouCountry: ChinaWebsite:(US) |(EU)
Advanced Materials Market - Global Industry Analysis and Shares By 2024

Advanced Materials Market

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Advanced materials are known to have superior qualities as compared to traditional materials. Thus, they are used in varied applications. These materials are known to deliver excellent performance due to their exceptional strength and high endurance to tolerate fatigue. The research report states that the global advanced materials market is expected to be worth US$102.48 bn by 2024 as against US$42.76 bn in 2015. Between the years of 2016 and 2024, the global market is expected to surge at a CAGR of 10.4%.Sophistication in Material Spurs DemandAnalysts anticipate that the demand for advanced materials will continue to be on the rise as it is expected to transform the overall manufacturing industry in the coming years. Over the years, these materials are expected to replace plastics and metals with improved ceramics and composites that are light in weight, higher strength, and excellent resistance to abrasion. Emerging technologies and advancements in product development and manufacturing are expected to keep the demand for advanced materials at an all-time high during the forecast period. The growing expenditure on research and development of these materials is also projected to make a significant impact on the growing demand in the global market.Obtain Report Details @Show of Excellent Strength Boosts Demand for CeramicsThe various products available in the global market are ceramics, polymers, composites, metals and alloys, and glasses. Of these, the ceramics and composites are popularly consumed advanced materials. The demand for ceramics has been on the rise due to their application in the production of medical devices. As uptake of ceramics will continue to remain high as the healthcare industry grows and the need for medical attention surges during the forecast period.Meanwhile, the composites segment is also expected to show exceptionally growth as they can be mass-produced as per requirement and can be used in several applications such as construction, automotive, and oil and gas industries. Ceramics are made by using two or more constituents that have significantly different physical or chemical traits. A combination of these results in a material with characteristics different from its individual components. These constitutes are selected on the basis of the end-use application of these ceramics. Thus, composites have an edge over other products and are thus likely to exhibit rapidly growth in the coming few years.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @Large Production Capacities in North America and Europe Ensure Regions DominanceGeographically, the global advanced materials market is segmented into North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Of these, North America and Europe were the dominant consumers of advanced materials in the global market. The growing consumption of advanced materials in these regions will be attributable to the mammoth production capacities and sophistication with the advancement of technologies. Asia Pacific is also expected to be an emerging region in the global market over the forecast period as manufacturing industries pick up pace in developing countries of India and China. The booming industrial development in this region is expected to make a significant contribution of the rising revenue of the Asia Pacific advanced materials market between 2016 and 2024.Some of the key leading players operating in the global advanced materials market are 3M Advanced Materials, Morgan Advanced Materials plc, Huntsman Corporation, Hexcel Corporation, Hanwa Group, and Materion Corporation.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:
Interferon Market Set for Expansive Growth by 2022

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Asia-Pacific Interferon Industry 2017 offers an in-depth analysis overview of the industry dynamics, current and future market trends, profile of key manufacturers, detailed segmentation and forecast along with the strategies adopted by key market players to consolidate their market positions. The analysis covers key industry parameters in terms of market definition, classification of the product, materials specification, key manufacturing technology and processes and the price trends of major products across different regions.In this report, the Asia-Pacific Interferon 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.Ask for sample copy for this report @Geographically, this report split Asia-Pacific into several key Regions, with sales (K Pcs), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Interferon for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), includingChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanIndiaSoutheast AsiaAustraliaAsia-Pacific Interferon market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Interferon sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingMerckRocheHemispherxHycult BiotechThermoOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume (K Pcs), market share and growth rate of Interferon for each application, includingTumor TreatmentHepatitis TreatmentOthersKey elements for this report:1 Interferon Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Interferon1.2 Classification of Interferon by Product Category1.3 Asia-Pacific Interferon Market by Application/End Users1.4 Asia-Pacific Interferon Market by Region1.5 Asia-Pacific Market Size (Value and Volume) of Interferon (2012-2022)2 Asia-Pacific Interferon Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application2.1 Asia-Pacific Interferon Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.2 Asia-Pacific Interferon (Volume and Value) by Type2.3 Asia-Pacific Interferon (Volume) by Application2.4 Asia-Pacific Interferon (Volume and Value) by Region3 China Interferon (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 China Interferon Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.2 China Interferon Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.3 China Interferon Sales Volume and Market Share by Application4 Japan Interferon (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 Japan Interferon Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.2 Japan Interferon Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.3 Japan Interferon Sales Volume and Market Share by Application5 South Korea Interferon (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 South Korea Interferon Sales and Value (2012-2017)5.2 South Korea Interferon Sales Volume and Market Share by Type5.3 South Korea Interferon Sales Volume and Market Share by Application..Browse this report @Who we areResearch Trades has team of experts who works on providing exhaustive analysis pertaining to market research on a global basis. This comprehensive analysis is obtained by a thorough research and study of the ongoing trends and provides predictive data regarding the future estimations, which can be utilized by various organizations for growth purposes.We distribute customized reports that focus on meeting the clients specific requirement. Our database consists of a large collection of high-quality reports obtained using a customer-centric approach, thus providing valuable research insights.Reach at us:Address: Flat No.10, Wing C, S. No. 245/4/2+245/5/1, Baner, Pune-411045Email: sales@researchtrades.comCall us: +91 7507349866Skype ID: researchtradesconWeb:
Sprocket Market By Technologies, Services, Applications and Regions  Trends and Forecast from 2017-2022

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Report Monitor Present's Sprocket Market 2017 Industry Trend enhances the decision making capabilities and helps to create an effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.DescriptionThe Sprocket market report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Sprocket industry. This report evaluates the United States market for Sprocket.The Sprocket market report provides complete analysis of the Sprocket market by analysing all round market dynamics such as regional market opportunities, drivers, challenges, constraints, threats, and other market trends.The Sprocket Market report contains latest Business Data resulting from various Research sources that helps Decision Makers to deliver a Distinctive and Trustworthy Analysis for Companys Growth.The Sprocket Market Survey starts with Industry overview of Sprocket Market covering Major Regions Status, Industry Chain Structure, Definitions and Specifications, with a detailed focus on Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis including Raw Material Suppliers, Equipment Suppliers and Manufacturing Process.Get a PDF Sample of Sprocket Market report @In Next Part, the researchers has collected and presented information on Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis which comprises of Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, R&D Status and Technology Source of Major Manufacturers .In following segment, with Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin, Business Region Distribution Analysis, Competition between various Company Profile has been given along with Product Pictures and Specifications in Sprocket Industry Report.The Key Players Mentioned in Sprocket Market Report are: Tsubaki Martin Sprocket & Gear SCS Katayama Linn Gear SKF Renold Renqiu Chuangyi G&G Manufacturing Allied Locke Xinghua Donghua Gear WM Berg Ravi Transmission Precision Gears ABL Products Sit S.p.A B&B ManufacturingPlace a Purchase Order for this Report @The Sprocket Industry Report is also a Great Source of Marketing Type Analysis consisting:1.Sprocket Regional Marketing Type Analysis2.Sprocket International Trade Type Analysis3.Traders or Distributors with Contact Information of Sprocket by Regions4.Sprocket Supply Chain AnalysisGot any Query? Feel free to ask us @Lastly, the Report provides Development Trend Analysis for 2017-2022 years which will forecast Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales Price, Consumption Forecast, Market Trend (Product Type) and Market Trend (Application). Also the List of Major Consumers is analyzed and Contact Details are provided to easy communicating.Finally, the Report is concluded with Various Methodology, Analyst Introduction and Data SourcesReports Monitor is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Prime focus is to get reliable data, Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.008, Mihir Co-operative,Above Bharat Suzuki showroom,Fatima Nagar,Pune,Maharashtra,IndiaIndia: +91 2069535353411013Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Spices Market Overview, Top Manufacturers, Industry Growth Analysis and Forecast to 2022

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Market Research Future published a Cooked Research Report on Global Spices Market which is estimated to grow more than 2.84% after 2022Market -OverviewSpice can be dried seeds, fruits, roots, barks, or vegetative substances primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants also used for flavoring or as garnish. Many spices have antimicrobial properties. A spice may have an extra use, usually medicinal, religious ritual, cosmetics or perfume production, or as a vegetable. For example Turmeric roots, are consumed as a vegetable and garlic as an antibiotic.Spice exports contribute to nations gross income considerably, in countries like China, India, Africa and the Middle East. Spices are generally sold at premium prices and also are in greater demand which can further enhance export revenues in major spice producing countries. Spices farming mechanism starts at grass root level conserving the generative and renewing capacity of the soil, plant nutrition, and soil management, yields nutritious food rich in vitality which has resistance to diseases. Increasing demand of natural flavoring and coloring agents in food, medicinal properties and health benefits are driving the spices market.According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, The global market for Spices has witnessed continued demand during the last few years and is estimated to reach 83,468 kilo tons by 2022, at a CAGR of 2.84% from 2016 to 2022. Increase in versatile demand across various food and beverage segments particularly for convenience foods and beverages is likely to drive the global spices market during forecast period 2016 to 2022.Based on spice function, flavor formed an essential function base for spices enabling it to gain maximum share in the year 2016 followed by color. Spices have been majorly used for flavoring or as a garnish since ancient times. The flavor of a spice is derived in part from compounds (volatile oils) from various parts of plants roots, seeds, bark and other plant parts. Based on spice form, whole form and powdered form held a major share in the spices market in the year 2016. Increase in demand for convenience products there is strong potential for powder form growth in the spices market. Crushed/ chopped/ flakes are emerging as new segment especially for bakery and pizza preparations.Sample Copy of Report @Key Players:The Global Spices Market appears to be highly competitive and diversified with the presence of many well established players having regional and global presence. Product differentiation, portfolio, and pricing are some of the factors these players compete based on.The leading market players in the global spices market primarily are McCormick & Co., Inc. (U.S.), Olam International (Singapore), Everest Spices (India), B&G Foods Holdings Corp. (U.S.), Cerebos Greggs Limited (New Zealand), MTR Foods Private Limited (India), Mahashian Di Hatti Limited (MDH)(India) and ITC Spices (India)Market - SegmentThe Spice Market can be segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Type : Comprises turmeric, chili & pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and others.Segmentation by Function : Comprises flavor, color, preservative and others.Segmentation by Application : Comprises culinary, sauces and dips, bakery foods, RTE foods, beverages, and others.Segmentation by Regions : Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Access the market data and market information presented through more than 25 market data tables and 25 figures spread over 82 numbers of pages of the project report Spices Market - Forecast to 2022Regional AnalysisSpices are the pearls of developing countries. Spices are demand in the industrialized world, the export of these basic agricultural commodities by India can be relied upon to earn valuable foreign exchange. India, blessed with agro-climatic zones, exports spices to 120 countries. India being a major producer of spices boosts stronger potential for spices supply. There is high demand for spices from regions like Asia Pacific, Middle East and Europe.In terms of geography, the Americas accounted for the majority market share during 2016 and will continue to dominate the market for the next four years. Some of the major factors responsible for the markets growth in the region is the growing demand for fair trade labelled products, high import rate, and the availability of high quality products of organic spices.Access Report Details @Brief of TOC of Spices Market:1 Executive Summary2 Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 Limitations2.3 Market Structure3 Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research4 Market DynamicsContinuedAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactAkash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Molybdenum Market  Share, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017-2025

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IndexBox has just published a new report "World: Molybdenum - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025". (This report has been designed to provide an in-depth survey of the global molybdenum market. It displays the most recent data sets of quantitative medium-term perspectives, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices. The report also includes a comparative analysis of the major consuming countries, revealing opportunities opened for producers and exporters across the world. The outlook indicates market perspectives to 2025.Countries coverage: Worldwide - the report contains statistical data for 200 countries and includes detailed profiles of the 50 largest consuming countries (United States, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Italy, Russian Federation, India, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Mexico, Indonesia, Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Sweden, Nigeria, Poland, Belgium, Argentina, Norway, Austria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Denmark, South Africa, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Egypt, Philippines, Finland, Chile, Ireland, Pakistan, Greece, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Czech Republic, Qatar, Peru, Romania, Vietnam) + the largest producing countries.Product coverage: Molybdenum, unwroughtData coverage:- Molybdenum market size and volume;- Molybdenum market trends and prospects;- Global molybdenum production and its dynamics;- Per capita consumption;- Breakdown of production by region and country;- Medium term outlook;- Molybdenum trade (exports/imports);- Prices for molybdenum;- Profiles of the main manufacturers.The report will help you:- Get a bigger picture of the market;- Rewire your business around market trends;- Devise your marketing strategy;- Operate with increased effectiveness.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20254. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. COUNTRY PROFILES8. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERSDownload a free sample of the report now!Browse Related Reports:World: Feldspar - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025EU: Abrasives (Natural) - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025Germany: Diamonds And Other Precious Stones (Unworked) - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.With IndexBox, simply take the data from our Box and think outside it.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QWWebsite:
Hawaii Meetings, Conventions, Incentives (MCI) Tourism Market 2017 is likely to reach nearly USD 1.3 Billion by the end of 2022

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Hawaii Meetings, Conventions, Incentives (MCI) Tourism Market is likely to reach nearly USD 1.3 Billion by the year end of 2022.Market growth can be attributed to factors such as Ideal Meetings Location, Unbeatable Event Spaces, Safety, Productive Atmosphere, Accommodations, International Accessibility, Enrichment Opportunities and Natural Wonders.Japan, US West and US East MCI tourists play a significant role in contributing revenue to the Hawaii economy. Japan contributed more than 30% revenue followed by US East with more than 27% revenue in 2016. Japan is likely to maintain dominance in Hawaii MCI tourists revenue generator by the year end of 2022. US East and US West have shown its potential to become 2nd and 3rd major revenue generator countries by the year end of 2022. Other countries such as Other Asia, China and Canada emerge as the largest revenue generator in the Hawaii MCI Tourism Market.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:The research report titled "" Hawaii Meetings, Conventions, Incentives (MCI) Tourism Market Insights, Opportunity, Analysis, Growth Potential & Forecast 2017  2022 provides detailed information on the Hawaii MCI Tourism Market. This report analyzes market data and provides a better understanding of MCI travelers flows and revenue to Hawaii. Market outlook in value terms for the forecasted period for Hawaii MCI tourism market has been detailed in the report. This report also entails a detailed description of market drivers and inhibitors of the Hawaii MCI tourism market.This 65 Pages report with 52 Figures and 4 Tables have been analyzed from 5 viewpoints: Hawaii MCI Travelers, Revenue & Forecast (2013  2022) Hawaii MCI Travelers, Revenue Share & Forecast (2013  2022) Hawaii MCI Travelers, Revenue & Forecast  Top 12 Country Analysis (2013  2022) Hawaii MCI Tourism Market  Market Drivers Hawaii MCI Tourism Market  InhibitorsEnquire Before Buying @Hawaii MCI Tourism Market  12 Countries Covered US West US East Japan Canada Australia New Zealand Other Asia China Korea Taiwan Europe Latin AmericaAbout UsWe provide global enterprises and businesses across different industry verticals comprehensive market research services from off-the-shelf research reports to customized research conducted by our highly experienced industry analysts.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development HeadEmail id - sales@apexresearch.bizWebsite -
Spain DIY Retailing Market Analyzed for Considerable Growth in Coming Years: 2017 Report

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A latest market report titled as Spain DIY Retailing Market - May 2017 has been recently added to the massive online portfolio of Market Research Hubs (MRH) online research offerings. This report is intended to provide an overview of the DIY and home improvement market in the Spain. It covers an overview of the industry with estimations about future developments, comprehensive consumer analysis using reliable data and an analysis of major companies operating in the Spain market. This market report provides comprehensive analysis and insights supported by a range of data. At the same time, introductory and top-level data is included to give the readers an in-depth understanding of the major issues in the market.Request Free Sample Report:Firstly, the report begins with a basic overview of the Spain DIY retailing including definitions, applications, classifications and operational techniques. All aspects of Spain DIY retailing are analyzed, which include developmental history, competitive landscape analysis and major regional developmental status. The industry environment including industrial requirements for resources and technology, industry technology advancement trend, impact of macro-economic policy on market and other influencing factors are also examined in detail.Secondly, the report discusses expansion policies and plans as well as operational procedures and cost structures across various market. It provides a range of market information, through the category level, covering market value and projecting with market drivers that illustrate the forces which would shape the market. This Spain market report provides an appendices of data to support the investigation and insights produced within the scope of the report. The tables of data included in the report can be easily manipulated and downloaded to support the research needs of the readers and includes aspects from consumer attitudes for better market analysis. Then, through an in-depth consumer research, the study gives an analysis with the attitudinal and behavioral data used to provide valuable insight to topical situations.Make An Enquiry:Product differentiation study as well as consumption survey are carried out, along with a study of various consumer groups structure. Upstream analysis of technology and equipment and downstream analysis of consumers demands are also carried out within the report. Brand satisfaction survey for several companies is provided, along with information such as brand structure, brand regional differences and brand satisfaction survey. The Spain market progress trends and marketing channels are evaluated with growth drivers, market barriers to entry, market chain bargaining power, threat of substitutes and product profitability are also assessed within the purview of the study.Finally, the report provides an overview of some of the top manufacturers and brands operating in the Spain market and uses consumer research to identify attitudes and reactions to brands as well as insight into what will resonate with people.Browse Full Report With TOC:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News At:
Global Smartphone Touch Screen Sales Market Report: Industry Overview, Trends and Growth Opportunities Analysis 2017

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A latest research report titled as  Global Smartphone Touch Screen Sales Market Report: Industry Overview, Trends and Growth Opportunities Analysis 2017 has been recently added to the vast portfolio of Market Research Hub (MRH) online research offerings. This report is a professional and in-depth analysis on the present state and future prospect for the global market. It provides valuable information to the industry insiders, potential entrants or investors. It includes an exhaustive enquiry with the reliability of logic and the comprehensiveness of contents.Request Free Sample Report:Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Smartphone Touch Screen for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Smartphone Touch Screen market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Smartphone Touch Screen sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingNissha PrintingTPKWintekYoung FastCandoCPTELKHannsTouchIljin DisplayInnoluxMelfasS-MacTovisOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSNTTFTOn 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 Smartphone Touch Screen for each application, includingSmart PhoneFlat ComputerOtherMake An Enquiry:Table of Contents1 Smartphone Touch Screen Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Smartphone Touch Screen1.2 Classification of Smartphone Touch Screen by Product Category1.2.1 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 SNT1.2.4 TFT1.3 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Smart Phone1.3.3 Flat Computer..2 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Smartphone Touch Screen (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Smartphone Touch Screen Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017).3 United States Smartphone Touch Screen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Smartphone Touch Screen Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Smartphone Touch Screen Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Smartphone Touch Screen Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)Continued.Browse Full Report With TOC:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News At:
Global High Voltage Insulators Sales Market 2017 Size (Volume And Value), And Segment Markets By Regions, Types, Applications And Companies

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"The Latest Research Report Global High Voltage Insulators Sales Market Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About High Voltage Insulators Sales MarketIn this report, the global High Voltage Insulators 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 Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of High Voltage Insulators for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanKoreaTaiwanGet Sample copy of this Report @Global High Voltage Insulators market competition by top manufacturers/players, with High Voltage Insulators sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingLAPP InsulatorsSiemens?ERICOAnkara SeramikGiproElsewedy ElectricThe National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)PPC InsulatorsNGK-Locke, IncGIPRO InsulatorsDow CorningOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPorcelain High Voltage InsulatorsPolymer High Voltage InsulatorsSilicone InsulatorsView Report @On 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 High Voltage Insulators for each application, includingTransformersCables & Transmission LinesSwitchgearsBus BarSurge Protection DevicesIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of ContentsGlobal High Voltage Insulators Sales Market Report 20171 High Voltage Insulators Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of High Voltage Insulators1.2 Classification of High Voltage Insulators by Product Category1.2.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global High Voltage Insulators Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Porcelain High Voltage Insulators1.2.4 Polymer High Voltage Insulators1.2.5 Silicone Insulators1.3 Global High Voltage Insulators Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Transformers1.3.3 Cables & Transmission Lines1.3.4 Switchgears1.3.5 Bus Bar1.3.6 Surge Protection Devices1.4 Global High Voltage Insulators Market by Region1.4.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States High Voltage Insulators Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China High Voltage Insulators Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe High Voltage Insulators Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan High Voltage Insulators Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Korea High Voltage Insulators Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan High Voltage Insulators Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of High Voltage Insulators (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global High Voltage Insulators Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global High Voltage Insulators Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global High Voltage Insulators Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global High Voltage Insulators (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global High Voltage Insulators Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global High Voltage Insulators (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global High Voltage Insulators Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global High Voltage Insulators Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global High Voltage Insulators (Volume) by Application3 United States High Voltage Insulators (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States High Voltage Insulators Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States High Voltage Insulators Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States High Voltage Insulators Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States High Voltage Insulators Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States High Voltage Insulators Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States High Voltage Insulators Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States High Voltage Insulators Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationMarketResearchReports.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.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Concentrated Latex Market 2017 - Titi Latex, GMG Global, Unitex Rubber, Royal Latex, Thai Hua Rubber

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The report studies Concentrated Latex in Global market Professional Survey 2017 : Size, Share, Trends, Industry Growth, Opportunity, Application, Production, Segmentation, Cost Structure, Company Profile, Product Picture and Specifications during the Forecast period by 2022Global Concentrated Latex Industry 2017 is an analytical research report that delves into the dynamics of the Global Concentrated Latex industry. It presents an executive-level blueprint of the market with key focus on its operations in Global. In a lucid chapter-wise format, the report presents the historical statistics of the Concentrated Latex market in addition to studying the competitive landscape. The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive overview of the market for industry participants. Key findings of this report will help companies operating in the Concentrated Latex market to identify the opportunities that they can capitalize on to propel growth.The study analyzes the Concentrated Latex industry in detail. To begin with, it enumerates the primary market operations, evaluating the nature and specific characteristics of products and services it provides. In the following chapters, the study classifies the Concentrated Latex market in terms of its varied product types, applications, network of supply chain, and geography. Based on the market segmentation, the report analyzes the competitive landscape of the Concentrated Latex market and lays down the development status of key regions in Globally.The study progresses with a detailed, incisive analysis of the strategies and trends common in the Concentrated Latex market, and how the same is likely to impact the future course of action of players in the market and the growth trajectory of the market. Region-wise market share for the Concentrated Latex industry is analyzed for the purpose of which the prominent players are profiled and their respective market share is calculated. Growth drivers, restraints, and opportunities are studied in detail with the help of industry-leading tools, based on which the report presents insightful growth forecasts for the Concentrated Latex market. Key findings of the study will help stakeholders gauge the growth prospects and understand the investment feasibility.Download Free Sample Report @The Concentrated Latex market research study has been composed using key inputs from industry experts. Furthermore, the extensive primary and secondary research data with which the report has been composed helps deliver the key statistical forecasts, in terms of both revenue and volume. In addition to this, the trends and revenue analysis of the Global Concentrated Latex market has been mentioned in this report. This will give a clear perspective to the readers how the Concentrated Latex market will fare in Global.This report also presents product specification, manufacturing process, and product cost structure etc. Production is separated by regions, technology and applications. Analysis also covers upstream raw materials, equipment, downstream client survey, marketing channels, industry development trend and proposals. In the end, the report includes Concentrated Latex new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis, and development trend analysis. In conclusion, it is a deep research report on Global Concentrated Latex industry. Here, we express our thanks for the support and assistance from Concentrated Latex industry chain related technical experts and marketing engineers during Research Teams survey and interviewsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Global Oleyl Alcohol Sales Market Production, Sales, Volume, Revenue, Market Share, Growth And Forecast 2017

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"The Latest Research Report Global Oleyl Alcohol Sales Market Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Oleyl Alcohol Sales MarketThis report studies sales (consumption) of Oleyl Alcohol in Global market, especially in United States, China, Europe and Japan, focuses on top players in these regions/countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these regions, coveringBASFCrodaLipo ChemicalsEcogreen OleochemicalsKOKYU ALCOHOL KOGYONew Japan ChemicalChempriAcme ChemJarchemGet Sample copy of this Report @Market Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with sales (consumption), revenue, market share and growth rate of Oleyl Alcohol in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSplit by product Types, with sales, revenue, price and gross margin, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoNaturalOrganic SynthesisView Report @Split by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Oleyl Alcohol in each application, can be divided intoDetergentsDefoamerLubricantsOil additivesotherTable of Contents1 Oleyl Alcohol Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Oleyl Alcohol1.2 Classification of Oleyl Alcohol1.2.1 Natural1.2.2 Organic Synthesis1.3 Application of Oleyl Alcohol1.3.1 Detergents1.3.2 Defoamer1.3.3 Lubricants1.3.4 Oil additives1.3.5 other1.4 Oleyl Alcohol Market by Regions1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Oleyl Alcohol (2011-2021)1.5.1 Global Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.5.2 Global Oleyl Alcohol Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 Global Oleyl Alcohol Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Global Oleyl Alcohol Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Global Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.1.2 Global Oleyl Alcohol Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.2 Global Oleyl Alcohol (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.2.2 Global Oleyl Alcohol Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.3 Global Oleyl Alcohol (Volume and Value) by Regions2.3.1 Global Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.3.2 Global Oleyl Alcohol Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.4 Global Oleyl Alcohol (Volume) by Application3 United States Oleyl Alcohol (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Value (2011-2016)3.1.1 United States Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.2 United States Oleyl Alcohol Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.3 United States Oleyl Alcohol Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)3.2 United States Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers3.3 United States Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by Application4 China Oleyl Alcohol (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Value (2011-2016)4.1.1 China Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.2 China Oleyl Alcohol Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.3 China Oleyl Alcohol Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)4.2 China Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers4.3 China Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by Type4.4 China Oleyl Alcohol Sales and Market Share by ApplicationMarketResearchReports.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.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Industrial Refractory Materials Sales Market 2017 Size (Volume And Value), And The Segment Markets By Regions, Types, Applications And Companies

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"The Report Global Industrial Refractory Materials Sales Market Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Industrial Refractory Materials Sales MarketThis report studies sales (consumption) of Industrial Refractory Materials in Global market, especially in United States, China, Europe and Japan, focuses on top players in these regions/countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these regions, coveringGet Sample Copy of this report @Vesuvius plcRHI AGMagnesita SAImerysKrosaki Harima CorpShinagawa Refractories Co LtdMagnezit GroupANH Refractories CoMorgan Thermal CeramicsRefratechnik Holding GmbHChosun Refractories Co LtdMinteq International IncRescoSaint-Gobain SACalderys SAMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with sales (consumption), revenue, market share and growth rate of Industrial Refractory Materials in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeView Report @United StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSplit by product Types, with sales, revenue, price and gross margin, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoOrdinary refractories: 1580 ? ~ 1770 ?Advanced refractories: 1770 ? ~ 2000 ?Special grade refractory material:> 2000 ?Split by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Industrial Refractory Materials in each application, can be divided intoMetallurgyChemical industryOil and GasMachinery & EquipmentFoodotherTable of Contents1 Industrial Refractory Materials Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Industrial Refractory Materials1.2 Classification of Industrial Refractory Materials1.2.1 Ordinary refractories: 1580 ? ~ 1770 ?1.2.2 Advanced refractories: 1770 ? ~ 2000 ?1.2.3 Special grade refractory material:> 2000 ?1.3 Application of Industrial Refractory Materials1.3.1 Metallurgy1.3.2 Chemical industry1.3.3 Oil and Gas1.3.4 Machinery & Equipment1.3.5 Food1.3.6 other1.4 Industrial Refractory Materials Market by Regions1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Industrial Refractory Materials (2011-2021)1.5.1 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.5.2 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.1.2 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.2 Global Industrial Refractory Materials (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.2.2 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.3 Global Industrial Refractory Materials (Volume and Value) by Regions2.3.1 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.3.2 Global Industrial Refractory Materials Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.4 Global Industrial Refractory Materials (Volume) by Application3 United States Industrial Refractory Materials (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Value (2011-2016)3.1.1 United States Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.2 United States Industrial Refractory Materials Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.3 United States Industrial Refractory Materials Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)3.2 United States Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers3.3 United States Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by Application4 China Industrial Refractory Materials (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Value (2011-2016)4.1.1 China Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.2 China Industrial Refractory Materials Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.3 China Industrial Refractory Materials Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)4.2 China Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers4.3 China Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by Type4.4 China Industrial Refractory Materials Sales and Market Share by ApplicationMarketResearchReports.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.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Men Personal Care Market 2017 : Shiseido, Revlon Inc, Mary Kay Inc, Unilever, LOreal S.A.

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QY Market Research published, Top Manufacturers Analysis Of Men Personal Care Research Report. A market study based on the "Men Personal Care Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Men Personal Care Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Men Personal Care industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Men Personal Care market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Research ReportJohnson & JohnsonProcter and GambleLOreal S.A.Estee Lauder CompaniesUnileverAvon ProductsKao CorporationColgate-Palmolive CompanyBeiersdorf AkteingesellschaftShiseidoCombe IncorporatedConaire CorporationRevlon IncGodrej Industries LtdMary Kay IncThe report studies the industry for Men Personal Care across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Men Personal Care market & dynamics of demand and supply of Men Personal Care into consideration. The 'Men Personal Care' research study covers each and every aspect of the Men Personal Care market globally, which starts from the definition of the Men Personal Care industry and develops towards Men Personal Care market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Men Personal Care market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Men Personal Care market. The geographical segmentation of the Men Personal Care industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Men Personal Care is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Men Personal Care market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Men Personal Care market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Men Personal Care market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Men Personal Care production volume, data regarding demand and Men Personal Care supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Men Personal Care across the globe.About Us :Worldwide Business are a trusted brand in the research industry with capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Worldwide Business, we believe in building long term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries such as Automotive and Aerospace, Medical Devices, Technology, Machinery & Manufacturing.Contact Us :Worldwide BusinessUnited States
Global Gas Turbine Services Market Possibilities & Trends Forecasted until 2022

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With the rise of the power generation sector, the demand for gas turbine services is also advancing. Hence, to learn about the market for gas turbines, Market Research Hub (MRH) has included a new report titled Global Gas Turbine Services Market Research Report 2017. This report is a compilation of the regional divergence for the gas turbine services market, covering the top manufacturers in detail. Moreover, the study also talks about the market overview and scope for the current as well as upcoming years.Request Free Sample Report @Gas turbine services are gaining importance in todays time especially due to the advancement of the power generation, industrial as well as oil & gas sector. These services are categorized into two prime categories, namely heavy-duty and aero-derivative. Gas turbine services specialize in offering inspection and repair actions. Moreover, they offer tailored solutions merged with fast and flexible services to ensure proper functioning of turbines. Presently, the market for gas turbine services is dominated by players such as Ethosenergy, Siemens, General Electric, Ansaldo Energia Spa, Sulzer, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, HPI, MAN Diesel & Turbo Se, Mechanical Dynamics & Analysis, MJB International and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems.This report studies Gas Turbine Services in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringEthosenergyGeneral ElectricSiemensSulzerAnsaldo Energia SpaHPIKawasaki Heavy IndustriesMAN Diesel & Turbo SeMJB InternationalMechanical Dynamics & AnalysisMitsubishi Hitachi Power SystemsMTU Aero EnginesProenergy ServicesSolar TurbinesTurbine Services and SolutionsMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Gas Turbine Services in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSplit by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoHeavy-DutyAero-DerivativeBrowse Full Report with TOC @Split by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Gas Turbine Services in each application, can be divided intoPower GenerationOil & GasOther IndustrialTable of Content:Global Gas Turbine Services Market Research Report 20171 Gas Turbine Services Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Gas Turbine Services1.2 Gas Turbine Services Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Gas Turbine Services by Type in 20151.2.2 Heavy-Duty1.2.3 Aero-Derivative1.3 Gas Turbine Services Segment by Application1.3.1 Gas Turbine Services Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.3.2 Power Generation1.3.3 Oil & Gas1.3.4 Other Industrial1.4 Gas Turbine Services Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Gas Turbine Services (2012-2022)Make an Enquiry @About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of Research Reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of gas turbine market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Details:90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comRead More Industry News @
Global Air Moisture Analyzer Sales Market Anticipated for Progressive CAGR Growth during 2017-2022

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The report on Air Moisture Analyzer Sales Market is the latest addition to the huge database of Market Research Hub. This research study is segmented on the basis of applications, technology, geography, and types. The Report provides a detailed Air Moisture Analyzer Sales Industry overview along with the analysis of industrys gross margin, cost structure, consumption value, and sale price. The leading companies of the Air Moisture Analyzer Sales Market, manufacturers, and distributors are profiled in the report along with the latest Industry development current and future trends.Request Free Sample Report:This report studies sales (consumption) of Air Moisture Analyzer in Global market, especially in United States, China, Europe and Japan, focuses on top players in these regions/countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these regions, coveringSartorius(omnimark)METTLER TOLEDOEndress+Hauser(Spectra)DanaherShimadzuThermo FisherA?D COMPANYMetrohmMichell InstrumentsAMETEKGECEMSinarGow-MacHannaKettHachMitsubishiKyoto ElectronicSystech IllinoisKAM CONTROLSArizona InstrumentMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with sales (consumption), revenue, market share and growth rate of Air Moisture Analyzer in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSplit by product Types, with sales, revenue, price and gross margin, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoHalogen moisture analyzerInfrared moisture analyzerMicrowave moisture analyzerSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Air Moisture Analyzer in each application, can be divided intoMedicalChemical industryFoodAgricultureTextile industryOtherMake An Enquiry:Table of Contents1 Air Moisture Analyzer Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Air Moisture Analyzer1.2 Classification of Air Moisture Analyzer1.2.1 Halogen moisture analyzer1.2.2 Infrared moisture analyzer1.2.3 Microwave moisture analyzer1.3 Application of Air Moisture Analyzer1.3.1 Medical1.3.2 Chemical industry1.3.3 Food1.3.4 Agriculture1.3.5 Textile industry..2 Global Air Moisture Analyzer Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Global Air Moisture Analyzer Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Global Air Moisture Analyzer Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.1.2 Global Air Moisture Analyzer Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.2 Global Air Moisture Analyzer (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Air Moisture Analyzer Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)..3 United States Air Moisture Analyzer (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Air Moisture Analyzer Sales and Value (2011-2016)3.1.1 United States Air Moisture Analyzer Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.2 United States Air Moisture Analyzer Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.3 United States Air Moisture Analyzer Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)ContinuedBrowse Full Report With TOC:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News At:
Global Ceramic Insulators Sales Market Report 2017: Share, Size and Industry Growth Analysis

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A latest research report titled as  Global Ceramic Insulators Sales Market Report 2017: Share, Size and Industry Growth Analysis  has been recently added to the vast portfolio of Market Research Hub (MRH) online research offerings. This report is a professional and in-depth analysis on the present state and future prospect for the global market. It provides valuable information to the industry insiders, potential entrants or investors. It includes an exhaustive enquiry with the reliability of logic and the comprehensiveness of contents.Request Free Sample Report:Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Ceramic Insulators for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Ceramic Insulators market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Ceramic Insulators sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingLSP Industrial CeramicMorgan Thermal CeramicsKadco CeramicsAremcoMica-Tron...On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLow Voltage InsulatorsHigh Voltage InsulatorsOn 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 Ceramic Insulators for each application, includingTransformersCables & Transmission LinesSwitchgearsBus BarSurge Protection DevicesMake An Enquiry:Table of Contents1 Ceramic Insulators Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Ceramic Insulators1.2 Classification of Ceramic Insulators by Product Category1.2.1 Global Ceramic Insulators Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Ceramic Insulators Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Low Voltage Insulators1.2.4 High Voltage Insulators1.3 Global Ceramic Insulators Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Ceramic Insulators Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Transformers1.3.3 Cables & Transmission Lines1.3.4 Switchgears1.3.5 Bus Bar1.3.6 Surge Protection Devices1.4 Global Ceramic Insulators Market by Region.2 Global Ceramic Insulators Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Ceramic Insulators Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Ceramic Insulators Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Ceramic Insulators Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Ceramic Insulators (Volume and Value) by Type.3 United States Ceramic Insulators (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Ceramic Insulators Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Ceramic Insulators Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Ceramic Insulators Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)ContinuedBrowse Full Report With TOC:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News At:
Aasaanjobs Is All Set For An Upsurge With Google's New Job Listing Feature

Aasaanjobs, one of Indias fast growing job sites is quite elevated after Google launched its new job search feature, in the United States. Using Googles job search tool, job seekers and even the recruiters can look for or monitor millions of job listings, including those on Aasaanjobs website itself.We at Aasaanjobs have become ecstatic about this Googles new job search feature which will enable us to support our motive, which is helping freshers, passive job seekers everywhere to get a job in the company they love the most.As soon as this feature is launched in India, we are looking forward to indulging with its functionalities and also at the same time look for various prospects in the market. We want to ensure that our work in the recruiting industry to be considered as huge phenomena and also create a huge impact on people's lives by giving them a helping hand in getting that desired job.We also want to be certain, that our relevant job listings and other pertinent resources be easily approachable or reachable to our job seekers to get the jobs which they have aspired for.Aasaanjobs is one of the most emerging prospects in the recruitment industry in India. There are thousands of relevant job listings available which gives a gamut of job choices for the job seekers to choose from. Our intention is to create the job search environment a lot user-friendly for our job seekers.We believe, with this new Google job listing feature coming into the picture, it will upscale our efforts of reaching out to a wide range of the population. It will also help employers to get their job listings displayed to a much wider horizon of probable candidates thereby generating many such applicants who are aware of various jobs listed in the various functional areas. We are also adamant on the thought that it will not only add value to the job seekers but also the recruiters.With the usage of the Googles job listing feature, the job finding and applying process will tend to gather pace and produce much better results. It is only a matter of time that this feature gets introduced in India and recruiting companies like Aasaanjobs and many others will be liable to make a stratagem in their recruitment operation in order to create more relevancy and also achieving their respective purpose at the same time.Aasaanjobs is a leading end-to-end recruitment marketplace connecting employers, consultants and job seekers. Our goal is to make hiring quick, easy and convenient for everyone involved.Aasaanjobs, B,Wing 3rd floor, Krislon house, opposite Marwah Centre, Saki Naka , Andheri East, Mumbai- 400072
United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Health Insurance Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Health Insurance Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.This report presents a holistic market overview on the basis of the performance of this market in the recent times. It also focuses on the upcoming projects and ventures in this market to determine its future status. The historical data on revenue generated on this market has been provided in this study. The drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges impacting the demand of United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Health Insurance market have also been covered in this report. The report also discusses the marketing channels used on the United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia as well as local level. The report provides quantitative and qualitative analysis of the United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Health Insurance market.The report further performs an in-depth analysis of the value chain to offer a comprehensive assessment of the United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Health Insurance market to the readers. An analysis of distribution channels has also been presented to the readers to help them understand the competitive landscape in the market. The demand for United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Health Insurance market varies in each geography due to the varying number of end users. The study segments market on the basis of different regions and current market scenario in those regions.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @In addition, the report profiles the leading market players supporting the growth of the United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Health Insurance market. Moreover, the report presents in-depth detail such as company profile, financial overview, strategies adopted by them, research methodologies, product/service specifications, overall market share, and latest developments incorporated. The report is consists of information generated and gathered from different trusted source with the help of different analytical tools. This report is a valuable source of guidance for the market players interested to expand their business and wants to increase their market share.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Health Insurance1.1 Health Insurance Market Overview1.1.1 Health Insurance Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Health Insurance Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Health Insurance Market by End Users/Application1.3.1 Application 11.3.2 Application 21.3.3 Application 3Browse Market Research Report @2 Global Health Insurance Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Health Insurance Market Size (Value) by Players (2015-2016)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Anthem3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Health Insurance Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 UnitedHealth Group3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Health Insurance Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 DKV3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Health Insurance Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.3.5 Recent Developments12 Health Insurance Market Dynamics12.1 Health Insurance Market Opportunities12.2 Health Insurance Challenge and Risk12.2.1 Competition from Opponents12.2.2 Downside Risks of Economy12.3 Health Insurance Market Constraints and Threat12.3.1 Threat from Substitute12.3.2 Government Policy12.3.3 Technology Risks12.4 Health Insurance Market Driving Force12.4.1 Growing Demand from Emerging Markets12.4.2 Potential Application13 Market Effect Factors Analysis13.1 Technology Progress/Risk13.1.1 Substitutes13.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry13.2 Consumer Needs Trend/Customer Preference13.3 External Environmental Change13.3.1 Economic Fluctuations13.3.2 Other Risk FactorsList of Tables and FiguresFigure Health Insurance Product ScopeFigure Global Health Insurance Market Size (2011-2016)Table Global Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure Global Health Insurance Market Share by Regions in 2015Figure United States Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure EU Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure Japan Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure China Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure India Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure Southeast Asia Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure Global Health Insurance Market Share by Application in 2015Figure Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate in Applications 1 (2011-2016)Figure Health Insurance Market Size and Growth Rate in Applications 2 (2011-2016)QYReseachReports.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.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
2017 Ear Drop Market: Global , United States Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2022

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SummaryThis report helps to analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the 2017-2022 Ear Drop Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and ApplicationsDescriptionThis report studies the Ear Drop market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Ear Drop market by product type and applications/end industries.The global Ear Drop market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Get a PDF Sample of Report at:The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Ear Drop. United States plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share (%) and growth Rate (%) of Ear Drop in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East and AfricaTo Browse the Entire Report, Visit :The major players in global and United States Ear Drop market, including DAIICHI SANKYO CO.,LTD, Neilmed, TRP, Prestige Brands, Inc., Walgreen, Hylands , Similasan, Clarion Brands Inc., Debrox, Auro-Dri Ear, Equate.The On the basis of product, the Ear Drop market is primarily split intoCiprodex ear dropGentisone HC ear dropCiproxin HC ear dropsOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report coversAdultChildrenPlace a Purchase Order for this Report at:The Table Of Content Mentioned in Ear Drop is Market Report are:Chapter One: Methodology and Data Source1.1 Methodology/Research Approach1.1.1 Research Programs/Design1.1.2 Market Size Estimation1.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation1.2 Data Source2.1.1 Secondary Sources2.1.2 Primary Sources1.3 DisclaimerChapter Two: Ear Drop Market Overview2.1 Ear Drop Product Overview2.2 Ear Drop Market Segment by Type2.2.1 Ciprodex ear drop2.2.2 Gentisone HC ear drop2.2.3 Ciproxin HC ear drops2.3 Global Ear Drop Product Segment by Type2.3.1 Global Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.3.2 Global Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.3 Global Ear Drop Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.4 Global Ear Drop Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)2.4 United States Ear Drop Product Segment by Type2.4.1 United States Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and Growth by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.4.2 United States Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.3 United States Ear Drop Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.4 United States Ear Drop Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)Chapter Three: Ear Drop Application/End Users3.1 Ear Drop Segment by Application/End Users3.1.1 Adult3.1.2 Children3.2 Global Ear Drop Product Segment by Application3.2.1 Global Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.2.2 Global Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)3.3 United States Ear Drop Product Segment by Application3.3.1 United States Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.3.2 United States Ear Drop Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)Chapter Seven: Ear Drop Players/Manufacturers Profiles and Sales Data7.1 DAIICHI SANKYO CO.,LTD7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors7.1.2 Ear Drop Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 DAIICHI SANKYO CO.,LTD Ear Drop Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Neilmed7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors7.2.2 Ear Drop Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Neilmed Ear Drop Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 TRP7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors7.3.2 Ear Drop Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 TRP Ear Drop Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Prestige Brands, Inc.7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors7.4.2 Ear Drop Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Prestige Brands, Inc. Ear Drop Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Walgreen7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors7.5.2 Ear Drop Product Category, Application and Specification.About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Information:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas  75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +9164101019Follow Us on LinkedIn:
Global Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market 2017 - Btech, Hitachi Chemical, Kyocera, Tatsuta

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The worldwide Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market report launched by Market.biz focuses on a complete and accurate study of Inorganic Conductive Adhesive industry. Global Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market 2017 report is fundamentally concentrated on current scenario of Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market. This comprehensive research document will improve the efficiency of the Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022.The Inorganic Conductive Adhesive industry report covers different aspects of market such as Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market Segment, Inorganic Conductive Adhesive categories of the product, market revenue and product cost. The report also shows the Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market volume for every category during the forecast period.Request For Sample Report Here:Competitive Research of Global Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market 2017 Based on Key Vendors:1 3M2 Btech3 Hitachi Chemical4 Kyocera5 TatsutaGlobal Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market 2017: Product Type Segment AnalysisCuring Reaction TypeHot MeltHigh Temperature SinteringGlobal Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market 2017: Applications Segment AnalysisCamerasDisplaysPhotovoltaicsInterconnections for PhotovoltaicsInitially, the Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market report throws light on the market strategies, Inorganic Conductive Adhesive growth trends, production capacity and cost structures. The report segregates the global Inorganic Conductive Adhesive industry on the basis of key vendors, the range of applications and geographical regions like United States, Japan, China, and EU. The report also provides information regarding current as well as past information of Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market.Further, Inorganic Conductive Adhesive report reveals the company details of leading players such as profile information, revenue segmentation, business strategies and their contribution to the Global Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market share. This report also states information regarding import/export, supply and consumption, price and gross margin of Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market by regions. Other additional regions could also be added in Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market area.For more information about this report visit at:Finally, the Inorganic Conductive Adhesive report flashes a complete picture of overall Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market conditions and drive the players towards profitable market strategies which will help companies involved in operating Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market to make knowledgeable business decisions. At the last, Global Inorganic Conductive Adhesive Market 2017 report evaluates the emerging geographical sectors in Inorganic Conductive Adhesive market.Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Maharashtra, IndiaTel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Market Research Reports-Latest Reports-
United States Denim Jeans Market Report 2017 - Levi Strauss, Uniqlo, Edwin, PVH, Parasuco, KIPONE, Texwood, Zebgzhi, Diesel

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This report studies sales (consumption) of Denim Jeans in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, coveringLevi StraussVF CorporationPVHGap Inc.UniqloEdwinAEOKIPONEH & MKIPONEParasucoDiesel7 For All MankindTrue ReligionMaviTexwoodZebgzhiMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisTo Get a Free Sample Copy of this Report Visit @Split by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Denim Jeans in each application, can be divided intoWomenMenChildrenTable of Contents1 Denim Jeans Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Denim Jeans1.2 Classification of Denim Jeans1.3 Application of Denim Jeans1.3.1 Women1.3.2 Men1.3.3 Children1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of Denim Jeans (2012-2022)1.4.1 United States Denim Jeans Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Denim Jeans Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 United States Denim Jeans Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States Denim Jeans Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States Denim Jeans Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States Denim Jeans Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 Denim Jeans Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Denim Jeans Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Denim Jeans Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 United States Denim Jeans Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by States (2012-2017)3.1 United States Denim Jeans Sales and Market Share by States (2012-2017)3.2 United States Denim Jeans Revenue and Market Share by States (2012-2017)3.3 United States Denim Jeans Price by States (2012-2017)4 United States Denim Jeans Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2012-2017)4.1 United States Denim Jeans Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)4.2 United States Denim Jeans Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)4.3 United States Denim Jeans Price by Type (2012-2017)4.4 United States Denim Jeans Sales Growth Rate by Type (2012-2017)QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
IGOR IANKOVSKYI AWARDED THE FINALIST OF THE VTH UKRAINIAN CHILDREN'S DRAWING CONTEST "UKRAINE  THE LAND OF TALENTS"

Igor Iankovskyi with young talents of Ukraine

At June 17, 2017 in the Ukrainian House on Khreschatyk was awarding ceremony for the participants and winners of the anniversary Vth All-Ukrainian children drawing competition "UKRAINE  THE LAND OF TALENTS". The biggest Ukrainian children's creative competition for the fifth consecutive year, held at the initiative and financial support of the Igor Iankovskyi Foundation "Initiative for the Future", each involving the creative process hundreds of the talented children from all over Ukraine.During the competition, the jury sent 605 works of the young artists aged 5 to 17 years from 22 regions of Ukraine: Volynskyi, Donetskiy, Zhytomyrskyi, Transcarpathian, Zaporizhia, Ivano-Frankivskyi, Kyivskyi, Kirovohradskyi, Luhanskiy, Lvivskyi, Mykolayivskyi, Odesskyi, Poltavskyi, Rivnenskyi, Sumskyi, Ternopilskyi,, Kharkivskyi, Khersonskyi, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasskyi, Chernivetskyi, Chernihivskyi.The number of pictures sent to the contest was the second leader of the age group (9-13 years), which sent 304 children art paintings. The most active by young artists creative works from Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Transcarpathian, Donetsk and Mykolaiv regions. In general, the creative call of the Iankovskyi Foundation by supported 94 schools, including first and second place was taken Dnipropetrovskiy region (Nikopol City Art School 1, who sent 40 works) and Kyiv (The Center of the non-school education of the Sviatoshynskyi district, which sent 44 of its students); Mykolaiv took the third children's art school 31 artwork."I congratulate the fifth anniversary of the All-Ukrainian children's drawing contest! For five years organized many exhibitions of the winners and finalists, both in Ukraine and abroad, particularly in the building of the UN General Assembly in New York City. So everybody could see our country through the eyes of the children.Our world is changing, and now all engaged in digital technology, IT. But I think the future is for creative people. Programs are taught themselves to write, collect machine work. And only in the works of man there is no substitute. I think that in 10-15 years these children, who are creating now such wonderful pictures, will be in demand in the business and creative profession it will move our future. A Foundation "Initiative for the Future" has always supported creative and talented young people in various fields: culture, science and innovation. We will continue to continue our charitable work", - said Igor Iankovskyi, the founder of the Foundation" Initiative for the Future", while welcoming participants and guests in the hall.The composition of the expert jury this year included: Natalia Poltavets known Kyiv artist, member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Honored Artist of Ukraine pop art; Zvolynska Mary, the young winner of the Third All-Ukrainian competition for children "FAITH.HOPE.LOVE." And jury member of many art competitions, including the Kyiv Children's Academy of Arts; Vasil and Ivan Kostenko, the creative duo of extremely talented young graphic artists with special creative attitude, founders of "Brothers"; known Lviv artist Oleh Kolotay that currently resides in Rome (Italy), an active participant in many international art exhibitions, whose works are in private collections in Ukraine, Poland, Canada and Italy.The outcome of the professional jury selected 30 finalists among which defined the main prize 9 and 21 nomination shortlisted. In the age group of 5 to 8 years finalists are: Anastasia Starovoit (Kyiv City), Valeriya Hitryh (Bucha City, Kyivskyi region.) And top ranked Anastasia Taratina (c. Zhitomir) with the work "KOROLEV ERA CONTINUES: WE OPENS THE NEW PLANET". In the age group of 9 to 13 years finalists were Mariya Karpenko (Mykolaiv City) and Amina Dovhiy (Monastyrets City, Transcarpathian region.) And the first place took Ameli Ichenska (Kyiv City) with the art-work named "COUNTRY OF THE INSPIRATION". The leaders in the oldest age category contest for the age group 14 to 17 years were Kseniya Poustovit (Mykolaiv City), Margarita Hrihorchuk (Chernivtsy City), and the grand prize and first place won Victoriya Komarnytska (Kolomyia City, Ivano-Frankivskiy region) for artistic work " CREATIVE WORLD OF THE MARIA PRYIMACHENKO".Traditionally, all the young participants received honorary diplomas from the organizers of the contest and the finalists were awarded the beautiful art sets. The winners of the V-th All-Ukrainian competition for children "UKRAINE  THE LAND OF TALENTS" received the travel vouchers to the children's camp "Artek-Bukovel" for creative and recreational vacation. It is noteworthy that June 17-29, 2017 in the Ukrainian House opened hundreds of unique art exhibition of the finalists and winners works.At the end of the event Igor Iankovskyi Foundation organized various creative workshops, there are: manufacturing toys by the wet felting technique; volume manufacturing techniques by paperplastic compositions; the manufacture of toys from clay; manufacturing technology of the cards scrapbooking; with artistic of the painting bags; manufacturing the dolls. Children and their parents surrounded of the masters and within minutes were involved in the process of creating things with my hands.Over the years, the Igor Iankovskyi Foundation "Initiative for the Future" takes care of the creative generation of talented young Ukrainian. Thanks to his support, children reveal their creativity, spirituality and echo the creative generation of Ukrainian artists. Works of the finalists and winners were presented not only in Ukraine but also abroad. In particular, the participants of the III All-Ukrainian children drawing competition "FAITH.HOPE.LOVE." presented in the building of the UN General Assembly in New York City. Also, the exhibition of the children's paintings included in the final contest of the drawings exhibited in Belgium, France and Poland."Initiative for the Future"  is a Ukrainian Charity Foundation, founded by Igor Iankovskyi  a successful Ukrainian businessman, financier and philanthropist. Charities unite like-minded people in a common goal - to develop and implement educational and cultural programs in Ukraine. Activities of the organization are based on voluntary initiatives.Since its creation, the Foundation supports talented young people from all over Ukraine, contributing to the creation of a highly cultured society. The Foundation has a strong international dimension, having successfully completed a range of projects abroad: in Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and the USA.Horizon Park business center12 Amosova Str., Kyiv, 03038, Ukraine
Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market 2017 - AT&T, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., IBM Corporation, Software AG, Bosch Software Innovations GmbH

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The worldwide Internet of Everything (IoE) Market report launched by Market.biz focuses on a complete and accurate study of Internet of Everything (IoE) industry. Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market 2017 report is fundamentally concentrated on current scenario of Internet of Everything (IoE) market. This comprehensive research document will improve the efficiency of the Internet of Everything (IoE) market during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022.The Internet of Everything (IoE) industry report covers different aspects of market such as Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Segment, Internet of Everything (IoE) categories of the product, market revenue and product cost. The report also shows the Internet of Everything (IoE) market volume for every category during the forecast period.Request For Sample Report Here:Competitive Research of Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market 2017 Based on Key Vendors:1 Amazon Web Services, Inc.2 AT&T, Inc.3 Cisco Systems, Inc.4 IBM Corporation5 Software AG6 Bosch Software Innovations GmbH7 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP8 Microsoft Corporation9 Google, Inc.10 Peach John Co. Ltd11 Sams West, Inc.12 Fujitsu, SAP SE.13 General Electric14 Royal Dutch Shell15 Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.16 C-Labs Corporation17 Wipro18 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.19 ABB Ltd.20 Daimler AGGlobal Internet of Everything (IoE) Market 2017: Product Type Segment AnalysisHardwareSoftwareServicesGlobal Internet of Everything (IoE) Market 2017: Applications Segment AnalysisGovernmentRetailHealthcareIT and TelecomManufacturingTransportation and LogisticsEnergy and UtilitiesInitially, the Internet of Everything (IoE) Market report throws light on the market strategies, Internet of Everything (IoE) growth trends, production capacity and cost structures. The report segregates the global Internet of Everything (IoE) industry on the basis of key vendors, the range of applications and geographical regions like United States, Japan, China, and EU. The report also provides information regarding current as well as past information of Internet of Everything (IoE) market.Further, Internet of Everything (IoE) report reveals the company details of leading players such as profile information, revenue segmentation, business strategies and their contribution to the Global Internet of Everything (IoE) market share. This report also states information regarding import/export, supply and consumption, price and gross margin of Internet of Everything (IoE) market by regions. Other additional regions could also be added in Internet of Everything (IoE) Market area.For more information about this report visit at:Finally, the Internet of Everything (IoE) report flashes a complete picture of overall Internet of Everything (IoE) market conditions and drive the players towards profitable market strategies which will help companies involved in operating Internet of Everything (IoE) market to make knowledgeable business decisions. At the last, Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market 2017 report evaluates the emerging geographical sectors in Internet of Everything (IoE) market.Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Maharashtra, IndiaTel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Market Research Reports-Latest Reports-
Storage Area Network Market Report 2017, Trends, Analysis, Share, Estimates and Forecasts to 2022.

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According to Stratistics MRC, the key factors that are driving the growth of Storage area network market are growing demand for data centers to store huge amount of data generated by business operations and the requirement of efficient data management solutions. However, absence of awareness particularly in promising markets such as North Africa, Argentina and Brazil, about the benefits of new storage technologies and operation problems due to complicated integration structure and few other technical issues are the factors that are hampering the growth of global storage area network market.Software-defined storage, scale-out network-attached storage (NAS), hybrid flash arrays and all-flash are three of the most important trends in NAS and SAN storage that will take grip within the next five years. Presently, North America dominates the storage area network market and is anticipated to carry on its supremacy over the forecast period, followed by Western Europe.Some of the key players in global storage area network market are SimpliVity Corp., Scale Computing Inc., Nutanix Inc., Hitachi Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co., EMC Co., Data-Core Systems Inc. and Citrix systems Inc.For More, Please Visit:Applications Covered: Banking, finance, services and insurance (BFSI) Energy and utility Government Manufacturing Telecommunication Transportation OthersSolutions Covered: Hardware SoftwareTypes Covered: Enterprise network Hyperscale networkServices Covered: Consulting services System integration service Training and support serviceRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsFor More, Please Visit:We offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg,MD, 20877, USA
Online Survey Software Market: Current trends and future opportunities by 2025

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Global Online Survey Software Market: OverviewThe ever-changing consumer behaviour patterns and the increasing need among sellers to understand it has largely fueled the growth of the global online survey software market. The growing e-commerce activity that is indicative of the fluctuating and changing consumer spending habits can be effectively scrutinized through online survey software. Widespread internet penetration and the improving access to high-speed internet have drastically propelled the demand for online products and services. Additionally, the increasing expenditure on online marketing have resulted in surveys being conducted to allow companies to reach out to a wider audience in the remotest areas. All of these factors will be collectively responsible for the soaring revenues of the global online survey software market in the near future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Online Survey Software Market: Key TrendsThe global online survey software market is likely to witness intense competition in the coming years due to a presence of large number of national and international players in the market. These companies are expected to compete on the basis of technologies, product differentiation, services, quality, and price modeling among others. The geographical reach of these companies is also projected to be instrumental in defining the growth of the global online survey software market.Currently, the key users of global online survey software are market research firms, manufacturing units, financial services, and the retail sector. Of these, the market research firms hold a lions share in the global market and are expected to dominate in the revenue contributions in the coming years as well. Market research firms extensively use online software solutions, implementation of advanced software, data analytics tools, cloud-based online survey software, along with other features to implement web-based surveys for qualitative and quantitative analysis for various products and services. Analysts project that advantages such as efficient management of complex market research projects, swift data collection, ability to collect responses from global respondents, and tremendous help in generating accurate report based on the collected information is making these software famous amongst market research firms.Request TOC of the Report @Global Online Survey Software Market: Market PotentialExpansion is expected to be an important move for several online survey software companies. For instance, US-based Qualtrics stated that it intends to expand to Asia Pacific region along with its plans to tap into the Australian market. In line with this move, the company plans to open offices in Brisbane, Singapore, and Japan in the coming few years. The talk about Qualtrics going public has also been going around in the industry. Qualtrics recently announced the launch of its new product, the XM Platform, which brings together brand, product, employee, and customer experience to help users understand their consumers better.Global Online Survey Software Market: Regional OutlookFrom a geographic point of view, the global online survey software market is segmented into the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The Americas held a dominant share in the global market in 2016. The region is estimated to continue its dominance in the coming years due to a high adoption rate of technology. Users are opting for cloud-based online surveys as opposed to on-premise methods due to their convenience and ease of access. The online survey software market in the Americas will also be propelled by the strong presence of leading players in the region.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Key Players Mentioned in this Report are:Some of the leading players operating in the global online survey software market are CloudCherry, Getfeedback, Campaign Monitor, Medallia, Inqwise, QuestionPro, SoGoSurvey, Toluna, Zoho, SurveyGizmo, Confirmit, Qualtrics, and SurveyMonkey.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
The digital transformation has only just begun

PureLink head of sales Stephan Sloot

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New products for trade and industry - PureLink presents innovative solutions on Alltron partner event 2017Stephan Sloot, head of sales at PureLink GmbH, producer and distributor of AV products based in Rheine, Germany: Alltron has been the exclusive distribution partner of our brands for Switzerland and Liechtenstein for a long time. Each time I look forward to attending this event. Networking with international colleagues, interesting lectures, the exchange of technical know-how and the presentation of innovative products from the European markets gives me new impulses.This years partner event was Alltron AGs eighth invitation of their international sales partners to their headquarters in Willisau, Canton of Aargau. On 10-11 May 2017, business customers and over 100 exhibitors from IT, consumer electronics , telecommunications and electronics enjoyed two interesting days in Switzerland.Key theme of this partner event was the digital transformation in trade and industry. Key note speaker Christian Frei outlined that digital transformation has a wider meaning than the buzzword Industry 4.0 may suggest. The significance for trade and service business is developing rapidly.Acceptance and quick implementation of digital products depend deeply on their versatility and easy usability.In his lecture A/V conference room solutions for everyone, Henning Diekmann, PureLink Key Account Manager introduced two such audiovisual solutions:mediahubTM all-in-one connector panel solves compatibility problems. This PureLink innovation provides power, Ethernet and A/V connections. Individual layouts and adaptations to different international standards are available. In addition to its versatile functionality, mediahub also satisfies aesthetic demands. Its elegant design was awarded the German industry prize, Iconic Award 2017.The wireless alternative, Solstice Wireless Visual Collaboration is a BYOD solution. It allows any number of users to simultaneously stream content from computers, tablets, and phones to any display, wirelessly. By removing the need for video cables and converters, Solstice improves meeting productivity, international simultaneous collaboration and transforms conference rooms into virtual, multi-user environments.PureLink GmbH develops, produces and markets products for professional presentation and media technology.Since 2006 PureLink has been one of the international branch leaders for digital connectivity solutions, e.g. HDMI cables and adapters, wireless HD, or optical glass fiber products.As manufacturer and distributor, PureLink is partner of wholesalers, mail order companies, industry, electronics stores, and installers. The product portfolio comprises consumer equipment, as well as individual customer solutions. Professional products from leading international manufacturers complete the wide range of own-brand products.At present, PureLink has 25 employees who take care of customers demands worldwide. The companys distribution and logistics centre is located at Rheine, Germany.Barbara TsihlisPureLink GmbHVon-Liebig-Str. 1048432 Rheine / Germanytsihlis@purelink.de0049 5971 800 299 25
Reinforcement Material Market - Trends, Outlook, Global Industry Insights, and Opportunity Analysis, 20162024

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Reinforcement provides improved and tailored material properties with manufacturing flexibility. Particulate composite reinforcements are also used in conventional engineering methods such as injection molding, which has resulted in overall reduction in operational costs. Natural fibers such as flax, jute, kenaf, hemp, and sisal offer various benefits such as reduction in weight, cost, and recyclability. Reinforcements are used in composite materials to enhance properties such as stiffness and strength. Depending on the alumina-lime-borosilicate composition, glass fibers are considered the major reinforcements for polymer matrix composites, owing to properties such as low susceptibility to moisture, high electrical insulating properties, and superior mechanical properties.Request Sample of Reinforcement Material Market:Sheet structures of reinforced materials are used as heat shields, insulation shields for spark plug leads, and turbocharger hoses. Reinforcement materials are used in tires for trucks and cars, owing to properties such as superb abrasion, puncture and tear resistance resulting in long life. Military applications of reinforcement include a lightweight armor solution for protection against ballistic attacks. Continuous reinforcements are used in non-prestressed reinforced concrete for improving the load-carrying capability of the structure by providing high tensile strength and discontinuous reinforcements are added to improve the toughness needed to alter crack paths and cracking mechanisms.In automotive application, glass reinforced plastics are widely used in bumpers, dashboards, body panels and intake manifolds. Brakes are manufactured from particulate composite consisting of carbon or ceramics particulates. Various plastic components are used in consumer products such as appliances, computer housings, toys, electrical products, cell phone casings, helmets, and office furniture. Natural fiber composites consisting of thermoplastic and thermoset matrices are used for door panels, seat backs, headliners, package trays, dashboards, and interior parts. Carbon fibers are made from organic precursors, including PAN (polyacrylonitrile), rayon, and pitches and offer highest stiffness, and strength among all the reinforcement materials.Reinforcement Material Market TaxonomyOn the basis of material, the global market is segmented into:Carbon fiberGlass fiberNatural fiberAramid fiberSteel rebarOn the basis of end use industry, the global market is segmented into:AutomotiveAerospaceConsumer goodsConstructionTransportationRequest To View The Table of content:Reinforcement Material Market Outlook  Need for Robust materials Expected to Boost DemandAsia Pacific is one of the major contributors to the global reinforcement material market. Rapidly flourishing urbanization and modern infrastructure coupled with increasing investments in high end for products for defense sector in emerging economies such as India and China has boosted the growth of reinforcement material in the region. According to IBEF, the Indian construction industry is associated with many foreign investors such as Hines (USA), Emaar Properties (UAE), Veolia (France), Alstom (France), Aqualyng AS (Norway), Ascendas (Singapore), Tishman Speyer (USA), The Trump Organization (USA), Hydro-Comp Enterprises (Cyprus), GIZ (Germany). This will give rise to new opportunities for the manufacturers in the reinforcement material market. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) is a Trust established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Commerce in collaboration with the Government of India with the purpose of promoting and creating international awareness of goods manufactured in India.High initial price is one of the restraining factors for the reinforcement material market globally. Product innovation and increasing global reach are some of the strategies adopted by the top players in the reinforcement material industry. Research is being made on developing conductive reinforcements in plastics. Some of the companies operating in the global reinforcement material market are Teijin Limited, Toray Industries, Inc., Cytec Industries Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., Bast Fiber LLC, AgroFiber SAS, NFC Fibers GmBh, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, 3B-The Fiberglass Company, Owens Corning, BASF SE, Jushi Group Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd., Hyosung Corporation, and NJR Steel Holdings (PTY) Ltd.Check The Trending Report of Reinforcement Material Market:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Pharmaceutical Robots Market: Current trends and future opportunities by 2025

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Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market: OverviewPharmaceutical robots find application in laboratories and pharmacies and in various drug manufacturing processes. Robotics are also used by hospitals for numerous pharmaceutical applications that include mixing hazardous oncological drugs and formulations emitting harmful radiations. Over the past few years, the adoption of robotics in the pharmaceutical industry has been markedly slower than in other industries. Nonetheless, in recent years, the application of robotics and automation technologies in pharmaceutical manufacturing, production operations, and distribution systems, has gathered pace.Robots find wide applications in automating a variety of repetitive tasks, mainly in hazardous environments. The application of different types of pick-and-place machines for the development of different pharmaceutical products is growing too.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market: Key TrendsThe soaring demand for new drugs and formulations has egged a number of pharmaceutical companies to explore new ways to make better and less expensive drugs. This is a key factor propelling the pharmaceutical robots market. The demand for automated filling, inspection, and packaging in pharmaceutical manufacturing are other factors driving the market. The use of robots in potentially hazardous settings such as those prone to radioactive radiations, biological dangers, and cross-contamination in cleanrooms has boosted the uptake of robots in the pharmaceutical industry. Various advantages of using pharmaceutical robots include remarkably high precision and speed in drug formulation, significantly reduced overhead costs, elimination in human error, and high reproducibility. Rising awareness of these benefits is expected to fuel the application of pharmaceutical robots.Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market: Market PotentialRobotic technologies are increasingly being adopted in automated syringe assemblies, inspections, and packaging. The use of pharmaceutical robots is gaining prominence in sterile environments. This is attributed to their dexterity and reliability in reducing risks arising from environmental contamination and in eliminating cross-contamination between humans and components. Witnessing the vast potential of robots in the pharmaceutical sector, leading manufacturers of pharmaceutical process equipment are making product innovations.Request TOC of the Report @Steriline, a global manufacturer and supplier of specialized process equipment in the pharmaceutical sector, has recently expanded its robotics solutions for the aseptic processing of pharmaceutical products. The European manufacturer will preview its new Robotic Pulsed Light Sterilizer (RPLS1) at interpack 2017, a leading event scheduled to take place in Dusseldorf starting May 4, 2017. The robotic solution is the first-of-its kind to adopt the pulsed light sterilizer technology for ready-to-use (RTU) nest sterilization. RPLS1 can be connected to any RTU filling machine and can sterilize cartridges, syringes, and vials. Easy and cost-effective to install, the robotic device boasts of a processing capacity of 120 tubs/h. Besides enhanced efficiency, it is safe as well, claims the company.Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market: Regional OutlookThe regional markets for pharmaceutical robots covered in the report are North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific, among them, is a lucrative market that is expected expand at a significant CAGR over the forecast period. The growing number of domestic industrial robotic companies, advances in the pharmaceutical sector, and soaring investment in the robotics industry are the key factors boosting the pharmaceutical robots market in the region. In addition, growing number of conferences and exhibitions aimed to create awareness about the adoption of automated technologies is also expected to stimulate the demand for pharmaceutical robots.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market: Competitive AnalysisMajor companies operating in the global pharmaceutical robots market, profiled in the report are Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., FANUC Corporation, KUKA AG, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, ABB Ltd., Denso Corporation, Seiko Epson Corporation, Marchesini Group S.p.A, Universal Robots A/S, and Yaskawa Electric Corporation.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todayas supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clientsa conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global 3D printing for medical sector market was valued at US$ 412.2 million in 2015 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.7%

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3D printing is revolutionizing the healthcare industry by providing improved therapy outcomes and affordable medical devices. This technology is enabling manufacturers to produce small and delicate parts of an organ or medical device with a high accuracy, which is a very cumbersome task using current manufacturing capabilities. Companies such as EnvisionTEC, Inc., 3D Systems, Inc., Stratasys Inc., Materialise NV, and Organovo Holdings, Inc. are collaborating with each other or independent research organizations and institutes to speed-up the research activities in order to decrease the time to market (TTM).Market Dynamics3D printing offers various benefits such as pre-operative planning of medical procedures based on the 3D model, creating anatomical models for training, creating medical products at lower costs, and possibility of manufacturing medical devices of smaller form factors with higher precision. Increasing awareness about cost benefits offered by this technology has increased its usage in hospitals, dentists, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and medical clinics is propelling the market growth for 3D printing. Furthermore, growing demand for organ transplantation and funding from government and private Institution are analyzed be the major factors propelling growth of 3D printing application in the medical sector.Request for an exclusive sample of this report:Market TaxonomyThis report segments the global 3D printing for medical sector market on the basis of technology, application, and end user. On the basis of technology, the global 3D printing market is classified into electron beam melting, laser beam melting, droplet deposition and photopolymerization. Applications of 3D printing include tissue engineering, surgical implants, healthcare research and development (R&D), and others. 3D Printing technology is used for medical applications across pharmaceuticals and biotech companies, medical devices companies and academic and research institutions.Key features of the study:This report provides in-depth analysis of 3D printing in medical sector and provides market size (US$ Million) and Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR %) for the forecast period (2016  2024), considering 2015 as the base yearIt elucidates potential revenue opportunity across different segments and explains attractive investment proposition matrix for this marketThis study also provides key insights about market drivers, restraints, opportunities, new product launches or approval, regional outlook, and competitive strategy adopted by the leading playersIt profiles leading players in the global 3D printing for medical sector market based on the following parameters  company overview, financial performance, product portfolio, geographical presence, distribution strategies, key developments and strategies and future plansKey companies covered as a part of this study include 3T RPD, Ltd., EnvisionTEC, Inc., Arcam AB, 3D Systems, Inc., Eos GmbH Electro Optical Systems, Renishaw plc, Stratasys Inc., Materialise NV, and Organovo Holdings, Inc.Insights from this report would allow marketers and the management authorities of the companies to make informed decision regarding their future product launch, technology up-gradation, market expansion and marketing tacticsThe global 3D printing for medical sector market report caters to various stakeholders in this industry including investors, suppliers, 3D printing device manufacturers, distributors, new entrants, and financial analystsStakeholders would have ease in decision making through the various strategy matrices used in analyzing the 3D printing for medical sector marketGet discount on this report by CMI @Reasonable price of 3D printed medical products leading to increasing popularityRegional governments of various countries are focusing on burden of expensive medicines on patients through effective price control measures. However, reducing profit margins negatively impact investments in research and development (R&D) phase. 3D printed medical products can effectively address the concerns of governments and the industry. Spritam (Levetiracetam) from Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, is the first 3D printed tablet that received U.S. FDA approval in March 2016. Low cost of production would in turn reduce cost of product and make it more affordable to patients. Researchers are the University of Toronto, Autodesk Research, and CBM Canada used 3D printing to produce low cost customizable prosthetic sockets for patients especially in low-income countries especially Uganda. This would further boost investment in 3D printing by healthcare providers to reduce product cost and increase profit margins.Similarly, expensive stents, prosthetics, and implants can be made available at a much cheaper rate with improved therapeutic outcomes in the emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil, South Africa, and Russia, which would increase affordability and accessibility of medical products.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:A plethora of medical applications3D printing technology is primarily used to create artificial skin, kidney, liver, pancreas, pills, and orthopedic and dental implants. The current manufacturing capabilities are not adequate to produce artificial organs with precise shape and size of miniature organ parts. Biological models made from 3D printing technology can help in surgical training, planning, and offering personalized medicines, thus enhancing quality of life of the user. While the use of 3D printing is widely implemented in dental applications, other medical segments such as tissues, prosthetics, medicines and heart valves, medical equipment and synthetic skin are also expected to deploy 3D printing technology to a greater extent in the near future.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Automotive Aluminum Market- Trends, Outlook, Industry Insights and Opportunity Analysis, 20162024

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Aluminum is found in nature in the form of aluminum sulfates and can also be produced from bauxite, which comprises various elements such as aluminum hydroxide, silicon, titanium, sulfur, gallium, vanadium oxides, chromium, iron, sulfuric calcium, and magnesium carbonates, among others. Aluminum is significantly lighter than steel, has good tensile strength, and is easier to mold, making it a preferred choice in various industries. Vehicles manufactured using advanced aluminum alloys are more fuel efficient, with less life-cycle carbon emissions as compared to vehicles manufactured using steel. Aluminium is versatile in nature, which enables automobile manufacturers to combine it with other metals or with materials such as fiberglass and plastics to enhance specific properties. Also, aluminium has the capacity to absorb twice the crash energy as compared to mild steel, which makes it safer.Request Sample of Automotive Aluminum Market:Automotive manufacturers are focusing on improving performance, fuel economy and reducing emissions, without affecting the size, safety and capability, a factor that has led to significant growth of the automotive aluminum market.Automotive Aluminum Market TaxonomyOn the basis of type of product type, Global market is classified into:Aluminium CastingsAluminium ExtrusionAluminium SheetsFlat rolled productsOn the basis of vehicle type, Global market is classified into:Passenger CarsLight commercial vehiclesHeavy commercial vehiclesOn the basis of sales channel, Global market is classified into:Original equipment manufacturerAftermarketAluminium castings are used in various parts of automobiles such as alternator housing, carburetors, wheels, valve covers, engine block, transmission housings, wheel spacer, impellers, and fan clutch. Aluminium sheets are used in complete vehicle body, structural components, car trims and sealing, body panels, side walls, hood, doors, and trunks. Extruded aluminium is used to manufacture roof rails and sunroofs. The use of aluminium in automobiles has provided numerous benefits such as good formability, great potential in weight reduction, excellent corrosion behavior in presence of thermal load, high yield strength, and dent resistance capability, high-quality surface finish and recyclability. Original equipment manufacturers contribute a major share in the automotive aluminum market.Automotive Aluminum Market Outlook  Rising demand for lightweight and fuel efficient automobiles supplementing market growthNorth America is expected to dominate the automotive aluminum market over the forecast period. This is mainly attributed to the stringent implementation of yield strength standards. CAFE Standards were implemented in the U.S. in order to reduce energy consumption by increasing fuel economy in cars, van, light trucks, and heavy trucks. This has augmented growth of the market in the region. Asia Pacific is expected to follow North America in the consumption of automotive aluminium. This is mainly attributed to increasing discretionary income in the region and supportive government initiatives, especially in the growth engines of the region  China and India. For instance, the Indian government allows for 100% FDI in the automotive industry, which accounts for 7.1% of the countrys GDP. Furthermore, as highlighted by India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the Indian government aims to make automobiles manufacturing the mainstay of its ambitious Make in India initiative and projects the passenger vehicles market to triple to 9.4 million units by 2026, as highlighted in the Auto Mission Plan (AMP) 20162026. This trend is expected to follow over the forecast period. ASI Performance Standard (Principles and Criteria launched December 2014) and ASI Chain of Custody Standard govern the automotive aluminum industry. These standards are applicable on all the phases of manufacturing aluminium which include bauxite mining, alumina purification, primary aluminium production, stages such as rolling, forging, extrusion and foundry, material alteration, and refining and re-melting of recycled scrap.Request to view the table of content:High cost of automotive aluminium as compared to steel and cast iron is one of the restraining factors for the automotive aluminum market. Also, introduction of new materials like reinforced plastic has restrained the market growth of automotive aluminum on a global scale. Research and development on alternative methods to produce aluminium at a lower cost and ecofriendly manufacturing processes to reduce environmental damage are some of the key strategies adopted by the top market players. Some of the companies operating in the global automotive aluminum market are Alcoa Inc., Arconic Inc., UACJ Corporation, CHALCO, AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group, Norsk Hydro ASA, Constellium N.V., Novelis Inc., and Rio.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200 Seattle,WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Dental Consumables Market 2017: Production, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2025

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Global Dental Consumables Market: OverviewThe global dental consumables market is driven by a growing importance for medical esthetics, which is a clinical subspecialty concentrating on the improvement or enhancement of the appearance by making use of cosmetic treatments. A number of MI procedures are used for the enhancement of an individuals appearance. The use of dental implantation among others has become popular for people as they are inclined towards having a healthy and natural appearance. The use of colored braces, invisible orthodontics, colored dentures, and tooth coloration are cosmetic dental procedures that are increasingly becoming popular. This growing trend of medical esthetics is anticipated to propel the global dental consumables market in the forecast period.Global Dental Consumables Market: Key TrendsBy product, the dental implants segment led in 2016 and is most likely to continue in its leading position. Growing popularity of laser treatment and high durability, osseointegration, and biocompatibility of dental implants are behind the growth of this segment. On the basis of end user, the market is led by the dental clinics segment. The use of advanced technologies such as digital dentistry in dental clinics has led to the growth of this segment in the dental consumables market. The collaboration of dental clinics with insurance companies offering dental coverage is also boosting the growth of the segment as this reduces the expenses of dental treatment.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Dental Consumables Market: Market PotentialCompanies such as Institut Straumann offer a broad range of prosthetics for the restoration of compromised teeth as well as to complete the implant solutions. The company makes use of CADCAM technology for the manufacturing of veneers, in-lays, crowns, on-lays, and bridges. The company also offers digital solutions package, including guided surgery, and intra oral scanning.Dentsply Sirona, another leading player has developed preventive oral care solutions and also provides restorative solutions such as disposables that prevent infection and chemistries that can be used for the whole procedure. These developments help in the optimal workflow and provide comfort for patients.Request TOC of the Report @Global Dental Consumables Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis of geography, the global dental consumables market is segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World. Of these, the North America dental consumables market is leading at present and is anticipated to continue to lead during the forecast period on account of the enhanced healthcare facilities available in countries such as Canada, the U.S., and Brazil. These countries are taking great efforts to improve the healthcare facilities and also provide dental care services to the population. Medical tourism is another factor which is expected to augment the growth of the global dental consumables market in the coming years.Global Dental Consumables Market: Competitive LandscapeThe global dental consumables market is highly fragmented and is characterized by the presence of several regional and established international vendors. Some of the leading vendors operating in the global dental consumables market are: Danaher, Sirona Institut, Dentsply, Zimmer, Biomet, and Straumann. These players are responsible for making the market competition high by developing a wide range of products that make use of advance technology. The players in the market are competing with each other on the basis of device cost, procedure cost, waiting period, and insurance coverage.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Some of the other vendors in the market include: 3M, A.B. Dental Devices, 3Shape, ADIN Dental Implant Systems, BioHorizons, Align Technology, Biotech Dental, Carestream Health, Camlog Holding, Cortex Dental, Dentatus, GC, E4D, Glidewell Laboratories, HIOSSEN, Heraeus Holding, Southern Implants, Sweden & Martina, SGS Dental, and TRI Dental Implants.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Isotropic Conductive Paste Market 2017 - DELO, Nepes, Epotek, Ferro, Heraeus

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The worldwide Isotropic Conductive Paste Market report launched by Market.biz focuses on a complete and accurate study of Isotropic Conductive Paste industry. Global Isotropic Conductive Paste Market 2017 report is fundamentally concentrated on current scenario of Isotropic Conductive Paste market. This comprehensive research document will improve the efficiency of the Isotropic Conductive Paste market during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022.The Isotropic Conductive Paste industry report covers different aspects of market such as Isotropic Conductive Paste Market Segment, Isotropic Conductive Paste categories of the product, market revenue and product cost. The report also shows the Isotropic Conductive Paste market volume for every category during the forecast period.Request For Sample Report Here:Competitive Research of Global Isotropic Conductive Paste Market 2017 Based on Key Vendors:1 Chemtronics2 Daejoo3 DELO4 Nepes5 Epotek6 Ferro7 HeraeusGlobal Isotropic Conductive Paste Market 2017: Product Type Segment AnalysisMineral OilSynthetic Lipid OilSilicone OilGlobal Isotropic Conductive Paste Market 2017: Applications Segment AnalysisCamerasDisplaysPhotovoltaicsInterconnections for PhotovoltaicsInitially, the Isotropic Conductive Paste Market report throws light on the market strategies, Isotropic Conductive Paste growth trends, production capacity and cost structures. The report segregates the global Isotropic Conductive Paste industry on the basis of key vendors, the range of applications and geographical regions like United States, Japan, China, and EU. The report also provides information regarding current as well as past information of Isotropic Conductive Paste market.Further, Isotropic Conductive Paste report reveals the company details of leading players such as profile information, revenue segmentation, business strategies and their contribution to the Global Isotropic Conductive Paste market share. This report also states information regarding import/export, supply and consumption, price and gross margin of Isotropic Conductive Paste market by regions. Other additional regions could also be added in Isotropic Conductive Paste Market area.For more information about this report visit at:Finally, the Isotropic Conductive Paste report flashes a complete picture of overall Isotropic Conductive Paste market conditions and drive the players towards profitable market strategies which will help companies involved in operating Isotropic Conductive Paste market to make knowledgeable business decisions. At the last, Global Isotropic Conductive Paste Market 2017 report evaluates the emerging geographical sectors in Isotropic Conductive Paste market.Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Maharashtra, IndiaTel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Market Research Reports-Latest Reports-
The global clinical trial management systems market was valued at US$ 578.6 million in 2016 and is expected to witness a robust CAGR of 13.0% during the forecast period (2017  2025).

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Clinical Trial Management Systems  Increasing Number of Clinical Trials Leading To the Growth of Clinical Trial Management Systems MarketThe Clinical Trial Management System (clinical trial management systems) is an integrated software designed to manage the clinical trial data system used by biotech and pharma companies, it provides customizable functions with advanced technology and tools, which help reduce time and cost during clinical trial by helping to manage large and complex clinical trial data. Also, clinical trial management systems provides various benefits such as easy access to data from various client locations, sharing of information function, data maintenance and security, avoids complexity of administration and helps to manage clinical trials conducted at various locations by providing access to more than one user simultaneously.According to ClinicalTrials.gov, as of May 2017, 36% clinical trials out of the globe are conducted in United States and 245,188 studies are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. Furthermore, according to the study conducted by University of Minnesota and University of Michigan by 2018, all the clinical trial conducting company will use OnCore clinical trial management system as OnCore will provide the functional features such as Clinical Research Management, Study Setup, eCRFs, Financials, Visit Tracking & Data Capture, Study Data Management and Revenue Management.Request a sample copy of this report:There are two type of clinical trial management systems available and are categorized on the basis of mode of delivery- Cloud based clinical trial management systems and On-premise clinical trial management systems. The Cloud-based/web-based are among the most widely used clinical trial management systems solutions, as it allows for high customization as per requirement, faster turnaround time, and low costs as compared to on-premise clinical trial management systems solutions. Increasing security concerns related to clinical trials data drive companies, especially those focusing on patenting products, also some companies need customization according to their business need, in this cases those companies opt for on-premise clinical trial management systems.High awareness about the technology for clinical trial management driving the growth of clinical trial management systems market in developed regionsDeveloped economies such as the U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy, U.K., Australia, Japan and France have well established infrastructure that can support new technologies and being the leading pharmaceutical markets globally, these economies are well backed with funds for improving process efficiencies. As, most major players in the industry are based in North America and Europe they make clinical trial management systems system easily available to clients.The global clinical trial management systems market was valued at US$ 578.6 million in 2016 and is expected to witness a robust CAGR of 13.0% during the forecast period (2017  2025).Pharmaceuticals manufacturers focusing on achieving first mover advantage is expected to be one of the primary factor for the growth of clinical trial management systems market over the forecast periodThe pharmaceuticals sector is highly competitive, with companies vying to achieve first mover advantage, in turn making clinical trials a crucial element. Thus, major players in the market are focusing on integrating clinical trial management systems. The last couple of decades have witnessed robust growth in trade and commerce, with companies across sectors no longer inhibited by physical boundaries. This has enabled companies, including pharmaceuticals manufacturers to tap in to diverse geographical markets in order to increase their consumer base and in turn exponentially increase profits.The clinical trials helps companies overcome regulatory barriers for drug approval, as they are not restricted to just one market, to conduct trials for rare diseases at diverse locations provides results from humans with different genetic structure, in turn enabling a more complete and effective solution catering to diverse patient population.Request for Customization:Contract research organizations (CROs) in emerging economies expected to fuel the growth in clinical trial management systems marketEmerging economies such as India, Brazil, Argentina, and Iran, still lack adequate infrastructure for clinical trials therefore the outsourcing for clinical trials management systems is preferable way to conduct clinical trials in emerging countries. As companies focus on core aspects such as product development and laying major emphasis on reducing costs, this has led to emergence of various CROs especially in Asia Pacific region.However, companies, especially in unindustrialized economies are still inclined towards use of rudimentary tools such as spreadsheets for database management, mainly due to lack of awareness about clinical trial management systems and also cost concerns is the growth restraining factor in clinical trial management systems market.Click here to know more about this publish report:Some of the major companies offering clinical trial management systems are Oracle Corporation, Medidata Clinical Cloud, Veeva Systems, Infosys, Bio-Optronics, BioClinica, and MedNet Solutions.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Automotive Interior Materials Market-Trends, Outlook, Opportunity Analysis, and Global Industry Insights, 20162024

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Automotive interiors, including seats, door panels, cockpit modules, steering wheels, and dashboards offer comfort to the vehicle drivers and also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle. Automotive interiors of superior quality minimize engine vibrations and act as effective cabin insulators, thereby enhancing the consumers riding experience. Attributed to the growing consumer preference for premium automotive interior materials and the desire to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the interiors, the global automotive interior material market is expected to witness a significant growth during the forecast period.Request Sample of Automotive Interior Materials Market:Growth of the automotive interior materials market is mainly driven by rapidly growing automotive industry and rising inclination of consumers towards aesthetic features of the automotive interiors and also improving driving experience. OEMs offer high customization to satiate the specific demands of consumers, in order to capitalize upon high consumer purchasing power. Consumers are increasingly inclined towards vehicles with features that were until now reserved for premium vehicles. These include premium seat covers, leather covered dashboards, and luxury carpeting, among others. This creates a highly conducive environment for growth of the market. Furthermore, increasing demand for lightweight vehicles due to its low carbon emission quality, is also driving the manufacturers to focus on smart textiles appropriate for the vehicles thereby, boosting the demand for automotive interior materials. In 2015, global vehicle production was pegged at over 90 million, which increased to around 95 million in 2016. This creates a highly conducive environment for growth of the automotive interior materials market.Growing awareness about waste disposal in the process of leather manufacturing required for the automotive interiors along with high prices of leather material are expected to restrain the growth of the market. Leather manufacturing is affected by a number of factors such as the use of chemicals such as formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, cyanide based materials and others that result in toxicity of the environment, usage of animal by-products thereby pressurizing the animal population, manufacturers who use premium leather to manufacture automotive interiors. A number of U.S. cities have passed on procurement policies on phasing out the purchase of PVC which is considered to a toxic material that can contaminate the environment. Hence the use of PVC in automotive interior materials is decreasing thereby hampering the growth of the market.Automotive Interior Materials: Market TaxonomyBy Material TypeThe global market can be segmented on the basis of type of material used which includes:Synthetic leatherPure leatherFabricsThermoplastic polymersBy Vehicle TypeOn the basis of vehicle type, the global market can be segmented into:Passenger vehiclesLight commercial vehiclesHeavy commercial vehiclesBy Interior TypeBased on the interior type, the global market can be segmented into:Seat beltsSteering wheel beltsSeat coversUpholsteryInterior roofingCockpitOthersGlobal Automotive Interior Materials Market Outlook: Burgeoning growth of Automotive Sector in Asia Pacific to Fuel Market GrowthGeographically, the global automotive interior materials market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Booming automotive industry along with rising middle class population with high spending power creates highly lucrative opportunities for players in the automotive interior materials industry. In Asia-Pacific region, government initiatives in terms of subsidies and tax concessions across various countries are attracting the automotive OEMs to build their manufacturing plants in the region. For instance, in July 2016, the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced plans to make electric car batteries run longer, build a network of charging stations and make electric car purchases and ownership more affordable. The government expects that the current and future policy programs will help increase the electric car market share in South Korea to 0.5% in 2017, up from 0.2% in 2015, and to achieve 5.3% in 2020. Also, In April 2014, the Indian government announced a new plan to provide subsidies for hybrid and electric vehicles. The plan will have subsidies up to US$ 2,314 for cars and US$ 463 on two wheelers. This in turn positions Asia Pacific as a high growth market for automotive interior materials.Request to view the table of Content:Global automotive interior materials market is extremely competitive and consolidated with the presence of large players accounting for major share. Key players in the market include Sage Automotive Interiors Inc., BASF S.E., Katzkin Leather Interiors Inc., Eagle Ottawa, Borgers A.G., International Textile Group Inc., Faurecia S.A, Johnson Controls Inc., Lear Corporation, Dow Chemical Company, DK Leather Corporation Berhad, and E.I.DU Pont De Nemours.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Global Nanoparticles Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 20162024

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Particles between 1 and 100 nanometers (nm) in size known as nanoparticles. An individual nanoparticle molecule behaves as a complete unit in terms of its property and transportation. Rapidly increasing public awareness for nanotechnology and introduction of new technologies will have many beneficial consequences. Moreover, increasing applications of nanotechnology in drug development and stringent guidelines for developing improved medical products are some of the prime factors which is expected to witness significant growth over the forecasted period. Furthermore, huge capital investment and high cost of nanoparticle analysis instrument is one of the key restraint for the growth of nanoparticle market. Due to its wide applications in healthcare, biomedical, electronics and among others the nanoparticle is currently a new area of research among many scientist. Rising government spending on pharmaceuticals and bio technology research and development and increasing focus on nanotechnology research also expected to experience significant growth. North America dominated the global nanoparticles market due to increasing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and cancer. Moreover, Europe is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecasted period, due to rapid research and development for nanoparticles. However, due to rampant economic growth of China and India, Asia Pacific is also expected to witness decent growth during the forecasted period. Furthermore, India is also an emerging hub for pharmaceuticals research and development.Request a sample copy of this report:Nanoparticles Market TaxonomyOn the basis of technology, the global market is classified into:LiposomesNanotubesPolymeric nanoparticlesPolymer conjugated drugsDendrimersInorganic nanoparticlesOthersOn the basis of end user, the global market is classified into:Pharmaceuticals industryBiochemical industryResearch institutionsothersNanoparticles Market Outlook  Surge in Drug Development in Pharmaceuticals Industry Augmenting Market GrowthExpansion of medical diagnostic industry and wide application of nanotechnology in healthcare sector such as neurology, cardiology and anti-infective is estimated to have a decent growth for nanoparticles market in the forecast period. Depending upon preparation methods nanoparticles, nanocapsules or nanospheres can be obtained. A long circulating particle made up of Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles with hydrophilic polymer coating of poly ethylene glycol (PEG), used as a powerful drug delivery device. Due to its ability to deliver peptides, proteins and genes, it is also used as a DNA carrier in gene therapy. Numerous advantages for nanoparticles in drug delivery system is expected to Spector enormous growth during the forecasted period. Moreover, growing public awareness, improved technology and increase in chronic diseases escalate the global nanoparticles industry in North America. Emerging economy of Asia Pacific, such as China and India is expected to witness significant growth over the forecasted period.Access Table of Content (TOC) Of the Report:Nanoparticles Market Challenges  Huge Capital Investment needed in Research and DevelopmentHuge capital investment for research and development of new product and technology. Moreover, high cost of nanoparticles analysis instruments is expected to be one of the key restraints for global nanoparticles market.Nanoparticles Market  Regulatory Scenario:August, 2015, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), issued guidance to address various issues related to the use of nanotechnology in food ingredients intended for use in food for animals.June, 2014, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), issued three guidelines related to the use of nanotechnology in regulated products, including cosmetics and food substances.Some of the key players in the market includes Abraxis Biosciences, Inc., Novartis International AG, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Amgen, Inc., and Nano Interface Technology, Inc., Malvern Instruments Ltd., Horiba Ltd., Beckman Coulter, Shimadzu Corporation, Agilent Technology Inc, Hitachi Ltd., Wyatt Technology, among others.Click here to know more about this report:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Overview of the Angola Punja Project Panorama - Oil and Gas Upstream Analysis Report

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"The Report Angola Punja Project Panorama - Oil and Gas Upstream Analysis Report provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Angola Punja Project Panorama, GlobalDatas latest release, presents a comprehensive overview of the asset. This upstream report includes detailed qualitative and quantitative information on the asset, provides a full economic assessment and reflects several parameters including (but not limited to) geological profile, asset development and specific challenges. Based on this analysis, future outlook for the asset is presented with possible trends and related scenarios identifying upside/downside potential.'Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Scope- Overview of the asset based on an analysis of the economic indicators- Key financial indicators including Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return- Review of factors affecting the economic outcome of the field including development overview, geology, challenges, reserves and production with qualitative perspective on of the overall assets life with GlobalDatas analysis on the assets future outlook- Detailed production profile for the asset, giving annual output rates for each commodity produced- Cash flow statements from our economic analysis of the asset including capital expenditures, operating expenditures and tax liability- Individual valuations for equity holders- Sensitivity analysis for asset value considering a range of factorsView Report @Reasons to buy- Understand the economic and non-economic factors that affect production of an asset- Benefit from an asset valuation derived from detailed research and modeling by our analysts- Basic view of various scenarios and its effect on the asset for risk or strategy planning- Utilize the quantitative and qualitative evaluation to ascertain trends within the region to inform decision making- Identify economic trends of an asset to determine investment requirementsAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
URUMQI - Excavation has begun at the site of a 1,000-year-old city in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, archaeologists said Wednesday.



The excavation will continue for more than two months, while archeologists conduct a thorough investigation using modern technology, said Dang Zhihao, associate researcher with the regional institute of cultural relics and archaeology.



The city, known as Dalt and believed to have been built in Song (960-1279) or Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, was discovered in 1985, when a farmer unearthed a silver coin while ploughing a field.



Archeologists identified the Persian word "bolat", which means steel, on the coin. Another villager found a piece of ancient steel weighing about 120 kilograms nearby in 1991, leading many to believe that Dalt was the "steel city" Bolat recorded in contemporary books.



The city lies on the Silk Road, with routes to Kazakhstan, Russia, and central Asia.



According to a book written by Liu Yu during the Yuan Dynasty, the city was prosperous and "a large number of houses had colored glaze as the windows."



Dang told Xinhua that an initial excavation last year in an area of about 200 square meters unearthed several hundred relics made of pottery, bronze, and stone.
High Pressure Laminate (HPL) Market  Evolving Countries, Type, Application and Major Manufacturers letcher Building, Wilsonart, Kingboard Laminates, Toppan 2022

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HTF Market Report released a new research document of 116 pages on industry titled as 'Global High Pressure Laminate (HPL) Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022' with detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like North & South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and important players/vendors such as letcher Building, Wilsonart, Kingboard Laminates, Toppan................Summary""Decorative laminates are laminated products primarily used as furniture surface materials or wall paneling. It can be manufactured as either high- or low-pressure laminate, with the two processes not much different from each other except for the pressure applied in the pressing process.High Pressure Laminate (HPL) is composed of resin-impregnated Kraft paper, decorative paper face material and a clear melamine-impregnated overlay. These sheets are bonded at pressures greater than 1000 pounds per square inch and temperatures approaching 300 F (149C).HPL is available in hundreds of solid colors, wood grains and abstracts with multiple finishes to select from as well.""Request a sample report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the High Pressure Laminate (HPL) in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversletcher BuildingWilsonartKingboard LaminatesToppanATI LaminatesEGGERKronospanTrespa InternationalSumitomoPFLEIDERERPanolam IndustriesASDAbet LaminatiOMNOVA SolutionsSonae IndustriaArpa IndustrialeSWISS KRONOLAMITECHFORMILINEZhenghangHopewellGuangzhou G&PRoseburgMerinoAnhui XimaDura TuffGreenlamViolamAOGAOCrownGentasPOLYREYResopalNevamarMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversHorizontalVerticalMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCommerciallyResidencesIndustryBuy this report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global High Pressure Laminate (HPL) market.Chapter 1, to describe High Pressure Laminate (HPL) Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of High Pressure Laminate (HPL), with sales, revenue, and price of High Pressure Laminate (HPL), in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of High Pressure Laminate (HPL), for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, High Pressure Laminate (HPL) market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe High Pressure Laminate (HPL) sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceGet Customization in the Report, Enquire Now @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 High Pressure Laminate (HPL) Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Horizontal1.2.2 Vertical1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Commercially1.3.2 Residences1.3.3 Industry1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force....ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketre)port.com+1 (206) 317 1218 (US)
Gynecology Surgical Devices Market Analysis, Development, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2025

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Global Gynecology Surgical Devices Market: OverviewGynecology devices are used for the treatment of diseases and disorders related to the female reproductive system. Some of the commonly used devices are endoscopy devices, ablation systems, female sterilization and contraceptive devices, and fluid management system. The demand for female sterilization and contraceptive devices is expected to remain strong over the coming years, owing to the increasing emphasis on family planning. These devices are used across hospitals, fertility and specialty gynecology clinics, and ambulatory surgical center (ASCs).Global Gynecology Surgical Devices Market: Key TrendsThe expanding base of women suffering from gynecological disorders is by far the leading factor stimulating the growth of the global market for gynecology surgical devices. Lifestyle-related factors such as unsafe intercourse, smoking, and obesity are leading to the greater chances of gynecological disorders. The growing inclination towards minimally invasive surgical procedures is working in favor of the market. Merits of these procedures such as reduction in hospital stay, recovery time, and postoperative pain aid in enhancing the overall surgical results. Moreover, the increasing healthcare expenditure and rapid technological advancements are stoking the growth of the gynecology surgical devices market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @However, the high cost of surgical procedures is hampering the uptake of gynecology surgical devices. Furthermore, delays in the approvals of these devices by regulatory authorities are keeping the market from realizing its utmost potential.Global Gynecology Surgical Devices Market: Market PotentialA raft of players are looking at mergers and acquisitions as a growth strategy to enable greater innovation and geographic reach. The market is, therefore, expected to witness rise in the trend of mergers and acquisitions. A case in point is Medtronic, which in May 2016, acquired Smith and Nephews gynecology business for US$350 mn. The acquisition is said to expand the existing gynecology portfolio of Medtronic and will give the company golden opportunities to further develop and explore global therapies and solutions. Such acquisitions are anticipated to improve the way gynecology surgeries are performed, thereby rendering the global gynecology surgical devices market highly opportunistic.Request TOC of the Report @Global Gynecology Surgical Devices Market: Geographical SegmentationThe segments analyzed in the report on the basis of geography are North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America represents a large share in the global arena. The large-scale availability of technologically advanced computer-guided screening tests and favorable regulatory policies are contributing to the growth of the region. Extensive research practices and high disposable income of the populace are also fuelling the growth of North America.Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is likely to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The growth of the region can be improving healthcare infrastructure and rising consumer disposable income. The growing prevalence of gynecological disorders along with the increasing awareness regarding the benefits of early diagnosis of such problems is benefiting the growth of the region. The flourishing growth of the medical tourism sector is also encouraging the growth of APAC.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Gynecology Surgical Devices Market: Market PotentialThe global gynecology surgical devices market is a highly competitive arena, comprising of many international and regional players. A large number of players are involved in mergers and acquisitions in order to set up a strong product line. The growing investments by fertility centers and hospitals in the development of efficient and reliable gynecological surgical devices are luring in new players to venture into the market. Some of the prominent companies operating in the market are Olympus Medical, Medtronic, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Richard Wolf, MedGyn Products, Karl Storz, Minerva Surgical, Boston Scientific, NovaTract Surgical, CooperSurgical, CONMED, Hologic, Carl Zeiss Meditec, and Intuitive Surgical.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
At a CAGR of 37.11%, Global Chatbot Market to grow over 2017-2021: Anboto, Creative Virtual, eGain, Inbenta, Nuance

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Latest Research Report titled " Global Chatbot Market 2017-2021 " features Key Market Players, Segments, Applications. Report Presents Global Market Survey, Growth, Challenges and Forecast.A chatbot is a conversational user interface (CUI) like an avatar or a 3D animated persona that delivers text-based or voice-based information and service assistance to customers via a kiosk, mobile, or website on the Internet. It incorporates natural language processing (NLP) and domain knowledge that changes according to the content of the dialog between the chatbot and the customer.The global chatbot market to grow at a CAGR of 37.11% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global chatbot market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of chatbots.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEAGet a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Technavio's report, Global Chatbot Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Anboto- Creative Virtual- eGain- Inbenta- NuanceOther prominent vendors- CX Company- Ecreation- GetAbby- H-care- Next IT- Synthetix- VicloneMarket driver- Rising adoption of chatbots in healthcare insurance industry- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Lack of integration between front-end and back-end knowledge base- For a full, detailed list, view our reportBrowse more details at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?About UsResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market expected to Gain Popularity Worldwide

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Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market Professional Survey Report 2017 is an in-depth market report prepared by market analysts with valuable inputs from industry experts. The report offers an in-depth insight into the key market status, current and future market trends, business profile of key market players, market challenges along with the strategies adopted by key market players to gain a stronghold in the market. The analysis covers the changing market dynamics in terms of covering basic parameters such as product classification, applications, end-users, and cost/revenue structure.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringSiemens HealthcareClarius Mobile HealthSonopTek Co.,LtdMeditech EquipmentSonostar TechnologiesShantou Easywell Technologies...By types, the market can be split intoHandheldLarge PortableTo Receive a Sample Copy of Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market Professional Survey Report @By Application, the market can be split intoHospitalsClinicsDiagnostic CenterAmbulatory Surgical CenterOthersBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaKey Chapters1 Industry Overview of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner1.1 Definition and Specifications of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner1.1.1 Definition of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner1.1.2 Specifications of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner1.2 Classification of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner1.2.1 Handheld1.2.2 Large Portable1.3 Applications of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner1.3.1 Hospitals1.3.2 Clinics1.3.3 Diagnostic Center1.3.4 Ambulatory Surgical Center1.3.5 Others1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Wireless Ultrasound Scanner3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market Share AnalysisTo View Full Report @Who we areResearch Trades has team of experts who works on providing exhaustive analysis pertaining to market research on a global basis. This comprehensive analysis is obtained by a thorough research and study of the ongoing trends and provides predictive data regarding the future estimations, which can be utilized by various organizations for growth purposes.We distribute customized reports that focus on meeting the clients specific requirement. Our database consists of a large collection of high-quality reports obtained using a customer-centric approach, thus providing valuable research insights. The research encompasses information gathered and examined by subject-matter experts, laying down growth opportunities and developmental strategies for enterprises.Reach at us:Flat No.10, Wing C,S. No. 245/4/2+245/5/1,Baner, Pune-411045Email: sales@researchtrades.comCall us: +91 7507349866Skype ID: researchtradesconWeb:
Radiofrequency Ablation Market: Industry Survey and Outlook 2025

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Global Radiofrequency Ablation Market: OverviewRadiofrequency ablation is an analgesic procedure wherein radiofrequency waves are targeted on particular muscles or muscle groups. The radiofrequency waves create an electric current, which is used to emit heat onto the affected area. This temporarily deadens the nerve cells in the applied area, leading to reduction in pain. The global radiofrequency ablation market has benefited significantly from the rising demand for noninvasive and minimally invasive medical procedures. Radiofrequency ablation is likely to receive sustained demand from the healthcare sector, particularly in developed countries with government-backed healthcare programs, due to the rising prevalence of spinal conditions in urban populations.Global Radiofrequency Ablation Market: Key TrendsThe rising adherence to a sedentary lifestyle, particularly in developed and developing urban centers, has the potential to remain a key driver for the global radiofrequency ablation market in the coming years. The increasing share of the urban population doing sedentary jobs has resulted in an increasing prevalence of problems related to the spine and shoulders. The reliable utility of radiofrequency ablation in relieving muscle pain and tension has ensured a safe growth trajectory for the global radiofrequency ablation market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The key benefit presented by radiofrequency ablation is its minimally invasive nature. This not only makes radiofrequency ablation more convenient for doctors as well as patients, but also keeps it safe from environmental contaminants such as microbes.Global Radiofrequency Ablation Market: Market PotentialThe global radiofrequency ablation market could play a key role in the development of cancer therapeutics in the coming years. Due to the minimally invasive nature of radiofrequency ablation and its effectiveness in deadening cells and nerve ending, radiofrequency ablation has frequently been tried in the treatment of cancers such as metastatic sarcomas. Due to the attention being provided to cancer research, the radiofrequency ablation market could be set for steady growth if its utility in cancer treatment is established.Request TOC of the Report @Global Radiofrequency Ablation Market: Geographical DynamicsThe global radiofrequency ablation market is dominated by North America. The ready availability of sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, due to steady government support, has aided the growth of the radiofrequency ablation market in the region and is likely to remain a key driver for the market in the coming years. The rising incidence of chronic muscle disorders in North America is a prime driver for the radiofrequency ablation market in the region. Latin America is also an important region in the global radiofrequency ablation market and could become a steady consumer over the coming years, as several countries in the region have initiated large-scale development programs in the healthcare sector in recent years.Emerging countries in Asia Pacific such as India and China are also likely to play a key role in the growth of the global radiofrequency ablation market in the coming years. The rising awareness regarding the need for technologically advanced equipment in the healthcare sector has driven steady investment in the healthcare sector in emerging economies and is likely to remain a key growth driver for the radiofrequency ablation market in the coming years.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Radiofrequency Ablation Market: Competitive DynamicsThe report presents a comprehensive picture of the competitive dynamics of the global radiofrequency ablation market. Key players in the market, such as Boston Scientific, Stryker, Medtronic, and St. Jude Medical are profiled in the report. This section delivers a comprehensive analysis of the successful strategies adopted by players in the radiofrequency ablation market, the business and financial dynamics of the leading players, and the overall trends shaping the space in the global radiofrequency ablation market.The global radiofrequency ablation market has benefited from the ready participation of key manufacturers in marketing and publicity activities. Successful promotional efforts by companies in the radiofrequency ablation market include direct sales to the physicians and hospitals, since the convenience of the devices has made it the prime choice for healthcare distributors across the world. The continued efforts of leading players are expected to remain crucial for the global radiofrequency ablation market in the coming years.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Automotive Steel Market  Evolving Countries, Type, Application and Major Manufacturers ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, Nippon Steel 2022

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HTF Market Intelligence released a new research report of 124 pages on title 'Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Automotive Steel Market 2017 Forecast to 2022' with detailed analysis, forecast and strategies. The study covers key regions that includes North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa and important players such as ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, Nippon Steel ...........SummaryAutomotive steels can be classified in several different ways. One is a metallurgical designation providing some process information. Common designations include low-strength steels; conventional HSS; and the new AHSS.Request a sample report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Automotive Steel in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversArcelorMittalThyssenKruppNippon SteelPOSCOBaosteelHYUNDAI steelJFETatasteelHBISUnited States SteelNucorMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversLow-strength SteelConventional HSSAHSSOtherMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCommercial VehiclePassenger VehicleBuy this report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Automotive Steel market.Chapter 1, to describe Automotive Steel Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Automotive Steel, with sales, revenue, and price of Automotive Steel, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Automotive Steel, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Automotive Steel market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Automotive Steel sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceMake an enquiry before buying this Report @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Automotive Steel Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Low-strength Steel1.2.2 Conventional HSS1.2.3 AHSS1.2.4 Other1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Commercial Vehicle1.3.2 Passenger Vehicle1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force.......ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketre)port.com+1 (206) 317 1218 (US)
Liquid Packaging Market- Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, and Global Industry Insights,20162024

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Liquid packaging is a packaging technology that is used to protect consumables such as food and liquids from contamination and damage during transport and storage. Liquid packaging helps in maintaining the freshness of the product, and plays a vital role in protecting the product from moisture. Also, it helps the product in improving the scuff, resistance to tear, and puncture resistance. Liquids and food products need to be packaged in tough materials with good seal integrity to avoid leakage, cracking, and degradation during transportation. Liquid and food products include dairy products, syrups, water, cooking oil, fruit juices, shampoos, grease, and motor oil. Liquid packaging offer better shell life, high recyclability, eco-friendliness, and are convenient to transport.Request Sample of Liquid Packaging Market:Various techniques such as aseptic liquid packaging, blow molding, and form fill seal technology are used to process liquid packaging materials.Liquid Packaging Market TaxonomyOn the basis of type of technique, the global market is segmented into:Aseptic Liquid PackagingBlow MoldingForm Fill Seal TechnologyOn the basis of Resins types, the global market is segmented into:Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)PolypropylenePolyethylene Terephthalate (PET)OthersOn the basis of Packaging types, the global market is segmented into:Flexible Liquid PackagingFilmsStand-Up PouchesBag-In-BoxOthersRigid Liquid PackagingCartonsBrick CartonGable Top CartonShaped CartonPaperboardPlastics & PET BottlesGlassCansOthersOn the basis of application, the global materials market is segmented into:Food & BeveragesDairy ProductsMilk and YogurtButtermilkOthersWine & SpiritsJuice & DrinksDrinking WaterFruit JuiceTeaCoconut waterCarbonated Soft DrinksTomato SauceOthersMedical & PharmaceuticalCosmetics & Personal CareHouseholdIndustrialOthersAseptic liquid packaging technique is the most widely used packaging technique. These types of packing are usually made of paperboards containing thin layers of aluminum and plastics. This packaging helps preserve food for long time without the need to add preservatives. Rigid liquid packaging type is extensively used in liquid packaging. It includes paperboard, cartons, cans, and PET bottles. Plastics & PET bottles are widely used in packaging of food & liquid products such as carbonated drinks, water, beverages, dairy products, and alcohol. Food & beverages is the largest end-use industry in liquid packaging market. This is due to the rising population in Asia-Pacific region, and rising disposable incomes in emerging economies such as Brazil, Mexico, China, and India. Rising consumption of packaged food in North America and Europe region is also the key factor driving the global liquid packaging market.Liquid Packaging Market Outlook  Asia-Pacific is the largest, and fastest-growing region, globallyAsia-Pacific is the largest and fastest-growing region in the global liquid packaging market. According to EUSME Center a European Union initiative that provides a comprehensive range of hands-on support services to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), getting them ready to do business in ChinaChina continues to be the worlds largest consumer market for food and beverage (F&B) products, surpassing the U.S. in 2011. In 2015, food & beverages exports from Europe to China increased by 48%. In 2014, exports of dairy products from Europe grew by 11%. Growth of imported food & beverages products is driven by limited arable land, rising disposable income, water scarcity issues, improving logistics systems, increasing urbanization, and growing concerns for food safety. This in turn fuels growth of the liquid packaging market in Asia Pacific. In 2015, the Indian food processing industry accounts for 32% of the countrys total food market, and is one of the largest industries in India and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth. It contributes around 14% of manufacturing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 13% of Indias exports and 6% of total industrial investment. Indian food service industry is expected to reach US$ 78 billion by 2018. India's organic food market is expected to increase three times by 2020, as compared to 2015. Hence, there is a large demand for liquid packaging materials in Asia Pacific region, making it the largest and fastest-growing market for liquid packaging.Check the trending report of Liquid Packaging Market:Some of the major companies operating in the global liquid packaging materials market are The Dow Chemical Company, Smurfit Kappa, International Paper, Tetra Pak International S.A., Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd, Liqui-Box Corporation, Tri-Wall Limited, Evergreen Packaging, Elopak Group, BillerudKorsnas AB and Mondi Plc.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Avocado Market  Evolving Countries, Type, Application and Major Manufacturers Mexico, Dominica, Colombia 2022

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HTF Market Intelligence released a new research report of 116 pages on title 'Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Avocado Market 2017 Forecast to 2022' with detailed analysis, forecast and strategies. The study covers key regions that includes North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa and important players such as Mexico, Dominica, Colombia ...........SummaryThe Avocado is fruit that originally cultivated in Mexico and Central America. The avocado tree (Persea Americana) is currently widely planted in tropical and Mediterranean climate area. It is classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. The fruit is also named as alligator pear. Trees are partially self-pollinating and the growers often propagate through grafting to keep quality and quantity of the fruit.Request a sample report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Avocado in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversMexicoDominicaColombiaPeruIndonesiaKenyaUnited StatesChileBrazilRwandaVenezuelaChinaGuatemalaIsraelMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversHassOtherMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFoodCosmeticsMedicalOthersBuy this report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Avocado market.Chapter 1, to describe Avocado Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Avocado, with sales, revenue, and price of Avocado, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Avocado, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Avocado market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Avocado sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceMake an enquiry before buying this Report @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Avocado Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Hass1.2.2 Other1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Food1.3.2 Cosmetics1.3.3 Medical1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force.......ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketre)port.com+1 (206) 317 1218 (US)
Global E-beam Wafer Inspection System Market Advent of Substitute Inspection Systems Hindering Markets Trajectory

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The top four players held over 40% of the global e-beam wafer inspection system in 2016, rendering it highly consolidated. These companies are ASML, Applied Materials, Inc., KLA Tencor, and Lam Research Corporation. A common trait among these companies is their investment towards research and development for identifying any defect in semiconductor wafers, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. The leading players are constantly focusing on innovation to offer advanced detection procedure and so that e-beam wafer inspection system can be used in myriad applications such as smartphones and laptops.Besides this, experts have observed a considerable rise in the number of mergers and acquisitions conducted over the past few years. Considering the dynamic business environment, companies are encouraged by the cynical nature of the semiconductor industry to enter into strategic collaborations. Acquiring smaller companies, provides the market players a chance to expand their product portfolio and geographic footprint, said a lead TMR analyst. The global e-beam wafer inspection system market will therefore witness a considerable rise in the number of mergers and acquisitions in the coming years.Browse The Press Release:Overall the market will exhibit an impressive 17.5% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. At this pace, the market is projected to reach US$1.06 bn by the end of 2025, from a valuation of US$248.3 million in 2016.e beam wafer inspection system marketAsia Pacific to Remain Dominant Regional MarketBased on application, the defect imaging segment held dominance in the market with a share of 38.5% in 2016. Through the course of the forecast period, the segment is forecast to remain dominant in the market. Regionally, holding just a little short of 60% of the global e-beam wafer inspection system market, Asia Pacific emerged dominant in 2016. The growing number of electric component manufacturers in the region is expected to help Asia Pacific retain its dominance in the market through the course of the forecast period.Demand for Miniaturization to Boost Implementation of E-beam Wafer Inspection SystemsWafers are crucial components integrated within compact devices. For these devices to perform long and error-free, inspecting any defects in them is considered imperative. E-beam wafer inspection system helps in detecting the presence of any faults or defects in MEMs, smartphones, laptops, or other compact devices. Therefore, with the rising demand for miniaturization aimed at improving overall performance across industries, the utility of e-beam wafer inspection systems will grow in response, thus giving impetus to their market.An e-bean is used to detect defects in voltage-contrast as well as extremely small defects. It thus provides fine resolution at a snap of a finger. E-beam wafer inspection systems also help in minimizing the charging of wafer surface by providing clear and sharper image of defects. This is a crucial factor aiding the markets expansion worldwide. Furthermore, the demand for high-quality wafers, for use across diverse industries has positively influenced the market. Spurred by these factors, the global e-beam wafer inspection system market is forecast to report strong growth during the forecast period.Considering the aforementioned factors, the market will significantly gain from the rising operations in the semiconductor industry. Especially in developing regions, where governments are putting in extra effort to bolster industrialization, growth is on cards for the semiconductor industry. This in turn will fuel opportunities for the global e-beam wafer inspection system market.Advent of Substitute Inspection Systems Hindering Markets TrajectoryOn the downside, the increasing demand for substitute inspection systems will emerge as a major challenge for the market. Technologies such as focused ion beam, terahertz wafer scanner, and optical technology inspection system have made their presence felt in the wafer inspection system market, which does not bring a good news for the e-beam wafer inspection system market. Besides this, the e-beam wafer inspection system market is still reeling under the high cost of implementation, which has a negative impact on its overall prospects.Nevertheless, growth in multi-beam inspection system holds considerable market opportunities. Its rising use in detecting defects below 2nm, will enable growth of the global e-beam wafer inspection system market in the coming years.Make an Enquiry @This review is based on a TMR report, titled E-Beam Wafer Inspection System Market (Type - Less Than 1 nm, 1 to 10 nm, and More Than 10 nm; Application - Defect Imaging, Lithographic Qualification, Bare Wafer OQC/IQC, Wafer Dispositioning, Reticle Quality Inspection, and Inspector Recipe Optimization) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edgeUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Turmeric Oleoresin Market - Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2016-2024

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Turmeric oleoresin is obtained by the extraction of roots of Curcuma longa Linn, processed with volatile solvents such as methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol, etc. It is typically a spice oleoresin that mainly constitutes of 15% to 20% of curcumin, obtained from the ground rhizomes of turmeric. Turmeric oleoresin is available in yellow to dark red-brown paste, lumps, powder or liquid form. It finds significant application in the food industry as a flavoring agent. Owing to its soluble characteristics, turmeric oleoresin finds high usage as a food additive in various cuisines across the globe. Countries such as India, China and Brazil are the major manufacturing hubs for turmeric oleoresin and thus, are the market leaders. CMI predicts the global turmeric oleoresin market to grow at a healthy growth rate owing to shifting consumer preference towards use of natural oleoresins.Request Sample of Turmeric Oleoresin Market:A key driver propelling growth of the global turmeric oleoresin market is the usage of oleoresin in margarine and dry mixes. Turmeric oleoresin available in dry powder form allows for easy mixing as compared to conventional oleoresins and thus, finds increasing application in instant mix food products such as soups, beverages, and ready meal. Owing to the ability of turmeric oleoresin to enhance the stability and facilitate the application in food products is also expected to drive growth of the global market. Furthermore, turmeric oleoresin is expected to witness an escalating demand in the future due to its longer shelf-life and acts as an economical substitute for ground spices. With advancements in easy storage and transportation facilities the market of turmeric oleoresin is set to grow significantly in the future. Furthermore, global market is expected to witness a healthy growth rate during the forecast period owing to improving government taxation schemes and incentives across the world. For instance, countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam are offering Export Processing Zones (EPZ) space to manufacturers and a 5 -10 year tax holiday to attract the companies operating in the global turmeric oleoresin market.Turmeric Oleoresin Market TaxonomyBy FormOn the basis of form, the global market is classified as:PowderPasteOilLumpsBy End-use IndustryOn the basis of application, the global market is classified as:PharmaceuticalsPersonal Care & CosmeticsFood & BeveragesTurmeric oleoresin finds wide application as a natural colorant in a variety of food and beverage products such as salad dressings, pickles, beverages, cereals, bakery products, and dairy products. Among all the end-use industries, the food & beverages segment is expected to occupy the major share of the global turmeric oleoresin market both in terms of value and volume in the near future. Consumption of turmeric oleoresin in the pharmaceuticals industry is forecast to witness highest growth rate over the forecast period, owing to its increasing use in preparation of drugs that are used in treatment of cancer, back pain, and other health problems. Turmeric oleoresin is also highly preferred in the personal care & cosmetics industry in applications such as lotions, creams, and dyes.Request To View The Table of content:Turmeric Oleoresin Market Outlook - Asia Pacific to continue to be the key growth engine for global marketRegion-wise, the global turmeric oleoresin market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Asia Pacific is expected to retain its dominance in the global market throughout the forecast period, owing to the growing markets for turmeric oleoresin in countries such as India, China, and Brazil. India currently accounts for over 65% share of the total oleoresin and spice oils production globally. However, recent trends show a shifting focus towards other major oleoresin and spice producing countries such as China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. This is mainly due to availability of raw material at lower price tags, low manufacturing costs and favourable taxation scenario in these regions.Some of the key players identified in the global turmeric oleoresin industry are Ungerer & Company, Vidya Herbs Pvt. Ltd., Nikita Extracts, Kancor Ingredients Ltd., Universal Oleoresins, Ozone Naturals, Naturite Agro Products Ltd., Synthite Industries, Ltd. Asian Oleoresin Company and Indo-World etc. These players are expected to focus on enhancing their product portfolio with a view to expanding their business and gain a competitive advantage in the global turmeric oleoresin market.Check The Trending Report of Turmeric Oleoresin Market:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Current As Well As Future Prospects Of Pharmerging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Current As Well As Future Prospects Of Pharmerging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on pharmerging market studies the current as well as future prospects of the market globally. The stakeholders of this report include companies and intermediaries engaged in the manufacture and commercialization of various pharmaceutical products as well as new entrants planning to enter this market. This report comprises an elaborate executive summary along with a market snapshot providing overall information of various segments and sub-segments considered within the scope of the study. This section also provides the overall information and data analysis of the global pharmerging market with respect to the leading market segments based on major products, applications and geographies.The market overview section of the report explores the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities that currently have a strong impact on the global pharmerging market and could influence the market in the near future. Market attractiveness analysis has been provided in all the sections of the report in order to explain the intensity of competition in the market across different products/materials/technologies/end-users/geographies. The competitive scenario among different market players is evaluated through market share analysis in the competition landscape section of the report. The section also includes competition matrix that analyzes the competition among some of the top global players operating in the market. All these factors would help market players to take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and expand their shares in the global market.Global Pharmerging Market: SegmentationThe global pharmerging market is divided into: by product, by economic growth levels, by distribution channel and by geography. Product type segment of pharmerging market was divided into Pharmaceuticals (Branded Prescription Drugs, Generic Drugs (Branded Generics, Unbranded Generics), and OTC Drugs) and Healthcare (Medical Devices, and Diagnostic Instruments, Others (IT and record management)). On the basis of Economic Growth Levels the market was divided as - Tier  1, Tier  2 and Tier  3). On the basis of distribution channel the pharmerging market is divided as hospitals, clinics, retail pharmacies, e-commerce, and drug stores.The market for these segments has been extensively analyzed based on their utility, effectiveness, sales, and geographic presence. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn and market volume in terms of units for the period from 2016 to 2024 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2016 to 2024 are provided for all segments, considering 2016 as the base year.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Geographically, the pharmerging market has been segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. Each regional market for pharmerging market has been further categorized into major product, applications, material, and end-user segments considered within the scope of the study. Key country (U.S., Canada, Japan, Germany, France, U.K., Australia, Canada, China, Brazil, Mexico, India, etc.) market revenues have also been provided in different regional sections within the report. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn and volume in terms of units for the period from 2014 to 2025 along with CAGR % from 2016 to 2025 are provided for all the regions and nations considering 2016 as the base year.Companies Mentioned in the Research ReportThe report profiles key manufacturers in the pharmerging market based on various attributes such as company details, SWOT analysis, strategic overview, financials, and business overview. Major players profiled in this report include Abbott Laboratories, Koninklijke Philips N.V., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline plc., LUPIN, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Huadong Medicine Co., Ltd., etc.The global pharmerging Market has been segmented as follows:By Product TypePharmaceuticalsBranded Prescription DrugsGeneric DrugsBranded GenericsUnbranded GenericsOTC DrugsHealthcareMedical DevicesDiagnostic InstrumentsOthers (IT and record management)By IndicationsLifestyle DiseasesCancer and autoimmune diseasesInfectious DiseasesOthersBy Distribution ChannelHospitalsClinicsRetail PharmaciesE-commerceDrug StoresBy RegionEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaMake 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 @
Demand For Smart Phones Across The Globe Is Driving The Demand For NFC Chips In Global Market Among Consumer Electronics Manufacturer From 2016 - 2024

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Demand For Smart Phones Across The Globe Is Driving The Demand For NFC Chips In Global Market Among Consumer Electronics Manufacturer From 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.Near Field communication (NFC) chips systems are communicating device that are ideal for electronic applications and are capable of identifying the radio frequency identifying technology. Dispensing technology have been widely accepted since 2004 and the further technological advancements have led to evolution of shorter range radio identification technologies between two devices. This advancements helps in facilitating safer data transfer. A key trend that has been observed in the recent past years is growing demand of NFC chips among consumer electronics manufacturer, which is a key driver during the forecast period of 2016-2024.A surge in demand for smart phones across the globe is driving the demand for NFC chips in global market. This technology is being deployed in electronics to increase and boost contactless safe data transfer. Consumer electronics manufacturers are increasing their demand for NFC chips overtime, this factor acts as a major driving factor for future demand of NFC chips. Additionally, rapid technological advancements in radio frequency identification are fueling the growth of the global market.The government initiatives as well as private investments in research & devolvement of NFC chip technology are supplementing the growth of the market. Thus, the conjoint effect of all these drivers is set to strengthen the growth of the global NFC chip market in the coming years. NFC chips are sometimes of very complex design is expected to hindering the growth for NFC chips during the forecast period. Simpler version of NFC chips designs as an alternative to traditional complex product design is required for wider application usability. Furthermore, cost effectiveness and simplicity to install in devices is boosting the growth of this product market.Global NFC Chips Market: SegmentationThe global market has been segmented in the basis of application, storage, end users and geography. By application, the global NFC chip market has been broadly classified into smartphone, television, medical equipment, car and others. On the basis of storage NFC chip has been further sub-divided into 64 Bytes, 168 Bytes, 180 Bytes, 540 Bytes and others. Furthermore, end users of NFC chip has been fragmented into consumer electronics, automotive, retail, medical, and aviation among others. By geography, this market has been segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.Growing popularity in end-user industries such as medical, automotive, retail, and aviation among others coupled with healthy economic growth of emerging economies are offering potential growth opportunities to the global NFC chip market. NFC chips have been extensively used in healthcare sector such as NFC based diabetes monitoring system, NFC for heart monitoring devices, medical implants, and medical data storage devices among others are expected to gain popularity across several end user application is set to boost the market growth in the coming years.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global NFC Chips Market: Competitive AnalysisThe key players in the global NFC chip market have been competitively profiled across the five broad geographic regions. This competitive landscape is inclusive of the various business strategies adopted by these major players and their recent developments in the field of NFC chip. Further, this report includes the market attractiveness analysis of the electronics applications for offering and insight into the major application area of the NFC chip.An exhaustive analysis of the market dynamics of the global market that is inclusive of the market drivers, restraints and opportunities is covered under the purview of the study. Therefore, the global high resolution dispensing systems and equipment market report offers and extensive study of the market along with providing the forecast of the market in terms of revenue (USD Million) and volume (Units) from 20162024. Some of the major players operating in the NFC chip market are NXP Semiconductor (Netherlands), Texas instrument (U.S), Qualcomm Inc. (U.S.), among others.The global NFC chips market has been segmented into:By ApplicationSmart phoneTelevisionMedical equipmentCarOthersBy Storage Capacity64 Bytes168 Bytes180 Bytes540 BytesOthersBy End UsersConsumer ElectronicsAutomotiveRetailMedicalAviationOthersBy GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle East and AfricaLatin AmericaMake 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 @
Liquid Flavor Market is mainly driven by changing way of life of the buyers

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Liquid Flavor are added to food items keeping in mind the end goal to premiumize the platter and make it taste yummier. It adds an alternate taste to the food and makes it all the more filling for the customer. The Liquid Flavor can be redone by the client's taste and inclinations. Flovors in preparing things like meat, fish, pasta, solidified food and pastry shop are handled with the stabilizer frameworks in the processing plant that are balanced in view of the consistency and surface. Pastry kitchen things are loaded with nuts, cream, syrup, chocolate, cheddar and others. The fillings added to the sustenance are noted to extend the item amid the preparing procedure without leaving any empty spaces. The flavors on the food incorporates cut organic products, sweeteners, whipped cream, sauce, frozen yogurt, sugar icing, choco chips and other nourishment enlivening. These fixings change the look of the sustenance thing and makes it more alluring for the objective fragment.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @The proceeded with request of the Liquid Flavor showcase has added to the bread kitchen and appetizing industry. The market is extremely mainstream in the western nations and is getting received in the creating locales. In this way, the changing way of life of the buyers is one of the significant driver driving the Liquid Flavor showcase. The fast increment popular for dessert shop and pastry shop items are an additional preferred standpoint to the development of the Liquid Flavor advertise. Be that as it may, the wellbeing mindfulness among purchasers of all age gatherings is a limiting element for this market. Individuals are known to get fat by nonstop utilization of these unhealthy things and costs a great deal for its buy. Besides, there are strict global quality principles and controls that are always checked by the neighborhood and state government with a concurrent increment in the cost of the crude material costs in the market.The Liquid Flavor market are broadly classified into the three segments, namely- type, flavor and application. On basis of type the market can be further classified into syrups, creams, fondants, fruits & nuts and sprinkles. All these type of Liquid Flavor are used in all varieties of food and beverages. Furthermore, on basis of flavor the market can be segmented into fruit, chocolate, vanilla, nut, caramel and other flavors. These flavors are very common and preferred globally by all countries. Based on application, the Liquid Flavor market can be segmented into confectionery products, bakery products, beverages and others. The confectionery and bakery segment is the most popular with variety of fillings and toppings. Application in the beverages is the latest trend and is highly acknowledged globally.Obtain Report Details @The Liquid Flavor is a well-known practice internationally and the chefs baking such mouth- watering items are given high importance in the hotel and food industry globally in all regions. North America, Europe, Asia- Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa all manufacture and use fillings and toppings. Owing to the rising demand of fillings and toppings, manufacturers are spending on preparing eye-catching assortments. North America and Europe are the leading regions globally that are reported to heavily consume these fancy products. Other regions like the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa are adopting the culture with reports of rising disposable income and rapid urbanization. The strategic pricing of these food items has attracted the customers with unique selling ideas and have contributed massively in the confectionery and bakery industry .The major players dominating the Liquid Flavor market are Cargill Corporation, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Barry Callebaut, Tate & Lyle Plc, Olam International Limited, Ingredion Corporation, Asociated British Foods Plc, Baken Joy, AAK AB, Hanan Products are a few among other leading producers of Liquid Flavor in the world.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cookies Market is driven by transition in the lifestyle of the consumers in terms of feeding habits

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Cookies are cooked bakery products and are usually made from flour, sugar and oils and fats. Other common ingredients include oats, rasins, chips and nuts among others. This market is entirely dependent on consumer indulgence and the same is witnessing a major surge in terms of growth over the past few years. They are usually consumed as a snack product. Some of key factors responsible for the growth of this market include frequent product innovations due to changing preference of the consumers. Use of new flavors, innovative packaging and safe ingredients are some of the other factors driving the demand for cookies at the global level.Browse Market Research Report @Transition in the lifestyle of the consumers in terms of feeding habits has brought about a change for the cookies industry. In recent times, consumers are shown to have increased inclination towards different types of cookies. This is also backed by higher disposable income of the consumers. The younger population is a lucrative target audience for the manufacturers of cookies. In 2016, approximately 70% of the population in the U.S. has shown preference for cookies and this is only expected to increase in the future. Rapid urbanization is another major factor driving the demand for cookies.However, high input cost with regards to cookie manufacturing is a major factor hindering the growth of the market. Due to the high input cost, the price of the final product becomes significantly and this factor repels price sensitive consumers from buying such products. Further, high competition from the available alternatives is barring the continuous growth of the market as the alternatives usually come at a cheaper price when compared with cookies.The developing regions such as India, China, Brazil, and Japan among others pose as a suitable opportunity for the growth of the market in the future. Strengthening economic condition in these countries are expected to lure the manufacturers operating in this industry to target these countries for expansion opportunities. Further, influence of the western culture in terms of feeding habits among the consumers in these countries is also expected to stir the growth of the market in the future. Additionally, more emphasis in premium cookies would also ensure stable growth of this market in the future.For more information on this report, fill the form @Based on type, the cookie market is segmented into bars, sandwich, drop, pressed, refrigerated and molded among others. Drop cookies are the most preferred type among the consumers. However, refrigerated and bar cookies are expected to maintain a fast growth rate during the forecast period.The market is also segmented on the basis of distribution channel into specialty stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets, departmental stores and convenience stores.The market is also classified on the basis regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. Europe dominated the market in 2016, with the leading countries being Italy and Spain. North America followed closely after Europe, with U.S. being the major contributor. Asia Pacific recorded the fastest growth during the forecast period due to increasing urbanization and rising disposable income of the consumers.The global cookies market is marked by some intense competition from the major players operating in this market. Innovations with regards to flavor, and packaging, strategic mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships and expansions are some of the major strategies adopted by these players to ensure long term sustenance in this market. Some of the major players in this market include Mondelez International, Kraft Foods, Nestle S.A., Nutrexa, and United Biscuits among others. Mondelez International is engaged in extensive research and development activities to bring out new varieties for its consumers. ITC Ltd. is also engaged in bringing out digestive cookies.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automated Driving Systems Market 2017 Annual Growth Value, Market Trends, Developments - TRW,Denso,Mobileye,Google

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Automated Driving Systems Market Research Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The business scenario of the global Global Automated Driving Systems market has changed at a frequent pace in the recent times. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the historical as well as the current performance of this market. Analysts have utilized efficient tools such as investment return and market feasibility analysis to determine the markets attractiveness while performing this research. They have also made future projections regarding the worldwide Automated Driving Systemsmarket on the basis of results achieved.These results have also assisted experts in presenting an unbiased picture of how this market has been expanding over the years and provides an insight into the crucial strategies of the key players in this market, which they can apply in the further expansion of their business over the period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The market study analyzes the global Automated Driving Systems market on the basis of the availability of products. The production volume, the pricing structure, and the revenue produced by these products are the key factors, based on which the performance of this market has been determined. It further assesses the production chain and the dynamics of demand and supply of Automated Driving Systemsacross the world. The government regulations and policies, promoting the demand for Automated Driving Systemshave also been explained at length in the report.The research report also presents the competitive landscape, prevailing in the global Automated Driving Systemsmarket by analyzing the profiles of the leading participants. Analysts have also determined the current market hierarchy in this study.This research report has been prepared with an objective to deliver a clear picture of the worldwide market for Automated Driving Systemsto players, consultants, and stakeholders and assist them to make appropriate counter-strategies and gain an edge over their peers.Table of ContentsGlobal Automated Driving Systems Market Research Report 20171 Automated Driving Systems Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Automated Driving Systems1.2 Automated Driving Systems Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Automated Driving Systems by Type in 20151.2.2 Type I1.2.3 Type II1.3 Automated Driving Systems Segment by Application1.3.1 Automated Driving Systems Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.3.2 Application 11.3.3 Application 21.3.4 Application 31.4 Automated Driving Systems Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Automated Driving Systems (2012-2022)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Automated Driving Systems Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Automated Driving Systems Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Automated Driving Systems Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Automated Driving Systems Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Automated Driving Systems Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Automated Driving Systems Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Automated Driving Systems Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Automated Driving Systems Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Automated Driving Systems Production by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Automated Driving Systems Production Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Automated Driving Systems Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Automated Driving Systems Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)4.1 Global Automated Driving Systems Consumption by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Automated Driving Systems Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Automated Driving Systems Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Automated Driving Systems Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Automated Driving Systems Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Automated Driving Systems Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Automated Driving Systems Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Automated Driving Systems Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Automated Driving Systems Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Automated Driving Systems Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Automated Driving Systems Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Automated Driving Systems Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. 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Core Banking Solutions Market Leaders  FIS, TCS, HCL Technologies, Misys, Fiserv, SAP SE, Infosys, Capgemini, Oracle Financial Services, Temenos Group

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Market HighlightsOn the basis of regional analysis, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. North America region is generating highest market share in Core Banking Solutions Market owing to higher technology implementation. The implementation of core banking solution software by both small and medium enterprises is increasing rapidly. In US region, the implementation of core banking solution software in BFSI sector accounted for highest market share. Due to its capabilities to improve efficiency and better risk management is driving the market in the region. The study also indicates, the high implementation of software in banking service is driving the market in the region. Countries such as US and Canada witnessed large utilization of core banking solutions software in BFSI industry.The Core Banking Solutions Market is growing rapidly over 4% of CAGR and is expected to reach at approx. USD 13 billion by the end of forecast period.Core Banking Solutions Market Players Infosys Limited (India) HCL Technologies Limited (India) Tata Consultancy Services (India) Capgemini SE. (France) Oracle Financial Services Software Limited (India) Temenos Group AG (Switzerland) Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (U.S.) Misys (U.K.) Fiserv, Inc. (U.S.) SAP SE (Germany)Request a Sample Report @Core Banking Solutions Market SegmentationThe core banking solutions market has been segmented on the basis of deployment, solution and service. On basis of solution segment, it consists of account processing platforms, it offers better customer support service. It provides single integrated platform to all the banking channels. It helps organization by providing lower operational cost. It improves efficiency in streamlining process related to customer account management.Market Research Analysis:By regional analysis, the market consists of North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. North America region is dominating the core banking solutions market. Asia-Pacific region is one of the prominent players in the market owing to increase utilization of online and mobile banking process. The region witnesses high growth in the market due to emerging economies from countries such as China and India that offers outsourcing services in financial sector that is boosting the market in the region. Increased banking operational efficiency and low cost, leveraging BFSI sector and other benefits associated with it is driving the market in the region. In China, most of the small and medium enterprises are adopting core banking solutions for smooth functioning of money transactions. Europe region is expected to be one of the prominent players owing to presence of core banking software technology in rich banks and financial sector. Also, economies from countries such as Germany, Russia, Spain and Denmark is having high adoption of advanced banking technology in BFSI sector. The study indicates, Europe region is expected to witness high market growth due to high adoption of core banking software technology in IT and banking sector.Access Report Details @Intended Audience- Cloud service providers- Investors and consultants- Government Organizations- Research/Consultancy firms- Technology solution providers- IT solution providers- BFSI EnterprisesAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
2017-2022 Vehicle Turbocharger Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast - Borgwarner Inc., IHI Corporation

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report 2017-2022 Vehicle Turbocharger Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications to its huge collection of research reports.The report offers a breakdown and evaluation of different factors influencing the global Vehicle Turbocharger market such as drivers, restraints, trends, opportunities, and challenges. These factors are analyzed in detail and illustrated in the report with the help of tables and graphs. In addition, information regarding latest developments at regional level as well as global level has also been included in this report. Up-to-date information on various specifications, buyer analysis, their purchasing volume, price analysis, and deep insights on the leading suppliers have also been provided in this study for the readers.Get a PDF sample of this report @The study provides a comprehensive view of the global Vehicle Turbochargermarket by segmenting it on the basis of its application, geography, and end-users. In this report each segment of the market has been studied thoroughly in order to offer a clear understanding of the market to the readers. This information has been gathered and collated with the help of various research methodologies and assumptions. This study benchmarks end-users based on their market share, new strategies adopted by them, and general position in the global Vehicle Turbochargermarket. Furthermore, it provides existing and projected market size in terms of both size and volume.The research report also profiles leading players present in the global Vehicle Turbochargermarket including information such as company profile, business strategies, market share, and recent developments have been covered in the report. The study sheds light on the prevailing competition among the leading players along with their current position in the global market. This information will help new entrants as well as established market players to design their strategies and expand their market share.Table of Contents2017-2022 Vehicle Turbocharger Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications1 Methodology and Data Source1.1 Methodology/Research Approach1.1.1 Research Programs/Design1.1.2 Market Size Estimation1.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation1.2 Data Source2.1.1 Secondary Sources2.1.2 Primary Sources1.3 DisclaimerBrowse Complete Report with TOC @2 Vehicle Turbocharger Market Overview2.1 Vehicle Turbocharger Product Overview2.2 Vehicle Turbocharger Market Segment by Type2.2.1 Single-Turbo2.2.2 Twin-Turbo2.2.3 Twin-Scroll Turbo2.2.4 Variable Geometry Turbo2.2.5 Variable Twin Scroll Turbo2.2.6 Electric Turbo2.3 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Product Segment by Type2.3.1 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.3.2 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.3 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.4 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)2.4 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Product Segment by Type2.4.1 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and Growth by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.4.2 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.3 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.4 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)3 Vehicle Turbocharger Application/End Users3.1 Vehicle Turbocharger Segment by Application/End Users3.1.1 Petrol Powered Cars3.1.2 Diesel Powered Cars3.1.3 Motorcycles3.1.4 Truck3.1.5 Others3.2 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Product Segment by Application3.2.1 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.2.2 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)3.3 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Product Segment by Application3.3.1 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.3.2 United States Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)4 Vehicle Turbocharger Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1 Global Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1.1 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Market Size and CAGR by Regions (2012, 2016 and 2022)4.1.2 North America4.1.3 Asia-Pacific4.1.4 Europe4.1.5 South America4.1.6 Middle East and Africa4.1.7 United States4.2 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Sales and Revenue by Regions4.2.1 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2.2 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2.3 Global Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.4 North America Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.5 Europe Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.6 Asia-Pacific Vehicle Turbocharger Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
United States High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls Market to Exhibit Remarkable Growth during the Forecast (2017  2022)

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This research study is titled as United States High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls Market Research Report 2017 which presents an in-depth study about the production, consumption, market volume, revenue (million USD) and market share across various geographic regions. The market is expected to be lucrative over the next few years, driven by high demand from healthcare sector.Request Free Sample Report @This report studies sales (consumption) of High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, coveringMagotteauxAIA ENGINEERINGEstandaChristian PfeifferTOYO Grinding BallScawFengXingRuitaiQingzhou DazhongZhangqiu TaitouJinchi Steel BallNingGuoXinMaDongTaiZhiyouMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisSplit by product types, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoLow Chrome Steel BallChromium Alloy ballChrome ball in ChromeHigh Chromium Alloy Ball ChromeSpecial High ChromiumBrowse Full Report with TOC @Split by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls in each application, can be divided intoCementDry GrindingOthersTable of Content:United States High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls Market Report 20171 High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls1.2 Classification of High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls1.2.1 Low Chrome Steel Ball1.2.2 Chromium Alloy ball1.2.3 Chrome ball in Chrome1.2.4 High Chromium Alloy Ball Chrome1.2.5 Special High Chromium1.3 Application of High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls1.3.1 Cement1.3.2 Dry Grinding1.3.3 Others1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls (2012-2022)1.4.1 United States High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Make an Enquiry @About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of Research Reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of machinery market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Details:90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comRead More Industry News @
Global Nocturia Market 2016 Industry Analysis & Forecast 2024

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Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled Nocturia Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024'Global Nocturia Market: OverviewExperiencing frequent urge of urination during the night after sleeping is a medical condition that is termed as nocturia or nocturnal polyuria. This happens among the aged patients and sleep deficiency can often lead to nocturia. The women that are between 18 to 49 years have more chances of having nocturia than men, the percentage reverses after the age of 60. Other reasons that cause nocturia are depression, mental stress, low level of physical activities, and congestive heart failure.Request Free Sample Report @Global Nocturia Market: SegmentationThe global nocturia market is segmented into its types, causes, and regions. On the basis of types, the market is segregated into mixed nocturia, bladder storage problems, and nocturnal polyuria. Based on the causes, the market is categorized into urological infection, a tumor of the bladder, diuretic medications, regular alcohol or coffee, liver infection, diabetes, pregnancy, and others. The geographical segmentation of the global nocturia market includes North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World.Global Nocturia Market: Growth FactorsFor the proper cure of nocturia, diagnosis to cardiac symptoms, identification of neurological disorders, hypertension, and intake of medicines such as cardiac glycosides should be appropriate, thus awareness about the condition has increased. A thorough examination of the patients should be done to diagnose for sleep apnea, lower limb edema, obesity, and pelvic analysis. The diagnostics segment of the nocturia market will maintain a consistent demand as the population of the aged people is increasing across the global. According to the study conducted by the National Institute of Aging around 1.6 billion of the population will be aged over 65 by 2050. Surgical intervention with respect to transurethral prostatectomy and pelvic organ prolapse repair is the final approaches for surgeons and physicians. In past couple of years, nocturia has gained a lot of attention owing to its increased cases has prompted researches and manufacturers to make investments thereby improving quality sleep and on the whole increasing the life rating. Some of the drugs that are pipelined include desmopressin acetate, fed ova agon, darifenacin, ASP-7035, Patrol, lidocaine, among others.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Nocturia Market: Regional AnalysisDue to the sophisticated healthcare infrastructure in the countries such as US and Canada the North American region has emerged as the most lucrative region in the global market for nocturia. Europe too is experiencing a positive approach owing to the feasible support, rising aging population, and sponsorship from government agencies and private companies. Asia-Pacific and other regional markets are also growing in the nocturia market owing to the rise in the research activities thus contributing significantly in the global nocturia market. For the new market players and the existing ones, these regions provide a pool of opportunities to grow and explore in this field owing to rise in disposable income, developments in healthcare infrastructure, and increasing incidences of bladder cancer and diabetes conditions.Browse detail report @Global Nocturia Market: Competitive PlayersSome of the key market players that are involved in the nocturia market include Allergan, Inc., Vantia Therapeutics, Astellas Pharma Inc., Urigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.Global Nocturia Market by Regional Segment Analysis: North America (U.S.); Europe(UK, France, Germany); Asia-Pacific(China, Japan, India); Latin America(Brazil); The Middle East and AfricaOur value reports provide full, in-depth analysis of the parent market including most significant changes in market dynamics; the report also presents a detailed overview on segmentation of this market. We managed to present as many important information in essential form - thanks to our report You will learn more about former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value, assessment of niche industry developments and Market share analysis. We have not forgotten to present key strategies for major players, emerging segments and regional markets and last but not least, testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.Inquire more before buying this report @About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristically, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, a company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with Vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from Cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Our Blog:
Global E. Coli Testing Market to Record CAGR of 6.5% through 2020

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Zion Market Research has published a new report titled E. Coli Testing (Membrane Filtration (MF), Enzyme-Substrate Methods, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Tests, And Others) Market for Diagnostic Laboratories, Hospitals, Waste Water Treatment Organizations, Bottle Water Suppliers And Other End-user: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2015  2021 According to the report, the global E. coli testing market was valued at around USD 1.2 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach approximately USD 2.0 billion by 2021, growing at a CAGR of around 6.5% between 2016 and 2020.Escherichia coli (E. coli) are a large and diverse group of bacteria which are found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals. The membrane filtration technique is widely used for E. coli test. E. coli are used as indicator organisms to test the effectiveness of effluent disinfection in a wastewater treatment plant. While these organisms are generally harmless to human, that live under the same conditions that human pathogens live.Request For Free Sample Report:The major driving factor for the global E. coli testing market is increasing government support for E. coli tests and the rising occurrence and high morbidity of E. coli. The development of drug-resistant species is another key factor is anticipated to drive the market growth in the years to come. However, high cost of enzyme-substrate test is expected to curb the market growth in the near future. Nonetheless, technological advancement coupled with increasing use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for environment water testing is projected to open up new growth opportunities during the forecast period.Request For Free Price Quotation:Based on testing methods, the E. coli testing market can be segmented into membrane filtration (MF), enzyme-substrate methods, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and others. Enzyme substrate tests accounted for largest share of the total market in 2015. Membrane filtration is another leading segment and expected to exhibit strong growth in the near future.The E. coli testing market is segmented on the basis of different end-user such as diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, waste water treatment organizations, bottle water suppliers and others. Bottle water suppliers segment accounted for large chunk of the market share in the 2015. This growth is mainly attributed to increasing water pollution. Diagnostic laboratories segment is another key outlet and is expected to witness significant growth within the forecast period.Browse the full report at:The E. coli testing market was dominated by Europe with largest share of the total market in 2014. Europe is followed by Asia Pacific and North America in terms of revenue. This growth is mainly due to the occurrence of food borne infections within Germany in 2011 due to the E. coli bacteria.Furthermore, Asia Pacific was another leading regional market in 2015. With increased government support coupled with increasing population, Asia Pacific is expected to witness robust growth during 2015 to 2021. However, Latin America and Middle East & Africa are also expected to exhibit significant growth over the forecast period.Some of the key players including in the E. coli testing market such as Abbott Laboratories, Danaher Corporation, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Enzo Life Sciences, Inc., and Hologic, Meridian Bioscience, Inc., Dickinson and Company among others.Visit Our Blog:About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite:
It is 'the responsibility we should shoulder' for future generations, Wang tells forum in Ethiopia

Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China and African nations can work together to eradicate poverty from the world.

Wang spoke on June 21 at a forum on fighting poverty at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He said that while Africa needs to lift 400 million out of poverty, China still has more than 40 million living below the poverty line.

"This is the responsibility we should shoulder today for our future generations. This is also the common goal that Chinese and African people are working for," he said.

A new book by President Xi Jinping has been central to the debate at the Africa-China High-Level Dialogue and Think Tank Forum. The theme of the forum was Fighting Against Poverty for Common Prosperity.

The book, Up and Out of Poverty, published in English at the end of 2016, is a collection of speeches and articles by the president when he was Party chief of Ningde prefecture of Fujian province almost 30 years ago.

When Xi went to the province in 1988 at the age of 35, the prefecture had a GDP per capita of $198. Last year it was $8,000.

"The thoughts and ideas of the book are important, such as the emphasis on clean government and the focus on the economy. They are important today for China to eradicate poverty but also for developing economies," Wang said in his keynote speech.

"The book has been warmly welcomed in many, many countries. I believe it can also shed light on useful experience for our African friends."

Wang also emphasized that the Chinese government remains committed to eliminating all poverty in China by 2020. This, he said, was a key part of its central goal to become a "moderately well-off society" by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 2021.

"Eradication of poverty is one of the important preconditions for this."

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union, told the forum that China and Africa were united in their determination to eliminate poverty. "

It is a two-way relationship and we can learn considerably with humility from one another," he said.

The forum, co-chaired by the AU Leadership Academy and the Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University, was also addressed by Huang Youyi, who was responsible for the translation of Xi's book.

The vice-president of the Translators Association of China said the book's message is that poverty can be eradicated only by people not looking "to others for the answers" to their problems but looking to themselves to find solutions.

He added that Xi's success in Ningde was about each village in the prefecture specializing in what it did best.

"Each village was to focus on a specialized product, whether it was grapes, tea, mushrooms or aquatic products," Huang said, citing Xi's book "Since the local industry was rather weak, he proposed they must develop the processing industry by using local resources."

Arkebe Oqubay, interministerial coordinator for Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, said the book had valuable lessons for countries like Ethiopia, which is trying to establish itself as a major manufacturing center.

Contact the writers at andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 06/23/2017 page3)
Global Safety Helmets Sales Market 2017 - 3M, NORTH, Honeywell, Dynamic, Deltaplus, Grande, Salisbury, Sata Tools

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Safety Helmets Industry including (both global and regions) Market Size (both volume  Unit and value  million USD), Market Share, Production data, Consumption data, Trade data, Price  USD/Unit, Cost, Gross margin, Analysis, Forecast etc.The report offers a holistic overview of the Safety Helmets market with the help of application segments and geographical regions that govern the market currently. Further, the report delves deep into the value chain of the Safety Helmets market so as to emerge with information specific areas that hold high revenue-generating potential. With the Safety Helmets market having undergone certain inherent shifts in the past decades, the report discusses how these changes will impact the future.Moreover, the report also provides a realistic picture of the state of both traditional and emerging markets. The advantages and disadvantages of investing in these markets are discussed at length in the Safety Helmets market report. Companies in the Safety Helmets market have realized that innovation is of utmost importance for sustained growth. In keeping with this pressing need for innovation, the report tracks latest developments and analysts have dedicated substantial efforts toward spotting new business opportunities.Which application segments will perform well in the Safety Helmets over the next few years? Which are the markets where companies should establish a presence? What are the restraints that will threaten growth rate? What are the forecasted growth rates for the Safety Helmets market as a whole and for each segment within it? All of these questions are answered using industry-leading techniques and tools as well as a vast amount of qualitative research.Get Free Sample Report:The report further focuses on the leading industry players that will steer the course of the Safety Helmets market through the forecast period. Each of these players is analyzed in detail so as to obtain details pertaining to their product/services, recent announcements and partnerships, investment strategies and so on. A detailed segmentation evaluation of the Safety Helmets market has been provided in the report. Detailed information about the key segments of the market and their growth prospects are available in the report. The detailed analysis of their sub-segments is also available in the report. The revenue forecasts and volume shares along with market estimates are available in the report.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Metabolomics Market to observe high growth by 2016-2024

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Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled Metabolomics Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024Global Metabolomics Market: OverviewThe metabolites exist in an organism, cell, or tissue; the study related to it is referred as metabolomics. In order to understand the complete set of metabolites in a given biological system processes such as quantification, profiling, interpretation, and identification are involved. This latest field of science is gaining much popularity as it provides the complete outlook of the organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and whole organisms phenotype when compared to the protein profile, RNA, or DNA.Request Free Sample Report @Global Metabolomics Market: SegmentationThe metabolomics market is globally segmented into product and service, application, and indication. On the basis of product and service, the global market is segregated into metabolomic instruments and metabolomic bioinformatics tools and services. Further, the metabolomic instruments segment is sub-segmented into separation techniques and detection techniques. The metabolomic bioinformatics tools segment is sub-segmented into bioinformatics services and bioinformatics tools & database. Based on the application, the market is categorized into drug discovery/drug assessment, toxicology testing, functional genomics, biomarker discovery, nutrigenomics, personalized medicine, and others. Depending on the indication, the market is divided into cardiovascular disorders, inborn errors of metabolism, cancer, neurological disorders, and others.Global Metabolomics Market: Growth FactorsThe key driver that is contributing to the metabolomics market is the high investments that are made by government bodies and private players in the development and the research of the efficient metabolomics. The factors that support the global market are the untapped potential of the emerging economies and the continuous technological advancements that are made in this field. The position of metabolomics has become very crucial in the field of medicine owing to the fact that they provide deep understanding of how the diseases function. They also provide protein profiling.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Metabolomics Market: Regional AnalysisGeographically, the metabolomics market is diversified into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. The region that dominates the metabolomics market is the North America. The key factors that attribute to this growth are the strong research infrastructure and the increasing demand for the medicines that are personalized. The wide acceptance of the technologically advanced products among the consumers anticipates increasing the regional market growth in the coming years. Asia Pacific region also shows progress in the metabolomics market. The factors that attribute to this market growth are the increasing aging population and the increasing cases of a wide range of illness have opened up opportunities for the pharmaceutical companies in the region, thus driving the metabolomics market in the Asia Pacific region. The other factors that contribute to the market growth in the Asia-Pacific region are increased demand for access to healthcare facilities, improved healthcare, and pharmaceutical products, and investments in life sciences have opened new avenues to the growth of the market.Browse detail report @Global Metabolomics Market: Competitive PlayersSome of the major companies in the metabolomics market include Shimadzu Corporation, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Bruker Corporation, Danaher Corporation, Human Metabolome Technologies Inc., LECO Corporation, Agilent Technologies, Inc., Biocrates Life Sciences AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Waters Corporation, and Metabolon Inc.Our value reports provide full, in-depth analysis of the parent market including most significant changes in market dynamics; the report also presents the detailed overview on segmentation of this market. We managed to present as many important pieces of information in essential form  thanks to our report You will learn more about former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value, assessment of niche industry developments and Market share analysis. We have not forgotten to present key strategies for major players, emerging segments and regional markets and last but not least, testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.Inquire more before buying this report @About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristically, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, a company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with Vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from Cardinal Industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Our Blog:
Surgical Power Tools Market Is Expected To Grow Rapidly In Asia Pacific And Latin America Region

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Surgical power tools market is currently experiencing a shift from traditional pneumatic tools to new technology electric power tools. Electric and battery powered tools are durable and provide precision during procedures. Development in designs has helped in expanding the scope of application in orthopedic procedures, dental surgeries, ENT procedures and neurosurgeries. Surgical power tools are used for gaining access to surgical sites, shaping bones to efficiently fit implants, and repositioning. Incidences of trauma, increasing demand for joint replacement, and dental cosmetic procedures are some of the factors driving the surgical power tools market.New technology surgical tools have ergonomic designs allowing better comfort and precision for surgeons. Light weight, curved handles and improved hand piece texture improves grip, thus minimizing surgical errors. Disposable surgical power tools are gradually becoming popular owing to cost efficiency and reduced chances of contamination. These devices are ideal for hospitals with less sophisticated sterilization equipment. Being single use, it becomes easier for hospital management to maintain assets, and escape sterilization schedules. Disposable power tools also act as a backup for mainstream devices, and avoid delay during sudden breakdown and emergencies. No large capital investment and service agreements are required, that makes disposables as best alternative in terms of cost efficiency. Due to these merits, large hospitals are giving increased importance to disposable tools.Request Free Report Sample@Asia Pacific and Latin America has become a prime destination for surgical power tools market in the recent past. Major factor driving the market in the region is the trend for medical tourism. Joint replacement surgeries can be performed in these region in over half the cost in the U.S. Indian High Commission states that 18,000 Nigerians visited India on medical visas in 2014. Secretary of Tourism, Mexico recorded over 6.5 million visitors from the U.S for medical treatment in 2013. Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and India are key destination in Asia Pacific region. Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare also found that 50% of the patients traveling to the country for medical treatment came from China in 2012. Due to these factors the surgical power tools market is expected to grow rapidly in Asia Pacific and Latin America region.The surgical power tools market is fragmented with more than 20 players operating at global as well as local level. Well established distribution channels and subtle differentiation in product portfolio makes the market competitive. Top five players in the market include Conmed, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes, and Medtronic; while other prominent players include Arthrex, B. Braun, Aesculap, Aedor and Aygun.Request For Report TOC@NOTE: This report is currently under research and will be made available to clients on request.About UsSpearhead Acuity Business Research & Consulting Private Limited (SA-BRC) is a premium Life Science business intelligence and data analytics firm. SA-BRC team offers a wide range of business intelligence services to multiple stakeholders such as Medical Device Manufacturers, Service Providers (Hospitals, Payers, etc.), Suppliers, Group Purchase Organizations, Distributors and all other individuals in the entire value chain of healthcare industry. Our research and consulting capabilities extend across several sub-domains within the sphere of Life Sciences such as Biotechnology, Healthcare IT, Medical Devices, Veterinary Sciences, Wellness Products and Pharmaceuticals.Contact UsJohn WhitmoreOffice No. 14,Hermes Kunj, Mangaldas Road,Pune, 411001IndiaPhone: +91-02041210872Email: sales@sa-brc.comWebsite:
Hearing Amplifiers Market to 2024: Trends, Business Strategies and Opportunities with Key Players Analysis

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Hearing loss can occurs when inner ear or nerve is damaged, which may be caused due to diseases, aging, loud noise, and medications. Hearing amplifier is a small part of hearing aid which makes the sound louder. Hearing amplifiers increase the power of signals and then send them to the ear through speakers.Hearing aid is useful in improving the hearing and speech of patients. An otolaryngologist investigates the cause of the hearing loss. An audiologist is a hearing health professional who identifies and measures hearing loss and will perform a hearing test to assess the type and degree of hearing loss.Obtain Report Details:Increase in number of hearing impairment cases coupled with rising costs of hearing aids are expected to drive the growth of the global hearing amplifiers market during the forecast period. Majority of the consumers use hearing amplifiers or personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) as they are considered cheaper alternatives of hearing aids. Hearing amplifiers or PSAPs, are designed to amplify sounds in any recreational environment and are exempt from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hearing amplifiers are sold directly to consumers as electronic devices without the requirement of a physician prescription. According to National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), approximately 324,200 cochlear implants have been implanted worldwide. About 15 percent of Americans (26 million people) between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to noise at work or during leisure activities. Major driving factors for the growth of the global hearing amplifiers such as an increase in the number of prevalence of hearing impairment patients in old and young population, increasing investment in research and development in ENT field among others.Based on styles or design types of hearing aid products the global market of hearing amplifiers can be segmented as follows:Behind-the-ear (BTE)Mini BTEIn-the-ear (ITE)In-the-canal (ITC)Based on function the global hearing amplifiers market can be segmented as follows:Analog hearing aidsDigital hearing aidsBased on distribution channels the global hearing amplifiers market can be segmented as follows:Hospital PharmaciesOnline PharmaciesIndependent Pharmacies and Drug storesHearing amplifiers market is segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. In 2015, North America lead the global market of hearing amplifiers followed by the Europe in terms of revenue. According to statistics compiled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 37.5 million adults aged 18 and older in America report some form of hearing loss. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from using hearing aids and more than 90 percent of deaf children are born to parents suffering from some kind of hearing disorder. Globally, the hearing amplifiers market is expected to witness a healthy CAGR in terms of revenue during the forecast period.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report:Latin America, Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific regions are the emerging markets in the global hearing amplifiers market. Increasing awareness among the various distribution channels as well as consumers in these regions is anticipated to propel global market growth of hearing aids and amplifiers during the forecast period.The key players in the global market develop hearing amplifiers in analog and digital forms. Some of the top companies in the global hearing amplifiers market are Sound Hawk, Resound, Foshan Vohom Technology Co. Ltd., Sound world solution, Shenzhen LA Lighting Company Limited, Austar Hearing Science and Technology (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., Huizhou Jinghao Electronics Co. Ltd., Ziphearing 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.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:
Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market to Reflect Impressive Growth Rate by 2020

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Remote patient monitoring is an emerging healthcare solution that enables monitoring of patients who are away from hospital settings. Remote patient monitoring offers several advantages such as reduction in hospital visits, data recording for prolong period, quick and accurate results, reduced cost for patients and assistance to medical practitioner with historic patient data. In addition, remote patient monitoring also reduces the waiting time in hospitals and enables medical practitioners to access the patient records from multiple places. Furthermore, growing demand for electronic health record (EHR) is fueling the demand for remote patient monitoring devices since these devices offer integration with cloud data bases for data storage and access. Growing patient population, rising awareness of lifestyle disorders and technological developments in medical devices have accentuated the growth of remote patient monitoring devices market.Read the Comprehensive Overview of Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market:Heart monitors, breath monitors, physical activity monitors, hematology monitors, body temperature monitors, multi-sign monitors and others are some of the remote monitoring devices that are widely used. Rising incidences of chronic diseases that require continuous monitoring such as diabetes, blood pressure and cardiovascular conditions, propels the demand for medical devices. In 2013, heart rate monitors segment dominated the global remote patient monitoring devices owing to high demand for these devices mainly due to rising prevalence of cardiac diseases. Furthermore, rising geriatric population propels the prevalence of cardiac diseases globally. Thus, owing to increasing number of patients diagnosed with cardiac diseases accentuates the uptake the heart rate monitors.In 2013, ambulatory care centers segment accounted for the largest share in the global remote patient monitoring devices market. Growing geriatric population is primarily driving the demand for ambulatory care centers, as elderly people are at a higher risk of acquiring diseases and infections. However, rise in demand for home-based treatment as more number of patients opts for diagnosis and treatment of diseases at home boosts the home healthcare segment during the forecast period from 2014 to 2020.Geographically, North America contributed the largest share in the global remote patient monitoring devices market. Increasing incidences of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases coupled with rising preference to reduce hospital readmissions. Under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, government of the U.S. has imposed penalty to hospitals. As a penalty government has announced reduction up to 1% in the Medicare payment per patient for hospital readmission within 30 days in 2013. Thus, to reduce the hospital readmissions, medical professionals are promoting remote patient monitoring in the region.Request for the Sample Report:The global remote patient monitoring devices market is a fragmented market with many local players competing with global players. In addition, presence of all the necessary resources is enabling easy entry of medical device manufacturers into the remote patient monitoring devices market. Thus, major players in the market are strategically collaborating with local players to offer innovative technologies and thereby sustain in the competition. In November 2014, LifeWatch AG partnered with Vital Connect, Inc., a health care company based in Silicon Valley. This collaboration enables LifeWatch to utilize Vital Connects HealthPatch MD as 1-lead ECG device in LifeWatchs cardiac monitoring business. LifeWatch aims to expand its cardiac monitoring devices business by adding patch technology to its product offerings. Similarly, in December 2014, Omron Healthcare Inc. collaborated with AliveCor, Inc., a California-based company that provides mobile technology for heart health. The two companies aim to improve access to remote patient monitoring products through retail and online channels, especially for heart patients.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Asia, Europe, and South America Anti-aging Market is Anticipated To Witness Steady Demand In Developed Regions

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Restoring the younger looks and thereby finding solutions against signs of aging has been a mission for cosmetologists and health care professionals for centuries. As a result, market for anti-aging products is experiencing continuous growth since decades. Various products and services are perpetually entering into the market to serve the agenda of restoring younger looks.Read the Comprehensive Overview of Asia, Europe, and South America Anti-aging Market:Presently, various anti-aging products such as UV absorbers, dermal fillers, Botox, anti-stretchmark products, hair color, and anti-wrinkle products are widely used.The anti-wrinkle products segment was valued at USD 8,088.3 million in 2013 in Asia. The dominance of this segment was primarily due to increasing adoption of anti-wrinkle products among the population. The anti-aging products market in Japan is growing swiftly owing to reasonable costs and rising awareness about the availability of aesthetic products. According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS), a total of 146,150 Botox injection procedures were registered in Japan in 2010. The number further increased to 208,313 in 2011. Considering all the above mentioned factors, Japan was leading the overall anti-aging products market in Asia in terms of revenue in 2013. While on the other hand, China is expected to show significant growth in the anti-aging products market during the forecast period. Factors such as anticipated rise in the aging population coupled with rising awareness about commercially available anti-aging products are primarily driving the growth of the market in China.The anti-aging services market is growing rapidly in Europe owing to steady recovery from the economic crisis, and consequently, rising disposable income and increasing demand. Italy was a leader in the anti-aging services market in the overall Europe in 2013 due to higher demand for breast augmentation and hair restoration treatments. While on the other hand, Spain anti-aging services market is expected to record highest growth during the forecast period. Adoption of sclerotherapy is anticipated to primarily boost the growth of the Spain anti-aging treatment services market owing to the increasing prevalence of varicose vein due to aging and obesity. The growth of the geriatric population coupled with rise in obesity are some of the other factors driving the growth of sclerotherapy services segment in the country.Brazil dominates the aesthetic procedures industry among South American countries. Brazil registered 1,447,213 aesthetic procedures in 2011. Affordable rates, availability of advanced techniques and a well-defined regulatory infrastructure are the prime drivers for the growth of the aesthetic industry in Brazil. As a result, people around the world travel to Brazil for aesthetic treatment. Thus, increasing demand for aesthetic procedures in the country is observed that would boost the growth of aesthetic devices in Brazil. Similarly, adoption of laser treatment and radiofrequency treatments is observed to be higher in Brazil owing to the safety and efficacy of these treatments. Therefore, in 2013, the laser aesthetic and radiofrequency devices segments accounted for the largest market of USD 59.0 million and USD 19.2 million, respectively.Request for the Sample Report:Some of the key players operating in the anti-aging market include Allergan, Inc., Alma Laser Ltd., Beiersdorf AG, Coty, Inc., Cynosure, Inc., LOreal SA, Solta Medical, Inc. (Valeant Pharmaceutical International, Inc.), and PhotoMedex, Inc.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Thai Solar Energy  Power  Deals and Alliances Profile

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Thai Solar Energy Co., Ltd.  Power  Deals and Alliances ProfileSummaryThai Solar Energy Co., Ltd. (TSE), formerly Thai Solar Energy Public Company Limited, TSE is a renewable energy company that develops electricity from solar thermal power using parabolic trough technology, for commercial and social societies. The companys projects specialize in the areas of plants solar thermal plants, solar farm plants and solar rooftop plants. Its renewable energy projects include TSE-1 located in Huay Krachao. TSE establishes measurable indicators to monitor and review environmental, health, safety and social responsibility performance, and set goals for continuous improvement. The company serves residential customers by providing electricity and related services. TSE is headquartered in Klongtoey, Thailand.Thai Solar Energy Co., Ltd. - Power - Deals and Alliances Profile provides you comprehensive data and trend analysis of the company's Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As), partnerships and financings. The report provides detailed information on Mergers and Acquisitions, Equity/Debt Offerings, Private Equity, Venture Financing and Partnership transactions recorded by the company over a five year period. The report offers detailed comparative data on the number of deals and their value categorized into deal types, sub-sector and regions.To Browse Complete Report visit @Scope- Financial Deals - Analysis of the company's financial deals including Mergers and Acquisitions, Equity/Debt Offerings, Private Equity, Venture Financing and Partnerships.- Deals by Year - Chart and table displaying information encompassing the number of deals and value reported by the company by year, for a five year period.- Deals by Type - Chart and table depicting information including the number of deals and value reported by the company by type such as Mergers and Acquisitions, Equity/Debt Offering etc.- Deals by Region - Chart and table presenting information on the number of deals and value reported by the company by region, which includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa and South and Central America.- Deals by Sub-sector - Chart and table showing information on the number of deals and value reported by the company, by sub-sector.- Major Deals - Information on the company's major financial deals. Each such deal has a brief summary, deal type, deal rationale; and deal financials and target Companys (major public companies) key financial metrics and ratios.- Business Description - A brief description of the company's operations.- Key Employees - A list of the key executives of the company.- Important Locations and Subsidiaries - A list and contact details of key centers of operation and subsidiaries of the company.- Key Competitors - A list of the key competitors of the company.- Key Recent Developments - A brief on recent news about the company.Request Sample Copy @Reasons to BuyGet detailed information on the company's financial deals that enable you to understand the company's expansion/divestiture and fund requirements- The profile enables you to analyze the company's financial deals by region, by year, by business segments and by type, for a five year period.Understand the company's business segments' expansion / divestiture strategy- The profile presents deals from the company's core business segments' perspective to help you understand its corporate strategy.Access elaborate information on the company's recent financial deals that enable you to understand the key deals which have shaped the company- Detailed information on major recent deals includes a summary of each deal, deal type, deal rationale, deal financials and Target Company's key financial metrics and ratios.Equip yourself with detailed information about the companys operations to identify potential customers and suppliers.- The profile analyzes the company's business structure, locations and subsidiaries, key executives and key competitors.Stay up-to-date on the major developments affecting the company- Recent developments concerning the company presented in the profile help you track important events.Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research- Key elements such as break up of deals into categories and information on detailed major deals are incorporated into the profile to assist your academic or business research needs.Note*: Some sections may be missing if data is unavailable for the company.Follow Us:Google Plus | LinkedInAbout usReports Monitor is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence.Contact UsJay MathewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Scope Of The Wireless Health Market Research Report : Top Players Like Ge Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Polar Electro, Nihon Kohden

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The e-health monitoring system with wireless sensor network is used for patient telemonitoring and telemedicine. A 2012 article titled In-home health monitoring to leap six-fold by 2017 illustrated that Wireless remote monitoring devices will be used by more than 1.8 million people worldwide in the next four years. Of the billions of dollars spent on health care each year, 75% - 80% of it accountsfor patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma and Alzheimers disease. Over a decade, healthcare industry has taken a measured approach pertaining tointegrationof information technology (IT). Recent federal legislation and emerging trends, however, are changing the landscape and driving the need to accelerate the adoption of health IT in healthcare especially in medical devices.Obtain Report Details @Among wireless health products wearable medical devices is expected to be the fastest growing segment. Information delivered by modern wearable medical devices is easy to interpret and hence popularity is expected to increase rapidly within non-medical personnel. With these devices, peoplecan quickly modify their lifestyle to better improve their physical stature. Devices that measure temperature, heart rate and other parameters can be of paramount importance while determining physical fitness of a person.Over 65% of technologies are wrist held devices shaped like watches and the rest are wearable on other areas of the body such as arms, torso and waist. Along with the aesthetics, several other features for durability of the device are included such as waterproofing and weatherproofing. The latest in developments is telecommunication, wireless connectivity and improved user interface. The advent of smartphones has resulted in multi-fold increase of growth in applications that can now extend to storage and retrieval of history for the individual for long term mapping and improvement of fitness.Some of the major factors driving this market are the decreasing costs of electronics that has now made these devices available to middle and even low income groups over the world, and increased use of internet globally. According to the World Bank, number of internet users per 100 people increased from 15.8 in 2005 to 38.1 in 2013. The global wireless health market by products encompasses ECG monitors, insulin monitors, neuromonitors such as EEG and EMG devices.There are several devices which have in-build capability to diagnose, detect and send patient records to a centralized servers which can be easily accessed by healthcare providers. Advantages of wireless health devices encompasses patient comfort, accurate detection and analysis, access to stored patient data for a considerable longer period of time i.e. weekly or monthly. Recently Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University have demonstrated stick-on patches which can be used on a daily basis to monitor patients ECG. Additionally, the patient record can be easily accessed through a cell phone or computer wirelessly.Fill The Form To Gain Deeper Insights On This Market @Geographically the market can be studied for four geographical regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the Word. Currently, North America in terms of revenue accounts for the largest share owing to burgeoning population of cardiovascular diseases, diabetic patients. Moreover government initiatives such as the Affordable Care Act and favorable reimbursement scenario also promotes the sales and adoption of innovative wireless health monitoring and diagnostic products. Followed by the U.S., Europe holds the second leading position in the current scenario. Historically, the major EU countries have always been at the forefront of developing innovative healthcare technologies.In November 2013, Belgium-based research center Imec showcased its ideas for wearable sensor technologies for remote healthcare and personal health applications. The company introduced a body patch that integrates an ultra-low power electrocardiogram (ECG) chip and a Bluetooth low-energy radio. The company has also developed a prototype of a patient-friendly wireless EEG headset together with Holst Centre and Panasonic. Asia Pacific and Rest of the World market are among the fastest growing and largely untapped market. High cost of devices and lack of awareness about these devices are among the major restraint to the current adoption of the products in emerging market.Some of the key players operating in this market encompasses Omron Corporation, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Polar Electro, Nihon Kohden, Siemens A.G., Mckesson Corporation,and Cerner Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Adherence Monitoring Cap Market Sustains Competitiveness by Adoption of Technological Innovations 2017 - 2025

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The first understanding which strikes our mind with the word adherence monitoring cap is that packaging targeted only to specific age of people who are in urgent need and capable to handle such system for their own benefits . Adherence monitoring cap has been engineered for convenience of senior aged people who has specific needs such as easy reminder of medication dosage, visually detectable, clearly communicates the benefits of taking the product and the repercussions on skipping or neglecting the prescribed dosages. Adherence monitoring caps are integrated with microcircuits which does records the date and time whenever a patient opens a vial. The adherence monitoring cap which wirelessly transfer dosing data when used in conjunction with a cap reader. Adherence monitoring caps also features an LCD that displays the number of doses taken in the past 24 hours and the number of elapsed doses. Adherence monitoring cap also acts serves the purpose of child resistant packaging and minimizes the fatality of child poisoning. With expansion in population of those aged 50 plus and beyond and subsequent demands of intelligent packaging for consumers, the market of adherence monitoring cap market is bound to grow at a healthy CAGR over the forecast period.To view complete report @Market: Drivers & RestraintsRise in senior age population, governing agencies pushing stricter norms on packaging and growing public interest for smart packaging are few of the drivers which will drive adherence monitoring cap market. The average age of the entire population of the globe is almost crossing 35 years. In coming next 5 -10 years this population will be beyond 45. With increase in age the ability to remember and the urge of doing something in routine diminishes. Further the change in habit of consumer in present times, educated and affluent class reach for goods and products which are inundated with smart technology that can contribute vastly towards consumers comfort and thus diminishes effort.A sample of this report is available upon request @High price of adherence monitoring market, sophistication of adherence monitoring cap will lead to restriction its usage in more robust way, lack of awareness about product can be possible few of the restraints of the adherence minoring market.Adherence Monitoring Cap Market: SegmentationThe global Adherence Monitoring Cap market is segmented on the basis of product, sales channel and region.On the basis of type of applications, the global Adherence Monitoring Cap market is segmented into:Capsule DispenserLiquid DispenserOn the basis of end users, the global Adherence Monitoring Cap market is segmented into:PharmaceuticalsFood IndustryHealth SupplementsOn the basis of sales channel, the global Adherence Monitoring Cap market is segmented into:B2BB2CAdherence Monitoring Cap Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographies, global Adherence Monitoring Cap market is segmented into five key regions -- North America, Latin America, Europe, AP EJ, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Among the aforementioned regions, North America market is expected to be the dominant region for adherence monitoring cap market in terms of value share, which can be attributed to the rise in population of senior age population in North America and the expansion of packaging industries which manufactures adherence monitoring cap followed by Western Europe. In APEJ region the senior packaging market is in introduction phase, the market is growing and will eventually gain a strong foothold over the forecast period in countries such as South Korea, China owing to the availability of R&D activities to develop such adherence monitoring cap for general public usage at a reasonable price. Japan being one of the formidable player in developing various electronic commodities will also gain a strong foothold in adherence monitoring cap. Moreover Japan has the worlds oldest population who will be in need of such adherence monitoring cap package system for their medication usage. In MEA and Latin America at present the market is yet to acknowledge the idea of adherence monitoring cap product and those market demand of adherence monitoring cap mostly relies on imported products but with rise in awareness and growing demand the market will witness growth by the end of our forecast period.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Adherence Monitoring Cap market: Key PlayersSome of the major players identified in the global Adherence Monitoring Cap market areWestRock CompanyetectRxVitality, Inc.Vitality, Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Towbars Market Projected to be Resilient During 2017 - 2025

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Towbars Market: IntroductionTowbars are used for towing vehicles, when an engine breakdown occurs or whenever the vehicle is not in a working condition. Towbars aid in effectively moving the broke down vehicle to the nearby service station with the help of a vehicle on to which the tow is attached. The towbars find applications in the transportation of aircrafts and other heavy vehicles as well. The towbars are attached to chassis of the vehicles so that it gets enough pulling force and it can be dragged easily by the vehicle at a constant speed. Moreover, the attachment of two bars to the chassis also ensures that the chances of accidents or mishaps while towing the vehicle is negligible. The towbars should be designed and manufactured in such a way that it should have good tensile strength and should not deform due to the pulling force while in operation.To view complete report @Towbars are also known as tow hitches. They are designed and produced mainly in two basic types; the towbars that can be attached to the vehicles, which are to be towed by the driving vehicles and the towbars that can be attached to the driving or the towing vehicles itself. Both the types are equally beneficial and effective for towing any vehicle. However, for towing heavy bodies such as aircrafts or boats, metal towbars need to be attached to their bodies itself. There are several types of towbars such as fixed towbars, detachable towbars, swivelling systems and electric systems, which are currently available the market.Towbars Market: DynamicsResearch and development on towbars and the materials used for its manufacturing are progressing, with an aim to develop more sophisticated towbars, which can be mounted with perfection on vehicles. Moreover, the advancement in material science and technology has enabled the manufacturers to use metals and polymers, with high tensile strength, which increases the operational life of the towbars considerably. Furthermore, novel manufacturing processes, such as additive manufacturing, have enabled manufacturers to produce complex towbars components easily within a shorter time. Also, the market for towbars has witnessed growth as a result of the development and growth in the global automotive sector. The market comprises of rental companies that offer services to the vehicles in case of emergency situations.A sample of this report is available upon request @Towbars Market: SegmentationThe towbars market can be segmented based on the product type, sales channel and vehicle type.By product type, the towbars market can be segmented as:Fixed SystemDetachable SystemElectric SystemBy sales channel, the towbars market can be segmented as:Original Equipment ManufacturersIndependent SuppliersBy vehicle type, the towbars market can be segmented as:Passenger CarsLight Commercial VehiclesHeavy Commercial VehiclesOthersTowbars Market: Regional OutlookPeople in North America and Europe lead a high standard of living along with significant disposable incomes, this has led to a substantial rise in the number of automobiles in these regions, which signifies the demand for towbars. The consumers are readily accepting the services from rental towing companies when struck in emergency situations. The state traffic and highway agencies in almost all the countries proffer services to the consumers. These factors are expected to act as catalysts for the growth of the global towbars market over the forecast period. Towbars, which are essential for towing the vehicles to service stations, usually possess a good replacement rate in automobiles, thus the global towbars market is expected to witness rapid growth. Developing nations such as India and China in the APAC region, which are the target markets for a majority of automobile manufacturers will play significant roles in the growth of towbars market over the forecast period.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Towbars Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the examples of market participants in the global towbars market identified across the value chain include:BOSALWestfalia-AutomotiveSTEINHOF Sp. z o.o. Sp.K.Witter TowbarsPCT LimitedCamex AutomotiveDavid Murphy TowingNorth Shore TowbarsCavotec SAMcCabe TowbarsAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Western speculation about the debt implications of giant infrastructure projects exaggerates the risks and is unjustified

Hailed as a symbol of "Chinese quality and spirit", the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, which opened on May 31 in Kenya, ferried more than 7,000 passengers in the first week of its operation, a weekly record for the country.

In contrast to the meter-gauge railway, built more than a century ago during British colonial rule, the 480-kilometer railway is expected to reduce travel time between the cities from 10 to just four hours and lower logistics costs by 10 to 40 percent. Built by China Road and Bridge Corp, the railway - the largest infrastructure project since Kenya's independence - cost $3.8 billion (3.46 billion euros; 3.0 billion), with China contributing nearly 90 percent of the amount.

The good news for Kenya, however, has been accompanied by speculation from Western observers that the country will struggle to repay the "monstrous" debt, to the detriment of its taxpayers. A recent report in The New York Times even drew parallels between the China-funded railway and the "Lunatic Express", a term coined over 100 years ago to describe the costly, all-consuming construction of a colonial British railway linking the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria with Mombasa.

Such a far-fetched analogy and misinterpretation of the Kenyan government's motives for building the railway is nothing short of slanderous. The Beijing-backed project provided training opportunities to 45,000 local employees and created more than 46,000 jobs during the four-year construction period, not to mention the proposal to build a technical academy for railways. The Kenyan people were fully involved in the project and stand to greatly benefit from it.

Unlike the 1 billion yuan aid to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, which was built in the 1970s, Beijing's railway loan to Nairobi has to be repaid. The two countries' partnership to build the Mombasa-Nairobi project has not only helped train some 3,000 local railway technicians and created opportunities for many others to receive such training in the future, it has also kept the cost at a controllable level.

Nairobi is confident that the railway will increase its annual GDP by 1.5 percent and the loan will be paid back in about four years. That is achievable if all the terms agreed to are followed through as designed. China and Kenya have vowed to upgrade the construction of industrial parks along the route while seeking to integrate the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, the Port of Mombasa and the Mombasa Special Economic Zone.

The railway will also stimulate growth and industrialization of neighboring countries, including Uganda and Rwanda, adding fresh impetus to the economic integration of and flow of people and resources in East Africa.

The lack of connectivity in East Africa has greatly limited cross-border trade between the countries in the region, many of which are heavily reliant on the continent's second largest port, Mombasa, keeping prospective investors at bay. The Mombasa-Nairobi railway could well be a game changer for the more than 120 million people in the six East African countries.

China welcomes the idea of enhancing capacity cooperation with Kenya and other African countries, by contributing its railway expertise and strong record of building infrastructure facilities. Its railway cooperation with Kenya and other African countries has not been without challenges, from transnational coordination to the slow long-term returns on the projects. But that should not stop the parties concerned from taking the right path to share development; nor does it justify the West's attempts to exaggerate the risks.

The author is a senior researcher at the Charhar Institute and a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article is an excerpt from her interview with China Daily's Cui Shoufeng.

(China Daily European Weekly 06/23/2017 page12)
IoT Communication Protocol Market Competitive insights by 2024

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In Internet of Things, the interconnected devices are usually of short range, low power, wireless devices with their own predefined set of operations. Moreover, these devices are not compatible to existing internet protocol due to which a new set of protocols are developed to cater the requirements of the IoT. Some of the most widely used protocols in IoT are Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) etc. These protocols facilitates in power conservation making devices operate for a longer duration of time.The IoT communication protocol market has been experiencing massive growth in the recent years due to growing popularity of Internet of Things and the increasing adoption of smart watches and activity trackers in consumer markets. Continuous growth in demand for smartphones and other connectivity devices and increasing demand for cloud computing is expected to drive the market in near term. Additionally, expansion in use of wireless sensors and low-power wide-area network is further expected to fuel the market growth. However, lack of communication standard across platforms and high power consumption by connected devices is hindering the market growth. Significant government funding across globe for Internet of Things and increasing adoption of wearable devices in multiple application areas such as healthcare, industrial, and military is expected to create huge opportunities for the companies operating in global IoT communication protocol market.Browse The Report:The global IoT communication protocol market is segmented on the basis of connectivity technology, end-use application and geography. Based on the connectivity technology, the market is broadly classified into Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), EnOcean, ANT+, cellular and others. Among these EnOcean, is expected to show sustainable market growth during the forecast period. The development of IoT needed for ultra-low power devices and sensors is expected to increase need for EnOcean protocol technology. In terms of end-use application, the market for IoT communication protocol is segmented into wearable devices, healthcare, automotive and transportation, building automation, industrial, consumer electronics, and precision farming. Among these, building automation segment is expected to dominate the market due to high demand for energy efficiency and security & safety required in buildings. Moreover, advancements in the wireless communication technologies and convergence of IoT and building automation is expected to further increase the growth of the building automation system market. On the basis of geography, the global IoT communication protocol market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, Asia Pacific is expected to lead the IoT communication protocol market during the forecast period due to huge potential for the applications of Internet of Things in developing economies such as China and India. Moreover, Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Latin America is expected to tender growth opportunities owing to the increasing in consumer devices market.Some of the leading companies operating in the global IoT communication protocol market with significant developments include Synopsys, Inc., Stmicroelectronics N.V., Mediatek Inc., Gainspan Corporation, Ceva, Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., Texas Instruments Inc., Enocean GmbH, Atmel Corporation and Mindtree Ltd.Make an Enquiry @The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edgeUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Document Outsourcing Market Supply and demand by 2024

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Today organizations try to gain competitive advantage in industry through outsourcing their business processes to third party service providers. This helps them to reduce operational cost and focus on key functional areas. Organizations use a large quantity of information in daily business operations which are stored in the form of files, blueprints, invoice and mail orders. The maintenance and storing of these valuable documents requires more space and is costly issue for any organization. Hence organizations try to convert and store these documents in digital format in order to save cost and space. Organizations opt for document outsourcing services where third party service provider transforms typed and handwritten text document into electronic or digital information. This electronic information can be stored in computer or server and used directly for future purpose. Document outsourcing involves a combination of intelligent character recognition (ICR) and optical character recognition (OCR) method to convert hand-written documents into electronic information. In some cases, important paper documents are converted to electronic format by experienced data entry clerks. Traditional document outsourcing services include data and content scanning, mailroom and print management. However, due to increasing demand for outsourcing in organization, document outsourcing service providers have tried to solve customer business challenge by providing value added services. Today, document outsourcing service providers provide a wide range of advance services apart from delivering traditional document outsourcing services. Document outsourcing service providers focus on providing value added services such as cross-media service, digital mailbox services and marketing analytics.Today organizations are finding problem in providing quality information to their customers due to lack of expertise in quality writing. Hence, document outsourcing providers are providing email writing service where content writers provide relevant information based on customer query. Document outsourcing is also used in creating technical brochures, product specifications and repair manuals. Document outsourcing is also used in creating both printed and digital marketing communication documents to promote brand image. Thus, the role of document outsourcing has increased in many areas of a business.Browse The Report:Many financial institutions too, such as banks and insurance, favor document outsourcing for delivering accurate and complete archiving of financial information. Thus, document outsourcing providers are becoming strategic partners for organizations through providing value added services. Document outsourcing also helps to improve process as well as distribute risk between the organization and the service provider.The major challenge for document outsourcing service provider is the flexibility in service level agreement (SLA). Organizations which do not plan on future business strategies, may not include relevant clauses in the service level agreements. These may later result in problem for document outsourcing service providers in providing service to organizations as the service requirements would vary as per the clients they cater to.The demand for document outsourcing market will increase in coming years as organizations will try to reduce operational cost and gain competitive advantage among its competitors. Although, the document information may be critical for organization, document outsourcing solutions such as marketing analytics can help organization to use information in order to improve organization operations. Document outsourcing service finds its application in the area of financial services, insurance, healthcare, legal, telecommunication and manufacturing.Some of the key document outsourcing service providers are Hewlett-Packard Company, Lexmark International Inc, Integreon Inc, Ricoh Company Ltd, Xerox Corporation, Canon Inc, Konica Minolta Holdings Inc, Swiss Post Solutions AG, Kyocera Document Solution Inc, Williams Lea Holdings Plc, Firstsource Solutions Ltd, Formost Mediaone, Pitney Bowes Inc and Toshiba Corporation.Make an Enquiry @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.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edgeUS Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Flavoured Milk Market Trends and 2017 Forecast

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This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringNestleDanoneDean FoodsLactalisFonterraHilandBordenPurityMother DairyUmang DairiesChina Mengniu Dairy Co. LtdYili Industrial Group Co. Ltd.For more information about this report atBy types, the market can be split intoFlavoured Cow MilkFlavoured Goat MilkBy Application, the market can be split intoFoodBeveragesBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaRequest a sample copy atTable of Content1 Industry Overview of Flavoured Milk2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Flavoured Milk3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Flavoured Milk4 Global Flavoured Milk Overall Market Overview5 Flavoured Milk Regional Market Analysis6 Global 2011-2017E Flavoured Milk Segment Market Analysis (by Type)7 Global 2011-2017E Flavoured Milk Segment Market Analysis (by Application)8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Flavoured Milk8.1 Nestle8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Nestle 2016 Flavoured Milk Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Nestle 2016 Flavoured Milk Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Danone8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Danone 2016 Flavoured Milk Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Danone 2016 Flavoured Milk Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Dean Foods8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Dean Foods 2016 Flavoured Milk Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Dean Foods 2016 Flavoured Milk Business Region Distribution Analysis9 Development Trend of Analysis of Flavoured Milk Market10 Flavoured Milk Marketing Type Analysis11 Consumers Analysis of Flavoured Milk12 Conclusion of the Global Flavoured Milk Market Professional Survey Report2017Purchase Complete Report at. And get,Discount on report purchase atContact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Shea Butter Market 2017 Development Trends

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This report studies Shea Butter in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringThe Savannah Fruits CompanyIOI Loders CroklaanGhana Nuts LtdStarSheaAkoma Cooperative...For more information about this report atBy types, the market can be split intoRaw and Unrefined Shea ButterRefined Shea ButterBy Application, the market can be split intoCosmeticsMedicineFood IndustryBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaRequest a sample copy atTable of Content1 Industry Overview of Shea Butter2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Shea Butter3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Shea Butter4 Global Shea Butter Overall Market Overview5 Shea Butter Regional Market Analysis6 Global 2011-2017E Shea Butter Segment Market Analysis (by Type)7 Global 2011-2017E Shea Butter Segment Market Analysis (by Application)8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Shea Butter8.1 The Savannah Fruits Company8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 The Savannah Fruits Company 2016 Shea Butter Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 The Savannah Fruits Company 2016 Shea Butter Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 IOI Loders Croklaan8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 IOI Loders Croklaan 2016 Shea Butter Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 IOI Loders Croklaan 2016 Shea Butter Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Ghana Nuts Ltd8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Ghana Nuts Ltd 2016 Shea Butter Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Ghana Nuts Ltd 2016 Shea Butter Business Region Distribution Analysis9 Development Trend of Analysis of Shea Butter Market10 Shea Butter Marketing Type Analysis11 Consumers Analysis of Shea Butter12 Conclusion of the Global Shea Butter Market Professional Survey Report 2017Purchase Complete Report at. And get,Discount on report purchase atContact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Microcontroller Socket Market Analysis By Product (DIP, BGA, QFP, SOP, SOIC) - The QFP socket is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7% from 2016 to 2024

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Ask for PDF Sample @The global microcontroller socket market is expected to reach USD 1.46 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Radiant Insights. The increasing development and growth of automation and re-automation in the emerging countries are expected to fuel the industry growth.Access Full report "Microcontroller Socket Market Analysis By Product (DIP, BGA, QFP, SOP, SOIC), By Application (Industrial, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Medical Devices, Military & Defense), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2024" with TOC At @The growth of automation has led to miniaturization and digitization as well as facilitates dynamics in the field of technology. The increasing need of providing high performance with power efficiency has further led to the development of automation technology at a rapid pace. The increasing labor costs and the growing demand for higher quality have encouraged the industry participants to opt for automated equipment in the programming process.Gradually reducing the package size in the microelectronics industry has also impacted the market growth in a positive manner. industry requirements, such as higher density, increased operating speed, and lower power, have driven packaging in the industry, which has further led to an enhanced demand within the market.Furthermore, the demand for thinner, smaller, and lesser expensive device packaging has also encouraged manufacturers to control the programming cost. The increasing demand in automotive, consumer electronics, medical devices for more accurate data, and in military & defense for enhanced security has also encouraged the industry participants to further reduce the package size.Intense competition in the market has led the industry participants to enhance the product quality and process technologies as per the market requirement. However, failure to develop new designs and delays in developing new products with advanced technology may adversely affect the manufacturer market.Further key findings from the report suggest: The microcontroller socket market is expected to boost over the forecast period owing to the increasing microcontroller applications in various segments The QFP socket is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7% from 2016 to 2024, owing to the growing trend of automation and re-automation in the emerging countries The automotive segment is projected to dominate over the forecast period owing to the huge application of the socket in the manufacturing of automobiles, such as body electronics, for enhancing driver safety The majorindustry players in the microcontroller socket market include Texas Instruments, Aries Electronics, Mill-Max Manufacturing Corporation, and Samtec, Inc.Visit similar reports here @1. The report including six parts, the first part mainly introduced the product basic information; the second part mainly analyzed the Asia Microcontroller IC industry; the third part mainly analyzed the North American Microcontroller IC industry; the fourth part mainly analyzed the Europe Microcontroller IC industry; the fifth part mainly analyzed the market entry and investment feasibility; the sixth part was the report conclusion chapter. @2. Microcontroller Units (MCUs) industry that you would know the world's major regional market conditions of Microcontroller Units (MCUs) industry, the main region including North American, Europe and Asia etc, and the main country including United States ,Germany ,Japan and China etc. @3. 32/64-Bit Microcontrollers basic information including 32/64-Bit Microcontrollers definition, classification, application and industry chain overview; 32/64-Bit Microcontrollers industry policy and plan, 32/64-Bit Microcontrollers product specification, manufacturing process, cost structure etc. @Table of ContentsChapter 1 Methodology and Scope1.1 Research Methodology1.2 Research Scope & Assumptions1.3 List of Data SourcesChapter 2 Executive Summary2.1 Regional Marketplace: Key TakeawaysChapter 3 Microcontroller Socket Market Variables, Trends & Scope3.1 Market Segmentation &Scope3.2 Microcontroller Socket- Market Size and Growth Prospects3.3 Microcontroller Socket- Value Chain Analysis3.4 Microcontroller Socket- Market Dynamics3.4.1 Market Driver Analysis3.4.1.1 Increasing microcontroller applications3.4.1.2 Automation and re-automation in developing countries3.4.1.3 Increase in IC packaging development3.4.2 Market restraint analysis3.4.2.1 Intense competition in the industry3.5 Microcontroller Socket- PESTEL Analysis3.6 Microcontroller Socket- Key Opportunities Prioritized3.7 Industry Analysis - Porter's3.8 Microcontroller Socket- Key company Analysis, 20153.8.1 Key company analysis, 20153.8.2 Company weightage analysis, 2015Chapter 4 Microcontroller Socket Market Product Estimates & Trend Analysis4.1 Microcontroller SocketMarket: Product Movement Analysis4.1.1 DIP socket4.1.1.1 DIP socket market, by application, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.1.2 DIP socket market, by region, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.2 BGA socket4.1.2.1 BGA socket market, by application, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.2.2 BGA socket market, by region, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.3 QFP socket4.1.3.1 QFP socket market, by application, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.3.2 QFP socket market, by region, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.4 SOP socket4.1.4.1 SOP socket market, by application, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.4.2 SOP socket market, by region, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.5 SOIC socket4.1.5.1 SOIC socket market, by application, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)4.1.5.2 SOIC socket market, by region, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)Chapter 5 Microcontroller Socket Market Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis5.1 North America5.1.1 Microcontroller socket market, by product, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)5.2 Europe5.2.1 Microcontroller socket market, by product, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)5.3 Asia Pacific5.3.1 Microcontroller socket market, by product, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)5.4 Latin America5.4.1 Microcontroller socket market, by product, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)5.5 MEA5.5.1 Microcontroller socket market, by product, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)Chapter 6 Competitive Landscape6.1 Aries Electronics6.1.1 Company overview6.1.2 Product benchmarking6.1.3 Strategic initiatives6.2 Amphenol6.2.1 Company overview6.2.2 Product benchmarking6.2.3 Strategic initiatives6.3 CnC Tech LLC6.3.1 Company overview6.3.2 Product benchmarking6.4 FCI USA LLC6.4.1 Company overview6.4.2 Product benchmarking6.4.3 Strategic initiatives6.5 Foxconn6.5.1 Company overview6.5.2 Product benchmarking6.5.3 Strategic initiatives6.6 Mill-Max Manufacturing Corporation6.6.1 Company overview6.6.2 Product benchmarking6.7 PRECI-DIP SA6.7.1 Company overview6.7.2 Product benchmarking6.8 Samtec Inc.6.8.1 Company overview6.8.2 Product benchmarking6.8.3 Strategic initiatives6.9 Silicon Labs6.9.1 Company overview6.9.2 Product benchmarking6.9.3 Strategic initiatives6.10 TE Connectivity6.10.1 Company overview6.10.2 Financial performance6.10.3 Product benchmarking6.10.4 Strategic initiativesWho we areRadiant Insights is a market research and consulting company offering syndicated research studies, customized reports, and consulting services. Our market research studies are designed to facilitate strategic decision making, on the basis of extensive and in-depth quantitative information, supported by extensive analysis and industry insights. Using a patented and robust research methodology.Custom research serviceSpeak to the report author to design an exclusive study to serve your research needs.Quality assuranceA testimonial for service excellence represented in the form of BBB "A" Accreditation.Information securityYour personal and confidential information is safe and secure.GET IN TOUCH28 2nd Street, Suite 3036, San Francisco, CA 94105, United StatesTel : 1-415-349-0054Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744Mail: sales@radiantinsights.com
Global Paper And Paperboard Market  Share, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017-2025

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-printing-paper-writing-paper-and-paperboard-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-printing-paper-writing-paper-and-paperboard-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-coated-papers-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/eu-labels-of-paper-or-paperboard-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/france-labels-of-paper-or-paperboard-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

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IndexBox has just published a new report "World: Printing Paper, Writing Paper And Paperboard - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025". (This report has been designed to provide an in-depth study of the global printing paper and paperboard market. It reveals the latest data sets of quantitative medium-term prospects, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices. The report also includes a comparative analysis of the largest consuming countries, revealing opportunities opened for producers and exporters across the globe. The forecast indicates market perspectives to 2025.Countries coverage: Worldwide - the report contains statistical data for 200 countries and includes detailed profiles of the 50 largest consuming countries (United States, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Italy, Russian Federation, India, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Mexico, Indonesia, Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Sweden, Nigeria, Poland, Belgium, Argentina, Norway, Austria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Denmark, South Africa, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Egypt, Philippines, Finland, Chile, Ireland, Pakistan, Greece, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Czech Republic, Qatar, Peru, Romania, Vietnam) + the largest producing countries.Product coverage: Printing and Writing PaperOther Paper and PaperboardData coverage:- Printing paper and paperboard market size and volume;- Printing paper and paperboard market trends and prospects;- Global printing paper and paperboard production and its dynamics;- Per capita consumption;- Breakdown of production by region and country;- Medium term outlook;- Printing paper and paperboard trade (exports/imports);- Prices for printing paper and paperboard;- Profiles of the main manufacturers.The report will help you:- Get a bigger picture of the market;- Rewire your business around market trends;- Devise your marketing strategy;- Operate with increased effectiveness.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20254. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. COUNTRY PROFILES8. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERSDownload a free sample of the report now!Browse Related Reports:World: Coated Papers - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025EU: Labels Of Paper Or Paperboard - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025France: Labels Of Paper Or Paperboard - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.With IndexBox, simply take the data from our Box and think outside it.06-23-2017 09:37 AM CET - Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & InsurancePrintGlobal Mdf Market  Share, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017-2025Press release from: IndexBoxIndexBox has just published a new report "World: Mdf - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025". (/store/world-mdf-market-report-analysis... )This report has been designed to provide a comprehensive study of the global mdf market. It exhibits actual data sets of quantitative medium-term prospects, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices. The report also includes a comparative analysis of the major consuming countries, revealing opportunities opened for producers and exporters across the globe. The outlook reveals market prospects to 2025.Countries coverage: Worldwide - the report contains statistical data for 200 countries and includes detailed profiles of the 50 largest consuming countries (United States, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Italy, Russian Federation, India, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Mexico, Indonesia, Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Sweden, Nigeria, Poland, Belgium, Argentina, Norway, Austria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Denmark, South Africa, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Egypt, Philippines, Finland, Chile, Ireland, Pakistan, Greece, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Czech Republic, Qatar, Peru, Romania, Vietnam) + the largest producing countries.Product coverage: MDFData coverage:- Mdf market size and volume;- Mdf market trends and prospects;- Global mdf production and its dynamics;- Per capita consumption;- Breakdown of production by region and country;- Medium term outlook;- Mdf trade (exports/imports);- Prices for mdf;- Profiles of the main manufacturers.The report will help you:- Get a bigger picture of the market;- Rewire your business around market trends;- Devise your marketing strategy;- Operate with increased effectiveness.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20254. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. COUNTRY PROFILES8. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERSDownload a free sample of the report now!www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-mdf-market-report-analysis...Browse Related Reports:World: Insulating Board - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-insulating-board-market-re...EU: Fiber Board Of Wood Or Other Ligneous Materials - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025www.indexbox.co.uk/store/eu-fiber-board-of-wood-or-other-...Germany: Fiber Board Of Wood Or Other Ligneous Materials - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025www.indexbox.co.uk/store/germany-fiber-board-of-wood-or-o...IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.With IndexBox, simply take the data from our Box and think outside it.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QWWebsite:
Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps Market to Value US$ 2,871.3 Mn by 2024

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/liquid-ring-vacuum-pumps-market.asp

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http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/liquid-ring-vacuum-pumps-market/toc

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According to Global Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps Market Industry Analysis and Forecast 2016-2024, the global liquid ring vacuum pumps market will reach US$ 2,871.3 Mn by the end of the forecast period.Global LRVP market will witness promising growth in the first half of the forecast period (5.5% CAGR), which will incur a slight dip post-2020, (4.9% CAGR). However, the overall CAGR of the market estimated for 2016-2024 is estimated at 5.2%. Research Analyst, Industrial Automation Domain, Persistence Market ResearchRegional analysis indicates that the US$ 535 Mn North American market will rule the roost with an estimated 6% CAGR over 2016-2024. Towards the close of 2024, this region is expected to attain revenues worth US$ 851.1 Mn. Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific are identified to be the next key markets for LRVP. North America, Europe, and APAC will collectively hold a whopping 75% share of the total market size in 2024.Browse Complete Report @In developing economies within Asia Pacific, leading LRVP manufacturers are tackling the competitive pricing issue in order to deliver customer-centric products. Moreover, China and India host a swelling number of small manufacturers specifically serving pharma and chemical process industries. These factors will play a vital role in pushing the sales of liquid ring vacuum pumps in near future within Asian markets. Reaching a value beyond US$ 504 Mn, APAC market is likely to expand at a moderate CAGR of 5.3% over 2016-2024.In terms of capacity, 500-1500 cfm segment will continue to lead with the maximum revenue sales, followed by < 500 cfm segment. However, < 500 cfm segment will possibly thrive fastest at a CAGR of 5.2%, followed by > 1500 cfm segment with an estimated 4.4% CAGR over 2016-2024.Considering material type, cast iron segment will continue dominance with over 60% value share, reaching a value of US$ 1,718.2 Mn in 2024. This segment will also demonstrate the fastest CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period. Stainless steel segment will also grow moderately at 5%, attaining a value worth US$ 876 Mn in 2024.A sample of this report is available upon request @Based on the end-use industry, oil and gas sector will retain dominance over others, with over US$ 931 Mn by the end of 2024 in terms of revenues. Chemical processing and general process industries will continue to maintain the second and third largest segments respectively. Among these, general process industries will display a higher CAGR of 5.8% over 2016-2024, bagging the revenues of over US$ 511 Mn. Paper and pulp, and power segments are expected to grow steadily throughout the assessment period.Request to view table of content @Dekker Vacuum Technologies Inc., Busch Vacuum Technics Inc., Flowserve Corporation, Tsurumi Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Atlas Copco Airpower N.V., Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems, and Graham Corp. are some of the key players that constitute the competitive landscape of the global liquid ring vacuum pumps marketplace. Persistence Market Researchs report includes in-depth profiling of key companies.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
True Fleet in Italy back in black with a positive May

www.dataforce.de

Italian Fleet numbers once again returned to plus, with a good month from all the market channels. Total market finished very close to 212,000 registrations with a 10.3% growth over last May and the year-to-date figures breached the 1,000,000 mark. True Fleets month-on-month was positive to the tune of a + 4.7% and the Private market bounced back well from last month just beating True Fleet growth numbers with a + 7.9%.The True Fleet manufacturers Top 10 welcomed two new entries for May, both from the Asian market with all except two of the ten brands registering positive growth figures. The first of the new entries came from Nissan which produced a + 47.5% expansion moving it from 12th in 8th place with rock solid volume hike from the Qashqai and the Micra. The second new entry was from Toyota, registering a + 60.9% in the growth stakes jumping four places into 10th. This was propelled by the Yaris, Aygo and C HRs 3-digit volume improvement over last Mays figures. Outside of the Top 10 a sterling month from Alfa Romeo saw them hit a 124.4% growth rate, the only manufacturer inside the Top 20 to see a 3-digit jump. The Stelvio leads this charge and it seems that the SUV is really starting to find its stride, while the Giulia also did well registering just 21 units shy of its SUV big brother.Looking into the vehicle segments for True Fleet we decided to focus on the small vehicle segment. The segment achieved the highest growth for a segment of + 21.9% for the month of May. And while it cannot also be said to be the YTD highest segment growth (Utilities is #1 with 31.4%) small vehicle YTD growth figures are coincidently + 21.9% also. The segments Top 10 manufacturers shared the spoils with 92% of the monthly volume but it is one manufacturer that seems to stand out and its Citroen. With a monthly growth of 467.2% this brands single entry the C3 is really motoring, its YTD growth of 132.4% is only beaten by the Fiat Punto on 165.4% from inside the Top 10 models. Notably mentions for the monthly growth stats should also go to the Toyota Yaris with 110.2% and Nissan Micra with 177.7%. However the Ford KA+ generated something special in May, it managed more than 3 times its volume, just in May, than it registered in the previous 7 months combined.DATAFORCE  Focus on FleetsDataforce is the leading provider of fleet market data and automotive intelligence solutions in Europe. In addition, the company also provides detailed information on sales opportunities for the automotive industry, together with a wide portfolio of information based on primary market research and consulting services. The company is based in Frankfurt, Germany.Contact: Richard WorrowDataforce Verlagsgesellschaft fur Business Informationen mbHHamburger Allee 1460486 Frankfurt am MainGermanyPhone: +49 69 95930-231Fax: +49 69 95930-333Email: richard.worrow@dataforce.de
Industrial Dryers Market to Value US$ 3,415 Mn by 2024

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/industrial-dryers-market.asp

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/industrial-dryers-market/toc

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12259

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

While industrial drying equipment greatly enhances both product value and quality, constraints such as high cost of operation and its severe environmental limitations pertaining to excessive smoke emission may slow down the surging spirit of the market during the forecast period. Moreover, a considerable amount of post processing is involved to minimize the thick discharge of fumes from dryers that entails additional dispensation cost.Robust demand for industrial dryers in the food and pharmaceutical industry is expected to influence the overall growth of industrial dryers market in the near future. In order to maintain a superior product quality and functional value, end user industries such as food and pharmaceutical heavily depend on high performance dryer systems. In addition, stiffer government guidelines for manufacturing processes coupled with increasing concerns over sustainable industrial expansion has compelled these industries to intensify production operations. A study conducted by Persistence Market Research (PMR) reveals that the demand for new industrial dryers will reach at 3,049 units globally by 2024.Browse Complete Report @Owing to the arrival of advanced drying technology, the application base for industrial dryers has expanded rapidly in recent years. The industrial dryer is a manufacturing equipment in chemical, fertilizer and mineral processing industries. Dryer manufacturers are developing industry specific dryer systems depending on the processing requirement.PMRs study further sheds light on the technological aspect of industrial dryer systems, major players in the global market for industrial dryer are actively focusing on making higher investments in R&D pipelines. In the recent past, demand for energy efficient dryers has gained traction, as a result of which manufacturers have shifted their concentration towards developing cost-effective and low-energy consuming dryers. Further, growing preference for superheated steam dryers that offer 70-80% energy recovery and have lower operating cost is a key trend governing the global market for industrial dryers.On the basis of product type, spray dryers is expected to be the predominant segment of the market during the projected period, followed by continuous dryer type. The spray dryer segment is expected to account for 26% share of the market over 2024.Industrial dryers work on two basic principles, direct or indirect, amongst which dryers working of indirect principles are expected to witness a relatively higher demand during 2016  2024. Demand for dryers working on indirect principle is anticipated to remain strong in the near future.Amongst various end user industries chemical, food, and pharmaceutical collectively is expected to account for the majority share of the market both in value and volume terms. In addition, demand for industrial dryer particularly from the chemical industry in expected to remain high throughout the forecast period.Request to view table of content @Based on region prospect, the market in Asia Pacific is projected to remain dominant over the next couple of years. The region is expected to witness a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. In North America, sales revenue for industrial dryers is expected to grow to US$ 1045.6 Million, expanding at a CAGR of 3.8%. Moreover, key players operating in the global market are implementing market strategies that involve acquisitions and mergers, expansion of facilities and launch of newer products, especially in APAC and North America in order to strengthen their presence in these two regions.A sample of this report is available upon request @Spooner Industries Ltd, Metso Corporation, ANDRITZ AG, Carrier Vibrating Equipment, Inc., Separation Group, Ventilex Inc., ThyssenKrupp AG, Buhler AG, GEA Group, and HEINKEL Drying are some of the key participants operating in the Global market for Industrial Dryer.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Spokes Digital Launches New Digital Intelligence Platform, TrinityX

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http://www.spokesdigital.us/

San Francisco, CA--(June 22, 2017) Spokes Digital, a digital transformation company, launched its AI-based digital intelligence platform on June 21st at The Sequoia in San Francisco. The TrinityX platform helps clients define their digital maturity, maps them against industry benchmarks and builds a digital roadmap to success.TrinityX uses 6 layers of digital analysis which are broken into 51 categories and 303 subcategories with a total of 2,324 classifiers for a holistic assessment. We designed this platform to help millions of business owners and digital leaders throughout the USA, to monetize their digital presence. This is the first of several new digital transformation platforms being developed by Spokes Digital."Value-based media buying and digital roadmap planning are creating incredible challenges and opportunities for all stakeholders across the digital business ecosystem. Clients in absence of the right digital knowledge, tools, and roadmap make a multitude of seemingly minor decisions every day that have a major impact on their digital business performance," said Jeff Diamond, President and co-founder of Spokes Digital. "By combining scientifically proven benchmarking frameworks and past campaign behavioral analysis with applications and data science, TrinityX creates a digital roadmap that gives clients the tools and data to plan & manage their digital strategy.Spokes Digital is built on helping businesses grow in the digital age. We function as a strategic partner to our clients, helping them get ahead of the competition. We solve problems, make brilliant digital products, and improve effectiveness on platforms. As a trusted partner we guide organizations as they seek to redefine and reinvent themselves through digital transformation.With a combined experience of over 20 years we are a consolidation of two digital agencies, Spokes Labs, specializing in performance marketing and Return On Web (ROW) an award winning top-20 digital transformation & technology solutions company. With over 70 employees and spanning offices in San Francisco and Pune, India, we are dedicated to transforming the future of business.Varun PatelCEO and Co-founderPh: (415) 508-3544Email: innovate@spokesdigital.usWebsite:Media Contact:Company Name: Spokes DigitalContact Person: Jeff DiamondEmail: Send EmailPhone: (415) 508-3544Address:10 Arkansas St.City: San FranciscoState: CaliforniaCountry: United StatesWebsite:
Britain's Prince Harry, the grandson of British monarch Queen Elizabeth has revealed that no one in the royal family really wants to be king or queen, although they will do their duty.

Britain's Prince Harry attends a promotional event for the 2018 Invictus Games at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, June 7, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

The 32-year old told Newsweek magazine that he believes the monarchy is a force for good and wants to continue the good work the queen has carried out during her reign.

"We are involved in modernizing the British monarchy. We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people," he said, "Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time."

Harry is fifth in line to the throne, after his father Prince Charles, his older brother Prince William and his niece and nephew, Princess Charlotte and Prince George.

He insists that the "magic" of the monarchy is important although he claims to try to live as ordinary a life as possible.

"My mother took a huge part in showing me an ordinary life, including taking me and my brother to see homeless people. Thank goodness I'm not completely cut off from reality," he said.

"People would be amazed by the ordinary life William and I live. I do my own shopping. Sometimes, when I come away from the meat counter in my local supermarket, I worry someone will snap me with their phone. But I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too. Even if I was king, I would do my own shopping."

Prince Harry clearly resents the way his grief at the loss of his mother in 1997, when he was 12, was served up for public consumption. "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television," he said, "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."

The death of his mother caused Harry psychological problems which he addressed with professional help. "My mother died when I was very young. I didn't want to be in the position I was in, but I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good. I am now fired up and energized and love charity stuff, meeting people and making them laugh," he said.

"I sometimes still feel I am living in a goldfish bowl, but I now manage it better. I still have a naughty streak too, which I enjoy and is how I relate to those individuals who have got themselves into trouble."

Prince Harry is currently in a relationship with US actress Meghan Markle who he has tried to protect from media intrusion.
Dental Wound Dressings Market Research Report | Forecast up to 2024

Dental Wound Dressings Market

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/dental-wound-dressings-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=20549

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Surgery in oral cavity can cause trauma to surrounding tissues and can create a wound which requires a long time to heal. Bleeding is one of the expected consequences of surgery. Bleeding after the extraction of a tooth or a dent alveolar surgery can be usually self-limiting. Some of the surgical materials are anticoagulants and are useful in achieving hemostasis when controlling the bleeding is not possible. Mainly primary closure of the wound is more used than secondary healing. However, primary closure is not feasible every time a surgery is done. Oral tissues such as the attached gingivae and mucosa of hard palate are tightly bound to the underlying bone and it cannot be easily mobilized for providing primary closure. In case of surgery of lower wisdom tooth, if there is increased swelling and postoperative pain, mucoperiosteal flap primary closure is preferred over secondary healing and flap repositioning. Hence, dressing material is being advocated and used for wounds in the mouth to reduce postoperative pain, prevent any type of infection, and promote healing. Dental wound dressing can have detrimental effects on oral tissues. Nerve damage, toxicity, and local tissue reactions are reported with dental wound dressings. It is therefore necessary to know about the constituents of dental wound dressing materials along with their uses and potential adverse reactions. Dental wound dressing performs three major functions: helps in protecting wounds, prevents infection, and maintains optimal moisture.Based on type of dressing, the dental wound dressings market can be segmented into oxidized regenerated cellulose, whiteheads varnish, carnoys solution, bismuth iodoform paraffin paste, zinc oxide-based dressings, alvogyl, and collagen. Oxidized regenerated cellulose is primarily used as a hemostatic agent, which works by chemically interacting with the blood. Whitehead varnish contains ether, iodoform, and turpentine which together make varnish antiseptic. Carnoys solution used as tanning agent is prepared from ferric sulfate, acetic acid, and chloroform. Bismuth iodoform paraffin paste is a combination of iodoform and bismuth along with paraffin. Zinc oxide is combined with different materials forming a cement or paste, which is then used to cover the extraction socket or gingival tissue. Alvogyl used for treatment of alveolar osteitis contains iodoform, butamben, and eugenol as active ingredients.View Report-Increasing demand for pain free dental treatment by patients is one of the major drivers of the dental wound dressings market. Another factor driving the market is the increasing number of dental surgeries due to unhealthy eating habits such as confectionaries and junk food. Less care given to teeth and their hygiene due to the busy lifestyle in cities is another factor driving the market. However, high cost of dental surgeries is a major restraint of the market. More advanced and chemical free dental wound healing material that removes discomfort of the patients provides significant opportunity in the market.Geographically, the dental wound dressings market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America accounts for the largest share of the dental wound dressings market owing to rise in unhealthy eating which causes damage to teeth. Europe is the second largest market for dental wound dressings due to the aging population who suffer from dental problems. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market due to the increasing adoption of western junk food eating habits which makes people in the region susceptible to various dental problems.Key players in the dental wound dressings market include Sabra Dental, Collagen Matrix, Cologenesis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Novabone, and Kerr Dental.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.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Dental Wound Dressings 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:
Fire Protection Systems Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share 2023 | Research Report

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This research study analyzes the market for fire protection systems in terms of revenue (US$ Mn). The fire protection systems market has been segmented on the basis of oil & gas operational sectors and regions. In terms of region, the market has been further divided into five segments. For the research, 2014 has been taken as the base year, while all forecasts have been given for the period from 2015 to 2023. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional level from 2014 to 2023. The report provides a broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the fire protection systems business.This 277 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Fire Protection Systems Market. Browse through to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market @The report also includes the key market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the Global Fire Protection Systems (for Oil and Gas) market. These market dynamics were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis of the Global Fire Protection Systems (for Oil and Gas) market with the help of Porters Five Forces model. This analysis helps in understanding the five major forces that affect the market structure and market profitability. The forces analyzed are bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and degree of competition.The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the fire protection systems business globally. There are currently numerous drivers of the market. One of the most prominent drivers is the stringent safety regulations by government institutions for the installation of fire protection systems. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the fire protection systems market on the basis of regions. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the market in different regions.The fire protection systems market was segmented on the basis of oil & gas operational sectors (upstream, midstream, and downstream). These operational sectors are further divided into onshore and offshore applications for fire protection systems. The onshore upstream operational sector comprises onshore drilling rigs, whereas offshore upstream operational sector includes offshore platforms, drill ships, and offshore oil rigs.The onshore midstream operational sector includes accommodation areas and pipelines, while offshore midstream operational sector includes FPSO, LNG carriers, and offshore support and supply vessels. The downstream operational sector has been sub-segmented into four applications: production vessels, production platforms, refineries, and petrochemicals. The fire protection systems market was analyzed across five geographies: North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, and South and Central America. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the fire protection systems market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Fire Protection Systems Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @Key players in the fire protection systems market include 3M, Blaze Manufacturing Solutions Ltd., Consilium AB Publ., Danfoss Semco A/S, Deluge Offshore & Marine Pte Ltd., Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Emerson Electric Co. (Net Safety Monitoring Inc., Spectrex Inc.), Fike Corporation, Fire Protection Engineering A/S, Gielle Srl, Honeywell International, Inc., Johnson Controls plc, KEVTA Fire Systems, Inc., Knowsley SK Limited, Minimax GmbH & Co. KG, MSA Safety Incorporated, Orcus Fire & Risk, Inc., Semco Maritime A/S, Siemens AG, SK Fire Safety Group B.V., Trelleborg AB, Tyco International Ltd. (Oldham SAS, Water Mist Engineering AS), Ultra Fog AB, Unisafe Fire Protection Specialists LLC, United Technologies Corporation (Autronica Fire & Security A/S, Detector Electronics Corporation (Det-Tronics), Marioff Corporation Oy), and Wilhelmsen Ships Service. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Psoriasis Treatment Market: Industry Survey and Outlook 2024

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Global Psoriasis Treatment Market: SnapshotThe alarming rise in the number of psoriasis patients is having the most prominent impact on the global market for psoriasis treatment. With the increasing FDA approval for novel drugs and therapies for psoriasis treatment, the market is likely to surge remarkably over the next few years. Apart from this, the presence of a strong product pipeline and the growing awareness regarding psoriasis and its treatment among people in emerging economies are also projected to propel this market in the near future.View Report @According to Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global market for psoriasis treatment offered an opportunity worth US$7.8 bn in 2015. Researchers estimate this market to rise at a CAGR of 5.10% between 2016 and 2024 and reach US$12.1 bn by 2024.TNF Inhibitors Report Higher DemandTNF Inhibitors, interleukin blockers, and vitamin D analogues or combination have emerged as the key products available in the worldwide market for psoriasis treatment. Driven by superior efficiency and safety, TNF inhibitors are reporting a higher demand than other products in this market. By 2024, the segment is expected to remain on top with an estimated share of more than 47% in the overall market. However, the introduction of biosimilars may limit this demand to some extent in the years to come.Interleukin blockers, on the flip side, is projected to present a lucrative growth opportunity to market players over the coming years due to their augmenting usage and their ability to act selectively by targeting the proteins.Increasing Pool of Psoriasis Patients to Ensure North Americas DominanceOn the basis of geography, Latin America, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific are considered as the prime regional market for psoriasis treatment. North America has surfaced as the key contributor to this market and is likely to retain this position in the near future. The remarkable rise in the patient pool suffering from psoriasis is projected to boost this regional market over the coming years. The presence of well-established drugmakers is also expected to have positive influence on the North America market for psoriasis treatment in the years to come.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Psoriasis Treatment Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Europe, although currently having a strong position in the overall market, is likely to experience a decline in the demand psoriasis treatment, following an intense competition from biosimilars over the next few years. Latin America and Asia Pacific, on the other hand, are anticipated to witness a significant rise in their respective markets over the next few years. The increasing awareness regarding psoriasis and its treatment among people in emerging economies, such as China and India, through various government and NGO campaigns is projected to stimulate the Asia Pacific market for psoriasis treatment considerably in the near future.Biogen, LEO Pharma A/S, AbbVie Inc., AstraZeneca, Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. Inc., Novartis AG, Eli Lilly & Co., and Amgen Inc. are some of the prominent players in the global market for psoriasis treatment.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Medical Nonwoven Disposables Market Research Study For Forecast 2024

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Global Medical Nonwoven Disposables Market: SnapshotThe technological advancement in healthcare and increasing demand for advancement in the wound dressing technique are driving the growth of the global medical nonwoven disposable market. The rising government initiatives for manufacturing nonwoven medical fabric is also anticipated to be a crucial factor in determining the progress of the overall market. The report states that the global medical nonwoven disposables market will be worth US$18.4 bn by the end of 2024 as compared to US$12.9 bn in 2015. Between the forecast years of the period of 2016 and 2024, the global market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4%. The monumental demand for polyethylene due to its low cost is yet another key factor assessed to be responsible for the strengthening of the global medical nonwoven disposables market.View Report @Surgical Products to Remain in High Demand as their Quality ImprovesThe global medical nonwoven disposable market is segmented according to the type of products, materials used, end users and geography. According to the type of product, the market is segmented into surgical products, wound dressing, and incontinence products. Further, the surgical products are further segmented into drapes, gowns, caps, masks and others. Technological advancement in the healthcare is a major factor driving the growth of the surgical products. In surgical products, drapes are the widely used products and followed by gowns. The gowns caps and masks are expected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period. The wound dressing segment, which is further segmented into bandages, tapes, post  operative wound dressing, operative wound dressing, and dressing pad. The wound dressing segment is driven by post-operative wound dressing products. On the other hand, demand for incontinence products will remain high ambulatory surgical centers and diagnostic centers.Increasing Mergers and Acquisitions Put North America in the LeadIn terms of geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa. North America dominates the medical nonwoven disposables market and is expected to continue to dominate during the forecast period. Increasing number of mergers and acquisitions and technological advancement are major factors contributing to the growth of the medical nonwoven disposables in North America. Europe follows the lead due to the increasing adoption of the usage of medical nonwoven disposables.Asia Pacific is expected to project a significant growth during the forecast period especially due to increasing awareness in countries like China, India, and Japan. Increasing government expenditure in healthcare is an important factor contributing to the growth of medical nonwoven disposables market in Asia Pacific. International trade development and improving economic condition across countries of Latin America are major factors responsible for the growth of medical nonwoven disposables market in this region. The Middle East and Africa is expected to project a significant growth due to increasing government initiatives and rising awareness regarding the use of medical nonwoven disposables in this region.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Medical Nonwoven Disposables Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The important players shaping the growth of the global medical nonwoven disposables market are Kimberly-Clark Corporation Medline Industries, Inc., Paul Hartmann AG, Molnlycke Health Care, Ahlstrom Corporation, Asahi Kasei Corporation, Medtronic, Inc., Svenska Cellulosa, Freudenberg & Co. KG, Aktiebolaget SCA, and Domtar Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Operating Room Equipment Market Future Trends and Scope Analysis By 2023

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Global Operating Room Equipment Market: SnapshotConsidering the number and range of surgical procedures being conducted on a daily basis around the world, most operating rooms today are equipped with technologically advanced equipment and functions that can ensure better handling by surgeons and other staff, more flexibility, greater operational efficiency, and better results. The operating room equipment market has been witnessing steady growth over the years as surgeries become more complex.View Report @A recent trend observed in this market is the creation of hybrid operating rooms, wherein surgical as well as non-surgical functions are being carried out. Some key nonsurgical functions include radiology, diagnostics, and patient monitoring.With a highly fragmented vendor landscape, the operating room equipment market is characterized by the presence of a number of leading companies. Most of them are focused on innovation, pushing the market to expand at a strong 6.68% CAGR during the forecast period. The value of the operating room equipment market is poised to reach US$42 bn by 2023.Complex Surgeries Warrant Need for Operating Tables with Varied Functions and FeaturesMovable imaging systems hold a strong position in the operating room equipment market, in terms of revenue. The segment is poised for rapid growth through 2023 owing to increased funding by government bodies, especially in North America, for the promotion of movable imaging systems. There are several ongoing efforts at regional scales as well, to modernize and upgrade hospitals supported by state or local organizations. This is likely to positively impact the sales and adoption of movable imaging systems.Operating room integration systems are also slated to register impressive growth over the course of the forecast period thanks to increased demand for improved connectivity between medical devices and the hospitals they are being used in and the rising development of smart infrastructure at medical facilities.Operating tables also form a key segment of the global operating room equipment market, thanks to the constant evolution of surgical procedures around the world. As surgeries become more and more complex, the need for technologically advanced, varied, and ergonomically designed operating tables has emerged.Medical Tourism Boosts Opportunities in APAC and LATAMBased on geography, the operating room equipment market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. North America and Europe are two of the largest markets for operating room equipment, considering the greater affordability of countries in these regions to purchase and install advanced medical devices. The scope of revenue generation has been consistently expanding in Europe and North America, with companies focusing on product innovation and improvement. There is also a strong demand for constant upgradation of operating room equipment, giving these two regional markets a significant boost.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Operating Room Equipment Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Asia Pacific and Latin America are highly lucrative markets for operating room equipment, driven primarily by improving healthcare infrastructure and greater population density. An increasing number of companies are finding countries in these two regions to be rather sustainable for the long run, enabling the regional markets to exhibit an optimistic outlook. Medical tourism has played a very important role in the Latin America and Asia Pacific operating room equipment markets, with an increasing presence of large global players in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia.Steris Corporation, Philips Healthcare, Stryker Corporation, KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, Olympus Corporation, GE Healthcare, Skytron, LLC, TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG., Maquet Holding B.V. & Co. KG (Getinge AB), Siemens Healthcare, Mizuho OSI, and Allen Medical (Hill ROM) are some of the top companies operating in the operating room equipment market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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:
Pain Management Therapeutics Market: Current trends and future opportunities by 2024

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As the world population finds itself on the brink of a chronic pain epidemic, the need to address chronic pain as a public health problem by public health practitioners and scholars is gaining strength. Analysts suggest that nearly 20% of the worlds population presently suffers from chronic pain. Factors such as rising prevalence of chronic diseases, increased number of surgeries, rising geriatric population, and changing lifestyles continue to add nearly 10% new patients to these numbers every passing year.View Report @These factors have triggered the favorable expansion of the global pain management therapeutics market in the past few years and will continue to drive the market at a healthy pace in the next few years. Transparency Market Research suggests that the market will exhibit a 3.7% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. The market, which had a valuation of US$60.2 bn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$83.0 bn by 2024.Cancer Pain Medications Lead Market, but Demand for Back pain to See Most Promising GrowthThe WHO states that the number of new cancer cases registered across the globe was nearly 14 mn. Also, over the next two decades, the number of new cancer cases is expected to rise by nearly 70% worldwide. The enormous rise in cancer cases in the past few years naturally makes the disease one of the chief drivers of the market and also the key stimulators for the markets future growth prospects. Transparency Market Research analysts state that the cancer pain management segment accounted for a dominant share of over 28% in the global pain management therapeutics markets overall revenues in 2015.The segment held the largest share in the revenues of the pain management therapeutics across key regional markets, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the countries in the Rest of the World. Cancer pain management will continue to account for the largest share in the global pain therapeutics market over the period between 2016 and 2024. However, the segment of back pain management will generate the most promising growth opportunities for the market over the said period. Factors enabling the lucrative growth of the market in the back pain indication will be hectic lifestyles and rising geriatric population across the globe.North America and Europe Emerges as Key Demand Drivers for Pain Management TherapeuticsFrom a geographical standpoint, the global pain management therapeutics market is dominated by North America and Europe (56% and 26%, respectively, of the global market). These two regional markets collectively accounted for a share of over 80%, with Asia Pacific, the third largest contributor, holding only about 13% of the global market in 2015.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Pain Management Therapeutics Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Well-established healthcare infrastructures and high consumption of advanced pain management drugs are the chief factors enabling the excellent growth of the markets in these regions. The U.S. held about 96% share of the North America market, positioning the country at a highly commanding position in the global market.Asia Pacific to Surge Ahead as Key Contributor to Markets GrowthOver the forecast period, however, the market for pain management therapeutics is expected to witness emergence of the most promising growth opportunities in the Asia Pacific region. The market is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 4% over the period between 2016 and 2024. Strengthening economies and rising investments in the healthcare industry, especially in countries such as India and China, are expected to drive the Asia Pacific market. Launch and approval of new therapeutic drugs and rising affordability of the population, coupled with the rising awareness regarding the necessity of treating chronic pain will also drive growth of the market in Asia Pacific.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Biomedical Refrigerators and Freezers Market Size 20176 Industry Trend and Forecast 2024

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The rising prevalence of a number of chronic and infectious diseases, increasing global demand for personalized drugs, and the promising pace of technological developments across healthcare infrastructures in emerging economies are cumulatively driving the increased adoption of biomedical refrigerators and freezers globally. The steady rise in the number of blood banks in developing and developed regions combined with government initiatives aimed at raising awareness about blood donation have also favored the sustainable growth of the market in the past few years.View Report @In the years to come, stringent emission regulation norms and rising awareness about the harms of greenhouse gases emitted from conventional refrigeration systems to the environment will compel product manufacturers to design greener products. Companies are surely coming to terms with the several changes aimed at fortifying this switchover, such as worldwide bans on refrigerants such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). As a result, more green refrigerators and freezers will enter the biomedical industry in the next few years.Transparency Market Research forecasts that the global biomedical refrigerators and freezers market will expand at a healthy CAGR of 4.2% over the period between 2016 and 2024. The market, which held an opportunity of US$2.91 bn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$4.28 bn by 2024.Plasma Freezers to Retain Dominant Stance in Global MarketOf the key varieties of refrigerators and freezers used in the biomedical industry, including plasma freezers, shock freezers, ultra-low temperature freezers, blood bank refrigerators, and laboratory/pharmacy refrigerators and freezers, the segment of plasma freezers presently dominates the market. The segment accounted for a share of nearly 29% in the market in 2015. The vast rise in demand for fresh frozen plasma and rising number of apheresis procedures across the globe will likely aid the segment continue dominating the market across the forecasting horizon as well.The rising global demand for blood transfusion and a vast rise in the number of technologically advanced blood banks across the globe has also resulted in the heightened demand for plasma freezers globally. In terms of rate of expansion, however, the segment of laboratory/pharmacy/medical freezers will outpace the segment of plasma freezers through 2024. The segment of laboratory/pharmacy/medical freezers will exhibit a 5.49% CAGR from 2016 to 2024.Asia Pacific to Present Most Promising Growth Opportunities; North America to Remain Key ContributorRising geriatric population, rising investments towards technological advancements in healthcare infrastructure, and the flourishing medical tourism industry will collectively lead to vast growth opportunities for the global biomedical refrigerators and freezers market in in Asia Pacific in the next few years. The market will expand at the fastest CAGR of 5.84% among other key regional markets through 2024. The region is expected to hold an 18% share in the global market by 2024.However, North America will continue to hold the largest share in the market and witness only a slight drop in its share in the global market by 2024. North America presently leads the market, accounting for a 52% share in markets overall valuation in 2015.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Biomedical Refrigerators and Freezers Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The region holds a dominant position in the global market on account of the highly developed healthcare infrastructures, the presence of a large number of worlds leading biomedical companies, and the vast life sciences research activities undertaken every year. The introduction and high rate of adoption of technologically advanced products such as RFID-enabled equipment, multiple compressor equipment also favor the overall growth of the biomedical refrigerators and freezers market in North America.Vendors Need to Focus on Development of Economic ProductsThe market features intense competition, which has further soared owing to the introduction of technologically advanced and innovative products at a sustained pace in the market. High R&D investments have compelled international companies to increase costs of products, somewhat limiting their appeal to only to the developed regions. This factor has worked well in favor of regional players, especially the ones operating in developing cost-sensitive economies such as Latin America and Asia Pacific.Some of the leading vendors in the market are Haier Biomedical, Eppendorf AG, Aegis Scientific, Inc., Leibherr Group, Terumo Corporation, Philipp Kirsch GmbH, Panasonic Healthcare Co., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., and Helmer Scientific.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Corporate Wellness Market Size 2017 Industry Trend and Forecast 2024

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Corporate Wellness Market: SnapshotThe corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific is predominantly driven by the increasing prevalence of obesity, the growing number of smokers, and the rising awareness levels among employers about corporate wellness. The number of key players entering the market is increasing consistently owing to the high demand for corporate wellness services in multinational companies and mid-sized firms. The market in the region was valued at US$3.4 bn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$7.4 bn by the end of 2024. If these values hold true, the corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to register a strong CAGR of 9.0% during the forecast period.View Report @Immense Scope for Growth offered by Smoking Cessation ProgramsVarious services are available under corporate wellness programs, such as health risk assessment (HRA), fitness, smoking cessation, health screening, weight management, nutrition, and others, including stress management, diabetes management, and vaccination.The fitness segment took the lead in the corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific in 2015 owing to the rising incidence of chronic diseases, increasing medical cost related to obesity, and the growing awareness about health and fitness among the population of various countries.On the other hand, the smoking cessation segment is projected to expand at an impressive CAGR during the forecast period. An estimated 5.8 trillion cigarettes were consumed globally in 2014 and the consumption is still on the rise. China ranks first in the top ten countries in terms of cigarette consumption. This list also includes other countries in Asia Pacific such as Indonesia, Japan, India, and South Korea.Strong Government Support Contributing to Japans Corporate Wellness MarketChina led the corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific in 2015 and the market in the country is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2016 to 2024 owing to the increased development and high adoption of wellness programs. Changing lifestyles, an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases, rapid economic development, and large-scale urbanization are some of the other factors responsible for the growth of the corporate wellness market in China. A large number of public and private players have been providing corporate wellness services in China.Japan is also a prominent market for corporate wellness in Asia Pacific and is likely to remain a key contributor to the APAC market primarily due to the amendments in Japans Industrial Safety and Health Act in December 2015. According to the law, health checkups are mandatory for workers and employees. This is likely to drive the corporate wellness market in Japan during the forecast period. Moreover, sufficient government support to address the issue of employee health in a clear and effective manner has created a demand for corporate wellness programs in the country.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Corporate Wellness Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Another lucrative market for corporate wellness in Asia Pacific is India. The rising number of corporate enterprises in the country is significant to the growth of the corporate wellness market. The willingness among corporate organizations to conduct wellness programs, the growing awareness among individuals about health and well-being, and the increasing incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart attacks are expected to accelerate the growth of the corporate wellness market in India.Key players operating in the corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific include Central Corporate Wellness, ComPsych Corporation, Optum, Inc., JLT Australia (Recovre Group), Truworth Wellness, SOL Wellness, Sodexo, ConneXions Asia, and Bupa Wellness Pty Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Single-use Bioprocessing Systems Market studies Research Report 2024

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Global Single-use Bioprocessing Systems Market: SnapshotThe world single-use bioprocessing systems market is analyzed to experience an apparent change in adoption patterns on the part of biopharmaceutical firms and biotechnology startups. This shift is primarily steered in the direction of single-use technologies. Over the recent years, there has been an upscale growth observed in the world market, not just on account of the acceptance of single-use technologies. The biopharmaceutical sector is advancing toward maturation at a swift rate. In this regard, novel treatment solutions are being cumulatively concentrated upon by a majority of organizations. Such treatment solutions are esteemed to have a contracted pipeline for development and come across unprecedented compared to those of other competitors in the market.As per the profound analysis performed by the expert researchers at Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global single-use bioprocessing systems market is prognosticated to leapfrog at a decent CAGR of 11.1% between 2016 and 2024. The global market had raked in an impressive US$2.3 bn in 2015 and is expected to keep coining it while maintaining the same pace to reach US$5.9 bn by the concluding year of the forecast period.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Single-use Bioprocessing Systems Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Monoclonal Antibody Production Towers over Other Applications with Topping ShareThe worldwide single-use bioprocessing systems market finds application in a variety of biotechnology segments such as patient specific cell therapies, plant cell cultivation, vaccine production, and monoclonal antibody production. Amongst these, for the forecast period, the monoclonal antibody production segment is anticipated to secure a whopping 66.0% share in the worldwide market at a significant CAGR. The success of this market is stemmed from the important support by the U.S. and Europe governments which gave the green signal in 2015 for 10 antibody therapeutics. The latest consents given by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) for monoclonal antibodies have offered a strong boost to the monoclonal antibody production segment. Much of the demand is also attributed to the clinical trial phases accommodating a robust increase in the count of monoclonal antibodies.Bioprocessing bags are one product which have gained immense impetus in the global single-use bioprocessing technologies market. This could be on account of their extensive usage across a gamut of applications such as transfer, storage, mixing, and filtration during the production of drug molecules, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. Besides different downstream and upstream functions, bioprocessing bags can be customized as per the requirements of end users.With a swelling awareness about the advantages of single-use bioprocessing technologies, the pharmaceuticals market is envisioned to take grip of a colossal share in terms of end user.Europe and North America Lead Global Market Shoulder to ShoulderThere has been a pilot adoption of single-use bioprocessing technologies by specialized multiproduct biopharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, not to forget contract research organizations (CROs) and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), in Europe and North America. As a result, both the regions had shared their dominance in the global single-use bioprocessing technologies market in 2015 and are predicted to continue with it until 2024. The clustered developments and innovations in bioscience and avant-garde biologics research and development in these geographies could raise the bar of revenue growth. Besides this, most giant vendors in the field have headquartered their companies in Europe and North America, which is undoubtedly prophesied to welcome higher shares in these regions.The elevated unmet need of the developing countries in Asia Pacific regarding revolutionary vaccines and therapies for cancer could offer lucrative hopes for the region in the single-use bioprocessing technologies market. The Asia Pacific market is not only poised on the back of its disease-burdened population but also the resourceful contract research services furnished to China and India by various pharmaceutical organizations.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM) Market: Current trends and future opportunities by 2024

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Global Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM) Market: OverviewScanning probe microscopes include imaging technologies that measure surface of small molecules, atoms and fine scales. This technique uses interaction of sharp, electrically charged probe with the surface of samples at particular points. This electrically charged probe is used to interact with sample that helps researchers to understand the properties of sample specimen. In addition, scanning probe microscope scan sample surface with sharp probe in order to observe three dimensional images at high magnification rate. Scanning probe technology is widely used for the study of macro-molecules and biological specimens. Additionally, scanning probe microscopy technique is used for the measurement of wide variety of inorganic (e.g. to measure surface chemistry of the molecules), synthetic (e.g. identify surface of polymers) and biological materials (like polymers and polymer matrix). In addition, scanning probe microscope technology can also be used for manipulation and observation of environmental non-conductive specimen.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:Global Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM) Market: Trends and ProspectsThe market of scanning probe microscopes is witnessing positive growth owing to development of advanced technologies in this field coupled with wide application areas of scanning probe microscopy in science, environmental and engineering field. For example, RHK Technology, Inc. offers innovative and well engineered RHK UHV Scanning Probe Microscopes. This microscope provides variety of applications in science and environmental field. In addition, Danish Micro Engineering A/S offers ProberStation 150 scanning probe microscope. This microscope offers accurate sampling and flexibility for customer specific modifications by combining with other types of analytical heads. Thus, these types of offering will help key manufacturers to attract more number of customers hence drives the market growth. In addition, various advantages of scanning probe microscope as compared to conventional optical microscopes will further drive the market growth. For example, scanning probe micros offers highest possible magnification i.e. more than 800 to 1000 times greater than conventional microscopes. Thus, this advantage will offer proper analysis of sample specimen hence drives the market growth of scanning probe microscopes. Moreover, these types of advanced microscopy is rapidly growing in developing countries like North America and Europe due to their innovative features and novel applications in variety of disciplines that will further boost the overall market of scanning probe microscope. However, high cost of these types of microscopes will restrain the market growth.The market of scanning probe microscopes can be segmented on the basis of:By TechnologiesAtomic Force Microscopy (AFM)Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM)OthersGlobal Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM) Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, North America is the largest market of scanning probe microscopes due to the launch of novel and innovative products by domiciled key manufacturer coupled with increasing uptake of these technologies by consumers. Europe is considered as the second largest market of scanning probe microscopes. The growth of this market is attributed to the presence of large number of companies like NanoTechnology GmbH, Danish Micro Engineering A/S and others. This factor would help European market to grow consistently in future and hence stimulate the market growth. Additionally, Asia-Pacific region in emerging markets for scanning probe microscopes because of increasing awareness about scanning probe microscopy technology among customers.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Global Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM) Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Global Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM) Market: Companies Mentioned in the ReportVarious key players contributing to the global scanning probe microscopes market comprises Danish Micro Engineering A/S (DME), Klocke Nanotechnik, Agilent Technologies, Omicron NanoTechnology GmbH, Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation, RHK Technology, Inc., Bruker Nano, Danish Micro Engineering, Schaefer Technology and 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.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)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketNote: Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMRs reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Oncology Information System Market: Global Industry Analysis,Trends and Forecast 2024

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Oncology information system is an image and information management system that allows to check all parts of oncology care for patients. Oncology information system combines medical, surgical, and radiation oncology information into a comprehensive, oncology electronic medical record that allows to manage patients details from start of the patients admission through diagnosis and follow-up details.The factors driving the growth of the oncology information system market are increase in technological adaption and technological advancement. Increase in health care infrastructure in developing nations, growth in prevalence of secondary tumor, and rise in incidence of cancer are the other factors anticipated to propel the growth of the oncology information system market during the forecast period. According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide; in 2012, there were 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. However, lack of health care IT professionals and strict regulation are likely to restrict the growth of the oncology information system market.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:According to a report by the American Cancer Society, 50% of men and 30% of women are estimated to develop cancer in some form or the other in their lifetime. Increase in amount of cancer patients is a major driver of the sales of the oncology information system market. Additionally, rise in amount of tobacco consumption and increase in amount of carcinogens present in the polluted air or in any other form are projected to drive the oncology information system market in the near future. Some of the factors driving the growth of the market are rising disposable income, which enables patients to avail expensive treatments, easily available medical insurance policies, and growing medical tourism activities. Heavy investments in R&D further act as an opportunity for the growth of the market since innovative and technologically advanced products always have the capability of substituting its predecessors.The oncology information system market has been segmented by product, application, end-user, and geography. Based on product, the oncology information system market is classified into patient information system, treatment planning system, consulting/optimization, implementation, maintenance, services, and others. Based on application, the market is segmented into care management, treatment management, and knowledge management. Based on end-user, the oncology information system market is segmented into hospital, government institution, research center, and others.Geographically, the oncology information system market in segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to account for a large market share in terms of revenue, followed by Europe. The oncology information system market in North America is expected to grow due to technological advancement and increase in demand for advanced product. The growing need to implement advanced systems in the health care sector in the region and, at the same time, deliver quality care to patients are the factors likely to drive the market in the near future. Asia Pacific is expected to rise at a high CAGR owing to increase in adoption of technological advanced products, growth in disposable income, and rise in health care infrastructure in countries such as India, China, Australia, and other countries in the region. The Latin America oncology information system market is mainly driven by the increasing adoption of technological products in countries such as Brazil and Mexico. The Middle East & Africa oncology information system market is estimated to grow in the near future due to rise in incidence of cancer. According to World Health Organization, women in the African region had the highest incidence of cancer of the cervix uteri.Major players operating in this market include CureMD Healthcare, Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Flatiron Health, Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, Bogardus Medical Systems, Inc., Cerner Corporation, McKesson Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Elekta AB, and Accuray Inc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Oncology Information System Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.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)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketNote: Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMRs reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
X-Ray Detectors Market Size, Share | Industry Trends Analysis Report, 2023

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X-ray detectors are used majorly for two purposes  imaging and dose measurement. Analog X-ray systems used photographic plates and films for image detection. However, owing to a shift in technology from analog to digital X-ray systems, the photographic plates and films are rapidly replaced by digital image plates (flat panel detectors). Flat panel detectors are highly sensitive and faster than a photographic film. With improving technology and rising demand for digital X-ray systems, the X-ray detectors require more robust structure with high transmission capability and temperature endurance, and resistant to ionizing radiations.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:X-Ray Detectors Market: SegmentationThe global X-ray detector market is analyzed based on the different types of detectors used in the X-ray devices. This includes flat panel detectors, charge coupled device (CCD) detectors, image intensifiers, line-scan detectors and computed radiography (CR) detectors. A rapid increase in demand for digital X-ray systems has led to incorporation of newer detection technologies such as flat panel detectors and charge coupled device (CCD) detectors. Moreover, with further advancement in research, an X-ray machine can have a large area or small area flat panel detector.A difference in the size of detector matters for different applications or subjects to be scanned. Advance fluoroscopy and C-arm systems incorporate flat panel detectors. Other X-ray detectors available in the market include gas ionization detectors, scintillation, gas-filled detectors, semiconductor detectors and gas electron multiplying detectors.Further, based on the applications or end-use, the global X-ray detectors market is categorized into dental, medical, veterinary, industrial, and security applications market. Medical applications include general radiography, surgical imaging, cardiovascular imaging and mammography.X-Ray Detectors Market: DriversIncreasing prevalence of chronic disorders such as arthritis, orthopedic diseases, and respiratory diseases is driving the demand for X-ray imaging and hence the market for X-ray detectors. Moreover, increasing number of diagnostic centers worldwide fueled by growing need for early diagnosis is propelling the demand for advance X-ray systems, thus contributing to the growth of X-ray detectors market. Additionally, more time consuming, low sensitivity and the need for processing after exposure is culminating the demand for photographic films and boosting the demand for flat panel detectors and line-scan detectors.X-Ray Detectors Market: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, the global X-ray detectors market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. The market for X-ray detectors will be growing rapidly in the regions where the demand for X-ray systems is increasing. This basic fact marks the potential of X-ray detectors in Asia Pacific and Latin America regions where along with the demand for X-ray systems, manufacturing capacity is also increasing. Increasing adoption of digital X-ray systems is touted to fuel the demand for X-ray detectors in Asia Pacific.Further, emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil, Russia and Mexico are target markets for companies offering X-ray equipment owing to rapidly growing economy and presence of untapped opportunities in these countries. GE Healthcare bought a Brazilian X-ray equipment firm Xpro in 2012 to increase its market presence in the Latin America region.X-Ray Detectors Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players present in the global X-ray detectors market include Varian Medical Systems, PerkinElmer, Inc., Agfa Healthcare, Analogic Corporation, Canon Inc., Konica Minolta, Inc., Teledyne Technologies, Inc., Thales Group and Fujifilm Medical Systems and others. Intense competition is compelling market players to innovate in their product and marketing strategy. Teledyne Technologies, Inc. introduced two new models of X-ray detector Shad-o-Box 3K HS and Shad-o-Box 6K HS in March 2014, which utilizes latest generation CMOS X-ray technology offering higher resolution and faster imaging of objects.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types and applications.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Market SegmentsMarket DynamicsMarket SizeSupply & DemandCurrent Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedValue ChainRegional analysis includes:North AmericaLatin AmericaAsia PacificJapanWestern EuropeEastern EuropeMiddle East & AfricaThe report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts, and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides an in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors, along with market attractiveness within the segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and various geographies.Report highlights:Detailed overview of parent marketChanging market dynamics in the industryIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and valueRecent industry trends and developmentsCompetitive landscapeStrategies of key players and products offeredPotential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective on market performanceMust-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprintThe 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.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the X-Ray Detectors Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.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, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketNote: Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMRs reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Worldwide Military Laser Systems Market is relied upon to develop at a CAGR of around 10% to 2021

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The global Military Laser Systems market is expected to to grow at a CAGR of around 10%. The growing need for high precise weapons, emerging demand from law enforcement and defense agencies, investment on R&D related to military laser systems are the factors driving the market growth. However, regulatory challenge is the biggest constraint of the market.Americas is the leading region in military laser market with around 40% of market share as of 2015, With the increasing investment in several military and land programs to modernize its military and weapon systems, APAC is expected to register significant growth in the forecast period.Get a Sample Copy @Access the market data and market information presented through more than 103 numbers of pages of the project report Military Laser Systems MarketKey Players Northrop Grumman, Coherent Inc., Lockheed Martin, Thales, Raytheon, American Laser Enterprises, BAE Systems PLC, Frankfurt Laser Company, Quantel, and Newport Corporation.Get a Good Discount @Study Objectives of Military Laser Systems To give itemized investigation of the market structure alongside gauge for the following 5 years of the different sections and sub-fragments of the Global Military Laser Systems To give experiences about components influencing the market development To examine the Global Military Laser Systems Market in light of different variables value examination, inventory network investigation, doorman's five compel examination and so forth. To give chronicled and estimate income of the market fragments and sub-sections as for four primary geologies and their nations North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) To give nation level investigation of the market as for the present market size and future imminent To give nation level examination of the market for fragment by application and innovation To give vital profiling of key players in the market, thoroughly breaking down their center skills, and drawing an aggressive scene for the market To track and break down aggressive advancements, for example, joint endeavors, vital collusions, mergers and acquisitions, new item improvements, and research and advancements in the Global Military Laser Systems MarketBrowse Full Report Details @The market report for Military Laser Systems of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Global Military Laser Systems Market Research Report - Forecast to 2021 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Smartwatches Market to Expand at a CAGR of 53.60% up to 2020

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A smartwatch is a wrist-worn type of wearable device providing various functionalities to its user and acting as a companion device with smartphones. Smartwatches are mostly need to be paired with a smartphone using any connecting technology such as near-field communication (NFC) or Bluetooth. Smartwatches provide notifications to its user and can also be used to track health parameters such as heart rate, distance traveled, etc. Moreover, smartwatches can also be used as a GPS device. Smartwatch provide high degree of connectivity to its users and are useful for the group that aims health related purposes and fitness tracking. Global smartphone shipments are expected to increase continuously in the coming years due to developing network infrastructure and increasing internet penetration. The global smartwatch market was valued at US$ 701.2 Mn in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 53.6% during the forecast period 2014  2020.On the basis of price range, the global smartwatches market is segmented into high-end smartwatches, mid-end smartwatches, and low-end smartwatches. Smartwatches with price above US$ 250 are considered under high-end smartwatches segment. High-end smartwatches segment is anticipated to witness strong growth in next few years (2015 - 2017) due to number of large smartphone manufacturers such as Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Inc., and Sony Corporation focusing on the development and launch of their high-end smartwatch models. However, unwillingness to pay above US$ 250 for a smartwatch and low awareness pertaining to wearable technology and products is the major concern for the growth of smartwatches market. Furthermore, limited battery life and its effect on overall performance are expected to restrain the global smartwatch market. Currently, the companies offering high-end smartwatches overrun the global smartwatch market. However, growing commercialization activities, and research and development is anticipated to result in significant number of mid-end and low-end smartwatch models over the forecast period.Obtain Report Details @n 2013, North America was the largest market for smartwatches in terms of revenue. The region has experienced significant adoption of high-end smartwatches due the presence of tech-savvy and health conscious users in this region. Fitness and health are expected to remain the major applications of smartwatches over the forecast period. This is attributed mainly to the high smartphone penetration in the North American region. Furthermore, awareness among end-users and higher purchasing power is anticipated to drive the regional market over the forecast period 2014  2020. Europe and Asia Pacific are anticipated to witness healthy growth over the forecast period. Demand from countries such as China, India, Japan, and Australia is anticipated to drive the Asia Pacific market in the next few coming years. Mass adoption of mid-end and low-end smartwatches in Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Eastern Europe is expected to drive the demand for this market over the forecast period.The smartwatch market has gained significant momentum in recent years due to the entry of several major players in the smartwatch market. Most component suppliers and smartphone vendors such as: Samsung Electronics, Inc., Sony Corporation, and Apple Inc. are expanding their wearable product offerings. Furthermore, most smartwatches available in the market currently work as companion devices; thus, the presence of a large number of existing smartphone users is a key factor anticipated to drive the market in the next few years. Companies manufacturing smartwatches are customizing their operating systems for use in wearable devices. For instance, Google, Inc. has launched Android Wear, a customized version of the Android OS for use in wearable devices. Most hardware manufacturers are entering in the smartwatch market with Android Wear as the pre-installed OS; thus, the Android Wear OS has been experiencing significant growth in the smartwatch market.This 100-page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Smartwatches Market. Browse to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market@The research report on smartwatch market provides a detailed analysis of the different categories of smartwatches, and helps in understanding the driving forces behind the popularity of the wearable products. It also provides an analysis of the major segments of the smartwatch market for the period from 2012 to 2020. The report includes extensive analysis of the industry drivers, restraints, opportunities, and market trends. The study provides comprehensive assessment of the stakeholder strategies and imperatives for succeeding in the business. This research study focuses on providing market data and insights, including the size and growth of the smartwatch market. The report provides a thorough analysis of the emerging industry trends, and the current state of the market. It offers a comprehensive coverage of the underlying technological and economic factors influencing the smartwatch business. The prevalent competition in the market is highlighted through the market share analysis of key players in the market. Furthermore, the value chain analysis is included in the report with an aim to provide strategic insights across the supply chain of the smartwatch market.The report segregates the global smartwatch market based on operating systems, and the price range. Operating systems in the smartwatch market have been categorized into: Android Wear OS, Watch OS, and others. The others segment includes: Tizen OS, Pebble OS, Firefox OS, and LinkIt OS. The study also includes the categorization of smartwatch market on the basis of price range. High-end smartwatches, mid-end smartwatches, and low-end smartwatches are the price range categories included in the report. The report aims to provide a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis of the component, type, and application segments across North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
The Oregon State Beavers couldn't find their offense, managing just two hits as they fell 3-1 to the LSU Tigers on Friday at the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.

OSU's loss sets up a rematch on Saturday that will decide who advances to the CWS finals, which start Monday.

After rolling to a 13-1 win against LSU in their first meeting on Monday, the Beavers were shut down this time by LSU ace Alex Lange, who went 7 1/3 innings and allowed two hits and the one run. Lange struck out eight and walked four. Zack Hess closed things out for the Tigers with four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.

Oregon State had its 23-game winning streak snapped, and Beavers starter Jake Thompson suffered his first loss of the season, falling to 14-1. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up six hits, three runs and one walk while striking out five. Max Engelbrekt pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for OSU.

LSU did most of its offensive damage in the second, starting with Greg Deichmann's double. Zach Watson and Josh Smith then followed with consecutive singles, the latter scoring Deichmann. Beau Jordan's sacrifice bunt then scored Watson to put the Tigers up 2-0.

Oregon State made it 2-1 in the third as Trevor Larnach walked with the bases loaded. But that was all the production the Beavers could muster.

A controversial call probably kept more OSU runs off the board. With runners on first and second and one out, Steven Kwan blasted a pitch down the left-field line that likely would have been a two-RBI double, but the ball was called foul. Video replays clearly showed it was fair, but there was no review and OSU coach Pat Casey did not challenge the call.

"That's on me," Casey said after the game. "I should have asked for a review. And I don't know how that would have affected things, but it certainly would have put us in a pretty good position, that's for sure."

Kwan wound up popping out. After Nick Madrigal and Larnach walked, KJ Harrison struck out to end the inning.

LSU added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on Smith's solo homer.

Drew Rasmussen is set to start for Oregon State on Saturday, while the Tigers will go with Caleb Gilbert.

Here's a recap of how the game unfolded.

LSU 3, Oregon State 1

Bottom 9th: KJ Harrison strikes out to start the ninth, and the Beavers are down to their final two outs. Jack Anderson flies out to left, and that brings up Tyler Malone. Zack Hess strikes him out to end the game, and the Beavers fall 3-1 to LSU. The rematch will be on Saturday to decide who advances to the CWS finals.

Top 9th: LSU's Zach Watson walks to start the ninth. Adley Rutschman catches Josh Smith's foul bunt for the first out. Beau Jordan strikes out. And then Michael Papierski walks to put LSU runners on first and second with two outs. Jake Slaughter is hit by a pitch, but the umpire rules that he leaned into the pitch, so he is not awarded his base. Slaughter eventually does walk, however, and the bases are loaded. The Kramer Robertson grounds out to second, and the inning ends with no damage for the Beavers.

Bottom 8th: Back to the top of the order for the Beavers, with Steven Kwan. He grounds out to second. With Nick Madrigal due up, LSU ace Alex Lange will exit after throwing 115 pitches and allowing one run. Zack Hess now pitching for the Tigers. Hess starts off by striking out Madrigal. And Trevor Larnach also strikes out to end the inning. The Beavers are now down to their final three outs.

Top 8th: LSU's Cole Freeman walks, but OSU catcher Adley Rutschman throws him out trying to steal second. Max Engelbrekt then gets a groundout and a strikeout to end the inning.

Bottom 7th: Adley Rutschman grounds out. Michael Gretler grounds out. Cadyn Grenier strikes out (8th strikeout, 112th pitch).

Top 7: Josh Smith crushes a pitch over the right-field fence for his second home run of the NCAA tournament. Beau Jordan flies out. Michael Papierski grounds out. (Oregon State makes a pitching change. Thompson out. Max Engelbrekt in.) Jake Slaughter singles. Kramer Robertson grounds out.

Bottom 6th: KJ Harrison at the plate for OSU, grounds out. Jack Anderson strikes out (No. 7 for pitcher Alex Lange). Tyler Malone flies out. Lange goes 1-2-3 as he reaches 100 pitches in the inning.

Top 6th: Antoine Duplantis grounds out. Greg Deichmann flies out. (OSU pitcher Jake Thompson has retired the last eight batters). Zach Watson singles to left. Josh Smith at bat. Watson is caught stealing to end the inning.

Bottom 5th: Cadyn Grenier flies out. Steven Kwan grounds out. Nick Madrigal draws a two-out walk. Trevor Larnach strikes out.

Top 5th: Jake Slaughter at the plate, OSU pitcher Jake Thompson rings him up for his fourth strikeout of the day. Kramer Roberston strikes out. Cole Freeman flies out to center. Nick Madrigal at the plate.

Bottom 4th: Jack Anderson leads off for the Beavers, grounds out. Tyler Malone blasts a fastball to the wall and cruises into second with his first exta-base hit of the season. Adley Rutschman strikes out swinging, LSU pitcher Alex Lange's fith strkeout of the game. Michael Gretler fouled out to first base.

Top 4th: Greg Deichmann leads off for the Tigers with a walk. Zack Watson singled to center field; LSU has first and second. Josh Smith flies out to center. Beau Jordan grounds out, runners advance, 2 outs. Michael Papierski struck out swinging, leaving two runners stranded in scoring position.

Bottom 3rd: Adley Rutschman strikes out swinging. Michael Gretler slaps a stand-up double down the left-field line. Caydyn Grenier draws a 5-pitch walk. Kwan crushed a 2-0 fastball the other way, called foul. Replay clearly showed it was fair. The ball bounced off the yellow foul-pole stripe at the fence. No review. His at bat ends with a pop-fly out. Nick Madrigal walks to load the bases. Gretler at third, Grenier at second, Madrigal at first, with two outs. Trevor Lanarch draws a walk, scoring Gretler, Beavers cut the lead to 2-1. Harrison strikes out to end the inning.

Top 3rd: Kramer Robertson leads off for LSU and lines out to left field. Cole Freeman strikes out swinging. Antoine Duplantis grounds out to second.

Bottom 2nd: KJ Harrison leads off for OSU, and he flies out to right. That brings up Jack Anderson, who strikes out. Now DH Tyler Malone steps in, and he strikes out looking against LSU's Alex Lange to end the inning.

Top 2nd: Greg Deichmann stretches his hit to right field into a double to lead things off for LSU in the second. Zach Watson follows with a single, and the Tigers have runners at the corners with no outs. Josh Smith singles up the middle to score Deichmann, and Watson goes to third. LSU leads 1-0, still no outs. Beau Jordan lays down a bunt that scores Watson and moves Smith to second. Now one out, and LSU leads 2-0. Michael Papierski's sacrifice fly to center moves Smith to third. Jake Slaughter then grounds out to shortstop, and the Beavers get out of the inning after LSU scores two runs.

Bottom 1st: Steven Kwan is the leadoff batter for OSU, facing Tigers ace Alex Lange. Kwan lines out to left, and Nick Madrigal steps in for the Beavers. He is robbed of a hit by second baseman Cole Freeman, who dives to his left to snag it and throws to first in time. Trevor Larnach then flies out to left, and the inning is over.

Top 1st: Jake Thompson gets the start on the hill for Oregon State. LSU's Kramer Robertson leads things off by lining out to Jack Anderson in left field. Cole Freeman then flies out to left. Thompson then strikes out Antoine Duplantis on a breaking pitch to end the inning. Nine of Thompson's 11 pitches are strikes in the opening frame.

Pregame information

No. 4 LSU vs. No. 1 Oregon State

Where: TD Ameritrade Park (Omaha, Nebraska)

When: 12:05 p.m. (PT), Friday

On air: ESPN (stream video here, stream audio here)

Live stats: Click here

Records: LSU (50-17, 21-9 SEC) vs. Oregon State (56-4, 27-3 Pac-12)

:

LSU

: 3.

Oregon State

: 1.

All-time series: LSU leads 2-1.

Last 10 games:

LSU

: 9-1.

Oregon State

: 10-0.

Streak:

LSU

: Won 1.

Oregon State

: Won 23.

College World Series results:

LSU

: Won 5-4 vs. Florida State; Lost 13-1 vs. No. 1 Oregon State; Won 7-4 vs. Florida State.

Oregon State

: Won 6-5 vs. Cal State Fullerton; Won 13-1 vs. No. 4 LSU.

Pitching matchup: Junior right-hander Alex Lange (9-5, 3.08) vs. redshirt junior right-hander Jake Thompson (14-0, 1.84) or redshirt sophomore right-hander Drew Rasmussen (3-0, 0.79)

Team ERA:

LSU

: 3.65.

Oregon State

: 1.84.

Team slash line (batting average/on-base/slugging):

LSU

: .292/.387/.437.

Oregon State

: .297/.391/.413.

LSU player to watch: Zach Watson. The freshman center-fielder was the only LSU player to get a hit Monday off Bryce Fehmel, going 2 for 3 with a solo home run. He then went 3 for 5 on Wednesday in an elimination game win over Florida State.

Oregon State player to watch: KJ Harrison. The junior first baseman is 1 for 9 during the College World Series but has two of the biggest at-bats. He earned a key two-out walk during a 13-pitch at-bat Saturday against Cal State Fullerton during a four-run sixth inning and hit the first CWS grand slam at TD Ameritrade Park on Monday to put the Beavers up 8-0 over LSU.

Briefly: Friday will bring a matchup between elite college pitchers.

LSU will start Alex Lange, who the Chicago Cubs picked 30th overall in the MLB draft. OSU's Jake Thompson is a unanimous All-America selection who went to the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round.

After a season dominated by its elite pitching and defense, Oregon State is hitting .351 in the postseason and .324 in the College World Series. OSU fought through eight LSU pitchers in Monday's 13-1 win and drew a season-high 12 walks.

And in the bullpen, Oregon State has not given up an earned run in its last 11 games, which includes 27 consecutive scoreless innings.

Links:

-- Danny Moran
Industrial rents in already-pricey cities like Los Angeles and Boston are poised to rise further thanks to one burgeoning industry: cannabis.

Marijuana startups are snapping up space in those cities as part of a wave of legalization that was set in motion by ballot-box victories last November, when eight states voted to permit cannabis in some form.

California and Massachusetts will begin allowing residents to purchase recreational pot -- not just medicinal marijuana -- making the states especially attractive to entrepreneurs.

Legal weed already has a track record of driving up rents. The going rate for industrial real estate in Denver, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon -- places that previously relaxed cannabis laws -- have grown faster than in cities where the substance is still banned, according to new research from CoStar Group Inc.

The firm, which tracks data on commercial properties, expects the trend to continue in cities in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, all of which are now legalizing recreational marijuana.

Denver rents rose 33 percent from the first quarter of 2014 through May 2017. Industrial rents in Seattle and Portland each rose 27 percent in the same period. That compares with 19 percent gains in the other 54 largest U.S. markets.

Cannabis is the first industry in a long time to have such a clear impact, said Rene Circ, CoStar's director of industrial research. In some urban areas, it's been more pronounced than the effect of e-commerce, he said.

"It's had a tremendous, positive impact on rents and property values for the markets where this has been legalized," he said. "Taking the experiences from the markets that have been at this for a few years, the suggestion is this will have a positive impact in these new markets."

Vacancy rates have declined in legal weed cities too, according to CoStar, particularly for smaller industrial buildings. So-called ganjapreneurs have different needs than typical tenants. They often bypass the nicest and largest spaces and pick smaller buildings that have traditionally been less desirable.

Part of the reason? The fire risks inherent to cultivating marijuana. That leads startups to choose smaller spots that are easier to safeguard, Circ said.

"This could have a positive impact for rent growth for that smaller, industrial product in new markets," he said. Buildings that would have otherwise remained vacant longer, were -- in many cases -- occupied first.

Including the four states that voted to allow recreational cannabis in November, one in five American adults lives in an area where it's legal to get high. Recreational weed commerce is expected to come online in those states in the next six months.

Cannabis industry sales reached more than $6 billion in 2016 and are expected to hit $50 billion by 2026, according to Cowen & Co. That growth will require a lot of land.

But because the plant is still illegal at the federal level, it can't cross state lines. That means pot sold in any state must be grown there too. In many cases, people applying for licenses to cultivate cannabis must show they already have the space to do so locked down.

The industry's inherent risk also is helping push rents higher. Cannabis businesses aren't welcome everywhere -- many landlords won't lease to companies that are federally banned -- so the ones that do can ask for more money.

"We have factors that limit supply, with a lot of demand," Circ said. "So the rent growth is being pushed from both ends of the spectrum."

-- Bloomberg
Oregonian file photo

By Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Brace yourself, Oregon! After a chilly spring, summer is finally here. And this weekend, we're facing the warmest days of the year so far, with temperatures possibly hitting 100 degrees in some places.

One of the best strategies for keeping cool begins in the kitchen ... make that out of the kitchen. When the temperature rises, it's time to take advantage of outdoor grills to keep from heating up the house. It's also the time to dig into cold dishes and salads that can help keep you from overheating. Note: Some of these salads require cooked grains or pasta. Make them in the morning before the day heats up, then let the flavors meld as the dishes chill in the refrigerator.

Here are 30 of our favorite salads, chilled soups, grilled dishes, and frozen desserts to help you ride out this heatwave and any others that Oregon's summer throws at us this year. They're a delicious way to keep your cool.

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Summer Pasta Salad

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Pasta salad takes a sojourn to Greece, thanks to the recipe for Summer Pasta Salad from British food writer and broadcaster Amanda Grant. The quick dressing combines fresh lemon juice and chopped mint with extra-virgin olive oil, creating a tangy coating for rotini pasta. To the mix, she adds cucumber, tomatoes and kalamata olives, underscoring the Aegean influence.

Recipe: Summer Pasta Salad.

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Lemongrass Grilled Pork

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Christine Dias, Special to The Oregonian

This terrific recipe comes from columnist Matthew Card, who lets the pork marinate for at least 8 hours for the best flavor and most-tender texture. Make sure to allow the coals to cool a bit before grilling the pork. If it is too hot, you'll get flare-ups and the meat will scorch and burn long before it's cooked through.

Recipe: Sweet Soy and Lemongrass Grilled Pork.

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California Gazpacho

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Oregon's tomato season doesn't hit its peak until August, but we can't wait to make this favorite gazpacho recipe from California chef Ann Gentry: It's our favorite variation of the traditional Spanish chilled soup, and is perfect for hot days. Start with hothouse vine tomatoes, which have a lot of flavor. The additions of sweet corn kernels and garnishes of toasted pine nuts and sliced avocado make it filling and refreshing at the same time. The result is a perfect gazpacho that is brisk on the palate the day it's made, and a little mellower on the second.

Recipe: California Gazpacho.

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Two takes on tangy tabbouleh

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Nathan Hostler, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

In this country, a lot of people make tabbouleh with mostly bulgur wheat, and parsley is a secondary ingredient. But in the classic Middle Eastern salad, parsley is the star. This recipe from Jackie Varriano gets it right: There's 1-1/2 cups of chopped parsley, and just 1/4 cup of bulgur.

Recipe: Tabbouleh.

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Eva Kosmas Flores, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The second variation comes from Portland food blogger and cookbook author Eva Kosmas Flores and her terrific cookbook from last year, "Adventures in Chicken." She uses roasted chicken to give the salad additional protein and flavor. Because you don't want to heat up the house, this is a perfect way to use rotisserie chickens from your favorite store.

Recipe: Roast Chicken Tabbouleh.

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Sliced tomato salad

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Kraig Scattarella, The Oregonian/OregonLive

One of the best ways to enjoy hothouse tomatoes is in a simple salad, like this one from tomato queen Barbara Damrosch. Just arrange them on a platter with peppery arugula, then drizzle with a dressing that combines balsamic vinegar with maple syrup, which balances out the acidity of the tomato.

Recipe: Tomato Salad With Balsamic Vinegar.

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Grilled chicken skewers

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Christine Dias, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Serve the kebabs with pita, leafy greens and tomatoes. The kebabs can be made with white meat, but they won't store quite as well or be as moist as when made with thighs. For a Lebanese twist, substitute 2 tablespoons of za'atar (a thyme, sesame and sumac spice mixture you can find at international grocery stores) for the oregano. You can also grill the kebabs rather than broil them.

Recipe: Grilled Greek-Style Lemon-and-Oregano Chicken Skewers.

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A classic burger

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Craig Goldwyn, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

This impressive beef burger comes from the grilling book Meathead by Meathead Goldwyn, and it sets the gold standard for what a beef burger can be. Dont skip making the accompanying recipe for Burger Glop, which is the best addition to our burger arsenal in years.

Recipes: The Great American Steakhouse Steakburger; Burger Glop.

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Macaroni Salad

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Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

The combination of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise makes the dressing for this pasta salad from Alison Ladman light yet rich-tasting. This is another salad where you can substitute spring ingredients from the farmers market for things like the bell pepper.

Recipe: Sun-dried Tomato Macaroni Salad.

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Tahini Chicken Salad

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Nathan Hostler, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Throwing together this delicious chicken salad from contributor Laura B. Russell couldnt be easier, thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken. Instead of the usual mayonnaise-heavy version, try this healthier Middle Eastern-inspired take based on tahini, lemon and yogurt.

Recipe: Tahini Chicken Salad.

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Pesto potato salad

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

No cookout buffet is complete without at least one potato salad. Instead of one made with heaps of mayonnaise and mustard, opt for this Italian-themed version. Make the salad early in the day while your kitchen is still cool, then let it chill until it's mealtime. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes give the salad a nice pop of color. If you're put off by the high cost of pine nuts, the dressing can be made with blanched slivered almonds with similar results.

Recipe: Sundried Tomato and Pesto Potato Salad.

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Black bean salad

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

This vibrant salad from chef Jennifer Segal is the perfect addition to any cookout, and is hearty enough to be served as a vegan entree. Best of all: It can be pulled together in about 20 minutes, but it needs at least a couple of hours in the refrigerator for flavors to meld.

Recipe: Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad With Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette.

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Mango Gazpacho

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Kraig Scattarella, The Oregonian/OregonLive

A few years back, we invited L.A. chef Brian L. Patton into our Test Kitchen to show us his delicious version of gazpacho, which gets plenty of kick from jalapeno and garlic. The combination of sweet and heat makes it perfect warm-weather fare.

Recipe: Mango Gazpacho.

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Two Oregon classic ingredients in one salad

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Grant Butler | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Chef Kenny Giambalvo shared this dynamite spring pairing with us when he was still cooking at McMenamins' Black Rabbit Restaurant. The recipe leaves you with extra strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, which is terrific on any mixed greens and also makes a great marinade for grilled fish. Since Oregon's strawberry and asparagus seasons were later this year, you'll still find them in abundance at most farmers' markets.

Recipe: Black Rabbit Restaurant Asparagus-Strawberry Salad.

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Bold Mediterranean flavors

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

The ridges of curly fusilli are perfect for this vibrant pasta salad because they catch and really hold the dressing, which is a combination of vegan mayonnaise and fresh lemon juice.

Recipe: Mediterranean Pasta Salad.

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A fantastic beet burger

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Josh Hooten

This vegan burger from Portland cookbook author Michelle Schwegmann was created with stovetop preparation in mind. But it can be grilled if youve got a mesh screen to go on the grill top. Dont forget to grill the bun, which adds a nice layer of crunchy texture. Hot weather tip: Instead of roasting beets in your oven, which will heat up your kitchen, these burgers cane made with pre-roasted beets, which you'll find in the refrigerator section of Trader Joe's and Costco.

Recipe: Roasted Beet Burger.

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Tilapia Tacos

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Motoya Nakamura, The Oregonian/OregonLive

The popular fish tilapia is affordable, and it doesn't have a "fishy" quality that turns off some people. That makes it the perfect foundation for these grilled tacos from Portland food writer Ivy Manning.

Recipe: Grilled Fish Tacos With Charred Tomato Salsa.

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Green gazpacho

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Ross William Hamilton, The Oregonian/OregonLive

This gazpacho recipe originally came from Seattle's Andaluca restaurant, where each bowl is topped with lumps of Dungeness crab meat. Any grilled seafood, such as shrimp or calamari, could be substituted.

Recipe: Green Gazpacho With Crab.

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Salmon burgers

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Leigh Beisch, Chronicle Books

In her cookbook Salmon, Portland author Diane Morgan uses Asian flavors to create new ways to enjoy the popular fish. The burgers are loaded with ginger, garlic, green onions and cilantro. The green onion-soy mayonnaise adds a delicious finishing touch.

Recipe: Asian Salmon Burgers With Green Onion-Soy Mayonnaise.

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Thai eggplant

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Christine Dias, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Here's another great recipe from Matthew Card. Long, thin Chinese or Japanese eggplant are preferable for this dish, though regular eggplant works, too. While Asian peanut oil adds valuable flavor, vegetable oil will do in a pinch.

Recipe: Grilled Thai Eggplant Salad.

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Grilled carrots

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Steve Legato, Running Press

A perfect grilled vegetable side dish. The tiny carrots used in this recipe can be found at farmers markets and specialty grocers this time of year. The recipe makes extra sauce -- perfect for drizzling over other grilled or roasted vegetables.

Recipe: Rainbow Carrots With Cilantro Chile Drizzle.

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Ramen salad

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

The beauty of this salad is the textural contrast between the vegetables and the crunchy ramen noodles. You can make the salad using whatever ingredients look good at the farmers' market. Think about subbing spring peas for the edamame, or blanched and chopped asparagus for the broccoli slaw mix.

Recipe: Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad.

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Vietnamese shrimp

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Christine Dias, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Shrimp grill beautifully. Look for larger sizes that won't overcook too quickly. This Vietnamese-style marinade based on fish sauce, garlic, sriracha, and cilantro pumps up the flavor, while a little brown sugar encourages browning. Serve with rice or a pile of lightly dressed rice noodles. The marinade also works well with tempeh or tofu.

Recipe: Grilled Vietnamese-Style Shrimp Skewers.

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Wheat berries and beans

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

This healthy salad makes a great light lunch, but also could be a side dish with other Greek or Moroccan fare. You'll find wheat berries in the bulk food section of most grocery stores, but if you can't find them, you can substitute other whole grains, like farro, spelt or pearl barley.

Recipe: Mediterranean Wheat Berry Salad.

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Grilled corn

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Oregonian/OregonLive file photo

This incredible recipes comes from the Portland Thai hotspot Pok Pok. In addition to being delicious, it happens to be vegan. It serves 12, so it's perfect for a late-summer backyard cookout.

Recipe: Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob With Salty Coconut Cream.

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Grilled eggplant salad

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Stephanie Yao Long, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Matthew Card came up with this perfect summertime salad, which features grilled eggplant. He suggests adding roasted peppers, chickpeas, or basil and oregano along with the mint.

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant, Tomato and Mint Salad.

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Grilled veggie skewers

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Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

When you've got the grill fired up, it's a great time to toss on these colorful veggie skewers, which can be made using great seasonal produce, like the first summer squash of the season. Eat the veggies hot, or take them off the skewers and add them to pasta salad.

Recipe: Grilled Rainbow Vegetable Skewers.

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Homemade chocolate ice cream

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Oregonian/OregonLive file photo

Chocolate ice cream is a summertime standard, and this simplified recipe features a short list of ingredients, and doesn't require an ice cream maker.

Recipe: Easy Chocolate Ice Cream.

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Vegan ice cream with chocolate sauce

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

You'll never miss the dairy or eggs with this incredible vegan ice cream. Want to take it even further? Serve it with the intensely good

Recipes: Coconut Macaroon Chocolate Chip Ice Cream; Chocolate Sauce.

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Mint-chip ice cream

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Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive

This refreshing vegan ice cream is unbelievably easy, getting its richness from a combination of herb-steeped almond milk blended with an avocado. All you need to do is pour the blended concoction into an ice cream maker and let the magic happen.

Recipe: Vegan Basil-Mint Chip Ice Cream.

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-- Grant Butler

gbutler@oregonian.com

503-221-8566; @grantbutler
In a family where someone is named for a relative, the person usually knows quite a bit about the person they're indirectly honoring.

Not Ed Truax.

What he gathered from family lore, passed from generation to generation to generation, was just this: His uncle, Edward Pool, died in 1950 while fighting in the Korean War.

Exactly what happened to the 22-year-old remained a mystery for decades. He was listed as missing in action, leaving everything unresolved for the family. The unanswered questions made it difficult to move on from the past.

When do you finally let someone go?

What do we, as a people, need to say goodbye to those we love?

For Ed Pool's family, there were never good answers.

Until now.

***

In early 1951, Pool's mother, Ida, a young widow who had moved with her seven children from Oklahoma to California, received a telegram from the U.S. Army. Her son was missing in action.

A year later, a second telegram said her son was a prisoner of war. That news, however grim, gave her a bit of a mother's hope.

But after four years, the Army issued a death certificate, promoting the Pool from private to corporal so his mother could get added death benefits.

Pool's mother needed certainty, a body to bury. Over and over, she wrote letters to Army officials with questions.

As is so often in war, she got no answers.

She had to know.

But it was not to be.

When she passed away, it was her daughter, Susan, who carried the memory of Edward, her twin, who had enlisted in the Army out of high school, in the summer of 1949, to escape the small California town and make something of his life. The choice seemed safe because WWII had ended. But then the Korean War began. By the fall of 1950, Pool was sent to the battlefield.

Susan came to accept her brother's death.

Only rarely, and then in quiet moments, would she talk about the loss, simply telling people that twins have a special bond. She mentioned, once, that before her brother had been reported missing, he'd appeared to her in the family kitchen, where she was doing her homework. She knew it sounded crazy, but she said he'd come to say goodbye and then he vanished.

Life had to go on.

Susan met a man in California and fell in love, getting to do all the things her brother would never experience. The couple moved to Portland and started a family. In time, she was blessed with eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

But she never forgot her twin, Edward, lost so young.

"I was her oldest, the first son," Truax said. "I was named after him. Through me, she was keeping the memory of her brother alive."

***

Truth be told, Truax, never thought about his uncle.

Why should he?

His mother was pregnant with him when her brother went missing. In all those years, Truax had never seen a photograph of his uncle. The only bond they shared was the same first name.

And, as is the rhythm of time and life, with each passing generation, Edward Pool faded from memory.

Then, the past became present. Late last year, Truax, a financial adviser who served a stint on the Tualatin City Council, was waiting for an elevator when his cellphone rang.

Is Susan there?

No.

Who am I talking to?

This is Ed.

Are you named for Edward?

Yes

The man said he was head of identification at Fort Knox, an Army base in Kentucky.

"The man said they'd identified Edward's remains."

Truax nearly dropped the phone.

And then...

"He said they wanted to bring him home to us."

***

Plans were made for a military official to come to Portland to meet with Truax, his siblings and their mother to explain what had happened to Edward Pool.

In the meantime, Truax was asked to find a photograph of his uncle. He had none, nor did his brother or sister. So, he went to his mother's room in the assisted living center. On a shelf in the closet, he found a box marked "photos." No photos of Edward.

And then he found an envelope. Inside was a newspaper clipping. A small-town paper, long ago, had run a black-and-white photograph taken when Edward Pool graduated from basic training.

Truax studied the photo.

It was the first time he'd seen his uncle.

"It struck me how much he looked like my mother," he said. "And how much I look like him."

***

The meeting with the military official lasted more than four hours. The military had prepared a 64-page report, complete with maps and lab results to explain at long last what had happened to Edward Pool.

Finally, the family had answers.

In November 1950, Pool was one of 3,200 soldiers from the United States and South Korea who had been assembled into a combat team on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir. On the night of Nov. 27, a force of as many as 30,000 Chinese soldiers surrounded and then attacked the unsuspecting team. Within days, the Army evacuated 1,500 wounded servicemen. Only 385 soldiers could go on. The rest had been either captured or killed. Pool was among those listed as missing.

In 1953, the two sides exchanged selected sick, wounded, and injured prisoners of war. A U.S official interviewed an American POW who said Pool, who had been shot in the hip, died in the camp sometime in January 1951.

"We learned that my uncle, who was wounded during the battle, was loaded with wounded prisoners onto U.S. Army military trucks," Truax said. "The Chinese overwhelmed the trucks, shooting them from on high. The trucks were abandoned. Many of the wounded in those trucks were executed on the spot. But my uncle was captured. He froze to death in the camp."

His uncle and others were buried in mass graves. In 1994, a humanitarian mission team was allowed to go into North Korea and try to find soldiers' remains. The team took 218 boxes of bones to a military lab in Honolulu.

"We learned the first thing they did was take all the bones and spread out in the lab," Truax said. "These were just bones in the dirt. They had to analyze each bone."

Decades earlier, the military had taken blood samples from families of men missing in action. Now, it came time to test the DNA of the bones to see if they could be matched to a living person.

"It took years," Truax said. "We learned they were able to match five bones, pieces of bones, that were from Edward. From records, they traced him to his family, to my mother and to me, with that phone call."

When the meeting ended, the military official said the Army wanted to give Edward Pool a proper burial. A few weeks later, Truax visited his mother in the assisted living center to talk about what to do next.

"This has been a process for my mother," he said. "She's going to be 89. Some days, she's sharp as a tack. Other days, not so well."

Susan Pool told her son that she wanted her brother buried at Willamette National Cemetery. Her husband is buried there, and a space is reserved for her. She said it gave her peace to know her brother would be there, too. A week later, Truax went to see his mother again.

"She was confused," Truax said. "She thought her brother was coming to see her."

What to say at a time like this?

What do we need to say goodbye to those we love?

He told his mother her brother was home.

Finally, home from the war.

***

Over the years, I've been to many funerals at Willamette National Cemetery in Southeast Portland. The ceremonies are always powerful and beautiful with honor guards, flags and taps.

But this was different.

The casket containing a replica of the uniform Edward Pool would have worn was on display, a flag draped over it.

A chaplain talked about war, servicemen and the ultimate sacrifice. He was doing his best, but was talking about a man no one knew, a man who hadn't lived long enough to make a mark in life.

In moments such as this, we need feelings, not words.

I thought about a 22-year-old man wounded, terribly cold and afraid.

I thought about the nephew who never knew him.

I thought about his sister, who had forgotten too much.

Finally, as I stood there in the hot sun, I thought about someone who could not be there, the young widow who had written so many times, desperate to find answers.

Ida Pool.

His mother.

In her place, Ed's remaining family bore witness to the end of a story that began so long ago.

--Tom Hallman Jr.

thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224

@thallmanjr
No matter how he would like to twist the narrative, the rise and fall of John Kitzhaber lies squarely on his shoulders.

News came this month that the U.S. Department of Justice had decided against filing criminal charges against the former governor or his fiancee, Cylvia Hayes. The decision brought a merciful end to a 28-month investigation by four federal agencies into whether the couple used their high-profile public positions for personal benefit.

The ordeal cast a shadow over the state as well as many of the public servants who had worked loyally for the governor for years. Lawmakers have worked with varying success over the past two years to draft ethics and public records laws to address problems highlighted in the downfall of the man once considered one of Oregon's most durable politicians.

Kitzhaber claims he's been vindicated.

He hasn't.

The federal prosecutor didn't set out to decide whether the actions of the former governor and first lady passed the smell test. The prosecutor focused only on whether their actions violated the law. The decision simply tells us that their conduct, while dishonest and self-serving, fell short of being criminal.

Criminality was a high bar to begin with, but it was made even higher just one year into the Kitzhaber investigation, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the public corruption convictions of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife for insufficient evidence that the money and gifts they accepted led to "official action."

The fact remains that Kitzhaber failed to address the conflicts of interest created when Hayes' consulting contracts, which totaled about $200,000, began overlapping her policy work in his office.

Taxpayers would be well served if findings from the investigation are provided to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, which announced this week it will resume its long-delayed review into ethics complaints filed by Republicans. Hopefully that review can provide more answers that can shape the ethics reforms still needed in Oregon.

For now, unfortunately, Kitzhaber is choosing his own translation of the federal prosecutor's brief statement. He's a victim of the media. A guinea pig for fake news. It all sounds rather Trumpian. And like the drumbeat of strained logic we see inside the Beltway these days, Kitzhaber is spinning an overly simplistic and revisionist storyline by attempting to categorize this as a war between him and the media.

It's a disingenuous strategy that takes away from his correct decision in 2015 to resign. The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board had called for that move not because of any criminality, but because at that moment in time he had become a source of unending distraction and could no longer lead the state effectively.

Kitzhaber did not resign because he lost control of a "media frenzy."

No, in the years leading up to the scandal he had lost control of his own office and failed to put clear boundaries on his fiancee's fast expanding role within it. He had lost sight of his duty to provide answers Oregonians deserved when his office failed to provide public records before he was elected to his historic -- and historically short -- fourth term.

Most damaging, Kitzhaber had lost the trust and support of longtime colleagues and political leaders who were encouraging him to go.

Some Oregonians may agree with Kitzhaber's misguided analysis. Others still feel burned. But by blaming anyone else for what played out in 2015, Kitzhaber only undermines the potential for him to earn back that trust.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom.

Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, John Maher, Helen Jung and Mark Katches.

To respond to this editorial:

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If you have questions about the opinion section, contact Laura Gunderson, editorial and commentary editor, at 503-221-8378 or lgunderson@oregonian.com.
When students return to school this fall with fewer teachers, larger class sizes and shorter school years, they should write thank-you notes - on paper donated by parents, of course - to the three people responsible for such cuts: Gov. Kate Brown, Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek.

The three Democrats, all longtime politicians, announced Thursday that they're giving up for now on trying to bring about the financial stability this state desperately needs. Rather than spend the remaining weeks in the session pursuing necessary reforms to public employees' pension benefits and hammering out a corporate tax deal, the three are patching together a makeshift budget and letting schools and state agencies limp through the next biennium. Again.

With a projected $1.4 billion deficit and public employers facing escalating pension contributions for years to come, Oregon needed leaders this legislative session - people who would back up their soundbites of concern over the state's 3rd worst high-school graduation rate with action to ensure that money sent to K-12 districts was making it to the classroom. That would require legislators, particularly Democrats, to summon the political courage to face down public employee unions and negotiate benefit reductions that would free up money for services.

But Democrats, who control the House, Senate and the governor's office, haven't been able to find it. Instead, for months, they pounded businesses, saying if they wouldn't come support more corporate tax revenue, then they would not advance any pension reforms. But even when the Brighter Oregon business coalition put forward a plan to raise another $500 million in new business revenue - provided legislators addressed the state's structural spending problems - Democrats balked. Now, Brown, Courtney and Kotek are looking to kick the can down the road, saying that they will "start planning the next steps to lead to success in the 2019 session," according to The Oregonian/OregonLive's Hillary Borrud.

Oregon cannot wait until 2019. Consider our fiscal situation amid a booming - at least for now - economy:

Oregon is collecting more tax revenue than ever before with projections to rake in $1 billion more in general-fund and lottery dollars in the 2017-2019 biennium than in the current two-year cycle. Yet, that record amount doesn't even come close to keeping up with spending, which has outpaced the growth of Oregon's booming economy.

To get even more specific: Legislators are poised to vote on an $8.2 billion K-12 budget for the coming budget cycle. That's 11 percent more than schools have had for the current biennium. But even that double-digit gain won't prevent school districts from trimming the school year and laying off teachers, counselors and librarians. Districts must make those cuts because otherwise they cannot pay for increases in employee health care, pension contributions and other expenses.

Even the National Education Association acknowledges that Oregon's spending per student beats the national average and exceeds Washington's spending by $2,000 per student. The problem? It's not getting into the classroom.

This is not rocket science. It is not difficult to recognize that the state needs to curb its spending - either with or without corporate tax reform.

And for a split second, it seemed that Democratic leaders and unions were ready to step up. Earlier this month, Courtney introduced a bill, SB 1068, that would require public employees to take a small portion of the amount they (or public employers) put in a 401(k) type account and redirect it into the main pension fund. It was too small to be anything but a symbolic change, but it was significant for the message it sent: There are legally viable ways to ease the unfunded pension liability on public employers, despite the fiction that Democrats had repeatedly put forth that nothing could be done.

Unfortunately, the bill has gone nowhere. Two other PERS reform bills that would more aggressively curb costs have been in legislative limbo since April.

Legislators can blame businesses for resisting their favored method of tax reform. They can blame voters for approving initiatives that restrict their options. They can blame Republicans for not blindly supporting new taxes without controls on the state's relentless spending. But none of that changes the fact that Brown, Courtney and Kotek are willing to let this state and its schools hobble through another budget cycle when there's still time to broker deals that could bring stability for the next decade. They can still be the leaders this state needs. But if they hold fast to their refusal, this failure will belong to them, and Oregonians across the state should know that.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Editorial Agenda 2017

Boost student success

Get Oregon's financial house in order

Help our homeless

Honor our diverse values

Make Portland a city that works

Expand access to public records

________________________

Read more about the editorial board's priorities for Oregon.

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom.

Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.

To respond to this editorial:

Post your comment below, submit

, or

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If you have questions about the opinion section, contact Laura Gunderson, editorial and commentary editor, at 503-221-8378 or lgunderson@oregonian.com.
Gov. Kate Brown dissed a war hero. Or so the story goes.

And as the tale finds safe harbor, we watch another simple, incendiary narrative drive us through these complex times.

Few issues are as convoluted as health-care, a context the story requires. Boxed in by campaign promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and the House Republicans pitched a plan that leaves 23 million more Americans uninsured.

Six weeks later, reclusive Senate Republicans are rolling out their own health-care package, one that similarly decimates Medicaid expansion.

In Oregon, meanwhile, Universal Health Services has long sought state approval for a 100-bed private psychiatric hospital in Wilsonville.

Universal is the nation's largest for-profit psychiatric hospital chain, and operates Cedar Hills Hospital in Southwest Portland. The company says Cedar Hills turned away dozens of patients each month in 2016 because its 89 beds were full.

In late February, the Oregon Health Authority denied the application for the $35 million hospital in Wilsonville. Local health-care providers didn't want the competition, having just opened the Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Northeast Portland.

SEIU Local 49 opposed construction of a non-union facility and the expansion of a company under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for possible fraudulent billings.

And mental-health advocates, including Chris Bouneff at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, argued the addition of expensive private hospital beds in another Portland suburb might damage the state's existing, and slowly improving, mental-health system.

"You have to build a community system," Bouneff says. "It isn't a shiny hospital. It's a 12-bed crisis respite center. It's having robust community services, so someone can not only reach recovery but maintain recovery."

A private facility in Wilsonville might supplant, not add capacity, Bouneff argues, because it will draw patients with the best insurance plans, not those threatened by the rollback of Medicaid expansion: "Then the economics don't pan out at the other hospital systems, and they leave the business."

Universal Health Services was understandably frustrated by those conclusions, and appealed the state's decision.

That's not all it did. Universal regrouped, refocused and, after hiring Hubbell Communications in March, reinvented the Wilsonville facility as a sanctuary for Oregon's veterans and military families.

It was a smart, strategic move. While the original campaign for certification prioritized in-patient services "for children and adolescents," the new push emphasized Oregon's 317,000 veterans, many of whom routinely struggle with post-traumatic stress, thoughts of suicide and other mental-health issues.

On April 6, the Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness introduced Senate Bill 1054. The bill calls for a two-year exemption from the state's certificate-of-need process for a new hospital that offers inpatient psychiatric services to veterans and their families.

It was passionately championed in committee by Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, who lost a son, a U.S. Navy veteran, to suicide last year.

But while Senate President Peter Courtney voted for the bill in committee out of respect for Boquist, he directed SB 1054 to Senate Rules, where it will languish until the session ends.

That move set the stage for the aborted June 8 meeting between the governor and Master Sergeant Leroy Petry, who received the Medal of Honor in 2011 for his extraordinary service in Afghanistan in 2008.

Petry was at the Capitol for five hours to meet legislators and speak at a rally in support of the bill. With scant notice - less than nine hours - Brown's staff reserved the governor's ceremonial office for her meeting with the decorated Ranger.

Petry arrived early. Brown never arrived at all. One meeting ran late, spokesperson Bryan Hockaday says, and testimony for a House bill called. "Our staff came out and profusely apologized," Hockaday says.

I won't diminish the sloppy ineptitude that prevented Brown from giving Petry the salute he deserved. But it's not the insult that should distract us.

Better we ask: Did the Oregon Health Authority make the right call? Does its decision justify

by the for-profit hospital? Have our public servants, near and far, dispensed with public hearings?

And when do Oregon Republicans outraged by this "slight" to veterans confront Capitol Hill Republicans who would end affordable health-care insurance for veterans with pre-existing conditions such as PTSD and substance abuse?

"The way UHS is couching this issue is cartoonish," Bouneff says. "The company wants to build a hospital. This whole issue with veterans is a smokescreen for what this conversation should really be about.

"Everything we're talking about locally and nationally is connected. Do we need another hospital to serve the general population, with some portion dedicated to veterans, while we're destroying access to coverage that will help pay for those services?"

That travesty deserves a rally. But the governor dissed a Medal of Honor winner. Or so the story goes.

-- Steve Duin

stephen.b.duin@gmail.com
A fire that ripped through a Vancouver 7-Eleven on June 14 was ignited by a 4-year-old boy with a lighter, The Columbian reported Thursday.

According to investigators, the child found a long-neck lighter and wandered off into the aisles while his mom spoke with the store clerk. He then lit several items on fire.

After the incident, The Columbian reported that the fire "damaged half of the interior structure and 90 percent of the store's contents" causing around $310,000 in damages. A group of 28 firefighters brought the fire under control in around 25 minutes.

Nobody was hurt.

Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli told The Columbian that no one has recommended formal charges but that the fire department and juvenile justice system are assisting the boy and his family using the youth fire setter intervention program.

The program is free for parents of children with inappropriate interest in fire or who are already setting fires. Contact the Vancouver Fire Marshal's Office at 360-487-7260 for help.

The Columbian reported that according to the National Fire Protection Association, "more than 40 percent of house fires sparked by playing with fire were started by kids younger than 6."

Scarpelli said fires started by very young children are often the result of curiosity and mimicking adult behavior.

"We encourage our citizens that are in our area, if they have concerns about their kids," Scarpelli told the paper, "to give us a call and we can get them scheduled for an intervention."

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker
Updated at 1:20 p.m.

SALEM  A Seattle-based energy consultant implicated in a widening corruption scandal was arraigned Friday morning on dozens of bribery, racketeering, theft and tax evasion charges.

Martin Shain is accused of paying nearly $300,000 in kickbacks to a former manager at the Oregon Department of Energy, Joe Colello, who helped him broker state energy tax credit sales and earn lucrative commissions. Colello pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and other felonies earlier this week.

Shain, 60, was arraigned in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Janet Klapstein on 78 counts. She appointed a preliminary public counsel for Shain, whom she noted had already qualified for a court-appointed attorney in federal court. Shain was released on his own recognizance with no objection by state prosecutors.

On his way out of court, Shain said he had no comment then stopped briefly.

"My life has been ruined," he told The Oregonian/OregonLive. "I lost everything."

"You know, intentions are not equal to outcomes," he added. "I've served this state for 20 years, and I have nothing."

Shain was both a consultant on energy projects and a tax credit broker. Court documents allege that he bribed Colello on more than 50 occasions, with payments ranging from $1,000 to $14,130. Colello told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he deposited the cashier's checks, which arrived via FedEx, in his brokerage account.

Shain also faces charges stemming from an August 2016 indictment. Prosecutors say he used forged documents to obtain nearly $12 million in state energy tax credits for a solar project at Oregon State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology.

State and federal law enforcement agencies launched investigations of the solar project after a February 2015 report in The Oregonian/OregonLive raised questions about the authenticity of the documents and Shain's involvement in gaining the tax credits.

Shain was hired by the state on that project to help solicit proposals, select vendors, negotiate contracts, monitor construction and help secure the tax credits. He was paid some $2.4 million in fees, most of it by the project developer, SolarCity.

Shain became an active player in the lucrative business of brokering tax credits, joining other firms and individuals in the gold rush that ensued after the state supersized the long-running energy incentive program and issued hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits. The business entailed helping tax credit recipients -- including municipalities, state agencies, transit agencies and private companies -- sell them for cash to deep-pocketed individuals and corporations looking to reduce their tax liabilities.

The state allowed the sales to help project backers raise upfront cash. For years, those sales were handled strictly by the energy agency, with Colello in charge of matching up buyers and sellers and verifying that the transactions took place at the state-mandated price.

That worked smoothly until 2010, when the market for tax credits plunged during the Great Recession. Then, in 2012, the market softened as the original sunset date of the program approached, and tax credits flooded the market.

In the end, third-party brokers virtually took over Colello's matchmaking role. The brokers earned hefty commissions in the process, sometimes 10 percent or more of the value of the tax credits they placed.

Shain's brokerage business, RC Shain & Associates, is registered to 85-year-old Roselle Shain of Seattle.

Her relationship to Martin Shain was not immediately clear, but his brother has become entangled in the forgery case. Earlier this year, Phil Shain submitted an affidavit to the court claiming he forged the documents to save his brother's business, which was in danger if the solar project fell through.

--Ted Sickinger

503-221-8505; @tedsickinger
SALEM  Oregon could become the first state in the nation to mandate work schedule predictability for certain food service, retail and hospitality workers, if a bill advanced by the Senate Thursday also passes the House.

The bill would help on-call employees, including many earning low wages, who can have shifts added or taken away at the last minute. It is among Democrats' top priority workplace policy bills this session, which also include an equal pay law signed into law earlier this month.

Similar to the Equal Pay Act, Senate Bill 828 passed by the Senate on Thursday was the result of work led by a bipartisan team: Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland, and Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend. Supporters on both sides of the aisle acknowledged they traveled a contentious path to the eventual compromise.

On the Senate floor Thursday, Taylor thanked Knopp "for helping to keep everyone at the table until we could come up with a compromise." The tone was in contrast to sniping in the Oregon House Thursday, after Democratic leaders announced they were giving up on an effort to overhaul corporate taxes and curb public pension costs this session.

"We heard from employees that due to unpredictable schedules, they had an extremely difficult time making plans to take care of basic needs, for example making doctor's appointments, planning child care, etcetera," Taylor said. "We also heard from those that testified that it is difficult to improve your life without a more predictable schedule, for example taking a class or securing an additional job."

The Senate passed the bill Thursday on a bipartisan vote of 23-6. The "no" votes were all cast by Republicans, but a half dozen Republicans also voted "yes."

In comments on the Senate floor, Knopp quoted Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, asking "What happens when we stop trying to beat the other person and start working toward a solution?" Knopp said that's what happened with the Fair Work Week Act. "We know a lot of workers have more than one job," Knopp said, and the bill would make it easier for those employees to keep those jobs and meet their families' needs. Knopp said an extension of the current preemption on local governments passing work scheduling laws also solidified his support for the bill.

Some cities, including Seattle, New York and San Francisco, have already passed laws regulating on-call worker scheduling, according to a press release from Senate Democrats. According to the caucus, the bill "is the product of numerous discussions between business and labor that began as a fairly contentious conversation that seemed to be at a roadblock. The groups came back together and hammered out a workable solution."

The Fair Work Week Act would set work scheduling standards for the largest retail, hospitality and food service employers  those with at least 500 employees worldwide. Starting in July 2018, those companies would have to give their Oregon employees written estimates of their work schedules seven days before the start of the work week. The notice requirement would increase to 14 days in July 2020.

The bill would set other requirements, too, including the right for employees to rest between shifts and receive extra pay if they're scheduled to work two shifts with less than a 10-hour break in between. Hannah Taube, spokeswoman for the Working Families Party, praised the measure on Thursday. The party worked with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 union and other interests to push for passage of the bill.

"Hard-working people deserve a fair work week," Taube said in a statement. "This legislation is a significant step forward in helping families plan for things like postsecondary education, health care needs, and management of their personal finances."

-- Hillary Borrud

503-294-4034; @hborrud
A convicted felon who went on a buffalo hunt in Montana and grabbed a rifle when the buffalo came charging is now facing a felon in possession of a firearm charge in federal court.

Cecil Wesley Tias, 45, of Pendleton made his first appearance on the charge Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Staci F. Beckerman said she initially thought the case was very serious, based on the charge alone and Tias' criminal record, which includes a 2006 involuntary manslaughter conviction.

Cecil W. Tias

But after learning more of the details, the judge said she understood the case a little better.

"The buffalo were charging. They were not far from Mr. Tias,'' explained assistant federal public defender Ruben Iniguez. "He made the mistake of picking up the gun.''

The incident occurred Feb. 23 in Gallatin County, Montana. Tias grabbed a Savage Arms model .243 caliber, bolt-action rifle, according to federal prosecutors.

Iniguez told the court that there's not much dispute about the facts of the case, and Tias will appear as required in federal court in Montana next month. Defense lawyers may argue that there was a "lawful sporting purpose'' for Tias to grab the rifle.

Beckerman agreed to release Tias from custody, with GPS monitoring and a remote alcohol testing system in place. He must report on his own to federal court in Butte, Montana, on July 12. Family members intend to rent a car and drive to Montana for the court appearance, Tias' defense lawyer said.

While the felon in possession of a firearm charge initially caught the judge off guard, Beckerman said the case will serve as a "good lesson'' for her not to be judgmental about a case based on the charge alone until she knows the facts behind it.

Tias was convicted in 2006 of involuntary manslaughter, found to have caused the death of a woman while driving drunk on the Umatilla Indian Reservation on May 29, 2005, according to court records.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
A Multnomah County grand jury has found no criminal wrongdoing by a Portland police officer who shot and killed a man armed with a utility knife and described as acting erratically earlier at a transit station in Southeast Portland.

The jury reviewed Officer Samson Ajir's shooting of Terrell Kyreem Johnson, 24, who died of multiple gunshot wounds, on May 10.

It found the officer's use of deadly force was "a lawful exercise of self-defense'' under criminal law, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.

The office will request that the grand jury transcripts be made public sometime next month.

Terrell K. Johnson

Portland police have said they were initially dispatched to a transit station on Southeast Flavel Street because someone called 911 to say Johnson was threatening people.

West Linn Officer Jacob Howell, assigned to the interagency Transit Police Division, arrived and spoke with Johnson, "who was noncompliant and would not sit down," according to police.

Johnson ran as Ajir arrived in the area with his partner, Clackamas County sheriff's Deputy A.J. Ajir, who is his brother.

Johnson went west on Flavel Street before turning around and heading east. Then he went north on a MAX bridge that goes over Johnson Creek.

Samson Ajir and Johnson were close to each other when police said Johnson turned around towards the officer, and "advanced towards him'' while holding a utility knife. That prompted Samson Ajir to unholster his gun and shoot Johnson multiple times, according to police. Police haven't released other details of the encounter.

Johnson was homeless as of late April, when he was arrested in Multnomah County on suspicion of felony theft, according to court records.

Johnson reported being unemployed and having no mental health problems, the records show. He also reported using marijuana every other day, drinking alcohol at least once a week and using other drugs intermittently.

His mother filed a petition last September for a restraining order to prevent abuse, citing fear of imminent injury, records show. The order was granted and was to remain active through the end of August, according to records.

"Every time he ... threatens to tear up my house or tells me he wishes I was dead or threatens to kill me I feel like it is more unsafe especially because I know he has no respect for me, my husband or our house," she wrote in the petition.

Johnson also was arrested in April and accused of malicious mischief, resisting arrest and obstruction, all misdemeanors, in Cowlitz County. Records show he had missed his court date, and a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

The Police Bureau will conduct an internal review of the encounter and the case will go before the Police Review Board, which includes police, community members and representatives from the city's Independent Police Review Division.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Johnson family and the families of Officer and Deputy Ajir during this difficult time," Portland Police Chief Mike Marshman said in a statement after the shooting. "This is not the outcome anyone desires and it's distressing for all involved. We remain committed to full transparency and upon completion of the grand jury, we will ensure the entire investigation is released in a timely manner."

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
Another in-state prospect is off the board.

After competing in a camp at UCLA on Thursday, Scout three-star offensive lineman Marco Brewer announced his commitment to the Bruins over offers from Boise State, Nevada, Oregon State, Utah State and Washington State:

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound interior lineman, out of Corvallis High School, is rated the No. 10 prospect in the state and joins Lake Oswego offensive lineman Dawson Jaramillo and Tigard athlete Braden Lenzy (Oregon), as well as Jesuit athlete Trey Lowe and Wilsonville defensive end Draco Bynum (Wilsonville), as Oregon high school players who have recently committed to Pac-12 programs.

Earlier this month, Brewer added an offer from local school Oregon State, and while he expressed excitement about receiving the offer he also noted that remaining in his home state was not a factor in his recruitment.

That left the door open for other Pac-12 programs to enter the mix.

During his visit to UCLA this week, the Bruins did just that.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec
Friday 23 June 2017 9:14am



Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne

Dunedin breakfast cereal manufacturer Harraway & Sons Ltd has formalised its donation of $100,000 to the University of Otago's Department of Food Science to establish the Harraways 1867 Visiting Professorship at a signing ceremony today.

Harraways are making the donation to mark the company's 150th anniversary and Chief Executive Officer Stuart Hammer says it will also mark a long association with the University of Otago in the food science area.

"The University has been an important resource for us in a number of different ways. The Department of Food Science has been invaluable in helping us develop new products and allowing us to tap into that knowledge and scientific expertise," he says.

"We have also been able to employ excellent graduates and each year we also engage undergraduate food science students to carry out projects that have generated great new ideas. In more recent years we have also enjoyed a strong relationship with staff and students in the Department of Marketing, drawing from their knowledge in areas such as digital marketing."

Mr Hammer says the Harraways 1867 Visiting Professorship is about Harraways giving back to a greater degree. It will bring added expertise into the country, which will help not just the local community but New Zealand as a whole.

University of Otago Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne says gifts such as the Harraways 1867 Visiting Professorship highlight the strong links Otago has developed with the business community.

"It also underscores the fact these links are not simply lip service but are strong, practical relationships which see us share expertise and provide talented, workplace-ready graduates in meaningful roles with successful companies. It is especially gratifying to see this happen with such an iconic Dunedin brand."

Head of the Department of Food Science Professor Indrawati Oey says the 1867 Harraways Visiting Professorship fellowship will provide advantages to the Department and the University of Otago by attracting prominent, high-calibre professors in research, teaching and with industrial links from around the world.

"Their contribution to our teaching and research will advance our current knowledge in food science and technology and improve our capability in providing advice and service to governmental agencies and food industries. In addition, this fellowship will strengthen the collaboration and exchange of ideas between the University of Otago and other institutions, and broaden the current international network of the Food Science Department," she says.

"The Department sincerely thanks Harraways & Sons Ltd for their generous gift to us. We will certainly use this funding wisely to improve our teaching, research and service."

Activities involving the visiting experts are expected to include public lectures, seminars, and workshops which would also be open to other universities, research institutes, governmental bodies and industries.

The afternoon tea and signing ceremony to celebrate the Harraways 1867 Visiting Professorship took place this afternoon, in the University of Otago Council Chamber.
Friday 23 June 2017 12:57pm

New Zealand conservation workers are keen on gene-editing to eradicate pests but would rather avoid playing God with native species, a University of Otago study suggests.

In an article published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, researchers from the Departments of Anatomy and Zoology outline the views of 148 Department of Conservation (DOC) staff over the use of both gene-editing to save endangered animal species and de-extinction to resurrect those already lost.

Dr Helen Taylor, who co-led the study, is concerned that conservation practitioners are being left out of discussions on synthetic biology techniques like gene-editing.

She says the survey was a chance to assess how conservation workers feel about these issues, and the results were striking.

New Zealand is arguably an ideal testing ground for de-extinction and gene-editing, given the number of species which have become extinct in the past 150 years, its invasive mammal predators and the number of native species with very low genetic diversity.

But Dr Taylor says there is clearly strong opposition from some conservation practitioners to the idea of resurrecting extinct species when doing that might divert funding away from existing conservation projects.

Of those surveyed, 62 per cent considered de-extinction would be impossible to achieve in their lifetimes, while 47 per cent thought it could be a useful conservation and pest control, tool.

However, attitudes to gene editing depended on its application, Dr Taylor says.

When we asked DOC staff whether they would be prepared to consider gene editing to save a native species from extinction, 41 per cent of respondents said they would rather see the species go extinct.

Yet when we flipped that question to ask whether gene editing should be used for eradicating introduced species, 85 per cent were in favour.

Its interesting that people had real concerns about playing God when it came to native species, but not so much for the perceived bad guys  the invasive species.

These concerns about playing God demonstrate that attitudes towards synthetic biology, including gene editing and de-extinction, are not always objective or information-based. These are value judgments with ethical implications  simply providing more information may not change opinion on these topics for conservation practitioners or anyone else.

Dr Taylor says progress in gene-editing and de-extinction research is rapid and scientists are likely not too far off splicing genes from extinct species into embryos of their modern relatives.

Securing the support of many parties, including conservation practitioners, will be the key to the success of any synthetic biology-conservation endeavour. Thats because its likely the burden of maintaining a resurrected species in the wild, or managing the outcomes of a gene-editing intervention, would fall on those already under-resourced conservation staff.

It is widely acknowledged that a gap exists between genetics research and conservation practice, which could widen with increased use of genomics.

It is therefore vital to understand practitioner attitudes to conservation-driven de-extinction and gene-editing. This is a good start, but the conversation needs to continue.

The study was co-authored by Associate Professor Yolanda van Heezik, of the Universitys Department of Zoology, and Dr Nicolas Dussex, formerly of the Department of Anatomy but now at the Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.

For more information, please contact:

Dr Helen Taylor

Department of Anatomy, University of Otago

Email: helen.taylor@otago.ac.nz
Friday 23 June 2017 3:51pm



Professor David Lont

Some of the global superstars of accounting research will be in Dunedin next week for a Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance (JAAF) Conference.

Co-hosted by the University of Otago's Department of Accountancy and Finance and the School of Accounting and Finance at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, it is the first time a JAAF conference has been held in New Zealand.

Organiser Professor David Lont said around 90 researchers will be attending the boutique 2017 conference in Dunedin from 25-27 June, covering new research into financial reporting, auditing and finance.

Professor Lont said it is not a large accounting conference by world standards, but it is one of the elite, and Otago is excited to be hosting it. The Journal and its conference have a strong reputation for attracting top scholars, providing an engaging environment for generating ideas and discussion, and also for fostering emerging talent, he said.

We are also excited to build this association with Hong Kong Poly as it allows us to deepen our connections to leading academics from Asia and the USA, many visiting the New Zealand for the first time.

Were expecting some fresh new perspectives and opportunities to emerge from this.



Some of the top scholars include keynote speaker Professor Jim Ohlson from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, whose work on accounting valuation models won a notable contribution award.

Linda Myers from the University of Tennessee, whose investigations into "earnings strings" or declining earnings numbers will provide insights to the practical implication of her work. This research generated considerable media attention including from The Economist and the New York Times. Her paper went on to win the Financial Accounting and Reporting (FARS) best paper award after being published by JAAF.

The programme consists of a keynote and plenary and concurrent sessions.

Plenary speakers include Martin Lubberink, (Victoria), Dan Wangerin (Michigan State), Qiang Kang, (Florida International), Melissa LewisWestern, (Brigham Young), Wenli Huang, (Hong Kong Poly U).

High profile academics include Peter Easton, the University of Notre Dame whose centre seeks to bridge the gap between academia and practice, Ted Christensen, University of Georgia, Thomas Omer, University of Iowa an expert on tax avoidance and financial reporting Irregularities, and XiaoJun Zhang, University of California, Berkeley an expert on financial statement analysis and accounting theory.

Leading magician Jonathan Usher is MC for the welcome on 25 June and thanks to the sponsorship from Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand and CPA Australia, local members of the profession will join delegates at Otago Museum.

For further information, contact:

Professor David Lont

Ph 64 3 479 8119

Email david.lont@otago.ac.nz
At its Tuesday meeting, Midland County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved two millage rates for operating budgets -- one a renewal and the other an increase.

The renewal will provide 0.55 mill for the operation of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018. Since 2010, the millage has remained at 0.55 mill. At that time, the millage rate actually decreased from 0.57 mill in 2009 to the current rate of 0.55 mill.

The increased rate will be for the 2018 911/Emergency Dispatch Services fiscal year. The four-year millage of 0.70 mill will be for the purpose of funding Central Dispatch operations for 2018 including the countywide public safety radio system.

Last August, by a 76.8 to 23.2 percent margin, voters approved an increase of up to 0.70 mill "for the purpose of maintaining Enhanced 911/Emergency Dispatch Services and the county wide radio system."

The four-year millage is estimated to raise $2,514,105 in the first year. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of equalized value. The previous millage had stood at 0.60 mill since 2008 when it increased from 0.50 mill.

The 0.70 mill should allow the 911 board to set aside $400,000 in both 2018 and 2019 for capital equipment. Plans are to spend an estimated $500,000 in 2019 for a computer aided dispatch system.

"Primarily this is for handling the radio system and preparing for replacements," County 911 Director Lisa Hall said at the finance committee meeting of June 13. "Now that we have the replacement done, we have to look toward the future toward replacement. We also have a major capitol project, which is our CAD (computer aided dispatch) system, which we are setting money aside for."

Following the public portion of the meeting, commissioners went into closed session for the annual evaluation of Administrator/Controller Bridgette Grandson.

In other business, commissioners:

 Approved a $64,265.17 contract with Graphic Sciences for the conversion of old files at the Midland County Courthouse to a digital format. As the courthouse undergoes renovation, the conversion will reduce the amount of storage space required. The funds will be paid from the General Fund surplus.

 Approved the demolition of a deteriorated barn at Pinecrest Farms for $12,955 with Finney Trucking.

 Approved a grant in the amount of $8,100 for the Midland County Sheriff's Department to enter into an agreement with the Michigan DNR for a Marine Safety Program.

 Approved a $6,000 increase in the Community Corrections Grant from the Michigan Department of Corrections. The additional funding is for Drunk Driver Jail Reduction Community Treatment.

During the summer months, the board will hold just one meeting per month. Its next meeting will take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 18 in the Midland County Services Building. The board meeting will follow the Executive Committee meeting that begins at 9 a.m.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department.

Wednesday, June 21

1:41 a.m. -- A motorist was arrested in the 4900 block of Eastman Avenue for drunken driving.

12:05 p.m. -- A deputy conducted a well being check on a Larkin Township woman, 47. The woman had missed an appointment, and said she had been sleeping.

12:17 p.m. -- A Jerome Township man, 58, was cited for animals at large after deputies responded to a report of loose pigs.

2:38 p.m. -- A deputy checked for a vehicle that might have struck another vehicle in the parking lot of a Lincoln Township gas station. The vehicle was not found.

7:05 p.m. -- A resident reported someone used their debit card number to make purchases, totaling $681, in Canton.

7:13 p.m. -- Police investigated a case of child abuse in the 5200 block of Hedgewood Drive.

8:56 p.m. -- Officers investigated a traffic offense at Eastman Avenue and Denver Street.

9:07 p.m. -- A motorist was arrested at South Saginaw Road and Dartmouth Drive for second-offense driving while license suspended.

9:16 p.m. -- Police were called to a case of retail fraud in the 900 block of Joe Mann Boulevard.

9:30 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to a Midland Township home to check the well being of an 11-year-old girl. The girl was upset about an argument.

10:21 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to a report of an overdose in Greendale Township. The 47-year-old woman was taken to the emergency room by paramedics before the deputy arrived.

11:51 p.m. -- A Lincoln Township woman, 54, reported an item she ordered online, valued at $224, was missing from the box that was delivered to her home.

Tuesday, June 20

12:58 a.m. -- A Lincoln Township man, 21, was arrested in Lee Township for drunken driving. He was stopped for speeding.

3:10 a.m. -- Property was stolen from the 7400 block of Eastman Avenue.

10:32 a.m. -- A deputy was sent to Mills Township to check the well being of a man who was reported to be slumped over the steering wheel of a tractor. The man was found cutting grass and there were no problems.

11:20 a.m. -- Property was stolen from the 200 block of East Haley Street.

12:46 p.m. -- Police investigated a case of fraud in the 5100 block of Whispering Ridge Drive.

2:15 p.m. -- A deputy checked a report of a garbage truck losing debris in Edenville Township. No rubbish was found, and the deputy asked a driver to let other drivers know of the problem.

2:42 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a report of a driver that squealed his vehicle's tires in Sanford. The vehicle was found and the driver, a 29-year-old Midland County man, was warned about his poor driving behavior.

6:49 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to a Jerome Township roadway for a report of a possible water main break, and found the road was soft and had bubbled up. The road commission was notified.

8 p.m. -- A motorist was arrested at Fitzhugh and Grove streets for driving while license suspended.

10:26 p.m. -- An Edenville Township man, 27, was arrested in that township for driving while his license was suspended and on a warrant, as well as cited for driving with no proof of insurance. He was stopped for speeding.
Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The man facing charges in connection with the stabbing of a police officer at the Bishop International Airport in Flint is being held in the Midland County Jail.

The Midland County Sheriffs Office confirmed the suspect, Amor Ftouhi, 49, is an inmate at the local facility. Ftouhi, of Canada and originally from Tunisia, is accused of stabbing airport police Lt. Jeff Neville with a large knife after yelling "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great on Wednesday morning.
WestRock to Acquire Assets from Island Container Corp. and Combined Container Industries LLC

June 23, 2017 (Press Release) - WestRock Company [on June 21] announced that it has entered into agreements to acquire substantially all of the assets of Island Container Corp. and Combined Container Industries LLC, which together are independent producers of corrugated boxes, sheets and point-of-purchase displays.

The assets to be acquired include a corrugator and the corrugated converting operations located in Wheatley Heights, New York, and certain related fulfillment assets located in Saddle Brook, New Jersey.

"Island Container and Combined Container have longstanding relationships with customers in cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food markets in the Northeastern United States, and we look forward to continuing these relationships," said Steve Voorhees, CEO of WestRock. "This acquisition will enable us to integrate more than 80,000 tons of containerboard into our corrugated packaging business."

WestRock will pay total consideration representing an EBITDA multiple of less than 4.5 times on a post-synergy basis. The consideration will be made in cash. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

WestRock aspires to be the premier partner and unrivaled provider of paper and packaging solutions in consumer and corrugated markets. To learn more, please visit: www.westrock.com

SOURCE: WestRock Company
Today, Gosha Rubchinskiy announced the return of the skate brand Paccbet. The brand, first launched last September, is a collaboration with Rubchinskiy's friend and pro-skater Tolia Titaev, and the second season will be released on June 27th at the Trading Museum in Paris and DSM London.

Speaking with Faye Fearon from Dazed, Rubchinskiy described the brand as "the collective work of a community." He added, "We have an idea in mind and think 'who would be perfect for this project?' It's a kind of family story."

There will also be four new skateboard designs to accompany the collection. Titaev said, "We want to grow the collection but not too fast. For the first collection, we concentrated on tops, t-shirts, sweatshirts and jerseys. This season we wanted to create a bigger collection, including denim pieces like jeans and jackets and cool denim caps."

Dazed got an exclusive look at the lookbook for the collection, shot by Sasha Mademuaselle and Sergey Kostromin and shown below. There will also be a short documentary to accompany the launch, showing Paccbet's skate team heading out to California.

"It's a diary about Moscow skaters going to see friends in California  it's about community," Titaev told Dazed.

Check out the first looks in the gallery below:

[h/t Dazed]

Images via Paccbet
Sir Ian McKellen, who has starred in X-Men, The Lord of the Rings, and virtually every other blockbuster movie series in existence, has proved his greatness once again with a simple statement. The legendary gay actor said that the film world is desperately in need of a gay superhero, specifically stating that James Bond should be gay.

"If you play James Bond as an outwardly camp, silly gay man that no one took seriously and then he turned out as many gay men are underneath their clothes  buff and strong and as hetero as any hetero  we might have a more truthful story than the one that has been told," he said to Variety. Truer words have never been spoken.

However, McKellen opted out of being the man to take the role, saying "I'm not volunteering, I'm insisting. No, I'm too old to play it. I can be on the periphery of this new version." But since we need this to happen, here are some openly gay actors that we feel could take on the role with easeand look damn good doing it.

Luke Evans

He would add a little rugged smugness but also inherit the goofiness that McKellen envisions, as proven by his role in Beauty and the Beast.



Ricky Martin

The Latino superstar doesn't come to mind when you think of actors, but with his new role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, him playing a spicy James Bond seems more natural.

Cheyenne Jackson

Ryan Murphy just knows how to feature the most smoldering and mysterious gay actors, doesn't he?



Guillermo Diaz

He already played a serial killer on Scandal, so he's got the suave physical capabilities that James Bond requires.



Frank Ocean

Admit it, you've always wanted to see Frank Ocean act, and what better role?

Matt Bomer

If anyone was born to play James Bond, it was this man. Case closed.



Images via BFA


Teetering on the edge of academia, I watch eagerly as each new hiring cycle rises and falls. This year marks the first season that my PhD, the longest single endeavor of my life, is finally done. My parents and many of their generation assured me throughout that once that diploma was in hand, the doors to milk and honey would be opened.

Or at least an entry level job with benefits.

But they were living in the past. I, along with countless friends and colleagues in academia, watched the real-time shriveling of the job reservoir. It was like the California drought, except that rain never came.

I teeter still a bit, scanning the job-sections of the academic news hubs, empty as the desert skies. But Im also taking the skills of academia elsewhere (yes, those transferable skills they tell undergraduates about are real). I can write. So I write now for a great online Buddhist publication based in Hong Kong: Buddhistdoor Global. I keep a toe in academic waters with an online Philosophy class here and there  sometimes World Religions too; as well as occasional on-the-ground classes.

And I have transfered my teaching skills, along with over fifteen years of meditation practice, over to mindfulness classes, which have been well-received thus far, leading to the rise of www.mindfulmontana.com and www.guideful.org. Im also co-leading a trip to India later this year and, well, well see what happens in my new home in Seattle, Wash.

As I turn my attention more away from academia (which is hard, as I do love it so), I leave with some simple footnotes on a critique. My own feelings are far too milquetoast  or rather ambivalent  to warrant their own, unaccompanied expression. So I turn to a piece in The Baffler by Maximillian Alvarez titled Contingent no More.

A SPECTER IS HAUNTING ACADEMIAthe specter of something that has yet to definitively claim a name for itself, but is rising nonetheless. So many of us have been buried underground, so many breathing through small breaks in the soil that covers our pristine university campuses where guided tours are given and frisbees are thrown, where deep-pocketed donors stroll nostalgically and future debtors gaze longingly. Looking up, we may, each of us, feel like the forgotten seeds moldering beneath these hallowed groundsbut we are, all of us, the tectonic plate holding them together. When we move, the world above will feel it.

Part of my reason for finally drawing this out is Pierce Salgueros recent guest post here on the critiques of mindfulness [6/17 edit: to be clear, the thoughts here are not aimed at Pierce or his work, but in part at least toward my own potential place in academia and sympathies for many of the critiques]. Many of these critiques have come from folks picking figs from the hallowed halls of academia; tenured and tenure-track intellectuals ignorant of or content to ignore the specter haunting them.

Theres no sense in reciting these conditions yet again. We already know the score. New generations of faculty and students crushed by unprecedented levels of debt; the increased precariousness of the academic labor force; the systematic devaluation of academic labor itself; the corporate-style structuring of higher educationsomething, somehow is going to give. Still, either out of pure denial or self-preservation, we keep carrying on as if these circumstances can be ignoredas if they exist only in dark spots on the fringes, which we can escape by doing better work, enrolling in better programs, getting better positions.

Ive asked fellow academics a few times about the specter and this sums up many of their responses. When I suggested that perhaps a nation-wide solidarity movement was needed, one more honest (imo) friend, suggested that tenured/tenure-track folks wont step up for students and the precariat because: theyre afraid.

And, as if to punctuate this fear, a university threatened the jobs of an entire philosophy department last month:

The chair of the Philosophy Department, John Hittinger, wrote, in a public Facebook post: Here are the facts and their significance: every member of philosophy (11 of us) and every member of the English department (7 of us) was not given a contract. That means we do not know if we are going to return to the university in the fall. We are dangled, our very lives and profession, are dangling before the whim of a strong man.

How many adjuncts or graduate students, whose lives have dangled every semester that they have ever known, are going to burst forth with sympathy for Hittinger and co? As later reported on Inside Higher Ed:

its puzzling to many on campus that reappointment notifications to tenured faculty members in philosophy may be sent up to month late this year, as the administration reviews department offerings in looking for ways to close a campus budget deficit.

Can any academic (especially those in fields like philosophy, english, foreign languages, or religious studies) really guarantee that this wont be them in the not-so-distant future? The answer is, I believe, a resounding no. However, most if not all are content to keep their heads down, smile warmly as provosts or presidents approach, talk of tightening their budgets and their better work. Content may be an unfair word there; as many are perhaps just quiet in their desperation.

Alvarez continues:

This speaks to the truly tenacious allure and staying power of the foundational myths that shape the academic vocation. As I argued recently in a piece for the Chronicle Review, the essential function of these myths is to guide the currents of professional and existential want, to shape our desires and expectations for what life as an academic should be. Such professional myths tell us what we are and what we should be striving to bevia the perceived rewards they deliver, the cultural capital that colleagues and non-academics ascribe to them, and the way they shape our conceptions of what an ideal academic looks like.

And, getting right down to it:

Its time we come to grips with the uncomfortable truth that many of the desires and lofty aims that drew us to academia in the first place are killing us softly, rotting away our ability to achieve the goals that initially drew us in while compounding the conditions of our own exploitation. That is, after all, the supreme draw, the sweet poison, of such myths: they prey on the most self-serving and hyper-individualized conceits of an already laissez-faire academic culture that idolizes individual thinkers while equating professional success with genuine intellectual worth. It shouldnt be hard to see how the mythology of such a culture merges so seamlessly with the neoliberal ethos of self-reliance and the self-serving fantasies of meritocracy and capitalistic bootstrapism.

I could quote all of it, but theres a word for that. And you really should read the full piece yourself.

Instead, I come back to mindfulness and my own turn away from academics critiques of it.

Academia is a Goliath, and it is slowly being brought to its knees by neoliberalism. Mindfulness, by contrast, is a pretty insignificant corner of the world, economically and culturally. I applaud continuing projects that uncover the history and understandings of past Buddhist practices (such as Robert Scharfs lecture here), current trends as discussed by academics like Ann Gleig, Scott Mitchell, Jeff Wilson, and others, or the forward looking thoughts discussed here or Miles Neales long-time insider critique discussed here recently.

I have no desire to draw out my own critique of academia. It is, after all, a critique of all of us (inside academia or not). It is a critique of the whole corrosive neoliberal system around us. Academia, and academics, are no more to blame than are mindfulness teachers or Buddhist lamas with twitter accounts. Im leary, as well, about tribalism: the idea that we dont criticize our own because we (buddhists, mindfulness teachers, academics, etc) are all on the same side against some reified enemy. People on our side are just as apt to make mistakes and just as deserving of the kind notice when they (and I!) do.

And so I go on, one eye on the system around me, one eye on the ground before me.
Iran Begins Pipeline Gas Exports To Iraq After Years Of Delay

06/23/17

Source: RFE/RL

Iran has begun exporting natural gas to neighboring Iraq after several years of delays, Iranian state media report. The semiofficial Fars news agency on June 22 said the exports began late the previous day through a pipeline to Baghdad.



The countries signed an agreement in 2013 for Iran to supply Iraqi power stations, but the project was delayed over what officials said was the poor security situation in Iraq.



But Iraqi government forces have recaptured control of much of the pipeline area in recent months, allowing the project to proceed.



About 7 billion cubic meters of gas will flow per day, eventually rising to 35 billion cubic meters a day, Amir Hossein Zamaninia, the Iranian deputy oil minister for trade and international affairs, was quoted as saying by state-run IRNA news agency.



IRNA reported that the countries also have a second agreement in 2015 to build a gas pipeline to the southern Iraqi city of Basra.



Years of sanctions imposed against Tehran have helped to slow development of Iranian gas projects, many experts have said.



Iran also exports a small amount of gas to Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.



Iran is developing production facilities in the South Pars offshore oil and gas field, which it shares with Qatar.



Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, Fars, Argus, and IRNA
Tehran to host 18th International Congress of Microbiology

06/23/17

Source: Mehr News Agency

The 18th edition of International Congress of Microbiology with participation of top microbiology professors from around the world will be held in Tehran University of Medical Sciences late August.





www.ismcongress.ir



The Iranian Congress of Microbiology brings infectious disease specialists together for presentation and discussion of research in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection from academia, the clinical setting and industry.



The congress aims to contribute to improvement in prophylaxis and treatment of infectious diseases throughout the world.



The 18th edition of the congress will take place at Tehran University of Medical Sciences on 29-31 August, 2017.



Microbiologists, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, laboratory scientists and all paramedical courses and related sciences can benefit from the issues raised during the Congress.



The International speakers invited from different countries including Prof. Louis Martinez, Prof. Javier Garau, and Prof. Hans-Peter Klenk, will give presentations on the important issues related to the science of microbiology, in the fields of both Clinical and Applied Microbiology.



Deadline for submitting papers is by June 6. More information about the congress is available through its website at www.ismcongress.ir.




Secretary Tillerson Eschews Iran Diplomacy in Favor of Regime Change

06/23/17

By Darius Namazi, National Iranian American Council (NIAC)



Secretary of State Tillerson:

U.S. Will Work To Bring Peaceful Transition In Iran



Secretary of State Rex Tillerson indicated he has no plans for negotiations with Iran and expressed favor for moving to support elements within Iran intent on regime change during testimony on the State Department budget in the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. Tillerson's remarks are certain to ratchet up tensions with Iran, where elements remain deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions and have levied charges on ordinary citizens for alleged collaboration with hostile powers.

Tillerson's remarks were in response to questioning from Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), a vocal supporter of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), whose members were in attendance at the briefing. Rep. Poe (R-TX) asked Tillerson whether the U.S. supports "a peaceful regime change" and whether it is U.S. policy "to lead things as they are or set up a peaceful long-term regime change." Tillerson implied that, it was U.S. policy to move toward supporting regime change, stating the U.S. would "work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of those governments."

The Obama administration was careful to avoid associating itself definitively and publicly with efforts to topple the regime, recognizing that it could undermine the cause of the Iranian people seeking to move their government in a more moderate direction as well as opportunities for negotiations. Further, given Tillerson's dismissal of Iran's elections when the moderate Hassan Rouhani trounced the hardline Ebrahim Raisi, it is unlikely Tillerson is endorsing the method that Iranian voters have chosen - gradual change through participation. Such an endorsement is more likely to be a boon to groups seeking to violently overthrow the Iranian government, such as the MEK. As a result, the Trump administration could be headed toward repeating the mistakes of the U.S.-sponsored overthrow of Mohammad Mossadeq in 1953.

On top of Tillerson's effective endorsement of regime change, the top diplomat gave no indication that he had considered engaging Iran diplomatically. In response to a question from Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) on whether he would press his Iranian counterparts on the whereabouts of his constituent, Bob Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007, Tillerson stated "I have no current schedule to meet with the Iranians."

Similarly, in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Tillerson dismissed suggestions from Sen. Murphy to engage in direct negotiations with Iran over Yemen. According to Tillerson, "The Iranians are part of the problem...They are not directly at the table because we do not believe they have earned a seat at that table. We would like for the Iranians to end their flow of weapons to the Houthis, in particular their flow of sophisticated missiles to the Houthis. We need for them to stop supplying that, and we are working with others as to how to get their agreement to do that."

In a further departure from the Obama administration, Tillerson ascribed hegemonic aspirations to Iran, despite the fact that it is being outspent militarily 5 to 1 by Saudi Arabia. Tillerson stated that the U.S., "must counter Iran's aspirations of hegemony in the region." President Obama described Iran as a regional power and urged Saudi Arabia to learn how to coexist.

However, Tillerson did decline to endorse the designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization when questioned by Rep. Poe, stating, "we continually review the merits both from the standpoint of diplomatic but also from international consequences of designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in its entirety as a terrorist organization." An Iran sanctions bill that just passed the Senate (S. 722) would push the Trump administration to issue such a designation, and Poe has been pushing a similar measure in the House.

While the Iran policy review is currently still underway, Sec. Tillerson's effective endorsement of regime change, disinterest in Iran negotiations and continued harsh rhetoric bodes ill for the administration's yet-to-emerge strategy.



Related Article:

Iran 1953 Covert History Quietly Released


Ghana is likely to face development assistance cuts from the United States if it does nothing to curb the high incidence of child labour and child trafficking in the country.



The Chief of Party of the Sustainable Fisheries Management Programme (SFMP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mr Maurice Knight, explained that Ghana had been classified as a Tier 2 watch list country for the second year in a row.



"It is expected that again this year, Ghana will be branded with the Tier 2 designation. This means that the US Department of State has concluded that the Ghana government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons, including child labour," he said.



Mr Knight was speaking at a durbar at Apam in the Central Region to mark the World Day Against Child Labour last Tuesday.



It was organised by the SFMP of the USAID with its partners, including the Central and Western regional Fishmongers Improvement Association (CELESTA) SNV, Friends of the Nation and the Development Action Association (DAA).



Mr Knight noted that being ranked a tier 2 country for successive years came with sanctions, including cuts in development assistance.



He said to avoid these cuts required both national and local level efforts aimed at reducing child labour and trafficking in the long term.



The Statistics



It is estimated that there are over 2.7 million child labourers in Ghana; the largest employers of child labourers being in the fishing, cocoa and artisanal mining sectors.



"Girls are still exploited in domestic servitude and often abused. Children are still forced to work long hours, often in dangerous conditions. Children are still being robbed of the chance to attend school, learn to read and just be a child," he observed.



Mr Knight said child labour in Ghana was still depriving large numbers of children of their potential and dignity and harmed them physically and mentally.



The Response



He said to help Ghana to respond to its pro tier 2 ranking and potential cuts in US government assistance, USAID's SFMP was supporting partners to implement a range of strategies aimed at reducing child labour and trafficking in the fisheries sector.



He stated that the SFMP and its partners were working to actively include vulnerable households along the coast in programmes that directly raised their income.



The District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, Mr Bismark Baisie Nkum, noted that in spite of the laws on child trafficking, child marriage, child prostitution, pornography and other vices against children, they were still ongoing in the communities.



He said there was an urgent need to take bold steps to curtail the menace and called on parents, chiefs, fishermen and traditional authorities to help reduce the menace by reporting such incidents to the police.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former National Security Advisor, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah says the unfortunate happenings in the country are uncalled-for and needs serious attention from the right authorities.



He called on the Nana Addo-led administration to arrest lawbreakers to serve as a deterrent to others.



Speaking on UTVs morning show Adekye Asroma, the former security capo was emphatic that Ghana is diverting from its peaceful state to a lawless state.



Ghana is not at peace, he noted.



He however condemned the barbaric act by indigenes of Denkyira-Obuasi that led to the killing of Late Major Adam Mahama.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007









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The United States Ambassador to Ghana has hinted that, Members of Parliament, Ministers of state including all former presidents are expected to join queue like ordinary Ghanaians, when applying for US visas for their private visits.



According to the US authorities, Ghana embassy has withdrawn all courtesies extended to top politicians in the country on such visits to their country.



Now if you are travelling for tourism or business that is not related to government business, you will need to make a personal appearance. For official travel, protocol officers pass the passports for visa applications through the foreign ministrys protocol office. But for personal travel, every person is required to make a personal appearance, even former presidents of Ghana have to come in for personal appearance, Mr Jackson told the parliament.



It is not yet known what triggered this latest diplomatic action by the US embassy, but sources say some politicians have abused the previous courtesy arrangement.



This harsh actions have been effected after the outgoing British High Commission to Ghana Jon Benjamin accused some four MPs of flouting the countrys visa regulations.

Source: mynewsgh.com









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MTN, Ghanas leading telecommunication network service provider has presented a cheque, airtime and other items to National Chief Imam towards the celebration of this years Eidul Fitr.



At a brief ceremony held at the residence of the National Chief Imam at Fadama, MTN presented items comprising a cheque of GHC3,000.00, MTN recharge vouchers worth GH500.00 cedis, 10 bags of rice, 2 cartons of vegetable oil, 10 boxes of mineral water, 10 cartons of soft drinks and a ram.



Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Mr. Abbad Reda, Chief Information Officer of MTN, stated that the celebration of Eidul Fitr brings families and communities together to share and strengthen their relationships encourage them to be charitable towards the less privileged and learn to live in harmony with neighbours. In the spirit of Eidul Fitr, we are here to lend our support once again towards the successful celebration of Eidul Fitr, as we have done in the past 10 years, he said.



In line with MTNs vision of leading the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers, MTN will carry out data activation during Eidul Fitr period at vantage points to give our valued customers an experiential feel of the benefits of our internet and data services, he added.



Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, spokesman of the National Chief Imam and Imams and Elders of the Muslim community, received the items on behalf of National Chief Imam and the Muslim community.



The National Chief Imam, Dr. Sheikh Usumanu Nuhu Sharubutu, thanked MTN for their continued generosity towards the Muslim community in Ghana and also prayed for Allah to continue to bless the fortunes of MTN Ghana.



MTN has been supportive of the Muslim community over the years. For the past six years, MTN has also committed resources to support the organization of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. In 2016, 14 mobile handsets, airtime worth GH 7,500 and MTN souvenirs were donated to facilitate the work of the Hajj Board.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana has lived up to her responsibilities as indicated in the United Nations and African Union Conventions on Refugees in ensuring that refugees are guaranteed all the fundamental human rights and freedoms available to Ghanaians.



Refugees in Ghana also have access to livelihoods as well as to social and other services without discrimination.



Additionally, the Ghana Refugees Board (GRB) in collaboration with the United Nations Human Right Centre for Refugee (UNHCR) has been working progressively to mainstream social services for refugees into the national systems.



All refugee camps schools had been integrated into the Ghana Education Services (GES), enabling refugee children to benefit from all social services that the GES provides for the Ghana Health Services with refugees enrolled on the National Health Insurance Scheme.



These were announced by Ms Doris Tagoe, Eligibility and Protection Officer of the GRB, in Accra at a stakeholders forum hosted by the Board and the Hope For Future Generations (HFFG), a non-government organisation, as Ghana joined the world to mark World Refugee Day.



The theme for the day was: With Refugees.



The GRB said together with its partners, it wanted the world to stand in solidarity with refugees and to know that they were ordinary people like everybody, but who were just often presented as an anonymous list of numbers.



The Refugee day was commemorated at Ampian Refugee Camp in the Western Region, with activities including officials inspecting UNHCR funded health centre recently handed over to the government, and unveiling of the intelsat-sponsored WiFi kiosk which provide free internet access to refugees and nationals living around the Ampian camp.



There was also an interactive distance learning programme for refugee children.



However, the day was also commemorated in all other refugee camps in the Central, Western and Brong Ahafo Regions.



Currently in Ghana, there are 13, 236 refugees from 34 countries of origin within and beyond Africa. These are made up of 11,865 refugees and 1,371 asylum seekers, with children making up 36.4 per cent of the refugees.



However, UNHCR has indicated that there are about 25.5 million refugees in the world and half of the number is below 18 years.



As of June this 2017, about 55 per cent of the world refugees were from only three countries, namely, South Sudan (1.4 million), Afghanistan (2.5 million) and Syria (5.5 million).



The highest hosting country in the world is Turkey which currently hosts 2.9 million refugees, and in Africa, Uganda, hosts the highest of about 940,800 refugees.



At the stakeholders forum, Ms Tagoe explained that on the World Refugee day, UNHCR with support of governments, partners, donors and the media, help raise awareness on refugee issues.



She said the Refugee Board and its partners were gradually shifting focus from the purely humanitarian approach of refugee management to a developmental approach, which had been necessitated by the dwindling humanitarian resources due to the rising number of refugees worldwide.



GRB is now focusing on harnessing the skills of refugees for reproductive ventures to benefit the refugees and the economy as a whole. This concept is outlined in the GRBs proposed Jobs Solutions Strategy, Ms Tagoe noted.



She however expressed regret that refugees all over the world continued to face many challenges, especially the challenge of survival in their country of asylum, while the vulnerable ones were prone to all forms of exploitation and sexual violence in their search of daily survival and livelihood.



The Forum, therefore called on all, especially, authorities in Ghana to ensure that there was justice delivery for victims of sexual violence while the term of imprisonment for perpetrators should be increased to serve as a deterrent to others.



Discussants also called on the government to operationlised the domestic violence victims and survival fund to enable victims access the fund to aid their care for medical attention and court attendances.

Source: GNA









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The Minister for Information, Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has suggested the need for communication and media schools in the country to introduce a course on conflict reporting.



This, he said would enable journalists and media practitioners acquire skills on best practices in conflict reporting.



Mr Hamid who was speaking at the launch of a manual on conflict-sensitive coverage at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) in Accra on Thursday, June 22, 2017 said: all journalism schools should have a course on conflict reporting."



Titled, Conflict-Sensitive Coverage: A Manual for Journalists Reporting Conflict in West Africa, the manual was produced by the School of Information and Communication Studies of the University of Ghana in collaboration with the LECIAD, with support from the African Peacebuilding Network (APN).



Background



The information contained in the manual is based on a two-day workshop organised in 2016 on Improving Media Coverage of Conflict and Peacebuilding in West Africa for some selected journalists from six West Africa countries - Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone by the School of Information and Communication Studies.



The manual is intended to offer a guide to editors and journalists working in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries in West Africa.



It also offers a sound basis for practitioners reporting conflict to transcend the dichotomies that characterise reports on conflict by prioritising the virtues of balance, equity, accuracy and constructive conflict transformation.



Conflict reporting



According to Mr Hamid, the manual would help to enhance the knowledge and understanding of journalists and media practitioners reporting on conflicts in Ghana and Africa as a whole.



He therefore, commended LECIAD, APN and School of Information and Communication Studies for coming out with the manual



Speaking at the event, the Dean of the School of Information and Communication Studies, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, who also edited the manual advised journalists reporting on conflicts to do so with the aim of promoting peace.



She said journalists and media practitioners functioned in different capacities in conflicts, adding that journalists and media practitioners served as interpreters, facilitators, catalysts and mediators of conflicts, hence the need for them to learn the best practices that would help prevent conflict and promote peace in their societies.



The Executive Director of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Mr Chukwuemeka B. Eze, said journalists could help avert possible conflicts when they report accurately on conflict-sensitive issues.



He expressed worry about some journalists and media houses that put money ahead of other considerations when reporting on conflict-sensitive issues.



He, however, advised journalists and media practitioners to refrain from reports that contribute to stereotypes, indicating that such reports inflame passions and promote conflicts and violence.



The Chairperson for the event, Ms Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, said the manual would help to fill a missing gap in media practice in Ghana and Africa.



She said the manual would enable media practitioners, particularly journalists reporting on conflicts to better their understanding and scope in conflict reporting.



Launching the book, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Interior, Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi, entreated journalists and media practitioners to report accurately, saying such reportage would help prevent conflicts in the country.



She expressed the hope that the manual would help improve conflict reporting in the country, thus promoting peace and harmony in the country.



The Programmes Director of APN, Dr Cyril Obi, in his remarks said the APN would continue to support projects that would help promote peace in the sub-region.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, has called on party sympathizers to ensure that there is peace in all electoral activities to promote tranquility in the NPP.



Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful, who is also the Minister of Communications, said the NPP continues to record petty avoidable conflicts during elections particularly at the primaries level, which affects the integrity of the party in the Constituency.



She was addressing hundreds of party members and sympathizers at the Ablekuma West Constituency Annual Delegates Conference in Accra, to deliberate on the progress of the party and the way forward.



This is in fulfillment of the partys constitutional provision, which enjoins the party executives to call an annual delegates conference at the constituency level ahead of its regional and national delegate conferences.



Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said government was resolute to fulfill the promises in the partys manifesto, and what it needed was patience and maximum co-operation from the public.



She assured the constituents that she would bring to bear her experience to propel the efforts of government to create more jobs to mitigate the menace of unemployment.



We know you are looking forward to enjoying the benefits of your toils. Be assured that government is working assiduously to address your needs, and very soon, you will reap from your sweat, she said.



The Minister said the public sector had limited job opportunities and that, government was directing its energies into harnessing the potentials of the private sector to become a viable source of jobs.



She said the NPP government needed more support as the party inherited almost empty coffers left over by the previous government.



We inherited huge debts, so we are fixing things to regain progress in our economy. God is with us, and very soon we will get there. We are investing hugely in information technology, which is a great source of employment opportunities for every country.



Mrs Owusu-Ekuful cautioned the party members and sympathizers against all forms of indecent behaviour, saying President Akufo-Addo is a man of justice and will not spare anyone who flouts the law and retards the progress of the nation irrespective of your party affiliation.



The President is a president for all Ghanaians and not for only one party. Let us note this and act accordingly, she added.



The conference attracted some of the partys big shots including, General Secretary John Boadu, Mr Ebenezer Nii Nartey, MP for Ablekuma Central, Mr Adjei Sowa, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive and Mr Jeff Konadu Addo, Director General of National Information Technology Agency.

Source: citifmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A ranking Member of Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says President Akufo-Addo is caught in a dilemma as far as the GITMO 2 case is concerned.



He claims Nana Addo is torn between fulfilling his campaign promise of returning the two detainees, maintaining the relationship between Ghana and the United States of America (USA) and at the same time follow the Supreme Court ruling.



President Akufo-Addos government finds itself between the rock and the hard place. During the campaign, they made an issue of this matter (Gitmo 2) and promised Ghanaians to return the two; it is surprising that almost six months in office nothing was heard until this Supreme Court decision and so I do not know if their campaign position has changed because we saw no action of returning them. They could have returned the two the first day they were sworn in if they really wanted to keep their promise . . . we need to be conscious of our relationship with the United States of America. You dont want to annoy such super power and you also want to make sure you do not attract any negative attention . . . so my advice now is put the politics aside and think cautiously and strategically in the national interest," he indicated.



Mr Ablakwa who is also the Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency was speaking to a Supreme Court ruling on Thursday asking government to send the agreement that brought the two ex-detainees from Guantanamo Bay (GITMO) to Parliament for ratification.



In an interview with Citi Eyewitness news, Thursday, the MP further stated: we welcome the decision of the Apex court . . . moving forward; we need to be cautious on how we navigate. The NPP made this an issue and promised to return Gitmo 2 when given the nod. If they come to parliament it will be at variant with their campaign promise of returning them."



He again added that: at this point we want to be more nationalistic and we want to say that let us proceed cautiously. We want to make sure that at the end of the day we guarantee the security of the state; not attracting any negative attention that will cause terrorist to make us a target. That must be all of us our collective objective at this point. Then we must also be concerned about our relationship with the United States of America. We also must walk the narrow path to ensure that we do not slight the Supreme Court. Its a very delicate path that the new government has to thread; at this point it is important to respect the decision of the court.



If you may recall, in January 2016, the two detainees: Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, who had been in detention in the USA for 14 years, after being linked with terrorist group Al-Qaeda were brought into the country by the Mahama administration.



This act was met with massive public uproar, sparking unending and heated debate in the country, with many describing it as a threat to national security.



Subsequently, Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, sued the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, together with the Minister of Interior, accusing then-President John Mahama of illegally bringing in the two former Gitmo detainees, without recourse to the laws of the land.



The plaintiffs were seeking among other reliefs, a declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the President of the Republic of Ghana acted unconstitutionally by agreeing to the transfer of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby.



According to Peace FM's Agya Kwabena, who was in court Thursday, 22nd June, 2017, the Supreme Court presided over by newly sworn in Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, declared that it is unconstitutional for the two ex-detainees to be allowed into the country without Parliament's prior approval.



The court also directed that the issue of the two ex-detainees' admittance into Ghana, be brought before Parliament within the next three (3) months.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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There is legitimate, no-fooling, actual buried treasure hiding somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and people are dying in their quest to find it.

In case you were in need of an internet hole to fall down this afternoon, cop this.

The Fenn Treasure is a trove containing a reported US$2million worth of gold and jewels, housed in a chest and buried somewhere in the Rocky Mountains region of the US by author and art dealer Forrest Fenn.

Back in 1988, Fenn was diagnosed with cancer. During this time he came up with the idea to bury a chest full of treasure for someone to find. Hed then end his life nearby the burial site and the treasure would become his legacy. Fenn filled a chest with gold nuggets, jewellery, gemstones, rare coins, and an olive jar containing his autobiography. However, Fenn wound up surviving the illness and instead waited until he was around 79-years-old to bury the treasure.

Fenn published a poem intended to provide clues as to the treasures location, but so far the loot has not been discovered. Fenn asserts that while the nine reported clues have been uncovered, no one as yet has presented them to him in the right order. Its said that people searching for the treasure have been as close as 200 feet away, with many coming as close as 500 feet.

See? Clues.

This is real. Its a real thing.

Only problem is, people are dying while trying to find it.

Two people, on separate search expeditions, have died in the past 12 months while trying to locate Fenns treasure.

In July of last year, the remains of Randy Bilyeu were found after the 54-year-old went missing in January while hunting for the treasure.

More recently, Colorado pastor Paris Wallace was found dead, floating in a New Mexico section of the Rio Grande river, after going missing while searching for the treasure last week. His vehicle was located stretched across a tributary of the river with a torn rope nearby. His body was found floating several miles downstream.

2nd Forrest Fenn treasure hunter missing; NM police chief calls hunt stupidhttps://t.co/rddNjZqbMW pic.twitter.com/TkR6GO4rWs  Mark Oswald (@JournalNorthNM) June 20, 2017

The deaths have sparked police to criticise the treasure hunt, causing Fenn to rethink the experiment entirely.

Fenn reportedly stated that he is even considering calling the search off entirely.

I am thinking about several options, including stopping the search. I have consulted several friends who are helping me decide.

For the time being, the search remains on. And those screaming theres gold in them thar hills are quite literally correct.

Actual treasure. Un-bloody-believable.

Source: NY Daily News.
The ACT Government will officially ban all greyhound racing from next year, despite the NSWs governments spectacular backflip on the issue and despite an independent report into the industry in the ACT that found no evidence of live baiting.

The report, conducted by former Health Services Commissioner Mary Durkin, found that some 27,000 dogs raced in Canberra between 2012 and 2016, and that in that time 26 animals were put down due to injuries suffered on the track. A further 302 dogs received minor to major injuries.

The report did not return any evidence of live baiting, a controversial and unethical practise that lead to the NSW Government initially banning the sport outright last year. Despite this, the Government still voted to end the sport in Canberra, with the full ban coming into effect at the start of the 2018-19 financial year.

The ban, in large part, stems from an inability to separate the NSW and ACT industries, meaning dogs that race in Canberra are often sourced from NSW, where much of the industrys controversy is centred. ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said that this posed an unacceptable risk to animal welfare.

We cant turn a blind eye to the demonstrated cruelty and the behaviour that has been occurring and documented in NSW. The risk is not worth taking.

The ACT has approximately 300 racing dogs owned and kept in the territory, from around 70 local owners and trainers. Todays decision is expected to impact 26 jobs. The law will not prevent racing greyhounds from being owned in the ACT, nor will it prevent owners from training the dogs. The ACT Government also announced a $1million package to reskill workers and rehome any greyhounds impacted by the ban.

Critics of the move, including the opposition Liberal Party and Canberra Racing Greyhound Club have asserted its a mere political move aimed at appeasing the territorys Labor-Green Government alliance, and is a swipe at an industry that, they say, has an unblemished record in the territory.

They assert that any claim of animal welfare is fruitless, as the dogs in the ACT will continue to race in NSW once the ban comes into effect.

Regardless, the sports days in the ACT are now officially numbered.

Greyhound Racing will officially become illegal in the ACT on June 30, 2018.

Source: ABC News.

Photo: Brook Mitchell/Getty.
Earlier this week, we reported that Shaun Davidson, a Perth man serving a one-year sentence in Bali for using someone elses passport, is among four prisoners whove escaped from Kerobokan jail through an underground tunnel.

This is him:

(purely put this photo here as an excuse to share this t-shirt again lol)

Davidson and his fellow escapees nicked off through a 50cm x 75cm hole behind a prison clinic, which was later discovered by guards.

While two of the blokes he escaped with have been captured (more than 1100km away in Dili, East Timor, no less) the Australian bloke is still yet to be found.

Its a pretty wild story, right? The real kicker here is that there is reportedly no charge for escaping custody in Indonesia, and unless the men are charged with destroying jail property (by digging the tunnel), they mightnt face further jail time.

But, as is the case in any story involving someone who will willingly wear a SEXYCUNT CLOTHING t-shirt, its just gotten even wilder.

A mate of Davidson, Perth property tycoon James Tee, has started posting on Facebook, urging the fugitive to cash in on his infamy while he can.

Ahhhhhhhahaha A round of applause for Shaun Rageone Davidson! he wrote.

Hell well and truly be beyond Indonesian jurisdiction now. The dopey Indo cops can forget looking for him. If only the Bali 9 [] was as smart?!?

He goes on to recommend Davidson hit up all the big news conglomerates with his story:





Hahah! Fuck Yea!

And as it turns out, Mr Tee himself is quite the character.

According to his Facebook page, he studied Public International Law at Harvard Law School.

Same.

While his relation to Davidson is unclear, the self-described millionaire used his clearly extensive knowledge of international law to make some choice recommendations on how the escapee can cash in on his escape and dodge the ol Proceeds of Crime Act:

Wow! Its that easy!

As well as dolling out informative legal advice, Tee is also an avid selfie-poster, and weve compiled some of his best work for your perusal:



hat goals



strong n sexy



pwoah!



versatile



Professional.



SCHHHWING!

And finally, here he is in 2011, making Australian model Nicole Trunfio palpably uncomfortable:

Meanwhile, Badung Police chief Yudith Hananta has told News Corp that the cops wont rule out shooting Davidson and his fellow escapees if they resist capture.

If they fight against police we will take firm action based on the police law, including shooting them, Mr Hananta said. We urge them to surrender. Dont let the police do firm action. Please come to the nearest police station to surrender. We will give them an escort.

Well keep you updated once more information comes to light.

Source: News.com.au.

Photo: James Tee / Facebook.
After the most recent bit of flogging by Murdoch vehicle The Australian, Yassmin Abdel-Magied has put her money where their mouth is.

In a sterling example of lemonade-making, shes pledged to donate to the Human Rights Law Centre, an organisation dedicated to protecting human rights through legal action and advocacy, every time The Australian prints something about her.

Okay Ive decided for every word the @australian prints on me Im going to donate to the @rightsagenda  whos with me? pic.twitter.com/6juyvCLVjh  Yassmin Abdel-Magied (@yassmin_a) June 22, 2017

Her decision comes after The Australian published yet another article hounding the Muslim writer and engineer, this time for (supposedly) slamming our system of democracy.

Theyre referring to a moment during a panel at the Australian National University leadership forum in Canberra, when Abdel-Magied said the following:

The traditional parliamentary system, I mean look at the photo of the House of Representatives. It does not represent anyone.

She went on to say that in order to run for political office, I have to go through all these other systems which for women and for people of colour are actually biased.

Which The Australian has interpreted to mean shes anti-democracy.

For context, this is the photo of the House of Reps shes talking about:

Members of the House of Representatives pose for a photograph pic.twitter.com/Oh65nn9Tnb  andrew meares (@mearesy) June 20, 2017

Thos people are overwhelming rich, white, old, and dudes. Shes right: they dont represent most of Australia, and it is due to a traditional system that privileges certain people over others.

Hasnt stopped bloody Eric Abetz effectively telling her to love it or leave it, obviously.

Still, offering to donate for every splittle-flecked word of right-wing rage is a real big move, and were here for it. Your turn, News Corp.

Source: The Australian.

Image: Facebook / Yassmin Abdel-Magied.
Cult Aussie label Dyspnea is accusing fast fashion chain store Glassons of ripping off one of its most popular designs.

Dyspnea, which was started four years ago by two best friends, have been selling the Heart Breaker bodysuit for about a year and half.

Its our best-seller, co-founder and designer Jameen Zalfen told PEDESTRIAN.TV. Its our bread-and-butter, [the sales] keep us running.



????? Snippets of @joshuamullane shooting @inkawilliams at @prettypoison___ yesterday ???????????? Yep, the bodysuits coming in white! 2 week wait to go sugars ???? A post shared by ??? DYSPNEA ??? (@dyspnea_) on Oct 18, 2016 at 10:58pm PDT

However, its remarkably similar to a bodysuit about to drop on the Glassons website. Its not available online yet, but the Glassons Instagram account shared some behind-the-scenes content from the Byron Bay shoot.

Screenshots via Glassons Instagram.

Jameen says she was alerted to the other design when half a dozen Dsypnea fans sent her screenshots.

It isnt the first time weve had a design ripped off, but it is the first time its been so very, very obvious, she said. Its frustrating because [Glassons] is going to undercut us for quite a lot, these bodysuits will be going for around $79 Id guess, and ours are $189.



She says it could affect their sales dramatically, particularly as both Dyspnea and Glassons are marketing their respective bodysuits as potential Splendour in the Grass outfits.

I just want to pull [Glassons] up on it because I wouldnt want it to look like we dont care, and then we get trodden over, she said. We are a small independent label and were trying so hard, and youve got big fast fashion companies and they take screenshots of our Instagram account and theyll just send it to their designers, and say, do that.

Ive had it, Im so over this, they think they can get away with anything.

Its not the first time major fashion chains have been accused of ripping off smaller designers. Gorman was accused in August last year of ripping off Melbourne designers Emily Green and Kirra Jamison, and Zara has been accused of ripping off pin designs from no less than 42 indie designers.

P.TV reached out to Hallenstein Glasson, the New Zealand company that owns Glassons, but it did not return requests for comment by the time this story was published.

FWIW, if you want to support the designers themselves, new Heart Breaker bodysuits are dropping real soon!

??? New Heart Breaker Bodysuit flavas arriving end of this week ??? Email mamadyspnea@gmail.com to be put on the wait list for these bad boys ???? #splendour #juicy A post shared by ??? DYSPNEA ??? (@dyspnea_) on Jun 18, 2017 at 6:32pm PDT

Photo: Dyspnea; Glassons / Instagram.
Unless youve never been online, youd know that Google often include a cute little doodle or interactive feature in honour of an anniversary or birthday occurring on that day.

Every now and then they do something so damn cool that I cant help but obsess over it for a good 2 to 3 hours. Folks, today is one of those days.

To celebrate Oskar Fischingers 117th birthday, the search engine has included a sweet visual music composer that lets you create tunes by clicking around on a grid. You can even layer different instruments to give your song a fuller feel.

Fischinger was GermanAmerican abstract animator, filmmaker and painter. He was born in 1900 and is known for creating abstract musical animations long before computers or even music videos. He also invented the Lumigraph, an instrument that created patterns and colours using light and a rubberised screen.

When you click into the glorious composer on the Google homepage, youre greeted with a famous quote from the inventor.

Music is not limited to the world of sound. There exists a music of the visual world.

Fischinger also worked on Walt Disneys famous animated film, Fantasia. He passed away in 1967.

You can give the psychedelic composer a go right bloody here. Just click on the design at the top.

Photo: Google.
A financial advisory firm plans to relocate its Harrisburg office, but the move to the M&T Bank building at 213 Market St. where it will lease 63,133 square feet of space, won't be too far away from its current location at the Keystone Plaza at 100 Market St.

PFM Asset Management will occupy floors three through six as well as the 14th floor. More than 150 PFM employees are expected to move into its new location by the end of the year. The company has been at its current location for more than 20 years.

The M&T Bank building was built in 1989 and is currently undergoing renovations. Jeremy Shyk of CBRE negotiated on behalf of the tenant, PFM Asset Management in the real estate transaction. The CBRE Project Management team has been hired to oversee all of the logistics of the construction and the relocation, CBRE announced in a press release.

PFM Asset Management offers financial advisory services, asset management and consultation, and serves local, state, and regional governments, non-profit, and other institutional clients. The company opened its first office in Philadelphia in 1975. The company has offices throughout the United States including three offices in Pennsylvania.

--Business Buzz
Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

Since his emergence on the national scene about 18 months ago, Camp Hill resident and CNN analyst Jeffrey Lord has been called a lot of things: The Trump-Whisperer, a Trump apologist, a White House shill and a bunch of other stuff that we can't print in a breakfast time political newsletter.

But this week, Lord, a former Reagan White House aide and the cause of many a Anderson Cooper eye-roll, can add another superlative to his resume: For some people, he may be ... well ... a kink.

Allow us to prove some badly needed context:

In this week's edition of "Savage Love," the online sex column written by activist, social critic and inveterate phrase-coiner Dan Savage, a correspondent identified only as "Sobbing Here and Making Errors," came in search of some advice.

(Savage, by the way, is the man responsible for that famous Google result that once caused former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's last name to be defined in a graphic and altogether unprintable way. Check yourself if you're skeptical.)

Anywhoo, Savage's correspondent wanted to know, in short, how to deal with a new paramour who revealed on their second date that he'd been in a longtime open relationship.

She then confided that she feared that he only wanted her along for the ride to provide some "new relationship energy" to that longtime arrangement. And, she noted, she couldn't bail out because she'd already developed feelings and "wasn't in control of her actions."

Bottom line: Dismissing her excuses, Savage urged his correspondent to hit the ejector switch, offering this bit of unusual advice: "What if he had revealed that he was a recreational bed wetter? Or a serial killer? Or Jeffrey Lord? Or all of the above? Surely you would've dumped him then."

Trump apologist, recreational bed-wetter, serial killer, White House shill ... It's just another day in the very weird life of Jeffrey Lord.

We'll leave it to Cooper to sum up our reaction hereabouts:

The rest of the day's news ... if we can follow that ... starts now.

A new park in Pittsburgh will celebrate the history of the city's Hill District, The Post-Gazette reports.

Philly Councilman Mark Squilla pulled an Ed Rendell and jumped into a city pool to celebrate the start of summer. And no one pushed in Mayor Kenney? The horror (via The Daily News).

So guess who led the push for Medicaid cuts in the GOP healthcare bill? Yeah, that'd be Pa's own Pat Toomey (via PhillyMag).

PennLive's Wallace McKelvey toured a medical marijuana growing facility in New Jersey, didn't bring back any souvenirs.

Giving us all another reason to hate politics, at Seth Williams' trial, a benefactor testified that 'it's good to know someone in power,' the Inky reports.

Here's your #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:

A trio of Philly council members will propose public funding for city candidates, NewsWorks/WHYY-FM reports.

Pa. may make it easier for non-violent criminals to get a fresh start, NewsWorks/WHYY-FM also reports.

Rejected Lehigh Valley medical marijuana applicants are questioning the state's scoring system, The Morning Call reports.

Nonprofits are poised for an even bigger role in disaster relief, Stateline.org reports.

Senate President Pro Temp Joe Scarnati says he doesn't know how the state will close its budget gap, PoliticsPA reports.

Politico goes deep inside Mitch McConnell's healthcare push.

Trump's boasts on those tapes prompted truthful testimony from Jim Comey, Roll Call reports.

What Goes On.

The pro-labor CLEAR Coalition heads to Allentown today for an 11 a.m. event plugging the need for a severance tax to balance the state's budget.

WolfWatch

Gov. Tom Wolf makes it easy for us - no public schedule today.

Heavy Rotation.

Here's a dance-y track to brighten up your Friday morning.

Friday's Gratuitous Baseball Link.

Baltimore just can't put together the wins these days. The Os dropped another one, 6-3 to Cleveland on Thursday night.

And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.
A beachgoer walking along the shore made a shocking discovery Thursday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

A week to the day after two swimming teens caught up in a powerful rip current disappeared in the surf, the beachgoer stumbled onto the body of 15-year-old Ramon Quinn, according to NBC-10 in Philly and the Associated Press.

The gruesome discovery was made Thursday morning as the beachgoer, who was not identified in the story, walked along the beach at Morris Avenue in Atlantic City.

The body was found one mile from where Quinn and fellow swimmer Kaliyah 'Kiki' Hand became caught in the rip current on the early evening of June 15 and were pulled out to sea and disappeared under the waves.

Drowning victims Kaliyah "Kiki" Hand (left) and Ramon Quinn

Quinn, 15, was pulled under water by a strong rip current off the Martin Luther King Boulevard beach while he was trying to rescue his friend Kaliyah 'Kiki' Hand.

Hand's body washed up on the Jefferson Avenue beach on Monday. This was about 5 miles from where the Atlantic City High School student went missing.

The two teens had entered the water after lifeguards had gone home for the day when the tragedy struck.

At the time of the double drowning, shocked witnesses watched as the two teens get caught in the rip current and then disappear under the surf.

By 6:30 p.m., a full scale search was underway for the teens, and though the effort continued into the darkness and was resumed the next day, neither teen was found.
It is an obituary no parents of a 15-year-old should ever have to write.

But with teen suicides seemingly more and more common in our social media age, one western Pennsylvania family decided to address the issue head-on by being forthright and frank in their 15-year-old daughter's obituary, as reported by WJAC-TV in Johnstown.

"In an effort to debunk the rumors about Sadie's death we would like to share this information," the obituary on the Louis Geisel Funeral Home website stated:

"Yes, Sadie took her own life, she hung herself. It is hard to fathom that someone so young could be so troubled. Sadie was seeking help, she was in counselling and taking medication, but it was all too much for such a young soul to live with."

Sadie is Sadie L. Riggs, 15, of Bedford, Pa., who died Monday.

In wake of her death, her family decided to speak bluntly about the "bullies" who they said were so very effective at making Sadie "feel worthless."

"Sadie had a tough life and until a recent incident at school she handled everything life served her," one obituary passage read, adding:

"For a young lady so excited about going to the high school things sure went terribly wrong for her. For the bullies involved, please know you were effective in making her feel worthless," the obituary said. "That is all between you and God now, but please know that it is not to(o) late to change your ways."

"Sadie's death has taken us to dark places, we will stick together and protect one another as we try to make sense of this tragic loss. To all the bullies out there, I just want you to know that as much as we despise your actions never, ever do we wish for you to feel the paralyzing pain that engulfs our bodies, a pain so severe that it makes the simple act of breathing difficult or the guilt that leaves us wondering what we could have done differently-or that struggle to remember the last words we spoke."

Sadie, whose funeral is set for Saturday in Bedford, is survived by her father, Eric Riggs, and stepmother, Alicia Smith, of Bedford, and her biological mother, Beverly (Dodson) Riggs of Hopewell and by her maternal aunt, Sarah Smith, with whom she lived.

And in her brutally frank obituary, her heartbroken family reserved their final message for her:

"Sadie, it was a privilege to have you in our lives and we will always love you. May you find peace in the arms of God and may we all be kind to one another," the obituary said.

"Our hearts are beyond broken."
Music, auto meets, summer fairs and more this weekend

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Compiled by Janet Krajcsik | jkrajcsik@pennlive.com

Summer fair season has started, with Carlisle Summerfair, Latimore Valley Fair and the East Pennsboro carnival. Plus there are car shows, free concerts and a few outdoor movies this weekend in central Pennsylvania.

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Carlisle Summerfair

Opening ceremonies take place at 6:30 p.m. June 23 at Dickinson Colleges Rush Campus, followed by a concert by Cheap Sneakers, free ice cream and games for the kids. The remaining Summerfair -- held throughout the town, including Dickinson College, the Carlisle Fairgrounds, LeTort Park and the Army Heritage Trail -- offers music, childrens art activities, crafts, a dog show, hot dog eating contest, dances, baby races, art exhibits, an all-star softball game, fireworks and the "anything floats" contest on Boiling Spring's Children's Lake. Fireworks will be held at 9:30 p.m. July 4 over the fairgrounds.

June 23 through July 4 in and around downtown Carlisle.

Admission is free to most events.

Info: www.carlislesummerfair.org.

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East Pennsboro Emergency Services Carnival

Visit the 10th annual carnival on its last two days of 2107. The carnival includes amusement rides and games, kiddie rides, nightly concerts, the "Creatures Great and Small" petting zoo (not available Saturday), food and helicopter rides (Friday-Saturday). Fireworks held at 9:45 p.m. Saturday. Music schedule: Colt Wilbur Band (country), Friday, and Reminisce (oldies, Motown), Saturday.

Gates open at 4 p.m. June 23-24 at Adams-Ricci Park, 100 East Penn Drive, East Pennsboro Twp.

Free admission and parking. Ride wristbands are $18

Info: www.ep-carnival.com.

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Provided via Facebook

Hot Summer Night Corvette and Classic Car Show

Hosted by Cumberland Valley Corvette Club, all cars and trucks welcome with five Corvette classes and five classic classes. Held rain or shine, dash plaques will be given to the first 50 vehicles. There will be music by disc jockey, food for sale, a silent auction and 50-50 drawing. All proceeds given to charities.

5-8 p.m. June 23 at Lawrence Chevrolet, 6445 Carlisle Pike Silver Spring Twp.

Spectators are free. Pay $10 to enter a vehicle.

Info: teresamb82@gmail.com, 717-348-6008.

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Fairytale Building

Children ages 7-10 will use classic fairytales as a jumping off point to explore and experiment with building methods and materials.

Registration is required for this five week session held at 10:15 a.m. Fridays, that begins June 23 at New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza.

Free.

Info: www.newcumberlandlibrary.org, 717-774-7822.

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Latimore Valley Fair

The 33rd annual Latimore Valley Fair is a country festival and antique race car exhibit sponsored by the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing.

Friday offers an antique tractor parade, followed by a concert by Smokin' Gunzz.

Saturday features antique race car races, antique tractor parade and an evening concert by Border Line.

Sunday is the Cruise-In car show, cackling thunder drag car start-ups and music.

All weekend, enjoy arts and crafts, entertainment, gas and steam engine show, antique auto display, street rods, classic cars, bingo and food.

6-10 p.m. June 23; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. June 24; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 25 at Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, 314 Latimore Valley Road, York Springs.

Free admission and parking.

Info: www.emmr.org, 717-528-8279.

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Multi-Sensory Sessions for Alzheimer's and Dementia

This in-the-moment engagement, for adults with Alzheimer's or age-related dementia, combines aroma therapy, music, sensory coverings and social robots.

All-in-all, it's a hour of social, emotional and cognitive refreshment.

This program is presented by Fine Art Miracles Inc.

10:30 a.m. June 23 at East Shore Area Library, 4501 Ethel St., Lower Paxton Twp.

Free, although registration is required.

Info: dcls.org/adultevents, 717-836-2130.

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Janet Krajcsik | jkrajcsik@pennlive.com

An Evening with Andrew Krivak

Andrew Krivak will discuss his book "The Signal Flame," a novel set during the flood of 1972, on the 45th anniversary of Tropical Storm Agnes.

7 p.m. June 23 at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. Third St., Harrisburg.

Free.

Info: www.midtownscholar.com, 717-236-1680.

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Sunset Movie Series: "Spaceballs"

In addition to the film, there will be free children's activities beginning at 7:30 p.m. Food concessions are available. Bring your own seating.

Movie begins at 8:30 p.m. June 23 at Fort Hunter Park, 5300 N. Front St., Susquehanna Twp.

Free.

Info: www.dauphincounty.org, 717-599-5188.

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Outdoor Film Series: "Superman"

Rated PG, the 1978 film stars Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman. When an alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.

7 p.m. June 23 at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. (Rain date: June 24.)

Free.

Info: 717-909-6566, www.midtowncinema.com.

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Coffee House

Featuring gospel singer Codie Reed. Refreshments served.

7 p.m. June 23 at Enola First Church of God, 9 Sherwood Drive.

Free, although donations appreciated.

Info: 717-732-4253, www.enolacog.com.

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Book to Movie Matinee

Youth, ages 11-14, are invited to read the chosen book, come to the library and watch the movie, then join in the discussion about both. Featured June 23 will be "Hidden Figures Young Readers Edition" and the movie "Hidden Figures" (rated PG).

2 p.m. June 23 at New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza.

Free, with registration required.

Info: 717-774-7822, www.newcumberlandlibrary.org.

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Rusty's Birthday Bash

It's Rusty's birthday. Rusty is the winerys golden retriever. Kick off the event with the "Walk with Rusty," being held from 12:30-1 p.m. through the vineyard and grounds with a furry friend to raise money for the Adams County SPCA. Registration is $5 (cash please) and includes a glass of Rusty's Red to sip while strolling.

After the walk, the grounds will be open to celebrate Rusty's birthday with a party, 1-4 p.m. There will be free live music from the Jazz Me band, birthday cake, vendors, doggy demos, doggy custom labels, and the kickoff to Rusty's Sidekick Contest. If you're lucky, you might meet Legs the cat. But don't hold your breath, he is known for long naps  as evidenced by the attached video.

12:30 a.m.-4 p.m. June 24 at Adams County Winery, 251 Peach Tree Road, Orrtanna.

Free admission to Rusty's birthday party; $5 for the walk.

Info: 717-334-4631, www.adamscountywinery.com.

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New Holland Arts and Crafts Festival

More than 75 artists and crafters from southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland will be on hand showcasing and selling their wares. Items include handmade toys, jewelry, fine woodworking, fine art photography, paintings, all-natural soaps and lotions, country and vintage decor, and fabric crafts. There also will be food vendors.

9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 24 at New Holland Community Memorial Park, East Jackson Street.

Free admission.

Info: www.facebook.com/newhollandsummerarts, 717-355-9795.

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USA Football FUNdamentals Clinic

Open to ages 5-14 from throughout the local area, this fun and free event is designed to introduce children to football by teaching basic skills in an exciting and energetic environment and is supported through a grant from the NFL Foundation. Instructors include Danny Lansanah.



FUNdamentals incorporates a series of drills to teach passing, catching and running skills in a non-contact setting. All skills and drills selected are based on USA Football's Player Progression Development Model, ensuring children are learning in an age-appropriate manner, based on their cognitive and physical maturity.

Held June 24 at Harrisburg High School, John Harris Campus, 2451 Market St.

Registration is 8:30-9 a.m.

Clinic held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Free!!!

Online registration is available at www.usafootball.com/fun.

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Threefold Farm Grand Opening

Celebrate the opening of a family owned and operated, pick-your-own, small fruit orchard and fruit tree nursery. Opening day activities will feature goat petting, face painting, tours and live musical entertainment by Dunn's American Sundries. Stop in and meet co-owners Katherine and Tim  a self-described nerd with a fruit tree obsession. Bring along a picnic.

Threefold Farm is known for a variety of conventional and unusual berries and fruit trees. What unusual fruit trees and berry bushes you ask? In addition to cherries, apples, peaches, plums, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and pears, there are: figs, pawpaw, medlar, che, goumi, jujube, persimmons, shipova, roses (for hips), goji, pomegranate, currants, hardy kiwi, quince, and lingonberries.

Noon-6 p.m. June 24 at Threefold Farm, 1692 West Lisburn Road, Monroe Twp.

Free.

Info: threefoldfarm.org/blog/grand-opening-2017, 717-612-8914.

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Wheels and Wings Festival

The Rotary Club of Lancaster will hold its annual festival and 5K fundraiser. The event will include a car show and plane fly-in, live music and food vendors.

7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. June 24 at Lancaster Airport Authority, 500 Airport Road, Lititz.

Free to spectators; onsite parking is $5.

Info: www.lancasterairport.com, 717-381-2471.

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Vendors in the Vineyard

There will be more than 50 vendors of craft and gift items, food trucks, wine, beer, mixed drinks, craft beer and live music.

11 a.m. June 24 at Broad Mountain Vineyard, 596 Harman Road, Halifax.

Free admission.

Info: 717-439-1447, www.broadmountainvineyard.com.

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Janet Krajcsik | jkrajcsik@pennlive.com

Telling the Story with Erik Fasick

Historian Erik Fasick gives a presentation on Tropical Storm Agnes and its impact on the Harrisburg community in 1972. Copies of Erik's book "Tropical Storm Agnes in Greater Harrisburg" will be available for purchase.

3 p.m. June 24 at Midtown Scholar Bookstore (1302 N. Third St.)

1302 N. Third St. Harrisburg.

Free.

Info: 717-236-1680, www.midtownscholar.com.

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Living History Programs

June 24-25 at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike.

Schedule:

20th Maine Infantry and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters programs at Pennsylvania Monument:

June 24: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

June 25: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

2nd Maryland Infantry programs at Pitzer Woods:

June 24: Noon and 3 p.m.

June 25: Noon.

23rd Virginia Infantry programs at Spangler Spring:

June 24: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

June 25: 11 a.m.

Free.

Info: www.nps.gov/gett, 717-334-1124.

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Pollinators in the Garden: Bees, Butterflies and Birds

Celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 19-25) by catching the buzz on bees. Learn why these pollinators are important, and how to attract them to gardens. After the interpretive program, view the inside of the new observation beehive and take a guided walk through the mansion garden. Meet at the Education Building.

6:30-8:30 p.m. June 24 at Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center, 500 Kings Gap Road, Carlisle.

Free.

Info: events.dcnr.pa.gov, Sarah Berg at 717-486-3799, sberg@pa.gov

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Elicker's Grove Park annual Flea Market and Motorcycle Show

The event includes a chicken barbecue meal, a yard sale and gift vendors -- such as JamBerry, Tastefully Simple, Royal Apache Artistry and Younique Makeup. There also will be crafts, collectable sports cards, a Christian groups motorcycle show, lots of food vendors and pony rides for the kids.

Gates open at 9 a.m. June 24 at Elicker's Grove Park, 511 Roth Church Road, Spring Grove.

Free admission and parking.

Info: www.facebook.com/events/1833556723557258, 717-969-8107.

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Donna the Buffalo at Long's Park

Now in its 25th year as a band, Donna the Buffalo is Jeb Puryear, Tara Nevins, David McCracken, Kyle Spark and Mark Raudabaugh. The band performs Americana, folk, zydeco and rockin' country.

7:30 p.m. June 25 at Long's Park, 1441 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster. Info: www.longspark.org, 717-735-8883.

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Perry County Auto Meet

This 13th annual event is hosted by the Shermans Dale Community Fire Company. The event offers a display of all types of vehicles, food and entertainment. There also will be hourly trivia questions with prizes.

9 a.m. June 25 at Lupfer's Grove & Campground, 5800 Spring Road, Shermans Dale.

Free admission to spectators.

Info: www.shermansdalefire.com/events, 717-582-2575.

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Janet Krajcsik | jkrajcsik@pennlive.com

Author visit: Bill Morris

New York City's Bill Morris will discuss his new book with The Caucus's Brad Bumsted on the "spectacularly lurid stories" of Chambersburg -- "American Berserk: A Cub Reporter, a Small-Town Daily, the Schizo '70s." Morris was recently on ABC27.

2 p.m. June 25 at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. Third St., Harrisburg.

Free.

Info: www.midtownscholar.com, 717-236-1680.

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Looking for more things to do?

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FILE - In this Sunday, June. 18, 2017, file photo, security forces are deployed to the site of a suicide attack between Taliban insurgents and government forces near the main police station in eastern Paktia province, Afghanistan. In a message ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr, the Afghanistan Taliban leader, Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzada Friday said a planned U.S. troop surge would not end the protracted war, vowing to fight on until a full withdrawal of NATO troops. (AP Photos/Ihsanullah Mahjoor)
Above, a graph shows SEAPA's total power sales to the community by month over the past three fiscal years. With FY17 wrapping up, the year's usage has been given a systemwide boost by colder than usual winters.

The governing board for Southeast Alaska Power Agency has approved a draft for next year's budget, as well as a hefty rebate to its member communities' utilities.

The decision was supported by a fair financial position for the agency, which supplies hydroelectric power to Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg. In a meeting held at Wrangell's Nolan Center Tuesday afternoon, SEAPA chief executive Trey Acteson explained sales revenues had come in higher than expected. Power sales to Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg together totaled $11.1 million, more than $1.15M above what was budgeted, and $1...
New study looks at northwest Michigan's seasonal economy

Networks Northwest recently published data on the region's seasonal population, workforce and the increasing relevance of short-term rentals.
OPEC left with few alternatives to escape another bear market in oil

Oil strategist is watching for a near-term bounce

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LONDON/KUWAIT

Petroleumworld 06 23 2017

Oil's back in a bear market and investors remain unmoved by last month's agreement to prolong supply cuts, leaving OPEC and its allies with few remaining tools to boost prices.

As Saudi Arabia, Russia and their allies reduce output, supply that's beyond their control keeps rising. Libya and Nigeria -- members exempt from the curbs -- and U.S. shale producers are resurgent, undermining efforts to tame a global glut. Prices are back below where they were when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries first struck its historic deal last year.

Cutting even deeper -- an idea rejected just a month ago -- still looks unlikely. For now at least, the Saudi pledge to do  whatever it takes  to stabilize prices looks like not much at all.

Further curbs could be necessary, but reaching a consensus will be difficult, Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said Wednesday on state radio . A committee meeting in Vienna this week gave only cursory attention to the possibility of deepening the existing cuts, according to delegates familiar with the matter, focusing instead on the problem of rising output in Libya and Nigeria. Russia indicated it's opposed to any additional reductions, said one delegate.

Deepening the cuts is one good option for OPEC's immediate difficulties, but would create longer-term problems, said Hasan Qabazard, the former head of research at the group. This will come at the expense of OPEC's market share. Do they want to lose share? I don't think so, because many countries have invested in raising capacity recently."

Losing Markets

Nations that have made the production cuts already appear to be ceding ground.

In the U.S., crude production moves inexorably higher, as shale producers, made leaner by the downturn, find they can pump oil profitably at lower prices. Output rose last week to 9.35 million barrels a day, the highest level since August 2015, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. The pace of U.S. output gains has been more than OPEC bargained for, said Iran's Zanganeh.

The internal strife that earned two of OPEC's African members an exemption from any cuts has eased. Libya is now pumping about 900,000 barrels a day, the most in four years, an official at the National Oil Corp. said earlier this week. In Nigeria, a major export terminal restarted after a 15-month halt caused by sabotage and will ship about 250,000 barrels a day this month.

OPEC will need to offset whatever incremental supply the market gets from Libya and Nigeria," said David Fyfe, global head of research at oil trading house Gunvor Group Ltd. in Geneva.

Next year, new oil supplies from OPEC rivals, chiefly the U.S., will be more than enough to meet demand growth, the International Energy Agency said last week. As a result, demand for the group's crude will be about 200,000 barrels a day lower than this year, the agency said.

Hard Bargain

If producers chose to overlook these downsides and pursue deeper cuts, or the inclusion of Libya and Nigeria, it might not be easy. It took OPEC and its allies almost a year to fashion last year's agreement, with failed talks in Doha in April, a hard fought compromise in Algiers in September, and months of shuttle diplomacy before sealing the deal in November.

Any fresh agreement has been made potentially more complicated by political and diplomatic changes. Two key brokers who helped members such as Saudi Arabia and Iran overcome their differences to bring about the first deal are now out of the picture: Algeria's oil minister was dismissed as part of a cabinet reshuffle; Qatar is under a regional blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia as a punishment for its ties to Iran.

The market is probably hoping OPEC will do more, but not expecting it -- otherwise oil prices wouldn't be falling, said Jens Pedersen, an analyst at Danske Bank A/S.






PDVSA with refining network at its lows to buy up to 17 fuel cargoes on tenders

Gasoline blendstock, ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), catalytic naphtha, vacuum gasoil (VGO) and components for motor gasoline are to be puerchase in the open market by Venezuela's PDVSA

HOUSTON

Petroleumworld 06 23 2017

Venezuela's oil company PDVSA is seeking to buy up to 6.32 million barrels of fuel in one of its largest offers on the open market in recent years, according to documents seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The firm, whose refining network is working at record lows since March due to lack of light oil, equipment malfunctions and other incidents, has increased fuel purchases this year to avoid gasoline shortages in the country.

The 17 fuel cargoes of gasoline blendstock, ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), catalytic naphtha, vacuum gasoil (VGO) and components for motor gasoline are expected to be received from July through December, the tender documents say.

Earlier this month PDVSA awarded a group of firms, including Russia's Lukoil, previous tenders to buy 600,000 barrels of VGO and 300,000 barrels of gasoline blendstock RON 95 for July delivery.

The Venezuelan state-run company is this time requesting 600,000 barrels of gasoline blendstock RON 91 and 95, up to 900,000 barrels of ULSD and 600,000 barrels of catalytic naphtha for delivery July 1-20 at any of its ports.

It is also seeking up to seven 500,000-barrel cargoes of VGO and 720,000 barrels of MTBE (Methyl Tert Butyl Ether) from July through December.

Some cargoes are to be paid 35 days after discharge. For other cargoes the company is willing to arrange oil swaps under a mechanism known as "offset."

Venezuela is a prominent oil producer, but its crude output has declined in recent years. Its 1.3 million-barrel-per-day refining network needs maintenance and a larger volume of light oil that the South American country does not produce.

The Cardon refinery's catalytic cracker resumed normal work this week after reduced functioning. But PDVSA's largest refinery, Amuay, and the smaller Puerto la Cruz refinery are working partially.

As of the end of last week, about 18 tankers carrying crude and fuels for PDVSA were waiting around its ports to be paid to authorize discharge, according to Reuters vessel tracking data.






Money: The worse you need it, the more it costs.

The Philadelphia School District pays a lot more interest when it borrows money than wealthier and more-solvent suburban districts do.

At current prices, "Philly pays a penalty" of 1 percentage point above what top-rated suburban districts like Lower Merion have to pay to persuade bondholders to lend it money for building projects and other expenses, says Eric Kazatsky, municipal credit strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence, a Princeton bond firm associated with Bloomberg LP.

With $1.4 billion in fixed-rate debt financing school repairs and other long-term projects, Philadelphia pays nearly 2.4 percent on its most recent major bond issue, compared with a little more than 1.3 percent for Lower Merion. Counting both recent bond sales and older bonds that might be refunded at cheaper rates, the higher price costs city taxpayers more than $14 million a year, compared with what they'd pay if Philadelphia could borrow at Lower Merion rates. And that's not counting the spreads on $1.4 billion in floating-rate debt, which is tougher to calculate.

In all, the district expects to spend $272 million on bond payments this year, 9 percent of its total budget.

Why do city schools pay extra? Reviewing tax collections and spending, the Standard & Poor's agency gives wealthy suburbs like Lower Merion AAA, its top rating  a strong sign of faith that investors will get their money back with interest. Philadelphia gets a lower Ba3 rating, a "speculative grade" or junk-bond level where borrowers are considered less likely to pay.

Yet Philadelphia schools have regularly paid what they owed since before the state declared the district "distressed" and strengthened financial oversight in 2001. The district has eliminated its deficit and shows a small surplus for the current budget year, thanks to improved cash management and higher property and retail-sales tax collections, even as new union contracts and a continued loss of students to charter schools could cost 1,300 district workers their jobs in the next few years, Kazatsky notes.

Also, buyers of Philadelphia bonds enjoy extra guarantees they'll get paid: Under state law covering "distressed" municipalities, bondholders are guaranteed to collect interest in case of financial trouble, even if it means cutting off state aid to keep classrooms open. And city tax collectors set aside money for interest payments in special accounts every day, months in advance of bond payments, Kazatsky notes.

"They have really good financial controls," he told me. In a report to clients Friday, Kazatsky noted that Philadelphia school bonds are a higher-yielding alternative to lower-interest notes issued by schools in larger communities such as Los Angeles, the Las Vegas area, and Broward County, Fla.

Why doesn't the city get more credit for its bond guarantees? "For people who know the city, it's a renaissance story. But to outside investors who don't understand and don't care, it's just another crappy urban school district" they can force to pay extra when it sells bonds, Kazatsky told me. "It's more about perception than the fundamentals."

"No one understands it," said Uri Monson, the School District's finance director, whose job includes implementing the recent fiscal improvements. Last fall, he says, he met with bond buyers at the yearly Institutional Investor magazine muni-bond conference in Boston to explain the state protections that Philadelphia school bond buyers enjoy. "Once they see it, they like it," he added.

But bonds are bought by many buyers, large and small. It's tough to convince distant investors that tax collector controls and state guarantees have a lot of meaning. That's especially true in a state like Pennsylvania, where the latest in a string of annual state budget delays in Harrisburg once again threatens faith in the school subsidies that Philadelphia and other school districts rely on, Kazatsky told investors.

Staff writer Kristen A. Graham contributed to this column.
Braskem, the Brazilian thermoplastics producer whose North American operations are based in Philadelphia, announced Thursday that it had formally approved spending $675 million to build a new polypropylene plant in Texas after ruling out a site last year in Marcus Hook because of the lack of infrastructure.

The new facility in La Porte, Texas, will produce nearly 500,000 tons of polypropylene a year. It will be situated on a 200-acre site next to Braskems current production facilities, which can produce about 390,000 tons of the plastic, used to make such things as yogurt containers.

Braskem had considered building the new plant in Marcus Hook, where the company operates another polypropylene unit. But the site near Houston had a critical advantage over Marcus Hook: a ready supply of raw material from nearby petrochemical operations.

Mark G. Nikolich, chief executive of Braskem America, said Thursday that the decision to build in Texas does not diminish the company's desire to expand operations near Philadelphia.

"Because we're making an investment in Texas should in no way signal that we won't make an investment here in the future," Nikolich said.

Last year, local business leaders held up Braskem's decision to expand in Texas as an example of why Pennsylvania business and political leaders needed to support the build-out of pipeline infrastructure to deliver raw material from the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations. Those pipeline projects, including Sunoco Pipeline's Mariner East project, have attracted fierce opposition from activists opposed to fossil-fuel development.

Braskem, which acquired the Texas and Marcus Hook plants when it bought Sunoco Chemical in 2010, has "never been more committed" to Philadelphia, Nikolich said.

The company has invested $50 million in two years at its Marcus Hook plant, he said, increasing capacity 20 percent. It has expanded its rail facilities to improve its ability to move raw materials into the plant and to ship out plastic pellets.

And last year it renewed its headquarters lease at the Mellon Bank Center, 1735 Market St.

"We love the city," Nikolich said. "We just recently expanded our footprint in Center City by over 75 percent. In doing that, we created space for growth aspirations for North America based out of the headquarters." The engineering teams that designed the new Texas plant worked out of Philadelphia, he added.

The Texas polypropylene plant could be a prototype for a future expansion in Marcus Hook, if sufficient pipeline infrastructure is built to keep the facility supplied, Nikolich said. "We can use this project in Texas as a blueprint for one we'd do in Marcus Hook."
Gary Morton, President of AFGE Local 3631, speaks to demonstrators at a rally at Independence Mall to protest budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration. Read more

To Gary Morton, there's a certain irony about the attention now focused on lead poisoning. Just as the public is becoming more aware of lead's dangers, the Trump administration is talking about cutting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's budget by 31 percent, and eliminating the jobs of 1,200 EPA employees.

"Lead poisoning and soil poisoning  these are the unseen sources of pollution," said Morton, president of Local 3631 of the American Federation of Government Employees, at a noon protest by federal workers at Independence Mall on Thursday. The Trump administration, he said, does not believe in environmental justice and does not "want your inner cities to be clean."

"We need clean water. We need air," he said. "We're here for a serious issue."

Morton, who has worked for the EPA since 1992 and reviews inspection records to make sure underground gasoline tanks don't leak, said the EPA gives grants to community organizations and local governments to inspect and monitor environmental conditions.

"There's a government vendetta against the EPA. I don't understand why they want to hurt the public by punishing the EPA," said Morton whose local represents 700 workers at the EPA.

In budget hearings last week, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said he would be able to achieve most of the cuts through retirements and buyouts.

"I believe that we as an agency, and we as a nation, can be both pro-energy and jobs, and pro-environment." Pruitt said in his first address to agency employees. "That we don't have to choose between the two."

Morton and other AFGE organizers hoped hundreds of federal employees would pop out of nearby federal office buildings to support the rally. About 100 people showed up, looking for shade under nearby trees. Union leaders representing employees from the Veterans Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the National Park Service spoke, as did Patrick Eiding, who heads the Philadelphia Council of the AFL-CIO.

Meanwhile, around the park, a group of Japanese tourists, clearly uninterested, listened as a guide talked about Independence Hall. A psychiatrist, who worries about budget cuts, but also isn't sure he likes the idea of public employee unions, walked his dog. He declined to give his name, saying he had patients on both sides of this issue.

Tour guide Norm Danis, 70, of North Wales, in colonial garb, with his tri-corner hat and lunch on the bench beside him, rested from a morning spent talking to fifth graders from the Bronx about Independence Hall. "If I weren't in costume and working, I'd participate with them," he said about the demonstrators. Danis works for a private tour company.

"I'm very worried about the president and the direction he's taking. How can we not put more resources into people, into education, into the environment?"

Another union leader, David Fitzpatrick, also spoke at the rally.

Beside operating a plant that provides the cooling for all the buildings in Independence Park, Fitzpatrick leads Local 2058, which represents 180 Independence National Park employees, including interpreters, scientists, and maintenance people. He also leads Council 270, an umbrella group of 1,200 to 1,400 National Park Service employees from Maine to West Virginia, who staff the Statue of Liberty park, Shenandoah National Park, and the Cape Cod National Seashore, among others.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told Congress on Tuesday that he plans to cut 4,000 jobs from his department, which includes the National Park Service, by next year. He said the cuts were necessary to balance the budget.

"The president is calling for a 12 percent budget cut in the Department of the Interior," Fitzpatrick said. "We already have a $500 million backlog in deferred maintenance."

Fitzpatrick said the backlog is taking its toll at Independence National Historical Park. "We're sort of putting Band-Aids on everything."
Developer Bart Blatstein sold his Shops at Schmidts retail complex in Northern Liberties to a Florida real estate firm, the Sterling Organization, for $31.5 million. But when Blatsteins company and Sterling paid their real estate transfer tax on the deal, it was against an amount less than a third of that purchase price. Read more

When developer Bart Blatstein sold his Shops at Schmidts retail complex in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia missed out on its full transfer-tax bounty from the deal  and that wasn't the only such shortfall for the city recently.

Though affiliates of Blatstein's Tower Investments Inc. reportedly earned $31.5 million from the sale to the Sterling Organization, a Palm Beach, Fla.-based real estate firm, the transfer tax on the transaction was calculated against the property's much lower city-assessed value.

The disparity comes to light shortly before the July 1 implementation of new city rules aimed at closing loopholes used by buyers and sellers in commercial real estate transactions  legally, in most cases  to reduce or avoid the tax, which is levied whenever a property here changes hands.

The new rules were approved last year by City Council after the Inquirer reported how gaps in the law were depriving Philadelphia and Pennsylvania of millions of dollars in revenue.

Investors in Philadelphia have a strong incentive to engineer real estate transfer-tax relief for themselves: After a 0.1 percent increase on Jan. 1, the tax  including the state's share  is now 4.1 percent, most likely the highest of any major U.S. city. Over the last 12 months, other big commercial transactions involving slimmed-down tax bills have included the sales of the offices in Two Liberty Place and of the Wanamaker Building.

A perception that Blatstein might be shortchanging Philadelphia could prove awkward as he seeks to lease and then sell the former North Broad Street home of the Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com to the city as part of the Police Department's $288 million move from its current headquarters.

Though Blatstein should not be specifically faulted for exploiting an available opportunity, "we should look carefully to ensure any party to a major deal with the city has played by the rules," said City Councilwoman Helen Gym, one of the cosponsors of the legislation passed in December.

"Investors are motivated and incentivized to maximize profit, even when it's potentially at the expense of the rest of society," Gym said. "This is where government comes in."

City spokesman Mike Dunn said that Philadelphia's Revenue and Law Departments are aware of the Shops at Schmidts, Two Liberty Place and Wanamaker transactions, but that confidentiality laws prohibited comment on those cases.

Dunn did say that the city has stepped up enforcement of existing law, resulting in audits of more than 250 property transfers since July 1, 2016. It has collected more than $3.5 million through settlement agreements to resolve a number of those cases prior to litigation, he said.

Starting July 1 of this year, officials will have added to their enforcement arsenal the new rules, which seek to block what are seen as two main ways to reduce tax bills in property deals.

One change addresses misuse of the city's so-called 89-11 statute, which holds that a transaction need not be recorded at the time of sale as long as an 89 percent-or-smaller stake in a property changes hands, with the seller holding on to the remaining stake of at least 11 percent for four years or more. Under the new rules, sellers will now have to retain a bigger share for a longer time, making the strategy less attractive for most investors.

Also targeted by the new rules is a strategy used when the asset sold isn't a property itself, but a company that had been set up to own that property. This is common in big transactions, as large commercial owners routinely hold assets through subsidiary companies.

When a subsidiary company changes hands, buyer and seller can avoid filing a deed recording actual purchase price because the property itself is not what's being sold. In the absence of documented sale prices, those employing this strategy calculate taxes against properties' usually much lower assessed values.

The new rules oblige buyers and sellers of real estate-owning entities to base transfer taxes on the amount of money changing hands, despite no deed being recorded. (Even without the rule change, this method is being diminished by a recently started city initiative to reappraise commercial properties so their assessed values are closer to their actual worth.)

The Two Liberty Place and Wanamaker deals appear to have tapped versions of the two approaches addressed by the new city law.

In its sale last year of the Two Liberty tower's 941,000 square feet of offices, Atlanta-based Cousins Properties Inc. reported earning $219 million in gross proceeds. That sale, to Los Angeles-based Coretrust Capital Partners LLC, would have yielded $8.76 million in city and state transfer taxes under the 4 percent rate then in effect.

A search of documents filed with the city, however, found payment of only $687,569 in three separate transactions involving the transfer of property-owning entities, a difference of more than $8 million.

Coretrust spokeswoman Barbara Casey said in an email that Cousins' reported sale price was overstated because it left out "credits" that were part of the transaction, and that taxes on the deal  involving the acquisition of property-owning entities  were calculated by lawyers and tax advisers following legal guidelines.

"An $8 million-plus transfer tax  would be completely uneconomic," Casey said. "Fortunately, the law did not require such a high tax because, if it did, Coretrust would not have pursued the acquisition and the city would have realized zero transfer-tax revenue."

Meanwhile, Dallas-based TIER REIT's sale of most of its stake in the Wanamaker Building to Rubenstein Partners of Philadelphia for $114 million would have generated $4.67 million under the 4.1 percent rate in effect since Jan. 1.

But a records search found payment of only $892,719 in taxes against portions of the property's assessed value through the transfer of property-owning companies, a difference of $3.78 million. TIER's description of the deal  as the sale of a "majority" of its interest in an entity that had owned the property  suggests that it also relied on the "89-11" method.

Scott McLaughlin, a TIER REIT senior vice president, and Rubenstein spokesman Tom Nolan declined to discuss the transaction.

Unlike the Two Liberty and Wanamaker transactions, which involved transfers of corporate ownership, the Dec. 30 sale of Blatstein's 92,500-square-foot Shops at Schmidts retail complex at Second Street and Girard Avenue was recorded as a property sale.

No purchase price is recorded on the deed documenting the sale of the Acme Markets-anchored center, but the buyer, the Sterling Organization, said in a lawsuit against Blatstein that it had paid $31.5 million. The suit says Blatstein withheld rents paid by tenants even after he no longer owned the building, and that he sold the property without first providing tenant Petco with the number of parking spots guaranteed by its lease, among other claims.

Frank Keel, a spokesman for Blatstein's Tower Investments, said the company does not comment on pending legislation.

The Shops at Schmidts' $31.5 million sale price would have yielded $1.26 million under last year's 4 percent transfer levy. Instead, $408,016 was paid against a $10.2 million figure derived from the property's assessed value, a difference of $851,984.

Though the deed recording the transaction does not explain why the levy was calculated in this way, it does note in an attachment to the filing's transfer tax-related documentation that the sale was between two Blatstein-controlled entities  each owning a separate parcel constituting the retail center property  and Sterling.

The implication may be that there is no single recordable purchase price for the retail complex, because its sale involved the transfer of two separate parcels. But whatever the rationale, the approach does not appear to be one that would be stymied by the new rules, assuming it goes unchallenged by city officials, because it is neither an "89-11" deal nor a transfer of corporate ownership.

"Tower abides by all applicable city and state requirements concerning its real estate transactions," Keel said, "and will continue to do so in the future."
The Bridge at Second and Race was the first market rate project in Philadelphia to take advantage of the citys affordable housing bonus. It includes 15 reduced-price units. Read more

In the five years since Philadelphia introduced a zoning incentive to encourage developers to incorporate reduced-price units into their projects, private builders have produced a mere 15 affordable apartments. The program nearly collapsed last year when a development company had a change of heart after its building was completed  with five extra floors. Most developers don't even bother with the bonus anymore.

Now, City Council members want to try a different approach to creating affordable housing. A bill introduced Thursday  in the final hours of Council's spring session  would require that every major development, whether housing or rentals, include reduced-priced units. Ten percent of the units would have to be priced for the working poor.

The goal is to cushion the impact of gentrification in neighborhoods where house prices are rising rapidly.

To compensate developers for renting or selling their units at below-market prices, the bill would allow them to construct buildings that are taller and denser than Philadelphia's zoning code normally allows. In some areas, they would be able to increase the number of permitted units by as much as 50 percent. Only projects with more than nine units would be subject to the affordable-housing mandate.

Such zoning incentives are known as inclusionary housing bonuses, and they have becoming increasingly common in New York, San Francisco, and other cities where stratospheric prices have made it difficult for low-wage workers to find housing. Unlike those places, Philadelphia remains relatively affordable overall, despite dramatic spikes in some neighborhoods.

While prices and rents might not be rising everywhere, the bill's lead sponsor, Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, argues that the mandate is essential if the city hopes to maintain a modicum of economic diversity in Fishtown, Point Breeze, and other hot neighborhoods.

"So many neighborhoods have expressed concern that their residents are being priced out," she said. "This is a tool to help them remain."

The people most likely to benefit from the privately built affordable units would be entry-level employees and the working poor, people like bus drivers and nurses who earn between $30,000 and $50,000 a year.

This would be the second time Council has tried to make affordable housing mandatory in private developments. Legislation introduced in 2007 failed after developers complained the costs would wipe out their profits.

Conditions have changed drastically since then. The median house price in Philadelphia has increased 33 percent in the last decade, and it's not unusual to see rowhouses selling for $500,000 or more in areas once written off as blighted slums. After more than a year of negotiations with the Building Industry Association, which represents area home builders, Quinones-Sanchez and her cosponsors were able to win their support.

"We acknowledge there is a housing crisis in the city," said Leo Addimando, who serves on the BIA's board of directors. "Anything that market-rate developers can do to be part of the solution, we're on board with."

It remains to be seen whether the city's neighborhood associations will buy into the bill's ambitious goals. Umbrella organizations, such as the Philadelphia Crosstown Coalition, which represents more than 20 civic associations, were not consulted during the negotiations.

"This is news to me," said Matt Karp, who chairs the zoning committee of the Fishtown Neighbors Association. After being emailed a copy of the bill and studying it for 10 minutes, he said he saw issues that would raise red flags with neighborhood groups.

"Building more affordable housing is a good thing, but a 50 percent bonus seems like a lot," he said. "How are these larger buildings supposed to fit into the neighborhood? Is this bonus going to be stacked on top of other bonuses? You could quickly get way out of scale."

Acknowledging that the bill needs refinement, Quinones-Sanchez said she would hold working sessions to iron out the kinks, starting in August. A hearing will be held in the fall before the measure goes to Council for a vote. The bill was cosponsored by Kenyatta Johnson, Jannie L. Blackwell, and Council President Darrell L. Clarke.

In the past, Clarke has been a vocal critic of increased density in Philadelphia neighborhoods. Members also lined up behind Councilman Mark Squilla this year after he introduced a bill curtailing density bonuses in Society Hill, a neighborhood with very little affordable housing.
If you know me, you know someone very close to me committed suicide. If you don't know me, all you have to do is Google "Christine Flowers" near "suicide" and you'll have a concise history of my writings on the topic. Lately, I've tried to distance myself from the past, not because I'm ashamed of it or because I regret talking about it to perfect strangers, but because it's not entirely my story to tell. The aftermath  the mourning and the regret  is something I have a right to express.

But the personal story of what drives someone to render their wracked and wrought soul unto whatever God they imagine (or disbelieve) is not my property. That narrative ends with the departed life. I cannot stand the type of journalist who uses the death of friends or family to make a political point about how we need more mental health centers, better addiction treatments and "stop the bullying" classes. Of course we need these things, because no one should die by their own hands, but using someone's sad life to advocate for them seems voyeurish. Then again, that's what we're all about in the age of social media.

Which brings me to the subject of this column, which is only tangentially related to my personal loss. This past week, a Massachusetts court found a young woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The case is sui generis, one of a kind, and chilling. Carter's boyfriend was clinically depressed and, during the course of their relationship, had often threatened to commit suicide. At the beginning, the then-17-year-old tried to help him.

But like most people who have to deal with suicidal and desperate loved ones, she got frustrated, tired and, because she was only a teenager, impatient. That's completely understandable.

What is not understandable is what she did next. On July 12, 2014, Carter's boyfriend, Conrad Roy, texted to tell her that he was going to commit suicide that night, and that he was going to do it by filling his truck with carbon monoxide. Instead of calling his parents, 911 or even just pleading with him to reconsider, she actively encouraged him to kill himself.

But that's not even the reason she will spend up to 20 years in jail. After his truck started to fill up with carbon monoxide, the boy actually jumped out and said he didn't think he could go through with it.

And Carter, who was now speaking to her boyfriend on the phone, told him to "get back in." Roy got back in. And never got out again.

The only evidence that she told him to finish the job of killing himself comes in her own words, by way of a text that she sent to a friend, which included this incriminating phrase: "I was on the phone with him and he got out of the car because it was working and he got scared.[and I told him] to get back in."

That was enough for the judge to find Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter, which, under Massachusetts law, requires an unintentional death caused by the "reckless conduct" of the defendant. In this case, Carter's "reckless conduct" was knowingly urging her troubled boyfriend to kill himself after he had already indicated to her that he couldn't go through with it. The judge found that her words "get back in" were the proximate cause of his death.

I talked about this case on my radio show Sunday, and there were people who strongly disagreed with the verdict. They were in good company. The American Civil Liberties Union and a number of conservative and libertarian commentators have warned about that ubiquitous "slippery slope" that everyone drags out when people start getting nervous that the common-sense decision in one case might be applied to future cases.

The critics argue that if we start making words into weapons, we will endanger free speech. It was suggested, disingenuously, I think, that finding Carter guilty in this case would make it more likely that family members could be criminally charged for counseling their loved ones about end-of-life decisions.

That, my friends, is absolute nonsense. This isn't a case about someone who rendered heartfelt advice about hospice treatment. This is about a young woman who knew that her boyfriend was standing on a ledge, and she used her words and her confidential relationship with him to coax him off it, into the abyss.

And here is where I come full circle, back to my experience. I was not there when my brother died. I was miles away, in presence and in thought. But if I had been given the privilege to send him a message in those final moments before irrevocable decisions were made, I would have coaxed him toward the light.

That is why we must make Carter pay for her dark act, to remind us of what happens when our humanity is eclipsed.
Ryan Sipler, left, and Angela Caruso, right, both of Delaware, who wound up in Philly chasing heroin and are now in treatment, pause on a bench in McPherson Square Park in Philadelphia, PA on June 22, 2017. Read more

On their way back to their recovery houses, with methadone from the clinic still dulling their cravings, Angie and Ryan descend the stairs at the Somerset El station. They're returning to the neighborhood that nearly killed them.

As always, Ray mans his post at the bottom of the stairs. He's a sort of concierge of the station. He sells "works" for $1  clean syringes for the outsiders who get off the train looking for the cheapest and purest heroin. Ray promises to take you to the best dope around, as long as there's a bag in it for him.

Angie and Ryan wave.

A few steps down, past the MISSING PERSON posters hung for children lost to heroin on the Kensington streets, there's Angie's old Xanax dealer. "A sweet girl," Angie says.

Josh from Bucks County huddles on the corner. He's been kicked out of Ryan's recovery house for relapsing.

And there along the side street stands a sex worker, also addicted, her throat still bearing the jagged mark of a john's blade. Everyone talks about her like a cautionary tale.

Angie Caruso, 27, is days away from the coveted milestone: 90 days clean. Ryan Sipler, 34, has just hit his.

"We shouldn't be here," Angie says.

But here they are, young and addicted to heroin in Kensington. And most every day, passing through the gantlet of their old lives  the epicenter of Philadelphia's opioid crisis, the blocks surrounding the El and McPherson Square Park.

A terrible place to try to stay clean.

They no longer come to use. For them, the place is an addiction in itself, a flame that still draws them near. "We are playing with fire," Angie says.

Ryan says they come for the churros, but the bakery just happens to be on the avenue where, a few months ago, he came to swallow Xanax, shoot dope, and snort cocaine. And where Angie shot heroin, snorted Xanax, and smoked crack in abandoned buildings and on the lawn of the historic McPherson Square library. Sometimes, she disappeared for days.

They never got stuck here, they say, the way many young people do. They never slept on the streets for more than a few nights at a time, instead staying in cheap hotels or on the benches of Center City stations.

But still they walk the same streets they did when they got high together, taking it one day, one block, one step at a time.

'Everyone ends up here'

They are not far from home, yet home now seems distant.

Angie, the sixth of eight kids, grew up in a Bear, Del., development called Rolling Meadows. Ryan grew up in a townhouse community in West Chester.

Angie, the adopted daughter of elderly parents, lost her biological brother, Kris, to an overdose when she was 19. By then, she was already into Percocet.

So was Ryan. When his father died from cancer in 2004, Ryan took the leftover pain medicine. When Ryan, who'd studied biology at West Chester, slipped on wet grass and shattered his collarbone, he scored more pain meds.

Thirty miles away in Bear, Angie got a prescription after a car accident. Soon, she and Ryan were riding the train to Kensington for heroin, on parallel paths that would lead them to meet in 2015 at a Huntingdon Valley clinic.

"We just gravitated here," Angie said of Kensington. "Everyone ends up here."

Together, their families have spent almost 30 years trying to get them help. Interventions and rehabs, broken promises, and tearful arguments. Lies. Betrayals. Thefts.

Ryan's mother, Mary Beth, who works in accounts payable and receivable for a printing company, is now digging into her retirement fund. Ryan has stolen so much from the family that his brother has lost all trust in him  and his mother had to install a heavy-duty safe. He broke into that, too. She has had him arrested.

Before Angie was adopted, her parents lost a son named Steven, killed in a car accident days after his high school graduation. They kept his class ring in a jewelry box. Angie stole it to buy heroin. The worst thing she has ever done, she said. Her dead brother's ring. She said her family doesn't know.

But they do, her brother David told me from his home in Folsom, Calif., where he works in IT. They have for a long time.

"My mom and dad have always wanted to help Angie in any way that they could," David said. "They are emotionally drained, they are sickened with worry  it's not just happening to Angie. It's happening to everyone in the family."

Her parents are not taking her calls now. Angie understands.

Ryan wants to go home. Mary Beth told him not yet.

She says she has never told him this, but there have been times when she planned his funeral in her mind. Something private. That would be the only way she could get through it.

"Sometimes, I think if he's never going to get better, then why do I have to go through all this pain?" Mary Beth asked. "Which is really a tough thing to think about.  I don't know if it makes you stronger. I feel like it's weakened me. It has brought me to my knees."

Struggling together

With his dark, brooding looks, Ryan dreams of being a model. "That's an ultimate goal," he says, embarrassed. He's been sending out head shots. He hopes to start in commercials.

Angie dances at a Center City strip club. She knows she shouldn't anymore  that it's bad for her recovery. But the cash is an addiction, too, she says.

In March they decided to get clean. After the overdoses.

One of those times, they had a room at the Neshaminy Inn along Route 1. Ryan suspected from the heroin's pinkish tint that it was laced with the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.

"I should have known better," he said.

"You didn't care," Angie said.

Angie dragged him into the shower, and gave him mouth-to-mouth. She has an active warrant in Montgomery County, connected to a DUI charge. So she didn't call 911. "It was wrong," she said, "but I was terrified."

For a time, after they first met, they were a couple. Angie knows how he feels about her, and she always will, Ryan said. Angie feels comfortable walking the avenue with Ryan, more than she would alone. There were nights when they were using when he had to hold her up when she could not stand. He could have left her, she said  "or taken advantage of me. And he has never done anything like that."

Angie's recovery sponsor thinks they shouldn't even be friends. But the sponsor doesn't know how well they look out for each other, Ryan said.

Recently, when a dealer stuffed a free sample of dope into Ryan's hand, Angie slapped it away.

And when they walk together and the pull of crack feels overwhelming, when Angie can see the puff of smoke and feel the rush, when her heart pounds from the thought of it, Ryan will get her home.

Testing themselves

They sit on a bench in McPherson Square. Last summer, when the park was crowded with young people from all over, shooting heroin, Angie and Ryan would use in the grass.

So many needles and baggies littered the lawn then, you could hide your stash in the grass and police would be none the wiser. They didn't even realize the library was open, until one day Ryan had to use the bathroom. "I thought it was just there," Angie said.

Now, the park is quieter. Now Angie and Ryan eat their churros and water ice and admire the view.

"I think it could be really, really nice," Angie says.

They walk on, toward Allegheny Station. They know they are testing themselves with these walks. As we near the El stop, I realize that I am not walking them back to their recovery houses, just back to the train.

The train they never had to get off in the first place. Their stops are farther down the line. This was a detour.

They make their way through huddles of young people buying and selling, past a man searching for a nephew lost to heroin and who has robbed the family, past all the markers of a life they have yet to fully leave.
People love Andrew Wyeth. The public, if not curators and critics, has embraced the artist's work for seven decades now. "Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect," a large exhibition opening Saturday at the Brandywine River Museum of Art in observance of the 100th anniversary of his birth, invites us to revisit an old friend  and also to discover aspects of an artist we only think we know.

Wyeth is a paradoxical figure. He was an isolated man. Nearly all his works describe a couple of small territories  one in the Brandywine Valley, the other in coastal Maine  where he lived from 1917 until his death in 2009. The people he painted lived in falling-down houses without modern conveniences and appeared to live lives of unremitting labor and loneliness. Death lurks somewhere in nearly every picture.

Yet, largely because of the efforts of his wife and business manager, Betsy, he became one of the best-marketed artists in history, whose images have been packaged and purchased by people who rarely go to museums. He is a major reason that the Brandywine Valley is a tourism destination, and that the museum which has mounted this show (along with the Seattle Art Museum) was founded.

People used to drive to rural Maine hoping to get a glimpse of Christina Olson, the disabled figure seen crawling up the hill in Wyeth's most renowned painting, Christina's World. (Several paintings of Christina are in the show, including one that shows her as a fierce old woman, but the Brandywine was not able to borrow Christina's World.)

Wyeth once said that if he were to do that painting again, he would leave Christina out. Indeed, many of the works in the show are expressions of absence. In Pentecost (1989), drying, fraying fishing nets evoke the spirit of a young woman who drowned. In Hay Ledge (1957), a boat stored in a barn permanently, and thus, uselessly, serves as a biography of Christina's brother, who stopped fishing so he could care for her.

And in Trodden Weed (1951), a characteristically elusive self-portrait, all we see of the artist is a pair of high boots. They recall the kind of footwear worn by the pirates and swashbucklers in the melodramatic illustrations of his father and principal teacher, N.C. Wyeth, who kept an extensive collection of props and costumes. The artist stands on a piece of quintessential Wyeth ground  dusty, brown, and painstakingly painted, tangled with plants that are mostly dead but that show some promise of regeneration.

Wyeth was a sickly child and never went to school. His father saw to it that he would be a painter. The show includes some wonderful early watercolors, such as Lobsterman (Walt Anderson) (1937). They are free and fluid, spontaneous, yet totally under control. But they are not yet really Andrew Wyeths.

The artist considered the 1945 death of his father, in an accident at a railroad crossing near the family's house, the catalyst for a change in his work. "I didn't have much to say," Wyeth later said in an interview quoted in the show's catalog. "Edward Hopper had an emotional reason to paint  [Robert] Frost had a reason to write poetry. My father's death  put me in touch with something beyond me, things to think and feel, things that meant everything to me. Then I needed to put them down as sharply as possible  with the clarity of the north wind."

It's interesting that he compared himself to Hopper and Frost, whose work achieved great popularity despite the frequent darkness of their feelings and bleakness of their subjects. All three, I think, are loved not because they're lovable, but because their well-wrought works seem to offer some plain truths.

Wyeth worked primarily in tempera, an egg-based medium used by the old masters, and also in dry brush watercolor, in which water is squeezed from the brush before painting. Both these media discourage large, bold gestures. They are better suited for the accretion of fine detail. Often the most fascinating parts of his paintings are what first seem to be the empty parts, such as a patch of dirt, a bit of field, or the dark background of a portrait. These prove to be painstakingly worked, infinitely variegated, and often not strictly representational.

In Thin Ice (1969), an unusual work that has been seen only in Japan, the entire canvas is a frozen puddle, with dead leaves layered at the bottom and bubbles along the surface of the ice. It would look like a pure abstraction  if it weren't so fiercely realistic.

The show's curators, Patricia Junker of Seattle and Audrey Lewis of the Brandywine, point to changes in Wyeth's interests and approach over the years, most notably the late arrival of the erotic in his work after he turned 50. The show and especially the catalog also bring a new focus to his paintings of African Americans, whom he regarded sometimes as outsiders like himself and sometimes as primitives. One of his most striking such paintings, Barracoon (1976), a female nude seen from the back, turns out to be his very white, secret model Helga Testorf, her skin darkened, supposedly to deceive Betsy.

Most unexpectedly, the curators show us an artist so impressed by a movie he saw at age 8  King Vidor's silent World War I epic The Big Parade  that he watched it more than 500 times and suffused some of his best-known paintings with its imagery, including Christina's World and Winter 1946 (1946). The latter painting, which is in the exhibition, shows a boy running, off-balance, down a hill in Chadds Ford near the site of N.C. Wyeth's death the year before.

Another intriguing subject is Karl Kuerner, Wyeth's dairy farmer neighbor in Chadds Ford, who fought in World War I, in the German army. In the many paintings Wyeth did of him, there is almost always a hint of brutality along with enormous dignity.

Wyeth was allowed to lurk about the Kuerner house and farm at will, sketching, observing, occasionally talking. He had grown up playing with toy soldiers; Kuerner was his own real soldier, available to paint as he pleased. Wyeth said his mysterious, funereal tempera Spring (1978), which shows Kuerner, who was gravely ill, lying on the hill on his property, partly covered in snow, was inspired by one of Kuerner's war stories.

But perhaps his greatest Kuerner painting is one where the man himself doesn't appear. Spring Fed (1967) shows the shed where Kuerner cooled his milk with water from a natural spring. His cattle and land are glimpsed through the window. You know this isn't just a scene on a farm; it is a meditation on life and mortality.

Wyeth acknowledged this, but he also explained it as though it were one of his father's historical scenes. It was like the tomb of a knight, he said, with the bucket representing his discarded helmet. "I have such a strong romantic fantasy about things," he said, "and that's what I paint, but I come to it through realism."

Familiar as we might be with Wyeth's people and places, his technical mastery, and his dark weirdness, this large and excellent exhibition shows that it's still possible to discover, and feel, something new.

Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect

On exhibit June 24-Sept. 17, Brandywine River Museum, Route 1, Chadds Ford.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Tickets: $18 (adults),

$15 (seniors), $6 (children and students with ID), free for children under 6 years old.

Information: 610-338-2700, www.brandywine.org/museum
West Chester addiction psychologist Drew Alikakos dials a number for a local addiction treatment center that he suspects has been illicitly re-routed to a Florida facility. His own phone number was hijacked in such a manner. Read more

Last September, West Chester addiction psychologist Drew Alikakos made a jarring discovery: His patients were disappearing.

People weren't showing up for appointments, and he was unable to reach them. Even stranger, a patient told Alikakos that he'd been trying to call the doctor for days but kept getting connected to somebody in Florida.

Alikakos, 59, an affable man with a soft spot for heroin addicts, was stumped. In a surreal moment, he dialed the number Google listed for his office and wound up screaming at the guy who answered  a fellow sitting at a phone in the Sunshine State.

After a heated exchange, Alikakos was able to figure out the mystery.

"People in Florida were shanghaiing my phone number off Google," Alikakos said. When patients called Alikakos, they spoke instead with disarmingly persistent marketers offering free airline tickets, housing, and spots in treatment centers as soon as the next day. Convinced that they needed therapy amid palm trees and warm breezes, several of Alikakos' patients quit West Chester for Palm Beach County.

"This," Alikakos concluded, "is the biggest scam going."

Targeting vulnerable drug addicts and their families, deceptive marketers have been "hijacking" the phone numbers of drug treatment centers in the Philadelphia area and elsewhere, then rerouting them to Florida treatment centers. The ploy takes advantage of a Google feature that allows people to edit a business' phone number on the search engine.

Marketers in far-flung states also cull clients from opioid-plagued places such as Philadelphia by using misleading strategies  such as gaming searches so a person typing the words treatment center near me would see large directories of purportedly local centers with toll-free numbers that direct callers elsewhere.

The prize is a piece of the estimated $45 billion drug-treatment industry fed by an exploding heroin epidemic. Treatment centers pay marketers as much as $1,000 a referral, according to Florida law enforcement.

"Just Google Philadelphia rehab and dial a few numbers you find and see where it leads you," said Al Johnson, Florida's chief assistant state attorney and head of a task force looking into the scheme. "You're at the risk of being hijacked. And Florida is ground zero for people in the Northeast being steered by hijacked Google searches."

Johnson offered a warning for Philadelphia-area treatment centers, as well: "If you don't check on a daily basis, your Google [presence] will be hijacked. Greed has corrupted the system of drug treatment."

It's unknown how many people have been affected by hijacking.

But Alikakos is aware of a few.

"A mother of a client who went to Florida is suicidal," he said. "These people trust you, and all of a sudden they're off on some referral and find themselves in some hole in Florida. How dare you treat humans like meat, shipping them off?"

Local officials and law enforcement agencies said they hadn't heard of the addiction-phone hijacking scheme. The Philadelphia office of the FBI would offer no comment. Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon did not return phone calls.

Like Alikakos, however, drug-treatment practitioners in the area have become well-acquainted with Florida interlopers over the last year.

"It has become a significant problem," said Rick Pine, CEO of Livengrin Foundation, a treatment center headquartered in Bensalem. "It's not unusual for me to search [online for] Livengrin in Bensalem and end up with Florida call centers."

Kevin King, director of community relations at Malvern Institute, based in Plymouth Meeting, said unprincipled marketers "attack constantly."

The owner of a treatment center in Florida, King said he knows some marketers whom he describes as "felons" who hole up in bunkerlike backrooms making phone calls that prey on the weak.

Typically, insurance reimbursements for out-of-network treatment of patients who travel to Florida is three times the amount paid for the same in-network services, according to the "Report on the Proliferation of Fraud and Abuse in Florida's Addiction Treatment Industry," presented by a Palm Beach County grand jury at the end of last year. It's no coincidence, Johnson said, that 75 percent of people in Florida addiction treatment facilities are from out of state.

But many individuals who travel to Florida facilities may not be aware that much of what they pay out of pocket may not be reimbursable, according to a statement from Richard Snyder, chief medical officer for Independence Blue Cross.

After Gaudenzia treatment center in Philadelphia was victimized by hijacking last year, IT director Rick Forwood said he discovered that Florida marketers had taken advantage of a common Google feature.

When people search on Google, it brings up an information box that offers an address and phone number. The box also includes a line that reads, "Suggest an edit." Clicking on that line has allowed a person to change the phone number and replace it with another, Forwood said. If the owner of the page doesn't respond, he said, the change is made.

"It's pretty straightforward," Forwood said. "I could have changed the number of a Fortune 500 company if I wanted."

To complete the deception, a marketer could easily purchase a phone number with a Philadelphia regional area code to replace Gaudenzia's number, making it seem authentic, said Shannon Detwiler, a telecommunications engineer and expert in phone security with Evolve IP, a cloud services company in Wayne.

Forwood said he complained to Google, saying, " 'You do understand it's ridiculous this could happen, right?' "

Google promised to fix the problem, Forwood said.

A spokeswoman for Google who declined to be interviewed said in an emailed statement, "We have no plans to remove 'suggest an edit' and we are continuing to work on ways to fight these issues and keep our information up to date."

Peter Thomas, membership manager of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, based in Denver, said that the misuse of the "suggest an edit" feature is "scary" because, although there are many good treatment centers, "people who mislead patients and act like they're someone else are not focusing on good care. There's potential to cause harm to patients."

Richard Frankel, a law professor at Drexel University and a consumer-protection expert, suggested that perpetrators of phone hijacking may be breaking various civil and criminal laws related to fraud, deception, and theft of service.

In Palm Beach County, the grand jury's report has led to the creation of a statute taking effect July 1. The law doesn't address "suggest an edit" abuses specifically, but it will allow Florida to "muscle up" in the battle to end exploitation of patients as well as misrepresentation of services in connection with phone hijacking scams, said a spokesman for the state attorney.

Even without the fraud, looking for help on Google can be daunting for the desperate parent of a heroin-addicted child.

A person typing the words treatment center near me into Google would encounter so-called organic listings under the ads that include large directories with prominently displayed toll-free numbers that direct consumers to places other than local facilities.

"A family in crisis needs clear information," said Melissa Gettler, vice president of marketing at Caron Treatment Centers in Reading. "This aggregator model is unethical."

In many cases, digital consultants say, maps on Google showing treatment centers fraudulently display nonexistent names or numbers. And phone numbers in organic listings often ring in call centers far from the caller's location.

One Google listing for drug rehab in Philadelphia includes a number with a local 267 area code that is answered by a "hotline" in Miami. A treatment center identified as being on Market Street in Philadelphia features a toll-free number with a man on the other end who said, "I couldn't tell you why my phone is ringing in Manchester, N.H. Do you need addiction help?"

This brave new world of searching for assistance for substance abuse is too much for Charles Scott, 51, an alcoholic from Northeast Philadelphia who installs security systems.

Scott said he once called an 800 number that he thought would reach a Philadelphia rehab center, but he wound up speaking to a person in Florida who offered to pay his bus fare to Palm Beach County.

"The guy buttered it up, making the place sound all sweet and chocolaty," Scott said. "But I knew it was a bait-and-switch thing and I didn't go.

"I called rehab places in Philadelphia for help before. But it's always Florida that answers."
It's a rainy weekday morning in North Philadelphia, and once again, as I have been doing for the last 15 years, I sign on to our electronic health-records database and prepare for the 26 young patients, ages 1 month to 20 years, on my schedule. It's a few days after the White House's 2018 budget proposal, "A New Foundation for American Greatness," was released last month.

Most of my patients are on Medicaid, although I also check to see whether any have insurance benefits such as discounted gym memberships, a big help for low-income families struggling with obesity.

Reviewing clinical notes, I'm reminded that several of the families have what's known as food insecurity, which simply means they don't have enough money to be certain their children can eat well. That's not uncommon here in North Philadelphia. I make sure that our social services team has addressed this in previous visits, looking for chart notations such as: "family receives SNAP benefits" (food stamps), or "gets TANF" (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).

I see a previous note in one infant's chart reminding me to check whether his mother was able to get a subsidy to help pay for good-quality day care, vitally important for this child's early brain development as well as getting the mother back to work.

I make a note to check with a family that has two children with asthma. The family applied for help through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and for a grant to help with essential home repairs so the kids' conditions  asthma is exacerbated by environmental conditions such as mold  don't get any worse. Trying to stretch the family income to cover home-repair costs has only been contributing to the "heat-or-eat" phenomenon that many families in poverty face.

Two other families on my schedule depend on Social Security disability benefits they receive for their special-needs children to make ends meet. With the children's complex needs, it would be very difficult for their parents to work outside the home.

The last child on my schedule has a teen mother. She is now on long-term birth control to avoid the obvious perils of needing to take daily pills, and is razor-focused on graduating high school and being "successful" for her baby.

Pediatricians and primary-care physicians are responsible for coordinating the overall health of their patients, which in my world also means nutrition counseling, home maintenance, self-care issues, and family dynamics. Add to the list counseling parents on their children's growth, behavior, development, safety, and immunizations and routine screening tests. This must all be done in 15-minute appointments; 20 to 30 times a day a provider.

The community we serve is the epicenter of childhood poverty in the city with the greatest concentration of poverty in the nation. As studies have shown, a child born in the zip codes we mainly serve can expect an average lifespan as much as 20 years less than a child born in the city's more affluent neighborhoods.

So as "A New Foundation for American Greatness" is making its way to Congress  and as senators quietly ponder the American Health Care Act to replace the Affordable Care Act, I pause briefly to think about the potential effects on the families I am about to see.

The president of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, has labeled the budget a "War on Children" that "cruelly dismantles and shreds America's safety net laboriously woven over the last half-century to help and give hope to the 14.5 million children struggling today in a sea of poverty, hunger, sickness, miseducation, homelessness and disabilities."

The budget calls for reductions in programs that help my patients and their families afford housing, food, and education. It calls for $40 billion in cuts to tax credits for lower-income families such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, as well as massive cuts to TANF. It calls for $193 billion in cuts over 10 years to the SNAP program that helps feed most of the families I care for and $72 billion in cuts over 10 years to the Supplemental Security Income Program that so many families with disabled children count on to survive.

It would cut billions from housing and utility programs that almost 7 million Americans depend on to keep their families warm during the winter. It would end family-planning services that many women depend on both to limit their family size and to get primary health care themselves.

It calls for cuts of $1.6 trillion over 10 years in life-altering programs such as job training, quality education, and housing vouchers programs that help raise families out of poverty. It calls for an $880 billion-dollar cut to Medicaid, which half of all Pennsylvania children depend on to keep them healthy, safe, and secure.

I wonder about the implications of this budget on our city. Will the 20-year life-expectancy gap grow even wider?

I am jolted back to my day as the computer alerts me that my first patient, a beautiful 2-month-old girl, who depends entirely on the loving care of her mother and the support of society, is ready for me. Are we ready for her?

Daniel R. Taylor, D.O., is an associate professor at Drexel University College of Medicine and director of community pediatrics and child advocacy at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.
DA Seth Williams, center, waves on his way into the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, PA on June 22, 2017. Read more

A Bucks County businessman at the center of the bribery case against Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams testified Thursday that he showered the city's top prosecutor with pricey gifts, all-expenses-paid travel, and dinner at exclusive restaurants because he "wanted to get close to the DA."

And though the relationship outlined by Mohammad N. Ali during four hours on the witness stand sounded at times like a genuine friendship built over years of double dates and a 2012 couples' trip to a swanky Dominican resort, when asked directly by prosecutors what he got out of cozying up to the district attorney, Ali answered in purely transactional terms.

"It's good to know someone in power," he told jurors on the third day of Williams' federal bribery and corruption trial. "If you ever need anything, it's good to have someone make a phone call."

As Ali told it, he sought Williams' aid again and again for everything from bypassing secondary airport screening to throwing some muscle behind the citizenship application for Ali's wife, who was from Belarus. And when a friend found himself on the wrong side of a drug charge in 2011, Ali said, Williams offered to intervene.

But the friendship Ali described Thursday appeared to be entirely one-sided. He paid for everything, and Williams rarely came through on his promises  a point the district attorney's lawyers are sure to stress Friday when they get a chance to cross-examine the businessman.

In his opening statement to jurors this week, defense lawyer Thomas Burke argued that despite whatever help the district attorney might have promised Ali, Williams never took any action to help.

What's more, Burke argued, Ali cannot be trusted, as his testimony came as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors stemming from his own admission in court last month to bribery and tax evasion charges.

Still, the businessman's claims are central to prosecutors' case that Williams extorted bribes from wealthy benefactors to fund a jet-setting, luxury lifestyle he could not afford on his own.

Ali, 40, of Feasterville, emerged as a key figure in the case hours after Williams was charged this year with 29 counts, including bribery, extortion, and honest services fraud.

But until he strode into court Thursday, dressed in a slim-cut black suit with matching tie, much about the man  and his relationship with Williams  had remained an enigma.

A Bentley-driving Jordan native with a taste for the same high life that prosecutors have accused Williams of chasing, Ali said he made millions in the early 2010s peddling prepaid phone cards and energy drinks.

When the phone card market tanked with the rise of internet-based international calling services, he said, he downgraded his car to a more economical Lamborghini and bought a dental practice in Maryland.

"Did you know anything about dentistry?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Vineet Gauri asked.

"Not at all," Ali replied.

As Ali recounted his professional past, Williams sat at the defense table, fingers laced in his lap, glowering in the direction of his onetime friend. But even he cracked a smile when the man's testimony turned to the signs of their budding bromance.

Prosecutors showed photos of Ali and Williams cavorting beachside in T-shirts and floral-print swim trunks during a 2012 trip to the Caribbean, and played videos of the two parasailing together over crystal-blue waters.

And they projected for jurors years of text messages laced with smiley-faced emoticons and mutual claims of "I miss you."

"He always said I looked like Drake," Ali testified, eliciting chuckles from the jury box from the reference to the rapper.

When federal agents raided Ali's business in 2014, they found a framed photo of Williams prominent on the desk.

Asked Thursday why that photo was one of the only ones he had in his office, Ali explained: "Simple status. I was friends with the district attorney."

Federal agents discovered the relationship between the men almost by accident.

Ali first came to the attention of authorities in 2011 when he became the target of a long-running money-laundering investigation.

Testifying earlier Thursday, Homeland Security investigations agent Thomas Acerno said he began tracking nearly $98 million that Ali's company, United Telecard Alliance, deposited and quickly drained from its bank accounts over six years.

As the probe intensified, he said, he began having Ali stopped for additional screening each time he returned to Philadelphia International Airport from frequent trips, including to Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and China.

When Ali managed to evade those secondary checks in February 2012, thanks to a police escort that was waiting at the terminal for his arrival, Acerno told jurors, he grew suspicious.

"That was very abnormal for an investigation," he said. "It had me thinking Mr. Ali had some sort of connection."

Agents later confiscated Ali's phone and discovered the trove of text-message conversations between him and Williams  exchanges in which he frequently complained to the district attorney about what he described as his "airport problem."

Prosecutors say Williams requested that Philadelphia police officials and U.S. Rep. Robert Brady's office look into the matter on Ali's behalf.

Williams has maintained that he did so only because he believed his friend had become a victim of racial profiling.

Throughout his testimony Thursday, Ali appeared almost nervous, hesitating several times as he cataloged the gifts he gave the man he referred to as "Mr. Seth"  a list that included an $840 Burberry watch, a $200 Louis Vuitton tie, a $3,000 sofa, and a free trip for Williams and his girlfriend to a luxury, $1,000-a-night Dominican resort complete with private beach access and a personalized concierge service.

"To me, gifts are a way to get closer to people," Ali said. "It's another way of winning somebody's attention."

But with one question Thursday, Gauri sought to indicate the hollowness of that bond.

"Did Seth Williams ever buy you a gift?" the prosecutor asked.

Ali quietly responded: "No."

Staff writer Joseph A. Slobodzian contributed to this article.
Mohammad N. Ali  Seth Williams' jet-setting, Bentley-driving, energy drink-peddling benefactor  endured hours of tough questioning Friday as the district attorney's lawyers sought to paint him as a craven opportunist who threw unsolicited money and gifts at the city's top prosecutor in an attempt to come off like "a big shot."

In a pointed cross-examination, defense lawyer Thomas Burke suggested that not only did Ali use Williams at the front end of their friendship  seeking access to a powerful man who could help him with his legal woes  but also hoped to avoid prison for his own crimes by turning against his pal.

And as Ali, a soft-spoken Jordan native, wrapped up six hours of testimony over two days in Williams' federal bribery and corruption trial, he appeared conflicted about his relationship with the defendant.

"Seth was my friend," he said. "Did I need things from him? Yes. But that's not using. I'm sure he expected things from me, too."

As prosecutors describe it, Williams' expectations of their friendship were clear. And Ali  a slickly dressed go-getter who made millions selling prepaid cellphone cards and energy drinks  is a linchpin witness in their case. His testimony came as part of a deal struck after he pleaded guilty last month to charges of bribery and tax evasion.

Ali told jurors Thursday that he helped the cash-strapped district attorney live a lifestyle he couldn't afford, showering him with gifts that included designer accessories, pricey dinners, and an all-expenses-paid trip to a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic.

In exchange, Ali said, he routinely called on Williams for aid when he faced legal problems, such as when his Belarusian wife's citizenship application was rejected on suspicion that their marriage was a sham.

But Burke, in his cross-examination, attempted to muddy that government depiction of a clean quid pro quo.

Ali testified he gave Williams a $7,000 loan in 2013 to cover his energy bills on the same day that Williams arranged a meeting for him with a top Philadelphia Police Department official. But, he told the jury of 10 women and two men, at the time he didn't think of it as a bribe.

"Mr. Burke, I didn't wake up in the morning and think, 'This is what I'm going to do for Seth so he can do this thing for me,' " Ali replied. "I liked him, and I think he liked me."

Ali described the bond between him and Williams as one developed quickly over eight months starting in 2010.

They shared personal stories, Ali said, including their shared experiences with what they believed to be racial profiling  in Ali's case the invasive secondary screenings he endured nearly every time he returned to Philadelphia International Airport from overseas trips.

A federal agent revealed from the witness stand Thursday that Ali drew that extra scrutiny because he was under investigation for possible money laundering, though he was never charged.

But Burke contended that Ali's request for Williams to look into what he described as his "airport problem" didn't step over the line.

"You're telling him you're a victim of racial profiling  that's a crime, isn't it?" he asked Ali. "Who's the right guy to report that crime to? The district attorney, correct?"

Prosecutors allege that Williams did more than just investigate. He set Ali up with then-Capt. Joe Sullivan, the head of the Police Department's Homeland Security Unit, who later sent officers to escort Ali through a secondary screening on a subsequent trip through the airport.

"They actually showed up with a wheelchair," Burke said Friday. "Because they thought they were picking up Muhammad Ali, the boxer."

Sullivan, who is expected to testify Monday, later withdrew his support and the extra security screenings resumed.

Later, when Ali sought Williams' intervention in a drug case filed against a friend  a Center City nightclub DJ  Williams again said he would review the matter.

Though it turned out to be too late to affect the case, Williams texted Ali in 2012 that he had "no problem looking into anything."

"Always give me at least a week to help a friend," he wrote.

Burke suggested in questioning, however, that prosecutors had made too much of that exchange.

"He said he would look at it," the lawyer said. "As the district attorney, he's allowed to look at it."

Many of Burke's inquiries Friday proceeded down a two-pronged path.

On the one hand, he suggested, there was nothing improper about the gifts between two close friends. On the other, he said, for all the money Ali claimed he poured into Williams over the year, he didn't get much of a return on his investment

"He was not able to help you at the airport? He was not able to help you with" the friend's drug case? "And he wasn't able to help you with the citizenship problems with your wife?" the lawyer asked. "So, in all the years that you have been friends, he hasn't been able to do anything for you."

Ali offered only one word in response: "Correct."

Keep up with developments in Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' case with our day-by-day recaps and our explainer on everything you need to know about the case.
Renee Tartaglione leaves the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, PA on June 23, 2017. Tartaglione was convicted Friday on all 53 counts of conspiracy, theft, fraud, and tax evasion in a scheme that fleeced $1 million from a Fairhill mental health clinic for which she was both president and landlord. Read more

Philadelphia politico Renee Tartaglione was convicted Friday on all 53 counts of conspiracy, theft, fraud, and tax evasion in a scheme in which prosecutors alleged she fleeced $1 million from a Fairhill mental health clinic of which she was both president and landlord.

A federal jury of six men and six women deliberated for just about four hours before returning its quick verdicts.

When the forewoman read the first verdict, Tartaglione  dressed in a gray suit and black shirt, her hair pulled back tightly in a bun  furrowed her forehead, looked down at the defense table, and wrote something down. She did so for many of the counts.

After the verdicts were read, one of her two attorneys, William A. DeStefano, quietly spoke to her, and for a moment, Tartaglione's stoic facial expression broke. She appeared concerned and almost teary-eyed.

U.S. District Judge Joel H. Slomsky said he would set a sentencing date next week. Tartaglione is free on bail.

Afterward, Tartaglione was asked if she would like to comment, but she said she wanted to first call her husband, Carlos Matos, who was not in the courtroom for the verdicts. After the call, when asked again to comment while riding in an elevator, she turned her face away without uttering a word.

DeStefano said he planned to appeal. "We have not given up pursuing her defense," he said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bea Witzleben, who prosecuted the case with Peter Halpern of the U.S. Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, said of the convictions: "It sends a very important message to the people on the board of a nonprofit corporation that they should not be benefiting at the expense of the nonprofit."

Witzleben said she does not yet know what prosecutors will ask for in terms of a sentence, and said the sentencing guidelines need to be calculated.

Tartaglione, 61, scion of a prominent Democratic political family, was indicted last year.

She was charged with siphoning $1 million from the Juniata Community Mental Health Clinic between 2007 and 2012 through a pattern of self-dealing.

Tartaglione was president of the clinic's board of directors and was the sole owner of Norris Hancock, the company that owned the clinic's building at 2637 N. Fifth St.

During the trial, which began May 24, prosecutors said that as landlord, Tartaglione charged the clinic exorbitant rent, and that as president of the board, she ensured that the rent was approved.

Tartaglione was also accused of running a kickback scheme in which two clinic employees, Sandy Acosta, a co-founder and administrator, and her daughter, Leslie, a contract analyst between 2007 and 2012, received supplemental paychecks, cashed them, and turned over the money to Tartaglione so she could avoid paying taxes.

Both Acostas pleaded guilty to charges involving the scheme and testified against Tartaglione for the prosecution.

For Leslie Acosta, who had won election to the state House from the 197th District in which the clinic was located, the guilty plea wound up costing her that seat.

The plea agreement was sealed pending trial but was disclosed in an article last September by the Inquirer and Daily News. In January, as Acosta was being sworn in for a second term, legislative leaders forced her to resign.

Tartaglione and Matos founded the clinic, which was first housed at 2254 N. Third St. in North Philadelphia, in 2002.

She is the daughter of former city elections chief Margaret Tartaglione and sister of State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione (D., Phila.).

Until 2010, Renee Tartaglione worked for her mother in the city elections office. She was forced to resign after the Board of Ethics accused her of breaking rules barring politicking by city employees.

They alleged that she ran the city's Democratic 19th Ward in Kensington while Matos, who was the longtime ward leader, served a federal prison sentence for bribing three Atlantic City councilmen.

In her closing argument on Thursday, Witzleben tried to combine the advantages of directing a nonprofit with the personal gain of running a for-profit company.

"When you're a nonprofit, you need to avoid self-dealing," Witzleben said. "You need to avoid even the appearance that they are shearing the sheep they're supposed to protect."

One trial witness, a real estate expert, testified that Tartaglione charged the clinic $75,000 a month rent for 16,000 square feet spread over five of the six floors in the Fifth Street building in poor, drug-plagued Fairhill. That was more than landlords charged for "A-class trophy buildings" in Center City, he said.

DeStefano, who defended Tartaglione with attorney Terri Pawelski, told the jury that it was up to the tenant to decide if rent was too high and that decision was highly subjective.

"It's no crime to raise the rent," DeStefano told the jury in his closing. "There's nothing wrong with telling the tenant that conditions changed and you're going to have to pay more rent."

DeStefano spent much of his closing attacking the credibility of the two key government witnesses. He told the jury that the Acostas, who are awaiting sentencing, had forged the checks and stolen the money for themselves.

DeStefano said there was no independent evidence corroborating the kickbacks to Tartaglione and called the Acostas' testimony "ridiculous" and "unworthy of your belief."

The jury began deliberations Friday morning and asked to see a few exhibits again, including charts. It said it had reached verdicts just after the lunch break.

"We're really gratified that the jury did such a thorough job, and was able to see through and bring justice on behalf of the people," Witzleben said, referring to those in the North Philadelphia community "who should have been benefiting from the mental health clinic."

Acting U.S. Attorney Louis Lappen said in a statement: "Tartaglione's crimes against the Juniata Mental Health Clinic are unfortunate examples of how those in control of nonprofits can abuse them for their personal enrichment. Her fraudulent scheme did serious damage to the community she was supposed to serve, denying mental health services to economically disadvantaged people."
Former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane, free on bail while she appeals her perjury conviction, invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to testify this week in a court hearing in which an accused Pittsburgh killer is challenging wiretap evidence against him.

In a complicated pretrial legal fight, Price Montgomery, an alleged drug dealer charged with fatally shooting a witness, is seeking to exploit a feud between Kane and one of her top deputies that broke out in 2014, at the same time the Attorney General's Office had tapped Montgomery's cellphone.

Kane went on a vacation to Haiti at that time, and because of the feud had refused to sign routine paperwork authorizing deputy Adrian King to make key decisions in her absence. Nonetheless, King approved the wiretap, using an autopen to add Kane's signature to the document; the recorded conversations allegedly implicate Montgomery.

Now, Montgomery and his codefendants want the wiretap evidence barred on grounds that the tap was approved without proper legal authority.

The hearing showed how Kane's tumultuous tenure as attorney general continues to have a ripple effect, almost a year after she stepped down.

Kane, who has kept a low profile since her conviction, took the stand briefly Tuesday in federal court in Pittsburgh only to decline to answer questions, according to several courtroom observers. King had testified the day before, saying that Kane approved the wiretap in a call from the airport as she left for her trip. King provided cellphone records and his notes from the call to back up his account.

King was a key witness against Kane in her criminal case. The former attorney general took note of that in explaining why she took the Fifth.

"I know how this works: I say one thing. Adrian King says another. I get charged with perjury," Kane told federal prosecutors a few days before the hearing, according to defense attorney Michael DeRiso, who represents one of Montgomery's codefendants. He said prosecutors had shared notes of Kane's remarks with them.

Kane could not be reached for comment; a call to her home this week went unanswered.

Kane's lawyer for the hearing, Thomas J. Farrell, refused to say whether he was her lawyer. Federal prosecutors also declined comment. U.S. District Judge Mark R., Hornak will rule on the suppression motion in the fall.

Montgomery, 36, is charged with the Aug. 22, 2014, killing of Tina Crawford, 34, also of Pittsburgh, who was shot 10 times at her home as she was leaving to talk with federal prosecutors. Her mother was wounded in the same attack.

Two months before the shootings, Montgomery had been arrested on drug-dealing charges after police seized 1,500 bricks of heroin, more than $100,000, and 16 handguns, shotguns, and rifles in a raid.

Though the wiretap was placed by the Attorney General's Office, federal prosecutors are pursuing the case. DeRiso said that knocking out the wiretap evidence would undermine the drug charges, but was uncertain about its impact on the charge involving the killing of the witness.

In legal papers defending Kane's right to invoke her constitutional right against self-incrimination, Farrell noted that even innocent people may cite the Fifth Amendment so as not to provide any information to authorities.

He also noted that Kane's conflict with King was explored during the 2016 trial in Montgomery County that ended with her conviction on perjury and obstruction charges.

A jury found that she lied under oath in denying that she had unlawfully leaked confidential investigative material to a newspaper in a bid to embarrass a political enemy. King, now a lawyer in Philadelphia, was a key prosecution witness, testifying that he had warned Kane not to leak material. His relationship with Kane grew chilly after he provided that advice.

Kane was sentenced to serve 10 to 23 months in jail. She has appealed her conviction to Superior Court.
In happier times, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf shakes hands with Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) after signing legislation on June 12 to reduce long-term public pension costs. Looking on is House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R., Indiana). Read more

Has Pennsylvania's Republican-controlled legislature slipped into in a nether world where it no longer is required to balance the state budget? That could explain some of its lazy ideas to close a $1.5 billion deficit.

Maybe lawmakers had already checked out when they suggested the state borrow its way out of the shortfall. Were they even thinking about the consequences once the state starts paying back the money with interest? Or how debt service would suck the wind out of other services?

They must have been in another world when they suggested putting video gambling terminals in corner bars. Did they forget people don't make good decisions about money when they're drinking? Legislators argued convenience gambling would help mom-and-pop bars survive. They didn't consider the impact on neighborhoods with moms and pops who gamble away their rent checks at the taprooms.

Auditor General Eugene DiPasquale has suggested legalizing recreational marijuana and taxing it to raise $200 million. But it appears the legislature already is on something that clouds minds. It must face the reality that there are only a few ways to balance the projected $32.2 billion budget by the June 30 deadline. It can cut services, raise taxes, or a combination of the two.

That's what Gov. Wolf did in his proposed budget. It would consolidate programs to save $2 billion and impose a 6.5 percent severance tax on natural gas drillers to raise almost $300 million. Pennsylvania is the only major gas state that doesn't tax drilling.

Wolf also would raise $1 billion by closing special-interest loopholes like the tax breaks on commercial storage facilities, some insurance companies, software, and prepared foods sold to airlines. He would raise the minimum wage from a ridiculous $7.25 an hour to $12, which could produce another $145 million in revenue and savings.

The governor's proposals are solid, but the legislature's Republican majority is snickering at them.

The House passed a spending plan in April, but that didn't generate Senate action because Republicans in the two houses can't even make a deal with each other, never mind with the Democratic governor.

With days to go before the budget deadline, the legislature hasn't offered one honest idea; not even to spend within what the Republicans and their special-interest buddies think are the state's means. They don't want to slash more services because they would have to admit to angry constituents that they don't care if parks open in the summer or main roads are plowed in the winter.

Lawmakers could raise revenue by increasing the income and sales taxes. Or they could tax their campaign sugar daddies in the shale industry. But they can't pretend that they can ignore reality.

Pennsylvania has endured so many budget gimmicks that it is fast headed toward a fiscal nightmare. Just two years of political gridlock has left Illinois a failed state with almost $15 billion in unpaid bills.

Pennsylvania doesn't have to suffer a similar fate. But it will if the Republicans don't wake up and get to work on a realistic budget that's balanced with recurring revenue. After all, that's the obligation to the people they swore they would honor after being elected.
Sen. Pat Toomey speaks to editorial boards of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News during his reelection campaign last year. Read more

The single most politically litigated topic in the United States in a generation has been Obamacare. In election after election, including two of my own in 2010 and 2016, the American people repeatedly put into office men and women who promised them relief from this law.

The reason is simple: The foundation of Obamacare, a dramatically enhanced federal role in health insurance, has failed to deliver on the promises of its architects.

Millions, who liked their plans and their doctors, couldn't keep them. Increasingly, parts of the country have no Obamacare-compliant plans for sale.

Costs have skyrocketed. In Pennsylvania, premiums are up 120 percent since 2013. Competition is almost nonexistent; 40 percent of our residents can choose from only one insurance provider on the exchange.

Coverage is far below the forecasts touted by the law's advocates. The Congressional Budget Office's initial prediction for participation in the exchange was off by over half for this yeara difference of 13 million people.

These dismal results, accompanied by almost $2 trillion in new federal spending and $1 trillion in new taxes, are set to continue and grow worse unless Congress takes action.

Republicans have begun the process to roll back this misguided experiment, and the first step is to address the most immediate challenges presented by Obamacare's collapse.

The Senate draft proposal will not affect that vast majority of Pennsylvania families who receive their coverage through an employer, Medicare, or the Children's Health Insurance Program. However, the individual market, with just over 400,000 participants in Pennsylvania, is in dire need of relief.

In the short run, the Senate proposal will stabilize this market by continuing Obamacare subsidies for all eligible Americans of modest incomes, and subsidizing high-cost enrollees via a new stabilization fund. Insurers will get some relief from Obamacare regulations to help lower premiums. More broadly, the bill's tax credits, expansion of health savings accounts, repeal of Obamacare taxes, and restoration of state insurance oversight will help to drive down costs for everyone as we transition to a more consumer-driven market.

Despite inaccurate reports to the contrary, the Senate draft bill keeps Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid, the program for low-income Americans. Obamacare created a new category of eligibility: working age, able-bodied, childless adults. Under the Senate bill, both the 700,000 Pennsylvanians who signed up for this expansion and future expansion enrollees will retain their federal eligibility for the program. In fact, the federal government will pay at least 90 percent of their costs through 2020, with states paying the balance. Then, over a four-year phase-in period, states wishing to cover this new category of recipients will be required to pay their fair share  only 48 percent in Pennsylvania  for the Medicaid expansion. This is the same amount states currently pay for every traditional Medicaid category: the aged, disabled, children, and families.

Perhaps most important, for the first time in its history, the Medicaid program will be reformed so it is sustainable for future generations and for taxpayers. For decades, Medicaid spending growth has been out of control. It is now a major driver of our federal deficits and debt. Obamacare exacerbated it by adding millions to the rolls without any reform. Our bill will begin, eight years from now, to transition from this uncontrolled, unsustainable spending growth to a slightly slower, hopefully manageable, rate of growth.

In the coming days, this proposal will be studied by the Congressional Budget Office, health-care experts, patient advocacy groups, hospitals, physicians, business associations, and individual constituents. There will be praise, criticism, debate, and suggestions on how to improve this bill. My staff and I will thoroughly examine this legislation and are open to the ideas of anyone who hopes to improve it. Additionally, this legislation will be subject to unlimited amendments.

I pledged to the people of Pennsylvania that I would work tirelessly to replace Obamacare with a more stable, affordable health-care system that puts families in charge of their health-care decisions. I also promised voters to put our entitlement programs on a sustainable fiscal path. This legislation is an important step toward those goals, saving countless Pennsylvanians from the collapse of Obamacare, reducing the federal deficit, and preserving an important safety net for future generations.

Pat Toomey is a Republican U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. @SenToomey
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Michael Christopher Mejia told detectives he "smoked" Whittier, CA, Officer Keith Boyer. (Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)

An admitted gang member told detectives he "smoked" a Whittier police officer and his own cousin and "shot another cop," according to a tape-recorded interview played in court Thursday during a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for him to stand trial for the killings.

"I guess you guys have everything down  smoked my cousin, smoked the cop. ... I mean, what else do you guys want? I shot another cop," Michael Christopher Mejia said in the interview.

Mejia, 26, is charged with murder for the Feb. 20 killings of Officer Keith Boyer, 53, in Whittier and his own cousin, 47-year-old Roy Torres, in East Los Angeles earlier that day.

The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer in the performance of his duties, murder for the purpose of avoiding arrest and multiple murders, KNBC TV/City News Service reports.
If convicted of murdering two corrections officers last week, Ricky Dubose and Donnie Russell Rowe could be executed by the state of Georgia. (Photo:Screen shot from WGXA TV video)

The two men accused of shooting and killing Georgia Department of Correctional officers before escaping from custody appeared in court on Wednesday morning in Putnam County. The state has said it will pursue the death penalty in the case.

Baldwin State Prison inmates Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose were captured near Murfreesboro, Tennessee last week.

Authorities say Rowe and Dubose shot and killed the two corrections officers on Highway 16 between Putnam and Sparta last Tuesday then escaped from the Georgia Prison bus on which they were being transported.

At the hearing, Judge Brenda Trammell first informed Dubose that he was being charged with two counts of murder for killing Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue, one count of motor vehicle hijacking and felony escape. He was also informed of his rights.

Judge Trammell then informed Rowe that he was also being charged with the murders of Monica and Billue, felony escape and motor vehicle hijacking. The judge also informed him of his rights, WGXA TV reports.
A mistrial was declared Friday in the retrial of former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing, charged with murder in the fatal shooting of unarmed motorist Sam DuBose. It is the second mistrial in the case.

The Hamilton County, OH, jury had deliberated 30 hours over five days after getting the case Monday. They informed the judge Friday they were split evenly, the New York Daily News reports.

Tensing shot the 43-year-old DuBose in the head after pulling him over for a missing front license plate in July of 2015.

The former officer's first trial also ended in a mistrial.

Both sides agree that Officer Tensing shot DuBose. Tensing, 27, testified he feared he was going to be killed, but prosecutors said repeatedly the evidence contradicted Tensing's story.
Lt. Jeff Neville was helping his colleagues set up for a meeting inside Flint Bishop Airport on just before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 21, when a man came up and started stabbing him.

Neville, despite being stabbed repeatedly, began fighting off his attacker.

Airport Director of Public Safety Christopher W. Miller said he was there shortly after the attack and put handcuffs on suspected attacker Amor M. Ftouhi after the stabbing.

"From what we can tell, he engaged Lt. Neville and just started to stab him," Miller said. "Lt. Neville got him to stop stabbing him. Lt. Neville fought him right to the very end until I was able to handcuff this person. Lt. Neville never stopped fighting him."

An affidavit filed in the case by FBI Special Agent Thomas M. Sondgeroth says an officer who observed the attack on Neville told him Ftouhi used a large knife to stab the victim.

After stabbing the officer in the neck, Ftouhi continued to yell, "Allah," several times, Sondgeroth's statement says.

"He further exclaimed something similar to, 'you have killed people in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die.'"

Ftouhi, a 50-year-old Canadian citizen, allegedly yelled "Allahu Akbar" -- translated "Allah is the greatest" -- before making the attack, according to federal authorities.

Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Ftouhi on Wednesday, charging him with violence at an international airport, MLive.com reports.
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Since Trump signed his anti-immigrant executive order, arrests went up 38% and fewer people are trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

Part of the problem is the broad language in Trumps mass deportation EO because anyone who evaded a border inspection or overstayed a visea could be charged with a misdemeanor or fraud and facc the threat of deportation.

Agriculture is starting to feel the pinch. The fact is undocumented immigrants make up 50% of agricultures labor force. But with Trumps anti-immigrant policies, the labor pool is shrinking enough to worry farmers in Trump friendly Kansas.

Trisha Priest told Bloomberg: The threat of deportation and the potential loss of our workforce has been very terrifying for all of us businesses here, Priest in the chief strategy officer at Cattle Empire the countrys fifth-largest feed yard, Eighty-six percent of Cattle Empires work force is Latino.

While Trump says he wants a merit based immigration system, where people with higher education and better work histories are welcomed, thats not going to address labor shortages in agriculture, construction or in the hospitality industry all of which rely heavily on the undocumented immigrant labor force.

People in the agriculture, construction and hospitality industries whose workforces are largely undocumented immigrants do want criminals deported. However, they also want Trump to make working here easier for the undocumented labor force they rely on. They describe the visa system as too slow and expensive.

The American Farm Bureau Federation proposes giving people who have worked in the industry for a set period of time permanent legal status. They are aware of a fact Trump just doesnt want to face. As stated on the ABFB website: Where American workers are unwilling or unavailable, workers from other countries have stepped in.

Its doubtful Trump will heed their concerns, given that he is unaware that the law he promised that would ban immigrants from getting welfare for at least five years is already on the books.

According to the National Immigration Law Center, a law banning immigrants from welfare and other benefits was passed in 1996.

Maybe, farmers, restauranteurs and employers in the construction industry should wrap their concerns in a slice of chocolate cake.
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As Republican senators make their way out of town following Thursdays release of disastrous Obamacare repeal legislation, they were met with crowds of protesters voicing their anger.

This tweet from Topher Spiro of the Center for American Progress captures one crowd of people at Reagan National Airport in D.C. speaking out against the Republican repeal effort:

PROTEST HAPPENING NOW. DCA AIRPORT. COME NOW. pic.twitter.com/0DkjVu3Evm  Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) June 22, 2017

In a later tweet, Spiro notes that crowd is still growing as word gets out about the demonstration and urges more people to show up.

Igor Volsky of the Center for American Progress also captured the impressive crowd gathering at the D.C. airport:

At one point, the two men confronted Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley who appeared to be waiting for a plane back home to Iowa. The Senator initially acted like he cared to hear Spiros concerns until the words health care came up.

As the video shows, thats when the Iowa senator quickly gathered his things and walked away:

Im at the airport. We confronted @ChuckGrassley about Trumpcare and he walked away pissed. pic.twitter.com/7WJmTy5v0e  Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) June 22, 2017

The spontaneous demonstrations by pro-ACA activists  and the GOP dodging  shows how politically toxic this issue has become for Republicans as they prepare to dismantle Obamacare.

Thursdays jolt of enthusiasm came just hours after GOP leaders in the Senate unveiled a 142-page measure that would kick millions off of their health insurance, cut taxes for the wealthy, and drastically slash Medicaid  similar to the disastrous legislation the came out of the House of Representatives last month.

The energy behind these impromptu protests shows not only that the Republicans got zero momentum from their slim and empty special election victories, but also that Americans will not sit quietly by as the GOP tries to destroy a law that has helped millions.

Picture: Twitter
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Rachel Maddow explained just how devastating the newly unveiled Republican health care legislation would be for tens of millions of Americans, outlining how the Senate bill makes drastic cuts to the nations number one insurer: Medicaid.

Maddow pointed out that 75 million Americans could be hurt by the cuts, noting that nearly half  49 percent  of all births in the country are covered by Medicaid, as well 76 percent of all poor children.

Video:

#Maddow outlines just how many Americans  75 million  could be hurt by the Medicaid cuts in the GOP #HealthcareBill pic.twitter.com/qjOWepQWlr  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) June 23, 2017

Not only, as the MSNBC host pointed out, would it hurt newborn babies and low-income children, but it could hurt adults with disabilities (30 percent covered by Medicaid), children with disabilities (60 percent covered by Medicaid), and children in general (39 percent covered by Medicaid).

Oh, and lets not forget that nearly 2 million U.S. veterans are covered by Medicaid, as VoteVets noted in a tweet earlier today.

Maddow slammed the GOP legislations cuts: Seventy-five million Americans all have the same health insurance (Medicaid), and the big health bill that the Republicans unveiled in the Senate today takes a meat ax to that health insurer.

Despite the millions of Americans who rely on this insurance  despite the fact that many of them are disabled people or children  the newly revealed GOP health plan, which is supported by Donald Trump, makes even deeper long-term cuts to Medicaid than the original House plan.

This is may be political suicide for Republicans in the Senate, but even if they pass this legislation, theyll still go to bed at night not having to worry about losing their health insurance.

The same cant be said for millions of Americans  the 20 percent of the U.S. population that relies on Medicaid  who need this coverage to survive.
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Donald Trump officially committed political suicide on Thursday, saying in a tweet that he is very supportive of the new Senate health care plan  legislation that would hurt millions of Americans.

The president said he looks forward to making the bill very special.

Tweet:

I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill. Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017

The tweet came hours after Republicans in the Senate finally unveiled the plan that was crafted behind closed doors without any committee hearings  unprecedented for legislation of this magnitude.

The plan, despite the GOPs efforts to convince the American people otherwise, is very similar to the one that passed through the House of Representatives last month. According to a recent poll, that legislation is the least popular major bill in decades.

The Senate plan, which is arguably even worse, will likely share the same fate.

If the upper chamber of Congress does, in fact, find the votes to pass the bill  a measure that will end coverage for millions, while slashing Medicaid for the poor and cutting taxes for the wealthy  the presidents tweet today guarantees that it will have his name on it until the end of time.

Going into next years midterm elections  and looking even further ahead to the 2020 presidential race  that will be devastating ramifications for Trump and his Republican allies in Congress.

Trump had said that he hopes the health care legislation will have heart, but what Republicans in the Senate produced on Thursday is as heartless as the unpopular House plan  and, if passed, it will mean a world of pain for millions of Americans, many of whom supported this president in last years election.

Trumps praise of the legislation unveiled today is likely to doom him, especially if Republicans can find the votes to pass it.
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In a tone that would become familiar in the following months, Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) allowed Russia to interfere in the election to help Trump by expressing skepticism about the intelligence that Russia was meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The Washington Post reported:

The Dems were, Hey, we have to tell the public,  recalled one participant. But Republicans resisted, arguing that to warn the public that the election was under attack would further Russias aim of sapping confidence in the system.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) went further, officials said, voicing skepticism that the underlying intelligence truly supported the White Houses claims. Through a spokeswoman, McConnell declined to comment, citing the secrecy of that meeting.

Key Democrats were stunned by the GOP response and exasperated that the White House seemed willing to let Republican opposition block any pre-election move.

Sen. McConnells doubt of the intelligence is the same tactic that has been used by Trump and his administration since the Russia scandal heated up. The other problem is that the Obama White House let McConnell block them and did nothing. Looking back with 20/20 perspective, it is easy to say that Obama should have issued a warning about Russian election meddling without the Republicans on board, but his concern that the Russia issue would turn into a partisan one that could destroy the integrity of the election was legitimate.

What the now former president couldnt have known was that he was facing a no-win situation. The integrity of this election was going be damaged no matter what because the Russians had already acted.

Mitch McConnell made sure that this election ended up damaged, and the process lost credibility by doubting the intelligence about Russian election interference.

Republicans sold out their country and democracy to win an election. Russia interfered with the election, and Sen. McConnell allowed them to get away with it because it helped him and his party.

The Russia scandal goes beyond Trump, and if Americans are going to prevent a future on our democracy, they must remove Russia enabling Republicans like Mitch McConnell from their positions of power.
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BERLIN (Reuters)  German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday that Britons were lied to during the campaign before the Brexit referendum last year and he lashed out at those behind the Out campaign for not taking responsibility when they won.

Speaking at an event for family-run companies on the first anniversary of the Brexit vote, Schaeuble said: In the Brexit campaign, the Britons were endlessly lied to and deceived and when they happened to be successful, the ones who did that ran away because they said they cant take responsibility for that.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin, editing by Thomas Escritt)
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Only CNN aired the full audio of the Trump administrations no video daily press briefing in defiance of the White Houses attempts to hide information from the American people.

Hadas Gold of Politico tweeted:

Once again, CNN is airing the full audio of Spicer briefing, other networks covering but not airing the full audio  Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) June 23, 2017

The PBS Newshour tried to live stream the briefing, but their stream cut out after 5:55:

Oh boy. The PBS @NewsHour stream of Sean Spicer has abruptly been cut off!  Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) June 23, 2017

There is a mixture of opinion on how to handle Trumps daily press briefing blackout. Some networks like CNN carry the briefing in full in the name of informing the public, while MSNBC is carrying only portions of the briefing and denying the President the media attention that he so desperately craves. There are two schools of thought. One is that the media should not reward Trumps diminishing of the briefing by giving airtime to the audio only gaggles. The other is that the public has a right to know, and airing the audio only briefings highlights the absurdity of this administration.

The American people deserve a government that will be accountable and answer questions. The Trump White House is trying to slowly kill the daily briefing, and those who choose to adapt to the new normal are only helping this administration keep the American people in the dark.
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The super PAC that Vice President Mike Pence is allied with is getting ready to launch a seven-figure attack ad buy on Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada.

Maggie Haberman of The New York Times tweeted:

AMERICA FIRST POLICIES, the pro-Trump/Pence outside group that Pence has been raising for, is preparing a seven-figure ad buy against HELLER  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 23, 2017

Will be an additional digital component. And correx  Pence hasn't raised for the group, his allies do  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 23, 2017

Sen. Heller confirmed that he is a Republican no vote on the health care bill, which means that the army of Trump and Pence super PACs are now going to come after him. The healthcare issue in the hands of an unstable and vindictive Trump administration is tearing the Republican Party apart.

The fact that a PAC that a sitting Vice President is allied with is going to attack a vulnerable incumbent member of their own party who is up for reelection next year because he wont support a health care bill that is bad for the people of his state shows where the Republican Party is right now.

Trump and Pences friends are trying to make an example out of Heller to keep other Republicans in line. The White House and company arent showing leadership. They are using threats and gangland style intimidation tactics to scare members of their own party into line.

The scheme is likely to backfire and tear the Republican Party apart. All hell is breaking loose on the health care issue, and instead of being a win for Trump, it is sowing the seeds for the demise of the GOP.

Editors Note: Story updated to reflect that Pence didnt raise money for the PAC.
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By Dan Levine

(Reuters)  A U.S. judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the deportation of about 100 Iraqi nationals rounded up in Michigan in recent weeks who argued that they could face persecution or torture in Iraq because they are religious minorities.

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith in Michigan issued an order staying the deportation of the Iraqis for at least two weeks as he decides whether he has jurisdiction over the matter. Goldsmith said it was unclear whether the Iraqis would ultimately succeed.

The arrests shocked the close-knit Iraqi community in Michigan. Six Michigan lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives urged the government to hold off on the removals until Congress can be given assurances about the deportees safety.

The Michigan arrests were part of a coordinated sweep in recent weeks by immigration authorities who detained about 199 Iraqi immigrants around the country. They had final deportation orders and convictions for serious crimes.

The roundup followed Iraqs agreement to accept deportees as part of a deal that removed the country from President Donald Trumps revised temporary travel ban.

Some of those affected came to the United States as children and committed their crimes decades ago, but they had been allowed to stay because Iraq previously declined to issue travel documents for them. That changed after the two governments came to the agreement in March.

A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment on the ruling.

Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union representing the Iraqis in Michigan, said: The courts action today was legally correct and may very well have saved numerous people from abuse and possible death.

The U.S. government has argued that the district court does not have jurisdiction over the case. Only immigration courts can decide deportation issues, which can then only be reviewed by an appeals court, it said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said that people with convictions for murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, burglary and drugs and weapons charges were among the Iraqis arrested nationwide.

The ACLU argued that many of those affected in Michigan are Chaldean Catholics who are widely recognized as targets of brutal persecution in Iraq.

Some Kurdish Iraqis were also picked up in Nashville, Tennessee. In a letter on Thursday, Tennessee Representative Jim Cooper, a Democrat, asked the Iraqi ambassador whether Iraq would be able to ensure safe passage for them if they were returned.

(Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Eric Walsh in Washington; Editing by David Alexander and Cynthia Osterman)
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Taipei, June 23 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan has decided to extend the plenary meetings of its current extraordinary session, which usually meet from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., to midnight, in the hope of reviewing and passing three draft bills on pension reform as soon as possible.
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It wasnt just Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who turned down the Obama administrations request for help as Russia attacked the United States in its attempt to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election, a stunning exclusive in The Washington Post details.

Republican governors also refused to secure voting systems, with one Republican calling it an assault on states rights.

Johnson, the homeland-security secretary, was responsible for finding out whether the government could quickly shore up the security of the nations archaic patchwork of voting systems. He floated the idea of designating state mechanisms critical infrastructure, a label that would have entitled states to receive priority in federal cybersecurity assistance, putting them on a par with U.S. defense contractors and financial networks, an exclusive by The Washington Posts security team tells us.

On Aug. 15, Johnson arranged a conference call with dozens of state officials, hoping to enlist their support. He ran into a wall of resistance. The reaction ranged from neutral to negative, Johnson said in congressional testimony Wednesday, Greg Miller, Ellen Nakashima and Adam Entous reported.

Brian Kemp, the Republican secretary of state of Georgia, used the call to denounce Johnsons proposal as an assault on state rights. I think it was a politically calculated move by the previous administration, Kemp said in a recent interview, adding that he remains unconvinced that Russia waged a campaign to disrupt the 2016 race. I dont necessarily believe that, he said.

The Post describes the White Houses reaction as stung, saying they then turned to Congress for help, where they were also turned down by Republicans.

Republicans, including President Trump, keep pulling a two-for-one quick step dance to avoid being blamed for their enabling of Russias attack on the U.S., which continues to this day. First they deny the Russians were behind the attack, then they ask why President Obama didnt do more. So the attack never happened but if it did, its Obamas fault is their argument. Yet this report shows that they refused to help President Obama.

President Obama approved a previously undisclosed covert measure that authorized planting cyber weapons in Russias infrastructure, the digital equivalent of bombs that could be detonated if the United States found itself in an escalating exchange with Moscow.

It is up to President Trump to decide to deploy this measure. So far, he has denied the reality that the Russians attacked the election.

President Obama could have done more, certainly in retrospect this seems like a fair observation, but as The Post exclusive lays out, within the context of the time frame this unraveled, it appeared that Hillary Clinton was going to win the election and Obama knew Republicans would claim he was politicizing it if he did more, which they did when he asked them to get help to lock down the voting systems.

It should be noted though, this top secret intel was kept secret by the Obama administration as they asked for help from various Republicans  a feat that the Trump administration, the Leaking Administration, has yet to accomplish.

But also, Obama did try to protect the country. He was turned down by Republicans. Even when McConnell was forced into writing a statement urging states to be careful, he emphasized that their rejection of the federal governments help with such force, it begs the question why McConnell didnt want the help only the federal government can give when it comes to national security.

The question to ask now is why hasnt Donald Trump shown any interest in using the system President Obama put into place to retaliate against the Russians, let alone shown any interest in the Russian attack on the U.S..

For that matter, why did Congressional Republicans and Governors enable the Russian attack and why are they to this day refusing to even admit that this happened and is still happening.

Why wont Republicans take action to protect their country?
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In a total disaster of a Fox News interview, President Donald Trump admitted to committing the crime of witness tampering.

Video:

https://youtu.be/EfOOexF5c9A

After saying that he did not tape Comey, Fox News goaded Trump into taking an arrogant victory lap that turned into a confession of a crime.

Fox and Friends host Ainsley Earhardt called Trumps lie a smart way to keep Comey honest during the hearings.

Trump responded, Well, it wasnt very stupid. I can tell you that. He did admit that what I said was right, and if you look further back before he heard about that, I think maybe he wasnt admitting that, so youll have to do a little bit of investigative reporting to determine that.

President Trump went after the special counsel Robert Mueller for being friends with former FBI Director James Comey, and claimed that the investigation is biased against him, Hes very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome. The people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters. Some of them worked for Hillary Clinton. I mean the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth, from that standpoint.

What Trump confessed to with his lie about the tapes met the definition of witness tampering, Obstruction of justice through an attempt to harass, influence, or intimidate a witness before or after his or her testimony. It is a criminal offense.

Trump admitted that he tried to get Comey to change his testimony by lying about having tapes. Trumps tape lie wasnt a smart move as Fox and Friends claimed. It was the dumbest move that this president could have made. It was also a crime.

In his rush to discredit Comey and the investigation against him, the President Of The United States confessed to committing a crime. The media confessions are piling up, and eventually, they are going to be what gets Trump thrown out of office.
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Patriotic Americans are fighting back. All across the country, people are protesting Trumpcare and holding die-ins to demonstrate the result of the horrific Republican bill that will not only repeal Obamacare, but go back to times darker than before Obamacare in terms of healthcare.

Senator Mitch McConnell created a panel of 13 men, none of whom seem to be familiar or in touch with real Americans and their healthcare needs, to craft this bill in secret. No women participated. It is scheduled for a vote before the July 4th recess, even though the CBO hasnt even scored it yet and Republicans are only granting 20 hours of floor debate even though Obamcare had 270 hours of debate in the Senate.

Many people will die as a result of the Senate Republican bill if its passed. People could reach their lifetime cap in the middle of chemo. A pregnant woman and her baby could die as shes giving birth because pregnancy isnt be covered. Our veterans wont be able to get the care they earned.

Heres a round up of people fighting back:

In central Arkansas, IndivisibleCnAR leader Terrie Roots story:

Arizona:

Louisiana:

@BillCassidy please protect our healthcare. About 100 folks took off work to plead First do no harm. @IndivisibleNO @IndivisibleTeam pic.twitter.com/vsKM9EsS6x  Tracy MSY (@harbend) June 22, 2017

Ohio:

Nebraska:

.@SenatorFischer why are your staffers hiding from your constituents? pic.twitter.com/BCKIgujmnZ  IND Nebraskans (@IndivisibleNeb) June 23, 2017

Arkansas:

.@TomCottonAR, we are outside your office. Talk to us abt the bill that will take away 300,000+ Arkansans healthcare. #ProtectOurCare pic.twitter.com/cTMOI8ZCtk  FaulknerIndivisible (@FCIndivisibleAR) June 23, 2017

Kansas City, MO:

KC Palliative Physician invites @RoyBlunt to join her for rounds. He needs to see the real people this bill jeopardizes! @Indivisible_KC pic.twitter.com/XKtjBbm3qT  Rachel (@mrskrebotchnik) June 23, 2017

@IndivisibleTeam Angelic troublemakers at the Philly vigil. Thank you, resistance fighters, for having the backs of your countrypeople! pic.twitter.com/6wwfcJW7cm  Nancy Latham (@NancyLathamLFA) June 23, 2017

A West Virginia Now This video from footage shot by Mark Dasher of WV Indivisible that is heartbreaking:

Pennsylvania:

"When you hurt the poor you forfeit the right to worship God." Rev Barber #vigilforourlives #protectourcare pic.twitter.com/3ew3If9QaH  justjo (@justjo1002) June 22, 2017

Oklahoma:

Sit-in for Healthcare .@SenatorLankford's OKC office. Toddlers to seniors, we ALL need care! pic.twitter.com/jcPL0SFdAg  Indivisible Oklahoma (@IndivisibleOK) June 21, 2017

Idaho:

D.C., where they arrested protesters in wheelchairs because apparently our Republican lawmakers are snowflakes who cant handle free speech:

Capitol Police arresting protesters who rely on wheelchairs. They dropped one.#NoCutsNoCaps pic.twitter.com/R6OiJ5P1h7  jordan  (@JordanUhl) June 22, 2017

Capitol Police arresting protesters who rely on wheelchairs. They dropped one.#NoCutsNoCaps pic.twitter.com/R6OiJ5P1h7  jordan  (@JordanUhl) June 22, 2017

A vigil:

In New York, cheering on Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumers resistance to Trumpcare:

This is what your country is doing when faced with great challenge.

The people are standing up, speaking out, protesting, making their voices heard. They will not go down quietly.

Trumpcare is set to kill millions of Americans. It is a death sentence Republicans want to pass so they can give a rich person a tax cut.

Understand, its not that we dont have the money or that Obamacare isnt working. Its working for all of these people. It could be improved even more.

No, we have the money. Republicans think someone like Donald Trump who has houses all over the world needs to save a few more dollars on their taxes and that is worth the lives of your children, our veterans, our elderly, our people with disabilities, our pregnant women, our babies.

All of the vulnerable people, thats who will be hurt so that Republicans can give a rich person a tax cut.

This is the opposite of what Jesus taught, and yet these lawmakers claim to be Christians.
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Donald Trump went off on one of his unhinged rants, and his wife struggled to keep a straight face as the self-important president babbled away.

Video:

Melania Trump trying to keep a straight face while Trump rambles on is pretty great lol. #FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/AXmQ6M0s6V  Tayon Kulos (@TayonKulos) June 23, 2017

When Trump said that Democrats would better at the polls if they were more like him, Melania starts to laugh out loud, but she catches herself. After the infamous hand slap seen around the world, it is clear that the President and First Lady are a picture of blissful marriage.

As Trump rambled on, his wife seemed to be thinking, I moved from New York for this?

It is impossible to take Donald Trump seriously as a president when his own wife cant make it through an interview without wanting to laugh in his face. Not even his own wife is capable of treating Trump like a credible president.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Windy. A mix of clouds and sun will give way to showers this afternoon. Thunder is possible. High 77F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.
MINNEAPOLIS  Larry Brown's art supply store has a sizeable inventory and a large enough local following that he can fight it out with Michael's, Hobby Lobby and online giants like Amazon.

Lately, though, Brown's eyeing a threat to his south Minneapolis business that has more to do with politics than competition. The Minneapolis City Council is weighing an ordinance that would require city businesses to pay employees a minimum wage of $15 an hour. Council members are expected to vote next week.

Supporters say a higher wage will especially benefit low-income and people of color. Some critics, though, warn the ordinance will be bad for workers because it will force employers to make some hard decisions.

Brown and his wife and business partner JoAnn say the wage hike will force them to make changes they don't want to make to their business, Art Materials on Lyndale Avenue. Their competition outside the city's borders won't be subject to the same law, so they won't be able to raise prices in the store to compensate for the higher labor costs, JoAnn said.

"We would probably have to reduce our hours," she added. "We would probably, possibly, have to close on Sundays. And hire less people."

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The store has fewer than 20 employees. Many are part time. The Browns say they already pay their employees well above the current minimum wage of $9.50 an hour.

The Browns say they're not against people being able to earn a living wage but are already feeling the pinch from higher property taxes and are preparing for the implementation of the city's earned sick time ordinance which goes into effect this summer.

If passed, the $15 an hour wage will be phased in over five years. For some, that wage can't be implemented fast enough.

"If we want to talk about concrete policy that will address the equity gaps in this city, $15 minimum wage is right on," said Celeste Robinson with the group 15 Now. A study commissioned by the city found that women, Hispanic and African-American workers will benefit disproportionately from this higher wage, she added.

Another group, though, Pathway to $15, argues there should be an exception when it comes to people who receive tips as part of their income. They want tips to count toward the minimum wage.

At a rally at the Hennepin County Government plaza last month, Heather Bray, owner of a neighborhood cafe called The Lowbrow, voiced her opposition to the city's proposal.

"We've done the math and the minimum wage increase would account for more than the amount we're profitable," she said. "The only way to stay in business would be to significantly raise our prices."

To keep prices steady, Bray said she could also eliminate tipping in the restaurant. But it's something she doesn't want to do.

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Most of the 100-plus restaurants surveyed recently by Pathway to $15 said that without an exception for tipped workers, they would be forced to make drastic changes, like raise menu prices, reduce staffing or implement a service charge which would replace tips.

City Council member Lisa Bender supports the minimum wage ordinance but does not support an exception for tipped workers. Data show that most tipped employees will benefit from the higher minimum wage, she said.

A 2016 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the median hourly wage for servers in the region, which includes St. Paul and Bloomington, is just under $11 per hour.

"Look, I get the perspective of the business owner who says why is the government interfering in my business? I get that," said Bender, whose south Minneapolis ward includes a thriving restaurant and bar scene as well as other commercial businesses. "But the reason we are is because our job is to govern for the greater good."
AUSTIN  An Austin man accused of sexually assaulting a young girl multiple times over three years has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

Dontavious Omar Green, 31, was charged in December in Mower County District Court with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He pleaded guilty in March to one of the second-degree counts and was sentenced Thursday to 90 months in prison, with credit for 216 days already served.

The investigation began in November, when the victim's friend contacted law enforcement after learning about the abuse, the complaint says.

The girl told detectives the alleged abuse included oral and digital penetration, as well as intercourse. It escalated during the past summer, the court documents say, with abuse occurring almost daily. The last incident of abuse was six days before her friend told Austin police, the report says.

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The victim also said Green wouldn't let her date boys because he wants her "for himself," and she contracted herpes simplex from him, the complaint says. He allegedly told her to tell her mother that she got it from "some boy at school," so no one would know he abused her.

Green had gone to the Veterans Administration Hospital for treatment of the sexually transmitted disease, the documents say.
AUSTIN  A man hit with three criminal cases in less than a month has been sentenced to jail time already served and placed on probation for five years.

Mark Paul Snater, 59, of Austin, was accused of assaulting the same woman three different times from Jan. 2 through Jan. 29, the final time allegedly breaking into a house and assaulting her, court documents show.

He was charged in the Jan. 29 incident with two counts of first-degree burglary and one count each of domestic assault, violating a domestic abuse no contact order, being a violent felon in possession of a stun gun and terroristic threats, all felonies, as well as one count of interfering with a 911 call, a gross misdemeanor.

That night, Austin police were sent to a home in the 600 block of First Avenue Northwest. En route, they learned a woman was in a closet, hiding from Snater.

When the officers arrived, the woman ran outside; she told officers a DANCO was in place, prohibiting Snater from being in contact with her.

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They found Snater on the second floor of the house; he was highly intoxicated and was in possession of several items of stolen property, the complaint says. Also in the home was a stun gun, which the woman said wasn't hers.

She told officers she'd been asleep in a chair when she woke up to Snater yelling at her. He knocked over the chair the victim was in, court documents say, then "choked" her as she lay on the floor. Snater allegedly said, "you're going to die tonight, you (expletive)," put his forearm across her throat and threatened to break her neck.

He told the victim, "I'm going to (expletive) kill you, you (expletive)," the documents continue; the woman had difficulty breathing.

Snater went downstairs and the victim went to a bedroom closet to call police; while she was on the phone, Snater came to the closet and took the phone from her. The woman ran outside when she heard him leave the room.

The string of charges actually began Jan. 3, when Snater was charged with felony domestic assault of the same woman and misdemeanor obstruction of the legal process; he made his first appearance the next day and was released on his own recognizance.

That same day, he allegedly went to the victim's home and assaulted her again. He appeared Jan. 6 on those charges  felony domestic assault and violating a domestic abuse no contact order, also a felony  and posted $20,000 conditional bail less than a week later.

A week after his release, he missed a court hearing in the case; less than two weeks after that, the assault inside the house allegedly occurred.

Snater pleaded guilty on March 24 to two counts of violating a felony DANCO order, one each from the Jan. 4 and Jan. 29 incidents.

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After the plea, he was released from custody on his own recognizance. On May 12, he was back in court, charged with one count of violating a DANCO order for an alleged May 1 assault of the same victim.

He was ordered held in custody in lieu of $250,000 unconditional bail until Thursday's sentencing.

Mower County District Court Judge Kevin Siefken sentenced him to concurrent sentences of 21 months in prison, stayed for five years, and 18 months in prison, stayed for 18 months.

Snater was also sentenced to 117 days in jail, with credit for 117 days already served, and ordered to complete a chemical assessment/treatment, a mental health evaluation/treatment and domestic abuse counseling/treatment.

He's pleaded not guilty to the DANCO violations of Jan. 2 and May 1.
WYKOFF  Starting next school year, the Spring Valley school will be a fuller house.

On June 15, the Kingsland public school board voted 6-0 to close Kingsland Intermediate School in Wykoff. Students in grades 4-6 will attend school in Spring Valley.

The change will make the Spring Valley school a full K-12 facility, with a total of 566 students. The seven full-time teachers in the Wykoff building will also moving to Spring Valley.

"It's been a long study of buildings by the district for the last few years," Superintendent John McDonald said. "It comes down to the matter of finances and being able to deliver the best education we can for our students."

The decision was for the growing expenditures that came from operating two buildings. Also, after exploring other options, this would be the only choice the district had without going into statutory operating debt, and its programs overseen by the state. There was also a decline in student enrollment.

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The change in buildings will net the district savings of $144,133 next school year, and $720,665 by the 2021-2022 school year.

Previously, the district held a public hearing earlier this month to talk with community members about closing the Wykoff school. Although there were some who opposed the closure, many seemed to have "arrived at the conclusion" that the closure would be in the best interests of the students.

While students in grades 4-6 will be relocated to the Spring Valley building, the alternative learning center housed in the basement of the Wykoff school will remain.

The Wykoff building's gymnasium will also be used for after-school events and activities.

The Spring Valley school will house grades K-12. The first level will hold students from kindergarten through first grade, the upper level will be for 7-12 grades. Since students will be in separate areas, there won't be mixing older and younger students, McDonald said.

"They (the community) expressed that they understand and they feel that this is the direction the board should go," McDonald said. "They love their school in Wykoff. ... they understand."
Levi Lundak, current assistant principal at Riverside Central Elementary School, will be the new principal of Friedell Middle School.

Lundak will transition into the new position in July, pending approval from the school board at its July 11 meeting.

Lundak follows the departure of former Friedell Middle School principal Jacque Peterson, who left the position in May to take over as Rochester Public Schools' executive director of elementary and secondary education. Lundak will be the fourth principal to lead the districtwide choice school in the last three years.

A Rochester resident, Lundak lives with his wife and two daughters, one of whom attends Friedell Middle School.

"I am excited to be able to see my daughter each day and be a part of helping her learn as well," Lundak said in an email.

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Lundak began teaching at Humboldt High School in St. Paul. His background also includes work at Century High School, Kellogg Middle School and Riverside Central Elementary School.

"I sincerely look forward to meeting families, students, staff and community partners," Lundak's email said. "My commitment to Friedell is to continue the practices, innovation and growth that our students receive each and every day."
A longtime Rochester fundraiser has cruised into retirement.

The Rochester Ronald McDonald House has ended "The Cruise"  an annual fundraiser that saw motorcyclists from across southeast Minnesota traverse the region to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. The organization will now focus more on its expansion.

"All of our events have a life cycle," said Marit Williams, communications director for Rochester's Ronald McDonald House. "The cruise was  for 16 years here at the house, and it's just gotten to be a little bit more of a complex event as the years have gone by."

"The Cruise" was held every third Sunday of July. Motorcyclists participating in "The Cruise" traveled 158 miles across southeast Minnesota, stopping in towns like Fountain, Mabel and Rushford along the way. The ride would conclude with a police-escorted parade from Rochester Community and Technical College to the Ronald McDonald House.

The cruise's committee, sponsors and past riders were all notified of the fundraisers cancellation months ago, Williams said.

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"We're really putting our energy into our expansion right now," she said.

The Rochester Ronald McDonald House is currently raising money for a $16.5 million expansion that would more than double the size of its 42,000-square-foot facility and help house more families.

So far, the organization has raised $8.7 million.
DOVER  Justin Henry hasn't seen a grocery store in Dover since he was about 12 or 13 years old.

He's 38 now.

"It would be nice to just get your small necessities," Henry said of the Dover Processing store that will open as part of the new locker plant in town.

The store -- which takes up about 500 square feet of the new meat processing facility owned by Eric and Linda Klein, who also own Hidden Stream Farm in Elgin  will carry meats and other basics with a longer shelf life, said Eric Klein.

"It's really going to be driven by the town," Klein said. The plan for now is to sell chips, bread, soda, condiments and maybe dry goods like flour mixes for pancakes and similar items. "I've got a lot of longterm ideas for marketing the food."

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One idea is to support local suppliers. For example, if the store carries cheeses, they would be sourced from local dairies. The chips and flour mixes would likely come from Whole Grain Milling located in the city of Welcome.

Dover Mayor Roger Ihrke said having a grocery store in town  even a small one  is a benefit to the residents of Dover.

"That's a big deal. You bet it is," he said. "It'd be great to come home and say, I want steak tonight. Instead of driving to St. Charles or Eyota, it's on the way home, or it's three blocks from the house."

A grocery store is just the first step in bringing more retail amenities to Dover, Ihrke said. Next, he'd like to see a gas station in town.

"It's things like that that becomes a difference for people who live in Dover," he said. "If you want to mow your lawn and have no gas, it's a six or seven mile round trip to get gas to mow your lawn."

The same has been true of even the most basic grocery necessities, Ihrke said. But having retail options in town will help keep residents from leaving. "You've got to have something like that," he said.

Klein said Ihrke was one of the reasons he decided to create the retail space, saying the mayor asked him if it was possible when Klein bought the former T&R Flooring building in Dover. The other reason, he said, is one of his long-term employees, Geoff Hart, who will manage the locker plant for Klein.

"Geoff has been working with me on this for a lot of years," Klein said. "He lives about a mile or so out of town, so I wanted someplace close to him, and he saw this space."

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Hart said he often comes into Dover to exercise horses and has wished there was a place he could buy snacks and soft drinks. Now that place exists.

The locker plant will process hogs, lambs, goats and beef. One of its biggest customers will be Klein's own farm in Elgin, and he plans to sell those meats  including some specialty bratwursts  in the Dover store. The overall space in the locker plant is about 8,500 square feet, Klein said.

The grocery store will take up about 500 square feet of that. "It's not a major part of our business," Klein said. "We're not going to be Hy-Vee or even Casey's or Kwik Trip."

Being a small business, he can quickly make changes to meet the needs of customers. "It's going to be driven by the customer and the city," Klein said. "The nice thing about being a small business is you can change direction quickly."

Henry said he plans to change some of his shopping habits to support the store where he can. Currently, he does most of his shopping for himself and his daughter either in Rochester or St. Charles.

"It would be nice to just get your small necessities in town," he said.
 I havent had a chance to look at anything pertaining to the Senate health care bill, but as Avik Roy is one of my primo go-to guys for health care policy, this tweet is enough to satisfy me:

 The House Republican Campaign Committee has put out this short post-GA6 special election victory lap video that makes for fun viewing:

But as Glenn Reynolds advises, dont get cocky. November 2018 is a long way off, and Democrats might yet find a way to get their act together.

 Feel good story of the day:

Canadian sniper shattered world record, killing ISIS fighter from 2 miles away, report says A Canadian soldier in Iraq has killed an ISIS militant from more than two miles away, shattering the world record for a confirmed sniper kill in military history. According to Torontos Globe and Mail newspaper, the gun specialist from the elite Joint Task Force 2 achieved the feat with a shot from a high-rise during an operation within the past 30 days. . . The 3,450-meter shot, which took about 10 seconds to reach its target, was independently verified by a video camera and other data, the source said.

 Finally, an important cultural story, because Road House is the greatest movie of the 1980s:

An Exhaustive Breakdown of Patrick Swayzes Road House The 1989 movie about the best damn bouncer youve ever seen is more like a religious experience . . . in preparing to compose the opus you are currently reading  which required rewatching Road House three times in the past week  I came to a realization that can be summed up using a paraphrased quote from Emmet, the bearded dude who lets Patrick Swayze live in his barn: Writing about Road House is like putting an elevator in an outhouse  it dont belong. Seriously, have you ever read an entire article about Road House? My point is: Its nearly impossible to write an article about Road House that doesnt make you want to quit reading halfway through  solely because you just want to go watch Road House again. . . Road House was on two cable channels at once last Monday night: pure bliss. Ive heard talk of a remake starring Ronda Rousey, but this strikes me as a bad idea, though if they actually cast Blake Lively too I might change my mind. Among other things, Road House helped get the monster truck craze started, by introducing us to Bigfoot. (And as readers with a good memory may recall, my first ever post for Power Line was about the greatness of monster trucks.)

PAUL ADDS: I wont comment on Steves claim that Road House is the best movie of the 1980s, except for two words  spinal and tap. Instead, Ill link to this article by Avik Roy explaining why he likes the Senate Obamacare replacement bill so much.

Roys piece is an important contribution to the debate.
President Trump took to Twitter today to announce that he has no tapes or recordings of his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey. In a pair of tweets, Trump stated:

With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are tapes or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings.

The first part is a shot at what he calls the deep state. The second part is intended to end speculation, created by Trump, that he has tapes of Comey conversations. It comes a day before the House Intelligence Committees deadline for the White House to produce any such tapes.

Trumps enemies will question whether he is telling the truth. Indeed, they already have. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee told reporters:

We would hope that we could rely on a statement from the president. Unfortunately, the president has indicated in other statements that he is more than willing to play fast and loose with the truth.

Schiff says he plans to talk to his Republican counterpart on the Committee, Rep. Mike Conaway, about whether its necessary to subpoena the White House to be completely sure the president is telling the truth. I hope Conway wont agree to this.

It seems very likely that Trump is telling the truth. If tapes existed that hurt him, he almost certainly would not have raised the possibility that tapes exist. If tapes existed that help support him rather than Comey, he almost certainly would have produced them.

Trump raised the possibility that tape exists in order to rein in Comey when he testified. He figured that the prospect of tapes would prevent the former FBI director from misstating their conversations and might make him reluctant even to get into the details for fear of making a mistake.

From all that appears, the ploy didnt work. Comey called Trumps bluff, saying Lordy, I hope there are tapes.

It seems that there arent. This leaves Comey, who has memos he says he wrote right after the encounters, with the slightly better hand. In the end, though, where the two have conflicting recollections of what occurred, it will be a case of Trump says, Comey says.

The public probably doesnt care very much about the dispute. And Robert Mueller shouldnt care because even accepting Comeys version, Trump didnt commit any crime.

Its possible, though, that Mueller will set a perjury trap for the president. Although Trump has said he will testify under oath before Congress, he is better advised not to testify under oath, period.
President Trump is now in a death struggle with Robert Mueller and James Comey. Thats the conclusion I draw from former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew McCarthys gimlet-eyed American Greatness column Muellers empire. Andys column makes several important points on which I have slightly expanded:

 Muellers appointment as Special Counsel by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein fundamentally violates the applicable regulation. The regulation requires that the Attorney General or the Acting Attorney General determine that criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted

 Rosensteins order appointing Mueller is posted online here. In his announcement of Muellers appointment Rosenstein stated: In my capacity as acting Attorney General, I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a Special Counsel to assume responsibility for this matter.

 Nota bene (this is still Rosenstein speaking): My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination. What I have determined is that based upon the unique circumstances, the public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command.

 McCarthy explains: The way this is supposed to work is: the Justice Department first identifies a likely crime, and then assigns a prosecutor to investigate it. Here, by contrast, there are no parameters imposed on the special counsels jurisdiction.

 Therefore: Muellers probe is the functional equivalent of a general warrant: a boundless writ to search for incriminating evidence. It is the very evil the Fourth Amendment was adopted to forbid: a scorch-the-earth investigation in the absence of probable cause that a crime has been committed.

 Muellers team includes 14 lawyers and counting. There are several more in the pipeline.

 A funny thing about these lawyers. They overwhelmingly, are Democrats. Powerlines Paul Mirengoff and the Daily Callers Chuck Ross have been tracking it: Muellers staffers contribute to Trumps political opponents, some heavily. The latest Democratic talking-point about this unseemly appearance is that hiring regulations forbid an inquiry into an applicants political affiliation. Thats laughable. These are lawyers Mueller has recruited. They are not applicants. Were talking about top-shelf legal talent, accomplished professionals who have jumped at the chance of a gig they do not need but, clearly, want.

 Mueller is drawing on a limitless budget to conduct an investigation without boundaries by lawyers hostile to the president.

 McCarthy draws on his own experience prosecuting complex cases to ask two questions: Why does special counsel Mueller need 14 lawyers (and more coming) for a counterintelligence investigation, as to which the intelligence professionalsagents, not lawyershave found no collusion with Russia evidence after over a year of hard work? What will those lawyers be doing with no limits on their jurisdiction, with nothing but all the time and funding they need to examine one target, Donald Trump?

One reads McCarthys column with a deep sense of foreboding. To understand the legal component of Trumps ordeal  to understand the nature of the train that is coming down the tracks toward Trump  McCarthys column is mandatory reading.
Nigeria has been identified as the 19th most attractive economy for investments flowing in Africa, the latest Africa Investment Index 2016 said on Friday.

The publication by Quantum Global, an independent research arm of Quantum Global Research Lab., noted the huge potentials of the economy, saying the country, which attracted a net foreign direct investment, FDI, of $3.1 billion in 2015, was also among the top countries in Africa with potentials to attract an overall FDI of $13.6billion.

The report, which ranked Botswana as the most attractive economy for investments flowing into the continent, also identified Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa as the other economies.

The head of Quantum Global Research Lab., Mthuli Ncube, pointed out that despite the current economic challenges the country was facing, confidence was high in the medium to long term market prospects of the economy.

He said Nigeria earmarked a significant amount of capital in the budget to develop critical infrastructure in the country, apart from various opportunities for public private collaboration providing investors return on their investments.

We anticipate that investment in infrastructure will underpin the growth of the economy and meet the needs of a large Nigerian growth population, Mr. Ncube said.

The decline in global oil prices, he said impacted various African oil producing nations, resulting in the federal government intensifying effort to diversify the local economy and lay out a roadmap to enhance public infrastructure.

These were part of efforts to support high growth sectors in the country such as manufacturing, ICT, agriculture, amongst others, to meet the local demand, along with boosting exports globally in the short to medium term to stabilise the macro-economy.

Nigeria is reputed to be the biggest economy in Africa with a gross domestic product, GDP of $ 415 billion projected to grow to about $595 billion by 2020.

This presents a big market for goods and services. In this sector, GDP per capita currently at 2,260 is projected to leap to $2, 907 by 2020, which could boost consumption and domestic demand.

The short to medium term focus of the Nigerian Government is to reduce imports and address primary sector blockages, such as roads, bridges, power, railway, aviation, water, housing, agriculture, education and health.

Despite the current market volatility, Nigeria presents tremendous investment opportunities in these areas, which would not only support the local economy, but also deliver significant yields to foreign investors, Mr. Ncube said.

He noted various reforms implemented in the country to boost and restructure the economy, including the introduction of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), the Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to make Nigeria more attractive for investments, and the microcredit scheme in the 2016 budget.

These initiatives, Mr. Ncube said would see the Bank of Industry, oversee the disbursement of loans to 1.6 million traders, artists, farmers and young entrepreneurs over the next twelve months.

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Financial sector regulator, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN on Friday said its intervention in the ongoing debt crisis between Etisalat Nigeria and a consortium of banks was to save the Nigerian financial system.

CBN spokesperson, Isaac Okoroafor, said the two regulatory authorities intervened primarily to prevent job losses and asset stripping.

Although it should ordinarily not be the role of a regulator to decide how individual bad loans are resolved, the CBN believes Etisalat is a systemically important telecommunications company with over 20 million subscribers that, if not well handled, may have negative implications for the banking system itself, Mr. Okoroafor said.

.

To forestall the banks going ahead to downsize the over 4,000 staff, Mr. Okoroafor said the CBN and NCC resolved to wade in to persuade the consortium of banks to reassess its position in dealing with Etisalat.

Etisalat had acquired the loan in 2013 to finance a major network rehabilitation and expansion of its operational base in Nigeria.

But, following its inability to meet its loan repayment obligations, Etisalat was pressurized by the banks with a demand notice to recover the loan.

Failure to persuade the mobile telephone operator to repay the loan, resulted in the consortium petitioned the NCC, the telecoms sector regulator, with a threat to take-over the company.

The CBN was invited by the NCC to help persuade the banks to accept a negotiated settlement by establishing a debt restructuring plan.

Mr. Okorafor described reports in some sections of the media insinuating high-handedness by CBN on the issue as the height of mischief and insensitivity.

He explained that the collaborative move by the two regulators was aimed at preventing job losses and asset stripping and to ensure that Etisalat remained in business and able to pay back the loans.

The CBN and NCC, Mr. Okoroafor said would, in the coming days, meet with the syndicate of banks and the IHS Towers, the tower managers and the equipment suppliers, to attempt to achieve a win-win outcome for all parties.

Negotiations between Etisalat and the consortium of banks had collapsed last week, resulting in majority shareholder, Dubai-based Mubadala Development Company of the United Arab Emirates, pulling out of the company.

Last Thursday, its parent company, Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC (Etisalat Group), announced the collapse of the negotiations with banks over debt restructuring plan.

In its filing to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate, Etisalat Group said Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Limited, EMTS, was served a default and security Enforcement Notice on 9 June 2017.

Consequently, EMTS Holding BV established in the Netherlands was given up to June 23, 2017 to complete the transfer of 100 percent of its shares to the United Capital Trustees Limited, the legal representative of the consortium of Banks.

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The African Union, AU, on Friday welcomed the UN Resolution for the deployment of a joint force for the Group of Five for Sahel States, FC-G5S.

On June 19, unanimously adopting a new resolution, the UN Security Council approved the deployment of 5,000 military and law enforcement personnel drawn from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger in four months time.

Welcoming the resolution for the deployment of a joint force, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Mahamat, in a statement, commended the UN support which he said echoes the AUs Peace and Security Council decision of April 13.

The chairperson reiterated the importance of the FC-G5S to address the persistent threats of violent extremism and transnational organised crimes including arms, drugs and human trafficking.

Mr. Mahamat said that the need to address the threat was aimed at protecting civilians, promoting peace, security and stability in the region.

He also commended the efforts by governments of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to guarantee the security of lives and properties of their citizens.

Mr. Mahamat reaffirmed the AUs commitment to working with governments of the FC-G5S countries and the international community for the immediate deployment and implementation of the FC-G5S in accordance with international laws.

He said that this would include international humanitarian, human rights and refugee laws respectively.

He further appealed to member states to contribute troops and resources to the mission and encourages adherence to the AU Strategy for the Sahel on the promotion of regional security cooperation.

He said that this could be done through information exchange, border security and confidence-building measures between countries in the region to consolidate the gains made against the insurgency.

The chairperson highlighted the importance of the international communitys unequivocal support in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

(Xinhua/NAN)

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The U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he did not have any recordings of his conversations with ousted Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, James Comey.

With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are tapes or recordings of my conversations with James Comey.

But I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings, Mr. Trump tweeted.

Trump had raised the possibility of tapes in May when he fired Comey, who was heading the FBI investigation into alleged Russias meddling in the Nov. 8 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Comey had, in a leak afterwards, recounted a White House meeting he had with Trump in January when he claimed the president asked him to pledge his loyalty.

Trump disputed Comeys version and claimed the former FBI chief actually pleaded for his job.

The president then tweeted that Comey had better hope there are no tapes of our conversations.

The House Intelligence Committee, one of the congressional panels probing the Russian alleged collusion, had set a deadline for Friday to turn over any tapes the White House might have.

(NAN)

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Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism on Friday sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, on June 5, cut economic, diplomatic and travel ties to Doha.

An official of the four Arab countries, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they gave Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes void.

The official who did not elaborate further, suggested that the offer to end the dispute in return for the 13 steps would no longer be on the table.

The official said that the list which was compiled by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, also demands the closing of a Turkish military base in Qatar.

The demands aimed at ending the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years appear designed to quash a two decade-old foreign policy in which Qatar has punched well above its weight, striding the stage as a peace broker, often in conflicts in Muslim lands.

Dohas independent-minded approach, including a dovish line on Iran and support for Islamist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, has incensed some of its neighbours who see political Islamism as a threat to their dynastic rule.

The demands, the official said, was handed to Qatar by mediator Kuwait.

The official added that the demands also require that Qatar stop interfering in the four countries domestic and foreign affairs and stop a practice of giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries,

He said that Qatar must pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies.

Any resulting agreement to comply with the demands will be monitored, with monthly reports in the first year, then every three months the next year, then annually for 10 years, the official said without elaborating.

Turkeys Defence Minister Fikri Isik rejected the demand, saying any call for the base to be shut would represent interference in Ankaras relations with Doha.

He suggested instead that Turkey might bolster its presence.

Isik said: strengthening the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulfs security.

Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.

The Arab official said Qatar must also announce it is severing ties with terrorist, ideological and sectarian organisations including the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State and al Qaeda.

Others, the officials said, are Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly al Qaedas branch in Syria, , and surrender all designated terrorists on its territory.

The four Arab countries accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional instability and cozying up to revolutionary theocracy Iran.

Qatar has denied the accusations.

Qatari officials did not reply immediately to requests for comment.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they lifted their measures against Doha.

The demands are so aggressive that it makes it close to impossible to currently see a resolution of that conflict, said Olivier Jakob, a strategist at Switzerland-based oil consultancy Petromatrix.

Several Qataris who spoke to Reuters described the demands as unreasonable. Imagine another country demanding that CNN be closed, said 40-year-old Haseeb Mansour, who works for telecom operator Ooredoo.

Abdullah al-Muhanadi, a retired public sector shopping for groceries in Doha on Friday morning, said the boycott must be lifted before negotiations to resolve the dispute could start.

Theres a lot on the list that is simply not true or unreasonable, so how can we comply? he said.

There are no Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps elements in Qatar and the agreement with Turkey is a long- standing diplomatic agreement so we cannot ask them to leave.

U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on Qatar, accusing it of being a high level sponsor of terrorism, but he has also offered help to the parties in the dispute to resolve their differences.

Turkey has backed Qatar during the three-week-old crisis.

It sent its first ship carrying food aid to Qatar and dispatched a small contingent of soldiers and armoured vehicles there on Thursday, while President Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Saudi Arabias leaders on calming tension in the region.(Reuters/NAN)

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The United Arab Emirates on Friday accused Qatar of derailing mediation efforts by leaking the list of demands sent by his country and the three other Arab states that cut ties with Doha over its alleged support for terrorism.

Qatars emir must realise that the solution to his crisis is not with Tehran, Beirut or Ankara, or Western capitals and the media, but [a solution] is through the return of confidence in him by his neighbours, UAEs minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, wrote on Twitter.

Qatar leaking demands and concerns of its neighbors & Egypt either attempt to undermine serious mediation or yet another sign of callous policy, wrote Gargash in a string of tweets on his official account.

He warned that leakage will further exasperate and prolong the Qatar crisis.

Kuwait has handed Qatar a list of demands by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported earlier Friday.

Kuwait said the list has not been sanctioned by either Qatar or Kuwait, which has been trying to mediate between the two sides.

Gargash argued that the crisis is real and is being ignited by the confused administration of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Sometimes, divorce is better, Gargash wrote.

The Qatari emirs role in providing funding, a media and political platform to serve the agenda of extremism cannot be accepted, he said.

Al Jazeera Media Network is owned and funded by the Qatari royal family.

The network, especially the Arabic-language channel, has repeatedly angered Arab leaders since its establishment in 1996, shaking up a broadcasting world until then dominated by government mouthpieces.

One of the biggest disputes was in 2002, when Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador to Doha to protest at Al Jazeeras negative coverage of Saudi politics.

In recent years, critics have argued that it is strongly supportive of Islamists, especially Egypts now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik attacked the demands presented to Qatar, which reportedly includes shutting down a Turkish military base in the small Gulf country.

I have not seen this request formally yet, but it might mean intervention in bilateral relations, he said, according to private broadcaster NTV.

I say that the Turkish base in Qatar is for the training of Qatari soldiers, for the security of Qatar and the region. Nobody should be bothered by this.

There is no such consideration to bring this agreement back to the table, Isik added.

On June 5, the four countries severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Doha has repeatedly denied the accusations.

The four countries have not made their demands public yet.

Later in June, several African countries cut relations with Qatar and others downgraded ties.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Arab countries involved in a diplomatic spat with Qatar to present their demands.

Our role has been to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table, clearly articulated, so that those issues can be addressed and some resolution process can get underway to bring this to a conclusion, he said.

Our desire is for unity within the Gulf, he added.

(dpa/NAN)

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North Korea said on Friday the death of an American university student, Otto Warmbier, soon after his return home, was a mystery.

The Norths foreign ministry spokesperson also dismissed accusations that Warmbier had died because of torture and beating during his captivity as groundless.

The unnamed spokesperson said in comments carried by the official KCNA agency that Warmbier was a victim of the policy of strategic patience of former U.S. President Barack Obama whose government never requested his release.

The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the U.S. in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well, the spokesman was quoted by KCNA as saying.

Warmbier, 22, was arrested in the reclusive country while visiting as a tourist. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel, North Korea state media said.

He was brought back to the United States last week in a coma with brain damage, in what doctors described as state of unresponsive wakefulness, and died on Monday.

His death heightened the conflict between the North and the U.S. already aggravated by North Koreas defiant missile launches and two nuclear tests since early 2016 as part of its effort to build a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the brutality of the North Korean regime for Warmbiers death.

Trump said Pyongyang had a heavy responsibility in the events leading up to the Americans death.

The Norths spokesman said such accusations are part of a smear campaign to slander the country that had given medical treatments and care with all sincerity to a person who was clearly a criminal.

The unnamed ministry spokesman said the U.S. doctors who had traveled to the North on June 14 to evacuate Warmbier had recognised that the North had provided him with medical treatment.

Although Warmbier was a criminal who committed a hostile act against the DPRK, we accepted the repeated requests of the present U.S. administration and, in consideration of his bad health, sent him back home on humanitarian grounds, the spokesman said.

DPRK is short for the Norths official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

The exact cause of Warmbiers death remains unclear.

Officials at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was treated after his return from the North, declined to provide details, and his family asked the Hamilton County Coroner on Tuesday not to perform an autopsy.

Thousands of friends and family members gathered at Wyoming High School in suburban Cincinnati on Thursday for a memorial service for Warmbier, who graduated from the school as salutatorian in 2013.

The U.S. has demanded North Korea release three other U.S. citizens it holds in detention: missionary Kim Dong Chul and academics Tony Kim and Kim Hak Song.

Warmbier was freed after the U.S. State Departments special envoy on North Korea, Joseph Yun, traveled to Pyongyang and demanded the students release on humanitarian grounds, capping a flurry of diplomatic contacts, a U.S. official has said.

The North previously released American detainees it had accused and convicted of crimes against the state on the occasion of high-level visits by U.S. officials.

(Reuters/NAN)

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The business dispute between the Nigerian government and the Integrated Logistics Services Nigeria Limited, Intels, is now a subject of litigation, with Intels accusing authorities of breaching agreements and sabotaging its multi-billion dollar ports investments through de-categorization of terminals, court papers sighted by PREMIUM TIMES have revealed.

The Nigerian Ports Authority had in May conveyed to operators the approval of the countrys president, Muhammadu Buhari, to designate ports operations into three broad categories of bulk cargo, container cargo and multipurpose cargo.

The administration consequently reviewed the categorization of Onne Port, controlled by Intels before its policy review, as Oil and Gas Multi-purpose Cargo Terminal.

In effect, therefore, the government moved to make Onne Port open for all categories of cargoes.

Onne is the most important hub for oil and gas industry in Nigeria, accounting for 65 per cent of cargo export through the countrys sea, according to NPA, and hosting operations of all major oil and gas companies within its massive free trade zone.

The presidents approval also guaranteed that all importers are free to choose any terminal or port for the discharge of their cargoes, thereby effectively ending Intels monopoly.

But Intels has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the policy review, joining the federal government, Attorney-General of the Federation, NPA, Ministry of Transport and the Bureau of Public Enterprises as respondents.

In its suit filed on June 4, Intels said the review amounted to violation of an October 24, 2005 Lease Agreements in respect of the Warri New Terminal, Warri Old Terminal, Calabar Terminal B, Federal Lighter Terminal B (Onne) and Federal Ocean Terminal A (Onne).

The company told the court that by the 2005 Agreements, the NPA designated the concessioned ports in Onne, Calabar and Warri to deal with oil and gas related cargoes alone in appreciation of the importance of oil industry to the national economy and proximity of oil wells to the ports.

It stated that the lease agreements were for a period of 25 years with an option of further renewal; and therefore, asked the court to declare the terms of the leaseholds as subsisting.

It sought a perpetual injunction restraining government or its representatives from doing, directing, carrying out, executing or implementing any policy, directives, act or acts, which are capable of diverting traffic, customers, sales, patronage or otherwise that would affect the spirit of the intendment of the 5 nos. Lease Agreements, revenue generation, profits, return on investment and any other projection of the plaintiff (Intels).

According to the Witness Statement on Oath, filed by the company against NPA and other defendants, a Senior Legal Manager of Intels, Dominic Onwuchekwa, said categorically the company had committed amount in excess of $10 billion to various development projects and investments at the ports.

The developments would not have been possible without an ambitious finance strategy, including substantial funding syndication involving both local and international banks and financial institutions, with stringent financial covenants and obligations, said Mr. Onwuchekwa.

He added that Intels investments and the funding sourced from third parties were based on understanding that the funds would be recouped during execution stage of the investments.

It is a fact in the financial circles that any change in parameters for grant of credit facilities and which form the basis of the covenants of the borrower will put the plaintiff (Intels) into default, entitling the banks to call for immediate repayment of the credits.

In addition to the above, the Plaintiff had also expended these huge expenses because it had entered into and executed 5 nos. of Lease Agreements on the Concessioned Port Terminals which life span were 25 years with option of renewal for a further term on each terminal, the company official added.

He continued: In addition, the de-categorization will lead to a situation whereby all terminals will charge the lower fee of $1.2 per ton (even for oil and gas cargoes for which $5.83 per ton should be paid) in order to attract patronage from port users, but on the other hand short-changing the government itself and the people of Nigeria.

Earlier, last month, the court had issued an interim order asking the parties -Intels and government authorities  to maintain status quo in respect of ports that will be affected by the policy review.

The spokesperson for NPA, Nduonofit Effiong, did not answer calls placed to him for comment on this development.

Intels was co-founded by former Vice-president and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar; and an Italian businessman, Gabriel Volpi, in the 1980s.

Intels is my most successful business, Atiku said, while launching his 2015 presidential bid in September 2014.

Apart from the disagreement over ports categorization, PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported one other aspect of the dispute between Intels and the government, over the federal governments Treasury Single Account policy.

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An Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has upheld the election of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.

The court, presided by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, said the application challenging the correctness of the December 4, 2014 primary election of the All Progressives Congress in Sokoto State, through which Mr. Tambuwal emerged flagbearer of the APC, lacked merit and is therefore dismissed.

Another member of the party, Umar Dahiru, had approached the court, requesting that it sets aside the APC primaries following allegation of non-compliance of the said primaries to laid down rules by the party to select its flagbearer.

Details later

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The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has said that he is unperturbed by the appeal filed by the federal government challenging his acquittal by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Mr. Saraki reiterated his earlier position that he remains unperturbed by the development.

Dr. Saraki is confident that the verdict at the appellate court would not be different from that of the tribunal as the facts of the case remain the same and the grounds on which the decision of the CCT was based remain unassailable.

Anybody who has been following the proceedings and the evidence given by the prosecution witnesses during examination in chief and cross examination would know that if presented before any court of Justice and law, the same outcome as in the CCT would be arrived at.

Those who are running commentary on the ruling by the Tribunal and criticising it are those who are not even familiar with the case and the details coming out of the trial.

That is why Dr. Saraki continues to wonder how desperate some people in government and their collaborators outside have become to pull him down at all cost and by all means up to the point that they do not care if they destroy the institution of the judiciary in the process.

That is why they sponsored stories of allegation of bribery in an online publication against the Tribunal judges.

The Senate President seizes this opportunity to call on security agencies to immediately commence investigation on this bribery allegation.

It is his views that those who made the allegation should be invited to substantiate their claims.

This same desperation made a man like Prof. Itse Sagay, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC) to appear on tape admitting in a foreign country that he interfered with the process in the Tribunal when in an unethical manner he was instructing the judge on how to conduct the trial.

Corruption is not just about giving or diverting money. When an official interferes with the judicial process with a view to achieving personal objectives, that is corruption.

We hear the same desperate people say there was so much evidence they are surprised at the verdict of the tribunal. But they forget to mention that this was a case that the prosecution counsel amended charges thrice.

If as it is being portrayed to the public it was a straight forward case following investigation how come every time their case was dismantled during the process they went back to amend charges just in desperation to get a conviction?

The Senate President notes that another sign of desperation by those who want to get him convicted at all cost was the failed antics of the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacob who in collusion with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sought to manipulate evidence at the tribunal.

On realising the fundamental flaw in its case as it did not invite the defendant to make any statement at any point in the investigation, the prosecution brought in an agent of the EFCC to tender old statements Saraki made in a totally different and unrelated matter that had nothing to do with false asset declaration. The prosecution forgot that the letter inviting Saraki to make the tendered statements explicitly mentioned the matter being investigated. However, the tribunal, as it is obvious in its ruling, saw through the dirty trick. It therefore disregarded that piece of evidence and described it as irrelevant and of no value to the case, he said.

According to Mr. Saraki, another sign of desperation is the involvement of the EFCC in a case that has to do with false declaration of asset and as such only concerns the Code of Conduct Bureau and its tribunal.

He said that all evidences provided during the trial by CCT were all EFCC evidence adding that the CB chief prosecutor testified that he got his instruction to investigate the case orally.

He made his report from the investigation orally. Even the directive to collaborate with EFCC on the investigation was given orally, a development the tribunal found strange and unknown to law. 

All these antics aimed at perverting the course of justice were obvious throughout the period of the tribunals sitting. Though, one is conscious of the fact that the anti- graft agency and its ally bodies are frantically looking for a poster-case to sell its anti-corruption campaign and there is the hunger for conviction in a celebrated case to advertise in the international arena governments determination to pursue the anti-graft campaign, we implore them to achieve this aim by allowing Justice to take its normal course.

This Appeal against the CCT ruling is nothing but another attempt to grandstand and embark on another media trial without any substance. This is why the Senate President is sure it will be another exercise in futility.

Dr. Saraki has demonstrated his unflinching belief in and respect for the judicial process and its ability to resolve issues relating to fundamental rights of Nigerians. That belief in the judiciary is the basis for his assurance that the position of the CCT that he is not guilty of the charges preferred against him would be sustained in the higher courts, his spokesperson said.

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The State Security Service, SSS, announced on Friday that it arrested suspected terrorists planning to attack Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna and Maiduguri during the Sallah celebration.

The federal government had earlier declared Monday and Tuesday next week as public holidays for the Islamic festival.

In a statement on Friday signed by Tony Opuiyo, the SSS said, The past few weeks, this service has uncovered a sinister plot by terrorist elements to stage series of coordinated attacks using explosives on different cities across the country.

Two suspects, Yusuf Adamu and Abdumuminu Haladu, were apprehended by the domestic intelligence agency during the early hours of Friday in Sokoto.

According to the statement, Mr. Adamu and his accomplice were to command the operation in Kano.

However, the Service had earlier arrested the facilitator of the Kano attack, an explosive expert by name Bashir Mohammed at Unguwar Barnawa, Shekar Madaki, Kumbatso LGA, Kano State on June 20.

Their plan, together with others now at large, was to assemble the explosives and use them on select targets during the Eid-el-Fitr Celebrations.

Their aim was to hit on soft targets such as markets, public parks, public processions, recreation centres, as well as worship centres especially the Eid Praying Grounds and other densely populated areas during the forthcoming Eid-el-Fitr Sallah celebration. The latest plan by the terrorists was to unleash mayhem on Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna and Maiduguri, the agency said.

However, the service assured Nigerians that the planned terrorist attacks in the states have been foiled by the agency.

The agency said during the arrest of Mr. Mohammed in Kumbotso, Kano, a search was conducted at his residence where it recovered Eight (8) AK-47 rifles, Twenty (20) fully loaded AK-A7 magazines, Twenty-seven (27) hand grenades, Seven hundred and ninety-three (793) rounds of live ammunition.

One gas cylinder, three laptops, one mobile phone, a motorcycle, a car, and a printer were also recovered.

The SSS also said it uncovered plans by the terrorists to infiltrate the ranks of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, which has been demanding the release of its leader Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, held without trial since December 2015.

This is in an attempt to assume a formidable cover to unleash violence and evoke a complete state of chaos in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja during the groups Qudus Day Procession/Rally scheduled for Friday in Abuja and several States in the Northern parts of the country.

Sequel to this, the Service is warning members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) to desist from staging any form of procession or demonstration as the terrorists will seize the opportunity to unleash mayhem. Mr. Opuiyo said.

The rallies by the IMN had, however, been held across many cities, in a largely peaceful atmosphere, before the SSS statement.

The Service is working, in concert with other security agencies, to ensure that no section of the country is attacked during and after the Sallah celebrations.

Law abiding citizens and residents are not only assured of their safety but enjoined to go about their normal businesses without fear of attack. It pledges to engage all stakeholders to ensure a hitch free Eid-el-fitr festival across the country, it stated.

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The senator that was sacked on Friday was not the rightful candidate of his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Supreme Court ruled.

The Supreme Court ordered Abubakar Danladi, representing Taraba North Senatorial District, to vacate his seat and refund all salaries and allowances he received within 90 days.

The court also declared Shuaibu Lau as the senator representing Taraba North.

The order was contained in the judgement of the court on the appeal filed by Mr. Lau.

Both Messrs. Danladi and Lau are members of the PDP.

Mr. Lau had challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal that upturned his victory during the primary elections. He claimed that he was wrongfully substituted.

The apex court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate issued to Mr. Danladi and issue a fresh certificate of return to Lau.

The apex court in the unanimous judgment of a five-member panel held that the appellant had the right to participate just like any other candidate in the primary election.

The court added that if Mr. Lau felt that his right was infringed upon, he had the right to approach the court.

From the totality of the appeal before this court, all the issues are resolved in favour of the appellant.

His substitution at the primary election is null and void since the appellant scored the highest number of votes, the only option is to declare the appellant as the winner of primary election.

This court hereby orders that the appellant be issued with the certificate of return and the respondent should immediately vacate the seat.

He (Mr. Danladi) should return to the National Assembly, all salaries and allowances received as a senator within 90 days.

A DIFFERENT HISTORY

Mr. Danladis political career was once saved by the same Supreme Court that ousted him on Friday.

In 2014, the court ordered him reinstated as Taraba State deputy governor after he was impeached in controversial circumstances.

Mr. Danladi was the first deputy governor who ran on the same ticket with former Governor Danbaba Suntai.

He was impeached on October 4, 2012 shortly before Mr. Suntai took ill after an air crash. He was accused of fraud and abuse of office.

Another politician, Garba Umar, was then appointed deputy governor after his removal.

And after then Governor Suntai took ill following a plane crash, it was Mr. Umar who assumed the position of acting governor.

But the Supreme Court ruled on November 21, 2014, nullifying Mr. Danladis impeachment, and clearing him to replace Mr. Umar as acting governor. The court said Mr. Danladi was denied fair hearing before he was impeached.

Seven justices of the court agreed with the ruling, delivered by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, at the time.

Mr. Danladi remained in office as acting governor until May 29, 2015. He was elected senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party during the 2015 general election.

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The police command in Taraba on Friday said death toll from the crisis between the Fulani and Mambilla ethnic groups in Sardauna Local Government Area of the state had risen from seven to 18.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Yakubu Babas, disclosed this at a press conference in Jalingo, the state capital.

Mr. Babas noted that the police and other security agencies had deployed enough officials to the area to ensure protection of lives and property.

He said two persons had so far been arrested in connection with the crisis.

The commissioner warned that nobody is untouchable no matter how highly placed.

Investigation machinery are already in motion to dig deep and unearth those behind the ungodly acts to book, he said.

Mr. Babas said the remote cause of the crisis was the disagreement between the Fulanis and the Mambillas over land which the state government had set up a commission of inquiry to look into it.

He, however, added that the immediate cause was a court case among people of the two tribes over the same land issue.

He appealed to the people of the Mambilla Plateau to eschew violence and embrace peace to attract development to the area.

Earlier on Thursday, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo condoled the victims of the attack.

He also outrightly condemned the acts of violence, adding that perpetrators of the attack would be brought to book.

Acting President Osinbajo has therefore ordered the deployment of an extra military battalion, police reinforcements and also a deployment of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to the areas affected, his spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said.

Equally the Acting President has ordered the provision of relief materials to be delivered to the affected communities in Toffi, Mayo Daga, Mayo Sina, Tamiya, Kwara-Kwara, Tungan Lugere, Timjire, Nguroje and other villages in the hinterlands of Mambilla Plateau.

Mr. Akande also said the federal government has put in motion long time solutions including mediation between opposing groups in the communal conflict.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in partnership with the Creative Youth Initiative against Corruption, CYIAC, Thursday presented gifts (Net Books) to 25 winners who emerged from a three-month intensive creative programme embarked upon to curb corruption through creative development.

The students, between ages nine to 14, showcased their talents in painting, drama, poetry and singing. The event took place at the Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos.

The Net Book, a mini-laptop is packaged with educational materials and Bribe Buster application; an animated video series for children and youth developed by TRACE International, USA, for the purpose of advancing commercial transparency worldwide.

Presenting the gifts to the winners, Osita Nwajah, the Director of Public Affairs EFCC, who represented the Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, said the commission was delighted to be identified with the project.

He said the commissions involvement in the project was a deliberate effort at achieving a corrupt-free Nigeria.

Corruption is fighting back and it is easy to be discouraged, but the EFCC will do all it can within its powers to ensure that corruption is fought to the barest minimum and one of the ways to achieve the preventive mandate of the commission is to support this initiative, he said.

The CYIAC, a corruption preventive initiative of the EFCC, kicked off in October, 2016, and is committed to lead change in children and youth by eradicating corruption through character (attitude) and skill (aptitude) development for the positive advancement of Nigeria.

Foluke Michael, Project Director of the CYIAC, in her opening remarks said the project was aimed at creating awareness on corruption to the youth and children and they have since been able to achieve that through various forms of art.

Also at the event was the launch of Creative Youth Community Development Initiative, CYCDI, a non-governmental organisation that aims to empower children, youth and women through creative development to support the creative industries and other community development projects by promoting creativity, entrepreneurial skills, empowerment programs and wealth creation in children, youths and women in Africa.

The Chairperson of CYCDI, Oyenike Okundaye, said her organisation would give the necessary support and platform to ensure that the CYCDI delivers its object of building a new Nigeria that engages children, youth, women and creative community for the advancement of the nation.

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A massive power outage has thrown residents of major Abuja suburb of Lugbe into darkness, shutting streets lights, destroying perishables and paralysing businesses.

Residents of the area lament they have not seen a flash of electric light since power supply was interrupted last week Thursday.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company said a faulty 11KV feeder responsible for the blackout had been identified. But it kept mum on when power would be restored or the level of progress in repair works.

Our esteemed customers in the following areas: Sabon Lugbe, VON, Jabi Airport Road, Trademoore Estate and in Piyakasa are hereby informed that the disruption of power supply to their areas is due to a technical fault affecting the feeder serving the affected areas, the company tweeted on Wednesday.

We assure them that efforts are being made by our engineers to clear the identified fault and restore power supply soon as possible, it added.

The announcement was in response to several complaints and anger directed at the companys Twitter handle by some of the hundreds of thousands residents in the suburb.

The failure also affected customers inside the Federal Housing Estate, Pent House Estate, Redeemers Estate and some makeshift settlements clustered along the Airport Road.

Activities were also grounded at the National Biotechnology Development Agency and National Space Development and Research Agency, which have their headquarters in the area.

Some of the small business owners who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES Friday morning said their ventures may not recover from the latest outage for several weeks.

Its been a very tough week for me and my family, said Jeremiah Johnson, who runs Soluak Unisex Salon in El-Salem Estate.

I have been turning customers away because there has been no light and its too expensive to run my power generator.

Mr. Johnson, 34, said it would be difficult for anyone to convince him that he had been receiving value for what he pays monthly for electricity.

I dont know if I should call it cheating or something, he said.

Elizabeth Agbo, a fast-food joint operator who said her business was particularly hardest hit, pulled no punches while conveying her exasperation about the situation.

We do smoothie here, so we have to constantly refrigerate our farm produce, Ms. Agbo said. But since there has been no power, we cant do anything.

Mrs. Agbo said meats and other dairy products in her shop decomposed over the past week, making it difficult for her to restock.

Their incompetence and desperation to put profit above customers satisfaction have resulted in a major loss for my business, she said.

Saliu James, an aluminium artisan, said the disruption has left him frustrated because his customers failed to show any degree of understanding.

The work I told them will be delivered within two days has now taken more than two weeks, Mr. James,39, said. I wish theres a way to make my customers understand what I am going through.

Other residents and businesses said they found it difficult to understand why the power outage could linger for so long, especially as the federal government had managed to contain vandals.

Residents in other parts of the capital, including Maitama and Asokoro, also expressed concerns about poor electricity in recent weeks, but an AEDC official told PREMIUM TIMES none of the outages was up to one week.

Last month, the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Tunde Fashola, slammed power distribution companies for failing to meet up with their obligations to Nigerian and threatened severe sanctions unless noticeable improvements are recorded.

He admonished them to stop heaping blames in power failures on the government.

Power distribution was privatised and broken up into different zones across the country by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The administration argued at the time that privatising power distribution would engender improved functionality and efficient management of power asset.

But Nigerians continue to express great disappointment in service delivery, even as energy prices soar.

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The Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, presided by Justice Rilwan Aikawa has affirmed the powers of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to investigate allegations of corrupt practices made against any person or authority in Nigeria, even if the allegations arose in civil disputes.

This was a fall-out of the ruling of the judge when he dismissed a suit filed by seven persons against the commission and the Attorney General of the Federation challenging their invitation by ICPC during the investigation of a matter involving them and one of Nigerias notable legal practitioners.

In the suit with number FHC/L/CS/1315/2015 between Waheed Eletu, S.B. Joseph, A. A. Agbojuaje, Mr. Ashimi and 4 others vs ICPC and Attorney General of the Federation, filed by Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, the claimants, four members of the Eletu Family of Lagos, two lawyers and a surveyor had sued to challenge their invitation, the freezing of bank accounts and investigation by ICPC over an alleged dispute with Afe Babalola on payment of professional fees of $10 million in respect of his legal services which led to the recovery of a vast expanse of land for the Eletu family in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State at the Supreme Court.

The applicants were claiming a total of N600 million damages for alleged breach of their fundamental rights.

In a judgement dismissing the claim, Justice Rilwan Aikawa held that following the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Attorney General of Ondo State vs Attorney General of the Federation and 36 Others (2002), the ICPC had a statutory duty to investigate allegations of corrupt practices made against any person or authority in Nigeria and that neither the claimants nor the court has the discretion to stop a statutory agency of government from performing its duties.

Mr. Aikawa further agreed with the submission of ICPCs counsel, E. A. Shogunle, that the ICPC had established that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that certain high-ranking public officials and lawyers acted in abuse of their offices to facilitate a breach of contract with Mr. Babalola in order to confer corrupt advantage upon themselves in violation of sections 19 and 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

The judge further held that paragraph 10 of the counter affidavit of the ICPC established that there were reasonable grounds to invite the applicants to assist in the investigation, noting also that ICPC was not at liberty to disclose the identity of the petitioner and suspects until investigation was completed. He however cautioned that the investigation should not last till eternity.

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The Legal Practitioners Privilege Committee, LPPC, has shortlisted 10 more candidates to be considered for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for 2017.

In a public service announcement signed by Ahmed Saleh, the following 10 persons were cleared by an independent appeal panel in accordance with the guidelines of the LPPC:

Wahab Olasupo Egbewole

Daniel Enwelum

Nasser Abdu Dangiri

Salman Jawondo Ayinla

Olumide Andrew Aju

Sunday Samuel Obende

Oluwatoyin Ajoke Bashorun

Jephthah Chikodi Njikonye

Michael Folorunsho Lana

Tuduru Uchendu Ede

The LPPC said it would welcome contributions from the general public to further determine the character of the individuals named for the award. All those who have comments, observations or concerns about the individuals should make 20 copies of their respective correspondences and address them to the committee.

The additions came a month after the body announced 91 legal practitioners to be considered for the top bar honour, bringing the total to 101.

The number of shortlisted candidates this year rose sharply over the number of those considered for the award in the previous year.

The committee shortlisted 50 candidates in the 2016 exercise, but eventually cleared 22 and conferred them with the award, which is the highest for the Nigerian bar.

Out of 124 applications received in 2015, the LPPC elevated only 20 Nigerians with senior advocate status.

More than 400 Nigerians have been conferred with the award since it began in 1973 with the elevation of the late legal luminary, Rotimi Williams, as the first awardee.

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An Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Friday dismissed an application challenging the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal as governor of Sokoto State.

A member of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, Umar Dahiru, had accused the party of not complying with mandatory rules guiding the conduct of primary elections.

Mr. Dahiru had urged the court to nullify Mr. Tambuwals election, saying his candidacy was forced on other members of the party, during the December 4, 2014 governorship primaries.

In his ruling Friday, Justice Gabriel Kolawole said his court lacked the jurisdiction to order another election.

When I read the submissions of the plaintiff, my question was: will it be within my judicial powers to decide the date for another primaries? I am not in any doubt that this court does not have the jurisdiction to order a fresh general election that will require the participation of other parties, said Mr. Kolawole.

He added that nullifying the primaries conducted by the APC would result in a dark judicial allay, as the winner of the 2015 election would now be the member of the party that emerged second.

The judge wondered whether the plaintiff understood the implication of his application, since he had not in any part of the motion submitted that he had emerged winner of the disputed primaries.

Given the constitutional effect of nullifying the primaries as demanded by the plaintiff, Mr. Kolawole said that: Even if the plaintiff had considered this far reaching effect, it would have been constitutionally required that the APC and Mr. Tambuwals consent be sought before such a decision could be reached.

He therefore echoed the words of the defence counsel in their affidavit, which questioned the grantability of the request as sought by the applicant.

Mr. Kolawole further said Mr. Dahiru failed to state the parts of the APC rules that were specifically not complied with in his allegation, thus making the request lacking in merit.

The judge urged the applicant to consider the judgement in good faith, and in the interest of democracy, as well as for the good of the party.

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Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa of Federal High Court, Bayelsa Division, was on Friday docked at a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere for alleged unlawful financial enrichment.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned Mr. Nganjiwa on a 14-count charge bordering on unlawful financial enrichment to the tune of $260,000 and N8.7 million (approximately N81.7 million).

He pleaded not guilty to all the 14 counts.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defendants counsel, Robert Clarke, had on June 13, when the case first came up, opposed the arraignment of the judge before a Lagos High Court at Igbosere.

Mr. Clarke said the court presided over by Justice Adedayo Akintoye lacked the jurisdiction to hear and determine the case.

According to him, the defendant, who is a sitting judicial officer as defined in the constitution, can only subject himself to the discipline of the National Judicial Council, NJC.

He urged the court to dismiss the case, adding that due process should be followed.

Mr. Clarke also argued that the information filed offended the provisions of Section 158 (1) and paragraph 21 of the Third Schedule of the Constitution which established judicial precedents and authorities.

But the EFCC Prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objection, pointing out that the application is asking the court to immune the defendant from prosecution because he is a sitting judge.

Mr. Oyedepo cited Sections 308 and 35 (1) (c) of the Constitution to puncture the argument of the defence counsel that a sitting judge cannot be prosecuted.

He said among other things that the defendant did not fall within the persons mentioned in provisions of Section 308 and, therefore, could not enjoy immunity from prosecution.

He said that the charge was not brought against the NJC, rather the charge was against Mr. Nganjiwa in his personal capacity.

Mr. Oyedepo, therefore, urged the court to dismiss the objection and call the defendant to take his plea.

In her ruling, Justice Akintoye, said the court had the jurisdiction to hear and entertain the case.

She said: It is trite that the court can entertain and determine the rights of any citizen. It is, therefore, not correct that the court does not have jurisdiction to entertain this case.

The judge asked the defendant: Being a judicial officer of the Federal Government, is there any law that excludes judicial officers from being charged?

I affirm that the NJC has power to discipline any judicial officer, but judicial officers are not immune from being preferred with criminal liability.

It is only the office of the president, vice-president, or executive governor of any state that are immune from criminal liabilities while in office.

So, the defendant does not have immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution; therefore, the court has been properly constituted and has the power to try this case.

The notice of preliminary objection, I hold, is therefore, misconceived and same is hereby dismissed, Mr. Akintoye ruled.

After the ruling on the courts jurisdiction, the charge was read to the defendant and his plea was taken.

The two parties, however, argued on the bail application made by the counsel to the defendant, who urged the court to grant him bail on own recognizance as a sitting judge.

The prosecutor opposed the bail to be granted to the defendant on own recognizance, saying that there is no guarantee that the defendant will continue to sit as a judge.

Justice Akintoye, after listening to the arguments, granted bail to Mr. Nganjiwa on self-recognizance.

She however, ordered that the defendant should deposit his international passport with the Chief Registrar of the High Court within seven days of the ruling.

Hearing in the case has been fixed October 6.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian government is set to provide uninterrupted power supply to eight Nigerian universities.

A statement released by the Ministry of Power on Friday noted that in a bid to resolve power challenges in institutions of higher learning in the country, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the universities.

The MOU, signed on Tuesday with eight Federal Universities and one Teaching Hospital, is part of the first phase of the Federal Governments Energizing Education Programme, (FGEEP).

The programme, the statement said, aims to provide uninterrupted power supply for 37 Federal Universities and seven Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria through the utilisation of off grid captive power plants.

The programme would also install street lighting to enhance security measures on campuses, develop and eventually extend this uninterrupted power to improve quality of life and economic opportunities in the surrounding rural communities.

The first phase of the exercise, to be completed in 2018, would include nine institutions and would benefit over 300,000 students and staff members.

Seven of the nine planned power plants (10.5MW out of a total of 26.56MW) will be fuelled by solar energy, in line with the Federal Governments energy  mix policy.

The universities and teaching hospital that signed the MoU with the REA, include Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; Bayero University Kano; Usman Danfodio University Sokoto; and Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.

Others are Nnamdi Azikiwe University Anambra; University of Lagos, Akoka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Delta; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife and the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

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The U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria has awarded a N2.9 million micro grant to support children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in some part of Lagos state.

According to a Channels Television news report, the announcement was made on Friday.

The Mission gave the grant to 50 women caregivers to support the economic wellbeing of families, especially vulnerable children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, in five local communities in Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos.

Under the U.S. Ambassadors PEPFAR Small Grants Program, a local non-governmental organisation, Blissful Life for Women and Children, will train the beneficiaries in business and vocational skills and trade mentorship, and will receive trade articles and supplies.

Ten older orphans and vulnerable children whose parents are living with HIV will also benefit from the training.

Funded by the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the PEPFAR Small Grants programme is for community-initiated projects which aim to strengthen health services in communities affected by HIV and AIDS.

The programme supports projects that support and protect vulnerable children (OVC) and adolescents, and community-based HIV and AIDS care initiatives.

At an event held in Lagos attended by senior local government officials, health, and community leaders, Acting U.S. Consul General, Will Steuer, said: The people and government of the United States continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Nigeria and Nigerian families in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Todays event highlights the importance of supporting families, especially children who are affected by HIV/AIDS through programmes that not only support treatment for the infected, but also to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of families affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as the PEPFAR Small Grants Program seeks to do.

Beneficiaries of the various training programmes are expected to empower themselves and their families by building small businesses that will create more reliable income flows and improve their standard of living.

The U.S.-Nigeria partnership on HIV/AIDS began in 2004 through PEPFAR.

From 2004 to 2016, United States support for HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support programmes in Nigeria has totaled more than 4.3 billion U.S. dollars.

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A Kaduna-based journalist, Ibraheema Yakubu, who reports for the Hausa service of Deutsche Welle, DW radio, Germany, was arrested Friday by the police while covering a clash between Shiite sect and a Kaduna community.

Two people were injured and 10 arrested after locals attacked Shiites during an annual Quds procession.

The attack took place at the Kasuwan Barci community.

The incident occurred around 1p.m. when the Shiites sect resisted mob action to disperse them.

Mr. Yakubu told PREMIUM TIMES Friday evening that he was still in detention at the police Criminal Investigation Department.

I went to the police to identify myself at the scene of the incident because I misplaced my identity card. Only to end up being arrested and whisked to police Head Quarters before being transferred to CID.

I am still under arrest even when some of the policemen identified me at the scene of the incident. I am yet to be charged with any offence, he managed to say on phone.

Kinsley Umoh, an Army Colonel and Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 1 Division Nigerian Army, had earlier confirmed the arrest of 10 suspects in the civil disturbance.

He said the army arrived after the police have taken care of the situation.

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Preston Development Foundation, a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria, on Thursday organised a program in Abuja to campaign against female genital mutilation.

The World Health Organization said Nigeria has the highest prevalence rate of FGM in the world, with about 40 million women said to have undergone the practice in the country, thus indicating about 41 per cent prevalence.

The awareness stunt, held at the Federal Ministry of Health car park at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, required the campaigners to lie on the ground as a sign of advocating against the practice, and to symbolise the harm it does to women, especially during child birth.

According to the WHO, FGM includes all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for cultural and non-medical reasons.

Zikar Elendu, programme officer, PDF, said the organisation embarked on the awareness campaign because of new cases in the country.

She urged the federal government to take stringent measures to campaign against the practice, especially within the hospital environment.

Our lying down here symbolizes what happens to many of those cut during child birth. Many of them die during child birth, many of them have difficulty during labour because they have been cut, most of them cannot enjoy the sexual aspect of life and it is wrong.

Ms. Elendu said women cut were punished for crimes they were yet to commit.

It is like sending them to jail for a crime they have not committed. Female Genital Mutilation makes girls pay a lifetime price for an offence they did not and might never commit.

Promiscuity which is arguably the major reason for female circumcision in Nigeria has been proven to be more related to poverty, peer influence, poor parental supervision and drug use and not necessarily being uncircumcised. FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

She said 40 million women and girls in Nigeria have undergone FGM and urged government to take serious measures to fight the practice.

At PDF, we believe that FGM is more than a policy. We believe that behind every statistical expression is a victim, a girl child that has paid a lifetime price. We want the layman on the street to know about the dangers of FGM. We want every mother to know that FGM is in no way an empowerment. We want women to know that FGM has never been about the girls good or happiness.

That is why we have organised this awareness stunt and social media campaign to demand action in order to end FGM. We hereby urge urgent action from the government as well as communities to end FGM, she said.

Ms. Elendu said government passing a law against it would go a long way to reduce the practice and pains women go through during child birth.

Nwando Onuigbo-Chatta, the knowledge management officer of the organisation, said Nigeria might be able to reduce the high rate of maternal mortality if FGM is stopped as it is one of the causes of death during child birth.

Though there is no statistics in the country to specify how many people lose their lives during child birth due to complications of FGM, it is a known fact that some people die during the process because they have been cut.

We want more than just words for the government to ban the practices, we want action, as we believe if the government join hand with us to prosecute people who carry out these acts, we will be to discourage people and get an end to it, she said.

A survey conducted by the United Nations Population Funds, UNFPA, in 2015 showed that the practice was high in the South-West in spite of the geo-political zones high literacy and awareness rate.

The report said Osun State still ranked highest in the prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation practice in Nigeria with over 76.3 per cent, followed by Ekiti which had 71.2, Oyo, 69.7; Ebonyi, 55.6; Imo, 48.8; and Lagos, 44.8 per cent.

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The National Assembly slashed N21 billion off the N31 billion vote for the LagosIbadan Expressway, Nigerias Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said.

Speaking in Lagos during the week, Mr. Fashola said N5 billion was also taken off the Second Niger Bridge.

He said funds saved were diverted to projects inserted into the 2017 budget by the lawmakers, which were not governments priorities.

What I have in my budget now is primary healthcare centres, boreholes, Mr. Fashola said.

That was the meeting we had with the Acting President and that was the reason why the budget was not signed on time.

We were asked to complete those abandoned projects; the budget of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced by the National Assembly from N31 billion to N10 billion.

We are owing the contractors about N15 billion and they have written to us that they are going to shut down.

Also, the budget of the 2nd Niger bridge was reduced from N15 billion to N10 billion and about N3 billion or so was removed from the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road budget, he said.

According to Mr. Fashola, Everybody is complaining about power supply but they also cut the budget for Manbila power project and the Bodo bridge that connects the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Station was also cut.

If after we had defended the budget and we had gone and the legislature unilaterally changed the budget, what is the purpose of deliberation? he added.

Mr. Fashola said it was unfair to Nigerians that after public hearings were conducted with tax payers money and consultations held with the lawmakers, the budget would be altered, cut or padded.

According to the former Lagos state governor, in addition to the 200 uncompleted roads he inherited from the previous administration, the lawmakers added 100.

These roads are not federal roads and some of them do not have designs; how do we award roads that were not designed irrespective of the power you have?, he said.

It is unconstitutional for the National Assembly to legislate on state roads. The executive controls all the machinery for collecting taxes and other revenue with relevant data from the Ministries of Finance, Physical Planning and the Budget Office and others.

I am not saying that the legislature cannot contribute to the budget, but I hold the view that it cannot increase the budget because they do not collect the revenue with which to run or implement the budget.

The society benefits more from the power of example and interdependence rather than the example (show) of power; it requires that we show good examples.

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The Police on Friday said it would withdraw personnel of its mobile formation attached to important personalities in the country back to the barrack.

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, announced this in an interactive session with a group of civil society organisations under the auspices of The Situation Room in Abuja.

He said that the measure was intended to bring the police closer to Nigerians.

Mr. Idris said that the force had created additional mobile police squadron in states to enhance police operations, adding that Nigerians would now have more Special Protection Units (SPUs) in the commands in the zones.

We will withdraw all mobile police back to barracks to concentrate on dealing with serious law and order situation.

It means that we are stopping deployment of mobile police from protecting VIPs in the country because that is not where they should serve.

This is to allow us have enough men on the ground to deal especially with the issues of kidnapping.

We are creating new SPUs in each command; so, virtually all commands will have them, and with the support of the state governments, most of them would be deployed specially to states.

Mr. Idris said that the decision was basically to stem the cases of incessant kidnapping, adding that it had become a challenge that the force received hundreds of cases daily.

He called for the establishment of special courts to address the cases of kidnapping.

According to him, the public feel that kidnappers are not being prosecuted enough so there is need to seek strict measure to punish them.

The IGP said that with the creation of special task force squadron on terrorism, a lot of kidnappers had been arrested and that the force had 2, 000 suspected kidnappers across the country.

He reiterated the forces commitment to apprehending the notorious and wanted kidnapper from Benue commonly called Ghana, saying that his days were numbered.

He thanked Nigerians for their support and called for more collaboration to curb crime because it will take a collaborative effort to win against crime in the country.

On his part, the convener of the Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, called for the prosecution of kidnappers to serve as deterrent to others.

Mr. Nwankwo stressed the need for protection of lives and property in the country, adding that kidnapping is a serious national issue that needs to be tackled urgently.

(NAN)

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The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has accused the Nigerian government of inserting a controversial topic in the new school curriculum, which questions whether Jesus Christ is the son of God.

The association said the topic in the new subject, Civic Education, was satanic.

The comment came amid allegations by the body that the government was trying to delist Christian Religious Studies from the school curriculum, while retaining the Islamic Religious Knowledge.

The government has denied the allegation.

But apparently not satisfied by clarifications by the government, CAN has demanded a return to the old basic education curriculum with respect to religious studies.

The association had last week alleged that Christian Religious Knowledge,CRK, was dropped in the revised curriculum while Islamic Religious Knowledge, IRK, was retained as part of an alleged plot to drag Nigeria under the crescent of Islam.

But the acting Executive Secretary of Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Kate Nwufo, denied the claims and explained how the new curriculum was developed by government and various stakeholders, including Christian representatives, in 2012.

Expressing its dissatisfaction with the clarifications, CAN insisted that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, was bent on imposing Islamic hegemony through the new curriculum.

Mr. Ayokunle, in a statement on Thursday, challenged the Ministry to publish the new curriculum on CRK, even as he claimed that it has taken off in Kwara State without provision for CRK.

He also accused Mr. Adamu of imposing Muslims as heads of all federal boards in his ministry.

If the two religious studies are being taught separately, why is the agency stating that efforts are in top gear to print the Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Studies curriculum separately in order to maintain their characteristics and distinctiveness? Mr. Ayokunle asked.

According to him, the agencys statement underscored the associations position that the subjects were merged before.

Do we need to run away from underscoring the importance of these two subjects, which focus on teaching the fear of God, love for others and so on at a time when our nation is facing the challenge of violence and breakup? Mr. Ayokunle explained.

If the new curriculum is treating the two religious subjects separately as being claimed, why do we have a satanic topic in the Civic Education: IS JESUS THE SON OF GOD?

Or is the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who disclosed to CAN leadership that this was in the curriculum he earlier saw, lying too?

He also disputed the agencys claim that no student will be forced to register for a religion against his/her wish.

In Kwara State, for example, the discriminatory curriculum has begun and Christian students who refused to register for it already had their bodies lacerated with cane. We have the names of the victims and their schools with us, including the text message from the parents of such students who were beaten.

Similarly,Mr Ayokunle explained that the Chairman of CAN in Delta State had complained that students were calling him that their teachers were saying that they would no longer be doing CRK as a subject.

As far as CAN is concerned, the curriculum is a time-bomb, obnoxious, divisive and ungodly and its implementation must be stopped until all the grey areas are added, Mr. Ayokunle stated.

He said CAN had told the Acting President, Mr. Osinbajo, that the introduction of the new curriculum is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.

If we are going to do pilgrimage together as a nation, there must be fair play, mutual respect for one another and justice which can be brought about by different arms of government.

He said the association was demanding justice from the government on the matter very quickly and for a return to the previous curriculum.

Those of us who passed through the former system where we all did devotion in the morning and in the afternoon at closing in our schools lived together peacefully irrespective of our religions, he said.

He advised the Federal Government against the use of propaganda in addressing the sensitive issue.

We are disappointed hearing the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu claiming that CAN was believing a piece of misinformation received from the social media.

To say the least, that is a misleading statement from a Minister who is not only trying to Islamise the ministry with all the appointments he has made but denying the reality of discrimination policy under his watch.

We counsel Adamu to reconcile his position with the spokesperson of his ministry who agreed that CRK, IRK and Civic Education had been merged to become one subject before denying the reality, Mr. Ayokunle concluded.

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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the great challenge and the wonderful opportunity for the current generation of Nigerian elite is to build a new nation out of the rubble of cynicism, division and suspicions.

We can build a new nation; a new nation built on trust, consensus and love for one another and love for our country is possible. A nation where the rulers do not steal the commonwealth, where every Nigerian is safe to live and work, where the State takes responsibility for the security of each and every Nigerian, where the State knows every Nigerian by name and can find and locate each one of us,he said.

He stated this while speaking as a Special Guest of Honour at the graduation of the 2017 class of Senior Course 39 of the Armed Forces Command & Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna state on Friday.

The acting president said he envisioned A Nigeria where the Ibo or Ijaw man can live peacefully in Sokoto, and the Fulani man can live peacefully in the Niger Delta.

Delivering a speech which addressed the hate-filled agitations currently being witnessed in the polity, Mr. Osinbajo observed that the elite is largely to be blamed for the festering negative narratives, saying I would like to emphasize the fact that this was essentially an elite phenomenon, unity and disunity are promoted by the elite which the vast majority of the Nigerian people are only later conscripted.

He cautioned against the misuse of democratic right of freedom of speech saying, while we must remain irrevocably committed to freedom of expression and the tenets of a free press, we must draw the line between freedom that conduces to healthy democracy and that which threatens and endangers the entire democratic enterprise . It is an important balance, that we must strike. Failure in any way will be tragic.

He also observed that the problem is exacerbated by the influence of the internet and hate media emphasizing that today a great deal of the threats facing Nigeria are being nurtured and cultivated in the vast spaces of the Internet. The rumblings of secession, the dangerous quit ultimatums to ethnic groups, the radio stations and blogs that spew divisive speech and exploit our fault lines; all of these are now to be found online.

The Acting President noted that though the days of military rule are now behind the nation, and charged the military, its officers and men to devote resources and talent to these new battlefields, including the internet, where mindless verdicts on the continued unity and existence of Nigeria are daily being delivered.

Continuing, he said the battle is not just to defeat the terrorists, the greater battle is to defeat the ideology and mindset that feeds the madness and to cut off its oxygen, money and publicity.

Mr. Osinbajo however expressed optimism stating that the truth is that our nation and national unity is worth preserving and protecting. We are the preeminent power in Africa today in terms of population, size of our markets , natural resources and economy. We are a factor in the geopolitics of the world, no one can ignore a nation state that is home to one in every four black persons. Smaller is weaker not stronger today.

He charged the nation to rise above unproductive ethnic and religious sentiments and advised that we must develop the emotional intelligence required to cope and adapt in a swiftly and constantly changing world. We must adopt a global mindset, that seeks to learn from the experiences of other countries, far and near, so that we do not waste valuable time repeating mistakes that we should have learned from and learned to avoid.

In his welcome address, the Commandant of the College, Air Vice Marshall S. A. Dambo, announced that 187 persons graduated comprising officers from the nations Armed Forces, paramilitary and Ministry of Foreign Affairs including 10 international officers from eight countries, namely Liberia, Togo, Ghana, Cameroun, Niger, Mali, Rwanda and Gambia.

Dignitaries who attended the graduation ceremony included Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, representatives of Service Chiefs, senior military officers, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Danjuma Sheni and members of the diplomatic corps.

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Chris Giwa, the ACN candidate for the Plateau governorship seat in 2011, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Mr. Giwa, proprietor of Giwa FC of Jos, who was received at the partys secretariat in Jos on Thursday, said that he opted for the PDP because he was convinced that it held the key to a better Nigeria.

Nigerians have tested and tasted the PDP and the APC; from experience, the average Nigerian believes that PDP is a better option. I have opted to go with the majority, he said.

Mr. Giwa, who said that he had no immediate ambition, promised to work for the return of Jonah Jang (PDP, Plateau North), to the senate in 2019.

In an address to welcome Mr. Giwa, Mr. Jang said that the PDP in Plateau was intact and ready to regain power in 2019.

We had a setback in 2015 but we have put that behind and moved on. The defeat was a temporary setback that has made up stronger after realising our mistakes, he said.

Mr. Jang cautioned PDP members against the temptation to jump ship simply because the party was out of power, and declared that those doing so would regret very soon.

He stressed the need for the PDP to remain united, saying that a divided opposition had no chance against an incumbent government.

As your leaders, we will do everything within our powers to ensure that the PDP remains a strong and united entity.

It is good to have an ambition, but no ambition is more than the PDP because it is the platform through which we can achieve such ambitions, he said.

Mr. Jang assured PDP members that there would be no imposition of candidates, and advised those interested in seeking elective positions to reach out to the people.

The Plateau PDP Chairman, Damishi Sango, in his remarks said that the party was stronger with Mr. Giwa in its fold.

Mr. Sango tasked members on discipline, noting that nothing would be achieved if members were not focused and discipline toward achieving set goals.

The party is supreme; every member must respect it, he said.

Other top PDP members that welcomed Mr. Giwa included a senator, Jeremiah Useni (PDP, Plateau South), national and state assembly members, as well as former ministers and commissioners.

(NAN)

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A Minna High Court on Friday granted Tanko Beji, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Niger State, bail in the sum of N150 million.

Mr. Beji is standing trial for alleged N937 million fraud.

Justice Aliyu Mayaki, who granted the bail, also ordered Mr. Beji to produce two sureties in like sum, who must also have landed property worth not less than N200 million within the courts jurisdiction.

According to the judge, the prosecution failed to give cogent reasons why the defendant should not be granted bail.

Mr. Mayaki had on Monday ordered the remand in prison custody of Mr. Beji, and fixed Friday, June 23, to rule on his bail application.

Mr. Beji was arraigned on Monday by the EFCC in amended charges, alongside former Governor Babangida Aliyu and former Commissioner of Environment, Mr Umar Nasko.

They were accused of criminal breach of trust, punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Law of Niger, Cap 94, Vol. 3 Laws of 1992.

The PDP chairman was accused of aiding and abetting Aliyu to convert N937million withdrawn from the state security account in 2011 to personal use.

Ayodele Olajide, counsel to Messrs. Aliyu and Beji, had urged the court to grant the PDP chairman bail, as he is a long-standing lawyer, practising in Niger.

The EFCC lawyer, Gbolahon Latona, opposed the bail application, but urged the judge to use his discretion.

In the amended charge, the former governor who is the first accused, is standing trial on a seven-count charge of criminal breach of trust and abuse of office from 2007 and 2015.

Mr. Beji who is the second accused person, is also standing trial on two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and abetting the commission of crime.

Mr. Nasko is standing trial on a three-count charge of criminal breach of trust and abuse of office.

The three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them.

Justice Maiyaki, however, did not tamper with the earlier bail granted Messrs. Babangida and Nasko.

The case was adjourned until September 11 to 15 for hearing of the substantive suit.

(NAN)

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Two children were injured Friday in Kaduna during a procession by Shiites, witnesses sect told our reporter.

Ten people were arrested during the march.

Kingsley Umoh, an Army Colonel and Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 1 Division Nigerian Army, confirmed the arrests. He said the army arrived at the scene after the police have taken care of the situation.

The incident occurred around 1p.m. when the Shiites resisted mob action to disperse them along Kasunwan Barci roundabout, Tudun Wada, Kaduna.

Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES that traders closed their businesses and joined the mob that tried to disperse the group.

A witness, Mallam Danbatta, said the mob were attacking vehicles of the sect with clubs and other dangerous weapons as they tried to flee the area.

We were watching from a storey building where my family and I took refuge as the mob in their dozens destroyed vehicles of the Shiite members who attempted to speed off the scene along Kasuwan Barci round about to Maimuna Gwarzo junction.

The police followed with tear gas and gun shots to disperse the clash. It was a terrible experience, he said.

Awwal Haruna, a shop-owner in Kasuwan Barci, said he sustained bruises while trying to save a Shiite member who ran for safety from being lynched by over 20 irate youths.

Some youths would have killed one Shiite member in front of my shop and cause wahala for us. I even sustained bruises while trying to prevent them from attacking. He narrowly escaped with wounds, he said.

Yakubu Yahaya, leader of the Katsina chapter of the Shiite sect, accused security agents of mobilising the mob action against the sect.

The clash is not between us and the community. It is government that mobilised some youths with 15 police and army vehicles who fired tear gas and live bullets at us.

We have two casualties, a boy and a girl whom the security have taken with them. The boy is currently in a hospital receiving treatment from gunshot wounds by the police, he said.

The name of the boy with the gun shot injury was given as Hussaini Saeed.

Mr. Umoh, the army spokesperson, told PREMIUM TIMES the procession was peaceful in Zaria, Katsina and some other places, but that there were clashes in Kaduna between the sect and the Kasuwan Barci community.

The report we have is that normalcy has returned to those area around Kasuwan Barci, he told PREMIUM TIMES.

The civil disturbance you heard about was between some members of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria and some members of the community there.

As I speak to you, we have actually made about 10 arrest because of that incident and is still being investigated.

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Austin Tam-George, the Commissioner for Information in Rivers State, has resigned his position, PREMIUM TIMES can report.

His resignation, which was communicated to Governor Nyesom Wike on Friday morning, takes effect immediately.

He said he handed over to the Director of Administration, Ministry of Information.

I wish to resign my appointment as Commissioner for Information and Communication with effect from today, June 23, 2017, Mr. Tam-George said in the letter obtained by PREMIUM TIMES. I have handed over officially to the Director of Administration of the Ministry.

Thank for the opportunity to serve the state, he added.

Mr. Tam-George, a communication expert and former lecturer at Pan African University, was appointed in December 2015 to handle the public relations activities of the Wike administration, which was inaugurated in May 2015.

It was not immediately clear if Mr. Wike accepted the resignation, which came a day after the governor sacked a commissioner.

Bathuel Harrison, the Commissioner for Works, was sacked for yet to be disclosed reasons by the governor.

In February, Mr. Wike sacked the Commissioner for Health, also for reasons yet to be disclosed.

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MAYS LANDING  A hot summer day in South Jersey means finding the closest body of water to cool off in. From the Pinelands to the shoreline, there are plenty of guarded beaches and lakefronts.

But some people still swim at their own risk at abandoned sand quarries, despite the dangers of the so-called blue holes.

I can see the appeal, said Glenn Hausmann, chief of the Hamilton Township Dive Team. But the danger is much greater than people think.

An unmarked road off Leipzig Avenue leads to an old sand quarry, where mining pits are filled with rainwater, runoff and cold groundwater. The water looks calm, but under the surface, the pits can be as deep as 60 feet, their steep sides a mix of soft silt, clay and gravel.

The dangerous conditions can create situations where the townships all-volunteer dive team is needed.

On June 12, the township dive team  with aid from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Collings Lakes, Laureldale, Mays Landing and Richland fire companies, township police and EMS, AtlantiCare medics and the Brigantine dive team  spent three hours searching for the body of Lenyn Mercedes-Payamps, 23, of Pleasantville, who had drowned in a Thelma Avenue quarry hole.

A GoFundMe account called "Lenny Mercedes" is raising money for Mercedes-Payamps' funeral expenses.

On Thursday, that quarrys gates stood closed and locked, presumably by the property owners.

The odds are, the people who come here are going to swim and go home  but the odds youre playing with are too great, Glenn Hausmann said.

At the Liepzig Avenue pit, certified lifeguard Devon Hausmann showed how drastically the water conditions and underwater landscape can change.

Wearing a wetsuit, safely tethered and monitored by other dive team members, he waded into the water, which quickly went from ankle-deep and 80 degrees, to over his head and frigidly cold.

Its got to be 40 degrees, he said after he surfaced.

He said the temperature change can shock a persons system, adding to an already difficult struggle in the water.

The sand is soft, he said. It will cave in naturally, but when someone is trying to reach land, it will sink underneath them.

Unlike the bottom of a lake or other natural body of water, the floor and sides of a quarry hole are not compacted, and can shift or collapse, especially when struggling swimmers are trying to reach shore.

In a matter of feet, Im at my knees, then fully submerged, Devon Hausmann said. With one step, the underwater landscape dropped 10 feet deeper.

Despite the dive teams presence and recent news stories about the risks, people were still swimming at the Liepzig Avenue quarry Thursday.

Timothy Fitzgerald, 17, of Galloway Township, and his friends were swimming in one of the pits.

Theres no sharks in here, Fitzgerald joked when asked about the risks they were taking to swim there.

The teens said the quarry was a cool place to hang out and an alternative to nearby beaches and lakes.

No one bothers us here, Fitzgerald said.

While local officials know the area is often used for swimming, fishing and recreation, the areas are not regulated for safety or water quality because the quarries are private property  but typically, they are not maintained after mining operations have ended.

At this point, youre already trespassing, Glenn Hausmann said. Then there are the greater risks by getting into the water.
Boaters urged to help

protect Barnegat Bay

{child_byline}Press staff reports

{/child_byline}

TRENTON  The state is asking boaters to help protect and restore ecologically fragile Barnegat Bay.

Environmentally sensitive ecosystems within the bay, such as wetlands, shellfish and fish habitats, and aquatic vegetation, are at risk of impacts that come from boating and using personal watercraft, state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said. For that reason, it is vital that we work with the boating community to continue to protect Barnegat Bays fragile health while promoting the numerous tourism and recreational opportunities the bay provides to its visitors.

An online interactive map for mobile devices and computers shows 16 sensitive zones around Barnegat Bay. The maps also identify marinas, sewage pump-out facilities, bait and tackle shops, launches and ramps, restrooms and places to dispose of trash.

New Jerseys boating and fishing industries promote environmentally friendly boating.

As an industry, we work hard every day to preserve our natural resources and encourage boaters to be aware of their actions and impacts at all times and to do their part when out on the water, said Melissa Danko, executive director of the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey. Spending summers on the water and enjoying all that New Jerseys waterways have to offer is a way of life for so many residents and visitors. That is why it is so important that we work together to protect these natural resources not only for this generation but for generations to come.

Barnegat Bay is 42 miles long and is narrow, ranging from 1.2 miles to 3.7 miles in width. It is also shallow, 4 to 5 feet in most places. This makes the bay particularly sensitive to damage by boats and personal watercraft.

A five-year report released last year by the Barnegat Bay Partnership found the bay suffered from excessive nutrients that were causing algae blooms, which create dead zones that cant support marine life. It also concluded that water quality was being degraded by fertilizer runoff from peoples yards and other development.

The bay supports plants, fish and other wildlife. Motorboat propellers and turbulence caused by boat wakes can disturb and harm important plants and shellfish.

The DEP encourages boaters to follow these guidelines:

 Stay away from restricted areas set aside for wildlife.

 Do not harass nesting birds and other animals.

 Maintain a 100-foot distance from natural shorelines.

 Minimize wakes by slowing down in all shallow areas to help reduce erosion and harm to aquatic animals and plants.

 Use buoys to moor chains and lines to prevent them from scraping the bays bottom and disturbing submerged aquatic vegetation.

 Appreciate wildlife from a distance.

 Reduce air pollution by not idling boats or personal watercraft in open water.

More information is at nj.gov/dep/barnegatbay/docs/BoaterESA.pdf and nj.gov/dep/barnegatbay/plan-watercraft-map.htm.

Clean boating tips are at nj.gov/dep/njcleanmarina/boaters.htm. For more information about the Barnegat Bay Action Plan, see nj.gov/dep/barnegatbay.
PLEASANTVILLE  Like millions of people around the word, Imam Bilal Salaam, 51, says he grew closer to God during the past month.

Every human being was made to serve God, he said.

Salaam, the leader of Masjid Baitul Nasr, led his believers through Ramadans monthlong commitment to fasting, which ended Saturday with the sighting of the new moon.

They celebrated the end of Ramadan with a noon feast Sunday at the Pleasantville Middle School.

Masjid Baitul Nasr was formed in 2011. But in a city where there are more than three dozen churches  and no mosques  Walli Abdullah said he and Bilal Salaam were surprised by the way Pleasantville reached out to them.

Councilman Lincoln Green and Mayor Tweedle, they supported us, Abdullah said.

Religious congregations pay no taxes, he said, but that didnt stop Green and Tweedle from walking Abdullah and Salaam through the zoning process and getting their building approved.

Now, the masjid has grown to about 200 families, who crowd its tiny worship rooms and also give back.

After our meals, Abdullah said, we take the leftovers out into the streets to hand out to people.

Muslim or not, he said, no one should be hungry.

During Ramadan, able Muslims consume no water or meals while the sun shines. Because the Islamic calendar is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan occurs earlier each year.

When Ramadan falls during the summer, believers have to endure 15 hours without food. During the winter, they fast for just nine hours.

As an adult, you dont think about it, Salaam said, shaking his head.

Those who are new to the faith and young people think about fasting more, he said.

However, Ramadan means more than just fasting.

In Ramadan, we believe you believe you are forgiven and you give more, Salaam said.

More than 50 people packed Masjid Baitful Nasr, 101 E. West Jersey Ave., for the 1 p.m. Friday Jumah prayer service. Men share the floor upstairs and women are down below.

Everything was born to worship Allah, he said. We ask him for forgiveness. We ask him for growth.

Salaam, dressed in white, walks around the street in front of the masjid. He shakes hands and gives hugs to passing believers as they begin to assemble for service.

Imam means leader, Salaam said. Iman means faith.

Salaam said he needs to be a leader so his people can find faith.

The masjid, which means place of worship in Arabic, was formed in 2011 in a 1906 building that once served as a synagogue and later as a daycare center.

Ricky Khalil Salaam, 61, said he and Salaam adopted the same last name as a tribute to Dennis Salaam Ali, a man who guided them back in the 1970s. Ali died from a brain aneurysm, Salaam said.

He took us off of the corner of the streets, Ricky Khalil Salaam said.

In the back of the room, Abdul Aziz, 78, of Egg Harbor City, prepares for the service.

Ramadan allows us to realize our faith, he said. You fast solely for Allah. You do more. You are more generous. You increase your good deeds.

In short, he said, you become a better Muslim.

After Ibrahim Zahir Muhammad, 64, performs a vocal call to the service, Salaam begins to speak.

Salaam tells them that Allah wants men in Ramadan to take a break from their normal day, and get closer to me.

Ramadan is part of the five pillars of Islam, Salaam said.

Believers pronounce their faith in Allah, they pray five times per day, give 2.5 percent of their money to the poor, fast during Ramadan and, at least once in their life, make a Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca.
U.S. Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo, R-2nd, is spearheading legislation that calls for a six-year authorization of the Federal Aviation Administrations William J. Hughes Technical Center and its authorities and programs.

The nation is lagging in efficiency and effectiveness for growth, said LoBiondo, chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee. He said he wants the FAA Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township to lead to meet 21th century demands.

LoBiondo said he wants to protect the work of the FAA Technical Center and its employees.

Some of the research programs he said the FAA Technical Center would be expected to have a role in executing in the bill he introduced Thursday are:

 Unmanned Aircraft Test Ranges  FAA to develop and permit flights of aircraft equipped with sense-and-avoid and beyond line of sight systems.

 Update of FAA comprehensive plan  FAA to develop a concept of operations for the integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system.

 Review of FAA Strategic Cybersecurity Plan  FAA to review the comprehensive and strategic framework of the FAAs cybersecurity principles and policies.

 Aviation Fuel  FAA would find an unleaded aviation gasoline that qualifies as a replacement and identifies the aircraft and engines that are eligible for use.

The legislation would affect local operations after a three-year transition, LoBiondo said.

LoBiondo is drafting more Technical Center-specific language for the Aviation, Innovation, Reform and Reauthorization Act as it moves through committee and to the House floor.

LoBiondo introduced the legislation with U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-9th, of Pennsylvania. Shuster is the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee chairman.

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill Tuesday.
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Hezbollah will probably have to school them againand they probably won't learn againSince the Second Lebanese War, the Lebanese army has rearmed itself, strengthening its ability in the air as well as on the ground and sea, with the help of the United States, France and Saudi Arabia.In the past two years, a new challenge has risen on the northern front. Should Israel go to war with Hezbollah, the Lebanese army would fight on the Shiite terrorist organizations side, Maariv, the sister publication of The Jerusalem Post, quoted Israeli security officials as saying on Friday.According to the officials, unlike Israels 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, a future war would feature the Lebanese Armed Forces on Hezbollahs side.The army had originally rearmed itself in order to deal with internal terrorism, however they also strengthened their ability to fight an army such as the IDF.looks like this time looks like they will have some help.
Air traffic control plan would hurt tech center

On June 5, President Trump announced his intention to privatize the air traffic control function of the Federal Aviation Administration.

This privatization would have a severe negative impact on the FAA Technical Center and the entire region. The center, a premier research and development facility, employs over 3,000 civilian and contract employees. Its economic benefits are enormous, according to basic common sense and the recent economic development strategy which found it the basis for growth in the aviation sector. No center, no sector.

Paul Raetsch

Mays Landing

Armed forces members pressed to downplay God

For the last eight years there have been ongoing efforts by the atheists, ACLU, Freedom From Religion Foundation and others to remove all references to God from the public domain and, in effect, make us a godless society.

It is now being reported that under pressure from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, all traces of God must be removed from the armed forces. Instances of same include:

An Air Force officer was forced to remove his personal Bible from his desk because its presence might make others feel uncomfortable.

An Air Force colonel  a flight surgeon and four-time recipient of the meritorious service medal  was issued a career-damaging letter of admonishment for his Christian beliefs about marriage.

It is an absolute disgrace that the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect Americans should have to kowtow to radicals and atheists who want all traces of their Judeo-Christian heritage erased.

Fred Laurenzo

Little Egg Harbor Township

Backs public broadcasting

I thought that presenting two commentaries about public broadcasting was interesting; however, they discussed two different issues. One was concerned with the journalistic integrity of NPR and the other was concerned with the ideology of government financial contribution.

I am a long time listener and contributor to WHYY in Philadelphia. I find that they present current information and balanced arguments about issues in all areas. They also have entertaining programming on the weekends. Best of all, there are no commercials, just statements about which foundation or corporation contributed to their operation.

Additionally, it is quiet  no yelling, no blaring sound.

Kathleen Connor

Absecon

Need mental health help

Getting help for mental illness is easier said than done. For some it is impossible. I know. I have tried to help family members who need mental health services. I have spent six hours a day for many days in a row on the computer and the phone trying to get help for a loved one who wanted help.

Unless you are rich or have a rich insurance plan, the support services are just not there. Once I did luck out and was told that a particular agency could give this person an appointment in nine months.

I have talked to others who have had similar experiences. In fact, I work with some children who have been on a waiting list for two years to get mental health services. Ive called crisis centers who tell me, unfortunately, they can only help if/when the person threatens to harm himself/herself or others. So, unless they threaten to harm someone (or actually do harm someone), there really is no help for those who have a mental illness. This is so wrong.

Some communities are now rallying to offer free services, free needles and safe havens for those who suffer from addiction. Why cant we do the same thing to help our brothers and sisters who suffer from mental illness? Lets help them before they hurt themselves or someone else.

Marylou Schmidt

Avalon
LONDON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

mytaxi, Europe ' s largest taxi e-hailing company, acquires 100% of Clever Taxi, the leading taxi app in Romania

Further strategic investment in international expansion

Romania becomes the 11th European country in which mytaxi operates

mytaxi grows to 120,000 registered drivers and over 7 mil customers following acquisition

mytaxi, Europes innovative leader in taxi e-hailing, announced today that it has acquired a 100% holding in Clever Tech, the operator of the popular taxi booking app Clever Taxi in Romania. With this acquisition, mytaxi has consolidated its presence in the international mobility market and strengthened its position as Europes leading taxi e-hailing company.

The parties agreed not to disclose the exact details of the transaction, but stated that the valuation was set at an 8-figure number.

Clever Taxi, which was founded in 2010 by Mihai Rotaru and Alexandru Dumitru, operates in twenty major cities in the country and has 17,000 registered taxi drivers and around 600,000 registered customers. Since 2010 Clever Taxi has provided more than 40 million rides in Romania making it the largest e-hailing app in Romania. For the time being the Clever Taxi brand will continue to exist, which means that Clever taxi drivers and customers will be able to continue to use the service as normal.

Through this strategic acquisition, mytaxi is accelerating the international expansion of the taxi booking app in Europe. Launched in 2009, mytaxi was the worlds first app to enable a direct connection between taxi users and taxi drivers. With a global volume of more than 10 million downloads, over 120,000 registered drivers and availability in more than 70 cities in ten - soon to be eleven - European countries, mytaxi is the frontrunner in the field of taxi booking apps. Romania will become the eleventh country in Europe in which mytaxi operates.

Andrew Pinnington, Chief Executive Officer at mytaxi said: "We are very pleased to welcome Clever Taxi into the mytaxi family. As the first taxi app in Romania with 17,000 drivers and 600,000 customers, Clever Taxi is the perfect fit for mytaxi. This latest acquisition underlines our ambitions in the development and growth of urban mobility in Europe. It is another step in making mytaxi the biggest, best and most loved taxi provider in Europe - providing everyday magic to millions of people across the region."

Klaus Entenmann, Daimler Financial Services: "mytaxi is a fundamental component of our mobility offer and its European organic and dynamic expansion remains a strategic cornerstone of putting mobility at your fingertips."

Mihai Rotaru, co-founder and CEO of Clever Taxi, said: "We are really excited to join mytaxi because this acquisition will enable us to fulfill our shared vision of the transportation market. Since 2010 Clever Taxi has been pioneering how people get around in cities across Romania. mytaxi is the ideal partner for us because we are both committed to investing in local markets and to provide the safest, most reliable and legal form of authorised transportation and to help people move around their cities more freely through advanced mobility solutions. We look forward to working with the team to develop further innovative mobility solutions to both drivers and passengers.

We also intend to develop a local Research and Development (R&D) centre in Bucharest to provide mobility technology globally and hence we are currently hiring in all aspects of business and technology."

About mytaxi

mytaxi is a product of Intelligent Apps GmbH and was founded in June 2009; the world's first taxi app that establishes a direct connection between a passenger and a taxi driver. With over 10 million downloads and over 120,000 registered taxi drivers, mytaxi is the leading taxi e-hailing app in Europe, available in over 70 cities in ten - soon eleven - European countries. With around 400 employees, mytaxi now spans across Germany, Austria, Poland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Greece. Since September 2014, mytaxi has been a subsidiary of the Daimler Mobility Services GmbH (part of Daimler Group). In July 2016 mytaxi announced a merger with Hailo, the leading taxi app in the UK and Ireland, an important step to become the leading taxi e-hailing app in Europe. In February 2017 mytaxi announced the acquisition of Taxibeat, the leading taxi app in Greece. Taxibeat will be integrated into the mytaxi platform in 2017 and will be re-branded into mytaxi. CEO of mytaxi is the former CEO of Hailo, Andrew Pinnington. More information is available at http://www.mytaxi.com

About Clever Taxi

CleverTaxi is a platform operated by Clever Tech SRL and is the leading e-hailing app of Romania. First established in 2010, it launched in Bucharest as the answer to the common issue of finding a safe available taxi in peak times in a crowded metropolitan area, that co-founders Mihai Rotaru and Alexandru Dumitru solved using smartphone apps.

To date CleverTaxi has operated over 40 million rides throughout the 20 cities it is available in. With 600000 users and 17000 registered drivers it the go-to transportation app when travelling anywhere nation-wide.

Since June 2017 CleverTaxi has been acquired by mytaxi, joining the largest European transportation platform to date. CEO and co-founder of CleverTaxi is Mihai Rotaru. More information and a complete presskit is available on http://www.clevertaxi.com



SOURCE mytaxi
LONDON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Corian design surface has been used to create the dramatic backdrop and furniture for the permanent collection of the newly opened Museu do Amanha in Rio de Janeiro. The museum is part of the revitalisation of the city's docklands, a city hall initiative. Unique design and cutting-edge technology have transformed Corian into a collection of highly innovative creations. The pieces are designed with tomorrow in mind and represent man's role as an agent for changing the future.

Cosmos

Cosmos - a black 'egg' measuring 20m long, 14m wide and 11m high - is made with Corian (Deep Nocturne colour). It is a large elliptical-shaped structure in which each piece has been formed, including the entry and exit tunnels. The piece features huge monolithic areas inside, which provide visitors with their first immersive experience on entering the museum. With space for 200 people, 'Cosmos' enables visitors to experience a sensory journey through the universe, based on a virtual tour in a 360 degree dome. They can travel through galaxies, dive into the subatomic world of elementary particles, enter the Sun's heart, and observe how the Earth was formed and life began.

Cosmos and the Interactive Tables

One of the highlights of this first immersive experience is 'Cosmic Horizons', a series of six interactive tables in a cup shape measuring 130cm in diameter and 80cm tall. Again fabricated in Corian design surface (Deep Nocturne tone), the tables include built-in monitors allowing visitors to interact more deeply with aspects of the universe. The pieces are moulded using a vacuum technique and have tops with precise oval cuts. One of the key features of the design is the bevelled finishing which allows for the installation of monitors and reading slots.

Tomorrow's Tables

'Tomorrow's Tables' have been fabricated in a similar way. The three geometrically-shape tables each have different dimensions (400 x 200cm, 300 x 220cm and 330 x 200cm, all 95 cm high). They are the focus of the 'tomorrow' theme which unfolds in an 'origami' shaped area of the Museum. Fabricated completely in Corian design surface, the 'Tomorrow's Tables' have a metal frame designed to support each element of Corian and the multiple monitors. These monitors alternate between showing a series of trends and scenarios, and interactive activities that place the visitor as an agent for constructing the future of our world. Achieving this fully customised design was possible thanks to the high tech abilities of Corian, which offers imperceptible seams, appearing to be a single and continuous piece. With Corian, it is possible to create designs with real personality: the product is easily adaptable to virtually any format or location, providing complete creative freedom.

Churinga Base

Located in the 'We' space in the Museum, 'Churinga' invites visitors to reflect on what we will leave for future generations. An Australian aborigine's artefact, the piece is more than an object: it is an endless 'tool' that links the past to the future by tying previous generations' knowledge and legacy to future generations. The Churinga base has a flattened circular design with different radii and angles, and measures 240cm in diameter and 55cm high. It was fabricated in Corian design surface (Rice Paper colour, available in Brazil) and then treated by artist Mana Bernardes with raw clay painting and handwriting to create a more rustic effect. In addition, floodlights have been embedded which illuminate the 'Oca', with the lighting equipment concealed within the design.

Logo and service counters

The service counters, which feature geometric shapes, are also made in Corian (Glacier White colour): they take charge of the Museum's visual communications. More than 400 letters and identification icons have been produced in Corian. One of the highlights is the main logo, inspired by a 'sticks' game, which is composed of more than 300 pieces of Corian design surface (Glacier White tone), decorated with eleven different colours of automotive paint.

To download the complete press release including images preview, click here.

SOURCE Corian
NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Have an Olive Day!' will be heard by many food lovers at the 2017 Summer Fancy Food Show, where the Spanish Inter-Professional Table Olive Organization, INTERACEITUNA, will share the details of its exciting new U.S. campaign. The organization has partnered with New York chef and Spanish cuisine expert, Alberto Astudillo, to prepare recipes that highlight the unique flavor of European olives.

From simple appetizers and classic tapas to unique entrees and creative desserts, European olives add a flavorful, nutritious twist to any recipe. Most olives consumed in the U.S. come from Europe. In fact, of the nearly 300 million pounds of olives consumed annually in the U.S., more than 85% are imported from the European Union, with 55% coming from Spain.

Officially launched in May, the campaign is a partnership with Michelin-starred chef and internationally-recognized culinary innovator, Jose Andres, the European Union and INTERACEITUNA. The goal over the next three years is to raise awareness among U.S. consumers of the versatility, flavor, nutrition and rich history of European olives. The Have an Olive Day website includes creative recipes, preparation tips and videos featuring inspiration from Chef Jose Andres.

"Olives are part of the everyday Mediterranean lifestyle, and I'm excited to help people add new flavor to their lives with something as small  and delicious  as an olive," said Chef Jose Andres. "With this campaign, I'm encouraging people to discover the world through delicious food. You can enjoy olives from my home country every single day, without the need to travel!"

Summer Fancy Food Show attendees will enjoy mouth-watering recipes prepared by Chef Astudillo like Queen olives stuffed with cheese, Manzanilla olives with an Asian twist and Hojiblanca black olives with sweet ingredients. Each recipe showcases the versatility of olives and highlights the four basic flavors.

Visit booth #2155 to taste Chef Astudillo's creations and learn how to incorporate olives into summer barbecues, gatherings and the family dinner table.

For recipe inspiration and more information on European olives, visit www.haveanoliveday.eu or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest at @haveanoliveday.

About INTERACEITUNA and Olives from Spain

INTERACEITUNA is the Inter-Professional Table Olive Organization recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment that represents the entire producing sector, processing and marketing sector of table olives. Created to implement different general interest programs and activities, INTERACEITUNA promotes knowledge of the Spanish table olive and conducts research and development related to the product and production techniques. INTERACEITUNA has partnered with the European Union to promote this product.

About Jose Andres

Named one of Time's "100 Most Influential People" and "Outstanding Chef" by the James Beard Foundation, Jose Andres is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, television personality, humanitarian and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup. His avant-garde minibar by Jose Andres earned two Michelin stars in 2016 and with that, Jose is the only chef globally that has both a two-star Michelin restaurant and four Bib Gourmands. Andres' work has earned numerous awards including the 2015 National Humanities Medal, one of 12 distinguished recipients of the award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. And during the next three years he will be working with INTERACEITUNA and the European Union to be the "Have an Olive Day" ambassador to promote the values of the European Olives in his country of residence.

SOURCE Inter-Professional Table Olive Organization from Spain

Related Links

http://www.haveanoliveday.eu


GREENVILLE, S.C., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Advoco, a leading management and consulting services company delivering Infor Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions, is excited to announce that it is donating over $10,000 to charities across the U.S. with a focus in California, South Carolina, and New Yorkthe locations of the company's offices. Facilitated by Advoco for Good, the company's charitable giving arm, the funds were raised through a fitness challenge where employees earned points by exercising and making healthy lifestyle choices. Additionally, cash donations were collected from individual employees and were then matched by Advoco. Employees then voted on organizations to support with the collected funds.

The charities receiving contributions are:

"At Advoco, we all value being a part of something bigger than just ourselves," explains Dale Thrush, executive director of human resources for Advoco. "We want to give back to the communities where we live and work every day. It's wonderful that employees have personal causes that they support and in turn Advoco supports these organizations. Advoco makes a point of giving back and it's whole-heartedly supported with gratitude and enthusiasm by all of our employees."

To learn more about Advoco, visit www.advocoinc.com.

ABOUT ADVOCO

Advoco is a leading management and consulting services company headquartered in Berkeley, CA with offices in Greenville, SC and Syracuse, NY, as well as remote employees around the country. By optimizing business performance through an improved implementation and application of Infor EAM, Advoco forms a trusted partnership and meets the complex needs of prominent organizations. Advoco clients include Fortune 1000 accounts and top private and public organizations around the world. In Latin, advoco means "to call in an advisor." For Advoco customers, it simply means expecting success. It's a promise we deliver daily. For more information about Advoco, call (844) 423-8626 or visit www.advocoinc.com.

SOURCE Advoco

Related Links

http://www.advocoinc.com


CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Modern drones stand to offer multi-faceted support in combating forest fires and disaster relief operations

Drones deployed after the devastating fires in Portugal and South Africa filmed footage showing the extent of the damage, firefighters used a drone to help survey the damage after the fire at the Grenfell Tower in London and Spain's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment recently announced a plan to deploy drones for forest fire surveillance for the first time ever.

In years to come, we can expect to see unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones taking on an increasingly important role in firefighting and disaster management, says specialist drone firm Airborne Drones.

In the midst of the worst wildfire to strike the southern Cape coast of South Africa in over 150 years recently, drones slowly started coming into play as a local firefighting and disaster management tool. Firefighters issued a call for drones equipped with heat mapping capabilities, which would allow them to identify hot spots at the greatest risk of flare-ups - a task virtually impossible for ground crews working in blinding smoke and dense undergrowth.

JJ Rebello, Foreign Government Relations Manager at Airborne Drones, says drones will not only improve the effectiveness of firefighting efforts; they will also reduce the risk to human life during firefighting operations and stand to limit damage to assets by enabling firefighters to work proactively, rather than reactively.

"Commercial drones can withstand temperature extremes from below 5 degrees Centigrade, up to 50 degrees Centigrade, and they can be flown to an altitude of 4500 metres, making it possible for firefighters to deploy drones over areas where fires are active. With the use of advanced thermal imaging cameras transmitting data to command centres, they can identify people or animals, even where visibility is limited by darkness, smoke or vegetation, so allowing emergency teams to pinpoint exactly where assistance is needed. Thermal imaging cameras also support proactive firefighting measures, by mapping hotspots where flare-ups could occur."

Rebello notes that in the security industry, it is estimated that a drone can take the place of 12 foot soldiers. "The same might apply in disaster management," he says. "Sending in technology reduces risk to human life and allows resources to be deployed only where assistance is needed."

Drones equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) technology support the three-dimensional modelling of forest structures and surface topography, which allows for the development of fire behaviour models, fuel maps and prescribed burn plans. Drones are already being harnessed internationally to monitor and improve planned burns and provide real-time maps of fire progress.

For insurance purposes, drones also offer access to structures that are cut off from road traffic or too high to allow easy access, so supporting claims investigations and processing after disasters. Drone mapping allows insurance firms to rapidly document the scene without intruding on clean-up operations or exposing investigators to potentially hazardous materials; as well as providing data on risk factors associated with the damage.

"Drone technology is proving increasingly important in supporting pre-emptive approaches to fire and natural disaster risk management, as well as for disaster relief support," says Rebello.

For more information, visit www.airbornedrones.co

SOURCE Airborne Drones
ELMWOOD  Two people with active arrest warrants out of Montana were taken to Cass County Jail this week after a traffic stop in Elmwood.

Amanda R. Marchand, 36, and Roy B. Marchand, 39, were both arrested early Tuesday evening in Elmwood. A Cass County Sheriffs Office deputy pulled them over after noticing a tail light was not working on their vehicle. The deputy then allegedly saw methamphetamine-related items in the car.

Court documents list the current address of both defendants as Benton, Ky. Amanda Marchand and Roy Marchand both appeared in Cass County Court on Wednesday for initial hearings. Both were charged with Class IV felonies of possession of controlled substance-methamphetamine. The court set a bond of $5,000 in Amanda Marchands case and $15,000 in Roy Marchands case.

Montana officials issued warrants for both Amanda and Roy Marchand after they failed to appear at arraignments in June 2016 in Lake County District Court. Lake County includes the town of Polson, Mont.

Preliminary hearings for both defendants have been scheduled for July 20 in Cass County Court.
DESTIN, Fla., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier this month an ongoing program led by Arizona resident and Watertree Health President Shane Power, which benefits Phoenix-based Make-A-Wish, was given a Silver Cause Marketing Halo Award, North America's highest honor for corporate social good. The company's "Prescription for Good" program was recognized for the significant impact it has had on wish kids and the communities they serve. It has donated more than $2.4 million to Make-A-Wish to grant nearly 240 wishes for children with critical illnesses.

But, it's not just about writing checks. Just last week, Shane suited up to personally assist Christian, a 9-year-old who has undergone multiple open-heart surgeries, who wanted to be an invincible crime-fighter who defeats villains with his fists. Shane was his assistant.

More than three dozen Watertree Health representatives from across the country also cheered on the little boy. The power of a wish and its positive impact on the community was evident to all who attended. Christian went from an extremely shy introvert to a beaming, energetic young child after donning his mask and costume.

Shane said, "Being an integral part of Christian's wish after just winning the Halo award has made this month truly special, and I couldn't have done it without the support of my dedicated team. It was so empowering to see the commitment from so many different people to make a young boy's life a little better -- An experience I will not forget."

Granting wishes is not about short-term smiles, it's about positively influencing long-term health results. A wish gives a child the renewed energy, strength and hope needed to battle their critical condition. For many, the wish marks a turning point in the fight against their illnesses.

About Watertree Health

Matt Herfield and Ronnie Harris founded Watertree Health to make health care more accessible to everyone. The Company launched a free prescription discount card to address the growing and urgent need for affordable medicines by millions of people. To further improve the health of people, Watertree Health has forged strategic alliances with Make-A-Wish, regional Food Banks and most recently the ASPCA. Visit WatertreeHealth.com to learn more.

CONTACT [email protected] 347-871-8712

SOURCE Watertree Health

Related Links

http://www.watertreehealth.com


WASHINGTON, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's late June and Washington has no budget, no agreement on health care reform, no sign of tax reform, growing worries about a government shutdown this fall and a looming crisis over the federal debt limit.

How did we get to this point and what is the way forward?

A Concord Coalition forum June 29 in Washington will address these issues, taking a look at the fiscal lessons that have been learned over the last 25 years and how those lessons apply to the major fiscal policy challenges of the next quarter-century.

Mark A. Weinberger, global chairman and CEO of EY, and Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration, will be the featured speakers.

The program, "Budget Chaos in Context: Fiscal Lessons Learned for a Challenging Future," will also include a panel discussion featuring Stuart Butler, a senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution; Diane Lim, a principal economist at The Conference Board; Maya MacGuineas, president of The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and Robert L. Bixby, The Concord Coalition's executive director.

The program is among several activities this year that will mark the 25th anniversary of Concord's founding as a nonpartisan advocate of fiscal responsibility and reform.

The event next Thursday, June 29, will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington. Sign-in starts at 8 a.m. with coffee and light breakfast. The program begins at 8:30 a.m.

Topics will include the unsustainability of current fiscal policies, the demographic changes that are a key driver of projected deficits, the importance of an independent and credible Congressional Budget Office, and the demonstrated willingness of informed Americans to make difficult choices and trade-offs to put the nation on a more responsible path.

Media coverage is encouraged.

The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to fiscal responsibility. Since 1992, Concord has worked to educate the public about the causes and consequences of the federal deficit and debt, and to develop realistic solutions for sustainable budgets. For more fiscal news and analysis, visit concordcoalition.org and follow us on Twitter: @ConcordC

SOURCE The Concord Coalition

Related Links

http://www.concordcoalition.org


AALBORG, Denmark, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Asetek today announced a new order from Penguin Computing, Asetek's longstanding OEM partner for a new undisclosed HPC (High Performance Computing) installation.

Asetek's proprietary Direct-to-Chip (D2C) liquid cooling technology was selected by Penguin Computing to cool NVIDIA's P100 GPU accelerators, the most advanced GPUs yet produced by NVIDIA.

"Utilizing Penguin's Tundra ES platform with Asetek's D2C liquid cooling technology will allow our government clients to push the boundaries of these GPU's for deep learning research," said Ken Gudenrath, Director, Federal Division, Penguin Computing.

"Asetek has been chosen to cool the world's most advanced GPUs. It is an important validation of our offering and we are pleased that our OEM partner, Penguin Computing, continues to select Asetek technology. This is an initial order, and we expect additional deliveries to follow," said Andre Sloth Eriksen, CEO and founder of Asetek.

Asetek signed a global purchasing agreement with Penguin Computing in 2015.

This initial order is for 140 loops to be used with Asetek's RackCDU Direct-to-Chip (D2C) liquid cooling solution and have a value of USD 40,000 with delivery in August 2017.

About Asetek

Asetek is the global leader in liquid cooling solutions for data centers, servers and PCs. Founded in 2000, Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in California, Texas, China and Taiwan. Asetek is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ASETEK). For more information, visit www.asetek.com

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Andre S. Eriksen, Chief Executive Officer

Mobile: +45 2125 7076, e-mail: [email protected].com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/asetek/r/asetek-announces-new-data-center-order-to-cool-nvidia-s-p100-gpu-accelerators,c2294669

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Asetek
NEW YORK, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Automotive Handbrake & Clutch Cables market is estimated at $xx million in 2016 and is expected to reach $xx million by 2022 growing at a CAGR of xx% from 2016 to 2022. Factors such as positive macro-economic environment across major automotive hubs and increasing passenger vehicle production due to growing disposable incomes are influencing the market growth. However, the low priced counterfeit products offered in the market from China and India are of low quality and less durability which in turn could affect the brand image of existing players and therefore hampers the market growth.





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04917231/Automotive-Handbrake-and-Clutch-Cables-Global-Market-Outlook.html





Asia Pacific is anticipated to hold the major market share both with respect to supply and demand for respective cables and is expected to emerge as a key exporter to many countries. In addition, countries in the region such as China, India and South Korea are expected to remain as the main contributors to the growth of the market.



Some of the key players in the market include TRW Automotive, TMD Friction Group (TMD PAGID), Hella Pagid GmbH, DURA Automotive Systems, Continental Automotive GmbH, Catton Control Cables, Cable-Tec and Anropa Cables (Pty) Ltd.



Vehicle Types Covered:

- Commercial Vehicles

o Higher Heating Value (HCV)

o Lower Heating Value (LCV)

- Passenger Cars

- Two-Wheelers

Product Types Covered:

- Handbrake Cables

- Clutch Cables

Sales Channels Covered:

- Aftermarket

- OEM

Regions Covered:

- North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

- Europe

o Germany

o France

o Italy

o UK

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

- Asia Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Australia

o New Zealand

o Rest of Asia Pacific

- Rest of the World

o Middle East

o Brazil

o Argentina

o South Africa

o Egypt



What our report offers:

- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments

- Market share analysis of the top industry players

- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants

- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets

- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)

- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations

- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends

- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments

- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04917231/Automotive-Handbrake-and-Clutch-Cables-Global-Market-Outlook.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

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After conquering European consumers, it is no surprise that the legendary cured ham from the Southwest of France chose the United States for its international ambitions. Shifting away from large-scale industrial foods, Americans are increasingly in demand of premium craft products : gustatory pleasure, but also traceability and production transparency have become choice criteria.

As the very first French food product to be awarded the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in 1998, Bayonne Hams will address American foodies' search for authenticity: this status guarantees the ham's traditional and sustainable production, as well as its place of origin. True to tradition, Bayonne Ham is produced the same way it was a thousand years ago.

One of the finest representatives of France's gastronomic legacy, Bayonne Ham will seduce American's palates. The "Melt In Your Mouth" charcuterie from Europe, Bayonne Ham is the perfect addition to America's convivial gourmet festivities: whether low-key outdoor picnics or fancier cocktail aperitifs, paired with fine cheeses and elegant wines. Americans will enjoy its delicate flavors with considerable length in mouth and moderate saltiness.

The Bayonne Ham's council U.S. campaign targets trade professionals and will consist of nationwide activities, with key activations on the West and East coasts. The Bayonne Ham Council set the grand but attainable objective of dedicating one quarter of its overall international exports to the U.S. by the year 2020.

About the Bayonne Ham Council

The Bayonne Ham Council was created in 1991 to promote the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Jambon de Bayonne, which was formalized on October 7th, 1998 by European decree. Organized as an Interprofessional Body, it gathers every actor involved in the production of Bayonne Hams including 950 pig farms, 39 livestock producers, 23 cutting plants and 30 curing units, all located in Southwest France.

Visit http://www.jambon-de-bayonne.com/en/ for more information

Media contact

Joanna Sykes-Darmon

Sopexa c/o Bayonne Ham Council

[email protected]

+1 (212) 386 7439

SOURCE Bayonne Ham Council

Related Links

http://www.jambon-de-bayonne.com/en


LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) was named Service Provider of the Year and Charlie Marchesani, President of Global Technology and Operations (GTO) at Broadridge, was recognized as the Ops Business Person of the Year by Financial Technologies Forum (FTF) News Technology Innovation Awards 2017.

Broadridge won the awards, based on client votes, for advancing the delivery of service, extraordinary client support, new synergies with key market participants, and extraordinary leadership in the industry. Marchesani was honored as the executive who has advanced the cause of financial technology innovation from the business side of the aisle.

"As a firm and personally, I am honored to receive this client recognition for our best-in-class solution and world-class services," said Marchesani. "It is a privilege to lead the Broadridge team and this is particularly special because innovation and commitment to our clients are inherent in our DNA. We will continue to help our clients transform their business so they are ready for next  no matter what the market brings."

Broadridge GTO is a leading provider of securities processing to the global banks and broker-dealers, transforming the trade life cycle and optimizing clients' operating model. Led by Marchesani, the GTO business continues to grow, now serving more than 350 clients, from the buy side to the sell side. The GTO business processes, on average, over $5 trillion in equity and fixed income trades per day of U.S. and Canadian securities, and 18 of the 23 primary dealers rely on Broadridge for fixed income securities processing in the U.S. Broadridge also processes equity trades for six of the ten largest global investment banks, while its managed services offers supports to over 30 clients, accounting for over $800 billion in assets.

Broadridge continues to bring transformative business value and innovation to our clients and the industry. The firm's Global Post Trade Management solution streamlines post-trade processing across asset classes, markets and global business entities. This strategic platform helps clients transform to their target operating model by consolidating multiple disparate systems and standardizing operational processes.

Financial Technologies Forum, LLC (FTF) is a leading provider of executive-level events and training focused on trends and initiatives in securities trading and operations. For more information on FTF, see http://www.ftfnews.com

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) a global fintech leader, provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for broker-dealers, banks, mutual funds and corporate issuers globally. Broadridge's investor communications, securities processing and managed services solutions help clients reduce their capital investments in operations infrastructure, allowing them to increase their focus on core business activities. With over 50 years of experience, Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 90 percent of public companies and mutual funds in North America, and processes more than $5 trillion in fixed income and equity trades per day. Broadridge employs approximately 10,000 full-time associates in 16 countries.

For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Media Contacts:

Brett Philbin

Edelman

+1 212-704-8263

[email protected]

Tina Wadhwa

Corporate Communications

+1 212 973 6164

[email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.broadridge.com


WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) today told the U.S. Commerce Department that aluminum can sheets and aluminum ingot, which are used to make beverage cans, are not a security risk that requires intervention in the form of tariffs or trade restrictions.

CMI testified at the U.S. Commerce Department hearing on the effects of imports on aluminum on U.S. national security and stated that any proposed tariff or trade restrictions could have the potential to increase the cost of aluminum beverage cans consumed by U.S. consumers.

First, aluminum used to make can packaging is a unique alloy and is not suitable or used by the defense industry for any national security application.

CMI noted the unintended consequence of a trade action against aluminum can sheet and primary aluminum is disruption along the supply chain. Like most industries, can makers depend on predictability in supply and price. If the aluminum supply is hindered by unnecessary tariffs or trade restrictions, it could lead to supply inefficacies and affect product availability. Meanwhile, over the past five years, aluminum can manufacturers invested well over $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing facilities. Even a small tariff will result in greater uncertainty about prices, supply and financing and would dramatically curtail investment and hiring in the United States.

CMI noted that currently 66 percent of primary aluminum imported into the United States comes from Canada. In fact, only 1-2 percent of aluminum products come from China. Primary aluminum is not commercially available in the United States.

Finally, a tariff on aluminum products would put an unfair tax on the can manufacturing industry, putting aluminum cans at a disadvantage with competitive packaging, such as glass and plastic. This would ultimately harm U.S. consumers, who would pay more for canned beverage products.

With these concerns in mind, CMI urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to exempt aluminum can sheet used to make beverage containers and other aluminum products from any tariff or other trade action.

Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) is the national trade association of the metal can manufacturing industry and its suppliers in the United States. The can industry accounts for the annual domestic production of approximately 124 billion food, beverage and other metal cans; which employs more than 28,000 people with plants in 33 states, Puerto Rico and American Samoa; and generates about $17.8 billion in direct economic activity. CMI members are committed to providing safe, nutritious and refreshing canned food and beverages to consumers.

Contact: Sherrie Rosenblatt, CMI Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Phone: 202-232-4677; Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Can Manufacturers Institute
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty today announced that it has acquired Cobblestone Realty, a major independent real estate company that has been serving the Jupiter area for the past eight years.

"As a family owned and operated business, we're proud to have helped over 50,000 families in South Florida over the past 37 years," said Bob Tenace, owner and president, CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty. "We couldn't be more excited to have Joe Quirk and his team join our team and see the success that we can achieve together."

Through the acquisition, CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty will expand to three offices and more than 300 agents. The expansion will give the company a larger footprint in Palm Beach County specifically.

"We are thrilled to have Joe join not only the CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty team, but also the CENTURY 21 System," said Greg Sexton, chief operating officer, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. "We look forward to seeing the continued success of Bob and his team as they deepen their reach in the South Florida community."

About CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty

CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty is a full service real estate company, serving the buyers and sellers of South Florida since 1980. The brokerage is located at 3960 Hypoluxo Rd # 100, Boynton Beach, FL 33436, 1835 N. University Dr. Coral Springs, FL 33071 and now Jupiter.

CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty is an independently owned and operated franchise affiliate of Century 21 Real Estate LLC (century21.com), franchisor of the iconic CENTURY 21 brand, comprised of approximately 7,400 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 78 countries and territories worldwide with more than 111,000 independent sales professionals.

Media Contact:

Sammy Toole

MullenLowe for CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty

617.226.9934

[email protected]

SOURCE CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty
Novel public/private partnership connects researchers to verified versions of an estimated 18 million new open access articles from Web of Science

PHILADELPHIA, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Analytics today announced a novel public/private strategic partnership with Impactstory that will remove a critical barrier for researchers: limited open access (OA) to high-quality, trusted peer-reviewed content. Under the terms of the partnership, Clarivate Analytics is providing a grant to Impactstory to build on its oaDOI service, making open access content more easily discoverable, and the research workflow more efficient from discovery through publishing.

The world of science publishing is complex. Researchers conducting online searches for scholarly articles frequently get unreliable results that can compromise their work. This is typically because the results omit journal articles behind paid-subscription paywalls or because "web-scraping" utilities return versions of articles that are not peer-reviewed or are in violation of copyright laws. The partnership between Clarivate Analytics and Impactstory will enable a more inclusive approach that provides researchers and institutions of all sizes with open access to trusted research, in a way that can be sustained across the broad science publishing ecosystem.

The oaDOI service is from Impactstory, a nonprofit creating online tools to make science more open and reusable. It currently indexes 90 million articles and delivers open-access full text versions over a free, fast, open API that is currently used by over 700 libraries worldwide and fulfills over 2 million requests daily. Impactstory has also built Unpaywall, a free browser extension that uses oaDOI to find full text whenever researchers come across paywalled articles.

"Clarivate Analytics is working to enhance research content and discovery with trusted, validated open access links, where they exist, to external, free full text open access versions of the literature," said Jay Nadler, CEO of Clarivate Analytics. "This partnership reflects our goal to be an innovative and collaborative brand, dedicated to the sharing of important research within the research community the legal, compliant way."

Clarivate is developing and delivering innovative analytics and workflow solutions that increase efficiencies across the entire research lifecycle; from idea to experiment, to peer review, to publication, dissemination and assessment. The partnership with Impactstory will accelerate the discovery phase of innovation for Clarivate customers by connecting researchers to verified versions of an estimated 18 million new open access articles from Web of Science. The enhanced open access knowledge base created by the partnership will be particularly valuable to smaller institutions.

"Our goal is to help remove barriers for researchers by giving them access to relevant, full text documents that aid in their research," said Heather Piwowar, co-founder of Impactstory. "With the grant from Clarivate, we're able to make over 18 million articles available to every researcher and library  those with subscriptions and those without."

"This novel partnership with the private sector advances our work to make scholarly research more available to everyone, advancing progress toward a more powerful, universally open science communication ecosystem," said Jason Priem, co-founder of Impactstory.

Clarivate Analytics

Clarivate Analytics accelerates the pace of innovation by providing trusted insights and analytics to customers around the world, enabling them to discover, protect and commercialize new ideas faster. Formerly the Intellectual Property and Science business of Thomson Reuters, we own and operate a collection of leading subscription-based businesses focused on scientific and academic research, patent analytics and regulatory standards, pharmaceutical and biotech intelligence, trademark protection, domain brand protection and intellectual property management. Clarivate Analytics is now an independent company with over 4,000 employees, operating in more than 100 countries and owns wellknown brands that include Web of Science, Cortellis, Derwent, CompuMark, MarkMonitor and Techstreet, among others. For more information, please visit clarivate.com.

SOURCE Clarivate Analytics
ANAHEIM, Calif., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CMTL, (www.cmtlabs.com, (Computer Memory Test Labs), issued an industry recommendation to buyers of memory products for Intel platforms to select parts with the highest CPC ranking (Cross Platform Compatibility). A memory and flash customer can easily and quickly see the CPC ranking level for every memory product CMTL has tested on Intel platforms. Example: Intel Server S2600WT approved memory list. In addition the customer can open a jpeg file on the same page that will display a scanned image of the product along with the BOM which Intel requires to be locked down.

CMTL President, John Deters stated, "Due to a number of issues in the memory industry, buying products that have successfully passed the Intel/CMTL Advanced test process on the highest number of Intel platforms is strongly recommended, especially in server environments."

About CMTL: Established in 1996 in cooperation with Intel, CMTL is an independent test lab that performs memory and flash product compatibility/functionality testing on computer platforms and systems. CMTL has performed over 26,000 tests to date.

Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. CMTL is a service mark of Computer Memory Test Labs Inc.

Contact: John Deters 770-238 -2085

SOURCE CMTL

Related Links

http://www.cmtlabs.com


ATLANTA, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Commissions Inc (CINC), the #1 real estate tech solution powering elite teams, has been recognized by The Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) as the 7th fastest-growing lower middle-market company in Georgia. CINC was recognized via a celebratory awards dinner and gala at Flourish Atlanta in Buckhead on Thursday June 22, 2017.

"We are honored to be recognized by ACG as one of Atlanta's fastest-growing companies for the third consecutive year," said Jason Hoback, President of CINC. "I want to thank our hard-working team and our loyal clients for their contributions to our success. A 7th place ranking amongst such a phenomenal group of growing organizations truly underscores how our commitment to our clients and our CINC team members has propelled our company's rapid growth year over year."

A global professional organization focused on middle-market growth, mergers and acquisitions, and private investment, the ACG honors the top 40 fastest-growing middle-market companies headquartered in Georgia, annually. 2017 marks the second consecutive year that CINC advanced into the top ten, following an additional year of remarkable growth in 2016. Award criteria include: 2016 revenue ranging between $15 and $500 million and three years of verifiable revenue and employment growth.

The 2017 ACG award joins a growing list of accolades for CINC, including two consecutive AJC Top Places to Work awards, three consecutive Atlanta Business Chronicle's (ABC) Pacesetter award wins, as well as a spot on Deloitte's 2016 Technology Fast 500 honorees. CINC was also announced as one of the Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) in 2016.

About Commissions Inc (CINC)

Founded in Marietta, Georgia in 2011, CINC (Commissions Inc.) is the leading provider of web-based real estate marketing and CRM software for elite agents and teams across North America. The solution includes a consumer website that integrates with local MLS data, a complete CRM platform that allows real estate agents to nurture clients and monitor their business, and access to three mobile apps (CINC Agent App, Houses.net, Open Houses by CINC). Built with the support and input of some of North America's top brokers, CINC powers the business for thousands of agents and connects them with millions of consumers every month.

Press Contact:

Brandy Commodore

Marketing and Communications Manager

[email protected]

855-259-7277

SOURCE CINC (Commissions Inc)
RESTON, Va., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- comScore, Inc. recently released data from comScore Mobile Metrix, reporting the top smartphone apps in the U.S. by audience reach for May 2017.

Top 15 Smartphone Apps

May 2017

Total U.S. Smartphone Mobile Media Users, Age 18+ (iOS and Android Platforms)

Source: comScore Mobile Metrix

Top 15 Apps % Reach 1 Facebook 75.7% 2 Facebook Messenger 67.5% 3 YouTube 66.5% 4 Google Search 59.3% 5 Google Maps 56.1% 6 Google Play 49.4% 7 Instagram 46.5% 8 Snapchat 44.6% 9 Gmail 43.9% 10 Pandora Radio 39.5% 11 Google Calendar 35.0% 12 Apple Maps 29.0% 13 Apple Music* 28.9% 14 Amazon Mobile 27.7% 15 Apple News 27.3%

* "Apple Music," as it appears in comScore's monthly reporting, is referring to Apple's native music app, which captures all music activity within that app, including listening via the streaming service, radio service and users' personally downloaded music libraries.

For more market rankings from comScore, visit our Rankings page here.

About comScore

comScore is a leading cross-platform measurement company that measures audiences, brands and consumer behavior everywhere. comScore completed its merger with Rentrak Corporation in January 2016, to create the new model for a dynamic, cross-platform world. Built on precision and innovation, our data footprint combines proprietary digital, TV and movie intelligence with vast demographic details to quantify consumers' multiscreen behavior at massive scale. This approach helps media companies monetize their complete audiences and allows marketers to reach these audiences more effectively. With more than 3,200 clients and a global footprint in more than 75 countries, comScore is delivering the future of measurement. Shares of comScore stock are currently traded on the OTC Market (OTC:SCOR). For more information on comScore, please visit comscore.com.

SOURCE comScore

Related Links

http://www.comscore.com


DENVER, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, June 20, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued its opinion in Sause v. Bauer, in which First Liberty Institute and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP represent Mary Anne Sause. Police ordered Sause, a devout Catholic, to stop praying in her own home while investigating a noise complaint.



Writing for the majority Judge Moritz stated, "We assume that the defendants violated Sause's rights under the First Amendment when, according to Sause, they repeatedly mocked her, ordered her to stop praying so they could harass her, threatened her with arrest and public humiliation, insisted that she show them the scars from her double mastectomy, and then 'appeareddisgusted' when she complied  all over a mere noise complaint."



Read the opinion by clicking here.



"Although the decision to uphold the lower court's dismissal is disappointing, the harsh criticism of the officers' conduct in this case supports our First Amendment claim," Jeremy Dys, Deputy General Counsel for First Liberty Institute reiterated, "No one should face the prospect of being arrested for praying in their own home."



In defending the police officers' actions, the government argued that the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause only "protects an individual's right to choose a religion." First Liberty attorneys representing Sause argued that this misconstrued the Free Exercise Clause, which protects not only the right to choose a religion, but also the right to freely exercise one's faith.



While Ms. Sause's appeal was ultimately unsuccessful, the court stated clearly that Sause's First Amendment rights may have been violated, but the legal doctrine of qualified immunity shields the officers from any liability. The concurring opinion condemned the police officers' "extraordinary contempt of a law abiding citizen."



Read more and view legal documents and photos at FirstLiberty.org/Sause.

About First Liberty Institute

First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans. Read more at FirstLiberty.org.

SOURCE First Liberty Institute

Related Links

https://firstliberty.org/


PLANO, Texas, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kim Houlne, chief executive of Working Solutions, will be among those honored at the Dallas Business Journal's (DBJ) 2017 Women in Business Awards.

An industry pioneer, Houlne founded her virtual contact center services company more than 20 years ago. In a world of brick-and-mortar call centers, the company's solutions continue to stand out, making its flexible staffing model even more viable today.

Working Solutions

Alongside program alumni, Houlne will be recognized at a special dinner in July. Later, she will be among honorees at DBJ's 10th annual awards and trade show in August.

"What an amazing group of women," she said. "I look forward to meeting and learning from other business leaders."

Woman-owned Business

Based in Plano, Texas, Working Solutions is a woman-owned business. It has more than 100 employees and a network of 110,000-plus independent contractors nationwide. The company's scalable business model enables agents, most of whom are women, to work from home, serving clients' seasonal demands and selling cycles.

In an industry crowded with competitors, Working Solutions still distinguishes itself. Houlne points to reviews on Glassdoor, where employees and contractors rank companies. As a chief executive, she scores more than a 90 percent approval rating. The company earns up to a four-star recommendation.

Glassdoor 'OpenCompany'

"Glassdoor recognizes us as an 'OpenCompany', which speaks to our transparency to work for and with," Houlne said. "As a U.S.-based operation, we keep the business close to home, for employees, agents and clients."

For the third year in a row, remote work expert FlexJobs named Working Solutions among its Top 100 Companies, ranking it #7. Industry analysts Ovum and Gartner cite the company for its business process outsourcing and customer relationship management.

About

With 20-plus years of success, Working Solutions is a recognized leader in remote contact center services. Its on-demand workforce includes sales, customer service and technical experts with 110,000-plus agents registered nationwide. They deliver fast-flex business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions for clients and their customers across diverse industries, such as healthcare, retail, travel and hospitality.

Contact:

Gail Rigler

972-964-4800

[email protected]

www.workingsolutions.com

SOURCE Working Solutions

Related Links

https://workingsolutions.com


UNIONDALE, N.Y., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PSEG announced today that Daniel Eichhorn was named President and COO PSEG Long Island effective October 2, 2017. Eichhorn is currently Vice President  Customer Services of PSEG Long Island. Eichhorn succeeds David Daly, who was elected President and COO of PSE&G, New Jersey's oldest and largest gas and electric company. Daly has led PSEG Long Island since October 2013.

"I have enjoyed the last several years working with the men and women of PSEG Long Island, as we enhanced our customer service and invested in improving the reliability of the electric system," said Daly. "Leaving this job is made easier knowing that I am being replaced by Dan Eichhorn, who has the same strong commitment to providing safe, reliable and economical electricity to the residents and businesses on Long Island."

The company also announced today that as of October 2, 2017, Daly will assume the role as Chairman of the PSEG Long Island Board, replacing Ralph LaRossa who was elected President and COO of PSEG Power, the company's regional merchant generation company.

"I have had a great mentor in Dave Daly, and will continue to build on his efforts at making PSEG Long Island a valued member of the community," said Eichhorn. "I am honored to be asked to lead a tremendous organization of men and women who work tirelessly, every day, to meet or exceed the expectations of our Long Island customers."

Eichhorn joined PSEG Long Island in October 2013, charged with improving the utilities' customer satisfaction and overseeing the development of the new customer services organization. He also directs marketing and marketing strategy, customer contact, meter-to-cash functions, and solar and energy efficiency programs.

Prior to this position, Eichhorn spent 25 years with PSE&G in New Jersey and has a broad background in electric and gas operations, customer operations and the appliance service business. His responsibilities included assessing and implementing new customer technology, oversight of all call center operations and oversight of the company's 16 customer service centers. Eichhorn received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Drexel University.

Daly was named President and COO of PSEG Long Island in October 2013, and oversaw the transition to PSEG management of LIPA's electric system. Prior to this role, Daly served as Vice President-Asset Management and Centralized Services at PSE&G. Daly joined PSE&G in 1983 and held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in utility operations and support services. He has an electrical engineering degree from the State University of New York Maritime College, and an MBA from Rutgers University.

PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority's transmission and distribution system under a 12-year contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE: PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of $9.1 billion.

Keep in Touch:

www.psegliny.com

PSEG Long Island on Facebook

PSEG Long Island on Twitter

PSEG Long Island on YouTube

PSEG Long Island on Flickr

Psegliny.com/blog

Contact: Media Relations Pager

516.229.7248

[email protected]

SOURCE PSEG Long Island

Related Links

http://www.psegliny.com


WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The announcement by the Department of Homeland Security that it is planning to approve additional H-2B guest worker visas this summer is an "an absolute betrayal of the very workers President Trump has consistently pledged to protect," states Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in a June 21 letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly.

Under pressure from business lobbyists, Congress included a gaping loophole in last month's omnibus spending bill that could potentially double the number of low-skilled guest workers authorized to fill U.S. jobs. The business-backed provision exempts returning H-2B workers from the annual cap of 66,000 visas.

"While Congress authorized vast increases in H-2B visas, it is up to the president and Secretary Kelly to decide whether they should be issued," said Stein. "They most emphatically should not. There is a glut of available workers to fill these jobs in the United States, which is reflected in high unemployment and long-term declines in wages in these sectors of the labor market."

Recent data from the American Community Survey shows that more than 50 percent of Americans of working age (18-65) without a high school degree are not in the labor force. Employment prospects for those with no more than a high school degree are only slightly better.

The administration's decision to exceed the 66,000 cap not only undermines struggling American workers, but betrays unequivocal promises President Trump made in his campaign. In President Trump's own words, "the influx of foreign workers holds down salaries, keeps unemployment high, and makes it difficult for poor and working class Americans  including immigrants themselves and their children  to earn a middle class wage."

"That statement is just as true now as it was when Donald Trump was on the campaign trail promising to be the champion of American workers who have been hit hard by mass immigration, unfavorable trade deals and globalization," Stein said. "There is nothing that compels President Trump to capitulate to the self-serving demands of business lobbyists. Our economy does not need a vast infusion of guest workers and the American workers who turned out in large numbers to disrupt the status quo certainly won't benefit from it either," Stein concluded.

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With more than 1.3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

Contact: Cassie Williams, [email protected], 202-328-7004

SOURCE FAIR

Related Links

http://www.fairus.org


NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Douglas Elliman expands company's presence in Brooklyn with the acquisition of Brooklyn Hearth Realty, a highly respected firm founded in 2004 with offices in North Slope and Ditmas Park, and the addition of new offices in Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant later this year. With this expansion, Douglas Elliman brings its office count to 90 nationally, adding approximately 20 percent more agents to the firm for a total of more than 300 agents in Brooklyn.

"Brooklyn Hearth boasts the skillset, proven track record and marketing creativity that mirrors the work of Douglas Elliman, and we are delighted to officially welcome them to our firm," said Howard M. Lorber, Chairman of Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC. "This acquisition, along with our new offices in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg, significantly expand the reach we have in an ever-growing Brooklyn market."

Brooklyn Hearth Realty was instrumental in the growing popularity amongst home buyers, sellers and investors in Ditmas Park, Windsor Terrace and sections of Park Slope over the past decade. All eight employees, including its three founding partners, Rebekah Carver, Jan Rosenberg and DeAnna Lenhart, will join Douglas Elliman and will continue to work from their locations at 207 Cortelyou Road in Ditmas Park and 43 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, which will now be branded as Douglas Elliman locations.

"We are excited to be joining forces with the dedicated agents and founders of Brooklyn Hearth," said Max Dobens, Senior Regional Executive Manager of Sales in Brooklyn for Douglas Elliman. "Their company values and philosophy align with ours: they really care about their clients and the neighborhoods in which they both live and work."

Douglas Elliman's other new Brooklyn offices will open in Bedford-Stuyvesant at 308 Malcolm X Boulevard in August, and in Williamsburg at 280 Metropolitan Avenue in November.

As part of a continuing growth strategy aimed at representing and serving the needs of clients, the acquisition and expansion will add dynamic new communities to Douglas Elliman's national network of more than 6,500 professionals across 90 offices nationwide.

Beginning in 2004, Brooklyn Hearth helped ignite the once dormant co-op market in Ditmas Park and attracted new inhabitants by putting urban research about local Brooklyn neighborhoods into action. Rosenberg, a sociologist and former professor at Long Island University in Brooklyn, started the firm after she, along with others in the community, realized the neighborhood needed more vitality and new residents. She began a new career as a broker by starting Brooklyn Hearth and soon afterwards, Lenhart and Carver became involved with the business and became her partners in 2007. "After over a decade of rolling up our sleeves and growing the real estate transactions  both residential and commercial in Ditmas Park and Kensington  we're ready for a larger platform and support in which to do the work we love," said Rosenberg, along with, Carver and Lenhart. All three reside in Ditmas Park.

About Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Established in 1911, Douglas Elliman Real Estate is the largest brokerage in the New York Metropolitan area and the fourth largest residential real estate company nationwide. With more than 6,500 agents, the company operates approximately 90 offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, Long Island, the Hamptons & North Fork, Westchester, Greenwich, South Florida, Colorado and Beverly Hills. Moreover, Douglas Elliman has a strategic global alliance with London-based Knight Frank Residential for business in the worldwide luxury markets spanning 59 countries and six continents. The company also controls a portfolio of real estate services including Douglas Elliman Development Marketing; Manhattan's largest residential property manager, Douglas Elliman Property Management with over 250 buildings; and DE Commercial. For more information on Douglas Elliman as well as expert commentary on emerging trends in the real estate industry, please visit www.elliman.com.

SOURCE Douglas Elliman

Related Links

http://www.elliman.com


WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Katy Neas, Easterseals Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, reacting to the Senate Republican release of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017:

The Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act released today by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell jeopardizes the health and well-being of millions of children and adults with disabilities. The Medicaid system that provides essential home and community-based care is already underfunded, has resulted in cuts to services and has increased the long wait lists the individuals and families we serve across the country endure. The Senate bill will accelerate this problem by instituting restrictive caps on federal Medicaid fundingusing formulas that result in cuts that are worse than those set in the U.S. House-passed bill formula.

Capping and cutting Medicaid will hurtnot improvethe ability of a child with cerebral palsy to access physical therapy, for a student with autism to receive behavioral health services, for a young adult with a spinal cord injury to receive personal assistance services to get to his job, and for a vulnerable senior to access home health services.

Easterseals urges the U.S. Senate to oppose the Better Care Reconciliation Act based on its cuts and caps to Medicaid services for children and adults with disabilities.

About Easterseals: For nearly 100 years Easterseals has been the indispensable resource for people and families living with disabilities. Now, as America faces a broad range of new issues, we make a major, positive, life-changing difference in the lives of people and families facing today's disabilities. The work we do every day is redefining disabilities for the 21st century. For more information, please visit easterseals.com.

SOURCE Easterseals
PORTLAND, Ore., June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eastside Distilling, Inc. (OTCQB: ESDI), a producer of award-winning master-crafted spirits, today announced the Company's presentation at the Lytham Partners Virtual Investor Conference from Thursday, June 22, 2017 is now available on demand.

Participating in the presentation was Grover Wickersham, Chairman, Steve Shum, Chief Financial Officer and Mel Heim, EVP Operations and Master Distiller.

To access the on demand replay, please visit: http://www.eastsidedistilling.com/conferences or ESDI Presentation.

About Eastside Distilling

Eastside Distilling, Inc. (OTCQB: ESDI) is located in Southeast Portland's Distillery Row and has been producing high-quality, master-crafted spirits since 2008. Makers of award winning spirits, the Company is unique in the marketplace and distinguished by its highly decorated product line-up that includes Barrel Hitch American Whiskies, Burnside Bourbon, Below Deck Rums, Portland Potato Vodka and a distinctive line of infused whiskeys. All Eastside spirits are master crafted from natural ingredients for unparalleled quality and taste. The Company is publicly traded under the symbolOTCQB: ESDI. For more information, visit: www.eastsidedistilling.com

Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; acceptance of the Company's products in the market; the Company's success in obtaining new customers; the Company's ability to obtain additional capital, the Company's success in product development; the Company's ability to execute its business model and strategic plans; the Company's success in integrating acquired entities and assets, and all the risks and related information described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the financial statements and related information contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2017. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release may include statements related to our strategic focus, product verticals, anticipated revenue and profitability. Further, such forward looking statements in this press release include but are not limited to: that the Company's growth will continue on its current trajectory; the stage is set for significant growth and improved bottom line performance ahead and beyond; that the second half is traditionally our busiest of the year, when the Company typically generates close to 70% of its annual business. The Company assumes no obligation to update the cautionary information in this release.

Company Contact: Investor Relations Contact: Eastside Distilling Robert Blum, Joe Diaz or Joe Dorame (971) 888-4264 Lytham Partners, LLC [email protected] (602) 889-9700

[email protected]

SOURCE Eastside Distilling, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.eastsidedistilling.com


GRAND ISLAND, N.Y., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The yearbook class at Grand Island High School is truly remarkable. Their culture of giving back permeates throughout the community. This spring, they made a huge impact on the Western New York community by donating a computer lab to an elementary school so students there can benefit from new and innovative curriculum materials. This gesture is very unique, but more and more schools are finding new ways to positively impact their community by partnering with Educators of America.

Adviser Mr. Simpson and his senior staff donate to Educators of America to build a computer lab for younger children to access new resources.

The last days of school were always our favorite. The weather is getting warmer, we're spending more time outside, and everyone is making plans for summer. The last day of school is spent socializing and passing the yearbook around for signatures from our favorite friends and teachers. For the yearbook staff, it is a wonderful feeling to see your fellow students enjoying the fruits of your labor. Many do not realize the amount of time and effort that is required to publish a yearbook. However, witnessing the excitement among students and teachers on the last few days of school make every hour of work put into the yearbook, worth it. This is a common story that would resonate with most high schools across America but things are different for the Venture Yearbook staff, advised by faculty member Mr. Chris Simpson, at Grand Island High School outside of Buffalo, New York.

Mr. Simpson leads students on a yearlong journey with the yearbook project. Students learn the creative aspects of photography and journalism while understanding the concepts behind effective sales and marketing. His yearbook class is the perfect implementation of Project Based Learning in a school because it has an end goal of producing an amazing yearbook while students learn all the different parts of running a business throughout the year. The truly commendable part of their program is the culture of giving back. This year, the Venture Yearbook staff selected local charity, Educators of America, to help them donate a computer lab to younger students in Western New York. These young students will use the computers that Grand Island donated to access web-based curriculum materials thus creating opportunities for learning they would not be able to have without this partnership. In addition, the Venture Yearbook staff donated holiday gifts to local families that needed extra help this year. Titled the "12 Days of Christmas," the staff anonymously placed gifts and gift cards at the homes of students who needed the most support this past holiday season.

At a presentation to thank the Venture Yearbook staff, Brett Claydon, Board Treasurer of Educators of America remarked "Thank you for your generous donation and for giving back. You should be very proud of yourselves. Continue to give back through your lives, it means more than you can ever imagine. You might not always see the impact right away, but that doesn't mean you're not making a difference."

The Grand Island High School community should be proud of their success. When students and parents purchased the yearbook, or participated in other fundraising activities, they were doing more than just buying an exceptional publication, they were giving back to the Western New York community and creating new opportunities for younger students. Mr. Simpson's Venture Yearbook students are especially lucky since they were able to experience a real world project and will benefit from these learnings in college and their future careers. The Grand Island High School Venture Yearbook is more than just a book of memories, it is a first class learning experience that will benefit all involved for decades to come. Moreover, the Venture Yearbook staff understands how monumental it is to give back; a lesson that is often overlooked.

Educators of America is an international non-profit organization dedicated to connecting teachers with the training and technology they need to increase student achievement. To learn more about our projects or to make a donation, please visit www.educatorsusa.org.

The Grand Island High School Venture Yearbook is published by Lifetouch Publishing Inc. Lifetouch is the local leader in yearbooks, school photography, and the only official school photographer of the National PTA.

Media Contact:

Michael Lang

716.253.2292

[email protected]

Related Files

Educators of America - Grand Island Press Release.pdf

Related Images

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Related Links

Educators of America

Lifetouch Yearbooks

SOURCE Educators of America Inc

Related Links

http://www.educatorsusa.org


NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EY is pleased to announce the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the New York Region. This group of leading entrepreneurs were selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. The winners were unveiled at a special gala on June 22, 2017 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.

"EY has been recognizing leading entrepreneurs for over three decades," said Debra von Storch, EY Americas Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director. "The class of winners in 2017 represent new ways of thinking, disruptive business models and overall dynamism that make this country a great place to do business."

The winners for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 New York Award include:

David Heath - Bombas

Ken Colao - CNY Group

David Klein - CommonBond

Dr. Joan Fallon - Curemark, LLC

Mike Brown - Death Wish Coffee

Thomas Majewski - Eagle Point Credit Management LLC

Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg - Flatiron Health

Jonah Goodhart and Noah Goodhart - Moat

Seph Skerritt - Proper Cloth

Tom Patterson - Tommy John

Michael Batt - Travel Leaders Group

Since its founding in 1986, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners are now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2017. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco in June 2018.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the US by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

In New York, sponsors also include Empire Valuation, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Pine Hill Group, SolomonEdwardsGroup LLC and DLA Piper.

Company Boilerplate

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year, founded by EY, is the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs, chosen from an independent panel of judges including entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from business, finance, and the local community. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in over 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

About EY's Growth Markets Network

EY's worldwide Growth Markets Network is dedicated to serving the changing needs of high-growth companies. For more than 30 years, we've helped many of the world's most dynamic and ambitious companies grow into market leaders. Whether working with international mid-cap companies or early stage, venture-backed businesses, our professionals draw upon their extensive experience, insight and global resources to help your business succeed. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/sgm or follow news on Twitter @EY_Growth.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member of the global EY organization that provides services to clients in the US.

For more information, please visit ey.com.

SOURCE EY

Related Links

http://www.ey.com


CHENGDU, China, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 18, local time of Australia, the inauguration ceremony of "2017 China-Australia Tourism Year - Theme Activity Day of Chengdu City" was held at Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia. Through setting up three theme activities including tourist route experience hall, intangible cultural heritage hall and giant panda public art exhibition, Chengdu fully showcased its rich tourism resources and diversified intangible heritage culture to Australians and expanded its popularity and influence in Australia.

At that day, the field of Chengdu City Theme Activity Day was crowded and tourists visited painting panda art exhibition, panda photo exhibition and human-panda interaction area with great joy. More than 20 painting-art pandas attracted tourists to stop to take photos. CEO Peter Binchman of Tourism Promotion Bureau of the State of Victoria expressed that by taking the opportunity of "China-Australia Tourism Year" and the opening of direct flight, this activity will play a positive role in the tourism cooperation and culture exchange between Chengdu and Melbourne, Sichuan Province and the State of Victoria, and even the whole China and Australia.

As a matter of fact, Sichuan Province and the State of Victoria, Chengdu and Melbourne have always had good communication and exchange. In February 2013, Sichuan Airlines opened the flight route directly from Chengdu to Melbourne; in October 2013, the government of the State of Victoria set up its trade and investment representative office in Chengdu, and the cooperation between the two cities in terms of tourism, economy and trade has been accelerating step by step; in September 2016, the State of Victoria and Sichuan established the relationship of friendly provinces and states, and Governor Daniel Andrew of the State of Victoria came to Chengdu at this time and expressed his "affection" for Chengdu, "I am so proud to come to Chengdu. It is a leading city in China."

Luo Qiang, Deputy Secretary and Vice Mayor of Chengdu Municipality, said that the exchange and cooperation between Chengdu and Melbourne has become increasingly close in recent years and via establishing the relationship of economic and trade cooperative partners, both sides would go on to build and expand the exchange platform in terms of livability, economy and trade, tourism, higher education, innovation and entrepreneurship, electronic information and communication technology so as to promote a complementary and win-win relationship.

Liu Le, member of the Melbourne City Council, expressed that the tourism resources between China and Australia are highly complementary. The number of bilateral visitors is predicted to create new high again. He expected to further enhance bilateral exchange foundation and raise the bilateral cooperation level via this activity so as to gain more beneficial cooperation in the fields of tourism, economy and trade, and education.

Chengdu is a beautiful city with historical charm and modern civilization while Melbourne has long enjoyed the good reputation of cultural city in the Southern Hemisphere. With the background of "China-Australia Tourism Year", Chengdu and cities of Australia will strengthen exchanges and perform practical cooperation in more and deeper levels to create a new chapter of Chengdu's diplomacy.

During this visit, Mr. Luo Qiang also signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Education Cooperation between Chengdu and the State of Victoria, which means that in the future, university students in Chengdu will hopefully study in the State of Victoria with scholarship.

SOURCE Chengdu Municipal Government
STAINES-UPON-THAMES, United Kingdom, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced new retrospective, claims-based health economic data that show hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), or the development of renal (kidney) failure in patients with advanced chronic liver disease,1,2 imposes a significant economic burden on payers. HRS is a rare, life-threatening disease with an estimated prevalence of greater than 22,000 diagnosed in the U.S. each year.3 The Mallinckrodt-sponsored study was recently published in Current Medical Research and Opinion. The intended audience of this study is population-based decision makers with knowledge and expertise in the area of healthcare economic analysis and its limitations.

"HRS-related hospital admissions have risen over the past decade and have led to increased inpatient costs, yet understanding of the overall economic burden of this serious condition has remained limited," said study investigator Kevin Korenblat, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine. "This study aimed to provide a comprehensive and current estimate of the costs involved with HRS in the U.S. from the payer perspective."

The retrospective study, titled "The burden of hepatorenal syndrome among commercially insured and Medicare patients in the United States," evaluated the characteristics, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), and payer-related costs of HRS patients covered by commercial and Medicare insurance programs from 30 days prior to the "index date," defined as the date of the earliest inpatient admission with an HRS diagnosis, through 90 days post-diagnosis (outcome period). This includes inpatient resource utilization and costs to payers, longitudinal measures such as rates of readmissions, costs in a variety of non-inpatient settings such as outpatient and physician office, rates of transplants and dialysis and, as a secondary endpoint, mortality.

Anonymized claims from adults with HRS (18-64 years old) were identified from two HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant claims databases of commercially insured patients (OptumHealth Care Solutions Inc., 18.5 million beneficiaries) between 19982014, and Medicare beneficiaries (aged 65 and older) between 20092013 (Standard Analytic Files, 5 percent of 4 million beneficiaries). Eligible patients were required to have continuous non-health maintenance organization coverage on the index date and meet the age criteria. Demographics, including age, gender, geographic region and clinical characteristics were summarized for commercially insured and Medicare patients during the 6-month baseline period and on the index date. Costs were then extrapolated using population statistics and information on rates of insurance coverage by payer to project the economic burden of HRS in the U.S.

The analysis suggests HRS poses a significant economic burden to payers estimated at $3.0$3.8 billion in annual total direct medical costs. Additional findings include:

A total of 784 commercially insured and 1061 Medicare HRS patients met the sample selection criteria.

Patients were disproportionately male (commercial: 63.0 percent; Medicare: 57.9 percent) with a mean age of 54.1 among commercially insured and 74.1 among Medicare patients.

Average HCRU during the 90-day outcome period was substantial for both commercially insured and Medicare patients:

Within the first 30 days, the average hospital length of stay was 12.3 days among commercially insured and 10.8 days among Medicare patients.



Based on KaplanMeier analyses, 36 percent of commercially insured and 26 percent of Medicare patients were readmitted within the next 30 days.



Many patients received dialysis (commercial: 33.0 percent; Medicare: 22.1 percent) or liver transplant (commercial: 10.7 percent; Medicare: 1.6 percent) during follow up.



Median survival was 95 days among commercially insured patients and 33 days among Medicare patients.

Per patient healthcare costs were substantial for both commercially insured and Medicare HRS patients during the 90-day outcome period:

Average costs were $157,665 for commercially insured and $48,322 for Medicare patients, with 68.3 percent and 78.3 percent of the costs incurred within the first 30 days.

for commercially insured and for Medicare patients, with 68.3 percent and 78.3 percent of the costs incurred within the first 30 days.

The primary cost driver was inpatient visits (commercial: 90.3 percent of costs; Medicare: 83.1 percent of costs), with differences between the subpopulations consistent with lower mortality, higher dialysis rates, and higher liver and kidney transplant rates among the commercially insured.

"Liver transplant is the only definitive treatment for HRS, but not feasible in most cases due to organ availability and eligibility issues. Yet at present there are no approved drug therapies for HRS type 1 in the U.S. or Canada," said Steven Romano, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President at Mallinckrodt. "This analysis provides important insights into the economic burden of HRS, and reinforces our commitment to evaluating terlipressin as a potential treatment option for patients with HRS type 1 in these countries."

Terlipressin is being investigated in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of HRS type 1, an acute form of the condition. The safety and effectiveness of terlipressin has not been established with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. Terlipressin is approved for use in countries outside the U.S., including several in Europe.4,5,6,7

Limitations of the Study

Limitations of the study include its reliance on the accuracy of diagnosis codes to identify patients with HRS, to evaluate their comorbidity profiles at baseline, and their HCRU during the outcome period.

Diagnosis codes do not differentiate between HRS type 1 and HRS type 2, and accuracy of all codes may vary.

The HCRU and cost findings may not be generalizable to other patients, such as those enrolled in Medicaid.

The economic burden of HRS is likely underestimated as this study did not assess the longer- term economic burden of HRS, and cost estimates were not inflation adjusted over the study periods (1998-2014 for commercial and 2009-2013 for Medicare cohort).

The Current Medical Research and Opinion study may be accessed here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2017.1331211

About Hepatorenal Syndrome

HRS is characterized by rapid, progressive functional renal failure and has a very poor prognosis, with >80 percent mortality within three months. HRS is a rare syndrome of marked renal dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis, decompensated liver disease and portal hypertension. At present, there are no approved drug therapies for HRS type 1 in the U.S. or Canada. The only curative treatment for HRS type 1 and the underlying end-stage cirrhosis is liver transplantation. However, more patients will not survive long enough to receive a liver transplant.

About Terlipressin

Terlipressin is a synthetic vasopressin analogue being investigated for the treatment of HRS type 1 in the U.S. and Canada. Safety and efficacy has not been established with nor has approval been granted by regulatory authorities in either country.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; and analgesics and hemostasis products. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials and specialized chemistry, formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company's Specialty Brands segment includes branded medicines and its Specialty Generics segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and external manufacturing. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com .

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CONTACTS

Investor Relations

Coleman N. Lannum, CFA

Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO

314-654-6649

[email protected]

Daniel J. Speciale, CPA

Director, Investor Relations

314-654-3638

[email protected]

Media

Rhonda Sciarra

Senior Communications Manager

908-238-6765

[email protected]

Meredith Fischer

Chief Public Affairs Officer

314-654-3318

[email protected]

1 Arroyo V, Gines P, Gerbes AL, et al. Definition and diagnostic criteria of refractory ascites and hepatorenal syndrome in cirrhosis. International Ascites Club. Hepatology 1996;23:164-76.

2 Betrosian AP, Agarwal B, Douzinas EE. Acute renal dysfunction in liver diseases. World J Gastroenterol 2007;13:5552-9.

3 Do A, Ezaz G. Increasing incidence and cost, but decreasing mortality in patients with hepatorenal syndrome: a study of the National Inpatient Sample 2005-2011. Hepatology 2015;62(21 Supplement):abstract no. 283.

4 Nadim, M., et al. Management of the critically ill patient with cirrhosis: A multidisciplinary perspective. Journal of Hepatology. 2016, vol. 64, 717735.

5 Angeli, P., et al. Diagnosis and management of acute kidney injury in patients with cirrhosis: Revised consensus recommendations of the International Club of Ascites. Journal of Hepatology. 2015, vol. 62, 968974.

6 4 Nadim, M., et al. Hepatorenal syndrome: the 8th international consensus conference of the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) Group. Critical Care 2012 16:R23.

7 5 European Association for the Study of the Liver clinical practice guidelines on the management of ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and hepatorenal syndrome in cirrhosis. Journal of Hepatology. 2010, vol. 53, 397417.

SOURCE Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

Related Links

http://www.mallinckrodt.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the International Association of Professions Career College, jobs providing personal services such as Personal Assistant, Handyperson, and Professional Organizer top the most wanted list for summer 2017.

Harvard economist Larry Katz agrees. Katz reports that many well-paying jobs of the future will be in the service sector and will reward people whose skills and personal touch set them apart.

Therese Goulet, Director, IAP Career College, https://iapcollege.com

"The 20th century's demand for knowledge workers is giving way to an increasing need for service workers in the 21st century," said Therese Goulet, Dean, IAP Career College. The term "knowledge worker" was coined by management consultant Peter Drucker to describe someone who works primarily with information.

"The service workers we traditionally think of are those who sell us our coffee, wait on our restaurant tables, and serve us in retail stores," said Goulet. "While the need for these workers remains strong, there is growing demand for new types of services."

Most workers are preparing themselves for change. A 2016 Pew Research Center survey found that "87% of workers believe it will be essential for them to get training and develop new job skills throughout their work life in order to keep up with changes in the workplace."

Many workers hope one of their future career changes will involve self-employment. A study reported by Forbes found two-thirds of millennials want to start their own business.

"In this era of the service worker, there's increasing interest in starting a business providing personal services to members of the baby boomer generation who have more money than time," said Goulet.

"As summer approaches, we've been inundated with inquiries about our online courses, especially Personal Assistant, Handyperson, and Professional Organizer," added Goulet. Other personal service topics include: Errand Assistant, Personal Chef, Personal Concierge, and Personal Shopper.

"IAP Career College has more than 70 certificate courses online that can be completed in six weeks part time. I'm pleased to say that over the past 17 years our career guides and courses have helped more than a half million people find their dream jobs."

"It is really hard to get one's foot in any door, but it is especially difficult when one has to prove that they can do a job that they haven't really done before," said Charlene Cooper, an IAP Graduate from California who enrolled in the Personal Concierge certificate course. "Now, I have a leg-up. Thanks to you all I not only have a meaningful certificate of completion, but I also have more of the knowledge necessary to successfully run my business."

Courses are available on a rolling basis throughout the year and start at $97.00. To learn more about IAP Career College or to enroll in a course, please visit https://iapcollege.com

About International Association of Professions Career College

The International Association of Professions Career College (IAP Career College) aims to offer the finest online certificate programs for dream careers. IAP Career College is a division of FabJob Inc. the leading publisher of career guide books on how to get started in a dream career, with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Established in 1999, the parent of IAP Career College is an award-winning organization named "the #1 place to get published online" by Writer's Digest. The company and career guides have been featured in media ranging from ABC to Oprah's newsletter and major news sites ranging from CNN to the Wall Street Journal online.

Contact:

Therese Goulet

888-322-5621

[email protected]

SOURCE IAP Career College

Related Links

https://iapcollege.com


FARMERS BRANCH, Texas, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ironclad Performance Wear Corporation (OTCQB: ICPW), the recognized leader in high-performance task-specific work gloves, announced today that it has postponed its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting"), which was originally scheduled to be held on June 27, 2017.

The new Annual Meeting date is Wednesday, July 26, 2017. The Annual Meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. Central Time at the Company's offices, located at 1920 Hutton Court, Suite 300, Farmers Branch, TX 75234.

About Ironclad Performance Wear Corporation

Ironclad Performance Wear is a leader in high-performance task-specific work gloves. It created the performance work glove category in 1998, and continues to leverage its leadership position in the safety, construction and industrial markets through the design, development and distribution of specialized task-specific gloves for industries such as oil & gas extraction; automotive; and police, fire, first-responder and military. Ironclad engineers and manufactures its products with a focus on innovation, design, advanced material science and durability. Ironclad's gloves are available through industrial suppliers, hardware stores, home centers, lumber yards, and sporting goods retailers nationwide; and through authorized distributors in North America, Europe, Australia, Middle East, Asia and South America.

Contact

William Aisenberg, CFO

[email protected]

(972) 996-5664

SOURCE Ironclad Performance Wear Corporation

Related Links

http://www.ironclad.com


MCLEAN, Va., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MetricNet is pleased to announce that Jeff Rumburg, Managing Partner of MetricNet, LLC and one of HDI's Top 25 Thought Leaders for 2016, was recently interviewed by Amy Eisenberg, HDI's editor. A leading source for professional development, groundbreaking publications and research as well as certifications and training, HDI is the association for technical support professionals.

In the interview, Mr. Rumburg shares advice for existing and up and coming leaders in service and support as well as insight on where the industry is headed. Additionally, he offers suggestions for tech support professionals that are interested in getting more involved in the community and reveals the motivators that drove him to become a community leader. Those interested in reading the full interview can do so on HDI's website.

"My overarching goal is to contribute to the service and support industry in ways that educate and expand horizons for those working in the industry," said Jeff Rumburg "I want to make metrics and benchmarks part of the DNA of every IT organization, so that they can be leveraged and exploited to improve and optimize business results."

Each of HDI's Top 25 Thought Leaders are active in the technical service and support community. They have deep knowledge of the industry's greatest challenges and triumphs and are eager to share their expertise to advance the industry as a whole and improve the day to day lives of service and support professionals worldwide.

Mr. Rumburg is the winner of the 2014 Ron Muns Lifetime Achievement Award, and has served on HDI's Strategic Advisory Board. He is co-founder and Managing Partner of MetricNet, LLC, where he is responsible for global strategy, product development, and client engagement delivery. As a leading expert in benchmarking and re-engineering, Mr. Rumburg authored a best selling book on benchmarking, and has been retained as a benchmarking expert by such well-known companies as American Express, Hewlett-Packard, General Motors, and IBM.

For more information about benchmarking your service and support functions, please visit http://www.metricnet.com or e-mail MetricNet at info(at)metricnet(dot)com.

About MetricNet

MetricNet is the global leader in IT service and support benchmarking. More than half of the FORTUNE 500 rely on MetricNet benchmarks to improve and optimize their performance. MetricNet is the first, and still the only company to offer downloadable service desk and desktop support benchmarks from its website. With a global benchmarking database of more than 3,700 IT service and support benchmarks, MetricNet has the most comprehensive database of process and performance metrics in the industry.

SOURCE MetricNet, LLC

Related Links

http://www.metricnet.com


HARRISBURG, Pa., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Families and friends visiting Pennsylvania's state parks, lakes and other popular outdoor spots over the Independence Day holiday can enjoy a day of free fishing, thanks to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

Tuesday, July 4, marks the second of two free fishing days in the Commonwealth. The first was May 28.

First established in 1984 as part of the PFBC's public outreach efforts, Fish-for-Free days allow anyone  residents and non-residents  to legally fish in Pennsylvania without a fishing license. From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on both days, no fishing license is needed to fish in Pennsylvania's waterways. All other fishing regulations apply.

"The dates around Memorial Day and Independence Day were chosen because they are popular picnic and camping days, with many families already spending the day at lakes and parks throughout the state," said Steve Kralik, director of the PFBC Bureau of Outreach, Education and Marketing. "Fish-for-Free days offer an easy, convenient way to introduce friends and family to the sport of fishing, or to reconnect with the sport if someone hasn't fished in some time. On these days, individuals can fish at no cost."

To make the fishing experience more convenient, people can borrow equipment from dozens of fishing tackle loaner sites across the state. Many of the sites are at state parks, which are always a popular place for visitors on the Independence Day holiday. Loaner sites are also available at county parks and some public libraries.

Click here for the list of loaner sites.

More information is available on the PFBC website, which includes interactive maps, regional fishing reports, and tips on fishing fundamentals.

Smartphone users can view the information through the PFBC's free FishBoatPA smartphone app, which is available from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app has been downloaded more than 82,000 times.

Fishing licenses can be purchased online at GoneFishingPa.com.

Regional Media Contacts  Please contact a regional outreach coordinator for more information and to set up on-the-water interviews with Waterways Conservation Officers.

Northwest Region (Counties  Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren)

Chad Foster

(814) 336-2426

[email protected]

Southwest Region (Counties  Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland)

Mandy Smith

(814) 443-9841

[email protected]

Northcentral Region (Counties  Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Tioga, Union)

Amidea Daniel

(814) 359-5127

[email protected]

Southcentral Region (Counties  Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, York)

Adam Spangler

(717) 486-7352

[email protected]

Northeast Region (Counties  Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming)

Allan Schreffler

(570) 477-2206

[email protected]



Southeast Region (Counties  Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill)

Andy Desko

(215) 968-3631

[email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission

Related Links

http://www.fishandboat.com


KANSAS CITY, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A Kansas jury sided with Kansas corn producers in the first of eight certified state class action lawsuits involving the nation's corn growers' claims that Switzerland-based Syngenta's actions with its genetically modified strains of corn led to the loss of an important market for U.S. corn and causing them economic harm. After a half day of deliberation, the jury found Syngenta negligent and awarded $217,700,000 in compensatory damages to the class of more than 7,000 Kansas corn growers, who were represented in the lawsuit by four Kansas corn producer plaintiffs. (Five Star Farms et al v. Syngenta AG et al, No. 2:14-cv-02571)

The Kansas plaintiffs alleged they suffered significant economic damages when Syngenta sold two genetically modified strains of its corn seed  Agrisure Viptera and Agrisure Duracade  to the U.S. market prior to China approving them. China, a major importer of U.S. corn, began refusing all shipments of U.S. corn in 2013 after a genetic trait found in Viptera - MIR162 - was detected in shipments from the United States. The genetic trait at the time was not approved in China. With the loss of the Chinese market, corn growers in Kansas and across the United States saw the price of corn plummet and suffered long-lasting economic damage, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs were represented by Don Downing of Gray, Ritter & Graham, P.C., Scott Powell of Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton, Patrick Stueve of Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP and William Chaney of Gray Reed & McGraw LLP.

The four co-lead counsel issued a statement: "The verdict is great news for corn farmers in Kansas and corn growers throughout the country who were seriously hurt by Syngenta's actions. This is only the beginning. We look forward to pursuing justice for thousands more corn farmers in the months ahead."

The Kansas class action lawsuit, which began June 5, was heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. It is the first of eight state class action lawsuits certified in this Multi-District Litigation so far. The other certified state class action lawsuits involve Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota corn producers. Numerous other state class action lawsuits in this matter are awaiting certification.

Nationwide, losses to U.S. corn growers due to the loss of the Chinese market are estimated to exceed $5 billion.

SOURCE Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton; LLP

Related Links

http://www.hwnn.com


LEXINGTON, Va., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When Kendal at Lexingtona full-service, not-for-profit Life Plan Community (formerly known as a continuing care retirement community or CCRC)opened its doors in July 2000, it soon filled its independent living residences. About 60 percent of its current residents came from the local area, but other residents moved to the community from locations ranging from Maine to Florida and as far west as California, Colorado and Arizona.

New Large Freestanding Cottage View From Future Cottages Experience Kendal at Lexington's New Sunrise Ridge Cottages. Overlook the views of Virginia's Blue Ridge & explore your passions with the comfort provided by maintenance-free living and a continuum of care.

"Kendal at Lexington is currently unable to fully meet the demand of prospective residents who would like to join our beautiful community. All of our 120 cottages and apartments are either occupied or reserved. Fortunately, we have a plan to remedy this situation," says Mina Tepper, Kendal at Lexington's Executive Director.

"We are building 30 amazing new cottages on Sunrise Ridge with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Welcoming front porches, bay windows in the kitchens, large, gracious living and dining areas and en-suite master bedrooms are standard. And prospective residents have an opportunity to personalize their new living experience here," Tepper says.

Residents will have several cottage choices:

1,400+ square-foot duplex cottages with two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, one-car garage and an optional sunroom/den.

1,500+ square-foot cottages with two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, one-car garage and an optional sunroom/den.

1,750+ square-foot cottages with two bedrooms, den, two full bathrooms, two-car garage and an optional sunroom.

"The combination of stunning views of the Blue Ridge to the east, a layout of the duplex that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing, and the fostering of community, which the front porches and back patios offer, have blended to create a very inviting home," say Carolee and David of Waterford, Virginia, who have reserved a duplex cottage. "Sunrise Ridge is an extension of all we have loved about Kendal from our first visit, in its promise of a tranquil life in the middle of great physical beauty and in its potential to create a new community in which to grow."

Kendal at Lexington is situated on 85 acres of rolling hills. Community amenities include a fitness center, indoor pool, large library, restaurant and auditorium. With maintenance-free living and access to a full continuum of care, the pet-friendly campus features covered walkways, a historic guest house, landscaped grounds and walking trails. Residents take part in a wide range of recreational, cultural, social and lifelong learning activities.

Washington & Lee University, Virginia Military Institute and charming downtown Lexington all are just a mile away. With easy access to Interstate 81, Kendal at Lexington is approximately one hour from Roanoke, one hour and 15 minutes from Charlottesville, and three hours from Washington, D.C.

The plan also includes expanded and renovated dining and health centers. More information can be found at kalex.kendal.org/expansion.

Media contact : Jessica Buhler, 540-464- 2601, [email protected]

SOURCE Kendal at Lexington

Related Links

http://kalex.kendal.org


WHAT:

To commemorate its 100th anniversary this year, the makers of the LA VICTORIA brand, the iconic, Southern California-based maker of salsas, taco sauces, enchilada sauces and chiles, today announced a deadline extension for its art contest in Portland to help bring to life its embodiment of the "Modern West Coast Lifestyle." Open until June 30, the makers of the LA VICTORIA brand invite Portland artists to submit original artwork to be considered for an opportunity to participate in the brand's commemorative anniversary celebration on July 13. Five finalists will be selected to attend the dinner and create one new original artwork; one will be awarded a grand prize of $7,500, while the second- and third-place winners will take home $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. All finalists will also receive salsa prize packs. For Official Rules or to enter the art contest, visit http://lavictoria.com/100Years during the entry period and submit five works of art and other requested materials. For more information about LA VICTORIA foods, visit http://www.lavictoria.com. The celebration in Portlandthe last of the serieswill take place Thursday, July 13, at Pioneer Court House Square. In addition to showcasing the artwork of the contest finalists, the brand will partner with local chef Noe Garnica of Verde Cocina and the Portland-based Latin funk band Sabroso to honor Mexican-American culture and tradition while celebrating LA VICTORIA Brand's modern, West Coast approach.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130221/595427 )



"Chris Posner brings extensive experience in the US market including biologic medicines and immunology. LEO Pharma is expanding in the United States, both in topical treatments for psoriasis and actinic keratosis and in systemic treatments for dermatologic conditions", said Gitte P. Aabo, President & CEO of LEO Pharma. "We are committed to strengthen our presence in the United States, organically as well as through potential acquisitions. Chris Posner is the right person to accelerate our presence and enable us to help people achieve healthy skin in the United States."

Chris Posner joins LEO Pharma from R-Pharm US, a specialty pharmaceutical start-up focused on oncology and chronic immune diseases, where he has been Head of Worldwide Commercial Operations. He has wide-ranging experience in the pharma industry including biologic medicines and immunology from leading the commercialisation of US and global brands at Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Pfizer, Wyeth, Endo and Merck & Co. Chris Posner earned his MBA from Fuqua School of Business, Duke University and his BA in Economics from Villanova University.

About LEO Pharma

LEO Pharma helps people achieve healthy skin. By offering care solutions to patients in more than 100 countries globally, LEO Pharma supports people in managing their skin conditions. Founded in 1908 and owned by the LEO Foundation, the healthcare company has devoted decades of research and development to delivering products and solutions to people with skin conditions. LEO Pharma is headquartered in Denmark and employs around 5,000 people worldwide. Please visit http://www.leo-pharma.com

About LEO Pharma US

LEO Pharma Inc. is a subsidiary of LEO Pharma serving the United States, helping people suffering from skin diseases with treatments for psoriasis, actinic keratosis and atopic dermatitis. It is based in Madison, NJ. It employs 260 people with a turnover of DKK 1,225 million (around US$185m) in 2016.

Please visit http://www.leo-pharma.us

Contact:

Maia Soechting

Tel.: +45-3119-3559

[email protected]



SOURCE LEO Pharma A/S
FAIRWAY, Kan., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mariner Real Estate Management, a real estate investment management firm that invests and manages more than $1.13 billion in assets1 and has originated $968 million of loans located throughout the United States, today announced the launch of Platform Ventures. As a part of this launch, both Mariner Real Estate Management and its affiliate, RealtyClub Investment Advisors, have rebranded to Platform Ventures.2

The new brand is intended to more accurately reflect the firm's position as a "platform" for various real estate-related ventures. In recent years, the firm has expanded its scope of services from fund-level investments to also include entity-level investments such as Silverwest Hotels, AREA Real Estate Advisors and Pillar Financial.3 In addition, the firm created RealtyClub, an online access point for registered investment advisors to provide accredited investors with investment opportunities sponsored by the firm and its trusted partners.

According to Ryan Anderson, co-president of Platform Ventures, "When we took on the name Mariner Real Estate Management in 2008, we were focused on providing distressed real estate investment opportunities to accredited investors. Since that time, we have experienced rapid growth and have developed into a diversified real estate investment company focused on providing opportunities to both institutional and accredited investors. I believe our new brand more accurately reflects the wide scope of opportunities we offer through our expanded platform."

The firm's major initiatives include:

A continued focus on the firm's main business, which is to identify what the team believes are attractive commercial real estate opportunities for its fund investment business, including both single and multi-asset funds, and debt origination business 2

A joint venture with Silverwest Hotels, a hotel investment and management company that invests in, develops and manages hotels throughout the United States

Ownership in AREA Real Estate Advisors, a commercial real estate company which specializes in retail, office and industrial tenant representation and project leasing as well as property management and consulting

The development of Platform Technologies, a real estate investment technology affiliate focused on providing commercial real estate applications to operators of commercial real estate as well as financial advisors and investors. The firm has a dedicated team of individuals working to assist the investments team in using new technology applications to enhance our investment process. RealtyClub is one such application that provides access to institutional quality investment opportunities for advisors and their accredited investor clients

It is important to note that the firm's ultimate ownership, key professionals and driving business objectives remain unchanged. Individuals will continue to work with the same team in the same roles as before the rebrand.

"Our goal is to provide custom solutions specifically designed to meet the needs of real estate investors," said Terry Anderson, co-president of Platform Ventures. "Our diverse team of professionals works to identify distinct opportunities tailored to investors' needs with a goal of providing value and diversification to a portfolio. I believe our firm's new brand signals the start of a new chapter for us, and I look forward to what the future holds for our partners and investors."

About Platform Ventures

Platform Ventures is a firm that, through certain asset management subsidiaries, manages and invests in real estate, real estate-related assets, real estate technologies and real estate-focused companies located throughout the United States. Platform's experienced team seeks to add value to client portfolios by applying its knowledge of the long-term cycles and macro-economic trends that shape the real estate market in order to create price-to-value dislocations.

Visit www.platformv.com for more information.

Disclaimer: All information herein is relating to general business information and is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing herein constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any security. In addition, nothing herein constitutes investment advice.

1 Please note, this does not represent Regulatory Assets Under Management as defined by the SEC.

2 Investment advisory services are provided by Platform Investments, the registered investment advisory firm. Please note, registration of an investment adviser does not imply any level of skill or training.

3 Please note that, although the firm previously owned a minority interest in Pillar Financial, it does not currently. This minority interest was owned at the time when the company was Mariner Real Estate Management and neither Platform Ventures nor Platform Investments have any current ownership interest in Pillar Financial.

SOURCE Platform Ventures

Related Links

http://www.platformv.com


DURHAM, N.C., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (OTC: MGTI) announced today an agreement with Bit5ive LLC to purchase up to 60 graphics processor-based mining computers. These machines will utilize the highest quality GPU cards and Intel CPU's with a design to divide the hash rate between Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).

The utility of smart contract technology has gained the interest of many on and off Wall Street in recent months. For example, Grayscale investments, led by Barry Silbert, announced plans to launch the "Classic Ether Trust," with Bloomberg adding Grayscale's Ethereum Classic ticker symbol and investment thesis to its research base. We also believe the formation of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance -- comprised of many of the world's leading technology companies -- will lead to new and exciting applications and verticals utilizing the Ethereum blockchain, all requiring more robust mining power in order to execute transactions.

John McAfee, MGT's Executive Chairman, stated, "We are more convinced each day of the growth and value of digital currencies, and our Company is uniquely positioned to be a leading provider of processing power to relevant blockchains. The addition of Ethereum and Ethereum Classic to our crypto mining strategies is expected to be very profitable for us."

About MGT Capital Investments, Inc.

MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (OTC: MGTI) is in the process of acquiring and developing a diverse portfolio of cyber security technologies. With industry pioneer John McAfee at its helm, MGT is positioned to address various cyber threats through advanced protection technologies for mobile and personal tech devices, as well as corporate networks. The Company's first product, Sentinel, an enterprise class network intrusion detector, is scheduled to be released by the end of June 2017. The Company also has entered into a joint venture with Nordic IT to develop and market a mobile phone with extensive privacy and anti-hacking features. The Privacy Phone has a tentative release date of February 2018.

Also as part of its corporate efforts in secure technologies, MGT is growing its capacity in mining Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. With 18.0 PH/s of computing power at the Company's facilities in WA state, MGT ranks as one of the largest U.S. based Bitcoin miners. Further, the Company continues in active discussions with financial partners to grow Bitcoin output materially.

Lastly, MGT stockholders have voted to change the corporate name of MGT to "John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc." Following a dispute over ownership and permitted usage of the name McAfee, The Company and Intel have agreed to a mediation process to avoid unnecessary legal costs.

For more information on the Company, please visit: http://ir.stockpr.com/mgtci

Forwardlooking Statements

This press release contains forwardlooking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forwardlooking statements." All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forwardlooking statements. This includes all statements about the Company's plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates and projections, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include issues related to: rapidly changing technology and evolving standards in the industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries operate; the ability to obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain adequate cash flow, profitably exploit new business, license and sign new agreements; the unpredictable nature of consumer preferences; and other factors set forth in the Company's most recently filed annual report and registration statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Readers should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor and Media Contact

Tiffany Madison

Director of Corporate Communications

MGT Capital Investments, Inc.

[email protected]

469.730.6703

SOURCE MGT Capital Investments, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.mgtci.com


NEW YORK, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) Chief Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President Rolando Aedo celebrates with a Miami vacation winner at Fulton Center in New York City to kick off the Found in Miami campaign on the First Day of Summer. Crowds gathered to speak to a high-tech Miami Genie machine which quizzed people, live, to forecast their Miami hotel personalities, give out discounts on incredible Miami vacations, and gift a few lucky winners with free trips to Miami. The custom nine-foot genie machine delighted crowds while comedian Tom Kelly revved up Fulton Center throughout the afternoon. As attendees discovered their Miami hotel personality, the Genie showcased the rich variety of hotels in Miami and the authentic experiences to be Found in Miami for every traveler.

Miami and The Beaches Celebrate First Day of Summer in NYC By Launching Found In Miami Campaign With Trip Giveaways, a Talking Miami Genie and Viral Online Quiz

Found in Miami launches internationally this month with an integrated marketing campaign and travelers across the country can discover their Miami hotel personality with an interactive Buzzfeed Quiz.

Partner resorts featured on Buzzfeed.com and at Fulton Center on the First Day of Summer: Loews Miami Beach Hotel, The Betsy South Beach, Kimpton EPIC Hotel, URBANICA: The Meridian Hotel, The Palms Resort & Spa, The Standard Miami Beach, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Mondrian South Beach, JW Marriott Marquis Miami, Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables, The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne Miami, Four Seasons Hotel Miami, The Villa Casa Casuarina, SLS Brickell, and EAST, Miami.

To learn more about "Found in Miami" visit www.FoundinMiami.com. For recommendations on where to stay, dine, spa, discover, explore, celebrate, propose and so much more in Greater Miami and the Beaches, please visit www.MiamiandBeaches.com.

Editors' Note: Event photos and interviews are available upon request.

About The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is an independent accredited not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami and the Beaches for leisure, business and conventions. For a vacation guide visit our website at www.MiamiandBeaches.com or call 1-888-76-Miami (US/Canada only) or 305-447-7777. To reach the GMCVB offices dial 305-539-3000. Meeting planners may call 1-800-933-8448 (US/Canada only) or 305-539-3071 or visit www.MiamiMeetings.com. To get further engaged with Miami and the Beaches, join the conversation by following us on our social media channels at Facebook.com/visitmiami, Twitter.com/miamiandbeaches, Instagram.com/miamiandbeaches and Pinterest.com/miamiandbeaches.

http://www.MiamiAndBeaches.com

E-Mail: [email protected]

Facebook: Facebook.com/visitmiami

Twitter: Twitter.com/miamiandbeaches

Contact: Media Relations, Jennifer Diaz 305-539-3084/800-955-3646(U.S./Canada)



Chandler Lennon / Current PR at 212-445-8338 / [email protected]

SOURCE Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Related Links

http://www.MiamiandBeaches.com


CHICAGO, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the MnPALS consortium has selected the Ex Libris Alma library services platform and the Primo discovery and delivery solution to streamline workflows for all types of resources and to increase the discoverability of those resources by patrons and staff users of the consortium's member institutions.

The consortium sought a unified set of services that would integrate the management of electronic resources and the functionality of a link resolver, as well as allowing its diverse membership, which includes large state universities, private colleges, small two-year colleges, and state government libraries, to streamline records and bibliography management workflows while creating a user interface that best meets each library's needs. Particularly important for MnPALS was the ability to drive better decisions and insights using the powerful analytics included in Ex Libris Alma and Primo.

The Ex Libris track record in library consortia and the strong Alma offering of consortial features were major factors in the consortium's decision. In addition, as a cloud-based platform, Alma with Primo will spare Minnesota librarians the burden of carrying out time-consuming tasks. With the solid architecture and strong security practices of the Alma service, all MnPALS libraries will benefit from high availability and robust data protection.

Johnna Horton, director of Library/Media Services at South Central College in Mankato, Minnesota, commented, "After an intensive examination of available software, our consortium members chose Ex Libris Alma, largely because the library services software integrates so smoothly with the Primo discovery service. This integration allows our library staff members to serve our patrons in a more streamlined manner, to offer them the robust functionality expected for current research needs, and to enable each consortium member to create a discovery interface that best meets the needs of its user community."

"Ex Libris is looking forward to working closely with the MnPALS libraries," said Eric Hines, president of Ex Libris North America. "We are a long-standing provider of library solutions to many of the institutions represented in this consortium and are eager to help this group collaborate and thrive."

About MnPALS

MnPALS is a program of the colleges and universities of Minnesota State. Initiated at Mankato State University in 1978, the program was a Minnesota State University System undertaking and adopted the name PALS, originally an acronym for Project for Automated Library Systems.

MnPALS now serves all of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Services are also provided to private college and university libraries, state government libraries, public libraries, school libraries, and special libraries, totaling more than 60 organizations. MnPALS oversees a myriad of services to support higher education all across the state of Minnesota.

About Ex Libris

Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education. Offering SaaS solutions for the management and discovery of the full spectrum of library and scholarly materials, as well as mobile campus solutions driving student engagement and success, Ex Libris serves thousands of customers in 90 countries. For more information about Ex Libris, see our website, and join us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

SOURCE Ex Libris

Related Links

http://www.exlibrisgroup.com


Scheduling a massage is easy for everyone with the Zeel Massage app for iPhone or Android, or on zeel.com. Customers specify the desired time and location of their massage, and the preferred gender of the massage therapist. Zeel offers a menu of massage therapy techniques, including Swedish, deep tissue, sports, prenatal, couples, and sleep massage. Customers select the preferred technique and duration for the massage, and a Zeel Massage Therapist will arrive in as little as an hour from the time of booking. Massages can also be scheduled up to 30 days in advance. Zeel is available for start times as early as 8am and as late as 10:30pm, 365 days a year.

Zeel is also changing the massage industry with the only in-home massage membership. Membership at Zeel is perfect for those looking to consistently enjoy the benefits of massage, including stress relief and lower blood pressure, with a discounted massage each month. Members receive a complimentary professional massage table and high-end sheet set to keep, valued at $379. Even better, there's no initiation fee to join the Zeel Massage membership. A 90-day trial option is available, and membership can even be shared on-site with other household members.

"We are committed to making the convenience of an in-home Zeel Massage accessible to everyone," said Zeel CEO and founder Samer Hamadeh. "Zeel services more cities in California than any other massage provider, and now we're available in California's booming capital city. Launching in Sacramento brings us much closer to Powering Massage Everywhere. No other on-demand wellness app covers as much of California as Zeel does  90% of the Golden State population."

Expect an excellent on-demand massage with Zeel in Sacramento. Zeel's massage therapists are all experienced, vetted in person by the Zeel team, and licensed and insured in their state of practice. Zeel guarantees quality, safety, reliability, and five-star massages from its network of over 9,000 therapists. The company was recently recognized by Cosmopolitan magazine as one of the on-demand apps setting the standard for safety.

Zeel pricing is fair and competitively priced compared to equivalent local five-star massage providers. The price of a 60-minute Zeel Massage in Sacramento is $105, inclusive of tip. Zeel Massage members save and pay just $87 per 60-minute massage. All payments include 18% gratuity for a stress-free and cash-free transaction, with therapist payment and tip outlined on every receipt.

Zeel, in addition to its in-home massage delivery, offers a celebrated staffing solution for spas with Zeel Spa; a platform for hotels to provide in-room massages with Zeel Concierge; and on-site chair massages at workplaces and events with Zeel Corporate Wellness.

About Zeel

Zeel created the Massage On Demand category in 2012 and was the first company to bring same-day, in-home massages to customers. Zeel is the leading and largest on-demand massage company with more than 9,000 licensed massage therapists in its network of over 65 U.S. cities. Zeel offers the most reliable on-demand massage service in as little as an hour, 365 days a year, with start times as early as 8 am and as late as 10:30 pm. Zeel delivers the highest quality, five-star massages from licensed, vetted massage therapists to homes, hotels, workplaces, and events. With best-in-class security protocols and white glove customer service, Zeel customers enjoy massages in the comfort, convenience, safety, and privacy of the place and time of their choosing. Booking, scheduling, and payment are made easy with the Zeel Massage app for iPhone and Android. Zeel is also home to Zeel Spa, the on-demand staffing solution for spas; Zeel Concierge, which enables hotels to provide in room massage bookings for guests; and Zeel Corporate Wellness, which brings Zeel Chair Massages to companies, events, and workplaces.

SOURCE Zeel

Related Links

http://zeel.com


Nintex is a fast-growing, cloud technology company that helps more than 7,000 companies across industries -- like financial services, healthcare, government, IT services, and more -- easily automate simple to sophisticated processes, especially content-centric ones, to drive faster and better business results.

For current openings at Nintex, visit https://careers.nintex.com/.

Seattle Business Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For winners were chosen based on extensive confidential surveys completed by more than 31,000 employees across the state of Washington. Nintex was selected for setting the standard for leadership, benefits, work environment, training programs and more. The company was first recognized in 2015 by the magazine in the medium size company category, and again in 2016 in the large size company category. This recognition marks Nintex's second appearance in the top 10 list for large companies.

"The annual recognition by Seattle Business Magazine reinforces Nintex as a top technology company to work for in Washington state," said Nintex CEO John Burton. "While the Nintex business continues to grow worldwide at a rapid rate, our leaders have not lost our focus on fostering a culture of collaboration. It's our 450-plus employees who make Nintex great. It's these talented individuals who are driving innovation in intelligent process automation for tens of thousands of people using Nintex technology every day to improve how work gets done."

Earlier this year Nintex was named the Best Workflow Tool 2017 by Redmond Channel Partner and by CRN as one of its 2017 100 Coolest Cloud Vendors. Additionally, the Nintex office in London was recognized on the 2017 UK's Best Workplaces List.

Media Contact

Kristin Treat

Nintex Public Relations

[email protected]

Cell: (215) 317-9091

About Nintex

Nintex is the recognized global leader in workflow and content automation (WCA) with more than 7,000 enterprise clients and 1,700 partners in 90 countries who have built and published millions of workflow applications. With its unmatched breadth of capability and platform support delivered by unique architectural capabilities, Nintex empowers the line of business and IT departments to quickly automate hundreds of manual processes to progress on the journey to digital transformation. Nintex Workflow Cloud, the company's cloud platform, connects with all content repositories, systems of record, and people to consistently fuel successful business outcomes. Visit www.nintex.com to learn more.

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Nintex

Related Links

http://www.nintex.com


(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/526655/Olivia_Bushe_FlowForma.jpg )

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523210/FlowForma_Logo.jpg )



Dedicated to creating no code BPM tools for Office 365 and making these tools available at a price point that medium corporations can afford, the FlowForma website provides visitors with an informative, educational and interactive experience. A product walkthrough, free 30 day trial and access to exclusive analyst reports, independent product reviews, and thought provoking blog posts enhance the visitor experience.

"We're delighted to launch our new website, its intuitive design makes the site extremely user friendly and easily navigable while the educational content available in our Learning Library will be particularly beneficial to our customers, partners and prospects. This new site provides our visitors with access to examples of no code BPM success stories and will lead to the establishment of global brand recognition for FlowForma as the provider of no code BPM tools for Office 365", said Olivia Bushe, Chief Marketing Officer, FlowForma.

Click here to view the FlowForma BPM product demo.

What's New at FlowForma.com?

Visit the FlowForma Learn Section to access materials to help you on your journey to no code BPM such as analyst reports, case studies, independent product reviews, webinar recordings and much more.

Explore the FlowForma Blog managed by their BPM, workflow and digital transformation experts, to discover the latest trends in BPM, how to drive your digital transformation agenda and best practice advice and tips regarding digital process automation.

Browse FlowForma's Who We Help Section to explore uses of FlowForma BPM from HR on boarding and new product development to pharmacovigiliance, eSignatures, Collaborative Decision Making and eVetting.

Take a tour of the Video Library to watch their experts discuss the latest workflow trends, FlowForma's disruptive approach to BPM, webinar recordings with industry experts and step-by-step 'How To' videos.

"Exceptional user experience was a key goal for us, when redesigning our website. We wanted to provide our website visitors with a clean design and simple navigation, which would result in quick access to the information they need. To help us achieve our user experience objectives, we invested significant time to conduct detailed persona analysis, user journey mapping and extensive user experience testing," commented Niamh Lordan, Digital Marketing Manager at FlowForma, when asked about the project goals.

FlowForma invite you to visit their revamped website and request a demo or a 30 day free trial, if you'd like to find out more about how you can automate, accelerate and increase efficiency across your business processes, without any coding.



Supporting Resources

To take a look at the new FlowForma website visit: www.flowforma.com

To read case studies, report s and reviews visit: www.flowforma.com/learn

To download a free trial of FlowForma BPM visit: www.flowforma.com/trial

To read our blogs from the FlowForma blogging panel visit: www.flowforma.com/blog

About FlowForma

FlowForma, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM) tools for Microsoft Office 365 has been revolutionizing the traditional BPM space with an innovative approach to developing award winning BPM products that empower users to get work done, smarter and faster, on the familiar SharePoint platform, without any coding.

FlowForma is a Microsoft Partner, with over 100,000 users across Europe, South Africa and North America. The company is headquartered in Dublin with offices in London and Boston and is motivated by its values to innovate, evolve and achieve with employees, customers and partners.

For further information, visit www.flowforma.com

SOURCE FlowForma
EAST HANOVER, N.J., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis today announced updated results from the ELIANA clinical trial demonstrating CTL019 (tisagenlecleucel) remission rates are maintained at six months in relapsed/refractory (r/r) pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). These data from this pivotal trial of CTL019 show that 83% (52 of 63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 71%-91%) of patients achieved complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete blood count recovery within three months of infusion. No minimal residual disease (MRD) was detected among responding patients1. MRD, which measures the elimination of residual disease in the blood and bone marrow at the molecular level following treatment, is important because it may be an indicator of potential relapse2. Results from this study of CTL019  an investigational chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy  will be presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Meeting (Abstract #S476; Saturday, June 24, 4:00 PM CEST).

The ELIANA study also showed that the relapse-free probability was 75% (95% CI, 57%-87%; median duration of response not reached) at six months and 64% (95% CI, 42%-79%) at 12 months among responders. In addition, the probability of survival was 89% (95% CI, 77%-94%) at six months and 79% (95% CI, 63%-89%) at 12 months. The median time from infusion to data cutoff was 8.8 months1.

"The updated CTL019 ELIANA data illustrating early observed response rates that have held steady over six months' time are exciting findings. Durability is an important measure for children and young adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL, and we are truly encouraged by the results of this study," said lead investigator Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, the Yetta Deitch Novotny Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), and Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Frontier Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Forty-seven percent of patients in ELIANA experienced grade 3 or 4 cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a known complication of the investigational therapy that may occur when the engineered cells become activated in the patient's body. CRS was managed globally using prior site education on implementation of the CRS treatment algorithm. There were no deaths due to refractory CRS and no incidents of cerebral edema were reported. Fifteen percent of patients experienced grade 3 neurologic events, with no grade 4 events seen1.

The ELIANA trial enrolled 88 patients. Of the 88, 16 patients discontinued before infusion and the majority (nine patients) did so due to rapid progression of their disease or deterioration in their clinical status. This reflects the acute and progressive nature of this disease. Of the 16 patients who weren't infused, seven were a result of insufficiently formulated CAR-T cell product. Additionally, five infused patients had not reached three-month follow-up and four patients were pending infusion at the time of data cutoff.

"These positive, updated ELIANA data help us better understand the ability for CTL019 to maintain durable responses in r/r ALL," said Vas Narasimhan, MD, Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis. "The results, including relapse-free survival findings at six and 12 months, reaffirm our confidence in CTL019 to potentially become an effective treatment for pediatric and young adult patients with r/r ALL in need of more options."

ELIANA (NCT02435849) is the first pediatric global CAR-T cell therapy registration trial, with study enrollment having occurred across 25 centers in the US, Canada, EU, Australia and Japan. The single-arm, open-label, multicenter Phase II study included patients aged three to 23 years who were primary refractory, refractory to chemotherapy after their first relapse, relapsed after second line therapy or ineligible for an allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT). Patients in the trial received a median of three prior lines of therapy and 59% of patients had a prior SCT.

CTL019 was first developed by Penn and uses the 4-1BB costimulatory domain to enhance cellular responses. In 2012, Novartis and Penn entered into a global collaboration to further research, develop and then commercialize CAR-T cell therapies, including CTL019, for the investigational treatment of cancers.

Additional CTL019 data at EHA

A pooled data analysis from two multicenter trials of CTL019 in pediatric and young adult patients with r/r B-cell ALL, including ELIANA and ENSIGN (NCT02228096), will also be highlighted in a presentation at the meeting. This research is aimed to identify any new safety issues with CTL019 as a result of its use in multicenter trials, which included 25 sites across 11 countries. Study authors concluded that there were no new safety issues and that CRS and neurologic events were effectively managed. Prolonged follow-up will be required to determine the long-term safety of B-cell aplasia (Abstract #P517; Saturday, June 24, 5:30 PM CEST).

An oral presentation will feature pooled analyses from two multicenter trials of CTL019 in pediatric and young adult patients with r/r B-cell ALL, including ELIANA and ENSIGN, observing response analysis and impact of intrinsic/extrinsic and manufacturing factors on CTL019 expansion and persistence (Abstract #S477; Saturday, June 24, 4:15 PM CEST).

Novartis will also present an encore of results from its global, pivotal multi-center Phase II JULIET study (NCT02445248; Abstract #LB2604, June 25, 12:00 PM CEST), evaluating CTL019 in adults with r/r diffuse large-b-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

CTL019 was granted Priority Review from the FDA earlier this year in the treatment of r/r pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell ALL, and Novartis plans to file with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) later in 2017. The investigational therapy received PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) designation from the EMA in 2016. The FDA also granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to CTL019 for the treatment of adult patients with r/r DLBCL, whose disease has progressed on or after two or more prior therapies.

About CTL019 Manufacturing

Novartis leukapheresis process using cryopreservation allowed for manufacturing and treatment of patients from around the world. Cryopreserved leukapheresis gives physicians the flexibility to schedule apheresis at a time that is in the best interest of their patients. Novartis commercial manufacturing for CTL019 continues to build on its experience in its Morris Plains, New Jersey facility, which has already manufactured CTL019 for hundreds of patients in global clinical trials. Novartis believes that experience is important in cell therapy manufacturing, and the experience gained at the Morris Plains, New Jersey facility will be a foundation for commercial manufacturing of CAR-T therapies. Novartis has made and continues to make investments in manufacturing.

About CAR-T and CTL019

CAR-T is different from typical small molecule or biologic therapies because it is manufactured for each individual patient using their own cells. During the treatment process, T cells are drawn from a patient's blood and reprogrammed in the laboratory to create T cells that are genetically coded to hunt the patient's cancer cells and other B-cells expressing a particular antigen. In March 2017, Novartis announced that the FDA granted Priority Review for the company's Biologics License Application for CTL019 in the treatment of r/r pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell ALL.

Because CTL019 is an investigational therapy, the safety and efficacy profile has not yet been established. Access to investigational therapies is available only through carefully controlled and monitored clinical trials. These trials are designed to better understand the potential benefits and risks of the therapy. Because of the uncertainty of clinical trials, there is no guarantee that CTL019 will ever be commercially available anywhere in the world.

About ALL

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia makes up approximately 25% of cancer diagnoses among children under 15 years old and is the most common childhood cancer in the US3. Patients with r/r ALL have limited treatment options, and the chance of survival for children with the disease who relapse or fail to attain remission is between 16% to 30.1%4.

Disclaimer

The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as "investigational," "will," "exciting," "encouraged," "confidence," "potentially," "aimed," "Priority Review," "plans," "later in 2017," "PRIME designation," "Breakthrough Therapy designation," "to build," "believes," "continues," "yet," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals for CTL019, or regarding potential future revenues from CTL019. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that CTL019 will be submitted or approved for sale in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that CTL019 will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding CTL019 could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company's ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; general economic and industry conditions; global trends toward health care cost containment, including ongoing pricing and reimbursement pressures; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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References

Buechner, Jochen Et Al. Global Registration Trial Of Efficacy And Safety Of Ctl019 In Pediatric And Young Adult Patients With Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (All): Update To The Interim Analysis. June 24 , 4:00 Pm CEST . European Hematology Association: Abstract S476. Campana, Dario. Minimal Residual Disease in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Seminars in hematology 46.1 (2009): 100106. PMC. Web. 22 May 2017 . Howlader, N., Noone, A. M., Krapcho, M, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 19752010. National Cancer Institute, April 2013 ; Section 28.9 (12).

http://www.seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2010/results_merged/sect_28_childhood_cancer.pdf. Accessed June 2017 . Satwani, Prkash, Sather, Harland, Ozkaynak, Fevzi, et al. Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation in First Remission for Children with Ultra-high-risk Features of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Children's Oncology Group Study Report." Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation 13.2 (2007): 218-27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2731715/. Accessed June 2017 .

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: [email protected]

Eric Althoff Novartis Global Media Relations +41 61 324 7999 (direct) +41 79 593 4202 (mobile) [email protected] Fiona Phillips Novartis Oncology Communications +1 862-778-7705 (direct) +1 862-217-9396 (mobile) [email protected]

SOURCE Novartis
BOSTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ObserveIT, a leading insider threat monitoring and analytics solution provider with more than 1,500 customers around the world, today announced the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) has named the company to its exclusive 2017 list of Best Places to Work in Massachusetts.

ObserveIT was honored at the BBJ's awards program on Thursday, June 22nd at Boston's iconic Symphony Hall. The selection process was launched in February by the BBJ in conjunction with employee- performance research firm Quantum Workplace of Omaha, Nebraska. Participating companies were evaluated on the results of more than 31,000 employee-engagement surveys. Employees answered questionnaires that addressed such factors as communication and resources, individual needs, manager effectiveness, personal engagement, team dynamics and trust in leadership. The results were then analyzed and scored by Quantum.

"The BBJ's Best Places to Work awards program is one of our most competitive programs in terms of how many companies participate each year and always one of our most successful in terms of how many people attend our awards event," said Carolyn M. Jones, the Boston Business Journal Market President and Publisher. "This year well over 350 companies submitted surveys and once again we are extremely excited to be able to recognize these employers, including ObserveIT, that clearly value their employees and go the extra mile to create great workplaces."

ObserveIT CEO Mike McKee accepted the Best Places to Work award on behalf of the company's entire workforce. "Our people are ObserveIT's greatest asset. The fact that we have one of the most successful Insider Threat security solutions on the market is because of the incredibly talented team we have," said CEO McKee. "We strive daily to make ObserveIT a rewarding, fun and collaborative place to work. We've won seven industry awards so far in 2017, but this is by far the most meaningful."

About ObserveIT

ObserveIT is the leading Insider Threat Monitoring and Analytics solution with more than 1,500 customers across 87 countries. ObserveIT identifies and eliminates insider threats by having "eyes on the endpoint" and continuously monitoring user behavior and alerting security and IT teams about activities that put organizations at risk. With full video capture, 200+ out-of-the-box insider threat alerts, outstanding search capability and playback of any policy violation, ObserveIT provides comprehensive visibility into what people  contractors, privileged users and high risk users  are doing, and reduces investigation time from days to minutes. For more information visit: www.observeit.com.

ObserveIT Media Contact:

Derek Beckwith

[email protected], 617-331-3567

SOURCE ObserveIT

Related Links

http://www.observeit.com


WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will host a workshop in Lexington, Ky., at the Griffin Gate Marriott, August 7-9, for directors, senior management team members and other key executives of national community banks and federal savings associations supervised by the OCC.

The Building Blocks for Directors workshop combines lectures, discussion, and exercises to provide practical information on the roles and responsibilities of board participation. Taught by seasoned OCC supervision staff, the workshop focuses on duties and core responsibilities of directors and management, discusses major laws and regulations, and increases familiarity with the examination process.

The workshop fee is $99. Participants receive a pre-workshop reading package and course materials, assorted supervisory publications, and a Dictionary of Banking Terms. The workshop is limited to the first 35 registrants.

The workshops are taught by experienced OCC staff and are offered nationwide to enhance and expand the skills of national community bank and federal savings association directors. To register for this workshop, visit www.occ.gov/occworkshops.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") charters and oversees a nationwide system of national banks and federal savings associations and assures that these banking institutions are safe and sound, competitive, and capable of serving the banking needs of their customers in the best possible manner. OCC press releases and other information are available at http://www.occ.gov. To receive OCC press releases and issuances by e-mail, subscribe at http://www.occ.gov/subscribe/occ-email-list-service.html.

SOURCE Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

Related Links

http://www.occ.gov


WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 5,000 doctors of optometry and students from all 50 states are in Washington, DC, this week to spotlight optometry's expanding role in the health care system and key advancements in patient-centered care. The American Optometric Association (AOA) members are underscoring the importance of expanded access to in-person eye health and vision care provided by our nation's doctors of optometry, and building new support for AOA-backed patient health and safety priorities.

"Our AOA is a nationwide force for health and vision. As Congress continues to deliberate the future direction of health care in this country, doctors of optometry  America's family eye doctors  are making sure our patients' eye health and vision care needs are heard loud and clear this week in the nation's capital," said AOA President Andrea Thau, O.D. "Ensuring access to quality care in all communities across the country and preserving the doctor-patient relationship to deliver the best care are our top priorities."

Through the delivery of personalized care and comprehensive eye exams, doctors of optometry help ensure precise and healthy vision, identify and treat glaucoma and serious infections and provide early diagnosis of threats to overall health  including hypertension, stroke and diabetes, which may have no obvious symptoms. The doctor-patient relationship is at the heart of optometry practices serving thousands of communities across the country.

Legislators, Doctors and Students Voice Eye Health and Vision Care Priorities

In a first-of-its-kind gathering, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and the Chair of the House Republican Conference, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) joined more than 2,300 students of optometry during a rally on Capitol Hill at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 21.

During the rally and in more than 250 meetings and events with Senators, House members and staff, AOA member doctors and students are urging Senators and House member to:

Support the bi-partisan Dental and Optometric Care Access Act (H.R. 1606), also known as the DOC Access Act . The AOA and American Dental Association-backed legislation would empower doctors and patients in their dealings with insurance plans, eliminate a growing number of anti-competitive practices in health care and help improve overall quality of patient care. The bill was introduced in March by Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA).

. The AOA and American Dental Association-backed legislation would empower doctors and patients in their dealings with insurance plans, eliminate a growing number of anti-competitive practices in health care and help improve overall quality of patient care. The bill was introduced in March by Reps. (R-GA) and (D-IA). Vote to eliminate the health insurance industry's anti-trust exemption with t he Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (H.R. 372) . The bill would authorize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Justice Department to "enforce the federal antitrust laws against health insurance companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct." The legislation, introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar , DDS (R-AZ), passed the House on March 22 by an overwhelming margin of 416-7.

he . The bill would authorize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Justice Department to "enforce the federal antitrust laws against health insurance companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct." The legislation, introduced by Rep. , DDS (R-AZ), passed the House on by an overwhelming margin of 416-7. Prevent the FTC from implementing a harmful proposal , developed under the previous administration, that would impose new paperwork burdens on doctors and patients while failing to address the predatory practices of some online contact lens sellers that have the potential to harm patients and increase health care costs. This week, Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) rolled out a bipartisan letter demanding that the FTC abandon this proposal.

, developed under the previous administration, that would impose new paperwork burdens on doctors and patients while failing to address the predatory practices of some online contact lens sellers that have the potential to harm patients and increase health care costs. This week, Rep. (R-NJ) and Rep. (D-IL) rolled out a bipartisan letter demanding that the FTC abandon this proposal. Uphold existing laws that assure access to in-person, comprehensive eye examinations, including essential pediatric eye health coverage and a ban on discrimination by ERISA and other plans.

"This week, doctors of optometry are making a difference in how elected officials, employers, the media and the public view our profession," Dr. Thau said. "Patient eye health is currently under threat by special-interest groups with a fiercely anti-optometry agenda. This is the time for all AOA doctors and students to speak out together for our practices and our patients."

Promoting Veterans' Eye Care

Expanding veterans' access to timely, quality eye and vision care through in-person, comprehensive eye examinations is a long-time priority for AOA member doctors. On Wednesday, June 21 at 12:30, Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA), along with the AOA, AMVETS, the Blinded Veterans Association, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Armed Forces Optometric Society, and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, will host a roundtable to address the importance of eye health care for America's veterans and upholding the VA's guarantee of "one standard of care."

All advocacy efforts are taking place during Optometry's Meeting, 2017, the world's premier optometric conference that brings together thousands of optometrists from around the globe to learn about the latest developments in eye health research and technology. The meeting is being held June 21-25 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

The American Optometric Association, founded in 1898, is the leading authority on quality care and an advocate for our nation's health, representing more than 44,000 doctors of optometry (O.D.), optometric professionals and optometry students. Doctors of optometry take a leading role in patient care with respect to eye and vision care, as well as general health and well-being. As primary health care providers, doctors of optometry have extensive, ongoing training to examine, diagnose, treat and manage ocular disorders, diseases and injuries and systemic diseases that manifest in the eye. Doctors of optometry provide more than two-thirds of primary eye care in the U.S. For more information on eye health and vision topics, and to find a doctor of optometry near you, visit aoa.org.

SOURCE American Optometric Association

Related Links

http://www.aoa.org


NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network  it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

PTSD Awareness and Treatment

Americans Not Properly Prepared for Natural Disaster

How to Use Fidget Spinners to Keep Your Kids Focused This Summer

Millennial Women Struggling More Than Their Mothers Did

MEDIA JOBS

Technology Reporter  Dow Jones (CA)

Staff Writer  Central Banking Publications ( London /NY)

/NY) Reporter, International Terrorism and Extremist Movements  Wall Street Journal (DC)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

5 Camera-Bag Essentials Every New Photographer Should Own

Successful Women in PR: Leaning In & Climbing Up

Blog Profiles: Music Festival Blogs

-------------------------------------------------------------------

EXPERT ALERTS:

PTSD Awareness and Treatment

Richard Shane, Ph.D.

Founder

Sleep Easily

June is PTSD Awareness Month, culminating on June 27 with PTSD Awareness Day. Sponsored by The National Center for PTSD, they promote awareness of PTSD and effective treatments throughout the year. Says Dr. Shane: "Patients often try to initially calm PTSD in their thoughts and emotions. I've seen better results showing PTSD sufferers how to initially calm their body tension, which helps calm their mind and emotions."

Dr. Shane is a sleep expert and psychotherapist with over 20 years' experience in a clinical sleep practice setting. This practice gave him expert awareness of PTSD, a common cause of insomnia. Author of "Sleep Easily Method Sleepguide," Dr. Shane can comment on sleep awareness, PTSD, stress and sleep-related articles.

ProfNet Profile: www.profnetconnect.com/drshane

Website: www.sleepeasily.com

Contact: Mary Cochran, [email protected]



Americans Not Properly Prepared for Natural Disaster

Nicolette Louissaint, Ph.D.

Interim Executive Director

Healthcare Ready

"With the Atlantic hurricane season officially in full swing and predicted to be a busier than usual one (estimating up to nine hurricanes), it is important to share key information that can help those communities and people most vulnerable to a sudden impact from a natural disaster to be prepared and find ways to protect their and their families' heath. Natural disasters do not provide ample lead time, so it is important to take steps to prepare now."

To take the pulse of American's level of preparedness and confidence in the face of a natural disaster, Healthcare Ready worked with YouGov to conduct a poll of 1,184 Americans. Overall, the findings showed that the second year in a row, the potential of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, tornado, flood or wildfire affecting their community as the greatest single disaster individuals are concerned about. America's concern about natural disasters (34%) continues to exceed worry about terrorist attacks (15%), cyber-attacks (6%), or environmental disasters (6%) combined. Based in Washington, D.C., Louissaint is available to speak on the impact of the survey findings and the importance of building community resilience before, during and after natural disasters and emergency events.

Website: www.healthcareready.com

Contact: Saara Khadir, [email protected]



How to Use Fidget Spinners to Keep Your Kids Focused This Summer

Kimberly Stone

Education Professor

Argosy University, Hawaii

"If your child is having a hard time understanding appropriate actions, use the fidget spinner as a teaching tool. Perhaps the child wants to play with it all the time -- after all, it is a fun new toy. Make sure to help your child understand times that it is useful. Perhaps, at dinner waiting on service it is okay -- but show the child how there is a need to put it away to order and talk to people."

Website: https://www.argosy.edu/locations/hawaii

Contact: Carole Carr, [email protected]



Millennial Women Struggling More Than Their Mothers Did

Pavlina Osta

Millennial Social Commentator

Millennial women are worse off than those of the Baby Boomer generation in terms of economic equality, health, and overall well-being, according to a new report by the Population Reference Bureau. Some of the report's findings: 1) There's been a 37% rise in the poverty rate among Millennial and Generation X women; 2) one in four workers in high-paying STEM fields were women in Generation X, but only one in five were Millennial women; 3) the suicide rate for young women in the Millennial generation has increased to 6.3 per 100,000, compared to 4.4 per 100,000 in Generation X. Says Osta: "Social media gives young girls unrealistic images of themselves, which are the root of a whole lot of problems. Even with this new wave of feminism, so many women are still feeling unempowered. In certain industries, it amazes me how women are still the minority and aren't being treated the same."

Osta is a sought-after Millennial social commentator booked to share her "keep it real" view on all things politics or pop culture. Recognized for her swift and fun interviewing style, this radio and talk-show host has been landing her own interviews with the world's notable superstars, athletes, and newsmakers on and off the red carpet since she was 11.

Website: www.pavlinaosta.com

Contact: Mark Goldman, [email protected]

****************

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

Technology Reporter  Dow Jones (CA)

Staff Writer  Central Banking Publications ( London /NY)

/NY) Reporter, International Terrorism and Extremist Movements  Wall Street Journal (DC)

*****************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

5 CAMERA-BAG ESSENTIALS EVERY NEW PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD OWN. As a new photographer continues to learn and develop their craft, eventually they'll get to a point where their equipment gets in the way of producing the images they desire. A decent camera body with a kit lens is enough to get started, but eventually you'll want to upgrade to take your photography to the next level. Here is a list of some essential items every photographer should have in their bag: http://bit.ly/2rR3tYB

SUCCESSFUL WOMEN IN PR: LEANING IN & CLIMBING UP. There have been countless studies and think pieces published recently about the number of women in PR and their role in the field. Across the board, public relations is a field dominated by women and they're found at every level in the office  but the numbers dwindle as soon as you hit the top. This can be found from the smallest agencies to the largest corporations. So, we decided it was time to recognize and celebrate the women who have made it to the top  and gain their insight on how they got there. Together we can recognize and celebrate some of the wonderful and successful women in public relations: http://prn.to/2t2voBS

BLOG PROFILES: MUSIC FESTIVAL BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry/subject and profiles a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at music festival blogs: http://bit.ly/2ssjNfj

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PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

SOURCE ProfNet

Related Links

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NEWARK, N.J., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG) announced today the election of Ralph LaRossa as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of PSEG's merchant generation business, PSEG Power effective October 2, 2017. LaRossa is currently President and COO of PSEG's utility business, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G). In his new role, LaRossa succeeds Bill Levis who in December 2016 had announced his plans to retire.

PSEG also announced David M. Daly has been elected to succeed Ralph LaRossa as President and COO of PSE&G effective October 2, 2017. Daly will also assume the role of Chairman of the Board of PSEG Long Island currently held by Ralph LaRossa. Daly is currently President and COO of PSEG Long Island.

LaRossa, 54, was elected President and COO of PSE&G in October 2006. Since then, he has successfully led the utility through significant growth in its transmission and distribution businesses which now account for more than two-thirds of PSEG's consolidated annual revenues, with a culture focused on safety and compliance. LaRossa also led PSEG's efforts to garner a 12-year contract to manage the LIPA transmission and distribution system, which is now in its fourth year.

Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of PSEG, said "In his career at PSE&G, Ralph has demonstrated the right skills to step into this key leadership role. For the past decade, Ralph has successfully led PSE&G through the largest capital program in its history. During this period he led the recovery from Superstorm Sandy and maintained a focus on operational reliability and the needs of our customers. Ralph has demonstrated strong leadership and is respected across PSEG and the industry as he assumes this role at PSEG Power." Izzo said the timing of the appointments in advance of the effective date allows ample opportunity for a smooth transition in executive leadership at PSEG Power and PSE&G. Izzo added, "Moreover, the broadening of Ralph's background is consistent with our long-term succession planning efforts."

Izzo also noted, "Dave has demonstrated strong leadership capabilities at PSEG Long Island, and has been instrumental in achieving improvements in utility operations and customer satisfaction. I am confident that under Dave, the PSE&G team will continue to meet customer expectations by maintaining a focus on service quality through programs that modernize and upgrade the system."

Reacting to his new responsibilities, LaRossa said "I thoroughly appreciate the trust that Ralph Izzo and the Board have placed in me. I look forward to this new role working with the dedicated men and women of PSEG Power. I will do this with a close eye on operating safely and efficiently as we complete construction of PSEG Power's three new gas-fired combined cycle generators."

Daly, in reacting to his appointment, said "This is an extraordinary honor. I look forward to working with the great men and women of PSE&G, and plan to maintain our commitment to shareholder value, safe and reliable service and the highest levels of community involvement."

Mr. LaRossa joined PSE&G in 1985 as an associate engineer and advanced through a variety of management positions in the utility's gas and electric operations. In addition to his role at PSE&G, on January 1, 2014, Mr. LaRossa was appointed Chairman of the Board of PSEG Long Island, a subsidiary of PSEG. He is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology and has completed the Harvard Business School's Program for Management Development.

Daly, 55, was named President and COO of PSEG Long Island in October 2013, and has overseen the transition to PSEG management of PSEG Long Island. Prior to his appointment, Daly served as vice president-asset management and centralized services at PSE&G. Initially hired at PSE&G in 1983, Daly has held a variety of positions in utility operations and support services. He has an electrical engineering degree from the State University of New York Maritime College, and a Master of Business Administration from Rutgers University.

"Bill Levis's leadership at PSEG Power occurred during a time when the industry faced tremendous challenges. I greatly value his contribution to our success during these past 10 years," said Izzo. "I, along with the rest of the company, thank him and wish him well in his retirement."

Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG) is a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of $9.1 billion. Its operating subsidiaries are: Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), PSEG Power, and PSEG Long Island. www.pseg.com.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability.

PSEG Power LLC is an independent power producer that generates and sells electricity in the PJM, New York and New England wholesale power markets.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained in this communication about our and our subsidiaries' future performance, including, without limitation, future revenues, earnings, strategies, prospects, consequences and all other statements that are not purely historical, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such statements are based on management's beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. When used herein, the words "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "believe," "expect," "plan," "should," "hypothetical," "potential," "forecast," "project," variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ are often presented with the forward-looking statements themselves. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements made by us herein are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and available on our website: http://investor.pseg.com/sec-filings. All of the forward-looking statements made in this communication are qualified by these cautionary statements and we cannot assure you that the results or developments anticipated by management will be realized or even if realized, will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, us or our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements in making any investment decision. Forward-looking statements made in this communication apply only as of the date hereof. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements from time to time, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even in light of new information or future events, unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws.

From time to time, PSEG, PSE&G and PSEG Power release important information via postings on their corporate website at http://investor.pseg.com. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to visit the corporate website to review new postings. The "Email Alerts" link at http://investor.pseg.com may be used to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and/or Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings.

SOURCE Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)
BERWYN, Pa., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RM LAW, P.C. announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased FleetCor Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FLT) ("FleetCor" or the "Company") securities between February 5, 2016 and May 2, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period").

FleetCor shareholders may, no later than August 14, 2017, move the Court for appointment as a lead plaintiff of the Class. If you purchased shares of FleetCor and would like to learn more about these claims or if you wish to discuss these matters and have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights, contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or to sign up online, click here.

FleetCor provides fuel cards, commercial payment and data solutions, gift card and stored value solutions, and workforce payment products and services primarily in the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.

On March 1, 2017, Capital Forum reported that FleetCor's business model improperly relies on overcharging customers and padding fee income through late fees even when customers pay on time. This news drove the price of FleetCor shares down approximately 3% to close at $164.75 that day.

On April 4, 2017 Citron Research published a report, similarly based on customer, competitor, and former employee interviews, accusing Fleetcor of being a "predatory company by design, whose core strategy is to methodically rip off its customers, using business practices and fees that are designed to deceive." This news drove the price of FleetCor shares down approximately 6% to close at $141.60 that day.

On April 27, 2017 Citron Research issued a follow-up report explaining how FleetCor developed a scheme to categorize customers based on the level of improper fees that could be charged without the customers complaining. This news drove the price of FleetCor shares down approximately 4% to close at $145.65 that day.

On May 1, 2017 Chevron sued FleetCor for breach of contract. This news drove the price of FleetCor shares down approximately 7% to close at $138.00 on May 2, 2017. Then, on May 3, 3017, Citron and Benzinga reported on the filing of Chevron's lawsuit. This news drove the price of FleetCor shares down approximately 5% to close at $131.26 on May 3, 2017.

If you are a member of the class, you may, no later than August 14, 2017, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff of the class. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as "lead plaintiff." Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain RM LAW, P.C. or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.

For more information regarding this, please contact RM LAW, P.C. (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or by email at [email protected] or click here. For more information about class action cases in general or to learn more about RM LAW, P.C. please visit our website: www.maniskas.com.

RM LAW, P.C. is a national shareholder litigation firm. RM LAW, P.C. is devoted to protecting the interests of individual and institutional investors in shareholder actions in state and federal courts nationwide.

CONTACT: RM LAW, P.C.

Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire

1055 Westlakes Dr., Ste. 3112|

Berwyn, PA 19312

484-324-6800

844-291-9299

[email protected]

SOURCE RM LAW, P.C.

Related Links

http://www.rmclasslaw.com


The Texas Auto Center owner and CEO began selling cars in 1992 and opened his first lot in 1995. A second location was added in 2003, and Blankenship continued expanding, adding a third location with 96 total staff members selling over 4,000 vehicles per year.

"From the beginning, our philosophy has been to deliver a quality transportation opportunity to consumers," Blankenship said. "I'm proud of what we've achieved. I appreciate all the help Marco Camacho and his team at The Automotive Advertising Agency have given me and my team."

Beyond being a business leader, Blankenship also participates in the Austin community by supporting charities like March of Dimes, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, and Mobile Loaves and Fishes, among others. He also contributes to scholarships for local students and for children of employees.

The NIADA National Quality Dealer of the Year selection is based on a variety of criteria, including contributions to the automobile industry, assistance to the association, community involvement, and customer loyalty.

"Our business culture is built on a foundation of respect for our customers and one another and the understanding that we are in business because of our customers," Blankenship said.

"We do the right thing because it is the right thing to do."

The NIADA is one of the largest trade organizations in the nation, comprised of over 20,000 auto dealers. For over 70 years the organization has provided federal representation of dealership interests, supplied advanced training in automotive technology, and worked for the promotion of independent dealers.

The Advertising Agency of Record for Texas Auto Center

The Automotive Advertising Agency is a multi-cultural, full-service, Austin based creative advertising agency specializing in the automotive industry. Marco Camacho, Principal at The Automotive Advertising Agency, began his career in the automotive industry 3 decades ago and has a deep understanding and respect for what dealers face every 30 days. The team at the agency represents over 150 years of combined experience in broadcast television, cable, radio, Spanish language media, internet marketing, brand development, public relations, digital media and advertising. To contact Marco directly, call (512) 900-0740 or email [email protected]. For more information about The Automotive Advertising Agency, visit TheAutoAdAgency.com or call (512) 610-7300.

Contact Information:

Agency Contact: Marco Camacho, Principal/(512) 610-7300

Email: [email protected]

Media Contact: Zachary Muhn/(773) 557-9091

Email: [email protected]

The Texas Auto Center

The Texas Auto Center was founded by Robert Blankenship in 1995 and is now one of the largest dealerships in Texas. Steady expansion has meant that The Texas Auto Center serves customers at three locations  two in Austin and one in San Marcos  with an inventory of hundreds of vehicles. As a top ranked special finance lender, they also ensure that customers are given excellent treatment and easy financing before driving home in a great car. For further information, call one of three locations: South Austin at (512) 280-5333, Research Blvd. at (512) 490-0088, or San Marcos at (512) 878-0888. https://www.texasautocenter.com

SOURCE The Automotive Advertising Agency

Related Links

http://theautoadagency.com


LAS VEGAS, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh ingredients and bold flavors are the calling card of Salud Mexican Bistro and Tequileria (https://www.saludmexicanbistro.com/), one of Sin City's newest dining establishments. Located in The Lakes of Summerlin on the city's west side, the restaurant is now taking reservations by phone at (702) 665-6423, or online via OpenTable. Salud Mexican Bistro opens daily at 11 a.m.

chile ancho rubbed/cilantro butter/roasted corn puree/charro bean Watermelon ginger Margarita

"My emphasis is on fresh, natural ingredients and flavors that tell a culinary story," says Executive Chef Paul Bucemi. "I was inspired by my mother, who was born in Cuba, as well as the dynamic flavors of Miami, where I grew up. My mission is to create food that makes people go 'wow!' If I had to choose a favorite ingredient from which to build a dish, it would have to be pork  it's so versatile, and so flavorful."

Bucemi brings plenty of experience to his role. Prior to becoming executive chef at Salud Mexican Bistro, he was chef de cusine at award-winning Corbin's Grille in Utah, as well as executive chef for a well-known catering company.

For many people, a Mexican restaurant is judged in large part by the quality of its margaritas; in that category, Salud Mexican Bistro does not disappoint. Mixologist Cecil Hultz heads up the restaurant's craft tequila bar, which features an impressive selection of both traditional and modern margaritas. Adventurous guests are encouraged to try the "Made in Vegas" cocktail collection. Meanwhile, tequila aficionados can sample a trifecta of quality spirits with one of the restaurant's half-dozen tequila flights like "Lowlands," "De La Casa" or "Horizontal Maturity."

Salud Mexican Bistro has quickly earned 5-star status on leading review platform Yelp. Vegas resident Ross N. has this to say in his review of the eatery: "Salud is setup as an upscale Mexican restaurant providing a mix of classic Mexican done up as well as some Mexican inspired twists, such as duck carnitas and lobster enchiladas in addition to the standard fajitas, tacos, and burritos you would expect.

"I had the salud munchies (flautas, taquitos, and nachos) which was excellent and large enough portions to be an entree on its own, tried some of the prime top sirloin was great, but would definitely recommend the gnocchi which was phenomenal.

"Additionally, they do have some desserts available such as tres leches flan and churro waffle and ice cream that you can ask for that are not yet listed on the menu."

Website visitors are welcome to sign up for Salud Mexican Bistro's mailing list, which earns them 10% off their next visit.

About Salud Mexican Bistro and Tequileria

Opened in June 2017, Salud Mexican Bistro offers Mexican-style cuisine using fresh, traditional ingredients.

Contact:

Andres Topchi

Salud Mexican Bistro

8125 W. Sahara Ave

Suite #110 Las Vegas, NV 89117

702-665-6423

SOURCE Salud Mexican Bistro

Related Links

https://www.saludmexicanbistro.com


Adult customers who dress in any type of cow attire, whether it's "head-to-hoof" or sporting a cow-spotted accessory, will be rewarded with a free Chick-fil-A entree, such as an Original Chicken Sandwich, seasonal Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich or breakfast favorite, the Egg White Grill. Children will receive a free Kid's Meal for dressing in a cow costume. Salads will not be redeemable during Cow Appreciation Day this year. (A full list of redeemable menu items can be found here .)

The Cow Appreciation Day celebration will last from restaurant opening through 7 p.m. local time (check local individual restaurant listings for hours).

Cow Appreciation Day celebrates the restaurant company's iconic cow advertising campaign; an award-winning marketing campaign that is marking its 22nd anniversary this year. In addition to clever roadside billboards, the Eat Mor Chikin Cows are the focal point of Chick-fil-A's in-store point-of-purchase materials, promotions, radio, TV and internet advertising, and clothing and merchandise sales.

All free-standing Chick-fil-A restaurants will have an active Cow Appreciation Day Snapchat filter that will allow guests to share their experience with friends and family.

About Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,100 restaurants in 46 states and Washington, D.C.

Chick-fil-A system sales reached nearly $8 billion in 2016, which marks 49 consecutive years of sales growth. In 2017, Chick-fil-A received the top score among fast food brands and one of the top 10 scores overall for customer experience in the Temkin Experience Ratings survey. In 2016, Chick-fil-A was named the Technomic Consumer's Choice for "providing value through service," named the "the most polite restaurant in the country" in QSR Magazine's annual drive-thru report and was the only restaurant brand named to the Top 10 "Best Companies to Work For" by 24/7 Wall Street. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.

SOURCE Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.chick-fil-a.com


NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Axiom Holdings, Inc. ("Axiom" or the "Company") (OTCMKT: AIOM) securities and certain of its officers, on behalf of a class who purchased Axiom securities between October 14, 2016 and June 19 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/aiom.

This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1933.

On October 10, 2016, Axiom Holdings, Inc. entered a Share Exchange Agreement (the "Agreement") with CJC Holdings, Ltd. (and its subsidiaries, "CJC"), a Hong Kong corporation, and the two shareholders of CJC, Hu Dengyang and Yang Chuan (collectively, the "CJC Shareholders"). CJC and its subsidiaries run multiple hydropower electric generation stations and operate two hotels in China.

Pursuant to the Agreement, Axiom was to procure all of CJC's issued and outstanding shares from the CJC Shareholders in exchange for the issuance of 200,000,000 shares of Axiom common stock.

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, the Complaint alleges that Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Axiom, lacked control over the merger process sufficient to ensure that the Agreement with CJC would be completed; (2) as a result, the Agreement with CJC was never completed; (3) Axiom's issuance of shares to the CJC Shareholders was thus improper; and (4) consequently, Axiom's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On June 19, 2017, Axiom revealed that it had identified discrepancies connected to prior news releases following a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Specifically, Axiom disclosed: (1) issues relating to the propriety of Axiom's December 2016 share exchange with CJC Holdings, Ltd. ("CJC"), under which Axiom acquired all CJC's outstanding shares; and (2) that the purported Chief Executive Officer of CJC, who signed the share exchange agreement in December 2016, had resigned from that role a month earlier. The next day, Axiom advised investors that "it now appears the merger was never completed" and that it would rescind the shares that were issued to the CJC Shareholders in connection with the merger. Following these revelations, Axiom stock dropped $0.44 per share, or 37.93% over two trading days, to close at $0.72 on June 20, 2017.

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/aiom or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Axiom's you have until August 21, 2017 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm's expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz

212-697-6484 | [email protected]

SOURCE Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Related Links

http://www.bgandg.com


The series was led by an Evening Sale that achieved $161.3 million and saw the auction record for Wassily Kandinsky broken two times over the course of the night: the artist's Murnau  Landschaft mit grunem Haus from 1909 first sold for $26.4 million, followed only six lots later by a powerful abstract masterpiece from 1913 - Bild mit weissen Linien  that achieved $41.6 million after a prolonged bidding battle.

Additional highlights included an example from Joan Miro's celebrated Constellations series, which sold for $31 million, and Alberto Giacometti's Grande figure from 1947 that brought $22.6 million. Strong prices for sculpture continued in the Day Sale with 22 works from a private collection totaling more than $10 million and every lot finding a buyer.

"This week's auctions have reinforced our view that the market seems to be strengthening, particularly for masterpieces," said Mike Goss, Sotheby's CFO. "We're also pleased to see that these stronger sales results are not coming at the expense of margins."

Sotheby's sales of Contemporary Art in London will take place next week on June 28 & 29.

About Sotheby's

Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art Division, and two retail businesses, Sotheby's Diamonds and Sotheby's Wine. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

New York | +1 212 606 7176 | Lauren Gioia | [email protected] |

London | +44 207 293 6000 | Mitzi Mina | [email protected] |

SOURCE Sotheby's

Related Links

http://www.sothebys.com


GENEVA, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

A seminar titled 'Cross border terrorism in Afghanistan' was organised at the UN in Geneva on June 16, 2017. Hosted by the South Asia Democratic Forum, the event focused on discussing the current security situation in Afghanistan and how the political climate emanating from Pakistan was making it difficult for Afghanistan to establish a stable environment.

The seminar was moderated by Paulo Casaca, Director of the Brussels-based South Asia Democracy Forum. The speakers included Petras Austrevicius, Member of European Parliament (MEP) and President of the delegation of the European Parliament for relations with Afghanistan, Muhammad Zaland, civil rights activist and professor at Kabul University and Asaf Romirowsky, Fellow at the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank.

Opening the discussions, Paulo Casaca expressed his deepest condolences for the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Kabul that killed more than 100 people. Referring to the same attack he contended that though Pakistan had denied any role in the incident, Casaca raised concerns that Pakistan had previously denied having knowledge of Osama Bin Laden's location, but the Al-Qaeda leader was finally found living in a safe house in Pakistan. Muhammad Zaland's presentation conveyed the view that a stable and strong Afghanistan did not suit Pakistan's strategic interests, and that the recent emergence of ISIS in Afghanistan was in no way linked to ISIS operating in Iraq or Syria. Instead, he stated, that the new group in Afghanistan had been floated by the Pakistan intelligence service.

In his speech, Asaf Romirowsky stated that troop enhancement by the US in Afghanistan would not improve the situation on ground, given the ongoing instability in Pakistan. He stated that even though more than US$ 30 billion had been provided in assistance by the US to Pakistan since 2002, the Haqqani network, from its safe havens in Pakistan, continued to carry out deadly attacks against US soldiers in Afghanistan. He suggested that it was time that the US facilitated a political settlement involving all elements of Afghan society, and urged that prior to initiating this process, Pakistan should be categorically conveyed that in case it wanted a say in the reconciliation process it was required to take verifiable steps to curtail the financing and arming of the Taliban and target Taliban elements that oppose talks with the Afghan government.

MEP Petras Austrevicius informed the audience that there was no difference of opinion within the European Union Council on assisting Afghanistan, whether financially or technically, with its reconciliation process. He, however, lamented that despite large scale international support, the major obstacle to Afghanistan's development was cross border terrorism originating from Pakistan. He stated that the establishment of terror camps in Pakistan was pushing terrorists into Afghanistan to carry out incidents of violence. He concluded that as long as the Afghan Taliban and the newly formed 'so called ISIS' were enabled by Pakistan, Afghans would continue to live in an atmosphere of terror.

During the Q&A session, Prof Muhammad Zaland displayed photographs of the large scale destruction of villages along the Afghan-Pakistan border resulting in displacement of population.



SOURCE South Asia Democratic Forum
"At Subaru, we believe all youth should have access to education in a safe and supportive environment," said Thomas J. Doll, president and chief operating officer, Subaru of America, Inc. "The work that PFLAG does provides the support and resources needed for all students to feel welcomed and accepted at their schools and we are proud to be a partner and help accomplish that goal."

Subaru's contribution will support the Cultivating Respect: Safe Schools for All program and its Top Ten Ways to Keep Schools Safe publication. That support will allow PFLAG National to provide critical updates to members and engage concerned stakeholders who care deeply about all youth being able to access education in an environment that is safe from fear, bullying, and discrimination.

"We at PFLAG National are thrilled that Subaru is expanding its support of Cultivating Respect: Safe Schools for All at this critical time," said Elizabeth Kohm, Interim Executive Director of PFLAG National. "This support will allow us to get important resources out into the nearly 400 communities where PFLAG chapters are leading the way in creating and sustaining safe learning environments for all youth. Subaru's additional partnership on We Are the Change  our national convention to be held in Portland, Oregon later this year  will allow both PFLAG and Subaru to demonstrate further ways we all give back locally."

For nearly 45 years, PFLAG National has been helping dissipate the fears and prejudices that are widespread in the LGBTQ community. The volunteer-driven organization has served as a resource in almost 400 communities to help family members and loved ones understand and advocate for their LGBTQ youth and friends, promoting changes in social attitudes toward sexual orientation and gender identity and express in the process.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 620 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $120 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.

For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About PFLAG National

PFLAG is the nation's largest organization uniting families, allies, and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education, and advocacy, and has more than 400 chapters and 200,000 supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. To learn more, visit http://pflag.org/. Like us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/pflag), or follow us on Twitter (@pflag) or Instagram (@pflagnational).

Cultivating Respect: Safe Schools for All is PFLAG National's safe schools program, part of our efforts to make schools safe and free from fear, bullying, and discrimination. Learn more at http://pflag.org/safeschools

Diane Anton

Subaru of America, Inc.

856-488-5093

[email protected]

Liz Owen

PFLAG National

202-467-8180 ext. 214

[email protected]

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.subaru.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tahoe Resources Inc. (TSX: THO, NYSE: TAHO) ("Tahoe" or the "Company") reported today that the Guatemalan government has taken legal action to disburse protestors and open the primary road that connects Guatemala City to San Rafael las Flores near the Escobal Mine. The Company has learned that police used tear gas to clear the public road. This action comes after many days of illegal blockage and extensive dialogue between protestors, the Government and the Company to resolve the blockade of the road near the town of Casillas. The Company is not aware of any serious injuries as a result of the action. The Company has worked diligently to engage numerous stakeholders, including the Vice President of Guatemala, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of the Environment, Human Rights Ombudsman, representatives of the Catholic Church and diplomatic missions involved in human rights monitoring to attempt to resolve the matter peacefully.

The Company is committed to the human and civil rights of all Guatemalan people and supports communities' rights to freedom of expression and assembly in a lawful manner. It equally supports others negatively affected by the illegal road blockage, such as employees, suppliers and non-protesting citizens' rights to free passage and work. The Company embraces the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights, which guide law enforcement in appropriate use of force and respect for human rights.

The Company will continue to work with the government, community leaders and others to resolve any on-going concerns by the protestors. The Guatemalan agency responsible for studying seismic activity (INSIVUMEH) has confirmed that operations at Escobal are not causing the naturally occurring seismic activity in the Casillas area located 16 kilometers from the Mine. The Company has conducted tours for thousands of citizens living near the mine over the last seven years and invites interested citizens to visit the Mine to learn more about its safe and environmentally sound operations.

Ron Clayton, President and CEO of Tahoe Resources Inc., commented: "As annunciated in Tahoe's Human Rights Policy, we support freedom of association in the Guatemalan communities and are always open to dialogue about any concerns over the Escobal Mine. It is important to note that a majority of the citizens in the immediate communities where the Mine is located continue to support the Mine. We will continue to work diligently to engage government and community leaders to provide transparent information regarding our safe operations."

At this time, the Company has no reason to believe that its guidance will be affected by this situation.

About Tahoe Resources Inc.

Tahoe's strategy is to responsibly operate mines to world standards, to pay significant shareholder dividends and to develop high quality precious metals assets in the Americas. Tahoe is a member of the S&P/TSX Composite and TSX Global Mining indices and the Russell 3000 on the NYSE. The Company is listed on the TSX as THO and on the NYSE as TAHO.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). In particular, this news release includes forward-looking statements related to action taken by the Guatemalan government near the town of Casillas and the resolution of the roadblock along the road to the Escobal Mine.

Forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the Company's ability to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Tahoe's actual results, programs and financial position could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. These include, but are not necessarily limited to social unrest and political or economic instability in Guatemala. There is no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Tahoe does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as, and to the extent required by, applicable securities laws. For a further discussion of risks relevant to the Company, see the Company's Annual Information Form available on www.sedar.com under the heading "Description of Our Business  Risk Factors."

For further information, please contact:

Tahoe Resources Inc.

Vice President, Investor Relations

[email protected]

Tel: 775-448-5800

SOURCE Tahoe Resources Inc.

Related Links

http://Www.tahoeresourcesinc.com


GREENSBORO, N.C., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT) announced today that its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 will be released Tuesday evening, August 1, 2017 after the market close. The Company will host its conference call for analysts, investors and other interested parties on Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

To access the conference call on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, listeners should dial 1-877-277-5113, conference ID # 46672106.

Alternatively, a live audio webcast of this call will be available to the public on Tanger's Investor Relations website investors.tangeroutlets.com, hosted by SNL IR Solutions. SNL subscribers may also access the webcast via the SNL database at www.snl.com.

A telephone replay of the call will be available from August 2, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time through 11:59 p.m. on August 11, 2017 by dialing 1-855-859-2056, conference ID # 46672106. An online archive of the webcast will also be available through August 11, 2017.

About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE:SKT), is a publicly-traded REIT headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that presently operates and owns, or has an ownership interest in, a portfolio of 43 upscale outlet shopping centers and one additional center currently under construction. Tanger's operating properties are located in 22 states coast to coast and in Canada, totaling approximately 14.8 million square feet, leased to over 3,100 stores which are operated by more than 500 different brand name companies. The Company has more than 36 years of experience in the outlet industry. Tanger Outlet Centers continue to attract more than 188 million shoppers annually. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the Company's website at www.tangeroutlets.com.

Contact: Jim Williams

SVP and CFO

(336) 834-6800

[email protected]

Cyndi Holt

Vice President of Investor Relations

(336) 834-6892

[email protected]

SOURCE Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tangeroutlet.com


THC.CSE

THCBF  OTC

TFHC.F

VANCOUVER, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - THC Biomed Intl Ltd. ("THC") is pleased to announce that it has received an order to export Dried Marihuana to Germany. THC has initiated the process to meet regulatory requirements to export to the European Union.

THC is excited to begin to claw into, what is anticipated to be more than a billion-dollar International Cannabis Market.

THC currently offers 29 different Genetic strains for sale and has the largest variety of Genetic strains available in Canada to home growers.

"THC intends to soon begin selling dried Marihuana as an interim supply to registered home growers at $4.20 per gram. We believe this would be the lowest price ever offered to medical patients in Canada," commented John Miller, President and CEO of THC.

"We are pleased to offer this wholesale-type pricing to our fellow growers. The home growing market is expected to expand rapidly in the event recreational Marihuana is introduced," said Mr. Miller.

THC is also pleased to announce that Dr. Ashish Dave has consented to join the Board. He was appointed as a Director on June 21, 2017. Dr. Dave is a scientist who has previously consulted for THC. Dr. Dave has a PHD in plant tissue culture and a Master's Degree in botany.

THC has also settled $58,596 of debt obligations for consulting services through the issuance of 133,172 common shares of THC at a deemed price of $0.44 per share

About THC

THC is an authorized licensed producer of dried Marihuana for Medical Purposes and fresh Marihuana and Cannabis oil  production only. THC's vision is to be on the leading edge of scientific research and development of products and services related to the medical Cannabis industry while creating a standard of excellence. As the industry develops, it will become more important to focus on scientific research and development of products and services related to medical Cannabis. Management believes THC is well positioned to be in the forefront of this rapidly growing industry.

Please visit our website for a more detailed description of our business and services available. www.thcbiomed.com

Forward-Looking Information:

This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of THC. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of THC. Although THC believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because THC can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and include that (a) there will be a more than billion dollar International Cannabis Market THC has the largest variety of Genetic strains available in Canada to home growers (b) THC will sell dried Marihuana to registered home growers at $4.20 per gram (c) $4.20/gram would be the lowest price ever offered to medical patients in Canada (d) The home growing market is expected to expand rapidly once recreational Marihuana is introduced and (e) recreational Marihuana may be introduced. THC disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE THC BioMed

Related Links

www.thcbiomed.com


"The air we breathe is poor, there are germs on every single thing you touch. You drink water that's meant to be healthy, and you end up in the hospital. It's only getting worse," Yisrayl says.

Yisrayl makes it clear that this is the fault of mankind and not a mistake by the Creator, Yahweh. He says if all of the biblical Laws had been kept, the world would be in a much better state. He says there are many ways to reverse this, but the earth needs to be cleansed. He adds that just like in the way the human body needs cleansing to get rid of viruses or parasites, the earth, too, has ways it needs to cleanse in order to rejuvenate.

Yisrayl is very clear to say that all of the issues suffered within society are not only preventable but also reversible. He says The Book of Yahweh, the Holy Scriptures, has the Plan that was inspired from Yahweh, Himself, to help the world understand the damage they have done and how to fix it.

"No matter how bad things are, you always have the opportunity to repent, learn how to do things right, and fix them. Come to The House of Yahweh and learn how to live life to its fullest," Yisrayl adds.

Yisrayl says The House of Yahweh has free literature on their website to give those willing an opportunity to get started.

To read about this, go to http://yahwehsbranch.com.

About Us

The House of Yahweh, fully recognized in 1983 as a non-profit organization in the United States of America, continues to fulfill its commissioned work of preaching and publishing the True Message of Salvation.

The House of Yahweh has correctly restored the Heavenly Father's and the Savior's True Names in the translation named in Scripture as The Book of Yahweh.

SOURCE The House of Yahweh

Related Links

http://www.yahweh.com


WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) elected two new members to its Board of Trustees during its annual meeting held in Orlando, Florida in April. The new trustees' background and expertise in the fracture liaison service model of care will greatly contribute to NOF's mission of reducing fractures caused by osteoporosis. The newly elected trustees include: Anne Lake, DNP, ONP-C, FNP-C, CCD, the Fracture Liaison Service Program Coordinator for Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC and Mary Oates, MD, a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist and Certified Clinical Densitometrist with offices in the Pacific Central Coast Health Centers in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo.

"We are thrilled to welcome two new members with extensive osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment experience and expertise in the fracture liaison service model of care to our Board of Trustees," said Amy Porter, Executive Director and CEO, National Osteoporosis Foundation. "Dr. Lake and Dr. Oates' specialized backgrounds will help NOF move toward its goal of reducing the two million broken bones that occur in our country every year due to osteoporosis."

About NOF's New Trustees:

Anne Lake, DNP, ONP-C, FNP-C, CCD is the Fracture Liaison Service Program Clinician and Coordinator for a nationally recognized Fracture Liaison Service at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC and a current board member of the North Carolina Osteoporosis Foundation. After receiving her doctorate in nursing practice from Frontier Nursing University in 2011 with her doctoral thesis focused on the Implementation of Bone Health Protocols in Orthopedic Practice, Dr. Lake began speaking nationally on osteoporosis and the importance of Fracture Liaison Programs as a standard of care. Dr. Lake serves on the clinical advising bureau for Eli Lilly and Co. and is a speaker on best practice standards of care for the Fracture Liaison Service Quality Care program. Dr. Lake has received a Fracture Liaison Certificate from NOF and has served as a clinical advisor for NOF's partner organization, the National Bone Health Alliance. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Quality Committee and as a member of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review committee on behalf of NOF. Dr. Lake is a published author in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery for Establishing a Fracture Liaison Service, An Orthopaedic Approach and has authored the Metabolic Bone Health and Pediatric sections for the Orthopaedic Nurse Practitioner review course curriculum.

Mary Oates, MD is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist and a Certified Clinical Densitometrist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Dr. Oates has been working at the Marian French and Arroyo Grande hospitals in California since 1994. Dr. Oates founded the Marian and French Hospital Osteoporosis Center and is a volunteer faculty member at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California. Dr. Oates is actively involved with community education and outreach projects aimed at the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and has participated in several osteoporosis pharmaceutical research studies and observational Body Composition studies using DXA for the evaluation of bone muscle and fat.

About the National Osteoporosis Foundation

Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation's leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, promoting strong bones for life and reducing human suffering through programs of awareness, education, advocacy and research. For more information on the National Osteoporosis Foundation, visit www.nof.org.

Contact: Claire Gill

(703) 647-3025

[email protected]

SOURCE National Osteoporosis Foundation

Related Links

http://www.nof.org


NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Quarto Group today launches its new Quarto STEAM initiative in support of the movement to elevate the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics through an integrated and varied curriculum.

Quarto STEAM provides books and learning materials through 25 dedicated collections and educational resources for educators and parents, which will help kids gain confidence, fuel their curiosity and learn in fun, innovative ways.

Quarto STEAM Logo

Each Quarto STEAM collection will be grouped by units of study, incorporate guided reading levels and will be aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Accompanying each collection will be a Teacher's Guide, which will tackle essential questions around each STEAM category and provide book suggestions and activities for teachers to use both in and out of the classroom.

Overall, the collection will launch with 170 books from Quarto's catalogue, curated and vetted by an educational expert and range in curriculum levels from Pre-K to Grade 8. Quarto STEAM is being introduced to the industry for the first time today at ALA 2017 in Chicago  the American Library Association's Annual Conference and Exhibition  and is also available on the Group's website at quartoknows.com/steam.

Marcus Leaver, Chief Executive of The Quarto Group commented:

"It's our mission to enrich, entertain and educate adults and kids around the world by publishing fantastic books and content. For a global publisher like Quarto, supporting STEAM learning more formally is a natural evolution, to address and meet the challenges of an ever-evolving, experiential society."

Anne Landa, Group Publisher, The Quarto Group said:

"Our collections make it easy for educators to prepare and inspire young generations of learners to meet the challenges of the future in an ever-evolving global world. The Quarto STEAM program encourages both learning and creativity, while allowing kids the freedom to make the connection between our books and their natural curiosity."

About The Quarto Group

The Quarto Group (LSE: QRT) is the leading global illustrated book publishing group, employing over 400 people in the US, UK and Hong Kong. The group was founded in London in 1976, is domiciled in the US and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information, visit quarto.com or follow us on Twitter at @TheQuartoGroup.

Contact:

Diane Naughton

Director of Children's Marketing

[email protected]

+1(212)779-1388







SOURCE The Quarto Group

Related Links

https://www.quarto.com/


World of Luxury Showcase

Held on the French Lick Springs Hotel's Valley Links Driving Range, alongside an array of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars, the day-long World of Luxury Showcase offers an impressive yet relaxed setting in which TOTO may present the NEOREST 750H and new NEOREST AC intelligent toilets to RROC members. Winners of the iF International Award for Design Excellence, the NEOREST 750H and new NEOREST AC intelligent toilets offer the People-First Innovations that luxury consumers have come to expect from TOTOintuitive sensor operation with auto open/close and auto flush; integrated personal cleansing system with warm, aerated water, warm air dryer, and heated seat; in-bowl catalytic deodorizer; energy- and water-saving features; eWater+ and Actilight advanced cleansing technologies; and elegant high-design aesthetics.

Strive for Perfection: A Journey into Design, Luxury & Quality

TOTO and its leadership in innovation, technology, design and luxury in the U.S. are profiled in a four-page editorial in Strive for PerfectionA Journey into Design, Luxury & Qualitythe RROC's new 232-page hardback book. Written by a select group of motoring experts, this limited-edition publication explores the living legacy of the world's most famous luxury automobile, Rolls-Royce. Showcasing models old and new, the book celebrates the company's unceasing pursuit of excellencean ethos that has earned Rolls-Royce the status of "best car in the world." Produced by London-based publisher St. James's House in collaboration with the RROC, the new book will be officially presented to the Club at a gala Champaign reception, against a backdrop of the Meet's finest, award-winning Rolls-Royce motorcars.

About TOTO

TOTO USA is headquarters for the Americas Division of the TOTO Global Group, which was established in 1917 with the founding of TOTO, Ltd., in Kitakyushu, Japan. TOTO is the world's largest manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and fittings with $4.9 billion dollars in annual sales. For the past 100 years, TOTO has been the recognized leader in innovation, technology, performance, and design with products that enhance the luxury bathroom experience. Today, the company maintains 28,100 employees in 20 countries and owns manufacturing facilities around the world in countries as diverse as Japan, Mexico, Germany, the USA, India and China. Guided by its corporate philosophy , the TOTO Global Group strives to create a great company, trusted by people all around the world, which contributes to the betterment of society. With three centers devoted to research and development, TOTO is dedicated to engineering products that respect the environment while meeting people's needs for comfort, beauty and performance. Consumers enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing they purchased a brand that innovates to improve people's quality of life. Winner of numerous domestic and international awards and recognitions, TOTO is the only plumbing manufacturer honored as Water Efficiency Leader by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The company continues to raise industry standards and consumer expectations as to what is possible in the bath space, as TOTO believes a high-quality bathroom is an experience and an everyday luxury people value and appreciate.

For more information, consumers may visit www.totousa.com or call 1.888.295.8134, Option 5. Follow TOTO on Twitter ( @TOTOUSA ) and become a TOTO fan on Facebook.

SOURCE TOTO

Related Links

http://www.totousa.com


NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Audiences attending Braata Productions' upcoming Jonkuunu Hattitude Masquerade Show will be treated to a truly unique exhibition experience- a colorful array of hats and masks created by Senior Citizens from South Ozone, Queens, showcasing their best artistic skills.

The show takes place on Thursday June 29 starting at 11 am at The Catholic Charities Ozone Park Senior Center in Ozone Park, Queens.

Jonkuunu Hattitude is presented by Braata Productions with funding from the New York City SU CASA Initiative.

The SU CASA (Spanish for "Your House") initiative is a community arts engagement program that places artists and organizations in residence at senior citizen centers across the five boroughs of New York City. The program, funded by the New York City Council, provides grants to artists and entities for the creation and delivery of arts programming for seniors.

During the programme, teaching artists engage participating seniors in an art project or series of cultural programs over the course of the residency, which culminates in a public presentation to showcase the efforts of the participants.

At the Catholic Charities Ozone Park Senior Center, acclaimed Jamaican born designer and visual artist Damian Shaw has been artist in residence for several months, and chose to instruct his residents in the art of creating masks and headwear celebrating the Jonkuunu masquerade tradition.

The Jonkuunu street parade is a long standing Caribbean cultural tradition and hearkens back to the days of slavery, finding its roots in African folk culture. The parades are usually held during the Christmas and New Year's holidays and feature unique, often scary masks and costumes worn by street parade participants.

The colorful headwear created by the Ozone Park Seniors under Shaw's guidance will now be on display for the public to see at the upcoming show- aptly titled Jonkuunu Hattitude.

According to Braata Productions Founder and Executive Director Andrew Clarke, "Programmes such as the SU CASA Initiative are vital in promoting the engagement and overall well being of its senior participants, and so we at Braata are committed to continuing to play our part."

The Jonkuunu Hattitude Show and Exhibit is free and open to the public.

The Catholic Charities Ozone Park Senior Center is located at 103-02 101st Avenue, Jamaica NY, 11416.

See also-www.braataproductions.org

Contact-Rachel Damarr Williams

718-444-4656

[email protected]

SOURCE Braata Productions

Related Links

http://www.braataproductions.org


NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United Spinal Association's VetsFirst program praises the passage of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act that was signed into law today by President Trump.

VetsFirst, which advised Congress on significant portions of the law, was joined at the White House along with allied veterans service organizations (VSOs), Members of Congress and veterans from around the country for the signing.

The new bipartisan bill is a significant reform that will aid the VA leadership to maintain a healthy workforce by removing bad employees more efficiently, protect whistle blowers and fulfill its mission more effectively.

"VetsFirst had prioritized accountability and workforce reform at the VA as its #1 priority in 2017 and we are proud to have been part of getting the job done," said Iraq War Veteran Christopher Neiweem, Director of VetsFirst, a program of United Spinal Association.

"No longer will a VA leader be allowed to make decisions that run contrary to VA's values--or worse--put veterans lives in danger and be retained for ridiculously long periods of times, while the veteran community is put on hold trying to secure a justified outcome for situations that clearly involve wrong doing," added Neiweem.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 would:

Create a new streamlined and efficient process to remove, demote or suspend (for longer than 14 days) any VA employee for poor performance or misconduct with a concrete shortened timeline, while still protecting employees' due process rights, and would provide them with the right to appeal the action.

Provide expanded protections for whistleblowers and would specifically bar VA from using this removal authority if the employee has an open whistleblower complaint/case with the Office of Special Counsel.

Provide the Secretary with the authority to reduce an employee's federal pension if they are convicted of a felony that influenced their job at VA; recoup a bonus provided to an employee who engaged in misconduct or poor performance prior to receiving the bonus; and allow the Secretary to recoup any relocation expenses that were authorized for a VA employee only through the employee's ill-gotten means, such as fraud waste or malfeasance.

Authorize the Secretary to directly appoint individuals to the positions of Medical Center Director and Director of Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) if they have a demonstrated ability in the medical profession, health care administration or health care fiscal management. This will make it easier to fill these critical positions quickly.

VetsFirst actively promoted for the passage of the bill over the past three years via its lobbying efforts, grassroots and media engagement.

The new law is supported by:

United Spinal's VetsFirst

The American Legion

Concerned Veterans for America

Disabled American Veterans

Fleet Reserve Association

Got Your 6

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Military Order of the Purple Heart

Paralyzed Veterans of America

Student Veterans of America

United States Army Warrant Officers Association

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Vietnam Veterans of America

About VetsFirst

VetsFirst advocates for laws and regulations that are beneficial to veterans and their families. Our staff works to secure the benefits that our veterans and their family members need and have earned. We advocate nationally for all generations of veterans, including individuals living with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

About United Spinal Association

United Spinal is a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit membership organization formed in 1946 by paralyzed veterans and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Americans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), including multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, ALS and post-polio. It played a significant role in writing the Americans with Disabilities Act, and made important contributions to the Fair Housing Amendments Act and the Air Carrier Access Act. Membership is free and is open to all individuals with SCI/D. United Spinal was instrumental in getting New York City to create sidewalk curb ramps and accessible public transportation that has been used as a model for many United States cities.

Media contact:

Ahvi Spindell

Spindell Media Relations, LLC

United Spinal Association

(212) 580-4567

[email protected]

Twitter @ahvispin

SOURCE United Spinal Association

Related Links

http://www.unitedspinal.org


"I cried for the first time in years," said Joel Marler. "I'm really thankful to be here. I want to give a shout out to the other teams  this was a great competition!"

The Festus Rocket Club includes Grace Basler, 16; Ed Bohnert, 17; Cydney Breier, 18; Ryan Brown, 17; Christopher Carden, 18; Ashton Croft, 15; Joel Marler, 17; Rylie Martin, 17; Jacob Rozner, 18; and Timothy Ruesche, 17. As part of the IRC, teams were required to launch a raw hen's egg to 800 feet and return it to earth safely within 42-44 seconds. In addition to launch requirements, competing teams were also tasked with delivering a presentation explaining their rocket design to a distinguished panel of international aerospace experts, which accounted for 40 percent of their total score.

Festus High School placed in third place in the presentation component and took first place in the launch component. The Japanese team from Omiya Tech High School came in second, France's College Blaise Pascal School came in third, and the U.K.'s Sweyn Park School came in fourth.

"You could not have written a better story for the Festus Team in a movie script," said AIA President and CEO David F. Melcher. "It was an impressive performance from each team, and we are especially proud of our students for winning a third consecutive international title for the United States."

This is the 12th year the Raytheon Company has proudly sponsored Team USA, enabling them to attend an international air show. Raytheon's support is tied closely to the company's MathMovesU initiative that aims to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

"The International Rocketry Challenge is a powerful way to inspire the next generation of technological innovators we need to solve some of the great challenges of our day," said Thomas A. Kennedy, Raytheon Chairman and CEO. "Congratulations to all the participants on an outstanding global competition. Your enthusiasm for and expertise in science and math point to a bright future for us all."

"This trip wouldn't be possible without Raytheon," said Lorenz. "This team had to do all of their fundraising to get to D.C. for the TARC National Competition  there was no way they were going to get to Paris without Raytheon's support. They were new this year and now they are World Champions. I couldn't be prouder."

The International Rocketry Challenge is the culmination of four separate competitions held annually around the globe: the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR); the United Kingdom Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKAYRoC) sponsored by ADS, the UK Aerospace, Defense, Security and Space association; the French Rocketry Challenge sponsored by Groupement des Industries Francaises Aeronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS), the French aerospace industries association and Planete Sciences; and the Japanese Rocketry Challenge, sponsored by the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies and the Japan Association of Rocketry.

Each challenge brings together teams of middle and high school students to design, build and launch model rockets with the goal of inspiring young minds to become engaged in STEM education and aerospace careers.

About TARC: The Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) is the world's largest student rocket contest and a key piece of the aerospace and defense industry's strategy to build a stronger U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the National Association of Rocketry and more than 20 corporate sponsors, approximately 5,000 students on nearly 1,000 teams from across the United States participate each year.

Facebook | Flickr | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209 (703) 358-1000 www.aia-aerospace.org

Founded in 1919, the Aerospace Industries Association is the most authoritative and influential trade association representing the U.S. aerospace and defense industry on Capitol Hill, within the administration and internationally. As the voice of American aerospace and defense, representing manufacturers and suppliers across every high-technology manufacturing sector, AIA's strong advocacy is essential to protecting the interests of our nation and our industry.

SOURCE Aerospace Industries Association

Related Links

http://www.aia-aerospace.org


Viking's award-winning ocean ships are classified as "small ships" by Cruise Critic, and the 930-guest, 47,800-ton Viking Sky is the third of eight ocean cruise ships currently planned for the fleet. The fourth and fifth ships, Viking Sun and Viking Spirit, are under construction and will be delivered in September 2017 and 2018, respectively. By 2019 Viking will welcome its sixth ship and will become the largest small ship ocean cruise line. Two additional ships are on order for delivery in 2021 and 2022. Visit www.vikingcruises.com for more information.
"This is a special time of year in Norway  these are the days of the midnight sun and the perfect backdrop for a celebration. All of our ships proudly carry the Norwegian flag, and it is an especially proud day to officially welcome our new ship in Troms, the arctic capital of the world," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises. "Vikings were explorers, and our ships are built with their spirit of exploration in mind. We design every aspect of our ships and cruises so that our guests can spend more time immersed in their destination. Scandinavia is Viking territory, but as we continue to expand our fleet, we also look forward to introducing new travelers to the Viking way of travel around the world."

After arriving today in Troms, Viking Sky was positioned in the harbor adjacent to a concert stage constructed specifically for the celebration. Viking guests and residents of Troms were treated to a public concert, with performances from a variety of Norwegian musicians  including Arctic Philharmonic, Lisa Stokke, Violet Road, Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska and Jrn Hoel. During Viking Sky's christening ceremony, Marit Barstad, sister of Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen, served as ceremonial godmother and offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for Viking Sky  a naval tradition that dates back thousands of years.

Several elements of the christening ceremony paid homage to the Norwegian heritage of both the company and godmother. Instead of champagne for the traditional bottle-breaking, Viking Sky was christened with a bottle of Gammel Opland aquavit, which hails from the same county in Norway where Torstein and Marit's mother, Ragnhild  also lovingly known as "Mamsen"  was born. "Mamsen's," the Norwegian deli onboard Viking Sky, was also named after Ragnhild, and Gammel Opland was her favorite brand of aquavit. Additionally, in honor of the original Viking explorers, a gilded Viking axe was used to cut the cord for the aquavit christening. The particular axe used is a replica of a gilded Viking axe artifact discovered near Troms. Also, the chopping block used for the ceremony was brought from the Rotnes Farm in Nittedal, where the godmother grew up. Immediately following the christening, Viking Sky set sail from Troms with a convoy of small boats and fishing vessels to mark the summer equinox in Nordkapp (North Cape). Onboard the ship, guests were also treated to a special christening dinner with Norwegian delicacies and musical performances by Lisa Stokke, Tor Jaran Apold and Mari Boine. The ship will now spend the summer season sailing Viking's popular itineraries in Scandinavia and the Baltic.

Viking Sky

Viking's ocean ships have a gross tonnage of 47,800 tons, boast 465 cabins and accommodate 930 passengers. Viking Sky is the third of eight ocean cruise ships currently planned for the fleet. The fourth and fifth ships, Viking Sun and Viking Spirit, are under construction and will be delivered in September 2017 and 2018, respectively. By 2019 Viking will welcome its sixth ship and will become the largest small ship ocean cruise line. Two additional ships are on order for delivery in 2021 and 2022. Viking's ocean fleet features understated elegance and modern Scandinavian design. Highlights include:

All Veranda Staterooms: Guests can choose from five stateroom categories, starting from a 270 sq. ft. Veranda Stateroom, all with private verandas and premium amenities that include king-size beds with luxury linens, large showers, luxury toiletries, heated bathroom floors and large interactive flat-screen LCD TVs with movies-on-demand.

Guests can choose from five stateroom categories, starting from a 270 sq. ft. Veranda Stateroom, all with private verandas and premium amenities that include king-size beds with luxury linens, large showers, luxury toiletries, heated bathroom floors and large interactive flat-screen LCD TVs with movies-on-demand. Explorer Suites: The ships feature 14 Explorer Suites, which are two-room suites ranging from 757 to 1,163 sq. ft. that offer sweeping views from wraparound private verandas as well as the most amenities and privileges of any category onboard.

The ships feature 14 Explorer Suites, which are two-room suites ranging from 757 to 1,163 sq. ft. that offer sweeping views from wraparound private verandas as well as the most amenities and privileges of any category onboard. Two Pool Choices: In addition to the Main Pool with a retractable roof permitting any-season swimming, the ships feature a first-of-its-kind glass-backed Infinity Pool cantilevered off the stern, allowing guests to swim surrounded by their destination.

In addition to the Main Pool with a retractable roof permitting any-season swimming, the ships feature a first-of-its-kind glass-backed Infinity Pool cantilevered off the stern, allowing guests to swim surrounded by their destination. LivNordic Spa: In keeping with Viking's Nordic heritage, The Spa onboard is designed with the holistic wellness philosophy of Scandinavia in mindfrom the centuries-old tradition of the sauna to a Snow Grotto where snowflakes gently descend from the ceiling through chilled air. Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 named it one of the "5 best cruise ship spas."

In keeping with Viking's Nordic heritage, The Spa onboard is designed with the holistic wellness philosophy of Scandinavia in mindfrom the centuries-old tradition of the sauna to a Snow Grotto where snowflakes gently descend from the ceiling through chilled air. named it one of the "5 best cruise ship spas." Explorers' Lounge and Mamsen's: Share a cocktail with friends. Linger over a Norwegian breakfast and a nautical history book. The Explorers' Lounge and Mamsen's gourmet deli are thoughtful spaces located at the bow and designed in the Scandinavian spirit, for complete relaxation and for marveling at sweeping views through double-height windows.

Share a cocktail with friends. Linger over a Norwegian breakfast and a nautical history book. The Explorers' Lounge and Mamsen's gourmet deli are thoughtful spaces located at the bow and designed in the Scandinavian spirit, for complete relaxation and for marveling at sweeping views through double-height windows. The Wintergarden: Guests looking for serenity will find it in the Wintergarden. In this elegant space under a canopy of Scandinavian trellised wood, guests can indulge in afternoon tea service.

Guests looking for serenity will find it in the Wintergarden. In this elegant space under a canopy of Scandinavian trellised wood, guests can indulge in afternoon tea service. Dining Choices: Viking's ships offer multiple restaurant locations and food choicesfrom fine dining in The Restaurant, which serves three full meals and the widest choice of culinary options, and the World Cafe, which serves international fare and regional specialtiesto intimate dining experiences at The Chef's Table, which offers a multi-course tasting menu complete with wine parings, and Manfredi's, which features freshly prepared pastas and Italian favorites. Additionally, The Kitchen Table focuses on regional dishes from market to table; the Pool Grill specializes in gourmet burgers; afternoon tea and scones are available in the Wintergarden; and Mamsen's serves Norwegian deli-style fare. Furthermore, with multiple choices for outdoor seating during meals, Viking's ocean ships offer the most al fresco dining at sea.

Viking's ships offer multiple restaurant locations and food choicesfrom fine dining in The Restaurant, which serves three full meals and the widest choice of culinary options, and the World Cafe, which serves international fare and regional specialtiesto intimate dining experiences at The Chef's Table, which offers a multi-course tasting menu complete with wine parings, and Manfredi's, which features freshly prepared pastas and Italian favorites. Additionally, The Kitchen Table focuses on regional dishes from market to table; the Pool Grill specializes in gourmet burgers; afternoon tea and scones are available in the Wintergarden; and Mamsen's serves Norwegian deli-style fare. Furthermore, with multiple choices for outdoor seating during meals, Viking's ocean ships offer the most dining at sea. Enriching Entertainment: Connecting guests to their destinations through authentic experiences is central to Viking in creating "the thinking person's cruise." Instead of casinos and water slides, guests are offered Viking's Culture Curriculum including: world-class lectures on history and art; personalized opportunities for learning with the Viking Resident Historian program; tasting of vintage wines from their destinations; restaurant menus inspired by local cuisine; informative port talks; enriching Destination Performances featuring folkloric shows and musicians playing regional and classical music; an onboard cooking school allowing guests to learn how to prepare local specialties.

Connecting guests to their destinations through authentic experiences is central to Viking in creating "the thinking person's cruise." Instead of casinos and water slides, guests are offered Viking's Culture Curriculum including: world-class lectures on history and art; personalized opportunities for learning with the Viking Resident Historian program; tasting of vintage wines from their destinations; restaurant menus inspired by local cuisine; informative port talks; enriching Destination Performances featuring folkloric shows and musicians playing regional and classical music; an onboard cooking school allowing guests to learn how to prepare local specialties. Sustainable Features: Designed with the environment in mind, Viking's ships feature energy-efficient hybrid engines, hydro-dynamically optimized streamlined hull and bow for maximum fuel efficiency and equipment that minimizes exhaust pollution and meets the strictest environmental regulations.

The Viking Difference

Designed for discerning travelers with interests in history, art, music and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers guests "the thinking person's cruise" as an alternative to mainstream cruises. Ships are small to get guests closer to their destination, with more time in port and more overnights. Onboard, guests find serene Scandinavian spaces, where every room is beautiful and functional, quiet and filled with light. All-veranda ships mean that guests experience every day with a new, expansive vista. With the most al fresco dining at sea, featuring regional cuisines and always-available American classics, Viking's guests can truly dine in their destination. A focus on cultural enrichment brings immersive experiences onshore and onboard. And only The Viking Way brings guests itineraries that feature Local Life, Working World and Privileged Access experiences.

In addition, Viking Inclusive Value provides a small ship experience at a big ship value and no nickel-and-diming  with every cruise fare including a veranda stateroom, shore excursions in each port of call, all onboard meals, and all port charges and government taxes. Guests also enjoy many complimentary amenities as part of their fare, including: beer and wine with lunch and dinner service; premium dining reservations; Wi-Fi; self-service laundry; access to the Thermal Suite in the LivNordic Spa; and 24-hour room servicean included value of more than $200 per person, per day for an average cruise.

Booking Details

From now through June 30, 2017, Viking is offering U.S. residents special offers, with 2-for-1 cruise fare and up to free international air on select itineraries. Call Viking toll free at 1-855-8-VIKING (1-855-884-5464) or contact a travel agent.

Media Assets

For more information, images and b-roll for Viking Cruises, contact [email protected].

About Viking Cruises

Viking Cruises was founded by Chairman Torstein Hagen in 1997 with the purchase of four ships in Russia. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017, Viking is the leader in river and small ship ocean cruising, offering destination-focused itineraries designed for experienced travelers who have an interest in geography, culture and history. In its first year of operation, Viking Ocean Cruises was rated the #1 ocean cruise line in Travel + Leisure's 2016 "World's Best" Awards, which came on the heels of being rated the highest of all cruise lines in the 2015 "World's Best" Awards. Viking currently operates a fleet of 62 vessels, offering scenic cruising on rivers and oceans around the world. By 2022 the company will operate eight 930-guest ocean cruise ships and will be the largest small ship ocean cruise line. In addition to the Travel + Leisure honors, Viking has also been honored multiple times on Conde Nast Traveler's "Gold List" as well as recognized by Cruise Critic as "Best Overall" Small-Mid size ship in the 2017 Cruisers' Choice Awards, "Best River Cruise Line" and "Best River Itineraries," with the entire Viking Longships fleet being named "Best New River Ships" in the website's Editors' Picks Awards. For additional information, contact Viking Cruises at 1-855-8-VIKING (1-855-884-5464) or visit www.vikingcruises.com.

SOURCE Viking Cruises

Related Links

https://www.vikingcruises.com


We Are One+Together hope to inspire our community to take a stand with the Mr. Gay Syria contestants by signing our petition urging the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services to take swift action and accelerate the process of granting the five courageous contestants asylum. The petition can be accessed at https://www.change.org/p/grant-mr-gay-syria-contestants-asylum-wearemrgaysyria .

To announce the initiative We Are One+Together present the short film, War Within (04.10 min), directed by Palestinian, American director Zaher Saleh as part of the We Are One+Together film series. The film tells a very personal story of a gay Muslim man's struggle to reconcile his sexuality with his faith, his longing for acceptance from his family and the journey to self love and acceptance.

This announcement of the non profit's social initiatives: the Baytee One+Together Center (a center providing social services and health referral targeted towards LGBTQ Middle-Eastern Muslim and Arab teenagers and young adults and the Mr. Gay Syria Campaign comes as part of the celebrations of Pride Month and NYC Pride.

About Zaher Saleh:

Zaher Saleh was born in Lebanon to Palestinian refugees and raised in Canfield, Ohio where he spent his summers as a teen with relatives, eventually attending high school and college there. Although he rose to fame in the Middle East, Saleh's ascent into pop stardom began in Ohio. While attending Youngstown State University on a whim he sent an audition tape for the Arab language version of hugely popular pop music talent contest "Star Academy", in Beirut. Saleh placed in the top five and, unlike many reality TV contestants, he went on to even greater success releasing both English and Arab language hits in the Middle East. Saleh is now poised to bring his talents as a musician and a director to American audiences. As a director, Zaher has been honing his craft working on various directorial projects, and the film War Within, produced by Derek Anderson, certainly exemplifies his undoubted devotion to creating that crosses boundaries, and unites people.

About We Are One+Together:

We Are One+Together is a non-profit movement focused on bringing people together by celebrating our differences. Together we can inspire positive change with authentic action, collaborative celebration, and unconditional unity. That's exactly our commitment: We celebrate you. We celebrate us. We celebrate One+Together. From massive world-wide celebrations to small-scale private acts of kindness, our strategic focus centers around bringing people together. Think about it. If we as individuals focused on claiming our own brand of unique, we can inspire others to do exactly the same. Together we can advance society, accelerate global cause impact, and We're a non-profit movement with boundless appreciation and acknowledgment of every single person. WeAreOneTogether.org was born from the steadfast commitment of Zirkova One+Together vodka.

War Within Film Link:

https://vimeo.com/222315815



#Weare One+Together

#WeAreMrGaySyria

SOURCE We Are One+Together

Related Links

http://weareonetogether.org


TOLEDO, Ohio, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Welltower Inc. (NYSE: HCN) today announced that it will release its second quarter 2017 financial results before the market opens on July 28, 2017. The company will also host a conference call on July 28, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. The company's earnings release will be available in the Investors section of the company's website.

Investors and other interested parties may access the conference call in the following ways:

At the company's website: www.welltower.com. To participate in the webcast, please log on 15 minutes in advance of the scheduled call to download the necessary software. A webcast replay will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes and will be available for 90 days.

By telephone: The telephone dial-in number in the U.S. is 888-346-2469. For participants outside the U.S., the dial-in number is 706-758-4923. The conference ID number is 44271382.

A replay of the conference call will be available beginning at approximately 12:00 p.m. on July 28, 2017, and ending on August 11, 2017 . The replay dial-in number for U.S. participants is 855-859-2056. For participants outside the U.S., the replay dial-in number is 404-537-3406. The replay conference ID number is 44271382.

About Welltower

Welltower Inc. (NYSE: HCN), an S&P 500 company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is driving the transformation of health care infrastructure. The company invests with leading seniors housing operators, post-acute providers and health systems to fund the real estate infrastructure needed to scale innovative care delivery models and improve people's wellness and overall health care experience. Welltower, a real estate investment trust ("REIT"), owns interests in properties concentrated in major, high-growth markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, consisting of seniors housing and post-acute communities and outpatient medical properties. More information is available at www.welltower.com.

SOURCE Welltower Inc.

Related Links

http://www.welltower.com


HEBRON, Ky., June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ZoomEssence, Inc. and International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. (NYSE: IFF) have settled all claims and counterclaims brought in a lawsuit that was originally filed by ZoomEssence on March 9, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Under the settlement, IFF will make a one-time payment of $56,000,000 to ZoomEssence. The Settlement Agreement provides for the dismissal of all claims, with prejudice and without any admission of liability or wrongful conduct, and full mutual releases.

ZoomEssence creates and manufactures a broad range of powder flavors for brands around the globe, partnering with them to custom design consumer-preferred flavor solutions.

"Our patented Zooming process is an innovative, no-heat spray drying technology," said Robert Corbett, Chief Executive Officer at ZoomEssence. "Our mission is to empower brands to deliver exceptional, cost-effective consumer taste experiences never before possible with powder flavors."

"Zooming results in better particle formation, protecting the flavor's integrity while enhancing stability," said Dr. Charles Beetz, Chief Scientist at ZoomEssence. "As a result, our patented DriZoom powder uniquely retains the qualities present in the liquid flavors we dry to yield authentic taste and aroma."

ZoomEssence was represented in the lawsuit by Steven G. Storch, Bijan Amini, Lita Beth Wright, Jason Levin and Casey Hail of Storch Amini PC in New York, New York.

About ZoomEssence, Inc.

ZoomEssence, Inc. creates custom flavors bursting with taste and aroma in powder form for leading food and beverage brands. The company's game-changing, advanced no-heat powder flavor creation process called Zooming encapsulates flavor and aroma, delivering results for partner brands where taste and aroma are the key contributors to the highest level of consumer appeal. ZoomEssence DriZoom powders are found in millions of pounds of name brand products all around the world. ZoomEssence, Inc. has been innovating flavors since 2008 and operates facilities in Sayreville, NJ and Hebron, KY.

See more at www.ZoomEssence.com.

SOURCE ZoomEssence, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.zoomessence.com


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
Patna, June 19 : A minor girl is battling for her life here after she was gang-raped and thrown out of a running train three days ago, the police said on Monday.

The Class 10 girl is a resident of a village in Lakhisarai district. She was admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) in a critical condition on Sunday.

"The victim is still critical but we are hopeful that her condition will improve. She is traumatised and seriously injured as she was thrown out from a running train," a hospital official said.

A PMCH doctor treating her told IANS, "There is a slow sign of improvement after three units of blood were administered to her since Sunday".

"Her legs and waist were badly fractured and she has suffered heavy loss of blood. We have been trying the best to provide proper treatment," the doctor said.

The doctor said the girl's private parts "needed stitches due to deep wounds".

Sunil Jha, a police officer, the first to talk to the victim, said she told him that "when she had gone to answer the call of nature on early Friday morning in the fields, two men forcibly took her to a nearby field and raped her, followed by four others".

When she became unconscious, they took her to the railway station, boarded a train and raped her again before throwing her out from the running train near Kiul railway station.

The victim was found unconscious near Kiul railway station by some locals. They informed the police and took her to a hospital, where she was provided treatment. However, the doctors referred her to PMCH after her condition deteriorated.

One of the six sexual attackers of the girl has been arrested and five others are on the run, the police said. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked top police officials to probe the case and arrest the accused persons as soon as possible.
Seoul, June 20 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday condoled the death of a US student who was released by North Korea less than a week ago.

Moon sent a consolation letter to the family of Otto Warmbier, 22, who passed away within days of his release, Xinhua news agency reported.

Moon's spokesman Park Soo-hyun told the media that the President expressed regrets for the US university student's death in the letter sent to the Warmbier family.

The University of Virginia student was held prisoner in North Korea while travelling.

Warmbier was arrested in January 2016 for allegedly trying to steal an item showing a propaganda slogan, and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in March.

Following a series of diplomatic contacts with Washington, Pyongyang released Warmbier, who was in coma.

Moon took the opportunity to urge Pyongyang to return other South Korean and US citizens held there, vowing to make all-out efforts for their release.

Moon's comments came ahead of his June 29 visit to Washington for his first two-day summit meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Mosul, June 22 : Islamic State (IS) militants have destroyed the 12th-century Al-Nuri Mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul, the media reported.

The IS blew up the mosque as they prepared to flee the besieged city, Iraqi Joint Operations Command spokesperson Yahya Rasoul told Rudaw TV, that broadcasts from the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, on Wednesday, Efe news reported.

But in a message distributed by jihadist news agency Amaq, the IS claimed that the mosque was destroyed in a bombardment by the coalition fighting to retake Mosul from them.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was proclaimed an Islamic caliphate on June 29, 2014 in Al-Nuri Mosque shortly after his forces conquered what was then a city of 2 million inhabitants.

The effort to reclaim Mosul from IS began in October 2016 and last Monday saw the start of a final push by the Iraqi Army and its allies against the jihadists.

A commander of Iraq's counterterrorism forces, Sami Kadem al-Aridi, told Efe that government troops came to within "dozens of meters (yards)" of the mosque earlier Wednesday after hours of intense combat that began before dawn.
Washington, June 22 : The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said it is probing a stabbing of a police officer at a US airport as an "act of terror". The suspect is in custody.

The incident occurred on Wednesday morning at the Michigan airport. The suspect was identified as a Canadian resident, Xinhua news agency reported.

Fifty-year-old Amor Ftouhi, who carried out the "lone-wolf" attack had entered the US on June 16, FBI special investigator David Gelios told the media.

According to Gelios, Ftouhi yelled "Allahu Akbar," or "Allah is the greatest," before he attacked Officer Jeff Neville with a 30 cm knife at the Bishop International Airport in Flint.

Neville's condition was reported to be "satisfactory" after surgery.

The FBI said the suspect was in custody and was being questioned. The probe will progress with the help of their Canadian counterparts, it added.

Amor Ftouhi had arrived at the airport on Wednesday morning. He spent some time on the first floor. Then he went to a restaurant on the second floor. Emerging from a restroom later, Ftouhi pulled out the knife and starting stabbing Neville in the neck, the FBI said.

Ftouhi also said something like "you have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan" and "we are all going to die," according to initial accounts from eye witnesses.
From 25 to 29 September, The Hague is hosting the second edition of the international Cyber Security Week. During more than 40 events, hundreds of experts in cyber security and cybercrime working for governments, businesses and knowledge institutions will share their knowledge, discuss the latest developments and pitch innovative ideas.

Together they will look for innovative solutions for one of the biggest challenges in our modern, digital world: how can we guarantee a secure cyber future? Important events at the Cyber Security Week are the Europol-INTERPOL cybercrime conference and the final of the EC-Council hacking competition Global CyberLympics.

The urgency of the issue cannot be exaggerated. The hack of the American elections and the recent attack with the WannaCry ransomware are just two examples of alarming actions that can seriously disrupt our digital world and cause huge economic damage. As international data hub and digital gateway to Europe, the Netherlands plays an important role in fighting these threats and optimally guaranteeing the cyber security of our critical infrastructures.

Participants in the Cyber Security Week include Europol, INTERPOL, NATO, representatives of various European security clusters from the UK, Belgium, Germany and France, among others, and many big and small businesses that are specialised in cyber security. Through seminars, lectures, workshops, challenges and show cases, the participants and visitors to the CSW will hear the latest 'ins and outs' with regard to cyber security and be invited to share, enhance and apply their knowledge.

The Cyber Security Week is an initiative of The Hague Security Delta (HSD), the leading security cluster in Europe, in which businesses, governments and knowledge institutions work together on cyber security innovations and knowledge development, national and urban security issues, the protection of critical infrastructure and forensics. Many events of the CSW will take place at the HSD campus, but other locations in the Hague - the International City of Peace, Justice and Security - will also host events, including the WTC, the Fokker Terminal and New Babylon.

The Cyber Security Week will be opened by the deputy mayor of The Hague, Saskia Bruines. Bruines: Cyber security is one of the biggest challenges of our modern society. International collaboration and sharing knowledge are crucial in this respect. There are also major business opportunities. This is why The Hague has developed itself into an important international centre for cyber security. The organisation of the Cyber Security Week is a good example of this."

More information about the programme can be found at: www.cybersecurityweek.nl
Chennai, June 22 : The 28-hour countdown for the Friday launch of India's earth observation satellite Cartosat and 30 co-passenger satellites with Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) began on Thursday, ISRO said.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the countdown for the launch of the satellites, that also includes 29 foreign and one Indian, from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh began at 5.29 a.m.

The Indian space agency said propellant filling operations were under progress.

The Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) on Wednesday cleared the 28-hour countdown.

India on Friday will launch the Cartosat-2 series weighing 712 kg and 30 co-passenger satellites.

According to the ISRO, the PSLV rocket's XL variant was expected to lift off on Friday at 9.29 a.m. from the Sriharikota rocket port.

The 30 satellites would together weigh 243 kg and the total weight of all the 31 satellites, including Cartosat, is about 955 kg, ISRO said.

The rocket would sling the satellites into a 505 km polar sun sunchronous orbit (SSO).

The co-passenger satellites comprise 29 nano satellites from 14 countries - Austria, Belgium, Britain, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the US as well as one Indian nano satellite.

The 29 international customer nano satellites were being launched as part of the commercial arrangements between ISRO's commercial arm, the Antrix Corporation Ltd and the international customers.

The Indian nano satellite 15 kg NIUSAT belongs to Nooral Islam University, Tamil Nadu. The satellite will provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications.
Mosul, June 22 : The Islamic State has destroyed an iconic 12th-century mosque in the city of Mosul that was the ideological heart of the terror group and the birthplace of its self-declared caliphate.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday said the destruction of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and its leaning minaret is "an official declaration of defeat" by the IS, Efe news reported.

"Blowing up the al-Hadba minaret and the al-Nuri mosque amounts to an official acknowledgement of defeat," Al-Abadi said.

Iraqi forces said IS militants blew up the ancient mosque and its famous leaning minaret on Wednesday as jihadists battled to stop advancing pro-government troops.

It was from this mosque three years ago that the militants' leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the terror organisation's so-called caliphate in July 2014.

The IS claimed that American aircraft had destroyed the complex, a claim denied by the US, BBC reported.

Aerial images provided by the international coalition showed that the mosque complex lay almost entirely in ruins.

The mosque's destruction prompted condemnation, with the senior US commander in Iraq saying that IS had destroyed "one of Mosul and Iraq's great treasures".

"This is a crime against the people of Mosul and all of Iraq, and is an example of why this brutal organisation must be annihilated," Major General Joseph Martin said.

Iraqi joint operations commander, Major General Abdel Amir Yarallah, described it as "another historical crime" committed by the IS.

Iraq's military said they were on the cusp of capturing the complex just hours before the explosion.

The al-Nuri mosque dated back to 1172 and was Mosul's most famous Sunni mosque. It was named after the Muslim leader, Nur al-Din Mahmoud Zangi, famous for waging jihad against Christian crusaders.

Its 45-metre cylindrical leaning minaret was nicknamed "the hunchback" and during the final three years of its 800-year existence it remained under IS control.

The black flag of the IS, which sat atop the minaret, became a geographical referencing point for the Iraqi coalition troops who have been slowly advancing into the ancient Iraqi city to flush out the IS.

In 2012, the United Nations cultural organisation UNESCO signed an agreement with Iraqi authorities to begin restoration works on the minaret but the project was abandoned when two years later the IS swept to power in Mosul.

Mohammed al-Bayati, the head of the Nineveh regional security committee estimated that the operation to conquer IS in Mosul would be completed within a week due to the group's steady decline.

The effort to reclaim Mosul from IS began in October 2016 and earlier this week saw the start of a final push by the Iraqi Army and its allies against the jihadists.
Kolkata, June 22 : Former Calcutta High Court Justice C.S. Karnan was admitted to city-based SSKM Medical College and Hospital on Thursday after he complained of chest pain, a hospital official said.

The retired judge was lodged in Presidency Correctional Home on Wednesday after he was brought to Kolkata from Chennai following his arrest. Karnan had remained untraced since May 9 when he was sentenced to six-month imprisonment by the Supreme Court.

Informed sources said the retired judge, arrested on June 20 from Coimbatore by West Bengal CID officials in a case of contempt of court, complained of chest pain on Wednesday evening after he was taken to the jail directly from Kolkata airport.

"He was taken to the SSKM Hospital on Wednesday evening for conducting some tests as he complained of chest pain. He was taken back to the hospital on Thursday as he continued to feel uneasy," a jail official said.

"Karnan was brought to the hospital for tests on Thursday afternoon. He is admitted to the Cardiology Department," hospital Director Ajay Kumar Roy told IANS.

However, he refused to divulge details about Karnan's illness or the tests conducted on him.

Earlier, at the Kolkata airport, the CID officials who brought Karnan from Tamil Nadu, said his medical tests were completed at the airport and no irregularities were found.

The controversial judge, who was sentenced to six-month imprisonment on May 9 by the Supreme Court and thereafter remained untraceable till his arrest, was brought to Kolkata from Chennai in a plane around 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

Justice Karnan was held guilty of contempt for his utterances against the Chief Justice of India and other judges of the higher judiciary. Justice Karnan left Kolkata for Chennai went underground thereafter. He retired from service earlier this month.
Chandigarh, June 22 : Dubbing assembly Speaker Rana K.P. Singh as "goonda Rana KP", Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said his party will not allow the house to function till he is removed or he apologises for the ruckus in the house during the day.

The Akali leader said Thursday's incidents in the assembly wherein turbans of AAP legislators were tossed and some opposition lawmakers were beaten up by the watch and ward staff is "an insult to the Sikh community".

"Rana K.P. acted like a 'goonda' (ruffian) and insulted Sikh religion and culture. We will submit a formal complaint against him with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, besides launching a movement to force him to quit," Badal told the media here.

Two AAP legislators, including a woman, were carried out on stretchers and rushed to a government hospital here after they were injured during the melee.

Badal said it was condemnable that while the Speaker was doing all this, the Congress members egged him on to be even harsher.

"Besides tossing and trampling on the turbans of two Sikh MLAs -- Manjit Singh Bilaspur and Pirmal Singh -- he also ordered his bouncers to attack the woman MLA.

"Such unprecedented violence ordered, and commandeered by a Speaker in such a ruthless manner, has never occurred in the history of the Punjab assembly," the former Deputy Chief Minister added.

Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Speaker's actions were "premeditated" and that "he was continuously reading out written orders, indicating the Congress had made up its mind to throttle the opposition so that it is not exposed during the debate on the Budget".
New Delhi, June 22 : Terming the opposition's Presidential candidate Meira Kumar as "Dalit Ki Beti", RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday said the JD-U's decision to support NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind was a "historical blunder" and called for a review.

"Today I am appealing (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar to reconsider his decision and support the daughter of Bihar," Lalu Prasad told reporters after Meira Kumar was fielded after a meeting of 17 opposition parties led by the Congress.

"Don't make a historical blunder. It was a wrong decision of your party (backing Kovind)," Lalu added.

The RJD leader's remarks came a day after the JD-U announced support to Kovind in the July 17 Presidential election. The JD-U also skipped the opposition meeting here.

Lalu Prasad's RJD and Nitish Kumar's JD-U along with the Congress are the part of the Grand Alliance in Bihar.

Lalu said he would meet Nitish Kumar and urge him to reconsider his decision to support Kovind.

"I am going to Patna tomorrow (Friday) and I shall speak to him about this. I will tell him not to make a historical blunder by supporting Kovind. He should not give up the ideological battle," he said.

The RJD chief also said that it was Nitish Kumar who took the initiative to unite the opposition on the Presidential election.

"Nitish had said he would go along with the opposition candidate. But his party yesterday announced support for Kovind on the basis of his personality," he said. "Choice is not made on the basis of personality but on ideology.

"We had come together to stop the fascist forces," the RJD leader said.

Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not discussing the name of its Presidential candidate before the announcement, Lalu Prasad said: "The BJP never communicated their choice of Presidential candidate before announcing it.

"What are they doing in return for us? They are pressurising me to surrender."

The RJD chief made it clear that despite JD-U's decision to back Kovind, there was no threat to the Bihar government.

"Whether he betrayed us or not he knows that. We have our coalition there and the government will continue. Their is no threat to our government," he said.
Jammu/Mumbai, June 22 : Two Indian Army soldiers hailing from Maharashtra were killed by a Pakistani BAT team on Thursday on the LoC in Chakan da Bagh sector in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, while two militants were killed in the sector during a foiled infiltration bid.

Pakistan's Border Action Teams (BAT) comprise heavily armed terrorists and are supported by the country's army. The BAT teams cross into the Indian side of the LoC while Pakistan Army engages the Indian troops in cross-border firing to facilitate BAT actions.

The Indian and Pakistani troops on Thursday traded heavy gunfire after the Pakistan Army indulged in heavy shelling and firing on Indian positions on the Line of Control in Chakan da Bagh sector.

The deceased soldiers were identified as Naik Jadhav Sandip Sarjerao, 35, of Aurangabad, and Sepoy Mane Savan Balku, 25, of Kolhapur, a defence spokesperson said in Mumbai late on Thursday.

They were in army service for 15 and four years, respectively, and further details of when their bodies will be sent home were awaited.

Defence Ministry sources said the Pakistan Army indulged in "unprovoked firing and shelling at Indian positions" with small arms, automatics and mortars. Indian troops effectively retaliated.

On May 1, an Indian soldier and a BSF trooper were killed and their bodies mutilated near the LoC, in Jammu and Kashmir, in an action which the Indian Army said was carried out by a Pakistani BAT team inside Indian territory.

The dead were Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of 22 Sikh Regiment and Head Constable Prem Sagar of the Border Security Force.
Chicago, June 23 : The lone-wolf attacker attacker who stabbed a police officer at a Michigan airport in the US unsuccessfully tried to buy a gun, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said.

David Gelios, the Detroit-based FBI officer, told a news conference on Thursday that Amor Ftouhi, a dual citizen of Canada and Tunisia, attempted to buy a gun but failed, after he entered the US legally on June 16, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ftouhi came to the Bishop International Airport in Flint, around 80 km from Detroit on Wednesday morning and stabbed a police officer on duty in the neck.

He yelled "Allahu Akbar," before the attack with a 30-centimetre knife.

He also said something like "you have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan" and "we are all going to die," according to initial accounts from eye witnesses.

The injured officer is said to be recovering after surgery.

Gelios said so far they found no personal connection between the attacker and Flint, suggesting that he chose the airport probably because it is an international one.

The FBI is now investigating the attack as a possible act of terrorism, in coordination of the Canadian authorities, but it seems to be a lone-wolf attack.

"We have no information to suspect the attack was part of a wider plot or suspect he was aided or had associates," said Gelios.

Ftouhi made a brief appearance in a US District Court in Flint on Wednesday and was ordered to be held without bail, waiting for his second hearing next week.
Brussels, June 23 : The European Union (EU) leaders have decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia, European Council President Donald Tusk said.

"Agreed. EU will extend economic sanctions against Russia for their lack of implementing the Minsk Agreement," Tusk said on his Twitter account on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The EU made such a decision during a two-day summit in Brussels with security and defence, Brexit, migration and economic development on the agenda.

The EU initially introduced economic sanctions on Russia in 2014 over Ukraine conflict, targeting Russia's financial, energy and defence industries.
New Delhi : These days people are willing to stand up for every subset of sexual identities -- except for one group.

What about prudes? Our rights are trampled on every day.

Several times a week, something shocking comes on TV and my children shout "Not suitable for Dad!" and I have to race out of the room before kissing, pillow talk or worse appears on screen.

I was at a school drama once at which two performers on stage fell on each other passionately, causing everyone below the age of 12 in the audience, plus this columnist, to make a disgusted "Eewwwwww" sound. Children have taste. They know that some things are great in public, others aren't.

Prudish adults exist too. This writer took his family to a poetry slam once which opened with a poem so pornographically detailed that half the adults in the audience boo-ed out loud -- although I have to admit the teens present grinned and took notes.

Prudes get a bad rap because we only make the news when one of us says something stupid. In Japan recently, a professor named Shigeaki Iijima explained why women could never be allowed to join the country's army: "In actual combat, if they are under attack from artillery shells or bombs, there is a chance their clothes could be blown off."

Clearly Mr Shigeaki does not understand the physics of bombs. But in his defence, weapons which seem to do nothing except damage female clothing pop up regularly in video games and anime cartoons, not to mention every action film ever made.

One of my colleagues claimed that someone had once actually developed a bomb that blew off clothes, leaving humans naked, but Google revealed he was remembering a 1980 Maxwell Smart comedy movie called The Nude Bomb.

Life as a prude is hard enough in Asia, but it would be intolerable in pro-pornography places such as Japan, North America or Europe, my colleague said.

Earlier this month the Canadian government praised pornography as it "allowed young people to learn about the different spectrum of sexual expression". This colleague, who is a Japanophile, said this implied that lucky Canadian children will be able to learn about things such as "tentacle sex" (do NOT write and tell me what that is).

Will prudishness die out completely? "No," said one of my science correspondents. "Porn-loving societies see an increase in erectile dysfunction, a loss of interest in sex, and negative birthrates. In contrast, prudish communities grow."

He showed me evidence. "Sex is going out of fashion" was the headline of a US report summarising an academic study in August last year. A huge survey by The Lancet said that people in the UK were having steadily less sex, and Swedish researchers found the same in their country.

He also had figures indicating that people in conservative, prudish, family-minded regions (Africa, South Asia) have a positive birth rate. This is somewhat ironic, since prudes are assumed to hate sex. In fact, we don't dislike it. We just would rather it was more hygienic, less visible and completely silent.

In fact, we don't even like talking about it, so I'll shut up here. Frankly, the whole subject makes me go ewwwwww.

(Nury Vittachi is an Asia-based frequent traveller. Send ideas and comments via his Facebook page)
Strasbourg, June 23 : Italian Police tortured activists and journalists during a night-time raid on a school in Genoa where they were staying during the 2001 G8 summit, the European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously on Thursday.

The police beatings of dozens of people sleeping at the Armando Diaz school constituted torture due to "the severe physical and psychological suffering it had caused them and its particularly serious and cruel nature", the court said in its ruling.

In "uncontrolled violence", masked anti-riot police "systematically" beat "each of the school's occupants, including those who were lying down or sitting with their hands up" during the raids, said the ruling.

The savage beatings were meted out "despite the fact that the occupants had not committed any act of violence or resistance against the police", the court's seven judges said.

The court also condemned Italy for failing to adequately punish those responsible for the raids, which took place on the fringes of the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001, an event that was marred by violence.

The court ordered Italy to pay damages of between 45,000 and 55,000 euros to individual applicants in the case and a joint sum of 59,750 euros in costs.

Eighty-two people were wounded in the raid, 61 of them seriously and three critically, while a British journalist was left in a coma with rib and spinal injuries.

Many people were beaten senseless and had bones broken and activists allege police pulled them from hiding places.

Later, at the police barracks in Bolzaneto, 252 demonstrators rounded up at the Diaz and another school said they were spat at, verbally and physically humiliated or threatened with rape while being held.

Officer planted evidence including two Molotov cocktails, hammers and knives from a nearby building site to justify the raid, which Amnesty International called "the most serious suspension of democratic rights in a Western country since World War II".

In 2012, 25 police officers were found guilty of falsifying evidence concerning the Amando Diaz raid but none served jail time, due to the expiry of Italy's statute of limitations.

The national police chief at the time of the Genoa G8, Gianni De Gennaro, was acquitted at the end of the appeals process.

Following repeated requests from the court for Italy to pass a torture law to punish such episodes of brutality as occurred in Genoa, the Senate upper house of parliament in May this year approved a bill introducing the crime of torture.

In April this year, Italy admitted responsibility for the police brutality at the Bolzaneto barracks during the Genoa G8 and agreed to pay 45,000 euros each to six victims, the European Court of Human Rights said.
San Francisco, June 23 : Britain-based Imagination Technologies, former chip designer for Apple and currently in a legal dispute with the iPhone maker, has put itself up for sale.

Apple used Imagination's technology and intellectual property for years.

It formed the basis of Graphics Processor Units (GPUs) in Apple's iPhones, tablets, iPods, TVs and watches.

"Over the last few weeks, we have received interest from a number of parties for a potential acquisition of the whole group. The board has decided to initiate a formal sale process and is engaged in preliminary discussions with potential bidders," Imagination said in a statement late on Thursday.

The company's stock surged over 20 per cent after it issued the statement, media reported on Friday.

Apple announced in April that it would cut its reliance on Imagination within two years.
Chandigarh, June 23 : Upset over the treatment meted out to legislators by assembly staff on Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal members on Friday walked out of the Punjab assembly on the last day of the budget session.

The AAP and Akali Dal legislators sought an apology from assembly Speaker Rana K.P. Singh for Thursday's incidents in which turbans of Sikh legislators were tossed and some legislators were injured.

Carrying placards, the AAP MLAs, along with ally Lok Insaaf Party legislators, started a mock assembly outside the assembly building.

The ruling Congress, which has 77 legislators in the 117-member assembly, had earlier issued a whip to its legislators to be present in the house on Friday as important bills are to be tabled.

The ongoing budget session has been a noisy one in the first eight days.

Two AAP legislators, including a woman, were injured and the turbans of two others were allegedly tossed amid commotion when the watch and ward staff of the assembly physically removed them from the house on the Speaker's orders.

MLAs Sarabjit Kaur Manuka and Manjit Singh were taken out of the assembly building on stretchers and rushed to hospital.

Manuka fell unconscious after she was allegedly hit on the head during a scuffle with the marshals. Manjit Singh was also injured in the melee.

The Shiromani Akali Dal supported the AAP on this issue.

The Akali Dal legislators, led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, wore black cloaks on top of their clothes as a mark of protest against Thursday's incidents of manhandling of legislators.

The Akali Dal shouted slogans against the Speaker and the Congress government.
Jaipur, June 23 : Jat community protesters demanding job quotas blocked road and train services on Friday in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, police said.

Road and train blockades were reported from 14 places mainly between the Bharatpur-Mathura and the Jaipur-Agra sectors, a police officer told IANS.

Jats are classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state except in Bharatpur and Dholpur districts. The protesters are demanding reservation under the OBC category.

The protest was called by Congress legislator and former Bharatpur ruler Vishvendra Singh.

"We want the government to give us a fixed time by when we will be given reservation," Singh told IANS.

"We will continue to protest till it issues a statement in this regard. It will be a non-violent protest," he added.
Islamabad, June 23 : At least 11 people were killed and over 20 injured in a blast in Pakistan's Quetta city, police said.

The explosion occurred at around 9 a.m. near Balochistan province's Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ehsan Mehboob's office on Gulistan Road where important government offices are located "A suicide bomber was driving a car full of explosives towards the IGP's office and when he was stopped at the check post, the explosion occurred," The Nation quoted a police statement as saying.

According to a senior health official, the victims included three police officers and one traffic warden.

The injured were shifted to Quetta's Civil Hospital. Four, including a 10-year-old girl are said to in critical condition.

An eyewitness told The Nation, "I was two minutes away from the scene when I heard a loud explosion. The intensity was so severe that when the dust settled, a victim's leg was near me."

Balochistan government spokesman Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar said that there were intelligence reports that an attack would take place near Eid.

"It's possible the IGP office was the target, or the assailants were trying to enter the (Army) cantonment which is close by," he said.

No group has claimed responsibility so far.
Mumbai, June 23 : Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal will be coming together for Meghna Gulzars next directorial "Raazi", which narrates the story of a Kashmiri girl marred to a Pakistani Army officer. The actors are charged up about the project, and cant wait to begin its shooting.

Vicky, who will be seen essaying role of the Army officer, said in a statement: "I'm honoured to be getting an opportunity to work with Meghana Gulzar and also looking forward to working with Alia, who I feel is one of the finest actresses we have at the moment."

The "Masaan" actor, who is busy with Rajkumar Hirani's upcoming yet-untitled Sanjay Dutt biopic, added: "Actually, the entire team is so talented and especially to be working with Dharma Productions is rewarding for any young actor. I'll soon wrap up Raju sir's film and will begin shooting for 'Raazi'."

Vicky also tweeted: "'Raazi' can't wait to be directed by Meghna Gulzar along with the brilliant Alia."

Alia tweeted: "Here we go 'Raazi'. Can't wait to begin this film... Working with the amazing Vicky Kaushal."

"Raazi" is being produced by Junglee Pictures and Dharma Productions. The espionage thriller is based on Harinder Sikka's novel "Calling Sehmat". According to reports, the actors will start shooting from July. It will be shot in Punjab, Kashmir and Mumbai.
Mumbai, June 23 : Megastar Amitabh Bachchan got a sense of the "spread of Hindi cinema" when a girl from Poland broke into a song and dance sequence on the Bollywood chartbuster "Kajra re" in front of him on the set of "Thugs of Hindostan" in Malta.

He narrated the incident on his blog on Thursday night.

"A young crew member from 'Thugs of Hindostan' walks up gingerly to me on set and with some hesitation she says, she wishes to sing a song to me.

"I look at her... She is young and shy and white Caucasian... and I wonder why she would want to do that, particularly because there is no indication that she would even know who I am, even though she has been told that the project she is on is an Indian film and these actors are the actors on the film.

"I am suddenly surrounded by other crew members, who, I am somewhat surprised to note, are egging her on to do so... And so with great clarity of accent and tune she starts: 'Aisi nazar A kajrare A kajrare, tere kaale kaale naina.'"

Big B said the girl had "great composure and confidence".

"She even does a few of the patent steps of the song... Everyone bursts into applause and I gently ask her, where she is from... From Poland."

Then another assistant walked up to him with a girl.

"She says she has been a fan from when she was young, and that her first film was 'K3G' (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham...'). She is from Kazakhstan."

The 74-year-old veteran says his idea of sharing these incidents is not "to impress one and all with the diversity of crew working on a film from India but the spread of Hindi cinema in the lives of so many away from Indian shores and not necessarily Indian".

"May Indian cinema live multitudinous years and may the cross-section of the world society believe and show affection to talent from our Indian shores," he added.
Bengaluru, June 23 : Consul General of Japan Takayuki Kitagawa on Friday urged the Karnataka government to open a full-fledged Tourism Information Office in Tokyo.

"The Japanese government has already initiated talks with Karnataka authorities to establish a Tourism Information Centre in Tokyo and they are eagerly waiting for the consent after all diplomatic protocols are put in place," Kitagawa said while addressing the Invest Japan Seminar on Tourism and Allied Sectors.

The seminar was organised by Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) and Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

He revealed that many young Japanese women are keen to learn about Ayurveda and if a tourism office could be established in Japan, it will greatly facilitate them to come here and learn the practice.

"If young Japanese women visit Bangalore, obviously they will also be accompanied by young men and if possible even elderly population. It is a win-win-situation for both Japan and Karnataka as far as tourism is concerned," he said.

As far as setting up of industrial bases in Japan, Kitagawa proposed that companies keen to establish business enterprises in Japan can form a common banner under the Karnataka Business Association so that it will be easier to set up companies in Japan.

Kazuya Nakajo, Chief Director General of JETRO India, delivered the keynote speech and highlighted how the Japanese government is proactively bringing in many policy-based changes to make the business climate congenial for overseas companies.

BCIC President Thyagu Valliappa said there are lot of similarities between India and Japan both culturally and business-wise.

"As far as tourism is concerned, there is a huge potential and scope to increase tourist inflows from both the countries which is right now minuscule," he added.
Baghdad, June 23 : Ten people were killed, including women and children, and 13 injured on Friday in an attack carried out by Islamic State's suicide bombers west of Iraq, a police official said.

About 12 to 15 suicide bombers carried out an attack in the village of al-Baghdadi about 140 km west of Ramadi, the capital of al-Anbar province, killing eight civilians and two soldiers, Efe news reported.

More than 13 people were wounded and were transferred by Iraqi forces to a military base near the village. Some of the suicides bombers blew themselves up in two houses and the rest were killed by Iraqi security forces, a police official said.

A few hours after the attack, the IS claimed responsibility through a Telegram message and claimed that four of its members, who wore explosives belts, attacked al-Bagdadi village.

The IS militants also claimed that they killed 40 soldiers and that dozens were injured, including the Governor of al-Bagdadi. After the attack, the police imposed a curfew in the village.
Kolkata, June 23 : The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday interrogated Narada sting case accused Indian Police Service officer S.M.H. Mirza and alleged middleman Syed Tazdar Ali Mirza together at the agency's city office CGO complex, an official said.

While Mirza, a former Superintendent of Police of West Bengal's Burdwan district, was purportedly seen receiving cash in the Narada sting operation footage, Ali Mirza alias Tiger allegedly worked as a middleman and had taken Narada News CEO Mathew Samuel to meet Trinamool Congress leaders.

"S.M.H. Mirza and Tiger Mirza both appeared at our Kolkata office today (Friday). They are being quizzed together," a senior CBI official told IANS.

Mirza, whom the CBI named in the FIR with a dozen senior leaders of Trinamool Congress in the Narada sting footage case, was earlier interrogated for more than seven hours on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate, that is parallelly investigating the case, on Thursday quizzed Ali Mirza at its city office. He appeared before the CBI for the first time on Friday.

The investigation agency lodged an FIR on April 17 against 13 persons, including several state ministers, members of Parliament from the ruling Trinamool Congress, a month after the Calcutta High Court ordered a preliminary inquiry into the Narada sting footage case.

The CBI sleuths have already questioned Trinamool Congress legislator Iqbal Ahmed in connection with the case earlier this month.

The controversy erupted in election-bound West Bengal in March last year when Narada News portal uploaded video footage purportedly showing the Trinamool leaders receiving money for extending favours to a fictitious company.

Three PILs were filed seeking a CBI probe, and the opposition went all guns blazing on the issue. But the Trinamool managed to retain power, and soon after Banerjee ordered a police probe to find out the "conspiracy" behind the sting.

However, the Calcutta High Court ordered an interim suspension of the police probe.
New Delhi, June 23 : NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind on Friday filed his nomination here for the July 17 Presidential election and pledged to uphold the dignity of the country's top constitutional post.

Senior BJP functionaries said that with a large number of non-NDA parties supporting Kovind, they are confident of his winning with a huge margin.

Kovind, 71, filed the papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies as well as parties backing him.

After filing the nomination, Kovind came out along with Modi, Shah, party stalwarts L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, with others following them.

Those present included Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal.

The leaders waved towards the waiting mediapersons and briefly posed for pictures, holding each others' hands in a show of unity and raised it in a victory sign. Amit Shah did not yield to mediapersons' request for comments.

A former BJP MP, Kovind told the media after filing his nomination that he has had no party affiliation since he became the Bihar Governor after Modi took power in New Delhi in 2014.

"The President's post carries a lot of dignity. My effort will be to keep the post above party politics. I promise I will try my best to uphold the dignity of this office. The Constitution is supreme and it is our duty to maintain its supremacy," he added.

Kovind filed three set of nomination papers. BJP leaders said another set will be filed on June 28, the last date for filing nominations in the election which will see the former Bihar Governor take on opposition candidate and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

Later, speaking to media, Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that he could not understand why the Congress was opposing NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"Kovind is a good candidate. He is non-controversial, educated and experienced and has been good as Bihar Governor. He has worked among the weaker sections and the downtrodden. I cannot understand why the Congress is opposing him," he said.

"We have a comfortable majority. All major political parties are supporting Kovind. The Congress alone knows why it is contesting because they do not have numbers on their side. But anyway it is their democratic right to contest," he said.

The NDA, including the Shiv Sena and the PDP of Jammu and Kashmir, commands the support of 48.93 per cent in the electoral college made up of MPs and MLAs.

With the backing of parties outside the alliance like TRS (2 per cent), AIADMK (5.39 per cent), YSR Congress (1.53 per cent) and BJD (2.99 per cent), the NDA's support will cross the half way mark to reach nearly 63 per cent. The JD-U (1.91 per cent) is also backing him.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the opposition candidate, in a statement appealed to all members of the Electoral College to vote on the basis of "cherished principles of...inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism."

"The post of the President carries the responsibility of safeguarding and defending our constitutional principles. The values I hold dear -- of inclusiveness, social justice and pluralism -- are the values the President must uphold. If these values are undermined so is our Constitution," she said.

"I appeal to all the honourable members of the collegium to base their decision on these cherished principles and secure them for our future generations," Meira Kumar said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Congress was not sincere towards the Dalits or the Dalit cause.

"Had it been so, they would have fielded Meira Kumar in the last election itself. Now, after the NDA nominated a Dalit, they have brought in Meira Kumar to pit a Dalit against a Dalit to insult the Dalits."

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi said the Congress was insulting "Bihar ki beti" (Bihar's daughter) by forcing her to take on another Dalit candidate.

"Now that the BJP has named a Dalit candidate, they started seeing all the virtues in Meira Kumar. This is an insult to 'Bihar's daughter'," Sushil Modi said.

Meanwhile, Kovind's candidature got more backing with Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U president Nitish Kumar categorically rejecting the appeal of RJD chief Lalu Prasad not to make a 'historic blunder' by extending support to the NDA nominee.

"There is no question of my changing my decision," he told the media in Patna.
Patna, June 23 : Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U President Nitish Kumar on Friday said his party is free to take its decisions, and admonished the opposition alliance for fielding "Bihar ki beti" (Bihar's daughter) Meira Kumar to lose.

Nitish's remarks came a day after 17 opposition parties led by Congress named former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate and Rashtiya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav hailed her as "Bihar ki beti" as she has her roots there.

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief has announced his support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Ram Nath Kovind, now former Governor of the state.

"It is a well thought out decision, and our sentiments are clear. Ram Nath Kovind's role as Bihar Governor has been admirable, he worked impartially. We are glad that our state's Governor is going to become the President of India," Nitish said.

On Wednesday, coalition partner Lalu Prasad Yadav had said he would ask Nitish Kumar to reconsider his decision to back NDA's candidate Kovind.

However, the Bihar Chief Minister completely negated the possibility of a rethink on his decision: "There is no question of changing the decision as it has been taken by the party's core committee... I am firm on my stand."

Asked to comment on Lalu's request to reconsider his decision, Nitish said: "I will not say anything on what others say and I will not react to what Lalu-ji told the media. Lalu-ji is free to say whatever he wants and has every right to appeal.

"Even I am proud of Bihar ki beti. But has she (Meira Kumar) been chosen to lose? Why didn't they field her in the last two presidential elections?"

He termed the opposition's stance as "losing strategy" and called for a better strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Our party has always taken independent decisions on such matters. We supported Congress nominee Pranab Mukherjee in 2012 despite being part of the NDA," he said.

Nitish stressed that the JD-U decision to support Kovind should not be looked upon from a political angle. "It is not an issue of political confrontation at all. Presidential poll is a national issue. This is not an issue for the Bihar's ruling grand alliance."
Mumbai, June 23 : The funeral of two Indian Army soldiers from Maharashtra, who were killed by a Pakistani BAT team on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, will be held at their respective native villages on Saturday, a defence spokesperson said on Friday.

Naik Jadhav Sandip Sarjerao, 35, of Aurangabad and Sepoy Mane Savan Balku, 25, of Kolhapur were killed on Thursday on the Line of Control in Chakan da Bagh sector in Poonch district.

Their bodies were flown from Jammu around 5.30 p.m. on Friday and were to reach Aurangabad and Pune. The mortal remains will be kept in local morgues before sending them to their respective villages, the spokesperson said.

Jadhav, who was in the Army for 15 years, hailed from Kelgaon village in Sillod sub-district of Aurangabad and is survived by his wife Ujala.

Mane, serving the Army for four years, hailed from Gogave village in Sahuwadi sub-district of Kolhapur and is survived by his mother Shobha Mane.

Pakistan's Border Action Teams (BAT) comprise heavily armed terrorists, supported by the country's Army. The BAT teams cross into Indian side of the LoC while the Pakistan Army engages the Indian troops in cross-border firing to facilitate BAT actions.

Defence Ministry sources said on Thursday that the Pakistan Army indulged in unprovoked firing and shelling at Indian positions with small arms, automatics and mortars. Indian troops effectively retaliated, he said.

On May 1, an Indian soldier and a BSF trooper were killed and their bodies mutilated near the LoC, in Jammu and Kashmir, in an action which the Indian Army said was carried out by a Pakistani BAT team inside Indian territory.

The dead were Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of 22 Sikh Regiment and Head Constable Prem Sagar of the Border Security Force.
Beijing, June 23 : Two weeks after the Indian and Chinese top leadership agreed to address sensitive issues dogging their bilateral ties, Beijing on Friday appeared poised to once again oppose India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), saying there was "no change" in its position on Indian's bid.

China's oft-stated position came as the 48-member elite grouping was holding an important plenary session in Berne.

India, which has been engaged in getting support from member countries to get itself a berth in the grouping, was not very hopeful as sources in New Delhi said Beijing's position was "strictly policy based" and no major power was likely to exert pressure.

Talking to reporters here, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said: "As for non-NPT countries being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change in China's position."

During his June 9 meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the SCO, Chinese President Xi Jinping had stressed that the two sides should "address major and sensitive issues".

Modi had conveyed that both nations "should enhance cooperation and coordination in international affairs and deal with sensitive issues between the two countries".

During the briefing on Friday, Geng said "the NSG has clear rules on expansion and the Seoul plenary made clear the mandate on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate.

"As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow the mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold the principle of decision upon consensus, and continue to discuss various dimensions like technical, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission to the group."

At the NSG plenary session in Seoul last year, China had rejected India's application for entering the bloc, citing its non-signatory status to the Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

NPT is a requirement to become the member of the grouping, which regulates global nuclear trade.

India finds the treaty discriminatory.

Beijing's move at this year's plenary in Berne is likely to be on expected lines.

"China is firm on opposing Indian's bid based on our non-NPT signatory basis. Form what I understand, no major power is likely to pressure Beijing on this. They believe China's position is strictly policy-based," sources in New Delhi said.

The NSG works on the principle of consensus and all members have a sort of veto to block any proposal in the grouping.

China's persistent opposition has emerged as a major stumbling block to India's bid, which has the support of most countries, including the US.

Beijing says if India is let in, then its "all weather" ally Pakistan too should be allowed admission. Islamabad too has not signed the NPT.

On Thursday, India had said it was in touch with NSG member countries over its application for membership.

"The NSG meeting is going on. Our application for membership is under consideration. We are in touch with all the NSG member countries," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said at a briefing in New Delhi.

The NSG meeting began on June 19 and is to conclude on Friday.

(Gaurav Sharma is the Beijing-based correspondent of IANS. He can be contacted at sharmagaurav71@gmail.com and gauravians@yahoo.com)
Islamabad, June 23 : At least 25 persons were killed and over 100 others injured as twin blasts ripped through a market on Friday in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram Agency, Geo News reported.

The attack took place at about 5.30 p.m., when a hand-grenade was hurled into the crowd of people busy with shopping at a downtown market in Parachinar city for the coming Eid, a holiday which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The second blast happened a few minutes after people gathered at the first blast site for rescue, local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying.

The second blast seems to be of suicide nature, said local media. But there was no official confirmation about it yet.

Army and security personnel rushed to the site shortly after the twin blasts were reported.

All the blast victims were shifted to local hospitals and hospitals in nearby cities.

Some of the seriously wounded were airlifted to Peshwar, the largest city in Pakistan's northwest region, the army said.

Local media quoted hospital sources as saying that at least 30 out of the 100-plus injured people were in critical condition.

The Inter-Services Public Relations said two army helicopters were dispatched to Parachinar for the rescue work.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Ballabhgarh (Haryana), June 23 : A teenager was killed and three of his friends injured in an attack by a group of persons in a train in Haryana, the Government Railway Police said on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Junaid, 16, of Khandabali village in Haryana's Ballabhgarh. His friends too are said to hail from the same village.

The GRP said the crime occurred on Thursday night when Junaid, Hasib, Shakir, and Mohsin were returning to their village on a Mathura-bound passenger train after shopping at Sadar Bazaar in Delhi.

Media reports earlier said the murderous attack followed rumours about beef eating by the victims.

In his police complaint, Hasib said at least 15-20 persons boarded the train at Okhla railway station and asked them to vacate seats for them.

He said the group abused them and uttered communally coloured comments when they refused.

"We were thrashed all the way from Tughlakabad to the Ballabhgarh railway station," the 20-year old complainant said.

Hasib said a mob attacked them with sharp-edged weapons and threw them out of the train at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district of Haryana. He said the attackers too deboarded and fled while no one from among the onlookers came to their rescue.

The GRP said Junaid succumbed to his injuries at a Palwal hospital. His three friends received serious injuries.

Condemning the attack, Northern Railway spokesperson Neeraj Sharma told IANS: "It is condemnable. The Government Railway Police is looking into the matter."
New Delhi, June 23 : Aam Aadmi Party leader (AAP) Kumar Vishwas did not attend an Iftar party organised by the Delhi government on Friday.

Vishwas told reporters that he was not invited to the Iftar organised by the Delhi Government and Urdu Academy, Delhi.

Urdu Academy's Vice Chairman Majid Deobandi said an invitation was sent to Vishwas via speed post.

Vishwas had attended the Iftar organised by the Delhi government in 2015 and 2016.

Deobandi said he had also invited former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari, former Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and present LG Anil Baijal, BJP legislators as well as Vice President Hamid Ansari.

Ansari did not come due to the presidential election, Deobandi said, adding that he did not know about others why they did not attend the event.

AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh also did not attend the gathering.

As per party sources, they were busy with some personal work.
Rome, June 23 : Italian police on Friday impounded assets worth some 280 million euros and arrested 23 people in a major anti-mafia operation in the provinces of Rome, Naples, Milan and Pescara.

The suspects are accused of extortion, usury, money-laundering and fraud, according to police.

The seized assets belonged to two gangs based in Rome and nearby Monterotondo that were rapidly expanding their activities in the capital and included several 'celebrity' bars and eateries, police said.

The impounded assets also included gambling halls, real estate, financial assets, companies, cars and motorbikes, police added.

Through drug trafficking and usury rackets in Rome and the its surrounding province, the gangs had created a business "empire" and had cowed their victims into silence through threats and violence, said Rome prosecutor Michele Prestipino.

A number of professional people and bank employees had abetted the gangs, he told reporters.

"These professional played an important role in these criminal organisations, creating shell companies, while their accomplices in banks helped them launder money," Prestipino stated.
New Delhi, June 23 : Union Science Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday praised Indian scientists for their contribution toward the world's biggest telescope -- Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), which is under development.

The Minister said that it's a matter of pride that India is working on the project being developed by an international consortium.

"India is collaborating with the US, Japan, and other countries for the world's biggest telescope project. It's a matter of great pride for us," Vardhan said.

Last year Ladakh, one of the sites for the giant telescope, was ruled out. The TMT is being built at an estimated cost of USD 1.47 billion by an international consortium consisting of India, the United States, Canada, Japan and China.

According to a report, TMT will enable scientists to study fainter objects far away from Earth in the Universe, which gives information about early stages of evolution of the Universe.

Also, it will give scientists finer details of objects like undiscovered planets and planets around other stars.
Thane (Maharashtra), June 23 : Maharashtra's opposition Congress on Friday demanded a judicial probe into Thursday's police action against farmers protesting land takeover for a proposed domestic airport near Kalyan.

Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said after speaking with the villagers on the pending issue, it was clear that the government was trying to muzzle the farmers' voice.

Since the past over 75 years, the farmers have been farming in the areas and the manner in which the Defence Ministry was attempting to snatch away their livelihood smacks of injustice, he said, demanding a judicial probe.

In a massive protest by farmers opposing land acquistion on Thursday, 12 policemen were injured and another 12 farmers were injured when police fired pellet guns to control the crowds.

Three police vehicles were set ablaze and two trucks were damaged, and burning tyres and tree logs were used to blocked the Ambernath-Dombivali Road and Kalyan-Haji Malang Road near Nevali in Thane during the protests.

Vikhe-Patil visited the injured farmers and police personnel undergoing treatment in different hospitals and spoke with them.

"Instead of politicising this issue, the Shiv Sena must help resolve the issue since its a member of the ruling coalition both at the centre and in Maharasthra," he added.

Taking serious note of the violence, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre has convened a meeting on June 29 in New Delhi to hammer out a solution, said Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde.

On Friday, police initiated proceedings against many of the protestors by booking them under various charges, including violence, attempt to murder and damage to public property.

Farmers from 17 surrounding villages have been opposing the acquisition of the abandoned airstrip for constructing a new airport at Nevali, around 40 km north-east of Mumbai.

A Defence Ministry spokesperson said the land was owned by the Ministry. "The Navy is constructing a peripheral boundary wall to protect and safeguard the defence land from further encroachments."

The bone of contention is a 1,600-acre plot with an airstrip, the land for which was acquired from the neighbouring villages during the British regime in the 1930s but later allowed to languish.

Over the years, due to neglect, local land mafia started to encroach on different areas after which the Defence Ministry started constructing a boundary wall to prevent further illegal occupation of its property.

Last year, the Maharashtra government announced plans to redevelop the Nevali site as another domestic airport to ease congestion in Mumbai Airport and also cater to the expected air traffic growth under the new civil aviation policy.
New Delhi, June 23 : Slamming the PDP-BJP -led government in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Friday said "there was complete breakdown as far as law and order and internal security is concerned" and there was no "policy" to handle the situation.

"A DSP is lynched in the heart of Srinagar which is extremely frightening. Is there any government? ls there any rule of law," Congress spokesperson R.P.N. Singh asked.

"It seems that the government has no policy, has no kind of action plan and the government is not moved by what is happening in the state," he added.

Singh said: "How many more jawans and policemen are going to be martyred. We just saw in the last one month that over 17 policemen have been martyred in the state."

The Congress also said that more than 208 army personnel have been killed in the state over the past three years.

"Does this government feel that Jammu and Kashmir exists and needs attention? We see no urgency, no movement, no political will as far as this government is concerned," said Singh.
New Delhi, June 23 : NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind will launch his campaign for the July 17 presidential election from Uttar Pradesh on June 25, informed sources said on Friday.

He will later visit other states to seek support from MPs and MLAs who form the electoral college for the presidential contest.

During his visit to Uttar Pradesh, Kovind will be accompanied by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. "We are preparing a detailed plan for his visit," a BJP leader said.

In a show of support, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states, among others, were present when Kovind filed his nomination papers here on Friday.

Kovind is pitted against former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the candidate of major opposition parties, including the Congress.

Kovind, 71, was born in Paraunkh village in Kanpur rural in Uttar Pradesh. Like Meira Kumar, he too hails from the Dalit community, which has sizeable presence in the state.

Uttar Pradesh is crucial for the Bharatiya Janata Party as it won 71 of 80 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and followed it with a resounding victory in 2017 assembly polls.

Kovind's launch of his electoral campaign from Uttar Pradesh is being connected to BJP's high electoral stakes in the northern state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Kovind filed three sets of nomination papers on Friday. The first set was signed by Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, apart from other leaders. The second nomination was filed in Hindi, endorsed by Shah and other leaders.

The third set was signed by allies of the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance, including former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The fourth set of nomination papers will be filed on June 28, endorsed by Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, among others.

BJP leaders said Kovind has the support of 65 per cent of the electoral college, with 20 Chief Ministers and 28 parties backing him.

Kovind is widely expected to sail through the presidential election.

The NDA, including the Shiv Sena and the Peoples Democratic Party of Jammu and Kashmir, commands the support of 48.93 per cent in the electoral college made up of MPs and MLAs.

With the backing of parties outside the alliance like TRS (2 per cent), AIADMK (5.39 per cent), YSR Congress (1.53 per cent) and BJD (2.99 per cent), the NDA's support reaches nearly 63 per cent with JD-U contributing 1.91 per cent.

The counting of votes will take place on July 20. President Pranab Mukherjee's term ends on July 24.
The Hague (Netherlands), June 23 : The West Bengal government's Kanyashree Prakalpa on Friday was awarded the first prize in United Nations Public Service Award for Asia Pacific here.

Out of 552 initiatives from 62 different countries, West Bengal government's intiative - a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at retaining girls in schools and other educational and skill development institutions and preventing child marriage - was chosen the best.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "We are delighted on behalf of our countrymen and the people of Bengal to receive the first prize on @UN Public Service."

She said receiving the first prize from the UN was a huge honour and recognition.

Banerjee also said the importance should be given to the public voice and to the projects that the public likes.

The scheme has already enrolled more than four million adolescent girls and the state government has till date, transferred about $500 million directly to the beneficiaries' bank account.

The scheme is being implemented through 16,000 institutes and schools.

Earlier, Banerjee had also participated at a ministerial conversation at the World Forum.
Islamabad, June 23 : At least four policemen were killed by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan's port city of Karachi on Friday night, local media reported.

The attack took place at about 8.00 p.m. when two gunmen riding on a motorbike opened fire at a police vehicle patrolling in the city, Samaa TV reported.
New Delhi, June 23 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he will hold in-depth discussions with President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States and hoped to build a forward-looking vision for partnership with the new administration.

In a statement before his forthcoming visit to Portugal, the US and the Netherlands, the Prime Minister said the visits were aimed at enhancing bilateral engagement in various areas. Modi will leave for the three-nation tour on Saturday.

Modi said he will visit Washington D.C. on June 24-26 at the invitation of the US President.

He said India's partnership with the United States is multi-layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides.

"I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new administration in the United States under President Trump," Modi said.

Referring to his telephonic conversations with the US President, Modi said these have touched upon the common intent to take forward productive all-round engagements for the mutual benefit of our people.

"I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide-ranging partnership between India and the United States," he said.

It will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump became US President earlier this year.

The Prime Minister said that apart from his official meetings with Trump and his Cabinet colleagues, he will meet some prominent American CEOs.

"As in the past, I look forward to interacting with the Indian diaspora in the United States as well," Modi said.

Referring to his visit to Portugal on June 24, Modi said he was looking forward to his meeting with Prime Minister Antonio Costa and there was significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties.

The Prime Minister said the historical and friendly ties between the two countries have picked up momentum after Costa's visit to India in January 2017.

Modi said the two countries will review the progress of various joint initiatives and discuss ways to further enhance bilateral engagement, specially in areas such as economic cooperation, science and technology, and space collaboration.

"We will deliberate on means to intensify our cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest," Modi said, adding that he was keen to interact with the Indian community in Portugal.

Referring to his visit to the Netherlands on June 27, Modi said he will have an official meeting with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and exchange views on important global issues, including counter-terrorism and climate change.

"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations," Modi said.

Modi will also call on King Willem-Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

Modi said the Netherlands is India's sixth largest trading partner in the European Union and fifth largest investment partner globally.

He said the Dutch expertise in areas like water and waste management, agriculture, food processing, renewable energy, and ports and shipping, matches with India's development needs.

"India-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition. I will discuss with PM Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said he will meet CEOs of major Dutch companies and will encourage them to join the Indian growth story.

Modi said there were strong people-to-people relations between India and the Netherlands due to the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands.

"I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," Modi said.
Beijing, June 23 : Environment ministers and senior officials of BRICS countries on Friday gathered in north China's Tianjin for discussions, pledging more efforts on sustainable development and pollution prevention.

Senior environment officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa discussed major challenges and opportunities towards achieving sustainable development in three dimensions: economic, social and environmental at country, regional and global levels, Xinhua quoted a statement as saying.

"We underscore the need for means of implementing Paris Agreement, including transfer of technology from developed to developing countries as one of the most critical enabler for climate actions," the statement said.

"We appreciate that the conservation and sustainable use of the rich biodiversity of BRICS countries is of special significance for the global environment and to achieve the internationally agreed targets and goals," it added.

They reiterated their intention to promote cooperation within BRICS in the area of pollution prevention.
New Delhi, June 23 : A 40-year-old director of a hotel has been arrested from Indore for cheating around 2,000 people from all over India to the tune of over Rs 20 crore on the pretext of providing luxurious holiday and tour packages in five-star hotels, police said on Friday.

According to police, accused Raman Kapoor is a resident of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. He along with his wife and other associates -- Ravinder Khanna, Sarvpreet Nanda, Tapas Sacha, Sidharth Bhalla and Sudhir -- used to lure gullible people with offers of free dinner in five-star hotels, along with air tickets for 20 years, if membership was taken.

He was arrested on Monday from outside Kalinga Hotel in South Tukoganj in Indore.

"Kapoor would introduce himself as director of Sun Star-The Club and Goodluck Hotels Pvt Ltd and claim that the Sunstar has a tie-up with various five-star properties in all prime tourist locations in India and abroad, like JW Marriot, ITC, Leela Ambience and other hotel chains.

"Then he would sell membership by promising attractive offer of 12-nights-free holiday tour packages annually in five-star hotels with air tickets for 20 years," Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma said.

The Crime Branch in May received a complaint from one Manoj Kumar, a resident of west Delhi, against Kapoor and his associates that he was cheated to the tune of Rs 1,12,500 on the pretext of providing tour packages to his company members. But when he tried to avail the holiday, he did not get any response from them.

"Kapoor told interrogators that he is a graduate in Hotel Management from IHM-Ahmedabad and earlier worked with Club Mahindra Holidays company, which is into tour package selling. But he left the job after a dispute over payment.

"Later, he decided to cash in on his previous experience and started duping gullible people by offering his own packages in the name of his registered business entity -- Sunstar Hotel Group," the officer added.

Kapoor later employed Khanna, Nanda, Sacha, Bhalla, Sudhir and some others, who had earlier worked with various tour package companies and were well-versed with the tricks of the trade.

Police were looking for them, Verma said.
Riyadh, June 23 : The demand by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries for Qatar to shut down Al Jazeera media network, among other conditions, to end the ongoing diplomatic impasse in the Gulf region has drawn condemnation.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders slammed the demand and said it was "worried about the implication and consequences of such requirements".

The Gulf states issued a 13-point list of demands, including the closure of all news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye.

"We are really worried about the implication and consequences of such requirements if it will ever be implemented," said Alexandra El Khazen, head of Middle East and North Africa desk at Reporters Without Borders.

The demands were presented by Kuwait, which is trying to mediate in the crisis since Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar early this month and imposed sanctions on the island Gulf nation.

On the demands list was that Qatar sever diplomatic ties with Iran, kick members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard out of Qatar and cease any joint military cooperation with Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

The list also demanded that Qatar sever all ties with "terrorist organisations", including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State group, Al Qaeda and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Additionally, the four nations -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain -- also demanded that Qatar hand over all individuals who are wanted by these four countries for terrorism and stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups.

Qatar is also required to immediately terminate its construction of a Turkish military base and stop any joint military cooperation with Turkey on Qatari territories.

For the coming 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance based on the list of demands, the report said.

Doha, however, did not immediately respond to the demands.

Al Jazeera has condemned the demand and called it "nothing short than a siege against the journalistic profession".

Giles Trendle, acting Managing Director of Al Jazeera, said: "We are stunned by the demand to close Al Jazeera, of course there has been talk about it in the past but it is still a great shock and surprise to actually see it in writing. It's as absurd as it would be for Germany to demand Britain to close the BBC."

Trendle said Al Jazeera is going to continue its "editorial mission of covering the world news in a fair and balanced way".

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting "terrorism". Qatar has denied the allegation.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that Al Jazeera Media Network is an "internal affair" and there will be no discussion about the fate of the Doha-based broadcaster amid the Gulf crisis.

To stem the flow of negative reactions Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain took steps to curb their citizens from expressing opinions that opposed their policies.
New Delhi, June 23 : A woman partly chopped off her boyfriend's penis after he allegedly refused to have sex with her, police said on Friday.

The 23-year-old woman is absconding and her 34-year-old boyfriend has undergone a surgery and is recuperating, said a police officer privy to the investigation.

The incident happened in Mangolpuri area of west Delhi at around 3 a.m. on Thursday.

According to police, the duo was in a relationship for the past three-four years and on Wednesday night, the girl's sister-in-law called him over to their house.

When he returned, he refused to have sex with his girlfriend "and the accused got angry about this and partly chopped off his penis with a knife", the police officer told IANS.

The officer said that police got a call at around 5 a.m. on Thursday from the hospital authorities informing about the incident. "We're searching for the woman and we don't think she has left Delhi," the officer added.
Bogota, June 24 : Colombia's ELN guerrilla group has announced the release of two Dutch journalists who were kidnapped last week.

"We advise that the two foreigners captured by the ELN in Catatumbo were released in perfect condition," the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (National Liberation Army) said on Twitter on Friday, without offering any details, Efe news reported.

Derk Bolt, 52, and his cameraman, 68-year-old Eugenio Follender, were abducted last Saturday in Filogringo, a hamlet in the Catatumbo region in the province of Norte de Santander.

They had travelled there to find the biological mother of a Colombian girl adopted by a couple in the Netherlands, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, noting that the two men work for a missing-persons reality television show called "Spoorloos" (Without a Trace).

Though the Colombian government has not confirmed the release of the captives, media outlets reported that the journalists were freed.

In May 2016, ELN fighters in Filogringo kidnapped Spanish journalist Salud Hernandez, subsequently grabbing several Colombian reporters who came to the area to cover the initial abduction.

Hernandez and the Colombian journalists were released a few days later.

The ELN, currently engaged in exploratory talks with the Colombian government in Ecuador, said on Wednesday they would release the Dutch journalists to a humanitarian commission if they determined that one of their units had kidnapped them.

The head of the Colombian government's delegation to peace talks with the ELN, Juan Camilo Restrepo, denounced the kidnapping and called it a "clumsy" action.

Colombia's largest insurgency, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), is now in the process of demobilising and handing over its weapons after signing a peace agreement with the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos.
You never know who you'll see hanging out on an African safari. The Essential Kenya itinerary incorporates the main game reserves of the country including Samburu, Lake Nakuru, and the iconic Masai Mara, home to the greatest show on earth, the Great Migration.

The Great Migration may already be underway, driving East Africas herds to Kenyas Masai Mara grasslands, but Goway Travel is already taking African safari bookings for 2018.

After a quiet few years, Kenya is regaining its popularity as a prime African safari destination. The Africa Experts at Goway Travel have just released 2018 departure dates at a special rate for the companys leading Kenya itinerary, the 8-day Essential Kenya. This unique tour is limited to six passengers per 7-seater safari vehicle, and all scheduled dates with at least two confirmed passengers are guaranteed to depart. Such a small group allows greater flexibility, more personalisation, and a less intrusive wildlife experience.

The Essential Kenya itinerary incorporates the main game reserves of the country including Samburu, Lake Nakuru, and the iconic Masai Mara, home to the greatest show on earth, the Great Migration. This is the most popular time to travel, but Goway offers heavily reduced rates on select departures even during the peak season.

For those fortunate enough to be there, the annual wildebeest migration is an incredible, indelible experience. Its a natural cycle that replenishes and renews the grasslands of East Africa. Each June, around 1.3 million wildebeest gather in the Serengeti. They slowly mass into a huge single herd, until the dry season withers their supply of fresh grass. The scent of rain to the north begins to draw the herd throughout July, and soon the planets greatest animal migration is underway. Whats key to note though is that the Mara still has abundant game even when there is no migration.

Over the course of the migration, visitors to Kenya have the opportunity to follow the progress of the herds and experience the full grassland cycle firsthand. Africas largest concentrations of predators are also drawn to this opportunity for easy hunting. Lions are frequently seen dragging down straggling individuals, particularly at night. At the same time, packs of hyena freely weave throughout the herds, singling out and separating the young and the weak.

By September, the herds begin to reach their goal, spreading out to graze across the expanse of the Mara. For this beautiful game reserve, it is a time of renewal, as the dung from the visiting herds fertilizes the plains. October will see the herds turn southward and repeat the same journey back to the Serengeti, where the renewed grasslands await.

The migration can be experienced on early morning game drives in customized vehicles, walking safaris with Masai Warrior guides, on horseback safaris in areas surrounding the Mara, or even from hot air Balloon safaris over the herds. Goways Africa Experts can guide travellers as to the best accommodations and location, depending on their preference and budget.

Since 1970, Goway has been providing unforgettable travel experiences to Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Central & South America, Idyllic Island destinations and Europe. Today Goway is recognized as one of North America's leading travel companies for individuals, families and groups to select exotic destinations around the globe. Goway has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Manila, and Sydney, Australia.

For reservations and information, visit http://www.goway.com, or call 1-800-387-8850.
Turning Captured CO2 Into Graphene, Graphite And Other High Value Products

CVMR Corporation (CVMR) announced today that it has acquired controlling shares of Enercarbon Inc.(Enercarbon). Kamran M. Khozan, Chairman and CEO of CVMR has accepted to act as the interim President and CEO of Enercarbon.

Enercarbon Inc. is a privately held, Canadian corporation based in Toronto, founded by Dr. S. Mosadegh and

Dr. H. Radfarnia. It has developed a modular, cost effective membrane contactor that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the exhaust gas sources and through a proprietary process, developed jointly by CVMR and Enercarbon, turns it into valuable products such as graphene, graphite, various building materials, as well as diesel and jet fuel, at commercially competitive prices.

Being modular these systems are easily scalable and can be mounted on skids for different gas feed capacities and various conditions in various locations. The purity of the carbon extracted through this method allows production of graphene, graphite and other products with high purity, without the usual contaminants that exist in refining of mineral graphite.

The synergy between Enercarbon Inc., and CVMR Corporation brought us together. We are collaborating to produce a host of new products that are highly sought after through a unique process that reduces greenhouse effect, cleans the air and turns a dangerous pollutant, CO2, into useful modern materials, stated Kamran M. Khozan, Chairman and CEO of CVMR Corporation.

Enercarbons research and development focuses on mitigating CO2 by turning it into valuable materials. The emitted CO2 is captured then turned into products such as graphene, titanium oxide-based building materials, diesel and jet fuel and a host of other products, where the CO2 is settled and trapped in the structure of such materials. Some of the novel building materials created through this process not only reduce and capture the emitted CO2, they have unique properties such as self-cleaning surfaces that resist mold and mildew, known as anti-fogging properties in the industry, and when mixed with nano-powders of silver or copper they incorporate anti-bacterial properties.

The joint research and development efforts of CVMR and Enercarbon are focused on utilizing CO2 to produce high value products using a proprietary design for the equipment built with low cost, readily available parts that are incorporated into patented processes for commercial use. The source material, carbon dioxide, is abundant and the process does not use the usual corrosive and toxic chemicals that are currently used in conventional methods. More importantly, the product range from conversion of CO2 is almost limitless.

Graphene Based Products

Graphene is an amazing material. It is one of the lightest and strongest materials discovered so far. It conducts heat and electricity better than most substances. These qualities allow graphene to be integrated into numerous applications. Moreover, it is expected that in conjunction with other 2D crystals amazing compounds with wider applications can be invented in the near future.

Whether from exfoliation of graphite or CVMR-Enercarbon method of creating graphene from CO2, this monolayer substance is only one atom thick and therefore, can be considered the thinnest material that is quite stable when exposed to the elements such as temperature and air and can act as an atomic scaffolding to engineer other materials, each with new and varied properties and applications.

Kamran M. Khozan explains, CVMR-Enercarbon combined research efforts are directed towards valuable new products such as graphene interspersed with boron and magnesium to improve its efficiency as a superconductor; or developing very small, flexible flash memories with huge storage capacity, along the same line as what is being developed at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

With graphene offering a large surface area, high electrical conductivity, thinness and strength, it would make a good candidate for the development of fast and efficient bioelectric sensory devices, with the ability to monitor such things as glucose levels, haemoglobin levels, and cholesterol.

Another particular area in which we will soon begin to see graphene used on a commercial scale is in optoelectronics; specifically touchscreens, liquid crystal displays (LCD) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Kamran M. Khozan explains that an affiliate corporation of CVMR, M-Power Corporation, is using graphite and graphene to collect energy from the sun, store it and turn it into electricity. A battery can potentially hold a lot of energy, but it can take a long time to charge. A capacitor, on the other hand, can be charged very quickly, but cant hold that much energy. The solution is to develop energy storage components such as a supercapacitor or a battery that is able to provide both of these positive characteristics without compromise. We are working to enhance the capabilities of lithium ion batteries by incorporating graphene as an anode to offer much higher storage capacity with much better longevity and charge rate.

Graphene could allow water to pass through it, but it is almost completely impervious to many other substances. Its use in water filtration systems and desalination plants is well known and proven to require far less energy than the current systems. Graphene is hydrophobic, but narrow capillaries made of graphene can vigorously suck in water resulting in rapid permeation. CVMR can now make such capillaries easily and cheaply by piling up layers of graphene oxide. These multilayer nacreous stacks are also mechanically very strong.

Graphene is integrated into plastics such as epoxy to create a material that can replace steel in the structure of aircrafts, improving fuel efficiency, range and reducing weight. Due to its electrical conductivity, it is currently being tested to coat aircraft surface material to prevent electrical damage resulting from lightning strikes. These characteristics can also help in the development of high strength applications such as body armour for military personnel and vehicles.

Other Derivative Products of Captured CO2

Calcium carbonate-based materials, which are used in variety of applications such as building materials, pharmaceutical and paint industries, can readily be generated from captured CO2. Diesel and jet fuels are other highly demanding derivative products of CO2.

The range of products that can be manufactured from captured CO2 is truly limitless. To turn a harmful substance into a host of useful products is commendable. Corporations such as Enercarbon Inc., CVMR Corporation and M-Power Corporation should be encouraged, and it seems that the strength of the market for their value added products is doing just that.
A.E. Fortin, Navy wife, mother, grandmother, car enthusiast, devoted writer, and author, has completed her new book The Magic Fairy Rose: a gripping and potent coming-of-age story. This inspiring and romantic work delves into the idea of self-identity, strength, courage and adoration.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, A.E. Fortins profound work will leave the readers on the edge of their seat as they go on an adventure of a life time.

Come along to Scotland in the 1700 with a Scottish family of six, with three sons and a daughter. The family has learned of a plotto wipe out the MacGregor men.

The MacGregors have always been involved in the growth of Scotland. The oldest son was doing just that, when he was told that his wife and child were dying. Thomas was only eighteen, the last MacGregor, without any word from his brothers. His mother started a list of women for Thomas to court. On the top of the list was his sisters best friend, Eleanor. His father ordered Thomas to court Eleanor before he could leave the Highlands. Thomas thought of Eleanor as a sister. How do ye kiss your sister with passion? He was given two years to find his brothers and look for a wife without getting himself killed.

The men had a tradition: Every time one of the men left the Highlands, he brought a rosebush home to his mother. This time Thomas will bring more than roses. He intends to find out if his brothers are dead or who their captor is. Why do they have Eleanor Heart on the top of that list to court? Look what happens on Eleanor and his sisters sixteenth birthday. Enjoy his travels from the Highlands to the Lowlands of Scotland.

Readers who wish to experience this enthralling work can purchase The Magic Fairy Rose at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
The team at NE Development has a long history of building strong and solid communities. Their roster includes over 20,000 projects, in 26 states, across the U.S.

Upon completion in 2019, LVL29, the $100 million luxury high-rise, is slated to become the tallest building in the $3 billion Legacy West development of Plano, Texas. The property sits near the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121, one of the fastest growing areas in North Texas and home to new the corporate campuses for both Liberty Mutual and JP Morgan Chase.

Criterion.B, the branding agency for NE Development, was tasked with creating a recognizable and cohesive brand for this luxury high-rise. Details from both the architectural and interior design perspectives had to be taken into account, to insure all graphic elements developed, accurately represented future residents. As a result, Criterion.B executed the naming, brand logo, positioning statement and persona development for the project.

On April 27, 2017, the team at Criterion.B launched LVL29 with a historic groundbreaking event. The event brought together the NE Development family, Humphreys and Partners Architects, Hunt Construction,The Karahan Companies, GroupCity and The City of Plano.

LVL 29 would not be possible without the talented team at Criterion.B. They helped us create a brand that we were immediately excited about and executed the groundbreaking event in a manner that was truly an extension of our team. We believe that LVL29 will become a landmark in the area as the premier high-rise apartment building in Plano and are thankful for an agency partner, in Criterion.B, that helped communicate our vision. said Luke Harry, Project Manager, NE Development.

The agency feels this newly created brand, blends exclusivity and approachability and was thrilled to have been trusted by the team at NE Development.

Contact Ashley Tyndall at ashley(at)cb.agency with any questions.

Criterion.B Office Hours Monday  Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

About Criterion.B: Criterion.B is an agency focused on branding and inbound marketing for the commercial real estate industry. We provide ROI, drive business growth, and build brand identities for our clients.

For more information, visit http://www.criterionb.com
Companies hire us because they recognize that doing email right demands a level of expertise that digital agencies cant provide

Trendline Interactive, a full-service email marketing agency, today announced the addition of 15 new staff and four new clients. Company leadership attributed the growth to ongoing demand for its unique services and proven expertise.

Trendline now employs 58 people across the companys three locations in Austin, TX, Chicago, IL and Portland, OR. The 15 new employees will fill positions across all departments to meet demand from existing and new clients. The majority will work from the companys headquarters in Austin with the rest spread across the other two locations including some remote offices. They fill positions in client services, ESP platform management, creative services, and quality assurance.

The four new clients are ShopRunner, eCommission, Banfield Pet Hospital, and LiveNation. They join a growing portfolio of organizations like AARP, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Wacom and Hyatt that have chosen Trendline Interactive as their email marketing agency of record.

We attract talent who are passionate about email marketing and have the expertise to help us bring new and innovative solutions to our clients, explained Morgan Stewart, Trendline Interactives Co-Founder and CEO. Companies hire us because they recognize that doing email right demands a level of expertise that digital agencies cant provide, and we prove that we can help them be successful. Our on-going growth confirms that this approach is working.

About Trendline Interactive

Trendline Interactive is a full-service email marketing agency. We combine great strategy, an extensive understanding of email solutions, and flawless execution to create highly tailored programs that deliver bottom line results for our clients. For more information, contact Trendline Interactive at 512-717-4097 or or visit http://www.trendlineinteractive.com.
B & B Builders exterior design for the 2017 Western Design Conference Designer Show House uses weathered barn wood in a Western rustic-contemporary look. Interior design firms from small-town Indiana to the mountains of Colorado are collaborating on the 2017 Designer Show House.

Eight interior design firmsfrom small-town Indiana to the mountains of Coloradoare collaborating on the 2017 Designer Show House, a life-size model home that takes center stage at the 25th annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale (WDC Exhibit + Sale), opening in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this September.

The six-room home exclusively designed for the WDC Exhibit + Sale will be unveiled during the Opening Preview Party + Fashion Show on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, at the Snow King Events Center in Jackson Hole. Guests are invited to peruse the home at their leisure throughout the four-day event ending Sunday, Sept. 10.

B & B Builders of Rigby, Idaho, returns to the WDC Exhibit + Sale to construct the exterior of the Designer Show House for the second year in a row. The commercial and residential general contracting firm has been designing and building custom homes in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Utah since 1993. The builder is using materials such as naturally weathered barn wood in this years design for a rustic-contemporary look.

The show home's finishing exterior touches will include a front porch featuring handcrafted wooden furniture by Brian Boggs Chairmakers of Asheville, North Carolina. Boggs transitional designs bridge the gap between the traditional rustic aesthetic and the Wests new appetite for contemporary design.

Through the entry, the homes foyer will be designed by Indianas Old Hickory Furniture Company. Over a century old, Old Hickory produces heirloom-quality furniture with a classic rustic lodge look.

Nationally renowned Harker Design will tailor the homes great room with an emphasis on color and texture. With offices in Wyoming, Utah and Idaho, the full-service design firm offers complete project management and design for residential and commercial interiors, architecture and remodeling projects.

Kibler & Kirch of Billings and Red Lodge, Montana, made their Designer Show House debut last year with a unique bedroom. This year, the team returns to fashion the dining room in timeless style rooted in the American West, incorporating pieces from their eclectic collection of furnishings, rugs, accessories, lighting and artwork.

The hearth room/study will be designed by Dallas Lyon Interiors of Vail, Colorado. We are creating a space that is old and new, eclectic and functional, says owner Dallas Lyon. Lyon plans to outfit the room with an all-American color scheme of red, white and blue, using artwork and accessories with rock n roll flair. The room will include a sitting area and a desk with antique accents in the mix.

Wilbourne Interior Design, specializing in luxury residential, multi-family and hospitality structures in Wyoming, Arizona and California, will take charge of the homes master bedroom. The full-service interior design firm will team up with Texas-based art company Ankole makers of functional serving ware, jewelry and decor crafted from repurposed East African cow horns, as well as Victor Scout a Victor, Idaho, interior design showroom featuring luxury and heirloom furnishings.

The Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale Designer Show House is presented by Mountain Living magazine and sponsored by B & B Builders and Dream Jackson Hole.

The Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale Opening Preview Party + Fashion Show take place Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, at the Snow King Events Center. The WDC Exhibit + Sale continues Sept. 8-10, featuring more than 130 national artists presenting contemporary and traditional handcrafted, original creations of furniture, fashion, jewelry and home/lifestyle accessories. Tickets are $15 per day; Opening Preview Party, Live Auction + Fashion Show tickets are $50/person; $125/person for limited reserved seating. To purchase tickets visit http://westerndesignconference.com/events/.

About the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale:

The 25th annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale is a four-day, multimillion-dollar event that brings together craftspeople, collectors, interior designers, architects and fashion designers with a love of the West. The Western Design Conference was founded 25 years ago in Cody, Wyo., as a way to promote contemporary artists working in historical American craft methods. The WDC Exhibit + Sale moved to Jackson in 2007. Owner Allison Merritt continues the strong commitment to Western arts in Wyoming while expanding the reach of the show. Additional information on the WDC Exhibit + Sale, including schedules and tickets, is available at http://www.westerndesignconference.com and on Facebook and Twitter @WesternDesign.

Contact: Amy Stark, Word PR + Marketing, amy(at)wordprmarketing(dot)com, 307.734.5335
On June 7, 2017 participants from companies located in the Boston area took part in the Fit Company Challenge, a corporate wellness event hosted by the Fit Company Institute. The challenge provided area companies an opportunity to come together as a team and spend a morning exercising, pushing their physical and mental limits and showing the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Companies split their team into squads of 3 to 4 people who worked together to complete a variety of fitness stations to challenge their fitness level and earn points for their company. Teams chose what level to go through each course which allowed participants of all fitness levels to push their physical fitness without going too far out of their comfort zone.

In their first time participating, Victory Programs, Inc. took 1st Place in the large division. From Victory Programs team captain & Chief Human Resources Officer Cecile Durham, Our organization is participating in the Working on Wellness Initiative and this was the perfect kick-off in our efforts to promote the health and well-being of our employees! Employees who responded to our in-house survey indicated they were interested in opportunities to get physical, and the Boston Fit Company Challenge seemed like the perfect fit. The event turned out to be a great team building exercise in addition to being a chance for our staff to get out and move. Staff worked in teams and helped each other with the challenges. Everyone thought it was a great experience and we look forward to doing it again next year!

Also in their first year competing in the challenge Pure Encapsulations grabbed 2nd place in the large division. From team captain Lori Archambault, Pure Encapsulations had a great time doing the Fit Company Challenge. It was an amazing bonding experience for our team. We are looking forward to winning next year!

On event date, personal trainers from B5 Fitness (http://www.B5fitness.com) and FLX Training (http://www.flxtraining.com) assisted teams through the various courses as participants challenged their strength, conditioning, power, agility, and ended with a test of endurance to show their companies and colleagues that they practice what they preach. Participants used their involvement to bring out company team members, and family members to cheer them on and promote the importance of having fun and effective corporate wellness programs at their companies.

The challenge was held at Babson College, located just outside of Boston in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

The following is a list of the top finishers in Boston that participated in the 2017 Spring Fit Company Challenge:

Top Finishers by Division

Large Division

1) Victory Programs, Inc.

2) Pure Encapsulations

Medium Division

1) Curriculum Associates

2) CSL Consulting, LLC

3) Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects + Planners

Top Teams By Course

Course 1  Level 2

1) CSL Consulting, LLC - #1235



Keri Dileo

Peter Sheehy

Ed LeFlore

2) Victory Programs, Inc. - #1229



Carmen Sasso

Cristina Necula-Killmurray

Lauren Migliacci

Imani Graham

3) Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects + Planners - #1214



Ben Herter

Jim Newton

Fady Riad

Renee Bissonnette

4) Victory Programs, Inc. - #1225



Marc Davino

Chassity Moore

Francisa Benedict

Course 1  Level 1

1) Curriculum Associates - #1237



Alexis Hatcher

Tim Brown

Matt Pollock

Amanda Valder

2) Pure Encapsulations - #1217



Kyle Bliffert

Paul Cianciulli

Toni Hand

Minnie Salhotra

3) Curriculum Associates - #1236



Anni Kim

Fiona Gilmore

Jake Martin

4) CSL Consulting, LLC - #1233



Neil Patel

Jon Ricker

Eric Hubert

Course 2  Level 2

1) CSL Consulting, LLC - #1235



Keri Dileo

Peter Sheehy

Ed LeFlore

2) Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects + Planners - #1214 (Tie)



Ben Herter

Jim Newton

Fady Riad

Renee Bissonnette

2) Victory Programs, Inc. - #1227 (Tie)



Eileen Maguire

Christian Laura

Emannuel Isehenrien

4) Victory Programs, Inc. - #1229



Carmen Sasso

Cristina Necula-Killmurray

Lauren Migliacci

Imani Graham

Course 2  Level 1

1) Curriculum Associates - #1237



Alexis Hatcher

Tim Brown

Matt Pollock

Amanda Valder

2) Curriculum Associates - #1236



Anni Kim

Fiona Gilmore

Jake Martin

3) Curriculum Associates - #1239



Hannah Park

Kamesh Akella

Jessica Woodacre

Vamsi Kolli

4) Pure Encapsulations - #1217



Kyle Bliffert

Paul Cianciulli

Toni Hand

Minnie Salhotra

Course 3  Level 2

1) CSL Consulting, LLC - #1235



Keri Dileo

Peter Sheehy

Ed LeFlore

2) Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects + Planners - #1214



Ben Herter

Jim Newton

Fady Riad

Renee Bissonnette

3) Victory Programs, Inc. - #1229



Carmen Sasso

Cristina Necula-Killmurray

Lauren Migliacci

Imani Graham

Course 3  Level 1

1) Pure Encapsulations - #1217



Kyle Bliffert

Paul Cianciulli

Toni Hand

Minnie Salhotra

2) Curriculum Associates - #1238



Shrina Amin

Kathryn Brooks

Nicole Souza

3) Curriculum Associates - #1237



Alexis Hatcher

Tim Brown

Matt Pollock

Amanda Valder

4) Pure Encapsulations - #1221 (Tie)



Lori Holt

Theresa Wintringer

John Vermilyea

Seymira Salami

4) Victory Programs, Inc. - #1226 (Tie)



Richard Baker

Rosemary Panzner

Aquila Abdulnur

James Daly

4) Curriculum Associates - #1236 (Tie)



Anni Kim

Fiona Gilmore

Jake Martin

About the Fit Company Institute, LLC:

The Fit Company Institute is based in Austin, Texas and is dedicated to helping companies thrive through their wellness programs. The Fit Company Challenge helps companies boost their wellness programs by offering an event based program that companies can use to highlight their current wellness offerings, kick start new ones, and create engagement for employees of all fitness levels.

Find more at http://www.fitcompany.com including details on all the Fall Fit Company Challenge event dates.
Justin Ryan and Brian Cox of Tamarack Aerospace with Mark Withrow and Mark Tattershall of Unitech Aerospace with Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter and Megan Ronk of Idaho Commerce Unitech Composites is a value-added supplier, very responsive to our needs and has worked closely with us to rapidly optimize designs and streamline the manufacturing process. Brian Cox, Tamarack Aerospace, COO

Unitech Composites, a Unitech Aerospace company and leading supplier of complex composite laminates, components and assemblies for the commercial aerospace and defence industry, agreed today with Tamarack Aerospace to produce the composite content on their revolutionary Active Winglets for the Cessna Citation Jet Series Aircraft today at the 2017 Paris Air Show.

We are excited to embark on this partnership with Untiech Composites as they have proven to be a highly capable producer of quality composite assemblies, said Brian Cox, Chief Operating Officer for Tamarack Aerospace. Unitech Composites is a value-added supplier, very responsive to our needs and has worked closely with us to rapidly optimize designs and streamline the manufacturing process.

The opportunity to partner with Tamarack Aerospace, a fellow Idaho based company, on this industry shaping program is a great honor for Unitech Composites, said Mark Withrow, Vice President and General Manager of Unitech Composites. We are committed to the success of this program and are very pleased with its market acceptance and future trajectory .

Tamarack Active Winglets are the only aerodynamic technology on the market today that can deliver up to a 20 percent fuel burn reduction and range increase without any structural reinforcement yielding significant time and cost savings. Tamarack Active Winglets are approved via EASA and FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for installation on the Cessna CJ, CJ1, CJ1+ and M2 business jets.

About Unitech Composites

Unitech Composites, established in 1979 and located in Hayden, Idaho, are industry experts in complex laminates and components and assemblies, multi-axis machining, close tolerance fabrication and automated hand layup. Unitech Composites is a Unitech Aerospace company.

About Unitech Aerospace

Unitech Aerospace provides the aerospace, marine, medical, defense, nuclear and rail industries with composite and metallic structures and components that meet demanding and complex requirements. The companys growing global footprint is currently comprised of strategically located sites providing local and immediate support to customers. Integrated solutions range from early stage design, rate production, to full-term sustainment making Unitech Aerospace the industrys trusted lifecycle partner.

About Tamarack Aerospace

Idaho based Tamarack Aerospace Group Inc. invented and patented the revolutionary Active Winglet system. Tamaracks certified Active Winglets are three to four times more efficient than passive (traditional) winglets. The Active Winglet system typically provides a 10-20% reduction in fuel burn, performance gains and increased asset value. The Active Winglet system is comprised of a wing tip extension, a highly tuned winglet, and load alleviation technology. The load alleviation system counteracts gust or maneuver wing loading events and eliminates the heavy wing reinforcement and structural additions required by all passive winglets.
Howell Woltz, Author of Justice Restored: Ten Steps to End Mass Incareration in America The issue is how we fill prisons, not on what happens when U.S. citizens get there.

Howell Woltz, author of Justice Restored: Ten Steps to End Mass Incarceration in America, rebukes quick-fix prison reforms that fail to restore a citizens rights to habeas corpus, the right to bail, and the right to a speedy and public trial, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The issue is how we fill the prisons, reports Howell Woltz, not on what happens when U.S. citizens get there.

Recently, in North Carolina, investigative reports of prison corruption involving beaten, shackled prisoners, drugs, sex and gang violence seared the headlines. Public outrage prompted the governor and lawmakers to declare bipartisan shock, zero tolerance and a determined boost of higher pay and the training of all prison guards as corrective remedies.

Prison is a horrifying disease, retorts Howell Woltz, published author and ex-prisoner himself. Restoration of due process of law is its only prevention.

Woltz spent seven years in federal prison, though never tried or convicted in any court of jurisdiction. His earlier book, Justice Denied, speaks of his arrest just outside his home in North Carolina. Both he and his wife were charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, jailed and illegally held, without bail, by the prosecutors.

The Kirkus Review describes his story as a memoir of judicial tyranny.

Today, Howell Woltz is a strong advocate for judicial reform. The first step, he asserts, is the restoration of habeas corpus or the right for anyone jailed to appear before a court of jurisdiction where his captors must explain the cause of his restraint.

The writ, in place since 1776, was changed by Congress in 1996, as part of the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) in hopes to end multiple Death Row appeals. However, the imposed statute of limitations also prevents a prisoner from applying for release after being imprisoned for a year. Further, any federal appeal must show deference to decisions made in a state court.

Our court dockets are in overload, argues Woltz In 365 days, the arrested prisoner may never see the inside of a court room.

Instead, his stare will be at prison bars and dirty walls pocked with graffiti. Further, reports Woltz, his hope for bail is paltry.

The Bail Reform Act of 1984 suspended the right to bail, despite its basis on the Eighth Amendment. The Act protects the community against violent criminals. Unfortunately, a judge has great leeway and the cases are no longer for only capital offenses.

Woltz is a vociferous critic of the U.S. judicial system. Our system is marred by its lack of equitable relief for its imprisoned citizens, including a speedy, public trial, he insists.

The Sixth Amendment demands the right to a speedy and public trial. However, the USA Patriots Act of 2001 gutted major provisions. Consequently, detention authorities can hold U.S. citizens indefinitely if caught within the boundaries of the U.S.

Without the right to a speedy, public trial, rampant prosecutorial mischief and overcrowded prison conditions will never end, argues Howell Woltz. Instead, we will see an increased spate of plea bargaining and guilty pleas, forced under the pressure of relentless questioning and the threat of violence inside empty stairwells and bristling cellblocks, jammed with inmates.

In prison, Howell Woltz worked on over 400 non-capital cases, filing appeals for fellow inmates unjustly convicted or whose rights were blatantly violated. His book, Justice Restored: Ten Steps to End Mass Incarceration in America, ends each chapter with the story of one such prisoner helped by Woltz, plus two or three action steps to curb the judicial systems wrongs.

Endorsed by the Center for Teaching the Rule of Law, his book is used in a nationwide course for judges, prosecutors and attorneys.

About Howell Woltz

Howell Woltz is an author, journalist and activist for judicial reform in America. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Executive MBA Program at Wake Forest University. He also studied at the Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, earning his degree in Captive Insurance Management. He is currently studying at the University of Warsaw. For speaking engagements, he can be contacted directly. Website is http://www.justicerestored.com

Contact:

Juliette Weiland

Public Relations Consultant

704-843-0325

http://www.justicerestored.com
Clif Bar employees package meals with Rise Against Hunger We believe sustaining our community is one of our responsibilities as a business," said Cassie Cyphers, Community Programs Manager of Clif Bar

Rise Against Hunger and Clif Bar & Company joined forces in the fight against hunger on June 21, 2017, at the Emeryville Center of Community Life. More than 374 Clif Bar employees packaged meals to fight food insecurity and malnutrition around the world.

Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) meal packaging events are a volunteer-based program that coordinates the streamlined packaging of highly nutritious dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables and 23 essential vitamins and minerals.

We believe sustaining our community is one of our responsibilities as a business, said Cassie Cyphers, Community Programs Manager of Clif Bar, which is headquartered in Emeryville. Its an honor to partner with Rise Against Hunger to help address the critical issue of hunger in our global community.

Through its Clif Corps program, Clif Bar employees are encouraged to volunteer in their local communities on company time. Last year, Clif employees donated 14,985 volunteer hours to a variety of non-profit organizations. Employees typically volunteer in small groups, but once a year, all employees in the Emeryville office volunteer together side by side to expand their impact.

Around the world, more than 792.5 million people lack adequate food. One in nine people in the world go to bed hungry each night. Rise Against Hunger meal packaging events give volunteers the opportunity to make a hands-on difference in helping to end world hunger. Rise Against Hunger works to meet immediate nutritional needs today and empower the ability to build strong, communities tomorrow.

Rise Against Hunger operates meal packaging locations in 20 cities throughout the U.S. and five international locations in South Africa, Malaysia, the Philippines, Italy and India. To date, Clif Bar & Company has packaged and donated over 150,000 meals for those in need.

Founded in 1998, Rise Against Hunger has distributed aid in the form of food, medical supplies, clothing, medical supplies and more to vulnerable people in 74 countries. In 2016, more than 376,000 volunteers from corporations, churches, schools and civic organizations packaged Rise Against Hunger meals. Since the inception of Rise Against Hungers meal packaging program, volunteers in the U.S. and worldwide have packaged more than 331 million meals.

We appreciate partners engaging together and packaging meals for the most vulnerable populations, said Karen Noe, Global Director of Partner Relations for Rise Against Hunger. Clif Bar believes in Doing More Good Together, and we too believe this is how we will end hunger  doing good together. We are grateful to Clif Bar for their impact and partnership!

About Clif Bar

Clif Bar & Company crafts nutritious and organic food to feed and inspire adventure, including the CLIF BAR energy bar; CLIF Kid, Nourishing Kids in Motion; and LUNA, The Whole Nutrition Bar. Family and employee-owned, the company is committed to sustaining its people, brands, business, community and the planet. For more information on Clif Bar & Company, please visit http://www.clifbar.com, check out their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/clifbar and follow them at: http://www.twitter.com/clifbar and http://www.instagram.com/clifbar.

About Rise Against Hunger

Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now), an international hunger relief organization based in Raleigh, N.C., works to implement immediate and long-term solutions to hunger worldwide. With program locations in 20 U.S. cities and five international offices, Rise Against Hunger has engaged volunteers to package more than 331 million nutrient rich meals for distribution to 74 countries around the globe. To find out more about Rise Against Hungers efforts to end hunger worldwide, please visit http://www.riseagainsthunger.org.
I look forward to putting my experience with startups and funds to use for our clients and partners.

Early Growth Financial Services (EGFS) has hired Stephen Terry to its West Coast CFO Team. Coming in with a unique background connecting early-stage companies with investors, Terry will be part of the firms fund accounting and administration efforts.

Steve has a knack for matching the needs of startups and investors - especially in the international space, said David Ehrenberg, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. As we see a growth in investments with an international component, Steves experience is going to be very important.

Before coming to EGFS, Terry was the CFO of Azure International, an analytics and consulting company that helps technology companies and venture/PE funds expand internationally, with an emphasis on China. While at Azure, he served as consulting and interim CFO for several of Azures portfolio and partner companies, leading many successful fundraising efforts as well as several successful exits. Steve also concurrently served as CFO of Azures affiliated venture capital fund where he led all investment, portfolio management, accounting, reporting, compliance and investor relations functions. Previously he was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs - based in the US and Europe - where he focused on technology company fund raising and M&A.

Having heard many great things about the experience and integrity of the Early Growth team, I am thrilled to join the organization, said Terry. I look forward to putting my experience with startups and funds to use for our clients and partners.

Terry will be based in San Francisco.
AssuredPartners is deeply committed to providing industry leading insurance products and services and adding Carls experience and talent will greatly help us in our ongoing efforts of growth and excellence. said Mike Paschke.

AssuredPartners, Inc. is pleased to announce the return of Carl Swan to head up Alliance Insurance Group as President. In this role, Carl will be responsible for all aspects of Alliances management and operations, as well as assisting in continued future growth in the region.

Carl brings his vast experience in risk management and insurance placement to AssuredPartners. His leadership will enable the Alliance team to continue as a first class insurance, risk management and service platform.

I am excited about this new chapter in my career and am very proud to return to an agency that is laser- focused on providing our clients first-class products and services. said Swan. AssuredPartners is a known national leader and Im humbled and blessed by this opportunity to lead such an all-star team of professionals and to serve the Alliance clients, staff and other key relationships in this new role.

AssuredPartners is deeply committed to providing industry leading insurance products and services and adding Carls experience and talent will greatly help us in our ongoing efforts of growth and excellence. said Mike Paschke, Regional President of Assured Partners. Carl will work to lead and support our objectives and execution of strategic service and growth initiatives for the Alliance platform. We are looking forward to adding the aptitude of Carls experience to our organization as we welcome him back in this key leadership role.

ABOUT ASSUREDPARTNERS, INC

Headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida and led by Jim Henderson and Tom Riley, AssuredPartners, Inc. acquires and invests in insurance brokerage businesses (property and casualty, employee benefits, surety and MGUs) across the United States and in London. From its founding in March of 2011, AssuredPartners has grown to over $865 million in annualized revenue and continues to be one of the fastest growing insurance brokerage firms in the United States* with over 190 offices in 30 states, Canada and London. Since 2011, AssuredPartners has acquired more than 170 insurance agencies. For more information, please contact Dean Curtis, CFO, at 407.708.0031 or dcurtis(at)assuredptr(dot)com, or visit http://www.assuredpartners.com.

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*As ranked by Business Insurance in the July 18, 2016 edition, featuring the 100 largest brokers of U.S. business.
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP secured a significant victory for its pro bono client, the Tahirih Justice Center, and for minor children across the state of Texas. Elizabeth Ross Hadley and Aaron C. Gregg were instrumental in lobbying for the passage of Senate Bill 1705 (SB 1705), proposed by Sen. Van Taylor (R-Plano) and Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston). The Texas legislature overwhelmingly passed this bipartisan bill and Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law June 15, 2017.

SB 1705 offers simple, but powerful protection for girls to prevent them from being forced into marriage against their will, by requiring that anyone who marries in Texas must be a legal adulteither age 18 or older, or a minor age 16 or 17 who has been court-emancipated. If a genuine couple wishes to marry, they can still do so as long as any minor party gets emancipated.

Among other safeguards built into the emancipation process, the minor is appointed an attorney, must demonstrate that she is self-supporting and managing her own affairs, and the judge must find its in her best interest to be emancipated. So if an at-risk girl is being forced or coerced, this process will connect her with an advocate who can help her get to safety. And if a minor is emancipated and then marries and faces abuse, this process ensures that shes someone with the wherewithal to escape a violent home, rather than being trapped for years without resources or options, explains Jeanne Smoot, Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy at the Tahirih Justice Center. With this new law, young women will be empowered and enabled to resist or prevent an unwanted marriage, and to escape any abuse or exploitation they may face. We are so grateful for the assistance we received from the stellar and deeply dedicated Greenberg Traurig team. Their tireless commitment to pro bono and to children in the state of Texas was critical to this landmark result.

Currently, Texas does not have a minimum age for a child to marry. This bill effectively puts in a floor of age 16 and helps ensure that 16 and 17 year olds are marrying of their own free will.

This is a remarkable result that prioritizes the protection of children from coercion into underage marriages that may subject them to physical and emotional abuse, said Caroline Heller, chair of Greenberg Traurig LLPs Global Pro Bono Program. Protecting those who are most vulnerable to abuse and exploitation is at the heart of Greenberg Traurigs Pro Bono Program.

About Tahirih Justice Center

Tahirih Justice Center is a national non-profit that protects women and girls fleeing violence through free legal and social services, public policy advocacy, and training and education with offices in Houston, the San Francisco Bay area, Baltimore, and the Greater Washington, DC area. Visit preventforcedmarriage.org to learn more about Tahirihs national initiative to prevent forced marriages.

About Greenberg Traurigs Pro Bono Program

Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firms offices provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including civil rights and affirmative action, anti-human trafficking, family law matters, criminal appeals, immigration and political asylum, housing and homelessness.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP  Texas

Greenberg Traurig has more than 100 attorneys in Texas, serving clients from offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT Africa represents the fastest growing region for entrepreneurship in the world. Open Mic Africa is designed to unearth, inspire and celebrate the next generation of global technology ventures that are powering this movement.

The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Legatum Center), in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, today announced a series of events in three cities across Africa to discover and support local entrepreneurs who are bringing their knowledge to bear on their continents greatest challenges.

Open Mic Africa seeks to find and showcase Africas top innovators while developing a dialogue among local entrepreneurs, investors and MIT. Each citys agenda will include: inspirational talks from African entrepreneurs who have successfully taken their ventures to scale; workshops on understanding customers and venture pitch training; mentoring sessions; and an open pitch competition where participants could win up to US$2,500. There will also be an Ask Me Anything Booth for those interested in learning about opportunities to apply to MIT programs. Attendees may pre-register and sign up for these events on this web page.

Open Mic Africa will take place in:



Lagos, Nigeria: July 26-27, 2017

Dakar, Senegal: September 23-24, 2017

Cape Town, South Africa: September 27-28, 2017

The MIT Legatum Center will also visit Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya during the tour to meet with local stakeholders and to foster the relationships with its alumni community.

Africa represents the fastest growing region for entrepreneurship in the world, said Georgina Campbell Flatter, the MIT Legatum Center Executive Director and lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Open Mic Africa is designed to unearth, inspire and celebrate the next generation of global technology ventures that are powering this movement. The MIT Legatum Center community is looking forward to working with all the entrepreneurs we encounter during our summer tour.

Open Mic Africa is the first phase of the 2017 Zambezi Prize for Innovation in Financial Inclusion which will officially open in August 2017. The Zambezi Prize was established in 2015 by the MIT Legatum Center in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation to discover and support Africas most promising and innovative early-stage start-ups that help advance financial inclusion. The Prize awards US$100,000 to Africas most promising early-stage start-up that is solving a major financial inclusion challenge in the most innovative way. Prize finalists are eligible to receive additional cash prizes and for a chance to attend MITs acclaimed Entrepreneurship Development Program, a one-week immersive executive program at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

The 2017 Prize will also honor one African leader with a Legatum Leadership Award for his or her extraordinary contribution to African entrepreneurship. In total, the Zambezi Prize will award US$200,000 in cash prizes to entrepreneurs from the continent.

We are supporting MITs Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship because it is a world leader in finding and nurturing early-stage entrepreneurs with smart ideas to improve the lives of poor people in developing countries, said Youssouf Sy, Associate Program Manager, Financial Inclusion at The MasterCard Foundation. The Open Mic Africa program, followed by the Zambezi Prize itself, aligns perfectly with our own mission: to enable everyone to have the opportunity to learn and prosper.

This prize is redefining financial inclusion, said Ali Diallo, the MIT Legatum Center Global Programs Manager. The traditional definition of financial inclusion is the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to low-income segments of society. We believe in a more holistic definition that focuses less on the mechanism and more on the end result. It is about creating the conditions, the environment, and the business models that help people access a better quality of life.

The 2017 Zambezi Prizes inclusive approach is reflected in the diverse teams of supporters that will be working together to celebrate Africas entrepreneurship landscape in the months ahead. Collaborators include former Zambezi prize finalists, the MIT Sloan Executive Education, the MIT Innovation Initiative, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, MITs Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP), MITs Office of International Programs, MITs Office of Digital Learning, MIT D-Labs, the MIT Media Lab, MIT Office of External Relations, GSW@MIT, the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge, MISTI Africa, the MIT Sloan Africa Business Club; Bankable Frontier Associates, VC4Africa, Wimbart, Techpreneur Africa, the Solution Space at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, Dakar Open Campus, and True Africa.

The Open Mic Africa tour and the Zambezi Prize competition are part of a broader effort by the MIT Legatum Center to build bridges between entrepreneurs at MIT and Africa (see below for additional details). The inaugural Zambezi Prize went to Umati Capital, a leading Kenyan financial service company that raised Seed and Series A rounds from Accion Venture Lab, Blue Haven Initiative and the Lundin Foundation.

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About the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT

The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT is a global hub for MIT students, alumni, faculty and entrepreneurs who are committed to improving lives in the developing world through principled entrepreneurial leadership. The Centers capstone initiative is the Legatum Fellowship program which provides aspiring entrepreneurs from around the world with MIT tuition, travel, mentoring and prototyping support. The Legatum Center equips future leaders with the skills, values and critical thinking they need to succeed as entrepreneurial change agents in the world. To learn more, please visit legatum.mit.edu or follow the MIT Legatum Center on Twitter @MITLegatum.

About the MIT Legatum Center Africa Strategy

Responding to the recently released MIT Global Report and MITs regional priorities proposed by its Associate Provost, Professor Richard K. Lester, the MIT Legatum Africa Strategy is designed to build bridges between MIT and Africa with the goal of increasing the number of successful principled innovation-driven entrepreneurs that bring knowledge to bear on the continents greatest challenges. The MIT Legatum Center Africa Strategy includes a series of educational and thought leadership activities that will uphold the values that are embodied in the missions of the MIT Legatum Center and of the MIT Sloan School of Management.

About The MasterCard Foundation

The MasterCard Foundation works with visionary organizations to provide greater access to education, skills training and financial services for people living in poverty, primarily in Africa. As one of the largest private foundations its work is guided by its mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. Based in Toronto, Canada, its independence was established by Mastercard when the Foundation was created in 2006. For more information and to sign up for the Foundations newsletter, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org. Follow the Foundation at @MastercardFdn on Twitter.
Being recognized among the best reflects the dedication and excellence that our team brings to the agency every day.

Rightpoint, an independent customer experience agency, announced today that it has been ranked no. 22 on the Crains Chicago Business Fast 50 list. Rightpoint has also been recognized as no. 32 among the worlds top Managed Services Providers (MSPs), according to MSPmentors 10th-annual MSP 501 Worldwide Company Rankings.

This year marks Rightpoints fourth consecutive appearance among the annual list of Chicagos 50 fastest-growing companies by Crains Chicago Business, said to be one of the best indicators of the marketplace. The ranking is based on Rightpoints five-year revenue growth of 490%.

The MSP 501 includes the most agile, flexible and innovative organizations in the industry, according to MSPmentor Editor in Chief, Aldrin Brown, further demonstrating Rightpoints aggressive expansion in the rapidly-evolving capability of Managed Services.

Whether we are talking about our work in the markets we serve, or our broad expertise in creating seamless customer and employee experiences, being recognized among the best in these two leading business rankings reflects the dedication and excellence that our team brings to the agency every day, said Micah Swigert, Senior Vice President and Managing Director Chicago, Rightpoints headquarters.

Crains Fast 50 businesses are ranked by five-year revenue growth. Businesses that achieved impressive gains over a five-year period are then studied by Crains reporters and researchers to gain insight into the drivers of their success. Revenue documents were validated and audited by a third-party to ensure accuracy. To see Chicagos full Fast Fifty list, visit http://www.chicagobusiness.com/section/fast-50.

Based on data collected by MSPmentor and its partner, Clarity Channel Advisors, the MSP 501 list recognizes top managed service providers based on metrics including recurring revenue, growth and other factors. The complete 2017 MSP 501 list is available at MSPmentor.net.

About Rightpoint

Rightpoint is a customer experience agency with technology at our core. We create seamless digital experiences driven by insight, strategy, technology and design to evolve the way our clients do business. Rightpoint serves more than 250 Fortune 1,000 companies with strategy, site design and development, emerging technologies, CRM, commerce and cloud infrastructure. Named one of Crain's 50 Fastest Growing Companies in Chicago for four consecutive years, Rightpoint is the largest independent agency with 350 employees across eight U.S. offices. For more information, visit rightpoint.com.
21 Middle East and South Asia Leaders Selected as Eisenhower Fellows

Eisenhower Fellowships (EF) has selected 21 leaders from government, business and civil society in 11 countries across the Middle East and South Asia to embark on a six-week fellowship in the U.S. this fall, engaging in a transformative exchange of knowledge and ideas with the leading minds in their fields.

For the first time, Eisenhower Fellowships will host leaders from Myanmar in this program that brings together Fellows from regions integrally linked for centuries by trade, migration and exchange of scientific, mathematical, political and philosophical ideas. The Fellows will participate in EFs fall program from October 1 to November 11, 2017.

With many countries in the Middle East and South Asia facing dramatic political, social and economic challenges, these Fellows are leaders in the innovation and social entrepreneurship vital to promoting sustainable development in their nations.

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Retired), chairman of Eisenhower Fellowships, said these mid-career leaders will help advance the mission of the premier 63-year-old international leadership program to enhance understanding and promote peaceful dialogue. These outstanding leaders are committed to upholding Dwight Eisenhowers vision of a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. They will join a global network of like-minded leaders working to bring positive change to their countries and their region, said General Powell.

EF brings together innovative leaders from across geographies and sectors, visionaries who tackle big challenges to better the world around them. Since 1953, nearly 2,500 mid-career leaders from more than 100 countries have benefited from the unique, customized experience of an Eisenhower Fellowship.

Successful candidates for EF programs are exceptional leaders, around 32-45 years old, eager to advance their personal and professional growth. They commit to lifelong engagement with the organization and its more than 1,500 active Fellows around the world. Fellows apply what they learn from their peers and in their meetings with experts in their respective fields to maximize their potential and produce sustained impact through their fellowship experience and collaboration within the EF global network.

The 2017 Middle East and South Asia (MESA) Fellows include thought leaders in conflict resolution, health, education, womens empowerment, communications, engineering, climate change, food manufacturing and public services.

George de Lama, president of Eisenhower Fellowships, noted that these Fellows will come to the U.S. at an uncertain time around the world when American engagement with the international community is more important than ever. We are delighted to help connect this exceptional group of diverse, dynamic doers and to support the collaborations and partnerships they will form during their time here in the United States, de Lama said.

The 2017 Middle East and South Asia Fellows are:

Rania Al-Mashat | Egypt

Advisor, International Monetary Fund

Walid Bakr | Egypt

Managing Director, The Abraaj Group

Sanjay Podder | India

Managing Director, Accenture Labs

Sanjay Sridhar | India

Regional Director, C40 Cities Climate

Leadership Group

Lara Ayoub | Jordan

Digital Director, AlMamlaka TV

Rama Kayyali | Jordan

Managing Partner, Little Thinking Minds

Reem Khouri | Jordan

Founder & CEO, Kaamen

Souraya Frem | Lebanon

President, CEO & Co-founder, CDLL

Christopher Chit Tun | Myanmar

Co-founder, Inclusive Myanmar Development Institute

Khin Lay | Myanmar

Director & Founder, Triangle Womens Group

Seng Pan | Myanmar

Deputy Executive Director, Joint Ceasefire

Monitoring Committee

Wai Phyo | Myanmar

Managing Director, Yathar Cho Industry

Sammy Samuels | Myanmar

Managing Director & Founder, Myanmar

Shalom Travels

Zehra Farooq | Pakistan

Deputy Commissioner, Federal Board of

Revenue

Ahmad Jalal | Pakistan

CEO, The Aman Foundation

Sali Qatawi | Palestine

Director of Culture & Social Affairs, Ramallah

Municipality

Adel Boseli | Qatar

Head of Incubation, Qatar Business Incubation

Center

Shahd Attar | Saudi Arabia

Consumer Insights Section Manager, Saudi

Telecom Company

Fawaz Farooqui | Saudi Arabia

Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Economy and Planning

Dulith Herath | Sri Lanka

Founder & Chairman, Kapruka

Nayana Mawilmada | Sri Lanka

Sector Head, Property Group, John Keells Holdings PLC

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Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and connects innovative leaders through a transformative fellowship experience and lifelong engagement in a global network of dynamic change agents committed to creating a world more peaceful, prosperous and just.
This will alleviate any future issues regarding the 814 patent with VSRs emerging slot cabinet manufacturing business segment and allow VSR to expand and grow. - Colt Vollmann, President/CEO, VSR Industries

On Monday, June 19th, 2017, The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Case: 16-2258) affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Boards (PTAB) decision that the Cole Kepro International LLCs 814 patent was invalid, related to casino gambling slot machine cabinets. The court ruled in favor of VSR Industries (respondent), finding that its invalidity would have been obvious at the time of the invention. This patent was pertaining to the video display placement on the gaming machine cabinet.

The appeals court said that the boards previous May 2016 decision regarding Intellectual Property Rights, in an inter partes review requested by rival VSR Industries Inc, was supported by substantial evidence. The Federal Circuit deliberation considered and dismissed every argument raised by Cole Kepro, and affirmed the PTABs invalidation in every respect.

Colt Vollmann, President/CEO of VSR Industries stated that VSR was very pleased with the outcome of the case.

This will alleviate any future issues regarding the 814 patent with VSRs emerging slot cabinet manufacturing business segment and allow VSR to expand and grow. - Colt Vollmann, President/CEO, VSR Industries

VSR Industries is a leading US manufacturing company, located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Specializing in producing casino/lottery gambling machine cabinets, metal/wood casino slot bases and high security locks for the gaming industry. VSR has over 200 employees within their 150,000 square foot facilities, proudly manufacturing all products in Las Vegas, Nevada. http://www.vsrindustries.com

Contact Information:

Natalee Wright

Design Wright

(702) 327-1833

Colt Vollmann

VSR Industries

(702) 382-7773
Bolieve Handbags One Backpack = Education for Kids & Jobs for Artisans

Founder, Gabriel Ruiz said I noticed that most of my night school classmates were laborers who were working during the day just to afford their basic needs. It was very evident that these impoverished students lacked opportunity. Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America, with approximately 60 percent of the people living below the poverty line. After coming to this realization, he began looking for ways to help.

During his time at night school he met many artisans. Those handmade backpacks were so beautiful! I was impressed with the craftsmanship of their bags said Ruiz. The backpacks incorporate all the features required to enjoy the product, regardless of the occasion. It is inspired and designed for different uses and different people. He decided to buy one for his friend Van in the U.S., and he loved it. This is when the idea began to take shape. Ruiz started Bolieve to provide educational opportunities to children in Bolivia, where schools either do not exist or are poorly funded, and to create secure jobs for the artisans in Bolivia.

Bolieve is partnered with CETHA, a nonprofit organization with 25 years of experience with providing education to impoverished communities. CETHA has their own facilities where the children will go for the day. With each backpack, Bolieve will pay a professors salary. That way they can use their budget in other areas like transportation, food, and incentives. The goal is to give the children a better educational experience, and to show them that people care about them.

Ruiz said, This is the starting point. If our Kickstarter campaign is successful, we will incorporate new products. As Bolieve grows we hope to make a bigger contribution. This will make our giving aspect more stable. Ruiz has been very pleased with how well the bags have been received online. He hopes that it will create an influx of well-paying jobs that will stimulate local economies, and add to funding for education.

To show support, the backpacks will be available for purchase at Bolieves official Kickstarter page on June 20. Support us at KickStarter.
Here in Lackawanna County, we have more than twice the national average of elderly and retired people, which is why supporting organizations like Meals On Wheels is so crucial for our community

The Katyl Agency, a locally owned firm that provides insurance management, financial planning, and related services to families and business owners in and around Lackawanna County, is joining Meals On Wheels of Northeastern Pennsylvania for a charity drive to benefit senior citizens in the area.

Meals on Wheels of NEPA provides hand-delivered and nutritious meals to seniors throughout the region who are facing food insecurity, often preventing or delaying expensive institutional care. The organization has been in operation since 1969, and provides meals to more than 800 area residents on a daily basis.

Here in Lackawanna County, we have more than twice the national average of elderly and retired people, which is why supporting organizations like Meals On Wheels is so crucial for our community, says Joshua Katyl, founder and chief executive of the Katyl Agency.

In an effort to gather local support for the efforts of Meals On Wheels of NEPA, the Katyl team is making connections with regional families, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders over social media and email channels. To generate additional publicity for the charity drive, a Rally Day is scheduled for July 11th and the Katyl Agency will be publishing a full length write up on the event in a soon to be released issue of the firms online magazine Our Hometown: http://thekatylagency.com/magazines/.

According to Joshua Katyl, this charity event is only the first of many planned by the firm. Recently, the Katyl Agency was welcomed into the national Agents of Change charity assistance initiative. From here forward, Katyl and his team plan to work with a new charitable cause in northeastern Pennsylvania every other month.

Readers that would like to find out more about the charity drive to support the efforts of Meals On Wheels NEPA are invited by the Katyl Agency to help improve outcomes for seniors in the community by following this link and pledging their support: http://thekatylagency.com/causes/3669/. Future charitable events hosted by the Katyl Agency will be detailed on the firms Community Causes archive, which can be bookmarked here: http://thekatylagency.com/community/.

About The Katyl Agency

As a Personal Finance Representative in Dunmore, agency owner Joshua Katyl knows many local families. His knowledge and understanding of the people in his community ensures that clients of the Katyl Agency are provided with an outstanding level of service. Joshua and his team look forward to helping families protect the things that are most important  family, home, car and more. The Katyl Agency also offers clients a preparation strategy for achieving their financial goals. To contact an expert at the Katyl Agency, visit http://thekatylagency.com/ or call (570) 209-9013.
transcosmos inc. and Tradeshift Japan Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President: Noriaki Okubo; hereafter, Tradeshift) agreed to form a business partnership on Monday, June 5, 2017. Tradeshift provides Tradeshift, the worlds largest business commerce platform. Under the partnership, the two companies will co-develop plans to create high-value-added solutions, run marketing promotions and sell the solutions. By integrating Tradeshift into transcosmoss BPO services, the partner companies encourage and help businesses digitalize their indirect operations, accelerate transactional speed, whilst achieving paperless transactions.

Along with the relaxed electronic storage requirements, following the Electronic Books Maintenance Act of 2015 (*1), more businesses will start using electronic documents in their operations (scan paper-based documents into image data). In the B2B arena, it has become a global trend to shift from paper-based transactions to electronic commerce  a paperless, real-time data transaction -. As one of its initiatives under the Competitive IT Strategy (*2), the Japanese government is also encouraging businesses to use electronic commerce. At the same time, a rising number of businesses are aiming to strengthen their competitive advantage as well as elevating employees motivation in the workplace by offering various workstyles that enable employees to strike a right balance between work and life. One of the measures many companies are taking is ICT-based telework, a flexible workstyle which enables employees to work from anywhere.

transcosmos offers diverse back-office services that optimize various indirect business operations including order management, billing, payment and more. Now, integrating Tradeshift into the services, transcosmos is helping businesses shift from their traditional paper-based transactions to electronic commerce smoothly, whilst building IT foundation which realizes paperless transactions, process automation, online document management and approvals, regardless of the place. During the transfer period, transcosmos offers an optional service for users to scan paper-based documents received from their business partners into digital format.

transcosmoss globally proven back-office services enable the users to speed up their business operations and optimize costs whilst electronic commerce realizes real-time, paperless and energy-friendly operations. Through implementing telework solutions and enabling transactions and approval processes from anywhere, users can offer diverse workstyles for their employees.

transcosmos and Tradeshift are committed to support the clients digital transformation in order for them to optimize their business processes and costs as well as to build their competitive advantage.

About transcosmos inc.

transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior people with up-to-date technology to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost reduction through our 172 locations across 31 countries with a focus in Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services to consumers in 49 countries around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the Global Digital Transformation Partner of our clients, supporting the clients transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever changing business environment.

About Tradeshift Japan Inc.

Tradeshift Japan offers Tradeshift solutions and professional services in Japan. Tradeshift is the worlds largest business commerce platform that connects buyers and sellers. Tradeshift connects over 1.5 million companies across 190 countries, processes over half a trillion USD in transaction value yearly, and has a marketplace containing 28 million SKUs. It offers solutions for procure to pay, supplier engagement and financial services, and enables companies and partners to build custom or commercial apps on its business commerce platform. Tradeshift is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Copenhagen, New York, London, Paris, Suzhou, Chongqing, Tokyo, Munich, Sydney, and Bucharest.

Visit us from: http://ja.tradeshift.com/

Media Contact

Tomizawa

Public Relations & Advertising Department, transcosmos inc.

+81-3-4363-0123 Mailpressroom(at)trans-cosmos.co.jp

Sugawara

Marketing, Tradeshift Japan Inc.

+81-3-6434-1185 Mailjpninfo(at)tradeshift.com

*1 Electronic Books Maintenance Act of 2015

The Electronic Books Maintenance Act, established in July, 1998, permits the storage of all or part of national tax-related books and documents using electronic media. In 2015 amendment, by the Finance Ministry ordinance, the ordinance for enforcement of the Act has been revised to ease requirements on scanner storage.

*2 Competitive IT Strategy

A strategy set by the industry experts aims to promote Japanese SMEs to utilize IT effectively and strategically, and provides directions for implementing and utilizing IT in order for SMEs to boost their productivity. http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2017/0531_003.html
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External factors posing challenge to inflation; both RBI and government are watchful of situation: Sitharaman.

India to become third largest economy in the world in the next 10-15 years, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Luckily, Mastercard has released a list of Europes top little-known  yet affordable  travel destinations to help you avoid the hoards on your next trip.

The list of 44 under-the-radar destinations was compiled using information from local travel bloggers and tourism experts, as well as Mastercard data. The places were ranked according to beauty, crowdedness, cost of stay, convenience, and, of course, card payment acceptance.

From the magic of The Azores, an archipelago formed of volcanic islands in Portugal, to the stunning beauty of the undiscovered coastal town of Perast, perched on Montenegro's Bay of Kotorin, there is plenty to discover without breaking the bank.

We've put together the top 19 most affordable hidden treasures in Europe, according to Mastercard.

Scroll down to see the list, including the average price of a meal and accommodation in each destination.

19. Brest, Belarus.

The city of Brest has been part of different countries over the years, and is a historical site of many cultures. The 19th century Brest fortress is one of the most important places in Belarus.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 14 (12.34)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 18 (15.86)

18. Sheki, Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, rich in unique culture and cuisine, is growing in popularity among tourists. The town of Sheki is full of Islamic architecture and mozaic tiles.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: Under 15 (13.21)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: Under 15

17. Lake Sevan, Armenia.

Despite its beauty, tourism in Armenia is still underdeveloped, and prices remain low. it is famed for its monasteries. The Sevanavank monastery, pictured above, is a must see.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 10 (8.81)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: Under 20 (17.62)

16. Gjirokaster, Albania.

One of Albania's three UNESCO sites, Gjirokaster, sits in a valley between the River Drino and the Gjere mountains. It is known as the City of Stone due to its unique mixture of Greek and Ottoman architecture.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: Under 8 (7.05)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 20

15. Balaton-Uplands, Hungary.

Locals refer to Lake Balaton as the "Hungarian sea," as it's Central Europes largest freshwater lake. It is also considered to be Hungarys version of Provence or Tuscany, combining natural beauty and spectacular views of the lake, tiny villages with century-old whitewashed houses, and picturesque restaurants and guesthouses.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 13 (11.45)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: Under 20

14. Danube Delta, Romania.

The Danube is Europes second longest river. The area is home to some 1,200 species of plants, over 320 types of bird, and 45 varieties of freshwater fish.

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 15 (13.21)

13. Cape Kolka, Latvia.

Cape Kolka is strikingly beautiful and still untouched by crowds of tourists. The two seas kissing each other results in different coloured waters swirling and merging.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 14 (12.33)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 20

12. Naarden, The Netherlands.

Naarden, located just 30 minutes from Amsterdam, is shaped in the form of a star. It has 16th century fortress architecture and is the only fortification in Europe with double walls and moats.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 30 (26.43)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 60 (52.85)

11. Kaszuby, Poland.

Kaszuby, a picturesque region in the north of Poland near Gdansk, is home to stone circles called the "Polish Stonehenge."

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 12 (10.57)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: Under 20

10. Velika Planina , Slovenia.

The Velika Planina uplands in the Kamnik Alps are an hour from Ljubljana. Pictured above are the wooden huts of the oldest preserved herdsmen settlement in Europe.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 15 (13.21)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: Up to 40 (35.24)

9. Volos & Pelion region, Greece.

Located in Thessaly in the Pagasetic Gulf, Volos is half way between Athens and Thessaloniki. Bordered by beautiful beaches on one side, and by Mount Pelion on the other, the Pelion region is attractive during both summer and winter months.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 15 (13.21)

25 (22.02)

8. Saaremaa Island, Estonia.

Saaremaa is Estonias largest island. It is most famous for windmills and its local home-brewed beer.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 18 (15.86)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 23 (20.26)

7. Pag Island, Croatia.

The island of Pag is known for its moon-shaped landscape, Pag cheese and lace production. Pebble and sand beaches ring the island.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 13 (11.45)

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: Under 30 (26.43)

6. Lednice-Valtice, Czech Republic.

The Lednice-Valtice region is Europes largest artificial geographical area. Lednice Castle, a palace, and the gothic fort are its main tourist attractions.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 10

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 20

5. Perast, Montenegro.

Perast, a quaint coastal town on the Bay of Kotorin, Montenegro, is still relatively undiscovered. The tiny town is rich in Venice-like architecture and home to 17 churches.

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 15

4. The Azores, Portugal.

The Azores, an archipelago formed of volcanic islands, is one of two autonomous regions in Portugal. The hidden gem offers stunning landscapes, volcanoes, lakes, fishing villages, and waterfalls.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 15

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 25 (22.02)

3. Salzkammergut region, Austria.

Lake Hallstatt, dubbed the "Pearl of Austria," is nestled in the heart of the Salzkammergut region. It is served by a mountain railway which connects Hallstatt to a salt mine.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 25

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse: 35 (30.83)

2. Mdina & Zebbug, Malta.

Malta is rich in medieval heritage. Mdina offers grand palaces and baroque architecture, while the city of Zebbug has an Arabic influence and is famous for its spectacular celebrations  a "festa" that can last three days.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 25

Price per night, per person for a double room in a 3-star hotel or guesthouse25

1. Asturias & Covadonga convent, Spain.

Mastercard has named the Asturias region in northern Spain as Europes top hidden treasure, with amazing sights of the Covadonga convent.

Located near to the beautiful Bay of Biscay, it is famed for its stunning beaches with crystal clear water, cuisine, and hiking. The Covadonga convent is considered to be one of the most important historical sites in Spain.

Average price of a meal per person at a mid-range restaurant: 18 (15.86)
This development was disclosed at the 8th Ghana Oil and Gas Summit in Accra by the Equatorial Guinea Minister of Mines, Industry and Energy Gabriel (Gabi) Mbaga Obiang Lima.

READ ALSO: Ghana is 5th on Sub Saharan Africa growth rate

According to him, he believes the collaboration between both countries is part of a broader project to ensure African countries have sufficient energy.

I have to say and I want to thank my fellow Energy minister from Ghana that yesterday we signed an initiative its called Energy to Africa and we are starting with Ghana. We have signed a MOU to look at the possibility for us to send LNG because it is very sad that we can negotiate contract with Chile, Korea, Singapore but we cannot send a single drop to Africa.

Mr Lima sees the possibility of great boost revenue and energy supply within continent.

He also explains that coperation between Oil producing countries in Africa can see them surpass Oil giants like Saudi Arabia and Russia.

if African Oil producing countries all work together, we will have a bigger impact than even Saudi Arabia and Russia put together.

Meanwhile Ghana's energy minister, Boagye Agyarko expressed appreciation to his Equatorial Guinea counterpart for the contribution of his country in Africas Oil and Gas industry
The Head of Police CID Cyber Unit, Dr Gustav Yankson told journalists they will not spare any company that has flouted the rule.

The Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) was promulgated in 2012 and till date, weve been doing a lot of sensitization and educating personalities of companies who collect data to register but unfortunately most of them have refused to do as required by section 27 of the law.

Dr Yankson explained further that: Section 56 of the Act also requires that anyone who fails to register should be put before court.

The exercise started on Friday (June 23, 2017) and will see the task force visiting the various hospitality centres and health facilities in Accra.

The Data Protection Act was passed in 2012 by Parliament to ensure that the right to the privacy of individuals and their personal data in the country are protected.

This means that data collectors must protect the individual information they receive.

However, over 170 institutions have been cited for violating the law.

The list is made up of institutions such as British Airways, Lufthansa Airlines, Royal Senchi Hotel, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Accra Mall.

Heads of institutions that have broken the law face a jail term of two years or being made to pay 250 penalty units or both.
Mr Doni-Kwame said: As we automate, it will get to a stage where all these people we see handling trade facilitation at the ports will reduce.

With the automation, you sit in your office and you are able to monitor your goods as they are being loaded from another port and then monitor as it is being discharged at your port and transported to your warehouse. So what happens to all that labour? You are supposed to create jobs but in the other productive sectors. So we need to get the necessary investment so that we can start adding value to our agricultural products and so on, added.

His comments follow the governments September 1, 2017, deadline by which the country will go paperless as far as transactions in the clearance chain are concerned.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at a port efficiency conference organised by his office recently emphasised that government is committed to seeing the full automation of the processes involved in cargo clearance through a paperless transaction.

READ ALSO: Port worker shot during a demonstration

This will result in a high level of efficiency at the ports and also prevent or reduce corruption at the ports. He added that the cost of doing business will also reduce.
The mother of one 14-year-old told Devon Live: "My son wanted to wear shorts but was told he would be put in the isolation room for the rest of the week," the mother of one 14-year-old told Devon Live yesterday.

"The head teacher told them 'Well you can wear a skirt if you like' but I think she was being sarcastic.

"However children tend to take you literally and so five boys turned up in skirts today  and because she told them it was ok there was nothing she could do as long as they are school skirts."

One of the five boys reportedly got in trouble because his dress was too short.

Another boy, Josh Baxter, told reporters he'd been told to change back to trousers as he "had hairy legs."

Mother Claire Reeves told Devon Live: "[The school] have told me that if I send my son to school in shorts then he will be sent to the isolation room all day and if I keep him off school then it'll be an unauthorised absence.

"The girls are allowed to wear skirts all year round so I think it's completely unfair that the boys can't wear shorts.

The school has since indicated that it would consider changing its uniform policy in future.

The headteacher Aimee Mitchell said: "We recognise that the last few days have been exceptionally hot and we are doing our utmost to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible."

"Shorts are not currently part of our uniform for boys and I would not want to make any changes without consulting both students and their families.
In a series of tweets, Sarkodie revealed that he received a beat from Meiway some time ago but due to perfection, it's taking him forever to finish the work.

Sarkodie tweeted: "So legend Freddy Meiway sent me a record long ago and song was soooo deep I had to take all time in the world to be able to fit on it."

"It took me for ever and I never announced it cos was that excited and wanted to really kill it"

"Sometimes it happens but my wrong was not keeping him updated and always wanting the perfect time to get what I needed for the record"
The lawyer for Bin Atef who disclosed this said the marriage ceremony occurred while he was in Ghana.

I think it was contracted while he was in Ghana but I dont believe the woman is from Ghana.

He is already married but I dont think it is to anybody in Ghana. He did get married after he got out of Guantanamo but I dont know the details of that, the lawyer, George Clarke said in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.

It has, however, emerged that Bin Atefs wife's name is Haia. She is a Yemeni. They married about two and a half months ago in Ghana.

The lawyer for Bin Atef further indicated that his client would want to have a regular life and be able to move around and work as well.

READ ALSO: Supreme Court declares Gitmo 2 in Ghana unconstitutional

Meanwhile, the government has indicated that the two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees have behaved well since the erstwhile John Mahama administration accepted to host them.

This follows the Supreme Courts declaration as unconstitutional, the agreement which has Ghana hosting the two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees.
He was, however, not in the car when the accident happened.

The vehicle, a Toyota Landcruiser, was being driven by Chief Inspector John Ankomah, when it crashed into a KIA Rhino truck at about 9:20 pm, at Nkawanda No. 2 near Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region.

The truck was also being driven by a 28-year-old man, identified as Alhassan Kipo, who was at the time carting fertiliser from Accra to Tamale.
He explains that the law has no political colour just as crime has no political affiliation, hence police officers must not hesitate to fight impunity in the country as directed by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

He said this when addressing participants at the national police command conference held in Kumasi today, Thursday, June 21, under the theme: "Transforming Ghana Police Service into a World Class Police  The Role of Regional Police Commanders".

"The police must be up to the task to curb impunity, charging them to have as their mantra a "zero tolerance for impunity", he added.

READ ALSO: Worker at Tema port shot during demo

He said the deaths of major Mahama has caused Ghanaians a great loss charged the police not to condone impunity in the country.

"Why do we have to kill the very people who swear to protect us?" he questioned.

The police must be firm, impartial, and professional in the discharge of their duties, he advised.

On his part, Interior Minister Ambrose Dery indicated that mob action must be condemned and brought to an end in the country.
The Beast of no Nation star has been chosen by the Akufo-Addo government to act as the Ambassador for the governments flagship programme.

We chose him because he is popular and has achieved a lot in what he does, Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh told the media when he unveiled the young actor for the role at a brief ceremony Thursday.

READ ALSO: Young actor unveiled as Free SHS ambassador

But the Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, Dr. Tawiah Augustine has described the move as needless.

Speaking to Accra-based Kasapa FM, he said: I dont see the real value of that initiative to put a face behind the free SHS programme. What is he going to contribute to help the policy? Is he the one going to assist the government provide funds for the programme or what? It will rather serve the purpose well if government had searched for a local student from some deprived village who has excelled to play that role than somebody living in the US who is eating burgers and hot dogs and has already become a Movie star.

Ill file a question before the House for the Minister to be invited over the issue. This free SHS Ambassadorship is a waste of money and even if the state is to spend a penny on it, I dont think it is in the best interest of the nation.

The 15-year old ambassador currently resides in the USA for his career and high school education.

He made his feature film debut in Beasts of No Nation (2015), playing a leading role of child soldier (Agu). He was awarded the Marcello Mastroiannis Best Young Actor Award at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.
READ ALSO: NACOB donates assets of drug baron to rehabilitation centresSpeaking in an interview with Joy FM, the Deputy Executive Director of NACOB, Michael Addo stated that Nayeles arrest and her accounts were seized and the monies in them confiscated to the state.They were five different accounts, some of the monies were insignificant and the court decides how to do the sharing. Part of it is given to NACOB to continue with the work were doingthe sharing is done in percentage terms. Fifty percent was given to NACOB, thirty percent went to the court and twenty percent was put into the consolidated fund. He revealed.Nayele Ametefe was arrested at Heathrow Airport in 2014 with 12kg of cocaine worth $5 million in her hand luggage and has since been handed an eight-year jail term by the Isleworth Crown Court in the UK.On Wednesday, NACOB donated shop items belonging to Nayele Ametefe and other drug barons to three rehab centres in Ghana.
As part of its post-2016 election activities, CODEO said that the engagement is in recognition of the dangers that political party vigilante groups pose to the countrys electoral politics and democratic development.

The engagements, to be held in all ten regional capitals, will take the form of roundtable discussions, focus group discussion, and special briefings with the media.

It will bring together all relevant stakeholders, particularly the security agencies, political parties, peace promotion institutions, and civil society, among others, to address this growing menace in the countrys democracy, CODEO said in a statement signed by Albert Arhin, its National Coordinator.

READ ALSO: Judges condemn Delta Force attack on judiciary

Some vigilante groups particularly affiliated to the governing New Patriotic Party have reportedly carried out various violent attacks on some individuals in recent times. Some of these groups have even taken over some state agencies following the partys election victory.

The engagements will also be used as an avenue to stimulate and sustain discussions on the menacing effects of vigilante group activities in the politics of the country.

The partner institutions will also use the outcomes of the engagements to conduct civic and voter education against the phenomenon, as well as advocacy, to disband party vigilantism in Ghanas electoral politics.

Some of the interventions expected from these public engagements include the development of a comprehensive advocacy policy recommendation for all stakeholders to implement and a campaign to end vigilantism, among others.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court cancels law school entrance exams & interviews The US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson Speaking to the Foreign Affairs Committee of parliament on Thursday 22 June, 2017, said: Now if you are travelling for tourism or business that is not related to government business, you will need to make a personal appearance. I want to reiterate, for official travel, protocol officers pass the passports for visa applications through the foreign ministry and the foreign ministrys protocol officers bring it to us. But for personal travel, every person is required to make a personal appearance, even former presidents of Ghana have to come in for personal appearance. There are no exceptions. He said.However, reacting to the new American policy, Ms Botchwey said there is nothing Ghana can do about it.

READ ALSO: Supreme Court declares Gitmo 2 in Ghana unconstitutionalBefore, protocol officers accompanied applicants  government officials, Members of Parliament, etc.  but if that is the law of the country then that is the law of the country. If that is what they require then that is what they require. I know that our president, in applying for an American visa [when he was presidential candidate], went to the American Embassy. But that is what it is. If that is the law of the country, that is the law of the country. Somebody of the level of a president or a former president has reached a point where everybody knows him or her and, therefore, some of these things are done away with she said.She hinted that Ghana might do same to the USA. In diplomacy there is something called reciprocity and therefore if its done to you then also you do the same, she stated.
Heres what the groups thought of the bill

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents 66,000 pediatricians, opposed the BCRA, especially because it was left out of the conversation around its drafting.

"

The American Lung Association also opposed the bill, citing the Medicaid cuts.

"The proposed cuts to Medicaid under this bill will be devastating for children, seniors and people living with disabilities for whom healthcare is critical. Cuts to Medicaid will lead to more asthma attacks," ALA President Harold Wimmersaid in a statementThursday.

"You're never going to get everything right," Erika Sward, the assistant vice president of national advocacy at the ALA told Business Insider. But when you completely exclude patient organizations from the conversations, "you're more likely to get it wrong," she said.

The American Heart Association didn't mince words in its criticism of the BCRA.

"

The March of Dimes criticized the cuts to coverage for children and pregnant women.

"
It is just a question  Im not insinuating anything," Depp said, according to the Guardian. "By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it."

Depp continued: When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?

It was 1865, when John Wilkes Booth killed President Abraham Lincoln.

I want to qualify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living," Depp said. "However, it has been a while and maybe it is time," he said.

Depp was originally at the event to introduce his 2004 film, "The Libertine," a movie about the second Earl of Rochester, with director Julian Temple.

Similar suggestions have propagated since Trump won the 2016 election.

The Public Theater in New York recently staged Shakespeare's Julius Caesar depicting President Donald Trump as Caesar, complete with over-the-top blond hair and a wife with a Slavic accent. Caesar is later assassinated in the production.
The photos garnered attention on social media Thursday night due to Comey's role in the FBI's investigation of Russia's interference in the US election. They also came on the same day President Donald Trump admitted that he has no recordings of his interactions with Comey, more than a month after he insinuated as much.
In 1975, there were as few as 136 Yellowstone grizzly bears; there are now approximately 700.

"As a kid who grew up in Montana, I can tell you that this is a long time coming and very good news for many communities and advocates in the Yellowstone region," Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement. "This achievement stands as one of America's great conservation successes; the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication on the part of the state, tribal, federal and private partners. As a Montanan, I'm proud of what weve achieved together."

The main question here is who administers the bear populations. Delisting the grizzly means that states will manage populations and can allow hunting of the bears when they venture outside the National Park. The federal government spent about $1.7 billion on protecting the more than 2,000 species covered by the act in 2012.

Conservation groups say the population recovery is impressive but that there are still major concerns about the decision. Bear populations are still only at 1% to 2% of what they used to be.

The Interior Department said they will publish the rule removing Yellowstone grizzly protections in the coming days. It will take effect 30 days after publication.

In the 1800s there were approximately 50,000 grizzlies in the lower 48 states but by the late 20th century, populations had plummeted, decimated by habitat loss and hunting.

Source:

Grizzlies were one of the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The protections prevent states from allowing hunting since federal officials are in charge and they put limits on how nuisance bears are dealt with.

They're slow to reproduce and have low birth rates, with few cubs surviving to adulthood.

Authorities have considered delisting the bears several times in recent years, but these decisions have been fought. Yellowstone grizzlies were removed from the threatened list in 2007, but that decision was overturned by a federal court.

That delisting was overturned for one of the reasons conservation groups oppose the delisting now: bears have lost important food sources like whitebark pine seeds and cutthroat trout due to changing environmental conditions.

Source:

Native American groups oppose the delisting. "[W]e were completely ignored in this delisting process, despite our declaration, our resolution and petition for inclusion," Brandon Sazue, chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, told The New York Times.

Source:

There's been an outcry from conservation groups like the Humane Society, who have said the decision advances the interests of trophy hunters and the fossil fuel industry.

With fewer food sources, bears are consuming more meat, which could lead to more conflict with humans.

The Endangered Species Coalition says they will scrutinize the decision to ensure there is still a conservation strategy with habitat protection and hunting management in place. Grizzlies outside the Yellowstone population will remain on the threatened list for now.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
The suspect, Babangida Garuba, a Goldsmith who resides at the Kasuan Mata area in Funtua Local Government Area of the state, according to Daily Trust, was reportedly caught in the act by his wife who raised an alarm that attracted residents who apprehended him and handed him over to the police.

Garuba who was paraded at the State Command Headquarters confessed that he did not know what pushed him into the act but said he was sex starved following his wife's decision to deny him sex because of her pregnancy.

He also confessed that it was the second time he engaged in such an act and begged for forgiveness from the police, his community, his wife, and God as he would not go back to the act again.

Yes, its true My wife caught me while doing it and she shouted. It would be the second time I would do it, but I dont know why I did it; I have six children while my wife is still pregnant.

I want the police, my wife, my people and God to forgive me as I will not do it again," a tearful Garuba said.
Amina has been struggling to raise her child all alone after her parents sent her out of the house for bringing disgrace to them.

Read her story here:

" My name is Amina, a 28-year-old single mother. I have a bitter story to tell and I also want to serve this as a warning to our politicians who think they are demi-gods and can mess the lives of young women and go free.

I know many of your readers will tell me to shut up and lick my wounds while others will say I am the architect of my own problems due to greed but I can tell you that not all ladies who go out with the politicians are greedy or after their money.

I met Alhaji at the age of 20 when I was in my second year in the university. He was still a struggling young man trying to find his feet in politics. He was a Personal Assistant to a top politician in out state and I fell in love madly with him.

He was one of my roommate's cousin and we met when he came to visit her. Within a short time, my life revolved around him as I saw in him the man of my dreams and the father of my children.

My friend often teased me, calling me her sister-in-law and I would smile shyly, hoping and praying that the wish could come true.

Alhaji too showed me he loved me so much and showered me with so much affection and gifts that I became the envy of my friends and other colleagues.

He was my first real love and before I knew it, he had introduced me to the world of sex. Sleeping with him was one thing that I always longed for as he had a way of making me want him more and more.

When the elections came around, he contested for a position in the state house of assembly and won with a landslide. My joy knew no bounds as I saw myself as the future wife of a top politician because he often dreamed of making it big in the career.

It was only when I became pregnant for him and told him that everything changed. I remember vividly how his countenance changed when I gave him the news.

I had expected that he would be very happy and come to meet my parents but when I told him, he became very angry and that was hen he told me he was married with three children and did not want to have a child out of wedlock.

I was shocked because he had never told me he was a married man. He confessed that he had been married for over seven years and did not want anything that would spoil his image and destroy his political career.

I was more petrified when he said I should go for an abortion, something I vehemently refused since a friend had lost her life while trying to terminate her baby and I told him I would never get an abortion.

He tried every means to convince me and even threatened me if I kept the baby but I stood my grounds and insisted on having his child.

That was when my once loving Alhaji became something else and started to avoid me. Anytime I called him, he would either refuse to pick the calls or when he picked, he would tell me he was very busy and would call me back, which he did not.

When the pregnancy became very obvious, I had to leave school and go back home only to face my parent's wrath. My father was so mad that he sent me out of the house. I had no option but to go and stay with an aunt till I gave birth.

Since I had my child six years ago, Alhaji who has become a top politician and is a member of the House of Representatives has not cared to take up his responsibility. The last time I reached out to him, he threatened to get me arrested for defamation of character.

I have slaved so much to take care of a child whose father is very rich and makes laws for Nigerians but he has not deemed it fit to take care of the child.

I am sending this as a warning to him as I will have not option but to expose him for what he is.

Amina."

The teaser for the day was:

How Nigeria voted:

Amina should expose the politician for who he is - 42%

Amina should petition the House of Representatives to call the man to order - 33%

Amina should do everything to disgrace Alhaji - 10%

Amina should see this as a lesson - 25%
iHarare reports that the octogenarian, Sekuru Tauzen Mujaji, from the Chipinge South in Zimbabwe, holds the record of having fathered the children from his wife and other women in a space of 43 years.

Mujaji of the Shangani tribe was born in 1930 and had traditional challenges that resulted in him only being able to have his first child in 1974 when he was 44.

The only child in his family, Mujaji told reporters that he a bedroom machine and that it always been his desire to have many children despite the challenges he has in raising them and giving them the good things of life.

With the record 108 children and boasting of having slept with more than 50 women in his lifetime, Mujaji says he does not use any enhancements or drugs to help him with his fertility, adding he still feels strong to have more children if he finds people to help him support his family.

Many of Mujajis wives also confessed he is such a strong man when it comes to sex and he is still irresistible even at his age.

At the moment, Mujaji has ten wives and thirty-five children enrolled in school while many of the children have migrated to South Africa in search of greener pastures.
Tseav of Akpuuna Village in Ukum Council Area, is facing a charge of rape.

The Magistrate, Mrs Franca Yuwa, who gave the order, adjourned the case to Aug. 15 for mention.

Earlier, Police Prosecutor Adama Owochio told the court that the case was reported by the father of the girl (names withheld) at the police station on June 7.

The teenage girl was returning home from Gyado market when she asked an okada rider to take her home at an agreed fare of N100.

On their way, the accused diverted into the bush and forcefully had sexual intercourse with her leaving her with bruises.
Aboyi, 28, resides at the palace of the chief of Kpeyegi in the FCT.

The convict was earlier charged for attempting to commit rape, punishable under Section 95 of the Penal Code.

The Judge, Mr Aliyu Ibrahim, ruled that an attempt to commit an offence was punishable with one year imprisonment with option of fine or both while the offence of rape was punishable with 14 years imprisonment.

The Prosecutor, Mr Mamud Ismaila, told court that the defendant was reported to the Jikwoyi Police Station by the mother of the victim on June 14.

He said that the complainant had put her daughter to sleep and left her in the room to attend to other chores.

But while the girl was fast asleep, the defendant who is a neighbor went inside the house and attempted to abuse the little girl sexually before the complainant walked in on him and raised an alarm."

 The complainant caught the defendants hands in the private part area of the minor and spilled semen on her body.

The prosecutor told court that medical examinations from a government hospital revealed that the girl had been indecently assaulted but there was no penetration or sexual defilement.

After listening to the charge, the defendant pleaded guilty and pleaded with the court for mercy.

 I cant explain myself and why I was doing it, please forgive me, the convict had pleaded.
The governors met yesterday June 22, 2017, in Abuja under the Progressives Governors' Forum (PGF) and later released a statement signed by the Forums Director General, Salihu Lukman.

The statement reads, "Acknowledging the rich diverse heritage of Nigeria as a country, the PGF particularly note that the resurgence of desperate youth groups promoting ethno-regional identities and extremist positions from the different geo-political zones across the nation as currently experienced is a reflection of prevalent weak governance, poor economy and law enforcement system in Nigeria.

"PGF, therefore, called for the rise of all decent voices across this country to speak up against the upsurge of some desperate irredentist movements across all ethnic groups and support the emergence of a stronger and virile unified Nigeria for us all.

"The Forum insisted that, regardless of the nations diverse identities and differences, Nigeria has to thrive.

"While acknowledging that as a nation, we do have challenges, PGF believe that the resolution of those challenges rest with the development of our democracy and with it, the ascendency of structured processes of national consultations, negotiations and invariably agreements.

"Some of the challenges are highlighted in the accompanying PGF position  'There has to be a nation first.'

"As governors elected under APC, we will work with our party leaders, the Federal Government and all Nigerians who are committed to democratic development in all parts of the country to ensure unencumbered protection of lives of all citizens in every part of the territorial boundary of our nation.

"In line with the social democratic principles of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the PGF would promote all-inclusive government, for the development of policies and programs that improve the life of every Nigerian citizen, regardless of ethnicity and religious orientation

"We must create, by all means necessary, a country that we can collectively call our home, irrespective of tongues and localities."

On June 6, 2017, the Coalition of Northern Youths (CNY) issued a threatening declaration to Igbos living in the north to vacate the region before October 1, 2017.

ALSO READ: Kaduna Governor orders arrest of youths who threatened Igbos

The declaration has led to increased calls from the south east and south west groups too to break the country.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Mr Victor Isuku, the spokesman of the command announced this in a statement in Maiduguri.

In view of the Eid-el-Fitr sallah celebration coming up, Borno Police Command wishes to reiterate its commitment towards ensuring a crime free celebration.

In pursuance therefore, the residents of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere Local Government Areas are by this release informed that, there will be restriction of vehicular movement until after the Eid prayers on Sunday.

The restriction will include the use of motor vehicles, tricycles, bicycles and animals except those on essential duties.

This restriction, though regrettable, is necessary in view of recent security concerns. Moslem faithful are therefore advised to pray at Eid prayer grounds close to their homes, the statement said.

It advised residents to be security conscious and report strange happenings to security agents.

While wishing all and sundry a happy sallah celebration, the command wishes to advise the general public to be security conscious at all times.

We advise them to report any strange or suspicious person or movements or objects to the nearest police officer, station or other security agencies, the statement said.

ALSO READ:DSS uncovers plot to launch attack in 4 states

Recently, the insurgents had intensified attacks especially suicide bombings in public places.

At least 17 persons were killed after five suspected female suicide bombers attacked Kofa Community near Dalori on Monday.
Mr Usman Abdullahi, the Commissioner of Police in the state, told newsmen in Katsina that the deployment would affect the 34 Local Government Areas of the state.

He said that policemen would be posted to provide security at the five Eid praying grounds in Katsina metropolis and the palace of Emirs of Katsina and Daura among other strategic places.

Abdullahi, who expressed the readiness of the command to ensure a hitch free celebration, urged the residents to continue to go about their normal activities in accordance with the law.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Nganjiwa on a 14-count charge bordering on unlawful financial enrichment to the tune of 260,000 dollars and N8.7 million (approximately N81.7 million).

He pleaded not guilty to all the 14 counts.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendants counsel, Mr Robert Clarke (SAN) had on June 13, when the case first came up, opposed the arraignment of the judge before a Lagos High Court at Igbosere.

Clarke said the court presided over by Justice Adedayo Akintoye lacked the jurisdiction to hear and determine the case.

According to him, the defendant, who is a sitting judicial officer as defined in the constitution, can only subject himself to the discipline of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

He urged the court to dismiss the case, adding that due process should be followed.

Clarke also argued that the information filed offended the provisions of Section 158 (1) and paragraph 21 of the Third Schedule of the Constitution which established judicial precedents and authorities.

But the EFCC Prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objection, pointing out that the application is asking the court to immune the defendant from prosecution because he is a sitting judge.

Oyedepo cited Sections 308 and 35 (1) (c) of the Constitution to puncture the argument of the defence counsel that a sitting judge cannot be prosecuted.

He said among other things that the defendant did not fall within the persons mentioned in provisions of Section 3 and, therefore, could not enjoy immunity from prosecution.

He said that the charge was not brought against the NJC, rather the charge was against Nganjiwa in his personal capacity.

Oyedepo, therefore, urged the court to dismiss the objection and call the defendant to take his plea.

In her ruling, Justice Akintoye, said the court had the jurisdiction to hear and entertain the case.

She said: "It is trite that the court can entertain and determine the rights of any citizen. It is, therefore, not correct that the court does not have jurisdiction to entertain this case."

The judge asked the defendant, "Being a judicial officer of the Federal Government, is there any law that excludes judicial officers from being charged?"

"I affirm that the NJC has power to discipline any judicial officer, but judicial officers are not immune from being preferred with criminal liability.

"It is only the office of the president, vice-president, or executive governor of any state that are immune from criminal liabilities while in office.

"So, the defendant does not have immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution; therefore, the court has been properly constituted and has the power to try this case.

"The notice of preliminary objection, I hold, is therefore, misconceived and same is hereby dismissed," Akintoye ruled.

After the ruling on the courts jurisdiction, the charge was read to the defendant and his plea was taken.

The two parties, however, argued on the bail application made by the counsel to the defendant, who urged the court to grant him bail on self-recognizance as a sitting judge.

The prosecutor opposed the bail to be granted to the defendant on self recognizance, saying that there is no guarantee that the defendant will continue to sit as a judge.

Justice Akintoye, after listening to the arguments, granted bail to Nganjiwa on self-recognizance.

She however, ordered that the defendant should deposit his international passport with the Chief Registrar of the High Court within seven days of the ruling.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, made this known on Friday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the outcome of her meeting with the graduates presently undergoing training at Federal Treasury Academy, Orozo FCT.

She said that 27 people had been selected from the N-Power programme to be the pilot set of the community tax awareness project.

This is a five-day course, and this is the first set of Community Tax Liason Officers.

These first set of graduates had already registered on the N-Power website.

We went through the applications and selected specific disciplines such as accounting, business studies, economics, mathematics and relevant disciplines.

The website is still open for more people to register.

We want to run this pilot edition early, so we can see how much they have learnt, how good our training materials are, so that when we get the 7,500 graduates, we will be ready, she said.

One of the Participants, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Uwafure Destiny said he feels lucky, being part of the project to increase the number of people paying tax in the country.

Even with the recession, when every eligible tax payer comes voluntarily to pay their tax, our economy will be revamped and Nigerians will have a cause to smile once again, he said.

It will be recalled that last week, the Federal Government had announced that it would recruit 7,500 graduates through the N-Power programme as Community Tax Liason Officers to raise awareness on tax among citizens.

ALSO READ: Finance minister reportedly uncovers fraud in YouWin

The graduates would be recruited on a two year fixed contract at N30,000 per month and a promise of added incentives such as sponsored professional training on tax if the programme becomes a success.

The recruits are expected to go to schools, churches, mosques, markets and other social places to educate people on the tax system and let them know what their obligation is.
The Governor lamented the children's continued stay in captivity, while assuring Lagosians that the state is doing its best to get them back.

He addressed the issue in Abuja on Thursday, June 22, 2017, while speaking to the media.

According to him, "If there is anything that makes me feel terribly inadequate, it is my inability to quickly get those schoolchildren back.

"I want to assure everybody that we are on top of it. We cannot be putting all the efforts that we are making on the pages of newspapers. That will jeopardise our efforts to recover those children.

"I cannot compromise their security just because I want to look good in the eyes of the public. But believe me, I am working 24 hours a day to make sure that they come back safely.

"I want to assure Lagosians that Lagos is safe and we are doing our best. There are just about 33,000 policemen in the state as against 22 million people and that was why we decided to do this Neighbourhood Safety Corps just to complement what the police are doing.

"More importantly, we are investing in technology equipment that we can actually use to combat this crime. I believe and I am praying also that in the next few days, these children will be back safely."

The abduction happened in the early hours of May 25, 2017, when armed militants attacked the school's boys' hostel and escaped with six pupils on boats.

Eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnappping.

ALSO READ: Panic as kidnappers write letter to another Lagos school
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Sen. Ayoade Adeseun, as well as Akinjide and Otiti where arraigned on a 12- count amended charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful conversion and stealing of N650 million in the build up to the 2015 general elections.

Abdulmaleek adjourned the case till July 6 to hear their bail application.

At the resumed hearing of the matter, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, the prosecution counsel, informed the court that the commission had amended the charges against the accused persons and prayed that the amended charges be read.

But the defence counsel objected to the amendments and reading of any charge to their clients.

Mr Bolaji Ayorinde, Mr Michael Lana and Mr Adeniyi Isola, all defence counsel, argued that no charge had ever been read to their clients before, adding that there was therefore no cause for any amendment.

The defence counsel also submitted that it was an irregularity on the part of the prosecution to be amending charges that were not known to be existing.

The judge, however, overruled them directing that the charge sheet be read to them.

There was a stir, however, as Ayorinde and Lana in separate submissions told the court that they were withdrawing further appearance in the case, claiming the court had not been fair to their clients.

The two defence counsel subsequently walked out of the court.

NAN reports that Akinjide, however, had begun moves to explore plea bargain arrangement with EFCC.
He said "We can build a new nation; a new nation built on trust, consensus and love for one another and love for our country is possible. A nation where the rulers do not steal the commonwealth, where every Nigerian is safe to live and work, where the State takes responsibility for the security of each and every Nigerian, where the State knows every Nigerian by name and can find and locate each one of us.

Osinbajo also accused the elite of sponsoring groups who promote hate through their various utterances.

He said "I would like to emphasize the fact that this was essentially an elite phenomenon, unity and disunity are promoted by the elite which the vast majority of the Nigerian people are only later conscripted."

"while we must remain irrevocably committed to freedom of expression and the tenets of a free press, we must draw the line between freedom that conduces to healthy democracy and that which threatens and endangers the entire democratic enterprise . It is an important balance, that we must strike. Failure in any way will be tragic, he added.

He also observed that the problem is exacerbated by the influence of the internet and hate media emphasizing that "today a great deal of the threats facing Nigeria are being nurtured and cultivated in the vast spaces of the Internet. The rumblings of secession, the dangerous quit ultimatums to ethnic groups, the radio stations and blogs that spew divisive speech and exploit our fault lines; all of these are now to be found online."

The Acting President also noted that though the days of military rule are now behind the nation, and charged the military, its officers and men to devote resources and talent to these new battlefields, including the internet, "where mindless verdicts on the continued unity and existence of Nigeria are daily being delivered."

Adding that "the battle is not just to defeat the terrorists, the greater battle is to defeat the ideology and mindset that feeds the madness and to cut off its oxygen, money and publicity."

Prof Osinbajo however expressed optimism stating that "the truth is that our nation and national unity is worth preserving and protecting. We are the preeminent power in Africa today in terms of population, size of our markets , natural resources and economy. We are a factor in the geopolitics of the world, no one can ignore a nation state that is home to one in every four black persons. Smaller is weaker not stronger today."

He charged the nation to rise above unproductive ethnic and religious sentiments and advised that "we must develop the emotional intelligence required to cope and adapt in a swiftly and constantly changing world. We must adopt a global mindset, that seeks to learn from the experiences of other countries, far and near, so that we do not waste valuable time repeating mistakes that we should have learned from and learned to avoid".
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) made the request to the ministry on May 3, inquiring on the capabilities of two new satellites to be launched under it by the National Space and Research Development Agency.

Tomiwa Ilori, the program assistant for Paradigm Initiatives Magoyi (ICT policy) program, said the group is taking the government to task because it has to be accountable.

He said, "At Paradigm Initiative, we understand the need to ensure that digital rights are respected and aside from having this as one of our most important mandates, we have recognized the need to mount guard in making this happen.

"This is not done because of the abundance of time and resources, but for the need to ensure that rights begin to form the fulcrum upon which technological innovations are made.

"Furthermore, we are keen on the crucial influence of digital rights on our dear countrys socio-political and socio-economic survival.

"This is not the first time we have turned to the Courts to have them safeguard digital rights in Nigeria.

"Even though a unique and novel turf, we are conscious of the fact that soon, we will be able to comfortably rely on the Courts plethora of decided cases on digital rights to institutionalize its principles."

Another program manager with the group, Adeboye Adegoke, also emphasised the need for transparency and accountability, saying, "The need to make sure that we have rights-respecting institutions in Nigeria is almost a thankless job considering the unique structure of Nigeria as a country but it is a job that must be done.

"We will ensure that we get this matter to a logical conclusion and we implore Nigerians to join us in creating more awareness of the need to respect digital rights.

"Thankfully, Nigerians are beginning to get more interested in strategies to make sure that digital rights gain more footing as it is intrinsically linked to democratic principles of constitutionalism."

The group's executive director, Gbenga Sesan, also said, "If Nigeria must lead in Africa, she must also learn to teach by examples, one of which is ensuring that rights are respected whether online or offline.

"We understand the bureaucracies and back-breaking challenges that come with asking questions from authorities, especially in Nigeria but we are not going to allow that deter us."

The group said the ministry's refusal to honour the request, covered by the provision of the FOI Act 2011, has prompted its actions to go to court.
If minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, is to be believed, lawmakers have badly tampered with the 2017 Appropriation Act (otherwise called the budget), like they often do.

On May 19, 2017, acting president Yemi Osinbajo received the budget document from the legislature.

However, it wasn't until June 12, 2017, that the budget was assented to by the executive now led by Osinbajo.

That's more than a month of delay at the nation's expense.

Pulse had at the time that the delay in signing the budget was attributable to a phenomenon called ' budget padding'--a practice where lawmakers inflate budget line items to suit their agenda.

In the last couple of days, Pulse has been proven right.

First, Osinbajo decried the practice where the legislature chopped and changed financial estimates in the budget without interfacing with the executive.

The nation's acting president also wondered if the national assembly really does possess the powers of appropriation.

Presiding officers in both houses of parliament, namely Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara, immediately hit back at the acting president, stopping short of calling him ignorant for not knowing that the legislature possesses powers of appropriation.

ALSO READ: 7 signs that economic recession is almost over for Nigeria

Fashola has embarked on media rounds in the last couple of hours, questioning the powers of the national assembly to appropriate unreasonably.

And he's got a fair point.

Everybody is complaining about power supply but they also cut the budget for Mambila power project and the Bodo Bridge that connects the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Station", Fashola said.

If after we have defended the budget and we have gone and the legislature unilaterally changed the budget, what is the purpose of deliberation?

Fashola also lamented that the national assembly reduced the budget for the Lagos-Ibadan expressway from N31bn to N10bn and the vote for the 2nd Niger Bridge from N15bn to N10bn.

What I have in my budget now is primary health care centres, boreholes, Fashola bemoaned during an interactive session.

The minister added that; that was the meeting we had with the acting president and that was the reason why the budget was not signed on time.

We were asked to complete those abandoned projects; the budget of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced by the National Assembly from N31bn to N10bn.

We owe the contractors about N15bn and they have written to us that they are going to shut down.

Also, the budget of the 2nd Niger bridge was reduced from N15bn to N10bn and about N3bn or so was removed from the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road budget.

Fashola also wondered why the legislature earmarked monies in the budget for construction of state roads.

These roads are not federal roads and some of them do not have designs. How do we award roads that were not designed irrespective of the power you have?

It is unconstitutional for the National Assembly to legislate on state roads.

The executive controls all the machinery for collecting taxes and other revenue with relevant data from the ministries of finance, physical planning and the Budget Office and others.

I am not saying that the legislature cannot contribute to the budget, but I hold the view that it cannot increase the budget because they do not collect the revenue with which to run or implement the budget.

Actually, the constitution grants the national assembly the power of appropriation.

Section 80, subsection 3of the 1999 constitution as amended, states that, no monies shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the Federation other than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation unless the issue of these monies has been authorized by an Act of the National Assembly.

However, the constitution doesn't say lawmakers have to be unreasonable and use this power however they deem fit.

The constitution also didn't say that the budget has to be selfishly inflated by lawmakers.

Nigeria is battling an infrastructure deficit. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway and 2nd Niger Bridge projects are critical to getting this nation out of recession at this time. Ditto other infrastructure projects contained in the 2017 Appropriation Act.

To shortchange the ministry of works on some of its line items and appropriate monies for state roads, was mean from the lawmakers.

To appropriate N125B for the national assembly at the expense of other critical sectors of the economy, was really selfish from our lawmakers.

To get Nigeria out of recession, all arms of government have to work together or be seen to be working together.

At the moment, it just looks like the legislature is flexing its muscle for the sake of it and for pecuniary gains only.

Seriously, where did we get these lawmakers from?
Okowa made the call on Friday while inaugurating a private broadcast station Bridge Radio 98.7 FM in Asaba, in the company of Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo.

Okowa observed that the acting president, within the last few days had worked tirelessly to unite the country.

He, therefore, underscored the need to support the acting president in every way possible.

He urged the people to tailor their words toward uniting the nation whenever they exercised their freedom.

The governor expressed happiness that the radio station was coming on air at a time when quest for information among Nigerians was on the increase.

Information is power; that is why we are happy that this station is coming on air this time in our nations history."

Information is power when you disseminate the right information because a misinformed man is dangerous to the society."

We should properly educate our people to have a more united country; the press can make or mar this nation, depending on what voices that connect the people."

This is because we are in trying times as a nation, we are in recession and there are different ethnic groups speaking with different voices that do not tend to unite us as a people, he said.

Okowa said that apart from empowering Deltans to be self-sufficient, his administration had provided a conducive environment for the private sector to thrive.

He promised to make the state an investors haven.

On his part, Obaseki described communication as very vital for a better society, adding that the media should adopt standard global technology.

It is so important that our media houses adopt standard global technology and that is what we are witnessing here."

We are very glad that this is happening because, you are going to use this medium to inspire a new generation of people."

I have no doubt that it is going to be a successful venture, Obaseki said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the station, Dr Henry Nzekwu, said that the station would offer quality broadcast to Nigerians.

Nzekwu said that it was designed to provide a voice for the people through quality programming and world class technology.
The court dismissed the suit filed by Sen. Umar Dahiru, challenging the nomination of Tambuwal as the governor candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 2015 general elections.

Justice Gabriel Kolawale dismissed the suit on the grounds that Dahiru failed to prove his claims that the APC primary elections in 2014, were conducted in violation of the partys guidelines and constitution.

"The plaintiff did not pin point in specific terms in what ways and manner the APC did not comply with its guidelines and constitution."

Justice Kolawale had fixed June 23 to deliver judgment in the matter after listening to final arguments from counsel involved in the legal battle over the Sokoto State governorship seat.

In his argument, counsel to Dahiru, Mr Roland Otaru (SAN), urged the court to nullify and set aside the primary election that produced Tambuwal as candidate for the 2015 governorship election in the state.

Otaru premised his arguments on the grounds that the constitution of the APC, the APC guidelines on the primary elections and the Electoral Act 2010 were "violently violated" in the conduct of the primary election.

The counsel maintained that the primary election was conducted in breach of the relevant rules since verification and accreditation of delegates were not done in spite of the fact that they were mandatory.

He urged the court to take a judicial notice of the list containing the names of the delegates who participated in the primary election and the report of the APC.

The counsel said that there was no evidence of verification and accreditation in compliance with relevant laws.

On his part, Mr Jubrin Okutepa (SAN), counsel to the APC, asked the court to dismiss Dahirus case on the grounds that his claims were inconsistent.

Okutepa drew the courts attention to the affidavit evidence of Dahiru prepared in 2015, where he admitted that accreditation of delegates was carried out.

He said it was only in a further affidavit prepared in 2017, that he recanted his earlier position and said that accreditation was not carried out.

According to him, a litigant must be consistent in his claim.

He added that Dahiru failed to call delegates to give evidence that they were not accredited and that the court should as such presume that there was proper accreditation.

"The case of the plaintiff is bereft of any evidential support to warrant any declaration to be made in his favor."

He urged the court to dismiss Dahirus case and uphold the nomination of Tambuwal.

Mr Sunday Ameh (SAN), counsel to Tambuwal who aligned himself with the submission of Okutepa said it was too late for Dahiru who admitted that there was accreditation in 2015 to make a u-turn in 2017.

According to Ameh, the period for primary election has expired in line with the 1999 Constitution, and as such, Dahirus case has become an academic exercise.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dahiru instituted a suit against the APC, Tambuwal and INEC, praying for an order of the court to nullify and set aside the Sokoto State APC primary election of 2014.
Panic. Fear. Tears, etc.

The reaction to the situation above varies, of course, but most couples will fear the worst, right? - the possibility of rain ruining most of the day and getting in the way of people intending to come for the wedding.

For some celebrities, these fears not only threatened them on their big days, they actually materialised.

Below are four celebrities who encountered/feared some form of accident/misfortune on their wedding day.

1. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively: The bridal gown caught fire

If you have seen "Green Lantern" and "Age of Adaline," then you surely must know these two movie stars.

On their wedding day in 2012, the bride was a little too excited during the dance that she did not know when she went too close to a sparkler which burnt her wedding dress.

Luckily only the dress was affected, as the sparkler left a big burn mark on it.

ALSO READ: 3 extravagant weddings that dazed the Internet in 2016

2. Josh Kelley and Katherine Heigl: The bride forgot her passport for the honeymoon.

When actress Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley married in 2007 in Utah, USA, everything had gone so beautifully and according to plan until it was time to fly to their honeymoon.

The honeymoon had been scheduled to happen in Cabo, but the the bride had left her passport back and their trip to the romantic getaway got delayed before they finally found a way to get there by first making a pit stop in California.

3. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen: Weather issues

John Legend and his wife must have feared the worst, and gone through several disturbing thoughts in September 2013 when their Italian wedding had to be put on hold due to the storms in California which held back important relatives of the groom.

The Lake Como wedding eventually went ahead, but not after many hours of delay and wondering if their relatives coming from the states were safe or not.

4. Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario: The grooms ride got stuck in mud

"Suits" star, Patrick Adams only got married to his sweetheart few months ago, and he must have been frantic when the vehicle taking him to the ceremony got stuck in mud.
The Khmer Rouge's former head of state, 85-year-old Khieu Samphan, spoke angrily to the Phnom Penh chamber trying him and another senior cadre, 90-year-old Nuon Chea, over the regime's killings of Vietnamese and Muslim minorities as well as for other crimes against humanity.

The men are the two most senior living members of the radical Maoist group that seized control of Cambodia in 1975 and carried out some of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.

The pair was already handed life sentences in 2014 for charges that focused on the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh into rural labour camps and murders at an execution site.

But Khieu Samphan, one of the Khmer Rouge's few public faces as its head of state, claims he was not part of the killing machine that decimated nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population.

On Friday he denied responsibility for the murders and other abuses that were described in chilling detail by more than 100 witnesses throughout the trial.

"I didn't know about these issues," he said, adding that the "idea of Cambodian genocide" was invented by Vietnam.

At one point he made eye contact with civil parties and witnesses who had testified in court.

"I know that they really suffered. I also heard when they spoke to me sometimes referring to me as a murderer....But the term murderer, I categorically reject it."

Nuon Chea, known as "Brother Number Two," declined to deliver a closing statement and watched the proceedings from a court holding cell due to his frail health.

But his lawyer told the court that Nuon Chea believed he was part of a "show trial".

"Nuon Chea couldn't care less if you convict him again to a life sentence... he doesn't take this institution seriously," said defence lawyer Victor Koppe.

The judge has not said when the verdict will be delivered.

The hybrid court, which uses a mix of Cambodian and international law, was created in 2006 to try senior Khmer Rouge leaders.

The number of allegations against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan was so vast the court split their trials into a series of smaller hearings in 2011, fearful the pair might die before a verdict could be delivered.
The meeting between State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Trump at the White House on Thursday also came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged China to step up diplomatic and economic pressure on the North over its nuclear weapons.

The meeting was reported by China's foreign ministry. There was no White House statement on the get-together, which had not been mentioned in the president's daily schedule.

"China is willing to maintain communication and coordination with relevant parties including the United States to ease tensions on the peninsula," Yang said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Trump told Yang he looked forward to "enhancing cooperation" with China on the denuclearization of the North, the ministry said in a statement.

On Wednesday Yang and top General Fang Fenghui met with Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the State Department to discuss North Korea and other regional issues.

Hours before the talks began, Trump sent a tweet that appeared to suggest China's President Xi Jinping had come up short on reining in its neighbor.

"While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!" Trump tweeted.

Trump did not elaborate on what might happen next if China, by far the North's most important trading and diplomatic partner, is out of ideas.

Trump, who frequently denounced China on the campaign trail, has turned to Beijing to help pressure its ally North Korea, prompting concern among Asian partners that America might go easy on Beijing over its expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea.

Trump, who met with Xi at his luxury resort in Florida in April, also confirmed he would visit China later this year, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Tillerson said Wednesday that China had a "diplomatic responsibility to exert much greater economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime if they want to prevent further escalation in the region".

For their part, the Chinese envoys pressed for negotiations, proposing again a "dual-track approach" in which North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile activities while the United States and South Korea would halt large-scale military exercises.
A ceasefire between Ukrainian troops and the separatists is to come into effect this weekend, under the watchful gaze of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

But previous truces in the two-year-old conflict have broken down, and Washington accuses Moscow of intimidating OSCE monitors to cover up what is going on on the ground.

Nauert said that in a June 20 incident, separatist forces had fired at retreating OSCE vehicles, and noted that an American paramedic had been killed in an explosion in April.

"The incidents are part of a broader effort to keep the international community from seeing what is happening in eastern Ukraine," she alleged.
The young man was killed during a demonstration in the capital's Altamira area, the public ministry said on Twitter, without specifying the type of weapon that killed him.

Opposition lawmaker Jose Manuel Olivares said the man had been shot by a member of the National Guard.

Near-daily protests against Maduro began April 1, with demonstrators demanding his removal and new elections.

The protests have often turned violent, with more than 1,000 people injured so far, prosecutors say, and more than 3,000 arrested, according to the NGO Forum Penal.

Maduro has been blamed for an economic crisis that has caused desperate shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods.

The socialist leader says the crisis is a US-backed conspiracy.

On Thursday, he slammed the Organization of American States, which met last week to advance a plan to deal with Venezuela's political instability, but failed to reach an agreement.

"The OAS will never again set foot in Venezuela," Maduro said during a briefing with foreign reporters.
The Mexican foreign ministry pointed instead to places like Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil as countries with higher murder rates, in a statement released late Thursday.

Trump had posted earlier: "Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!"

He appeared to be referring to a May 9 report from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, which said that Mexico's 2016 murder rate was second only to Syria's.

The IISS pointed to Mexico's heavily militarized war on drugs and its attempts to crush powerful drug cartels.

"It is very rare for criminal violence to reach a level akin to armed conflict," the IISS report said.

Mexico's foreign ministry acknowledged that the drug trade was "the most important cause of violence in Mexico."

But it described it as "a shared problem that will end only when its root causes are dealt with: the high demand for drugs in the United States and the offer from Mexico (and other countries)."

"We must stop blaming each other," it added.

Mexico had already said in May that the IISS report was based on faulty methodology, saying such comparisons should be based on United Nations crime figures that include central and south American countries.

US-Mexico relations have been testy since Trump took office in January after a campaign in which he vowed to build a wall along the shared border, bashed Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists, and promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

The wall remains a rallying cry among Trump's supporters, but the proposal -- estimated to cost anywhere from $8 to $40 billion -- has found little support in Congress.

Mexican officials have derided Trump's claim that Mexico will pay for the wall's construction.
President Donald Trump has slammed the treatment of 22-year-old American Otto Warmbier, who spent more than a year in detention in the secretive state, as "a total disgrace".

"The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the US compels us to make firm determination that... we should further sharpen the blade of law", the foreign ministry spokesman said according to state media."

"The US should ponder over the consequences to be entailed from its reckless and rash act," he said in an apparent warning over the fate of three other US citizens currently being held in the country."

The spokesman said that Warmbier was provided with proper medical treatment, and questioned why he died so soon after returning to the US.

"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the US in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well," he said.

Warmbier had been on a tourist trip to North Korea when he was detained and sentenced to hard labour early last year for allegedly stealing a political poster from a North Korean hotel.

Doctors said the University of Virginia student had suffered severe brain damage while in North Korean detention. He died on Monday at a Cincinnati hospital and was buried on Thursday. His family declined an autopsy.

- 'Heart nearly stopped'

The foreign ministry official denied that Warmbier was abused while in custody, condemning "groundless public opinion now circulating in the US that he died of torture and beating during his reform through labour."

He said that North Korean medics had "brought him back alive" after his "heart was nearly stopped" but did not give any further details as to why he fell ill.

The US doctors had also said that Warmbier's severe brain injury was most likely -- given his young age -- to have been caused by cardiopulmonary arrest cutting the blood supply to the brain.

In the first official reaction to his death, a spokesman for the National Reconciliation Council earlier Friday said that Warmbier was treated according to "international standards".

"Those who have absolutely no idea about how well we treated Warmbier under humanitarian conditions dare to utter 'mistreatment' and 'torture'," he said according to the official KCNA news agency.

Warmbier's fate has sparked strong condemnation in Washington, and inflamed already high tensions stoked by Pyongyang's atomic tests and missile launches.

On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said that US patience with Pyongyang was running out.

"To see a young man go over there healthy and, (after) a minor act of mischief, come home dead basically... this goes beyond any kind of understanding of law and order, of humanity, of responsibility toward any human being," he said.

The North's foreign ministry spokesman put the blame for Warmbier's death on the previous US administration of Barack Obama which it said had "not even once" made an official request for his release.

"Warmbier is a victim of policy of 'strategic patience' of Obama who was engrossed in utmost hostility" against North Korea and refused to hold any dialogue, he said.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - During the 2017 Central Indiana Field Day in the Tri-county area of Clinton, Howard and Tipton counties, speakers will talk to attendees about a wide range of topics to improve various aspects of farm production. Discussions range from recent research on weeds, entomology and cover crops to the use of field data in farming and best practices with solar panels.

The event, which is 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 26 at McKinney & McKinney Inc. in Kempton, is sponsored by Precision Planting.

Jason Henderson, director of Purdue Extension, will serve as keynote speaker of the 2017 Central Indiana Field Day. Henderson is a nationally recognized expert about the challenges and opportunities in agriculture. The topics of his research publications include entrepreneurship and the use of electronic commerce in agricultural industries. He has been quoted by major media outlets, including the New York Times, USA Today, CNBC and Fox Business.

Other speakers include:

* Klein Ileleji, Purdue University: Ileleji, associate professor and Purdue Extension engineer in agricultural and biological engineering, will discuss solar panels as a renewable source of energy.

* Jim Love, Becks Hybrids: Love, light robotics manager and herbicide specialist, will talk about his insights on how quadcopters (UAV), also known as drones, can be used to improve production.

* Andy Bailey, Precision Agronomics: The regional agronomist will discuss techniques for using field data.

* McKinney & McKinney, Precision Planting: The premier dealer for Precision Planting will provide a tutorial on precision equipment.

* Joe Ikley, Purdue University: Ikley, a research associate at Purdue University, will discuss his research on weeds and cover crop hosts.

* Joe Rorick, Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI): Rorick, conservation agronomist, will talk about his insights on cover crops.

* John Obermeyer, Purdue University: Obermeyer, an integrated pest management specialist for Purdue Extension, will give an update on entomology based on his latest research.

* Bryan Overstreet, Purdue University: The Purdue Extension-Jasper County director will discuss corn and soybean seedling rates in tight margins.

During the Central Indiana Field Day, exhibits by various vendors and resource suppliers also will on display. Lunch will be served.

Participants can earn PARP, CCH and CEU credits by attending the event. Register by visiting the Clinton County Extension website at www.extension.purdue.edu/Clinton by July 12.

Writer: Shari Finnell, 765-494-2722, sfinnell@purdue.edu

Source: Britt Reese, 765-659-6380, brittreese@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;

Shari Finnell, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, sfinnell@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  The Purdue University entries in this years Air Race Classic finished the competition Friday (June 23), landing in Santa Fe Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Boilermakers Flying Club, piloted by Nicoletta Fala and co-pilot Chloe de Perre, took off from Plainview, Texas, on the third leg of their 2,652-mile, cross-country race and landed at the airport with an overall time of 3 days, 2 hours, 12 minutes.

Fellow racers, pilot Mary McCarty and co-pilot Alyssa Harvey, flying Classic Racer 8, landed in the afternoon with a time of 3 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes for the journey.

More than 100 women in 52 planes are participating in this years race which began Tuesday (June 20) in Frederick, Maryland. Pilots flew as far as northern Minnesota before heading south and west to the finish line.

Final results were not immediately available. Several planes were still in the sky mid-Friday afternoon.

McCarty, a senior from Wilmington, Ohio, and Harvey, a junior from Crown Point, Indiana, are representing Purdue, keeping with a 20-year tradition for the university. Both are in the Professional Flight program at Purdue.

Fala, a native of Cyprus and a doctorate student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and her co-pilot de Perre, a chemist in the Department of Agronomy and native of France, are representing the on-campus group Purdue Pilots, Inc. The team was sponsored by the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

It is the first time in more than a decade that two pilot teams from Purdue University have flown in the race.

For more details on the Purdue teams, go to http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2017/Q2/two-purdue-teams-to-compete-in-the-annual-air-race-classic.html

Writer: Brian L. Huchel, 765-494-2084, bhuchel@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Broadcast-quality B-roll and photos from prior to the race are available at https://goo.gl/7DGzy4 and https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxdPFMVWz-l2QkRuc09NOFR4SXc. Footage was shot by Purdue Marketing and Media and the College of Engineering.
CHICAGO (TNS) -- Always a food town, Chicago now is becoming a food hall town.

The modern, upscale, urban reincarnations of the humble mall food court have opened downtown and nearby neighborhoods. Experts say their growth in the Windy City has just begun.

The food halls are a representation of where the restaurant industry as a whole is going: Boutique. Local. Instagram-able. While the traditional mall food court has a group of fast-food options, a food hall is made to be a destination in and of itself with a cohesive, sleek design intended to elevate the experience beyond a grab-and-go lunch from a national restaurant chain.

"They are a destination. They bring excitement," said Doug Roth, founder of Playground Hospitality, a restaurant consulting firm. "Panda Express just can't do that."

There are about 35 to 40 food halls in the U.S., industry consultant Aaron Allen said, but just a handful in Chicago. He estimates there could be as many as 200 across the country in just three years.

Food halls are an opportunity to open a location with far less legwork. There's no search for an ideal location and startup costs are far less. Profit is easier to come by because of built-in foot traffic.

Per square foot, a food hall stall can produce 10 times the sales of a traditional restaurant, said Allen.

For real estate developers, food halls are proving to be a lucrative way to fill ground-floor commercial space and be a big draw for prospective tenants in high-rises above and surrounding the hall.

While Americans are limiting their spending on retail goods, they're shelling out more at restaurants and food "destinations." Consumers spend more on food and restaurants than any other retail category.

"Food halls allow you to see a lot of options that you wouldn't find unless you stumbled upon them," Allen said.

Chicago's food hall players include big, single-company options such as Eataly in the Near North neighborhood and Latinicity in the Loop, the first major downtown food hall openings since Lettuce Entertain You's Foodlife in 1993.

Another food hall model involves collectives like Chicago's French Market and Revival Food Hall, which feature multiple independent restaurants under one roof. HotChocolate Bakery owner Mindy Segal opened in Revival after deciding not to open a highly anticipated neighborhood bakery.

"I always wanted to do a bakery, but it got too expensive and out of control," she said. "So when this opportunity came up, I jumped at it.

"For me, it's been a positive experience. It hasn't been easy, but it has been positive," she said. "I like being in a food hall. I like the camaraderie. I like being in the Loop."

A food hall stall generally requires less preparation ahead of opening, with everything from napkins to garbage removal often headed up by the hall's management company.

"Restaurants are generally more passionate about the food than they are about the business side. We've taken a lot off their plate," said Mike Marsal, founding partner of Alvarez & Marsal Property Investments, which is developing the Wells St. Market food hall, set to open this fall in the Loop. "We've created an environment where they can show up and start cooking."

Revival wouldn't give sales figures but said it sees 5,000 to 7,000 visitors per day. It also declined to give details on the business relationship with restaurants but said the company has licensing agreements with each vendor. The price of lunch at Revival generally runs around $10.
Even as he soared, he couldn't stop himself from sinking.

As Tupac Shakur reached ever-greater heights as an artist and attained huge crossover commercial success, he was plunging deeper and deeper into the criminal life and senseless violence created out of macho nonsense, petty revenge and the infamous East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry that was born in the early 1990s.

What a waste. What a sad and terrible waste.

No doubt some will compare the Tupac movie "All Eyez on Me" to "Straight Outta Compton," seeing as how both films cover the rise of seminal rap artists circa the late 1980s and early 1990s, and both films feature minority ensemble casts doing outstanding work.

In some ways, though, "Eyez" is more reminiscent of "Ray," in that it's a relatively straightforward biopic using conventional framing devices (including the liberal use of flashbacks) to tell the story of an extraordinary artist who overcame tremendous odds to become an American icon.

Except Ray Charles lived to be 73. When Tupac was gunned down on the street in Las Vegas in September of 1996, he was all of 25.

Thanks to the sure-handed direction of Benny Boom, a blazing lead performance by the previously untested Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac, uncanny supporting performances by at least a dozen actors playing real-life figures ranging from The Notorious B.I.G. to Snoop Dogg to Suge Knight, some electric performance scenes and a screenplay that never sugarcoats some hard truths, "All Eyez on Me" is enthralling, exhilarating and at times maddening.

We marvel at Tupac's raw talent, his sensitive poetry, his loyalty to family, his onstage presence, his keen intelligence, but we shake our heads every time he instigates or refuses to walk away from violence, or succumbs to the trappings of fame.

"All Eyez" uses the time-honored technique of a journalist interviewing the subject, an easy portal into numerous flashback sequences. Hill Harper plays the journalist, who conducts the interview with Tupac in 1995, behind prison walls. (Shakur had been convicted of sexual abuse after a woman claimed he and members of his entourage raped her. He always maintained his innocence.)

The journalist asks about Tupac's upbringing, and we're transported back to his childhood in East Harlem and then in Baltimore.

Danai Gurira delivers a powerful performance as Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, and Jamie Hector is equally effective as his stepfather, Mutulu Shakur. Both were active revolutionary members of the Black Panther Party.

After Mutulu was arrested in connection with a robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which a guard and two police officers were killed (he was convicted and remains behind bars), Afeni moved with her children to Baltimore.

At the Baltimore School of Arts, the young Tupac rocks the denim, writes poetry and forms a tight bond with Jada Pinkett (Kat Graham), a kindred sensitive (and ambitious) soul. Theirs is more of a friendship of the heart than a passionate romance. Shipp and Graham have a sweet chemistry as the budding artists.

After yet another move -- this time to a suburb of San Francisco -- the teenage Tupac launches his recording career, catching his first big break when he hooks up with the Digital Underground as a supporting player. Within a couple of years Tupac had released "2Pacalypse Now," launching his meteoric ascendancy to best-selling artist, generational spokesman, lightning rod for controversy and magnet for trouble.

When Afeni retreats into hardcore drug addiction, Tupac heroically fights for his mother, never giving up until she agrees to seek help. In the studio, Tupac is an uncompromising artist, refusing to shy away from dark and brutal lyrics reflecting the realities of the neighborhoods.

But at the same time, Tupac essentially signs his career away to the intimidating and unforgiving Suge Knight (Dominic L. Santana) of Death Row Records, he gets involved in rough feuds with former allies such as The Notorious B.I.G. (Jamal Woolard) and Snoop Dogg (Jarrett Ellis), and he indulges in myriad hedonistic pleasures.

Graham's Jada Pinkett is the conscience of the film, at one point berating her old friend Tupac at a party for becoming a caricature of the hard-partying hip-hop star. Annie Ilonzeh's Kidada Jones (daughter of Quincy), who was engaged to Tupac at the time of his death, also does her best to warn him of the dangers of the choices he's making, but you can see in her eyes she knows it's a losing battle.

Demetrius Shipp Jr. bears an uncanny resemblance to Tupac, but his performance goes much deeper than impersonation. Shipp does a beautiful job of capturing Tupac's fire, his passion, his million-watt star presence -- as well as his short fuse and his combative nature, even with those only looking out for his best interests.

Two decades after Tupac's death, his murder remains unsolved. (Theories abound.)

Of course, some say Tupac lives. That's utter nonsense, of course, but it speaks to the size of Tupac's legend and the impact of his legacy. Only the all-time greats become the subject of such hoaxes and urban legends. Just ask Elvis.
DAVENPORT -- Jodie Toohey is a kind of linguistic jeweler.

Words are her business, and the friendly 43-year-old writer (who markets herself as "Wordsy Woman") takes care to find, polish and connect each so that her poetry and fiction shine and dazzle like a literary necklace.

Take this gem from Ms. Toohey's sixth and latest book, on hiking state parks in the region:

Sometimes a hike is an opportunity

to create beauty with words,

freeze that moment in time,

and sometimes, it's nothing more remarkable

than a simple walk in the woods.

She penned that after visiting Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, Iowa, on Aug. 1, 2015. That poem is among tributes to 19 state parks (the 82-page paperback is called "Versed in Nature") in eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. Pikes Peak is her favorite -- with its high hills and stunning views of the Mississippi River. "It's the closest thing we have to Colorado," Ms. Toohey said recently from her northwest Davenport home.

"It's quiet, it's natural, away from things," she said of hiking with her husband, Leroy, who works for Dow AgroSciences as a production development agronomist. "He's always been very supportive," she said of her writing.

"I love to travel. Besides writing, that's my favorite thing to do," Ms. Toohey said. "I'm really drawn to the West, to the mountains." In fact, she and her family (19-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son) are in Colorado this weekend.

"We love to hike; we've gone to Colorado and hiked. I thought it would be cool to record some of my thoughts," she said. Published by her own Wordsy Woman Press, the park poetry book resulted from visits between May 2015 and August 2016.

Ms. Toohey has loved writing since she was 10. "I always knew that's what I wanted to do, but as I got older, I thought 'I can't make any money writing,' so I was gonna get a real job and write in my spare time," she said. "Then I got married and had kids, and there goes the spare time."

Growing up in Clinton and Camanche, Iowa, she started writing poetry and journal essays, and likes the concise imagery created for poems. "You can write it relatively quickly; less time investment," she said.

Ms. Toohey graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in community and regional planning in 1996, and took creative writing as part of completing an honors program.

She's been in Davenport since 2001 and worked as a paralegal from 2001 to 2009. When a friend from work was diagnosed with breast cancer about nine years ago, she asked herself that if she was put in that position, What would I leave undone?The answer? "It was writing; that's what I wanted to do."

In 2008, Ms. Toohey compiled her first book -- "Crush and Other Love Poems for Girls," including poems she wrote as a teenager, and later revised.

Another friend died from colon cancer in 2009, 20 years to the day after Ms. Toohey lost her almost two-year-old cousin to a car accident. "I decided it was time to jump in," she said of writing full-time. "So I did in January 2010."

She won the Bettendorf Public Librarys Love Poem Contest in 2012; her poetry collection, "The Other Side of Crazy," was released by 918studio in September 2013. She published the novel "Missing Emily: Croatian Life Letters" in fall 2012, and "Melody Madson  May It Please the Court?" (about a 16-year-old genius attorney) in summer 2014.

In 2015, she released "Taming the Twisted," historical fiction based on the Camanche tornado of June 3, 1860. "I heard over and over growing up if it hadnt been for the tornado, Camanche wouldve been bigger than the neighboring city of Clinton," she said.

In the book, Ms. Toohey's female protagonist is forced to deal with the death of her parents, raising her siblings, a missing beau, a new romance, scorn of a townswoman, and a murder after the tornado.

Her vision is to write a series of books involving people connected to this family throughout history in Camanche. Her next book will be set in 1908, about harvesting clams for the pearl button industry in Muscatine.

"I love historical fiction -- I just love the researching," Ms. Toohey said. "It's like a puzzle, to weave that research into your book without feeling you're info-dumping, and make it feel natural," she said. "I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's books growing up."

"Some people say there's too many details, but that's what I like," Ms. Toohey said. "That's what I loved about the 'Little House' books, because you got to learn how to churn butter, things like that."

She began Wordsy Woman in 2012, offering advice, editing services, and help with marketing (among other topics) to other writers. Ms. Toohey shows them options for publishing, target audiences, and what she called the "four Ps" -- price, place, product and promotion.

Avenues for printing and distribution have boomed in the several years, she said, including self-publishing like with Amazon's CreateSpace. She's taught workshops on marketing and publishing and is board president for the Midwest Writing Center.

After attending a "Pen in Hand" workshop from MWC, "I found my soulmates," she said, noting she worked on programming and marketing committees before joining the board four years ago.

Ms. Toohey earned an MBA from the University of Iowa (classes held at Palmer) in December 2014, which has helped run her own business and speak with authority.

She's also co-owner of the small publishing company 918studio, running it out of her home. Her partner, Lori Perkins, lives in Michigan, and works for a printing company.

"I like having control over it all," Ms. Toohey said of publishing, noting Ms. Perkins printed "Versed in Nature." She's planning a reading at the Q-C Botanical Center in late July, and copies are available at the Q-C Convention and Visitors Bureau gift shops in Moline and Davenport.

For more information on Wordsy Woman, visit wordsywomanforauthors.com.
DAVENPORT -- A Bloomington, Ill., man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge in relation to the 2016 robbery at a Bettendorf credit union.

The robbery happened Aug. 18 at the Ascentra Credit Union branch at 1710 Grant St., Bettendorf. The robber did not display a gun, but demanded money from a teller. Authorities said about $4,600 was taken.

Anthony J. Brown, 33, was charged in federal court with bank robbery, according to court documents. He was initially charged in Iowa with first-degree theft and third-degree robbery but those were dropped in favor of the federal charges.

Mr. Brown entered a guilty plea to the bank robbery charge on Wednesday, according to federal court documents. It was unclear Thursday whether there was a plea agreement.

Court records state Mr. Brown's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 19.
URBANA (AP)  The father of a visiting Chinese scholar missing from the University of Illinois made an emotional appeal on Thursday for his 26-year-old child's safe return, saying in an interview: "Give my daughter back."

Yingying Zhang was last seen on a surveillance video getting into a black Saturn Astra in Urbana on the afternoon of June 9. Police have labeled the case a kidnapping but haven't ruled out other scenarios.

Ronggao Zhang, who arrived in central Illinois from China Saturday, spoke to The (Champaign) News-Gazette through a translator. Yingying Zhang's aunt, Liqin Ye, also traveled from China and wiped away tears as the father spoke.

"Ying, be strong. Dad is waiting for you here," Ronggao Zhang said, addressing his daughter directly. "I hope that being a good person you will be safe forever."

Yingying Zhang, whose father has worked in China as a driver, aspired to become a university professor in part to help her family, friend Yige Yang told the newspaper. She arrived at U of I in April and is in the natural resources and environmental sciences department.

The father, the aunt and Yingying Zhang's boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou, are staying in university housing as the search continues.

Hou expressed concern about the pace of the investigation, telling the newspaper, "We're hoping to learn about the progress of the case."

Representatives from University of Illinois police and a campus counseling center were scheduled to meet with students to discuss the search for Yingying Zhang  though police said they wouldn't divulge details of the ongoing investigation.

Police Chief Jeff Christensen said in a Wednesday statement that investigators "continue to make progress" and "will not give up" until Zhang is found. He said specifics about the investigation wouldn't be shared "in order to maintain its integrity and direction."

Ronggao Zhang said the family intended to stay in the United States as long as needed, adding, "We're not leaving without her."
WASHINGTON  The federal government remains committed to passenger rail service between the Quad-Cities and Chicago, according to Thursday testimony in a U.S. House of Representatives committee meeting.

"We have worked closely with the state and the railroads on that route," said Paul Nissenbaum, Associate Administrator of Railroad Policy and Development for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration.

"(For) a portion of it, we've been able to get those investments in place. When we've hit the short line (railroad) territory, things have been a little more difficult. But we're working through that with the state and you have our commitment to continue working with the state on it."

His comments came in response to questions from U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, about the project that had $177 million in federal dollars appropriated to it in 2010.

"The Chicago-to-Quad-Cities route has experienced delays upon delays due to uncertainty, mostly on the state government level," Rep. Bustos said. "We've got some issues with our state budget. We're working very, very hard to get this over the finish line."

While not naming the railroad, Rep. Bustos said there were "timeline and design upgrades" still needed for the project. Mr. Nissenbaum said the Illinois Department of Transportation ultimately is responsible for the project and that IDOT has remained focused on the route's issues.

"But we have been partnering with them to try and help them clear some of the obstacles," Mr. Nissenbaum said. "We remain committed and hopeful to getting through them."

Rep. Bustos released a statement Thursday afternoon stating that securing passenger rail for the Quad-Cities "has always been among my top priorities.

"Im pleased the Federal Rail Administration is committed to bringing this project across the finish line, she said. "Despite the obstacles put in place by the state budget crisis in Springfield, Im fighting to finish this project that will grow our local economy and create good-paying jobs in our region.

In April, state officials said needed track improvements between Moline and Wyanet, 53 miles east, are awaiting an agreement between IDOT and Iowa Interstate Railroad. The actual cost of the track work remains unknown and awaits a planning phase that hasn't started.

Passenger rail service to the Quad-Cities ended in 1978. In 2007, the Quad Cities Passenger Rail Coalition was formed seeking to renew passenger rail service between Chicago and the Quad-Cities.

An Amtrak feasibility study completed in January 2008 estimated that 110,000 passengers annually would use a Quad-Cities to Chicago service. In 2010, advocates projected passenger rail service could start in 2012.
The 10.8km line from Kaigaten in the city centre to Fyllingsdalen in the south will add nine stations to the network, with a journey time of around 19 minutes between the termini.

The line is divided into three sections. The northern section from Lungegardkaien to Kronstad is 2.2km long and includes a 1.4km tunnel with an underground station serving Haukeland hospital. The new line will intersect with Line 1 at Kronstad, where there will be a connection between the two lines.

Section 2 will link Kronstad with Kanalveien and Kristianborg, while Section 3 will extend the line to Spelhaugen in Fyllingsdalen via a 2.9km tunnel under the Lkstatten mountain.

The project is expected to cost NKr 6.2bn ($US 730m) and construction will begin next year, with the first trams running to Fyllingsdalen in 2022.

For detailed data on light rail projects around the globe subscribe to IRJ Pro.
The 1100mm-gauge vehicles will be delivered in February and March 2019, supplementing the citys existing fleet of 18 Traminos, which entered service in April 2015.

The state of Lower Saxony is contributing 12.5m towards the order.

For detailed data on LRV orders around the globe, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
Construction of new twin metro rail tunnels deep under Sydney Harbour and the city centre is expected to commence before the end of the year following signing of the contract.

The Sydney Metro City & Southwest tunnelling contract involves:

 twin-bore 15.5km metro rail tunnels from Chatswood to Sydenham

 excavation and civil works for six new stations at Crows Nest, North Sydney, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street and Waterloo, and

 four double-shield, hard rock, gripper type TBMs and one specialised TBM for tunnelling under Sydney Harbour.

NSW transport and infrastructure minister Mr Andrew Constance said the line extends the metro concept from Sydneys North-West into the City and Bankstown, connecting with new metro stations already under construction at Castle Hill, Bella Vista, Rouse Hill, Kellyville and beyond.

This new metro line will eventually extend for 66km, connecting dozens of suburbs along the way, Constance says. When services through the City start in 2024, the tunnels will have the capacity to move more people than the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel combined.
RailPros Field Services, a provider of railroad engineering and field support, has named Terry Tate as Assistant Vice President of Rail Operations. He will focus on the expansion of existing projects and the development of new business ventures.

Tate has more than 35 years of experience in transportation operations management with Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. He most recently served as General Director of Quality Service for UP, providing marketing, sales and business development leadership for the railroads Western Region.

Tate holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Finance and Transportation from the University of Colorado and a Master of Business Administration from Brandman University.

Terry brings extensive strategic development experience and business acumen to our company, says Johnny Johnson, President of RPFS. By leveraging these assets, he provides RailPros Field Services with tremendous growth opportunities.

RailPros Field Services offers a railroad support services including design and engineering, project and construction management, roadway workers in charge (RWIC), inspection, project management, and railroad coordination.
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The reported clash between France and the U.S. in the United Nations over France's plan to create a regional African security force in the Sahel region of the continent is a reminder that however strong Franco-American cooperation has become, there still appears to be a failure to work together at a strategic level. Indeed, it seems that all too often the two powers, though they no longer trade jabs and undermine each other as they have in the past, engage in what child psychologists refer to as "parallel play," meaning they act adjacent to one another but not together.

The clash is over a French-sponsored resolution calling for the creation of a 5,000-man security force assembled from the group of Sahelian countries known as the G5 Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The plan has the backing of all five countries plus the African Union. France wants the force to supplement its own roughly 5,000-strong counterterrorism force known as Operation Barkhane and, further down the road, provide France an exit strategy. The force would also supplement the U.N.'s existing Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, which has a much more limited mandate than what the French wish to give the new entity.

The U.S. along with the U.K. opposes France's resolution. The reasons are not entirely clear, though the French media singles out money: The Trump administration is keen on cutting the U.N.'s peacekeeping budget and does not want to pay for a new force. To this, we must add the administration's skepticism regarding the efficacy of multilateral operations in Africa, as well as the fact that the U.S. regards the capabilities of the African military in the Sahel as limited at best, despite the U.S. having spent millions of dollars for more than a decade trying to improve them. There are, moreover, real questions to be asked regarding why a new G5 force would be any better than what already exists, given that the security services of the member countries are already in the fight and already working with Operation Barkhane and the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. The region, moreover, poses particular challenges to any force due to its dimensions, terrain and climate. Any force operating there requires significant logistical and organizational abilities, not to mention the requisite fighting skills.

The French might envision the force as a way to enhance the contributor nation's efficacy at the very least by opening up an additional funding stream, and the French, for a variety of reasons, have been eager to internationalize their counterterrorism campaign in the Sahel. Their forces are overstretched and insufficient for accomplishing much beyond whack-a-mole in so vast a territory. France quite simply could use whatever help it can get.

The U.S. should support France, although this would not mean signing on to whatever idea the French come up with. In this case, it does not appear as if Paris consulted with Washington, and there are good reasons to be skeptical of the draft resolution. On the other hand, it also can be said that Washington has only vague ideas about what to do in the Sahel and is primarily banking on a variety of existing piecemeal programs intended to improve governance and promote security sector reform, while letting the French do the dangerous work of shooting and being shot at, and on supporting the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, which is getting badly mauled. One can argue that the U.S. dislikes the French plan but does not have a better one to offer.

What the clash in the U.N. shows is that it is time for Paris and Washington to get togetherwith the G5 nations, of courseand draft together a strategy for achieving shared objectives in the Sahel. The French cannot do it alone or even with the support of the G5. The U.S. would be penny wise but pound foolish to stay aloof or even just uphold the status quo.

Michael Shurkin is a senior political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

This commentary originally appeared on U.S. News & World Report on June 19, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Defense appeals against detention of theater company Seventh Studio ex-producer

MOSCOW, June 23 (RAPSI)  The defense of former chief producer of the Seventh Studio stage company Alexey Malobrodsky, suspected of embezzling public funds allocated for promotion of arts, has appealed against his detention by the ruling of the Presnensky District Court of Moscow, Anastasia Pylina, the courts spokeswoman, informs on Friday.

Malobrodsky is charged with embezzling 2.3 million rubles (about $38,700) allocated for organization of the Platforma festival. The defendant denies his guilt, although he has agreed to cooperate with investigators in the case.

The court detained the ex-producer on June 21, even though Malobrodskys lawyer asked to dismiss this motion, claiming that some of the facts mentioned in the indictment were not true. In particular, according to the indictment, A Midsummer Night's Dream play funded by state money was not performed; nevertheless, some specialized theater journals contain articles and reviews evidencing that the play was performed at Platforma 2015 festival. The evidence presented by the defense also included a letter from ex-minister of culture Ivan Demidov thanking one of the defendants in the case, artistic director Kirill Serebrennikov, for organizing the festival.

On June 8, ex-chief accountant of the Seventh Studio company Nina Maslyayeva, who, investigators claim caused damage estimated to make about 1.3 million rubles (about $23,000), pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with investigation. Allegedly she testified against Malobrodsky as well.

On May 23, police raided the Gogol Center, a popular contemporary theater in Moscow, as part of investigation into the case. Searches have also been conducted in premises of the theaters artistic director Serebrennikov. Later, he was questioned as a witness in the case.

According to investigators, unidentified persons from management of the Seventh Studio, a stage company created by Serebrennikov on the basis of his acting and directing course in the Moscow Art Theatre School, embezzled 200 million rubles (about $3.5 million) allocated by the government for development and popularization of art in Russia from 2011 to 2014.
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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

's dynamic duo Chad Johnson and Daniel Maguire are sharing their opinions of Corinne Olympios , and Daniel's comments are pretty brutal.Chad and Daniel both appeared on last summer as each other's sidekick until Chad became intoxicated and got kicked off the show for verbally abusing multiple women.When asked whether they'd date Corinne in light of her recent Paradise sex scandal with DeMario Jackson , believe it or not, Chad's response was pretty tame -- and it was Daniel who really tore into the bachelorette."People kept pushing [us dating], but that wouldn't have happened anyway. I have a type. It's not her. There's a certain look I go for, a certain attitude and I don't really like her attitude or look," Chad told Us Weekly."She's a good person, fantastic person I'm sure. She's just not my type. I thought if I did go on, we would have had some funny banter, but it's not like we would have come out of that married, you know what I mean? We could have been friends."Daniel discussed Corinne and her alleged hookup with DeMario -- which prompted a "misconduct" investigation and briefly shut down production on Season 4 earlier this month -- during an appearance on The Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro."I don't feel bad at all for Corinne," Daniel said of the bachelorette who calls herself a "victim" after the scandal and insists she's been dealing with "physical and emotional trauma" from her experience."When I was watching Corinne on [ Nick Viall ]'s season I was not impressed with her as a person, you know? To each their own, you know? But I don't feel whatsoever sorry for her -- whatever has gone to her and whatever is coming her way. Like as in, people bitching, complaining and making fun of her whatever. She's got to own up to it and she's got to learn from her mistakes or from whatever she's done."Daniel is likely referring to the fact Warner Bros. determined there was no wrongdoing on DeMario's part after reviewing footage and interviewing cast members and producers. Corinne has been accused of crying wolf and embellishing on the story of her hookup in order to avoid complications with the boyfriend she had back home the entire time."I don't trust her whatsoever. You know, it's hard to trust people to begin with, but then to trust Corinne? I'd trust a dead dog in the street before I trusted her... Just from watching, from everything I've seen on TV now, and then on top of this, and then hearing the fact that she's the same in person that she is on TV," Daniel told Keven Undergaro.A producer initially filed a complaint to Warner Bros. with the concern Corinne was too intoxicated to properly consent to sexually activity with DeMario, who had reportedly been drinking a lot that day as well.DeMario argued the sexual encounter was completely consensual and felt his character was wrongly being "assassinated" during the time of the investigation."People get drunk all the time and hook up. That's, like, happening [with] millions of people around the world. But if she's saying 'no' and he proceeded, that's sexual assault," Daniel said, adding that if he was in DeMario's shoes right now, he'd probably sue Corinne for "ruining" his image.Daniel confessed that if any other woman besides Corinne alleged sexual assault in Paradise, he probably would've believed her."For sure. A hundred percent. As bad as it sounds, like, if it was another girl, I'd be like, 'Oh!' You know? 'Cause it's, Corinne, you know? Just from her personality, she comes across as very promiscuous , throwing herself on guys and this and that, and like, she has a boyfriend," Daniel explained."It's just, I'm not surprised that all this happened... I'm not surprised that she was throwing herself on four or five guys. I'm not surprised that she's getting sexual with DeMario in a hot tub."Daniel also stood up for producers, saying someone definitely would have intervened if Corinne was being taken advantage of sexually by a man."They would have stepped in and then security would have, you know, escorted the guy off the premises and took him away, you know to maybe jail... Anybody with any morals would have done something. They would not just let it happen," Daniel noted.In addition to their stint, both Chad and Daniel competed for JoJo Fletcher on The Bachelorette's twelfth season last year. Chad will also be starring on this summer's edition of Famously Single on E!.
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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
'We know that if the IT industry goes on strike even for a day or two, the repercussions will be international, and we will suffer as a country.'

'We don't want that to happen.'

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

India's information technology sector is going through an existential crisis, a consequence of several factors including reportedly demonetisation and US President Donald Trump's campaign against H1-B visas.

The number of techies who have lost their jobs is reportedly so high that had it been any other sector there would have been strikes and court cases.

But the techie is known to go gently into the night.

Not any more!

A group of IT professionals have come together to form the Forum for IT employees, a trade union that is so far independent of any political party and does not believe in strikes.

After the Tamil Nadu government clarified that IT company employees were free to form unions, Vasumathi, below, left, president of FITE's Chennai chapter, spoke to Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar.

When did you start this forum?

In 2014, if you remember, there was a massive retrenchment in TCS. They were going to lay off 50,000 workers.

At that time, we had started the 'We are against TCS' campaign.

First, they said we are removing only under performers. Ultimately, they did not fire anyone.

The COO of TCS at that time gave an interview where he said they should not have done this, that they should have planned it in a better way.

Our campaign was a success.

After that, we decided that doing campaigns alone was not enough. We needed a forum to fight for all issues relating to the IT industry.

Then, we gradually formed a union.

How many members are in your union?

We have 3,000 members and supporters throughout the country.

In Chennai, we have about 400 members.

How are the company bosses and management reacting to you?

They have not come down to talk to us. They are reacting to us through press releases.

TCS has recently circulated a note to its employees saying they are not sacking anyone, but only doing a performance appraisal.

What happens when a company is operating at a loss? You can't expect it to pay salaries when it is losing money?

In that case, we will not oppose the firing, but they have to first fire the newcomers and keep the old staff.

Also, they must give a good severance package to tide over the difficult times till the employees find other jobs.

And they cannot call the employees under-performers, as that tells on the morale of the work force.

TCS is running at a profit according to their latest balancesheet, thus, we opposed their idea of sacking staff.

When a company discovers that an employee is a member of your union, is it hostile?

I am from the IT industry. Everyone knows I am involved.

I have been giving interviews regularly. No one has said anything.

They are not hostile because they think we are too small.

If they become hostile, then that means we've grown (laughs).

Has any company told its employees that if they join a union they would have to leave?

No! That has never happened.

Have you ever gone on strike?

We have never done that and in future we will never take that approach.

We know that if the IT industry goes on strike even for a day or two the repercussions will be international, and we will suffer as a country.

We don't want that to happen.

All we want is the industry to be employee focused and employee friendly. We are not against the employer.

When you ask people to become members, are they scared?

So far! There has been a little fear. This is now going away.

The Tamil Nadu government has passed a bill saying that IT people can have a union.

When they see us speaking for them publicly they become motivated and come and join us.

Apart from layoffs, what other problems have your members come to you about?

In our industry, late night work is inevitable.

We get a lot of complaints that companies are not giving cab fares even to workers who are leaving or coming late in the night.

We take up these issues as the safety of the employee is very important.

We have also taken up the case of Illayaraja who was murdered inside the Infosys campus.

What other issues have come to you?

We have received complaints that companies are deducting PF from their salary, but not depositing that in their PF account.

Also, some companies are deducting TDS and not depositing that with the government.

Thus, the employee is taxed twice for no fault of his.

How do you solve these issues?

We write to the companies involved. If they don't respond positively, we take it up legally.
As the funnel of good-quality early-stage companies are built, mid-stage and growth capital always follows, says Fireside Ventures founder Kanwaljit Singh.



Kanwaljit Singh, founder and managing partner, Fireside Ventures, announced the first close of his maiden fund at Rs 180 crores.

In an interview with Ranju Sarkar he tells why it is a great time to build new consumer brands in India.



Whats the investment thesis for your fund?



We believe there is a strong emerging opportunity for building consumer brands in India.

Growth of channels like modern trade and online players; increasing consumer aspirations for new products, brands and quality of the first-time entrepreneurs starting consumer businesses, all contribute to this inflection point.

Brands such as Paper Boat, Fogg, iD Fresh, among others, have already built interesting businesses in the past 5 years. Fireside aims to participate in this opportunity as an early-stage investor and provide strategic support to the companies through a network of mentors and partners.





Why are you bullish on the consumer space? Have investors made money in this space?



As mentioned above, several macro trends are converging to make this an exciting time for building new consumer brands. Another exciting trend is interest among strategic and larger private equity players to invest /acquire exciting brands.

We have seen a growing acquisition interest from strategic partners (Indulekha Hair Oil by Hindustan Unilever, Himalaya Water by Tata, Kesh King by Emami, B Natural by ITC, etc). Partners like Avendus are also helping build this ecosystem.



Whats been your track record in terms of exits and returns at Helion and otherwise?



I have been involved in several marquee businesses from inception. Apart from investments in brands such as Paper Boat, Epigamia, Licious in my personal capacity, I have also invested in iD Fresh, Yepme, LifeCell from the Helion portfolio.





IMAGE: Kanwaljit Singh, Fireside Ventures.

Why have family offices taken to VCs like bees? What kind of returns do they expect?



We found strong interest from family offices who have in-depth knowledge of consumer space and believe in this opportunity. Apart from seeing this as a strong investment thesis, several of our investors are keen to participate in future rounds of investing in these companies and also believe Fireside will become a source of new developments and innovation in this space.



How is the fundraising environment given a lot of money for India was raised last year?



Since Fireside is an exclusive consumers brand-focused fund, we saw strong interest from family offices and investment groups such as Westbridge Capital.



Why a few are targeting mid-stage?



I believe investing is a virtuous cycle. As the funnel of good-quality early-stage companies are built, mid-stage and growth capital always follows.

We have seen this trend in several of our portfolio companies -- Hector Beverages (Paper Boat), Drums Foods (Epigamia), Licious, iD Fresh, etc.





Do you see fundraising easing for start-ups? Whats the evidence?



As I said earlier, consumer brands are an emerging space and there is lot of interest to invest from high networth individuals and family offices.

The traditional tech VCs are still not looking at this space actively, but specialist funds such as Fireside aim to fill that gap for early stage institutional funding.



How venture capitals have done in India for LPs from an exit perspective?



Exits till date have been relatively a few and many companies are still in build out mode.

Since a lot of early-stage investors are in the end of life stage for their funds, we should see a lot more exits in the next two to three years.
There were no evidence of any kickbacks, inappropriate contracting or unreasonable expenses

An independent investigation has found no substance in whistleblower allegations of Infosys chief executive officer Vishal Sikka being paid excessive compensation in relation to the company's acquisition of Israel's Panaya, the Indian IT major said on Friday.

The statement comes a day before the annual general meeting of the country's second largest software services firm.

The probe followed two anonymous letters in February that alleged wrongdoing in some of Infosys' acquisitions, improper contracting and CEO compensation as well as expenditures.

"Gibson Dunn and Control Risks have now completed their detailed and extensive Independent Investigation, and they did not find any evidence whatsoever of wrongdoing," Infosys said in a stock exchange filing.

The investigation conducted by Gibson Dunn, an international law firm with expertise in conducting internal investigations, found "no evidence" of any wrongdoing in acquisition of the Israeli automation technology firm.

The probe, it said, found there were no evidence of any kickbacks, inappropriate contracting or unreasonable expenses incurred on Sikka.

Infosys added that it had also fully co-operated with all requests for information from markets regulator Sebi regarding the anonymous complaints.

In the past few months, Infosys has also received criticism from some of the co-founders, who have alleged corporate governance lapses at the firm. They had also questioned the severance package offered to two former executives.

Infosys attached a copy of the letter Gibson Dunn had written to its audit committee on findings of the investigation.

It said that the investigation by Indian law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) on allegations of departure of former CFO, Rajiv Bansal "were thorough, and that their findings and conclusions were reasonable and credible based on the evidence".

Further, on the Panaya deal, Gibson Dunn said it did not find any evidence of "inappropriate contracting" or that the mergers and acquisitions team failed to obtain appropriate approvals.

"We found no evidence that the CEO received excessive variable compensation or incurred unreasonable expenses for security, travel and the Palo Alto office," it added.

In February 2015, Infosys had announced buying the Israeli automation technology company for $200 million or Rs 1,250 crore (Rs 12.5 billion) in cash.

Gibson Dunn said its investigation involved interviews of over 50 witnesses in India, the United States, and elsewhere, the review of company policies, board minutes, public filings and internal documents, the collection, search and review of many thousands of internal emails and attachments.

The probe also used forensic accounting experts to analyse technical and financial information, the review of public filings and media accounts in multiple countries.

Gibson Dunn said no limitations or restrictions were placed on its access to information, and that the company and its directors and employees cooperated fully.

Photograph: Babu/Reuters
The agreement came in after the Ruias agreed to clear most of the Rs 26,000-crore dues to the lenders on completion of the transaction.

A consortium of 23 lenders led by State Bank of India on Friday cleared the Rs 86,000-crore (Rs 860 billion) sale of Essar Oil to Russia's Rosneft-led group after the Ruias agreed to clear a part of the Rs 26,000-crore (Rs 260 billion) loans, including that of Life Insurance Corporation.

Essar Group sources said they hope to conclude the $12.9-billion all-cash deal to the Russian government-controlled Rosneft by July 10. This is the largest foreign investment in the country till date.

When asked whether the 23 lenders also include LIC, to which the company owes Rs 1,290 crore (Rs 12.9 billion), an official answered in the affirmative.

According to the sources, the agreement came in after the Ruias agreed to clear most of the Rs 26,000-crore dues to the lenders on completion of the transaction and transferring the remainder to a new owner, which is better-rated. Sources did not elaborate on how much of the existing loans will be cleared though.

"The fact is that LIC has nothing to do with Essar Oil. The Rs 1,290-crore loan from LIC is towards Essar Power. But still we decided to clear that loan by agreeing to pay Rs 850 crore (Rs 8.5 billion) to LIC," an Essar official told PTI.

It can be noted that LIC's refusal to clear the sale was one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the completion of the largest corporate deal in the country that was signed on October 15 last year in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russsian President Vladimir Putin in Goa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.

The Rs 86,000-crore transaction involves the Ruias completely exiting its cash cow to Russian giant Rosneft and a consortium led by Trafigura-UCP.

"The joint lenders forum of 23 lenders led by SBI and ICICI Bank met in Mumbai this morning and approved and authorised the release of shares of Essar Oil to facilitate the stake sale to Rosneft and the investment consortium led by Trafigura and UCP," the company said.

The refinery at Vadinar on the west coast of Gujarat has a debt of Rs 26,000 crore. Out of this, SBI alone has around Rs 3,500 crore (Rs 35 billion). While a text message to SBI did not elicit any response to confirm the development, an ICICI Bank source confirmed it.

Igor Sechin, chief executive of Rosneft, had told the company's AGM on Thursday in Moscow that the transaction with Essar Oil could be "considered as closed".

The deal involves the 20-million tonne per annum or a 405,000-barrels-a-day refinery in Vadinar, along with 3,500 oil retail outlets across the country (making it the largest private sector fuel retailer), a 1,010-mw captive power plant, and a 58 million tonne port facilities.

The refinery accounts for almost 9 per cent of the country's total oil refining output, according to the company.

Snapping up the refinery would get the Russians a strong foothold in the world's fastest growing fossil fuel market that is India, where oil demand is expected to grow 5-7 per cent in the next five years, as per industry estimates.

The deal involves Rosneft buying 49 per cent stake in Essar Oil's refinery, port and petrol pumps, while the Netherlands-based Trafigura Group, one of the world's biggest commodity trading companies, and Russian investment fund United Capital Partners will snap up another 49 per cent equity equally. The remaining 2 per cent will be held by minority shareholders after delisting of Essar Oil.

The deal has an enterprise value of close to $12.9 billion -- $10.9 billion for the refinery and for the filling stations and another $2 billion for the Vadinar port.

The deal factors in Essar Oil's debt of about $4.5 billion and about $2 billion debt with the port company.

The deal, however, excludes around $3 billion dues to Iran for past oil purchases by the refinery.

Of the $12.9 billion value, $6.5 billion is for the debt with Essar Oil and port. Another $0.5 billion is for working capital, leaving $5.9 of equity value which is equal to the delisting price of Essar Oil.

The biggest FDI for India and the largest outbound deal for Russia was expected to be closed in April.

Essar Oil will continue to own and operate the 12 million tonne Stanlow refinery in Britain and has 12-13 per cent market share. Also, the group will continue with the upstream exploration and production business.

Russia's VTB Bank will lend Essar $3.9 billion to restructure debt, while Rosneft itself will pay about $3.5 billion to Essar.

Image: Oil refinery of Essar Oil in Vadinar in Gujarat. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Launched on June 15, 2015, the government proposes to develop 100 smart cities under the mission.

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh and Rajkot in Gujarat figured in the new list of 30 cities announced on Friday for development under the Centre's Smart City Mission.

The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities selected for part financing of projects by the Centre under the scheme.

Thiruvananthapuram took the first slot, followed Naya Raipur, Rajkot, Andhra Pradeshs capital Amaravati, and Bihars capital Patna.

Announcing the new list at an event in New Delhi, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for the 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure their feasibility and workable plans.

Four cities in Tamil Nadu -- Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tiruchirappalli, and three in Uttar Pradesh -- Jhansi, Allahabad and Aligarh -- also made it to the list.

An investment of Rs 57,393 crore (Rs 573.93 billion) has been proposed for development of these 30 cities. Of the planned expenditure, Rs 46,879 crore (Rs 468.79 billion)will be for core infrastructure and Rs 10,514 crore (Rs 105.14 billion) for technology-based solutions.

With this, the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to Rs 191,155 crore (1,911.55 billion), Naidu said.

The minister said that 20 more cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under the Smart City Mission.

These included Biharsharif (Bihar); Navi Mumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra); Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal); and Meerut, Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Rampur (Uttar Pradesh).

Of the 30 cities announced today, 26 have proposed affordable housing projects that benefit the urban poor, 26 cities will be taking up school and hospital projects, 29 will be taking up redesign and redevelopment of roads.

All 30 cities will put in place integrated command and control centres that enable coordination among various agencies for better service delivery and effective management of scarce resources such as water and power, Naidu said.

Referring to reports that maximum funds are being allocated to a small part of a city areas under the plan, Naidu said the citizens and city governments proposed the projects for fixing the infrastructure deficit in their respective cities.

"That is how urban development has been approached in countries such as the US. Nowhere in the world a city has been made smart overnight in one go," he said.

Naidu also launched the City Liveability Index which will help a city to know where it stands in ensuring the quality of life to its citizens.

This exercise will be taken up in 116 cities  covering all smart cities, capitals and cities with over one million population each, he said, adding the first ranking will be out next year.

The minister also distributed Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) among various states for carrying out reforms in the urban sector. Last year, Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion) were given to the states.

For the next three years, incentive funds of Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) are approved for recognising the efforts by states in urban transformation, Naidu said.

Other cities that figured in the latest smart city list included Karimnagar (Telangana), Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Puducherry, Gandhinagar and Dahod (Gujarat), Srinagar and Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir), Sagar and Satna (Madhya Pradesh) and Karnal (Haryana).

Bengaluru (Karnataka), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Pimpri-Chinchwad (Maharashtra), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Aizawl (Mizoram) and Gangtok (Sikkim) were also selected.

Under the Smart City Mission, the Centre provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of five years for implementing various projects.

Launched on June 15, 2015, the government proposes to develop 100 smart cities under the mission.

Image: Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Photograph: PTI Photo
Companies like Ace Turtle are helping brands enable omni-channel retail, bridging the offline and online gap. Abhishek Jejani reports.

IMAGE: Omni-channel experts are helping brands and retailers seamlessly deliver information and merchandise to consumers 24/7, thus transforming the way retail business is done.

Photograph: Don Arnold/Getty Images .

Today, if you walk into a store and find that the store does not have the product you need, then what do you do?

A Bengaluru-based start-up, Ace Turtle, is working with several brands to enable omni-channel retail and tackle this problem. It aims to deliver the product the same day from a store across the city.

Omni-channel retail refers to brands and retailers selling both online and offline.

Last month, the four-year-old start-up co-founded by Nitin Chhabra and Berry Singh, raised $5 million (32.5 crore) from Singapore-based Vertex Ventures and C31 Ventures, the venture capital arm of CapitaLand, in a Series-A round of funding. It had also raised $300,000 in a pre-Series-A round from a host of angel investors.

"The business model has gone in our favour. The online market is growing, which will have a major impact on our business. We are a part of the high-growth industry, but do not have the burn rate of what a typical B2C (business to consumer) has," says Nitin Chhabra, chief executive officer and co-founder, on clinching the funding.

"Their previous industry experience has also come in handy as they are very well aware with the whole sector," says Ben Mathias, managing director and India head of Vertex Ventures.

Prior to this, Chhabra was at the helm of Brooks Bros, Thomas Pink and Iconix Brand Group, whereas Singh was the business head for Timberland, GAS and Dune.

Concept

Ace Turtle's platform, Rubicon, integrates online and offline retail channels and enables e-commerce. Its omni-channel platform comprises technology, logistics and customer support, which enables brands and retailers to improve the experience of customers.

The company aims to help reduce the costs and complexity of omni-channel transformation for offline businesses.

"Traditional online brands have correctly recognised the need to be omni-channel. The reverse unfortunately is not true for offline brands. Most offline brands do not even have a branded website active in India. This includes global brands that have several hundred physical stores in India, but still do not sell directly online. They rely on third-party marketplaces to sell a limited catalogue of their products. The same holds true for much of Southeast Asia and the Middle East," says Mathias.

The company's clients include brands such as Puma, Ray-Ban, Max, Arrow, Flying Machine, Ed Hardy, US Polo Assn and Fossil. It also helps brands build their websites.

Opportunity

A Boston Consulting Group report estimates the Indian retail market to reach $1,000 billion with web-influenced retail constituting $250 billion of the total. Omni-channel presents the biggest growth opportunity in the retail sector.

According to E&Y's supply chain survey, it is estimated that the omni-channel shoppers spend almost twice in comparison with those who shop only at stores.

Revenue

The company makes money by charging a monthly subscription fees to brands, and also gets a small share of revenue it generates for them.

It provides other value-added services, which are an additional source of income for the company. It offers cataloguing services and digital marketing expertise to attract traffic.

"Currently, we are doing a business of $2.5 million a month, growing approximately 35 per cent month-on-month. We should achieve break-even in another two years," says Chhabra.

Road ahead

With offices in Bengaluru and Singapore, the start-up plans to use the proceeds of the funding round to build its leadership team, augment the technology platform and expand its customer base in India and overseas. It aims to double the number of brands and employees from 20 and 100, respectively. It also plans to start its operations in Singapore and Malaysia by the end of this year.

"The biggest challenge we face in India today is the opposition to a new way of doing things. While omni-channel is a term that everybody can define, the acceptance and implementation of transparent practices and seamless execution is still a top management dictate," says Chhabra.

"Such a challenge can be overcome by facilitating brands with the know-how of actual implementation," adds Chhabra.

"As they expand across geographies they need to focus on sales and marketing and ensure that technology is scalable," says Mathias.
As Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall in Louisiana this week, citizens and market watchers braced for its impact.

One big concern was that the storm could flood rice-growing areas of Louisiana, which sent prices to a one-year high at 11.5 cents per pound on Monday as storm watchers warned of flood risks. Luckily, the damage to fields was largely contained, which knocked prices swiftly lower by Friday.

As the remnants of the storm continue inland through Arkansas and into the Corn Belt, the storm will bring heavy rain to Midwestern farmers, which should ultimately help the growing corn and soybean crops, which sent prices for both markets to the lowest level of the year.

As of midday Friday, corn for delivery in December was worth $3.78 per bushel, while November soybeans sold for $9.09.

Oil prices slump

Crude oil prices tumbled to a 10-month low as U.S. oil producers continue pumping more oil.

Despite falling prices, U.S. drillers have been adding oil wells for 22 weeks in a row, and are now producing 8 percent more crude oil than last year. However, many of the U.S. wells are likely running at a loss, so further price drops could force a cutback and eventually shoot prices back higher.

The U.S. and others nations like Libya and Nigeria are counteracting the recent production cuts by OPEC and Russia, neutralizing their effort to raise prices.

As of midday Friday, August crude oil traded for $43 per barrel.

Brazilian steaks banned

The USDA announced a ban of Brazilian beef on Thursday, a move that caused a flurry in the global meat markets.

Brazil is one of the worlds largest beef and poultry exporters, but its beef has been tainted by accusations that major companies bribed meat inspectors, which has resulted in increased scrutiny. Since March, the USDA has turned away over 10 percent of Brazilian beef imports due to quality concerns before putting an all-out ban in place this week.

For now, U.S. futures markets shrugged off the news, trading unchanged on Friday after the story broke. However, if other countries follow the U.S. in banning Brazilian meat, the global supply chain could be affected and drive prices higher.
With Donald Trump the appeal has to be to his business instincts in which his personal interests seem to play a significant role, says former foreign secretary Ambassador Kanwal Sibal.

IMAGE: Among other things, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative clashes with US President Donald Trump's Make in US goals. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

All countries are being forced to assess how Donald Trump's ascension to the United States presidency affects their existing relations with the US. This includes allies and friends of the US as well as those considered its adversaries.

India has invested hugely in ties with the US, particularly in the last dozen years or so, spawning a strategic partnership.

Yet, with Trump as president, the confidence that India-US relations were on an assured track has been attenuated.

Trump's electoral agenda was focused on Making America Great Again, America First, loss of manufacturing jobs, unfair trade practices of which the US was a victim, threatening China with trade restrictions, rejecting free trade arrangements, better ties with Russia, scolding the European Union on its defence and trade policies, Islamic radicalism, restrictions on entry of Muslim refugees and so on.

None of these issues directly touched Indian interests except H-1B visa policies, which were seen as causing loss of service jobs in the US information technology sector.

In reality, some key positions that Trump took could be seen as opening up opportunities for strengthening India-US understandings further.

Trump's arm-twisting of China on trade and South China Sea militarisation could have served to rein in China's geopolitical ambitions in Eurasia and in the Indian Ocean.

Improvement of ties with Russia would have loosened the latter's tightening strategic embrace of China.

A more robust policy towards Islamic radicalism and terrorism could have had a beneficial impact in our region by inducing Pakistan to abjure terrorism.

Trump's opposition to US military interventions abroad and his unwillingness to impose American ways and values on others were other elements of his agenda that carried appeal for India as the turmoil caused by such American policies has impacted us negatively by aggravating the threat of Islamic extremism and terrorism worldwide.

But then Trump has proved unpredictable and inconsistent.

He now boasts of a personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and has muted any talk of trade restrictions on China.

Commending China for cooperation in dealing with North Korea -- a process China will cleverly stretch out -- inevitably means easing pressure on it on South China Sea issues.

The White House participated in Xi's Belt and Road jamboree in Beijing intended to bolster China's geopolitical hold over Eurasia and eliminate the already weak US influence there.

This bonhomie towards China will call for a re-assessment on our part of the American commitment to the Joint Strategic Vision for Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions signed under Obama's watch.

On Russia, the US intelligence and security agencies, the Democrats, some key Republicans, the think-tank circuit, the media and even the key members of the Trump team have made any outreach to Russia politically impossible.

On Islamic radicalism and terrorism, Trump's courting of Saudi Arabia for arms sales and promoting a Sunni front against Iran shows again American readiness to feed Islamic extremism for geopolitical ends.

Targeting Qatar on terrorism on behalf of Saudi Arabia is remarkably cynical.

The Trump administration is not reducing economic and military aid to Pakistan; the CENTOM chief, while commending Pakistan's cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts has faulted India's efforts to diplomatically isolate Pakistan and consequently obstruct the resumption of dialogue.

The US has now revived the Quad group on Afghanistan that includes China, promoting a Chinese role in the region in disregard of India's concerns.

The deeply entrenched American prejudices against India continue getting reflected in the writings of US strategic specialists -- the most recent (June 16) being in The New York Times by former US national security adviser Stephen Hadley along with a Pakistani.

In their eyes, Pakistani concerns about the Indian threat to Pakistan through Afghanistan have a basis, and a US role is recommended in restarting the India-Pakistan dialogue as an incentive to Pakistan to cease support to the Taliban.

US military attacks against targets in Syria and the demonisation of Iran are steps that contradict Trump's initial position against military interventions abroad and value based diplomacy.

Trump's aggressive posture in Iran risks complicating Indian-financed projects there, given the already existing sensitivities of the Indian financial institutions about any violation of the highly complex US sanctions on Iran.

On economic issues, the Americans have always had gripes about India not opening up its economy sufficiently, its high tariff structure, its patent law, its intellectual property rights violations and so on.

We have had face-offs with the Americans in the World Trade Organisation on trade facilitation and agricultural issues.

The US trade representatives have always viewed India negatively as a hindrance to freer trade and investment regimes. Even under Obama, the US had negative views on India's trade, investment and IPR policies.

Trump is openly protectionist, to the extent that in the G7 discussions in Sicily on May 27 the US resisted till the last minute the traditional reference in the final document to opposition to protectionism.

Under Trump and his team, including the new USTR with a tough reputation, India will come under increased pressure to further open up its market for American goods and services, particularly as the USTR has threatened to use all means, bilateral as well as US laws, to achieve that goal.

Trump's order in March to review in 90 days, country by country, product by product, the causes of the US trade deficit includes India although the US trade deficit (goods and services) with India is very modest at $30.8 billion compared to $347 billion in China's case, but not so small when compared to $55 billion with Japan and about $28 billion with South Korea.

Our laudable project of Make in India in manufacturing conflicts with Trump's Make in US.

While the administration cannot direct the powerful US corporate sector to do as he pleases, the atmosphere has become less congenial. In that context, the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative could lose steam and the Tata-Lockheed Martin agreement to manufacture F-16s in India may prove a counter-current move.

On H-1B visas, Trump and his economic team being more strident in their opposition, we may not obtain too much of a reprieve.

But if the US is unmoved by our arguments, it will be more problematic for India to buckle to US pressure on market opening. India would want to operate under the WTO regime rather than bend to bilateralism with the US.

On climate change issues, too, the common ground Modi and Obama astutely forged has got eroded by Trump's disavowal of the Paris Agreement.

Modi's Washington visit will test his diplomatic skills and his ability to strike a personal rapport with foreign leaders.

His mastery over the details of India's economic ambitions and his vision for India's future impresses his hosts.

With Trump the appeal has to be to his business instincts in which his personal interests seem to play a significant role.

Trump's family is a powerful actor on the business side and they have to accessed.

The road to Trump's heart lies through lucrative business deals for America that the president can boast about.

We have to wait and watch what Modi can conjure from his hat during his Washington visit.

Kanwal Sibal retired from the Indian Foreign Service as Foreign Secretary.
'The CM seems to have forgotten that she is dealing with the Gorkhas, people known for their valour and loyalty to India.'

'It is shameful that Mamata Banerjee and her administration treated them like insurgents, choosing to use live bullets instead of other ways and means to control crowds.'

Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia, the Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament from Darjeeling, tells Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore how the West Bengal government is using repressive measures to crush the Gorkha agitation in Darjeeling.

What is the situation in Darjeeling today?

The situation is the same because Mamata Banerjee (the West Bengal chief minister) has created problems.

Do you have WhatsApp? I will give you a verbatim of all the questions people have asked me. (Read S S Ahluwalia's verbatim interview at the end of this conversation below)

Why haven't you visited Darjeeling till now?

Arre bhai, that is not the big point. The point is...

Is the state government not allowing you to enter Darjeeling to meet people in your Lok Sabha constituency?

No, it is not like that. But for the last 13 days there is total bandh.

No vehicle is going (entering or leaving Darjeeling).

How are people managing their daily needs?

Whatever is available in stores or grocery shops they are making do with those supplies.

How long will these stocks last?

That should be the worry of the state government. But they are not looking into this matter.

Have you spoken with the state administration about this situation?

They are not on talking terms with us.

The 'us' is you or the BJP?

With the BJP; and with me also. They don't consult us.

Like they have called a peace committee meeting, but they did not call me!

Did they invite the BJP?

Yes, they called the BJP, but all political parties boycotted this meeting.

Why?

We boycotted this meeting because the peaceful atmosphere was disturbed by Mamata Banerjee.

First, through Facebook, she said that Bengali will be a compulsory language in a three-language formula.

Now for a Nepali, for a Gorkha, Nepali is their mother tongue, which is recognised in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Ditto for Bengali.

For a Gorkha, Hindi and English learning is compulsory to earn his bread and butter.

If he goes to the army, if he goes to the paramilitary force, if he goes for work outside Bengal, he should know Hindi and English.

For maintaining his culture, language and ethical values, he must know his mother tongue.

So, they opposed this compulsion (of learning Bengali).

Initially, it started on May 16 when she posted this message on her Facebook (wall). Everything was peaceful still.

What happened then?

Then the educationists, academics, literary people from the hill area, political workers and leaders, met to lodge their protest.

The district authorities suddenly lodged an FIR (first information report) against all those who attended that meeting, including teachers and principals of reputed colleges.

After naming all these people in the FIR, a case was made out that these hill people were conspiring against the state.

That enraged the people from the hill area.

As Darjeeling's MP, what efforts are you making to get the situation back to normal or reduce tensions in the region?

As a representative, my duty is to inform the government and do something good for the redressal and maintain the peace and harmony in the region.

I have brought everything to the notice of the central government and requested the central government to intervene in this matter.

The central government on my request asked the West Bengal government to send their representative for a peaceful tripartite talk among the state government, the central government, and Bimal Gurung (of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha which is spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state).

Unfortunately, the arrogance of the state government put a spanner in the wheels.

I think they have the attitude of 'We will teach them a lesson' through repressive police action.

By refusing to join these tripartite talks they have given a message that through police brutality, repressive measures, they are going to crush the movement.

Does the BJP and do you, personally, support the demand for a separate Gorkhaland?

In our manifesto, we have said that the BJP will 'sympathetically examine' and 'appropriately consider' the long pending demands of Gorkhas, Adivasis and other people of the Darjeeling district and Dooars region.

That is our commitment because in that area Gorkhas, Adivasis and Rajbongshis live there.

Maharani Gayatri Devi (the late rajmata of Jaipur) was Rajbongshis and a daughter of Cooch Behar.

Rajbongshi language is recognised in Nepal, Bangladesh.

They are also fighting for recognition of their language in West Bengal.

There are pending issues of Gorkhas, Adivasis and Rajbongshis in this region and that is the reason we wanted to analyse and examine the feasibility of their demands.

You cannot outright accept or reject their demands.

The West Bengal government alleges that the BJP is fomenting trouble in Darjeeling.

In my absence, the state government is alleging that I am adding fuel to fire.

Now, if I am in town and if anything happens due to repressive actions of the state government, then what will happen?

Who should be blamed for it?

I am talking to my constituents, but non-availability and disruption of food supplies is a very serious problem.

I have raised it with the (Union) home minister (Rajnath Singh).

***

S S Ahluwalia sent the following QnA to Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore on WhatsApp

Why is Darjeeling up in flames?

The present crisis in Darjeeling was triggered after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement about making Bengali mandatory in school.

A large section of the Nepali and Santhali speaking population of Darjeeling have reservations about this, as that would involve them giving up one of the three preferred languages -- their mother tongue, English and Hindi.

While this protest started as a peaceful demonstration, the police action against the locals made matters worse.

The issue could have been handled more sensitively by the state government.

The first thing that Mamata Banerjee should do is to clarify categorically that there is no order and that she is not going to impose Bengali as a compulsory language for the hills and Dooars region.

Given the distrust and flared up emotions, the clarification should be official and must come from the government and not just a statement.

What has the present crisis to do with the Gorkhas' demand for a separate state?

The demand for a separate state by the Gorkhas and others is a long pending one.

Mamata Banerjee is desperate to make inroads in Darjeeling and Dooars to divide the Gorkhas, Adivasis and Rajbongshis.

This divisive policy of Mamata Banerjee to serve her own political interest is to be blamed for the present crisis.

It has reinforced, especially among the Gorkha community and others, a sense that Kolkata is insensitive towards them.

Due to this, the Gorkhas felt the need to revive their ultimate demand for a separate state.

Such divisive politics is always counterproductive. She is playing with fire.

Why is the BJP government at the Centre not clarifying its stand on a separate state of Gorkhaland?

The BJP promised in its election manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election that the 'BJP will sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and the Dooars region; of the Kamtapuri, Rajbongshi and other people of North Bengal (including recognition of Kamtapuri language)'.

We remain committed to this promise.

There is a procedure that has to be followed. We are working on it.

It is a 110-year-old demand and a solution cannot be delivered overnight.

The state government should prepare a conducive environment for taking this issue forward towards a logical end.

What role does the Centre play in trying to defuse the crisis?

The home ministry was prompt to respond to West Bengal's demand for additional security forces for Darjeeling to maintain peace.

But the way the state police and the administration handled the situation was not appropriate.

Instead of de-escalating the crisis, they have used every tactic to gain political benefit from it, settling scores with political opponents, and have turned a simple peaceful demonstration into a battlefield.

Houses of Gorkha leaders were raided and false cases registered against them.

Is this how such a situation should be dealt with?

The Centre is cooperating with the state, but Mamata Banerjee should take the initiative to solve the political issue.

Have you taken up the matter with the central government? What of those killed in police firing?

It's my duty, as the local MP, to act as a bridge between the people and the central government.

I continue to perform my duty there, and have been in constant touch with the local leadership and the central government, briefing the (Union) home ministry and party leadership about the situation as well as the state of affairs and appealing to them to intervene.

But unfortunately, when the Centre requested the state to send a ground report and officials for discussing the problem, Mamata Banerjee refused to come herself or send a team to Delhi for this purpose.

The ministry of home affairs is very concerned about the situation, and are monitoring the same closely.

The killing of unarmed protestors is unpardonable, and I have asked for an enquiry into the same.

The local administration is responsible for this act, and shall be held accountable and the families of the deceased should be compensated for this loss.

This sort of action against the people is unacceptable, and shall not be tolerated.

I'd also like to point out that the CM seems to have forgotten that she is dealing with the Gorkhas, people known for their valour and loyalty to India.

The Gorkha community has served and continues to serve the nation, and is known to be second to none when it comes to defending our borders, without regard for their lives.

It is shameful that Mamata Banerjee and her administration has treated them like insurgents and terrorists, choosing to use live bullets instead of other ways and means to control crowds.

This would be unacceptable in any civilised society.

The Gorkhas have been and still are fighting for their identity, and a separate state that recognises them as equals, and it is the state's mistreatment over decades that has led them to do so.

Even as a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar/Jharkhand I was fighting for justice for the Gorkhas and I will continue to do so as the MP from Darjeeling till I get justice for them.

MAIN IMAGE: Security personnel march through violence-hit Darjeeling. Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI Photo
The MHRD plans to track various performance parameters of government school teachers and students through tablets and smartphones, reports Sahil Makkar.

The workings of government schools might not be the same from next year, with the Centre planning to roll out an ambitious unified digital system to track the performance of teachers and students, and address the issue of absenteeism among them.

All government school teachers will have to daily record their attendance, the performance of students and the mid-day meal schemes progress, either on a tablet or a smartphone, after the roll-out of the digital system.

The government plans to track various performance parameters of 8.7 million school teachers, 250 million students and 1.5 million government or government-aided schools through this electronic platform.

To begin with, the Union ministry of human resource development will shortly launch this project in three Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

Andhra Pradesh, ruled by the BJP-ally Telugu Desam Party, will also commence the project from this year, an MHRD official said.

The official said every government and government aided-school would be provided a GSM-enabled tablet or a smartphone loaded with an app. Teachers, by using their bio-metric and Aadhaar details, will mark their attendance on the device, similar to what the Central government employees are presently doing in the national capital.

In the rural areas where internet connectivity is an issue, the data will be stored offline and uploaded on the state servers once connected to the internet.

The government believes this will help tackle the issue of absenteeism in schools.

The government will also be asking teachers to capture 14 sets of data for effective school management under the new system, six of which are specifically related to students -- enrolment, progression, attendance, continuous and comprehensive evaluation, and incentives and supplementary teaching management.

Similarly, the system will record four data sets for teachers, including their information, attendance, leave and salary disbursement whereas the schools will be asked to provide information related to school, mid-day meal scheme, facilities and GIS module on the system.

Currently, all the information is stored and maintained in registers and physically sent to the state education department for verification.

Officials said the objective of the scheme was to improve the school management and eliminate the re-reporting of data.

The government, which is buoyed with success of a pilot project in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh, believes that the unified digital system will reduce the cost of data collection and help it in timely interventions.

The pilot carried out in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh has showed phenomenal results. Now, we are replicating the same in the entire state of Chhattisgarh. A few other states have also shown interest, said a senior government official overseeing the project.

After the pilot project named Chhattisgarh Online School Monitoring System, teacher attendance reportedly improved from 52 per cent to 86 per cent in those schools where it was less than 70 per cent.

The pilot covered 2,220 schools and 7,000 teachers in six blocks of Balrampur between May 2015 and May 2016.

Officials said they had decided to roll out the system in the entire state of Chhattisgarh with Rs 60 crore assistance from the MHRD and Rs 40 crore from the state government.

The state government was in the process of issuing tenders for the purchase of around 40,000 tablets.

This will be followed by training of all key stakeholders by July 25. Once the training is finished, the MHRD will launch the pilot on August 1 in Chhattisgarh with select states. After analysing the pilot learning, the national implementation approach will be finalised, so that a national launch can be planned in the academic year 2018-19, said a concept note reviewed by Business Standard.

Officials said concerns related to internet connectivity, telephonic connectivity and Aadhaar-based bio-metric authentications were needed to be addressed before rolling out the system. Till the time issues were sorted out, they said, teachers and schools would be asked to maintain offline data as well.
Indian-Americans are eagerly looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a big way during his visit to the United States capital to meet President Donald Trump.

The Indian community in Washington might not be as big the community as in New York/New Jersey area or the Silicon Valley, where the prime minister addressed two massive rallies in recent years, but the enthusiasm among the diaspora is at the same level.

The community is planning to welcome Modi at every possible location where he could be available during his three-day stay.

There is a huge enthusiasm among Indian Americans, said Adapa Prasad, a top leader of the Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party USA, who is playing a key role in organising events to welcome the prime minister.

Unlike New York and Silicon Valley, Modi is attending a smaller community event on Sunday in a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC. The Sunday afternoon reception is invitation only and has been restricted to leaders of the community organisations and eminent Indian-Americans from across the country.

Despite this people are coming from across the country. They are flying and driving down to Washington DC for several hours to have a glimpse of their popular leader, Prasad said.

It is understood that the community reception can accommodate about 600 people.

In addition to the community events, several think-tanks and organisations have planned a series of events coinciding with the US-India Summit on Monday.

The East West Centre in Washington and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry along with the Senate India Caucus and the House India Caucus will launch India Matters for America/America Matters for India, a publication and web resource for credible and nonpartisan information, graphics, analysis, and news at the national and state level on US-India interactions.

The briefing brings together experts from the US government, business, and academia to assess how the partnership between the United States and India has moved towards greater cooperation in matters of regional security, trade, and cultural exchange, a statement said.

Another American think-tank Hudson Institute has partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry to host a discussion on Monday on building stronger trade relations between India and the US.

Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, will offer his perspective on the India-US relationship.

A panel discussion to be moderated by Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani ambassador to the US, would include Pratyush Kumar, president of Boeing India; Danny OBrien, government relations leader for transportation at General Electric Company; James Shapiro, resident director in North America for Tata Sons; and Kapil Sharma, senior vice president at Wipro.

The panelists will explore ways to foster deeper economic bonds through innovation, global supply chain integration, investment, and more, a statement said.

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies is organising a mini-conference on the Indo-US ties and Indian diaspora on June 25, which among others would be addressed by Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge, foreign affairs dept of the Bharatiya Janata Party and an editor of book Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in Indias Foreign Policy.

Indiaspora is also organising a reception to celebrate India US relationship.

Meanwhile, Sikh and Kashmiri groups have announced that they will hold anti-India protest rallies in front of the White House on Monday.
Bihar CM says there's no question of going back on supporting NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind. M I Khan reports from Patna.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said there is no question to change his decision to support Ram Nath Kovind, the National Democratic Alliance nominee for the presidential poll.

"Nirnay badalne ka koi sawal hi nahi hai kyonki JD-U core committee ne nirnay liya hai (there is not question to change the decision taken by Janata Dal-United core committee)," Nitish told media in Patna, soon after the Iftar hosted by Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Nitish also rejected the appeal of Lalu 'not to make a historic blunder' by extending support to Kovind.

He reiterated that Kovind, as the Governor of Bihar, has done good work for the state and managed things smoothly for the state during his tenure.

Nitish also said that combined Opposition nominee Meira Kumar, who has been described as 'Bihar ki beti' by Lalu, was put up to be defeated.

"Bihar ki beti ko harane ke liye khada kiya gayaa hai (Bihar's daughter has been fielded to lose)," Kumar said.

Earlier, both Lalu and Nitish attended the Iftaar but they were neither seen talking to each other nor smiling.

Besides Nitish, other politicians of Bihars ruling Grand Alliance of JD-U, RJD and Congress have attended Lalu's Iftar at 10 Circular Road, official residence of his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi.

Nitish was welcomed by Lalu personally. He sat at a place surrounded by Lalu and his family members including Rabri, her younger son and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and elder daughter Misa Bharti, who is a Rajya Sabha MP.

Though Lalu and Nitish sat on the same sofa, both ignored each other and hardly made a direct eye contact. It appears clear that they have developed some distance.

Earlier in the day, Lalu had again appealed to Nitish not to make a historic blunder by extending support to Kovind.

Describing Meira Kumar as Bihar ki beti (daughter of Bihar), Lalu appealed to Nitish to mend the historic blunder of supporting the NDA candidate.

We are still treading on the path you had suggested to make the country sangh-mukt...don't know what made Kumar move away and extend support to an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) man, Lalu told reporters on his arrival at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport in Patna from New Delhi.

The RJD president, however, made it clear that the divergent paths taken by his party and the Janata Dal-United would have no impact on the Grand Alliance government in Bihar.

There will be no impact of this (different views of the RJD and the JD-U) on the Grand Alliance government in the future, Lalu said.

Bihar JD-U president Basistha Narayan Singh repeated the party's decision to support Kovind and made it clear that there was no going back on it.

Kovind as governor of Bihar walked hand-in-hand with the state government on the path of development...he has displayed attachment with Bihar, Singh said.

His party colleague Shyam Rajak echoed similar views.

Hum logo ne thok-baja ke faisla liya hain (we have taken a decision after considering everything), Rajak said.

Rajak is deputy leader in the state Assembly and member of the JD-U core committee which decided on Tuesday to support Kovind.

With inputs from PTI

IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with RJD Chief Lalu Prasad at the Iftaar hosted by the latter in Patna on Friday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar allegedly threatened a civic official with suspension for taking action against illegal roadside stalls in suburban Bandra.

A clip purportedly containing audio of the Shiv Sena Corporator threatening to suspend the official has gone viral.

Mahadeshwar, however, rejected the charge that he intimidated the officer, and claimed he only wanted to know from him how a few stalls doing business since the last 40-50 years suddenly became illegal.

As per the conversation in the audio clip recorded by the officer, Mahadeshwar on Thursday purportedly questioned him in Marathi as to why notices were served to the stall owners who were doing their business since decades.

The mayor was also heard accusing the official of 'harassing' the stall owners because they were from a particular community. Mahadeshwar then ordered the official to come to his office along with his seniors.

The official, identified only as Jitendra, was heard requesting the mayor to speak to his seniors, saying demolition of the stalls, who violated the terms of the licence, was undertaken as per their orders.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ashish Shelar disapproved of Mahadeshwar's conduct. The MLA from Bandra said the mayor first opposed a public toilet built by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in the same area and is now supporting the stall owners who had flouted norms.

"The BMC officials removed the stalls on the basis of public demand and their investigation reports. This action (of removing illegal stalls) is essential for smooth flow of traffic," he said.

When contacted, Mahadeshwar said he had spoken with the official, who dealt in issuing licences to hawkers, but said his conversation was 'misinterpreted'.

"Yes. I did speak to the official on the phone to know what's happening. Let me clarify that I support the action against illegal activities. But I wonder how a few stalls can become illegal suddenly when they were doing business since the last 40-50 years," the mayor said.

Asked if he would seek action against the official for recording his conversation without his knowledge, Mahadeshwar said, "I don't want to comment on this."

Meanwhile, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam defended the mayor's questioning of the official.

Nirupam, who has gone to the court to protect the rights of hawkers, said, "The mayor did nothing wrong by enquiring about the action taken against the stalls operating for 50 years. I would urge the BMC commissioner to take action against illegal structures without any bias."
The Bihar CM's endorsement Ram Nath Kovind, the NDAs presidential candidate, even though he is in the Opposition is just one of the many decisions that prove that he is nobody but his own man.

As opposition leaders sat to discuss the presidential poll on Thursday, one mans absence told its own tale.

The man was Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his message was clear. The Janata Dal-United president was nobodys man but his own -- and his partys.

Opposition leaders on Thursday devoted some time to Nitish, whose decision to support National Democratic Alliance presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind had rattled many.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad promised to coax him into supporting the opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a Dalit from Bihar, a state that Nitish has ruled since 2005, barring a nine-month break.

Though described in many quarters as a surprise move, Nitishs endorsement of Kovind is just one among many decisions he has taken in recent months which set his party apart from the non-NDA bloc it belongs to.

He takes contrarian decisions from time to time if he thinks they are in public interest, JD-U leader K C Tyagi said.

That the 66-year-old Socialist was going against the tide on the presidential poll, to be held on July 17, became evident last month when he skipped an opposition lunch convened by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to discuss the issue - and the very next day attended a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

The CM also supported the NDA on issues roundly criticised by the opposition such as the armys strike on Pakistan troops in October last year and the NDAs decision to ban high currency notes in November.

He is wont to take decisions on the basis of his conscience and pragmatism -- and at times both. He thought demonetisation and GST were good for the country and so backed them, said Patna-based social scientist Shaibal Gupta.

Nitish has weaved his way in and out of tie-ups with the NDA. He left the non-NDA group for an alliance with the BJP, and then opted out of it to form a maha-gathbandhan againstthe NDA for the 2015 assembly polls.

Hostile to Modi to begin with, Nitish has made soothing sounds in recent years -- a far cry from 2010 when he called off a dinner in Patna because Modi was going to be a part of it.

Nitish was said to have been irked that supporters of the then Gujarat CM had put up posters which tom-tommed that Gujarat had donated Rs 5 crore to Bihar for flood relief.

Modis resounding victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections may have tempered Nitishs position. In 2015, when Modi made a sudden stopover in Lahore on his way back from Kabul, Nitish surprised his allies by congratulating him.

Nitish has a habit of deviating from the official line of the party or alliance, said senior Bihar BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav. He did so in the past, too, Yadav said, referring to the 2012 presidential poll.

The CM had then sprung a political surprise on his allies -- the NDA -- by backing the United Progressive Alliance presidential candidate, Pranab Mukherjee, against the NDAs P A Sangma. He had a personal relationship with Mukherjee, he said.

In the case of Kovind, a Dalit, caste politics are possibly at play. The Maha-Dalits are a large constituency in Bihar, and Nitish would not like to alienate them - as he did when he installed, and then summarily dismissed, Jitan Ram Manjhi, a Dalit, as Bihar CM before the 2015 state poll.

Not everybody saw Nitish Kumars moves as politically astute.

Nitish has nothing to do with his own party or alliance and goes by whatever suits his narrow and personal political interests, said RJD MLA Bhai Birendra.

The MLAs outspoken views strengthened the belief that all was not well between the JD-U and RJDs Prasad, whose family members financial dealings were being probed by central agencies. This, some leaders said, was another reason why Nitish was publicly moving away from his allies.

He is very image conscious. And he doesnt want a dhabba (stain) on him, a Bihar watcher said. This is his way of distancing himself from the larger opposition where Lalu plays a big part.

But Nitish, known for his tightrope acts, isnt walking out of the opposition either. So while he skipped Gandhis lunch, he was present in Chennai for Dravida Munnetra Kazagham leader M Karunanidhis 94th birthday last month.

On Thursday, Lok Janshakti Party leader Ramvilas Paswan urged Nitish to join the NDA. He should not be in two boats at the same time, he said.

But the Bihar CM has shown that he will do just that. As long as he wants to.
In the presence of NDA ministers and chief ministers, the 71-year-old filed his papers from the July 17 elections.

IMAGE: NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after filing his nomation papers. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

National Democratic Alliance presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said the post of president is above party politics and he will strive to maintain its dignity.

The 71-year-old said after filing his nomination papers that he had ceased to belong to any political party after he became governor of Bihar in 2015.

Ever since I became governor, I dont belong to any political party. The post of president is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support, he told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a battery of NDA chief ministers and party leaders accompanied Kovind as he filed his papers for the July 17 presidential election in which his victory appears to be almost certain.

I will do my best to maintain dignity of the high office of the president, he said.

He named several former presidents to cite the great traditions of the office and stressed the Constitution was supreme in the country.

That its supremacy is maintained is very important, he added.

Underlining his agenda, he said he would work for the countrys all-round development, fulfilment of youths aspirations and encouragement to modern education.

I will strive to see to it that the dream to build a new India which is developing continuously when we celebrate 75 years of independence in 2022 is fulfilled, he said, reading out from a prepared text.

In a reference to the countrys security, he noted that the president was the supreme commander of the armed forces.

The security of our countrys borders should be our top priority, he said.

India is the largest and greatest democracy, he said as he thanked parties that had supported his candidature.

IMAGE: A large battery of NDA ministers and BJP leaders, including party president Amit Shah accompanied Kovind for the occasion. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and party veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were present on the occasion as were all chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and its allies, except Manohar Parrikar of Goa and Mehbooba Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami also attended the event.

Besides NDA constituents, which comprise over 48.6 per cent of votes in the electoral college that will elect the next president, regional parties such as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Biju Janata Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Janata Dal-United have also announced their support to the Dalit leader, making his win a foregone conclusion unless theres a drastic change in the situation.

With the support of these parties, Kovind is set to get more than 61 per cent of votes in the electoral college.

A group of opposition parties had on Thursday announced that former Speaker Meira Kumar, also a Dalit leader, would be their joint candidate against Kovind.

The election is scheduled for July 17 and the counting of votes will take place on July 20.

The term of President Pranab Mukherjee ends on July 24.

Once elected, Kovind will be the second Dalit to occupy the highest constitutional office. The first was K R Narayanan, who was in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1997-2002.

IMAGE: The filing of papers was a show of power and unity by the BJP with all its leaders, including veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi showing up. Photograph: Subhav Shukla/PTI Photo

A low-profile Dalit leader who held various organisational positions in the BJP, Kovind, 71, was made the Bihar Governor in 2015 after the NDA came to power in May 2014.

The name of the two-term Rajya Sabha member did not figure among the probables but his nomination by the BJP is now being seen as a political masterstroke.

He enjoys a clean reputation and has steered clear of any controversy in his over 26-year-old political career. His Dalit background makes him a sound political choice for the saffron party working overtime to woo Dalits.

Meira's candidature an opposition ploy to divide Dalits: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that the opposition parties fielded Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate to divide Dalits to 'save their skin'.

Only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah picked Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit, as the NDA's presidential candidate, the Congress decided to field Kumar, Adityanath told reporters after Kovind filed his nomination papers.

"Intentions of the opposition are not honest towards Dalits, otherwise they would had fielded Kumar last time," Adityanath said.

The opposition parties have fielded her only to divide Dalits in the country, he added.

Echoing the UP chief minister's views, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said that opposition parties have made Kumar a "scapegoat" by naming her as the Opposition's presidential candidate.

"They thought about Dalits for the top post only after the BJP announced Kovindji as presidential candidate. And why didn't Congress nominate her last time when it was in a position to get her elected to the highest office," Modi said.

Praising the choice of the NDA, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das expressed confidence that Kovind would be victorious.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar described the BJP's choice for the top constitutional post as a step towards empowering the lower sections of society.

Speaking highly about Kovind, Union minister Uma Bharti said Kovind was a successful MP and a committed worker towards social causes.
On Thursday, Islamic State terrorists blew up Mosuls iconic 800-year-old leaning minaret and the adjacent mosque where their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014 declared himself a caliph.

With the destruction of the 800-year-old structure, Iraq has lost another piece of its heritage to the conflict, which may go on for longer.

As violence threatens to annihilate a few more of the greatest monuments, we count the cost of the irreplaceable losses, thanks to the Islamic State.

1) The Great mosque of Al Nuri, Mosul

The 800-year-old mosque was blown up by the Islamic State on Thursday. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the destruction of the sites was an official declaration of defeat from the jihadists in the battle for Mosul. Photograph: Reuters

2) Palmyra

In 2016, Islamic State forces took control of the desert city of Palmyra in the centre of Syria. Having no regard for history or heritage, the Islamic State destroyed the 2,000 year old Roman city, which UNESCO had tagged as a world heritage site. Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

3) Umayyad Mosque, Aleppo

The mosque, built between the 8th and 13th centuries, is reputedly home to the remains of John the Baptist's father. It is located in Aleppo's walled Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Heavy fighting during the Syrian civil war ruined the holy site and toppled its minaret. Archaeological expert Helga Seeden was shocked at the destruction, saying, This is like blowing up the Taj Mahal or destroying the Acropolis in Athens. This mosque is a living sanctuary. This is a disaster. In terms of heritage, this is the worst Ive seen in Syria. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

4) Aleppo's Citadel

Before the war, Aleppo's ancient walled citadel drew in armies of visitors to one of the Middle East's greatest treasures.

But for the past years the Citadel's high stone ramparts have been on the front line of fighting pitting the Syrian army and its allies against rebels who occupied much of the Old City surrounding the fortress. Important features lost in recent fighting are medieval mosques and trading houses. Others, including the al-Shibani church school, evidence of Aleppo's history of religious tolerance, and the 13th century Nahasin bathhouse were damaged. Photographs: Sandra Auger and Omar Sanadiki/Reuters
Twin blasts tore through a market crowded with Eid shoppers in a mainly Shia town, a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car and terrorists opened fire on police in separate attacks in Pakistans three major cities today, killing 42 people and wounding 121 others.

The suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboob's office in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, killing at least 13 people, including seven policemen, and wounding 21 others.

The blast was claimed by both the local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group and by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Thirteen people, including seven policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

Hours later, two back-to-back blasts tore through a market crowded with the people shopping for Eid in the Shia-dominated Parachinar city in the Kurram tribal region, killing at least 25 people, mostly Shias, and injuring 100 others.

The first blast occurred during rush hour in Turi Market, where a bus terminal is also located. The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

Medical Superintendent of the District General Hospital, Parachinar, Sabir Hussain, said that at least 25 people are killed and over 100 others injured in the blasts. More than 20 of the injured were in critical condition.

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts.

However, Sunni terror groups have claimed responsibility for several attacks in the area in the past.

In the evening, two armed men on a motorcycle, with their faces covered with helmets, opened fire on police officers at a roadside restaurant in Karachi and killed four of them.

An assistant sub-inspector was among those killed in the attack, said Superintendent of Police Asif Ahmad.

In Parachinar, officials said the blasts on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramazan targeted people shopping in the area and those heading out of the city ahead of Eid.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar. The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.

Pakistan Army contingents and FC personnel reached the site of the attack to aid in rescue efforts.

Two Army aviation helicopters have taken off from Peshawar to Parachinar for the speedy evacuation of the injured to Peshawar, the army said in a statement.

Rescue operation in progress, it added.

On March 31, a car bomb blast near an Imambargah of Shia Muslims killed 23 people and injured 70 others in Parachinar.

In January, 25 people were killed and 87 others when a bomb tore through a crowded vegetable market in the same city.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attacks, saying that terrorists involved in the attacks will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected Quetta bomber tried to break a security perimetre to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

Kakar blamed India for the Quetta blast.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by Civil Defence Director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the Quetta blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Earlier this year, on February 13, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan high court bar association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded.
Most believe it is only a matter of time before a foreign animal disease outbreak occurs in the U.S.

When that happens, the pork industry hopes to secure a supply of available pork through the National Pork Boards Secure Pork Supply plan, announced June 7 at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines.

The plan encourages producers to be a part of the program that is designed to identify farms more rapidly in the event of a foot and mouth disease, or FMD, or other foreign animal disease outbreak.

An Iowa State University analysis estimates a loss of $12.8 billion per year to the pork and cattle industries should there be an FMD outbreak, said Terry ONeel, a producer from Friend, Neb., and president of the pork board.

Producers who are a part of this will be able to start producing again more quickly than those who are not part of it, he said.

The plan outlines procedures the industry can follow should there be an outbreak. ONeel said the industry worked with processors as well as state and federal agencies on the plan.

Having a premises ID is a key component of the plan, said Patrick Webb, a veterinarian and director of swine health programs for the pork board.

We are asking producers to only share a minimum amount of data, he said. This plan will provide some continuity for those producers who enroll before there is an outbreak.

Webb said the plan would allow pigs within a control area to move to other sites or to the packing plant if there is no evidence of disease in the herd.

Components of the plan include a sound biosecurity program, using premises ID tags, detailed production records and necessary health papers.

Iowa has learned a good deal about what happens when disease strikes, said Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey.

When we dealt with avian influenza in 2015, having the ID was a very important factor when tracing movement, he said.

Webb said in the event of a disease outbreak, state animal health officials would be in charge of the situation in coordination with the USDA.

As a pork producer, I want to be ready when its time to sign up as a participant in the Secure Pork Supply program, ONeel said. In the meantime, lets all prepare by ramping up our farms biosecurity measures and other steps so well be ready to go.
Saudi Arabia has handed down a list of 13 demands to Qatar as the price for lifting blockade on trade and diplomatic embargo.

The list includes cutting back ties with Iran and closure of the Qatar-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera, the most widely watched broadcaster in the Arab world, which the Saudi-led alliance as a propaganda tool for Islamists that also undermines support for their governments

The list, according to media reports, also features reducing ties with Iran and closing a Turkish military base.

The list was handed to Qatar by Kuwait, which is mediating in the crisis. Qatar has been given 10 days to comply, reports the Guardian.

Following are the 13 demands:

1) To only have trade ties with Iran that complies with US and international sanctions will be permitted. Curb all diplomatic ties and close its diplomatic missions in Iran. Expel members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and cut off any joint military cooperation.

2) Sever all ties to 'terrorist organisations', specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, Al Qaeda and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Formally declare those entities as terrorist groups.

3) Shut down Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations.

4) Shut down news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

5) Immediately terminate the Turkish military presence in Qatar and end any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside Qatar.

6) Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists.

7) Hand over 'terrorist figures' and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide any desired information about their residency, movements and finances.

8) End interference in sovereign countries' internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship violates those countries' laws.

9) Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatar's prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups.

10) Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other, financial losses caused by Qatar's policies in recent years.

11) Consent to monthly audits for the first year after agreeing to the demands, then once per quarter during the second year. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.

12) Align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014.

13) Agree to all the demands within 10 days of it being submitted to Qatar, or the list becomes invalid.

IMAGE: A man stands outside Qatar Airways office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Faisal Al Nasser/Reuters
'Why was he killed? What was his fault? Whoever did this is so inhuman.'

Mohammed Ayoub Pandith's family grieves for the police officer who was murdered outside a Srinagar mosque.

Umar Ganie reports for Rediff.com

IMAGE: Slain Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammed Ayoub Pandith's mother wept after she heard of her son's murder. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

"I am his sister, he was my younger brother. I raised him, pampered him. What has happened to my beloved brother?" wailed Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammed Ayoub Pandith's sister.

DySP Pandith was lynched by a mob outside Srinagar's Jamia mosque on Thursday, June 22.

A pall of sadness descended on Pandith's home in Srinagar's Nowpora area following the police officer's gruesome death.

"Our innocent and honest uncle has been killed. We are Indians," said a teary Alia, whose husband is Pandith's nephew.

Pandith was killed on Thursday, Shab-e-Qadr, an auspicious night for Muslims.

Danish Ayub, the murdered police officer's son, family members said, has not spoken since he heard of his father's death.

Danish collapsed when he saw his father's body.

IMAGE: DSP Pandith's family are angry and grieving. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

Amreen, Pandith's daughter who is pursuing a medical degree in Bangladesh, had returned home only two days earlier to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with her family.

"Why was he killed? What was his fault? Whoever did this is so inhuman," wept Amreen.

"He was on duty for the security of the people. He fired only in self defence."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the murdered police officer's home to mourn his death.

Some wept, others beat their chests in sorrow.

"Your killers will face the same fate," Pandith's wife shouted among the wailing mourners.

IMAGE: Residents of Nowpora turned up in large numbers at Pandith's funeral. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

"He was loveable, kind hearted, down to earth," said Ghulam Mohammad, a neighbour, adding, "He was helpful and very kind to everyone."

Pandith, his cousin said, had participated in a security meeting on Thursday.

"He informed the family that he was on duty at the Jamia Masjid. He was performing his duty like any other government employee."

"We have lost a man with principles, a humble soul," his friend Tariq Ahmad said.

IMAGE: Neighbours described Pandith as a kind, lovable and kind hearted man. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

"I am deeply disturbed by this brutal act," Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Friday.

"Mob violence and public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion," the separatist leader added.

"It is very important and imperative for us that we do not allow our social fabric to be brutalised and keep our basic values intact," the Mirwaiz, who is also a religious figure in Kashmir, felt.

"We cannot allow State brutality to which we are subjected to each day snatch our humanity and values," the Mirwaiz said, asking, "What will be the difference between them and us then?"

"The murder is a murder of trust," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said, mourning Pandith's death.

"The officer had allowed his guards to go home. Jammu and Kashmir has one of the finest police forces in the country who exercise maximum restraint while dealing with law and order situation, but for how long," the chief minister asked.
Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline substitute, but an engineering startup sees the potential to use the corn-based fuel as a cleaner, renewable substitute for diesel fuel as well.

BJ Johnson, a mechanical engineer and CEO of ClearFlame Engines, said his company is optimizing a high-efficiency compression ignition engine that runs on ethanol to improve performance and lower soot particle emissions.

Johnsons quest started during his graduate studies at Stanford University. Ethanol fell on the short list of options for a cleaner burning fuel for high-efficiency compression ignition engines as it is a relatively cheap fuel and easy to transport, he said.

ClearFlame Engines is currently participating in the Chain Reactions Innovations program at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago which provides funding and lab space to support entrepreneurs as they develop new technologies from idea to prototype.

Johnson said diesel engines are ideal for high efficiency applications due to their high compression ratios, but diesel fuel can produce a lot of soot and NOx.

While burning ethanol also releases CO2, Johnson said emissions are reduced compared to diesel, in addition to soot and NOx reductions. Further, ethanol should have lower CO2 emissions as cellulosic forms of ethanol are adopted.

ClearFlame Engines is aiming for a pilot deployment of their ethanol-powered compression ignition engine in 18 to 24 months.

A stationary ethanol-powered electrical generator is a likely first step for the technology, but Johnson sees how it could fill a need for a cleaner fuel in both long haul trucking and farm machinery.

Johnson said he has contacted farmers in Iowa to gauge their interest in using ethanol as a diesel substitute.

He said the farmers he spoke with saw potential benefits from the technology both as a way to protect against swings in diesel prices and as an alternative to diesel aftertreatment systems, mandated by the EPA to lower particulate and NOx emissions on late model diesel equipment.

Industry impacts

Iowa Renewable Fuels Executive Director Monte Shaw said its hard to gauge how this type of technology could impact the ethanol industry as adoption of new engine technology is a slow process.

We love people being creative and finding new uses for ethanol, Shaw said.

Shaw said ethanol diesel blends were tested in the early 2000s, but he was not aware of any of those technologies being used today.

Recently, significant research has been focused on developing high efficiency gasoline-type engines optimized for ethanol use, including work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Shaw said.

Future demands

Shaw said new standards for higher fuel economy written by the Obama Administration favored electrical vehicles over low-carbon fuels like ethanol, even if the low-carbon fuels met performance standards.

Were hopeful that when Trump revisits these CAFE standards, he will revisit that. Wed like to see a real fair and open system that lets technologies compete out there, Shaw said.

Public research funding for renewable fuels were among suggested cuts in the Trump Administrations budget proposal for fiscal year 2018. The proposed budget would reduce funding for the Department of Energys applied energy research programs, including the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, by $2.154 billion from a 2017 budget of $3.76 billion.

The budget proposal stated the private sector is best positioned and motivated to evaluate the commercial potential of emerging energy technologies.

Given production cycles of near five years and the current international nature of markets for most engine makers, it would take time for the industry to change directions, Johnson said, but there is a lot of inertia behind the movement to cleaner engines.
PRIMGHAR | The remains of a Primghar serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday.

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Byron H. Nelson, 28, of Primghar, will be buried July 1 in his hometown, according to a news release from the agency.

Nelson was a member of the 721st Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force. He was the nose gunner aboard an American B-24G Liberator bomber on April 25, 1944.

While flying from Manduria, Italy, to a target area near Varese, Italy, three aircraft became separated from the formation due to dense clouds.

Nelsons aircraft was one of three that disappeared.

Decades later, sailor's remains returned to Titonka mother TITONKA | William H. Kennedy went missing during the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941, bu

It was later learned that eight of the 10 people in his aircraft parachuted from the bomber after being attacked by German fighters. Six crewmen were able to successfully evade capture and two were captured.

A captured crewman was told by a German interrogator that two crewmen perished in the crash, one being Nelson.

On Sept. 9, 1947, the American Graves Registration Service disinterred remains from a cemetery near Fognano, Italy, where they were reportedly buried by local residents following the crash.

The AGRS then moved his remains temporarily to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Mirandola on Sept. 10 as "Mirandola Unknown X-190."

On July 24, 1948, the remains were disinterred for attempted identification. The remains were unable to be identified and were re-interred in the Florence American Cemetery on May 26, 1949.

DPAA researchers made a historical association between Mirandola Unknown X-190 and Nelson's incident based on wartime records written by the Italian Military Police in Brisighella, as well as information gathered during field investigations with local Italian citizens.

Due to the historical evidence and newly available technology, the remains were disinterred in August 2015.

To identify Nelsons remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched a grand nephew, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.

Currently there are 73,052 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.

The remains of Fireman 1st Class William H. Kennedy, who went missing during the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, were returned home to Titonka in May.

Kennedy was one of 429 crew members killed when the USS Oklahoma sank.
Pakistan: Investigate Assault on Lawyers

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 22 June 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Pakistan: Investigate Assault on Lawyers, 22 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cc0e34.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Pakistani authorities need to ensure a prompt, impartial, and effective investigation into a barrage of assaults and threats against lawyers in the premises of the Lahore High Court, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International said today. The Government needs to defend the rule of law and prosecute those responsible for any criminal conduct.

On June 20, 2017, during proceedings of a case involving the alleged abduction and subsequent "disappearance" of a 26-year old woman and her two-year old son, supporters of the accused, a prominent lawyer, physically assaulted the complainant's counsel, Shabbir Hussain and Usama Malik, and made abusive remarks and threats against another member of the complainant's legal team, Noor Ejaz Chaudhry. The attackers were mostly lawyers and members of the local bar association.

The attackers also made abusive and threatening remarks against Asma Jahangir, a notable human rights lawyer, Honorary Commissioner of the ICJ, and former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Asma Jahangir was not present in the court but was represented by her legal team comprising of Shabbir Hussain, Usama Malik, Mian Liaquat Ali, and Noor Ejaz Chaudhry.

"The legal profession is one of the pillars of the administration of justice. It is deeply worrying that instead of discharging their responsibility to uphold the rule of law, certain lawyers would resort to threats and violence in a clear attempt to obstruct justice," said Ian Seiderman, ICJ's Legal and Policy Director.

Under international standards, including the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, Pakistan has an obligation to ensure that lawyers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment, or improper interference. Where lawyers are threatened as a result of discharging their functions, authorities must ensure they are adequately safeguarded.

"Lawyers must be able to go to court without fearing violent assaults and abuse," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said. "That such assaults take place with increasing frequency in Pakistan and without accountability represents a serious failure of the Pakistani authorities to ensure rule of law."

It is the responsibility of the bar councils and associations to ensure that allegations of professional misconduct against their members are promptly, independently, and impartially investigated, and if lawyers are found in breach of their codes of conduct after a fair hearing, disciplinary action is taken against them. Any disciplinary action must be subject to an independent judicial review.

"Threatening and assaulting opposing counsel is not just against the law, but also in breach of lawyers' professional code of ethics," said David Griffiths, Amnesty International's Senior Adviser on South Asia. "The respective Bar Councils must take notice of the allegations, and use this condemnable incident as an opportunity to tackle the culture of impunity which impacts even the legal profession in Pakistan."



Background

In May 2017, Bilquis Zareena filed a habeas corpus petition in the Lahore High Court for the recovery of her daughter, Ayesha, and grandson, Alyan Ali, who have allegedly been missing since November 2016.

According to Bilquis Zareena, her daughter had secretly been married to Maqsood Buttar, a prominent lawyer and member of the Pakistan Bar Council, the highest regulatory body for lawyers in the country. Bilquis Zareena claims her daughter and grandson's lives could be in danger as Maqsood Buttar had previously threatened and even attempted to kill Ayesha.

The next hearing in the case is on Friday, June 23, 2017.

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A radical change is needed to failing EU migration policy

Publisher Human Rights Watch Author Matteo de Bellis Publication Date 22 June 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, A radical change is needed to failing EU migration policy, 22 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cc1c64.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

As world refugee day was being marked around the globe came the all too familiar news that at least 120 people had drowned off the coast of Libya. Their deaths bring the total number of people who have died whilst attempting to cross the central Mediterranean to more than 1,800 since the start of the year.

Against this grim backdrop, European leaders meet today in Brussels and discuss migration. Each leader will no doubt lament these latest deaths. But despite their hand-wringing rhetoric, the focus of their discussion will not be the importance of saving lives. Instead it will be how to reduce the number of people arriving in Europe by reinforcing cooperation with African countries to stem irregular migration.

This strategy not only exacerbates the disparity between developed and developing countries in the number of refugees they are taking in, it also undermines any claim by the EU to be a standard bearer for human rights.

It is also being pursued through wrong policies.

Rather than offering refugees and migrants opportunities to avoid irregular border crossings, such as the creation of safe and legal routes for people to move to Europe, as well as improving conditions in refugee camps and establishing viable asylum-systems, the focus has been on increasing border controls and stepping up returns.

No matter how much money European governments invest in international aid projects purportedly intended to address the root causes of displacement, the reality is that EU leaders have so far largely favoured projects which create barriers for migration, and used international aid as leverage to get African governments to cooperate in their implementation. Their currently preferred method seems to be "externalization". This involves recruiting countries which refugees and migrants come from or travel through, to tighten border control, or shifting protection responsibilities to other countries.

Externalisation policies increase the likelihood of human rights violations. This is particularly the case if measures to tighten border control are encouraged politically (including by leveraging aid) and facilitated technically (through training and equipment) in countries with problematic human rights records.

Externalization policies may encourage or support refoulement, collective expulsions, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and other serious human rights violations. Investing in such measures might not even achieve the desired result of reducing irregular arrivals. In the absence of alternatives to dangerous irregular crossings people fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty will still try to flee the only way they can, putting their lives in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers.

A shameful example of how this works in practice is Europe's cooperation with Libya. Despite warnings that this would continue and even fuel human rights violations, European leaders have continued to deepen cooperation with the Libyan coastguard, through training and even provision of boats, in the hope of stopping sea crossings. They are now looking at supporting Libyan border control capacity in the south of the country.

This is happening despite the absence of any concrete plan to improve human rights protection in Libya and in particular conditions for refugees and migrants in the country. Refugees and migrants are detained automatically and people in need of international protection have no prospect of claiming asylum as Libya has no legal asylum framework. In fact by empowering the Libyan coastguard to intercept refugees and migrants at sea and take them back to Libya, EU policy is exposing thousands to unspeakable abuses in the detention centres where they are sent upon disembarkation. Centres where they are detained indefinitely and subjected to torture, beatings, rape and exploitation by guards.

As we have seen in multiple sea interceptions carried out over the past months, the Libyan coastguard disregards basic safety protocols and international standards, including by opening fire during rescue operations at sea. Refugees and migrants are put at risk while the EU looks the other way. Meanwhile, the number of irregular crossings and deaths at sea continue to rise.

This might be the most troubling example of how cooperation may lead to unintended but foreseeable consequences, but it is by no means the only one. In the pursuit of quick fixes to reduce migration, European governments are further developing measures - such as the labelling of certain countries as "safe" for returns - that increase the risk of human rights violations. So desperate are they to achieve the goal to reduce arrivals that they are prepared to trample the rights of desperate men, women and children seeking safety in Europe

EU leaders have an opportunity to revert this course of action. At the very minimum, they should refrain from any form of cooperation that might leave refugees and migrants stranded in countries where they are exposed to human rights violations, like Libya or Sudan (?). They must monitor and address the human rights risks which might arise from or be linked to any cooperation.

But a much more radical change is needed. As they review their external migration policies today and tomorrow, European leaders must end their focus on the short term objective of reducing irregular crossings through externalization policies. Instead, a bold plan is needed to support human rights protection in countries of origin and transit and to make safe routes available to both refugees and would-be migrants. Such measures would provide a safer and more orderly alternative to dangerous irregular crossings and in so doing, steer refugees and migrants away from criminal networks who leech off their misery. Only then will the tragedy of lives lost at sea become a thing of the past and the rights of vulnerable men, women and children will be truly protected.

This article first appeared appeared here in Newsweek.

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Disposable Africans  migration and its consequences

Publisher IRIN Author Nanjala Nyabola Publication Date 21 June 2017 Cite as IRIN, Disposable Africans  migration and its consequences, 21 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cc31c4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Much ink has been spilt trying to make sense of the migration flow across the Mediterranean, a stretch of sea that has become the frontline of capitalism's most urgent question: What's more valuable - a human life, or the fraying concept of the sanctity of state borders?

Journalists and commentators have largely framed the boat crossings as a European crisis, and yet the vast majority of the migrants using the major route from Libya to Italy are Africans. They are also the majority of the nearly 2,000 people recorded to have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean so far this year.

Why do young Africans choose to risk all for the attainment of a precarious existence in Europe? Why is Africa home to me, but uninhabitable to my peers?

I went to Palermo, the largest city on the Italian island of Sicily, to try to get some answers.

Broken

The day I visit Palermo's docks, volunteers anxiously await the arrival of a commercial vessel - the Tuna I - that has just rescued 470 people from the sea and is heading to port.

The energy is a little unnerving. It's heartening to see so many people give up their time to welcome the people who have been rescued, but when the boat arrives many volunteers take selfies in front of the hungry and disoriented people hanging listlessly over the railing of the ship.

While the volunteers scream and wave their welcome to the Tuna I, the response from the ship is far less enthusiastic. There's something perverse about this, consistent with the voyeurism that has characterised the global response to the drownings at sea.

Most of the people who disembark the Tuna I are clearly broken in ways I may never truly understand. Many weep or struggle to walk. Some have to be carried off.

Their clothes are ripped and worn, and almost none are wearing shoes. Almost none. A few stand out: An Arab man in shoes and socks is quickly cornered by the police.

There is damage here beyond the physical. Many look but don't seem to see, moving among the volunteers as if in a trance.

Where did they break? Who hurt them?

At a halfway house in the suburbs of Palermo, I ask a group of young people who survived the same journey months earlier. They all give the same answer: Libya.

The devil and the deep blue sea

"Libya is not good. A person can't live there. Africans are nothing to them [in Libya]," says Amir from Senegal. "[But] you can't turn back once you're in Libya, even if it's not easy to come here."

Everyone is scarred by Libya. Mention the name and eyes well up. In many ways, the reaction gets to the heart of what I went to Italy to engage with - what drives the momentum towards Europe, even when the journey becomes grotesque.

It turns out that once people are in Libya, going back is not an option. Libya is the devil to the Mediterranean's deep blue sea.

Yet under Muammar Gaddafi, Libya was a prized destination in itself for Africans from throughout the region, a place of well-paid employment. Gaddafi's removal in 2011, helped by a European-led coalition, changed that.

For black Africans, Libya has gone from haven to hellhole in the shadow of the bloody conflict and political vacuum that followed Gaddafi's death. Africans have been crossing through Libya for decades, but there is a tinge of vengeful anti-blackness in the horrors they survive today.

Slave markets where black bodies are displayed and bartered are popping up in Libyan towns. Many people testify to being held in dark, windowless rooms, sometimes for months on end, while waiting for relatives to pay ransoms to facilitate their crossing.

Young women will almost certainly be raped, and it is not uncommon for people to be shot for complaining about any aspect of their detention.

When I ask Amir why he didn't just turn back once he got to Libya, he says: "Whatever I saw in Libya was worse than anything I have ever seen in my life. And the thought of going back to Libya - back to the desert - was enough to keep me going."

No home from home

But Italy offers only a meagre respite from racism.

"I have faced many difficulties," I hear from Boubacar, a young Gambian. "I don't have my independence like I want to.

"To me it's not worth leaving my home and coming to a place like this to be discriminated [against], to be insulted, to be isolated."

Italy does more than most for Africans who survive the crossing, but it is less than a full life with few prospects of becoming home.

The people who disembark the Tuna I get a pair of shoes, a bag with food, and a medical check-up. But they will almost immediately be shipped to reception centres around the country for interviews, and many will be deported. Only minors qualify for a substantive, automatic protection of two years.

Any services provided at the dock are primarily provided by non-profit organisations like the Red Cross. European governments deliberately punish survivors by withholding key services to make a point to anyone else considering the journey.

But national policies don't always capture what's happening on the ground. Local politicians like popular Palermo mayor Leonluca Orlando, who insists that diversity fuels the vibrancy and success of his city, resist Brussels.

"In 50 years, I am convinced that current European leaders will be facing charges of crimes against humanity," Orlando tells me, as he personally greets some of the people disembarking from the Tuna I.

Palermo's lessons

A popular narrative in European capitals is that if there was less migration there would be more opportunities for Europeans. But people in places like Sicily see things with more nuance.

Orlando's welcome of rescue boats - he welcomes each one - has not dented his popularity in Palermo, even though Sicily is one of Italy's poorest regions.

That's partly because of a demographic crisis - Sicilians are producing fewer children. So, the subsidised labour of migrants has become invaluable.

At the Centro Astalli, a one-stop service centre for migrants and refugees in a disused church, I meet Veronica who provides a personal insight into the situation in Sicily.

The conversation begins as an introduction to the centre. But as soon as we realise we are the same age, it becomes a familiar millennial exchange on how much harder it is to attain conventional markers of success today than it was for our parents.

"I started here as a volunteer," she tells me, "but when we got funding to expand the project they took me on full time. But my sister is 28, and she graduated almost three years ago and still hasn't found work."

Astalli offers one year of free Italian lessons, access to a laundry and showers, a free breakfast and afterschool activities for children. The centre also runs an arts programme with local volunteers that brings together Italians and migrants in projects designed to foster assimilation and understanding.

The programmes are funded by the Jesuit Refugee Services and the European Union. But some Palermitanos resent that so much is available to migrants for free.

"For me, I understand because I work here," Veronica says. "Many of the asylum seekers are my friends. But for people like my sister, it's very difficult to understand."

"Why do they still come here when they know it's so bad here?"

This leaves structural racism as an enormous challenge for Astalli's clients. Asylum seekers find it impossible to rent houses or find meaningful work. Only one of Astalli's clients to date has completed university.

A young Gambian man, like Seydou, who I met, would rarely experience the kindness that I experienced as a tourist with an American twang.

"Maybe no one is going to fight you on the streets, but when it comes to real integration we have many problems," Veronika says. "The Sicilians will stay with the Sicilians, and the refugees together in another place, but they don't mix.''

It's a dynamic that leaves many people like Seydou vulnerable to exploitation. He was forced to move when he threatened to report one of his first halfway houses for siphoning money from the municipality intended for supporting migrants.

"Why do they still come here when they know it's so bad here?" Veronica wonders. It's a question I put to the people I interview.

Seydou and the others tell me it's about a chance at life - to escape a violent family or conflict, to being able to have optimism for the future.

None of the young people I encounter would encourage other Africans to attempt the crossing to Europe. But what European bureaucrats call pull factors, they call hope.

Cold war nostalgia

"Borders and barriers, which enclose us within the safety of familiar territory, can also become prisons and are often defended beyond reason or necessity," wrote Edward Said in 1984.

The world then was paradoxically more and less open than it is today. On the one hand, in the shadow of empire, African and Asian citizens of various nationalities could travel to Europe and beyond without the burden of invasive, derogatory visa procedures.

For much of Africa, the Cold War opened Europe up in ways that may never be experienced again. The ideological blocs competed for influence by showering African students and technocrats with fully funded opportunities to work and travel.

In cities like Berlin, African students like my father could drink beer with their West German counterparts while East Germans like 20-year-old Michael Schmidt were shot dead for attempting to scale the wall.

African students had not yet felt the sting of authoritarianism or economic austerity at home. Struggling with racism in Europe, many treated their stay as a necessary, temporary step to professional achievement rather than a shot at staying.

Only after structural adjustment hollowed out African economies and the establishment of the new, hyper-connected European Union, did visa restrictions for non-Europeans become common. At first, they were simply administrative hurdles, but today they are laborious and dehumanising processes designed to deter all but the most tenacious.

New realities

Yet Europe still needs migrants, especially in the south where dwindling populations have aggravated labour shortages in agricultural sectors that resist mechanisation.

Italian grapes, Greek olives, and Spanish oranges all need bodies to plant, process and harvest them. By 1992, the architects of a single Europe realised that wealth disparities between various European countries - not just along the East-West axis but also North-South, the struggling economies of Greece, Italy, and Spain - required creative interventions for successful management.

And so for much of the last 25 years, the Eurozone has both aggressively courted and turned away migrants: punishing people legally seeking asylum at airports and embassies, and more or less ignoring clandestine migration across the Mediterranean, until the European economy was pummelled by the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Migration, or fear of migration, is today the bogeyman of European politics that might yet break up the European Union. Not because of the lie that a flood of refugees and migrants is on its way, but because of what Said observed: that the irrational and unnecessary over-policing of Europe's borders is throwing up contradictions and triggering an existential crisis.

The impulse to keep people out at all costs leaves Europe with a paradox: While preaching humanitarianism abroad, politicians threaten to prosecute NGOs for saving migrant lives at sea because leaving people to die is considered a deterrence.

Europe is now trying to reconcile that gap with security-focused development aid. In late 2015, EU governments at the Valetta Summit promised African governments, including autocratic regimes in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan, up to two billion euros in funding to help stem African migrations.

People move

After watching the Tuna I dock, I wander into some of Palermo's museums and encounter three fascinating exhibitions.

The first is a tour that takes you past centuries-old churches with dome-shaped towers - mosques converted into Catholic churches and a testament to Palermo's Muslim past.

The second is an installation at the museum of contemporary art featuring family photographs intertwined with yards of jute and rope. The artist set it up to evoke drowning, and perhaps the idea that - given a different set of circumstances - any one of our family members could have drowned trying to cross the sea.

The third is an exhibition at the Royal Palace featuring art from countries banned from the United States under President Donald Trump's executive order.

These three exhibitions challenge Palermitanos to rethink simplistic narratives about migration. To me, they evoke the timelessness of human mobility, echoing Mayor Orlando's vision that in 50 years the world may have a different set of moral values. Perhaps freedom of movement will be claimed as a universal value. Or perhaps it will be lost forever.
Mexican journalists targeted by Pegasus spyware

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 22 June 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Mexican journalists targeted by Pegasus spyware, 22 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cc5264.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Mexican authorities to quickly investigate and respond publicly to accusations by Mexican journalists that their government used a sophisticated spyware known as Pegasus in order to hack into their smartphones and monitor their activities.

Journalists, activists and human rights defenders gave a joint press conference in Mexico City on 19 June to accuse the government of conducting a major illegal surveillance operation. The accusations are based on a report published by Citizen Lab, Article 19, Red en Defensa (R3D) and Social Tic that was the subject of a New York Times story the same day.





At least six journalists are reported to have received bogus SMS messages with a link that, if clicked on, installs Pegasus, a spyware sold by the Israeli company NSO Group that provides access to all the content on a phone.





In an initial response to the allegations, a government spokesman tweeted: "There is absolutely no proof that Mexican government agencies were responsible for the alleged espionage described in the article."





But yesterday, the office of Mexico's attorney-general announced that the allegations would be investigated by the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE).





"We firmly condemn these hacking attempts and call on the Mexican authorities to shed all possible light on this matter without delay," said Emmanuel Colombie, the head of RSF's Latin America bureau.





"The illegal surveillance of journalists constitutes a grave violation of the freedom to inform and the confidentiality of sources, especially in a country in which it is already particularly difficult and risky to cover corruption."





Those targeted by Pegasus include such well-known journalists as Carlos Loret de Mola of Televisa and El Universal, and Carmen Aristegui of CNN Mexico and Aristegui Noticias, whose son was also targeted.





It was Aristegui who exposed the Casa Blanca scandal implicating President Enrique Pena Nieto in 2014. She said she received more than 20 personalized messages from different quarters containing such links.





More than 76 spyware infection attempts of this kind have been reported in Mexico, mostly targeting journalists.





RSF already drew attention to the dangers of Mexican government abuse of surveillance in a report published on 12 March in the wake of earlier revelations. Nowadays a lucrative business, cyber-surveillance is one of the favourite weapons of the world's press freedom predators.





Mexico is ranked 147th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
Azerbaijan cracks down on remaining critical journalists

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 22 June 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Azerbaijan cracks down on remaining critical journalists, 22 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cc5b84.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a renewed crackdown in Azerbaijan, in which at least 15 bloggers, media workers and independent journalists have recently been detained, and calls for the immediate release of all those held.

The intensified persecution of critics in the past two months has completely eclipsed the Azerbaijani government's conciliatory gestures in the spring of 2016, when it freed a number of political prisoners.





The new crackdown's victims include Fikret Faramazoglu, the head of the Centre for Journalistic Investigations (JAM) and editor of its website, Jam.az, who was sentenced on 14 June to seven years in prison and a two-year ban on working as a journalist after his release.





Faramazoglu and his lawyer say the charge brought against him - extorting money from a restaurant owner - was fabricated by the authorities as reprisal for Jam.az's reporting. Shortly before his arrest, the site reported that the police were turning a blind eye to illegal brothel activity





According to his wife and his lawyer, Faramazoglu has been tortured in detention and has lost at least two teeth.





Freelance journalist Nijat Amiraslanov met a similar fate. Arrested on 22 May shortly after posting criticism of the authorities on social networks, and sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention, he was reportedly almost toothless when he appeared in court for his appeal hearing on 3 June. His lawyer said threats and force were use to get him to withdraw his appeal and admit his guilt.





"Arrest, torture and conviction on trumped-up charges has become the norm for independent journalists in Azerbaijan, one that is indicative of a desire on the part of the authorities to deliver the final blow to the country's remaining critics," RSF said.





"All of the detained journalists must be released at once. This is urgent, especially as some of them are being tortured and have serious health problems. We call on the Azerbaijani government's international partners to remind the authorities of their human rights obligations."





Journalists on trial





The journalists currently facing prosecution include Afgan Mukhtarli, an investigative reporter who is charged with contraband, crossing the border illegally and refusing to comply with police instructions.





He fled the country in 2014 to escape the crackdown on civil society then under way but was abducted in Tbilisi, the capital of neighbouring Georgia, on 29 May and turned up the next day in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, in the custody of the state border agency. His abduction has set a very alarming precedent for the dozens of Azerbaijani dissident exiles in Georgia.





Two other media professionals are currently being tried. One is Aziz Orujov, the head of the Kanal 13 Web TV, who was arrested on 2 May and is accused of illegal business activity and abuse of power. The other is Faiq Amirov, the financial director of the opposition newspaper Azadlig, who was arrested on 20 August 2016 and is accused of inciting religious hatred and tax evasion.





Amirov has a chronic stomach ailment and, after ten months in detention, is in very poor health. His condition worsened again at the start of June because of the lack of access to appropriate medical care in prison.





Online crackdown





Online media outlets are also being hounded with renewed energy. On 12 May, a Baku court upheld the blocking of five independent news websites. They include the site of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Azeri service, which was accused of "posing a danger" to national security after recently carrying investigative stories about the financial activities of close relatives of President Ilham Aliyev.





The other blocked sites include those of the opposition daily Azadlig and Meydan TV, an exile media outlet based in Berlin.





The powers of President Aliyev, who is on RSF's list of press freedom predators, were increased yet again by a referendum in September 2016. His wife's appointment as first vice-president in February was indicative of a desire by the regime's inner circle to concentrate its hold on power.





Azerbaijan is ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
Singaporean activist deported, barred from workshop

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 23 June 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Singaporean activist deported, barred from workshop, 23 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cc9a94.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Malaysian government must immediately lift the travel ban imposed on Singaporean activist Han Hui Hui, FIDH and its member organization Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) urged today.

FIDH and SUARAM condemn the Malaysian authorities' decision to deport Ms. Han back to Singapore and prevent her from participating in a human rights workshop in Kuala Lumpur.

On 18 June 2017, Immigration Department officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport prevented Ms. Han from clearing immigration and detained her for several hours. During the detention, plainclothes officers informed Ms. Han that she was blacklisted from entering Malaysia.

When a lawyer provided by SUARAM asked the immigration officers to provide the legal basis on which they relied to ban Ms. Han from entering Malaysia, the officers said the ban was issued under Article 8(3)K of the 1959/63 Immigration Act. The provision states that immigration authorities are authorized to bar any person who is deemed by the Home Affairs Minister to be "an undesirable immigrant" from entering the country.

Ms. Han had been invited to attend the Regional Youth Exchange Program organized by SUARAM from 19 to 23 June in Kuala Lumpur.

At 7:40pm, Ms. Han agreed to be deported back to Singapore. She boarded a flight back to the city-state at 9:45pm. During her five most recent visits to Malaysia, from April 2015 to the latest on 12 May 2017, Ms. Han did not encounter any problems entering the country.

In Singapore, Ms. Han has actively campaigned to promote government transparency and accountability, and for the respect of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. On 22 February 2017, Ms. Han was imprisoned for several hours in the Singapore State Courts lock-up on charges of causing a public nuisance under Article 290 of the Singaporean Criminal Code over a peaceful demonstration she had organized in September 2014 in September 2014.
In Uganda, UN chief meets with South Sudanese refugees, urges world to show solidarity

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, In Uganda, UN chief meets with South Sudanese refugees, urges world to show solidarity, 22 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cd99e4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

With Uganda hosting almost one million South Sudanese refugees as sisters and brothers and sharing with them their land and everything they have, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today urged the international community to show solidarity with those that had fled their homes, as well as with the Ugandan Government and people.

In a world where so many people are selfishly closing their doors, closing their borders, not allowing refugees to come, this example deserves praise [and] admiration from the whole international community, Mr. Guterres told reporters at the Imvepi Refugee Reception Centre in the Arua district of northern Uganda.

Imvepi is the first stop for many South Sudanese refugees once they cross the border into Uganda. The camp, which opened in February this year, is already filling up; hosting some 120,000 refugees, mostly women and children, fleeing violence and instability in the neighbouring country.

In just the past year, the overall refugee population in Uganda has more than doubled  from 500,000 to more than 1.25 million  making the East African country host to the world's fastest growing refugee emergency.

The UN chief pointed out that tomorrow, the international community would have the opportunity to express its solidarity, responding to our appeal for massive financial support, both for humanitarian aid for the refugees, but also for the investments necessary for the education system, the health system, the infrastructure, the [local] environment, to be able to cope with this enormous challenge.

Mr. Guterres was referring to the 'Solidarity Summit,' which opened today in the Ugandan capital, Kamapla, and is expected to wrap up tomorrow. Co-hosted by Uganda and the UN, the event aims to rally international support for refugees and host communities in the form of donations, investments and innovative programmes.

VIDEO: Meeting with South Sudanese refugees in Uganda's Imvepi camp, UN chief Antonio Guterres commends the generosity of the Ugandan Government and its people, and calls for an end to the conflict in South Sudan.

At the same time, I cannot forget that twelve years ago I was here, in June, in this same place. I was [marking] World Refugee Day with South Sudanese refugees that were singing with joy because they were going back home soon, said Mr. Guterres, who is the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He said he had later accompanied many of them across the border with the hope that the their new country would live in peace.

Unfortunately, that had not been the case. South Sudan's leaders do not deserve the people of their country, said the Secretary-General, stressing that the South Sudanese people have been suffering enormously [in an] endless war.

It is time for the war to end. It is time for all the leaders of South Sudan to understand that they need to stop this war, he said, expressing gratitude for the efforts made by the Heads of State of the region, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and by the UN to help create the conditions for peace to be re-established.
UNESCO chief deplores destruction of iconic mosque and minaret in Iraq's Mosul

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UNESCO chief deplores destruction of iconic mosque and minaret in Iraq's Mosul, 22 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cda054.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The head of the United Nations cultural agency today deplored the destruction of historic religious architecture in Iraq's Mosul city by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) fighters.

The Al Hadba Minaret and AlNuree Mosque in Mosul were among the most iconic sites in the city, and stood as a symbol of identity, resilience and belonging, said Irina Bokova, the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

When Da'esh targeted the mosque and minaret a few months ago, the people of Mosul formed a human chain to protect the site, proving once again that the protection of heritage cannot be delinked from the protection of human lives, she added.

Located in the Old City area of western Mosul, the Great Mosque of al-Nuree was considered one of the main historical mosques in Iraq. It was originally built by Nureddine Zangi in 1172AD, during the Abbasid Caliphate.

It underwent several renovations and restorations throughout the years. Its outstanding iconic feature was the leaning minaret known as al-Hadba (the hunchback), which had retained its authentic architectural and structural features for hundreds of years.

This new destruction deepens the wounds of a society already affected by an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy, with three million internally displaced persons and 6.2 million in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. This calls for immediate and strengthened international mobilization, said the Director-General.

Since the Iraqi Government's launch of an offensive to oust ISIL from Mosul in October 2016, around 750,000 to 800,000 people have been displaced from the city. Many are trapped or being used as human shields.

Despite all odds, the spirit of resilience embodied by al-Hadba must prevail and UNESCO will continue to stand by the people of Iraq to regain their heritage and fight back against all forms of extremism and violence through culture, education and human rights, Ms. Bokova declared.
UN agency condemns killing of two journalists working on assignment in Iraq

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN agency condemns killing of two journalists working on assignment in Iraq, 22 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cdcd34.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The killing of two journalists in Iraq drew strong condemnation today from the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom and the safety of journalists.

Journalists face tremendous dangers in carrying out their job, a job where they provide us with vital information enabling us to build towards peace, said Irina Bokova, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Kurdish journalist Bakhtyar Haddad and French reporter Stephane Villeneuve were working together in Mosul, Iraq, on a programme for France 2 when they were killed as a result of a roadside bomb explosion.

Their names will be added to UNESCO's dedicated webpage commemorating the lives of journalists killed in the line of duty.
MUSCATINE | A Muscatine man will face charges of sexual abuse, incest, and indecent contact with a child after allegedly performing a sex act on a child under the age of 12.

Thomas Brady Haulk, 32, has been charged with one count of felony second-degree sexual abuse, felony incest and misdemeanor indecent contact with a child.

Haulk allegedly performed a sexual act on a child between Sept. 1, 2012, and Aug. 1, 2013, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Clarence Police Department.

He also allegedly touched a child's groin area between July 1, 2013, and June 1, 2014.

Haulk waived the right to a preliminary hearing, and a bond reduction hearing was held Jan. 26, but bond was not reduced, according to online court records.

A trial date has not been set.

Haulk is being held in the Cedar County Jail on a $75,000 cash bond.
Uganda and UN to convene 'solidarity summit' amid fast-growing refugee emergency

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 21 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Uganda and UN to convene 'solidarity summit' amid fast-growing refugee emergency, 21 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cdd2c4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Facing a fast-growing refugee crisis, Uganda is set to host in its capital, Kampala, a 'Solidarity Summit' with the support of the United Nations, to rally international support for refugees and host communities in the form of donations, investments and innovative programmes.

The two-day Summit, which opens Thursday, 22 June, comes as the UN estimates that in just one year, largely due to an influx of people fleeing violence and instability in South Sudan, the refugee population in Uganda has more than doubled  from 500,000 to more than 1.25 million  making the country host to the world's fastest growing refugee emergency.

Hosted by President Yoweri Museveni and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the event, which is expecting 30 Heads of State and international donors, looks to raise $2 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of refugees and to support the hosting communities over the next four years.

Nearly 86 per cent of all South Sudanese refugees in Uganda are women and children

For many South Sudanese refugees, the first stop once they cross the border is Imvepi camp in northern Uganda's Arua district. A tent run by UN partner organization Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym, MSF, is where they receive vaccinations, malnutrition screenings and primary healthcare.

Mary Opangi, a young woman from crisis-torn Yei town in South Sudan, was nine months pregnant when she fled, and gave birth just after arriving at the Ugandan border. Just as we came there, my stomach started to feel pain, that's why they took me to the hospital, she said.

She is one among a seemingly endless stream of daily arrivals that are putting a huge strain on Uganda's already meagre available resources.

Imvepi camp, which opened in February this year and is already filling up, is hosting 120,000 refugees, U Aye Maung, Field Officer for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told UN News, which is on the ground in Uganda ahead of the Summit.

Water is scarce, he explained, and providing adequate shelter is another challenge the UN refugee agency is facing.

I think the biggest challenge is, if you see the terrains, one is the scarcity of water, we need a huge [amount] of water supplies every day. If you see 100,000 people [in the camp]  shelter will be another priority for the next.

Furthermore, the newly arriving refugees depend entirely on food assistance.

The current funding does not cover the vast needs, the UN Office in Uganda underscored, and there is a risk that food rations might get cut.

Uganda has also opened its doors to refugees from Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. With an average of 2,000 new arrivals each day, the country needs urgent and robust support to deal with the refugee crisis.

'Uganda's magnificent response has been met by meagre support' UN refugee agency chief

In an opinion piece, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the South Sudan refugee crisis and the question of Uganda's capability and resilience is proving to be an early test of the commitments of the New York Declaration, adopted at a UN Summit last year with the aim of helping Stat plan a just, coordinated approach for global governance of both refugees and migrants within two years.

So far, Uganda's magnificent response has been met by meagre support, but [] there's a chance to turn the page, he said, stressing international indifference undermines Uganda's often-praised model for welcoming, supporting and integrating refugees. Yet, the Solidarity Summit is a chance for the world to step up so Uganda can continue to show us the way.
Kazakhstan: Secret trial after six months' imprisonment

Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 21 June 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Kazakhstan: Secret trial after six months' imprisonment, 21 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594ce3444.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

At a closed trial in Atyrau in a secret police-initiated case, with the lawyers sworn to secrecy, six Sunni Muslims face possible years of imprisonment for talking to others of their faith. Jehovah's Witness cancer sufferer Teymur Akhmedov failed to overturn his five-year prison term.
Title Report to the Government of the United Kingdom on the visit to the United Kingdom carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 30 March to 12 April 2016

Publication Date 19 April 2017

Country United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2017) 9

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Report to the Government of the United Kingdom on the visit to the United Kingdom carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 30 March to 12 April 2016, 19 April 2017, CPT/Inf (2017) 9, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cef5e4.html [accessed 11 November 2022]
Title Response of the Croatian Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Croatia from 19 to 27 September 2012

Publication Date 18 March 2014

Country Croatia

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2014) 10

Other Languages / Attachments Croatian

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Response of the Croatian Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Croatia from 19 to 27 September 2012, 18 March 2014, CPT/Inf (2014) 10, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cf27e4.html [accessed 11 November 2022]
Title Response of the Albanian Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Albania from 4 to 14 February 2014

Publication Date 3 March 2016

Country Albania

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2016) 7

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Response of the Albanian Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Albania from 4 to 14 February 2014, 3 March 2016, CPT/Inf (2016) 7, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cf4104.html [accessed 11 November 2022]
Title Response of the Government of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" from 7 to 17 October 2014

Publication Date 17 March 2016

Country North Macedonia

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2016) 9

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Response of the Government of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" from 7 to 17 October 2014, 17 March 2016, CPT/Inf (2016) 9, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cf4d24.html [accessed 11 November 2022]
Title Report to the Ukrainian Government on the visit to Ukraine carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 21 to 30 November 2016

Publication Date 19 June 2017

Country Ukraine

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2017) 15

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Report to the Ukrainian Government on the visit to Ukraine carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 21 to 30 November 2016, 19 June 2017, CPT/Inf (2017) 15, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cf5ba4.html [accessed 11 November 2022]
Title Response of the Portuguese Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Portugal from 13 to 17 May 2013

Publication Date 26 November 2013

Country Portugal

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Response of the Portuguese Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Portugal from 13 to 17 May 2013, 26 November 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cf7834.html [accessed 11 November 2022]
Resolution CM/ResCMN(2017)3 on the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by Croatia

Publisher Council of Europe: Committee of Ministers Publication Date 11 May 2017 Citation / Document Symbol CM/ResCMN(2017)3 Cite as Council of Europe: Committee of Ministers, Resolution CM/ResCMN(2017)3 on the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by Croatia, 11 May 2017, CM/ResCMN(2017)3, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594cfa834.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Comments (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 11 May 2017 at the 1286th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies). Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Articles 24 to 26 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (hereinafter referred to as "the Framework Convention"),

Having regard to Resolution Res(97)10 of 17 September 1997 setting out rules adopted by the Committee of Ministers on the monitoring arrangements under Articles 24 to 26 of the Framework Convention;

Having regard to the voting rule adopted in the context of adopting Resolution Res(97)10;[1]

Having regard to the instrument of ratification submitted by Croatia on 11 October 1997;

Recalling that the Government of Croatia transmitted its State report in respect of the fourth monitoring cycle under the Framework Convention on 11 September 2014;

Having examined the Advisory Committee's fourth opinion on Croatia adopted on 18 November 2015;

Adopts the following conclusions in respect of Croatia:

The authorities are invited to take account of the observations and recommendations contained in Sections I and II of the Advisory Committee's fourth opinion. In particular, they should take the following measures to improve further the implementation of the Framework Convention:

Recommendations for immediate action[2]

 Prioritise attention to minority rights as an integral part of human rights in the government agenda and develop, in close consultation with minority representatives, effective mechanisms to ensure that persons belonging to national minorities can enjoy their rights without negative consequences resulting from that choice;

 Systematically and promptly condemn all instances of nationalist and anti-minority rhetoric in the public and political discourse and the media, and ensure that all cases of hate crime and hate speech are effectively investigated and sanctioned, including in respect of the concern expressed in paragraph 48 of the Advisory Committee's opinion;

 Prioritise the development and revitalisation of State assisted areas that are mainly inhabited by especially disadvantaged persons belonging to national minorities, in particular returnees (in line with the concern expressed in paragraphs 24 and 92 of the opinion) and Roma,[3] through targeted investments in infrastructure and employment opportunities.

Further recommendations[4]

 Ensure that the right to free self-identification is understood and applied, including with respect to multiple affiliations, in all data collection exercises and closely consult with minority representatives when analysing the qualitative and quantitate results, in particular when relevant for the enjoyment of minority rights;

 Provide adequate political and financial support to the Office of the Ombudsman and proactively promote awareness of the antidiscrimination standards within the judiciary and amongst society, particularly amongst the most disadvantaged;

 Proactively address the inequalities experienced by persons belonging to national minorities, in particular Serb and Roma, when accessing their rights, including in the justice system; develop a clear methodology for the collection of disaggregated data to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the access to rights situation and design effective measures for the promotion of equal opportunities;

 Increase available support for the promotion of cultural activities of national minority associations, including through the Council for National Minorities, while paying attention to their diversity, and ensure that the promotion of minority cultures is firmly integrated into the broader cultural policy as a valued element of Croatia's diversity;

 Develop a comprehensive strategy to promote inter-ethnic dialogue and reconciliation and intensify efforts to promote respect towards diversity in society generally, particularly through enhanced intercultural education and the work of the public broadcaster;

 Raise public awareness of the legal remedies available against hate crime and hate speech and promote professional journalism and ethical behaviour in the media through targeted training activities;

 Increase support to minority language media, including independent and small media outlets, to promote a pluralist media environment and enhance the recruitment and training of persons belonging to national minorities in mainstream public broadcasting;

 Raise awareness in society of Croatia's international and national legal obligations towards national minorities, and take adequate measures, including promoting close consultations among local authorities with representatives of minorities and the majority to implement effectively the right to use minority languages and scripts at local level in line with the domestic legal framework;

 Ensure that all school curricula and textbooks reflect the diversity of Croatia and that teachers are effectively trained in accommodating diversity and promoting intercultural respect in the classroom; consult closely with national minority representatives on all questions related to minority language education, including through modern bi- and multilingual methodologies and in integrated environments;

 Enhance opportunities for persons belonging to national minorities, including women, to participate effectively as integral members of Croatian society in decision-making processes at central and local level; prioritise the recruitment of persons belonging to national minorities into public services, including law enforcement and the judiciary;

 Revise the National Roma Inclusion Strategy in line with the evaluation conducted and pay increased attention to its implementation by enhancing co-operation among all line ministries and allocating adequate resources; closely involve Roma representatives at all levels, including in the development and implementation of a new action plan.

[1] In the context of adopting Resolution Res(97)10 on 17 September 1997, the Committee of Ministers also adopted the following rule: "Decisions pursuant to Articles 24.1 and 25.2 of the Framework Convention shall be considered to be adopted if two-thirds of the representatives of the Contracting Parties casting a vote, including a majority of the representatives of the Contracting Parties entitled to sit on the Committee of Ministers, vote in favour".

[2] The recommendations below are listed in the order of the corresponding articles of the Framework Convention.

[3] The term "Roma and Travellers" is used at the Council of Europe to encompass the wide diversity of the groups covered by the work of the Council of Europe in this field: on the one hand a) Roma, Sinti/Manush, Cale, Kaale, Romanichals, Boyash/Rudari; b) Balkan Egyptians (Egyptians and Ashkali); c) Eastern groups (Dom, Lom and Abdal); and, on the other hand, groups such as Travellers, Yenish, and the populations designated under the administrative term "Gens du voyage", as well as persons who identify themselves as Gypsies.

[4] The recommendations below are listed in the order of the corresponding articles of the Framework Convention.
Russia: Prison, trials, investigations for religious meetings

Publisher Forum 18 Author Victoria Arnold Publication Date 23 June 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Russia: Prison, trials, investigations for religious meetings, 23 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594d1ee54.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Yevgeny Kim was jailed for three years, nine months in Blagoveshchensk for meeting to study Muslim theologian Said Nursi's works. Another nine elsewhere are on trial or being investigated. Two Jehovah's Witnesses appear to have received a verdict in Sergiev Posad. Other criminal cases continue.
Even as congressional Republicans are eyeing sharp cuts to Medicaid as part of their plan to revamp the Affordable Care Act, Democrats in Iowa say the program could, instead, be a lifeline for people struggling in the state's ailing individual health insurance market.

A small group of Democrats want to let Iowans buy into Medicaid, using ACA subsidies along with state money now going to managed care companies who run the program.

State Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, one of the Democrats pitching the plan, said it would bring younger and healthier people into the system. He and state Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, unveiled the idea in Des Moines on Wednesday along with former Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines.

The proposal would appear to face steep odds. Republicans are in control at the national and state level, and Iowa just went to a managed care system for its Medicaid program last year.

However, Democrats say they plan to push the plan, as well as other ideas, as the the debate over how health care should be delivered and paid for is up for debate.

Congress is debating how to replace the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the state of Iowa is struggling to deal with an individual insurance market that is in dire shape.

Just one company, Minnesota-based Medica, has filed to sell policies in the state for 2018. And it asked for a 43 percent rate increase over this year.

Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said this week that Medica's filing doesn't resolve Iowa's difficulties. And he worried, if premiums continued to increase for people who make too much money to get federal subsidies, it will just make the situation worse.

"Under the current framework, even if this could potentially last one more year, it prices thousands of Iowans out of the market," he said.

The insurance division has asked the Trump administration to approve a stopgap plan that would take Obamacare subsidies and restructure them to entice younger, healthier people into the marketplace, as well as create a reinsurance pool, which would help insurance companies with higher cost members. The proposal would allow companies to offer a single, standardized insurance plan.

Ommen said, even with Medica's filing, the state still faces a crisis.

"I appreciate Medica's filing, but at the same time, it does not provide stability to our market," he said.

Subsidies that rise with premiums and insulate many of the people on the exchange from price increases only serve to hold back competition, he said.

"A federally funded monopoly is no longer a market," he said.

Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield, the state's largest insurer, has said it will enter Iowa's individual market for 2018 if the Trump administration approves the state's request.

McCoy said he has concerns about the insurance division's plans because it will mean older people in the marketplace will pay more than they would have otherwise.

"It puts them at a real disadvantage," he said.

He and other Democrats say Iowa should take a more aggressive role. They point to the Nevada legislature, which passed a bill this month that would allow its residents to buy into a government-run insurance plan. The proposal was vetoed by the state's Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, but Iowa Democrats say there's no reason such an option shouldn't be explored here.

"There are things Iowa can do," Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said Thursday.

The Iowa Democrats' plan comes as congressional Republicans are seeking to cut Medicaid. The House and Senate health care bills would convert traditional Medicaid to a "per capita" system. That would save the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars by spending less on the program, which pays for health care for the some of the nation's poor, elderly and those with disabilities.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis said the House bill would reduce projected Medicaid spending by more than $800 billion over 10 years.

Currently, Medicaid, which is jointly financed by the federal government and the states, is open-ended and pays for qualified and approved care.

Republicans in Des Moines and Washington, D.C., have complained for years about the rising costs of Medicaid, even before the Affordable Care Act's expansion of the program. On a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that after having an "open checking account" for 60 years, "we've come to the conclusion that is not a fiscally responsible way for us in Congress to handle the taxpayer's money."
DR Congo: UN Experts to Investigate Kasai Region Violence

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 23 June 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, DR Congo: UN Experts to Investigate Kasai Region Violence, 23 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/594d1f514.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a resolution on June 23, 2017 directing the UN high commissioner for human rights to send a team of international experts to investigate alleged human rights violations and abuses in the central Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese government has agreed to cooperate, including by facilitating access. The final resolution incorporates language from proposals prepared by the African and European groups at the Council.

"The Human Rights Council-mandated international investigation brings hope of uncovering the truth about the horrific violence in the Kasai region since August, a step toward justice for thousands of victims," said Laila Matar, UN advocate at Human Rights Watch. "The UN, the Human Rights Council, and above all the Congolese authorities now need to ensure unhindered access and all the support the team needs to independently produce a robust and credible report."

Since large-scale violence broke out in the central Kasai region in August 2016, over 3,300 people have been killed, according to a report by the Catholic Church. More than 1.3 million people have been displaced, and more than 600 schools have been attacked or destroyed. Two UN experts were murdered in March while investigating human rights abuses in the region.

The high commissioner is to update the Human Rights Council in March 2018 with the team's participation and will submit a final report with the team's findings next June.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which has jurisdiction over Congo, should consider investigating the crimes committed in the Kasai region and, evidence permitting, take steps to hold those most responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said. In March, the prosecutor said she was "deeply concerned" about violence in the Kasais and that her office was carefully monitoring the situation. The High Commissioner told the Council on June 20 that he will "remain in touch" with the ICC regarding the situation in the Kasai region.

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
CEDAR RAPIDS  John Norris is hosting a barn-raising July 9 to kick off his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor.

The kickoff potluck takes place from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Picnic Shelter at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale.

Norris, who served Tom Vilsack in the governors office and at the United State Department of Agriculture, will share his vision that its time our government worked for all Iowans.

Norris has been touring the state meeting with Democratic activists in preparation for the official launch of his campaign July 10 in his hometown of Red Oak.

The fifth-generation Iowan is all about rural Iowa, explained campaign spokeswoman Tessa Lengeling.

Admission to the potluck is free. Those who attend are asked to bring a dish to pass.

If you can bring a lot, bring a lot. If you can bring a little, bring a little, Lengeling said. Everyone will be fed. Thats the Iowa way.

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to rsvp@norrisforthepeople.com.

Norris plans to hit the campaign trail across Iowa and has scheduled a stop in Cedar Rapids July 11. More details will be announced later.

Norris will join Sen. Nate Boulton of Des Moines, former Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire, former Des Moines school board President Jon Neiderbach, Rep. Todd Prichard of Charles City, Davenport Alderman Mike Matson, Coralville nurse and union president Cathy Glasson and Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell in the race for the nomination.

The nomination will be determined by a June 2018 primary unless none of the candidates gets at least 35 percent of the vote. If that happens, a candidate will be nominated at the Democratic convention.

For more on Norris, go to norrisforthepeople.com.
Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used.
MASON CITY | Lightning sparked a fire at an apartment building Thursday morning, fire officials have confirmed.

Mason City Fire Marshal Jamey Medlin said the fire at Westside Manor Apartments, 2401 S. Taft Ave., was caused by a lightning strike earlier that morning.

We found a spot on the drip edge, a metal part under the shingles, Medlin said. There was some charring and melting there usually happens with a lightning strike.

The fire took a while to become noticeable, Medlin said, but noted it's not uncommon for a lightning-related fire to take awhile to start.

Janice Holley, who lives on the southeast side of the building, said a tenant was outside smoking when lightning struck.

"He thought it struck the tree, and he heard a big crack," Holley said. That happened around 8 a.m., according to Medlin.

Terry Perry, the complex's maintenance manager, said the man said he almost got struck by lightning.

Perry called 911 at 9:54 a.m., and he and another resident helped evacuate the building. No injuries were reported.

"You never know if its going to spread quickly," Perry said.

The fire was contained to the attic with only water damage on the second floor. Medlin said that there will be a few displaced residents.

The firefighters were able to salvage many belongings and moved some residents' property out of the way to avoid maximum damage, Medlin said.

Property manager Vicki Hearn said this is the third fire at the complex in the past year. The other two were oven fires.

"Tough day," Hearn said. She has managed the property for nine years.

In May, lightning strikes caused fires at two houses in Clear Lake and a business in Osage.

Osage business looking for temporary location after fire OSAGE | The president of an Osage egg processing equipment manufacturer says the company hop

Be aware of your surroundings, Medlin said. Keep an eye out on your building for several hours after a strike to make sure it doesnt catch fire.

The Mason City Police Department provided assistance at the scene.

Lincoln W. Jackson of Creston is listed as the general partner for the property, according to filings with the Iowa Secretary of State's Office.
Eight families belonging to a Cham Muslim community in central Cambodias Kampong Chhnang province have been ordered by community leaders to end their support of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, with warnings given that they will be expelled from their local mosque if they continue.



One family member, Naong Matt, told RFAs Khmer Service on Friday that local leaders Matt Mao and Tuon Sen had told him twice to stop supporting the opposition party and had urged him to sign a public declaration or take an oath at his local mosque saying he had done so.



They were joined in their demands by several leaders of the mosque in Svay Chuk communes Damnak Pring village, Naong Matt said.



They said that if we dont defect to the [ruling] Cambodian Peoples Party, they will not allow us to hold religious ceremonies in the village, and they will throw us out of the mosque, he said.



I told them that I support the CNRP and many of its policies and see no problem with this, but they said that the case is out of their hands and that their orders come from higher authorities in [the governments] Ministry of Cult and Religious Affairs.



Donors gifts of rice, noodles, canned fish, and soft drinks often distributed to Cham community members are now being denied to the dissenting families, some of whose members have stood for local election as candidates from the CNRP, Naong Matt added.



'Just join outwardly'



Also speaking to RFA, village leader Matt Mao denied Naong Matts charge of mosque leaders interference in the Cham families political ties, saying that their only concern is for solidarity in the larger community.



I told [the families], just join the CPP outwardly. In your mind, you can still support any party you choose.



These families wont stop, though, no matter what difficulties they face, said Sin Sovann, CNRP vice president for the provinces Khmer-Islam movement. They will still support the CNRP, because they love the partys platform.



Reached for comment, provincial department head for Cambodias Ministry of Cult and Religious Affairs Sar Leang denied knowledge of the dispute in Damnak Pring, but said he will order authorities to look into the case and have it promptly settled.



Reported by Sopheak Chin for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Richard Finney.




A Chinese citizen journalist who meticulously recorded details of public protests and other 'mass incidents' stood trial on at a court in the southwestern province of Yunnan on public order charges, sources said.



Lu Yuyu, who founded the blog "Not the News," was detained alongside his girlfriend Li Tingyu on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" by police in Yunnan's mountain resort of Dali in.



Lu, who recently refused food and water in protest at alleged mistreatment in a police-run detention center, stands accused of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," in connection with his work publicizing protests in China.



But rights activist Huang Yongxiang, who has previously been in contact with Li Tingyu's family, said he is unlikely to get a fair trial.



"These sorts of trials are really just for show," Huang said. "Neither of them has committed any crime; it's just a form of political persecution."



"All he did was compile data that was already in the public domain. Where's the crime in that?"



Beijing-based rights activist Wang Lihong said Lu's friends and supporters are currently under house arrest and close surveillance by China's state security police, and his lawyers have been warned not to speak to the media.



"Security wasn't too tight; there weren't too many police outside the court buildings, and there weren't any rights activists there supporting him," she said. "Nobody was sitting in the public gallery, either."



"But some of Lu Yuyu's friends are now under house arrest, so they were unable to attend the trial," Wang said. "They arranged this over the phone, talking about when to set out, and of course they were being monitored."



"Some are being kept home under surveillance, others in their place of work," she said. "Lu Yuyu has maintained his innocence all along, and refused to 'confess'."



'Not the News'

She said the data compiled by Lu all came from three reliable and expert sources, and was all "totally factual."



Lu's trial comes after Li Tingyu was tried in secret by the Dali People's Court on , according to her lawyer Ge Yongxi. There has been no announcement regarding her fate since.



Li was detained at the same time as her boyfriend Lu Yuyu, who ran the blog under the social media handle @wickedonnaa, but her case is being dealt with separately from his, and Ge has said he hopes she may be handed a suspended jail term in return for a "confession."



But he said he has little cause for optimism in Lu's case.



"It's hard to be optimistic about this case, under the current [political] climate in China," he said on . "If the defendant won't confess, then the judge will definitely find him guilty."



While China's courts almost always convict defendants, they will sometimes release first-time political prisoners who agree to "admit their crimes" on suspended sentences, which often results in a form of house arrest under police surveillance.



A former migrant worker, Lu called his online operation "Not the News," in an ironic nod to the widespread censorship of "sensitive" stories of mass protests by the ruling Chinese Communist Party and the media outlets under its control.



In 2016, Lu compiled details of more than 30,000 "mass incidents" not widely reported in China.



Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Lok-to for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Myanmar traders meet to discuss bank accounts frozen by Chinese authorities along the 105-mile border trade zone in Muse township in Myanmar's northern Shan state, June 17, 2017.

More than 100 Myanmar traders and residents in the border town of Muse in northern Shan state protested on Friday against Chinese authorities closure of their bank accounts, despite days of negotiations between Myanmar and Chinese officials and diplomats to unfreeze their assets.

Three Chinese banks with local branches in Myanmars border area froze hundreds of accounts in mid-June without warning over possible links to illegal activities, including smuggling, gambling, and drug dealing.

They have blocked deposits worth an estimated 40 billion kyats (U.S. $28.8 million), according to an Eleven Myanmar media group report, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the Myanmar traders to do business.

Representatives from the Myanmar Pulses, Beans & Sesame Seeds Merchants Association led a protest march from a monastery in Muse to the border crossing, demanding the immediate reopening of the accounts.

Members of the association, whose accounts had been blocked, met with Myanmar lawmakers and representatives from nongovernmental organizations in Muse on June 17 to discuss the situation.

Local lawmakers and political party representatives joined in the march.

Why did they accept Myanmar citizens applications to open accounts? asked Naw Baut, chairman of the Muse branch of the ruling National League for Democracy party, referring to the three Chinese banks that shut down accounts.

They can tell us that we are not allowed to open bank accounts because we are Myanmar citizens, but now they let Myanmar citizens open accounts, and then they close them, he said. Its not fair. Thats why Ive joined the protestto show that the NLD stands by our people.

Chinese authorities closed the border crossing while the protest was in progress.

Working on our bank accounts

Hla Maung, chairman of the Myanmar Pulses, Beans & Sesame Seeds Merchants Association, said representatives from his organization had talked with bank officials for almost the entire night about unfreezing the accounts of its members.

They have been working on our bank accounts, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. They promised they will resolve this bank account problem as soon as possible and asked that we not do anything that could harm relations between the two countries.

A woman named Phyu, who is the vice chairperson of Myanmar Pulses, Beans & Sesame Seeds Merchants Association, said protesters do not want to damage ties between Myanmar and China, but they want the issue to be resolved.

Merchants and people pay taxes to the country, she said. We dont want anything bad to happen to the countries relationship, but we are in trouble.

We want the two governments, media, and parliaments to understand our situation, she said. There might be some who are doing illegal business, but most of us are running legal businesses.

About 10 days ago, the Shweli branches of the Agricultural Bank of China, the China Construction Bank, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China began freezing the accounts of clients suspected of laundering money from illegal activities.

Chinese officials said nearly 336 accounts had been frozen, including those of more than 100 Myanmar businesspeople who operate in the 105-mile Muse border trade zone in northern Shan state across the Shweli River from southwestern Chinas Yunnan province.

Local residents, however, contend that the banks had frozen about 1,000 accounts.

Yang Shouzheng, Chinas ambassador to Myanmar, met with police from Myanmars Ministry of Interior in the capital Naypyidaw on Thursday to discuss the issue, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.

Though an investigation of the frozen bank accounts is ongoing, officials are said to be working to reopen those not associated with criminal activities.

Reported by Kan Thar and Thiri Min Zin for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
A Tibetan woman living in Sichuans Palyul county threw herself into a river and drowned last week to protest Chinese authorities demolition of Tibetan houses and an historic cemetery near her home, Tibetan sources said.



The woman, named Yudron, 45, acted to support Tibetan residents upset when authorities began to destroy houses and other structures built without [official] permission on their own ancestral land, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service.



Local Tibetans believe that the houses and cemetery are being demolished to create space for government projects, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. They also think that the county leader is targeting the homes of ordinary citizens and not government workers in order to raise his profile with higher authorities.



This will improve his chances for promotion and other benefits, he said.



Palyul (in Chinese, Baiyu) county residents are also unhappy with the county chief, the Communist Party Secretary for Palyul, for bringing in close associates from his own native Rongtrag (Danba) county to be placed in government jobs without considering local applicants, the source said.



On June 16, police and government workers in Palyul were sent to dig out graves and level the cemetery, called Mutha and located about two miles south of the Palyul county seat, another source said, also speaking on condition he not be named.



This was a burial site for over a thousand years, the source said, adding that county workers and police had removed even the remains from recent burials.



Many local residents whose family members were buried there protested, led by a person named Trido or Tashi Dorje. The authorities threatened to detain and punish anyone who persisted in obstructing the work, but no one was detained, he added.



Chinese development projects in Tibetan areas have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms and local officials of improperly seizing land and disrupting the lives of local people.



Many result in violent suppression, the detention of protest organizers, and intense pressure on the local population to comply with the governments wishes.



Reported by RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.




Authorities in Vietnam on Friday detained French-Vietnamese professor Pham Minh Hoang, according to his wife, who said the former political prisoner is likely to be expelled from his home country over the weekend following a decision by the government to revoke his citizenship.



Kieu Oanh told RFAs Vietnamese Service that Hoang, 62, had been taken into custody late on Friday by police officers pretending to carry out a census survey at their home in Vietnams economic capital Ho Chi Minh City.



A local police officer came to my house, knocked on the door and said he was conducting a periodic check of the local population, Oanh said.



Right after we opened the door for him, several other policemen came through the door. There was also a cameraman, but I didnt let him in, saying no one without a uniform could enter, she said.



They said they wanted to invite my husband to the local police station to deal with some matter. We did not agree and told them there is no law that allows the police to simply enter a persons home and make them go like that.



Oanh said that the police demanded that Hoang sign a document if he would not go with them, but Hoang refused. He tried to telephone his lawyer, she said, but the call failed because [the police] brought some kind of equipment to jam the phone network around the house.



When Hoangwho is also a French citizenagain refused to go to the local station, the police officers read a notice informing him he would be expelled from the country on Saturday, Oanh said, adding that the officers would not allow them to read the document.



After reading the paper, they took Hoang away, she said.



I wanted to film it, but I couldnt because they pushed us into a corner. When they pulled him out of the house, they locked the door from outside so  I couldnt get out.



Immediately after Hoang was taken, Oanh called the French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City and informed an official there that he had been arrested and would be deported on Saturday.



Oanh said she doesnt know where her husband is being held.



U.S.-based banned opposition party Viet Tan issued a statement Friday condemning Hoangs detention and calling Vietnams plan to expel him to France an apparent effort to silence [his] peaceful political advocacy.



The French government should not take part in the Hanoi regimes brazen exile of a well-known human rights activist, it said.



If Professor Hoang were to be expelled, he would be separated from his wife and young daughter, and unable to take care of his disabled older brother. Pham Minh Hoang has stated his wish to remain in his homeland and work for a better Vietnam.



Viet Tan noted that Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that no individual can be arbitrarily deprived of their nationality.



Citizenship stripped



In a letter issued on May 17 and signed by President Tran Dai Quang, Vietnams government informed Hoang of its official decision to revoke his nationality, citing Articles 88 and 91 of the countrys Criminal Code, which prohibit conducting propaganda against the state and fleeing abroad or defecting to stay overseas with a view to opposing the people's administration, respectively.



After receiving the letter on June 10, Hoang called the decision invalid, saying it violates the Law on Vietnamese nationality, and pledged to fight for his right to live in his homeland. He had formally begun the process of renouncing his French citizenship in a bid to block the revocation.



The move was slammed by international rights groups, including New York-based Human Rights Watch, whose deputy Asia director Phil Robertson labeled it nothing short of outrageous, and called for pressure on Hanoi to withdraw the decision.



Hoang, who is the only dissident to have his citizenship revoked in recent history in Vietnam, had stated that he would not leave his home to avoid any risk of forced expulsion while his lawyers worked on his case.



Hoang lived in France as an international student from 1973 until the late 1990s, when he returned to Ho Chi Minh City to teach at the Saigon University of Science and Technology.



He spent 17 months in prison for undermining national security and ruining the nations image through writings critical of Vietnams government, before being released in January 2012 and serving three years of probation.



Hoang told Agence France-Presse he had continued to publish "peaceful" articles on social media that were critical of the government since his release from prison.



Vietnam routinely jails bloggers, lawyers and activists authorities accuse of anti-government activity.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Defense lawyers in Vietnam are bristling at a new law passed by the Vietnamese National Assembly this week that would force lawyers to inform on their clients to authorities.



On June 20, the rubber-stamp assembly approved Article 19, section 3 of the penal code, which states that lawyers will be held "criminally accountable" for "not reporting on national security crimes or other especially serious crimes which the person he/she is defending is preparing to carry out, is carrying out, or has carried out and the defender clearly knows about it while carrying out his/her defense duty."



The new code, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2018, has raised sharp concerns among lawyers in Vietnam, who say they already have a hard time defending clients in the one-party communist state that is mounting a crackdown against bloggers, environmental activists and government critics and which uses a broad definition of state security to stifle dissent..



"Lawyers in Vietnam have long been subject to many difficulties and obstacles due to the lack of goodwill of the prosecuting organs. Yet now they have added another responsibility for us which is reporting on our own clients," Lawyer Ngo Ngoc Trai told RFA's Vietnamese service.



"I think this is very disadvantageous and a step backward for the Vietnamese judiciary, which already has many inadequacies. I think that this is a very regrettable and blameworthy, by which I mean blame goes to the National Assembly for having passed such a regulation," he told RFA.



Lawyer Vo An Don told RFA the new regulation "is completely contrary to the ethics code of lawyers, because lawyers are obliged to protect their clients, while at the same time, clients must really trust the lawyers before they tell them everything."



"The lawyers duty is to defend, or mitigate their offenses but this article makes them go against the code and betray the clients. This will gradually destroy lawyer career in Vietnam," he added.



A third lawyer, Pham Le Vuong Cac, said Article 19 would be difficult to enforce because of the closed nature of police investigations.



"I think that in reality it would be very difficult for the investigators, since the contacts of the lawyers and the defendants are under the control of prison officials, so when the defendants provide information to the lawyer, the investigating authorities will also be aware of that information," he told RFA.



"They cannot truthfully accuse lawyers of not reporting on their clients," Cac added.



Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Paul Eckert.


China's powerful media regulator has issued shutdown orders to three leading video streaming sites amid a nationwide crackdown on online media.



Microblogging platform Sina Weibo, popular online video site ACFUN and news portal iFeng.com have been ordered to halt video streaming services that violate regulations restricting online media, the TV and film watchdog said on .



The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) announced the move in a statement on its official website, saying it was part of a bid to create "a clean online environment."



The move comes after the agency announced a ban last December on user-generated audio and video, in a country where all news is controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.



The rules said that any audio or video content posted by users must have government approval in the form of transmission licenses.



Social media providers are also required to limit audio and video content to that produced by state-approved providers, who already hold an "audiovisual online transmission license," it said.



Such licenses are very hard to obtain, are generally not held by online content providers, and are only held by some 300 organizations in China, sources told RFA at the time.



Shares in SINA Corp and Weibo Corp fell on on the news, Reuters reported.



Hebei-based veteran journalist Zhu Xinxin said the government is afraid that spontaneous online video could spark political reactions among Chinese people.



"The Chinese Communist Party is controlling this sort of things, because they are mostly afraid that somebody could post anything at any time showing some breaking news in any part of the country," he said. "In particular, they don't want to see any kind of mass incident."



"In addition, the government doesn't want the general public to hear about news that shows it in an unfavorable light," he said. "They are afraid that social media users will leak stuff like that, and tell the whole world about it."



'Internet sovereignty'

Independent documentary film-maker Du Bin said the party leadership is very keen to ensure that nothing controversial is posted online ahead of a crucial political meeting later in the year.



"I think this is all part of a clean-up ahead of the 19th Party Congress in the fall," Du said. "The point is to achieve total control over the internet with China's borders; internet sovereignty."



"They don't want people finding out too much."



Beijing-based columnist Liu Suli said the government is unlikely to relax the rules again after the party congress, however.



"It has been like this for a few years now," Liu said. "There has been a consistent policy of tightening control over public freedom of expression."



"It's entirely consistent with what they've been doing up until now, but there is still a big question mark over how much of this they'll be able to enforce."



"Also, it could give rise to negative side-effects. This is just piling foolishness upon foolishness ... because one day, they'll have total control over the internet, and we'll be just like North Korea."



"Is that a price they can afford to pay?"



Last week, China's Cyberspace Administration shut down dozens of celebrity gossip social media accounts for failing to "actively propagate core socialist values."



China has already moved to ban the country's internet portals like Tencent and Sina from conducting any independent journalism of their own, requiring them to post syndicated content from the state-run Xinhua news agency and state broadcaster CCTV instead.



The country's internet regulator in August ordered all websites to start round-the-clock monitoring of content, holding editors personally responsible for "problem" content not in line with official narratives issued by the government.



Reported by Lin Ping for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
MANLY | A 59-year-old man is in intensive care in Iowa City after being assaulted Wednesday at his rural Manly home, according to law enforcement.

The Worth County Sheriff's Office said in a news release it received a 911 call at 1540 368th St. for a man who had been assaulted.

When Manly Rescue and Worth County deputies arrived, they said they found Donald Gilbert Beery Jr. outside with severe facial trauma. Beery was conscious and breathing, law enforcement said.

Beery was transported to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa by Mason City Fire medics and subsequently transferred to the University of Iowa Hospital.

His sister, Sharri Beery Follmuth, told the Globe Gazette on Friday whoever assaulted Berry "broke his whole face," two ribs and possibly caused spinal damage.

Beery lives alone with his two dogs, Follmuth said, and "nobody saw anything." He was found on the tailgate of his truck, after one of his neighbors heard him moaning, according to Follmuth.

The case is under investigation by the Worth County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Worth County Sheriff's Office at 641-324-2481.

Manly Fire & Rescue provided assistance at the scene.
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MASON CITY | A house fire in northern Mason City late Friday morning is under investigation, according to fire officials.

The Mason City Fire Department was dispatched to 1515 N. Pennsylvania Ave. around 11:08 a.m. Friday. Heavy smoke was pouring out of the yellow, one-story house when firefighters arrived.

Greg Koch, who lives in the house, sat in a yard across the street as firefighters vented the property. The home is owned by Christina Dodge of Mason City, according to online property records.

Koch said he had gone to the store and returned to find his house on fire.

"I tried to put it out," he said, as he showed the soot on his hands and arms.

Dodge is working with Koch to secure temporary housing.

Mason City Fire Chief Al Dyer said the department would likely be reaching out to an organization like the Red Cross or Salvation Army to assist Koch.

Upon entering the house, Dyer said firefighters were met with flames and heavy smoke. They made a quick attack on the fire, which Dyer said was contained to a bedroom.

Dyer said the fire remains under investigation. The cause of the fire wasn't available on Friday.

The Mason City Police Department provided assistance at the scene.
The proposed Whole Foods Market-anchored Sauer Center development on West Broad Street near the Fan District received conditional approval from the Richmond Planning and Development Review office.

The development, at 2022 and 2024 W. Broad St., is on a site that now includes a former Pleasants Hardware building and is adjacent to the C.F. Sauer Co. headquarters on West Broad Street at Hermitage Road.

The approval letter is dated June 14.

The planning department also requested that the project go before the citys Urban Design Committee for review of its streetscape plan, though approval by that committee will not affect the final approval or the developers ability to get construction permits.

Officials from Sauer Properties Inc., the development subsidiary of Richmond-based global food manufacturer C.F. Sauer Co., and Whole Foods Market did not return requests for comment.
POWHATAN  After more than a year of planning, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice was on target with the closing of Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center in Powhatan County this month.

As of June 1, the entire incarcerated youth population had been transferred out to Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Chesterfield County, and as of June 9, all of the staff except for those who are responsible for the closeout of the facility were transferred to either Bon Air or other facilities, according to Andrew K. Block Jr., director of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The closing of the prison, which was announced in May 2016, is ahead of the original projected closing date of June 30.

As of today, there are about 25 people working at Beaumont to inventory property, take care of the records and all of those kinds of things, Block said on June 14. The plan is it will be officially mothballed on Sept. 9. There will be a skeleton crew after that to maintain the buildings, make sure the property is secure, and maintain the property.

A declining incarcerated youth population, alarming re-arrest rates, the ability to consolidate slowly on the departments own terms and a lack of viable options were cited as the major contributing factors in deciding to close Beaumont when the announcement was made last year.

In choosing to close Beaumont over Bon Air, additional considerations included the Chesterfield facility having easier access for staff, families and the youth housed there. The campus is also easier to divide if the need arises because of the differentiated housing on site and had parts that were not in use and thus could be used for expansion if population numbers increased.

The operating costs at Beaumont were also the higher of the two, Block said. In 2015, the cost to operate Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center was $26,039,540, compared to $22,773,490 for Bon Air. These figures cover only personnel and operations cost for each facility.

At the time the announcement of the closure was made in 2016, the center was holding 167 young offenders, well below Beaumonts budgeted capacity of 284 males who go up to age 21, Block said. By April 2017, when youth and staff began to be transferred to Bon Air, the population was down to an even more manageable number.

Part of the reason why we announced it so long ago was so we had time to release kids who were in the course of their sentence and rehabilitation and going to be released anyway, he said. We stopped taking new kids at Beaumont, so the population didnt go back up, it just continued to decrease.

He added that the youth schedule for release before the closing were never transferred to Bon Air.

I think by the time the last young people were out the door, the numbers were down in the 20s, he said.

Plans for employees

One of the biggest considerations of the closing was the 359 employees employed by Beaumont. Through people taking early retirement, leaving for other jobs and being transferred into vacant staff positions within DJJ, Block said he is currently estimating that the closing of the correctional facility will result in five people being laid off.

Again, pointing to the long planning time, Block said that extra time allowed the department to find positions for many more of its employees than if it had announced a quick closing of Beaumont.

Our goal has been to keep as many of our staff as we could and to try to protect them and help them as much as possible through a very hard situation, he said. Taking a year to do this was challenging on the one end but it created more opportunities to place people than we would have had if we had a more compressed time schedule.

The challenge was felt by both the department and the employees, he added. On the part of DJJ, some vacancies were held longer than usual because they were to be filled by Beaumont personnel who still had a job to do at the Powhatan facility, Block said.

At Bon Air, for example, the facility had to carry more vacancies than he would have liked because those positions were being held for Beaumont employees. Block gave the employees at Bon Air credit for handling those vacancies well.

They knew why we were doing it and they supported their Beaumont colleagues. The way that everyone did this was really quite exceptional, he said.

As of June 14, Block said Bon Air had 226 youth offenders on the now consolidated campus, he said. The Bon Air facility is a 284-capacity facility serving a coed population of males age 14 to 18 and females age 11 to 20 who have been committed by the juvenile court, according to the DJJ website.

Block praised employees at both facilities, especially Beaumont, saying they had to handle their own stress while also managing, supporting and securing the young people at Beaumont, who also were going to go through a major disruption and change.

They had to push their stress to the side and do the job of being there to support, rehabilitate, hold accountable and do all the other things needed with the young people in our custody, which I am sure was incredibly challenging. I can say they all did it very well. And it is a testament to everybody who is at Beaumont, from the superintendent on down, Block said.

Bon Air is at or close to fully staffed now, which is probably a first for any juvenile correctional center in Virginia, Block said, adding hopefully we will keep it that way. A full staff has the benefits of not requiring the employees to work as much overtime and increasing coverage of the youth.

Block pointed out that one thing Bon Air has that neither it nor Beaumont had before was all of its residential units are now a community treatment model unit.

According to the DJJ website, this is a more rigorous rehabilitative approach to youth corrections that focuses on developing a consistent, rehabilitative community within each living unit in the facilities. By training an interdisciplinary cohort of staff, and placing them in a unit with a consistent group of youth, this model results in more rigorous rehabilitation and engagement throughout the day.

Future land use

With the closing and mothballing of Beaumont, one of the questions asked early on was what would happen to the land where it sits.

Block said that after the buildings have been reviewed to remove all usable materials, the Department of General Services will handle the process of disposing of the property. Although he didnt have the details of the process, he said other state departments would likely be given the first opportunity to use the property.

Dena Potter, director of communications for the Department of General Services (DRES), referred the Powhatan Today to the process for selling surplus real estate, found online at dgs.virginia.gov/division-of-real-estate-services/real-estate-for-salelease/how-virginia-sales-surplus-real-estate. According to the website, once an agency notifies the department that real estate under its control is no longer of use to the agency, DRES reviews the property records and contacts the Department of Treasury to determine if there are any outstanding bond obligations associated with the property. DRES also determines if there is need by another department, agency or institution for the real estate. DRES requests the written opinion of the Secretary of Natural Resources as to whether the property is a significant component of the Commonwealths natural and historic resources, and if so how those resources should be protected in the transfer or sale of the property. If no other department, agency or institution has a need for the property DRES offers and allows 30 days for the county and municipality where the property is located to purchase it at its fair market value for public use.

If there is no identified state or local government need for the property after these steps are taken then DRES will move forward with declaring the property surplus and seeking written authorization from the governor to market the property for sale, according to the website. The department may then sell the property by public auction, sealed bids, or by marketing through one or more real estate brokers licensed by the commonwealth.

Del. Lee Ware, R-65, reiterated last week that the propertys location and infrastructure make it a site with possibilities for an alternative access to Powhatan State Park, and also a site with potential for economic development.

Our attempts, including the labors of Senator (Glen) Sturtevant and former Senator John Watkins, to facilitate the transfer of the property to Powhatan County for economic development was not successful, but no doubt we will reintroduce the proposal, he added.

Regarding possible use of the land to expand the state park, Julie Buchanan, senior public relations and marketing specialist for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, said it would be premature for us to comment if the land hasnt even entered the surplus property stage.
POWHATAN  The second of two brothers charged in relation to a fight that ended with a Powhatan man stabbed in the head is likely to have the charge against him reduced to a misdemeanor, leaving the family of the victim in confusion and anger.

A preliminary hearing was held on Thursday, June 22, in Powhatan County Circuit Court for Jacob Moore, 22, of Powhatan, who was initially charged with the aggravated malicious wounding of Norris Goode Jr., 22, of Powhatan in a fight that also involved the defendants brother, Jesse Moore, 25, of Jetersville.

However, Jesse Moore was found not guilty of felony aggravated malicious wounding during a bench trial held on Wednesday, March 15, in front of Circuit Court Judge Paul W. Cella.

And during the hearing on June 22, special prosecutor Melissa Hoy, a Chesterfield County deputy commonwealths attorney, made the motion to amend the charge against Jacob Moore to misdemeanor assault and battery.

After the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Goode and his family, representatives from the NAACP and community members held a press conference on the steps of the Powhatan County Courthouse, sharing their reactions not only to Hoys decision to reduce the charge but to the bias they feel was present in the older brothers case.

Preliminary hearing

Cella heard a request for two motions during the hearing on June 22. Hoy made a motion to reduce the charge against Jacob Moore to a misdemeanor assault and battery.

Defense attorney Randy Rowlett made a motion to have Cella recuse himself from the case since he had already listened to much of the evidence that will be presented when he presided over Jesse Moores case.

Cella refused to hear the argument on Rowletts motion because the hearing was the first time he was seeing it.

Cella told both attorneys to file their motions with the court and respond to each others motions. He also instructed them to set a follow-up motions hearing through the court administrator for the August term date, with an expected jury trial as early as late August or September.

Hoy took on the case against Jacob Moore as a special prosecutor after Rob Cerullo, Powhatan County deputy commonwealths attorney, recused himself.

In preparing the case against Jesse Moore, Cerullo, who was not at the hearing, said he worked closely with Jacob Moore, who testified that his brother was the one who stabbed Goode in the head.

The charges the Moore brothers faced stemmed from a fight that occurred between the three men on April 17, 2016, when the brothers allegedly challenged the right of Goode and a friend to use a pond on Huguenot Springs Road to fish.

After the fight, Goode was taken by his father, Norris Goode Sr., to St. Francis Watkins Centre because of a cut on his arm. However, he was soon transferred to Chippenham Hospital, where an X-ray revealed that he had a 2.25-inch knife blade lodged in his head and he needed emergency surgery to remove it. Authorities never recovered the handle of the knife.

In preparation for the trial against Jesse Moore, Cerullo said he offered a misdemeanor plea agreement to Jacob Moore because he believed the older brother was the one who stabbed Goode in the head. He said he also met with the younger brother on multiple occasions and interviewed him, and, having learned so much about him in that setting, he just didnt think it was fair for me to use that information against him that I learned from him.

Ethically, I cant prosecute him on a felony now because I dont believe he committed a felony. But once he turned it down, I said 'What are we going to do? We have a felony charge; are we going to go forward with that? Cerullo said. We decided the best thing to do was give it to another prosecutor to look at it from stem to stern and decide what they want to do with it.

During the hearing, Hoy told Cella she had reviewed the case, comparing the transcripts from Jesse Moores trial to the case files, and looked at legal precedents. She said after reviewing all the facts and circumstances, It was clear to the commonwealth that a specific suggestion had been made to Jacob Moore that he would be charged with a misdemeanor because he had fully cooperated in the case against his brother, and, based on that, she felt the commonwealth must honor that.

I think the commonwealth is bound to uphold that part of the bargain, she said.

When Cella asked if Hoy had spoken with the Goode family about reducing the charge, she said she had, and, while they may not agree with her decision, they understood the legal precedent she was following.

Hearing from the family

After the hearing, a group of about 20 people stood on the courthouse steps on the warm sunny day as Goode, his mother Rebecca Parker, and Phillip Thompson, who is the criminal justice chair for the NAACP Virginia Sate Conference, answered questions from the press.

A visibly upset Goode at first simply said he was lost as he struggled to find the words to express how he felt. He said he heard from Hoy that day that Jacob Moore was likely to be charged with a misdemeanor.

It is what it is and Ive just got to live with that right now. Thats the toughest thing. It seems like its coming to an end, he said.

Parker said that finding out that morning that Jacob Moore would be charged with a misdemeanor was a very emotional process for us because we had to swallow something that we were not prepared to swallow. It felt like something that was being forced down our throats. So we had to process that and then, in turn, come hear it today publically.

Parker said she stood there in honor of being Goodes mother and stands in the gap of all the other mothers who are fighting for similar injustices. The past year has been full of nothing but anguish, pain, suffering, sometimes sobbing tears  because we had no understanding of what is happening emotionally and spiritually around us, she said.

Parker said she told Hoy that day that even closure will not bring peace in this type of incident because this is something that he will live with and will have to endure and the pain and suffering will be for a lifetime. To be able to write that off from a felony to a misdemeanor is very disgusting.

The Goode family maintained that they did not have an issue with the Powhatan County Sheriffs Office, which handled the investigation, or the Powhatan County Commonwealths Attorneys Office, which proceeded with the prosecution of Jesse Moore. Parker reiterated she did not believe anything could have been done differently on their parts.

Parker said their protest continued to be what they saw as an injustice in the earlier case on Cellas part for acquitting Jesse Moore and not even finding him guilty of a lesser charge. She said the decision was an obvious blatant disrespect to our family and to the oath that we believe he should be upholding in this community.

During the press conference, the Goode family was asked about a Richmond Times-Dispatch story in which three attorneys were asked to review a recording of Jesse Moores trial and all said that they didnt feel Cella had demonstrated racism.

Goode said listening to recordings of the trial wouldnt have revealed the context of actually being in the courtroom and seeing reactions, including behavior he felt demonstrated Cella was biased.

Goode had called Cellas actions racist in a previous interview, but he amended his statement on June 22 to say instead he felt Cella was biased or that there was some kind of prejudice involved.

Parker agreed with her sons opinion that even experts listening to an audio file would not have been witness to Cellas presence in the room that day, the way that he addressed us and did not address us, the way he made jokes and laughed and then argued with the prosecuting attorney during his closing argument, the mere fact that he did not even get up from his bench to review the over 30 pieces of evidence that (were) presented before him before making a verdict.

She continued, saying, This was a felony aggravated malicious wounding case where a man was stabbed in his brain and almost died. You did not think that the family, that this man deserved at least 20 minutes of your time to go in the back and make sure that you are making the right decision? Make sure that you are collectively taking everything into consideration? So,honestly, I dont give a damn about the experts.

At a previous press conference held on April 7, Thompson with the NAACP urged the crowd to write their elected officials at all levels and ask for a federal investigation into the case and to the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission to have it review the case and the judges actions.

After the June 22 hearing, he said they wanted to see what the outcome of the second hearing was before proceeding with that step. He also said that in reading the transcripts from Jesse Moores trial, he can see how people who want to see a certain outcome could understand why Cella found the defendant not guilty.

But I am firmly here to tell you that I do not think two African American young men who did this to a white man in this county would walk away with the justice that we are seeing today, he said, adding that was a crucial element.

Thompson also said he thinks everybodys role in the case should be questioned, including the prosecution and what charges were filed. The biggest issue was that there was no justice, and that is what the group wants to fight for, he said.

The Goode family and supporters will have a march at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 7, starting on the steps of Richmond City Hall and proceeding to the Virginia Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, Office of the Governor and Office of the Attorney General to present a demand letter and petition asking for the removal of Cella, according to a post on the Justice for Norris Facebook group, which Parker confirmed.. After delivering the letters and petitions, there will be a rally at the Bell Tower on Capitol grounds.

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.

By Laura McFarland

News Editor

POWHATAN  The second of two brothers charged in relation to a fight that ended with a Powhatan man stabbed in the head is likely to have the charge against him reduced to a misdemeanor, leaving the family of the victim in confusion and anger.

A preliminary hearing was held on Thursday, June 22, in Powhatan County Circuit Court for Jacob Moore, 22, of Powhatan, who was initially charged with the aggravated malicious wounding of Norris Goode Jr., 22, of Powhatan in a fight that also involved the defendants brother, Jesse Moore, 25, of Jetersville.

However, Jesse Moore was found not guilty of felony aggravated malicious wounding during a bench trial held on Wednesday, March 15, in front of Circuit Court Judge Paul W. Cella.

And during the hearing on June 22, special prosecutor Melissa Hoy, a Chesterfield County deputy commonwealths attorney, made the motion to amend the charge against Jacob Moore to misdemeanor assault and battery.

After the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Goode and his family, representatives from the NAACP and community members held a press conference on the steps of the Powhatan County Courthouse, sharing their reactions not only to Hoys decision to reduce the charge but to the bias they feel was present in the older brothers case.

Preliminary hearing

Cella heard a request for two motions during the hearing on June 22. Hoy made a motion to reduce the charge against Jacob Moore to a misdemeanor assault and battery.

Defense attorney Randy Rowlett made a motion to have Cella recuse himself from the case since he had already listened to much of the evidence that will be presented when he presided over Jesse Moores case.

Cella refused to hear the argument on Rowletts motion because the hearing was the first time he was seeing it.

Cella told both attorneys to file their motions with the court and respond to each others motions. He also instructed them to set a follow-up motions hearing through the court administrator for the August term date, with an expected jury trial as early as late August or September.

Hoy took on the case against Jacob Moore as a special prosecutor after Rob Cerullo, Powhatan County deputy commonwealths attorney, recused himself.

In preparing the case against Jesse Moore, Cerullo, who was not at the hearing, said he worked closely with Jacob Moore, who testified that his brother was the one who stabbed Goode in the head.

The charges the Moore brothers faced stemmed from a fight that occurred between the three men on April 17, 2016, when the brothers allegedly challenged the right of Goode and a friend to use a pond on Huguenot Springs Road to fish.

After the fight, Goode was taken by his father, Norris Goode Sr., to St. Francis Watkins Centre because of a cut on his arm. However, he was soon transferred to Chippenham Hospital, where an X-ray revealed that he had a 2.25-inch knife blade lodged in his head and he needed emergency surgery to remove it. Authorities never recovered the handle of the knife.

In preparation for the trial against Jesse Moore, Cerullo said he offered a misdemeanor plea agreement to Jacob Moore because he believed the older brother was the one who stabbed Goode in the head. He said he also met with the younger brother on multiple occasions and interviewed him, and, having learned so much about him in that setting, he just didnt think it was fair for me to use that information against him that I learned from him.

Ethically, I cant prosecute him on a felony now because I dont believe he committed a felony. But once he turned it down, I said 'What are we going to do? We have a felony charge; are we going to go forward with that? Cerullo said. We decided the best thing to do was give it to another prosecutor to look at it from stem to stern and decide what they want to do with it.

During the hearing, Hoy told Cella she had reviewed the case, comparing the transcripts from Jesse Moores trial to the case files, and looked at legal precedents. She said after reviewing all the facts and circumstances, It was clear to the commonwealth that a specific suggestion had been made to Jacob Moore that he would be charged with a misdemeanor because he had fully cooperated in the case against his brother, and, based on that, she felt the commonwealth must honor that.

I think the commonwealth is bound to uphold that part of the bargain, she said.

When Cella asked if Hoy had spoken with the Goode family about reducing the charge, she said she had, and, while they may not agree with her decision, they understood the legal precedent she was following.

Hearing from the family

After the hearing, a group of about 20 people stood on the courthouse steps on the warm sunny day as Goode, his mother Rebecca Parker, and Phillip Thompson, who is the criminal justice chair for the NAACP Virginia Sate Conference, answered questions from the press.

A visibly upset Goode at first simply said he was lost as he struggled to find the words to express how he felt. He said he heard from Hoy that day that Jacob Moore was likely to be charged with a misdemeanor.

It is what it is and Ive just got to live with that right now. Thats the toughest thing. It seems like its coming to an end, he said.

Parker said that finding out that morning that Jacob Moore would be charged with a misdemeanor was a very emotional process for us because we had to swallow something that we were not prepared to swallow. It felt like something that was being forced down our throats. So we had to process that and then, in turn, come hear it today publically.

Parker said she stood there in honor of being Goodes mother and stands in the gap of all the other mothers who are fighting for similar injustices. The past year has been full of nothing but anguish, pain, suffering, sometimes sobbing tears  because we had no understanding of what is happening emotionally and spiritually around us, she said.

Parker said she told Hoy that day that even closure will not bring peace in this type of incident because this is something that he will live with and will have to endure and the pain and suffering will be for a lifetime. To be able to write that off from a felony to a misdemeanor is very disgusting.

The Goode family maintained that they did not have an issue with the Powhatan County Sheriffs Office, which handled the investigation, or the Powhatan County Commonwealths Attorneys Office, which proceeded with the prosecution of Jesse Moore. Parker reiterated she did not believe anything could have been done differently on their parts.

Parker said their protest continued to be what they saw as an injustice in the earlier case on Cellas part for acquitting Jesse Moore and not even finding him guilty of a lesser charge. She said the decision was an obvious blatant disrespect to our family and to the oath that we believe he should be upholding in this community.

During the press conference, the Goode family was asked about a Richmond Times-Dispatch story in which three attorneys were asked to review a recording of Jesse Moores trial and all said that they didnt feel Cella had demonstrated racism.

Goode said listening to recordings of the trial wouldnt have revealed the context of actually being in the courtroom and seeing reactions, including behavior he felt demonstrated Cella was biased.

Goode had called Cellas actions racist in a previous interview, but he amended his statement on June 22 to say instead he felt Cella was biased or that there was some kind of prejudice involved.

Parker agreed with her sons opinion that even experts listening to an audio file would not have been witness to Cellas presence in the room that day, the way that he addressed us and did not address us, the way he made jokes and laughed and then argued with the prosecuting attorney during his closing argument, the mere fact that he did not even get up from his bench to review the over 30 pieces of evidence that (were) presented before him before making a verdict.

She continued, saying, This was a felony aggravated malicious wounding case where a man was stabbed in his brain and almost died. You did not think that the family, that this man deserved at least 20 minutes of your time to go in the back and make sure that you are making the right decision? Make sure that you are collectively taking everything into consideration? So,honestly, I dont give a damn about the experts.

At a previous press conference held on April 7, Thompson with the NAACP urged the crowd to write their elected officials at all levels and ask for a federal investigation into the case and to the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission to have it review the case and the judges actions.

After the June 22 hearing, he said they wanted to see what the outcome of the second hearing was before proceeding with that step. He also said that in reading the transcripts from Jesse Moores trial, he can see how people who want to see a certain outcome could understand why Cella found the defendant not guilty.

But I am firmly here to tell you that I do not think two African American young men who did this to a white man in this county would walk away with the justice that we are seeing today, he said, adding that was a crucial element.

Thompson also said he thinks everybodys role in the case should be questioned, including the prosecution and what charges were filed. The biggest issue was that there was no justice, and that is what the group wants to fight for, he said.

The Goode family and supporters will have a march at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 7, starting on the steps of Richmond City Hall and proceeding to the Virginia Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, Office of the Governor and Office of the Attorney General to present a demand letter and petition asking for the removal of Cella, according to a post on the Justice for Norris Facebook group, which Parker confirmed.. After delivering the letters and petitions, there will be a rally at the Bell Tower on Capitol grounds.
When the gunfire began, Nannie Burchettes grandson shielded his 7-year-old son with his arms and fled.

He ran down the street with the baby in his arms, the 77-year-old said Friday, the morning after what police described as a drive-by shooting in the 1500 block of North 22nd Street in Richmonds East End.

Family members who were sitting on the porch at the time scattered into the home, she said. But Burchette, who uses a walker, was paralyzed with fear.

I couldnt move, she recalled.

Police responded to the shooting shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. They said the father and son suffered non-life-threatening injuries when they were shot while waiting at a bus stop near Burchettes home.

Authorities are looking for a silver, newer-model Hyundai Santa Fe with New York license plates that drove north on 22nd Street toward Fairfield Avenue after the shooting. Police say a passenger fired from the moving car when it passed the two victims.

Investigators released a surveillance photo of the vehicle Friday.

Tamia Burchette, 18, said her uncle was shot in the foot and discharged from the hospital last night. Her young cousin was hospitalized overnight after being grazed by bullet fragments, she said.

I dont even think this is real. I dont think its real. I had to say, Let me close my eyes and wake back up again,  Tamia Burchette said. Its like a movie.

She decried the surge of recent violence in the city. Police have responded to more than 100 shootings and 36 killings this year.

Its just making no sense out here, she said. They shooting for no reason.
Richmond police have cleared one man in last week's triple shooting  which they are now calling a homicide  near the 17th Street Farmers Market in Shockoe Bottom.

Police described the man they are seeking in a statement: a black male with a light complexion in his mid-20s. He is about 6 feet tall with short, dark hair and a skinny build. At the time, he was wearing a white T-shirt with a pattern and dark running pants with stripes down the leg.

The man was driving a dark gray, four-door Nissan sedan with a yellow New York license plate.

Another man, who police dentified through surveillance footage, has been cleared, according to department spokeswoman Koury Wilson.

Shortly before 3 a.m. on June 18, police responded to the intersection of North 17th and East Franklin streets after two people, a man and woman, were shot. They were taken to a local hospital, and have since been released.

While at the scene, officers were told a third victim, Robert D. Turner Jr., 26, of the 400 block of Winston Street, was driven to a hospital, where he died.

Police initially called the shooting a death investigation, but are not investigating Turner's death as a homicide.

Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call Detective J. Bridges at (804) 646-4494 or Major Crimes Det. Sgt. A. Jackson at (804) 646-0606 or contact Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or at www.7801000.com.
As President Trump talks about renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement  or killing it outright if those negotiations don't go his way  we hope that his objective is bigger than simply checking off another campaign promise.

Put another way, our nation's trade deals with Canada and Mexico shouldn't lead to tweets in which our president gloats about "winning" the negotiations with our neighbors to the north and south.

Geographically speaking, this is not a complex equation. America's farmers and manufacturers need international markets for their products, and the closer those markets are, the lower the logistical costs. When man-made obstacles such as tariffs are reduced or eliminated, so much the better.

It turns out Minnesota could be considered the poster child for the now 23-year-old trade pact with Mexico and Canada.

Data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development indicates Canada and Mexico now account for one-third of our state's $19 billion in annual exports. Minnesota currently enjoys a trade surplus with Mexico, and our trade deficit with Canada has shrunk by two-thirds in the past eight years.

Companies including General Mills and Hormel are on the record in support of NAFTA, as is the Minnesota Cattlemen's Association. Exports of medical technology and heavy transport equipment from Minnesota to Mexico have soared in the past eight years, so a long list of Minnesota-based companies and trade associations will wait with bated breath if and when Trump sits down with leaders from Mexico and Canada.

We won't say NAFTA is perfect, nor will we deny our trading partners have taken some actions that invite some backlash. For example, in recent weeks the PB has published numerous articles about how recent changes in Canada's duties on dairy imports threatened to leave several area farms with no nearby processors to buy their milk.

Trump has responded by slapping a new 20 percent tariff on lumber imported from Canada. This new tax, along with Trump's accompanying flurry of tweets, have made it clear helping America's dairy farmers  Wisconsin was a huge factor in his Electoral College win  will be a top priority of any new NAFTA deal.

We won't say the president is wrong, at least not in principle. Any trade deal that's been in place for 23 years will contain elements that should be re-examined and possibly revised. Ideally, we'd love to see Minnesota enjoy a trade surplus with both Canada and Mexico.

But the spirit in which these negotiations take place will telling. Canada and Mexico are our trade partners, not our adversaries. The U.S. should seek to improve NAFTA, to make it more beneficial to all parties, rather than seeking "an edge" that will lead to retaliation down the road.

This editorial appeared in the June 17 edition of the Post Bulletin of Rochester, Minnesota.
Hopewell police are investigating the shooting and wounding of a motorist Thursday night on Carolina Avenue in the city.

Police said officers responded about 9:40 p.m. to a report of shots being fired in the 1400 block of Carolina Avenue. While officers were canvassing the area, police received information that a person had just arrived at John Randolph Medical Center with a gunshot wound.

Upon further investigation, police believe the male driver of a car, 26, and a female passenger were on Carolina Avenue when a silver SUV pulled up next to them and asked for directions. After the motorist provided directions, the SUV began to leave the area when a single gunshot was fired from inside, striking the motorist of the other car in the arm, police said.

The SUV then drove away while the victim drove himself to the hospital to seek treatment. The victim was later released with nonlife-threatening injuries. The passenger was not hurt.

The gunman was described as a young black man who was last seen wearing a red shirt and seated in the rear of a silver Lexus SUV, police said.
Christian Lynn Amos kept an uneasy secret for 10 years, his mouth shut and his conscience on fire.

Had he stepped in front of a speeding truck, died of a heart attack or otherwise remained silent, a man he did not know would have sat in prison for another year, innocent and with no hope of ever clearing his name.

Instead, on May 17, 2016, Amos, shamed and inspired by an 8-year-old boy, dialed 911 and reached a communications officer with the Prince George County Police Department.

"I told them that I wanted to turn myself in, that I had committed some bank robberies. And she asked for my name and I gave it to her and everything, and she came back on and she said, 'We're not looking for you.' I said, 'I know you're not because I've never been caught.'"

Amos, 63, is now behind bars at Riverside Regional Jail, sentenced to 12 years. Gary Bush, 67, is a free man after nearly a decade in prison. He returned to his family home near Covington on geriatric parole and hopes to win a formal exoneration from the Virginia Court of Appeals.

At Amos' sentencing in Prince George Circuit Court last month, his lawyer, W. Edward Tomko III, said, "Judge, I've never had a case like this, and I doubt that I'll see one like it again. I hope I don't."

"When I first advised him that Mr. Bush had served almost 10 years of incarceration because of these offenses, Mr. Amos broke down and wept. He had no clue, no idea, that anyone else had been serving time for the crimes he had committed," Tomko told Judge W. Allan Sharrett.

"I have never had a client, I don't think, with the depth of feeling with regards to his remorse for what he did," Tomko said.

***

Bush's case is highly unusual, at least in recent Virginia history, but defense lawyers caution that he has yet to be exonerated - and that what happened to him could happen to anyone.

There have been several instances in Virginia over the past few decades where the real perpetrators of crimes for which innocent persons were imprisoned came forward and either admitted wrongdoing or made up allegations against an innocent person. However, in all of those cases, the criminals knew innocent people were in prison serving time. Amos, by all accounts, did not know that Bush - a man he had never met - had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for two robberies Amos got clean away with.

His extraordinary 911 call last year stunned police, prosecutors and Bush, who got the news from his lawyer.

Attorney Christopher B. Ackerman said, It just doesnt happen. How often do you hear about someone with a conscience who calls up the police and confesses to a crime 9, 10 years later?

Bush always maintained his innocence. The new evidence was this confession. There was no DNA. ... It was straight up Mr. Amos calling 911, Ackerman said.

Bush remembers the day in May 2016 when he was called to a prison counselor's office and spoke with Ackerman, who gave him the good news over a conference call.

"I was in there for nine years, six months and two weeks before I was released. Amazingly the guy came forward. I don't know why he did it," said Bush, relaxing on the front porch of his parents' home surrounded by heavily wooded hills and ridges.

"I have no animosity toward him at all," Bush said of Amos. Tell him I just hate to see anybody get 12 years for robbing banks with a note 'cause it was not a real threat.

Amos was relieved to hear that in an interview at Riverside Regional Jail last week, but he is still deeply troubled.

"There's no way I can make it up to him. No way at all," Amos said. Had he known Bush was in prison, Amos said he believes he would have come forward sooner. "I just feel like I would have. I had no idea. No idea."

***

Amos wears his silver hair in a biker-style ponytail. Until a few years ago, he was often seen riding his Harley Davidson around Hopewell. He is being housed at a special unit for veterans at the jail until he is transferred to the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Born in Petersburg, he said, "I'm an Army brat. Lived out at Fort Lee for numerous years."

He attended Walnut Hill Elementary School, where he completed fifth-grade, later earning his GED. He was in the Army from 1971 to 1973, serving with the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C. His father, a parachutist, was in the Army and a Vietnam veteran.

Amos is divorced, has two daughters and five grandchildren, and has worked most of his life as a welder, operated a carpet and flooring business, hung sheet rock and has done some carpentry.

His life changed for the worse in 1997 when he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident and became addicted to pain medication. The opioid pills were too expensive to obtain illegally, he said. Heroin, which he snorted and did not inject, was cheaper, so he regularly drove to Richmond to buy it.

"I was addicted to heroin," he said. "My addiction, it had consumed my life. If I didn't get it, I would get sick."

He committed three bank robberies over the years -- one in Prince George and one in Petersburg, both in 2006, and another one in Petersburg in 2014 -- to support his habit. He used notes that threatened he had a firearm, but he never carried one. He said he rationalized robbing banks because they were insured. "I wasn't really hurting anybody. They'd get their money back. The only one I was hurting, you know, would be the teller - frighten the heck out of her," he said.

The first bank robbery was in Petersburg on Oct. 6, 2006, and the second in Prince George County in Nov. 8 of that year. The take totaled roughly $6,000.

That same year, Bush was living in Prince George and had just retired after 23 years as a machine operator for DuPont when he was caught with cocaine by police that October.

Awaiting trial on the drug charge, Bush returned to live on his family's property, where he was born and raised, near Covington. He wanted to sober up, straighten out his life and stay clean. "Every time they gave me a drug test, I passed it with flying colors, he said.

But then around 5 p.m., Nov. 13, 2006, a family friend, Dwayne Paxton, a police officer, knocked on the back door and was invited in. We sit here and talked for a little while, recalled Bush - him, Paxton and his parents. We all knew each other," he said.

Paxton told him, Gary, I have a warrant for your arrest. And I asked him, What for? And he said, I cant discuss that right now.

The two men went outside so Bush would not be taken into custody in front of his parents. Paxton said, Ill put the handcuffs on you up front, that way it wont bother you so much. But I have to put the handcuffs on you."

He wasnt too happy about it, said Bush. And, he took me in and four hours later police from Prince George showed up. They took me back to Prince George.

He asked them what he was accused of doing. When they told him robbery, Bush said, I was shocked. I was amazed.

"I was charged with a bank robbery. About two weeks later, I was charged with another bank robbery, one in Petersburg," he said. After the Prince George arrest, his mugshot appeared in a local newspaper. He said the two witnesses in the Petersburg robbery, which occurred seven weeks earlier, "probably saw my picture in the paper."

Bush said he offered to take a polygraph test but the police told him they did not need one, that they had their man.

In the Prince George robbery, a witness who claimed to have used cocaine with Bush said he saw Bush leaving the bank when it was robbed. "I didn't know the guy from Adam," Bush said. A teller also misidentified him.

He was convicted by a judge in Prince George and by a jury in Petersburg. The Petersburg conviction was on April 16, 2007, the same day as the massacre at Virginia Tech. "They came back after lunch and they were ready to convict anybody," complained Bush of the jury.

"I was in shock. I couldn't believe it," he said. Bush was sentenced to five years in Petersburg on June 16, 2007, and to 50 years with 43 years suspended in Prince George on Aug. 2.

The Prince George judge told him that with a 12-year sentence, he would be out in 10 years and could start collecting Social Security.

***

Loved ones remained loyal despite the convictions.

"Nobody believed it. Everybody stuck by me. The whole family stuck by me, most of my friends stuck by me, Bush said. He spent time at six prisons in different parts of the state, but he always had visitors.

He handled things one day at a time. "To be honest with you, I'd lay awake at night and try to figure out how in the world I got there. I kind of accepted it." Nevertheless, "I told my story to anybody that would listen to me while I was in prison. I always thought that somehow I would be proven innocent. But then I didn't know ... how I would ever prove that I didn't do it."

Meanwhile, Amos stopped using heroin and said he was always troubled by the robberies. "There was not a day that went by that I did not think about it. It weighed heavily on me," he said. "What I had done, it was eating at me from the inside out. I was scared. I wanted to own up to it but I was afraid to do it."

He stopped using heroin after losing friends to overdoses and said he wanted to be a role model for his grandchildren. "I quit cold turkey, just by myself," he said. "I've been clean and sober - it'll be three years in July."

Last year, his 8-year-old grandson was playing outside his home in Disputanta, threw some rocks and broke some windows in a mobile home that was being renovated nearby. Amos confronted the boy, "And he said, 'No, Grandpa, I didn't do it.' I let it go. The next day, out of the blue, (he said) you know, 'Grandpa, I did it.'"

After school that day, Amos walked the boy over to the owner of the mobile home and Amos stayed back as his grandson confessed to David Manning, owner of the Manning Mobile Home Park. Reached by telephone last week, Manning recalled the incident well. "He came up to me, his granddaddy stayed behind, and he came up on his own and told me what he had done and apologized for it."

Amos said he made the 911 call just a month or so after his grandson confessed. "I was just so proud of him. I've always been proud of him. But that day, especially, I was just so proud and it just left me feeling like a hypocrite. I knew that day that I had to turn myself in. I had to. But it still took me a month."

He said his conscience does not stem from religion - he lost his faith on May 16, 1969, when he was 15 years old and saw his father die.

"I had a premonition that it was going to happen that day. And I remember my mom driving us to Fort Lee for Armed Forces Day," Amos said. "I was in the back seat and I was like, 'Please God, don't let nothing happen to my dad.'"

His father, Robert Roy Amos Jr., was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. He was part of a holiday skydiving performance in front of 3,000 spectators at Fort Lee. He had just returned from Vietnam where he served with the 1st Air Cavalry Division, Amos said.

An account in The Progress-Index of Petersburg said Robert Amos was descending with his main canopy open when, at about 300 feet, he released it and fell to his death.

The last sentence in the newspaper story noted that he was survived by his widow and nine children.

Confessions by the self-professed guilty do not always clear the innocent Another man has confessed and defense lawyers believe Gary Bush  freed from prison with the

As Amos recalls, "He was just above trees and he released his main chute. I don't know if it was suicide. That's what I assumed it was. He released his chute right above the trees. When I was young, when it happened, I used to have nightmares about it.

"Ever since that day I really don't believe in God."

His conscience, he said, comes from his father, not a church. "He was a strict father. He wasn't my biological father but he was the only dad I ever had."

The recording of his 911 call to Prince George police at 1:18 p.m. May 17, 2016, is not available. Amos said two police officers showed up, interviewed him and took him into custody.

After business hours that same day, police called Prince George County Commonwealths Attorney Susan OPrandy Fierro, who was not in office in 2006.

The next day I had the file and found out who the defense attorney was," she said.

She called Ackerman, told him what was happening and that officers were looking into whether there was some kind of connection between Amos and Bush.

Fierro said the police investigated Amos' confession, came to believe it was genuine and that Amos had no idea someone else was in prison for the robberies. They let Amos' lawyer break the news to Amos about Bush.

Ackerman contacted the Virginia State Parole Board. Fierro said, "At that point we felt pretty confident that Mr. Amos was telling the truth.

I told the parole board investigator that I would have no objection to him being released. And then I called the Petersburg Commonwealths Attorneys Office and talked to them and they also had no objection," she said.

Virginia no longer has parole but Bush was eligible for geriatric release and the board quickly granted it. He returned to live with his elderly parents in Covington.

Amos has since been convicted of the bank robbery in Prince George. While he admitted he committed both Petersburg bank robberies, he has thus far only been prosecuted for the 2014 robbery, not the 2006 bank robbery for which Bush was convicted.

Cheryl J. Wilson, the Petersburg commonwealths attorney, said Friday that Amos will eventually be prosecuted for the 2006 bank robbery. She added, I am not objecting to his claim of innocence."

Amos netted seven years in Petersburg for the 2014 robbery when he was sentenced in February.

When Amos was sentenced in Prince George Circuit Court on May 12 by Sharrett, the judge made sure the case had been thoroughly investigated to rule out collusion between Amos and Bush and to make sure Amos did not have any psychiatric issues that might prompt a false confession.

His lawyer put Amos on the stand and asked him what his sentence should be.

A transcript of the proceedings shows that Amos, referring to Bush, answered: "I think I should serve every day that he had to serve."

Sharrett imposed a 50-year sentence with 45 years suspended that, when combined with the other conviction, left Amos with the same 12-year term that Bush received.

The judge noted that Bush and Amos both had some drug issues but otherwise essentially had no prior criminal records. He said, "It's deeply disturbing because an innocent man has spent a number of years in prison for a crime he simply did not commit."

"It does, in fact, give lie to the euphemism 'victimless crime.' There was an unintended victim, but a victim nonetheless," Sharrett said.

Nevertheless, Sharrett noted that Amos "has voluntarily, without any compulsion, except from his conscience, confessed to a crime and essentially sentenced himself to a significant term of incarceration."

Amos is adjusting to imprisonment and said he is taking medication for depression and anxiety and is receiving counseling in the veterans' unit at the jail.

"I'm having nightmares that I'm going to be leaving prison in a wheelchair," he said.

He saw a recent television interview with Bush in which Bush said that after his convictions he considered taking his own life and that his biggest regret in the decade behind bars was missing a daughter's wedding.

"I feel really bad that I robbed Mr. Bush of 10 years of his life," Amos said. "He wasn't able to walk down the aisle with his daughter for her wedding. I saw him on TV. And he said that he contemplated suicide. That would of like just tore me up if that would have happened."

"I broke down and I cried again," he said.

"I'm just so glad I came forward. There's a reason for everything in this world. I'm just glad that I was able to clear Mr. Bush's name."
Neighbors said theyll never forget the terror visible on the three childrens faces as they raced out of the South Richmond apartment a few doors down from their own.

The children  7, 5 and 4 years old  had just seen their pregnant mother, Jawanda Johnson, shot, allegedly by her husband. It was 2:41 p.m. Thursday, the end of a long line of domestic abuse.

If you would have seen their eyes  youll never get that look out of my head, Shana Le Master, who lives off Chalfont Drive near Johnsons mother and stepfather, said Friday.

The oldest child was splattered with blood, Le Master said. The middle child, a girl, clung to the bag of chips shed gotten shopping just before the shooting began.

Le Master, her husband, Aragon Le Master, and Laura Mills said they comforted the children as police arrived.

Dont let them take my momma, Mills said one of the kids pleaded. We told them it was going to be OK. We thought she would be coming home.

But when an officer asked that they take the children inside, it was to remove Johnsons body from the home.

The 26-year-old lived in the 2200 block of Fairfield Avenue, but was apparently hiding out at her mothers after seeking a protective order against her husband, Terrell D. Cook, the day before she was shot and killed. Richmond police confirm that the order hadnt yet been served on Cook because he couldnt be found.

Police responded to Johnsons home five times this year. Three were related to the domestic situation, and all three were received this week, according to department spokesman James Mercante. Of the three, Johnson called twice and Cook called once, Mercante said.

The U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force tracked Cook to a home in Christiansburg on Friday morning. Cook, 28, of the 1300 block of Overbrook Road, had apparently shot himself and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The system failed, Le Master said. She followed the protocol. She asked for help, but no one listened. Now the children dont have a mother, or a father.

Two of Johnsons three children are Cooks.

A two-year family abuse protective order issued on March 10, 2015, expired March 3, just three months before Johnson was killed. Court records show a long line of complaints by Johnson against Cook dating back four years.

The couple were married in November 2012, but according to court documents, it doesnt appear they lived together for much of their marriage. Complaints of abuse began four months after the wedding.

On March 23, 2013, Cook was charged with assault and battery of Johnson. In the criminal complaint, a Richmond police officer said Johnson said was punched in the face and head several times by her husband. She had visible marks and bruises. Cook was released on a $2,500 bond, records show.

An emergency protective order was issued the same day and lasted for three days. Another was issued the following day.

A month later, Cook was charged with threatening Johnson by telephone. He was again released on a $500 bond.

Cook pleaded guilty to both charges in September 2013 and received no active jail time.

At the time, the defendant was suffering from Stage 4 cancer, Hodgkins lymphoma, according to Richmond prosecutor Kelli Burnett. In a letter, a Richmond jail doctor strongly recommended that he be released from the Richmond city jail immediately. He was given the suspended sentence and released the next day.

In 2014, Cook was charged twice more with assault and battery of Johnson  once in March and once in August. He was released on a $5,000 bond, and a three-day emergency protective order was issued in both cases, which were dropped by prosecutors in July 2015.

On March 15, 2014, Terrell Cook grabbed Jawanda Johnson around the throat and pushed her, the criminal complaint read. Ms. Johnson was able to get free and he grabbed her again. Mr. Cook is already subject to a protective order.

Burnett said Cook was still believed to be suffering from cancer at that time. The case was continued once to allow for a bone marrow transplant, and twice more when Johnson didnt show up to court. Eventually, the cases were dropped.

In February 2015, Johnson filed a complaint saying he has been threatening to kill my father and myself. The two-year order, which expired three months ago, was issued in March 2015 forbidding Cook contact with Johnson or her children.

Even with the protective order in place, Cook apparently continued to harass Johnson. Twice in August, he was charged with violating the order, as well as stalking resulting in reasonable fear of death or assault, court records show. In July 2016, these three charges were dropped after Johnson repeatedly failed to appear in court.

On Sept. 7, 2015, Cook was charged with maliciously shooting at an occupied dwelling  Johnson and her three children were inside, court records said  but the charges were again dropped in 2016.

Its certainly not uncommon for victims of domestic abuse to be uncooperative, Burnett said. Its difficult to break the cycle.

Cook had been convicted previously of child abuse in Henrico County in 2013. He was given a five-year sentence, all of which was suspended.

The neighbors said they believe not enough was done to protect Johnson.

Where is the follow-up? Aragon Le Master said. Theres no excuse. Someone needs to be held accountable.

Johnson is the 12th woman to be killed in the city this year  compared with 10 in all of 2016  and fifth domestic-related homicide.

There have been 36 slayings overall in Richmond this year. City police have investigated 27, including this one, as homicides; two as death investigations; two as justified homicides; one as an officer-involved shooting; and one as manslaughter or accidental death.

Three additional homicides are being investigated by Virginia State Police.
A picture of Hanover County school officials posing with a state delegate running for re-election in November has raised some questions in the county that the state delegate says are overblown.

The picture at the top of an email newsletter recently sent out by Del. Hyland F. Buddy Fowler Jr., R-Hanover, shows Fowler posing in his office with Superintendent Michael B. Gill and School Board members Susan P. Dibble and Robert L. Hundley Jr. The subject line of the email reads, Campaign re-election News!

The picture was taken in Fowlers office when the school officials were advocating on behalf of public education in Hanover, according to the people in the picture.

The newsletter was forwarded to the Richmond Times-Dispatch by a member of the Hanover Democratic Committee. Fowler would not send a copy of the newsletter to The Times-Dispatch.

Toni Radler, chairwoman of the Hanover Democratic Committee, said the photo gives the appearance that Gill, Dibble and Hundley are endorsing Fowler. Radler, who has twice unsuccessfully run against Fowler, called the picture problematic for Gill.

He doesnt take sides, Fowler said of Gill. Hes not an elected official.

Hanover County Public Schools spokesman Chris Whitley said Gill was unaware the picture would be used in this manner and was not contacted in advance about its use.

The superintendent would never endorse any candidate who is seeking political office, expressly or implied, Whitley said. No exceptions.

Whitley said the school system had received three inquiries about the inclusion of the photo in Fowlers email.

When asked whether she had contributed to Fowlers campaign, Dibble responded in an email, Yes, my family does contribute to Mr. Fowlers campaign. Hundley said he had not contributed to Fowler, and Whitley said Gill had not contributed to Fowler, either.

Fowler is seeking re-election in the 55th House District, which covers parts of Hanover, Caroline and Spotsylvania counties. Morgan Goodman is the Democrat planning to run against Fowler.

Fowler said he picked the picture for his email newsletter totally at random and that it does not identify support or lack of support for me individually or as a candidate.

There really isnt anything to explain, Fowler said. I guess the ruckus was from a few of my liberal Democrat friends.

Hundley said the picture was taken during a Virginia School Board Association conference when school officials are supposed to meet with as many representatives as possible. Hundley said that in his official capacity as a School Board member, he tries to remain as nonpartisan as possible.

I wasnt aware it would be used as a newsletter photo for this time of year, Hundley said of the photo.

Dibble echoed Hundleys description of the picture.
Three people are being considered for an appointment on Hanover Countys School Board at a time when some residents are pushing for the county to switch to an elected board.

Current board member Susan P. Dibble and two other candidates  Clara James Scott and Lakisha Greenhow  have been nominated to be the South Anna District representative on Hanovers School Board.

Supervisor Wayne T. Hazzard said he plans to appoint one of them at the Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday so they can take office July 1.

Hazzard said he has interviewed each of the nominees and concluded they all value the children of Hanover.

We talk about the issues related to the education of our kids and try to compare philosophies as well as what are their abilities, he said of the interviews.

Hazzard said he was not in favor of changing the countys grading scale, and he is not in favor of moving to an elected School Board. He touted the quality of Hanovers schools as a reason he does not support such changes.

I think you would have a hard time convincing other jurisdictions that have an elected school board that our system isnt one they wish they still had, Hazzard said.

Greenhow could not be reached for comment, but told the Board of Supervisors at a meeting that she had moved to Hanover for its good schools and supported the recent change to a so-called 10-point grading scale. Greenhow described herself as an 11-year veteran educator.

Hazzard appointed Dibble to serve on the School Board in 2014. She was the board member who made the motion to adopt a new grading scale. In response to inquiries about why Dibble wants to be reappointed, she sent over the text of a presentation she gave to the Board of Supervisors when she was nominated.

In my four years on the School Board, we have made great strides, the text reads. We have implemented new programs, we are taking better care of our facilities and we are implementing a much needed technology plan.

Scott, a Patrick Henry High School graduate, is a retired public school administrator who worked in Hanover and Richmond schools. Scott said she recently was appointed to sit on the board for Hanover Habitat for Humanity.

My passion is in career and technical education, she said.

Attempting to join the School Board was in the back of Scotts mind when she retired about two years ago. The debate that led to Hanover changing its grading scale made her more serious about it.

I see the need to be part of whats happening, she said.

Scott said she was glad Hanover changed its grading scale  she sent an email to the School Board in support of the change. Scott said she had no preference on another question being posed in Hanover: whether the county should go from having an appointed School Board to an elected one.

A group called Hanover Citizens for an Elected School Board is collecting signatures for a petition to have a referendum asking Hanover voters whether they prefer an appointed or an elected School Board. Appointed school boards are in the minority in Virginia  just 17 localities have them. The push for an elected School Board in Hanover grew out of the efforts to change the grading scale.

Julie Stubblefield, the moderator for Hanover Citizens for an Elected School Boards Facebook page, said the effort is going well but would not say how many signatures had been collected. The groups goal is to have 8,500 signatures by July 14.

Advocates for the change have said electing board members would help the public know more about them and that, as good as Hanovers schools might be, there is room for improvement. Supporters of keeping things as they are question why any change is needed and say an elected board could mire the board in politics.

Teresa Teri Smithson, Hanovers general registrar and director of elections, said there were 77,684 registered voters in Hanover as of Jan. 1. Ten percent of registered voters signatures are needed to get a referendum on the ballot, Smithson said. That would mean Hanover Citizens for an Elected School Board needs a minimum of 7,768 signatures from registered voters.

Smithson said the deadline to submit the petition is 111 days before Election Day, Nov. 7. That falls on July 19.
CALGARY, Alberta, June 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NXT Energy Solutions Inc. (NXT Energy or the Company) (TSX:SFD) (OTCQB:NSFDF) advises of the voting results for the election of its Board of Directors (the Board) at its annual and special meeting of shareholders (the AGM) which was held on June 21, 2017.



AGM Voting Results

Each of the five nominees proposed in the NXT Information Circular - Proxy Statement were elected as directors. A total of 37,933,483 common shares ("Common Shares") of the Company, representing approximately 70.43% of the outstanding Common Shares, were represented in person or by proxy at the AGM. Detailed results of the vote are as follows:

Director Nominee Votes for % of

Votes For Votes

Withheld % of Votes

Withheld George Liszicasz 26,753,638 93.37 % 1,899,786 6.63 % Charles Selby 18,967,271 66.20 % 9,686,153 33.80 % John Tilson 27,688,014 96.63 % 965,410 3.37 % Thomas E. Valentine 26,653,688 93.02 % 1,999,736 6.98 % Bruce G. Wilcox 27,553,911 96.16 % 1,099,513 3.84 %

These results reflect the votes of certain shareholders that gave rise to a significantly lower percentage of votes For Mr. Selby. Upon receipt of these results, Mr. Selby met with a representative of these shareholders to review the matter. The representative subsequently advised the Company that the aforementioned shareholders are now satisfied and fully support Mr. Selby as Lead Director of the Company.

In addition, the motions to approve the re-appointment of KPMG LLP as the Companys auditors, the motion to adopt a Majority Voting Policy and the motion to approve NXT Energys Restricted Share Unit Plan were carried at the AGM.

NXT Energy is a Calgary based company whose proprietary Stress Field Detection ("SFD") survey system utilizes quantum-scale sensors to detect gravity field perturbations in an airborne survey method which can be used both onshore and offshore to remotely identify areas with exploration potential for traps and reservoirs. The SFD survey system enables our clients to focus their hydrocarbon exploration decisions concerning land commitments, data acquisition expenditures and prospect prioritization on areas with the greatest potential. SFD is environmentally friendly and unaffected by ground security issues or difficult terrain, and is the registered trademark of NXT Energy Solutions Inc. NXT Energy provides its clients with an effective and reliable method to reduce time, costs, and risks related to exploration.

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) nor the OTC QB Markets accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoneys new panel that will study ways to add context to Confederate statues also should consider renaming additional public buildings to more fully tell the citys story, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine said Friday.

What I would encourage a commission like this to do is not just even look at existing statues  but we have places for other statues, said Kaine, a former Richmond mayor who was in town Friday on an unrelated event about Senate Republicans health care proposal.

We have public buildings that arent named after anybody now that we could name after people to broaden the story that were telling about the city, Kaine said after a discussion on health care held at the SunTrust Center on East Main Street.

I think theres opportunities to take what is existing and figure out how to put it in context  thats what I think the mayor talked about, Kaine said. But theres also opportunities to tell new parts of our story, to really flesh it out and be more full about it.

Kaine, a former civil rights lawyer, served on the Richmond City Council from 1994 to 2001 and was the citys mayor from July 1998 to September 2001.

As Hillary Clintons running mate in 2016, Kaine spoke of how he and his wife, Anne Holton, chose long ago to focus on racial healing.

We a long time ago decided  and maybe it was because we live in Richmond, a city with a history, a city with some scar tissue  we decided that our work would be reconciliation, he said on the campaign trail.

In Richmond on Friday, he gave an example of how a city building was named for a civil rights luminary in 1996.

Used to be the juvenile courts building was the juvenile courts building, Kaine said. Its the Oliver Hill Building now, he said, referring to the celebrated civil rights lawyer from Richmond who was a key figure in the legal fight for desegregation of public schools.

You take a building that didnt have a name and you name it after somebody who has a tie to justice, OK, now youre telling a story. I think theres a lot of those opportunities around the city.

Kaine, Virginias governor from 2006 to 2010, presided in July 2008 when the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial was dedicated on the grounds of the state Capitol. Among others, the memorial highlights Barbara Johns, the 16-year-old African-American girl who in April 1951 led a walkout at Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County to protest substandard facilities in a school for black students in Farmville.

Hill and Spottswood Robinson took on the students case, which was rolled into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

In January, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that the renovated 9th Street Office Building just outside Capitol Square would be renamed for Barbara Johns.

The federal courthouse on Broad Street in Richmond, which opened in 2008, is named for Robinson and for Robert R. Merhige Jr., both late federal judges with ties to Richmond.

Robinson, a Richmond native, was an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1948 to 1960. In 1964, he became the first African-American appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Two years later, he became a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He later became its chief judge.

Merhige, a New York native, was a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for 30 years. His notable rulings included a 1970 order that the University of Virginia admit women, and later rulings backing desegregation in a number of Virginia school districts.

In 2015, Richmond officials named the citys Manchester courthouse for former state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, the citys first black mayor, and for his brother, Harold M. Marsh Sr., a substitute judge who was slain in 1997.
Erin Marie OKeefe stood in the middle of the road, engulfed in flames.

A man who stopped to help her whipped around in a circle as if grasping for an idea. He paced back to her, pointing frantically, and tried to guide her to the side of the road.

Dont we have a blanket or something? a grief-stricken bystander could be heard saying in a short video clip of the June 2 incident on Nuckols Road and Concourse Boulevard in western Henrico County.

Oh, my God, another bystander said. Put em out quickly! Roll em on the floor!

The video cuts off as OKeefe shuffled off the road, arms outstretched from her torso. Photos show passers-by dousing her with water bottles before an ambulance arrived.

She was rushed to VCU Medical Centers burn unit, where she died the next day.

Not much was known about OKeefe in the days following the incident. Henrico police officers declined to identify her or share many details, but they said she appeared to have set herself ablaze intentionally.

In the weeks since, a picture has emerged of a 30-year-old model who became the latest in a long line of Virginians with mental illnesses who wind up ensnared in the criminal justice system.

OKeefes former attorney, Glen Allen-based David L. Carlson, said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Wednesday that she was taken to jail after doctors at a state mental hospital released her without fully treating her.

She was in a fragile state of mind to begin with, but getting locked up in jail pushed her over the edge, Carlson said.

This is one that shouldnt have happened, he said. Weve got a dead kid here who shouldnt be dead.

***

OKeefe, who had a history of mental health disorders, was the daughter of Sean and Sharon OKeefe of Glen Allen. They declined to be interviewed, but permitted their daughters story to be shared through Carlson.

On April 28, OKeefe started acting aggressively at the home she shared with her parents. They called 911, hoping an ambulance would take her to a hospital to get stabilized with medication.

Instead, the police department responded and charged her with misdemeanor assault in the Henrico Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Carlson said the OKeefes did not want charges to be filed against their daughter; no one was injured during the episode.

That day, she was taken to Central State Hospital in Petersburg after an emergency hearing. The facility is one of nine state-run hospitals for people needing mental health treatment.

Hospital officials are not permitted to talk about patients because of federal privacy laws, said Maria Reppas, a spokeswoman for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Its unclear what doctors there diagnosed OKeefe with or what kind of treatment she received.

Rebecca A. Vauter, director of Central State Hospital, said patients who are involuntarily committed to the hospital can leave either when doctors decide they not longer pose a threat to themselves or someone else, or when a court decides to let them go.

Its not clear which situation applied to OKeefe because Vauter could not discuss specific patients.

Vauter said patients are not released if trained clinicians believe they intend to commit suicide, even if the facility is at or near capacity.

Dr. Jack Barber, interim commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, recently told a legislative panel that overcrowding at state hospitals has become an issue. Some have been at or over capacity in recent months.

The day OKeefe was released, there were five extra beds, Vauter said.

Were prepared to go over census if we have to, Vauter said. Our primary concern is the patients clinical condition and keeping people safe.

In several phone calls with Carlson while she was at Central State, it became clear that OKeefe was anxious about the possibility of going to jail when she was released from the hospital.

Carlson said he assured her numerous times that he didnt think she would wind up behind bars because her charge was not serious, her parents wanted her to come home, she had no criminal history and she wasnt violent.

In a hearing on May 26, the Friday before Memorial Day, Central State decided to release OKeefe, Carlson said. Because of her misdemeanor charge in domestic relations court, she had to be released to the Henrico Division of Police.

From there, a magistrate in Henrico would have ultimate authority to decide whether OKeefe should be granted bond and allowed to go home, Carlson said.

He and his legal assistant, Lisa Kelley, said they sprang into action knowing it would be days before they could get OKeefe in front of a judge for a bond hearing if a magistrate decided to send her to jail.

The afternoon of May 26, Kelley went to the magistrates office and pleaded into a speaker box for OKeefes release. But the magistrate on duty, Bonita Comer, decided not to grant her bond.

In response to a message left for Comer, Yvette Via, chief magistrate over the region that includes Henrico, said magistrates are not permitted to speak about individual cases.

***

Henrico Sheriff Mike Wade said OKeefe arrived the afternoon of May 26 without medication from Central State Hospital. He said mental health workers at the jail who screen new inmates decided to put her on suicide watch.

He said she answered all of his questions in a cooperative manner. She was distressed, but thats typical of most people who wind up in jail, he said.

Jails are not the place for people that have mental illnesses, Wade said last week. We need short-term places where people can go to get treatment and get on medication.

Wade called the OKeefes and assured them his staff was keeping a close eye on their daughter. Her parents met with Wade and mental health workers at the jail and crafted a plan that included a follow-up appointment for their daughter with Henricos public mental health clinic.

On May 30, the Tuesday following Memorial Day, Carlson filed paperwork to get OKeefe in front of a judge. At that hearing, which was held the next day, the judge released her without requiring bond payment, as long as she promised to follow through on her plan for treatment.

Wade said the next day, Thursday, June 1, OKeefe attended the appointment with Henrico mental health workers as promised.

He said he wasnt sure what happened after that.

On Friday evening, June 2, several bystanders happened upon OKeefe on Nuckols Road and tried to put out the flames that engulfed her, but it was too late to save her.

To me it was very upsetting because heres somebody that needs help, who went in and got help from Central State, who was released and you put her on a plan to work with mental health (officials) in the community, and this happens, Wade said. Its very frustrating because you dont know what to do.

Carlson, Kelley and Wade all question whether they could have done more to help OKeefe.

I guess it went through my mind: If she stayed in jail, would she still be alive? Wade said. But the only reasons she was in jail was because she was mentally ill. You cant keep people in jail just because theyre mentally ill.

Carlson said hes lost a lot of sleep over OKeefes death.
It has been 45 years since the heavy rain from Hurricane Agnes caused the James River to flood to a point that no one had seen before  or since.

Agnes hit western Florida as a relatively weak Category 1 hurricane on June 19, 1972, then swirled off to the southeast of Virginia on June 21 as a tropical storm.

The water was far worse than any wind.

The storm dumped 5 to 14 inches of rain in the western half of the state, which also caused severe flooding in cities along the Potomac, Rappahannock, Appomattox and Roanoke rivers.

Agnes combined with another low to trigger unprecedented flooding in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states over the next several days.

By the numbers:

28.62 feet: record crest at the Richmond Westham gauge on June 23, 1972, nearly 17 feet above flood stage

313,000 cubic feet per second: peak discharge of the James River at the Westham gauge

36.5 feet: record crest at the City Locks gauge near downtown on June 23, 1972, which was 28.5 feet above flood stage

13 storm-related fatalities in Virginia

4,488 homes damaged or destroyed statewide

600 miles of Virginias roadways were under water at one point during the flood

$37 million in damage estimated in Richmond (or $218 million in todays dollars, after adjustment for inflation)
We're sorry, you encountered a page that doesn't exist.
It has been 45 years since the heavy rain from Hurricane Agnes caused the James River to flood to a point that no one had seen before  or since.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conventional retailers must rethink their stores and online strategies to satisfy how people really want to shop or risk fading into irrelevancy. Global Market Development Center (GMDC), an association that connects its members to advance innovation in the marketplace, examines proven high-margin opportunities across the center store and how taking a holistic view can pay off dramatically in its latest next practice report: Center Store: Essential for Total Store Growth.

With continued food price deflation, online leakage of impulse categories, and evolving shopper attitudes, retailers in all formats and sizes must be more intentional and intuitive about the adjacency of relevant nonfoods in the perimeter, grocerants and in-store health clinics to enhance the shopper experience. The best stores run wellness sections that parallel todays healthful lifestyle and self-care trends, said Patrick Spear, president and CEO, GMDC. Their inline areas for housewares, home, baby, home office, pet and more, infuse the latest technologies and design. And they collaborate with brands that know end-users well, while innovating to connect emotionally. Its these type of strategies that upgrade store image and performance, and win the hearts and minds of todays consumer.

GMDC collaborated with Nielsen, Kantar Retail, Acosta, Profitero, Jacent Merchandising, GlobalData, BHDP and RNG to curate robust and actionable insights that reveal how pairing the right food and nonfood can increase sales from 200-400 percent. These out of aisle strategies will snap historic food-first and food-only cultures to attention by helping retailers navigate the tempest of change in shoppers, said Mark Mechelse, GMDCs director of research, industry insights and communications. Its irrefutable that shoppers  led by Millennials  want nonfoods to be as convenient as possible to ease their tasks, and they want it cool and edgy to match their adventurous nature. Nonfood items today are a badge of honor for consumers. Its truly the way these categories will differentiate themselves in the new world of shopping.

Incredibly, if all food retailers move shoppers up from three general merchandise purchases per year to four purchases, they would add $500 million in additional sales[1]. These nonfood destinations in center store, perimeter and front end also suit todays lifestyles and shopper attitudes, making housewares, pet, baby, personal care, pharmacy, and health/beauty and wellness top categories for bringing shoppers back. Retailers that play offense with nonfoods grow trips, basket size and store image as satisfying, mission-completing destinations.

Center Store Reimagined

As retailers and their trading partners engage with this report, they will be taken through a journey of exposing the tailwinds and pain that Center Store faces today and uncover solutions to win their shoppers back. A new Center Store of the Future is conceptualized in the final pages that is designed to give stores new meaning and purpose by reflecting how shoppers will shop over the next two - five years. There are more store-in-stores, new mix strategies, health-occasion groupings, and innovative aisle layouts that will help the food channel attract a smarter shopper who is seeking an experience and keep them coming back for more. The entire design contains new technologies and identifies consumer hot spots that will assist the shopper with ease of navigation and deliver ultimate convenience.

Next Practices

Some of the next practices for unlocking the potential of the Center Store to spark real financial opportunities and raise customer perceptions are:

Create a manager position over cross merchandising. Give this person the sole authority and autonomy to decide, based on shopper needs, the optimal product pairings and places for cross-displays to occur.

Give this person the sole authority and autonomy to decide, based on shopper needs, the optimal product pairings and places for cross-displays to occur. Commit to cross-merchandising metrics. Add label codes to products to denote in-store locations that trigger customer purchases, so successes become repeatable.

Emphasize categories and services where Amazon struggles  Think of what shoppers would rather see or try, offer innovative solutions not found online, offer a higher degree of in-store expertise for testing and product demos.

Offer Dieticians and Health Consultants  Shoppers trust knowledge. As customers engage with food and nonfoods, offer help and advice to eat smarter, healthier, and train associates to have a deeper understanding of community issues and events.

Partners and supporters of the report whose contributions have made the report possible are Hallmark, American Greetings, BIC, Navajo Incorporated, Energizer and True Brands.

To download the report, and other next practices offered by GMDC: https://www.gmdc.org/content-library.

[1] Source: Kantar Retail ShopperGenetics, 52 weeks ended June 21, 2016, U.S. Census, Kantar Retail analysis. GMDC Infocast, Understanding the Front End & Center Store Opportunity, Feb. 23, 2017

About GMDC

Global Market Development Center (GMDC) energizes members and the marketplace by advancing a culture of Connect-Collaborate-Create-Commerce. As the leading GM and HBW trade association, GMDC is dedicated to serving its ecosystem of more than 600 General Merchandise and Health Beauty Wellness retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and service/solution member companies by enabling consumer-facing innovation and retail reimagined. GMDC's combined member volume represents more than 125,000 retail outlets and more than $500 billion in sales. To learn more, visit gmdc.org.

Attachments:

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Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/80a70ca2-90c2-453f-9df8-e790e89ea44c

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/47398655-a54a-4c13-8c61-b0a7a6ef3185
The group set to develop the old Blacksburg High School property is exploring the possibility of keeping the existing building as part of its future plans.

David Hagan, one of the owners of Shelor Motor Mile and a partner in the firm that is buying the site from Montgomery County, said this week that his group will review engineering reports that were done on the building to see if the structure is savable.

Absolutely, he said in response to a question about whether he hopes the building can remain. I think it would be a wonderful asset, if the bones are secure and sound.

Hagan continued: I feel that were going to find that it is still a very sound building. Everyone needs to think about how this building could look like completely remodeled. You could really turn it into a beautiful building.

In addition to the empty building, the site is home to a track and some fields that have been used for recreation by Blacksburg residents. Hagan said two buildings on the land would make it difficult to keep the recreational component.

I dont think we could do both [buildings] ... and create some type of recreation for the town, he said. That would take up the whole 36 acres, if we did it.

Hagans firm HS Development LLC struck a deal with the county back in March to buy the site for $3 million. The deal includes a six months due-diligence period the firm is using to iron out the project.

Since the deal was announced, Hagan has said that hes pursuing a plan to build senior housing on the property. He said he also hopes to work out some kind of arrangement with the town of Blacksburg to keep the lands recreational space.

Hagans preferred project would require a slight rezoning as the land is specifically zoned for single-family homes. He has said that he will default to building single-family homes should Blacksburg not grant a rezoning request.

Hagan has had discussions with some members of town council and neighbors on his plans for the property. In his talk with at least one council member, he provided what he describes as just a sketch of what the project could look like.

According to that sketch, a new building would be roughly situated in the the middle of the property. The plan would preserve several acres of wooded area at the back and reserve the front  directly facing Patrick Henry Drive  for recreational use.

Still, Hagan said the early plan he recently shared is far from official. In fact, he said that sketch illustrates his plan B as it doesnt involve keeping the existing building. He also said the town and himself still havent determined exactly how the recreational arrangement would work.

The idea Hagan has recently announced has drawn some enthusiasm from at least a few council members.

It fills some of the needs we have in town, recreation and senior housing, and it would also be compatible with that neighborhood, said Councilwoman Cecile Newcomb.

Vice Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith, whos running for mayor, said: I think there probably is a market for active senior housing, but thats all I can really say about it.

One of Hager-Smiths opponent for mayor, Ed Lawhorn, said he thinks senior housing is workable there. He said he hopes the Shelor group can find a way to keep the track and fields.

Councilwoman Krisha Chachra, the third candidate for Blacksburg mayor, couldnt be reached for comment.

Patrice Hart-Schubert, who was among several neighbors who recently met with Hagan about the property, said shed like the site to keep the recreational component as Blacksburgs comprehensive plan for the property calls for civic use.

Obviously recreation is a vitally important civic use, and I think this is why the town wanted to purchase the property in the first place, Hart-Schubert wrote in an email. Maintaining the property for civic use would allow the beautiful and pristine woods on the back portion of the property to remain untouched ... You would be hard-pressed to find so many untouched wooded acres anywhere in town, especially so close to downtown.

Regarding senior housing, Hart-Schubert said that kind of housing is lacking in town. She said, however, that senior housing should be geared toward residents aging in place and therefore needs to remain affordable.

As to whether this location would be the best place for this type of housing, I couldnt say, Hart-Schubert wrote.

The old high school was vacated after its gym roof collapsed in February 2010. A report performed by Richmond firm Forcon International several months later concluded that a snow event combined with poorly designed and manufactured main truss support caused the collapse.

Lehigh Testing Laboratories Inc. in New Castle, Delaware, closely examined a roof truss support used at the school and found deficiencies in the material. Among the deficiencies were the steel in the material not meeting minimum strength requirements and poor welding. Lehigh stated in its report that it wasnt sure if the roof would have remained intact without those deficiencies, but the lab considered the issues serious structural deficiencies.
The federal agency that decides the fate of interstate natural gas pipeline projects declared Friday that the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline would result in limited adverse environmental impacts, with the exception of impacts on forest  a conclusion project opponents said offers additional evidence of the agencys bias toward approving pipelines.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commissions release of a final environmental impact statement for the pipeline came more than three years after Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC first announced plans to build and bury a natural gas transmission pipeline through the region. The release marked a major milestone, setting the stage for a decision from FERC about whether the deeply controversial $3.5 billion pipeline project can move forward.

As an interstate pipeline, the Mountain Valley project needs FERCs approval before construction can begin.

The main text of the final environmental impact statement totals 930 pages. The full statement, including appendices, maps and tables, totals nearly 7,000 pages.

The executive summarys conclusion that the Mountain Valley Pipeline would yield limited negative environmental impacts reiterated FERCs draft environmental impact statement, released in September 2016  an assessment that provoked a strong response then from pipeline watchdogs.

On Friday, people and organizations who have followed the pipeline review process in recent years reacted to the release of the final environmental impact statement, emphasizing that their examination of the voluminous document was in its early stages.

FERCs conclusions that most environmental impacts will be insignificant are not scientifically credible and defy common sense, said Ernie Reed, president of Wild Virginia. Some wounds on our forests can never be healed once they are inflicted, including forest fragmentation, loss of valuable core forest areas and loss of watershed integrity.

Some people referenced FERCs record of consistently approving pipeline projects.

Its important to recognize that were working within a rubber-stamp, rocket docket whose function is designed to permit [projects], said Roberta Bondurant, a member of Roanoke Countys pipeline advisory committee and Preserve Roanoke County.

The process is not designed to give serious consideration to permit denial  such that FERCs abysmally poor analysis in its final EIS is no surprise, she said in an email Friday.

Ben Luckett, a senior attorney with Appalachian Mountain Advocates, said that although FERCs document acknowledges the projects potential for major environmental impacts, it too readily concludes that strategies to mitigate those impacts will be effective.

Our experience with much smaller pipelines that have been constructed through the steep, difficult terrain of the region shows that the industry-standard practices proposed by MVP will not be sufficient to prevent catastrophic erosion and soil loss, Luckett said.

A pipeline of this size has never been constructed through this type of terrain, he said. By granting a certificate, FERC would basically be authorizing a massive experiment, with the land and people of West Virginia and southwest Virginia acting as the lab rats. This is unacceptable.

The construction right-of-way, from which all trees and vegetation would be removed, would be 125 feet wide or wider. The permanent right-of-way, in most places, would be 50 feet.

The pipeline would pass through 11 counties in West Virginia and six in Virginia, including Giles, Montgomery, Craig, Roanoke, Franklin and Pittsylvania. It will terminate at the Transco pipeline near Chatham.

Franklin County resident Carolyn Reillys family farm might be affected by the pipeline. Reilly, who also works with Bold Alliance, an anti-pipeline group, said Friday that the final environmental impact statement provides further evidence of the FERCs inadequate and abusive process that is solely supported and funded by the very corporations and industries it regulates.

In turn, Natalie Cox, a Mountain Valley spokeswoman, said in an email that although the company respects the opinions of opponents, it finds their objections to be unwarranted.

It is unfortunate, although not surprising, that steadfast opponents of the MVP project would reflexively dismiss findings that do not align with their view, Cox said.

For almost three years, we have worked with residents and landowners in our Virginia and West Virginia communities to make sure the Mountain Valley Pipeline is being designed, and will be constructed, safely and responsibly, and that we are doing so in a way that has minimal impacts on their land and their daily lives, she said. These efforts have produced a thoughtfully-designed route and led to the development of comprehensive plans to mitigate any potential impacts to the greatest extent possible.

Project details

FERCs final environmental impact statement provides details about the types of terrain and landscapes the Mountain Valley Pipeline route would traverse.

Among other details, FERC reported:

About 67 percent of the pipeline route would cross areas susceptible to landslides.

The pipeline would cross about 67 miles of karst terrain, a landscape that typically includes sinkholes, caves, springs and underground aquifers susceptible to contamination.

Pipeline construction would disturb about 5,053 acres of soils classified as having the potential for severe water erosion.

Construction would disturb about 2,829 acres of prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance.

The route would cross about 216 miles of shallow bedrock that might require blasting to excavate the pipeline trench.

In Virginia, the pipeline would pass through 17 high-to-outstanding ecological core areas, with permanent impacts on about 209 acres of forest within those tracts. Construction would impact about 547 acres of contiguous interior forest classified as high to outstanding quality.

The project would be likely to adversely affect seven species federally listed as endangered or threatened.

There would be 118 residences within 50 feet of the pipelines proposed construction right-of-way of 125 feet.

The project would result in 1,108 water body crossings.

Whats next

FERCs release of the final environmental impact statement triggers a 90-day federal authorization decision deadline that, theoretically at least, sets a deadline for other cooperating federal agencies involved in reviewing the project  including the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers  to decide whether to issue permits necessary for the work to proceed.

Yet the Forest Service has said its administrative review process might take longer than 90 days.

A formal public comment period does not follow the release of a final environmental impact statement. FERC spokeswoman Tamara Young-Allen said filings after the documents release become part of the projects full record, which is considered by commissioners when deciding whether to issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity.

At this writing, FERC has only two commissioners and lacks the quorum necessary to decide whether to issue the certificate Mountain Valley needs to build the 303-mile, 42-inch diameter pipeline. But that could change in the weeks ahead if the U.S. Senate confirms, as is expected, two men nominated for the commission by President Donald Trump.

The commission could act on the Mountain Valley certificate as soon as it has a quorum.

FERCs approval can include conditions that the pipeline companies obtain all necessary federal and state permits before beginning construction.

Separately, the final environmental impact statement released Friday referenced at least two bases that should be covered before construction starts: FERC will submit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a biological assessment detailing the effects of the project on threatened or endangered species, and more work will be done to determine the pipelines impacts on historic districts such as the Greater Newport and Coles-Terry rural historic districts.

In sum, the document cited at least 26 actions or measures that should be taken prior to construction.

Meanwhile, Bondurant said pipeline opponents have other options for challenging the project if FERC approves it.

There are wide ranging and potentially long-lasting legal challenges within the framework of the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as other state and federal laws, to be undertaken by individuals and organizations challenging any possible decision, she said.

Some pipeline opponents also have participated in training for non-violent acts of civil disobedience that could attempt to thwart pipeline construction.

Cox said the MVP project team and their contractors will have security personnel available, in conjunction with law enforcement, to manage any potential protest-related activity that may occur onsite during construction.

Water quality

FERCs environmental statement reported that commission staff anticipate the pipelines construction and operation would result in no long-term or significant impacts on surface waters. Similarly, FERC said it did not anticipate long-term or significant impacts to groundwater and concluded that impacts to wetlands crossed by the pipeline or its access roads would not be significant.

Yet FERC also recommended that Mountain Valley agree to conduct post-construction sampling of the quality and yield of drinking water sources within 150 feet of construction and within 500 feet of construction in karst landscapes.

FERC said Mountain Valley would evaluate landowners complaints of damage to drinking water sources and identify suitable settlements, including providing alternative sources of potable water  a prospect long censured by rural landowners reliant on productive, often pristine springs and wells.

Pipeline opponents in Virginia expressed dismay last month after the states Department of Environmental Quality clarified its plans to review the potential impacts to water quality from the Mountain Valley Pipeline and separate but similar Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

The DEQ said it would rely on the Army Corps of Engineers to review crossings of streams and wetlands by the pipelines and their access roads and would focus, instead, on other potential impacts to water quality.

DEQ pledged that its review would be thorough and provide opportunities for public comment about conditions the department might include to guide construction. The State Water Control Board ultimately decides whether to award water quality permits for the projects.

Karst and steep terrain

On June 2, the Water and Power Law Group, a California-based firm that represents Giles and Roanoke counties in pipeline matters, filed comments with FERC about the potential negative impacts of building and operating the Mountain Valley Pipeline in karst landscapes.

Portions of Giles, Montgomery and Roanoke counties feature karst terrain, as does Monroe County in West Virginia.

In June 2016, geologist Ernst Kastning, a karst authority, published a study commissioned by pipeline opponents that reported the pipeline could not be safely built through the areas of these counties that are characterized by karst terrain.

When you add slope instability, poor soils and an active seismic zone [in Giles County] to the mix, the probability of malfunction or catastrophic failure is exacerbated, Kastning wrote.

The June 2 filing by Roanoke and Giles counties added similar conclusions reached by Paul Rubin, whose qualifications were said to include hydrology and geology. Rubin argued that sinkholes pose the risk of pipeline rupture and related explosions and argued that Mountain Valleys karst mitigation plan would provide inadequate protection.

FERCs environmental statement acknowledged that the commission had received a significant number of public comments regarding pipeline integrity and safety in areas of potential karst collapse. And it recommended that Mountain Valley adopt a remote sensing method known as LIDAR (light detection and ranging)  which uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to generate three-dimensional data about the earths surface characteristics  to monitor the potential for cave-ins along the route.

Questioning demand

On Wednesday, the Southern Environmental Law Center announced it has asked FERC to hold a hearing to examine whether there is sufficient demand for the natural gas that would be transported by the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to justify the environmental damage the project would cause.

Watchdogs following both pipeline projects have long argued that FERC ought to have conducted an over-arching analysis of how many new pipelines out of the Appalachian basin are truly necessary to meet demand.

FERC has rejected related calls for a so-called programmatic environmental impact statement. When Norman Bay resigned in February as FERC chairman, he suggested the commission consider taking a comprehensive look at demand to avoid overbuilding of pipelines out of the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.

Critics have noted too that shippers of natural gas on the two pipelines include companies that are affiliates of the partners building the projects, a situation they say does not accurately reflect demand by end users.

Meanwhile, Roanoke Gas has said it plans to install two taps on the pipeline, with one in Montgomery County and one in Franklin County, probably in a new business park there. The latter could provide the county access to natural gas. Roanoke Gas has said it needs to augment its other supply sources for the Roanoke Valley.

Luckett said FERCs analysis fails to establish demand for the gas flowing through the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

FERC makes generalized statements about increased demand in the region, but does not support that with any market study or other empirical evidence, he said.

Cox noted that Mountain Valley has secured commitments at 20-year terms for the shipment of 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, which she said will support communities along the route, as well as the growing demand markets of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States.

Eminent domain

Bays parting statement when he resigned in February cited one hot-button reality driving increased public opposition to major interstate pipeline projects: When FERC approves pipelines, companies have access to federal eminent domain to acquire easements across private property.

Bay noted that private property advocates have alleged that land is being taken by for-profit companies for projects that do not serve a public need.

Reilly referenced this argument, noting that FERC is obligated to establish that an interstate pipeline meets a test of public convenience and necessity.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline company expects to invoke the power of eminent domain for their private gain based on FERCs permit, yet FERC is failing to perform the assessment of convenience and necessity it is mandated to do, she said. FERC is enabling the companys abuse of landowners as if they are just another commodity to be traded.

The final environmental impact statement released Friday repeats assertions that easements for pipelines do not significantly reduce property values.

Yet there have been reports in the region that suggest otherwise. Property owners and Realtors along the routes of both the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines have cited evidence of impacts on the value and salability of properties that could be on a pipeline route.

In Giles County, for example, an appraiser reduced a propertys value by $18,000 because of the prospect of it being affected by a route for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

FERC reports, We are unaware of an example where an insurance company considered the presence of a pipeline when underwriting homeowner policies. Yet an April 2016 article in The Roanoke Times cited examples of property owners along proposed transmission pipeline routes in West Virginia and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who were told by their insurance carriers that the presence of a pipeline easement could impact coverage.

Safety

The Mountain Valley Pipeline, if approved, will transport non-odorized natural gas at high pressure. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has calculated that the potential impact radius of the pipeline would be about 1,115 feet in the event of a pipeline rupture  creating the possibility within that area for a significant impact on people or property.

Some residences and other buildings along the route would be well within that range.

One proposed route through Giles County would bury the pipeline within about 65 feet of the home of Fern and Earl Echols in Newport. In Franklin County, the home of Steve and Anne Bernard would be less than 200 feet from the pipeline.

FERCs final environmental impact statement for the Mountain Valley project reports that pipeline inspections would, among other things, identify soil erosion that may expose the pipe, dead vegetation that may indicate a leak in the pipeline and examine other conditions that could present a safety hazard.

FERC said Mountain Valley would prepare emergency response plans in case of a pipeline incident, adding, We conclude that the applicants implementation of the above measures would protect public safety and the integrity of the proposed facilities.

Dawn Cisek, the daughter of Earl and Fern Echols, said Friday that FERCs assertions about public safety provide little comfort.

Even this requirement puts the fox in the henhouse, Cisek said in an email. Why does MVP implement their own management plan vs. a third party consultant? Why would MVP implement anything not in their own best interest  particularly as an LLC  as the name implies, limited liability. 

Steve Bernard also responded to FERCs statement of confidence that Mountain Valleys inspection and emergency response plans would protect public safety.

A proposed pipeline of this size and capacity less than 200 feet from our home and work studio scares us to death, he said.

National forest

As currently routed, the Mountain Valley Pipeline would cross a total of about 3.5 miles of the Jefferson National Forest. It would cross the Appalachian Trail on the crest of Peters Mountain at the boundary of Giles and Monroe counties, a reality that has stirred strong opposition from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The Bureau of Land Management is the federal agency responsible for issuing right-of-way grants for natural gas pipelines across federal lands that are under the jurisdiction of two or more federal agencies. Both the Forest Service and the Corps of Engineers are involved in assessing the environmental effects of the Mountain Valley project.

The Forest Service recently reported that it had abandoned the idea of amending its plan for the Jefferson National Forest to create a designated utility corridor that could have been as wide as 500 feet and designed to encourage co-location of future utility infrastructure projects.

On Friday, the Forest Service released a 41-page draft document that outlines how it would modify standards for the Jefferson National Forest to accommodate construction and operation of the Mountain Valley project.

Among other changes, the Forest Service would lessen some restrictions on impacts to soils and riparian corridors and allow removal of old growth trees from an old growth management area. The Forest Service said it will accept objections to the proposed changes until Aug. 7 and will have until Sept. 21 to resolve the objections.

Andrew Downs, a regional director for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, said Mountain Valley, FERC and the Forest Service have all failed to adequately evaluate the negative effects of the pipeline on the iconic trail, its users and the trails viewshed.

Construction plans

When Mountain Valley first announced a pipeline project schedule, the company envisioned launching construction in December 2016, with an in-service date projected for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Cox said Friday that the company still hopes to hit that in-service target and envisions beginning construction this year.

FERCs environmental impact statement reports that pipeline construction will require 2 years. But Cox said that period includes right-of-way reclamation activity, which she said would continue well past the in-service date.

Meanwhile, FERC has said it plans to release on July 21 a final environmental impact statement for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a joint venture that includes Dominion Energy as a key partner.

In February 2015, Dominion announced that the project had an agreement worth more than $400 million with Dura-Bond Industries to produce steel pipe at its Steelton, Pennsylvania, plant for the 600-mile, $5.1 billion pipeline.

Aaron Ruby, a spokesman for the Atlantic Coast project, said Wednesday that pipe production is about 70 percent complete at this point.

In September, Atlantic Coast announced it had hired Spring Ridge Constructors to be the projects lead construction contractor.

Ruby said Atlantic Coast hopes to begin construction this fall and have the pipeline in service by late 2019.

Cox was asked whether Mountain Valley has purchased pipe and hired a lead contractor.

We expect to have both contractors and materials in place upon certificate approval and notice to proceed from the FERC, she said.

She said construction will occur in segments.

The MVP project team anticipates working in several areas simultaneously as sections of the route achieve full clear-to-build status, she said. It is possible that construction could occur in both West Virginia and Virginia at the same time.

If heavy equipment rumbles onto the Bent Mountain property of Theresa Red Terry, she is prepared to resist.

Terry has said she is ready to chain herself to a tree in a stand of old growth oaks on her familys 250 acres to protect them from pipeline builders.

Reporter Rachel Hicks contributed to this report.
WEST CHESTER, Pa., June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recently, Key Financial hosted their second CEO for a Day event, where two local 7th graders were given the opportunity to shadow President and CEO Patti Brennan for a day. The event was created and spearheaded by Brennan last fall after involving herself in the Believe and Achieve program at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. It was at this event, that Brennan first discussed with young minds the best ways to learn and her philosophy of leading through example. As a mother of four, Brennan can attest to the profound impact that role models can have on young adults.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c2e92e3-5510-4e00-b432-2c6e5b803f30

Like any real CEO, the girls day was packed with various activities, such as signing letters and delegating tasks to employees- and even offering some vacation days to a lucky employee! We wanted to make this experience for the girls as hands on as possible said Patti Brennan, and it turned out to be a smashing success for everyone who was involved. Morale skyrockets when employees see these 12 year old future stars all dressed up, taking the reins as if they really were CEO. Our goal is to plant a seed when these kids are young, that if they make the right choices, they too can be CEO one day.

The impact was well received for the girls. The experience was life changing for Julia and Janiyah, said YMCA Director of Branch Operations Steffani Witmer. Both girls came back so inspired and excited about their future opportunities. We are so grateful to Key Financial for hosting this experience, and hope that other companies will join in on this initiative. Since September, the CEO for the Day initiative has spread, including four separate companies who have decided to join in and host their own CEO for the Days. Key Financial plans to host one more CEO for the Day in July for two more lucky YMCA campers.

Boilerplate/ Disclosure

With total client assets nearing $800 million, Key Financial, Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services and is located at 1045 Andrew Drive Suite A. West Chester, PA. For information about the firms planning services or to speak with Patti Brennan, call (610)429-9050 or visit www.keyfinancialinc.com.

A graduate of Georgetown University, Patti is a Certified Financial Planner with almost 30 years of experience providing financial advice in West Chester, PA. In addition to being President and CEO of Key Financial, Inc. she also serves on the National Advisory Board, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine and Cuddle My Kids. She formerly served on the Boards of the Chester County Economic Development Council, SEEDCO and Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital.

The Forbes ranking of Americas Top Wealth advisors is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. There is no fee in exchange for rankings.

Securities offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance services offered through Patricia Brennan are independent of Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Advisory services offered through Key Financial, Inc., a registered investment advisor not affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Key Financial, Inc., 1045 Andrew Drive, Suite A, West Chester, PA 19380. Ph: 610-429-9050. Email: pbrennan@keyfinancialinc.com

Third-party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client nor are they representative of any one clients evaluation.
Ed Gillespie, the Republican candidate for governor, has challenged Ralph Northam, the Democratic candidate for governor, to 10 debates.

Northam has yet to respond.

Ten debates for a Virginia governors race would be unprecedented. In 2013, Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli debated three times. In 2009, Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds debated four times. Those are pretty standard numbers. Keep in mind some of those debates werent televised. In 2005, for instance, Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore debated several times before various groups, but only one was televised live statewide.

So we think Gillespie is wrong to call for 10 debates, but not for the reason you might think.

There shouldnt be 10 debates. There should be more. Yes, more.

Theres no magic to the number 10, except that its a nice, round number and gives the appearance of trying to touch every part of the state. However, thats not even one debate per congressional district. For that, wed need 11.

Even then, in some sprawling, rural districts, a single debate hardly does justice to the diversity of the district. Consider, for instance, the 9th District, which stretches from Salem to the Cumberland Gap. The candidates could satisfy that requirement simply by debating at Roanoke College  good for Salem, good for the Roanoke Valley, but the issues there are often quite different than the ones in, say, the coalfields.

Likewise, the Southwest Virginia Technology Council has already invited both candidates to debate in Wise specifically to address issues unique to the coalfields. Gillespie has already accepted that invite; Northam hasnt. He should. The coalfields are going through a historic  and catastrophic  economic and demographic crisis with the collapse of the coal economy. The candidates should do the coal counties the courtesy of addressing that head on. But the coalfields are not all of Southwest Virginia and Southwest Virginia is not all of rural Virginia. Thats three levels of complexity right there, and were just a minority of the state. Northern Virginia might be even more complicated.

So what is the right number of debates for Gillespie and Northam to have? Thats, well, um, debatable, of course  every pun intended. Well take the liberty of proposing a number, though: 19.

Why 19 debates? Because thats how many weeks there are between now and election day, Nov. 7.

We realize neither candidate is likely to agree to that many, but well make the case for it anyway  not just for this election, but for any gubernatorial election. Think of how much better informed wed all be if the candidates agreed to debate once a week, on a schedule as regular as a television show.

First, though, we need to change our notion of what political debates are all about. Both partisans and pundits tend to think of them as a sporting event. Who won? Thats the wrong way to view debates. They are not a political trial by combat, the way Prince Oberon took on The Mountain in season four of Game of Thrones.

Spoiler alert for anyone not up to date on the series: If were just waiting for the moment when one candidate gouges out the eyes of the other and then proceeds to crush his skull  figuratively speaking, anyway  thats a pretty low-minded way of viewing debates. Wed prefer the more high-minded approach: If voters come away with better insight into how the two candidates would govern, then everyones a winner.

Ironically, the fewer debates the candidates have, the higher the stakes. Typically, the candidate believed to be ahead wants fewer debates to minimize his chances of messing up. Thats why Gillespie declined a lot of debates in the Republican primary, but now is pressing Northam for double-digit debating.

Wed argue the opposite: The presumed front-runner ought to want more debates, to lessen the chance of a single upset landing a mortal blow. No candidate ever thinks that way, though. And both Democrats and Republicans typically want to exclude third-party candidates, which this year will include Cliff Hyra, a Mechanicsville lawyer running as the Libertarian Party nominee. We believe in a free-market approach: Voters benefit from hearing about more choices, not fewer.

Of course, we also need to keep debates from being simply staged events where the candidates recite poll-tested one-liners and dont actually answer the questions. Heres one news account of the third and final debate in 2013: Both Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe took turns exchanging the same one-liners Virginians have been listening to during TV commercials for months. Voters probably didnt learn much from that debate.

One way to try to break that tired habit would be to focus each of our proposed 19 debates on a single topic  in hopes we could force the candidates to talk about the issue in some depth. Virginia certainly does not lack for issues. Economic development. Education. Environment. Health care. Higher education. Public safety. Social issues. Tax policy. Transportation. Thats nine right there, and we havent even broken a sweat. Throw in some region-specific topics, such as the fate of the coal counties, and at least one anything goes debate  its pretty easy to come up with 19 topics. A lot of those issues are connected, of course. Still, the more debates we have, and the more focused they are, the more we might get candidates to demonstrate their command of the issues  or expose their lack thereof.

Now, our proposal for 19 debates pre-supposes that voters are actually interested in the answers. Sadly, theres a lot of evidence that voters arent. More and more, people seem to be retreating into their partisan camps on both sides. When that happens, there are fewer persuadable voters in the middle  and elections become simply an exercise in turnout. Which side can do the better job of making the other side seem like a fire-belching devil who threatens our way of life? That process has already begun. Thats predictable, but regrettable.

Virginia actually has two pretty good major party candidates for governor this time (certainly better than last time). Thats yet another reason why wed like to hear from them every week between now and November.

Maybe then, just maybe, voters would pay attention to what the candidates have to say for themselves and not what their paid mouthpieces have to say about each other.
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Kames Capital Plc (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree John Wood Group Plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 22/06/2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" NO

If YES, specify which:

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



Ordinary Share



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 6,313,158 1.6569 0 0.00 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



1,011,635 0.2655 0 0.00 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: 0 0.00 0 0.00



TOTAL: 7,324,793 1.9224 0 0.00

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit Ordinary Share CFD Reducing a long position 41,282 6.3675 GBP Ordinary Share CFD Reducing a long position 292,577 6.3744 GBP

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



None





(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?





Date of disclosure: 23/06/2017 Contact name: Stephen Adams Telephone number: 0131 549 6714 For any issues relating to this disclosure please contact 0131 549 3288 or kamestradeoperationsmb@kamescapital.com

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
OTTAWA, Ontario, June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The impact of the Afghanistan conflict extends far beyond the battlefields and military bases, beyond what we see on TV and hear about in the news. It goes into the family rooms, the playgrounds and the schools of our country. That is where the often forgotten children of parents who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country go on with their lives.

Canada Company today, announced fourteen of these children will be receiving the support they have long deserved when they are recognized as the 2017 recipients of the Canada Company Scholarship Fund (CCSF). The CCSF was established in 2007 at the height of the Afghanistan conflict. The Fund awards post-secondary education scholarships to children of our Canadian Armed Forces, both Forces and Reserves, who were killed while serving in an active role in a military mission or who died from suicide attributed to military service since 2002.

I was just graduating from high school when my father was killed, and quickly learned that whether as a young child or a young adult, the impact of losing a parent in the military in such an abrupt way was not only tragic  but very isolating as well, said CCSF alumni Kirsten Hess Von Kruedener, whose father, Major Paeta Hess-Von Kruedener, was killed in South Lebanon in July of 2006 while serving with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. As CCSF recipients, we immediately become part of a network of friends who have shared this similar experience. We are all bound by sorrow, but were strengthened by our community as well, and able to reflect together to honour our loved ones."

Honouring the legacy of their fallen parent, CCSF alumni represent strong, contributing members of their local communities and exemplify the transformational impact of post-secondary education on young lives. This year, the special ceremony will include recognition of several Scholarship Fund alumni from the past decade whose lives have been deeply impacted by the financial relief and the nurturing community of support that the scholarship has fostered amongst its recipients.

We are firmly committed to supporting these families and helping these children in any way we can, says Blake Goldring, Founder and Chair of Canada Company. The impact they feel is both emotional and financial. We recognize the importance of providing them with monetary assistance and the value of a post-secondary education in their futures.

The 2017 Canada Company Scholarship Fund recipients are:

Katherine Arnold, Pembroke, ON

Kristopher Beerenfenger, Oromocto, NB

Connor Bobbitt, Wolfville, NS

Elizabeth Bobbitt, Wolfville, VS

Jacob Elms, Kingston, ON

Chelsey Hendrickson, Lincoln, NB

Kari Anne Kruse, Fredericton, NB

Maude Mercier, Quebec City, QC

Kiera Mitchell, Edmonton, AB

Kestrel Musselman, Halifax, NS

Charles Parker, Courtice, ON

Sarah Stewart, Miramichi, NB

Elliott Webb, Kingston, ON

Samantha Webb, Montreal, QC

Canada Company Scholarship Fund Key Facts -

$400,000 has been awarded since the Funds inception

There have been 125 scholarships to 42 students

The total amount of the Fund is $3 million

For Canada Company, a registered charity that assists and advocates for those serving or those who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces, The deeply foundational and emotional support of the scholarship is just as important as the financial support that it offers its recipients, says Canada Company president, Angela Mondou. These kids give each other career advice, academic support and they build meaningful relationships with other kids who have faced a similar situation  and thats something they value greatly."

The Canada Company Scholarship Fund strives to continually evolve to meet the needs of the modern military family  and is now the largest scholarship fund of its kind in the country.

About Canada Company

Canada Company is a federally registered charity created in 2006 by Canadian businessman and Honorary Colonel, Blake Goldring M.S.M., LL.D., CFA. Canada Company takes pride in serving our country in many ways, celebrating our Military heroes, and their families, and fostering a mutually beneficial exchange between Canada's remarkable military tested resources and our innovative Canadian business community  helping create a Better Canada.

A trusted Program Builder, Canada Company offers the Military Employment Transition - MET Program; hosts the National Transition Symposium and Strategic Knowledge Exchange; and funds Scholarships for children of military members killed while serving on an active mission with the Canadian Armed Forces. To learn more visit: CanadaCompany.ca.
Main financial indicators 2016

 Operating income: USD 51.9 million

 EBITDA: USD 22.2 million

 Operating loss: USD 9.1 million

 Net finance (negative): USD 11.9 million

 Net profit (loss): USD 23.3 million

 Additional adjustments (compared to Q4 2016 report):

o assets revaluation adjustment (negative): USD 17.8 million

o additional assets write off (negative): USD 1.0 million



Major events in 2016

Oceanteam ASA initiates financial restructuring through constructive dialogue with its banks and bondholders. The revised bond loan agreement was signed on 19 June 2017.

CSV Southern Ocean remains under contract by Fugro TS Marine Australia until end of 2018.

McDermott notified Oceanteam that they will exercise its option to purchase Oceanteam's 25 percent ownership in the vessel-owning company North Ocean 105 AS. The transaction was closed on 20 June 2017.

Finanstilsynet (Financial Supervisory Authority) has initiated an audit process on 31 August 2016, which was subsequently successfully closed during 2017.



Oslo/ Amsterdam - 23 June 2017. After having passed the final resolution on 19 June 2017 with a majority of its bondholders on refinancing its bond loan agreement, the Dutch-Norwegian based offshore service provider Oceanteam ASA ("Oceanteam" or "Company") today announced its official FY2016 figures.

2016 revenues came in at USD 51.9 million and the Company recorded an EBITDA of USD 22.2 million, both of which met market performance forecasts in what were very challenging conditions. The Company maintains a significant share of its revenues from its Solutions division, which came in at 41 percent in 2016.

For Oceanteam, FY2016 was a combination of business as usual and preparing the Company for a future of high performance and returns, says CEO Haico Halbesma. "The management and the teams of our operating companies were very much focused on their day-to-day market opportunities and challenges. These included securing our vessel charter rates and current backlog and tendering for new contracts, especially in the field of equipment and engineering solutions. Additionally, they were exploring new opportunities in areas such as renewable energy and civil engineering."

In late October 2016, the Executive Board and management initiated proactive and constructive talks with Oceanteam's bondholders and banks to discuss a new capital foundation for the Company. On 19 June 2017, the Board passed the final resolution on new terms with the Company's bondholders through a qualified majority. "This final agreement reflects the firm belief held by all stakeholders in the future direction and proven track record of our Company. As we have stated earlier, this milestone embodies the joint and constructive efforts of all of our stakeholders (bondholders, banks, the Halbesma family as a major shareholder and the executive management team) to ensure the success of this deal and a future of growth", Haico Halbesma states.

As a result of this agreement and the executed sale of the Lay Vessel North Ocean 105, Oceanteam has secured the financing it needs and safeguarded its continuity as a going concern. In June 2017, the new bond loan agreement became effective. As a result the Company now has improved free cash flow and structural lower interest costs, creating a healthy foundation for further growth.



Business areas



Major events and developments (2016)

CSV Southern Ocean will remain under contract by Fugro TS Marine Australia until the end of 2018 and has options for extension.

CSV Bourbon Oceanteam 101 has completed a dry dock period and started a new time charter contract in Angola.

Diavaz-Oceanteam Shipping (DOT) postpones the delivery of the CSV Tampamachoco 1 for one year, with an option to delay for a second year.



Major subsequent events (2017)

Oceanteam signs and executes bond loan agreement in June 2017.

JV Fleet refinancing is expected to be finalised by end of June 2017.

McDermott exercised its option to purchase Oceanteam's 25 percent ownership in the vessel-owning company North Ocean 105 AS. The transaction was closed on 20 June 2017.



Oceanteam Shipping

Operations North Ocean fleet

CSV Bourbon Oceanteam 101: CSV Bourbon Oceanteam 101: after successfully completing a long-term charter with Oceaneering and BP Angola, the vessel underwent SPS and certain upgrade in dry dock and the vessel started on a new time charter contract in Angola for TOTAL SA. The contract is for a period of three years plus options. The terms remain confidential, but the new charter rate reflects the current rate levels within the market.

CSV Southern Ocean: which has been on long-term bareboat charter with Fugro TSM Australia since its delivery in 2010. The vessel will remain under contract by Fugro TS Marine Australia until the end of 2018 and has options for extension.

Lay Vessel North Ocean 105: was delivered in 2012 and has since been on a contract with McDermott International and operates globally as a pipe layer. McDermott exercised its option to purchase Oceanteam's 25 percent ownership in the vessel-owning company North Ocean 105 AS. The transaction was closed on 20 June 2017.

Oceanteam Mexico SA de CV operates two Fast Support Vessels (FSV's), Tiburon and Mantarraya. Tiburon and Mantarraya are still under bareboat charter with Inversiones Setin. However, since Inversiones Setin is in breach of its obligations under the contract and the Company has not received the charter hire due thereunder, the Company has started legal proceedings against Inversiones Setin. The outstanding receivable balance in the amount of USD 0.4 million has been written off as doubtful debt as part of 4Q 2016 financial reporting. An impairment loss in the amount of USD 1.1 million has been provided during 4Q 2016 leaving the total net book value for these assets in the amount of USD 2.6million. Oceanteam management is closely monitoring the situation and is taking the necessary measures to preserve the value of these assets.



DOT Shipping

In March 2014, Oceanteam took a 40 percent stake in the newly founded joint venture DOT Shipping together with Diavaz. DOT Shipping successfully delivered two FSV new builds, named Icacos and Cobos, in Q4 2014. Both vessels are fully financed and have been operational in the Mexican market since March 2015, where they operate under a seven year firm time charter contract with three one-year options for extension.

DOT Shipping has a 50 percent stake in a large new-build construction support vessel, named Tampamachoco 1, which is ready but DOT deferred this vessel delivery with 1 year plus option for another year possible delay.



Oceanteam Solutions

Oceanteam Solutions is specialised in building demountable turntable systems that easily can be delivered in 40ft containers to all ports globally. The company designs and produces turntables in various sizes, for onshore and offshore use and for a variety of cables, umbilicals, pipes or flowlines. The Company provides full engineering design and consultancy services to clients in the oil and gas and renewables industries. Oceanteam Solutions can also provide services for complex structures both onshore and offshore. With the in-house engineering experience and expertise, clients can contract the most effective vessel and equipment solutions for their projects. Over the years Oceanteam Solutions has built up a broad client base worldwide, to which the company successfully supplies equipment and supports the client's offshore cable, pipeline and umbilical installations, transport and storage projects. From our base with deep-water quayside facilities in Velsen-Noord, the Netherlands, the company can accommodate all sizes of vessels for mobilisation and demobilisation with easy access to the North Sea.

Main operational projects Oceanteam Solutions (2016)

Supplying demountable turntables and auxiliary equipment for the multiple transport of cables from Asia to Europe.

Supply of 4000T and 1100T turntables and equipment for the storage, splicing and multiple loadouts at Oceanteam's base in Velsen (the Netherlands).

The company entered a framework agreement to supply the client with future equipment, transport and storage solutions, in addition to a major lay spread contract.

Multiple cable storage contracts.

Various multi-discipline design engineering contracts.

World's largest Ferris Wheel design, construction, lifting support continues to create significant amount of work.

Phase 1 Offshore Wind Park design in China completed and commenced phase 2.

Solutions has been awarded with a subsidy from TKI-WoZ for the further research and development of its Double Slip Joint (DSJ) concept.



Market outlook

Leveraging capabilities. The oil and gas market is expected to remain challenging for the coming period. However, the Company's early focus on offshore renewables, engineering and logistics solutions, plus its expansion in certain geographical areas will help Oceanteam to safely navigate the current market low as well as the structural changes in the oil and gas market. Oceanteam is also in the process of creating new revenue sources in the fields of civil engineering and offshore-related logistic solutions, making use of the same core capabilities that have made Oceanteam the distinguished niche player it is known as today.

Long-term commitment. The bondholders are continuing their support as significant capital providers of the Company. As part of the new agreement they have underlined the importance of maintaining continuity within and around the Company and improving it in a structured way. This will include keeping in place the existing executive and operational management, realising a slimmed-down cost structure and appointing a bondholder representative to the Board on 9 May 2017.

Purpose. Oceanteam operates in a complex environment and executes complex projects, which require a clear day-to-day commitment to safety, quality and operational details. Even though the Company has gone through a turbulent period, the Oceanteam staff and employees have never failed their commitments to clients and have never lost sight of new market opportunities. Oceanteam has a strong track record of delivering projects successfully under all circumstances and 2016 has been no exception. The Company has started and completed numerous projects, it has built new backlog, aligned its finances and laid a new foundation for the future.

Believe and trust. To date, Oceanteam's Board has made a constructive effort to reach the recent new agreement with the Company's bondholders. Mr. Hessel Halbesma (Chairman) and Haico Halbesma (CEO), as founders, main shareholders and Board members, have made personal commitments i.e. they have deferred significant due payments to themselves and, contrary to the new terms proposed by the bondholders, shared at least 50 percent of the Management Incentive Programme with various group companies and key personnel.

This effort reflects the strong belief the Board has in the present business opportunities and the Company's people to push their horizons of entrepreneurship.

Amsterdam/ Oslo, 23 June 2017



Executive Management and Board

About Oceanteam ASA

The Company is comprised of two operating segments, Oceanteam Shipping and Oceanteam Solutions. Oceanteam Shipping owns, charters and manages deep-water offshore support vessels and fast support vessels. Oceanteam Solutions' focus is to provide its clients with complete offshore solutions. Oceanteam ASA has been active in the industry as an offshore solutions provider for over twelve years.

For more information: www.oceanteam.no

For further information about Oceanteam ASA please contact:

CEO Haico Halbesma: +31 20 53 57 570, haico@oceanteam.no



This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.





Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c42a7241-2da3-4b02-885f-2f902f726b2e
PRESS RELEASE

Calgary, June 23, 2017





Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. Announces Early Results of Consent Solicitations and Debt Tender Offers

CALGARY, Alberta, June 23, 2017-- Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. (formerly known as Talisman Energy Inc.), a Canadian-based upstream oil and gas company (the "Company"), announced today the early results of its previously announced solicitations of consents (the "Consent Solicitations") from holders of its outstanding

7.75% Senior Notes due 2019 (CUSIP No. 87425E AL7 and ISIN No. US87425EAL74) (the "2019 Notes"),

3.75% Senior Notes due 2021 (CUSIP No. 87425E AM5 and ISIN No. US87425EAM57) (the "2021 Notes"),

5.85% Senior Notes due 2037 (CUSIP No. 87425E AJ2 and ISIN No. US87425EAJ29) (the "2037 Notes"),

6.25% Senior Notes due 2038 (CUSIP No. 87425E AK9 and ISIN No. US87425EAK91) (the "2038 Notes"),

5.50% Senior Notes due 2042 (CUSIP No. 87425E AN3 and ISIN No. US87425EAN31) (the "2042 Notes"),

5.75% Senior Notes due 2035 (CUSIP No. 87425E AH6 and ISIN No. US87425EAH62) (the "2035 Notes") and

7.25% Debentures due 2027 (CUSIP No. 87425E AE3 and ISIN No. US87425EAE32) (the "2027 Debentures" and together with the 2019 Notes, the 2021 Notes, the 2037 Notes, the 2038 Notes, the 2042 Notes and the 2035 Notes, the "Notes"; and each, a "series of Notes")

for proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to certain provisions of the indentures governing the Notes (the "Indentures"), and the early results of its tender offers to purchase for cash (the "Tender Offers" and each a "Tender Offer") any and all of the outstanding Notes.

The following table summarizes, with respect to each series of Notes, (1) the aggregate principal amount of Notes in respect of which consents were validly delivered without tendering the related Notes, (2) the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tendered (and in respect of which a consent was thereby validly delivered) and (3) the total of the aggregate principal amount of Notes in respect of which consents were validly delivered without tendering the related Notes or by validly tendering Notes, in each case as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 22, 2017 (the "Consent/Early Tender Deadline"). In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Consent Solicitations and Tender Offers, revocation rights with respect to the consents and withdrawal rights with respect to the Notes expired on 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 22, 2017. Accordingly, consents and Notes delivered and tendered in the past or future may not be revoked or withdrawn.

Title Security CUSIP Number ISIN Number Principal Amount of Notes in respect of which Consents were Delivered without Tendering Related Notes (Percentage of Series) Principal Amount of Notes Tendered (and Consents Thereby Delivered) (Percentage of Series) Total Principal Amount of Notes in respect of which Consents were Delivered (Percentage of Series) 2006 Indenture 7.75% Senior Notes due 2019 87425E AL7 US87425EAL74 U.S.$311,817,000 (85.68%) U.S.$4,008,000

(1.10%) U.S.$315,825,000 (86.78%) 3.75% Senior Notes due 2021 87425E AM5 US87425EAM57 U.S.$208,248,000 (86.51%) U.S.$4,044,000

(1.68%) U.S.$212,292,000 (88.19%) 5.85% Senior Notes due 2037 87425E AJ2 US87425EAJ29 U.S.$95,894,000

(73.12%) U.S.$28,876,000

(22.02%) U.S.$124,770,000 (95.14%) 6.25% Senior Notes due 2038 87425E AK9 US87425EAK91 U.S.$105,350,000 (88.67%) U.S.$3,455,000

(2.91%) U.S.$108,805,000 (91.58%) 5.50% Senior Notes due 2042 87425E AN3 US87425EAN31 U.S.$42,927,000

(44.40%) U.S.$39,542,000

(40.90%) U.S.$82,469,000

(85.30%) 2005 Indenture 5.75% Senior Notes due 2035 87425E AH6 US87425EAH62 U.S.$80,925,000

(90.43%) U.S.$1,951,000

(2.18%) U.S.$82,876,000

(92.61%) 1997 Indenture 7.25% Debentures due 2027 87425E AE3 US87425EAE32 U.S.$47,447,000

(87.12%) U.S.$4,062,000

(7.46%) U.S.$51,509,000 (94.57%)



The consents received from holders of Notes of each series exceed the amount needed to adopt the Proposed Amendments to each of the Indentures. Accordingly, the Company, Repsol S.A., a sociedad anonima organized in Spain, and the relevant trustee under each Indenture will execute a supplemental indenture to each Indenture effecting the Proposed Amendments (each a "Supplemental Indenture" and collectively, the "Supplemental Indentures"). Each Supplemental Indenture will become operative upon payment of the applicable Consent Only Payment (as defined below) or Total Consideration (as defined below). Each Supplemental Indenture will amend the reporting covenant and eliminate the merger covenant in the relevant Indenture, as well as make certain other related changes.

Holders that validly delivered consents at or prior to the Consent/Early Tender Deadline without tendering the related Notes will receive the Consent Only Payment of U.S.$2.50 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes (the "Consent Only Payment") as to which they delivered (and did not revoke) such consents on the initial settlement date, which is expected to be June 27, 2017 (the "Initial Settlement Date").

Holders that validly tendered their Notes and thereby delivered the related consents at or prior to the Consent/Early Tender Deadline will receive in respect of Notes accepted for purchase the applicable Total Consideration of U.S.$1,087.50 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2019 Notes, U.S.$1,000.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2021 Notes, U.S.$1,000.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2037 Notes, U.S.$1,000.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2038 Notes, U.S.$955.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2042 Notes, U.S.$960.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2035 Notes and U.S.$1,135.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2027 Debentures (the "Total Consideration"), plus accrued and unpaid interest from the applicable last interest payment date to, but not including, the applicable settlement date ("Accrued Interest"), on the Initial Settlement Date. Such holders will not receive the Consent Only Payment.

Each Tender Offer remains open and is scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on July 7, 2017, unless such Tender Offer is extended or earlier terminated by the Company in its sole discretion, subject to applicable law (such time and date with respect to each Tender Offer, as the same may be extended or earlier terminated, the "Expiration Time"). For the avoidance of doubt, as used in this press release, midnight on a particular day refers to the time one minute after 11:59 p.m. on such day. Holders that validly tender their Notes after the Consent/Early Tender Deadline but at or prior to the Expiration Time will be eligible to receive in respect of Notes accepted for purchase the applicable Tender Offer Consideration of U.S.$1,057.50 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2019 Notes, U.S.$970.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2021 Notes, U.S.$970.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2037 Notes, U.S.$970.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2038 Notes, U.S.$925.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2042 Notes, U.S.$930.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2035 Notes and U.S.$1,105.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of 2027 Debentures, plus Accrued Interest, on the final settlement date, which is expected to be July 12, 2017. Such holders will not receive the Consent Only Payment. Holders that tender Notes will be automatically deemed to have delivered consents to the Proposed Amendments in respect of such Notes.

The Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers are being made on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase dated June 9, 2017 (the "Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase"), and related consent and letter of transmittal.

Consummation of the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers are subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase. The Company may amend, extend or terminate the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers with respect to one or more series of Notes in its sole discretion, subject to applicable law.

This press release is not a solicitation of consents with respect to the Proposed Amendments or any Notes. In addition, this press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes. The Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers are being made only pursuant to the Consent Solicitation Statement and Offer to Purchase and related consent and letter of transmittal, copies of which will be delivered to holders of the Notes. Persons with questions regarding the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers should contact the solicitation agents and dealer managers, Barclays Capital Inc. at (800) 438-3242 (U.S. toll free), (212) 528-7581 (collect) or +44 20 3134 8515 (international) and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated at (888) 292-0070 (U.S. toll free), (980) 387-2907 (collect) or +44 20 7996 5420 (international) or the information agent, tabulation agent and tender agent D.F. King & Co., Inc., at (212) 269-5550 (banks and brokers) or (800) 499-8541 (toll-free) or email at repsol@dfking.com.

About Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc.

Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. is an upstream oil and gas company, incorporated in Canada and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Spanish integrated energy company Repsol, S.A.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains information that constitutes "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking information"). This forward-looking information includes, among others, statements regarding the terms and timing for completion of the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers.

Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of risks which could cause actual results to vary and in some instances to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company and described in the forward-looking information contained in this news release. The material risk factors include, but are not limited to risks related to the successful consummation of the Consent Solicitations and the Tender Offers.

The above-mentioned risk factors are not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors which could affect the Company's operations or financial results or strategy are included in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form, dated February 23, 2017 (included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F, dated February 23, 2017), and Restated Management's Discussion and Analysis, dated May 12, 2017 (included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F/A, dated May 12, 2017) and Interim Management's Discussion and Analysis dated May 12, 2017 (included in the Company's Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K, dated May 12, 2017). In addition, information is available in the Company's other reports on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-looking information is based on the estimates and opinions of the Company's management at the time the information is presented. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change, except as required by law.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

34 917 538 100

34 917 538 000

34 913 489 000 (Fax)

www.repsol.com
South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for talks between government and the mining industry to recraft the Mining Charter.

Government through mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane, gazetted a third version of the charter last week, which was vehemently opposed by the industry and led to drop in South African mining stocks.

The countrys Chamber of Mines also said that it would approach the courts to interdict the implementation of the charter, which it said had been Gazetted unilaterally and contained requirements that could be unconstitutional, according to Mining Weekly.

"What now needs to happen is that both parties must go back to the drawing board and they must sit down and talk about their shared interests, their shared future and how best we can reach a measure of consensus," Ramaphosa was quoted as saying.

"if we lock our eyes on that [shared vision of inclusive growth and transformation] we are then able to say: 'how do we get there?'. The mining industry needs investors, but at the same time it needs to transform. If you take the view that the two are not mutually exclusive, then you have commonality of interests, you are then able to move forward."

Ramaphosa indicated that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) had met with the Chamber of Mines and that he was optimistic that there would be "some measure of agreement on how to take the process forward".

The new charter pushed by Zwane also follows his recent clash with De Beers when he refused to grant an exemption to De Beers Consolidated Mines (DBCM) to export diamonds to Botswana for aggregation.

DBCM approached the local courts to force the minister change his position.

Diamonds produced by De Beers in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Canada were aggregated in Gaborone like they used to be in London.

Once the aggregation process was complete, rough diamonds of higher value were then re-imported back to the producing countries, South Africa included, for cutting and polishing.

About 40 percent of diamonds mined in South Africa by De Beers were allocated to local diamond cutters and polishers.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Italian tax police seized documents from the offices of five lenders on Wednesday in an investigation over alleged fraud in relation to the distribution of diamonds to bank customers, three sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters.

The police took documents and computer files from Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Banco BPM, and Popolare di Bari, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.

All five banks declined to comment.

According to sources, Italian market regulator Consob opened an investigation last year into the sale of diamonds through bank branches after a TV report alleged the stones were missold to the public. Consumer associations have also said they received complaints.

Selling diamonds with the promise of a financial return is banned in Italy unless regulated in the same way as other financial products, such as mutual funds. Banks and brokers say they do not promise a financial return when selling the stones.

Diamantaires have been using Italian banks to sell high-quality investment diamonds in a business that totaled at least 300 million euros in sales in 2015, according to broker data cited by Reuters.




Guest blog by Sairah Tariq, Campaign Communications Officer, RSPB NI.

It has been a year since the UK voted to leave the European Union and still we dont know what the consequences of Brexit will be. There is lots of political uncertainty; Theresa May has a reduced majority, theres a possibility the government will change within the two year negotiating period and Sinn Fein and the DUP have still not come to a power sharing agreement in Stormont. May has also appointed Michael Gove as the new Environment Minister, a man who tried to ban climate change from the geography curriculum and the Conservatives now have a slim majority at Westminster.

Brexit has also created several complications for the island of Ireland because the EU has substantial environmental legislation that member states must follow. Post-Brexit, Northern Ireland will no longer be covered by this common EU framework meaning theres a risk we could see lower environmental standards in Northern Ireland, which would have a detrimental impact on the rest of the island.

The European Parliament hosted an event in Dundalk on Friday 16 June for environmental NGOs to come together and discuss what impact Brexit will have on the environment in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Lynn Boylan MEP said that it was very unlikely that the UK will replace the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) fully because of the amount of money involved. In 2015, Northern Ireland received 280 million through CAP. Dr Cara Augustenborg pointed out that farmers income in Northern Ireland has declined by 7.5%. Without direct subsidies from CAP farmers could potentially be worse off than before.

The Republic of Ireland has taken positive steps towards environmental protection; the Dail has banned fracking whereas greenhouse gas emissions in the north are up. The Republic of Ireland will be one of two EU countries set to miss the legally binding 2020 greenhouse gas emissions targets. This just goes to show that pollution does not respect borders and differing legislation and practise can put another part of the island at a disadvantage.

However its not all doom and gloom, the overarching feeling at the event was that its now vitally important that the environmental community and nature friendly farmers north and south of the border come together to secure a better environment post-Brexit and ensure that environmental protection measures are not scaled down.

Its not just the UK and devolved governments we should look to in order to ensure that environmental protections are maintained post-Brexit, as the EU institutions and the 27 EU Member States, including the Irish government, also have a role to play in negotiations. For a start, EU legislation on the environment is based on recognition of the fact that climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are trans-boundary issues that cannot be addressed by one country acting alone, and this will be no less true once the UK leaves the EU.

The EU-27 will also not want to see the UK gain a competitive advantage by lowering regulation in this area and could make continued adherence to environmental standards a pre-condition to a preferential trading relationship; this is something the European Parliament has already called for in its resolution on Brexit, adopted in April this year.

Brexit gives us a chance to shape environmental legislation, and marine and land-use policies, for the better. With a hung parliament in place, its now up to the environmental sector to make the case that the environment is a cross cutting issue that all political parties can unite on. We will be using this as an opportunity to change the way the environment is managed, to ensure we leave it in a better state for future generations.
Calgary Transit has transformed one of its retired CTrain cars into an inspection vehicle to gather information on the system's rails, tracks and overhead cables.

Calgary Transit says the new inspection vehicle, which it named Scout, will help it improve system reliability and safety by eliminating some of the visual and mechanical inspections performed by staff and helping to optimize preventative maintenance.

Scouts nine cameras collect data and measure track geometry, rail wear and overhead cable wear.

In a post online describing the benefits of Scout, Calgary Transit wrote, Some manual inspections can only be done at night when CTrains are not in service, but Scout can travel along the tracks between passenger trains any time of the day and collect valuable information. Also, Scout is able to find defects that cant be found in manual inspections simply because Scout measures while moving along the system, so the weight and movement of the vehicle provide more accurate measurements of rail wear and track geometry.
BlackBerry Limited (BBRY,BB.TO) announced it has received acceptance from the Toronto Stock Exchange with respect to a normal course issuer bid to purchase for cancellation up to 31 million BlackBerry common shares, representing approximately 6.4% of the outstanding public float as at May 31, 2017. Purchases under the NCIB may commence on June 27, 2017 and will terminate on June 26, 2018.

"The purpose of this repurchase program is to offset a portion of the expected dilution from our equity incentive plan and from conversion of our 3.75% Debentures," said BlackBerry CEO, John Chen. On June 21, 2017, the shareholders of BlackBerry approved an increase in the number of shares available under the company's equity incentive plan.

Separately, the company reported first-quarter Non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.02. Non-GAAP revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2018 was $244 million with GAAP revenue of $235 million. Approximately 79% of first-quarter software and services revenue (excluding IP licensing and professional services) was recurring. BlackBerry had over 3,000 enterprise customer orders in the quarter.

John Chen, CEO, stated: "Our outlook for fiscal 2018 is unchanged. We expect growth at or above the overall market in software and services. We also expect to be profitable on a non-GAAP basis and to generate positive free cash flow for the full year, excluding the benefit of the Qualcomm arbitration award."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Crude oil futures were stable for a second day in a row following a recent collapse that took prices to the lowest in ten months.

Traders are testing OPEC's resolve as the cartel has struggled to implement its supply quota plan with Russia.

Mohammed al-Shatti, a deputy chairman of the Kuwait Petroleum Corp., told the official Kuwait News Agency that oil will hover near $50 a barrel for the time being.

"This plan has failed to notch up the ultimate goal of rebalancing the oil market, mainly due to the reluctance of OPEC and non-OPEC producers to cut oil output," he told the Kuwaiti news.

There will be close attention paid when Baker Hughes releases its U.S. oil rig report this afternoon. U.S. drillers have added rigs a record 22 weeks in a row, much to the chagrin of OPEC.

WTI light sweet crude oil was up 10 cents at $42.83 a barrel.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Significant overall survival benefit observed for FLT3+ AML patients consistent across FLT3 mutation subgroups, including ITD and TKD





Detailed data show Rydapt plus standard chemotherapy improved event-free survival in FLT3-mutated AML versus chemotherapy alone





First publication of RATIFY data following ASH 2015 presentation; result of over a decade's collaboration with Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology/CALGB



Basel, June 23, 2017 - Novartis today announced that full results from the Rydapt [] (midostaurin) Phase III RATIFY (CALGB 10603 [Alliance]) clinical trial were published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) [1]. Top-line data from this study were previously presented during the plenary session at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in 2015 [2]. New data include disease-free survival (DFS), further analysis of patients undergoing transplant and expanded safety information.

"The data from the CALGB 10603/RATIFY trial reinforce the efficacy and safety of Rydapt in patients with FLT3-mutated AML and set the stage for a shift in the way the medical community can approach this difficult-to-treat disease," said Richard M. Stone, MD, Chief of Staff and Director of the Adult Leukemia Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology study chair for the RATIFY trial. "This study has provided critical insights for the AML community and shows the potential of clinical research carried out by international investigators with support from both public and private sources."

Study Results Published in NEJM

In RATIFY, patients aged 18-59 years treated with Rydapt in combination with standard cytarabine and daunorubicin induction and cytarabine consolidation chemotherapy experienced significant improvement in overall survival (OS) with a 22% reduction in the risk of death compared with chemotherapy plus placebo. In patients in the Rydapt arm, OS was 74.7 months [95% CI, 31.5-not reached] vs. 25.6 months [95% CI, 18.6-42.9] in the placebo arm (one-sided stratified log-rank p=0.009, HR=0.78). At four years, OS was 51.4% in the Rydapt arm, compared with 44.3% in the placebo arm [1].

The median event-free survival (EFS) was 8.2 months (95% CI, 5.4-10.7) in the Rydapt arm and 3.0 months (95% CI, 1.9-5.9) in the placebo arm (one-sided stratified log-rank p=0.002, HR=0.78). Median DFS was greater with the addition of Rydapt versus the placebo arm (26.7 months [95% CI, 19.4-not reached] vs. 15.5 months [95% CI, 11.3-23.5], respectively; p=0.01). The complete remission (CR) rate, defined as CR reported within 60 days of protocol therapy initiation, was 58.9% in the Rydapt arm and 53.5% in the placebo arm (p=0.15). The benefit of Rydapt on OS and EFS was consistent across all FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutation subgroups, including internal tandem duplication (ITD) and tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) FLT3 mutations [1].

"The Rydapt RATIFY trial is a testament to Novartis' dedication to exploring opportunities to create therapies for patients with difficult to treat diseases," said Vasant Narasimhan, Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis. "These results represent the culmination of years of work and dedication from investigators around the world who were driven to find a targeted treatment for these patients."

More patients in the Rydapt arm were able to undergo allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) during their first complete response versus placebo (28.1% vs. 22.7%, respectively; p=0.10). When censoring patients at the time of transplant (when protocol therapy was discontinued), OS was numerically better for those in the Rydapt arm versus placebo arm, with a 24.3% reduction in the risk of death at four years (63.7% vs. 55.7% respectively, p=0.08) [1].

The most frequent Grade 3 to 5 non-hematologic adverse events (AEs) (incidence greater than or equal to 20%) in the Rydapt arm were febrile neutropenia and infection. In the placebo arm, the most common AEs were febrile neutropenia, infection and lymphopenia. There were few significant differences (greater than 5%) observed in the overall rate of Grade 3 to 5 AEs between the treatment arms - patients receiving Rydapt experienced higher rates of anemia and rash [1]. Please see below for additional important US safety information [3].

RATIFY, the largest clinical trial in FLT3-mutated AML to date, included 3,277 patients screened and 717 study participants from around the world. The full data from the randomized Phase III trial have now been published and include data outside the parameters of the US Prescribing Information and Swiss Product Information. Based on data from the RATIFY clinical trial, The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines []) for AML now include use of midostaurin in FLT3-mutated AML [4].

About AML

AML, a rare and aggressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow, is the most common acute leukemia in adults. It accounts for approximately 25% of all adult leukemias worldwide, with the highest incidence rates occurring in the US, Europe and Australia [5]. It also has the lowest survival rate of all adult leukemias [5].

AML prevents white blood cells from maturing, causing an accumulation of "blasts," which do not allow room for the normal blood cells [6]. Mutations in specific genes are found in many cases of AML [7], and genetic testing for mutations in newly diagnosed AML patients can help to determine prognosis and potential treatment strategies [8].

Approximately one-third of AML patients will have a FLT3 gene mutation [7]. FLT3 is a type of cell-surface receptor which plays a role in increasing the number of certain blood cells [9]. The FLT3 gene mutation can result in faster disease progression, higher relapse rates and lower rates of survival than other forms of AML [7,9,10].

About Rydapt [] (midostaurin)

Rydapt [] (midostaurin) is an oral, multi-targeted inhibitor of multiple kinases, including FLT3 and KIT, which help regulate many essential cell processes, interrupting cancer cells' ability to grow and multiply [3].

In the US, Rydapt is Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed AML who are FLT3 mutation-positive (FLT3+) as detected by an FDA-approved test, in combination with standard cytarabine and daunorubicin induction and cytarabine consolidation [3]. Rydapt is not indicated in the US as a single-agent induction therapy for the treatment of patients with AML. For a description of the experience with single-agent treatment beyond induction and consolidation, healthcare professionals in the US should refer to the Clinical Studies section of the US Prescribing Information (14.1) [3].

The full US Prescribing Information for Rydapt can be found at: https://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/sites/www.pharma.us.novartis.com/files/rydapt.pdf

Rydapt is also approved in Switzerland for use in combination with standard induction and consolidation chemotherapy, followed by maintenance monotherapy for treatment of newly diagnosed adult AML patients who have an FLT3 mutation. Novartis has submitted a regulatory application for Rydapt to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and this application is currently under review.

Indications vary by country and not all indications are available in every country. The safety and efficacy profile of Rydapt has not yet been established outside the approved indications. Because of the uncertainty of clinical trials, there is no guarantee that Rydapt will become commercially available for additional indications anywhere else in the world.

Rydapt Important Safety Information

Patients who are allergic to midostaurin or any of the ingredients in Rydapt should not take Rydapt. If a patient taking Rydapt develops signs of an allergic reaction, they should seek medical help immediately. Signs of an allergic reaction include trouble breathing, flushing, chest pain, throat tightness, and swelling of lips, mouth or throat.

Rydapt should be not be used during pregnancy since Rydapt may harm an unborn baby. Pregnancy testing should be conducted for women who might become pregnant. Effective birth control should be used during treatment and for at least four months after stopping Rydapt. If a patient becomes pregnant or thinks she may be, the patient should tell their doctor right away. Women should not breastfeed during treatment with Rydapt and for at least four months after the final dose. Men taking Rydapt who have female partners that are able to become pregnant should use effective birth control during his treatment with Rydapt and for at least four months after the last Rydapt dose. Rydapt may cause fertility problems in women and men, which may affect their ability to have children.

Rydapt may cause lung problems that may lead to death. Patients on Rydapt who develop a new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, or chest discomfort should get medical help right away. These may be signs of serious lung problems.

Common sides effects reported during Rydapt treatment for AML included low level of white blood cells with fever (febrile neutropenia); nausea; redness, pain or ulcers inside the mouth (mucositis); vomiting; headache; bruising; muscle or bone pain; nose bleeds; device-related infection; high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) and upper respiratory infections.

If side effects including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea occur, get worse or do not go away during treatment with Rydapt, patients should contact their doctor. Depending on the side effect and/or severity of the side effect that occur, their doctor may decrease their dose, temporarily stop, or completely stop treatment with Rydapt.

Patients should tell their doctor about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Rydapt may affect how these medicines work or these other medicines may affect how Rydapt works.

Disclaimer

The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as "set the stage," "can," "potential," "dedication," "under review," "yet," "will," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential additional marketing approvals for Rydapt, potential new indications or labeling for Rydapt, or regarding potential future revenues from Rydapt. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Rydapt will be submitted or approved for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that Rydapt will be submitted or approved for sale in any additional markets, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that Rydapt will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding Rydapt could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company's ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; general economic and industry conditions; global trends toward health care cost containment, including ongoing pricing and reimbursement pressures; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis and @Novartis Cancer at http://twitter.com/novartiscancer.

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library

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References

[1] Stone RM, Mandrekar SJ, Sanford BL, et al. Midostaurin plus Chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia with a FLT3 Mutation. N Engl J Med. 2017 June 23. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1614359. [Epub ahead of print]. [2] Stone RM, Mandrekar SJ, Sanford BL, et al. The Multi-Kinase Inhibitor Midostaurin (M) Prolongs Survival Compared with Placebo (P) in Combination with Daunorubicin (D)/Cytarabine (C) Induction (ind), High-Dose C Consolidation (consol), and As Maintenance (maint) Therapy in Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Patients (pts) Age 18-60 with FLT3 Mutations (muts): An International Prospective Randomized (rand) P-Controlled Double-Blind Trial (CALGB 10603/RATIFY [Alliance]). Presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Abstract 6. [3] Rydapt [prescribing information]. East Hanover, NJ: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp, 2017. [4] NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines In Oncology (NCCN Guidelines []) for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. V.3.2017.  National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. 2017. https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/aml.pdf. Accessed June 20, 2017. [5] Deschler B, Lubbert M. Acute myeloid leukemia: epidemiology and etiology. Cancer. 2006;107(9):2009-2107. [6] National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI). Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment (PDQ) http://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/adult-aml-treatment-pdq. Accessed June 20, 2017. [7] Patel JP, Gonen M, Figueroa ME, et al. Prognostic relevance of integrated genetic profiling in acute myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med. 2012; 22;366(12):1079-1089. [8] Arber DA, Borowitz MJ, Cessna M, et al. Initial Diagnostic Workup of Acute Leukemia: Guideline from the College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Hematology. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2017 Feb 22. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2016-0504-CP. [Epub ahead of print]. [9] Gilliland DG, Griffin JD. The roles of FLT3 in hematopoiesis and leukemia. Blood. 2002;100(5):1532-1542. [10] Yanada M, Matsuo K, Suzuki T, et al. Prognostic significance of FLT3 internal tandem duplication and tyrosine kinase domain mutations for acute myeloid leukemia: a meta-analysis. Leukemia. 2005;19(8):1345-1349.

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Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

Eric Althoff

Novartis Global Media Relations

+41 61 324 7999 (direct)

+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)

eric.althoff@novartis.com Fiona Phillips

Novartis Oncology Communications

+1 862 778 7705 (direct)

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Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com
A bipartisan bill revoking Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally (MNNA) of the United States has been tabled in the House of Representatives as punishment for the South Asian country's failure to effectively fight terrorism.

MNNA status was granted to Pakistan in 2004 by President George W Bush in an effort to get that Islamic country's support in the US Government's fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

MNNA status is significant, granting critical benefits in the areas of foreign aid and defense cooperation that amounts to millions of dollars. A MNNA country is eligible for priority delivery of defense material, an expedited arms sale process, and a U.S. loan guarantee program, which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports. It can also stockpile U.S. military hardware, participate in defense research and development programs, and be sold more sophisticated weaponry.

In August last year, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter had withheld $300 million in military reimbursements because he could not certify that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, as required by the NDAA.

The Bill was introduced Thursday by Republican Ted Poe and Democrat Rick Nolan. "Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands," Poe said.

Poe, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-proliferation and Trade, sounded more radical in his approach to the future of US-Pak ties. He called for "a clean break with Pakistan", which has acted for years "as a Benedict Arnold ally of the United States."

"The billions of dollars we have sent to Pakistan over the last 15 years has done nothing to effectively fight terrorism and make us safer," Nolan said. It is time to wake up to the fact that Pakistan has ties to the same terrorist organizations which they claim to be fighting, he added.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are lashing out at Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, for his decision to schedule a hearing on two district court nominees before the American Bar Association has an opportunity to review and rate them.

Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and the eight other Democrats on the committee released a statement on Thursday expressing disappointment with the move by Grassley.

The Democrats note the hearing on the nominations of Timothy J. Kelly and Trevor McFadden to the D.C. District Court next Wednesday will come just 21 days after the nominees were announced.

Three weeks is not enough time for the ABA to complete its review, the Democrats said, noting the association is typically able to complete ratings within five weeks.

"The Senate Judiciary Committee has an obligation to thoroughly vet nominees for these lifetime judicial appointments," the Senators said. "Reviewing potential judges and ensuring they are qualified is one of our most important responsibilities. A nominee's ABA rating is an important part of that process."

They added, "Senators deserve the opportunity to take ABA evaluations into account as they review nominees, and the committee shouldn't hold hearings until the ABA has an opportunity to provide those ratings."

An ABA spokesman told Politico the association always aims to finish the evaluations by the confirmation hearing but said "the ABA does not have adequate time for its careful review" on Kelly and McFadden due to the truncated time frame.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
After suggesting Republicans opposed to the House healthcare bill should be primaried, President Donald Trump struck a softer tone in response to the four GOP Senators that have indicated their opposition to the Senate plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Trump described Senators Ted Cruz, R-Tex., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rand Paul, R-Ken., as "four good guys and four friends of mine" in an interview with "Fox & Friends" that aired on Friday.

"I think that they'll probably get there. We'll have to see," Trump said. "I think we're going to get there. We have four very good people that - it's not that they're opposed. They would like to get certain changes. And we'll see if we can take care of that."

Following the release of a draft of the Senate Republican bill on Thursday, the four conservative lawmakers issued a joint statement saying they could not support the plan in its current form.

"Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor," the Senators said.

They added, "There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current healthcare system but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their healthcare costs."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., has little margin for error with the bill, as he can only afford to lose the support of two Republicans and still pass the legislation.

Despite the opposition from the four Republican Senators, Trump seemed confident he would successfully reform the healthcare system in a way that has eluded his predecessors.

"If you look, the Clintons tried to get it and after years and years they couldn't do it. Obamacare was murder for them to get, and now it's failed." Trump said. "Well, I've done in five months what other people haven't done in years.

"People have worked on healthcare for many years. It's a very complicated situation from the standpoint you do something that's good for one group but bad for another," he added. "It's that very, very narrow path."

Trump's remarks about the four Senators publicly opposed to the bill seem to reflect a different strategy compared to when he lashed out at members of the House Freedom Caucus for initially blocking the House bill.

After House leaders were forced to pull the original version of the bill in March, Trump took to Twitter to suggest he would fight against members of the group in the upcoming midterm elections if they don't get on board with his agenda.

"The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!" Trump tweeted at the time.

Members of the HFC would eventually support a revised version of the bill, which narrowly passed the House in early May.

(Photo: Marc Nozell)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The United States has decided to suspend imports of beef products from Brazil citing safety concerns.

It is a major blow to Brazil, which is the world's biggest red meat and poultry exporter.

Latin America's largest nation is selling beef worth more than $12 billion a year, mainly to China, the European Union and the United States..

China and the European Union had already stopped importing beef from Brazil.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Thursday announced the suspension of all imports of fresh beef from Brazil because of recurring concerns about the safety of the products intended for the American market.

The suspension of shipments will remain in place until the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture takes corrective action, he said in a statement.

Several countries banned Brazilian meat in March, while USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been inspecting all meat products arriving in the United States from Brazil since then.

FSIS has refused entry to 106 lots of Brazilian beef products due to public concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues. USDA made it clear that none of the rejected lots made it into the U.S. market.

As a preliminary step, it blocked five Brazilian facilities from shipping beef to the United States.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
A Senate Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is not a healthcare bill, according to former President Barack Obama.

Obama said in a post on Facebook that the legislation unveiled on Thursday is instead a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America.

"The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a care bill," Obama wrote. "It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else."

Obama claimed the Senate Republican bill would "would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections, and ruin Medicaid as we know it."

The former president acknowledged that repealing and replacing Obamacare has become a core tenet of the GOP but argued that Republicans must accomplish more than simply undoing his signature domestic policy achievement.

"I still hope that there are enough Republicans in Congress who remember that public service is not about sport or notching a political win, that there's a reason we all chose to serve in the first place, and that hopefully, it's to make people's lives better, not worse," Obama wrote.

He added, "But right now, after eight years, the legislation rushed through the House and the Senate without public hearings or debate would do the opposite."

Obama urged Republicans and Democrats to compromise to fix the problems with Obamacare, which he acknowledged is not perfect.

"I believe that's what people want to see. I believe it would demonstrate the kind of leadership that appeals to Americans across party lines," Obama said.

Obama concluded his post by urging Americans concerned about the impact of the GOP plan to call their members of Congress and visit their offices.

The post by Obama comes after Senate Republicans revealed the draft of a bill that would repeal Obamacare's individual and employer mandates as well as the law's taxes on the wealthy, insurers and others while slashing federal funding for Medicaid.

Democrats were quick to attack the proposed legislation, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claiming the bill strips protections away from the people who need them most in order to give a tax break to those who need it least.

Some Republicans also expressed dissatisfaction with the bill, as Senators Ted Cruz, R-Tex., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Mike Lee , R-Utah, and Rand Paul, R-Ken., issued a joint statement saying they cannot support the plan in its current form.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., has little margin for error with the bill, as he can only afford to lose the support of two Republicans and still pass the legislation.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Dutch English

Press Release

Regulated Information

Brussels, 23 June 2017, 18h00 CET

VGP NV raises  75 million with bond issue after the first day

VGP announces that the public offer in Belgium for a retail bond has been closed, in consultation with the Lead Manager, KBC Bank NV, after the first day of the subscription period because the maximum amount of  75 million was largely achieved.

The Lead Manager received a total amount of subscriptions that is more than 3.5 times higher than the maximum issue amount expected of  75 million. For this reason, subscriptions will be reduced accordingly. The investors will receive more information in this regard via their financial intermediary.

The bonds will be issued on 6 July 2017 and will be admitted to trading on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels.

More information on this public offer is set forth in the prospectus published by VGP NV on 21 June 2017 and as approved by the Financial Services and Markets Authority ("FSMA") on 20 June 2017 and available at www.vgpparks.eu and www.kbc.be/vgp.

For more information

Mr Jan Van Geet Mr Dirk Stoop CEO CFO Tel. + 420 602 404 790 Tel.+32 2 719 00 45 E-mail:jan.van.geet@vgpparks.eu E-mail: dirk.stoop@vgpparks.eu
Reston, Va., June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellis, a leading provider of operational support and risk management services, announced today that it has acquired American K9 Detection Services, LLC (AMK9). The acquisition of AMK9, a leader in K-9 security services, sales and training around the world, significantly enhances Constellis capability to train and deploy K-9 teams globally.

As part of the transaction, ITC Capital Partners, AMK9s former owner, has exited its stake in AMK9. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Constellis financed the acquisition with incremental 1st lien term loan borrowings under Constellis existing credit facility.

The transaction brings together the leader in K-9 detection services with one of the industrys premier safety and risk management providers serving a broad range of customers, including U.S. government agencies (notably the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy), foreign governments, NGOs and a diverse mix of blue-chip commercial entities. Additionally, the deal furthers Constellis ongoing strategies to diversify its service lines and to vertically integrate. Constellis will be able to leverage the combined entitys scale, training facilities, shared best practices and financial resources to continue to offer its customer base competitive pricing while utilizing the industrys most revered compliance programs.

Headquartered in West Point, Georgia, AMK9 has more than 300 employees operating across the U.S., the Middle East and Africa. AMK9 has an established track record of providing Contract Working Dog (CWD) teams to protect federal facilities, personnel and assets, having worked with the U.S. military to develop and implement industry standards for CWD teams. The company offers turn-key program management solutions to supplement government agencies and multi-national corporations in high-risk environments across the globe.

AMK9s well-respected brand and exceptional past performance bring tremendous value to our combined offering, said Jason DeYonker, Chief Executive Officer of Constellis. The acquisition of AMK9 allows us to diversify our training service line while also enhancing our ability to provide our customers with the best full-service solution at a competitive price.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside the control of the Company. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely, in terms of quantum and timing, from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason except as may be required by law.

About Constellis

Constellis is the leading provider of risk management, humanitarian, technology and operational support services to government and commercial clients worldwide. From life support, procurement, operations and maintenance to training, UAV systems, global tracking technology and crisis response mitigation, we help our clients secure success, no matter their location. Committed to upholding the highest standards of compliance, quality and integrity, Constellis leverages its highly skilled employees dedication and passion for creating a safer world. With diverse and knowledgeable capabilities that includes state-of-the-art training facilities and a global network of business partners, we quickly deliver tailored, cost-effective and innovative services to our clients. Constellis employs more than 17,000 personnel in approximately 40 countries, spanning five continents, in the most challenging environments around the world. For more information, visit www.constellis.com.

About AMK9

AMK9 has become the world-class leader in K-9 security services, sales, and training, offering industry-intelligent expertise for law enforcement, government agencies, commercial customers, K-9 training, and the latest in K-9 science and technology. AMK9 is committed to the most humane operating policies, while offering the best in K-9 security in a world that demands effective and flexible solutions. The company selects, trains, and deploys the best working dogs, while also offering first-class handler courses, and specialized K-9 Security Teams. The company also offers K-9 utilization and integration training and management programs, which are custom tailored and designed specifically for security organizations and agencies that would like to incorporate a K-9 detection component into their existing structure. Based on its tried and true methods for operational expertise, AMK9 provides the guidance necessary to effectively incorporate K-9 detection and maximize security potential. The company was founded in 2003 and developed and implemented military standard and certification processes for contracted K-9 teams in 2005. For more information, visit www.amk9.com.

About Apollo

Constellis is a portfolio company of certain funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, Apollo), a leading global alternative investment manager with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, Bethesda, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Apollo had assets under management of approximately $197 billion as of March 31, 2017 in private equity, credit and real estate funds invested across a core group of nine industries where Apollo has considerable knowledge and resources. For more information about Apollo, please visit www.agm.com.

About ITC Capital Partners

ITC Capital Partners, LLC is a privately held, entrepreneurial investment firm that was formed based upon the successful investment history of the ITC Holding Company, LLC, which was founded in 1896. ITC Capital Partners, LLC invests in entrepreneurs whose ideas and values are consistent with those of our founders. For more information, please visit www.itccap.com.

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Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3092f78b-7491-4a20-ba1c-c737744a37fd
By SA Commercial Prop News

Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, Cape Regional Executive, Richard Thomas said their decision to partner with the two motor vehicle entities was because of a proven track records, quality and strength of management.



Eastern Cape's Beacon Bay is sitting on development projects for two separate motor vehicle showrooms, after Nedbank Corporate Property Finance approved finance agreements totalling R31.5 million, which reflects tremendous confidence in the future of the province.

The deal involves a R24.5 million loan to the 5 Langenhoven Road Trust and R7 million in funding to the Edcot Trust for the construction of new showrooms for General Motors Commercial and Suzuki Motors Retail, respectively.

The commercial property funding deal is seen by industry analysts as a show of confidence in the potential for a sustainable economic recovery in the Eastern Cape region.

Nedbank Corporate Property Finance Cape Regional Executive, Richard Thomas said their decision to partner with the two motor vehicle entities was because of a proven track records, quality and strength of management, as well as clear signs of economic recovery potential that are beginning to emerge in East London and the Eastern Cape region as a whole.

Vehicle manufacturing and sales are key drivers of the economy in the Eastern Cape and these significant investments by leading industry players, into both the retail and commercial vehicle sectors in the region mirror the growing sense of optimism that is becoming evident across its economic sectors, explains Thomas.

He also points to the steady, albeit gradual, improvement in employment figures in the province (up 2.6% year on year for Q1 2013*) combined with the obvious commitment by the public and private sector to ensuring sustainable economic growth in the region as important factors in the banks decision to get behind these types of property developments that will undoubtedly bolster the entire vehicle sales industry.



While the overall economy in East London remains under pressure, there are sectors that are showing positive growth signs, not least of which are public sector employment, retail industries that cater primarily to the basic needs of previously disadvantaged individuals and communities, and vehicle manufacturing and sales. In addition, the 2030 Vision currently being developed for the region by the Eastern Cape Planning Commission will provide significant support for the continued growth across these and other sectors, by addressing poverty and creating a platform for job creation.



Against this backdrop, Thomas is confident that the relative strength of the motor vehicle sector, despite challenging economic conditions in recent years, has the real potential to evolve into sustainable industry growth, and states that Nedbank is committed to enabling and facilitating such growth.



Nedbank Corporate Property Finances leadership position in the South African property market is a direct result of our commitment to going beyond mere finance provision and ensuring that we are dependable business partners to our clients and committed stakeholders in the economic and social development of our country. Our support of East Londons vehicle industry demonstrates this commitment to investment that creates opportunities for all, concludes Thomas.
Dalradian Announces Results of its 2017 Meeting of Shareholders

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired - June 23, 2017) - Dalradian Resources Inc. (TSX: DNA/AIM: DALR) ("Dalradian" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its 2017 annual meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") held today in Toronto, Ontario.

At the Meeting, all director nominees listed in the Company's management information circular dated May 12, 2017 were elected as directors of the Company. The detailed results of the vote by ballot are as follows:

Director Vote Type Number of Votes Percentage of Votes James E. Rutherford For

Withheld 139,161,643

303,612 99.78%

0.22% Dr. Nicole Adshead-Bell For

Withheld 139,129,743

335,512 99.76%

0.24% Patrick F. N. Anderson For

Withheld 139,147,343

317,912 99.77%

0.23% Patrick G. Downey For

Withheld 139,056,258

408,997 99.71%

0.29% Ronald P. Gagel For

Withheld 139,135,143

330,112 99.76%

0.24% Thomas J. Obradovich For

Withheld 139,161,043

304,212 99.78%

0.22% Sean E.O. Roosen For

Withheld 132,264,270

7,200,985 94.84%

5.16% Jonathan Rubenstein For

Withheld 138,650,755

814,500 99.42%

0.58%

In addition, at the Meeting, shareholders reappointed KPMG LLP, Chartered Accountants, as auditors of the Company. The formal report on voting results with respect to all matters voted upon at the Meeting will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Annual Meeting Presentation can be found on the Company's website at http://www.dalradian.com/investor-centre/investor-briefcase/default.aspx

About Dalradian Resources Inc.

Dalradian Resources Inc. is a gold exploration and development company that is focused on advancing its high-grade Curraghinalt Gold Project located in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

For more information:

Marla Gale

Vice President Communications

+1 416 583 5600

investor@dalradian.com

Grant Thornton UK LLP (Nominated Adviser)

Philip Secrett / Richard Tonthat/Harrison Clarke

+44 (0)20 7383 5100

Canaccord Genuity Limited (Broker)

Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / Martin Davison

+44 (0)20 7523 8000

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the future financial or operating performance of the Company and its subsidiaries and its mineral project, the future price of metals, test work and confirming results from work performed to date, the estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital, operating and exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, costs and timing of future exploration, requirements for additional capital, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, limitations of insurance coverage, the timing and possible outcome of pending regulatory matters and the realization of the expected economics of the Curraghinalt gold deposit. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and are based on various assumptions such as the continued political stability in Northern Ireland, that permits required for Dalradian's operations will be obtained on a timely basis in order to permit Dalradian to proceed on schedule with its planned exploration and development programs, that skilled personnel and contractors will be available as Dalradian's operations continue to grow, that the price of gold will be at levels that render Dalradian's mineral project economic, that the Company will be able to continue raising the necessary capital to finance its operations and realize on mineral resource estimates and current mine plans, that the assumptions contained in the Company's Preliminary Economic Assessment are accurate and complete, that results from the infill drilling program continue to be positive, that the mineral resource update is positive, that the results of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and the Feasibility Study will be positive and that a permitting application for mine construction will be approved.

Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Dalradian to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward looking statements. Such factors include, among others, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current and future exploration activities; the actual results of reclamation activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; meeting various expected cost estimates; changes in project parameters and/or economic assessments as plans continue to be refined; future prices of metals; possible variations of mineral grade or recovery rates; the risk that actual costs may exceed estimated costs; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements.
Dear Editor,

At the beginning of the month the country was informed of a man sentenced to jail for 16 years for the rape of a young woman during the 2016 Independence Holiday. It brings chills to me every time I think of this.

I am here to share that this man was seen near a school just this week, with the escort of the police from the jail taking him there.

Why would we allow a man, who raped a young woman to be around our youth? Seriously? Lets face it.

Living in Samoa we hear of corruption within the jail system.

Prisoners who should be jailed, being allowed freedom to stretch their legs even if for an hour or more. It shouldnt happen! This is how things escalate and get worst.

I understand the prison is full, overcrowded and not properly secured, but for a man who has been given a serious sentence of 16 years in jail for rape.

As well as for threatening to kill her if she spoke out - SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED OUT, especially around other girls.

The report from early June told the public that he had previous convictions and that this wasnt his first offense. He has a problem.

Why then Jail Officers would you allow this to happen?

I ask you, if your sister, daughter, or niece attended a school where this man visited during the day, instead of being in his jail cell paying the price for what he was convicted of, WOULD YOU FEEL SAFE?

I dont believe it is entirely the systems fault for this poor judgment, I do believe that it has a huge part to do with the mindset and way of thinking of these officers though.

Was it for money? Favors?

Apparently it wasnt because you love and respect your job to make a good decision with a dangerous individual.

Think about it please, before you allow him or any other seriously convicted individual to have a time out from prison.

He made the decisions that lead him to where he is now.

Let him stay there so he can learn from this.

Protect the public, protect our country, protect our children!

PLEASE, I beg of you!

T. Teine

#seriouslybotheredbythis
Unless the Lord builds the house, they who build it would labor in vain. So reminded the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo, on Wednesday.

He was speaking at the dedication of the new Pacific Immigration Directors Conference Secretariat relocated from Suva, Fiji to the 3rd floor of the Development Bank building in downtown Apia.

The Secretariat is co-funded by the governments of Australia and New Zealand at a cost of $230,000. And Ah Liki Construction won the tender to build it.

The government of Samoa provided assistance through the scoping mission for a suitable location, helping out with the tendering process and through signing the lease agreement which allows the Secretariat to operate rent free for three consecutive years.

In toasting the new secretariat, New Zealands High Commissioner in Samoa David Nicholson complimented the partnership and praised the crucial role of the P.I.D.C to the region.

Regional cooperation  and working together  is integral to developing and maintaining a secure, peaceful and prosperous Pacific, and the relationships we share  as Pacific neighbors  is the glue that binds the conversations the processes and the practices and the outcomes of a conference such as this together, he said.

On this note it also further strengthens the impact and benefits of the P.A.C.E.R Plus agreement, as signed off on last week.

The same sentiments were echoed by Australias High Commissioner in Samoa, Sue Langford.

Australia and New Zealand have been pleased to support the P.I.D.C since its establishment 20 years ago, she noted in her congratulatory speech.

Since 1996, the Secretariat has been at the forefront of the Pacific regions fight against immigration issues such as cybercrimes, drug and people smuggling, human trafficking, illegal fishing and organized crimes.

I wish the Secretariat all the best and I am sure having this space, as your new base will ensure the P.I.D.Cs future as an important and effective regional organization to serve a safe, secure and prosperous future for the region.

The dedication of the P.I.D.C Secretariat coincides with their 20th annual meeting which ended yesterday.
The family of Father Talipope Tuala of Leauvaa celebrated a milestone this week.

The occasion was the 25th year anniversary since he became a priest of the Catholic Congregation.

The celebration was held at the family home at Leauvaa where Fr. Talipope was joined by his brothers, sisters, relatives and church family.

The celebration started with a mass conducted by Father Dakito Fidow.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, Father Talipope told said he never thought that he would end up a priest.

I went through different schools when I was young, he said.

I started primary school here at Leauvaa and then I went to Chanel and then Wesley College but I finished school at the Seventh Day Adventist. I started working at one of the stores at Vaitele.

In 1985, I went to the Rome Seminary School until 1992 where I was appointed as a Priest in St Peter Basilica in Rome.

And it was there that my life as a priest started and I have never regretted it.

Why did he choose to become a Faith Missionary?

In the early 1980s, the Cardinal of the Church at the time travelled to Rome where he met some of the Missionaries of Faith there, said Fr. Talipope.

It was there that he was told that there is a need for youth from Samoa who want to travel to Rome to become priests.

So in 1985 we went to answer the call of God however there were only three of us who made it through.

Through those times what were some of the challenges that you faced?

There were a lot of challenges that I faced during those times but the number one challenge I had to overcome was physical challenge but I put God first through those times, he said.

And most of all I thought of my family back home who were praying for me to succeed during those times.

It was hard but I came out strong and won and overcame all those challenges in life. So 25 years Ive never regretted it because I offered my life to serve God.
Always searching for the next excursion, traveller Shoshana Robbins, aged 20 from Illinois, North America, chose Samoa as her latest destination.

I came to Samoa because I love to travel and experience new cultures, so I thought Samoa would be a fun one to immerse myself into, she said.

Samoa has been full of new opportunities for Shoshana, as she travelled down to the South Coast of Upolu to see the Waterfalls of Sopoaga.

Overawed she added, The falls were breath taking. I dont think Ive ever seen something more beautiful. I was in amazement the whole time and could not believe they were real.

Samoa is abundant with natural wonders, from waterfalls, exotic beaches and cool cave pools, to blow holes and rocky mountain ranges.

Tourists are often shocked at the wide range of scenery on show in Samoa.

The picturesque views arent the only thing that has shocked Shoshana.

The slower pace of life has also come as a great surprise.

Life in Samoa is very different from life back in America. It took some time adapting to how slowly things move around here because back home everything moves so quickly, she said.

She added, that the change has enhanced her experience of the island.

Ive found its a nice change in pace as Im actually able to enjoy everything to its fullest.

Perpetual traveller, Shoshana spent last summer in Thailand, and will be here in Samoa for a month in total.

Sadly Im already two weeks in, she is enjoying her trip, but it seems to be going much too fast.

Staying in local accommodation with a family, is something Shoshana would definitely recommend as they have created a home from home.

My accommodation is wonderful. The family has been nothing but welcoming, which is nice since I am so far away from home. They have made adjusting to Samoan life much easier and I am so grateful to have them.

This weekend Shoshana and some friends she has made here on the island, plan to take the ferry to Savaii in search of a more traditional Samoan experience and endless sunny beaches.
Steven and Vanessa Smith, both in their 50s, have come to enjoy a three-week stay in Samoa.

Taking advantage of their daughters work placement here on the island, they have travelled to visit her and indulge in local culture simultaneously.

Originally from Brisbane, the couple undertook the four and a half hour flight into the tropical island. Since which, they have explored extensively.

The Robert Louis Stevenson walk through the mountains, they found particularly impressive.

The mountainous route has some lovely views says Vanessa.

The black sand beach of Aganoa also made a positive impression. The exotic beach is the perfect place to watch the sun set after a long day of mountain walking.

Steven described it as clear and quiet.

To Sua trench never fails to impress, despite heavy rains, the couple still enjoyed the Samoan wonder.

The beautiful island is reflected in its art work. Vanessa remarked on the wonderful art studios dotted around the island, in which you can find local art work and an array of styles to suit everyones preferences.

The art work also provides an insight into the local culture and traditions of the Samoan people.

They took advantage of their proximity to Savaii, going for one week during their trip. Samoa is often described as paradise, but seems to be even more so with Savaii. There is less commercialisation, thus providing a very authentic and unblemished environment that will undoubtedly have tourists coming back.

The very friendly people are also a key element of what makes Samoa the place to be!

Steven and Vanessa are off to the Apollo Cinema in Apia, to enjoy the cool air conditioning.
Miami Beach, FL, June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Incoming US Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Mayor Mitch Landrieu, outgoing USCM President Mayor Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City and host-city Mayor Philip Levine of Miami Beach, will join mayors from across the country to unveil Leadership for America: Mayors Agenda for the Future , a bipartisan policy agenda and a prescription for leadership that will ensure the safety and security of our communities, fix our crumbling infrastructure, expand our workforce to drive economic growth, and create equitable communities to increase opportunity for all.

Immediately following, 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton will address the conferences annual luncheon to talk about the importance of city livability and the great work mayors across the country are doing to make their hometowns more equitable places to live.

The four-day gathering will culminate with the election of Mayor Landrieu as USCMs president. Mayors will be joined by other national leaders, including former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of NYC, as well as Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, OH, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Mayor Stephen Benjamin of Columbia, SC and Mayor Catherine Pugh of Baltimore, as well as business, law enforcement, infrastructure and resilience, media, labor and education leaders affiliated with both parties and members of the Trump administration.

SATURDAY, JUNE 24

9:15am - 11:00am:

Opening Plenary Session: Remarks by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio

Location: Fontainebleau Sparkle Ballroom, Lobby Upper Level

11:15am  11:45am:

**Press Conference Outlining Leadership for America: Mayors Agenda for the Future ** led by incoming USCM President Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans and members of the New Agenda Task Force

Location: Fontainebleau Ocean Promenade West

12:30pm - 2:15pm:

Annual Luncheon: A Celebration of City Livability with Remarks from Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

A Celebration of City Livability - The Thirty-Eighth Annual City Livability Awards Presentation honoring mayors for exemplary leadership and achievement in developing programs that enhance the livability of Americas cities.

Location: Fontainebleau Sparkle Ballroom, Upper Lobby Level

2:30/2:45 pm or immediately following President Clintons Remarks

**Press Conference to Rally Support for Climate Action in Cities across America** with Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles; Marty Walsh, Mayor of Boston; Tomas Regalado, Mayor of Miami; and Climate mayors from cities across America

Location: Fontainebleau Ocean Promenade West

PRESS GUIDANCE FOR USCM 85 th ANNUAL MEETING

All business sessions are OPEN to the press unless otherwise indicated (EVENING EVENTS ARE CLOSED TO PRESS).

All press MUST register to attend the meeting here.

On-site registration at the Fontainebleau Hotel will also be available during the meeting. ONLY reporters with proper, up-to-date press credentials will be allowed access.

Note: all plenary sessions will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/usmayors/.

For planning purposes, a DRAFT AGENDA and list of PRE-REGISTERED MAYORS will be available at www.usmayors.org.

Event hashtag is #uscm2017

** UPDATED ** PRESS GUIDANCE FOR PRESIDENT CLINTONS REMARKS:

Pre-Set: 10:30am - 11:00am ET

(This includes all TV cameras, tripods and cables. All cabling must be completed by this time.)

Press Equipment/Security Sweeps: 11:00am ET until complete

Early Access to Sparkle Ballroom on Upper Level of Fountainebleau Hotel: 12:30pm ET

Throw: 130 ft

Satellite trucks will require special permission from the hotel

For more information about USCMs 84rd Annual Conference, please visit www.usmayors.org/ .

About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/765baacc-363f-4b01-97ae-75e8b234161a
On the eve of a major address before a gathering of U.S. mayors, Airbnb released a report designed to showcase what it says is the companys delivery last year of $14 billion in economic output to cities around the country.

As the home sharing giant continues to navigate sometimes testy relationships with cities that are increasingly regulating short-term rentals, Airbnb is hoping to reinforce its position that it is bettering the lives of its part-time hosts and bolstering the economies of local jurisdictions.

Were using technology to connect people and empower people, Airbnb global policy chief Chris Lehane said Friday during a conference call with journalists, the day before he is scheduled to speak before the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami. Our hosts make 97 percent of the money they list their homes for. They are overwhelmingly middle-class people.

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Im not suggesting that Airbnb is the solution to economic inequality but its part of a broader solution. And were doing all this without a single taxpayer dollar.

The San Francisco-based start-up, now a presence in more than 190 countries, claims in its latest report to have supported 130,000 jobs in U.S. cities last year and expects that number could rise to half a million by 2020.

Between San Diego and Los Angeles alone, Airbnb supported nearly 20,000 jobs last year, the report notes. On top of that, Airbnb hosts and guests have helped contribute $1.2 billion in economic impact in Los Angeles in 2016, including spending at local shops and restaurants, and $420 million in San Diego.

Both cities have been wrestling for some time with how to formally regulate Airbnb-style rentals amid arguments from critics that the growth of the home sharing site is disrupting single family neighborhoods with mini hotels and pulling much-needed housing off the market.

Elected leaders in San Diego and Los Angeles so far have been unable to reach a consensus on what sort of restrictions, if any, should be imposed on home sharing.

In an effort to better ingratiate itself with local governments, Airbnb has brokered agreements with some 250 jurisdictions across the U.S. to collect hotel and tourist taxes on behalf of the hosts and remit them to their respective cities, Lehane noted.

Some cities, like New Orleans, would like to use Airbnb rentals as a vehicle for driving tourism to less visited neighborhoods, Lehane said.

He acknowledged that others, like San Francisco, which want to preserve as much housing as possible for long-term rentals, have clamped down on home sharing. In San Francisco, rules have been enacted that require hosts to be permanent residents, and whole-home rentals have been capped at no more than 90 days a year.

Some cities, understandably, really want to focus on doing all they can to have as many houses as possible and dont want vacation rental activity, so we provide tools so they can dial down or dial up vacation rental activity,

More recently, Airbnb has announced what its calling economic empowerment initiatives, which include setting a goal of doubling the size of its hosts in urban majority-minority communities and underserved areas around the US over the next two years.

By Labor Day, it plans to announce the start of its Living Wage Pledge, where hosts can let guests know that theyre paying the people who clean their listings at least $15 per hour. Airbnb, which already pays its own employees that much, is pledging, by 2020, that all contractors and vendors whose workers provide a substantial amount of work to Airbnb in the US will be paid an hourly wage of at least $15.

Airbnbs renewed effort to promote itself as an economic powerhouse for the good of the country comes as it is fighting an increasingly vitriolic battle with the hotel industry. The industrys trade group has sought to portray the company as a vehicle for the operation of illegal hotels in residential neighborhoods, claiming that its hosts are not subject to the same health and safety regulations hotels must abide by.

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Airbnb accuses hotels of price-gouging

Hotel industry study slams Airbnb

The company recently returned fire with a report documenting what it claimed was price gouging by hotels during the Memorial Day weekend. Both Airbnb and the American Hotel & Lodging Association are listed as sponsors of the mayoral gathering this weekend.

Airbnb, which has recently been encouraging its hosts to behave more like hoteliers, is said to be getting ready to test out a new premium program that would offer guests rooms and homes that have been formally inspected by Airbnb and meet a set of defined criteria, according to a report published this week by Bloomberg.

The company so far has declined to comment on the pilot project, but Lehane on Friday noted that Airbnb earlier this year purchased Montreal-based Luxury Retreats International, which caters to those seeking higher-end vacation rentals.

As weve grown and expanded, we obviously have an enormous amount of diversity on our platform, he said. People like the idea of getting multiple bedrooms, washer dryers, free WiFi, a pool, a yard. So one of the really interesting trends were seeing there is people really do want that authenticity and were trying to make sure with that authenticity, people are getting great quality.

Business

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
With music, a bounce house and a barbecue lunch, Oceanside officials invited residents to enjoy a family meal at Balderrama Park on Thursday and learn about free lunches offered this summer.

The park is one of a number of locations across the region where kids can get a free lunch, and sometimes other meals, during the months that school is out.

The Oceanside program  sponsored by the city, the Oceanside Unified School District and the San Diego Hunger Coalition  is designed to fill the gap in food aid that appears over summer break, when kids are no longer eating lunch at the school cafeteria.

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In summer its a burden on working families to pay for extra food, said Anahid Brakke, executive director of the Hunger Coalition.

The lunches are part of countywide effort to fight summer food insecurity and are being offered at schools and other sites in Vista, Escondido, San Diego and elsewhere. Vista hosted a kickoff event Tuesday, while San Diego held a picnic featuring circus performers on Wednesday.

About 63 percent of Oceanside students qualify for free or reduced meals at school, said Naomi Shadwell, director of Nutrition Services for Oceanside Unified. When school gets out, that can strain familys grocery budgets.

They lose access to those meals over the summer, Shadwell said. Its our mission to provide for healthy meals for the summer, so they dont go hungry.

The district will continue to serve food at campuses that offer summer sessions, and meals will also be available at community sites including Balderrama Park, Libby Park, Fireside Park, the Crown Heights Resource Center and the city library, she said. All the meal sites are open to any children under 18, and no enrollment or registration is required, she said.

By providing meals at central sites, it makes it easier for parents to bring kids for lunch, and to coordinate the meal with other activities, such as summer reading programs at the library, Brakke said.

For $4, parents can also purchase a lunch to eat with their children, officials said. The Oceanside effort got a boost from a $20,000 award from the National League of Cities, which covered startup costs for the food distribution program.

In past years, the Oceanside district has provided about 2,500 to 3,000 summer meals per day, Shadwell said, a drop from the 12,000 served on a typical school day. Thursdays picnic was designed to make more families aware of the service.

Officials dished out burgers, chicken, corn on the cob, melon slices and baby carrots to hundreds of participants, some of whom said they expected to come back over the summer.

I would plan to come, said Sabrina Arellano, who attended with her 8-year-old son. So far it looks pretty awesome.

Cynthia Correa said she was happy to learn about the lunches available for her children.

This is the first time Ive been here, she said. It seems fun and very helpful.

As picnickers ate lunch, a DJ played pop music. Booths for Covered California and Vista Community Clinic offered healthcare information, and representatives of California Fresh and the Women, Infants and Children program advised visitors on applying for food assistance.

Meanwhile, volunteers for Feeding San Diego handed out boxes of fresh potatoes and carrots the size of rolling pins.

City Councilman Chuck Lowery said he also hopes the meal programs can reestablish the parks as community spaces, and reduce the hold of local gangs on the areas.

Brakke, the Hunger Coalition executive, said theres reason for that optimism.

Just the fact of (people) being here for a month and a half over summer serving lunch means that there is a greater (community) presence here, she said.

To search for free lunch sites in your neighborhood, text the word food or comida to 877-877, or call 2-1-1.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
For San Diegans, summer solstice means Mainly Mozart is in full swing. But in Europe, the longest day of the year signifies Midsummer celebrations.

Thursday evening at the Balboa Theatre, Mainly Mozart Festival director Michael Francis celebrated the solstice with a rare performance of Mendelssohns incidental music to Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. Call it Mostly Mendelssohn.

Much is made of Mozarts childhood gifts, but heres a confession from this lifelong Mozart-lover: His first 200 or so works arent really that special, other than the fact that a boy composed them.

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Compare that with Mendelssohns Overture to A Midsummer Nights Dream, written when he was only 17. Its a confident masterpiece, the surprising result of a young man who had merely composed several dozen works. Its creative sonorities  the tissue-thin fairy music or the earthy braying of a donkey  had never been heard before. Even today, it takes its place among the 19th centurys finest overtures.

Eighteen years later, he wrote 13 more instrumental movements and songs to accompany Shakespeares play. Even if youve never been to a classical music event, youve heard the Wedding March, but likely not performed as well as the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra did. Fully sounded, cleanly articulated, Mendelssohns splendor was captured with aplomb by the musicians.

Elsewhere, they evinced enviable lightness or gorgeous lyricism. The selected movements sounded wonderful, with invaluable contributions from Philadelphia orchestra principals Jeffrey Khaner and Jennifer Montone on flute and horn respectively.

Soprano Sharleen Joynt and mezzo Julia Di Fiore charmingly sang Shakespeares lines, at times helped by the crisp ensemble and diction of the women of the San Diego Master Chorale. The choirs entrance from the back of the hall in the finale was a bit of inspired theatricality.

Eve Barnes was a captivating narrator, assuming several roles and providing welcome context for Mendelssohns score. Illustrations of scenes from the play were projected behind the musicians, setting appropriate moods.

Mozart was 19 when he composed his Violin Concerto no. 4 in D Major. Theres none of the precociousness of Mendelssohns Overture here, but what we do get is Mozart finding his own voice  memorable tunes cast in forms that delight with their invention, surprising contrasts that nevertheless return to D major sunshine. There may not be the sublime poetry of the piano and clarinet concertos Mozart would write in his 30s, but the musical grace and wit in this violin concerto could only come from the pen of one composer.

The violin sections of the Festival orchestra are stuffed with concertmasters, any one of whom could have played the concerto. It takes a special soloist to front a group like that, which Francis had in the easy virtuosity of Augustin Hadelich. Throughout his range, his tone was lovely and assured; difficult passagework seemed as straightforward as scales are to mere mortals.

The technical challenges of Mozarts concerto may not be apparent to listeners, but in Ravels Tzigane the solo part was designed to dazzle audiences.

Hadelich played Ravels octave double-stops completely in tune. Runs and rapid pizzicato flung out from his Stradivarius with precision and fire. It was jaw-dropping virtuosity, impressively accompanied by Francis and his musicians, who had to accelerate over and over again, always in sync and supportive of Hadelich.

If there were still any doubts of Hadelichs superhuman violin skills, they were discarded during his encore of Paganinis fiendishly troublesome Caprice no. 17, a finger-twister that Hadelich made sound as easy as a nursery tune.

Hertzog is a freelance writer.
Few people made as indelible a mark on San Diegos arts and cultural scene for as long as Danah Fayman, who died June 18 at her San Diego home at the Meridian downtown.

Fayman was 97 and had been diagnosed with Alzheimers in January. She had been in a wheelchair for the past five years, although this did not prevent her from remaining active or diminish her devotion to the city she called home for the past 63 years.

For nearly two-thirds of her life, Fayman provided consistently generous support to numerous arts, civic and educational causes here, as well as to struggling and established artists alike. A tireless philanthropist, she gave an estimated $1.3 million in the last two years alone to an array of area arts organizations and artists.

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Danah was a beacon of support for progressive art in San Diego. She was a giant in our cultural community, said Sam Woodhouse, the artistic director and co-founder of the San Diego Repertory Theatre.

She was one of the most curious, inclusive and enlightened donors and patrons Ive known. Because she just felt, in her core, that a vibrant contemporary artistic community was essential to the health of the city.

Those sentiments were seconded by Mary Berend, Faymans neighbor at the Meridian from 1986 to 1998.

There should be more people like Danah  really generous, big-hearted human beings, Berend said.

I remember when she sold one of Hans Hofmanns paintings for something like $800,000, which was a lot back then, and she put that money right back into the community. She was so supportive of the arts.

Keen instincts and a desire to help

A proudly liberal Democrat, Fayman was guided by her keen aesthetic instincts and her constant desire to better her community. The results have been visible for decades, in large and small ways, across San Diego.

She continued giving, right up until the end. She gave $600,000 last year, and $700,000 the year before, to about a dozen arts organizations and artists, said her son Corey, the former keyboardist in the San Diego rock band Bad Dog.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has two galleries  one each at its La Jolla and downtown locations  named in her honor.

Fayman had served as the board vice president and president of the museum, for which she previously had worked as director of public relations. The museums Gordon Gray Gallery has prominently featured Robert Rauschenbergs 1971 silkscreen and photograph on mirror backing, Star Quarters I, II, III & IV, which Fayman donated to the museum.

Danah was a true advocate for the arts in San Diego. Her dedication was infectious and her generosity deep, said Kathryn Kanjo, the David C. Copley Director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. She supported very adventurous art, bought it, lived with it, donated it. I emphasize the visual arts, but she also strongly supported dance in all its forms. Of course, her late husband, Lynn, was an experimental photographer and her son, Bruce, is an artist as well.

Devout and devoted

A devout Christian Scientist, Fayman served on the boards for San Diego Youth Services; First Church of Christ, Scientist-San Diego; the Old Globe; the Jazz Society of Lower Southern California; Museum of Photographic Arts; La Jolla Country Day School; and California Confederation of the Arts. From 1980 to 1982, she was on the San Diego Mayors Crime Commission.

Fayman was also a lifetime member of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla and had chaired the local chapter of Partners for Livable Places. As the founder of San Diego Foundation for the Performing Arts, she began bringing internationally celebrated dance troupes here for performances in the 1980s.

Danah was the grand patron of the arts in San Diego, said retired La Jolla psychotherapist Betsy Rudee, who befriended Fayman in the 1970s. She kept a lot of arts organizations going here. And she had beautiful taste in clothes and a great sense of humor.

While Fayman was happy to lend her financial support to worthy arts and civic organizations, she didnt hesitate to also devote her time to causes near and dear to her. Those causes included San Diego Youth Services, whose board she served on from 1997 until 2006.

Danah was very active and engaged with youth, said Walter Philips, the CEO of San Diego Youth Services. One of the things I really appreciated was that not only was she giving of resources, but she really connected with young people and actually mentored some of our youth board members.

She was one of the sweetest ladies Ive ever known and treated everybody with equal dignity and respect. She was very unassuming and humble.

Not interested in seeking public office

Danah Hesser Fayman was born Sept. 6, 1919, in New York City and was a graduate of Illinois Principia Junior College and New Yorks Katharine Gibbs School. Her first husband, Ralph Lincoln Colby, died in 1954, after contracting cancer from radioactive exposure. She then moved with her four children to La Jolla, where her recently widowed father lived.

In 1957, Fayman earned a degree in journalism from San Diego State University and went on to work as a freelance writer for The San Diego Union. Also in 1957, she married her second husband, noted experimental photographer Lynn Fayman, after they were introduced by her father.

After Lynn Fayman died of a heart attack in 1968, Danah devoted herself to raising her family  and the arts.

I couldnt be too introspective for too long, she said in a 1984 San Diego Union interview.

An avid French speaker, Fayman was already in her 80s when she traveled to France  alone  to further study the language. At public events in San Diego, she was comfortable in the spotlight, but did not seek it. She preferred to work behind the scenes to better the local arts and the San Diego community at large.

When, in the 1980s, she was encouraged by some local movers and shakers to consider becoming a mayoral candidate, Fayman politely declined.

Mom thought it over for a while, but decided it wasnt for her  in part, because of the attention it would have brought. She was not happy when the focus was on her, her son Corey recalled, adding: Mom took credit for some of her contributions, but she also gave quite a bit anonymously.

Danah Fayman is survived by her three daughters, Kate Colby, Ann Colby and Laura Colby, and three sons, Fred Colby and Corey and Bruce Fayman, as well as by five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A private memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, Faymans family suggests donations be made in her name to transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project or San Diego Repertory Theatre.

george.varga@sduniontribune.com

Twitter @georgevarga
The windows of Dea Hurstons high-rise condo frame sweeping views of San Diego, from Balboa Park to Coronado to the blue Pacific beyond.

And when Hurston purchased the place with her husband, Osborn, some 15 years ago, it took a full three weeks before she could bear to spend even one night so far above terra firma.

Now, though  her frights about heights vanquished  Hurston stands happily on the 15th-floor balcony, gazing out over a city whose cultural life she has become an integral part of as an artist mentor and patron.

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And these days, even as a playwright.

Hurstons venture into writing  her fourth play, In Sickness and In Health, just received a staged reading at Ion Theatre as part of Playwrights Projects Recollections program  would seem a natural outgrowth of her longtime involvement with the arts.

But its also more than that. Its a way for Hurston to reconnect with a love for creation and performance that was stoked during her Ohio childhood, and stymied by racial barriers.

Its a way to test her talents and comfort level  a means of pushing herself to go a little higher, as it were.

And its also a response to some difficult challenges Hurston has faced over the past decade or so, and continues to confront.

The immediate inspiration for In Sickness and in Health actually came from a wistfully funny remark that Osborn, her husband of 42 years, made one evening on the subject of aging.

Hurston adds with a laugh that Osborn wants to make sure everyone knows its not him in the play; the piece is about a married couple but is much more fiction than memoir.

The story follows the couple over the course of about 15 years, as they try to make peace with aging and, when problems arise, deal with them with sex and humor.

Both Hurstons have been deeply embedded in the arts community here for years, and it was actually Osborn  a longtime financial executive and L.A. native  who first became involved.

Hes a former president of the San Diego Performing Arts League and a onetime La Jolla Playhouse board member, and the family has donated money to numerous local cultural organizations over the years.

Dea Hurston was a city of San Diego arts commissioner for eight years, and served on nonprofit boards before that; she has helped support Moxie Theatre, San Diego Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe, Diversionary Theatre, Ion and numerous others.

It was while she was chairing an arts-awards ceremony 10 years ago this month that her life was altered massively in a single moment.

She took a fall from the stage during the presentation, blacking out and injuring her leg so badly that there were fears it might have to be amputated.

For years afterward, there was just so much pain that I couldnt do things that brought me joy, says Hurston. I couldnt read; I couldnt comprehend things. I couldnt retain things.

It really was a difficult time, and I denied being in depression.

That was when writing helped come to her rescue.

I was writing cards to people, because they were sending me flowers, she recalls. And I thought, I can do this. I had written when I was younger, and I started to return to it.

She was encouraged by such friends as the playwright Daniel Beaty (whose work The Tallest Tree in the Forest premiered at the Playhouse in 2013) and the San Diego actor-writer-comics Mark Christopher Lawrence and Phil Johnson.

I didnt have a life for a long time, Hurston says. But I saved my leg. And I got my life back. And the writing really helped.

It kind of took me full circle and made me realize how important writing was.

Still, there were more difficulties to come. An MRI that was conducted to examine her leg also revealed a tumor on her kidney. It was fortunate in that Hurston was able to receive early treatment for the renal cancer.

After five years of remission, though, it showed up in other parts of her body; Hurston is now undergoing treatment for the disease, which is at an advanced stage.

Still, as she chats on a recent weekday, she sounds optimistic and engaged, eager to talk about her life and work.

I feel pretty good, she says, sipping coffee and relaxing before she heads to an afternoon treatment. Im just tired.

Early lessons

Hurstons first memories of exposure to the arts were of singing in church in East Liverpool, Ohio, the small town where she was born to a dad who labored in the steel mills and a mom who was a domestic worker.

Im a child of the help, as she puts it.

She recalls that there were still segregated drinking fountains and bathrooms when she was growing up: I was actually in the second first-grade class to enter an integrated school system in Ohio, Hurston says.

But like every other little girl, I wanted to be Shirley Temple. I thought I should be tap-dancing next to that black man, the beloved Bill Bojangles Robinson.

We had one dance school in town, and my mother took me down there, and the woman said, Youre going to have to pay two months in advance. My mother saved up that money, and she took me again, and the woman said, Well, shes got to have her tap shoes and ballet shoes and tights, the whole thing.

So my mother did all that and took me back. And the woman said that of course I couldnt come because she couldnt accept a little colored girl in the school.

I remember just going back and sitting in the car with my mother. And that was the first time I remember seeing my mother cry. It was a lot for her to save that money.

Hurston adds: The fact I didnt have access, that never went away, Hurston adds.

Her determination to help other kids avoid the same kinds of disappointments helped spur the Hurstons early efforts in the arts.

Thats how we really started  making sure kids have access to the arts. Paying for buses so they could go somewhere, such as local museums.

That was the beginning, and it kind of grew from there.

She can trace her love for theater to a single, seminal evening when she saw her very first play, while a student at Concordia College in Minnesota.

It was a Guthrie Theater workshop production of Ntozake Shanges for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf.

They had all these women talking to me  to ME, Hurston says. Every single character had something to say that I related to. Every single one. And they had all these beautiful black women onstage who were all different shades and colors and sizes.

It was just really, really amazing.

It was also in Minnesota that Dea met Osborn  when she was an employment headhunter and he was a job candidate with degrees from Stanford and UCLA.

I looked at his resume and said, OK, this is marriage material,  she says with a smile. So I flirted with him during the interview, and said, If I find you a job, will you marry me? And he said yes.

He claims he was just trying to find a job. I found him a job as my husband. The benefits are good. The pay is poor, but 

The two raised a son and daughter (now both grown) in San Diego after moving here in the early 1980s. Dea Hurston taught business at Crawford High School until her children were older.

After they left for college, she became involved in supporting the arts in earnest, starting with a La Jolla Playhouse outreach project to San Diegos African-American community.

And then it just turned out I could make things happen, she says.

Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, co-founder and soon to be former artistic director of the women-centered Moxie Theatre, says Hurstons support has gone far beyond helping fund the company.

Most people know how much Dea means to the arts community, but for me personally, she has been a supporter, a mentor and a light when I needed her most, Sonnenberg says.

She is funny and provocative, wise and caring. I am honored to have her counsel on everything from Moxie to motherhood. Knowing her is one of the greatest gifts in my life.

Hurston herself describes her role here in more modest, even businesslike terms.

This might sound funny, but I see what I do as a job. There are certain things that we always focus on. We try to support artists of color, female artists, and any group thats underrepresented.

That, and urging local arts groups to hire local artists when you can.

We believe our artists should be able to make a living here. That they shouldnt have to go to L.A. or New York or wherever to make a living.

Its still a fight. But thats what we believe, and what we work for.

Twitter: @jimhebert

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com
Spun up as a training command in 2014 and armed with increasingly advanced software to simulate combat at sea, Carrier Strike Group 15 toils to teach warships how to fight and win wars in the Pacific.

But it cant always overcome an ongoing global gap in American flattops.

In fact, the Navy might be forced to extend the planned tour for the carrier Nimitz and its escorts  the cruiser Princeton and destroyers Kidd, Shoup, Howard and Pinckney  to eight months, at least a month longer than expected.

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That was the message from the groups skipper, Rear Adm. Ross Myers, and his boss, Third Fleet commander Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, during a presentation in Point Loma before the San Diego Military Advisory Council on Thursday.

The day the Nimitz deployed, the discussion started about extending the Nimitz, said Tyson, referring to the carriers departure on June 5 from North Island for a deployment to the Indian Ocean.

As the commander of Third Fleet Forwards Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group from her headquarters in Point Loma, Tyson made the decision to prolong the flotillas tour of the Western Pacific by several weeks so it could act as a message of deterrence against missile testing by North Korea.

The Vinson, the cruiser Lake Champlain and the destroyer Wayne E. Meyer are slated to return to San Diego on Friday. Their deployment was initially scheduled to last only five months because the strike group is slated to return to sea in January, but rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula nixed that timeline.

Back in 2011 when Tyson commanded the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, the Navy deployed two flattops in the Persian Gulf.

Today, the waters off the Middle East and East Africa often go months without any flattops, a presence gap caused by a lack of adequate funding for a 12-carrier Navy, high demand for the warships worldwide, increasing maintenance delays for carriers between their deployments, and technological glitches with the newest carrier, the Virginia-based Gerald R. Ford, that postponed its arrival in the naval fleet.

In 2014, Navy leaders told the Pentagon and lawmakers that unless they accepted carrier gaps, they were going to break the force. The brass has scrambled since then to make a modified deployment schedule work, trying to keep flattops at sea for no longer than seven months per deployment.

The chronic lack of deployment-ready aircraft carriers ripples throughout the fleet. Extended deployments for flattops mean prolonging the tours of aircraft crews, cruisers, destroyers and submarines, too.

Whats helping Tyson and other fleet commanders mitigate the carrier crunch is a string of innovations in both technology and military organization during the past 13 years.

Rear Adm. Myers Carrier Strike Group 15 has deep roots in the modern Navy.

Formerly Carrier Division One, it was the first flattop formation in the United States when it was launched in late 1930 and its warships saw action in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

At other times, however, it served as a training group, honing the tactics of warships. Between 2004 and 2014, it was known as Strike Force Training Pacific and it certified for combat deployments carrier strike groups, amphibious readiness groups and surface ships that deployed independently.

It was resurrected as Carrier Strike Group 15 three years ago and Myers took the helm on June 17, 2016, with Tyson urging him to hike the intensity of training for all warships sailing into the Western Pacific.

For most warships, that means 30-day blocks of exercises, including an eight-day span of free play war games that are conducted without a script, much like the skippers would face in a real war against a near-peer rival like China or Russia.

The warships start hundreds of miles off the California coast and have one mission  get back to port.

At some point in time, youve got to pull back into San Diego. So fight your way back into San Diego, said Myers.

Increasingly, the scenarios play out as simulated combat on the warships display screens thanks to advanced software created by San Diego-based Cubic Global Defense and other developers. And those computer games save the Navy money because it reduces the need for OPFOR  opposition force  warships and aircraft and puts them back in the fleet for overseas deployments.

We dont have a hundred aircraft we can use, Tyson said. We dont have 20 cruisers. We dont have an opposing carrier strike group. We dont have 20 submarines that we can put out there that will really put these guys to the test.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
The Marine Corps on Thursday grounded its F-35B Joint Strike Fighters in Arizona after discovering glitches in the jets computerized logistics system.

The decision to temporarily suspend operations of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 at the Corps air station in Yuma stemmed from problems with the Autonomic Logistics Information System, or ALIS, the technological backbone of the F-35B program.

ALIS transmits details about a jets mechanical condition to the ground-based computer system, automatically scheduling maintenance for the aircraft and contacting vendors worldwide to stock needed parts.

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Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, made the call to suspend flights for Squadron 211 due to some anomalies with the latest ALIS 2.0.2 software upgrade, according to a statement given to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

There is nothing wrong with the performance or safety of the aircraft itself, but it is imperative that we ensure the ground-based ALIS system is working properly before operations continue, the statement said.

Engineers from defense contractor Lockheed Martin and the Pentagons F-35 Joint Program Office have been asked to fix ALIS. The computer bugs do not affect other F-35 units, according to the Corps.

The Marines call to ground the F-35B came a day after the Air Force cleared its version of the fighter to fly again.

Flights had been grounded at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona after pilots developed symptoms of hypoxia  acute oxygen deprivation.

In lifting the suspension, Air Force and F-35 Joint Program Office leaders mandated that pilots avoid the altitudes at which they suffered hypoxia. They also promised that ground procedures will be modified to mitigate physiological risks to pilots, but did not specify the changes.

In a separate statement, Sen. John McCain, the Republican from Arizona who serves as chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee, expressed concerns with the F-35B problems. He vowed to remain in close communication with the Marine Corps and Joint Program Office as they work to identify the root cause of these issues and resolve them as quickly as possible.

Plagued by cost overruns and mechanical snafus, the $379 billion F-35 project for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps infamously became known in the Pentagon as acquisition malpractice.

In the past year, however, top military officials have insisted that most of the problems bedeviling the program have been fixed and that the most advanced strike fighter on the planet will become a mainstay in Americas jet fleet for at least a generation.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
Randy Rundle is an up-to-date man. His career in the technology industry makes the iPad an extension of his arm. He gets as many text messages as phone calls.

He can be found every weekend morning sweating at Crunch Fitness in El Cajon alongside a troop of grunting pals. Afterward, they head to a nearby McDonalds for coffee  at the senior rate, of course.

Perhaps hell be doing the same at age 100; thats only seven years distant.

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His daily regimen is low-level Schwarzeneggerian without the preening. I use the exerciser, the exercycle, the treadmill and a rowing machine. I spend about an hour and a half working out.

On weekends he relaxes with a lighter workout in the gym at his retirement complex.

The gym stuff is interesting, but theres a bigger part of Randy, one thats as old as loyalty, as steadfast as compassion, as durable as love.

Randy didnt back off when life told him to step up.

*

It was 2007. The children of 79-year-old Tess Rundle gathered around her hospice bed in the living room. At the center was Randy, her husband of 59 years. Hands reached out to touch her, the last chance to connect with the mother and wife who had glued their lives together.

And then it was over. Randy turned and went to the kitchen, where he could cry alone.

Tess struggle with Alzheimers disease had ended, as it did for Randy, because for more than 10 years he had made her struggle his own.

*

It seems like Randys mental sharpness stopped aging a couple of decades ago, if you dont count maybe losing track of the TV remote. Hes also a tough old bird, as his medical chart would bear out.

I thank the Lord he didnt give us three legs, he says, referring to zipper scars from two knee replacements. He also had a stroke in 1998 that partially froze the right side of his face and left him without hearing in one ear. Another stroke effect is a problem with balance, which puts him behind the handlebars of a walker for anything more than a few steps.

Can you believe him tackling a gym machine after pushing that walker aside? Well, believe it.

Randys doctor certainly will believe it. The last time he visited his cardiologist, it was a celebration.

They did an EKG. They took all the vital signs, and then the gal wrote everything down. When the doctor came in, he started reading, then said, Wow. Wow. Thats great. Ill see you next year. Keep doing whatever youre doing.

*

Its been a long trek from Reading, Pennsylvania for a fellow who remembers the hunger days of the Great Depression. His was a family of five children with a sick father and a mother who worked two jobs to keep them together.

Randy quit high school as a senior to take a job to help out. He made $10 per week and gave $8 to his mother.

He joined the Marines in 1942 and was part of the battle of Okinawa, and then the Korean War. Randy worked on radar when it was mainly a mystery. He retired after 25 year, having achieved the rank of chief warrant officer, and went to work for Ryan Aeronautics in San Diego. One of his projects was flying reconnaissance drones off the coast of China that eavesdropped on radio traffic. That was in the mid-70s.

In final retirement, he was active in civic work, especially for Kiwanis, the Home of Guiding Hands and Rady Childrens Hospital.

He says he doesnt read much these days, but listens to a lot of classical music.

Who do you most enjoy?

Beethoven.

Youre a man of discernment. Are you a religious man?

Not overly, but I believe. I believe in Jesus Christ. Of course, I think that makes you a Christian.

Thats the price of admission, as I understand it.

I enjoy other people more than I ever have. I no longer get angry with other people.

What turned that around?

I think Tess passing helped. I realized that people are not going to be with you forever, and youd better be nice to them when they are.

Ive got all the aches and pains that everybody has, he says without complaint. My back aches all the time. My knees hurt every once in a while, and I have to go to the bathroom more often than I think I should.

Growing old has more potential downsides than just sore joints.

All my sisters and brother have died, he says. Im the only one left. I dont know why. Its kind of scary in a way. You just keep thinking about, Why did they die and why didnt I? I dont know.

His four children all live reasonably close. Ive heard people say the bad thing about getting to a really advanced age is you start to outlive your children. I hope that doesnt happen, really.

Lets sweep all that background aside and look at what I  and I think he  would consider his most significant achievement.

*

Randys home is an independent-living studio in Rancho San Diego, a few blocks off state Route 94.

He sits at a small table in his unit and fingers a wedding ring on the small finger of his left hand. It was Tess. Now its his, just as is the memory of her.

For Tess, it started in her 60s. Little things, but they got larger.

She would definitely forget where she was sometimes and who she was with and shed call me Gloria or Alice or something like that. Id say, Remember when you did this? Shed say, No, I dont remember that. Maybe around 70, she knew she had it (Alzheimers) and she accepted it.

The pamphleteer Tom Paine wrote in 1776, These are the times that try mens souls. However, the words speak to grievous human challenges across all time  like Alzheimers in our day, with its maddening constant curses on peoples lives.

Randy says, I dont think I was ever angry at anything Tess did associated with the Alzheimers. I would get frustrated a little bit. Like for instance, shed have an accident in the bed in the middle of the night.

Id have to get up and get her out and dress her, redress her, wash her off and everything and then go and do all the clothes and change the bed linen. While youre doing that youre thinking, Why am I doing this? Then you feel guilty about thinking that.

Toward the end, at its worst, did you ever think: I wish this would be over?

Yes, I think I did. I dont think I ever wished that she was not alive, but I wished there was some way it could end.

But you knew that wasnt going to happen.

Well, in the back of your mind you do, yeah. But you still think about it once in a while. What it comes down to is youre tired. You get tired of living with this.

Did you consider a facility for her?

Well, a couple times my son and I went out and looked at places like that. But Id always walk away and say, No way. No way, were not going to do that. Im not going to put Tess in that room by herself.

Randy says its not the big crises that get to you, its the little things that dont seem so little at the time. Thats where you prove inner strength.

Oh yes, yes. I can remember when we would be going to go out, Id have to help her into her wheelchair, take her down to the car, sit her there and pull the car out a little bit so I could get her in the car. Put the wheelchair in the trunk, go around and get in the car to get ready to go, and shed say, I have to go to the bathroom. A time like that, it hits you because youve got to stop and do everything all over again. I never got mad, but I did think about it.

Wed be in a store. I remember one time we were in Costco in Santee and she said, Take me home. I got to go to the bathroom. I said, Well, we can go to the bathroom here. She said, No, I want to go home. Then I think, Why? Why cant she go to the bathroom here?

Did you go home?

Oh, sure. I always took her home.

You could have said, No, youre going to go here. Period.

I couldnt have done that.

What you did requires lots of patience.

No, it doesnt. No. I dont think so. Shes my wife. I love her.

Sounds like you had a good marriage.

I guess so, but that doesnt mean we didnt ever have problems, because we did. We actually separated a couple of times, but it didnt last. It was just like a night or two. Shed go home and stay with her family and then come back.

I think my son worded it pretty well: The only thing tougher than a Marine is a Marines wife.

*

At the end, the family was together.

I think her death was not that pleasant. She got the pneumonia and she couldnt swallow so she laid there. They were giving her morphine and trying to keep her comfortable. She laid in that room for 27 days without anything to eat or drink before she passed away.

We were right there with her and holding her hands, just touching her.

Having stood the caretaker love test gives Randy peace of mind and strengthens his perspective.

There are no tears or quavering voice as he says, Shes not gone. I have her wedding ring on my little finger, so shes not gone as far as Im concerned. Shes interred at Fort Rosecrans. I was going every Friday for a while, but after I got to where I wasnt driving anymore, that became almost impossible because to take the bus, trolley, bus, trolley, bus, bus. It was six hours from the time I left here until I got back.

Right now, my daughter, she takes me at least once a month, and we commiserate there. I usually say a little prayer to start with and then just think about things the way they were and tell her shes loved and missed.

Then I go over and look out at that beautiful bay and the ocean and think that Im going to spend my eternity here, and I think thats good.

*

Alzheimers slowly draws a black drape over the mind of its victim. The face of a loved one becomes a strangers. Memory teases, then disappears. All becomes lost.

All but love. Love parts the curtain. Maybe the words are lost, but the spirit, the warmth, those gets through, we have to believe. Theyre on a different wavelength.

The love we have in our youth is superficial compared to the love that an old man has for his old wife.  Will Durant

Fred Dickeys home page is freddickey.net. He believes every life is an adventure and welcomes ideas at freddickey1@gmail.com.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of smuggling backpacks he believed contained drugs across the border fence pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges.

Noe Lopez pleaded guilty to attempted distribution of methamphetamine and attempted distribution of cocaine. He faces a possible minimum sentence of 10 years for each of the two counts and up to a maximum of life in federal prison.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8 in federal court before U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw.

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Lopez, a 10-year Border Patrol veteran who worked out of the Imperial Beach station, was arrested Dec. 14 as a result of a two-month undercover sting.

According to court documents, Lopez struck up a friendship with a man he met at a party and later began communicating with through an online messaging app. During their conversations, Lopez bragged about how he could smuggle drugs left at strategic points along the border fence and told the man he would do it for a fee.

The man relayed this information to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and became a confidential source. He cooperated with authorities to help carry out two transactions with Lopez.

In October, Lopez took the man on a driving tour of the border fence to show the best locations where the drugs could be dropped, authorities said.

About a month later, Lopez told the confidential source that he would accept $500 per kilogram of methamphetamine and $1,000 per kilogram of cocaine he helped pick up and deliver into the United States, according to the FBI.

On Dec. 6 and 8, Lopez agreed to pick up backpacks at sites along the border fence while on duty, according to the complaint. Undercover agents placed the backpacks  loaded with fake drugs  at the sites.

Lopez then picked them up, transported them in his personal vehicle, and delivered them to the source after work.

The defendant pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Schopler.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
TORONTO, June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enwave USA, through affiliates of Enwave Energy Corporation ("Enwave"), is pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of district energy systems in Los Angeles, Portland and Las Vegas.



The Los Angeles system has chilled water capacity of 35,300 tons of cooling and a 7.8 mile distribution network, serving hotels, office buildings and residential towers in the Bunker Hill and Century City neighborhoods. Enwave also acquired two sizeable operation and maintenance contracts in Los Angeles as part of the transaction.

The Las Vegas system has a capacity of 187,600 pph of steam and 32,420 tons of cooling, serving one of the largest Resort-Hotel-Casinos on the main Las Vegas strip.

The Portland system has a chilled water capacity of 4,530 tons of cooling and a 2.5 mile distribution network, serving customers in the Brewery Blocks, a five-block shopping and professional district in downtown Portland.

Enwave has offered employment to all existing employees.

"The acquisition of these district energy systems allows Enwave to establish a presence in two attractive new markets, namely Los Angeles and Portland, while expanding our presence in Las Vegas," stated John Peri, Enwave President and CEO. "We are excited to continue delivering clean, reliable and cost competitive energy solutions to the customers in these markets and look forward to expanding these systems over time."

About Enwave

Enwave Energy Corporation, together with its affiliates, is a fully integrated, sustainable energy services provider owned by Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners, with operations in Toronto, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Seattle, Windsor, Los Angeles and Portland. In each community, Enwave operates highly efficient thermal energy plants that distribute steam, hot water and/or chilled water to customer buildings.
A security guard who was confronted and restrained by a plainclothes sheriffs detective on a residential street two years ago was acquitted Friday of all charges related to the 2015 incident.

Robert Branch III, 27, faced felony and misdemeanor charges including resisting an officer by force, attempting to spray the detective with pepper spray and failing to provide his drivers license and registration.

After deliberating about two days, a San Diego Superior Court jury announced Thursday evening that it had reached decisions in the case.

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The verdicts were read Friday morning.

Branch, seated next to his lawyer at the defense table, was visibly relieved when he heard the news. Outside the courtroom, his supporters greeted both him and the jurors with applause.

Its been a journey for me, Ive been going through so much, he told reporters. I can still feel my heart pounding.

He thanked the jury, and his lawyer Marc Kohnen, adding that he planned to go home and hug his 1-year-old daughter.

Im just happy the jury saw it the same way we have all along, Kohnen said.

I dont want to take any credit because the facts were the facts, and Mr. Branch had unreasonable force used upon his person, the attorney continued. Im just glad we were able to present it in a format that resonated with the jury.

The incident occurred May 4, 2015, when both men were driving west on Interstate 8. Branch was driving a gold Infiniti sedan. Detective Paul Ward was in an unmarked Ford Fusion.

According to evidence presented in trial, Branch sped past Ward in the fast lane, even driving onto the shoulder of the road.

The two cars continued driving along I-8, until Ward noticed the Infiniti getting off the freeway at the College Avenue exit. Eventually, both cars ended up on Lambda Drive in the Del Cerro neighborhood.

Ward, who has more than 27 years experience in law enforcement, got out of his car and approached Branch. He identified himself as a sheriffs detective and displayed his badge. (The defense argued that Ward was too far away for Branch to see it clearly.)

The detective could see that Branch was wearing a black tactical vest with the word security on it, and decided to do a pat-down search to look for weapons.

Branch, who had his drivers license in his hand, went back into his car to retrieve his cellphone and began recording their interaction. Branch can be heard in the video saying that the detective was off duty and Branch didnt have to comply with his orders.

(Ward was on duty, but would have had the same authority to question or detain him if he was off duty, the prosecutor said.)

About 12 seconds after the video starts, Ward puts Branch in what the prosecutor referred to as a carotid restraint, which law enforcement officers are permitted to use to subdue a suspect.

The defense lawyer described it as an illegal arm-bar chokehold, noting the position of the detectives arm around Branchs neck as shown in the video.

Branch is rendered unconscious for a few seconds and drops the phone, but it continues recording sound.

Sheriffs Department, can you call the police please, Ward says to a bystander.

Branch also speaks to the bystander, telling him: Call the police right now!

The two men continue to struggle, with Branch saying: This is not detained. This is abuse Get off my neck. Youre choking me right now!

And later, Im going to spray you if you dont let go.

The bystander called police, who arrived moments later.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon had argued that the situation would not have escalated if Branch had complied with the detectives orders and immediately handed over his license and registration.

But Kohnen contended the detective did not follow his training when he failed to call for a uniformed officer to respond to the situation after following Branch on the freeway for nearly 10 miles.

When Branch realized what was happening, the attorney said, he feared for his life. Thats why he pulled out his cellphone and started recording.

If it wasnt for that video, Id probably be locked up right now, Branch said after the verdicts.

Branch still faces a felony stalking charge. According to the prosecution, Branch made repeated phone calls to a young woman in 2013, and sent her dozens of text and voicemail messages.

The defense attorney has said he believes the District Attorneys Office would not have filed the charge if not for the incident with the sheriffs detective.

Judge Laura Halgren scheduled a status conference for Thursday, when the attorneys will discuss how to proceed.

Branch filed a federal lawsuit in October 2015 against Ward, who is now retired, and the county alleging excessive force, battery by a peace officer and other claims. The lawsuit is still pending.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
A legal ruling that San Diego County water officials said would save customers here up to $7 billion has been overturned.

A California appellate court on Wednesday partially reversed a 2015 trial court ruling that awarded the San Diego County Water Authority $234 million in alleged overcharges, interest and legal fees to be paid by longtime legal foes at the Los Angeles-based regional agency known as MWD, or the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

At issue is how much the county water agency pays to import Colorado River water over a MWD-owned aqueduct. Two years ago, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Curtis E.A. Karnow found that MWD charged too much for that service and ordered the water importing giant to pay San Diego back and charge lower rates going forward. San Diego officials projected it would save billions over time.

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Wednesdays decision from a three-judge appellate panel largely disagreed, reinstating MWDs right to tack water pumping and infrastructure maintenance fees onto San Diegos water importing bill and directing Judge Karnow to reconsider the amount of damages he ordered MWD to pay.

San Diego County water officials had hoped to pass along those payments  and the cost savings associated with lower water transportation rates  to its 24 member water agencies, a move that could have translated to lower rates for individual water consumers.

Wednesdays decision threw those plans into limbo. It also put San Diego water customers, who already pay some of the highest rates in the country, on the hook for the 10-figure difference between what San Diego officials want to pay for Colorado River water over the coming decades and what the appellate court says MWD can charge for it.

The ruling is expected to be appealed to the California Supreme Court, despite both sides claiming victory in statements issued Thursday.

Only hours after the decision came down, one of the county agencys board committees unanimously recommended approval of more than $7 million to extend four existing attorneys contracts.

The board also approved a $1.58 billion two-year budget that included 3.7 percent water rate increases to begin in 2018. Dennis Cushman, the agencys assistant general manager, said those increases had nothing to do with the expected windfall erased by the appellate court ruling. He said any future losses sustained in upcoming legal fights would not necessarily mean rate increases for consumers.

Because we havent achieved total victory, we cant lower rates, Cushman said by telephone. We have to proceed on a cautious basis.

He went on to tout victories the ruling scored for county water rights and contested conservation program fees. Cushman said language in the ruling established MWD had breached its contract with the water authority. He said the decision also afforded the agency an additional 100,000 acre feet of water rights annually.

Still, he said, there is a lot of litigating left to do.

Jeffrey Kightlinger, MWDs general manager, said he doubts the states highest court will take the case. In the meantime, he added, the district does not plan to offer the county agency a break on its contested water transportation rates.

Kightlinger figures none of Southern Californias taxpayers win when two of the regions biggest water agencies spend years slugging it out in court.

Were tired of it and we wish it would stop, Kightlinger said of the litigation in a telephone interview. At the end of the day, I dont think the public is well-served by it.

I do think this is a poor use the publics time, money and energy.

Longtime MWD board member Larry Dick agreed. The Orange County water board representative likened the long-running legal spat to a ferocious fight between parents, with smaller water boards, and ratepayers, caught like children in the middle.

We probably could make any number of adjustments to the rates, he added in a phone interview. But the Met is agnostic about this stuff. We do what the courts tell us to do.
The final round of tests in San Diego Unified School District found no schools other than ones that were previously detected had high levels of lead in drinking fountains and faucets, district officials said Thursday.

The City of San Diego began testing water at school sites in March, and drinking fountains at Co-Operative Charter School 2 and Emerson-Bandini School were found to have twice the acceptable lead level set by the state. The two Southcrest schools share the same campus.

High levels of lead also were detected at Birney Elementary School in University Heights last month.

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District spokesman Andrew Sharp said Thursday that the city completed its final test about a week ago at the Childrens School in La Jolla and found no lead. Results of the tests were released by the city Thursday and can be found at www.sandiegounified.org/drinking-water-sampling-results.

The state sets the acceptable level of lead with a formula based on micrograms per liter, which translates to a maximum of 15 parts per billion.

While only three schools were found to have levels above that, detectable levels of lead were found at 36 other schools and none was found at 163 schools.

Trustee Kevin Beiser introduced a resolution to the school board April 25 to correct the problems at the 36 schools.

I dont think theres any safe level of lead in drinking water,he said. Ive talked to several experts in the field who think that physiologically, the human body and lead just dont match.

Studies also have found that lead can be especially harmful to children, he added.

Beiser said that staff members should release a plan on how to correct the problems next month. Tests showed the lead did not come from underground pipes, but probably was caused by old soldering in some faucets and fountains.

While the job does not appear to be very expensive, Beiser said it would be worth whatever the cost.

You cant measure the health of our children with dollars, he said.

The tests were conducted by the city as part of a new program by the the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water, which requires water suppliers to provide free tests if requested by K-12 school districts.

The program requires water authorities to fulfill requests for testing by 2019, and Beiser said the City of San Diego should be thanked for acting immediately on the school districts request.

Beiser said the district plans to continue the test on a rotating basis, possibly testing each site every three or five years.

Assembly Bill 746, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, would require all school district to regularly test for lead in water.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
Soon, couriers will drive infant blood samples 90 miles south down Interstate 5 from Orange County to San Diego for high-speed genetic sequencing and analysis at the Rady Childrens Institute for Genomic Medicine.

The organization, which recently built its own hot rod genetics lab that can do full DNA work-ups in days instead of weeks, announced this week that it has made a pact with Childrens Hospital of Orange County, offering quick-turnaround service for infants in that facilitys intensive care units who need the speed.

Though most young patients dont need results in days, a break-neck pace can benefit those with unexplained, life-threatening and progressive symptoms which force physicians to make treatment decisions very quickly.

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In these situations, doctors sometimes must choose one therapy or another without enough time to fully understand what, exactly, is causing deadly medical problems ranging from seizures to cardiac arrest.

Genetic analysis can spot DNA mutations and help doctors make more informed choices about which procedures are most likely to work and also allow them to test for multiple possible genetic diseases with a single test rather than several, putting less strain on babies already struggling to survive after birth.

Rady began using its own sequencing machines from the San Diego-based company Illumina, stationed in an office building just across the street from the hospital, last year for the time-sensitive minority of patients who have immediate genetic information needs.

Out of the gate, rapid analysis clarified a set of confusing symptoms and ended up canceling a surgery for a newborn because the procedure turned out to be unnecessary, hospitals officials said.

The Rady Childrens institute said this week that it has now sequenced 100 patients enrolled in its research studies. Forty percent have received a genomic diagnosis of their disease while 80 percent have had some sort of change in their plan of care as a result of undergoing sequencing.

About one in 20 is a life saved, and wed like to save as many as we can, said Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, director of the institute.

CHOC is just the start, he added. He expects to help 10 childrens hospitals across the nation start offering high-speed sequencing to their patients by the end of June 2018. And Kingsmore hopes to go far beyond that initial goal.

Ideally, he said in a previous interview, every hospital should have access to rapid sequencing and analysis. Though a request for a $100 million MacArthur Grant that would have jump started that larger ambition did not come through, plans are still underway to move forward as quickly as possible with another hospital in the Midwest expected to announce a collaboration this week or next.

Cost is one of the biggest obstacles for pediatric sequencing which must include the patient, both parents and sometimes siblings. Only by comparing a childs genetic sequence to their parents can new mutations be spotted quickly. A full analysis can cost $20,000 per family in rapid-turnaround situations.

Most families dont have that kind of cash on hand, and it can take weeks or months to convince health insurance companies to cover the expense, a time lag that is too long when a babys condition is deteriorating rapidly.

Rady is able to temporarily circumvent this limitation by getting seed funding from the South Dakota-based Sanford Health Foundation, Kingsmore said. Hospitals will still seek reimbursement from patients health insurance companies whenever they can, but Sanfords contribution allows work to begin immediately rather than waiting for insurance approval.

For this to be sustainable and nationwide, we will need to convince insurers to reimburse, Kingsmore said, adding that he expects Rady to begin receiving samples from CHOC next week.

Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
Heres a sampling of reactions to the Senate GOP bill meant to revamp the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. The measure was unveiled to the public Thursday.

Patty Maysent, chief executive, UC San Diego Health

The Affordable Care Act, whatever its shortcomings, has measurably improved health-care coverage and the lives of millions of Californians, including 3.7 million low-income Californians who are getting health coverage through Medicaid expansion and 1.5 million enrolled in Covered California plans. Most were previously uninsured, and the whole health-care system is in a better place today because of the ACA.

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The question is: Will the proposed Senate plan put us in a better place? The answer is plainly and clearly no. While it softens some of the most egregious elements of the House plan, the Senate version still calls for deep cuts to Medicaid and still results in millions of Americans losing their health insurance.

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Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican representing South Carolina

A person making about $12,000 a year will have more access and a lower cost of health insurance. And thats a really good thing.

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Robert Sideman, economist, San Diego State University School of Public Health

Cuts in Medicaid eligibility and caps on federal funding will lead to a significant increase in the number of uninsured. Also, without standardized benefits and an individual mandate, many healthy individuals will once again opt not to purchase insurance policies or will select less costly policies with fewer benefits. This will likely result in increased premiums for others who have more comprehensive policies. The changes incorporated in the Senate bill will adversely impact access by those with low incomes and will also put more financial stress on certain providers, such as hospital emergency departments.

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Ron Nehring, former campaign spokesman for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas

The Senate Republican discussion draft represents tremendous progress. Collapsing insurance markets would receive a boost with a $15 billion short-term stabilization fund. Obamacares individual and employer mandates would go, along with its many taxes. Subsidies would be replaced with market-oriented, advanceable and refundable tax credits for people with low incomes.

Important aspects of current law are preserved, like coverage for pre-existing conditions, and allowing children to stay on their parents insurance plan to age 26.

Progress has been made, negotiations continue and there is now great cause for optimism that Obamacares days are finally numbered.

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Fran Butler-Cohen, chief executive, Family Health Centers of San Diego

This bill takes Americans to a new low, its a major mistake on so many fronts. The U.S. is already dead last or ranked very low when compared to other industrialized countries health-care systems and when looking at life expectancies for people younger than age 65. The Senates destruction of our newly developing health-care system is clearly not a move forward. Penalizing those who are most vulnerable in our society does not serve the common good.

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Thomas Donohue, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The Senate health-care bill will help to stabilize crumbling insurance markets caused by the Affordable Care Act, work to curb runaway premium increases and jettison ill-conceived Washington mandates and taxes that have weighed heavily on our economy. This is an extremely important step in putting doctors and patients ahead of politicians when it comes to American health care.

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Michael Hopkins, chief executive, Jewish Family Services of San Diego

(We are) opposed to the Senate Better Care Reconciliation Act in its current form. The draconian cuts to Medicaid will put lives at risk  including low-income pregnant women, children and older adults. Over 60 percent of nursing-home spending in the U.S. is provided by Medicaid. Where are low-income Americans in need supposed to turn when private care and insurance are beyond their means?

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Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., who wrote a crucial amendment to the Houses bill to replace the Affordable Care Act

I am glad to see the Senate further improve the (House measure) and put us one step closer (to repealing Obamacare).

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Gary Rotto, senior vice president of government and community affairs, Borrego Health

Block granting Medicaid poses a great risk to community health centers and the patients we serve in medically underserved communities. As nonprofit health centers, we work on tight margins and reinvest any excess revenues back into the community to provide care. For decades, the federal government has recognized both our unique role in the communities in which we serve as well as our proven effectiveness by guaranteeing full reimbursement for our actual cost to provide care. The so- called flexibility provided to states in a block grant situation is a direct attack on our ability to provide high-quality care in underserved communities. In some communities, health centers will cease to exist.

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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who helped draft the Senate health bill

Its been made clear to us that (Democrats) dont want to participate in the process, and (they) are turning a blind eye to the millions of people who are being hurt today by premiums. Our response to them is, We dont care.

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Chris Van Gorder, chief executive, Scripps Health

From a (health providers) perspective, this bill is worse than the Affordable Care Act. It lowers the income threshold for subsidies, eliminates out-of-pocket expense reductions for low-income beneficiaries and will also increase deductibles for millions of patients. During the next seven years, the federal funding for Medicaid expansion will drop from 90 percent to 57 percent, putting a huge burden on states such as California that have expanded their programs.

If it passes both houses and is signed by the president, we will see more uninsured either by choice due to the elimination of the coverage mandates in the ACA or because this bill would lower the number of people who will qualify for monthly premium subsidies.

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Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah

Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor. There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health-care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health-care costs.

Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
The San Diego County Regional Task Force on the Homeless has picked Gordon Walker as its new CEO, bringing in a leader from Utah who used a strategy there that people are trying to adopt in San Diego.

This area is well-poised to address homelessness, Walker said.

Theres a political will, theres an opportunity, he said. One of the big things in this community is the actual recognition of the problem. Once thats done, we basically need to work together and be united with the service providers and all the stakeholders.

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Walker left retirement in order to move to San Diego from Germany for the position. He started on Wednesday.

San Diego County has seen a significant increase in the number of homeless people, with the last annual tally showing that 9,116 people are living on the streets or in shelters, a 5 percent increase over the last year. Of those, approximately 24 percent of homeless people are chronically homeless, a figure that rose from 1,435 in 2016 to 2,176 this year.

The problem is expected to only grow as housing costs increase and the population ages and increasingly begins to subsist on a fixed income.

While Walker was in Utah as the director of the Division of Housing and Community Development the chronic homeless population decreased by 91 percent between 2005 and 2015, according to a state study. The chronic homeless are people who have spent at least a full year living full-time on the streets and are often the most challenging to help.

Under Walkers lead, Utah used a housing first strategy, a plan that is slowly being implemented in the San Diego region.

Housing First reduces thresholds for entry to housing because sobriety and mandatory treatment are not required, the Utah report said. National studies indicate that this approach produces higher housing stability rates, lower rates of return to homelessness, and reductions in public costs stemming from crisis services and institutions.

With this model organizations try and provide homeless people with shelter before they give them the option of social services like drug and alcohol treatment, mental health care, medical assistance and job training.

The report said that the chronic homeless population in Utah dropped from 1,932 people in 2005 to 178 a decade later.

All 178 chronically homeless individuals are known by name, the report said.

Walker said he plans to take the same approach in San Diego.

I think it does work. Basically, the housing-first model works, not everybody is a fan of it. But what were really after, what we have to get, is that were after helping individuals, he said.

Some members of Congress, including Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, want to change some aspects of the housing-first strategy, particularly where nonprofits lose federal funding because they require drug testing and other conditions before housing people.

But the strategy proved to be less expensive than leaving people in Utah on the street, and it can be a cost-effective solution here, Walker said.

The number of non-chronic homeless people in Utah has varied. In 2005 it was just under 14,000 and later climbed to a high of about 16,000 in 2012,before dropping to about 14,500 in 2015.

San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, the chair of the homelessness task force, said that Walkers resume makes him a good fit for addressing needs in San Diego.

It is clear from Mr. Walkers track record that he is the effective leader we need to build this organization, Roberts said. He has the skills to steer us on a path that delivers both short-term and long-term progress that will be visible to the public and change lives for the better.

Likewise, state Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, praised what happened in Utah.

With Gordon Walker taking the helm of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, we appear to be heading in the right direction, she said. It will require system-wide cooperation and hard work, but I am hopeful that San Diego will soon see results similar to what Mr. Walker achieved in Utah.

One researcher said that Utahs support for the housing-first model looks so successful because of flawed methodologies and changing definitions that oversell the strategys effectiveness.

I love Utah, nothing against the state of Utah, its a really phenomenal state, and they have done some great things on homelessness, said Kevin Corinth, a researcher with the American Enterprise Institute. But the 91 percent figure is not correct.

During one of its point-in-time tallies of homeless people (an annual event that San Diego County also does) Utah inconsistently used a multiplier to estimate the number of homeless people who werent spotted during the tally, creating inconsistent outcomes, he said.

Additionally, the state also initially incorrectly counted people who lived in transitional housing as chronically homeless rather than as merely homeless, but later corrected its error, resulting in a decrease in reported numbers, Corinth said.

After all these things have changed, it was hard to say if homeless had gone up or gone down over the decade he said. It very may well have gone down, perhaps significantly, but based on the data, thats not necessarily the case.

Corinth said housing-first model is certainly successful for some homeless people, but not for everyone. He said its probably a more prudent to measure progress by how well homeless people are served.

Walker said he has heard about the study and some of its points, but hasnt read it himself. He said their outcomes in Utah were real, and the technical differences between the types of homes arent as significant as providing homes.

We were not interested in the color of the doors, we were interested in the doors, he said.

And while he intends to stick with the housing-first model, its also important to look at an individuals needs and provide them the types of services that will assist them best, he said.

Walker was appointed to his position in Utah in 2003 after serving as the deputy undersecretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Ronald Reagan, and the executive director of the Alzheimers Association of Utah.

He started in San Diego on Wednesday, and will be paid a $160,000 annual salary.

In March, the Regional Continuum of Care Council merged with the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless. The council formed in 1998, and the task force was created in 1984 under the name the San Diego Mayors Task Force on the Homeless. It became an independent nonprofit organization in 2004. The task force is charged with using data to create a plan that coordinates services for the homeless throughout the county.

Walker said he thinks he can get the different interests moving in sync.

Im an optimist. I think that people want to help other people, and we will work very hard to make sure weve got good data, and make sure we have good processes to make sure the data we have is reliable, he said..

Walkers hiring is the second big announcement in new leadership for services for the homeless. On Tuesday, the San Diego Rescue Mission said it had hired Donnie Dee as its new president and CEO.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
National City has passed legislation declaring that residents can access city services regardless of immigration status.

The resolution also prohibits city police from involving themselves in immigration enforcement and calls on President Donald Trump to maintain protections put in place by his predecessor for unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

The resolution also supports passage of Senate Bill 54, which would make California a sanctuary state by limiting law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials.

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Mondays unanimous vote represents a turnaround from February, when a similar measure was amended to remove provisions declaring city services open to all residents, regardless of immigration status.

The vote came after a push by residents for the council to reconsider the February action.

At Mondays special meeting that lasted several hours, council members settled on a compassionate community label that was different from the welcoming city designation rejected in February.

The City Council of the City of National City hereby declares National City to continue to be a city that serves and protects its residents and visitors with constitutional rights and due process, the resolution states. The City Council directs city departments and encourages local businesses, and charitable organizations to work with refugee and immigrant organizations to help provide services to families relocating to the City of National City and integrating into our communities.

Despite wording differences, the spirit of the two resolutions was the same, according Christian Ramirez, human rights director for liberal advocacy group Alliance San Diego.

This reassures the people of National City, one of the most diverse cities in the county, this is a community that is proud of its immigrant and refugee heritage, Ramirez said by telephone. I think that this resolution really reaffirms the welcoming character of National City.

Council members called for a special meeting after residents rallied earlier in June about the designation and other issues.

The new resolution says that residents and city employees should stand up to bullying and discrimination. It opposes immigration raids and racial profiling, and it calls on the federal government to limit what immigration enforcement actions can occur without a warrant.

A resolution is not a protection against enforcement, Ramirez said, but this is certainly a bold step in the right direction to ensure that local elected officials are also weighing in on what enforcement practices should look like.

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He said that when the televisions displaying council members votes turned green with the unanimous decision, the crowd in council chambers erupted in cheers and even a Hallelujah!

Not everyone in National City supports the resolution.

Thomas Smith, 69, a local chiropractor, said that supporting Senate Bill 54 is not a good idea.

I would like to see someone explain to me how having a sanctuary state would cost less and benefit more, Smith said by telephone.

Smith said he considers himself to be a compassionate person. Many of his patients are Mexican and Filipino, and for the ones that he believes are really in need, he sometimes provides services for free. He recalled giving food to migrants coming to his familys door when he was growing up in the South Bay.

That kind of compassion, he said, should happen at an individual level and not through the government.

It should all be done legally so that whats fair for one person is fair for another, Smith said, referring to paths for immigration.

Smith said he didnt think there was anything he could do to take action regarding his feelings about the resolution. He said people who think like him are afraid to speak up for fear of being called racist.

He said he hopes that at some point people with different perspectives will be able to sit down and have a peaceful dialogue.

Were all made out of the same stuff, Smith said.

Welcoming city resolutions became a controversial issue for city councils across San Diego County last year after some residents opposed to the resolutions began speaking out at council meetings. In Imperial Beach, the designation was rescinded.

National Citys first attempt to pass such a resolution in February ended up with much of the language removed because of concerns over the controversy. Instead, the council passed a resolution in support of continuing to be a community that supports all residents and visitors.

Ramirez said he is not worried about National Citys new resolution getting overturned.

My sense is that this city is very united now, and that this resolution stands and will continue to stand, Ramirez said.

He hopes to see National City create a Human Relations Commission that would further ensure fair treatment of immigrants and refugees, he said.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

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kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and several San Diego business leaders will visit Vancouver, Canada, next week to explore economic partnerships aimed at creating quality jobs.

Canada is San Diegos second-largest foreign trading partner after Mexico, where Faulconer makes frequent visits to strengthen economic ties and cooperation.

His first trip to Canada as mayor comes just before renegotiation is expected to begin of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a 1993 partnership among the United States, Canada and Mexico that has sparked controversy.

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The trip also comes as the Canadian government has sought to bypass President Donald Trump and instead forge partnerships on trade and climate change with American mayors, governors and business leaders.

There has never been a more critical time for San Diego to be a champion for international trade because local jobs depend on it, said Faulconer. Cross-border commerce with Mexico is important to San Diego business, but Canada is our second-largest trading partner and we have untapped opportunities there.

The mayor also stressed how important it is for San Diego businesses to engage in foreign markets, particularly Vancouver.

This is about strengthening our economic ties and making new business connections with Vancouver, a city like ours that has growing innovation and clean tech sectors, Faulconer said.

In 2015, San Diego exported $920 million worth of goods to Canada, topped only by exports to Mexico.

During the two-day trip that begins Monday, Faulconer and his delegation have scheduled a whirlwind tour including visits to businesses and forums.

The delegation will have representatives from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Cleantech San Diego, Cubic Transportation Systems, Qualcomm, Planck Aerospace and others.

The trip was organized by World Trade Center San Diego, the international arm of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.

The delegation is scheduled to visit a partnership between Cubic Transportation Systems and TransLink, the Vancouver regions transportation network, to learn about Cubics new open pay system.

They will also see a research collaboration between UC San Diego and the University of British Columbia, a smart cities forum led by Qualcomm and a clean energy leadership forum between San Diego Gas & Electric and British Columbias energy utility.

In total, they are scheduled for nine events in 24 hours before flying back to San Diego midday on Tuesday.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
A second weekly trash pick-up thats helped keep flies from swarming Mission Beach will continue this summer despite legal concerns related to short-term vacation rentals.

San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott issued a memo this month saying the presence of so many vacation rentals in Mission Beach made it very likely the second trash pick-up was illegal.

Thats because a city law called the Peoples Ordinance provides free trash collection only to homes where residents stay for at least one month at a time.

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Despite warnings from Elliott, the City Council included funding this month in the citys annual budget for the second trash pick-up, which was halted in summer 2010 after the Great Recession and didnt resume until last summer.

Pesky flies in Mission Beach

That left the decision up to Mayor Kevin Faulconer, whose staff announced Thursday that the second trash pick-up will happen this summer.

The council considered all the issues, included it in the budget and we will move forward with the service, the mayors office said in a statement.

The second pick-up, the only successful effort to combat the flies since the problem emerged seven years ago, is scheduled to begin on July 8 this summer.

Elliotts opinion on the second weekly pick-up veers from one issued in June 2016 by then-City Attorney Jan Goldsmith.

Goldsmith said the key issue was whether it would be favoritism for Mission Beach to get a second pick-up when no other communities do, contending there would need to be some rational basis for differential treatment.

His memo concluded that the fly problem, which is a health and safety hazard that has damaged tourism in Mission Beach, was an adequate reason.

Elliott said in her June 2017 memo that it would be legally risky to double the amount of service to an area where the city is already aware its illegally collecting trash from homes that are ineligible: short-term vacation rentals.

She said thats especially problematic when community leaders say the presence of those vacation rentals is the root of the problem.

Many tourists who come to Mission Beach stay for only a week or two in vacation rentals, leaving them confused about trash handling and not focused on snuffing out flies and preventing scavengers from opening trash cans in the search for recyclable items.

A second collection in Mission Beach during the summer months presents a significant risk of violating the Peoples Ordinance because the public reports that a large number of short-term, summer residential rentals in Mission Beach cause the summer fly problem and the need for additional refuse collection, Elliots memo says.

Goldsmith this week said the concerns Elliott raised about vacation rentals are a separate problem than the legality of differential treatment of communities, and that the city should deal with that issue separately.

Our opinion pointed out that only residential users, defined as more than 30-day occupants, can receive free trash collection, he said. That applies throughout the city and regardless of whether collections are once or twice weekly.

Elliotts approach would deny permanent residents of Mission Beach a second weekly trash pick-up even though the fly problem appears to warrant differential treatment.

A scientist hired by the city said in 2013 that Mission Beach struggles with flies more than other parts of San Diego because it has high-density housing, relatively little open space and scavengers prying open trash bags, which allows flies to enter and lay eggs.

The winter population of Mission Beach is less than 6,000, but tourists increase that number to an estimated 20,000 in the more fly-friendly summer.

Because most vacation properties are rented weekly from Saturday to Saturday, departing tenants across Mission Beach typically throw away all of their uneaten food simultaneously when they leave on Saturday mornings.

Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, whose district includes Mission Beach, said this week she was hopeful the mayor would allow the second pick-up.

Despite the current city attorneys opinion, the funding is still in the fiscal year 2018 budget and could still move forward, she said.

Zapf also vowed to work with community leaders to create a maintenance assessment district, where property owners would cover a second weekly pick-up by paying fees, as a long-term funding solution.

In a 2015 online survey by the Mission Beach Town Council, flies were listed as the communitys No. 1 challenge.

This isnt the first time Elliott has veered from legal opinions previously issued by Goldsmith related to vacation rentals.

In March, she concluded that San Diegos municipal code doesnt permit vacation rentals in any zone because it is silent on them.

As recently as last November, Goldsmith told the council city code is too vague to conclude that rentals listed on websites like AirBnB are prohibited.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
Miami Beach, FL, June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, during its 85th Annual Meeting, the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) released the results of a new survey that asked mayors about the current landscape of pet-friendliness in their cities. Eighty-two percent of the mayors surveyed agreed that providing pet-friendly amenities can have an overall positive economic impact on their community.

The survey, launched in conjunction with Mars Petcare BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program, examined the current perceptions, trends, amenities and existing resources for managing animal welfare and quality of life for people with pets. Among the 73 respondents, representing 30 states, the results affirmed the positive influence of pets, but also identified areas where progress needs to be made. The entire survey can be found here.

Making our cities more pet-friendly can have so many positive impacts, from improving the health of our citizens, to raising property values. Thats why USCM has partnered with Mars Petcare, one of the worlds leading pet care providers, to determine what resources Mayors need to make our cities more pet-friendly, said Tom Cochran, USCMs CEO and Executive Director.

Key findings from the survey include:

The power of pets is no secret  100 percent of mayors surveyed agree pets can have a positive impact on peoples mental and physical health, and 82 percent of mayors agree that providing pet friendly amenities can have an overall positive economic impact on their community.

 100 percent of mayors surveyed agree pets can have a positive impact on peoples mental and physical health, and 82 percent of mayors agree that providing pet friendly amenities can have an overall positive economic impact on their community. But the need for support still exists , with 66 percent of mayors that do not have, or arent aware of, pet-friendly policies for public spaces such as restaurants and stores. Further, nearly a third of mayors reported that their cities do not have adequate access to pet friendly greenways or trails, and 35 percent ranked facility upgrades as the greatest need to help homeless pet shelters in the city.

, with 66 percent of mayors that do not have, or arent aware of, pet-friendly policies for public spaces such as restaurants and stores. Further, nearly a third of mayors reported that their cities do not have adequate access to pet friendly greenways or trails, and 35 percent ranked facility upgrades as the greatest need to help homeless pet shelters in the city. The impact of pets on homes shone through , with 74 percent of mayors agreeing that offering pet friendly amenities will help residential rental communities improve tenant stability, and 81 percent agreeing that the availability of pet friendly amenities can help increase the value of residential property.

, with 74 percent of mayors agreeing that offering pet friendly amenities will help residential rental communities improve tenant stability, and 81 percent agreeing that the availability of pet friendly amenities can help increase the value of residential property. City size affected pet-friendliness. Generally, the larger the city size, the greater its perceived pet-friendliness. Larger cities also reported more pet amenities, and provided more financial assistance to pet owners than smaller cities. But, larger cities also reported the greatest need for outdoor pet-friendly amenities.

Generally, the larger the city size, the greater its perceived pet-friendliness. Larger cities also reported more pet amenities, and provided more financial assistance to pet owners than smaller cities. But, larger cities also reported the greatest need for outdoor pet-friendly amenities. Responsible education rose to the top, with 69 percent of mayors agreeing that implementing a responsible pet ownership educational campaign would help make their city more pet-friendly.

Pets cant speak for themselves, so its up to people and communities to advocate for them, said Mark Johnson, Mars Petcare North America President. In partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, were bringing together the public and private sectors to work together to advocate for more pet-friendly policies. We surveyed mayors around the country to help to refine our model for a pet-friendly city, ultimately creating communities with fewer pets in shelters, more pet-friendly places and happier, healthier lives for both people and pets.

More than 250 of the nations mayors are currently meeting in Miami Beach for USCMs Annual Meeting, which runs from June 23 to 26, 2017 at the Fountainebleau Hotel. Under the leadership of USCM President Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and host Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, mayors are discussing a wide variety of priorities that contribute to the overall health of Americas cities, as well as considering and adopting the policy resolutions that guide the advocacy agenda of the organization. See here for more information. Note: all plenary sessions will be livestreamed.

About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3e6fc1a8-a65a-4aeb-b3fc-f96118ff7750
Security camera video released by homicide investigators Friday shows a man walking toward his victim before killing him in Ocean Beach early Thursday.

The two conversed for a few minutes before the fatal attack on 65-year-old Walter Riley, who lived on the streets in Ocean Beach.

San Diego police have not said how Riley was killed, but witnesses reported that he was stabbed. The video does not show the attack.

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Police were called about 12:30 a.m. to help the victim on Bacon Street north of Newport Avenue, in front of a small clothing store. Officers started CPR on Riley, but he died at a hospital.

Homicide Lt. Mike Holden said he is releasing the clearest portion of the video in hopes someone will recognize the assailant and report him.

If you know him, youd be able to identify him, Holden said. He called the assault unprovoked.

The man, believed to be white or Latino, is wearing a gray or white sweatshirt hood around his face, and baggy blue jeans. He ran south on Bacon, then east on Newport, Holden said.

Investigators notified Rileys brother of the death Friday afternoon, learning that Riley was from Ohio and had wandered the country for some time, then came to San Diego. Holden said it wasnt clear how long Riley has been here, but he was known for hanging out around Ocean Beach. He was well-liked by locals who talked to police.

Anyone with information about the incident can call homicide investigators at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stopper anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.
Californias current voting age is 18, and it should stay that way. Having 17-year-olds vote for something as important as a presidential election could mean thousands of teenagers voting without any knowledge of who and what they are voting for.

I turned 18 just a few months before the 2012 presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. At that point, I was very excited to vote, but I will be honest, I was not ready to vote. I had just finished high school that June and had not paid much attention to the election. At that point, the hype was that President Obama was our first African-American president, and kids my age wanted to say they were part of history by re-electing our first black president. I know many of my classmates voted for President Obama for the simple fact that he was black.

Related: Why California should definitely lower voting age to 17

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Teenagers at the age of 17 and 18 are greatly influenced by various things, making it more difficult for them to make their own decision on who they will be voting for. We have adults these days who get confused with certain propositions, and yet some want to give 17-year-olds the responsibility of deciding how our tax dollars will be put to use. Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, says we should give 17-year-olds that responsibility and has introduced legislation to lower the voting age in California.

When I was 18 years old, Ill admit that one of the main reasons I voted for President Obama is because my parents views lined up with President Obamas vision. Whether my parents and I have the same views doesnt matter, the fact is that my parents greatly influenced who I voted for. At that age, I didnt care enough to go do my own research and make up my own mind. It just seemed like it was the right choice to vote for Obama.

Voting for our elected officials might be the least of our worries when it comes to letting high school juniors and seniors vote. In the November 2016 elections, Californians were asked to vote on 17 propositions. I know adults out there who voted based on the propaganda ads on television. Do we really think that a junior in high school is going to sit down and research 17 propositions that most likely will not directly affect them in any way?

High school juniors and seniors should be focusing on college and what they want to pursue after high school, not if we should require actors to use condoms in pornographic films. Supporters of Lows bill want to give 17-year-olds the power to vote on health laws, the death penalty and firearms, yet 17-year-olds in California dont have the right to sign up for the military or even go on a field trip without a parents signature.

For years now, there has been talk about letting 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds vote. Most say that voting turnout is low, and that adding a younger demographic will help. But should we allow unqualified high schoolers to vote for the simple fact that adults are either too lazy to vote or simply uninterested in voting?

There are Californians in their 20s who are not qualified to vote. I know this because during the 2016 presidential election I spoke to various friends and co-workers around my age who said they were either voting for Clinton or Trump with no other reasoning besides they were voting for a party or one seemed better compared to the other. When I would ask why they were voting for a specific candidate, most of them couldnt tell me why. I even had friends tell me they were voting for a certain candidate for the simple reason that one of their friends told them to.

Having high schoolers vote in state and federal elections could have a negative impact on politics and legislation. We will have some teens voting for fun and not taking the elections seriously. Some even say we should raise the voting age  because even at 18 years old, young adults arent ready for the responsibility of electing our next mayor, governor or president of the United States of America.

Medina is a student at Southwestern College in Chula Vista.
The Union-Tribunes interview with UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla earlier this month painted an almost idyllic situation at UCSD. According to the chancellor, UCSD is growing its student enrollment and exceeding its considerable fundraising goals. However, trouble looms in paradise.

I recently retired from my position as a student affairs administrator and education studies lecturer after 28 years of service at UCSD. In 1991, along with UCSD alumni, faculty, students and staff, I helped found the UCSD Chicano/Latino Concilio to advocate for the access and success of Chicanos at the elite La Jolla campus. Creating an external organization was necessary as virtually no Chicano voices existed among the UCSD administration or academic senate to increase institutional diversity and equity.

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Some 26 years later, despite the activism of UCSD Chicano students and other campus community members, UCSD has made only symbolic gestures toward fulfilling its responsibility to our community. While Chicanos and other Latinos make up over 40 percent of the California population, Chicanos are less than 20 percent of UCSDs undergraduate enrollment.

This lack of equity, described as institutional viability in higher education scholarship, is compounded by recent enrollment trends noted in the Union-Tribune and national media. UCSDs current enrollment is now over 22 percent non-California residents, most of whom are international students who pay higher fees. A recent New York Times article noted that the percentage of UCSD students receiving federal Pell grants decreased from 48 percent in 2012 to 26 percent in 2016.

While virtually every other higher education institution in San Diego County has become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with an enrollment of at least 25 percent Chicano/Latino, UCSD has failed to enlist the support of the UCSD Chicano Alumni Association, our Concilio and local Chicano stakeholders to develop a plan that will achieve HSI status for UCSD.

Such a plan would need to make UCSD much more attractive to prospective Chicano students. Many who are admitted decide to enroll elsewhere. Unfortunately, the number of UCSD Chicano faculty who can teach and mentor in a culturally relevant manner is actually fewer now than decades ago.

Chicano Studies, a critical body of knowledge for both Chicanos and non-Chicanos given Californias demographics, has been confined to a small, unfunded minor program that is not required for any UCSD student. As Chancellor Khosla described in his interview with the U-T, UCSD implements a college system that is projected by the chancellor to grow from its current six colleges to at least eight.

Presently, none of the six colleges is named after a Chicano. Despite several recommendations over years by our Concilio, UCSD refuses to name its unnamed sixth college after an accomplished Chicano such as Dolores Huerta or Cesar Chavez.

During my 28 years at UCSD, even with six college provosts, there has never been a Chicano provost appointed to lead one of the UCSD colleges. Without doubt, an increase in Chicano faculty and administrators, a larger and more integrated Chicano Studies, and a college named for a Chicano/a would create the visibility that would attract and retain more Chicano students at UCSD.

Despite several promises to the contrary, UCSDs vice chancellor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Becky Petitt, has failed to develop a comprehensive plan to increase equity and diversity at UCSD. She has shunned invitations to work with our Concilio and the Chicano Alumni Association at UCSD.

I can attest that attempts have been made to silence UCSD staff who have offered a scholarly analysis and critique of UCSDs diversity policies, creating a climate of fear among the talented staff of color on campus. This dysfunctional role for EDI does a severe disservice to UCSDs Chicano community, including those who advocated for its creation.

In 2010, UCSD was rocked by a series of racist incidents both on and off campus, including one referred to as the Compton Cookout. In response, UCSD made a series of administrative commitments to increase diversity and equity on campus. Unfortunately, several of these commitments were not fulfilled.

Within the last year, on at least two occasions, UCSDs Chicano students were forced to view racist, anti-Chicano graffiti on the campus.

These incidents are symptoms of a much larger problem of institutional racism at UCSD toward which the UCSD leadership remains in denial. Our Concilio urges that state legislators, donors and other community stakeholders demand much greater equity in institutional policies that impact the access and success of Californias largest ethnic group, Chicanos/Latinos.

Velasquez, Ph.D. is a longtime educator and co-chair of the San Diego Chicano/Latino Concilio.
When I was 18 years old, I cast my first presidential ballot on Nov. 6, 2012. That night, I was covering the Berkeley College Republicans reaction to the results for my college newspaper. In an apartment south of campus, we witnessed the re-election of the first African-American president in U.S. history.

Whether you disagree or agree with Barack Obamas policies, I realized a truth both sides of the aisle can agree on  many young people care. Turning this passion into productive action can be difficult, however, when young adults are being restricted from participating in the political process because of voting age requirements. California could potentially become one of the earliest states in the country to allow 17-year-olds to vote in a general election, under a current legislative proposal. This additional year could encourage more youth to become engaged in their local, state and federal governments and rally for issues they care about. If youth became more involved and could vote a full year earlier than current law allows, they would have more of an opportunity to participate and make a positive impact.

Related: Why California should definitely not lower voting age to 17

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The students I interviewed in college held strong, educated opinions and passionate hopes for a better and brighter future, regardless of party affiliation. They had done their research and based their opinions on facts, not emotional or personal opinions.

Despite what many believe, young adults can gather evidence, reason with the facts and decide logically just as adults can (for the most part). Scientific research shows that by age 16, adolescents have developed most aspects of emotional and intellectual maturity found in adults. In teaching a 10th-grade class of 16-year-old high school students, I can attest they were far from underdeveloped. They shared rational, thoughtful and intelligent ideas in contributing to conversations on access to higher education and the current political climate.

More than a dozen states have lowered the voting age for primary elections, and the idea is spreading across the country. Older generations may fight against this trend, arguing that millennials are too inexperienced, idealistic or out of touch with the realities of the world. The truth is millennials are on track to becoming the most educated generation in U.S. history. As a college degree becomes more of a requirement and less of a privilege, more young adults will want to voice their educated opinions and ensure they are heard in the polls. In terms of numbers and size, millennials will also soon overtake the Baby Boomer generation. We have the potential to make a big impact if we are mobilized and organized.

We are fearful that our world is falling into an uncontrollable chaos. On the international front, we worry about climate change, refugee crises and the Syrian civil war as emergencies escalate and remain unresolved. Domestically, we are concerned about the increased costs of higher education and health care as middle-class wages stagnate, inequality increases and poverty deepens. These are all humanitarian, economic and moral issues that will affect future generations to come. Youth should not be in the back seat while these discussions are had and decisions are made. When youth inevitably come of age, they will be in the drivers seat facing the consequences of these issues and decisions with the rest of society. In an ideal democracy, young adults should be encouraged to participate and become engaged in reforming the system and influencing decision-makers on issues that matter to them.

Instead of enforcing an arbitrary age requirement, we should be lowering it and encouraging them to debate and act as adults should. In general, before assuming a 17-year-old doesnt know anything about political issues, why not try asking them?

If you do, youll be amazed by some of the opinions and stories these young people have to tell. We should listen to their stories and opinions before judging them as being too inexperienced and encourage them to become more active in local politics and beyond.

Since that election night, Ive graduated with a political economy degree from UC Berkeley. I experienced love and loss and, in general, matured a great deal. But my inclination to act as a responsible citizen, inform myself and vote in each election has not changed.

Voting and participating is like a muscle, and in order to grow it must be exercised. As the world becomes more complex, we will require young adults to join us in developing innovative solutions to problems our country and world face. Lets expose our youth to the democratic process so they can flex their civic muscles a little earlier.

Rosario graduated from El Camino High School in Oceanside in 2012 and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2016. She works in the legal department for a technology company in the Bay Area.
The oceans are vast and theres usually plenty of room for ships to pass safely, so its understandable that civilians often wonder why they cant keep from colliding.

Most of the time, of course, they do.

Considering the volume of shipping under way at a given time, carrying most of the worlds cargo, the overall maritime safety record is excellent and collisions involving navy ships are rare. Most collisions take place in heavily traveled, restricted waters like straits or the approaches to major ports or other choke points.

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The tragic collision between the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and the container vessel ACX Crystal which resulted in the death of seven sailors happened in such a congested area, the southern approaches to Tokyo Wan.

Tokyo Wan has a traffic separation scheme (TSS) which provides one-way traffic lanes to safely separate opposing traffic, but the southern terminus to the TSS can be very busy with ships heading toward and coming from the busy ports of Yokohama and Tokyo. There, in the early morning hours, the huge bow of the fully loaded, 29,000-ton Crystal impacted the starboard (right) side of the destroyer, crushing part of its superstructure and causing flooding below the waterline in three compartments, including the berthing compartment in which sailors perished.

The crew, by all reports, worked heroically to save the ship from sinking as it limped with assistance back to its home port of Yokosuka, Japan. An investigation will determine the causal factors and liability.

Meanwhile, armchair experts and journalists, lacking all the pertinent information that only a methodical investigation can provide, will be unable to resist speculation on the subject and demanding answers before all the findings are in. Those will eventually form the basis of a case study intended to provide lessons learned which may help avoid future accidents. The ship will be repaired and sail again, but not the lost sailors.

The damage to the starboard side of the destroyer and the bow of the container ship suggests a crossing situation. The international rules for the prevention of collisions at sea specify that the vessel to starboard (the container ship) is the stand-on vessel and the other ship (the destroyer) is the give-way vessel and is required to stay out of the way of the stand-on vessel.

The give-way ships actions are to be timely and deliberate so as to not introduce any doubt as to its intentions. The stand-on vessel is required to maintain course and speed until the risk of collision is deemed no longer to exist or until it becomes apparent that the actions of the give-way vessel alone are not sufficient to avoid a collision, in which case, it is required to take action by turning, slowing or stopping.

But slowing or stopping is difficult and in some cases, virtually impossible for a large merchant ship. By contrast, destroyers are very maneuverable.

Judging from the images of the damage, its easy to conclude that the destroyer failed to give way and should be held at fault. But it is premature to jump to any conclusions until the investigation is completed. There may well be fault on both sides.

Were bridge-to-bridge communications and whistle signals exchanged? Were proper lookouts maintained on both ships and did they perform properly? Did the container vessel take required action to avoid a collision when it became apparent that the destroyer was not?

Were bridge watch standers on both ships properly qualified? Were all written directives and orders followed including standing orders? Were collision warning and contact tracking systems properly employed? Were there other ships in the immediate vicinity that would have created a special situation under the rules?

The list of questions is lengthy and so will be the investigation. No error, mistake or violation will be overlooked. Those at fault will pay a heavy price. None heavier, though, than the seven sailors who died when the bulbous underwater bow of the Crystal pierced and flooded their berthing compartment as they slept.

Most collisions at sea, over 50 percent, are a result of human error. Almost every one is characterized by a breakdown in communications and multiple violations of written directives and procedures. They are, therefore, preventable.

Sailors deserve to know that when they climb into their bunks at night the ship is in the competent hands of a qualified officer of the deck and supporting personnel who are eternally vigilant, maintain situational awareness, are safety-focused, quick to call the captain to the bridge and who will always follow proper procedures.

Safety cannot always be ensured in combat and there are always risks in going to sea, but no sailor should ever die because of preventable human error.

Kelly, a resident of Coronado, is a retired Navy captain who commanded three San Diego-based ships and a naval laboratory. He teaches shiphandling, seamanship and navigation at the Naval Base, San Diego simulator facility.
Ask House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi if shell survive in her post as the top Democrat in the House of Representatives despite renewed criticism this week, and the San Francisco representative wont blink.

I thrive on competition, Pelosi said on Thursday, defying calls for her ouster from some members of her own party after Democratic candidates lost a hotly contested Congressional race in Georgia and another race in South Carolina earlier in the week, the third and fourth such losses for Democrats in special elections to replace the appointees of President Donald Trump this year.

Related: After Handel tops Ossoff in Georgia, GOP special election dominance in Trump era continues

I think Im worth the trouble. I love the fray, Pelosi said at a news conference, advising against a change of leadership at a time when Republicans dominate both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Rep. Tim Ryan , D-Ohio, on Thursday criticized Pelosi, saying that the Democratic brand is more toxic than Trumps, which he said has led to Democratic losses in election races, like that one in Georgia.

In an interview, Ryan explained that Republicans are using Pelosi in ads to attack Democratic candidates in district races, like they did against Jon Ossoff in Georgia. Ryan lost a bid to replace Pelosi as the top elected Democrat in the House in November.

I had a member of Congress grab me tonight and say, Please tell me youre not going to get rid of Nancy Pelosi, please tell me shes not going to retire because thats who I run against, Ryan told CNNs Don Lemon this week.

In the run-up to the Georgia election, an attack ad painted Ossoff as a candidate with San Francisco interests.

Ryan wasnt alone in his criticism of Pelosi.

Politico reported that a number of House Democrats met on Thursday to discuss ways to replace Pelosi, something they say is necessary to win House seats in the 2018 election. Conservative strategist Frank Luntz took to Twitter to say she represents everything swing voters dislike about D.C.

The criticism toward Pelosi is not new but the recent backlash against her led some liberals to reiterate their support for the long-time party leader. On Twitter, the hashtag #StandWithNancy began trending with messages of support.

Conservatives hijacked the hashtag later that day, using it to reiterate the point Luntz and others have made about Pelosis brand being out of touch with Americans. Even Trump said in a tweet that he hoped Democrats dont force Pelosi out of her leadership role. That would be very bad for the Republican Party, he tweeted.

Despite being blamed for having a toxic brand that turns voters off, Pelosi is credited for being a successful fundraiser for the party. According to CNN, Pelosi has helped the Democratic Party raise some $568 million since 2002. Shes also credited for many legislative successes on Capitol Hill.

The challenge for Democrats, as pointed in Politicos reporting, is that there are no viable candidates to challenge Pelosi and take over the leadership. The question of whether the Democratic Party can succeed in district races preoccupies many, including the San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board.

Read the Union-Tribune editorial: Consumed by Trump hatred, Democratic Party consuming itself

Is Pelosi the proper scapegoat for all the woes of the Democratic party in the Trump era? Do Democrats have a bigger problem than their leadership? Curious to hear your thoughts on this political story.

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez

Read The Conversation on Flipboard.
Like the homes they help make cozier, the owners of Contract Carpet are all about family.

Contract Carpet is a full-serve flooring company with showrooms in Carmel Mountain Ranch and Encinitas.

Its myself, my husband, and our son Nick and daughter Stacey, as well as some very special people who have been with us a very long time and who are like family to us, said owner Susie Dixon.

She and her husband, Marty, started the company in 1985 when Stacey was only a day old. Nick later joined the company when he was 16.

Contract Carpet offers carpet, tile, stone, wood, laminate and vinyl floor coverings, as well as area rugs. The business also offers a custom window covering service to help match a new floor covering choice.

Customer service is the most important part of what we do and always has been, said Dixon. We like to educate our customers and make sure that what theyre looking at is the right fit for them.

According to Dixon, Marty, especially, will turn down business rather than sell someone something they dont really need.

They trust him because he is genuine, said Dixon, adding that because of Martys honest approach, most of the people who use Contract Carpet services are either repeat customers or someone who has been referred to the business by a past customer.

Adding to its appeal, Contract Carpet also offers free estimates and guarantees all labor.

Our installers are really talented, skilled craftsmen, Dixon said. We couldnt have been so successful without them.

The Dixons also can attribute some success to Susies father, who was in the business long before the couple ventured out on their own.

Marty worked for his father-in-laws flooring company before it was closed, then pondered the idea of opening his own shop.

He wanted to do it for a while but you know, when youre young and just getting the family started and trying to save, its hard, Dixon said of her husband. Then, Ill never forget when we were in the hospital and I had just had our daughter, our youngest, he said. Thats it, Im doing it, and the very next day, he went out and got us started in Encinitas.

The family expanded with the Carmel Mountain Ranch location in 1994.

With more than three decades of business behind them, the Dixons could have easily branch out with even more locations. However, according to Dixon, its their commitment to customer service and the idea of only having employees who are more like family that has kept the company at just two locations.

Though most of the business revolves around residential customers, Contract Carpet also caters to commercial clientele. It also specializes in fire and water damage needs.

Contract Carpet is a member of the San Diego Floor Covering Association, the San Diego Better Business Bureau, the North San Diego Business Chamber, the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce and the World Floor Covering Association.

The 1,000-square-foot Carmel Mountain Ranch showroom is at 11658 Carmel Mountain Road, Suite 130, while the 1,500-square-foot Encinitas showroom is located at 191 N. El Camino Real, Suite 112.

Both showrooms are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays.

To learn more, visit contractcarpet.com or call (858) 451-9717.
PORTLAND, Ore., June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Oregon Health Authority has violated Oregon law and the agencys own administrative rules by repeatedly delaying a decision on a certificate of need application, according to court documents filed today in Marion County Circuit Court.



Submitted by NEWCO Oregon, Inc., which is seeking to build the Willamette Valley Behavioral Health facility in Wilsonville, OR, the court filings allege that the Oregon Health Authority operated outside its legal authority in unilaterally delaying a decision on the facilitys certificate of need. The delays have resulted in exponentially higher development costsand increasing costs to patients as a result.

The allegations in the lawsuit center on a certificate of need process (CON) that has come under fire from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the American Medical Association. As recently as April 2017, the DOJ and FTC stated that CON laws can restrict entry and expansion, limit consumer choice, and stifle innovation. Additionally, the CON process can be exploited by incumbent firms to thwart or delay entry by new competitors, as well as potentially obstruct efforts to restore competition lost to an anticompetitive merger, harming free markets and consumers.

The American Medical Association has found that CON regimes prevent new health care entrants from competing without a state-issued CON, which is often difficult to obtain. This process has the effect of shielding incumbent health care providers from new entrants. As a result, CON programs may actually increase health care costs, as supply is depressed below competitive levels.

Oregon ranks last in the nation for overall outcomes related to mental health care, said Jason Conger, an attorney at Lynch Conger McLane LLP, who represents the company. You would think the state agency responsible for mental health care would be trying to improve the situation.

The Treatment Advocacy Center recommends a minimum of 40 inpatient beds per 100,000 people, yet Oregon has fewer than half that number. Left untreated, mental illness places individuals at higher risk of suicide, addiction and homelessness.

This is a clear example of why the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have tried to abolish these certificate of need laws, said Conger. From anti-competitive collusion between hospital monopolies to administrative malfeasance, these laws tend to encourage and sanction behavior that would otherwise be illegal.

The lawsuit seeks a judgement against OHA requiring it to issue a decision on the application and award attorney fees and court costs related to the lawsuit.

A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/923a41af-61da-45a3-9475-e2e2a27f8a19

About NEWCO Oregon, Inc. (Willamette Valley Behavioral Health):

Willamette Valley Behavioral Health is a planned 100 bed inpatient facility serving those with privately paid insurance, private pays, and Medicare. Located in Wilsonville, Oregon, it is designed to serve veterans and active-duty military, adolescents and adults with behavioral health treatment and short-term inpatient and outpatient services.

In March 2017, the Wilsonville City Council voted unanimously to approve the project. NEWCO, Inc. submitted an application to the Oregon Health Authority on January 5, 2017.
NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stull, Stull & Brody ("SS&B") announces that a class action lawsuit was commenced in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of persons who purchased or acquired shares of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (Booz Allen or the Company) (NYSE:BAH) between May 19, 2016, and June 15, 2017, inclusive (the Class Period). If you purchased Company securities during the Class Period you apply to be lead plaintiff by August 18, 2017.



SS&B is also investigating whether Company directors or executives were breached fiduciary duties to Company, causing the Company expose itself to harm to help insiders. If you held Booz Allen stock before the Class Period and continue to hold it, you may be eligible to bring an action on behalf of the Company.

The Complaint alleges that although substantially all of the Companys revenue is from the government, during the Class Period Booz Allen and certain of its executives made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) its accounting and indirect cost charging practices with the U.S. government were improper; (2) the Company had material weaknesses in its internal controls; and (3) public statements about the Companys business, operations, and financial results were materially false and misleading.

On June 15, 2017, Booz Allen disclosed that the Department of Justice is investigating its cost accounting and indirect cost charging practices with the U.S. government.

If you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Michael J. Klein, Esq. at SS&B at BAH@ssbny.com, 1-800-337-4983 x147, by fax to 212-490-2022, or by writing to 6 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017.

SS&B has litigated class actions for violations of securities laws and breaches of fiduciary duty on behalf of defrauded investors over the past 40 years and has obtained court approval of substantial settlements on numerous occasions. SS&B has offices in New York and Beverly Hills. SS&Bs website (www.ssbny.com) has additional information about the firm.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under applicable laws and ethical rules.
In a small California community upset by wildfires and poverty, a four-legged hero comes to a familys rescue in this heartwarming story by Terry Sanville.

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The night the wildfire burned to the ridgeline, Pop and the rest of the neighborhood men and older boys grabbed hoes and shovels and scrambled uphill to help fight the blaze. Our house and maybe 40 others lined a dead-end street in a narrow little valley on Santa Barbaras West Side, surrounded by fields of wild oats and Spanish oaks. I begged Pop to let me go with him. But he told me to stay at the house and help pack up our familys important stuff in case we had to evacuate.

Mom and I and my kid sister, Judy, dashed around, throwing crap into suitcases and bags and cramming our 58 Studebaker so full that its rear springs barely kept it from dragging the ground.

The smoky orange moon had disappeared before Pop and the other dog-tired but grinning men returned with blackened hands and smudged faces. Pop went inside, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge, sat on the back step and watched the rest of us unload the car. When we finished, I rolled open the heavy garage door. Pop started the Studie and pulled on its lights. And there it lay, curled against the back wall, tail tucked under its body, head resting on its front paws, trembling.

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Look, Mom, Judy said and moved toward the garage.

Mother grabbed her arm and glared at Pop. Didnt I tell you to keep the garage door shut? Well get raccoons, possums, and all sorts of vermin in there and I have ta shoo them out.

Rose, thats not a coon, its a dog, a young one.

She looks scared, Judy said.

Honey, thats a boy dog, Mom corrected her.

I felt glad that it wasnt a coyote or a fox, or even the field mice that invaded Pops workshop. I hated going into the darkness where some animal with a foaming mouth might be waiting.

Pop got out of the car, moved inside the garage slowly, and knelt next to the dog, stroked its back, scratched behind its ears, all the while talking to it in a soothing voice. The mutt struggled up and stretched, its bottlebrush tail beating the air. It looked small, not even reaching Pops knees. He picked it up, held it against his body, and moved toward us, talking all the while and stroking its head.

Easy kids, this little guys really frightened.

We moved forward and offered our hands for the dog to sniff. He licked our fingers with a coarse pink tongue and whined. We petted him gently. He had a short stiff coat, with a white chest and socks and a brindle-colored back surrounding a white diamond. His long snout ended in a black nose, his ears, floppy and folded over.

Looks like a Heinz 57 to me, Pop said and chuckled.

The dog squirmed in his arms. He set it down, but it didnt run, sat on its haunches and stared up at all of us, waiting.

It wants food, Judy said. She bent and encircled the dog in her arms and headed for the house.

I dont want that flea-bitten thing in my 

Ah, come on, Rose. Pop pleaded. Its just a pup. We can feed it something.

Well, all right, Mom said and sighed. But tomorrow, I want you kids to go around the neighborhood and look for his owners. Have either of you seen this dog before?

Nah, Ive never seen im, I replied.

Judy shook her head.

Mom fixed a plate of leftover meat scraps, filled a bowl with water, set them on the service porch, and closed the connecting door. We retired to the living room to watch a late-night movie on our flickering 17-inch Zenith. But in a few minutes a loud scratching and whining came from the porch and I got up to check. When I opened the door, the dog shot past me, through the kitchen and dining room and into the living room where it slumped next to Judys feet, rolled onto its side, and fell asleep.

During the following week, I fed the dog cans of Alpo and made sure to let him out to do his business  the euphemism Mom preferred  in the back lot among Pops prized avocado trees. My sister and I went door to door along our street, asking folks if theyd lost a dog, and spread our search to the over-the-hill neighborhoods, some of which had been scorched by the fire. During our quest, we decided to put off naming the dog, since it would be more painful to part with something that had a name. We also didnt look too hard, and skipped the ramshackle places.

One morning, I sat in the kitchen eating my Post Toasties and contemplating what to do on that already-hot summer day. The dog scratched at the back door, wanting to be let out. I obliged him. But instead of heading for the avocado trees, he tore off down the walk toward the driveway. I hurried to catch up.

He ran down the drive, stopped at the bottom to check for cars  at least thats how it looked  then crossed the street to the Vargases house. He moved with a sort of three-legged hop, like he had a dislocated knee. Looked funny. Without hesitating he scrambled onto their porch and began to whine outside their front door. I hurried to grab him up before he disturbed our new neighbors. The Vargas family had moved in about three months before. I hadnt gotten up the nerve to talk with them, especially with their pretty daughter, Camilia, who was in some of my freshman high school classes.

I crept onto their porch and bent to grab the dog and spirit him away. The front door flew open. A barefooted Camilia wearing a bathrobe and a broad grin stared at us.

What are you boys up to? she asked, chuckling.

I, er, the dog got away from me. Sorry for the  the 

Hey, youre Jerry, from across the street, right?

Yeah, I mean, yes.

Why havent you come over before, ya know, were neighbors? Besides, I coulda used some help with my algebra homework, and you look smart enough.

I felt my face burn. Sure, I can help, if, ya know, ya need 

The dog looked up at me, its tongue hanging out, panting. He seemed to say, What an idiot! Talk to the girl, she wants to be your friend.

So what are ya doing today? Camilia asked.

I, er, havent really decided  maybe go to East Beach and mess around.

The dog stepped on my feet and whined. Just ask her, stupid.

I bent and took the mutt into my arms. Camilia moved close and let it lick her perfectly manicured fingers. I stared into her glowing brown eyes and trembled.

Ah, say, do you, ya know, ah, want to come to the beach with me?

Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun. I have to help my Mom this morning. Maybe after lunch?

Only then did I realize that I still wore my pajama top with its flying ducks motif over a sagging pair of jeans with no underwear. I backed away slowly.

Yeah, after lunch is good. Ill come get you  we can take the bus downtown then walk from there.

Great. See ya, Jerry, and thanks for finally coming over.

I crossed the street in a daze, still clutching the dog, and set it down in our backyard. He tilted his head and stared at me as if saying, Jeez, do I hafta do everything? He headed for the avocado trees and his morning business.

Every time the phone rang, Judy and I would jump, afraid that the dogs owners had finally tracked us down and would come to reclaim their prize. And all sorts of new families seemed to be moving into the neighborhood, with vacant lots becoming homesites for three-bedroom, single-bath houses with glistening white rocks on their roofs. Judy made friends with another 9-year-old girl at the end of our street. During the last days of August, shed walk uphill to Mollys place to do girl stuff.

One day I was weeding the front flowerbeds when she came skipping down the hill, her cheeks covered in scarlet rouge, eyes encircled with mascara, with brilliant red lips and a beauty mark on her right cheek. I started to laugh. But the Hintons German shepherd stood up in their front yard. Normally, Charlie kept his beast inside or chained on their back patio. The shepherd lowered its rear end and charged toward Judy, making a ferocious sound, something between a bark and a growl.

Judy screamed and ran toward me. But before the monster could chase her, our dog charged up the street and circled the stunned attacker, snarling and snapping at its legs. The German shepherd lunged at the mutt but missed, leaving our pooch an opening to give it a quick nip on the ear. The beast howled and chased our terrier around the yard, but without success.

What the hells goin on out here? Charlie Hinton complained from his front porch, a can of Brew 102 in one hand and a smoking Camel in the other. The German shepherd gave a final woof then slipped through the door into the dark house.

Keep that mutt outta my yard, Jerry. Ill call the pound on him.

Yeah, well, keep that beast from chasin my sister, or Ill call the cops.

She musta done somethin to make him mad. Charlie snorted. Too many smart-ass kids around the neighborhood  and more on the way.

Our dog sat at my feet, trembling. I took it inside where Judy fed him doggie treats and sat petting him until he fell asleep on the sofa.

The next week, a For Sale sign appeared on the Hintons front lawn and a month later, the Shermans moved in, an old couple that kept to themselves, except when Mrs. Sherman baked cookies and shared them with the neighborhood kids.

When school started in September, the arguing began. Mom and Pop would wait until after Judy and I went to bed to have their discussions, as Mom called them. But the more they talked, the louder they got, until Pop stormed out and spent a few hours in his workshop, building the most god-awful furniture. I could almost recite verbatim how the arguments would go, and this time was no different.

Look Rose, if I reenlist in the Marines, we would get free housing and medical care for all of us, buy stuff really cheap at the PX. And I could retire from cooking at the end of 20 years.

You really want to live in base housing again? I sure the hell dont. And where would they ship us? Someplace where the state bird is the mosquito and most IQs are in the two-digit range?

But by the time Id retire, the kids would be long gone, and we could afford to come back to the West Coast. Live in comfort.

And do what, stare at our belly buttons? And what about all the friends Ive made here  and the kids in school?

Come on, Rose. Do you really like living paycheck to paycheck?

No, of course not. But Id rather be poor here than safe in some hellhole. Besides, have you paid any attention to whats going on in Southeast Asia? They could ship you out as some advisor. Wasnt World War II and Korea enough?

The sound of something metallic slamming against a wall made me jump. I peered around the doorframe into the living room. Pop had heaved a beer can, spraying the TV and our fireplace.

The howl started low and soft but slowly gained volume and rose in pitch. Our dog stood before the sofa, head tilted back, making the most mournful sounds. Mom and Pop stared at the pooch open-mouthed as the howl went on and on, climbing, dropping, then climbing again to a new height.

Judy nudged my elbow. Whats going on?

Theyre having a discussion, and the dog doesnt like it.

The dog finally quieted, crept slowly to the couch, hopped into the space between my parents and laid whimpering, tail tucked between its legs.

Look, not even the dog likes your idea, Mom said.

Yeah, well, maybe he can tell us how to fix things?

Why ask the dog? Why not ask your wife? Mom reached over and ran her fingers along Pops clenched jaw.

He grinned and sucked in a deep breath. So, Wonder Woman, whaddaya got?

Well, Judy will be old enough to stay by herself in a couple-three years. In the meantime, I could work as a bookkeeper in the mornings after the kids are off to school. Pearl up the street said her husbands plumbing company could use some help and 

I dont like you working. It makes me feel  like Im not doing enough. Pop slouched on the couch and reached for an imaginary beer can.

Ill be home when the kids need me. And Jerry can help too. We can do this, just give me a chance.

The dog seemed to whine his approval. Pop kissed Mom on the lips. I turned and shoved Judy back along the hallway to her bedroom, giving my parents privacy to finish their discussion.

I looked for four days over the Thanksgiving break, searched the neighborhood and the hills and valleys beyond, checked with the local vets, nailed lost-posters onto telephone poles, and called the police and the dog catcher. I had no luck. Judy cried every night and wouldnt be consoled. One minute, the dog had lain in her lap as we watched TV. The next, he had disappeared.

He probably slipped out when you went to your workshop, I accused Pop.

The hell he did. I woulda seen that white tail in the dark, no matter what.

We ate a somber Sunday dinner, with Mom and Pop drinking too much wine, the reheated turkey and stuffing dry and tasteless. Afterward, we slumped into our seats as Pop checked the listing in the newspaper, then clicked on the TV and selected a channel.

I dont know how that man ever got a job in acting, Mom groused.

Who? Pop asked.

Richard Boone. She pointed at the television.

Why, whats wrong with him? I asked.

Are you kidding me? Mom smiled for the first time that day. Hes so ugly it hurts, and here they have him wooing all those fine western ladies, a gentleman gunslinger with a business card. What nonsense.

I dont think hes ugly, Judy piped up. I like his mustache and those dark eyes.

Who cares about any of that, Pop said. He rides in, helps the poor out of a jam, then leaves. The perfect hero. No muss, no fuss.

We quieted down to watch the rest of Have Gun  Will Travel. My mind drifted to an image of our dog, pushing his way across open fields and up hills with his funny three-legged hop, searching for some poor family to help. I sat there grinning. I had finally decided on a name to call him.


Brooklyn, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/23/2017 -- The market research report on the global Electronic Goods Packaging market analyzes the prominent trends and technologies in the global Electronic Goods Packaging market that are expected to play a key role in the overall development and future growth prospects of the market. The report highlights the key drivers, challenges, and opportunities that are expected to have a sizeable influence on the market's growth prospects over the period between 2017 and 2024.



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The report presents an eloquent an easy-to-comprehend analysis of the global Electronic Goods Packaging market, which is supported by numerous tables, bar and pie charts, and other graphic data elements in the report. The report presents data pertaining to the basic industry-specific definitions of key market elements, segmentation, and characteristics of the key aspects related to the global Electronic Goods Packaging market.



The report presents a thorough outline of the global Electronic Goods Packaging market in a way that allows the reader to easily understand the crucial factors that will have a major impact on the development of the market, including the applications and the end-users. The vast data included in the report has been congregated with the help of a variety of primary and secondary research methodologies.



The report presents a thorough overview of the competitive landscape of the global Electronic Goods Packaging market with the help of detailed business profiles of key companies in the market. Along with vast details regarding the companies in terms of finances, product portfolios, revenues, and other aspects, detailed SWOT analysis of the key companies operating in the market has also been included in the report.



Browse Complete Report with TOC @ http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-electronic-goods-packaging-market-research-report-2017.htm



Table of Contents



1 Electronic Goods Packaging Market Overview

1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Electronic Goods Packaging

1.2 Electronic Goods Packaging Segment by Type (Product Category)

1.2.1 Global Electronic Goods Packaging Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)

1.2.2 Global Electronic Goods Packaging Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2016

1.2.3 Corrugated Carton

1.2.4 Foam Plastic

1.2.5 Cardboard Protection Material

1.2.6 Bubble Cushioning Materials (Foam Packaging)

1.3 Global Electronic Goods Packaging Segment by Application

1.3.1 Electronic Goods Packaging Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)

1.3.2 Automobile Industry

1.3.3 Electronics Industry

1.3.4 Communications Equipment

1.3.5 Other

1.4 Global Electronic Goods Packaging Market by Region (2012-2022)

1.4.1 Global Electronic Goods Packaging Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)

1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)



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Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/23/2017 -- Hawaii Meetings, Conventions, Incentives (MCI) Tourism Market is likely to reach nearly USD 1.3 Billion by the year end of 2022.



Market growth can be attributed to factors such as Ideal Meetings Location, Unbeatable Event Spaces, Safety, Productive Atmosphere, Accommodations, International Accessibility, Enrichment Opportunities and Natural Wonders.



Japan, US West and US East MCI tourists play a significant role in contributing revenue to the Hawaii economy. Japan contributed more than 30% revenue followed by US East with more than 27% revenue in 2016. Japan is likely to maintain dominance in Hawaii MCI tourist's revenue generator by the year end of 2022. US East and US West have shown its potential to become 2nd and 3rd major revenue generator countries by the year end of 2022. Other countries such as Other Asia, China and Canada emerge as the largest revenue generator in the Hawaii MCI Tourism Market.



The research report titled " Hawaii Meetings, Conventions, Incentives (MCI) Tourism Market Insights, Opportunity, Analysis, Growth Potential & Forecast 2017  2022" provides detailed information on the Hawaii MCI Tourism Market. This report analyzes market data and provides a better understanding of MCI travelers flows and revenue to Hawaii. Market outlook in value terms for the forecasted period for Hawaii MCI tourism market has been detailed in the report. This report also entails a detailed description of market drivers and inhibitors of the Hawaii MCI tourism market.



This 65 Pages report with 52 Figures and 4 Tables have been analyzed from 5 viewpoints:

- Hawaii MCI Travelers, Revenue & Forecast (2013  2022)

- Hawaii MCI Travelers, Revenue Share & Forecast (2013  2022)

- Hawaii MCI Travelers, Revenue & Forecast  Top 12 Country Analysis (2013  2022)

- Hawaii MCI Tourism Market  Market Drivers

- Hawaii MCI Tourism Market  Inhibitors



Hawaii MCI Tourism Market  12 Countries Covered

- US West

- US East

- Japan

- Canada

- Australia

- New Zealand

- Other Asia

- China

- Korea

- Taiwan

- Europe

- Latin America



Spanning over 65 pages "Hawaii Meetings, Conventions, Incentives (MCI) Tourism Market Insights, Opportunity, Analysis, Growth Potential & Forecast 2017 - 2022" report covers Executive Summary, Hawaii MCI Tourists Arrival, Market and Forecast (2013  2022), Hawaii MCI Tourists, Market Share and Forecast (2013  2022), Key Drivers and Inhibitors of the Hawaii MCI Tourism Market, Hawaii MCI Tourists Arrival, Spending and Forecast  Top 12 Countries Analysis (2013  2022).



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[CAIRO] An Egyptian inventor has successfully tested a safe electricity system for homes that eliminates the risk of electric shocks and reduces energy consumption significantly.

The inventor, Tarek Shaaban, who is based in France, has tested the system in his four-storey house and is now attempting to scale up his invention, having persuaded a company affiliated with the Ministry of Military Production in Egypt, the Benha Company for Electronic Industries, to evaluate it.

Shaaban was awarded a patent for the Safe Electrical Connection in Buildings system in 2008 by the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. The invention also won a gold medal at the Geneva International Invention Fair held this year (29 March to 2 April).

It protects from the dangers of fire and death caused by electric shocks, as it does not pose any risk when the wires touch each other or when they are exposed to water. Tarek Shaaban

He told SciDev.Net his invention transforms electricity voltage from 220V to 14V, making it safe and saving money, without sacrificing the quality of lighting.

It does this by relying on an electromagnetic circuit which reduces resistance to the flow of electric current to the lowest possible level. This then reduces the electricity consumed to the lowest level, saving more than 85 per cent of energy consumption, according to Shaaban.

The system has benefits for safety too. [It] protects from the dangers of fire and death caused by electric shocks, as it does not pose any risk when the wires touch each other or when they are exposed to water, Shaaban stressed.

Engineer Nader Galal, a member of the Benha Company for Electronic Industries team that tested the innovation, told SciDev.Net that the positive results promised when Shaaban applied for evaluation were 100 per cent achieved.

It seemed illogical at first glance, but the practical experiment changed our opinion, Galal added.

Galal expects the invention to become hugely successful when commercialised. The prospect of reducing electricity consumption makes it particularly important for countries in the region, most of which are experiencing a crisis in energy resources.

The Pan-Arab Strategy for the Development of Renewable Energy Applications has estimated that demand for conventional energy sources in the region will rise at an annual average rate of six per cent between 2010 and 2030.

Shaaban is in negotiations for a partnership with two investors, one from Saudi Arabia and the other from the UAE, to produce the system in large scale. But he fears a strong challenge from lighting companies, because the innovation means lighting units would have a longer life.

Work is also underway to develop the system so it can operate devices that require high electrical loads, such as those required by air conditioning units and electric water heaters.

Features of the Safe Electrical Connection in Buildings can be viewed on YouTube.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Middle East & North Africa desk.
BART directors declared Thursday that their transit system is welcoming to all immigrants, riders and employees alike, but stopped short of calling it a sanctuary.

The new Safe Transit Policy, approved in an 8-1 vote, says that people of all immigration statuses, sexual orientations, races, religious affiliations and other identities will have their dignity protected on the trains and in stations.

The idea was to make sure that anyone whos paying for their ticket, regardless of their national origin or documentation status, has the right to a safe ride and doesnt need to feel intimated that our BART Police Department will ask them for documentation on where they live based on how they look, said Director Lateefah Simon, co-author of the policy.

It also says that  unless a court order, state law or federal law mandates it  BART employees and police officers wont cooperate with immigration investigations, ask for someones citizenship status or give federal agents access to suspects in custody. The policy says it does not confer any additional rights upon any party.

Director Debora Allen, the lone no vote, said the resolution doesnt protect immigrants beyond current practices. She said she opposed it because one section that bars the use of a federal verification program for job applicants went against her oath of office.

This started out to be a very bold sanctuary policy, Allen said at the meeting in Oakland. It turned out that to pass such a policy by BART would defy federal laws and regulations and would have put billions of dollars in federal funding at risk.

People living in the region without legal authorization and their advocates flooded the BART Board of Directors meeting Thursday to applaud the declaration, saying public transportation is vital for immigrants and their families to get to work and school. They said concerns about being detained and deported by law enforcement while in transit are prevalent in the community.

The fear has been really palpable, said Saira Hussain, an attorney with the Asian Law Caucus, which supported the policy. For immigrant, low-income communities and people of color, BART is a lifeline to get to city centers and essential for their daily lives.

She and other immigration attorneys said the policy is in line with jurisdictions that have declared themselves sanctuaries  even though this one shuns the term. And its many clauses that require transit employees to obey court orders and laws are common in sanctuary declarations, Hussain said.

Although the BART Police Department has a number of rules on the books about helping federal immigration agencies  such as notifying the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for holds of suspects who may be here without legal permission  Carlos Rojas, the transit police chief, told The Chronicle those policies are not enforced in practice.

Rojas said that after reviewing records for recent years, he could only find one instance in which officers engaged in any kind of immigration action. It was an arrest based on an immigration-related warrant, and it happened more than five years ago.

Also Thursday, in a 5-4 vote, BART directors repealed an ordinance, instituted last year but never carried out, that prohibited riders from taking up more than one seat during rush hours. The agency will instead try a pilot version of the rule on a section of transit line in eastern Contra Costa County and may do a marketing campaign encouraging passengers to be courteous.

Some directors had voiced concerns that the rule could lead to discrimination and police use of force against homeless people sleeping on trains.

The board also approved BARTs nearly $2 billion budget  a process that took a small fraction of the time spent debating the immigration and seat-hog issues  and raised paper ticket fares by 50 cents, which will begin in 2018. A new 50 percent discount will be offered to riders ages 13 to 18 as well.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
Two men were killed in Brentwood on Wednesday night in what investigators believe was a botched home invasion, officials said.

Police responded to the 200 block of Birch Street in Brentwood about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday after a shooting was reported, according to the Brentwood Police Department.

A man was home alone and opened fire on the two intruders when they entered the house, said Lt. Walter OGrodnick of the Brentwood Police Department.

Weve determined the incident was a home invasion, OGrodnick said. As a result of the suspects interaction with the victim resident, it forced the victim to fire at both suspects in self-defense.

Responding officers found two male suspects, estimated to be in their 30s, suffering from gunshot wounds, according to OGrodnick. They were later pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

The names of the two alleged intruders were being withheld until their families have been notified, OGrodnick said.

Police believe there is nothing about the incident that suggests an ongoing danger to the public.

Theres nothing to suggest that anyone should be concerned about public safety, OGrodnick said.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi
In a White House meeting Thursday, tech executives and investors, many from the Bay Area, signaled the importance of keeping a rule that would encourage foreign entrepreneurs to stay in the U.S. and build their companies, according to attendees.

The meeting was held as part of a weeklong series of events at the White House focusing on the tech industry. It came a day after The Chronicle revealed the administration's plans to scrap the International Entrepreneur Rule, which would give qualified foreign entrepreneurs a chance to stay in the U.S. to foster their startups.

There was unanimous agreement from the tech and venture capital community in the room (for the administration) to be more permissive on immigrants, said Aman Verjee, chief operating officer of Mountain View tech incubator 500 Startups, who was in the meeting.

National Economic Council Chairman Gary Cohn, who led one of the meetings, said the White House understands the value of of immigrants to the economy and blamed Congress for the roadblock, Verjee said. The White House declined to comment.

The International Entrepreneur Rule was supposed to go into effect July 17. But the administration plans to push back the rules effective date to March and pursue steps to rescind the rule altogether, according to an unpublished final draft of a Federal Register notice read to The Chronicle by an administration official.

This news frustrated many in Silicon Valley, as there is no direct route for an entrepreneur to live and create a company in the U.S. Other countries have visas that foster the development of new ventures.

At a second meeting with the president, a list of recommendations read to the administration included keeping the rule. Trump apparently nodded along to the recommendations that were read by an attendee, people at the meeting said. After the meeting, Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and senior White House adviser, tweeted, Fostering American innovation is a key priority for the Administration.

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While Verjee and other attendees said the government officials seemed supportive of encouraging foreign entrepreneurship, they offered no specifics on how they plan to do so.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
As Uber co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick surely realizes by now, there is no such thing as a truly private company.

The ride-hailing service in San Francisco does not yet trade on Wall Street, so no one outside a relatively small group of people knows Ubers true sales and profit, beyond the numbers the company has voluntarily disclosed. No one knows how much cash the company spends to attract drivers and expand into new markets. We dont even know how much the company pays its top executives, including Kalanick.

But we certainly know that employees, including senior executives and star engineers, have resigned or been fired because of a dysfunctional culture that tolerated sexual harassment. We know that Uber hired a former U.S. attorney general to investigate the company because of said culture. And we know that the board ultimately forced Kalanick to resign as CEO.

Uber may have been able to shield its finances from the public, but not its dirty laundry. The companys size and impact just became too big for it to tamp down scandal after scandal after scandal.

Uber is a brand in everyones life, said Adam Epstein, founder of Third Creek Advisors, a Bay Area corporate governance advisory firm. You cant operate in 622 cities around the world and not expect scrutiny.

Uber is more than a tale of Silicon Valley excess, a bro culture gone rotten. It is also the ultimate perversion of a system meant to help startups stay out of the public eye while they grow into well-developed businesses.

Recent changes in federal securities laws have allowed venture-backed companies to stay private longer, away from the scrutiny of regulators and Wall Street hedge funds. An influx of capital into private equity seeking growth opportunities also meant they could raise far larger amounts of money and postpone an initial public offering. When these companies started garnering investor-set valuations above $1 billion, they were dubbed unicorns.

We were promised world-changing companies, unicorns running free and delivering Silicon Valleys magic technology. Instead, we got bloated mythical beasts that seem more cautionary story than fairy tale.

Uber had become the fattest unicorn of them all. The company raised an astounding $15 billion, with investors assigning it a valuation of $69 billion, more than the market value of Sony Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Southwest Airlines.

Yet since Uber has not gone public, people continued to call the company a startup. Thats a bit like when people said Kalanick  who recently turned 40  had some growing up to do.

Why would a startup need to worry about a proper human-resources department, or legal niceties or sober management? That mischaracterization played to Ubers advantage for a while, as it focused on growth at the expense of proper governance.

Give it a break, the companys enablers said. Its still a startup!

We need to stop calling Uber a startup since it has 12,000 employees around the world, said Johanne Bouchard, a Bay Area consultant who advises executives and boards of directors. These companies have to grow up. This obsession with growth has shaded their sense of awareness. Some of (Ubers problems) could have been prevented.

Stories about the companys problems with sexual harassment have circulated for years, but it was not until February that the issue drew widespread attention. Susan Fowler, once a rising engineer at the company, wrote a blog post detailing her experiences. Fowler wrote that her manager openly propositioned her for sex on her first day. The human resources department and top managers, including the companys chief technology officer, failed to do anything, she said.

From there, Ubers problems accelerated. President Jeff Jones, whom Kalanick recruited from Target Corp., resigned in March. More senior executives followed, culminating in Kalanicks resignation this week. Two board members are following him out the door.

Ubers decision to raise so much money was a factor in Kalanicks downfall. With billions of dollars in investor cash on the line, the company became too big to fail.

The board needed to take action, said Rohit Kulkarni, managing director of research for SharesPost, a San Francisco company that allows investors to trade shares of private firms.

Never before have we seen a private company raise $15 billion in capital, Kulkarni said. Investors have significant parts of their portfolios embedded in one single asset.

Had Uber been a publicly traded company, its problems would have no doubt reduced its market value, Kulkarni said.

He even estimates that Kalanicks resignation would have boosted a publicly traded Ubers stock price by 5 to 10 percent.

It wasnt always this way. Historically, venture capitalists have been infamous for ousting founders to make way for professional CEOs. Andreessen Horowitz rose to prominence in part by promising to be friendlier to founders, and as it snatched prime deals away from rival firms, they mirrored its approach in giving founder-CEOs a lot of leeway in running their companies.

Then came Zenefits, the San Francisco company that makes human resources software. Investors forced out CEO Parker Conrad last year after BuzzFeed reported that Zenefits employees sold insurance without proper licenses. Another scandal-ridden firm, Theranos, kept founder Elizabeth Holmes as CEO, but only after granting investors a larger stake in the company.

Kulkarni thinks Kalanicks ouster will spur investors in other unicorns take action if management is not up to par.

We believe this may not be the last time we see private shareholder activism affect a high-profile unicorn, as investors get impatient and reduce the margin of error afforded to company management teams, Kulkarni said.

Because when so much money at risk, unicorns like Uber will eventually have to step out of the shadows  whether they want to or not.

Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee
Police in Palo Alto said Thursday they were searching for yet another man who exposed himself.

The latest such incident  at least the fourth indecent exposure this year  happened Wednesday around 4:40 p.m. on Newell Road near North California Avenue, police said.

Police said they were investigating the possibility that the latest reports were related to earlier incidents in Palo Alto and nearby areas.

A 12-year-old girl told police a man, described as being in his 20s or 30s with a thin build and wearing sunglasses, called out to her from a parked newer-model, light, four-door sedan.

The man then asked her, from inside the car, where the community swimming pool was, police said.

She told him she didnt know, and when she passed the car, she told police the man wasnt wearing pants or underwear  and was touching himself inappropriately.

About an hour later, a second victim called the police. The 16-year-old girl said she was riding her bike west on Coleridge Avenue near Bryant Street when a similar vehicle pulled alongside her.

Investigators said the description of the car  and of the man inside  matched the earlier instance. The man, still naked from the waist-down, did not speak to her, she said, and she saw him masturbating.

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In March, a woman in Palo Alto snapped a picture of a man she said masturbated in front of her.

In May, a woman walking with her daughter on a nearby nature reserve said a man masturbated, looking in her direction, in bushes lining the path where she walked.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
Full Belly Farm in Guinda signed it. Earth Equals Farm in San Diego signed it. Nye Ranch in Fort Bragg signed it, too.

Last week, the Community Alliance With Family Farmers (CAFF) and the Farmers Guild, its network of local farming groups, posted the California Farmers Climate Pledge in response to President Trumps June 1 announcement that he was pulling the country out of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, an international accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More than 80 farmers and ranchers, to date, have signed on to the pledge in order to support the science, commitment and goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement.

We vow to continually improve our own on-farm practices to conserve energy and sequester carbon, the farmers pledge reads in part. But we also believe in the dire importance of a collective, worldwide commitment by all nations  including our own  to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target stated in the Paris Climate Agreement, all while building a cleaner, 21st century economy.

Immediately after the presidents Paris Agreement announcement, governors of 12 states and Puerto Rico committed to honoring the Paris Agreement even if the federal government would not. Mayors of hundreds of U.S. cities, big and small, signed on. Numerous universities and major corporations have since added their names to a We Are Still In pledge (posted at www.wearestillin.com).

Evan Wiig, communications and membership director for CAFF, said several farmers who were inspired by the governors and mayors told the Davis organization they would like to do something similar. It took several weeks for the group to draft language and circulate it.

Rich Collins, of Collins Farm in Solano County near Dixon, said that he signed the pledge out of a sense of embarrassment.

(The Paris Agreement) is so foundational and fundamental. Soil and agriculture  when I say agriculture I dont just mean row crops but rangeland  can play a big role in mitigating climate change, Collins said. Its only going to be to the benefit of agriculture. Soils with more carbon in them perform better, they have more water capacity and diverse soil life, and can produce more disease-resistant crops. Its such a profound win-win-win.

Wiig said the signatories represent a wide spectrum of ranches, orchards and vegetable farms. The majority of the signers are currently located in Northern California, but the counties they represent were tinted both red and blue on 2016 election maps.

A lot of the farmers we work with are concerned with this conception that farmers are more conservative, Wiig said. There are a lot of agriculture organizations that attempt to speak for farmers who deny climate change or avoid the regulations and efforts to combat climate change. In our experience, thats not representative of all farmers.

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The pledge invites additional California farmers and ranchers to sign on. Wiig said that the goal is to show voters and legislators that farmers are ready to take action to combat climate change, and that funds shouldnt just go to clean energy, but also to the agricultural sector. Were not talking just about reducing carbon emissions, Wiig said, but reversing that cycle and taking that carbon in the atmosphere and putting it back in the ground.

Jonathan Kauffman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jkauffman@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jonkauffman
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.
Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Associated Press

After a Minnesota police officer fatally shot school cafeteria manager Philando Castile, his girlfriend, inexplicably handcuffed in the back of a squad car with her 4-year-old daughter, screamed in despair. The girl begged Diamond Reynolds to keep quiet, saying, I dont want you to get shooted. Later, as Reynolds struggled with the cuffs, her daughter repeated the plea: No, please, dont! I dont want you to get shooted!

The terrible lesson of Castiles death  that a police officer might kill a black person for any or no reason  was clear enough for a toddler. And yet the footage of the exchange was released the week after the officer, Jeronimo Yanez, was acquitted.
I like San Francisco, but if I see one more pair of slanty eyes around here, Ill lose it. I heard someone say these words in jest at a dinner party not long after I moved to the Bay Area. Apparently, the speaker failed to discern my Asian ancestry, or perhaps my almond-shaped eyes did not bother her because the rest of me looked non-Asian. As happens all too often when people use racial slurs in so-called polite company, no one said anything. I was too offended to summon up the right rejoinder; being a slant in that setting, I felt unwelcome and even unsafe.

This week, an Asian American band named the Slants won a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in its free-speech challenge to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices refusal to register the name as a valid trademark. The court noted that even though the government has the power to register trademarks, the underlying expression of the trademark is private speech, not government speech.

The trademark offices rejection of the name the Slants was based on a clause of the federal Lanham Act that prohibits the registration of trademarks that may disparage ... or bring ... into contempt or disrepute any persons, living or dead. With more than 2 million marks with active federal certificates of registration (including the Dead Kennedys, Dykes on Bikes and N.W.A.), the trademark office decided that the Slants was impermissibly disparaging.

In response, musician Simon Tam argued that the Slants as the only all Asian American dance-rock band, had reclaimed the word slants to drain it of its hateful power and to negate its derogatory influence. He observed: Kids would pull their eyes back in a slant-eyed gesture to make fun of us.  I wanted to change it to something that was powerful, something that was considered beautiful or a point of pride instead.

Tam argued further that the Lanham Act clause violated the First Amendment by giving the trademark office the power to engage in viewpoint discrimination by deciding which trademarks conveyed disparagement, contempt or disrepute.

The court ruled that the disparagement clause of the federal law governing trademark registration is unconstitutional because it allows the government to be the judge of what private speech is offensive: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend. The court made the distinction between speech on behalf of the government (for example, the government could and should have the right to decide its own message on U.S. currency), and speech by private entities that is registered by the government (e.g., Just Do It and the Nike swoosh).

The government cannot engage in viewpoint censorship.

As a result of the courts decision, there will certainly be more trademarks that cause offense to the public. The oft-debated Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians (with its Screaming Indian and tomahawk logos) are the most prominent examples. One can imagine that the application of the feminist band the Thunderpussies could be followed by an application by  the Pussy-Grabbers?

In a famous Supreme Court free speech decision in 1971, the court upheld the right of a Vietnam War protester to walk in a courtroom hallway wearing a jacket stating F the Draft. Justice John Marshall Harlan II wrote: One mans vulgarity is anothers lyric. Harlans words remind us that the best way to resist the slurs and vulgarity of others is not through government censorship, but through speaking up like Simon Tam and The Slants and reclaiming the power of language for ourselves.

Margaret M. Russell teaches constitutional law and social justice at Santa Clara University School of Law.
SACRAMENTO  A proposal to gut Californias tax collection agency sits on Gov. Jerry Browns desk, but the state is already moving forward with parts of the overhaul, which would shift 90 percent of the agencys responsibilities to two new state departments.

The drastic changes to the state Board of Equalization coincide with a state Department of Justice criminal investigation into allegations board members may have misused public funds.

The 138-year-old tax board is made up of four elected members and the state controller, and oversees tax and fee collection that generates $60 billion a year, or nearly a third of the state budget.

But lawmakers have for years criticized the board as being dysfunctional, and lost their patience this year. They held hearings at the Capitol and ripped into the boards management. The agency, they contend, lost the publics trust due to poor accounting, including failure to send counties the accurate amount of sales tax owed, and questionable spending on events seemingly unrelated to collecting taxes.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Last week, lawmakers abruptly drew up and passed a bill that strips the board of nearly all its power. Brown is expected to sign the bill.

Lawmakers stopped short of abolishing the board, which would require a constitutional amendment and voter approval. So, the board, long a cozy landing ground for termed-out politicians, will continue to exist.

And, despite the problems, an independent commission this week approved a 3 percent raise for board members, who will now make $147,000 a year.

This has been an issue documented for decades, said Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, who spearheaded the Board of Equalization reforms. These proposals have been talked about for years and years and years. This predates any current board member and many of the executive staff today. It demonstrates this is a systemic problem where the board is playing way too many roles that at times conflict with each other.

Under the planned reforms, the board members would see their jobs drastically reduced. The board would continue to oversee duties enshrined in the state Constitution  ensuring that property taxes assessed by counties are fair and equitable, assessing taxes on insurers and collecting taxes on alcohol. Any changes to those responsibilities would require voter approval.

However, the vast majority of the boards responsibilities would be moved into two new departments. More than 30 tax and fee programs  such as sales taxes, fees on the purchase of new tires and taxes on tobacco, cannabis and gas  would be moved into a newly created California Department of Tax and Fee Administration on July 1.

The agencys administrative functions, like budget and technology, would be moved to the new department.

The board also would no longer oversee tax appeals.

Currently, taxpayers who disagree with a Board of Equalization finding about how much they owe in taxes can contest the decision with an appeal, which is heard by the elected board.

Under the changes, a new independent tax court would be created and filled with administrative law judges to hear appeal cases. Taxpayer appeals would be heard by a panel of three judges instead of the elected board members beginning Jan. 1.

The vast majority of the more than 4,000 workers at the Board of Equalization would continue to do the same job at the same desk, which should lead to little disruption to taxpayer services, said Marybel Batjer, Browns secretary of government operations, who has been overseeing the transition.

Batjer said she met with staff at the tax agency on Monday to answer questions about the changes and ease concerns.

We are doing a lot of planning and preparation, Batjer said.

Some critics of the Board of Equalization are questioning whether the state will still need the elected board once most of their responsibilities are removed.

I think the time for an elected board has come to an end, said Betty Yee, a Board of Equalization member and state controller. California is the only state that has an elected tax body.

Voters would have to approve a constitutional amendment to abolish the board. Yee said the proposal on Browns desk is a good starting point. Removing politicians, who arent required to have a background in tax policy, would ensure taxpayers are treated fairly and consistently, regardless of their political clout, Yee said.

This is a major reform, said Yee, who pushed similar changes earlier this year.

Another board member, former Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, also endorsed the changes, while board members George Runner and Diane Harkey, both former lawmakers, have opposed the proposal, calling it government overreach. Board member Jerome Horton did not return an email seeking comment.

Runner, a Republican, said the elected tax officials are still needed to advocate on behalf of the people they represent. He said the reforms are actually a power grab.

You have an executive branch of the governors office that has for years wanted to control all revenues, Runner said.

Horton has repeatedly been singled out for questionable behavior as a board member.

A 2015 Bloomberg News story found organizations made more than $700,000 in charitable donations at Hortons request  a practice known as behest payments that are reported to the states Fair Political Practices Commission. The payments were mostly made to or through nonprofit organizations tied to Hortons wife, the news organization reported.

Last year, the Sacramento Bee reported that Horton and his staff outfitted his Sacramento high-rise office with $130,000 in designer furniture, paid for with public funds.

Lawmakers pointed to long waits for taxpayers to get resolutions to their appeals, and the governors Department of Finance office found the agency misallocated tens of millions of dollars without explanation. The finance office audit also found in March that Horton regularly reassigned public employees to work for him, including on events that had little to do with the boards operations.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
Editor's note: Among many other things, Tunde Wey is a cook and writer who hosts pop-ups across the country, a dinner series called Blackness in America. This essay represents a continuation of that conversation. See also his last contribution: Bad Hombres, Bad Dreams.

***

I. Men Who Fix Things

Theres a necessary concoction of good intention and hubris that propels men, those of us socially instructed to be masters of the universe, fathers and philanderers, to attempt improbable things, fueled exclusively by the idea that we can do anything, and do it better.

This notion, which welds a narrow respect of history with a grand vision for the future, is the motor that propels San Franciscos startup princes, populist political animals, self-important writers and vanity-begotten chefs.

In the summer of 2013, under a Copenhagen tent teeming with the most acclaimed food professionals  that is, chefs and food writers  from around the world, Roy Choi gave a presentation at the MAD conference, a TED-style food symposium.

Dressed in a black T-shirt, Stussy boldly stylized in gold across his chest, a flat-brimmed L.A. cap and camouflage pants, the Southern California chef spoke to the shadowed and quieted crowd, his voice trembling from anxiety and emotion.

Rattling off a series of dismal statistics, each more successively disheartening, Choi talked about the dire condition of the south central Los Angeles community. Of poverty, childhood hunger, curbed access to healthy food, dim education prospects. Of anemic civic participation, disintegrating households and prevalent violence.

Despite being inoculated from these desperate vagaries of non-Hollywood Los Angeles, which he was describing, Choi felt indicted by his proximity.

Warning of injustice as a universal threat, he exhorted his affluent, conscience-afflicted audience of food people to leverage their resources and act: So why do I say all of these things at a food conference with the best chefs in the world? Because I really believe that chefs can do anything.

***

A year later, Choi returned to the MAD conference stage, this time with another chef, the Bay Areas Daniel Patterson. They had a big announcement to deliver to the expectant crowd.

Inspired by Chois talk the previous year, Patterson had approached Choi and together they decided to start a new restaurant, Locol, as a response to the challenge of food access in underserved communities.

Talking to the Copenhagen faithful, Pattersons presentation locomoted through the perils of large scale commercial food production  evident in the sorry quality of prison and hospital food, and complicit in falling standardized test scores of children.

Roy and I are going to open a fast food restaurant... a lot of them, said Patterson. So were going to open two and then a year after that, like a million.

Copenhagen roared its approval with hoots, claps and whistles.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

In January 2016, Choi and Patterson opened the first location of Locol in Watts, followed by a second one in Uptown Oakland a few months later and a third outpost in West Oakland after that. Their gumption, already rewarded by investors, was met with unrelenting media plaudits. The legend of Locol was made before most had even bitten into its burger.

Steeped as we are in the beloved hetero-superhero narratives  reinforced by fables of David, who sunk Goliath with a single stone, and the fictive characters of John Wayne, pacifying Americas enemies  the story of Locol almost wrote itself. Scrappy upstart company incites a food rebellion, taking on the evil fast food industry by providing competitively priced, better-tasting and healthier alternatives, all while offering livable-wage employment in economically deprived communities of color.

This month, Locols first Oakland outpost closed after a year of business, and it is time to meditate on this tough morsel:

Locol is an imagined solution, designed to overcome the wrong threat.

II. Its Not The Economy

The locations Choi and Patterson proposed to open  Oakland, Chicago, Detroit, Newark, Ferguson  are characterized by the misfortune of color in America. In these communities, issues of poverty, hunger and access to nutritious food are exclusively about race.

What many Americans see as the problems with the fast food industry are greedy and bad corporate actors  McDonalds and its ilk  working for profit at the expense of vulnerable communities. The prescribed antidote, then, is the installation of good actors (presumably Locol), armed with better intentions and food, valuing community over gain.

But this is a dangerous minimization of the facts, lacking a larger racial analysis and the admission that racism, not some aberrant market failure, is the culprit in the deprivation of communities of color.

Absent a critical racial lens, the current incarnation of Locol, its lore perpetrated by the media and celebrated by capital, only exists to preserve intact  while obscuring  the incumbent power paradigm. As long as wealth and power are controlled from outside the community, mediated by benevolent forces who only accept employee applications and service customer orders, then the status quo  an edifice of oppression, aloof in its appearance  remains unbothered, managed by a revolving cast, each doing little except claiming loudly at doing a lot.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

What Choi and Patterson have achieved thus far is a masterclass in populist fervor whipping, unintentional but spurious nonetheless. After elevating the enemy (Bad Fast Food) to magnificence, they ingratiated their cause to the community, assuming its language and iconography, less as a declaration of solidarity than an attempt at equivalency. They were the underdogs, just like Watts.

They recast themselves, without self-awareness or irony, as minnows, swimming on the beleaguered side. The expert combination of these story elements stirred in everyone  writers, readers, diners and funders  a primal response to this archetypal drama: Locol, this contemporized food allegory, the love child of two privileged men who could amass more resources than most ($2 million by some accounts). The potent narrative burst pleasure-packets into our brains and inspired the groundswell of goodwill that Locol rode from Copenhagen to California.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

Yet Watts, and communities like it, are the bait conveniently folded into our heroes stories, black and brown grist for the American mill which continues to churn out lighter winners and darker losers.

This characterization of Locol would be unfair if America was a racially equitable polity, unburdened by history and exploitation, where our best actions existed apart from time and space. But this is America of Two Thousand and Seventeen, burdened by the consequences of an opportunistic present and unresolved history.

III. Context is King

Watts was designed and contoured by racism. It was incorporated on the blatant, frothing bigotry of segregation and redlining, which prescribed Watts as the only community in the area where Black folks were allowed to reside. During the wartime years, Watts sang a false siren song promising jobs and peace, as it beckoned migrant southerners, fleeing Jim Crow terrorism, to its munitions and aircraft factories  a lure that transported Black workers from the confederate frying pan into the northern fire.

Racism forged Watts 2.2 square miles, packing it tight with Black bodies, rubbed raw against each other, desperate in the dire and concentrated poverty, abused by the obstreperously racist police department and raked by an abysmal public schools system. That metaphorical conflagration erupted into real flames of discontent in August 1965, presaging the smoking scenes to come in other major American cities like Newark, Chicago and Detroit. The Watts people rebelled, and for an infamous five days, Watts wore fire. Thirty-four people died, a majority of them Black and from law enforcement bullets.

Five decades after the Watts rebellion, the neighborhood demographics have changed considerably. Watts is now 70 percent Latino  many of the Black residents found their way to the Inland Empire. The hue of the residents might be a few shades lighter, but that hasnt helped much. Nearly a third of Watts households are on government food benefits. Unemployment estimates range between 12 percent and 15 percent  higher than during the rebellion. According to the Los Angeles Times, only 2.9 percent of residents 25 and older have a four-year degree and the median household income is $25,161.

***

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

As long as communities of color continue to be denied proper opportunities to education, wealth and safety, even as their labor and culture are exploited, we cannot celebrate any interventionists, restaurateurs or ride-share profiteers, who purport to solve a problem they have largely misunderstood, as they present a false insinuation that the larger system is agnostic in its distribution of gains and losses.

Parading traditional, for-profit business models  characterized by the separation of ownership and labor  as a remedy for upending historical racism is only self-aggrandizement dressed as altruism.

The only legitimate starting point to begin the process of reversing the structural racism that animates our communities is a shift of power and resources.

For Choi and Patterson, this means a complete transfer of capital, labor and land assets  wealth  to the communities they suggest to serve. This is the solution that moves to a more cooperative and restorative paradigm, beyond the tokenism of the fast food franchise model, which extracts disproportionate value from its host community with the same unflinching exploitative capacity as corporatism.

Or else nothing changes.

And if nothing is changed, then Locol should either leave Watts, Oakland and its other proposed communities, or shed its narrative of change  to join, in relative obscurity, the other locally owned (spelled without flair) businesses without a public point to prove, already hiring from the community, paying taxes and offering services, healthful and saccharine, as is their prerogative.

So to Messrs Choi and Patterson, and all the other well-intentioned boodles of fixers: run the jewels!

Tunde Wey is a cook and writer furiously working to impress his Nigerian parents. RIP Prodigy: "Ain't no such thing as halfway crooks." Instagram: @from_lagos Email: food@sfchronicle.com - Follow his work at www.fromlagos.com/subscribe
John R. Quinn, archbishop emeritus of San Francisco and a former president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, died early Thursday after a long illness.

Archbishop Quinn, who was an advocate of interfaith cooperation, died at the Jewish Home of San Francisco after a long hospital stay. He was 88.

He served as archbishop of San Francisco from 1977 to 1995, and had built a reputation as an advocate of social justice and a leader in the liberalization of the Catholic Church. In his retirement, he lectured and wrote two books on reform of the papacy and was working on a third when he died.

Archbishop Quinn had become ill during a visit to Rome last fall and had emergency surgery. However, complications set in, and, upon his return to San Francisco, he spent several months at St. Marys Hospital. He had been moved to the Jewish home to receive skilled nursing care last Friday.

He stated several times since his move that he had achieved his goal of leaving the hospital for a new home where he could enjoy the fresh air, trees, and sounds of birds in the early morning, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said in a statement.

However, Archbishop Quinns breathing became labored Thursday morning and he died soon after. Our hearts are breaking at losing such a great priest and friend, Cordileone said.

Archbishop Quinn had a considerable reputation in church circles as a reformer in the Catholic Church. He was the figure who enshrined the progressive style of Catholicism to fit the nations most liberal city, wrote Rocco Palmo, an influential observer of Catholic affairs on social media.

Archbishop Quinn spoke out with a clear, powerful voice on the central issues of the day, Jeffrey Burns, a former archivist for the San Francisco Archdiocese, wrote in an article on Archbishop Quinns 80th birthday. Truly, he was an archbishop with the heart of a deacon.

John Rafael Quinn was born in Riverside on March 28, 1929. After graduation from high school, he entered the seminary in El Cajon (San Diego County) and studied later at the North American College in Rome. He was ordained in Rome in 1953.

He served in parish posts and taught in a seminary. In 1964, Archbishop Quinn was appointed provost of the University of San Diego College for Men and soon engineered a merger with the schools womens college to create the University of San Diego.

In October 1967, at age 38, he was named auxiliary bishop of San Diego. He was the youngest Catholic bishop in the U.S. and was clearly marked for higher posts. In November, 1971 Pope Paul VI named him bishop of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Two years later, the position was raised in status and he became archbishop of Oklahoma City.

In February 1977, he succeeded Joseph McGucken as the sixth archbishop of San Francisco. Eight months later, he was elected president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. In San Francisco, he presided over the creation of the Diocese of San Jose.

He also received important assignments from Rome, including pontifical delegate for religious life in the United States. Archbishop Quinn was often called to Rome to mediate disputes between the Vatican and the American church.

These roles gave him a forum for his positions on progressive reform in the church.

He found his assignment in San Francisco challenging. In the past, the role of archbishop had been a powerful one, but the city had become much more ethnically diverse. There were fewer families, a large gay population and a fiercely liberal set of values.

This is a different city in a lot of ways, he said in an interview. There are also immense social problems.

One of them was the AIDs epidemic and Archbishop Quinn took a leading role through Catholic Charities in providing help to AIDS patients during the height of the crisis. When Pope John Paul II visited San Francisco, he met with several AIDS patients, including a young boy and two members of the clergy.

Archbishop Quinn was a critic of U.S. policy toward Central America and refugees from that area. He made two parishes  St. Teresa in San Francisco and St. Bruno in San Bruno  sanctuary parishes. But his administration had its problems, including an emerging sex scandal involving the clergy and an abrupt decline in church attendance.

He also received considerable criticism when he ordered several churches closed, most notably St. Brigid in San Francisco.

NEW; Archbishop Quinn found the stresses of his office painful, and took an unprecedented leave of abasence for nearly a year. He resigned as Archbishop in December 1995. He was 68 years old; in effect it was early retirement.

However, he continued to lecture, teach and write. His 1999 book, The Reform of the Papacy: The Costly Call to Christian Unity, received a Catholic Press award. A second book, Ever Ancient, Ever New: New Structure of the Communion in the Church, came out in 2012.

At the time of his death, Archbishop Quinn was working on a book about the First Vatican Council of 1870.

Funeral services are pending.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf
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When Eli Smith left Pensacola, Florida, to start his journey of walking to the four corners of the United States, he didnt plan on making it to the Bay Area in time for the peak of a heat wave Thursday.

But as Smith walked from Morgan Hill to Gilroy, temperatures had increased into the triple digits by the mid-afternoon, according to Will Pi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
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Jeff Reitz has visited Disneyland every day since Jan. 1, 2012. On Thursday, the Huntington Beach resident made his 2,000th visit.

"I'm still having fun with it," Reitz, an annual passholder, told KTLA, "that's the only reason I'm doing this."

The Air Force veteran began visiting Disneyland while unemployed. He credits his daily park visits "with giving him something to look forward to each day," according to a press release.

Even after landing a job at a Long Beach VA hospital, Reitz continued his daily sojourns, says the OC Register.

"It's become a living breathing thing along the way," he told the paper.

Consistent highlights of his daily visits include hearing the entry music, interacting with friendly park employees and people-watching. The Matterhorn is one of his favorite rides  he still remembers riding it with his mom, according to the Register  but he doesn't turn his nose up at any of the attractions. He's already experienced the new "Guardians of the Galaxy" ride over a dozen times since it opened in May.

Even after thousands of trips, Reitz doesn't intend to quit the theme park anytime soon. According to the press release, "He plans to continue treating himself to daily park visits for as long as he can."

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
A Bronx man was arrested at JFK airport Wednesday night while allegedly attempting to fly overseas to join ISIS, officials said Thursday.

Saddam Mohamad Raishani, a 30-year-old home health aid living in New York City, allegedly hoped to elude authorities by posing as a nurse, with the intention of meeting an ISIS member in Turkey and eventually joining the organization in Syria. He claimed to have already helped another man make the trip via JFK, according to acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim.

"Raishani allegedly acted on his own desire to wage violent jihad, planning to leave his family and life in New York City for the battlefields of the Middle East," Kim said in a statement. "Thanks to the excellent work of the FBI and NYPD, Raishanis alleged plan to support this deadly terrorist organization was cut short at the airport and now he will face federal terrorism charges."

The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, alleges that Raishani expressed his support for ISIS to a paid government informant on multiple occasions. That informant then introduced Raishani to an undercover detective, who claimed he too wanted to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS. Earlier this month, the two allegedly went shopping for clothing and supplies that Raishani thought they'd need for their training.

Raishani also allegedly told the detective that he was concerned about being monitored by federal authorities, but said that "if he was arrested he will not care, because Allah would know that he tried," according to the complaint.

He was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, and is currently detained pending further proceedings in Federal District Court in Manhattan.

Sarah Baumgartel, a federal attorney appointed to Raishani, declined to comment.

The attempt does not appear to be related to the arrest of Ali Kourani, a different Bronx man who was arrested earlier this month on charges of supporting ISIS. In March, a 26-year-old Long Island man was also arrested for allegedly attempting to join ISIS in Syria.

"As we have seen many times before, allegedly attempting to join a designated terrorist organization usually has one outcome: arrest," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said in a statement.


San Francisco Police Department

A former gym teacher for the San Francisco public school system was arrested on suspicion of a sexual battery of a minor under 14 years old, and police suspect there may be more victims, officials said.

Donovan Harper, 36, of Novato, who worked as a gym teacher at multiple campuses over three years of employment with the San Francisco Unified School District, was arrested earlier this month following an investigation that started in October, police said.
Some of San Franciscos sidewalks, parks and recreational facilities appear to violate legal standards for accessibility by people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility impairments, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

The decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned part of the verdict by a federal judge, who ruled after a nonjury trial in 2011 that San Francisco complied with federal laws governing access for the disabled. The judge, the court said, had applied the wrong laws on access to streets and sidewalks, parks and public playgrounds, and wrongly discredited expert witnesses who found obstructions at many of those sites.

The appeals court, however, upheld the judges conclusion that disability advocates had failed to show citywide violations that would require a complete overhaul of construction and maintenance practices affecting disability access. Instead, the court sent the case back to the trial judge and told her to reconsider the case under the proper legal standards and decide how far the city needs to go to comply with the law.

The ruling applies to every major American city, said Guy Wallace, a lawyer for the disabled woman who filed the suit in 2007. In San Francisco, he said, theyre going to have to make a lot of stuff truly accessible.

But John Cote, spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera, said the court had found that the citys public right-of-way and recreation and park programs, services and activities are accessible. He said city officials were confident that further review would show that San Francisco is doing what it should be doing.

The suit was filed by Ivana Kirola, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, and was certified by U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong as a class action on behalf of 21,000 San Franciscans with impaired mobility.

Kirola said she has encountered a variety of barriers to access in the citys public facilities, including a sidewalk where her wheelchair got stuck in a tree well, a street corner without curb ramps, and three inaccessible city swimming pools.

One of her expert witnesses testified that he had inspected 1,432 curb ramps in San Francisco and found access problems, in violation of federal standards, at 1,358 of them.

Kirolas witnesses also described an inaccessible entrance ramp at one city park and a cracked sidewalk at another, city libraries with narrow aisles and inaccessible restrooms, and inaccessible or missing handrails at several city swimming pools.

The citys expert witnesses said their own inspections had shown few such problems and noted that San Franciscos Municipal Transportation Agency provides paratransit van and taxi services for the disabled.

After hearing the conflicting testimony, Armstrong said she found the citys experts credible and rejected Kirolas experts, finding that they had used inconsistent methods and applied the wrong criteria. She said the government standards they relied on, the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, do not apply to parks or playgrounds and also exempt streets and sidewalks, or at least those constructed or revamped before Jan. 26, 1992.

But the appeals court said the guidelines are legally binding on all facilities, including streets or sidewalks, that are new or altered since January 1992. They include standards for such things as the maximum incline of a ramp, the width of a park path and the dimensions of restrooms.

Such standards, written and implemented by government administrative agencies, are better suited to determining disability access than judges, who do not have the institutional competence to put together a coherent body of regulation, Judge Ronald Gould said in the 3-0 ruling.

Gould said Armstrong had ruled correctly that testimony by Kirola and other disabled persons about cracked pavement, potholes, uneven sidewalks and missing or difficult-to-use curb ramps did not establish inaccessibility at a programmatic (citywide) level.

But he said Armstrong must re-examine the evidence under the proper standard, determine the scope of any violations at facilities used by disabled San Franciscans, and decide whether to order changes.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@egelko
After blistering weather sent temperatures soaring into triple digits in numerous cities throughout the inland Bay Area on the hottest day of a heat wave, forecasters said that the worst is over and temperatures Friday would drop at least ten degrees across the region.

Though many locations surpassed the century mark Thursday, no heat records were broken in the area, said Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

It really shouldnt take away from the impact of the heat weve had the last few days though, Mehle said. It was still really hot.

And as residents prepare for the weekend, Mehle said that a marine layer Friday was bringing relief to areas that were some of the most sweltering locations during the peak of the heat wave on Thursday.

Now, we have wind coming from the ocean to the land so thats helping, Mehle said.

Pleasanton, Sonoma, Walnut Creek and Antioch, where temperatures Thursday were anywhere from 101 to 106 degrees, were expected to be in the mid 80s to low 90s on Friday.

And the steady decline in baking temperatures doesnt end there.

San Francisco is going to be about 69 degrees, compared to Thursday when temperatures reached the upper 70s.

Oakland wont be much warmer than San Francisco with temperatures reaching 76 degrees and San Jose is expected to flirt with 90 degrees throughout the day, Mehle said.

Even with temperatures starting to decrease, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District kept a Spare the Air Alert in place for Friday asking people to help cut pollution by taking public transportation, carpooling or biking and walking.

Despite the cooldown, some locations are still expected reaching triple digits, including Livermore which was forecast to reach 100 degrees, Mehle said.

The temperature in Brentwood are expected to hit 97 degrees on Friday and 98 in Discovery Bay.

We are expecting additional cooling through the weekend, Mehle said.

The coastal regions in the Bay Area are expected to be in the mid 60s to low 70s on Saturday. Sonoma and parts of the East Bay, including Concord and Livermore, are expected to dip into the upper 80s.

On Sunday, temperatures throughout the Bay Area will drop even lower with most areas in the 70s to 80s, Mehle said.

Relief is kind of on the way, Mehle said.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
Ousted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick learned early last year that the engineer who until recently oversaw the companys driverless car project possessed discs of information from Google, according to a court filing.

Kalanick, who resigned under pressure Monday, told Anthony Levandowski around March 2016 that Uber didnt want the information and that he shouldnt bring it to the ride-hailing company, and the engineer told management that he destroyed the discs, according to the filing.

The exchange was revealed late Wednesday in a trade secrets lawsuit that Alphabets Waymo filed against Uber in federal court in San Francisco. While driverless cars arent expected on U.S. roads for five to 10 years, the companies are fighting for technology that will put the winner ahead of rivals, including established carmakers, in a multibillion-dollar industry. The litigation was cited as a primary cause of concern in an investor letter to Kalanick that led to his forced resignation.

Waymo argues in the filing that Ubers waiting until June 5 to disclose the exchange, and its knowledge of the destruction of the discs, require the company to prove to U.S. District Judge William Alsup that its not in contempt of court for repeatedly violating his orders to turn over information.

Cars

Tesla eyes

China factory

Tesla is working with Shanghai to explore the possibility of opening a factory in the area, the Palo Alto maker of electric cars confirmed Thursday. Sales in China generate a hefty chunk of Teslas revenue, and moving some manufacturing near those buyers would slash some costs.

While we expect most of our production to remain in the U.S., we do need to establish local factories to ensure affordability for the markets they serve, a Tesla representative said in a statement.

Tesla has considered producing vehicles in Asia for a while.

Last year, the company pulled in $1.1 billion from sales in China  15 percent of its worldwide revenue. In the first three months of this year, 19 percent of its revenue was from China.

Its pretty obvious that long-term, you want to have your production close to your consumption, so you dont have massive logistics costs, transporting cars halfway around the world, CEO Elon Musk said in a conference call with investors last October.

By making vehicles in China, a 25 percent tax on imported Model S and Model X vehicles could be avoided, according to a report from Consumer Edge Research. The report also said that under existing rules, Tesla probably would have to establish a joint venture with a Chinese partner if it wants to build cars there.

Currently, Teslas major factories are its robot-powered auto plant in Fremont and its sprawling Gigafactory battery plant in Sparks, Nev.

The company is set to start production of the Model 3, the lowest-priced vehicle in in its lineup, next month.

SF Motors gets

Indiana plant

A Santa Clara electric vehicle manufacturer plans to buy an AM General assembly plant in northern Indiana and invest $30 million in upgrades at the plant.

SF Motors and AM General didnt announce a price Thursday for the commercial assembly plant in Mishawaka. The agreement also includes land and some equipment, but the companies say it wont affect AM Generals military assembly plant or military-related business.

SF Motors, a subsidiary of auto manufacturer and supplier Sokon Industry Group in China, plans to keep all the plants roughly 430 workers.

Airlines

Qatar may buy

American stake

Qatar Airways has expressed interest in buying up to 10 percent of American Airlines, an unsolicited approach that comes amid criticism that Persian Gulf competitors have an unfair advantage.

State-owned Qatar Airways said that it intends to buy the American carriers stock on the open market, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. CEO Akbar al-Baker approached American Airlines CEO Doug Parker about the possible purchase.

Chronicle News Services
A Kansas federal jury awarded nearly $218 million on Friday to farmers who sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed variety.

Syngenta vowed to appeal the verdict favoring four Kansas farmers representing roughly 7,300 growers from that state in what served as the first test case of tens of thousands of lawsuits assailing Syngentas decision to introduce its Viptera seed strain to the U.S. market before China approved it for imports.

The Kansas trial and a Minnesota one next month involving about 60,000 cases are to serve as bellwether trials, providing guidance for how the complex web of litigation in state and federal courts could be resolved. Attorneys can see how juries react and determine whether to settle other cases or take them to trial.

This is only the beginning, the Kansas farmers attorneys said in a statement, calling Fridays verdict great news for Kansas and U.S. corn growers. We look forward to pursuing justice for thousands more corn farmers in the months ahead.

Syngenta began selling Viptera in the U.S. for the 2011 growing season, but China didnt approve it until December 2014. The lawsuits allege Syngentas move to market the seed variety before Chinas clearing of it for imports wrecked an increasingly important export market for U.S. corn, causing years of depressed prices. Court filings show Syngenta aggressively marketed the seeds even when it knew Chinese approval was going to be a problem.

Most of the farmers suing didnt grow Viptera, but China also rejected millions of metric tons of their grain because elevators and shippers typically mix grain from large numbers of suppliers, making it difficult to source corn that was free of the trait. So they say all farmers were hurt by the resulting price drop.

Experts speaking for the farmers who sued said they estimate the economic damage at about $5 billion, though Syngenta has denied its actions caused any losses for farmers.

Fridays jury award, if upheld on appeal, would be dispersed to the more than 7,000 Kansas farmers in the class, minus unspecified attorneys fees. But it remains unclear how much each victim ultimately will get, because of such variables as the number of bushels each sold during a relative time period, said Don Downing, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

Syngenta said it was disappointed with Fridays outcome because it will only serve to deny American farmers access to future technologies even when they are fully approved in the U.S.

The case is without merit and we will move forward with an appeal and continue to defend the rights of American farmers to access safe and effective U.S.-approved technologies, the company said.

Calling Viptera in full compliance with U.S. regulatory and legal requirements, Syngenta added that American farmers shouldnt have to rely on a foreign government to decide what products they can use on their farms.

Syngenta said it invested more than $100 million and 15 years in developing Viptera, which has a trait called MIR162 that protects against pests such as earworms, cutworms, armyworms and corn borers.

Court papers show that Syngenta initially assured stakeholders that China would approve MIR162 in time for the 2011 crop, but the date kept slipping. Some exporters sent shipments containing the trait to China anyway. After two years of accepting them, China began rejecting them in late 2013.

The Kansas trial came as ChemChina  a state-owned conglomerate also known as China National Chemical Corp.  is closing in on its $43 billion acquisition of Syngenta.

Jim Suhr is an Associated Press writer.
Venture capitalist Justin Caldbeck, the co-founder of Binary Capital who was accused this week of sexually harassing half a dozen women who work in tech, will take an indefinite leave of absence from the San Francisco firm he helped start three years ago and will seek professional counseling, according to a news release.

Caldbeck, who has served on the board of directors at several local startups, including on-demand labor market TaskRabbit, said in a statement Friday afternoon that the decision to step down from his firm was preceeded by the darkest 24 hours of his life.

Those hours came after Susan Ho, Leiti Hsu, Niniane Wang and three other women who declined to share their names publicly, spoke out about several instances where Caldbeck harassed them. The allegations include groping a woman under a table, sending sexually explicit late-night messages and propositioning female entrepreneurs for sex.

Ho and Hsu founded travel startup Journy. Wang is the founder of animation startup Evertoon and previously served as the CTO of stationary startup Minted and helped create Google Desktop.

Several of the women reportedly experienced Caldbecks unwanted advances as they were seeking funding or advice from him in his role as a venture capitalist while they were trying to start a business.

Leiti and I originally were not going to say anything because we felt that what happened to us was just unfortunately so commonplace and trite these days, Susan Ho wrote in a private Facebook group, according to tech news site PandoDaily. But after hearing the stories of other women who endured much worse, we decided we had to say something to make sure this article would get written. Niniane Wang was the first to agree to go on the record and she said it best  if we don't say anything and this happens to someone else, it's really something we could have had a hand in preventing.

Caldbeck has worked as a VC three firms over the past decade: Bain Capital Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and his own firm, Binary Capital.

Prior to Caldbecks announcement Friday, Binary Capital denied the womens allegations, calling them false, and characterized Caldbecks actions as flirtation.

The womens stories, first reported in the Information, a subscription news service for venture capitalists and other tech insiders, have since made their way around the Internet, attracting outrage from many in the tech industry, who decried Caldbecks actions but said they found them unsurprising, given the systemic and pervasive sexism and misogyny many have long reported experiencing in tech and venture capital.

Two of the six women who reported inappropriate advances from Caldbeck said they did not follow through on business deals with him because of his inappropriate behavior.

In a statement Friday, Caldbeck said he was grateful to the women for speaking up and deeply ashamed.

The power dynamic that exists in venture capital is despicably unfair. The gap of influence between male venture capitalists and female entrepreneurs is frightening and I hate that my behavior played a role in perpetrating a gender-hostile environment, Caldbeck wrote in his statement. It is outrageous and unethical for any person to leverage a position of power in exchange for sexual gain, it is clear to me now that that is exactly what Ive done.

Caldbeck has invested in 14 startups through his firm, Binary Capital, including photo- and video-sharing app Snapchat, interior design startup Havenly, on-demand transportation startup Bellhops and luxury-hotel startup Recharge.

Binary Capital, based in the Mission District, is an early-stage investment firm that focuses on consumer-facing businesses. It has invested more than $300 million in the past three years. Among its limited partners, or investors, are the University of California at Los Angeles and Weathergage Capital, a firm whose five managing directors include three women.

I will be seeking professional counseling as I take steps to reflect on my behavior with and attitude towards women. I will find ways to learn from this difficult experience  and to help drive necessary changes in the broader venture community, Caldbeck wrote. I apologize again to those who Ive hurt during the course of my career  and for the damage Ive done to the industry I care so deeply about.

Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae
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City College of San Francisco trustees approved a $310,500 contract for Mark Rocha on Thursday, affirming him as the next chancellor despite objections from dozens of instructors who warned that he had clashed with faculty at all three California community colleges where he has been president.

The trustees voted 6-1 to hire Rocha, 63, who will replace interim Chancellor Susan Lamb on July 1, at a time of transition. City College recently emerged from a five-year struggle to remain accredited after being cited for inadequate leadership, poor fiscal controls and governance problems. The college won deadline extensions and was able to improve operations. In January, a commission renewed the colleges accreditation for seven years.

Rocha will become the first permanent chancellor since 2015, when former Chancellor Art Tyler was removed from the job after less than two years by a state trustee overseeing City College. Several speakers said they worried the same would happen with Rocha. Many held red flags to symbolize the risk.

I understand the fear, Trustee Shanell Williams told the standing-room-only crowd at the colleges main campus at 50 Phelan Ave. But we need stable leadership.

A selection committee had winnowed a field of 35 applicants to four this spring, and Rocha emerged as the only one who had led a community college.

This isnt time for someone who needs training wheels, Trustee Tom Temprano said.

Rocha led Pasadena City College from 2010 to 2014 and was president of West Los Angeles College for four years before that. He also served for a year as president of Santiago Canyon College in Orange County, until 2001. He also spent five years as vice president of a for-profit college.

Rocha was not at the meeting and did not hear speaker after speaker tell of warnings they had received about him from faculty at the colleges he led.

With all respect to you trustees, are you out of your minds? Have we not been through enough hell? Janet Lohr, an art instructor, told the trustees, expressing the views of most speakers.

Some cited a ruling against Pasadena College in 2015 from the states Public Employment Relations Board that ordered the college, led by Rocha, to stop interfering with union representation, and to cease and desist from unilaterally changing the school calendar. The college was ordered to restore faculty pay with interest. Rocha was also the subject of a no-confidence vote by the Pasadena faculty.

Ben Becker, co-chair of the San Francisco Berniecrats, accused Rocha of bullying, based on reports they had heard from his former colleagues.

Carlota Del Portillo, a retired dean of the Mission campus of City College who was on the search committee, was among a small group who praised Rocha. She said he had impressed her with his ideas for fundraising.

I think City College will fare well with the first Latino chancellor in 85 years, she said.

In the end, the trustees said that Rocha may not be the perfect candidate, but the need for stability outweighed other concerns. I believe we should give people a chance, said Trustee Alex Randolph.

Trustee Rafael Mandelman, the lone no vote, said it will be a tough thing for the chancellor to work in an atmosphere of opposition. But he pledged to do everything I can to make him a successful chancellor.

After the vote, Alisa Messer, former president of the faculty union, called the decision disappointing. But, she said, I hope, hope, hope that the trustees are right. I would love to be wrong.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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Drag culture is over a century old, but has come into the mainstream during the past 30 years with documentaries such as "Paris is Burning," Madonna's music video for "Vogue" and films like "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar."

So drag queens are a thing. We know that. There are even several places around San Francisco to see drag shows. But not as many people know about the drag king community, which is just as vibrant and active as the rest of drag culture.

Brittany Hosea-Small, a photographer from Sacramento, was one of those people.

She was a photography intern at The San Francisco Chronicle in 2016, covering the Hunky Jesus Competition at Golden Gate Park, and met Alex U. Inn, a drag king who is the grand marshal of Sunday's SF Pride Parade.

Upon hearing that Alex U. Inn is a drag king, Hosea-Small was surprised. "My initial response was 'I'm sorry, what?' And so, I kind of had them explain to me what it was," she said. "And it made logical sense. I was like, 'Of course, if there's drag queens, why wouldn't there be drag kings?"

After initially meeting Alex U. Inn and their crew, Momma's Boyz, she mulled over the possibility of doing a photo project on the entire summer of 2016. Once she returned to UC Berkeley in the fall of 2016 for her second year at Cal's Graduate School of Journalism, she decided to cover the story as her thesis project.

"This project had stuck in my head for so long," Hosea-Small said. "And especially with so much going on with the LGBTQ community and with this past election. And all of the change that's been happening, I felt that it was a really strong time to try and do this story."

She saw the resulting project, a book called "In the Reign of Kings," as an explanatory story at first, but as she got to know her subjects more, the scope of the story expanded.

"It just started out as here there's this community of drag kings," she said. "But as I kept interviewing people and working with them and really starting to get into the drag king community, I realized that my story was more than an explainer.

"It was looking at the concepts of gender and how we identify with gender in our current state and what gender really is and how it's not this specific binary that we've grown up to understand. It's really this amorphous, fluid concept, and how that's slowly coming into more everyday understanding of things."

For example, Hosea-Small said that "close to half" of the drag kings that she photographed and interviewed for the book identify with the gender-neutral pronouns they/their/them instead of he/his/him or she/hers/her.

"Becoming more familiar with that concept of the 'they' pronoun and the gender-neutrality of things was really interesting for me," she said. "A large percentage of the basis for drag kinging is this concept of, pardon my language, but this is the literally the phrase they use in the community, gender f. It's this concept that [when] you go onto stage you physically might technically be female, but you are embodying what you consider to be a male gender.

"A lot of kings will take that and mess with it in one performance. So they'll go up with a suit and a hat, and then as they're performing, they're stripping off their shirt and their tie and underneath they've got a g-string and pasties. You can be multiple genders in one body and you can be multiple genders in a span of time."

For the story, she covered two groups, the Rebel Kings of Oakland and Kingdom, went to drag shows, and interviewed and photographed several Bay Area drag kings. The result is a glimpse not only into the process the drag kings undergo in order to get dressed for a show, but a deeper dive into the everyday lives of the members of this community.
The generic office paperclip holds loose pages together, but the Prada paperclip holds loose dollar bills. Such ordered money comes at a cost, though. Barneys New York is selling the Prada paperclip for $185.

"By the time I buy the paperclip, there won't be enough for it to hold," observed one Twitter user.
Roxie Theater

For a person who weighs 450 pounds, walking down the block might as well be a trek through the Andes. While Alejandro Guzman Alvarezs Mexican indie Walking Distance moves as slowly as its corpulent hero, its mostly gentle and sweet, if you can forgive its somewhat unsatisfactory third act.

Fede (Luis Luca Ortega) is mostly confined to his small apartment. His caregivers are his sister Rosaura (Martha Claudia Moreno) and brother-in-law Ramon (Mauricio Isaac). After one visit when they show him photos from their trip to Oaxaca  for Fede, a frontline report from the outside world  he becomes obsessed with photography.
Big Coal is coming for John Oliver. In response to the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight, Murray Energies magnate Robert Murray has filed a defamation lawsuit alleging the "false and malicious broadcast" amounted to "ruthless character assassination" of the 77-year-old coal baron. The suit also takes aim at the show's supposed partisanship, which "vigorously supported and advanced Mrs. Clinton's agenda," according to the complaint.

The June 18th segment (below) was focused on President Trump's false promise to coal miners, but the comedian also spent a good chunk of the segment lambasting the so-called King of Coalor "geriatric Dr. Evil," in Oliver's wordsover his treatment of employees. According to Oliver, Murray Energies is to blame for a mine that collapsed in Utah in 2007, killing nine people. While the coal baron maintains that the collapse was caused by an earthquake, government research concluded the tragedy was the result of "unauthorized mining practices."

That incident is at the root of the lawsuit, which claims that Oliver and his producers "ignored facts in their possession that directly contradict the false and defamatory statements" made about the mine collapse. Murray had been made aware of the segment before it aired, and sent both a cease and desist letter and his own research to Last Week Tonight in anticipation of the episode.

Parts of that letter were shared with the audience by Oliver, who also said that he was expecting to be sued for the segment. "Bob Murray, I didnt really plan for so much of this piece to be about you, but you kinda forced my hand on that one, he said on during the segment. And I know youre probably going to sue me over this. But, you know what? I stand by everything I said."

Later on in the episode, Oliver brought out a man in a giant squirrel costume, a reference to Murray's alleged claim that a squirrel told him to start a mining company (Murray denies this). "Bob, I just wanted to say if you plan on suing, I do not have a billion dollars, but I do have a check for three acorns and 18 cents," the squirrel said. "It's made out to 'Eat sh*t Bob!"

In addition to Oliver, the suit names HBO, Time Warner, and Last Week Tonight's Senior News Producer Charles Wilson for one count each of defamation, false light invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In a statement, HBO said that they were not concerned by the lawsuit: "While we have not seen the complaint, we have confidence in the staff of Last Week Tonight and do not believe anything in the show this week violated Mr. Murray's or Murray Energy's rights."
WASHINGTON  Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada said Friday he opposes the GOP bill that would scuttle much of President Barack Obamas health care overhaul, complicating the task party leaders face in guiding the banner legislation through the Senate.

Heller, who faces a difficult re-election fight next year, said he would vote against the bill in its current form but did not rule out supporting a revamped version.

Facing unanimous Democratic opposition, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., must get yes votes from 50 of the 52 GOP senators to avoid a defeat that would be a major embarrassment to President Trump and the Republican Party.

McConnell has acknowledged that hes willing to change the measure before its voted on.

The Senate bill would make major cuts in the federal-state Medicaid program for poor and disabled people. That includes phasing out extra money Obamas statute gives states that have expanded the program, a step Nevada has taken, adding 200,000 additional people.

It doesnt protect Nevadans on Medicaid and the most vulnerable Nevadans, Heller said at a news conference in Las Vegas.

Hours after McConnell unveiled the bill Thursday, four other GOP senators said they also opposed the measure and several others expressed qualms about it. The four were Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

McConnell released the bill after weeks of closed-door meetings searching for middle ground between conservative senators seeking an aggressive repeal of Obamas statute and centrists warning about going too far.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, was urging Democrats to post stories on social media on constituents whose health care coverage would be threatened. No argument against Trumpcare is more eloquent than the grave consequences it means in peoples lives, she wrote colleagues.

The bill would cut and redesign the Medicaid program for low-income and disabled people, and erase taxes on higher earners and the medical industry that helped pay for the roughly 20 million Americans covered by Obamas law. It would let insurers provide fewer benefits, offer less generous subsidies than Obama to help people buy policies and end the statutes tax penalties on people who dont buy policies.

Alan Fram and Regina Garcia Cano are Associated Press writers.
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CINCINNATI  A second mistrial was declared Friday in the case of a white University of Cincinnati officer who killed an unarmed black motorist during a traffic stop. Its the latest racially charged police shooting case to show the reluctance of U.S. jurors to convict officers.

Hamilton County Judge Leslie Ghiz declared a mistrial after more than 30 hours of jury deliberations over five days. The jurors had said earlier Friday that they were unable to reach a verdict in Officer Ray Tensings trial, but Ghiz had sent them back to try again on the counts of murder and voluntary manslaughter.

Instead, they sent her another note some three hours later, saying: We are almost evenly split regarding our votes. The note said they didnt foresee reaching a unanimous verdict.

Tensing looked down, his hand on his face, as the judge announced the mistrial over the death of 43-year-old Sam DuBose, who was shot in the head while driving away from the traffic stop on July 19, 2015. Tensing and his family left quickly without comment.

The first trial against the 27-year-old Tensing also ended in a mistrial after the jury deliberated 25 hours over four days in November without reaching a verdict.

The case is among several across the country in recent years that have focused attention on how police deal with blacks.

A jury last week acquitted a Minnesota officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop. And jurors on Wednesday acquitted a black police officer of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of a black Milwaukee man who threw away the gun he was carrying during a brief foot chase after a traffic stop.

The NAACP of Cincinnati blasted the hung jury result and said they will demand justice.

The message that is being sent is, if you are black, all the police officer has to do is say they were in fear of their life and they get away with murder because the victim (is) black, the local NAACP said in a statement.

Prosecutors will have to decide whether to try Tensing for a third time. A spokeswoman for the county prosecutor, Joe Deters, said he wont comment until next week.

Dan Sewell is an Associated Press writer.
I was born dying, the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944) is said to have announced near the end of his reasonably long life.

A rare Munch exhibition opening this week of 44 mournful paintings will convince you of one thing above all: He hardly needed to tell us that. But you will also leave astounded that dollops and smears of paint might contain, suspended among their component oils and pigments, the tears and passions of a romantic who built his existence around sickness, loss, repression and despair.

The exhibition Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed opens Saturday, June 24, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and runs through Oct. 9. It surveys a career of some 60 years, revolving around a late (1940-43) self-portrait, the title of which lends its name to the show.

Self-Portrait: Between the Clock and the Bed is an interesting picture in the context of the art of its time, with its indeterminate space and light, and its stark contrasts  of abstract flatness and illusionistic depth; of complementary colors; of clothed and naked, male and female figures. Norway was under German occupation at this time (a fact barely mentioned in exhibition materials), which lends an odd poignancy to the artists old-soldier stance of feeble attention.

But I suspect it would not be the central work in the exhibition were it not for the strong relationship to a famous series of paintings and prints by Jasper Johns that echoed the hatch-mark design Munch used to represent a bedspread. The exhibition catalog, in particular, makes a point of Munchs place among key artists of the 20th century, downplaying his reputation as a moody Symbolist romantic.

That the artist had a foot in each of two centuries is certain, but it is difficult to see him as a disinterested formalist. After all, this is the man who envisioned The Scream, surely the worlds most famous icon of existential angst and agony.

Neither of the two fragile versions of that painting were allowed to leave their home museums in Norway, but anguish abounds here all the same. Two variants of The Sick Child (1896 and 1907), along with the identically themed At the Deathbed (1895), Death Struggle (1915), Death in the Sick Room (1893) and The Smell of Death (1895) all deal directly, oppressively, with the artists youthful experience of the loss of his sister.

Inheritance (1897-99) depicts a red-faced woman, handkerchief to her mouth. A green-tinged baby, chest spotted with red, doesnt so much rest upon as float above her lap on a womb-like cloud. An army of black, insect-like forms patterns the womans skirt. Munch nicknamed the work the syphilitic child, a wall text tells us.

In Ashes (1925), a tale of sexual repression and frustration, a man cringes at the bottom of an image of a long-haired woman in a forest clearing. Her arms are high behind her head. Her modest white dress is open to the waist, revealing a sanguine slip. She could almost be a gutted lamb.

Even a work with the joyous title The Dance of Life (1925) is peopled by somnambulists and stumbling cadavers.

This is not to say that Munch is not a master of color and form. That very virtuosity gives his art a kind of lurid authenticity. It convinces us that the sentiments are honest and real, the despondency earned. It is the reason these pictures dont work in reproduction: The image, all by itself, is cheap. Thats why The Scream is such an easy target of satire and commercialism, with Scream wide ties, Scream inflatable dolls, Scream bandages, Scream hemorrhoid cushions.

I have seen neither of the two original paintings. However, an earlier, closely related picture in the show, the harrowing Sick Mood at Sunset: Despair (1892)  shown here for the first time in the U.S.  gives a likely sense of the better-known canvases.

A lone figure looks into not a void, but a blue-black hardness  a region not exactly empty, but unnamed. The area where sky should be is an inferno of color, but it, too, is a substance, something beyond flame, as if laid down by brushes loaded with magma. Try getting that out of a glossy halftone on the printed page.

The point is that Munchs significance lies neither in his oversensitive soul nor his painterly inventiveness, but in his unique ability to combine the two. He returned again and again to the same themes, and often to the same image. One could argue that makes him a formal experimenter  testing and revising art for arts sake  or that his romantic heart could not bear to leave behind loves and moments that might die without continual regeneration. He did not have to choose.

It is perhaps telling, though, that in the late 19th century he arranged and rearranged key paintings into a series he called The Frieze of Life. He lived his final years in a house full of his own works. And, though his pictures once had a lively market, in the end he left to the city of Oslo the vast majority of his output as an intact collection.

Of the 44 works in the exhibition, 17 are identified as self-portraits, and several others surely represent the artist. Tracing Munchs variations on self-depiction is a study in changing techniques and styles, as well as his own personal and psychological shifts. The earliest work in the exhibition, a self-portrait from 1886, is nearly a mosaic of tiny broken plates of burnished paint.

There are ghostly pictures like a Self-Portrait with the Spanish Flu (1919), ominously psychosexual ones like his hovering presence in The Artist and His Model (1919-20), and a cartoonish throwaway that could be a magazine liquor ad, Self-Portrait With Bottles (circa 1938).

None of them compares to Self-Portrait in Hell (1903), however, for equipoise of painterly form and emotional content. From out of a blazing scarlet fire, trailing billows of smoke, a figure emerges, its color marking the spectrum of increasing heat  from head of red, to torso of yellow, to white-hot pelvis where our eye is stopped by the pictures bottom edge. The self is not afflicted by the heat: The self is its source.

Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1

Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays-Tuesdays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays. Saturday, June 24, through Oct. 9. $19-$25; ages 18 and younger free. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., S.F. (415) 357-4000. www.sfmoma.org
There's a lot to consider when looking for an apartmentlocation, rent, window size, whether or not you can make do with a kitchen shower. But one thing New Yorkers, particularly ones new to the city and/or with limited means, often fail to adequately investigate is the landlord renting to them. I've lived in four apartments in Brooklyn in the last six years, and the maximum research I did on each property owner or management company I signed a lease with was check the building's address on the Bedbug Registry. (I still got bedbugs.)

But in a city full of bad landlords, it's worth doing a little extra research on your landlord, if only to determine whether they'll send a real plumber or their wife's idiot cousin to come fix the giant leak that managed to tear through your ceiling last night. To this end, two New Yorkers are hoping their grammatically-confusing landlord rating website, Whose Your Landlord, will help.

As first reported by Curbed, Bedford-Stuyvesant residents Ofo Ezeugwu and Felix Addison came up with the idea for Whose Your Landlord while in college in Philadelphia. They noticed that their fellow students were living in apartments owned by some less-than-trustworthy souls, who seemed to be taking advantage of their tenants' naivete by jacking up their rent in gentrifying areas. Can you imagine such a thing!

So, Ezeugwu and Addison set about creating a landlord review site, in which tenants could warn their peers about advantage-taking landlords, and recommend the more scrupulous ones. That operation expanded to New York when Ezeugwu and Addison moved here in 2013. Now, they've got a slew of realty companies in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey on their site, with tenants leaving bad and good reviews alike.

"I believe it could change the face of apartment hunting in New York," Monteka Maddox, who has used the site, told Curbed. "I think a lot of landlords and slumlords get away with providing bad living standards because renters arent avoiding them. But if you go to a restaurant, and see it only has two stars, thats on you but at least you were warned."

It's noteworthy that you can actually look up some management companies on Yelp. Below, for instance, is one review of the company that ran my former hovel in Bushwick. What fun!

But WhoseYourLandlord is far more comprehensive than Yelp, which has its limitations. And though it probably won't do much to legally combat garbage landlords, whose notorious tenant blacklist keeps a lot of disadvantaged renters from taking bad actors to housing court, Ezeugwu and Addison hope that the fear of earning a bad reputation and, therefore, potential future vacancies, will keep landlords on their toes. "For bad landlords, there should be a naming and shaming," Ezeugwu said. "If youre a bad landlord, people should know that."

Getting called out hasn't done much to hurt these guys, but, hey, every little bit of fight helps, right?
Solid snowpack covered California's Mount Whitney all the way down to 9,000 feet a week ago.

Then a heat wave hit the Western United States, bringing sweltering triple-digit temperatures to inland California and melting the Sierra Nevada snowpack at a rapid rate.

The snow level on Mount Whitney rose 1,000 feet to 10,000 feet.

"To lose that much snow in a week is unusual," says Deb Schweizer, the public information officer for Inyo National Forest. "This heat wave has changed things substantially. The snow is becoming mushy at lower elevations and unstable."

Despite the staggering amount of thaw from the past week, a lot of snow still blankets the mountain after a brutal winter that brought historic snow levels to the Sierra. Many outdoor enthusiasts with plans to summit the 14,505-f00t mountain this summer are wondering whether the snow will fully melt.

"It's still uncertain whether all the snow will melt on Whitney," Schweizer says. "It doesn't melt every year. This is a big year year for snow, one of the biggest but not the biggest on record."

RELATED GALLERY: Summer recreation delayed by winter storms

When Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous Unites States, is snow free, it's a non-technical hike that anyone who is physically fit and who has done some acclimation can do. But when Whitney is covered in snow, it's a technical mountaineering route that requires special skills and equipment, and Schweizer advises hikers to check conditions and consider their skill level before starting a trek to the top.

Schweizer also cautions that with the snowmelt and runoff, rivers are flowing high and dangerous and hikers should be wary of stream crossings.

"I'm telling hikers this year, 'Don't get too focused on the destination,'" Schweizer says. "If you can't get there because the river is running too high, you can't get there. You're still in the Eastern Sierra, and it's still an awesome place. If you can't cross a snowfield or a creek, don't. I'm going to be hammering this in all summer long. Water is major issue right now."
SAN PABLO (BCN)  San Pablo police are asking for the public's help to identify a man who robbed two San Pablo banks this month, police said today.

The first robbery occurred on June 13 at about 12:40 p.m. at the Chase Bank at 14330 San Pablo Ave., according to police.

A man walked into the bank and handed a note to the teller, demanding cash and alleging that he had a weapon. After the teller handed the man cash, the suspect fled the scene.

Then on Tuesday, the same suspect committed a similar robbery at the Citibank at 201 San Pablo Towne Center at about 4:05 p.m.

Detectives were able to obtain a surveillance video of suspect from a nearby liquor store, police said.

The suspect is described as a black man, about 30 years old, between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall with a medium build and a full trimmed beard.

The suspect also has distinctive tattoos, including one of lips on his neck, one of praying hands on his left shoulder, another with an unknown script on right forearm and one on the back of his neck, according to police.

The suspect also wore a reflective orange and yellow vest that was discarded after the second bank robbery.

San Pablo police are asking anyone with information to contact Sargeant Barajas at (510) 215-3150 or the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (510) 799-8255. Callers have the option of remaining anonymous.
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An appellate court ruled Wednesday that Marin County teen Max Wade should have had a hearing whether he would be tried as an adult or juvenile for the attempted shooting murder of a romantic rival in 2012.

Wade, now 22, was tried as an adult because he was 17 at the time of the attempted shooting murder in Mill Valley of Landon Wahlstrom, then 18, who was dating a girl Wade was pursuing.
The California Highway Patrol has identified two people killed in a collision Thursday on state Highway 1 north of Pescadero as two San Mateo residents.

The driver was an 85-year-old man, and the passenger was a 79-year-old woman, according to the CHP.
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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)  A federal judge in San Francisco heard arguments today and promised to rule "promptly" on whether to disqualify a fellow judge from presiding over two lawsuits filed against an anti-abortion activist.

The lawsuits were filed in federal court in San Francisco against David Daleiden and associates by the National Abortion Federation in 2015 and Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 2016.

Both allege that Daleiden and colleagues infiltrated meetings by posing as representatives of a medical company and secretly recorded conversations. The civil lawsuits accuse them of racketeering, fraud, violation of confidentiality contracts and violation of privacy.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick was assigned to the cases.

But on June 7, Daleiden filed a motion to disqualify Orrick from the case on the ground that Orrick was once a board member of a nonprofit group, the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, which furnished space for a Planned Parenthood clinic.

The San Francisco-based resource center aids Hispanic immigrant families. The clinic did not provide abortions.

The disqualification motion was assigned to U.S. District Judge James Donato, who took the request under submission after hearing 30 minutes of argument today.

Lawyers for the two plaintiff groups say Orrick left the Good Samaritan board in 2006 and that no reasonable person would consider him prejudiced.

They also contend the disqualification motion was filed for "purely tactical reasons" one week before Orrick was due to hold a contempt-of-court hearing for Daleiden and the two defense lawyers who represent him in a criminal case in which he is accused of conspiring to violate state eavesdropping laws.

The criminal defense lawyers are accused of violating a preliminary injunction issued by Orrick last year by posting the secretly made videos on their website.

Catherine Short, representing Daleiden in the federal case, told Donato that "we were as timely as we could be" in filing the disqualification motion.

Derek Foran, representing the National Abortion Federation, argued that "all material facts" about Orrick's service to the center were known when the federation filed its lawsuit in 2015.

Donato noted that the Good Samaritan Resources Center and Planned Parenthood are "totally separate entities" and that the center provides many services unrelated to family planning.

The contempt-of-court hearing has been put on hold until the disqualification motion has been decided.
UPCOMING EVENTS

Summer science camps offered

Are you interested in science and technology? During the summer the Capital High Science Club will once again be offering varied science camps for elementary and middle school students. The dates for the three camps are June 27-29, July 19-21 and Aug. 1-3. All camps will be held from 9 a.m.-noon. Kids will have the opportunity to participate in courses on Lego robotics, biology, forensics, beginner programming, physics, natural science and website creation. Instruction, materials and snacks will all be provided by Capital High staff and students. Attendance costs are $45 per student. For more information and registration sheets, visit https://elliottp-13.github.io/Science-Camps/ or find the link at http://chs.helenaschools.org/teachers/surban/. Contact Sarah Urban at surban@helenaschools.org with questions.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Free admission at MHS this summer

To honor those who serve Montana and the nation, the Montana Historical Society, 225 N. Roberts, will offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families through Labor Day.

MHS is participating in the national Blue Star Museum program in cooperation with the Department of Defense, more than 2,000 museums across the nation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Admission for active duty personnel and their families is also free at the Original Governors Mansion, which currently features a tribute to those who served in World War I and their families who did their part on the home front. This is the 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into that war.

For Montana service men and women who might be traveling this summer, a complete list of all the museums participating in the Blue Star Museum program can be found at www.arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums.

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LWVHA to hold monthly meeting

The League of Women Voters Helena Area will hold its monthly meeting a potluck on Wednesday, June 28, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is at a new location: 650 Logan St. All members and interested parties are invited.

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Professor selected to participate in program

Dr. John W. Hartman, Helena College chemistry professor, has been selected to participate in the College Boards Annual AP Reading in Chemistry. Each June, AP teachers and college faculty members from around the world gather in the United States to evaluate and score the free-response sections of the AP Exams.

AP Readers are high school and college educators who represent many of the worlds leading academic institutions. The AP Reading is a unique forum in which an academic dialogue between educators is both fostered and encouraged.

The Advanced Placement Program enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies -- with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement or both -- while still in high school.

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Nonprofit seeks host families for students

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE), in cooperation with your community high schools, is looking for local families to host boys and girls between the ages of 15 to 18 from a variety of countries: Norway, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Japan, to name a few.

ASSE students want to experience American culture while they practice their English. They also want to share their own culture and language with their host families. Host families welcome these students into their family, not as a guest, but as a family member, giving everyone involved a rich cultural experience.

The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, accident and liability insurance. ASSE students are selected based on academics and personality, and host families can choose their student from a wide variety of backgrounds, countries and personal interests.

To become an ASSE host family or to find out how to become involved with ASSE in your community, call the ASSE Western Regional Office at 1-800-733-2773 or go to www.host.asse.com to begin your host family application.

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STUDENT NEWS

Witt Williams, of Helena, has been awarded a $500 scholarship from the Montana National Guard Thrift Shop. The Montana National Guard Thrift Shop Scholarship program awards to eligible Montana military dependents a scholarship to attend college or other higher institutions of learning. The Program was established in the mid 1990s and the Board of Directors have awarded at least 10 scholarships per year since.

The Thrift Shop is open to the public on every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Saturday of the month 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (except June, July and August). The Thrift Shop is located on the Montana National Guard Training Center, Fort William Henry Harrison on the west edge of Helena.

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Kristopher Bosch, a 2017 graduate of Helena High School from Helena, Montana, was selected to represent Montana as a delegate to the 2017 National Youth Science Camp held in West Virginia from June 14 to July 8. Bosch joins 108 other top science students from across the nation and around the world for this acclaimed honors science leadership program.

The delegates will be immersed in lectures and hands-on directed studies led by top scientists and professors from around the world. They will also have the opportunity to embark on many outdoor adventures, including climbing, camping, caving and mountain biking.

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DEAN'S LIST/GRADS

Brian Fox, a Capital High graduate and son of Susan and John Fox of Helena, has been named to the dean's list of Macalester College for academic achievement during the spring semester of the 2016-2017 school year.

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WITH THE COLORS

U.S. Air Force Airman Trevin C. Keck has graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Keck is the son of Dayhsa Detienne of Helena, and Jamie Keck of Seattle.

He is a 2014 graduate of Capital High School.
The family of a New Mexico airman who vanished in the mountains of Montana gained closure one day and 43 years after his disappearance.

On June 15, 1974, Rudy Redd Victor jumped out of a car heading through Wolf Creek Canyon. The 20-year-old was never seen again.

Friday, his sister received a letter from the Air Force saying his remains have been found and identified. Burial plans are in progress.

Victor was listed as a military deserter. With no signs of him, the FBI closed his case four years later.

A decade after he fled the car during a fight with his girlfriend, who Victor was traveling with on their way back to his familys home in Colorado, an unidentified skull was turned in to the Lewis and Clark County coroner.

The skull was discovered two years prior in the same canyon by a brand inspector, who kept it as a souvenir of sorts after locating it while wrangling cattle on the steep hillside in 1982.

Investigators visited the hillside and found more remains, including the lower jaw. They also found a cross with a turquoise center and remnants of a red T-shirt next to a pine tree.

Tests were conducted and anthropology students determined the skull belonged to a man in his 20s, who was likely of Native American descent. Although some identifiers that pointed to the missing airman were noted, the skull remained nameless.

The remains were cataloged and shelved.

Over the decades, a handful of potential matches were tested but none proved conclusive.

Last year, Air Force investigators with a cold case unit reviewed the file and loaded Victors information into the National Missing and Unidentified Person System.

Unfortunately, some cases go cold due to lack of investigative leads, so they remain unsolved for incredible lengths of time, said John Fine, a cold case investigator for the Air Force.

On June 8, Victors dental records were confirmed as a match for the skull found in Wolf Creek. The Montana medical examiner had entered the information for the unidentified skull in 2014.

Thats when bells started ringing, Lewis and Clark County Coroner Bryan Backeberg said.

Air Force investigators traveled to Wolf Creek to see the hillside where Victors remains were found. They, alongside the county coroner, a detective in the original case and others, climbed the steep terrain to the tree where it is believed Victor died. During the initial investigation into the case, officials found a wire noose hanging from the tree. Suicide is suspected.

Everything is leaning that way; 40 years later, we just dont know," Backeberg said.

The official death certificate lists the cause of death as undetermined.

Backeberg said no evidence of foul play was ever found. But, he added, sufficient artifacts have not developed a clear picture of what led to Victors death.

This is a case where the original investigation was conducted well, with technology available, and our coroners office was able to take advantage of this new technology to identify the unknown remains theyve been holding for quite some time now, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said. It is satisfying to see a mystery somewhat solved.

The county coroner concluded Victor likely died either the day he leapt from the car or shortly after.

The investigation determined Victor died while on leave, so he is no longer listed as absent without leave.

Victors military record has been corrected to remove his deserter status.
The final property purchase needed to build a new Bryant Elementary School has been approved.

The Helena Public Schools Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Friday to approve the purchase of the property, which includes a home at 1517 Boulder Ave. The purchase price is $260,000.

The board approved the purchase of property and homes at 1501 Boulder Ave. for $265,000 and 1511 Boulder Ave. for $260,000 at a meeting last week, but it hadnt yet reached an agreement with the third owner at that time. The first two properties are set to close in July.

All three homes will be demolished. The residents have 90 to 120 days to vacate the properties.

As part of a $63 million voter approved bond, the district also plans to demolish and rebuild Jim Darcy and Central elementary schools in time for school in 2019.

For the Jim Darcy project, the district purchased a vacant lot at 7516 Rustic Way for $162,350 and three vacant lots at 7504, 7510 and 7516 Grand Valley Loop for a combined cost of $206,250, with a closing date of June 23.

The cash paid to the property owners was borrowed from the districts building reserve fund and will be paid back once the bonds are sold.

While Superintendent Jack Copps said the district didn't set aside a certain amount of money to acquire the properties, he said all three purchases were at fair market value.
BRUSSELS  Weeks after being berated by President Trump for failing to spend enough on defense, European nations vowed Thursday to boost military cooperation in their part of the world.

At a summit in Brussels, the 28 European Union leaders  22 of them from nations that also are members of the U.S.-led NATO alliance  agreed to jointly develop or purchase military equipment such as drones.

The objective is to deliver capabilities, ensure a competitive, innovative and balanced basis for Europes defense industry across the EU, they said in a statement.

European Council President Donald Tusk also said the EU agreed to crack down on online extremism and deepen efforts against European fighters joining extremists abroad.

EU countries plan to draw up criteria and binding commitments over the next three months for setting their defense cooperation goals in stone instead of relying on the vaguer promises of the past.

The leaders also agreed to use EU funds to finance Europes battle groups  small, expeditionary forces that can be deployed quickly to crisis hotspots.

The battle groups were established in 2007. They never have been used, mostly because countries participating in them would have to foot the bill if they were deployed.

The leaders also welcomed plans to set up a common European defense fund that is expected to generate around $5.6 billion a year from 2020 to invest in developing military equipment.

While the moves are modest in comparison to NATO, they mark a sea change in the way the EU thinks about defense, faced with an increasingly belligerent Russia and an unpredictable partner in Washington.

I am not going to say this is a historic moment, because you would laugh in my face, but it is an important step, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said.

In another development, the EU agreed to extend sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, following a similar move by the United States this week.

On Thursday, Tusk tweeted: Agreed. EU will extend economic sanctions against Russia over its failure to implement measures promised in a peace agreement.

After Thursdays political decision, the sanctions will be formally extended for another six months starting next week.

The EU initially imposed sanctions on Russia three years ago after it annexed Crimea.

It has repeatedly extended them as the conflict between Ukraines government and pro-Russia separatists has dragged on.

European Union leaders have long been torn whether to open more diplomatic contacts with Moscow in parallel with the sanctions.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  With just days to decide, Qatar on Friday weighed an onerous list of demands by its neighbors as a way out of a regional crisis, and a top Emirati official warned the tiny country to brace for a long-term economic squeeze unless it is willing to acquiesce.

Qatar did not immediately respond after receiving a clear set of demands for the first time, but the ultimatum was quickly rejected by its ally, Turkey, and blasted as an assault on free speech by Al-Jazeera, the Qatari broadcaster that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and others are demanding to be shut down.

Qatars neighbors insisted the 13-point list of demands was their bottom line, not a starting point for negotiations. The Arab countries signaled that if Qatar refuses to comply by the 10-day deadline, they will continue to restrict its access to land, sea and air routes indefinitely amid mounting economic pressure on the Persian Gulf nation.

The measures that have been taken are there to stay until there is a long-term solution to the issue, said Yousef al-Otaiba, ambassador to the U.S. from the United Arab Emirates.

Still, he suggested the penalties would only be economic and diplomatic, adding: There is no military element to this whatsoever.

The demands from Qatars neighbors amount to a call for a sweeping overhaul of Qatars foreign policy and natural gas-funded influence peddling in the region. Complying would force Qatar to bring its policies in line with the regional vision of Saudi Arabia, the Middle Easts biggest economy and gatekeeper of Qatars only land border.

They include shutting news outlets, including Al-Jazeera and its affiliates; curbing diplomatic relations with Iran; and severing all ties with Islamist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Though Qatar is likely to reject the demands, the list answers the growing call from the United States and from Qatar for the countries to put their grievances in writing. It includes conditions that the gas-rich nation already has insisted it would never meet, including shutting Al-Jazeera.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar over allegations that it funds terrorism  an accusation Doha rejects but that President Trump has echoed. The move has left Qatar under a de facto blockade by its neighbors.

Adam Schreck and Josh Lederman are Associated Press writers.
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MARAWI, Philippines  The Islamic State helped fund the monthlong siege of a southern Philippine city through a Malaysian militant who was reportedly killed by troops, the Philippine military chief said Friday.

Gen. Eduardo Ano said Malaysian Mahmud bin Ahmad reportedly channeled more than $600,000 from the Islamic State to acquire firearms, food and other supplies for the attack in Marawi. Money believed to be from illegal drugs also funded the uprising, he said.

Mahmud was wounded in the fighting last month and reportedly died on June 7, he said. A local militant leader, Omarkhayam Maute, also is believed to have been killed in the early days of intense fighting and troops were looking for their remains to validate the intelligence the military had received.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar acknowledged that Mahmud was in Marawi fighting with insurgents but said he believed the militant is still alive.

Two other rebel leaders, top Filipino militant suspect Isnilon Hapilon and Mautes brother, Abdullah, were still fighting in Marawi, Ano said.

A former Malaysian university professor who became radicalized and received training in Afghanistan, Mahmud appeared in a video showing militant leaders planning the Marawi siege in a hideout, a sign of his key role in the uprising.

A month ago, about 500 local militants, along with some foreign fighters, stormed into Marawi, a bastion of the Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. Troops since then have killed about 280 gunmen, recovered nearly 300 assault firearms and regained control of 85 buildings. Many of the taller buildings were used as sniper posts to slow down the advance of government forces, the military said.

At least 69 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have died in the fighting. Only four villages in Marawi remain in the hands of the militants, out of the 19 of 96 villages across the lakeside city of 200,000 people that the black flag-waving militants had occupied.

Facing his worst crisis, President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in the south to deal with the Marawi siege.

Powerful clans and warlords, along with insurgencies, have effectively weakened law enforcement in large areas of the countrys south, making it easier for militants to take over an area and hold it, said Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta, Indonesia.

I do think that martial law doesnt solve the problem and I think military strikes, especially air strikes, dont solve the problem, Jones said. Its a much broader problem that needs a strategic solution.

In Manila, protesters shouted slogans during a rally near the Presidential Palace in a Black Friday protest to mark the first month of the declaration of martial law in the Mindanao region.
Environmental groups plan to crash the homecoming in Montana next week of President Donald Trump's Interior Department secretary with billboards, television ads and speeches to pressure him on issues from national monuments to sage grouse.

Ryan Zinke is scheduled to address the Western Governors Association's annual conference Tuesday in the town of Whitefish, which he represented as a state lawmaker from 2009 to 2011.

He will be welcomed by billboards urging him not to touch the Upper Missouri River Breaks, one of two dozen national monuments he's reviewing to eliminate or scale back protections.

Television ads will air during the conference telling him to leave alone a conservation plan by the Obama administration and 11 Western states to protect the sage grouse, an imperiled bird.

Advocates will give speeches in a downtown Whitefish park the day before Zinke's address, calling on the interior chief to better protect public lands.

"Welcome home," said Larry Epstein, a member of group renting the billboards that supports the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. "We hope to get the attention of Secretary Zinke and the Western governors."

Eleven governors, their staffs, lobbyists, business representatives and special interest groups will meet in the resort town near Glacier National Park on topics that include the Endangered Species Act, forest management and ties with Canada.

Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift and the Department of Interior press office did not return email queries for comment.

Supporters of the Trump administration's plans to review and possibly loosen existing land and wildlife protections are dismayed by the heavy investment that environmentalists are making to confront Zinke on his home turf.

Ron Poertner, one of about 120 ranchers, farmers and landowners who live in or use the Upper Missouri River Breaks and favor reducing the size of the 590-square-mile national monument, said they can't compete with that level of organization and money.

"We're haying, we're still spraying weeds, we're still doing farm work," Poertner said. "To say, 'Let's take a bus and do some counter-protesting,' there's no way."

The Montana monument, created in 2001 just before President Bill Clinton left office, includes federal, state and private land that surrounds a 149-mile stretch of the Missouri River that is mostly unchanged since Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery traversed it in the early 1800s.

Zinke is reviewing it and 23 other monuments in a report that will recommend whether they should be resized or eliminated.

Opponents of changes, such as Epstein's Hold Our Ground group, say the review is a waste of taxpayer money by rehashing already settled arguments. Supporters like Poertner are worried they'll be squeezed off the land and say presidents have too much power to unilaterally designate national monuments.

Zinke's Interior Department also is reviewing the land-use policies implemented in 2015 as a way of preventing even stricter policies to protect the sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

The conservation group Western Values Project is launching a television ad campaign for the Western Governors Association meant to ratchet up pressure on both Zinke and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.

"It appears Secretary Zinke wants to scrap all the work done by to Western communities, coalitions, sportsmen and women, wildlife managers, private landowners, and industry groups," Executive Director Chris Saeger said in a statement. "If Governor Bullock has an audience with Secretary Zinke next week, he must use it to insist that Interior continue with the sage-grouse plans."
NM Senators: GOP health plan 'devastating'

US Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich say the Republican replacement for Obamacare would slowly quash gains made to the state's number of insured people and, according to Udall, could even lead to the closure of some rural medical facilities that depend on serving the Medicaid and Medicare population. Medicaid funding would be capped at a per-person level and increases in funding would likely come at a rate that is slower than the rise in health care costs. New Mexico's expansion of Medicaid, approved by Gov. Susana Martinez, would be unfunded in a few years. Addiction treatment providers in New Mexico worry the bill would gut their funding.

Monumental shift?

Probably not. But US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has provided a nice lesson about how much to read into a phrase. Yesterday, the Word told you about what supporters of the Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks national monuments deemed to be good news: Zinke said he saw no reason to shrink the size of new national monuments that had settled, uncontroversial boundaries. Speaking at a subcommittee hearing yesterday, Rep. Steve Pearce

that the new monument in his district, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, is too big and definitely controversial. Zinke plans a

in the coming weeks.

Spaceport cash grab

The New Mexico Finance Authority has given Spaceport America a year's worth of sales tax from Dona Ana and Sierra counties to use in its operating budget. The money is supposed to be earmarked to pay off debt from building the place, but the spaceport's new CEO says there's a critical need to

to the spaceport as it potentially moves away from being a launching pad to shoot uber-rich people into space (just short of orbit) and toward a hub for more industrial space traffic.

New schools head pointed in same direction as Skandera

Christopher Ruszkowski

from the course charted for New Mexico public schools by Gov. Susana Martinez and former secretary Hanna Skandera. Ruszkowski, who's been with the department since last year, says he'll tweak a survey used in the school grading system and plans to visit high-performing schools this fall to hunt for innovations that are repeatable across the state. The acting public education chief has something former secretary Skandera does not: He taught in a classroom for three years.

Fixin' for a fix

The state recently dug in on a $58 million upgrade to a dangerous stretch of highway in the oil patch. The project, which

, will add shoulders and lanes to Highway 82 between Artesia and Lovington. When the Permian Basin last boomed, the highway teemed with heavy truck traffic. It offered little room for error on the part of drivers. Lanes will also be added in what the state says are key spots along the 32-mile stretch.

Stay here! No, go!

A proposed four-story Holiday Inn Express in Taos is proving controversial, as you might expect. The 85-room project recently got the nod from the town's planning commission and is set for a council vote soon. But petitions have been gathered and, according to one planning commissioner,

as those opposed to the development make themselves known. The hotel would be Taos' first four-story structure. Taos has a track record of beating back development; years ago it scuttled a planned Walmart super store.

EPA: Spring cleaning for Gold King spill

Government scientists say heavy metals that polluted the water in the Animas and San Juan Rivers after the

have nearly vanished.

helped wash away what remained of sediment from the August 2015 spill. Big rain events can still spike lead levels, but scientists say the water is safe for agriculture and livestock. An estimated

have washed into Lake Powell from the 3 million gallons that spilled out of the mine.

Deer me

Someone at State Farm, probably in the marketing department, has found a way to crunch the numbers to determine that your chances of smacking into a deer just doubled. Apparently, June is the month that New Mexico drivers are

with the spry ungulates who enjoy roadside food as much as the rest of us. Consider yourselves warned.

Thanks for reading! The Word's kid sister got hit by a deer once. The poor thing just leaped from the side of the road into the side of her car. Talk about twitchy ...

Subscribe to the Morning Word at sfreporter.com/signup

Santa Fe Reporter
Vector beat rivals to supply Australia's Territory Generation with battery storage technology in a multi-million deal for the New Zealand firm.

Auckland-based Vector won the Alice Springs battery energy storage system project in a competitive tender to provide a 5 megawatt system to help improve the Northern Territory's energy network. While Vector currently has smart meters in Australia, the Territory Generation contract is its first battery storage foray across the Tasman.

Vector will design, engineer, build and install the battery storage and is responsible for continuing maintenance, it said in a statement.

"You see so many countries now looking to decarbonise, and customers being much more engaged in having choices around energy," chief executive Simon Mackenzie told BusinessDesk. " This technology is not only a much better solution than deploying traditional network assets putting in things like batteries and control environments and demonstrating how can be used not only lowers network costs but also provides customer choice."

Vector has three other opportunities across the Tasman, some of which are in the final stages, Mackenzie said.

Last year the company installed a utility-scale battery at the substation in the Auckland suburb of Glen Innes, while its home battery fleet - often paired with solar technology - was at 445 as at Dec. 31 from 291 a year earlier.

Mackenzie says Vector has taken a lead in the technology space and has also expanded its suite of services with acquisitions of E-Co Products Group, better known as home ventilation firm HRV, and solar power firm PowerSmart.

Vector also holds the exclusive Australasian rights to use Israeli developer mPrest's software to integrate and develop new energy services and manage a number of technologies on its network. That opens opportunities for the company to pitch the network management tool alongside solar and battery products as commercial customers look to "procure energy in a much smarter way," Mackenzie said.

The shares rose 0.3 percent to $3.27, having gained 0.6 percent so far this year.

(BusinessDesk)

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New Zealand's construction sector is increasingly upbeat about the growing infrastructure market, which will get a boost from the government's planned $32.5 billion investment over the next four years, helping offset a gloomier buildings market as funding for residential development becomes harder to secure.

Aecom's annual survey of sentiment in the infrastructure and buildings construction sector shows a split between the two sub-sectors, with those on the infrastructure side expecting increased spending over the coming three years, with 68 percent of respondents seeing a positive investment outlook and nearly 70 percent expecting more work.

Those on the buildings side have pared back their optimism as building firms work out the impact of demand-side efforts by policymakers to rein in the housing market, with 32 percent anticipating increased investment, down from 68 percent in 2016, and 58 percent predicting a bigger workload in the coming year.

Finance Minister Steven Joyce, who launched the report in Auckland this morning, told BusinessDesk the sector is still "positive" but is figuring out "how to handle that growth," which he characterises as being like the southeast Queensland boom.

Joyce said lending curbs by the Reserve Bank and trading banks' tighter credit criteria were "having a bit of an impact" on the buildings side, but were "probably assuring that the boom we're experiencing is going to be a bit more sustainable than in the past," when the building cycle was propped up by mezzanine finance and "more of a boom/bust thing".

Government figures showed the value of building work put in place fell in three months ended March 31 due to a sharp drop in non-residential construction, which weighed on economic activity in the quarter.

Still, construction has been a major plank to the country's economic growth in recent years as the Canterbury rebuild and Auckland house-building programme stir activity, accounting for 6.25 percent of the economy from 5 percent five years ago and employing 250,000 people compared to 180,000 in 2012.

Joyce said the pipeline of work and government investment means the sector will continue to be a core part of economic growth in coming years and that a lot of effort was going in to make sure the industry can build capacity to meet that demand.

The government has previously indicated it's keen on expanding its use of public private partnerships, however, respondents to the Aecom survey saw "them as less able to deliver value than other options" and that "there is a consensus amongst respondents that the industry's continued focus on lowest cost options will sacrifice quality and limit innovation and value-added aspects of a project," the report said.

That became apparent in Fletcher Building's recent review of its construction unit and prompted the country's biggest construction firm to write down the value of two major projects on the expectation they were facing mounting losses with escalating costs in fixed price contracts.

"Cost escalation, funding delays and broader capital constraints are impacting the financial viability of major private sector projects," the Aecom report said. "This could also be a key influence on the concern around business confidence, which continues to be identified as a key challenge."

(BusinessDesk)

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New Zealand shares dipped, with Contact Energy and Trustpower falling, while CBL Corp and Restaurant Brands rose.

The S&P/NZX 50 Index fell 10.05 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,553.64. Within the index, 22 stocks fell, 19 rose and 9 were unchanged. Turnover was $125 million.

"It's been quiet and uneventful on the markets all week long," said Grant Williamson, investment advisor at Hamilton Hindin Greene. "The index is pretty much unchanged from the start of the week to the end. There have been no real leads from offshore, Australia is flat. We haven't had any reason to push the market up or down." The index closed last Friday at 7,552.75.

Electricity providers "have had a very good week with the exception of today where they've given back those weekly gains," Williamson said.

"Obviously the hydro lakes and rain could be playing a part, there was talk they were getting pretty low and the producers probably benefiting, but a bit of rain could turn that around. There's been a bit of profit taking in those stocks today."

Contact Energy led the index lower, down 1.9 percent to $5.19. It had gained 3.5 percent from $5.11 in the week before today. Trustpower dropped 1.5 percent to $5.40, while Genesis Energy was unchanged at $2.48.

Vector gained 0.3 percent to $3.27. The company beat rivals to supply Australia's Territory Generation with battery storage technology in a multi-million deal for the New Zealand firm. While Vector currently has smart meters in Australia, the Territory Generation contract is its first battery storage foray across the Tasman.

CBL Corp was the best performer, gaining 2.4 percent to $3.39, while Infratil advanced 1.7 percent to $2.98 and Kathmandu Holdings rose 1.5 percent to $2.

Restaurant Brands New Zealand rose 0.3 percent to $5.98. The fast-food retailer is forecasting sales above $700 million in the 2018 financial year as it reaps gains from its expansion into Australia and Hawaii. Before today's annual meeting in Auckland, the company announced plans to dual-list on the Australian Securities Exchange by the end of September.

Chief executive Russel Creedy said the company has "fundamentally changed" and is now "a truly international one", leading to its management reorganisation into three geographic reporting divisions.

(BusinessDesk)

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Restaurant Brands New Zealand, the fast-food retailer, is forecasting sales above $700 million in the 2018 financial year as it reaps gains from its expansion into Australia and Hawaii.

In New Zealand, Restaurant Brands runs KFC, Pizza Hut, Carls Jr and Starbucks Coffee, while in the last 12 months it has added Hawaii, where it operates 82 Taco Bell and Pizza Hut stores, and Australia, where it operates 47 KFC outlets in New South Wales. Sales for the year ended Feb. 27, 2017 were $497.2 million, including $400 million in New Zealand sales and 10 months' trading from the Australian business.

"We are well on the way to our billion dollar revenue target," chief executive Russel Creedy said in speech notes published on the NZX. "The impact of sales from the Hawaiian acquisition will only be felt in the current financial year. With the benefit of virtually a full years trading for the Hawaiian and Australian operations, together with sound growth in New Zealand, we expect total sales for the current financial year to be comfortably in excess of $700 million."

Before today's annual meeting in Auckland, the company announced plans to dual-list on the Australian Securities Exchange by the end of September. Creedy said the company has "fundamentally changed" and is now "a truly international one", leading to its management reorganisation into three geographic reporting divisions.

Restaurant Brands had 212 stores in Australia and New Zealand at the end of the financial year, and with the Hawaiian acquisition and additional stores opening in the year, it expects that number to exceed 300 by the end of this financial year.

KFC, its biggest earner, continued to reap profits, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) up 7.5 percent to $61.4 million in the year. Restaurant Brands has spent $100 million updating its New Zealand KFC stores over the past 11 years, which it said had resulted in sales jumping from $172 million in 2006 to nearly $300 million in 2017.

Its NZ stores dropped to 170 after the sale of four Pizza Hutt stores to independent franchisees, as the company continued its store-selling strategy. At the end of the 2017 financial year, it owned 35 of the 93 stores, or around 38 percent, and plans to reduce that holding to around 25 percent in the long term.

Restaurant Brands is in negotiations to renew its franchise agreements for Starbucks, which begin to expire next year, while Carl's Jr margins continued to improve, Creedy said.

In Australia, the company has bought five KFC stores on top of the original 42, and has another three deals with independent franchisees pending while it builds two stores. It's also in negotiations to buy more stores from Yum! Brands, with whom it made the initial deal to expand into NSW.

"There are around 60 KFC franchisees in the Australian market with over 450 restaurants between them," Creedy said. "Over the next few years we see considerable opportunity to grow this business both organically and through acquisitions to a reach a level where our KFC Australia footprint could rival that of New Zealand."

Creedy said the company is "coming to grips" with the Hawaiian business but sales and earnings in the past three months had been sound, and it plans to build, relocate or renovate five stores over the next 12 months.

The shares rose 0.7 percent to $6, and have gained 17 percent over the past year.

(BusinessDesk)

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Prices fell at New Zealand's latest weekly wool auction, with some grades hitting their lowest level in seven and a half years, amid continued lacklustre demand from China, the largest buyer of the fibre.

At the latest North Island auction yesterday, 37-micron crossbred fleece wool dropped 25 cents to $3.25 a kilogram from the previous North Island sale a fortnight ago, and was 5 cents lower than last week's South Island sale, according to AgriHQ. The latest price marks the grade's lowest point since November 2009. Meanwhile, 30-micron lamb wool fell 40 cents to $3.25/kg compared with the previous North Island auction and is approaching February's low of $3.20, which was the weakest price since July 2009.

The latest declines saw AgriHQ's indicators for all wool styles dropping with the lamb wool indicator down 14 cents to $3.94/kg from last week, and the coarse crossbred indicator down 9 cents to $3.45/kg.

New Zealand is the world's largest exporter of crossbred wool and weak demand for the fibre, which makes up about 80 percent of the national clip, has weighed on prices this season, prompting farmers to stockpile bales in hopes the market will pick up. The Ministry for Primary Industries forecast in its latest quarterly outlook that wool export revenue likely fell 28 percent to $550 million in the year through June as a lack of demand from China weighed on prices. The Ministry noted that the overhang of inventory will make it difficult for prices to rise quickly.

"Prices continue to fall due to the lack of demand from overseas buyers," said AgriHQ analyst Sam Laurenson. "The entire market remains incredibly weak in comparison to last season and has no sign of improving in the near term."

A decline in the kiwi dollar heading into yesterday's sale made local wool even cheaper for overseas buyers, and helped lift the auction clearance rate, with 81 percent of the 10,760 bales sold at the event, Laurenson said. That's a jump from last week's South Island sale when only 56 percent of the 7,937 bales were sold, the second-lowest clearance rate this year.

Some 9,000 bales are expected to be offered at next week's South Island auction.

(BusinessDesk)

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MISSOULA  The Missoula Police Department is asking people to be on the lookout for a teenage runaway.

Jasmine Fuller, 14, is described as 5-feet-5-inches tall weighing 115 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and light brown skin. Detective Sgt. Jim Klawitter said Fuller has been missing for a week.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts should contact the Missoula Police Department at 552-6300.
In April Senator Jon Tester joined an unsuccessful partisan effort to filibuster Judge Neil Gorsuchs nomination to the Supreme Court. To justify his actions, Tester said at the time, With Judge Gorsuch on the bench, I am deeply concerned that dark money will continue to drown out the voices and votes of citizens.

It seems Tester has changed his tune on dark money just a few months later.

While the liberal dark money group Majority Forward has been pummeling Montanas voters with Television ads on Testers behalf  Senator Tester has remained silent.

The blatant hypocrisy of bemoaning dark money in attempt to score political points and then willfully accepting it when it benefits him personally is appalling.

Heres the truth: Majority Forward is the dark money piece of New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumers Super PAC.

The ad features professionally shot and produced footage that was made publicly available via Testers YouTube channel on June 7th, yet the ad began running weeks before.

Its against the law for dark money groups like Majority Forward to coordinate with political campaigns. So how did Schumer and Majority Forward get the Tester footage weeks before it was made public?

It could be that Tester and Schumer planned this all out on the beaches of Cancun, Mexico. In February 2016 both Tester and Schumer received and all-expense paid trip to Cancun where they joined fellow Democrat Senator Clair McCaskill of Missouri.

Dark money hypocrisy or illegal campaign coordination, I dont know which is worse.

Whatever the case may be, it is time for Senator Tester to be honest with the people of Montana. If he is truly concerned about the impacts of dark money in elections then he needs to immediately denounce the ads running on his behalf. If he is not, then he needs stop trying to score political points by publicly opposing this type of spending while condemning it when it is to his benefit.

A fifth generation Montanan from Culbertson, Austin Knudsen is the Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives. Outside of politics, Austin is an attorney and farms with his family at Culbertson and Bainville. Austin and his wife Christie live outside Culbertson with their three children.

Editor's Note: This column has been updated to clarify the date Sen. Jon Tester traveled to Cancun.
In an editorial in March of this year, I encouraged Montanans to: act your conscience and contact your legislators I urged action after consideration of how many of our fellow Montanans would lose health insurance if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were repealed without certain considerations. We are talking numbers that parallel whole cities, not towns. So, as things stand, would the loss be as large as Helena, Missoula, or as large as Billings?

The threat I spoke of then is very much alive today, with the hurried American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the House that would leave 23 million uninsured according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Thirteen Senators are now drafting a comparable bill in secret, and again, working to hurriedly pass the bill. It is not, therefore, rhetorical to ask which city in Montana will account for its share of the 23 million uninsured?

It is important for Montanans to know Medicaid has been a cornerstone of our countrys mental health system; accounting for 25% of all financing for mental health services and 21% of substance abuse services. Capping Medicaid payments to states risks coverage for the 16% of Montanans currently covered by Medicaid/CHIP; 3 in 5 of Montanans in nursing homes, 2 in 5 children, 2 in 5 who have disabilities, and 2 in 5 who have low incomes. Before the ACAs essential benefits were enacted 33% of insurance policies sold on the individual market did not provide coverage for substance use treatments, and nearly 20% of policies failed to cover mental health. Ending the Affordable Care Acts Medicaid expansion would remove coverage for 46,700 Montanans, or for comparison, the population of Bozeman plus a good chunk of Livingston.

As before, my national organization, the American Psychological Association, has asserted that no health care reform legislation should be passed by Congress unless it would cover at least as many people, with decent, reliable health insuranceincluding behavioral healthcare services such as mental health and substance use treatment. This continues to be my position as well.

So, once again, I am asking each of you to ensure you know the impact of what is before you, not only on yourself, but your loved ones, neighbors, and other Montanans. Then, act your conscience and contact your legislators to ask them to take action on your part!

Michael R. Butz, Ph.D., is the federal advocacy chair for the Montana Psychological Association.
The way of the empty hands The Simi Valley Shotokan Karate Dojo recently hosted a two-day seminar at Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District headquarters featuring a trio of karate experts. The Oct. 22 seminar was...

Slide into winter fun at SnowFest The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District is bringing snow to Simi Valley. SnowFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun., Nov. 6 at Rancho Madera Community...
DECATUR  A hearing is set for July 20 on whether a new special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate allegations of misconduct against Macon County States Attorney Jay Scott.

The pending decision is a result of a petition to intervene filed June 15 by Macon County officials that asked Dewitt County Circuit Judge Karle Koritz to consider the potential cost of appointing a private attorney to handle the investigation. In that petition, attorney Ed Flynn asked the court to appoint a prosecutor from southwestern Illinois to the case, rather than the Bloomington defense attorney chosen last month.

The move is the latest wrinkle in the legal drama surrounding the allegations, which surfaced in September. Local attorney John Davis and Macon County Board member Greg Mattingley filed the original petition alleging misconduct that included allowing employees to engage in electioneering and showing pornographic material to a female employee and female crime victim.

Scott, who repeatedly denied allegations of misconduct, has declined further comment on the case.

In an objection to Flynn's petition filed Monday, Davis said the cost should not be a determining factor in selecting a special prosecutor, only that the appointee conduct a complete and thorough investigation without bias or prejudice.

In a response to that objection filed Thursday afternoon, Flynn said Davis concerns should be dismissed since, regardless of Koritzs decision next month, a special prosecutor will be in place to investigate Scott.

The only issue is who should be the Special Prosecutor not if the Court should appoint a Special Prosecutor; therefore, Petitioner/Objector lacks standing in the manner, according to the statement from Flynn, whose law firm Featherstun, Gaumer, Stocks, Flynn & Eck, LLP has served as the countys legal counsel for years.

To highlight the concern over the finances, the response points to a 2011 case in Northern Illinois in which special prosecutors were brought in to investigate the McHenry County states attorney. Even after the states attorney was acquitted of all charges, the county was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover the investigation and subsequent attorney fees to defend its states attorney.

The response also cites a state statute that says the court shall contact public agencies, including but not limited to the Office of Attorney General, Office of the States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, and local States Attorneys Offices throughout the state before it appoints a private attorney.

... The Petitioner, has a duty to advise the Court that States Attorneys throughout the entire state must be contacted in order to fully comply with the Statute, Flynn wrote.

Koritz appointed Stephanie Wong, a Bloomington defense attorney and former prosecutor in McLean County, to serve as special prosecutor on May 17. The judge, who has declined to comment on the case, said in the court order that he had reached out to a number of states attorneys offices to find a special prosecutor, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

Macon County is required to pay "reasonable" attorneys fees for Wong and any other attorneys she appoints, according to the order. The county must also pay for a private investigator chosen by Wong.

But in the petition to intervene, Flynn said Randolph County States Attorney Jeremy Walker has agreed to serve as a special prosecutor. If the court decides to replace Wong with Walker, the county would only have to pay for his mileage, room and board, and the fee for a private investigator of his choice.

Randolph County is in Southwestern Illinois and is bordered by the Mississippi River. Its county seat, Chester, is about 165 miles from Decatur.

Any costs incurred by Wong since her appointment will be covered by the county.

Thursdays response also dismisses claims made in Davis objection that a states attorney investigating a colleague would create the appearance of impropriety, citing a case last year where the Moultrie County States Attorney was requested to serve as special prosecutor in a Cook County murder case.

If the court does believe there is a chance of bias or prejudice, Flynn said it should hold an evidentiary hearing on Walker.

The original petition filed by Davis and Mattingley alleges that Scott:

allowed employees to engage in electioneering within county offices;

used his county-owned smartphone for political and personal uses;

solicited an employee of the Macon County Sheriff's Office to support his campaign in community parades;

and exhibited pornographic material to a female state's attorney employee and female crime victim on a computer owned by the county.
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Monday, June 19

Davis talks Farm Bill

The path to the 2018 Farm Bill is underway.

Congressman Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, held a meeting with agricultural producers at the University of Illinois Extension office at Richland Community College.

The conversation was about crop insurance and risk management, two key elements as prices are in flux.

Lawmakers pass a new Farm Bill every five years. The last one provided nearly $500 billion of federal funding overall.

Davis is a member of the House Agriculture Committee.

Tuesday, June 20

Decatur firefighter honored

Mourners lined streets to remember the life of Decatur firefighter Micah Bubba Wakeman, 43, of Mount Pulaski.

The 16-year department veteran and father of four died in a tractor rollover June 13.

Firefighters from throughout the region attended his funeral at Life Foursquare Church in Decatur. He was buried at Illini Cemetery in Warrensburg.

He was the kind of man that God intended men to be, said the Rev. Mark Weber.

Wednesday, June 21

Back in Springfield again

Lawmakers returned to the Statehouse for a special session called by Gov. Bruce Rauner to hammer out a budget agreement.

Rauner said the legislature was ignoring his proposals to apply a long-term fix to state financial issues.

The House and Senate finished the session last month without a budget, and now it will require a three-fifths majority vote to pass.

The new fiscal year starts July 1, and those who use state funding are bracing for the worst. Last week, officials at Richland Community College said the Student Success Center under construction would cease if funding dries up.

Thursday, June 22

Decatur loses jobs: report

New employment data shows Decatur has 300 fewer jobs today than a year ago.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported construction and health services added positions over the year, but all other industries either saw a decrease or no change.

Statewide, the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in 2017 compared to 5.8 percent in 2016.

Friday, June 23

FBI: Search for visiting Chinese scholar is agency priority

The FBI is making the search for a visiting Chinese scholar missing from the University of Illinois a priority.

Yingying Zhang, 26, was last seen on surveillance video getting into a black Saturn Astra in Urbana on June 9. It's being labeled a kidnapping but officials haven't ruled out other scenarios.

Jon Holloway, assistant special agent in charge of criminal investigation at the Springfield FBI office, says updates are being regularly sent to the office of the FBI's acting director and U.S. field offices.
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A man police say leads the Nomads bikie gang in Canberra will face court next month on firearms and drugs charges following a raid on his home on Thursday.

Mohammed Nchouki, 36, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday on the charges but did not apply for bail.

The Nomads bikie gang crest.

Police say their anti-bikie Taskforce Nemesis found a gun, body armour, drugs and other prohibited weapons at Mr Nchouki's Calwell house.

Mr Nchouki did not enter pleas to charges of possessing a self-loading semi-automatic pistol, body armour, ammunition, cannabis, cocaine and prohibited weapons.
Canberra Liberal's gaming and racing spokesman Mark Parton said he turned his life around and now only gambles moderately. Credit:Jamila Toderas She recommended the government ban the sport by the end of this year, in order for greyhounds to be rehomed and assistance packages doled out to former owners, breeders and trainers by next June. But the move has already prompted speculation about the industry moving over the border to Queanbeyan, with the ACT Opposition questioning the "point of the ban" as it will still be legal to own, train and breed greyhounds for racing. NSW deputy premier Nationals' John Barilaro reportedly told 2GB host Ray Hadley he would "build a greyhound racing track at Queanbeyan in response to the ACT banning the sport". Mr Barilaro later backed away from his comments, saying via a spokeswoman he was open to a "chat" with Canberra's greyhound racing industry.

ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja said it was "more nanny state" legislation from the ACT. "The fact is no doubt that if they do go ahead with this ban no doubt it will probably move over the border to Queanbeyan or elsewhere, so all they're really doing is some form of virtue-signalling and I don't think you should be banning legitimate industries and I think the greyhound industry is a legitimate industry," Mr Seselja said. 'Impossible' to determine 'wastage' The Durkin report found of the 27,000 dogs raced in Canberra over the past five years, more than 320 dogs sustained minor to catastrophic injuries in ACT races. Twenty-six dogs were destroyed at the track on the day of a race. Canberra Liberals' MLA Mark Parton said those figures were not indicative of systemic cruelty.

"When you consider that figure based on 27,000 greyhounds it wasn't all that high. If you have 27,000 greyhounds running around in backyards over five years, you're probably going to get 320 injuries," Mr Parton said. However Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur said the lack of evidence came back to the greyhound racing industry's "self policing". "The reason there's not as much evidence as we'd expect is because the greyhound racing industry was tasked with providing the evidence," Ms Le Couteur said. Ms Durkin also pointed to problems with the way the club collected data on deaths and injuries and said it was "not possible" to determine the level of "wastage" because of the data and time limits of the review. While she found no evidence to indicate the club or its stewards "sanitised" or under-reported deaths or injuries at the track, deaths and injuries were only recorded while a veterinarian was on-site for race meetings at most twice a week.

No data was available for any injuries sustained during race trials, in which 3000 dogs raced in last year. She said any trials that take place in the transition period should have a vet present. Ms Durkin also criticised the club for claiming "nothing was hidden" when it kept its stewards reports and swab results in a password protected section of its website. The club said it was removing the password protection and countered it had only placed it there because of of "malicious cherry picking" of its data. Government 'hypocritical' on revenue The ACT government last year foreshadowed the withdrawal of more than $1 million of public funding from the greyhound racing industry. The greyhound racing industry was historically funded through payments from ACTTAB, the territory's betting agency that was sold off to TABCORP in 2014.

But after industry concerns about ACTTAB's falling competitiveness and its subsequent ability to support the racing industry, the government agreed to step in, in line with recommendations from a 2011 racing industry inquiry by the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission. The government signed a a memorandum of understanding with Canberra's thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing clubs in December 2013 to provide $8 million to the racing industry, including $1 million for greyhound racing. That agreement expires on June 30 this year and the money earmarked for greyhound racing will be funnelled into an assistance package to support people forced to leave the industry. The ACT still receives about $1 million per year for the ACTTAB licence, Mr Ramsay also revealed in budget estimates on Friday. Canberra Liberals' racing and gaming spokesman Mark Parton suggested it was "hypocritical" for the government to accept revenue from the TABCORP licence when it involved betting on greyhound racing. "It is hypocritical but when you consider the conversation we've had about gaming machines and there's still an umbilical cord that goes from certain clubs to ACT Labor, it's no surprise," Mr Parton said.
An ACT parliamentary inquiry has called the suite of people involved in the Land Development Agency's land deals at Glebe Park and the lake front to give evidence.

The inquiry has the power to compel people to appear, and has reminded the people involved of that power, in letters sent last week.

Jillian Edwards and Martin Shanahan of Mr Spokes and Jim Seears of the paddle boat business, in 2014 at the height of their dispute with the Land Development Agency over the future of their businesses. Credit:Rohan Thomson

The inquiry follows a damning report from Auditor-General Maxine Cooper last year, in which Dr Cooper found the agency's purchase of three properties lacked transparency, accountability and rigour, and their integrity and probity could not be demonstrated.

Inquiry chairwoman Vicki Dunne said the committee had written to 15 people involved - all those mentioned in Dr Cooper's report whom it had been able to contact - and asked them to give evidence at public hearings in September.
Thermostats that pre-cool your home on a hot day, better battery storage, and energy companies offering you money to turn off your pool pump are among the projects that could be developed by a new state-federal initiative to change the way we use energy.

NSW homes and businesses will also be paid to use less power on hot days as part of a joint pilot program between the state and federal governments designed to stabilise the electricity grid and change people's "demand" for electricity.

The state government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced $15 million in funding for a pilot program managing electricity demand on Friday.

The scheme aims to reduce demand for electricity on extremely hot days or during emergencies in order to reduce unplanned outages on the electricity grid.
Crown Resorts' apparent dismantling of its Asian office network threatens to choke the flow of overseas visitors to the company's Australian casinos and a planned $US1.5 billion ($2 billion) flagship resort in Sydney.

Crown's offices in eight Asian countries from Macau to Indonesia which helped attract gamblers in the region to its resorts in Australia appear to have closed. Staff who were detained in China in October are due to appear next week in a Shanghai court on charges related to promoting gambling, and billionaire James Packer's company now lists Hong Kong as its sole international outpost.

Crown has already suspended marketing in China and the company has sold out of a Macau venture to focus on Australia. But with consumer spending at home under pressure and contributions to Crown from overseas visitors in focus, the apparent closure of its Asian premises has confounded some industry observers.

"It doesn't make sense," said Ben Lee, Macau-based managing partner at Asian gaming consultancy IGamiX. "They've shut their Southeast Asian offices, which were never at risk, and they've kept only one office open, which happens to be China-facing."
This year's Lowy Institute poll, an annual poll of Australians' attitudes to the world, was released at a time the world seems to be in turmoil. The British government appears increasingly fragile after a disastrous election campaign, terrorist attacks and the horrific fire in London. Across the Atlantic, Washington seems gripped in never-ending controversy as the White House stumbles, one tweet at a time, from crisis to crisis in a deeply divided nation.

Closer to home, Thailand appears no closer to democracy and the South Pacific is reeling from US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement  along with the associated Green Climate Fund. Meanwhile, North Korea's quest for nuclear weapons continues unabated, Islamic State is fighting to establish a foothold in the Philippines and tensions are rising again in the South China Sea.

It's little wonder, then, that, against this backdrop, 79 per cent of Australians questioned in this year's Lowy poll are unsatisfied with the "way things are going in the world today". The number of people who feel "safe or very safe" when considering world events dropped to 79 per cent. To put that into context, between 2007 and 2010, this figure did not dip below 90 per cent. More concerning, the number who feel "very safe" has halved since 2010 and is at its lowest since the Lowy poll began in 2005.

This is perhaps unsurprising when examined against the perceived threats to Australia's national interests. International terrorism tops the list of threats: 68 per cent of Australians deem it a critical threat and only 6 per cent indicate it not an important threat at all. Close behind is North Korea's nuclear program: 65 per cent see it as a critical threat and another 27 per cent believe is an important, if not critical, threat to our national interests.
Frederick Leboyer, a French physician whose natural birth methods were adopted in delivery rooms around the world, has died at his home in Vens, Switzerland aged 98.

Leboyer's pointed criticism of the modern medical establishment was not to be found in peer-reviewed articles, in large-scale studies and trials, or in mountains of data. Rather, in his seminal work, Birth Without Violence, it appeared, unusually, in a form of prose poetry.

Leboyer stressed the wellbeing of the baby, not just the mother.

In the book, published in 1974, Leboyer argued that the modern delivery room bowed to the needs of doctors, women and procedures while often overlooking those of a primary player in the birth: the baby.

"Could childbirth be as distressing for the child as for the mother?" he wrote in the first part of Birth Without Violence. "And if so, does anyone care? It doesn't seem so, judging by the way we treat the new arrival."
Jerry Nelson, who conceived of the design for the segmented telescope, which allowed scientists to peer farther into the universe than ever before, has died at his home in Santa Cruz, Calif. He was 73. Nelson's designs were the basis for the twin telescopes at the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Astronomers have used those telescopes to help measure the giant black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, and to find and confirm planetary bodies outside our solar system, including potentially habitable planets. When the first Keck telescope was installed, in 1993, it was nearly twice as large as any other telescope, at 10 meters in diameter.

Roy Ackerman, who has died aged 75 after suffering a stroke, was a popular fixture on the London restaurant scene who acknowledged no conflict of interest between his roles as a restaurateur and as a publisher of restaurant guides. Of ample girth, fond of cigars, sporting a ponytail and a beard resembling that of an Old Testament prophet, Ackerman was an instantly recognisable and ever-welcome figure on the London party circuit. Ackerman was always up for a lark, whether attempting to recreate banquets from classic artworks for a television program with Brian Sewell, or trying to reproduce the distinctive pink custard favoured by the Teletubbies for a newspaper feature.

In Passing Credit:Fairfax

The fourth Viscount Long, who has died aged 88, was a former Lord-in-Waiting (government whip) in the House of Lords under Margaret Thatcher and John Major and, according to Alistair Cooke, star contributor to The Daily Telegraph's letters page. He was not a natural orator, however, and when in 1998 he rose to demand action on discarded chewing gum  a problem he said was turning Britain's urban landscape into "spotted dick" after he had found a ball of the stuff stuck to his shoe in the chamber  it was his first intervention in the House for 15 years. He refused to believe that one of his fellow peers was responsible, preferring to blame the unpleasant incident on tourists.
Liberal Party legend, particularly as fostered by John Howard and the party's economic radicals, is that the really wasted years in Australian history were the Malcolm Fraser era. Fraser had big majorities and, usually, the numbers in the Senate. Yet he was always hesitant about using power, not least because he worried about further fractures to a national consensus after the tumult of 1975. The eight Fraser years saw the Coalition fail to tackle serious economic reform, the critics suggest. Many of the party's conservatives always distrusted Turnbull's instincts, even if (or when) they thought him their most marketable leader. They fear he might go mad and impose same-sex marriage and a republic, or some other heresy. But Turnbull has, by now, shown little temper or initiative for socially progressive causes. Yet whether because of an obstructive Senate, or popular passions and polls, he has stripped the government of any radical or reforming Liberal zeal. Like Fraser, he has become a market interventionist. He has increased regulation, not repealed it. He seems to have lost his horror of government debt and fear of deficits. Free-market zealots, rugged individualists, and many in business who resent being second-guessed by bureaucrats and politicians question the point of having him, or a Coalition government. And the point of contributing to the party's coffers. If the Liberals cannot prosper as Labor-lite, it is unclear Labor has much to gain be becoming even more Liberal-lite than it has become over the past 30 years. There is a good deal of evidence, most recently from Britain, that Labor need not move sharply to the right to achieve majorities. It must stand for something, something its traditional supporters can identify with emotionally. Turnbull has become a market interventionist. He has increased regulation, not repealed it. He seems to have lost his horror of debt and fear of deficits.

It's hard to think of an occasion in which Labor won federally by a small-target policy, or by mostly adopting Coalition policies, or merely because a Coalition government became tired, incompetent and out of ideas. Labor itself lost office on each of those accounts. But to win it, it must provide the public with reasons to vote for it. Just as Labor tends to benefit when everyone talks about health or education, it seems at a disadvantage recently if people talk about the economy, national security or boat people. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen deserves a good deal of credit for his efforts to make the economy an issue that actually works for Labor. But he needs to cope with lingering, if inaccurate, perceptions that the Rudd and Gillard governments were wildly profligate. Mercifully for him, he is being assisted by Scott Morrison's lack of authority, the economy's stagnant state and the government's seeming incapacity to fire it, and the Coalition's drift towards Labor-lite policies. In 2007, Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan made the economy work for Labor as an issue and even succeeded in persuading voters they would be more conservative on spending than an increasingly desperate Howard government. Such impressions were gone by 2013, but it is far from clear that voters have forgotten Abbott's serial betrayals of his fiscal promises, or that they prefer the supposed stewardship or steadiness of Turnbull and Morrison to the prospect of a Bill Shorten-Bowen regime. On national security and on boat people, Labor policy is to be in lock-step with the government. It can hardly win a vote that way, but its complete surrender may mean the issue is less controversial, and less likely to be the issue on which people cast their vote.

This does not mean the issues of a particular election must be traditional issues, or that they must reflect and illustrate a party's fundamental ideas (particularly about collective action and the market), or that either must accept battle on the ground chosen by the other side. These are exciting times, even if Turnbull has shown little in the way of how he means to make us glad to be alive. In France, a newly formed party was recently wildly successful by being of the centre, freely borrowing ideas from both sides of politics, concentrating on seeming practical and results-oriented, open to suggestion and willing to debate aloud. This time a year ago, Turnbull made very bad decisions in choosing the election's battlegrounds. He was lucky to survive. Since then, he has been able to purchase such achievements as he has mustered only by new, interventionist and very expensive government actions. Some of this, as in education, was designed to neutralise issues; in other areas, as in energy policy and his indulgence of some Nationals frolics, the purpose was to portray his party, under his leadership, as the party of energy, initiative and vision. A good deal of work, and a large amount of public money, go into this process of marking out political battlegrounds, and seeking to prevent or contain battles fought on less favourable terrain. Turnbull was willing to spend an extra $5 billion on Gonski 2.0 (from an initial intention of $18.6 billion) to buy off Senate crossbenchers, effectively increasing proposed federal spending over the 10-year period by more than 25 per cent. It may well cost similar sums to neutralise health and hospital care as an issue working for Labor, and the same again in creating the semblance of an energy security policy and the appearance of action on climate change. The policies and programs these involved may be good or bad, whether politically successful or unsuccessful. But they certainly unsound in budget arithmetic. And, ultimately, in government debt and progress towards a budget surplus. It was only six years ago that the Coalition was insisting that political virtue began and ended with fiscal responsibility, and tackling the so-called debt and deficit disaster.
ShellGuard - a name of a start-up that already says a lot.

ShellGuard is the first in the world to offer continuous penetration testing at a reasonable and affordable price.

Penetration testing is for companies to evaluate their vulnerability on the online platform. It allows managers to understand whether the business and its database are safe. If,for example, a company has a website, then it is important to keep the data secure because it often costs millions of dollars to recover if stolen or damaged. It also provides protection against possible embezzlement of funds and suspension of site access (DDoS attack).

The test is carried out using the same tools and means that hackers use. That is, this test is a simulation of hackers' work. It starts with the study of external and internal infrastructures, which exposes the vulnerabilities and threats, recordingtheir possible impact.

Regardless of the size of companies, they all need a penetration test because it is assumed that, for example, the smaller the organization, the more likely it is to be vulnerable. After the test, a report is generated about what is vulnerable, how it has been revealed, and, of course, how to make it secure. The level of vulnerability is also presented - low, medium, extreme. This allows the company to choose what is more important to recover.

Sipan Vardanyan, co-founder and director of the start-up, says: "I and the other co-founder, Vahe Karapetyan, run 1Guard company, which provides a variety of information security services. Since we have a lot of experience in the field - more than eight years - we decided to use it to create a new product. We use the classical approach. We offer information security services and tools that have been around for a long time now and to which the market is already accustomed. However, this new product, which we present as a separate start-up, is unique in its kind. We've created a website where you can subscribe, choose a monthly or annual payment plan and join our platform. There you can register any type of resource, including website, and get our security service.

Our advantage is that this is a continuous check. This check will not happen just once or twice a year. For example, banks order penetration testing to learn about the levels of vulnerabilities and security. This is a part of the Security Audit. Testing takes 1-1.5 months, resulting in a report on vulnerabilities. The problem is that you never know what the problems are in between, if theres half a year gap between your two tests. Something is changing, some vulnerabilities are growing, but you are not aware of it.

In our case, the good thing is that we are constantly checking - we hack and show how we do it. Additionally, based on certain criteria, we find the organization's most vulnerable time to implement penetration testing. We enter your website, open your page and get data about the current status of the penetration test. You follow what is happening, what we have found and how dangerous it is. If a very serious threat is revealed, the system informs you at once, via e-mail or SMS message. "

One of the advantages of the startup is the low cost of this service. Sipan explains: "We have developed an Artificial Intelligence module, to which we provide a great deal of information. On this basis, the system learns to hack similar to people. Thanks to this, the service we offer is becoming accessible to even small and medium-sized companies. No organization in the world is doing this at a reasonable cost. Average penetration testing of a company is $50-60,000. People do not have the money for that. We make it more accessible without losing quality. That is, we offer the same $60,000 service 50 times cheaper and we do not check onlyonce or twice, but provide continuous checks. All this is possible thanks to our good team and different way of thinking. Scanners are just tools, and tomorrow we may replace them with something else. The more you train the artificial intelligence, the stronger it becomes.

ShellGuard has no competitors in the market. The idea of establishing the start-up was born only six months ago, and their first customers signed up a few months ago. Companies pay for the service, are satisfied with it, and already suggest it to their friends. The main target is Europe and the United States. They participate in various cyber security competitions and theyve had great success. For the second year in a row, theyve won at the PHDay conference in Moscow, which is the most important for CIS countries cyber security. Theyre in the top 10 of Google CTF, in 7th place. According to the rankings, they are the 17th in the world in cyber security.

Weve studied the market and we know our customers well. Our experience in this field is great and we know what the market wants from us. Thats why it's easy for us to introduce the start up in the international market. We have many connections, especially in Silicon Valley, and we are confident that we will be able to spread quickly. Now there is a great demand also in Armenia. For example, the Central Bank has already declared that all banks must pass an annual penetration test, " says Sipan.

Sipan says the first steps and making preliminary decisions are the most difficult in setting up a startup, and then everything is easy. They started with self-financing, and now are trying to find investors. They have recently become one of the ten winners of the Innovation Matching Grants competition, implemented in cooperation with the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, and won  50,000.

The team now has 5 members. Sipan also points out the problem of finding professionals. "There are almost no security specialists in Armenia. I and the other founder, Vahe, are trying to improve the situation. We actively participate in OWASP Armenia, ARMSec, and deliver lectures. We try to contribute to the development of the industry in every possible way. "
Now 20 per cent of men, according to the report, read their news with their pants around their ankles while hiding out from the housework.

Gone are the days of the gentleman-reader who donned his spectacles and settled into a chesterfield while fanning out his broadsheet.

Some men keep a dedicated iPad in the bathroom to keep up with current affairs. Credit:Vadim Guzhva

According to the Digital News Report: Australia 2017, you are typical. The way you consume your news may not be hygienic, but it is perfectly average.

If you are a man reading this while seated in the gents', your smartphone clenched in your non-toilet paper hand as you take some quiet time to catch up on current affairs, feel no shame.

But they are also twice as likely to pay for news as women.

This undignified trend in reading habits  enough to pop the ego of even the most pompous journalist  was but one of the startling changes in media consumption reported in the Digital News Report, run by the University of Canberra and published this week.

The television news is still the main source of news for Australians, with 25 per cent of people reporting it is where they get their daily fix. But it's unlikely to stay that way  digital forms of news consumption are by far the preferred medium for under-35s. Younger readers are twice as likely to think Facebook is a useful way of getting news. The trend towards digital consumption is inexorable.

Few industries are undergoing greater disruption than journalism, and at Fairfax Media, we should know  we are in the process of farewelling more than a hundred of our fellow photographers and journalists, all of them defined by the alchemy of curiosity, lonerism and mongrel that makes a good newsman or newswoman.

But there is no going back. Readership has splintered and with it, the advertising dollars that kept newspapers in long lunches and fat editorial budgets. In 2004 newspapers had a 40 per cent share in the media advertising dollar in Australia. Now they have 14 per cent.
Back in January, when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull suggested installing bollards to prevent a repeat of the attack when Dimitrious Gargasoulis allegedly drove a car into a crowd of pedestrians in Bourke Street and killed six people, I asked where exactly he thought we should put them.

The answer now appears to be "almost everywhere", after Melburnians arriving in the city on Friday found another 100 temporary concrete bollards had been installed overnight, joining others recently placed at Federation Square and Bourke Street.

Anti-terror barriers have recently been installed in nine locations around the city. Credit:Darrian Traynor

The latest lot of bollards has gone in at locations where crowds of pedestrians could be vulnerable to a vehicle attack, including Southern Cross Station and Queensbridge Street, Southbank.

The bollards are part of a $10 million anti-terrorism plan announced earlier this month by Premier Daniel Andrews, who no doubt is thinking more of the recent attacks in London  when terrorists drove a vehicle into pedestrians on London Bridge  than Bourke Street.
Ron Howard is stepping in to direct the coming stand-alone Han Solo film, two days after Philip Lord and Christopher Miller were ousted from the job. They had spent 4 1/2 months on the as-yet-untitled space western.

The highly anticipated Star Wars spinoff, slated for a May 2018 release, follows the adventures of the wise cracking swashbuckler Han Solo as a young pilot, played by Alden Ehrenreich. Woody Harrelson and Thandie Newton are also on board.

Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm, said in a statement announcing Howard's involvement that the studio had an "absolute commitment to make a great movie," and that filming would resume July 10. Howard's credits include Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon and, more recently, the poorly reviewed In the Heart of the Sea.

Kennedy had cited "different creative visions" in the decision to drop Miller and Lord, who are known for wry antics-filled hits like The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street. In the same statement, the directors agreed, saying their vision and process were not aligned with that of the studio heads.
Bill Cosby is planning a series of town hall meetings this summer to educate people, including young athletes and married men, on how to protect themselves from false accusations of sexual assault, two of his representatives said Wednesday.

The announcement came just days after Cosby's trial on sexual assault charges ended in a hung jury and while he is still battling several suits from other women who say he assaulted them too.

Bill Cosby arrives for his sexual assault trial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. Credit:Matt Rourke

"This issue is bigger than Bill Cosby," his representative Andrew Wyatt said on Good Day Alabama.

"This issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today and they need to know what they are facing when they are hanging out and partying when they are doing certain things they shouldn't be doing."
A black bird stuffed by Ben (the taxidermy self-taught via YouTube) is perched on a branch over the doorway, an embalmed turtle souvenired from the set of A Place to Call Home is pinned to the wall, and a glass dome filled with stuffed birds crowns the mantelpiece. A child's oversized stuffed owl sits on one couch, while wet puppy Mabel jumps up on me on the other. Lego Friends pieces are scattered across the coffee table and books on art and architecture are piled on the floor. It's a relaxed setting which contrasts with the discipline and intensity with which Marta approaches her acting. Named by her mother after Mata Hari, the Dutch exotic dancer who was executed for being a German spy in World War I, Marta has an illustrious lineage. Her paternal grandfather Dick Dusseldorp, a Dutch migrant, was the founder of developer Lend Lease, while her maternal grandfather Sandy Robertson was a noted paediatrician in post-war Sydney. She grew up amid wealth and privilege, but it did not make her family immune to tragedy. When Marta was eight, her nine month-old brother died of leukaemia. She refused to believe it for a long time, and his death would later haunt her when she had babies of her own. "I was a basket case until they got past nine months," she has said. I feel like I need to keep talking and saying there are stories to tell for 40-plus women

After twin brothers, nicknamed Search and Destroy, came along she begged to be sent to boarding school to escape the hurly-burly at home. She gave up the ballet she had been learning since she was four and at 14 went off to prestigious Geelong Grammar, where she discovered acting. But Marta is reluctant to rehash her life story yet again. "At first I was happy to talk about me and where I came from because people were interested. Then slowly I realised, 'But that's not the story.' The story is women now," she says intently. "There aren't a lot of female leads of my age  I feel like I need to keep talking and saying there are stories to tell for 40-plus women who have children and great husbands." Armani jacket, $6300. Tome blouse, $780. Emporio Armani skirt, $1100. Credit:Hugh Stewart Marta met Ben in 2003 when she joined The Actor's Company at the Sydney Theatre Company, where he was resident director. Since then, they've regularly collaborated, including as actor/director in theatre productions and playing opposite each other as longlost husband and wife on A Place to Call Home. "We love working together, it's part of our marriage, so we want to continue to do that," she says.

After 15 years as a renowned theatre actor, Marta switched to television post-babies for a more family-friendly work schedule. Whereas many women find their careers stall or go backwards after having children, Marta was rewarded with starring roles in long-running series. "You become a better actor when you have something else in your life," she reflects. "It doesn't have to be children, just another passion, because acting can be all-consuming, you can totally become so obsessed  "It's lovely to have to switch off  whether that's your children coming to the front door or a pet, something that snaps you out of your imaginative landscape and brings you back to the here and now." Yet her transition back into the workplace wasn't completely smooth. She was forced to withdraw from a play because the male director didn't approve of her breastfeeding three-month-old Grace every four hours. Asked about that now, she says very firmly, "I don't want to talk about that," and refuses to be drawn any further. Marta says she was always a very assured young girl, having grown up surrounded by strong male role models who respected women and made her feel empowered. "I used to always be a bit sassy. I didn't need to be pretty to get people's attention."

Her father unequivocally supported her pursuit of acting, dusting her off when she missed out on a part. "It was this constant positive reinforcement, which in a male role model is incredibly important when you're a young woman." But Marta has become more sensitive to the male bias in her field as her daughters grow up. Geena Davis's work to overturn sexist culture in Hollywood has especially opened her eyes to the challenges facing female actors. While she believes diversity is improving, Marta has made it her mission to improve the way women are represented on screen. She endeavours to ensure that anything she works on meets the Bechdel test. Coined by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985, the Bechdel test requires that in any show there needs to be a scene between two women not talking about a man. "So I go through scripts, I do, I mark them up and say, 'This fails the Bechdel test  is this the show you want to make?' " Marta explains. "I never do it aggressively, but I think it's important if you're going to contribute to a project that you contribute in a way that reflects where we're heading." Similarly, when weighing up which of many offered theatre projects to take on next year, a key consideration for Marta is what each says about being a woman in the world today.

Her mission clearly energises her. The light and sparkle return to her green eyes as she talks about women, words tumble out and wide smiles appear more frequently, accentuating her high cheekbones and defined jawline. As much as Marta is a champion of women, the sisterhood hasn't always been as supportive of her. When asked what her best piece of advice would be, after a lengthy consideration she says darkly: "Beware women who hate women." Has she experienced that? She gives an exasperated sigh and looks away. "Maybe." Now in its third season, Janet King has developed a fiercely loyal following and is watched by 600,000 people a week. Not only do LGBTQI viewers rejoice in the normalisation of Janet's same-sex relationship, grandmothers tell her they love the fast-paced, smart drama, and young law students thank her for making them realise it is possible to be a leader. Marta has become an associate producer of Janet King  not in a quest for power or any extra money, but to get into the writers' room where her character's stories are shaped. "I'm concentrating now on becoming involved on a producer level creatively so I can start to build good product  Australian stories that continue to focus on strong women." Marta's input led to one of this season's key storylines  the reappearance of Janet's estranged father in her life. Having always felt her own father put her first when she was growing up, Marta was curious about the influence of her character's father. "My father and grandfathers were such a strong influence in my life [so] I think that's why I said, 'Where's Janet's dad?'"

Having inherited her father's and grandfathers' industriousness, Marta lives and breathes Janet when she's filming, putting in long hours learning lines and on set. However it's clear her relentless work schedule (she's now in the midst of filming season five of A Place to Call Home) takes its toll. Daniel Avakian Rachel coat, $799. Tome shirt, $985. Emporio Armani bow belt, $560. Credit:Hugh Stewart While she made it out recently to a Sarah Blasko concert and is currently engrossed in reading the Hanya Yanagihara novel A Little Life, she doesn't have the time for meditation, nor seeing any film she can't take her daughters to. She plays card games with them to switch off from work, and skipped the Logies this year because it was the only chance she had to spend time with her family. "You have to start to understand availability. You have to start to create your own cave, otherwise you have nothing to offer, and the work is the most important thing." Marta is now looking forward to a family adventure later this year, when the whole clan decamps to Brisbane, where she and Ben will perform as husband and wife in a stage adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage. They've teed up an Airbnb in an inner-city neighbourhood and the girls will attend the local state school.
Back when homosexuality was still listed in psychiatry manuals as a mental disorder, Karen Hooker decided to study the mental differences between homosexuals and heterosexuals. She recruited straight and gay people, and gave them a series of psychological tests that showed no differences between the two groups. Based on her research, in 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, and announced that homosexuality was not a mental illness.

It was an enormous victory for gay rights, and has fundamentally changed the way we talk about sexual orientation. Early libertarian arguments emphasised the right of sexual minorities to choose: "What business is it of society's what people do in their bedrooms, as long as there's consent?" In 2003, that privacy argument persuaded the Supreme Court to protect "homosexual persons," saying, "The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime."

In recent years, however, gay rights has come to be seen in parallel with the movement for racial equality: Gay people should be protected not because they have a right to privacy, but because their sexual orientation is an inborn trait like race.

This view has been strengthened by studies that showed that identical twins were much more likely to both be gay than fraternal twins, indicating a genetic component to homosexuality. (There may also be an environmental influence in the womb, which would be no more amenable to intervention than genetics are.) Regardless of the exact source of sexual orientation, there's good evidence that in many cases, it is indeed fixed, so it's unreasonable to think a straight person could choose to become gay, or vice versa.
When Sally Castle woke up on her 40th birthday, she felt a little blue about being single and having no children. But not for long. She soon realised that her solo status gave her the freedom to live life differently.

Now instead of full-time work, she takes on fixed-term contracts and project-based work via her business Shore Strategic Consulting and is aiming to spend three months of the year sailing the high seas.

Connie Munoz of Maroubra works for a PR agency for seven months, saves all her money, and then takes unpaid leave and goes travelling. Credit:Sarah Keayes

"I was thinking I could work until I'm 65 and buy a yacht and sail the world when I'm older and not necessarily as fit," she says. But she also knows life can be short. "My mother passed away when she was 64 and it just got me thinking in a different way."

The 41-year-old Sydneysider recently spent seven weeks sailing from the Caribbean islands across the Panama Canal to the Galapagos Islands. To help make it happen she rents out her home while she's away and has a well-established pattern of dividing her pay into five "buckets" including a "rainy day" fund and an "adventure" fund to ensure all her regular expenses and contingencies are covered.
A woman allegedly drove at speeds of up to 150km/h with her three-year-old son in the car during a police pursuit in Sydney's south-west on Thursday night.

Police say the 23-year-old woman drove through two red lights at Cabramatta about 10.30pm.

When a marked patrol car indicated for the driver to pull over, she allegedly failed to stop and a pursuit began.

The woman allegedly drove through the streets of Cabramatta, Yagoona and Birrong, travelling on the wrong side of the road.

When she was stopped on Rodd Street, Birrong, police found her son strapped into a child seat in the back of the car and a 23-year-old man in the front passenger seat.
The Syunik office of Armenias Investigative Committee has launched an investigation into the February 2017 damaging and plundering of a burial site, dating to 1,000 B.C, in the town of Kapan.

A preliminary inspection of the burial ground shows that three mounds have been despoiled.
Concrete barriers have been installed in part of Martin Place in Sydney's CBD, in the first part of a plan to install barricades along the length of the pedestrian mall.

Workers began placing the long, narrow concrete blocks between Phillip Street and Elizabeth Street on Friday, a length of Martin Place which is next to the Lindt Cafe.

Some steel bollards already exist in the area, however they are limited to part of the pedestrian walkway where it dips to meet the road.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the City of Sydney said the temporary barriers were "to block vehicle access in response to security concerns", however there had not been a specific threat made.
A 20-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following an alleged attack in inner-city Brisbane on Tuesday evening.

Police will allege the man was involved in an altercation at Kangaroo Point that resulted in a 29-year-old woman being rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital about 6.45pm.

The man spent the night in the Brisbane Watchhouse Credit:Jorge Branco

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics were called to a private residence at Kangaroo Point and transported a woman with back pain and facial injuries to hospital at 6.55pm.

The 20-year-old is due to face the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
A Gold Coast yoga wear company has put Hindu communities in Australia and overseas offside by creating and selling leggings with images of a sacred deity.

Flow Yoga Wear has been offering the leggings depicting Lord Ganesha  with a head resembling an elephant, one of the most recognisable Hindu deities  for two years.

Ganesha leggings from Flow Yoga Wear on the Gold Coast. Credit:Facebook

However, the leggings - which sell for $80 full-length and $75 three-quarter length - have been described by the Hindu Council of Australia as "very insensitive".

The clothing first received criticism from the United States earlier this month, with the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed, calling for a product withdrawal and apology.
Two young Melbourne men who pleaded guilty to separate terror-related offences will spend more time behind bars, after the Court of Appeal agreed their original sentences were too lenient.

The Court of Appeal handed down its rulings on Friday to challenges by Commonwealth prosecutors against sentences imposed last year on Sevdet Besim, who planned to behead a police officer at an Anzac Day service in 2015, and on a teenager known as MHK who built a bomb and planned to detonate it on Mother's Day the same year.

Two Melbourne terror plotters will spend more time behind bars.

The court allowed both appeals.

Besim, 20, was jailed for a further four years, with an extra 2 years added to his minimum sentence. He is now sentenced to 14 years, with a 10 year minimum.
Anti-terror bollards that appeared across the city on Friday will become a permanent - although eventually more decorative - part of Melbourne's streetscape.

Melburnians woke on Friday morning to a new urban landscape, with five-tonne concrete blocks dotted across footpaths and walkways in the inner city.

Commuters were greeted by 100 new concrete bollards in key CBD locations. About 50 bollards now guard major entry points at Southern Cross Station, while there are also deterrents around Flinders Street Station, Queen Victoria Market, Crown casino, Queensbridge Square at Southbank and Princes Bridge.

But with safety the top priority, the city will have to wait up to a year until all temporary concrete bollards are transformed into something more aesthetically pleasing.
Police have raised their first Facebook AMBER Alert to help locate missing girl Milena Malkic.

The first alert comes a day after the national roll-out of the system, which police describe as a vital tool to find and return abducted children.

Urgent information appears on a person's Facebook feed if they are within 160 kilometres of where the child goes missing or is suspected to be.

Two-year-old Milena was last seen in the Springvale area on June 15.
A WA detective is still recovering from a range of injuries after a car was driven into him on Monday.

The male officer was struck by the car in Cloverdale on Monday afternoon while in pursuit of an offender, who was arrested soon after.

The WA police union have voiced concerns about the number of officers injured.

His injuries include bruising and swelling to his leg, possible cracked ribs and numerous cuts.

The officer's Taser was also damaged in the impact of the collision.
An elderly man who sexually abused boys when he was a Salvation Army church member in Perth has been warned he should expect an immediate jail term.

William Edwin Steele, 73, indecently assaulted boys aged between 11 and 18 from 1963 to 1990, with large spans of time between some of the offences.

The judge warned Steele that immediate imprisonment "looms large".

The District Court of Western Australia heard during sentencing submissions on Friday that Steele first offended at age 19 and some of the offences involved a degree of planning and grooming, but at least one of the victims was preyed on opportunistically.

When Steele worked as a manager at the old Wellington Street markets, an employee walked in on him touching himself in the kitchen and he then made an indecent proposal to the 14-year-old boy, who ran away.
John Steinbrink, a farmer and Democrat in the Wisconsin State Assembly for 17 years, lost office when a Republican-led redistricting separated him from his longtime voters. "I could have moved to Kenosha, but I don't know how you farm in the city," he said. Credit:New York Times But one of the so-called Founding Fathers did it first. In 1788, before there was a Congress, independence hero Patrick Henry had boundaries altered in colonial Virginia in a bid to thwart James Madison, his rival and later the fourth US president. Today's gerrymandering ruthlessly harnesses technology and big data to "pack" and "crack" voters in districts as bent and twisted as the names bestowed on them: "Goofy kicking Donald Duck" [Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional district]; the upside-down elephant [Texas' 35th]; the Latin earmuffs [Illinois' 4th]; Bart Simpson holding a fishing pole [Michigan's 14th]; and the praying mantis [Maryland's 3rd]. "Goofy kicking Donald Duck": Pennsylvania's 7th district. Credit:Google Ideally, all votes should have equal weight. But when "packed", electors of a particular persuasion are piled into one electorate so as not to dilute the majorities of the opposing party in adjoining seats. If "cracked", they are sprinkled among voters of the opposing party in numbers which ensure their candidate never wins.

Florida's 5th district, into which non-white voters are "packed", narrows at one point to cross a bridge  lest the GOP majorities in the adjoining 3rd and 6th districts be diluted. "The Latin earmuffs": Illinois' 4th congressional district. Credit:Google Michigan's GOP-drawn districts are so gerrymandered that only 21 of the state's 148 legislative seats are truly competitive  that is, they were won by less than five points. Ohio usually is split about 50-50 in presidential polls, but the boundaries have been drawn to give Republicans 12 of the state's 16 seats. The impact on American democracy is staggering. At the 2016 elections, the average winning margin for seats in Congress was more than 37 per cent. Only 17 of 435 seats were decided competitively  which is to say by less than five points. "The praying mantis": Maryland's 3rd district. Credit:Google

This process has its own coarse and colourful jargon: the objective is to "ratf---" your opponent; creating new boundaries that put two legislators from one party into a single seat, forcing one to quit, is called "scorpions in a bottle". The Supreme Court has visited the issue of partisan gerrymandering on at least three occasions  in 1986, 2004 and 2006  variously branding the practice illegitimate; seriously harmful; incompatible with democratic principles; and a "manipulation of the electorate". "Bart Simpson fishing": Michigan's 14th district. Credit:Google Yet the court has never ruled against it, though it has ordered that boundaries be redrawn when gerrymandering was found to be race-based. But its refusal to call out rigging along partisan lines has become a tool in the mapmakers' arsenal: defending the boundaries of its 12th district, North Carolina recently argued that it was legally helping Republicans, not illegally punishing blacks.

Law professor Nicholas Stephanopoulos has tried to create a standard by which to measure gerrymandering. Credit:New York Times A few states, including California and Arizona, have switched to independent redistricting commissions. Among the 10 most ugly redistricting efforts, eight are the handiwork of Republican state governments. The Democratic Party earns a place in the hall of shame for its current efforts in Maryland  and historically, for more rampant efforts from the 1960s through to the 1990s. In 2010, the GOP caught the Democrats resting on their laurels. In the wake of the so-called wave election in 2008, Barack Obama was in the White House; Democrats had majorities in the House and Senate; the party was in control of both chambers in 27 states and one chamber in each of another six states. Republican strategists devised a devilish plot. Karl Rove opted for no less than the op-ed page of The Wall Street Journal to reveal the thrust of what was to be known as the REDMAP Project.

Beneath a heading that read: "He who controls redistricting can control Congress", Rove explained that the 2010 census was about to be taken, necessitating a round of redistricting, and the GOP would focus on state legislatures in 2010 and in 2012  flipping any they could to ensure mapmaking pencils would be in Republican hands. It was as black and white - or as red and blue - as that. In 2010, the Republicans gained almost 700 seats in state legislatures, enough to swing 20 chambers to their control. At the 2012 elections, Obama held the state of Pennsylvania by about 300,000 votes and Democrats outpolled Republicans there by almost 100,000 votes  but of the state's 18 congressional seats, 13 were won by Republicans. And in the 2014 midterm elections, redistricting delivered Democrats their worst defeat in more than 70 years.

So what can the Supreme Court do about all this? Its decision to review the constitutionality of the Republicans' approach to district boundaries in Wisconsin could revolutionise electoral politics and rob Republicans of their advantage in the aftermath of the 2020 census. On gaining full control of the Wisconsin legislature for the first time in decades in 2010, the GOP rejigged district boundaries in such a way that on winning just 48.6 per cent of the vote, the party walked away with 60 of the 90 State Assembly seats; and at the next elections, they picked up 52 per cent of the vote but bagged 63 seats. The maps, a lower appeal court found, were "designed to make it more difficult for Democrats ... to translate their votes into seats". Or as Princeton professor Samuel Wang told Fairfax Media, they were proof again that legislative 'foxes' were being allowed to design electoral 'henhouses'. New York University constitutional law professor Richard Pildes is disturbed by the seeming indifference of many Americans to such an open scam. But Pildes offers two explanations, based on feedback from his speaking engagements: "There's a major distrust of any body that is relatively independent, and the American culture of democratic participation leads many to believe we're better off with people who can be voted out of office doing the redistricting."

At the Brennan Centre for Justice, counsel Michael Li fears an all-out redistricting war after the 2020 census. "Globally, no other country leaves redistricting in the hands of self-interested parties," he said. "And Wisconsin is particularly pernicious because of how it locks in such a disproportionate share of seats for one party. "The evidence is especially strong, in terms of emails and depositions on what people were trying to do  and there's reason to believe that [Justice] Kennedy is still the sweet vote." But American justice is a fickle business  often it's what is legal that is shocking, more than what is illegal. And Paul Smith, who will argue the Wisconsin case before the Supreme Court in October, is taking nothing for granted. "We've got to this point before  and lost," he told Fairfax Media.

Smith, vice-president for litigation and strategy at the Campaign Legal Center, argued the 2004 case that split the bench five ways. He frames the question for the court as finding a compromise somewhere between the 'wildly unrealistic' possibility of eliminating all politics and allowing 'a certain amount' of politics in the process. "There have never been five justices who will agree on where that line should be drawn ... but maybe now they'll be more willing to draw a line between 'troublesome' and the really bad stuff." The standard which backers of the case hope will find favour with Justice Kennedy is a complex equation called the Efficiency Gap (EG), that seeks to measure partisanship by tallying "wasted votes": those of Democrats "packed" into districts in numbers that exceed the number needed for a Democratic candidate to win. Based on the work of University of Chicago law professor Nicholas Stephanopoulos, the figures are massaged district by district to calculate the EG, which is measured as a percentage. Arguing that an EG in excess of 7 should be deemed unconstitutional, the Wisconsin EG was found to be 13.3 in 2012 and 9.6 in 2014.

A 2015 study that applied the formula nationally, found that over a 43-year period, one-third of all redistricting in 41 states exceeded the 7 per cent standard and that elections in 2012 and 2014 produced EGs exceeding 10 points in Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Former Wisconsin state senate leaders Timothy Cullen, a Democrat, and Dale Schultz, a Republican, have joined the Wisconsin fight. In a jointly written op-ed in The Washington Post, they argue: "Fighting gerrymandering is about fighting abuse of power, no matter who does it. If our side wins the lawsuit, we will establish a principle that reins in not only Republicans in states such as Wisconsin and North Carolina but also Democrats in states such as Maryland and Illinois." So, all eyes will be on Justice Kennedy. This case is proceeding because of the glimmer of light he shined on the redistricting scandal back in 2004. But now some are wondering if he's swinging the other way. The court's decision this week to take the Wisconsin case was a political bombshell. But it came with a rider  it also allowed the disputed Wisconsin district maps to stand, which means they will be used for at least one more cycle of elections.
With 167 producing completed cow records, the Hoards Dairyman Farm earned the 2016 Commercial Herd Award from the American Guernsey Association (AGA). The herd averaged 22,138 pounds of milk 4.7 percent butterfat, 1,030 pounds of butterfat, 3.54 percent protein, and 781 pounds of protein. That converts to 26,551 pounds of milk on an energy corrected milk scale, which is the basis of the award.

What do those production levels really mean to consumers?

Guernsey milk is valuable for cheese. That being the case, those production figures convert to 2,670 pounds of cheese. Yes, each cow at the Hoards Dairyman farm each produced well over a ton of cheese. And their milk indeed goes to make cheese, World Champion Muenster and Brick, as well as Asadero, Quesadilla, and Apple Jack to be more precise.

To be eligible for the Commercial Herd recognition, Guernsey herds must have 50 lactations completed during the year. The 167 records included in the Hoards Dairyman Farm entry was for completed lactations. At the present moment, there are 417 Guernseys on the dairy.

Longevity is a goal of all producers. Having cows continue to make top production records year after year benefits the bottom line when they are profitable for multiple lactations. Additionally, more offspring can then be born from these top cows. Of the top 10 living lifetime milk and fat production cows of the Guernsey breed, half are owned by the Hoards Dairyman Farm. An additional cow joins the list for protein, making six of the 10 living Guernsey cows for lifetime protein production at the Hoards Dairyman Farm. Two of the cows are classified Excellent, while the remainder are Very Good.

Dairyman Storm Bonella is classified VG-88 and ranks third for milk and fat, and second for protein with 234,665 pounds of milk, 11,149 pounds of fat, and 8,532 pounds of protein. Her herdmate, Idle Gold Pdl Anndi, is also one of the four living Guernsey cows in the U.S. over 200,000 pounds of milk. Anndi is classified Excellent and ranks fourth for milk, second for fat, and fourth for lifetime protein.

In other AGA honors, the farm also was took second place among every Guernsey herd in the nation, for herd milk, fat, and protein levels. Topping those three categories was Julie (Orchard) Bacons Guern-Z Meadows herd with 23,871 pounds of milk, 1,085 pounds of fat, and 807 pounds of protein.
Dubai: Four Arab states that imposed a boycott on Qatar have issued a 13-point ultimatum to Doha that includes closing the Al-Jazeera television station and curbing ties with Iran  demands so far reaching it would appear to be hard for Doha to comply.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have sent a 13-point list of demands apparently aimed at dismantling their tiny but wealthy neighbour's two decade-old interventionist foreign policy which has incensed them.

Qatar did not immediately comment, but Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Monday that Qatar would not negotiate with the four states until economic, diplomatic and travel ties cut this month were restored.

The countries that imposed the sanctions accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional unrest and drawing too close to their enemy Iran. Qatar rejects those accusations and says it is being punished for straying from its neighbours' backing for authoritarian hereditary and military rulers.
Brussels: Donald Tusk has invoked John Lennon as he said he "dreams" that Britain could still say in the European union. The president of the European Council said on Thursday it was not "impossible" that Brexit could be abandoned, adding: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Mr Tusk said: "You can hear different predictions coming from different people about the possible outcome of these negotiations - hard Brexit, soft Brexit or no deal.

"Some of my British friends have even asked me whether Brexit could be reversed and whether I could imagine an outcome where the UK stays part of the EU.

"I told them that, in fact, the European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve. So, who knows. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
POINTE BLANCHE:--- The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and cruise stakeholders showed interest in increasing cruise calls to destination St. Maarten in the coming seasons as the vessels are getting larger with limited Ports in the region that can accommodate these vessels.

The Port St. Maarten delegation who recently returned from Aruba was informed of the aforementioned while attending the FCCA PAMAC (Platinum Associate Membership Advisory Council) Conference.

There are immense opportunities for the Caribbean, but destinations must increase their marque value and appeal, Port St. Maarten reps were informed. The strength in regional development also ties in with the satisfaction of various destinations in the itinerary chain. If a key destination lags behind industry development, it can also be a threat to destination St. Maarten. The Caribbean must step up their game to better compete against other emerging markets such as Asia, said Port St. Maarten reps on Thursday.

PAMAC brought together over 200 Platinum Members of the FCCA and key cruise tourism stakeholders who met with 20 senior executives from the FCCA Member Line as part of a relationship and business building process.

Cruise executives presented industry developments and reiterated the importance of having a strong social media presence as a destination.

The port delegation that traveled to Aruba had a series of meetings with cruise stakeholders.

MSC Cruises announced that they will be penetrating the Caribbean market and St. Maarten is one of the destinations that they showed interest in. MSC Cruises will have its inaugural call for their first Seaside class vessel in St. Maarten later this year.

The seaside class vessels is considered as game changers and are making further investments for Future Larger Vessels (FLV). Their FLV vessels announced earlier this month is slated to have more passengers occupancy of Oasis of the Seas totaling 6850 passengers.

President of the FCCA Michele Paige in an invited comment stated: "The Caribbean continues to impress cruise lines and passengers, which has led to the industrys planned capacity share increase next season. Destinations like St. Maarten have helped this boost through attention to products, service, and infrastructure, but though more passengers and bigger ships bring immense opportunities, they also bring new challenges. So it is crucial for the overall region and individual destinations to maintain their focus on constant improvement in order to take advantage of this industrys bright future.

Port management said that they are actively engaging with the stakeholders to assure that the Port and destination is prepared for this new wave of vessels. Port management also agreed to participate in the upcoming BREA (Business Research Economic Advisors) survey cycle for 2018 which compares more than 30 destinations worldwide based on passenger and crew spending and economic contributions.

Port St. Maarten uses the BREA report as an analytical tool to better understand the cruise industry movement and product development. BREA is a public document that can be retrieved on the FCCA website, and Port St. Maarten encourages local tour operators and retailers to study the aforementioned in order to better understand the customer, demands, and ratings.

Port management said that they are continuing to develop the countrys product in order to main the destinations competitive edge in the Caribbean. St. Maarten is still one of the top-rated destinations which is frequently benchmarked by other Ports.

Business intelligence shows that the cruise industry is still in the infancy stage and more than 40 new build ocean going vessels are slated to be delivered between 2017 and 2023.

The evolving cruise industry estimates that nearly 26 million passengers will cruise globally in 2017. The Caribbean basin still accounts for the largest market share at 34% followed by the Mediterranean at 19%.

Port St. Maarten is following global cruise trends in order to better cater to their business to business and business to consumer customers focusing on customer centricity and operational excellence.

Representing the Port were Bertrand Peters, General and Government Affairs, and Ichel Moeslikan, Sales and Marketing, and Alexander Gumbs, Business Development Officer as well as a representative from the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, Cherinah Franken, Product Development Officer.

The PAMAC event is one of many that the FCCA coordinates for its Platinum Members and Member Lines to stay at the forefront of information about both the industry and destinations while finding ways to maximize the benefits for all.

The FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization composed of 19 Member Lines operating over 100 vessels in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin American waters. Created in 1972, the FCCAs mandate is to provide a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security, and other cruise industry issue and to develop bilateral relationships with destinations private and public sectors.

By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA works with governments, ports and private sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, crew, and cruise line spending, as well as enhance the destination experience and increase the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors.

The PAMAC conference took place in Aruba at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino.
Allocadia Wins 2017 BC Technology Impact Award for Community Engagement

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA  (Marketwired)  06/23/17  Allocadia, leader in technology and creator of the movement was named the winner of the 2017 BC Tech in Community Engagement at a gala event yesterday at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

The Technology Impact Awards are the longest-running and largest technology award program in BC, celebrating the achievements of cutting-edge technology companies, people, and innovation that put the province on the map. These awards celebrate worldwide impact, world-class talent and one tight-knit community. The Community Engagement category recognizes companies that embrace corporate social responsibility.

Were thrilled to recognize Allocadia as leaders of community engagement in BC, said Rocky Ozaki, VP Community at BC Tech. The team is setting new standards for organizations to follow in building a corporate culture that engages employees, and has a positive impact on the community in which they live, work, and play.

We believe BC is the best place to grow a technology company, said Kristine Steuart, CEO and Co-Founder of Allocadia. With over 150,000 technology workers and a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, the resources of BC have been a cornerstone of our success. Our team is committed to giving back, and fostering a strong, healthy community through corporate social responsibility. Were grateful to the BC Tech organization for recognizing our efforts, and offer congratulations to all the finalists and winners, who we consider part of our extended BC family.

Allocadia is dedicated to supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, strategic giving and employee volunteer activities. Most recently, the company participated in Vancouvers Tech Got Talent lip sync battle, raising money for local Vancouver charities.

As one of many growing tech companies in Vancouver, the company participates in events such as #TechPong, raising funds for organizations in Vancouvers Downtown East Side alongside a number of neighboring tech companies. They also organize Quarterly Volunteer events, to give back as a team, with beneficiaries including The Vancouver Food Bank and the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The company empowers girls and women to pursue technology and entrepreneurship by supporting causes including Girls Learning Code, BeLikeAda, and the B.C. Science Fair Fun Run. Recently, Allocadia to send women in the School of Computing Science to attend technology conferences across North America. The company also provides an incubator space for women entrepreneurs, allowing them to use its downtown office space to accelerate growth and enable success.

To foster charitable donations, the company contributes to both local and national efforts through a staff matching fund with the help of Kiva and Chimp. By participating in Movember, a global organization committed to changing the face of mens health, the company has raised thousands for this cause. Finally, employees are encouraging to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle by participating in events such as the Vancouver Sun Run.

For the latest community news and more details about Allocadias Community Engagement initiatives,

About Allocadia

is the leader in and creators of the movement. The companys award-winning technology empowers marketers with confidence in their plans, investments, and ROI. Founded in 2006 by twin sisters Kristine Steuart and Katherine Berry, Allocadia today serves more than 10,000 marketers worldwide, managing over $20B in marketing investment to-date. Learn how leading marketing organizations at over 150 companies including Microsoft, Juniper Networks, VMware, Red Hat and Charles Schwab run the business of marketing at

About BC Tech

The BC Tech Association is guided by our mission to make BC the best place to grow a tech company. For more than 20 years, BC Tech has been providing opportunities for the tech industry to collaborate, learn, and grow together. We are dedicated to connecting companies, developing talent, sharing stories, and advocating on behalf of tech companies to keep our industry thriving.

Contacts:

Katie Martell

Allocadia

(978) 216-2588
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Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the event, director Jon Day said it was fantastic to see the 20,000 visitors making the most of so many new features introduced this year. Bringing the industry together to exchange ideas and see new technology in action is always important, but even more so in these politically uncertain times, he explained

Like the farming industry, Cereals is changing, and were really excited to be working together with Comexposium, which runs the SIMA event in Paris, to make next years event even more valuable to visitors and exhibitors alike. Weve received strong feedback on this years event and will be working closely with key players - from farmers to multi-national companies  who have expressed such a strong desire to help the show develop and move forward, he added. Together, with greater industry involvement and extensive collaboration, Cereals 2018 will be the must-attend event that the UK market needs.

In the opening forum debate sponsored by De Lacy Executive, industry leaders considered what the future holds for British agriculture as 2020 approaches. We need to invest in the industry to make it innovative and profitable in the next five years, said NFU president Meurig Raymond.

UK farming policy should be targeted at helping farmers to improve efficiencies in the transition period between now and 2020  but the level of support required after that would depend on the success of trade negotiations, added Mr Raymond. The trade deal is the most important issue  if we end up with a fair trade deal we can be very optimistic.

Defra minister George Eustice visited the event, and reaffirmed the Governments commitment to keep the total agricultural budget the same for the next Parliament. Transitioning to a better policy would include greater focus on managing risk, knowledge transfer, research and development, and supporting investment on farms to improve productivity, he said.

Ive seen some very interesting work today  the cereals sector is very innovative, and events like this have a crucial function to showcase some of the new varieties and techniques to farmers. By bringing the whole industry, including research bodies together, there was huge opportunity to increase profits in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way, he added.

Helping dispense technological advances at the farm gate was Rothamsted Researchs new science strategy, which is not just about research and development, but the way it is delivered on the ground. We need to look ahead at what agriculture needs in the next 10 years, said director Achim Dobermann. There is an opportunity to become policy innovators in this country, if the government is prepared to take advantage of the scientific expertise we have.
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Sure, part of the reason to get out of town and travel to a place far, far away is to give yourself a break from work. Food, however, follows as a close second reason for venturing to a new place.

About 75 percent of travelers surveyed by Booking.com told the travel site that they would be most likely to head somewhere known for great food and drinks when booking a vacation. Among those travelers, millennials were the most likely to travel somewhere specific based on their interest in food (particularly street food), especially when compared to travelers over the age of 55.
I rish taxpayers came within touching distance of breaking even on their 20.8 billion (18.3 billion) bailout of big four lender Allied Irish Banks today after it returned to the stock market.

The bank, which almost collapsed during the financial crisis, sold shares to investors at 4.40, giving it a 12 billion valuation.

The float in London and Ireland offers the Irish government an easy exit route from its holdings in the lender following its nationalisation between 2009 and 2011. AIB was one of the poster boys for Irelands financial crisis, and its return to public hands will be welcomed by politicians as a sign Ireland is on the mend.

The Irish government, which has already recouped a 7 billion repayment from AIB, today sold a quarter of the shares for 3 billion and retains the others, worth 9 billion  putting AIBs current IOU at 19 billion.

In early trading, the share price rose as much as 7.7% to 4.74  a sign that shares could soar higher when they officially debut on Tuesday. Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe said: The offer was very well-received and attracted high demand from investors everywhere it was marketed, reflecting the strength of AIBs investment story and prospects, and the attractions of Irelands vibrant and growing economy.

The shares were priced in the middle of a predicted range of 3.90 to 4.90.

Sources said order books were four times oversubscribed.

The share-price surge poses a risk for the Irish government, with sales of previously nationalised companies such as Royal Mail prompting criticism they were sold too cheaply. Alert to this, the Irish government has established a series of warrants allowing it to buy shares back at a cheaper price if the shares get too toppy.

About 10% of the shares sold were to retail investors, with nearly all applicants getting 50,000 worth and up in the offer. The rest were sold to institutional shareholders, including hedge funds.

AIB chief executive Bernard Byrne said stronger market sentiment for banks had improved demand for shares in AIB.
E urope's tug-of-war battle with the UK over the City stepped up on Friday as its central bank called for more legal powers over Londons financial sector.

The latest twist comes on the anniversary of the historic Brexit vote amid a growing row over Londons role in Europes financial system after it leaves the European Union.

Around 98% of all euro-denominated derivatives are handled in London by UK-based clearing houses, which stand between buyers and sellers to settle trades and bear risk.

But the European Commission wants powers to move euro clearing away from London post-Brexit, as well as to force UK-based clearing houses to stick to EU rules and accept European Central Bank requirements.

The ECB today called for enhanced powers to supervise clearing activities, amending its articles to reflect responsibility for clearing systems for financial instruments, within the Union and with other countries.

Eurozone on song The eurozone is on course for its best economic performance in six years, an upbeat snapshot of the single currency blocs private sector revealed today. Survey compiler IHS Markit predicts growth of 0.7% between April and June, improving on the 0.6% registered in the first quarter as the eurozone recovers at a faster pace than the UK, which managed tepid 0.2% growth between January and March. The French jobs market is growing at its fastest pace for nearly a decade. Chief economist Chris Williamson said the upturn was broad-based.

The changes would give the ECB a clear legal competence in the area of central clearing, paving the way for a significantly enhanced role in authorising and supervising euro-clearers in systemically important third-party countries like London.

The ECB estimates 101 billion (89 billion) of euro-denominated derivatives trading is cleared in the UK each day, more than 90% of the total, but the central bank is concerned Brexit could undermine its oversight.

ECB board member Benoit Cure said this week clearing activities might need to be moved from London to the EU if the post-Brexit framework reduces its powers. That could mean more than 80,000 jobs at risk over the next seven years if the City loses the business, according to an EY report last year.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney pushed back against the commission this week, warning in his Mansion House speech that splitting the market for clearing euro-denominated derivatives would bump up costs for users and could even damage financial stability.
Alexandra Shulman ushers me into her empty office at Vogue House, apologising that its pale pink and white walls are completely bare apart from a display of Vogue magazines in one corner.

Today is her last day as British Vogues editor-in-chief after 25 years at the helm. Sometimes it feels strangely nothing, sometimes terrifying and at other times sad. I just have to get through this bit. Leaving is never nice, so you just have to have tunnel vision, says Shulman, who resigned last December.

Downstairs, 40 boxes of books, files, notebooks and diaries are packed and waiting for her, so shes keen to cut the interview short to get it back to her Queens Park home as soon as possible which is really daunting as I probably dont need to keep it all, but cant bring myself to go through it all now, she says matter-of-factly.

Her final issue of the magazine comes out in September, while the October and November issues will be edited by her deputy Emily Sheffield, before Edward Enninful, the new editor, arrives in August.

Since his surprise appointment was announced in April, the fashion world has been buzzing with rumours about his lack of editing experience, his huge salary and even bigger relocation costs from New York (where he is currently fashion and style director of W Magazine), his alleged plans to purge Vogue of its posh girl staff and make the magazine content much more diverse.

In the past few weeks news of high-level resignations by some of Shulmans longest-serving old guard  with doubtless more to come  has caused alarm in some quarters, and now its like a snowball. But it wasnt my ambition to dismantle Vogue at all, she says.

I dont know Edward and I dont know what hes going to do, she continues, tapping her white-patent, Manolo-clad foot impatiently, but I can safely assume that he will want to do something very different. I do think hes a really brilliant stylist.

Edward Enninful - in pictures 1 /21 Edward Enninful - in pictures Edward Enninful with Naomi Campbell after he received his Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace on October 27, 2016 Getty Images Edward Enninful and Jourdan Dunn at a Diane von Furstenberg dinner Rex Features Naomi Campbell, Steven Klein, Edward Enninful, Laverne Cox, Stefano Tonchi at The Daily Front Row awards on September 5, 2014 Getty Images for the Daily Front Row Lewis Hamilton and Edward Enninful at the Balmain Aftershow Dinner on March 5, 2015 Getty Images For Balmain Stefano Tonchi, Edward Enninful and Giovanna Battaglia at the Brandon Maxwell show during New York Fashion Week on February 14, 2017 Getty Images for New York Fashion Week: The Shows Venetia Scott and Edward Enninful at Edward Enninful's OBE dinner at Mark's Club on October 27, 2016 Dave Benett Edward Enninful, Coco Rocha, Seslie Lopez and Raquel Zimmerman watch the photos that were taken to create a flipbook during the screening of Coco Rocha: She's A Genius on September 10, 2009 Courtney Love and Edward Enninful at the Prada Resort show on May 7, 2017 Getty Images for Prada Edward Enninful and Creative Director of La Perla Julia Haart backstage during New York Fashion Week on February 9, 2017 Getty Images Edward Enninful and Naomi Campbell attend the British Fashion Awards on December 1, 2014 Getty Images Stefano Tonchi, Claire Danes and Edward Enninful attend The Daily Front Row awards on September 5, 2014 Getty Images for the Daily Front Derek Blasberg and Edward Enninful arrive at the Fenty x Puma by Rihanna show during Paris Fashion Week on September 28, 2016 Getty Images for Fenty x Puma Edward Enninful and Anna Ewers at the 2015 CLIO Awards at The Plaza Hotel on May 5, 2015 Getty Images Naomi Campbell and Edward Enninful at the Met Gala on May 1, 2017 Getty Images For Entertainment Weekly Kerry Washington and Edward Enninful at the Accessories Council ACE Awards on November 3, 2014 Getty Images for ACE Awards Edward Enninful at the Prada Iconoclasts by Edward Enninful during Milan Fashion Week on February 20, 2014 Getty Images

As she talks, her eyes dart from one side of the room to the other with palpable nervous energy. When I came to Vogue back in the dark ages I changed it a lot. I think you have to expect that from editors. I have my Vogue. Im sure hes going to change things radically to make it his, although understandably she wont be drawn on how he might achieve this. But I will say that I have a fantastic staff and Im not happy at the idea of anyone losing their jobs.

She bridles at the suggestion that Vogue could do with being a bit more diverse. I dont think weve been un-diverse, actually. When you look back at what my Vogue had, I do think Ive broadened out its appeal, whether its to do with different ages of women or men, different body types and professions.

I dont know whether the new regime will continue to do articles about female engineers building Crossrail, for example. And Im very proud of the [July] Ageless Style issue. You would never have seen that in Vogue before I came.

Coincidentally, the issue includes a naked selfie of incoming fashion director, photographer Venetia Scott.

At 59, is there anything that Shulman feels she is too old to wear?

She looks impeccable today in a sleeveless top and tight white-lace skirt. Its by Erdem  E-R-D-E-M, she adds, when I ask who designed it. No there isnt, but I could never wear mini-skirts because Ive always had terrible legs and I cant wear all these wonderful flouncy floral dresses with ruffles because I just look tragic in them, she says in the same self-deprecating tone she occasionally used to describe how she looked in her diary, Inside Vogue (just out in paperback). One thing she is not, is vain.

Alexandra Shulman's leaving party - in pictures 1 /14 Alexandra Shulman's leaving party - in pictures 22.06.17 Alexandra Shulman, Nigella Lawson and Victoria Beckham Dave Benett 22.06.17 David Cameron, Alexandra Shulman and Samantha Cameron Dave Benett 22.06.17 David Bailey and Alexandra Shulman Dave Benett 22.06.17 Alexandra Shulman and Manolo Blahnik Dave Benett 22.06.17 Rosamund Pike and Victoria Beckham Dave Benett 22.06.17 Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum Dave Benett 22.06.17 Nigella Lawson, Laura Bailey and Victoria Beckham Dave Benett 22.06.17 Christopher Bailey Dave Benett 22.06.17 A guest and Nick Haslam Dave Benett 22.06.17 Nicholas Cullinan, Alexandra Shulman and a guest Dave Benett Alexandra Shulman's leaving party22.06.17 Alexandra Shulman and Victoria Beckham Dave Benett

Having defended the fashion industrys ongoing love affair with using size-zero models on the catwalk, she also turns out to be an ambivalent champion of feminism and glass ceilings. I dont feel terribly, you know, God, men in suits ruling our lives at all, at all. Its not been my experience here but Im probably somewhat backward in that way.

Why wasnt she on the board of Conde Nast? I was but I resigned a long time ago when I realised they didnt do anything, she says, sounding a bit huffy. I only went to be involved in things and thought they were being kind by asking.

Is she a nice boss? Im not sure that Im a particularly good, mentoring, kind person, actually. Dont her staff adore her? No, I dont think so, she answers briskly, as if she finds the idea ridiculous, although I think most of them quite like me. According to one insider, everyone adores her.

As the elder daughter of former Evening Standard theatre critic Milton Shulman and etiquette expert Drusilla Beyfus, Shulman grew up in a London household where equality between girls and boys was the norm. Her sister Nicola, now Marchioness of Normanby, has written several biographies, her brother Jason is an artist.

She brought up her only son, Sam  whose father is US writer Paul Spike  largely on her own. Sam is 22 now and just got a First, she tells me proudly, her voice softening. He studied history of art at UCL and is doing an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

People make subliminal judgments about how women look that doesnt happen with men. Its still not a level playing field. If youre a man you can get away with being far less physically well put together. How much time are men expected to spend on getting their hair right? Nobody expects Prince William to take a hairdresser on a royal tour but they wouldnt be happy if the Duchess of Cambridge didnt. But he hasnt got much hair? Well thats true, its probably not a fair comparison, I agree, says Shulman, visibly relaxing and breaking into a smile for the first time.

Listen, women are very demanding of themselves, but men make those judgments too. Like men preferring women in high heels? Well I dont really mind that. Its like me saying I like a man in a polo shirt. I always wear high heels  actually I find them far more comfortable than flats.

She looks faintly appalled at my suggestion that she might slip into something sloppy at home, unless Im on my own sorting bin bags, although whats going to be really interesting is how Im going to look in my new life. Ive got no idea what Ill need to buy.

Life will change in ways I cant imagine. Ive never not worked in an office from practically the day I left university, with a monthly pay cheque and somewhere to report to at 9.30 every morning. Im sure itll sometimes feel like a bereavement, even though I chose it.

Shulmans long-term partner, journalist David Jenkins, is horrified, she says, at the prospect of having her at home. In her diary he comes across as the chilled if slightly long-suffering antithesis to her neurotic, grumpy, work-driven character. Hes been used to having the house to himself and suddenly Im going to be there.

A friend advised her not to commit to anything for six months, though I dont think I can go quite that long. If you leave an incredibly nice job youve done for 25 years, you have to work out why. It wasnt like I was unhappy. I wanted to change my life and have more flexibility. After I resigned I was wandering around the streets in this hello sunshine, lovely blue sky, I feel so free way, but now its approaching I realise I dont want to be that free, I need to be tethered to something; otherwise its just a huge gap.

Plans include journalism definitely, a book probably, brand retail work and pro bono arts work possibly.

Alexandra Shulman - in pictures 1 /13 Alexandra Shulman - in pictures Alexandra Shulman and Model Kate Moss at the Business of Fashion Gala Dinner on September 19, 2016 Dave Benett The Duchess of Cambridge with Alexandra Shulman and Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Nicholas Cullinan at the "Vogue 100: A Century of Style" exhibition on 4 May 2016 Ian Gavan/AFP/Getty Images Kim Kardashian West and Alexandra Shulman at British Vogue's Centenary gala dinner at Kensington Gardens on 23 May 2016 Dave Benett Alexandra Shulman, Victoria Beckham and Anna Wintour attend the launch of "Vogue: Voice Of A Century" on 18 September 2016 Dave Benett Alexandra Shulman signing copies of her latest book 'Inside Vogue: A Diary of my 100th year' at Selfridges on 28 November 2016 Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Alexandra Shulman and Mario Testino in the winners room after winning the award for 100 Years of British Vogue at The Fashion Awards 2016 on 5 December Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Jasmine Guinness, Alexandra Shulman and Laura Bailey at the launch of the new Design Museum on 22 November 2016 Dave Benett/Getty Images Alexandra Shulman and Valentino at the preview of The Glamour of Italian Fashion exhibition at Victoria & Albert Museum on 1 April 2014 Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images Alexandra Shulman at the British Fashion Awards at London Coliseum on 1 December 2014 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Christopher Bailey and Alexandra Shulman at Vogue and Burberry's cocktail reception as part of 'Fashion's Night Out' on 10 September 2009 Chris Jackson/Getty Images

In terms of her legacy, Shulman insists there has been no single defining thing, although shell surely be remembered as the editor who persuaded the Duchess of Cambridge to pose for the front cover of Vogues centenary issue. I did feel after that whole year, what with the BBC documentary, the duchess on the cover, the National Portrait Gallery exhibition, the gala festival and my book about it all. How would I get to go on and do more of the same?

Shes phlegmatic about the possibility that doors may slam shut, as so often happens when people quit influential jobs. Ive always been very clear about whats a job and what isnt. Some people have been incredibly kind. George [Northwood] who cuts my hair and Josh [Wood] who colours it have said theyd carry on giving me complimentary hair, which was amazing, because Id thought Id be going round to the local hairdresser and [using] bottle dye. Its not like Im going to disappear. I just wont be editing Vogue. People might be seeing more of me, she says, standing up. Thats a worrying thought.
H otpoint has launched an urgent investigation after police confirmed a faulty fridge sparked the Grenfell Tower blaze which left at least 79 people feared dead.

The electricals company said anyone who has one of two specific Hotpoint models is urged to call the companys free hotline.

It comes after the Met Police confirmed the fire started in the faulty fridge and ignited aluminium cladding and insulation which have since not passed key safety tests.

The Government ordered an immediate examination by experts of the model of fridge freezer involved, Downing Street said.

In a statement a Hotpoint spokesman said the company is working with authorities to obtain access to the appliance so it can help with the investigation.

We have just been informed that the fire may have originated in a Hotpoint fridge freezer (model number FF175BP), a spokesman said on Friday.

Firefighters film their approach to the Grenfell Tower fire

"We are working with the authorities to obtain access to the appliance so that we can assist with the ongoing investigations.

Under these circumstances, we are unable to speculate on further details at this time. We are addressing this as a matter of utmost urgency and assisting the authorities in any way we can. We will provide additional updates as our investigations progress.

Grenfell Tower aftermath - In pictures 1 /18 Grenfell Tower aftermath - In pictures The top section of the death trap Grenfell Tower Jeremy Selwyn The tower today, after the flames were extinguished Jeremy Selwyn A close up of the tower's damaged windows PA Fire service personnel survey the damage PA The tower today, after it emerged at least 17 were killed Jeremy Selwyn Rows of blackened windows after the fire Jeremy Selwyn Police sent in sniffer dogs today to search for bodies Jeremy Selwyn PA The Grenfell Tower at dawn today Jeremy Selwyn Donations have flooded in for victims Jeremy Selwyn Water is sprayed on Grenfell Tower PA Rows and rows of blackened windows. It is feared over one hundred people may have perished Jeremy Selwyn Part of the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP Fire crews examine the wreckage PA

He added: "Consumers who believe they may have a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP or FF175BG should call our freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826 so that we can register their details and contact them with further information."

Scotland Yard issued an alert over materials used on the west London tower after samples caught light easily during new independent checks.

Police said they will also consider manslaughter charges as part of their criminal investigation. Officers said all companies involved in refurbishing or building the tower will be reviewed.

At least 79 people are feared to have died in the blaze, which began in the early hours of Wednesday, June 14.
A new exhibition will shed light on London after dark with hundreds of photographs of city life at night going on show.

Curator Anna Sparham said the Museum of London wanted to look at the darker, more uncomfortable side of the capital as well as the bright lights of the West End.

More than 200 photographs, dating from the present day back to the 19th century, will be brought together for the London Nights exhibition next year.

Ms Sparham said she wanted to present a real mixture of the familiar and the unexpected with images of suburbia and night workers included as well as revellers in central London.

Summer exhibitions in London 1 /12 Summer exhibitions in London RA Summer Exhibition 2017 Want an insight into what is making the contemporary art world tick? You cant go wrong with the Royal Academys annual summer exhibition, which features the worlds most internationally renowned artists, including Mark Wallinger, Gilbert and George and Yinka Shonibare. Most of the artworks are for sale too, so if something takes your fancy you could end up taking it home.



13 June - 20 August, Royal Academy; royalacademy.org.uk Fahrelnissa Zeid Fahrelnissa Zeids paintings are a vibrant burst of colour and abstraction, and Tate Modern is offering a chance to see these dazzling works up close. This major retrospective shows the synthesis of Islamic, Byzantine, Arab and Persian influences fused with European ideas - dont miss your chance to experience them.



June 13 - October 8, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk Perfume: A Sensory Journey Through Contemporary Scent Perfume is a kind of art that you wear on your skin - or so this exhibition argues. This multi-sensory exhibition will features ten iconic perfumes and their creators, and how they have changed our perceptions of fragrance over the last 20 years.



June 21 - September 21, Somerset House; somersethouse.org.uk Into the Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction Science fiction isnt just aliens bursting out of stomachs and Darth Vaders heavy breathing, you know. This vast festival-style show explores the phenomenon through art, design, film and literature. It kicks off by placing visitors inside an episode of Black Mirror, and journeys through dystopian worlds, in what our critic Ben Luke described as a tribute to human imagination.



Until September 1, Barbican Centre; barbican.org.uk Franklin: Death in the Ice If it all gets a bit too hot (unlikely), head to Greenwich for an arctic journey as the National Maritime Museum explores the mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin and his crew on their final expedition. What happened - scurvy, starvation or cannibalism? This exhibition tries to get one step closer to finding the answer.



July 14 - January 7, National Maritime Museum; rmg.co.uk Matisse in the Studio Heres a perspective on Matisse that you wont have seen before: the Royal Academy offers an exclusive glimpse at objects from his private collection, showing the ways that they influenced his work. The diverse collection includes African masks and Chinese calligraphy, precious items that werent high in material value but allowed him to go beyond the limits of Western art.



5 August - 12 November, Royal Academy; royalacademy.org.uk Dreamers Awake This major exhibition on the enduring influence of surrealism spans work from the 1930s to the present day. Featuring over 100 works by women artists, it will include a vast spread of art from greats including Leonora Carrington, Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin, Mona Hatoum and Gillian Wearing.



June 28 - September 17, White Cube; whitecube.com A Museum of Modern Nature Londoners dont often feel at one with nature, but we all are - and this summer show from the Wellcome Collection will tell us how. It will tell the individual stories of how people connect with nature by displaying items borrowed from the public, offering a big snapshot of how we tihnk about nature and our planet in the 21st century.



June 22 - October 8, Wellcome Collection; wellcomecollection.org Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power The Tate Modern will celebrate the work of Black artists in a vital time in Americas history, beginning in 1963 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of the works are on display in the UK for the very first time, and visitors will be introduced to the work of more than 50 influential American artist.



July 12 - October 22, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk BP Portrait Award 2017 Its a classic, but a goodie. The National Portrait Gallery once again hosts the prize for the very best in contemporary portrait painting, which is now in its 38th year. Three artists have been shortlisted, and the winner will be commissioned to paint a portrait that will enter the gallerys permanent collection. The winner will be announced June 20.



June 22 - September 24, National Portrait Gallery; npg.org.uk Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains This audio-visual spectacular exploring the rise and times of the legendary Pink Floyd is bound to gather crowds all summer. Exploring their music, design and staging, it leaves no stone unturned and is a treat for superfans as well as the uninitiated.



Until October 1, Victoria and Albert Museum; vam.ac.uk Sargent: The Watercolours This rare opportunity to see John Singer Sargents watercolours offer the chance to reassess works that have often been dismissed as travel souvenirs. 80 paintings from private and public collections will show his impeccable technique and distinctive way of seeing the world. And you can pop to the lovely Dulwich Pavilion while youre there!



June 21 - October 8, Dulwich Picture Gallery; dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

She said: As the sun sets over London each night the mood changes as people head home, to work or off out on the town. Through powerful photography London Nights will explore everything from the twinkling lights and buzzing nightlife to the darker, more uncomfortable vulnerability that sometimes arises in the urban, or suburban night environment.

Among the images going on show are pictures of Buckingham Palace and Leicester Square alongside a photograph of homeless men gathered in a night shelter at Blackfriars in the years before World War One.

Also included are photographs taken during the blackout at the height of the Blitz and pictures of commuters heading home after work.

:: London Nights is at the Museum of London from May 11 to November 11.
T he referendum was a year ago. Brexit negotiations have begun. Were officially on the path to taking back control. But who for and who from? Who is the threat? And who and what are we trying to protect?

My play Octopus  which will shortly finish up a nationwide tour with dates at Londons Poplar Union (11 July) and Tara Arts (1215 July)  is a satire set in a post-Brexit future in which anyone with non-indigenous heritage has to go through a state assessment to determine how British they are. It asks how we define ourselves as a nation and who is seen to be British (enough). I started writing it before the EU referendum, but the themes it explores came both from personal experience and the political discourse that preceded the referendum result.

The spike in hate crimes in the wake of the referendum was partly targeted at Eastern Europeans (who are seen to be taking our jobs). But plenty of black and brown people  including one of our cast members, who was racially abused in the run-up to the referendum  also found themselves as targets. The fact that those who are visibly different from what is seen as the white, not obviously religious norm have been caught up in the Brexit narrative is notable. The underlying assumption that this reveals is that these normal white people are the true Brits, the defenders of the national sprit. But this historical white utopia simply never existed. Notions of who is foreign or racially other of course change according to context; what doesnt change is some groups being seen as outsiders and those outsiders, inevitably, eventually, finding a way in.

I was born in Oxford to an Iranian mother and a Jewish father from Ilford, Essex. I grew up drinking tea with milk and loving British music, celebrating Persian New Year and visiting Golders Green a couple of times a year for a bowl of chicken soup with my aunt. All of those things make me who I am. And, the same, surely, can be said for Britishness.

Culture, by its very nature, is always evolving and constantly being negotiated by whoever happens to be there at the time. Thats what makes societies resilient  flexible rather than brittle. After one of our recent tour dates, at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts (in Theresa Mays constituency of Maidenhead), I happened to meet some primary school teachers. They were complaining that they are now asked to teach British values in school. They found themselves in the odd situation of having to enforce tolerance and freedom of speech as dogma, rather than putting these principles into practice by encouraging open debate.

And for open debate to be open, everyone who is a member of the community must be allowed an equal say. You cant be too brown, or too Muslim, or too Polish to be heard. To encourage this, were having post-show discussions after most of our performances. So far, weve heard from all sorts of people with all sorts of different backgrounds  the trustee of a mosque, politicians of all stripes, writers, academics, activists. There have been lively disagreements about what constitutes British values or whether such a thing exists at all. Thank god for that.

We face challenges as a nation. Terrorism, inequality, a decline in standards of living. The temptation is to go for simple, hollow answers: Brexit means Brexit, the will of the people, and yes, take back control. Of all the empty slogans that litter current political discourse, this one must be the most toxic.

Upcoming London dates: Poplar Union (11 July), Tara Arts (12 to 15 July). For full tour dates see papertiger.org.uk/projects/octopus. There will be a post-show debate after the 14 July performance at Tara Arts with panellists including Guardian columnist Afua Hirsch, whose book Brit(ish): Why We Need To Talk About Race will be published by Penguin next year.
T he ghost of Sir Hans Sloane is everywhere in London. He haunts Hans Town, Hans Place, Sloane Square and Sloane Street. Following his death in 1753 his vast collection of curiosities  or Sloaneana  including wasps nests, Chinese ear-cleaning utensils and animals coiled in spirit-filled jars, formed the core of the British Museum, which should really be called Sloanes Museum.

A pursuer of universal knowledge who traded in anthropological oddness, Sloane would be fascinated by the roaring tribe of thoroughbreds who now carry his name. Were he around today he would doubtless add Eighties Liberty scarves and velvet Alice bands to his Aladdins cave.

Sloane is barely remembered by the city he once dominated, and James Delbourgo sets out to change that. Born in provincial Ulster in 1688, Sloane ironed out his Irish brogue and refashioned himself as a society physician, a gentleman naturalist, and the most curious man in the world.

Assembling collections was an 18th-century hobby and a way of ensuring genteel status. Collectors, says Delbourgo, imagined themselves as Promethean heroes  masculine, cunning and inventive, and Sloane was duly loaded with honours: President of the Royal College of Physicians, President of the Royal Society, a baronetcy.

Royalty queued at his front door to inspect his cabinets of moths, corals, coins, snakes, stones and plants, believing that, from the centre of the civilised city, they were circumnavigating the globe.

Given that his legacy is the worlds first free national museum, why, asks Delbourgo, is Sloane remembered, in the words of the British Museum, as a flamboyant eccentric rather than a figure at the first rank of Enlightenment pioneers?

His wealth came from his medical work and an advantageous marriage to the widow of a West Indies plantation owner, whose land Sloane inherited. The British Museum was thus built, Delbourgo points out, on the proceeds of slavery. So essential to his achievements was his place at the centre of the network of links provided by the empire that a more exact title for this book would be Collecting the Colonial Outposts.

Apart from 15 months in Jamaica, where he amassed hundreds of plant species and curios and had no moral qualms about the traffic in human beings, Sloane never travelled and knew little of the world that was not ruled by his monarch. His collections were built on buying in bulk the collections of others, whose curiosities came from West Africa, North America, the Caribbean, and South and East Asia  all places under British rule. Having brought these disparate items together, Sloane tried to unify and give them meaning. This involved the new skills of categorisation and documentation, and his literary genius, says Delbourgo, lies in his catalogue cards.

It has become a biographical cliche to explore the life of a subject through a few objects, but what is most curious about Sloane, whose life was his objects, is how little they reveal about him. All we know of his character is that he preferred the thinginess of things to the trickiness of people. The list, says Delbourgo, was Sloanes quintessential literary mode, and a list is, accordingly, the form this biography takes. Collecting the World is composed of a vast collection of facts, dates, and figures sifted and arranged to give meaning to a life and pursuit that seems utterly alien to us.

More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics  the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review

Delbourgos purpose, superbly achieved, is to give us Sloane not as an individual but as a small piece in the great puzzle of the Enlightenment project, to explore through him the strange birth of modern knowledge.
W hen, in 1997, Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for her debut novel, she collected the award and promptly abjured the whole business of writing fiction for two decades. The iridescent success of The God of Small Things trailed her anyway, even when she cut her hair and headed into the jungle to live with Maoist rebels.

After all kinds of activism and numerous works of non-fiction, here is a second novel. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness builds stories within stories with its palimpsestic worlds, its glut of characters, and Roys 20 years of pent-up imagination bears down heavily.

The novel begins with child hermaphrodite, Anjum, a brilliant creation who first finds allegiance with Delhis gender-fluid hijras and then adopts an abandoned baby and builds an eccentric community in a graveyard that has, in its zest and humour, an Almodovar-style quality to it.

Just as this story is unfolding the book swerves to a second, with another female protagonist and another abandoned baby. This one is about love in a time of war between Tilottama (Tilo), a laconic, tousle-haired, free spirit, and the freedom-fighter Musa and his old schoolfriends, Naga and Biplap. The factions in Kashmir are keenly drawn alongside state brutality but the men fall into simplified moral categories

Tilo, meanwhile, has more than a touch of Ammu, the central character in The God of Small Things. She too has a complicated relationship with motherhood and feels a deep, unconventional love for the hunted Musa that is not far removed from the forbidden feelings Ammu has for an Untouchable called Velutha.

More generally, there are features in this book that borrow from the last, most gratingly its verbal games, whimsical tone and stylistic repeats. Roy has said that she never wants to walk past a character without getting to know them, and so there is a democracy of voice, right down to the most minor upturned beetle.

These voices begin to feel cacophonous, yet simultaneously lack in any real interiority so that they seem as if they have been pinned to the page in rich, carnivalesque language, like beautiful dead butterflies.

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Anjum, when describing her inner multitudes at the beginning, refers to herself as everything and nothing and it is ironically this sense of the books infinite abundance that makes The Ministry of Utmost Happiness diffuse, unfocused, everything and nothing at once.
C onsidering that most women rely on their BFFs to be proxy therapists, cheerleaders, co-conspirators, babysitters, career advisers and marriage counsellors, its surprising how little has been written on the nature of female friendships. In the unofficial hierarchy of relationships, friends seem to fall behind lovers, children and parents on the priority list.

The prevailing wisdom is that friendships should just work. But as any woman knows, these are often the most fraught and demanding relationships. Recounting a story of nine-year-olds at play, Deborah Tannen reflects on how females are as creative in causing each other pain as they are in providing succour. When one girl asked if she could join in a playground role-play game, another replied: You can be the baby brother but you arent born yet.

Tannen has made understanding womens friendships  how they work or fail, how they help and hurt, and how we can make them better  the focus of her latest book. A professor of interactional sociolinguistics at Georgetown University, shes known for her bestseller You Just Dont Understand (1990), which analysed the differing communicative styles of men and women. Using the same case-study method, she interviewed girls and women from around the world to uncover how patterns of communication and miscommunication affect friendships.

One of Tannens overarching themes is that it is the exchange of secrets and intimacies that holds female friendships together. When men talk about their problems theyre usually in search of a solution. Women, however, like to talk for the sake of talking (even if they do ultimately want a solution). That a friend is prepared to listen to you sends what the author calls a metamessage: they care about you and want to create a connection. Tannen also observes that while males take pleasure in outdoing each other in conversation  riffing, bragging, bantering  females place value in precious sameness because sameness implies equality. We enter into verbal rituals (me too!) that affirm how similar we are, even when were attracted to a friend because theyre different.

But the juiciest bits come where Tannen recounts tales of women who have fallen out. Common complaints include unwanted comments about weight or race; flaking out of holidays or arrangements; being flippant about a friends personal problems; discovering you havent been invited to a party through Instagram.

If Tannen has one message, its that the successes and failures of our friendships come down to our styles of communication. A friend who frequently interrupts is not necessarily rude but simply indicating engagement (a high-involvement approach to conversation). Her friend, however, may prefer longer pauses and be more comfortable with silence (a high considerateness style).

At times Tannens framework feels simplistic. Still, this is a useful manual for navigating friendships, a touching account of the various ways women connect  and a welcome non-fiction counterpart to novels such as Elena Ferrantes Neapolitan Quartet or the TV series Girls and Big Little Lies, which put conversations between female friends front and centre of the drama. It prompted me to send out a few affectionate emails to my closest girlfriends. Give it to a teenager and it may spare her a lot of confusion.

More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics  the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review
T he Royal Hospital Chelsea becomes the meeting point of creatives and collectors during Masterpiece London, an art and design fair that runs from 29 June to 5 July. Its old-world grandeur and bucolic surroundings make the hospital an unlikely choice of venue, but Masterpiece is no ordinary fair. What sets it apart is the juxtaposition of art and design from all periods and origins.

Visitors are likely to find furniture by the likes of Zaha Hadid (from David Gill Gallery), or contemporary aboriginal art close to a 1929 bar cabinet on skis by Paul Dupre-Lafon (at Galerie Dutko). As Masterpiece chairman Philip Hewat-Jaboor explains, this allows buyers to engage serendipitiously with periods, genres and disciplines they might have previously been unfamiliar with.

Echoing a trend for immersive installations at art fairs, first-time fair participant Paul Kasmin Gallery has commissioned artist Ivan Navarro to transform Masterpieces entrance hall. Chilean-born, New York-based Navarro is known for powerful light sculptures that wrestle with issues of politics and time. His Impenetrable Room will comprise multiple 6ft by 6ft structures  resembling musical instrument cases on the outside and fitted with mirrors and neon light on the inside. Arranged in circular formation in a nod to Stonehenge, this is bound to be a dazzling and evocative piece.

Another stand-out installation comes courtesy of London design studio Based Upon, led by twin brothers Ian and Richard Abell. Inspired by their travels to Inis Oirr, an Irish island famed for limestone formations that have been sculpted over time by natural forces, they are presenting five sculptures to explore the intersection of natural and manmade forces. The artists will be seated in meditation throughout the fair, and as they inhale and exhale, the sculptures will breathe along through light and movement. Their aim is to show how the greatest luxury lies not in objects, but in the way they make us feel.

For a showstopper piece that you can (theoretically) take home, dont miss the booth of contemporary art gallery Blain Southern, which is entirely given over to one work by Jeroen Verhoeven. The Dutch artist, who is known for harnessing cutting-edge production techniques, has created a Bubble Cabinet. What appears, at first glance, to be an ephemeral cluster of soap bubbles is in fact a functional cabinet, crafted from high-strength borosilicate glass. Its a feat of material engineering, but also a triumph of imagination. A true masterpiece. (masterpiecefair.com)

The technology

The rounded, boldly coloured video glasses by the creators of Snapchat caused quite a stir when they debuted in the US last year. Simply called Spectacles, they can record between 10 and 30 seconds of footage from the wearers line of vision, and share this instantly on the ever-popular social media platform. They are now available in London through a whimsical vending machine attached to a bunch of bright yellow balloons, which is set to move around the city from one day to another. 129.99 (spectacles.com)

The experience

A new installation-based exhibition at the Design Museum, titled Breathing Colour, looks at how colour shapes the way we see the world. Devised by one of the foremost industrial designers of our time, Hella Jongerius, it includes simpler elements such as textiles and ceramics, but also 3D colour wheels of Jongerius own invention to illustrate the complex behaviour of light and movement on surfaces. As Jongerius says: My goal is to call attention to colour as a mysterious, ever-changing entity. (designmuseum.org)

The person

Artist and designer Nathalie du Pasquier was an original member of Ettore Sottsass design collective Memphis, before dedicating herself to painting three decades ago. As prolific now as ever, she recently produced a capsule collection of exuberantly patterned scarves for Hermes and lent her playful aesthetic to Valentinos AW17 collection. Her first solo art exhibition in London opens at Pace Gallery on 27 June. (pacegallery.com)

The building

The V&A unveils its Exhibition Road Quarter on 30 June, designed by architect Amanda Levete and her practice, AL_A. It comprises the first porcelain-tiled public courtyard in the UK, populated with a glass-fronted cafe and chairs and tables of Levetes own design. The adjacent Sainsbury Gallery, a 1,100 sq m space, will initially play host to an immersive light experience by artist Simon Heijdens. (vam.ac.uk)
A year ago today, Britons were called upon to determine the future of the country in Europe with a tick in a box.

Voters pulled all-nighters, waiting on tenterhooks to hear the result of one of the most important decisions of a lifetime.

Friendships were lost, political rants thundered onto our timelines in quick succession and more than a few generational debates ensued about the economic implications of Brexiting.

Britain has been through a lot since then: a tight leadership contest resulting in a new Prime Minister, the triggering of Article 50 and an election gamble.

Brexit one year on: What happens next?

Now that negations are underway, The EU and Britain will spend the next two years thrashing out key issues surrounding the leave, including citizens rights, Britains exit bill and the Irish border.

Clearly, there's a lot of break-up baggage to get through. But before we divide our record collection and leave our keys on the kitchen counter, we've crunched the big numbers behind the big Brexit...

1: The number of times Article 50 has been used since it was created in 2009.

1.8: The percentage growth of the UK economy in 2016, despite predictions of early post-Brexit downturn.

2: The time in years it will take for final divorce proceedings to be completed.

6: The number of pages in the Article 50 letter handed by Britains EU ambassador Sir Tim Barrow, to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council.

6: The number of months, from October 2018 to March 2019, that it will take for the leaders of the European commission and parliament to closely scrutinise and ratify the Brexit deal.

10: The negative percentage difference of the pound against the euro since last years referendum result.

10: The number of years which could be deemed a reasonable amount of time for the UK and EU to remain on special trading terms while negotiating the Brexit deal, adhering to largely unknown World Trade Organisation rules.

18: The limited quantity of months that the UK and the EU have to finalise terms.

30: The number of national and regional parliaments which must negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal.

44: The length of time in years that the UK has been a member of the European Union.

45: The percentage of British exports bought by the EU. Post-Brexit, Britain is likely to be exposed to tariffs implemented by the World Trade Organization after formerly being able to trade duty free.

Key Brexit Players - In pictures 1 /8 Key Brexit Players - In pictures David Davis Reuters Michel Barnier AP Tim Barrow AFP/Getty Images Oliver Robbins Sabine Weyand Didier Seeuws AFP/Getty Images

51.9: The percentage of Pro-Brexit votes in the referendum last June.

499: The length in kilometres of the Northern Ireland border, which has the potential to become a hard border as a result of Brexit.

700: The number of administrative intricacies which need to be resolved prior to Britains exit, according to Whitehall predictions.

1.2 million: Just under which is the estimated number of UK nationals living elsewhere in the EU. Their rights, along with those of EU citizens living in the UK, with be priority during Brexit negotiations.

2.9 million: The number of EU citizens living in the UK.

60 billion: The potential amount the UK will have to pay for leaving the EU.
A man has been charged with murder after a terrorist attack in north London in which a van was driven into Muslim worshippers outside a mosque.

Darren Osborne, 47, from Cardiff, was arrested at the scene in Finsbury Park after the incident in the early hours of Monday, which saw one person killed and nine others taken to hospital.

He was charged with terrorism related murder and attempted murder on Friday, Scotland Yard said.

It comes the day after police confirmed that victim Makram Ali, 51, died from multiple injuries after the van hit him on the side of Seven Sisters Road.

Mackram Ali died from multiple injuries / Metropolitan Police

Witnesses say the father-of-six was receiving first aid for a leg injury moments before the horror unfolded, but had sat up and said he wanted to go home.

Mr Ali, who moved to the UK aged 10 from Bangladesh, was described by his family as a peaceful man who had made no enemies.

Moment the Finsbury Park mosque attacker is arrested

Osborne has been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later on Friday.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesman said: "Today, the CPS authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Darren Osborne with terrorism related murder and attempted murder following the incident in Finsbury Park in the early hours of Monday 19 June."
T his is the horrific moment two men launched a vicious attack on a shopper in an east London newsagents, leaving him with serious facial injuries.

The two thugs left a trail of destruction in the Poplar shop as they dragged their victim along the floor, punching and kicking him repeatedly.

The 26-year-old victim needed metal plates inserted into his face after the assault that was sparked after he became embroiled in a row with a female customer.

Shocking CCTV footage shows the victim approaching the woman before being punched in the head by the first suspect in the East India Dock road shop.

Poplar: The two men dragged their victim through the newsagents as they punched and kicked him repeatedly / Metropolitan Police

He is then dragged through an aisle by the two men who repeatedly punch him and kick him while food items are knocked from the shelves amid the altercation.

Detectives have launched a manhunt for the suspects after the serious assault that happened at about 1am on Saturday, February 25.

The first suspect is described as white, aged between 35 and 40, around 511 with greying hair. He was wearing a black jacket and a white t-shirt.

Assault: The suspects left a trail of destruction as they launched the vicious attack on the shopper / Metropolitan Police

The second is described as white, aged approximately 25 to 30, of around the same height, with short dark hair. He was wearing a navy jacket and black t-shirt.

Detective Constable Ashleigh Dumas, of Tower Hamlets police, said: "This was a vicious assault that left the victim with serious injuries. We are appealing for the public to help us in identifying who these suspects are."

Anyone with information or any witnesses are urged to call Tower Hamlets police on 101 or by tweeting at @MetCC.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
A woman who spat at and punched a rail worker in a disgusting racist attack has been jailed for six months.

Toni Pottle, 29, of no fixed abode, attacked the Network Rail staff member at Euston station after she intervened when Pottle was harassing a passenger on the main concourse.

Pottle was asked to leave the station and she started to racially abuse the worker.

She began walking away but changed her mind, punched the member of staff and spat in her face, claiming youre lucky it wasnt an uppercut, Im from the endz.

Police arrested Pottle and she was charged with one count of assault by beating and one count of racially aggravated assault.

The arresting officer, Sergeant Neil McGrath from British Transport Police, said: Pottles behaviour was quite frankly disgusting, her nonsensical racial abuse has no place in our society and I welcome this sentence.

Thankfully, the victim did not sustain any serious injuries, nevertheless this would have been an extremely frightening experience.

No one should ever be subject so such nasty and unprovoked violence, least of all for simply doing your job.

Pottle pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court after the incident, which happened just before 1.15am on Saturday, April 15.

She was convicted of the offences after a trial at the same court earlier this month.

Along with the prison sentence, Pottle was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 115.
T he Finsbury Park terror victim sat up and recovered after collapsing from a leg injury in the street just moments before the van ploughed into worshippers, his family said.

Makram Ali slipped and fell down while walking home from prayers at a north London mosque just before the horror unfolded.

According to his family, the father-of-six, 51, said he wanted to go home as friends rushed over to help him and he was given first aid. Moments later the speeding van struck the crowd.

Police have revealed a preliminary post-mortem examination found Mr Ali died of multiple injuries, following much speculation over whether he was hit by the vehicle.

Speaking after the Met officially named him on Thursday, Mr Alis family said in statement: "We are distressed about what happened.

"We know that he had some form of collapse because of his weak leg, a condition he suffers from, before recovering, sitting up and expressing a wish to return home only to then become a victim of this horrific incident.

An incident made only more tragic as he had only just completed his evening prayers, something he did regularly. He took great comfort in the feelings of peace his prayers provided.

North London attack: The victim's family break down paying tribute to their loved-one / BBC

Paying tribute to the grandfather, the family described Mr Ali, who moved to the UK aged 10 from Bangladesh, as a peaceful man who had made no enemies.

They said Our father was a quiet gentle man, he didnt get involved in political or social discussion, he instead took comfort and enjoyment spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren and he was always ready to make a funny joke when you least expected.

They added: We wish everyone to know what a loving man he was, he spent his whole life without any enemies, choosing a quiet life instead.

We as a family have always believed that the actions of one person cannot be a reflection of a whole people and I have no doubt that our father would not wish for there to be any retaliation or recriminations and would urge people to remain calm and to pray for peace in these difficult times.

Mr Ali was married, with four daughters and two sons. He regularly attended the Muslim Welfare House, located yards away from where he died in Monday nights horror.

Police on Thursday released images of the van they believe was driven from the south Wales before ploughing into pedestrians near Finsbury Park station.

Finsbury Park: Police have released an image of the van they believe was used in the attack / Metropolitan Police

Detectives are urging anyone who may have spoken to its driver, believed to be suspect Darren Osborne, in the day leading to the incident to contact police.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: Following the attack, specialist counter terrorism officers have spoken to 28 witnesses who were at the scene. We are very grateful to everyone who has provided information so far  their accounts are assisting the investigation hugely .

But we need more people to come forward and tell us what they saw and what they know about the driver of this van. If you think you may have spoken to the driver please get in touch.

Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is urged to either call police in confidence on 0800 789 321 or contact police online via a secure form at www.gov.uk/act
M ore than 800 households in a Camden estate have been told they must evacuate their homes "immediately" amid concerns over the safety of the cladding.

Residents living in five tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage have been ordered to leave their flats and will be housed in temporary accommodation following a safety inspection carried out with London Fire Brigade.

The council said it is undertaking "urgent safety works so that residents can be fully assures of their safety" after it emerged the cladding on the buildings is not fire retardant.

Officials are knocking on the doors of all flats in five towers on the estate - Taplow, Burnham, Bray, Blashford and Dorney - and evacuating them one at a time.

Disgruntled or frightened residents spilled out of the buildings as it began to get dark - some clutching pillows or carrying bags of belongings.

Evacuation: Residents have been told they cannot stay in their homes tonight / PA

They have been told to seek housing with friends and family and those who are not able to will be offered refuge by the council.

Anyone who needs to return to their home will be able to do so under escort from a fire-fighter.

The works, which were announced following a council meeting with residents on Thursday night, are anticipated to take three to four weeks.

Evacuation: One of the towers on the Chalcots Estate in Camden / PA

On announcing the decision, Camden Council Leader Georgia Gould said the recent Grenfell Tower blaze "changes everything".

Cllr Gould said: Camden Council is absolutely determined to ensure that our residents are safe and we have promised them that we will work with them, continue to act swiftly and be open and transparent.

Today the London Fire Brigade completed a joint inspection of the blocks with Camden Council technical experts.

"Together we decided that the Taplow block needs to be temporarily decanted while we undertake urgent fire safety works so that residents can be fully assured of their safety.

"This means that we need to move residents from their homes and into temporary accommodation.

Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures 1 /49 Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures A blaze rages through Grenfell Tower block in Notting Hill Jeremy Selwyn Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes Jeremy Selwyn Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes Jeremy Selwyn A firefighter investigates a floor after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA Exhausted firefighter rest on steps of houses after ours of tackling the blaze Alex Lentati Jeremy Selwyn Residents wave frantically at a window during the blaze Nigel Howard Emergency personnel operate during the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 27-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA A police officer helps to evacuate a local resident from close to the scene of a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London Reuters Debris and ash surrounding Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer road Jeremy Selwyn A fleet of ambulances at the scene ready to deal with the injured AFP/Getty Images A firefighter rests during the battle against the blaze at Grenfell Tower Jeremy Selwyn Firefighters prepare to enter the building to tackle the flames EPA Nigel Howard Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London PA Flames engulf the tower block in Notting Hill AFP/Getty Images This shocking image shows flames engulfing the 27 storey tower Jeremy Selwyn Police and Emergency services at the scene of a major fire in Notting Hill after a block of flats Grenfell Tower is engulfed in flames Nigel Howard A person peers out of a window from the building on fire in London AP Firefighters react as a huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower AFP/Getty Images Smoke rises from the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati Aw omen react followign the blaze at Grenfell Tower Alex Lentati Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Jeremy Selwyn A water jet douses the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block seen through a fence in North Kensington EPA Young children wear protective face masks near the burning 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Two men hug within the security cordon as Grenfell Tower is engulfed by fire AFP/Getty Images A man (circled) looks from a window as smoke pours from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower PA Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati Firefighters on the scene at Grenfell Tower on Latimer Road early this morning Alex Lentati A view of debris from the Grenfell Tower fire covering a football pitch EPA Aerial view of the closed of Westway follwing a the fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer Road. Jeremy Selwyn Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images A local resident is carried to receive some medical aid at a community centre close to a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA

We anticipate that these works will be completed within three to four weeks.

"We realise that this is hugely distressing for everyone affected and we will be doing all we can, alongside the LFB and other authorities, to support our residents at this difficult time. The Grenfell fire changes everything  we need to do everything we can to keep residents safe."

Anyone with nowhere to stay has been instructed to go to Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre on Saturday.

Police consider manslaughter charges over Grenfell fire amid failed safety tests

One resident, Shirley Phillips said she had been given no notice at all about moving out on Friday evening and had simply been told to get a bag together and leave.

Ms Phillips said she had been told to go to a leisure centre where she would be found a place to stay.

She told Sky News: I think its disgusting. Weve had the fire brigade here all day, Camden council, police.

Grenfell Tower: The fire is believed to have taken hold of the building quickly due to cladding and insulation used / Jeremy Selwyn

I had a fire safety check today. Why have they left it to 8.30 at night to start getting residents out?

Where do they think were going?

Michelle Urquhart, who has been living in the estate's Bray tower, told the Press Association: "It's a bit frightening.

Urgent works: Part of the Burnham residential tower on the Chalcots Estate where the cladding has been / AP

"They are talking about evacuating all five blocks. At the moment they haven't done it and they are saying they will knock on everyone's doors when they are ready.

"I don't know where we are going to go. One man in a suit said to me 'you can't stay here tonight'.

"I'm so angry because we had the meeting with the council last night and they tried to reassure us.

'It changes everything': Smoke billows from Grenfell Tower during the fire / Reuters

"We have been living in these flats for the last 10 years with this cladding."

In response to the statement, Mayor Sadiq Khan posted: "I am in close contact with Camden Council, the LFB and the Government about the precautionary measures being taken at the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage.

"Following advice from fire prevention experts at LFB, it has been decided that the best way to keep residents safe is to relocate them tonight, as a precautionary measure.

Evacuation: Video grab taken from Sky News of Camden Council Leader Georgia Gould / Sky news

"There is a particular set of circumstances on this estate that make this necessary. Fire safety checks are ongoing at other estates across the UK.

"I will continue working closely with all London boroughs, the London Fire Brigade and the Government and we will do everything possible to keep all Londoners safe."

And Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted: "My thoughts are with residents being evacuated in Camden while their homes are made safe tonight.

"We will work with and support the emergency services and relevant authorities to safeguard the public.

"Have asked @sajidjavid to keep me regularly updated & ensure we are offering every support we can to residents & those working onsite."

The buildings in north London are made with similar cladding to that used on Grenfell Tower - the scene of a devastating fire in Kensington on June 14.

Refurbishment on the Chalcots estate in Camden was overseen by Rydon, the company involved in the refit of Grenfell, according to the Rydon website.

Evacuation: Residents are being offered temporary accommodation / PA

The work included external thermal rain screen cladding to five towers, new aluminium thermally broken windows to five towers and overhaul of external roofs

A total of 79 people are believed to have been killed in the Grenfell blaze.

Police issued a statement on Friday confirming that the fire had been caused by a faulty fridge-freezer.

The Met said the blaze took hold of the building quickly because of cladding and insulation used that had failed safety checks.

Scotland Yard said it was considering pursuing manslaughter charges.
T he full extent of failings behind the Grenfell Tower inferno was laid bare today as police revealed that a fire started by a faulty fridge-freezer ignited cladding and insulation that have not passed new safety tests.

Scotland Yard issued an alert over materials used on the west London tower after samples caught light easily during new independent checks.

Officials were so concerned at the findings that the information was immediately shared with the Government. It has alerted councils.

The tests on insulation samples taken from the tower were carried out by experts employed by Scotland Yard, which is carrying out a criminal investigation into how the fire started and why it took hold so easily.

Police have revealed a faulty fridge freezer ignited cladding and insulation at Grenfell Tower / Jeremy Selwyn

Today police also said they will consider manslaughter charges as part of their investigation. Officers have started seizing relevant documents from various organisations.

Aerial footage shows the full scale of the fire

The Met said officials had established that the blaze started in a Hotpoint fridge-freezer.

A fridge fire is believed to have broken out on the fourth floor of the North Kensington block last week.

At least 79 people are feared to have died.

At least 79 people died in the fire, but police fear they may never know the true picture / Jeremy Selwyn

Police said the fridge-freezer, FF175BP, had not previously been linked to any fires or subject to any recall.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack, who is overseeing the investigation, said early tests had been carried out on the cladding and insulation installed on Grenfell Tower during a recent 10 million refit.

She said: What we are being told is that the cladding and the insulation failed all safety tests.

The insulation was more flammable than the cladding. Tests show the insulation samples combusted soon after the test started.

"We have immediately shared the data with the Department for Communities and Local Government. [It is] sharing the information with local councils.

Ms McCormack said the investigation will seek to establish how the fire started and how quickly it took hold  the speed was unexpected.

Inside Grenfell Tower 1 /17 Inside Grenfell Tower Water is sprayed on Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building PA Fire service personnel inside Grenfell Tower in west London PA A view inside the Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building PA Sniffer dogs were sent inside to the tower today PA Fire service personnel inside Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building PA Part of the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building PA A view inside the Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building PA

We will also seek to understand what happened to each and every person who died in the fire.

Previously, police said they would examine everything from the cause of the fire to the management of the building, recent refurbishments and fire safety measures and whether panels were fitted unlawfully.

A distraught firefighter at the scene of the blaze / Jeremy Selwyn

Celotex, an Ipswich-based company, has said it made the insulation which fitted between the cladding and the concrete wall of the tower.

The firm said the product had Class 0 rating, which prevented flames from spreading and limited the amount of heat released.

Police said the number of people who had died or were missing and presumed dead remained at 79, a figure which has not changed since Monday.

However, Ms McCormack said the figure could still change and urged anyone who might have been in the tower and had not yet contacted the authorities to come forward.

She said neither the Home Office nor her inquiry were interested in the immigration status of anyone living there.

Our priority is to identify all those who died  we do not want there to be any hidden victims, she added.

The tower in west London ablaze last week at the height of the fire / Jeremy Selwyn

A total of 250 officers led by an experienced homicide detective are working on the inquiry.

Prosecutors are advising on possible corporate manslaughter charges.

Ms McCormack said officers had begun seizing documents from organisations involved but that nobody had been questioned because it is way too early.

She said charges of manslaughter and other criminal breaches, including potential breaches of regulations, would be considered.

So far, police have seized hundreds of hours of CCTV, listened to 600 999 calls and started taking statements from survivors. Officers are continuing a painstaking search of the tower.

Smoke billows from Grenfell Tower amid the fire / Reuters

In recent days concern has focused on the cladding panels fitted to the tower during the multi-million-pound refurbishment.

So far, the Government has received samples from 11 high-rise buildings in eight local authority areas in the UK where the cladding has failed safety tests, including a number in London.

Premier Inn also revealed concerns today that cladding used on some of its buildings may not meet safety regulations. The hotel chain said three of its properties  in Maidenhead, Brentford and Tottenham  have been investigated during a detailed assessment of its estate.

A spokeswoman said the material was not the same as that used to clad Grenfell Tower. However, she said the company had called in an expert to review the safety of its buildings, who had confirmed they were safe.

Smoke billows over the Westway during the fire / Reuters

David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham whose artist friend Khadija Saye died in the fire, has said issues relating to sprinklers, fire doors and the cladding should be investigated. He has asked why arrests are not being made.

Residential blocks in Barnet, Brent, Haringey, and Newham are understood to have cladding similar to Grenfells. But the problem may be far wider, with the safety spotlight shifting on to schools, hospitals, students accommodation, hotels and office blocks.

Samples of cladding were taken yesterday in Barnet where three blocks  Granville Point, Harpenmead Point and Templemead Point  are fitted with external rain screen panels of aluminium composite material.

The scene of the blaze in west London / AFP

They are believed to be the same type, or similar, to cladding on tower blocks in Camden which the council has already started removing. The insulation behind the cladding on the social housing blocks in Camden and Barnet is understood to be non-combustible.

In Haringey, the Newlon Housing Trust confirmed that its 22-storey Rivers Apartments block, completed in spring 2015, is clad with Reynobond PE.

The building has a sprinkler system and other fire safety measures.

The London Fire Brigade carried out an extensive audit yesterday, making some straightforward recommendations.

A Newlon spokesman said: With regard to the status of the cladding, at the end of last week we asked the leading independent experts the Building Research Establishment to review its design and specification and we are waiting for their technical recommendations.

Sadiq Khan backs amnesty for Grenfell survivors

Brent North Labour MP Barry Gardiner hand-delivered a letter to Octavia Housing at 3am today after being informed by Brent councils chief executive, Carolyn Downes, that cladding on Elizabeth House, High Road, Wembley, failed a fire safety test.

This morning, Grahame Hindes, chief executive of Octavia Housing, said: The safety of our residents is always our top priority.

"We were therefore very disappointed to hear this morning that some of the panels on one of our recently completed schemes in Wembley do not meet the highest standards expected by the Building Research Establishment.

He stressed that Elizabeth House is a modern purpose-built block with a comprehensive fire strategy and a range of fire safety features including sprinklers in all flats.

Councils around the country have sent off cladding samples from tower blocks to undergo testing, including in Sheffield, Halifax and Salford.

* Update. After initial publication of this article, a spokesperson for Whirlpool told the Standard:

We are treating this matter with the utmost urgency and fully cooperating with the Government and emergency services as the circumstances of the fire continue to be investigated.

We have had preliminary viewings of a fridge freezer taken from Grenfell Tower. However, we have not yet had the opportunity to conduct the necessary examinations or view evidence from the scene, and therefore we are unable to draw any conclusions. We are committed to finding answers and assisting the authorities investigating this incident.

Experts from Whirlpool from around the world are working directly with the authorities to help advance the process of understanding the facts in this matter. Gathering these facts takes time, therefore it would be inappropriate to speculate until investigations are completed. 20/7/17
L etting agents in London are taking advantage of desperate renters by abusing a deposit system meant to help them secure a home, a consumer watchdog warned today.

Holding deposits are meant to help people looking to rent a home make a downpayment for a property to be taken off the market while their references are checked.

Which? has said letting agents are taking the payments, which can be hundreds of pounds, from multiple people for the same property. The agents then start a bidding war.

Those who miss out on the property may then face a long wait to get their money back, hampering their ability to secure a different house or flat. In some situations they may not get the deposit back at all.

Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services for Which? said: Navigating the London rental market is both stressful and expensive. For letting agents to be adding to that pressure by taking financial advantage of prospective tenants is totally unacceptable.

Adam French has been a victim of unscrupulous landlords manipulating him over a holding deposit.

Mark Hayward, the chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents Propertymark, called for regulations to be brought in. He told the Standard: Taking a multiple deposit is bad practice and just shouldnt be done.

It comes after the Government pledged to crack down on unfair fees on tenants, cap holding deposits for renters and take other measures to make the private rental market more affordable.

Kate Webb, head of policy and research at housing and homelessness charity Shelter, said: Its positive to see the ban on letting fees confirmed in the Queens Speech, along with a new commitment to cap deposits. However, action also needs to be taken to ensure holding deposits are only equivalent to three days rent and are not taken out by agents for multiple tenants.

A victim of unscrupulous letting agents, Adam French, 28, from Walthamstow, said he twice had 500 payments taken for properties thinking it would secure them, only to find other people had also paid deposits.

He said: We had paid a holding deposit that didnt do what it said on the tin  it didnt hold the property for us at all. I was furious. The letting agent began pulling the strings and set about trying to play all parties off against each other in a bid to increase the rent offer, all the while holding 500 from each. At this point we walked away and demanded our deposit back. A return that inexplicably took five full working days to come back into our account.

All the while we couldnt move forward with any other flats we saw.

In a bid to stop people falling victim to the practice, Which? is offering holding deposit advice on their website.

To see the advice visit which.co.uk/holdingdeposit
L eading West End stores have called for a major watering-down of the Mayors vision of a fully pedestrianised Oxford Street, to prevent gridlock on nearby side-streets.

The New West End Company, which represents John Lewis, Selfridges and hundreds of other shops, said cars, buses and taxis should still be able to cross Oxford Street on busy north- south routes such as Regent Street and Duke Street.

It means pedestrians on Oxford Street would still have to wait for traffic at junctions rather than walk completely freely. The pedestrianisation-lite proposal was revealed in a response to a consultation on the future of Oxford Street conducted by Transport for London and Westminster City Council.

The response also says any ban on east-west traffic should be confined to the 10am to 10pm opening hours of most shops and lifted at night to allow deliveries and deter anti-social activity.

It puts the powerful lobby group on a potential collision course with Sadiq Khan, who is thought to favour a full traffic ban along Oxford Street by 2025 to ease pollution.

Shoppers on Oxford Street in central London / PA

Valerie Shawcross, Londons deputy mayor for transport, told the London Assembly last year that the work would be in two stages. The first would pedestrianise the street from Oxford Circus to Tottenham Court Road, the second would remove vehicles from between Oxford Circus and Selfridges.

But the New West End Company said the nuclear option, of a full 24-hour traffic-free zone from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road, could create havoc as traffic is diverted into residential streets. Instead it favours daytime traffic-free blocks between major intersections to still let vehicles cross from Soho to Fitzrovia and Mayfair to Marylebone.

It also suggests the elderly, disabled and parents with buggies would still need some form of surface transport in the absence of buses.

About 500,000 people visit Oxford Street each day, but this is expected to increase dramatically after the Elizabeth line opens at the end of next year.

A spokesman for Mr Khan said his election manifesto made clear his desire to see Oxford Street pedestrianised, and his plans will be outlined in more detail after the consultation.
H otel giant Premier Inn has said it is extremely concerned about cladding used on two if its London hotels in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The hotel chain said cladding on three of its newer hotels, including two in Brentford and Tottenham, may not meet Government fire regulations, even though it is not the same type used on Grenfell Tower.

The three hotels have been investigated during a "detailed assessment" of hotels amid growing fears over the safety of tower blocks across the UK.

Non-fire resistant cladding is believed to have contributed to the inferno at Grenfell Tower on Wednesday, June 14, in which at least 79 people are believed to have been killed.

Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures 1 /49 Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures A blaze rages through Grenfell Tower block in Notting Hill Jeremy Selwyn Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes Jeremy Selwyn Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes Jeremy Selwyn A firefighter investigates a floor after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA Exhausted firefighter rest on steps of houses after ours of tackling the blaze Alex Lentati Jeremy Selwyn Residents wave frantically at a window during the blaze Nigel Howard Emergency personnel operate during the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 27-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA A police officer helps to evacuate a local resident from close to the scene of a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London Reuters Debris and ash surrounding Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer road Jeremy Selwyn A fleet of ambulances at the scene ready to deal with the injured AFP/Getty Images A firefighter rests during the battle against the blaze at Grenfell Tower Jeremy Selwyn Firefighters prepare to enter the building to tackle the flames EPA Nigel Howard Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London PA Flames engulf the tower block in Notting Hill AFP/Getty Images This shocking image shows flames engulfing the 27 storey tower Jeremy Selwyn Police and Emergency services at the scene of a major fire in Notting Hill after a block of flats Grenfell Tower is engulfed in flames Nigel Howard A person peers out of a window from the building on fire in London AP Firefighters react as a huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower AFP/Getty Images Smoke rises from the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati Aw omen react followign the blaze at Grenfell Tower Alex Lentati Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Jeremy Selwyn A water jet douses the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block seen through a fence in North Kensington EPA Young children wear protective face masks near the burning 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Two men hug within the security cordon as Grenfell Tower is engulfed by fire AFP/Getty Images A man (circled) looks from a window as smoke pours from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower PA Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati Firefighters on the scene at Grenfell Tower on Latimer Road early this morning Alex Lentati A view of debris from the Grenfell Tower fire covering a football pitch EPA Aerial view of the closed of Westway follwing a the fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer Road. Jeremy Selwyn Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images A local resident is carried to receive some medical aid at a community centre close to a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA

Downing Street revealed on Monday that 600 high-rise tower blocks in the UK could have similarly dangerous cladding, though only three were identified as "combustible".

The Department for Communities and Local Government has told all councils to move residents out of tower blocks if they are deemed by residents to be unsafe.

Concerns were raised about Premier Inns two hotels Tottenham Hale and Brentford during a BBC Newsnight investigation on Thursday.

A spokesman for Premier Inn said the company had called in a fire safety expert to review the safety of its buildings, who declared them safe despite possibly not adhering to Government guidelines.

The chain said robust safety measures were in place, including fire detectors and smoke alarms in every room at the hotels.

Theresa May's latest statement on Grenfell Tower fire

He told BBCs Newsnight: "We were extremely concerned to learn that they had used a cladding that does not appear to comply with recognised government guidance on compliance with the Building Regulations for use in high rise buildings and are seeking to address this with the developers."

A spokesman added: The safety and security of our guests and team members is always our number one priority.

"Although we have concerns that the fire retardant cladding used may not adhere to recognised government guidance on compliance with the building regulations for use in high rise buildings, an independent fire expert has assured us that these hotels are safe and that they are entirely satisfied that there are robust fire safety measures and evacuation procedures in place to protect our guests and team members."

Camden council has said it had identified five towers in the Chalcots Estate which will have to have cladding removed.

Hundreds of people may have to be evacuated from tower blocks across the country, in what could be one of Britains largest peacetime evacuations.
S adiq Khan has slammed Theresa Mays offer on the rights of EU citizens, accusing her of treating EU migrants living in the UK as bargaining chips.

The Prime Minister has pledged that no EU national currently living lawfully in the UK will be made to leave on the day of Brexit, but only provided British expats are given the same assurance.

The Mayor of London described the proposal as unacceptable, and said it doesnt come close to giving the million EU citizens living in London the certainty they need.

Mr Khan, said: It has taken a full year since the EU Referendum for the Prime Minister to come up with this plan which does not come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals living in the UK.

Brexit one year on: What happens next?

Her proposal doesn't go anywhere near giving the three million EU citizens living in Britain - one million of whom live are Londoners - the certainty they need to make long-term plans for themselves or their families.

It is unacceptable for the Prime Minister to be treating EU citizens living here and contributing to our economy and society as bargaining chips. By doing so she is treating British people living in Europe, the same.

The Prime Minister should abandon her extreme, Hard Brexit approach, guarantee the rights of EU nationals in our country and secure a deal that protects jobs, investment and prosperity across the county.

In proposals unveiled at a Brussels summit on the eve of the anniversary of the Brexit referendum, Mrs May said a new "settled status" would grant EU migrants who had lived in the UK for five years rights to stay and access healthcare, education, welfare and pensions.

PM sets out 'fair and serious offer' for EU citizens

Those resident for a shorter period will have the opportunity to stay on until they have reached the five-year threshold.

She also suggested she could set an early cut-off date for residency rights and rejected a Brussels demand for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to retain powers to enforce rights following Brexit.

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Those arriving after the cut-off date but before the date of Brexit will have a "grace period" - expected to be two years - within which to regularise their immigration status with a view to later seeking settled status.

The cut-off date is yet to be set, but will come between the day when Britain formally notified Brussels of its intention to quit on April 29 2017 and the day when it finally leaves, expected to be March 29 2019.
P assengers were evacuated from a busy Victoria line station on Friday afternoon after reports of a fire.

Commuters said they were told to leave Warren Street station just after 4.30pm.

The station reopened just after 5pm.

Louise Burke tweeted: Evacuated from Warren St station - appears it was an electrical fire.

There was funny smelling smoke on the Tube.

Photos showed a fire engine and police car at the scene.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said they were investigating the incident.

Victoria line services were not stopping at the station.
E xactly one year ago today the nation went to the polls to cast their vote on one of the biggest political decisions for decades.

As Brits woke up on June 24 the results showed just how close the vote has been - with 51.9 backing Leave, and 48.1 percent supporting Remain.

After a campaign described by many as one of the most divisive politics had seen, the country now faced the mammoth task of developing a plan to exit the European Union.

Here's what happened next:

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June 24: Camerons out

Following the shock result, Prime Minister David Cameron  who had encouraged the country to vote to stay in the EU  announced he was stepping down from the role.

Flanked by his wife Samantha outside Number 10, he read a statement to the worlds media.

The moment David Cameron quit as PM after Britain voted to leave the EU / Getty

The country has just taken part in a giant democratic exercise, perhaps the biggest in our history, he said.

The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected. I'm very proud and very honoured to have been prime minister of this country for six years.

David Cameron resigns as MP

But the British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction.

This is not a decision I've taken lightly but I do believe it's in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required.

July 2: Thousands march through London in anti-Brexit rally

Around 30,000 people took to the capitals streets after the referendum in a mass call for the UK to remain in the EU.

Anti-Brexit 'March for Europe' protest 1 /13 Anti-Brexit 'March for Europe' protest Organiser estimated up to 30,000 people attended the central London rally PA Thousands parade through the streets of the capital for the anti-Brexit march PA Pro-EU protesters painted their faces in the colours of the union's flag PA Demonstrators held placards expressing their support for the European Union PA Some placards were more imaginative than others PA Bob Geldof was among famous faces to address demonstrators at Parliament Square PA Lib Dem leader Tim Farron also addressed crowds during the rally Getty The route from Hyde Park to Westminster passed major London landmarks including Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square Getty/AFP Demonstrators attached an EU balloon to the statue of Winston Churchill outside Parliament PA Some demonstrators had digs at the politicians behind the UK's Leave campaign, including now Tory leadership hopeful Michael Gove PA

Organisers of the March for Europe claimed the event was a rallying cry for those who did not wish to accept the referendum as the final say.

The crowds marched from Hyde Park to Parliament Square carrying placards reading We want Breturn and We heart EU.

July 4: Farage steps down

Days later, Brexit supporter Nigel Farage announced he would be standing down as leader of Ukip saying that his political ambition has been achieved.

He had been one of the biggest champions of leaving the EU and described the day of the result as the UKs independence day.

Nigel Farage's speech after a Brexit victory

Mr Farage announced his decision to stand aside in a speech in London, saying: "I want my life back, and it begins right now."

He later took over the role again temporarily after Diana James quit.

July 13: May officially becomes Prime Minister

After David Camerons resignation, his Conservative colleagues launched into a leadership battle  with Michael Gove, Theresa May and Boris Johnson named as early frontrunners.

Prime Minister: Theresa May / AP

But after Mr Johnson shocked many by declining to enter the race and his former ally Mr Gove crashed out of the battle, only Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom remained.

Cue some misguided comments by Mrs Leadsom about motherhood  seemingly a snipe at Mrs May  and the way was clear for the former Home Secretary to take over the premiership.

Theresa May's new cabinet 1 /32 Theresa May's new cabinet Philip Hammond British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jack Taylor/Getty Amber Rudd Home Secretary Lauren Hurley/PA Boris Johnson Foreign Secretary Lauren Hurley/PA Jeremy Hunt Health Secretary Dominic Lipinski/PA Justine Greening Education Secretary Paul Hackett/Reuters Michael Fallon Defence Secretary DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Liz Truss Justice Secretary Dominic Lipinski/PA Chris Grayling Transport Secretary Dominic Lipinski/PA Karen Bradley Culture Secretary Dan Kitwood/Getty David Davis Exiting the European Union Secretary (Brexit Minister) Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Andrea Leadsom Environment Secretary Dominic Lipinski/PA Liam Fox International Trade Secretary Steve Parsons/PA Alun Cairns Welsh Secretary Andrew Matthews/PA Sajid Javid Communities Secretary Dan Kitwood/Getty Priti Patel International Development Secretary Andrew Matthews/PA Greg Clark Business, Energy And Industrial Strategy Secretary Dan Kitwood/Getty James Brokenshire Northern Ireland Secretary Andrew Matthews/PA Patrick McLoughlin Tory Party chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Dominic Lipinski/PA Damian Green Work and Pensions Secretary Dan Kitwood/Getty Baroness Natalie Evans Leader of the House of Lords Dominic Lipinski/PA Gavin Williamson Chief Whip Paul Hackett/Reuters Jeremy Wright Remains Attorney General David Gauke Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Mundell Remains Scottish Secretary

On July 13 Mrs May was invited to form a government by the Queen and became Britains second ever female Prime Minister.

November 3: High Court blow to Theresa Mays Brexit plans

A landmark ruling at the High Court, upheld at the Supreme Court in January, stated Theresa May had to give MPs a vote before triggering Article 50.

Campaigners launched the legal action by arguing Mrs May had no constitutional right to take a step that would extinguish British rights established in law over 40 years ago and it was for Parliament to decide.

Ruling: Gina Miller / AFP/Getty Images

Businesswoman Gina Miller, who brought the case with hairdresser Dier Dos Santos, branded the result a victory for democracy.

February 8: MPs back Brexit Bill

The House of Commons approved the Brexit bill at its third reading, allowing the Prime Minister to begin withdrawal talks under Article 50.

After two days of debate, the House voted in favour of the bill by 494 to 122 - a majority of 372.

Parliament backs Government's Article 50 bill

It cleared the Lords unamended one month later on March 13, with Brexit Secretary David Davis watching from the bar of the House.

March 29: Article 50 triggered

The letter informing the European Council of Britain's intention to leave the EU was handed over to European Council president Donald Tusk in Brussels.

The declaration, signed by Theresa May, set in train a two-year process of negotiation under Article 50 of the EU treaties leading to Britain's expected withdrawal in 2019.

Theresa May announces she has triggered Article 50 - Full statement

It was personally hand-delivered to Mr Tusk by the UK's permanent representative to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow.

June 9: Theresa Mays election gamble goes disastrously wrong

The Prime Ministers decision to call a snap election, billed as a way to increase her authority in Brexit negotiations, backfired in dramatic style.

A catastrophic result for the Conservatives saw their majority wiped out and left them seeking a deal with the DUP.

Election: Theresa May / Sky News

Summing up 12 months of unexpected poll results, a jubilant Jeremy Corbyn said: Politics has changed. Politics isn't going back into the box where it was before.
A Brexit voter has told how she regrets her decision to vote leave exactly one year on from the referendum.

Primary school teacher Denise Huk, from Essex, said she regrets her choice because she objects to Theresa Mays plan for hard Brexit.

She also said she still believes she was deceived by the Brexit campaign in the run-up to the vote on June 23 last year.

Ms Huk says she is worried about the future of the UK as it negotiates its way out of the EU.

I wanted to leave because they were talking about the 350 million that would go into the NHS and I thought we could do with that money, she said.

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I thought there are better things to do with it. There is education, health, everything  it is all being cut.

Brexit one year on: What happens next?

The 49-year-old, who lives with her daughter Chloe, 17, and sons James 16 and Robin, 11, near Colchester, said the reality of the Brexit deal outlined by Theresa May was not what she had been in favour of.

I then had more regrets when Theresa May started talking about her hard Brexit, she said.

In or out? an anti-Brexit protester in London, but Parliament has now voted to trigger Article 50 / AFP/Getty Images

I was not expecting to leave the single market. I thought there would be more opportunities to trade, not fewer.

False: Brexiteers backtracked over the 350million saving for NHS claim /  John Cobb / Greenpeace

And at the moment we have not actually got a government to lead the negotiations. We do not have any bargaining tools and we have a PM who is just about clinging onto power.

Key Brexit Players - In pictures 1 /8 Key Brexit Players - In pictures David Davis Reuters Michel Barnier AP Tim Barrow AFP/Getty Images Oliver Robbins Sabine Weyand Didier Seeuws AFP/Getty Images

I feel that she is really backing us into a corner.

Ms Huk is not alone in regretting her decision, with a survey carried out in February by The Mirror revealing that 13.5 per cent of those who voted to Leave had since changed their mind.

Ms Huk, who voted for Labour for the first time in the 2017 election, said she did not believe David Cameron led a convincing Remain campaign in the lead up to the referendum.

David Cameron acknowledges applause during his final session of prime minister's questions / AP

One of the reasons I voted for Brexit is because I felt that David Cameron was not outlining positive reasons for us to stay in the EU  he was just trying to scare us into not leaving by saying all the terrible things that would happen.

And I thought Im not going to be bullied by you into not voting to leave  because I really did feel he was behaving like a playground bully.

"But now I am shocked the negotiations are going ahead.

"We need to sort out the problems in our country before we can move on to negotiating with the EU."
J eremy Corbyn is the voters choice for Prime Minister after taking his first lead in the polls ahead of Theresa May.

In a YouGov poll for The Times, 35 per cent said they would prefer the Labour leader in Number 10, with 34 per cent backing Mrs May.

In the first survey after this months election campaign, the pair were neck and neck, and Mr Corbyn has never before edged into the lead.

The results show an extraordinary fall from grace for the Conservative leader, after only 15 per cent favoured Mr Corbyn when she called the election in April.

The Labour leader is now ahead in all categories for voters under the age of 50, according to The Times.

Theresa May: Polls show Corbyn edges lead for voters' favourite for Prime Minister for the first time over the Conservative leader / PA

The newspaper said the polls suggest voters are split more heavily when it comes to Brexit.

It said: Mrs May has very little appeal among Remain voters, with just 20 per cent of those who wanted to stay in the EU picking her to be in Downing Street, while 19 per cent of Leave voters want Mr Corbyn as prime minister.

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The results come after the disastrous election result for the Conservatives and as Mrs May struggles to secure a deal with the Democrat Unionist Party to prop up her Government.

This cast doubt on Brexit negotiations, with Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer saying talks had begun badly because Mrs May lacked authority and a mandate.

He told BBC Newsnight: "We have got off to the worst possible start because the Prime Minister called an election that she didn't need to call.

"It's not clear what her mandate is, and she has lost authority abroad."

It is not just Mr Starmer who has doubts. According to the same pll, voters are pessimistic about the deal being negotiated with the EU.

The findings show only 26 per cent believe Britain will get a good deal, with 31 per cent saying the deal would be bad. Some 15 per cent said there would be no deal at all.

Despite this, there is no indication voters think Mr Corbyns party would do any better in the negotiations ahead.

Some 24 per cent said Labour would improve on the Tory deal, with 34 per cent saying they would do worse. 20 per cent said that it made little difference who was in charge.
S adiq Khan was embroiled an extraordinary row at City Hall as he was grilled by a Tory assembly member about a march where Hezbollah flags were seen.

During a testy exchange with Andrew Boff, the Mayor told the Conservative to calm down, leading to a series of angry comments between the pair.

The Mayor was being asked about the difficulties of policing the Al Quds Day march on June 18, a demonstration held in central London during which flags for the Lebanese terror group were carried.

During Mayors Question Time on Thursday, Mr Boff repeatedly asked if Mr Khan would write to the Home Secretary for clarification on what is a banned organisation to assist the police in dealing with such events.

Row: Andrew Boff accused the mayor of giving a "useless" answer

The mayor would not give a yes or no answer but asked an exasperated Mr Boff to join him in asking the Government for more police officers instead.

I will join you when you start doing your job Mr Mayor, thank you very much for those answers, Mr Boff said.

Im sure Londoners will be fascinated with your lack of willingness to address this problem.

Sadiq Khan: The Mayor responded angrily

The Mayor fired back: Can I congratulate you on your pre-written rant from you. Its appreciated.

You show me your briefing, Ill show you mine, said Mr Boff waving his notes.

Calm down, just calm down, the Mayor told him, leading to a rebuke from the meetings chairwoman.

Mr Boff muttered the Mayor had provided the most particulary useless answer that Ive ever seen in this assembly.

Sorry did you say something? I didnt hear you, replied Mr Khan.

The full exchange was captured on a City Hall webcast of the meeting.

More than 24,000 had called for the Al Quds Day march, which is held annually in opposition to Jerusalem Day and in support of Palestine, to be banned.

It is claimed one speaker at the event blamed the Grenfell Tower fire on Zionists.
T heresa May today failed to deny fully that she blocked David Cameron from giving full rights to EU citizens living in the UK in the days after the Brexit vote.

The Prime Minister was cornered at a press conference in Brussels over her role a year ago, which threw the future of rights for EU citizens in the UK into doubt.

Her involvement was exposed by an editorial in todays Evening Standard.

Mrs May said that was certainly not my recollection but did not deny the central charge.

She went on: I have been very clear all along that the issue of citizens rights should be addressed at an early stage in the negotiations.

It will be. It is one of the first issues we will look at.

Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk at the Brussels summit / EPA

The Evening Standard, now edited by former Chancellor George Osborne, said Mr Cameron wanted to make a unilateral offer and was backed by Cabinet members - with the exception of Mrs May, then Home Secretary.

"Last June, in the days immediately after the referendum, David Cameron wanted to reassure EU citizens they would be allowed to stay," the article stated.

"All his Cabinet agreed with that unilateral offer, except his Home Secretary, Mrs May, who insisted on blocking it."

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A Cameron government source confirmed the account but made clear the matter was not decided in a full Cabinet meeting but through discussion.

The disclosure came after Mrs Mays offer of settled status for three million EU citizens came under fire in Brussels and at home. She said she was demanding reciprocal treatment for British ex-pats in return.

Tusk said May's plans were 'below expectations'

Jean-Claude Juncker called it not sufficient while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan accused her of treating people like bargaining chips.

Donald Tusk, the European Council president, said it was below our expectations.

Speaking at the summit, Mrs May called it a very fair and a very serious offer that should give reassurance and confidence to people they could have lifetime rights to live, work and enjoy the benefits of British healthcare, education, welfare and pensions.

The Prime Minister acknowledged there would be hard negotiations over the details when they are revealed on Monday.

Mrs May outlined her plan to give settled status to people who have lived in the UK for five years at a dinner last night.

She was heard in silence by leaders in a rebuff to her hope of a chance to negotiate direct with leaders.

Angela Merkel called it a good start after the leaders broke up but this morning the view had hardened that Mrs May had not given enough.

Mr Juncker, the combative European Commission president, said: Its a first step but the step is not sufficient.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte said there were thousands of questions to ask about the proposals. Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern described them as a first step which did not cover the situations of many EU citizens in the UK.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said: We dont want a cat in the bag  a term meaning an unpleasant gift.

Mayor Khan said: It is unacceptable for the Prime Minister to be treating EU citizens living here and contributing to our economy and society as bargaining chips. By doing so she is treating British people living in Europe the same.

Under the proposals, settled status will be available to all EU nationals who have been in the UK for five years, granting them the same rights as British citizens to healthcare, education, welfare benefits and pensions.

People who have lived in the UK for less than five years will be able to stay on until they qualify. Newer arrivals ahead of a cut off date will have a two-year grace period to apply.

The cut-off date is up for negotiation. Mrs May clearly hopes the 27 other leaders will drop demands for the European Court of Justice to oversee the rights of EU citizens, in return for a late cut-off, probably coinciding with Brexit in 2019.

Arriving for the second day of the summit on the anniversary of the referendum on June 23 last year, Mrs May said EU expats should take reassurance and confidence from the package.

I want to reassure all those EU citizens who are in the UK, who have made their lives and homes in the UK, that no one will have to leave. We wont be seeing families split apart, she said.

This is a fair and serious offer. I want to give those EU citizens in the UK certainty about the future of their lives, but I also want to see that certainty given to citizens who are living in the EU.

But the co-chair of the 3Million movement, which represents some of the EU citizens in the UK, Nicolas Hatton, retorted: There is something slightly pathetic about the Prime Ministers proposal which makes no reference to the detailed, comprehensive offer tabled by the EU. The Prime Minister described her proposal as fair and serious. Its neither fair nor serious.

Among unanswered questions are what rights relatives will have to join families. The 3Million group said there were also uncertainties about the right to work, the recognition of professional qualifications and the ability to retain UK rights when moving between different European countries.

It also called for the ECJ to have a role - something unacceptable to Mrs May.

Britain was criticised for its unclear Brexit position. The president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani said nobody knows whether the UK will have a soft or hard Brexit.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn has overtaken Theresa May for the first time on the question of who voters think would make the best prime minister, a poll suggests.

The YouGov/Times poll showed the Labour leader on 35%, ahead of the Prime Minister on 34%. Nearly a third (30%) said they were unsure.
A t least 14 council-owned high rises are fitted with combustible cladding similar to that used on Grenfell Tower, it has emerged.

They include high-rises in Hounslow and Camden, as well as Plymouth and Manchester, a spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said.

Tests involving the analysis of samples have revealed that tower blocks in nine local authority areas across the UK have been fitted with flammable panels.

The Health Service Journal reported a letter has also been sent to NHS trusts urging them to check buildings for combustible cladding in the wake of the fire.

The news comes amid a national safety operation under way to identify buildings with cladding akin to that used on the Grenfell Tower.

Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures 1 /49 Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures A blaze rages through Grenfell Tower block in Notting Hill Jeremy Selwyn Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes Jeremy Selwyn Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes Jeremy Selwyn A firefighter investigates a floor after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA Exhausted firefighter rest on steps of houses after ours of tackling the blaze Alex Lentati Jeremy Selwyn Residents wave frantically at a window during the blaze Nigel Howard Emergency personnel operate during the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 27-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA A police officer helps to evacuate a local resident from close to the scene of a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London Reuters Debris and ash surrounding Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer road Jeremy Selwyn A fleet of ambulances at the scene ready to deal with the injured AFP/Getty Images A firefighter rests during the battle against the blaze at Grenfell Tower Jeremy Selwyn Firefighters prepare to enter the building to tackle the flames EPA Nigel Howard Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London PA Flames engulf the tower block in Notting Hill AFP/Getty Images This shocking image shows flames engulfing the 27 storey tower Jeremy Selwyn Police and Emergency services at the scene of a major fire in Notting Hill after a block of flats Grenfell Tower is engulfed in flames Nigel Howard A person peers out of a window from the building on fire in London AP Firefighters react as a huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower AFP/Getty Images Smoke rises from the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati Aw omen react followign the blaze at Grenfell Tower Alex Lentati Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Jeremy Selwyn A water jet douses the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block seen through a fence in North Kensington EPA Young children wear protective face masks near the burning 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Two men hug within the security cordon as Grenfell Tower is engulfed by fire AFP/Getty Images A man (circled) looks from a window as smoke pours from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower PA Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati Firefighters on the scene at Grenfell Tower on Latimer Road early this morning Alex Lentati A view of debris from the Grenfell Tower fire covering a football pitch EPA Aerial view of the closed of Westway follwing a the fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer Road. Jeremy Selwyn Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images A local resident is carried to receive some medical aid at a community centre close to a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA

Cladding at a tower in Clements Court, Hounslow, failed the fire-safety test and will be removed "as soon as possible", the borough's council said on Friday.

Leader of Hounslow Council Steve Curran said in a statement: "We were informed late last night by the DCLG that the sample of the outer 'Aluminium Composite Material' (ACM) cladding used on Clements Court tower has failed the Building Research Establishment combustion test.

Police consider manslaughter charges over Grenfell fire amid failed safety tests

"The outer shell cladding is made up of two thin aluminium sheets with polyethylene filler in between them.

"However, the insulation material behind this outer cladding is a 'rockwool' material which is a non-combustible product, unlike the case of the Grenfell Tower, where the insulation was a combustible type.

"We have, therefore, decided that we will take steps to remove the outer cladding from the building as soon as is practical.

"We are currently looking into how best and swiftly this can be done."

A fire watch patrol will be set up by the authority and safety tests will be carried out on homes, he added.

Meanwhile Camden Council said it will immediately begin preparing to remove cladding from five towers on Chalcots Estate, Swiss Cottage, with 24/7 fire patrols carried out until all the panels have been removed.
A mother-of-two accused of being a part of a family network of Isis extremists and sympathisers has won a High Court battle against social services bosses.

Council chiefs wanted a judge to ban the woman from taking her children, aged six and three, abroad.

But Mr Justice MacDonald, who heard evidence from a police counter terrorism specialist, has refused the council's bid after concluding the local authority had "not proved" its case against the woman.

Detail has emerged in a ruling by the judge following a private hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London. The judge said no-one involved could be identified.

He said the woman, who was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a child, had been married to a man who was thought to be in Syria and may have died there.

Her brother was also thought to been killed in Syria. He had been involved in terrorist activity and was thought to have had links to Al Shabab in Somalia and Al Qaeda before travelling to Syria to join Isis.

Social services bosses said the woman had travelled to Turkey with the aim of giving money to her husband and or people linked to Isis.

They said she had been stopped en route to Turkey by police at Stansted carrying about 5,000 cash in four envelopes, two of which were found in the sleeves of her children's coats.

She was stopped en route to Dubai at London City Airport carrying more than 3,000 in cash, they also claim.

Bosses said she was "part of a family network of 'Isis extremists' and sympathisers".

They said she sympathised with extremist views and Isis and would try to travel to "areas of the world associated with, or close to 'large scale extremist activities"' and put her children in danger.

The woman said she had gone to Turkey to try to persuade her husband to leave Syria and return to England and said she had been going on a holiday to Dubai.

She denied trying to fund people linked to Isis and denied having "extremist views".

Barrister Christopher Barnes, who led the woman's legal team, said her actions were "naive and misguided" and evidence of "human frailty" rather than radicalisation.

"After much anxious deliberation I have decided that the local authority has not proved its case," said Mr Justice MacDonald.

"Beyond the fact of her membership of the maternal family, a status the mother has no choice in, there is no cogent evidence to suggest that the mother shares the extremist views espoused by [her brother], or supports the actions of her husband."

The judge said Islamist extremism and radicalisation was a "brutal and pernicious fact".

But he added: "It is important in these difficult and challenging circumstances that the court hold fast to the cardinal precepts of fairness, impartiality and due process that underpin the rule of law in our liberal democracy.
A multimillionaire oligarchs son who bought himself a helicopter to celebrate splitting from his wife is fighting to slash her over-generous 7 million divorce payout.

Boris Zimin, 47, partied on his familys 3.5 million yacht and took up learning how to fly his new helicopter after his 12-year marriage to wife Ella ended in 2009.

The couple had enjoyed a lavish lifestyle thanks to Mr Zimins father, Dimitri, who made hundred of millions of pounds from telecommunications following the collapse of the old Soviet Union.

In the divorce settlement agreed in Russia in 2014, Mrs Zimina was awarded 6 million, and she then won a 1.15 million top-up payout in the High Court in London after asking for her reasonable needs to be reassessed. She currently lives in a 5 million five-storey, six-bedroom house in Kensington, with the couples three teenage children.

However, Mr Zimin has now appealed against the second payout, claiming his ex-wife, 45, took advantage of generous UK divorce courts.

The couple have now spent a staggering 2.3 million on legal bills during their protracted court battles stretching across four years.

The court heard they moved to London in 2004 and began renovating the Kensington home, but split before the work had been finished.

Mrs Zimina said while they both enjoyed the high life during their marriage thanks to the enormous largesse of Mr Zimins father, she has had to readjust to a more modest standard of living since the split.

But she told the court her ex-husband continued to enjoy the high life, including sumptuous properties in the sun, use of a 3.5 million yacht and ownership of a 850,000 helicopter.

Lewis Marks QC, for Mr Zimin, told the Court of Appeal the original Russian divorce settlement was fair and the extra money should be returned.

If a wife has millions of pounds, the wife is clearly not suffering hardship, he said. It is impossible to characterise the provision made in Russia as inadequate.

He said Mrs Zimina had agreed the terms of the Russian divorce package, and the deal should be respected unless there was evidence of fraud, misrepresentation or duress.

Mere disparity between a foreign award and what would be awarded in England is not a reason to grant permission to apply [for more], he added, accusing Mrs Zimina of taking advantage of living in England to seek more money.

Mr Marks added: These proceedings, from 2014 to the present day, have cost the family approximately 2.3 million in legal costs.

The husband made every possible effort to have the case resolved quickly, and ideally cheaply, from the start.

Richard Todd QC, for Mrs Zimina, countered that she should have been given even more money in the settlement because of the Zimin familys huge wealth.

The husband has had in the order of 40 million and a lifestyle including sumptuous properties in the sun, use of a 3.5 million yacht and ownership of a helicopter, he said.

The wife had 3 million in property and 3 million in cash.

He said Mrs Zimina had lived relatively frugally after the split while her ex-husband enjoyed the yacht and took up learning how to fly his new helicopter.

In a case where the husband had assets in excess of 40.5 million the wifes needs should have been assessed on a generously interpreted basis, he said. Mr Todd urged Lord Justice Patten, sitting with Lord Justice Floyd and Lady Justice King, to dismiss the appeal and uphold Mrs Ziminas full divorce payout. The judges have now reserved their ruling until a later date.
A ngela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron staged a joint press conference this afternoon, signifying they aim to be Europe's new powers.

The veteran German Chancellor and the new French president united at the end of a tetchy summit in a striking show of solidarity.

Mrs Merkel poured cold water on Theresa May's plans for Brexit, saying the latest discussions showed "we still have a long way to go yet".

Mr Macron was feted by other leaders at his first EU summit - although Poland and Hungary voiced concerns about his proposals, such as curbing migrant workers and accusing Central European states of seeing the EU as "a supermarket".

Europe: The leaders held a joint press conference / EPA

The symbolism of the Franco German axis asserting itself as Britain leaves pointed to greater worker protection and deeper integration.

Mrs Merkel seemed unimpressed by Theresa May's offer of "settled" status to three million Europeans in the U.K. They were not a "breakthrough" she said.

"That was a good beginning but - and I'm trying to word this very carefully - it was not a breakthrough.

"We have said we want to pursue this matter in good co-operation but what has come out yesterday was also that we still have a long way to go yet."

The German chancellor stressed her desire for unity with France over the Brexit situation, saying the two countries did not want a "wedge to be driven between us".

She added: "If there is no guarantee for the four freedoms then this exercise will have to lead to a situation where there are certain effects on the future relationship between the UK and the 27 member states.

"As far as we have understood, the British side there will not be the four freedoms, and we politically have to have a debate on this and have to find common solutions together with France."

Mr Macron said: "I fully agree upon what was said about the British position. As to the method, I expect some close co-operation between our two countries and a joint approach regarding Brexit."

It would be a matter for the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier to consider Mrs May's proposals on citizens' rights, Mr Macron added.

The German Chancellor stressed that the 27 other members of the EU were now focusing on its future rather than discussions about the UK's withdrawal.

She said it was clear that "the work of the 27 member states - as we will be in the future - should be given priority over the Brexit negotiations," she said.

"This does not mean that we will not pursue these negotiations very intensively, but this has brought home to us how much we have to look into our own future and how to prepare our own future."


B arack Obama has blasted the Republican Partys new healthcare bill as a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America.

In an impassioned open letter on Facebook, the former president pleaded with US lawmakers not to dismantle the Affordable Care Act  known as Obamacare  which he considers one of the signature achievements of his time in the White House.

Yesterday the Republican leadership in the Senate released a draft bill to replace it, with a vote set for next week. The new law would slash government support for Medicaid, which provides healthcare for poor Americans, and eliminate Obamacares taxes on the wealthy and insurance companies.

Appealing to Congress and the US people, Mr Obama said the 142-page plan had a fundamental meanness at its core and was not a healthcare bill. He added: It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting healthcare for everybody else.

Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums ... with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again. Millions of families will lose coverage entirely.

Obamacare has been credited with expanding health coverage to many more Americans. It requires individuals to take out health insurance, makes most businesses offer it to staff, provides subsidies to make it more affordable and expands Medicaid.

The Senate is considering a bill to replace it after the House of Representatives passed their own version. Republicans have been criticised for drafting the Better Care Reconciliation Act in secret. Yesterday 43 protesters were arrested at the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The Democrats oppose it and several Republican senators have objected, making its passage uncertain. Even if it passes it would have to go back to the House for a vote before landing on Donald Trumps desk to be signed into law.
P risoner Brendan Dassey could be re-tried or released after judges backed a ruling that he was coerced into confessing to helping rape and murder a woman.

Lawyers acting for the 27-year-old, who featured in popular Netflix series Making a Murderer, will now fight for his release.

On Thursday a panel of three judges upheld a previous court decision to throw out the convict's confession.

Dassey was 16 and mentally impaired when he told police under interrogation that he helped his uncle Steven Avery rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach.

The 25-year-old woman's charred remains were found at the Avery family's scrap yard in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, in 2005.

Brendan Dassey was 16 when he confessed his involvement in the crime to police. / AP Photo/Dan Powers, Pool

Dassey's lawyers, Professors Steven Drizin and Laura Nirider of the Centre on Wrongful Convictions of Youth, celebrated the judges' majority decision.

"We are overjoyed for Brendan and his family, and we look forward to working to secure his release from prison as soon as possible," they said in a joint statement.

"As of today's date, Brendan Dassey has lost 4,132 days of his life to prison."

Investigators subjected him to "death by a thousand cuts" by using coercive techniques such as fact-feeding, false promises, manipulation and leading him through the interview, the judges said.

The panel was split, with judges Ilana Rovner and Ann Williams supporting the ruling and David Hamilton disagreeing.

Judge Hamilton said the decision "breaks new ground and poses troubling questions for police and prosecutors".

Dassey and Avery's cases found international attention after they were featured in the documentary series in 2015.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
N orth Korea has said it is the "biggest victim" in a staunch denial it tortured a US student who died just days after being released by the regime.

The dictatorship denied torturing 22-year-old Otto Warmbier, who had been serving hard labour in North Korea after being accused of stealing a propaganda sign from a hotel.

He was sent to his home in Ohio on Tuesday, June 13, on humanitarian grounds, but died just six days later having been sent home in a coma.

His family accused North Korea of awful torturous treatment, while US President Donald Trump described Mr Warmbier as the latest victim of North Korean brutality.

Otto Warmbier cries while speaking to reporters in Pyongyang last year / AP

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) denied that North Korea cruelly treated or tortured Otto Warmbier and accused the United States and South Korea of a smear campaign.

Through statements on KCNA, North Korea said it dealt with him according to its domestic laws and international standards.

Relatives say they were told University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in North Korea in March 2016.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on a humanitarian basis until his return to the US ... considering that his health got worse," the agency quoted a spokesman of Pyongyang's foreign ministry as saying.

Otto Warmbier death: Trump condemns 'brutal' North Korea

The spokesman also said that "groundless" speculation of torture and beatings could be refuted by American doctors who came to the North to examine Mr Warmbier before his release and allegedly acknowledged that North Korean doctors had "brought him back alive" after his heart nearly stopped.

While Pyongyang accepted US demands for Mr Warmbier's return on humanitarian grounds, Washington "totally distorted this truth and dared to clamour about 'retaliation' and 'pressure"' on "dignified" North Korea, the spokesman told KCNA.

"To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident and there would be no more foolish judgment than to think we do not know how to calculate gains and losses," the spokesman said.

"The smear campaign against DPRK staged in the US compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law," the spokesman added, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Mourners arrive for the funeral of Otto Warmbier / AP

The spokesman said it was a "mystery" as to why Mr Warmbier died days after returning home, but compared his death to the case of another American detainee, Evan Hunziker.

Mr Hunziker was detained in North Korea for months in 1996 for illegally crossing the border and committed suicide less than a month after he returned to the United States later that year.

The spokesman did not describe how Mr Hunziker died, but claimed that the United States then "totally ignored" his death.

Mr Warmbier was traveling in North Korea with a tour group, and was arrested at Pyongyang airport as he was about to leave.

He was sentenced two months later to 15 years of hard labour for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel, North Korea state media said.

Hundreds of people gathered at his funeral on Thursday.
Review at a glance









L ong-running Chicago band Wilco are in crowd-pleasing form right now. There have been two albums in the past two years, while on their website theres a button for you to request a song at any of their tour dates.

Now frontman Jeff Tweedy is beginning to explore his extensive back catalogue on Together at Last, the ironically titled first of many planned solo acoustic releases.

Hes alone here with just a guitar and a harmonica for company, offering stripped-back new versions of songs including two from Wilcos classic 2001 album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and the non-Wilco obscurities Laminated Cat and Lost Love.

While of course there are appealing elements missing, such as Nels Clines turbulent electric guitar work. Its all very soothing, allowing space to focus on Tweedys weary voice and impressionistic lyrics.
JUNEAU  A warrant was issued for an 18-year-old Vesper woman who is accused of entering a residence in Beaver Dam last winter and stabbing a 17-year-old girl with plans of enacting a suicide plan.

Kaylee B. Derrie is charged with felony counts of burglary to a building or dwelling, physical abuse of a child and false imprisonment. She faces up to 24 and a half years in prison and a $45,000 fine if convicted of the charges.

According to the criminal complaint, Derrie and a 16-year-old Juneau boy pulled into a parking lot in the 800 block of Park Avenue Feb. 15. The boy told police that he left a handgun in the car and the two walked to the girls house. The handgun belonged to the boys father and the complaint says he had brought it along so the two could kill themselves. However before he died, he wanted to say goodbye to a girl in Beaver Dam whom he had dated.

According to the criminal complaint, Beaver Dam Police were dispatched to a residence in the 700 block of Park Avenue Feb. 15 at 7:15 a.m. for a stabbing. They made contact with a 17-year-old girl who described Derrie and said Derrie had entered her home with an ex-boyfriend. Derrie allegedly began hitting and strangling her.

The girl said she tried to call her father or 911, but the phone was taken away from her. The girl was able to access a knife and started stabbing Derrie in the back so she could free herself from her. After she stabbed Derrie, her ex-boyfriend and Derrie left the home.

The officer noted that the girls right hand was bleeding and there was a one-inch gash between her thumb and index finger.

Police received a tip about a car stopping at the Wild Goose Gas Station at Highways 33 and 26, and that a person was looking for medical supplies and was stabbed in the back.

Derrie was taken into custody by Washington County deputies. The stab wounds were not life threatening, but she was taken to St. Josephs Hospital in West Bend.

According to the police, the man who was with Derrie had a 9 mm handgun on his person when questioned by police in Washington County and was transported back to Dodg County.

According to the complaint, the boy told officers they had planned to kill the girl and steal pills from her before taking the drugs and completing a suicide pact.

According to the complaint, the man was taken to Rogers Memorial Hospital in Oconomowoc. The boy had previously been in Meriter Hospital in Madison where he met Derrie and kept in contact with her via Snapchat. The boy went to get Derrie at her home and the two returned to the Beaver Dam area. Derrie had never met the girl but resented her for how she felt that she treated the boy.
Sauk County government paid its highway czar more than $40,000 after his retirement prompted officials to drop an investigation into his alleged misconduct.

Sauk County Finance Director Kerry Beghin said that because Highway Commissioner Steve Muchow retired in good standing, he qualified to receive $24,652 in accrued sick leave. Such a payout is not awarded to employees who are terminated.

Since the date he announced his intention to retire, Muchow also has been paid $8,560 in hourly wages, $6,848 in vacation accruals, and $250 in prorated longevity.

The 26-year county employee submitted his retirement letter April 27, the day after a Madison attorney secured by the county traveled to Baraboo to investigate allegations raised by his employees.

The letter prompted county officials to drop the probe, and Muchow remained on the governments payroll until June 2.

Allegations against Muchow included personal use of county property, altering time cards, undisclosed cost overages on a building project and employee mistreatment. He has denied any wrongdoing, and said he was not aware of the investigation when he decided to retire.

The Madison attorney billed the countys insurance company $2,524 before dropping the case. The county also retained a private accountant to look into the matter, although documents related to that portion of the inquiry have not yet been released.

Citizens want complete investigation

Four members of the public who spoke to the County Board during its meeting Tuesday encouraged officials to complete the investigation into Muchow.

One citizen, Jason Belter, said he was a former highway department employee, and provided supervisors with a photo of a work-release inmates truck parked in a Highway Department storage building.

Belter also supplied a report from the Sheriffs Departments investigation of the matter. The report said a highway department supervisor confirmed that Muchow had given the inmate permission to store his truck in the facility.

The supervisor denied allegations that the inmate  who did not have a valid license  also was permitted to drive the truck offsite.

I guarantee, if you dig a little deeper, youre just scratching the surface, said Belter, alleging that he was harassed on the job after reporting the incident.

Muchow out as consultant

Members of the County Boards Highway and Parks Committee were not informed of the investigation into Muchows activities. The County Board learned of the matter from an anonymous letter sent to all 31 supervisors earlier this month.

The committee, which oversees the countys involvement in the Great Sauk State Trail project, also was not consulted about Muchows hiring as a consultant on that project after his retirement.

Jewell Associates Engineers President Greg Jewell said last week that two county officials recommended earlier this month that he hire Muchow, but did not inform him of the incomplete investigation. He later read about the probe in the News Republic.

The two officials, County Board Chair Marty Krueger and Administrative Coordinator Alene Kleczek Bolin, were aware of the investigation when they approached the engineering firm.

Jewell said last week that Muchow did not have a signed contract, but had filled out application documents with his firm.

Muchow said in an interview that he was receiving an hourly wage under a verbal deal with the company.

Under questioning from board members at Tuesday nights meeting, Krueger acknowledged Muchows role as a consultant.

But when asked whether he and Kleczek Bolin recommended Muchow for the position, Krueger didnt provide a direct answer. It was just, if there was, if Steve was going to be retained or help with the project, he had to be a consultant with Jewell, Krueger said.

Jewell said Krueger and Kleczek Bolin this week dropped their request that he retain Muchow as a consultant, but have asked for additional assistance on the trail project.

In approving a $128,230 contract with Jewell Associates in January, the County Board authorized its parks director to approve up to $25,646 of additional work.

Kleczek Bolin said its not clear exactly how much additional assistance will be required. But she said Muchow will not be involved.
Registrations are still being accepted for the United Way 5K Color Dash that will be taking place in Gering on Saturday, June 24.

United Way of Western Nebraska and First State Bank are proud to announce its partnership in hosting the fifth annual United Way Color Dash. An anticipated 1,000 runners will finish the race after being completely transformed by vibrant color.

During the race route, participants will run through color stations. At each Splash Station, volunteers throw handfuls of colored corn starch based paint on runners as they pass by. The paint is non-toxic and biodegradable. Participants will enjoy pit stops throughout the race as well, where local businesses and sponsors will be passing out goodies and then enjoy a color dance party after they cross the finish line. A live DJ bumps the musical vibes, as professional photographers capture the colorful transformation of each runner.

As a non-competitive run or walk event, the United Way Color Dash attracts runners of all different ages, fitness levels, and experience. This 5K fun event will begin and end at Five Rock Amphitheater in Gering. The course will wind through Gering where the public can purchase paint to throw on the participants.

Registrations will remain open until Friday at 6 p.m. Registration forms are available at First State Bank in Scottsbluff.

Participants can pick up their bags, T-shirts and race information on the second floor of First State Bank in Scottsbluff Friday, June 23 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

All of the proceeds raised will be used to aid United Way of Western Nebraska in supporting local agencies.

For more information call United Way at 635-2522.
French President Emmanuel Macron will be visiting Romania in the upcoming period, representatives of the Presidential Administration told agerpres.

President Iohannis met on Friday morning his French counterpart on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels, taking the opportunity to invite Emmanuel Macron to come to Romania. The French head of state accepted and the details of the upcoming trip will be subsequently established, the cited sources said.
Andreea Ciortea, one of the founders of the first store in Sibiu Municipality devoted to traditional and reinterpreted hand-sewn blouses known as 'ii' was not content with impressing only tourists arriving in the former Capital of Culture with these traditional folk blouses, but was keen on being present this month, at the European Parliament, alongside designer Iulia Gorneanu.

The exhibition "The Romanian ia - the dowry from home" in the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels was a great opportunity to prove one more time that our folk blouse 'ia' is truly one of Romania's best ambassadors abroad.

"We went with an exhibition of authentic, old folk blouses 'ii' from Iulia Gorneanu's collection at the European Parliament in Brussels. I was saluted by Romanians in the streets, in restaurants. Germans, Latvians, many people from the north and the Baltic countries came to ask me about the ie, to encourage us to carry on our projects to introduce our folk blouses abroad. Indeed, the 'ia' is a true ambassador. I wore our ie from Marginimea Sibiului, in black and white," stated Andreea Ciortea.

"I have heard many times and I saw that the 'ia' is associated with nationalism. It is completely wrong. I believe it is about roots, about who you truly are. When you leave home, the 'ia' is the piece of clothing you take away in your luggage and then you remember who you are and where you came from. When you put on an 'ia', you are aware of your own person," confessed Andreea.

Proud of the Romanian folk blouse 'ia', three years ago, Andreea planned with a friend to open a store simply titled "Ia Sibiu" right across the headquarters of the ASTRA Museum and close to the only traditional art galleries in town, where only traditional folk blouses could be found.

"As a matter of fact, when I started the "Ia Sibiu" initiative, I found out more things about who I was, I went back into my childhood and the story of my grandmothers, who wore folk blouses, whom I saw sowing and embroidering. I did what I thought embodies me," the founder of the "ia" store in Sibiu adds.

"We have our own creations, pieces of clothing inspired by tradition, traditional folk blouses. (...) My greatest joy is when I meet a real craftswoman, who, even if past her prime, keeps the same joy in her eyes. The way she embroiders, and charms the work of her hand, tells me she is alive. I believe Romania needs people who are alive, and going back to traditions makes us feel truly alive," Andreea said.

The best occasion to wear the 'ia' is June 24, when in Sibiu, at ASTRA Museum in Dumbrava forest, the Ia Universal Day will be celebrated.

agerpres.
Among the top four traditional banks in the St. Louis area, one is unlike the others.

The big three  U.S. Bank, Bank of America and Commerce  all trace their history back more than a century and saturate the region with 50 or more branches.

In the No. 4 spot is a relative upstart. Enterprise Financial Services, founded in 1988, has just 19 branches here, and it added two-thirds of those this year with the purchase of Eagle Bank and its parent, Jefferson County Bancshares.

The Eagle purchase gave Enterprise and its Enterprise Bank and Trust unit, which had been mainly a small-business bank, more of a consumer presence. Forty percent of deposits now come from the consumer side, and Enterprise recently launched its own credit cards. TV commercials, which used to emphasize the Enterprise University business-education brand, now include ads featuring the credit cards and online bill-paying.

In charge of this transition is James Lally, who succeeded Peter Benoist as chief executive in May. In an interview this week, Lally said Eagles stable base of consumer deposits will benefit Enterprise.

The acquisition, though, doesnt change who we are, Lally said. We have built the company with an entrepreneurial culture and a culture of developing our people.

One of his goals is to make the company more diverse. Hed like to see women and members of minority groups fill all the slots in Enterprises leadership development program, which Lally calls a career accelerator.

Our challenge is to continuously reshape our associate base and anticipate what we think the client base will look like in the future, he said.

That kind of diversity will help Enterprise meet a commitment it made to lend hundreds of millions of dollars in low-income areas of St. Louis and Kansas City. Expanding access to banking services is good for business, Lally said.

Another important commitment is to shareholders. Under Benoist, Enterprise gained a reputation for strong financial performance. Earnings per share rose 40 percent in 2015 and 28 percent in 2016.

I was talking with an investor who asked if I was going to make any changes, Lally recounted. I said, Your investment has doubled in the last three years. To tell you we are going to do something markedly different would probably both surprise and shock you.

Joe Stieven, who invests in bank stocks through Stieven Capital Advisors in St. Louis, continues to expect good results. I dont know if you can say the recent growth rate is going to continue, but the prospects are very good, he said.

One thing Enterprise has done consistently is to gain market share. In this years first quarter, excluding the Eagle deal, loans grew 7 percent and deposits grew 11 percent. Both figures are well above the industry average.

Lally, 49, worked at the old Mark Twain Bank for about three months before it was sold in 1997. He says that short stint, plus experience working at Mercantile Bank with Mark Twain veterans, gave him an appreciation for the bygone banks entrepreneurial spirit.

That means, having inherited a bank with $5.1 billion in assets, hes always looking for opportunities to grow. Growth may include more acquisitions; it also includes looking for niches where Enterprise can compete nationally, as it does now in aircraft finance and life-insurance lending.

Do we talk about expansion? Sure, Lally said. But really, its about being much better in five years than we are today.
After a 30-year run, the Middleton restaurant Fitzgerald's is no more.

An Illinois businessman bought the supper club at 112 Parmenter St., nearly two years ago and planned to add Asian dishes like teriyaki chicken, Asian dumplings and sushi to Fitzgerald's lineup of steaks, seafood and prime rib. But that never happened.

The new owner, Chulkee Chang, owns a successful Korean restaurant outside of Champaign, Illinois. He also took over Blair Street BBQ Downtown and reopened it last October as 5 Star Korean BBQ.

The new Middleton restaurant will most likely use the same name, 5 Star BBQ, or just Star BBQ, Chang said. It will feature Korean and Japanese cuisine.

He may also offer American food, but hasn't decided, he said. "International" food, Chang said.

A recording at the restaurant says, "Fitzgerald's is currently closed -- forever" and explains that it will reopen under the name Star BBQ in about three months.

The message says the business was purchased by a Korean family and will become a Korean barbecue with "Benihana tables."

"Call us back and keep watching the sign out front," it says.

Chang said the restaurant is currently being remodeled, and at this point, should be open in about two months. "New menu, new restaurant," he said.

The 10,000-square-foot, 300-seat restaurant was a supper club when Jerry Fitzgerald opened it in 1988 and remained a supper club after John Kaul bought it in 1996.

Chang also owns the restaurant Star Karaoke in Savoy, Illinois, a bedroom community to Champaign the way Middleton is to Madison.

Expect karaoke at the Middleton restaurant, too, Chang said.
St. Louis-area residents use emergency departments for unnecessary care more than their counterparts nationwide, according to a new local study.

Local business leaders and health care providers are coming together to devise ways to reduce avoidable ER visits that they say contribute to higher health care spending and overtreatment.

The study analyzed data on commercially insured patients from 2014 to 2016 and found that ER usage rates here were 13 percent higher than the national rate. It was performed by the Midwest Health Initiative, a nonprofit organization that works locally to improve health care quality.

Of the ER visits in the St. Louis region, 15 percent were unnecessary, according to the study. Seeking emergency treatment for a common cold, for instance, would be unnecessary.

The number of visits to emergency departments didnt change from 2014-2016, but the coalition is concerned about the percentage of avoidable visits and a steep increase in urgent care usage.

Urgent care was supposed to take unnecessary care out of the emergency room. We just didnt see that, said Louise Probst, executive director of St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition, an employer advocacy group.

Urgent care visits increased 44 percent over the period that ER visits stayed the same. Visits to primary care providers declined by 4 percent over the same period.

Executives from large area employers, including Boeing, along with labor unions and health plans and providers will now explore ways to combat the problem.

Theyll draft goals and benchmarks to monitor their progress. Some early ideas include reducing ER visits for those with certain chronic conditions.

The emergency room is the most expensive place for care, which is why employer groups are concerned.

The results of the study reaffirm Anthems recent decision to decline coverage for ER visits that were determined to be unnecessary.

In May, Anthem warned patients in Missouri that if they sought care at the emergency room for minor ailments, they would be on the hook for the entire bill.

While some physicians criticized the move, others say some type of action is needed to change patient behavior.

However, while some hospitals are quick to bemoan unnecessary emergency visits, some seek ER business by advertising wait times on billboards along the interstate.

Advertising wait times for the ER seems contrary to the main aim of emergency departments, which are supposed to be a place for serious and life-threatening conditions, according to policy experts.

But financial incentives do still exist for hospitals to get patients, especially those with commercial insurance, into the ER.

Sometimes its financially helpful to get healthier patients in the emergency room and sometimes its not, Probst said.
BEIJING  China let through the first shipments of beef from the United States in 14 years on Friday, after the two nations agreed to resume the trade in May, state media reported.

The imports were brought in by Cofco Meat Holdings Ltd. from U.S. meat processor Tyson Foods Inc., China National Radio (CNR) reported on Friday, citing Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

China officially allowed U.S. beef imports from Tuesday this week after the two sides settled the conditions for exports last week.

Under the new rule, boneless and bone-in beef from cattle under 30 months of age will be eligible for imports. Beef destined for China must also be from cattle that can be traced to its birth farm, according to the rule.

Chinese importers are racing to bring in American beef to meet increasing demand for premium meat in the $2.6 billion beef import market.

Cofco's imports, the first to have landed in China, will be sold on Cofco's e-commerce platform Womai.com, according to CNR.

Arrivals of U.S. beef could erode sales of Australian beef in China's lucrative premium meat market, as U.S. beef is expected to be cheaper because of low grain prices in the nation.
At a new book festival in the Central West End, living writers can mingle on the Writers Corner that celebrates the areas past.

Although previous efforts in St. Louis havent climbed any festival best-seller list, a fresh event by the areas literary anchor may attract excited readers.

People associate the neighborhood with literary events, says Kris Kleindienst, co-owner of Left Bank Books. Shes a major driver behind plans to create a successful festival that brings in national and local authors.

Sherman Alexie will kick off Bookfest St. Louis the night before the daylong event, set for Sept. 23. Children can meet authors and costumed characters while adults listen to live music and hear writers  all under the bronze and copper gazes of T.S. Eliot, Kate Chopin and Tennessee Williams.

I feel like we have great resources in this community, Kleindienst says. Still, St. Louis has been home to two author festivals that didnt meet expectations: the defunct Big Read in Clayton and Lit in the Lou, a University City event that is taking a break this year.

The bookseller knows creating a successful author festival is difficult: I think the project is huge and has the potential for going awry.

And yet, Left Bank Books, at the corner of Euclid and McPherson avenues, is not just a community anchor but the biggest and oldest independent bookstore in St. Louis. It has survived for more than four decades and schedules about 200 author events a year. So Kleindienst seems fairly confident of success, noting that there isnt a wrinkle we havent encountered.

In collaboration with the CWE Business Community Improvement District, Left Bank wants to bring in about two dozen authors, with out-of-towners staying at the Chase Park Plaza. For the festival, McPherson Avenue will be partially closed. Some childrens events will be at the Schlafly library, and the former Berger Memorial funeral home, which is being renovated for event space, may host an event.

Kleindienst also thinks other events may be tied to the World Chess Hall of Fame and the nearby MaryAnns Tea Room. Most of the festival will be free, but the Alexie event will be ticketed and take place at the Sheldon Concert Hall & Art Galleries in Grand Center. Alexie, a popular Native American author, has just published a memoir, You Dont Have to Say You Love Me.

The Central West End is known for its restaurants, of course. Kleindienst says that as for food, we are inviting the area restaurants to do patio to-go menus as they have done at other area festivals, and if someone from the Maryland end of the neighborhood wants to have a stand at the festival vendor area on McPherson, which is the bookstore and festival home base, they will be able to.

The corner of McPherson and Euclid is called Writers Corner for the sculptures of Eliot, Chopin and Williams installed there. (William Burroughs is in the works.)

Included on the (living) guest list so far are Alison Rollins, Ann Ingalls, Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Kathleen Finneran, Kea Wilson, Michael Kahn, Robin Sloan, Shanthi Sekaran, Zac Brewer, Gabriel Tallent, Anne Leckie, Edward Kelsey Moore, George Hodgman and Tongo Eisen-Martin.

Author confirmations are coming almost every day, Kleindienst says. The official announcement of the festival is expected Monday, with the website (bookfeststl.com) expected by Tuesday.
One of the best-known names in Italian dining in St. Louis will soon grace a restaurant again. As St. Louis Magazine first reported, Michael Del Pietro will open Del Pietro's at 1059 South Big Bend Boulevard in Richmond Heights, the address previously occupied by Riverbend Restaurant & Bar and, before that, Harvest.

Del Pietro's parents, Michael Sr. and Mary Rose Del Pietro, opened the original Del Pietro's on Hampton Avenue in 1976. It closed in 2011.

It's not going to be like the Del Pietro's of 1976, Del Pietro tells Off the Menu. Times have changed.

Del Pietro, whose restaurant group includes Sugo's Spaghetteria, Babbo's Spaghetteria and Tavolo V, says the the new Del Pietro's will feature beef modega and a few other classic dishes from its namesake restaurant.

However, Del Pietro says, "I'd like to do some other things a little more nouveau."

The Richmond Heights location appealed to Del Pietro, a University City resident. I love the Loop, Clayton, Richmond Heights, he says.

Renovations to the space include tearing out the existing bar and building a new one in a different location. Del Pietro is aiming to open by late September or early October.
The confession of a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series Making a Murderer was improperly obtained and he should be retried or released from prison, a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled Thursday.

Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbachs death on Halloween two years earlier. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach in the Avery familys Manitowoc County salvage yard. Avery was sentenced to life in a separate trial.

A federal magistrate judge ruled in August that investigators coerced Dassey, who was 16 years old at the time and suffered from cognitive problems, into confessing and overturned his conviction. The state Justice Department appealed the ruling to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a move that kept Dassey, now 27, behind bars pending the outcome.

A three-judge panel from the Chicago-based 7th Circuit upheld the magistrates decision to overturn his conviction. Wisconsin can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, ask for a review by the full 7th Circuit or retry Dassey within 90 days.

Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, said the office expects to seek review by the full 7th Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court, and hopes that todays erroneous decision will be reversed.

We continue to send our condolences to the Halbach family as they have to suffer through another attempt by Mr. Dassey to re-litigate his guilty verdict and sentence, Koremenos said.

Dasseys lawyers from the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth at Northwestern University said theyre elated and will take immediate steps to secure his release.

Attorney Laura Nirider said they want to send Dassey home to his mother as soon as possible. She said they did the math and determined that he had been in prison for 4,132 days as of Thursday.

The centers director, Steven Drizin, said the ruling provides a model for the kind of thorough analysis that courts should always undertake in assessing whether a confession was voluntary, and highlights the importance for teenagers to have parents or trusted adults in the interrogation room.

While these tactics might not have overwhelmed a seasoned criminal or a 30-year-old with a law degree, they clearly overwhelmed a 16-year-old, socially avoidant, intellectually limited (youth) who had never been interrogated by the police before, he said.

The appellate panel split, with Judges Ilana Rovner and Ann Williams affirming and David Hamilton in dissent. The majority opinion by Rovner said no reasonable court could have any confidence that Dasseys confession was voluntary. It cited the leading, the fact-feeding, the false promises, the manipulation of Dasseys desire to please as among many factors that cast it in doubt.

Hamilton, in dissent, wrote: The majoritys decision breaks new ground and poses troubling questions for police and prosecutors. It calls into question standard interrogation techniques that courts have routinely found permissible, even in cases involving juveniles.

Avery and Dassey contend they were framed by police angry with Avery for suing Manitowoc County over his wrongful conviction for sexual assault. Avery spent 18 years in prison in that case before DNA tests showed he didnt commit the crime. Hes pursuing his own appeal in state court.

Their cases gained national attention in 2015 after Netflix aired Making a Murderer, a multi-part documentary looking at Halbachs death, the ensuing investigation and trials. The series sparked widespread conjecture about the pairs innocence and has garnered them a massive following on social media pushing for their release.

Authorities who worked on the cases insisted the documentary is biased. Ken Kratz, the prosecutor, wrote in his book Avery that Dassey was a shuffling, mumbling young man with bad skin and broken-bowl haircut who could have saved Halbachs life but instead involved himself in her rape and murder and Avery is by any measure of the evidence, stone guilty.
ST. LOUIS  The leaders of Grand Center Arts Academy call their school a city success and a needed school option.

It is the only performing arts charter school in St. Louis, offering instruction in theater, visual arts, dance and music.

Since it opened in 2010, it has more than tripled in size. It has achieved relative racial and socioeconomic integration much like a magnet school does, by drawing in students from the suburbs with its course offerings, its location in the heart of St. Louis arts corridor and a sleek renovated arts building, complete with a performance theater, dance rooms and art studio spaces. The school celebrated a 100 percent graduation rate this year.

But officials say that the financial costs it took to get to this point have been so great, they threaten the schools existence.

To afford a more than $21 million building renovation, rent and costs of running the school, Grand Center Arts borrowed more than $6.3 million from its de facto parent charter school network, Confluence Charter Schools, over the past several years. Those loans are the only thing keeping the school afloat, and officials say they have no expectation that the school will ever be able to repay that debt.

The school of about 720 students will have no sustainable future if school officials dont pull off a solution. But the one they have now is not permissible in state law, according to the state.

I am worried  as a board member, as a citizen of this community  I am worried how we go forward in our present state without some action by this board at some point soon, said Lance LeComb, a Confluence board member, at a board meeting Thursday.

High financial stakes

Grand Center Arts is an example, albeit a more extreme one, of the high financial stakes charter schools regularly face. Unlike traditional school districts, charter schools  which are independently run, free public schools  rely mostly on state funding and do not receive property tax revenue, the lifeblood of many districts.

The financial pressures to remain open and pressures from the state to close when they fail academically are two problems that apply especially to charter schools. A combination of poor academic performance, debt and sketchy for-profit management have taken down charter schools in the past, most notably Imagine Charter Schools, which were mired in $4.3 million of debt before they closed.

Being able to afford a building is especially a challenge for charter schools in Missouri, charter proponents say, because they cannot seek to pass bond issues for capital projects like school districts can. Banks are also more hesitant to give big loans to charter schools, which are considered a riskier investment because they must be reapproved by the state every five years to stay open, said Jeffrey Kuntze, chief financial officer for Confluence.

But Grand Center Arts situation stands out from other charter schools because it is an arts-focused school, so it has the extra cost of acquiring facilities specifically for dancers, artists and actors, Kuntze said. And while most St. Louis charter schools are elementary schools, Grand Center Arts is primarily a high school, which is more expensive to run.

Adding to the problems is the fact that the schools former for-profit management company, American Quality Schools, had projected deficit estimates that turned out to be inaccurate. The Confluence board broke ties with the company about five years ago because of poor performance, but Confluence is still fixing the weak financial and governing structures it left behind.

Grand Center Arts has a reserve of just 3.8 percent, and the school has any reserves only because of its loans. School networks with reserves of less than 3 percent are considered financially stressed.

And the costs will only rise. Starting July 1 next year, Grand Center Arts annual building rent of $847,100 will rise by more than half a million.

A novel solution

Officials are betting on one solution that could save Grand Center Arts: merging the school with Confluence. Confluences legal team believes that is the only viable option they have to eliminate the formers debt that would comply with loan stipulations.

Grand Center Arts is already essentially part of Confluences school network. They are part of the same nonprofit corporation and they share the same governing board and CEO.

But they are still considered separate entities by the state, because they have different sponsors and were founded separately. Confluences sponsor is University of Missouri-Columbia, while Grand Center Arts opened with St. Louis University as a sponsor.

A charter school merger has never been done in Missouri, and state law says nothing about how charter school entities can combine. State education officials have taken that absence of statute to mean that no charter school can legally merge with another.

Their attorney has taken a position that it is possible or it could be possible, but we just dont see how it is, said Chris Neale, assistant commissioner for quality schools at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, referring to Confluence.

Kuntze said at the board meeting Thursday that he believes the law has wiggle room.

We dont see a statute that precludes us from merging, he said.

The board decided Thursday to pursue a plan for a merger, though its next immediate steps to achieve one are unclear. Confluence officials are pleading with the state for a merger. Board members agree they have no other choice.

If we dont solve this problem, Grand Center doesnt survive, and we cant serve the kids, said Board Chair Jose Pineda after Thursdays meeting.

Combining schools performance

A merger between Grand Center Arts and Confluence would do more than just eliminate the formers debt.

By absorbing Grand Center Arts, a higher-performing, specialized school, into Confluence, a mix of low-performing, neighborhood-like schools, Confluence would become a school system that mimics St. Louis Public Schools. Like the city school district, Confluences overall state score would get a slight boost by the mere technicality of saying Grand Center Arts is in its same school system.

Confluence Charter Schools have struggled academically since the schools inception, failing to meet state standards for more than 14 years.

Last year, the schools met 54.6 percent of state accreditation standards  a level considered provisionally accredited by the state.

Grand Center Arts, in contrast, met 77.1 percent, which is in the fully accredited range.
The 117 undersigned Missouri physicians and medical students wish to strongly oppose the American Health Care Act (AHCA) or similar legislation that would cause millions to lose their access to health care. It is particularly troubling that the AHCA would undermine state Medicaid programs with the proposed funding caps or block grants and phase out the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion.

Since 1965, the federal government has matched state Medicaid spending and provided health and long-term care to our most vulnerable citizens. In so doing, it has been a great success in providing cost-efficient and high quality health and long-term care.

Basic to Medicaid's success has been the guaranteed federal payment match, which is able to compensate for the increased costs to the states of public health crises, economic downturns, natural disasters and other factors. We have seen this happen with the Joplin tornado, the opioid crisis, the huge cost of newer treatments for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, and the increased enrollment occasioned by the Great Recession. Missouri also has an aging population that will cause an increase in long-term care spending in future years.

Under a per capita cap (or block grant), states would be forced to make up for the loss of federal support by narrowing eligibility, cutting health care services, reducing payments to providers or, more likely, all three. These cuts will particularly impact the elderly and disabled and those requiring home health services.

Once restructured, federal Medicaid payments would be at frequent risk of being reduced to pay for tax breaks or other federal spending. This concern is validated by the budget proposed by President Donald Trump that would further ratchet down per capita cap payments to states. This would upend the federal-state partnership and create even more uncertainty for budget planning in the state.

Medicaid cuts will also have a devastating effect on the state's economy. The Medicaid program is a critical part of our health care infrastructure. There is no doubt that withdrawing $834 billion from health care over the next 10 years will have a significant impact on health care employers and on the jobs they provide. The economic impact will be especially harmful in rural communities where hospitals and other providers are often the major employers in the community.

For these reasons, we ask that you oppose legislation that will cap or block grant Federal Medicaid payments to the states or end the possibility of Medicaid expansion.

Sincerely,

Ed Weisbart, MD, CPE, FAAFP

Ernie-Paul Barrette, MD FACP

Amit Bery, MD

Robert Blake, MD

Joan R. Butcher, MD

Deanna Chavez, MD

Paulina Cruz Bravo, MD

Thomas Ciesielski, MD

Caroline Day, MD MPH

Thomas M. De Fer, MD FACP

Michael Donovan, MD

Emily Doucette, MD

Bridget Early, MD

Bill Fogarty, MD

Brian F. Gage, MD MSc

Elizabeth Keegan Garrett, MD

Sarah Garwood, MD

Matthew Glasser MD, PhD

Miggie Greenberg, MD

Pam Gronemeyer, MD

Michelle L. Hall, MD

Donna Halloran, MD MPSH PhD

Miquia Henderson, MD, PhD

Cynthia Herrick, MD

Christine Jacobs, MD

Andrew Jallouk, MD, PhD

Steve Keithahn, MD

Jason D. Keune, MD, MBA, FACS

Ira Kodner, MD

Mark Krasnoff, MD

Keith Kronemer, MD

Larry Lewis, MD

Kate Lichtenberg, DO MPH

Tom Lieb, MD

David R. Mehr, MD, MS

Nathaniel H. Murdock, MD

Elna Nagasako, MD, PhD, MPH

Priyia Pal, MD, PhD

Andrew Park, MD

Bill Parks, MD, FACEP

Katie Plax, MD

Niall Prendergast, MD

Andy Quint, MD

Fred Rottnek, MD MAHCM

Emily Rumora, MD

Lisa Ryan, MD/PhD

Sonny Saggar, MD

Morgan Schiller, MD

Ken S. Schmitz, MD

Martin W. Schoen, MD, MPH

Michael B. Sheehan, MD

Oscar Sierra, MD

Ray Slavin, MD

Kenneth R. Smith Jr., MD

Michael Snavely, MD

Jan Swaney, MD

Stephanie Velloze, MD

Betsy Wan, MD

Terry Weiss MD, FACR

Megan Wren, MD

Amy Xu, MD

Mark Zacharjasz, MD

Darryl Zinck, MD

Erin Adams, medical student

Rina Amatya, medical student

Eva Archer, medical student

Derek Barisas, medical student

Jay Bowman-Kirigin, medical student

Emma Braun, medical student

Nora Burdis, medical student

Jyotirmoy Das, medical student

Anjali Desai, medical student

Aristides Diamant, medical student

Paolo Dib, medical student

Kate Douglas, medical student

Alaric D'Souza, MD/PhD student

Fayola Fears, medical student

Kale Flory, Osteopathy student

Seren Gedallovich, medical student

Simone Geraud, medical student

Elizabeth Graesser, medical student

Samantha Greaney, medical student

Mindy Guo, medical student

Chyleigh Harmon, medical student

John Heafner, medical student

Thomas Hong, medical student

Christine Horan, medical student

Radhika Jain, medical student

Charlie Jaschek, medical student

Kavon Javaherian, medical student

Kai Jones, medical student

Julia Kolodziej, medical student

Daniel Kornfeld, medical student

Edward Lee, medical student

Sonia Liu, medical student

Maren Loe, MD/PhD student

Benjamin Masserano, medical student

Sagar Mehta, medical student

Derek Miller, medical student

Caroline Min, medical student

Caitlin Mink, medical student

Max Riley, medical student

Emily Rion, medical student

Tarek Salih, medical student

Joshua Siegel, medical student

Wilbur Song, MD/PhD student

Rachel Springer, medical student

Maya Silver, medical student

Emily Slat, medical student

Arthur Sletten, medical student

Averey Strong, medical student

Lucas Thomas, medical student

Andrea Tian, medical student

Gabriel Tissian, medical student

Bianca Vannucci, medical student

Julia Wagner, MD/PhD student

Gregory Wong, medical student
Joining the Army straight out of high school seemed like a viable alternative to going to college for Jeremy Coulson. He received that and a lot more.

The people that I met really made a big difference in my life, Coulson said. They are people I probably would have never met if I had gone straight to college.

Coulson reported for basic training at Fort Leonard Wood a month after graduating from Collinsville High School in 2012. I really didnt want to go to college, Coulson said. At the time, it really wasnt for me. I think it is a great honor and sacrifice to do what were willing to do.

When he signed his contract with the Army, Coulson chose Airborne School and was assigned to Fort Benning in Georgia after boot camp. The school was a fun challenge, mainly basic stuff, Coulson said. We learned how to properly land, where to parachute up, how to rig equipment up to yourself, and which direction to land if someone is below you or to the right or left of you.

My first jump was a little nerve-wracking, Coulson said. Im not going to lie, the first time you hook up the static line and go out that airplane door, its something like youve never experienced before.

After Airborne School, Coulson was assigned to Fort Bragg in North Carolina as a heavy equipment operator. We supported the whole brigade for any big assets or any heavy drop recoveries, Coulson said. When we go out we would build operating bases, rapid runway repair and clear paths for infantry or combat engineers.

Coulson spent four years at Fort Bragg, from January 2013 to December 2016. The only exception was an eight-month tour in Iraq in 2015. Coulson and his group were part of the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). The CJTF-OIR, continues to work by, with and through regional partners to militarily defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, in order to enable whole-of-coalition governmental actions to increase regional stability.

Based out of Baghdad, their job was to support and train the Iraqi Army and set up an operating base to train them for their mission. They dont have the technology or the knowledge we have, Coulson said. I feel like they are getting information from somebody elses perspective on how to defeat the opposing force.

One day in July, the temperature reached 154 degrees in Iraq. You just drink water as much as possible, Coulson said. You have to find shade and try to keep yourself as hydrated as much as possible. Laughter is probably the best and we tried to make humor out of it. We were such a tight group. There was only a squad of us and we got attached with an infantry company and even with the infantry company, they took us under their wing and made us feel like part of their family.

Coulson enjoyed learning about the Iraqi culture. They have a great sense of humor, hardworking and they want to make a difference in the world. He especially liked the food. All of it is homemade, so I feel like they put a lot of time and dedication into it, Coulson said.

In January, the 23-year-old was sent back to Fort Leonard Wood in southwestern Missouri working with the 1st Engineer Brigade. We assist with moving heavy equipment around, maintenance and helping with the trainees, Coulson said.

In his free time, Coulson attends Park University and is majoring in construction management. Going to school has given him options. If something arises that I want to stay in, that is better for my future, then Ill stay, Coulson said. But if I see a job in the civilian sector after I get my degree thats a better plan for my future then Ill have to weigh the options and see where it takes me.

Joining the Army straight out of high school seemed like a viable alternative to going to college for Jeremy Coulson. He received that and a lot more.

The people that I met really made a big difference in my life, Coulson said. They are people I probably would have never met if I had gone straight to college.

Coulson reported for basic training at Fort Leonard Wood a month after graduating from Collinsville High School in 2012. I really didnt want to go to college, Coulson said. At the time, it really wasnt for me. I think it is a great honor and sacrifice to do what were willing to do.

When he signed his contract with the Army, Coulson chose Airborne School and was assigned to Fort Benning in Georgia after boot camp. The school was a fun challenge, mainly basic stuff, Coulson said. We learned how to properly land, where to parachute up, how to rig equipment up to yourself, and which direction to land if someone is below you or to the right or left of you.

My first jump was a little nerve-wracking, Coulson said. Im not going to lie, the first time you hook up the static line and go out that airplane door, its something like youve never experienced before.

After Airborne School, Coulson was assigned to Fort Bragg in North Carolina as a heavy equipment operator. We supported the whole brigade for any big assets or any heavy drop recoveries, Coulson said. When we go out we would build operating bases, rapid runway repair and clear paths for infantry or combat engineers.

Coulson spent four years at Fort Bragg, from January 2013 to December 2016. The only exception was an eight-month tour in Iraq in 2015. Coulson and his group were part of the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). The CJTF-OIR, continues to work by, with and through regional partners to militarily defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, in order to enable whole-of-coalition governmental actions to increase regional stability.

Based out of Baghdad, their job was to support and train the Iraqi Army and set up an operating base to train them for their mission. They dont have the technology or the knowledge we have, Coulson said. I feel like they are getting information from somebody elses perspective on how to defeat the opposing force.

One day in July, the temperature reached 154 degrees in Iraq. You just drink water as much as possible, Coulson said. You have to find shade and try to keep yourself as hydrated as much as possible. Laughter is probably the best and we tried to make humor out of it. We were such a tight group. There was only a squad of us and we got attached with an infantry company and even with the infantry company, they took us under their wing and made us feel like part of their family.

Coulson enjoyed learning about the Iraqi culture. They have a great sense of humor, hardworking and they want to make a difference in the world. He especially liked the food. All of it is homemade, so I feel like they put a lot of time and dedication into it, Coulson said.

In January, the 23-year-old was sent back to Fort Leonard Wood in southwestern Missouri working with the 1st Engineer Brigade. We assist with moving heavy equipment around, maintenance and helping with the trainees, Coulson said.

In his free time, Coulson attends Park University and is majoring in construction management. Going to school has given him options. If something arises that I want to stay in, that is better for my future, then Ill stay, Coulson said. But if I see a job in the civilian sector after I get my degree thats a better plan for my future then Ill have to weigh the options and see where it takes me.
Richard Beranek, ordered released from custody on a signature bond Thursday after serving 27 years in prison on rape convictions that were later overturned, finally made it home Friday.

The state Department of Corrections, which had blocked his release from the Dane County Jail by placing a parole hold on him related to a separate 1988 sexual assault conviction from Chippewa County, lifted the hold Friday. But instead of releasing Beranek to his family at the Dane County Jail, Beraneks parole agent transported him home, according to Keith Findley of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, one of Beraneks lawyers.

Findley declined to say where Beranek was taken, but the plan discussed in court on Thursday was to have Beranek live with his mother, daughter and brother in Portage County.

Findley said DOC offered no explanation about why it decided to take Beranek to his home, other than that it believes that Beranek is still on parole for the 1988 conviction. Findley said he believes otherwise.

That sentence finished in 1998, Findley said. This is a matter yet to be resolved. Its strange.

DOC spokesman Tristan Cook did not immediately respond Friday to emailed questions about the transfer.

Beranek, 59, was convicted in 1990 of five counts of first-degree sexual assault and other felonies for the 1987 rape of a woman in her town of Pleasant Springs home. He was sentenced to 243 years in prison.

Beranek fought the convictions for years, and about two weeks ago, Reserve Judge Daniel Moeser, who presided at Beraneks original trial, overturned the convictions, finding that new hair and DNA evidence called the convictions into question.

After Moesers ruling, Beranek was transferred from the Oshkosh Correctional Institution to the Dane County Jail.

On Thursday, Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara, now assigned to the case, ordered Beranek released on a signature bond while prosecutors decide whether to appeal Moesers ruling and whether to re-try Beranek.

Confusion reigned Thursday as the jail first told Beraneks lawyers that there was no DOC hold, then said there was, and he wasnt released from custody. Friday morning, Findley said, DOC said it would lift the hold in the afternoon, then instead decided to transport Beranek to his home themselves.

I would describe it as a whirlwind where we had a very difficult time getting information or making sense of whats happening, Findley said Friday as he drove to meet Beranek and his family.

He said Beraneks family had started driving to Madison to pick him up, but had to turn around once the plan had changed.

But theyre pretty excited to be with him today, Findley said.
Leonard Adreon kept the horrors of war bottled up for six decades.

Adreon, 90, was drafted out of high school into the Navy during World War II where he was given medical training and later became a hospital corpsman. He was stationed at various places until the war ended in 1945.

After he came back, Adreon joined the Navy Reserves and used his GI Bill to attend Washington University. He graduated in June 1950 in the top five percent of his class.

The Korean War broke out in 1950 and Adreon was called into serve. Since the Navy supplies medical services for the Marine Corps, Adreon was assigned to Camp Pendleton for training with a Marine unit.

Suddenly, he found himself fighting a well-armed, skilled Chinese Army at the 38th Parallel where the most intense fighting was focused. Even though it was his job to save lives as a medic, Adreon had to take on a dual role. I participated in the carnage, Adreon said. I threw grenades. I shot 30 rounds not knowing who I hit.

Adreons unit was charged with taking and maintaining strategic hills along the front. In the process, they were to eliminate as many of the enemy as possible. On a typical day, they would gather at the bottom of the hill, under heavy gun fire and try to overpower the Chinese who were on top.

Adreon saw the wars horrific reality firsthand. During a Chinese attack at night, seven Marines created a barricade to protect themselves from the shells and shrapnel. Unfortunately, the barricade suffered a direct hit from a shell and blew everything apart. We had to run to where the shell hit, Adreon said. The barricade was built into a crater at the edge of the hill. I had to lower myself down into the crater and the first thing I saw was a headless torso. It was just a sea of blood.

The horror continued when daylight broke. What we had to do the next morning was bring body bags in there and we had to take body parts that were in that crater and put them in seven different body bags, Adreon said We found four dog tags but couldnt find the rest, so we did the best we could to start their long, sad journey home.

He also saw the best of humanity after becoming separated from his unit. Adreon found a beaten old road that led to a village. I was all cut up from the thorns, bleeding and disheveled, Adreon said. An old Korean man was standing over me. We couldnt speak each others language, but he led me to his hut. Several women washed Adreons uniform and the blood off of him. Then the old man came back with bowls of food.

Even though the Marines were told not to eat any of the local food I was famished, Adreon said. I sat with them and we shoveled this food into our mouths.  I knew I had to get back to my unit. We exchanged smiles and I bowed to them and they bowed to me and that was our way of saying thank you.

Adreon suppressed these memories for 60 years. I came home and none of us talked about the Korean War, Adreon said. We decided were going to go on and live our lives, we were not going to relive it and I didnt go to reunions. I didnt tell my dad, my mom, my wife, anybody about it.

Adreon became the executive vice president of The Siteman Organization for 36 years. He and his wife Audrey, who are in their 64th year of marriage, raised three daughters and now have six grandchildren.

The memories started coming out after a friend asked him to speak to his class at Washington University about his experiences on the 38th Parallel. What was originally just going to be a few minutes turned into hours of class discussion.

At the urging of Washington University faculty, Adreon wrote a book called, Hilltop Doc: A Marine Corpsman Fighting Through the Mud and Blood of the Korean War.

Writing the book came naturally for Adreon, who facilitates two writing classes at Washington University. Adreon wrote the book to try to show what war was really like, instead of the fiction and glory Hollywood plays it off as. His hope is to find a different way to settle conflicts.

Nearly 40,000 Americans died in action in Korea, and more than 100,000 were wounded. Adreon dedicated the book to all of the American soldiers, including the soldiers still missing in action.

A lot of people think we lost the war, but I dont think that is the case, Adreon said. There are 50 million people in South Korea that we saved.
The state Department of Corrections must dramatically reduce the use of pepper spray, restraints and solitary confinement for its teen inmates, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson ordered DOC officials and attorneys representing current and former inmates at the states youth prison suing the department to come up with a plan to reach that goal within two weeks, but he stopped short of banning the practices altogether as the plaintiffs requested.

In issuing his ruling, Peterson said DOCs practices of routinely using pepper spray on inmates, placing shackles on inmates without evaluating their need and keeping teen inmates locked up in solitary confinement sometimes for longer than two months likely violate their constitutional rights and said prison administrators demonstrated a callous indifference to the harm being inflicted on the inmates through the use of the practices.

This is the most severe and damaging type of solitary confinement that is used in the American penal system. Ted Kaczynski has less restrictive confinement than the youth at Lincoln Hills, Peterson said, referring to the domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber, currently held in a supermax prison in Colorado.

Petersons ruling is the first court-imposed order that makes changes to how staff handle inmates at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls juvenile correctional facility in Irma, which has been under federal investigation for about two years over allegations of inmate abuse by prison staff and is at the center of three federal lawsuits, including one Peterson took up this week.

In making his ruling, Peterson issued blistering criticism of the DOC and its continued use of the practices despite having knowledge of their negative effects on inmates.

They know the juveniles are suffering acute and potentially permanent harm when they serve these long sentences in solitary confinement, so its not enough to have good intentions and a want to do better, he said. (Its) close to a callousness that the system has.

Peterson also criticized DOCs decision to hire two administrators he said have very little knowledge with how a juvenile prison should be run.

Peterson noted that prison security director Brian Gustke was hired in July 2016 with no experience working in a juvenile prison and has received very little training since. He also said the prisons administrator, Wendy Peterson, has no experience working in a successful youth prison.

Miss Peterson and Mr. Gustke are simply not in the position nor have the skills and experience to turn around a facility that is failing like Lincoln Hills, he said, adding that the defendants have demonstrated a callousness and indifference to the harm inmates are suffering.

John Paquin, who oversees juvenile corrections at DOC, declined to comment after the ruling. An attorney for DOC said its too early to say whether the department will appeal.

DOC spokesman Tristan Cook said DOC has consistently worked to identify and implement substantial reforms at the prison.

We look forward to using the next two weeks to further these efforts, Cook said. Secretary (Jon) Litscher has full confidence in the Division of Juvenile Corrections to continue making necessary reforms.

Tom Evenson, spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker, said the governor is confident that Secretary Litscher will ensure the concerns of the court are addressed.

Jon Litscher is widely respected by members of both parties and he is highly qualified to lead the Department, he said.

The federal judge said the two groups must create an order that makes changes to practices at the youth prison that includes a policy of not keeping inmates in solitary confinement for longer than seven days and increasing their time out of their cells while in isolation, find an alternative to pepper spray and evaluate whether inmates need shackles on an case-by-case basis instead of using their current practice of placing them on all inmates in the most-restrictive solitary confinement housing unit.

Petersons ruling came after a one-and-a-half-day hearing during which an attorney representing nine current and former inmates at the youth prison argued that the DOC is aware its practices of using pepper spray on teens and locking them in solitary confinement harms inmates and continues the practices anyway.

Larry Dupuis of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin argued Friday that amounts to a violation of the inmates constitutional rights that protect them from cruel and unusual punishment.

Dupuis said even if DOC staff want to lessen the use of the practices but cannot because lawmakers wont fund more staffing positions at the prison, for example, inmates rights are still being violated.

DOC attorney Sam Hall argued the inmates constitutional rights are not being violated because DOC officials are not consciously disregarding the known harms of the practices, nor do they have any ill will toward the inmates.

We are starting to see some sort of change at Lincoln Hills, he said.

Hall earlier Friday also asked Peterson not to order DOC to immediately halt their practices because it could derail the facilitys progress in changing how the staff handles serious misbehavior.

Its gotta be done incrementally, Hall said.

DOC officials  including Litscher  have repeatedly in recent months said the issues at the facility prompting the federal investigation had been largely resolved or reduced.

Pepper spray was used 14 times in May and so far in June, compared to an average of 20 times a month prior to May, for example. And the number of female inmates harming themselves has dropped.

But Peterson said he believes his ruling to create a plan to reduce the use of the practices wont derail their work and wasnt convinced any significant reforms were under way anyway.

DOC has completely failed to show Lincoln Hills is in the process of reform, Peterson said. I view the harm to the youths from the use of punitive solitary confinement acute, immediate and enduring so that (change) is not something that is going to be done slowly.

Nearly three years have passed since Walkers office was first notified of potential problems at the states youth prison, when his office received two separate communications in June and July of 2014 alleging incidents of staff abusing inmates and inmates abusing staff. Walkers office received an audit that found the facility failed to meet a third of about 40 standards set by the federal Prison Rape Elimination Commission.

And in late 2015, dozens of state investigators began interviewing staff and inmates about the conditions there over a number of allegations including child abuse, second-degree sexual assault and misconduct in public office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation now oversees the investigation.
The interior ministry has barred 13 international aid groups from operating in Pakistan  suspecting them of posing a threat to the national security. These groups were disallowed to operate under a new registeration policy for international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) announced. As soon as a final notification is issued, the names of the blacklisted welfare groups will be made public, he said.

The spokesperson further said that these NGOs had been "refused permission in view of their past performance or projects, and due to their involvement in certain activities falling outside their domain and stated purpose of their organisation."

However, these INGOs would have the right of review before the interior ministry. These were also being given a grace period of three months to complete their ongoing projects.

Under the 2015 policy announced by the interior ministry to regulate this sector, the meeting also gave permission to three more INGOs to work in Pakistan.

The ministry has so far granted approval to 73 INGOs to operate in the country and undertake various socio-economic projects. Four were allowed last week. The ministry has also deferred cases of 20 INGOs and these would be decided later on.

The meeting convened especially to finalise the process of registration of the INGOs was attended among others by interior secretary, advocate general, National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chairman, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) acting DG and other senior officials.

Chairing the meeting, Nisar said that the registration of INGOs was critical vis-a-vis security of the state.

He said that framing of rules for the INGOs and registering them for the first time in the country was a significant achievement, which would not only bring transparency in the entire system of working of various international aid groups but would also strengthen partnership between the government and the non-governmental sector putting this equation on solid foundations of trust and spirit to complement each other.

The minister appreciated the role of INGOs towards making the registration process a success.

The meeting decided that details of approved and non-approved INGOs along with their past projects would be placed on ministrys website after finalisation of the process.

The minister last week had directed the ministry to complete the registration work by the end of next month.

The policy announced in October 2015 had given deadline of 60 days to international aid groups to get themselves registered afresh with the ministry. The ministry was given further 60 days to decide the cases. However, extensions were made many times in the deadlines.

System to check human

trafficking

In another significant development regarding FIA's efforts to arrest most wanted human traffickers (MWTs), it was informed during the meeting that FIA with the help of Nadra had developed a system for the processing of information received from a multitude of sources regarding the MWTs and had also put in place a mechanism for real-time information sharing with the relevant stakeholders and its field units.

It was informed that for the first time in the history of the FIA, comprehensive SOPs had been formulated with technological support provided by Nadra to streamline and regulate efforts being made by the agency against the most wanted traffickers.

Besides, FIA is also preparing a database of all most-wanted traffickers that would enable the agency to have complete details of MWTs and take concrete steps for their arrests.

Moreover, FIA has established a dedicated anti-human trafficking cell within the headquarters mandated to maintain and update database and coordinate with all relevant agencies including Nadra, passports directorate, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and others.

FIA has also appointed focal persons in all provinces for dealing with the cases of MWTs of their respective zones.

The meeting was told that FIA's Inter Agency Team had been constituted which would hold regular meetings after every two months to review the progress into the arrests of MWTs along with redressal of the issues.

The minister said that after having completed the process of collecting information about MWTs, all-out efforts should be made to apprehend these criminals.

He said that the assistance from provincial governments, civil armed forces and other law enforcement agencies should also be sought.

He said that red warrants should be issued against those most wanted traffickers who were out of the country.
The Pentagon wasted as much as $28 million over the past decade buying uniforms for the Afghan army with a woodland camouflage pattern appropriate for a tiny fraction of that war-torn country, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

The Afghan Defense Minister picked the pricey, privately owned forest color pattern over free camouflage schemes owned by the U.S. government, according to an advance copy of the report due out on Wednesday. The scathing, 17-page study notes that forests cover only 2.1% of Afghanistans total land area.

My concern is what if the minister of defense liked purple, or liked pink? John Sopko, the special inspector general, told USA TODAY in an interview. Are we going to buy pink uniforms for soldiers and not ask questions? Thats insane. This is just simply stupid on its face. We wasted $28 million of taxpayers money in the name of fashion, because the defense minister thought that that pattern was pretty. So if he thought pink or chartreuse was it, would we have done that?

For years, Sopkos office has scalded the Pentagon for squandering tens of millions of dollars of the $66 billion Congress has appropriated to train, equip and house Afghan security forces. Wednesdays installment on uniforms was particularly pungent, noting that special tailoring  zippers instead of buttons  boosted the cost of uniforms of already dubious value.

The reports release comes as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis considers sending thousands more U.S. troops to bolster beleaguered Afghan forces in what has become Americas longest war. Afghan troops face a resurgent Taliban insurgency, an offshoot of the Islamic State (ISIS), and other terrorist groups.

The Pentagon has spent $93 million on the uniforms since 2007. Switching to a camouflage pattern owned by the U.S. military could save taxpayers as much as $71 million over the next decade, the inspector general found.

The Pentagon, in its written response, didnt quibble with the findings. Instead, in a letter to Sopko, the military acknowledged the need for a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether there is a more effective alternative, considering both operational environment and cost.

No camouflage for bad decisions

Youd think the Pentagon would have had a good handle on how to pick the right camouflage for uniforms, Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican and senior member of the Budget and Finance committees, said in a statement. Instead, the Defense Department gave up control of the purchase and spent an extra $28 million on the wrong pattern just because someone in Afghanistan liked it. Its embarrassing and an affront to U.S. taxpayers. Those who wasted money on the wrong camouflage uniforms seem to have lost sight of their common sense.

The decision to buy the woodland-pattern uniform dates to 2007. For the previous five years, Afghan soldiers had been issued a hodgepodge of uniforms donated from several nations, according to the report. Early in 2007, the Afghan Defense Ministry decided it needed a new and distinctive uniform to set the Afghan army apart.

The United States is not winning in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress on Tuesday, saying he was crafting a new war strategy to brief lawmakers about by mid-July that is widely expected to call for thousands more U.S. troops Time

In February 2007, U.S. officials training the Afghan army cruised the internet for camouflage patterns. In an email, the officials ran across camouflage from a company called HyperStealth and showed them to Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak. He liked what he saw, the report says.

By May, Wardak had selected the Forest pattern, and U.S. officials made the decision to buy 1,364,602 uniforms and 88,010 extra pairs of pants without conducting any formal testing to determine the pattern's effectiveness for use in Afghanistan, according to the report.

The report, however, raises questions about the utility of forest camouflage in a country that on the whole is dry, falling within the Desert or Desert Steppe climate classification, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

The Pentagon also could have recommended camouflage patterns the military owns but no longer uses. Those uniforms may have been equally effective in the Afghan environment and with fewer alterations, like zippers, could have saved as much as $28 million.

We had camouflage patterns, Sopko said. Dozens of them. For free!

The inspector generals report concludes that neither the Pentagon nor the Afghan government knows if the uniform still being issued there is appropriate to the Afghan environment, or whether it actually hinders their operations by providing a more clearly visible target to the enemy.

Those soldiers may be the ultimate losers in the uniform debacle, Sopko said.

I feel sorry for the poor Afghan soldiers, Sopko said. I mean theyre walking around with a target on their backs, Shoot me. Because only 2% of the country is forest woodland, and thats the outfit that the Afghan minister picked.
Russia's frustration with the Trump administration boiled over Wednesday, with Moscow abruptly canceling talks designed to improve ties with the US and threatening retaliation for sanctions the White House renewed Tuesday.

Moscow's decision to cancel the talks is driven by a range of factors, from domestic political considerations to a desire to signal displeasure about what Russians are calling the "absurdity" of sanctions driven by the "inveterate Russophobes of the US Congress."

Analysts say that Russia's leaders also want to convey in no uncertain terms that, after waiting for Trump to establish warmer ties, they're now ready to get more adversarial if need be.

"They are testing the Trump administration," said Evelyn Farkas, a former assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia. As a candidate, Trump had criticized the Obama administration's tense relations with Moscow, arguing that he would improve ties.

But this latest diplomatic slap highlights a flurry of minor clashes, most recently Wednesday, when Moscow accused a US-allied NATO jet of intercepting a plane carrying their defense minister.

The same day, Jeh Johnson, homeland security secretary under President Barack Obama, told lawmakers that President Vladimir Putin himself directed the cyber assault on the US election.

"From the perspective of the Kremlin, nothing major has changed yet, and they're losing patience," said Farkas, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Irritants have piled up in recent weeks, and on Tuesday, the Treasury Department announced it would reinforce existing sanctions related to the ongoing violence in Ukraine.

"These designations will maintain pressure on Russia to work toward a diplomatic solution" on Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said.

The sanctions announcement broke just days before Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was set to meet his US counterpart in St. Petersburg to explore ways to improve the strained relationship, an initiative spearheaded by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who gained deep experience in Russia as the former CEO of ExxonMobil.

Instead, Russia canceled the meeting, which Ryabkov said the sanctions had made pointless.

"We regret that the new American leadership takes the lead of inveterate Russophiles of the US Congress," Ryabkov said in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's website. He accused lawmakers of trying "to nullify any prospects for stabilizing US-Russia relations."

Destabilizing factors

Other destabilizing factors in the US-Russia relationship include:

-- A Senate bill now in the House that would slap new sanctions on Russia and curb Trump's ability to ease them.

-- Near misses between US and Russian fighter jets over the Baltic Sea.

-- The US decision to shoot down a Syrian plane, which led Moscow to announce it would consider suspending a deconfliction line with the US.

-- Friction over Russian diplomatic compounds in the US that the Obama administration seized in retaliation for Moscow's election interference.

And on Wednesday, Johnson, the former homeland security secretary, told lawmakers that "the Russian government, at the direction of Vladimir Putin himself, orchestrated cyberattacks on our nation for the purpose of influencing our election. That is a fact, plain and simple."

The abrupt break of diplomatic talks comes ahead of a possible meeting between Trump and Putin at a July summit, with no indication that tensions could ease before then.

Angela Stent, director of the Eurasian, Russian and Eastern Studies program at Georgetown University, said the move was meant "to signal that there are limits to which Russia is willing to accept more US sanctions and set a benchmark for when the two presidents meet next month."

To some degree, the Russian reaction to the Treasury announcement is the standard response when the US levies sanctions and is intended in large part for domestic audiences, Stent said.

The highest levels in Moscow

Other Russia scholars point out that Putin has particular domestic considerations that could have repercussions for the Trump White House. Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center, said the decision to cancel the diplomatic talks was very likely made at the highest levels in Moscow.

"If there's one thing Putin can't afford right now it's to look weak or vulnerable in the run up to his own re-election in March 2018," Rojansky said. Early on, Trump's rhetoric about improving relations with Russia and his flattering words about Putin may have led Moscow to envision a improved relationship driven by "a clear quid pro quo," Rojansky said.

"We would promise to return their diplomatic property; they would treat our diplomats properly," Rojansky offered as an example. "Not beat them up, not leave poop in their apartments. ... Then we could get to more substantive discussions about who is our enemy in Syria."

According to an exclusive Buzzfeed report, Tillerson has proposed a policy that would amount to a continuation of the Obama administration approach -- cooperating with Russia where possible on shared strategic goals, pushing back where needed and trying to maintain overall stability.

That more-of-the-same approach wouldn't appeal to Putin, who would be wary of looking weak by cooperating with the US, Rojansky said. Russia's narrative blames the US and Europe for its economic woes.

"I think what Putin is signaling is that if you are simultaneously adding to sanctions while expecting to do quid pro quo diplomacy with us, that's too big of a risk" for him politically, Rojansky said. "So instead of quid pro quo it will be tit for tat."

Russian diplomats have stressed recently that Moscow will take measures to retaliate for the seized diplomatic compounds if they aren't returned soon. And on Wednesday, Ryabkov promised retaliation for the renewed sanctions.

"There will be a response"

"There will be a response to the new American attack," he said. "including practical retaliatory measures on our part."

All of this is unfolding as Russia continues to shadow the President at home. The White House is operating amid investigations into alleged collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Moscow and the possibility Trump tried to obstruct those inquiries.

That has likely slowed any shift in US policy toward Moscow, as has another basic factor: The administration has yet to fully staff Russia-related positions at the White House and State Department or clearly articulate how it will approach the Kremlin.
The amount of pepper spray and restraints being used on the inmates at the states youth prison and the length of time inmates are locked in solitary confinement are problems too severe to leave to state officials to remedy, a federal judge said Thursday.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson signaled he wants large-scale changes at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, which has been under investigation over potential abuse allegations for two years and is at the center of a lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections alleging violations of inmates constitutional rights, including the right to live free from cruel and unusual punishment.

I didnt really take this job to run Wisconsins prison system  I dont want to overreach, Peterson said at a Thursday hearing in the case. But I do have concerns that the problems are so severe and the harm to the residents of Lincoln Hills is so acute that Im not confident I should just let the state take its time to reform (practices).

Peterson said he believes in the good will of DOC staff but that the facilitys use of pepper spray and solitary confinement must be changed sooner rather than later.

The state just seems to have been moving very, very slowly in the face of widespread criticism of Lincoln Hills, Peterson said.

Nine current and former inmates, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and the Juvenile Law Center, are suing the DOC for its use of solitary confinement, hand and leg cuffs and pepper spray at Lincoln Hills.

Peterson signaled he wants the facilitys practices  which he said may be unconstitutional and are excessive  to be overhauled immediately, but also said he doesnt know if the lawsuits allegation that DOC staff were deliberately indifferent to the harm the practices have inflicted on inmates has been proven.

Brian Gustke, director of security since July of 2016, testified that he wants to get to a point where inmates held in solitary confinement are released for four hours per day. Currently, the average is less than half that time and some inmates arent released at all in 24 hours.

When asked why that goal cant yet be met, Gustke said the facility has had unpredictable staffing patterns and guards assigned to the solitary housing units arent always familiar with how things work, leading to confusion.

Wendy Peterson, superintendent of the facility, testified Thursday that the staff is creating low-risk and high-risk housing units to avoid sending inmates with more behavior problems back and forth to solitary confinement cells.

DOC Secretary Jon Litscher was supposed to testify but didnt because of a scheduling matter.

Seeking pepper spray

One juvenile prisons expert called to testify Thursday by the plaintiffs said some teen inmates are spending so much time alone in solitary confinement that they purposely behave in ways that will trigger being pepper-sprayed so they can receive stimulation and get out of their cells.

Vincent Schiraldi, a former juvenile corrections director in Washington, D.C., also said youth prison staff who work for the state Department of Corrections do not need to use pepper spray, solitary confinement or restraints to maintain safety.

Schiraldi, who reviewed DOC policies, practices, incident logs and did interviews with inmates and staff, described an environment that has inmates in solitary confinement for more than a week prompting guards to pepper-spray them.

The plaintiffs attorney showed two videos of incidents during which prison staff used pepper spray on inmates: one from a fixed security camera in the hallway of a Copper Lake housing unit and another from a handheld camera used to film an incident in a Lincoln Hills unit.

In one seven-minute video taped in April 2016, Copper Lake staff repeatedly asked a female inmate to return to her cell; she instead remained in the hallway pacing around. Eventually, a guard pepper-sprayed her when she continued to refuse to walk into her room. A guard sprayed her again after she dropped on the hallway floor with other guards holding her.

Wendy Peterson said the girl had a tendency to harm herself and staff were concerned she was going to do so.

In a second video, guards twice sprayed an inmate who was inside his cell but refused to move his arms into the cell. Gustke said guards were trying to prevent the inmate from disrupting the distribution of medication  as a different inmate once did while also injuring a guard.

Schiraldi said in both cases, the staff could have waited longer or used other practices to get the inmates to comply because neither were threatening harm.

Earlier Thursday, Judge Peterson denied a request made by lawyers representing the plaintiffs to show the videos in private. The Wisconsin State Journal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Associated Press, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council had urged Peterson to allow the videos to be shown in court, and the judge agreed if those in the courtroom agreed not to identify the juveniles in the videos.

Restraints an issue

The time inmates spend in their cells and how often they are put in restraints depends on the security risk prison staff determine they pose. On average, inmates considered less risky who are in solitary confinement spend about an hour working on school work, take a 10-minute shower and spend 20 minutes for recreation.

During the testimony, attorneys for the plaintiffs showed a photograph of what is known at the prison as Golds Gym, which is a small cell with two balls that inmates use for recreation.

In one case, an inmate was kept in solitary confinement for 72 days with a handful of visits from staff in that time.

Schiraldi testified the DOCs use of pepper spray, restraints and lengths of stay in solitary confinement are not reasonably calculated to improve safety of the facility.

Stuart Grassian, a board-certified psychiatrist who works with former inmates of juvenile facilities and believes solitary confinement should never be used, said keeping inmates in solitary confinement engenders combative behavior instead of correcting it.

But Gustke said consequences for misbehavior are necessary.

Judge Peterson also questioned the departments use of pepper spray, citing the 220 times it was used on inmates in 2016 compared to the 45 times it was used in 2015.

Something is wrong with the use of (pepper spray) and if it werent for this suit, it would still be going on, Peterson said.

Wendy Peterson, who is not related to Judge Peterson, noted during her testimony the 2016 figures came during a time when the facility had 20 percent of its positions vacant.
A group including a UW Health doctor plans to launch the Madison Street Medicine Initiative this fall to help people who are homeless get medical care.

Madison Area Care of the Homeless, also known as MACH OneHealth, hopes to start the project by September, said Dr. Ann Catlett, a palliative care specialist at UW Hospital and a leader of the effort.

The group seeks volunteer doctors and other health professionals to make weekly rounds to shelters, campsites and streets, and provide basic care to homeless people, Catlett said. Eventually, the providers will accompany homeless patients to clinic visits and help them navigate the health care system.

Our vision is that everybody has access to the health care that they need, Catlett said.

UnityPoint Health-Meriter started a similar program in 2009, called Helping Educate and Link the Homeless, or HEALTH. Providers visited shelters and meal programs, and saw patients at a Quonset hut outside of the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry on Fish Hatchery Road.

The Affordable Care Acts expansion of health insurance in 2014 caused Meriter to leave the hut and shift to helping the homeless sign up for coverage and get to clinics, said Matt Julian, a social worker who does outreach through the program.

Im a friendly face in the community who tries to get them into the clinic, Julian said.

MEDiC, a program involving students at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, has clinics for the homeless and other underserved populations at set times and places.

Catlett said providers with the Madison Street Medicine Initiative will treat wounds and simple infections, but a main goal of the weekly visits will be establishing trust with homeless patients. That should make the patients more comfortable going to clinics or the hospital when needed, she said.

Whether its the clinic, the hospital, the emergency room or back out on the street, we would like to be a link between all those places, she said.

The initiative, supported by $100,000 from the Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment at UW-Madison, is an extension of a foot care clinic MACH OneHealth started in April 2016. It has been held monthly Downtown at First United Methodist Church, with the next one on July 15.

Catlett also hopes to open a house where the homeless and other isolated people who are dying could receive end-of-life care.

We all want to be really comfortable, and to be in a safe place, and to have love around us when near death, she said.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. shoots down a Syrian fighter-bomber. Iran launches missiles into eastern Syria. Russia threatens to attack coalition aircraft west of the Euphrates. What is going on?

It might appear a mindless mess, but the outlines are clear. The great Muslim civil war, centered in Syria, is approaching its post-Islamic State phase. Its the end of the beginning. The parties are maneuvering to shape what comes next.

Its Europe, 1945, when the war was still raging against Nazi Germany, but everyone already knew the outcome. The maneuvering was largely between the approaching victors  the Soviet Union and the Western democracies  to determine postwar boundaries and spheres of influence.

So it is today in Syria. Everyone knows the Islamic State is finished. Not that it will disappear as an ideology, insurgency and source of continuing terrorism both in the region and the West. But it will disappear as an independent, organized, territorial entity in the heart of the Middle East.

It is being squeezed out of existence. Its hold on Mosul, its last major redoubt in Iraq, is nearly gone. Raqqa, its stronghold in Syria and de facto capital, is next. When it falls  it is already surrounded on three sides  the caliphate dies.

Much of the fighting today is about who inherits. Take the Syrian jet the United States shot down. It had been attacking a pro-Western Kurdish and Arab force (the Syrian Democratic Forces) not far from Islamic State territory.

Why? Because the Bashar Assad regime, backed by Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, having gained the upper hand on the non-jihadist rebels in the Syrian heartland (most notably in Aleppo), feels secure enough to set its sights on eastern Syria. If it hopes to restore its authority over the whole country, it will need to control Raqqa and surrounding Islamic State areas. But the forces near Raqqa are pro-Western and anti-regime. Hence the Syrian fighter-bomber attack.

Hence the U.S. shoot-down. We are protecting our friends. Hence the Russian threats to now target U.S. planes. The Russians are protecting their friends.

On the same day as the shoot-down, Iran launched six surface-to-surface missiles into Syrian territory controlled by the Islamic State. Why? Ostensibly to punish the jihadists for terrorist attacks two weeks ago inside Iran.

Perhaps. But one obvious objective was to demonstrate to Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni Arabs the considerable reach of both Irans arms and territorial ambitions.

For Iran, Syria is the key, the central theater of a Shiite-Sunni war for regional hegemony. Iran (which is non-Arab) leads the Shiite side, attended by its Arab auxiliaries  Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Shiite militias in Iraq and the highly penetrated government of Iraq, and Assads Alawite regime. (Alawites being a non-Sunni sect, often associated with Shiism.)

Taken together, they comprise a vast arc  the Shiite Crescent  stretching from Iran through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean. If consolidated, it gives the Persians a Mediterranean reach they have not had in 2,300 years.

This alliance operates under the patronage and protection of Russia, which supplies the Iranian-allied side with cash, weapons and, since 2015, air cover from its new bases in Syria.

Arrayed on the other side of the great Muslim civil war are the Sunnis, moderate and Western-allied, led by Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan  with their Great Power patron, the United States, now (post-Obama) back in action.

At stake is consolidation of the Shiite Crescent. Its already underway. As the Islamic State is driven out of Mosul, Iranian-controlled militias are taking over crucial roads and other strategic assets in western Iraq. Next target: eastern Syria (Raqqa and environs).

Imagine the scenario: a unified Syria under Assad, the ever more pliant client of Iran and Russia; Hezbollah, tip of the Iranian spear, dominant in Lebanon; Iran, the regional arbiter; and Russia, with its Syrian bases, the outside hegemon.

Our preferred outcome is radically different: a loosely federated Syria, partitioned and cantonized, in which Assad might be left in charge of an Alawite rump.

The Iranian-Russian strategy is a nightmare for the entire Sunni Middle East. And for us too. The Pentagon seems bent on preventing it. Hence the Tomahawk attack for crossing the chemical red line, and the recent fighter-bomber shoot-down.

A reasonable U.S. strategy, given the alternatives. But not without risk. Which is why we need a national debate before we commit too deeply. Perhaps we might squeeze one in amid the national obsession with every James Comey memo-to-self?
Todd Talks

By Todd Muller

This month the Port of Tauranga has set a record, processing more than one million shipping containers in one year  the first port in New Zealand to reach the milestone.



By volume we now boast the largest port in the country, with 41 per cent of New Zealands total exports by value flowing through our city with products ranging from meat, dairy and fruit to pulp, paper and Linea board.

This has a hugely positive impact on our city and wider region with more than 2000 people working at the port at any one time, and enormous flow-on effects for a number of industries. The ports success is a testament to what can be achieved when business and government, both central and local, work together in partnership.

Our best days are very much still ahead of us with the Port of Tauranga investing $350 million in infrastructure to handle larger ships, primary exports forecast to hit an all-time high of $41.6 billion in the year to June 2018, and a government that is 100 per cent committed to negotiate favourable trade terms and access to new markets.

Trade Agenda 2030 aims to have 90 per cent of our goods exports covered by free trade agreements (FTAs) by 2030. Things are already in full swing with the signing this month of the PACER Plus agreement, ushering in a new era of closer economic relations with many of our Pacific neighbours, and the 11 remaining Trans-Pacific Partnership countries agreeing in May to revive the deal without United States participation following President Trumps withdrawal (TPP-11).

Todd Muller

MP for Bay of Plenty
Police have named the man who was killed in a crash in the Bay of Plenty yesterday.

Owen Alexander Materi died in a crash between two vehicles on Te Teko Road, near Edgecumbe.

A police spokesperson says emergency services were notified at 12:43pm of a two-vehicle collision on Te Teko Road between Powell Road and Otakiri Road.

The other driver involved in the crash is understood to have suffered minor injuries.

Police says 24-year-old Owen had been living in Edgecumbe before the crash.

Polices thoughts are with Mr Materis family at this difficult time.

The Serious Crash Unit continue to investigate the crash and would like to speak to any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police.
Tauranga residents and visitors are to be given the experience of what it is like to have an on tap source of historical information in the central city with the opening of a pop up museum this coming summer.

Tauranga Moana Museum trust is discussing sites with the city council, with the soon to be vacated Council admin building site in willow Street being the first preference.

It is about community engagement. How do we engage the community? How do they learn about the region, the sites? says Tauranga Museum trustee Anne Pankhurst.

Using technology rather than artifacts, the two shipping containers will tell some of the regions stories, the battle of Pukehinahina, or the 1000 years of settlement on Mauao. There will be information on where the sites are and how to get to them, says Anne.

We will be telling those kinds of stories. Not in detail, because thats what a museum would do. But if you want to engage the community and keep the momentum of a museum running, this is one of those tools to do that.

A presentation was made to the city council this week to give the councillors a view of what the museum trust is considering, says Anne.

Whether on the admin building site or across the road on Masonic Park, the pop up museum may be there for a couple of years or more depending on the speed of the civic centre project.

Hence its got to be reasonably portable, says Anne.

We are waiting on a site decision. Regardless, the museum trust will be putting in some kind of history hub. The site will decide size and scale. Its already the beginning of that story.

We hope to have it up and running by summertime which will be great.

Anne told councillors this week that there will be a health tension between the pop-up museum being too good, and not good enough.

We dont want this to be seen as a replacement for a museum, and not that good that people go; see I told you we dont need one.

Weve got to get the balance right in the middle.
Tauranga Girls College Year 13 student, Fu Man (Amanda) Yang, has won (first equal) a national competition with her entry commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele. The battle which happened one hundred years ago in October 1917 is said to be Our Darkest Day in NZs history.

Amanda wins a place as a Youth Ambassador for New Zealand, visiting the site in Belgium in October, for the Battle of Passchendaele centenary, with the New Zealand Defence Force contingent.

The Youth Ambassador programme is an initiative of the Minister of Veterans to ensure the enduring legacy of New Zealand veterans is carried into the future. The programme involves the current generation of young New Zealanders sharing their stories and experiences of remembering New Zealands service in war and conflict.

Amanda submitted a poem titled Passchendaele 12 October 1917. The judging panel said that Amandas entry was compelling, thought-provoking and highly emotive.

Tauranga Girls College has had a focus over the past years on the centenary of the Great War, with a school history trip in April 2016 to Europe which included the WW1 battle sites in the Passchendaele and Somme areas.

Amandas prize is an all-expenses paid three week trip, and $2000 cash.

Amanda Yangs poem:

Passchendaele 12 October 1917

12 October 1917

5:25am opening barrage began

Second New Zealand infantry brigade and third New Zealand rifles

Walked on

Walked on

Mud and rain and pain

That dragged them every centimetre marched

Much closer to the grave

Cloaked by blinding gas

Suffocated

Drained

No respite

No energy left to fight

And still...

The enemy rattled through belt after belt while the New Zealanders fell by the score1

They fell on Gravenstafel road tangled in wire

No call to retire

They fought on

On 12 October 1917

3:00pm another push

This time halted

and the dying slowed

846 sons of New Zealand mothers fell

That darkest day before the dimming of the light

In the dawn eight kilometres gained

At the cost of 846

106 men and boys for every one kilometre won

But what a loss

Of New Zealand sons and lovers, men and boys

...

12 October 2017

We will remember them

They who were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.2

The sons of NZ mothers, the lovers, the brothers, the men and boys from Aotearoa

We will gather in the half light at the dawning of the day

In a foreign field

Where row on row on row the poppies grow3

Like a korowai bestowed by Papatuanuku

To cover up our men

To protect them from their foes

A foe who too lies

in a country that is not their own

A generation that will never return to their home

On this day

12 October 2017

We stand beside them as we could not do in battle

Our men, our boys from Aotearoa

Haere ra e tama Haere ra. Haria ra te aroha i ahau Aue! me tangi noa Ahau ki muri nei Te iwi e He ngakau tangi noa.4

We their people weep again

In Passchendaele 100 years today

Harper, G, Dark Journey 2007, p.57

Binyon, L For the Fallen

McCrae, John In Flanders Field

In 1918, Paraire Tomoana composed this tangi to Maori solders lost in battle during World War 1. This stanza translates as

Farewell young man, Farewell. Take my love with you Alas! There is weeping inside of me, left behind here and inside of the people Weeping in our hearts.
The Junta de Andalucia has issued a plea for more help from central government to stop the wave of claims against hoteliers by British holidaymakers for supposed illness while in Spain.

Regional tourism minister, Francisco Javier Fernandez, called on Madrid to do more, saying the situation needed mediation with the British authorities by the Spanish government...and the help of national security forces on the stretches of coast affected.

The hotel sector has become increasingly concerned about claims organised through UK legal firms in British courts from tourists who say they get sick on holiday, mainly in all-inclusive hotels. The claims are made against tour operators who pass the bill to hoteliers. They say some 90 percent of the claims are false. So far Andalucia has escaped the worst.
The president last week dazzled Wisconsin and its leaders with the possibility of tens of thousands of jobs coming here soon.

That truly would be great.

Foxconn, a Taiwanese manufacturer of Apples iPhones and other digital parts and devices, plans to invest $7 billion in an American factory, with an announcement of a location as early as next month.

Wisconsin, Michigan and other states are reportedly in the running, with President Donald Trump saying last week he and Gov. Scott Walker were negotiating to bring a major, incredible manufacturer here.

I think theyre going to give the governor a very happy surprise very soon, Trump said during a visit to Waukesha County Technical College.

Given the presidents penchant for boastful wishful thinking, state leaders cant count on thousands of Foxconn jobs coming through. Yet Wisconsin seems well positioned to attract such a company, given its manufacturing base, generous tax breaks, growing technology sector and strong technical and higher education systems.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) should be doing all it can to sell Wisconsin as the perfect place for Foxconns ambitious venture.

That said, Wisconsins business and political leaders shouldnt lose sight of how most jobs are created  by small business. Announcing the arrival of a huge employer makes for great headlines and easier re-election campaigns. Yet small businesses account for two-thirds of new jobs. And Wisconsin needs to do a better job of helping homegrown entrepreneurs find investors and global markets for their innovative ideas.

Wisconsin notoriously ranks last in the nation for business startup activity, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Too often, state leaders shower attention and favors on large, traditional employers, while largely ignoring the needs of startup companies, which have the most potential for job growth.

Landing Foxconn would be a huge victory for Wisconsin workers. But WEDC also must respect taxpayers as it offers Foxconn financial incentives.

When Kraft Heinz announced it was closing its aging Oscar Mayer plant in Madison two years ago, it simultaneously negotiated the construction of a new facility in Iowa  but at a steep price. Iowas state and local governments offered more than $20 million in incentives, which was $43,700 per job preserved, not even created.

The Des Moines Register appropriately called the deal a load of baloney.

Wisconsin should primarily sell itself to Foxconn for what the state already provides: virtually no state income tax for manufacturers, a strong workforce, and a superb education system.
The mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, says that if the Junta de Andalucia had permitted the council to run the new Museum of Malaga it would be open in the afternoons during the summer months.

The mayor was responding to numerous complaints about the fact that from 16 June to 15 September, the museum will only open from 9am to 3pm (and it is closed on Sundays and Mondays).

The decision that the Museum of Malaga should be run by the regional government instead of the local City Hall was controversial and unprecedented in Spain, and the mayor is obviously still concerned about it.

If they had accepted our proposal, this problem would not have arisen because we would have ensured that the museum had all the resources and the staff it needed. There should be more people working there. This shows a lack of foresight by the Junta de Andalucia and it is a shame, after all the effort that has gone into the project, the money that has been invested in it, and peoples expectations that it would be open during normal hours. Closing it in the afternoons and evenings may not make a great deal of difference to tourism, but it does mean that people are now restricted in the times they can visit. In the other museums in the city, including the Picasso, the opening hours are being extended in the summer. This shows a lack of thought, a lack of efficiency and a lack of interest, insists Francisco de la Torre.

The governments delegate in Malaga, Miguel Briones, is also critical, saying that the State has invested over 40 million euros in this museum, and it should be open at the times people want to visit it.

The Junta de Andalucia justifies the decision by saying that it forms part of the employees working conditions, and that these apply to all staff at museums which are managed by the regional government.

The afternoon closing is not the only reason the Junta has come under fire. Six months after the Museum of Malaga opened, the cafe and restaurant is still closed, the library is not open to the public, educational activities have not yet been organised and the temporary exhibitions have not yet been announced.
Hot on the heels of the opening of Japanese restaurant Nobu in Marbellas Puente Romano Hotel last week, bosses have been explaining their plans to open a Nobu hotel there next year.

The exclusive restaurants of Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa are well-known for their innovative, minimalist cuisine. Since 2013 Nobu has opened a series of boutique hotels to complement its brand in partnership with Hollywood actor Robert de Niro.

Marbellas new Nobu hotel will also be within the Puente Romano hotel complex, occupying the building that surrounds the Plaza Village restaurants. It will initially have 49 suites for adults between 45 and 120 metres square, with plans to grow to 81 suites in 2019. An oriental-style swiming pool will be added.

Nobu currently has six hotels - in Miami, Manila, Las Vegas, Malibu, Riyadh and London. The first hotel in Spain is due to open shortly in Ibiza.
Heavy rains this week in Wisconsin have forced the closure of several roads in Richland County because of high water.

The Sheriff's Office said rising water and flooding forced the official closure of the roads until water recedes.

The roads include the Highway D-Highway DD intersection, Highway C 2 1/2 miles west of Highway 80, and Highway I between its intersection with Highway 80 and the first bridge.

Other roads in the Rockbridge and Hub City areas are being monitored.

The roads were closed in conjunction with the Highway Department and Emergency Services.

"County officials will stay on top of the situation, and we remind all travelers to turn around, don't drown," the Sheriff's Office said.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The developer of a proposed 105-room hotel in Armory Square may seek property tax breaks from the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency if he can't get them from the agency's city counterpart.

Paul Curtin, an attorney representing hotelier Neil Patel, said Patel may apply to the county agency for property tax exemptions for the proposed Hampton Inn if the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency rejects his request for deal that would save the developer nearly $2 million over 10 years.

"My client has to consider all options," Curtin told syracuse.com Thursday.

Patel, of the family-owned Baywood Hotels, applied to the city's industrial development agency in December for a payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement that would exempt the hotel, though not the land under it, from property taxes for seven years and provide partial exemptions for the following three years. The hotel would pay full property taxes after 10 years.

In addition, Patel is seeking an exemption worth $720,000 from state and local sales taxes on construction materials, equipment and furnishings, and an exemption worth $102,525 from the state mortgage recording tax.

There appears to be support on the five-member agency for the sales and mortgage tax exemptions, but not for the property tax exemption.

SIDA member Catherine Richardson said during a meeting of the agency on Tuesday that she opposes property tax exemptions for the $15.9 million project because the hotel occupancy rate in the county is only 60 percent and the project does not meet any of the criteria the agency looks for when evaluating projects for assistance.

"I don't see anything really special about this one," she said. "It's not unique. It's not an historic building that we're trying to save."

She said she did not object to the project being built, just the idea of subsidizing it with property tax exemptions.

SIDA Chairman William Ryan said he would only support a sales tax exemption. He questioned whether the 28 jobs the hotel would create - many of them likely paying minimum wage or only slightly more - would be worth the full slate of tax exemptions sought by the developer.

Curtin said it would be unfair of the agency not to grant the project property tax breaks when it has approved such exemptions for other hotels, including a 180-room Marriott a block away in Armory Square and the 261-room Marriott Syracuse Downtown a few blocks away on East Onondaga Street.

"It's being treated differently, and I don't get it," he said.

The project would require the demolition of a mostly vacant office building on the site. Curtin said the hotel would benefit the city by drawing more visitors to Armory Square, revitalizing the block, providing more hotels rooms with which the city can market itself for large events and cleaning up a section of Onondaga Creek, which flows past the site.

He said the 60 percent average hotel occupancy rate cited by Richardson includes "lesser-grade" motels and hotels and those not affiliated with a national chain. "That brings it down a little bit," he said.

The city agency agreed to postpone a vote on Patel's application until its July meeting to give Curtin time to hold further discussions with the agency's executive director.

Pat Hogan, chairman of the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency, said the agency would consider property tax exemptions if Patel applies for them.

"We'd have to do our due diligence, but we certainly would look at it," he said. "We'd consider it if it came before us."

The county agency has the authority to grant tax breaks anywhere in the county, including within the city of Syracuse. At one time, it only assisted projects outside the city, but that changed over the past year when it granted - over the city's objections - tax breaks for a hotel at the Destiny USA mall, a student apartment complex on East Brighton Avenue and Cor Development Co.'s Inner Harbor redevelopment.

The possibility that Patel might go to the county agency for a tax deal was not lost of members of the city agency. Richardson hinted that the only reason the city agency was considering any breaks for the hotel was because Patel might otherwise run to the county agency for a deal.

"In the back of my mind, all of this is fear that we would lose control of the project because a developer will move on to OCIDA, because they don't seem to care as much about the city as we do," she said.

There is more at stake than just "control" of the project. The city development agency would receive a $160,110 project fee from Patel if it approves a tax deal for him. That fee would go to the county agency if the developer got a deal from that agency instead.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
Johnny Depp is the latest celebrity under fire for comments about President Donald Trump.

The 54-year-old actor appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in England for a screening of his 2004 film, "The Libertine," when he brought up Trump.

"Can we bring Trump here?" Depp asked the crowd, who started booing.

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood completely. I think he needs help," Depp continued.

"When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

Depp didn't go further, but appeared to be referencing actor John Wilkes Booth, who killed President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. ET reports the audience responded with a mix of cheers and boos for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star, who was treading dangerously close to Kathy Griffin territory.

"I want to clarify, I'm not an actor. I lie for a living," Depp added with a smile.

"By the way, this is going to be in the press and it'll be horrible. It's just a question, I'm not insinuating anything."

Nevertheless, some Trump supporters suggested Depp threatened the president.

"Secret Service, we have video evidence of Johnny Depp threatening to assassinate President Trump. Please do something!" a Twitter account linked to Tennessee Republicans tweeted.

New York's Public Theater has lost sponsors and faced protests for depicting Trump being assassinated in a production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." Griffin was fired from co-hosting New Year's Eve on CNN and lost several standup comedy gigs after holding up a bloodied head that resembled Trump. Snoop Dogg also mock-assassinated a Trump lookalike in a music video, prompting criticism from POTUS himself.

"Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!" Trump tweeted in March.

Depp, who played Trump in a Funny Or Die movie based on "The Art of the Deal," next appears in a "Murder on the Orient Express" remake and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2."
One person is in critical condition after a two-vehicle crash this morning on the Lakeport Road railroad bridge between Fyler Road and the village of Chittenango, Madison County sheriff's deputies said.

Earlier reports said that a baby was critically injured, but deputies said that wasn't the case.

The three children in the car - ages 7 months, 21 months, and 2 1/2- were taken to the hospital with injuries, police said. All the adults were wearing seat belts, deputies said.

Harley Gulley, 23, is in critical condition, and was a front-seat passenger in a car driven by Nicole Champion, 22, of Chittenango, according to deputies.

Also injured was Emily Stewart, 18, of Chittenango, who was in serious condition with non-life threatening injuries, deputies said.

The vehicle operated by Champion was traveling south on Lakeport Road when it crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle operated by Theresa Stewart, 50, of Chittenango, police said. The vehicle operated by Champion overturned and came to rest on top of the guardrail, police said.

Four passengers were in Champions vehicle, including three children, and one passenger was in Stewart's vehicle. All seven were transported to University Hospital, deputies said.

Polices said the investigation is continuing at this time, and charges are pending.

New York state Police, Chittenango Police, North Chittenango Fire/ Rescue, Chittenango Fire/ Rescue, Bridgeport Fire/Rescue, Fayetteville Ambulance, Greater Lenox Ambulance and AMR Ambulance assisted at the scene.
Wayne County murder.jpg

From left to right: Jasmine J. Harlee, Knowledge Couser, Davonte Devine and Malquam Drayton.

(Wayne County Sheriff's Office)

ONTARIO, N.Y. -- A daughter conspired with three men in February to murder her mother in Wayne County, deputies said Thursday.

The motive, deputies said, was insurance money.

After a nearly five-month investigation, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office arrested four people for killing Julie L. Martin inside her Ontario home.

Charges are Martin's daughter, Jasmine J. Harlee, and three men -- Knowledge O. Couser, Malquan A. Drayton and Davontae M. Devine.

The investigation began on Feb. 1 when Martin was found dead inside 79 Jonathan Lane, a home inside the Orchard Grove Village mobile home park. She was 52 years old.

Deputies spent months investigating Martin's suspicious death -- teaming up with the Greece Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the Wayne County Coroner's Office and the Wayne County District Attorney's Office.

The investigation revealed Martin's daughter and three others killed her to pocket insurance money, deputies said. The cause of Martin's death was not disclosed.

Here are the defendants:

Jasmine J. Harlee, Martin's 22-year-old daughter, of 8601 York Settlement Road, Sodus, was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree conspiracy.

Knowledge O. Couser, 21, of 205 Depew St., Rochester, was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree conspiracy.

Malquan A. Drayton, 19, of 53 Pinnacle Road, Pittsford, was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree conspiracy.

Davontae M. Devine, 18, of 53 Pinnacle Road, Pittsford, was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree conspiracy.

Harlee, Couser, Drayton and Devine were arraigned in Ontario Town Court. All four are being held in the Wayne County Jail without bail.

The investigation remains open. Deputies asked anyone with information to call (315) 946-9711.
SALINA, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man chased another driver for miles during a road rage incident, ramming the vehicle -- with several children in it -- into a concrete barrier, the New York State Police said.

About 2:30 p.m. Thursday a trooper was on patrol on Interstate 81 northbound in the town of Salina when he came upon a Ford pickup-truck that had crashed.

Jerry Pizarro

The pickup had slammed into a concrete barrier and spun around before coming to rest facing south in the northbound lanes near 7th North Street, state police said. Five people -- including a small child and an infant -- were getting out when the trooper arrived, state police said.

The occupants of the pickup were followed through the city of Syracuse by a man in a dark SUV, state police said, even through the driver of the pickup tried several times to get away from the SUV.

State police said the driver of the SUV pulled alongside the pickup several times and made hand gestures showing he had a gun.

The pickup driver got on I-81 north to put more distance between himself and the SUV, state police said. But the SUV rammed into the back of the pickup several times, which caused it to crash, state police said. The man in the SUV drove off.

State police said no one in the pickup was seriously injured.

Troopers eventually identified the man in the SUV as Jerry Pizarro, state police said. He was arrested at his home in Syracuse.

State police did not say how they identified Pizarro as the suspect or what caused the road rage incident.

Pizarro, 29, of Carbon Street, Syracuse, was charged with second-degree criminal mischief, five counts of reckless endangerment, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and three counts of third-degree menacing.

Pizarro was arraigned in Clay Town Court and ordered held at the Onondaga County jail in lieu of $5,000 bail or bail bond.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Police are searching for a man suspected of stabbing another man in the neck Friday on Syracuse's West Side.

A stabbing was reported at 10:14 a.m. in the 200 block of Grand Avenue, said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a Syracuse Police Department spokesman. When officers arrived, they found a man who had been stabbed in the neck, he said.

American Medical Response rushed the wounded 34-year-old man to Upstate University Hospital. He is listed in serious condition, but is expected to survive, Helterline said.

The suspect was described as a black man in his 30s with a large build, Helterline said. The suspect was about 5 feet 11 inches tall and may have been wearing red shorts, he said.

Detectives are continuing to investigate the stabbing.

Police asked anyone with information about the incident to call (315) 442-5222 or submit tips through the anonymous SPD Tips app.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Working Families Party has endorsed Joe Nicoletti in the race for Syracuse mayor.

The endorsement would give Nicoletti a second line on the general election ballot if he wins a Democratic primary in September.

Nicoletti said he is "thrilled" to have the endorsement and a potential second ballot line. The Onondaga County Democratic Party endorsed him in May by a razor-thin margin. There are five Democrats challenging him in a primary.

The Working Families Party is closely allied with the Democratic Party in New York and champions many of the same progressive causes.

Ken Warner, upstate political director for Working Families, said Nicoletti has a long history of supporting progressive issues, including the hiring of minority and women owned businesses. Warner also praised Nicoletti's opposition to the Consensus proposal for a metropolitan government.

The party interviewed several other Democrats in the race, including Marty Masterpole, Juanita Perez Williams and Alfonso Davis, Warner said.

The Working Families Party has 467 registered voters in Syracuse. There are about 38,000 Democrats in the city, 10,000 Republicans and 15,000 unaffiliated voters.

Nicoletti will need 24 signatures from registered party members to get on the ballot. He said he plans to get double that.

Along with Nicoletti, the party endorsed nine other candidates in city races:

Helen Hudson - Common Council president

Khalid Bey - Common Councilor-at-large

Tim Rudd - Common Councilor-at-large

Vanessa Bogan - City Court Judge

James Cecile - City Court Judge

Derrek Thomas - City Court Judge

Patricia Body - Education commissioner

David Cecile - Education commissioner

Darlene Medley - Education commissioner

Each of those candidates also received the Democratic endorsement except for Medley.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The ride-booking app Lyft will pay the Syracuse airport $2 every time it picks up or drops off a passenger at the airport, executive director Christina Callahan said Friday.

The app will also pay a one-time fee of $2,500 to the airport to be used for signs and other "logistics" for designating an area for the ride-booking app to use on airport property, Callahan said.

She could not provide an estimate of how much money the airport would make off of Lyft a year, saying the airport would wait and see how much passengers actually use the app.

"We're not sure yet," she said. "That's something we're going to monitor."

An identical contract was offered to Lyft's competitor, Uber, but the airport has not yet heard back, Callahan said. Unless Uber responds and agrees to the contract, it will not be able to pick up passengers at the airport.

"As of today, Lyft has signed an agreement. Uber has not," Callahan said.

The apps are arriving in Upstate New York on Thursday after they were legalized to operate here in the state budget passed in April. At the moment, New York City is the only place in the state where they operate.

In Buffalo, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority agreed Thursday evening it would charge a $3.50 fee per ride in addition to a $5,000 "permit" fee to Lyft to allow it to pick up or drop off passengers, according to the Buffalo News.

Lyft then said Friday it would not operate at the Buffalo airport unless that price went down. It said those charges are the fifth highest in the country "and outside of industry standards for the size of its operations."

"We will not be able to operate at BUF under these terms. Lyft has worked with over 220 airports across the country to help with cost recovery, and we are hopeful we will be able to find a way forward here as well," the statement reads.
Dr. Chinazo Cunningham is a doctor and professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System in Bronx, New York. She has spent nearly two decades providing care, developing programs and conducting research focused on people who use drugs.



By Dr. Chinazo Cunningham | Special to Syracuse.com



When a strategy doesn't work, conventional wisdom recommends changing it. But when a strategy backfires and creates more problems than it solves, changing the strategy becomes a moral imperative. This is where we stand with the war on drugs today.

Beginning in New York with the Rockefeller drug laws, legislators thought they could reduce drug use by passing harsh sentencing laws. This philosophy spread to the national level, and today we have mandatory minimums for nonviolent, drug-related crimes. Yet these strategies failed to achieve their primary goal of reducing drug use. Instead, they contributed to mass incarceration, mostly locking up people of color, and wasted billions of taxpayer dollars in the process. Current drug policies are ineffective and harmful, so what are our representatives doing to change these policies?



Recently, Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, and Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-Nassau County, responded to the failing drug war by pouring gasoline onto the forest fire. They introduced legislation in Congress that would create harsher penalties for selling synthetic opioids, a policy that would represent taking several steps backwards from the newly strengthened focus on medical treatment for addiction. Instead, this policy harkens back to the 1980s, when harsh penalties against powder and crack cocaine were introduced to respond to the perceived cocaine crisis. Just as those laws failed to address the problems associated with cocaine use, this new law, if passed, won't stop synthetic opioid use. Rather, it risks further contributing to mass incarceration and will likely harm minority communities the most.



To be clear, opioid and synthetic opioid misuse is a problem -- a serious problem. I know this firsthand. As a doctor and professor, I have spent nearly two decades researching and caring for people with addiction. Today in the United States, more people are overdosing on opioids than ever before. And the numbers are still growing. But how many people must suffer before Representatives Katko and Rice realize their current strategy just does not work? How many people must we throw into prison for nonviolent crimes before they see that too many lives have been wasted? It's time that we listen to conventional wisdom and try something different. Fortunately, we have methods that are not only different, but that have been proven to help people and can better address the opioid epidemic.



Instead of dedicating more and more money to prisons and incarceration, we need to focus our resources on providing education to all, and medical treatment to people with addiction. This includes many things. First, we need to educate the public about the realities of drug use and treatment. We must highlight that addiction is a medical illness that can affect anyone -- it is not a moral failing. Second, we need to train medical providers, including primary care providers and non-addiction experts, on how to understand and treat addiction. For most people, a primary care provider is the first line of defense and much more accessible than an addiction expert. Finally, we need to address the lack of comprehensive addiction treatment in our health care system and insurance companies. Too many people today are unable to afford the treatment they need to get better -- something that will only be exacerbated by proposed cuts to Medicaid.



Representatives Katko and Rice, the solutions to the opioid problem are here. If you're serious about addressing the opioid problem, I urge you to choose compassion and care over prison and punishment. The tough-on-crime approach didn't work in the 1980s, and it won't work today.




Syracuse University on Friday became the fifth school in Central New York to confirm it's opting out of a new state program that provides tuition aid to students at private colleges and university.

SU is the largest school in the region to reject Gov. Andrew Cuomo's initiative, which he has touted as a plan to make college affordable for New York residents and to help keep college graduates from leaving the state.

SU joins Le Moyne College, Colgate University, Cazenovia College and Ithaca College among Central New York private schools that decided to opt out of the state's Enhanced Tuition Award program.

SU Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly said in a statement Friday that the university will consider making the program available to its nearly 15,000 undergraduates next year.

"The university has carefully reviewed the ETA program and made the decision not to participate this year," Wheatly said. "Moving forward, as the program matures, we will annually re-evaluate this decision, consistent with Syracuse University's longstanding commitment to opportunity and access."

Wheatly did not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision. Other schools that opted out of the program cited its strict requirements for graduates to remain in New York for up to four years after graduating. Several schools said those requirements are unreasonable in a tight job market for graduates.

Private colleges and universities in New York faced a Monday deadline to inform the state if they would take part in the program beginning this fall. The state has not yet made public the list of about 100 private schools that opted in or out of the program.

The ETA program is the private school counterpart to Cuomo's Excelsior Scholarship program that offers free tuition to students attending the state's public colleges and universities.

Under terms of the program, the state will award up to $6,000 per academic year for eligible undergraduates in private, not-for-profit colleges or universities in New York. Only students who live in the state are eligible to apply.

In return for the grants, students must agree to live and work in New York for up to four years after graduating. Graduates who leave the state before fulfilling their commitment would have to pay back all or part of their tuition aid, which would convert to a loan.

SU said it already provides more than $255 million in financial aid each year to support undergraduates, including students from lower-and middle-income families. Wheatly said almost half of the support goes to students from New York state.

Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
Students of Hannibal High School celebrated at their senior dinner dance Thursday, June 22, 2017. The event was held at Lombardo Bridie Manor, 1830 Bridie Manor in Oswego.

Above is our gallery of photos from the event.

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Syracuse, N.Y. - When Habiba Boru was a child living in a refugee camp in Kenya, her mother cooked and sold samosas and injera flatbread from a hut.

Boru's mother called it "Habiba's Hotel," after her daughter.

This week, Boru is cooking for her parents, in a sense. She's making traditional Ethiopian food for about 200 people in Syracuse this weekend to raise money to fly to England to see her father before he loses his eyesight.

"Tough times teach you everything," Boru said.

Boru has wanted to open an Ethopian restaurant in Syracuse for years. That remains a dream, as she and her husband raise five young children. But this weekend, Boru will get a test run by cooking for an expected crowd of 200 at With Love, Restaurant on Saturday night.

Boru learned just three weeks ago her father was going blind. She Skypes with her parents, who live in England, daily, she said. But her mother held back the prognosis, trying to spare Boru the bad news.

So she's rushing to raise enough money to buy tickets for herself and her five children to fly to England. Only two of her children have met her parents before. Boru last saw her mother and father six years ago.

Boru came to Syracuse, alone, in 2000. She was 14 and a refugee from Ethiopia. (Her parents gained permission to move to England eight years later.) She'd spent 10 years living in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya. There, her mother taught her to cook.

"If you don't learn to cook....you will not get a husband," Boru's mother advised, offering a universal message from many mothers to many daughters. "Or, you will starve," she added.

Boru remembers sitting on a stool next to her mother as she cooked in Kenya. She learned to make injera bread, gomen (collard greens with garlic and ginger), misir wat (red lentil stew), and doro wat (spicy chicken stew with berbere, a hot mix of peppers and spices).

She'll serve those dishes on Saturday evening at the restaurant on North Salina Street in Syracuse. Diners are asked to donate whatever they want in return. The doors open at 5 p.m.

Adam Sudmann, of With Love and My Lucky Tummy, helped coordinate the meal. He also put a call out for volunteer sous chefs to help Boru cook on Thursday.

About 10 came, including one from Rochester. Most had never met Boru before.

They chopped vegetables and washed dishes at the Bishop Harrison Center on Lancaster Avenue in Syracuse. In return, Boro shared her recipes and her cooking techniques:

To begin each stew, steam the chopped onion until it is very soft, then add the oil and fry it. That will help develop the flavor and allow the onion pieces to dissolve in the final dish.

Use a food processor to make a paste of garlic and ginger (added in equal amounts). Once the onion has sauteed, add the paste.

Chop the chicken into cubes but leave the bones in for more flavor.

Soak the red and green lentils, for about half an hour, before cooking.

Boru said she gets most of her Ethiopian ingredients, such as spices and flour, from trips to Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Cleveland.

Syracuse does not have an Ethiopian restaurant. Rochester has three. Ithaca has one. While about 9,500 refugees have moved to Onondaga County in the past decade, only about 100 were from Ethiopia.

Boru says most of the recent refugees from her homeland are still too young to open a business. She has a 3-month-old, in addition to four other children, ages 13, 12, 7 and 6. So, for now, it's not quite the right time for her family to open a place.

"That's still my dream to cook," said Boru. "I pray and dream that one day I'll have my own Ethiopian restaurant."
Jamal Abdullahi works as a custodian at Wilson Magnet High School in Rochester. His daughter Dursitu Duresso who walks the hallways of the school where he sweeps the floors is graduating Saturday as valedictorian.

According to the Democrat & Chronicle, it's not the first academic success in Abdullahi's family. His eldest daughter Biiftu Duresso also graduated as valedictorian from the same school two years ago.

Biiftu attends Barnard College in New York City. Dursitu is following her sister's footsteps and will attend the same college in the fall. Both sisters want to pursue medicine and have plans for medical school.

Originally from Ethiopia, Abdullahi grew up poor and illiterate in a rural area. He came to the United States in 1983 as a refugee and found work shortly thereafter with the Rochester City School District.

Abdullahi studied while working to support his family. Over the years, he has earned a high school equivalency degree, an associate's degree, and a bachelor's degree in psychology.

His dream was to become a teacher, however, Abdullahi needed to provide for his children's future instead.

"This country made it possible for me when they took me as a refugee, and exposed me to a world that is big and better than where I used to live in many ways," Abdullahi said to the Chronicle. "That drove me to invest in my children."
The daughter of former Gov. Malcolm Wilson wants to keep his name on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Katharine Wilson Conroy told the Democrat & Chronicle that the bridge was a big part of her childhood, taking family vacations from New York City to Buffalo in the mid '50s. Those road trips including crossing the three-mile bridge over the Hudson River.

"As soon as that bridge opened, he put my mother, me and my sister in the car, and we drove from our home to Buffalo," she told the newspaper. "He was enormously proud of it and excited by it."

Wilson's name was added to the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1994, officially becoming the Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge. Wilson was governor of New York state from 1973 to 1974; he died in 2000.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, however, has proposed renaming the bridge after his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. A surprise bill submitted to the Assembly Wednesday night sought to rename the bridge and its $3.9 billion replacement as the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, dropping both Wilson's name and the Tappan Zee name.

Cuomo waived the mandatory three-day waiting period for the bill so the Senate could vote Wednesday, but the Assembly adjourned and left the Capitol without voting on the measure. Lawmakers are not scheduled to return until January.

It's unclear if Cuomo will pursue the bill when the Assembly returns. Cuomo has not commented publicly on the measure.

Mario Cuomo, who died in early 2015, served as New York state governor from 1983 to 1994.

A replacement for the bridge between Rockland and Westchester counties has been under construction for more than 3 years. The new Tappan Zee Bridge, which is being built alongside the original 1955 bridge, is expected to be completed next year.

The nearly $4 billion project was listed in 2015 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as part of his $10 billion list of spending for Upstate New York, despite being just 20 miles outside of New York City. The bridge carries about 138,000 daily commuters across the Hudson River, outside of the Bronx, which is why Cuomo included it as part of Upstate.
Watervliet High School's graduation ceremony ended Thursday night with a brawl that required four police agencies to control the chaos, according to reports.

One officer was injured. Police arrested Damion M. Walker, 18, and a juvenile. Police say more arrests are possible.

Officers arrived to find about 30 people brawling in the parking lot and called for backup. One cop was injured. Posted by Albany Times Union on Friday, June 23, 2017

About 30 people were brawling in the school parking lot when someone called police at 8:34 p.m. Thursday to report a "large fight," according to the Times Union.

Watervliet police called for back up from Green Island, Colonie and Menands police departments.

The injured officer was treated at Samaritan Hospital and released.

Watervliet Police Chief Mark Spain told the Times Union they "have no idea" what sparked the fight.
A Canadian Special Operations sniper shot an Islamic State fighter from nearly 2.2 miles away in Iraq, the Toronto-based Globe and Mail newspaper reported Thursday.

The shot, according to the report, happened within the last month. In a statement following publication of the Globe and Mail article, the Canadian Special Operations Command confirmed that one of its soldiers from the elite Joint Task Force 2 hit a human target from 3,540 meters away. The statement did not say exactly where the event took place.

"For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners, we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place," the statement said. "The [Special Operations Task Force] provides its expertise to Iraqi security force to detect, identify and defeat Daesh activities from well behind the Iraqi security force front line in Mosul," it added, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

If true, the shot - or multiple shots - would join the macabre ranks of the longest sniper kills in history.

The Globe and Mail said the shooter used a McMillan Tac-50 rifle. The U.S.-made rifle, chambered in .50 caliber, is known in the Canadian armed forces as the C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon and was responsible for multiple record-breaking shots during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan in 2002. The weapon has a maximum effective range of around 4,000 yards and weighs roughly 26 pounds.

The Tac-50 is billed as being able to shoot a .5 inch bullet group at 100 yards. Meaning at 3,871 yards, its grouping size would be somewhere around 20 inches. For the soldier to hit his target 3,540 meters (3,871 yards) he would need to account for every atmospheric factor available. Windspeed, temperature, barometric pressure, the bullets yaw and the rotation of the earth would all need to be considered before pulling the trigger. These variables, once harnessed from devices such as a handheld weather meter and potentially range-finding equipment on the gun, would then be processed through a ballistic calculator that would let the shooter make the necessary adjustments on the rifle's scope.

Evan McAllister, a former Marine sergeant who served multiple deployments as a sniper in Ramadi, Iraq and in Afghanistan's Helmand province, said little is known about the capabilities of a unit like Joint Task Force 2. The unit was likely operating with an array of systems to help make the shot, he said.

"While the shot was possible with the outstanding ballistic properties of a match .50 projectile, a conventional rifle scope would make seeing the target at that range almost impossible, and it may be likely that the sniper team had some form of assistance either from an extremely advanced rifle scope or an overhead drone," McAllister said. "There is also a chance that the sniper couldn't exactly see the target or the impacts, but a spotter with an advanced optical device was able to verbally walk the sniper onto the target and correct his aim."

The Canadian military maintains a robust special operations presence in Iraq in lieu of conducting airstrikes on behalf of the U.S.-led coalition. Much like their American counterparts, the units provide assistance for Iraqi forces and have been filmed on the front lines.
The mystery has been solved. The owners of a Canadian hotel, who reported a missing severed and dehydrated toe, have retrieved their well-known cocktail garnish.

CBC News reports staff members at the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City reported the theft last Sunday. The toe is used for their unusual cocktail, appropriately named Sourtoe. The drink and its trademark garnish often drew tourists to their hotel in the tiny town, about 60 miles east of Alaska.

The local RCMP detachment, and later on the hotel staff, received a call on Tuesday from the alleged suspect, saying he put the severed toe in the mail. An RCMP officer was on hand Wednesday to open the package, which contained the toe and a formal letter of apology.

The hotel does have some backup toes, but the stolen toe was special, having recently been surgically removed.

"This was our new toe, and it was a really good one. We just started using it this weekend," said hotel manager Geri Coulbourne.

According to CBC, the hotel was promising a $2,500 fine for the toe. Police say charges are not expected.

But this isn't the first time a toe has gone missing from the Downtown Hotel--some have even been swallowed. Just in case more toes get stolen or their stock runs low, the hotel website has an ad seeking volunteers to donate their recently severed toes.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea on Friday called itself the "biggest victim" in the death of an American student who was detained for more than a year and died days after being released in a coma.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency denied that North Korea cruelly treated or tortured Otto Warmbier and accused the United States and South Korea of a smear campaign that insulted what it called its "humanitarian" treatment of him.

The comments published by the agency were North Korea's first reaction to Otto Warmbier's death in a U.S. hospital Monday after it released him for what it called humanitarian reasons.

Doctors at the hospital said Warmbier had suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause. Relatives say they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016.

His family and others have blamed North Korea for his condition.

Warmbier was accused of stealing a propaganda poster. Through statements on KCNA, North Korea said it dealt with him according to its domestic laws and international standards.

"Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S. ... considering that his health got worse," the agency quoted an unnamed spokesman of Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry as saying.

The spokesman also said that "groundless" speculation of torture and beatings could be refuted by American doctors who came to the North to examine Warmbier before his release and allegedly acknowledged that North Korean doctors had "brought him back alive" after his heart nearly stopped.

While Pyongyang accepted U.S. demands for Warmbier's return on humanitarian grounds, Washington "totally distorted this truth and dared to clamor about 'retaliation' and 'pressure'" on "dignified" North Korea, the spokesman told KCNA.

"To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident and there would be no more foolish judgment than to think we do not know how to calculate gains and losses," the spokesman said.

"The smear campaign against DPRK staged in the U.S. compels us to make firm determination that humanitarianism and benevolence for the enemy are a taboo and we should further sharpen the blade of law," the spokesman added, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The spokesman said it was a "mystery" as to why Warmbier died days after returning home, but compared his death to the case of another American detainee, Evan Hunziker. Hunziker was detained in North Korea for months in 1996 for illegally crossing the border and committed suicide less than a month after he returned to the United States later that year.

The spokesman didn't describe how Hunziker died, but claimed that the United States then "totally ignored" his death.

A separate KCNA article published hours earlier also criticized South Korea for using Warmbier's case to seek the release of other detainees, including six South Korean citizens. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in an interview with CBS television earlier this week that it was clear North Korea bears a heavy responsibility for Warmbier's death.

The article said South Korea was tarnishing North Korea's image with "slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture."

It demanded that South Korea return 12 restaurant workers who defected to the South last year. South Korea said the women defected on their own, while North Korea claimed they were deceived and abducted to the South.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. Three Americans remain in custody in the North.
A wildfire in Brian Head, Utah has doubled in size, causing hundreds to flee their homes as severe winds and temperatures continue to aggravate the flames.

The fire has grown 8,000 acres, reports CBS affiliate KUTV-TV in Salt Lake City. The blaze started Saturday and has steadily forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes. The fire covered 3,000 acres on Wednesday.

The flames were predicted to calm down with lower temperatures on Thursday, but residents of 400 additional homes were still evacuated. More than 700 other people have been displaced from their homes since Saturday.

According to KUTV, Garfield County Sheriff ordered evacuations for the Beaver Dam, Clear Creek and Horse Valley areas on Wednesday night.

The fire was started near the alpine community--home to the Brian Head Resort and multiple national monuments and parks in Utah's red rock country--by someone using a torch to burn weeds.

Fire officials told KUTV the fire was 15 percent contained on Thursday morning. Over 500 firefighter are fighting the flames, which have required the use of 27 engines and nine helicopters.

The Utah fire is just one of several burning across the West, with extreme heat making it difficult to control the flames.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- It's been a wet spring in Upstate New York, and it looks like summer is starting the same way.

The reason: Upstate New York has been trapped this year at the boundary of two stubborn weather systems, explained Art Degaetano, director of the Northeast Regional Climate center. The jet stream, that atmospheric river of air that draws a line between hot and cold, wet and dry, has set up between those two systems:

This medium-range outlook illustrates the high pressure centered over the Southeast that has kept rain in the Northeast and Upstate New York this spring.

A ridge, or long stretch of high pressure air, that has been loitering around the Southeast and trapping hot and humid air.

A trough, or stretch of low pressure, that's been hanging around the Great Lakes.

"We've kind of been on the boundary between that ridge and that trough," Degaetano said. "The reason why we've been so wet is that sharp boundary has been lying over New York and the Northeast. That's where the thunderstorms have set up, and these ripple storms that come through are the things producing the rain."

When a ridge, or high pressure system establishes itself, winds blow down toward the earth, he said. That inhibits the formation of clouds and thus rain, which seek out the areas of lower pressure.

Nearly all of Upstate has been rainier than normal since March 1. Syracuse, for example, has more than 50 percent of normal rainfall. Rochester has had 65 percent more.

A wet spring in Upstate New York has brought some areas nearly double the normal amount of rainfall from March 1 to May 31. June has been wetter than normal, too.

When a pattern gets stuck in place, it tends to persist. One reason is the concept of a feedback loop, in which heavy spring rainfall can lead to more summer rain because the ground is wet and so there's more evaporation for thunderstorms to soak up and drop back down.

"When the landscape is wet, you can think of it as an additional source of moisture to evaporate into the air and help to produce more rainfall," Degaetano said. "The wetness of the landscape also helps in destabilizing the air, making it easier for thunderstorms to be stronger."

He said that kind of feedback loop is more pronounced in the drier Midwest than in Upstate New York, where storm systems tap into the Great Lakes and where evaporation from the ground makes up a smaller portion of the rainfall.

Degaetano said there's more rain the Upstate's near future.

"It looks to me it's going to hang on for awhile - at least the next couple of weeks," he said.

Heavy rains are possible today, helped along by the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy.

This year's wet year is a complete reversal of 2016, when much of Upstate spent the summer and fall in a severe drought. Last year's ridge of high pressure in the Southeast extended all the way to Pennsylvania, and was stronger than this year's. That pushed the jet stream, and the rain, to the north of Upstate New York, Degaetano said.

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251
Adhere to BMP4 warns risk management concern

London-based Control Risks recorded 17 incidents of piracy and armed robbery attempts off the Horn of Africa by Somali pirate groups thus far this year.

This increase demonstrates the renewed intent of Somali pirates to target ships operating in the region, the company said. Between April and May, there were five attempted hijacks of vessels, which included two bulk carriers, a chemical tanker, and a combined chemical and oil tanker. There were also at least eight approaches reported by merchant vessels. This spike in incidents serves as a reminder to vessel operators, who may have drifted from disciplined adherence to the BMP4: Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy, to resume or reinforce these practices, the company warned. Another flurry of incidents could accompany the improvement of sea conditions towards the end of the year and beginning of 2018. Pirate groups may also move north to the Gulf of Oman, where at least one Somali group is suspected to have operated this year, seeking calmer waters. Cormac McGarry, maritime risk analyst at Control Risks, commented, While we have recorded a limited surge in Somali pirate activity in the first half of the year, it is unlikely to span beyond its current scope. However, the increase should serve as a reminder to vessel operators and governments with naval forces in the area that the threat remains. Vessels passing through the High Risk Area are likely to return to the best management practice measures which were essential in reducing Somali piracy five years ago. Similarly, international naval forces whose attention may have been diverted elsewhere after the decline in 2012 will resume a closer watch in the area. McGarry added: The combined efforts of individual vessel operators along with renewed military focus will stem the expansion of this threat. A caution however that individual, one off incidents are likely to continue to take place if onshore push factors remain unchanged.




AkzoNobel releases Intertrac Vision Lite

A wider set of customers can embark on a Digital Voyage  through AkzoNobels new tool - Intertrac Vision Lite- the coatings manufacturer claimed.

This new iPad App offers a lite version of Intertrac Vision, AkzoNobels big data hull performance prediction tool. Free-to-use Intertrac Vision Lite provides a new avenue to engage shipowners and operators in the hull coating selection process and enables them to explore the role of big data in supporting hull performance predictions and purchasing decisions.



At Nor Shipping, the company launched Digital Voyage. Powered by Big Data, AkzoNobels suite of digital tools aim to provide owners and operators with instant access to the information they need to make smarter decisions, from efficiency monitoring to purchasing optimisation. This integrated suite of digital tools includes Intertrac Perform, a tool that measures and monitors hull performance data and validates these against the predictions made by Intertrac Vision, using metrics that comply with the ISO 19030 standard on hull and propeller performance monitoring.




ETC and Thome plead guilty to pollution

On 20th June, Egyptian Tanker Company (ETC) and Singapore-based Thome Ship Management both pleaded guilty to violating the US Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) in a US court.

The hearing took place in a federal court at Beaumont, Texas at which ETC, the owner and operator of the Aframax ETC Mena also pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by covering up illegal dumping of oil-contaminated bilge water and garbage into the sea, according to the US Department of Justice. Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H Wood for the US Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and Acting US Attorney Brit Featherston for the Eastern District of Texas, announced a plea agreement that includes a $1.9 mill penalty and requires marine and coastal restoration efforts at three National Wildlife Refuges located on the Gulf of Mexico in East Texas.



US Coast Guards Marine Safety Unit in Port Arthur, Texas, launched an investigation on 26th April, 2016, when a crew member on the tanker provided a written statement, photographs and a video that the ship had illegally dumped bilge waste overboard. In pleading guilty, the companies admitted that its crew members bypassed the ships OWS and discharged bilge water into the ocean in March, 2016 without the water passing through this pollution prevention equipment. The USCGs investigation also found that crew members were instructed to throw plastic garbage bags filled with metal and incinerator ash into the sea during the same month. In violation of APPS, the discharge of bilge water without using the OWS and of plastic garbage into the ocean was not entered into the ship's Oil Record Book and Garbage Record Book. The companies also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for presenting false documents to the Coast Guard during the inspection in Port Arthur, Texas. Each company will be placed on a four-year term of probation that includes a comprehensive environmental compliance plan to ensure, among other things, that all of ships operated by Thome Ship Management that come to the US fully comply with all applicable marine environmental protection requirements established by national and international laws. The compliance plan will be implemented by an independent auditing company and supervised by a court-appointed monitor. In a statement, Thome Ship Management said that it had fully co-operated with the US Department of Justice. The US governments investigation did not reveal any evidence that Thomes shore personnel, the owners shore personnel or the vessels Master had any involvement with or knowledge of the improper conduct. The three contraventions identified were a failure to maintain the oil record book, failure to maintain the garbage record book, and obstruction of an agency proceeding by presenting a false oil record book and false garbage record book to the USCG. The underlying incident, which occurred in international waters, contravenes long held environmental and anti-pollution policies laid down by Thome. The Chief Engineer responsible for these actions no longer works for the company. Thome is committed to maintaining the highest environmental compliance standards and has acted decisively to ensure these types of incidents will not be repeated. In addition, the company has comprehensively reviewed and strengthened its environmental management system and practices following this incident, and has established an Environmental Compliance Department to oversee a rigorous compliance programme through improved training and auditing, both ashore and on board. Thome has also agreed to implement an Environmental Compliance Programme (ECP) with the assistance of a government-approved third party auditor under the oversight of a court-appointed monitor, the shipmanagement company claimed.




EU MRV discussed in Dubai

Under the auspices of the IMarEST UAE branch, Verifavia Shipping sponsored a technical meeting on the EU MRV regulation at an event attended by 80 delegates from the Middle East & Indian subcontinent maritime fraternity.

Nikeel Idnani, Honorary Secretary of IMarESTs UAE branch highlighted the important objectives of the IMO & European Commission, which is to reduce GHG emissions and improve energy efficiency in shipping. Regulations, which require ship operators to annually monitor, report & verify CO2 emissions from ships above 5,000 gt operating in the EU will commence on 1st January, 2018. CO2 emissions & relevant data will need to be reported and will be verified by independent verifiers before being sent to a central database. Yuvraj Thakur, EU MRV auditor/commercial head APAC Verifavia Shipping announced that the company had received a second accreditation (after the UK Accreditation Service) by France' s national accreditation body, Cofrac, as a global EU monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) verifier. This makes Verifavia the first globally accredited verifier to receive dual accreditation under ISO 14065 standard & regulation 757/2015 enabling the company to verify any ship anywhere in the world, regardless of country of ownership, flag state or class. With the first regulatory deadline on 31st August, 2017, shipowners and operators must act urgently to ensure timely compliance with the regulation, he said. To coincide with its most recent accreditation, Verifavia Shipping has launched its free-to-access EU MRV Extranet, which seeks to optimise and streamline the EU MRV compliance process by providing Verifavia's customers with a leading-edge platform for the secure. Aaron Holton, founder & CEO of Houston-based Tres Technology Solutions, reflected on the relatively simplistic methods of reporting, eg email and spreadsheets, that owners and technical managers have historically employed. He remarked that upcoming regulations and evolution of the industry will increase the uptake of web-based tools and automated data logging, which should simplify compliance efforts. However, data validation by these platforms is critical to comply. In addition, validated data can be leveraged in performance optimisation efforts for owners and shipmanagers, as better data will ultimately yield better insights. Tres' TVA performance optimisation software is currently undergoing MRV certification by Verifavia. Ganesh Lingaratnam, sales manager shipping, StormGeo  AWT, said that StormGeo has been collecting, monitoring and reporting data on fuel consumption and emissions on 8,300 ships. To ensure shipmanagers can trust that the reporting will be handled properly, StormGeo has started the process of becoming accredited as an MRV compliant service provider and is partnering with Verifavia.




Frontline law suit dismissed

Earlier this week, the High Court of the Republic of the Marshall Islands dismissed with prejudice, the legal action filed by Frontline to challenge DHT's deal with BW Group and DHT's Rights Plan.

Frontline is now precluded from bringing similar claims against DHT, its directors and BW Group in any other court. Under Marshall Islands' law, the dismissal also constitutes a ruling on the merits in favour of DHT. "We are very pleased with the dismissal," said Erik Lind, chairman of DHT's board. "We have consistently stated, both in court and to our shareholders, that Frontline's claims are without merit. Two courts have now agreed with us and we welcome the dismissal as an appropriate end to the matter." Cravath, Swaine & Moore is serving as legal counsel to DHT.




Market demands need to be listened by software providers

Software providers need to be more aware of the precise demands being voiced by todays shipowners and charterers, warned Q88.

They must match or exceed these if they are to win business in this highly competitive yet still potentially lucrative market. Fritz Heidenreich, President of SaaS technology provider Q88, said time was running out for those businesses intent on under-delivering and overcharging when it came to the software products they offered to the market. Other companies carry too much overhead from unnecessary functionality and line extensions that the industry does not ask for. We dont think it is fair to dump those added costs on the end-users, he said. Last month, Q88 announced the launch of a new tanker-broker exclusive Position List module on Q88.com. The product, which tracks global tanker positions in a collaborative community-like environment, was designed with the industrys needs at the heart and industry stakeholders wallets in mind, the software provider said. Being knowledgeable about the industrys most pressing issues is a must because we need to be able to swiftly react to market demands and offer cost-effective solutions to our customers. You can only achieve this if you are lean, cost-wise and know where, and how, to push forward boundaries, Heidenreich stressed. Over the years the market has asked us to build a position list system that better meets their needs. There was certainly a strain on the customer-vendor relationship for this segment. After discussing the potential with the rest of the management team, we realised we could fully deliver on the request for a more complete, mobile-friendly and lower-cost position list platform in a relatively short turn-around time, he added. Q88 now has over 80 tanker broking houses trialling its Position List system. To view the Q88 Position List video click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7yjpJWTj3Q This is not the first time that Q88 has successfully entered a market with established providers, by offering a more cost-effective solution. In 2014, it launched Q88VMS, the industrys first fully web-based voyage management system. Q88VMS comes in at below market price, compared to other established providers. With Q88VMS, we saw that small- and medium-sized shipowners and operators didnt really have an option for a voyage management system. It was either a simple voyage calculator or one of the massive systems they couldnt afford, Heidenreich explained. A subscription-based system, run over the internet, drastically cuts the implementation and set-up costs that created such a large barrier of entry for many. Were happy to have developed a cost-effective system that fulfils this segments needs. Q88 claimed that Q88VMS user-base has more than doubled in the past nine months.




Markets - Nothing to get excited about

Steady activity for VLCCs was noted this week and despite fierce attempts to shave rates, owners have managed to add a couple of points to the major routes ex MEG.

General activity may, however, not be sufficient for rates to firm in the short term. Earnings were still only in the mid $10,000s per day, which could last for the summer. WAfrica/East was also steady with rates and earnings mirroring MEG/East, Fearnleys said in its weekly report. Rates for Suezmaxes trading out of WAfrica remained under pressure, similar to last week. At time of writing (Wednesday) a voyage to the US Gulf paid WS50. Going forward, it seems we have not seen the bottom of the declining market as cargo activity remains lacklustre and the tonnage keeps adding to the already plentiful list of available ships. Although moderate activity was seen in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, this was not enough to maintain rate levels in the area, which also declined last week under the downward pressure. The North Sea and Baltic Aframax markets should soften another WS2.5 points before reaching the unofficially agreed lows for 2017. Owners should not expect too much excitement going forward, if we take previous summers and the general tanker outlook into account. Med and Black Sea trips were still stable at around WS90-95. It is Libyan activity that is keeping the rates afloat, Fearnleys concluded. Broking sources have reported several fixtures recently, some of which were for just a few months, which suggests storage contracts. For example, the 1999-built VLCC New Andros was reported fixed for up to eight months to Trafigura for $18,000 per day, which was also linked to the fixture of the 2000-built VLCC DS Tina for one to four months trading at $17,000 per day. Vitol was thought to have taken the 1997-built VLCC Grace 1 also for up to eight months at $20,000 per day. Suezmax Spyros K was thought taken by Clearlake for six months at $23,000 per day, while ATC was said to have fixed the 2016-built Suezmax Sea Shell for six option six months at $22,000 per day and the 2008-built LR1 Bowfin for 12 months at $13,500 per day. Two newbuilding Aframaxes were believed fixed to ST Shipping for two years at $17,250 per day for the first year and $17,750 for the second. Another new Aframax, the 2017-built Aquapampero was said to have been taken by ENAP for three years at $17,000 per day. In the MR segment, Total was reported as fixing the 2011-built Glenda Melody for 12 months at $14,000 per day, Koch was thought to have fixed the 2008-built Gulf Baynunah for 12 months at $13,250 per day, plus a 12 months option at $14,250 per day, while FLOPEC was believed to have taken the 2011-built Sunlight Express for 12 months at $13,500 per year. Atlas Maritime has joined Navig8s V8 pool. The Aframax Lady M due to join the pool in the coming days, Navig8 said. This will bring the number of vessels committed to the pool to 19 vessels and she will be the seventh new vessel to join this pool since the start of 2017. In the S&P sector, NORDEN has confirmed the purchase of another MR. She was built in Japan in 2010. She is the second MR purchased in a month following a 2009-built MR to be named Nord Pearl. CEO Jan Rindbo said:With the purchase of the MR product tanker, NORDEN once again takes advantage of the current reduced tonnage prices to increase the capacity and position the tanker business towards possible market improvements after 2017. The vessel will, as the other NORDEN product tankers, be operated in Norient Product Pool, which over the years has managed to consistently generate earnings above market average. The vessel has a cargo capacity of 48,000 tonnes and is expected to join NORDENs fleet in July, 2017. Avin Tankers was said to be the recipients of the 2005-built MRs Oriental Emerald and Oriental Ruby for around $10.5 mill each. It was also reported that Vroon has put three product tankers up for sale. Hellespont reportedly sold three LR1s for $42 mill en bloc. They are trading in DPP. The similar vintage LR1 King Dorian was thought sold for $14.5 mill and was also trading in DPP. Two Dong-A New Times newbuilding Suezmaxes were believed sold to Far East interests for $52 mill each. Maersk Tankers was said to have picked up $6.8 mill for the 2000-built Handysize Maersk Rapier from Greek interests. Leaving the fleet were the 1994-built Suezmax Tirupati bought by Indian breakers for $330 per ldt, the 1995-built Aframax Distya Ameya also taken by Indian breakers at the same price level and the the 1989-built small Suezmax Albasrawi also sold to Indian recyclers for $332 per ldt. In the newbuilding sector, AET has extended its partnership with Statoil in the North Sea shuttle tanker sector. Statoil has awarded a long-term contract to AET to own and operate two specialist DP2 offshore loading shuttle tankers (OLSTs). As a result, two twin skeg 125,000 dwt tankers will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries for delivery in 2019 and will be contracted to Statoil for operations both in oil fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf of the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and the southern Barents Sea, as well as on the UK Continental Shelf. Built to have a fatigue life based on 30 years of operations in the North Sea, they will be fully capable of working in the harshest of weather conditions. Each will be equipped with winterisation features, high power thrusters, shaft generators and the latest generation of bow loading system. With a focus on energy efficiency, the shuttle tankers will be built with LNG dual fuel for main and auxiliary engines and also an option to be fitted with a volatile organic compounds (VOC) recovery system. Commenting on the new contract, Statoil's senior vice president for asset management in marketing, midstream and processing, Grete Birgitte Haaland, said: "Statoil is pleased to award this contract to AET and their partners and thereby deepen and increase our cooperation within shuttle tanker operations. The agreed newbuild state-of-the-art DP2 shuttle tankers will strengthen Statoil's position for safe, efficient and cost competitive transportation of offshore loaded crude oil production to our customers. The fuel efficiency features built into these vessels, including LNG dual fuel capabilities, will significantly reduce operational costs and climate emissions. As such this contract is strongly aligned with Statoil's sharpened strategy." Captain Rajalingam Subramaniam, AETSS chairman and AET president & CEO said: "We first forged a partnership with Statoil in 2012 when we were awarded a long-term contract to operate two state-of-the-art shuttle tankers in the North and Barents Sea. I am delighted that Statoil has recognised and endorsed the quality of our operations in this most demanding of environments by giving us a further opportunity to support their business with two additional state-of-the-art DPSTs. We believe, as part of the MISC Group, our strategic partnership and our innovative solutions gave us the edge over other operators in the North Sea. Statoil is global leader in this region and I am confident that we will deliver on the trust they continue to place in our capability to deliver flawless operations in this challenging region. We are proud to be extending our partnership with this world leading oil company," he said. ADS Shipping and OSM Maritime Group chairman, Bjrn Tore Larsen said: "This is a great opportunity for us to extend our successful partnership with AET. We have been operating in this region for many years and extending the joint venture cements our relationship both with AET and Statoil. I firmly believe that the combination of technical, operational and commercial skills delivered through the joint venture will continue to provide Statoil with an ocean transportation solution that is second to none." OSM Maritime Group will provide the lead technical management, supported by the MISC Group, during the construction of the vessels. Elsewhere, Metrostar was said to have turned a further two optional Aframaxes into firm orders for $42 mill each at Daehan, while Oceangold was believed to have ordered two MRs at STX for $31 mill each for 2019 deliveries. On 5th June, Chinas Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corp (DSIC) named a newbuilding VLCC Xin Long Yang, built for COSCO Shipping. Apart from Xin Long Yang, COSCO has five 308,000 dwt and two 319,000 dwt VLCCs on order at DSIC, scheduled for delivery between 2017 and 2018. LSC Shipmanagement (LSC SM), a subsidiary of JSC Latvian Shipping Co, has taken the newbuilding Suezmax Elandra Falcon under full technical management. This is the 25th ship under the technical management of LSC SM, and we see that we can grow it even more. Due to the expansion we are looking for new employees on oil/chemical tankers  senior officers, junior officers and ratings - so that we can continue providing professional services to our clients according to international quality standards, Robert Kirkup, JSC Latvian Shipping Co chairman, said. Elandra Falcon was built by Sungdong Shipbuilding and is the second tanker to be added to the fleet this year, following the Elandra Eagle, which was handed over on 19th April.




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A Department of Homeland Security official on Wednesday told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Russian government-backed hackers targeted as many as 21 states during the 2016 presidential election.

Hackers attempted to penetrate Internet-connected systems related to the elections in up to 21 states, but they were successful only in a small number of them, said Samuel Liles, acting director of the cyber division of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

The targeted states were not named, but Arizona and Pennsylvania previously had been identified as states where hackers successfully accessed election systems.

The Russians are continuing to probe state and local systems, and there are persistent vulnerabilities that could lead to some of those systems being compromised, DHS and other officials warned.

Due to the disparate methods of voting and cybersecurity enforcement in different parts of the U.S., the risk to computer-related systems varies from county-to-county. A variety of devices are used to cast votes, and there is little uniformity of processes across polling stations.

Review and Warning

The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday also conducted a hearing focusing on the impact of Russian hacking on the 2016 elections.

Members of that committee heard testimony from former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson (pictured above), who was in charge of the department when the actual hacking took place during the final months of the Obama administration.

During that hearing, Johnson reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the hacking with the intent of influencing the outcome of the U.S. elections. However, he said that no hard votes actually were manipulated at the ballot box level.

When Ranking Member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asked why the Obama administration had not put out a more forceful warning about potential Russian hacking of the election, Johnson said there were concerns about revealing sources and methods, and that the administration did not want to appear to be taking sides in the November election.

One of then-candidate Donald Trumps constant themes was that the election was rigged, he noted.

State officials have serious concerns about the federal governments lack of information-sharing about potential threats to state and local voting systems, said Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson, president-elect of the National Association of Secretaries of State, in testimony before the Senate hearing.

Those concerns were heightened by threats referenced in a leaked NSA report, she said.

Local Risks

DHS failed to share critical information with states about specific threat information that needed to be acted upon, such as the Russian hackers targeting of 21 states, said Kay Stimson, spokesperson for the NASS.

The general feedback we received from todays hearing, she told the E-Commerce Times, is that state officials are very interested in receiving documented threat intelligence information from DHS so they can use that to protect their systems.

The lesson from the 2016 election is that even though there have been past attempts to hack into election systems, the latest activities are not the work of run of the mill adversaries, said Ken Menzel, general counsel at the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Local officials will have to work with the federal government to step up their game, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Were certainly concerned with all the attention on this that [Russia] or somebody else is going to want to get in [to U.S. voting systems] in the future, Menzel said.

In terms of the mechanics of a democratic voting infrastructure, there is always a balance to be struck between using automation versus manual efforts, according to Mark Nunnikhoven, vice president of cloud research at Trend Micro.

The automation is there to speed up the counts and increase accuracy, while manual efforts provide verification against mass manipulation and increase voter confidence in the system, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The biggest step that can be taken is to establish national cybersecurity standards for elections and election-related systems, Nunnikhoven argued.

That approach is partially in place through the National Institute for Standards and Technology, a physical science lab inside the U.S. Department of Commerce, he said, but theres a need for additional verification and educational efforts at the district level.
Essential, a company founded by Andy Rubin, the father of Android, on Tuesday pulled off the wraps on a new high-end smartphone.

The Essential Phone, priced at US$699, includes radios for connecting to all major U.S. carriers.

The unit has an almost edge-to-edge display (theres a bit of bezel at the bottom of its screen) that wraps around the 8-MP selfie camera at the front.

Built around a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, the Essential Phone comes with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

For durability, the phone has a titanium and ceramic body, which allows it to survive drops with nary a blemish, according to the company.

Magnetic Accessories

Accessories can be added to the phone via a magnetic connector on its backside. Two accessories are included with the unit  a 360-degree camera and a charging dock.

Also on the phones back is 13-MP dual sensor camera. Unlike other phones with dual-sensor cameras, which use the second sensor to take telephoto pictures or create bokeh effects, Essential uses its second sensor to boost low-light performance.

Like some other high-end phone models, the Essential mobile doesnt have a headphone jack.

In addition to its smartphone, Essential announced Home, a smart home hub. It runs on Ambient OS, an operating system that Essential hopes will become the Android of the IoT world.

Home is designed to tie together all the disparate protocols now in the space  SmartThings, HomeKit, Nest and others  as well as the various digital assistants  Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant  into a seamless user experience.

I like that Rubin announced both the new phone and the home hub, said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.

It reinforces that the company isnt just a point player, and that matters to distribution channels, he told TechNewsWorld.

Tough Road Ahead

Despite the quality of its build and some intriguing features, the Essential Phone likely faces a tough road ahead.

I have some doubts about the impact it can have without a big brand behind it, said Bob ODonnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.

Itll appeal to tech folks who want the coolest and latest and greatest, but I dont see it becoming a mainstream product, so I think it will be challenged, he told TechNewsWorld.

The audience for the Essential Phone may be limited, said Kevin Krewell, a principal analyst at Tirias Research.

It seems to appeal to people who are suspicious of Googles use of their data, he told TechNewsWorld. Its also going to appeal to the tech elite who want something a little different.

From a hardware perspective, the Essential Phone looks very good, Krewell said.

The edge-to-edge screen is impressive and the materials are top notch  but the difference is the ecosystem and distribution channels the big companies have, he pointed out. Im skeptical that it can make a significant impact. While the tech community is interested in it because its Andy Rubin, the larger market will not know who Andy Rubin is.

Pushing Innovation

There are those who have a more sanguine view of Essentials prospects, however.

If the new phone delivers on everything it promises, I believe it can compete, Moorhead said.

Its vital, though, that theres a very long road map of modules to connect, he added.

The going will be tough for Essential, when you consider the money and marketing muscle that Apple, Samsung and Google have, Moorhead acknowledged.

Then again, Rubin has considerable resources of his own and a reputation that overshadows at least some of the competition. If any entrepreneur could pull this off, Rubin can, he said.

Essentials assumption that theres room for true innovation at the top of the smartphone market is appealing, said Charles King, the principal analyst at Pund-IT.

The vendors in that space, particularly Apple, have been content to become providers of incremental improvements rather than forward-looking visionaries, he told TechNewsWorld.

If Rubin forces competitors to dig deeper, King said, so much the better for consumers and the industry.
As Uber reels from the fallout of a sexual harassment scandal that led to this weeks ouster of Travis Kalanick and several of his top executives, the company faces twin dilemmas: how to clean up its corporate work environment and restock its executive ranks; and how to maintain credibility with its customer base and core team of street level drivers.

(Photo credit: Dan Taylor / Heisenberg Media Travis Kalanick

Uber controls more than 80 percent of the domestic ride-sharing market, by many estimates, and it competes strongly in major cities around the world. However, rival firms like Lyft, Juno and others have taken advantage of Ubers recent turmoil and are nipping at its heels. Their goal is to take its drivers, woo its customers, and step out of the way while Ubers corporate image disintegrates.

While the search for a new executive team continues, Uber must focus on three things, according to Roger Lanctot, director of automotive connected mobility at Strategy Analytics. It must 1) continue to attract customers; 2) continue to recruit quality drivers; and 3) develop a positive relationship with local regulators  a battle Uber has had to fight every time it has entered a new market.

The battle for passengers and drivers  thats a hearts-and-minds kind of thing, Lanctot told TechNewsWorld. People are just feeling icky about using Uber. Theyre feeling just enough that theyre changing patterns of using Uber to using another local alternative.

Rebuilding the Brand

Lyft and other rivals have been winning the battle to attract talent, said Lanctot, because the perception among ride-sharing drivers is that Uber fosters a hypercompetitive culture that makes drivers feel like they are on their own without much support, while Lyft, on the other hand, gives a sh*t about quality and service.

For example, Lyft last month unveiled new incentives to make it easier for drivers to control their work life and make more money. Scheduled pickups  which Lyft claims its the first in the industry to offer  give drivers up to seven days warning about a customer appointment. Lyft also unveiled Power Zones in 17 cities, which allow drivers to get paid more for driving in particular areas during certain hours. Further, Lyft now offers a new app just for drivers.

While Uber was in the throes of its executive shakeup, Lyft earlier this week quietly doubled the default tip options for passengers on rides costing US$25 or more. Tip options now default to $2 to $10 on the more expensive rides from the old $1 to $5, and passengers also can opt for custom tips.

Lyft recently entered a partnership with autonomous vehicle firm nuTonomy, with plans to pilot its technology in Boston. The firm, founded by CEO Karl Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli, has been testing its autonomous vehicle technology in Singapore since the summer of 2016.

Ubers harassment scandal has not impacted the core product of the company, argued Steven Polzin, director of mobility policy research at the University of South Floridas Center for Urban Transportation Research.

However, it has seriously damaged the companys brand and attractiveness to investors and potential employees, he said.

My perception is that the shenanigans regarding governance of Uber have most impacted their business reputation with investors, and their credibility as a future IPO or place of employment for talent, Polzin told TechNewsWorld.

Its likely Uber will face a more difficult time with government regulators in the future, he said, given the companys damaged reputation for employee relations, corporate culture and leadership.

I do think the cumulative pressure on Uber will have an impact, as regulators are less likely to be intimidated and/or bullied going forward, Polzin said.

Saving Drivers

While the focus in recent days largely has been on Ubers corporate culture, there is another area where the company needs to tighten things up significantly, and thats with its still critically important base of ride-sharing drivers. Along with its astronomical growth, Uber has faced numerous battles with drivers. Many have complained over workplace rules and compensation issues, and they have sought union protection in key cities, including New York and Seattle.

Uber on Tuesday sent an email announcing a series of compensation and work rule changes geared toward improving its relationship with its core group of drivers, who are critical to the companys current business model.

The company unveiled plans to allow drivers to receive tips, with the new policy initially changing in Seattle, Houston and Minneapolis. Additional cities will be added over the next several weeks, and the system will expand nationwide by the end of next month.

Riders will have the option of tipping the driver when asked to rate their experience using the mobile app, and will be given up to 30 days to add the tip to their charges.

The launch of in-app tipping followed an April ruling by New Yorks Taxi and Limousine Commission to require the option after the Independent Drivers Guild, which represents 50,000 ride hail drivers, launched a public campaign to change Ubers policy.

Uber also announced that it would pay drivers a cancellation fee if customers canceled trips after more than two minutes  down from five minutes. Also, after two minutes of waiting for customer pickups, drivers will earn a per-minute rate

Uber announced the addition of injury protection insurance through Aon, which covers driver injuries and lost revenue. It also introduced additional perks toward its Quest driver incentive program, which gives drivers bonuses for reaching a certain number of trips in a given time period. The new incentives enable drivers to cash out their earnings instantly and allow all trips to count toward Quest.

Despite those actions, Uber has still failed to address core driver issues on the ground, said Leonard Smith, director of organizing at the Teamsters Local 117 in Seattle.

Everything that weve seen so far points to direct employees at Uber, he told TechNewsWorld. We havent really heard about drivers issues.

Uber exercises direct control over how much drivers make, yet claims they are independent contractors, Smith said.

After factoring in the costs of operation and the amount of money drivers have to pay back to Uber, some drivers are only bringing home $3 an hour, he maintained, noting that the majority of people we work with are struggling to put gas in the car.

Restoring Faith

In terms of Ubers upper ranks, the damage to executive recruiting and corporate branding likely require Uber to look for talent outside the company, said Karl Brauer, executive publisher for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book.

It reflect how much people had lost faith in Travis, he told TechNewsWorld.

Bringing in a strong female candidate, Brauer suggested, would go a long way toward sending a message that Ubers upper ranks understand they have a problem that needs to be addressed.
Foxconn, one of Apple's major suppliers, is planning to invest at least $10 billion in the United States, including a $7 billion display manufacturing plant. It hasn't been decided where the company wants to build the facility, but according to Bloomberg, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou said they have narrowed it down to seven states.

It appears Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas are all candidates for the display factory, which could mean an estimated 30-50 thousand jobs for the state. The plant is only budgeted at $7 billion so that means $3 billion or more could be invested in other areas as well.

"Our investment in the US will focus on these states because they are the heart of the country's manufacturing sector."

Gou did not indicate whether the company was leaning toward one particular state or another. Although, the Wisconsin State Journal reported last week that Milwaukee is being considered as the location for the facility. President Trump addressed Milwaukee on June 13. In his remarks, he mentioned that his administration had been in negotiations with an undisclosed company and that Governor Scott Walker might be in for "a very happy surprise soon."

"We have a lot of companies moving into the United States. We're negotiating with a lot of companies. Just backstage we were negotiating with a major, major incredible manufacturer of phones and computers and televisions, and I think they're going to give the governor a very happy surprise."

Talks of the US manufacturing plant come in the midst of faltering buyout negotiations between Foxconn and Toshiba. The Apple supplier has been bidding to take over Toshiba, offering as much as $27 billion just to get the Japanese firm to take notice. However, Toshiba seems to be favoring a Japanese consortium for the deal.

"The Toshiba deal isn't over," Gou vowed. "It is similar to Sharp's story. I believe we still have a big chance." Foxconn is expected to come to a decision on where to build the display plant by July.
Facebook's mission statement has traditionally been to make "the world more open and connected," but that's no longer the case. In an interview with CNN, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company has a new goal: "To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together."

"I used to think that if we just gave people a voice and helped people connect, that would make the world a better place by itself," said Zuckerberg at yesterday's Facebook communities summit in Chicago. "Now I believe we have a responsibility to do even more."

Facebook is no longer a place reserved for catching up with friends and sharing baby pictures/anecdotes/photos of food. With almost 2 billion users, it now has a huge influence on society as a whole. And through the ongoing problems of fake news, extremist material, and violence (on Facebook Live), the company is facing more criticism than ever before.

"Our mission of connecting people, that was not supposed to be controversial," Zuckerberg said in an interview with Bloomberg. "So now the question is, why is that a controversial thing, and how do you rebuild that?"

Zuckerberg and the Facebook team believe one of the ways to encourage community building is through the platform's Groups feature. More than 1 billion people globally use Groups, and more than 100 million are part of what the company calls "meaningful groups." Facebook wants to help 1 billion people join meaningful communities like these.

"An important part of delivering on our new mission is supporting group admins, who are real community leaders on Facebook," writes Kang-Xing Jin, Facebook's vice president of engineering, in a blog post.

The updated Groups Utility lets admins see real-time metrics around growth, engagement, and membership, as well as introducing ways to sort membership requests and schedule posts. Importantly, admins can now remove toxic users and all their posts/comments from a group in one action.

Facebook highlights examples of what it considers a meaningful group, such as the Affected by Addiction Support Group.

"When enough of us feel a sense of support in our own lives, we can start to care about broader issues, too," said Zuckerberg.
WikiLeaks has published more documents revealing the hacking tools used by the CIA. This latest dossier dump includes details on how the agency was able to infiltrate air-gapped computers - machines that hold information so sensitive they are physically isolated and incapable of connecting to other computers or unsecured networks.

The 150 pages of material published by WikiLeaks includes a user guide for the Brutal Kangaroo program that targets closed networks or computers using infected USB sticks. One of its components is Shattered Assurance, a server tool that utilizes the Drifting Deadline malware to infect any USB drives that are plugged into the machine in question. When the affected drive is then plugged into an air-gapped computer, Shadow malware is deployed onto the system.

"When a user is using the primary host and inserts a USB stick into it, the thumb drive itself is infected with a separate malware. If this thumb drive is used to copy data between the closed network and the LAN/WAN, the user will sooner or later plug the USB disk into a computer on the closed network."

"By browsing the USB drive with Windows Explorer on such a protected computer, it also gets infected with exfiltration/survey malware. If multiple computers on the closed network are under CIA control, they form a covert network to coordinate tasks and data exchange," writes Wikileaks.

The drives were sometimes able to infect machines without the user having to open any files by utilizing Windows OS exploits.

"Older versions of the tool suite used a mechanism called EZCheese that was a zero-day exploit until March 2015; newer versions seem to use a similar, but yet unknown link file vulnerability (Lachesis/RiverJack) related to the library-ms functionality of the operating system," according to Wikileaks.

In a statement, a Microsoft wrote: "Our investigation confirmed that customers on supported versions of Windows are not impacted. For the best defense against modern security threats, we recommend Windows 10, which is updated automatically by default."

WikiLeaks notes the similarities between Brutal Kangaroo and Stuxnet, the industrial malware that infected the air-gapped computers used by Iranian scientists working on the country's nuclear program.
Google has revealed that it will stop scanning the inboxes of Gmail's free users to personalize ads shown to them based on the contents of their emails. The practice proved controversial and even spurred a few lawsuits, but the reason behind the sudden change has nothing to do with your privacy, but rather to make things less ambiguous for businesses that may be otherwise reluctant to opt for their paid G Suite.

Paying Gmail users aren't shown ads and their inboxes aren't scanned. However, Google's senior vice president of cloud Diane Greene tells Bloomberg that some business customers were confused by the distinction and its privacy implications. "What we're going to do is make it unambiguous," she said.

Google will stop scanning the inboxes of Gmail's free users for personalized ads sometime later this year. Ads will continue to appear as promoted messages, but they will now be targeted with other personal information Google already pulls from sources such as search and YouTube. In other words, the company doesn't need this additional information about its users in order to serve targeted ads.

In a blog post, Greene cites Gmail's various security and privacy-centric features, and frames the change as a way to more closely align G Suite's Gmail and consumer Gmail.

She also notes the convenience of other features like smart replies and being able to send money within emails, so the message here is that while Google isn't mining your emails' contents to personalize ads, it still needs to scan your inbox to some degree so that these features actually work.

It's worth mentioning that users have the option to completely disable ad personalization across all products and limit the information they share with Google at myaccount.google.com.
Astrophysicist Alan Fitzsimmons, from the Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, has warned that an asteroid will strike planet Earth in just a matter of time.

Asteroid Likely To Hit Earth

The scientist issued the warning ahead of Asteroid Day on June 30, which was set to remember the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia, when an explosion believed to have been caused by a small asteroid damaged hundreds of miles of forest and knocked down about 80 million trees.

Fitzsimmons said that a potentially more dangerous asteroid may strike Earth and destroy a city. The scientist thinks that our planet is vulnerable to an asteroid strike and that the issue is not really about whether or not an asteroid will hit Earth, but when this event would happen.

Fitzsimmons noted the importance of Earth being prepared for an asteroid impact and the possibility that another dangerous space rock could take humanity by surprise.

"It is important to know that scientists and engineers have made great strides in detecting Near-Earth Asteroids and understanding the threat posed by them. Over 1,800 potentially hazardous objects have been discovered so far, but there are many more waiting to be found," Fitzsimmons said.

Preventing Or Minimizing The Impact Of Space Rock Collision

Scientists believe that early detection is crucial to keeping the planet safe from threats of near-Earth objects, or NEOs, such as asteroids.

The ability to identify objects from space that can potentially cause catastrophic events on Earth can make a big difference in mitigating or preventing damages. Once scientists detect NEOs, the objects' orbits are predicted and monitored to determine if they pose danger.

Several ideas are in place to protect the planet from space rocks that are on a collision course to Earth.

A gravity tractor can use the force of gravity to slowly change the trajectory of an object in space. The problem with this technology is that it may not be effective for large asteroids, which happen to pose the greatest threat if they collide with Earth. Scientists also consider taking advantage of the Yarkovsky effect to change the orbit of a space rock by about 100 miles over a time period.

NASA and the the European Space Agency will also launch the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment Mission by the year 2020. The mission will blast a kinetic impactor to the Didymos asteroid. The goal of this mission is to see how well the space agencies can strike an asteroid off-course through impact with a spacecraft. The deflection caused by the impact will then be measured and characterized to fine-tune strategies for dealing with dangerous asteroids.

Last year, the U.S. space agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted an asteroid impact exercise. The participants tackled the things that need to be done in case an asteroid strikes.

"These exercises are invaluable for those of us in the asteroid science community responsible for engaging with FEMA on this natural hazard," said NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson. "We receive valuable feedback from emergency managers at these exercises about what information is critical for their decision making, and we take that into account when we exercise how we would provide information to FEMA about a predicted impact."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
At an event in India, a NASA representative said that sending humans to Mars is now the space agency's primary mission.

Mission To Mars

Lieutenant General Larry James, who serves as the deputy director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said that the American space agency was working on the technology right now.

"Sending humans to orbit Mars is our primary mission now. We are working on the human and rocket technologies required for the long mission," said James.

NASA is currently developing a new series of rockets called Space Launch System with the first launch expected in 2019.

However, travel is only one of the problems facing human settlements on the Red Planet. It will take anywhere from two to three years for a crew to get to Mars, orbit the planet, and come back. That means that NASA needs to find a way to protect the crew from the planet's radiation and ensure they have supplies.

NASA is hoping to launch its first manned mission to Mars by 2030. However, it appears that the first manned mission will be an orbital mission. Actual settlement on Mars appears to be decades off. However, James did say that human settlement of the Red Planet was possible.

NASA isn't the only organization looking to settle at the Red Planet. Elon Musk has recently stated that establishing a settlement on Mars is necessary to ensure humanity's survival.

"One path is we stay on Earth forever, and then there will be some eventual extinction event," Musk said. "I do not have an immediate doomsday prophecy, but eventually, history suggests, there will be some doomsday event."

Moon Outpost

One of the ways to solve the issue of supplies, both in terms of fuel and food, is first establishing outposts on or in orbit around the moon. James said that the first step toward a manned mission to Mars would be establishing a long-term lunar base. While there has been some speculation regarding building an outpost on the moon, it is also possible that NASA may work on a space station in orbit around it.

"We are doing human research in that mission. Next stage is going to lunar space and building habitat there and staying for long periods of time," said James.

While the first settlements will obviously be research-based, it is theoretically possible to establish long-term habitats on the moon and that may happen before a settlement at Mars.

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The WannaCry ransomware has wreaked havoc once again, this time forcing an entire factory to stop production after the victim company found infections in its computer networks, according to new reports.

WannaCry Caused Honda To Cease Production In One Of Its Plants

Popular automaker Honda had to shut down its Sayama plant located in Tokyo on Monday, June 19, after discovering that WannaCry had impacted its networks across the world, including Japan, North America, Europe, China, and other regions as well, according to Reuters.

Honda actually discovered the infection on Sunday, June 18, more than five weeks following the spread of WannaCry, a ransomware worm allegedly derived from the U.S. National Security Agency's set of hacking tools, struck hundreds of thousands of systems in 90 countries. Luckily, before the ransomware could nest on more computers, a security researcher was able to register a mysterious domain name included in the WannaCry code, thus creating a global kill switch that at once stopped the attacks.

As for Honda, despite its efforts to secure its systems back in May, WannaCry persisted, causing disruptions not only at Honda's networks, but at different plants, hospitals, and shops and services globally.

Honda, however, wasn't the only automaker infected by the ransomware. Rival auto companies Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co were also affected last month, Reuters reports, when the automaking alliance companies halted operations across plants in Japan, Britain, France, Romania, and India.

Honda's engineers didn't explain why it was able to find WannaCry in its networks a full 37 days after the kill switch was activated. It's possible that the engineers had accidentally blocked access to the kill switch domain, which if true, would have allowed the ransomware to proceed as normal.

That said, production at Honda's other plans had not been affected, and operations in its Sayama plant had officially resumed Tuesday, June 20, a spokeswoman for Honda confirmed.

WannaCry Ransomware

Since last month, the spread of WannaCry has slowed, but security experts have already warned people that new versions of the worm may strike.

As mentioned, WannaCry is based off an NSA hacking tool, which in turn is a Windows Exploit tool called EternalBlue. One of the fields WannaCry hit the hardest were hospitals in the UK, causing reported closures of wards and patients being turned away. WannaCry had clobbered Britain's public health system, rendering doctors unable to access patient files, which caused those needing urgent care to be denied service.

WannaCry locks up files on an infected computer and encrypts them so the owner has no access. The malicious software can penetrate systems via tricking users into downloading a file, like an email attachment, for example. The user may only regain access if they pay in bitcoin.

In May, several reports suggested that the ransomware could have originated in Southern China, based on evidence that points to the perpetrators being able to write Native Chinese.

Thoughts about WannaCry? Any guesses as to where the ransomware originated? As always, if you have any thoughts or opinions, feel free to sound them off in the comments section below!

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Yellowstone grizzly bears will no longer be listed under the Endangered Species Act after more than 40 years of protection, the federal government announced on Thursday, June 22.

The United States Department of Interior cited a significant rebound in the population of Yellowstone grizzly bears as the reason for the lifting of protection, but scientists from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) say there is an ulterior motive.

Grizzly Bear Protection

When Europeans resettled in the West, grizzly bears were trapped, shot, and poisoned to near extinction. From 50,000, their population quickly dwindled.

Ever since federal protections for Yellowstone grizzly bears were put in place in 1975, however, the animal's population increased from 136 to 700, the National Park Service said.

In addition, the grizzly bear ecosystem, which typically covers Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, has expanded by 50 percent. Overall, these animals still occupy 4 percent of their historic range.

Ryan Zinke, secretary of the interior department, said long-term efforts to protect the grizzly bear has allowed its population to grow. He said it is the "culmination of decades of hard work" on the part of tribal, federal, state, and private partners.

"This achievement stands as one of America's great conservation successes," said Zinke.

The Future Of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears

The federal decision to remove grizzly bears from the endangered species list will be published in the next few days and will take effect exactly 30 days after publication. Hunting down grizzly bears inside Yellowstone is still banned, but limited hunting will be allowed in three states outside the boundaries.

Advocates have spoken out against the federal government's decision, expressing worry over the future of the grizzly bears.

"Grizzly bears are the slowest reproducing mammal on the planet, and a population decline can take decades to reverse," said Derek Goldman, a spokesperson from the Endangered Species Coalition.

Goldman said the federal government should develop comprehensive management plans first before finalizing the delisting.

Meanwhile, the Center for Biological Diversity says the population of grizzly bears at Yellowstone are still falling due to invasive species and climate change that put the animals' food sources at risk.

Furthermore, the center says the ongoing threats that Yellowstone grizzly bears face will be exacerbated by trophy hunting.

"It's tragic that the Trump administration is stripping protections from these magnificent animals just to appease a tiny group of trophy hunters who want to stick grizzly bear heads on their walls," said Andrea Santarsiere, a senior attorney at the center.

Santarsiere added that while conservation of these animals has made significant steps, restoring their population to full health still has a long way to go.

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Does the use of legal marijuana in the United States create higher rates of car accidents?

More cases of automobile crashes have been reported among states where marijuana has been legalized, according to a first-of-a-kind study conducted by an insurance institute.

In states such as Oregon, Washington, and Colorado, the link between legalized marijuana and higher rates of car accidents reveal a 3 percent increase in collision frequencies, researchers from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) found.

"We're concerned about what we're seeing," said HLDI senior vice president Matt Moore. "We see strong evidence of an increased crash risk in states that have approved recreational marijuana sales."

Link Between Legal Marijuana, Car Accidents

In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first two states to approve legalized recreational marijuana. Retail stores in Colorado opened in 2014, while stores in Washington followed suit a year later. As of writing, eight states have legalized the sale of recreational marijuana.

In the study conducted by HLDI, researchers found that between January 2012 and October 2016, accident claims increased by 4.5 percent in Oregon, 16 percent in Colorado, and 6.2 percent in Washington. Insurance industry groups have been closely monitoring accident claims since 2013.

Although the increasing number of car accidents could not be directly linked to the use of marijuana, the study explained that there is a strong correlation between the two.

Causation is difficult to prove because there is no sobriety test specifically designed for marijuana users. With that in mind, researchers point to road construction, distracted driving, and increased driving miles as other factors for higher car crash rates.

Driving While High

More drivers have admitted that they use marijuana, but past research on the impact of driving while high remain inconclusive, experts said. However, a study published in April 2017 found that driving under the influence of drugs is more fatal than drunk driving.

A report in 2014 by Colorado's transportation department revealed that 84 out of 864 drivers who were involved in fatal car accidents tested positive for marijuana, while more than third of 488 fatal crashes involved alcohol.

"Worry that legalized marijuana is increasing crash rates isn't misplaced," said David Zuby, an executive from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit organization closely affiliated with HLDI.

Zuby added that the findings on cases in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado should provide other states "eyeing legalization pause."

Meanwhile, the HLDI is planning to conduct more of these studies and has started a large-scale case-control research in Oregon to determine whether legalized marijuana use is causing automotive injuries.

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American astronomer Jerry Nelson, who created advanced telescopes that helped humans better scour the universe, has died at his California home.

The 73-year-old professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, died last June 10.

There was no cause of death provided in the universitys statement, the Associated Press reported.

Groundbreaking Telescope Design

Nelsons telescope design harnessed dozens of segmented mirrors instead of a large one, and it served as the basis for the twin 10-meter telescopes at the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii.

Those telescopes, being the largest currently being used, have assisted scientists in various important scientific pursuits, such as measuring the black hole at the center of the Milky Way and finding rocky bodies outside the solar system.

Since it was born, Nelsons concept has been used for other huge ground-based telescopes in the world. The James Webb telescope, currently under construction and to be positioned in space, also boasts of a segmented design in its primary mirror.

His contribution to the growth of adaptive optics technology is also notable. The technology sharpens images obtained from ground-based telescopes through correcting for the blurring effect of the planets atmosphere.

Claire Max, UC Observatories director, dubbed Nelsons contributions to astronomy legendary.

We will all benefit from his legacy for many years to come, Max said.

Still partly disabled from a 2011 stroke, the astronomer worked on the Thirty Meter Telescope, which aspires to erect the Northern Hemispheres biggest telescope to date.

Nelson was born near Los Angeles and earned an undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology as well as a doctoral degree in physics at UC Berkeley. He taught there for many years before he moved to Santa Cruz and also served for over a decade at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

He left behind a wife, two children from a previous marriage, three grandchildren, and a sister.

Worlds Telescopes In Focus

NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope helped discover seven Earth-sized planets, called the TRAPPIST-1 system, orbiting a star around 40 light-years away. Now, the James Webb Space Telescope may help reveal the potential presence of life on these planets.

The large infrared telescope will feature a 21.3-foot primary mirror, and it will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from the French Guiana in October 2018. It will serve as the premier observatory for probing luminous glows after the Big Bang, the solar systems evolution, and the star systems formation that can buoy life on Earth-like planets.

Earlier this month, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that it will put 26 telescopes on a satellite to hunt for Earth-like worlds.

The Kepler Space Telescope, on the other hand, has its work done at least for now. It recently wrapped up its planetary probe and identified 4,034 potential exoplanets, 2,335 of which had been confirmed as exoplanets and 50 designated as potentially life-supporting worlds.

Data from Kepler too assigned planets in this galaxy into two distinct buckets: rocky planets that are up to 1.75 times Earths size, and gaseous Neptune-like planets from 2 to 3.5 times the size of Earth. Neptune is about 4 times Earths size.

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The wonders of breastfeeding for babies have been well-documented, but there may be more to the practice than benefits for the little ones.

A new study showed that breastfeeding may also reduce a mothers risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke later in life.

Study Details

According to previous studies, the short-term benefits of breastfeeding for mothers include weight loss as well as lower cholesterol and blood pressure after pregnancy. The long-term gains on cardiovascular wellness, however, remained mostly unclear.

Now, a new study from the University of Oxford, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Peking University suggested two: reduced risks of heart attack and stroke.

The observational study analyzed data from 289,573 Chinese women, who averaged at age 51, and discovered that those who breastfed their babies were nearly 10 percent less likely to develop heart attack and stroke compared to those who never did. An even lower risk of 17 to 18 percent was seen in mothers who breastfed for at least two years.

Every additional six months of breastfeeding, too, was linked with a 4 percent lower risk of heart attack and 3 percent lower risk of stroke.

"Although we cannot establish the causal effects, the health benefits to the mother from breastfeeding may be explained by a faster reset of the mother's metabolism after pregnancy, said study author Dr. Sanne Peters in a statement.

According to Peters, pregnancy alters the female metabolism significantly as she stores fat to get the energy needed for the babys growth and for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding could get rid of the stored fat more quickly, the research fellow explained.

Breastfeeding moms, too, may be more likely to engage in other positive health behaviors that slash their heart disease risk.

The Buzz About Breastfeeding

Compared to mothers in China, mothers in the United States breastfeed for a much shorter period of time. In the study, 97 percent breastfed each baby for 12 months on average, while only 30 percent of U.S. mothers did in 2016.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life. The American Heart Association, on the other hand, suggests the practice for 12 months if possible.

Lori Blauwet, director of the Mayo Clinics cardio-ob clinic, said that very few studies delve on the effects of breastfeeding on mothers. She noted another study that saw a similar link between breastfeeding and heart health, but only among mothers who did it for two years or more.

"This is really a call for us to do further research in this area, to see if there really are long term beneficial effects, she said, warning that this shouldnt be taken to mean that non-breastfeeding moms are hurting their health.

American mothers, she cited, may be working or having underlying health issues that could be getting in the way of breastfeeding longer.

I want to emphasize women shouldnt be made to feel guilty if they do not breastfeed because there could be reasons why they cant, she said.

The findings were detailed in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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The census "cannot be a statistical genocide, nor a political or judicial tool," the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities said. | Read More
GONZALES  The state Department of Education is asking an Ascension Parish judge to halt the operations of an unlicensed day care center north of Gonzales that ran afoul of regulators last year over nearly three dozen safety violations.

In a new lawsuit, the department is also seeking fines of potentially of more than $30,000 against Adventures in Learning Child Care Center and operator Miranda Robertson if allegations are proven that she operated after her license was revoked.

The department, which licenses day cares that provide at least 12.5 hours per week of care to seven or more children, initially revoked Adventures in Learning's Type III license Jan. 27.

The revocation meant Adventures in Learning also lost its ability to serve low-income families eligible for financial help through the state's Child Care Assistance Program.

Robertson told The Advocate in January that she was appealing the ruling, was operating during the appeal and felt the violations were the result of a lack of communication between her and state regulators who had a desire, she said, to just "write us up for a load of things."

In a news release in January, the Education Department said it had revoked the license after a Dec. 28 inspection found 32 deficiencies, including failure to get a criminal background check for a person supervising the children, violation of child-to-staff ratios and failure to properly train staff on health and safety procedures such as CPR and pediatric first aid.

The department also said the Adventures in Learning center had been cited for more than 100 deficiencies over the last seven inspections.

An administrative law judge upheld the state's revocation March 28.

Judge Thomas Kliebert Jr. of the 23rd Judicial District Court is scheduled to rule June 30 on a preliminary injunction to stop the day-care's continued operation.

But, Lisa Jones, Robertson's mother, said Wednesday that her daughter's day care is defunct because of the license revocation. Jones added that her daughter doesn't even control the day care's old building and that she sold the day care's bus.

Jones said her daughter would never allow children to be harmed and the parents of the children in the day care knew that, noting Robertson is still watching two of those children.

Jones also echoed her daughter's earlier sentiment that the state was making it hard to operate a day care, with all of the requirements.

But she also added that her daughter had problems keeping employees, who were getting minimum wage pay.

Located at 14469 La. 44, Gonzales, the white day-care building with shutters painted in bright, crayon-like colors appeared not to be in operation during a visit Wednesday afternoon. A sheet of paper taped to the front door window says the day care was closed, possibly since May 13.

Jones said she didn't know exactly when the day care ceased operations.

State officials allege in the lawsuit that staffers visited Adventures in Learning on April 19, three weeks after the revocation was upheld, and found at least seven children under Robertson's care.

State officials want Kliebert to issue a $1,000 fine for each day Robertson continued to operate after March 28.

Robertson has not yet responded to the suit, which was filed May 31.

Robertson could not be located for comment Wednesday or Thursday. Her last known address in public databases is in the Brittany area, where her mother lives and which flooded in August.

A call Wednesday to Troy Humphrey, the education department attorney handling the lawsuit, was referred to department spokeswoman Sydni Dunn, who said the department cannot comment on pending litigation.
Tropical Storm Cindy may have been a flop in much of southern Louisiana, but it continued to pose a serious danger Thursday to the coastal communities of Plaquemines and Jefferson parishes.

Before the storm arrived, forecasters had warned that Cindy would be more dangerous for the amount of rain it might drop than for high winds. That proved true for parts of Mississippi and Alabama, but wind ended up being the problem in parts of southeast Louisiana.

In Jean Lafitte, where water overtopped temporary levees hours before a projected high tide, officials called for a voluntary evacuation around noon Thursday, urging the town's roughly 2,000 residents to head for higher ground while they had the opportunity. Residents in unincorporated Barataria and Crown Point were asked to evacuate as well.

The water was expected to rise until at least Thursday evening, and winds out of the south were expected to continue until Sunday.

Not everyone heeded the order.

Darrin Cantrelle, a former volunteer firefighter, hung out on the levee at Goose Bayou with some friends during the late afternoon.

"We just keep a real close eye on it, and if it goes up quick, we'll head out," he said. "The people who've been down there their whole lives know what to do."

An hour later, Carmelita Bourgeois, 55, stood on the Bayou Goose bridge, watching the wind send ripples across a flooded street.

Bourgeois, a caretaker from Barataria staying with a cousin in Lafitte, said she had intended to leave Thursday morning, but her 15-year-old Dodge Caravan has a bad fuel pump and she couldnt get it started. But it was safe, at least, because it died at her sons camper, which was parked on high ground to the south.

And even if the levee had been overtopped, her cousins house is up on 14-foot piers.

Were used to this, she said. Weve been through six floods since Katrina. This is a piece of cake.

Parish officials opened a shelter at Pard Park in Marrero to accommodate those who evacuated.

Farther south, in Grand Isle, Mayor David Camardelle said winds were continuing to batter the island. "The water is still coming in," he said. "We got some serious erosion."

The problem was especially acute along Grand Isle's western side, where a levee that was already undergoing repairs took significant additional damage this week.

"We lost a good bit of sand," Camardelle said of the levee, which consists of a synthetic tube filled with sand and then covered with more sand. Rocks were to be placed on the levee to reinforce it, but that work had been done on only about 450 feet of the 1,400 feet that needed repair before Cindy arrived.

Camardelle said the winds were driving so much surf against that side of the island that it was impossible to tell how much further damage the levee had suffered.

That was just one of the problems that Camardelle was studying. On the bay side of the island, new development has changed the way the island floods, he said.

"People are buying land and fixing their bulkheads," he said. "The dynamics are changing from the last two years to now."

The entire island needs to be resurveyed, he said.

A few miles to the east, in Plaquemines Parish, sandbag crews worked for nearly two days straight to keep the water out of Myrtle Grove, Parish President Amos Cormier III said.

The crews managed to keep the water out of a pump station in Myrtle Grove near where the levee system was overtopped, he said. Most of Myrtle Grove was flooded, but Cormier decided not to order an evacuation.

The parish's Emergency Operations Center remained activated, and a crew was still checking levees late Thursday. The sandbag crews had been given the evening off for a breather, he said.

Farther inland, however, Cindy brought a lot of buzz but did little damage. Officials in parishes from New Orleans to Baton Rouge are examining what worked well and what didn't as they prepare for what the National Hurricane Center has predicted could be an above-normal storm season.

"We had a meeting this morning discussing how we are going to handle some of the issues, like wind from the southwest," said Keith Conley, a top aide to Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni. In the future, officials will act earlier to stage things like aggregate and Hesco bags near Lafitte and Grand Isle, he said.

In New Orleans, emergency officials plan to meet next week to look at how the multitude of agencies handled Cindy's advent, said Director of Homeland Security Aaron Miller.

"We will sit down with our departments and agencies," he said. "There's always room for improvement in everything that we do."

To the north and west, in Livingston and Ascension, two parishes hard hit by floods last summer, emergency officials said lessons from that catastrophe helped them prepare for Cindy.

"We have a new radar system" after August, said Rick Webre, director of the Ascension Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "It gives us an idea with storm surge, rain and wind."

In Livingston, workers distributed about 40,000 sand bags for a storm that, ultimately, delivered little rain, said Mark Harrell, the parish's emergency director.

"So many people are still shook up and scared" from last year's floods, he said.

In Plaquemines, Cormier also was looking at the future, but a much more immediate one.

"We are going to regroup tomorrow," he said. "We hope the wind changes, but we'll be ready if it doesn't."
It says a lot about the state of affairs at the Capitol that both lawmakers and the governor are touting full funding of the popular Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarships as one of this year's signature accomplishments.

Until a year ago, there wasn't even a question over whether students who met the middling requirements would get to attend public colleges without paying tuition. The Legislature had never failed to appropriate enough money to pay for the program, despite a price tag that has risen every time tuition bills have gone up.

And the hard-fought budget for the year that starts next week, which passed only after Gov. John Bel Edwards called lawmakers into special session, doesn't solve the program's problems, or the overall state budget's structural challenges; it merely offers a yearlong reprieve  and even that's assuming that revenues don't come up short midyear and force cuts.

Last year's 30 percent shortfall, amid a serious budget crisis, definitely shook faith in TOPS and caused some students to shop around. So it makes sense that, right after the Legislature adjourned, LSU's Alumni Association marked the return to normal by inviting them back into the fold.

"LSU is going to try to recruit some of those high school seniors who chose to go out-of-state because they were uncertain about TOPS," the group's blast email said.

But while their TOPS awards are probably safe for the 2017-2018 year, there's no guarantee that the same thing will happen in 2018-2019 or beyond.

If this year's budget negotiations were tough, even more daunting challenges lie ahead. Topping the list is the fiscal cliff, the looming loss of $1.2 billion or so in temporary revenue slated to fall off the books a year from now that lawmakers had planned to address during this year's session, but didn't.

They also failed to pass several proposals to restructure TOPS.

One idea, a bill by Baton Rouge Republican Franklin Foil, would have slightly tightened eligibility requirements by raising the minimum high school core curriculum grade-point average from 2.5 to 2.75. Another proposal by New Orleans Democrat Gary Carter would have introduced a need-based element to the formula when there's a shortfall. But neither made it through the process.

Lawmakers did adopt a resolution by Senate Education Committee chairman Blade Morrish, a Republican from Jennings, to study the program and report back before next year's session.

In one way, that's actually not a bad idea. Opponents of Foil's approach worried that it would disproportionately impact low-income students who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford college, and it's important to understand just how much.

On the other hand, we all know what often happens when lawmakers opt to study rather than act.

And no study can point the way around the underlying policy dilemma here: At some point, lawmakers will have to decide whether the program's top priority is to help those who wouldn't get to attend college otherwise, to keep the best and brightest in state  or just continue to provide an entitlement program that benefits even wealthy families and wins votes, but keeps costing taxpayers more and more money.

To believe the matter is settled is to believe that the Louisiana Legislature will rise to the occasion next time, and make the hard choices necessary to put both the budget and the TOPS program on more stable footing. Based on the past couple of years, is there anyone who would put all their eggs in that basket?

So while it's understandable that state officials and boosters for local colleges are celebrating full funding  and entirely fair for Republicans who pushed hard for it to point out that Edwards' initial proposal included another shortfall  it's also premature to suggest that the threat has passed.

If anything, the situation is even more uncertain going forward.
The ACT government will face an unlikely challenge to its bid to ban greyhound racing - from within the party machine itself.

The Australian Workers' Union will mount a challenge to the territory's imminent ban on greyhound racing with a motion at the ACT Labor conference next month.

Greyhound racing will be banned in the ACT from June 30 2018. Credit:Graham Tidy

However one of the two AWU delegates who will bring the motion forward is Kel Watt, the lobbyist engaged by the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club to fight the ban.

Mr Watt denied there was a conflict between his work for the greyhound racing industry and as a delegate bringing forward a motion that could save it, as he was "off the books" and the motion had "come up from the members".
ACT non-government schools will receive a share in $57.9 million over four years to help them transition to the federal government's new education funding model.

The capital's Catholic schools face a funding freeze and almost half of independent schools a cut under the legislation, which passed the senate early Friday morning.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham. Credit:James Hall

Gonski 2.0 will scrap 27 deals with states, schools and systems in favour of a single needs-based model. Over-funded schools will reach the government's school resourcing standard within 10 years and under-funded schools within six.

The ACT's Catholic schools, which traditionally benefited from being funded to a socio-economic status score of 101 regardless of each school's actual ranking, have been particularly vocal in their opposition.
He's still only 12 but Callum McPhie's rock credentials keep building as he met his heavy metal heroes, DragonForce, when the British band played in Canberra on Thursday night.

The band were well aware of the pint-sized rocker who performed DragonForce's Through the Fire and Flames in the grand final of Australia's Got Talent last year - when he was just a 10-year-old.

The smile says it all: When Callum got on stage, DragonForce started chanting his name.

Callum not only got VIP tickets to the band's show at The Basement in Belconnen as part of their epic world tour, he was called up on stage for their encore performance of Through the Fire and Flames.
Australia needs to introduce stronger penalties for corporate crime and effective compensation and protections for whistleblowers, before it goes down the path of US-style bounties, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's John Price says.

On Friday Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer announced the Turnbull government wants to introduce measures to tighten legislation to give compensation to whistleblowers, and is also considering a bounty-style reward for those who blow the whistle on corporate corruption or unethical behaviour.

The Turnbull government is considering a bounty-style reward system for whistleblowers. Credit:Michele Mossop

The government announcement follows a series of damning Fairfax Media investigations into the banking and service sectors, including the exposure of worker exploitation at 7-Eleven and the financial planning practices of the Commonwealth Bank and its insurance arm CommInsure.

Ms O'Dwyer said while the government was considering bounties, its priority was to ensure "appropriate" compensation.
A construction company manager has been arrested and charged after allegedly threatening to track down a union safety organiser and saying he would "attack you and your family".

Police arrested the site manager at Melbourne-based building firm VCON after a 26-year-old female Trades Hall employee received the disturbing email in her inbox on Wednesday.

Unionists have been campaigning against Melbourne builder VCON/Element Five. Credit:Eddie Jim

"F--k off you scum c--t!," the email began. "If you continue to attack my livelihood I will track you down and attack you and your family!! This is your first and final warning!!"

The site manager was charged with the criminal offence of using a telecommunications service to menace. He has been released on bail.
Some years ago, I declined to provide a reference for a well-known public figure who was being nominated for an Order of Australia. I had not been a referee for this woman's initial nomination, but the office at Government House in Canberra that administers the awards had sought my views as to her suitability.

Rather than put in writing my low opinion of this particular person, I simply replied that I would prefer not to comment. Whether my refusal to endorse her amounted to an effective veto I cannot say. All I know is that she has never received an award and while she would be none the wiser, since nominations are supposed to be confidential, whoever put her name forward must wonder why on earth the nomination did not succeed.

Illustration: Jim Pavlidis

We keep being told by Sir Angus Houston, who runs the advisory council to the awards, and by Sir Peter Cosgrove, the Governor-General, that the only way to increase the paltry number of women receiving awards each Australia Day and Queen's Birthday is for us all to nominate more.

The numbers of women honoured has never exceeded a patently unjust 30-odd per cent (after being much lower until very recently), and there are no signs of this changing, especially at the most prestigious upper levels of Companion of the Order (AC) and Officer of the Order (AO).
Something profoundly positive is happening in Australian politics. The Coalition government's success in getting its needs-based education funding package through the Parliament is a testimony to the progress that can come from compromise, pragmatism and focusing on first principles rather than dogmatism and ideology.

Those principles include fairness, accountability and equality of opportunity, and are shared by politicians of all hues.

The so-called Gonski 2.0 reforms will add $23.5 billion to the funding of secondary schools over the coming decade, with the increases targeted to the students in most need of extra resources.

The passage of the bill through Parliament owes much to the perseverance and flexibility of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who managed to persuade the original architect of the plan, businessman and philanthropist David Gonski, to publicly endorse the move. The collaborative diligence of Education Minister Simon Birmingham was also critical to convincing sufficient crossbench senators to vote for the changes.
"While Australia will maintain a major focus on expanding our agricultural exports to rapidly growing Asian markets, we also look to sell high quality premium products into Europe."

With Britain negotiating its exit from the EU, Australia has lost its greatest champion within the union.

It's hoped other allies such as Germany will pick up that mantle, as Britain deals with the prospect of its farmers losing the protection of the EU's powerful farming lobby. It will also be forced to deal with the impact of tighter movement controls on foreign workers, who often provided the British farming sector with cheaper labour.

Britain is also facing the introduction of EU trade tariffs, biting into its own export profits, and must exit the union - a process for which the official deadline is March 2019, though it may prove even more distant - before it can formally negotiate an FTA with Australia or any other nation.

The EU's agriculture sector will also be forced to make changes following Britain's withdrawal, as it shrinks the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding pool, which provides subsidies to EU farmers.
The government will pump an extra $23.5 billion into the nation's schools over 10 years than it promised in last year's budget. It says it has created a national, needs-based funding model that does away with deals between Canberra, the states and non-government school sectors. Under the new model, the federal government will eventually contribute 80 per cent of the appropriate funding level for non-government schools and 20 per cent for public schools.

State governments will receive less money from Canberra than they would have under the deals struck by Labor in 2013.



But funding is going up: the Grattan Institute estimates federal funding for NSW public schools will rise by $300 million over the next four years and by $400 million for Victorian schools.

"This is the biggest reform in Commonwealth school funding ever," Malcolm Turnbull said. Credit:Joel Carrett

And Catholic schools?

Funding for Catholic systemic schools is forecast to grow by 3.5 per cent a year over the next decade  less than public schools (5.1 per cent a year) and private schools (4.1 per cent).



The Catholic sector is glad it has received one-year extension of its prized system-based funding arrangements. But it still expects to receive billions of dollars less funding over the decade than it would have under the current rules.



Catholic education authorities in each state and territory will continue to be able to redistribute funding as they see fit.

And private schools?
The federal Liberal Party machine must transform itself and modernise to take on the "cashed up cabal" of Labor, the Greens, unions and GetUp, according to outgoing acting director Andrew Bragg.

In a strongly-worded speech to be delivered to the party's Federal Council on Saturday, Mr Bragg will say the Liberal Party's opponents "are formidable but beatable. Beat them we must for they want to radically change Australia".

Acting Liberal party director Andrew Bragg delivered a strong final speech as acting Liberal Party director.

"The Liberal Party must commit to a broad reform and modernisation agenda to win elections in a campaign landscape which is unrecognisable from just a decade ago," he will say.

He will point to research that showed more than $300 million had been spent in the last financial year by the "anti-Liberal, anti-freedom, anti-business cabal" - including unions, Labor and GetUp - whereas pro-Liberal groups had spent just $120 million.
Atop Capital Hill, the giant flag hung motionless amid a crystal winter's day. Such clarity in stillness is a lesser-known Canberra trick around this time of year. Cobalt blue skies, crisp mountain air, bright sunshine - when the fog finally clears. Clarity in stillness is a lesser-known Canberra trick around this time of year. Credit:Andrew Meares On this day, all the turbulence was all on the inside as rumours swirled of a gag order forbidding government MPs from criticising Pauline Hanson's autism comments, and as fears rose that Kevin Andrews or some other Catholic curmudgeon could yet stymie the Gonski schools funding bill. And when finally that precarious deal was delivered, there was more rushing air as both Labor and Greens balloons deflated and a super-stressed Malcolm Turnbull exhaled in blessed relief.

The week had begun with the 14th consecutive Newspoll showing the government stuck in a rut, six points behind Labor, or halfway to failure according to Turnbull's own metric. How many more before the colleagues decide he too cannot win? It is the pressing question. Probably not the 30 poor Newspolls Abbott notched up, being the consensus answer. Turnbull's plan is to govern by increments, to survive by getting things done. Like the brace of blocked industrial relations measures he advanced at the end of last year, he wants to silence critics with the cumulative effects of distance travelled, even if a sense of forward motion is illusive. Controversial citizenship changes fell by the wayside in the last-minute flurry over Gonski, yet some things did get done before the winter lay-off - not that they were not all good. The Finkel clean energy target was cleanly excised from the Chief Scientist's 50 recommendations with the other 49 gaining a tick.
Part of the pleasure of buying expensive fashion is the shopping bag you get to carry it home in. Something that Balenciaga have cottoned onto with their A$1547 Balenciaga shopping bag. Yes, you read that correctly: joining the ranks of the brand's $2700 version of an Ikea tote and, earlier a doona bag, the luxury French fashion house has released a luxury version of the free shopping bag that comes with each Balenciaga purchase.

While the bag resembles its cardboard origins, it is in fact made from off-white calf-skin leather, and features the brand's signature logo with black nappa leather handles and a double-zip fastening.

The two bags side by side. Credit:Colette/Twitter

It's the work of Balenciaga designer, Demna Gvasalia, who is also behind the luxury brand Vetements, which is known for elevating run-of-mill products, even bog standard items - such as sweatshirts and DHL t-shirts - into luxury designs. It's a strategy the designer has implemented at Balenciaga, bringing his signature tongue-in-cheek riffs to a brand which has historically been more conservative in its approach to design.

The bag debuted on the autumn/winter 17 runway back in January, and has this week sold-out as part of Balenciaga's collaboration with the French fashion retailer Colette - sending social media into something of a frenzy..
Saudi Arabian woman who was jailed for daring to drive is encouraging the conservative kingdom's new crown prince to let women drive and make their own decisions as adults.

Manal al-Sharif hit world headlines in 2011 when she filmed a video of herself driving in Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world to ban women from getting behind the wheel, and posted it on Youtube where it went viral.

Saudi women's rights activist Manal al-Sharif. Credit:Nathan Bajar/New York Times

Two days later she was arrested and imprisoned for about a week, in the process becoming the face of the women's driving movement much to the chagrin of the country's hardline clerics.

Now based in Australia, al-Sharif welcomed King Salman's announcement on Wednesday that his son Mohammed bin Salman, 31, is to be next in line to the throne, replacing his cousin, as the kingdom seeks to overhaul its oil-dependent economy.
Calling all try-before-you-buy types. Online watch brand The 5th is holding its first pop-up store for one day only this weekend. The brand, which releases a new capsule range of watches on the 5th day of each month, has ranges inspired by cities of the world including New York and Melbourne. QV, Albert Coates Lane, Melbourne. Saturday Noon-5pm. Watch brand The 5th is holding its first pop-up store. If your wardrobe is full of luxe basics but you need a few more, Australian label Once Was is holding a sale at its head office. Prices start at $5 for past seasons' clothing and samples, jewellery, shoes and accessories. 212 Johnston Street, Collingwood. Thursday 8am-6pm, Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm.

Australian label Once Was is holding a sale at its head office. If you're in need of a new bag, here are two sales sure to get your attention. Oroton is holding its end-of-season sale with up to 50 per cent off men's and women's leather goods. Styles include the Avalon tote, reduced from $395 to $316. In store and online. While stocks last. Oroton is on sale for a limited time. If you like your sales fully loaded, this one might appeal. Bag label X Nihilo has partnered with Onne Skincare and Neon & Co haircare for a pop-up sale. X Nihilo has up to 80 per cent off bags

Ripe Studios, 80 River Street, South Yarra. Saturday-Sunday 10am-5pm. X Nihilo has bags at up to 80 per cent off at its pop-up. Here's one for the guys. Shoe designer Christian Kimber, originally from the UK, had stocked Barney's and Bloomingdales before setting up shop in Fitzroy. The store is having a mid-year sale with up to 50 per cent off. My pick is these Bleeker high tops, down from $580 to $285. Online and 264 Johnston Street, Fitzroy. Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday Noon-4pm. Christian Kimber is having a men's shoe sale in Fitzroy and online. Credit:Nicholas Wong

Sticking with the blokes, online store Mr Porter is having an end-of-season sale, with up to 50 per cent brands including Bottega Venetta, Paul Smith and Common Projects. Online only. While stocks last. These Common Projects sneakers are reduced in the Mr Porter sale. You may not know photographer Matt Irwin's face but it's possible you have seen his work in Vogue, or his coffee table book, Melbourne: A Love Affair. This weekend, Irwin is holding a warehouse sale, with up to 70 per cent off the original price of new and sample canvases, prints, books and stationery. Level 2, 28 Block Place, Melbourne. Friday Noon-6pm, Saturday 11am-6pm.

Matt Irwin's images of famous Melbourne streetscapes can be yours to own. Credit:Matt Irwin Australia Just opened Some businesses pay lip service to customisation but Samantha Duzenman didn't want to do things by halves. Duzenman, an industrial designer, and husband Adam Rogers have launched their build-a-bag business, Duzenman, where customers can interchange leathers, pockets, fixings and finishings to create their own bag or pouch. The idea first came to Duzenman in 2012, when monogramming was mostly the purview of luxury labels and handmade goods websites such as Etsy. But her concept quickly moved to a broader customisation service.

"I asked what would I want  would I wear a bag with a big gold letter on the front. That's when the industrial designer in me answered the question: pieces that fit together, that are interchangeable," she says. Industrial designer turned bag designer Samantha Duzenman in her new boutique. She was also determined to keep production local, with every piece handmade in the Armadale store. Next, the couple plans to build their e-commerce business, but they are taking small steps to ensure the experience online matches that in the store. "I've seen some customisable websites where the technology lags behind and doesn't showcase the product as well as it does on the floor," Duzenman says.

The store is decorated in the brand's signature pink, with the showroom at the front and the open workshop at the rear. Duzenman said customers could walk away with their own design for anywhere from $300 to $650, and off-the-shelf bags are also available. 1005 High Street, Armadale. Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. The new Duzenman store in Armadale, where customers can build their own bag. #inthecart: animal motifs
A scathing audit of the pesticides authority shows the Coalition government's decision to move it to Armidale has undermined the beleaguered agency, Labor says.

The ALP joined the CPSU in leaping to the defence of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority on Friday after the national auditor's report found the agency failed to consider the risks its relocation from Canberra posed to staffing.

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has said an audit report into the pesticides authority shows the government needed to intervene. Credit:Andrew Meares

However Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, who has driven the project to move the agency to his New England electorate, says the report reinforces the government's decision.

Labor regional spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said it was unfair of the auditor to scold the pesticides authority for being unprepared for the fallout from the move, because its former boss warned the government about the consequences for staff numbers.
A Queensland truck driver accused of the manslaughter of an elderly motorist, who was allegedly killed after his car was hit by part of an amusement ride protruding from his semi-trailer, will continue driving.

It's alleged the ride's 2.8-metre stabilising arm had not been properly secured and was hanging 2.2 metres out from the truck's driver the side of Christopher Paul Hennessy's truck when the metal smashed into 80-year-old Aldo Joseph Casasola's car in May 2016.

The court heard Hennessy made his living transporting the carnival ride and he would have trouble working if he had to continue reporting weekly. Credit:Luis Ascui

Mr Casasola died at the scene at Burbank, in Brisbane's south-east.

"It was a significant crash," police prosecutor Tammy Durre-Bauer said.
Hitman Stephen Asling lies prostrate as Special Operations Group members approach during Melbourne's underworld wars. The SOG trains for hundreds of violent scenarios. If he had a plan it was a pretty bad one. He ran at a contingent of SOG police, injuring three with blasts from his sawn-off shotgun. They returned fire, hitting him 37 times. The Soggies are the police other cops call when they are in trouble. Even their selection process is brutal  with some of the fittest and strongest washing out as instructors deliberately try to break them. Martin Bryant was jailed for the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that left 35 people dead. If he hadn't parked his car improperly, the body count could have been doubled. There is a mystique about the men in black  they work in secret, often raid in the dark, give evidence without revealing their names and wear masks to protect their identity.

Which makes the book Sons of God, by Heath O'Loughlin, all the more remarkable. O'Loughlin reconstructs some of the SOG's biggest operations through the personal recollections of the members involved. It is riveting reading. Walter Mikac in front of the tree where his daughter was killed at the one-year memorial service of the Port Arthur massacre. Credit:Jason South In fairness, O'Loughlin may well have been born to write this story as his father, Doug, and uncles Neil and Robert, were all officers in charge of the squad. At one point there were 13 O'Loughlins in the Victoria Police and, while Heath didn't join the family business as a schoolkid, he was able to do his work experience with the SOG. The Sydney Morning Herald's front page for May 1, 1996. At Port Arthur, Martin Bryant had killed more than 30 people and continued to fire at police but snipers were not authorised to take him out. Credit:SMH

The upside was that while his mates were pushing pens around an office, he was acting as a hostage or a gunman in scenario training, or blasting away with a high-powered sniper rifle at the range. They weren't too big on OH&S back in those days. The downside was that his father marked his work experience performance as satisfactory, saying you had to be exceptional to get top marks. It seemed to be an O'Loughlin trait, as for years Neil refused to make Soggies eligible for Valour Awards, arguing that what was considered exceptional elsewhere was expected at the SOG. In the book, O'Loughlin interviews SOG members (using their operative names) who open up on what has nearly become a police secret society. For example, veteran instructor Lima says: "Am I brutal? I'm not sure. Am I hard? Definitely. We have to expose candidates to levels of discomfort and pain they never thought they were capable of enduring." (One sub-editor once said he understood the feeling, having been subjected to the raw copy for a Naked City column).

"I don't care if a man cries for three hours, so long as he keeps going. I remember holding a bloke's legs while he was doing sit-ups one year  he must have done a thousand sit-ups that day. I was inches away from his face and he had started to cry but kept going. He'd do a sit-up, and when he reached the top he'd say to me, 'You're a .!' He'd do another one and repeat it, 'You're a .' He earned a lot of respect that day." (And a sore tummy). One Soggie told me general duties police were in more danger because they were in an uncontrolled environment, where most SOG operations were planned, practised and precise. The SOG complete more than 400 operations a year, with more than 100 considered high-risk and life-threatening. These jobs include sieges, forced entries, cordon and contain operations, mobile intercepts and arresting violent local criminals and terror suspects. During Melbourne's underworld war, some of the major players were relieved to find the armed masked men ordering them to surrender were the SOG and not gangland rivals. At least then they knew they weren't going to be shot. The Soggies' philosophy has always been to overprepare when they can to avoid violent confrontations.

While they train for hundreds of violent scenarios, there are jobs that evolve so quickly, life-and-death decisions have to be made in the field  such as in April 1996, when a deeply disturbed young man named Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded a further 23 at Tasmania's Port Arthur in what is Australia's worst massacre. Bryant has never explained what motivated him and in all probability wouldn't know. Murder is murder, whether it is wrapped in a warped political dogma, an irrational grudge or a pathetic grasp for infamy. Now, for the first time Heath O'Loughlin takes you inside Port Arthur through the eyes of the SOG sent to reinforce the local police. And he reveals that despite Bryant having killed more than 30 people and continuing to fire at police, a senior local policeman refused to authorise the snipers to take the kill shot. Tasmania had a small, part-time and well-trained SOG that simply wasn't big enough to deal with the massacre.

Sierra (a world-class sniper) was at home with his wife and child when the news broke. "I remember saying to my wife, 'I'll be going to that'. Just minutes later the call came through, and I was summoned to the Essendon Airport for immediate deployment to Hobart." The death toll was terrible, but according to Tasmanian SOG member Mojo it could have been worse. Bryant planned to board a ferry with 80 tourists for a trip to the Isle of the Dead, but he parked his car illegally and the boat operator wouldn't let him board until he moved it. By the time he reparked and returned the ferry had sailed. "It could have easily been a double headcount had he been able to get aboard that boat," says Mojo. Instead of being sent to Port Arthur, when the SOG touched down in Hobart they were diverted to a nearby disused police station to be sworn in as local constables.

According to Sierra: "We were wasting time on a silly formality, when we could have been saving lives. It was absolutely ridiculous. Making matters worse, they couldn't find a Bible for us to swear on, and precious time was just ticking away." Once at the scene, Sierra and a local sniper positioned themselves in a forest about 200 metres from the gunman, who was set up in a guesthouse. "When we arrived, we had to seek permission to engage Bryant if anyone spotted him. However, our request for a green light was surprisingly denied. "In my opinion, putting a single round in his head was the only and best way to end it. "What came next was equally staggering, though. If we saw him, we were told we could shoot at his legs. I had to explain that that's not how things are done. Only a fatal shot to the head would negate him as a threat. If we shot Bryant in the leg or another limb, he would still be able to shoot and kill a hostage or police officer."

At one point, Sierra caught sight of Bryant standing behind a screen at the guesthouse. "I flicked the safety off and placed my finger on the trigger. I was ready in case he came out with a weapon and started firing, because that would be enough for me to justify taking him out. But Bryant stayed behind the thin veil of protection the fly screen gave him and never came out. I decided not to take the shot and flicked the safety back on because under those circumstances, I would not have been justified. " We don't get paid to take lives in the SOG; we get paid to save them and put criminals like Bryant before the courts." But the world has changed since then and the threat of terror means police will be quicker to use deadly force. Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton is seeking clarification on the law from the government, which really means SOG snipers will be given the green light to shoot to kill the moment a terror suspect takes hostages. The tragedy at Sydney's Lindt Cafe shows delays can be deadly.
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton with Premier Daniel Andrews after June's Brighton shooting. Ashton is due back on duty in mid-January. Credit:Paul Jeffers In the current political environment, with the Sydney-centric Turnbull government deeply unpopular in Victoria, this too will be a challenge, leaving a relatively large tract of no-man's land in the middle. The latest opinion poll, published in the Herald Sun and commissioned by an unknown "national" entity that did not want its name used (alarm bells), shows Labor trailing 47 to 53 per cent in two party preferred terms. Other recent opinion polls have been much kinder to the government. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton AM respond to the Malaysian Airlines flight MH128 incident, in June. Credit:Jason South In normal circumstances, you would expect Labor to be in a stronger political position than it is.

"We should be in a better position at this point in the cycle," says one experienced Labor strategist. "Look at what we are doing  Metro [rail], [the removal of] level crossings, the state's finances and economy going well  we should be on about 54 per cent in two-party preferred terms." Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media as concrete bollards are installed at Federation Square in June. Credit:Chris Hopkins This is true. On the economic numbers alone, Labor should be coasting. The budget is in good health, with $8.3 billion worth of surpluses over the next four years. Net debt is being well managed, and racheted up slightly to fund productive infrastructure. The state economy is likely to grow by about 3 per cent this current financial year. Over the past 12 months, the state economy has officially created 118,800 jobs, more than half of the national total. On paper, at least, it is a reasonably impressive record, given international and national economic conditions. Premier Daniel Andrews announces new body cameras for paramedics on Wednesday, June 21. Credit:Twitter/@trentdann

Incumbency was once viewed as a major political advantage. Increasingly, however, it is viewed as a burden. This is partly because oppositions have become so good at making life miserable for governments; partly because of the demands of the so-called 24-hour news cycle (although this is often overstated by incompetent governments keen to deflect blame for their own failings); and partly because public cynicism is at an all time high. State Labor is now beset by similar problems to those being experienced by governments across the developed world. Chief among them is reaching an increasingly disengaged electorate in a feral political environment. The Andrews government can ill-afford further missteps, Josh Gordon says. Credit:Chris Hopkins Labor may have a compelling economic narrative. But to a voter struggling to pay the bills, perhaps marginally clinging to casual employment, or maybe a victim of the tectonic structural shift that has decimated traditional manufacturing, claims about the strength of the economy are meaningless. Victoria is a story of two economies. Business confidence may be high, and there may be an pipeline of infrastructure projects to boast about, including the $11 billion-cross city Metro Rail project, the $5.5 billion Western Distributor Road project (recently rebadged as the Westgate Tunnel), and the flagship $6.9 billion level crossing removal.

Premier Daniel Andrews greets construction workers in Federation Square. Credit:Chris Hopkins But at the same time there are almost 300,000 workers are now officially recognised as "underemployed"; that is, looking for more hours but unable to find them, with parts of the state clearly struggling, most notably the Latrobe Valley, which has been hit by the recent closure of the Hazelwood power plant and the looming closure of the Heyfield timber mill. Wages growth has all but stalled, while cost of living pressures  particularly housing and energy costs  have been rising sharply. The political challenge for the Andrews government will be retaining marginal seats in the traditional manufacturing belt in Melbourne's south east such as Carrum (held with a 0.7 per cent margin) and Cranbourne (2.3 per cent) hit the end of automotive manufacturing. On the other hand, party hard heads reckon Labor will have a good shot at winning the Liberal-held seat of Bass (4.6 per cent), which takes in the urban growth area of Pakenham and stretches towards Gippsland.

Fairfax Media understands internal Labor polling shows Bass is now running Labor's way 51 to 49 per cent in two-party preferred terms. Labor also has the western rural Liberal seat of Ripon in its sights, with internal polling also suggesting the seat is on a 50 to 50 per cent knife-edge. Labor is also under threat on its left flank, with the Greens hopeful of winning in inner city seats such as Richmond (held by popular incumbent Richard Wynne), and Brunswick (held by Jane Garrett, who is also popular in the electorate). And then there is the so-called "crime tsunami" (to use the opposition's favourite term) sweeping Melbourne. Here, the Coalition is convinced it is on to a winner. Crime is something you would suspect plays out politically at a visceral, instinctive level. If a government cannot offer the public basic safety, what is it good for? There is no doubt, crime is a growing problem in Melbourne. Over the year to March, the offence rate per 100,000 people increased by 2.5 per cent, after a hefty 11 per cent jump during the 12 months previous to that. Floating above the crime problem is the notion that Melbourne, bursting at the seams as it struggles to cope with record population growth, is losing its innocence, its liveability, its sense of community.

These are hard problems to fix, although the government is having a good crack at it, having announced an extra 2729 police, and having rolling out hairy-chested "we make no apologies" legislative agenda. The reality is that Melbourne's crime problem started well before the last election. Indeed, the offence rate has been rising since about 2011. It seems highly unlikely that would-be criminals embarked on a spree of assaults, robberies and car-jackings immediately after the 2014 election, having suddenly decided that Daniel Andrews is a "soft touch". There are surely much bigger, more intractable explanations such as substance abuse (particularly of the drug ice), poverty, unemployment, a lack of available housing, poor access to services, poor education levels, rapid population growth and boredom. Still, in politics, perception matters. If Labor can at least make further progress delivering results over the next 17 months, at best it might neutralise crime as a political problem. Then there are the problems of Labor's own making. In two-and-a-half years, it has seen more scandal than a government would normally expect in five. After the chaos of the Baillieu/Napthine era, you might think Labor would be more cognisant of the folly of inflicting unwanted mayhem on a voting public desperate for maturity and competency.

Yet, so far the government has lost three ministers. There was Adem Somyurek. He was accused of behaving aggressively towards a female member of his staff, although many in the party saw the scandal as a factional hit. There was Steve Herbert, busted using his ministerial vehicle to chauffeur his dogs around the state. Then there was Jane Garrett, who explosively resigned as emergency services minister after refusing to back a controversial union-friendly pay deal with firefighters seen to undermine the role of volunteers. The politically damaging subtext has always been that Andrews (for whatever reason) has been beholden to factional interests and union heavy-handedness at the expense of the public interest. More recently, the Andrews government lost a speaker and deputy speaker  Telmo Languiller and Don Nardella  to what Opposition Leader Matthew Guy is calling the biggest expense scandals in the state's history. For an opposition, it doesn't get better than that. And for a government, it's hard to imagine it getting much worse, although when it comes to the ALP, which at times seems to have a self-destruct mechanism encoded in its DNA, anything is possible.

Will Labor win? There has only been one single-term government in Victoria since the great Labor split of 1955 and that was the previous Coalition government. History would suggest Labor is more likely than not to get a second chance. If the federal election comes after the November 24, 2018 state election, it will help Labor, offering Victorian voters an opportunity to vent their frustrations about the Turnbull government, which has, among other things, badly short-changed the state on infrastructure . Even so, the Andrews government can ill-afford further missteps. In an age of political volatility  and rising voter cynicism  and with all of the challenges thrown up by soaring population growth, anything could happen. Why Labor might win: The budget has been well managed

Employment has grown strongly

Labor has a big infrastructure agenda

The Turnbull government is unpopular, broadly harming the Liberal brand
Deputy NSW Police Commissioner Catherine Burn has applied for the role of WA Police Commissioner.

WAtoday understands Ms Burn is among at least nine applicants who want to become WA's next top cop.

NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn is among the applicants for the top job at WA Police.

Ms Burn, who was overlooked for the role of NSW police commissioner in April, is among those interviewed.

It is understood interviews for the role were occurring this week.
Terror charges against the alleged Bali bombing mastermind, known as Hambali, accuse the Guantanamo captive of of conspiring in the 2002 Bali, Indonesia, nightclub bombings and the 2003 attack on the JW Marriott in Jakarta that between them killed more than 200 people.

A war court prosecutor has filed the terror charges against the notorious Indonesian.

The maximum security prison Camp Delta at Guantanamo Naval Base, where Hambali has been held. Credit:AP

When or whether Riduan "Hambali" Isomuddin, 53, will actually go to court is not yet known. At the war court, the prosecution prepares the charges, has them delivered to the captive and also to a senior Pentagon official, Convening Authority Harvey Rishikof, for review and a decision on whether to go forward. One thing Rishikof could get to decide is whether it would go to trial as a death penalty case.

Hambali becomes the first Guantanamo prisoner charged during the administration of President Donald Trump. If Rishikof approves it, Hambali would be the 11th of Guantanamo's 41 captives in war crimes proceedings.
Washington: Former US President Barack Obama  angered by Russian hacking during the 2016 elections  authorised a covert cyber operation to deploy "implants" in Russian networks that could be triggered remotely in retaliation to any future cyber aggression by Moscow, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

The newspaper said the operation, still in its early stages, had been signed off by Mr Obama and authorised US agencies to carry out the orders, even during the new Trump administration.

Former US President Barack Obama. Credit:AP

"US intelligence agencies do not need further approval from (President) Trump, and officials said that he would have to issue a countermanding order to stop it," the report said.

"The officials said that they have seen no indication that Trump has done so."
Bali: East Timorese police do not believe Kerobokan jail escapee Shaun Davidson is in East Timor, saying only two of the four foreign prisoners who escaped crossed from Indonesia.

Davidson, a 33-year-old from Perth, and Malaysian Tee Kok King remain at large a day after two of their fellow escapees were arrested in a luxury resort in Dili, the capital of East Timor.

Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev, who was serving seven years for ATM fraud, and Indian Sayed Mohammad Said, jailed for 14 years for drug offences, were arrested on Thursday at the 4-star Novo Turismo Resort and Spa.

Bali police chief Petrus Reinhard Golose flew into Dili on Friday to make arrangements for their return to Indonesia.
AUTO LAB RADIO SATURDAY MORNING LIVE! - Auto Lab Call-In Radio LIVE Worldwide From New York City 7-9 AM Saturday June 24, 2017







Auto Lab Talk Radio

The Auto Lab Radio Show is Broadcast every Saturday 7 to 9 AM On New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 and Streamed Worldwide On The Auto Channel

This Weeks Show Broadcast Date: June 24, 2017

Car Question or Concern? Call Toll Free 888-692-7234

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.

Listeners can hear the past 18 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on www.theautochannel.com.

Listen - Auto Lab Page (Includes Audio-on-Demand Archives, Auto Programs at Community College Database, Guests Pictures

This Weeks Show: June 24, 2017

Auto Lab In-Studio Auto Experts Discuss: Repairs, Second Opinions, Regular Maintenance, How To's, Safety, Used and New Car Buying, Ombudsmen Suggestions

Harold Bendell - Major Auto

Fred Bordoff - Bronx Community College Automotive Technology Department-CUNY

Libby Demarco-Broadway Sunoco

Howard Lepzelter - Retired Bronx Community College's Automotive Technology Department,CUNY

Jerry Pastore-D & J Diagnostic

Johanna Pastore-D & J Diagnostic

Joanne Porcelli, Esq

Michael Porcelli - Auto Mobile Services

Nicholas Prague- MTA and Rockland Community College, SUNY

Auto Lab Correspondent Interviews: Featuring Auto Safety News, New Car Reviews, Technology and Latest Auto World Information That Will Effect You!

Broadcast Date: June 24, 2017

Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England

WHERE'S THE FIX? - SPECIALIZED AUTO BODY REPAIRS

Robert Sinclair Jr.- AAA Northeast

HISTORIC INDEPENDENCE DAY, NUMBER OF JULY 4TH TRAVELERS GREATEST OF ALL TIME

John Russell Senior Correspondent

Impressions Of The 2017 MITSUBISHI LANCER 2.4 SEL AWD
Honoring the helpers Awards recognize those who support autism community

Thirteen community members and providers were recognized for their resilience, passion and heart at the 2022 Awesome in Autism Awards ceremony. The 14th annual event, hosted by Autism Society Ventura County, was held Oct. 20 at Wood Ranch Golf Club...

Go purple to support those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer November is the busiest month of the year for cancer awareness campaigns. Im going to focus on one of thempancreatic cancer because its a type weve seen a noticeable rise in over the last few years. And because it remains...

Hospital offers safe option to dispose of meds, narcotics Los Robles Health System is working to crush the opioid drug crisis by raising awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. Crush the Crisis will take place...

Alzheimers Foundation to host free conference The Alzheimers Foundation of America will host a free virtual educational conference from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tues., Nov. 15. The event is part of the foundations 2022 national Educating America Tour. The conference, which is free and open...
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park will host an event Saturday in a belated celebration of Juneteenth.

From 10 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. at the state historic site, a free program will showcase special elements of African-American history. Guests can view artifacts, listen to guest speaker historians and genealogists, talk with living history actors portraying Buffalo Soldiers, enjoy choir performances and purchase food from vendors.

Washington-on-the-Brazos is located at 23400 Park Road 12 in Washington. For more information and directions to the site, visit tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/washington-on-the-brazos.
Health care issue is about people and their right to live

Health care is about life and death. It should not be a political issue, but it is. Right now, 13 men, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, are sitting behind closed doors deciding the fate of as many as 23 million Americans. There have been no public hearings, no transparency.

When the Affordable Care Act was passed, there had been 79 hearings over the course of a year, and the bill was posted for 30 days before the Senate was asked to vote on it. This time, senators are being told they will have less than a day to read it, much less offer amendments.

That's no way to run a democracy.

In Texas, more than 2.5 million people would experience health care insurance losses, and 1.8 million would suffer Medicaid cuts or losses. States would be emboldened to deny covering pre-existing conditions, offering instead high risk insurance pools. I've been in the Texas high risk pool. My insurance premiums, which were already three times the normal rate, went up every year. I was saved by Medicare.

Republicans claim repealing the Affordable Care Act is all about fiscal responsibility and ending government giveaways. But the truth is that people who earn more than $1 million yearly, including 261 members of congress, will save $165 billion in taxes over the next 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. That's a huge giveaway -- welfare for the rich.

If Trumpcare, the American Health Care Act, is passed and Medicaid is slashed, two of the disabled people who will be affected are my great-grandsons. Their dad works 66 hours a week to support his family. Those children need help more than millionaires need money.

That's the essence of what this fight for health care is all about. It's about people and their right to live.

SHELLIE LYON

Franklin

Why doesn't A&M call its new prayer room what it really is?

In regard to the front page article "Prayer room welcomes all at TAMU": What is wrong with All Faiths Chapel that is centrally located?

You put a few religious books in a room under the guise of it being for everyone. I noticed there are no Buddas or statues of gods from India -- just prayer rugs. Just be honest and call it what it is: a prayer room for Muslims.

PHYLLIS RIDDLE

College Station

Metal utility poles would solve the problem with squirrels

I recently read an article in The Eagle about power failures caused by squirrels. If the power company would use metal poles, such as those that can be seen west of College Station, there would be a cost advantage because they last a lifetime and any problems would rest with the company, not the squirrels.

WILLIAM SHEFFIELD

College Station
The Koch Brothers come to mind as big donors for Republican and Libertarian organizations and individuals, while Soros and the 200 organizations he funds are part of a force which is dead set on trying to destroy the Trump presidency.

Is it right for billionaires, whether Democrats or Republicans, to have so much clout and influence over individuals and organizations within their respective political parties?

But are the Koch Brothers really guilty of debasing the political system? In accessing the situation, it all depends on which side of an issue an individual supports in any given situation.

Accusations of Debasing Political System

Jane Mayer is a writer for New Yorker magazine who specializes in long-form investigative journalism. In her book, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires behind the Rise of the Radical Right, Mayer sets out to build a case that U.S. democracy has been systematically undermined by a small group of extremely wealthy men who are driven by greed and self-interest, effectively subjecting politics to corporate capture.

Central to Mayer's examination are the lives and careers of Charles and David Koch, who Mayer claims are debasing the political system with the scale and scope of their influence by pushing their political agenda. Mayer described how Charles Koch, even more so than his brother, David Koch, as an ideological who believe in some of the most hard-line libertarian philosophy that you can come across in American politics. further claiming that who wants the Republican Party to go where he is.

By inferring that the Koch Brothers are alone responsible for debasing the political system, Mayer's book can rightly be construed as a partisan, political hack job. After all, it was billionaire, Socialist George Soros on the Left who orchestrated the election of President Obama and then proceeded to advance his policies through his front groups.

In her book, Mayer points out that the Koch Brothers have been playing a very long game. It started four decades ago with a plan to change how America thinks and votes. So while some elections they win and some elections they lose, what they're aiming at is changing the conversation in the country.

Mayer's narrative starts with Fred Koch, the family patriarch. Continue reading the main story

As to the influence of the Koch Brother's network -- the same is true on the Left -- Mayer described it accordingly:

It goes through a network of groups, organizations, mostly nonprofit groups. But it encompasses both charitable groups and more political groups. The charitable groups create position papers. The political groups mobilize voters and advocate for positions. And the even more political groups back candidates. And so the largest of these groups is something called Americans for Prosperity, which is the Kochs' main political advocacy group now. And by now, it's become a rival power center to the Republican Party in size.

It's a full-service operation. It's a pipeline that runs from universities and colleges, where they recruit kids. They've got programs now in somewhere between 200 and 300 universities and colleges. It goes from there to state think tanks in every state in America. It's Koch Industries itself, which is a tremendous company with $115 billion of revenues which lobbies members of Congress to push its point of view. And then it's all these dark money organizations. So they all kind of working in concert and create a phenomenal machine.

Top priorities of Koch Brothers

1. Push the Convention of States (Article V ConCon).

2. Oppose global warming legislation and regulations.

3. Support "dark money" (secret financing, without limits, of organizations to influence policy and elections).

4. Support criminal justice "reform" (reduced sentences and greater employability as low-wage workers).

5. Oppose pro-life and much of social conservatism, but behind-the scenes.

6. Support globalism and more immigration of low-wage workers (from which the Koch Industries profits).

7. Vehemently oppose increasing the minimum wage.

Given the results of the November, 2016 election, it is evident that the influence of the Koch Brothers and their well-orchestrated resistance against Trump failed. Charles Koch, in speaking to donors who give more than $100,000 a year to political and policy groups backed by the Koch Brothers, warned that the US was facing a moment of tremendous danger without any mention of Mr Trump by name. This statement was made by the Koch brothers' top lawyer in speaking for them, 'If we cant get comfortable with the policies that are in place, then were not going to support them." There was opposition to Trump's travel bans. Also questioned was Trump's skepticism of free-trade policies.

Koch Involvement in Trump's Tax Plan

But what could be interpreted as a reversal by Charles Koch and major financial support for President Trump was reported in USA Today on May 18, 2017. The report indicated that Charles Koch is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign to drive Trump's tax plan through Congress. A top official in Koch's Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, James Davis, although he would not disclose the specific amount, said the campaign, expected to last into the fall, would include advertising and mobilizing grassroots activists.

On the other hand, the Koch brothers were at odds over the March, 2017, U.S. House healthcare reform bill. While Trump and House leaders rounded up support for the bill ahead of the vote (the bill was pulled on March 24), groups threatened retaliation against those who did support the bill as not being conservative enough. Groups included the Club for Growth, the Heritage Foundation's political arm, and Americans for Prosperity. Of note is that all three organizations are part of the expansive political pressure network established by the Koch brothers. The Koch Brothers are major donors to The Heritage Foundation.

Koch Brothers and ConCon

Of all the many activities and causes that the billionaire Koch Brothers are influencing through their money, an orchestrated push for the Convention of States (Article ConCon) heads all else. The Koch network is the vast array of organizations that are under the control or influence of the Koch Brothers.

KochPAC is the political action committee funded by the Koch brothers, Charles and David, which contributes money to state legislators who support the ConCon. KochPAC donated heavily to Texas state candidates for the 2016 election, so much so that the media called Texas the "Koch Star State" rather than the "Lone Star State."

The American people have never exercised their legally enshrined right to convene a new Constitutional convention, despite an effort started in 2010 to convene a new one. Although proponents of a Constitutional convention call the effort a success, pro-business groups with ties to the Koch brothers, having pushed Constitutional convention (ConCon) legislation in more than 30 states, have only convinced 12 states to enact bills calling for a convention (Missouri has a sunset provision) that would create a more overbearing federal.

According to Article V of the Constitution, just two thirds (34) of the 50 state legislatures need to call for a convention for the purposes of proposing constitutional amendments (no governors signature is required). Those amendments would then need to be ratified by three quarters of the states, currently 38, to become law. But beyond those very basic requirements, nobody knows what the rules for a convention would be, since one hasnt occurred since the original in 1787. That single instance, Constitutional law experts warn, provides a harrowing precedent: Delegates tore up the Articles of Confederation they had convened to improve, and produced a whole new governing document.

Proponents of ConCon say that Congress is incapable of reining in a nearly $20 trillion national debt; opponents believe that the Article V convention would create taxpayer-funded abortion, eliminate the Second Amendment, eliminate the Electoral College, and advance globalist goals such as repealing the Treaty Clause that requires 2/3rds consent by the Senate.

DeMint Joins Push for Article V Convention (ConCon)

One of the two main groups pushing an Article V convention is the Convention of States, a project by Citizens for Self-Government, a nonprofit that doesnt disclose its donors, but has a variety of connections to David and Charles Koch.

The Convention of the States was co-founded by Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots (aligned with the pro-Constitutional movement), and is chaired by Eric OKeefe, veteran political operative and longtime Koch brothers ally who worked on David Kochs 1980 presidential campaign, chaired the now-defunct Sam Adams Alliance, which trained tea party activists, co-founded the Campaign for Primary Accountability, a super PAC that supported primary challenges to incumbent lawmakers of both parties, and directs the Wisconsin Club For Growth.

Announced on Monday, June 19, is that former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, who was one of the first elected officials to embrace the Tea Party movement and was recently ousted as the head of the Heritage Foundation, had joined the Convention of the States. DeMint was making millions as president of Heritage until a secretly arranged takeover forced him out and gave him a generous severance package. Part of his severance package may have required him to promote ConCon, or he may have simply signed up with COS afterwards to make more big money. Either way, DeMint's alignment with ConCon, and that of Mark Meckler who co-founded the Tea Party Patriots, is a sell-out of the conservative movement, the Tea Party, and our country.

Constitutional Convention (Con Con) as a Threat

David Super, a law professor at Georgetown Law, told IBT that Con Con is a very real threat. Super warned how there is nothing in the Constitution that provides for a limited purpose convention. Instead, there is precedent, as convention proponents have argued, that suggests officials selected by the states become federal officials once they take office, and cant be recalled by the states if they deviate from their stated objective, as convention proponents have argued. Additionally, the Supreme Court has largely established that it rules within the confines of the Constitution, so a convention would be outside of its jurisdiction. A convention could therefore be subject to a flood of special interest money, with no rule stating that the Constitution would have to be open to the public.

But is the requirement a meaningful one that 38 states ratify the proposed amendments? If an Article V convention is convened, then states will automatically ratify whatever it produces, just as many state legislatures passed the 17th Amendment unanimously due to the media pressure.

It has been argued that pushing for a ConCon would have a positive effect on Congress, such as when a call was made in the 1970s and '80s for a convention to enact a balanced budget amendment, which was then credited with spurring Congress to act to reduce the deficit. To the contrary, Congress did not balance the budget. It benefited from the "dot com" economic boom in the late 1990's but did nothing meaningful to cut spending and balance the budget, despite how close ConCon came to passing in the 1980s.

In regard to the billionaire Koch Brothers and others who are pushing for ConCon, are they not confident that Trump will react in a similar way by taking measures to reduce the deficit, or might there be personal motives, such as re-writing the Constitution in ways that benefit their interests?

One thing is for sure, our Constitution should not be for sale.
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WESTPORTIn recognition of her crusade to improve water quality and environmental conditions, Town Conservation Director Alicia Mozian received an award from a Washington, D.C.-based charity.

To be recognized for a careers worth of work felt gratifying and empowering, she said.

The Environmental Law Institute gives the National Wetlands Community Leader Award to someone who has contributed significantly to protecting wetlands or initiated the passage of wetland legislation.

Mozian was chosen by a committee of wetlands experts representative of conservation and business communities at all levels of government.

I was surprised and humbled and very grateful, the 57-year-old said. But I really dont feel like I do this work alone. It takes all the volunteers that Ive worked with to make these kind of improvements in water quality happen.

In over 30 years as a town employee, Mozian has dedicated her professional career to environmental sustainability in Westport, along with countless hours as the leader of the Sasco Brook Pollution Abatement Committee, a position she has held since 1991. The committee was formed to address the 10-square-mile watershed because poor water quality conditions forced the closure of shellfish beds.

Mozian led the effort to conduct constant water-quality testing to track the sources of pollution that emanated from septic systems, excess fertilizers and pesticides, and fecal waste from dogs and geese, along with a large contribution of waste from the Fairfield County Hunt Club, a club with a robust equestrian program.

After Mozians group alerted the country club about the pollutants, the Hunt Club installed a new septic system.

The Hunt Club put in hundreds of thousands of dollars on septic for their horse barns, Mozian said.

The Orange resident also led a door-to-door campaign in Westport seeking to educate homeowners in the watershed area about curbing the use of pesticides and fertilizers and on how to better maintain their septic systems.

The work paid off.

By early 2000s we saw results, she said. On the state list of impaired waterways, Sasco Brook has been upgraded to allow fishing and the state Bureau of Aquaculture is soon expected to allow shell fishing.

Mozian graduated from Cheshire High School and went on earn a degree in environmental studies from Nasson College in Springvale, Maine. After graduation, she moved to Utah and Colorado, working as a nature guide. In 1985, she moved back to Connecticut and started working for the town of Westport in January 1986.

Over 31 years, Mozian has been a planning aide, a conservation analyst, a zoning inspector and an assistant planner, taking over as conservation director in 2000.

She also serves on a number of boards, including for the Southwest Conservation District, the Aquarion Water Company Citizen Advisory Board and the Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetland Commissions.

In 1995, she got a masters degree in resource management and administration from Antioch University New England in Keene, N.H. To get her degree, Mozian took a pay cut from the town, working Monday through Thursday and then hopping in the car to drive up to New Hampshire to take classes on Friday and over the weekend.

Although studying in New Hampshire, Mozian still focused her thesis on Westport. As part of her project, she enrolled the town in the community rating system of the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides affordable insurance to homeowners and encourages adopting floodplain management regulations.

Mozians narrow focus on improving Westports waterways led to her nomination for a National Wetlands Award.

Carol Donzella, a member of the Sasco Brook Pollution Abatement Committee, recommended Mozian to the Environmental Law Institute, which selected five people for the award. In May, Mozian shared the stage with a naturalist from Maryland, a researcher in Louisiana, a government administrator in New Hampshire and an educator in Florida.

Mozian, who snagged the Wetlands Community Leader award, said she is grateful for all those who have worked together with her  both volunteers and full-time staff  to improve Westport.

I have a great staff and they are part of the reason I have been successful at my job, Mozian said.

@chrismmarquette; cmarquette@bcnnew.com
Because he was an antique Englishman, the Iron Duke of Wellington was able to recognize his campaigns as war to the knife and therefore to communicate his own inflexible view of their desperate significance to the men who marched beneath his banner

The Great Duke, by Sir Arthur Bryant (William Morrow and Company, 1972).

Wellington: The Years of the Sword, by Elizabeth Longford (Harper and Row, 1969).

Wellington: The Pillar of State, by Elizabeth Longford (Harper and Row, 1972).

I

For the purposes of intellectual history, it may reasonably be argued that there have been four crucial moments or water sheds in the formation of the Western world as we know it now. In other words, each of these four were ideological explosions that made a genuine difference in the configuration of thingsa seemingly irreversible difference. And on these surges toward modernity have, turned the fortunes of the race, European and otherwise. But the English Revolution of the 1640s, the French Revolution, the American Civil War, and the Russian Rebellion of 1918 are not best explained as unfolding from the Zeitgeist, pages in an impersonal schematic survey drawn up in the manner of Vico, Marx, or Hegel. For men, as embodiments of personal will, stood at the center of these movements, shaped their course, and finally determined their consequence: Men whose lives, in stark human terms, resonate with and summarize the meaning of their day. As protagonists or antagonists, they make their particular moment concrete. And assuredly Arthur Wellesley, the Iron Duke of Wellington, is one of this special company.

Of course, it is impossible to separate the life of Wellington from that of his great adversary or from the sequence of events which brought that enterprising Corsican to power. For Wellington in the first half of his career successfully opposed Napoleonic France in arms; and in the second or political phase of his life (after 1815), he set himself against the inheritance of Bonapartism and the spirit of revolution which in France had inevitably assumed that final form. The measure of his success in both connections is profoundly significant for those who see history as the inexorable progression of impersonal forces over and through the singularities of space and time. In other words, the Duke is proof to the proposition that men or nations of men can make their own fateproof that it is possible to turn the clock back or to reverse a trend. Despite a clear evidence of probabilities to the contrary, Wellington triumphed, Bonaparte was overcome. Jacobinism and its consequences in statism and the worship of speed or mass were not incorporated into the sociopolitical experience of the English-speaking peoples. That terrible abstraction, la volante generale, was broken upon the ridge above La Haye Sainte and driven back, to the wild tune of Wellingtons pipers, into the salons of the cognoscenti. Certainly, there is an encouragement for the reluctant determinists of our own era in the events of this one mans lifeneeded evidence, I believe. And, therefore, the books here under review seem, in a way that many of their readers may not notice, especially timely. But to explain I must return to Bonaparte and follow the Great Dukes own maxim: Occupy high ground and then invite a stand-up fight (Pillar of State, 158).

II

Sir Arthur Bryant has long been acclaimed as one of the finest contemporary English historians. Though capable of the closest, most specialized work, especially in military analysis; he belongs to the great tradition of Clarendon, Goldsmith, Hume, Robertson, Froude, Macaulay, and Trevelyan. Yet unlike many of his predecessors in popular history, Sir Arthur is free of the pernicious Whig or futurist bias identified by Herbert Butterfield as the besetting sin of the discipline. The British past is to him an inheritance, not a burden. And it is this general gift, this proprietary feeling for the national character and for the prescription of the national testimony, which makes his work on Wellington the general a useful counterpoint to the more inclusive biography here bracketed with it. For Bryant makes explicit the way in which the Great Dukes military adventures in Holland, India, Portugal, Spain, and France were finally an extension of his political philosophy; how Arthur Wellesley was listening to archaic ancestral voices when he understood himself to be retained for life by Crown and Constitution; and, therefore, how he was preparing throughout his pre-Waterloo years to form an army that was an incarnation of the English temper, to strike with that army a death blow against the armed doctrine which imperiled that temper, and thus, by seizing, the center of the European stage, to shape the course of the next one hundred years.

Wellington, of course, had his great forerunners in this role. Brought to my mind are William the Marshal, Earl of Pembroke under John and Henry II; Lord Talbot and his son (in Shakespeares I Henry VI); and Sir Edmund Verney at Edgehill. Each of these great captains personified the spirit of proud subordination which makes an army [or a nation, in the old sense] and which has nothing to do with servility (Bryant, p. 299). Each made of the force they led a family (Bryant, 298, 303, 346, 436), understood the maxim that leadership requires one who has authority in his face as well as at his back and that the relation of leader to led depends upon the formers ability to generate confidence out of his own person (Bryant, 108, 79). And each affirmed the very English equality of manhood, which comes with honorable service in the line, the rule that he who is with the king on St. Crispins Day shall be by him called brother (Henry V, IV, iii, 50-67). But Wellington comes very late to be grouped with these exemplars of an older Englandan England bound by blood, not interest. And the marvel is that this fact did not hinder or intimidate him in the least. As a cadet of the ruling Protestant ascendancy of Ireland his vision of the world was that of an aristocrat struggling to preserve order, peace, and civilization in an untidy welter of violence, confusion, and unreason (Bryant, 184). Furthermore, he was never of any opinion but that Napoleonic France was unreason incarnate, and its master a rank Promethean bent upon driving all Europe into the bottomless abyss of one arbitrary will (Bryant, 233, 279). Indeed, because he was an antique Englishman, because Napoleon and imperialism hidden under rhetoric offended his inmost self, Wellington was able to recognize his campaigns as war to the knife and therefore, with grace and quietude, to communicate his own inflexible view of their desperate significance to the men who marched beneath his banner. And finally, after Waterloo, he was, with the authority of that triumph behind him, successful in persuading a great many of his other countrymen to adopt a similar opinion, to believe that something hadat least for a generationbeen determined outside of Brussels.

Sir Arthur Bryants narrative is superbly rendered, full of telling scenes and swept along by a vigorous flow of comment and quotation. The hook is what we have learned to expect from him, quick with the current of the times and the tempo of their unfolding. Nor are we, as readers, ever allowed to forget how much these events mattered. Old Nosy was a personage to all of his soldiers. The Duke became one for all of England, an erect figure in a tall gray hat to whom, for reasons made clear by this biographer, every man uncovered as he passed.

III

The Countess of Longford has written a remarkable biography of another kind. The inclusive counterpart of Bryants essay on Wellington the soldier, it is likely to serve our age as the definitive study. For it rests upon a deliberate absorption in an absolute mass of evidence. And its second volume, concerning the difficult problem of the Duke as a statesman, does more than merely complete the image established in its first. When I began to read the dustjacket of The Years of the Sword, I was somewhat uneasy upon learning that the former Lady Pakenham was a Laborite by party persuasion. Her distant familial connection with the Iron Duke did not seem a sufficient insurance against revisionist mischief. And her work was being praised by all the wrong people. But these preliminary reservations were driven from my mind as I read through her almost one thousand pages. For Elizabeth Longford is English before she is socialist, and that is her common denominator with the Duke. English, I say, in a sense that implies the priority of cultural identity over all philosophical, social, or political persuasions. Indeed, her work, as does Bryants, takes us back to that age when party politics and the labeling of men by ideology were exceptional and aberrant developments, still out of place in the healthy social organism that was Albion. I am still surprised that it is possible for an adherent of the Labor Party to shed this feature of her modern identity and recover for us the transpolitical character of Wellingtons public life. Yet I am also encouraged by the development; it signifies that something from, that earlier Britain still lives in the grim context of the contemporary United Kingdom.

Both volumes of the Longford opus are held together by a simple theme, the Dukes idea of the almost mystical union between himself and the state (Pillar of State, 147). In one respect, this sounds modern enough. Yet Wellingtons notion of the patria was really no different from Edmund Burkes very traditional formulation: a vital, almost immortal incorporation of the living, dead, and yet unborn. And the Duke gloried not in control of this state or in the intellectual grasp of its nature-in-becoming, but rather in service to its immediate needs. His will was to defend a given. And such a will has indeed an almost counterrevolutionary, ideological force when informed by a genuine love for what is givenespecially a constitution, with a monarch as its steward and visible embodiment.

Thus, the determination with which Wellington stuck to his post, the old costermongers donkey (his own self-description) whose involvement in any business of the realm gave to its execution, even in the eyes of his enemies, a special legitimacy (Pillar of State, 331). Hence his support in Lords for a number of bills which he personally disapproved, and his conflicts with French and Austrian ultras whose general cause he supported. As a general and royal minister, his motto was ever that things must be made to work, that there should be no factious opposition to measures certain to carrycertainly no opposition that might threaten consequences worse than those of the measure itself. We think immediately of the Reform Bill of 1832 and the collapse of ministries of which Wellington made a part. The continued health of the polity was his primary concern. Anything could be put right again laterthat is, if England remained England.

But it is a mistake to forget Wellington the private man, the unpromising boy who learned early that self-imposed rules make it second nature for men to do the right thing (Bryant, 195). The Countess of Longford never lets us lose sight of the personal ground beneath her subjects career: Wellingtons dependence upon friends, especially women; his trouble as head of a difficult family; his small vanities; his gift of phrase; and the gallantry with which he conducted himself in the smallest matters in affection for old servants, his courtesy to foreign subordinates, in protection of tenants, a fondness for horses and fine dress. Furthermore, she keeps before us the mans ability to look reality in the eye, his freedom from all venality or taint of corruption, his modesty in always remembering that we are sad creatures after all (Pillar of State, 101).

For the Duke was not of one mind throughout his life. Though he disliked change in his very bones and, like most of his contemporaries, had developed a permanent edge on these feelings in the conflict with France, he was always able to learn, to maneuver his forces so as to preserve their strength, and to remember his own capacity for error. For such reasons, he supported revocation of the Corn Laws, carried Catholic Emancipation, and brought on renovation of the universities. And for the same reasonsdespite a life-long hatred for rigid political organizations, a fondness for the customary government by an association of friendshe led, and helped to convert into an efficient instrument, a great popular party (Pillar of State, 284; Years of the Sword, 207). For the alternative was unthinkable: an England with no effective voice for the ancient corporate feeling best denominated by the word Tory. As the Duke knew, he had no choice in these decisions. For only he, with simple personal authority, could make them stick, could enforce whatever lessons he had learned from harsh necessity. Only he was both a man and an institution. In the days to come, Conservative ministers would not often sit in Lords, would not fight duels, answer their own correspondence, or bristle violently at intrusions upon their privacy (Pillar of State, 325). In other words, they would not serve without ambition and without false modesty. Nor would they often combine social ease with persons from every station and high feudal dignity. And England would be the less for the difference.

There are, of course, a few things wrong with the Countess of Longfords Wellington: Her inability to understand why the Duke made such a stand on parliamentary reform (or to understand that he was correct in seeing it as a stage before revolution); her censure of his acid observations on that durable fraud, The March of Intellect; her obliviousness toward the incurably radical character of much Chartist rhetoric (Pillar of State, 229, 333). But these are her errors, not her subjectserrors that do nothing to diminish the validity of her portrait. The Duke had an almost infallible foresight into the ultimate designs of his enemiesa foresight which sometimes compelled him to give battle under terrible circumstances when the issue was great enough to force him out. Hence, he could so early recognize in Napoleon the soldier tyrant of Jacobinism whom Burke had predicted during the Terror (Years of the Sword, 396). And for the same reason, he could regard only with trepidation a national mood which found its panacea in legislation and legislation alone.

IV

We now inhabit the politicized world whose oncoming Wellington so long forestalled. Napoleon has had many successors. Furthermore, even the English no longer know they are doing wrong to hurl the little streets against the great. Only Sir Winston Churchill has given his country anything like the familial unity summed up one hundred years before him in the Dukes standard peroration:

I am the servant of the Crown and People.

I have been paid and rewarded

and consider myself retained.

But Churchill we should recall was a Conservative, not a full Tory. He thrived on politics and was not long a soldier. In addition, he was an intellectual of sorts. Elizabeth Longfords hero, therefore, deserved a great national mourning even more, than his recent rival in these honors. For, as she fully persuades us, he knew the old Tory secret, belonged to those he served. And his passing, like Churchills, enabled him to bring them together in spirit one time more. After considering Arthur Wellesley as he is represented in these masterful biographies, we must agree that Tennysons majestic farewell struck just the proper note:

Lead out the pageant: sad and slow

As fits a universal woe,

Let the long procession go,

And let the sorrowing crowd about it grow,

And let the material music blow;

The last great Englishman is low.

Books on the topic of this essay may be found in The Imaginative Conservative Bookstore. Republished with gracious permission from Modern Age (Fall 1973). The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.
The music of Michael Kurek is rooted in the past, and his own guiding philosophy is rooted in a love for the transcendent, triune splendor of the good, the true, and the beautiful, a love which is itself a fruit of his Christian faith

As editor for the past sixteen years of the St. Austin Review, a journal of Catholic culture, I try to keep my finger on the pulse of all thats good, true, and beautiful in contemporary art, music, and literature. For the most part, the pulse is strong and beats from a heart that seems healthier than it has been for decades. We seem to be at the dawn of a Christian cultural revival, awash with new novelists, poets, painters, sculptors, architects, and composers, which would have been difficult to predict at the turn of this century. Even as the secular culture decays into a decomposing, deconstructing mess, or what might be called nihilisms self-annihilation, new Christian culture seems to have been resurrected. Nowhere is this more evident than in the pioneering courage and conviction of Michael Kurek, whose latest album, The Sea Knows, all that is so vibrant and exciting in the Traditionalist avant-garde.

Before delving into the music on the new album, lets learn a little about Mr. Kurek himself. One of the most respected classical composers alive today, his works have been performed by symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles on five continents (excluding only Antarctica and Africa). His numerous prizes for composition include the prestigious Academy Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Academys highest annual lifetime achievement award in music. He serves on several professional boards and committees, including the Classical Grammy Awards Nominations Committee in Los Angeles. His music has been performed on radio or TV throughout the world, in France, England, Germany, Japan, Korea, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Russia, Portugal, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Sweden and, of course, the United States.

What makes Mr. Kurek so exciting is the manner in which he is a traditionalist rebel in the midst of the barren and inspirationally bereft musical establishment, his music serving as an oasis of edifying beauty in the midst of the atonal desert. Traditional classical music by people like Brahms (and, I hope, me) has a narrative quality, a musical storyline, he writes, like a river with a forward-moving current that pulls you along through time until you feel transported to some transcendent perception by the climax or by the end. Another metaphor is that a piece of narrative music makes a dramatic argument, in which its themes are like the characters in a play who discuss and undergo character development, so that by the end you see (hear) them in a different way.

Mr. Kurek laments that the craft of narrative composing has been lost, something that he blames squarely on the nihilistic pretensions of the modern music academy. Trained in this academy, he began to feel that the dissonant, atonal, and discordant methods of composition which hed been taught were fundamentally flawed. As a young convert to Christianity, I was slow to discern the philosophical underpinnings of the techniques I was being taught. My present philosophy of pursuing truth, virtue, and beauty based upon the principles of both natural law and Christianity only gradually emerged as something I could articulate.

As Mr. Kureks own musical imagination, and the music he was writing, began to be transformed, he encountered opposition from within the music academys ivory tower, even as his compositions began to gain popularity among concert goers. I see now it was because I was writing not within the kind of post-modern accessibility that was now acceptable in academe but in a fundamentally traditional style.

His work, and the popularity it enjoyed, has led to a movement in musical composition in opposition to the atonal fads that had dominated composition in the last decades of the twentieth century. I might count myself among the pioneers of that movement, he says, were it not for the fact that I never set out to be a pioneer and never liked the idea of joining any composers movement, nor especially of contriving a style in order to be a part of one. He came to realize that he should simply write the kind of music he would like to hear himself, were he sitting in the audience, and which he naturally heard in his own imagination when composing.

Now, having learned something about Michael Kureks neo-traditionalist philosophy and his rebellious return to narrative composition, we can take a look at the five pieces that have been assembled on the new album.

Track one, Serenade for Violoncello and Harp, written as a musical gift for his wife, romantically intertwines two themes in the manner of a fantasia, with the cello seemingly playing the role of the lover serenading his beloved. Track two, Moon Canticle, is described by Mr. Kurek as being inspired by the moon or perhaps even sung by the moon: With its constantly evolving, descending melodic lines, I think of the works form as a continual shower of moonbeams falling upon an enchanted forest of shifting harmonic shadows. The impressionistic theme of shadows is continued on track three, Savannah Shadows, a string trio inspired by Savannah, Georgia, and its ironic mixture of homespun Southern charm with the mysterious, haunting atmosphere symbolized (for me) by the ubiquitous, hanging Spanish moss. Mr. Kurek considers the long, exotic, drooping phrases of the violin and the viola as a kind of musical Spanish moss, with the cello introducing a tender, homespun theme. Haunted by the shades as well as the shadows of Savannah, the longing whispers of departed souls out of so many old mansions, forts, and graveyards, the intermingling themes develop toward an emotional climax and a nostalgic return of the theme.

Track four, Sonata for Viola and Harp, composed in 1987, represents a transition from Mr. Kureks earlier Modernist training to the more clearly traditional style of the other works on the album, all of which were composed in the past few years. Even then, fresh out of grad school, I was longing for a traditional sound and moving towards it, Mr. Kurek explains. Parts of it uses exotic scales that are outside of our normal major/minor scale system and more associated with composers like Bartok or Hindemith, so it will sound strange and tense to many ears. However, the second theme is in a more traditional melodic style, and that ultimately wins out. On the other hand, the entire piece uses very traditional phrasing and has a sense of a Romantic style, even when the pitches sound odd. Though dark, it does have many profound moments and enough of the traditional to fall generally within the realm of the beautiful. He considers the piece to be interesting, representing a kind of stepping stone in the quest for an original voice in a more traditional style, something he indubitably achieves in his later works. Conceding that this might be the one track on the album that some people will want to skip, he defends its inclusion because of the extraordinary performance by these musicians, adding that players need a good recording to refer to, and in recognition of its having become a staple of the repertoire.

Track five, The Sea Knows, is the final track and the piece that gives the album its title. In the poem of the same title, included in the liner notes, which Mr. Kurek also wrote, and in the tone poem itself, the sea stands for God. The person on the beach is a human, at first struggling with longing and the God-shaped hole within himself, so the music is turbulent. Around six minutes in, a beautiful theme enters, like the voice of God calling the person to salvation. The turbulent music struggles with this call, thematically, until the end, when the person has accepted the call and found fulfillment in God, awash and lost in the sea. So in addition to the technical form, a Sonata form, there is a drama of redemption at work, programmatically.

Michael Kurek believes that a patient, life-long quest for excellence in a more traditional style, be it representational art or narrative music, requires a strong guiding philosophy. Mr. Kureks own guiding philosophy is rooted in a love for the transcendent, triune splendor of the good, the true, and the beautiful, a love which is itself a fruit of his Christian faith. Its unlikely that his traditional Muse will win him many friends in the ivory towers of academe but he doesnt care and nor should we. Almost none of the more than seventy pieces that have won the Pulitzer Prize in music are played anymore. They have not entered the standard repertoire, nor have almost all of the Grammy-winning best new compositions. Michael Kurek is quite content to let the fashions have their day and for the fads to fade away. What will remain is that which is rooted in tradition and which reaches for the stars. Michael Kureks music, as exemplified on this marvelous album, is rooted in the past, which means, as we can confidently prophesy, that his reputation will reach into the future when most of his contemporaries will be as forgotten as they are dead and buried.

Audio and video recordings of some of Michael Kureks works, including The Sea Knows, can be found on his website. The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.
SPARCC gathering for a Saturday matinee

SPARCC (Single People Achieving Real Christian Connections) will attend a matinee movie at the Conestoga Mall on Saturday.

The group will gather between 3 and 4 p.m. and decide what movie to see. Attendees should plan to self-pay. No RSVP is necessary.

The mall is located at 3404 W. 13th in Grand Island.

SPARCC is a mission sponsored by First-Faith United Methodist Church. This is a group formed by single adults to have the opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals in a social environment. There are no membership dues or fees. Area singles are simply welcome to join events as able.

For additional information or information about upcoming events contact the church at (308) 384-5620 or check out the Facebook page.

Zion Lutheran showing Luther Sunday

WORMS  Zion Lutheran Church in Worms will be showing the movie Luther at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Worms gym.

Joseph Fiennes stars as Martin Luther in this retelling of the Reformation.

All are welcome. There is no charge.

The church is located at 1653 Worms Road, St. Libory.
Parents might have trouble believing how obedient 17-year-old boys are at the Junior Law Academy.

The young men do exactly what theyre told by State Patrol officers, and they do it in a hurry.

Adults would also be impressed with how the cadets address all their elders as Sir and Maam.

It doesnt take long for the staff to teach the young cadets the rules. The 42 members of the boys Junior Law Academy arrived at the State Patrol Training Academy Monday morning and will finish up Friday.

One of the cadets, Joseph Maus of St. Paul, said the week has been really fun. The first day was kind of scary. We really didnt know what was going on. Officers were kind of strict. We learned our yes sirs, yes maams. 

They also learned how to talk in a respectful manner, how to approach a gun safely and how to drive police cars, Maus said, adding that the week has been a great experience.

For Maus, the biggest surprise was how nice the troopers and sergeants have been to them.

Theyve treated us with respect, and weve treated them with respect, he said.

It has also been really cool to see how the class of real State Patrol cadets has done the flag patrol and everything like that, said Maus, whose father, Matthew, is a Nebraska state trooper.

The younger Maus is considering either going into pre-med or entering a training academy for some type of police work.

William Davis of Scotia enlisted in the Army three months ago. He will report to basic training May 22, 2018, after he graduates from Central Valley High School.

Davis likes the atmosphere at the Junior Law Academy.

I love the teamwork and how all of us boys from different walks of life and different places in Nebraska  probably have never met each other before  are able to come together, work together and bond and create a good strong connection with each other to work together, he said.

For many of the cadets, the best part of the week involves driving fast cars.

What was the biggest surprise of the week for Hunter Brophy?

I would have to say how fast the old Crown Vics can go, Brophy said, referring to Crown Victorias formerly used by law enforcement.

Brophy, who lives in Aurora, got up to 60 mph on the track. Current troopers went as fast as 80, he said.

Maus and Preston Ellsworth also enjoyed driving the police cars.

Learning about the canine unit left an impression on some of the cadets.

Troopers let one of the dogs attack Davis, who was wearing a safety suit. The dog bit Davis arm and then retained its grip. It was awesome, Davis said.

Ellsworth went into the session thinking troopers use a nice, gentle dog, so he was surprised to see the animal looking vicious. The dog grabbed hold and probably for like a straight minute, he does not let go, said Ellsworth, who attends Northwest High School.

Brophy said his parents wouldnt really have been surprised by how obedient he is at the academy, because he has been a Boy Scout. But I think theyd be surprised at how much this camp has taught me to respect others and myself, he said.

The Junior Law Academy is sponsored by the American Legion.

Earlier in the day, State Patrol Sgt. Cody Paro introduced the boys to defensive tactics. He showed them how to use pressure points to get subjects to comply with their wishes.

The methods demonstrated all meet legal, tactical and medical standards, Paro said. Officers are not free to come up with their own methods. If you do, youre on your own, he said.

The cadets also got to see a State Patrol helicopter on Thursday. Sgt. Brian Petersen and Trooper Jeremy Strack told them about the aircraft.

The hardest part of Junior Law Academy, Ellsworth said, is when the cadets mess up during the day. As punishment, they have to go through IT, which stands for intense training.

They go back to their dorms and do the exercises while wearing their jeans. The cadets, he said, are in there for about a good 10, 15 minutes doing exercises. And we get a good sweat going.

The academy gives the cadets an understanding of what state troopers go through every single day, Ellsworth said.

The State Patrol academy lasts 23 weeks, and we only do one week. So its a great experience for us to get a good feel for what they do, and a great eye-opener for those thinking about going into law enforcement, he said.
The recent letter to the editor from Roger Green of Scottsbluff critical of Rep. Adrian Smith is baseless. Im reluctant to give Mr. Green more attention than he deserves but his letter criticizing Rep. Smith for being inaccessible is not supported by facts.

Despite Nebraskas 3rd Congressional District spanning 75 counties, Congressman Smith holds meetings all over the district every year, and he is visible and approachable around the 3rd District.

Just this year alone, Rep. Smith has already held public meetings in McCook, Beatrice, Ogallala, St. Paul, and Chadron, as well as Farm Bill Listening Sessions in Scottsbluff and Aurora with more to come. This doesnt take into account the meetings he holds with local chambers of commerce, Farm Bureau members, community organizations, and constituents who come in to meet with him in both Nebraska and D.C. on the issues most important to them.

Mr. Greens claim about Rep. Smith holding telephone meetings rather than in-person ones is completely false  he holds telephone town hall meetings in addition to his in-person events to connect with even more Nebraskans. When you have 65,000 square miles to cover, you should use all available resources to reach constituents and Rep. Smith does.
How do you commemorate John F. Kennedy in a performing arts festival? All this season, the Kennedy Center has been trying to answer that question with a series of performances honoring Kennedy's centennial that often seem only tenuously linked to Kennedy.

"I don't care if [audiences] don't get it," Deborah Rutter, the Kennedy Center's president, told The Washington Post earlier this year about the connection of some of the performances to Kennedy's legacy. "I don't need to them to. I know it's going to soak in, and that's why we're doing it."

But starting Thursday, the Kennedy Center is co-presenting a festival that does proceed directly from a Kennedy initiative. The choral festival "Serenade" is coming to the Kennedy Center this year with choruses from many of the countries where the Peace Corps, which Kennedy established by executive order in 1961, is active - Zimbabwe, Ghana and Mongolia among them.

"Whether the Kennedy Center was going to go for this or not, my goal this year was to celebrate Kennedy," says Neeta Helms, the founder of the music presenter and travel agency Classical Movements in Alexandria, Virginia, who is mounting Serenade in the Washington area for the seventh time. When the Kennedy Center proved enthusiastic, the festival expanded to a week. Six days of free concerts at the Kennedy Center will culminate in an extravaganza with 16 choruses in the Concert Hall on July 3.

Serenade will also give eight concerts at other venues, many with a connection to Kennedy - like Trinity Church in Georgetown, where he worshiped, and where, on July 2, Latvian Voices and the Escolania de Montserrat, Europe's oldest boy's choir, will perform. Why Latvia? Kennedy went there while a student at Harvard. Why the Escolania de Montserrat? They will sing a work written for them by Pablo Casals, the legendary cellist who played for Kennedy in the White House in 1961.

The festival honors all kinds of Kennedy connections. "I said, 'Did Kennedy ever go to Baltimore?' " Helms says. "I found he once landed a helicopter at a place called Patterson Park" - a park that now hosts summer music concerts; one of the concert organizers was herself in the Peace Corps. Serenade's concert there July 2 features choruses from China, Panama and Zimbabwe, as well as a Maine-based chorus called Pihcintu, made up of girls who are refugees from countries around the world.

Helms commissioned 11 world premieres for the festival from composers in Haiti, India, Latvia and elsewhere, but only nine will be performed. Despite Classical Movements' years of experience getting visas to and from tricky regions for a range of major orchestras and choruses (including the National Symphony Orchestra), two groups were unable to swing it. "Our Moroccan choir has not got visas," Helms said. "It was ambitious to think that seven Moroccan men were going to get visas in this day and age."

She is already looking ahead to the 2018 Serenade. "Next year," she says, "I want to do Mandela."

- - -

Serenade takes place June 27 to July 4 with daily free concerts at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stages at 6 p.m. and other concerts, also mainly free, across the region. Advance registration or ticketing is required for the concert in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on July 3 and for some of the other concerts. For a complete listing, go to @classicalmovements at medium.com.
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Linkedin Devina Heriyanto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 14:36 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67139e 1 Lifestyle Idul-Fitri-2017,jakarta-great-sale,jakarta-fair-2017,jakarta,ramadhan,#Ramadhan,#Ramadhan2017,travel,destination Free

"Mudik" is an inseparable part of the Idul Fitri holiday. As people leave Jakarta for their hometowns, the city is up for grabs for those who choose to stay. The streets are unbelievably empty  a sight that only occurs at this time of year  making it a great time for exploration.

Here are some activities for Jakarta dwellers during the upcoming holiday.

Mall hopping

We know, you can visit malls any time of the year. Even though the midnight sale period will be over by then, the upcoming holiday is still within the Jakarta Great Sale season. Stroll leisurely and take your time as you do not have to fight elbow to elbow with other discount hunters to get the things you want.

Read also: Jakpost guide to Pasar Baru

A visit to the Jakarta Fair

The annual Jakarta Fair, which celebrates the capital citys anniversary, is set to be held from June 8 to July 16 at Jakarta International Expo (JIE) Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. Besides shopping, visitors can try traditional Betawi dishes or now hard-to-find Indonesian snacks and food at its night market.

A culinary tour of the PIK area

The Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) area may seem like Neverland for Central or South Jakartans. Embark on an unobstructed journey to the north and find yourself drooling over the plethora of hip cafes and restaurants in the area. While you're there, enjoy the greenery inside the mangrove forest park to rejuvenate your tired eyes.

Read also: Jakpost guide to Jl. Sabang

Movie marathons

This Idul Fitri holiday coincides with the summer blockbuster season, meaning there will be a lot of highly anticipated movies playing at the cinema. Be the first to see Kevin Spacey and Ansel Elgor robbing a bank in Baby Driver, the newest Sophia Coppola movie The Beguiled, or Despicable Me 3.

Visiting tourist destinations

For those who have been wanting to visit Kota Tua or Ancol but never have because of the crowd, the holiday presents a brief window of opportunity. Go visit major tourist destinations on the first or second day of Idul Fitri, before the crowds come and suffocate you. Or better yet, escape to a resort in the Thousand Islands area. (kes)
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali  Fri, June 23, 2017 17:02 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67811c 1 National bali,NgurahRaiAirport,Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport,Australian,Australian-citizen,pedophile Free

Bali authorities have rejected an Australian citizen attempting to enter Indonesia through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport due to his criminal record in his homeland.

Personnel of the Immigration Office at Ngurah Rai Airport refused Andrew Peter Stengouse entry to Bali after he arrived at the airport at 8:45 a.m. local time on Friday. The Australian citizen flew from Darwin to Bali on Air Asia flight number QZ 541.

The immigration officers decided to refuse him entry to Bali after receiving information from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) that Andrew was on a list of sex offenders due to his previous conviction in a pedophilia case.

Ngurah Rai Immigration Office chief Ari Budijanto said this was the fourth time this year the airports immigration officers had denied entry to an Australian citizen based on a notification from the AFP.

This is not the first time we have not allowed a foreigner to enter, he told The Jakarta Post on Friday, adding that officers sent Andrew back to his country shortly after his arrival. (ecn/ebf)
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Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 20:29 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a6b6690 1 Business bumi-resources,debt-restructuring Free

Indonesia's largest thermal coal miner, PT Bumi Resources, finally obtained an effective statement from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to restructure debts totaling US$4.38 billion.

Under the plan, politically-wired Bumi will convert its $1.99 billion debt into equity at Rp 926 (7 US cents) per share.

Meanwhile, another $639 million debt will be covered with convertible bonds, technically known as mandatory convertible bonds (MCB) in scripless form. With an annual coupon rate of 6 percent and a maturity period of seven years, the MCBs will be available at Rp 1 per unit.

The equities and bonds will be issued with preemptive rights to subscribe securities (HMETD) for existing shareholders.

The OJK has confirmed the effective date of June 22 for Bumis rights issue and the release of the MCBs, Bumi corporate secretary Dileep Srivastava told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Bumi originally expected the effective statement to be issued on May 26 so that it could trade the HMETD on June 12 to 16.

As part of its debt-restructuring plan, Bumi has brought in three new directors from its two creditors: China Investment Corporation (CIC) and China Development Bank (CDB).

Bumis two new directors from CIC are Wayne Yao and Haiyong Yu, while the one from CDB is Ruan Xuefeng.

The company has also added five new commissioners, including two from CIC, Jinping Ma and Benjamin Bao, and one from the companys bondholders, Thomas M. Kearney. (dmr)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 15:32 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a675256 4 Business cocoa-production,Cargill,Indonesia Free

PT Cargill Indonesia, the local unit of the United States commodities giant, aims to increase cocoa production to 56,000 tons per year, 80 percent of its estimated total annual production capacity of 70,000 metric tons.

Cargill Indonesia, which has a cocoa-processing plant in Gresik, East Java, said its cocoa production in 2016 had reached 42,000 tons, 60 percent of its total production capacity.

Currently, there are few constraints due to the declining supply of raw materials in the country, Cargill Indonesia corporate affairs director Arief Susanto said recently as quoted by Kontan.

In order to anticipate the limited supply of raw materials, the company has partnered with farmers by providing them with training.

To handle the shortage, Cargill is importing 30 percent of the required raw materials for producing cocoa. However, domestic cocoa beans will still account for 70 percent of the raw materials used for production.

The processed cocoa products have been mostly exported rather than sold in the country because of the high demand overseas. (win/dmr)
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 15:15 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a6738e5 1 City toll-road,traffic-congestion Free

As vehicles on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll route have begun forming long lines, state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga is implementing a contraflow system to ease congestion.

Vehicles were seen queuing to enter the main toll entrance for up to nine kilometers on the Cikampek road on Friday.

"We will implement contraflow arrangements in two spots on the toll route from Kilometer 14 to 21 and kilometer 32 to 41," Jasa Marga spokesperson said in Bekasi, West Java, on Friday.

Apart from long queue at the tollgate, a traffic jam was also spotted at the Cikarang Utama exit gate, he added.

The Jakarta-Cikampek toll road has one of the main exit gates for millions of homebound Jakartans who wish to meet their extended relatives during the Idul Fitri Holiday, which is expected to fall on Sunday. (fac)
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) London  Fri, June 23, 2017 20:46 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67d432 2 World #facebook,#extremism,#radicalism Free

US social media giant Facebook launched a campaign in Britain on Friday to counter the spread of online extremism following warnings from Prime Minister Theresa May after four terror attacks in three months.

Facebook said it would seek to educate charities and other organisations on how to fight hate speech, in the wake of recent terror attacks in Belgium, Britain and France.

The Online Civil Courage Initiative (OCCI) will act as a forum for charities and other nonprofit organisations to share their experiences of extremism and develop "best practices" to tackle the issue, both on and offline.

There are already OCCI schemes in France and Germany.

Earlier this year, Group of Seven (G7) leaders had urged online giants like Facebook and Google to do more to curb extremist content online.

"The fight is moving from the battlefield to the internet," May said at the time.

Partners in the new initiative include the Jo Cox Foundation, which was established in memory of the British member of parliament who was assassinated last year by a man with links to neo-Nazi organisations.

Other partner organisations include anti-hate groups from the Jewish and Muslim communities.

"There is no place for hate or violence on Facebook," the company's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said Friday.

"We use technology like AI (artificial intelligence) to find and remove terrorist propaganda, and we have teams of counterterrorism experts and reviewers around the world working to keep extremist content off our platform.

"Partnerships with others -- including tech companies, civil society, researchers and governments -- are also a crucial piece of the puzzle."

"We know we have more to do, but through our platform, our partners and our community we will continue to learn to keep violence and extremism off Facebook."

The announcement Friday comes a week after Facebook launched a series of counter-terrorism measures in the wake of the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London.

In a separate announcement Friday, the British government rolled out new rules to crack down on terrorist and criminal financing.

Businesses like banks, estate agents and accounting and payment firms will have to carry out "stringent and targeted checks" to make sure that money "is from a legitimate source and will not be used to fund terror acts", the Treasury said in a statement.
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali  Fri, June 23, 2017 14:00 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a671377 1 National Barack-Obama,visit,Indonesia,bali,Bali-airport-closure Free

Former US president Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive on Bali this afternoon to start a five-day vacation with his family on the resort island. Obama's aircraft will be arriving at the Bali airport at 5:55 p.m. from Guam.

Ngurah Rai Military Air Base commander Col. I Wayan Superman said standard VVIP security measures would be enforced during the landing of Obama's aircraft at the airport.

There will be no airport closure [for other flights]. However, we will give priority to his plane," Superman said.

Superman said that he had coordinated with the advance US team, which indicated that Obama had refused the offer of any special treatment during his visit.

Superman said the Indonesian authorities would ensure Obamas arrival would have minimal impact on other flights at the airport.

Obama will come with his wife Michelle Obama, their daughters Malia and Sasha, and other Obama family members. He will also bring several special security staff members with him.

From the airport, Obama will go straight to the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Ubud where he will be staying. The five-star hotel offers a green view over rice fields inside the hotel complex. The hotel restaurant also offers a view over the Ayung River. (dmr)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 15:13 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a6730a6 1 City detainee,escape-detainees Free

Numerous cars were damaged on a Depok street on Thursday after the driver of a prison van apparently allowed a detainee in his charge to hijack the vehicle.

On Thursday afternoon, detainee Ari Wicaksono was being returned to the Depok District Court after completing a medical check-up at the police hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.

The driver, Togar, allegedly left his charge unattended in the van, apparently with the ignition key, when he stopped for a moment to buy some drinks on Jl. Juanda. At that point, according to Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono as quoted by kompas.com, Ari somehow took control of the vehicle and drove off.

Argo claimed that when Togar shouted for help, Ari began to drive erratically. He doubled backed and crossed the street, Argo said.

Jl. Juanda was crowded that afternoon and when the van accelerated it bumped into several cars driving in the opposite direction.

He has been arrested and is being investigated, the chief of the Depok Polices criminal unit, Comr. Teguh Nugroho, said referring to Ari, who is a defendant in a case involving land certificate fraud.

People whose cars were damaged in the incident have demanded that the Depok Prosecutors Office, as the owner of the van, pay them compensation.

Maemunah, 47, whose car was heavily damaged by one of the collisions, said she would insist on compensation from the prosecutors office.

I waited for officials from the prosecutors office [to deal with the damages] at the Depok Police until 11 p.m., but no one appeared, she said. (hol)
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Manila  Fri, June 23, 2017 09:32 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a667e8f 1 National the-philippines,Foreign-Affairs-Ministry,peace-and-conflict-resolution Free

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi kicked off on Thursday a series of bilateral meetings with Philippine officials, beginning with Jesus Dureza, special adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte on the peace process in Mindanao.



Dureza briefed the minister on a number of issues of concern for Indonesia, including the conflict in Marawi City and updates on the Bangsamoro Basic Law drafting process.



Retno said Indonesia had been keeping tabs on the ongoing peace process in Mindanao, as any cessation would affect countries in the immediate vicinity, which includes Indonesia and Malaysia.



"Our hope is when the Bangsamoro Basic Law is in effect, the region will usher in a time of peace," she told reporters in Manila, on Thursday.



The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law seeks to promote peace in the region and was agreed on by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2014.



From the information gleaned from Dureza, the minister said Manila would be ready to table the bill next month.



Besides the Bangsamoro issue, the minister was briefed on the unfolding situation in Marawi, where security forces are locked in a battle with Islamic State-linked militant groups.



Retno is in Manila for a trilateral meeting on counterterrorism with her Malaysian and Philippine counterparts, which will also feature military, police, intelligence and counterterrorism chiefs from Indonesia and its neighbors.



Indonesia is calling the trilateral meeting an immediate response to the fallout in Marawi, which has raised concerns that IS influence would spread in the region.(dmr)
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali  Fri, June 23, 2017 14:39 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a6719b2 1 National Obama,bali,security,BarackObama,Ubud Free

Former US president Barack Obama will soon be on the resort island of Bali for a five-day vacation with his family.

The local authorities have said they are ready to secure his visit, although even hours before his arrival on the island, Obamas representatives have yet to inform them about the tourism sites the former US first family is planning to go.

"We do not know the schedule yet. It is still tentative. We don't know where he will go," Wirasatya 163 Military commander, Colonel Arh. I Gede Widiyana said on Friday.

Obama is scheduled to arrive on Bali at Ngurah Rai airport this afternoon. He will be staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Ubud, about 37 kilometers from Denpasar.

The Bali Police and all the three forces within the Indonesian Military (TNI)  the Air Force, the Navy and the Army  will take part in securing his visit.

Widiyana said he would decide the number of security personnel he would deploy on the ground once Obama provides information about the areas he would like to visit.

He made assurances that Obamas visit would not disrupt other tourists as the security would not be as heavy as when he was serving as US president. (ary)

Topics : Obama bali security BarackObama Ubud
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 15:33 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a6758b1 1 Business Jangkrik-project,LNG,refinery Free

The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from the Jangkrik field within the Muara Bakau block has been delivered to the Tanjung Benoa regasification terminal in Bali from the LNG Bontang refinery in East Kalimantan.

The delivery was part of a long-term contract with state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina. The Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) deputy chairman, Sukandar, said that a majority of the gas produced from the Muara Bakau field would be prioritized for fertilizer factories and other domestic industries where it was needed.

The fulfilment of demand is also proof that the upstream oil and gas industry completely supports the governments program to maintain food and energy security in Indonesia, he said, according to a press release.

In addition to fertilizer plants, the LNG will also be used to help support the power sector to ensure that those in eastern Indonesia have access to electricity.

Up until Thursday, gas produced by the Jangkrik field has been processed into LNG at a rate of 2,400 million cubic square feet per day (mmscfd). The current production rate is around 200 mmscfd, which will eventually reach a peak of 450 mmscfd. (dmr)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 23:30 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67ea8e 1 Business upstream-industry,strategic-project Free

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has proposed four projects to be included on the national strategic projects list.

The ministrys oil and gas director general, IGN Wiratmaja Puja, said the list comprised the Masela block, the Indonesian Deepwater Development (IDD) and the Jambaran Tiung Biru and Tangguh projects.

Wiratmaja said the four projects could be developed much faster if they were included in the upcoming presidential decree (Perpres) regulating the list of projects.

Several things would become easier, such as land acquisition, regional permits and other things, he said.

There are 225 projects nationwide, which include 47 highway projects, five national non-toll roads, 12 railway projects, 11 airport revitalization works, the construction of four new airports and the development of the two airports and the construction of 13 ports.

The projects are stipulated in Presidential Decree (Perpres) No.3/2016 and Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No.1/2016, giving public officials the authority to revise or replace rules that hamper development work and process land acquisitions more quickly.

However, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmina Nasution claimed that President Joko Jokowi Widodo recently approved the inclusion of 55 new projects and one program to the existing list. The addition brings the total to 245 strategic projects and two programs needing an estimated investment of more than Rp 4 quadrillion (US$300.3 billion) to complete. (dmr)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017

More than a dozen suspected terrorists arrested by the National Polices Densus 88 counterterrorism squad in the past three weeks had reportedly been planning to launch car bomb attacks on police officers in several major cities, highlighting local militants ambition to inflict more severe harm on their targets.

The police said they had rounded up 41 people for having alleged links to Jamaah Anshar Daulah (JAD), which the police said was responsible for the Kampung Melayu bombings that killed three police officers.

The May 24 bombings were the deadliest attack on the police in years, with previous attacks mostly killing only the suicide attackers.

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Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 13:21 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a66f501 1 National agrarian-reform,land-certification,target Free

The administration of President Joko Jokowi Widodo will likely fail to reach its target of distributing a total of 5 million land certificates to people across the country this year, as data shows that as of June the Agrarian and Spatial Ministry only managed to hand over about 50,000 of them.

Agrarian and Spatial Minister Sofyan Djalil said that his office had so far only distributed 50,000 land certificates to people nationwide because certificates were only handed over when President Jokowi was on working visits to the regions.

We have issued more than that, actually. [However, the problem is] certificate distribution relies on working visits of the President to the regions, Sofyan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Sofyan acknowledged that the number of certificates that his office had issued as of Friday was still far below the 5 million target set by Jokowi, but he refused to give specific figures.

During his recent work trip to Central Java, President Jokowi distributed 2,550 and 2,187 land certificates to people of various occupations in Cilacap and Purwokerto respectively. A total of 500,000 certificates are to be distributed in Central Java.

The land certification program is part of Jokowis ambitious agrarian reform policy that aims to certify 126 million hectares of land across the country.

Jokowi said that of the total, only 46 million hectares had been certified and his administration would step up efforts to issue certificates for the remaining 80 million in the next few years.

In 2018, the government aims to distribute 7 million certificates and in the following year the number is to increase to 9 million.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 15:20 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a6746cc 1 National corruption,Golkar,KPK Free

Investigators of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have completed their probe into the graft case involving Golkar Party politician Fahd El Fouz and have sent his case file to prosecutors.

The investigators have handed over all reports, evidence and the suspect to prosecutors. Prosecutors will draft their indictment before registering the case with the Jakarta Corruption Court, KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah told reporters on Thursday.

Fahd stands accused of corruption in connection with the 2011-2012 Religious Affairs Ministry project to procure Qurans as well as computer laboratories for Islamic senior high schools.

Fahd is the third suspect to be named in the case, which was initially investigated in 2012. He is suspected of embezzling Rp 3.4 billion from the two projects, which are worth a total Rp 14.8 billion (US$1.11 million).

Fahds lawyer Robby Anugerah Marpaung told reporters they would open investigation records and evidence during the trial process, including those implicating former Religious Affairs deputy minister Nasaruddin Umar and former House of Representatives deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso.



This is the second graft case implicating Fahd. In 2012, he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for bribing a lawmaker to obtain regional development funding. (kuk/ary)

Topics : corruption Golkar KPK
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 18:40 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67aa74 1 National Hary-Tanoesoedibjo,National-Police,AGO,suspect Free

The National Police officially named businessman-cum-politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo a suspect on Friday for allegedly intimidating an Attorney Generals Office (AGO) official last year.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Rikwanto said in Jakarta on Friday that the police had notified prosecutors about Harys status through a letter dated June 15. The police leadership has allowed its investigators to commence a criminal investigation with Hary as a suspect.

The announcement ended days of uncertainty about Harys status after he underwent a series of police questionings. He was reported to the police for allegedly threatening the head of the AGO sub-directorate for special crimes, Yulianto, who handled an investigation into the businessmans reportedly suspicious Rp 10.75 billion (US$ 807,360) tax restitution claim in 2009.

Earlier this week, the police clarified Attorney General Prasetyos statement to the media that Hary, the founder of the Indonesia Unity Party (Perindo) and media chain MNC Group, had been named a suspect. Subsequently, Harys lawyers reported Prasetyo to police for making what they claimed was a false statement.

Yulianto filed a criminal complaint against Hary for allegedly texting him a threatening message in connection with the AGOs ongoing probe into the dubious tax restitution involving Harys company, PT Mobile-8 Telecom.

The SMS said, Mas Yulianto, we will prove who is right; who is a professional and who is a thug. Please remember that power doesnt last forever. I entered politics with the intention of eliminating law enforcers who are undemocratic, corrupt and abuse their power. Mark my words, I will surely become a leader of this country and when I do, Indonesia will be cleansed.

Rikwanto added that the police were scheduled to question Hary early next month, after the Idul Fitri holiday.

The police have charged Hary under the 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions Law, which carries a maximum prison term of four years. (kuk)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 16:11 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a675ff0 1 National Obama,bali,BarackObama,Barack-Obama,NgurahRaiAirport,Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport,vacation,Holiday Free

A Bali official has said no extravagant ceremony had been prepared to welcome former US President Barack Obama and his family, who are expected to arrive on the resort island for vacation on Friday afternoon.

The Bali administrations peoples welfare and governance assistant, Dewa Putu Eka, said Obama expected privacy during his vacation. Hence, only four officials would give welcome greetings to Obama and his family upon their arrival at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

They are Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika, Ninth regional military command (Kodam IX) Udayana commander Maj. Gen. Komaruddin Simanjuntak, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Petrus Reinhard Golose and I Gusti Ngurah Rai Air Force Base commander Col. Wayan Superman.

Although this is a private visit, we will still apply the standard operational procedure for securing former state leaders, but it will be limited. There will be no welcoming ceremony with a special traditional dance performance, for instance. Once they arrive, they will directly go to the hotel, Putu Eka said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

He further said that Obama had requested that media companies not cover his arrival. He only approved officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Bali administration to make a documentation of his arrival at the airport.

Obama is scheduled to arrive in Bali at 5:55 p.m. local time on Friday. He will holiday in Bali until June 28 then he will continue his trip to Yogyakarta and Jakarta. He will be traveling to Bali with an entourage of 13 people, including his wife and children. (ecn/ebf)
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali  Fri, June 23, 2017 20:43 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67cf4c 2 National Obama,BarackObama,Barack-Obama,vacation,Holiday,Ubud,NgurahRaiAirport,Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport,#BarackObama Free

Former United States president Barack Obama arrived in Bali on Friday evening for a family vacation. His Gulfstream G-V N50JE aircraft landed at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali at 6.52 p.m. local time, or a bit late from its initial schedule of 5.55 p.m.

Wearing a blue T-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers, Obama was seen relaxed and smiling when he embarked from the plane, witnesses reported. Meanwhile, former First Lady Michelle Obama, who wore a white T-shirt and blue jeans walked by his side. Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, also joined the vacation.

Journalists did not have access to cover Obama's arrival at the airport as requested by the former US president's advance team.

Only four officials welcomed Obama at Ngurah Rai Airport, namely Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, Ngurah Rai Military Air Force Base commander Col. I Wayan Superman, 9th regional military command (Kodam IX) Udayana commander Maj. Gen. Komarudin Simanjuntak and Denpasar Police chief Sr. Comr. Hadi Purnomo, who represented Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Petrus Reinhard Golose

Obama left Ngurah Rai Airport for Ubud at 7.17 p.m., with an VVIP escort comprising Indonesian Military and National Police personnel and his advance team.

Arie Ahsanurrohin, communications and legal head of state airport operator Angkasa Pura I at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, said clearance processes by the airports Customs and Immigration authorities took too long.

In line with standard operating procedures, customs officers must check all luggage. It took time," Arie said.

Obama briefly engaged in small talk with local officials welcoming him. Obama and his family also posed for photos with the officials before leaving the airport.

Arie said Obamas arrival did not affect the airports flight schedules. Obama will vacation in Bali until June 28, then head to Yogyakarta and Jakarta. (ebf)

On holiday: A Land Cruiser carrying former US president Barack Obama leaves I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on June 23.(JP/Ni Komang Erviani)
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 19:34 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67bd3b 1 National bali,Obama,tourism,Indonesia Free

The recent visit of former United States president Barrack Obama to Indonesia is expected to give the nations tourism a boost, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya says.

"One of the best endorsements you can get in marketing is from celebrities. They could be an artist or a political figure, and Obama is an international figure. It will have a positive impact," he said in a statement issued on Friday.

Indonesia aims to attract 15 million foreign tourists this year and the figure is expected to climb to 20 million foreign visitors by 2019.

Read also: Bali ready for Obama vacation

Obama has arrived in Bali and will enjoy a holiday until next Wednesday. He will reportedly stay at Four Seasons Resort in Bali.

Various sources have reported that Obama will arrive along with 12 others, including former first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia Obama. (ika)

Topics : bali Obama tourism Indonesia
people: Former General Elections Commission (KPU) members Juri Ardiantoro (right) and Hadar Nafis Gumay arrive at the Constitutional Court (MK) in Jakarta on Thursday to demand that the court issue a ruling on the judicial review of the 2016 Regional Elections Law as soon as possible. The petitioners are vying for the annulment of a provision requiring the KPU to consult the House of Representatives before issuing KPU regulations. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)(KPU) members Juri Ardiantoro (right) and Hadar Nafis Gumay arrive at the Constitutional Court (MK) in Jakarta on Thursday to demand that the court issue a ruling on the judicial review of the 2016 Regional Elections Law as soon as possible. The petitioners are vying for the annulment of a provision requiring the KPU to consult the House of Representatives before issuing KPU regulations. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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Linkedin Karlis Salna and Untung Sumarwan (Bloomberg) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 09:30 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a667602 2 Business Jokowi,infrastructure,presidential-election Free

Sitting on a Kawasaki dirt bike with a camera fastened to his helmet, Indonesia President Joko Widodo led an entourage last month to inspect construction of the longest road in the eastern province of Papua.

The fresh rainforest air provided a welcome respite for the president after months of political turmoil. Nearly 3,500 kilometers away in Jakarta, his ally Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was spending his first full day in prison on blasphemy charges -- a case that also came as a blow to Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi.

The road in Papua provided more than an escape for Jokowi: It offered a path to reboot and secure a second term in 2019. Many Indonesia watchers see Jokowis political future tied to his ability to implement a $350 billion infrastructure program and increase living standards for the poor in Southeast Asias biggest economy.

If he can deliver most of the things he says he wants to do with infrastructure, that should hold him in good stead going into the contest for a second term, said Greg Barton, a professor of global Islamic politics at Deakin University in Australia. The attack on Ahok was very much an attack on Jokowi -- it was very much a preemptive strike ahead of the election cycle.

Purnama, widely known by the nickname Ahok, was put on trial for blasphemy late last year after he told voters they were being deceived by people attempting to use Koranic verses to undermine his candidacy in the Jakarta governor race. He was sentenced to two years in jail on May 9, weeks after he lost the vote.

Religious Tensions

The case against a Christian of Chinese descent brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets in protests, some of which turned violent, raising concerns that Muslim-majority Indonesia was losing its reputation for religious tolerance. Jokowi sought to quell tensions with a call for unity and public appearances with senior officials from the military, police and other party chiefs.

The victor in Jakarta was an ally of Prabowo Subianto, who lost to Jokowi in the 2014 presidential race and is widely expected to challenge him again two years from now. The win put the opposition in control of a city that contributes nearly a fifth of Indonesias gross domestic product and the bulk of its finance.

Still, Jokowi has appeared to weather the storm. His coalition in parliament remains solid, the economic outlook is bright and he remains popular with the public.

Jokowi received the backing of twice as many respondents as Prabowo in a survey of 1,350 voters last month by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting. Public satisfaction with his performance stood at 67 percent.

Super Happy

The World Bank forecasts the economy will grow 5.2 percent this year. While thats short of Jokowis target of 7 percent, its high compared with other emerging markets.

Many countries in the world would be super happy to have 5.2 percent," said Rodrigo Chaves, the World Banks country director for Indonesia. Indonesia is growing twice as fast as the global economy. Thats no mean feat.

Last month S&P Global Ratings raised Indonesias debt score to investment grade on the back of "a new focus on realistic budgeting" that reduced the risk of widening deficits. That stands to boost inflows even further while Indonesias foreign reserves have already climbed to a record, reaching $125 billion in May.

In parliament, Jokowi controls about 70 percent of seats, and his coalition partners appear to be standing with him. Golkar, the countrys second-biggest political party, joined up with the president last year and credits Jokowi with improving the nations infrastructure.

We believe Jokowi will be able to consolidate his support from various parties and deliver in 2019," said Ace Hasan Syadzily, a lawmaker with Golkar.

A worker walks past a tunnel at the Setiabudi station section of the Mass Rapid Transit project on Feb. 23. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

Highway, Subway

Since the Jakarta election, Prabowos party has struggled to open up a line of attack against Jokowi. Arief Puyuwono, a deputy chairman of Gerindra, gave Jokowi a thumbs up for his management of the economy even while saying he could do more to increase wages for laborers who comprise the bulk of the nations 260 million people.

Jokowis immediate agenda over the next few months is passing a revised budget, anti-terrorism laws and regulations that could increase the power of tax authorities after an amnesty raised $11 billion. Over the longer term, hell look to continue building infrastructure that impacts voters directly.

In Papua, Jokowi is looking to finish the nearly 4,300 kilometer (2,700 mile) road stretching across the province by next year. More difficult may be a subway system in Jakarta, which is now in the hands of Prabowos allies.

Either way, Jokowi has done much more already on infrastructure than the previous administration accomplished in 10 years, according to Rizal Ramli, a former minister in Jokowis cabinet who also served as finance minister in 2001. Focusing on economic issues will help him avoid the missteps that led to the defeat of his ally in Jakarta, he said.

Jokowi lost a lot of political capital because Ahok has dragged him down, Ramli said. If Jokowi doesnt change, then he might have trouble getting re-elected in 2019.
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Linkedin Fachrul Sidiq (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 19:22 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67bbc3 1 City Idul-Fitri,Holiday,Gojek,Grab,online-application Free

While many people have started to leave the capital, many app-based ride hailing service drivers have decided to stay in Jakarta to earn more money thanks to decreased competition for passengers.

With demand for their services remaining steady, these opportunist drivers want to take advantage of the absence of many of their colleagues that have joined the annual Idul Fitri exodus.

Fajar, a GrabCar driver who operates in the western part of greater Jakarta, is one of the drivers who is staying in the city to serve those also staying behind.

When Idul Fitri is near many people go shopping to prepare for the big day, said the 30-year-old.

"The monthly installment fees for my car cannot wait, said Fajar, who needs Rp 5 million (US$375) a month to cover the installment fee for his Honda Mobilio.

Meanwhile, Juliarto Situmorang, 34, a GoJek driver, said he had decided not to return to his hometown in Medan, North Sumatra, as he saw the potential for increased income during the holiday.

I hope to be able to earn more by serving people in some busy areas such as in Roxy, West Jakarta, or some recreational places where business activities will run as usual, he said. (ika)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 18:07 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a679a54 1 National Hary-Tanoesoedibjo,National-Police,AGO,MNC-group,threat Free

The National Police have issued a notification letter on an investigation order against businessman-cum-politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo as a suspect in case centering on an alleged threat against an Attorney Generals Office (AGO) investigator in early 2016, a spokesman has said.

A notification letter dated June 15 has been issued, which allows an investigation into him as a suspect, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Rikwanto said on Friday.

Head of the AGOs sub-directorate for special crimes, Yulianto, reported Hary to the police for allegedly sending threats to him through text messages at the beginning of last year. He believed the threats were connected to the AGOs investigation into a graft case related to Mobile-8 Telecom, a telecommunications company Hary once owned.

Rikwanto further said the police had scheduled to question the media mogul in early July, after the Idul Fitri holidays. The police have charged Hary with violating Article 29 of the 2016 ITE Law, which is punishable by up to four years in prison. (kuk/ebf)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Haeril Halim and Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23 2017

The country is set for a nine-day collective holiday as Idul Fitri celebrations on Sunday and Monday will see some 19 million people travel to their hometowns, creating a subdued atmosphere in big cities such as Jakarta.

As workers in the capital started hitting the road on Tuesday, resulting in gridlock in several cities in West Java, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has assured the public that celebrations will be merrier this year.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 11:56 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a66e26a 1 City motorcycle-ban,jakarta Free

Deputy governor-elect Sandiaga Uno has criticized a highly contested proposal to expand a motorcycle ban to more Jakarta thoroughfares, saying that the move requires thorough consideration and study.

A meeting between the Jakarta administration and the city police on June 7 concluded there was a need to ban motorcycles from three main streets  Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. Rasuna Said  which run through the business district in Central Jakarta, Senayan in South Jakarta and Cawang in East Jakarta, the area previously affected by the 3-in-1 and odd-even plate policies.

"Don't be too rushed to make a policy. We need data to know in detail the fundamental problem behind it and its urgency," Sandiaga said on Thursday night as quoted by kompas.com, adding that city officials had yet to reveal sufficient data to support their claims.

Under a policy that has been in place since December 2014, motorcycles are currently not allowed to use two other main streets in the capital, Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta.

"The idea was based on the fact that the traffic jams in the city got worse because of the ongoing development of some infrastructure," Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah said on Tuesday.

The officials are planning to hold another meeting before establishing a legal umbrella to regulate the plan, the head of law enforcement with the Jakarta Police traffic unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto, said earlier. (fac)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 10:35 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a66a831 1 National urine,narcotics,BNN,West-Nusa-Tenggara,drugs,pilot Free

Officers of the West Nusa Tenggara chapter of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN NTB) apprehended a pilot of a private airline company after he allegedly tested positive for narcotics.

BNN NTB head Sr.Comr. Sukisto said the pilot, an Indian citizen who was identified only as RS, was arrested after the agencys officials performed urine tests on pilots and flight crew members at Lombok International Airport (LIA) on Wednesday.

We checked pilots and crew members of airline companies at the airport yesterday. One of pilots we examined tested positive for narcotics, said Sukisto as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

The BNN officers later searched RS belongings and they claim to have found marijuana weighing 5.03 grams hidden inside his suitcase.

During an interrogation, Sukisto claimed, RS told officers he got the narcotics from Bali. The BNN NTB detained the pilot and handed him over to the agencys headquarters in Jakarta.

Sukisto said that with the finding, the anti-drug agency would give special attention to potential drug abuse among airline crew members and tighten monitoring. BNN had prepared urine tests for operators of land, sea and air transportation services to be conducted ahead of and after this years Idul Fitri exodus.

Wed like to guarantee all passengers could get to their home towns safely during the Idul Fitri holidays, Sukito said. (kuk/ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 21:37 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67dfb9 2 National #Bali,#TimorLeste,#Inmates Free

Two foreign inmates who tunnelled their way out of a Bali prison have been captured in East Timor, police said Friday, in the latest prison break case in Indonesia.

Bulgarian Dimitar Nikolov Iliev and Indian Sayed Mohammed Said were caught at a hotel in Dili Thursday morning after arriving on a boat illegally from Indonesia.

They had escaped from Kerobokan prison Monday along with with two other inmates, Australian Shaun Edward Davidson and Malaysian Tee Kok King.

The pair were originally caught for entering East Timor without legal documents, said East Timor senior police official Henrique da Costa, but police later concluded the pair were two of the four Bali fugitives.

"We will most likely hand them back to the Indonesia Friday afternoon now that we know they are fugitives," da Costa told AFP.

The four foreign inmates escaped Bali's prison through a 50 x 75cm (20 x 30 inch) hole at the prison's wall that connects to a 15-metre (49-foot) long water tunnel heading towards a main street.

Davidson -- who was going to be freed within months -- and the Malaysian inmate are still on the run.

The Bali jailbreak came days after dozens of prisoners swam through flood waters to escape an Indonesian jail in Jambi province after one of its walls collapsed. Most were later recaptured.

In May, more than 440 inmates fled a prison in Pekanbaru City on the island of Sumatra after prison guards let them out of their cells to pray. Only about half were caught.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 15:59 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a675c3f 1 National Ahmadiyah,Ahmadiyah-Mosque,persecution,Depok,WestJava,#IdulFitri,Idul-Fitri-2017 Free

Followers of Ahmadiyah in Depok, West Java, say they are hoping the local administration will unseal their mosque so that they can celebrate Idul Fitri there on Sunday.

The Depok administration sealed the Al-Hidayah Mosque earlier this month, forcing around 500 Ahmadiyah followers to pray in the mosques backyard ever since.

If the city administration does not unseal the mosque, then it will be our second time celebrating Idul Fitri in such a condition, as it was also sealed in 2015, Al-Hidayah mosque preacher Farid Mahmud Ahmad told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Ahmadiyah followers have long been persecuted in the country, with the government issuing a joint ministerial decree banning their activities in 2008. The decree was issued based on a 2005 Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) fatwa declaring the teachings of Ahmadiyah heretical.

The West Java administration and the Depok administration have also issued their own regulations banning Ahmadiyah activities, saying they have the obligation to prevent religious conflicts.

Farid said his team had made some preparations to welcome the celebration, including ordering his members to clean up and decorate the mosques backyard as they might perform the Eid prayer there. (yon/ary)
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) Sydney, Australia  Fri, June 23, 2017 21:04 1966 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a67d46b 2 SE Asia #Australia,#Philippines,#Islamist-militants Free

Australian military spy planes will start flying missions over the southern Philippines to help in the fight against Islamic militants terrorising the area, the government said Friday.

Fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have been battling troops for a month around Marawi city in the Mindanao region in a conflict that has claimed hundreds of lives.

Canberra, which has an extensive defence cooperation program with Manila, said two high-tech AP-3C Orion aircraft will provide surveillance support to the Philippine military.

"The regional threat from terrorism, in particular from Daesh and foreign fighters, is a direct threat to Australia and our interests," said Defence Minister Marise Payne, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"Australia will continue to work with our partners in Southeast Asia to counter it."

She recently spoke with her Philippine counterpart, Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana, about how Australia could help and "we agreed the best way to defeat terrorism in our region is for us to work together".

The versatile AP-3C Orion's usually patrol maritime borders and played a prominent role in searching for missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370, which went down in the remote Indian Ocean off Australia in 2014.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across Mindanao, home to 20 million people, on May 23 immediately after fighters flying the IS flag rampaged through Marawi.

Their assault on the city ignited an unprecedented urban war, which Duterte has warned is part of an IS campaign to establish a base in Mindanao.

The fighting has left Marawi, the most important Muslim city in the Philippines, largely in ruins.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, June 23, 2017 12:29 1967 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a66ef8e 1 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Banyuwangi Free

Banyuwangi regency is on the easternmost end of Java Island and serves as a port connecting Java and Bali. The name Banyuwangi itself is Javanese for fragrant water, a reference to the Javanese folktales of Sri Tanjung.

Every year the regency attracts 1.5 million local tourists and 30,000 overseas tourists to explore the area. Banyuwangi, after all, has a lot of things to offer, from camping to surfing.

The following is a list of the top 10 must-visit places in Banyuwangi

Ijen Crater Ijen Crater sits at an altitude of 2,368 meters above sea level. The 2- kilometer-wide crater is surrounded by a caldera wall 300 to 500 meters high. What the place is most famous for is a natural phenomenon called blue fire that streams down the mountain at night. The blue glow comes from the combustion of sulfuric gases. Read also: Banyuwangi to boast Indonesia's first green airport G-Land Beach Also known as Plengkung Beach, G-Land is very popular among local and overseas surfers. The place has been dubbed The Seven Giant Waves Wonder by surfers for its legendary seven rolls of waves that can reach up to 6 meters high. The waves here are also said to be the second best after Hawaii. The best time to surf at Plengkung Beach is between July and September. Lider Waterfall

Located in Sragi hamlet, Sumber Arum, Songgon, Lider Waterfall is almost 60 meters high at an altitude of 1,300 meters above sea level. Apart from the main waterfall, there are four more small waterfalls. Lider Waterfall is said to be the best and highest waterfall in Banyuwangi regency



Red Island Beach

The name Red Island Beach actually comes from a hill not far from the shore that is covered with red soil. You can walk up to the hill during low tide. It is covered with trees, but shows its red hue at dusk. Another tourist attraction near this place is the Tawang Alun Temple. Hindu people who live around Red Island Beach use this temple for ritual processions. Some activities that you can do here are photography and surfing. Osing Tourist Village

Osing Tourist Village, aka Kemiren village, is the home of the Osing tribe. As a cultural heritage conservation site, the villagers still use the Osing dialect to communicate with each other. When visiting this place, you will also find traditional houses that have been there for hundreds of years. One is usually used as a place for performances such as the Gandrung dance, Angklung Paglak, Barong Kemiren and Othek.

Read also: Ziarah: A metaphor for Indonesia's ahistorical society

Sritanjung Park

Sritanjung Park is located at the center of Banyuwangi city. The name Sritanjung comes from the folktale that tells how Banyuwangi was formed. The park is situated on the eastern sides of both Baiturrahman Banyuwangi Grand Mosque and Sabha Swagata Blambangan. The park is commonly used as a recreational facility for the citizens of Banyuwangi. People from all ages come to relax and enjoy the view, although some might be busy with social media since the place provides free Wi-Fi.

Green Bay

With a three- to four-hour drive from Banyuwangi, Green Bay is a lesser known tourist attraction that offers a picturesque view of the sea and fresh air coming from Meru Betiri National Park.



Kaliklatak Plantation

Kaliklatak Plantation used to be owned by the Dutch under Mij Moorman & Co. until it was handed over to an Indonesian named R. Soehoed Prawiroatmodjo. The plantation is located at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level and produces coffee, rubber, chocolate, rubber, fruits and spices. On April 17 every year, the workers of Kaliklatak Plantation hold a ritual of giving thanks to God for the gifts of the Earth.



Rajegwesi Beach

Rajegwesi Beach in Sarongan Village, Pesanggaran district, is known for its unique chocolate-colored sand created by muddy sediment brought by river floods. A bunker from the time of the Japanese wartime occupation can also be found here.

Watu Dodol Beach

The location of this beach is marked by a huge chunk of rock that sits between the street and the Gandrung Statue. The beach is only 2 kilometers from Ketapang Harbor, allowing you to see ferries traveling between Ketapang and Banyuwangi. You can also opt to go sightseeing from a hill located close to the beach. (asw)
Mayor de Blasio bristled at a Lower East Side town hall meeting last night when the inevitable question came about his administrations handling of Rivington House. The citys decision to lift deed restrictions on the former nursing home cleared the way for the buildings luxury condo conversion. It also set off one of the biggest controversies of his first term in office. At the public forum, the mayor continued to insist that nothing can be done to wrest the building away from the developers, who paid $116 million for the historic former schoolhouse. City Council member Margaret Chin urged de Blasio to use his influence to persuade the property owners to do right by the community.

Andrew Knox, a local resident active with the group, Neighbors to Save Rivington House, asked whether the building at 45 Rivington St. could be taken back through eminent domain or through some other method. He said the neighborhood can ill-afford to lose another healthcare facility, does not need another luxury condo building and he argued, The administration should rectify its mistake.

The mayor began to answer the question, saying, As you know, that project right now is on hold because of the ongoing investigations. He was heckled from the audience while trying to explain that the developers had been granted a work permit recently to perform exploratory work in the building. Speaking over the hecklers, he interjected, Excuse me! Im telling you the facts from the Buildings Commissioner Guys, you can scream all you want but were here to tell you what we know.

The prickly mayor, apparently weary of multiple investigations and inquiries from reporters, added, This one weve been over so many times but Ill go over it again.

This was a mistake, he explained. It was ridiculous. Ive said it a thousand times. The mayor highlighted the changes his administration made in the aftermath of the Rivington House fiasco, which include new rules to ensure future deed changes are properly handled. De Blasio said city lawyers have not been able to find any legal loophole to reverse the sale.

What the City of New York has said, de Blasio added, is that, we will put in facilities for senior affordable housing, additional, into the community and for additional nursing home capacity of 200 beds or more to compensate for what happened here, because it wasnt right.

At a City Council oversight hearing held this past September, administration officials announced that more than 100 affordable apartments for seniors and a health care facility would be built at 30 Pike St. A Request for Proposals (RFP) is supposed to go out this year, but neither local elected officials nor the community board have received any updated information about the timetable for the RFP. They were also surprised to hear from the mayor last night that the number of beds could exceed 200 and that additional nursing home capacity is envisioned. We have contacted the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for clarification, but have not received a response just yet.

During the town hall, the administration addressed concerns that the developers are going beyond whats allowed in their permit for exploratory work. Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler said, We did lift the stop work order to allow minor demolition to do exploratory work on the structure, within the property, because we have no legal grounds to deny them that request.

Say where we are now, de Blasio impatiently urged his commissioner. Chandler responded, Where we are now is that we put the property back on hold. We will not allow anything to happen until theres a thorough investigation as to what theyre planning to do as we move forward. The mayor once again chimed in, seemingly contradicting his department head, There are several agencies still investigating and that hold will continue while those investigations continue. Council member Chin then added, Commissioner, we heard from a neighbor this morning that they were in there drilling, so I urge your agency to keep an eye on them, because theyre not following the rules.

Chin also addressed the bigger picture. Mr. Mayor, she said, you heard from the community. Were not giving up on Rivington House. We have to find a way. De Blasio once again insisted that the city is out of legal options. He also mentioned that his administration is distancing itself from the embattled owners of Rivington House. The companies involved, he said, we have found other ways to separate from dealing with because we believe what happened was not right. Its been well reported that we canceled some other arrangements with them. One of the developers, Slate Property Group, was forced to drop out of a project at the Bedford-Union Armory last summer.

As the back-and-forth continued, Council member Chin floated another idea. Maybe you can invite the people who purchased that building, she suggested, (to) come in and talk with us and see if we can build a model, 21st Century nursing facility for our seniors, with special needs. Chin suggested that another Rivington House owner, China Vanke, could be a potential partner. That company from China, said Chin, I think they want to do the right thing. If the mayor reaches out to them, they might want to come in and talk to you.

De Blasio responded, I want to honestly not get peoples hopes up. I do not think these are compassionate folks seeking to change the world, make it a better place. But I have no problem offering to them that they could have a much better relationship with the community and the administration if they came in and considered a different outcome.

We could create a wonderful project, said Chin. Youll follow up, Mayor?

The mayor, not so enthusiastically, replied, Yes, of course.
Whilst it's a shame that Daniel Day-Lewis has quit acting, it's perhaps not a surprise; as his past indicates a history of quitting Hollywood.

Daniel Day-Lewis is undeniably one of the greatest actors of our age. A versatile and skilled performer, he has taken on a variety of roles, both on screen and on stage. Titles that many will be familiar with include Gangs of New York, The Boxer, The Age of Innocence and a stage production of Hamlet.

Day-Lewis is further revered due to his success at the Academy Awards, as his career has seen him win three oscars, making him the recipient of the most 'Best Actor' oscars in Academy Award history.

However, despite this success, Day-Lewis has chosen to quit Hollywood at the age of 60. His representative told Variety that Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor, he is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject.

While the timing of the decision and evasiveness of the statement makes the situation seem a little strange, Day-Lewiss decision to quite Hollywood is not very surprising, as he has a history that supports this type of behaviour.

In 1989 Day-Lewis quit performing on stage, while he was actually in the middle of a production of Hamlet at the National Theatre. While performing the scene where Hamlet speaks to his dead father, Day-Lewis became emotional and exited the stage, apparently never to return. He later gave an interview with Time in which he suggested the outburst had likely been influenced by his own connection with the storyline of a dead father. He admitted: To some extent I probably saw my fathers ghost every night, because of course if youre working in a play like Hamlet, you explore everything through your own experience.

Later Day-Lewis disappeared for five years following production of The Boxer, only returning in 2002 to work on Martin Scorseses film Gangs of New York. After the film was completed he once again disappeared from the limelight. He repeated this behaviour once again in 2013 after winning an oscar for Lincoln, telling friends he was taking a five-year sabbatical to focus on his family.

When questioned by The Guardian in 2008 about his disappearances from and return to Hollywood, the actor stated that my life as it is away from movie set is a life where I follow my curiosity just as vividly as when I am working. It is with a very positive sense that I keep away from the work for a while. It has always seemed natural to me that that in turn should help me in the work that I do."

In the same interview he also expressed a frustration with public life, preferring instead to live a private life in Ireland, out of sight of press and fans. This could potentially be one of the factors which led to his retirement from acting.

Despite his past behaviour of leaving and returning to Hollywood, this departure feels different. Indeed while fans may hope his history leaves the door open for Day-Lewis to return to the screen, he seems determined - at least for now - to remain away.
From the end of last year to the beginning of this one, South America was affected by devastating floods.

The floods have hit Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru, with hundreds of people dead or missing.

Peru, which is always under threat from earthquakes and tremors due to its proximity to the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, began experiencing huge rain fall in January.

These heavy rains caused massive flooding, with rivers bursting, damaging infrastructure throughout the nation.

115,000 homes were demolished, making 178,000 homeless. The most recent death toll says the Peruvian floods took the lives of 113 people, 1,500 miles of road have been destroyed and 3,000,000 people are at risk of waterborne diseases according to the United Nations.

Ariana Kate Castro Torres, pictured, a 19-year-old student at Escuela Nacional Superior de Arte Dramatico (English: National Superior School of Dramatic Art) was born and raised in Lima. Her home was away from the flooding, but she was involved in aid efforts after the flooding.

Ariana believes people expected some amount of flooding, but not in such a large scale: I think we all subconsciously expected the floods because of the rainy days we had, but we never though it would be this bad, because in previous years, Peru wasnt that badly affected. But this time, the rain was worse than before.

It was on the 16th March, when Ariana was picking up a present from a friend, that she met up with her mother. They went on a walk around Plaza de Armas, a square in Limas historic centre, hosting several important national and local government buildings as well as religious centres.

It was on that day that a small village, Barbablanca, situated just inland, halfway down the nations west coast, was destroyed due to mudslides. Luckily all 160 residents were successfully evacuated.

Ariana tells me, We started seeing people taking pictures near the river (The Rimac River, which flows through Lima and the port of Callao) and they all looked worried. Before that, my mum was telling me the sky looks scary today.

The police were there to avoid people going near the river as the bridge was about to collapse.

The collapse of bridges such as Puente de Piedra caused the floods and mudslides, resulting in the closures of all roads leading out of Lima and clogging the filters of the Sedapal water company, leaving much of city without clean water.

The start of term for Arianas course was delayed for a week as Peru was gripped in a state of emergency.

Im not going to lie, I was scared because I hadnt seen anything like that before," she says. "The floods affected all of Peru, so I felt sad for the people in these difficult situations, like old people, children and pregnant women.

Many families lost everything and according to Ariana, everyone was worried because the rain wouldnt stop.

This moved Ariana to help out and donate what she could to those affected, and she donated food, clothes, blankets and some money, as well as visiting affected families and handing out food with friends and relatives.

These families she described as being devastated, without hope. These people were simply asking for help as they had lost their homes and animals. Evangelina Chamorro Diaz, a 32-year-old woman who dramatically swam out of a mud slide in Punta Hermosa, a Lima suburb, has become a symbol of hope and strength for the Peruvian people.

People are however still worried about the future because this is something that could happen every year if there is strong rain.

Ariana told me how she wants to continue to help people affected whilst on break from university, but is critical of the provisions to deal with these issues: We are not prepared for stuff like this, she explains. People and the government need to be more aware about how powerful nature is compared to humans. We cannot control everything.

She praised the strength of some of the poorest who were affecting, admiring their desire to soldier on in spite of their ordeal.

However, this is contrasted by the reaction from the government, which Ariana has described as disorganised. Much of the country has recovered, but some places are still in need of help.

Ive seen people show solidarity, but the government was helping only for a while. Now that nobody's talking about the floods, they have just forgotten about the people without homes and the children who have had their schools destroyed and cant study.

"In Piura (a region in the north-west), theres a lot of Dengue (a disease spread by mosquitos that is responsible for 20,000 deaths a year) cases due to the floods. They arent receiving enough help, and its not just that region, its places all over Peru that still need help.

She also claims to have seen food donations hidden away that expired when they were a lot of people who needed them.

Ariana offers a clear set of advice for those caught up in disasters such as flooding: Firstly, try to find out if the place where you live will be affected by floods. Always keeps a first aid and emergency kit at home for emergencies with lanterns, clothes and stuff and you need to keep calm.

She also, however, warns: Dont be stupid trying to film everything like youre a YouTuber and risk your life, noting that people in Peru had put themselves in serious harm doing that exact thing.

Ariana believes Peru has been helped by being united. As well as having to deal with earthquakes, for much of the 1980s, Peru was terrorised by far-left guerrilla terrorist groups, the Marxist-Leninist MRTA and Maoist Sendoro Luminoso (Shining Path).

Between 1980 and 1992, Shining Path was responsible for 20,000 deaths alone. In 1990, 100 Peruvian officials were assassinated. The hard-line policies of President Alberto Fujimori saw both groups destroyed but their impact is still felt. The people however are united, and this has helped them through this year's floods.

Peru was a mess, Ariana tells me. She recalls feeling pain in my heart and seeing her father cry whilst watching videos of this dark spell in Perus recent history.

But it makes Peru stronger.

People will always remember those horrible days, but everybody went through the same situation; every family suffered.

Ariana believes this united spirit will help the Peruvian people stay strong. In the long run, it is clear President Pedro Pablo Kuczynskis government, who were elected in 2016 after the very narrow defeat of Keiko Fujimori (Albertos daughter) by just 50,000 votes, must do more - and that they need to remember that there are still people affected by these tragic events, and that they must not be forgotten.
The UK voted to leave the European Union in a miraculous turn of events - at one point the percentage points for Remain and Leave were so close the final result was anyone's guess. In the early morning of June 24th, David Cameron quit as Prime Minister and a slanging match (leadership contest) ensued...As a result of Cameron's resignation, the first of many leadership contests got underway. Boris Johnson was backed by campaign manager Michael Gove to stand in the Conservative leadership bid, but Boris pulled out and, in a twist of fate, Mr Gove announced that he was entering the race. It was a feat he was unable to win. There was also a battle between female contenders Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May (the eventual victor). Theresa May, the former Home Secretary under Cameron's government, was victorious, taking centre stage as the new Prime Minister and leader of the Tories.The 24 June was also marked by Nigel Farage calling the referendum result the UK's Independence Day. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) campaigned for us to leave the EU - and they got it. A few days later Mr Farge resigned from his position, stating he had fulfilled his political ambitions - and that he needed a rest, assuring people he would not be returning to leadership. Diane James took his place.It's been a turbulent year for Mr Corbyn following the Brexit vote, not least because MPs passed a vote of no confidence in him days after the referendum result. The vote calling for him to quit as Leader of the Labour Party followed a number of resignations from the shadow cabinet. But he was re-elected after a leadership battle with Owen Smith in September last year - and so far he's staying put as leader of the party and the opposition.Well, the UK hadn't officially left the EU yet, but it was 100 days since we decided to walk out the door and make our decision to exit - what a milestone! It was a tumultuous 100 days after the vote. More than 4,150,200 people signed a petition asking for a second referendum due to turnout being 72.2 per cent. It was debated but the petition fell through - with the Government citing the European Union Referendum Act that received Royal Assent in December 2015. Were some people feeling regrexit? Did some people realise the impact of their vote? Who knows!Brexit was taken to the courts in late 2016 and this carried on into the new year. Businesswoman Gina Miller brought a legal challenge against the Government, calling for a parliamentary vote on the triggering of Article 50 - the law that gives any EU member the right to quit the EU. The case went all the way to the highest court in the land - the Supreme Court. Britain's most senior judges ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May did not have the power to trigger the formal process for the UK's exit from the European Union without a parliamentary vote.Mrs May sealed the deal on leaving the EU in March 2017 - 280 days after the EU Referendum polling day. It was a momentous day for Leave voters - and not for the so-called Remoaners. But that was that: Britain was definitely leaving the EU. European Council president Donald Tusk claimed in athat talks would be "difficult, complex and sometimes even confrontational". Mr Tusk also said Brexit was "punitive enough" for Britain. Maybe that means they'll go easy on us?

Photo credit: Daily Mail.

The 1950s called and asked for their headline back.#everydaysexism https://t.co/s1W1XfhrhN  Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) March 27, 2017

The UK's second female prime minister was pinned against in the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon in a battle of Legs-it. The newspaper was met with widespread criticism from members of the public and fellow politicians,the front page was "sexist and offensive". Others took to Twitter to turn a legative (a negative) into a positive, posting edited pictures of the front page. Even Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader had a go -Who's the pin king (or in this case queen) wasn't the question we had in mind when talks between the two were going on.Less than a month since the Article 50 signing, Theresa May called a snap general election. It was just as the crackle and pops of the signing were starting to simmer. Mrs May wanted voters to head to the polls,that the UK needed "certainty, stability and strong leadership following the EU referendum.". Maybe Mrs May wanted a mandate to carry forward the negotiations? She was a Remain voter after all. Brenda from Bristol certainly wasn't happy about another general election.Credit: BBC.A few weeks ago we had the general election on June 8. Brexit was the talk of the towns and cities across the UK - with many wondering what kind of Brexit the party's were going to go for; some wanted to offer another referendum to the general public. Theresa May and the Conservatives were left with a minority government after failing to get enough seats to make a majority. There were talks of a coalition with the DUP, but it looks like we've settled for a minority administration.Every year the Queen reads out the Queen's Speech - a document that sets out the Government's plans and proposals for the forthcoming year. Unusually Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House of Commons, announced that because of Brexit negotiations are now underway (they started on Monday), the Queen's Speech would be scrapped next year. This meant that the State Opening of Parliament would contain a full two year's worth of Bills - to ensure Brexit is delivered. After all a raft of new laws will be making their way into the Commons and the Lords, so we need to be ready! The other 27 members of the EU are now negotiating with Theresa May, meaning Britain is now on the other side of the negotiation table. It's been a rollercoaster to get to this stage but we now have two years to negotiate a deal. Will it be deal or no deal?
A survey carried out by the Jack Petchey Foundation has uncovered the issues that matter most to those too young to vote in the general election.

3,165 participants between the ages of 11 and 17 were asked what was most important to them, as well as what they felt was most important to politicians throughout the campaign, with staggeringly different responses.

From the young people surveyed, 88% said that education was most important to them, closely followed by the NHS at 84% and then employment at 58%. However, when asked about politicians greatest priorities, 81% deemed Brexit to be the top choice, followed by the economy at 72%, immigration at 69% and education coming in at just 36%, a 52% drop in comparison with the concerns of young people.

The survey was carried out across London and Essex, and the results found that in these areas, should they have been allowed to vote, they would have given Labour a landslide with 57% voting for them, compared to the national average of 40%. Around 23% of these young people would have voted for the Conservatives.

Whats more, around 80% of the young people surveyed were in favour of the voting age being lowered from 18 to 16, in order to make their voices heard:

As 16 and 17 years olds it is our future that is at stake, politicians tend to ignore the youth as they dont believe we will hold them accountable at elections but its time we should have a say in what will affect us in the next five years of our lives.

CEO of the Jack Petchey Foundation Trudy Kidcullen said: little has been said about what those too young to vote think. We wanted their voices to be heard. Its their future.

The fact that so many want the voting age to be lowered to 16 shows there could be an opening to bring them into the political system and create a generation of active citizens.
Every year, from May to November, thousands of whales migrate north along the coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Kangaroos, koalas and wombats are typically the animals which draw tourists to Australias diverse wildlife scene, but whale spotting experiences are becoming increasingly popular.

New South Wales is now being labelled the worlds best area for whale spotting. According to Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase, NSW has plenty of great whale watching experiences including fast boat cruises, lookouts and vantage points from stunning coastal walks, whale festivals and Whale Dreaming tours.

"With whale numbers increasing, it's not surprising that the State is often known as New South W(h)ales.

Whales, and other sea creatures, have often been central to coastal aboriginal cultures and Whale Dreaming tours offer unique insights into their vital cultural importance. As Operator Dwayne Bannon-Harrison, descendant of the Yuin people, explains, In our creation stories the whales are elders of the sea that once walked from the land into the ocean. Whale Dreaming Ceremonies sing the safe passage of the whale migration, and ensures the connection and respect continues on. We perform these ceremonies in May and October.

New South Wales offers incredible and unique whale spotting experiences; by truly understanding the local respect for, and history of, these graceful giants, you will be able to better appreciate the sightings. Look out for the Whale Dreamers Festival, taking place on 2nd July, which began as a peaceful protest against whaling across the world.

According to whaledreamers.org.au, Since then, as the whales go by our coast each winter, people come together to celebrate the whales, to hear about their wonder and their plight, to raise funds for conservation and research projects about whales, and to actively participate in their conservation; to be their voice in the world of man.

Here are just three (of the many) ways to experience these majestic giants up close:

Wrrabalong National Park has many fantastic vantage points for whale watching as well as a rich aboriginal history. Since whales are so intertwined with aboriginal culture, the guided tours around the parks are a brilliant way to trace the history of these majestic giants and truly understand their importance to local people.

This National Park is particularly interesting since its southern section is part of the traditional Country of the Darkinjung people, whilst its northern section comprises part of Awabakal Country. This means that there are a number of protected cultural sites to explore throughout the park as you watch out for whales.

Make sure to visit Crackneck lookout, which is a prime location for whale watching. At this location, you can even help count whales in the ORRCA Annual Whale Census on Sunday 25 June.

The whale migration itself is a whopping 4000km and Jarvis Bay is the half way point, making it the ideal resting place for whale pods. In fact, new-born calves and their mothers are frequently spotted here as they learn and play in the sheltered bay waters.

There are also a variety of cruises and private tours available; look out for the Whale Eco Cruise which offers views of the spectacular coastal cliffs and provides a historical commentary of humpback whale migrations and Jarvis Bay itself.

Montague Island and Narooma are ideal places to spot rarer species of whale. Southern Right Whales, Fin Whales, Brydes Whales, Sei Whales and Blue Whales are increasingly spotted off the coast of Narooma. There have even been instances of albino humpbacks, known as Migaloo and Mini Migaloo, near both of these islands.

Despite a long history of whaling, which left whale populations dwindling, there have been a multitude of recovery efforts by local groups, the government as well as global movements. As a result, whale numbers are continuing to rise, making whale spotting experiences increasingly rewarding.

Visit New South W(h)ales for a truly unique whale watching experience, steeped in a complex history and rich in cultural value.

Pictures courtesy of www.jervisbaywild.com.au
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The Union Cabinet on 22 June approved amendment to a bilateral Social Security Agreement (SSA) with Netherlands by incorporating the "country of residence" principle in the said agreement.

"The amended SSA between India and the Netherlands, when operational from the third month from the date of notifying the said amendment to the Netherlands by India, will strengthen bilateral ties and continue to favourably impact profitability and competitive position of Indian and Dutch companies with foreign operations in either country by reducing their cost of doing business abroad," an official statement issued here said.

The SSA, which has been in successful operation since June 2010 and has benefitted Indian expatriates in Netherlands, will also help promote more investment flows between the two countries, it added.

Under the new Social Security (Country of Residence) Act, the amount of benefit or allowance paid to a qualified beneficiary (read as Dutch national) is adjusted to the cost of living of the country where the beneficiary is currently residing.

India has signed and operationalised SSAs with 18 countries  Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and South Korea.
The European Union (EU) leaders have decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia, European Council President Donald Tusk said.

"Agreed. EU will extend economic sanctions against Russia for their lack of implementing the Minsk Agreement," Tusk said on his Twitter account on 22 June, Xinhua news agency reported.

The EU made such a decision during a two-day summit in Brussels with security and defence, Brexit, migration and economic development on the agenda.

The EU initially introduced economic sanctions on Russia in 2014 over Ukraine conflict, targeting Russia's financial, energy and defence industries.
New Delhi, Jun 23 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated via Twitter that he will be accompanying former Bihar Governor and BJP's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Koving during the latter's nomination filing.

"Will accompany Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji as he files his nomination papers today for the upcoming Presidential election," the Prime Minister's tweet read.

Kovind will battle it out for India's top diplomatic post with Meira Kumar, former and India's first women Lok Sabha Speaker.

The battle has been touted as a 'Dalit vs Dalit' contest, given the respective candidate's backgrounds.

While Kovind has the support of JDU and BSP alongside BJP, Kumar is the unanimous choice of the remaining opposition parties.

image: twitter.com/narendramodi


New Delhi, Jun 23 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on the latter's birthday.

In his message on Twitter, the Prime Minister said, "Birthday wishes to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Shri @virbhadrasingh. I pray for his long and healthy life."

Singh, who turned 83 today, is a veteran politician affiliated with the Congress party.

He is the longest serving Chief Minister of his state.



Image: Twitter


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The last days of the Newfie Pride

There were many nights he didnt sleep. The numbers and scenarios turned over and over in his mind, making rest impossible. Id get up two, three oclock in the morning, night after night, come out to the kitchen table and work the numbers every ...
Srinagar, Jun 23 (IBNS): A Jammu and Kashmir police officer was killed by a lynch mob outside the landmark Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, reports said.

The incident took place on Thursday evening.

The deceased has been identified as deputy superintendent Mohammed Ayub Pandith.

He was posted on an anti-sabotage duty outside the mosque when the mob attacked him.

"Another police officer sacrificed his life in line of duty. DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security attacked and beaten to death by a mob at Nowhatta last night," a police statement read.

Meanwhile, following the death of the officer, police have bolstered its defences in the area.
Ukraine, the country famous for banning Hollywood Steven Seagal from visiting, is opening up to tourism with visa-free travel. Add to that direct flights from the UK and the fact that it is still remarkably good value for money, this is as good a time as any to visit. We suggest you get behind the wheel or a hire car or indeed to hop on a train.

Lviv

Situated in the far west of the country, just 50 miles from the Polish border, Lviv was known as Lemburg when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1772 to WW1. Thats reflected in its quaint cobbled streets, proliferation of churches and architecture reminiscent of those other Hapsburg cities like Vienna and Budapest. Of course it also has trams, trolley buses and coffee houses. Indeed they say that the first coffee shop in Vienna was opened by an Ukrainian from Lviv in 1686.

Its a pleasant place to wander round, with street musicians on every corner, and the Market Square in the old town is lined with renaissance houses. The elaborate Lviv Opera House still stages productions of opera and ballet and imposing Cathedrals beckon you inside. My visit coincides with National Embroidered Blouse Day so everyone is sporting one, men and women alike.

Outside the old town, the 18th-century Lychakiv Cemetery has ornate tombs, chapels and shrines plus a special section dedicated to those who are still being killed in the armed struggle on Ukraines Eastern borders. Most Ukrainians I speak to believe that its Russian mischief making and cant understand why their former ally is making trouble. Central and Western Ukraine show no signs of the war, so travellers shouldnt be alarmed.

Click on the image to enlarge:

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathians form an arc running roughly 1000 miles across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe. They occupy the South West of Ukraine, separating the country from Romania, with the highest peak, Mount Hoverla, reaching over 2000m. Life carries on here much as its done for centuries and during the Soviet period was left almost untouched. Even guerrillas fighting their Russian oppressors stayed holed up here for years.

Kolomyia

Its a three hour drive across the Ukrainian steppes to Kolomyia, famous for the worlds only Pysanka or Easter Egg Museum. Of course its built in the shape of a giant egg and houses an impressive collection of intricately decorated specimens from all over the world. Nearby is another museum dedicated to the Hutsuls, the largest ethnic group in the Carpathians, scattered through both Ukraine and Romania. Its an excellent introduction to their culture with an exhibition of ethnic costumes, arts and crafts.

Click on the image to enlarge:

Yaremche

The landscape begins to change as I climb up to the town of Yaremche at 580m. The wide cornfields give way to forested hills, wooden houses and quaint chapels by the side of the road. The River Prut runs through the centre of town in a series of rapids, and theres a rather tacky craft market on either side of the ravine. However if youre in the market for woolly slippers or dodgy fruit wine, this is the place for you.

Bukovel

Another 40 minutes of climbing brings me to Bukovel, the largest Ski resort in Eastern Europe at 900m. It opened in 2000 and has 16 ski lifts with roughly 30 miles of pistes, and more are promised. Theres a boating lake but otherwise theres not much character here. A few of the ski lifts remain open and, at the top of one of them, theres a rather terrifying Roller Coaster Zip line which hurls you high through the trees. I prefer a spot of gentle hiking.

Verkhovyna

I head deeper into the Carpathians and the roads worsen, potholes everywhere and rickety bridges to traverse. The railway arrived in the 1880s, attracting tourists with fresh mountain air, and Vorokhta is an attractive spa town. Further on, just outside Verkhovyna, is Kryvorivnia, a Hutsul village where the movie Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was shot in 1965. Its nothing more than a collection of attractive wooden shacks with a restored fortified Hutsul house, known as a Grazhda, filled with traditional artefacts. Its Sunday and the singing from inside the tiny church drifts across the valley.

Click on the image to enlarge:

Chernivtsi

Leaving the mountains and journeying East, I come to the city of Chernivtski, capital of the region of Bukovina. Also a part of the Hapsburg Empire, it was known as Little Vienna because of its architecture is similar. Its only 30 miles from Romania and, between the wars was part of that country. The Romanians were responsible for the citys attractive art deco buildings. Chernivtsi University, a red bricked Moorish fantasy, with a Technicolor tiled roof, was built by a Czech architect in 1882, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Click on the image to enlarge:

Khotyn

An easy days excursion from Chernivtsi, is the fairy-tale fortress of Khotyn, on a cliff overlooking the Dniester River. It was built around 1400 by the Moldavians but fell into Turkish hands in 1713. They kept it for another 100 years, until the Russians became the final owners. These days its been much restored but its still an impressive, with walls 40m high and 6m thick. Its been the location for many feature films, including the Ukrainian version of Robin Hood.

Kamyanets Podilsky

Nearby is another stunning fortress protecting the bridge connecting the medieval city, built on an island, with the mainland. The 14th century castle sits high above a bend of the Smotrych River, its steep cliffs forming a natural moat. It originally had as many as twelve towers but only a few remain today. Its still relatively well preserved, however, and is one of the few medieval constructions left in Ukraine.

Kiev

I catch the overnight train to Kiev, the carriages built in former East Germany and full of communist charm. Its slow but comfortable, although all the windows seem to have been nailed shut.

Ukraines capital city has wide leafy boulevards, onion-domed churches and relatively few of those dull Soviet architectural monstrosities. Since Ukraines independence many of the building have been restored and repainted as symbols of national pride.

Dont miss the 1980s reconstruction of the Golden Gates of Kiev or the 11th-century Orthodox cathedral of St. Sophia. I like the 19th century St. Volodymyrs cathedral which was a museum of atheism during Soviet times. The big attraction is the Lavra Cave Monastery which is a complex of religious buildings with catacombs below contained mummified bodies of former monks. Nearby is the huge Motherland Monument, known locally as Brezhnevs Daughter, 62m high, dominating the skyline. Its part of the WW2 museum and you can climb up to the mothers hand in an interior elevator.

Click on the image to enlarge:

No visit to the city is complete without a walk around the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the central square of the city and the venue for pro-democracy demonstrations in recent years. Its a place of tragedy as over 100 people were killed by snipers in February 2014. As a result former President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country. Today, written in large letters on cladding covering building work, Freedom is Our Religion, is a slogan signifying that the struggle is still ongoing.

Chernobyl

Although theres a small museum dedicated to the nuclear disaster in Kiev, a day trip to Chernobyl is the best way to appreciate the scale of the tragedy. Its perfectly safe, they say, and its around a two hour drive from the city. You pass through a 30km checkpoint before entering a 10km exclusion zone where youre warned not to touch anything. The reactor now has a new shiny metal shell, but the town of Pripyat, once housing 50,000 workers, is slowly being swallowed by the forest. This is a ghoulish tourist attraction but a grim reminder of the dangers of nuclear power.

Click on the image to enlarge:

Fact File

Cobblestone Freeway Tours organises various guided trips to Ukraine

SoloEast can arrange tours of Chernobyl from Kiev.

Ukraine International Airways flies direct from London Gatwick to Kiev.

Ryanair will start direct flights to both Kiev and Lviv in October.

Ibis Kiev City Center makes a good base in Kiev.
Drawing by Franco Di Marco

Franco Di Marco and his brother, employees of his machine shop were startled in witnessing more than 9 Unidentified Flying Objects over the skies of the state Carabobo , a region in North Central Venezuela. By Hector Escalante

The UFO Chronicles

6-23-17









The incident occurred on June 19 at 08:03 in the morning, Di Marco told journalist Hector Escalante during a telephone conversation. The UFOs were seen from the Bolivar Avenue at the Carabobean capital, but the witness estimated that they may have been several kilometers ahead, towards Puerto Cabello.He pointed out that his brother outside, "smoking a cigarette," when he inadvertently spotted the strange objects in the sky. "He started screaming to come and see, and we all went out because we did not know what was happening," he explained.According to him, "there were about nine objects, perhaps more, with round lights of very bright white color. He indicated that they were not all together, since a cloud separated them: On the one hand, there was a group forming a "sort of triangle, and in the end, another smaller group "stayed in alignment. Of the seven people who witnessed the unusual event, "no one took pictures because of the excitement of the moment," he said.He said that the UFOs, whose size - in the distance - resembled that of a small light bulb, remained a little more than two minutes suspended in the air, at high altitude, "until one of them made a right angle turn and disappeared. The rest of the objects seem to have followed the other, he argued, because they quickly lost sight of them. The description provided by the other witnesses , which can be seen in drawing by them, realize that the objects were not kept static.
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2017 Deadline: 10July2017
Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy

By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat
The police have arrested two who were allegedly involved in the murderby lynchingof deputy superintendent of police Ayub Pandith at Jama Masjid on Thursday. A third accused is still at large.

"The two involved in the lynching of martyr DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith have been arrested," DGP S.P. Vaid said in a statement.



The third accused has been identified, the statement said.



Pandith was killed by a lynch mob on Thursday night at Jama Masjid at Nowhatta in downtown Srinagar.



Vaid said he was killed while performing duty outside the mosque.



Pandith was attacked by a mob when, according to the police, he and two of his colleagues were on duty.



Reports said the local residents became suspicious of him after he was seen clicking pictures.



He tried to repel them by firing a few shots from his pistol which left three people injured. The mob, who had come for the night prayers on the most auspicious night of Ramzan, Laylat-al Qadar, beat him to death.



The news quickly spread across Kashmir.The police initially denied any of their men had been killed by the mob.



After the incident, reinforcements arrived and identified Pandith's body.

Additional police force was deployed in and around Jama Mosque; Police announced restrictions in areas under seven police stations due to which no Friday prayers could be held at the historic grand mosque of Kashmir.



The killing of Pandith evoked strong condemnation from mainstream politicians and separatists alike. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement said he was deeply disturbed and condemned the brutal act.



"Mob violence and public lynching are outside the parameters of our values and religion," Mirwaiz said. "The violence that the state has wreaked on us is largely responsible for this kind of brutalisation." He said the police are being used against the people in the most brutal ways which leads to brutal reactions.



"It is very important and imperative for us that we do not allow our social fabric to be brutalised and keep our basic values intact."



Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said: ''The murder is actually a murder of trust. The officer had allowed his guards to go home, she said.



Opposition leader and NC working president Omar Abdullah said the killing was an unimaginable tragedy, traversty and height of barbarism. Omar demanded the killers be arrested and given the sternest possible punishment.



"I am personally anguished and devastated by this tragedy," Omar said in a statement. "That this happened on the most auspicious night and outside Jamia Masjid is shocking."



Omar has announced Rs 10 lakh from the party and his one month's salary to the police welfare fund.

While there is an outpouring of sympathy and condemnation for the killing of the young police officer, questions have been raised about the manner in which the deceased officer operated near the mosque and then fired at the people who found his activities suspicious.



After the night long supplication, most of the Srinagar woke up to a tense morning as additional police and para military forces were deployed in sensitive areas in downtown Srinagar.



Pandith's killing has come at a time when a civilian was killed at the encounter site in Pulwama, which left three Lashkar Toiba militants dead. More than 40 protesters were injured when they gathered to protect the holed up militants. The spree of killings across Kashmir sullened the mood on Eid eve.


A tumultuous week at Raisina Hill

By Rekha Dixit

It was a week of hurried activity at Raisina Hill. The next resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan was nominated and preparations are in full swing for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. In the midst of all this came the International Yoga Day celebrations and a shocker from Pakistan, in the form of former naval commander Kulbhushan Jadhav's second "confessional" video, following which Islamabad reported that he had asked for clemency.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj didn't contort her body into twisted yogic postures, but her speech at a special yoga day for diplomats at the Pravasi Bharatiya Bhavan was gripping. As various diplomats stretched out their yoga mats, Swaraj asked them to repeat the word shanti. "Shanti is a very easy word, we can all chant the same, " she said. A good idea to steer clear of the controversial om.

The MEA also steered in a new air freight route between India and Afghanistan. Two aircrafts flew between Kabul and Delhi on June 19; The one leaving India was loaded with a 100 tonne cargo of pharmaceuticals, water purifiers and medical equipments. The Kabuliwallah aircraft, however, arrived redolent with a 60 tonne cargo, mainly asafoetida (hing), a condiment that Afghanistan produces. The spicy flavour of the bilateral ties was for all, especially Pakistan, to see and smell. Pakistan had been creating obstacles in the land trade route via the Wagah border. During Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's visit last year, the two countries decided that they should explore other opportunities rather than let themselves be stonewalled. The flights, however, are flying over the Pakistan's air space.

The fag end of the week was spent criticising Pakistan for its mishandling of the Jadhav case, and the government announced that its fresh pleas (17th) for consular access to Jadhav had gone unheeded again.

A presidential poll that evokes public interest

By Vijaya Pushkarna

Presidential elections are rarely of interest to the public, the way assembly and Lok Sabha polls are. They are not voters, and cannot influence the electoral college directly. But this time around, there is an upsurge in popular interest.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah announced the name of then Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind as their presidential candidate, 'Kovind' trended everywhere in social media. It was possibly the most searched name that day. A quiet and low-key politician, Kovind made a national splash only when he was chosen to run for Raisina Hill.

Ever since the term of the 15th Lok Sabha ended, Meira Kumar's political trajectory had plateaued. She lost the parliamentary elections from her constituency of Sasaram in Bihar in May 2014. The former Lok Sabha speaker's almost girlish voice, her charming smile, were all too familiar.

A d-word has suddenly come to define both their profilesdalit. The support to both has come largely because of the dalit constituency that the political parties want to appease. This in turn has kindled tremendous interest among the public.

Questions ranged from why she acquiesced to a losing contest, to a very hopeful question what if she actually manages to woo some of the parties supporting Kovind, and land in that beautiful palace called the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Venkaiah Naidu launches 'City Liveability Index' for urban development



By Vijaya Pushkarna

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to transforming India. In fact, NITI Aayog, which he chairs, is intended to drive the transformation. Since India cannot transform without its urban centresmany of them now highly polluted, filthy with overflowing garbage and heavily congestedUrban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Friday launched the City Liveability Index in the course of a national workshop on urban transformation.

The index will be based on 79 parameters and aims to capture the spread and quality of infrastructureincluding education, health, mobility , job opportunities and emergency response. For a start, it will measure the quality of life in 116 major cities. The first set of results may be visible about six months from now.
The United States is expected to approve India's purchase of a naval variant of the Predator drone, a source familiar with the situation said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi tries to revitalise relations with Washington when he meets President Donald Trump for the first time.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones is seen as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.

The deal would still require Congress' approval. California-based General Atomics, the maker of the Guardian drone sought by India, declined to comment.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in New Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.

The Indian navy wants the unarmed surveillance drones to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance.

"We are trying to move it to the top of the agenda as a deliverable, this is something that can happen before all the other items," said one official tracking the progress of the drone discussions in the run-up to the visit.

India, a big buyer of US arms that was recently named by Washington as a major defence ally, wants to protect its 7,500- km (4,700-mile) coastline as Beijing expands its maritime trade routes and Chinese submarines increasingly lurk in regional waters.

But sources tracking the discussions say the US State Department has been concerned about the potential destabilising impact of introducing high-tech drones into South Asia, where tensions are simmering between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir, which is divided between them.

"There is a palpable fear in New Delhi that the new US president's lack of focus on India, and limited appointment of South Asia focused advisors, has resulted in India falling off the radar in Washington," Eurasia Group's Shailesh Kumar and Sasha Riser-Kositsky said in a note.

Defence deals are one area where the two countries could make progress because of bipartisan support, an Indian official involved in the preparations for the visit said.

The two sides have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to get inter-agency clearance for the sale of the Guardian drone.

India has raised the issue of the drones with the Pentagon three times since June 2016, officials said.

US Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner wrote in March to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying the Guardian deal, estimated at more than $2 billion, would advance US national security interests and protect US jobs.

An industry official involved in promoting India-US business ties said the drone sale enjoyed support from the White House and Congress, and was awaiting clearance from the State Department.

While the Guardian drones that India is pushing for are unarmed, the Indian military originally asked for missile-firing Predator Avenger aircraft, a request turned down by the Obama administration.

Sources say there is some concern in the State Department that if India were to get the surveillance drones, New Delhi would renew its push to acquire armed drones, which its military has eyed ever since they were deployed by US forces against militants in Pakistan.

US export laws typically prohibit the transfer of such arms to a country unless it is fighting alongside US forces.

India and the United States will also discuss the sale of US fighter jets during Modi's trip, in what could be the biggest deal since they began deepening defence ties more than a decade ago.

On Monday, Lockheed Martin announced an agreement with India's Tata Advanced Systems to produce F-16 planes in India, provided it won a contract to equip the Indian Air Force with hundreds of new aircraft.

Lockheed has offered to shift its ageing F-16 production line from Fort Worth, Texas, as part of Modi's "Make-in-India" drive while it ramps up production of the high-end F-35 aircraft at home.

Since Trump's election on an "American First" platform, US and Indian officials have sought to play down any contradiction between his stated desire to protect American jobs and Modi's "Make in India" policy, arguing, for example, that deals in which components made in the United States are shipped to India for assembly benefit workers in both countries.
In a patch of shade in the 25-acre Gyan Sarovar complex of Brahma Kumaris in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, two brothers of the organisation were engaged in a heated discussion.

A snatch of it I overheard: The concept of Advaita philosophy is fundamentally wrong. If God is in everything, is He present in a criminal, a murderer? No. The Almighty is omnipotent, not omnipresent. That is the difference.

A stones throw away, in the nearby Harmony Hall, the administrative director of the All India Council of Technical Education, Dr Manpreet Singh Manna, was decrying, to an attentive audience, the failure of educational institutions in instilling values in the youth.

Halfway through his speech, a hush fell in the hall. Helped by multiple assistants, a wheelchair was lifted onto the podium.

An old lady in white waved at the audience, eliciting cheers of delight. It was Dadi Janki, the spiritual head of Brahma Kumaris.

Everyone in my immediate vicinity had a favourite Dadi story to tell.

She is 102 years old. But scientists across the spectrum have confirmed, after extensive tests, that she has the most stable mind in the world.

She flies to London at least three times a year and engages classes. Even at this age, she is indefatigable.

Dadi Janki and Dadi Gulzar [the second-in-command] communicate almost as if by telepathy.

If the feeling of love ever takes a human form, it will be Dadi Janki.

The founder of Brahma Kumaris, Dada Lekhraj, was a diamond merchant born in 1876. He reportedly received the vision of the four-armed Vishnu, during a quest for spiritual freedom. He organised spiritual gatherings under the banner of Om Mandali, extolling virtues of celibacy and a sattvic lifestyle.

The Brahma Kumaris, clad in white, call each other brother or sister. They eat only vegetarian food cooked by themselves or a fellow brother or sister. For them, Raja Yoga, which purifies the mind, is the way to purify a world of decaying moral values.

They are waiting for a golden age. They believe in a life cycle of 5,000 years divided into four yugas. They say a combination of religious strife, clash between superpowers and environmental calamity would result in the destruction of the world (one brother said, by 2036). A golden age would then arrive. An age in which the vibrations will be pure; a world where the cow and the lion will drink from the same fount, and children will be born with a smile.

Brahma Kumaris elevated women to a high status in the organisation, a revolutionary step in the early 20th century. This new-found empowerment and their vows of celibacy so angered their husbands that an anti-Om Mandali campaign came up. Multiple cases were filed against Brahma Kumaris, and physical attacks were mounted, forcing the organisation to relocate to Karachi in 1938.

Not long after partition, Brahma Kumaris moved to Mount Abu. Starting off with a three-acre property called Madhuban, it now owns more than 45 acres in Mount Abu and around 150 acres in Abu Road, about 25km away. It has footprint in 130 countries, 9,000 centres and a television channel. Its Spiritual Application Research Centre conducts research on topics like the practical effects of spiritual healing. Women head almost all departments in the organisation.

Night lights: Gyan Sarovar complex in Mount Abu | Brahma Kumaris

The Brahma Kumaris are involved in a plethora of socio-spiritual services, including de-addiction, self-empowerment and environmental awareness. They had led relief work during natural disasters like the Gujarat earthquake and the tsunami in Tamil Nadu. In several American cities, they conduct retreats and courses in Raja Yoga meditation.

Shantivan in Abu Road is the international headquarters of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. It has meditation halls, hospitals and extensive residential quarters. We hold regular training sessions in the diamond hall. Training, accommodation and food are provided free of cost. Our only requirement is that the applicants produce a letter of recommendation from a local branch of Brahma Kumaris, said brother Rajan, who took me to a hall that could seat 25,000 people. You can plug in your earphones and listen to live translations of the lessonsin whichever language you are comfortable with.

The many meditation halls throughout the complex were strangely illuminated in a peculiar shade of pink. What was even stranger, people meditated with their eyes open. Why? We are karma yogis. We indulge in different activities throughout the day. Even while engaged, we have to learn to maintain the yoga, the connection; shift ourselves from a state of body-consciousness to soul-consciousness. It helps us build a connection with the Almighty, said brother Kannan. Meditating at the crack of dawn, from 4am to 4:45am, is compulsory for all Brahma Kumaris.

In the crowd, one of the sisters stood out. A young Mumbaikar. How did she, a millennial like me and many others who would swoon at the very thought of abstinence, take to the strict discipline of Brahma Kumaris? At first I found it very difficult, too, said Preeti Mulani, 30, who left her last job as secretary to the CEO of a company to join the organisation full-time. I had finished my accountancy degree and was working for a corporate company when I started this meditation course. It was a seven-day course, with lessons on Raja Yoga, godly knowledge, imbibing divine qualities and godly service. I have had many spiritual experiences. Once, I fell from a train onto the platform. Everything, including my phone, was damaged. I, however, did not suffer any internal or external injuries, neither did the Murli [directions for a virtuous living] that I was holding in my hand.

Usha Didi is a troubleshooter who injects spirituality into management training for corporates. We deal with self-management and spiritual thinking. What we find is that, on many occasions, ego comes into play when others refuse to conform to a pre-conceived image that you have of yourself. We help them in self-analysis, she said.

Charred landscape had marred the road to Mount Abu, winding and drearily beautiful. The hill station in the Aravalli ranges derives its name from the mythical serpent Arbuda, who saved Lord Shivas bull, Nandi, from a chasm. After the monsoon, flowers blossom in the hillsa brilliant plumage reminiscent of Kashmir, my brother guide said. In ancient days, there was an unwritten rule that enemies should refrain from taking up arms here, respecting the sanctity of the hills.

It was in these mountain ranges that, in 2007, Pratibha Patil received the news of her nomination as president of India. She had then credited Brahma Kumaris, saying the divine spirit had predicted a huge responsibility for her.

Do political leaders usually come here? I asked the brother.

All of them do. Just recently, L.K. Advani had arrived to pay his respects.

The irony was so rich that it could practically be mined from the hills. I looked around, half-expecting to see Advani sharing a glass of buttermilk with Sharad Yadav.
An evening satsang at Vishalakshi Mantap in the lushgreen grounds of the Art of Living (AoL) International Center in Bengaluru is an electrifying experience reverberating with soulful music, ecstatic dance and soothing meditation.

The ashram is the nerve centre of AoL, a spiritual movement started by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1981, which has touched 370 million lives across 155 countries.

A year after AoL came into being, Sri Sri Ravi ShankarSri Sri or Gurudev to his discipleswent into silence for ten days in Shimoga, Karnataka. He perfected Sudarshan Kriyaa powerful breathing technique which continues to pump life into the movement, 36 years after it was conceived.

The stress management programmes, conflict resolution and social projects of AoL have gone global through its 11,600 centres and a network of volunteers serving across the globe.

In the age of neo-nationalism, rising conflicts, mass migrations and growing economic uncertainties, Indian spirituality is redefining a new value systemof universalism in nationalism.

Nationalism is nothing new, says Sri Sri; it is not a bad thing to be a nationalist. America, Canada, UK, Italy and France have always been nationalist. But after the second World War, the Germans and the Japanese were made to feel that nationalism was bad. In India, the colonial rulers ensured that it was frowned upon. However, I believe that nationalism sans universalism is not good for humanity, says Sri Sri, who prescribes multi-cultural education as a remedy for fanaticism.

Practices like yoga and meditation have taken giant strides in the global arena, and the UN has instituted the International Day of Yoga, June 21. More than 37,000 artistes and a battalion of world leaders attended the World Culture Festival organised by AoL on the banks of the river Yamuna in March 2016. The popularity of Indian spirituality in the western nations is neither accidental nor transient, contends Sri Sri.

The western society is based on fear of sin and would not defy religious authority. To accept something new (like yoga and meditation) would have been unthinkable. Yoga must be from the devil, they thought. But secularism and pluralism are part of Indian spirituality as much as it is ingrained in the constitution of America, says Sri Sri, who led the first International Day of Yoga at the UN headquarters in 2015.

Indian spirituality is embraced worldwide for its openness and the spirit of questioning, he says.

Occidental philosophy teaches us to believe; experience will follow. One is asked not to question. But the oriental philosophy advocates one to experience first and then decide if you want to believe. This appeals to the scientific-minded,reasons the guru.

Our scriptures encourage us to debate and analyse. We have an entire textPrashnopanishad on the mechanics, purpose and goal of questioning. It is not a blind faith. It is a celebration of the spirit of questioning, elaborates Sri Sri, who graduated in both Vedic literature and physics.

The journey over the last 36 years was not a smooth one, confides the founder. When I started AoL, people had this notion that yoga was for the ones with matted hair, who stood on one leg at the Allahabad Kumbh Mela. So, I had to go with the name Art of Living to ensure its acceptance as something that went beyond religion. Today, there is a sea change in perception, recounts Sri Sri.

The concept of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family) is embedded in Indian culture, he says. Sri Sri travels to at least 40 countries every year, reaching out to people in conflict zones, addressing parliaments, brokering peace and healing through yoga and meditation techniques. His commentaries on ancient Indian scripts have a huge following in the US, the UK and Germany.

AoL is involved in stress management programmes, humanitarian projects, conflict resolution, disaster relief and sustainable rural development programmes.

Annelies Richmond, who is the director of teacher training at AoL, has been with the organisation for 18 years. She says more people are seeking out AoL in the US as there is high stress, depression and anxiety.

Jeff Houk, an AoL teacher and president of International Association for Human Values (IAHV) in the US, says, I first met Gurudev in 1987. AoLs universality cuts across gender, politics, nationality, age and education.

As peace ambassadors, Sri Sri and AoL are involved in trauma care programmes in war zones like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the Kosovo conflict, European IAHV trainers held trauma-relief programmes for 700 disabled KLA victims, 105 refugees in the Plemetina camp and rape victims. Now, initiatives for social re-integration post-conflict are being held across seven prisons, reaching out to 1,500 prisoners and administrators.

The group undertook disaster relief work in the aftermath of numerous global disasters like Chile earthquake of 2010, Kashmir earthquake of 2005 and Hurricane Katrina in the US in the same year.

Picture of bliss: Art of Living International Centre at Vishalakshi Mantap in Bengaluru | AFP

Refugees feel alien to the host nation and fear attacks. They live in a state of fear and insecurity. They are scared of losing their identity and culture and are afraid of being driven out. Spiritual exercises like meditation help them become more grounded, says Sri Sri.

The group claims that Sri Sris mediation helped the peace process in Cuba with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in August 2015. According to them, AoL ensured the rescue of 2,000 Yezidi girls from Islamic States captivity in Iraq.

AOLs Prison SMART programme helps reduce stress, heal trauma and ward off negative emotions. Since 1990, it has been taught to 3,50,000 prisoners in 40 countries. AoL says many highly violent prisons are now seeing zero crimes.

Prison inmates carry the past garbage in their minds and are full of anger and hatred. But spirituality heals, says Sri Sri. AoL says courts in Denmark no longer send young criminals to prison but to AOL Youth Prison Programmes.

Says Beatriz V. Goyoaga, who has been working in Latin America for the last 20 years, Our programmes are changing the attitudes, habits and way of life of people in Latin Americafrom the poor in the slums to politicians, academics, doctors and housewives.

When Sri Sri last visited Argentina in 2012, close to 1,50,000 people gathered to meditate with him for world peace. Ten thousand people arrived at the airport to welcome him. The president of Colombia, Juan Santos, thanked Gurudev for his role in the peace process that ended a 54-year civil war with the FARC rebels, says Beatriz.

Perhaps it was the perils of a market-driven economy that led to the constitution of the International Association for Human Values in 1997, aiming to coordinate sustainable development projects.

Earlier, spirituality for the business community was considered far-fetched. But today, we see many conferences on business and spirituality. If business lacks ethics, it will not be sustainable, says Sri Sri.

AoL entered the FMCG space with the Sri Sri Ayurveda (SSA) brand in 2003, launching wellness and personal care products in health drink and foods, apparel, handicraft, oil and spices segments. They are sold through its 600 franchise outlets and online portal Sattva Store.

Christoph Glaser, who joined AoL in 1994 and is currently a board member, says, We find that the world is becoming more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. We are entering the fourth industrial revolution. To balance this, meditation and spirituality are key.

Choosing between environment protection and development is tough, but it is like riding a bicycle, says the guru. You have to find the right balance. The organisation claims that, through their green mission, they have planted 71 million trees in 36 countries and rejuvenated 27 rivers in India.

Asked about the relevance of spiritual pursuit in the modern age, Sri Sri narrates the Doomsday fear that gripped the world in early 2000. Panic struck even the most rational minds. Many sold off their property along the west coast of the US and moved to so-called safer havens, he says. People go through bad times. Spirituality provides you the inner strength and ability to withstand crises.
By Press Trust of India: (EDS: Updating toll)

Karachi, Jun 23 (PTI) A suicide bomber blew up his explosive-laden car near the office of the regional police chief in Pakistans restive Balochistan province today, killing at least 13 people, including six policemen, and injuring 20 others.

The powerful blast took place near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboobs office on Gulistan Road area of the provincial capital, Quetta.

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Thirteen people, including six policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

The bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital after the attack, according to hospital officials. Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected bomber in the car tried to break a security perimetre to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Kakar blamed India for the blast.

Balochistan has also been facing insurgency by Baloch nationalists and Islamist militants.

Security officials also confirmed that the blast was the result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which exploded after the "suspicious" driver was spotted by policemen.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the blast and began investigating after rescue services shifted the injured and deceased to the hospital.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by Civil Defence Director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying that terrorists involved in the attack will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Earlier this year, on February 13, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

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Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded. PTI SH NSA ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
Nevada County sheriffs deputies are investigating a case of a man who drowned while apparently practicing face-down meditation in the Yuba River.

Deputies identified the victim as 33-year-old Yoav Timmer, a citizen of Israel.

Based on statements from his friend, Mr. Timmer was practicing a type of meditation where he floats face down in the water for an extended period of time, said Nevada County Sgt. Mike Sullivan. His friend was doing his own meditation. A while later he went to check on Mr. Timmer and noticed he was unresponsive in the water.

There was nothing at that scene that led them to believe it was suspicious, Nevada County Sheriffs Capt. Shannon Moon told CBS Sacramento.

Moon says the death is unlike any shes seen before.

Face-down meditationthe first Ive heard of in 27 years, Moon said. Kind of blocking out the distractions of mindfulness in a face-down position underwater.

Deputies say Timmer AH drowned in a section of the river where the water pools up, and theres no strong current. Temperature in the river are currently colder than normal.

The mans body was discovered by his friend, who was practicing the same meditation technique nearby. That person attempted life-saving measures and drove to the nearest home to call 911. Authorities pronounced Timmer dead after attempting to revive him.

(Nat Golden  YWN)
Americans are expected to put down the TV remote and hit the road in record numbers for the July 4th weekend.

Auto club AAA said Thursday that it expects 44.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home, a 2.9 percent increase over last years record for the holiday.

The vast majority of those revelers will go by car. But airline travel over the holiday is also expected to rise for the eighth straight year.

Travel industry officials expect domestic demand to remain strong, even while they worry that proposed travel bans and the prohibition on laptops in the cabins of some U.S.-bound planes could hurt travel to the U.S. from abroad.

With July 4 falling on a Tuesday, some workers will get a four-day weekend, making a quick road trip even more inviting.

Cheaper gasoline helps. Even though pump prices usually rise as summer begins, the national average for a gallon of regular was $2.28 on Wednesday  4 cents lower than last years holiday weekend, and down more than 7 cents from a month ago.

AAA forecasts that average airfares on the most popular domestic routes will be 10 percent lower and car rentals will be down 14 percent from last years holiday period, while hotel rooms will cost about the same.

Bill Sutherland, a AAA senior vice president, said low unemployment, rising incomes and higher consumer confidence will boost travel, including for the Independence Day weekend.

Last month, aviation trade group Airlines for America cited many of the same factors in predicting that a record 234 million Americans will fly between June 1 and Aug. 31.

AAA predicted that 37.5 million Americans will drive to their July 4 getaway, a 2.9 percent increase, and more than 3.4 million will fly, a 4.6 percent jump. Still others will take trains or buses.

The auto club defined the four-day July 4th travel period as Friday through the Tuesday holiday, compared with a Thursday-through-Monday stretch last year.

(AP)
The annual Herzliya Conference was held this week, from Tuesday to Thursday, 26-28 Sivan. Each year the Herzliya Conference brings together senior personalities from Israel and abroad in the fields of government, security, business, and academia, to discuss the national, regional, and global issues on the agenda. This year the agenda will address the balance of opportunities, risks, and challenges facing Israel as the country readies to mark seven decades of independence.

On the second day of the 17th annual Herzliya Conference held at the IDC, Israel Air Force Commander, Major-General Amir Eshel addressed the strategic challenges faced by Israel and the Middle East. There is an unusual meeting of interests between Israel and other regional states in the fight against terror. The Israel Defense Forces and intelligence services, have a very important role in the area of aviation diplomacy, and the ability to meet Israels interests whilst supporting the interests of our partners in this region. The criteria which have defined how we maintain our operational capability to meet our needed outcomes while not wanting to escalate. To act in a way that is effective and determined, while avoiding an escalation into war is a very complicated dilemma.

He went on to say that, In the recent period, there are new parameters that make this dilemma much more complex. We want to maintain our freedom to operate and dont want to harm those who do not want to harm us. The skies over the Middle East are very congested, much more so than in the past. There are issues that where the difference between success and failure is measured in seconds. We cannot make any mistakes. Our activities in this period in between wars, beyond removing the threats over us, have an effect that will be measured only with hindsight. What we are currently doing, and the results which are very well known to our enemies, to my mind are postponing a war. Does this mean there wont be a war? One cannot promise that.

Commenting on the Northern arena, Eshel said, As a result of what is happening mostly  but not exclusively  in Syria, there are many players who have an interest in preventing the possibility of a war between Israel and Hizbullah, or other forces. For us, this presents an opportunity because it gives us time to build our strength. If a war breaks out in the Northern Arena, we need to act with full force from the beginning. What we could do in 34 days during the Second Lebanon War, we can now do in 48 hours. The growth of our strength has not been linear.

Maj.-Gen. Eshel also added, In the next war we will be called on to fight while our bases are under fire. We are investing a lot in ensuring that in any future state of conflict we have full air superiority a lot faster than in the past, taking into account the capabilities of our foes in Lebanon. We are doing whatever possible to reduce any collateral damage to civilians in any war, and we aspire towards zero civilian casualties. But I cannot delude myself; in every war, there will always be people who are harmed inadvertently. I have a recommendation to the people of Lebanon: Hizbullah has chosen to stay and infiltrate some of your homes  if you leave your homes as soon as the conflict erupts you will not be harmed.

Addressing the situation in the Middle East, he stressed, In 2011, the Middle East changed dramatically: who can guarantee that this will not happen again? The level of arms sales in the Middle East over the last few years stood at approximately $200 billion, mostly for air combat arsenals. These weapons can potentially harm the State of Israel and partially challenges the air forces ability to secure air superiority in the Middle East. We cannot wake up one morning in ten or twenty years and say, we forgot to plan for this. I am not here to share an apocalyptic vision for a Middle East that collapses tomorrow morning, but we have to be ready for war not only in the Northern Arena but in all arenas.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Hagai Frid)
(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

A protest was held in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 27 Sivan, attended by several hundred persons who demand answers regarding the missing Yemenite children. Some carried signs Bibi, where are our children and The people and the nation must ask forgiveness.

A number of Members of Knesset were counted among protestors as they blocked an area of King George Street.

In December 2016, the National Archives made over 200,000 documents and 3,500 case files available to the public, all dealing with the missing Yemenite children. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appointed Minister Tzachi Hanegbi to personally oversee the matter towards ensuring absolute transparency.

The Yemenite children affair refers to the was the disappearance of hundreds of babies and toddlers of new immigrants to the newly founded state of Israel from 1948 to 1954. Most of the cases involved children from Yemenite families, with the latter told their little ones died in hospital. However, as time passed, parents insisted they were sold or given for adoption to Ashkenazi families. There have already been cases in which children were tracked down with todays DNA capabilities.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Chaim Goldberg, News 24)
An Israel Police Traffic Enforcement Unit spokesman reported on Thursday, 28 Sivan, that a driver who has never been issued a drivers license has been caught again. He was arrested and arraigned immediately.

In an enforcement operation carried out by the police on Wednesday near the Lehavim Intersection, the police arrested a 27-year-old driver from the south who, after checking his identity, discovered that the driver had never been issued a drivers license.

The report adds that he was apprehended driving in 2014 as well. At that time, the court ruled he may not get a drivers license for six years. When police on Thursday asked why he was still driving, he apologized for his actions.

However, police were not moved by his apology and he was arrested and taken for an expeditious arraignment hearing in front of a Beersheva Traffic Court justice.

Police add that during this week, they apprehended 21 drivers operating a vehicle on a suspended license and 49 drivers operating a vehicle despite their license being suspended for serious traffic offenses.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
In a Thursday morning 28 Sivan interview with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio), Health Minister Yaakov Litzman lashed out against the former heads of the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital hemo-oncological (bone-marrow) unit. He told Galei Tzahal that the doctors did not quit for the good of the children as they claim to have been the case, but it is all about ego for them.

When asked if the lives of children are in danger, he stated I do not know but I can say that I and my colleagues in the Health Ministry have done everything possible to end the dispute.

He adds that when the doctors approached him some two months ago, together with the Director of Shaare Zedek Hospital Prof. Yonatan Halevy, he told them there would not be a unit in Shaare Zedek, seeking to send a message they need to reach agreement with Hadassah and that Shaare Zedek would not be a solution.

Litzman explains that at Hadassah, the pediatric and adult units were combined Because Baruch Hashem there are not enough patients, explaining a bone-marrow unit is an extremely specialized one. Litzman adds the doctors and Hadassah Director-General Prof. Zeev Rothstein continue negotiations but agreement has not been reached.

Galei:

Why do parents accuse you and the ministry of abandoning them and their children? It is a power struggle, a matter of ego according to the parents.

Litzman:

I told them a number of things. For one thing, I am not giving them Rothsteins head for if he is ousted, Hadassah will collapse. Perhaps you forget he came with a fiscal rehabilitation plan which he is implementing and there is stability. I am not getting in the middle of this dispute. I am worried about the entire health system. However, their behavior is unacceptable. Where does one see doctors and nurses announcing they are packing it in and leaving, as they did?

Galei:

So you are behind Rothstein at any cost?

Litzman:

It is far more complicated but yes, I am not getting rid of him and I am not going to permit opening a unit at Shaare Zedek and he cannot do so without authorization. If Prof. Halevy does, then he will deal with the sanctions. I for one did not hear him say he was planning such a move. A director of a hospital cannot do as he pleases without first obtaining the proper licenses and authorization from the Health Ministry. (Halevy on Wednesday told the media the hospital may entertain opening the unit, later stating this was not the case).

Galei:

So why according to you did the doctors leave? They are not seeking a raise in salary so why are they doing this?

Litzman:

They want me to get rid of Rothstein and it is not happening. For them it is about ego and I am concerned about the children  bottom line.

Galei:

And they are not concerned with the children? Bottom line, until a child dies this is not going to be resolved!

Litzman:

I do not think bringing them to Sacher Park [protest tent] is the proper action. I cannot say when this will end. I can say from the ministry point of view, we have invested countless hours and have done everything we can to find a solution. I have not spoken to the media, but have been working towards finding a solution. We have done what we can. They have since brought other physicians.

Galei:

The prime minister and his wife have offered to assist. Why not take advantage of this?

Litzman:

He spoke to me about this and I am doing what has to be done.

Galei:

So the crisis is far from over?

Litzman:

I cannot remove one person at the behest of another. Their ultimatum is to oust Rothstein or open a unit at Shaare Zedek  both will bring about destruction to the healthcare system in Israel.

We have also added beds in response to claims beds in the unit are being filled by foreigners at the expense of Israeli children.

I cannot say this is easy. When I see the crisis involving small children, children who are very ill, but I can see that at the ministry, no one is taking this lightly. However, I cannot say when this will be resolved however when one knows one is doing the maximum, then one realizes there is nothing else to be done.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
By Press Trust of India: (EDS: Updating with ISIS, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claims)

Karachi, Jun 23 (PTI) A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car near the office of the regional police chief in Pakistans restive Balochistan province today, killing at least 13 people, including seven policemen, and injuring 21 others.

The powerful blast took place near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboobs office on Gulistan Road area of the provincial capital, Quetta.

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The blast was claimed by both the local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group and by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter group of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Thirteen people, including seven policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

The bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital after the attack, according to hospital officials. Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected bomber in the car tried to break a security perimetre to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

Kakar blamed India for the blast.

Security officials also confirmed that the blast was the result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which exploded after the "suspicious" driver was spotted by policemen.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the blast and began investigating after rescue services shifted the injured and deceased to the hospital.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by Civil Defence Director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying that terrorists involved in the attack will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Earlier this year, on February 13, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

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Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded. PTI SH NSA ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
Police have arrested a 21-year-old male who is a member of a terrorist organization. An indictment against him is being prepared.

During the past month, Israel Police conducted a covert investigation in cooperation with the Shin Bet against a 21-year-old resident of eastern Jerusalem for belonging to and supporting a terrorist organization, as well as incitement to terrorism and violence. A large number of investigative actions were carried out, which led to the establishment of an evidentiary infrastructure against the suspect, with the approval of the State Attorneys Office for investigation of incitement, membership and membership in a terrorist organization.

The suspect, who was convicted in the past for incitement to violence, terrorism and support for a terrorist organization, was sentenced to eight months in prison and released from prison nine months ago. Upon his release, he returned to support terrorism and joined an active terrorist organization in the Ramallah area, where he advanced to a senior position, exploiting his status for incitement, terrorism and violence.

The covert investigation became apparent last week when the suspect was arrested at his home in eastern Jerusalem by Jerusalem police officers and brought to a pre-trial interrogation for membership in a terrorist organization, support and incitement to violence.

The suspects remand was extended by the court and on erev Shabbos 29 Sivan, the prosecution is expected to file an indictment against him for activities and membership in a terrorist organization and a request to detain him until the end of proceedings

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
After becoming the first deaf EMT in Israel, Nechama Loebel has once again broken barriers for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community in Israel by instructing the first EMS course in sign language. Loebel, who recently graduated from both a Psychotrauma and Crisis Response course as well as an EMS instructors course, is certified to instruct basic CPR and EMS classes. She wasted no time in organizing the first ever EMS course in sign language for fellow members of the deaf and hard of hearing community in Israel.

It is my dream to be able to take this lifesaving information and pay it forward to other members of the deaf and hard of hearing community in Israel, said Loebel, who only a few weeks prior completed her instructors course.

The course took place in the community clubhouse for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Ashdod. United Hatzalah offers family safety courses that are comprised of basic EMS skills including CPR and proper procedures for treating common injuries such as burns, choking, light wounds and broken bones. As part of the network of courses which are offered across the country, Nechama felt that it was important to offer these classes to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in their own language. The goal is to provide as many people as we can with the basic tools they need to save a life in an emergency. There is no reason that the Deaf community should be excluded from that, said Loebel. I am ecstatic that I am able to help provide this service for others who live with the same challenges that I face so that they too will be able to save lives.

The course was overseen by Yechiel Cohen who serves as the local chapter head for the organization in Ashdod. Nechama, translated the information into sign language simultaneously to Yechiels instruction.

Nechama has been a treasure to our organization, said United Hatzalah President and Founder Eli Beer. Not only is she an active volunteer who has saved many lives and helped other volunteers in the field communicate with patients who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, but she has been an inspiration to us all and challenges us to continue to expand our horizons and include people from all walks of life and all populations in Israel. She is always active and always looking for new ways to reach out to members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in Israel. I have no doubt that she will continue to be an inspiration to us all for many years to come.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: United Hatzalah)
A federal judge refused Thursday to throw out criminal charges that could result in a mandatory life prison sentence for a man accused of plotting bomb attacks in New Jersey and New York that injured 30 people.

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman made a series of rulings in the case brought against Ahmad Khan Rahimi, though he said hell wait to decide whether a government expert will be permitted to testify about al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders. Prosecutors are to submit written arguments on the subject next week.

Berman declined a defense request to dismiss two explosives charges, saying judicial precedent from other terrorism cases make clear their relevance to the eight-count indictment.

Rahimi, 29, pleaded not guilty to detonating a pipe bomb near a charity run in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and planting two pressure cooker bombs in Manhattan in September. The Seaside Park bomb didnt hurt anyone. One of the Manhattan bombs didnt explode, but the other detonated in the Chelsea neighborhood, causing the injuries.

The Afghanistan-born U.S. citizen was arrested two days after the attacks when he was injured in a shootout with law enforcement authorities outside a bar in Linden, New Jersey.

The government has said it does not plan at an October trial to use statements Rahimi made to authorities while he was recovering from gunshot wounds at a New Jersey hospital or when an investigator took hair samples from him in December. As a result, the judge denied a request to ban the statements from the trial since there are no plans to use them.

(AP)
A former CIA officer serving prison time for leaking government secrets to a reporter lost a bid to clear his name on Thursday.

A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed all but one of Jeffrey Sterlings convictions and said there was no need for him to be resentenced.

He was sentenced to 3 1/2 years after he was convicted under the Espionage Act in 2015 on charges that he divulged details of a CIA mission aimed at stalling Iranian ambitions to build a nuclear weapon. Sterling maintains he was not a source for a book by New York Times journalist James Risen.

The operation, described in Risens 2006 book State of War, involved using a CIA agent nicknamed Merlin to deliver flawed nuclear blueprints to Iran in the hopes that they would spend years trying to develop a product that would never work.

Citing anonymous sources, Risen suggested it was a reckless and botched operation that may have actually helped advance the Iranians nuclear program. The CIA has strongly disputed that idea.

The 4th Circuit said prosecutors failed to prove that the transfer of a letter detailing information about the program from Sterling to Risen began or happened in the Eastern District of Virginia  where the man was prosecuted.

But the court rejected Sterlings other arguments and said a rational jury could have found that Sterling passed along at least some classified information about the program to Risen, who then approached the CIA shortly afterwards.

Judge William Traxler Jr. wrote that he would have upheld all of Sterlings convictions.

Sterling, 50, can ask the full 4th Circuit to hear the case.

His wife said Thursday that theyre unsure when hell be released, but he had been told he could be sent home or to a halfway house as early as December.

I continued to hold out hope that the truth would ultimately prevail and it didnt, Holly Sterling said, fighting back tears.

Edward MacMahon Jr., who represented Sterling at trial, said he believes in Sterlings innocence.

I think he has a long and productive life ahead of him when he gets out, MacMahon said.

Sterlings attorneys argued that the CIA only charged him because Risens story made the CIA look foolish. They say the leak likely came from a Capitol Hill staffer after Sterling shared his concerns about the program with staffers at a Senate intelligence committee in 2003.

After spending years trying to force the reporter to reveal his source, and despite the 4th Circuits order compelling him to testify, Risen was never directly asked in court whether Sterling was his leaker.

In the end, prosecutors obtained enough circumstantial evidence by seizing emails and phone messages to win a conviction.

The government did not have recorded phone calls or emails showing the actual exchange of classified information. During a December hearing, prosecutor Eric Olshan pointed to an email Risen wrote Sterling in 2004, which said I want to call today. Im trying to write the story  I need your phone number again.

Prosecutors argued that Sterling provided the information to Risen in retaliation for multiple grievances he had against the agency. Sterling had unsuccessfully sued the agency for racial discrimination and was upset that the CIA had blocked him from putting certain information in his memoir, prosecutors said.

In a column published Wednesday by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sterling again asserted that he communicated with Risen only about his discrimination case and called his imprisonment an injustice.

My case serves as a warning that basic communication between journalists and government employees, no matter the subject, could be treated as espionage, Sterling wrote.

(AP)
The U.S. military says an American airstrike in Yemen has killed a top commander for the al-Qaida affiliate there and two of his associates.

U.S. Central Command says the strike in Shabwa province killed Abu Khattab al Awlaqi, the emir of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The U.S. says he was leading efforts to fuel instability in southern Yemen and to plan attacks on civilians, and was closely linked to AQAP leaders.

The U.S. military has conducted at least 80 airstrikes this year targeting AQAP, which the U.S. considers one of the most dangerous terrorist threats to America and the West.

Officials say they dont believe he is related to Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born cleric who inspired attacks on America and was killed in a U.S. airstrike in September 2011.

(AP)
A home health aide was charged with trying to aid ISIS after he unwittingly planned his trip to Syria under the eye of law enforcement authorities, prosecutors said Thursday.

Saddam Mohamed Raishani, 30, of the Bronx, was arrested Wednesday night as he prepared to board a plane at Kennedy Airport to begin his travel, according to a release by U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim.

It was unclear who will represent Raishani at an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court.

Kim said Raishani wanted to join and train with the militant group after helping another man get there.

Raishani allegedly acted on his own desire to wage violent jihad, planning to leave his family and life in New York City for the battlefields of the Middle East, Kim said.

William F. Sweeney Jr., head of the FBIs New York office, said the arrest demonstrated the nature of the terrorism threat and its reach into communities here at home.

Authorities said Raishanis plans were foiled in January after he unknowingly contacted a person who was a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement. According to a criminal complaint, Raishani told the source that he had helped a friend shop for supplies to bring to the Islamic State group and had driven that person to the airport and contributed money before the friend left the United States.

The complaint said Raishani expressed regret that he had not gone to Syria at the same time as his friend.

Raishani also indicated his desire to wage jihad and his belief that the Quran can be read to justify the violence, including beheadings, according to the complaint.

Eventually, the source introduced Raishani to an undercover law enforcement officer who posed as someone who also wanted to fight for the Islamic State group, authorities said.

The complaint said Raishani told the undercover officer that he had been in contact with other Islamic State group supporters and no longer felt comfortable in the U.S.

In April, the confidential source introduced Raishani to an undercover FBI agent, who also heard some of Raishanis plans, the complaint said.

Raishani was arrested as he prepared to board a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, the complaint said.

(AP)
Mytrah has 15 wind farms across eight states in India

What is it? Headquartered in London, Mytrah Energy is an India-focused renewable energy developer and producer.

The company has 15 wind farms across eight states in India and mainly sells power to government-owned grids.

It is the only independent power producer in India that has more than 200 wind masts across the country.

What's the latest?

Earlier this month, the firm reported that revenues had jumped 385 per cent year-on-year in 2016 to 286million, while profits rose 121 per cent to 101.2million.

This was driven by the completion of a number of new projects and turbines ahead of the firms production targets.

It also moved its new solar business into its construction phase after securing close to 790million of financing throughout the year.

Who backs it? Mytrah's executive chairman and founder Ravi Kailas owns a 57.9 per cent share in the company through his Jersey-based Raksha Trust.

Kailas, 51, has 20 years of experience in telecoms, software and real estate. He founded Zip Global Network, a telecom services company which was sold to Tata Teleservices, part of the Tata Group, a huge Indian conglomerate.

Big UK asset management names such as Henderson, Premier Asset Management, and AXA Investment Managers also own significant stakes.

Why you should invest Mytrah's share price barely made a peep after its strong results despite analysts at Investec slapping the firm with a 100p price target against a market price of around 25p per share.

With the chairman's statement in its results offering plenty to look forward to, and India setting itself ambitious targets as part of the Paris Climate Agreement, it could be worth chucking a few quid Mytrah's way.

And why you shouldn't Energy companies are particularly difficult to properly understand, so this will not be for everyone.

Likewise, Mytrah's focus on India may be a tad too far-flung for investors who prefer to put their money in more local assets.
Fancy a flutter: Some gambling websites have been accused of withholding winnings

Britain's competition watchdog has launched a crackdown on gambling websites that 'load the dice' against their users.

Five companies  which were not named  were yesterday warned they faced heavy fines or losing their licences if they did not make changes immediately.

They are accused of misleading customers with sign-up promotions then preventing them from walking away with winnings.

The allegations came after some 800 complaints and an investigation into the 4.5billion industry by the Competition And Markets Authority.

Senior director Nisha Arora said: 'We know online gambling is always going to be risky, but firms must also play fair.

'People should get the deal they're expecting if they sign up to a promotion, and be able to walk away with their money when they want to.'
House of Fraser's owner has failed to invest in the business

The future of House of Fraser has been thrown into doubt after the department store's owner pulled funding for a small British bank.

Chinese billionaire Yuan Yafei's business Sanpower bought the 167-year-old retailer for 480million in 2014, and he has repeatedly pledged to invest 75million to revitalise its fortunes.

But the money has not been forthcoming and the chain has lost a string of senior bosses in the past few years.

Now, City watchers fear the cash may never arrive after Yafei junked a commitment to back start-up lender Tandem.

The so-called challenger bank, which has been seeking to take on established High Street giants, was expecting a 29million investment from House of Fraser.

But this funding was unexpectedly pulled in March because China was seeking to stem a flood of money out of its borders which it was feared might put the economy at risk.

The retailer cancelled the investment because of uncertainty about whether the deal would be approved by Chinese authorities, and Tandem lost its banking licence.

There are concerns that attempts to pump cash into the department chain could now face the same problem.

A House of Fraser spokesman denied 75million: of funding had ever been promised by Sanpower  despite the fact the pledge has been widely reported since 2014.

Chairman Frank Slevin claimed in December it was a misunderstanding.
Afghan refugee women are not only battling traditional gender roles by going out to work, but they have also become unlikely warriors in the Indian capital's fight to curb plastic waste pollution.

By Reuters: Farah Naz is used to attracting scathing remarks and disapproving looks from neighbors in her Afghan refugee community as she leaves for work each day.

They tell her she is "not a good woman", what she is doing is "shameful" and that her rightful place is inside her south Delhi home- caring for her sick husband and five children.

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But after fleeing the Taliban five years ago- where she was drenched in kerosene and almost burnt alive, her husband was ordered killed, and her children were threatened with kidnap- the 32-year-old refugee woman is past caring what people think.

She is on her way to becoming a business woman.

"I had no choice but to work, and now I am proud," said Naz. "I am feeding my family and changing the view of women in my community, but most importantly I am doing a job which is showing that refugees also can do something good."

REFUGEE WARRIORS

Naz is one of five Afghan refugee women who are not only battling traditional gender roles by going out to work, but who have also become unlikely warriors in the Indian capital's fight to curb plastic waste pollution.

The task is immense and 10 hands will not solve it. But this project is gaining international support for its twin roles of addressing India's chronic waste problem and empowering refugee women who often flounder in their adopted homelands.

Employed under "Project Patradya"- an initiative led by Delhi University students- the Afghan women produce and supply edible bowls, cups and cutlery to cafes and ice-cream parlours as an alternative to non-biodegradable plastic ones.

Made from millet and wheat flour, the biscuit-like tableware is gaining popularity in the West as a sustainable, environment-friendly option to disposable plastic utensils, and those behind the initiative believe India is an untapped market.

"We wanted to create a social enterprise model which was not only looking at improving the environment but also had a business plan that could employ excluded communities such as refugees," said 20-year-old commerce student Nishchay Hans.

PLAGUED WITH PLASTIC POLLUTION

Hans is one of more than 40 students at Kirori Mal College (KMC) who are part of Enactus, a charity that supports young people across the world work with poor communities and build sustainable, eco-friendly businesses.

Their projects range from creating mobile salons for unemployed hairdressers in Ghana to working with villagers in Malaysia to build home stays- all with the aim of eventually handing over the businesses to communities to run themselves.

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With New Delhi generating around 650 metric tonnes (650,000 kg) of plastic waste daily, only 60 percent of which is recycled, KMC students honed in on plastic pollution as a serious and neglected social problem.

They found disposable plastic plates, bowls, cups and utensils make up much of the plastic waste in Delhi's burgeoning landfills, where it can take up to up to 1,000 years to decompose and leak pollutants into the soil and water.

Most of the litter and pollution affecting oceans also derives from plastics. This has dire consequences for marine species, which in turn is harmful for those further up the food chain, including humans, who consume the contaminated fish.

During their months of research, the students visited Delhi cafes and consulted restaurateurs, bakers and customers- eventually settling on the idea of edible tableware as an alternative to use-and-throw utensils.

The students then approached the city's refugees to join their venture in a move welcomed by the United Nations.

"Not only are refugees learning valuable new skills, they are also part of a meaningful and innovative initiative," said Ipshita Sengupta, policy associate at the UN Refugee Agency.

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"Such projects demonstrate that refugees are active members of our society making positive contributions to the communities they live in."

ABOUT REFUGEES IN INDIA

India- a safe haven in a volatile region- is home to more than 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom were forced to flee conflict or persecution in neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka, China, Afghanistan and Myanmar.

But the country has not signed the landmark 1951 Refugee Convention, which spells out the legal obligations of states to protect refugees, nor does it have any domestic legislation in place to ensure their basic rights.

As a result, many refugees are vulnerable to harassment and exploitation. They cannot easily access education and health services and endure job discrimination and low pay.

The 11,000-plus Afghan refugees in India fare better than some other poor communities, but many still live hand to mouth.

Opportunities to improve their lives and gain new skills are limited, so when Naz and the four other women were offered the chance to join Project Patradya, they did not hesitate.

Most are the wives of once wealthy businessmen who had good lives in Kabul, but the constant fear of suicide attacks at schools, bomb blasts at markets and death and extortion threats from the Taliban left them with to choice but to flee.

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In India now for almost five years, the roles have reversed and these women are the breadwinners - some now widows, others have husbands who are too sick to work or unable to find a job.

They work five hours daily at a charity office, above a hardware store along the bustling narrow lanes of Bhogal market, where they sit around a large table, carefully kneading and rolling dough, cutting and placing it into baking moulds.

As well as making the products, the women are also trained in sales and marketing, meet customers and take orders, with the understanding they will run the business within three years.

Patradya has been in operation for six months and is currently supplying edible tableware to 10 cafes and ice-cream parlours in Delhi, as well as taking online orders.

The women are turning over a small profit, averaging 7,500 rupees ($115) monthly, which is divided equally between them.

"It's just the beginning, so the money is not much," said Hasiba Fata, a 41-year-old mother of four, as she sprinkled flour over the ball of dough in front of her.

"But we are excited about the idea that we can become business women and run our own company, employ other people and also do something for the environment. Maybe it's possible."

ALSO READ:

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Microplastics: The tiny, toxic trash we are dumping by a truckload into oceans every minute!

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My life's purpose will be fulfilled if I work for you: Modi in Varanasi

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Athiya Shetty's style sense is something all of us need in our lives.

By Shivani Chhabra: Fashion is an art that cannot be easily mastered. As handy as it is to have a taste in fashion, one also needs to possess the ability to judge the kind of clothing an event requires, and clearly, Athiya Shetty is well-versed with the art.

A recent addition to the industry, Athiya Shetty is setting tinsel town on fire with her brilliant dress sense at promotional events of her upcoming film, Mubarakan, alongside Arjun Kapoor.

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Also Read: Athiya Shetty tells us how to pair denims with class

The Hero-fame actress graced the grand finale of television reality show Nach Baliye in a royal maxi-dress, and owned the event. Athiya looked fabulous in the shimmery, chanderi silk number by Payal Khandwal that flattered her toned body really well.

Photo: Yogen Shah

The grey-pink, diagonal-striped dress looked extremely graceful, and well-picked for the event. The actress teamed her outfit with a pair of basic open-toe, black stilettos that looked perfect with the collared-dress.

Athiya accessorised her outfit with a chunky choker, and a rope-style beautiful neck piece, and pulled off the well-balanced look like a boss. She stole the show at the grand finale, and we are quite impressed with this young lady's sense of style.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/astylistasjournal Picture courtesy: Instagram/astylistasjournal

While most celebs choose not to repeat their outfits, the busy-bee that Athiya is, she showed up in the same outfit at the special screening of Salman Khan's Tubelight last night.

The dress was the same, and so was the stunning person donning it, but the look was completely different. Athiya went from being gracefully dressed to a casual-yet-chic look, rather effortlessly.

Also Read: Sonakshi Sinha's over-the-top outfit is just what you shouldn't wear over the weekend

Athiya got rid of the rope-style neck piece, and threw over a casual denim jacket instead--which was quite a smart thing to do. She changed from her basic stilettos to a pair of tan-coloured flats, and toned down the look for the not-so-formal event. Now, that's an example of exemplary style sense--knowing what to wear, and how to wear it.

Photo: Yogen Shah

She has really impressed us with these public appearances in the same outfit. We can see the fashionista in you emerging, Athiya.

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By Mark Hallum

Jamaica Hospital celebrated the completion of its new hospice facility with a ribbon-cutting dedicated as the Ferrara Family Center, a step up from the prior unit, which offered few amenities and an atmosphere administrators did not believe was suitable for patients or families.

Jamaica Hospital Chief Executive Officer Bruce Flanz and his wife Barbara took the lead in raising funds to turn the unit into what it is today, with large rooms offering furniture and amenities for families to make themselves at home. It includes ten suites, a comfort rooms and a family lounge looking north over Queens.

Borough President Melinda Katz recognized the career of the physician heading up operations in the unit, Dr. Alan Roth, and the contributions of the Joseph Ferrara, a member of the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Board of Trustees.

Queens is 130 languages and 120 countries, Katz said. There are particular needs of every single family that walks in through those doors,. Particular needs of faith, ethnic backgrounds, countries, tradition, food, clothing and all that comes with it. I know this unit will treat each one with extraordinary care.

Ferrara has been on the board for over 20 years and his personal story encouraged him to make a difference to Jamaica Hospitals hospice unit.

I lost my wife to cancer, Ferrara said. I was very fortunate that I could take care of her at home in hospice care and when I saw the old hospice unit here, it was depressing. You knew it needed more, and knowing what I went through with my own wife, I thought it was time weserve this community. They get wonderful medical care, and they should also have the opportunity to have a good hospice unit.

Ferrara sees the warmth and service of the unit as the main achievement of the project.

Its always been a passion of mine that people should have quality care and families should be supported at the end of life, said Barbara Flanz, who volunteered all her time to fund-raising and other aspects of the project. Its a very difficult experience and we want to make it as supportive an experience as it can be. Its a project thats still going on  we still need a lot more things.

According to Flanz, the hospice center is still in need of essential items, such as bed sheets, towels and kitchenware, and she has a registry open at Bed Bath & Beyond under the first name Ferrara and last name Hospice for those willing to contribute.

The unit is very homelike  as homelike as an institutional facility can be, so all of those amenities would contribute to making it feel more like a homelike environment, Bruce Flanz said.

The unit took only about five months to be fully renovated and cost $1.3 million, according to Bruce Flanz. All funds came from donations.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) and Assemblywoman Stacy Pheffer-Amato (D-Howard Beach) also spoke at the ribbon-cutting.

Keep thinking about the quality of this hospice center and this is not the standard, Pheffer-Amato said. The stakeholders fought for this community to have such a high level. This is proof they put their word behind what they are looking for. This is amazing.

Addabbo said the effort is always there on his part to fund Jamaica Hospital, but it is never enough.
By Press Trust of India: New York, Jun 23 (PTI) Memories that trigger anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be erased without affecting other important memories of past events, according to a study.

The finding could help develop drugs that can treat anxiety without affecting the patients normal memory, researchers said.

Brains create long-term memories by increasing the strength of connections between neurons and maintaining those connections over time.

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The study, published in the journal Current Biology, tested that hypothesis by stimulating two sensory neurons connected to a single motor neuron of the marine snail Aplysia.

One sensory neuron was stimulated to induce an associative memory and the other to induce a non-associative memory.

"The example I like to give is, if you are walking in a high-crime area and you take a shortcut through a dark alley and get mugged, and then you happen to see a mailbox nearby, you might get really nervous when you want to mail something later on," said Samuel Schacher, professor of neuroscience at Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC).

In the example, fear of dark alleys is an associative memory that provides important information based on a previous experience.

Fear of mailboxes, however, is an incidental, non-associative memory that is not directly related to the traumatic event.

By measuring the strength of each connection, the researchers found that the increase in the strength of each connection produced by the different stimuli was maintained by a different form of a Protein Kinase M (PKM) molecule (PKM Apl III for associative synaptic memory and PKM Apl I for non- associative).

They found that each memory could be erased - without affecting the other - by blocking one of the PKM molecules.

They found that specific synaptic memories may also be erased by blocking the function of distinct variants of other molecules that either help produce PKMs or protect them from breaking down.

"By isolating the exact molecules that maintain non- associative memory, we may be able to develop drugs that can treat anxiety without affecting the patients normal memory of past events," said Jiangyuan Hu, an associate research scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at CUMC. PTI CORR SAR SAR

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SCHENECTADY  A man inserting himself into a dispute over access to Friday morning's Schenectady High School commencement at Proctors theater was arrested on a menacing charge, city police said.

Around 9:20 a.m., a woman trying to attend the ceremony was told she could not enter by Proctors staff because of overcrowding. Police said she became belligerent with the staff, causing on-duty police officers to intervene.
Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa were preparing for their grand finale act when something happened.

By India Today Web Desk: There is a bad news for Bharti Singh fans. The comedienne and her fiance Harsh will be missing from action on Nach Baliye grand finale. And the reason is really sad.

The lovable couple, who got eliminated in the first few weeks of the show, were supposed to perform in the grand finale, and their preparations were on in full swing. But all of a sudden an excruciating pain started to bother Bharti. She was rushed to Kokilaben hospital in Mumbai on June 22. Bharti has been diagnosed with gall bladder stone and is currently under medication. She will also have to undergo a surgery.

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Bharti has also taken to social media to post her health update:

Thank you everyone for your wishes. I'm feeling a lot better now.#love#wishes #respect ???????????????????????? A post shared by Bharti Singh (@bharti.laughterqueen) on Jun 22, 2017 at 11:41pm PDT

"Bharti and Harsh performed brilliantly on the show, and they were an important part of the finale episode. However, Bharti was rushed to the hospital around 3 am on Thursday. She will have to undergo a liver surgery and there is no other option for the couple but to miss the finale," a source told The Times of India.

Get well soon, Bharti!

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Bethlehem

Local outdoor enthusiasts and state officials gathered Thursday to mark completion of a new $8.9 million visitor center at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, which is the anchor for a popular network of public nature trails.

Replacing the original 45-year-old building, the new 9,500-square-foot visitors' center houses several live animals including an owl, a menagerie of taxidermized animals native to the area as well as classrooms, terrariums and numerous interpretive displays.

The center may be most notable, though, for its eco-friendly design. It includes a "green roof" covered with plants to help with insulation and storm run-off, water-retention ponds to control drainage, skylights and geothermal hearing and cooling.

There are also photovoltaic cells and a rainwater collection system for the toilets.

Local wood also was used to construct components such as the large posts that are part of the superstructure.

"A lot of this is heart and soul," state environmental Commissioner Basil Seggos said at a brief ceremony celebrating the opening.

The opening was part of a $50 million "Adventure New York" plan to upgrade the state's numerous outdoor facilities including campgrounds, waterfront areas and trails. The projects include improvements to boat launches, duck-hunting blinds, hiking trails, bird-watching areas and fish hatcheries.

The plan also aims for more accessibility  Five Rivers has a motorized scooter and an off-road style wheelchair to assist people with disabilities or physical limitations.

The center has expanded from 231 acres in 1972 to 455 acres. There are 10 miles of looped trails as well as 16 ponds, some used for ecological research.

There's also a bird-watching site for eastern bluebirds and deer often seen on the trails.

Nearly 3.8 million people have visited the center since it opened in 1972.
With Seattle expected to see a scorching weekend, it's easy to relate to this story about a British worker disobeying his office dress code during a heat wave.

Joey Barge, 20, of Buckinghamshire, England was just one of many office workers dealing with the 93-degree heat on Monday, the Daily Mail reported. Heading to work at a call center, Barge decided to opt for shorts in order to function during the day.

He took a photo of his outfit  a tasteful black button up and blue shorts  and posted it to Twitter alongside the caption, "If women can wear skirts/dresses at work can I wear smart shorts like so?"

Fair question.

Turns out, Barge's work had a problem with the shorts, promptly sending him home to change his outfit... less than an hour after he arrived at his office.

"Answer: nope. Just been sent home from work," Barge tweeted in reply to his earlier question.

Barge went home and decided that his best line of defense against the Draconian dress code would be playing by his office's rules. Rather than wearing pants, he instead chose to follow the women's dress code and wore a pink and black number from his mother's closet.

Barge went on to document the dress in a series of photos he posted to his Twitter account.

"See you soon, twitter (sic). I'll be sent home soon," Barge wrote alongside another photo of him wearing the dress, while sitting in his car (echoing the earlier photo of his shorts).

Rather than a tweet confirming a second time being sent home for violating dress code, instead there was a screenshot of an email that seemed to concede that, perhaps, shorts might just be suitable for the workplace... with restrictions.

The email stated that "due to the extremely warm temperatures" the men of the office will be allowed to wear 3/4 length shorts, but "not bright colors  black, navy or beige only."

"Partial win?" Barge wondered.

Barge told the Daily Mail that despite the updated dress code, he opted to wrap up the day in the dress.

"They said it was a bit too colourful and asked if I wanted to go home and change because they were letting us wear shorts because of my 'protest'  but I said I was happy to stay," Barge said.
TROY  Standing in front of a display of fresh vegetables and fruits at Capital Roots Urban Grow Center on Friday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand attacked President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to the food stamps program, and condemned the Senate Republicans' health care bill.

The Democrat said the ability to buy healthy food local is important for poor residents who might not be able to travel from their urban neighborhoods to supermarkets.

"Unfortunately, for too many people in Washington, access to vegetables, fruits and healthy meals for children and families just doesn't seem to be a priority at all," Gillibrand said.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program  popularly known as food stamps  would be cut by $193 billion over 10 years under the budget proposal. Gillibrand said she was "disturbed" by the proposal.

The Urban Grow Center at 594 River St. in North Central, Troy's poorest neighborhood, earned Gillibrand's praise for finding ways to get fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables to Capital Region residents who otherwise would be unable to buy them.

SNAP allows families to put healthy food on their tables by stretching their food-buying dollars and helps support 4,500 local farms, said Amy Klein, CEO of Capital Roots. She said federal and state funding helps her group deliver fresh food to families who might not otherwise be able to buy produce.

Turning to the proposed health insurance bill unveiled by the Republicans Thursday, Gillibrand said its provisions would hurt those most in need while providing tax cuts for the wealthy.

"I cannot think of a more out of touch or insulting proposal to working Americans already struggling with the high cost of medical coverage today," Gillibrand said. " ... I will do everything in my power to stop it."
Washington

President Donald Trump declared Thursday he never made and doesn't have recordings of his private conversations with ousted former FBI Director James Comey, ending a month-long guessing game that he started with a cryptic tweet and that ensnared his administration in yet more controversy.

"With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information," Trump said in his latest tweets, he has "no idea" whether there are "tapes" or recordings of the two men's conversations. But he proclaimed he "did not make, and do not have, any such recordings."

That left open the possibility that recordings were made without his knowledge or by someone else. But he largely appeared to close the saga that began in May, just days after he fired Comey, then the head of an investigation into Trump associates' ties to Russian officials. Trump has disputed Comey's version of a January dinner during which the director said the president had asked for a pledge of loyalty.

Trump responded at that time, via Twitter, that Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

That apparently angry missive triggered a series of consequences each weightier than the last. Comey has suggested that the tweet prompted him to ask an associate to leak damaging information to the media. The resulting news reports built pressure on a top Justice Department official to appoint an independent prosecutor to oversee the Russia investigation. That special counsel is now reportedly investigating Trump's own actions in a probe that could dog his presidency for the foreseeable future.

Trump's declaration now that there are no recordings appear to settle a key dynamic in that investigation: It's now the president's word against Comey's notes.

Without recordings, Comey's version of his conversations with Trump  which he documented at the time, shared with close associates and testified about to Congress  will likely play a key role as prosecutors consider whether Trump inappropriately pressured the lawman to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Investigators will also weigh the credibility of Comey against a president who has shown a wobbly commitment to accuracy.

Thursday's revelation came a day ahead of a deadline to turn over any tapes to the House intelligence committee. The timing drew attention away from the release of the Senate's health care bill, which the White House hopes can provide Trump a much-needed legislative victory to boost his sagging poll numbers.

Trump's tweets, old and new, left many perplexed about whether there was motive or strategy behind the whole affair. The president appeared to enjoy ginning up mystery and spinning Washington reporters about the possibility there was a trove of surreptitiously recorded Oval Office conversations.

"I think he was in his way instinctively trying to rattle Comey," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a longtime Trump confidant, said before the Thursday tweets. "He's not a professional politician. He doesn't come back and think about Nixon and Watergate. His instinct is: 'I'll out-bluff you.'"

Trump's earlier suggestion about tapes evoked the secret White House recordings that led to Richard Nixon's downfall in the Watergate scandal. 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.

But the episode tired Trump's defenders and aides, who for weeks have been dodging questions about the recordings.
Tipperary Co-op has reported a turnover of 171.5m and a profit before tax of 2.3m for 2016, according to its annual report, which was released Friday, June 23.

The year saw the milk production volume grow by 7 per cent from their own milk suppliers and total whole-milk production volume at 300m litres.

Commenting on the 2016 performance, chairman Richard Donovan said: I am pleased to report continued progress in 2016 by Tipperary Co-op, especially in the areas of product and market development where Tipperary as expanded its markets for cheese and whey.

The poor returns from international dairy markets in the first half of the year impacted significantly on the co-ops Irish dairy processing business. However, this was balanced by a better than expected performance of our subsidiaries and the scale efficiencies achieved through processing the larger milk volumes.

In relation to the co-ops efforts to support farmer members the chairman added: While the early part of 2016 was a difficult one for dairy farmers, Tipperary Co-op continued to support its milk suppliers with savings made through operating efficiencies and the premiums achieved from our ongoing product and market developments. As a co-operative the importance of returning a profit while supporting our members cannot be overestimated. Throughout the year the board of Tipperary maintained its twin focus of farmer support and business development by supporting farm gate milk price during the year and recording a prudent profit before taxation of 2.3m.

Mr Donovan said he was confident that Tipperary Co-op was a strong business successfully managing the expansion opportunities that post quota milk production is offering our farmer members

The co-op has paid a strong competitive milk price, while also enhancing the value and strength of Tipperary co-op itself Mr Donovan said.

Providing an overview of the operational performance of the business, newly appointed CEO, John Daly, said: Tipperary Co-op continues to see the benefit of the unprecedented level of investment in the business in recent years. This investment has been focused on new and upgraded processing facilities, business efficiency improvements as well as marketing and product portfolio development.

He said that 2016 also saw the continued expansion of the co-op's successful overseas business, especially its French subsidiary Tippagral SA, which grew sales of its Emmental cheese to the European market.

Tipperary Co-op has a balanced market spread with dairy product sales across Europe and the US where Ornua helps support our marketing and sales development.

The year also saw Tipperary strengthen its position as a significant supplier to the infant formula and ingredients sectors.

Meanwhile, Tipperary -based processed cheese subsidiary Fairgreen Ingredients Ltd is helping to identify new product and market opportunities for farmers milk.

We continue to see potential for increased milk production in the Tipperary Co-op catchment area. A 7 per cent growth in 2016 followed a 16 per cent increase the previous year. It is interesting to note that Tipperary milk suppliers have exceeded the national trend in this regard, saisd Mr Daly.

Tipperary Co-operative had effectively managed the transition to milk volume growth through a combination of upgraded processing facilities and strengthened commercial partnership.

This brings great potential to our business and we feel confident of the benefits that should accrue to milk suppliers while providing an increased contribution to the local economy, he said.

Financial controller Barry Hannon presented the financial statements for the year and emphasised: Continued high volumes of milk have extended improvements in scale efficiencies and the savings achieved were passed on to milk suppliers where possible. The impact of the low market returns for our core products in the early part of 2016 was a factor in Tipperary Co-ops performance but this was counteracted by a good performance in Tippagral, the French subsidiary company.

Cash inflow from operating activities amounted to 5.4m while shareholders funds now stand at 34.3m. Overall Tipperary Co-op retains a strong balance sheet at year-end and a good relationship with its banking partners. The further strengthening of its balance sheet during the year combined with a very prudent level of net debt provides a solid foundation for the business as we plan for continued post quota growth, Mr Hannon said.
[June 22, 2017]

Dallas Business Journal Recognizes Working Solutions CEO

PLANO, Texas, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kim Houlne, chief executive of Working Solutions, will be among those honored at the Dallas Business Journal's (DBJ) 2017 Women in Business Awards.

An industry pioneer, Houlne founded her virtual contact center services company more than 20 years ago. In a world of brick-and-mortar call centers, the company's solutions continue to stand out, making its flexible staffing model even more viable today.

Alongside program alumni, Houlne will be recognized at a special dinner in July. Later, she will be among honorees at DBJ's 10th annual awards and trade show in August.

"What an amazing group of women," she said. "I look forward to meeting and learning from other business leaders."

Woman-owned Business

Based in Plano, Texas, Working Solutions is a woman-owned business. It has more than 100 employees and a network of 110,000-plus independent contractors nationwide. The company's scalable business model enables agents, most of whom are women, to work from home serving clients' seasonal demands and selling cycles.







In an industry crowded with competitors, Working Solutions still distinguishes itself. Houlne points to reviews on Glassdoor, where employees and contractors rank companies. As a chief executive, she scores more than a 90 percent approval rating. The company earns up to a four-star recommendation.

Glassdoor 'OpenCompany'

"Glassdoor recognizes us as an 'OpenCompany', which speaks to our transparency to work for and with," Houlne said. "As a U.S.-based operation, we keep the business close to home, for employees, agents and clients."

For the third year in a row, remote work expert FlexJobs named Working Solutions among its Top 100 Companies, ranking it #7. Industry analysts Ovum and Gartner cite the company for its business process outsourcing and customer relationship management.

About

With 20-plus years of success, Working Solutions is a recognized leader in remote contact center services. Its on-demand workforce includes sales, customer service and technical experts with 110,000-plus agents registered nationwide. They deliver fast-flex business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions for clients and their customers across diverse industries, such as healthcare, retail, travel and hospitality.

Contact:

Gail Rigler

972-964-4800

[email protected]

www.workingsolutions.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dallas-business-journal-recognizes-working-solutions-ceo-300478632.html

SOURCE Working Solutions
[June 22, 2017] B&H Photo Joins Forces with CE Week; Welcomes Attendees to Summer Tech Show

NEW YORK, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- To help educate press, retailers, consumers and tech thought leaders and the latest innovations, B&H Photo-Video, the country's largest consumer & professional technology retailer is joining forces with CE Week, New York City's largest consumer technology showcase. "B&H is an iconic New York City phenomena, attracting an international audience of millions at their headquarters and online. This partnership will create a direct link between the CE Week exhibit floor and worldwide buyers of the latest new technologies," says Eric Schwartz, Managing Director/Executive Producer, CE Week  Napco Media. "New York City has been our home since 1973. From then to now we've always take pride in knowing and sharing the very latest technologies with our customers," said Henry Posner, Director of Communications, B&H. "Our skill and expertise at conveying this to consumers from amateurs to pros in a clear understandable manner has always distinguished us and will help CE Week deliver much-needed information to thousands of buyers to make the best buying choices. Today's consumer technology buyer is thirsty for new product news and we're proud to be the trusted voice they turn to for recommendations, value and advice." Highlights of B&H's program at CE Week include: CE Week Official Opening Night Party : On the evening of July 11 , select media, ndustry VIPs and CE Week exhibitors will be invited to a gala store party at B&H's headquarters on 34th St and 9th Avenue to celebrate the start of CE Week in NYC. The event is currently at capacity . Media interested in being added to the waitlist should contact Jayme Schwartz.

On the evening of , select media, ndustry VIPs and CE Week exhibitors will be invited to a gala store party at B&H's headquarters on 34th St and 9th Avenue to celebrate the start of CE Week in NYC. . Media interested in being added to the waitlist should contact Jayme Schwartz. Sponsor of 'Young Innovators to Watch' Award Competition : B&H will be on the judging board for the competition and present $100 gift certificates to the ten winning students .

B&H will be on the judging board for the competition and present gift certificates to the ten winning students Exhibit on Show Floor: B&H experts will be on-hand to answer questions about the latest technology from imaging to audio, home automation to drones and the latest in virtual reality and gaming.



July 12 and 13 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City . For more information on the show and to register for CE Week visit www.ceweekny.com. About CE Week

CE Week is the consumer electronics (CE) industry's official event in New York City. The official mid-year meeting, conference and new technology showcase includes the CE Week Exhibits, which is the site of CE Week's largest exhibition hall and conference program. CE Week is produced annually by the Consumer Technology Group of NAPCO Media, publisher of Dealerscope and Technology Integrator magazines, and producer of FutureVision and Dealerscope Top Retailer Summit. For more information, visit www.ceweekny.com and keep up with our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

About B&H PhotoVideo

As the world's largest source of photography, video, and audio equipment, B&H Photo-Video is known worldwide for its attentive, knowledgeable sales force and excellent customer service, including fast, reliable shipping. Visitors to the website can access a variety of enlightening articles and educational videos. B&H has been satisfying customers worldwide since 1973. http://www.bandh.com. Keep up with B&H on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat Contact

Jayme Schwartz

social4media for CE Week

646-370-3988

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bh-photo-joins-forces-with-ce-week-welcomes-attendees-to-summer-tech-show-300478738.html SOURCE CE Week

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When Xi Jinping spoke to the foreign ministers from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on June 19, his choice of words was a bit surprising. "I don't believe," Xi said, "the BRICS has faded in colour."

That the Chinese president would acknowledge perceptions that the grouping, as it heads into its tenth year, is struggling to find relevance underlines the difficult questions it faces ahead of the September summit in China. Aiming to send a message of unity, the foreign ministers of the five countries gathered for their first-ever standalone summit in Beijing on June 19. With Sushma Swaraj unable to travel for health reasons, MoS for external affairs Gen. (retd) V.K. Singh represented India.

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The biggest success of BRICS since its first gathering in 2009 has been its economic agenda. The group has been a useful platform, especially for India and China, to voice grievances at the slow pace of reforms in global institutions that, they feel, haven't adjusted to new realities. The launch of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) was a logical next step, in part to send a message to the World Bank and IMF.

Since then, the attention of the group's biggest economy, China, has been somewhat diverted. Today, the Shanghai-based NDB plays second fiddle in China's calculus to the one-year-younger Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). All five countries are grappling with economic slowdowns and challenges at home. The group has lost its sheen.

One response has been to attempt to widen the agenda to non-economic matters; hence the first foreign ministers' summit. Yet, as the statement released in Beijing showed, there is perhaps even less common ground here.

For China, BRICS is one of many vehicles to reshape the world order in its favour, or to garner support for its pet causes, such as pressuring rival Japan. Hence, every BRICS statement now scolds "attempts to misrepresent the results of World War II". For Russia, almost the entire focus was on getting the group to back its stand on Syria, which the statement dutifully noted.

As in the previous summit in Goa, India in Beijing pushed the group to put out a strong statement declaring no tolerance for any form of terrorism. Yet it is a fellow BRICS member, China, that has been the biggest obstacle in other fora such as the UNSC where India seeks to sanction Pakistani terrorists.

In the past, India and China had sought some solace in their common multilateral agenda even as they grappled with thorny bilateral issues. BRICS was top of this list. However, the ever-larger bowl of alphabet soup of multilateral summitry, from China's Belt and Road Forum (BRF) that India boycotted, to the June 8 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that finally allowed India's entry despite Chinese reservations, has appeared to show their interests at cross-purposes. When PM Narendra Modi heads to China in September, he will be hoping BRICS doesn't follow suit.

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[June 23, 2017] PROS to Feature Modern Commerce Strategies at European Pricing Summit

Helping customers recast the competitive pricing and selling landscape in the digital era, PROS (NYSE:PRO), a cloud software company powering the shift to modern commerce, today announced it will deliver a presentation at the upcoming European Pricing Summit. PROS plans to showcase its Smart CPQ and pricing management software, all available in the cloud. Nick Boyer, PROS Director of Strategic Consulting, will address the conference, which is scheduled for June 27-28 at the TITANIC Chaussee Berlin. In his presentation - Why Modern Commerce is Driving the Need for Dynamic Pricing - Boyer will discuss the dramatic changes in today's buying climate, as companies evaluate new options for improving their quoting and pricing capabilities. He will also offer insights into customers' expectations related to immediate, personalized responses, with pricing transparency across every channel. "Companies in every European country are looking to enhance their selling strategies in the new digital era," said Virginie Dupin, PROS Vice President of Marketing for EMEA and APAC. "The shift to modern commerce strategies requires that companies creae frictionless, personalized experiences with speed, precision and consistency across all of their channels. At the conference, Nick Boyer will discuss how pricing management software and dynamic pricing solutions can enable companies to realize their revenue and profit potential."



To learn more about PROS, visit www.pros.com or follow PROS on Twitter (News - Alert) at @PROS_Inc. About PROS

PROS Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRO) is a cloud software company powering the shift to modern commerce by helping companies create personalized and frictionless buying experiences for their customers. Fueled by dynamic pricing science and machine learning, PROS solutions make it possible for companies to price, configure and sell their products and services in an omnichannel environment with speed, precision and consistency. Our customers, who are leaders in their markets, benefit from decades of data science expertise infused into our industry solutions. To learn more, visit pros.com. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the functionality and benefits of revenue, profit realization and modern commerce software to organizations generally as well as the functionality and benefits of PROS software products. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon PROS historical experience with revenue, profit realization and modern commerce software and its current expectations of the benefits of revenue, profit realization and modern commerce software for organizations that implement and utilize such software. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described herein include the addressability of an organization's revenue, profit realization and modern commerce software needs, the risks associated with PROS developing and enhancing products with the functionality necessary to deliver the stated results and the risks associated with the complex implementation and maintenance of revenue, profit realization and modern commerce software such as PROS software products. Additional information relating to the uncertainty affecting the PROS business is contained in PROS filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent PROS expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change, and PROS disclaims any obligations to update or alter these forward-looking statements in the future whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005091/en/

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[June 23, 2017] Jennifer Davies Joins Catalyst as Product Manager

DENVER, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennifer Davies, a technology and product management veteran, has joined Catalyst Repository Systems as business intelligence and reporting product manager, where she will work closely with sales, marketing, professional services and development teams to enhance Insight Enterprise, Catalyst's secure, multi-matter corporate e-discovery platform. Davies comes to Catalyst with more than 14 years of experience in product management and related roles. Over the course of her career, she has become proficient in assessing market needs, working closely with core clients, bringing products from conception to release, and ensuring customer service and satisfaction. "Davies is a seasoned product manager who has helped companies in a variety of industries meet their consumers' needs," said Catalyst President John Barr. "She has an established track record of going above and beyond in recognizing areas of improvement and strategically helping companies meet those needs. We are thrilled to have her on board" Prior to joining Catalyst, Davies worked in technology andproduct management roles in the healthcare, data solutions, B2B, and hospitality industries. Most recently, she was product manager at DaVita Kidney Care in Denver, where she headed the physician experience product team. She was previously product manager at SpotX, a video inventory platform; Return Path, an email solutions provider; and AgentSolid, a mobile app development company.



"I look forward to working in a constructive and fascinating industry with the talented staff that has made Catalyst the highly recognized company that it is today," said Davies. "I'm eager to build out the BI and reporting capabilities and help our enterprise clients realize the maximum benefit of Insight Enterprise." As business intelligence and reporting product manager, Davies will work with Catalyst's product team to ensure that clients get the most out of Insight Enterprise. By focusing on the product vision, requirements and delivery, as well as market evaluation, Davies will help Catalyst continue to offer first-in-class technology to its clients.

Based in Colorado, Davies has a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a graduate certificate in project management in information and communications technology from the University of Denver's University College. About Catalyst Catalyst designs, hosts and services the world's fastest and most powerful document repositories for large-scale discovery and regulatory compliance. For more than 15 years, corporations and their counsel have relied on Catalyst to help reduce litigation costs and take control of complex legal matters. To learn more, visit catalystsecure.com or follow the company on Twitter at @CatalystSecure. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jennifer-davies-joins-catalyst-as-product-manager-300478624.html SOURCE Catalyst Repository Systems

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[June 23, 2017] TCS Ranked as a Top Employer of US Talent in the IT Services Sector

MUMBAI and NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- - Tata Consultancy Services Hires 12,500+ US Employees Over Past Five Years - Leads the Industry in Terms of US employee Growth at 57 Percent - US STEM Education Campaigns Now Set to Reach More Than Two Million Students by 2022

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, has been an industry leading job creator in the American IT Services sector for the past five years, according to a recent study by The Cambridge Group. TCS was among the top two job creators, recruiting more than 12,500 US employees from 2012 -2016, while it ranked first in terms of US employee growth during that period, at 57 percent. Building on its more than 40 year history in America, TCS' ranking in The Cambridge Group report reflects the company's significant and ongoing level of investment into the US economy. In fact, TCS has invested nearly $3 billion in the US over the past three years, in terms of employment, new innovation labs, extensive nationwide STEM education programs, and academic partnerships and endowments. "TCS is proud to be a significant employment and talent development force in the US," said Surya Kant, President of North America, UK and Europe, TCS. "Our industry leading US recruitment advanced digital training of employees, and academic and STEM partnership programs act as a key contributor to the US innovation economy, while also preparing the current and upcoming workforce with foundational skills needed for 21st century careers," he added. TCS expects recruitment of IT Services professionals in the US in 2017 to remain on par or exceed prior years' levels. It regularly has approximately 800-900 open positions - quarter to quarter - in locations from Texas, California and Ohio, to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York. Examples of specialized roles focused on digital business transformation include digital DevOps and agile software development engineers, digital user experience (UX) designers, cloud architects, and autonomous drone operators. Over the past five years, TCS has steadily increased its relationships and recruitment from more than 75 US college campuses, for both undergraduate and Master's students. Its onsite activities include career fairs and onsite interiewing, TCS experts discussing specific areas such as cloud, automation and artificial intelligence, and partnering with career centres to prepare students for interview processes. TCS also invites select students to nearby TCS facilities to host immersion days, engagement with leadership teams and recent campus hires, and tours of innovation labs. Students in additional colleges are virtually engaged in similar sessions via channels such as video interviewing and mentoring.



Recognizing the challenge of finding enough qualified US talent; TCS has been a leading STEM education proponent for the past decade, creating highly scalable initiatives that will engage more than two million US students by 2022. It is a founding partner and the platform provider of Million Women Mentors, which so far has 1,856,000 pledges to mentor young women to succeed in STEM careers. Its signaturegoIT program teaches under-privileged students computer science, design and career skills, and is now active in 55 North American cities. Moreover, in 2017, TCS launched 'Ignite My Future in School', a first-of-its-kind campaign, partnering with Discovery Education to help transform the US educational system by embedding computational thinking and problem solving into core school subjects such as math, history, science, and humanities. Other TCS investments in US business and academic arenas include the April 2017 ground breaking of 'TCS Hall' on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University, following a $35M grant to the academic institution 18 months ago. The new facility will enable TCS and CMU to conduct advanced joint research regarding cognitive computing and autonomous vehicles. TCS has also opened several new facilities, such as the Digital Reimagination Studio in Santa Clara, CA in 2016 to foster rapid product prototyping, and its first US Drones Research Lab in Cincinnati, OH, in 2017, with plans for further office expansion across the US throughout 2017.

TCS was recognized in 2016-17 with numerous industry awards for its employment and STEM education practices. They include being named as one of The Civic 50's most community minded organizations in the world, the 'Best and Brightest Companies to Work for' in the US, certified as a Top Employer for three straight years, one of 50 Achievers Most Engaged Workplaces for four straight years, and winning six Gold and Silver Stevies at the 2017 American Business Awards.. About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS): Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS,infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India's largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 387,000 of the world's best-trained consultants in 45 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $17.6 billion for year ended March 31, 2017 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News. Media Contact:

Harsha Ramachandra

Tata Consultancy Services

[email protected]

+91-9833775853



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[June 23, 2017] Accenture Reduces U.S. Pension Obligations by $1.6 Billion Through Previously Announced Plan Termination, Following Asset Transfer to AIG and MassMutual

Accenture (News - Alert) (NYSE:ACN) has completed the termination of its U.S. Pension Plan (the "Plan"), which was previously announced in March 2016, by entering into agreements with American General Life Insurance Company (AGL (News - Alert)) - a subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (AIG) - and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual). Under these agreements, the Plan has transferred pension assets to AGL and MassMutual to settle approximately $1.0 billion of outstanding pension obligations. The annuity settlement is part of Accenture's three-step strategy to reduce its pension obligations, as follows: Plan Termination : The Plan's termination removed a total of $1.6 billion of pension obligations: about $600 million through lump-sum payments to approximately 7,000 active and former U.S. employees who elected to receive such payments, and $1.0 billion through the purchase of annuities from insurance companies.

: The Plan's termination removed a total of $1.6 billion of pension obligations: about $600 million through lump-sum payments to approximately 7,000 active and former U.S. employees who elected to receive such payments, and $1.0 billion through the purchase of annuities from insurance companies. Annuity Purchase : Accenture purchased group annuity contracts from AGL and MassMutual, which are each responsible for assuming a portion of the obligation to make future annuity payments to approximately 9,200 active and former U.S. Accenture employees and their beneficiaries. The transaction closed in late May and the insurers will assume payment responsibility in August 2017.

: Accenture purchased group annuity contracts from AGL and MassMutual, which are each responsible for assuming a portion of the obligation to make future annuity payments to approximately 9,200 active and former U.S. Accenture employees and their beneficiaries. The transaction closed in late May and the insurers will assume payment responsibility in August 2017. New Pension Plan : Accenture has created a new, fully funded, defined benefit plan with approximately $200 million of pension obligations with substantially the same terms as the Plan for approximately 550 active U.S. employees who remain eligible to accrue benefits. Designated Plan fiduciaries selected AGL and MassMutual as the annuity providers. The selection was made in consultation with independent experts after a thorough annuity provider search and due diligence process, and in accordance with the U.S. Department of Labor's "safest available annuity" standards. Key advisors to Accenture included Mercer (US) Inc. as lead strategic and annuity placement advisor. Together, these related actions have enabled Accenture to decrease its overall pension obligations by approximately $1.6 billion, reducing future risk and administrative costs, while entrusting participants' benefits to highly rated financial institutions with core expertise in the long-term management of retirement benefits. Affected participants will soon receive letters with further details. Forward-Looking Statements Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture's actions to decrease its overall pensionobligations will not reduce the company's pension risk or administrative costs to the extent expected or otherwise achieve the anticipated benefits for the company, as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in Accenture plc's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations.



About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions - underpinned by the world's largest delivery network - Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 411,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About AIG American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. Founded in 1919, today AIG member companies provide a wide range of property casualty insurance, life insurance, retirement products, and other financial services to customers in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. These diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks and provide for retirement security. AIG's core businesses include Commercial Insurance and Consumer Insurance, as well as Other Operations. Commercial Insurance comprises two modules - Liability and Financial Lines, and Property and Special Risks. Consumer Insurance comprises four modules - Individual Retirement, Group Retirement, Life Insurance and Personal Insurance. AIG common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com and www.aig.com/strategyupdate | YouTube (News - Alert): www.youtube.com/aig | Twitter (News - Alert): @AIGinsurance www.twitter.com/AIGinsurance | LinkedIn (News - Alert): www.linkedin.com/company/aig. These references with additional information about AIG have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. AIG is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty, life and retirement, and general insurance operations of American International Group, Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at www.aig.com. All products and services are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. Products or services may not be available in all countries, and coverage is subject to actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain property-casualty coverages may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds, and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds. About MassMutual MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. MassMutual offers a wide range of financial products and services, including life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, annuities, retirement plans and other employee benefits. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005042/en/

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[June 23, 2017] ThetaRay Chosen for Three Exclusive Cyber Week 2017 Panels

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ThetaRay, a global leader in big data anomaly detection, today announced that it has been chosen to participate in three key events at Cyber Week 2017, taking place next week at Tel Aviv University. The events include: Cybercrime Doesn't Pay ( Wednesday, June 28 , 11:30am ) - ThetaRay CEO Mark Gazit will chair this high-powered Fraudcon session, which features: Silvino Schlickmann Jr., Head of Cybercrime, Interpol; Chief Superintendent Meir Hayun, Head of the National Cybercrime Unit for Israel Police ; Mirko Manske , First Detective Chief Inspector of the Bundeskriminalamt (German police); and Kees Kiestra , Financial Specialist for Dutch Police.

Enterprise Protection: Creating a Strong Cyber Strategy ( Tuesday, June 27 , 11am ) - Mark Gazit will take part in this plenary session alongside RSA president Rohit Ghai , OPSWAT founder and CEO Benny Czarny , and FireEye Southern Europe Pre-Sales Director David Grout . It will be chaired by Yigal Unna , Chief Executive Director, Cyber Technologies Unit, Israel National Cyber Directorate, Prime Minister's Office.

R&D in AI ( Wednesday, June 29 , 11:10am ) - ThetaRay co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Prof. Amir Auerbach wll speak on this panel with UC Berkeley's Prof. Dawn Song , CheckPoint VP Product Dr. Dorit Dor and Aleph VC Equal Partner Eden Shochat. It is part of the full-day event "Leap Forward: The Future of Artificial Intelligence," and will be chaired by Prof. Nathan Intrator of Tel Aviv University .





Cyber Week is an annual cybersecurity conference held at Tel Aviv University in Israel, which brings together industry leaders, startups, investors, academics, diplomats, and other government officials. This year's event will feature such luminaries as: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Thomas Bossert, the White House's Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Rob Joyce, the White House's Special Assistant to the President, Cybersecurity Coordinator; and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Last year's event hosted over 5,000 attendees from more than 50 countries, and even greater attendance is expected this year. "We are proud to play such a significant role in these important sessions, including the very first Fraudcom event at Cyber Week," said Mark Gazit. "Cyber security is the key issue for organizations in 2017, because cyber threats create such incredible financial risk across the board. Banks are at risk for massive financial losses through cyber theft, enterprises face fraud threats from customers, vendors and even rogue employees, and critical infrastructure must be protected against costly attacks from enemy nation-states and political activists."

ThetaRay will also attend Money 20/20 in Copenhagen next week, showcasing its anomaly detection platform for industrial cyber security and financial institutions from June 26-28. ABOUT THETARAY ThetaRay's disruptive technology enables financial institutions to uncover the earliest signs of illicit behavior and threats including multichannel fraud, money laundering, and ATM security breaches. The solutions are also deployed for cyber security divisions, industrial manufacturers and critical infrastructure organizations to enable them to become more resilient and seize opportunities. The company's patented mathematical algorithms can process tens of thousands of parameters simultaneously, helping to automatically identify unknown threats across multiple environments, systems and sources - in real-time. ThetaRay works with some of the world's largest banks and financial institutions. Learn more at http://www.thetaray.com. Follow us on Twitter: @ThetaRayTeam

Contact:

Mark Prindle

Fusion PR

+1-646-452-7109

[email protected] SOURCE THETARAY

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[June 23, 2017]

Government of Canada Approves the Canada-U.S. Lake Erie Connector Project

OTTAWA , June 23, 2017 /CNW/ - Moving Canadian energy to markets responsibly while creating good middle-class jobs, investing in clean technology and supporting the long-term transition to a low-carbon energy mix is good for the economy and the environment.

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, today announced the Government's approval of the National Energy Board's decision to issue a certificate for the Lake Erie Connector Project, subject to 42 binding conditions.

ITC Lake Erie Connector LLC's project will help increase the trade in electricity between Canada and the United States. The $544-million Canadian portion of the project will create 331 jobs during construction.

The project is a 1,000-megawatt, two-way underwater transmission line, measuring about 117 kilometres, which will travel under Lake Erie and provide the first direct electricity link between Ontario and Pennsylvania. The project is expected to be in service by 2020.

In January 2016, the Government announced a n interim approach to guide decisions on major projects undergoing an environmental assessment while a longer-term review of environmental and regulatory processes is underway. The Lake Erie Connector Project was assessed using the interim approach and principles.







In making its decision, the Government conducted consultations with Indigenous peoples and took into consideration the National Energy Board's review of the project. The outcomes of these processes are available to Canadians via Natural Resources Canada's website.

Quote

"Canada is a country with a wide range of natural resources, and as we move to a low-carbon future, electricity will have an increasingly larger role. Projects like the Lake Erie Connector Project are tangible examples of how Canada is demonstrating that the environment and the economy go hand in hand."

Jim Carr

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources

Related Documents

Federal Consultation and Accommodation Report

Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca.

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada
[June 23, 2017] Baron & Budd Investigating Potential Lawsuits Regarding GenX Contamination of Drinking Water

The national law firm of Baron & Budd announced today it is investigating potential lawsuits related to a recent finding that The Chemours Company may have contaminated the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina with GenX, a dangerous industrial chemical. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005651/en/ Scott Summy, Baron & Budd shareholder and leader of the firm's Environmental Litigation Group, is one of the most successful water contamination litigators in the U.S. His team has won over $1 billion for clients and protected the drinking water of millions of Americans. (Photo: Business Wire) The firm's investigation will be led by Shareholder Scott Summy, one of the most successful water contamination litigators in the U.S. Summy and the Baron & Budd team have won over $1 billion for clients. The team represents both individuals who have been impacted by water contamination, as well as public water authorities throughout the country. As the leader of Baron & Budd's environmental practice, Summy has successfully led a number of high-profile lawsuits that have protected the drinking water of millions of Americans. In 1995, Summy met with Wilmington residents whose water was contaminated by a gas additive calledMTBE. As a result of those first meetings, Summy filed his first MTBE lawsuit against Conoco on behalf of Wilmington residents. In 1997, the lawsuit was settled after a Wilmington-based jury rendered a multi-million-dollar verdict to cover the costs of medical monitoring. By 2008, Summy won the largest settlement ever against American oil companies for their part in MTBE contamination, on behalf of public water providers - protecting millions of Americans from unsafe drinking water.



Summy and the Baron & Budd team also represented all public water providers in the United States whose water was contaminated with atrazine, a common agricultural chemical used on corn and other crops. On behalf of these water providers, the Group brought claims against Syngenta, the company that makes atrazine, and negotiated a settlement awarding $105 million to over 2,000 water providers. Additionally, Summy played a key role in litigation resulting from the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2010, he was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee and Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the Gulf Oil Spill Multi-District Litigation in the Eastern District of Louisiana. In that capacity, he played a critical role in negotiating a settlement and claim procedure for the tens of thousands of individuals, businesses, and governmental entities injured by the oil spill.

GenX was first created by DuPont as a replacement for PFOA, a hazardous chemical compound which was used in the manufacturing of Teflon as well as many other stain-resistant and waterproof consumer goods. GenX has been connected to many of the same health issues as PFOA, such as cancer and reproductive health problems. The Chemours Company was spun off by DuPont in 2015. Today, The Chemours Company is a publicly-traded Fortune 500 Company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. "The sad truth is this appears to be a classic case of bait and switch - with a giant chemical corporation swapping one dangerous chemical with another dangerous chemical," said Summy. "I've worked to protect the drinking water of Wilmington residents for more than 20 years. It has been an honor to represent this community, which makes this potential contamination case deeply personal to me and Baron & Budd. We are deeply committed to continuing to protect Wilmington residents' right to safe drinking water." If you live in the Wilmington area and are concerned about your exposure to GenX contamination, you are not alone. To learn more about your legal options, please call Baron & Budd attorney John Fiske directly at (619) 261-4090. ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C. The law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C., with offices in Dallas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Austin, Los Angeles and San Diego, is a nationally recognized law firm with a nearly 40-year history of "Protecting What's Right" for people, communities and businesses harmed by negligence. Baron & Budd's size and resources enable the firm to take on large and complex cases. The firm represents individuals and government and business entities in areas as diverse as dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices, environmental contamination, the Gulf oil spill, financial fraud, overtime violations, deceptive advertising, automotive defects, trucking accidents, nursing home abuse, and asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170623005651/en/

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Election results: Check out results from various races across the state
A 19-year-old girl revoked consent amid intercourse and according to Carolina rape law, it is not rape. North Carolina is the only state in the US where no does not really mean no.

By India Today Web Desk: For the past 38 years in Carolina in the US, the rape law has left several perplexed. What many would call 'rape' is justified by law.

"If the actual penetration is accomplished with the woman's consent, the accused is not guilty of rape, although he may be guilty of another crime because of his subsequent actions," the Carolina High Court wrote. Some time ago, a 19-year-old girl in North Carolina went to a party. She agreed to have sex with a man she met at the party. In the middle of it, she changed her mind as the man turned violent. She asked him not to continue but to no avail.

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She was unable to legally revoke the consent once the sexual intercourse had begun, courtesy Carolina rape law.

"It's really stupid," Palmer recently told the Fayetteville Observer. "If I tell you no and you kept going, that's rape."

On March 30, a democrat senator Jeff Jackson filed a bill. The bill intends to change the law for good. The text of the bill reads, "A person may withdraw consent to engage in vaginal intercourse in the middle of the intercourse, even if the actual penetration is accomplished with consent and even if there is only one act of vaginal intercourse."

UNABLE TO REVOKE CONSENT AFTER SEXUAL INTERCOURSE BEGINS

Jackson has plans to file the bill again next year.

"This really shouldn't be a controversial matter," quoted Broadly.

"North Carolina is the only state in the country where no doesn't really mean no. Right now, if a woman tells a man to stop having sex he is under no legal obligation to do so, as long as she initially consented. If sex turns violent, the woman has no right to tell the man he must stop."

Senator Jackson first came across this rape law loophole when he worked as a criminal prosecutor. He was forced to dismiss a rape charge because Carolina law takes away the right to say no after the intercourse has begun.

"Very few legislators are aware that this is the current state of our law," he says.

"They're very surprised when I tell them. Most of my conversations have been educating our members about this plainly unacceptable loophole in our rape law. I have not had any members defend the loophole. Every legislator I've spoken to agrees we need to fix this."

PHILOSOPHY FACES OBSTACLES

The implementation of the new bill is facing heat from many conservative forces.

Angelica Wind is the executive director of Our Voice, a North Carolina-based crisis intervention and prevention agency for victims of sexual violence.

Angelica says their philosophy is that "consent should be enthusiastic and continuous" and that "allowing women to revoke consent would be transformative for the state of North Carolina."

The present loophole firmly suggests that women don't have autonomy over their bodies, Angelica says.

"Aside from perpetrators not being held accountable, when women cannot revoke consent, then we are telling them violence can be perpetrated against them if they consented to begin with and then had a change of heart."

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FYI || YouTuber who kissed women without consent calling it 'prank' pulls the video down, apologises ||

FYI || Supreme Court denies pregnant woman permission to abort foetus with brain defect ||

FYI || Watch: Kerala man enters college bus, abuses driver, assaults female student and flees the spot ||

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By Press Trust of India: Cuttack, Jun 23 (PTI) The CBSE today withdrew its plea seeking the Orissa High Court to review its June 7 interim order to the board to evaluate afresh the answer scripts of some class XII students, whose results were published in May this year.

The Central Board of Secondary Education withdrew the review petition it had filed last week in the Orissa High Court, CBSE sources said here.

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The sources said the CBSE withdrew the petition on an intervention by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, who along with Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan at New Delhi on Thursday had assured the parents of the aggrieved students that seeking reevaluation of the answer sheets was genuine and within the provisions of the rules governing the examinations.

The Orissa High Court, while hearing a bunch of petitions by students alleging discrepancies in marks awarded to them, had ordered reevaluation of papers of at least 181 students in two separate orders.

While the Board has already reevaluated at least 51 papers of 18 students by engaging experts and published their revised results, at least 159 more students have obtained court orders for fresh evaluation. PTI COR AAM RG RAX

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Chandan Prabhakar says that he has spent almost half of his life with Kapil and his love for the latter is bigger than his self respect.

By India Today Web Desk: Good news for The Kapil Sharma Show fans who were praying for the former team members to return to the show. At least a part of their prayers has been answered. Chandan Prabhakar, who played chaiwala Chandu on the show, has started shooting for the show again. He confirmed the news in a FB live chat, saying, "he's coming back to the show" and "he missed the show a lot."

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Revealing the reason behind the break, he says, "jab kapde par paani pad jaata hai, to sookhne mein time lagta hai (it takes time for a drenched cloth to dry)." The comedian said he needed time off from the show and now he was ready.

He further elaborated on why he re-joined the show after mid-air tiff with Kapil. "See every action has an equal and opposite reaction. We are like family; I have spent half of my life with Kapil. If I make it a big issue, saying Mujhe zindagi mein tere saath kaam nahi karna then it's not right. It's OK if I reacted then, but I can't stretch it for life. In a family, two brothers fight but that does not mean that they leave each other forever," he told Spotboye.

Chandan also reavealed that Kapil tried his best to reconcile and also came to his house to see his newborn daughter.

"He called me many times. He came to my house with his family to see my newborn daughter and meet my family. So I realised that I should not hold a grudge for life," he said.

Chandan denied being approached for Sony TV's new show and said that he was just taking rest during his break and didn't take up any shows unlike Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar and Sugandha Mishra. "If anything happened between me and Kapil, that is a personal thing. It does not mean that I will gang up with someone else," said Chandan.

The comedian also has a reply for those questioning his self respect. "I know people are questioning my self-respect but what about love? I have spent thirty years with Kapil and I can't lower my love for respect. I don't care about what people think as I want to live with my choice," he told Spotboye.

In the meanwhile, it's celebration time on the sets of TKSS, as Chandan gets set to serve tea again, while tickling our funny bones.

Also read: After Sunil Grover and Chandan Prabhakar's exit, these comedians have joined Kapil's gang

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Also read: This picture of former TKSS comedian Chandan Prabhakar's daughter is too cute for words

Also read: Chandan Prabhakar shares first picture of his daughter, and it's adorable!

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Kansas City Takes It Up The Coat:

Lost coats leave New Years party guests hot

Ourwith some important reax and rage over Kansas City NYE party complaints.Later in the evening, the TV news had some important insight into the story as well:Great stuff and it's nice to start the new year on such an agsty note.However . . .Sadly, some wrangling over the bill for lost itmes might be a big deal in the very near future.looks like it could be on its way to more problems courtesy of Insiders who are holding an even bigger grudge against the embattled event planner who now is the focus of blame.Developing . . .
THE NEW YEAR'S EVE AFTERMATH: KANSAS CITY NEWSIES ARE PICKING UP ON RAGE FROM THROUGHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA REGARDING THE HANGER 9 NYE PARTY!!!

COAT CHECK RIOT!!!





NYE DRINKERS COMPLAIN THERE WASN'T ENOUGH BOOZE!!!





AIRLINE FOOD HATERATION!!!

Here's the story that's creating quite a stir among the local partying class and maybe even a few politicos . . .Moreover . . .Highlights from thehot mess . . .The Airline History Museum and all of their board are taking a hit on this one that might even lead to rage at the KC Aviation dept.Developing . . .
Andrea Ramsey is one of four Democrats seeking the nomination to run against Yoder. She says issues also set the race apart. Clearly, our issues in Kansas with Gov. Brownback and his disastrous tax cuts, and Rep. Yoder failing town halls and failing to listen create a different climate, Ramsey says.

National Democrats Focus On Kansas 3rd District Recent Republican victories in several special congressional elections - including this week's in Georgia - have raised doubts about whether Democrats can gain control of the U.S. House next year. To erase those doubts, they're focusing on several swing districts, including one in Kansas. Republican Kevin Yoder has represented Kansas' 3rd Congressional District since 2011.

Here's another look at the intense effort to turn the richest part of Kansas into a Democratic Party stronghold and a talk with the leader among a cadre of JoCo challengers confronting the incumbent . . .
Celebrity chef Kunal Kapur is all set to let you in on his journey through Australia.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Chef Kunal Kapur has launched #TravelWithKunal, a seven-episode web series, capturing his food and wine experiences in Australia.

The web series will premiere today and will cover Australia's culinary, cultural, historical, wildlife and iconic experiences, read a statement.

"Travel is a dear passion of mine and #TravelWithKunal is my way of bringing it to life, and sharing it with all. I am excited to launch the first chapter with Tourism Australia. I can't wait for the viewers to enjoy the best of food, wine and local adventures of South Australia through my eyes," said Kapur.

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In its first edition, #TravelWithKunal will give viewers a peak into the scenic, mystic and wondrous locales of South Australia. It will capture Kapur's journey beginning from Adelaide, exploring the local produce, food joints, breweries, nightlife and a lot more.

Commenting on the occasion, Nishant Kashikar, country manager, India and Gulf, Tourism Australia, said, "We're honoured to have hosted Kunal Kapur, one of the most eminent chefs in India today. #TravelWithKunal will help us showcase unique Australian experiences to Indian travellers through the lens of an undisputed food connoisseur."

The episodes will be available on Kapur's YouTube channel and his Facebook page.

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Kansas City police have surrounded a home Friday morning near 74th Street and Wabash Avenue. Police said officers were called at 6 a.m. to a house in that area on a report of shots fired. The victim told police that someone from inside the residence shot at him.
"Mike Shanin interviews KCMO City Councilman Dan Fowler about the most recent developments in the push for a new KCI. Then Mary O'Halloran, Jason Grill, Danedri Herbert and Patrick Tuohey discuss the debate over the financing mechanism and public support for a single terminal KCI, education funding in Kansas as legislators await Supreme Court approval and the decline of civil discourse in politics."

In addition to all of the local gunfire, there are also a great many political fireworks to consider.Accordingly, here's the gold standard of political discourse in Kansas City talking the top issues in the recent news cycle.Description . . .You decide . . .
Northeast News: Kansas City Museum seeking input on parking solution

Over the weekend our blog community talked aboutHere's confirmation ofand even more detail in a comprehensive report:Developing . . .
- The Steve Kraske column didn't trend very far beyond the local chattering class in terms of support. At the first open discussion following the publication of the column there were no supporters of the name change idea.





- In fact, locals have expressed an interest in keeping the name intact in order to provide context of Kansas City's sordid history that is quickly being forgotten.





- An insider from the Parks Board was actually surprised about the lack of real world interest given social media rage.

"Right now we have no immediate plans to change the name and frankly there are more important things we're working on this Summer. For the most part people don't complain about the fourtain because most visitors don't now anything about the reputation of J.C. Nichols, so I guess the Star's readers benefited from the history lesson. A couple of council members have expressed interest in the subject but more as a gauge of public sentiment which isn't really in favor of a rename at this point -- If the first public discussion is any indication . . . "

WHILE THE CHATTERING CLASSES CELEBRATE THE KANSAS CITY STAR EFFORT TO REWRITE HISTORY, THERE'S NO REAL OUTRAGE OVER THE LEGACY OF J.C. NICHOLS LOCALLY OTHER THAN WHAT WAS FABRICATED BY MSM!!!

Earlier in the week a Kansas City newspaper columnist proposed that the J.C. Nichols Fountain near the County Club Plaza should undergo a name change akin to efforts in Southern states that have torn down Confederate Civil War memorials.The reaction to the idea has been overwhelmingly negative and- The first authority in determining fountain and park nomenclature.Here's what we've learned so far . . .Here's the message from Kansas City Insiders close to the Parks Board:Conclusion . . .And so, with doggies and white guys killed in Kansas City parks as of late . . . We can't blame locals for failing to be triggered by the teachings of a mostly retired journalism professor.You decide . . .
BRUSSELS (ANA/ N. Lionakis) Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will be travelling to Brussels on Wednesday in order to attend the European Council starting on Thursday morning. The main issues on the European leaders' agenda will be security, fighting terrorism, migration and international trade.

Tsipras will begin his visit to the Belgian capital by delivering an address at an event organised by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the European Left (GUE/NGL) and the Greens entitled "The Missing Scenario - An Alternative for Europeans" to discuss the current political, economic and social conditions in Europe. The prime minister is due to speak at 19:00 (Greek time) in the evening.

On Thursday, the prime minister will participate in a preparatory summit of the Party of European Socialists (PES) scheduled to take place between 13:15 and 15:15, before the start of the European Council.

Arrivals of the heads of state and government attending the Council will start at 15:00, followed by an exchange of views with the European Council President at 16:00 and the start of the first working session from 16:30 until 19:30.

The European Council members will then attend a working dinner between 20:00 and 23:30 Greek time, and a working session with the EU27 format (Article 50) from 23:30 until midnight.

On the second day of the summit on Friday, European leaders are due to start arriving at 10:15 and the second working session will begin at 11:00, while the end-of-summit press conference is scheduled to begin at 13:30.

According sources, Tsipras has also arranged a meeting with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades in Brussels on Thursday morning, before the European Council sessions are due to begin.

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

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Verdy p License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ANA-MPA
Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos pointed out in a meeting with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Friday that it is impossible not to respect monuments, such as Hagia Sophia, and believe that your European perspective is open.

Referring to the European perspective of the Balkan countries, the President of the Republic stressed: "We are in favour of the integration of our neighbours in NATO and the EU. We are in favour of the European perspective of our neighbours in the Balkans, but this prospect has certain prerequisites that nobody can ignore."

In particular, he said: Firstly, to respect the International Law. Secondly, respect to the European acquis. And fully respect the history and the European culture.

He also referred to Greece's support to Bulgaria's EU and NATO membership and stressed that Bulgaria has fulfilled all its obligations, meets the criteria and it would be better for the EU to conclude this accession process.

On his part, Radev said that the fact that his first official visit abroad - since the assumption of his presidential duties - is held to Greece reflects the importance of bilateral relations but also the importance of our alliance within the European Union and NATO.

"Bulgaria and Greece are a model of good neighbourly relations based on a common European perspective and common European values," he said and expressed his gratitude to the support that Greece provided for Bulgaria's accession to the European Union and NATO.

"Greece's support to Bulgaria's accession to Schengen is also of prime importance, as this is the only way to guarantee the effectiveness of our fight against human trafficking and terrorism. And it is time for the rest of the EU member states to understand it," added Radev.

He also welcomed the fact that Bulgaria and Greece have similar positions on the European agenda. "Issues relating to security, migration policy, energy policy and, in general, the whole prospect for Europe's future. There is also the data on trade exchange, which amount to 3 billion a year. This is a guarantee for good bilateral relations between our countries," he added.

"For us", he continued "transport and energy policies are of the utmost importance. And we hope that gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Greece will be realised in the timetable set because the gas transit pipeline will enable not only Bulgaria but also the countries of central and eastern Europe to achieve diversification of both sources and routes. I also believe that the consolidation of relations and cooperation between Bulgaria and Greece in the field of migration policy, the fight against terrorism and more active cooperation in the field of defence, are a guarantee for the stability of the region and our countries."

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

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: -    License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ANA-MPA
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By Ananth Krishnan: China today said there was "no change" in its stand on India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as the elite body governing nuclear trade concludes its annual plenary in Bern, Switzerland suggesting India's bid might not get very far as this year's session.

At last year's plenary in Seoul, Beijing emerged as the most prominent obstacle to India's entry, calling on the group to first agree on a set of criteria for all countries that haven't signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) before taking up India's specific case. Beijing however maintained that several other members had also voiced similar concerns, although Delhi pointedly mentioned that the oppositions of "one country" were the roadblock.

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A year on, it appears that not much has changed in China's stand, despite the group holding a consultation in Vienna earlier this year to take forward talks on criteria.

"As for non-NPT countries being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to China's position," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said today. "I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on expansion and the Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate."

"As for the criteria regarding admitting new members," Geng added, "as far as I know this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow the mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold the principle of decision upon consensus, and continue to discuss various dimensions like technology, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission to the group."

As talks conclude in Bern, Geng's comments suggest India might not make as much headway as it would like, at this year's plenary either.

China has in recent months also indicated that it did not see India as an exceptional case. This is despite the group earlier granting a waiver for India's civilian nuclear deal with the US which required India taking on a range of commitments that effectively fulfill the criteria for membership, at least in the view of Delhi and Washington..

In fact, Beijing has appeared to bracket India's case with Pakistan's, pointing out that "other non-NPT countries" also had aspirations for membership. Chinese nuclear negotiators have also held talks in Islamabad on Pakistan's entry, with the view in Delhi that linking the two was aimed at complicating the issue of India's entry and slowing down India's application for membership, as the prospect of Pakistan's entry remains remote considering its vastly different track record on proliferation. Even as the NSG debates India's entry, the group has appeared to look the other way in the case of China's nuclear exports to Pakistan, where Beijing is currently constructing and managing as many as five nuclear reactors, even though it did not seek a waiver from the grouping as required for doing commerce with non-NPT states.

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Delhi believes that membership to the 48-member body that governs nuclear trade is key to ensuring a predictable environment for developing its civilian nuclear energy sector, which India has pointed out will provide a key element of non-fossil fuel energy and will in the long-run be crucial in helping fulfil India's commitments in fighting climate change and fulfilling its contributions under the Paris agreement.

ALSO READ | NSG membership: Why India must not beg of China and look beyond nuclear energy

ALSO READ | China in touch with Russia over India's NSG bid but no change in stance

ALSO WATCH | China hints at blocking India's bid to ban Jaish chief Masood Azhar

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By Press Trust of India: By K J M Varma Beijing, Jun 23 (PTI) China again said today that there is no change in its stance on admission of non-NPT states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), marring Indias chances of entering the elite club at its crucial meeting currently underway in Bern.

"As for non-NPT counties being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to China?s position," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing.

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He was replying to a question whether there is any change in Chinas stand at the plenary meeting taking place in the Swiss capital, Bern.

"I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on admission of new members and the Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate," he said.

"As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, as far as I know this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold principle of decision upon consensus and continue to discuss various dimensions like technology, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission the group," he said.

China?s stand, stonewalling India?s admission, has become a major stumbling block in bilateral relations between the two countries.

After Indias application for entry into the 48-member elite group which controls the nuclear trade, Pakistan, the all-weather ally of China, too had applied with the tacit backing of Beijing.

While India, which is backed by the US and a number of western countries has garnered the support of a majority of the groups members, China has stuck to its stand that new members should sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), making Indias entry difficult as the group is guided by the consensus principle. India is not a signatory to the NPT.

After a series of meetings, China has backed a two-step approach which stipulates that the NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the NSG and then move forward with discussions of specific cases. The Bern meeting is being regarded significant as it is taking place after Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly took up the issue of India?s accession to NSG with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their recent meeting at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on the Indo-Pacific region, including the disputed South China Sea which was expected to figure during Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s visit to US, Geng said the situation in the South China Sea is cooling down.

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"With the concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play constructive role in this regard," he said. PTI KJV NSA

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Hoteliers in Italy can generate the Guest Statistical Report right from eZee Absolute hotel PMS. Thus, eZee goes forward to develop regionally required functionalities that streamline daily and monthly reporting process, leading to quick report submission to government body.



(TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - June 22nd, 2017 -

Following the tourism ministry guidelines in Italy, hotels are required to send guest statistics to government authorities. While hoteliers had to manually consolidate the data to prepare the report in required format, eZee came forward to build this utility in their cloud based hotel PMS eZee Absolute. Accommodation proprietors in Italy, with the help of eZee PMS can easily generate the required report in given format to send to the authorities.

Following the code, an Italian hotelier must send monthly reports of guest flow at his property to Italy's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) using a standard model. eZee engineers have developed functionality to generate this Guest Statistical Model Report right from the system. Thus, having eliminated the manual hassle, hoteliers can get one-click report, verify the data and send it directly to the ministry.

The monthly report shall cover the details of arrivals, nights spent by residents/non-residents at the property and some more corresponding details. This will assist public administrations to maintain records of domestic and inbound occupancy in nation-wide accommodations of all categories. Moreover, eZee PMS generates daily Public Safety Folio too for the hoteliers. This report contains details of daily registered guests to be sent to the police on a dedicated web portal in a certain format.

There has been significant increase in number of nights spent by non-residents in tourist hotels. As well as residents on domestic trips are growingly opting to stay in hotels and similar accommodations in country. While thousands of arrivals are registered, it becomes cumbersome for hotel owners to classify the data, create reports daily and monthly; and then submit to authorities. Thus, the need for a system to perform such operation becomes crucial.

These regulations aim towards streamlined reporting process and security for all hotels and other establishments. Complying with the regional stipulations, eZee has previously developed such functionalities for hoteliers of Panama and Iceland too.

Acknowledging users needs from time to time, eZee Absolute PMS consists of many generic and custom features including smart reporting and analytics that assist hoteliers to take gradual shift towards complete automation in operations management. Thus, hoteliers equipped with eZees hotel software remain competitive in global economy.

About eZee Technosys

eZee Technosys is one of the few complete hospitality IT solutions providers in the world. Offering solutions that cover hotel management, booking management, online room distribution, restaurant management, guest feedback and hotel mobile apps. eZee offers on-premise along with cloud based solutions as well as mobile applications for eZee solutions. Founded in 2005, eZee Technosys today serves more than 6000 clients in more than 140 countries across the globe. VisiteZees corporate website for more.

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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) Investment bank Credit Suisse is reaching out to minority shareholders of Snapdeal to build a consensus on the sale of the e-commerce platform to larger rival, Flipkart.

According to sources, Credit Suisse, which is advising Snapdeal on the proposed deal, is reaching out to smaller shareholders to get them on board for the acquisition.

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The beleaguered firm has a number of investors including PremjiInvest, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, Ratan Tata, Foxconn, Temasek and BlackRock among others.

Emails sent to Snapdeal and Credit Suisse did not elicit any response.

PremjiInvest -- the personal investment arm of Wipro chairman Azim Premji and a minority investor in Snapdeal -- had written to the company seeking greater clarity on the deal terms. It has also called for equal treatment of shareholders for payouts from the deal.

It has been previously reported that early investors, Nexus Venture Partners (NVP) and Kalaari -- who also have Board representation -- could receive payouts worth over USD 150 million once the deal is closed.

Snapdeals largest investor, SoftBank has been proactively mediating the sale for the past few months. The Japanese investment firm has already succeeded in getting Board members to agree to the said sale and a term sheet for due diligence with Flipkart has been signed.

Snapdeals Board has representation from Snapdeal founders (Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal), SoftBank, NVP and Kalaari Capital.

The due diligence process is expected to be completed by month-end or early July.

The deal between Snapdeal and Flipkart, if completed, would mark the biggest acquisition in the Indian e-commerce space.

One of the leading contenders in the Indian e-commerce space, Snapdeal has seen its fortunes failing amid strong competition from Amazon and Flipkart.

Compared to a valuation of about USD 6.5 billion in February 2016, the sale to Flipkart could see Snapdeal being valued at about USD 1 billion.

SoftBank has already written off over USD 1 billion on valuation of its investment in Snapdeal. PTI SR SA

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Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 23

The Panchkula police have arrested the mastermind behind the prisoner escape incident. The police arrested Mandeep, alias Mani, a resident of Sector 41, Chandigarh. Mani, a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was an engineering student and close friend of gangster Sampat Nehra, who had freed Deepak Kumar from the custody of the Panchkula police on June 17.

A senior Panchkula police official said three attempt-to-murder and robbery cases were registered in Chandigarh against Mandeep, whose father works with the Punjab Government. In January, a Chandigarh court had awarded two-year imprisonment to Mandeep and two others for thrashing youths.

In the prisoner escape case, Mandeep had provided motorcycles, pistols, bullets and spray. Mandeep had chalked out the entire plan to free Deepak from police custody. He used different phones and coordinated with all those part of the plan.

Sources said Mandeep, Sampat Nehra and Deepak Kumar were in touch with each other on June 17 when the incident took place.

Three armed men of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang had fired into the air and used pepper spray on the hospital staff and the police to free gangster Deepak Kumar, who was brought from the Ambala jail to the Panchkula hospital for a medical examination on June 17. Mandeep will be produced in a Panchkula court tomorrow. The police will seek his remand to know the whereabouts of Deepak Kumar.
KV Prasad

ON Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have one of the most important bilateral meetings his government is looking forward to  an early engagement with the new President of the United States, Donald Trump.

Since his inauguration five months ago, both President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have had a couple of long-distance conversations, including an unusual call from the President congratulating the Prime Minister for the BJP sweep in Uttar Pradesh elections.

That communication was certainly out of the ordinary. However, Trump is not a practising politician, who in office views developments through a diplomatic prism. President Trump is yet to offer a window to leaders around the globe to predict his next move as he continues to take decisions in pursuance of his declared priorities in the run-up to the elections.

The world is yet to come to terms from the shock announcement of the US pulling out from the Paris Climate Change pact, charging it benefits India and China. This point was reiterated by the US Vice President Mike Pence just ahead of Modi's visit to Washington DC.

The US Vice President's Pence remarks at an event quoted a study justifying the decision that the Climate Change pact would cost 6.5 million manufacturing jobs in the United States over the next 25 years and India and China would have been the real beneficiaries. When the two leaders sit across the table, three broad issues should be high on the list of priority items. One, transactional  juxtaposing Make in India versus Make America Great Again; second domestic the perennial H1B Visa overhang; and the third, international the Trump administration's engagement with both Pakistan and China, which casts a direct shadow on India in the region. While the Climate Change fume against India clearly remains on top of the new administration agenda, the biggest challenge for Modi will be to strike a balance with Trump since their avowed goals  Make in India versus America First  appear to cross each other's path.

For the past many years, successive governments are working to increase the share of manufacturing in India's growth story and shift base from overdependence on the services sector, which Modi is focussing on through his Make in India and Skill India programmes. Just last month, Indian IT major Infosys announced the intention to hire some 10,000 skilled workers in the United States with Indiana, the home state of Vice President Pence, as the first beneficiary. It came some two months after a bipartisan Bill was brought before the House of Representatives seeking to make call centres that shift call centres overseas ineligible for guaranteed loans or grants from the government. The US Call Centre and Consumer Protection Act, moved by Gene Green (Democrat) and David McKinley (Republican), has currently been referred to four Committees of jurisdiction. Though the H1B visas remains a legacy issue since the Obama days, the problem has got accentuated with the Trump administration articulating a stricter scrutiny through an Executive Order. There could be little or no room for negotiation on this barring India impressing on the new administration how contrary to public discourse in the US, the H1B visas are creating more jobs there. The idea is to make President Trump think India provides an opportunity and does not create a problem. Modi will have to add flesh to what he told to a Congressional delegation in February that movement of skilled professionals should be looked at from a reflective, balanced and farsighted perspective. The Modi government pitch to the White House on the issue can be an important ingredient for greater work required of India, Indian-Americans and Indian companies to till the Congressional field with a similar and strong narrative to take it forward since some enthusiastic Congressmen on the Capitol Hill are working on a legislation on visas. Modi would have to convince Trump that interests of India and the United States should be able to identify areas of interest where progress can be in furtherance of avowed objectives of either side considering that the bilateral engagement is spread across some 70 sectors. Over the past decade, bilateral trade between India and the United States has grown from $45 billion (2006) to $115 billion (2016). The only sore point from the American viewpoint is that the Balance of Trade too increased in favour of India, from $12.7 billion to $30.8 billion, for the corresponding period. There are signs that the Trump administration is not enthusiastic over US-India Strategic Dialogue initiated by both Washington and New Delhi during President Barack Obama's January 2015 visit. The idea was to strengthen economic engagement and have a mechanism to sort out issues. Two back-to-back annual dialogues were held with the US insisting on concluding the Bilateral Investment Treaty but India sought negations on its objections to the draft. New Delhi will have an opportunity to hear from the person who is altering the contours of traditional diplomacy and engagement with the world. Of greater interest will be the attitude of the new White House incumbent with regard to Pakistan. Initial voices indicate a different flavour but India knows that Islamabad and its powerful military has friends in the US Administration and strategic community in Washington and, more importantly, in the US Congress. Will the Trump-Modi moment be able to replay how in 1985 a White House official summed up the Ronald Reagan-Rajiv Gandhi meeting: "They really hit it off"

What's the agenda

Three issues on the list of priority items:

Transactional: Juxtaposing Make in India versus Make America Great Again.

Domestic: The perennial H1B Visa overhang.

International: The Trump administration's engagement with both Pakistan and China, which casts a direct shadow on India in the region.

kveprasad2007@gmail.com
US President Donald Trump has said he did not make and does not possess any tapes of his conversations with former FBI chief James Comey. Last month, he suggested he might have recordings that could damage Comey.

By Reuters: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not make and does not possess any tapes of his conversations with James Comey, after suggesting last month he might have recordings that could damage the former FBI director.

"With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings," Trump wrote on Twitter.

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Lawmakers investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the US 2016 election had asked the White House for any such recordings of Comey, whom Trump fired on May 9.

Shortly after dismissing Comey, Trump mentioned the possibility of tapes in a Twitter post.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump wrote on Twitter on May 12.

POLITICAL FIRESTORM

Allegations of ties to Russia have cast a shadow over Trump's first five months in office, distracting from attempts by his fellow Republicans in Congress to overhaul the US healthcare and tax systems.

Comey's firing sparked a political firestorm. The former FBI head testified before a Senate committee that Trump had asked him to drop a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn's alleged ties to Russia.

Trump has privately told aides that the threat of the existence of tapes forced Comey to tell the truth in his recent testimony, a source familiar with the situation said. The White House had said Trump would likely clarify whether he had tapes of Comey by the end of this week.

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said Trump still had questions to answer about possible tapes.

"If the President had no tapes, why did he suggest otherwise? Did he seek to mislead the public? Was he trying to intimidate or silence James Comey? And if so, did he take other steps to discourage potential witnesses from speaking out?" Schiff said in a statement.

TOP INTEL OFFICIALS SAY TRUMP SUGGESTED THEY DENY COLLUSION BETWEEN HIS CAMPAIGN, RUSSIA

Earlier on Thursday, CNN reported that two top US intelligence officials told investigators Trump suggested they publicly deny any collusion between his campaign and Russia, but they did not feel he had ordered them to do so.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Admiral Mike Rogers met separately last week with investigators for Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to CNN.

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The two officials said they were surprised at Trump's suggestion and found their interactions with him odd and uncomfortable, but they did not act on the president's requests, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with their accounts.

The Kremlin has denied US intelligence agencies' conclusion that Moscow tried to tilt the election campaign in Trump's favor, using such means as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats.

Trump has denied any collusion, and he continued to cast doubt on the investigations in a series of tweets on Thursday morning.

ALSO READ | Modi and Trump to discuss terrorism and economic cooperation

ALSO READ | Modi-Trump meet: India eyes US surveillance drones to keep watch on Chinese navy

ALSO READ | PM Narendra Modi to discuss H-1B visa issue with Donald Trump next week

ALSO WATCH | US pulls out of Paris Climate Accord; Trump says deal not tough on India, China

--- ENDS ---
Tribune News Service

Ambala, June 23

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today raised apprehensions about the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax and said: We are heading towards inspector raj.

We are not against the GST, but we are against the way it is being implemented. The original draft of the GST was prepared by the UPA, but the BJP made several changes to it. Traders are now required to file about 37 returns in a year. A large number of traders are not much educated and they have to hire computer operators and accountants. It will not only increase their expenses, but in case of any mistake there are provisions of imprisonment too, Hooda said while staging a dharna in support of traders and industrialists against the GST.

Hooda submitted a memorandum to the Ambala SDM addressed to the Chief Minister. He said: Ambala is a famous destination for cloths and scientific instruments. The scientific industry here is already facing a stiff challenge from China and after the GST, it will become harder for the traders to compete with China. Similarly, imposing tax on cloth is unfortunate. The government has been taking anti-people decisions.

Hooda also said that BJP had failed to ensure the procurement of entire sunflower crop at the minimum support price.

Denies interfering in Samjhauta probe

Ambala: Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda today denied interference in the NIA investigation into the Samjhauta Express blast case. Hooda said, The Samjahauta Express blast case is investigated by the NIA and the state government or any other person has nothing to do with it. There was no interference by anyone. Anil Vij had expressed astonishment on the release of two Pakistani nationals accused of involvement in the case. He alleged that they were released without proper investigation, while the others were still lodged in jail.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 23

A blame game has erupted between the ruling Congress and the BJP ahead of the coming Assembly elections over the setting up of the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) proposed to be set at Bilaspur, the home town of Union Heath Minister JP Nadda.

While the state Congress government claims that the Centre did not issue notification for the proposed AIIMS, the state BJP blames the delay on the part of the ruling Congress, saying the state delayed the allotment of land to the AIIMS and did not get forest clearance.

According to sources, Union Health Minister JP Nadda is taking credit for awarding AIIMS to Himachal, which would be set up in his home district, but not during the Congress regime, but when the BJP is in power here as per the partys hopes.

Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur has dismissed the BJP charge that the state government was delaying the setting of AIIMS. The fact is that Union Health Ministry has not issued notification till date, Thakur asserted.

He said the Centre had not issued notification for AIIMS and the BJP was unnecessary airing rumours and misleading people in the name of AIIMS to get political mileage. Thakur said the state government had transferred land at Kohtipura in Bilaspur as proposed by JP Nadda in name of the Health Department on April, 6, 2016 and informed the Union Health Ministry on April 24, 2016 about it. But he did not notify the AIIMS till now. BJP leaders should ask Nadda to fast track notification.

Kaul Singh said that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had himself taken up the matter with Prime Minister thrice  on November 30, 2015, January 15, 2016 and February 5, 2016 but no response had been received from the Centre.

Thakur claimed that the Union Ministry of Health had not released funds to be spent on preparing the contour plan of AIIMS, he added. The Central team inspected the AIIMS site recently, but it gave no inspection report to the state. The Centre was deliberatively delaying the process, claimed the minister.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 23

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal today said it would be in the interest of Himachal if the state government rather than issuing statements against the Modi-led regime completes all the formalities which will pave the way for the setting up of AIIMS in Bilaspur.

In a statement issued here today, Dhumal today demanded that the state government must clarify the exact official position about the status of AIIMS. The ministers from Himachal meet Central ministers in Delhi and get their pictures published but when they come to the state they speak in a totally different tone, he said.

Both, the Centre as well as the Himachal Government must do what is required at their end so that the state and its people benefit, he said. He said he had been told that the Centre had yet to issue the notification for the setting up of AIIMS but he was given to understand that this is done only once the land requirement and other basic infrastructure is provided by the concerned state.

He said it is very unfortunate that the Himachal Government instead of trying to remove the shortcoming and hindrances is indulging in blame game on the issue of AIIMS. I urge the Himachal Government to take maximum benefit as Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda is from HP and in case they provide land for Chamba and Hamirpur medical colleges, they will be set up at the earliest, he said.

Dhumla further added that he had been told by Nadda that he had already got Rs 200 crores approved for the two medical colleges. Since Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur also holds charge of Revenue, he should expedite the issue of land for the two medical colleges, so that they can be started at the earliest, he said.
Jammu, June 22

Two Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistans Border Action Team (BAT) in Poonch sector this afternoon.

An armed intruder was also killed, but his body, lying on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC), could not be retrieved owing to heavy shelling in the area.

Armys 16 Corps spokesperson said armed BAT intruders targeted an area domination patrol of the Indian Army around 2 pm today, but the bid was foiled.

Pakistans BAT personnel were around 600 metres inside Indian territory and 200 metres away from our post when the attack occurred, the spokesperson said. As soon as the BAT action started, Pakistani posts opened heavy firing to assist the BAT team.

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The Army gunned down an intruder while another was injured. However, taking advantage of the cover fire by the Pakistan army, he managed to return to the Pakistan side. Incidentally, the BAT action came at a time when the BSF and Pakistani Rangers were celebrating Baba Chamliyal mela.  TNS

Jadhav seeks clemency from Pak army chief

New Delhi: Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer on death row for alleged espionage and subversive activities in Pakistan, has filed a mercy petition to the Pakistan army chief amid the release of his second confessional video. If the mercy plea is rejected, Jadhav will be left with the option of appealing to the President. India said the confessional video was an attempt to introduce prejudice in the proceedings at the ICJ and expected Pakistan to abide by the Hague court order staying Jadhavs execution. TNS
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service



Srinagar, June 23

A police officer was lynched to death by an unruly mob outside Srinagar citys grand mosque in the wee hours of Friday.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammad Ayoub Pandit was on security duty in the area.

The incident happened in Nowhatta area at a time when the region was observing Shab-e-Qadar, a pious night when people seek forgiveness from Allah and hope for a better life. But the miscreants outside the Jamia Mosque bayed for the blood of the officer.

According to preliminary reports, the officer, in civvies, had gone out see what happened when some people moved out of Jamia mosque raising slogans as Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar was expected to arrive at the mosque, a senior police official said.

It is at this point that a group of people confronted him, suspecting him to be an intelligence guy, witnesses said.

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As the mob caught hold of him, Ayoub fired a few shots from his service revolver to save himself, the official said.

As three people received injuries in the firing, the irate mob caught hold of him and stripped him naked before stoning him to death, sources said.

Read: Lynching of policeman shameful: Mehbooba

May those behind lynching burn in hell, Omar on killing of cop

His body was taken to the police control room for identification and other medico-legal procedures.

The police official said such was the condition of the body that Ayoubs son fainted after seeing the mutilated corpse, the official added.

The slain police officer is the younger brother of senior lawyer and Bar Association member Mohammad Abdullah Pandit.

The police official said the slain officers daughter had recently arrived from Bangladesh, where she is pursuing her studies, to celebrate Eid with the family.
Srinagar, June 23

A group of miscreants tried to set on fire a guard post in south Kashmirs Pulwama district but were chased away by the cops on duty, police said on Friday.

Some of them pelted the police guard posted at the Court Complex during the night in Pulwama with stones, a police official said.

He said the miscreants then made an attempt to set ablaze the sentry post.

The police personnel posted there resorted to firing in the air to chase the miscreants away, the official said, adding that there was no loss of life or injury in the incident. PTI
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 22

The fiesty Sukhvinder Kour was for once at a loss for words when she got wind through the media that among the four Indian prisoners released by Pakistan today on humanitarian grounds was her husband.

A constable in the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Sohan Lal Choudhary had inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan on May 11, 2014, while working in his fields on the International Border. His village Gulabgarh is a stones throw from the border near the Suchetgarh post.

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We have been eagerly awaiting this news for more than three years. I have no words to express my feelings, Sukhvinder Kour said.

Sohan Lal was taken into custody by the Pakistan Rangers and was shifted to Lahore Jail, where he was lodged till his release today.

As Sohan Lal was mentally disturbed during those days, he had mistakenly crossed the border three years back, she recalled. Since then, it has been a persistent struggle for Sukhvinder to meet anyone who could be of help to get him back home, and to keep alive the issue.

We approached all forums, she said, adding that it was all due to the medias constant pressure that the authorities worked assiduously to secure his release.

We met politicians, officials and senior BSF officers, she said, expressing her gratitude to the Border Security Force for effectively taking up the issue with the Rangers.

When Sohan Lal had crossed over to Pakistan, his younger daughter Mahima was in UKG and elder one Anjali in Class IV. Anjali, whos now in Class VII, had written to PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for help in getting her father home.

The other prisoners repatriated via the Attari-Wagah border were Suraj Ram, Mohammad Maqbool Lone and Abdul Majid.
Johnson Thomas

Most of our major stars have done it before  from Amitabh Bachchan(Black) to Anil Kapoor(Eeshwar) to Sridevi(Sadma) to Priyanka Chopra(Barfi) to Hrithik Roshan(Koi Mil Gaya) to Shah Rukh Khan(My Name is Khan)- all of them have essayed challenging characters with mental deficiencies and now the latest addition to that esteemed actor roll is Salman Khan.

Esteemed- Not because he does a great job in the film but because he dared to take it on and goes about trying to fit in, just as gamely too. But its an all-out effort that shows up deficient and severely compromised.

In this inspired(ridiculous if you ask me) reworking of the Hollywood war drama Little Boy, Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan has his role literally cut out for him  an unevenly chipped characterization that appears to originate from innuendos rather than real world defects.

We dont get to know what his problem is but from what transpires on screen, we understand that he is a Tubelight- a person with a mental deficiency that leaves him vulnerable to the people around him. Laxman(Salman Khan) is regularly heckled and abused by a hell-raiser Narayan(Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub)from his village town nestled in the Kumoan hills.

After being orphaned at a young age, his younger brother Bharat(Sohail Khan) assumes the role of his Boss and only protector. But he too is taken away from him by fate. China has just invaded India and Bharat is one of the new army recruits who is presumed to be dead in the skirmish that ensues between the Chinese army and the hopelessly outflanked Indian side.

This film is about belief  one that can move bottles and mountains, stop a war and even bring back a loved one from the dead. And conversely, the biggest element lacking in the film is believability. While we can see the strain Salman Khan puts himself through to make his 52 year old self pass off as a 20 something dimwit with the brains of an 8 year old, we really dont feel his pain.

So the empathy is missing and the protracted struggle of sitting through a film which tries to force its ideology down your throat, is severely draining.

Director Kabir Khan and his team of scriptwriters have Salman Khan as Laxman, play the patriot card with an Indian born Chinese child Ghu Wan (Martin Rey) in which the kid is asked to prove his patriotism by repeating the Bharat Mata Ki Jai qualifier slogan.

The kid is so loud in his assertion that Laxmans plaintive intonation is drowned out. Ghu goes on to assert that he is more Indian than Laxman, because of it. One can commiserate with Kabir Khans angst and understand where its coming from but the question here really is what the director was trying to prove by inserting that scene? Theres really no recompense from it, just like in the other issues he tiptoes around without really creating any sort of impact.

Gandhijis principles are bandied about in a fashion that flies away with the wind and Laxmans forced yakeen in the transformational change of loving his enemy, an Indian born Chinese widow, Li Ling(Zhu Zhu), doesnt sit well enough in the narrative, to be comforting. A magicians(Shah Rukh Khan) trick may have Kick-started Laxmans voyage of belief in the power of self and a chancy coincidental earthquake gets the villagers to rally(illogical) around him.

And the next time he goes on the attack, the war is done with. His powers have now become a rallying point even for those who tut-tutted( including Narayan, an Indian army major and his lieutenant) about it previously. Its difficult in fact to suppress your disbelief in the face of such fanciful goings on. The casting is the biggest problem here.

Salman and Sohail , in spite of the digital mark-ups in look, fail to pass off as twenty something young men. Zeeshan Ayub as the knock-kneed reject doesnt have the knock knees to suit the job. Aseem Mishras camerawork can do little to make the surroundings come alive in the face of such stunted and handicapped performances. Background score, though not overblown, doesnt quite fit in.

The songs and dances only strain the credibility further. Kabir Khans direction is standard issue here. In his efforts to camouflage Salmans deficiencies as an actor, he has unwittingly done a major disservice to his film. Even a Salman Khan fan is bound to be disappointed by this dim-witted misadventure!
The White House said the US President doesn't intend to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating charges of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

By Reuters: President Donald Trump has no intention of firing the special counsel investigating charges of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, even though he questioned the official's impartiality in an interview, the White House said on Friday.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing that while Trump "retains the authority" to dismiss special counsel Robert Mueller, "he has no intention of doing that."

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Trump voiced concern in a TV interview on Fox News earlier on Friday about what he said was the close relationship between former FBI Director James Comey and Mueller, who was named to take over the Russia investigation after Trump fired Comey.

"He's very, very good friends with Comey, which is bothersome," Trump told Fox News. "We're going to have to see. I mean, we're going to have to see in terms - look, there has been no obstruction. There has been no collusion. There has been leaking by Comey."

TRUMP INSISTS HIS CAMPAIGN DIDN'T COLLUDE WITH RUSSIA

Lawmakers investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election have raised questions about whether Comey's May 9 firing was an attempt by Trump to stop the Russia probe.

While White House officials have said the firing was due to concerns about Comey's actions at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Trump told an interviewer the Russia investigation was one of his concerns in taking the action.

But the president insists his campaign did not collude with Russia and that his firing of Comey did not obstruct justice.

"There's been no collusion, no obstruction and virtually everybody agrees to that," Trump told Fox, adding that Mueller "is an honorable man and hopefully he'll come up with an honorable solution."

Russia denies it meddled in the US presidential election.

In excerpts from a separate interview, Trump criticized President Barack Obama for inaction in the face of Russian meddling.

"Well I just heard today for the first time that Obama knew about Russia a long time before the election, and he did nothing about it," Trump said, according to excerpts from a Fox News interview to be broadcast on Sunday.

In congressional testimony on Wednesday, Jeh Johnson, who headed the Homeland Security Department under Obama, said his department had warned about hacking into voter databases.

When asked why the Obama administration did not do more to warn the public, he said: "We were very concerned that we would not be perceived as taking sides in the election, injecting ourselves into a very heated campaign."

ALSO READ | This is what PM Modi has to say about his first meeting with President Trump

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ALSO READ | China 'closely watching' Modi-Trump meet, sends warning on South China Sea

ALSO READ | Ahead of Trump-Modi meeting, 'US approves sale of 22 Guardian drones to India'

ALSO WATCH | PM Modi to visit United States on June 26, will discuss Indo-US ties with Trump

--- ENDS ---
Ratna Raman

LAST week, a newspaper reported that a custodian of Indias legal system, explained why the peacock is our national bird. According to this judge, the celibate peacock sheds potent tears, which are gobbled up by the peahen, the ardhangini (the better half), thereby enabling conception.

This modern fake story wins hands down over all extant narratives around immaculate birth. King Dasharathas kheer consuming trio of wives, who gave births to fractions of godhead, have been put in the shade. Kaushalya ate half of the kheer while Sumitra consumed half of what was left. The remaining quarter, divided into one eighth portions, were responsible for the birth of Bharata and Shatrugana.

This myth improves our understanding of how fractions make a whole. It also makes us curious about the absence of serving bowls and ladles. Why did the queens pour kheer down their gullets as if they were guzzling alcohol? Why were they not given equal quantities of kheer? Would we need to recalibrate the divinity content of Dasharathas sons, if new statistics were presented?

Perplexing as older stories are, the case of the pure peafowl, living a righteous life and abstaining from graft, sex and intoxication, has found very few takers. People familiar with the workings of the body and having studied biology at school, dismissed this utterance as poppycock (nonsense).

The peacock is our national bird because this flamboyant and gorgeous bird is found predominantly in the Indian subcontinent. Peafowl procreate with each other before eggs are laid, in the manner of other bird species.

Our flora and fauna is varied. Our architecture and cultural practices have evolved over long periods of interaction between different cultures and continue to link us in myriad ways with each other at associative, emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels.

The lotus grew in our ponds through the centuries and the saffron sunlit up our skies and sparkled among our flowers and woven fabric long before being chosen as a political symbol or colour. We cannot allow our understanding of various things to be constricted into a reductive uni-dimensional idea of India simply because it is politically expedient (unfair solutions for political advancement)

Reactionary (extremely conservative) beliefs deny peafowl a sexual life, stop sales of erotic temple sculptures and literature and clamp down on giving gorgeous Taj Mahal replicas as gifts because the architecture is Islamic. Such fake narratives corrode our multidimensional identity and are spurred on by illogical, hate-filled agendas.

Yoga is constituted by eight equally important limbs: yama (ethical standards), niyam (self-discipline), asana (postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sensory transcendence), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (spiritual ecstasy). Asanas showcased annually along with a wilful ignoring of other significant dimensions in yoga amounts to posturing (misleading).

When important values and beliefs shrink shamefully into empty symbols, it is a matter of collective concern. Renaming roads and cities without addressing infrastructure issues is one such example. Observing October 2 as Swachh Bharat Abiyan Divas, December 25 as Good Governance Day, June 21 as Yoga Day can become meaningful, when freed of tokenism. No wonder we struggle with aswachh (unhygienic) Bharat, malnutrition, farmer suicides and mangled governance while emboldened vigilantes generate anarchy. Our ancient civilisation is running out of time. We require value-based governance and swachness of intent, not banal stories, inciting violent responses.
Beijing, June 23

China on Friday said it will oppose Indias membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group during the ongoing meeting in Bern as Beijing reaffirmed that there is no change in its stance on the admission of non-NPT states into the 48-member elite club.

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As for non-NPT counties being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to Chinas position, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing.

He was replying to a question whether there is any change in Chinas stand at the plenary meeting currently taking place in the Swiss capital, Bern.

I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on admission of new members and the Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate, he said.

As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, as far as I know this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold principle of decision upon consensus and continue to discuss various dimensions like technology, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission the group, he said.

Chinas repeated stonewalling of Indias membership bid in the NSG has become a major stumbling block in bilateral relations.

After Indias application for entry into the elite group which controls the nuclear trade, Pakistan, the all-weather ally of China, too applied with the tacit backing of Beijing.

While India, which is backed by the US and a number of western countries has garnered the support of a majority of the groups members, China has stuck to its stand that new members should sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), making Indias entry difficult as the group is guided by the consensus principle. India is not a signatory to the NPT.

After a series of meetings, China has backed a two-step approach which stipulates that the NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the NSG and then move forward with discussions of specific cases.

The Bern meeting is being regarded significant as it is taking place after Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly took up the issue of Indias accession to NSG with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their recent meeting at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on the Indo-Pacific region, including the disputed South China Sea which was expected to figure during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to US, Geng said the situation in the South China Sea is cooling down.

With the concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play constructive role in this regard, he said. PTI
Moscow, June 23

In a major move, India and Russia today agreed on a roadmap for ramping up bilateral defence cooperation and decided to conclude negotiations for different military platforms soon.

Both sides signed a protocol for the roadmap to step up defence engagement during the annual meeting of the Indian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation.

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The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu.

The roadmap includes specific activities to be concluded by both sides, and aims to enhance cooperation in the field of political and military dialogue, besides joint military exercises. Jaitley conveyed to the Russian side the importance of having a robust after-sales support mechanism for Russian-origin equipment.  PTI
KV Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 23

BJP-led NDA on Friday filed nomination papers for Ram Nath Kovind as its candidate for the Presidential election.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and leaders of constituents of NDA accompanied Kovind.

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Secretary General Anoop Mishra, Returning Officer for the July 17 polls, received the sets of nominations papers.

Addressing the media after filing his papers, Kovind said the Presidents post is the most respected in our democracy.

Read: Prez post above party politics: Kovind after filing nomination

Hope INLD supports NDA presidential nominee Kovind: Khattar

It is our responsibility to keep the dignity of the office which is supreme. Since I became a Governor I kept away from politics. I believe the office of President should be above politics.

Will strive to keep the dignity of the office, he said.

Leaders present at the nomination included BJPs LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, Akali Dal patron Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath, N Chandrababu Naidu and K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Ballari, June 23

A local BJP leader was hacked to death by unidentified people at a roadside eatery in Karnatakas Ballari on Thursday night.

Bandi Ramesh, who was vice-president of the partys district ST Morcha, was attacked with lethal weapons by the assailants.

According to police, previous enmity can be a reason for the killing.

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Reportedly, Ramesh had faced several criminal cases in the past as well.

On March 14, some unidentified assailants hacked a BJP member Kithaganahalli Vasu to death in Bengalurus Surya City Police station limits.

On October 16 last year, an RSS worker was hacked to death in Bengaluru, which later triggered protests by BJP and RSS workers. ANI
Patna, June 23

Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U president Nitish Kumar on Friday said his party is free to take its decisions, and admonished the Opposition alliance for nominating Bihar ki beti (Bihars daughter) Meira Kumar to lose.

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Nitishs remarks came a day after 17 Opposition parties led by Congress named former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate and Rashtiya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav hailed her as Bihar ki beti as she has her roots there.

Read: Lalu again appeals to Nitish to reconsider decision on Kovind

Prez post above party politics: Kovind after filing nomination

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief has announced his support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Ram Nath Kovind, now former Governor of the state.

It is a well thought out decision, and our sentiments are clear. Ram Nath Kovinds role as Bihar Governor has been admirable, he worked impartially. We are glad that our states Governor is going to become the President of India, Nitish said.

On Wednesday, coalition partner Lalu Prasad Yadav had said he would ask Nitish Kumar to reconsider his decision to back NDAs candidate Kovind.

However, the Bihar Chief Minister completely negated the possibility of a rethink on his decision: There is no question of changing the decision as it has been taken by the partys core committee... I am firm on my stand.

Asked to comment on Lalus request to reconsider his decision, Nitish said: I will not say anything on what others say and I will not react to what Lalu-ji told the media. Lalu-ji is free to say whatever he wants and has every right to appeal.

Even I am proud of Bihar ki beti. But has she (Meira Kumar) been chosen to lose? Why didnt they field her in the last two presidential elections? He termed the Oppositions stance as losing strategy and called for a better strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Our party has always taken independent decisions on such matters. We supported Congress nominee Pranab Mukherjee in 2012 despite being part of the NDA, he said.

Nitish stressed that the JD-U decision to support Kovind should not be looked upon from a political angle. It is not an issue of political confrontation at all. The Presidential poll is a national issue. This is not an issue for the Bihars ruling grand alliance.  IANS
Patna, June 23

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Friday again appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not to make a historic blunder by extending support to the NDA nominee for the presidential poll.

Describing the combined opposition nominee Meira Kumar as Bihar ki beti (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar to mend the historic blunder of supporting NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

We are still treading on the path you had suggested to make the country Sangh-mukt...dont know what made Kumar move away and extend support to an RSS man, Prasad told reporters on his arrival at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

The RJD president, however, made it clear that the divergent paths taken by his party and the JD(U) would have no impact on the Grand Alliance government in Bihar headed by Kumar.

There will be no impact of this (different views of the RJD and the JD(U)) on the Grand Alliance government in the future, Prasad said.

Bihar JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh repeated the partys decision to support Kovind and made it clear that there was no going back on it.

Kovind as governor of Bihar walked hand-in-hand with the state government on the path of development...he has displayed attachment with Bihar, Singh said.

His party colleague Shyam Rajak echoed similar views.

Hum logo ne thok-baja ke faisla liya hain (we have taken a decision after meticulously taking everything into account), Rajak told PTI.

Rajak is deputy leader in the state Assembly and member of the JD(U) core committee which decided on Tuesday to support Kovind.

Meanwhile, Congress minister Abdul Jalil Mastan described Kovind as a Shiv Sena man who harboured hardcore Hinduavta ideology.

He is a Shiv Sena man harbouring hardcore Hinduvta ideology...how can he be a clean man? Mastan claimed.

But Kumar stuck to his stand, saying the Presidential elections should not become an issue of confrontation.

"It is an election for President. It should not become an issue of confrontation," he told reporters after visiting Prasad's residence in the evening to attend an Iftar party where he was warmly greeted by the host and Deputy Chief Minister Tejawsi Yadav.

"There is no doubt about the result. We have lot of respect for 'Bihar Ki Beti' (Meira Kumar). But the question is has Bihar Ki Beti been chosen to lose?"

Kumar said the decision to support Kovind was taken at the meeting of JD (U)'s core committee.

"We have taken this decision after thinking on all aspects. And as far as JD (U) is concerned, it has always taken independent decisions, even when we were a part of NDA.

We supported Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA candidate that time."

Stating that President's chair is not for political battle, Kumar said: "Had there been consensus, it would have been a good thing but I do not think it should be a matter of debate".

"I had met Ram Bath Kovind and then had a word with Sonia ji and Sitaram Yechuri ji and I told them about my emotions that Ramnath Kovind ji had a praise worthy role in Bihar as the governor. He had worked in Bihar without any bias." Prasad earlier in the day said that the opposition parties are still treading on the path Nitish Kumar had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'.

"...Don't know what made Kumar to move away and extend support to a RSS man," he told reporters on his arrival at the Jay Prakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

Later in the evening, Prasad when asked if he had talks with Nitish Kumar said, "This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects."

The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

"We appeal to both the chief ministers of Odisha and Bihar to re-consider their decision and support a secular candidate like Meira Kumar. Above all, both BJD and JD (U) are not part of the BJP-led NDA," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Reddy, accompanied by CPI national secretary Dr K Narayanana, said they hope both Patnaik and Kumar will have a rethink before casting their vote in favour of Kovind, whom they described as a "Sangha Parivar member".

"We do not know the reasons behind both Patnaik and Kumar supporting the NDA candidate," Reddy said adding, the CPI will contact the BJD and JD (U) before the presidential polls.

Stating that the country needs a secular person to become the President in the backdrop of attacks on Dalits and minorities since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre, Reddy said opposition parties have fielded Meira Kumar keeping her background in consideration.

"She (Meira Kumar) has been the Speaker of Lok Sabha, having knowledge on external affairs matters and above all the daughter of Jagjivan Ram," Reddy pointed out.

He said the BJP's three-member committee had asked the CPI about its suggestion for a Presidential candidate.

"We had suggested the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi and they (BJP) said about meeting again. But, they announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind without consulting us," Reddy said, criticising the BJP for not going for a consensus candidate for the top post.

Asked why Gandhi was not made a candidate by the opposition for the presidential election, the CPI leader said: "We had just suggested the name of Gandhi. Had the BJP agreed on it, we would have supported him".

According to Left sources, it was also surprising that the names they considered were "not even discussed and proposed" when the Opposition leaders met in Delhi yesterday to decide their joint candidate

Ahead of the meeting, the Left parties had decided to propose Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, and BR Ambedkar's grandson Prakash.

They claimed that leaders of the JD (U)  which had earlier pitched for Opposition unity, but is supporting Kovind's candidature  are also of the view that a non- Congress contender "would have been better," the sources said.

The sources suggested that fielding a Congress candidate is something that will come in the way of bringing the JD (U) back to the Opposition flock notwithstanding her being from Bihar.

"There is a feeling that some non-Congress contender should have been considered," the sources said. PTI
New Delhi, June 23

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh and Rajkot in Gujarat figured in the new list of 30 cities announced on Friday for development under the Centres Smart City Mission.

The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities selected for part financing of projects by the Centre under the scheme.

Thiruvananthapuram took the first slot, followed by Naya Raipur, Rajkot, Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati, and Bihar capital Patna.

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Announcing the new list at an event here, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said 45 cities contested for the 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure their feasibility and workable plans.

Four cities in Tamil Nadu--Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tiruchirappalli, and three in Uttar Pradesh-- Jhansi, Allahabad and Aligarh--also made it to the list.

An investment of Rs 57,393 crore has been proposed for development of these 30 cities. Of the planned expenditure, Rs 46,879 crore will be for core infrastructure and Rs 10,514 crore for technology-based solutions.

With this, the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities had gone up to Rs 1,91,155 crore, Naidu said.

The minister said 20 more cities would be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under the Smart City Mission.

These included Biharsharif (Bihar); Navimumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra); Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal); and Meerut, Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Rampur (Uttar Pradesh).

Of the 30 cities announced on Friday, 26 have proposed affordable housing projects that benefit the urban poor, 26 cities will be taking up school and hospital projects, 29 will be taking up redesign and redevelopment of roads.

All 30 cities would put in place integrated command and control centres that enabled coordination among various agencies for better service delivery and effective management of scarce resources such as water and power, Naidu said.

Referring to reports that maximum funds were being allocated to a small part of a city areas under the plan, Naidu said the citizens and city governments proposed the projects for fixing the infrastructure deficit in their respective cities.

That is how urban development has been approached in countries such as the US. Nowhere in the world a city has been made smart overnight in one go, he said.

Naidu also launched the City Liveability Index which will help a city to know where it stands in ensuring the quality of life to its citizens.

This exercise will be taken up in 116 cities--covering all smart cities, capitals and cities with over one million population each, he said, adding that the first ranking would be out next year.

The minister also distributed Rs 500 crore among various states for carrying out reforms in the urban sector. Last year, Rs 400 crore was given to the states.

For the next three years, incentive funds of Rs 10,000 crore were approved for recognising the efforts by states in urban transformation, Naidu said.

Other cities that figured in the latest smart city list included Karimnagar (Telangana), Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Puducherry, Gandhinagar and Dahod (Gujarat), Srinagar and Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir), Sagar and Satna (Madhya Pradesh) and Karnal (Haryana).

Bengaluru (Karnataka), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Pimpri-Chinchwad (Maharashtra), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Aizawl (Mizoram) and Gangtok (Sikkim) were also selected.

Under the Smart City Mission, the Centre provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of five years for implementing various projects.

Launched on June 15, 2015, the government proposes to develop 100 smart cities under the mission. PTI
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 23

Members of the Opposition  SAD-BJP and the AAP walked out of the Punjab Assembly on Friday to protest the denigration of Sikh principles the day before when some MLAs were forcibly evicted from the House.

Today, even non-Sikh Akali MLAs were seen wearing turbans while all SAD MLAs wore black robes over their clothes to protest against the turban tossing incident.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In an unprecedented step, the Punjab Speaker yesterday ordered that all 19 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs be forcibly evicted from the Vidhan Sabha.

Marshals then physically lifted the MLAs, holding them by their arms and legs, causing injuries to some.

Two legislators were hospitalised, even as women MLAs claimed they were inappropriately handled.

The turbans of at least four  Pirmal Singh Dhaula, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Jai Kishan Singh Rodi and Amarjit Singh Sandoa  were flung into the air, triggering a controversy over the insult to the Sikh symbol.

Today, AAP MLAs also set up a symbolic shop of cartelised sand, which they alleged that the Congress has taken over from Akalis, just outside the Assembly.

Speaker should be unbiased. But he got the women MLAs molested and turbans of Gursikhs were tossed. We supported AAP because there was complete violation of maryada in the House, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said.

But we cannot expect more from Congress  which is an anti-Sikh party, he said.

Punjabs people, especially Sikhs will not spare them (Congress). Today, we are meeting the Punjab Governor against the Speaker for his gunda gardi, he said.

It is shameful that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said that the AAP MLAs had themselves removed their turbans. Speaker Rana KP Singh and Leader of the House Capt Amarinder Singh should seek forgiveness from Sikhs, Sukhbir said.

As question hour began, SAD-BJP and AAP legislators were on their feet, seeking a debate on yesterdays incident.

Furious at what had happened, Opposition legislators described what happened as hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.

Demanding a debate, Leader of Opposition HS Phoolka and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said it was a denigration of Sikh principles.

Speaker Rana KP Singh asked the Opposition to stop raising slogans and assured them that he would take a decision on their demand after question hour was over.

Opposition legislators were unrelenting in their demand, however. SAD-BJP members, followed by AAP, gathered near the Speakers podium, raising slogans even as question hour continued.

They later trooped out of the House.
The lynching of Jammu and Kashmir top cop Ayub Pandith has once again stirred the storm brewing over the persistent issue- are policemen the new target of the terror regime in Valley?

A Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Mohammad Ayub Pandith was on duty when he was lynched outside Jama Masjid.

By Praveen Shekhar: A Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Mohammad Ayub Pandith was lynched by an irate mob near Jamia Masjid in Srinagar's Nowhatta area today.

The officer was on duty at the mosque when he was attacked by the mob.

The Army says that since Ayub Pandith was a local and a police officer, he was a target and the lynching was pre-planned.

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The lynching of Pandith has sent shock-waves across the country and this is not a lone incident. Terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have openly warned Kashmiri policemen to leave their jobs and join them or face consequences.

So far 17 policemen have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year- the highest in past two decades.

Here's the timeline of policemen lynching this year in Kashmir:

June 16, 2017: A police contingent on patrol in south Kashmir's Anantnag district was ambushed by a heavily-armed group of terrorists. As many as six policemen were killed and their faces disfigured by bullets in the attack. A Station House Officer (SHO) Feroz Ahmad Dar was among those killed.

June 15, 2017: A group of terrorists opened fire at a policeman in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district. The policeman identified as Shabir Ahmad Dar succumbed to his injuries later in the day.

June 15, 2017: Two policemen killed and one was injured in two separate attacks carried out by terrorists in Srinagar. One of the two attacks took place in Hyderpora area of Srinagar where terrorists opened fire at a police party.

June 3, 2017: Two armed militants attacked a police check post in Anantnag town, killing an assistant sub-inspector and a police constable before fleeing from the spot.

May 23, 2017: Three policemen were killed in two separate terrorist attacks in Srinagar.

March 25, 2017: A group of militants ransacked the house of an officer in Chadoora, set his car ablaze and abducted his son and nephew. They were set free later.

March 8, 2017: At least 10 gun-wielding militants barged into the house of a senior officer in south Kashmir's Shopian district. The militants vandalised his house and broke the window panes of the house.

Also read: Was the Kashmir cop's lynching a pre-planned murder? A timeline of how it happened

Also read: Srinagar: DSP Ayub Pandith beaten to death by mob outside Jamia Masjid

Also watch: Jammu and Kashmir: Police officer beaten to death by mob near Jamia Masjid in Srinagar

--- ENDS ---
Ruchika M Khanna/ Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 23

Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday alleged that Fastway Cables caused a loss of approximately Rs 700 crore to the state exchequer.

Speaking in the Punjab Assembly, he said that Fastway started with Rs 25 lakh and had profit of Rs 30 crore immediately and nothing was given to the treasury in ten years of Akali rule.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

After exposing tax evasion worth Rs 684 crore by Fastway Cable, owned by Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Local Bodies Department has started serving notices to the company for recovery of charges.

The charges being sort by the department are for use of poles, digging of roads for laying the cables and towards entertainment tax.

He also demanded a separate probe into the under reporting of total TV connections and cable operators engaged by the company.

He alleged that only 1,25,000 cable connections were shown but actually 80 lakh connections existed.

Out of 8,000 cable operators, 6500 were under Fastway, he said.

He sought an FIR against Fastway for laying wires without permission.

Fastway owed rent for hanging cables per pole. Punjab has 3 lakh poles, he said, but not a single penny given.

He demanded vigilance inquiry from Chief Minister Amarinder Singh against the cable mafia.
IN our leading article to-day we have dealt with some points of general interest arising from Mrs. Besant's interview with His Excellency the Governor of Madras and have called attention to that lady's statement that this time Madras is quite untroubled. Her words were that at the present time Madras is quiet and untroubled and that the Governor's proposed action would turn it into a condition of turmoil like Bengal. That is a statement in which any one cannot detect Mrs. Besant's undaunted courage and high sense of patriotism. It is nothing but the literal truth that Madras, as for that matter India, is absolutely peaceful. Indeed, no nation can claim to have greater regard for peace and order or greater respect for constituted authority than we Indians. It would be a grave exaggeration and unmerited slander for anyone to say that an intellectual and almost stoical people like Indians who are models of self-restraint are disturbing public peace or obstructing Government.
Purnima Sharma

If destiny had had its way, a child artiste from across the border  on a family visit to Bombay in the early 1980s  would have been part of the Vinod Khanna-Neetu Singh starrer Raaj Mahal. And, perhaps, stayed on. The chances of my being in it were bright  not just because I was obsessed with Bollywood, but also because my uncle was the films producer. However, my fathers marching orders for me to get back to Karachi put paid to all that, laughs Deepak Perwani, who went on to become one of the top designers of the Pakistan fashion industry. I guess this was part of a bigger plan, says the couturier, who did not forget his first love for acting and has some of the popular soaps like Mere Paas-Paas and Ranjish to his credit. I do one serial every couple of years, he smiles.

The year has been special for the 43-year-old who is celebrating not just his personal landmark of 25 years in the fashion business, but also for becoming the chairman of the Pakistan Fashion Council. And in his three-year tenure, Perwani has special plans for his countrys fashion industry. Other than the showcasing of our designer collections, we will also be offering aspiring youngsters a chance to show their mettle on the ramp.

According to Perwani, August 14 will see a special Millennial Show that will feature 10 promising designers. We are still mulling over giving them all one single theme and fabric to work on. The fabric this time could well be khaddar, says Perwani, adding, We have plans to revive the hand-woven khadi in a big way.

He says a number of craftsmen working on khadi with Benaras silk and jamawar are still around. Efforts such as these will definitely bring this age-old fabric back in the reckoning, says the designer, who has just introduced a new bridal wear line in shades of gold and silver to his personal collection.

Ask him what makes the fashion business in Pakistan stand apart from its Indian counterpart, and he smiles, Well, on the surface of it, they may seem to be moving parallel, but the Pakistani one is extremely cut-oriented. Discerning clients are always on the look-out for newer elements in cuts  like the petalled shalwars. They are such a rage, he says. And the multi-layered culottes that have been introduced to them in the last few months.

And no, fashion is not just for women but also for the Pakistani men who have lately begun to get rid of the loose shalwars and Dhaka pyjamas to slip into trendier stuff. For them, Perwani has just introduced a new trouser line that boasts the skinny cut. The fashionable guys like wearing skinnies with short kurtas or bundi, smiles the designer whose personal favourite is the kurta sherwani and the mandarin suit.

Pakistani men are experimenting not just with silhouettes, but also with colour. From black, grey, blue and white, they are turning out in hues they would earlier shy away from. Now yellows, oranges, greens and pinks are finding a place in their wardrobe. I guess its to do with the fact that that their mindset is becoming more metrosexual. They want to be in tune with global trends.

And this fact applies to both sides of the Border. Fashion, like sports, music and films, has worked wonders in bridging the gap between our two countries. However, there is some juvenile mindset that has put paid to the whole process of peace, rues the designer. But despite all such bottlenecks, peaceniks continue to be at work. Concerts and shows like our annual Alishaan Pakistan may not happen for a while, but people are still ordering and wearing our work, smiles the Mirpurkhas (Sindh)-born, who spent his early years in Karachi before leaving for New York to study fashion design.

Having spent over seven years in the Big Apple, Perwani returned to the land of his origin. I came back because where else will you find such inspirational craftsmanship and designs to experiment with? he asks with a smile.

That was more than two and half decades ago, and Perwani has had no regrets. Having steadily climbed the rungs to reach the top, he often takes to the hinterlands to help empower women of the minority communities by teaching them varied crafts that cater to city tastes. I visit them every three months to talk to them, teach them stuff like how to make Rs 100 a day by making pouches from old clothes, colour balancing, etc., he states.

But its not all work and no play for the designer whose Holi bashes are talked about through the year. Dressed in white, everyone walks in just to have fun  and I offer them loads of colour and water to play with complete music and with a dance floor with showers, paani-puri, halwa, kachoris and, of course, bhang, laughs Perwani whose house is also the go-to place for card parties the day before Diwali. One look at any of these and the cynics will understand what living in harmony is all about, he smiles.
Geetu Vaid

The first budget presented by the Congress government in Punjab has brought happy tidings for the tottering realty sector in the state. A proposed cut of three per cent in stamp duty will serve as a shot in the arm for the sector that has been plagued by low sales, delays and a significant price correction in the state.

The 9 per cent stamp duty in urban centres, which was on the higher side, was the main reason that made a large number of owners defer getting the registries of their properties. As a result the state coffers were also denied the revenue earned in the form of stamp duty. Higher stamp duty also led to registries being done on a lower value than what was paid actually to the seller as the buyers wanted to save some money. This meant an increased percentage of cash component (black money) in property deals. One direct consequence of lowering of stamp duty will be that more properties will now be registered at the actual sale amount, which is a healthy trend for the realty market, said Dipin Preet Singh, Director of Mohali-based Westcoast Investment Solutions. A large number of buyers who had purchased apartments in projects by different developers in the state had not got their properties registered after taking the possessions because of the high stamp duty rate.

In order to boost affordable housing, Minister for Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu had urged state governments to reduce stamp duty a couple of months ago. Punjab is one of the few states that have responded positively.

The move has got a positive response from industry mavens also. As such, the stamp duty in Punjab was on the higher side as in most of the other states it currently ranges between 4 and 7 per cent. With the budget announcement it is now on par with other states. This move will reduce the purchasing cost for end users and will go a long way in achieving governments mission of Housing for All by 2022, said Rohtas Goel, CMD, Omaxe Ltd.

Echoing a similar sentiment Tejinder Pal Setia, Chairman, Mona Townships Pvt Ltd., said, The state government should be complimented for presenting a budget which has addressed the concerns of the real estate industry. The decision to reduce stamp duty for urban areas bringing it on a par with that in the rural areas will work to the advantage of buyers, who will now be able to save Rs75,000 on a registry of Rs 25 lakh.

Terming it as another step towards creating a positive eco-system for end users an official spokesperson of Emaar India group said, The stamp duty reduction, along with implementation of RERA, will help in improving buying considerations, which will lift mood in the subdued realty sector; especially for organised players.

Congress government is generally seen as a real-estate friendly one in the state and with such moves the stakeholders are now expecting better days for real estate growth in the state. The reduction in ownership transfer fees for plots and houses is also a step in the right direction. The move to formulate the NRI Property Safeguard Act and appoint an ombudsman to protect NRI properties will encourage more and more Indians settled overseas to invest in Punjab, added Setia.

This rate cut which has been proposed only for one year will inspire a large number of such owners to get the registries done. This way the falling graph of revenue earned by the state from this source will also improve. Thus, it is a win-win move for the buyers, developers as well as the state government", added Dipin Preet.
Karachi, June 23

A powerful bomb exploded near the office of the regional police chief in Pakistans restive Balochistan province on Friday, killing at least 11 people, including four policemen, and injuring 20 others.

The incident occurred near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboobs office on Gulistan Road area of the provincial capital, Quetta.

TV footage showed several badly damaged cars and a road littered with broken glass.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema told the media that the nature of the blast is yet to be determined.

We cannot say anything about the nature of the attack. Investigations are on, said Cheema.

Security officials had tried to stop a car near Shuhada Chowk and the blast occurred moments later; however, we are still not sure if the car was the source of the blast, he said.

Eleven people were killed in the attack. Four of those killed were police officers, while nine security officials were among the wounded, said Fareed Sumalan, a doctor at the Civil Hospital.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Balochistan has been facing insurgency by Baloch nationalists and Islamist militants. PTI
By Srivatsan: This week's Tollywood release, Duvvada Jagannadham, features Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles. Is the film worth a watch? Here's our Duvvada Jagannadham review.

Duvvada Jagannadham Cast: Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani and Murali Sharma

Duvvada Jagannadham Director: Harish Shankar

Duvvada Jagannadham Rating: (2/5)

Duvvada Jagannadham is about an undercover police officer, Duvvada Jagannadham, masquerading as an innocent Brahmin pandit who runs a catering service with the tagline 'Pure Vegetarian'- Lol. DJ is in charge of a mission to track down a powerful business tycoon Royyala Naidu (Rao Ramesh), for his, you know, sins.

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Before you read any further, it's important to understand the world of Duvvada Jagannadham. Here, karma and dharma are prerequisites for a person. A minor boy, in a slo-mo shot, grabs a Russian-made pistol, saves a police officer's life and guns down a bigshot gangster without any inhibition. It's the kind of film where a Rudraksh stands between the right and the wrong. It's also that kind of a film where you get a kiss from the heroine if you make a cup of coffee. Also, in DJ's world, it's perfectly fine to zoom into the heroine's private parts. Because, heroines exist only to provide the oomph quotient, right? If you're ready to overlook these factors, Duvvada Jagannadham should pass off as yet another popcorn entertainer.

In one of the early scenes in the movie, a young DJ overhears a priest answering a question on why Vishnu, the lord, had so many avatars when God is a single spiritual entity. He says, "What deeds he (Vishnu) did are more important than how he did them." In the next scene, DJ's sister is harassed by college rogues. As you know, Duvvada Jagannadham applies ink on his face and beats them to a pulp. In short, DJ takes on an avatar while director Harish Shankar reiterates that this is an Allu Arjun film. It gets better in the scene with a police officer who says, "In Mahabharat, Krishna teamed up with Arjun to save Dharma. Now, Krishna has sent this Arjun once again." It's a well-written mass dialogue that gets whistles from fans. When you're in a masala film, why not enjoy these bits?

Playing the titular role, Allu Arjun has two character variations - a rough DJ in Hyderabad and an innocent Brahmin Duvvada Jagannadham in Vijayawada. In order to make the latter effective, Allu Arjun plays an effeminate person. If Brahmins are to take offence to Duvvada, it should be for this. Duvvada Jagannadham comes up with interesting lines like, "Love-ah, love-saiya, love-obiah" and "Karma-ha, karma-saiya, karma-obiah." While the line is laughable at first, it's exasperating after a point, as he continues on loop.

We really wish Pooja Hegde was not part of this film. Every time she is in the frame, Duvvada Jagannadham uses her in a dream song by Devi Sri Prasad. In one of Pooja's scenes, she's in a bikini and the cinematographer goes way past the line to linger on her bottom. Though the scene was blurred by the CBFC, we found it problematic.

We get the fact that the masala is very important for this genre. But the scenes that are supposed to leave you misty-eyed end up as comic relief. Jokes fall flat and the mass action blocks are not enough. At the same time, it's impossible to write off Allu Arjun. He's effective in bits; especially when the director wants him to dance and send goons into the air. Someone said that Allu Arjun's body is made of rubber and there can't be a better description. The problem with Duvvada Jagannadham is its half-baked story, which is everything we've seen in Allu Arjun's films earlier. Plus, having Rao Ramesh as the prime antagonist hardly justifies the star of DJ, Allu Arjun.

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To keep up with DJ's style, Duvvada Jagannadham is "Boring-ah, bore-asya, bore-obiah".

ALSO READ: Allu Arjun's Duvvada Jagannadham trailer clocks 7.4 million views in 24 hours

ALSO SEE: Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde dance to Duvvada Jagannadham's Seeti Maar song

ALSO SEE: Before Duvvada Jagannadham, a look at Allu Arjun's best performances

WATCH: Duvvada Jagannadham Trailer

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A man who police say shot and killed a 17-year-old girl and wounded himself during an accidental discharge has been charged with first-degree manslaughter.

Norris Deon Williams III, 20, also was charged Thursday with possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, feloniously pointing a firearm and reckless conduct with a firearm. He has remained in the Tulsa Jail since his arrest on $105,000 bond.

The shooting occurred Saturday during a gathering in the back room of a home in the 5400 block of North Hartford Avenue, where Norris pointed a gun at Johnece Haney and told her to "don't be scared," prosecutors allege.

He then shot himself in the hand after the gun accidentally discharged, according to police. The bullet reportedly passed through his hand and struck Haney in the chest.

During the subsequent commotion, police say another man in the room fell down and shot himself in the leg with a gun in his pocket.

The three were taken to the Oklahoma State Medical Center, where Haney died from her injuries. Williams and the other man were expected to recover.

Police arrested Williams the same day and released the other man from custody.

The manslaughter charge states Williams engaged in "reckless conduct" by playing with the loaded gun. It further alleges he pointed the weapon at Haney to threaten or intimidate her.

State records show Norris was convicted of assault and battery on a police officer in 2016 and served nearly a year in prison.
One person was lynched while three others were beaten severely on an EMU train on Delhi-Ballabhgarh stretch over rumours of them eating beef. The four had come to Delhi from their village in Haryana for shopping ahead of Eid.

By Tanseem Haider: In shocking incident a group of four people were thrashed in a train between Delhi and Ballabhgarh in Haryana over rumours of them eating beef. One of the victims died due the injuries he sustained in the incident.

The four people had come to Delhi for shopping ahead of Eid and were on their way back home in Haryana. The incident of lynching a man and thrashing three others took place in full public view as the train was crowded.

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Two of the other victims are being treated at a hospital in Palwal. The incident took place in an EMU train. All four were beaten and allegedly stabbed in the running train.

The four men have been identified as Junaid, Hashim, Shakir Mohsin and Moin of Khandavali village in Ballabgarh. They had boarded a train from Tughlakabad in Delhi.

They were later thrown out of the train at Asavati railway station as train left for Mathura. They were taken to Palwal hospital where Junaid was declared brought dead. Shakir and Hashim are still in hospital.

Mohsin in his statement said that all of them had gone to Delhi for Eid shopping. They boarded a passenger train.

According to Mohsin's statement, soon after they boarded the train some passengers started abusing them. When they resisted, they were beaten up. A huge crowd attacked them.

Two suspects were carrying knives with them and stabbed the four, Mohsin said in his statement. They called police and emergency response number but to no avail.

Mohsin further claimed that they tried to pull the chain to stop the train but failed. He also said GRP personnel at Ballabgarh railway station refused to help them when they told them what happened on the train.

ALSO READ |

Srinagar: DSP Ayyub Pandit beaten to death by mob outside Jamia Masjid

WATCH | Delhi: Man lynched, 3 injured in train over rumours of beef consumption

--- ENDS ---
The chief public defender for Tulsa County announced Friday he is stepping down from his post, which he has held since 2015, for serious health reasons.

Rob Nigh Jr. told the Tulsa World he will leave the Tulsa County Public Defenders Office effective July 1.

Tulsa County District Court judges named Nigh chief public defender in March 2015 after he served three months as interim chief public defender, which followed a three-decade career as a legal professional.

An administrative order signed Thursday by Presiding District Judge Rebecca Nightingale states Assistant Public Defender Stuart Southerland will be interim chief public defender pending the announcement of a permanent replacement.

Nigh, 57, said he is resigning because of a serious medical condition but will return to work at the Brewster & DeAngelis law firm, where he has worked in the past, while he undergoes treatment. He did not provide further details but issued a statement in which he thanked his colleagues on both sides of the court system and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which provides funding for programs that reduce incarceration rates out of Tulsa County.

Nigh said he was grateful the judiciary showed willingness to make genuine reforms that improve the quality of legal services received by indigent defendants, which includes Kaiser Foundation-supported programs such as Family & Childrens Services Women in Recovery.

Without their help, we would not have been able to make such a large impact for women and children who were and are facing prison, Nigh said.

The Public Defenders Office represents thousands of indigent clients each year in criminal, juvenile and sometimes civil cases.

Prosecutors file about 7,000 each of felony and misdemeanor cases annually, and the majority of felony defendants are deemed indigent. Some of those defendants are represented by conflict attorneys if the Public Defenders Office cannot represent them, but public defenders handle most of the caseload.

During his tenure as chief public defender, Nigh and Sheriff Vic Regalado worked together to allow defendants in custody to visit with their attorneys in the jail library as soon as possible after their video arraignments. The move has shortened the delay in work being done on their cases and has resulted in those clients having better access to a holistic defense, including aid with housing and childcare.

Nigh, during his legal career, represented Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Timothy McVeigh from his indictment to his June 2001 execution. He has also advocated for such defendants as Jacob England, who pleaded guilty in the Good Friday shootings; Robert Bever, who avoided a death sentence after pleading guilty in the stabbing deaths of five family members in Broken Arrow; and Stanley Majors, who awaits trial in the shooting death of a Lebanese Christian neighbor that prosecutors allege was a hate crime.
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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) The unrest in Jammu and Kashmir continues to take a toll on the states tourism industry with foreign visitors giving it a miss for another year.

In 2016, only 63,207 foreign tourists visited the state as compared to 86,477 in 2014. The state has been under the grip of violent protests since July last year following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani.

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The state was ranked 23rd in the list of Indias top 36 tourist destinations this year.

According to data compiled by the Market Research Division of the Ministry of Tourism on domestic and foreign tourist visits to states and Union territories (UTs), Tamil Nadu retained its position as the top destination for both foreign and domestic visitors.

During 2016, the number of foreign tourist visits to the states and UTs was 24.71 million as compared to 23.33 million in 2015, a growth of 5.92 per cent.

The top 10 states in terms of number of foreign tourist visits were Tamil Nadu (4.72 million), Maharashtra (4.67), Uttar Pradesh (3.16), Delhi (2.52), West Bengal (1.53), Rajasthan (1.51), Kerala (1.04), Bihar (1.01), Goa (0.68) and Punjab (0.66).

The top 10 states attracted about 87.02 per cent of total foreign visitors in 2016.

While the top eight states retained their previous rankings, Punjab made it into the list of top 10.

The top three states that registered the maximum growth in drawing foreign visitor were Punjab (172.21 per cent), Sikkim (71.55 per cent) and Chhattisgarh (44.2 per cent).

The total domestic tourist visits to the states and UTs increased by 12.68 per cent in 2016 as compared to 2015.

Tamil Nadu has registered 343.81 million domestic tourist visits in 2016, followed by Uttar Pradesh (204.9 million), Andhra Pradesh (211.71), Andhra Pradesh (153.16), Madhya Pradesh (150.49), Karnataka (129.76), Maharashtra (116.52), Telangana (95.16), West Bengal (74.46), Gujarat (42.25 million) and Rajasthan (41.5 million).

The contribution of top 10 States was about 84.21% to the total number of domestic tourist visits during 2016.

Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have maintained the first, second and third rank respectively in terms of domestic visitors in 2016.

Madhya Pradesh has gained the fourth position leaving Karnataka at fifth position.

The top three states and UTs in terms of growth rates of domestic tourist visits were Madhya Pradesh (93 per cent), Punjab (50.03 per cent) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (29.62 per cent). PTI ASG SMN

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BBC First will screen UK period drama Decline & Fall, an adaptation of Evelyn Waughs novel, in August.

The 3 part series series stars Jack Whitehall (Bad Education, Fresh Meat) and Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives).

It also features David Suchet (Poirot), Vincent Franklin (Happy Valley, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell), Douglas Hodge (The Night Manager, Penny Dreadful), Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire).

This screened in the UK in March.

Anarchic, stylish and hilarious, Decline and Fall is a dazzling three-part adaptation of Evelyn Waughs hugely popular novel starring Jack Whitehall and Eva Longoria.

The comedy follows Paul Pennyfeather (Jack Whitehall), an inoffensive divinity student at Oxford University in the 1920s, who is wrongly dismissed for indecent exposure having been made the victim of a prank by The Bollinger Club.

Paul is oddly surprised to find himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at Llanabba, an obscure public school in Wales. His colleagues are an assortment of misfits, including Prenergast, whos plagued by doubts, and Captain Grime, who is always in the soup (or just plain drunk).

Sports day arrives, and with it the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde, played by Eva Longoria. For Paul, it is love at first sight, but little does he know the surprises that lie ahead of him when he agrees to tutor her son over the summer holidays.

Saturdays at 8.30pm from August 12 on BBC First.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have demanded the closure of al-Jazeera network amongst 13 demands delivered to Qatar, as the price for lifting a two-week trade and diplomatic embargo.

The list was handed to Qatar by Kuwait, which is attempting to mediate in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia and the other nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt regard al-Jazeera as a propaganda tool for Islamists that also undermines support for their governments.

The US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said earlier this week that any demands made of Qatar had to be reasonable and actionable, in a sharp about-turn from US presidents Donald Trumps backing for the embargo.

UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson said, The UK calls upon the Gulf states to find a way of deescalating the situation and lifting the current embargo and restrictions which are having an impact on the everyday lives of people in the region.

The acting managing director Giles Trendle said al-Jazeera was committed to continuing broadcasts, and that the network stood firm in providing our usual comprehensive and impartial coverage of events around the world.

Qatar insists it does not fund terrorists, and has previously said that the embargo is a punishment for following an independent foreign policy more sympathetic to the principles of the Arab spring than that of its neighbours.

Qatar has been given 10 days to comply.

al-Jazeera screens in Australia on Foxtel and in a news window on SBS & ABC News.

Source: Guardian
These days there is so much content coming at us that I tend to confine my Reviews to a seasons first run. There just arent enough hours in the day to review Season 7 of Offspring or Season 5 of Veep (for the record, it doesnt mean I skip them).

But Ive never reviewed Line of Duty, in fact Ive never actually seen Line of Duty (it happens, from time to time, critics just dont like to admit it). So after several readers raved about Season 4 of the UK procedural I thought I had better take a look.

They were right. Ive been missing out.

Line of Duty S3 is currently screening on ABC but S4 begins next week on 13th Street on Pay TV. For the uninitiated, like me, the show centres around AC-12, a unit within the British force that centres on police corruption amongst its own. That instantly sets it apart from cookie cutter cop shows.

Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and Detective Sergeant Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) answer to Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar). Whilst previous seasons have focussed on coppers played by Keeley Hawes, Daniel Mays and Lennie James, S4 turns its attention to Thandie Newton as Detective Chief Inspector Roz Huntley. The good news is that I was able to parachute into a show without feeling the need to experience its preceding seasons.

Make no mistake, Line of Duty hits the ground running and where it leads is really something to behold. Roz Huntley is under pressure to solve the case of a serial murderer and gets her best shot at apprehending him after a young woman is kidnapped. When police rescue her they find enough clues for Huntley to finger a young working class man, Michael Farmer (Scott Reid) named on a sex offenders list.

We need a breakthrough, Asst. Chief Constable Derek Hilton (Paul Higgins) tells Roz. Theyve been killing us on Twitter.

Roz is meticulous to ensure procedures are followed and avoid any case being thrown out by savvy lawyers. But when Forensics Co-ordinator Tim Ifield (Jason Watkins) tells her there are anomalies in the evidence, she flinches, not ready to let a killer back into the community.

When Tim takes his concerns to Steve Arnott, AC-12 decides to take a closer look. But policing the police requires everyone to manoeuvre surreptitiously.

Lets turn the screws, Superintendent Hastings quietly orders.

DS Kate Flynn is embedded within Rozs unit, but despite the curt smiles and outward civility, the subtext screams seething resentment.

Writer Jed Mercurio deftly blurs the lines of trust, suspicion and accountability so the viewers loyalties repeatedly somersault. The tug of war between justice and corruption never lets up.

Martin Compston is solid as the suspicious DS Steve Arnott but Thandie Newton is just outstanding as Roz, with tunnel vision in her quest to convict a killer. Vicky McClure as DS Kate Fleming shadows her like a hawk.

Were both on the same side, she tells her. You wont believe a word of it.

Nobody ever upstages, or resorts to flashy, indulgent performances. This ensemble works with a singular vision towards Mercurios endgame.

By the time this surged to a dynamite final scene, my head was spinning.

Best of its kind since Happy Valley. Unmissable.

Line of Duty premieres 8:30pm Wednesday on 13th Street.
A 2005 confession by 16 year old Brendan Dassey, which featured in Netflix doco Making a Murderer, was made under coercion, a three-judge US federal appeals panel has ruled.

The State of Wisconsin can now appeal to the US Supreme Court, ask for a review by the full 7th Circuit or re-try Dassey within 90 days.

Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after telling detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach two years earlier.

Last August a federal magistrate judge ruled investigators coerced Dassey into confessing and overturned his conviction. The state Justice Department appealed the ruling but a panel has now upheld the ruling.

A spokesman for Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, said the office expects to seek review nd hopes that todays erroneous decision will be reversed.

Dassey remains behind bars where he has served 4,132 days so far.

Source: Hollywood Reporter
Never one to let administration get them down, Studio 10 is hitting the road next week, travelling to Queensland.

Sarah Harris, Ita Buttrose, Denise Drysdale, Jessica Rowe and Joe Hildebrand, will visit the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast.

Sarah Harris said: I love getting back to Queensland. The weather and people are warmer and the beer is colder. Everyone is so relaxed and even visiting for a couple of days can feel like a month-long holiday!

Executive Producer Rob McKnight said: Queensland viewers have played an important part in our growth. We love Queensland and this is our way of saying thanks for all of your support. Viewers will be able to meet and interact with the hosts and have a great time as we showcase this great state to the nation.

Starting on the Gold Coast, Treasure Island Holiday Park is Mondays location. The show will stay on the Gold Coast on Tuesday, before it moves onto Brisbane where the team visit Brisbane Holiday Park on Wednesday and South Bank Parklands on Thursday. The bumper week of programming finishes up on Friday at Alex Beach Cabins & Tourist Park on the Sunshine Coast.

Studio 10s Queensland fans will have the opportunity to meet Sarah, Ita, Denise, Jess and Joe at each live show, as they travel the Sunshine State for a roving week of hot topics, daily dilemmas, and funny moments.

8.30am weekdays on TEN.
| By Malissa Carroll

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy concluded the celebration of its 175th anniversary on May 10 with an evening gala at the Baltimore Museum of Industry that celebrated nine of its most extraordinary alumni and heralded the next era of innovation at the school  an era of pharmapreneurism.

Derived from the French term entrepreneurism and trademarked by the School of Pharmacy, pharmapreneurism describes the schools commitment to supporting and best positioning both faculty and students to achieve their career aspirations and address the nations health care, research, policy, and societal needs.

(See video below)

Founding Pharmapreneurs or their representatives pose with Dean Eddington and UMB President Jay Perman.

In 1865, words like innovation and entrepreneur were not the buzzwords that they are today, said Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FCP, FAAPS, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy, as she delivered opening remarks during the event. Yet, when 10 men met that year to reorganize and reopen the Maryland College of Pharmacy  first established in 1841  the move exemplified all that is meant by entrepreneurism. That same spirit of innovation exists in each of tonights honorees. The nine alumni being honored tonight stand out as true pillars of excellence among our thousands of graduates and serve as models for our faculty, students, and staff in our constant pursuit to be the pre-eminent home of pharmacy entrepreneurism  pharmapreneurism.

The nine distinguished alumni honored during the gala are or were individuals who have been recognized nationally for their entrepreneurial vision and transformational accomplishments. The school presented them or their representatives with Founding Pharmapreneur Awards of Service and Excellence to commemorate their work as unparalleled leaders and innovative examples of successful pharmapreneurism, building upon an earlier luncheon hosted by the school that celebrated 37 outstanding alumni who epitomize expertise, influence, and impact in the schools mission areas of education, research, practice, and community service.

The evening began with the presentation of awards to founding pharmapreneurs Robert W. Henderson, BSP 63, PD, ND, founder and chair of Nutramax Laboratories; Calvin H. Knowlton, PhD 93, MDiv, co-founder of Tabula Rasa Healthcare and founder, chair, and chief executive officer of CareKinesis; and Victoria G. Hale, BSP 83, PhD, founder and director of OneWorldHealth and Medicines 360.

Felix A. Khin-Maung-Gyi, BSP 83, PharmD, MBA, was posthumously honored as a founding pharmapreneur for his work as chair and founder of Chesapeake Research Review. Before his family accepted the award on his behalf, Eddington announced that Gyis family recently donated $750,000 to the school to establish the Felix Gyi Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Pharmapreneurism. The scholarship will provide one full year of tuition for a student in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program who has expressed a desire to pursue a nontraditional career path. This scholarship will forever honor the life and legacy of Dr. Gyis extraordinary career, service to his alma mater, and leadership as a School of Pharmacy founding pharmapreneur, she said.

Following a short break for dinner, the event continued with the presentation of a founding pharmapreneur award to Ellen H. Yankellow, BSP 73, PharmD 96, president and chief executive officer of Correct Rx Pharmacy Services.

As I reflect on this evening, it occurs to me that pharmacy has come full circle, said Yankellow, who was also presented with a commemorative chair from the school to honor her longtime service as a member and former chair of its Board of Visitors. When I graduated, it was not unusual for pharmacists to become entrepreneurs, but the profession later migrated from one of owners to one of employees. Now, there is once again a shift. I congratulate the School of Pharmacy for embracing this trend and creating a cutting-edge program to encourage creativity through pharmapreneurism, and am extremely grateful and humbled to be honored as one of its founding pharmapreneurs.

Alpheus P. Sharp, Class of 1842, and Louis Dohme, Class of 1857, co-founders of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., were honored next.

Sharp and Dohme launched their pharmaceutical enterprise during a particularly tumultuous time for science in the nations history, said Sandra Milligan, MD, JD, senior vice president and head of global regulatory affairs and clinical safety at Merck, Sharp & Dohme Corp. Although they accomplished a remarkable achievement, I often wonder what their pharmapreneurial talent might have allowed them to achieve had they been alive today with the cutting-edge technologies that we now have at our disposal. I am thrilled to accept this award on their behalf, and wish the School of Pharmacy another wonderful 175 years.

George Avery Bunting, valedictorian of the Class of 1899, founder of Noxzema, CoverGirl Cosmetics, and the Noxell Corp.; and John M. Gregory, BSP 76, DPS (hon) 02, chairman and chief executive officer of Gregory Pharmaceutical Holdings, founder of King Pharmaceuticals, and managing partner of SJ Strategic Investments, also were honored alongside Yankellow and Sharp and Dohme.

I knew my grandfather from the stories that he and my grandmother would share with us, and the more that I learned about him, the more amazed I became, said Mary Catherine Bunting, the granddaughter of George Avery Bunting, who accepted the Founding Pharmapreneur Award on his behalf. While I dont know what inspired my grandfather to pursue a career in pharmacy, I do know that he had a lot of business savvy and get up and go, which helped him climb from his humble beginnings to become the head of an international corporation. Im proud to be here to honor him tonight.

The School of Pharmacy provided me with a wonderful pharmaceutical background that helped me tremendously in my entrepreneurial career, said Gregory. However, one of the lessons that had a tremendous impact on me and that I have tried to model throughout my pharmaceutical career is that when you do something as a group, you should be rewarded as a group. As I accept this honor tonight, I accept it not as an individual, but as a member of the Gregory family, who was blessed with the privilege of leading my family in our business enterprise.

The event concluded with a look into the future of pharmapreneurism at the School of Pharmacy.

In September 1962, President John F. Kennedy famously delivered a speech at Rice University that discussed the nations efforts to land a man on the moon, said Eddington. That speech  referred to as President Kennedys moonshot speech  was intended to persuade the American people to think big and support the national effort to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth. Our goal at the School of Pharmacy is to offer our faculty, students, and staff every opportunity to be innovators of their own and to move in a direction in which no other pharmacy school in the country has conceived. Pharmapreneurism is our moonshot.

Eddington announced several new programs that will soon be implemented across the school to help foster an unparalleled environment that both values and nurtures pharmapreneurship among faculty and students alike, including:

Partnering with the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and its Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship to offer a joint PharmD/MBA degree and to create a joint Certificate in Pharmapreneurism program

Funding from the schools Board of Visitors to support a pharmapreneur fellow who will work with the University of Maryland, Baltimores (UMB) Office of Research and Development to gain valuable interdisciplinary experiences in pharmapreneurship and to develop their own pharmapreneurial innovations

Creating a new innovation space known as the Pharmapreneurs Farm in the Ellen H. Yankellow Grand Atrium in Pharmacy Hall that will focus exclusively on pharmapreneurism and serve as a visible reminder to everyone who visits the school of its commitment to pharmapreneurism

To learn more about or discover ways that you can help support the Schools new pharmapreneurism initiative, please contact Ken Boyden, JD, EdD, associate dean for the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, at 410-706-3816 or kboyden@rx.umaryland.edu.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung today stepped down as the chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) as part of the ongoing agitation demanding Gorkhaland.

This comes during the stand-off between the Morcha and the Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal state administration.

By Indrajit Kundu: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) President Bimal Gurung today resigned from the post of chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) as part of the ongoing agitation demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland. Amid speculation about his whereabouts, the Morcha supremo appeared before the media in Darjeeling after the West Bengal Police booked him under murder charges for Saturday's clash between security personnel and Morcha supporters.

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"I have sent my resignation to the governor. We shall burn the GTA accord on June 27 as a mark of protest," Gurung announced during a press conference at his Patlaybas residence.

This comes during the stand-off between the Morcha and the Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal state administration.

With the GTA election scheduled for next month, Gurung declared that the semi-autonomous body was now a 'closed chapter' and that there won't be any election. "We won't allow it anymore," he added.

'WILL TALK ONLY ON GORKHALAND'

Reminding the Centre of its role in settling the long pending demand for Gorkhaland, Gurung said, "Now, our single point agenda is a state of Gorkhaland. We shall take part in dialogue only if our issue is taken up for discussion. We don't want any betrayal anymore. This time, the talks must be successful."

The Morcha chief also demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged police firing on GJM supporters last week.

"There was no firing from our side, it was the police which fired and the SP and DM should be booked for it. We have footage to prove this. Three of our supporters have died. We want the Centre to order a CBI probe into this," he said.

On Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that his party had connections with North-east insurgent groups, Gurung added, "We don't harbour terrorists from Bangladesh. Ask her (Mamata) where do the bomb factories operate from? There were riots in Howrah and Malda, not in Darjeeling."

Accusing the Bengal CM of indulging in authoritarian politics, Gurung renewed his challenge for the state government. "I'm not Kisenji, state government must get that clear. I'm leading the movement here I'm always present let me request the police to come and raid my house again," he said.

Also read: Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling backs Gorkhaland demand

Also read: Bimal Gurung: Gorkhaland dreamer and the man behind Darjeeling's hot summer

Also read: Darjeeling hills burn over Gorkhaland: Why Bimal Gurung must recall 2009 Supreme Court guidelines

--- ENDS ---

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Dr. Marie Chantal Nzayisaba meets with a Congolese patient at the health center in Maratane refugee camp in Mozambique.  UNHCR/Tina Ghelli

MARATANE, Mozambique - Dr. Marie Chantal Nzayisaba is doing her residency to become a stomatologist, also known as a specialist in oral medicine, for the Ministry of Health in Mozambique. Twice a week she travels to the health center in Maratane refugee camp located some 35 kms from Nampula city in Nampula Province to treat patients.

It is particularly meaningful for her to work in this clinic, because Dr. Nzayisaba is also a refugee. When she was one year old, her parents fled to Mozambique from Rwanda. She doesnt remember that much about when happened to their family before they left Rwanda. Nzayisaba grew up in Mozambique, became fluent in Portuguese and the local language.

After graduating from high school where she studied sciences, she was accepted into the University of Nampula to study oral medicine. In 2012, she applied for the UNHCR scholarship programme, the Albert Einstein German Acadamic Refugee Initiative Fund known by its German acronym, DAFI and was accepted.

Being awarded the DAFI scholarship programme made a huge difference for Nzayisaba. Not only were her school fees and living expenses covered, but she was also able to afford a dentistry kit that was needed for the practical assessments.

Without the DAFI scholarship, it would have been very difficult for me to finish my studies, since I would not have been able to buy the tools needed. I also believe my grades would have suffered since I would have had to find another way to support myself, says Nzayisaba

She recently graduated from Nampula University and is now volunteering with the Ministry of Health in Nampula district. While she enjoys building her skills, she also felt a calling to give back to the community. She then proposed to the Ministry of Health to see if she could support the clinic in Maratane refugee camp by providing dentistry services at the health center. Her request was approved and she has been volunteering in the camp, helping both the refugee and host community since April 2017.

Nzayisaba also mentors other DAFI students. The DAFI scholarship is extremely important for all refugees. It helps them to gain skills so that they can become contributors to society and support their families, instead of relying on international aid.

Being a refugee for over 20 years in Mozambique, she also qualifies to apply for Mozambican citizenship. The local UNHCR office has helped her to submit an application and she hopes it will be approved soon.

I am not ashamed to be a refugee, but every time you present your refugee ID card, people become apprehensive. Also being a national will give me more credibility and enable me to be able to open a bank account, says Nzayisiaba.

In addition to protection and assistance for refugees, UNHCR also works towards finding durable solutions for refugees. There are three main durable solutions, voluntary repatriation, when conditions improve in home countries and refugees can return home, resettlement, being accepted to a third country and the final one is local integration, being given an alternative legal status or citizenship in the country of asylum.

No one should be a refugee forever, says Hans Lunshof, UNHCRs Representative to Mozambique.

It is therefore very positive that a country like Mozambique has the national legislation to enable refugees like Dr. Nzayisaba who meet the criteria to apply for citizenship and become fully locally integrated into the host community.

It will take a few months before the decision is made and in the meantime, Nzayisaba will continue to serve both Mozambican and refugee patients.

I have lived more of my life in Mozambique than my home country. I feel both Mozambican and Rwandan. But the day I get my Mozambican citizenship I will finally feel free. That doesnt mean I will forget my roots, which will always be Rwandan, but I will have a solid future, says Nzayisaba.
BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon  As the sun sinks, the Ramadan Kitchen in Lebanons fertile Bekaa Valley is a hive of activity, buzzing with the sounds of clanging pots and pans, food being packaged into plastic containers and the laughter and chatter of a hundred cooks and volunteers.

In a nearby settlement lives 52-year-old Mona, a Syrian mother of seven who fled the fighting in Homs three years ago. She and her family stand outside their plywood shelter waiting for the van from Ramadan Kitchen that will bring their evening iftar meal, which marks the breaking of their daily fast.

The holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to conclude on Sunday with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, is traditionally a time for reflection and gathering among families and communities across the Muslim world, as well as for acts of solidarity and generosity.

In Lebanon, which currently hosts 1.01 million registered Syrian refugees in a total population of just 5.9 million, the NGO SAWA for Development and Aid established the Ramadan Kitchen in 2014 to provide iftar meals to thousands of refugees and needy locals each day during the holy month.

'Ramadan Kitchen' serves up iftar meals to refugees (Rima Cherri, producer / Houssam Hariri, camera)

The kitchen is funded mainly through individual charitable donations during Ramadan, and staffed by an army of up to 100 chefs and helpers each day, including local volunteers and Syrian refugees themselves.

I love helping people. I dont like to see people in need, regardless of their nationality, says Doaa Rhim, a 24-year-old Lebanese woman who has worked at the kitchen for the past two years. She also works as a volunteer teacher at a nearby informal school for Syrian refugee children.

I come to the Kitchen every day after class in the bus that drops off the children to do anything I can to help, from washing the vegetables to cooking or even packaging, Doaa added.

I love helping people. I dont like to see people in need, regardless of their nationality."

The van pulls up outside Monas shelter and delivers the days meal, which includes dates, meat pies and salad, and a main course of rice topped with chicken and nuts.

With 71 per cent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon living below the poverty line, and more than a third suffering moderate to severe food insecurity, Mona said the meals they receive help to bring some sense of normalcy to the family during the month of Ramadan.

It is so essential for us, especially when we cannot afford to cook, to receive this meal already made and delivered to us.

While the countries neighbouring Syria are currently home to more than five million refugees from the six-year conflict, the region is also host to refugees from other parts of the Muslim world.

Elham (left) and her daughter Raghed (right) are from Sana'a, in Yemen. They break the Ramadan fast at the Al Amal Orphan Society, in Amman, Jordan.  UNHCR/Benoit Almeras

Earlier this week in the Jordanian capital, Amman, refugees and asylum seekers from Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea gathered one evening to share an iftar of national dishes they had prepared themselves. The event was held at a local community centre run by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and NGO International Relief and Development.

Elham arrived in Jordan four months ago with her daughter Raghad, 10, having fled the fighting in Yemens capital Sanaa. As she sat chatting and eating with other women in the warm courtyard, Elham described what she and her daughter had endured the previous year.

Last Ramadan we didnt have electricity or much food, and there were missiles falling overhead."

Last Ramadan we didnt have electricity or much food, and there were missiles falling overhead. Sometimes, just as we were about to break our fast, I would hear a missile and have to run for cover fearing for my daughters life, she said.

As she passed around the sweet pastries filled with soft cheese that she had made, Elham said coming together for iftar with others had helped bring back happier memories of past Ramadans.

Tonight is something more special than usual, and I loved trying the foods from different countries, she said. When the next Ramadan comes around, wherever we are I just hope that my daughter is going to school again, and maybe I can continue my university studies somewhere.

Additional reporting by Charlie Dunmore in Amman, Jordan
A tent, which was once home to a Syrian refugee family in Jordans Zaatari camp, has been transformed into a dramatically different kind of canvas by British artist Kate Daudy and is now on display in Londons Migration Museum.

Daudys work, based on the ancient Chinese literary practice of writing on objects, explores the themes of home, identity and memory -- leitmotifs that run through the words of refugees depicted in felt on the tent.

The tent formed the centerpiece of a celebration at the museum on Thursday marking Refugee Week.

I was like someone losing my mind. I sat there among all the corpses. Let her die of sorrow, they said. And they left me.

In 2016, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, gave Daudy the tent to create the artwork, and organised for her to visit several camps. The courage, perseverance and dignity of the refugees with whom she met resonated with Daudy. The work is entitled Am I my Brothers Keeper? for its Old Testament and Koranic roots, and the value of shared humanity.

Im so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to talk to me with such honesty and truth, she said at the event. I want the tent to remind us of the responsibility we have for those in need. Its not inconceivable, if circumstances turn against us, that we too end up as refugees.

Artist Kate Daudy and UNHCR's Representative to the UK, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, at the launch of 'Am I My Brother's Keeper' at the Migration Museum in London.  UNHCR/Shina Animashaun

In Zaatari, Daudy was inspired by refugees who took great care planting flowers and bushes around their shelters in the arid camp environment. It struck me as an act full of grace, to go through so much trauma and loss, and straightaway go about planting flowers.

Back in London, by chance, a friend showed her some crochet work by Syrian women displaced by the war, and she knew that they should have a place on the tent. I was moved by the joyfulness of these intricately made objects, and commissioned hundreds of crocheted flowers for my tent, so that I could make a big tree of hope on one side, expressing the indomitability of the human capacity for joy.

As well as providing the women with a livelihood for the duration of the project, the tree is an expression of the refugees craft and creativity, in defiance of the war that has upended their lives. Daudys artistry brings together threads of colour and light to reimagine the tent  sometimes synonymous with displacement - as a symbol of resilience and hope.

WATCH: British artist Kate Daudy discusses visiting refugee camps with UNHCR and how she has visualised her experience on the streets of New York. Credit: Odessa Rae

The crocheted circles forming the tree and hollyhocks that wend their way among the words of refugees and phrases from the 1951 Refugee Convention were smuggled from Homs and Aleppo by journalists and contacts travelling out of Syria, to Daudys studio in London.

The year-long process of creating Am I My Brothers Keeper? has had a profound impact on Daudy. It has ripped me out of my comfort zone and turned my life upside down, she told the reception.

At the event, there were also speeches from senior figures from UNHCR, the museum and the Syrian refugee Maya Ghaza, as well as live music from Syrian refugees.

Maya Ghazal, a Syrian refugee, speaking at the launch of 'Am I My Brother's Keeper' at the Migration Museum.  UNHCR/Kim Nelson

The artwork had its debut in Hull last weekend as part of the City of Cultures launch of Refugee Week 2017 and is on display at the Migration Museum until 25 June. It will then travel to the Art Gallery of Ontario in September, to the Reina Sofia Gallery, Madrid, in November before ending the year at Art Basel, Miami Beach.

Refugees are not a separate class of people, Daudy said. By one stroke of bad luck they ended up in this tent. The man who lived in my tent was called Abu Teim. He lived in the tent for three or four months with his children and then disappeared. We dont know what happened to him after he left the camp.

Although this is a tent that has come from the specific circumstance of being a refugee, which is wildly extreme, she said, the core human values it expresses are common to us all.

For more about Kate Daudys work, visit www.katedaudy.com
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (right) talks with South Sudanese refugees after their arrival at Imvepi settlement, Uganda.  UNHCR/Rocco Nuri

KAMAPALA, Uganda  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi today praised Ugandas continued commitment to hosting refugees and called for greater global support for the countrys progressive policies for helping the forcibly displaced.

In his address to the Uganda Solidarity Summit on Refugees, held in the capital, Kampala, the High Commissioner said Uganda continues to show a profound commitment to enabling refugees to pursue self-reliance and live in dignity while in exile.

The Summit was organized by the office of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, together with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. About 500 delegates attended, including heads of state and government, members of the diplomatic corps, UN agencies, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations.

The goal of the meeting is to give due recognition to Ugandas generosity in hosting nearly 1.3 million refugees, and to call on the international community to do more

Showing solidarity with refugees and Uganda

The Secretary-General called on the international community to help Uganda shoulder the responsibility for so many refugees in the face of an emergency.

International solidarity is not just a matter of solidarity. It is a matter of justice, Guterres said.

In Uganda refugees are given land, allowed to work, own businesses and move freely. They are also integrated into government services like health care and education.

Seventeen-year-old Somali refugee Hindiyo Abdulkadir fled to Uganda 10 years ago. Speaking in English, she gave a powerful testimony about how the countrys policies have changed her life and given her a future.

Because of my education I have the confidence to speak before you today, in a language that I learned in Uganda, she said. Because I am educated, I do not define myself by the trauma, hardship and suffering that comes with being a refugee, she added.

But with more than half a million refugees from South Sudan crossing into Uganda over the last year, and more arriving everyday, the countrys resources are strained.

Regrettably, the hospitality of host countries is not adequately matched by financial contributions.

Regrettably, the hospitality of host countries is not adequately matched by financial contributions, said Grandi, citing the fact that the current humanitarian appeal for South Sudanese refugees is funded at only 16 per cent.

Disturbing shortfalls are emerging in critical areas such as food, shelter and education, he added.

Grandi also stressed that the summit is an opportunity to encourage Uganda and the world to find innovative responses to addressing refugee crises.

Uganda was one of the first countries to sign onto last years New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants. Member states committed to developing a more comprehensive response to assisting refugees, to include humanitarian and development organizations, the private sector, host countries and the refugees themselves.

The High Commissioner said support for Uganda, which already maintained an inclusive refugee policy, is critical to show that this model can work. He said the world should not take Ugandas generosity for granted but instead, reinforce and nurture it, so that it may continue to flourish.

By the conclusion of the summit more than US$358 million in support of Uganda was pledged.

But the High Commissioner, the Secretary-General and all speakers emphasized that what refugees need most is peace.

I appeal to the leaders of South Sudan, to States in the region, and to the international community at large, to engage in more decisive and inclusive peace efforts, Grandi said.

The men, women and children crossing into exile from South Sudan and from other countries today have the right to hope for a better future - one in which they can eventually return home, in safety and dignity.


Bookshelves laden with Arabic works are pushed aside, chairs and cushions rearranged and microphones tested. In a loft above the Berlin rooftops, Muhannad Qaiconie and team are preparing their unique library for a reading event.

By sunset, a crowd has gathered to hear readings by Syrian and Levantine poets with accompanying German translations. It is standing room only. The event is typical of those hosted by Baynetna, or Between Us, Berlins newest library, offering literature in Arabic, German and English.

The library is the brainchild of Muhannad, a Syrian student who runs it with an international team of academics, writers and publishers. There are many writers, authors, musicians coming to Berlin, says Muhannad, 30. They need this stage, a place to introduce their work.

A former student of English literature, he had to abandon his own library when he fled his home in Aleppo in 2013. The loss of his books weighed heavy on him during the years he scraped a living in Lebanon and Turkey.

I didnt have a single book in my hand at that time, he says. But studying was always in my mind, because I missed it so much. In Syria, I bought the books to read and make my own library, my own education.

If theres such thing as integration, thats it. You learn from me, I learn from you.

Muhannad left Turkey in 2015 and set off across the Mediterranean Sea to Greece. Soon, he found himself waiting in a shelter in southern Germany for his asylum application to be processed, bored and craving a good read.

Its horrible to lose everything, he says. But its not just the need of food or money, there are the needs of the mind. You need your culture, your books.

Before long, Muhannad struck up an online friendship with a Berlin-based literary scholar and newspaper editor, Ines Kappert. She asked him what she could give him to help him pass the time in the shelter.

What he really wanted, he said, was access to an Arabic library. However, Ines told him she did not know of any in the country. That stayed in my mind, he says. Muhannad moved to Berlin and won a scholarship to study at a liberal arts college. However, something was still missing.

Syrian literature student Muhannad in the library he founded.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Guests gather for a book reading hosted by Muhannad.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Syrian-Palestinian writer Ramy Al-Asheq talks at Muhannad's library in Berlin.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Muhannad chats with a guest at one of the library's book reading events.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Books inside the library founded by Syrian literature student Muhannad.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Guests gather for a book reading by Syrian writer Lina Atfah.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Together, Ines and Muhannad discussed the idea of creating a library, a space to showcase Arabic-language literature. Before long they found a venue  the top floor of a former high-rise hotel now used as accommodation for families from Syria and Iraq.

Then they set about filling the shelves with donated books on politics, religion, history and science, in Arabic but also in German and English. The library is for everybody  its an exchange of culture, says Muhannad. We can learn from each other, its not just one side. If theres such thing as integration, thats it. You learn from me, I learn from you.

Since it opened in February, the library has won support from a wide range of literary and cultural groups. Muhannad and Ines were joined by Jordanian student Dana Haddad, Syrian publisher Maher Khwis and Syrian musician Ali Hasan. The team opens the library four days a week for browsing, discussion and research. At night, regular events showcase authors from Berlins blossoming Arabic-language literary scene.

Lots of people they feel they are home now here, because its their culture, their people and their discussions, says Muhannad. We fill that gap.
The Madhya Pradesh government has said that it has reports which suggest that some people were planning to disrupt communal harmony and supply of essential commodities after GST is rolled out.

By Hemender Sharma: The Madhya Pradesh government has directed all district collectors to impose the National Security Act (NSA) to make preventive detentions to ensure smooth roll out of the GST from July 1.The collectors have been authorised to impose the NSA from July 1 to September 30.

In its notification, the state home department has said that the government had reports that suggested that some people were planning to disrupt communal harmony and supply of essential commodities.The Opposition Congress party has slammed the government for the decision saying what is the need for imposition of such a stringent act if the GST was such a nice thing.

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"What does the government want. It is killing farmers in police firing and threatening traders with the National Security Act. Traders can't even protest if they feel that right to livelihood is being snatched. If this is not moving towards emergency then what is?" Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said while speaking to India Today.

Top officials at the state secretariat however maintained that the direction has been given just to maintain law and order and to ensure that supply of essential commodities to the common man are not disrupted.

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Stop promoting GST or face protest: Congress to Amitabh Bachchan

ALSO WATCH:

Here's all you should buy before GST rollout

--- ENDS ---
Traffickers operating in border areas are constantly looking for ways to legitimise their business. Reports suggest they buy land in India and even acquire identity cards to evade suspicion.

By Reuters: Along the India-Bangladesh border that runs through India's eastern state of West Bengal, human traffickers are buying land, building homes and enrolling on voter lists to create cover for their cross-border operations, campaigners said.

"Traffickers operating in border areas are constantly looking for ways to legitimise their business," said Adrian Phillips of non-profit group Justice and Care, which works on the prosecution of traffickers and care for victims.

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"Purchase of land using fake documents is carried out to gain a foothold, establish support, a base and build a nexus."

Thousands of people - largely poor, rural women and children - are lured to India's towns and cities each year by traffickers who promise good jobs but sell them into prostitution or domestic servitude.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING HUB

West Bengal state - which shares a porous border with poorer neighbours Bangladesh and Nepal and is a known human trafficking hub for that reason - registered more than one-third of the total number of victims in 2016.

A report by Justice and Care and the Indian Border Security Force last month points to specific instances where traffickers on both sides "cement their operations" by buying land in villages close to the India-Bangladesh border and enrolling their names in voters lists in the village councils.

The porous, roughly 2,000 km (1,250 miles) long border running through West Bengal is demarcated primarily by border pillars and meanders through villages, agricultural land and rivers.

Every day it is crossed by thousands of people, who share similar ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural characteristics.

These features along with the topography make it easy for infiltrators, smugglers and human traffickers to cross over into India, security officials say.

TRAFFICKERS USE FAKE DOCUMENTS

"When traffickers produce valid voter cards or land deeds, it makes surveillance and identification even tougher," a senior Border Security Force officer told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, declining to be named.

India - which has an estimated 40 percent of almost 46 million people enslaved worldwide according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index - is a destination and transit point for young girls and women being trafficked into brothels or domestic servitude.

Traffickers are using fake documents to buy land or acquire Indian identity cards, the report said.

It gave the example of "Trafficker 1", a Bangladeshi citizen who had all the necessary Indian identity documents, including a ration card.

He had purchased government-owned land and built a house on it, using it as a temporary shelter point for girls being trafficked from Bangladesh. The researchers discovered that more than 35 girls trafficked by the person were working in Mumbai.

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Describing their journey from their villages in Bangladesh to brothels in India, most trafficking victims said they were "harboured" for a night in a shelter along the border.

These mustering points are grooming grounds for the girls who are to be sold to brothels later, the report said.

"We are acutely aware of the issues arising from a person having a fake voter card because that is proof of Indian nationality," said Antara Acharya of the district administration of North 24 Parganas, a border district in West Bengal.

"It's not easy when the international border divides a village in two in certain parts but we take up every complaint that comes on a priority basis."

ALSO READ:

Human trafficking racket busted in Raj, 5 minor girls rescued

Human trafficking racket involving cops: Bombay High Court transfers case to CID

ALSO WATCH:

Our press reports every incident of rape so it becomes 'top of the mind': Maneka Gandhi

--- ENDS ---
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced he has introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve cybersecurity resources for small businesses. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Cyber Training Act will expand efforts to train SBDC employees to become certified in cyber strategy counseling. Peters introduced the legislation in the Senate with Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, John Kennedy (R-LA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). U.S. Representatives Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chair of the House Small Business Committee, and Dwight Evans (D-PA) introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in our country each year, and they need the right tools and skills to identify cyber threats and protect their customers and their livelihoods, said Senator Peters. Im pleased to support this bipartisan bill, which builds on efforts to educate business owners on ways to improve cyber defenses so that small businesses can focus on what they do best: creating jobs, fostering economic growth and driving innovation.

Entrepreneurs  particularly in rural areas  depend on online sales and marketing to commercialize their businesses, leaving them incredibly vulnerable to cyber risks, said Senator Risch. With more than half of small businesses going out of business within six months of suffering a cyber-attack, it is incredibly important that we address this threat head on.

Many small business owners lack the capital and expertise they need to prevent a cybersecurity attack. Unfortunately, one simple hit can destroy everything a small business owner has created. Thats why we need to ensure small businesses have access to the best cybersecurity resources and information possible. Providing cybersecurity training to lead small business development center employees will broaden their expertise to help more small businesses prevent an attack and potentially help save their companies, said Chairman Chabot.

Our small business owners and entrepreneurs are the engines that drive people to live, grow and succeed in our neighborhoods. We know that our small business community faces increasing cyber threats in our ever changing and evolving global economy. I am proud to join with my colleagues in the House and Senate to introduce bipartisan legislation that equips our small business owners and entrepreneurs with the resources they need to keep their businesses safe, secure and protected. Our small businesses depend on the essential resources that our Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) provide and I will continue to set forth legislation that allows our small businesses and SBDCs to continue to thrive and prosper, said Rep. Evans.

The SBDC Cyber Training Act would require a percentage of SBDC employees to become certified in cyber strategy counseling, an approach that has proven effective for other areas including export trade counseling. Without costing taxpayers more money, the legislation would utilize already existing Small Business Administration (SBA) conferences to provide cyber strategy training to at least 10 percent of SBDC employees. The legislation will build on the SBAs existing expertise in training small businesses and allow the SBA to create new training programs and certify existing cyber education at SBDCs.

Michigan is home to 11 SBDC regional offices, which served over 5,500 businesses in 2016. Last year, Peters, a member of the Senate Cybersecurity caucus, introduced bipartisan legislation that was signed into law to enable SBDCs to work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to assist small businesses in planning for and protecting against cyber security attacks.
June 23 2017

DC Thomson has staged a triumphant return to its historic Dundee home at the Meadowside Building following a complete refurbishment of the property.Purpose built in 1906 and later extended in the 1960s the complex houses 600 staff spread across the publishers newspaper, magazine and digital media divisions.A project team including Sir Robert McAlpine, The Lindsay Gray Alan Beaton Partnership and Nicoll Russell Studios helped renovate the structure to offer open plan office accommodation, making use of the latest energy saving devices in the process sucvh as rainwater harvesting, LED lights and solar panels.David Thomson, Director and Chief Operating Officer said, Its fantastic to be back in the heart of Dundee where we belong, in the centre of a city with such an exciting future. The original opening of this building 111 years ago was a major vote of confidence in a flourishing business and a clear statement to the city that DC Thomson was here to stay in Dundee. I think the same could be safely said on our return here today.DC Thomson will continue to operate a modern production facility on the Kingsway and has begun work to transform its old West Ward print works into a 200,000sq/ft creative hub.
By Press Trust of India: to ICJ

By Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Jun 23 (PTI) India has voted against the UK to back of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justices opinion on the decades-long dispute between Britain and Mauritius over an island in the Indian Ocean.

In a diplomatic blow to Britain, the General Assembly voted by 94 to 15 to ask the Hague-based court to examine the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius maintains is part of its territory that has been unlawfully claimed by the UK since 1965.

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Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968.

India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution proposed by Mauritius and co-sponsored by the Group of African States.

"As part of our longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in his statement to the General Assembly on the resolution.

Akbaruddin said India supports the draft and votes in favour of it, "continuing with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonisation".

Speaking before the vote, Mauritius? Minister Mentor and Minister for Defence Anerood Jugnauth told the 193-member General Assembly that the Chagos Archipelago has been part of his country since at least the 18th century, when France had governed it. He said the entire territory had been ceded to the United Kingdom in 1810, and kept intact until the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago in November 1965. He added that information had come to light about British efforts to manipulate the international community at the time, and to present the United Nations with a fait accompli regarding the separation. Those facts alone should warrant a fresh look at the situation, he emphasised.

He said "a vote for the draft resolution [...] is a vote in support of completing the process of decolonisation, respect for international law and the rule of law."

Akbaruddin said as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonisation, India since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.

He stressed that India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean.

"We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space. On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations," Akbaruddin said.

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The archipelagos biggest island Diego Garcia is the site of a major British-American military base that is still in operation and served as a key US base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The US voted against the draft resolution saying it was an attempt to circumvent the ICJs lack of jurisdiction over a bilateral issue in which one of the parties had not consented to the submission.

It said the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, was critical to regional and global security. The US said the issue was not decolonisation, but a bilateral territorial dispute that would undermine the Court?s advisory function.

Britains envoy to the UN Matthew Rycroft said the UK is opposing the resolution "because referring a bilateral dispute to the ICJ is not the appropriate course of action.

"The request for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the Government of Mauritius to circumvent a vital principle: the principle that a State is not obliged to have its bilateral disputes submitted for judicial settlement without its consent. And let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius," he said.

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Rycroft added that UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes, and in 1966, concluded an agreement with the United States of America for joint defence use of the territory. ?The extensive facilities that have since been established, are primarily used as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships, and they make an essential contribution to regional and global security and stability,? he said.

He noted that Britain?s current agreement with the United States regarding the use of the Archipelago as a military base lasts until 2036.

"We cannot, 19 years away, predict exactly what our defence purposes will require beyond that date. We should not and will not make arbitrary, or ill-informed, or premature decisions. We cannot gamble with the future of regional and global security," he said.

The British envoy asserted that UK stands by its commitment that when it no longer needs the territory for defence purposes, it will pass on the Archipelago?s sovereignty. PTI YAS NSA

--- ENDS ---

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Long-Term Study Finds Energy Development Has Lasting Impact on Deer Populations

A new study involving UW researchers shows that mule deer have not habituated to energy development in Wyomings Upper Green River Basin. (Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Photo)

A new long-term study finds that energy development has longer-lasting impacts on mule deer populations than previously thought.

The study, Mule Deer and Energy Development -- Long-term Trends of Habituation and Abundance, appears in the journal Global Change Biology and has implications for energy development planning on federal lands.

There is a common perception that deer and other big game quickly habituate to disturbances like energy development, but our research clearly shows that is not the case with mule deer, says the papers lead author, Hall Sawyer.

Sawyer, a biologist for Western Ecosystems Technology (WEST) Inc., led the study along with two others from WEST -- Ryan Nielson and Dale Strickland. Nicole Korfanta and Kevin Monteith of the University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources were collaborators on the paper.

The researchers used telemetry data from 187 deer across a 17-year period, including two years during predevelopment and 15 years during development, to determine whether deer habituated to energy development in the Upper Green River Basin of western Wyoming. The study found that mule deer did not habituate to gas development, and the population declined by 36 percent despite aggressive on-site mitigation efforts and a 45 percent reduction in deer harvest.

Our study reveals some of the trade-offs associated with developing energy resources in critical wildlife habitat, and serves as a reminder that mitigation efforts can reduce but not eliminate impacts, Sawyer says. Long-term avoidance reduces the amount of winter range available for animals which, in turn, reduces the number of animals that can be supported on the landscape.

The findings could alter how federal land-use plans consider the impact of oil and gas development on mule deer and other big-game species.

Environmental assessments typically consider mule deer avoidance of oil and gas infrastructure as a short-term impact. But these results suggest avoidance behavior is a long-term impact that can affect populations for decades, Korfanta says.

With 17 years of data, this is the longest-running study of oil and gas effects on mule deer.

The value of a long-term, population-level study is in moving beyond anecdotal evidence. While some individual mule deer continue to use habitat close to oil and gas wells, this study shows thats the exception and not the rule, Korfanta says.

The study will be published by Global Change Biology this fall but is publicly available now online as an Early View article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.13711/full.
UW Art Museums Annual Gala to Celebrate Art

The University of Wyoming Art Museum will host its 24th annual gala fundraiser, Art is the Answer, Saturday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. in the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center.

Art is the Answer is planned as a fun-filled, festive evening of fine food, libations, music and dancing, friends and an expansive auction with Wyoming-made products, experiences, resources and art. This years theme celebrates art and the Art Museums mission to present world-class art exhibitions, arts education, statewide outreach and free public programs to enhance the cultural life of all Wyomings citizens and visitors.

UW President Laurie Nichols and her husband, Tim Nichols, will host this years event.

We were pleased to be asked to co-chair the Art Museums gala again this year, President Nichols says. We so enjoyed last years gala with energy and enthusiasm in support of the arts. While there are many worthy causes that deserve our support, the Art Museum gala is right at the top of Tims and my list. We hope to see you at the gala this year.

The annual black-tie event is presented by the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum and provides significant program dollars for Art Museum exhibitions, collections, education and outreach.

The Art Museums programs are anchored on a comprehensive and growing collection of more than 8,000 objects and a diverse exhibition program that ranges from innovative artists of present time to art of the American West and art from other times and cultures. Its original art resources form the basis for education and outreach programs that serve the state of Wyoming and enable academic and community engagement opportunities.

For more information and to be added to the invitation list, call the Art Museums administrative assistant at (307) 766-3477. Invitations will be mailed in late August.

For more information, call the Art Museum at (307) 766-6622, visit the website at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum, or follow the museum on Facebook.

Through its Museum as Classroom approach, the UW Art Museum places art at the center of learning for all ages. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday hours are extended to 7 p.m. February through April and September through November. Admission is free.
By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Updating with fresh inputs)

By Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Jun 23 (PTI) India has voted against the UK to back a UN resolution seeking the International Court of Justices opinion on the protracted dispute between Britain and Mauritius over a strategic a archipelago in the Indian Ocean where the US has a major military base.

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In a major diplomatic blow to Britain, the General Assembly yesterday voted by 94 to 15 to ask the Hague-based court to examine the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius maintains is part of its territory that has been unlawfully claimed by the UK since 1965.

Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968.

The archipelagos biggest island Diego Garcia is the site of a major British-American military base that is still in operation and served as a key US base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution proposed by Mauritius and co-sponsored by the Group of African States.

"As part of our longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in his statement to the General Assembly on the resolution.

Akbaruddin said India supports the draft and votes in favour of it, "continuing with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonisation".

Speaking before the vote, Mauritius? Minister Mentor and Minister for Defence Anerood Jugnauth told the 193-member General Assembly that the Chagos Archipelago has been part of his country since at least the 18th century, when France had governed it.

He said the entire territory had been ceded to the United Kingdom in 1810, and kept intact until the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago in November 1965. He added that information had come to light about British efforts to manipulate the international community at the time, and to present the United Nations with a fait accompli regarding the separation. Those facts alone should warrant a fresh look at the situation, he emphasised.

He said "a vote for the draft resolution [...] is a vote in support of completing the process of decolonisation, respect for international law and the rule of law."

Akbaruddin said as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonisation, India since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.

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He stressed that India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean.

"We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space. On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations," Akbaruddin said.

The US voted against the draft resolution saying it was an attempt to circumvent the ICJs lack of jurisdiction over a bilateral issue in which one of the parties had not consented to the submission.

It said the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, was critical to regional and global security. The US said the issue was not decolonisation, but a bilateral territorial dispute that would undermine the Court?s advisory function.

Britains envoy to the UN Matthew Rycroft said the UK is opposing the resolution "because referring a bilateral dispute to the ICJ is not the appropriate course of action.

"The request for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the Government of Mauritius to circumvent a vital principle: the principle that a State is not obliged to have its bilateral disputes submitted for judicial settlement without its consent. And let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius," he said.

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Rycroft added that UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes, and in 1966, concluded an agreement with the United States of America for joint defence use of the territory.

"The extensive facilities that have since been established, are primarily used as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships, and they make an essential contribution to regional and global security and stability," he said.

He noted that Britain?s current agreement with the United States regarding the use of the Archipelago as a military base lasts until 2036.

"We cannot, 19 years away, predict exactly what our defence purposes will require beyond that date. We should not and will not make arbitrary, or ill-informed, or premature decisions. We cannot gamble with the future of regional and global security," he said.

The British envoy asserted that UK stands by its commitment that when it no longer needs the territory for defence purposes, it will pass on the Archipelago?s sovereignty. PTI YAS NSA AKJ AKJ

--- ENDS ---

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Johnny Depp, while talking at the Glastonbury Festival, joked about becoming the second actor to assassinate a president of the United States.

By India Today Web Desk: On April 14, 1865, then US President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by a well-known actor, John Wilkes Booth.

Making a clear reference to Booth, an actor, killing a US President, Johnny Depp, who was at his casual best at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, invited trouble with the choice of words.

He made a joke about killing Donald Trump.

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Yes!

Not mincing his words while talking about the current US president, Depp, who was at the Glastonbury Festival to introduce a screening of his movie The Libertine, said, "Can we bring Trump here? I think he needs help."

Depp, addressing a crowd of at least 2,000 people, said, "It is just a question. I'm not insinuating anything. By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you're all part of it. But when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

In May, actress-comedian Kathy Griffin found herself in a soup after she posed with a photograph showing a bloodied, beheaded US President Donald Trump. Social media users slammed Griffin for the grotesque image and the dark joke she attempted to make.

The CNN fired Griffin from their annual New Years Eve programme post the controversy. Donald Trump tweeted saying his family is extremely disturbed with the image Griffin posed with and for once many people agreed to him.

The actress made a 31-second apology video and tweeted it saying, "I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong."

Having seen such outrage against Griffin, we cannot help but wonder why Johnny Depp would make such a joke. Depp said, "I want to qualify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it has been a while and maybe it is time," reported Page Six.

--- ENDS ---


The entire Las Vegas valley is invited to celebrate Independence Day at the 23rd annual Summerlin Council Patriotic Parade, Southern Nevadas largest and most colorful Fourth of July parade (Photo Courtesy of The Howard Hughes Corporation).

Photo Courtesy of The Howard Hughes Corporation.

This year, parade grand marshals are Major General Glen D. VanHerck, Commander, United States Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base; and Chief Master Sgt. Charles R. Hoffman, Command Chief Master Sergeant, United States Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base. More than 35,000 people are expected to attend the parade.

Photo Courtesy of The Howard Hughes Corporation.

The parade features more than 70 entries, including traditional floats, giant inflatable balloons, American military heroes, bands, musical groups and a variety of kids favorite storybook and cartoon characters. More than 2,500 people are participating in the parade and more than 500 volunteers from dozens of local schools and community groups are assisting with parade operations.

Photo Courtesy of The Howard Hughes Corporation.

This year, several new entries are added to the parade roster, including Moanas Ocean Journey; Captain Jacks Swashbuckling Adventure; Troll-abration; Belle at the Enchanted Castle; Desert Pines High School Mariachi Band and appearances by the Muppets, Pikachu and Daniel Tiger. More than 16,000 cubic feet of helium will be used for more than 25 giant inflatables.

Photo Courtesy of The Howard Hughes Corporation.

Returning to the parade include fan favorites The Fourth Awakens float featuring the Neon City Garrison Star Wars costuming club; Avengers: Americas Mighty Heroes float; Music of America float featuring a live performance by the acclaimed Desert Angels gospel choir; Brachiosaurus: Jurassic Giant inflatable balloon; A Salute to the Military float featuring the service men and women from Nellis Air Force Base; Palo Verde, Spring Valley and Las Vegas High School Marching Bands; Danza Del Carrizo Native American performing group; America Legion, USO and the Marine Corps Leagues.

The parade is organized by The Summerlin Council, the non-profit arm of the Summerlin Community Association dedicated to the social, educational and recreational enrichment of residents. The parade is open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to arrive early, bring water and wear sunscreen.

Title Sponsor is The Howard Hughes Corporation/Summerlin. Premier Sponsor is QI Security Services. Major sponsors include Summerlin Hospital; Station Casinos; Pardee Homes; Nevada State Bank; Hanratty Law Group; Southwest Medical; Par 3 Landscape and Maintenance; and Downtown Summerlin.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jun 23 (PTI) Special CBI counsel Deepak Salvi, who is seeking maximum punishment to the six convicts in the 1993 serial blasts case, today told the anti-terror court that the judgment in Yakub Memon case would help it in punishing the six convicts.

The TADA court had last Friday convicted five accused including mastermind Mustafa Dossa and extradited gangster Abu Salem for murder, conspiracy and sections of TADA.

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While another accused Riyaz Siddiqui was convicted only under TADA Act.

Dalvi told the court that its the duty of the court to award proper and just sentence having regard to the nature of the offence and the method in which it has been executed.

"The punishment awarded must befit the crime so that courts can reflect public abhorrence of the crime," Salvi told the court.

The judgment in Yakub Memon case would help the court in punishing the six convicts, said Salvi.

The prosecution will continue to argue its case on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the court also allowed request of the accused seeking permission to get new clothes and sweets for Eid. PTI VI RMT KUN

--- ENDS ---
British Prime Minister Theresa May (left) and European Council President Donald Tusk pose during a EU leaders summit in Brussels. (FRANCOIS LENOIR/AFP)

At a summit in Brussels, May gave "a clear commitment that no EU citizen currently in the UK lawfully will be asked to leave the country at the point that the UK leaves the EU", a British government source said.

"The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer and one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society," May told EU leaders.

The EU has made a priority of the rights of an estimated three million Europeans living in Britain, whose futures have been thrown into doubt by its shock vote last year to leave the 28-nation bloc.

Under May's plan, Europeans who have been living in Britain for five years at the time of a yet to be specified cut-off date would be entitled to a new "settled status" granting them permanent rights to healthcare, education, welfare and pensions equivalent to British nationals.

Newer arrivals would be allowed to stay until they had amassed the necessary five years to qualify for settled status too.

Those who arrived after the cut-off date will have a "grace period" of up to two years, during which they can apply for another form of immigration status, such as a work permit.

CLASHES LOOM

But the Conservative leader, battling to retain her authority after losing her parliamentary majority in a snap vote, also put herself on a collision course with Brussels.

She failed to set a cut-off date for those who are eligible for permanent residence, saying only that it would be no earlier than the triggering of the Article 50 process on leaving the EU - March 29, 2017 - and Britain's formal exit, on course for Mar 30, 2019.

That will leave some new arrivals unsure of their status.

And she rejected a demand for the European Court of Justice to oversee the process and any resulting disputes.

In its position paper on EU rights published this month, the European Commission said the court should have "full jurisdiction" over such citizens' rights.

But May is determined to remove Britain from the ECJ's reach, insisting that "taking back control" of its laws is one of the reasons Britons voted for Brexit.

"The commitments that we made to EU citizens will be enshrined in UK law and enforceable through our highly respected courts," the British source said.

Resolving the citizens rights issue is one of three priorities for the opening stage of Brexit negotiations that began on Monday.

May said she expected any offer by Britain to be met with a reciprocal offer from the EU for the one million Britons on the continent, but said she wanted a deal to be done as quickly as possible.

Officials said further details, including on the rights of spouses and children of European citizens, would be published in a government paper on Monday.

"The prime minister told leaders that the UK does not want anyone here to have to leave, nor does it want families to be split up," the source said.

The EU had earlier made clear that no Brexit negotiations would take place at the summit.

Asked about the potential clash with Brussels, the government source said: "They set out a position a couple of weeks ago, we're setting out our position."
Samsung is expected to offer consultation to 12 local suppliers

The Samsung story

On June 20, 2017, Shim Won Hwan went on a special trip after he was re-elected for the position of Samsung Vietnams general director. He visited three Vietnamese enterprises, including Thanh Long Electronic Production Joint Stock Company in the northern province of Bac Ninh, Hanel Plastics Joint Stock Company in Hanoi's Sai Dong, and Vietnam HTMP Mechanical Co., Ltd. in Hanoi's Me Linh.

Since 2015, when Samsung officially started its consultancy and support programme for Vietnamese enterprises wishing to take part in Samsungs supply chain, every year, Samsungs general director has been visiting such enterprises. However, this was the first time for Shim Won Hwan. Also, this was the first time a PCB (Printed Circuit Board)manufacturer was on the list of enterprises to receive support from Samsung. It means that Korean giant now supports a firm in the hi-tech industry, instead of supporting packaging and mould manufacturers only, as it used to do in the past.

By providing consultancy and support to a hi-tech enterprise, we help Vietnamese enterprises to manufacture more complex parts and join a higher value chain in the future. This is a strong promise of long-term sustainable investment in Vietnam, Hwan said.

At the beginning of April this year, Samsung officially announced that it would offer consultation to enterprises in the hi-tech industry in its consultancy programme. This move is aimed at kitting out Vietnamese enterprises to be able to manufacture complex electronics by high-technology with high added value.

In 2017, Samsung is expected to offer consultation to 12 local supply enterprises, increasing the total number of businesses having undergone the programme to 26 since 2015. Notably, this will be the first time Samsung subsidiaries Samsung Display Vietnam and Samsung Electro Mechanics Vietnam have taken part in this programme as consultants for Vietnamese supply vendors. Moreover, Tier 1 suppliers will support Tier 2 and 3 ones.

All of these changes demonstrate Samsungs promise to boost localisation, support enterprises that wish to join Samsungs supply chain, and contribute to the development of supporting industries in Vietnam, Hwan said.

Whether the three enterprises visited by Hwan can become Samsungs suppliers depends on their efforts. However, this visit may prove an invaluable opportunity for them.

One Samsung is not enough for the whole economy

One cannot deny Samsungs efforts in developing its Vietnamese supply chain and that it has contributed to the Vietnamese economy a lot. However, support from only Samsung is not enough for the Vietnamese economy to flourish.

Dang Huy Dong, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in the midterm Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) this year said that the Vietnamese economy is like a vehicle which cannot run smoothly with only a wheel of foreign invested enterprises. Instead, it needs all components to align.

Thus, currently, strengthening the linkage between foreign invested and domestic enterprises is important, Dong said.

This was not the first time this matter has been mentioned. Regarding the weak connection between foreign invested and domestic enterprises, many experts worry that foreign invested enterprises may flourish much faster and may dominate their domestic counterparts.

When talking about this problem, Hiroshi Karashima, chairman of the Japan Business Association in Vietnam, said that to enhance Vietnams attractiveness as a manufacturing economy, it is necessary to enhance the industry environment to raise added value.

It is necessary to create more supporting industries by supporting the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises, Karashima said. Also, he said that to facilitate the development of supporting industries, some Japanese SMEs should transfer technology to Vietnamese companies.

Component suppliers should improve their quality, production capacity, and administration capacity, cut down on expenses, and obey international laws and regulations. Foreign invested enterprises should provide their suppliers with detailed guidance as well as publish their criteria of picking suppliers with the aim of supporting potential suppliers in Vietnam, Wail A. Farghaly, head of the Automotive Working Group in VBF, said.
A market watch team discovers a batch of fake goods in the capital city. - Photo VNA

This is the thrust of Government Decree No 43/2017/ND-CP on labeling of Vietnamese and imported goods, which came into effect on June 1.

Under the decree, a labels compulsory information must include the name of the goods, name and address of the organisation or individual responsible for the goods, origin of the goods and other information depending on the characteristics of the goods.

Accordingly, organisations and individuals responsible for the labeling are required to present the information truthfully, clearly and precisely. In case such organisations or individuals authorise others to label their goods, the former will continue to remain responsible for following labeling regulations.

The new decree also requires goods imported into Viet Nam, which have original labels that are noncompliant with this decree or lack certain prescribed compulsory information, to have extra labels in Vietnamese enclosed with the original ones.

With these new regulations, the decree has created legal corridors to prevent vague labeling.

According to the Ha Noi Industry and Trade Department, lack of production date and place, and vague and inaccurate labeling are popular ways to swindle customers in the Vietnamese market.

It is easy to catch violations, including labels of the wrong size or incorrect font size of letters, in addition to many types of imported goods not having an extra label.

As a result, many production establishments have taken advantage of this situation to sell fake products. The violations have mainly been found in food items, clothing and electronic products.

Pham Van Thanh, a resident of Ha Nois Ba Dinh District, said he bought a gas stove labeled Rinai  Japans leading brand name gas stove at a trade centre in the capital city and supposed that it had been produced in Japan. When he returned home, he discovered Made in China printed below the stove.

An online home appliances shopkeeper in Ha Noi, said: "There are Rinai stoves made in Japan, made in Viet Nam, and made in China in the Vietnamese market at different prices. The customers should study this carefully before making a decision to buy one."

He gave the Napolis gas stove imported from Italy as an example. The stove is being sold for more than VND6 million (US$263.5) but there is another stove named Napoli whose label is similar to the Italian one which is priced at VND3 million. This stove is made in China.

Tran Viet Hung, deputy head of the Ha Noi Market Watch Department, said all goods in the market must be properly labelled. Goods with vague labels were often found to be fake or counterfeit.

The new regulations will serve as a deterrent and strictly penalise violations on labeling and stamps, Hung said.
Citi supporting Vietnam in connecting the global dots Vietnam is considered by US group Citi as an attractive market. Ramachandran A.S., Citi country officer, talked to VIRs Linh Le about the groups efforts to utilise its global experience in the Southeast Asian nation, and its priorities moving forward.

Radisson Hotel Group spearheading hospitality growth in Asia-Pacific With travel restrictions easing, air traffic increasing, and leisure and business travel bookings on the rise, Radisson Hotel Group is optimistic about the outlook for the hospitality industry in Asia-Pacific.

Secrets of the most special securities company in Vietnam Techcom Securities (TCBS) leadership, with cutting-edge vision and execution muscle, has changed the course of the company over the last nine years since Nguyen Xuan Minh became chairman of the Board of Directors. VIRs Tuan Khanh sat together with Minh and talked about his path, vision, and success story.

Promoting gender equality & enhancing women's economic empowerment Vietnarn's national strategy on gender equality for the 2021-2030 period sets a target that by 2025, 60 per cent of state management ageneies and local governments at all levels will have female key leaders.
Two editors of Kannada tabloids have been sentenced to one year in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 by Karnataka Assembly for their allegedly defamatory write-ups against MLAs.

By India Today Web Desk: Two editors of Kannada tabloids, including journalist Ravi Belagere, have been sentenced to one year in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 by the Karnataka Assembly for their allegedly defamatory write-ups against state legislators.

The Karnataka Assembly adopted the resolution to punish the two scribes - Belagere, who is editor of 'Hi Bangalore' and Anil Raju, editor of 'Yelahanka Voice' - through a voice vote on June 20 for these articles. Apart from the jail term, the Speaker also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each one of them.

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Speaker KB Koliwad said on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly, "I approve the recommendation of the privilege committee, which had recommended a year's imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 on editors of 'Hi Bangalore' and 'Yelahanka Voice' ."

JAIL TERM MAY BE EXTENDED BY SIX MONTHS

He added that if the journalists failed to pay the fine, the jail term would be extended to another six months.

The Assembly secretariat said that it would ask cops to act on the House resolution, sentencing the two journalists to jail.

The Privileges Committee of the Assembly had recommended jail for Belagere and Raju for allegedly publishing articles against MLAs, including Koliwad.

The write-up against Koliwad was published in the September 2014 issue of 'Hi Bangalore.'

FORMER SPEAKER THIMMAPPA REFERRED ISSUE TO PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE

The issue had been referred to the Privileges Committee by former Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa after Koliwad, when he was an MLA, had lodged a complaint against Belagere.

The issue was raised in the House by Congress and BJP MLAs BM Nagaraju and SR Viswanath, who recommended action against the journalists.Nagaraju accused Belagare of not being present for the hearing despite being summoned by the committee.

Assembly Secretary S Murthy said a communication was being sent to the police for further action. "The process regarding the same is underway", he added.

When asked what would be his future course of action, Koliwad said all the set procedures would be followed in accordance with the law.

(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)

Also read | Jammu: Fake journalist-cum-travel agent arrested for duping pilgrims Also read | Lalu source of employment for journalists, media biased against him: Tejashwi

MAY ALSO WATCH VIDEO

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Housing Department Reaches New Milestone - Arrears Reduced to Below 5Million

Government have announced it has reached the next milestone in its strategy in the recovery of arrears of housing rent. The balance of arrears now owing is just below 5 million, this means that over 1 million have been recovered since the arrears collection strategy commenced just under a year and half ago.

The balance of arrears as at todays date is 4,995,427.

"It must be recalled that at its highest in January 2016, before the implementation of the arrears collection strategy, the balance of arrears was 6,017,341. Not only is it significant that over 1million has been recovered in just 18 months, but, perhaps more importantly, it demonstrates that the problem is now clearly under control."

The strategy for recovery has been two-fold:

1. Proactively recovering existing debt

2. Introducing new mechanisms to prevent arrears escalating and new arrears being incurred.

328 tenants have paid their arrears in full.

Since the strategy commenced, a total of 455 arrears repayment agreements have been signed, of which 105 have been completed and these arrears recovered in full. The remaining 350 agreements have secured 1,476,243 to be repaid.

A spokesperson for the Govt said that one of the most notable steps taken has been to deduct arrears payments at source from all public sector workers salaries. "Furthermore, all new tenants are obliged to pay by either deduction at source or standing order, thereby securing all rent payments in the future and ensuring that no new tenants are able to accrue rent arrears."

The statement continued, "Before this strategy was implemented, arrears were increasing at a rate of approximately 9% per year and at that rate, had the matter not been tackled when it was, todays balance would instead have been over 7 million.

It took over 20 years to accumulate arrears to exceed 6 million and the figure has been reduced by almost 17% in just a year and a half. This reduction has been achieved at no additional expense to the tax payer: there has been no additional staff and no overtime expenses incurred for this, just a restructure of the Housing Department. No part of the debt has been written off.

Unlike past practice, the Housing Department now constantly writes to every single tenant who is in arrears. Everyone is offered a face-to-face meeting and assistance as to payment options are offered so that a solution can be explored. During the period since the arrears collection strategy commenced, the Housing Department has held 959 arrears clinics where dedicated officers have met with tenants and assisted them to face the financial situation and find a workable solution to settle the debt. There is now also a firmly established referral process to the Employment Service for tenants who are unemployed so that they are assisted, guided and supported in seeking employment."

Since the adoption of the arrears strategy in January 2016, in addition to the Government changing the Limitation Act so as to prevent recovery of old debts being time barred, the Housing Department has put various measures in place to aid in the recovery of arrears as follows:

 Updated software systems for rent collection

 New monthly billing formats introduced

 Communication with tenants in arrears

 Face to face meetings with tenants

 Established referral process with the Employment service to assist unemployed tenants to find employment

 Revised arrears agreements

 No non-urgent repair works for tenants in arrears

 No inclusions or exchanges permitted to those in arrears

 No parking spaces, sheds or berths allocated to tenants in arrears

Minister for Housing, Samantha Sacramento said: "The level of housing rent arrears was totally unacceptable and nothing short of scandalous. I believe that for almost 20 years since 1996 the matter became so exponentially out of control that it was perceived too politically unpopular to tackle. However, I firmly believed that I had to pursue this because it was the absolute right thing to do so upon being appointed Minister for Housing I immediately set about redressing this problem, it took me about a year of preparation and setting up IT systems before I could actually execute the strategy.

With a lot of planning and dedication, we have set up an effective mechanism to recover and avoid accrual of further debt. The Housing Department has fully embraced the arrears collection strategy and have been working extremely hard for the last year and a half to give it effect. The success of the strategy is in no small measure because of the efforts of the dedicated arrears team at the Housing Department and their Senior Management. The recovery and prevention exercise has been systematic and consistent and I am delighted at the remarkable progress that they have made in reversing the upward trend and in getting the figure beneath the 5 million threshold.

It is important to note that those who do not pay rent are in the minority: they amount to just under 500 tenants and this represents 10% of Government tenants. Most housing tenants do diligently pay their rent on time and keep up to date with payments.

As a Government we owe a duty to all tenants who pay their rent, as well as to home owners who pay their mortgage payments, all of whom are tax payers and who are in effect subsidising those who fail to pay rent. It is not the responsibility of the tax payer to subsidise the lifestyles of people who simply refuse to pay rent.

Notwithstanding the vigour with which arrears are pursued, as a conscientious Government we draw a distinction between those who do not pay because they do not want to pay and those who simply cannot pay for social reasons or situations of genuine hardship. In the case of the latter, it is absolutely right that as a society in a prosperous economy that they are supported.
New Legislative Measures to Protect Breastfeeding Mothers

Breastfeeding is an important public health issue because it promotes health, prevents disease and generally confers extensive and well-established benefits. Breastfeeding is recognised as an extremely effective preventative health measure for both mothers and babies. Except in very few specific medical situations, breastfeeding should be universally encouraged.

Government have today stated it supports the awareness campaign that has been organised by the Gibraltar Breastfeeding Association, the aim of which is to inform mothers of the benefits of breastfeeding as well as to support any mums who may be feeling anxious about the process. This years initiative is aimed at raising awareness of a mothers right to breastfeed and of the importance of providing environments where women are made to feel comfortable when doing so. The Association has launched a Breastfeeding Welcome scheme where they are encouraging local businesses and community facilities to provide a welcome, safe, clean and comfortable environment that promotes breastfeeding.

The Minister for Equality, Samantha Sacramento, has today announced that in order to promote breastfeeding, she will introduce law that will make it discriminatory for businesses and establishments not to permit breastfeeding: any such action would amount to discrimination. There will be proposed amendments to the Equal Opportunities Act to provide for this. She said: Breastfeeding is the most natural, healthy, best start a mother can provide for her child. Apart from the medical benefits breastfeeding has to both baby and mum, it can be done anytime and anywhere.

Whether to breastfeed or not is, of course, a personal choice and mothers need to feel comfortable and confident when choosing to exercise that choice. As a society we need to help mothers feel comfortable in feeding their babies whenever they need to; we all have a role to play so that negative attitudes do not undermine this choice or discourage mothers from doing so. They will now have a right to do so because we will enshrine such a protection in law to make it an express provision that it would be discriminatory to treat women unfavourably because they are breastfeeding. I have already instructed that an amendment to existing legislation be drafted so that I may give effect to these changes to the law in Parliament as soon as possible.

I am grateful for our close working relationship with the Gibraltar Breastfeeding Association and the excellent awareness work that they do, and their new initiative to work with businesses to promote environments that are welcoming to breastfeeding mothers.

Ms Tasmin Suarez of the Gibraltar Breastfeeding Association said: The Health benefits from breastfeeding for mum and baby, both mentally and physically, can be one of the biggest gifts a family can bestow on their child. The Gibraltar Breastfeeding Association's aim is to empower every mother that wishes to breastfeed her infant to be able to do so. This is achieved by providing the correct information to all the community as a whole. The confidence to breastfeed is achieved through community support and we applaud the Ministry of Equality for introducing legislation to enable a family to be comfortable to feed their child whenever that child is hungry, without prejudice.
Artists for Gibraltar - Berlin Artist Exchange Residency

Gibraltar Cultural Services have announced that Shane Dalmedo has been selected to represent Gibraltar at the Berlin artist residency. The Berlin art residence exchange programme is a cultural development initiative organised by GCS on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, together with Lichtenberg Studios.

Shane Dalmedo will travel to Berlin, Germany, in July for a four week period and develop her work and ideas in urban public spaces. The artist will receive a stipend, travel expenses, accommodation and a production budget as part of this award.

GCS have also confirmed that as part of the exchange, Berlin based artist Birgit Holmer will be travelling to Gibraltar in the autumn as part of the residency. The work by Birgit Holmer promises exciting and innovative site-specific works that will hopefully delight and inspire older, as well as the younger generation of artists and the arts-loving public of Gibraltar.

A publication and an exhibition in Gibraltar will follow in October 2017.
You could argue that one of the overarching themes of Nashville  insofar as Nashville actually has any overarching themes  is how to be an authentic artist in the digital age. Which is why its so baffling that the show constantly gets the internet and modern technology wrong. Every time someone mentions things going viral or having hashtags, they act like its some alien language they need to bring Amy Adams onboard to translate.

On tonights episode, it happens at least twice.

The first time involves Zach Welles, who has hired an interim chief strategy officer named Alyssa Greene, played by none other than Summer Roberts herself, Rachel Bilson. (Shes looking all sorts of adorbs with oversize glasses that say, Yes, I have given a TED Talk.) Alyssa gathers the talent and staff at Highway 65 and talks about brand partnerships, prompting Scarlett to raise her hand, scrunch up her little nose, and say, So you, like, want us to write songs for products? I assumed this was one of Scarletts blonde moments until Alyssa enthusiastically replied, Yes! Huh? In our digital age, a brand partnership might mean a sponsorship of a concert or online contest or charitable event. It might mean product placement on tour. It might mean stunts, like the one Alyssa actually mentions where Red Bull hosted that lunatic who skydived from space. It might mean lots of things  but writing jingles for big brands is not one of them. I think Amy Adams will have to go back to the mothership.

Then theres Rayanne Graff, a.k.a. Teen Hobo, and her Maddie GIF. Some background: The video of Maddie calling out the cops for their alleged racism toward Clay has become something of a cause celebre and paparazzi are staked out ouside the James-Claybourne manse. Just for kicks and grins, Teen Hobo has taken a GIF of Maddie, mid-meltdown, and added a hashtag to it. (Her hashtag isnt particularly clever, by the way. Its #WhiteGirlsMatterToo.) Then she uploads the GIF to some site called Roastr (see what they did there?) and other people add their own hashtags  sample #DumbWhiteWhore (niiiice)  and the thing takes off. She has created something called a meme (/mem/). The show basically acts as though Teen Hobo is the only person in the world with the power to create a GIF.

Honestly, the whole Maddie story line is problematic as hell. I admire Nashville for taking on racism and cops, but Im just not sure how were supposed to feel about Maddies viral moment. Heres my take: What she did was well-intentioned, but wrong-headed  a product of her own clueless privilege  and she couldve made things a lot worse for Clay. She certainly shouldnt apologize to anyone other than Clay for it, but then again, shes also not an ally to people of color (groan) as the guy from The Nation (lol) told her.

But heres Maddies problem: Nashville (the town) is strictly #BlueLivesMatter territory. Being perceived as going against the cops is not good for ones country-music bona fides, hence everyone (including Deacon) pressuring her to show contrition. This has the ring of truth, although Bucky comparing Maddies confrontation with the cops to Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks bashing George W. Bush is a little extra, to say the least.

Moving along, Scarlett has finally acknowledged that she isnt feeling Gunnar right now, despite the fact that his hair is in a good place, hes committed, hes emotionally available, and he keeps cooking for her. Girl, what is your damage? Deacon, who should start charging by the hour at this point, tells her not to force her feelings for Gunnar and they will probably come back. If he says so.

In other news, Hallie seems to be heading toward series-regular status, which I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, the woman can sing. On the other, I find Rhiannon Giddens a bit bland (as this is her first major acting gig, she very well might improve on the job). Anyway, Juliette gets Hallie a set at the Bluebird, invites a bunch of industry types, Deacon basically gets emoji hearts eyes as he watches her onstage. He wants to sign her to Highway 65 right away. Avery expresses his approval.

You offering to produce [her album]? Deacon asks.

No, Im begging, Avery cracks.

Also, Hallie is secretly dating her married bass player. She contains multitudes.

What else? Zach and Will are having issues, mostly because Will feels torn between his artist friends and his executive boyfriend. Hes on the verge of breaking up with Zach when Zach slyly tells him that Budweiser is interested in teaming up with Will for one of those famed brand partnerships. But if youre not interested, he teases. Will is interested.

Juliette reluctantly plays the song Travis Whatshisname wrote for Maddie and, needless to say, Maddie loves it. Juliette is feeling hella guilty  but not guilty enough to give Maddie back her song.

Speaking of feeling guilty about doing Maddie wrong, little Daphne is tormented over #WhiteGirlsMatterToo and the fact that Teen Hobo invented memes, apparently. Maddie calls her upstairs to her room, but its not to yell at her about the meme  thats drama for next week. No, she wants to help her with a project: She sets up a live video cam and gives her version of an apology. (This being the internet-challenged Nashville, everyone is somehow watching this apology at the same time, as though shes some supervillain who hacked into peoples TV sets.) Maddie apologizes for her tone and language, but doesnt apologize for sticking up for her friend, which she says she would do again. Then she goes on to talk about what a great person and musician Clay is. This ones for you, Clay, she says and starts to sing, with Daphne harmonizing like a boss. (I could seriously listen to those two sing all day.)

The episode ends with a montage over Daphne and Maddies duet: Scarlett watching Gunnar sleeping like a sweet little angel and still not being into it, Will launching a charm offensive on the Budweiser people, Deacon ascending the stairs from his  dungeon (?), Hallie listening to her studio recording session and totally feeling herself, and Clay leaving town (noooo!). When the song ends, Maddie hugs Daphne and tells her how much she loves her and my poor baby is overcome with guilt. But honestly, Daph, considering how badly Maddie has treated you over the years, you still have lots of credit in that account.
A still from the 1970 film adaptation. Photo: Paramount Pictures

As if Ryan Murphy wasnt busy enough with his many TV projects, the producer might soon try out life on Broadway. According to a report from the New York Post, Murphy has optioned the rights to The Boys in the Band, Mart Crowleys bitterly funny play about a group of gay men at a birthday party, which shocked audiences at the time it premiered in 1968, just before the 1969 Stonewall Riots. The Boys in the Band was later made into a 1970 film, and has had many other stage runs, including a recent revival in London. Murphy is reportedly looking to stage a revival to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the show. Prepare your devastating one-liners now.
In an interview to India Today, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid said the time has come to take on call on whether to decide security to separatist leaders.

By India Today Web Desk: Jammu and Kashmir police may soon remove security to separatist leaders like Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid told India Today: "I think time has come to take a call and I think the government will take a collective decision very soon".

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He was asked whether the time has come to remove security to separatist leaders in Kashmir.

His statement comes after an irate mob stoned to death Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ayub Pandit at Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of Srinagar.

Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who delivers sermons at the historic mosque in old Srinagar city's Nowhatta area every Friday after prayers, was also seen at the spot after the incident.

"Our initial reports suggest that he was not inside the mosque. He came afterwards. This is under investigation," he said.

It has been reported that Mirwaiz didn't intervene in the incident after he saw that a person has been lynched.

The DGP said any human being would have extended whatever help was possible on seeing an injured lying in a pool of blood.

When asked whether charges can be pressed against Mirwaiz, he said it is a matter of investigation.

"We will see that whoever is involved shall be punished and how high and might he or she may be will have to face the law. The investigation will be completed expeditiously. Action will be taken against those who are responsible," Vaid promised.

He also refuted the report that the slain police officer was carrying a weapon inside the mosque.

"The incident happened outside the mosque. I don't think this version is correct," the top cop said.

"I want all people of Kashmir to introspect whether they want to go towards this savagery, this kind of behaviour where a human being doesn't recognise another human being."

The morale of Jammu and Kashmir police has also been affected badly after the lynching. Eleven policemen were killed in the state this month.

"Keep the morale high. We shall hunt them down and very soon bring peace to this Valley of Kashmir," DGP Vaid said when asked about what is his message to his forces.

"You will see the results very soon. We have identified 12 people so far. Two have been arrested. The remaining will be caught soon," Vaid said.

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Also read:

Was the Kashmir cop's lynching a pre-planned murder? A timeline of how it happened

Srinagar: DSP Ayyub Pandith beaten to death by mob outside Jamia Masjid

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They are not here to make friends. Photo: Jan Thijs/CBS

Star Trek: Discovery will boldly go to a place where people stop being polite, and start getting real. According to a report from EW, CBS All Accesss long-in-the-works Trek series will relax a franchise-long rule against significant conflict between Starfleet crew members. Writers on Trek shows were urged to avoid having Starfleet crew members in significant conflict with one another (unless a crew member is, say, possessed by an alien force), or from being shown in any seriously negative way, EW writes. Though that rule wasnt strictly followed in previous Trek series, the writers on Discovery plan to push past it to do stories that are complicated, with characters with strong points of view and strong passions, according to showrunner Aaron Harberts. But all of creator Gene Roddenburys utopia wont be entirely gone in this iteration. The thing were taking from Roddenberry is how we solve those conflicts, Harberts said. So we do have our characters in conflict, we do have them struggling with each other, but its about how they find a solution and work through their problems. With the help of Michael Scott, they could all resolve their conflicts into a win-win-win situation.
Photo: Copyright 2017 Julieta Cervantes

Well, this wasnt Julius Caesar, and no protester interrupted the writer-directors Duncan Macmillan and Robert Ickes adaptation of 1984 the night I saw it. That may be a sign of its weakness as a play  or of its flexibility. After all, political adherents all over the spectrum claim George Orwell as their own. To the left, the story of Winston Smith speaks about right-wing authoritarianism and suppression of dissent. To the right, it speaks about the dangers of big government and Soviet economics. When Tom Sturridge, who plays Winston, joins the resistance and announces, I want corruption, I want violence, he could be Huey Newton, but he could also be Steve Bannon. Everyone wants to be against tyranny. We just cant all agree on who Big Brother is.

Of course, this production of 1984 transferred here from London with one particular Big Brother in mind, and the New York audience responds audibly to certain lines of dialogue  notably There is truth, and there are facts. Yet the goings-on are ostensibly not taking place in our time, although the story has been relocated to America (or some formerly American place). The framing device is a seminar about the book at an unspecified future date, in a paneled room that is far more comfortable than the crumbly London spaces of Orwells book. (Some clarity on this point comes in the last minutes of the play, which I will not spoil.) A reading group discusses how true the story might be, or might have been.

Its a show highly dependent on special effects and stagecraft, with a lot of thunderous noise and blinding flashes of light when bad stuff comes to pass, and the most striking bit of production takes us entirely offstage: When Winston and his fellow rebel Julia have their clandestine meet-ups in the back room of a dusty London shop, we see the scenes play out on an enormous video screen above the main set. Its not clear, until fairly late in the play, whether those slightly grainy scenes are being played live or were pre-taped. Thats the point: Were meant to consider the unreliability of images and their sources, and the ubiquity of cameras recording our every move. The big video monitor is of wide proportions, similar to those of the novels telescreens. And though its a little off-putting to see perhaps 20 percent of a play mediated on a big TV, its a legitimate idea for theater-making, inventively and thoughtfully deployed.

Whats weak, astonishingly enough, is the script, at least for the first hour. This would seem impossible, because nearly all its lines are taken from Orwells peerless, graceful, tonally controlled paragraphs. On the page, the monstrosity of the Oceania dictatorship is workaday and almost humdrum, which makes it seem that much more monstrous. Macmillan and Icke go in the opposite direction, increasing the volume every which way as they snip and trim and reconstruct, and in doing so the dialogue turns stentorian and overdirect. When Winston reads aloud a number of passages from the rebel Emmanuel Goldsteins book, he comes off not as a broken-down man awakened from political indifference, but instead as an strident dorm room Marxist declaiming to his girlfriend. (They start making out at one point as he reads.) It doesnt help that, whereas Orwells Winston is an old and frail 39, with a persistent ulcer on his leg and a dry hacking cough, Sturridge is a ripped 31, and could pass for 23.

Olivia Wilde  well cast, certainly, in terms of her bearing  likewise doesnt entirely capture Julia, who on Orwells page is superb at adopting a mask of conformity but is offhand and a little sarcastic when shes away from the telescreen. Here, she (like Winston) is tautly strident, straining for justice. In the book, when Julia and Winston first sleep together, its intense yet tender; onstage, their sweaty grapple is staged as a strenuous near-fight. (Wilde reportedly split her lip in one rehearsal, and broke Sturridges nose in another.) They are anxious about being caught, but nobody here seems to have the nearly numb resignation undergirding that anxiety that dominates Orwells characters.

But then comes the arrest, and the whole thing starts to snap together. The torture scenes are visceral, ghastly, and hair-raisingly vivid. Blood is spattered and spit out; at least one beating about the face, occasioned by one awful command, teeth, had a large part of the audience flinching. Sturridge is vastly better in this part of the show; it places heavy demands on him as a physical actor, and hes up to that job. But perhaps these scenes hang together because they are commanded by Reed Birney as the Inner Party member OBrien, who is directing the torture. Birney is just about perfect in the role: He is the picture of reason and rationality as he explains the ways in which Winstons failure to believe is in fact just error, delusion, doublethink. His dead calm is the most menacing thing onstage, much more than the blaring sound effects. And indeed, he wins.

But maybe youre weary of his sort of winning. The Broadway audience was. Although there were no protestors trying to disrupt that evening at the Hudson Theatre, one shout did erupt behind me during curtain calls and standing ovation: IMPEACH TRUMP, a middle-aged man bellowed, twice. I didnt see whether it was caught on video, but its a good bet that it was.
The Rock, Anthony Mackie, and Mark Wahlberg in Pain and Gain. Photo: Paramount Pictures

Michael Bay is a lover of many things: explosions, sweeping 360 shots, the colors blue and orange, explosions, objectifying women  and sweat. If there is one thing Bay adores above all else, it is perspiration. With all of their massive detonations and last-second attempts to save the world, its not surprising that Bays chaotic blockbusters can get very sweaty indeed. The directors movies are unnervingly obsessed with human sweat, and Bays affinity for close-ups only exacerbates this dripping and sticky effect. Its a little bit weird, but in honor of the directors newest work, Transformers: The Last Knight, here is a very scientific ranking of his characters from over the years, based on sweatiness. (In the interest of restraint  a very un-Bay emotion, we know  weve limited the list to two characters per film, max.)

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures

16. Brigadier General Francis X. Frank Hummel (Ed Harris) from The Rock

It should come as no surprise that Ed Harris is as cool as a cucumber in one of Bays better films, in which Harris a disillusioned general who turns to terrorism. While other characters in the movie may find the life threatening circumstances to be more alarming, youll be hard pressed to find more than the tiniest bead of sweat on Harriss villainous forehead.

Photo: DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures

15. Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson) from The Island

Dont remember this movie? Youre not alone. The Island is remarkable though for being one of Bays few film with a female lead who actually participates in the action: Johansson plays a clone on the run after she discovers her entire purpose is to be harvested for organs. Despite literally running for her life for most of the movie, the actress curiously doesnt break too much of a sweat.

14. Carly Spencer (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) from Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Another of Bays few female characters who does something in relation to the plots events, Huntington-Whiteley sweats only enough to be ever so slightly noticeable  even while running away from an army of gigantic robots.

13. Detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) from Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2

The Fresh Prince runs and guns as a Miami cop in two Bay movies, yet the Florida heat rarely causes Smith to perspire all that much. Sure, hell get a light glisten going, but Smith is too busy chilling out, maxing and relaxing all cool to let the action get to him.

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures

12. FBI Special Agent Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nic Cage) from The Rock

The heat on this list (finally) begins to turn up with one of Cages typically crazed performances, where he plays a chemical-weapons specialist tasked with disarming deadly rockets set up by Harris. All that heavy breathing and scenery chewing makes for a fairly  though not overly  sweaty performance by Cage.

Photo: DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures

11. Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) from Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Rounding out the only three women on this list  a shockingly low number  is Fox, who perspires substantially more than her female counterparts, yet still a seemingly low amount compared to her male co-stars. They say three makes a trend, so it seems fair to say that when Bay has a woman sweat in one of his movies, its never too much to fuss with her appearance.

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures

10. A.J. Frost (Ben Affleck) from Armageddon

In space, not only can you hear people scream, but you can definitely see them sweat. Just ask Ben Affleck in Armageddon.

Photo: DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures

9. Starkweather Two Delta (Michael Clarke Duncan) from The Island

While this may be one of the least-consequential roles in the least-consequential films of Bays career, its hard to leave the late Clarke Duncan off this list for the impact he makes on the film, perspiration-wise. Hes given one grand scene in which he barrels over a couple guards, only to be then dragged back to his presumed death, with his sweat glands working overtime.

Photo: Jaimie Trueblood

8. Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) from Pain and Gain

Before theres outrage at seeing Wahlbergs meathead performance this low on the list, its best to really take a good, hard look at just how sweaty he gets in Pain and Gain. While no one doubts the work the actor put in  the raw amount of gainz baffles the mind  his sweat levels in the film are respectable, yet, given high expectations, also slightly underwhelming.

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures

7. First Lieutenant Daniel Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) from Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941  a date which will live in sweat-famy.

6. Detective Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) from Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2

While Will Smiths straight-man cop may not show the physical results of storming drug lords compounds, his partner certainly does. The remarkable amount of fluid pouring off of Lawrences face, particularly during the ethically questionable shootout sequence with the KKK in Bad Boys 2, is not only commendable, but also icky.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

5. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) from Transformers: Age of Extinction and Transformers: The Last Knight

Wahlbergs second installment on this list is a more impressive one when it comes to diaphoresis. When hes not wearing glasses in the Transformers sequels (because hes a smart inventor) you can catch him working up a serious sweat while battling robots. Say hi to your deodorant for me.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

4 and 3. Tyrone S. Rone Woods (James Badge Dale) and Jack Silva (John Krasinski) from 13 Hours

This is where we get to the heavy hitters. Bays Benghazipalooza movie is more restrained than you might expect, yet it doesnt hold back when it comes to the intense amounts of perspiration on display. Krasinski caused an internet stir when he beefed up for the role, and his fully drenched performance does not disappoint. His co-star Badge Dale deserves praise for his moist output as well.

Bay

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Is obsessed with sweat

Photo: Paramount Pictures

2. Paul Doyle (Dwayne the Rock Johnson) from Pain and Gain

Our future president rarely holds back, and his very, very sweaty performance in Pain and Gain is only one of many examples of his insane work ethic. But, like Nixon on the debate stage, is there a chance his sweat could backfire on the campaign trail?

Photo: DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures

1. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) from Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon

While Shia may not achieve the height of sweatiness as those in the Nos. 4, 3, and 2 spots on this list, he wins the battle of perspiration by pure consistency. Rarely is someone this sweaty at all times. He seems to sweat just sitting in class at college. This level of sweatiness would be worth shedding a tear over, but theres already too much dampness to go around.
The following movies are showing at first-run theaters Regal Jewel 16 (RJ16), AMC Classic Galaxy 16 (CG16) and the Waco Hippodrome (WH). Letter grades for movies are from advance reviews; an NR means a movie was not reviewed.

New in theaters

D TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT More sensory overload in the latest loud chapter in the Transformers saga between good Autobots and evil Decepticons ropes in Arthurian legend. Rated PG-13. Some profanity, brief sexual humor, intense sequences of sci-fi violence. 2 hours, 28 minutes. RJ16, CG16, WH.

NR TUBELIGHT A young man searches for his brother in the aftermath of the 1962 Indo-China war. Not rated. 2 hours, 40 minutes. CG16.

Also showing

C ALL EYEZ ON ME Routine, surprisingly tame bio of rapper Tupac Shakur despite a strong performance by Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Shakur. Rated R. Frequent profanity, some sexuality and nudity, drug use, violence. 2 hours, 20 minutes. CG16, RJ16.

B CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE Animated adaptation of the popular childrens book series Captain Underpants delivers a winsome, good-humored combination of mild rudeness, silliness and fun that should appeal to all ages. Rated PG. Mild rude humor. 1 hour, 29 minutes. CG16, RJ16.

C+ CARS 3 Mild improvement over Cars 2 finds Lightning McQueen on the rebound trained by a female racecar. Rated G. Suitable for general audiences. 1 hour, 49 minutes. RJ16, CG16, WH.

B 47 METERS DOWN Straight-forward, but often effective thriller about two vacationing sisters whose deep dive to observe sharks goes terrifyingly wrong. Rated PG-13. Brief strong profanity, bloody images, scenes of intense peril. 1 hour, 39 minutes. CG16, RJ16.

B GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2 Silly, sarcastic and better than the original with the oddball team of galaxy-protectors proving characters to care about. Rated PG-13. Brief suggestive content, sci-fi violence. 2 hours, 16 minutes. RJ16, CG16.

B+ IT COMES AT NIGHT Intense psychological thriller about survivors of a deadly virus who fear one of their members may be infected. Rated R. Strong profanity, disturbing images, violence. 1 hour, 35 minutes. CG16, RJ16.

B MEAGAN LEAVEY An Iraqi war veteran (Kate Mara) fights military bureaucracy to win post-war custody of her explosives-sniffing dog. Rated PG-13. Strong profanity, brief sensuality, war violence. 1 hour, 56 minutes. RJ16, CG16.

D+ THE MUMMY Unraveled mess of a movie with plenty of special effects, chase scenes and Tom Cruise as an antiquities robber plagued by a vengeful mummy, but Rated PG-13. Some suggestive content, partial nudity, scary images, action violence. 1 hour, 47 minutes. CG16, RJ16.

C+ PARIS CAN WAIT Rated PG. Some profanity, thematic elements, smoking. 1 hour, 32 minutes. RJ16.

C- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES Tired, bloodless fifth Pirates film with Johnny Depp suffers from ghosts of past, better films despite plenty of CGI ghosts moving the plot. Rated PG-13. Some suggestive content, adventure violence. 2 hours, 8 minutes. RJ16, CG16.

C ROUGH NIGHT A great cast and some funny comic writing cant overcome a questionable plot premise about four reunited college classmates trying to cover up a death at a bachelorette party. Rated R. Frequent profanity, crude sexual content, drug use, brief bloody images. 1 hour, 41 minutes. CG16, RJ16.

A WONDER WOMAN Rated PG-13. Some suggestive content, sequences of action and violence. RJ16, CG16.

Special screeings

CHICKEN PEOPLE Documentary about the people who breed and raise show chickens. 7 p.m. Monday. WH.

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 1988 Japanese animated fantasy by director Hayao Miyazaki about two girls befriended by forest spirits after moving to a small village. Dubbed version 12:55 p.m. Sunday and subtitled version 7 p.m. Monday RJ16.
Fairoz Khan, the new national president of the National Students Union of India, said stone-pelting was only an "angry reaction" to the "chaos" that had been wreaked in the Valley by the government.

By Arpan Rai: The leader of the youngest of the Congressmen, from its student wing NSUI, has justified stone-pelting in Kashmir.

A Muslim face from Kashmir, Fairoz Khan told MAIL TODAY that stone-pelting was only an "angry reaction" to the "chaos" that had been wreaked in the Valley by the government.

"Spread chaos and there will be rebellion," Khan said, in a conversation with MAIL TODAY. Pointing out the reason behind the chaos, Khan also said there is a trust deficit between the government and people in Kashmir.

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Khan was sworn as national president of the National Students Union of India at the party's national office in New Delhi on Thursday amid the attendance of party's senior leaders Raj Babbar, Amrita Dhawan and NSUI representatives from Telangana, Rajasthan and Kashmir.

Taking a cautious stand on the vexed issue of "azadi" in the Valley, Khan called himself a proud Muslim and a proud Indian.

"If the Muslims or the Kashmiris wanted to go to Pakistan, they would have done that in 1947," said Khan.

Explaining the conditions which have led to this situation, Khan said, "In places like Kashmir, there is frustration. Conditions are not good and students want jobs. For me, the issue of Kashmir has gone out of the government's hands now. And now, they (government) are confused."

'AFSPA HAVING A DRASTIC IMPACT'

Calling Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) a temporary law which has exhausted its stay in the valley, Khan also said, "AFSPA is a temporary law. You cannot have a law like AFSPA for a long time. It will have its side effects and it is currently having a drastic impact on the younger generation."

"You have such laws for a temporary period of time during a problem. It is not just AFSPA but any such law should be repealed," Khan added.

Criticising the NDA for disappointing the youth, Khan said students had voted for BJP in 2014 for the jobs promised. "But where are those two crore jobs promised to the youth of the country," Khan asked.

"What happened to BJP government's promise on Article 370? They are simply fooling the people in Kashmir. The party has diverted from their promises by creating distractions like sloganeering of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', 'love jihad', 'problems in JNU and tribal areas'. They have an agenda," Khan said, accusing the ruling party of not fulfilling their electoral promises.

Hinting at his active involvement in student politics, Khan has said the current dispensation should expect protests from him in the coming two years of his tenure.

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"We will fight with the government to build the gap between young generation and current government. The government should expect protests from me. They know who I am," NSUI's latest entrant said.

Distinguishing the RSS-backed Bharatiya Janta Party government from his parent party, Khan also said, "Unlike Indian National Congress, BJP does not have founding fathers. India's founding fathers have gone now. BJP cannot draw inspiration from anyone because they do not have founding fathers."

TALKS THE ONLY SOLUTION

There is only one solution for the situation in Kashmir and that peace and talks are the only ways to solve the problem, Khan said.

"We have to understand their (people in Kashmir) conditions and expectations. We need to take decisions in the manner Indira Gandhi did. If people, and especially girls in a society like Kashmir, are coming out on roads, it is because they are feeling alienated," the Kashmiri student leader added.

Fairoz Khan has been appointed as NSUI president for two years on June 12 by Congress vice-president and in-charge of frontal organisations Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul had appointed a screening committee to shortlist a student union leader for the role of presidentship of the All India NSUI and had also interviewed candidates. Following this, Fairoz was selected as party's national president.

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ALSO READ | Video claims Zakir Musa's Taliban-e-Kashmir provided info to forces about LeT militants killed by Army

ALSO READ | Operation All-Out: Army's master plan to flush out terrorists from Kashmir

ALSO WATCH | Army chief Bipin Rawat congratulates Kashmiri students of Super 40 initiative who cracked IIT-JEE

--- ENDS ---
Community leaders this week are paying their respects to Wilbert Austin Sr., who overcame an upbringing of poverty and prejudice to become a tireless community volunteer, minister and District 1s longest-serving city councilman.

Austin died Monday night  on Juneteenth, friends noted  after a long battle with the stomach cancer that had caused him to resign the city council seat in May. He was 76 and had served on the council for 11 years.

Theres no question he made a mark on Waco, from the work he did in the early days to his time on the city council, Mayor Kyle Deaver said. His leadership and personable style made it easy for him to work with others while working as a team member in a cooperative way to reach big goals.

Services for Austin had not yet been announced as of Tuesday, but McDowell Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Austin was a plaintiff in the civil rights lawsuit that forced the city of Waco in 1976 to adopt single-member voting districts, including District 1, which is centered on Austins home base of East Waco. He won the seat in 2006, but only after five unsuccessful prior bids for the office. Before and after his official public service, he was known as a super-volunteer, a man eager to pick up a paintbrush or load up a mower to help elderly neighbors.

At Christmastime, he would collect gift cards from different businesses and divvy them up to families that needed them, said Sam Brown, a longtime friend who owns several Elm Avenue buildings. Nobody ever knew about that stuff except the families. He loved being a solution to problems. Youve got a guy wholl get out and mow peoples yards and also will serve on the city council. He truly had a servants heart.

Brown said that ground-level knowledge of his district allowed Austin to become intimately involved in solving its problems, including crime and drugs in the parks.

He would stand toe to toe with drug dealers and tell them they had to go somewhere else, that these parks were for families and neighborhoods, Brown said. Apparently, the drug dealers paid attention.

Noah Jackson Jr., a longtime friend whom the council chose last week to fill the remaining year of Austins term, remembers recruiting a young Austin in the 1970s to help with youth sports.

A lot of energy

He was just a young guy with a lot of energy, Jackson said.

Austin managed to talk donors into doubling or tripling their usual contribution, he said.

When youre a good person, theres always a demand for your help, he said.

Austin grew up in a shotgun shack in a now-vanished section of South Waco called Sandtown, around the current site of Clifton Robinson Tower. The abandoned First Street Cemetery and the city dump were his playgrounds.

We didnt have anywhere else to play, Austin recalled in an interview at his modest Turner Street home in May. Next to the cemetery they had a rendering plant, and people would bring in their sick horses. They were going to slaughter them in the next two or three days, so wed go ride those horses.

Austins father, Shedrick, was a day laborer who picked cotton  a hard life the young Wilbert was sure he didnt want. His mother, Annie Bell Austin, was deaf but could read lips well enough to hold down work as a laundress and a cafe worker and to raise five children.

When Id see her coming home with a gallon bucket in her hand, Id know she had leftovers from the cafe and wed have plenty to eat, he said.

When he was a teenager, federal urban renewal programs displaced his family, paying them about $400 for their home and leaving them to live in the Estella Maxey housing complex in East Waco, the area that became his home for the rest of his life.

But Austin said he never dreamed as a boy that he could become a city councilman.

When I was coming up, we couldnt go farther than Washington Avenue, he said, referring to the segregated world of Waco in the 1950s. Cameron Park was off-limits.

He noted with satisfaction that he went on to represent District 1, which includes the upscale Cameron Park Neighborhood Association.

Austin would go on to work a variety of jobs, including as a worker at Owens-Illinois, while volunteering in his neighborhood, serving as an NAACP leader and sometimes leading protests. He also served as pastor of Moodys Peaceful Rest Baptist Church for 38 years.

Plaintiff in 1974 lawsuit

In 1974, he was recruited as one of several plaintiffs in Derrick v. Mathias, which led a U.S. district judge to order Waco to divide into five districts, each of which would select its own council member.

The judge noted that the city had adopted at-large districts in 1950 after a black man came close to winning the seat representing the old East Ward, and said that even though black representatives later were elected, they did not always represent the electoral choice of the largely black East Waco.

Austin said he didnt think at the time that he would ever run for the seat, but starting in the 1990s, he dedicated himself to trying, running five times and losing every time until 2006.

Linda Jann Lewis, a longtime political ally of Austin, said he was an inspiration to her.

I grew up in segregated Waco, too, she said. To see someone who was a plaintiff in the lawsuit to get single-member districts become the districts elected representative gives me hope in America. It gives me hope that we are what we say we are.

In an emotional farewell address at a retirement party last month, Austin said he was leaving a legacy of a city and a district that was more vibrant, with less crime and more opportunity, and he urged others to carry the torch.

Im all packed up, Austin said. When you hear of my passing, dont grieve for me. Im just another soldier going home to be with the Lord.
An archaeological firm this week started unearthing one of the last remnants of the long-gone downtown Hispanic neighborhood known as Calle Dos.

Crews Thursday were chipping away and sifting 2 feet of fill dirt that for half a century has covered a neighborhood fountain at Jefferson Avenue and University Parks Drive, known as La Pila.

The partial unearthing shows that the concrete structure near Indian Spring Middle School is still largely intact, buoying the hopes of officials with the Waco Hispanic Museum for restoring it.

I would like to see benches around the outside, some historical markers, maybe some art or something on top, said Louis Garcia, an official with the nonprofit museum group.

The museum secured a $2,500 grant this spring from the Baylor Philanthropy and Public Service program to start the archaeological work. That money already has been exhausted, and Garcias group will be seeking more funds to finish.

Waco archaeologist Katherine Turner-Pearson, who is donating her time to the project, said she expects to analyze the debris collected from the dig and prepare an official report and a more general-interest history of the fountain and the neighborhood.

Now Im getting to where I can see things and how its constructed, but the bad news is were out of funds, said Turner-Pearson, owner of Central Texas Archaeological Resources.

Potential donors can contact Garcia at 548-9730 or Turner-Pearson at 405-5543.

Turner-Pearson said she is studying how the structure drained and hopes to figure out its source, which apparently was a nearby artesian well.

La Pila, which means the basin, was the centerpiece of social life in the neighborhood along Second Street from the 1920s through the 1960s, when the neighborhood was leveled by federal urban renewal slum clearance measures.

Many residents in the neighborhood lacked indoor plumbing and depended on the fountain for bathing and domestic water.

We used to come and take a bath here, said Jake Moran, 85, who grew up in the Calle Dos neighborhood and moved away from Waco in 1950. We were the cleanest kids in town.

La Pila also served as a social gathering place and a point where day workers would wait to be picked up for picking cotton or other labor. The fountain served the neighborhood until about 1950, when it dried up, former residents recall.

It was still here, but it stopped flowing, said Joe Ortega, 88, who visited the site Thursday with Felipe Herrera, 89.

Garcia, with the museum, said the fountain later became unsightly and apparently was capped and buried around the time of federal urban renewal in the mid-1960s.

Fountains origins

No one involved with the project has determined the origin of the fountain or why it would have been built in a neighborhood of shotgun houses and unpaved streets that was otherwise ignored by city officials.

But old newspapers provide some clues. The Waco Morning News reported on Jan. 10, 1915, that the city water board had authorized the construction of a deep artesian well at Jefferson Street and Riverside Drive, which is near modern-day University Parks Drive.

The water was to be piped to the new Riverside Treatment Plant, which is still operating today. The well was to be dug into the Trinity aquifer, which would see marked declines throughout the 20th century.

A 1933 Tribune-Herald story refers to a fountain at that location fed by warm water from an adjacent well. The article refers to another well and fountain near Riverside Treatment Plant at Shakespeare Park.

Herrera and Ortega remember that Calle Dos was a tightknit neighborhood, as primitive as conditions were.

There were no toys, Ortega said. You had to make your own. The city dump is where the police building is now, and you could find a lot of toys out there. Some were still in pretty good shape.

He remembers how the Brazos River would periodically flood the neighborhood, including an epic flood in 1936 that brought water to the doorstep of St. Francis Catholic Church.

You got used to it, Ortega said. It would happen about every year.

Ortega and Herrera were both working at the Frank Smith chicken plant, at the current site of the Indian Spring Middle Schools field house, when the deadly Waco tornado of 1953 came through.

It lifted my house off its foundation and set it down right next to it, and my family was in there, Ortega said. Thank God they didnt get hurt. It blew the windows out. I was working here at the chicken plant. We were looking out at the trees snapping. We didnt know what a tornado was.

Ortega said he appreciates the work Garcia is doing to preserve the memories of the bygone neighborhood and its gathering place.

I think its a good idea to have a plaque for remembering it, he said.
As work on the future Waco High School is proceeding, some of its history  in the form of many trees on the campus  is receding.
Waco resident Beatrice Kimsey Davis, who served during World War II, will turn 100 years old Saturday and celebrate the occasion with family.

She was born June 24, 1917, in Oklahoma. Her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she lived until she married Army Air Corps Capt. Bruce A. Davis, of San Antonio, a Texas A&M University graduate and World War II veteran.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she served during World War II in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant junior grade and was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of the Navy.

Following the war, she and her husband, a chemical engineer, raised three daughters in Port Arthur. Beatrice taught in the Nederland and Beaumont school districts.

She was active in many civic and community organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, and earned a masters degree in education.

After Hurricane Rita in 2005, she and Bruce moved to Waco to live with their oldest daughter and son-in-law, Belinda and Lovell Pillow. Bruce died in 2006.

Belinda died in 2012. Beatrice continues to stay with her son-in-law.

She has two other daughters, Annette Orynawka, of Galveston, and Beverly Steckler, of Richmond; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Laura Boyd, Belindas daughter, is coming from Idaho to attend Saturdays celebration.

Beatrice attributes her longevity to her strong love and faith in her Christian God, a positive attitude, healthy living, continual learning and daily exercise.
Former convicted murderer Albert Leslie Love Jr. has two new lawyers for a retrial of his capital murder case, including one who represented him on appeal.

In a brief hearing Friday, Love informed 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother that he requires court-appointed attorneys to represent him because he and his family cant afford to hire attorneys for the retrial of his death-penalty case.

Love left death row and has been back in the McLennan County Jail since May 2. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his capital murder conviction and death sentence in December.

Strother appointed Austin attorneys Ariel Payan, who worked on Loves appeal, and Jim Young to represent Love on retrial. Strother said Friday it likely will be 2019 before Loves case can be tried again.

A Williamson County jury returned the death penalty against Love in 2013 in the 2011 shooting deaths of Keenan Hubert, 20, and Tyus Sneed, 17, at the Lakewood Villas apartment complex, 1601 Spring St.

The Court of Criminal Appeals, in a 6-3 opinion, ruled that Loves Fourth Amendment rights were violated when Waco police seized the contents of his cellphone, including text messages, without a search warrant. Prosecutors then used the messages at his trial.

In a motion for rehearing rejected by the Court of Criminal Appeals in April, prosecutors argued that Waco police officers relied on what they understood the law to be at the time and exhibited a good-faith belief that warrants were not necessary for the cellphones.

Love was appointed new attorneys because his original trial attorneys, John Donahue and Jon Evans, bowed out of representing him again because Loves appellate attorneys alleged in briefs that the attorneys were ineffective, a common tactic on appeal.

Loves trial was moved to Georgetown because one of his co-defendants, Rickey Donnell Cummings, was tried first in Waco. The appeals court affirmed Cummings conviction and death sentence.

Cummings younger brother, DArvis Cummings, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014. He pleaded guilty to murder as a party to the ambush slayings.

Deontrae Majors and Marion Bible, who were in the front seat of the car Hubert and Sneed were in when they were killed, were wounded in the attack but managed to escape.

Testimony from both trials showed Cummings and Love wanted to kill Hubert out of revenge because they thought he killed their best friend, Emuel Man Man Bowers III, at East Waco Park the year before.

McDonald postponed

In other court activity Friday afternoon, Strother indefinitely postponed the capital murder trial of Todric Deon McDonald to give his attorneys sufficient time to have DNA evidence analyzed.

McDonald, 30, and 32-year-old Tony Olivarez are co-defendants in the 2014 shooting deaths of Justin Javier Gonzalez, 24, and Ulysses Gonzalez, 30, at the Pecan Tree Apartments in the 2600 block of Grim Avenue. The cousins died of multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

Prosecutor Michael Jarrett told the judge his office likely will get a report back next week concerning 36 items that were tested for DNA, and then he will forward the information to the defense.

Evans and Donahue, who represent McDonald in the death-penalty case, told Strother they would need time to have the evidence analyzed by defense experts to provide McDonald with a proper defense.

Jury selection in the case had been set for October. Jarrett said the state has no objections to the postponement.
Rakesh Ezhacherry was arrested from Thrissur in Kerala with several notes of demonetised currency and machines and ink that is used to print counterfeit notes.

By Rohini Swamy: At a time when there were several whistleblowers during the demonetisation period, Rakesh Ezhancherry was also one such man. But in what could be called a major embarrassment to the BJP not just in Kerala but also nationally, this very man was arrested possessing Rs 1.37 lakh worth of fake currency which was seized from his residence.

Ezhancherry is a known face in Kerala as he is also a youth leader who was featured in a poster with Prime minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah as one of the young faces from the state.

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In the poster Ezhancherry was featured as part of an awareness campaign against "black money" in January this year. Ezhancherry along with the state BJP general secretary Shobha Surendran had campaigned and participated in several awareness yatras called the pracharana yatra.

Rakesh Ezhacherry was arrested from Thrissur in Kerala with several notes of demonetised currency and machines and ink that is used to print counterfeit notes.

According to the Thrissur police, Rakesh and his brother ran a counterfeit currency printing unit and printed several notes of Rs 2000 to Rs 20. Their modus operandi was that they would exchange these notes at petrol pumps and local grocery shops.

The police have been keeping a close watch on the brothers and finally found concrete evidence to book them.

Also Read:

Fake currency racket: NIA tracking 80 Bangladeshi women in Agra, Firozabad

Fake currency gang busted in Bhopal: Rs 2 lakh counterfeit notes seized, 4 held

Mumbai: 3 arrested with fake notes worth Rs 70 lakh, police recovers printing machine

Watch:

Kerala: BJP leader who led demonetisation drive arrested with fake notes worth Rs 1.37 lakh

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A Waco man convicted of assaulting his wife with a hammer and choking his former girlfriend in separate incidents was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday.

Judge Matt Johnson of Wacos 54th State District Court sentenced Matthew Zambrano after Zambrano pleaded guilty in separate cases to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault family violence, assault family violence by occlusion, unlawful restraint and assault.

Zambrano, 33, was sentenced to concurrent prison and jail terms of 15 years, 10 years and three one-year jail terms. He will be eligible for parole after serving 7 years.

Zambrano also had been charged with sexual assault in one of the cases, but prosecutor Gabrielle Massey waived that charge at the victims request.

Before Johnson accepted the plea bargain, he asked Massey if both victims are in agreement with the punishment recommendations. Massey said one victim asked that the sexual assault charge be dismissed and was not present in court. The other victim, Zambranos wife, was present in the courtroom and crying. She wanted Zambrano to receive a lighter punishment, Massey said.

Zambranos attorney, Scott Peterson, declined comment after the plea hearing.

Zambrano was arrested in December 2015 by Bellmead police after his 23-year-old former girlfriend reported he sexually assaulted her after a physical altercation.

The woman reported he cut off her normal breathing pattern by covering her mouth and pinching her nose, according to court documents. She tried to run for the door, but Zambrano wrapped an arm around her and stopped her from leaving. Court records show the woman fought for her life, kicking and screaming, and kicked a hole in the wall by the front door.

The woman reported Zambrano wrapped an arm around her neck and applied pressure, making her see black spots before everything turned black. He ordered her into the bedroom, she told police, adding that she did what he said because she was scared to death, according to court documents.

Zambrano told Bellmead officers he might have choked her because that is what they like to do while they have sex, according to police reports.

He was arrested again in September 2016 after his wife reported to Waco police that they both were drunk and Zambrano accused her of cheating on him.

He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back so violently that his wife told police she thought it was going to break. Zambrano threw her down and slammed her head on the floor, causing her to bleed from her right ear, according to police reports.

Zambrano left the bedroom and came back with a hammer, the woman reported. He struck her in the left shin and right arm before she ran to another bedroom and texted her mother to call police. Her mother arrived, and they left the house with the children, reports state.
A newly adopted health insurance program is expected to save Waco Independent School District $1.2 million to $2 million next school year.

The districts school board adopted a self-funded health insurance plan in a unanimous vote at its Thursday night meeting, after hiring Gallagher Public Entity and Scholastic Group, an insurance consultant, in January to evaluate proposals for health and prescription drug plans.

The board voted to go with United Health Care for its major-medical health insurance administrative services and Express Scripts for pharmacy benefits management.

The district will effectively become its employees insurer, with United and Express administering services. But the move wont change teachers or other employees major benefits, Superintendent A. Marcus Nelson said.

For most employees, you wont see a difference, Nelson said. When you need to go take care of your medical business, youll go and do that just as you did. . . . I emphasize that to employees. Theres a host of other conversations dealing with health insurance, but my public commitment is to engage our employees. When we start talking about the plan and the employer contribution and a host of other aspects of health insurance, this does bring us significant savings.

To start the program, the district is expected to pay a fixed cost of a little more than $1.9 million, which will be included in the 2017-18 budget set to be approved later this summer, Waco ISD spokesperson Bruce Gietzen said.

With the help of the consultant, the district considered six plans: one fully insured plan through United Health Care, and self-funded plans through United Health Care; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas; Baylor Scott and White; Cigna; and Humana.

The group found the fully insured plan would result in a loss of benefits and a possible increase in premiums for employees, and United Health Cares self-funded program was found to be the most cost-efficient.

If the district chose to stay with its current fully funded insurance plan, Waco ISD could have seen an 18 percent increase in cost from the previous year, Gietzen said. The district paid between $11 million and $12 million this year for insurance, he said.

The self-funded insurance will give the district more control over benefits, savings, access to claims data without violating federal privacy laws, stop loss for a catastrophic year of claims and financial management of cash flow, said Elaine Botello, assistant superintendent of human resources.

But theres also a risk that savings will fluctuate if the district has a bad year with a high number of claims, potentially costing the district and increasing liability. There also could be more work for the district with the self-funded plan, she said.

The districts insurance plan will change to the self-funded program Jan. 1. The district then will have to take into account any changes that may come down the pipeline, including the federal health insurance regulations being discussed in Washington, D.C.

Theres already been some perceptions about this move that weve had to clarify, and that will be the way it rolls for a while. . . . The other problem we have, of which Im probably the biggest example, is weve got to recommit to our wellness plan, Nelson said.

Weve really got to get every employee thinking about ways to become more healthy. Its a sensitive conversation for me as well, but it doesnt matter. Were self-insured now. Now, if were not making strides to think about wellness, then it wont manifest itself in our budget.

So everybody buy some tennis shoes.

Official departing

The district is also saying goodbye to one of Nelsons cabinet members within the next two weeks. Rick Hartley, Waco ISDs area superintendent over facilities and transportation, said before Thursdays meeting that he was named by Shepherd ISD on Monday as the sole finalist to become its superintendent.

This will be the first district-level administration change under Nelson, who started as Waco ISDs superintendent last week.

Hartley said he applied for the position before Nelson was hired and will stay in touch with Waco officials to offer assistance as needed.

Theres a lot my secretary and I do that only we understand, so I encourage them to call me, Hartley said. I love this district, and its been so good for me all these years. I want to make sure I leave the right way, but I will always support them, even when Im gone.

Becoming a superintendent is something he has pursued for the past 4 years, and moving to the small East Texas district of 2,000 students wont be unfamiliar territory, he said.

Im going to accomplish what that board is asking for, Hartley said. They have an IR campus (improvement required), and Im going to get that turned around right away. . . . About 70 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged, so this is very familiar territory, in fact. Im most excited about the opportunity and the community. East Texas is gorgeous, and my wife and I have wanted to be there for a long time.

About 85 percent of Waco ISD students are economically disadvantaged.

Shepherd ISDs school board must wait the required 21 days before officially hiring Hartley, but that will end by July 10, he said. He is now doing contract negotiations, he said.

Rick has been an integral part of Waco ISD for 18 years, and he will be difficult to replace, Nelson said in a statement after Thursdays meeting. Shepherd ISD made a great choice in selecting Mr. Hartley as its lone finalist for superintendent, and we wish him well in his new position. He will do a great job for them.
McLennan County leaders are hoping federal and state grants will cover most of the cost of repairing two dams in the county that were damaged during floods in spring 2016.

The soil conservation reservoir dams for Tehuacana Creek site No. 8 and Castleman Creek site No. 4 each sustained damage during heavy rains last year and are eligible for a federal grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Another grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board could also cover most of the countys 25 percent match required with the federal grant.

Repair for both dams is expected to cost about $317,200, Assistant County Engineer Luke Lammert said. With both grants, the direct cost to the county would be less than $4,000 with that estimate, officials said.

The federal government installed dams in the 1950s and 60s, many of which have an expected service life of 50 to 60 years, Lammert said. There are about 65 soil conservation dams in the county, and a little less than half are ranked as high or significant hazard, posing a risk downstream, he said. The county is responsible for managing most of the dams, but cities and conservation districts are responsible for some.

The Castleman Creek No. 4 dam is upstream from Highway 77 in south Robinson.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality inspected the structure before last years flooding and reported there were no issues. About a month later, the rain came down hard, and a nearby farmer called to alert the county of problems with the dam, which is on private property, Lammert said. When county employees went to investigate, they discovered major cracking and slides on the back side of the dam, he said.

Tehuacana Creek site no. 8, near Leroy, filled up during one of the heavier rains, and water started flowing through its emergency spillway, as designed, he said. However, the increased flow damaged the area and caused erosion.

The county has had to repeatedly drain the reservoirs to prevent further damage that could lead to flooding downstream.

Weve kept it so low theres no chance for a breach so it hasnt been a problem, Lammert said.

However, the low water presents a problem for farmers who rely on the reservoirs to water their cattle, he said.

Lammert said he is fairly certain the county will receive the federal grant. At this point, its a matter of finalizing paperwork before going out for bids, he said.

County commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday that allows the engineering department to proceed with the project without having to return to court for approval. The county may also have to apply for an extension for the grant, which has a 220-day time limit that started June 5.

The Natural Resources Conservation Services grant would cover 75 percent of the project cost, and the county would cover the rest, said Mark Northcut, a civil engineer for the services Temple office. The county would also be eligible for an Emergency Watershed Protection grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, which would cover 95 percent of the countys portion of the project, Northcut said.

He said the agency is working off assessments made last year when the dams were reviewed. Once new surveys and designs are done they will be able to come up with a more accurate cost estimates.
WHITECLAY  Alyssa Mae Ranard found being able to spend a year documenting and shedding light on indigenous people to be very impactful and fulfilling.

The 2013 Yutan High School graduate spent the last year with her in-depth reporting class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln traveling to Whiteclay  an unincorporated community in western Nebraska with 12 residents and four alcohol retailers with more than 42 million cans of beer sold in the last 10 years.

The project resulted in Ranard and her classmates winning the 2017 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Grand Prize.

It seemed so surreal, Ranard said when she had been told of the award. The grand prize had never been awarded to a college before in the existence of the award.

The yearlong project began after the 2016 school year. At the recommendation of professors in UNLs journalism department, Ranard and 10 other individuals were selected to work on the project.

When we initially began this project I didnt have any idea what Whiteclay was, the 22-year-old said. We piled tons and tons of research into this place and history behind it and realized what this little town was and the injustice and inhumane treatment.

The project resulted in The Wounds of Whiteclay: Nebraskas Shameful Legacy. The website is a compilation of articles, photographs and film documenting the effect of the relationship between Whiteclay and the Pine Ridge Reservation. Common themes include poverty, alcoholism, crime, poor mental health and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Ranard said her main responsibility was behind a video camera, capturing the reality of Whiteclay on film.

People were just suffering in this town and people werent paying attention, she said.

The class noticed that statistics commonly used by media outlets were overused and outdated, she said. They worked to reanalyze statistics, which they found to be surprising some including a life expectancy of 47 years for men and 55 for women; with 52.2 percent of individuals living in poverty, Oglala County of Pine Ridge Reservation is the most impoverished county in the nation; and a DWI arrest rate 10 times greater around the reservation than in Lincoln.

The class took some collective trips to Whiteclay, an approximately six hour drive from Lincoln. The students would also travel separately or in smaller pairs as necessary, she added.

The sources needed to be treated with respect, and approaching them became easier each time they visited, she added.

I tried to approach every situation with as much respect for the culture and the people as possible  which wasnt super hard for me because I love Native American culture, she said.

Ranard said the big payoff was getting to witness the discussion during the latest session of the Nebraska Legislature that suspended Whiteclays liquor licenses.

They were using our statistics and talking about our stories, she said.

That was a defining moment for Ranard, confident that she is pursuing the right career path after switching majors from fashion design to journalism.

She is spending the summer working for Salon News and the Lincoln Journal Star, before continuing her last year of education in the fall.

She said her dream is to become a documentary filmmaker or traveling photojournalist.

I want to go wherever the stories take me, she said.

Ranard is the daughter of Mary Bailey of rural Ashland.
FREMONT  Costcos chicken processing operation is expected to have a ripple effect in Nebraskas economy far beyond the cornfield where officials turned ceremonial shovels of dirt Monday morning.

Its estimated $1.2 billion annual economic impact compares to about 1 percent of the states economy, Gov. Pete Ricketts told a crowd gatheread south of Fremont on the site of the future chicken hatchery, feed mill and processing plant.

Folks, thats how we grow Nebraska. Its projects like this, he said.

Ricketts said the state government has a philosophy of working like a customer service organization to help businesses locate here. He noted how grateful we are to be able to serve Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry, the business managing the operation for Costco.

The project will be among the regions largest economic engines, said Randy Thelen, senior vice president at the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership.

Its entire supply chain  from corn fed to the chickens

to the finished product themselves  will be concentrated within about a 100-mile radius around Fremont.

It will generate about 800 new jobs at the plant itself and will support farmers and

small businesses that serve the plant.

Site preparation work will continue this month, and the plant is expected to open for production in April 2019.

Theres also the $400 million in direct investment to build the plant along with barns to house chickens on area farms.

The plant is the first live animal processing facility for Costco, which is based near Seattle.

Officials estimate that the plant will process more than 2 million chickens a week, or more than 100 million a year. It will handle about a third of the raw and rotisserie chicken sold at Costco stores nationwide. Costco operates 732 warehouse-style stores and had $119 billion in revenue in its 2016 fiscal year.
The CID of Madhya Pradesh police has reported that none of the farmers, who committed suicide in the state, took the extreme step due to agrarian distress. The Madhya Pradesh government has forwarded this report to the NHRC in response to a query by the rights panel.

By Hemender Sharma: If you have read a PTI report saying that as many as 21 debt-ridden farmers have ended their lives in Madhya Pradesh in the last fortnight, you might just have fed yourself with wrong information, according to a CID report.

If the Crime Investigation Department of the Madhya Pradesh police is to be believed, there is no agrarian distress in the state. That the farmers are committing suicide because of alcohol, marriage related issues, property issues, illness and family related issues, the CID report says.

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There is no such thing called a debt trap, asserts the Madhya Pradesh CID.

WHY CID REPORTS ON FARMERS' DEATHS

The Madhya Pradesh government after receiving a notice from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on rising farmer suicides had tasked the CID of the state police to find out the reasons behind farmers taking the extreme step.

The CID in its report concluded, "It is worth mentioning that farmers commit suicide for miscellaneous reasons like family problems, alcohol, illness, marriage related issues, property disputes etc which has no direct relation with the deceased being a farmer by profession."

The state government has forwarded this report to the National Human Rights Commission.

GROUND REPORT ON FARMERS' DEATHS

The CID report has come out at a time when farmers in Madhya Pradesh are committing almost on a daily basis. Twenty one farmers across the state have ended their lives in the past 17 days.

In all cases family members have alleged distress due to debt as the cause but the state government is not willing to accept the same.

In some case farmers have also left behind suicide notes clearly spelling debt related distress as the cause but the state government is calling them isolated cases.

DYING STATEMENT OF A FARMER

One Babu Lal Verma of Hoshangabad immolated himself in Hoshangabad on June 16 and died in hospital on June 20. In his dying statement, Babu Lal Verma gave account of harassment by money lenders which drove him to take the extreme step.

But, the state government preferred the CID report when it forwarded its response to the National Human Rights Commission.

Though a large number of farmers commit suicide every year, the numbers have suddenly seen a surge after June 6 this year following protests in Mandsaur, where it turned violent. Police resorted to firing in which five farmers were killed. One farmer who was injured during lathicharge died in an Indore Hospital on June 8.

The state government announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore to those died in police firing. Ironically, the state government has refused to accept that agrarian crisis is there in Madhya Pradesh which is driving farmers to suicides.

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Farmer groups and Opposition leaders have demanded parity in compensation for killed in police firing and those killing themselves.

ALSO READ |

Madhya Pradesh: Another debt-ridden farmer commits suicide; eleventh in a week

Beyond Madhya Pradesh stir: Why loan waivers are not good for farmers, India

ALSO WATCH | Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan meets families of farmers in Mandsaur

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been awarded the highest public service honour by the United Nations for her project on girl child empowerment- Kanyashree.

Kanyashree was ranked the best among 552 such social sector schemes from across 62 countries that were nominated for the coveted award.

By Indrajit Kundu: In a major boost to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's pet project 'Kanyashree', the United Nations today accorded its highest award for public service to the West Bengal government for the scheme initiated to empower the girl child with education.

The project was launched in 2011 soon after Mamata Banerjee came to power and has helped more than 40 lakh female students in the state.

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'Kanyashree' was ranked the best among 552 such social sector schemes from across 62 countries that were nominated for the coveted award. The award was presented at the World Public Service Forum by UN Assistant Secretary General at a ceremony in Hague in Netherlands.

After receiving the award, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dedicated it to the people of her state and the country.

"We are delighted on behalf of our countrymen and the people of Bengal to receive the first prize on UN Public Service Day. Receiving the first prize from the UN for Kanyashree is a huge honour and recognition," Banerjee said.

'Kanyashree Prakalpa' is a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at retaining girls in schools and other educational and skill development institutions along with preventing child marriage.

The scheme has already enrolled more than four million adolescent girls with the state government transferring a sanctioned some of money directly to the beneficiaries' bank account.

The scheme is being implemented through 16,000 institutes and schools across West Bengal.

Also read: Surprised at BJP's choice for presidential pick; Advani, Sushma Swaraj could make better candidate: Mamata

Also read: Waive all farmer loans: Mamata Banerjee to PM Modi

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Green with Envy, the upper-mid market womenswear chain which calls itself the "Australian destination for fashion", is shutting its doors after almost two decades.

"The end of an era!" the retailer told its mailing list this morning.

Green with Envy to shut its doors Credit:Simon Schulter

"After 18 years, Green with Envy is closing its doors! Everything is now 50 per cent off."

The news caused the company's website to crash. Its voice mailbox was full and its stores - in the Melbourne CBD and on Chapel Street, South Yarra - did not answer calls.
Pauline Hanson and I have something in common  and that's a fear of difference.

That was clear yesterday when she said autistic children shouldn't be in mainstream classrooms. She made the argument that they should be in special classrooms with special funding.

She said: "If it was one of my children I would love all the time given to them to give them those opportunities  but is it at the loss of our other kids?

"It's no good saying 'We've got to allow these kids to feel good about themselves and we don't want to upset them and make them feel hurt', and I understand that.
Demeaning images in advertising of women doing domestic chores or scantily clad act as stubborn obstacles to gender equality, the head of U.N. Women said on Thursday, urging the global ad industry to turn into a weapon for good.

Advertising has the power to create positive portrayals of women and eliminate stereotypes, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of the United Nations' agency on women, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

Alicia Silverstone's 2007 PETA ad was criticised for featuring unnecessary nudity. Credit:PETA

Mlambo-Ngcuka spoke from France, where she is calling on advertising leaders who are attending the industry's annual Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity to eliminate stereotypes and commit to gender equality.

"People are more likely to see adverts in their lives than read books," she said. "It's a waste if we are not using this opportunity for good."
"Children also don't like injustice," she said. "The boys see the women teachers in sandals and nice cool skirts and tops while they are wearing long trousers and shoes and the older boys have to wear blazers. They just think it's unfair that they can't wear shorts in this heat.

Another boy was reportedly told to change because his legs were too hairy, according to Devonlive.com. So Thursday, some older teens brought razors to fix that problem.

"They are doing this to cool down - but also to protest because they don't feel they have been listened to."

The Isca Academy dress code does not permit shorts, except during physical education lessons. But one of the boys interviewed by Devlin said the school mentioned shorts may be allowed from September which he and his friends did not consider soon enough. He said there were two or three weeks left of the school year and they would continue to wear skirts.

"We recognise that the last few days have been exceptionally hot and we are doing our utmost to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible," Isca Academy Headteacher Aimee Mitchell said in a statement on the school's website. The statement noted that students can remove neckties and undo top buttons on shirts, but stated that shorts are not permitted.

"I would not want to make any changes without consulting both students and their families," Mitchell said. "However, with hotter weather becoming more normal, I would be happy to consider a change for the future and will talk to families and staff further about this in the coming weeks."

These British boys, it seems, are not the only ones to think up such a novel idea.
Installed in my hideout in Kalimpong in December-January, the hills appeared quiet under the yellow-pink glow of Kanchenjunga, with no whisper of trouble. The ratcheting up of moves for the upcoming municipal elections played well within the frayed fabric of our noisy polity. The Jana Andolan Party (JAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) were positioning themselves, anticipating a reconfiguration to dislodge the GJM (Gorkha Janamukti Morcha), which had been enjoying the fruits of BJP outsourcing. The TMC did well at the mid-May hustings to wrench Mirik town from GJM's grip. But the GJM returned, with its wings partly clipped, in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.

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Mamata saw an opportunity here, and it is in this light that the current flare-up ought to be seen. A myopic and majoritarian attempt at forcing the Bengali language on a large minority in Bengal backfired, leading to a violent resuscitation of the old demand for a Gorkhaland. It is reminiscent of the truculent late 1980s, when the Gorkha National Liberation Front's prime schismatic, Ghising, deployed the tactic of 'no man's land' (and 'ceded land') in a geo-strategically sensitive borderland to feed political fires. But the andolans furnished only a hill council and later in the 2000s, a territorial administration under GJM's Bimal Gurung when a state was demanded. The Centre may invent yet another interim model to suture the alienation from Bengal but the resurgent demand for statehood is popular and emotive.

It is no less emotive in the rest of Bengal which raucously rejects division, mindful not only of 1905 but also of 1947, when the reality of the Radcliffe Line descended upon a population that had been neither asked for their opinion nor properly informed of what was to come. This wilful incommunication was to cast long shadows over subsequent events, and accounts of this shaded easily into patterns of thought that were dualistic and left little room for other players. The Darjeeling writer I.B. Rai has anxiously evoked other divisions in his essay Pahar ra Khola (Hills and Streams): "When will the Nepali race [translated from jati] ever get anywhere when it has to walk the main street taking everything along with it? The path of the sub-race is our only short one, a way of quick progress. For how long will we wait together, with the future of the race our only aim?"

The sandwiching of 'sub-racial' or 'tribal' groups between the upper-caste Bahuns and Chhetris and the lower-caste Matwali Jaatharu ('the drinking lot') in the Gorkha social formation has taken on a distinct political dimension lately, as these groups recognise the benefits of being officially declared scheduled tribes and have become the ready subjects of 'development boards' installed by the Bengal government under Mamata. These ethnic 'development boards', recognised through an executive fiat by the government as an alternative conduit for delivering funds, are the latest tinkerings in a long line of experiments in governance. The idea is that these boards ostensibly allow 'backward' communities to uphold their economic and social well-being. It's also a counter-insurgency strategy by the state to produce divisions amongst the Gorkhas and with the indigenous Lepchas.

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Ironically, the now compromised Subhas Ghising earlier saw profit in the inclusion of his constituents as scheduled tribes, staging spectacles of sacrifice, blood-drinking and exorcism as proof of 'primitiveness' and 'backwardness'. You could read this, as one rather generous scholar has done, as the Darjeeling communities' strategy to return the homegrown orientalist gaze of the state and its anthropologists. But politically, many fear later reprisals from a victorious GJM against pro-state boards and communities.

The current crisis in the hills highlights yet again the inescapable violence that emerges out of hatred, fabricated untruth or ignorance. In truth, fraternity, like politics, enjoys only moments. For the long-suffering Darjeeling hills, the turmoil may seem like a return to reality.

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Prem Poddar is professor in cultural encounters, at Roskilde University, Denmark. He divides his time between London, Kalimpong and Copenhagen.

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Thanking the Opposition parties for nominating her as their joint candidate, Meira Kumar said this was a fight between different ideologies.

By Press Trust of India: The Opposition said today that it would contest the July 17 presidential election based on ideology and appealed to all secular forces to support its nominee Meira Kumar.

Kumar was picked by 17 non-NDA political parties as their candidate against NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

The July 17 presidential election will see a contest between two Dalits, one hailing from Uttar Pradesh and the other from Bihar.

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Thanking the Opposition parties for nominating her as their joint candidate, Kumar said this was a fight between different ideologies.

She appealed to the electorate comprising parliamentarians and members of state legislatures to decide on their support in the best interest of the country based on cherished values of social justice and inclusiveness and on principles and ideologies.

"This election is a fight of ideology. I would appeal to the collegium to take their decision on the best interest of the country, based on the cherished values and principles and ideologies. These are social justice, inclusiveness and values of composite Indian heritage which we hold so sacred," she has said.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who termed Kumar as the best candidate to represent the secular forces, said, "This is a fight of ideologies and there is no midway. People with secular ideology should stand with Meira Kumar."

CPI national secretary D Raja also termed the presidential poll as a battle of ideologies and that the Opposition would fight this contest seriously despite less numbers.

"It is true that the numbers are not in favour of the Opposition at this point of time. But it is a contest and must be fought seriously. Some people say it is a token fight, but what is tokenism in a democracy? This contest is to safeguard the Constitution, democracy. It is a battle of ideologies," he said.

Raja also added that they would reach out to the other Opposition parties to join hands and support Kumar's candidature.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said his was an "ideological battle" against Kovind. "(He) is a hardcore RSS man and even if the Congress had asked us to support him, I would have gone against it," he said.

Kovind today sought to reach out to the Opposition by asserting that the president's office was above party politics and that he did not belong to a party.

"Since I became the governor I do not belong to any political party," the 71-year-old former head of the BJP's Dalit Morcha -- almost certain to be the next president -- said after filing his nomination here for the post.

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Controversies like allotment of bungalows in Lutyens' Delhi and sacking Lok Sabha TV CEO Rajiv Mishra may come back to haunt Opposition's presidential candidate Meira Kumar.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: BJP led NDA outsmarted the Opposition by declaring Ram Nath Kovind as its presidential candidate. Stumped by the ruling party's move, Congress and 16 other parties announced the name of former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, thus, making it a Dalit versus Dalit contest.

Besides both being Dalits, there are some other common points between Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar as well. One of them is the controversies involving both the presidential candidates.

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Both Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar have done law. While the former practised law, the latter did not. Kovind cleared the Civil Services Examinations but rejected the offer as he was selected in allied services. Meira Kumar was an Indian Foreign Services officer and worked in several capacities.

Both are also politicians. Meira Kumar also has a more illustrious political career than her rival. Kovind was a two term Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, heading BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha. He was also the party's national spokesperson.

Meira Kumar is a five term Lok Sabha MP having won from UP, Delhi and Bihar. She was also a Union Cabinet minister before becoming the Lok Sabha speaker.

However, Meira Kumar's political career has been far more controversial than that of Ram Nath Kovind. These controversies have come to haunt her.

MEIRA KUMAR

Bungalow allotment

The former Lok Sabha Speaker is embroiled in a serious controversy over allotment of bungalows in Lutyens' Delhi which may even land her in trouble at some stage. By allegedly using her influence when she was the speaker, Meira Kumar got a bungalow on 6, Krishna Menon Marg converted into Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation. She also got it allotted for 25 years till 2038.

Meira Kumar is the daughter of former deputy prime minister and freedom fighter late Babu Jagjivan Ram. She was the last official occupant till 2002 of 6, Krishna Menon Marg bungalow where Jagjivan Ram lived till he died in 1986.

At one point in time, she had two bungalows in her possession - one on 6, Krishna Menon Marg and the other on 20, Akbar Road. She had been allotted the latter bungalow by virtue of being the speaker.

However, the conversion of the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow into a memorial by the previous UPA government and its allotment in the name of Meira Kumar's family for the next 25 years went against a Cabinet note dated 2000 of the NDA government to prevent such manipulations.

According to an RTI response, the government had slapped a rent bill for Rs 1.98 crore on the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow. However, Meira Kumar is accused of getting that waived when she was the speaker.

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RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, who had sought the details from the government, told India Today that a response from Directorate of Estates subsequent to a CIC-verdict confirmed that the Rs 1.98 crore rent bill was cancelled without any request on record.

He said, "The central government should regenerate the rent bill for recovery because the bungalow (6, Krishna Menon Marg) was kept forcibly and illegally occupied as an unofficial memorial of late Babu Jagjivan Ram after death of his widow Indrani Devi... The government should also cancel the conversion of the bungalow as a memorial."

He claimed that the bungalow was openly turned as "unofficial memorial" by successive central governments deliberately keeping this bungalow "un-allotted" to allow such "illegal activity of encroachment and trespass". "The bungalow was used to hold prayer meetings on birth and death anniversaries of Jagjivan Ram without any permission from the government but which were attended by top-ranking government-functionaries," he further said.

He defended the Centre for turning down demands of former Union minister Ajit Singh to convert 12, Tuglaq Road bungalow in a memorial in the name of his father and former prime minister late Choudhary Charan Singh.

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Sacking Lok Sabha TV CEO Rajiv Mishra

In a major controversial decision, Meira Kumar, as the then Lok Sabha speaker, sacked the then Lok Sabha TV CEO Rajiv Mishra due to a frivolous reason. Though the Modi government was sworn in on May 26, 2014, Meira Kumar was the caretaker speaker till Kamal Nath was appointed as the pro tem speaker on May 30 afternoon.

On the last day of her term, she a notification was issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat stating that the Speaker had "limited the tenure" of Mishra till May 31.

Mishra had claimed that he was removed as Meira Kumar was upset over the Lok Sabha TV telecasting the news of her trailing and subsequent defeat from Sasaram Lok Sabha constituency. Though the private channels were running the news, Meira allegedly took exception to it being aired on the Lok Sabha TV.

She was also reportedly unhappy over the Lok Sabha TV telecasting live the meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party (BJPPP) inside the Central Hall of Parliament where Narendra Modi was elected as its leader on May 20.

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Subhash Chandra Agrawal claimed that Mishra's salary till May 31 had been credited in his bank account. "However, against the guidelines of the RBI and in an unethical manner, Meira Kumar, by using her influence on the State Bank of India, got his salary reverted without his consent. She took a revenge on Mishra," he alleged.

Blacking out of Lok Sabha TV during passage of Telangana Bill

A massive controversy had erupted over the blacking out of live broadcast of proceedings by Lok Sabha TV during the discussion and passage of Telangana Bill in the Lower House on February 19, 2014. Meira Kumar was the speaker then and the Lok Sabha TV was under her control.

Though the Lok Sabha secretariat claimed that it was a "technical glitch", External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj then, allege that it was a "tactical glitch". Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, likened the blackout of the Lok Sabha TV live proceedings to "Emergency days".

Though the House had witnessed unprecedented unruly scenes, Meira Kumar went ahead with the discussion and passage of the contentious Bill, clearing the way for the creation of Telangana as the 29th state of the country. However, the live proceedings were blacked out on Lok Sabha TV.

RAM NATH KOVIND

There are only two instances in the public domain so far in which the NDA candidate's name has been found in some imbroglio.

Defending Bangaru Laxman

Ram Nath Kovind reportedly stood witness for former BJP president Bangaru Laxman in 2012. Laxman was convicted in the Tehelka sting case later. But Kovind, in his testimony had said he knew Laxman for 20 years and he was a simple and honest person. He also testified that he had met Laxman after the sting operation. Laxman told him that he had been framed in the case.

Opposing reservation to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians

Kovind is understood to have opposed according of Scheduled Caste (SC) status to the backward among the Muslims and Christians as per the Rangnath Mishra report. In his capacity as the BJP spokesperson, he said if the Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians were included in the SC category, they would be entitled to contest elections from the seats reserved for the community. Also, they would eat into the jobs reserved for SC candidates.

He buttressed his argument by stating that the architects of the Constitution such as BR Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and C Rajagopalachari had also opposed this demand. Asked if Sikh Dalits could be given why not the Muslims and Christians, he said the latter two religions did not originate in India,

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--- ENDS ---
The Income Tax department said that it has reasons to believe that a plush South Delhi farm house linked to former Union Cabinet Minister in the UPA regime is a benami property in which Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh have been living for years.

By Rohit Kumar Singh, Atir Khan: Income Tax department is probing a plush South Delhi farm house linked to former Union Cabinet Minister in the UPA regime. The department has reasons to believe it is a benami property belonging to Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh.

Sources said an over Rs 50 crore farm house in Delhi's Ghitorni is associated with a businessman-turned- politician identified as a Lalu loyalist. However Lalu's elder daughter Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh are living in the farm house for years. There are no bank transactions to indicate they are paying any money for the property, which would earn a rent of at least Rs 10 lakh per month.

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Indian Postal Service sources said recently, when the Income Tax provisionally attached Misa and her husband's property, that the department had sent notices on the address of the farm house. But the notices were returned with a remark that both Misa and her husband were travelling out of Delhi. Income Tax Department records, however suggested both were attending Income Tax proceedings at Jhandewala office on the dates notices were served.

ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT

However the department is now eying the farm house which they believe is a benami property acquired in the name of a company through transactions made through shell companies. Their suspicion stems from the fact that the union ministers wife played a major role in helping Lalu's kin acquire some highly valuable property in Patna by transferring her share in the company owning the property.

When asked to comment on the Income Tax probe about the farm house, all that Misa Bharti said was: "Thank You". Her father RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has denied the allegations of his daughter, sons and son-in-law having acquired any benami properties in Delhi and Bihar. When we visited the farm house in question and made inquiries we were told that Misa and her husband actually live in the farm house.

When an India Today team visited the property, the sentry at the gate of the farm house informed them that the property belongs to a Member of Parliament. The team also saw Delhi Police security presence inside the farm house and were told that the MP is not living in the farm house and he is possibly travelling abroad. India Today also wrote an email to the former Cabinet minister to seek his response, but the email was not replied. Sources said Lalu's kin are preparing to file a writ against Income Tax Department's benami property proceedings against them.

Also Read:

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I-T department attaches Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti's Rs 50 crore assets

Income Tax department issues fresh summons to Misa Bharti over benami land deal case

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Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti to appear before I-T department

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Miss World 2016, Puerto Rican musician and model Stephanie Del Valle, arrived in Mumbai on the afternoon of June 22. This is her first India visit, and she's putting up at JW Marriott hotel in Juhu for the five days that she's going to be in the country.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/missworld

Stephanie's reason to visit India is the upcoming finale of Miss India 2017, which is scheduled to take place at the Yash Raj Film Studios on June 25, Sunday. "I am so very excited to be here. This is my first time in India and so far it has been a wonderful welcome. I will also going to visit a school which Miss World has worked with for before. And I am so excited that this trip is going to be a very memorable one and I can't wait for the rest of this journey," Stephanie told IANS.

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Since there still are a couple of days left to go for the finale, Stephanie has been talking to the final contestants of the beauty contest, giving them tips for their performances on stage and pumping them up before their big day.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/missworld

About being a part of this process, Stephanie said, "I do get little bit of nostalgic and I start remembering my whole journey and all the challenges and obstacles that I had to overcome to be able to come here. It's really exciting to be with all these girls and to be able to motivate them," she said."

Picture courtesy: Instagram/missworld

Here's hoping Stephanie enjoys the rest of her India visit!

--- ENDS ---
The ambulance, which cost the donor around Rs 10 lakh, has been fitted with a cage in which cows of any size or breed can easily fit.

Cows of any size or breed can easily fit into the cage of the ambulance.

By Vidya : A Mumbai-based businessman Sushil Jajoo has donated a cow ambulance to a gaushala in Wada Taluka of Palghar district in Maharashtra.

The vehicle, fitted with a cage, has not been put into service but has already been sent to Shree Ram Drishti Gaushala which currently takes care of 120 cows.

Kishore Karale, the owner of the gaushala, has been rescuing cows for the last 12 years. "Earlier, the process of loading an injured cow into a vehicle was difficult. At least eight people were involved in loading a cow inside a vehicle. It was difficult more because the cow would to be injured or would just refused to stand up. Now with this ambulance, we can manage with just two people," said Karale.

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Karale's gaushala has been rescuing cows specifically as he says that after cows get over their fertility age and are no longer producing milk, many cow owners let go of their animals due to which these cows either fall prey to diseases or meet with accidents on road.

"Every month we have to make a few trips to rescue some cows. Last month we made four trips and it is especially during rains that we receive more calls of cows meeting with accidents," said Karale.

Karale had gone to look for a cow ambulances at a gaushala in Gujarat where Jajoo expressed his willingness to help him. Jajoo contacted few people who took him to a garage owner Sunil Mohidekar in Vasai. Mohidekar converted a Tata 207 into an ambulance as requested by Jajoo for the guashala.

"The Tata vehicle costs around Rs 6.5 lakh but a cage and a hydraulic system was supposed to be added to it. The hydraulic system helps move the cage. The total cost of the ambulance was around Rs 10 lakh," said Mohidekar adding "If a manual version of the same was to be made then it could be done in just Rs 6 lakh. The cage is around 4 feet wide, 7 feet long and its height is 5.5. "Cows of any size or breed can easily fit into the cage. The hydraulic mechanism can help lift a cow of any weight," Mohidekar said.

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ALSO WATCH | Lucknow: Keshav Prasad Maurya flags off ambulance service for cows

--- ENDS ---
by John Chamberlain

This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

"Yes," said the student, "but Batista was corrupt."

The statement, delivered with an air of assurance, was a variation on a familiar theme. Fifteen years ago it was Chiang Kai-shek who was "corrupt." And before that it was the government of the Czar.

Well, one can hardly deny that the followers of Batista made a good thing for themselves out of Cuba, or that Chiangs officials had their methods of exacting "squeeze," or that Rasputin had an unholy influence at the Russian Imperial court. But the truly interesting thing about the students pronouncement on Batista was its implied narrow definition of the word "corruption."

In almost any older dictionary you will find that "corruption" means (a) decay, or (b) depravity, or (c) impurity, or (d) bribery.

But modern political usage has pretty much eliminated the first, second, and third meanings of the word. To the present-day student of political science, "corruption" means only one thing: it is what happens in capitalist countries when insiders use bribery or pressure to feather their own nests. It is neveror hardly everused to describe what happens in a nation once Marxist or totalitarian statists of one sort or another get control of a government in the name of the "people."

The student who took off on the subject of Batistas "corruption" was by no means a supporter of "Fidelismo." But it had obviously never occurred to him that, under the older, wider definition of corruption, Castro is far more reprehensible than the dictator he has supplanted. When the Cuban Information Service reports that Castros firing squads have killed 6,000 since last August, it is certainly "corruption" in the sense that it represents "depravity" and "impurity." That is, it represents "depravity" if the Mosaic injunction against murder has the same force as the other prohibitions enumerated in the Ten Commandments. It also represents "decay," for the nation that cant handle political dissidents without killing them has suffered an egregious lapse from all civilized standards of debate.

In Mao Tse-tungs China, the corruption of bribery may no longer be an issue. But when peasant families are deprived of their bits of land and herded into agricultural communes, it certainly comes under the heading of theft. Again, this is corruption in the sense that it represents a decay of civilized standards. Moreover, Mao Tse-tungs government has not been sparing of human life. Artificially induced starvation is surely a form of murder, and this comes under the heading of "depravity" or "impurity."

The popular image of dictators like Castro and Mao Tse-tung is that, whatever else you may say about them, they are puritanical when it comes to rejecting bribes. But so was that bloody monster of the French revolutionary epoch, Robespierre, who was called the "sea-green incorruptible" by Thomas Carlyle. Robespierre climbed to power over mountainous piles of corpses. He was just about as depraved and impure a political monster as the world has ever known. Thus he was "corrupt" in the wider, older meaning of the term, even though he may have been a Puritan when it came to money temptations. Castro and Mao Tse-tung are Robespierres of the modern ageand in comparison to them the "corrupt" Batista and the "corrupt" Chiang Kai-shek are almost lily-white.

In the annals of the Russian Revolution you will not find descriptions of a "corrupt" Stalin. Yet this man who robbed banks to raise money for the communist revolutionary cause was corrupt under every meaning of the word. When he ordered the elimination of three million peasants in order to saddle the Soviet nation with a collectivized agriculture, he was acting in a "depraved" and "impure" manner. Corruption? The business stank to high heaven.

The moral is: lets not shrink the usage of perfectly good words. It keeps us from making valid moral and political judgments about a host of corrupt enemies who have sworn to bury us.

John Chamberlain (1903-1995) was an American journalist, business and economic historian, and author of number of works including The Roots of Capitalism (1959). Chamberlain also served as a founding editor of The Freeman magazine.
By The Associated Press/West Kentucky Star Staff

By The Associated Press/West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 22, 2017 | 07:25 PM | WARREN COUNTY, OH

A southern Illinois man convicted of abducting his estranged girlfriend from Mayfield and killing her along an Ohio interstate has been sentenced to receive the death penalty.

A judge in southwest Ohio's Warren County sentenced Brookport resident Terry Froman on Thursday. The judge followed the recommendation of jurors who this month found Froman guilty of aggravated murder and kidnapping in the September 2014 slaying of Kimberly Thomas.

Froman's attorney said during the trial evidence would show "mitigating factors."

Prosecutors say Froman became vengeful when Thomas ordered him out of her Mayfield home. They say Froman abducted Thomas from Kentucky after fatally shooting Thomas' 17-year-old son, Eli Mohney.

Froman faces charges in Graves County for Mohney's death.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 22, 2017 | 07:06 PM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY

A Livingston County man faces charges after a two car crash Wednesday night in Graves County.

Sheriff Dewayne Redmon said 39-year-old Remey Smith of Grand Rivers disregarded a stop sign at the intersection of KY 94 and KY 97 in Tri City. His vehicle was struck by another vehicle driven by 66-year-old Elizabeth Richardson of Sedalia. Richardsons vehicle then rolled over onto its top.

Richardson was taken to Jackson Purchase Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. Smith was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, wanton endangerment, disregarding a stop sign, operators license to be in possession and open alcoholic container in a motor vehicle.

He was lodged in the Graves County Jail.
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By The Associated Press Jun. 22, 2017 | 07:33 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY

Gov. Matt Bevin's administration has filed emergency regulations that some abortion providers say are designed to shut them down.

The Courier-Journal reports the Kentucky Health and Family Services cabinet filed the regulations June 15. They took effect immediately because they were filed as an emergency.

State law requires abortion clinics to have agreements with hospitals and ambulance services to transfer patients in case of a medical emergency. The new regulations say those agreements have to be a legal contract with a hospital within a 20-minute drive of the clinic.

The Bevin administration said the regulations are needed to minimize risks in an emergency. But an attorney for Kentucky's only abortion clinic said it is aimed at shutting it down.

___

Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com
The Mumbai mayor is in the dock after his audio clip went viral in which he is threatening to sack the BMC official under whom 17 illegal stalls were removed from Khar west area on Thursday.

By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar finds himself at the centre of a controversy after his audio clip emerged in which he is threatening a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official with stern action for removing 17 stalls at Khar west.

Mahadeshwar can be heard threatening to suspend the official under whom 17 illegal hawkers were removed from the Khar west 33rd Road on Thursday morning.

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In a telephonic interview, the mayor confirmed the authenticity of the audio clip and added, "I have not threatened him. I just warmed him if he is doing a illegal work then action must be taken against him too."

The Khar west area where all 17 stalls were removed on Thursday due to lack of permit.

The official in the audio clip can be heard justifying his action saying that he was just following orders given to him by seniors but the mayor doesn't budge.

Slamming the mayor, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) said, "He should step down first. His job is to look after Mumbai and not protect illegal stalls. It's really shameful to see Mayor of Mumbai do this," said MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande.

The mayor was unavailable for further comments.

More details awaited.

--- ENDS ---
Kannada Development Authority issued a show cause notice to Bangalore Metro MD Pradeep Singh Kharola seeking explanation on the use of Hindi in signages.

The KDA has sought an explanation on the use of Hindi in signage and the announcements made on the Namma Metro.

By Rohini Swamy: A day after the chorus for the online campaign- Namma Metro Hindi Beda (which means No Hindi in our Metro train service) gained momentum, the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) issued a show cause notice to the managing director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) Pradeep Singh Kharola.

The KDA has sought an explanation on the use of Hindi in signage and the announcements made on the Namma Metro.

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Meanwhile, pro-Kannada organisations took advantage of the situation and took out a demonstration in front of the BMRCL office, demanding it to put signages in Kannada and English only.

Namma Metro, the name given to the city rail service, has been given seven days to respond.

According to the notice issued by the KDA, BMRCL has violated the provisions of the Karnataka Shops and Establishments Act, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) Services, and directives of the Union Home Ministry.

KDA chairman SG Siddaramaiah said that Namma Metro was unnecessarily imposing Hindi on people and that they should immediately remove the signages that have directions in Hindi.

Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah chairman said that like the Karnataka State Transport Corporation or the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation, the BMRCL is also a state government-owned entity which has been backed by the Centre for funds. So according to the laws in the state, the signboards should only be bilingual, meaning in Kannada and English.

It is only the central government establishments that need to use three languages that is the local language, Hindi and English.

The controversy ensued when a group of young Kannada enthusiasts started an online campaign #NammaMetroHindiBeda. This social media campaign, which soon became viral, also brought to focus the need to seek the state government's intervention on the issue.

The main campaigners who belong to the group Banavasi Balaga Prakashana said that Namma Metro is flouting rules and should be asked to rectify their mistake immediately.

The social media campaigners also argue that in Chennai too, there are boards in Tamil and Hindi, so why not in Namma metro?

"The president and officers of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike have submitted a memorandum that Hindi should not be used in name boards in the metro stations. We have received this and we will forward it to the Government of India. We have used three languages based on the instructions of the Government of India," Kharola told India Today.

ALSO READ | Kochi Metro flagged off today: Six things to lookout for in the Metro

Exclusive tour of Bengaluru's new underground Metro before its April 29 launch

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ALSO WATCH | PM Modi congratulates people of Kochi after Metro inauguration

--- ENDS ---
A Chinese strategic expert said on Friday that Beijing would be closely following the upcoming Modi-Trump meeting with the view that some of the expected economic outcomes could benefit Beijing.

By Ananth Krishnan: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington, China has warned India and the US that any moves to deepen military ties in the Asia-Pacific should steer clear of the contested South China Sea.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Friday, "With concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea is cooling down. We hope other countries, especially non-regional countries, can respect efforts by countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard."

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Meanwhile, a Chinese strategic expert said on Friday that Beijing would be closely following the upcoming Modi-Trump meeting with the view that some of the expected economic outcomes could benefit Beijing.

"Chinese people will take a close look at the summit because some of the issues also concern China's interests," said Qian Feng, a scholar with the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University and executive director with the Chinese Association for South Asian Studies, in a commentary in the party-run Global Times.

"For instance, Trump is reforming US immigration policies, including the H1B visa, a type of visa whose biggest and second-biggest recipients are India and China, respectively. The curb on H1B visas is bad news not only for the Indian IT sector but also Chinese students studying in US universities. China will most likely be willing to express support for India's stance over the H1B visa, and hopefully the problem can get solved during Modi's summit with Trump."

Besides the H1B issue, in Beijing's view any moves by the Trump administration to push for access to India's market could also be beneficial to China in the long run, as also any moves to get the US to act on climate change, where India and China have pledged to fulfil commitments under the Paris agreement even as Trump withdrew.

Qian said that China was "glad to see India and the US strengthening their economic ties" but that "New Delhi's bargaining power in negotiations with Washington is limited, so it is unrealistic for Modi to totally change Trump's attitude toward the H1B visa and Paris agreement."

"China needs to have a clear anticipation of the summit and be prepared for any eventualities," he said.

"If Trump fights for US firms' interests and persuades India to promise wider opening-up during his summit with Modi, China, as a key economic partner of India, will also gain benefits. Therefore, China is paying close attention to Modi's upcoming US visit," Qian added.

"India has sustained rapid GDP growth since Modi came to power, which has boosted India's confidence and strength as it strives to become a major power. Cooperation with the US will help India expand its influence in international and regional affairs, so the Modi administration will be interested in developing closer ties with Washington."

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He added, "It is possible that Modi may announce further measures in this regard if Trump presses him to do more to allow foreign and Indian companies to be treated equally in the country. An improved investment climate will contribute not just to US firms doing business in India, but also to companies from other countries, China including."

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Watch Video: PM Modi to visit United States on June 26, will discuss Indo-US ties with Trump

--- ENDS ---
Naveen Patnaik, 70, is as sparse with his words as he is with his interviews. In his first in-depth chat since he took over as chief minister of Odisha in 2014 for the fourth consecutive time, the CM spoke freely on a range of key issues to India Today's Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa and Mail Today's Deputy Editor Maneesh Pandey.

Excerpts:

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Q. You have been the chief minister of Odisha for 17 years, serving your fourth consecutive term and among the longest-serving CMs in the country. What is the secret of your success?

A. I think it has to do with our anti-poverty programmes, our fight against corruption. Also, the efficiency of our programmes, particularly for women, tribal people, scheduled castes and the poor.

Q. You were an accidental chief minister when you took charge in 2000. Did you know much about the state? How did you go about setting your priorities?

A. I didn't have great knowledge about the state. I had to understand each part of the state and then deal with it. I thought my most important task was to try and tackle poverty, which I think we have been able to do to a great extent.

Q. Did your father, Biju Patnaik, give you any political advice while he was alive?

A. He gave me no political advice because I had no intention of entering politics when he was alive, neither did he think I would. But what I learnt from him was to interact with people, get close to their problems and deal with them effectively and efficiently.

Q. Given the high life you led prior to your taking over as CM, did you ever think that heading India's poorest state may not be your cup of tea?

A. No, I didn't. I entered it quite straightforwardly. When I took over in 2000, Odisha was in a terrible financial state, due to various policies, some of them unpopular. Now, we are on a very sound financial footing. Also, when I took over, the state had to depend on Haryana and Punjab for rice. Now, we are totally self-sufficient and even exporting rice. For the past three years, we have been winning major agriculture prizes. Our farmers have doubled their incomes. So that is also a huge improvement as far as these matters are concerned.

The CM's frayed leather armchair, potted plant doodle and his hawai chappals. The CM's frayed leather armchair, potted plant doodle and his hawai chappals.

Q. You are a most unusual politician. Unlike the prime minister and other chief ministers, you maintain a low profile. You do not use social media that much. You don't go to town and shout out your achievements. Why?

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A. I think it is more important that my work speaks for itself.

Q. What have you learnt over the years that has enabled you to stay so focused?

A. Well, to interact with people, to keep our programmes efficient and always very clearly for the benefit of the poor. Also, to make the administration more efficient and corruption-free. If you look at the administration today, you will see that it is an effective one. For instance, we averted a major disaster when the super cyclone struck in 2013. We had to deal with it and we dealt with it effectively. As far as disaster management is concerned, our government has now set world standards.

Q. Transparency and anti-corruption have been a continuing theme in your administration. Have you been as successful throughout?

A. We have made new rules and policies and taken a number of strong measures to weed out corruption.

Q. Including the sacking of some officers and ministers?

A. Sacking officers and ministers, yes, indeed. We are also constantly reviewing and monitoring these things.

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Q. However, there seems to be growing dissent within your party. Jay Panda, an MP and a prominent leader of your party, has called for intro-spection after the setback in the panchayat polls. Among his charges is that the state is now controlled by bureaucrats, not by the party any more...

A. Not at all, we are a democratic party. We have a number of vice-presidents, general secretaries etc., and they do their work well. We are perfectly effective. And certainly, the party, not the bureaucracy, runs the state. As regards dissent, we have no more dissent than in any other political party.

Patnaik at a BJD event in Bhubaneswar.

Q. Panda also said that now allegations of corruption are being heard.

A. I think we are dealing with that effectively enough.

Q. Was that the reason behind the recent reshuffle in your cabinet and dropping of some ministers?

A. Not necessarily. That was done for various reasons.

Q. Panda also said that the youth are getting disaffected by the party.

A. Not true. We have an excellent skill development programme run by professionals. Our target is to train 11 lakh youth over a period of five years, from 2014 to 2019. The number of youth covered in the last financial year was around 4.6 lakh. We also have scholarships and loans for students. We're dealing with that well, and certainly enough employment is being generated now.

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Q. Others have expressed concern that investment in industry hasn't really picked up.

A. We have got sizeable investments through our Make in Odisha conclave and other such investor meets. The state has received investment intent for 124 projects worth Rs 3.65 lakh crore. The state has already received firm commitments for 66 projects that is more than 50 per cent of the investment intent. This is one of the fastest and highest rates of investment committed received by any state in the country.

Q. The main criticism is that the BJD is a one-leader party-you. And that there is no second line of leadership.

A. That is not correct. As I told you before, we have a number of vice-presidents and officials in the party. Ours is a democratic party.

Q. After the recent panchayat elections, the BJP has become your main opponent in the state. Amit Shah talks of the BJP's eastern push that includes Odisha. How serious is the challenge from the BJP?

A. People speak about the results of the panchayat election as a threat to us. The fact is the BJD won 66 per cent of the seats and the BJP only 33 per cent. So, it is not a major victory, and their leaders did very badly. Their two Union ministers couldn't win in their areas, their state president couldn't open his account in his area. So, there, you have my reply.

Q. Why didn't you campaign personally for the panchayat elections?

A. I thought let's test the strength of the party, and indeed it did well.

Q. What are you focusing on in your fourth term? Anything different from your earlier ones?

A. Not really. We continue to concentrate on transparency, efficiency and our pro-poor programmes. We have an excellent rural housing programme, we intend to convert all kuchcha houses into pucca houses-that would be two million of them. We have completed more than one million [houses] and I am sure we will succeed in completing the remaining before the due date.

Q. Women's welfare, too, seems to have been one of your major thrusts. There is this anecdote of how you, in your third term, came across a pregnant woman who had to work till the very last day of her pregnancy because she was too poor to support herself, and which made you launch a major programme for such women.

A. Yes, it is true. It is called the Mamata scheme and provides Rs 5,000 to every pregnant and lactating woman in the state apart from ensuring hospital care for both mother and child. We have covered over 25 lakh women and it has become the largest conditional cash transfer scheme of its kind that is now being emulated by the Centre. Apart from that, we set up women's welfare groups and have more than half a million women involved, leading to their political empowerment as well as financial independence. Even in our panchayats, 50 per cent of the seats are reserved for women.

Q. Coming to central cooperation, you have been asking for Odisha to be granted special status in terms of schemes. Has the Narendra Modi government helped?

A. Sadly, no, it has not been responsive. Our poverty index has improved hugely as have other crucial parameters. But you know we still have a great deal of poverty and we also have these disasters of floods and droughts happening very often. They certainly damage the state's economy and destroy the infrastructure. Therefore, a special category status could be of great help to Odisha.

Q. You have also expressed concern that the Centre has imposed an energy cess but made no attempt to compensate Odisha for the energy resources it supplies to the country. Has there been a response from the Centre?

A. Nothing much. The rate of royalty has remained unrevised. The Centre has enhanced the levy of clean energy cess to Rs 400 per tonne in the 2016-17 budget. This cess is not shared with the coal-bearing states nor do they benefit from the funds collected as a cess in proportion to their contribution to the cess. I have earlier suggested that this cess be renamed environment and rehabilitation cess. And 60 per cent of such funds be shared with coal-bearing states to tackle negative externalities.

Q. You are disappointed by the Centre's response on this as well?

A. I am, indeed.

Q. Yet you backed the PM's demonetisation move last year.

A. We approved of demonetisation because it was against black money, but the implementation was bad. Funds had become very tight, the public suffered a great deal. I think things are now cooling down considerably.

Q. What other measures do you think the PM needs to take to get rid of black money and corruption?

A. He has to certainly tighten the administration. I don't know what his plans are, but we will wait and watch.

Q. You have also supported GST.

A. It is good for the country. We have brought up certain aspects that could be improved.

Q. How would you assess PM Modi and his performance?

A. I think he is hard-working. But people's expectations are enormous and there is a lot of disappointment. He still has another two years to go for this government, so let's see what happens.

Q. If you were PM, what would you do?

A. I would focus on progress and development and concentrate on the welfare of the poor.

Q. There is no real opposition to Modi at the Centre.

A. Well, I do think a healthy opposition is very necessary in a democracy.

Q. Would you consider leading a mahagathbandhan or a third front?

A. It's early days yet. Let's wait and see.

Q. When would it be the right time?

A. Closer to the elections.

Q. Do you see yourself rejoining the NDA?

A. No, our party remains equidistant both from the BJP and the Congress.

Q. What do you think of the Congress?

A. Sadly, it is folding up like a house of cards, as you may have noticed in this state and many other parts of India.

Q. Does Rahul Gandhi have the stuff to lead the Congress?

A. As you have seen, he has not been a very effective leader.

Q. And you don't think he will change.

A. He's in his 40s now. Let's see how he does. There's scope for improvement.

Q. Among the issues affecting the country is the so-called politics of beef. What is your stand on it?

A. I think everyone should be concerned about people's sensitivities and feelings. And also consider what the majority of the people require.

Q. There is also concern about rising intolerance, about university students being vilified for speaking out?

A. We should try effectively to control that because, after all, ours is a democratic and secular country.

Q. Are you concerned with what's happening in Kashmir? And what do you think the Centre needs to do?

A. Nobody is happy with the situation in Kashmir. The Centre should certainly take it very seriously, have much more dialogue with the people and come up with solutions for peace.

Q. Coming back to your personal life, this year you complete 20 years in politics. What have been the biggest lessons you've learnt as a chief minister?

A. To be very attentive to the requirements of the people, keep your ears open to their problems and try and deal with them effectively.

Q. Do you miss Pappu the jet-setter?

A. No, because you are so busy with your work, you don't have much time for all that. I am also very happy and content with my work in Odisha.

Q. If you had the option, is there anything else you would like to do?

A. I can't think of anything better than what I am doing at the moment.

Q. What is the satisfaction that you get out of being CM?

A. There is a great deal of reward when you do good work and people see how successful that work is and the happiness it brings to them.

Q. How'd you like to be remembered?

A. I leave that for the people to judge.

Q. And to yourself?

A. I hope I am able to do all that I can for the people of this state.

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/06/2017 (1967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg company is looking for people to join the cast of a provocative Kristen Stewart film shooting in the city this summer. Titled JT LeRoy, the project is about a woman who pretended to be a hustler in a series of books and public appearances.

Stewart will play the lead role of Savannah Knoop, who herself played the role of former truck-stop male prostitute JT LeRoy in public. Stewart, best known for the Twilight series, will star opposite Laura Dern (Jurassic Park, Wild at Heart), who plays Savannahs sister-in-law Laura Albert, who created the character. Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) is also in the announced cast as a French actress who brings JT to Paris.

Jim Heber Casting is looking for diverse submissions from locals over the age of 18 to fill multiple roles during the shoot, which is expected to run between July 17 and Aug. 21.

Kristen Stewart, seen at a screening in March, will be filming in Winnipeg this summer. (Evan Agostini / Invision / The Associated Press)

No previous acting experience is necessary. Because a few of the roles have French dialogue, applicants who can speak French should mention that in their applications.

Applicants are asked to email a recent photo of themselves and their contact information as soon as possible to jimhebercasting@gmail.com.

Auditions are scheduled for next Thursday. Only selected submissions will be contacted with more information and location details.

The film is produced locally by Buffalo Gal Pictures. According to the Internet Movie Database, the film was written and will be directed by Justin Kelly, whose past features include a couple of James Franco films, I Am Michael, about a gay activist who became a straight Christian pastor, and King Cobra, a drama based on the true story of a male porn star. JT LeRoy is based on Knoops 2008 memoir about the deception, Girl Boy Girl.

Stewarts visibility got boosted last year when she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live and recalled in her monologue how, back in 2012, current U.S. President Donald Trump encouraged (via Twitter) her former boyfriend Robert Pattinson to dump Stewart. Stewart wryly added Trump wouldnt like her any better now because Im, like, so gay, dude.

It will be Stewarts first Manitoba film shoot, although she shot the 2007 horror film The Messengers in the QuAppelle Valley in Saskatchewan. Dern shot the 2015 film Bravetown in Manitoba opposite Josh Duhamel and Lucas Till.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @FreepKing

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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/06/2017 (1967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver knew he was inviting a legal battle when he used his show last Sunday to lambaste one of the countrys largest coal mining companies and mock its chief executive.

But it had to be done, he said.

In a 24-minute segment on the decline of the coal industry and U.S. President Donald Trumps tenuous promises to bring it back, Oliver railed against the mining giant Murray Energy Corporation and chief executive Robert E. Murray, who has blamed the industrys troubles on an evil agenda by former president Barack Obama.

https://youtu.be/RAvN9GzWWGw?t=49s

Before he got going, Oliver offered up a proviso. Im going to need to be careful here, he said, because when we contacted Murray Energy for this piece, they sent us a letter instructing us to cease and desist from any effort to defame, harass, or otherwise injure Mr. Murray or Murray Energy, and telling us that failure to do so will result in immediate litigation.

Then he tore into the 77-year-old coal magnate.

Murray was a geriatric Dr. Evil, he said, who mistreated his employees and tried to weaken coal safety regulations through litigation. He suggested Murray was on the same side as black lung and criticized his response to a deadly 2007 mine accident in Utah found to have been caused by safety violations.

On Wednesday, Murray did sue Oliver for defamation, along with HBO and Time Warner.

The lawsuit, filed in West Virginia circuit court, accuses Oliver of carrying out a meticulously planned attempt to assassinate the character and reputation of Murray and broadcasting false statements about his company to HBOs 134 million paying subscribers.

The goal is to allow Murray, who is said to be gravely ill, to set the record straight, the complaint says.

When Olivers writers contacted Murray Energy for comment before airing the segment, the companys representatives warned them that they were using outdated information and discredited reports to support the shows arguments, according to the complaint. Nevertheless, it says, Oliver ignored other materials Murray Energy provided that might have set him straight.

Charles Sykes / Invision File Last Week Tonight host John Oliver discussed a cease-and-desist letter he received from Murray Energy before tearing into its CEO.

The lawsuit claims that Oliver deliberately omitted facts offered by Murray Energy that, in the companys view, contradicted Olivers account of the mining accident in Utah. Murray and his company have argued that an earthquake, not dangerous mining, triggered the collapse of the Crandall Canyon Mine, which killed nine miners.

The complaint alleges one count each of defamation, false light invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It seeks financial damages and an injunction barring the rebroadcast of Olivers segment.

HBO said in a statement that it had not yet seen the complaint.

 Washington Post
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/06/2017 (1968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba is relying entirely on the fed-up owner of the Hudson Bay Railway to assess the flood damage to Churchills lifeline, rather than send government engineers to see it for themselves.

(Omnitrax is) a reputable firm, we expect to get a reputable report, Lee Spencer, assistant deputy minister for emergency measures with Manitoba Infrastructure, told a news conference Thursday afternoon.

I dont think wed be in any better position with our own engineers, he said. There is no plan to have Manitoba staff look at the rail lines, even by helicopter landings at damage sights. We have photographic evidence of what water was doing to the line.

The rail line from north of Gillam to Churchill closed May 23 after extensive spring flooding. Colorado-based Omnitrax, which owns both the railway and the Port of Churchill, says the damage is so extensive that repairs wont be completed before next spring, which has sparked fear of fuel and food shortages in the northern town that has 900 residents.

JUSTIN SAMANSKI-LANGILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Emergency Measures Organization assistant deputy minister Lee Spencer speaks to reporters.

While he expressed the provinces faith in Omnitraxs reputation, Spencer did not address photos taken by a Colorado motorcyclist that were published in the Free Press Wednesday. Adventurist Steve Green rode a dirt bike along the rail line from Thompson to Churchill and took photos  date-stamped last Friday, June 14  along the way that indicate the damage is nowhere near as severe as what has been described by Omnitrax.

A day earlier  June 13  the company released new photos to Global News that showed washed-out sections of the line surrounded by flood waters coursing under the track. Other photos that surfaced that week showed sections that were submerged.

The water is not covering the tracks anywhere and has receded well away from the rail bed, Green told the Free Press this week.

Omnitrax has refused to confirm the date when the water receded from the railbed.

Spencer said Thursday that more than 15 agencies from eight provincial departments, the federal government and the town are meeting regularly to discuss supplying Churchill with food, fuel and other essentials during the indefinite closure of the rail line.

Theyre talking with Omnitrax about the condition of the rail line and a timetable for repairs, Spencer said. But so far, We havent received a response to our latest request for information, he said.

Spencer said its too early to speculate about the possibility Omnitrax will not repair the only land link to the Hudson Bay community. Omnitrax has made no secret of its desire to sell the the railway and port; it claims the railway has lost $30 million since the firm bought it from the federal government in 1997.

For more than a year, Omnitrax has tried to sell both assets to a consortium of northern First Nations. A deal in principle was reached earlier this month, but the consortium has said publicly it needs financial support from the federal and provincial governments in order to complete the purchase.

The premiers office had Spencer meet with reporters Thursday, with no politicans in attendance, to provide an update on the effect of flooding.

OMNITRAX PHOTO A photo distributed by Omnitrax, the owner of the Hudson Bay Railway line, which says flood damage was catastrophic.

But the update offered little beyond Spencer saying that the province is waiting  for news from Omnitrax and from Ottawa for details about its Nutrition North federal food-subsidy program.

Were looking to partner with the Nutrition North Program, he said, adding the province has already increased the food subsidy for about 100 people in Churchill who collect employment and income assistance.

Meanwhile, major food-shipper, the North West Company, announced late Wednesday it will stop subsidizing most of the items it sells in the town.

The suspension of rail service to Churchill is a public infrastructure failing that is being borne 100 per cent by the citizens, businesses and other organizations in Churchill, company CEO Edward Kennedy wrote. If this crisis was in a rural or urban area, action would have been taken within days.

The notice says the company has absorbed the added cost of air shipments since the railway closure, but claims it would cost $700,000 a year in added costs to serve the community.

North West advised both levels of government last week that it was only prepared to keep subsidizing prices until June 25. Prices will begin to reflect air freight costs on that date, though not on some key items such as milk, the release said.

The statement comes amid confusing messages from the federal Liberal government. A blunt email Wednesday afternoon from Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs spokeswoman Valerie Hache told the Free Press: Churchill has not qualified for the food subsidy.

But a top department spokesman clarified hours later the minister was looking at potential costs and needs before deciding whether to grant an emergency authorization for Churchill to qualify for the Nutrition North Program.

It has not been decided yet; it has not been rejected. We are working on it, wrote James Fitz-Morris.

The company feels that subsidies are needed immediately which Churchill clearly now qualifies for, and says it cant arrange marine shipments until the fall, which would still be more expensive than rail transportation, but less costly than air.

Until the sealift arrives in October, assistance is also needed on non-perishable items. The long-term solutions may be complicated but the immediate ones are not.

Spencer said Manitoba is helping to arrange shipment by sea of additional storage equipment in Churchill, so the town can stockpile fuel supplies for the winter. The private sector is handling delivery, but the province is helping ensure that two or more companies co-operate so ships go out with a full load.

Open-water access is relatively short, he said.

That sea access is usually dependable until the first week of October, he said. Barges from Moosonee in Ontario take about two weeks to get to Churchill, depending on weather, but Spencer was unable to say how long it takes freighters to reach Churchill from Montreal.

Premier Brian Pallister told reporters earlier Thursday that the province is urging Ottawa to take action.

I think the idea that were following is to approach it as something thats urgent, important and address it as best and as effectively as we can, he said. Were working with the community. Were also reaching out to the federal government to include Churchill in their existing program in terms of the food-subsidy issues, because those are issues that arent going to go away in the short term.

Pallister said provincial officials are in daily contact with community leaders on how to best get supplies shipped to Churchill.

Weve got to address these issues with some foresight because when winter sets in, freighters arent going to be an option, he said. Co-ordinating these things is really important. Only when that is done, will we understand what the differences are in terms of real costs for the people there, and thats when you can assess the need for subsidization. Right now, were all struggling to figure out what the impact will be of alternative approaches.

I recognize the long-term issues, theyve been there for some years.

 with files from Dylan Robertson

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

stefanie.lasuik@freepress.mb.ca
By Press Trust of India: By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Jun 23 (PTI) About 50 Indians, mostly children who were allegedly taken hostage at a brick kiln in southern Nepal, have been rescued after a police raid, a media report said today.

The 48 abducted Indians from Bihar were held hostage at a brick kiln in Saptari district.

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Earlier, the relatives of the abductees had filed a complaint at Bihar Administration Office, The Kathmandu Post reported.

On the request of Indias External Affairs Ministry, Saptari police carried out a raid at the brick kiln and rescued 48 Indians who had come there for seasonal jobs from Bihars Nabad and Nalanda districts, said Saptari Superintendent of Police Anurag Dwivedi.

According to one of the victims, they had to work for more than the usual hours and were not allowed to go outside or to return home. PTI SBP MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/06/2017 (1967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitoba pig farmers are anxiously awaiting action from Ottawa as an unprecedented disease outbreak threatens a prime season for Canadas pork heartland.

As of Thursday, some 31 Manitoba farm sites have reported being hit by the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) virus this year. Thats compared with just 10 sites for the three prior years combined.

A thimble full of this disease could infect all the herd in western Canada, says Andrew Dickson, head of the Manitoba Pork Council.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba hog farmers are awaiting the federal government's plan to battle an outbreak of the highly contagious Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) virus in the province this year.

While the disease cant be transferred to humans, and it doesnt affect pork meat, PED is highly contagious among pigs and easily kills piglets.

A widespread PED outbreak in the United States led the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to start a February, 2014, policy of having Canadian pork trucks washed north of the border. It came after loosely regulated U.S. plants were flagged as hotspots for spreading the disease, allegedly for reusing under-heated water.

The 2014 policy had Canadian trucks drop off pigs in the U.S., seal their doors and enter Canada with a signed permit showing theyd soon have a thorough wash within Canada.

CFIA loosened that policy in May 2016, saying there wasnt scientific proof trucks were causing the spread, despite opposition from industry groups. I dont need scientific evidence to tell me [that] putting my hand in a fire is not a really good idea, Dickson says.

Now, Canadian trucks simply need a wash in the U.S. before crossing home to Canada. The CFIA has border guards do a visual clean test, and only does bacterial checks when samples are sent to a lab. Thats left many Manitoba companies paying for one wash to enter Canada, and a second one for sanitation.

Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire says Manitobas 13,000 pork-industry workers are worried. Even the local Maple Leaf plant fears a looming shortage of pigs to process. Its a very volatile disease.

Dickson said the affected farm sides are losing as much as $200,000 to clean barns, coping with sick sows and dispose of diseased excrement. Ironically, the lower Canadian dollar meant 2017 was supposed to be a good year for pig producers, he said.

He says Manitoba farms are implementing wash-down policies for staff, while industry groups drive routes outside the affected area, spanning south of Highway 1 and east of the Red River.

The crisis led to an emergency House of Commons committee meeting on June 15. Saskatchewan MP David Anderson, who serves as the Conservative agriculture critic, sounded exasperated as CFIA officials said theyre still debating whether to bring the 2014 policy back.

I dont understand why people cant sort this out, he said. Its going to be a huge loss.

The parliamentary committee sent Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay a letter on Tuesday, asking to immediately resume the 2014 policy, start a truck-wash certification system and compensate farmers hit by PED.

Theyve asked for a detailed look at whats been done by June 30, highlighting the urgency.

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler said his staff speak with MacAulays office daily and that the CFIA has helped with the provinces lab testing.

He has a very good feeling Ottawa will put the 2014 system back in place soon. When something like this happens, you put checks and balances in place to make sure nothing like this ever happens again, he said.

But the feds are vague on how theyll respond.

CFIA staff will have a major discussion next week with Manitoba officials. MacAuleys spokesman, Oliver Anderson, said it surrounds roles and responsibilities that would be assumed under an amended program, but refused to say whether that meant a new truck-washing policy.

MacAulay brought up truck washing in a statement last week, saying hed work out details in the coming months.

That timeline that worries Anderson.

This could be instituted very quickly, he said. Wed rather be safe than be sorry.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/06/2017 (1968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitoba senators have stood their ground in a dispute with the government over who qualifies for Indian status.

The Senate adjourned Thursday without passing the Liberals contentious bill, likely forcing the feds to seek a court extension.

That gives them time to start to do what they should have started to do, two years ago, said Sen. Marilou McPhedran. The government was clearly using July 3 as a device, she said, referring to a court ultimatum.

Bill S-3 aims to restore Indian status to women who lost it by marrying non-indigenous men.

The federal Liberals tabled the bill in November after an August 2015 court case found the policy violated Charter rights. The original bill would fix the lineage provisions of the Indian Act for those who lost their status from 1951 onward, and their descendants.

But McPhedran amended the bill last month to apply to cases dating to 1876. The government stripped that amendment, saying it would lead to a sudden onslaught of people registering with First Nations groups.

Instead, the Liberals said they wanted to first offer status to roughly 35,000 Canadians under the 1951 law, before possibly extending it. They honed in on the July 3 court deadline, but refused demands from the family involved to have the feds ask the judge for an extension.

In a Tuesday ruling, the judge largely dismissed the governments arguments, saying that the issues in Indian Act are far from new after four decades of lawsuits.

Even If the government missed its July 3 deadline, the Quebec judge said it would mean a temporary halt in processing Indian status in that province, so chaos does not seem to be in sight, according to the docket.

The Senate took its summer break Thursday and is next set to sit on Sept. 19, meaning the government will likely seek an extension. There is a slight possibility theyll instead call the Senate back for a snap vote on the bill.

A Thursday letter signed by fellow Manitoba Sen. Murray Sinclair and two other senators says their decision that morning to delay Bill S-3 will provide additional time to explore and research its expansion. They say more indigenous groups should be consulted.

McPhedran said that might clarify how many Manitobans could be eligible under the policy, because many First Nations in Manitoba recognize people as indigenous despite lacking government-issued status.

She also said her colleagues avoided a dramatic showdown by sending the bill back to the House, or using rare procedural moves. By trying to nudge them onto a good path, the Senate made a choice today not to get into a ping-pong, negative political battle, she said.

The government doesnt seem upset.

Speaking with reporters Thursday, the Governments House Leader shrugged in response to that mornings Senate decision.

We tried to be able to get it through the House of Commons as quickly as possible, said MP Bardish Chagger. The Senate sets its own agenda.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/06/2017 (1967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Where a child goes to school in Manitoba shouldnt determine whether theyre free from discrimination about gender and sexual diversity, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission has been told.

Two LGBTTQ* families and the Public Interest Law Centre filed a complaint on Thursday against the provincial Manitoba Education and Training Department.

Its important for the government to take action so that kids can be safer in schools, parent Michelle McHale said.

This time last year, the Public Interest Law Centre filed a human rights complaint on behalf of McHale and her partner, Karen Phillips, against the Hanover School Division and its trustees for a policy that forbids teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary and middle school classrooms.

Their child was being bullied for having two moms. They failed to persuade the division governing schools in the Steinbach area to allow teachers to interact with students in a way that respects the diversity of students and families. It prompted McHale to help organize Steinbachs first Pride parade, in 2016. The complaint against Hanover has not been resolved.

This is an issue thats bigger than a single school division, said lawyer Allison Fenske, with the Public Interest Law Centre. Its necessary for things that are within the provinces control  like curriculum guidelines  that they also reflect something thats LGBTTQ* inclusive. It cant be left to dealing with one school division at a time.

People need to be provided the right information and the same information across the board, said McHale, who, with Phillips, now lives in Winnipeg.

The second family making the human rights complaint against the province Thursday had to remove their daughter from public school because of transphobic and homophobic bullying.

The family, whose identity is not being made public, ended up homeschooling their children. The oldest child, who started Grade 1 in 2009, was subjected to transphobic bullying because of her gender identity and homophobic bullying because her parents are queer.

Rather than protecting, affirming and respecting (the child and her family), school staff outed the child and appeared unable to deal with the bullying she experienced, the three-page complaint says.

Thats what drove them to leave the public school system altogether, Fenske said. That family feels really strongly that a family shouldnt have to opt out of the public school system in order to provide their kids with a safe and supportive learning environment.

The two families involved in the complaint are not alone, the lawyer said.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Michelle McHale and her partner, Karen Phillips, hold hands as they lead thousands of supporters down the streets of Steinbach on their way to City Hall to celebrate Steinbach's first Pride march last year. Their child was bullied in school for having two moms.

Weve also heard from parents across the province and kids across the province that this is an issue that they experience and that its not limited to one town or one community, but that there really needs to be a broader approach to making sure that LGBTTQ* families are represented and are not excluded and that students are safe and supported, Fenske said.

Manitoba was one of the first provinces to recognize gender identity in its human-rights code, Fenske noted.

What were talking about here is that disconnect between rights and reality, she said. Schools are required by law to have a respect for diversity policy, Fenske said.

Having a policy is one thing but, whats actually happening in classrooms and how kids are being treated and whether or not they feel safe, thats a whole other story.

A 2016 study led by University of Winnipeg Prof. Catherine Taylor found that just 30 per cent of teachers in Canada felt their schools have responded effectively to homophobic, biphobic and transphobic harassment.

Phillips said they want to see the diversity of families reflected in the curriculum. That wont happen if a persons gender identity or sexual orientation can be considered sensitive content so that schools can avoid talking about it, McHale said.

This is about ways to make sure that when schools and teachers are talking about families, theyre talking about the diversity of families, Fenske said.

Its not about peoples sexuality (but) that its important to accept all kinds of families. Thats a message that could be sent throughout the curriculum, not just through health education, the human-rights lawyer said.

Kids need to see themselves and their families positively reflected in their school environment, McHale said. Its really quite simple, she said, offering an example. If were talking about math problems  Johnnys mom has two apples. Johnnys other mom has two apples. How many apples do Johnnys parents have?

Children need to understand the world that they live in and the people that are in it, Fenske said. You cant erase people and the education system shouldnt be allowed to erase people, whether its faith-based or not.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

JUSTIN SAMANSKI-LANGILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lawyer Allison Fenske filed a complaint against Manitoba Education and Training.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/06/2017 (1967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It could be First Nations to the rescue in Churchill.

The Keewatin Tribal Council and Churchill Mayor Mike Spence declared that First Nations could repair and reopen the flood-damaged rail line to Churchill by fall.

Our northern First Nations have the capacity to fix the tracks and will not require 10 months, Ted Bland, York Factory First Nation Chief and chair of the Keewatin Tribal Council, told a news conference Friday.

Sections of the Hudson Bay Railway  the only land link for Churchills 900 residents  were damaged by spring flooding and as a result, weekly train service to the community stopped on May 23.

The U.S.-based owner claims repairs cannot be completed before next spring, creating fears within the community of food and fuel shortages in the isolated community, but Bland said the rail line can be repaired and reopened by fall.

If the rail line is repaired, the resupply issues go away, Spence said.

Bland said the Keewatin Railway Company has the people, equipment and experience, having repaired nine washouts and a burned bridge on the line to Pukatawagan in weeks  not months  last year. He saw no reason to undertake lengthy engineering studies and assessments or to to send down divers to check below bridges before fixing washouts.

Enough is enough  we want action now, he said. We need Manitoba and Canada to stand up and support Churchill. Theres not been any real action; we get a lot of lip service.

The Pallister government did not respond directly to the Keewatin Tribal Council proposal Friday, but issued a statement from Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen, who said the province is in ongoing talks with all the parties.

A spokeswoman for federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Ottawa would wait for Omnitraxs engineering report before weighing in  despite First Nations groups getting involved because of the companys months-long timeline.

The Government of Canada is not involved in discussions relating to repairing Omnitraxs private rail line at this stage, wrote Delphine Denis. The company is waiting on the engineering report before taking any action. 

Omnitrax also said it is premature to talk about how best to repair the line until its own evaluation has been completed.

War Lake First Nation Chief Betsy Kennedy could not immediately offer a dollar estimate for carrying out the repairs, but said that costs of shipping supplies to the town by sea and air are piling up every day. Kennedy said Omnitrax is not a partner with governments and northern communities: Theyre there to provide a service. To me, they dont know how to maintain the tracks properly.

The Keewatin Railway Company operates a line between The Pas and Lynn Lake, as well as spur lines and lines to mining operations throughout the north. The officials said the company has 100 employees available to start work immediately, and 2,000 rail ties in stock.

Spence said that, traditionally, people dont ask for a cost estimate before dealing with emergencies elsewhere in Manitoba. All they need is an authorization to start.

Were being held hostage, the mayor said.

Spence accused Omnitrax of delaying repairs because the company, which has been trying to sell both the railway and Port of Churchill, plans to walk away.

Make no mistake, this is an unprecedented closing, Spence said. He said photographs show damage to the rail bed but also show water has receded.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Chief Ted Bland, of York Factory First Nation, said the Keewatin Railway Company has the people, equipment and experience to fix the tracks.

There is no water covering the tracks and there has not been for some time, Spence said. This is the beginning of the abandonment of the rail line.

Bland also said he believes the main cause of the rail line flooding was Manitoba Hydros water diversion, not spring run-off. Were out to prove theres a serious impact there, he said.

But Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen and the province dismissed that claim.

Where the tracks have washed out is nowhere near the Churchill River, Owen said.

A large portion of Manitobas north experienced late-season blizzardsin the March blizzard up to 50 centimeters of snow fell in Thompson, Churchill saw up to 80 centimeters of snow.

Flooding was compounded by the fast timing of the melt and runoff and the slow breakup of ice on major rivers, including the Nelson and Churchill.

The situation experienced in the north is unprecedented, almost double the historic maximum levels recorded since the federal government began tracking water levels in this region in the early 1950s, Owen said.

The province said, The Hydrologic Forecast Centre of Manitoba Infrastructure reports the late winter blizzard and rapid melt resulted in heavy overland runoff and this is the principal cause of the flooding and the impact on the railway north of Gillam.

 with file from Dylan Robertson

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/06/2017 (1967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man has been charged with manslaughter after a man assaulted late Monday night died from his injuries.

Marvin Caribou, 37, of Winnipeg, was taken to hospital in critical condition after being assaulted in the first 100 block of Martha Street. He died two days later.

City police believe the two men hung out in the same crowd and had a dispute prior to the attack. Police dont believe anyone else was involved.

Sydney Eric Norman Fleury, 43, had initially been charged with aggravated assault. The charge is now upgraded to manslaughter. He was detained in custody.
Rep. Ron Kind said Thursday the presidents immigration and trade policies hurt farmers and that President Donald Trump and members of his administration have essentially declared war on rural America.

Earlier this week, Kind invited Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer to visit Wisconsin and learn about issues important to Midwest dairy farmers. So far, the La Crosse Democrat said, he hasnt gotten a response.

I just met with the trade ambassador, and my first statement to him was no trade wars with Mexico, Kind said. It is the largest dairy market for Wisconsin, and that would devastate the dairy industry overnight.

After initially promising to repeal the North American Free Trade Agreement, Trump now says he will renegotiate the trade deal. Kind said he hopes administration officials will tread lightly with some of Americas largest trade partners while opening up new opportunities in countries, such as Canada, that he argues have put up protectionist barriers.

Kind also was critical of the president shunning the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Kind said would have opened Asian and Pacific markets to U.S. farmers.

I am afraid the withdrawal from the TPP will leave us on the outside looking in, Kind said. We will lose the opportunity to expand into the fast-growing Asian markets.

Kind, along with many of his Democratic colleagues, supports what he calls comprehensive immigration reform, including providing dairy workers with visas. More than 40 percent of Wisconsins dairy labor is provided by immigrants, he said, and the Trump administrations rhetoric toward immigrants has already hurt the industry.

Even with starting wages at $15 or $16 an hour, its hard to hire and keep local help, Kind said. It is hard work all day every day.

Kind said he hopes to reform and revise a number of margin protection and insurance programs. He argues the government provides too large of a promised profit margin for crop farmers, while not providing enough support for dairy farmers.

With the average age of U.S. farmers about to hit 60, Kind says, its critical to provide more training, access to grants and lines of credit, and other resources to assist beginning farmers.

Editor's Note: Canadian officials dispute the characterization of the country's actions as protectionist and argue changes to policy have been industry-driven. Attached is a copy of a letter from the Canadian Ambassador to Gov. Scott Walker earlier this year.
SpiceJet will begin a new direct service between the two destinations.

By India Today Web Desk: What is being considered as a welcome move, SpiceJet has announced the launch of a direct flight between Delhi and Patna, from July 10.

With the launch of the new service, Patna will have 19 flights to choose from for the national capital, between July 10 and July 15.

July 1 onward, the carrier is planning to commence operations in a big way and will operate five flights, before adding one the one to Delhi.

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Among the seven destinations that the airline will connect, Chennai, Hyderabad and Surat will be new additions to the list, for the people of Patna. Direct flights will also be launched from Patna to Kolkata and Mumbai, reported Hindustan Times.

Also Read: The launch of Delhi-Shimla flight is making people very, very happy

''Patna is emerging as the top air station in east India after Kolkata and Guwahati. We may evaluate passenger load and decide on new destinations from Patna at a later stage. As of now, we will concentrate on our six flights, which will connect seven destinations,'' informed SpiceJet general manager (sales & marketing-East), Debjit Ghosh.

Meanwhile, Jet Airways has introduced a Delhi-Patna-Delhi morning flight, from June 18 to July 15, after which the service will be withdrawn.

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Darren Jorgenson was making his way out of town to visit with family when his pager beeped. He turned around to see a massive smoke plume. He 
The community is invited to a free showing of the movie Until Forever at Faith Lutheran Church in Columbus on Sunday, July 9, at 6 p.m. This movie is the true story of Michael Boyum, his courageous battle with leukemia and his journey of faith throughout the illness. It tells how Michael and his girlfriend, Michelle, faced his illness while Michaels brother, Matt, struggled with deep depression.

The film has a connection to Columbus in that Michael was the nephew of Betty Baxter and cousin of David Baxter, both of Columbus. Betty, Steve, David, Michelle and Emma Baxter were all involved in the parts of the movie that were filmed in the Twin Cities in 2014. Emma played the part of a bridesmaid in the wedding scenes while the rest of the family were extras in those scenes and others.

The movie has won many awards at Christian film festivals throughout the country and the DOVE Foundation has rated it appropriate for ages 12 and above. The Anna Circle of Faith Lutheran Church and the Baxter family are happy to share this movie with special permission from Linn Productions and Vision Video.
A US official told Reuters that North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine, a day after the US pressed China to exert more pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs.

By Reuters: North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official told Reuters on Thursday.

The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile tests this year, could be for the smallest stage of an ICBM rocket engine, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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A second US official also confirmed the test but did not provide additional details on the type of rocket component that was being tested or whether it fit into the ICBM program.

The disclosure of the engine test came a day after the United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington.

US President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although US officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option.

The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress last month that North Korea, if left unchecked, was on an "inevitable" path to obtaining a nuclear-armed missile capable of striking the US mainland.

'TRAGIC ON AN UNBELIEVABLE SCALE'

Still, experts say Pyongyang could still be years away from have a reliable ICBM capability.

The continental United States is around 5,600 miles (9,000 km (5,600 miles) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,400 miles (5,500 km), but some are designed to travel 6,200 miles (10,000 km) or farther.

Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said last month that any military solution to the North Korea crisis would be "tragic on an unbelievable scale."

The United States, meanwhile, is ramping up capabilities to defend against the threat from North Korea, staging its first-ever successful test to intercept an incoming ICBM-type missile in May.

But a test on June 21 of a new capability being developed by the United States and Japan to defend against shorter-range missiles failed to hit its target, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.

It was the second such test of the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor, which is being developed by Raytheon. The previous intercept test, conducted in February, had been successful.

ALSO READ | US student freed after 17-month jail term in North Korea dies

ALSO READ | Fearing North Korea's missile attack, Japan conducts evacuation drills

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ALSO WATCH | North Korea's major nuclear test causes earthquake

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Army sources DSP Ayub was the target of extremist forces and the lynching was pre-planned. Here's a blow-by-blow account of the lynching.

By India Today Web Desk: The lynching of Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ayub Pandit by a mob at Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of Srinagar has sent shockwaves across the country. Several questions have also been raised in the incident which has been condemned from all quarters.

There may be holes in the story that the officer was killed by devotees who got angry at him for allegedly taking pictures inside the mosque. Army sources have said since he was a local and a police officer, DSP Ayub was the target of extremist forces and the lynching was pre-planned.

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A BLOW-BY-BLOW ACCOUNT OF THE DSP'S LYNCHING:

8 pm - DSP Mohammad Ayub Pandit got an order from Jammu and Kashmir Police Headquarters asking him to be on duty at Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of Srinagar.

9 pm - The cop reached the mosque for his duty from home which was 3 km away. He was posted at the gate on "access duty" in plain clothes but was armed.

10 pm - Ayub went inside the mosque to offer prayers during which some people spotted the weapon on him and left some devotees angry. However there is another contradictory report which says the policeman was doing surveillance activities inside the mosque.

10:30 pm - The DSP came out of the prayer area of the mosque when he was confronted by other people. One version of the story says that he was found clicking pictures of the mosque with his phone which angered the devotees. Heated arguments ensued and people charged at him. He was identified as a police officer all along since he was a local.

Army sources however say since he was a local and a police officer, DSP Ayub was the target and the lynching was pre-planned.

10:45 pm - His bodyguards fled and in panic he fired. The horrific act of lynching starts.

Contradiction: The guards have told the investigators that they were relieved by the DSP who asked them that it was an important day and they should be with their families. June 23 is the last Friday of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

This theory is being investigated as guards are not supposed to leave the officer on their own.

11-11:15 pm - Deputy Superintendent Mohammad Ayub Pandit was stripped naked and stoned to death by the mob.

Midnight - Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who delivers sermons at the historic mosque in old Srinagar city's Nowhatta area every Friday after prayers, arrived at the spot.

After midnight - The battered body was handed over to the police which could not identify him.

6 am - Family calls up police that the DSP had not reached back home. Search starts and police zeroes on the dead body. Family identifies it as the DSP's body.

Also read:

Srinagar: DSP Ayyub Pandith beaten to death by mob outside Jamia Masjid

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Operation All-Out: Army's master plan to flush out terrorists from Kashmir

Army foils infiltration bid along LoC in Poonch. 2 jawans, 1 militant dead

Also watch:

Jammu and Kashmir: Police officer beaten to death by mob near Jamia Masjid in Srinagar

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Recalling the series of events leading to Pandit's murder, the family said he went to offer his prayers - Thursday night was the auspicious Shab-e-Qadar - where some one from the crowd saw the pistol he carried.

By Ashraf Wani: The family members of murdered Jammu and Kashmir police officer Mohammed Ayub Pandith has alleged lapses in his security, which led to his lynching by an angry mob on Thursday evening outside the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.

Recalling the series of events leading to Pandith's murder, the family said he went to offer his prayers - Thursday night was the auspicious Shab-e-Qadar - where some one from the crowd saw the pistol he carried.

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The family claims he was then called outside by some men and asked to show his identity card. He hesitated and allegedly opened fire to disperse the mob, which led to three men getting hurt. At this, a large crowd of men started pushing and beating the police officer, leading to his death.

Pandith's family says he was entitled to two body guards as per his rank as a Deputy Superintendent of Police, but they ran away from the spot and left him to die. They claim the police established that he was one of their officers only two hourse after the incident.

Pandith's body was recovered on Friday morning from outside the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of the old city where he was attacked.

Pandith was in plain clothes and had been at the mosque post for quite a while and many locals who regularly visited knew him, reports said.

Policemen posted in the security wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police do not wear uniform as a matter of service regulation.

"DON'T FORCE OLD TIMES TO RETURN"

Condemning the lynching of a police officer and calling it "shameful", Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the police in her state show "a lot of restraint in dealing with their own people".

"But their restraint also has a limit if people indulge in such activities. The old times will return when people used to run away from the streets on seeing a police gypsy," she said.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was leading the prayers in Srinagar's Jamia Masjid during the incident, today tweeted that he was "disturbed" by the killing.

"Deeply disturbed & condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta.Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values & religion... We cannot allow state brutality to snatch our humanity & values," he said.

KILLING MAY HAVE BEEN PRE-PLANNED

According to reports, killing of Muhammad Ayub Pandith might have been well contemplated. Reports indicate that there was a crowd which had planned the act and they executed what they carried out.

Mob's action was not extempore and the frenzy wasn't momentary, but seems pre-planned which deliberately wanted to raise the level of frenzy during Shahadat Ali which happens today, said reports.

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With inputs from Manjeet Singh Negi

ALSO READ | Operation All-Out: Army's master plan to flush out terrorists from Kashmir

ALSO READ | Army foils infiltration bid along LoC in Poonch. 2 jawans, 1 militant dead

WATCH | Jammu and Kashmir: Police officer beaten to death by mob near Jamia Masjid in Srinagar

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Obama termed the Republican bill "a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America" whereas Trump wrote on Twitter that "he was very supportive of the Senate healthcare bill and looked forward to making it really special" reiterating that ObamaCare was dead.

By Santosh Chaubey: While former US President Barack Obama has slammed the latest version of the healthcare bill unveiled by the Republican Senators to replace the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare as it is popularly known, his successor Donald Trump has reiterated that Obamacare is dead. Enacted by the US Congress, the ACA was signed and put in place by Barack Obama in March 2010.

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Obama termed the Republican bill "a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America" whereas Trump wrote on Twitter that "he was very supportive of the Senate healthcare bill and looked forward to making it really special" reiterating that ObamaCare was dead. Obamacare, seen as the most important reform measure in the US healthcare system after 1960s Medicaid, has been opposed by the Republicans. They say it hurts businesses and kills jobs though a BBC report* last month said that Obamacare has added 9 per cent more jobs in the healthcare industry since its implementation in 2010.

I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill. Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead.- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017

Barack Obama, a Democrat, in his detailed response on the controversy over Obamacare and its replacement with Trumpcare or the Republican healthcare act, a central campaign promise of Donald Trump, looks to decimate the Republican noise on a bill that is expected to leave millions of Americans out of the US government mandated healthcare protection.

While presenting arguments in favour of Obamacare, Obama writes in his Facebook post that the legislation has helped cover 90 per cent Americans and the insurance companies now cannot ask for more or deny insurance citing pre-existing health conditions. He says that the legislation has slowed down the pace of rising healthcare costs and slams the Republican version as a hastily arrived antithesis to what Obamacare stands for.

He writes that "the legislation rushed through the House and the Senate without public hearings or debate would do the opposite. It would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections, and ruin Medicaid as we know it", backing his comment on analyses in the US media and the Congressional Budget Office's assessment which has projected that the new bill would leave 14 million Americans uninsured the very next year and the figure would reach to 23 million by 2016.

He accepts that though a significant step, "ACA was not perfect, nor could it be the end of our efforts - and that if Republicans could put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we made to our health care system, that covers as many people at less cost, I would gladly and publicly support it."

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Trump, during the campaign phase of the US presidential polls, and even after his election, had raised hopes of a healthcare act to replace Obamacare that would guarantee 'universal healthcare' but going by the versions of the Republican healthcare bill so far, there has been a growing consensus in the US that if implemented in the current form, the Republican legislation would devoid millions of the much needed healthcare protection and at the same time would increase healthcare cost for many and would ruin Medicaid, a US government programme for financially weaker section that has been in place for decades.

Obama writes that he hopes that even many Republicans who fought for the ACA would see these concerns and would say no to the bill in its current form, "Thousands upon thousands of Americans, including Republicans, threw themselves into that collective effort, not for political reasons, but for intensely personal ones - a sick child, a parent lost to cancer, the memory of medical bills that threatened to derail their dreams."

And Obama is right. Within hours of the unveiling of the Republican legislation, four conservative Republicans came out to say that they cannot support the bill in its current form, a Reuters report said. Even last month, while delivering a speech during an event, Obama had appealed to the Congressmen to oppose Trump administration's moves to repeal Obamacare, adding that "the lawmakers should have the courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm," a CNN report said.

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So far, either Donald Trump or the Republican senators have not been able to come out with a piece of legislation that would be smart enough to outdo the Obamacare. Democrats have stood united against any proposed Republican healthcare bill so far. But what should be eye-opener that even many Republicans are against the Obamacare replacement in its present form that makes Republican Party, that is in majority, short of votes to pass the bill in the House as happened in May this year when, in a major defeat for Donald Trump, the Republicans had to withdraw the legislation as they could not garner numbers even after months of canvassing. Trump's assertion few hours ago that he has helped pass and signed 38 Legislative Bills, mostly with no Democratic support, and gotten rid of massive amounts of regulations is of no use in case of Obamacare as long as the whole Republican Party stands behind him.

I've helped pass and signed 38 Legislative Bills, mostly with no Democratic support, and gotten rid of massive amounts of regulations. Nice!- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2017

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Accusing Trump of "giving billionaires and corporations a massive tax cut" and bringing a piece of legislation that will put the American people through the pain of massive healthcare costs, unlimited bills and insurers' rejections once lose their insurance cover under Obamacare, Obama appeals to the Americans to call Congress members and visit their offices and speak out their minds to let America know "in very real terms, what this means for them and their family" because what is at stake here is bigger than politics. It is the character of the nation - "who we are, and who we aspire to be and that's always worth fighting for," Obama writes.

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Perry speaks out for Yucca Mountain

23 June 2017

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The USA has a moral obligation to address its nuclear waste issue, and restarting the Yucca Mountain licensing process and committing to establishing an interim storage facility for used fuel will accelerate the fulfilment of that obligation, US Energy Secretary Rick Perry this week told House and Senate appropriations subcommittees.

Rick Perry (in the foreground) visited the Yucca Mountain site in March

(Image: @SecretaryPerry)

Perry addressed the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development on 20 June and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development the following day, to present the Department of Energy's (DOE's) proposed 2018 budget. In his testimony to both committees, he said the need to address nuclear waste management was a "moral" obligation. "For too many years, the prior administration has literally kicked the can down the road on nuclear waste," he said.

The US administration's budget for fiscal 2018, which commences on 1 October, requests $28 billion for the DOE. Included in the request is $120 million to resume licensing at Yucca Mountain and to initiate a "robust" interim storage program, Perry told the committees. Of this, $110 million would be used to restart Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing activities for the nuclear waste repository, including funding for management, site operations and maintenance, as well as technical, scientific, legal and other support. $10 million would be used to initiate a "robust interim storage program" to complement the repository by developing a capability to accelerate removal of used fuel and high-level wastes currently being stored in sites in 39 states across the country. "An interim storage capability also adds flexibility to the system that will move materials from sites across the country to its ultimate disposition," he said.

Yucca Mountain in Nevada has since 1987 been named in the US Nuclear Waste Policy Act as the sole repository for disposal of the country's used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes. The DOE submitted a construction licence application for the project to the NRC in 2008, but the previous US administration subsequently decided to abort the project, appointing a high-level Blue Ribbon Commission to come up with alternative strategies.

The budget proposal also includes $703 million for nuclear energy - $313 million less than in fiscal 2017 - to continue "innovating new and improved ways to generate nuclear power", Perry said. Funding will be focused on early-stage research and development that enables innovation driven by the private sector. It also includes $20 million for early-stage R&D supporting advanced small modular reactor designs, Perry said.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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US court blocks WCS sale

23 June 2017

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A US court has blocked EnergySolutions Inc's $367 million acquisition of Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS), ruling in favour of an antitrust filing against the merger by the US Department of Justice.

Operations at the Texas Compact Disposal Facility (Image: WCS)

EnergySolutions in November 2015 signed a definitive agreement to acquire WCS, operator of a low-level radioactive and hazardous waste processing, treatment, storage and disposal facility in Andrews County, Texas, for $270 million in cash and $20 million in stock. EnergySolutions also agreed to assume some $77 million of debt as well as all financial assurance obligations related to the WCS business in a deal WCS president Rod Baltzer described at the time as a "win-win" for both companies.

The Department of Justice filed suit in November 2016, alleging that the proposed acquisition would combine the two most significant competitors for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste available to commercial customers. After a ten-day trial, Senior Judge Sue L Robinson of the US District Court for the District of Delaware on 21 June ruled in favour of the lawsuit.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Andrew Finch of the Department of Justice's antitrust division said the decision protected competition in an industry that was "incredibly difficult" to enter. He said evidence had shown head-to-head competition between the two companies led to better disposal services at lower prices. "While EnergySolutions' preference was to buy its main rival rather than continue to compete to win business, today's decision ensures that customers will benefit from the competitive process," he said.

WCS operates two separately licensed disposal facilities for low-level radioactive waste at Andrews, Texas, including the Texas Compact Disposal Facility, the only commercial radioactive waste disposal facility in the USA to be licensed within the last 30 years. In April 2016 the company applied to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a licence to construct and operate a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) at the site.

Baltzer said the acquisition would have protected the continued operation of the company's low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. "The DOJ [Department of Justice] investigation and litigation has taken over 18 months at great expense to WCS, and WCS must now determine whether to appeal the trial courts decision and further prolong the process and associated expense," he said.

EnergySolutions president and CEO David Lockwood said the company was disappointed with the ruling. "We believe this acquisition was in the best interest of the long-term waste disposal needs for the nuclear industry," he said.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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Lebanon is a parliamentary democratic republic in which the prime minister leads the executive branch of the government. The government of Lebanon is based on a confessionalism framework, which is a type of consociationalism, meaning representatives of particular religious communities hold the highest offices that are reserved for them in a proportional system. Lebanon's Constitution allows its people the right to change their government, but civil war hindered the country's citizens from exercising political rights from the mid-1970s until 1992, when parliamentary elections were held. According to the Constitution, direct elections for Parliament must be held every four years, the last of which occurred in 2009. The Lebanese president is elected by parliament to serve a single term of 6 years, and they are not eligible for re-election. The last presidential elections were held in 2016. The formation of political parties is permitted, and most parties in the country are based on the interests of particular sects. Following the Doha Agreement in 2008, the political arena of Lebanon was changed so that the opposition was permitted a veto power in the Council of Ministers of Lebanon and confirmed religious Confessionalism in the country's distribution of political power.

The Executive Branch of the Government of Lebanon

The Parliament is responsible for electing the president of Lebanon, who serves a single term of six years and cannot be re-elected. The president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister, based on consultation with Parliament. Additionally, there are certain religious requirements, such as the Speaker of Parliament must be a Shi'a Muslim, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, and the president must be a Manorite Christian. According to the census data of 1932 upon which the confessional system is based, Manorites comprise of the population's vast majority. However, in recent years the Lebanese government has refused to hold a new census.

The Legislative Branch of the Government of Lebanon

The Assembly of Representatives is the country's national legislature. Since the 1992 elections, there are 128 parliamentary seats. The four-year term was recently increased to five. Parliamentary seats are elected through universal suffrage and are confessionally distributed, meaning each religious group is given a certain number. Despite religious affiliations, all candidates representing particular constituencies must get a plurality of the total vote, including followers of all confessions.

The Legislative Branch of the Government of Lebanon

Since Lebanon operates under a civil law system, its judicial branch is composed of Ordinary Courts and Special Courts. The Ordinary Courts include Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal, and One Court of Cassation. Special Courts include a Constitutional Council, a Supreme Court, and a military courts system. The Constitutional Council addresses the constitutionality of legal issues, and the Supreme Council is responsible for any charges against the prime minister and president, if necessary. Finally, the military courts presides over civilians accused of treason, espionage, and other security related crimes.

Political Parties in Lebanon

Lebanon has many political parties. However, the various parties play a much less significant role than in parliamentary democracies. Most parties are primarily a list of candidates endorsed by a local or a prominent national figure. Locally organized loose coalitions are established for the sole purpose of elections through negotiations between candidates representing different religious sects and clan elders. However, after elections, these coalitions rarely establish a united block in parliament since they only exist for electoral purposes.
King of Thailand

By: William Martin WorldWideWeirdNews.com

Two boys who did not like the fact that the King of Thailand was vacationing near their home, decided to shoot him as has went by their home, according to police in Germany.

Erding police said that they have arrested the two boys, 13 and 14, after being accused of using an airgun to shoot the King of Thailand.

The 13-year-old boy was released without being charged as he is too young to face prosecution. The 14-year-old boy has been charged with attempted grievous bodily harm.

According to the police investigation, 64-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun of Thailand, bought a vacation home in Erding, where he spends a significant amount of time during the year.

On Saturday, Bodindradebayavarangkun and his entourage were riding bicycles when they were shot with rubber bullets as they were traveling near the home of the two boys.

Later in the day, Bodindradebayavarangkun was shot against as he traveled near the boys home in a car.

No injuries were reported, but Bodindradebayavarangkunas security detail informed the police about the two shooting incidents.

Bodindradebayavarangkun declined to press charges against the boys.
The main loading gate at Wrangell's state ferry terminal. With the unprecedented threat of a full government shutdown looming, the Department of Transportation is currently assessing its personnel and services in preparation. At worst, the ferries would cease to operate in that scenario. However, the Department of Justice is currently reviewing the operations of Alaska Marine Highway System to see whether continuation of its services would be required under the State Constitution. A ruling is expected later this week.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  The Alaska Legislature remains on pace for a statewide government shutdown as lawmakers renew discussions they hope will bridge the gap between the House and Senate.

Gov. Bill Walker said he is confident the Legislature can avert an economically catastrophic shutdown July 1.

Officials' top priority during the special session is the state operating budget.

"At this point, I must focus solely on one issue and one issue alone, and that is the operating budget so we do not have a shutdown in this state," said Walker, who sets the agenda for the session.

Walker said he ha...
Wrexham Falklands Remembrance Parade Through Town Centre Tomorrow

This article is old - Published: Friday, Jun 23rd, 2017

A Wrexham Falklands Remembrance Parade will be held in the town centre this weekend.

The Welsh Guards will host the Service of Remembrance for the Falklands War in St Giles Church at 11am on Saturday 24th June.

The Rhos Orpheus Male Voice Choir will perform during the service, which is being held to mark the 35th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War

Following the service there will be followed by a parade led by the band of the Welsh Guards through the town centre to the Falklands Memorial at Bodhyfryd.

A spokesperson for Wrexham Council confirmed that the route through town will begin at Church Street at approximately 11:40am, before going through Hope Street and Queens Street, turning right at Lambpit Street and then into Chester Street to the Memorial.
Police in Wisconsin arrested a 13-year-old boy who led them on two separate car chases.

Police say they chased him through Racine County Wednesday night and again Thursday morning.

His car reached 100-miles an hour at times, so police quit both chases for safety reasons. But they noted his license plate number Thursday morning, and tracked him down to a house in Sturtevant. That's where he was arrested.

"A lot of bad things can happen when a 13-year-old is behind the wheel of a car and they don't know how to operate a car safely," said Captain Matt Soens of the Mt. Pleasant Police Department.

The teen was driving a Dodge SUV that belongs to his father's girlfriend.
By Press Trust of India: By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jun 22 (PTI) Pakistan said today that it attached importance to its longstanding relationship with the US which is "critical" for promoting peace and security in the region even as it opposed Americas unilateral drone strikes on its territory.

Ignoring a question on media reports that the Trump administration might toughen its policy towards Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria highlighted the importance of Pakistans ties with the US, saying the relationship encompasses cooperation in various fields.

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"We firmly believe that continued close cooperation between our two countries is critical for promoting peace and security in the region and beyond," he said.

He also said that counter-terrorism operations were driven by Pakistans national interests and are directed against all terrorists without discrimination and distinction.

"It remains our firm resolve not to let our soil be used against any country. We are determined to that," he said.

Talking about the possible increase in US drone strikes, Zakaria said that such strikes were against sovereignty of Pakistan and are "unacceptable".

To a question on border fencing with Afghanistan, he said border management was an essential component of Pakistans counter-terrorism strategy and fencing is one of its measures.

"We believe that to stem the cross-border movement of terrorists, effective border management is imperative. Our efforts of border management are aimed at facilitating movement of people, trade and transit and curb the movement of terrorists," he said.

Zakaria also dismissed the reported criticism of the Afghan government over the fencing, saying "we are undertaking the fencing on our side of the border".

He said Pakistan was in contact with Afghanistan for the safe and early recovery of the two diplomatic staffers who were abducted while they were travelling from Jalalabad to Islamabad.

"The Afghan government has informed us that they have constituted three special investigation teams to locate and recover the missing officials. We hope and pray that the missing officials would be safely recovered at an early date," he said.

Zakaria also confirmed that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be visiting Pakistan over the weekend to discuss "all issues of mutual interest including the regional situation".

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had congratulated Mohammad Bin Salman on his appointment as a Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. PTI SH MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
People were at the market buying food for iftar when the blasts took place at a market within three minutes of each another.

By Reuters: Bombs killed nearly 30 people in Pakistan on Friday, with a suicide car bomber killing at least 13 in the southwestern city of Quetta, and two blasts later killing at least 15 in the northwest town of Parachinar, officials said.

Two Army aviation helicopters have been flown from Peshawar to bring in the critically injured as the hospital in Parachinar lacks facilities.

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Seven police officers were killed in the first attack, in Quetta, which happened when police stopped the car to search it at a checkpoint.

Abdul Razzaq Cheema, director general of police in Baluchistan province, of which Quetta is capital, told Reuters the bomber had detonated a car packed with explosives.

At least 13 bodies were taken to hospital, along with 19 wounded people, said Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the Civil Hospital in Quetta. Nine security officials were among the wounded, said Fareed Sumalan, a doctor at the hospital.

Jamaat ur Ahrar, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to Reuters by its spokesman, Asad Mansur.

"Our attacks will continue until a true sharia system is enforced in Pakistan," the spokesman said, referring to Islamic law.

In the evening, several hundreds kilometres to the northeast, two blasts went off in the town of Parachinar killing at least 15 people, a government official told Reuters.

The blasts were in a market and went off within three minutes of each other, senior government official Wazir Khan Wazir said. Parachinar is near the border with Afghanistan.

Many people were at the market buying food for iftar, the evening meal with which Muslims break the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan ends this weekend.

No group claimed responsibility for the Parachinar blasts.

POLICE THE TARGET?

In Baluchistan, provincial government spokesman Anwar ul Haq Kakar said the car-bomb blast happened near the office of the inspector general (IG) of police.

"It's possible the IG office was the target, or the assailants were trying to enter the cantonment which is close by," he said, referring to an army sector.

An official from Baluchistan's bomb disposal unit said the car contained up to 95 kg of explosives.

Television footage showed emergency workers rushing to the scene, which was strewn with debris, as security officials cordoned it off.

Quetta is about 100 km (60 miles) east of the border with Afghanistan.

Resource-rich Baluchistan province has been plagued by violence for years. Separatist rebels are battling government forces while Taliban and other militant Islamist groups also operate there.

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Baluchistan is also a main centre of Chinese-backed "Belt and Road" infrastructure and energy projects, worth $57 billion in Pakistan.

Militants loyal to the Islamic State group abducted and killed two Chinese nationals in Quetta last month.

That attack prompted Pakistan to boost security for Chinese nationals and other foreigners in the province, which is already one of the most militarised regions in the country.

Also read:

Pakistan: 11 dead after explosion near IGP office in Quetta

--- ENDS ---
This declaration of the Bolshevik faction at the First All-Russian Congress of Soviets was written by Trotsky, but delivered by another delegate, P. Pozern, on June 17 (June 4, O.S.). In it, the Bolsheviks oppose the military offensive being planned by the Provisional Government and warn of its catastrophic political implications. The statement was published in Pravda on June 20 (June 7, O.S.), 1917. [1]

We, the factions, groups and individual delegates of the Congress who have signed below, feel that, among the first order of work of the Congress, it is necessary to raise the question upon which the fate of not only all the other undertakings of the Congress depends, butin the full and precise sense of the wordthe fate of the entire Russian revolution: the question of the military offensive being prepared for the immediate future. That the offensive has been decided upon, and is next in line, can openly be seen in many irrefutable facts and statements, available for public verification; in the formation of death battalions; in the disbandment of certain regiments; and, finally, in the direct statement by Minister Kerensky in his explanation of the prohibition of the Ukrainian Congress.

Given all the conditions of the moment we are passing through, the offensive on the front, dictated by the magnates of allied imperialism, pursues a purely political goal: to push back and completely remove from the consciousness of the broad popular masses the results of the diplomatic negotiations with the allies, which revealed the profoundly imperialistic character of the group that includes pre-revolutionary Russia (questions about Albania, Greece, Persia, notes in response and statements of allied diplomats).

The army does not know the international goals for which it has been called upon to shed its blood in the given circumstances. Yet, having confronted both the people and the army with the fact of an offensive with all of its consequences, Russias counterrevolutionary circles are calculating that the offensive will result in a concentration of power in the hands of the military-diplomatic and capitalist groups tied to British, French and American imperialism, and free them from the need to deal with the organized will of Russian democracy in the future.

Clearly in anticipation of such a favorable shift for the propertied classes in the relationship of forces, Rodzianko convenes his own June-Thirders in Petrograd, figuring that the old State Duma might successfully be set against the Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies, and might help guarantee the course of a strong and decisive imperialism, decisive mainly against the revolution and democracy.

The behind-the-scenes, counterrevolutionary initiators of the offensive, who do not haltto use the justifiable expression of the Congress of the Party of Socialist-Revolutionariesbefore military adventurism, are consciously trying to play upon the disintegration of the army caused by the entire domestic and international position of the nation. In pursuit of these goals, they are instilling in the desperate elements of democracy the fundamentally erroneous idea that the very fact of an offensive is capable of reviving the army, and by this mechanical means, making up for the absence of a definite program of action for liquidating the war. Meanwhile, it is obvious that such an offensive can only completely disorganize the army, setting some parts of it against the other.

In these conditions, a colossal historical responsibility rests upon the Congress of Soviets of the Workers and Soldiers Deputies. The Congress cannot remain silent about the blow being openly prepared and fully organized against the international revolutionary struggle for peace, a blow against the positions won and organized by Russian democracy. The Congress must immediately repulse the counterrevolutionary onslaught, whose path the offensive is supposed to clear; otherwise the Congress must take responsibility for this policy fully and openly.

In warning the working class, the army, and the peasantry against the threat which hangs over the country, we insist that this question be raised as the first order of business at the Congress.

P. Pozern, Delegate of the Minsk Workers and Soldiers Deputies

The Bureau of the Faction of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Bolsheviks) at the Congress

Bureau of the United Social-Democratic Internationalists

Pravda No 75

7/20 June 1917

Notes from the Editors of Trotskys Works:

[1] The fact that this declaration belongs to the pen of comrade Trotsky has been established on the basis of the following passage from his book of reminiscences about Lenin:

I recall that I made the proposal to demand that the Congress of Soviets immediately raise the question of the offensive at the front which was being prepared. Lenin approved this idea, but evidently wanted to further discuss it with other members of the Central Committee. At the first session of the Congress, comrade Kamenev introduced the draft of a declaration by the Bolsheviks on the offensive that had hastily been written by Lenin. I do not know if this document has been preserved. Both to the Bolsheviks in attendance, and to the internationalists as well, its text appeared, and I dont recall for what reasons, inappropriate for the Congress. Pozern, who we wanted to give the speech, also objected to the text. I drafted a second text, which was then read aloud (On Lenin, pp. 56-57).
The identity of the CIAs station chief in Brazil, previously a closely guarded secret of the US government, was plastered across every Brazilian newspaper and reported throughout the countrys mass media earlier this week.

Duyane Norman, who had previously been working under the all-too-common cover of a political officer in the US Embassy in Brasilia, was listed as the station chief of the CIA in a public schedule released by Brazils Institutional Security Council (known by its Portuguese acronym as the GSI) for its chief minister, Gen. Sergio Etchegoyen.

The US Embassy refused to confirm or deny whether Norman headed the US intelligence agencys operations in Latin Americas largest country.

Folha de Sao Paulo quoted the GSIwhich oversees the Brazilian spy agency, the ABINas saying the public daily schedule, which is regulated by the Free Information Act of 2012, is an active instrument of transparency and the names and positions of all attendees are to be registered in accordance to the principles of transparency, without exception.

That such a formal regulation would compel the secretive Brazilian security agency to blow the cover of the CIAs top man in the country strains credulity. The possibility that the incident involved some sort of spy versus spy frictions playing out between the two intelligence agencies, reflecting broader conflicts between US and Brazilian capital, cannot be discounted.

There is also the possibility, however, that the naming of the CIA chief was the product of incompetence and crisis within a Brazilian government confronting continuing economic crisis and mounting social unrest, while wracked by spiraling corruption scandals implicating everyone from President Michel Temer on down.

This hypothesis gained credence when Temers own public schedule listed his state visit to Moscow this week as a trip to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, a political entity that ceased to exist in 1991.

Whatever the reason for the public exposure of the CIAs man in Brazil, there was one quarter where his secret remained safe.

The New York Times published an article on the incident Tuesday under the tongue-in-cheek headline Dagger, but no cloak: Brazils top spy exposes CIA officer.

Intelligence officers who think they might like to be posted in Brazil take note: A simple meeting with the countrys spying hierarchy can get your cover blown, the newspaper reported.

Despite this jocular tone, the seriousness with which the Times editorial board takes the matter is made clear by what is not in the article. While millions of Brazilians now know from the newspapers they read and the news programs they listen to or watch that Duyane Norman was the CIAs top man in the country, the name does not appear in the Times.

While the newspapers logo reads all the news thats fit to print, this clearly does not extend to the secrets of the US intelligence apparatus, even after they have become public knowledge.

The Times editors have no doubt censored their own coverage in compliance with a request from the Central Intelligence Agency. While Mr. Normans cover may have been blown in Brazil, the agency likely hopes that his talents can be put to use in pursuing US imperialist interests against the population of some other country.

This is nothing new for the Times which has suppressed coverage of everything from US war crimes to wholesale domestic spying. In one analagous case in 2011, the Times withheld from its readersat the agencys requestthe fact that Raymond Davis, a former US special forces soldier who shot and killed two Pakistani youth in cold blood in Lahore, was a CIA agent, even after the fact had been widely reported in the Pakistani press.

The newspaper of record functions as an instrument of the state, a conduit for propaganda from the CIA and the Pentagon, whose first responsibility lies with the US military and intelligence apparatus, not with its readers.

Aside from the withholding of the CIA station chiefs name, left totally unexamined by the Times report is what Norman was discussing with General Etchegoyen.

Etchegoyen is at the center of the increasingly repressive response of the Brazilian state to mass social opposition and the growing anti-democratic conspiracies within the countrys ruling establishment and its military and intelligence apparatus.

He was the main figure behind the brutal suppression of the May 24 Occupy Brasilia protest and the issuance of a Guarantee of Law and Order decree that sent 1,500 armed soldiers into the streets of Brazils capital.

The son of a former general implicated in torture and murder under the US-backed dictatorship, Etchegoyens power and influence have risen steadily as every bourgeois party and major political figure, from Temer and the Brazilian right to Lula and the Workers Party, have been discredited by wholesale corruption and reactionary attacks on the rights and social conditions of the working class.

The collaboration between the Times and the CIA in Brazil goes back a long ways. In 1964, the newspaper enthusiastically welcomed the US-backed coup that initiated more than two decades of military dictatorship.

The newspapers foreign correspondent Tad Szulc wrote at the time: If the Brazilian situation now becomes reasonably stabilized, as it is hopefully expected here, a measure of relative stability will have returned to South America, from Venezuelas Caribbean coast to the tip of the continent in Argentina. And this stability, enhanced by the ouster of the Goulart regime. Indeed, the 1964 coup would be followed by similar military seizures of power in Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and a number of other Latin American countries, leading to the deaths, imprisonment and torture of hundreds of thousands.

Though well aware of the fact, Szulc and the Times made no mention of the extensive role played by the CIA in preparing the 1964 coup. One can be sure that if it were to learn of similar preparations today, it would withhold the news from the Brazilian, US and world public.
The Liberal government has tabled legislation to amend Bill C-51, the draconian law Stephen Harpers Conservative government passed in 2015 in the name of fighting terrorism.

Bill C-51 provoked widespread opposition, with even the Globe and Mail, the traditional voice of Canadas financial elite, condemning it as a police state measure.

The Liberals promised to reform Bill C-51 during the 2015 election campaign. But, barring a few cosmetic changes, the Liberals National Security Act, 2017 (Bill C-59) retains all of Bill C-51s attacks on fundamental democratic rights, while handing Canadas spy agencies significant new powers.

Bill C-59, like Bill C-51, empowers Canadas Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), the countrys primary domestic spy service, to actively disrupt alleged threats to national security and, if necessary, to use illegal means to do so.

Prior to 2015, CSISs mandate was limited to gathering information on targeted groups and individuals. The Liberals bill places slightly tighter restrictions on CSISs disruption powers, including by providing a list of permitted illegal acts. Permitted acts include: restricting peoples movements, disrupting communications and financial transactions, and damaging property, as long as the damage does not endanger life or cause bodily harm.

Bill C-59s stipulation that CSIS obtain a judges approval for any action it plans to undertake that will violate a right contained in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is worthless. The approval process will take place in secret courts, with no ability for anyone, including so-called special advocates, to act on behalf of the targets. Moreover, the decisions of these courts, including even the names of those targeted for disruption, will be forever sealed.

Thus a body of secret national security law will be created to which the public will have no access, let alone the right and ability to challenge. Given the intelligence agencies record of systematically lying to the courts, Canadians should have little confidence that the judges engaged in such hearings will even be presented with all of the facts.

Bill C-59 grants new offensive capabilities to Canadas signals intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Establishment (CSE). CSE operatives will henceforth be authorized to wage offensive cyberwar attacks on foreign targets, including foreign states computer infrastructure and communications networks. This could include deleting or corrupting data, and planting malware on phones or other devices. CSEs mandate has also been expanded so as to integrate its operations even more closely with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

The aggressive intent of these measures was made clear by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjans presence at the press conference at which the government unveiled Bill C-59. Earlier this month, Sajjan announced new funding for CAF cyberwarfare capabilities as part of the Liberals new defence policy. Under that policy, the government will hike military spending by 70 percent over the next decade to $32.7 billion and will expand military-security cooperation with Washington, including through the US National Security Agency-led Five Eyes electronic spying and cyberwar alliance.

Even some bourgeois commentators, such as the Globe and Mail columnist Campbell Clark, admit that Bill C-59 does not reduce the powers or reach of the national-security apparatus. Canadian spy agencies, wrote Clark, arent really seeing their powers trimmed, not even the new powers they obtained under the Conservative anti-terror law.

Under the Liberals reform of Bill C-51, the security agencies will have virtually unrestricted access to personal information collected by other government agencies. Bill C-59 also upholds the national security certificate mechanism under which named non-Canadian citizens can be arrested and detained indefinitely without the right to see and contest any of the evidence against them. It also retains peace bonds, under which terrorism suspects can be detained or have restrictions imposed on their activities without being charged with any crime.

These moves are in keeping with the record of the Liberal Party, which was the chief architect of the antidemocratic measures, including unprecedented attacks on the presumption of innocence and the right to remain silent, adopted in the wake of 9/11.

In 2015, Trudeaus Liberals voted in favour of Bill C-51, claiming that they would repeal some of its provisions when they took power. Bill C-59 makes clear that such pledges were nothing more than electoral posturing aimed at capitalizing on public opposition to Bill C-51.

Bill C-59 in fact expands CSISs power to store and analyze electronic data. Last year, a federal court ruled that the intelligence agency had broken the law by retaining data from Canadians who were not suspected of any crime. The new Liberal legislation specifically allows CSIS to make use of the information it obtains, in the course of its investigations, on people not suspected or accused of any wrongdoing. This outrageous attack on privacy rights is being justified as a necessary response to recent technological advances.

The corporate media and several security and legal experts who were prominent critics of Bill C-51 are lauding the new civilian review mechanisms the Liberals are creating, claiming that they can be relied on to ensure the security-intelligence agencies do not violate Canadians democratic rights.

In truth these mechanisms are nothing more than a fig leaf, aimed at providing the intelligence agencies with a legal-constitutional cover to spy on opponents of the government and big businessenvironmentalists, native organizations, leftist and antiwar groups, and above all the working class.

Like the CSIS Security and Intelligence Review Committee, which it will replace, the new National Security and Intelligence Review Agency will be staffed with carefully vetted representatives of the ruling class. They will review intelligence operations only after the fact and submit their findings to the government, not the public.

Bill C-59 also provides for a Security and Intelligence Commissioner, who will be drawn from the ranks of the judiciary. While the Commissioner is being publicly touted as a watchdog, in reality his task will be to work with the security agencies to establish legal cover for their operations, including CSIS disruption campaigns. One of the Commissioners chief functions will be to provide pre-operation approvals for their more intrusive and potentially politically contentious activities.

Under a separate piece of legislation, the Liberals are creating a parliamentary oversight committee, whose members will be barred from reporting to the public on any illegal activities they uncover. Moreover, the government has wide powers to withhold information from this committee, including on all ongoing security-intelligence operations.

These review structures will only bring Canadian practice more in line with that in the United States, Britain and Australiaall countries that, regardless of the parliamentary and other review mechanisms in place, have witnessed a massive onslaught on democratic rights over the past two decades in the name of the fraudulent war on terror.

The Liberals defence of Canadas burgeoning national security apparatus is intimately bound up with their determination to pursue an aggressive, imperialist foreign policy. Bill C-59 was introduced just two weeks after Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland delivered a keynote foreign policy address in which she vowed that hard power, i.e. war, must be a central part of Canadas foreign policy. She pledged that Canada will deepen its strategic partnership with US imperialism, while working to uphold multilateral imperialist alliances like NATO. Freelands speech was followed the next day by Sajjans defence policy announcement, which included funds for an expanded fleet of fighter jets, fifteen new warships, the purchase of armed drones, and the recruitment of 5,000 additional military personnel.

Such policies, which go hand in hand with a never-ending assault on the social position of the working class, cannot be implemented democratically.

The Trudeau government is well aware of the deep-seated popular hostility to the Canadian ruling elites program of austerity and war. That is why it seeks to camouflage its true aims with phoney human rights rhetoric and claims it is pursuing a feminist foreign policy.

But as such propaganda increasingly falls flat, the Liberals will increasingly be forced to resort to outright state repression. Bill C-59 makes clear that the Liberals, no less than the Conservatives, are determined to expand the vast spying apparatus at the disposal of the Canadian capitalist state so as to suppress working-class opposition.

Criticism of the Liberals bill among the political establishment has been muted. Predictably, the Conservatives denounced the government for disarming the intelligence agencies. The New Democrats (NDP), who voted against Bill C-51, complained that the Liberals had broken their election promises and not gone far enough in repealing its antidemocratic provisions. But the NDP has had nothing to say about the broader ruling-class assault on democratic rights since 9/11, of which Bill C-51 was only one element, or the Liberals determination to make aggression and war the centerpiece of Canadas foreign policy. The New Democrats tepid opposition to Bill C-59 reflects their loyalty to the Canadian capitalist elite and its global imperialist interests.
Twin defeats in special elections for House seats in Georgia and South Carolina have touched off a paroxysm of second-guessing and recriminations within the Democratic Party and in those organizations which exist to provide advice and political cover for the Democrats.

Despite spending nearly $40 million on his campaign, Democrat Jon Ossoff lost the runoff election for the Sixth Congressional District in Georgia to Republican Karen Handel, who had trailed badly in the first round of voting held in April. Ossoffs total vote, 124,893, means that the Democratic Party spent a staggering $320 per vote, but still lost.

Democrat Archie Purnell lost in South Carolinas Fifth Congressional District by about the same margin, in percentage terms, but much more cheaply. With just over 42,000 votes in a low-turnout election, the Purnell campaign spent about $30 per vote.

The Democrats lost all four of the contested elections held in districts where the incumbent Republican representative resigned to take a position in Trumps cabinets: the Fourth Congressional District in Kansas, the at-large seat representing the state of Montana, as well as the Georgia and South Carolina seats.

It was reportedly a factor in the selection of Mike Pompeo to head the CIA, Ryan Zinke to run the Department of the Interior, Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Mick Mulvaney as budget director that each held a seat where a Republican would be heavily favored to win an election to fill the vacancy.

Nonetheless, the failure of any of the candidates to wintwo of them aligned with Bernie Sanders, in Kansas and Montana, and two aligned with the party establishment, Ossoff and Purnellhas deepened the political crisis of the Democratic Party, which suffered a staggering defeat last November, losing the White House and both houses of Congress.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is under the most immediate pressure, with critics citing the widespread use of her name and image as a bogeyman to spur Republican voters to the polls, particularly in Georgia, but also in Montana and the other two states.

The small number of House Democrats who opposed Pelosis reelection as leader of the Democratic caucus, headed by Tim Ryan of Ohio, who ran against her, renewed their calls for a change in party leadership. Aside from the geriatric character of the House Democratic leadershipPelosi is 77, Democratic whip Steny Hoyer is 78, and deputy whip James Clyburn is 76they cited incessant Republican demonization of Pelosi as the personification of Democratic Party liberalism.

These Democrats essentially criticize Pelosi from the right. They oppose her, not because she is a multi-millionaire who has raised more than half a billion dollars for the Democratic Party from the super-rich, particularly in Silicon Valley, Wall Street and Hollywood, but because of she has been identified (falsely) by Republicans with the defense of gay rights and womens rights, since she represents a congressional district that includes the entire city of San Francisco.

Ryan and his supporters advocate downplaying identity politics, long the staple of the national Democratic Party, not in order to make a class appeal to working people, but in order to shift to the right on issues like abortion, gay marriage and anti-discrimination protections for minorities.

As for the Pelosi-Hoyer leadership, they also advocated a shift to the right, in terms of the selection of candidates to challenge the Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections.

A document issued by Ben Lujan, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, sought to put the best possible face on the four defeats in four elections, noting the sizeable swing to the Democrats in percentage terms, although the actual number of people voting for the Democrats plunged in three of the four districts.

Lujan called for stepped-up recruiting of non-traditional candidates, local leaders, veterans, business owners, women, job-creators, and health professionals. Lets take the time to find people who fit their districts, have compelling stories, and work hard to earn support from voters.

The language is remarkable. In any congressional district in the United States, almost without exception, working people comprise the vast majority of the population. But the Democratic Party is committing itself to seeking out job creatorsi.e., wealthy capitalists, as well as business owners and doctorsin other words, candidates drawn from the top one percent, the most privileged layers in society.

This is a longstanding process in both capitalist parties, where the average congressman, Democrat or Republican, is a millionaire, separated by a wall of privilege from the vast majority of their constituents, who are in a daily struggle to survive economically.

This social gulf pervades the corporate-controlled media as well. A New York Times analysis of the aftermath of the Georgia special election observed, Part of the Democrats challenge now is that the jobless rate is low, and many of the districts they are targeting are a lot like the Georgia seat: thriving suburbs filled with voters who have only watched their portfolios grow since Mr. Trump took office.

The Democrats cant craft a compelling economic message, according to the Times, because the economy is booming and the people have never had it so good. What a declaration of complacency and social blindness!

By the most current estimates, the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans own 89 percent of all corporate equities. These include, of course, the leading personnel of the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as the New York Times and other elite media outlets. But even in a relatively affluent area like the Sixth Congressional District of Georgia, those who have watched their portfolios grow are only a small minority.

It is this wealthiest 10 percent, however, who are the political universe as far as the corporate media and the electoral activities of both the Democratic and Republican parties are concerned. Neither capitalist party offers any program to deal with the social concerns of the vast majority of the American population, the working people, over jobs, declining living standards, deteriorating schools and other public infrastructure, and mounting attacks on democratic rights.
Europe

Slovakian VW autoworkers strike

Around 70 percent of Volkswagen (VW) employees at three VW factories in Slovakia began a 12-day strike Tuesday. They are seeking a 16 percent pay increase and have rejected managements offer of a 4.5 percent rise this year and 4.2 percent next year together with bonus payments.

Bloomberg reported that workers gathered on the first day of the strike at VWs Bratislava factory holding placards reading, Dont Humiliate Us and We Do the Maximum, You do the Minimum. VW is Slovakias largest employer.

Greek municipal workers strike over job security

On Monday, municipal workers held a protest at the Ministry of the Interior in Athens. The POE-OTA union members were demanding that municipal employees on temporary contracts be made permanent. Other municipal workers occupied garbage truck facilities over the same issue.

Around 80 of the protestors at the Interior Ministry briefly occupied the building. They left after being promised a meeting with Panos Skourletis, the Syriza government Interior Minister, on Tuesday. The Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) government was elected on anti-austerity program in January 2015 only to impose the savage demands of the EU, IMF and European Central Bank.

The day after the protest municipal workers held a 24-hour strike. POE-OTA has called a 24-hour Pan-Hellenic strike of local government employees for June 26.

Wildcat walkouts by UK Royal Mail staff

Royal Mail staff at four sorting offices took wildcat action last week. On June 15, around 70 staff in Canterbury in southeast England walked out following the suspension of six of their colleagues for their opposition to job overloading.

On June 16 in Scarborough in northeast England, Royal Mail staff walked out after management reneged on an agreement over an offer of extra hours. Staff had believed the extra hours were permanent but found out it was only on a trial run for a few weeks so management could test out the arrangement.

Employees at the Whitechapel delivery office in east London walked out after management deducted money from a female colleagues pay after she allegedly took sick leave rather than annual leave because of childcare problems. Workers at the Carmarthen office in Wales walked out briefly in response to managements attempts to push through cuts.

Italy hit by transport strikes

A series of strikes by transport workers hit Italy at the end of last week, affecting bus, train and air travel. Three union bodies, Cub-Sgb, Usi-Ait and Cobas Lavoro private, called the strikes to protest moves to privatise the transport sector and to call for improved working conditions.

Strikes began on the evening of June 15 and continued throughout the next day as different sectors came out on strike for different periods. In Rome, the Metro and Roma-Lido train line were affected. Train and bus services in various Italian cities including Milan and Florence were affected.

Airport and air cabin crew took part in the action. The Alitalia airline had to cancel scores of international and domestic flights. The Italian government is seeking to hive off parts of the rail system to private buyers while also looking for a buyer for the failing Italia airline, which is currently under state management.

University academic staff strike in Manchester, UK

Teaching staff at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) took 48-hour strike action Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the closure of its campus in Crewe, Cheshire. University bosses plan to shut its Crewe campus in August 2019, threatening 370 jobs, including 160 teaching jobs, on the grounds that it is no longer academically or financially sustainable.

The University and College Union (UCU) has appealed to management to accept voluntary redundancies, bemoaning that the university has rejected its request to postpone redundancies, carry out further talks and involve ACAS to try to solve the dispute.

MMU is the fifth largest university in the UK, comprising among other faculties the famous Manchester school of Art. Half of its teaching staff are on zero hours contracts.

London teachers strike against plans to turn their schools into academies

National Union of Teacher (NUT) members at Drayton Green primary school held a two-day strike beginning Tuesday. NUT members at Dormers Wells High School began a three-day strike the same day. Both west London schools are being made into academies, which are government-funded but privately run institutions, akin to charter schools in the US.

British Airways air cabin crew to strike

More than 1,000 cabin crew working for British Airways (BA) mixed fleet are to hold a two-week strike beginning July 1. The members of the Unite union have carried out 26 days of strikes over poverty pay rates. The mixed fleet cabin crew are part of a two-tier wage scheme, which was introduced with the agreement of Unite.

The stoppage had been called after BA refused to restore concessionary flights and bonuses to some staff who had taken part in strikes. The union called off a four-day strike due to have begun June 16 and agreed to talks under the auspices of the government reconciliation service. The talks resulted in no agreement, with management refusing to make concessions.

Walkout by French TV staff

Technicians and journalists working for France 24, the international news and current affairs network based in Paris, walked out on June 15. The 120-plus staff, members of the CFTC union, staged at 24-hour strike and picketed the companys headquarters.

They took the action after the company reneged on a 2015 agreement over so-called unsocial hours, i.e., working weekends and night shifts. Originally, the agreement had reduced the working day from 8 hours to 7 hours for those working unsocial hours over staff health concerns.

However, France 24 began to pressure some individual staff to sign amended contracts negating the shorter working hours contract over unsocial hours. This led to the walkout by staff across the company.

Dutch rail staff strike

Rail staff, employed by state rail company NS at the central stations in The Hague and Zwolle, held a four-hour strike beginning Monday morning. Members of FNV Spoor were protesting plans by NS to break up the state company. The plans include outsourcing regional lines along with store and restaurant facilities. The workers were also demanding the assignment of two conductors on double decker trains.

Spanish dockers strike continues

Spanish dockers are continuing to strike over deregulation. They are striking on alternate hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week. The walkout affected the ports of Algeciras, Valencia, Bilbao, Seville and Santander.

The CETM union called the strikes after talks with the port employers body, Enesco, broke down. The Popular Party government at the behest of the European Union is forcing through the abolition of the SAGEPS dock labour scheme, which afforded dockers a degree of job security and relatively better wages.

The union called off previous planned strikes, and the current action was only called over disagreements over the number of jobs to be cut and the amount in wage reductions to be implemented. Further alternate hourly strikes are scheduled for June 26, 28 and 29 with further dates in July.

Strike threat by Irish crane operators

Irish crane operators voted by a 93 percent majority on a 77 percent turnout for strike action. They are seeking a 27 (US $30) an hour pay rate.

Previously members of the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), the crane operators recently switched to Unite after SIPTU refused to press their case. Around 90 percent of the more than 200 crane operators in the country are Unite members.

The vote follows a mass sick-in earlier this month. Talks under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission were due to be held this week, but employers have been served a notification of the strike action, which could begin from June 27.

Unite is already trying to row back from action, with Unite regional officer Tom Fitzgerald telling the Irish Independent newspaper, If the employers engage with us there wont be strike action. The union made clear if the strike went ahead it would be limited to selective strike action.

Turkish workers oppose victimizations

Some 25 workers at the German owned AKG Thermotechnik in Izmir have been dismissed after protesting low wages and poor conditions at the factory.

The Birlesik Metal-Is union was granted a certificate to represent the majority of the workforce. Following the dismissal of eight workers, who are leaders of the union, other workers protested outside the factory and 17 of them held a sit-in but were removed by riot police and then dismissed.

Ukrainian rail workers protest/subhead]

Last week rail workers belonging to the Free Trade Union of Railway Workers of Ukraine held a protest demanding substantial pay increases. They gathered outside the offices of Ukrainian Railways and the protest continued overnight.

Africa

Kenyan nurses continue strike

26,000 Kenyan nurses are continuing their strike into a third week over the resistance of the Council of Governors to sign and apply the agreed 2016 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Religious organisations have come in alongside the Council of Governors to persuade the nurses to return to work. Catholic hospitals are continuing to provide a health service to patients affected by the national strike. They have doubled their intake of patients with two patients in a bed in an attempt to break the strike.

The nurses union, the Kenyan National Union of Nurses, rejects the claim of the Council of Governors that the strike is illegal. While governors implement an illegal no-work, no-pay rule they are instructing the county payroll managers not to pay workers union dues into their unions.

Kenyan doctors return to striking over Collective Bargaining Agreement

Around 200 doctors in Nairobi who took part in the 100-day national strike have been denied pay for that period. As members of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, they had fought for the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

They resumed their strike Tuesday over not being paid since December, with some going without pay even longer. The state governor claims he has not received funds from the central government to pay wages, and he refuses to pay for the period of the strike.

Malawi civil servants plan to strike for wage increase

Malawi civil servants are planning to strike if there is no response in negotiations for a 45 percent wage rise. The Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) negotiations with the government have broken down as the states representatives have not made an offer other than a 10 percent increase based on merit.

The public-sector strike threat comes on top of a six-month strike of college lecturers and university academics. President Peter Mutharika declared if employees are not happy with their pay, they should apply to the private sector.

The Malawian economy is under the supervision of the International Monetary Fund, which claims that states wages bill cannot be sustained because of low tax receipts.

Nigerian government threatens to break doctors strike

Around 160 state medical doctors in the Nigerian state of Kogi have been on strike since June 5 over failed promises by the administration to pay outstanding wages.

Kogis Health Commissioner has now begun a campaign to recruit 230 doctors claiming they will be employed as additional medics. The doctors union, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), says the new doctors will be used to replace striking medics.

South African gold mining firm sacks half its workforce after wildcat strike

Half the 4,000-strong workforce at Sibanye Golds Cooke gold mine in South Africa have been sacked after miners went on a wildcat strike over the reduction of food they are allowed to take down the pit. Sibanye claims the miners were using food to feed criminal gangs that are known to stay underground without surfacing for up to a month.

A confrontation erupted between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) over support for the strikers. The NUM claimed AMCU members attacked and injured NUM members who crossed picket lines and called on police to defend its members.

Out of the dismissed miners, 700 are NUM members and 500 belong to AMCU. The NUM led a violent attack on striking platinum miners, members of the NUM breakaway union, AMCU, at the Marikana Mine in August-September 2012. Police dispatched by the African National Congress (ANC), on behalf of the mine bosses, killed 41 striking miners.

South African miners strike over bargaining forum breakup

National Union of Mineworkers members went on strike at the Msobo Coal mine in Mpumalanga province South Africa on Tuesday. The NUM says it is opposed to the breaking up of the national bargaining forum at the Chamber of Mines.

The forum had represented the big coal mining companies such as Anglo American and Glencoe in negotiations. Each company will now negotiate on its own basis. The NUM initially claimed a victory when Msobo Coal said it would not pull out of the forum but the company subsequently reversed its position.
The Conservative government has revealed that 600 high rise buildings have similar cladding to Grenfell Tower, west London where the inferno on June 14 claimed the lives of at least 79 people.

A Downing Street spokeswoman added that samples from some tower blocks had been tested and so far, three samples have been found to be combustible.

The revelations came just minutes after Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement to parliament on the fire in west London.

With the final death toll still unknown and public anger growing, May has called a public inquiry into the fire as part of the Conservative governments attempt to cover up its own role and that of its corporate friends in mass murder.

Organised under the 2005 Inquiries Act, the terms and scope of the inquirywhich could take years to completewill be fully controlled by the government. Its purpose is to divert social and political discontent into safe channels and to forestall the necessary criminal proceedings and the immediate arrest and charging of those responsible. The phoney inquiry is being legitimised by all the parliamentary parties of the ruling elite, including the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn.

May was forced to speak precisely because the news was about to break that 600 tower blocks in the UK are covered in cladding, with many potentially clad in the same combustible material as Grenfell. This played a critical role in the spread of the fire, which in a matter of minutes became an inferno engulfing 24 storeys from the single fourth-floor apartment where it is understood to have originated.

May began her speech by stating that she had just received an important update, which I felt was essential to bring to the attention of the House this morning.

The government have arranged to test cladding in all relevant tower blocks as a precaution. Shortly before I came to the Chamber, I was informed that a number of these tests have come back as combustible.

These admissions underscore the systematic nature of the criminality imperilling the very lives of huge numbers of working class people, which led directly to the deaths of the Grenfell residents.

In response to immediate expressions of public outrage, the government tried to backtrack with a communities department spokesman saying, The situation is that 600 buildings have cladding. It is not similar, it is all types of cladding.

However, in the next breath the spokesman confirmed that they did not know just how many of the 600 had aluminium composite material (ACM) claddingthe type used on Grenfell. He said, Of those 600, some of those would have ACM; we want to test them to see if they have ACM.

In the last week, the powers-that-be have played down the numbers who have died in an attempt to quell mounting anger. Now the number of people exposed to the same flammable cladding is also being micromanaged.

After first saying seven high-rise blocks of flats in four local authority areas in England had combustible cladding, Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid later informed MPs that it was 11, across eight local authorities.

It was confirmed that nine tower blocks in Salford, in northwest England, are clad in similar material that may be combustible, as well as flats in the deprived north London borough of Tottenham.

Even as May was speaking, residents living in 700 flats in five tower blocks on the Chalcots estate in the Swiss Cottage area of the capital received a letter from Camden council informing them that their cladding was the same as Grenfell Tower.

This would be immediately removed, it said. According to the chairman of the residents association of one of the blocks, Burnham House, immediately means that work to begin removal will only start in six weeks time.

In Barnet, which has 24 high rises, samples of panelling are being taken from three tower blocks, not being immediately removed as should be the case, after it emerged that rain-screen panels are similar to those installed at Grenfell.

Despite these grave dangers to public safety, social housing tenants across London and nationally are not being immediately rehoused.

No centralised emergency action is being taken to remove dangerous material from tower blocks, with May saying only that the government had the capacity to test more than 100 buildings a day for the type of cladding used.

Local authorities are being asked to check the cladding used on their blocks on an entirely ad hoc basis, even as it is confirmed that combustible cladding surrounds many high rises in the UK, making them death traps. It could take many months for cash-strapped local authorities to establish the nature of the cladding used on tower blocks they control.

Moreover, this only applies to housing under the control of local authorities and not private developments.

This is without addressing the absence of fire-sprinklers in many high-rises, and that most have only a single entrance/exit. Given the vast scale of the remedial work required to make tower blocks anywhere near safe, involving rehousing around 2 million people, May refused to say if the government would provide the necessary billions of pounds in funding.

Asked the question several times in parliament, May responded vaguely, We are looking at a variety of ways in which we can ensure that that is indeed the case.

This continues the utter disregard for the lives of working-class residents that led to the Grenfell deaths. Prior to the fire, the management organisation which ran Grenfell on behalf of Tory-run Kensington and Chelsea council were warned repeatedly that lives were endangered in a building that lacked any essential safety standards and which housed an estimated 600 people.

May declared in parliament, We cannot and will not ask people to live in unsafe homes.

She was only able to issue such a bare-faced lie without challenge because her inquiry is being legitimised by Corbyn, who went out of his way to again endorse it.

The victims and their families had been let down, both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand, and the public inquiry must establish the extent and by whom, he said.

Despite Mays statement admitting that cladding from other tower blocks was combustible, Corbyn never once referenced this in his reply. Instead, he stated in terms chosen to be as anodyne as possible that Grenfell Tower residents and the north Kensington community deserve answers, and thousands and thousands of people living in tower blocks around the country need very urgent reassurance.

Neither did Corbyn demand to know what had emerged from the Metropolitan Polices criminal investigation launched a week ago. So far not a single person has been arrested or charged in connection to an incident in which scores of people, including many children, have died.

Instead, virtually the entirety of Corbyns reply was framed as advice to May as to what the inquiry should focus on, such as the appalling failure of the fire alarms at Grenfell Tower, so that it can be more convincingly sold to a population horrified and angered at the terrible deaths.

His support for Mays bogus proceedings is rendered doubly obscene by the fact that the previous dayin response to the Queens SpeechCorbyn said the government was one without a majority, without a mandate, without a serious legislative programme, led by a Prime Minister whos lost her political authority and is struggling even today to stitch together a deal [with the Democratic Unionist Party] to stay in office.

Corbyn will make no statement linking the Grenfell inferno with political opposition to May because of the risk of arousing a genuine mass movement against a widely despised government that he might be unable to control. Instead, he is using the occasion to prove to the ruling class that Labour under his leadership can be trusted to run its affairs should Mays government fall.

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Social inequality and the Grenfell Tower inferno

[19 June 2017]
Abdul Razzaq Cheema, director general of police in Baluchistan province, told Reuters it appeared the bomber had detonated a car packed with explosives.

By Reuters: A suicide car bomber killed at least 11 people, including four police officers, in an attack near a checkpoint in the volatile southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday, officials said.

Abdul Razzaq Cheema, director general of police in Baluchistan province, told Reuters it appeared the bomber had detonated a car packed with explosives.

At least 11 bodies were taken to hospital, along with 19 wounded people, said Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the Civil Hospital in Quetta.

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Four of those killed were police officers, while nine security officials were among the wounded, said Fareed Sumalan, a doctor at the Civil Hospital.

Baluchistan government spokesman Anwar ul Haq Kakar said the blast happened near the office of the inspector general of police when officers stopped the car to search it near a checkpoint.

"It's possible the IG office was the target, or the assailants were trying to enter the (army) cantonment which is close by," he said.

Television footage showed emergency services rushing to the scene, which was covered in debris, while security officials cordoned off the area.

The normally busy intersection - which lies between a girls' school, a girls' college, the police office and the entrance to the army cantonment - was relatively quiet because Friday was a public holiday ahead of the Eid celebrations marking the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.

Quetta is about 100 km (60 miles) east of the border with Afghanistan and is the capital of Baluchistan, which has been plagued by militant violence. The province is the base of a separatist movement as well as home to the Taliban and other militant Islamist groups.

It is also at the centre of Chinese-backed "Belt and Road" development projects worth $57 billion that first focused on Chinese firms building roads and power stations but is now expanding to include setting up industries.

Militants from the Islamic State group abducted and killed two Chinese nationals in Quetta last month.

That attack prompted Pakistan to boost security around Chinese nationals and other foreigners in the province, which is already one of the most militarised regions in the country.

--- ENDS ---
US Senate Republicans unveiled on Thursday the Better Care Reconciliation Act, their version of a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Obama administrations signature domestic legislation. The US House passed its own version, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), early last month.

Like the House plan, the Senate version guts Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled jointly administered by the federal government and the states, slashing its funding by hundreds of billions of dollars. It would mark the effective end of the program, which currently covers 75 million Americans, as a guaranteed program based on need.

Better Care also repeals virtually all of the ACAs taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations, effecting one of the largest redistributions of wealth from the poor to rich in US history. These tax cuts would be paid for by slashing health care coverage and raising costs for the vast majority of ordinary Americans, in particular targeting the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and those with preexisting conditions and disabilities.

The plan was drafted in secrecy by a working group of 13 senators, a process drawing criticism from both Republican and Democratic senators. As of Thursday evening, a group of four ultra-right Republican senators said they would not sign on to the bill, as it was not draconian enough, while other more moderate Senate Republicans said they needed to study the bill before making a decision.

However, it is likely that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be able to garner the votes of 50 out of 52 Republican senators to pass the legislation with a simple majority, counting on the vote of Vice President Mike Pence to break a tie. The bill would then be sent to a conference with the House, where a final version would be agreed, before being sent to President Trump to sign. Senate leaders hope to receive a scoring on the bill from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) early next week and vote on it before the July 4 recess.

Medicaid

The Senate bill would convert Medicaid to a per capita cap funding system, in which states would get a lump sum from the federal government for each enrollee. States could also choose to receive a block grant instead, not tied to the number of Medicaid enrollees. This would effectively end Medicaid as an entitlement program, so-called because the funding is expanded automatically as people qualify on the basis of need.

The legislation would also change the way federal payments to Medicaid are calculated. The Senate bill would tether funding growth to the Medical Consumer Price Index plus 1 percentage point through 2025, then change over to the urban Consumer Price Index (CPI). This would amount to a funding cut to Medicaid, as the cost of health care typically goes up faster than the CPI.

The bill would also end the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare by 2021. This extended coverage to an estimated 14 million people, mainly low-income adults earning below 138 percent of the poverty line (about $15,000 for an individual), in the 31 states plus the District of Columbia that opted to participate in the expansion.

Better Care defunds Planned Parenthood for one year, meaning Medicaid patients could no longer seek treatment of any kind at the nonprofit organizations clinics. This will result in forgone screenings, less access to contraceptive and abortion services, and more unintended pregnancies, as well as maternal and infant deaths.

CBO scoring of the House bill, which makes similar cuts, estimated it would slash overall funding to Medicaid by $880 billion over a decade. The cutbacks would force states to remove people from Medicaid, reduce the range of services covered, and cut reimbursements to doctors, hospitals and drug companies.

Tax cuts

The Senate bill cuts taxes on net investment income for wealthy people, repeals an ACA Medicare tax on wealthy people, and eliminates taxes on health insurers, medical device companies and tanning salons.

Better Care repeals a 3.8 percent tax on net investment income (capital gains, dividends, etc.) for individuals making more than $200,000 a year or for couples making more than $250,000. In one of the bills most brazen giveaways to the rich, this repeal is not only immediate, but retroactive to capital gains made earlier this year.

The Tax Policy Center estimates that around 90 percent of the tax cuts will go to households with more than $700,000 in annual income, the top 1 percent, who will be freed from the 3.8 percent tax, along with a 0.9 percent payroll surtax on their salaries.

Smaller subsidies, skimpier coverage

The bill would make much less generous subsidies available to low- and middle-income people to purchase health insurance (people earning less than 350 percent of the poverty line, compared to the ACAs 400 percent cutoff). Individuals earning less than $41,580 and families of four making less than $85,050 would be covered. However, the size of the tax credits would be tied to what it takes to purchase insurance with poorer coverage.

Insurance companies would be able to charge older adults not yet eligible for Medicare five times more than younger people, compared to three times more under Obamacare. The bill would also change the definition of affordable insurance. For example, a 60-year-old who earns $35,640 a year would be required to spend 16.2 percent of annual income, or $5,773, before receiving any assistance from the government. Overall, working-class families would pay higher premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for health insurance that covers much less.

Essential benefits and preexisting conditions

The Senate bill would allow states to seek a waiver from ACA requirements for insurers to cover essential benefits, such as maternity care, prescription drugs, substance abuse and mental health services, emergency care, and other vital services.

While Senate Republicans claim their legislation keeps in place protections for those with preexisting conditions, in practice insurers would be able to skirt these protections by simply offering plans that dont cover a range of preconditions, such as diabetes, cancer, prenatal care, etc.

Such waivers could also affect those with employer-sponsored insurance. For example, large employers in a waiver state could restrict services, impose lifetime limits on health care costs and eliminate out-of-pocket caps from their plans.

Better Care eliminates the individual mandate, which requires those without coverage from their employer or from a government program to purchase insurance or pay a tax penalty. Due to the reconciliation process, the bill cannot eliminate the mandate, but it reduces the penalty to zero. Employers with 50 or more employers would also not be penalized if they fail to provide insurance to their workers.

While gutting the mandates, the Senate plan keeps the insurance marketplaces set up under the ACA intact, but insurance will be more expensive and cover less.

While Republicans in both the Senate and House, as well as the Trump administration, have set as their goal repealing and replacing Obamacare, both the AHCA and the Better Care Reconciliation Act keep the ACAs basic structure in placeall while repealing taxes for the wealthy, gutting Medicaid and raising costs and cutting services for working and middle-class people.

This is in part the result of the procedure chosen for repeal. Lacking the 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster, the Republican leadership chose to employ reconciliation, which is limited to a single bill each year, and requires only a simple majority. The rules governing reconciliation are arcane, and prevent changes in policy that have no fiscal impact, such as a ban on insurance companies covering abortion, which was dropped from the Senate bill.

But in the final analysis, there was no need to repeal Obamacare outright, since it accomplishes many of the goals agreed on by both capitalist parties. As the WSWS has maintained from the start, Obamacare was aimed at cutting costs for the government and corporations while rationing health care for the vast majority. Whatever version of Trumpcare eventually emerges from Congress for the president to sign will take the tendencies already present in the Affordable Care Act, then strip off the limited concessions it offered in the way of Medicaid expansion, essential services and other inadequate protections.

Obamacare took as its starting point the entrenched for-profit system of health care delivery in America, which is based on enriching the insurance companies, the pharmaceutical companies and the giant hospital chains.

With this as its basis, the ACA had as its aim the development of an even more openly class-based health care system than what previously existed, in which workers and their families are left with rising costs, cut-rate care, or no coverage at all, and the super-rich and privileged upper-middle-class layer avail themselves of the best medical care that money can buy.

As we wrote last year, through its tax credit system and marketplace exchanges, [T]he ACA essentially establishes a voucher system, whereby minimal government subsidies are given to individuals to purchase private health insurance. It thereby serves as a model for the future privatization of the key government programs, Medicare and Medicaid, wrenched from the ruling class through bitter working class struggles in the last century.

The Democrats have predictably denounced the Senate plan as a boondoggle for the rich, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer railing against the tax breaks for the rich and the millions who stand to lose coverage.

But they have little to offer in way of an alternative, except the maintenance of the Obamacare status quo, or working with the Republicans to fix it. That is because they believe in the underlying premise that health care in America must remain at the mercy of the for-profit health care industry, and that the provision of health care must conform to the interests of the capitalist market.

As the WSWS wrote in July 2009, more than six months before the ACA became law, the Obama administrations drive for an overhaul of the health care system, far from representing a reform designed to provide universal coverage and increased access to quality care, marks an unprecedented attack on health care for the working population. It is an effort to roll back social gains associated with the enactment of Medicare in 1965.

The Republicans attack on Medicaid, embodied in both the AHCA and the Better Care bill, marks a further step in this direction.
Two intelligence agency heads have reportedly told Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate Intelligence Committee that President Donald Trump suggested that they publicly state that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russia. CNN, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Admiral Mike Rogers felt that Trumps suggestions were strange but did not constitute an order.

Both Coats and Rogers testified publicly before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 7, where they declined to discuss their interactions with Trump, frustrating Democratic senators. According to CNN, they had asked the White House if these conversations with Trump were protected by executive privilege and therefore could not be discussed with Congress. The White House did not respond before the June 7 hearing, leaving Coats and Rogers to make vague statements that did not clarify whether the president had pressured them.

Coats and Rogers have since confirmed, in statements to Muellers team and the Senate Intelligence Committee, that Trump asked them to state that he did not collude with Russia in the Kremlins alleged interference into the 2016 US election. Their statements were reportedly made separately, with the statements before Senate investigators happening behind closed doors rather than in a public hearing.

The Department of Justice and the House and Senate intelligence committees are conducting parallel investigations into alleged Russian interference in the election as well as possible collusion between Trump or the Trump campaign and Russia. No substantive evidence has yet emerged to back any of these allegations, which are part of a campaign by the Democratic Party, sections of the Republican Party, most of the news media and the dominant factions of the military-intelligence apparatus to shift US foreign policy back toward the anti-Russia line of President Barack Obamas second term.

Also on Thursday, Trump tweeted that he did not make, and do[es] not have any recordings of conversations he had with former FBI Director James Comey before Trump fired Comey in May. Trump had raised the possibility of tapes after he fired Comey.

The day before the leak about statements by Coats and Rogers, the Senate and House intelligence committees held hearings during which members of Congress and former US officials, including former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, made unsupported allegations that Russian intelligence agencies had compromised US voter registration systems, if not voting machines themselves.

These allegations focus on a different aspect of the anti-Russian campaign, which until now has mostly focused on claims that Russian intelligence agencies hacked into the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign and then gave the emails to WikiLeaks.

With these allegations still completely unproven, the focus during Wednesdays hearings shifted to claims that Russian military intelligence (the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence DirectorateGRU) infiltrated private companies that create software to manage voter registration rolls. This particular claim came to widespread public attention when NSA contractor Reality Leigh Winner leaked an NSA assessment to the Intercept .

Johnson, who headed the Department of Homeland Security from December 2013 until Trump took office in January 2017, asserted in his prepared remarks to the House Intelligence Committee, In 2016 the Russian government, at the direction of [President] Vladimir Putin himself, orchestrated cyberattacks on our nation for the purpose of influencing our electionplain and simple.

Nevertheless, Johnson admitted that, to his knowledge, the Russian government did not through any cyberintrusion alter ballots, ballot counts or reporting of election results, although he did not rule out the possibility that the information released by WikiLeaks (which demonstrated Hillary Clintons subservience to Wall Street) might have influenced voters decisions.

Johnson described Russian interference in the election as unprecedented in its scale and scope, in part due to the leaking of information designed to influence peoples decisions, rather than limiting activities to covert infiltration.

The former DHS secretary voiced his displeasure that the DNC refused assistance from the DHS and the FBI after the hack, instead relying on the private cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. According to Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, a Republican, the DNC never turned the server over to law enforcement, making it far more difficult to provide evidence of who was responsible for the hacking.

When asked by Representative Terri Sewell of Alabama, a Democrat, about the evidence linking Russia to the US election interference, Johnson declined to discuss it in an open session. This did not stop him from saying in practically every other statement that Russia or the Russians were responsible.

Representative Chris Stewart of Utah, a Republican, sounded the most ominous note of the morning when he asked Johnson a series of questions implying that measures needed to be taken to prevent the US press from facilitating Russian propaganda and disinformation: How do you protect against propaganda? How do you protect against false news stories? How do you protect against Internet trolls who we know are paid Russian employees? And the last question is  how do you encourage a gullible press to be more mature in their judgment, more defined in their judgments, rather than play into Russian hands?

In response, Johnson implied that it was better when there were gatekeepers to news, before the Internet allowed those who call themselves journalists to have their voices heard without going through the corporate media.

Concurrent with Johnsons testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee heard from cybersecurity experts, federal officials and state election officials, also about alleged Russian intrusion into voter registration systems. Jeanette Manfra, a senior DHS official, claimed that voter registration systems in 21 states were targeted by Russian intelligence, although only Arizona and Illinois have been confirmed as being among the 21.

It is worth noting that the NSA document leaked by The Intercept generally cited as proof that Russian intelligence was behind these attacksis an assessment only and does not contain any evidence, only assertions. Moreover, the claim that the GRU was behind the intrusions is described as an analyst judgment rather than confirmed information.

Additionally, it was reported this week that almost every registered voter in the United States had their information left on an unsecured Amazon cloud server used by a data-mining company hired by the Republican National Committee. This data, according to cybersecurity firm UpGuard, includes the names, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers and voter registration details, as well as voter ethnicities and religions as modeled by the firms data scientists, of almost 200 million Americans.

It also included calculated alignments of voters based on their demographic information, including how likely they were to think that fossil fuels are important for US energy security or if they were likely to agree or disagree with Trumps America First foreign policy. This exposure of voters information happened because of the incompetence of a Republican-linked US firm, not any foreign meddling.
Iraqi government army and police have reportedly forced the last surviving Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters into a small area of Mosuls Old City district. The cityor what is left of itis expected to be fully under government control within a matter of weeks, or even days.

The offensive to recapture Mosul from ISIS began last October. For nine months, it has been the scene of some of the most intense street-to-street urban warfare since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Iraqi government troops and police have slowly advanced through its suburbs, supported by the US military and a coalition that includes Australian, British, French and Canadian aircraft and special forces advisors.

The destruction yesterday of the 900-year-old minaret of the historic Al Nuri mosque symbolises the devastation that has been inflicted on Mosul and its population. The combination of airstrikes and murderous fighting on the ground has reduced large areas of the city to half-standing buildings and left its streets littered with burnt-out vehicles and rubble. Electricity, gas, water and sewerage networks have been shattered.

According to the Baghdad government, the minaret was blown up by ISIS to prevent elite Iraqi counter-terrorism police from capturing it intact. The Al Nuri mosque had significant propaganda value for the government forces, as it was where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had declared the establishment of a caliphate in June 2014, after the Islamist movement seized control of Mosul.

ISIS, in its own online propaganda, has claimed the minaret was destroyed by a US airstrike. This has been denied by the US military and a video does suggest that it was demolished by controlled internal explosions.

The Iraqi government refuses to release any figures on the losses that its forces have suffered. It may well be as high as 10,000 dead and wounded. Reports earlier in the year indicated that some army and police units suffered 50 percent casualties during the fierce battles to completely push ISIS out of the eastern sector of the city.

Civilians, however, have paid the greatest price. Prior to June 2014, Mosul had a population of close to 2 million. While hundreds of thousands fled when ISIS captured the city, displacement and casualties have increased exponentially since the beginning of the US-backed assault.

It is currently estimated that some 860,000 Mosul residents have been turned into refugees, with large numbers sheltering in overcrowded tent camps or with family elsewhere in the country. Another 500,000 are living in various degrees of squalor and hardship in the government-controlled eastern suburbs of the city. It is believed about 100,000 are still trapped in the ISIS-held areas.

There is no accurate count of overall civilian casualties. It almost certainly numbers in the tens of thousands killed or injured, however, inflicted by both the US-backed forces and the ISIS extremists.

Just one US airstrike on March 17 slaughtered at least 105 men, women and children. The US military has revealed that between October 2016 and June 3, its coalition had bombarded the city with some 24,464 missiles and bombs.

When the offensive began nine months ago, the US-led coalition generally estimated that there were no more than 5,000 and at most 10,000 ISIS fighters in the city. In early May, the Iraqi commanders claimed to have killed well over 16,000. In the weeks since, they have claimed to have killed hundreds more.

The inflated number of ISIS deaths suggests that people are being falsely classified as combatants to conceal the true extent of civilian deaths.

A June 22 article by freelance British journalist Tom Westcott, who is reporting from Mosul, detailed disturbing aspects of the treatment of men and boys who manage to get through the battle lines from ISIS-held areas to those under government control.

A French medic spoke to Westcott about several men whose injuries from shrapnel had been treated. Of course, the medic stated, these operations were done by IS medics and we know they only look after their own, so these men were probably with IS. He noted that government troops would put them through at least two screenings.

Westcott also recounted how a man was suspected of being ISIS because he had bruises on his shoulderwhich could possibly have been caused by the recoil of a rifle.

Throughout the operation, any male aged over 15 who is accused of being a supporter of ISIS has been taken away for interrogation and detention. Evidence has emerged since October that alleged ISIS fighters in Mosul have been subjected to hideous torture or summarily executed by government forces.

As the last areas of the city fall to the government, thousands of men and teenagers face an uncertain future. An Iraqi Army officer told Westcott: Most of the young men still inside now are with Daesh [ISIS]. Were 100 percent sure they are Daesh.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis had labelled the US policy in Iraq as annihilation tactics. He has implicitly endorsed the extra-judicial execution of non-Iraqis who are captured in Mosul who are alleged to be ISIS fighters. He declared last month in an interview: Our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive to return home to North Africa, to Europe, to America, to Asia, to Africa. Were not going to allow them to do so.

The remarks of Mattis serve only to underscore that every atrocity committed by Iraqi government forces takes place with the full knowledge and complicity of the US and the other imperialist states contributing troops to the anti-ISIS operations.
The cycle of presidential and legislative elections this Spring in France has culminated in the disintegration of the Socialist Party (PS) and the election of Emmanuel Macron and an absolute majority in the National Assembly favorable to his government.

Macron, who served as economy minister in the government of PS president Francois Hollande, is backing Berlins bid to build the European Union (EU) as a strategic and military rival of US imperialism. The domestic basis of European imperialisms ambitions overseas is to be a ruthless war on the working class. Macrons government, drawn from the PS and the bourgeois right, is planning a series of unilateral decrees that will intensify the PS governments reactionary labor law reforms and institute a permanent state of emergency.

This outcome is a devastating exposure of the bankruptcy of all the organizations in the so-called French left that broke from Trotskyism, who bear principal responsibility for Macrons ability to profit from the discrediting of the austerity and war policies of Hollande and the PS. Time and time again during the last quarter-century, workers in France reacted sharply against these attackswith mass strikes in 1995, 2003, 2010, and 2016. The working class gave these organizations millions of votes in 2002 and this year, but still they proved incapable of advancing any alternative.

They did not orient to building a revolutionary party in the working class as an alternative to the Socialist Party, but worked time and again to turn workers back behind it. In 2002, Lutte ouvriere (Workers Struggle, LO) and the Ligue communiste revolutionnaire (LCR) received collectively 3 million votes in an election that led to the elimination of PS candidate Lionel Jospin and a run-off between the conservative Jacques Chirac and neo-fascist Jean-Marie Le Pen. Then, the LO and LCR fell in line with the PS campaign for a Chirac vote.

While the LCR endorsed Chirac after back-channel talks with the PS, LO called for abstention while making clear that it understood a Chirac vote, which was where its sympathies lay.

In the face of all these opportunities, they refused to use any of their gains to build an independent political force in the working class. Instead, their alignment to the PS and Chirac gave Le Pens National Front (FN) an opening to pose as the only opposition to austerity in France. They then used the growth of the FN to justify a capitulation to Macron in 2017, along the same lines as in 2002.

They did this by promoting the campaign of Jean-Luc Melenchon, a former PS minister. In the final weeks of the presidential election, he doubled his support in the polls, eventually getting 7 million voters, after criticizing US air strikes on Syria and the EUs policy of allowing refugees to drown in the Mediterranean. In the run-off between Macron and FN candidate Marine Le Pen, Melenchon refused to take a position, ignoring a consultative vote of his La France insoumise (Unsubmissive France) supporters that showed a two-thirds majority in support of blank or spoiled ballots to protest Macrons right-wing policies. He also stressed that he understood those who voted for Macron against Le Pen.

Each of these tendenciesfrom LO to the LCR (today the New Anti-capitalist Party, NPA) and Melenchon, who began his career in the former Organisation communiste internationaliste (OCI) of Pierre Lamberttrace their political origins to a break with Trotskyism. This found expression in unrestrained petty-bourgeois opportunism and capitulation to the bourgeois state.

The OCI broke with the ICFI and with Trotskyism in 1971 to join the preparations later that year to found the PS. Rejecting the struggle for the political independence of the working class, it sought to orient workers to the building of a "Union of the Left" around the Socialist Party, a reactionary party of finance capital. The OCI sent its members into the PSone of whom, Lionel Jospin, became prime minister.

As for the LCR/NPA tendency, which rejected the basic principles of Trotskyism during its 1953 split with the ICFI, it formally renounced its purely symbolic and verbal attachment to Trotsky in 2009. It founded the New Anti-capitalist Party on a non-Trotskyist basis, proposing to build the NPA as a broad left coalition party open to PS members.

Melenchon expressed perhaps most crudely the anti-Marxist conceptions that prevail in these circles. Proclaiming that the discrediting of the PS meant the end of socialism and the left, he wrote in his book The Era of the People that the working class would no longer play an independent political role, and that socialist revolution would be replaced by citizens revolution. The first stage of this citizens revolution, in the event, was to assist Macrons plans for social counter-revolution.

This policy, which objectively served the attempts of the ruling class to block working class opposition, was theoretically grounded in various forms of pseudo-Marxism promoted by the layer of the French academic petty-bourgeoisie that plays a leading role in these political parties. France provided a testing ground for these tendencies and their anti-Marxist theories.

Every theoretical tendency of the pseudo-leftfrom the state-capitalist writers Cornelius Castoriadis and Claude Lefort, to the post-structuralist Michel Foucault and the ex-Maoist postmodernists Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancierecontributed its drop of poison to the campaign against Marxism. These included Jean-Francois Lyotards 1979 nostrums on the end of history and the death of meta-narratives and Jacques Derridas 1993 declaration in Specters of Marx that Marxism had to give way to pseudo-Marxism.

The worth of these theories was best evaluated, if unwittingly, by Badiou, who wrote a 2013 essay titled Our contemporary impotence on the EUs campaign of austerity against the Greek people.

I have neither the capacity nor the intention of solving any of the problems that currently beset the Greek people, Badiou declared. My subjectivity here is therefore broadly external to the sequence in question. I will accept the limits of this position, and begin with a feeling, an affect, which is perhaps personal, perhaps unjustified, but which I nevertheless feel, given the information at my disposal: a feeling of general political impotence.

On the centenary of the 1917 October Revolution, as the PS collapses and renewed struggles by the working class against Macron are on the horizon, the lessons of this experience must be drawn. These forces, whose impotence is rooted in hostile class interests and their rejection of Marxism, will organize only defeats. The only way forward is the revolutionary road, returning to the traditions of classical Marxism and of Trotskyism, and to the great titans of revolutionary Marxism: Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky.

Winning the working class, in France and internationally, to this program is the task of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and its French section, the Parti de legalite socialiste (PES).
Voting in the 2017 Papua New Guinea parliamentary elections begins on Saturday and will run until July 8. The poll takes place amid a spiralling fiscal and social crisis, fuelled by a collapse in government revenues.

A precipitous decline in global commodity prices has seen economic growth plunge from a high of 13.3 percent in 2014 to 2.5 percent. The government has borrowed K13 billion ($US4.1 billion) in the past year to take the total debt to K21.6 billion. This is above the debt-to-GDP ratio of 30 percent set by the countrys Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Nearly 40 percent of the population subsists on less than $US1.25 a day. Over the past 12 months, health and education budgets have been slashed by up to 40 percent, many public servants have gone without pay and government offices have shut over unpaid power bills. Earlier this month, doctors threatened to strike indefinitely when a shortage of drugs forced eight hospitals to close due to government funding shortfalls.

Prime Minister Peter ONeill and his Peoples National Congress party are widely despised. While ONeill has been embroiled in corruption allegations, his governments austerity measures have impoverished the working class and rural poor.

ONeills government has survived because of the perfidy of the opposition parties and trade unions, which have no real disagreement with its agenda. They have repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, sought to divert deepening social opposition behind the issue of ONeills alleged corruption, even though many opposition MPs have themselves been mired in previous corruption allegations.

The entire political establishment is shifting sharply to the right. Far from advancing a program to address the unfolding social disaster, opposition parties have accused the government of mismanagement and reckless spending, foreshadowing expenditure cuts and attacks of their own.

Don Polye, the main opposition leader in the last parliament, opened his campaign for the Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party by promising to sell the governments share in the Oil Search company, which has a 29 percent stake in the gas projects. Last year Polye advocated an urgent supplementary budget to replenish depleted foreign reserves through further attacks on living standards.

Last week, a group of prominent leaders and former prime ministers established a formal opposition coalition. Ben Micah of the Peoples Progress Party, Kerenga Kua of the PNG National Party, Patrick Pruaitch of the National Alliance (NA) and former Prime Minister Mekere Morauta were among them. Although Michael Somare, PNGs first prime minister, has announced his retirement from politics, he also will be involved.

Micah declared that the major problem confronting the country is the fact that the government is broke. He promised measures to dig the economy out of its worst-ever debt crisis. In fact, all the figures leading the new political grouping have extensive records in government and carry responsibility for the present crisis.

The NA, the second biggest party in the parliament, was until recently part of ONeills governing coalition. Pruaitch, the NA leader, was removed as treasurer after distancing himself from ONeill shortly before the election. Pruaitch declared that PNGs economy had fallen off a cliff due to reckless spending.

Morauta, prime minister from 1999 to 2002, was responsible for the privatisation of major state-owned enterprises, legislation to strengthen the powers of the central bank, and electoral laws protecting governments from votes of no confidence. During student protests against the privatisations in 2001, police shot three students dead.

Kua was ONeills attorney-general before being sacked in 2014 for opposing measures to change the constitution in relation to votes of no confidence. Micah has a long history of corruption allegations levelled against him. In 1999 Morauta sacked him as chairman of the Independent Public Business Corporation for alleged misuse of funds.

Somare held the prime ministership for three separate terms over 17 years from 1975. He was ousted with the backing of the Australian government in 2011 because he was seen as too close to Beijing and replaced by ONeill through an illegal parliamentary manoeuvre. Somare has not hesitated to carry out the pro-market demands of the foreign and local investors.

There is a vast gulf between these representatives of the ruling elite and the broad population. Along with ONeill, they have operated in the interest of the US and Australian-based banks and corporations such as ExxonMobil, which operate lucrative mining and gas ventures, looting the countrys extensive natural resources at the direct expense of working people.

ONeill has flatly denied there is a crisis, declaring that the government has delivered on its promises, while maintaining vital services. Posturing as a defender of ordinary men and women, ONeill rejected a Taxation Review Committee recommendation to increase the Goods and Service Tax from 10 to 15 percent, saying it would adversely impact low-income earners. He has claimed the opposition parties will cut free school fees, stop free healthcare and stop direct payments to the districts and provinces.

An upsurge in struggles by students and workers over inequality, corruption and the social crisis has occurred over the past 12 months. Last June, police fired on a peaceful march by university students in Port Moresby calling on ONeill to resign. Strikes by port workers, doctors, pilots and health workers followed. The massive ExxonMobil natural gas operation in Hela province is under police and military guard after local villagers repeatedly protested over unpaid royalties from the project.

Some 2,821 candidates and 44 parties are contesting 111 seats in the election. Four people have died in clashes between rival groups of supporters and several candidates have been attacked while campaigning. Flights in and out of the Mount Hagen airport were disrupted by candidates protesting the appointment of the electorates returning officer.

Last Monday, Micah claimed he had received evidence of ballot box tampering, and that voting papers were already in the hands of some candidates. He declared demagogically that if the polling were shown to be rigged, the country was facing a revolution and not an election.

A total of 10,600 security personnel from the police, military and correctional services have been deployed. Police Commissioner Gari Baki maintained the security operation was necessary to ensure the election took place without favour, threats and intimidation. The vast para-military mobilisation is in fact designed to intimidate people and suppress any expressions of pent-up opposition to the political elite.

The election will resolve none of the critical issues facing the mass of the population. Regardless of which political parties ultimately form government, they will carry out the dictates of the international banks and corporations, intensifying the austerity measures and state repression.

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I welcome the publication of The Heritage We Defend in Turkey, a country that played such an important role in the history of the Trotskyist movement. Leon Trotsky first found refuge off the coast of Istanbul in 1929, following his expulsion from the Soviet Union by the Stalinist regime. Prinkipo is a fine place to work with a pen, he wrote. During his four-year sojourn on the island, Trotsky produced many of his greatest works, including My Life, The History of the Russian Revolution and his incomparable essays on the struggle against fascism in Germany. Though he described Prinkipo as an island of peace and forgetfulness, his presence between 1929 and 1933 transformed this idyll in the Sea of Marmara into the world epicenter of revolutionary Marxist thought.

It is not only the relationship between Trotskys Turkish exile and the history of the Fourth International that imparts special significance to the publication of this new translation of The Heritage We Defend. The critical position occupied by Turkey in the geopolitics of the world imperialist system guarantees that the class struggle in this country will assume gigantic dimensions. The building of the Trotskyist movement in Turkey is, therefore, an essential strategic task of the Fourth International. This requires the education of the advanced sections of the Turkish working class and youth in the history of the long struggle waged by orthodox Trotskyists against the different forms of anti-Marxist revisionismespecially that associated with the liquidationist conceptions of Michel Pablo (19111996) and Ernest Mandel (19231995).

The Heritage We Defend was written thirty years ago, in the aftermath of the desertion of the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) of Britain from the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). As the International Committee subsequently proved in numerous documents, the WRPs renegacy was the outcome of its retreat, over a period spanning more than a decade, from the Trotskyist principles that it had once played a critical role in defending. The WRP, founded in 1973, was the successor organization of the British Trotskyist movement, which, in 1953, had formed the International Committee in alliance with the American Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and the French Parti communiste internationaliste (PCI). Gerry Healy (19131989), the leader of the WRP, had signed the historic Open Letter to the World Trotskyist Movement, written by James P. Cannon (18901974), which denounced the Pablo-Mandel revisions of the program of the Fourth International. The Open Letter, issued in November 1953, articulated the foundational principles of the ICFI:

1. The death agony of the capitalist system threatens the destruction of civilization through worsening depressions, world wars and barbaric manifestations like fascism. The development of atomic weapons today underlines the danger in the gravest possible way. 2. The descent into the abyss can be avoided only by replacing capitalism with the planned economy of socialism on a world scale and thus resuming the spiral of progress opened up by capitalism in its early days. 3. This can be accomplished only under the leadership of the working class in society. But the working class itself faces a crisis in leadership although the world relationship of social forces was never so favorable as today for the workers to take the road to power. 4. To organize itself for carrying out this world-historic aim, the working class in each country must construct a revolutionary socialist party in the pattern developed by Lenin; that is, a combat party capable of dialectically combining democracy and centralismdemocracy in arriving at decisions, centralism in carrying them out; a leadership controlled by the ranks, ranks able to carry forward under fire in disciplined fashion. 5. The main obstacle to this is Stalinism, which attracts workers through exploiting the prestige of the October 1917 Revolution in Russia, only later, as it betrays their confidence, to hurl them either into the arms of the Social Democracy, into apathy, or back into illusions in capitalism. The penalty for these betrayals is paid by the working people in the form of consolidation of fascist or monarchist forces, and new outbreaks of wars fostered and prepared by capitalism. From its inception, the Fourth International set as one of its major tasks the revolutionary overthrow of Stalinism inside and outside the USSR. 6. The need for flexible tactics facing many sections of the Fourth International, and parties or groups sympathetic to its program, makes it all the more imperative that they know how to fight imperialism and all its petty-bourgeois agencies (such as nationalist formations or trade union bureaucracies) without capitulation to Stalinism; and, conversely, know how to fight Stalinism (which in the final analysis is a petty-bourgeois agency of imperialism) without capitulating to imperialism. [1]

The Open Letter summarized concisely the strategic conceptions of Trotskyism that had been repudiated by Pablo and Mandel. Pabloism replaced the Trotskyist movements characterization of Stalinism as counterrevolutionary with a theory that attributed to the Kremlin bureaucracy and its agencies a historically progressive and revolutionary role. Rather than working for the overthrow of the Stalinist regimes in a series of political revolutions, the Pabloites foresaw a process of bureaucratic self-reform, with Trotskyists acting as advisers to the Stalinist leaders, urging them toward a more left-wing course. The deformed workers states of Eastern Europe, ruled by the local Stalinist agents of the Kremlin regime, were destined, according to Pablo and Mandel, to last for centuries.

The Pabloites capitulation to Stalinism was but one aspect of their abandonment of Trotskys theory of permanent revolution. They rejected the fight for Marxist consciousness in the working class and the establishment of the political independence of the working class from all national bourgeois and petty-bourgeois agencies of imperialism.

Despite the central role that the British Trotskyists played in defense of the Fourth International in the 1950s and 1960sespecially in their opposition to the American SWPs break with the International Committee and reunification with the Pabloites in 1963their own drift toward revisionism became increasingly evident in the 1970s, particularly after the founding of the Workers Revolutionary Party in November 1973. In the early 1960s, the British Trotskyists of the Socialist Labour League (predecessor of the WRP) had subjected the SWPs glorification of Fidel Castros radical nationalism to withering criticism, rejecting the claim that the Cuban leaders petty-bourgeois guerrilla army had proven that the path to socialism did not require the building of a Trotskyist party, based on and rooted in the working class.

But, by the mid-1970s, the WRP began to exaggerate the anti-imperialist program of various national movements in the Middle Eastsuch as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the radical nationalist regime of Libyas Muammar Gaddafiin a manner that closely resembled the anti-Trotskyist policies of the Pabloites. [2] The WRPs reversion to Pabloism was not merely the product of the personal errors of individual leaders. Under conditions in which the organized workers movement throughout the world was still dominated by the Stalinist and Social Democratic parties and trade unions, the Trotskyist organizations were vulnerable to the social and ideological pressure exerted by the mass radicalization of broad sections of the petty bourgeoisie, especially student youth, during the 1960s and early 1970s.

The challenge of integrating recruits from the petty-bourgeoisie into the Trotskyist movement required not only a firm political and practical orientation to the working class, based on an unrelenting struggle against the Stalinist and Social Democratic bureaucracies. It also required a persistent fight against the pseudo-Marxism and outright anti-Marxism of the ideological heroes of the New Left promoted by the Pabloitesabove all, the disparate tendencies identified with Western Marxism, state capitalism and bourgeois nationalist Third Worldismi.e., Marcuse, Adorno, Horkheimer, Gramsci, Lefort, Castoriadis, Guevara, Fanon and Malcolm X, to name only the most widely celebrated. To this lengthy list we can also add the influence of Maoism, a viciously reactionary variant of Stalinism, which was embraced by innumerable petty-bourgeois intellectuals and led workers and youth all over the world into one bloody defeat after another.

The WRPs opportunist policies encountered opposition within the International Committee. Between 1982 and 1984, the Workers League, the American Trotskyist organization, developed a comprehensive critique of the WRPs neo-Pabloite policies. The principal WRP leadersconsisting of Healy, Michael Banda (19302014) and Cliff Slaughter (1928 )suppressed the Workers Leagues efforts to organize a discussion of its criticisms within the International Committee. [3] These unprincipled efforts led to the eruption of a political crisis within the WRP in the autumn of 1985. Still determined to evade a discussion of the theoretical and political issues underlying the breakdown of the WRP, Slaughter and Banda attempted to blame the International Committee for the opportunist course that the British section had pursued over the previous decade.

In February 1986, the WRP published a document announcing its break with Trotskyism. Written by Michael Banda, it was titled 27 Reasons Why the International Committee Should Be Buried Forthwith and the Fourth International Built. The WRP released this document with great fanfare, predicting that it would take its place among the classics of Marxism. In reality, Bandas document was an amalgam of distortions, outright lies and half-truths, whose purpose was to discredit not only the International Committee, but also the entire history of the Fourth International. The very title of Bandas essay exposed its political dishonesty. If only a fraction of his 27 Reasons was sustainable, it would be impossible to justify the continued existence of the Fourth International. Following the conclusions that flowed inexorably from his own arguments, Bandaless than a year after completing his documentpublished a vile denunciation of Trotsky and declared his limitless admiration for Stalin. Bandas political evolution anticipated the repudiation of Trotskyism by all those in the leadership and membership of the WRP who had endorsed his document. A substantial number joined the Stalinist movement. Others passed over to the imperialist camp and became active participants in the NATO war against Serbia. The largest group, encouraged by Cliff Slaughter, repudiated the entire legacy of the Lenin-Trotsky conception of the revolutionary party, abandoned the fight for socialism, and concentrated on making their personal lives as comfortable as possible.

From the moment it received Bandas document, the International Committee understood the necessity for a detailed reply. Within two months, weekly installments of The Heritage We Defend were appearing in the newspapers published by the sections of the International Committee. I had not intended that the reply to Banda would require a book of more than 500 pages. However, as I studied Bandas document, I realized that he was seeking to take advantage of the fact that the history of the Fourth Internationalparticularly of the critical years between the assassination of Trotsky in 1940 and the 1953 split with the Pabloiteshad never been adequately researched and was largely unknown to the existing cadre of the Trotskyist movement. It was not sufficient to denounce Bandas renegacy. It was necessary to review the history of the Fourth International and, on this basis, educate its cadre.

Looking back over the text of this book, three decades after its publication, I believe that The Heritage has stood the test of time. It retains value as an introduction to the history of the Fourth International and examines problems relating to Marxist theory, program and strategy that are highly relevant to the present-day struggle to build the international Trotskyist movement.

The Heritage We Defend remains the only account of the history of the Fourth International that employs the method of historical materialism in explaining the emergence of political tendencies and the struggle between them. Rejecting the subjective approach that proceeds from the characteristics of individual leaders, good or bad, and their motives, noble or ignoble, The Heritage seeks to identify the objective social and political processesarising from the contradictions of world capitalism and the global and national development of the class struggle during and in the aftermath of the second imperialist world warthat underlay the conflicts within the Fourth International. This history places central emphasis not on the subjectively conceived intentions of the main political actorsCannon, Pablo, Mandel and Healybut, rather, on the real objective driving forces of the class struggle, which, to borrow the words of Engels, in the minds of the acting masses and their leadersthe so-called great menare reflected as conscious motives [4]

The Heritage analyzes, within the context of the complex and rapidly changing conditions of the World War and its aftermath, the conflicts within the Fourth International that foreshadowed the struggle that developed following the Third World Congress of 1951 and culminated in the historical split in November 1953. The book draws attention to two revisionist tendencies in the 1940s, which reflected the rightward shift in the political orientation of large sections of the petty-bourgeois radical intelligentsia. This shift found expression in the persistent and growing political tensions within the Fourth International.

The Three Theses group (also known as the Retrogressionists) emerged from the Internationale Kommunisten Deutschlands (IKD). This was an organization of emigre German Trotskyists, led by Josef Weber (19011959). Prior to the publication of The Heritage, its role in the history of the Fourth International had been more or less forgotten. However, the conceptions it advanced proved influential in the development of anti-Trotskyist and anti-Marxist tendencies, not only within the Fourth International, but also among broad sections of petty-bourgeois radicals.

The IKD published a document in October 1941 that rejected the perspective of world socialist revolution as a political pipedream. The modern world, it insisted, was advancing not toward socialism, but toward barbarism. The victories of fascism in Europe meant that the working class had been thrown back to pre-1848 conditions. The military victory of the Nazis, which the IKD believed to be irreversible, marked a new stage of world history. The prisons, the new ghettos, the forced labor, the concentration and even war-prisoners camps are not only transitional political-military establishments, they are just as much forms of new economic exploitation which accompanies the development toward a modern slave state and is intended as the permanent fate of a considerable percentage of mankind. [5]

The Three Theses group concluded that the fight for socialism had been, through a process of historical retrogression, superseded by the drive for national freedom. [6] In a later document, written in 1943, the IKD explicitly rejected the historical analysis of the imperialist epoch that Lenin had developed in the struggle against the betrayal of the Second International and upon which the strategy of the Bolshevik Party in 1917 was based. If we glance back at the first world war and the total constellation at the time, we must recognize that the first world war, despite all causal connections which led to its outbreak, was no more than a historical misfortune of capitalism, an accidental event which staged the collapse of capitalism within the framework of historical necessity earlier than historically necessary. But if the World War was an accident, so were the collapse of the Second International, the victory of the October Revolution and the founding of the Communist International. The entire objective foundation of revolutionary Marxist strategy in the twentieth century, as formulated by Lenin and Trotsky, was effectively denied.

The IKD formulated its political pessimism in the starkest terms. The working class, it declared, was finished as a revolutionary force. It was dismembered, atomized, split up, counterposed to each other in its various strata, politically demoralized, internationally isolated and controlled [7] Although capitalism was putrefying, the working class was incapable of overthrowing it. The IKD asserted that the most common mistake of the Trotskyist movement, which arose from a complete misunderstanding of Marxism, consisted in conceiving the negation of capitalism only as the task of the proletarian revolution In the face of the impotence of the working class as a revolutionary force, declared the IKD, the only political option was to return to the century-old fight for democracy. [8] It opposed the Fourth Internationals call for the United Socialist States of Europe:

Before Europe can unite itself into socialist states, it must first separate itself again into independent and autonomous states. It is entirely a matter of the split-up, enslaved, hurled-back peoples and the proletariat constituting themselves again as a nation We can formulate the task in the following way: To reconstruct the whole screwed-back development, to regain all the achievements of the bourgeoisie (including the labor movement), to reach the highest accomplishments and excel them.  However, the most pressing political problem is the century-old problem of the springtime of industrial capitalism and of scientific socialismconquest of political freedom, establishment of democracy (also for Russia), as the indispensable precondition for national liberation and the founding of the labor movement. [9]

The IKD insisted that its call to turn back the political calendar to the pre-1848 era, to abandon the fight for international socialism and return to the struggle for national sovereignty and bourgeois democracy, applied to all countries.

With appropriate modifications this problem [of democracy and national liberation] exists for the whole world; for China and India, Japan and Africa, Australia and Canada, Russia and England. In a word, for all Europe, North and South America. Nowhere is there a country that does not have a powerfully intensified democratic and national question, nowhere does there exist a politically organized labor movement. [10]

The central slogan that had to be adopted, the IKD proclaimed, was national freedom.

By this, we mean to say: the national question is one of those historic episodes which necessarily become the strategic transition point for the reconstitution of the labor movement and the socialist revolution. Whoever does not understand this historically necessary episode and does not know how to use it, knows and understands nothing of Marxism-Leninism. [11]

In fact, it was the IKD that was repudiating the program of Lenin and Trotsky. The separation of the fight for democratic demands from the struggle to overturn capitalism signified the complete abandonment of the theory and program of permanent revolution. In countries with a belated bourgeois development, the theory of permanent revolution, Trotsky explained, signifies that the complete and genuine solution of their tasks of achieving democracy and national emancipation is conceivable only through the dictatorship of the proletariat as the leader of the subjugated nation, above all of its peasant masses. [12]

It was bad enough that the IKD separated democratic from socialist demands in the less developed countries. But the IKDs efforts to resuscitate a bourgeois program of national liberation in the advanced centers of world capitalism, and reject as untimely the fight for socialism, reflected a pathological level of political demoralization. Collaborators and friends of Josef Weber, the IKD leader, later recalled that he frequently expressed the view, in the mid-1940s, that Nazi rule over Europe would continue for at least thirty, if not fifty, years. [13]

The Shachtmanites welcomed and promoted the position of the IKD. Having broken with the Fourth International in 1940, the Shachtmanites believed that the IKDs arguments were entirely compatible with their rejection of the definition of the Soviet Union as a workers state and the defense of the USSR against imperialism. The subsequent evolution of the IKD in the course of the 1940s proved the Shachtmanites correct in this evaluation of the retrogressionist theory.

The demoralized perspective of the IKDwhich separated itself from the Fourth Internationaleventually found support within the Socialist Workers Party, in the form of the Morrow-Goldman tendency. Prior to the writing of The Heritage, the significance of this tendency had also been insufficiently studied. It emerged as a distinct oppositional group within the Socialist Workers Party in 1944. Its two principal leaders had played significant roles in the Fourth International and the American party. Albert Goldman (18971960) served as Trotskys lawyer, representing him at the Dewey Commission in 1937. In the 1941 Smith Act trial, Goldman defended the SWP members accused of sedition. He was among the defendants and was one of the eighteen party members found guilty and sent to prison. Felix Morrow (19061988) was a member of the SWP Political Committee and an outstanding socialist journalist, best known for his book Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Spain. He, too, was among the party members sentenced to prison at the conclusion of the 1941 trial. Another important member of the Morrow-Goldman faction was Jean van Heijenoort (19121986), who had served as Trotskys political secretary during the 1930s and as de facto secretary of the Fourth International during World War II.

The Heritage We Defend reviews the positions of the Morrow-Goldman tendency in detail. However, since the publication of The Heritage, the availability of many more SWP internal discussion bulletins, thanks to the internet, makes possible a fuller appreciation of the extent to which the Morrow-Goldman tendency was influenced by the arguments of the IKD. In 1942, Morrow and Van Heijenoort (writing as Marc Loris) had opposed the arguments advanced in the Three Theses resolution. But by mid-1944 their positions, and that of Goldman, had undergone a radical change. Morrow argued that the Fourth Internationals adherence to the program of socialist revolution in Europe rendered it politically irrelevant in the conditions that existed at the end of World War II. Interpreting events in Europeespecially in France and Italyin the most conservative and defeatist manner, the Morrow-Goldman faction insisted that there was simply no possibility of socialist revolution. The Fourth International, it claimed, had no viable political option except to convert itself into a movement for bourgeois democratic reforms, allied with the Social Democracy and various democratically inclined bourgeois movements.

While advocating the transformation of the Fourth International into a left appendage of bourgeois democracy, Morrow and Goldman also called for political reunification with the Shachtmanites, whose earlier rejection of the defense of the Soviet Union was rapidly evolving into outright support for American imperialisms struggle against communist totalitarianism. The Fourth International and the SWP forcefully and correctly rejected the demoralized perspective of Morrow and Goldman.

The evaluation of the arguments over a correct line toward events in Europe was not merely a matter of abstract intellectual discourse. In a highly fluid and unstable situation, where the outcome of the post-war political crisis was in doubt, the Trotskyists were trying to give full expression to the revolutionary potential in the situation. They based their work on the objectively existing potential for the overthrow of capitalism, not on a priori assumptions that capitalist restabilization was inevitable. In the grave hours before Hitlers rise to power, Trotsky was asked if the situation was hopeless. That word, he answered, was not in the vocabulary of revolutionists. Struggle, Trotsky declared, will decide. The same answer had to be given to those who claimed, amid the disorder and chaos of post-war Europe, that the revolutionary cause was hopeless and the stabilization of capitalism inevitable. Had they conceded defeat in advance, as advocated by Morrow and Goldman, the Trotskyists would have become one of the factors working in favor of capitalist restabilization.

The conflicting arguments over the appropriate relation between democratic demands and a revolutionary socialist program reflected different class positions. All the leading representatives of the Morrow-Goldman tendency were moving rapidly to the right. Goldman left the SWP, briefly joined the Shachtmanite movement, and, soon after, repudiated Marxism. Morrow, after being expelled from the SWP in 1946, abandoned socialist politics, supported American imperialisms Cold War, and became a wealthy publisher of occult literature. Van Heijenoort also deserted the Fourth International, denounced the Soviet Union as a slave state, ended his personal involvement in socialist politics and became a noted mathematician.

The political evolution of these individuals was part of a broader social process, as the Cold War climate, the economic restabilization of post-war Europe, and the bureaucratic stifling of the revolutionary movement of the working class affected the political outlook of the leftist petty-bourgeois intelligentsia. Marxism gave way to existentialism. The earlier focus on social processes was replaced with a fixation on personal problems. The scientific appraisal of political events was dropped in favor of their interpretation from the standpoint of psychology. Conceptions of the future, based on the potential of economic planning, gave way to utopian daydreaming. Interest in the economic exploitation of the working class declined. Preoccupation with ecological problemsseparated from the issues of class rule and the economic systemrose to prominence.

The evolution of the leader of the IKD is illustrative of the socially determined process of intellectual retrogression. After the IKD severed its relationship with the Fourth International, Josef Weber broke entirely with Marxist politics and became a prophet of a semi-anarchistic ecological utopianism. Among his major disciples was a former member of the Socialist Workers Party, Murray Bookchin (19212006), who, in 1971, dedicated his book, Post-Scarcity Anarchism, to Josef Weber. Bookchin, who had become a bitter opponent of Marxism, thanked his mentor for having formulated more than twenty years ago the outlines of the Utopian project developed in this book. [14] Bookchins writings came to the attention of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the bourgeois nationalist Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), after his capture and imprisonment by the Turkish government in 1999. Ocalan found, in the writings of Bookchin, ideas compatible with his own proposals for Democratic Confederalism. Upon Bookchins death, the PKK honored him as one of the greatest social scientists of the 20th century. [15]

Politics is ruled by the logic of class interests. This is a basic truth that is frequently forgotten, especially by academics, who tend to evaluate political factions on the basis of subjective criteria. Moreover, their judgments are influenced by their own unstated political biases, particularly when it is a matter of evaluating a dispute between opportunists and revolutionists. To the petty-bourgeois academic, the policies advocated by the opportunists usually appear more realistic than those advanced by the revolutionaries. But, just as there is no innocent philosophy, there are no innocent politics. Whether foreseen or not, a political program has objective consequences. The Fourth International and the SWP recognized, in the 1940s, that the IKD program of a supra-historical national liberation and universal democracy was an expression of alien class interests, hostile to socialism.

By the early 1950s, the retrogressionist conceptions had been recast within the framework of anarchist and ecological theory. Somewhat later, via the efforts of the anti-Marxist Bookchin, the conceptions of Josef Weber developed a broader social and political base within diverse sections of the petty-bourgeoisie, including Kurdish nationalists, whose political activities involve endless maneuvering and collaboration with the major imperialist powers. It should be noted that Michael Banda, after repudiating Trotskyism, reverted to bourgeois nationalism and became a fervent admirer of Ocalan and active supporter of the PKK.

Within the social and political context of the 1940s, the essential political conception that connected the Shachtmanites, the Three Theses group and the Morrow-Goldman tendency with the somewhat later emergence of Pabloite revisionism was the rejection of the revolutionary potential of the working class. The precise forms taken by this rejection differed. Shachtman speculated that the Soviet Union represented a new form of collectivist society, controlled by a bureaucratic elite that was in the process of becoming, or already was, a new ruling class. A variant of the Shachtmanite theory was that the Soviet Union was a form of state capitalism. The Three Theses group, followed by the Morrow-Goldman tendency, arrived at the conclusion that the socialist revolution was a historically lost cause.

The revisions of Pablo and Mandel cloaked their abandonment of Trotskyism with bombastic rhetoric. But in their perspective, the leading force in the establishment of socialism was the Stalinist bureaucracy, not the working class. Pabloite theory was a peculiar inversion of Shachtmanite theory. While the Shachtmanites denounced the Stalinist regime as the progenitor of a new form of exploitative bureaucratic collectivist society, the Pabloite tendency proclaimed the bureaucratic Stalinist regimes established in Eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War II to be the necessary form of the historical transition from capitalism to socialism. All these tendencies, each in their own way, based their political perspective on the non-revolutionary  role of the working class. It ceased to be an active, let alone decisive, force in the historical process.

In September 1939, at the very beginning of the fight against the petty-bourgeois opposition, led by Max Shachtman and James Burnham, within the Socialist Workers Party, Trotsky called attention to the basic question of historical perspective involved in the dispute. The Fourth International, Trotsky wrote, insisted not only on the revolutionary role of the working class. It also maintained that it was possible to learn the lessons of past defeats, expel the betrayers of socialism from their positions of bureaucratic control, and build within the working class the leadership required for the victory of the struggle for power. The petty-bourgeois left, Trotsky wrote, rejected this basic revolutionary perspective:

All the various types of disillusioned and frightened representatives of pseudo-Marxism proceed on the contrary from the assumption that the bankruptcy of the leadership only reflects the incapacity of the proletariat to fulfill its revolutionary mission. Not one of our opponents expresses this thought clearly, but all of themultra-lefts, centrists, anarchists, not to mention Stalinists and social-democratsshift the responsibility for the defeats from themselves to the shoulders of the proletariat. None of them indicate under precisely what conditions the proletariat will be capable of accomplishing the socialist overturn. If we grant as true that the cause of the defeats is rooted in the social qualities of the proletariat itself then the position of modern society will have to be acknowledged as hopeless. [16]

The pessimismone might even describe it as despairthat underlay Pabloite revisionism found consummate expression in its theory of war-revolution, developed in advance of the Third World Congress of 1951. For our movement, the Pabloite document declared, objective social reality consists essentially of the capitalist regime and the Stalinist world. The fight for socialism would assume the form of a war between these two camps, from which the Stalinist system would emerge victorious. Arising upon the ashes of a thermo-nuclear war, the Stalinists would establish deformed workers statessimilar to those already existing in Eastern Europethat would last for centuries. In this bizarre scenario, there was no independent role for the working class or the Fourth International. Its cadres were instructed to enter the Stalinist parties and act within them as a left pressure group. This liquidationist perspective was not limited to entry into the Stalinist parties. As explained in this volume:

The adaptation to Stalinism was a central feature of the new Pabloite outlook, but it would be a mistake to see this as its essential characteristic. Pabloism was (and is) liquidationism all down the line: that is, the repudiation of the hegemony of the proletariat in the socialist revolution and the genuinely independent existence of the Fourth International as the conscious articulation of the historical role of the working class. The theory of war-revolution provided the initial setting for the elaboration of the central liquidationist thesis: that all Trotskyist parties must be dissolved into whatever political tendencies dominate the labor or mass movement in the countries in which the sections of the Fourth International worked. [17]

The split that occurred in November 1953 ranks among the most critical events in the history of the socialist movement. Nothing less than the survival of the Trotskyist movementthat is, the conscious and politically organized expression of the entire heritage of the struggle for socialismwas at stake. At the most critical moment in the history of the Fourth International, Cannons Open Letter clearly restated the foundational principles of Trotskyism, drawn from the strategic lessons of the revolutions and counterrevolutions of the twentieth century. The liquidation of the Fourth International would have meant the end of a politically organized Marxist opposition to imperialism and its political agencies in the Stalinist, Social Democratic and bourgeois nationalist parties and organizations. This is not a speculative hypothesis. It is a matter of historical fact, which can be verified by examining the disastrous consequences of Pabloism in the many countries, on virtually every continent, where its liquidationist policies were implemented.

With respect to the fate of the Soviet Union, it must be recalled that the Pabloite leaders adhered to the theory of bureaucratic self-reform right up to the very end of the Stalinist regime. While the International Committee warned, as early as 1986, that the accession of Mikhail Gorbachev to power, and the implementation of his perestroika reforms, marked the final preparation for the restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union, the Pabloites hailed his reactionary policies as a decisive advance toward socialism. Ernest Mandel described Gorbachev in 1988 as a remarkable political leader. Dismissing as absurd the warnings that Gorbachevs policies were leading to the restoration of capitalism, Mandel declared: Stalinism and Brezhnevism are definitively at an end. The Soviet people, the international proletariat, the whole of humanity can breathe a great sigh of relief. [18]

Mandels apprentice, the British Pabloite Tariq Ali, was even more unrestrained in his enthusiasm for the policies of the Gorbachev regime. In his book Revolution From Above: Where is the Soviet Union Going?, published in 1988, Ali combined several characteristic features of Pabloism: limitless support for the Stalinist bureaucracy, grotesque political opportunism and a total incapacity to understand political reality. In his preface, Ali provided this summation of the books thesis:

Revolution From Above argues that Gorbachev represents a progressive, reformist current within the Soviet elite, whose programme, if successful, would represent an enormous gain for socialists and democrats on a world scale. The scale of Gorbachevs operation is, in fact, reminiscent of the efforts of an American President of the nineteenth century: Abraham Lincoln. [19]

Apparently concerned that his elevation of Gorbachev to the political heights of Abraham Lincoln did not express sufficiently the full measure of his own devotion to Stalinism, Tariq Ali humbly dedicated his volume to Boris Yeltsin, a leading member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, whose political courage has made him an important symbol throughout the country. [20]

The unconcealed support of the Pabloite leaders for the two central architects of the final destruction of the Soviet UnionMikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsinprovided an irrefutable historical confirmation of the reactionary character of Pabloism and the legitimacy of the struggle, spanning decades, waged by the International Committee against this pernicious petty-bourgeois political agency of imperialism.

* * *

Since the publication of The Heritage We Defend in 1988, the world has witnessed profound economic, technological and social changes, not to mention explosive political developments. The dissolution of the Soviet Union did not bring about a new era of peace, let alone the end of history, as promised in the heyday of post-Soviet imperialist triumphalism. To state that the world is in crisis is an understatement. Chaos is a more appropriate description. The last quarter century has been wracked by perpetual war. Ever larger portions of the globe are being drawn into the maelstrom of imperialist geopolitical conflict. The United States, frustrated in its expectation that it would rule the world after 1991, is compelled to escalate, with ever-greater recklessness, its military operations. But the very foundations of the imperialist world order, as it emerged from the catastrophe of World War II, are falling apart. Even in the midst of Washingtons intensifying conflicts with Russia and China, political relations between the United States and its major imperialist partners, especially Germany, are rapidly deteriorating.

On the economic front, the capitalist system staggers from crisis to crisis. The effects of the economic crash of 2008 have not been overcome. The principal legacy of the crash has been intensifying social inequality, which has reached levels that are unsustainable within the framework of democracy. The staggering concentration of wealth within a small elite is a global phenomenon that underlies the growing political instability of bourgeois governments. Class conflict is on the rise in every part of the world. The globalization of capitalist production and financial transactions is drawing the international working class into a common struggle.

Objective conditions are providing the impulse for an immense expansion of revolutionary class struggle. But these objective impulses must be translated into politically conscious action. And this raises the all-important question of the leadership of the working class.

Despite the immense crisis of the global capitalist system and the general political disarray within the highest levels of the bourgeoisie, the efforts of the working class to find a way forward remain blocked by the parties and organizations that employ their influence to contain and misdirect its movement. And yet, the experiences of the past two decades have left their imprint on the consciousness of the masses. The bankruptcy of the official socialist parties is widely recognized. But as the masses turn to new organizations that promise a more radical approach to social problems, such as Syriza in Greece, the hollowness of their promises are rapidly exposed. It took only a few months for Syriza, having been brought to power on a wave of popular protests against the European Union, to repudiate every pledge it had made to its supporters. Were Podemos in Spain or Corbyn in Britain or Sanders in the United States to come to power, the outcome would be no different.

The resolution of the crisis of revolutionary leadership remains the central historical task confronting the working class. There is no political organization in the world, outside of the International Committee of the Fourth International, which is fighting to meet this challenge. The validity of this statement is verified by the history of the ICFIs struggle, now spanning sixty-five years, in defense of the theoretical and political heritage of Leon Trotskys struggle for the World Socialist Revolution.

David North

Detroit

June 22, 2017

Notes:

[1] Cited in The Heritage We Defend (Detroit: Labor Publications, 1988), pp. 23132

[2] The opportunist degeneration of the WRP was analyzed in detail in How the WRP Betrayed Trotskyism 19731985, published in Fourth International, Vol. 13, No. 1, Summer 1986.

[3] The documents of the Workers League are published in The ICFI Defends Trotskyism 19821986, in Fourth International, Volume 13, No. 2, Autumn 1986.

[4] Marx and Engels, Collected Works, Volume 26 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1990), p. 389.

[5] The National Question in Europe: Three Theses on the European Situation and the Political Tasks, dated October 19, 1941, published in the December 1942 edition of Fourth International, pp. 370-372. Available: www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/fi/vol03/no12/3theses.htm.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Capitalist Barbarism or Socialism, published in The New International, October 1944, p. 333.

[8] Ibid., emphasis in the original.

[9] Ibid., p. 340, emphasis in the original.

[10] Ibid., emphasis in the original.

[11] Ibid., emphasis in the original.

[12] The Permanent Revolution (London: New Park Publications, 1962), p. 152, emphasis in the original.

[13] Marcel Van Der Linden, The Prehistory of Post-Society Anarchism: Josef Weber and the Movement for a Democracy of Content (19471964), Anarchist Studies, 9 (2001), p. 131.

[14] Ibid. p. 127

[15] https://roarmag.org/essays/bookchin-kurdish-struggle-ocalan-rojava/

[16] The USSR in War, In Defense of Marxism (London: New Park Publications, 1971), p. 15.

[17] The Heritage We Defend, p. 191.

[18] Ernest Mandel, Beyond Perestroika (London: Verso, 1989), p. xvi.

[19] Tariq Ali, Revolution From Above (Surry Hills, Australia: Hutchinson, 1988). p. xiii.

[20] Ibid., dedication page.
Saudi Arabias 82-year-old King Salman has issued a series of decrees proclaiming his favourite son, the 31-year-old Mohammed bin Salman, as his immediate successor. He supplants Salmans nephew, the head of internal security and deputy prime minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

Salman also consolidated Mohammeds power base, appointing the 34-year-old Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is very close to the new crown prince, to head the million-strong interior ministry, responsible for the suppression and intimidation of the Saudi people in the name of fighting terrorism.

The new crown prince, previously second in line to the throne, already holds the defence and economy portfolios, and chairs the highest board of Aramco, the worlds largest oil company. The appointment makes him king in all but name, presiding over a royal household of more than 7,000 princes riven with factional infighting.

He sought support for his accession to the throne by reversing cuts to civil service salaries implemented last September and granting an additional weeks holiday, announced to mark the end of Ramadan. According to the Economist, this will add a further US$13 billion to the budget deficit, projected at US$86 billion or 12 percent of GDP this year.

He also orchestrated a series of moves to isolate bin Nayef and strengthen his own position, including appointing his younger brother, Prince Khalid, as ambassador to Washington to strengthen his relations with the Trump administration.

Relations with former President Barack Obamas White House became increasingly fraught after Washington failed to follow up on its threat to attack Syria in 2013 and reached a nuclear accord with Shiite-ruled Iran that Riyadh vehemently opposed.

Mohammed bin Salman also appointed a cousin and ally as deputy governor of the oil-rich Eastern Province, whose governor is Mohammed bin Nayefs brother, Saud bin Nayef.

Salmans dethroning of a second crown prince (he pensioned off Prince Muqrin in April 2015) since his accession to the throne in January 2015 reflects the increasingly turbulent situation in which the House of Saud, the worlds largest oil producer and crucial US ally, finds itself.

The palace coup is a desperate attempt to resolve the military, political and economic conflicts that stem from the decades of US-led wars in the region at the expense of the Saudi masses. It portends ever-more autocratic rule, economic hardship and an escalation of regional wars of which the ongoing hostile moves by Saudi Arabia against Qatar and Iran are the most dramatic indication.

The economic crisis gripping the country has been acerbated by the murderous, but largely unsuccessful war instigated by Mohammed bin Salman against the rebel Houthis and their ally, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen, who still control the capital and most of the northern part of the country. The war has led to 4,773 confirmed civilian deaths and 8,272 injured, mass starvation and cholera, with a child dying every 10 minutes and 7 million people at acute risk of starvation in what the United Nations has called the worst humanitarian disaster since 1945.

The war has served to destabilise Riyadhs relations with its traditional allies. Pakistan has refused repeated requests to send troops to fight the Houthis, while Oman has stayed out of it and Egypt has provided only token assistance.

Riyadh has also poured tens of billions of dollars into arming reactionary Islamist militias, designated as rebels in the US-backed war to overthrow the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and isolate Iran, Syrias main backer in the Middle East. The six-year-long war has killed nearly half a million people. Four million people have fled the country while upwards of 6.3 million are internally displaced.

The Saudis have whipped up sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia throughout the region and opposed Irans support for Riyadhs political rivals in Lebanon, Bahrain and Iraq.

Mohammed bin Salman, as minister of defence, has adopted a particularly bellicose attitude towards Iran, framing tensions with Tehran in sectarian terms, stating that Irans goal is to control the Islamic world and to spread its Shiite doctrine, and vowing to take the battle to Iran.

Emboldened by President Donald Trumps first overseas visit to Riyadh last month, he precipitated a crisis in the Gulf Cooperation Council by trying to isolate Qatar, accusing it of supporting ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran.

His purpose was to dragoon Qatar behind the Saudis stand against Iran and its other predatory policies, including unstinting support for Egypts military regime. He organised an economic blockade, tantamount to a declaration of war, upsetting the defence establishment in Washington, which has a crucial American military base in Qatar, and further destabilising the region. Turkey has come to Qatars aid as has Iran, while Pakistan, Oman and Kuwait remain neutral.

Iran has accused the US and Saudi Arabia of being behind the ISIS terror attacks in Tehran two weeks ago that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens more when gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.

Social tensions are explosive. The fall in oil prices, upon which Saudi Arabia depends for 70 percent of its revenue, has led to a drastic cutback in public expenditure, the imposition of a value-added tax and the proposed sale of 5 percent of Aramco to fund an economic diversification programme.

In the face of massive budget deficits, plummeting foreign reserves and growth of less than 1 percent, the lowest for almost four years, Mohammed overturned the Kingdoms decades-long policy of buying political quiescence with a social contract that has provided some securityvia low utility prices, social subventions and public-sector jobsfor the Saudi population, and promoted a wave of Sunni-based Saudi nationalism.

It was he who, last September, slashed housing, vacation and sickness allowances and reduced some civil service salaries by a third.

Utility bills rose as subsidies fell, fuelling poverty levels while he splashed out US$500 million on a yacht.

This month, the government tightened restrictions on foreign workers, who constitute about 12 million of the countrys 33 million population, in a bid to reduce unemployment among Saudi nationals, reserving retail jobs for Saudis. One million are expected to leave in the next few weeks.

The official unemployment rate of 12.1 percent is widely believed to be an underestimate. Other estimates suggest it is 27-29 percent, rising to 33 percent among young people between 20 and 24 years of age and 38 percent for 24-to-29-year-olds, in a country where two thirds of the population are under 30. Some 1.9 million Saudis out of a total citizenry of 20 million are expected to enter the workforce in the next decade.

While Saudi Arabias huge oil wealth is owned by a royal family that lives in the lap of luxury, at least 20 percent of Saudis suffer crippling or severe poverty, and between 2 and 4 million people live in poverty in Riyadh alone.

Saudi Arabias Shia minority in the oil-rich Eastern province suffer from crushing poverty following decades of economic neglect and political marginalisation. Their villages and towns such as Qatif, al-Hasa and particularly al-Awamiya, the hometown of the executed Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr Baqih al Nimr, lack the infrastructure of their Sunni counterparts.

Migrant workers, mainly from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, who number about 12 million, fare even worse, with low wages and financial hardship, exacerbated by an exploitative sponsorship system.
On Monday the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) presented its tax plan for the national Bundestag (parliamentary) election in September. The plan picks up from and continues the ruthless austerity policies introduced by the current finance minister, Wolfgang Schauble (Christian Democratic UnionCDU).

The SPD sticks to Schaubles black zero, i.e., a balanced or positive budget, and rejects any tax on wealth, despite the fact that income for the super-rich in Germany is exploding through the roof.

It takes all the cynicism and political impudence of the SPD to portray this concept as a contribution to social justice. SPD chairman and its leading candidate, Martin Schulz, justified this claim with a few minor changes in taxes and duties, which together amount to just 15 billion euros ($US16.7 billion).

The income tax rate for mid-level incomes is to be somewhat lower than before. The top tax rate of 42 percent will first apply to individuals earning a yearly income of 60,000 euros, instead of the previous figure of 54,000 euros. The tax rate then rises to 45 percent for incomes over 76,200 euros per year. An additional 3 percent is then to be levied on yearly incomes of 250,000 euros and over.

German tax law already provides many opportunities for tax depreciation and other loopholes, plus income from investment is subject to a flat rate tax of 25 percent. This means that the SPDs proposals will have barely any consequences for the wealthy.

Schulz introduced his tax proposals at the SPD headquarters (Willy-Brandt-Haus) in Berlin flanked by two parliamentary deputies, the mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, and the head of the SPD in the state of Hesse, Thorsten Schafer-Gumbel. They were there to embody the right-wing (Scholz) and the left-wing (Schafer-Gumbel) of the party and thus demonstrate party unity. In fact, what they made clear is that there is no left wing in the SPD.

Agenda 2010, introduced by the last Social Democratic chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, set in motion the largest social decline since the establishment of the German federal republic and this policy has been continued ever since. As a junior coalition partner of the CDU, the SPD occupied the post of Labour Ministry and in the course of the past two decadeswith one five-year interruptionhas, among other measures, increased the retirement age to 67 years.

The consequences of these policies have been catastrophic. A small layer has been able to accumulate riches, while 16 percent of the inhabitants of Germany live under the poverty line. Some 40 percent of all employees work in insecure jobs. The SPDs tax plan proves that nothing has changed with regard to this policy, despite various declarations to the opposite.

The media understands this very well. The Handelsblatt certifies that Schulz had reacted quite rationally. And the Suddeutsche Zeitung comments: All in all, the SPD tax proposal reads like a job application for the top seat in the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The time when workers could achieve improved living conditions and greater social justice through the ballot box is long past. The Left Party, which occasionally spouts social demagogy, is also striving for a ministerial chair at the SPDs cabinet table. Where it occupies power at a state and regional level, the Left Party implements savings and cuts as ruthlessly as all the other parties.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is the only party to put forward a socialist program in the Bundestag elections. It states bluntly that poverty, oppression and war can only be overcome by overcoming their root cause, the capitalist system. It has no interests in ministerial posts in a SPD or Left Party government, but rather fights for the establishment of an international movement of the working class to expropriate the major banks and large fortunes and reorganise society on a socialist basis.
Socialist Equality Party and International Youth and Students for Social Equality supporters in Sri Lanka have won important support from Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ) workers for the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) campaign to free jailed Maruti Suzuki autoworkers in India.

In March this year, 13 leaders of the workers at the Japanese-owned Maruti Suzuki car plant in India were sentenced to life imprisonment on trumped-up murder charges concocted by the company and the Indian police. Another 18 workers were given three- to five-year jail terms on lesser charges.

The judiciary and the Indian political establishment, including the previous Congress-led government and the current administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, backed this blatant anti-democratic attack on autoworkers.

The Katunayake FTZ is the oldest and largest free trade zone in Sri Lanka. Established in 1978, the zone, located near Colombos Bandaranaike International Airport, provides cheap labour and lower taxes to scores of international manufacturers and local businesses.

About 40,000 workers are currently employed in the FTZ. They face similar working conditions to those at Indias Haryana-Gurgaon industrial belt where Maruti Suzuki is located. Over the past decade, companies in the Katunayake FTZ have progressively reduced the number of permanent jobs, replacing them with contract workers, and driving up exploitation rates to match their global competitors.

After being told by SEP supporters about the frame-up and imprisonment of the Maruti Suzuki workers, Muditha, who works for Hydramani garments in the FTZ, said: We face this kind of exploitation in Sri Lanka with the introduction of contract jobs. Young men from the village areas are being subjected to exploitation during the day and for night work by the manpower companies. No one talks about this situation. I agree with an international program to unite workers against this kind of attack.

Muditha said he had seen news reports that some workers in India and Bangladesh were not being paid wages, just given meals. This, he said, exposes the Modi government, which tries to pretend that India is a highly developed country.

Commenting on his own working conditions, Muditha said: I joined Hydramani because I found it too difficult to work at the Smart Shirt factory. I worked continuously for two months, including doing overtime, but wasnt even able to earn 50,000 rupees [$US326]. This is the real situation facing workers.

Two women workers from the Nest factory endorsed the ICFIs campaign, saying: We are ready to extend any support for the release of these workers. If we dont who will support them?

SEP teams distributed World Socialist Web Site articles on the Maruti Suzuki workers and had extended discussions with FTZ workers in nearby residential areas. Many workers condemned the imprisonment of the Indian autoworkers and said they should be immediately released. Several workers with email accounts signed the online petition launched by the WSWS.

A young working couple from the Katunayake Crystal garment company discussed the poor working conditions in India and rising unemployment in Sri Lanka. We are from Anamaduwa [in the North-Western Province], the couple said. But we found that farming there was difficult and the drought is endless. Although there are also factories in our area, the wages are very low, so we can imagine how the poor in a large country like India are being exploited.

Prasanna, originally from Anuradhapura, works at the Smart Shirt factory. He explained how FTZ workers fought against the former President Mahinda Rajapakse governments attempts to slash workers pension funds.

Workers suddenly walked out in protest, he said. On that day our factorys gates were locked to try and prevent us joining the struggle, but workers from other factories unlocked our gates. Police were deployed to suppress the struggle and one of our colleagues, Roshen Chanaka, was shot dead. Many other workers were attacked by the police.

Prasanna spoke about his job and living conditions. After seven years working for the company his basic monthly salary is just 17,000 rupees. This increases to 24,000 rupees if he does overtime, he explained

Prasannas wife works in the same factory and they are expecting their first child. The factory provides three months paid maternity leave. The couples wages are so low, however, that she will have to return to work, forcing Prasannas mother to come and look after the baby. They are currently living in single-room accommodation, which is difficult. The rent is 3,500 rupees and after their baby is born they will face many other expenses.

Other Katunayake FTZ employees noted the similarity between their wages and conditions and those confronting the Maruti Suzuki workers. Breaks during the day for Maruti Suzuki employees are less than 45 minutes in total30 minutes for lunch and 7 minutes each for morning and afternoon tea. This is exactly the same as the time for work breaks in the Katunayake FTZ.

The basic monthly salary of a Maruti Suzuki worker is 8,000 Indian rupees ($US123) with an additional 8,000 rupees for overtime work. If workers are absent for a single day during the month they lose an attendance money payment. These harsh penalties are also imposed on Katunayake FTZ workers.
The strike by 100 truck drivers at the West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has highlighted the slave-like conditions that thousands of container truck drivers at the nations busiest ports face. It has also underscored the bankruptcy of the Teamsters union, which is expected to call off the limited strike after today, without resolving any of the burning issues confronting port truck drivers.

The drivers are opposed to the companies exploitative practices, which can only be described as blatantly criminal. This includes wage theft, the denial of health care and pension benefits and a system of extracting debt payments from drivers that is akin to indentured servitude. The workers reject their classification as independent contractors and are demanding that they be recognized and paid as full-time hourly employees.

These workers and other port workers have enormous potential strength. More than 16,000 truckersthe vast majority misclassified as independent contractorsmove cargo out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. They, along with more 14,000 dockworkers, handle an average of more than 233 million metric tons of cargo each year valued at more than $334 billion. The two ports together take in more than half of the countrys containerized imports, which are then sent to major retailers like Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target.

After decades of betraying truck drivers, the Teamsters have only managed to recruit about 500 members at the ports. Nevertheless, they have only called out 100 of their members and limited each picket line to 10 or less. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which has also accepted decades of job cutting and two-tier wages, has done nothing to defend the striking drivers.

A large-scale strike involving even a fraction of the port truckers, longshoreman and more than 890,000 workers involved in port operations throughout the Los Angeles County region would have a massive and widespread impact on the entire foundations of American and even world capitalism.

Instead the Teamsters, the ILWU and other unions have deliberately isolated these embattled workers, making sure that there is as little disruption to normal operations as possible. The unions, which defend the profit system and are allied to the Democratic Party, have no intention of conducting a serious struggle because it would rapidly win the support of millions of other workers who are incensed over declining living standards, exploding social inequality and Trumps savage austerity proposals. Such a struggle would also inspire international support, including from dockworkers currently striking in Spain.

Instead the Teamsters are continuing these impotent job actionsthe 15th in the last four yearswhile encouraging workers to place their confidence in Democratic mayors, like Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and city councils, which are entirely complicit in the exploitation of port truck drivers. The prerequisite of any serious struggle by workers is to reject this debilitating orientation to the big business politicians and to organize independently of the Teamsters and other pro-company unions to mobilize the full strength of the working class.

In contrast to the unions, striking truck drivers expressed enormous determination to fight. Reporters from the World Socialist Web Site spoke with truckers picketing the Long Beach depot of the Intermodal Bridge Transport (IBT) company. IBT has locations across the United States and boasts that it has long partnerships with several large based Fortune 500 companies. Other firms being struck include K & R Transportation, XPO Logistics, Cal Cartage Express, ITS Line Port, XPO Port Service and XPO Cartage.

Hector and Alfredo are veteran truckers serving the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.

Alfredo said, Were on the picket lines today over job misclassification. The companies control the work and mistreat us. Theyre taking advantage of us. We dont get any lunch breaks. The company shows favoritism and retaliation.

This company used to be all owner-operators. Then the government handed out grants that were supposed to go to drivers to buy new trucks with lower emissions. The companies took advantage and got the grant money to buy their own fleet. Then they gave the owner operators an option: either you start driving our trucks or you find somewhere else to work.

The vice president of this company, Ozzie Zea, asked the drivers to sign up for this knowing that a lot of the people do not read English and could not understand the contracts they were signing. The drivers signed and the grant money was given to the company.

To work here you have to pay $60 a day to lease the truck, plus cover the fuel costs and 6 or 7 percent off your check for accident insurance. But if you get into an accident and damage the truck they dont want to go through their insurance. Instead, they deduct it from your paycheck.

I damaged a truck and at the end of the week they took $450 out of my check. I asked, Why do I pay for insurance? and they just shrugged me off. They sent me upstairs and I had to make payment arrangements. To make matters worse, the company charges you more for insurance not based on your risk but based on your salary. If you make more, they charge you more for insurance.

Also, on my last paycheck they charged me $120 because I got sick and their empty container sat here for one day. Its not my company so why do I have to pay for the container?

Hector added, The more you make the more they take. They are getting over on us for workers comp, disability and unemployment insurancethey dont pay for anything and were not covered. Were also paying their IRS taxes.

Alfredo said, They lease the truck night and day, so each driver has to pay a $60 lease fee every day. That comes out of the drivers pockets. We pay all the overhead costs and all the companies are doing is just profiting. There have been some weeks where I actually owed the company money just to work.

Hector added, When I first started here we were given a contract that said, Employment Application. Six months after we started a misclassification lawsuit they changed it to say Independent Contractor on the top of the contract. They brought back the original

contract and said, Just copy all the information from this contract and put it on the second one, and made us back-date it. I asked them what was this for, and they said, Either you sign it or youre not going to get your paycheck or any work on Monday morning.

I didnt have any other choice because I live paycheck to paycheck, so I was forced to sign that contract so they would release my check and I could pay my bills.

Being an independent contractor is just an illusion so they can pocket more money for themselves. The only reason they misclassify us is so they dont have to pay payroll taxes to IRS and these other costs.

Far from being an aberration, such practices employed by IBT are common across the port trucking and logistics industries.

Alfredo said misclassification was prevalent at all the trucking companies at the ports. Theyre making money just from leasing the trucks, he said. If you do the calculations: they are getting $120 every dayfor day and night shiftper truck, thats $2,700 a month. They are paying something like $800-900 a month for a lease and pocketing the rest. And they are making money on top of that too.

They tell us not to pull over to eat our lunch because we will get behind schedule. One time I pulled over to the use the restroom and the dispatcher called me and said it was my fault we missed a delivery appointment. I told them I had to use the restroom and the next day they retaliated by forcing me to take a harder workload.

Hector added, They are punishing us because we are out here protesting for our rights. We drive out here for work and they tell us they dont have any work for us. The guys inside, they manipulate them by giving them an extra container so management can keep them on their side. Those workers know they are misclassified but they stay on the companys side just for the extra work and money the company gives them.

The company is trying to push us out because we are fighting for everybodys rights. We call in and they say there is no work but when you get to the yard you see all these other guys driving loads and they dont get back until four or five hours later. At the same time, they tell those other guys, If you join them on the picket line, were going to fire you.

In fact, IBT had provocatively placed large banners advertising new trucker positions at the picket site when WSWS reporters visited there.

We have families to support like everyone else does, Alfredo said. All we are asking for is an hourly rate and benefits, so we can a retire one day. The companies dont see it that wayand theyre not going to see it that way because it is just greed.

Hector said, The only reason the companies have the money is because of our work. They wouldnt get anything if it wasnt for us but they dont want to pay what they are supposed to pay us, they dont want to give us benefits.

We also don have a lot of faith in the politicians. The government knows we are employees but they are not doing anything about it.
Modi will start his three-nation visit to Portugal, US and Netherlands from tomorrow.

By India Today Web Desk: This Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US President Donald Trump for the first time. Before leaving for a three-nation tour which includes a visit to Washington DC, Modi said his USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between India and America.

He said strong India-USA ties benefit both the nations and the world.

"I will be visiting Washington, D.C. on 24-26 June at the invitation of President Donald J. Trump. President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," PM Modi said.

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Modi will start his three-nation visit to Portugal, US and Netherlands from tomorrow.

"India's partnership with the United States is multi-layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides. I look forward to building a forward looking vision for our partnership with the new administration in the United States under President Trump," PM Modi said.

The prime minister said apart from official meetings with President Trump and his cabinet colleagues, he will also be meeting some prominent American CEOs besides interacting with the Indian diaspora.

Modi and Trump are scheduled to meet at the White House on Monday. This would be the first meeting between the two leaders.

After Trump won the presidential elections last November, the two leaders have spoken over phone three times, the last being Trump's congratulatory phone calls after Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

PORTUGAL VISIT TOMORROW

In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit tomorrow to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

"We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," PM Modi said. He will be interacting with the Indian community in Portugal during the visit.

NETHERLANDS

After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem-Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.

Counter-terrorism and climate change will be on the top of the agenda of the meeting.

PM Modi said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story.

Also read:

China 'closely watching' Modi-Trump meet, sends warning on South China Sea

Ahead of Trump-Modi meeting, 'US approves sale of 22 Guardian drones to India'

Modi and Trump to discuss terrorism and economic cooperation

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Also watch:

PM Modi to visit United States on June 26, will discuss Indo-US ties with Trump

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Last month, city and county officials traveled to Nashville to learn how that city brands itself and grows its economy.

The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce (TalChamber) hosted the three-day tour, with more than 80 members representing business, hospitality and more.

The "Music City" is a brand that many people identify with the capital of Tennessee. The Sunshine State is looking to market its capital, too prompting local stakeholders to learn more after the trip.

WTXL caught up with TalChamber Vice President Jay Revell on June 22, just over a month after the trip, to reflect on what attendees took away.

"What do we need to do to put a community plan in place that make sure that we are aiming all of our resources to be the best possible version of ourselves?" Revell said.

There was a full schedule for those who made the trip, with speakers, tours and presentations about economic growth and entrepreneurship.

Nashville is five times bigger than Tallahassee, but city leaders returning from the tour say despite the size difference, there was still a lot to take away.

"There was value in going to Nashville to study how they had gotten from where they were to where they are today and a lot of that, we could bring back and replicate," Miller said. "We are just getting our little selves started, but it's a good time."

While TalChamber and its members accounted for most of the costs, the city and county sent 17 government officials to Nashville. WTXL requested financial records from both local governments and calculated the combined group spent an estimated $38,600 over the course of the trip, including travel, food and registration.

In 2015, a local delegation went on a similar trip to Boulder, Colorado that focused on entrepreneurship. But has Tallahassee seen evidence of lessons learned there?

"Two years later, fast forward when we went to Nashville, just a few weeks ago, Domi Station was the presenting sponsor and made a huge announcement about their new code academy program," Revell said. "So, you're seeing rapid acceleration in that field."

Revell said the Nashville trip is already sparking popular conversation about Tallahassee's identity.

"Not trying to be like Nashville, but trying to think like them, maybe a little bit, as far as maximizing your strengths and finding new opportunities for how we can grow our community," he said.

If you have a story idea for "The Insiders," email abc27news@wtxl.tv, attention: "The Insiders."
He said that Meira Kumar's defeat was certain and advised the Opposition parties to prepare a strategy to win the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sent out a clear message to the Opposition parties declaring that he will not take a U-turn on supporting NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind. Nitish, further slammed the Opposition parties for fielding former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their choice for President.

He said that Meira Kumar's defeat was certain and advised the Opposition parties to prepare a strategy to win the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

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Nitish maintained that Opposition's had begun their Mission 2019 on a losing note by selecting the former Lok Sabha Speaker for President post.

STRATEGY SHOULD BE TO WIN ELECTIONS, NOT TO LOSE

"The strategy of Opposition should be to win 2019 elections and not lose it. Meira Kumar's selection is a strategy to lose elections. I have regards for Meira Kumar who is being said as "Bihar ki Beti but it appears that strategy has been formulated to make "Bihar ki Beti" lose elections. Meira Kumar's defeat is certain," commented Nitish Kumar.

The chief minister's announcement came minutes after he came out of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's residence 10, Circular Road after attending the Daawat-e-Iftaar organized by him. This, when Lalu had assured Congress president Sonia Gandhi of convincing him to change his stand.

"My views are clear that Ram Nath Kovind's role has been constructive in Bihar. He was unbiased. I am happy that Bihar Governor was going to become the next President. I think that President election should not become a issue of confrontation," said Kumar.

The Bihar CM, who looked extremely uncomfortable in the company of Lalu during the Iftaar party, hardly spoke to him. During Nitish's about 30 minutes at 10, Circular Road, the stiff body language of him and RJD supremo indicated that it will be impossible for Lalu to convince Nitish to review his decision on Kovind.

LET ME MAKE THIS HISTORICAL BLUNDER: NITISH

"I could not discuss the President election issue with Nitish Kumar," said Lalu Prasad to India Today.

Reacting to Lalu's remarks where he said that Nitish had committed a historical blunder by supporting Ram Nath Kovind, a person with RSS background, the chief minister said that he was happy to commit the blunder. He, however, was confident that the grand alliance govt in Bihar would run smoothly.

"Let me make this historical blunder as Lalu is putting it. Let it be. Anyhow, Meira Kumar's selection is not practical. In Bihar the Mahagathbandhan is intact," said the Bihar CM.

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ALSO READ:

Ulta pulta moments of presidential election: Bihar ki beti vs UP ka beta

By fielding Meira Kumar against Ram Nath Kovind, Opposition's main target is Nitish Kumar

Presidential election 2017: Why Nitish broke ranks with Opposition to back Ram Nath Kovind

WATCH THE VIDEO:

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Authorities are searching for an armed robber near Florida State's campus.

FSU ALERT is reporting an armed robbery on Chapel Drive near Florida State's campus.

The Tallahassee Police Department and Leon County Sheriff's Office responded to 411 Chapel Drive at the High Point Park Apartment Complex around 2:30 p.m. in reference to a robbery involving a gun.

The suspect is described as a black male, 5'9 tall, thin build wearing a black hat and gray shirt.They say suspect was armed with a handgun and fled towards bike trail.

Authorities tried to search for him, but the suspect was not located.

Thankfully, nobody has been hurt.

If you have any information related to this incident please call the Tallahassee Police Department at (850) 891-4200.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The FBI is asking for records from the City of Tallahassee as part of a federal investigation.

A federal investigation is now being launched into deals that involve business owners and developers in Tallahassee. A federal subpoena is asking for communication of all sorts between the city of Tallahassee and the Community Redevelopement Agency.

The subpoena asks for five years of records submitted to the city and the CRA from a list of 25 individuals or entities.

Any documents, reports, evaluations, the FBI wants it all.

First, the subpoena calls for the city to testify before a grand jury, bringing all of the requested records from April 2012 to now.

Second, while the subpoena mentions 25 individuals and entities, it doesn't provide any additional info about why they're on the list. They include the Edison Restaurant and Adam Corey, who worked on Mayor Andrew Gillum's campaign.

And finally, the subpoena asks for any communication between those on the list and the city of Tallahassee, including city commissioners.

The city attorney has issued the following statement: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation has requested Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency and City of Tallahassee records. Other than the request for information by subpoena, the city has no further information on this matter. City staff is fully cooperating and has begun gathering the requested records."

Mayor Gillum was not mentioned in the subpoena by name. There's no direct tie to the mayor, aside from records involving the city commission.

Commissioner Scott Maddox has issued a statement, saying: "As with the rest of the City Commission, Ive been briefed on the requests and I have assurance from the City Attorney and staff that they are doing all they can to comply. I have confidence in their ability to handle this with the professionalism the City of Tallahassee is known for and Im sure they will remain in contact with the media and our constituents as to the progress of these requests.

And the mayor's "Gillum for Governor" communications director Geoff Burgan offered up this statement saying: "We expect the city to respond fully and completely to the subpoena, and we hope the situation is resolved quickly."

The subpoena calls for the city to appear before a grand jury on July 11th.

WTXL has reached out to the U.S. Attorney's office for more information and are still waiting to hear back.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - All Supercuts locations in Tallahassee are set to close in a week, according to employees at the Blair Stone Road and Park Avenue location.

Employees say that they were informed of the closure two weeks ago by the by the franchisee of the businesses.

They speculate that the franchisee may have other plans for the space.

The location at Ocala Corners near Publix, the location on North Monroe Street and the location on North Blair Stone Road are all set to close.
While 'Bihar ka beta' Nitish Kumar is against 'Bihar ki beti' Meira Kumar, 'UP ki beti' Mayawati is against 'UP ka beta' Ram Nath Kovind.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, who filed his nomination papers today (June 23), may have a clear edge in the July 17 presidential election, but the introduction of Meira Kumar has made the contest quite interesting in more ways than one.

Firstly, it has forced realignment among the political parties.

NDA CAMP

Till Ram Nath Kovind's name was declared by BJP on June 19 as NDA's presidential candidate, the battle lines were more or less clear - NDA alliance partners would vote for one candidate. There were doubts about Shiv Sena which had voted against the NDA line by backing the candidatures of Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee in 2007 and 2012 respectively.

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Otherwise, there was no doubt about the other NDA partners. In fact, it was being speculated since beginning that some non-NDA parties such as AIADMK, TRS and BJD would also jump on the NDA bandwagon for the presidential election.

OPPOSITION GROUP

On the other hand, the Opposition camp was also united. Congress led UPA was also supposed to get the backing from some other political parties such as the Left, Mayawati led BSP, Akhilesh Yadav led Samajwadi Party, Lalu Prasad led RJD, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar led JD (U) and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led TMC.

Nitish Kumar had initiated the move to unite the Opposition parties and field a common candidate. Even though he skipped a meeting of the Opposition parties convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on May 26, he said a day later - at a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in honour of visiting Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth - that the Opposition unity was intact.

There were conjectures over the way some regional parties such as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would go.

UNSETTLING MOMENT

But things started falling apart the moment Ram Nath Kovind's name was declared.

Nitish Kumar pledged his party's support to Ram Nath Kovind on the ground as Bihar Governor his conduct was non-partisan.

Another surprise was Mayawati. She said BSP would not oppose Kovind because he was a Dalit. However, she put a rider. She said if the Opposition also came up with a Dalit face, she would switch sides.

Shiv Sena, for a change, decided to support the BJP's candidate.

TOPSY TURVY

After being put on the defensive, the Opposition met on June 22 and declared the name of former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar. They made it into an unprecedented Dalit versus Dalit contest.

This was the ulta pulta moment of Indian politics.

Lalu Yadav said the 17-party Opposition had decided on "Bihar ki beti" (Bihar's daughter) and "great" Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram's daughter. He appealed to Nitish to review his decision and "not to commit a historic blunder" by supporting the BJP candidate.

The two main UP parties - SP and BSP - were caught on wrong feet.

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SP split into two. Mulayam Singh Yadav backed NDA while his son and party chief Akhilesh Yadav sided with the Opposition.

Mayawati immediately changed sides. She jumped from NDA to the Opposition's bandwagon.

Applying Lalu's slogan of "Bihar ki beti" on UP, SP and BSP would be seen on the wrong side of the spectrum.

While 'Bihar ka beta' Nitish Kumar is against 'Bihar ki beti' Meira Kumar, 'UP ki beti' Mayawati is against 'UP ka beta' Ram Nath Kovind.

If Nitish Kumar is wrong in not supporting Meira Kumar, so are Akhilesh and Mayawati in not backing 'UP ka beta' Ram Nath Kovind. Lalu may have no defence if the same parochial yardstick was applied in the neighbouring state.

CONFUSING PAST

In the 2002 presidential election, the Vajpayee government had stumped the Opposition by fielding ' Missile Man' and a Muslim, APJ Abdul Kalam. It had forced Congress to back Kalam. But the Left propped up freedom fighter Lakshmi Sehgal saying it was an "ideological war". And predictably, Sehgal lost miserably.

Left and Lalu made it an ideological and political war again. However, Congress seems to have fallen in their trap. Instead of repeating 2002, they chose to fall in line and made it a Dalit versus Dalit contest.

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A Congress leader told India Today that BJP had fielded Ram Nath Kovind to make up for wrongs done to Dalits by the Modi government in the last three years. Now, he and people like him must be feeling embarrassed.

MORAL HIGH GROUND

Amidst this casteist and parochial overtones, Ram Nath Kovind seems to have taken the moral high ground. After filing his nomination papers today in the presence of PM Modi, the 71-year-old said he had ceased to belong to any political party after he became governor of Bihar in 2015. The post of president is above party politics, he said, thanking everybody for their support.

Also read: By fielding Meira Kumar against Ram Nath Kovind, Opposition's main target is Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Also read: Presidential election: Why Nitish broke ranks with Opposition to back Ram Nath Kovind

Also read: Meira Kumar vs Ram Nath Kovind for President? 10 things we know so far

Also read: Ram Nath Kovind as presidential candidate: How BJP continues to aggressively woo Dalits

Also read: Boost to Meira Kumar as Kejriwal likely to support her in presidential elections

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Also watch: Lalu calls Meira Kumar Bihar ki beti, says will ask Nitish to reconsider his decision to support Kovind

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YAKIMA, Wash. -- An Oregon man who has worked with nonprofits for more than 13 years is the new executive director of the Yakima Humane Society.
You are the owner of this article.
YAKIMA, Wash. -- A case questioning whether a fuel retailer from the Yakama Nation is subject to the state gasoline tax will be heard this mor
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) Navdeep Singh from Punjab has topped the prestigious National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS and BDS courses, results of which were declared by CBSE today.

The second and third ranks were bagged by Madhya Pradeshs Archit Gupta and Manish Mulchandani, respectively. Archit had also topped the AIIMS entrance examination.

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Girls outnumbered boys in qualifying the test with a total of 3,45,313 girls clearing it against 2,66,221 boys.

Singh, who hails from Muktsar in Punjab, scored a percentile of 99.99 with 697 marks out of total 720. The 18- year-old, whose father is a government school principal, wants to pursue MBBS in Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, one of Indias premier medical institutions.

"I was confident of clearing the exam but not bagging the top rank," the topper, who has studied in Muktsars Shivalik Public School, told PTI.

A total of 11,38,890 students had appeared for the exam. Of these, 6,11,539 passed the test which was held on May 7.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had on June 12 set in motion the process for declaring the result of NEET-2017 after the Supreme Court gave its go-ahead.

On May 24, the apex court stayed an interim order of the Madras High Court, which had restrained the CBSE from publishing the result.

A total of 9.13 lakh students took the test in English medium while 1.20 lakh opted for Hindi.

This was the first time that Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and foreigners were allowed to take the exam.

According to information available on the Medical Council of India (MCI) website, 470 medical colleges have approximately 65,170 seats for MBBS; in 308 dental colleges, nearly 25,730 seats in BDS are available.

CBSE had deployed 490 officials at centres spread across 103 cities. Last year, the first, the exam was conducted in only 52 cities. PTI GJS MPB MIN

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By India Today Web Desk: Ranbir Kapoor is one of those rare B-Town celebs who maintains a mystery about himself by staying away from social media. The Tamasha actor thinks social media is too much of a responsibility. However, recently, Ranbir revealed that he keeps a tab on ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif's social media profiles.

Ranbir is on various social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but not as himself. The Ae Dil Hai Mushkil actor believes it's important to be updated about the works and lives of his contemporaries through social media. Ranbir also admitted to stalking several actors including ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif.

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Ranbir confessed that he has got several Instagram accounts, in an interview with Mid-Day. "Yes, I am active on the photo-sharing site. I am a stalker, constantly aware of all that's happening in the industry. In fact, I was Katrina's third follower when she joined Instagram," said the Rockstar actor.

Ranbir also mentioned that he suggested pictures for Katrina's Instagram profile when she joined the photo-blogging site a few months ago. "I told her which photos to post, but she refuses to give me credit. After every post, I call her and discuss the purpose of sharing it. I make sure Katrina takes social media seriously. I am also sure I would do a better job than her if I ever got on to social media," he said. He was probably kidding, but you never know.

However, Ranbir is not too keen on joining the virtually-active Bolly brigade. "I am an introvert. Shy. I can't pretend or project my life in a fun way to engage the audience. I can't get myself to promote my work and person for the sake of doing it," he said.

On the work front, Ranbir and Katrina are all geared up for their upcoming film, Jagga Jasoos.

ALSO READ | Ranbir Kapoor opens up on Katrina Kaif's remark that they'll never work together again

ALSO READ | Jagga Jasoos new song Jhumritalaiyya: Ranbir-Katrina set the screen on fire, literally!

ALSO WATCH | Ranbir-Katrina's awkward Jagga Jasoos press meet, Raabta's opening weekend performance

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Muslim Germans took to the streets of Cologne several weeks ago to protest terrorism. The march was held under the banner Not with Us, and its goal was to condemn terrorism and the terror cells that have developed in the Muslim communities in Europe in the past two years.

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The newspapers were pretty excited about the event. They may not have said it explicitly, but mass public activity by Muslim Europeans against Islamic radicalization is a rare thing. The headlines stated that tens of thousands of protestors are expected. Thats quite a modest number considering the fact that, in the past two years alone, Germany has taken in some 900,000 refugees from the Middle East. But when the day of the protest arrived, and a bitter truth was revealed: Only several hundred people arrived. Maybe 1,000, one of the organizers said dryly.

Where were the rest? They likely obeyed orders issued by one of the most important Muslim organizations in Germany, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), which decided to boycott the event. DITIB is a highly significant organization, which is responsible for some 900 Muslim German communities. It was followed by the Islamic Council, another Cologne-based umbrella group, which stated that it would be unreasonable to expect Muslims to march in a heat of 25 degrees Celsius while fasting in honor of the month of Ramadan.

Scene of terror attack in London. If European Islamic terrorism turns into lone-wolf terrorism, Muslim communities will suffer deeply and Europe will experience a new wave of xenophobia (Photo: Reuters)

The religious Turkish group offered a more essential argument: Such a protest, they said, establishes the claim that international terrorism is an exclusive problem of the Muslim community and helps create stigmas against the community. These are staggering arguments, as they deeply illustrate the huge discrepancy between the radicalizing political discourse in the continent and its Muslim communities that keep dozing off while radicals come out of them.

One after the other, terror attacks are striking the continent, and their characteristics are more dangerous than usual. They are no longer carried out by rare, sophisticated cells that work on the execution of an attack over a long period time, exposing themselves to early detection and arrest. The current European wave of terror is increasingly looking like an outburst of acts of murder by individuals, cells of two-three people at the most. The European security services are searching in vain for organized hierarchies in the tradition of al-Qaeda. What they are noticing, though, is incitement and opportunity attacks, in the tradition of the Middle East. Incidents of this kind are hard to predict, and even harder to thwart, whether they take place at Nablus Gate or on London Bridge . Their influence on the public perception, however, is immense.

Armed police after the London attack (Photo: EPA)

People say that terror cant defeat the routine of life, but thats a really old cliche. The truth can be seen in the incident that took place at Piazza San Carlo in Turin about a day after the terror attack in London. Thousands of Juventus fans gathered at the square, when a firecracker suddenly exploded and someone shouted, Theres a bomb. It immediately created a hysterical stampede, which led to the injury of more than 1,000 people, some sustaining serious injuries. One woman even died of her wounds several days later. Terrorism won there, it won big time, and it wins when European politics changes because of it.

It also wins when Europe's Muslim communities focus on providing excuses to their internal radicalization trends: The Western attitude towards the Middle East, pushing the minorities to the suburbs, the basic inequality in European societies, and so on. These are social explanations that make sense, but when they are joined by the communities limited activity against Islamist radicalismit means that these are just excuses. Plans against radicalization in Britain and in other countries are subject to profound criticism from the Muslim communities, which fear the stigma more than they fear radicalization itself.

The victory on Western-based violent Islamism will only be achieved when the communities themselves reject any manifestation of religious-political fanaticism in a firm and uncompromising manner. In certain places, its already happening. Friends of the Manchester terrorist reported him to the British security authorities before he carried out the attack. In most leading mosques, the community heads report young people engaged in incitement and violence, but they do it secretly, almost with a sense of shame. But still, when a public protest is being held, the leaders of important organizations turn their noses up at it.

Rejecting terror is both a human and a religious duty, but if these arguments are not enough, then community leaders must understand the political significance of it; If European Islamist terrorism turns into lone-wolf terrorism, the communities will suffer deeply and Europe will experience a new wave of xenophobia, the kind of which it has not seen in a long time.
President Reuven Rivlin addressed the closing session of the 17th annual Herzliya Conference held at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya on Thursday. This year the conference addressed the opportunities and challenges Israel faced as it neared 70 years of independence.

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The president's address dealt with the changes in the perception of democracy over the years, under different leadership, and reviewed these processes around the world with a focus on the Middle East.

Rivlin addresses the conference (Photo: Hagai Fried)

Rivlin said, "As the Arab Spring began to blossom in late 2010, there were those who saw it as further testament that democracy can permeate even the most difficult places in the Middle East. The voice of the masses, of the Arab citizens began to be heard. Against tyranny and oppression, against backwardness and ignorance. In favor of representation and partnership, liberty, and freedom for women.

"Facebook and Twitter symbolized the revolution that began on their platforms, and reached the headlines. There, in the space between the virtual debate, and the town square, we saw the face of the promise of democracy, occupying the heart of the Middle East. With that said, the wings of democracy have been restrained."

He continued, "With the exception of Tunisia, which is fighting to continue in its direction, the Arab Spring has brought about great destruction, disappointment and despair. The collapse of the old national regimes has led the Middle East into chaos. A wave of radical terrorism has taken over this region, specifically led by the 'Islamic State' that has also had global reach.

"Half a million people have been killed in Syria, alongside a mass of refugees who have lost their entire world, and have created a wave of immigration that has brought on a global crisis. These waves have hit the Western world itself. All of the Western countries are facing the intensification of national, religious, and ethnic separatism, and the widening of the rift between the right and left."

In relation to the phenomenon of global terror, and the wave of immigration, the president said that many people were raising key questions around democracy. He said, "The younger generation that was born in this millennium is asking itself why they need the issues inherent to it," and added, "The foundation of these crises lies in a common element that we have not been able to discern. In certain situations the free open society, may be a real threat unto itself.

"What I mean to say is that freedom of expression and the right to vote are perhaps necessary conditions for the growth of democracy, but they are not enough. Democracy is not built in a day. It must be accompanied by the building of strong state institutions that place the rule of law above both the ruler and public opinion."

The President went on to say, "It is true that the Facebook and Twitter revolutions have given a voice to the muted masses. No more government newspapers which set the agenda. However, the enormous democratization of public discourse in social media has also created new types of demagoguery. If everyone is a journalist on his own accord, then the most respected newspaper is not preferable to the very last talk-back writer.

"We wanted to hear everyone, and we got the post-truth era, what is called today 'fake-news'. We wanted to give a platform, but we hurt solidarity. We wanted democracy, but we weakened it. When parties use social media mainly to humiliate, bash and ridicule, instead of developing contact with the public: what kind of democratic dream is it? I have said this in the past, and I will repeat this today: non-institutional democracy, a direct democracy in which the 'will of the people' at any moment overrides any other consideration, is just a step away from anarchy. Anyone who has ever encountered a crowd knows how that a small event can quickly turn into a lynching, and pogrom, literally."

In relation to the State of Israel, the President said, "There will be no Jewish State if there is no democratic State. The picture of reality that I laid out before you concerns the roots of the Israeli existence. Hence, we must look at the unique global challenges that lie at the doorstep of Israeli democracy today.

"Firstly, the challenge in creating of representative democracy. In Israel, as in the rest of the Western world, institutions and leadership must be strengthened. Woe unto us if the State of Israel is defined entirely as 'the State of the will of the people.' Woe unto us if the Israel Defense Forces becomes the 'army of the will of the people'; if the High Court rules its laws according to the 'Constitution of the People's Will', if we replace the Knesset with a referendum. We must strengthen the representative democratic institutions and their independence rather than weaken them."

Rivlin calls on the Knesset to step up. (Photo: Amit Shabi)

He continued to note, "The second, unique challenge is to create a base of agreement and to manage the relations between the four tribes that comprise Israeli society. We must act to increase the trust of all the tribes the democratic institutions.

"According to the Israel Democracy Index, the Supreme Court enjoys the trust of 60 percent of the general public, compared to 6 percent of the ultra-Orthodox public. The Police have the trust of 41 percent of the general public, compared to 27 percent of the Arab public. The ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities make up 50 percent of the first graders today.

"Increasing the trust in the system of the various tribes, goes hand in hand with determined action to promote their proper representation within it, whether on the Judiciary bench, in the television studios, or in government offices. Representation is the first key to a sense of belonging and shared responsibility."

Rivlin concluded, "Finally, the third unique challenge is to preserve Jewish and democratic values in a state of protracted conflict. We must be vigilant, to examine ourselves every day and to make sure that amidst the tension in which we live, we are doing everything to protect our security as well as maintaining an uncompromising loyalty to ourselves and our values as a Jewish and democratic state.

"As in any place around the world, Israeli democracy cannot be taken for granted. The Jewish and democratic formula was and will remain the Zionist compass that has guided our way in the last seventy years against the background of a changing world, and will continue to guide our way in the future, at any time and in every situation."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday evening that he intends to beef up security arrangements and implement other changes at the Damascus Gate in the Old Citya site which has become a flashpoint of repeated terror attacks.

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Speaking during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new park in Bat Yam which is to be named after his brother Yoni Netanyahuwho was killed during Israels famous rescue operation in Entebbethe Israeli premier said that he had already met with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh to bring the changes to fruition.

Damascus Gate (Photo: Ron Peled)

I asked for changes at the Damascus Gate. They have prepared a plan to augment security and restrict the freedom of action by potential terrorists. I approved the this plan and it will be implemented extremely soon, Netanyahu promised.

Explaining his decision, Netanyahu turned to the latest deadly attack that was carried out by three terrorists at the site which last Friday claimed the life of the border police officer Hadas Malka, 23.

Photo: Motti Kimchi

Hadas Malka said a wonderful thing. During a visit I made with (my wife) Sara at the family home, they told us that she had told her officers: Understand that if we are not here, (none of us) will be here. We are protecting the capital of Israel, we are protecting the existence of Israel with our wonderful young men and women, the prime minister said.

Groundbreaking ceremony (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The gate has become a gathering for murderers time and again, for attackers time and again. It has become a symbol of terrorism and has also become a symbol for anti-terrorism, of the fight against terrorism. That is why I asked for a plan and changes.

Hadas Malka (Photo: Israel Police)

Hadas Malka was killed during an attack involving three terrorists who went on the rampage with guns and knives. In addition, the attack left five others wounded. All three attackers were shot and killed by security forces at the scene.

In a similar attack in 2016, border guard Hadar Cohen, 19, was also murdered by terrorists at the same site.
Major General (res.) Amiram Levin announced Friday morning that he will be dropping out of the race for the Labor leadership to replace Isaac Herzog.

Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Levin also told the journalists that he is endorsing former minister Avi Gabai for the position in the upcoming party elections, which are to take place on July 4.
Millions of Iranians poured onto the streets on Friday morning as anti-Israel rallies got underway throughout the country, with protesters condemning the Jewish state, chanting vitriolic slurs and screaming "Death to Israel."

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In addition to the usual burning of Israeli and American flags, the marchers laid a casket on the street bearing images of US President Trump's face, bordered with American flags and topped with multiple Israeli flags.

Marchers in Tehran are heading from various points of the city toward the Friday prayer ceremony at Tehran University, State media say similar demonstrations are underway in other cities and towns in Iran.

Burning Israeli and American flags

Iran also displayed three surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including the Zolfagharthe type that Iran used this week to target the Islamic State group in Syria.

The anti-Israel rallies are an annual event marking Al-Quds Day, the historic Arabic name for Jerusalem.

Iran doesn't recognize Israel and staunchly backs militant groups, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese's Hezbollah.

On Thursday, Iranian leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei said: It isnt only that we are defending a repressed people who were expelled from their homes, we are also fighting against an oppressive and arrogant political system.

Another missile on display was the Ghadr, with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) that can reach both Israel and US bases in the region.

Iran holds al-Quds day rallies held each year on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to end this weekend. Iran has marked the day since the start of its 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the country cut relations with Israel.
A spokesman for the Israeli left-wing NGO Breaking the Silence was questioned under caution on Thursday on suspicion that he assaulted a Palestinian while serving in the IDF.

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The investigation got underway at the behest of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) who asked Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to look into the testimony Dean Issacharoff provided for the group in which he admitted to assaulting a Palestinian during his military service in Hebron.

Dean Issacharoff

Breaking the Silence, which is made up of former IDF soldiers and officers, seeks to "expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in" the West Bank and provides lectures and information around the world on alleged IDF misconduct.

The Justice Ministry published a statement on Friday according to which the State Prosecutor's Office (SPO) had instructed the police to launch an investigation on the request of the Military Advocate General.

An official familiar with the details of the investigation said that Issacharoff was called in for questioning after an official from the SPO sent a video to the Judea and Samaria Police in which Issacharoff can be heard describing how he attacked a Palestinian in Hebron. During the questioning that lasted around an hour-and-a-half, Issacharoff was presented with the footage.

Issacharoffs lawyer argued that the finger should be pointed at senior officials rather than her client. We shouldnt arrest soldiers, but rather investigate those who send them (to Hebron), those who take the decisions in the government, the attorney said.

Responding to the questioning, Breaking the Silence issued its own statement admonishing Shaked.

We call on her not to settle for an investigation against one Breaking the Silence activist but rather to also investigate hundreds of male and female soldiers who broke their silence openly in order to explain what we are doing in the territories and about the daily violence that takes place against Palestinians, the statement reads.

The justice minister doesnt really want to open up Pandoras box of the occupation that will expose the violence and the injustice there, the statement continued. Shaked doesnt really care about the Palestinians, justice or morals. She only seeks to harm Breaking the Silence, and she is on her way to turning the justice ministry and the SPO into a tool for a political witch hunt.

Ayelet Shaked (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Striking back in the rally of recriminations, Shaked issued her own remarks. We are either talking about a liar slamming the IDF or a person involved in violence who needs to be investigated, she contended.

The state requested in the past, and will continue to insist on, receiving the testimonies that go to the organization in order to investigate the truth. The IDF is the most moral army in the world, and violent incidents are investigated and dealt with, she concluded.

The group Reservists on the Front, which is responsible for the petition to investigated Issacharoff, also made its position clear.

He is either a liar or a criminal. In either case he should pay the price. Reservists on the Front will continue to continue to provide a platform for IDF soldiers and defend them against lies and plots, the groups statement said. We expect the state to protect us soldiers against those who besmirch our name in Israel and the world.
By India Today Web Desk: When veteran actor Om Puri passed away earlier this year, Bollywood was shocked at his sudden demise. Salman Khan-starrer Tubelight was the last film that the late actor worked on. The team fondly remembered working with the actor and dedicated the film to him. "We will miss you," a message at the beginning of Tubelight read.

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On hearing the news of Om Puri's death, director Kabir Khan had earlier told PTI, "He is a very talented actor who can play any kind of role. We were glad to have him on board for Tubelight. He had already shot for his part. We will miss him, his warmth."

During the trailer launch of Tubelight, Salman Khan had also opened up about how much he missed his co-star. "The strange thing is whenever I see the trailer, teaser or song, I see Om ji and it kills me. I have done a lot of work with Om ji and I felt one moment he was there and then he was gone. I don't actually enjoy watching the trailer, song or teaser as I can see him there," he had said.

Tubelight, which released today, also features Sohail Khan, Chinese actor Zhu Zhu and Matin Rey Tangu in pivotal roles.

MOVIE REVIEW: Tubelight

ALSO READ: The story of Tubelight in 10 points

ALSO WATCH: Om Puri passes away from heart attack at 66

--- ENDS ---
Sources in the Palestinian Authority expressed disappointment with the meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the American delegation on Wednesday. The sources described the meeting, held in Ramallah, as unsuccessful.

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According to the sources, the American delegation, headed by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, came to the meeting presenting all the Israeli demands. As a result, they said, no progress was made, and no discussion was held on peace negotiations or a trilateral summit between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the US.

"The American delegation accepted the Israeli position on the issue of paying salaries to prisoners and painted it at the meeting as a means of encouraging terrorism and demanded that it be stopped," the sources said.

Kushner meets with Abbas (Photo: Getty Images)

Another issue that was dominant in the conversation itself was incitement to violence. The Palestinians expressed great disappointment that these two issues were the main things the Americans talked at the expense of the two-state solution.

The sources added that the American side demanded at the outset to cease all salaries for all prisoners in Israeli detention. That demand was then slightly softened, and included only the payment of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering Israeli citizens.

The Palestinian side demanded that construction in West Bank settlements be stopped. "We told the American side that the settlements are the source of despair and terror because they leave no hope for the Palestinians to live on their land in the future," the sources said. The Palestinians demanded that the Americans condemn the construction of the new Israeli settlement for the evictees of Amona instead of demanding that the salaries be stopped.

(Photo: Getty Images) (Photo: GettyImages)

Abbas tried to present his vision of a solution to the core issues, but the Americans insisted on returning to the issue of salaries and made it clear to him that his acceptance of this demand would be a sign of his true desire to reach a peace agreement with Israel. "We have no great expectations from these negotiations, so why should we pay a heavy price such as stopping the payment of salaries?" the sources said in response, noting that Abbas had refused to do so and had only expressed willingness to restart the tripartite American-Israeli- Palestinian committee to examine the issue of incitement to violence.

According to them, Abbas made it clear that the issue of paying salaries is an internal Palestinian matter. One of the sources said following the meeting "Americans are biased in favor of Israel, but we'll wait for the outcome of the talks of the Palestinian delegation in Washington next month."

Next month, a Palestinian delegation is expected to travel to DC to continue the dialogue with the Americans in preparation for a possible resumption of negotiations.
Many bereaved families who lost their loved ones on Lebanese soil between June 1982 and May 2000when the IDF withdrew from Lebanonare demanding that the state recognizes their sons as war casualties of the First Lebanon Wara war that, in itself, is not officially recognized as a war by the state.

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Recently, the Yad Labanim organization commissioned a survey by the Smith Institute for bereaved parents whose loved ones were killed in Lebanon in order to examine the parents' position on the proposal to declare the war in Lebanon between 1982 and 2000 as the First Lebanon War.

Bereaved families during a ceremony in Yad Labanim (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

"For years, bereaved families have approached us with the claim that the Second Lebanon War was declared a war, yet there is no First Lebanon War," says Eli Ben-Shem, chairman of the Yad Labanim organization. "They called the first battles Operation Peace for Galilee, but at the timefor political reasons among othersrefrained from declaring it a war. After many years of fighting, hundreds of soldiers were killed on Lebanese soil, but it was never defined as a war."

Ben-Shem added that "the person who began the fight for the renaming was Raya Harnik, the mother of Major Goni Harnik, 26, commander of the Golani reconnaissance unit that was killed in the battle for Beaufort in June 1982. Goni's mother did not agree with the inscription on the monument, which said that her son fell in Operation Peace for the Galilee, and so changed the inscription to 'Fell in the Lebanon War.'"

Yad Lebanim said that over the years, following the families' requests, the issue was brought before the country's leaders, and they were told that they did not know what the families wanted. "We decided to conduct a serious survey, in order to examine the families' position," Ben-Shem said.

Captain Gal Lev-Ran

The telephone survey included 300 families, and indicated that 41 percent of the families supported the official renaming of the entire campaign in Lebanon as the First Lebanon War. 19 percent were opposed and 40 percent did not express any opinion.

"We decided to examine the data among the group of those who had an opinion, without including those who abstained," explained Rafi Smith, Partner and Senior Researcher of the Smith Institute. "In this examination it was found that 68 percent support the initiative, while 32 percent oppose it."

Ben-Shem is a bereaved father himself. He lost his son, Lieutenant Kobi Ben-Shem, 21, who was killed in the helicopter disaster of February 4, 1997. "It's written on my son's grave that he 'Fell in the helicopter disaster on his way to operational activity in Lebanon,'" said Ben-Shem. "The Defense Ministry, though, agreed to write that inscription only after we appealed to the High Court of Justice."

"I think that all the time the IDF was in Lebanon, it was in war. It was a long war that stretched over many years," says Varda Lev-Ran, the mother of the late Captain Gal Lev-Ran who fell on September 29, 1997, at the Talousa outpost in south Lebanon.

Major Uri Azulai, 26, of Kiryat Shmona, was killed on October 26, 1996, near the town of Aysheh in southern Lebanon. He was survived by his parents, Matilda and Moshe, and eight brothers and sisters.

Moshe Azulai, sitting next to his son's tombstone (Photo: Effi Sharir)

"On Uri's tombstone they wrote: 'Fell in Lebanese territory,'" says his father Moshe with great pain. "A lot of our soldiers were killed on Lebanese soil and no one mentions them. There are only the fallen soldiers of the Operation Peace for the Galilee and the Second Lebanon War.

"All the soldiers killed in Lebanon over the years were exceptional people. People who served the country with love. The entire Lebanon war should be called the First Lebanon War. That way, it will be possible to give the fallen all the respect (they deserve)."

The desire of the families, together with the unequivocal results of the survey, convinced the Yad Labanim organization to fight on this issue.

"Most of the families want to call this war the First Lebanon War," said Ben-Shem. "This is what we request. We must do justice with the fallen and their families."

(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
A senior United Arab Emirates official has accused Qatar of sharing with the media demands made against it by four Arab states, saying the move undermines efforts to resolve the crisis.

Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash made the accusation on Twitter on Friday. He says sharing the document is either an "attempt to undermine serious mediation or yet another sign of callous policy."

Gargash says publicizing the demands will prolong the Qatar crisis and that undermining "serious diplomacy will lead to parting of ways."

The UAE is one of four countries that have cut ties with Qatar and on Thursday presented it with a list of demands to end the crisis. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the 13-point list in Arabic from one of the countries involved in the dispute.
At least 40 people were killed and nearly 100 wounded Friday in four separate bomb and gun attacks in three major Pakistani cities, officials said.

A suicide bomber was involved in the first car bombing near the office of the provincial police chief in the southwestern city of Quetta that killed at least 12 people and wounded 20. There were conflicting claims of responsibility for this attack from different extremist groups.

Hours later twin bombings, minutes apart, hit a crowded market in a Shiite-dominated city in Parachinar, the main city in the Kurram tribal region and killed 24 people, mostly minority Shiite Muslims, according to government administrator Zahid Hussain.

Friday evening, gunmen in the port city of Karachi attacked police officers at a roadside restaurant and killed four of them before fleeing, according to senior police officer Asif Ahmed.

The bomb and gun attacks come a few days before the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, which ends the holy month of Ramadan. TV footage showed panicked people rushing to safety following the Parachinar market bombings.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that a future war waged by Israel against Syria or Lebanon could draw thousands of fighters from countries including Iran and Iraq.

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His comments indicated that the same array of Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias but not countriescurrently fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad could take part in any future conflict with Israel.

Nasrallah speaks to his supporters at an event marking Resistance and Liberation Day in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (Photo: Reuters)

Tensions have risen between Hezbollah and its longtime foe Israel in recent months since Donald Trump became US president with his tough talk against Iran. Israel's air force chief said his country would use all its strength from the start in any new war with Hezbollah.

"The Israeli enemy must know that if an Israeli war is launched against Syria or Lebanon, it is not known that the fighting will remain Lebanese-Israeli, or Syrian-Israeli," Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

"This doesn't mean there are states that might intervene directly. But this could open the way for thousands, even hundreds of thousands of fighters from all over the Arab and Islamic world to participatefrom Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.

Nasrallah has repeatedly warned Israel against attacking Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Shi'ite group is based, and from where it sends fighters to support Assad against insurgents.

Experts on the group say the warnings are part of a policy of deterrence that has also included revealing some of its military capabilities.

Nasrallah said in recent months Hezbollah's rocket arsenal can hit any military target in Israel, which is Lebanon's southern neighbor.

He said any Israeli war with Lebanon or the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, would be "very costly" and that Israel would not be able to win.

Israel has targeted senior Hezbollah commanders in air raids on Syrian soil. But there has been no major confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon since a month-long war between the two sides in 2006.
The World Jewish Congress and the leading Jewish group in Hungary objected Friday to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's praise for Miklos Horthy, the World War II-era leader who allied Hungary with Nazi Germany.

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WJC President Ronald Lauder said his organization would always condemn "deplorable actions" like Horthy's and rejected any attempts to excuse or justify them.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: AFP)

"The horrors that Admiral Horthy inflicted on the Jewish community of Hungary by stripping them of their rights and their humanity, and his role in the deportation and murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews, can never be excused," Lauder said.

In a speech on Wednesday, just hours before he hosted Lauder in Parliament, Orban called Horthy and other Hungarian leaders "exceptional statesmen" for leading the country after the traumatic disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I.

Orban's comments were also criticized by Andras Heiszler, president of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities, who said the Horthy era's anti-Semitism "cannot be put as an example for future generations."

Several busts and statues of Horthy have been erected in the past few years, mostly on private property.
Saudi security forces foiled an attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca on Friday, state television Al-Ekhbariya and Al Arabiya TV reported.

Al Arabiya said security forces had found two groups of terrorists in Mecca and a third group in the city of Jeddah. The foiled attack targetted worshipers at the mosque, it said.

Neither Al Arabiya nor Al-Ekhbariya gave any further details.
I was thrilled to see the turn-out last week for the public forum regarding downtown revitalization.

The team from Clark Enerson appreciated getting the feedback on their initial plans. Today, I have spoken with JoAnne Kissel and the team is scheduling a meeting with the steering committee to share they took away from the forum. There will be another public meeting scheduled for later in July or early August.

The Downtown Revitalization process began over a year and a half ago. Rhonda Veleba, downtown coordinator with our office, was made aware of a grant opportunity that was available through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Rhonda advocated to the City of York to pursue. So, with the assistance of the Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) the application process began.

The Phase I grant was for a study to be conducted by a consulting group to help formulate a vision for Yorks Downtown Region. Financial commitment of 25 percent of the project cost to match the $30,000 grant from the community. Rhonda and myself visited with business owners inside and outside of the downtown region about financially committing to the Phase I match. In a very short time, our office was able to receive commitment for the required $7,500. This would not have been possible without the help from Ace Hardware, Baer Furniture, C. Naber + Associates, City of York, Cornerstone Bank, Eakes Office Solutions, Ginnys Hallmark Shop, Grand Central Foods, Henderson State Bank, Kirbys School of Dance, McCormicks Heating and Air Conditioning, Midwest Bank, Moguls Auto Repair & Towing, Pieper Plumbing, State Farm Insurance/Bob Hose, The Quilt Basket, Urgent Care of York, Wagner Decorating, York Area Chamber of Commerce, York Boot & Repair, Inc., York County Development Corporation, York Jewelry and York State Bank.

The City of York formally submitted the grant request this time last year. In October of 2016, a team from Nebraskas Department of Economic Development came to York for a site visit. They were so impressed with the successful projects York has embarked upon. In addition, the team was made aware of some of the challenges we have making our downtown an equally appealing destination for visitors and residents.

Late fall of 2016, we were notified that York was granted the funds to initiate the study for Downtown Revitalization. Once the study is completed and accepted by Yorks City Council, we will be able to apply for Phase II of the grant. This phase will be up to $350,000 grant to be used to begin the implementation for the plan. A minimum 25 percent matching funds for this grant can be met by the property owners as well as some of the already scheduled projects the city has planned. It truly is a very exciting time in York and I am thrilled to be part of moving our community forward.

I want to remind everyone to join the celebration for our countrys independence on Monday, July 3 at York County Fairgrounds. Gates will open at 8 p.m., and the spectacular display will begin at dusk. The crew from KOOL 103.5 will be on hand to help us with the evening. Pirate Jim sent communication to our office that he will be there helping people get registered for the Treasure Hunt! Once again, Wild Hawgs will be running the concession stand and they will be sending their gators to the parking lots to make sure they dont miss anyone.

We have said many times how Frenzy is a self-funded event. This is not an event that is paid for with our operational funds. The committee relies solely on donation from the public. We have received donations to this point, but we are still short of your goal. Our office staff will be posted at the grandstand gates at the conclusion of the show ant members from York E-Free Church will be assisting us with passing the buckets in the parking lots before the show begins. We ask that you thoughtfully consider donating to this community celebration. Looking forward to seeing you on Monday, July 3!
HENDERSON  Todays thoroughly modern Mennonite children in Henderson know all about their ancestors and, by association, about themselves, too.

They know these things because each year elders in the community teach them in a most fascinating and effective way.

Mennonites in Henderson today trace their roots to brave ancestors who first fled religious persecution in Holland to Germany, then to Russia when Germany became hostile toward them and, finally, from increasingly intolerant Russia to America and, ultimately, to Henderson.

During a camp each June, children dress themselves in clothing appropriate to their immigrant relatives and act out each stage of the grueling journey while adult leaders educate them and tell real-life stories of what happened to people along the way.

The journey began with a five-day railcar trek from Russia to Germany where they boarded a ship bound for New York City where the famous landing for immigrants, Ellis Island, did not yet exist.

From New York the families traveled by rail to Lincoln and then on to Sutton.

In Sutton they found encouraging and welcoming people. One of them, a Mr. Grosshans, walked with them the final 17 miles from Sutton to Henderson which had already been established by non-immigrant settlers.

The new arrivals jammed together in a single immigrant house where they lived while families acquired property and homes.

The Mennonite Heritage Park, located between Henderson and I-80, includes a museum and numerous out-buildings. Hours are 1-4 p.m. Tuesday  Saturday from May 2 through September 30 or other times by appointment.

For information about visiting the historical park call 402 723-5694.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said security forces foiled a suicide attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, cornering the would-be attacker in an apartment, where he blew himself up.

By Reuters: Saudi security forces on Friday foiled a suicide attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, cornering the would-be attacker in an apartment, where he blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said.

In a statement read on state television, the ministry said that three cells had planned the attack on worshippers and security forces at the mosque as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan nears its climax.

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The trapped would-be suicide bomber exchanged fire with the security forces, then set off explosives when he was surrounded in a house in the central Mecca neighbourhood of Ajyad al-Masafi near the mosque that had been used as the base for the attack, the ministry said.

The building collapsed, injuring six foreigners and five members of the security forces.

WANTED MAN SHOT DEAD

Earlier in the day, security forces had shot dead a wanted man at another suspected Islamist militant hideout in Mecca's al-Aseelah neighbourhood. The ministry also said a third cell had been broken up in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, but gave no further details.

Five suspected militants including a woman were arrested, it said.

The month of fasting ends with the Eid-al-Fitr holiday, expected to be on Sunday. Saudi monarchs usually spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in Mecca.

Al Arabiya broadcast live footage of Muslim worshippers praying in the mosque, with no interruption.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the plot to attack the mosque, but the Islamic State group, which wants to establish a theocratic caliphate ruled according to strict Islamic law, had in the past carried out attacks in the kingdom.

In May last year, Saudi security forces shot dead two alleged Islamic State fighters outside Mecca, and two others blew themselves up outside Mecca.

ALSO READ | Karnataka: Boy observing Ramzan accused of stealing slippers, made to do a 1000 sit-ups as punishment

ALSO READ | In pictures: Security pilots end their Ramzan fast in chopper above Mecca

ALSO WATCH | Pakistan-born London Bridge attacker was earlier filmed praying with ISIS-style flag

--- ENDS ---
Buyers looking for a holiday home or great investment opportunity in a picturesque location should consider the hidden gems of the South West, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).

The institute recently revealed the regions 10 most affordable suburbs, with Collie, Withers, and Manjimup topping the list.

Whether youre looking for a property to invest in or seeking to move to the region, there is an abundance of options available to buyers down south, said Hayden Groves, president of REIWA. Most notable is the exceptional lifestyle opportunities on offer, which are not readily available at these prices in the metro area.

The median house prices of the 10 suburbs on REIWAs list range from $205,000 to $335,000, which are well below the Perth metropolitan median house price of $525,000, according to Groves.

REIWA Councillor Joe White, who is a passionate advocate for the South West, said many of the suburbs on the list were hidden gems. He expects these suburbs to grow in popularity over the coming years.

Withers and Usher, for example  ranked two and six on the list respectively  are both located on the coast. West Australians love to live on the coast; to be able to buy a property that close to the beach for $300,000 or less is simply unheard of in the city, White said.

I suspect in the coming years Withers and Usher will grow in popularity as buyers begin to discover the full extent of their superb geographic locations. With their proximity to the Bunbury CBD and sporting facilities, infill re-development will change the perception of these locations as the benefits of this redevelopment radiate out from the town centre, he added.

One of the greatest appeals of the South West for owner-occupiers and investors is the diversity of the landscape, according to Groves. Whether youre looking to live near the beach, prefer a rural secluded lifestyle, or would rather live near a vibrant, fast-growing and modern town like Bunbury, there is lots of choice available at very affordable prices, he said.

Planned investment in the region is bound to increase the value of local properties. [There are] sizable infrastructure developments currently either underway or in the works. Specifically, the Busselton Airport Terminal Expansion will prove to be integral in supporting the regions tourism industry, while also helping to drive further growth in the region, Groves said.

South West Australias 10 most affordable suburbs

Suburb Median House Price (Year to April 2017) Annual Growth Rate Collie $205,000 0.0% Withers $237,500 (-8.7%) Manjimup $248,750 (-10.2%) Carey Park $267,500 (-5.3%) Harvey $270,000 (-14.3%) Usher $300,000 +5.3% Eaton $323,500 (-8.7%) Donnybrook $325,000 +9.2% Glen Iris $330,000 (-5.7%) Bridgetown $335,000 0.0%

*Perth median house price of $525,000 recorded for the year to March 2017

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Zabka, Warszawa, 166 m2

Lokal znajduje sie w budynku apartamentowym Unimax Development w inwestycji Viva Vitolin, przy ul. Grochowskiej 87 w Warszawie. Bedzie dostepny w 4Q 2023 roku (podpisanie umow przeniesienia wasnosci).
Smart cities are here to provide jobs, civic amenities, speedy and hassle-free transport system, uninterrupted and clean power, water supply and good quality of life.

By Prabhash K Dutta: The government has released a fresh list of 30 smart cities, taking the total number under the Smart City Mission to 90. These cities will be developed into smart cities. Incidentally, none of the existing Indian cities figure among the top cities of the world on any index.

According to the IESE Business School Cities in Motion Index 2017 , New York is the best city of the world to live in. It is followed by London and Paris.

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The Cities in Motion analyses various aspects of 181 key cities of the world. Mumbai is the top-ranking Indian city at the 167th position followed by Delhi at 174, Bengaluru at 176 and Kolkata at 179.

The surveyors analysed 79 indicators across 10 different dimensions of urban life, namely economy, technology, human capital, social cohesion, international outreach, the environment, mobility and transportation, urban planning, public administration and governance.

Indian cities don't find themselves in the chart of top smart cities of the world. The chart shown below compares ranking of top cities on different indices, including that of the United Nations.

Photo credit: Cities in Motion Index 2017.

WHAT IS A SMART CITY?

The concept of smart city originated with the Smart Planet Initiative of IBM in 2008. As the concept gained currency, many countries including those in Europe, China and South Korea planned huge investment in the cities to prepare them for the future.

A smart city is characterised by an urban region having modern technological infrastructure, access to smart energy, smart mobility, smart public utility services and ultra fast communication network.

The smart city must not add to the already worrisome carbon problem of the world. The smart city benefits everybody - its residents, business persons and the government.

WHY DO WE NEED SMART CITIES?

According to demographers, India will become the most-populous country in the world by 2030. Unlike the previous phases of demographic change, the latest one is witnessing a fast shift towards urban areas, particularly the big cities.

As per government estimates, every minute 25-30 people are migrating to major Indian cities from rural areas in search of better livelihood and better lifestyles. If the pace of migration from rural areas to urban centres continues, Indian cities would be home to nearly 85 crore people by 2050. This would make 70 per cent of the total population of the country.

As the cities are generally considered the engines of economic growth, such a huge population in cities would be the biggest market in the world and may be the source of 80 per cent economic growth of the country.

But such a huge population would also require accommodation, jobs, civic amenities, efficient governance, fast communication means, speedy and hassle-free transport system, uninterrupted and clean power, water supply and good quality of life.

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The Smart City Mission aims to provide the same to Indians.

WHAT IS BEING DONE?

Elaborating his government's vision about the Smart City Mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Cities in the past were built on riverbanks. They are now built along highways. But in the future, they will be built based on the availability of optical fiber networks and next-generation infrastructure."

To develop 100 such smart cities for the future, the Smart City Mission requires an investment of about USD 1.2 trillion in the next 20 years.

The Smart City Mission is being worked upon in close coordination with the projects like Make In India and Digital India.

As per the Make In India programme, a few smart cities are already coming up across the country such as Kochi Smart City, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Ahmedabad, Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh, Lavasa in Maharashtra and Wave Infratech's 4,500-acre smart city near New Delhi.

GOVT HAS ALSO INVITED FOREIGN PARTNERSHIP

The government has also invited foreign partnership in developing smart cities. Deals have been signed to develop three smart cities in association with Germany, three with the United States, and one each with Spain and Singapore. Japan has also agreed to invest USD 4.5 billion in the Smart City Mission.

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The Industrial Corridors, being developed to connect some of the mega cities, are further contributing to the Smart City Mission. The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor and the Bangalore-Mumbai Economic Corridor are expected to create smart cities in their sphere of influence.

Three smart cities such as Ponneri in Tamil Nadu, Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Tumkur in Karnataka are being developed with the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has taken up the master plan for these cities.

Also read | New list of 30 smart cities is out. Did your city make the cut?

Also read | 3 years of PM Narendra Modi: Here's how NDA government performed on economic front

ALSO WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Washington: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is set to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival here for a summit meeting with President Donald Trump.

The Jaishankar-Tillerson meeting is likely to give final touches to the Modi-Trump meeting at the White House on Monday.

Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet the Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.

Jaishankar, a former Indian ambassador to the US, has been playing a leading role in shaping the India-US relationship under the Modi Government.

Modi's US visit would begin on June 25.
Washington: Key US Lawmakers Ted Poe and Rick Nolan (D-MNN) have introduced a bipartisan bill seeking revoking of Pakistans major non-NATO ally (MNNA) status.

Texas Republican Republican Ted Poe along with Nolan introduced HR 3000- bipartisan legislation revoking Pakistans major non-NATO ally (MNNA) status.

Justifying their decision Poe said, For years, Pakistan has acted as a Benedict Arnold ally of the United States, adding that From harboring Osama bin Laden to backing the Taliban, Pakistan has stubbornly refused to go after terrorists seeking to inflict harm.

We must make a clean break with Pakistan, but at the very least stop providing them with privileged status reserved for our closest allies, Poe stated.

Pakistan must be held accountable for the American blood on its hands, he categorically said.

In 2004, then-President Bush granted Pakistan MNNA status in an effort to get Pakistan to help the United States fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban. MNNA status is significant, granting critical benefits in the areas of foreign aid and defense cooperation.

A MNNA country is eligible for priority delivery of defense material, an expedited arms sale process, and a US loan guarantee program, which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports.

It can also stockpile US military hardware, participate in defense research and development programs, and be sold more sophisticated weaponry.
Vijaywada: Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary K Ramakrishna slammed Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister (CM) N Chandrababu Naidu for allegedly purchasing votes during elections.

"In all the elections, he purchases votes. He not only purchases the votes of the public, but also the votes of Telugu Desam party. He purchases the votes of his counselors, Zilla Parishad constituency members and MLC candidates as well," Ramakrishna told ANI.

"He wants to spend more than 10-20 crores in each constituency. Even in the upcoming Nandyal assembly segment, I can assert that he is going to spend crores of rupees on that. He has even said that he is ready to pay Rs 5,000 per each vote", he added.

Condemning the Chief Minister`s actions, Ramakrishna said that the government is the trustee of people`s account, which is being openly violated.

Citing the example of the Election Commission (EC) quashing the RK Puram constituency elections in Tamil Nadu, the state secretary suggested the EC to taking precautionary measures in the state to curb such wrong attitude.

"EC cancelled the RK Puram constituency election in Tamil Nadu. The AP CM is heading towards the similar attitude. The commission should take all the precautionary measures to curb this attitude", added Ramakrishna.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Ayyub Pandith was beaten to death by a crowd near Srinagar's Jamia mosque, after they assumed he had fired on a gathering of people.

Ayub Pandit was lynched by an irate mob near near Srinagar's Jamia mosque.

By Shuja-ul-Haq : Srinagar's Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ayyub Pandith was lynched by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in downtown area of Srinagar.

Pandith was seen moving in suspicious circumstances by some people near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area at 12.30 am, police sources said. He was reportedly clicking pictures of people while they were coming out of the mosque.

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They said people tried to catch Pandith who allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three persons.

The irate mob then caught hold of him and stripped him naked before stoning him to death, the sources said.

Pandith's body was taken to police control room for identification and other legal procedures, they said adding the situation in old city has turned tense following the incident.

"The officer was on frisking duty at the Jamia Masjid. He was carrying out his duties as usual when the miscreants attacked him," informed sources said.

"He tried to free himself and even fired in self-defence, injuring three. But the mob managed to lynch him," the sources said.

Reports said Pandith's security guards ran away after they found the mob too large to be handle.

Pandith belonged to Khanyar area which is adjacent to Nowhatta where he was killed.

He had been at the mosque post for quite sometime and many locals who regularly visited knew him.

Policemen posted in the security wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police do not wear uniform as a matter of service regulation.

The authorities have already announced restrictions on movement of people in seven police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure.

The restrictions, which would come into force at dawn, were announced to maintain law and order as separatists had called for protests after Friday prayers against killing of a civilian during protests in Kakapora area of Pulwama District on Thursday.

Another officer sacrificed his life in line of duty DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob at #Nowhatta last night. J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) June 23, 2017

-With agency inputs

ALSO READ | Operation All-Out: Army's master plan to flush out terrorists from Kashmir

ALSO READ | Army foils infiltration bid along LoC in Poonch. 2 jawans, 1 militant dead

WATCH | Jammu and Kashmir: Police officer beaten to death by mob near Jamia Masjid in Srinagar

--- ENDS ---

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Karachi: A suicide bomber blew up his explosive-laden car near the office of the regional police chief in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province today, killing at least 13 people, including six policemen, and injuring 20 others.

The powerful blast took place near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboob's office on Gulistan Road area of the provincial capital, Quetta.

Thirteen people, including six policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

The bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital after the attack, according to hospital officials. Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected bomber in the car tried to break a security perimetre to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Kakar blamed India for the blast.

Balochistan has also been facing insurgency by Baloch nationalists and Islamist militants.

Security officials also confirmed that the blast was the result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which exploded after the "suspicious" driver was spotted by policemen.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the blast and began investigating after rescue services shifted the injured and deceased to the hospital.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by Civil Defence Director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying that terrorists involved in the attack will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif

Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Earlier this year, on February 13, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded.
Patna: The Bihar Sharif railway station was on Thursday vandalised by a group of protesters over the demand of employment in Indian Railways, as per ANI.

On the other hand, a News18 report claimed that the protesters, believed to be Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) youth wing students, were angry at irregularities in Bihar Matric results and hence damaged the railway station.

The mob reportedly set ablaze some furniture and damaged the properties including vehicles parked outside the station, said the report.

"The protesters torched properties in inquiry, parcel and booking offices and even looted booking cash," the Bihar Sharif railway station superintendent said.

The class 10th Bihar Board Matric results were announced on Thursday and the overall pass percentage turned out to be a mere 50%, which is way below that last year's 75%.

More details awaited.
New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday made it clear that he will not change his stand on backing NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind for the presidential election.

"There is no question of rethinking our decision. We will go ahead with our decision to support Ram Nath Kovind. This decision has been taken after due consideration and discussion with our party leaders," Nitish stated, addressing the media.

Nitish's message came after his political partner and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav warned him that his decision to back Kovind is a historic blunder and asked him to rethink his stand on backing Kovind.

The Bihar CM also took on his coalition partner and his ally Congress President Sonia Gandhi for choosing a candidate 'only to lose' in the hand of NDA.

"I have a lot of respect for Meira Kumar ji but the Bihar ki beti has been nominated only to lose," Nitish was quoted as saying by Times Now. "Where were those people in the last two elections? Why did they not care for Bihar ki beti then?" he asked after visiting Prasad's residence in the evening to attend an Iftar party where he was warmly greeted by the host and Deputy Chief Minister Tejawsi Yadav.

"It is an election for President. It should not become an issue of confrontation," he told reporters

Kumar said the decision to support Kovind was taken at the meeting of JD(U)'s core committee.

"We have taken this decision after thinking on all aspects. And as far as JD(U) is concerned, it has always taken independent decisions, even when we were a part of NDA. We supported Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA candidate that time."

Stating that President's chair is not for political battle, Kumar said, "Had there been consensus, it would have been a good thing but I do not think it should be a matter of debate."

"I had met Ram Bath Kovind and then had a word with Sonia ji and Sitaram Yechuri ji and I told them about my emotions that Ramnath Kovind ji had a praise worthy role in Bihar as the governor. He had worked in Bihar without any bias."

Lalu earlier in the day said that the opposition parties are still treading on the path Nitish Kumar had suggested to make the country 'Sangh-mukt'.

"...Don't know what made Kumar to move away and extend support to a RSS man," he told reporters on his arrival at the JayAprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

Later in the evening, lalu when asked if he had talks with Nitish Kumar said, "This is not the occasion to speak on such subjects."

The CPI also urged Kumar as well as BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to re-consider their decision to support Kovind.

"We appeal to both the chief ministers of Odisha and Bihar to re-consider their decision and support a secular candidate like Meira Kumar. Above all, both BJD and JD(U) are not part of the BJP-led NDA," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Reddy, accompanied by CPI national secretary Dr K Narayanana, said they hope both Patnaik and Kumar will have a rethink before casting their vote in favour of Kovind, whom they described as a "Sangha Parivar member."

"We do not know the reasons behind both Patnaik and Kumar supporting the NDA candidate," Reddy said adding, the CPI will contact the BJD and JD(U) before the presidential polls.

Stating that the country needs a secular person to become the President in the backdrop of attacks on dalits and minorities since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre, Reddy said opposition parties have fielded Meira Kumar keeping her background in consideration.

"She (Meira Kumar) has been the Speaker of Lok Sabha, having knowledge on external affairs matters and above all the daughter of Jagjivan Ram," Reddy pointed out.

He said the BJP's three-member committee had asked the CPI about its suggestion for a Presidential candidate.

"We had suggested the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi and they (BJP) said about meeting again. But, they announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind without consulting us," Reddy said, criticising the BJP for not going for a consensus candidate for the top post.

Asked why Gandhi was not made a candidate by the opposition for the presidential election, the CPI leader said, "We had just suggested the name of Gandhi. Had the BJP agreed on it, we would have supported him."

According to Left sources, it was also surprising that the names they considered were "not even discussed and proposed" when the Opposition leaders met in Delhi yesterday to decide their joint candidate.

Ahead of the meeting, the Left parties had decided to propose Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, and B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash.

They claimed that leaders of the JD(U) -- which had earlier pitched for Opposition unity, but is supporting Kovind's candidature -- are also of the view that a non-Congress contender "would have been better," the sources said.

The sources suggested that fielding a Congress candidate is something that will come in the way of bringing the JD(U) back to the Opposition flock notwithstanding her being from Bihar.

"There is a feeling that some non-Congress contender should have been considered," the sources said.

(With PTI inputs)
Patna: A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) worker was allegedly thrashed and beaten by state Health Minister and party member Tej Pratap Yadav on the suspicion of being a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) `agent`.



The worker, Sanoj Yadav, was invited to an Iftar party where he was allegedly manhandled by Lalu Prasad Yadav`s son.A weeping Yadav told ANI, "Even I don`t understand what happened.



I have been working for Lalu with utmost dedication for years. I have known Tej Pratap since he used to go to school. But today when I went to an Iftar party, he suddenly came out of his room and accused me of being an RSS agent. I was even threatened to kill."Sanoj further said that he even tried to apprise Lalu Yadav about the matter, but nothing was done about it.
Mumbai: Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan's new film Kaalakaandi had been locked for release on September 8. He says the movie is fun, yet moving.

The film's release date was announced by Cinestaan Film Company, read a statement.

Directed by debutant Akshat Verma, writer of the cult film "Delhi Belly", the dark comedy is the story of six characters from different worlds -- urban, ambitious Mumbai and its dark, neglected underbelly.

Saif said: "'Kaalakaandi' is a film I'm so happy to be a part of. It's a cross section of Mumbai with underworld goons, doomed bankers and idealistic lovers all mixed together in this karmic tale about love, crime and living a lifetime in one night."

According to a source in the know of developments, the script was written specifically with Saif in mind. It took over two years before the script finally got to the actor.

"Akshat has written and directed this unique movie ... and he is probably the only voice who tells it exactly like it actually is. Mumbai is a crazy, beautiful city and he has captured it perfectly in this very fun and very moving film."

Kaalakaandi, produced by Cinestaan Film Company and Ashi Dua Sara of Flying Unicorn, also features Deepak Dobriyal, Vijay Raz, Kunal Roy Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala, Akshay Oberoi, Isha Talwar, Shenaz Treasury, Shivam Patil, Amyra Dastur and Neil Bhoopalam.
Mumbai: Former couple Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif set the silverscreen ablaze with their sizzling chemistry in Kabir Khans Ek Tha Tiger, a spy-thriller in 2012.

The Eid release went on to become a roaring success and one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema. Soon, the sequel to the film  Tiger Zinda Hai will be ready to hit the silverscreen and fans of the hunk can look forward to this years Christmas to watch it.

And now, if the latest report is anything to go by, then it is likely that the Tiger franchise will have a third instalment.

Yes, you read that right. According to a report in DNA, Ali Abbas Zafar, who is directing Tiger Zinda Hai will helm the third and concluding part of the series.

Aditya Chopra and Salman have spoken about taking forward the Tiger franchise and end it with a third part. The main team remains the same, DNA quoted a source as saying.

The ending of TZH is being designed in a way that it leaves room for another, most probably the final sequel. It will be a fresh story with newer characters and a bigger adventure, and will culminate the series, the source added.

So are you ready for yet another Salman-Katrina film?
New Delhi: Investment bank Credit Suisse is reaching out to minority shareholders of Snapdeal to build a consensus on the sale of the e-commerce platform to larger rival, Flipkart.

According to sources, Credit Suisse, which is advising Snapdeal on the proposed deal, is reaching out to smaller shareholders to get them on board for the acquisition.

The beleaguered firm has a number of investors including PremjiInvest, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Ratan Tata, Foxconn, Temasek and BlackRock among others.

Emails sent to Snapdeal and Credit Suisse did not elicit any response.

PremjiInvest -- the personal investment arm of Wipro chairman Azim Premji and a minority investor in Snapdeal -- had written to the company seeking greater clarity on the deal terms. It has also called for equal treatment of shareholders for payouts from the deal.

It has been previously reported that early investors, Nexus Venture Partners (NVP) and Kalaari -- who also have Board representation -- could receive payouts worth over USD 150 million once the deal is closed.

Snapdeal's largest investor, SoftBank has been proactively mediating the sale for the past few months. The Japanese investment firm has already succeeded in getting Board members to agree to the said sale and a term sheet for due diligence with Flipkart has been signed.

Snapdeal's Board has representation from Snapdeal founders (Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal), SoftBank, NVP and Kalaari Capital.

The due diligence process is expected to be completed by month-end or early July.

The deal between Snapdeal and Flipkart, if completed, would mark the biggest acquisition in the Indian e-commerce space.

One of the leading contenders in the Indian e-commerce space, Snapdeal has seen its fortunes failing amid strong competition from Amazon and Flipkart.

Compared to a valuation of about USD 6.5 billion in February 2016, the sale to Flipkart could see Snapdeal being valued at about USD 1 billion.

SoftBank has already written off over USD 1 billion on valuation of its investment in Snapdeal.
Mumbai: The Essar group has crossed the last hurdle to complete the sale of its Gujarat refinery to Russia's Rosneft, with the lenders, including LIC, giving the go-ahead to the deal, sources said.

With this Rs 86,000-crore transaction, which makes it the largest FDI inflow for the country, the company hopes to close the deal by early next month, Essar group sources said.

Asked if the 23 creditors also include LIC, to which the company owes around Rs 1,200 crore, an official replied in the affirmative. It can be noted that LIC's refusal to give the clearance was one of the biggest stumbling blocks.

The deal was signed on October 15 last year in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Goa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.

The sale involves the Ruias almost exiting its cash cow in favour of Russian giant Rosneft and a consortium led by Trafigura-UCP.

"The joint lenders forum of 23 lenders, led by SBI and ICICI, met here this morning and approved and authorised the release of shares of Essar Oil to facilitate the stake sale to Rosneft and the investment consortium headed by Trafigura and UCP," the company source told PTI.

It can be noted that Igor Sechin, the chief executive of Rosneft, had told the company at its AGM yesterday that the transaction could be "considered as closed".

Essar Oil operates a 20 million tonne refinery at Vadinar in Gujarat, and the deal also involves transferring its over 3,500 oil retail outlets.

The refinery accounts for almost 9 per cent of the country's total refining output.

The plant also has a 1,010-mw captive power plant, and a 58-million tonne deep draft port that helps in importing crude and exporting finished products for the refinery.
New Delhi: In a bizarre incident, a man allegedly chopped off his three-year-old daughter's ears and later claimed that a "ghost" threatened him to do so.

The accused, identified as 35-year-old Amrit Bahadur, has been arrested.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday at GTB Enclave in Delhi.

As per Bahadur's family, he has been "mentally disturbed" since the death of his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter a few months ago.

Since then, he has been having hallucinations about a "ghost" who threatened to take away his second child as well.

"Bahadur works in an unorganised sector as a cleaner. He came to his house at around 1:30 am and he was drunk. He was having hallucinations. He felt that something is there that's compelling him to do this act and if he does not do that, he may lose his daughter. Therefore, he said that he chopped off the girl's ear. In the meantime, the family woke up and called up the neighbours who informed the police and the girl was rescued," DCP (Shahdra) Nupur Prasad told ANI.

The girls mother tried to stop her husband but was asked to leave.

Meanwhile, Hindustan Times quoted a senior police officer as saying: He reportedly thrashed his wife and asked her to leave the house. He took his wife and five other children to the terrace and locked the door. He then returned to further torture his daughter.

After returning, Bahadur chopped off the girls second ear.

He said the ghost was unhappy with the sacrifice so he asked for the girls blood from her neck. When the girl tried to run away he pinned her down. Meanwhile, the girls mother alerted the neighbours. Hearing them shout for help, the neighbours made a PCR call and a team reached Bahadurs house. Before he could slit the girls neck, he was caught, a senior police officer said.

The neighbours had called us and reported a brawl. We were shocked to find out that the father had mercilessly slashed his daughters ears, he added.

The girl was admitted to AIIMS Hospital and is stable now.

Bahadur's elder brother had passed away seven years ago.

After his brother's death, he had married his sister-in-law, who had four children.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: Delhi University will on Friday release its first cut-off list for the admissions in undergraduate courses.

The cut-off declaration will be available on the university's official website du.ac.in

The admissions on basis of the first cut-off list, as announced by colleges, will be done between June 24 and June 28.

The second, third, fourth and fifth cut-offs will be announced on July 1, July 7, July 13 and July 18

St Stephen's College released its first list on June 14 for undergraduate programmes, with the highest cut-off point of 98.5 percent marks being reserved for English and Economics.
The senior BJP leader advised Superstar Rajinikanth to stay away from politics.

By India Today Web Desk: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy told India Today that Rajinikanth should not join politics because it will be hard for him to continue because of financial irregularities surrounding the superstar.

Swamy was pressed by India Today's Rahul Kanwal on whether he was absolutely sure of his allegations against Rajinikanth.

"Rajinikanth's famous dialogue is 'If I say it once, it is equivalent to saying it hundred times' (Naan oru thadava sonna, nooru thadava sonna madhiri)," said Swamy, who's personally known to the superstar.

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"If he comes there will be many things that will tumble out which will be harmful to him. I would advise him not to come [to politics]," Swamy told India Today.

The BJP leader also said the 'Superstar' was "unfit for any political work."

Rajinikanth had earlier said he was discussing the prospects of his joining politics, but would make an announcement once he took a decision.

"I have not denied it. We are discussing and yet to take a decision. Once I take a decision I will inform you", he said.

Last month, the veteran actor had asked his fans to "prepare for war," hinting that he might consider entering politics.

ALSO READ | Rajinikanth admits discussing his entry into politics

ALSO READ | If need arises, will consider an alliance with Rajinikanth, O Panneerselvam tells India Today

ALSO WATCH | Subramanian Swamy drops bombshell: Rajinikanth has done financial fraud, shouldn't join politics

--- ENDS ---
Sydney: Australia's most famous wildlife conservationist "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin will be honoured with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.



Irwin, who was fatally stabbed by a stingray's barb at the age of 44, was renowned for his daring antics, and unwavering commitment to environmental protection, which saw him rise to international fame and amass millions of fans worldwide, reports Xinhua news agency.



However, his wife Terri Irwin told the media on Friday that although she was delighted by the news that her late husband will receive his own star, fame and celebrity status were not important to the activist, whose priority was saving the environment.



"Steve always said that he didn't care if anyone remembered him, as long as they remembered his message," Terri said.



"I truly believe that this recognition for Steve's achievements will ensure that his message of wildlife conservation is remembered."



His 18-year-old daughter Bindi Irwin tweeted a childhood image of herself with her father, alongside the message that she was "beyond excited" about the news, and said that it marked an "extraordinary moment" for her family, who remain committed to continuing her "dad's legacy and all that he achieved for global conservation".



"Dad (Irwin) changed the world by reaching out to people through their television screens to bring them on the adventure of a lifetime," she said.



"To have his name on a Hollywood Star means the world, as we carry on his important work."
New Delhi: Tokyo's Ueno Zoo has a new arrival! On June 12, the zoo welcomed a perfectly healthy female baby panda in their midst, making it the first birth of the species in five years.

The announcement sent television reports rolling and set off panda fever nationwide. According to a zoo spokesperson, the cub's sex was confirmed based on pictures sent to a panda research centre in the shy animal's native China.

A panda cub's sex determination at birth can prove difficult since they are born pink, hairless and weigh around 100 grams (three-and-a-half ounces), which is tiny.

The little cub "seems to be in good health" and is drinking her mother's milk, the spokesman said, adding she is now 17.6 centimetres (seven inches) long and weighs 283.9 gramme (9.9 ounces).

Her pink body is beginning to show tell-tale black panda fur.

"She has started to grow black fur around her eyes and on other parts of her body," the spokesman added.

The new unnamed cub and her 11-month-old mother, Shin Shin, are being carefully monitored round the clock.

The happiness of the zoo staff post the new cub's birth knows no bounds, since the last panda's arrival at the zoo ended unhappily, with the baby dying from pneumonia.

The death reduced one of the zoo's directors to tears.

(With PTI inputs)
London: EU migrants said Friday that far from being "generous", Prime Minister Theresa May`s offer for their post-Brexit residency was niggardly and left them prey to the whims of British lawmakers.

The offer outlined by the beleaguered May at an EU summit was also condemned by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as woefully insufficient.

"The PM`s plan doesn`t come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of the 3 million EU nationals living in the UK," Khan tweeted, although British officials said further details would come on Monday.

Over dinner Thursday with her 27 EU counterparts, May promised EU citizens living in Britain that they could stay after Brexit, with permanent rights to healthcare, education, welfare and pensions equivalent to British nationals.

"The UK`s position represents a fair and serious offer and one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK," May told her colleagues.

The prime minister said she expected any offer by Britain to be matched by the EU for the 1.2 million Britons living on the continent, a government source said.

But May, having pledged a "generous" offer heading into the summit, refused to let the EU`s top court oversee the process and any resulting disputes.

That led some migrants to worry that they would enjoy fewer rights than the food and wine traded under rules of international arbitration.

"There`s nothing special in her offer, it`s what anyone wanting the (non-EU) residency permit will go through," Spanish nurse Joan Pons, one of 60,000 Europeans working for the National Health Service (NHS) in England alone, said.

"It`s not a `generous` offer. It`s rather ridiculous," he told AFP. Frenchman Nicolas Hatton, head of the EU migrant lobby group "the3million", noted it had taken the government almost exactly 12 months to unveil the offer after Britain`s Brexit referendum on June 23 last year.

"Twelve months for that! It`s pathetic that the UK government is playing with our lives in the most backward proposal for EU citizens we could have imagined," he said.

EU nationals must be able to continue living in Britain on the same terms as British citizens, Hatton said, and any arrangements must be ring-fenced to protect their rights in case Brexit negotiations fall apart.
Mexico City: Mexico may have a problem with violence, but its government says it is not the second most violent country in the world, as US President Donald Trump has claimed on Twitter.

The Mexican foreign ministry pointed instead to places like Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil as countries with higher murder rates, in a statement released late Thursday.

Trump had posted earlier: "Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!"

He appeared to be referring to a May 9 report from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, which said that Mexico`s 2016 murder rate was second only to Syria`s.

The IISS pointed to Mexico`s heavily militarized war on drugs and its attempts to crush powerful drug cartels.

"It is very rare for criminal violence to reach a level akin to armed conflict," the IISS report said.

Mexico`s foreign ministry acknowledged that the drug trade was "the most important cause of violence in Mexico."

But it described it as "a shared problem that will end only when its root causes are dealt with: the high demand for drugs in the United States and the offer from Mexico (and other countries)."

"We must stop blaming each other," it added.

Mexico had already said in May that the IISS report was based on faulty methodology, saying such comparisons should be based on United Nations crime figures that include central and south American countries.

US-Mexico relations have been testy since Trump took office in January after a campaign in which he vowed to build a wall along the shared border, bashed Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists, and promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

The wall remains a rallying cry among Trump`s supporters, but the proposal -- estimated to cost anywhere from $8 to $40 billion -- has found little support in Congress.

Mexican officials have derided Trump`s claim that Mexico will pay for the wall`s construction.

Talks with Canada and Mexico to overhaul NAFTA are expected to start in August.
Russia: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny can not run for presidency because of his criminal conviction, the Central Election Commission, said in a statement on Friday.

"Navalny does not have passive suffrage," said the statement, meaning he was ineligible to run for office.

Navalny was found guilty of embezzlement in February and given a five-year suspended prison sentence in a court case he says was organised to stop him running for president.
New Delhi: Terrorists group like the LeT, JeM and the Taliban, which have been responsible for some of the worst crimes against humanity, still operate openly from their safe havens and the world hasn't done enough to curb them, Indian envoy Syed Akbaruddin has said at a UN conference.

The Taliban, Haqqani Network, Al-Qaeda, Daesh, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and others of their ilk are all terror organizations, many of them proscribed by the UN. They should be treated like terrorist organizations with no justifications offered for their activities, the Indian Express quoted Akbaruddin as saying.

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN has demanded the international community to end terror havens wherever they exists.

''It is international communitys first and foremost duty to ensure that the resurgent forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level, he said, adding We must not differentiate between good and bad terrorists, or play one group against the other.

Akbaruddin made the remarks during a UN debate themed The situation in Afghanistan.

Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, he said violence witnessed there has been considered routine by the international community, and at times, it even shied away from condemning some of the terrorist attacks.

Is it that they are far too many to keep track of? Is it because there is a threshold below which human lives lost to terrorism are not required to be addressed?, he asked.

Despite the global unity to fight terrorism, how these terrorists in Afghanistan get funding, training and weapons, asked Akbaruddin.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US President Donald Trump for the first time on June 26 in Washington.

Ahead of his three-nation tour that begins on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi says that the aim of his upcoming visit to the United States was building of a forward-looking vision for the bilateral partnership and further consolidate the robust and wide- ranging ties.



Modi said he "looked forward to the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views".

Along with the US, PM Modi will be travelling to Portugal and the Netherlands during the four-day visit.

"My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted.

My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world. https://t.co/UaF6lbo1ga  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2017

In a statement posted on the Facebook, Modi said his two-day visit to Washington from June 25 was at the invitation of Trump.

"President Trump and I have spoken on telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people. I look forward to this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide ranging partnership between India and the United States," the PM said.

He further noted, "India's partnership with the US is multi- layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides. I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new Administration in the United States under President Trump."

The Prime Minister said that apart from official meetings with Trump and his cabinet colleagues, he will be meeting some prominent American CEOs and will also be interacting with the Indian diaspora.

In the first leg of the tour, Modi will pay a working visit tomorrow to Portugal where he will have talks with Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

"Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," he said about his upcoming meeting with Costa.

"We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the prime minister added.

He said the two leaders will deliberate on means to intensify the bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest.

"I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he said.

He will be interacting with the Indian Community in Portugal during the visit.

After the US visit, Modi will travel to the Netherlands on June 27 where he will have an official meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem- Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

This year, the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.

"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter- terrorism and climate change," he said.

Economic relations form the core of the bilateral relations and the Nethernethlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally.

"The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said.

"Indo-Dutch economic engagement is a win-win proposition," he said, adding he would be discussing with Rutte as to how the two sides should work to further harness the synergies.

He said he will also be meeting with CEOs of major Dutch companies and encourage them to join the Indian growth story.

"There are strong people-to-people relations between the two countries with the presence of second largest Indian diaspora in Europe in the Netherlands. I look forward to engaging with the Indian community in the Netherlands," he added.

(With PTI inputs)
Chennai: AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T T V Dhinakaran on Friday announced the camp's support to NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the July 17 presidential poll.

Dhinakaran made the announcement as per the "orders" of jailed party chief V K Sasikala, and said all the MPs in the faction as well as MLAs in the Assemblies of both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will support Kovind in the election.

"As per the orders of AIADMK (Amma) General Secretary V K Sasikala, I announce with joy that MPs from the Amma faction, besides MLAs in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and alliance party MLAs will vote for Ram Nath Kovind, who is contesting the Presidential polls on behalf of BJP," he said in a statement here.

Dhinakaran's announcement virtually seals AIADMK's entire support to the NDA candidate, and comes in the wake of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, heading the Amma faction, and rebel leader O Panneerselvam having already extended their support to the former Bihar governor.

The AIADMK has a total of 49 MPs, including 37 in Lok Sabha, while its strength in the Tamil Nadu Assembly is 135.

In the 234-member state Assembly, the Amma faction has 122 MLAs while the Puratchi Thalaivi Amma camp led by Panneerselvam has 12 legislators.

The other one is the Speaker.

The R K Nagar seat lies vacant following the death of former chief minister Jayalalithaa in December last year.

Recently, nearly 30 ruling party MLAs had called on Dhinakaran post his release on bail in the Election Commission bribery case, triggering speculation that one more faction could emerge.
New Delhi: China on Friday hoped that India and the United States would play a constructive role in South China Sea and won't disturb the peace.

The issue is likely to come up for discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump when they meet next week in Washington.

"With concerted efforts of China and Asean countries, the situation there is cooling down.

We hope other countries, especially non-regional countries, can respect efforts by regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," PTI quoted China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang as saying.

Modi will meet Trump for the first time on June 26 and a range of issues are likely to come up, including H1B visas and terrorism.

Earlier, US Press Secretary Sean Spicer said cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea will figure in the talks.

China is locked in a dispute with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan over the ownership of energy-rich waters.

China claims almost 90 per cent of the sea.

The US has sent its warships into the waters, asserting its freedom to navigate in the international waters.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: China shares India's concern on the issue of H1B visa as it also affects Chinese students studying in the US universities, the country's official media said in a commentary on Friday.

The H1B issue not just affects the Indian IT sector but also Chinese students studying in the US, hence, Beijing supports India's stance, the article said.

The article comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US during which he will discuss a host of issues with President Donald Trump.

The commentary hoped that the problem would get resolved during PM Modi's meeting with President Trump in Washington.

The Chinese people will take a close look at the summit because the H1B issue, among other things, also concern China's interests, it said.

For instance, Trump is reforming US immigration policies, including the H1B visa, whose biggest and second-biggest recipients are India and China, respectively.

The curb on H1B visas is bad news not only for the Indian IT sector but also to Chinese students in US universities, the article said, adding, China will most likely be willing to express support for India's stance over the H1B visa.
Sushma Swaraj asked the Indian envoy in Saudi Arabia to help a nurse from Karnataka who has reportedly been pushed into slavery in the Gulf country.

Sushma Swaraj asked the Indian envoy in Saudi Arabia to help a nurse from Karnataka who has been pushed into slavery. (Photo: PTI)

By Press Trust of India: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday asked the Indian envoy in Saudi Arabia to help a nurse from Karnataka who has reportedly been pushed into slavery in the Gulf country.

"Javed : Pls help rescue this lady. @IndianEmbRiyadh," Swaraj tweeted, asking India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Javed to help Jacintha Mendonca, the Indian nurse.

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As per media reports, a kafil in Saudi Arabia has demanded 24,000 Saudi Riyals (USD 6,398) to free her.

Replying to a separate query on twitter, Swaraj said every PIO (person of Indian-origin) cards has to be converted to OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) cards, saying it is mandatory.

She also directed the passport division of the External Affairs Ministry to resolve difficulties being faced by a person with disability.

Her response came after one Luv Kher requested to renew a passport of his disabled son.

"@SushmaSwaraj @MEAIndia Kindly approve passport renewal of my divyang son (J9503328), cant visit biometrics. Appl. pending @ RPO GZB Thanks (sic)," Kher said.

Responding to the issue Swaraj tweeted, "I have asked @CPVIndia to resolve this".

ALSO READ | Uzma Ahmed: Pakistan is a well of death, thank you PM Modi, Sushma Swaraj for helping me return to India

ALSO READ | Hyderabad woman trapped in Saudi rescued, Sushma lauds Indian envoy

ALSO WATCH | Uzma Ahmed recounts her ordeal in Pakistan, says thankful to Sushma Swaraj

--- ENDS ---
Beijing: China again said on Friday that there is no change in its stance on admission of non-NPT states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), marring India's chances of entering the elite club at its crucial meeting currently underway in Bern.

"As for non-NPT counties being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to China?s position," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing.

He was replying to a question whether there is any change in China's stand at the plenary meeting taking place in the Swiss capital, Bern.

"I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on admission of new members and the Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate," he said.

"As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, as far as I know this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold principle of decision upon consensus and continue to discuss various dimensions like technology, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission the group," he said.

China's stand, stonewalling India's admission, has become a major stumbling block in bilateral relations between the two countries.

After India's application for entry into the 48-member elite group which controls the nuclear trade, Pakistan, the all-weather ally of China, too had applied with the tacit backing of Beijing.

While India, which is backed by the US and a number of western countries has garnered the support of a majority of the group's members, China has stuck to its stand that new members should sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), making India's entry difficult as the group is guided by the consensus principle.

India is not a signatory to the NPT.

After a series of meetings, China has backed a two-step approach which stipulates that the NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the NSG and then move forward with discussions of specific cases.

The Bern meeting is being regarded significant as it is taking place after Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly took up the issue of India's accession to NSG with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their recent meeting at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Asked about the cooperation between India and the US on the Indo-Pacific region, including the disputed South China Sea which was expected to figure during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to US, Geng said the situation in the South China Sea is cooling down.

"With the concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries the situation there is cooling down. We hope other countries especially non-regional countries can respect efforts by the regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play constructive role in this regard," he said.
Hyderabad: "Should a person who is opposed to reservation for Muslim and Christian minorities occupy the post of the President," Telangana Congress chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday wondered, referring to the NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Reddy referred to a seven-year-old remark of Kovind in which he reportedly said that Islam and Christianity were "alien" to India and urged the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in the state to reconsider its decision to back Kovind for the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"It is on record that Ram Nath Kovind, who is an RSS activist, has said that Islam and Christianity are alien to India. He said this on March 26, 2010 in a press conference. This was widely reported in newspapers in Delhi," he told reporters here.

Kovind had opposed reservation for minority Muslims and also rejected the Ranganath Mishra Commission report which proposed reservations for Muslims and Christians and other minorities, Reddy claimed.

"He (Kovind) also said that Dalit status should not be given to Dalit Christians. Now, a person, who holds such views, should he occupy the highest constitutional post of India? We think not," he said.

The state unit president of the Congress "hoped" that Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao would reconsider his decision to support Kovind as he is "opposed to Muslims and Christians and specifically opposed reservation to Muslims and giving SC status to Dalit Christians."

He hoped that all electorate in Telangana would vote for the joint Opposition candidate Meira Kumar.

"Will he (Chandrasekhar Rao) not express his gratitude to Meira Kumar who was Speaker of Lok Sabha when Telangana Bill was passed. We hope the entire electorate of Telangana will vote for Meira Kumar," he said.
United Nations: India has voted against the UK to back of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justice's opinion on the decades-long dispute between Britain and Mauritius over a strategic island in the Indian Ocean.

In a diplomatic blow to Britain, the General Assembly yesterday voted by 94 to 15 to ask the Hague-based court to examine the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius maintains is part of its territory that has been unlawfully claimed by the UK since 1965.

Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968.

India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution proposed by Mauritius and co-sponsored by the Group of African States.

"As part of our longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in his statement to the General Assembly on the resolution.

Akbaruddin said India supports the draft and votes in favour of it, "continuing with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonisation".

Speaking before the vote, Mauritius Minister Mentor and Minister for Defence Anerood Jugnauth told the 193-member General Assembly that the Chagos Archipelago has been part of his country since at least the 18th century, when France had governed it.

He said the entire territory had been ceded to the United Kingdom in 1810, and kept intact until the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago in November 1965.

He added that information had come to light about British efforts to manipulate the international community at the time, and to present the United Nations with a fait accompli regarding the separation. Those facts alone should warrant a fresh look at the situation, he emphasised.

He said "a vote for the draft resolution [...] is a vote in support of completing the process of decolonisation, respect for international law and the rule of law."

Akbaruddin said as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonisation, India since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.

He stressed that India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean.

"We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space. On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations," Akbaruddin said.

The archipelago's biggest island Diego Garcia is the site of a major British-American military base that is still in operation and served as a key US base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The US voted against the draft resolution saying it was an attempt to circumvent the ICJ's lack of jurisdiction over a bilateral issue in which one of the parties had not consented to the submission.

It said the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, was critical to regional and global security. The US said the issue was not decolonisation, but a bilateral territorial dispute that would undermine the Courts advisory function.

Britain's envoy to the UN Matthew Rycroft said the UK is opposing the resolution "because referring a bilateral dispute to the ICJ is not the appropriate course of action.

"The request for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the Government of Mauritius to circumvent a vital principle: the principle that a State is not obliged to have its bilateral disputes submitted for judicial settlement without its consent. And let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius," he said.

Rycroft added that UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes, and in 1966, concluded an agreement with the United States of America for joint defence use of the territory.

"The extensive facilities that have since been established, are primarily used as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships, and they make an essential contribution to regional and global security and stability," he said.

He noted that Britains current agreement with the United States regarding the use of the Archipelago as a military base lasts until 2036.

"We cannot, 19 years away, predict exactly what our defence purposes will require beyond that date. We should not and will not make arbitrary, or ill-informed, or premature decisions. We cannot gamble with the future of regional and global security," he said.

The British envoy asserted that UK stands by its commitment that when it no longer needs the territory for defence purposes, it will pass on the Archipelagos sovereignty.
Washington: Indian-Americans here are eagerly looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a big way during his visit to the US capital to meet President Donald Trump.

The Indian community in Washington might not be as big the community as in New York/New Jersey area or the Silicon Valley, where the Prime Minister addressed two massive rallies in recent years, but the enthusiasm among the diaspora is at the same level.

The community is planning to welcome Modi at every possible location where he could be available during his three-day stay here.

"There is a huge enthusiasm among Indian Americans," said Adapa Prasad, a top leader of the Overseas Friends of BJP USA, who is playing a key role in organising events to welcome the Prime Minister.

Unlike New York and Silicon Valley, Modi is attending a smaller community event on Sunday in a Virginia suburb of Washington DC. The Sunday afternoon reception is invitation only and has been restricted to leaders of the community organisations and eminent Indian-Americans from across the country.

"Despite this people are coming from across the country. They are flying and driving down to Washington DC for several hours to have a glimpse of their popular leader," Prasad said.

It is understood that the community reception can accommodate about 600 people.

In addition to the community events, several think-tanks and organisations have planned a series of events coinciding with the US-India Summit on Monday.

The East West Centre in Washington and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with the Senate India Caucus and the House India Caucus will launch 'India Matters for America/America Matters for India', a publication and web resource for credible and nonpartisan information, graphics, analysis, and news at the national and state level on US-India interactions.

The briefing brings together experts from the US Government, business, and academia to assess how the partnership between the United States and India has moved towards greater cooperation in matters of regional security, trade, and cultural exchange, a statement said.

Another American think-tank Hudson Institute has partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to host a discussion on Monday on building stronger trade relations between India and the US.

Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, will offer his perspective on the India-US relationship.

A panel discussion to be moderated by Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the US, would include Pratyush Kumar, president of Boeing India; Danny O?Brien, government relations leader for transportation at General Electric Company; James Shapiro, resident director in North America for Tata Sons; and Kapil Sharma, senior vice president at Wipro. The panelists will explore ways to foster deeper economic bonds through innovation, global supply chain integration, investment, and more, a statement said.

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) is organising a mini-conference on the Indo-US ties and Indian diaspora on June 25, which among others would be addressed by Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge, foreign affairs dept of the Bharatiya Janata Party and an editor of book 'Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India's Foreign Policy'.

Indiaspora is also organising a reception to celebrate India US relationship.

Meanwhile, separatist Sikh and Kashmiri groups have announced that they will hold anti-India protest rallies in front of the White House on Monday.
New Delhi: With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar supporting National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday said the former made a `mistake` by supporting the ruling government, adding that he will try to convince him to rethink on the same.

"I don`t know why Nitish Kumar took this decision. I will tell him that he has made a mistake and would appeal him to rethink on his decision to support Kovind," Lalu told ANI.

He further said Meira Kumar is the `daughter of Bihar` and he will try to convince Nitish to back her for the post.

"The BJP government didn`t even consult other political parties before announcing the name of Ram Nath Kovind for the post of President. Whatever they did was equal to dictatorship. This is a conspiracy" he said.

Earlier, Janta D (U) confirmed that they will support Kovind the President.

"All the leaders have decided that we will support Ram Nath Kovind for the post of president. He is Bihar`s first Governor who has been nominated for this post. We are very happy with this, it is a matter of Bihar`s development," Senior JD (U) leader Ratnesh Sada said after meeting all party leaders.

However, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said political parties made a mistake by supporting Kovind without knowing whether he is going to be a single man in the contest.

"Some of the political parties like JD (U), (Biju Janata Dal) BJD, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) or Shiv Sena have already announced that they are supporting Kovind. I would pose a question to them that don`t you think that your decision was a little too immature and in haste when you took important decision like who is going to head the Indian executive for the next five years? It`s an important decision," NCP leader Majid Memon questioned.

Meanwhile, Kovind will file his nomination today in the Parliament House to be the 15th President of India.

The ruling NDA government has nominated Bihar Governor Kovind for the position for the post of Indian President. The BJP has prepared four sets for Kovind`s nomination.

The Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) including O. Panneerselvam have backed Kovind for the post of President.

Meanwhile, the opposition on Thursday nominated former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for the highest post India.All 17 political parties unanimously proposed name of Meira for forthcoming Presidential elections.

The decision was taken after the Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met to discuss the NDA decision on Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have backed Kumar.

Though earlier, the Mayawati-led BSP extended their support to Kovind, but after the nomination of Kumar, they recalled their support.
New Delhi/Bengaluru: A confident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, while maintaining that the NDA government's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind will win with majority, said that the Congress Party is using Meira Kumar as a 'sacrificial goat' in this election.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar has been announced as the Opposition's Presidential nominee.

"Knowing completely well that she will be defeated, Congress is trying to make her a sacrificial goat in this election. Meira Kumar had chaired the speaker position with great dignity. Such a person should not have been chosen when they (Congress) were well aware that she will be losing," BJP leader S Prakash told ANI.

The BJP leader also said that the grand old party is trying to pit a Dalit against another Dalit and dividing the society.

"Congress has been forced to tow the BJP line in selecting the presidential candidate. BJP forced Congress to pick a Dalit candidate as their own presidential candidature. Unfortunately, it is trying to pit Dalit versus Dalit and dividing the society in the process," he said.

Another BJP leader Shaina NC asserted that their nominee Ram Nath Kovind will win the Presidential Election as they have more numbers in their basket.

"As a woman in public life, I would like to compliment Meira Kumar for her candidature, but I think at the end it is about numbers. As they say, let the best man or woman win, and in this particular case, clearly the NDA and our allies have the numbers," she told ANI.

The Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met yesterday to discuss the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) decision on Presidential nominee Kovind, following which they announced their candidate.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.
New Delhi: NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind filed his nomination papers on Friday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states.

"I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will try to maintain the dignity of the post," the former Bihar governor said after filing his papers.

While addressing the media, Kovind assured to maintain sanctity of the top post if he is elected as the nest President of India. He said, Will strive to keep President's post above party politics, adding that I will do my best to maintain dignity of the high office of the President.

"Ever since I became governor, I don't belong to any political party. The post of President is above party politics," he maintained.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarch LK Advani, along with other senior party leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu others were also present.

Kovind filed his nomination at Parliament House.

All chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and its allies except Manohar Parrikar of Goa and Mehbooba Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir were present.

Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami were among those present.

Four sets of nomination papers have been prepared and each were signed by Modi, Shah, Telugu Desam Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Besides the NDA's constituents, which comprise over 48.6 percent of votes in the electoral college that will elect the next president, regional parties such as the AIADMK, BJD, TRS and JD(U) have announced their support to the Dalit leader, making his win an almost foregone conclusion.

Kovind is all set to sail through the July 17 presidential election as he is guaranteed to get more than 61 percent of the vote.

Opposition announces Meira Kumar as presidential nominee

Former Lok Sabha speaker and senior Congress leader Meira Kumar, a Dalit, was on Thursday announced Opposition's candidate to take on NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind for Presidential election.

The counting of votes will take place on July 20. The term of President Pranab Mukherjee ends on July 24.

The decision was taken after 17 Opposition parties met in the national capital on Thursday to pick their candidate.
New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday questioned the central government on need for providing security to Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in the wake of lynching of Jammu and Kashmir deputy superintendent of police by a mob in Srinagar.

Speaking to ANI, Swamy said, "Police security is given by the state for those who take a stand against the militants. But these people here are the militants, so I think there is no logic in giving them security on the taxpayers money."

Farooq had earlier said he was deeply disturbed by the brutal lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith.

"The media is reporting falsely that when the incident happened, I was present inside the mosque. I reached the mosque at 12.15 a.m., while the incident had happened before that," he said in a press release.

"The incident that happened in Nowhatta outside the Jamia Masjid is the most unfortunate. I am deeply disturbed by this brutal act. Mob violence and public lynching is outside the parameters of our values and religion," he said.

Mirwaiz also said that this kind of brutalisation was all due to the misery being heaped on the people of Kashmir by Centre and the state government.

He repeatedly said that the Indian state has been asked to address the Kashmir dispute and initiate steps to resolve it so that the blood of Kashmiris is not shed and the killings along the LoC are stopped.

Pandith was lynched to death by a violent mob in downtown Srinagar yesterday. The deceased DSP was on surveillance patrol and was allegedly clicking pictures of people emerging from the Jamia Masjid when a mob attacked him.

With the situation getting out of control, he opened fire in which three people were injured.The angry mob then proceeded to attack him and took his life.

The police have recovered the body of the deceased and are investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said two people have been arrested and a third person has been identified in connection with the lynching.

(With agency inputs)
Washington: Even as the Trump administration is cosying up to the Chinese, the US will need India to counter Beijing's growing influence in the world, a top American think-tank has said.

Describing India as a "key piece in the jigsaw" for the US, the Atlantic Council urged the Trump administration to prioritise its ties with New Delhi.

"Given the advancements that China has made both economically and militarily, the US will need to channel considerable resources to assert its global and regional primacy," Atlantic Council, a top American think-tank said in a policy paper 'Transforming India from a Balancing to Leading Power' released ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here.

"To accomplish this, India remains a key piece in the jigsaw for the US. President (Donald) Trump will need to assure India that it is not merely a regional prop to balance Beijing's power in theregion, but a top priority for US foreign policy under the Trump administration," said the policy paper authored jointly by the former Union Minister Manish Tewari and Bharat Gopalaswamy, director of the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council.

"While Trump has favoured rapprochement with Beijing so far, there will need to be more initiative and effort from Washington to ensure that India-US relations continue to strengthen. The Asia-Pacific Stability Initiative proposed by Senator John McCain could be one effective way to signal the United States' intent towards India," it said.

The proposed USD 7.5 billion funding, if approved, could be a starting point for further India-US engagement in the years to come, they wrote.

Noting that during his campaign, Trump indicated that strengthening US-India ties would be a top priority for his administration, the two authors said Trump went on to woo India by openly vilifying China on a host of issues not limited to the South China Sea.

"However, since he was sworn into office, Trump has displayed an unprecedented degree of warmth in his attitude towards China, leaving Indian observers puzzled," it said.

"In his first few months in office, President Trump has demonstrated that Asia continues to be a major focus of US foreign policy," the policy paper said.

"His administration has addressed a multitude of issues related to China and the Korean Peninsula in a short time frame, reiterating US interests in the region.

That being said, a more pressing concern is whether President Trump will work to enhance the stature of the Indo-American relationship in the same vein as his predecessors," Tewari and Gopalaswamy said.
By India Today Web Desk: Tere liye actor Harshad Chopra will soon make a return to television with none other than Beyhadh star Jennifer Winget as his female lead, according to a report in Indian Express.

The actor, who was last seen in a show a couple of years ago, was supposed to make his return to television with Meenu Mausi with Sanaya Irani. However, things didn't pan out as they were supposed to, and the show, for now, has been shelved.

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But thankfully, fans of Harshad will soon get a chance to see him in a romantic drama, which is apparently being produced by Cinevistaas, which is also responsible for producing the much loved show Beyhadh.

The show will apparently air on Colors.

However, nothing has been confirmed yet.

"A new show with Harshad and Jennifer is in the making. But it will take time (to go on floor). It might happen in August-September," Indian Express quoted a source as saying.

Also read: Beyhadh impressive! When Aneri Vajani stole Jennifer Winget's thunder with her acting chops

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New Delhi: The Opposition said on Friday that it would contest the July 17 presidential election based on ideology and appealed to all secular forces to support its nominee Meira Kumar.

Kumar was picked by 17 non-NDA political parties as their candidate against NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

The July 17 presidential election will see a contest between two Dalits, one hailing from Uttar Pradesh and the other from Bihar.

Thanking the Opposition parties for nominating her as their joint candidate, Kumar said this was a fight between different ideologies.

She appealed to the electorate comprising parliamentarians and members of state legislatures to decide on their support in the best interest of the country based on cherished values of social justice and inclusiveness and on principles and ideologies.

"This election is a fight of ideology. I would appeal to the collegium to take their decision on the best interest of the country, based on the cherished values and principles and ideologies. These are social justice, inclusiveness and values of composite Indian heritage which we hold so sacred," she has said.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who termed Kumar as the best candidate to represent the secular forces, said, "This is a fight of ideologies and there is no midway. People with secular ideology should stand with Meira Kumar."

CPI national secretary D Raja also termed the presidential poll as a battle of ideologies and that the Opposition would fight this contest seriously despite less numbers.

"It is true that the numbers are not in favour of the Opposition at this point of time. But it is a contest and must be fought seriously. Some people say it is a token fight, but what is tokenism in a democracy? This contest is to safeguard the Constitution, democracy. It is a battle of ideologies," he said.

Raja also added that they would reach out to the other Opposition parties to join hands and support Kumar's candidature.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said his was an "ideological battle" against Kovind. "(He) is a hardcore RSS man and even if the Congress had asked us to support him, I would have gone against it," he said.

Kovind today sought to reach out to the Opposition by asserting that the president's office was above party politics and that he did not belong to a party.

"Since I became the governor I do not belong to any political party," the 71-year-old former head of the BJP's Dalit Morcha -- almost certain to be the next president -- said after filing his nomination here for the post.
San Francisco: Facebook`s new mission is to give the people the power to build community and bring the world closer together, the social network`s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said.

Zuckerberg unveiled Facebook`s updated purpose on Thursday at the social network`s first Community Summit, a gathering in Chicago of leaders from 120 different Facebook Groups, Forbes.com reported.

Facebook`s earlier stated mission was "to make the world more open and connected".

Facebook`s new mission does not mean that the company is shifting away from connecting friends and family, but rather that it is broadening its focus to enabling people to connect with meaningful communities too, Zuckerberg was quoted as saying.

"For 10 years, we focused on doing everything around connecting people with their friends and family," Zuckerberg said.

"Now I think that there is a whole lot of similar work to be done around communities: Meeting new people, getting exposed to new perspectives, making it so that the communities that you join online can translate to the physical world, too," he said.

Zuckerberg described this `new mission` as an extension of Facebook`s original mantra that will guide the company over the next decade.

"Connecting friends and family has been pretty positive, but I think there is just this collective feeling that we have a responsibility to do more than that and also help build communities and help people get exposed to new perspectives and meet new people -- not just give people a voice, but also help build common ground so people can actually move forward together," the Facebook CEO said.

He noted that the importance of community groups and leaders, like pastors and local advocates, and the impact of declining community membership had been visible to him on his "50 states tour," which will ensure he meets people in every US state to better understand how social networks affect their lives.

Interestingly, the announcement comes two months after Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer addressed the annual F8 developers conference at San Jose in April and said Facebook now aims to develop technology that will help everyone build a global community.

Schroepfer noted that the company would invest in a number of foundational technologies over the next 10 years, including connectivity, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality.

Rather than looking for a one-size-fits-all connectivity solution, Facebook is investing in a building-block strategy -- designing different technologies for different use cases, which are then used together to create flexible and extensible networks.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday registered a case against Hurriyat Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed and members of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's Hurriyat Conference, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Dukhtaran-e-Millat under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED will investigate the flow of funds through Hawala and other illegal channels, both domestically and abroad, for funding separatists and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, said ANI.

As per News18, the ED has established money trail between Hafiz Saeed and Hurriyat

On June 4, the National Investigative Agency raided 33 locations at Srinagar, Delhi and Haryana in a crackdown on terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir.

Letterheads of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, property related documents, Rs 2.5 crore cash and 85 gold coins were seized during the raids.

A preliminary enquiry (PE) has been registered against separatists leaders and Hurriyat Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and his close aide and Hurriyat provincial President Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar and Ghazi Javed Baba.

The raids were carried days after some separatist leaders were caught on camera saying that they receive fundings from Lashkar-e-Toiba and other sources in Pakistan to fund stone pelters and violent protests against the government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday denounced the lynching of a senior police officer here and said the crime was a "murder of trust".

Paying tributes to Deputy Superintendent Mohammad Ayub Pandit, lynched outside a mosque on Thursday night, she said: "The murder is actually a murder of trust. The officer had allowed his guards to go home.

"Jammu and Kashmir has one of the finest police forces in the country who exercise maximum restraint while dealing with law and order situation," she added.
Srinagar: A group of miscreants tried to set on fire a guard post in south Kashmir's Pulwama district but were chased away by the cops on duty, police said on Friday.

Some of them pelted stones at the police guard posted at Court Complex in Pulwama during the night, a police official said.

He said the miscreants then made an attempt to set ablaze the sentry post.

The police personnel posted there resorted to aerial firing to chase the miscreants away, the official said, adding there was no loss of life or injury in the incident.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Friday branded the cop lynching incident as `murder` and assured action in the matter.

"I condemn it in the strongest words because it`s a crime. It`s a murder. The government will take it in that way and the police will take a strong action against them," Singh told ANI.

In an apparent reference to the separatists, Singh said that those people who claim that they are for the welfare of the people don`t even utter a word when such incidents take place.

"This is a cowardice approach on their part. They should come out. These people only talk in favour of pro-Pakistani elements but when the question of our security forces come, these people don`t act," he added.

Last night, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched to death by a violent mob in downtown Srinagar.

The deceased DSP was allegedly on surveillance and was clicking picture of people emerging from the Jamia Masjid mosque, when a mob attacked him.

After the situation became out of control, the cop in his own defence open fire through his service pistol on the mob, in which three people got injured.

The angry mob then proceeded to attack him more severely and ended up taking his life.

The police have recovered the body of deceased and are investigating the matter.
New Delhi: The lynching of a police officer in Jammu and Kashmir is an "unholy" act in the pious month of Ramzan, Union minister Jitendra Singh said today.



He said the tragic death of the officer was yet another eye-opener for the innocent masses of Kashmir who had been held to ransom for decades together by self-styled protagonist who claimed to have waged a war in the name of religion, jihad or Islam.



"If this is a war in the name of religion can there be more irreligious act like this? And if this is the war in the holy name of Islam, can there be a more unholy and un-Islamic act than this in the holy month of Ramzan?" Singh told PTI.



Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ayub Pandit was stripped naked and stoned to death by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar in the early hours today.



Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), has said militants are under tremendous pressure and in desperation they are resorting to cowardice act like this which is actually creating public opinion against them.

He demanded strict action against those involved in the lynching.



Singh, who is also the Lok Sabha member from the state's Udhampur constituency, blamed the previous Congress governments for the situation in Kashmir.



"What is being witnessed in Kashmir today is cumulative consequential series of pitfalls, blunders and experiments done by the Congress governments when it was at the helm both at the Centre and in Jammu and Kashmir, either lone or in coalition, for nearly half-the-century," the minister said.



In the last two years, some of the decisive steps taken by the Modi government both in combating militancy as well as bringing to book the separatists and the promoters of terrorism were not seen in the earlier years of the previous Congress governments, he said.
Srinagar: In a shocking incident, a mob in Srinagar stoned a senior police officer to death on Thursday night, an official said on Friday.

The body of Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammed Ayub Pandit was recovered on Friday morning from outside the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of the old city where he was attacked.

When hundreds were busy in prayers during the holiest night of the Muslim calendar called the `Shab-e-Qadr` at the largest city mosque, a group of miscreants attacked Pandit at his post.

DGP SP Vaid termed the killing as sad and unfortunate.

"The official was killed by the mob while he was performing his duties. It's a very sad and unfortunate incident," the DGP said.

He later said that two persons were arrested in the wee hours today in connection with lynching.

"Two persons have been arrested so far and a third has been identified. All of them (involved in the lynching of the officer) will face the law," Vaid told reporters on sidelines of the wreath laying ceremony of slain officer Mohammad Ayub Pandit at district police lines.

News agency PTI had earlier quoted sources as saying that Pandit was seen moving around by people near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area at 0030 hours.

He was allegedly clicking pictures of people while they were coming out of the mosque.

They said people tried to catch Pandit who allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three persons.

The irate mob then caught hold of him and stripped him naked before stoning him to death, the sources said.

His body was taken to police control room for identification and other legal procedures.

Police officer lynched in Srinagar: Omar Abdullah says killers should burn in hell for their sins

As per ANI, the deceased DSP was allegedly making a video of the local stone pelting when he was attacked by a mob.

News agency IANS quoted informed sources as saying: The officer was on frisking duty at the Jamia Masjid. He was carrying out his duties as usual when the miscreants attacked him.

"He tried to free himself and even fired in self-defence, injuring three. But the mob managed to lynch him," the sources said.

The mob later went on a rampage targeting empty security pickets erected in the area.

Police reinforcement was rushed in to restore normalcy in the area.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police confirmed the incident and tweeted, "Another officer sacrificed his life in line of duty DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob at #Nowhatta last night."

Another officer sacrificed his life in line of duty DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob at #Nowhatta last night.  J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) June 23, 2017

A wreath laying ceremony was held for the slain officer at 11 am today.

Pandit belonged to Khanyar area which is adjacent to Nowhatta where he was killed.

He had been at the mosque post for quite some time and many locals who regularly visited knew him.

Policemen posted in the security wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police do not wear the uniform as a matter of service regulation.

Meanwhile, the situation in the old city has turned tense following the incident.

Authorities have already announced restrictions on the movement of people in seven police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure.

The restrictions were announced to maintain law and order as separatists had called for protests after Friday prayers against the killing of a civilian during protests in Kakapora area of Pulwama District yesterday.

(With Agency inputs)
Morena: At least 14 peacocks have been found dead under the Jaura forest range in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, forest officials said on Friday.

However, the exact reason of these deaths is yet to be ascertained.

These peacocks were found dead in the forest area of Hatupura and Matkora area under Jaura forest range yesterday, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) A A Khan said.

According to Khan, villagers had informed that some carcasses were lying scattered in Hatupura and Matkora areas.

When forest team started searching, 14 of them were found there, he said.

Khan said that viscera of the dead peacocks have been sent to the laboratory at Jabalpur for examination.

"The exact reason behind the deaths would be known after the post-mortem and examination of viscera," he added.
Jalna: When massive crop failure and farmers` suicide afflicted the Marathwada region in Maharashtra during the 2012-16 drought, farmers in three villages of Jalna district were not much concerned about the lack of rainfall.

A watershed project had obviated their need to look at the heavens every season. Enough water was available in the 1,888 hectares area comprising the three villages -- Kadwanchi, Nandapur and Waghrul -- since late 1990s.

The project has become famous as the Kadwanchi model since it helps grow grapes, a water-intensive crop.

"Hardly anybody knew of grapes 20 years ago. Now, 95 per cent of farmers in the area cultivate grapes. There used be drought in our villages. After the project was implemented, we never faced water scarcity. Farmers here are lakhpatis now," Chandrakant Kshirsagar, farmer and sarpanch of Kadwanchi village, told IANS during a visit to the village.

The 45-year-old farmer says he has been making handsome profit every year by cultivating grapes on his 15-acres semi-arid land, irrespective of rainfall, which was up to 50 per cent less than the normal during the drought years. The farm produce has sustained 355 families in the three villages.

The project involved building continuous contour and absorption trenches in the hills and bunding (or earthen embankments) on farm boundaries to recharge ground water and stop soil erosion. Also, check dams were constructed at several spots to store large volumes of water. Later, several small ponds in farms were constructed through a separate government scheme, which boosted the water management programme.

"Earlier, we could not make effective use of monsoon water since most of it would run off. In addition, it would cause soil erosion, thus reducing nutrition content from soil. If soil is conserved, water will be conserved automatically. Under the watershed project, we took several measures to arrest soil erosion and water to recharge underground water-table," said social activist Vijay Borade, who conceptualised the project.

The project was implemented in the three villages by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) under the Indo-German Watershed Project from 1996 to 2002.

Borade, a recipient of Maharashtra`s Krishi Bhushan award, said their measures paid off. "None of the farmers in this area has complained of water scarcity, even during summers. They are cultivating water-intensive crops and getting better remuneration," he added.

According to Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA)-- a National Research Institute under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research -- cultivation of grape increased exponentially after the project was completed.

Pandit Wasre, Agriculture Engineer at the Jalna KVK, who was also part of the watershed project, said the region was vulnerable to drought but the farmers now have year-round access to water, allowing them to cultivate their land twice in a year.

"It has been just 97mm of rainfall in eight days so far and all check dams are full. Also, water can be seen in farms due to bunding. The volume of partial failure of crops has come down significantly due to the project," Wasre said.

He said adoption of the cost-effective Kadwanchi model can make the farmers in the Marathwada region self-sufficient in water.

Bhagwan Kshirsagar, a grape grower from the area, says he is planing to cultivate export quality grape variety, which would help him fetch more money. "Initial investment is a little more. But we are quite confident of returns due to water availability," Kshirsagar said.

While the Marathwada region has been in limelight for farmers` suicide in the past few years -- with 900 farmers killing themselves in 2016 -- Kshirsagar said farmers from the watershed area never faced financial distress.

According to the KVK data, agriculture income from this watershed area was Rs 27 crore in 2012-13 when rainfall was just 29 per cent of the annual average. In 2015-16, the income rose to Rs 42 crore when rainfall was 60 per cent. Before the watershed project, the average yearly income in the villages was Rs 77 lakh.

Local farmers said the annual yield of grapes ranges between 12 and 15 tonnes per acre every year, while some managed to get up to 20 tonnes. They also grow cotton, pigeon pea, green gram, sorghum and corn.

Now, villagers in the area are planning to cultivate guava, as the government has shown interest in fruit juice production, Borade said.

He said the Kadwanchi model is being adopted in nearby areas. "The model cannot be exactly same owing to different land use and climatic conditions, but people can take inspiration from this model and develop their own," Borade added.
The catalyst for India's tumble into Indira Gandhi's nightmarish Emergency was a brave decision by the Allahabad High Court to find a sitting prime minister guilty of electoral malpractice. On June 12, 1975, Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha overturned the election result in Rae Bareli and banned the prime minister from contesting an election for six years. Two weeks later, Prashant Bhushan wrote in The Case That Shook India (Penguin India, Rs 499), first published in 1978, "In a coup planned and executed with ruthless military efficiency, Mrs Gandhi... transformed the country from a working democracy into a dictatorship."

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Bhushan's father, Shanti, represented Raj Narain, whom Gandhi had 'defeated'. The book has been out of print for decades but now, nearly 40 years later, is back in bookshops. Bhushan says law students have hounded him for years for copies of the book. It is of general interest as well, though neither written nor edited to make it easy for lay readers. There are contemporary resonances too. India, Bhushan says, is in a period of "de facto Emergency", with speech "being stifled, opposition being beaten down, and the media controlled by either inducements or threats". He believes the BJP is undermining institutions just as Gandhi did "while continuing with the facade of democracy". Still, he holds onto his belief in the "fundamental decency" of people, and trusts that the "mood created by the BJP and its allies" is not reflective of wider values.

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Mumbai: The bodyguard of a BJP MLA from Maharashtra's Naxal-hit Gadchiroli district allegedly shot himself on Friday, a police official said.

Bhaskar Chauke, 34, shot himself on Friday morning with a pistol in the Warsa tehsil office of MLA Krishna Gajbe, who represents Armori Assembly constituency in the district, Gadchiroli's Superintendent of Police Abhinav Deshmukh told PTI.

Ruling out any political motive to the suicide, Deshmukh said, "He killed himself over a domestic issue.

He was allegedly involved in an illicit affair with a married woman."
Mumbai: Bharti Singh was recently admitted to the Kokilaben Hospital here after she complained of stomach ache. The Comedienne was reportedly diagnosed with gall bladder stones.

She is on medication and stable now, a dnaindia.com report suggests.

Bharti, a very popular face of Indian TV, had recently participated in celebrity couple dance reality show- Nach Baliye  along with her beau Harsh Limbachiyaa.

Heres wishing Bharti speedy recovery.
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet may fix HRA rates between recommendations of AK Mathur panel and 6th CPC/existing, most likely at 27 percent in its next meeting on June 28.

Earlier, the Union Cabinet was expected to give its nod to the proposal on allowances, including HRA (House Rent Allowance) this week but it got delayed due to Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys three-day visit to Moscow beginning June 21. He will back in the country by June 25.

If the Cabinet takes final call on June 28 then the central government employees will get revised allowances from July month salary.

As per sources, the Cabinet will take final decision on E-CoS' proposal on June 28. The Empowered Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) set up to screen the Lavasa panel recommendations on allowances has already submitted its proposal to the Cabinet for approval.

A high-level committee headed by the Finance Secretary, Ashok Lavasa had on April 27 submitted its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The Empowered Committee of Secretaries has reportedly given its view in favour of AK Mathur-led 7th Pay Commission recommendation, regarding decrease in house rent allowance (HRA) by 2-6 percent depending on type of cities.

However, it is widely expected that the Union Cabinet may fix HRA rates between recommendations of AK Mathur panel and 6th CPC/existing, most likely at 27 percent.

The 7th Pay Commission headed by AK Mathur had earlier proposed the rate of House Rent Allowance (HRA) at 24 percent, 16 percent and 8 percent of the Basic Pay for Class X, Y and Z cities respectively.

The Commission had also recommended that the rate of HRA will be revised to 27 percent, 18 percent and 9 percent when DA crosses 50 percent, and further revised to 30 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent when DA crosses 100 percent.

The existing rates of HRA for Class X, Y and Z cities and towns are 30 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent of Basic pay (pay in the pay band plus grade pay).

Option 1

If the government accepts the bare recommendations of A K Mathur-led 7th Pay Commission then the HRA component of central government employees will increase ranging between 106 percent and 122 percent.

Take, for instance, a central government employee at the very bottom of the pay scale under 6th Pay Commission was till now entitled to an HRA of Rs 2,100 on basic pay of Rs 7,000 (basic pay that includes pay of pay band + grade pay) in a Class X city. It is to be noted that government, while implementing the 7th Pay Commission in June last year had made it clear that till the final outcome of allowances committee is being placed, the employees would be getting the allowances as per 6th Pay Commission.

Now, as per 7th Pay Commission, the new entry level pay at this level is Rs 18,000 per month against which the new HRA for a Class X city would be Rs 4,320 per month, that is 106 percent more than the existing level.

Similarly, at the highest level of the pay scale, the Cabinet Secretary and officers of the same rank have a basic pay of Rs 90,000, which means they are entitled to current HRA of Rs 27,000 in Class X towns. After the revised pay scale, the new basic pay is Rs 2.5 lakh, for which the HRA would be Rs 60,000, meaning a hike of 122 percent.

Option 2

If the government retains the exiting HRA rates (as per 6th Pay Commission) then the HRA component of central government employees will increase ranging between 157 percent and 178 percent.

Take, for instance, a central government employee at the very bottom of the pay scale under 6th Pay Commission was till now entitled to an HRA of Rs 2,100 on basic pay of Rs 7,000 (basic pay that includes pay of pay band + grade pay) in a Class X city. It is to be noted that government, while implementing the 7th Pay Commission in June last year had made it clear that till the final outcome of allowances committee is being placed, the employees would be getting the allowances as per 6th Pay Commission.

Now, as per 7th Pay Commission, the new entry level pay at this level is Rs 18,000 per month against which the new HRA for a Class X city would be Rs 5,400 per month, that is around 157 percent more than the existing level.

Similarly, at the highest level of the pay scale, the Cabinet Secretary and officers of the same rank have a basic pay of Rs 90,000, which means they are entitled to current HRA of Rs 27,000 in Class X towns. After the revised pay scale, the new basic pay is Rs 2.5 lakh, for which the HRA would be Rs 75,000, meaning a hike of around 178 percent.

Option 3

The government may fix HRA rates between recommendations of AK Mathur panel and 6th CPC/existing, most likely at 27 percent.
Chandigarh: The Punjab Assembly on Friday passed an amendment that allows hotels, restaurants and clubs on the highway to serving liquor.

Amid chaos in the session, the Assembly approved a special amendment in the Punjab Excise Act, 1914 exempting hotels from the Supreme Court's December order banning liquor sale 500 metres from a highway.

In December last year, the Supreme Court passed a ruling forbidding sale of liquor within 500 metres of highways, provoking outcry from several states.

After a ruling was passed by the court last year, the Punjab Government denotified 12 stretches of state highways in April this year to provide relief to hotels and restaurants.
New Delhi: The government on Friday announced names of 30 more cites to be developed as smart cities taking the total cities picked up so far to 90 under Smart City Mission launched on June 25, 2015.

Thiruvananthapuram has topped the list of new smart city list. Names of smart cities announced today are: Trivendrum, Naya Raipur, Rajkot, Amaravati, Patna, Karimnagar, Muzaffarpur, Puducherry, Gandhinagar, Srinagar, Sagar, Karnal, Satna, Bengaluru, Shimla, Dehradun, Tiruppur, Pimpri chinchwad, Bilaspur, Pasighat, Jammu, Dahod, Tirunelveli, Thootukkudi, Tiruchirapalli, Jhansi, Aizawl, Allahabad, Aligarh, Gangtok.

Announcing the new batch of smart cities at a National Workshop on Urban Transformation in the national capital, Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation M.Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected.

30 cities announced today proposed a total investment of Rs 57,393 crore under respective smart city plans.

This includes Rs 46,879 crore for ensuring core infrastructure in the areas identified by citizens for area based development and Rs 10,514 crore for technology based solutions for improving governance, service delivery and utilization of infrastructure.

With this the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to Rs1,91,155 crore.

Naidu siad that 20 cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under smart city mission. These are; Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Biharsharif (Bihar), Diu (Daman & Diu), Silvassa (Dadra and Nager Haveli), Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), Navimumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra), Imphal (Manipur), Shillong (Meghalaya), Dindigul and Erode(Tamil Nadu), Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal), Meerut,Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Sharanpur and Rampur (UP).
New Delhi: HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh on Friday termed government policies on housing as practical and implementable and expressed hope that new regulations will stop "undesirable activity" practiced by some realtors.

Segments of the real estate sector in India have many a times been a hotbed of undesirable activity and these practices should come to an end with the recent establishment of real estate regulatory authorities across the country, he said in his annual message to shareholders.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) was passed by parliament in 2016 and the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation had given time till May 1, 2017, to formulate and notify rules for the functioning of the regulator.

RERA seeks to bring clarity and fair practices that would protect the interests of buyers and also impose penalties on errant builders.

Parekh said: "These regulators will be the confidence builders for consumers and watchdogs for compliance on the part of developers. Increased transparency benefits the entire housing ecosystem."

For years, he added, the market craved an 'enabling environment' that would foster an increased supply of homes at the right price points and help widen the target group of customers for housing finance players.

"This government's policies on housing are practical and implementable. With the benefit of four decades of experience in this field, I can confidently say that I have never been as optimistic about the housing sector as I am currently," he said.

Over the last 25 years, he said, the company seized every opportunity to diversify into various financial services as and when these sectors were liberalised.

HDFC has a unique structure as both, a single product financial company and parent of the group companies.

"Our subsidiary and associate companies are decentralised and managed and run by independent boards. Our only call on our group companies is performance evaluation of the group CEOs, succession planning, acquisitions and key investments. We now hope to extract greater value from our group companies and explore listing opportunities, where conducive," he said.

To better reflect long-term value creation, investors of HDFC need to increasingly focus on the consolidated rather than the standalone entity, he said.

"To conclude, I would like to reiterate that India's macro-economic fundamentals have never been stronger than today. A number of structural reforms are underway which will place India on a higher growth trajectory. We are excited about our future as we are about India's future and we hope you partake in our optimism," he said.
New Delhi: The sun is another world unto itself. Mighty, mystifying and strong, the biggest star in the solar system is as important for the sustenance of life as its wrath is devastating.

NASA's team of scientists have been working tirelessly toward understanding the enigma that is the sun.

Time and again, the US space agency has released videos and images of the luminous body spewing solar material and oozing plasma on its surface, which makes one wonder what other secrets the gigantic ball of fire may be holding.

The sun also emits spicules  wild jets of solar material  bursting from its surface, amounting to 10 million at a pace of 60 miles per second.

The spicules, the origins of which is NASA's latest discovery, can reach lengths of 6,000 miles before collapsing.

Despite their grass-like abundance, scientists didnt understand how they form. Now, for the first time, a computer simulation  so detailed it took a full year to run  shows how spicules form, helping scientists understand how spicules can break free of the suns surface and surge upward so quickly.

The results of this NASA-funded study were published in Science on June 22, 2017  a special time of the year for the IRIS mission, which celebrates its fourth anniversary in space on June 26.

According to NASA, this work relied upon high-cadence observations from NASAs Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, and the Swedish 1-meter Solar Telescope in La Palma, in the Canary Islands. Together, the spacecraft and telescope peer into the lower layers of the suns atmosphere, known as the interface region, where spicules form.

In a video released by the US space agency, the origins of the dynamic jets are explained in detail. Have a look!

Numerical models and observations go hand in hand in our research, said Bart De Pontieu, an author of the study and IRIS science lead at Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, in Palo Alto, California. We compare observations and models to figure out how well our models are performing, and to improve the models when we see major discrepancies, NASA reported.

Since spicules are transient, forming and collapsing over the course of just five to 10 minutes, the tenuous structures are difficult to study from Earth, making it a thorny problem for scientists who want to understand how solar material and energy move through and away from the sun.

The key, the scientists realized, was neutral particles. They were inspired by Earths own ionosphere, a region of the upper atmosphere where interactions between neutral and charged particles are responsible for many dynamic processes.

The research team knew that in cooler regions of the sun, such as the interface region, not all gas particles are electrically charged. Some particles are neutral, and neutral particles arent subject to magnetic fields like charged particles are. Scientists had based previous models on a fully ionized plasma in order to simplify the problem. Indeed, including the necessary neutral particles was very computationally expensive, and the final model took roughly a year to run on the Pleiades supercomputer located at NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, and which supports hundreds of science and engineering projects for NASA missions, the space agency explained.

With the new model, the simulations at last matched observations from IRIS and the Swedish Solar Telescope; spicules occurred naturally and frequently. The 10 years of work that went into developing this numerical model earned scientists Mats Carlsson and Viggo H. Hansteen, both authors of the study from the University of Oslo in Norway, the 2017 Arctowski Medal from the National Academy of Sciences. Martinez-Sykora led the expansion of the model to include the effects of neutral particles.

This is a major advance in our understanding of what processes can energize the solar atmosphere, and lays the foundation for investigations with even more detail to determine how big of a role spicules play, said Adrian Daw, IRIS mission scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. A very nice result on the eve of our launch anniversary.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday thanked the Centre for including three more cities in the state under the Smart City Mission and promised to make every effort to provide world class facilities.

Jhansi, Allahabad and Aligarh have found place in the latest list of 30 new cities announced by Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu in Delhi as part of the government's Smart City Mission, launched in 2015.

State capital Lucknow, Varansi, Kanpur and Agra were included in the list before. Development works are already in the last phase in these cities, an official press release said.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Naidu, the chief minister also assured that his government would make every effort to promptly carry out works for the development of the cities selected under the Smart City project, the release said.

Efforts were on to get five more cities - Meerut, Rae Bareli, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Rampur - in the list, Adityanath said.

He added that his government would not tolerate laxity in development works under the project.

These works, when completed, will bring qualitative improvement in the condition of these cities and also provide world class facilities to people residing there, Adityanath said.

The Smart City Mission was launched with the aim of transforming 100 Indian cities by 2019-20. The Centre provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of five years for implementing various projects.

Announcing the new list of smart cities in Delhi, Naidu said 45 cities contested for the 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure their feasibility and workable plans.
Bulandshahr: A former village headman and his wife were killed after allegedly being ambushed by motorcycle-borne assailants on the NH 91 here.

The shooting, that took place yesterday, was close to the spot of last year's infamous mother-daughter gang-rape.

According to senior superintendent of police S P Muniraj, Shahid (55) alias Bhutto, and his wife Raeesa (50) were returning home to Hasangarhi village on a bike from the district jail after meeting their three sons who are detained in a murder case.

The deceased was a former headman of Hasangarhi. The assailants were apparently aware of his return to the village and choose a secluded spot at NH 91, said the SSP.

A complaint naming five persons was lodged late last night by the deceased's younger brother Sagir.
New Delhi: The CBI today confronted IPS officer SMH Mirza with alleged middleman 'Tiger' in connection with its probe into the Narada sting operation.



The Narada tapes, which were released before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal, allegedly showed several Trinamool Congress MLAs and MPs accepting money in exchange for favours from investigative journalist Mathew Samuels, who posed as a businessman interested in making some investments in West Bengal.



Mirza, who was allegedly seen in one of the tapes, was yesterday also questioned by the agency for nearly seven hours, CBI sources said.



The Calcutta High Court had in March ordered the CBI to conduct a preliminary probe into the Narada sting operation.



A division bench of the court had also directed the state government to initiate disciplinary action against Mirza.
By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Adding more details)

Chandigarh, Jun 23 (PTI) Members of the opposition SAD- BJP and AAP walked out of the Punjab Assembly today to protest the "denigration of Sikh principles" the day before when some MLAs were forcibly evicted from the house.

The House also condemned the conduct of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal for allegedly casting aspersions towards the Chair and repeatedly targeting the speaker. It referred the matter to the Committee of Privileges.

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Earlier, as the question hour began, opposition legislators were on their feet seeking a debate on yesterdays incident when the speaker ordered AAP MLAs be taken out by marshals. In the melee, the turbans of some of the members came off.

Furious with the incident, the opposition described what had happened as "hurting the religious sentiments" of the Sikh community.

Demanding a debate, Leader of Opposition H S Phoolka and Sukhbir said it was a "denigration of Sikh principles".

SAD members carried placards in their hands and also wore black over their clothes to mark their protest. Even some non-Sikh Akali MLAs, including N K Sharma, were seen wearing turbans.

Speaker Rana K P Singh asked the opposition to stop raising slogans and assured them that he would take a decision on their demand after the Question Hour was over.

However, opposition MLAs were unrelenting in their demand.

SAD-BJP members, followed by AAP, gathered near the speakers podium, raising slogans even as the Question Hour continued.

They later trooped out of the House.

AAP members sat outside the assembly complex and held a "mock session" with the partys leader Kanwar Sandhu as its "mock speaker".

Senior AAP leader Phoolka, Sukhpal Khaira and Aman Arora could be seen debating on bills and carrying out other legislative business during the mock session.

Soon after the walkout, Sukhbir Badal told reporters that the speaker and even the chief minister, who was not present in the House today, should tender an apology for yesterdays incident. "Tossing of turbans is an insult to Sikh symbol and article of faith. The speaker and should apologise to members of the House and the people of Punjab," he said.

SAD members, he said, would meet Governor V P Singh Badnore seeking the dismissal of the speaker.

AAP legislators were yesterday protesting the stopping of their chief whip Sukhpal Khaira and LIP leader Simarjeet Singh Bains at the assembly gate. Both were suspended last week.

In the trouble that followed, some AAP legislators were also injured.

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Inside the assembly, Punjab Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra moved a resolution condemning Sukhbirs behaviour, following which the speaker referred the matter to the Committee of Privileges.

Sukhbir was accused of casting aspersions towards the Chair and using objectionable language against the speaker.

"This matter becomes even serious when a president of a responsible party and a member, Sukhbir Singh Badal, targets the Chair. "This House is custodian of rights of every member. To accuse the Chair of partiality is an insult and casting aspersions to the Chair and contempt of the House," the speaker said.

Meanwhile, Sukhbir said they cannot expect more from Congress "which is an anti-Sikh party".

"Punjabs people, especially Sikhs will not spare them (Congress). We will meet and tell the Punjab Governor of the speakers gunda gardi," he said.

Though SAD and AAP are fierce rivals, Sukhbir said they supported AAP because there was complete violation of maryada in the House.

"Our fight is on principles because turbans of Sikhs were tossed. If turban of any Congress MLA would have been tossed up, then we would have supported them also," he said.

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On the speaker, Sukhbir said, "He is the custodian of the House. Even if he belongs to a ruling party, but when he occupies the speakers chair, then a impartial conduct is expected."

"If the opposition faces any problem, then they look towards the speaker, but if he too fails to play his role then whose doors will they knock," he said.

He said this was the first Budget Session of the Punjab Assembly after the Congress formed government, "but is this how they will behave with the opposition. People of Punjab and Sikhs will not forgive them." PTI SUN VJ ANB

--- ENDS ---
Tehran: Chants against the Saudi royal family and the Islamic State group mingled with the traditional cries of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" at Jerusalem Day rallies across Iran on Friday.

The annual show of solidarity with the Palestinians, which sees hundreds of thousands take to the streets, was launched by Iran`s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and is now marked by its allies across the Middle East.

This year`s commemoration comes amid an intensifying battle for influence in the region between Shiite Iran and its Sunni arch rival Saudi Arabia who have had no diplomatic relations since January last year.

"Death to the House of Saud and Daesh (IS)," demonstrators chanted. "Death to America", "Death to Israel", "Death to the UK".

Iran has been heavily involved in the war against IS in both Iraq and Syria, where it has trained and advised militias to fight the jihadists.

On Sunday, Iran fired six 750-kilometre (470-mile) range missiles at an IS base in eastern Syria, days after the jihadist group claimed twin bombing and shooting attacks in Tehran.

On Friday, Iran`s Revolutionary Guards displayed some of the same Zolfaghar missiles used in the strike in Valiasr Square in the heart of the capital, alongside a 2,000-kilometre (1,250-mile) range Qadr missile.

Iran`s ballistic missile programme has been the subject of persistent concern in Washington and the target of repeated US sanctions.

Parliament speaker Ali Larijani was set to address the crowds before midday prayers. President Hassan Rouhani also joined the march through the capital.
Beijing: China on Friday said it hopes India and the US will not disturb peace in the South China Sea as the issue is likely to come up between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump when they meet.

"With concerted efforts of China and Asean countries, the situation there is cooling down.

We hope other countries, especially non-regional countries, can respect efforts by regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

Modi will meet Trump for the first time on June 26 and a range of issues are likely to come up, including H1B visas and terrorism.

Earlier, US Press Secretary Sean Spicer said cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea will figure in the talks.

China is locked in a dispute with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan over the ownership of energy-rich waters.

China claims almost 90 per cent of the sea.

The US has sent its warships into the waters, asserting its freedom to navigate in the international waters.
Hong Kong: President Xi Jinping will come to Hong Kong next week to mark 20 years since the city was handed back to China by Britain, local media said, in a visit that will be incendiary to activists.

Although widely expected, officials have not so far said whether Xi will make the trip, his first to Hong Kong since becoming president in 2013.

The South China Morning Post reported for the first time Friday that Xi`s visit had been "confirmed", citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the visit.

It comes at a time when Beijing stands accused of squeezing the semi-autonomous city`s freedoms and frustrations have led to the emergence of a new independence movement calling for Hong Kong to break from the mainland.

Protesters say they are preparing to gather during the handover celebrations and Xi`s visit will be shrouded in a huge security operation.

His itinerary includes touring the garrison of China`s People`s Liberation Army in central Hong Kong, as well as visiting an infrastructure project, the Post said.

He will arrive Thursday with his wife Peng Liyuan and stay until Saturday July 1, the handover anniversary date, when he will inaugurate the city`s new leader Carrie Lam, the report added.

Hong Kong was handed back to China by colonial power Britain in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal designed to protect its freedoms and way of life for 50 years.

But a number of incidents, including the disqualification from parliament of two pro-independence lawmakers and the alleged abduction of five Hong Kong booksellers, have raised fears that Beijing is trampling the agreement.

A government spokesman told AFP Friday there was still no official confirmation that Xi would visit.

Political analyst Willy Lam predicted there may be "ugly scenes" if he does.

"The fact that the head of the (Chinese Communist) party and the army is in Hong Kong I think will enhance people`s impression that Beijing really means business," said Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"This is a symbol of the fact that in `one country, two systems`, the one country is towering over the two systems."
Seoul: North Korea on Friday accused the US of waging a "smear campaign" over the death of a student who was sent back home in a coma, denying he was tortured or abused.

President Donald Trump has slammed the treatment of 22-year-old American Otto Warmbier, who spent more than a year in detention in the secretive state, as "a total disgrace".

"The smear campaign against (North Korea) staged in the US compels us to make firm determination that we should further sharpen the blade of law", the foreign ministry spokesman said according to state media.

"The US should ponder over the consequences to be entailed from its reckless and rash act," he said in an apparent warning over the fate of three other US citizens currently being held in the country.

The spokesman said that Warmbier was provided with proper medical treatment, and questioned why he died so soon after returning to the US.

"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the US in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well," he said.

Warmbier had been on a tourist trip to North Korea when he was detained and sentenced to hard labour early last year for allegedly stealing a political poster from a North Korean hotel.

Doctors said the University of Virginia student had suffered severe brain damage while in North Korean detention.

He died on Monday at a Cincinnati hospital and was buried on Thursday.

His family declined an autopsy.

The foreign ministry official denied that Warmbier was abused while in custody, condemning "groundless public opinion now circulating in the US that he died of torture and beating during his reform through labour."

He said that North Korean medics had "brought him back alive" after his "heart was nearly stopped" but did not give any further details as to why he fell ill.

The US doctors had also said that Warmbier's severe brain injury was most likely -- given his young age -- to have been caused by cardiopulmonary arrest cutting the blood supply to the brain.

In the first official reaction to his death, a spokesman for the National Reconciliation Council earlier on Friday said that Warmbier was treated according to "international standards".

"Those who have absolutely no idea about how well we treated Warmbier under humanitarian conditions dare to utter 'mistreatment' and 'torture'," he said according to the official KCNA news agency.

Warmbier's fate has sparked strong condemnation in Washington, and inflamed already high tensions stoked by Pyongyang's atomic tests and missile launches.

On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said that US patience with Pyongyang was running out.

"To see a young man go over there healthy and, (after) a minor act of mischief, come home dead basically this goes beyond any kind of understanding of law and order, of humanity, of responsibility toward any human being," he said.

The North's foreign ministry spokesman put the blame for Warmbier's death on the previous US administration of Barack Obama which it said had "not even once" made an official request for his release.

"Warmbier is a victim of policy of 'strategic patience' of Obama who was engrossed in utmost hostility" against North Korea and refused to hold any dialogue, he said.

The spokesman said that Warmbier was released on humanitarian grounds after repeated requests from the current administration but that it had been repaid with criticism that represented a "frontal challenge."
Seoul: North Korea said on Friday the death of U.S. university student Otto Warmbier soon after his return home was "a mystery to us as well" and denied accusations that he had died because of torture and beating during his captivity.

The North`s foreign ministry spokesman also said in comments carried by the official KCNA agency that Warmbier was "a victim of the policy of strategic patience" of former U.S. President Barack Obama whose government never requested his release.
New Delhi: "Pakistan`s concept of Sharia has nothing to do with Islam," said Shiraz Ahmad in his address at a seminar on "Human Rights abuses in Pakistan" organised by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in collaboration with the Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum.



Ahmad is the Additional Executive Director of the Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat, India, and he was speaking about gross human rights violation being perpetrated on the Ahmadiya community in Pakistan, and that too with state sanction.



Ahmad said that Ahmadiyas were declared non-Muslim in 1974 by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and were further deprived through an Anti-Ahmadiya Ordinance in 1984 promulgated by then military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.



The political isolation of the Ahmadiyas through instruments of state has led to their harassment in all walks of life.



They vote as non-Muslims and are denied and equitable job opportunities.



There are severe restrictions to their entry in professional institutions which hampers their right to education.



Restrictions have been imposed on the production of Ahmadiya literature.



Hundreds of Ahmadiyas have been charged under the Draconian Blasphemy Law of the state and sentenced to long imprisonment and even death.Most significantly, state marginalisation of the Ahmadiyas in Pakistan has encouraged the militants and extremist elements towards specifically targeting the community with violence.



Many Ahmadiyas have been and continue to be murdered in cold blood by religious extremists while their religious places are desecrated and destroyed.



Ahmad concluded by saying that even though international human rights organisations raise the issue of Ahmadiya persecution in Pakistan in various forums more need to be done to ensure the safety and individual liberty of the persecuted community.



The seminar also touched upon the human rights abuses of other minority communities like the Shias, Hindus and Christians.



The terrible conditions prevalent in insurgency afflicted areas like Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan because of the "heavy boot" policy of the Pakistan Army were also discussed in the seminar.
Dubai: Saudi security forces shot dead a wanted man in the Muslim holy city of Mecca on Friday and arrested several others, Al Arabiya TV reported.

The gunmen, who are wanted for terrorism, exchanged fire with the security forces who surrounded one of the buildings in the al-Aseelah neighborhood in Mecca where the militants were hiding.

No one from the security forces was harmed in the shooting, Arabiya reported.
Colombo: Services at Sri Lanka's state-run hospitals were paralyzed as government doctors went on strike demanding the government to shut down a private medical university.

Union spokesman Dr. Haritha Aluthge said on Friday the doctors also urged the government to take action against those who ordered police to assault students at another protest on Wednesday.

The South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine is the only private university in Sri Lanka currently training medical students.

Opponents fear the university could jeopardize the island nation's free health service and tradition of state-funded education.

The issue has sparked months of demonstrations, with doctors and students urging the government to shut down the university or acquire it.
Habbaniyah: A suicide bomber blew himself up in a town in western Iraq on Friday, killing at least eight civilians and a soldier, officers said.

He was one of a group of four suicide bombers who infiltrated a neighbourhood of Al-Baghdadi, a town on the Euphrates River in the restive western province of Anbar.

"Army forces were able to kill three suicide bombers after trapping them in a house in the Martyrs neighbourhood by detonating their belts with gunfire," a senior police officer said.

"The fourth managed to hide and later blow himself up in the midst of a group of civilians and soldiers," the officer said.

The police officer and Sharhabil al-Obeidi, a local district official, said eight civilians and a soldier were killed in the blast, while another 11 people were wounded.

Anbar is a sprawling desert province traversed by the Euphrates River and bordering Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

It has long been an insurgent stronghold, and IS already controlled parts of it before it swept through Iraq in 2014 to take over around a third of the country.

Pro-government forces have since retaken most towns and cities in Anbar, but the jihadists still control areas near the Syrian border and have desert hideouts from which they harass federal forces.
By India Today Web Desk: Salman Khan's Tubelight, an adaptation of the Hollywood film Little Boy, contains a strong message of humanity set against the backdrop of the Indo-China war of 1962. Director Kabir Khan is known for depicting political conflicts between countries and how it affects individuals the most in films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Phantom and New York. All his films have had the message of inter-nation relations, love and peace at their core.

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The director believes in the power of cinema to start a dialogue. "I know that a film cannot change the society but it can start a dialogue. I believe that a film is a powerful medium to make you think about things at least for once. It is not powerful enough to change the society; but hey, the fact that a film can make people think and discuss something itself is powerful enough," he said in an interview with IANS.

Bajraangi Bhaijaan:

The 2015 adventure drama, starring Salman Khan and child actor Harshaali Malhotra in the lead roles, is an emotional film on the Indo-Pak relationship. In the film, Salman Khan's Bajrangi crosses streams and borders to reunite the lost Pakistani girl, Munni, with her family. The film sends a strong message that though the countries are firing mortar shells at each other, there are still people both in India and Pakistan who are good willed, compassionate and would cross borders for the sake of humanity.

Phantom:

Another Kabir Khan film on the same controversial issue of the Indo-Pak relationship. In the 2015 adventure drama film, Saif Ali Khan plays the character of a wronged Indian Army Officer and Katrina Kaif plays Nawaz Mistry, a former RAW agent. They set out on a mission to avenge the 26/11 Mumbai attack. In one particular scene in the film, at a crowded rally, Saif has the chance to kill one of the terrorists, Haaris Saeed (played by Shahnawaaz Pradhan), but he refuses to do it. He didn't want to kill civilians in the process for the fault of the terrorists. This film echoes Kabir Khan's message that, "War cannot be a solution to any issue, it takes lives of thousands of civilians from both sides of the countries who are involved in a war. We should not take war so lightly where our soldiers and civilians are dying! It should be the last resort."

New York:

The 2009 thriller, starring John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh in the lead roles, is about three friends studying at the New York State University whose lives are upturned by 9/11. The racial profiling that began after the destruction of the World Trade Centre twin towers is the main theme of the movie. In the film, Samir (played by John Abraham) was detained and tortured for months without any evidence, purely based on his nationality. The Kabir Khan film brings out a significant point about the dangerous hate crimes which are still a pressing issue in the West.

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Kabul Express:

Kabir Khan's first film is an adventure drama set in post 9/11 war-torn Afghanistan. In the film, two Indian journalists (played by John Abraham and Arshad Warsi) go to Afghanistan to cover the aftermath of the US invasion in the country in 2001. In the Yash Raj production, people from different paths of life connect in the war-damaged Afghanistan. It is a story about the bond formed between people belonging to completely different religions and nationalities under unusual circumstances. The film talks about the same dialogue between countries which has the power to stop them from waging wars against each other.

Ek Tha Tiger :

The 2012 Indian action spy thriller stars Salman Khan as an Indian spy and Katrina Kaif as his love interest, who later turns out to be a spy from Pakistan. The two find themselves on opposite sides. Salman's Tiger falls in love with Katrina's Zoya during an investigation, while he is on a mission in Dublin. Tiger's ideology and principles change over time, as he realises that politics and rivalry have driven such a wedge between the two nations that it is impossible for him to romantically pursue a spy from the enemy nation.The two lovers decide to leave everything for their each other and fool their respective agencies by running away after lying. They are tracked down a few years down the line but make a successful attempt at disappearing again, promising to return when Pakistan and India no longer need the ISI and RAW respectively. The film talks about Indo-Pak peace, making it must-watch film in a time when people are breaking their TVs because India lost the 2017 ICC Champion's Trophy to the boys in green.

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ALSO READ | Will Salman Khan's Tubelight have a bigger opening than Bajrangi Bhaijaan?

ALSO READ | Tubelight movie review: Salman Khan and Sohail Khan star in an unbearably preachy film

ALSO WATCH | Before Tubelight, taking a look at Salman Khan's life

--- ENDS ---
Islamabad: The leader of Afghanistan's Taliban, Mawlavi Haibatullah Akhundzada, has warned the United States that it will be "making a mistake" by increasing its troop strength to combat insurgents.

In his remarks on Friday in a message ahead of Eid ul Fitr he said, ""If you think that you may break our determination with your military presence and surge of troops, you are making a mistake! This is not the solution of the issue to continue your occupation on the request of the inept administration of Kabul."

According to a report by VOA, he blamed foreign forces for being "the main obstacle in the way of peace in Afghanistan."

The Taliban wants NATO forces to leave the country before it engages in any peace talks.

Akhunzadah's message came a day after a Taliban suicide car bomber killed at least 34 people and wounded dozens of others in the southern province of Helmand.

According to some recent media reports, the Pentagon is making plans to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan. While the number is currently expected to be between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, the number is still being worked on.

President Donald Trump recently authorized his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, to add several thousand more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, primarily tasked to train and advise Afghan forces.

In an apparent reference to growing contacts that Russia, Iran and China lately have established with his group, Akhunzadah said, "The mainstream entities of the world admit its [Taliban's] effectiveness, legitimacy and success."
Manila/Marawi: Before they formed one of the most dreaded militant groups in the Philippines and pledged loyalty to Islamic State, the Mautes were a wealthy, political family in the southern region of Mindanao, largely influenced by the matriarch, Farhana.

Soft-spoken and reserved, 60-year-old Farhana Maute owns property in Mindanao and in Manila, and runs a construction business, say people who know the family and security analysts who have scrutinised its background.

Almost unknown two years ago, the Mautes are now the biggest and most deadly among Islamic State groups in the southern Philippines and are at the forefront of a month-long battle with the military for control of Marawi, a Mindanao town.

Regional governments fear that the brutal urban warfare, in which 360 people have been killed, reflects Islamic State`s intention to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia.

Farhana Maute was related to politicians in her hometown of Butig, near Marawi, and was considered somewhat of a kingmaker because of her wealth and influence. And like many clans in the lawless area, the Mautes maintained a private militia that included Farhana`s seven sons, the analysts said.

When the Mautes got involved in a dispute with Butig Mayor Dimnatang Pansar over the award of civil contracts, it erupted into a brutal clan feud, a clash so common to Mindanao it has its own name, rido.

Other militant groups in the southern Philippines joined the Mautes, and they formed a joint front in Marawi against government troops.

"TERRORIST IMAGERY"

Joseph Franco, a research fellow at Singapore`s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies who has worked with several Philippine military chiefs, said that early last year, the Mautes projected themselves as followers of Islamic State, or IS, to "spook and coerce the Pansars".

"That tactical use of terrorist imagery took on a life of its own," he said. "And now we have this Maute Group, who call themselves IS-Ranao." Ranao is an old name for the Lanao region of Mindanao, where Marawi and Butig are located.

Although known to be a deeply religious Muslim, there was no evidence that Farhana Maute was radicalised, Franco said.

"She is only a businesswoman," a former military officer who lives in Marawi told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But, her clan was involved in a bitter political dispute with the mayor of Butig. And that probably got her into trouble."

Two of the sons, Omarkhayam and Abdullah, had been educated in the Middle East, but it is uncertain when they morphed from being scions of a wealthy family to becoming hardened Islamists.

Still, Farhana Maute was related to the former military head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a rebel group that the government signed a peace deal with in 2014. She was deeply influenced by him, said Rommel Banlaoi, a security expert who advises the Philippines police.

"Many Muslims in Mindanao, strictly speaking, they already have what I call embedded radical ideas," he said, adding that the Mautes provided a training camp for associates of the MILF near Butig.

"They were criminals who morphed into militancy," Banlaoi said of the Mautes.

Other analysts said at least some of Farhana`s wealth would have been diverted to the Maute Group`s alleged illicit activities.

It was not possible to seek comment from the Maute family.

Both Farhana and her husband Cayamore, an engineer, were arrested earlier this month in separate parts of Mindanao and it was not immediately clear who their lawyers were.

The sons are believed to be fighting in Marawi.

Islamic State`s news agency, Amaq, has said its fighters control large parts of Marawi City, but has not commented specifically on the Maute.

`ROYAL FAMILY`

Mohamad Ampuan, a Marawi native who has settled in Manila, said he knew Farhana Maute and several of her sons, and believed they were primarily religious-minded. He said he had not seen any of them since 2010, when he moved north.

Ampuan was speaking in a bazaar selling mobile phones and accessories in the crowded Novaliches suburb of Manila, where Philippine military intelligence reports have said Farhana or some of her sons owned stalls. All the stall-owners in the Salam Bazaar are from Marawi, but Ampuan said the family did not own any property there.

He said Farhana was fluent in Arabic and English and he considered the Mautes a "royal family".

"The Mautes are fighting for Allah," he said. "They want a society faithful to Allah."

Marawi residents and analysts said Farhana has considerable influence on her sons, perhaps more than her husband, Cayamore. He has two other wives.

"She is the central figure, but not in terms of planning and preparing attacks," said Rohan Gunaratna, a regional counter-terrorism expert. "The mother and father are patrons of the group, but father less, mother more."

A neighbour, Marawi city councillor Khana-Anuar Marabur Jr., said the Mautes were "good people back then", before they started the current round of violence in Marawi.

He said Farhana was a good mother, and was generous and approachable.

"The father is strong," Marabur said. "He is like the tiger. But someone owns the tiger."
Istanbul: Turkey regards as a "positive step" a US pledge to take back weapons supplied to the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria after the defeat of Islamic State and said its implementation was essential, Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday.

In an interview with broadcaster NTV, Isik also said Turkey would retaliate if it faced any threat from the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist group tied to militants who have fought a three-decade old insurgency in southeast Turkey.
New York: The United States announced on Thursday a halt to all imports of fresh beef from Brazil, the world`s second-largest producer, citing "recurring" concerns after large shipments failed food safety tests.

The ban will remain in place until satisfactory corrective actions are taken, the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement that will again put the reputation of Brazil`s industry under the spotlight.

All meat imported to the US from Brazil has been inspected since March, when some of the country`s top meat producers became embroiled in a tainted-meat scandal.

During that time, the US food safety and inspection service rejected 11 percent of Brazilian fresh beef, compared with only one percent of quantities from other nations, it added.

"My first priority is to protect American consumers," US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.

"That`s what we`ve done by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef."

Antonio Camardelli, president of Brazil`s Meat Exporters Association (Abiec), said the loss was potentially "incalculable".

But he blamed the problems on a reaction to some components of a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine that Brazil uses, which had become visible in the US inspections.

Camardelli said producers had asked the Brazilian government to resolve the problem in a meeting with their US counterparts.

But since the enhanced US inspection measures kicked in, 106 lots -- approximately 1.9 million pounds (861,825 kilograms) -- of Brazilian beef products were refused entry to the US "due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues."

"It is important to note that none of the rejected lots made it into the US market," the Department of Agriculture said, noting that the "Brazilian government had pledged to address those concerns, including by self-suspending five facilities from shipping beef to the US."

"Today`s action to suspend all fresh beef shipments from Brazil supersedes the self-suspension," it added.

Brazil`s beef production is surpassed only by the United States, according to USDA data.

But in March the South American country`s industry was rocked by investigators` accusations that 21 meat processing companies used chemicals to hide the smell of rotting meat and bribed health inspectors to pass off their products as safe.

About 20 countries -- including Hong Kong and China, the biggest importers of Brazilian beef -- as well as the European Union, fully or partially closed their doors to the country`s meat imports.

After the bans, Brazil`s average daily meat exports plunged 19 percent in a week, or $11.7 million, according to the trade ministry, before client countries agreed to resume imports after fierce haggling.

Meat exports brought in more than $13 billion to the Brazilian economy in 2016. The industry employs six million people.
Caracas: A Venezuelan military police sergeant shot dead a protester who was attacking the perimeter of an airbase on Thursday, the interior minister said, bringing renewed scrutiny of the force used to control riots that have killed at least 76 people.

At least two soldiers shot long firearms through the fence from a distance of just a few feet at protesters who were throwing rocks, television footage showed.

One man collapsed to the ground and was carried off by other protesters. Paramedics took at least two other injured people to a hospital, a Reuters witness said.

"The sergeant used an unauthorized weapon to repel the attack, causing the death of one of assailants," Interior minister Nestor Reverol said on Twitter. He said the air force police sergeant faced legal proceedings.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets in recent months to protest against a clampdown on the opposition, shortages of food and medicine, and President Nicolas Maduro`s plan to overhaul the constitution.

The reaction of the security forces to provocation at marches has been in the spotlight since images showed a national guard member pointing a pistol at demonstrators on Monday, prompting the opposition to intensify its street campaign.

The protesters who attacked the fence outside La Carlota airbase in the wealthy east of Caracas had earlier burned a truck and a motorbike when security forces firing rubber bullets broke up a march destined for the attorney general`s office.

David Jose Vallenilla, 22, died after arriving at a hospital in the Chacao municipality where the protest happened.

SHOTS, PETROL BOMBS

A small group of protesters throwing petrol bombs from behind flimsy homemade shields cheered when powerful fireworks used as weapons landed near troops in the airbase. They managed to rip down a section of the fence surrounding the base, despite volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.

At least one soldier aimed a shotgun through the fence, Reuters pictures showed. The national guard uses shotgun cartridges filled with small rubber pellets against protests.

Reverol said two soldiers were seriously injured by "explosives" the protesters launched, and said shots and petrol bombs hit a primary school on the base during the attack.

Opposition lawmaker Jose Manuel Olivares said Vallenilla had been killed by the national guard firing rubber bullets at point blank range. Olivares, whose arm was wounded in the protest, called for sit-ins on highways on Friday and protests at military bases on Saturday.
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Belgian Senator Joris Poschets visit to Artsakh continues.

On June 22, Narine Aghabalyan  Artsakhs minister of culture and youth affairs held a meeting with Mr. Poschet.

During the meeting Aghabalyan said that cultural dialogue has a key role simultaneously with political dialogue. Highlighting similar meetings with European parliamentarians, the Artsakhi minister noted that this format also contributes to the global recognition of the country, and as result of such visits the voice of the people of Artsakh becomes accessible to the European community, as well as the creative minds and peaceful aspirations.

Minister Aghabalyan presented the cultural life of Artsakh and noted that although for already 25 years the people are living in peace, they never stop being creative, and moreover continue to expand cultural ties with various countries.

The minister also touched upon the cultural programs which involves servicemen. Programs which in addition to cultural discipline, also convey high values, which unfortunately are absent in the case of the adversary.

As a proof of the abovementioned, the minister presented to the Belgian Senator the Azerbaijani inhuman atrocities during the April War.

The Belgian Senator thanked for the warm reception and emphasized that prior to visiting Artsakh his understanding and ideas were different, however today theyve changed a lot.

Mr. Poschets visit to Artsakh was held at the initiative of Gaspar Karapetyan  head of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenias minister of economic development and investments Mr. Suren Karayan held a meeting with Lithuanias Ambassador H.E. Erikas Petrikas to discuss the economic partnership between the two countries, the ministry told ARMENPRESS.

Im happy to note that the trade turnover between Armenia and Lithuania is growing yearly, but we still have much to do. I am also happy to see new Armenian product range in the Lithuanian market, the Ambassador said.

Minister Karayan discussed the opportunities of cooperation between the two countries in various branches of the economy.

It is important for us that our economic cooperation be in line with the friendly relations of our country. Yes, there is still unused potential, where we will focus our efforts, Karayan said.

A special attention was paid on development of bilateral tourism.

Issues related to the organization of the Armenian-Lithuanian inter-governmental commissions session were also discussed.

According to the initial agreement, it will be held in autumn of 2017.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Armen Mazlumyan, member of the Armenian National Committee of Egypt, hopes that the bill on the Armenian Genocide will be submitted to the parliament and will put up to voting.

The Committee has carried out active works since the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide aimed at recognizing the Genocide by Egypt, however, Mazlumyan said certain political circumstances hindered that process.

Egyptian lawmaker Mustafa Bakri prepared a legislative initiative by calling on the parliament and government to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Mustafa Bakri announced that historical documents prove that in 1915-1922 the Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians. In order to discuss these facts the lawmaker urged the parliament to hold a special session. 337 MPs signed under the bill.

As for the Nagorno Karabakh issue, Egypt has adopted a neutral stance. Its relations with Azerbaijan are at good level, thats why it runs a balanced policy, Mazlumyan told Armenpress, adding that their work is mainly focused on cooperating with media representatives and intellectuals and introduce Armenia to them. Thanks to the efforts of the Armenian National Committee, visits of media representatives and intellectuals are organized to Armenia two times a year. For instance, during the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, 55 representatives of politics, intellectuals, media and art visited Armenia, he said.

He informed that at the moment two films are being prepared about Armenia in Arabic. The films will tell about Armenia, the Armenian people and the countrys tourism. The movies will be presented in Armenia.

The preparation works will be completed soon. The movies present Armenia, its people and tourism opportunities to the world. One of the scriptwriters of the films is Egyptian who visited Armenia three times and wrote a book which now will be turned into a movie, he said.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. The United States is deeply concerned over targeting political dissidents in Turkey, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said at a press briefing, reports Armenpress.

Thats an area of concern, and thats something that we just continue to talk to that government about, the spokesperson said.

Commenting on the jailing of over 170 reporters and more then dozen MPs in Turkey, Heather Nauert said the United States will continue to push for freedom of speech and freedom of media. We believe that that strengthens democracy and that that needs to be protected, whether its in Turkey or in other nations as well. And we continue just to urge the Turkish Government to respect and ensure freedom of expression, fair trials, a judicial independence, and other human rights and functional freedoms, she said.
Tubelight starring Salman Khan in the lead role and directed by Kabir Khan is the big Eid release this year. Here is our Tubelight movie review.

By Ananya Bhattacharya: Salman Khan-starrer Tubelight is the big Eid release. Will this Tubelight match up to our expectations? Here is our Tubelight movie review.

Tubelight Cast: Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Om Puri, Zeeshan Ayub, Zhu Zhu, Matin Rey Tangu

Tubelight Director: Kabir Khan

Tubelight Rating: (2/5)

To quote Salman Khan: "My films are critic-proof." So what can anyone say about a Salman Khan Eid release any way that can keep viewers from watching Tubelight? Nothing.

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Director Kabir Khan's Tubelight is based on the 2015 American war drama Little Boy, which was panned by critics. But while Little Boy did not have the fortune of being set in the Indian milieu, against a society that laps up superstitions and talk of miracles eagerly, Tubelight fits in perfectly in the small-town Jagatpur of 1962.

On the surface, Tubelight is the story of brothers Laxman (Salman Khan) and Bharat Singh Bisht (Sohail Khan). Elder brother Laxman is a 'tubelight'. In colloquial terms, one who has difficulty in grasping things immediately. Someone who takes some time to 'light up'. Even though electric bulbs have saved the reputation of tube lights in the country, the meaning of the word hasn't changed in our vocabulary. One October night, we are told, Laxman's father arrives home drunk and nine months later Laxman's younger brother arrives. He is called 'Bharat' because the elder son had already been named Laxman by then. These light moments in Tubelight are the redeeming points of the film but they are few and far between.

Kabir Khan, who made Salman Khan ACT in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, seems to have given up after a point of time in Tubelight. 'Tubelight' Salman soon deteriorates into a caricature that you can't feel anything for. Salman tries his best to bring about the emotions that Laxman feels. For most part of the film, his face is either contorted in a constipated grimace or has a smile plastered on it. You can see that Salman is 'acting'. Nothing is effortless. One saving grace: Khan is not made to take off his shirt in Tubelight.

Anyway. The story of Laxman and Bharat begins in pre-Independence India when Mahatma Gandhi comes to their school and tells them about 'yakeen'. And that becomes the burden that the audience has to bear for the rest of the two hours. The word 'yakeen' takes root in Laxman's head and heart and leaves him believing that with faith, everything is possible. Enter Om Puri, the man who brought up Laxman and Bharat in his ashram after the death of the boys' parents. Soon, the boys are all grown up and there are disturbances on the India-China border off Jagatpur. Young men are required to join the Army. Bharat is selected, and Laxman, understandably, is not.

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Tubelight is all about faith. About the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Love, friendship, brotherhood and everything good. Kabir Khan's story exudes goodwill and moral lessons. There is so much talk of good and Laxman trying to fulfill his Gandhi checklist that Tubelight ends up coming across as a stretched parable with a happy ending. Obviously.

One of the best things about Salman Khan's on-screen presence is his comic timing. There are hardly any instances in Tubelight which make the star utilise his potential to make people laugh. There are moments between child actor Matin Rey Tangu and Laxman, but that's about it. Nothing stands out in the film apart from the pretty locales of Manali and Leh. Chinese actor Zhu Zhu is cast in a role that requires her to force Hindi words out of her mouth. The dialogue delivery is so unnatural that you end up feeling sorry for her.

Matin Rey Tangu shines in Tubelight; the North Star in this dark firmament. The late Om Puri slips seamlessly into his role. Zeeshan Ayub is a natural at his work. He plays a jerk called Narayan who makes a living by bullying Laxman and is the only actor here apart from Tangu who can elicit some kind of emotion from the viewer.

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Director Kabir Khan tries to address the issues of nationalism, jingoism and racial discrimination. He drives home the point about how the decibel-levels at which you shout 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' is not an indicator of your Indian-ness, but the message is lost in the sea of other lessons that Tubelight gives us. The film is horribly stretched and takes a severe toll on your patience levels.

The music is average, with a hummable number in The Radio Song. The cinematography and green valleys of Manali keep you watching Tubelight even when nothing else is happening.

Watch Tubelight if you have enough yakeen that you can sit through this 2.5-hour long Moral Science class. Salman Khan fans can muster up enough yakeen. As for the rest, this is no Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

(The writer tweets as @ananya116.)

ALSO SEE: Why Tubelight will get a thumbs up even though Little Boy was slammed

ALSO SEE: The story of Tubelight in 10 points

ALSO WATCH: Tubelight review

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YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian healthcare ministry continues the treatment program for 1000 patients with Hepatitis C with modern medications donated by the Georgian government  sovaldi.

The healthcare ministry told ARMENPRESS 32 medical professionals underwent training for the program.

The new medication enables the effective treatment of Hepatitis C. In some countries, the treatment with this medication reaches up to 80-100 thousand dollars.

Under the program, the medication is provided for free for patients, however the necessary diagnosis and second round of the medication is charged. Healthcare officials contact the patients who are listed in the registry of Hepatitis patients.

It is noteworthy that the second medication is being acquired on a much lower price due to negotiations with the importer, while diagnostics are made with discounts.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan touched upon the governments 5-year action plan during todays Cabinet meeting.

The PM tasked the ministers to design a schedule during 1 month by clearly defining deadlines and the responsibles.

The PM also urged to provide updates to the public on all actions.

We are re-starting, we are doing our job with the same mode: by a minimum of 6 working days a week, he said.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador of Indonesia to Armenia Yuddy Chrisnandi (residence in Kiev) presented his credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan on June 23, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment and wished him good luck in his tenure. Serzh Sargsyan said Armenia highly appreciates Indonesias role in Southeast Asia and is ready to deepen the inter-state ties which can happen through intensification of inter-parliamentary ties, formation of necessary legal framework between the two countries. According to the President, this will boost the Armenian-Indonesian trade-economic ties.

In his turn the Indonesian Ambassador thanked the President for the reception and wishes, stating that it is a great honor for him to be in a country since while examining the oldest history of it a great respect is created towards the Armenian people. The Ambassador said the works on intensifying educational, tourism, commercial ties have prospects in terms of bilateral cooperation.

The sides agreed that the geographical distance between Armenia and Indonesia cannot hinder the development of mutual partnership especially in the 21st century when the technological progress significantly reduces the geographical distance and provides great opportunities to develop ties.

At the meeting issues relating to Armenia-Indonesia cooperation within the frames of international organizations, regional affairs and threats, as well as the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process were discussed.






YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Minister of Economic Development and Investments Suren Karayan sees great prospects for economic partnership with Tajikistan, reports Armenpress.

After the Cabinet meeting on June 23, the Minister, commenting on the recent visit of Tajikistan Presidents delegation to Armenia, said they have expectation for cooperation which will contribute to increasing the bilateral trade turnover volumes.

We have agreements on concrete sectors. In near future, in late August-September there will be another visit from the Tajik side, as well as we will also pay a visit to Tajikistan. In addition, we also organized a business forum as a result of which 8-9 agreements were signed, the Minister said.

According to him, the agreements mainly relate to agricultural product processing field. There are also serious cooperation prospects in jewelry and diamond cutting spheres.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Soldier Mher A. Petrosyan, who received gunshot wound while conducting the military service, will continue his treatment in Germany, reports Armenpress.

For that purpose the Defense Ministry provided 8 million 323.4 thousand AMD from the Governments reserve fund.

Soldier Mher Petrosyan has already received treatment in Germany, however, the allocated funds were not enough for his surgery, and the Government provides new funds.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will carry out a program in Armenia aimed at capacity development of Armenias Parliament, reports Armenpress.

On June 23 Speaker of the Parliament Ara Babloyan and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Armenia Judith Margaret Farnworth signed a letter-agreement based on which the UK government will implement capacity development program of the Parliament.

After the signing ceremony Parliament Speaker Babloyan said they have signed a document which is a launch for new quality cooperation. The powers assigned to the Parliament of Armenia under the new Constitution and the increase of the role of the Parliament suppose expanding the functions of legislative body, strengthening and improving the capacities of standing committees and staff, the Speaker said, adding that the Parliament is open for cooperation.

In her turn the UK Ambassador said she is very happy to attend the official signing ceremony of the agreement. The expanded powers bring with them great responsibility for all members of the Parliament who will become more accountable for the Armenian people on their decision-makings, developing legislative initiatives, as well as controlling the activity of the Government. This is the reason that the UK Embassy in Armenia accepted with happiness the proposal of the Armenian side to strengthen the capacities of Armenias Parliament so that the Parliament will more effectively present the interests of citizens, the MPs will work more transparent and will be more accountable and will carry out effective control functions, she said.

The program will be carried out by the International Center for Human Development in the Parliament. Within the frames of the program it is expected to carry out works with newly elected MPs, standing committees, factions and the staff.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government approved Lydian Armenia CJSCs bid on being granted customs duty privilege for imports of technical equipment, raw materials for the Amulsar mine and the enriching plant.

At the Cabinet meeting today, minister of economic development and investments Mr. Suren Karayan mentioned that the privilege would be a serious boost for the implementation of the investment project and creation of new jobs, attraction of investments and local production and exports.

The company has already invested 44 billion drams, another 180 billion drams are planned to be invested. It is planned to create 2 thousand jobs with an average salary of 500 thousand, the minister said.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. On June 23 Armenias Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan hosted the delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) led by Sean OSullivan, Director General of the ADBs Central and West Asia Department, press service of the Government told Armenpress.

The PM appreciated the cooperation with the ADB, stating that as a result of it 25 programs worth 1 billion 190 million USD have been carried in Armenia over the past years. Karen Karapetyan stated that the Armenian Government is interested in mutual partnership and implementing programs in road transportation, energy fields, capital market development and other spheres, as well as expanding the ADB cooperation with the private sector. We need to change many things and we are open for cooperation with the Asian Development Bank, the PM said.

In his turn Sean OSullivan expressed satisfaction over the process of programs aimed at improving infrastructures at various sectors of Armenia, adding that at the moment they work on implementing new programs. He said the ADB is ready to cooperate in education, governance digitization and other spheres.

During the meeting a number of other issues relating to bilateral cooperation were discussed.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. The assets and liabilities management committee of the military insurance fund of Armenia passed a decision on June 20 on making compensations to 1 family of a fallen soldier and 1 serviceman with a 2nd degree disability.

According to the military insurance funds data, the family of Private Armen Harutyunyan will receive a lump sum of 10 million drams a

The family of the fallen soldier will receive 10 million drams as a lump sum and 250 thousand drams monthly during 20 years. The soldier with the disability will receive a lump sum of 5 million drams and 150 thousand drams monthly during 20 years.

Earlier the fund made compensations to families of another 11 fallen soldiers.
YEREVAN, 23 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 23 june, USD exchange rate up by 0.17 drams to 480.39 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.48 drams to 536.60 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 8.07 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.44 drams to 611.30 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 134.99 drams to 19318.48 drams. Silver price up by 1.18 drams to 256.08 drams. Platinum price up by 252.13 drams to 14410.09 drams.
By Suhani Singh: Director: Kabir Khan

Cast: Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Om Puri, Zhu Zhu, Matin Ray Tangu, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Yashpal Sharma

Rating:

After Sanjay Dutt, it is Salman Khan's turn to embrace Gandhigiri.

In Tubelight, Salman is Laxman aka Tubelight, a village idiot, treated affectionately and dismissively by folk in the hilly hamlet. When his younger brother, Bharat (Sohail Khan), is packed off to defend the motherland against China, Laxman awaits his return. Giving him "yakeen", a word generously used throughout the script, is Banne Chacha (Om Puri) who hands him teachings from Gandhi as pointers on paper. So begins Laxman's experiments with truth as he practises the lessons by befriending Guo (scene-stealer Matin Ray Tangu) and Liling (Zhu Zhu), an India-born Chinese son-mother duo who for some inexplicable reason have moved from Calcutta to the military-infested border area to seek safety and avoid trouble. Residents of Jagatpur aren't pleased with their presence but Laxman steps in to defend them even if he isn't equipped to cross the border.

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Kabir Khan and Parveez Shaikh's film stays true to the tried-and-tested and successful model of Bajrangi Bhaijaan but this time the results are below expectations. Firstly, far too much trust has been invested in the (lack of) thespian skills of Salman Khan, also the film's producer. An adaptation of Hollywood film Little Boy, Tubelight deviates from its inspiration as its lead character is not an eight-year-old child but an adult actor who is childlike in his naivete, simplicity, unbias and innocence. The 51-year-old actor, however, spends a chunk of screen time smiling wide-eyed and breaking down into tears, never able to draw sympathy for the character. Secondly, the child as a means to educate the adult and regale the audience here doesn't pay as rich dividends as it did in the 2015 film. The scenes between Matin Ray Tangu and Salman Khan are spread few and far between, with Matin always catching attention with his silky mop of hair, baby teethed-smile and energy. Also missing is a strongly etched character and performer like Nawazuddin Siddiqui to shoulder responsibility and divert attention from Khan's weaknesses as an actor. The closest we get her is Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub's Narayan, who as a man always teasing and attacking Laxman is the closest thing to a villain in the film. Humour, a major factor in Khan's biggest hit to date, is also short. Even the songs, though sparsely used, are not enjoyable.

Like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, romance is secondary, even more so, to the narrative here. It's substituted here with bromance as in sibling love, with Bharat watching out for his vulnerable older brother Laxman. It's a bond that in hands of better actors could have had emotional resonance; in Tubelight it's just two sturdy dudes trying in vain to be cute as they call each other names and exchange hugs. It's the source for all melodrama too in Tubelight with Laxman desperate for his brother's return, striking his own superhero pose to turn things around. The much-talked about cameo featuring Shah Rukh Khan as a magician who builds on the yakeen narrative is also low on fireworks. What's impressive is Aseem Mishra's cinematography especially the way he uses Leh's stunning skyline to show the passage of time. Khan's finger here is perpetually in mawkish mode, with the film made further intolerable by its sloppy pace.

Tubelight is a moral science lecture on the futility of war, the significance of humanity in times of adversity, need for compassion towards migrants and minorities, and how harbouring hatred achieves no good. Some of them are delivered with nuance especially the bits where Liling and Guo are time and again asked to prove their Indianness and patriotism; the others are screamed out loud. The good message gets lost in the overload of 'yakeen' yarn. For a film that starts out by celebrating Gandhi's legacy, it's surprising to see Laxman lose his cool towards the end. For a change, Salman Khan, often accused of playing larger-than-life hero far too often on screen, is pushed to his limits, but Kabir Khan's yakeen in him pulling off this part is misplaced.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Tubelight

ALSO READ: Loved Matin Rey Tangu in Tubelight? You cannot miss his audition footage

ALSO WATCH: Tubelight's child actor Matin Rey Tangu stumps journalist with his answer to racist question

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. There has been no proposal of making 8 billion USD investment in Armenias energy sector. That amount is the evaluated potential of Armenia in solar energy, Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia Hayk Harutyunyan posted on his Facebook page, commenting on the information of possible investments of 8 billion USD in that sector.

The announcement of the US Ambassador refers to the investment potential that we have in that spheres in case of realizing our economic potential most effectively, Armenpress reports the Deputy Minister wrote.

According to Hayk Harutyunyan, the 8 billion USD is an assessment based on expert analyzes presented by the Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia.

That amount is the investment required for the full utilization of the entire potentials in the solar energy sphere, Hayk Harutyunyan wrote, adding that solar energy must be competitive with other technologies and should not negatively impact on the tariffs.

The Deputy Minister also informed that there is a program on realizing the potential of the solar energy. Without serious difficulties it will be possible to generate 100-110 megawatt power in Armenias energy sector by the end of 2019, Hayk Harutyunyan assured, adding that a competition has been declared for establishing a 55 megawatt power station.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan sent a condolence letter on June 23 to the family of the Gevorgyans on the occasion of the death of People's Artist of the Republic of Armenia, renowned film director Ruben Gevorgyants. The President of the Republic expressed profound condolences to the family, friends, relatives and colleagues of the renowned artist.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office, the message runs as follows, Ruben Gevorgyants was one of the prominent representatives of Armenian cinematography, who has made a huge contribution to the development of the Armenian cinematography. The films he made, particularly the documental ones, were highly appreciated by both our audience and the international reputable experts.

Ruben Gevorgyantss merit as a film maker, vigorous organizer and pedagogue of the new generation of cinematographers is also of great significance.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ara Babloyan received on June 23 Charge d'Affaires of the Syrian Embassy in Armenia Essam Nayyal.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, the head of the parliament greeted Essam Nayyal and expressed concern over the situation in Syria.

The President of the National Assembly of Armenia expressed gratitude for the warm attitude towards the Armenians who appeared in Syria as a result of the Armenian Genocide later becoming an Armenian community in Syria. According to Ara Babloyan, the beholden Armenian people are always ready to help the friendly people of Syria.

Referring to the regional situation, Ara Babloyan noted that the activities of some countries and their consequences should be in the focus of Europe and the entire civilized world.

The President of the Armenian parliament highlighted the activities of inter-parliamentary friendship groups and talked about the establishment of Armenia-Syria friendship group in the new parliament of Armenia. Ara Babloyan invited the Syrian parliamentarians who are member to the friendship group with Armenia to Yerevan.

Charge d'Affaires of the Syrian Embassy in Armenia Essam Nayyal congratulated Ara babloyan on being elected President of the National Assembly of Armenia. He also congratulated the Armenian people on the occasion of fair and transparent elections, observed by the international observers.

The Charge d'Affaires presented the situation in Syria to the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, and expressed gratitude to the Armenian people, as well as the Syrian-Armenian community for their support to the Syrian people during the crisis.

Referring to the issue of recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide, Essam Nayyal noted that Turkey leads the same policy now against the Syrian people, continuing its crimes in Syria.

At the end of the meeting Ara babloyan wished the Syrian people restoration of peace, stabilization of the situation and welfare.
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ara Babloyan received on June 23 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Armenia Igor Nazaruk.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, highlighting the role of parliamentary diplomacy in developing and deepening inter-state relations, Ara Babloyan noted that the friendship group with Belarus has already been set at the Armenian parliament. The President of the parliament emphasized the importance of the long years of relations between Armenia and Belarus with various cultural and spiritual similarities as the basis of the relations.

Referring to Nagorno Karabakh issue, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia noted that Armenia, as a civilized country, sees the settlement of the conflict exclusively through peaceful negotiations in the sidelines of the OSCE Minsk Group. Referring to the recent-days situation on the contact line and the death of the young servicemen, Ara Babloyan said, The conflict must find a solution based on talks. The issues must be solved by pen but not weapon. None of the sides should suffer losses.

In this context, the President of the parliament thanked Belarus for its balanced position.

Ambassador Igor Nazaruk congratulated Ara Babloyan on the occasion of being elected the President of the National Assembly of Armenia and organizing fair and transparent elections.

Referring to Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Igor Nazaruk noted that the OSCE Minsk Group has no alternative for the settlement. Belarus always advocates peaceful solutions. The Ambassador of Belarus highlighted the development and deepening of relations between the parliaments of the two countries, and stated the necessity of supporting one another on international platforms.

At the end of the meeting the interlocutors referred to the Constitutional reforms in Armenia, the parliamentary system of governance and the activities of the friendly groups in the new parliament.
AUSTIN, TexasBombshell brunette and 2017 AVN Awards Female Performer of the Year Adriana Chechik is the latest adult performer named a Fleshlight Girl.

"I'm more than honored and excited to announce I'm the newest addition to the Fleshlight Girls, Chechik told AVN. One of my goals since entering porn was to become a part of what is elite. For me it was Fleshlight! It will be a lasting mark in my career. I'm beyond thrilled that the Chechik Army can be as nasty to me as they wish."

Her Fleshlights are available with the Empress texture for the vaginal version and the Next Level texture for the anal version. Both textures were created specifically for Chechik.

The Empress texture is designed with multiple chambers of tight yet supple rings, pleasure nubs and waves. The Next Level texture completely envelops the users shaft with a vortex of hyper-realistic anal sex pleasure, according to Fleshlight.

"I really hope couples use this tool to enhance their sex lives. I'm excited to see the photos and hear all the different ways they use me!" Chechik said. "If you watched this year's AVN [Awards], then you will know how hard I cried out of excitement when I found out the news [of winning Female Performer of the Year]. Becoming a Fleshlight girl is another great moment in my career. I hope everyone takes a piece of me home!"

Chechik came up in Philly and jumped into porn after being invited onto a set by a fellow dancer at the strip club where she briefly worked. Before joining the industry, she attended school as a bio-chem major, and she describes herself as "a total nerd."

Chechik garnered attention right away, earning a 2014 AVN Award nomination for Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene (with Bruce Venture in Digital Sin's The Innocence of Youth 5), and seeing her memorable scene from Kink.com's Public Disgrace take the prize at the same ceremony for Best Web Premiere.

In addition to the trophy for POTY, Chechik also took home some hardware for Best Oral Sex Scene and Most Outrageous Sex Scene at the 2017 AVN Awards.

Each of Chechiks Fleshlights retail for $79.99, and each is available in various multi-packs.

For more information, visit Fleshlight.com.
LAS VEGASAdult performer Ariana Marie is ready to turn up the heat this weekend when she featured dances in New Jersey.

Ariana Marie is the star attraction at Lace Gentlemen's Club in Wayne, June 23-24.

I'm pretty excited to kick off summer in New Jersey," said Marie of her weekend trip. "Summer is my favorite time of year and I'm ready to spend it with friends and fans on the East Coast."

The starlet will headline two shows Friday (11 p..m. and 1 a.m.) and Saturday (11:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.), offering lap dances and private rooms, and will be available to meet and take photos with fans throughout the evening.

Lace Gentlemen's Club is located at 24 Galesi Drive in Wayne; to make reservations for Ariana Marie's performances, call (973) 256-3302 or visit LaceWayneNJ.com.

For up-to-the minute Ariana Marie info, find her at ArianaMarie.com and follow her at Twitter.com/arianamariexxx.
ZWAAGDIJK, The NetherlandsEropartner is now carrying the latest release in reusable pleasure for men, the Tenga Flex.

The Tenga Flex is a new sleeve-type masturbator with an external case and a separate internal sleeve that can be removed for washing and drying. The items cap also functions as a drying stand for hygiene.

Unique to the Tenga Flex is its outer casing, made of a new malleable material that holds its form, but is still soft and Flexible. This allows for both direct control of stimulation by pressing and squeezing, but also adds a spiraling movement that is all-new. Covering the air hole at the end of the item during use creates an internal vacuum, resulting in a twisting motion when the item moves.

The Tenga Flex is available in two versions: Silky White and Rocky Black, both with different internal details and material strengths.

For ore, visit Eropartner.com.
Pastry manufacturer Pidy has announced that 50 riders have signed up for the Ride 4 Hope charity cycle ride from Northampton to Ypres, Belgium.

The three-day event, which will take place from the 6-8 July, will run for its fourth year to raise money for the Hope Centre, a Northampton-based charity working to relieve poverty and combat homelessness in the town.

Pidys 30 cyclists raised 24,000 for the Hope Centre last year and the company has set a new target to raise 40,000 in 2017.

Following the success of last years event, weve been planning the biggest event yet, said Pidy general manager Robert Whittle. Our Pidy UK team, along with our colleagues in our Belgian head office are delighted to be once again supporting this event, raising money for such a great cause.

The riders will travel south through Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, cross the English Channel, cycle through northern Frances countryside, before a final push into the Flanders region of Belgium.
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.
This will, perhaps, be the first time that the arch rivals will be seen sharing stage after Rane was expelled from Shiv Sena in 2005.

Uddhav Thackeray and Narayan Rane to share stage at the quadrupling of the Mumbai-Goa Highway at Sindhudurg.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and arch rival former Chief Minister Narayan Rane will be seen on the same stage after a span of 12 years. Both the leaders will be attending the bhoomipujan of the quadrupling of the Mumbai-Goa Highway at Kudal in Sindhudurg district today.

This will, perhaps, be the first time that the arch rivals will be seen sharing stage after Rane was expelled from Shiv Sena in 2005.

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Uddhav, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, will attend the launch of the ambitious quadrupling project.

As per the protocol, Narayan Rane, who is a member of the Vidhan Parishad from the region, has also been invited to attend the programme.

The Rs 3,487.58 crore ambitious project is expected to boost the inter-state connectivity (Mumbai and Goa). The stretch will also increase connectivity to the Konkan region.

While Konkan had been the stronghold of Shiv Sena once, Rane made a major dent into the party after he quit it and joined the Congress. But the Shiv Sena fought back and gained its control over the region.

In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Rane's son Nilesh lost from the Sindhudurg constituency. Rane too had lost to a Shiv Sena candidate in the Assembly elections and in the 2015 by-polls in Bandra constituency.

In these 12 years, Rane and Uddhav have constantly indulged in bitter war of words. After quitting Shiv Sena, Rane had launched a scathing attack against Uddhav raising questions over his leadership qualities.

The Shiv Sena, too, has been attacking Rane and using derogatory references for the leader. Bal Thackeray even called Rane a gangster on several occasions.

The relations between the two leaders have never been cordial ever since. Hence, today's programme where the both the leaders will be seen together has raised a lot of curiosity in political circles.

Meanwhile, Narayan Rane has put up several posters in Kudal welcoming Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to the region. These posters have raised many a eyebrows on the backdrop of the recent speculations of Rane planning a switch-over to the BJP. However, no Congress leaders have found a place on Rane's posters.

ALSO READ | Shiv Sena 2.0: How Uddhav Thackeray-led party fought many battles to come on top

Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut tendered apology due to resignation threat by Shiv Sena leaders: Narayan Rane

Mumbai: Is it the end of Narayan Rane's BJP dreams?

ALSO WATCH | Presidential election 2017: BJP President Amit Shah meets Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray

--- ENDS ---

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Tom Campbell

Few of us like it when others disagree with us. Fewer still like it when others protest our actions, but elected or appointed public officials have to recognize that disagreements and sometimes protests come with the territory. Often these protests are respectful and are dealt with responsibly, however the recent instance where 32 people were banned from entering our legislature is troubling on several fronts.On May 30th, more than 100 people assembled in the legislative building petitioning for better healthcare. 32 conducted a sit-down in front of legislative leaders' offices. When the Capitol Police ordered the protestors to clear the hallways they refused, were arrested on charges of second-degree trespassing and taken to jail. As a condition for their release from jail, Wake County Magistrate Jeffrey Godwin banned them from again entering the legislative building.Our first concern is whether any magistrate has (or should have) the authority to ban anyone from any public building. Magistrates are not generally lawyers and, while they have prescribed authorities we can't find banning people from public buildings among them. Here are the qualifications to become a magistrate in North Carolina. First, magistrates have to be a resident of the county to which they are appointed. Secondly, the appointee must have one of the following: be a college graduate, have 8 years of experience as the clerk of superior court or have a two-year associate degree and 4 years of experience in a related field. Godwin appears to have exceeded his authority in this case.Our second concern regards the constitutionality of the action. Article 1, Section 12 of the North Carolina Constitution states clearly, "The people have a right to assemble together to consult for their common good, to instruct their representatives, and to apply to the General Assembly for redress of grievances...." There have been more than 1,000 arrests at the legislative building since 2013. In one instance where protestors were banned, a court overturned the edict as a violation of a citizen's right to assemble and instruct their representatives.That raises our third concern. While everyone has the right to assemble and even to protest, no one should have the right to be violent or disruptive so as to preclude public officials from the conduct of their duties. There is evidence that the protestors became very loud and blocked the entranceway to lawmakers' offices. We can certainly understand the frustration that results when lawmakers or other elected officials refuse to meet with or hear people's concerns, but we wonder whether the groups motives in this instance were to meet with lawmakers or to create a disturbance to the point of getting arrested.Finally, we are concerned by the reactions of our legislators to this and similar protests. In recent decades we have witnessed a reduction in access to and a corresponding unwillingness by legislators to meet with groups petitioning them. Perhaps the disruptive noise and sit-ins might have been avoided if the representatives had been more responsive and willing to listen to and dialogue with them. We will never know because the protestors never had that opportunity.This instance represents the state of our political climate today. This culture will only change when there is a willingness by all to be more responsive, respectful and responsible.
President Donald Trump today "offered support for emerging technologies including unmanned aerial vehicles and next-generation wireless networks in a meeting on Thursday with the chiefs of AT&T Inc and General Electric Co and other business leaders," reports Reuters.

At the White House today, Trump met with venture capitalists, and with telcom and drone executives, and they talked about how the federal government can speed technologies to market.

The meeting, which lasted more than three hours including breakout sessions, is part of Trump's effort to tap industry experts on how to boost U.S. competitiveness in various fields and create jobs.

On Monday, Trump met with the heads of 18 U.S. technology companies including Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp, seeking their help to make the government's computing systems more efficient. He will meet with energy industry leaders next week. "We want them to create new companies and lots of jobs," Trump told the executives on Thursday. "We're going to give you the competitive advantage that you need." In attendance were chief executives of several drone companies including Kespry Inc, AirMap, Airspace Inc, Measure UAS Inc, Trumbull Unmanned, and PrecisionHawk Inc. Drone makers argued that the administration should move faster to approve broader commercial use of drones and noted that the Transportation Department does not require automakers to win pre-approval of self-driving vehicle technologies. Senior executives at Xcel Energy Inc, Verizon Communications Inc and CenturyLink Inc also took part. Venture capital firms included Revolution LLC, headed by AOL co-founder Steve Case, 500 Startups, Cayuga Ventures, Epic Ventures and Lightspeed Ventures. Obama administration rules opened the skies to low-level small drones for education, research and routine commercial use. The Trump administration is considering whether to expand drone use for deliveries beyond the view of an operator. Security issues would need to be addressed.

PHOTO, TOP: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) looks at a drone with Kespry CEO George Mathew (R) during an event highlighting emerging technologies, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 22, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst



And in the department of interesting timing:
On June 16, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he is rolling back several of former President Barack Obamas directives on Cuba. There were no changes to the current policy that allows bringing Cuban cigars and rum into the United States, however the new Trump directive cracks down on travel and conducting business in Cuba

Cuba is still very much a part of the heritage of the people of the cigar industry, thus this is still a very relevant topic. For this episode, Hector Alfonso Sr, the Director of Operations of Espinosa Cigars joins us to discuss the situation. We get Hectors perspective on the situation. Plus we will throw a few topics Hectors way on the happenings in the cigar industry since his last visit to the Mothership  the Prime Time Show.

Cigar Coop Prime Time Special Edition introduces a series of podcasts that will allow for us to have another avenue outside the framework of the Cigar Coop Prime Time Show. These will not be regularly scheduled programming but offered on select days about one or two times a month. The content can range from feature stories, additional interviews, and panel discussions.
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New York, June 23, 2017Angolan authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalists Rafael Marques de Morais and Mariano Bras Lourenco, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Marques de Morais, who runs the anticorruption website Maka Angola, and Bras Lourenco, of the weekly newspaper O Crime, face charges of outrage to a body of sovereignty and injury against public authority, under Angolas Law on Crimes against State Security, Maka Angola reported on June 21. The chargewhich, according to media reports, carries a maximum sentence of six years in prisonstems from an October 2016 Maka Angola article, republished in O Crime that alleged the attorney general illegally acquired land, according to legal documents seen by CPJ.

The Angolan attorney generals use of state security legislation to charge journalists who published allegations of his wrongdoing is an absolute outrage, even for a government with little tolerance for dissent, said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal. Rafael Marques de Morais and Mariano Bras Lourenco are not threats to Angolas national security. The state should immediately drop all charges against them and should cease threatening them with prison for reporting on issues of public interest.

The state filed the outrage to a body of sovereignty charges on May 12, 2017, on behalf of Angolan Attorney General Joao Maria de Sousa and Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, but Marques de Morais and Bras Lourenco learned of them only on June 20, according to media reports. This gave the accused only five days to prepare for a hearing at which a judge is expected to decide whether to bring the case to trial, Marques de Morais told CPJ.

Marques de Morais told CPJ that the outrage to a body of sovereignty charges were a brush for everything when they want to hold a journalist.

According to legal documents seen by CPJ, Attorney General Joao Maria de Sousa also brought criminal defamation, injury, and abuse of freedom of the press charges against Marques de Morais individually.

The intention is to close the newspaper [O Crime], Bras Lourenco told CPJ in an email. They plan to demand compensation that the newspaper cannot pay, [so that] this time, it declares bankruptcy.

Marques de Morais and Bras Lourenco were charged with insult laws and interrogated over the same article in 2016, CPJ reported at the time.

CPJs calls to the office of the Angolan presidency and attorney general went unanswered.
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Police and officials from the Gambia Revenue Agency (GRA) on June 14, 2017, shut down the Daily Observer newspaper and forced all staff from the publication to leave the office, saying the publication owed 17 million dalasi (U.S.$371,415) in unpaid taxes, Daily Observer Managing Director Pa Modou Mbowe told the Committee to Protect Journalists. The paper was ordered to remain closed for two weeks, and to pay 30 percent of the owed amount during that period, according to Gambian media reports.

The Daily Observer does not deny that it owes taxes, Mbowe told CPJ, but said that he feared the newspaper would be forced to close permanently if forced to pay roughly 5 million dalasi (U.S.$109,100) in two weeks.

They think that the newspaper is run by the former President [Yahya] Jammeh, Mbowe told CPJ. They see the Observer as a threat, which we are not. We are responsible journalists.

Gambian Information Minister Demba Ali Jawo said by email from Guinea Bissau that he was very concerned to hear of the Daily Observers closing. I intend to engage the Revenue Authority on the matter as soon as I get back to Banjul in order to get the Daily Observer operational again, pending the reaching of a workable payment plan, he said.

Mbowe told CPJ he went to negotiate with the commissioner general on the day police shuttered the newspapers offices, offering the GRA front page advertisements in the paper as part of a payment plan, to no avail.

We tried other payment plans before and they [the Daily Observer] did not pay, GRA commissioner general Yankuba Darboe told CPJ. We tried to call them many, many times.

In the ongoing meetings with the GRA commissioner general, the Daily Observer is asking for a 20-year payment plan of 75,000 dalasi (U.S.$1636) per month, Mbowe told CPJ. This would be in addition to a 100,000 (U.S.$2182)-dalasi monthly tax bill the newspaper would begin paying if permitted to continue operations.

President Adama Barrow took office in January 2017, after the Jammehs 22-year rule, which saw journalists imprisoned and killed. In February 2017, CPJ wrote a letter requesting a meeting with President Barrow to discuss ways to improve the climate for the news media in The Gambia. In May 2017, the president welcomed the issuance of arrest warrants for two people suspected of murdering Gambian editor Deyda Hydara in 2004.
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New York, June 23, 2017Cuban authorities should immediately release independent journalist Manuel Alejandro Leon Velazquez and return his equipment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. State security forces and Interior Ministry officials detained Leon Velazquez around 4 p.m. yesterday in the eastern province of Guantanamo, according to his news website Diario de Cuba and the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press.

The journalists neighbor, Isael Poveda, told Diario de Cuba that he saw authorities arrive at Leon Velazquezs home with an order to confiscate counter-revolutionary equipment. According to Poveda, who is an opposition activist, police arrested Leon Velazquez and took a computer, a Sony camera, a copy of the Cuban constitution, and work documents from the journalists home. CPJ was unable to determine what documents were confiscated.

Independent journalists in Cuba should be able to work without the constant threat of arbitrary detention, said CPJ Senior Program Coordinator for the Americas Carlos Lauria. Cuban authorities should release Manuel Alejandro Leon Velazquez and return his equipment immediately.

Leon Velazquez covers general news in Guantanamo and other eastern Cuban states for the independent news website Diario de Cuba. Normando Hernandez, director of the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press, told CPJ today the organization is aware of the case, and has spoken with Leon Velazquezs editor, who confirmed the arrest.

Leon Velazquez has been detained on several occasions, including in October 2016 while reporting on the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, and in February 2017, when police detained him for two hours at a checkpoint on the border between Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba province, Diario de Cuba reported.

A September 2016 CPJ special report on press freedom in Cuba found that independent journalists there continue to face the threat of arbitrary detention, and that vague and outdated laws and limitations on internet access continue to slow progress on press freedom.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth  a life for a lab book?





In the past few months, China has announced two new crackdowns on research misconduct  one of which could lead to executions for scientists who doctor their data.





Scientists have been sounding alarms for years about the integrity of research in China. One recent survey estimated that 40 percent of biomedical papers by Chinese scholars were tainted by misconduct. Funding bodies there have in the past announced efforts to crack down on fraud, including clawing back money from scientists who cheat on their grants.





This month, in the wake of a fake peer review scandal that claimed 107 papers by Chinese scholars, the countrys Ministry of Science and Technology proclaimed a no tolerance policy for research misconduct  although its not clear what that might look like. According to the Financial Times , the ministry said the mass retractions seriously harmed the international reputation of our countrys scientific research and the dignity of Chinese scientists at large.





But a prior court decision in the country threatened the equivalent of the nuclear option. In April courts approved a new policy calling for stiff prison sentences for researchers who fabricate data in studies that lead to drug approvals. If the misconduct ends up harming people, then the punishment on the table even includes the death penalty. The move, as Nature explained , groups clinical trial data fraud with counterfeiting so that if the approved drug causes health problems, it can result in a 10-year prison term or the death penalty, in the case of severe or fatal consequences.





Weve long called for sterner treatment of science cheats, including the possibility of jail time  which, by the way, most Americans agree is appropriate. But we cant support the Chinese solution. Even if we didnt abhor the death penalty (which we do), the punishment here far outweighs the crime.





Yet if extremity in the name of virtue can be vice, it serves as reminder that science fraud is, simply put, fraud. And when it involves funding  taxpayer or otherwise  that fraud becomes theft. Think about it the same way as you would running a bogus investment fund or kiting checks. So, jail for major offenders  yes. Execution  no.





One objection to our position here might be that financial criminals typically dont kill anyone  directly, at least. If you drain my bank account or steal my 401(k), Im still alive. A scientist who cheats on a drug study could, at least in theory, jeopardize the health of the people who take that medication, with potentially fatal consequences.





But the reality is quite different. In the United States, at least, drug approvals hinge on data generated from many scientists or groups of researchers. They never rest on a single person. So unless everyone involved in a study is cheating, a fraudsters data would stick out if they strayed too much from the aggregate. Ironically, then, to succeed, a would-be fraudster would be most successful if they made their bogus results look like everyone elses  thus diluting their influence on the outcome of the trial.



And stopping short of capital punishment, jail time for fraud would itself be a big change. According to our own research, only 39 scientists worldwide between 1975 and 2015 received criminal penalties for misdeeds somehow related to their work. However, some of those cases didnt involve research directly but instead related to incidental infractions, such as misusing funds, bribery, and even murder facilitated by access to cyanide

Shanghai: Female drug trafficker gets suspended death sentence

A woman has been sentenced to death - with a 2-year reprieve - for selling and transporting drugs.





Shanghai No.3 Intermediate People's Court said yesterday that the woman, a 26-year-old mother of 2 children, had previously been sentenced to prison for the same crime but had avoided serving out her terms.





From June 1 last year, the woman surnamed Zhang, a native of Anhui Province, sold 400 grams of crystal meth to a man surnamed Chen and bought about 2,000 grams from another man surnamed Li.





Li was sentenced to life, while Chen was sentenced for his involvement in another case.





According to China's Criminal Law, smuggling, selling, transporting and producing drugs amounting to over 50 grams of heroin or crystal meth face a life sentence or the death penalty.





In another case, a woman who is an Indonesian citizen, was sentenced to life for smuggling about 1,500 grams of cocaine into China, the court said.





She arrived at Pudong airport from Cambodia on May 4 last year with a backpack, and an X-ray machine detected a suspicious substance in the backpack, later confirmed to be cocaine.





The woman had previously traveled between China, Vietnam and Cambodia on several occasions, transporting drugs for others in exchange for thousands of dollars in return, the court said.





In the past 12 months, the court has closed 13 drug cases and handed down sentences to 19 people with 15 of them sentenced to at least 5 years in prison.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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: statnews.com, ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus, June 23, 2017: Shanghai Daily, June 22, 2017
Around the end of May, 2 prisoners were reportedly hanged on drug related charges - 1 at Maragheh Prison (East Azerbaijan province) and the other at Minab Prison (Hormozgan province).





According to close sources, the execution in Maragheh Prison was carried out on Friday May 26. The prisoner has been identified as Fakhroldin Roshani. Mr. Roshani was reportedly arrested in 2012 at the age of 34. The execution in Minab Prison was reportedly carried out on Saturday May 27. The prisoner has been identified as Afshar Beiglou, 21 years of age.





A source who asked to be annonymous told Iran Human Rights: Afshar was a driver of a moving truck. In 2010, when he was delivering furniture from Urmia to Minab, approximately 2 kilograms and 700 grams of opium and crystal meth were planted in his truck. He never confessed at any point and always insisted that he was innocent. Nonetheless, in 2011, he was sentenced to death by a court in Minab and was executed on the 1st day of Ramadan."





Iranian official sources, including the media and Judiciary, have not announced these 2 executions.





Iranian parliament members had formerly requested from the Judiciary to stop drug related executions for at least 5,000 prisoners pending further investigation. However, the request has not stopped the Judiciary from carrying out death sentences for prisoners with drug related charges.

110 Death Row Prisoners in Zanjan Prison / 17 in Imminent Danger of Execution

Approximately half of the prisoners in Zanjan Prison are held on drug related charges.





There are about 2,500 prisoners in Zanjan Prison, and about 110 of them are sentenced to death.





This prison has a ward for juvenile offenders, and among the prisoners in this ward are 11 teenagers under the age of 18.





Among the 110 death row prisoners, at least 17 of them have had their death sentences confirmed by Iran's Supreme Court and sent for implementation.





A close source tells Iran Human Rights: "It is highly likely that the execution sentences of these 17 prisoners will be carried out right after Ramadan."

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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The identities of the 17 prisoners:1) Hamza Rahimpour, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2014.2) Najaf Sidi, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2011.3) Mohammad Ali Yari, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2013.4) Bahman Pirouzi, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2014.5) Jamshid Allah Verdi, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2011.6) Jalil Dadyarvand, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2012.7) Mostafa Hassanzadeh, sentenced to death on murder charges, arrested in 2010.8) Ali Kashefi, sentenced to death on murder charges, arrested in 2011.9) Abbas Savaghi, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2015.10) Mohammad Feyzabadi, sentenced to death on drug related charges, arrested in 2014.11) Hossein Ali Mahdavi, sentenced to death on murder charges, arrested in 2011.12) Yassin Abedi, sentenced to death on murder charges, arrested in 2011.There are 5 Afghan citizens who are in imminent danger of execution. These 5 prisoners have been detained for the past 6 years.: Iran Human Rights, June 22, 2017
After a school in the UK mandated trousers for schoolboys, to tackle the heatwave, the boys wore skirts to school.

By India Today Web Desk: Boys at a British high school are solving a problem in a way that is both smart and humourous.

The country is sweltering through a heatwave. Amid all the sweat and heat, Isca Academy in southwestern city of Exeter has some strict uniform rules which simply do not provide a sigh of relief for its boy students.

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According to the rules of the academy, the schoolboys are asked to wear slacks, regardless of the temperatures. As the heat grew to be cruel, the schoolboys donned skirts instead of the officially mandated grey slacks.

Photos in British media show the boys wearing short-sleeved white shirts, school ties and the grey and white plaid skirts that the girls wear.

Devon County Council spokesman David Beasley said about 30 boys turned up to school in skirts on Thursday, when temperatures dropped to a cool 20 degrees Celsius after days of much hotter weather.

None of the skirted students was punished, he said.

The school's head teacher, Aimee Mitchell, issued a written statement that did not mention the skirts, but pledged to revisit the uniform rules.

"We recognize that the last few days have been exceptionally hot and we are doing our utmost to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible," AP quoted Aimee.

"Shorts are not currently part of our uniform for boys and I would not want to make any changes without consulting both students and their families. However, with hotter weather becoming more normal, I would be happy to consider a change for the future," she added.

Watch: UK Schoolboys attend school in skirts during heatwave

--- ENDS ---
This story has been updated to reflect comment from Goop and Body Vibes.

NASA has a bone to pick with Gwyneth Paltrows lifestyle brand Goop.

In a post on Thursday, Goop promoted wearable healing stickers that are sold by a group called Body Vibes, CNN reports. In a portion of the products description on Goops website, which has since been removed, Goop said that the stickers are made with the same conductive carbon material NASA uses to line space suits so they can monitor an astronauts vitals during wear.

But NASA representatives told CNN that it doesnt use use carbon material to line its suits, and its current spacesuit has no carbon fibers in it at all.

In addition, Mark Shelhamer, former chief scientist at NASA's human research division, told Gizmodo that the description was a load of BS, adding, not only is the whole premise like snake oil, the logic doesn't even hold up. If they promote healing, why do they leave marks on the skin when they are removed?

Instagram Photo

Instagram Photo

The $60-per-10-pack stickers also come pre-programmed to an ideal frequency, allowing them to target imbalances and fill in the deficiencies in your reserves, creating a calming effect, smoothing out both physical tension and anxiety, according to Goops description of the product.

In response to the controversy, a Goop representative told Fortune in a statement that the advice and recommendations included on Goop are not formal endorsements and the opinions expressed by the experts and companies we profile do not necessarily represent the views of goop.

Our content is meant to highlight unique products and offerings, find open-minded alternatives, and encourage conversation. We constantly strive to improve our site for our readers, and are continuing to improve our processes for evaluating the products and companies featured. Based on the statement from NASA, we've gone back to the company to inquire about the claim and removed the claim from our site until we get additional verification.

Story continues

In a statement to Fortune, a Body Vibes spokesperson apologized for the error, adding that we never intended to mislead anyone.

We have learned that our engineer was misinformed by a distributor about the material in question, which was purchased for its unique specifications. We regret not doing our due diligence before including the distributor's information in the story of our product, the spokesperson continued. However, the origins of the material do not anyway impact the efficacy of our product. Body Vibes remains committed to offering a holistic lifestyle tool and we stand by the quality and effectiveness of our product."

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Holding, addresses the media during the inaugural Gateway 17 event at Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

China is shifting from exporting to importing, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma said in Detroit on Wednesday. China is going to to be the worlds largest consumption place and that engine is going to drive the world economy.

Ma said this during Gateway 17, the e-commerce giants biggest public event in the US, where he addressed 3,000 small business owners and urged them not only to import from China, but also to sell to China.

Back in January, Ma even told President Donald Trump that within five years Alibaba could create 1 million US jobs for small businesses that sell goods to Chinese consumers.

While thats a lofty goal, the undergoing transformation in the worlds second largest economy is real: consumption has become Chinas growth engine.

From made in China to sold in China

China has historically been known as a factory for the world that manufactures and exports low value-goods. During his campaign for president, Donald Trump seized on this reputation to attack China for supposedly stealing US manufacturing jobs that he promised to bring back.

But China has lost manufacturing jobs, too. Just as US companies have moved jobs to cheaper locales, Chinese manufacturers have relocated factories to Southeast Asia to take advantage of cheaper labor and land.

One Chinese company, Weihong Footwear Industrial, a supplier for Nike and Adidas, first established a factory in Vietnam in 2013, and now plans to move several more factories there, the Wall Street Journal reported last year. Meanwhile, Stella International, which makes shoes for Michael Kors, shuttered a Chinese factory last year and sent production to Indonesia and Vietnam, The New York Times reported.

The loss of manufacturing jobs marks a profound change in China, since manufacturing has driven the countrys economic growth for the last 20 years. To deal with the change, the Chinese government has been intentionally cultivating its domestic demand to reduce reliance on investment and exports.

Story continues

Since 2014, consumption has become the main driver of Chinas economic growth. Last year, consumption contributed 64.6% to Chinas GDP growth, up from 50% in 2013. Exports dragged the growth down by 6.8%, according to National Bureau of Statistics. A report from Boston Consulting points out the incremental growth in Chinas consumption over the next five years will roughly equal a market 1.3 times larger than that of todays Germany.

Chinas spike in consumption and slowing manufacturing means the country needs more products from overseas. In fact, the government expects to import goods worth $8 trillion US dollars by 2020, Chinas Ministry of Commerce said in May. It will bring immense business opportunities for companies in the United States to further balance bilateral trade, the Ministry of Commerce report stated.

China plans to bring more US agricultural products like soybeans and cotton and advanced manufactured items such as passenger aircraft and machine tools, according to the report.

Growing number of middle-class consumers

The growing middle-class in China is driving this shift to consumption. These consumers may be the Chinese tourists in New York City who line up on the doorway of luxury brands on Fifth Avenue, or millennials trying to find bargains on Alibabas marketplace using their smartphones.

The domestic demand in China still has much potential to grow, as only 11% of Chinas population can be considered middle-class now, according to a report by Goldman Sachs. Less than 2% of workers make enough money to pay income tax. Only 4% of Chinese people hold a passport and travel outside the country, far lower than 35% for the US.

However, the Economist Intelligence Unit expects the upper middle-income group ($10,800-$32,100) in China to expand to 19.7% by 2030. And high-income individuals (above $32,100), will account for 14.5% of the population in 2030, up from 2.6% 2015.

Ma wants American producers and manufacturers to target this growing group of middle-class Chinese consumers, who contributed $17.8 billion worth of gross merchandise volume (GMV) during last years Singles Day, a Chinese version of Cyber Monday launched by Alibaba.

In the next 10 to 15 years, China is going to have 500 to 600 million middle class. The demanding for high-quality and high-service products is huge, Ma said in the speech. He told a story about how cherries from Washington State became a hit in China and finished the hour-long speech with a request: Please do business with China.

More from Krystal Hu:

Think youre buying on Amazon? Its actually from Alibaba

Alibaba wants to be more than the Amazon of China

How Amazon is eclipsing Walmarts best efforts to dominate e-commerce
Shares of solar companies soared on Thursday and their options drew a rush of bullish activity a day after U.S. President Donald Trump broached the subject of placing solar-power panels on his proposed wall along the Mexican border.

First Solars fslr shares rose 3.2% to $38.42 and SunPower spwr shares were up 13% to $8.69. Shares of the Guggenheim Solar tan fund rose 2.5% to $19.39.

Raymond James energy analyst Pavel Molchanov cited Trumps comments about possibly putting solar panels on the wall during a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday as the reason behind the spike in the shares.

Trump talked yesterday about a solar wall on the Mexican border  that might sound like a joke but its not, he said.

Solar panels are among proposals that have been submitted by companies interested in the wall project to the Department of Homeland Security, according to media reports.

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Molchanov warned investors this was not a good reason to chase the rally in shares.

Setting aside the broader question of whether the wall will even be politically realistic, the notion that it will be covered in solar hardware is entirely far-fetched, he said. It is hard to take this idea seriously.

Molchanov has a market perform rating on First Solar and an outperform rating on SunPower.

Traders in the options market took the opportunity to load up on bullish call options on First Solar, SunPower and Canadian Solar Inc.

Calls convey the right to buy shares at a fixed price in the future and usually are used to place bets on shares rising.

What You Need to Know About How Solar Energy Works

Near-term calls on First Solar and SunPower changed hands at a rapid pace, sending trading volume to several times their daily average, according to options analytics firm Trade Alert.

Solar stocks, including Vivint Solar and Sunrun run got a boost on Tuesday after Goldman Sachs gs upgraded its rating on Vivint to buy, citing potential for mergers and acquisitions in the sector.
New York, NY, June 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) published a fully annotated version of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Judicial Departments June 8th, 2017 decision denying personhood and rights to captive chimpanzees Tommy and Kiko, breaking down point by point how and why it believes the decision is legally wrong.

After the NhRP legal team carefully reviewed the decision, we unanimously concluded that the First Department had almost no idea what the NhRP alleged in our habeas petitions, what our major arguments were, or even what relief we were seeking for Tommy and Kiko, NhRP President Steven M. Wise, an attorney who argued the case before the First Department in March, said.

Encouraging public debate about the decision, the NhRP made its annotations available as an interactive multimedia web page via Genius Annotations and as a downloadable PDF.

The NhRP found dozens of legal errors in the decision, including the Courts claim that the NhRP does not challenge the legality of the chimpanzee detention. The NhRPs entire casea petition for an order to show cause and writ of habeas corpus under the common lawwas a challenge to the legality of Tommys and Kikos detentions, Wise pointed out.

The First Department also appears to have failed to understood that the NhRP brought its habeas petitions solely under New Yorks common lawwhich does not rely on precedent, but rather evolving standards of morality, scientific discovery, and human experienceand not under the New York Constitution or the United States Constitution, as the Court asserted.

The NhRP has the right to have a court decide its case based on the powerful public policy arguments that we actually made, rather than in response to straw man arguments created by the Court itself in an apparent effort to arbitrarily deny personhood and rights to these two autonomous beings, said Wise. Especially in todays political climate, where fundamental human rights are under threat, US courts must engage in a mature weighing of public policy and moral principle no matter the issue, but especially if the issue is an autonomous being's freedom.

The NhRP will file a motion for leave to appeal to New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, within the next two to three weeks.

CASE NOS. Tommy : Index. No. 162358/15 (New York County) & Kiko : Index. No. 150149/16 (New York County)



CASE NAMES: THE NONHUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT, INC., on behalf of TOMMY, Petitioner-Appellant, -against- PATRICK C. LAVERY, individually and as an officer of Circle L Trailer Sales, Inc., DIANE L. LAVERY, and CIRCLE L TRAILER SALES, INC., Respondents-Respondents. & THE NONHUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT, INC., on behalf of KIKO, Petitioner-Appellant, -against- CARMEN PRESTI, individually and as an officer and director of The Primate Sanctuary, Inc., CHRISTIE E. PRESTI, individually and as an officer and director of The Primate Sanctuary, Inc., and THE PRIMATE SANCTUARY, INC., Respondents-Respondents.



For more information on Tommy, Kiko, and the NhRPs court cases on their behalf, visit https://www.nonhumanrightsproject.org/litigation/

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f5e1b775-d4b4-4b5a-b6a2-542807f08b28
OTTAWA, June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Capital Resources Inc. (Cornerstone or the Company) (TSXV:CGP) (Frankfurt:GWN) (Berlin:GWN) (OTC:CTNXF) announces the following project update for the Cascabel copper-gold porphyry joint venture exploration project in northern Ecuador.



Figures referred to in this news release can be seen in PDF format by accessing the version of this release on the Companys website (www.cornerstoneresources.com) or by clicking on the link below:

http://www.cornerstoneresources.com/i/pdf/NR17-19Figures.pdf.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Hole 23R (Rig 1 Alpala Central) assay results  delayed in laboratory.



Hole 24 (Rig 3 Alpala Southeast) assay results:

 586.0m @ 0.43% copper equivalent  (0.27% Cu, 0.25 g/t Au) from 636m (true width: 293m); including:

 160m @ 1.04% copper equivalent (0.63% Cu, 0.65 g/t Au) from 738m (true width: 80m).

Hole 24 intersection represents robust mineralizing porphyry system at depth.

Hole 24 extends Alpala Deposit known mineralized corridor to approximately 1300m.



Hole 25 (Rig 2 Hematite Hill) assay results:

 776.0m @ 0.77% copper equivalent (0.58% Cu, 0.30 g/t Au) from 754m (true width: 388m); including:

 238m @ 1.76% copper equivalent (1.31% Cu, 0.70 g/t Au) from 772m (true width: 119m); and

 100m @ 3.59% copper equivalent (2.64% Cu, 1.51 g/t Au) from 772m (true width; 50m).

Hole 25 intersection includes high-grade panel of intense bornite mineralization representing upper portion of previously unknown porphyry apophysis at Alpala East.

Note : Gold Conversion Factor of 0.63 calculated from a copper price of US$3.00/lb and a gold price US$1300/oz.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

The Alpala deposit continues to grow with each new drill hole. Over 39,000m of drilling has been completed to date along the greater Alpala trend. Current drilling focuses on defining the geometry of the growing porphyry copper-gold deposit at Alpala, which is open in virtually all directions (Figure 1).

Hole 23R (Rig 1 Alpala Central) assay results are delayed in the laboratory and will be released when available.

Selected examples of mineralization encountered in Hole 23R are shown in Figure 2.

Hole 24 (Rig 3 Alpala Southeast) assay results returned 586.0m grading 0.43% copper equivalent (0.27% copper and 0.25 g/t gold) from 636.0m depth, including 160m grading 1.04% copper equivalent (0.63% copper and 0.65 g/t gold) from 738.0m depth. This intersection in Hole 24 represents strongly phyllic altered, well mineralized diorite country rock above a robust mineralizing porphyry system at depth.

Hole 24 extends the Alpala Deposit by 350m to the southeast of Hole 25 and expands the known mineralized corridor along the greater Alpala corridor (or the Trivinio - Alpala Southeast trend) to approximately 1300m.

Selected examples of mineralization encountered in Hole 24 are shown in Figure 3.

Hole 25 Assay results return 776.0m grading 0.77% copper equivalent (0.58% copper and 0.30 g/t gold) from 754m depth. This intersection includes a high-grade panel of intense bornite mineralization representing the cupola of a previously unknown high-grade quartz diorite apophysis that lies immediately east of the Alpala deposit (Figure 4).

The high-grade zone in Hole 25 returned 238m grading 1.76% copper equivalent (1.31% copper and 0.70 g/t gold) from 772m depth, including 100m grading 3.59% copper equivalent (2.64% copper and 1.51 g/t gold).

Selected examples of mineralization encountered in Hole 25 are shown in Figure 5.

With subsequent drilling the project operator SolGold expects to significantly grow the size of the copper-gold deposit at Alpala. Drilling is being expedited by use of Devico Directional Core Drilling Technology, which allows for steerable drill hole paths, increased drilling accuracy and faster acquisition of results through drilling multiple holes from each parent hole, achieving more drill metres within the orebody.

Hole 23R-D1 (Rig 1) started on June 1, 2017, and is at a current depth of 804.6m, following deviation from the parent hole (Hole 23R) at 710m depth. Hole 23R-D1 is 23R-D1 is a daughter hole planned to drill at a steep angle to the east, testing for extensions to the high grade early quartz diorite intrusion intersected in Hole 23R.

Hole 24-D1 started on May 21, 2017, and is at a current depth of 774.2m. Hole 24-D1 is a daughter hole leaving the parent (Hole 24) at 780m depth testing for deeper extensions to the mineralization discovered in Hole 24.

Hole 26 (Rig 4) started on May 24, 2017, testing the strike and depth extensions of Alpala towards the north and northeast. Hole 26 continues at a current depth of 451.1m, within mineralized diorite intrusive, towards a planned depth of at least 1800m.

Hole 27 (Rig 2) started on May 24, 2017, from the same location as Hole 25, and is at a current depth of 895.5m, within a mineralized diorite intrusive, testing approximately 250m southeast of intersections achieved in Holes 16, 19 and 22.

About Cascabel:

Exploraciones Novomining S.A. (ENSA), an Ecuadorean company owned by SolGold Plc and Cornerstone, holds 100% of the Cascabel concession. Subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including SolGolds fully funding the project through to feasibility, SolGold Plc will own 85% of the equity of ENSA and Cornerstone will own the remaining 15% of ENSA. SolGold Plc is funding 100% of the exploration at Cascabel and is the operator of the project.

Cascabel is in northwestern Ecuador in an under-explored northern section of the Andean Copper Belt, 60 km northeast of the undeveloped inferred resource of 982 million tons at 0.89% Cu Llurimaga (formerly Junin) copper project (0.4% Cu cut-off grade; Micon International Co. Ltd. Technical Report for Ascendant Exploration SA, August 20, 2004, pages 28 & 29). Mineralization identified at the Llurimaga copper project is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Cascabel Property.

Qualified Person:

Yvan Crepeau, MBA, P.Geo., Cornerstones Vice President, Exploration and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration program at the Cascabel project for Cornerstone and has reviewed and approved the information contained in this news release.

Logging, sampling, assaying and reporting

Holes referred to in this release were or are being drilled using HTW, NTW, NQ and BQ core sizes (respectively 7.1, 5.6, 4.8 and 3.7 cm diameter). Geotechnical measurements such as core recovery, fracturing, rock quality designations (RQDs), specific density and photographic logging are performed systematically prior to assaying. The core is logged, magnetic susceptibility measured and key alteration minerals identified using an on-site portable spectrometer. Core is then sawed in half at the ENSA core logging facility, and half of the core is delivered by ENSA employees for preparation at ALS Minerals Laboratories (ALS) sample preparation facility in Quito. Core samples are prepared crushing to 70% passing 2 mm (10 mesh), splitting 250 g and pulverizing to 85% passing 75 microns (200 mesh) (ALS code CRU-31, SPL21 and PUL-32). Prepared samples are then shipped to ALS in Lima, Peru where samples are assayed for a multi-element suite (ALS code ME-MSP61, 1g split, 4-acid digestion, ICP-MS finish). Over limit results for Ag (> 100 g/t) and Cu, (> 1%) are systematically re-assayed (ALS code Ag-AA62, 4-acid digestion, AAS finish). Gold is assayed using a 30 g split, Fire Assay (FA) and AA finish (ALS code Au-AA23).

Drill hole intercepts are calculated using a data aggregation method, defined by copper equivalent cut-off grades and reported with up to 10m internal dilution, excluding bridging to a single sample. Copper equivalent grades are calculated using a gold conversion factor of 0.63, determined using an updated copper price of USD3.00/pound and an updated gold price of USD1300/ounce. Copper equivalent calculation assumes 100% recoveries of copper and gold.

All reported drill core intervals from the Cascabel Property are core lengths, unless otherwise indicated. At present the true thicknesses of all the holes has not been calculated by SolGold. True width of down hole intersections is estimated by SolGold to be approximately 25-50% of the core length.

Quality assurance / Quality control (QA/QC)

The ALS Laboratory is a qualified assayer that performs and makes available internal assaying controls. Duplicates, certified blanks and standards are systematically used (1 control sample every 15-20 samples). Rejects, a 100 g pulp for each core sample and the remaining half-core are stored for future use and controls.

About Cornerstone:

Cornerstone Capital Resources Inc. is a well-funded mineral exploration company with a diversified portfolio of projects in Ecuador and Chile, and a proven ability to identify, acquire and advance properties of merit. The companys business model is based on generating exploration projects whose subsequent development is funded primarily through partnerships.

Further information is available on Cornerstones website: www.cornerstoneresources.com and on Twitter. For investor, corporate or media inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations:

Mario Drolet; Email: Mario@mi3.ca; Tel. (514) 904-1333

Due to anti-spam laws, many shareholders and others who were previously signed up to receive email updates and who are no longer receiving them may need to re-subscribe at http://www.cornerstoneresources.com/s/InformationRequest.asp

Cautionary Notice:

This news release may contain Forward-Looking Statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of Cornerstones plans, objectives, strategies, intentions and expectations. The words potential, anticipate, forecast, believe, estimate, expect, may, project, plan, and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Statements. Although Cornerstone believes that its expectations reflected in these Forward-Looking Statements are reasonable, such statements may involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed in our regulatory filings, viewed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets, predicting natural geological phenomena and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of an environmental, climatic, natural, political, economic, business, competitive, or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our Forward-Looking Statements. Although Cornerstone believes the facts and information contained in this news release to be as correct and current as possible, Cornerstone does not warrant or make any representation as to the accuracy, validity or completeness of any facts or information contained herein and these statements should not be relied upon as representing its views after the date of this news release. While Cornerstone anticipates that subsequent events may cause its views to change, it expressly disclaims any obligation to update the Forward-Looking Statements contained herein except where outcomes have varied materially from the original statements.

On Behalf of the Board,

Brooke Macdonald

President and CEO

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
By Press Trust of India: Kolkata, June 23 (PTI) The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) today found Apollo Gleneagles Hospital as guilty and held three doctors negligent in carrying out the treatment of a baby.

The WBCERC has also awarded a compensation of Rs 30 lakh to the babys family, who died on April 19.

"Apollo Gleneagles Hospital is guilty of mismanagement and misrepresentation of facts, deficiency in services, negligent. It is also having come to the conclusion that three doctors seemed to be negligent in carrying out the treatment as expected," the Commission said in its order.

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Four-month-old Kuheli Chakraborty, who was admitted to the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital for a colonoscopy, died primarily because of an anaesthetic overdose.

The Commission named three doctors ? Dr V R Srivastava, Dr Mahesh Kumar Goenka and Dr Sanjay Mahawat for being negligent in carrying out the treatment of the baby "as expected", the report stated.

"The Commission awarded a compensation of Rs 30 lakh to be paid by Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals. Of the Rs 30 lakh, an amount Rs 10 lakh to be paid to the complainant parents, on providing the name for reviving such compensation, within a week and the balance Rs 20 lakh in next three weeks," the order read.

Failure to give compensation in due time by the hospital will make it liable to pay an interest of 9 per cent per annum till the payment is fully made, the commission said.

The WBCERC has also referred the matter of negligent treatment by the doctors to the West Bengal Medical Council.

"The matter of prima facie negligent treatment by the said doctors is hereby also referred to the West Bengal Medical Council... for taking necessary and appropriate action," the order said.

Describing the order as "unacceptable", Apollo Gleneagles Hospital has said it will appeal against it to the "appropriate authorities".

"We respect the Commission. However, with humility we find the verdict is unacceptable and we will appeal against it to the appropriate authorities.

"Over scrutiny into such complicated decisions taken by doctors trying to save lives at all costs will dampen the true spirit of medical profession. We are committed to our core value of providing the best care and clinical results to our patients at all times," the spokesperson of Apollo Gleneagles, Kolkata said.

The Commission constituted under the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Act 2017 is entrusted with the powers and functions of the Act to examine and consider complaints in matters related to patient care service, deviations from declared fees and charges, refusal of supply of copy of medical records and allied matters.

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It also has powers to award compensation not exceeding Rs 50 lakh, including interim compensation.

The babys parents Abhijit Chakraborty and Shalu Chakraborty, residents of Joka in the southern fringes of the city, had lodged a complaint with WBCERC alleging medical negligence leading to the death of their daughter.

The hospital submitted its report denying the alleged negligence by the hospital or its doctors when WBCERC had served it a notice.

The Commission had called for a hearing earlier this month and heard both the complainant and the hospital authorities as well as the three doctors.

The parents of Kuheli had approached the Apollo Hospital on a reference from ESI hospital, Joka for treatment.

After the death of the baby, her family had lodged a complaint with the Phoolbagan police station against three doctors and the hospital authorities alleging medical negligence.

The hospital has been under the scanner for medical negligence and malpractices following the death of a patient in February and Apollo Groups managing director Preetha Reddy, who met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the incident, had admitted to lapses in the hospitals healthcare delivery system. PTI SCH DKB

--- ENDS ---

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CALGARY, Alberta, June 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International Frontier Resources Corporation (IFR or the Company) (TSX-V:IFR) (OTCQB:IFRTF) today announced that the Mexican energy regulator, the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH), has approved Tonalli Energias evaluation plan for Block 24 Tecolutla, which was part of the historic Round 1.3 tender process in Mexicos energy reform. The evaluation plan outlines in detail the scheduled work program to develop Tecoluta.



After many months of effort by our Mexican and Canadian team, we are pleased to achieve this major milestone, said Steve Hanson, President and CEO of IFR. We now await final approval of our drilling permit and have a clear path to spudding our first well and performing workovers.

IFR was one of the first foreign companies to participate in the historic reform of Mexicos oil and gas sector. Tecolutla was acquired through a 50-50 joint venture with Mexican petrochemical leader Grupo IDESA in last years onshore block auction. Tonalli Energia assumed operatorship of the Tecolutla block from state-owned PEMEX.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL FRONTIER RESOURCES

International Frontier Resources Corporation (IFR) is a Canadian publicly traded company with a demonstrated track record of advancing oil and gas projects. Through its Mexican subsidiary, Petro Frontera S.A.P.I de CV (Frontera) and strategic joint ventures, it is advancing the development of petroleum and natural gas assets in Mexico.

The Companys shares are listed on the TSX Venture, trading under the symbol IFR, and on the OTCQB under the symbol IFRTF. For additional information please visit www.internationalfrontier.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility or accuracy of this release. The Company seeks Safe Harbor.
Babson 2-year MBA ($$$) vs Bocconi 1-year (no scholarship) [ #permalink

Hello,



I'm currently making a big decision after applying late to Babson (June 1) and Bocconi (May 14) and receiving admissions into both programs yesterday!



I had done the Forte MBA Launch program and applied to Columbia and MIT in January but was rejected from both and subsequently got caught up in work / depression related to the presidential election results (was planning on applying to Bocconi earlier but had some buggy website issues and ended up being nudged by their Director of N. Am. Admissions to send in my app and glad I did!).



I've seriously considered living in Italy for quite some time as both of my parents are of Italian descent / I studied abroad in Milan and have several cousins spread throughout Florence, Naples, and Sicily. Bocconi is a great 1-year program, highly ranked internationally/within Europe/#1 in Italy. However, I've found little to no name recognition in the US, which surprises me because i Bocconiani are super snobby in Italy about their program's prestige. I'm not sure about the long-term ROI...would probably stay in Italy for 2 years post admission to gain citizenship and then go back to the US to start my own business or work in consulting until I've established a good network to launch a business.



I applied to Babson after completing my application for Bocconi because I realized that I do want to go to business school to further myself and my skillset as an entrepreneur. I was impressed by Babson's #1 ranking for entrepreneurship and appreciate its location in/near Boston, which is a tech hub, as well as Massachusetts which is a state that just legalized cannabis (my current background is in arts + cannabis entrepreneurship). Babson has awarded me $30k/year ($60k total) + a graduate assistantship of $8k, so it would be the same price as Bocconi (possibly cheaper but I'll likely need to get a car.)



I applied to business school thinking I would do 2-3 years of consulting around digital branding / strategy at a big 4 and then start my own business in cannabis / VR/AR or tourism / VR/AR. Learning about and applying to Babson I realized that if I leverage the programs while I'm there I could graduate with my business semi-operational already.



These are two very different life paths I'm looking at ahead of me. My mother is all-in for Babson whereas my older sister is rooting for Bocconi. Personally, my gut instinct is Babson but it's always been my dream to live in Italy and who knows where this administration will take us (both economically/socially and as it relates to cannabis as they've been cracking down on the industry which could reach $25-50 billion by 2525.) However, I'm very well-connected already in the Boston cannabis scene.



Both Milan and Boston are cities, however I visited Boston a few weeks ago for Pride and it seems small. But it's by the water and Milan is inland (growing up in NY and spending summers in Sicily, coastal is my preference). I've lived in Milan. By far not my favorite city in Italy but you can fly almost anywhere in Europe, and it's where the Italian economy is located.



My stats:

Female / queer / White/Latina by way of Argentina / 26 / 5 years FT work experience

Background: non-profit arts/culture + cannabis entrepreneurship (I do digital strategy)

GMAT: 680

Undergrad GPA: 3.59

Alma mater: Georgetown University BA in romance languages



Thoughts appreciated, please keep it positive.
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:

Hi DeepBis,



First off, a 650/Q47 is a strong score (it's right around the 80th percentile overall), so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, another retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:







Beyond that point, you will likely also receive more of a response if you post your story in the Shared GMAT Experience forum here:





If you do choose to retest, then we have to examine how you were studying before. Your two results are remarkably consistent, which means that "your way" of approaching the GMAT will likely continue to lead to a score result in the mid-600s. To score significantly higher, you'll need to make some significant changes to how you handle the Quant and Verbal sections.



1) How long did you study for each of your two attempts at the GMAT?

2) What study materials did you use for each attempt?

3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?



GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,

Rich

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

Hey Rich,Thanks for your post.The schools I would be looking at are:Insead (France)HarvardWhartonStanfordPrincetonColumbiaI am 23 at the moment, so I am not in a position to apply for at least a year. Given my stage of career, some time in next 3-4 years. My plan had been to bank a top GMAT score prior to my move to this strategy consultancy in my summer position which in my sector (development), is the top one. I will be in international development for the forseeable future (consultancy or government).I wouldn't want to transition away from the development sector, and I would be doing the MBA to complement all my other experiences to hopefully pioneer a worthy social enterprise at a later date.My first attempt, I studied 2-3 hours a day for 23 days.Second attempt, 4 hours a day for 13 maybe.I did them back to back and hadn't done the practice tests prior to my first attempt. I just looked over the theory on and did their practice questions.Second attempt, I did the official GMAT practice tests.Scored 620 - Q43, V33, Integrated 8and640 - Q45, V33, Integrated 8.I brought in the Official GMAT book in my 2nd attempt and did questions from them. Often, I'd time myself in 30 minute intervals or do banks of 10/15 verbal.My second attempt, I didn't touch quant except the occasional revisiting of theory, all my efforts focussed on verbal.With my 2nd practice score, I decided to get used to more GMAT style questions, and used the documents in verbal section on this forum attempting random assortment of verbal questions again in 15 question bursts.I basically just worked at verbal, only to see basically a complete plateau of all my scores.I am looking forward to any insight tou have.Best Wishes,Deep
By Press Trust of India: By Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Jun 23 (PTI) The West Bengal government is among the winners to receive the prestigious UN Public Service Award today for its initiative to combat child marriage and ensure education to the girl child in the state.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received the 2017 UN Public Service Award at a ceremony held in The Hague, Netherlands on behalf of her government for the Kanyashree Prakalpa initiative that sought to reduce the high child marriage rates and low female education rates in the state.

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Through the initiative, cash was deposited into the bank account of girls for every year they remained in school and were unmarried.

Citing the impact the initiative had, the UN said it led to a "drastic reduction in child marriage, increase in female education and female empowerment."

The UN Public Service Awards are given by the world body to institutions from across the world for their innovation and excellence in providing public services. It highlights the pivotal role of public services in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The West Bengal government was among the 12 institutions from 11 countries that were recognised by the world body on UN Public Service Day, commemorated today.

Speaking at the ceremony, Banerjee said "public service is service for all; it means continuous monitoring and regular service for the people."

"We are delighted on behalf of our countrymen and the people of #Bengal to receive the first prize on @UN Public Service Day," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle soon after receiving the award.

"Receiving the first prize from @UN for #Kanyashree is a huge honour and recognition," she said.

She emphasised that her government is focused on empowering the girl child from all sections of society. She also outlined measures taken by her government to ensure basic amenities, healthcare, food support and education to people in her state.

"Sometimes the speech is silence but the action and implementation is golden. The benefits should reach to the poor people, we work for the grassroots people. What is needed is that the leader must lead the people," Banerjee said.

"I think public service is service for all and public means people - government of the people, by the people, for the people. I come from West Bengal in India, home to 100 million people. But, public service also means continuous monitoring and providing regular service for the people," she said.

Banerjee said "You will be happy to know that our states 100 million people, we give direct benefits to 90 per cent, and the people are so happy."

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"I have attended more than 300 administrative review meetings where we meet all the public representatives including block-level officials. Because of the accountability, transparency and sustainable developmental work, we achieve 100 per cent of our goals," she said.

"There should be commitment, dedication and determination. If you have a dream, you have to achieve it. What is needed is for the leader to lead the people. We lead the people," the chief minister added.

The UN Public Service Day is celebrated every year to recognise public service innovations and excellence that have led to more effective and inclusive public service delivery contributing to the achievement of the SDGs in countries worldwide.

India is among the first place winners of the public service awards along with Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mongolia and the UK. The second place winners are projects from Botswana, Colombia, France, Thailand.

The winner from Argentina is an initiative that provided quality early childhood education to neighbourhoods in extreme needs.

An initiative in Australia was recognised that promotes transparency and inclusiveness in use of public fund and resources while in Thailand, a project was recognised for providing quality care to elders.

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In Botswana, the effective waste management system has been implemented to improve communities.

Other award winners include projects to provide inclusive access to quality health care in Ecuador and productive water management system in France.

"We need to mobilise the best expertise of public servants to transform institutions and put people at the centre of public service. We need to mobilise their creativity and empower them to take risks and try new ways of doing things. In brief, we need innovation so that no one is left behind," said Thomas Gass, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs. PTI YAS KJ

--- ENDS ---
This past weekend Vans Shop Riot Series 2017 visited the brand-new Skills Park in Winterthur, Switzerland.

14 Shop teams from all over Switzerland went into battle to fight for the title of Switzerlands Best Shop Team and therefore winning a place in Milan, Italy for the finals.

From the beginning skate.ch set the bench mark with consistent flow and huge technical tricks. Lino Hafeli, whos on fire, Simon Stricker, whos competing all over Europe and Fabio Martin, one of the best transition skaters of his generation, were dominant.

It was smooth backtails at the down rail and noseblunts combined + the finest transition skating which demonstrated this team had a whole repertoire of skills. But in the end, it was the team effort which lead them to the win.

Doodah Bern, Doodah Luzern and our friends from the French part of Switzerland, Da Shit Skateboards, completed the four-team lineup which made it to the finals. Da Shit who claimed the win in 2013 & 2014 were highly motivated to walk away with the crown again. However, on the day the team from skate.ch skated too good to get defeated. The level raised again in the final and it was Doodah Bern who made it to the 2nd place in front of Doodah Luzern.

In the Nixon Best trick session everyone headed to the big section. It was Janos Herzog with his Big Spin 360 who took home the win and a signature Nixon watch.

The Riot heads to Portugal next on July 8th, 2017.

Follow all the action from Vans Shop Series 2017, from qualifiers to finals at vansshopriot.com.

Results:

1. Team Skate.ch  Fabio Martin, Simon Stricker, Lino Hafeli

2. Doodah, Bern  Jan Hirt, Bastian Wirth, Noel Scharer

3. Doodah, Luzern  Samy Nigg, Lukas Bigun, Oliver Weissmantel

4. Da Shit Skateboards, Geneva  Gaetan Vautier, Jigdral Drakmajapan, Vincent Meynard

Best Trick Winner:

Janos Herzog (Home Street Home  Big Spin 360)
The protesting women want that sanitary napkins should be available at ration shops located in each village and govt shouldn't levy any tax on it.

By Vidya : 41- year-old Chaya Kakde has been on hunger strike since 21st of this month and in these last three days not a single government official has come to meet her, but she has not lost hope. Kakde along with five other women who work in the self help group with her have come all the way from Latur to make the government hear about the need for their intervention in making sanitary within the reach of women in rural areas.

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Kakde herself had started working at the age of 18 when the earthquake had rocked her city Latur. She started working after getting trained with Baba Amte's group and even went on to take a three months training programme in US with the Bill and Melinda gates foundation.

"I learnt about production of sanitary napkins and its distribution and marketing. I came back to teach it to hundreds of volunteers and together we have 350 self help groups consisting of 10,000 women from Osmanabad and Latur. We make sanitary napkins which are environment-friendly as there is no usage of chemicals," says kakde.

The sanitary napkins made by these self help groups are given free of cost to 1800 women suffering from uterus cancer while to others it is sold at the cost of Rs 30 for six pads in a pack. With 12 per cent GST set to be imposed on these sanitary napkins the cost of one pack will go up to Rs 42. And this according to Kakde and her colleagues, would be unaffordable for women in rural areas.

"We had done an experiment where in a few villages we distributed the sanitary napkins for free. After women used it for six months they did not go back to using clothes as it is unhygienic, but the cost of these packets is a big hindrance," says Kakde.

During their protest at Azad Maidan, the six women pass the time singing devotional songs, but their five demands are:

1. The sanitary napkins should be available at ration shops located in each village.

2. GST should be zero for sanitary napkins as it will make it affordable for women in rural areas.

3. It should be provided for free to women suffering from uterus cancer.

4. Government should subsidise sanitary napkins made by women self help groups like theirs.

5. It should be mandatory for schools to install sanitary vending machines. If Kerala government can do it, then why can't Maharashtra government do it.

The women protestors are hopeful that the government will listen to them as they have worked at the grassroot-level even though many political leaders and groups have made representations to the finance minister Arun Jaitely on the GST issue, but nothing positive has come of it as yet.

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The women plan that in case nothing comes off, then they plan to move to Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 30th to carry on with their protest.

--- ENDS ---


A Chinese generals shortened visit to Vietnam has raised concerns about whether this could be a sign of a major change in relations.

China and Vietnam are currently involved in a dispute over territory they both claim to own in the South China Sea.

General Fan Changlong is part of a group of Chinese officials that came to visit the Vietnamese capital Hanoi this week. The general suddenly left the country after a private meeting with Vietnamese defense officials on Tuesday.

There are some differences in public and private reports of what happened. Chinese and Vietnamese state-run media report that defense relations are going well. They say the defense ministries of both countries reached an agreement on how to train members of their militaries.

But experts say government sources told them that discussions about the disputed South China Sea might have led Fan to cut short his visit.

China is currently building man-made islands and military infrastructure in the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea. And Vietnam has made efforts to form military partnerships with Japan and the United States.

Recently, Vietnam has also permitted a foreign company to explore for oil in the area known as the Vanguard Bank. The country has long claimed Vanguard Bank, about 700 kilometers off the coast, as part of its continental shelf.

Le Hong Hiep is a researcher at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. He could only wonder about the dispute because there is no official information about it.

In the past, Vietnam has been under pressure to [continue] its growth rate, so it has had discussions on [increasing] oil exploration on the South China Sea, he said. Vietnams activities in the South China Sea have touched China's interests, and as usual, China will find ways to [prevent] the country from [seeking] them, he said.

This may be why Fan suddenly ended his visit, he added.

Carl Thayer is a Southeast Asia expert based in Australia. He said it is likely that Fan asked Vietnam to stop the search for oil in Vanguard Bank. Thayer said China wants Vietnam to continue with their past agreement not to explore for oil in disputed areas.

But Le Hong Hiep said what makes things difficult is the two countries see the agreement differently. Vietnam believes it owns Vanguard Bank, while China calls it a disputed territory.

In May 2014, China put a large oil-drilling platform about 193 kilometers off the coast of Vietnam. This led to a series of conflicts between the countries.

Im Caty Weaver.

Radio Free Asia reported this story. Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. How do you think China and Vietnam can solve this dispute? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________
Ikea is known for designing furniture that people can put together themselves. Recently, a team from the Swedish company spent time inside a Mars research center to get new design ideas.

For three days, five Ikea designers lived inside the Mars Desert Research Station in the U.S. state of Utah. The center is operated by the Mars Society. It simulates a Mars environment for humans taking part in experiments and training.

Real astronauts have spent long periods of time inside the research center to prepare for space flights.

Its a crazy, fun experience, said Ikea Creative Leader Michael Nikolic, who took part in the project. Were basically completely isolated for three days to get a taste of what astronauts go through for three years.

The team spent most of its time inside the Mars habitat  a round, two-story building just eight meters in diameter. The habitat contains a laboratory for doing experiments, as well as separate areas for eating, sleeping and other activities.

The habitat attempts to create an environment similar to conditions astronauts would experience during a real Mars mission. It also prepares future space travelers for living in very small areas with limited supplies.

Some people - including SpaceX founder Elon Musk  have talked about setting up a human colony on Mars in the future.

The Ikea researchers received NASA training before heading to the research center. Their guide during the habitat visit was space architect Constance Adams.

She said the experience was meant to show the team how conditions in space affect the whole design process. For example, air is very limited in space and must be reused for many months, even years. This means all living materials have to be designed with this in mind.

Another consideration is the huge cost of space transportation. Adams said it would currently cost about $2 million to transport just one kilo of mass to the surface of Mars.

This makes it impractical for Ikea to send materials to Mars, unless the cost can greatly be reduced. But the company says by looking to space, it hopes to come up with better design ideas for people on earth.

Marcus Engman is Ikeas Head of Design.

My dream outcome would be to solve the biggest problem on earth. I guess its the same problem in space - and that is the thing about storage. How could you make storage in a completely new way?

He said putting the designers in such a different and demanding environment forces them to think much more creatively.

Then, from out of that, we get solutions that I think will work on earth better than anything.

The Ikea designers are also working with people from NASA and students from Swedens Lund University to create a space-inspired furniture collection to launch in 2019.

And who knows, Ikea might even make it to Mars someday. If so, the companys popular products could be discovered by new life forms we dont even yet know about.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Do you think humans will ever live on Mars? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

furniture  n. chairs, tables, beds, etc., used inside a room

simulate  v. make something look or feel like something else

isolate  v. separate someone or something from other people or things

habitat  n. natural environment where plants or animals live

diameter  n. distance through the center of something from one side to the other

architect  n. person who designs buildings

impractical  adj. not easy to do or use

inspire  v. make someone want to do something
4 Russian President Vladimir Putin stands in the rain in front of honour guards during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the anniversary of the Nazi German invasion in 1941, by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia.
The United Nations reports that deaths and injuries from the conflict in Ukraine have been rising in recent months.

The conflict has now entered its fourth year. Russian-supported separatists in eastern Ukraine are fighting forces loyal to Ukraines central government.

This week, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report on the situation.

U.N. investigators noted evidence of 193 conflict-related casualties among civilians from the middle of February to the middle of May 2017. The report says the number includes 36 deaths.

This is a 48 percent increase over the last reporting period, said High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein. He spoke to the U.N. Human Rights Council Wednesday.

Zeid noted that, The majority of these casualties resulted from shelling, explosive devices and remnants of war.

U.N. officials estimate that about 10,000 people have been killed and more than 23,500 injured since the fighting started.

Sergiy Kyslytsya, deputy minister for foreign affairs for Ukraine, confirmed the findings of the report. It noted "continuous inflow of foreign fighters and supply of ammunition and heavy weaponry from the Russian Federation into parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.

The minister added that while these activities continue, there is no end to the conflict in sight.

Peace efforts have failed

Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe signed an agreement to end the fighting in September 2014. But this deal and other peace efforts have failed to end the violence.

The U.N. reports hospitals and schools in eastern Ukraine have been damaged by repeated shelling. It said shells hit the Donetsk Filtration Station and the South Donbas pumping station first, endangering safe water supply to more than one million people on both sides of the contact line.

Zeid said that both sides of the conflict were to blame for human rights violations. He added that his team has documented cases of unlawful and arbitrary detention on both sides of the contact line.

He noted reports of almost systemic use of torture and ill-treatment by the Security Service of Ukraine. Investigators were told the security service used such methods to force conflict-related detainees into making statements against their will.

Zeid said that efforts to investigate claims by victims often failed.

Sanctions to continue

The United States and European Union took steps to answer Russias takeover of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine three years ago. The U.S. government and EU ordered sanctions to punish Russian businesses and individuals.

In a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he has no plans to end the sanctions.

After the reports release, Russia expressed concerns about new cases of arbitrary and illegal detention. It also criticized the use of torture by Ukrainian security forces to obtain confessions in the Donbass region.

Ukraines Deputy Foreign Minister said the only way to improve human rights in the area is through full consolidation of the international community and pressure on Russia.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Lisa Schlein reported on this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted her report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

casualty  n. someone who is killed or hurt in an accident or conflict

remnant  n. usually a small part of piece of something

sanction  n. an action taken by one country to make another country follow a rule or law

arbitrary  adj. existing or coming about by chance

confession  n. the act of admitting something

consolidation  n. the process of uniting

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
The UNHCR welcomes the decision by the Kingdom of Morocco to admit a group of Syrian refugees stranded in difficult circumstances at the countrys border with Algeria since 17 April, describing it as a humanitarian gesture, the UN Refugee Agency said in a statement released Thursday.

The decision to admit the Syrian families trapped at borders with neighboring Algeria was made on Tuesday by King Mohammed VI, a statement from the Royal Office said.

King Mohammed VI has ordered the immediate treatment of the situation of the Syrian refugees blocked at the Algerian-Moroccan border, for humanitarian considerations, and has instructed authorities to allow the refugees entry into Morocco, said the Royal Office.

This High Royal Solicitude reflects once again the humanist commitment of the Kingdom in the treatment of migratory issues and comes in these blessed days of the holy month of Ramadan, a month of piety and solidarity, the Royal Office statement said, adding that it is an exceptional measure dictated by humanist values.

The remaining 28 refugees from an original group of 41, including women and children, were collected on 20 June by the Moroccan police from the border and transported by bus to Bouarfa, from where they were transferred to the capital Rabat, UNHCR said.

UNHCR is working with the authorities of Morocco and other countries to find a durable solution to the plight of these vulnerable refugees, the UN Refugee Agency said.

UNHCR welcomes this humanitarian gesture, which is in keeping with the traditions of hospitality demonstrated by countries across the region.

Since 17 April, UNHCR has been working closely with the concerned authorities to find a solution for this group of Syrian refugees stranded at the border between Morocco and Algeria.

Speaking on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20, representative of the UN refugee Agency in Morocco Jean Paul Cavalieri commended the North African country for the humanism underlying its immigration and asylum policy.

The UNHCR official hailed Morocco for having succeeded in developing an adequate legal framework guaranteeing the right to asylum.

Morocco is home to about 7,000 refugees and asylum seekers. The majority came from six countries: Syria (3478), Yemen (519), Cote dIvoire (293), Central African Republic (210), DR Congo (169) and Iraq.
The physician leaders of six organizations representing more than half a million of America's frontline physicians are strongly opposed to the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The U.S. Senate's proposed health reform bill contains provisions that would do great harm to patients by repealing and undermining essential coverage and key patient protections established by the Affordable Care Act and make health care unaffordable for millions of Americans.

Given the broad impact of this bill and the magnitude of the changes made, including to the Medicaid program, our organizations are deeply concerned with the hidden and hurried manner with which this bill was drafted. We are concerned that no public hearings were held and no physician or patient expertise was sought during the bill's development.

We have previously shared our joint principles for health care reform legislation and our view that the American Health Care Act, as passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in May, is an inherently flawed bill that would do great harm to our patients. The Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act would also leave patients drastically worse off than current law.

We call on the U.S. Senate to do the right thing for children, women, the aged, those with chronic conditions, and people battling mental health disorders and addiction and reject the Better Care Reconciliation Act. Once again, we stand ready to assist Congress in achieving a health care reform bill that will improve and not harm the health and well-being of all Americans.
Diagram of the brain of a person with Alzheimer's Disease. Credit: Wikipedia/public domain.

In the last decade, mounting evidence has linked seizure-like activity in the brain to some of the cognitive decline seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Patients with Alzheimer's disease have an increased risk of epilepsy and nearly half may experience subclinical epileptic activitydisrupted electrical activity in the brain that doesn't result in a seizure but which can be measured by electroencephalogram (EEG) or other brain scan technology.

In a recent feasibility study, clinician-scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) tested an anti-epileptic drug for its potential impact on the brain activity of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The team, led by Daniel Z. Press, MD, of the Berenson-Allen Center for Non-invasive Brain Stimulation at BIDMC, documented changes in patients' EEGs that suggest the drug could have a beneficial effect. The research was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

"In the field of Alzheimer's disease research, there has been a major search for drugs to slow its progression," said Press, an Instructor of Neurology in the Cognitive Neurology Unit at BIDMC and an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. "If this abnormal electrical activity is leading to more damage, then suppressing it could potentially slow the progression of the disease."

In this double-blind within-subject study, a small group of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease visited BIDMC three times. At each visit, patients were given a baseline (EEG) to measure the electrical activity in the brain. Next, patients were given injections containing either inactive placebo or the anti-seizure drug levetiracetam, at either a low dose (2.5 mg/kg) or a higher dose (7.5 mg/kg). Neither patients nor medical professionals knew which injections patients were receiving, but each patient eventually got one of each type, in a random order.

After receiving the injection, patients underwent another EEG, then magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)which measures blood flow in the brain, another way to quantify brain activity and determine where in the brain it is taking place. Finally, patients took a standardized cognitive test, designed to measure memory, executive functioning, naming, visuospatial ability and semantic function - capabilities all affected by Alzheimer's disease.

In the seven patients able to complete the study protocol successfully, Press and colleagues analyzed changes in their EEGs. (Blood flow analysis from the MRI data is still underway.) Overall, higher doses of the anti-seizure drug appeared to normalize abnormalities seen in the patients' EEG profiles. That is, researchers saw overall increases in brain wave frequencies that had been abnormally low in Alzheimer's disease patients prior to receiving the higher dose of levetiracetam, and, likewise, saw decreases in those that had been abnormally high.

"It's worth noting, we did not demonstrate any improvement in cognitive function after a single dose of medication in this study," said Press. "It's too early to use the drug widely, but we're preparing for a larger, longer study."

The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases sharply with age. Today, it affects more than 5 million Americans, a figure that is projected to reach 16 million by 2050 as the population ages. In recent years, researchers have focused on developing techniques to clear the brain of amyloid and tau protein plaques that build up and wreak havoc in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

"These strategies have not led to new therapies to date," said Press. "There have been a lot of disappointments. So our findings represent an interesting new avenue."
(HealthDay)Braces have long been a kind of geeky right-of-passagesomething that must be endured for a few years to ensure a lifelong smile with straight teeth.

Fortunately, braces have evolved over the years. They've gotten smaller and more options are available for those who need them, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Straightening teeth is not just for kids and teens. The American Association of Orthodontics said 1 out of 5 orthodontic patients is over age 21. (Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry dealing with the straightening of teeth.)

And braces aren't just for cosmetics. It's easier to clean straight teeth that have the right amount of separation between them, the FDA said.

Your dentist or orthodontist will determine what type of braces are best for you. The FDA explains what options are available:

Metal braces move teeth by applying pressure and typically consist of small brackets cemented to the teeth, connected by a wire and held to the brackets by rubber bands. The wire is regularly tightened to gradually shift your teeth and jaw.

These types of braces may be clear- or tooth-colored to make them less obvious. And some people like to personalize the look of their braces with colored rubber bands.

A big drawback to metal braces is that it's easy for food to get stuck in them. Be extra careful when you brush to keep your teeth clean and free of food material, the FDA said.

So-called invisible braces, or aligners, are made of clear plastic material and worn over your teeth to straighten them. You'll wear each custom-made aligner for a few weeks, and then get a new one for the next stage of your treatment. This approach gradually moves teeth into the correct position.

Aligners are removable and need to be taken out before you eat, brush and floss. It is much easier to maintain good dental hygiene with aligners than with metal braces.

The average time a person needs to wear braces is two years, but the time can be longer or shorter depending on the individual.

Retainers are worn nightly after a person no longer has braces. The retainer helps maintain tooth position so that the bone in the tooth can solidify in the new position, according to the FDA.

More information: The Academy of General Dentistry has more on The Academy of General Dentistry has more on braces

Copyright  2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology

Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna study fundamental aspects of sleep in roundworms. Using advanced technologies, they monitor the activity of all nerve cells in the brain while they are falling asleep and waking up. The journal Science publishes their ground-breaking results this week.

Sleep is a universal trait in animals: every nervous system seems to regularly undergo and require states of relaxation, during which brain activity is drastically altered. Sleep is vital, as we experience in our daily lives, but scientists are still debating why this is the case.

A team of neurobiologists led by Manuel Zimmer of the IMP Vienna used the roundworm C. elegans to study in detail how the brain switches between wakefulness and sleep. Their results suggest that in tired animals sleep is a ground state of the brain that spontaneously establishes itself as long as strong external stimuli from the environment are absent.

Manuel Zimmer compares such a state to a marble resting in a valley; to push it uphill requires some effort, but it will roll back by itself when left on its own. The equivalent is to arouse a sleeping worm, thereby pushing its brain into wakefulness, but if still tired and left unperturbed it will fall back to sleep. Scientists who deal with complex dynamical systems use the term 'attractor' for such processes. 'We propose this attractor mechanism as an efficient means how overarching states like sleep and wakefulness can propagate throughout an entire brain', says Zimmer.

Worms as models for sleep research

C. elegans was chosen as a model for sleep research because its nervous system consists of only 302 neurons. It is small enough for advanced microscopy approaches enabling access to the activity of all nerve cells in the brain at single-cell precision. This was key for obtaining new insights when monitoring the widespread reconfigurations that the brain undergoes between wakefulness and sleep.

Credit: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology

Another challenge that the scientists faced was to control when worms would fall asleep and wake up. PhD-students Annika Nichols and Tomas Eichler established an intriguing experimental system using variable oxygen concentrations as a switch. In their natural habitat, C. elegans live in soil where abundant microorganisms keep oxygen levels low. The researchers showed that under these preferred conditions the worms felt comfortable and could fall asleep, provided they were tired. Nichols and Eichler found that fresh air with atmospheric oxygen content alarms sleeping animals, causing them to rapidly wake up. 'This opened a door to effectively switch between the sleep and wake states during our experiments', says Nichols.

A neural meter for tiredness

Nichols went on and recorded the activity of all neurons in the brain while triggering switches between sleep and wakefulness. She found that during sleep, most nerve cells that are vigorously active during wakefulness, become silent. However, a few specific types of nerve cells stay alert. One of these types, termed RIS, was previously shown to promote sleep by excreting a sleep substance. Nichols showed that RIS activity is already elevated in awake animals that are prone to sleep, hinting that it is a measure of how tired the brain is.

Sleep as a default attractor state of the brain

When monitoring the activity of the brain as it fell asleep, Nichols made an interesting discovery: her computer analyses indicated that neuronal network activity spontaneously converged to a quiet and stable state. Originally, the researchers had assumed that RIS cells would force the nervous system into quiescence much like a conductor who silences the orchestra after the final chord. However, the new data suggest that RIS seems to act more like a mediator who negotiates an agreement between all players, followed by a collective action. The advantage of this scenario is that the dramatic changes between wakefulness and sleep can be triggered by rather subtly turning some of the regulatory knobs in the brain.

Despite the many differences between a worm brain and the human brain, these results provide a promising model for studying fundamental principles of brain organisation.

More information: A global brain state underlies C. elegans sleep behavior. Science, 23 Jun 2017. Journal information: Science A global brain state underlies C. elegans sleep behavior., 23 Jun 2017. science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.aam6851
Credit: University of California, San Francisco

When her kids were young, Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, knew more than most people about environmental toxics. After all, she was a senior scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But even she never dreamed, as she rocked her children to sleep at night, that the plastic baby bottles she used to feed them contained toxic chemicals that could leach into the warm milk.

Back then, in the late 1990s, it wasn't widely known that the chemicals used in plastic sippy cups and baby bottles can potentially disrupt child development by interfering with the hormone system. That, in turn, could alter the functionality of their reproductive systems or increase their risk of disease later in their lives.

"When I had babies, I did many of the things we now tell people not to do," says Woodruff, who for the past decade has been the director of UC San Francisco's Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE). Also a professor in the University's Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, she earned her doctorate in 1991 from a joint UCSF-Berkeley program in bioengineering and then completed a postgraduate fellowship at UCSF.

Woodruff's children have since grown into physically healthy teenagers, but many children are not as lucky. Unregulated chemicals are increasing in use and are prevalent in products Americans use every day. Woodruff is concerned by the concurrent rise in many health conditions, like certain cancers or childhood diseases, and the fact that the environment is likely to play a role in those conditions. What motivates her is the belief that we need to know more about these toxics so we can reduce our exposure to the worst of them and protect ourselves and our children from their harmful effects. (Woodruff points out that the word "toxics" as a noun means any poisonous substances, from either chemical or biological sources, whereas "toxins" are poisons only from biological sources, either plant or animal.)

The PRHE is dedicated to identifying, measuring and preventing exposure to environmental contaminants that affect human reproduction and development. Its work weaves together science, medicine, policy and advocacy.

For example, research over the past 10 years by UCSF scientists and others has showed that bisphenol A (BPA)  an industrial chemical used since the 1950s to harden plastics in baby bottles, toys and other products  is found in the blood of those exposed to items made with BPA and that it can harm the endocrine systems of fetuses and infants. As a result, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlawed BPA in baby products in 2012, and some manufacturers developed BPA-free products. But now scientists believe the chemicals that replaced BPA may be just as harmful.

Furthermore, BPA is only one in a long, long list of chemicals we encounter every day in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. And scientists have barely scratched the surface of understanding them. Of the thousands and thousands of chemicals registered with the EPA for use by industry, the agency has regulated only a few.

"In the last 50 years, we have seen a dramatic increase in chemical production in the United States," Woodruff explains. Concurrently, there's been an increase in the incidence of conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, childhood cancers, diabetes and obesity. "It's not just genetic drift," Woodruff maintains.

And we're all at risk from increasing chemical exposure. The water we run from our taps, the lotion we smear on our skin, the shampoo we rub in our hair, even the dust in our houses is full of synthetic chemicals.

Preventing Exposure in Babies

PRHE experts do more than just measure such trends. They also collaborate with clinical scientists and obstetricians at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), so their findings directly benefit pregnant patients. "We partner with the clinical scientists," explains Woodruff, "because they look at treatments for disease, and environment might be a missing factor in the cause and prevention of disease."

Though environmental toxics affect us all, there's a reason PRHE focuses on pregnant women and children, Woodruff adds. Exposure to even tiny amounts of toxic substances during critical developmental stages can have outsize effects. So exposure to toxics is especially detrimental to fetuses, infants and young children, as well as preteens and teenagers.

"If you prevent the problem at the beginning, you get a lifetime of benefits," says Woodruff.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began measuring human exposure to chemicals in 1976. These so-called "biomonitoring" studies found a range of toxics in subjects' blood and urine  substances like DDT, BPA, air pollutants, pesticides, dioxins and phthalates. Phthalates, for example, are a class of chemicals known to be endocrine disruptors but widely used as softeners in plastics and as lubricants in personal-care products. Biomonitoring has determined that women of reproductive age evidence higher levels of phthalates than the population at large. One reason, says Woodruff, is that young women use more products like perfume, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner.

Woodruff herself recently led a study in which UCSF researchers collected blood samples from pregnant women at ZSFG. After the women delivered their babies, the researchers collected umbilical cord blood samples  and discovered that almost 80 percent of the chemicals detected in the maternal blood samples had passed through the placenta to the cord blood. It was the most extensive look yet at how the chemicals that pregnant women are exposed to also appear in their babies' cord blood (and followed an earlier study by Woodruff that marked the first time anyone had counted the number of chemicals in the blood of pregnant women). Published in the Nov. 1, 2016, print edition of Environmental Science and Technology, the study also found that many chemicals were absorbed at greater levels by the fetuses than by the pregnant women.

Now, Woodruff is hard at work on a new grant from the federal Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. It aims to correlate children's exposure to toxics with their developmental outcomes from birth to age four.

The good news is that the work done by Woodruff and her team shows a clear impact. Following bans (some permanent and some temporary) on certain phthalates, for example, UCSF researchers measured declines in the urinary concentrations of the permanently banned types in a representative sample of the U.S. population.

Crusader for a Healthy Environment

Woodruff's degree is in engineering, and she notes that in the 1980s, when she was in school, a lot of engineers went into the defense industry. "People talk about joining the military to serve their country," Woodruff says. "I also wanted to do something positive for society, and I felt joining the EPA was the best way to serve my country."

She spent 13 years at the federal agency, as a scientist and policy advisor, studying the effects of air pollution on children's health. The topic interested her, she says, "because children are vulnerable and can't speak for themselves." Her analysis of data collected under the Clean Air Act, for example, found that air pollution is linked to infant mortality. She also determined that pregnant African American women had higher exposure to air pollution and more adverse pregnancy outcomes than the population at large.

Nearly 25 years later, her work at UCSF is motivated by the same sense of advocacy and zeal. She joined the PRHE in 2007, shortly after its founding by Linda Giudice, MD, PhD. "What we do," she says, "is bring the best scientific tools from the varied fields at UCSF to bear on uncovering and better understanding the links between the environment and health and translate that science into prevention by improving public policy."

While Woodruff has many influential scientific publications to her name, she's also a sought-after guest for radio interviews and talk shows. She even appeared in a popular 2013 documentary, The Human Experiment, narrated by Sean Penn. In response to questions from the public, she tries to strike a practical note. "You don't want to freak people out," she says. "At the same time, people assume if they can buy it, it's safe. That is just not the case."

In her own home in Oakland, Woodruff has made slow changes over time. "I got rid of carpet. ... The padding can contain toxic chemicals. I waited to buy a couch ... too long according to my family," she laughs. (Couches without flame-retardants didn't become available in California until after the state changed its flammability standard in 2014, making it possible to sell couches that are flammability-safe but are made without flame-retardant chemicals.) "I still have a couch that probably has flame-retardants, but I am just ignoring it. We eat mostly organic to reduce pesticide exposure. Less is more in personal-care products," she adds.

Does she make her own shampoo?

"Oh, my God, no," she answers. "Who has the time? This should not be a burden to people. Systems should be in place so that we can be free of the burden. This is why we need the EPA, and this is where policy comes in."

Policies for the People

"It's important for people to realize there are things you can do to lower your exposure to toxic chemicals, but some things you can't do."

For example, Woodruff explains, Americans would have had a hard time limiting their exposure to lead before leaded gasoline became illegal in 1996 (though the phaseout started in the mid-1970s). Until then, no amount of personal awareness could protect someone from lead  it was in the air that everyone breathed.

She offers another example specific to the PRHE's efforts. "When California outlawed flame retardants," she says, "we saw levels decrease by about two-thirds in the blood of pregnant patients at ZSFG. Through these studies, we can evaluate the effectiveness of public policy. It's clear that when the government acts to reduce exposures to toxic chemicals ... we see a positive change. We do not always consider EPA a public health agency, but it is."

Woodruff and her colleagues also have been working over the last several years to help strengthen the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. It was well recognized that the law was flawed and allowed thousands of chemicals to be used in the marketplace without testing for safety, she explains. When bipartisan calls to strengthen the law led Congress to amend it in 2016, PRHE experts partnered with obstetricians and gynecologists to provide scientific evidence about the need for improved standards, deadlines and transparency. As rules for the amended TSCA are rolled out over the next two years, "we'll be right in there to promote the use of science for the public's health," says Woodruff.

She's also bringing environmental toxics to the attention of her UCSF colleagues in other disciplines. "One of the reasons we love being at UCSF is we can learn from people who are doing completely different things," she says. For example, she is working with researchers who study the placenta, since her 2016 study showed that environmental toxics permeate the placenta. And with developmental biologist Diana Laird, PhD, an associate professor in the Center for Reproductive Sciences, Woodruff is co-leading the Environmental Health Initiative (EHI). The EHI's goal is to involve researchers from throughout UCSF  from the biological, population and translation sciences  in solving and preventing the environmental burden of disease, starting with ensuring healthy pregnancies.

"The EHI will link faculty across the campus, to add an environmental component to their work," Woodruff says. "We have already hosted several networking events and symposia with the Research Development Office toward our goal of 'norming' the environment within the research community. We want people to be saying, 'We need to address the environmental consequences to fully solve health issues.'"

"This is about prevention," she concludes. "People talk about nutrition and social competencies of health. There's another thing, which is the physical environment. The missing ingredient is toxics in the environment."

Protecting Your Family From Toxics

Here are some recommendations from the PRHE.

Use nontoxic personal care products. Many such products contain ingredients that can harm reproductive health, but safer options are available.

Choose safer home improvement products. Many paints, glues and flooring materials release toxic chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) long after you complete a project. Ask for VOC-free and water-based products.

Mop and dust often. Toxic substances like lead, pesticides and flame retardants are present in household dust. Use a wet mop or wet cloth to regularly clean floors and flat surfaces.

Clean with nontoxic products. It is easy and cheap to make effective, nontoxic cleaners with common ingredients like vinegar and baking soda.

Remove your shoes inside. Outdoor shoes can carry toxic chemicals into your home.

Don't dry-clean your clothes. Many dry cleaners use toxic chemicals. Hand-wash delicate clothes or ask your dry cleaner to use water instead of chemicals.

Avoid pesticides and herbicides. Toxic chemicals used to kill insects, rodents, weeds, bacteria, mold and other noxious animals and plants can also harm your health.

Select flame-retardant-free foam products. Crib mattresses, nap mats and other upholstered products can contain flame-retardants, which can harm health and affect a child's brain. Instead, select foam products labeled as "flame-retardant-free" or tagged as compliant with TB-117-2013.

Avoid toxics in your food and water. Whenever possible, eat organic food to reduce your exposure to pesticides. If you can't buy organic produce, choose the fruits and vegetables with the least pesticide residue and avoid the most contaminated ones.

Limit foods high in animal fat. Many toxic substances build up in animal fat.

Use less plastic. Choose glass, stainless steel or ceramic containers for food. Don't use plastic containers for hot foods or drinks and use glass instead of plastic in the microwave, because heat makes plastic release chemicals.

Avoid lead exposure. Any home built before 1978 may have lead paint. There may also be lead in household dust and garden soil.

Keep mercury out of your diet, home and garbage. Eat fish with lower levels of mercury. Replace your mercury thermometer with a digital one. Don't throw items containing mercury (such as old thermometers or compact fluorescent bulbs) in the trash.

Avoid canned foods and beverages. Eat fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. This limits your exposure to BPA, a toxic substance used in the lining of most cans.
Co-housing has the potential to address housing affordability and social isolation for older people, yet it has an image problem. Credit: bigstock.com

Older people in co-housing could lead independent and socially fulfilling lives in their communities at an affordable cost, new research has found.

However, the researchers found co-housing has an image problem  people reimagine the share houses of their youth or anticipate giving up their privacy.

Housing the ageing population of NSW presents a major challenge for the state, particularly in a time of rising housing costs with one in three NSW households destined to be single-person households within a decade.

The research team from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) spent a year exploring alternative living options for older people, talking to housing and ageing policy-makers, co-housing developers and older people themselves.

The research was conducted in partnership with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage's Sustainability Advantage Program, who provided funding support along with the NSW Government's Liveable Communities Grants Program.

Professor Chris Riedy, who led the research, said co-housing offers an attractive housing option but few are aware of its potential  "most people still think of hippies, communes or share houses".

"We found co-housing can help older people stay in a part of the city they love, in a supportive environment that will provide them with social interaction and greater access to services as they age.

"There are fantastic modern co-housing options that are perfect for the mainstream, with great design and a balance between privacy and community."

Professor Riedy and the research team identified three co-housing options:

Deliberative development, where future residents participate in the design of a new multi-unit building that they will eventually live in. Nightingale Housing has pioneered this approach in Melbourne and the idea is spreading to other states;

Co-operative tenancy, where residents form a housing co-operative to manage their tenancy of a building. Common Equity is the leading proponent of this model in NSW, with 39 housing co-operatives established;

Small-scale cohousing, where an existing single dwelling is renovated to accommodate one to three additional dwellings.

NSW Minister for Ageing Tanya Davies commended UTS on their research into innovative solutions to affordable housing for older people.

"One of the most important ways to ensure the quality of life of older people around NSW is to increase access to housing that is affordable, appropriate to their physical needs, and which allows them to stay connected to their community."

Professor Riedy said there was much to be done in myth-busting and in raising awareness of co-housing among older people.

"Very few older people in the focus groups had heard of co-housing, though guessed it involved sharing living space. 'A nice idea but not for me' was a common response," he said.

"If we are going to realise the housing affordability and sustainability benefits of co-housing, there is an urgent need to fund and promote demonstration projects to raise awareness of co-housing options.

"We also need web platforms that can link up the growing number of people who want to live in co-housing"
During organ, tissue or cell transplant rejection, the foreign (non-self) graft is met by responses from both the adaptive and innate arms of the immune system (middle tier). Now, Dai et al. have discovered one source of the recipients innate immune responses that drive donor rejection. Credit: Carla Shaffer / AAAS

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Toronto have uncovered the first molecular steps that lead to immune system activation and eventual rejection of a transplanted organ. The findings, published today in Science Immunology, may be used someday to create better donor-recipient matches and develop new ways to prevent rejection of transplanted tissues.

Approximately 50 percent of all transplanted organs are rejected within 10 to 12 years, so there is a great need for better ways to reduce or eliminate organ rejection, explained the study's co-senior author Fadi Lakkis, M.D., Frank & Athena Sarris Chair in Transplantation Biology and scientific director of Pitt's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute (STI).

"For the first time, we have an insight into the earliest steps that start the rejection response," Lakkis said. "Interrupting this first recognition of foreign tissues by the innate immune system would disrupt the rejection process at its earliest inception stage and could prevent the transplant from failing."

UPMC has been a worldwide leader in organ transplantation for more than 35 years. Throughout its history, the University of Pittsburgh Transplantation Institute, renamed the STI in 1996 in honor of liver transplant pioneer Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, has been creating innovative transplantation strategies.

"This study is the latest example of the STI's commitment to improving the lives of patients with organ failure," Lakkis said.

The immune system is composed of innate and adaptive branches. The innate immune system is the first to detect foreign cells in the body and is required to activate the adaptive, or acquired, immune system. The mechanisms underlying this second phase of immune activation following organ transplantation are well studied, but the details of how innate immunity contributes to rejection have, until now, remained unknown.

In the new study, researchers used a classical genetic mapping approach to show that in mice a molecule called SIRP-alpha leads to innate immune system activation and differs between unrelated individuals. When the transplanted tissue SIRP-alpha is different from the host tissue SIRP-alpha, the transplant SIRP-alpha binds to a receptor called CD47 that is located on the recipient's monocytes, a class of innate immune cells. This binding kicks off a series of cellular events that activate the innate and then eventually the adaptive immune system.

Like mice, humans also express SIRP-alpha, so sequencing the gene to identify donors and recipients with matched forms of the molecule hopefully will lead to lower organ rejection rates in the future, Lakkis said.

Blocking the interaction between SIRP-alpha and CD47 in mice prevented the monocyte activation, suggesting that disruption of this coupling could prevent recipient immune system activation. Future studies to examine how the interaction between SIRP-alpha and CD47 leads to monocyte activation could lead to new ways to prevent organ rejection.

More information: H. Dai el al., "Donor SIRP polymorphism modulates the innate immune response to allogeneic grafts," Science Immunology (2017). Journal information: Science Immunology H. Dai el al., "Donor SIRP polymorphism modulates the innate immune response to allogeneic grafts,"(2017). immunology.sciencemag.org/look  6/sciimmunol.aam6202
Foster children's behaviour is more problematic than that of their peers in 'normal' family situations. However, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of behavioural problems. Anouk Goemans, a researcher in clinical child and adolescent studies, calls for more screening and monitoring. PhD defence on 27 June.

About 20,000 children are currently in foster care in the Netherlands. Some because of parental neglect or even abuse, others because behavioural problems or parental limitations made caring for them too much of a challenge. They were placed in a foster family for the shorter or longer term.

Behavioural problems

Unfortunately, some of these children have to leave their foster family prematurely because of difficulties that are often caused by behavioural problems. In the most serious cases, children end up moving from foster family to foster family. PhD candidate Anouk Goemans looked for factors that have a positive effect on a foster child's development and can thus prevent this from happening. The ideal outcome would have been a model that predicts the psychosocial development of foster children.

No prediction model

Goemans didn't manage to come up with such a prediction model. A meta-analysis of various prior studies and a longitudinal study [a study with several observations over a period of time, ed.] did provide a number of predictors, but as Goemans says, there is 'too much interindividual variation' in the development paths of foster children. 'Although the predictors can to some extent explain the development of children in foster care, together they do not yield a model that can accurately predict this development.'

Extra help

One of Goemans' discoveries was that extra help from support workers, for instance supervision or interventions, correlates negatively with behavioural problems in foster children. In other words: children who received extra support displayed more behavioural problems. Goemans: 'But this result was based on a single observation. The most plausible explanation is quite simply that children with problems must receive more support than those who don't have problems.' The foster children in the study who did not receive extra support also displayed considerable behavioural problems.

Parental stress

Goemans also found that behavioural problems in foster children predict more parental stress in foster parents, but not vice versa. It therefore appears that foster parents do not burden foster children with their own stress. Goemans: 'This could be because becoming a foster parent is often a conscious decision, or because of the preparation courses that they follow.'

Systematic monitoring

Goemans therefore advises support workers to systematically screen and monitor the development of foster children, so that they can provide extra support wherever necessary. In addition, this will make it possible for researchers to determine the factors that cause behavioural problems. Placement policy could be changed on the basis of these findings, ensuring that children stay longer in a foster family.

Checklist

Tools do exist that allow for a more structural monitoring, but they have not yet been implemented in the Netherlands. The Brief Assessment Checklist (BAC) is particularly useful, says Goemans. This tool  which is already in use in Australia, New Zealand, Germany and England  can measure the relationship between foster parent and child quickly and effectively. Does the child yearn for affection? Does the child fail to distinguish between its foster family and strangers? The BAC includes all these signs, which makes it a useful tool for support workers. Its systematic use could be the next step to a prediction model.
Two new reports launched at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on 22 June 2017, involving the University of Stirling, highlight the important role that GPs have in raising the issue of alcohol use in GP consultations.

The reports, 'Practice and attitudes of General Practitioners in the delivery of Alcohol Brief Interventions in Scotland' and 'Financial incentives for Alcohol Brief Interventions in Primary Care in Scotland' discuss challenges relating to the central role that GPs can play in raising the sensitive issue of alcohol use with patients to prevent and reduce harms, and the role that incentives such as financial payments and sufficient support for training for primary care staff can play in ensuring effective interventions.

The reports precede the imminent publication of the Scottish Government's 'refresh' of its 2009 strategy, Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action.

Scotland continues to have the highest level of alcohol consumption and harm in the UK. One million Scots drink above the recommended guidelines, and 22 Scots die because of alcohol every single week  twice the rate of the 1980s.

Benefit patients

Dr Niamh Fitzgerald, Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling said: "Whilst Scotland's national programme of Alcohol Brief Interventions is amongst the most extensive of any country, it has contributed little in terms of research on how best to incentivise practitioners to talk to patients about alcohol. As Scotland rolls out its new national strategy, there is also an opportunity for Scotland to lead not only in terms of practice, but in developing globally innovative research on how to optimise such conversations to benefit patients."

Professor Aisha Holloway, University of Edinburgh, said: "Delivering Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs) is not just about the operational mechanisms associated with the national ABI programme i.e. funding, training and IT systems. It is also about GPs having the time to provide person-centred care to understand the complexities of external social and personal issues that people are facing that can trigger harmful/hazardous consumption."

Dr Peter Rice, Chair of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), who funded both investigations, said: "SHAAP has advocated for Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs) since our foundation in 2006 and Scotland has been a world leader in the implementation of ABIs. ABIs are strongly supported by the World Health Organisation and the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) as a key tool in reducing alcohol related harm. It is vital that, as it refreshes its Alcohol Strategy, the Scottish Government draws on important sources of data, such as these two new reports, to understand how to enhance and develop the national ABI programme, for the benefit of patients."

Dr Richard Watson, who represents the Royal College of General Practitioners on SHAAP's Steering Group, and who works in a busy GP practice in Cambuslang, said: "GPs in Scotland see patients with hazardous drinking not just every working day but every working hour. Both reports show in different ways that brief interventions can and should be delivered in primary care. I hope that when the new GP contract is finalised, it finds a place for them."

More information: Practices and Attitudes of General Practitioners in the Delivery of Alcohol Brief Interventions in Scotland: Practices and Attitudes of General Practitioners in the Delivery of Alcohol Brief Interventions in Scotland: www.shaap.org.uk/images/hollow  al_print_version.pdf Financial Incentives for Alcohol Brief Interventions in Primary Care in Scotland: www.shaap.org.uk/images/remune  al_print_version.pdf
A measles outbreak affecting several European countries has killed 30 people in Romania, most of them children, health authorities in Bucharest said on Friday.

More than 7,200 people in the European Union's second-poorest country have contracted the illness since late 2016, Romania's contagious disease monitoring centre said.

There was also a 31st suspected fatality.

The respiratory disease, characterised by high fever and small red spots, usually triggers only mild symptoms, but it remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally.

The World Health Organisation recommends two doses of vaccination, the first by a child's first birthday, to ensure immunity and prevent outbreaks, saying they should cover 95 percent of the population.

But in Romania, due not only to poverty but also a lack of vaccines and poor access to health care, the rate is only 80 percent for the first shot and 50 percent for the second.

The Romanian government is currently pushing through legislation that would make vaccination obligatory in order for children to be allowed to go to school.

Compounding the problem, a growing number of parents are refusing to have their children immunised with religious groups and public figures also launching anti-vaccination campaigns.

The WHO warned in March about a rising number of measles cases in Europe, with the largest outbreaks in Romania and Italy. France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine were also affected.

On Thursday a six-year-old boy with leukaemia died from measles in Italy. He had an 85-percent chance of being cured of his leukaemia but his parents refused to have him vaccinated for measles, Italian authorities said.

They said that at least 3,074 measles cases have been recorded this year, 40 percent of whom had to be hospitalised. The WHO said on Tuesday that 43 percent of cases in Europe were in Italy.

 2017 AFP
Professor Keith Humphreys is one of the leaders of the Stanford Neuroscience Institutes Neurochoice Big Idea initiative. Credit: L.A. Cicero

Tens of thousands of Americans die from drug overdoses every year  around 50,000 in 2015  and the number has been steadily climbing for at least the last decade and a half, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Yet a team of Stanford neuroscientists and legal scholars argues that the nation's drug policies are at times exactly the opposite from what science-based policies would look like.

"Drug policy has never been based on our scientific understanding," said Robert Malenka, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and a coauthor on the paper. Instead, it is based mostly on culture and economic necessities  and a misguided desire to punish drug users harshly.

The time has come, he and coauthors write June 22 in the journal Science, to do better.

"We have an opioid epidemic that looks like it's going to be deadlier than AIDS, but the criminal justice system handles drug addiction in almost exactly opposite of what neuroscience and other behavioral sciences would suggest," said Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and one of the leaders of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute's Neurochoice Big Idea initiative.

(Not) thinking about the future

A central problem, the authors argue, is that drug use warps the brain's decision-making mechanisms, so that what matters most to a person dealing with addiction is the here and now, not the possibility of a trip up the river a few months or years from today.

"We have relied heavily on the length of a prison term as our primary lever for trying to influence drug use and drug-related crime," said Robert MacCoun, a professor of law. "But such sanction enhancements are psychologically remote and premised on an unrealistic model of rational planning with a long time horizon, which just isn't consistent with how drug users behave."

What might work better, Humphreys said, is smaller, more immediate incentives and punishments  perhaps a meal voucher in exchange for passing a drug test, along with daily monitoring.

The environment in which individuals live matters, too, Humphreys said  especially when that environment pushes alcohol, cigarettes and prescription painkillers hard. Cigarette advertising, for example, works to make smoking seem like a pleasant escape from the grind of daily life. Meanwhile, drug companies' advertising campaigns helped push American doctors to prescribe painkillers at much higher rates than in other countries, a fact that has likely contributed to the country's growing epidemic of opioid addiction.

Pragmatism, not apologetics

The scientists argue that basing policy on science rather than on a desire to punish addicts would improve lives, including victims of drug-related crime.

"To learn that addictive drugs distort the choice process is not the same as showing that addicts are incapable of making choices. Addicts already know full well that their behavior is inappropriate and stigmatized," MacCoun said. "But mostly I think questions of morality distract from very practical questions about what works and what doesn't work to reduce drug-related harm."

And, the researchers say, the costs of current policy are staggering: on average 78 Americans die every day from opioid overdoses.

Basic science for the public good

The new commentary is timed to appear four days before a much-anticipated report from a presidential commission on drug addiction. While it may not have an impact on that particular report, Humphreys and his coauthors say they hope the commentary and the Neurochoice Initiative it is part of will make a difference in a critical area of public policy.

To that end, Neurochoice brings together neuroscientists, psychologists, public policy scholars and others to tackle drug addiction and find better treatments and policies for dealing with the problem. It has already produced some intriguing results. Professor of Psychology Brian Knutson and colleagues, for example, recently showed that brain scans could help predict which adolescents would initiate excessive drug use in the future. Those are the kinds of results, the authors write, that might guide better laws and practices in the future.
Imagine being able to take cells from your skin, transform them into other types of cells, such as lung, brain, heart or muscle cells, and use those to cure your ailments, from diabetes to heart disease or macular degeneration. To realise this, however, challenges still remain, Professor Janet Rossant, a pioneer in the field, says.

All across the world, scientists have begun clinical trials to try and do just that, by making use of the incredible power and versatility of stem cells, which are special cells that can make endless copies of themselves and transform into every other type of cell.

While human embryos contain embryonic stem cells, which help them to develop, the use of those cells has been controversial. The scientists are using induced pluripotent stem cells instead, which are other cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like stem cells.

"There are still significant challenges that we need to overcome, but in the long run we might even be able to create organs from stem cells taken from patients. That would enable rejection-free transplants," said Professor Janet Rossant, a pioneer in the field.

The mouse that changed everything

A speaker at the recent Commonwealth Science Conference 2017 held in Singapore and organised by Britain's Royal Society and Singapore's National Research Foundation, Prof Rossant gave an overview of stem cells' origins, history, uses and potential.

Now a senior scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (also known as Sick Kids) in Toronto, Canada, after a decade as its chief of research, she was the first scientist to demonstrate the full power of stem cells in mice.

In the early 1990s, scientists believed that stem cells could only become certain types of cells and carry out limited functions. Based on her own research and that of others, however, Prof Rossant believed that they were capable of far more.

Working with other scientists, she created an entire mouse out of stem cells in 1992, upending the conventional wisdom. "We went on to create many baby mice that were completely normal, and completely derived from stem cells grown in a petri dish," she said.

"That was an amazing experiment, and it was instrumental in making people believe that human embryonic stem cells could have the full potential to make every cell type in the body," she added.

When scientists learned how to remove stem cells from human embryos in 1998, however, controversy ensued. Many lobbied against the cells' use in medical research and treatment due to the moral implications of destroying even unwanted embryos to gain the cells.

In Canada, Prof Rossant chaired the working group of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on Stem Cell Research, establishing guidelines for the field. These guidelines helped to keep the field alive in Canada, and were influential well beyond the country's borders.

In 2006, Japanese researchers succeeded in taking skin cells from adult mice and reprogramming them to behave like embryonic stem cells. These revolutionary, induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells allowed scientists to sidestep the ongoing controversy.

The challenges in the way

While stem cells have been used for medical treatment in some cases  bone marrow transplants, for example, are a form of stem cell therapy  there are several challenges that need to be overcome before they can be used more widely to treat diseases and injuries.

"We need to get better at turning stem cells into the fully mature cells that you need for therapy. That's going to take more work. Another issue is that of scale-up. If you're going to treat a patient, you need to be able to grow millions of cells," said Prof Rossant.

She added: "Safety is another concern. One of the most exciting things about pluripotent stem cells is that they can divide indefinitely in the culture dish. But that's also one of the most scary things about them, because that's also how cancer works.

"Furthermore, because we need to genetically manipulate cells to get IPS cells, it's very hard to know whether we've got completely normal cells at the end of the day. These are all issues that need to be resolved."

She noted that some scientists are working on making "failsafe" IPS cells, which have a built-in self-destruct option if they become dangerous. "Bringing stem cells into regenerative medicine is going to require interdisciplinary, international collaboration," she said.

In the meantime, stem cells have been a boon to medical research, as scientists can use them to create an endless supply of different cells to study diseases and injuries, and test drugs. "That's the biggest use of IPS cells right now," Prof Rossant said.

Sick kids  and how to help them

At SickKids, which is Canada's largest paediatric research hospital, she has been using stem cells to study cystic fibrosis, a frequently fatal genetic disorder that causes mucus to build up and clog some organs such as the lungs. It affects primarily children and young adults.

SickKids discovered the CFTR gene that, when mutated, causes the disease. It was also the first to produce mature lung cells, from stem cells, that can be used to study the disease and test drugs against it.

Even better, Prof Rossant and her team were able to turn skin cells from cystic fibrosis patients into IPS cells and then into lung cells with the genetic mutation specific to each of them. This is critical to personalising treatment for each patient.

"Drugs for cystic fibrosis are extraordinarily expensive, and patients can have the same mutation and yet respond differently to the same drug," Prof Rossant explained. "With our work, we can make sure that each patient gets the right drug at the right time."

In 1998, Prof Rossant also discovered a new type of stem cell in mice, now called the trophoblast stem cell. These surround an embryo and attach it to the uterine wall, eventually becoming the placenta. She is using such cells to study placenta defects and pregnancy problems.

By using IPS cells to create heart cells and other cells, pharmaceutical companies can also test their new drugs' effectiveness and uncover potential side effects, as well as develop personalised medicines.

"There are still huge amounts of opportunities in pluripotent stem cells," said Prof Rossant, who has won numerous awards for her research, including the Companion of the Order of Canada and the 2016 Friesen International Prize in Health Research.

She is also president and scientific director of the Toronto-based Gairdner Foundation, which recognises outstanding biomedical research worldwide, and a professor at the University of Toronto's molecular genetics, obstetrics and gynaecology departments.

"Meetings like the Commonwealth Science Conference are a fantastic opportunity for scientists to come together, learn about each other's work and establish new relationships, which will help to push science forward, including in stem cell research," she said.

She noted: "The world of science is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, so this kind of meeting of minds across nations, cultures and scientific fields is really the way of the future."
Danish-Moroccan Jihadist activist arrested in Melilla



ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The arrested financed terrorist groups through fraudulent business activity

Following the arrest of three people in Madrid earlier this week, one of them described as an extremely dangerous potential suicide bomber, another man was taken into custody in the north African enclave of Melilla on Friday morning on charges related to Jihadism.

The arrested is reported to be a 40-year-old Danish national of Moroccan origin, and is charged with committing tax fraud in order to raise large sums of money which he used to finance terrorist groups including Islamic State and Al Qaeda, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. He was born in Morocco and used his business activities in Denmark to support the Jihadist cause.

It is also reported that the mans detention came about as a result of an ongoing Guardia Civil investigation into various residents of Melilla who, despite having no background in the world of business, have been found to be holding important management posts in Danish companies.

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Armenia, Iran emphasize need to quickly implement agreements reached (PHOTOS)

Armenia soldier wounded by Azerbaijan shooting undergoes surgery

Russian Armed Forces complete redeployment of grouping from right bank of Dnieper

IRGC: Adversaries are frightened and on alert

Armenia appoints ambassador to Sri Lanka

Kremlin doesn't consider leaving Kherson 'humiliating'

Israeli president thinks the world is concerned about Netanyahu's far-right coalition partner

Ukraine will seek help from its foreign partners in financing Starlink satellite internet systems

Erdogan: Situation in South Caucasus remains fragile

Azerbaijan blackmailing Armenia through Lachin corridor

Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus becomes observer in Organization of Turkic States

Armenia PM: In his latest speech Aliyev flagrantly violated agreement on refraining from threat or use of force

World Bank official: Armenia is one of best countries in terms of credit portfolio performance

Azerbaijan president makes repeated accusations, threats against Armenia

Iran citizens injured in Armenia road accident

US embassy in Armenia closed today

Karabakh MOD: Defense Army did not fire at Azerbaijan positions located in occupied territories

Israel and U.S. counter threat of hypersonic missiles together

U.S. and EU plan to publish new roadmap on artificial intelligence

Armenia ombudsperson meets with Belgium colleagues

Newspaper: Armenia parliament opposition seats to no longer be empty

US intends to protect Azerbaijan from threats of Iran

Aliyev, Erdogan discuss results of tripartite meeting in Russias Sochi

Azerbaijan army fires at Armenia positions, uses mortars as well

Amazon becomes world's first public company to lose $1 trillion in market value

EU's odd couple: Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel can't stand each other

US, China set first benchmarks ahead of presidents' meeting

Iranian MFA summons Azerbaijani ambassador to carpet in connection with anti-Iranian propaganda

Washington to resist any attempt by new Israeli government to annex West Bank

Biden thinks Elon Musk's relations with other countries are worthy of being looked at

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Riches of world get poorer suddenly

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Armen Gevorgyan to visit Strasbourg, Brussels and Paris

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UK government freezes over 18 billion pounds worth of Russian assets

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Borrell calls for retooling EU infrastructure for rapid transport of military equipment to East

European Parliament clears way for Croatia's admission to Schengen Area

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France changes its ambassador to Azerbaijan

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YEREVAN.  Azerbaijan is using legally established instrument of extradition as a part of political campaign, Czech Ambassador to Armenia Petr Mikyska told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

His remark came in response to a question whether extradition of bloger Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan and international warrant against European Parliament members, among them Czech MP Jaromir Stetina, issued by Baku might become a dangerous precedent.

EU and the countries of the Council of Europe are supporting the case of fight against corruption and international crime, and the institute of extradition is very important in this fight. Thus, it should be allowed to the authorities of country A to issue warrant against a citizen of a country B if he committed a crime on the territory of country A. However, in this case we have to distinguish between criminality and political motives, Ambassador said.

According to him, in the above-mentioned cases Azerbaijan is moved by political motives, not exactly by the legal ones.

Some lawyers say that the so-called illegal crossing of Azerbaijani border is not a crime for other countries, so Bakus warrant should not be recognized as legally based warrant. Others say that Azerbaijan is not using the exercise of the dominance of the border that Mr. Lapshin and Stetina have crossed. It is a very delicate and complicated situation, the diplomat said.

The diplomat believes that Azerbaijan is using legally established instrument but in political way, and it depends on other states how they will accept this warrant or not. Some countries react with extradition as it was with Mr. Lapshin.

As far as I know other countries are not reacting to Azerbaijans warrant because in this case Czech authorities should extradite Mr. Stetina, which is not the case. We will have to see this issue on some legal and law institutions because it is not so easy. My opinion is that extra-territorial warrant must be used very carefully and not in accordance with political motives, Ambassador added.
YEREVAN.  Honeymoon in the interaction of Armenia and GSP + regime is over, and we are now at the stage of Lasting marriage, advisor on trade issues of the European External Relations Service, head of the first GSP + monitoring mission visiting Armenia Guus Houttuin said.

None of the nine GSP+ beneficiary countries is perfect from this point of view, nor is Armenia, EU representative said.

As a result of discussions with various circles, EU identified three concerns in Armenia: the absence of an effective labour inspection system; in order to be fully compliant with the relevant UN conventions is the need to adopt a comprehensive law on the prevention of domestic violence, and, finally, an independent and effective judiciary.

"All three issues will be examples of what I would call "gateway issues" for any country that wants to combine economic growth with good governance, which ultimately are beneficial for both citizens and business.

I just returned from the meeting chaired by Vice-Minister of Economic Development and Investments of Armenia Garegin Melkonyan where we went through a number of issues, where we want to see further actions by the Armenian Government, including the three points I just mentioned, he said.

The EU plans to publish a report around the 1st of January, 2018, which will be submitted to the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers of 28 EU member states in Brussels and to civil society. As a concrete follow-up to the mission, EU will send a very shorlist areas where it would like to see actions rather than plans by the Government and prefereably over this fall so that we are able to incorporate any action in our report.

The first report on Armenia, he continued, was published in January 2016. "And we told our Armenian counterparts that the "honeymoon" is over and we are now at the stage of "marriage" where we need to invest in lasting relationship. That means, from the Armenien side, delivering on the 27 core Conventions and we are doing our part in continuing trade privileges in 8.7 million euros per year assisting the Armenian Government to implement changes. So we are ready to invest. I hope that the Armenian Government will be ready to invest as well, Houttuin added.
YEREVAN. - The Azerbaijani authorities dont consider the position of the OSCE Minsk Group, former Armenian PM, deputy of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Khosrov Harutyunyan told journalists on Friday.

In his words, the position of Azerbaijan began to change with the coming to power of Aliyev Junior, who is inebriated with petrodollars.

In fact, most regrettably Belarus and Russia helped it in doing this. This is a fact. Our strategic partner sold weapons to Azerbaijan, being confident that this weapon will sooner or later be used against us, the former official noted, adding that together with this, Russia supplied weapons to Armenia as well in order to ensure balance of powers between the sides.

According to Harutyunyan, Azerbaijans position is to openly solve the conflict by means of force. Now they dont even consider the position of the OSCE Minsk Group, Harutyunyan stressed.

In his words, the most important success of the current Armenian authorities is that despite such unfavorable conditions and scarcity of financial means, they have been able to ensure relative balance of forces with Azerbaijan.
Don't Be Too Quick to Assume That Trump Will Gut OSHA Standards

A recent article in The New York Times, "Under Trump, Worker Protections Are Viewed With New Skepticism," suggests that the Trump administration is pursuing a "significant relaxation in the government's approach to occupational safety." But executives in the chemical, manufacturing, construction, and other industriesas well as their health and safety managers, legal team and other advisorsshould not assume that the Trump administration is offering a free ride on regulatory issues.

The tone of the article suggests that Trump will reverse or eliminate a variety of Obama-era industry standards, including reduced workplace exposure to beryllium, an industrial mineral linked to lung disease; and to silica, a mineral that has been linked to lung disease and to cancer.

The article also highlighted Trump's plan to delay a rule requiring electronic reporting and public posting of workplace injuries. Finally, experts quoted in it say proposed budget cuts could cloud the future of the Chemical Safety Board, which investigates chemical plant accidents, and an OSHA grant program that provides training to workers in industries with high injuries and fatalities.

Beryllium Exposure

The Obama administration's new beryllium standard reduced allowable eight-hour exposures from 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air to only 0.2 micrograms. Many experts agreed that a reduction was in order, but slashing it by a factor of 10and expanding coverage to include the maritime and construction industriescould cripple businesses.

Some sources indicate that although President Trump may try to scale it back and exempt the maritime and construction industries, he can't just wipe out Obama's rule. With the rule already established as a "final standard," OSHA would have to first publish any new proposals in the Federal Register and cite a basis for any changes. Further, labor groups and others would likely mount legal challenges.

Silica Standard

There has been concern that exposure to silica in the construction industry leads to lung cancer and kidney and other diseases, but some industry advocates have argued that a significant drop in lung disease rates over the last 40 years suggests that stricter silica standards are not necessary. Still, Obama ordered a reduction from 250 micrograms per cubic meter of air for an eight-hour period to only 50 micrograms.

Compliance within the construction industry was originally scheduled to begin June 23, 2017, but OSHA recently announced that enforcement will instead start Sept. 23. The agency justified this delay by noting that "additional guidance is necessary due to the unique nature of the requirements in the construction standard."

The NY Times article suggests that this delay represents diluted enforcement, but OSHA has said that employers in the construction industry are still expected to continue to take steps to either come into compliance with the new permissible exposure limit, or to implement specific dust controls for certain operations. Consequently, it may be premature to assert that Trump will significantly weaken or eliminate the silica standard.

Electronic reporting, a Safety Board, and Training

The Times article additionally questioned the delay in implementing an OSHA requirement that forces certain employers to electronically submit job-related injury and illness data. OSHA did not explain the delay, which is unusual, but industry has complained that the Obama administration appeared to favor labor unions and the proposed standard would have given unions even more clout. Either way, given the lack of detail about the delay, it may be too early to speculate about the future of the electronic reporting initiative.

The alarm about Trump's apparent attempt to eliminate the Chemical Safety Board by yanking its funding may also be overblown, since a White House budget proposal is not the last word. Congress will also create its own budget, and the two sides will hammer out a compromise. So, the CSB is not dead in the water just yet.

Finally, concern over Trump's proposal to eliminate OSHA's Susan Harwood Training Grant Program may be misplaced because this proposal, too, will not be finalized until Congress speaks. Some advocates may be worried, but it's too early to mourn the program's demise.

So what should manufacturers, construction businesses, and other companies do right now?

First, perhaps they should refrain from overreacting to reports. Instead, organizations may wish to continue to keep track of developments and consult with their legal or other advisors before committing financial or other resources to a course of action.

Examining the individual issues, remember that the more-restrictive beryllium exposure standards have been effective since May 20, 2017but because they are potentially subject to revision, there is some uncertainty about whether they will even be enforced in the interim. Accordingly, companies may wish to consider their potential exposure and, in consultation with their advisors, determine the cost and steps involved in modifying their processes. But since the effective date of the new silica standards has been delayed to Sept. 23, it may be prudent to hold off on making any changes until and unless further guidance is issued by OSHA.

As for the proposed electronic reporting rule, it's worth noting that the original plans called for certain companies to upload their reports to a new OSHA website. But since the site has not even been launched, there isn't much that companies can do right now. Similarly, no changes have yet been made to the Chemical Safety Board and the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, so companies should not feel pressured to take any substantive action in that regard.

Under the Obama administration, industry advocates were concerned that the balance of power was being unfairly shifted to labor unions and other constituents. Now, with the Trump administration trying to call the shots, labor and other advocates fear that the balance could once again being shifted, but in the "wrong" direction. Perhaps both sides could take some time to gather information and study the issues before committing themselves to a course of action.

Veteran labor and employment attorney Joseph P. Paranac, Jr. is a Newark, N.J.-based shareholder in national law firm LeClairRyan, where he focuses much of his practice on OSHA, NLRB, and other administrative agency-related matters. He can be contacted at [email protected]
Time to start welcoming our new robot overlords  and tip them generously for dropping off our dinners.

Yesterday, as reported by Recode, Gov. Scott Walker signed a new law officially allowing ground delivery robots to roll alongside us mere mortals on sidewalks and crosswalks on their way to drop off food and other online-ordered packages. Wisconsin is the third state  after Idaho and Virginia  to pass such legislation.

The law says that the delivery robots can't travel faster than 10 miles per hour and can't weigh more than 80 pounds  which is fine, as the rolling rovers created by Starship Technologies, the main company leading the charge in ground-based delivery robots and laws allowing them, come in at only 40 pounds on their own and can carry up to 20 pounds of delivery items.

And in case you're worried about some sort of nightmare robo-pocalypse breaking out spawned by devious delivery bots, the law also says that a person must be in place to take control over the robot in case it decides to crush your puny human skull neath its metallic claw feet or that I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't give you the groceries you ordered.

Starship's robo-rovers have yet to begin making the rounds in any of the three legalized states yet, but it did perform some commercial trials in Redwood City, California and Washington D.C. working with DoorDash and Postmates. So the robots are coming  and then possibly the robot apocalypse. Then again, if I'm getting beer, meats and cheeses delivered to my door without having to move, maybe the end of days won't be so bad.
Matthew "Matty" Gonzales is on a plane headed for the United States, according to family members. He will land in Chicago this afternoon.

Gonzales has been in jail in the Abu Dhabi desert for nine weeks for bringing his prescribed painkillers into the country without documentation.

On Saturday, Gonzales will attend his mothers funeral in Milwaukee. His mother passed away a few months ago and her memorial service is this weekend.

He will also attend the benefit at the Nomad World Pub on Sunday. The funds raised will go towards Gonzales' family members who spent almost $100,000 on legal fees. Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for updates on Gonzales.
Australia is doing well on enrolling four-year-olds in pre-school, but the picture on three-year-olds is less clear. Credit: Shutterstock

The OECD's latest Starting Strong report provides an update on early childhood education opportunities across the developed world, and a fresh insight into how Australian children are faring.

The Starting Strong series, which began in 2001, provides valuable comparisons and analysis of early childhood education systems, and has been highly influential in the development of early years policy globally. Australian governments drew heavily on this resource in the development of our National Quality Framework and Early Years Learning Framework.

International trends

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has experienced a surge of policy attention in recent years at the national and international level.

The debate has also shifted its focus, with policymakers realising that equitable access to quality ECEC can strengthen the foundations of lifelong learning for all children. As a consequence, governments around the world have increased the resources allocated to the early years and taken steps to enhance quality and improve equity of access.

This is underpinned by international research that shows access to quality ECEC has positive effects on wellbeing, learning and development.

Universal or quasi-universal access to at least one year of ECEC is now a reality in most of the OECD. In most countries, more than 90% of children are already enrolled in preschool (or in primary education in some countries) at age five.

High enrolment rates are also observed for lower age groups. Among four-year-olds, 90% or more are already enrolled in preschool (or primary education) in two-thirds of the 37 countries.

How does Australia compare?

While Australia has successfully expanded access to ECEC in the year before full-time school, we can still do more to lift quality, and participation in under fours, in order to further capitalise on our investment in the early years.

Participation

Australia has an above average proportion of children under three attending ECEC. It also has had one of the fastest rates of growth in the proportion of four-year- olds attending preschool, skyrocketing from 53% in 2005 to 85% in 2014 thanks to the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education.

However, we are still behind the UK, France, Germany and several Scandinavian countries, where more than 95% of four-years-olds attend ECEC.

In contrast, Australia has one of the lowest proportions of three-year-olds enrolled in preschool, at only 15%. However, this figure reflects the limitations of current data collections, as it does not include the large number of three-year-olds attending programs delivered by an early childhood teacher in long daycare settings.

Investment

On a per-child basis, Australia ranks fourth highest of OECD countries in public expenditure on preschool. This is largely driven by lower child-staff ratios.

There are fewer than ten children for every teacher in Australia. In countries like Chile, China, France and Mexico, for example, there are more than 20 children per teacher.

Impact of ECEC on achievement at age 15

The report identifies participation in at least two years of preschool as one of the most powerful influences on students' results in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) at age 15. Given this, Australia's comparatively low rate of participation in at least two years of preschool is a concern.

The report finds that the strongest impacts on student performance are seen in education systems that offer preschool programs to a larger proportion of the population and over a longer period of time. Those with lower child-to-teacher ratios and that invest more per child at the preschool level are also most effective.

However, of all these variables, the strongest predictor of performance at age 15 is the number of years a student participates in ECEC. This is consistent with Australian research, examining the benefits of expanded access to a second year of preschool for all children in Australia.

Across the OECD, 22% of students who had attended early childhood education for less than a year performed below the baseline level of proficiency in science. Yet only 10% of students who attended more than two years of preschool were below the baseline.

This means students are more than twice as likely to be low performers in science if they attend less than one year of preschool.

For Australia, the impact of preschool on PISA was less evident, likely reflecting a low proportion of the population attending at least two years of high-quality preschool at the time.

Low levels of access for disadvantaged children

The OECD report also highlights that the children most likely to benefit from early childhood education  those from disadvantaged backgrounds  are least likely to participate.

The report shows a sizeable gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children when it comes to the 15-year-olds who had access to at least two years of ECEC. Australia ranks below the OECD average on this, and substantially behind countries such as New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and Switzerland.

This pattern is consistent with previous Australian research.

Australia's early learning market

Comparatively, Australia has a high proportion of non-government ECEC services, and services highly subsidised but not delivered by government.

Overall, 77% of Australian children attend ECEC in private, not-for-profit or community-run services, compared to an OECD average of 32%. All of these services are what the OECD calls a "government-dependent private setting", meaning a private entity that receives more than half its core funding from government.

The OECD warns of the potential dangers of a market structure where government is the main funder, yet has limited control over delivery, quality and pricing.

On top of this, Australian families also contribute a comparatively high proportion of ECEC funding. In almost half of OECD countries 90% or more of total ECEC expenditure comes from government, while in Australia, 35% comes from families.

This iteration of Starting Strong also has a particular focus on the transition from ECEC to the school system. Good transitions are critical to ensuring the benefits of investment in the early years flow on throughout children's lives.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
We have more knowledge about the distribution of rare and cryptic species of birds than rare and deadly viruses. Credit: C. Rahbek, L. A. Hansen, J. Fjeldsa, One-degree resolution database of the global distribution of birds (The Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2012)

The scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution has published a joint statement from scientists at the University of Copenhagen and North Carolina State University calling attention to a serious lack of data on the worldwide distribution of disease-causing organisms. Without this data, predicting where and when the next disease outbreak will emerge is inhibited. Macroecologists have the expertise to create the needed data network and close the knowledge gaps.

Scientists lack fundamental knowledge about the global distribution of a wide range of disease-causing species from viruses and bacteria to parasites. The lead author, Assistant Professor Anna-Sofie Stensgaard from Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, explains, "Today, we know less about where disease-causing organisms occur than the global distribution of most mammals, birds and even ants. Without this basic knowledge, it is very hard to predict if, for instance, certain bacteria or parasites transmitted via mosquitoes or other bloodsucking insects are likely to spread or not, and what measures we must take in order to prevent this."

Scientists have registered more than 2100 organisms worldwide known to make people sick. Of these, 355 are defined as clinically important and collectively kill almost 10 million people each year, mainly in the tropics. This disproportion has great implications for global health and economy. Yet, scientists only have detailed knowledge about fewer than 17 of these diseases' distribution.

The best data available globally for the distribution of the majority of the disease-causing organisms is that of geopolitical units, (most country, some state or regional level), a grain so large that individual sampling units includes habitats ranging from subtropical forests to tundra. Credit: M. Wardeh, C. Risley, M. K. McIntyre, C. Setzkorn, M. Baylis, Database of host-pathogen and related species interactions, and their global distribution. Scientific data 2, 150049 (2015)

"For most disease-causing viruses, bacteria and parasites, we know only which countries they can be found in, not their prevalence, nor how they are changing over time. And even these terribly coarse data are often privately held. We are really still in the dark, ignorant about the species most likely to do civilization in," says co-lead author Professor Rob Dunn from North Carolina State University.

Networks similar to the one the scientists call for already exist for other organisms. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), for instance, is a platform to collect and make huge amounts of biodiversity data accessible. GBIF includes 700 million records of animals, fungi and plants shared by 977 institutions worldwide.

"It is possible to close the knowledge gaps by deploying the expertise to set up the required network of databases. But researchers need to recognize the threat we face until it is established. I am sure that when people realise this, that time, money and collaboration among experts from cross-cutting disciplines will not be hard to get. But until then, we cannot foresee how disease-spreading organisms move, interact and emerge due to climate changes, intensified agriculture or urbanization," says senior-author Professor Carsten Rahbek.
Sugarcane planted in with traditional spacing (pictured here) is better for yields but may be worse for plants and soil quality. Credit: Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

As farmers survey their fields this summer, several questions come to mind: How many plants germinated per acre? How does altering row spacing affect my yields? Does it make a difference if I plant my rows north to south or east to west? Now a computer model can answer these questions by comparing billions of virtual fields with different planting densities, row spacings, and orientations.

The University of Illinois and the Partner Institute for Computational Biology in Shanghai developed this computer model to predict the yield of different crop cultivars in a multitude of planting conditions. Published in BioEnergy-Research, the model depicts the growth of 3D plants, incorporating models of the biochemical and biophysical processes that underlie productivity.

Teaming up with the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, they used the model to address a question for sugarcane producers: How much yield might be sacrificed to take advantage of a possible conservation planting technique?

"Current sugarcane harvesters cut a single row at a time, which is time-consuming and leads to damage of the crop stands," said author Steve Long, Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. "This could be solved if the crop was planted in double rows with gaps between the double rows. But plants in double rows will shade each other more, causing a potential loss of profitability."

Double row spacing is better for sugarcane plants, soil but sacrifices up to 10% of yield. Credit: Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The model found that double-row spacing costs about 10% of productivity compared to traditional row spacing; however, this loss can be reduced to just 2% by choosing cultivars with more horizontal leaves planted in a north-south orientation.

"This model could be applied to other crops to predict optimal planting designs for specific environments," said Yu Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at Illinois who led the study. "It could also be used in reverse to predict the potential outcome for a field."

The authors predict this model will be especially useful when robotic planting becomes more commonplace, which will allow for many more planting permutations.

The paper "Development of a Three-Dimensional Ray-Tracing Model of Sugarcane Canopy Photosynthesis and Its Application in Assessing Impacts of Varied Row Spacing" is published by BioEnergy Research.

More information: Yu Wang et al, Development of a Three-Dimensional Ray-Tracing Model of Sugarcane Canopy Photosynthesis and Its Application in Assessing Impacts of Varied Row Spacing, BioEnergy Research (2017). DOI: 10.1007/s12155-017-9823-x Journal information: Bioenergy Research
Credit: University of St Andrews

Dramatic differences in chimp societies, discovered by researchers at the University of St Andrews, reveal variations in social status and sharing food, as seen in human cultures.

The study, published in PLOS ONE found that two chimpanzee communities in Uganda had strikingly different attitudes to hunting and how they shared meat.

Scientists from the University of St Andrews, University of Neuchatel and the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig used 27 years of observations to study the hunting behaviour of two neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the Budongo Forest, Uganda.

Dr Catherine Hobaiter, lead author, said: "The differences in hunting between these communities are dramatic  so we wanted to try to understand why. They live in the same forest and have access to the same prey, but they hunt for different species and seem to share food differently."

The Sonso community, studied for 27 years, prefers to hunt for black and white colobus monkeys. After catching a monkey the high-ranking males take possession of the carcass, even when they weren't the ones to catch it. Other group members then beg for access to the food, which is sometimes shared.

The Waibira community, studied for six years, currently prefers to hunt for duiker  a type of small antelope  especially red duiker, a species the Sonso chimpanzees have never been seen to hunt. Waibira also hunt for several other species, including monkeys. After catching prey, lower-ranking group members, even young females, are able to take and keep possession of the carcass.

The researchers suggest that some differences between the groups, such as the hunting of red duiker, may just reflect a preference for different types of food. Other differences may represent variation in social behaviour.

Dr Hobaiter added: "One of the most remarkable differences we see is in how the groups share meat. In Sonso it is rank based  the most dominant chimp gets the meat, even if he wasn't the one that caught it. In Waibira we sometimes see younger individuals, even young females, keep the whole carcass and even if it's the alpha male who arrives, she'll refuse to share it."

Further differences may be due to the impact that acclimatization to human presence has on the chimpanzees. The types of prey hunted in Waibira today are similar to those recorded in the early years of research in the Sonso community. Regular colobus hunting only emerged in Sonso after around 15 years of research; a similar pattern has been recorded at other long-term sites where chimpanzees switched to regular colobus hunting after many years of observation.

Dr Hobaiter concluded: "Long-term research with wild chimpanzees brings real conservation benefits, but we have to remember that our presence can affect their behaviour; in this case the group hunting used to catch colobus monkeys may take years to re-establish."

Chimpanzees are widely considered the most 'cultural' species of non-human animals. This study emphasizes that cultural, social, environmental and human factors all contribute to the differences we see between chimpanzee communities today.

More information: Catherine Hobaiter et al. Variation in hunting behaviour in neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the Budongo forest, Uganda, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178065 Journal information: PLoS ONE
Researchers from Canada and Morocco are working together to define globalization and to place it in the context of culture. They write in the Journal of Global Business Advancement how globalization is a self-contradictory phenomenon. Across academia where efforts are made to understand the nature of engagement and interaction in the global market with respect to cultural diversity, the negotiated exchanges of human capital, the allocation and distribution of financial resources, the fair exchange of goods and services, and the flow of shared information in a borderless world, there are controversies surrounding how culture affects globalization and vice versa.

Abderrahman Hassi of the School of Business Administration, Al Akhawayn University, in Ifrane, Morocco is working with Giovanna Storti of Employment and Social Development Canada, in National Capital Region, Canada to understand this interplay. Their research suggests that insightful and logical debate can arise with a clearer understanding of cultural diversity within organizations as their activities unfold on the world stage through globalization of modern economics.

Moreover, the team suggests that "nations that are part of cultural global exchanges on a regular basis do not lose sight of their cultural distinctiveness. They interpret cultural rudiments in ways that make them compatible and functional with their culture." The worry always having been that globalization equates to loss of diversity through "homogenization" of different cultures, the Americanisation of language and pop music, for instance. "Standardization does not have to mean the taking on of all aspects of a Western way of life. Individuals in human societies instinctively rely on what is deeply rooted and entrenched within the core of their being in order to express their particular differences in respect to their customs, traditions, inventions and discoveries," the team reports". Indeed cultures, nations, organizations and individuals within those can grasp the benefits of globalization, but can, nevertheless, also cling to what makes them different culturally.

The team adds that, "Globalization by definition promotes the flow of cultural customs, practices and norms along with cross-border exchanges of goods and services, however, both individuals and organizations need to grasp the cultural implications of these flows to get the most out of interactions that occur with other cultures." They conclude that "If we choose to follow a route based on standardized practices across cultures, organizations need to familiarize themselves about these practices and should adjust their plans accordingly to reflect and respect indigenous cultural particularities." Of course, whether or not that happens remains to be seen. It might be that ultimately globalization means homogenization and not the preservation of diversity.

More information: Abderrahman Hassi et al. Interplay between the convoluting forces of culture and globalisation, J. for Global Business Advancement (2017). DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2017.084610

Provided by Inderscience
Jonathon Brooks in the lab. Credit: University of Leicester

Researchers from the University of Leicester are working with police forces in the UK to improve the accuracy of police dogs in identifying human remains in criminal investigations.

The research, led by PhD student Jonathon Brooks from the University of Leicester's Department of Chemistry, looks at the chemical aspects of decomposition, investigating the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) given off when biological matter decomposes.

The team hopes to establish what chemicals the dogs are detecting and whether it is just the one compound or combinations of these compounds.

They are then working with professionals to use these substances to train victim recovery police dogs to locate human remains.

The researchers have shown that while different tissue types decompose at different rates they share similar VOC profiles. However, the environment that the tissue is exposed to can significantly change this VOC profile - suggesting that the samples that are often being used by police forces aren't fully representative of buried human remains.

The team is using a variety of analytical techniques to characterise and measure the substances released by decomposing tissue, working with police officers to train their recovery dogs to recognise these different compounds.

Jonathon explained: "As human remains break down, these small molecules are released into the surrounding environment, many of which can be detected by dogs.

Jonathon Brooks working with dogs. Credit: University of Leicester

"Depending on the conditions, different compounds will be released, so police search dogs need to be able to recognise a vast array of molecules."

The team is currently supporting cadaver dog training within the UK, as police forces are often very limited to which samples they are able to use, which can reduce their effectiveness during investigations.

The researchers are working closely with University Hospitals of Leicester and multiple police forces across the country, to establish how the data can be used in criminal investigations in the future.

The University of Leicester project is the only research within the UK to apply multidimensional chromatography  which improves the ability to separate complex chemical mixtures - to the understanding of decomposition, in collaboration with laboratories in Australia (UTS; University Technology Sydney) and Belgium (University of Liege).

Jonathon added: "Within the UK we are restricted to the use of animal samples in both research and police dog training, due to current legislation.

"Our Australian collaborators more recently opened a human decomposition facility. Having visited both the site and the laboratory we have been able to advance our knowledge on the analytical instrument and are looking to apply this to both our singular organ and whole mammal research.

"Currently protocols are being introduced to allow police forces to use donated human samples from hospitals, to increase the reliability and effectiveness of the dog's ability to detect such remains. However this is yet to be implemented, and the regularity and consistency of the human tissue supply is as yet unknown."

Professor Paul Monks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Leicester, who supervises Jonathon's research, said: "Jonathon is really showing how university-led discovery science can be rapidly translated and inform forensic science practice. Jonathon is fusing state of the art analytical science with user-led problems. It is clear that Jonathon has a nose for success."
"We already have two international (human rights) pacts... The idea is to create a third, for a third generation of rightsenvironmental rights," said French judicial expert Laurent Fabius, who will chair the climate meeting

Politicians, legal experts and activists will launch a campaign in Paris on Saturday for a global pact to protect the human right to a clean, healthy environment.

The end goal, organisers said this week, is a legal treaty under which states can be brought to justice for flouting the rights of a group or individual.

The initiative comes just weeks after President Donald Trump announced that he would pull the United States out of the 196-nation Paris Agreement on curbing dangerous global warming.

The new pact, being blueprinted by top legal minds from several countries, should eventually be put to the United Nations for adoption, and impose legally-binding obligations on signatory states, its drafters say.

"We already have two international (human rights) pacts... The idea is to create a third, for a third generation of rightsenvironmental rights," said French judicial expert Laurent Fabius, who will chair Saturday's meeting.

The earlier covenantsone for social, economic and cultural rights, the other for civil and political rightswere adopted by the UN in 1966.

Fabius, who chaired the 2015 UN conference that approved the hard-fought Paris Agreement, said the new text should outline rights and duties, provide for reparations to be made in case of a breach, and introduce the "polluter pays" principle.

It would mean that people can bring states to court, "to have them held responsible or to compel them to adopt laws that are more protective of the environment," explained Yann Aguila of the French Club des Juristes, a think-tank involved in the project.

Participants in Saturday's meeting would include ex-California governor-turned climate campaigner Arnold Schwarzenegger, former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, as well as high court judges from several countries.

The meeting will be closed by President Emmanuel Macron of France, which after Trump's announcement pledged 30 million euros ($34 million) to fund the work of foreign climate researchers on French soil.

 2017 AFP
The mechanisms for a waving wind-up toy is adjusted to fit the shape of a turtle. Credit: IST Austria

Common toys such as steerable cars or waving wind-up figures are available as 3D-printable models, which also contain their mechanical components. However, these mechanical structures are optimized to fit exactly one particular shape of the toy. If designers want to reuse such a mechanism with different shapes, the necessary manual adjustments to the individual components are often unmanageable for non-experts, in addition to being extremely tedious. Scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) in collaboration with colleagues from Adobe Research have now solved this problem by developing an interactive design tool that allows users to easily adjust a mechanical template to the shape of their choice. The software tool, which will be made available in the future, will be presented at this year's prestigious "SIGGRAPH" conference by first author and PhD student Ran Zhang from the research group of Bernd Bickel.

"Given a car model, there is usually one kind of mechanism that provides the functionality and, at the same time, thousands of different shapes that the car can have," explains co-author Thomas Auzinger. "Our code bridges this gap and makes it possible to reuse the mechanism across all shapes. It allows for flexibility," he adds.

People and computers have very different abilities and competences. While humans have an eye for the aesthetics, it is the computer that is best suited at enforcing mathematical constraints and at optimizing the functionality of the generally large number of connected mechanical components, such as axles, gears, wheels, etc. This is why the user and the code interactively work together in an approach that the researchers took for the first time. "Our tool always guarantees functionality, while artists can adjust the mechanical template to fit the design of their choice," explains lead author Ran Zhang.

Three Austrian artists have tested the program already. The professional 3D-modellers came to visit IST Austria in Klosterneuburg, imported the mechanical template of their choice and adjusted it to fit self-designed 3D-shapes without having to worry about mechanical constraints. Normally, extensive manual adjustments to each of the individual components of the mechanical structure would have been necessarya task that is tedious if not downright impossible for non-experts. With the newly developed tool, in contrast, adjustment is easy and happens in real time. "Even novice users will be able to create a functional model from the shape of their choice," says Ran Zhang.

The viability of the novel tool was shown for different mechanical templates: for waving wind-up toys, periodic motions of hand models, steerable and motorized RC cars, and for vehicles with moveable rotors such as helicopters and planes. Each of them can be adjusted to produce a wide variety of differently-shaped figurines and vehicles. "While our result is already quite applicable, I want to point out that it is still an explorative research project," says Thomas Auzinger. "We took an entirely new modeling approach based on mathematical optimization and showed its viability. It was a proof of concept."

Carious results of the algorithm. The middle and bottom row show objects that have been fabricated by the researchers using 3-D printing. Credit: IST Austria

More information: Find out more about the project here:

visualcomputing.ist.ac.at/publ  ations/2017/MechRet/
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Toxins produced by three different species of fungus growing indoors on wallpaper may become aerosolized, and easily inhaled. The findings, which likely have implications for "sick building syndrome," were published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

"We demonstrated that mycotoxins could be transferred from a moldy material to air, under conditions that may be encountered in buildings," said corresponding author Jean-Denis Bailly, DVM, PhD, Professor of Food Hygiene, National Veterinary School of Toulouse, France. "Thus, mycotoxins can be inhaled and should be investigated as parameters of indoor air quality, especially in homes with visible fungal contamination."

The impetus for the study was the dearth of data on the health risk from mycotoxins produced by fungi growing indoors. (image: microscopic view of a sporulating Aspergillus, showing numerous light spores that can be easily aerosolized and inhaled together with mycotoxins. credit: Sylviane Bailly.)

In the study, the investigators built an experimental bench that can simulate an airflow over a piece of contaminated wall paper, controlling speed and direction of the air. Then they analyzed the resulting bioaerosol.

"Most of the airborne toxins are likely to be located on fungal spores, but we also demonstrated that part of the toxic load was found on very small particlesdust or tiny fragments of wallpaper, that could be easily inhaled," said Bailly..

The researchers used three fungal species in their study: Penicillium brevicompactum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Stachybotrys chartarum. These species, long studied as sources of food contaminants, also "are frequent indoor contaminants," said Bailly. He noted that they produce different mycotoxins, and their mycelia are different from one another, likely leading to differences in the quantity of mycotoxins they loft into the air. (Mycelia are the thread-like projections of fungi that seek nutrition and water from the environment.)

The findings raised two new scientific questions, said Bailly. First, "There is almost no data on toxicity of mycotoxins following inhalation," he said, noting that most research has focused on such toxins as food contaminants.

Second, the different fungal species put different quantities of mycotoxins in the air, "probably related to mycelium organization," but also possibly related to the mechanisms by which mycotoxins from different fungi become airbornefor example via droplets of exudate versus accumulation in spores. Such knowledge could help in prioritizing those species that may be of real importance in wafting mycotoxins, he said.

Bailly noted that the push for increasingly energy efficient homes may aggravate the problem of mycotoxins indoors. Such homes "are strongly isolated from the outside to save energy," but various water-using appliances such as coffee makers "could lead to favorable conditions for fungal growth," he said.

"The presence of mycotoxins in indoors should be taken into consideration as an important parameter of air quality," Bailly concluded.
Credit: UC Berkeley Haas School of Business

Forecasters often overestimate how good they are at predicting geopolitical eventseverything from who will become the next pope to who will win the next national election in Taiwan.

But UC Berkeley Haas management professor Don Moore and a team of researchers found a new way to improve that outcome by training ordinary people to make more confident and accurate predictions over time as superforecasters.

The team, working on The Good Judgment Project, had the perfect opportunity to test its future-predicting methods during a four-year government-funded geopolitical forecasting tournament sponsored by the United States Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity. The tournament, which began in 2011, aimed to improve geopolitical forecasting and intelligence analysis by tapping the wisdom of the crowd. Moore's team proved so successful in the first years of the competition that it bumped the other four teams from a national competition, becoming the only funded project left in the competition.

Some of the results are published in a Management Science article "Confidence Calibration in a Multi-year Geopolitical Forecasting Competition." Moore's co-authors, who combine best practices from psychology, economics, and behavioral science, include husband and wife team Barbara Mellers and Philip Tetlock of the University of Pennsylvania, who co-lead the Good Judgment Project with Moore; along with Lyle Unger and Angela Minster of the University of Pennsylvania; Samuel A. Swift, a data scientist at investment strategy firm Betterment; Heather Yang of MIT; and Elizabeth Tenney of the University of Utah.

The study differs from previous research in overconfidence in forecasting because it examines accuracy in forecasting over time, using a huge and unique data set gathered during the tournament. That data included 494,552 forecasts by 2,860 forecasters who predicted the outcomes of hundreds of events.

Wisdom of the crowd

Study participants, a mix of scientists, researchers, academics, and other professionals, weren't experts on what they were forecasting, but were rather educated citizens who stayed current on the news.

Their training included four components:

Considering how often and under what circumstances a similar event to the one they were considering took place.

Averaging across opinions to exploit the wisdom of the crowd.

Using mathematical and statistical models when applicable.

Reviewing biases in forecastingin particular the risk of both overconfidence and excess caution in estimating probabilities.

Over time, this group answered a total of 344 specific questions about geopolitical events. All of the questions had clear resolutions, needed to be resolved within a reasonable time frame, and had to be relatively difficult to forecast"tough calls," as the researchers put it. Forecasts below a 10 percent or above a 90 percent chance of occurring were deemed too easy for the forecasters.

The majority of the questions targeted a specific outcome, such as "Will the United Nations General Assembly recognize a Palestinian state by September 30, 2011?" or "Will Cardinal Peter Turkson be the next pope?"

The researchers wanted to measure whether participants considered themselves experts on questions, so they asked them to assess themselves, rating their expertise on each question on a 15 scale during their first year. In the second year, they placed themselves in "expertise quintiles" relative to others answering the same questions. In the final year, they indicated their confidence level from "not at all" to "extremely" per forecast.

Training: Astoundingly effective

By the end of the tournament, researchers found something surprising. On average, the group members reported that they were 65.4 percent sure that they had correctly predicted what would happen. In fact, they were correct 63.3 percent of the time, for an overall level of 2.1 percent confidence. "Our results find a remarkable balance between people's confidence and accuracy," Moore said.

In addition, as participants gathered more information, both their confidence and their accuracy improved.

In the first month of forecasting during the first year, confidence was 59 percent and accuracy was 57 percent. By the final month of the third year, confidence had increased to 76.4 percent and accuracy reached 76.1 percent.

The researchers called the training the group received "astoundingly effective."

"What made our forecasters good was not so much that they always knew what would happen, but that they had an accurate sense of how much they knew," the study concluded.

The research also broke new ground, as it is quantitative in a field that generally produces qualitative studies.

"We see potential value not only in forecasting world events for intelligence agencies and governmental policy-makers, but innumerable private organizations that must make important strategic decisions based on forecasts of future states of the world," the researchers concluded.

More information: Don A. Moore et al. Confidence Calibration in a Multiyear Geopolitical Forecasting Competition, Management Science (2016). DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2016.2525 Journal information: Management Science
The jellyfish glow helped focus laser beams on proteins. Credit: University of York

Scientists at the University of York have used florescent proteins from jellyfish to help shed new light on how DNA replicates.

Using these proteins, originally found in jellyfish to make them glow, the team where able to focus laser beams on the brightly lit proteins and track them inside a bacteria that normally lives inside the human gut.

This allowed scientists to watch the molecular machinery of DNA as it replicated inside a cell one molecule at a time. It revealed for the first time that only one component of this process, called DnaB helicase, remains stable - like a molecular anchor to the process.

In most cells, whether human or bacterial, a new cell is created after an existing cell divides in two. This means that a copy of the original sequence of genes coded in its DNA must be precisely copied and placed into the new cell.

This is thought to be a process that occurs slowly and methodically at set points in time. New research at the University of York, in collaboration with the University of Oxford and McGill University Canada, however, has now tracked this replication process in real-time and shown that it is far more dynamic than the textbooks suggest, occurring instead through a 'stuttering-like process' in short bursts.

Pioneering

Professor Mark Leake, Chair of Biological Physics at the University of York, said: "We pioneered a new method of light microscopy which allowed us to see this fascinating replication process occur molecule-by-molecule.

"We were surprised to find, however, that rather than the organised and methodical way that we expected this process to unfold, it instead happened in a 'stuttering' action, much like driving too slowly in high gear of a car. The big question, of course, was why the cell performs an essential process in such an unstable way?

"The stuttering action provide 'checkpoints' at various stages of the DNA copying process to make sure there is no errors made and, if there is, correct them before it is too late. This means that the cells can pause to fix an error in a small fragment of the DNA rather than attempt an unmanageable correction in one complete and huge strand of it.

"Although the process looks inelegant and almost random, it is actually highly efficient."

Human health

The process of DNA replication is fundamental to all life and the way errors in the process are resolved is especially important to human health. Errors can give rise to forms of cancer and become more prevalent in an ageing population.

This work will help scientists not only understand more fully the basic building blocks of life but potentially also provides new insights into a range of health conditions as well as even shedding new light on how human ageing can give rise to diseases associated with errors in copying the DNA from cell to cell.

Research was conducted using the DNA of Escherichia coli cell, bacteria, but However, the next stage of this research will investigate the same process in more complex cells, ultimately including those from humans.

The research, 'Frequent exchange of DNA polymerase during bacterial chromosome replication', was supported by the BBSRC and is published in the journal, eLife.

More information: Thomas R Beattie et al. Frequent exchange of the DNA polymerase during bacterial chromosome replication, eLife (2017). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.21763 Journal information: eLife
The Telegram messenger application lets people exchange messages, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000 people

Russia's state communications watchdog on Friday threatened to ban the Telegram messaging app because the company behind the service had failed to submit company details for registration.

In a message on its website, the Roskomnadzor agency warned that "time is running out" for Telegram to comply with the law.

Otherwise "Telegram must be blocked in Russia," it said.

The free instant messaging app lets people exchange messages, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000 people. It has attracted about 100 million users since its launch in 2013.

In an unusual move, the agency's chief, Alexander Zharov, addressed Telegram's secretive Russian chief executive, Pavel Durov.

"I publicly call on the Telegram team and personally Pavel Durov: carry out the Russian law!" Zharov wrote, adding: "The choice is yours."

The watchdog said it had been sending messages to the company "practically every day" asking it to send company information for Roskomnadzor's register.

Durov has not responded on his social media accounts.

The 32-year-old had previously created Russia's popular VKontakte social media site, before founding Telegram in the United States.

Durov said in April that the app had "consistently defended our users' privacy" and "never made any deals with governments."

But the service has drawn the ire of critics who say it can let criminals and terrorists communicate without fear of being tracked by police, pointing in particular to its use by Islamic State jihadists.

The app is one of several targeted in a legal crackdown by Russian authorities on the internet and on social media sites in particular.

Since January 1, Internet companies are required to store all users' personal data at data centres in Russia and provide it to the authorities on demand.

And draft legislation that has already secured initial backing in parliament would make it illegal for messaging services to have anonymous users.

A bill set for its first reading Friday would also ban the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy servers to bypass Russian internet controls.

But Russia's internet ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev said the VPN bill was "going against common sense", speaking to RBK independent news site this month.

The Kommersant business daily criticised the slew of legislation this month, saying: "The Russian internet needs protection against laws."

 2017 AFP
A depiction of the double helical structure of DNA. Its four coding units (A, T, C, G) are color-coded in pink, orange, purple and yellow. Credit: NHGRI

A host of proteins and other molecules sit on the strands of our DNA, controlling which genes are read out and used by cells and which remain silent. This aggregation of genetic material and controlling molecules, called chromatin, makes up the chromosomes in our cell nuclei; its control over which genes are expressed  or not  is what determines the difference between a skin cell and a neuron, and often between a healthy cell and a cancerous one.

Parts of the genome are only loosely coiled in the nucleus, allowing cells to access the genes inside, but large sections are compacted very densely, preventing the genes form being read until their region of the genome is unfolded again. These compacted regions, known as heterochromatin, are formed by a protein known as HP1 and similar proteins, but exactly how HP1 segregates this off-limits DNA from the rest of the nucleus has been largely a mystery, until now.

In a new study by UC San Francisco researchers published in the journal Nature on June 22, 2017, what looked at first like a failed experiment instead revealed the intriguing possibility that HP1 binds to stretches of DNA and pulls it into droplets that shield the genetic material inside from the molecular machinery of the nucleus that reads and translates the genome.

"This provides a very simple explanation for how cells prevent access to genes," said Geeta Narlikar, PhD, professor of biochemistry and biophysics and senior author of the study.

'Bad News' Led to New Discovery

Narlikar's graduate student Adam Larson was trying to purify HP1, and noticed that the liquid in his samples was growing cloudy. For protein scientists, this is typically bad news, said Narlikar: it suggests that proteins that should dissolve in water are instead clumping together into a useless mass.

But Larson thought the clumps might actually be useful. After all, previous work had shown that the role of HP1 is to sequester long strands of DNA into very small volumes. What if this was exactly the sort of clumping he was seeing in the tube?

Larson took his samples to the lab across the hall from Narlikar's, where Roger Cooke, PhD, professor emeritus of biochemistry and biophysics, helped him examine under the microscope what could have been just a tangled molecular mess. Instead, Larson and Cooke saw clouds of delicate droplets floating around in the water, like a freshly shaken mix of oil and vinegar.

HP1 had a reputation as a difficult protein to work with  get any solution too concentrated, and the protein would clump out. But if the protein was supposed to clump, said Narlikar, "a lot of things we couldn't explain started to make sense."

Narlikar speculates that other scientists may have seen the same cloudiness before, but thinking it was simply a ruined sample, never pursued it like Larson did. "It demonstrates the power of curiosity-driven research," she said.

Rapidly Compacting DNA

To see how and why the HP1 formed droplets, the team produced different mutant versions of the protein, watching which separated out. By watching which parts of the protein were important for forming droplets, and using X-rays to monitor changes in the protein's shape, the team found that the protein nearly doubles in length when small phosphate residues are added in cetain locations. "The molecule literally opens up," said Narlikar. "I was surprised at the size of the change."

This opening-up exposes electrically charged regions of the protein, which stick together, turning dissolved pairs of proteins into long chains that clump together into droplets. Just as balsamic vinegar's dark and flavorful molecules don't seep into the oil of a salad dressing without some extra effort by the chef, the molecules for reading DNA don't seep into the HP1 droplets.

The fact that such a drastic change in shape comes from such a small modification may allow the cell to tightly regulate where and when HP1 silences genes, said Narlikar. The changes come quickly and robustly too  using a technology employed by Sy Redding, PhD a Sandler Fellow, the team created a "curtain" of DNA molecules pulled straight by fluid flowing around them, then added HP1 and watched the protein compress the DNA into tiny droplets, folding it up against the flow.

"People have been seeing for over a hundred years that you get these dense regions of DNA in the nucleus," said Madeline Keenen, the Ph.D. student who ran the curtain experiment. "Now we're seeing the actual mechanism."

More information: Adam G. Larson et al. Liquid droplet formation by HP1 suggests a role for phase separation in heterochromatin, Nature (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nature22822 Journal information: Nature
Dr Shimada capturing a turtle for tagging. Credit: James Cook University

James Cook University marine scientists are calling for an extension of go-slow zones in turtle habitats to reduce boat strikes on the threatened creatures.

JCU's Dr Takahiro Shimada was part of a joint team from JCU and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection that created and implemented the study. They tracked 18 green and 20 loggerhead turtles, in some cases for more than two-and-a-half years.

He said the team concentrated on the Moreton Bay area of Brisbane, as this is where most turtle strikes happen in Queensland. Dr Shimada said that many shallow and all deeper areas in the bay are not go- slow zones.

"At the time the regulations were brought into effect, it wasn't possible to track turtle habitats as accurately as we can now. So we set out to document where the turtles actually are," he said.

The scientists found the turtles they tracked were present throughout the bay, and stayed mostly in water less than five metres deep.

"On the east side of the bay, most of their habitat is covered by go-slow zones, but almost none of their habitats in the rest of the bay are covered," said Dr Shimada.

He said turtles are at risk when they surface to breathe, rest or when basking at or near the surface. They can also be struck when there is not enough depth for a hull or motor to pass over them safely. Dr Shimada said the animals were not agile enough to get out of the way of a fast-approaching vessel.

"We know that reducing the speed of boats significantly decreases the risk of collisions with turtles and dugongs and other air breathing animals," he said.

Dr Shimada said that if all shallow zones in Moreton Bay were designated as go-slow zones, nearly half or more of the turtle habitats could be protected.

"If we did that and added a small buffer zone from shallow water extending into deeper water, up to 95 percent of the habitat would be covered."

Dr Shimada said the team were very mindful that human recreational and commercial use of Moreton Bay was valuable and that it was inevitable that compromises would have to be made.

"Effective management for recovery of a population doesn't necessarily require the elimination of a particular source of mortality but rather that the mortality is low enough to allow the population to recover. Management agencies will need to balance the needs for reducing boat strikes with the use of the resource by the community," he said.

More information: Takahiro Shimada et al, Aligning habitat use with management zoning to reduce vessel strike of sea turtles, Ocean & Coastal Management (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.03.028